The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-10-09
HEIGHT OF GREAT MEN.
The King of Italy Is the Smallest
Sovereign.
From dc St. Louis Star.

From the ST. Louis Star
In discussion of the Napoleonic idea
that the greatest men of the world have
been small in stature, the Strand Maya
zine this month publishes some interest,"
ing ngures regarding the height of the
leading men OF the day. An examina-
ton of the figures given and a study of
the charts would lead to the conclusion
that, as a matter or fact height and
brains stand In no relation whatever to
each other.
In the line of European seyereigns we
find the king of Italy the smallest. stand
ing trihe over feet inches; the en-
peror OF Japan next, feet 6; the car
and the kaiser, feet ~; Edward VII. s
feet S@ the king of Portugal, feet.
and Leopold of Belgium, 6 feet inches.
Among the statesmen of England Lord
Rosebery is the shortest being feet 6
inches, with Joseph Chamberlain an inch
taller Mr.. Asquith is feet inches:
John Morley, feet s; Mr.. Balfour. 6
feet and the Duke of Deyonshire, feet
l inch.
In the British army we find Lord Kit
chener standing feet inches, Gen. Ba-
den-Powell feet inchev Lord Wolles-
ley feet ~ inches and Lord Roberts a.
little man. feet 6 inches.
Lord Kelvin the greatest of electrical
scientists Is feet inches Marconi 5 feet
3; Lord Reay Is feet q and Sir Oil
yer Lodge is feet 2. Most of the best
known English writer's are men under
average height. Sir Conan Doyle is a six
1ooter ana Mr. Anthony Hope measures
feet 10 inches. Mr.. J. M. Barrie Kin
ping and Thomas Hardy Just touch the
D feet inches mark, and Alfred Austin
the poet laureate, is just over feet 3
inches.
An interesting group shows President
Roosevelt touching feet inches. An
drew Carnegie under feet inches, Pres
ldent Loubert of France only an inch
taller than the ironmaster.
turning from the modern leaders in
every branch of life the investigator finds
a long list of tall men who achieved great
distinction in the past-George Washing
ton, feet inches; George Borrow, feet
inches; Sir Walter Raleigh, feet; Walt
Whitman, feet; Lord Brougham, Audu-
bon, Bunyon, Give, Bismarck, Froude,
j. T. Richter, Sheridan, Puvis de Cha
vannes. Corot, Delacroix, Leasing, Tour
genen, Poussin, Huxley, James, Thomson,
A. de Musset, Sterne, Schiller Romilly,
Smollett, Moltke, Mirabeau, Lamartine,
Gounod and Millet-all tall men.
An interesting fact pointed out and
we'll substantiated by history is the diff
Guilty of Judging the height by mere OBJ
servat1on. Testimony varies greatly re-
garding the size of many great men. Mid
ole height is peculiarly misleading. The
writer In this case cites several in
stances of this. Rossettrs brother de-
scribes him as of rather low middle
stature; another man says he was "of
full middle height" and a third rather
over middle height" Really he was 5
feet rs inches, or full middle height
Those who know Edward VII. simply
from his pictures would judge him a
short, stout man. AS fact his height is
above the height of the average English
man. The Anthropometric Committee of
the British Associat ton has figured the
mean height of the people of Great
Britain at feet rs inches. The kings
height Is five-eighths Of an inch over thia