The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-03-20
pWARFs IN The PYRENEeS.
4 New Theory to Account For n Race OF
Little People In Spain.

Little People In Spain.
There has long dwelt in the heart OF
the Pyrenees on the old Catalonian Dor
der Of Spain a curious race of dwarfs,
supposed by some to be of Tartar origin.
A writer in a recent issue of Cosmos
describes them and advances theory or
their origin in consonance with modern
anthropology.
They inhabit the valley of the Ribas
In the northwestern part of the Span
fish province now called Corona. They
never exceed 81 = inches in height, and
have short, i'll formed legs, great bel
lies, small eyes, fiat noses and pale, I'M
wholesome compilations. They are usu-
ally stupid, often to the verge OF ldlocy,
and much subject to goiter and scrotu-
lous affections The chief town of the
Ribas valley is Ribas, place of 1000
inhabitants, about 500 feet above sea
level. The mountains rise about the
town to height of 5000 to 5000 feet,
and command an amazingly beautiful
panorama of mountain, plain and river,
with Spanish cities visible upon the one
side and French upon the other The
region is rich, both agriculturally and
mnerally, and is famous for its medic
inal springs. In this paradise dwell
the dwarfs, perhaps as degraded race
of men and women as may be found IN
any civilized community. They are
almost without education and inhablt
wretched huts when they have any shell
ter. The most intelligent are employed
as Shepherds, and in summer they live
for months at an elevation of more than
5000 feet without shelter. Here they
see no human creature save some OF their
own kind, often idiots, who are sent up
every Is or 90 days with supply OF
food.
It is said that formal marriage is al
most unknown among them. The wom-
en- in some instances are employed III
the village of Ribas as nurses for chill
dren, and as such are found tender and
faithful Before communication through
out the region was as easy as 1t IS now
1t was thought lucky to have one OF
these dwarfs in family, and the dwarfs
were hired out and even sold to be used
in beggary in neighboring cities. There
are somewhat similar dwarfs in other
valleys of the Pyrenees, but the number
is decreasing, and those of the Rlbas
valley are reduced to few individuals.
The writer of The Cosmos article re-
jects the theory of a Chinese origin for
the dwarfs, and believes that they are
merely the degenerate descendants OF
the ordinary natives, i'll nourlshed for
generations upon diet of potatoes and
black bread. The fact that with I'M
proved means of communication the
dwarfs are decreasing helps to confirm
the writer's theory, and he believes that
with proper nourishment and decent
shelter their descendants would gradu-
ally return to the normal type. Mean
while the neighbors Of the dwarfs look
upon them with curious mixture OF
feelings. The fact that the dwarfs drink
much at particular mineral spring has
given rise to superstition that who
ever drinks of it will become deformed,
and the normal natives are horrltied to
see visitors experimenting with tho
dreaded waters. There is reason to be-
heve that the waters of the spring arc
beneficial to the stomachs of we'll nour-
ished persons, but injurious to these
who are accustomed to an unwholesomo
diet, and it is entirely possible that the
i'll fed dwarfs have been injured by
drinking of the spring. New York Sun.