Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-16

seriousness and found my friends
standing around me.
FATE IN TINE FINGERS.
Variations Of the RlnGers- slgni0eancs
Of Each Typo.
Pail Mall Gazette.
People who reject as fanciful the
distinctions of Spurzheim and Lava
tor still believe that a man with q bis
brow is likely to be clever. and ,
man with strong chin to be deter
mined. Ordinarily people do not gel
the same suggestions from the hand
and yet it may be capable of afford
ing them. The French professor
says it is. We shall see the rules hs
lays down.
To begin with the fingers. The Va
riatiODs Of these are not numerous
and any hand can be referred to as one
of some three or four. types These
are the pointed fingers, where the
finger tips are small and conical. and
the fingers themselve soft and sleek
They are no uncommon possession,
| and admit of no doubt when they are
found. 1t is said that they indicate
a dreamy disposition, q tendency to
poetize and speculate. Men with
such hands are enthusiasts and ora
tors. have the gift ofimagination very
prodigally bestowed upon them, bit
at the expense of common sense and
knowledge of the world. Such hands
are claimed for Shakespeare, Schil-
Ter. and Goethe. and certainly by
Victor Hugo and George Sand.
With the soft fingers and the conf
cal tips there is no necessary alliance.
The fingers may be sleek and the
tips may be square. And this com
bination gives US another class of
character. Here We have the tenden-
cy to art and poetry, but better un'
der control. These are instructive
rather than imaginative. The fren-
zy gives place to an eye for symme-
try and an ear for rhythm, and the
types are to be found in Nollere,
Poussin. Vauban, and Turcnne. Ii
Is pity that We have no living ex-
amples. Portrait painters century
ago had fashion of taking the face
from the sitter and the hands from q
favoritc model. Vandyke's warriors,
diplomatists, and courtiers had all
precisely the same kind of fingers.
The fingers may be even more than
square They may be spa.ulous. wild
| ano1 end rn,,ndod Of thu ooA l;Lo n
chemists blender or an artists pal.
le:te knife. This is a very practical
hand indeed, widely removed from
the dreamer and the visionary. the
hand of a man very fond of move.
ment and of action, the hand of a
man fond of horses aud dogs, and
hunting and warfare. or. if he is
more peaceable. of commerce and
mechanism, man Of order and con
trivance. a merchant. financier, or,
it may be, only chuch warden. The
spa:ulous han ! is generally found
supplied with large finger knots; but
where the fingers have no predomi-
nant joints the artistic character pre-
walls. Men act from impulse rather
than from knowledge or reason. II
is not laid down, however, that the
tendency of rheumatism is to con-
vert poets into politicians, though it
painfully develops the knots Of the
fingers. Lastly. there is a general
rule that large hands deal best with
details and short ones with general
effect. 1t would be interesting to
test this by examining the hands OF
the royal acadcmicians.
But the art descends into minuter
detail. Each Of the fisgers has its
special characteristic. and a system
of NEUROLOGICAL nomenclature has
been adopted, based ON the attribut.
ed distinctions. The fingers known
to Us as first. second. third and little,
are called respectively Jupiter, Sat-
urn, Apollo and Mercury, and it is
thought that We are now getting into
the region of the fantastic. It is only
fair 10 the professor that his state
ment be heard and be tested. There
Is ranged across the palm Of the hand
series Of little cushions or hills. one
at the base of each finger, but little
way from the thumb. Character
lies in these. and the character may
be toli by their examination.
The first finger indicates ambition.
II the mound Is large, its owner will
have love OF power coupled with q
desire to shine. great gayety, some
pride. q tendency to superstition, and
fondness for nature. 1t the mound
be wanting, the life is one without
dignity. the tastes are common and
The man Is narrow, selfish and inter.
ested. The second finger is said 10 con-
troll life. as it shows the event OF his
pruderce and the possibility Of his
success. But ii the mound Is prefer.
natural, We are said to look for s.
lence and solitariness--a Hamle,
kind of . disposition. verging on as
ceticism. The third finger, however,
supplies US with more cheerful reflec-
tions. 1t Is the finger Of the arts. 1t
shows the presence Of genius and the
probability OF fame. The man with
q large mound near his third fiuger
will be amiablc and hopefal-a de-
lightful companion end an excellent
friend. But II the mound be cxces-
sive. the results are disastrous. A
love OF notoriety converts the life In
to . vain-glorious existence, with q
tendency TO avarice and . certain d.
rcction toward envy.
Lastly We come TO the little finger.
II IL the finger of invention. of in
dustry. Of quickness and Of ingenui-
ty-the finger, probably, that makes
rs nation Of shop-keepers. It il
the finance finger. and IN excessive
mound might even Be found among
the les attractive types Of British
bankrupt. - Il indicates sharp p.ac-
tice. disastrous acuteaess, dishonor-