IS A WOMAN GROWING TALLER ?

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVI, Issue LVI, 29 January 1909, Page 3

IS A WOMAN GROWING TALLER ?

A CENTURY AGA SHE WAS ONLY

AI A MAN'S SHOULDERS

Thirteen hundred and seventy-nine youitg women with their 1379 mothers have recently been the objects of curiosity to a group of English physicians, who are endeavouring to show, from a comparision of the relative heights of women, past and present ,that the divinity of the future will not only exceed her sisters of the past in statue and development, but will ultimately come to look down on mere mister man in more senses than one. For the darling is growing; growing so fast that in 100 years the average woman will be taller than the average man by half a head, if not very much more. All this has been carefully worked out, and GUESSWORK has not been allowed to play any part in the investigations. As everybody knows, Ahe devotion that women have displayed to outdoor sports within the past "generation— dating roughly from IS75 — has been responsible for the statistical fact that the girls of the day — said girls being, let us say, in the last 'teens — exceed their mothers by nearly three inches in height. In 1875 the girl of 18 or 19 stood only sft. 3in. in her — well, without her shoes. Today the succeeding charmer of the same age is at least sft sin. In the meantime, haw has man fared? According to statisticians, man has fallen by at least

THREE-FOURTHS OF AN INCH within the past 100 years ;nor are there 'any signs that there is an upword tendency among the males. On the contrary, the average man of the future will appear, squat, if not stunted, beside his Junonian sister.

There is, of course, a reason for everything, and in this particular case that bright spirit, Marcel Prevost, supplies it to us. If, oh woman, you would be divinely tall, for, of your nature, you are divinely fair, you must continue to wear boots of comfortable size, and cease to squeeze your figures into cxci uniating corsets ; you must play

ALL SORTS OF GAMES, you ii list romp, and even run the risk of being called a tomboy — and so you it. ay as[.:ro to touch t hemark of 5 feet 8 inches, or even 5 feet 10 inches. You will thus have every chance of placing yniir husband, physicially, where you V.aye ,long tried to place him morally, that is, relatively to yourself, in the abject position»-of a\ well-tamed Tom Thumb. Poor man, on the contrary, wvh hi 5 sedentary labours,

HIS TOILING HOURS, c«! % .ifim ifl to close atmosphere, his body (lif« •>! toe! b;' the requirements of his •v->-k — I.' 1 , poor'fekny, is slowly travellino; el-un to the statue of the general of few inches. Always laborious, he is beioSMnc the victim of his toilscmeness and {Medication.