The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-07-24
Iilinutinn PrOdigies.

Philetas-a poet contemporary with
Hippocrates-was so small that he wore
leaden shoes to prevent being blown
away by the wind. Died Is. c., 2S0).
Neighbours Calistus tells us of an
Egyptian dwarf not bigger than part
ridge.
Aristratos the poet was SO small that
Athereos says none cOutd sec him.
Sir Geoff'rey Hudson, born at Bakham
i'll Rutlandshire, at the age of thirty was
only eighteen inches in height.
Count Joseph Boruwaskl, at the age
of twenty, was two feet four inches IN
height. He died at the age of ninety
eight.
Nicholas Gerry usually called Bebe)
died at the age of twenty-three. He
was not quite three feet III height.
Tom Thumb, n Dutch dwarf, at the
age of eighteen was two feet four inches
III height.
General Tom Thumb Charles S. STRAIT
tom, born in 1882, at Bridgeport, CT. f,
at the age of twenty-five was twenty
five inches in height and weighed TWEEN
ty-five pounds.
Prince Colobri of Schleswig, at TWEEN
ty-hve, was also twenty-five inches III
height and weighed twenty-five pounds.
Caroline Crachami, the Sicilian dwarf,
born at Palermo, was twenty inches III
height at the date of her death.
Lucius, the dwarf of the Emperor
Augustus, was two feet high and
weighed seventeen pounds.
Canapas, the dwarf of Julia, niece of
Augustus, was two feet one hand
breadth high.
John Quicker, or Decker, an English
dwarf 16lO), had long beard, and was
only two feet and a halt high.
On the 23d of July, 1890, died Richard
Gibson, age 10; and nineteen years
afterward his widow died at the adj
vanced age of 80. Nature thus, by
length of years, compensated this COM
pendious couple, as Evelyn terms them,
for shortness of stature; the united
heights OF the two amounting to no
more than seven loct. Gibson was a
miniature painter, in every sense OF the
phrase, as well as court dwarf, to
Charles l.; and his wife, Ann Sheppard,
was court dwarf to Queen Henrietta
Maria. Her Majesty encouraged a
diminutive persons, the King giving
away the bride, the Queen presenting
her with diamond ring, while Waller
the court poet celebrated the nuptials
IN one of his prettiest poems
Design or chance makes others wive,
But nature did tie match contrve;
Eve might as well have Adam fled
As she denied her little bed
TO him for whom Heaven seemed to frame
And measure out this little dame.'
The marriage was an eminently happy
one The little couple had nine chill
dren, five of whom lived TO years OF ma
turity and full ordinary stature.
1t is remarkably little known but
well-established fact that, while giants
are almost invariably characterized by
mental and bodily weakness, the oppo-
site anatomy of humanity-the dwarfs-
are generally active, intelligent, healthy
and long-lived persons. Guy Pattin, a
celebrated French surgeon, relates that
in the seventeenth century, to crafty a
whim of the Empress of Austria, all the
giants and dwarfs in the Germanic EN-
pre were assembled at Vienna, As
circumstances required that all should
be housed III one extensive building, 1t
was feared lest the imposing proper
tons of the giants would terrify the
dwarfs; and means were taken to as
sure the latter of their perfect freedom
and safety. But the result was very
different from that contemplated. The
dwarfs teased, insulted, and even robbed
the giants TO such an extent that the
overgrown mortals, with tears in their
eyes, complained of their stunted perse-
cutors and as consequence sentinels
had to be stationed in the building to
protect the giants from the dwarfs.