Theimportantpoint，andthepointmostoftenforgottenbyzealousCivilServiceReformers，wastorememberthattheroutinecompetitiveexaminationwasmerelyameanstoanend。Itdidnotalwaysproduceidealresults。Butitwasnormallybetterthanasystemofappointmentsforspoilspurposes；itsometimesworkedoutverywellindeed；andinmostbiggovernmentalofficesitnotonlygavesatisfactoryresults，butwastheonlysystemunderwhichgoodresultscouldbeobtained。Forinstance，whenIwasPoliceCommissionerweappointedsometwothousandpolicemenatonetime。ItwasutterlyimpossiblefortheCommissionerseachtoexaminepersonallythesixoreightthousandapplicants。Thereforetheyhadtobeappointedeitherontherecommendationofoutsidersorelsebywrittencompetitiveexamination。Thelattermethod——theoneweadopted——wasinfinitelypreferable。Weheldarigidphysicalandmoralpassexamination，andthen，amongthosewhopassed，weheldawrittencompetitiveexamination，requiringonlytheknowledgethatanygoodprimarycommonschooleducationwouldmeet——thatis，atestofordinaryintelligenceandsimplementaltraining。Occasionallyamanwhowouldhavebeenagoodofficerfailed，andoccasionallyamanwhoturnedouttobeabadofficerpassed；but，asarule，themenwithintelligencesufficienttoenablethemtoanswerthequestionswereofatypeverydistinctlyabovethatofthosewhofailed。
Theanswersreturnedtosomeofthequestionsgaveanilluminatingideaoftheintelligenceofthoseansweringthem。Forinstance，oneofourquestionsinagivenexaminationwasarequesttonamefiveoftheNewEnglandStates。Onecompetitor，obviouslyofforeignbirth，answered：“England，Ireland，Scotland，Wales，andCork。”Hisneighbor，whohadprobablylookedoverhisshoulderbutwhohadNorthofIrelandprejudices，madethesameanswerexceptthathesubstitutedBelfastforCork。ArequestforastatementastothelifeofAbrahamLincolnelicited，amongotherlessstartlingpiecesofinformation，thefactthatmanyoftheapplicantsthoughtthathewasageneralintheCivilWar；severalthoughtthathewasPresidentoftheConfederateStates；
threethoughthehadbeenassassinatedbyJeffersonDavis，onebyThomasJefferson，onebyGarfield，severalbyGuiteau，andonebyBallingtonBooth——thelastrepresentingamemoryofthefactthathehadbeenshotbyamannamedBooth，towhosesurnamethewriteraddedthenamewithwhichhewasmostfamiliarinconnectiontherewith。A
requesttonamefiveoftheStatesthatsecededin1861receivedanswersthatincludedalmosteveryStateintheUnion。IthappenedtobeatthetimeofthesilveragitationintheWest，andtheRockyMountainStatesaccordinglyfiguredinalargepercentageoftheanswers。SomeofthementhoughtthatChicagowasonthePacificOcean。Others，inanswertoaqueryastowhowastheheadoftheUnitedStatesGovernment，waveredbetweenmyselfandRecorderGoff；
onebrilliantgenius，forinscrutablereasons，placedtheleadershipintheNewYorkFireDepartment。Nowofcoursesomeofthemenwhoansweredthesequestionswrongwereneverthelessquitecapableofmakinggoodpolicemen；butitisfairtoassumethatontheaveragethecandidatewhohasarudimentaryknowledgeofthegovernment，geography，andhistoryofhiscountryisalittlebetterfitted，inpointofintelligence，tobeapolicemanthantheonewhohasnot。