Clerks and carriers must be citizens of the United States, physically fit for the service and temperate. They must be more than 18 years of age and not more than 45, stand 5 feet 4 inches in height in bare feet and weigh not less than 125 pounds without overcoat and hat. Some applicants who know they are below the weight foolishly try to secrete about their person, beneath the soles of their feet, or in their hair weighty materials to make up the deficiency. Not one in a hundred ever succeeds in fooling the lynx-eyed examiners, but those who try, do succeed in getting themselves blackballed and are debarred from taking examinations in the future. Female applicants are not required to be of any specific height or weight. The age limits are waived in the cases of persons honorably discharged from the military or naval service by reason of disability resulting from wounds received or sickness incurred in the line of duty, but they are waived only for such persons as have been physically disabled in the way mentioned. [12]
Physical Conditions.
 
Eye glasses are permitted during the examination, but very serious defective sight is sufficient to cause rejection. As also are defective hearing, or speech; persons blind in one eye; one-armed, one-handed, or one-legged persons, or those having crippled arms or legs, or those suffering from asthma or hernia. Deaf mutes and persons with defective speech may, however, be appointed to the positions of mail clerk, distributor, and directing and forwarding clerk. Applicants also are excluded from examinations for any of the following reasons:
That he is, on the date of the examination, under the minimum or over the maximum age limitation.
That he has any of the following defects: Insanity, tuberculosis, paralysis, epilepsy, blindness, loss of both arms or both legs, loss of arm and leg, badly crippled or deformed hands, arms, feet, or legs, uncompensated calvular disease of the heart, locomotor ataxia, cancer, Bright’s disease, diabetes, or is otherwise physically disqualified for the service which he seeks.
That he is addicted to the habitual use of intoxicating beverages to excess.
That he is enlisted in the United States Army or Navy and has not secured permission for his examination from the Secretary of War or the Secretary of[13] the Navy, respectively. Written permission must be filed with the formal application.
That he has, within approximately one year, passed the same examination for which he again desires to apply. This restriction does not apply to persons who, having taken one annual examination, desire to take the next annual examination, although a full year may not have elapsed.
That he has been dismissed from the Federal service for delinquency or misconduct within one year preceding the date of his application. Whether or not an application will be accepted after the expiration of a year from a person dismissed from the service rests with the Commission, and each case of this character will be considered on its individual merits.
That he has failed after probation to receive absolute appointment to the position for which he again applies within one year from the date of the expiration of his probationary service.
That he has made a false statement in his application, or has been guilty of fraud or deceit in any manner connected with his application or examination, or has been guilty of crime or infamous or notoriously disgraceful conduct.
That he has been discharged for desertion from the military or naval service of the United States under section 1998, Revised Statutes.
[14]
Clerks and Carriers Are Bonded.
 
Each clerk and carrier when appointed to the service must furnish bonds in the sum of $1,000. In most first and second class cities there are surety companies that make a specialty of supplying such bonds for persons on entering the postal service. The charge, which is paid by the employee, is twenty-five cents per annum for a carrier and fifty cents for a clerk. In addition the carrier must furnish his own uniform and cap, which averages from $15.00 to $20.00 a year. The only other expense imposed upon a clerk is thirty-five cents for his badge, and this is returned to him when he leaves the service and surrenders the badge.