Show GENERAL GENERAL INTEREST IN QUEER PEOPLE Monstrosities Can Always Command Attention The public Interest In freaks of nature which makes mal It still SUll profitable profitable profitable profit profit- able to main maintain lain circus sideshows I where various arlous malformed queerly distorted unfortunates are exhibited to gaping crowds Is an Interest of ot long standing says SUS the following artIcle article article ar ar- from the New York World I It goes back not only to the courts of or medieval kings where dwarfs and hunchbacks frequently furnished cruel amusement to bored nobles and their ladles It Is also to be found even before the Christian ern era It has lias recently been demonstrated that this Insatiable curiosity concerning concerning con con- corning human beings of at unusual shape coloring or habits Is of ot very ancient ancient origin In Iu the quarterly Journal Journal Journal Jour- Jour I nal nal of ot the tho International School of ot VedIc and Allied Research It Is I revealed revealed revealed re re- by an expert that the ancient Inhabitants of ot India referred referred referred re re- re- re In one of their early scriptures scrIptures scriptures scrip scrIp- tures to such monstrosities as three three- eyed people one legged mountaineers mountain mountaIn- and people with ears as large as pillows Dr E. E Washburn Hopkins emeritus emeritus emeritus emeri emeri- professor proCessor of Sanskrit and comparative com com- comparative philology at Yale university university university sity who Is vice president of th the American section of the International al School of Vedic and Allied Research Research Re Re- search points out In the article referred referred re reo to The Epic View of the J Earth that the stories about these queer quee people sometimes are based on onI facts while others are travelers tales distorted I The epic referred to the barata was probably composed about B B. B C. C but Is made up of stories that had been handed down from even older times l ta to means the great war of ot the Ehn- Ehn ratas the people of India which took place probably In the Twelfth century century cen cen- tury B. B C C. but the epic contains In Its one hundred thousand stanzas much material which Is not directly connected with the treat great war a mere eighteen days days' battle bottle The rhe epic Is really an din dia of ot Information presenting the philosophic social and ethical Ideas Ideus of or ancient India The he colorful theta applied to the various tribes described described de de- scribed In the course of the long rambling story reveal to us the fart fact that the ancients were Just as much Interested In freaks of or nature as the average going circus-going American Is today One Is reminded of the bib lipped big lipped women from Africa featured In a 11 great grent circus when one reads of the who use their ears as us coverings It might be supposed supposed sup sup- posed that this Is a reference to a tribe whose ears cars were naturally very large but Professor Hopkins draws our attention to the fact that the large eared folk mentioned In the old epic plc have haye evidently C survived to our own day He says sn's I m myself saw near Madura some Individuals with ears so distended by heavy henvy earrings that an English official with me exclaimed Why they might use their ears as pill pill- lows The three eyed people mentioned In the epic might seem to give some credibility to the theory that the so- so called pineal gland In the human brain Is the remnant of ot what once was a third eye Certain reptiles do have the structure of an eye In the pineal gland But Professor Hop Hop- kins suggests that tIll the third thin eye of ot these three eyed folk may have beena been beena a tin sectarian forehead mark murk The Tile mark of Cain referred to In th tit Bible h has s been supposed by some som to have gave been a tribal mark tattooed or burned on the forehead Such a u mark on the men mentioned In tb epic may easily have been In thi th shape of ot a glaring eye ee In the center of ot the forehead to Inspire terror ID in their enemies just as the American AmerIca Indians painted themselves grotesquely gro gro- before going Into bat battle |