The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1848-05-23
From the Scientific American.
GIANTS.

~-At&A a ~
Some have an opinion that the race Of man
has degeneraled in size and that the work
Of degeneration is still going on gradually
from generation TO generation. All barbar-
Gus nations have this belief II has handed
down 10 us in the songs and tales Of old and
not Few believe it now. The Scriptures
make mention of Giants--"the sons Of A.
nals.'' and :slhe mighty men of old" Both
Homer and Ossian embelish their poems
with lhe terrible size, appearance and
strength Of giants. but there can be no doubt
that they did SO elevate their heroes who
vanquished huge warriors as ''tai as pine,"
in personal conflict. There'can be no doubt
TOO that in the ancient mode of wlrfare, that
strong men ad every advantage over those
Of less size and strength, and therefore il
is to be expected that they were always more
conspicuous, hence the frequent allusions ii
heroic poetry 10 men Of great strength
ants. tits our opinion, however, that there
are just as many giants in the present day
in the world as they were at any Other age.
If from crea,ion--or The fall oe man Our
race had been steadily degenerating in size,
there would no men be found over five feet
high al the present day. Any person who
has seen an Egyptian mummy knows full
we'll that race Of men who lived and were
distinguished three thousand years ago,
we're not SO powerful either in bone or mus
Gle as the Anglo Saxon, neither were they
so tall. There can be no doubt but that
strong, healthy parents will beget strong,
healthy children, but we have sometimes
seen The reverse, although The reverse was
the exception 10 the constitutional law
And in regard TO the Giants Of oden time,
thew were the exception, not the rule Of
common generation. We do not believe all
the old accounts of giants and the huge skel-
etons of men dug up here and there in vari-
rous paris of the world. We have seen an
account Of two skeletons dug up in Sicily,
one in 1916 and The other in l546. The
one was thirty feet long with head the size
of a hogshead and each tooth weighing near
" half pound. The other skeleton was
thliriy-three feet long. In all likelihood
these skeletons we're those Of animals Of a
species unknown TO the Scllians and
lbey invested them with The pomp Of d
deceased Giant. We have seen two cases
of the same kind dispelled, most disagfeea-
bly too, by naturalist. In rural district
parts of two skeletons had for great num-
Der of year been looked upon as the frame
work of mighty ancient men. A friend of
ours iourneyed ihi,her one day and discover
ed some ofthe bones of an antedeluvian ele-
plant.
In,he last number of the Scientific Amer
ican there was an account ola Mr. l1ales of
England. who is represented 10 be more
than eight feet high. We have no doubt
there are hundreds Of men in the world al
The present moment OF more than seven feet
in height. Yet it is 10 advantage to any man
to be tall, in fact it is rather a detrment.--
We have never seen a man that weighed
more than 300 pounds equul in strength to
two men of $50 pounds each. Five feet
nine inches is the best height for man and
we generally find that men of this height, if
they labor at healthy and laborious occu-
patton, are more active. stronger and harder
than men Of any other size, either above or
below this measure. The writer of this has
paid considerable attention TO the subject
and his own stature is very far from giving
biassed opinion, but he believes after much
study and observation on this subject, that
lhe last age of the world will find men sin
stature and in soulas large" as was our first
progenitor. CIR.