The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-07-04
Giants.

The worst giants of all are those which
every person, more or less, carries about
| in his breast--they are the most destruc-
tive, after all, for they fill people with
fear, and thereby crush many a noble en-
terprise, and impede reform. See what
ruin that formidable giant 81 Can't" has
brought about boys-for boys are his
favorite Victims and when any task sur
rounded with little difficulty has to be
performed, giant :" l Can't" is pretty sure
to intrude his ugly presence, not to help
them over the stie, bat to magnify the
| obstacles of it. But let anybody draw
the weapon 81 Will" upon the monster,
and he is off like shot, and the Difficult
ties he was pointing out in his absence
are found to be none at all.
A valuable and interesting book about
"London Scenes and London People,"
tells that at one time there really existed
some useful giants-giants who used their
size and strength for downright honest
work, and not sneaking about to frighten
little children.
But we must now tell you little of
their real history The giants stood in
front of the building (St. Dunstan's
Church, about thirty feet from the road,
on covered platform, each welding a
club, the bell being hung between them,
which at the quarters, as we'll as whole
hours, they struck, but so indolently that
spectators often complained that they
were not well up to their work. The
mechanism, too, was rough and clumsy.
| You cannot help noticing the metal cord
inserted in the club, to which its motion
was due-the tall fellows who appeared
to hold it being mere sham.
But enough of dummy giants. Now
for few words with those of flesh and
blood--those that lived, moved, and had
their being, although it was a long time
ago.
John Middleton, commonly called the
"Childe, of Halls" whose hand, from the
carpus to the end of the middle finger,
was seventeen inches his palm eight
inches and halt, and his height nine
feet three inches, wanting but six inches
of the size of Goliath. He was born at
Halls, in Lancashire, in 1878, and was as
remarkable for his strength as his height.
He was introduced to James the First.
The Emperor Macmillan, A. D. 235,
was eight feet and half in height; he
was, in addition, of most extraordinary
bulk, the bracelet of his wife serving him
for thumb ring, and his shoe was longer
by foot than that of any ordinary man.
Patrick Cotter, the celebrated Irish
giant, born in 1861, was eight feet seven
inches, and his shoes were seventeen
inches long.
The giant Gabarra, who lived during
the reign of the Roman Emperor, Clau-
dids Caesar, is said to have been near ten
feet in height. What a stuck-up man he
must have been but that is a necessary
fault of the whole tribe of giants. Pliny
thus refers to him: "The tallest man
that hath been seen in our age, i'll the
days of Claudius, the late Emperor, was
brought out of Arabia. He was nine
feet nine inches high"
Gabarra, however, was eclipsed by a
Scotchman named Funnam, who lived in
the time of Eugene H., whose length was
eleven feet and half ! But even his
great height was not exceptional; as we
learn from Jacob lie Marie, who, in his
voyage to the Straits of Magellan, in the
year 1915, uncovered several graves at
Port Desire, where he found skeletons
ten and eleven feet long.
Chevalier Story, however, in his voyage
to the Peak of Tenerffe, relates a still
greater marvel. He found in one of the
caverns of the mountains the head of a
Guanche which had eighty teeth. and the
body was fifteen feet long!
But even this monster was out-topped
by the giant Ferragus, who was killed by
Orlando, the nephew of Charlemange,
and who had attained the extraordinary
stature of eighteen feet!
We hope the travellers and historians
from whom we have compiled these facts
have not been drawing the long bow, but
really some of them terribly try our
faith. The following, for instance
Roland, celebrated anatomist, who
wrote in 1914, states that some years
previously there was in the suburbs of
st, GERMAN the tomb of the giant lsoret,
who was twenty feet high!