New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-04

fixes the average stature of men of emf
nence at point above the middle height.
I'm default of statistical data ready to
hand-the dearth of reliable material
upon this question being quite marked
the writer has turned through the bio
graphical section of a general public il
brary situated in the city of his resi-
dence Of the lives of go distinguished
men thus examined those of 103 sup
Piled the information sought either IN
exact figures or by way of general state
ment, and of these personages it appears
that Is were of middle height, 5S above
and 90 below. In many instances the
stature was merely described as me
dunn or above or below, and IN tabu-
Iating the result We have assumed the
correctness of this classification, al
though it is far from certain that IN
reality the terms bore the same mean
ing TO all writers. Where, however, the
stature was given in feet and inches, we
have adopted as the standard of medium
height feet I inches.
This is naanifestly too low for Amer
lea. and is likewise too low for England,
since. as we are told by H. H. Donald
son in The Growth of the Brain 51l
observations among all classes gave 6l-I
inches as the average stature for men In
England For the civilized world, how
ever. the average would probably be so
far lower than that of England and
America as to make the figures we have
mentioned fair standard Even, now
ever. were feet s inches to be used 1or
middle height, the result, so Tar as the
nresent paper is concerned, would not 7
he disturbed. since none of the statures
given fall within this disputed margin
II will be observed, moreover, that our
discussion is confined to the statureS OF
men. Those of women are notorlousiS
lower, and the two cannot we'll be treated
together in an article of short compass
Towering above all the historic char
acters thus gathered before the mlnd
eve is the immense form of Charles
Sumner with his 6 feet inches Be
side him, only an inch and half less In
height. stands Thomas Jefferson. while
near these two are Charles Godfrey Lee
land and Andrew Jackson with statures
of 6 feet % and 6 feet l inch
Described as over SIX feet are sam
mel Adams. Bismarck, Salmon P. Chase
Captain Cook, Jonathan Edwards Eu-
gene Field Henry Fielding and wait
Whitman. while Charles Darwin Cabout
six feet0, Alexander Dumas, the elder
lanes Monroe Csix feet or morep. Bay
ard TavIor Csix feet at seventeen),
Alfred Tennyson, General Thomas ana
George Washington must be ranged win
celebrated men six feet in height
Another group-still Of majestic pres
auca-is referred to as slightly under
or a little below six feet, and in TINS
wa find the names of Henry Ward
Raecber. Rufus Choate, Sidney Lanler
and Daniel O'Connen The remainder
are of less impressive height-Benjanl1n
Franklin. Albert Gallatin, John Ruskln,
Robert Louis Stevenson and Daniel
Webster. who could claim ; feet I'D
inches: General Charles George Gordon
whose stature was feet Q inches. and
WASHINGTON Irving. who vas feet sla
to inches.
I'm addition to these individuals there
is a eoodly company spoken of by the
biosraphers as 'taT-Mattf1ew Arnold
Louis Agassiz, William Cullen Bryant
J,llius Cesar. Charlema gne. Charles XII
| of Sweden Christopher Columbus. stone
wall Jackson, General Sam Houston.
/ Leigh Hunt Edward Fitzgerald. Ben
Jonscn, Chief Justice Marshall. Sir
! walter Scott. Robert Southey every
tain. Phillips Brooks COT great height),
| William NJ Thackeray Cabove medium
height0, Patrick Henry, Lorenzo de
Medici Francis Parkman. Coventry
Patmore. Peter the Great. Percy Bysshe
Shelley. sidney Smith COT middle
height. rather above than below, Thad-
deus Stevens, n. 2. Willis, Richard
Strauss and John Bunyan.