OCR Text |
Show I iw ii - 'the life of government clerks Quite a stirring "f tile dry bones Is reported from Washington. Some perniciously nctlvo Congressman has mtuBlly proposed that the government govern-ment clerks work olght hours n day instead of loven. This would h nw-ful. nw-ful. It wou'd Interfere with tho sacred sac-red custom of five o'clock ten. Congressman Con-gressman Crlffln of Now "Tori: seemed seem-ed to senso moro keenly tho spirit of tho age. A six hour day Is coming com-ing In tho departments, he snld. The country" as a whole lias tiov-' or been able to understand why the clerks could work but soven hours, l It lg shorter than tho usual sched I ule In private business . I To hoar Washington people talk, 1 one would think tho clerks n misunderstood misun-derstood and abused class of pcoplo. Thoy nro represented as grubbing out tholr lives In arduous sorvlco th:t is not appreciated nnd is hut poorly paid. Tho government service has never attracted a brilliant class ol men. It Is nn honorable career, and conditions condi-tions should bo such that nn nctlvo man could net deserved promotion. Ilut chances for advancement havo always lifn uncertain, dependent m many conditions other than merit. Tho rcgnUir Krlnd of tho work with shoit hours appeals to a great many who have not succeeded very well in other Hues, or who havo few sifts for originating their own Ideas. They follow beaten tracks, which finally fin-ally become set In a vnst labyrinth of red tape, destructive of prompt efficiency. ef-ficiency. Tho enlargement of tho government's scientific work nnd tho protection given tenuro of olhee by civil service rules has no doubt nt-trncted nt-trncted of lato n somewhat better typo of men. Tho clerks havo usually opposed proposals to Incrcnso their working day. Their attltudo Indicates thnt there are still grave faults In tho service. If tho clerks wcro stimulated stimulat-ed by n wholesomo ambition, or If conditions were such thnt an nmbl-tlous nmbl-tlous and efficient mnn could get tho promotion ho deserves the clerks would not bo worrying about an eight hour day. |