708 



SCIENCE 



[N. 8. Vol. XXXm. No. 853 



f erent as matter and force, it may be said that 

 the two are in reality one definition. Suppose 

 that a piece of metal, the standard pound, is 

 hung on a spring balance. The position of the 

 pointer on the scale is then marked 1 pound. 

 A second piece of metal is substituted for the 

 first, and if it brings the pointer to the same 

 mark we say its weight is 1 pound. The 1- 

 pound mark indicates two things at the same 

 time, viz., that the quantity of matter in the 

 second piece of metal is 1 pound, and that the 

 force with which it is attracted by gravity is 

 1 pound. The word weight is thus logically 

 and accurately defined by what may appear 

 to be a double definition. No useful purpose 

 is gained by applying another word " mass " 

 to mean one part of this definition ; on the con- 

 trary, the use of the word "mass" in this 

 sense is the chief cause of all the confusion 

 to which students are subjected in their study 

 of dynamics. 



WiLLL\M Kent 



SPECIAL AETICLES 



A STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE TEST 



Some time ago one of the newspapers in 

 Kankakee, 111., arranged a streng-th and en- 

 durance test in which the contestants were to 

 walk 10 miles, each carrying on his back a 

 sack of sand weighing 100 pounds. The 

 course was laid out over the city streets 

 around several blocks, and to complete the 

 test a contestant must cover it 12 times. 

 According to the estimate of the county sur- 

 veyor, the course was 4,320 feet (1,316.Y 

 meters) in length, and the 12 laps fixed upon 

 for the contest would, therefore, give a total 

 of 9 miles and 4,320 feet (15.8 kilometers), or 

 approximately 9| miles, instead of the esti- 

 mated 10 miles. The contest required about 

 4 hours, beginning about two o'clock in the 

 afternoon and closing at dark, which would be 

 about six o'clock on a November day. Prizes 

 were offered to all who completed the test, and 

 special prizes of smaller value to all who com- 

 pleted one or more rounds. The contest was 

 a public affair, and was witnessed by a large 

 gathering of people who lined the streets 



through which the contestants walked. A 

 stand was arranged for the judges, and in 

 every way provision seems to have been made 

 to insure accuracy as regards entries, distance 

 covered by each contestant, and so on. 



Forty-eight men entered the contest. Of 

 these 44 finished the first round, 25 the second 

 round, 22 the third, 19 the fourth, 15 the fifth, 

 13 the sixth, 11 the seventh, 10 the eighth, 

 9 the ninth and 8 the tenth, while 6 completed 

 the 12 rounds and fulfilled all the conditions 

 of the contest. 



The ages of the six successful contestants 

 ranged from 21 to 52 years, four of them being 

 36 years old or over. Their body weight 

 ranged from 150 to 255 pounds, the average 

 being 189 pounds (86 kilograms). Of the 38 

 other contestants who completed one lap the 

 ages ranged from 17 to 61 years, the majority 

 being 30 years or over, while eight were over 

 40 years old. The body weights ranged from 

 120 to 200, being on an average 162.4 pounds 

 (74 kilograms). 



As shown by the account of the contest pub- 

 lished in the Kankakee press, each of the six 

 men who completed the course felt that he was 

 in condition to continue for a longer distance, 

 but this the management did not permit. 



The men who entered the contest were 

 residents of Kankakee and were of different 

 nationalities, including Germans, Scandina- 

 vians, French Canadians, a Pole and a Turk, 

 while, judging by the published list of names, 

 about one third of them were Americans. 

 The newspaper' under whose auspices the con- 

 test was held published a list of the winners, 

 with names and addresses, and data regarding 

 their age and weight, as well as a general 

 description of the affair. 



Through the courtesy of the editor of the 

 paper, and by correspondence with a number 

 of the contestants, including four of the six 

 who completed the contest, additional data 

 were secured, particularly with reference to 

 the dietary habits of the men and their condi- 

 tion as regards training when they entered 

 the contest. A circular letter of inquiry was 

 sent to the successful contestants and to those 



^ Kaiikakee Bepuilican, 1907, November 29, p. 1. 



