Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-10
MELTING POT SENDS ALL KINDS
FOR CIVIL SERVICE POSITIONS
Government Has annual
Offer From 100000
Applicants.
Every Race, Color. and
and Greed Seek
Employment.
BY WILLIAM G., DEMING.
President. United States Civil
Service Commission.

All roads lead to Rome, and also
to the information bureau of the
United States Civil Service Commits
sion here.
The travellers are of every race,
color, creed, age and station in life;
they represent the polygiot citlzenry
Of the United States, and most OF them
seek work. A former Russian prince,
fused In the great American melting
pot, was q recent caller. He got a
Job, not because he was Russian
prince. but because he posssssed
technical knowledge valuable to our
Government.
In an ordinary days work, when
no exceptionally popular exaniina-
ton has been announced, about 500
men and women present themselves
at the commissions bureau and ask
for information about Government
employment
No stage ever presented a greater
variety of comedy pathos, or even
tragedy. There is tragedy in the
have met with reverses In fortune,
have suffered family losses, or have
suddenly been thrown out of employ
ment.
Mail Order Sleuths.
One would be more than human If
he did not find comedy in the ap-
pearance of q six-foot woman from
the South, who proudly displayed a
certificate of graduation" from q
detective school and proclaimed that
she was now ready to capture" He
would be less than human II he did
not And pathos In the plight OF this
ignorant. trusting dupe, who had
spent her last dollar to come to
Washington and had to ask the aid
of charity to get back to her home.
When a seeker Of information tip
toes into the bureau, sidles over to
a far corner and asks for confiden-
tial interview. the clerk picks up a
record card and writes detective"
at the top. Usually that designation
Is correct. The information bureau
now has on file more than 5000 cards,
all dated within a year, and repre-
senting that number of persons who
wish to be informed of the next ex-
animation announced for the Secret
Service. Many of the cards which
themselves appear to be specimens OF
ability to construct cryptograms, for
they are scarcely decipherable.
$4,000 Names on File.
It is not unusual for the information
bureau to have in its files as many as
rs, 900 cards bearing the names, ad-
dresses, and other information about
persons who have asked to be inform
ed Of the announcement Of certain ex-
aminations In which they are interest
ed.
Many of those who apply have been
dropped from Government Offices be-
cause of reduction of force. 1t Is the
- he iuf1 &c
sion to endeavor to plpace these in
other vacant positions. An ordinary
clerk, however, cannot be certified for
a position OF chemist. physicist or bac-
teriologist. 1t Is because of the nor.
NAL turnover in the Government force
which amounts to approximately IA
per cent, that the commission must
continue to hold examinations Of some
kind every few weeks. At this time
of national economy and effort toward
reduction Of force, the examinations
open require special knowledge in
some field.
Every possible kind of employment
is asked for, even to work as a guard
at leper colony.
A recent applicant said that he
wished to be informed of the next ex.
animation announced for positions of
interpreter. When asked to list the
languages In winch ne was QudilHeu,
he wrote down % languages, including
Icelandic.
Ambitious Carpenter.
One day a carpenter, box Of tools in
hand, appeared at the information bu-
reau and expressed a desire to enter
an examination which had been an
nounced for positions of junior patent
examiner. It was explained to him
that the examination was a technical
one and very difficult, requiring knowi-
edge of physics, chemistry, some
branch Of engineering. and modern
languages. He replied that he had
been studying at night and wished TO
make a try. He did SO and failed.
Six months later, when the examina-