Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-10

49, - y az W NV 0Nin INV
best type Of the pointed or physical
hand. Ii Is commonly held that a
small hand indicates good blood,
Is a sign Of aristocracy quite as much
so as small feet. Men and women
who arc not vain in other respects arc
known TO be proud of their
SMALL HANDS
but in reality it is only in novels and
plays that these signs hold true.
Many noblemen of the bluest blood in
England have not only big feet, but
large hands. While it not infrequently
comes to pass that a very plebeian
parsonage may have small hands and
feet both. Some of our most notori-
GUS pickpockets have very small
hands. And one Of the most notori-
Gus blackguards and black-mailers in
New York has feet which any man
would be proud Of.
Not the size, but the shape, of the
hand is the accompaniment of coed
blood. However large the nand of
an aristocrat may be, it is almost
always graceful in outline and we'll
proportional to the arm and the gen
cral structure Of the body; and Ger
tainly proportion in cases of this kind
is much moro desirable than any nero
size or absence of it.
THE FEMALE HAND
is generally conical-not infrequently
it is spatuled, or even square, but as a
rule it is conc shaped. Two hundred
female hands were recently examined
in Paris with a view to determining
this point. OF these, e~ighty-two were
found to be conc shaped, ~sixty-one
were spatuled, and the balance were
either " square or mixed hands,"
Few women have knotted or philos-
optical hands, and still fewer have
the pointed type. This last fact would
seem to initiate against the argument
of those who believe, or pretend to
believe, that there is more soul" in
women than in men.
THE FEMALE THUMB
is said to be an important index of the
female character. Women with large
thumbs are held by phrenologists,
physiognomists, ETC., to be more than
ordinarily intelligent-what are called
sensible women" while women with
small thumbs are regarded as roman
tic"
According to certain authors, who
profess to have been observers. a wo.
mans hand is more indicative of a
woman's character than her face, as
the latter is, to a certain extent, under
the control Of temporary emotions, or
of the will, whereas the former is a
fact which exists for any one who I'M
derstands it to profit by. Consequent
ly a few hints about the proper reading
of a woman's hand may be very useful
to certain of our readers, especially
married men, or men contemplating
matrimOny.
Women with square hands and small
thumbs are said to make good house
wives and gentle wives. These sort Of
women will make any man happy who
is fortunate enough to win them.
They are not at all romantic, but they
are what is better-thoroughly domes-
tic. Women with very large thumbs
have a temper" of their own, and
generally a long tongue. There is a
hint in this to a lover. Let him, the
first time he seizes hold of his miss
tress' hand, examine under some ten
der pretext or another her thumb, and
if it be large let him make up his
mind that as soon as he becomes a
married man he will have to be a good
boy, or else there will be the very
deuce to pay.
Again, if a young man finds that
his lady-loye has a large palm, with
cone-shaped fingers and a small thumb
let him thank his stars, for in this
case she is susceptible to tenderness.
readily hattered, easily talked into or
talked out of anything, and can be a
readily managed partner. But if she
is a woman with square hand, well
proportioned, and only a tolerably de-
yeloped thumb. why then she is either
ono of two distinct classes of women
she is either a practical female who
will stand no nonsense, or sbp is a
designing female" She is a woman
who cannot be duped, or a woman
who will dupe him. There is a good
deal of character, too, in
THE WAYS PEOPLE SHAKE HANDS.
Some men barely permit you to
touch the tips OF their fingers. These
people have been appropriately styled
graveyard shakers" Others envelop
completely your hand in theirs, and
squeeze you as if your member was
utterly destitute Of feelipg, Some
salute your hand once aud let IL drOI
forthwith, others take your hand
and shake it to and fro for some time,
as though it were a pump-handlo.
Some, when they shake your hand
separate their fingers, and, as It were.
let their hand wrigglo all over yours
like a snake. QtAegs draw their hand,
into 4 soiid, inert mass when they OK
tend it to you, and allow it to lay il
yours like a log. Other varieties 81
hand shaking and shakers vii
suggest themselves ~ eur readers, anC
it would be found on reflection tina
each style is more or less characters
tic Of the parties concerned. There
is likewise a good deal of
CHARACTER IN TIP NAILS
Of the hands, Orthodox, conserve
tive old fagies lot their nails grow
long and wide; exquisites have Ion,
and pointed nails people with shOr
nails have short tempers; aud peOpl,
with ragged, stubby Hsils are ~geaerall,
cross or shiftless. In q word, every