The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1891-08-21
HIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT.
Initiation OF "A Fresh Young Man From
College Into EepOrtOrial Work.

Initiation OF "A Fresh Young Man From
College Into EepOrtOriaI Work.
Horace Greeley once said. "Of all
horned cattle deliver me from the col
lege graduate who wants to break into
journalism" The commencement sea-
son had hardly opened, but the advance
guard of the graduate crop walked into
the city editors room the other day, ex-
hibited his college diploma, said that he
had written several pieces for the
county paper" and asked for a chance
to show what he could do. Like all
writers of his class he did not want a
salary so much as he wanted an oppor-
tunity to jump right into the middle Of
Journalism. The annual vacation sea-
son had left the city force short handed,
and the editor decided to try the new
man.
go down to the Illinois Central depot
right away he said, land see what
there is in a case of mayhem there. !
know nothing about this except that
some one telephoned me a few minutes
ago that there was a case of mayhem at
the depot. Go down there and see what
you can find. Ask the railroad and
depot employees about the case, and if
you strike a lead follow it up and inves-
tigate the matter thoroughly"
Two hours later the would be journal
ist reported at the office with a very
long face.
"Well, what was there in that case,"
asked the editor.
81 do not know, sir" replied the new
reporter.
Don't know! Why don't you know?
Didn't / give you instructions to look
into itT"
YES, sir, but | couldn't find it."
Did you canvass the subject thor
oughly? What did you do"
Il went down to the Illinois Central
depot and told the freight agent that !
was looking for a case of mayhem. He
asked me the name of the cOnsignee. !
told him | didn't know it. He asked me
where the case was from and wanted to
know if it was shipped alone. l couldn't
tell that, Of course, SO we went over the
whole stock Of shipping bills, but we
didn't find the slightest trace of it.
Il don't believe there is any such case
at the Illinois Central depot, but l didn't
look for it anywhere else. found that
it would be useless for nj to stay there
longer, however, because the agent as
sured me that unless | had an order
from the consignee he would not permit
me to look into it, even if we succeeded
in finding it. What shall ! do next"
After q moments reflection the editor
slowly replied: "Well, as there is no va
cancy just now in our janitorial depart
ment, perhaps you had better step
into the composing room and ask the
foreman to let you clip the bangs off the
, hair spaces in the cases. If you escape,
come back and I'll let you answer the
telephone until it is time for you to
draw your salary tonight" - Chicago
Mail.
Relative Strength of Men and Women.
BY means Of specially devised instru-
ment a French scientist has carried out
some experiments for determining how
the average strength of the two sexes
compares. The palm Of the hand IS
placed On the instrument, and her the
greatest downward pressure which the
individual a give is exercised upon it.,
and the force thus produced is recorded
by the usual clockwork device. Fifty
robust men, and the same number Of
healthy women, both belonging to the
middle class Of society, with ages vary
ing from twenty-five to forty-ive years,
We're tested in this way by the Paris
scientist.
The strongest mar Of the company
was able to produce with his right hand
a pressure equivalent to eighty-fve kilo-
grams "a kilogram is rather more than
two pounds and the weakest to forty
kilograms, the average being ffty-six
kilograms. One curious result was az
rived at: The short men were all very
nearly as strong as the tall men, the
average difference between equal groups
of two sizes being only three Kilograms.
The force of the strongest women of the
fifty who were selected amounted to only
forty-four Kilograms, and that of the
weakest to sixteen Kilograms, while the
average was thirty-three kilograms
Herald of Health.