502 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



his bold application of the principle of promotion by 

 merit instead of by seniority had not only advanced 

 able men to important posts, but had brought out 

 throughout the service powers previously latent. Mr. 

 Scudamore, in a recent lecture, stated that the indirect 

 results of Sir Rowland's postal reforms have been even 

 greater than the direct. Among these indirect results, 

 as due to the general spirit of activity and enterprise 

 thus engendered, may, I believe, be reckoned the es- 

 tablishment of the Civil Service Supply Association 

 and the kindred societies which this has called into life. 



"Another main element of success is the corporate 

 nature of the Post-Office and of the Civil Service gener- 

 ally. This provided a large business connection, already 

 linked together and accessible without the aid of ad- 

 vertisements, so soon as the value of the Association 

 was proved. Moreover, there was a special guarantee 

 for integrity. Evefy one in the Post-Office either 

 knows or can easily know something of every brother 

 officer of whatever rank, and this holds good, though 

 perhaps in a lesser degree, of every Government depart- 

 ment. Every committee-man has felt that his reputa- 

 tion as a Civil servant was of far too great a value to 

 be endangered by any unfair dealing in the affairs of 

 the Association ; the motive to rectitude being so 

 strong, that to put men of even moderately good official 

 standing on the committee was to render it certain that 

 the work would be honestly and diligently done. 

 While, however, the Association has thus far succeeded 

 so admirably, it seems to me that its future course is 

 not free from danger. 



" The shareholding body, composed as it is of upward 

 of 4000 Civil servants from all branches of the Service, 



