Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-11-29
How to Judge OF Character by the
Shape of the Hand and Fingers.

How to Judge of Character by the
Shape OF the Hand and Fingers.
A writer in Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper discourses thus learnedly on
the subject: Chirognomony helps us to
judge of the character by the form of the
hand and the shape of the fingers. Pal
mistry also takes account of the shape of
the hand and the fingers, but relies chiefly
upon the indications supplied by the lines
and the mounts of the palm. NJ. d'Arpent-
lgny's attention was directed to the subject
III curious manner. He lived near the
owners of a handsome country house,
where there was a constant succession of
visitors. The hostess delighted in the So
city of artists, and gathered painters and
musicians round her. The host was de-
voted to the exact sciences, and he sought
his friends and acquaintance among those
who shared his tastes. Mechanics, mathe-
maticians, and practical people" were his
chosen guests. NJ. d'Arpentigny, though
neither a Raphael or Stephenson, was a
friend of both the lady and the gentleman,
and he had facilities for observing all their
visitors. He was struck by the dissimi-
larity between the hands of ''monsieur's"
friends and those of the friends of "mad-
ame." The artists had generally short
fingers that tapered to point. The men
of science had square-topped fingers, with
largely-developed fingerjoints. Nj. OAR
pentigny resolved to investigate.
He went i'm search of hands, and found
various moral and intellectual characters
of finger. He divides hands into three
sorts The first sort have fingers with
pointed tops; the second, square tops the
third, spade-shaped tops. (By "spade-
shaped'' is meant fingers that are thick at
the end, having little pad of flesh at each
side of the nail.) The first type of
fingers belong to characters possessed
OF rapid insight into things; to ex-
ira sensitive people, to pious people
whose piety is of the contemplative kind :;
to the impulsive; and to all poets and art
lists in whom ideality is prominent trait.
The second type belongs to scientific peo-
pie; to sensible self-contained characters !;
TO most of our professional men, who
steer between the wholly practical course
that they of the spade-shaped fingers take,
and too-visionary bent of the people with
pointed fingers. The third type pertains
to those whose instincts are material to
people who have genius for commerce,
and a high appreciation of everything that
tends to bodily ease and comfort ; also to
people of great activity. Each finger, no
matter what the kind of hand, has one
joint representing each of these types.
Thus, the division of the finger which is
nearest the palm stands for The body land
corresponds with the spade-shaped type),
the middle division represents mind 1.-THE
square-topped), the top, soul 1.-THE pointed.
no tnf IF no la
denotes a character with much magma
ton, or ideality, and leaning toward the
theoretical rather than the practical. The
middle part of the finger being large
promises a logical calculating mind-a
common-sense person. The remaining
joint long and thick denotes a nature that
clings more to the luxuries than to the re-
finement of life. Things will present them
selves to such nature under lower as
pect, and utility will be accounted before
beauty. The above descriptions of the
types of hands is far from exhaustive, for
each type affords Indications of many
qualities not even mentioned here. This
sketch aims merely at giving rough idea
of this part of chirOgnomony. 1t ia well
to remember that there are ''good hands,
TO be found in each type-hands that are
equal to aletter of recommendation to their
owners (only, unfortunately, few can read
them y; hands-spade-shap square, or
pointed-that denote splendid qualities of
head and heart; but the highest and best
hand of the pointed type will be something
better than the best that the other kinds
can boast. 1t must not be supposed that
NJ. dArpentigny found no artists with any
but pointed fingers, and no man of science
with pointed fingers; but it is observable
that those with pointed fingers who take
to science invest their chosen subjects with
certain poetical charm and, in the same
way, an artist with spade-shaped fingers
will be found to vulgariZe art, or at least,
to treat his subjects in realistic manner,
and to see things from a somewhat COM
monplace standpoint. Some time and ex-
perience will be needed by a beginner to
construct the idea of the average proper
tons of hand. Only departures from this
average hand are really characteristic and
significant. A hand conforming itself eX-
actly to the representative hand would por-
tend being without any individuality-a
nonenity. The size of the hand should be
in proportion TO the rest of the person.
The length of the fingers should equal the
length of the palm. The palm longer than
the fingers would indicate preponderance
of matter over mind; the fingers much
longer than the palm, a want of ballast-of
common sense-the palm and fingers equal.
or nearly equal, shows a proper balance
between the spiritual and the material.