ABSTRACT
Last year Americans observed the bicentennial of the United States Constitution, and next year we shall celebrate the beginnings of government under that historic document. Many who entered government service at that time did so out of concern for the urgent problems generated by the great economic problems of the time. Even more did so to help in the war effort in the early 1940s. In its broadest sense, "public service" is a concept, an attitude, a sense of duty—yes, even a sense of public morality. In national terms, all citizens are deprived and injured if the services they are promised and pay for are not provided in a timely and effective manner. It is the career service who make the difference in whether policies achieve their hoped-for goals. It is in the nation's interest—the public interest—that the political leadership recognize the fundamental value of obtaining and motivating the calibre of people needed in the interest of all.
