Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-10-20
GIANTS WHO NEVER
co ON A STRIKE
ORGANIZATION THAT DATES
BACK TO TIME OF THE
cRusADEs.
COMPETITIONS AMONG FRENCH
GoLiATHs AT THE
HALLES.

A queer ceremony has just taken
place at the Halles, the bis central
market of Paris, says Buffalo Elk
press correspondent. 1t is a compe-
tition of men with abnormal strength
to be elected permanently as the
Strong men of the market"
The Hales is large iron building
covering more than twenty acres of
ground, the structure being divided
by covered streets 4S feet high and
so feet wide Before a. N. the com
petitors began to arrive at the main
entrance, and Notwithstanding the uns
seasonable hour, crowds of spectators
were there to witness the novel com
petition which was to begin exactly
at and did not finish until nearly
eleven. After the arrival of the
judges the applicants grouped them
selves around the starting point ana
waited for the world to begin.
Each candidate must show his abfl-
ity to carry, without resting, huge
sack filled with stones weighing $50
pounds, for as yards. No sign OF
strain must be apparent, nor may
the men totter under their burden
Some of the competitors got no far
Their than a few steps; others who
had accomplished the feat were dis
qualified because the effort left them
exhausted. When a candidate did sue
coed in his task to the satisfac-
ton of the judges, he was greeted
by the crowd with Wild yelIs of ap-
proval.
Men from every province of France
entered for this contest, which oc-
ours only once in every two or three
years. When death or continued sick
ness depletes this body of men who
are employed for the heavy lifting
at the Hales, then the trial takes
Mace. The corps consists of 621 men.
The duties of the strong men-the
only name ever given them-are to
unload the sacks of flour, cases of
cheese, boxes of fresh sea fish and
other produce coming to tie market,
but the final aim of each man is to
handle the grand fruit. This is the
last great stepping stone in their
work, for which salaries of from 500
to $1,000 year are paid. 1t is not
a munificent sum for an American
workman, but for France it is Co
lossal.
Giants in stature, broad-shouldered
big-boned, a great muscular develop
ment, skin toughened by exposure,
one can only compare these men to
superb Percheron horses. They are
fully organized and perform their du-
ties like a well-drilled army. Each
market is divided into gangs OF
strong men. foreman and assistant
foreman at the head of each squad.
A chief is over the foremen and then
this little battalion is watched over
by the project of police. Police Com
missioner Gluchard is their general,
and decides all important issues, such
as, in this present case, judging in
the examination of the new recruits
This corporation, if one may SO
call it, cannot be put in the category
of any other workmen's organization
1t is the union of the aristocracy OF
labor, for it has existed ever since
the reign of Louis TX, who bestowed
on them their title, Les Forts de
la Halles, a title that antedates the
marquises of the renaissance, for 1t
dates from the year 1850 Many OF
these knights of labor have descend
ed from ancestors who can be traced
as far back as the sixteenth century
The men all act in perfect harmony
There is never any dissension among
them, neither do they discuss griev
ances in public, indulge in strikes or
make themselves obnoxious by threats
because of imagined wrongs. They
are se!f-respecting citizens in every
way, but If provoked by assault they
can dy.end themselves ably, as was
proved one night a short while ago
One of their number started 70,
his work at the Halles in the early
hours of the morning. Finding him
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