Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Civil
Service," Overland Monthly and Out West magazine 1.5 (May 1883)
clear in judging ourselves! If it is improper to fine Duty (Pflicht), it is said, is the cornerstone on
a civil service officer five dollars for accusing the which the Prussian monarchy is built. This feeling,
existing government of improper acts, what must this "martial sense of duty—duty in its most
it be to dismiss an officer summarily for merely imperious and absolute form" i—is the source of
asserting that, in his opinion, his race did not all that is best in Prussian public life. It is this
receive their fair share of the offices? Yet this fate which has made Prussia strong and mighty.
overtook a colored Federal office holder a short The necessity of a moral foundation for social
time since for expressing such a view. and political life cannot be enforced too often. It
Extensive conversation with civil service makes little difference what the superstructure is;
officers has convinced me that there is, after all, if the base is not built out of public and private
comparatively little partiality shown. There is virtues, we are at best erecting a stately edifice on
generally a manifest desire on the part of the the sands. All history, all experience, teaches this.
authorities to secure the best man for the place, America is the second great republic: the first was
and in a majority of cases the best man is found. It Rome. Roman history, here as elsewhere,
is considered a serious crime for king or subject to furnishes us with profitable instruction. At a time
neglect his duty—to consider his office as other when a division of the spoils of office was the chief
than a public trust. Public opinion lends a support concern of the aristocratic circles, and crimes and
to an officer in the impartial exercise of his debauchery were increasing, the republic seemed
functions which is lacking with us, and everyone to be prospering, to be "getting along pretty well."
who has given the subject the least thought knows The state was being extended, and wealth was
that public opinion is one of the most powerful of increasing. A man like Cicero was still able to
forces. work himself up from a comparatively humble
While I should say that the development of position to one of the proudest places in the
morality in Germany is in some respects decidedly government.2 Yet a fair exterior covered a mass of
inferior to that in America and England, I believe corruption and immorality which were slowly but
it is undoubtedly superior in regard to the idea of surely preparing the way for the downfall of
duty accompanying a public trust. Prussian kings Rome.
since Frederick the Great have delighted to speak Richard T. Ely.
of themselves as the first servants of the state.