The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-01-23
TALL AND SHORT MEN.
Big and Little Men md "omen-A Jepnn'
eve Dvnrf-T The Average Height OF Ninn'

e.e Dwnrf-The Average Height of Man.
At one of the public halls in this city,
saws the New York Times, are now on
exhibition a couple of the tallest human
being in the civilized world: At another
public hall, not far from the last men
toned one, are two remarkably little
human beings, who are believed to be
the smallest couple ever exhibited IN my
country, Martin Van Buren, Bates, VINO
was born in Kentucky, is thlrty'two
wears of age, weighs nearly sou pounds
and is eight feet one inch in height. his
wife was born in Nova Scotia, Is twenty
eight years of age, weighs 4l3 Pounas'
and is eight feet two inches in helght;
When but six years old, she was as tail
as her mother, who wal five, feet hlgh.
Her father was only five feet four inches
n height. This loving couple may De
sad to represent "linked sweetness,
lony drawn out" Gen. Mite is turned
thirteen wears of age. weighs but n1ne
pounds, and is only twenty-five lncnes
in height. His hands are smaner s sIam
those 4 any known living. baby. MISS
Minnie Obom, who stands BESIDE MN Oh
the platform. is in her thirtieth year,
and is but twenty-three inches IN height.
Either of these infnitesimal members
of the human race is supposed by most
persons who have seen them to be the
smallest human being living. Inns,
however, is not true, if we may, believe
! the Toxic (Japan) 1S"aes,. when says
!, lat q dwarf, said to be ffty-one years
oAsnd only one foot three inches hlgh,
; mans Sato Yukichi, is about to be OK.
niolteGu that city. This is a depth OF
olmln1tl\u ness truly wonderful. 1t
YOU'D haro1 be more surprising to read
the announceAent of a giant one and a
quarter years Oh and ffty-one feet high.
The irregularity o. proportion for which
Mr.. Yukichi is consPas1ous is not less
remarkable than his Condensed com
a~d d' q Isie 1 ns Willie all the rest Of BIZ
body measures only eve inches.
The height Of men, according tic
Villerme, varies from four feet nlne
and q quarter inches to five feet ter
inches, and thus gives an average o.
five feet three and three-eighth inches
Taking the extremes of individuals
known, being seventeen inches tor
dwarf spoken of by Burch and Button.
and nine feet three inches for q Fin
lander mentioned by Sapply, the
medium would be five feet four inches
But those cases may be regarded as quite
abnormal. The Esquimau1 were long
considered the smallest race of men OF
the face of the globe. Harm de Paw ha'
asserted that the men do not exceed fou,
feet three inches, and the women fou:
feet two inches. Subsequent investiga
ton by Drs. Bellebon and Gueraul
has, however, proved that those figure
are too low, that the average OF tn
lowest tribes is five feet two and a hal
inches, and that some others attain t.
five feet six and three-quarter inches
The smallest family of known man
the Boschmans of South Africa, who's
medium height is given at four fee
seven inches. Some other tribes OF tina
continent rival them, but not quite 81
short. Henry NJ. Stanley, the explorer
mentions in one of his letters having
come across a race of dwarfs of mos
minute stature, but the details have no
reached us. As for the tallest races
they are the Norwegians in Europe
the Kafirs in South Africa, some Of on
North America Indians, the Polynesians
and, finally, the P~atagonians, who's
average height is given by numerou
travellers worthy of credit at five feet tel
inches. Taking these last as the high
est and the Boschmans as the lowest
we obtain an average of five feet tw'
and a half inches. But the savants VIII
have studied this subject, considering
the small proportion Of very short races
have decided on fixing the medium
height of the human race at five fee
four and three-quarter inches. TIL
average of the four persons now on e1
hibition in this city is probably fv
feet.