Evening star., 1922-01-28
NCLE SAM is probably the
only employer in the world.
= who picks his employees al
most s9lely by educational

who picks his employees al
most s9lely by educational
tests.
No business man selects his work
ers by giving them mental tests alone.
He gives them the 'once over" uses
his ripe judgment Of mon. and takes
into foil confederation what the ap-
plicant has done in the past.
The United States government. how
ever. is going to use the same methods
as soon AZ It can get around to 1t.
President John H. bartlett bf the
Civil Service Commission and his as
socistes on the. board have decided
upon 1t.
President Harding Is behind the
movement to give character examina-
tions to applicants for positions under
the government. believing that It 10 In
entire harmony with his avowed de-.
termination tern to put more business
Cen. Dawes, director Of the budget.
upon recommendation Of the Presi-
dent. has transmitted to congrese a
request for an appropriation OF $780,
900 to allow the Civil Service Commits
sion to apply such tests to civil serv-
Ice workers as any Intelligent busi-
ness man uses in hiring employees.
4 X +
Rather than examinations as to
character or morals, Prestdent Bart
lett prefers to use them plus quail
ties In speaking Of the objects of the
Intended extension OF the scope OF
civil; service examinations. He feels
that there are certain qualities in
men, such as industry or its opposite,
faithfulness or its opposite. that can
not be put down in SO many words
perhaps. but are tremendous factors
In manhood.
These he calls the "plus qualities .
It will be to determine such attributes
of manhood and womanhood that the
$4,000 appropriation. which is in ad-
dition to the regular appropriation,
will be used by the commission, If the
extra appropriation is granted.
A new application Of the fifty
fifty" plan, will be put into effect in
conducting civil service examinations
under the new theory. for it is ex-
will be given 4 scholarship test rep
ter examination, to determine the
plus qualities." representing SO per
cent. While there may be some va
riations in the respective values OF
these two sides, the ratio will be
roughly that.
Mr.. Bartlett got his big idea
and it Is big idea, as any one &C.
quainted with government service
will realise-when he was postmas.
ter Of Portsmouth, N. H.. during the
Mckinley and Roosevelt administra-
tions. Later he was governor of his
state. but he got this big idea while
postmaster.
ut struck me at that time that the
sole test for rural letter carriers
being a scholarship examination, was
ridiculous" President Bartlett said
Here was q white-faced boy who
passed first. and q rugged man who
passed last. The boy was given the
job. when any business man in the
world would have seen at a glance
carrier.
land believe much the same
thing may be applied to almost every
position under the government serv-
ice. 1t should be universal in scope.
The government needs t6 take more
into consideration the plus qualities
of men and women, moral and char
acter attributes which go to make up
the intangible thing known as per-
sonality."
*A + -
When Mr.. Bartlett became head
Of the Civil Service Commission last
July complaints were coming in to
the commission against certain rural
and other carriers Of the postal
service. The great war had made
necessary the letting down Of the
bars, to some extent. and undesir-
able characters had found their way
in. It became evident to officials
here that mail thefts, to some ex-
tent, at least. were being pulled
by men in the service, or through