St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-02-04
MEN GROWING BIGGER,
Measurements Taken for Thousands OF
Garments Indicate This.

| Garments Indicate This.
Last spring received letter from
an English gentleman who is interested
in anthropology and biology, asking
me if there were any facts to sustain
the impression abroad that the white
man is deteriorating in size, weight
and condition in the United States. 1t
occurred to me, however. that Since by
far the greater part of the men of this
country are clad in ready-made cloth
ing. the experience of the clothiers
might be valuable, and that from their
figures of the average sizes Of the gar
ments prepared by them for men use
very clear deductions could be made as
to the size of the American man..
therefore sent a letter to Two clothiers
in Boston, who have been long in the
business, one in Chicago one in New
| York, one in Baltimore, one in Detroit,
one in Texas and one in Montreal The
information received in return is 10
this ctfect
In any given 1000 garments the
average of all the returns is as follows:
Chest measure, 3S inches; waist, 5j338
inches; length of leg inside, 32} inches;
average height ranging from feet s..
to feet in New England, up to feet
10 for the average at the South and
West. A few DEDUCTIONS of weight arc
given, from which one can infer that
the average man weighs between 30
and 100 pounds. These measures cover
the average of the assorted sizes of
garments which are made up hy The
thousand. There are few small men
who buy youths Sizes so-calle,l,
and few larger men who buy ''eNtra
sizes"
My correspondent in Chicago states
"that SO far us relates to the assertion
| that the race in this country deterior-
! ates our experience teaches us that
| the contrary is the case. We are now,
and have for several years past been
obliged to adopt larger scale of sizes,
| and many more extra sizes in width rs
we'll as length, than were required ten
years ago. ! find that occupation and
residence have Il great deal to dc with
the difference in sizes, the average of
the sizes required for the cities ana
large towns being much less than that
required for the country. Again, diff
ferent sections vary very much IN those
requirements. For instance, 81 cN-
perienced stock clerk will pick out for
the South and Southwestern trade
coats and vests, breast measure 81 to
10; trousers always one or two sizes
smaller around the waist than the
length of leg inside. For Western and
Northern trade coats and vests breast
measure, 81 to AZ; trousers, 50 to ~
waist; 80 to "a length of leg inside"
Ny correspondent in Texas gives tho
average 50 inches chest, 80 to "a inches.
waist, 32a leg measure. feet 10 inches
height, adding: 1--WE find that the
waist measure has increased from an
average of 80 to 50 inches during five
years, and we think our people are be-
coming stouter built
My correspondent in Baltimore had
previously made the statement, 10 wit:
.'Since the late war we have noticed
that the ayerage-slzed suits for our
Southern trade have increased fully
one inch around the chest and waist,
while there has been no apparent
change in the length of the tro6sers."
| asked this firm if the change could
be due to the fact that the colorch peo-
pie had become buyers of ready made
clothing, but have for reply that the
fact that the negroes are buying more
ready-made clothing now than previous
to the war accounts only in small de-
gree for the increase of the size, but is
due almost entirely to the increased
activity of the whites. The experience
of this firm covers thirty-five years.
My correspondent in New York
states that ''for the last thirty years
our clothing, numbering ut least 80,
900 garments yearly, has been cH.'!''-
sivcly sold in the Southern States. ";
find the average man to measure 81
inches around the chest, 50 to 33 around
the waist, 80 to 81 inches of leg insileT
average height, ) feet 10 inches. The
Southerner measures more in The leg
than around the Waist-;t 2oclll ,ari'S III
direct contrast to the Westr =. 'nanv.
who measures more around tie ,1aI>o.
than in the leg
Ny correspondent in Canada gives
the following details; experience coy
ers twenty years; about 100000 gar
ments a year: II
Breast measure. s5 81 80 80 40 4. q "A
Waist measure 81 81 81 35 80 fT1a3o y
Cut per 1000 Of
these sizes. 80 100 2i0 30 l48 ID % :"
Average weight
for each $40 $50 16) 16s lT5 1so ss1 20
My correspondent in Detroit says;
1--WE notice marked peculiarltles t" re
gions where dwell people OF one Fla-
tionality. The Germans need large
waists and short legs. the French small
waists and legs, the Yankees small
waists and long legs, the Jews medium
waists and short legs. We have found
a decided demand for larger sizes than
formerly. Ciothier and fMrnishsr
.,o1.ot ,rocapta1 tn the Ouent OF