The Washington times., 1920-04-11
MISUNDERSTANDING
AndDOnt NeedAny"
Madame Guenther the Remarkable Persona!
the Barnun, -Ringling Circus Explains Why
BETTER Off Than Venus de Milo Without AM
rApAME GABRIELLE GuENTHER

AVA who never had to learn TO walk
for the simple reason that nature never
provided her anything to walk with.
While perfectly normal in every other
way, physically and mentally, nature failed
to fulfil all its obligations to her and al
lowed her to come into the world minus
almost half of her body. Nevertheless,
she has lived a healthy, quite happy ex-
istence for thirty-six years. and has
scarcely reached the prime of her life.
Such an extraordinary and exceptional
prank of nature is this that the thousands
Of people who see her daily at the Ring
ling Circus at Madison Square Garden can
hardly believe their eyes. Some of the
incredulous insist that there Is some illu-
sion about 1t, while others declare that in
some way she must have her legs folded
tightly under her. This Is really not
strange, for 1t is hard for anyone to be-
lieye that person could actually be born
and live healthily the allotted span Of
years SO handicapped-and in every other
aay be so normal
But Il is SO. Madame Guenther is liv-
ing proof that nature will play cruel
trick and then adjust itself to the extraor-
dinary resultant conditions. Aside from
the Inconvenience Of being deprived Of the
natural means of locomotion Miss Guen-
ther lives perfectly normal life. She had
the benefit OF thorough education in
convent when girl. before she began to
tour the world in entertainments.
mo. Please don't sympathize with me-"
said Madame Guenther, with an amiable
smile. "A woman really does not need
legs. never had any and yet can do
almost anything that other people can do.
and get along perfectly well without any
legs. The people to be sorry for are the
deaf. the blind. the dumb-not the legless.
IT get about my home perfectly well. I
can move around about as fast as anybody
else. enjoy life just as much as others
and in Just about the same way.
"Of course, have been an object Of con-
siderable interest to medical men," she
continued. "Anatomists, ethnologists,
bone specialists, and all kinds of scientists
have felt of me and pinched me and X
rayed me and examined me and studied
me. They are not all agreed about me
many think have no scientific excuse for
being alive at all; that am a scientific
impossibility. But the concensus of opin-
ion seems to be that I simply stopped
short at my hip bones. You know that we
are entitled to have a pair Of leg bones
which fit into the big hip sockets and con-
tinue on down, forming our legs.
"Well, they seem pretty well agreed that
nature started at my head and made
perfectly good average, successful and
complete job Of me in all respects down
to and including my hip bones. And then,
for some reason, nature went on strike.
quit then and there and never came bach
to give me even just the littlest rudiment-
ary kind of leg bones Of any manner or
shape. So there was and always have
been, Just like statue moulded by sculp-
tor down to that point and who never re-
turned to finish his job.
"I was asked once whether I would
rather be the Venus de Milo with an able
bodied pair Of legs and no arms, or myself
with a very able pair Of arms and no lower
limbs. Well, the unfortunate Venus has
nothing on me. I would not swap my arms
for her legs. II should meet the famous
lady of the Louvre in real life should
extend to her my sincerest sympathy
Madame Guenther said with much earn
estness.
It is of little inconvenience for her to
get around her apartment. With the aid
OF her hands she walks" about rapidly
on her hands and hips. BY twisting
adroitly about she can get into chair
gracefully and with astonishing ease,
Grasping the chair with one hand and
with the other on the floor she swings
her hips on to the chair and half pushes
and half pulls herself upright into It. A
rocking chair is her favorite seat. While
upright she considers that she is stand
ing. For sitting she leans backward In
the rocker, thus reclining and resting.
While dressing she stands" on chair
before her dresser mirror to arrange her
hair. Standing thus only brings her shoul
ders into view in the mirror, and In order
TO inspect the remainder OF her attire she
lifts herself to the top Of the dresser
where she can view her entire length al
the average woman can contemplate her
self in a cheval glass. She can go up and
down stairs with alacrity by holding to the
notttnn nth nna hand and nlacinQ thf