TALL MEN OF AMERICA

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19986, 19 December 1934, Page 16

TALL MEN OF AMERICA

LEG ROOM AND HEAD ROOM | The National Society of Long Fellows in the United States reports notable success in its campaign against what it terms 6000 years of discriminaton against tall people. Its fee is a shilling a year, and its membership is open to white persons of a height of 6ft. lin. or more, says the "Herald’s” New York correspondent. The society’s policy is ,to promote the comfort of members by working for 75ft beds, longer bath tubs, shirts, socks and other clothing, higher awnings, signs, and ceilings, greater legroom between rows of theatre seats, and Pullman car berths in which a sixfooter can sleep without being folded up. ‘‘Little did we dream that so much could # be accomplished,” says the founder and secretary of the society. Phil. Zimmerman, who got his first idea of a Long Fellows’ Society from his experience in the Spanish-Ameri-can War. As the country was not ready for war, equipment and uniforms’ were scarce and were issued alphabetically. Consequently, by the time the letter “Z” was reached only spare parts were left, and each was much too small for the six-foot-three Kansas recruit. “Hundreds of hotels, from Maine to California and from Canada to the Mexican Gulf, are now equipped in the Long Fellow mode. The Chicago Civic Opera led the way for new theatres to consider comfort for elongated patrons. Motor-car factories have universally adopted seat adjusters. In many cities tall men are protected by civic ordinances against awnings. The Pullman Company provides extra-length berths in some of its cars. The manufacturer has made 75ft. beds available at mass production prices. Furniture companies are producing over-sized pieces. Clothiers are considering tall customers.”