The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-26

subsistence. II Miss Reel could eat Uncle
sans greenbacks and gold pieces. every
thing would be comfortable. but there are
indian villages where all the necessary
expense appropriations for the White
House dinners would not buy a square
meal Recently Miss Reel wrote text
book for Indian schools. which embraces
every topic OF educational training for
the indian student
II is mistaken idea also that good
looks influence promotions A case in
mind rs that Of a young lady in one of
the departments, most wholly unprepOs-
sessing IN appearance, who entered the
government service as a Copyist was adj
vanced 10 stenographer's position and
while holding that studied that branch
OF law applicable to the work OF the de-
partment in which she was employed.
called upon by accident to examine a
complicated case she rendered 50 COM
prehcnsive and able legal opinion that
she was promoted TO the position OF law
clerk. which she now holds. All this
WIS without political influence or the
supposed Influence OF good looks
Outside of the salaries paid skilled la
ooferS printers assistants and press
feeders. which rarely if ever exceed $40
: illDllIn, remuneration for women In the
departments runs from $500 TO 81 400 a
year-that IS. for the average clerk IL
mas been urged ;hat the women drawing
theSe comparatively good salaries are
DeIhB spoiled for wives. Perhaps they
At NO one can blame 4 girl for being
reiuctant to give up a comfortable income
ana the freedom TO live as she pleases
lof the cares aud worries of married life
Mhen department girls do marry. they
usually make q success Of it. Thev do
not have 20 look out for n home. and the
business girl Of today has a fire-proof
Hedrl. no dashing ne'er-do-veU can hope
20 eaten her fancy and her neat nestegg
Sue meets and knows too many men not
10 De able TO catalogue fborn Then
HdTlmonlal chances in Washington arc
Few. II is not a business town. Take
S"dy tne government and the place would
pc dead IN no time. Manufacturers there
are none. The male department clerk Is
Hot an eligible by any means He fire.
futhtiH gets no more per month than his
ellale cola oorer, and sometimes less. A
,,ogs,tt poru9n OF them lives from hand 10
lHoulh' ana are flush only on salary
DAYS and broke on all others.
Much has been said and written about
the old ladies Of the treasury IN is
IIue there are great many elderly wo-
men IN that department-but surely their
age Is no cause for complaint. Some are
~ the seventies, one or two have drifted
dIong 70 30 odd. Their salaries all touch
"a ONeriSp the 500 per month mark
among them are the widows and daugh-
teTs or famous men
For years they have worked i'm this
biggest bank i'm the world and millions
upoh nlllons of dollars have they helped
20 pour out through the enormous check
books over which their white heads arc
CpnSAdntly bent. The treasury contains
the most interesting workers in WASH
IlStou-these are the women whose skill
lul eyes and delicate fingers can detect
a counterfeit in. a second. So expert are
Iey that glance suffices Occasion
Any, however, a counterfeit is so near the
oIlglnal that il takes considerable time
aho labor TO prove the forgery In the
case Of a bogus bill. the paper is soal,eS
tlLsI separated by means Of n slender
AiL'5e' me government greeuback is
nlauG up or three thin sheets pressed
together with hair-lfke threads ~ siTl-
between. One can imagine The stosdinoss
ol hdnd required to separate these sheets
one from another without tearing or
Hluuiatihg them in any way. These
MglIleH are not paid extremely large sal
alles lot thelr work, not over ST 500 per
annum yet il is doubtful If many men
could be found 10 do the work. regardless
Of salary.
some pension. officials declare that If
male instead OF female clerks were en-
pioyed on the pension cases of our old
SoldierS, their widows and orphans the
poor prospective pensioners would die OF
Starvation before action was reached on
their claims. In cases where exactitr,ie
TO verge Of Thickness is required. women
are better clerks than men This has
bcen borne out IN the work on the census
bureau where the tabulating machines
requiring unending patience and the
most skillfui cxaCtness Of touch. are an
run by women.
The census bureau has proven a source
Of much contention. Coming as its
organization did at the close of the Span-
ish-American war. il was A eodseDd 10
many families that had suffered loss of
husband son or brother in that conflict
There should be some cOnsidera ton Of
this fact shown in the dismisSaIs which
"a
many clerks were employed who rea lized
that their work would be Of a temporary
character
Some few are prepared for dismissal.
but the great majority have spent their
money carelessly and without thought for
the morrow, and these find themselves
I'm an unpleasant position. They have
acquired a taste for Washington life. and
60 back 10 the farm or the store. or to
the little country home. disconnected and
with lonEings which cannot be satisfied
for work in the government service.
Without doubt these 1900 or more young
men and women who have been employed
In the census bureau have added much
20 the revenue OF the street car COM
panies and the ConfCctiOnCTs Of Washing
ton for the past year or so; and the pref
thy gOwned figures and gay Young voices
OF the girls will be missed from the
streets OF the capital.
IL il a well dressed crowd of women
and girls who troop down to the depart
mentS IN the mornings. inc women MANY
Of them from once wealthy families.
dressed in sober black. the girls i'm short
skirts and tailored waists. Indeed this
rcnsible costume OF short skirt and shirt
waist has become almost a uniform. so
general has been SIS adoption. it signal
ICES the passing Of tho old idea that wom-
en- iu business is playing az work. Shc
has tried 30 and found IL good. now she is
going te dress herself for it, ana those o.
her sex who are energetic and ambitious
enough 10 secure the shpCkels from Uncle
Sans money bag should not he objects Of
envy but rather OF emulation
The way Of obtaining these places Is
long and tendious. but under the methods
ernploved bv the civil service commission
II Is omen 10 all and no matter how re-
mote the place NAV be. opportunities are
rivcn those who live there TO take the
civil service examination which Is the
nrerequisite for employment in the gov
eminent service.