SMALL PEOPLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 284, 12 September 1938, Page 8

SMALL PEOPLE.

SOME GREAT WORLD FIGURES. Lack of inches is no bar to success. Some of the most famous people in history, past and present, have stood only five feet and a bit, says June H. Kyneston. The small, they say, shall be great, and history, past and present, is packed with the names of small people who achieved fame. Wellington was on the small side, and so was Nelson. Wellington did not shine at Eton nor at a French military college, but he proved an efficient soldier, and distinguished himself in India. Sent to drive the French but of Spain, he did it with characteristic doggedness. At Waterloo his coolness got the better of Napoleon’s genius. Nelson, “the greatest of all sailors,” after sharing in various sea fights shattered Napoleon’s Oriental dreams by. his magnificent victory of the Nile. Copenhagen brought Nelson more glory. He died in the act of smashing the naval might of France and Spain at Trafalgar. Sir Christopher Wren, the designer of St. Paul’s Cathedral and of more than 50 London churches, was an astronomer and a mathematician before lie turned architect.

He was only live feet live, and used to be hoisted up in a basket to the top of the dome to watch the masons at work. You will remember from his films how small Charlie Chaplin is. Edmund Gwenn antj. Edward G. Robinson, both famous and dynamic personalities, are little men. For some strange reason, diminutive men and women seem to have the knack of making the most of themselves. Among other small men • with big reputations can be named General Gordon, Llovd George, Lord Fisher, Lord Roberts, Reethoven, Lord Clive (of India), Warren Hastings, John Wesley, each a little giant of history with no “inferiority complex.” Sir Stephen Killik, the small man who became Lord Mayor of London in 1934, said, “The fact that I am small ih stature has not affected me at all.” Brigadier-General Sir Henry Page Croft, who commanded Bantam battalions during the war, said, “The Bantams who came to my battalion could never be accused of inferiority complex. Their height laid them open to a good deal of ragging, but I always found them quite ready to hit a large man on the jaw.” Some of the most unhappy people are giants. Small men and women seem to be not only great but happy and self-confident in all they undertake to do. Bobbie Howes, the famous screen and stage star, says “My stature has never worried me—it has perhaps been of advantage in my career.” Small women often make the biggest successes. Mae West is so small she has to have special shoes made with heels, to use her own words, like “stilts.” Janet Gaynor and Mary Pickford are only five feet tall. Chili Bouchier and Mary Brian are only five feet two; Ann Harding, Norma Shearer and Lillian Harvey, five feet three. Elizabeth Bergner is another little woman who has become famous. In fact, she has been described ns the greatest actress since Sarah Bernhardt.

Anita Loos, who wrote that bestseller, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” is only four feet eleven! Ethel Mann in, famous novelist, is also very small. It : is a mistake to assume that a small man or woman cannot possibly have the poise and dignity of those who are tall. Small as she is, our Queen has a dignity that is superb. The Duchess of Gloucester is also very small, yet her deportment is a model. The late King George was not. tall, and yet he was stately in a remarkable degree. People look up to you if you are tall, it Is- said. But the small may take heart, for theirs is often a greatness that rises above mere stature.