17 APRIL 1926, Page 34

A NEW COMPETITION

The Editor offers a prize of £5 for a " Specimen Day " in not more than 1,000 words.

If only four hundred words are used we shall be so much the happier. But we have set the larger limit because some reader may have a " Specimen Day " particularly crowded with incident to describe, and all the life might be drained from the description if it were over-cramped. New readers must be informed of the meaning of our title. We have pub- lished in the Spectator several first-hand accounts of the hard- ships or excitements of a typical day's work in the life of a gas- fitter, an agricultural labourer, a miner, and others ; and some of our readers have written to compare their own struggles to make ends meet and-to make time expansible—the difficulties of a doctor's wife or a clergyman's wife. Now we do not insist in this competition that the " Specimen Day " should neces- sarily be one of continual toil. It may, if competitors choose, be as idle and carefree as possible. What we wish for is a genuine confession of how readers do live, and what fills a typical day for them. Perhaps some of our competitors will make up for lack of great and astonishing happenings by lively description of detail. We set no restrictions upon the treat- ment of the theme ; but every entry must describe a typical day in the competitor's own life, now or in the past, as he chooses.

RULES FOR COMPETITORS.

1. All entries must be received on or before Friday, May 14th.

2. Competitors may send in as many entries as they wish, but each entry must be accompanied by one of the coupons to be found on page 744 of this issue.

3. The name and address (or the pseudonym) of every com- petitor must be written clearly at the foot of his manuscript.

4. The Editor cannot return any manuscript submitted for the competition,.nor can he enter-into correspondence with Competitors.

6. The Editor reserves the right of printing any manuscript submitted.

6. Envelopes must be addressed :.Competition, the Spectator. 13 York Street, Covent Oaiden; Loxidon, 'W.C. 2.