NEWS COMPETITION FOR CRIMSON HAS ABSORBING WORK

The following article describing the work of a candidate for the News department of the Crimson was written by one of the present junior editors.

Candidates for the news competition of the CRIMSON, which begins on Monday evening at 7.30 o'clock with a meeting in the President's office of the CRIMSON building at 14 Plympton Street, have an interesting field of work.

Their primary duty, of course, is to get news, both assigned and unassigned. At first glance, this would seem to be a difficult task. It is considerably lightened, however, by the fact that there are numerous more or less routine sources of news, which take care of the regular stories, and leave the candidate's time free for the far more absorbing work on "scoops." It is in this department that the candidate gains his most valuable experience.

Learn About University

Harvard university is a machine, workings of which only few can watch. CRIMSON candidates certainly learn more about Harvard during their eight or nine weeks of competition than any other undergraduates; it is not at all unusual that they discover facts of the most interesting and significant nature. In doing so, they make acquaintances among University officers, as well as discovering the where and how of many almost unheard of departments.

At some time during his competition, almost every candidate has some experience which he never forgets. It may have to do with a backstage interview, or it may concern something of more general interest. A few years ago, a prospective editor discovered the mysterious theft of blueprints for the present new gymnasium, and spent hours inquiring at all police stations as to the identity of the man who had stolen these plans from the seat of a train between Wellesley and Boston.

Monday night will be the last opportunity for Sophomores to try out for the news board. After a week or so of preliminary training and instruction in the fundamentals of CRIMSON style and form, while work is devoted mostly to assignments, the candidates, besides completing certain daily duties, spend more of their time on outside stories. Favorite fields of work in this line include "human interest" stories, such as statistics, interviews, stories from rare sources, or almost any information of interest to undergraduates. During the whole competition the candidates are under the close direction of editors, and are perfectly free to ask for information about doing their work.