Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-02-04

judgement Is made,
Ia astrolegy the arms hands and
fingers are ruled by the sign Gemini
aud the planet Mercury, and it is Ger
tainly most natural provision, for
they are of all the members the most
closely allied to the brain. The eyes
may see and the tongue speak, but it
is only the hands which can execute
There is almost as much expression,
as actors know, in the hands as in the
face, and it would be impossible to
justly represent anything without
:hem. They often perform the office
of speech, and though looks may tell
much, they are far short OF possessing
the eloquence of the hands.
Years ago the Ravels used to show,
as none have shown ever since, the
wonders or pantomime, and how a
story could be conveyed to an au
dience wholly by gestures without the
loss of single idea. Got, the famous
French comedian, in a work publish
ed some years since, displayed the in
innate connection between the hand
and the mind. Says he;
The open hand signifies joy, con-
fidence, abandon; the closed hand
vexation, doubt. suspicion, and il in
tense the fingers squeese against the
palm. L find my word of honor
carries an open palm, but when the
liar says, / swear it IS so, the hands
are on ms breast with the palms
down. Hands joined show bargain
or compact completed. The man who
keeps his own counsel-depends on
his own will-joins his hands with
the palms down. Invo alton or prayer
necessitates open hands and fingers
free; faith, hope and charity call for
open hands-the human will abandon
ed to the will of the divine. Resolu-
tons or determined will abandoned
to the divine, united fingers. If in
tense, the fingers are pressed closer,
until with anger the hand contracts
and the clinched fist indicates men
ance. AS civilization increases, ges-
lures grow less energetic. There is
greater reserve and calmness. Thus
the coarse peasant gesticalates with
his whole body; the mechanic with
his arms, the man of the world with
his fingers.
So much for Mr.. Got. 1t is impossi-
BILE to say to much for the hand,
| Think for a moment what the world
would be without 1t, and how cheer
less existence itself. With His ow ;
hand God gave us the globe; the rest
we have made with ours. Not all
hands are pretty, but some are beah-
tiful. Comeliness or the reverse in
this member often runs in families
Byron thought it the surest sign of
gentle blood, and so it mostly is. A
single generation which is not requir-
ed to toll will leave to its offspring a
small hand.
The fingers are particularly express
sive of the condition and tempera-
ment, and there are national and
religious types. For instance, in the
Protestant countries, where the me-
chanic arts thrive best, square fingers
prevail; while among the Catholic
nations, where the fine arts are most
" cultivated, the fingers are necessar-
lily delicate and slender. There is,
therefore, the greatest possible con-
trast between the hand Of the English
or German and that of the Italian or
Spaniard.
TIE lines ia the hand are certainly
suggestive of the occult, and + may be
asked, if they are not meant 20 unfold
destiny, or what use are tbey2 The
Creator gave me Gaming and pur-
pose to everything, and here, Of
course, is where the Bible text comes
int explains that meaning and pur-
pose Why the left hand was pre-
ferred for judgment instead of the
right is not clear, nor indeed is it easy
to make a plausible conjecture. But
such is the fact, and should the reader
ever be afforded an opportunity to
peep into the future by a gypsy, he
will know whether she is true
Romany or not by the hand she asks
for.
A great deal may be drawn of the
character and temperament from the
hand itself, regardless of the lines, and
one need not be professional chiro
mant to interpret these matters.
There is even something in the tenn
perature of the handsome cold, like
Uriah Keeps and others hot and dry
The reader doubtless remembers what
OLhello said about Desdemona's hand,
which was moist, and DR.. Johnson
held the same opinion. The chilly
hand is not pleasant to shake-one
naturally distrusts it, but the arid few
erish hand is also disagreeable There
is a medium-the hand without being
dank, clammy or parched, is yet both
cool and fervent, soft, tender and
comfortable to hold. Such hands are
the property OF siacere and pleasant
people, such as one is right glad to
meet.
A great deal of fine poetry and
other literature has been written about
ladies' hands, particularly by gentle
man in love and no doubt there Is a
great deal of magnetism in hands.
The first time lovers clasp each other
ia this sort of embrace it makes almost
as profound an impression as the first
kiss. And what is more graceful
act than the old-fasioned ceremony of
gentlemen kissing the ladies' hands2
II has now quito gone out, except in
courts, where it only prevails in the
churlish office of designating the dif-