Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-11-01
STRENGTH OF BODY
Comparison Between Civilized
Men and Savages.
THE PROWESS OF MUSCLE.
Szechuan Coolies Who Travel Forty
Miles Day Over Rough Roads With
40 Pounds on Their Heads--Powerful
South Sea islanders,

comparison OF civilized men and
SavageS in strength of body on such
ii scale as might justify conclusions
would certainly be interesting and
might be important, writes Frederick
Boyle in the London Field
Persons of long experience in wild
lands can often name individual Euro
peans who proved themselves stronger
than the native champions Of the dis
trict. But it is the average which in
terests us; exceptions are so common
among Europeans. The reason is eyi-
dent inequality Of conditions grows aS
4 race advances in civilization. Speak
ing generally. the SavageS of certain
tribe are on one level. They lead the
same life: they have the same op-
portunities. good or bad. to develop
such stature and thewS as nature
granted them. But among ourselves
there are endless differences of condi
ten. The child Of rich parents has
more food and more comforts than he
wants generally, and the scale runs
down to the pauper who has none.
human beings may be found side by
side in this country. with all the
gradationS between.
Sir Joseph Thompson described his
Zanzibar porterS with sixty or sew
enty pounds weight on their heads
aud guns in their hands patiently toll
in@ up and down PERCEPTIONS mountains
without once stopping to rest. by the
hour together, probably singing or
shouting Ill the time" On the othe,
side of the world Sir W. deS NoeuH
saw Guiana Indians already burdened
with eighty pounds Of plantains set u
hundredweiGht Of stores upon the top
and trot off five miles without pause
But this is not much beside the feat
Of SZechuan coolies, who, rs Or. Nor
riSon reports, Gamble along under loads
which Il strong Englishman coulo
scarcely raise from the ground Will
10 pounds weight upon their heads
they cover forty miles n day over diff
cult country. Some carry 400 pounds.
And he quotes another traveller, Rich
thogen, for the statement that these
fellows carried 49, pounds over Il
mountain range 1000 feet high.
visited the west coast Of Africa
when Krooboys were enlisted at Cape
Palmas by men-of-war as well rs mer'
chant ships i'll number equal to the
! white sailors aboard. It was com
mon sport then to make those tremen-
dous shipmates show their strength,
and few of the Europeans could match
any of them-nonc. according to tradi
ton. The log Of the Challenger is Il
scientific record. There we read how IL
party of south sea islanders came
aboard and put the crew TO shame with
their muscle. They measured the arm
OF one amiable giant, It was fifteen
and onc-half inches above the elbow.
While the stouteSt EnGIshman could
show only fourteen inches.
Among the AndamaneSe, MincoopiS,
a man Of five feet is tall hut the Rev.
Mr.. Nouat reported that they handle
with ease bow which our blueiackcts
cannot bend and their running is like
bullet" Dyaks are little taller, but
Raiah Brooke had store of anecdotes
to prove their enormous strength. One
has been published by the present
raiah, also by Sir Spencer st. John.
and | myself heard it on the same SPOT
from all concerned William Watson.
afterward Of the Malay Confederatcd
States service. took fever Oh an en-
ploration and broke down. He was
more than six feet high. of heavy
build. While his comrades were de
libcrating how to transport such big
may through the Jungle a. Dyak chief
interposed IF Tuan Watson can sit
in his chair I'll carry him" he said.
And the little fellow, certainly not
more than five feet two inches-l knew
him Intellectually did transport the
sick giant in his chair seven miles TO
camp without Il pause.
For Mexico we have HumDo!dtS eVt-
dcncc He says Indians ''remain load
| ed with weight of $50 pounds 10 $50
pounds for the space Of six hours.
During this time they ascend and de
scend several thousand steps at ~
degrees inclination" Byam says much
thp same Of Chilean minc"; III his de
lightful old book, and he adds, II
should have been afraid to assert this
had il not been well known and wit
messed by several" SO should | have
been afraid to report the statements
Of Carl Lumholdz in Unknown Mex
! ico'--or rather call attention to them.
FOR have no room TO quo'e-lf he had
not been reporting to The Smithsonian
institution. Two Of them, however.
may be given: The Tarahumari In
dams easily run 40 miles without
stopping" "A youth carried more than
100 mounds for 40 miles in seventy
hours" But | am not acquainted with
any savagcS who practice games or
athletic exercises habitual!y for the
purpose Of hardening their muscles, as
we do.
An Impossible Brute.