The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-01-16
TALL AND SHORT MEN.
Bls aud Little Men and Women--A Japan
ese Dwarf The Average height of Man.


BIs aud Little Men and women--A JRpan-
ese Dwarf The Average Height of Man.
At one of the public halls in this city,
says the New York Times, are now on
exhibition 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 any
country. Martin Van Buren, Bates, who
was born in Kentucky, is thirty-two
years of age, weighs nearly 500 pounds,
and is eight feet one inch in height. His
wife was born in Nova Scotia, is twenty
eight years of age, weighs Alb pounds,
and is eight feet two inches in height.
When but six years old, she was rs tall
as her mother, who was five feet high.
Her father was only five feet four inches
in height. This loving couple may be
said to represent "linked sweetness,
long drawn out" Gen. Mite is turned
thirteen years of age, weighs but nine
pounds, and is only twenty-five inches
in height. His hands are smaller than
those of any known living baby. Miss
! Minnie Obom, who stands beside him on
the platform, is in her thirtieth year,
! and is but twenty-three inches in height.
Either of these infinitesimal members
OF the human race is supposed by most
persons who have seen them to be the
smallest human being living. This,
however, is not true, if we may believe
the Toxic (Japan) Times, which says
that dwarf, said to be tifty-one years
old and only one foot three inches high,
named Sato Yukichi, is about to be ex-
hibited in that city. This is depth OF
diminutiveness truly wonderful. 1t
would hardly he more surprising to read
the announcement of a giant one and a
quarter years old and fifty-one feet high.
The irregularity of proportion for which
Mr.. Yukichi is conspicuous is not less
remarkable than his condensed COM
pactness. His head is seven inches
and half long, while all the rest OF his
body measures only seven inches.
the height of men, according ito
Villerme, varies from four feet nine
and quarter inches to five feet ten
inches, and thus gives an average oi
five feet three and three-eighth inches.
Taking the extremes of individuals
known, being seventeen inches for q
dwarf spoken of by Burch and Button,
and nine feet three inches for Fin.
lander mentioned by Sapply, the
medium would be five feet four inches
But those cases may be rtgarded as quite
abnormal. The Esquimaux were long
considered the smallest race of men ol
the face of the globe. Harm de Paw hat
asserted that the men do not exceed foul
feet three inches, and the women foul
feet two inches. Subsequent investiga
ton by Drs. BellebOn and Gueraul
has, however, proved that those figures
are too low, that the average of thu
lowest tribes is five feet two and a hal
inches, and that some others attain tC
five feet six and three-quarter inches
The smallest family of known man Ii
the Boschmans OF South Africa, who's,
medium height is given at four fee
seven inches. Some ether tribes of tina
continent rival them, but not quite S,
short. Henry NJ. Stanley, the explorer
mentions in one of his letters havini
come across n race OF dwarfs OF mos
} minute stature, but the details have no
reached us. As for the tallest races
they are the Norwegians i'll Europe
the Kaffirs in South Africa, some OF on
J North America Indians, the Polynesians
and, finally, the Patagonians, 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 half inches. Bnt 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 eX
hibitiOn i'll this city is probably fiv
J feet