Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-08-03
shaking Hands.
\ CUSTOM oFTEN TO M HoNoRYp N THE
BREACH.
MK. L.BoroHFRE's GRIfvtNCE AGAINST
JONES
LLnnlln ITuIh

NIX. L.BoroHTRE's GRIEVANCE AGAINST
JONES.
fL"n.lon Truth
am not unsoclable, bat had rather not
shake hands with every body and | am quite
sure good many people would rather not
shake hands wl.h me. Then Why do uc do
It IL j. just one of those unwrittcn lav.
which might With advantage often be more
honorrd IN the breach than IN the Observance :.
just matter IN which people trust their in
suncts, and IN which their instincts are really
not to be trusted. am dead against the
current frequency Of hand shaking in
society.
Jones drops in for an afternoon call he
does not really want % see ME; | don't
really want u see Jones: when h., come,
shake hands With him. moic or less when
he leaves, m hEe minutes, he shakes hand.
with me. less or more. hate Junc.'- hand
because It Is AWAY. damp; Jones knows
iha; veil a. | Do. and sometimes offer.
me his hand gl0ved-but dcte,t a gloNeL
hand had rather not SHAKE hand, a,
al! II must DO so, | wil! do It once. and
no more no one bat a lover vant. To shake
hand, more than once IN hyr minutes.
There ought tn be- some rule about th,
Il should be- understood that once i enough
ia one visit Oi course. / know ~ often
shaAe hands With man 90 finish an inter
NlrS and ho" hum out Wei that !. for
our own cnntcHtrucr. although !t doe, nit
alSAys art-Jusr as d mans aitrr-a.nucr
speech i sometimes hpplauded rap'urpg,N
N the middle tn make hun Sit down but he
doe, not a.aals ,lt down.
Those people Who shake hand. should
consider their uaNs. hate a man. fir IN
stance Who can't leave of shaking hands.
tie begins so heartily YOU think he viii soon
be done. He relaNes his grip, YOU attempt
% withdraS but he ,lghtrns Il agalu; he
hold, you IN a wise. You brgin to shake
him up and down. when YOU suddenly ind
he has dropped your hand like a hot potato.
and you are left shaking the air Tin, /.
bad enough, but the wooden shake i, al
most worse. A hand is stretched out.
and YOU ge, nothing but the sensation Of
bnne-angular bone there is no flesh and
blood, no grip-the hand might belong 10
lay hsurr. | don't want 10 shake hand, with
lay figure. Then | object 10 the cru,her.
Ladies suffer more than gentlemen from th.
festive bore" because they wear more
rings; he seIzrs You lmpul,vely, and man
ages 10 crunch your fingers vertically one on
the top Of the other. You don't like 10
scream Il you arc a girl or To show dis
PLEASURE If YOU are man. but you are
drradfully hurt, and you suffer what Mrs
Camp called all the tortoi.es Of the impo,-
tIon from the oppressors etfusive, but iron,
grip. Then there is the habhv, pulseless
shake, which means nothing, or means "you
are less than nothing 10 me, and hope
am the same To YOU"
am not so absurd as to suppose that We
can always regulate our hand shaking b,
rule, or that our acts will always be lndica-
tive of our moods but | notice in good
society growing tendency to reduce hand
shaking to a minimum, and then make II
genuine as far as it goes, but a, formal As
possible. and think this is a step in the
right direction, and worthy Of imitation.
Deep feeling will never fail to find fitting
occasions. but the less importation there i.
Of spurious feelings or offensive familiarity
into what is usual, merely polite formallty,
the better. The damp handed man should
remember that his hand is damp the tabby,
Irres0lute creature should try and improve
his style Of grip; the impulsive and mus
cular Christian should recollect the agony
Of scrunched rings and most people might
be less frequent and more brief with ad-
vantage.
In England We shake hands oftener than
We bow; in France they bow oftener than
they shake hands | believe the two
methods might be more judiciously worked
think | should like little more hearth
ness and little less politeness abroad, and
perhaps little more poiteness with little
less anxiety TO appear hearty. at home