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14 The nomination, I consider, ought to be made in a very formal manner. The grounds upon which a candidate is recommended should be fully mentioned; and the nominators should be required to state, amongst other things, that the nominee has received instruction for at least a fixed minimum number of years in their school, that his conduct then was satisfactory, that since quitting school he has continued to be well known to the Managers, either by attendance at evening schools, evening classes, church or chapel, or by other sufficient circumstances, and that they can vouch for the continuance of his good conduct down to the time of his nomination. A form containing these and other essential statements should be supplied by the Civil Service Commissioners, who should have power to disallow the nomination if all these statements were not vouched for to their satisfaction.

Now I think it will scarcely be disputed that the Civil Service must derive great advantanges from this plan, as far as the character of its officers is concerned; since, instead of the introduction of a candidate proceeding from a political officer, knowing nothing whatever of his antecedents, or from a relative or friend having strong personal interest in his success, there would be the guarantee of responsible persons, having full opportunities of judging of their nominee's deserts, and being perfectly free from all suspicion of interested motives. Indeed there can hardly be any comparison as to the moral value of two sets of officers selected under such different auspices; and no one can reasonably doubt that the successful competitors amongst candidates thus selected would prove themselves to possess, in a far higher degree than the present officers, just the very qualities which the Heads of Departments so urgently demand—honesty, sobriety, subordination, industry, and general trustworthiness. Nor is there much danger in prophesying that the higher mental attainments, which the successful competitors must of necessity possess, would be found very advantageous to the public even in the inferior