Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-14

by Curtis Brown. All Rights Strictly Reserved,
ton could be made to the rule unless by
the special permission of the heads of de-
partments. and that offenders would lay
themselves open to reprimand degradation
and finally dismissal
The American reader will doubtless fail
to perceive anything particularly startling
or revolutionary in the above order. To
enlighten him on the subject l must make
depression.
The civil service has at all times had
strong attraction for French fathers and
mothers. who like to see their young hope
fulS "fOnctiOnnnaires.' The work is not ex-
cessive The pay is not excessive. either, it
must be added. for the commencing salary
is but 1,SG0 francs (S360) per annum, and il
promotion does not come it remains at
that figure There is. however a small
pension at the end. and ii sounds well to
say, My son is at this or that ministry"
and this is title to consideration when
the young man is an aspirant to the hand
OF a young lady.
The consequence is that the public de-
partments, the ministries especially, are
crowded with officials, young and old,
whose only ''raison detre" appears to be
to draw their salaries regularly and help to
swell an already enormous budget. The
staffs could probably be reduced by one
third, or even one-half without the public
service being any the worse from the point
of view of work accomplished.
Now it is not to be supposed that these
civil servants and attaches these chair
warmers as they are irreverenty termed,
inferior in mental and intellectual ca
pacity to their brethren who have chosen
other careers. They are the product and
the victims of a bad system, which con-
sists in setting two men to do the work of
one, both being underpaid in consequence
Hundreds of them turn honest penny
in and out of office hours. This worthy
paterfamilias las no sooner reached his
little home in the suburbs than he de-
velops into an accountant or copyist
That correst ministerial functionary (who
would suspect itD rises at am. and Is
an inspector at the Central Market-Les
Halles-until an. Another sits in the
box office of a theater and acts as con-
troller, and
The general public knows. of course very
| little of the servants of the republic, who
are popularity supposed-to judge from carl
catures-to sit slumbering all day long
amid piles of papers. How different is the
| reality! The state administrations are hives
where the arts physical culture and intel
lectual games flourish. Civil servants are
often artists of real talent. If you could
peep behind the closed doors of this or that
ministry you would often see painter
hard at work on a canvas, while friend
is preparing the frame. In another room
a dramatist will be reading his latest piece
to select audience OF his colleagues. In
another two 'chansonniers," poet and mu-
sician, will be interpreting the next song
or valse for a Montmatre cafe concert, and
all Paris. the midinettes especially will be
humming ii in few days.
Certain 'bureaux" of the ministry Of
finance are decorated with beautiful mural
paintings, the work of func tionaries. This
ministry, in spite of the columns of dry
figures in which its members are supposed
to be immersed, furnishes the most formid-
able literary and artistic competitors for
the prizes offered by various great dailies.
Beautiful crayon drawings of mythology
cal subjects adorn the walls of the educa-
ton department at the Hotel de Vile The
prefecture of police is famous for its chess
players At the ministries of commerce,
public works and the colonies there are ex-
cellent accountants (sub rosa) who manage
to be absent the greater part of the year from
their ministerial duties! In an important