The Washington times., 1903-09-15
Fossils in Office.
Old Men in Government Positions Be-
cause They Can Get No Others.

cause They Can Get No Others.
The recent performances in the
Health Department, In connection
with the registering of births and
deaths, have brought to light a GU
nous condition of things. The num-
Der of births reported last week was
"a instead of the usual number of 100
or'more, and as it seemed improbable
that the people of the District had
suddenly taken it into their heads TO
commit race suicide, investigation fol
lowed.
1t was at first thought that ply
sicians had neglected to report births
because they are no longer permitted
ITO use franked envelopes. The truth
was, however, that the phenomenon
was due to an error of one of the
clerks, an old man past seventy, by
which lob, the number reported, was
made to read 81 This superannuated
clerk Is one of half dozen In that
department, and anyone familiar with
the departments here knows that there
are IN all of them men who have ont
lived their usefulness, and are kept
az Office apparently because the au-
thorities do not know what else to do
with them. A sarcastic person once
expressed the opinion that a govern
ment clerk Of this type does not die
and Is not discharged: he simply stays
IN office till he dries up and blows
away
There has been a good deal of dis
cnssion Of late over what is called
1.-THE dead line," and it has been We
hemently asserted that the common
iGea that old men are not as efficient
as younger ones IS wrong. The ex-
smples of Gladstone, Queen Veto
ria, and other eminent persons of
great age are cited as proof that age
does not always impair the faculties.
But 1t may safely be said that there
are no Gladstones or other eminent
persons In the rank and file of the de-
partments; if they belonged to that
type Of humanity they would not be
doing desk work.
1t IS quite true that in certain lines
OF business an old mans head is as
good, if not better, than a younger
mans, especially when it comes 70
managing large affairs. The captains
OF industry are seldom afflicted with
softening Of the brain in old age. But
when 1t comes 10 routine work, ma
chine work, the careful and accurate
calculations which make up so large a
part OF department labor, the peculiar
failings of old age are apt to be a
disadvantage. After a man passes
sixty he sometimes loses memory of
the things which happened last week,
1orgets minutiae, overlooks trifes.
though he may be able to judge hu-
man nature and discuss public affairs
with undated acuteness. 1t is in the
little things that accuracy in routine
work Is most needed, and whatever
may be the usefulness of men past
seventy with failing memories IN
ether lines Of business, they do not
belong in department work, where am
ERROR Of one figure may throw out
whole calculation.
1t is rightly argued that it is not
Just to require q man TO give his best
years to routine work in Government
service, which units him Cor any
ether business, and Their to throw him
aside while he has vet twenty years or
more TO live, without making any pro-
vision for his declining years. Gov
ernment work IS unlike other lines Of J
business in which an able man may
sngage, IN that it does not permit him