, 1876-01-15
Hand S.smlSiri..

How did people first get into the habit ol
shaking hands The answer is not far to
seek. In carly and barborous times when
every savage and semi savage was his own
lawyer, judge. soldier and policeman. and in
default Of all other protection, two friends or
acouain,ancrs or two strangers desiring to lie
friends or acouAintanccs, when they chHnCcd
70 meet offered each to the other tho right
hand the hand alike Of offence and defence,
| the hand that wields the sword, the dagger
! the club or the weapon of war Each did
this to show that the hand was empty, and
| that neither war nor treachery WAS intended
A man cannot we'll stab another while he
is engaged in the act Of shaking hands with
| him, unless he be double dyed traitor and
villain, and strives to aim u cowardly Llow
with the left, while giving the right, and
pretending to be on good terms with his vic
tim. The custom of hand shaking prevails
more or less, among all civilized nations, and
is the tacit avowcl of friendship and good.
will jus, as the kiss is ut the warmer passion.
| Ladies', az every one must have remarked,
seldom or never shake hanls with the Ccrdi.
ality Of gentlemen; unless Il bc with each
other. The reason is Obvious. 1t is tor them
to receive homage, not to giy5it. They can
not bu expected to show to persons q! the
other sex, warmth OF greeting, which NIGH,
BE- misintcrprctrd; unless such pcraons arc
very closely related q them by family, oil al
lection; in which case Misunderstanding il not
nccjlcd, and the lips do more agreeable luly
Every man shakes hands according 10 his
nature whether it be timid or aggressive, proud
or humble, courteous or churliSh, vulgar or
or refined, sincere or hypocritical The incest
rctincments of character may not perhaps he
discovernblc in the fashion, bu, the more sal
lent points OF temperament and individuality
may doubtless bc made clear to the under.
standing of most people by better study Of
what shall call the physiology or the phi
losophy of hand shaking
To present the left hand for the purpose Of
friendly greeting is q piece ofdiscuurtcsy--
sometimes Intentional on the part Of supc
riors in rank to their interiors, and an act
that no true gentleman will commit. There
Is no reason why it should he considered
more discourtcons tlian il would he 10 kiss
the lett cheek instead Of the right but, doubt
| less the custom that makes the right hand
imperative in all sincere salutations dates
from those carly times when hand shaking
first began; and the hand that shook or was
shaken in friendship was Of necessity weapon
less The poor left hand that one would
think ought 10 be Of as uIuch value and
strength as the right, just as the lett foot or
leg, because they are both used equally, has
fallen into dlsrcputc, as well as into compara-
tive disusc. until it has become an accepted
phrase to say OF any proceeding that it is
artful, sly or secretly malicious, that it is
! sinister" that il Is left handed
To shake hands without removing tho
glove is an act Of discourtesy which il unn.
territorial and thoughtless, requires an apollo
~ for the hurry or inHdvertancc which led
10 IT, This idea would also seem to bo VII
occult remnant Of the old notion that the
glove might conceal weapon.
Hence true courtesy and friendship require
that the hand should be naked, AZ u proof OF
good faith. To refuse pointcdIy to shake
hands with one who offers you the opportuni
ty in II friendly manner amounts toa drcar-
tion Of hostility. And after quarrcI-or
not OF open hostiity--the acceptance of the
hand offers alike the sign and the satisfaction
Of posr"