The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-10-31
M'HARG RETIRING.
WARNS YOUNG MEN
Urges Them TO Avoid Gov
eminent Service for
Life Work.
TGIVEN NO CHANCE
FOR ORIGINALITY"
Assistant Secretary Leaves Depart
ment to Take Up Work in
New York.
By LANES Hay. II.

Ormsby McHarg. who looks like a
poet and has a mind deep as a well,
takes occasion to utter an impressive
warning against young men going into
r<he Government service as a life wori
Mr.. McHarg leaves the department
with a smile on his face to begin his
duties in New York tomorrow morning
as a member Of a weIl-Br5wn law firm
there and his advice, coming from a
man who has made an enviabie Teputa-
ton for himself in The seven months
IN which he has been on the Govern
ffient pay roll, is ali the more sig
nifcant.
MY advice" he said, sis that young
men should not go into tne Government
service, for there they have no room
for originality or enterprise.
This is a hard thing for me to say,
Tor not many people were brought up
IN an atmosphere more patriotic than
that which surrounded me. Ny father
was a Scotsman, who came over here
and fought in the Mexican war on the
side of the United States, and always
after that loved this country beyond
words. Naturally, absorbed mucn OF
his patriotism and love OF country
Facts Are Facts.
But facts are facts, and, In the last
ANALYSIS. it is only too evident that the
!. rsovernment service holds out no prom
ise for the man who hopes to accom-
plIsh anything in life. AS a matter OF
fact. working for the Government for
a considerable period of time viii unht
q man for any other work.
"As / said there is no field for orig
inality. The man who enters the ser
: vice finds himself bound down Dy a
wilderness Of red tape. against which u
INN a
= tenpts 20 do so bring down torrent OF
: opposition, which is frequently 1oiloWed
s BY the charge that one wishes to De
E sensational or is seeking hotoflely'
s Those who have learned through the
years TO work in seclusion and red-tape-
ism do not give TO the newcomer me
2 credit that is due TO new ideas and
This is one reason why the man go
ing into the service walks INTO career
which offers nothing. II is also a rea-
cheney in the Government service to-
day Men throw up their hands and
What's the use of fighting against
Helped Others.
7 have done all could TO help prom
Using young men out of the service tc
better things. When I saw that they
were capable Of greater things, and that
their dInDlLiOu6 AcAilpLGo t4iCA4 ~ DN+iDA
fields of endeavor. did all ] could to
aid them. and in several instances ]
have been successful in getting them out
of the service entirely.
eff a man wants to accomplish things
in this life let him give the Government
-pav roll a wide berth say this after
= reflection and after judging the things
nv own experience has taught me here
II IS truth that is self-evtdent 10 one
familiar with the situation"
Mr.. McHarg took the position OF AS
sistant. Secretary OF Commerce and La
! hor upon the urgent request of Score
tarv Nagel after he had declined Jhe
offer of an assistant secretaryshlp II
another department Nagel said ID
wanted him because AcHarg was NOTED
cas- a hard worker and Tive wire
He leaves the service today over the
protest of the department after having
ing made a real reputation in dealing
with the problems which came before
him
He viii leave Washington tomorrow
reaching New York tomorrow evening.