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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



Bushman, whose head only reaches to his breast. Thus, the tallest 

 race of man is less than one fourth higher than the shortest, a fact 

 which seems surprising to those not used to measurements. In general, 

 the stature of the women of any race may be taken as about one six- 

 teenth less than that of the men. Thus, in England a man of five feet 

 eight inches and a woman of five feet four inches look an ordinary 

 well-matched conple. 



Not only the stature, but the proportions of the body, differ in men 

 of various races. Care must be taken not to confuse real race-differ- 



FiG. 1. Patagonian and Bushman. 



ences with the alterations made by the individual's early training or 

 habit of life. A man's measure round the chest depends a good deal 

 on his way of life, as do also the lengths of arm and leg, which are not 

 even the same in soldiers and sailors. But there are certain distinc- 

 tions which are inherited, and mark different races. Thus, there are 

 long-limbed and short-limbed tribes of mankind. The African negro 

 is remarkal)le for length of arm and leg, the Aymara Indian of Peru 

 for shortness. Negro soldiers standing at drill bring the middle 

 finger-tip an inch or two nearer the knee than white men can do, and 

 some have been even known to touch the knee-pan. Such differences, 

 however, are less remarkable than the general correspondence in bodily 

 proportions of a model of strength and beauty, to whatever race he 

 may belong. Even good judges have been led to forget the niceties 

 of race-type and to treat the form of the athlete as everywhere one 

 and the same. Thus, Benjamin West, the American painter, when he 



