HUMAN ARCHITECTURE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 47, 25 February 1901, Page 8

HUMAN ARCHITECTURE.

A NOVEL STUDY-

They have discovered in America quite a new test of fitness for Presidential candidates.Having tested Mr McKinley and Mr Bryan from the poinfof view of personal morality, political opinion, and administrative capacity, they are compared then as studies in human architecture. Human architecture is a term applied by artists to the study of how men and ■women are proportioned. As the result of observation and experience through many centuries an artistic standard ha~ been evolved, and in America and Kurope this standard Is that a man's total height should be eight times the height of his head. This is the old Greek proportion. Judging from American tests, both Mr McKinley and Mr Bryan are too short. They each have a misfit head. And applying the rule, to JOMiNKNT BRITISH STATESMEN, they suffer in a similar way.

One very interesting comparison—especially interesting, perhaps to the superstitious — between two eminent British and American politicians brings out the fact that both "are six and three-quarter heads high, or one and a quarter heads below the proper proportion. And these two politicians are Mr Bryan and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, both of whom have just lost in the elections. Mr McKinley's head-piece doe.s not lend itself to comparison with that of any eminent British politician. His frame is even less artistic than Mr Bryan's, for ho is only six and a-half heads high. Turning wholly to British statesmen, It fa estimated that Mr Balfour, despite his somewhat slender-looking frame, approaches most nearly to artistic requirements! His height comes out at nbuut seven and a-half heads, while: Mr Chamberlain is a good second with about seven heads. On the other hand, Lord Salisbury, whom all parties delight to honour, takes tTie lowest place of all with a poor six and a-ciuarter heads. One is forced to the conclusion that if candidates for the British Cabinet or the American Presidency were selected according to the

LAWS OF HUMAN ARCmTBCTURE, all politicians at pres&it popular would have to be rejected.

tint eminent politicians are vnry often exceptional brings, and artistic standards i;.ik-'.- account only of average helngs. if the wysteua of measurement applied hero had bveii applied to Mr Gladatono, DlsraeU, peel, Daniel Webster, or Henry Ward Beei.-h.cr, it would Jiave been found i.hat : thpKc $t(MX win and great orators tk'tiarUul xroia tto (iffil.% Weal ol1, pro-

portion co an equal degree with Lord Salisbury or Mr MeKin!e~. The artistic standard for women hn? varied wiihh th- Up?-- of <*nturi**. The ;;n>:k-nr stan'larj of eight iic-ad* i^ Jk-'jo | with which. Hy -h'j way. Miss KH>:i T-rry H-.r.rv CaiapfceU-Eanne-man and Mr [ Sryan. One o: Americas finest artists, j however, dcos r,:: appear to follow the j modern rule for wonKn. Mr Charles , Dar.s. Gibs:r;'=; rirl- usually ir.-.ii'urc: ,