Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-19
SUNDAY MAGAZINl
END OF RAINBOW
Continued from page t!

from it the young man can step to greater
things. The almost universal experience
has been that it leads to oblivion. Many is
the young man who has gone to Washing
ton to draw a salary as Government clerk
while he put in his spare hours studying law
or medicine or engineering. Practically all
of them have been given their diplomas in
their chosen professions; but precious few
of them have struck out into the world fear
lessly and unhesitatingly in search of ca
reers. The great majority of them have
looked at the diplomas, realized that parch-
ment was not convertible into cash, and
said, well, I'm getting thousand dollars
a year here, and out in the world I'd have to
start with nothing and have an uphill fight
for few years. l guess I'll stay here
That is the trouble with such place. 1t
does not require work. 1t does not stimu
late ones fighting powers. A man can hold
Government job and put in good deal of
loafng without being dismissed. A woman
can do even more of it than man.
However strong ambition may be at the
outset, there comes surely and steadily to
the mind that works at the treadmill of
dead monotony the realization that in such
surroundings there is little chance for notable
achievement, little hope of a fellows making
his mark. The promotions, small in them
/
tine matters. A clerk in an office dies or re-
signs There are more deaths than resigna-
tions), and everybody moves up a peg.
That is, as usual thing, the system of win
ming promotions. Death is the dear friend
of all who are left behind. And ambition
that looks to the graveyard as its fairest
field is not much of an incentive.
There have been notable exceptions to the
killing grip the nine to-four- thirty mill gets
on most men. George B. Cortelyou went from
the bottom to the top; but he was under the
appreciative eye of several Presidents. Frank
II. Hitchcock, the present Postmaster Cen
eral, began as a humble clerk in the Depart
ment of Agriculture; but Cortelyou took
fancy to him and gave him his chance.
There is now in Washington a prosperous
ment service he was getting four thousand
dollars year in an important position, and
had wife and several children. His resig-
nation caused excited comment throughout
every department.
think of his leaving four thousand
dollar job" exclaimed the women and men.
am leaving, he told some of his friends,
because those big buildings will get any
body who stays in them. That routine will
kill them all off. l made up my mind that,
if was ever to accomplish anything, it had
to be on my own nook and not working IN
there where you don't get paid for it and no
body hears about it.
He was one of the exceptions. There are
such in Washington one year.
Question Must Be Answered
THOSE who have spent their lives in the
big buildings are now up against the
administration question, allow can we get
rid of the old clerks?"
The answer to it was delayed last spring;
but, if thequery is framed often enough, there
ply must bemade sooner orlater. And the out
look for the old clerks is anything but bright
Congress refuses absolutely and emphatically
to appropriate money necessary to retire
them on annuities. The cry from the Presi-
dent for economy grows louder and louder
AT present, in all the departments, the
plan is briefly this: ave will retain them at
their present salaries as long as their work
gives us the excuse to do So After that, we
shall reduce their pay, getting as much work
from them as they can do and operating a
sort of halfway pension system
But the old clerks, having found neither
riches nor honors at the end of the rainbow,
greatly fear that this generosity may not last.
When Congress is asked to appropriate
money for their retirement, the answer is,
@You did not have to enter the Government
| NJ 4