Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-29
WOMEN IN FEDERAL SERVICE
Large Number Employed as Clerks in the
Departments at Washington.
PRECIOUS FEW SNAPS TO Be HAD
Denial Of the Cherished Tradition
That only Pretty Women with Pc
IiticaI influence Are APP
pointed and Advanced.

/ HUUWT WUT-TTTTW Ut vi WTUTT"T -" TT W
government departments at Washington are
women. Several receive over 81 500 per
annum. about fifty receive 81, 800 per an
rum. 100 receive 81 400 per annum, $50 re-
ceive 81, 200, 300 81 900 and the remainder
receive from $3.50 to 5000 per annum.
The government employee at Washington
is always regarded by the outsider with
more or less envy, writes a correspondent
Of the Boston Transcript. Every woman
who cannot play the part Of one Of Solo
mons "lilies Of the field" but must toll
or spin" looks with Jealous longing at
what are supposed to be the snaps at
Washington. The Snaps" are Just waiting
to be picked up-by the right people. and
with that cold-blooded institution, the
United States Civil Service commission, In
prime working order, the right people are
very easily selected.
The Civil Service commission records for
last year show that 3,0S3 women were ex-
amined for the various positions open to
them under the civil service. OF these 2,476
passed and 444 were appointed 1851 of the
applicants examined came under the head
Of skilled labor" This is the easiest ex-
animation given and the lowest salaries are
paid to those appointed under 1t, the re-
Enumeration ranging from 25 cents an hour,
amounting to from $40 to $40 a month to
$50 a month. The higher salaries generally
go to the men employed from this class:
the lower salaries are paid to the char
women.
stenOErapners in Demand.
The most popular examination for women
is that for stenographers and typewriters.
Good stenographers' is the ceaseless de-
mand Of the department oficial-not
mediocre-bu good par excellence. On
stenographic examination days the big
dreary examination room at the commits
sion is crowded with the trembling appli-
cants. Nowadays the stenographer is Of
necessity a typewriter and the preliminary
tinkle and click reverberates from every
known make Of writing machine. The men
predominant. Last year they numbered
500, while the women had little more than
half that representation-307-yet the aver
age passing was larger on the female side.
But when 1t came to the question Of ap-
pointment eighty-nine of the ia men who
passed received good positions, while only
thirteen out of the 100 women on the eligi-
BILE list were appointed. These positions
carry a salary Of from $500 to 81, 200 a year:
the stenographers of bureau chiefs receive
$1,000 and those of the heads Of the de-
partments $1,000. The commissioner Of pen
sions employs a woman stenographer and
many " u lbluoO " nh q
male stenographers in their Offices.
Men Outclassed.
In those classes which are open to the
competition of both men and women the
records show much greater ability on the
side Of the latter. Last year there were
3,033 male applicants and 2,175 female for
these examinations. The successful COM
p%etitiors numbered 1,7S5 male and 1914
female, and yet three times as many men
as women were appointed. This preference
for the male clerk in the departmnts will
endure as long as the sterner sex sit in the
, high places. A thousand reasons are urged
why men should have the preference. The
, very poorest is that a woman in an Office
interferes with the freedom of its male
contingent. AS freedom is frequently con-
strued to mean an absence of coats in warm
weather and an atmosphere of plutonian
: density in cold weather, then by all means
let us have the Interference" The best
|, reason offered is that the average govern.
ment salary is big enough for two, and
, therefore should go to a head OF a family
or a prospective head. All very well and
: good as far as the present head of a family
goes-but as for the prospective head he Is
apt to think a very long time before hi
really confesses that 800 a month divided
by two, or more, is quite as pleasant as
the undivided whole. Furthermore, this
n reason might serve as equally good GROUND
: for employing women. Hardly enc woman
. out of every fifty in the departments q
I we except the girls in the census bureau
but is either the head OF a family hersel
q or one OF its main props. A great man!
have mothers whom they care for, Will,
: the brothers are married, or perhaps no
h doing so we'll.
e "PuIls" of Little Value.
An erroneous opinion prevails that the
woman government employe is showed int
position by an influential member Of con,
n gress: that her working hours are a sort o
v quiet resting time. and that congressional
s backing is constantly pushing her a motel
higher on the salary roll. Now, she is NJ
more a At subject for jealousy than an,
other successful woman. She works Jus
as hard-and farder sometimes-than he,
sister on the outside. In the first place, al
the influence at Washington went put he
on the eligible list of the Civil Servic,
" commission. In the second place, when sh,
b has secured a place she must work to keel
-e it, and expert work for six hours and
X half a day is not easy. There must be n,
3 errors in accounts, no mistakes in letters
no m~isstatements. of facts. Government
3 work is well paid only when, we'll done. II
N the third place, promotions are the awart
70 Of merit. A very striking illustration o
a. this occurred last winter when a younI
G. woman was made chief Of one of the divi
sions in the Postof1ce department, becaus
she knew more about the work of that par
ticular division than any other employe II
" 1t. She receives a salary Of 81. 240. one o
" the best paid to any woman in the serv
hi ice.
er Miss Thora Stejneger of the Smithsonian
g. institution is another woman who is earn
a. ing large wages. Miss Stejneger is a Nor
I'd wegian who has devoted her life to tn
study of animals. She has charge of tn
g classification of all animals received b.
the Smithsonian. and many are the quee
specimens that she examines and label
with unerring skill.
ly A Western Worker.
IN Miss Estelle Reel. superintendent OF In
It dian schools, does the work and endures tn
y hardships that are supposed to be the lot @
an men exclusively. The poorest Indian schoc
IN on the faraway frontier must be visite
quite as regularly as the famous institu
lions at Carlisle and Hampton. Miss Rec
ny has had many adventures and not q fe'