The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-03-17
Tall and Short.

As regards country and town life, NJ.
Nillermc has ascertaIned, CONTRARY 20 tho
generally received notion, that the inhapi.
tants OF towns are, on an average, o little
taller than those OF country districts. NJ.
tluetelet found the same rule 70 npply In
Brabant; where. after nearly ten thousand
measurements. he ascertaincd that town
people are. on an average, three quarters
OF inch taller than country folks. Much
discussion has takeu place in connection
with the question at what age we cease to
grow. VI. Qnetelet shows that ia Belgium
at any rate. mon not only grew between
twenty and twenty-five years Of age, but
even on 10 thirty. Among nine hundred
soldiers aud recruits whom he measured, :,
this was perceptibly the case, although the
increases was Of course but small. Dr.
knox, OF Edinburgh. some time ago observ-
ed similar fact; young men. leaving tho
university at twenty or TWENTY-FIVE years
OF age. and returning seven or eight years
! afterwards. bad increased, not only in
breadth but iR height.
The average height Of conscripis, twen-
~ years old. taken from the whole OF
France. for renewing tho imperial armies.
is found 10 be five feet three inches aud a
half Wero il not that the French are
very accurate in these matters. one might
almost doubt whether they average so low.
Only one French soldier in forty il above
i've feet eight high many OF them barely
reach Eve feet. IL is the opinion Of army
surgeons that tho maintenance OF large
standing armies tends TO lessen the average
height of the population Of n country, by
various direct aud indirect agencies. Mr..
Cowell. ono OF the factory inspectators,
some years ago measured rs We'll as weigh.
cd. many Of the factory operatives at vari-
GUS ages /; but as Lancashire mill.fork are
very prone TO wooden shoes OF formidable
thickness aud rs IL IL not stated whether
Mr.. Cowell included or excluded these sub
stantial understandings. il may be we'll to
pass over his iabulations nnnoticed.
Young uen in good station OF life are
rather taller than those who have more
privations 10 besr. OF eighty Cambridge
students. between eighteen and twenty
three years Of age, the average height was
over i've feet nine. II appears TO be pref
~ certain. from the average Of alarge num-
her OF instances. that the height remains
constant only from about the age OF thirty
10 that OF iifiy; slight average growth
until the former limit, slight average di-
intuition after the latter. Among oil the
adults OF all classes measured. by NJ. Quete-
formed men varied from four feet ten 10 six
feettwo; with an average Of Eve feet six
and fully developed and well-formed women
varied from four feet seven TO Eve feet
eight. with an average Of about i've feet
two.
Mr.. Vircy saws Tall men are general.
ly much more weak and slow than short
men. for all cxertions. both OF body aud
mind. IT men OF high stature are prefer
red. for their tne appearance, in the body
guard ofprinces. aud in the service OF en-
inent persons. they are certainly neither tho
most robust nor the most active hut they
are docilc. candid aud naive. little prone to
conspirc for evil, aud faithful TO the worst
master. In war they are moro fitted FOR
defence than attack whereas an impetu.
Gus and brnsque action suits better for
short and vivacious men. Tall men are
mostly tame and insipid, like watery vege-
tables; insomuch that We seldom hear ola
very tall man becoming very great man.
Little men manifest character moro
Hrm and decided than those lofty aud son
bodied people. whom We can lead more easi-
~ both morally aud physically. Let ell
little men rejoice at such an opinion ~ this
and especially at the following ineident
An empire OF Germany. in the seventeenth
centary. 10 crafty whim, caused all the gi-
ants aud dwarls ~ the empire 20 be brought
TO court. As II was feared that the giants
would tcrrify the dwarfs. means were taken
to keep the peace; but instead Of this, tho
iwarfs teased. insnlted aud robbed the gi-
ants 10 such sn extent. that the lengthy
fellows complained with tears in their eyes.
and sentinels had to be posted TO project
the giants from the dwarfs.--.W ihe Tear
R.sunn