, 1870-10-09
HANDSPRING.

many people thinking whether it il not 1pssi- |
ble to invent some mode Of ealusAtion more |
the thermometer ia at 30 in the ehade, aod |
~ben tho oEly hope ct escaping s1nstroke |
eeeDs TO be to drink 80 much lea aud to wear J
e0 little clothes AZ to beat promote per57ira- !
ticu, tbsr the tyranny Of the social lsw which |
comrele Us to E,arp The hand OF casual and !
very ho. ac1uatutance, and to give it tho es-
tabiished vibration, il fully felt, and becomes |
almost lnsurpo.taL1e. But the Inconvenience |
OF the practice OF ehaing Eands il not coz
aned an to the eeason of hot weather only.
There il probably no mode OF saIutation COM
monty pEac:ised By any civilized nation which |
IL go ,eocon paseed With difficulties and cu-
ta1Tseements. The difficulty Of making cor
rect bow is nodnubt considerable. There il tho
difficulty Of knowing hox to bow =; how todra*
tie arti-tlc line between the uncercmnuiuus
nod and the obsequiuus obeisanec; aa1-for
people who am ii doing things in good form
-ihe difficulty OF aYport.oning their angle. Of
reverence to the different sexes, and to the
different eecial PORTIONS, ages, and degrees Of
is also the difficulty Of knosing when to bow.
| But al the difficulties that cluster roped tha
| bow are noth1rg cou.rarel 10 those that en-
compass taa shaking Of h:nds. Tbs difficult
| ties Of knowing how to tow are, after al, only
the difficulties which bescs the attempt to do
anythipg we'll; snd difficulties Of the came
kind. not inferior in degree, will be fonnd to
beeet the practice Of shaking hands. A for
the difficulties Of knowing ~hen to bow, it ia
obvious that they must be At least doubled in
the case Of hand-shAking, for this simple rear
SOIL, that tlat mode ol salutatiou requires tho
con'ent and cooperation of two persons to
execute Il.
II any perton should be inclined to doubt
whether hand.slakinE is difficult operation,
let him consider the different modes in which
the custom il observed among his various
friends aud acquaintances. There ere uegn-
tive modes and there arc positive modes Of
shaking hauds. There are, first Of all, the
people who seem 10 fear that i; they once give
you their hands they may never got them back
again, and who maLunvre 90 tlst you may
cot posses you1rc,f OF more than the tins
Of their fingers. This mode Of haad-shaking
may DO called. tipping, and those who use il
t;rpers. Closely allied to them ia auoshas
so1t Of half-handed shakers, those, namely,
who do not clasp your hand, but finger
il with tNo diS1ts. THIS mods Of shaking
hands lA somctim adopted By men OF polit-
cal and literary notpr7oty- Eu: it il very apt
to give offence; aEd the most serious cousa-
luepces have been kucwn to epsuo from its
hsvipg been practised by young autho: npon
! critic whom lie bal mistaken for rival wfi-
ter. These pczeons who, filling to give the
Wbcle hand, nevertheless do nos touch your
hand With tho tire Of thelr fugera ontv, bus
finger it With tue whole or more fingers, may
be called fnee71rs. Thcn thsyo ne thoso who
give tie whole hand, but give it ia limp, lab-
. ts manner. as Newfoundland dog :elves its
paw. These pecplo seem to think they have
discharged the whole duty Of haadsilakins
uEen they have lui thcir rrigG.
Lots in possession Of their hands. We're
il the custom to make our aiieux to a
j dear departed by shaking lsauds with lis
corpse, the ecnrstlon would no doubt be very
t!AbbJ shakers who, az they Use their hands
nuch in the sams way as the Neck Turtle
used his flaps, Iay be called clippers. These
negative modes Of shaking hauds are dis
| agreeable enongh. But the positive modes
are still more unpleasant. Among thsse the
lode. There arc come people who, when you
offer them your hand, take it; but take il
GLly to put it from them. as il it wero sotae-
thing common aud uncletn. They seize il
seize i enapdragon or An eareis. Thaa,
; by rapid thrust forward IN tierco, the!
I return It to yopr side; and having 10,
there, they drop or ahoot it into space
!, These hrusters are numerous class; and
. oddly enough, their mode does not seem Il
give 90 much cnenee as that Of the tippstt
: and fngerers. More physically painful
u though ethically less injurious, Is ihs mode o,
those who s9ueeze: THIS mode il chie1!
/ rrac.iced BY Me.hodists, by feryid preacher
tons Of power and piety: Torments arc some
Il times runered by smat1-boned or rheumatic
l men, and BY fragile women, who have faller
I into the hands OF ono of these fervid giants
). Astu VINO lappen 10 oAFe flDEt on tncif lnRofl
/. when the cruel clutch is effected. Du
wore even than this class Of s4uerzsrs is tia
I Of the clingrs; tho people who, having onc'
/. got hold OF your hand, rofuse TO let it 60
q Int use it ~ they would your button
. hole, Of as tho Ancient Mariner used hi
' glittcring eye, to compel you to hoa
as they hare to say; giving It at intervals lit
q tie pressurst, motions, OF vibrations as ,un
d nirg accomplishment TO theis twaddle, OF al
: the kinds Of shakers above described thes
i elingers arc undoubtedly the most pestilen
a tial: and when, As is occasionally the case
o they combine squeezing with clinging, the
i. tEe simply unendurable, aud onght TO b
a treated ae creatures that Outrage society
+ There are very fer people wLo do not pas
q take, in greater or less degree, Of one q
q more Of tbeee faults in handwriting II au
B reader has hitherto bsen accustomed to thin
% that hand.ehaking is 3 less difficult form q
}. salutation to execute we'll than bow, let hi1
eontider carefully. in one Of his moments c
b deepest consciouenes., his OWE mode Of shal
= ing hands and when be has done this, Il
: hin roneult candid friend On the subject