PRO PATRIA

Elsewhere in these columns apears an article by the Under Secretary of State which peels much of the gold leaf from governmental careers. Service to the United States seems much like labor in any business, full of detail, clerical precision, and hard work. There is little in his report which would inspire the lofty sentiment of Stephen Decatur in the undergraduates breast.

That Mr. Castle should sound such a drab note is altogether fitting. He is well aware of the allure which government seals possess, an allure which he frankly disowns and discourages. But in his last paragraph the writer stresses another reason for entering into the employ of the United States, the knowledge that one is serving his country effectively. This may seem like romantic idealism to those who scoff at the dignity of public office, but it must be the most satisfactory remuneration for such labor.

College students should be excellently equipped for positions in the government. Their historical and economic education gives them a suitable background, their minds have been, in a sense, trained to work with the problems which arise in such an occupation. But many are unwilling to make politics a life work because they have become disillusioned by the graft, the dishonesty, and corruption which walks with the profession. To this argument the only answer can be that such conditions will persist until enough men of principle and honesty enter the ranks of public servants. Mr. Castle was writing only of the State Department, but his sentiments apply as well to all branches of the service. The value of a public career is not to be measured by the fortune amassed or the skeins of gold thread on the dinner coats, or the fame acquired. It is more nearly to be found in the purpose which prompted the career and the effectiveness with which that purpose was fulfilled.