Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-20
Heads and HATS.

Heads and Hats.
From The London Standard.
scotland still takes hats a size larger than
England, and the manufacturing towns a size
smaller than those devoted to general commerce
No doubt. as rule the biggest heads are the
best, since the heaviest brains contain most of
the raw material Of intellect. The brain of the
average European male weighs from forty-nine
to nifty ounces, that Of the female being fully ten
per cent lighter But quantity is no test of
quality, and great variation is noticeable i'm the
weight OF the brains of eminent men, The brain
OF Cuvler weighed siXty-fOur and a half ounces
that of Agassiz fifty-three, that of SpurZheim
hiiy-hse, ana that OF Sir James Simpson. the
celebrated physician. fifty-seven ounces. II is
also undoubtedly true that the skull capacjtv
bears a direct ratio to the mental grade of any
race. ana that among savages there is less DIFF
ference between the size of the cranum Of tho
Two sexes than among civilized nations. On
the Other hand. While cases are on record in
which the brains of idiots weighed only eiuht
and half ounces. there are other instances
which could be cited in which the Cerebral
mass attained sixty ounces or double the limit
which Paul Broca considered necessary for n
person to possess without being legally an i'm
beetle. The truth is a brain may be shrunken
Of. without being actually diseased. it NAV h,
OF an inferior quality originally or. owing to a
bad digestion or defective liver. he Droner,v
nourished or actually poisoned. Again. Pro-
lessor feflier. WITHOUT altogether confirming the
has, oy ms interesting experiments on living
animals. shown that each portion of the brain
appears To be marked off for the performance of
certain functions. Accordingly, if the intelli-
gencr Is thus localized it may so happen that a
person with really small brain can owing tn
the accident OF the portion required for his
speciality being of good quality or relatively
large. attain eminence. The well-trained athlete
may he actually stronger man than either the
Zimmerman or the ballet dancer, but he might
proVeutteriyinferiOrt to either were he to ATTEMPT
the welding OftWO bars ofirOn, or the performances
Of ten-miie waltz. Hence the endless elements
Of error which interfere with any generalization
from the SIZE of a mans head as to the grade
OF intellectual distinction to which he has at
taiEed.
Inns Is ineontestably proved if We compare
the sizes OF hats which are worn or have been
worn by certain well-known individuals. For
instance, Lord Chelmsford required az fulI.
Dean Stanley, 6s4; Lord Beaconsiield. z: Charles
Dickens, rs; Earl Russell. ~: Lord MacauIay.
rs; Mr. Ihackeray 1%I: NJ Julien. ,8/ While
TIE peculiar pear-shaped head of Louis Philippe
required hat OF exactly the same size. Am0no
Hvin" celebrities the Prince of Wales wears a :
LORD soelborne rs. Mr.. Bright the same Mr.
''iadstohe a 15s. and the Archbishop of York an
g luii Now, though 1t would he presumptuOus
III Us to apportiOn out the relative brain mower
" ,lese eminent persOnages it is very clear that
u the SIZE OF their hats bears any relation to the
sEe oi lher brains, either the world has as vet
iaiieu 10 appralse some of them at their true
Naue' or they have not made the best of their
| siits; II IS. however. not so much the size or
the shape OF the head that determines hs $500
! Oh that nerve mass to which it forms tho nro
| tectihs; case This necessarily follows If Fer.
riers doctrines about localization of function in
the brain are even approximately correct. There
IS also tue faclal angle. which is fair rough and
| ready test OF intellectual deyejonmenf Nc,
even this often fails. When the chin and the
forehead form two sides Of triangle. of which
the nose is the apex. we may Iairly conclude
] that there is not much brain to form the base
/ let slOping brow does not necessarily mean :
i feeble intellect. Hans Christian Anderson bad
! VIGOROUSLY a skull of this conformation and
Gainbetta is not distinguished for his prominent
| forehead