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8 Conservative.
being immediately carried to the camp.
The blood is especially preserved for the
chief. The pygmies roam about not
very far from the village settlements in
the forests , with which they keep in
constant communication ; they exchange
fresh meat and honey for potatoes and
other food. These dwarfs are to be
found in Congo Free State about five
days journey from Kilouga-Longa , now
called Mawambi. The pygmies are
never willing to take strangers to their
camps , which are always in a dense part
of the jungle , but Bishop Tucker has
seen them and described them. They
consist of tiny , little huts or shelters ,
varying between three and four feet
high , thatched with giant leaves from
the trees of the forest. The usual
signs of life in these curious habitations
consist of a few clay jars , evidently
used for cooking purposes , and the
"stones" of the various forest fruits.
The pigmy women are "very comely
little creatures and most attractivewith
very light skins , ( tail color ) . They
have , as might be expected , "the usual
flat nose and thick lips of the negro , and
black curly hair , but their eyes are of
singular beauty , so bright and quick and
restless , that they do not seem to fix
their gaze on anything for a second. "
The women are smaller than the men ,
and average about three feet , ten inches
in height. According to Mr. Lloyd ( "In
Dwarf Land" Scribner 1899) ) , the Afri
can pygmies pass a great amount of
their- time in climbing trees.
Dwarfs play a large part in the mythology
elegy of the ancient Germanic nations.
They were supposed to have their own
kings , and to dwell in the interior of
the earth , wherein were priceless treas
ures. It was the dwarfs who provided
the armor for the gods , and they also
gave Odin his spear and Thor his ham
mer. Some of the virtues of the
dwarfs are believed to have been derived -
rived from an actual race of small
stature the Lapps , who are said to
have occupied part of the Scandinavian
peninsula before the immigration of
the Gothic people. British tradition
tells of a "Tom Thumb" at King
Arthur's court ; and Gulliver's Lillipu
tians are among the best known of the
historic dwarfs.
Prior to the eighteenth century ,
dwarfs were very frequently retained as
court favorites. Of ancient dwarfs ,
Philotas , of Cos , tutor of Ptolemy
Philadelphus , who was born about 880
B. 0. , was said to have worn weights in
his pockets to avoid being blown away.
Queen Henrietta Maria , of France ,
( wife of Charles the first of England ) ,
had two dwarfs whose united height is
given as seven feet , two inches. Geof
frey Hudson , mentioned in The Peveril
of the Peak was only three feet , nine
inches tall. Nicholas Ferry , known as
Bebe , the dwarf of King Stanislaus , of
Poland , was only twenty-three inches in
height. He died at the ago of ninety ,
in Paris in 1858. Borowlaski , who
lived from 1789 to 1887 , was a Polish
nobleman whose height at the age of 80
was 39 inches.
Dwarfs may be divided into two
classes first , those individuals who
wore very small at birth and remain so
all their lives ; and secondly , those who
became dwarfs from accident in the
early mouths or years of childhood. It
is an undoubted fact that the dwarfs
who come under the first head are often
noticeable for their shrewdness and in
tellectual capacity , combined with
much childish vanity , and an over
whelming love for dress and admiration.
They are , taken as a whole , active as re
gards both mind and body , and they are
good-tempered. Upon the other hand ,
many of those who are deformed and
show an unusual development of any
special limb ore generally dull and weak ,
mentally. Nicholas Ferry , of whom
mention has already been made , was re
markable for his wit , good temper and
intellectual attainments. Next after
him in celebrity comes a female dwarf ,
Babet Sclireier , who was born in Ger
many in 1810. Her parents were labor
ing people of ordinary stature who per
mitted visitors to see their wonderful
child , but who would never consent ,
although they were poor , to exhibit her
for any pecuniary benefit. Babet
weighed at birth only a pound and a
half , but she was perfectly formed. She
grew until she was about two and a
half feet high , when she stopped. Her
health was always good , and she was
amiable and lively.
It is a strange fact that the length of
life of dwarfs seems to bo in proportion
to their size ; they arrive at maturity
quicker than a normal human being ,
and they age more quickly. We read
of this in the case of the famous Eng
lish dwarf , Hopkins , who lived 'till
about 1750. At fifteen years of ago , he
measured two feet , seven inches , and
weighed only thirty pounds. Up to this
age he had the appearance of a fresh ,
smooth-skinned youth ; but suddenly an
extraordinary condition , resembling
decrepit old age , began to creep upon
him. He became bent and suffered
severely from asthma. At the same
time his sight and hearing began to fail ,
and his teeth commenced to drop out.
Then he became so weak that he could
not walk without a stick , and
he is said to have presented all the ap
pearance of a withered and aged
old man. Before these signs of decay
came upon him , his weight had been
nineteen pounds , but within six mouths
lie lost six pounds , and within two and
a half years he died of what appeared
to be premature old age. His parents
were healthy persons , and there had
been no previous member of his family
who was abnormal. At the time of his
death his age was seventeen years and a
few months. Although dwarfs gener
ally attain a greater age than giants
the latter rarely live to see their forty-
fifth birthday they do not often pass
their seventieth year. To this rule
there are on record two notable excep
tions , but the accuracy of the records
must , in the writer's opinion , be open
to some doubt. Amias Clowes died in
England , in 1784 , at the age , we are
told , of a hundred and three years. His
height is given as three and a half feet.
He lived in a little house eight feet
square , furnished in a way to suit his
size. It is necessary to assume either
that he lived alone or that the rest of
the occupants of the residence were
dwarfs. The only other aged dwarf of
whom an account is obtainable was
Peter the Great's favorite , a woman
named Poupee , whose height was that
of a child of six. She was lively and
clever , and the emperor seemed to have
had an extraordinary affection for her.
She is said to have lived to the age of a
hundred without ever having suffered
from any sickness. There may still be
seen in the ducal palace at Matua
( Northern Italy ) , six little rooms which
were constructed by order of one of the
dukes of Matua for the special occupa
tion of his favorite dwarfs. The walls
of these appartments are only six feet
high , and the floors eight feet square.
The rooms no longer contain any furni
ture , and even the doors have been taken
off their hinges.
In recent times no dwarf has created
more senation than Charles-S. Stratton ,
coinnioiily known as "General Tom
Thumb. " He was about thirty-one
inches in height , and ho married Livinia
Wan-en , who was an inch taller. They
had one child , a girl , who died when
about three years old. Her size and
weight do not appear to be known.
"Tom Thumb" lived till his forty-fifth
birthday , his death having taken place
in 1888. General and Mrs. White
their real name was Flynn succeeded
to some of the admiration bestowed
upon the "Thumbs. " Their imitations of
popular actors and singers were highly
appreciated by the amusement-loving
public. It is obviously undesirable to
mention by name any existing dwarf ,
but it may not be out of the place to
say that quite a number can be seen at
one of the shows on the "Midway" of
the Pan American Exhibition now open
in this city ( BuffaloNew York. )
In conclusion , some reference should
be made to jockeys. They ore fre
quently "artificial" dwarfs , measures
being taken to keep down the weight
and retard the growth of boys intended
for this occupation.
Buffalo , N. Y. , July 28 , 1901.
The amazing announcement by the
secretary of agriculture that the crops
of Kansas are uncertain , and that it
should not be included in the corn belt ,
is the first intimation that Mr. Wilson is
unfitted for the position which he oc
cupies. If any change is to be made
Mr. Ooburn , of Kansas , is suggested as
a proper candidate. Kansas City Star.
