Richland beacon., 1873-05-31
Pretty Hands.

WHAT about hands, eXclaims Mon
taicne With them we beckOn. promise.
call, dismiss. threaten, pray, deny, refuse,
admire, court, confess, re-
pent, fear, doubt, command, initiate. en-
courage, swear. testify, accuse, condemn,
abSolve. defy, despise, flarter, applaud. |
reconcile, recommend, insult, work. fight. |
complain, groan, despair, astOnish,
whisper. The hand is so beautiful and
sensitively formed. il moves with so much
power, freedom. and delicacy. that it
seems to possess instinct within itself.
Whether in movement or repose its eX-
preston cannot be mistaken; its most
tranquil position indicates our natural
disposition, its fixture our actions and our
passions.
In the varied phases of life all the grace
full and pleasing attitudes assumed by
women are characterized by the move
ment of the hands. Many gestures of the
fingers only have language SO true that
it appears expressive. We know that a
hand held or given has expressed great
or emotion than could have been made in
a long discourse.
The primitive quality of leauty is COM
parative smallness. a lady's hand Is con-
sidcred more graceful if under the usual
size. If it has soft forms and pure out
lines, fingers long, delicate, flexible,
round. and tapering towards the ends; il
the dimples over the joints are marked 10y
faint rcliefs and shadows. and the wrist
softly rounded and joined TO a moderately
long and tapering arm, it Is more delicate
and feminine.
Slender, nervous. white, slightly veineC
with blue, with the hollow rosy and deli
cate, the nails transparent, they belong Il
the patricians.
Hands are infinitely varied. Thei
shape, tint, the nails, length. width
roundness are as different as individuals
There are hands that seem intellectual il
their symmetry, beautiful ileXibility, an
grace of motion. Some are soft an
voluptuOus. and others precise, striking
and brilliant. The form of the hand Ofte
expresses the capabilities of the person {
whom it belongs. The strong palm;
cOnical fingers, and small thumb, indical
in woman Incidence. fancy and feeling
The square hands belong to the intellec
ual and ambitious and those who love il
iuence and rule. The small. soft. almo
fleshless hands, but rosy and with knotte
fingers. are brilliant and witty. Fingel
delicately squared at the ends, like tho:
of English women, love domestic lif
The small thumb and fingers, broadenin
at the ends, desire activity and practic
knowledge of the world. There al
smooth and knOtted fingers-to the fir
belongs giace; to the second. reaso
Conical hands with pointed fingers ODE
inspiration and worship the beautiful
painting, poetry, romance, and natur
There are soft hands more capable of te
derness than of love, and delicate iinge
that are formed for scnsitiveness al
sympathy of touch and made to miniSt
to pain and grief hard hands that kno
not tenderness, but are not ignorant
love; and s'pOugh hands that the hea
teaches and guides and softens."
Byron considered white hand almO
the only distinguishing mark of gentilit
and was proud of the delicacy and beau
of his own pointed fingers. The maj
beautiful illusions in his poems to beau
full hands and arms show the homage
paid them.-N. J.. World.