The sun., 1907-04-07

mon fund and takes care of the pension
reserve
Some Of the groups are better paid than
others a big fruit handler will earn al any
time from Is TO Is francs a day, a small
fruit man not more than 10 francs or 81 50.
The newcomers therefore begin with the
small fruits and work up. There are times
in the busy season when the big fruit men
make as high az 25 to 10 francs or s. 10 s.
"a day by working overtime. The retiring
pension Of the worn out strong man is 200
francs or $3.50 year, and one can live on
that in Paris
Like so many other things in France,
admission 10 the corporation of the strong
men is rigidly supervised by the Prefecture
of Police First of all, the candidate must
show a clear record-mihtaTy service COM
plete, no criminal charge, age below 10
years.
Then he goes before a doctor who after
a minute examination pronounces him fit
or unfit. II he gets this far the would be
strong man is ready for the examination
which is to establish his ability. II takes
place in the basement of the market build
ings in presence Of officials Of the Prefecture
and the syndics of the different groups.
The candidate is required to lift on his
shoulders a chicken crate containing 440
pounds Of stones. which rests on platform
about the height Of his shoulder blades.
He must then walk steadily with it i75 feet
and put it down easily and without jar
on a platform similar to that from which
he took il.
When the candidate shows that he can
do this many times in succession he is ac-
O1Yt Of a Iafe yuhr
however, only about 100 succeed. These
are listed by the police according to their
merit and are admitted to the corporation
as fast as vacancies occur Sometimes
it takes three years to get in.
Since there is an examination for strong
men, Of course there is a training school
ItIs run by a strong man, Michel Schreiner.
and it ia located on the Boulevard Blanq,i
Il has measured track Of ffty-fi metres
about IsD feet. and platforms and loaded
crates such as are used at the examine tons
It has many steady pupils and OIL Sundays
il is crowded, for then many amateurs
buy for ~ cents the privilege Of testing their
strength ard endurance.
Nobody has ever been able to carry
the lDaded crete unailed the whole length
of the track on his first attempt. IL is not
uncommon for a newcomer, conscious of
his vigor, 70 bet his boots he can do il.
Usually ne hasn't bad it on his shoulders
ten seconds when he calls for help. Those
who have gone through the ordeal cav that
no sooner Is the weight resting on their
shoulders than they seem 10 he clamped
in a vice Their lungs refuse to expand;
their knee Joints seem to lock- their feet
are glued TO the hocT and IL seems Rs il
their thigh bones were being pushed up
into their bodies. They tOtter on a few
yards and then they feel they must col
lapse
At this critical moment the professor
and his most advanced pupils come to the
rescue They have been right at hand
from the beginning. for II the crate falls
to 'he ground II Is long, hard job for sew
eral men tb lift IL back to- the platform.
Ifthe beginner should slip and fall forward
nothing could save him from being crushed
70 death. So. just a. he is at the end Of bis