THE SMALLEST ACTORS IN THE WORLD.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12111, 4 July 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE SMALLEST ACTORS IN THE WORLD.

When Paul Horompo, of Hungary, was six years old his growth ceased. .{writes Tom' Thome in "Leslie's Weekly "). He was then no larger than t many children are at:the age of a year. 'Paul is now seventeen "years old and. weighs fourteen pounds. He is one of: the .smallest midgets in the world, if not, in fact, the very smallest. This tiny man has a brother, Fiianz, who, when he was a baby, was' so little that he was put to sleep in a cigar box, and his another, a woman of normal size, carried him in her muff. When he was nine years old Franz -became an adult. He stopped growing, at least, and has mot added to his weight or stature since. These diminutive brothers are members of a company of five and a part of the JBainum and Bailey Circus. .• The combined weight of these five pef-, sons is 1341b, and they are all in good flesh and quite well-proportioned. The largest and. oldest of them -is Miss Rosa Popp, twenty-two; years old and- forty pounds in weight'.. Ernest Rommel, the leader- of the grpup, is nineteen years.old and weighs, thirty-five -pounds. But perhaps ;' .'- :

THE QUAINTEST OF AIL is Httle Miss Anna Moherlz, who weighs only twenty pounds . and is : twenty-one years old.. She is no larger, than a baby. "Mister" Paul, as he lilies to be called, the very smallest of these. little people, is so insignificant in stature that his clothes look like the attire of a doll., He wears a cutaway coat- with, waisteoat and long trousers,, and he, like the others, smokes cigarettes and drinks . beer . with perfect satisfaction. One feels toward these mid-gets-as one feels .toward a child.. .Yet this feeling is at. once altered by the evidence of intelligence, in at least some of the little people, equal to that of the normal human being of their, own age. One is filled with pity and asks, "I wonder if these little ones appreciate their great misfortune.", v . I associated with Ernest, Franz, and .the rest of the company of Horvath midgets long enough to- feel justified in saying that they are-by no means unhappy, that they have the desires, the emotions, the pride, and. about as little of the suffering,: as the usual persons of their own age. Mr Ernest told me, as he adjusted his tie before the glass, that he and his diminutive associates are always in good health,, that they are'no more delicate than the ordinary man or woman. The house and furniture of the big people are a little inconvenient to the midgets, but they have learned to overcome these obstacles without much difficulty. Ernest can climb a stairway with as much alacrity as the ordinary man cares to employ, yet the distance from one step to another, is to him as a step from, the floor to the top of, a table for the person of usual size. Think of climbing a long stairway with such steps as that! But Mr Ernest can make the effort without panting, which illustrates that the physical strength of these midgets is all' -W OUT OF PROPORTION M$ THEIR STATURE The home' life of ' the midgets is, of course,'peculiar. In the city they.cannot put' their heads out of doors without being surrounded ait once by a 'huge crowd of boys, .a crowd which invariably appears, as if by-magic,..in a big city whenever any-' thing unusual occurs! boys area great annoyance to the little men and women who would like to take a walk. "I went out the other afternoon," said Ernest;, then he shook his head and threw out. his arms with disgust and added, "a hundfedi. boys,' they followed me everywhere." In their room the imid'gets play cards',.or the young men practice boxing and wrest-, ling. Ernest and Franz took a course in: these manly arts in >. school in England, and are quite evenly matched. Franz, although fifteen pounds lighter in weight, is older, and very much quicker in his movements than the other. His tiny arms and legs are as hard as, steel. His bigger comrade, Ernest, who is himself a. very-sturdy little man, respects the active little Franz. I asked Ernest if Franz ever hurt him in a boxing bout. "He gave me a blue eye once," said Ern-. est, whose English is. not yet entirely accurate. .:■■<■■ .-. :--.;. -

The public, performance which these queerlittle people give consists almost entirely of dances and songs. : The. two,(smaller ones, the " littl\ gentleman " and. . the :" little' lady," whose combined ages iaake a number greater than their ; combined weights, are expert dancers ;-and: as. they .hop about with tiny movements of their arms-and feet, in time to music, they seem like, a pair of mechanical toys. And they enjoy their exercise, too,' for they/frolic, like a'; lot of kittens as they play together about the room in their hotel. Their dances are the dances of all nations '; in, appropriate national costumes. They dance the Russian, Hungarian, French, Scotch, Irish, Spanish and other and the largest midgets, Mr Ernest andjMiss Rosa, SWING THROUGH THE CAKE-WALK lAS A ' . CLIMAX. The little people are rather unusual singers. The Voice .of the tiny fellow; Paul, is a faint treble with none of the amazing power which 'belongs to the lungs and throat of the heajthy infant. For amusement the smaller of the group of little men and women enjoy locking at pictures. They will stand! side by side in front of a low lounge, .and the book at which they are looking is opened on the seat in front of them. They are just able to see it at this height. If the book were placed on the seat of an ordinary chair it would be so high that little Paul and Jinna could, not peep into it. ' Ernest and Eranz associate with the men who loaf about the bar of the hotel where they stop. They take a social drink occasionally, and smoke cigars :or cigarettes.' 'Ernest is a close reader, of the German newspapers . which he finds on file. He is German and the "others are Hungarian.

They are. all children, of parents of the usual stature. Ernest, who weighs forty pounds at nineteen years old, has a- younger brother who is nearly sis feet tall. These small people know no reason why they should not be las large as their parents or brothers or sisters. . explanation has ever been given to' thean. ',, In childhood they stopped growing, and that is all they know about it. A European midget, who was a friend of the .little' Ernest Rommel,' was married several years ago to A WOMAN OF NORMAL STATUEE. The child which was born grew fasti e

the child of usual parents, until it was soon much larger than its small father. " Are yon going to have a boy of your own like that, some day?" I asked Ernest. " Yes, I am/' he replied, positively. And Rosa, the larger of the two young women, weight forty pounds, expects to be married, too. Her preference, says the joking i-a-nager of the midgets, is for Hungarian ..ptains with fierce moustaches.