Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-02
CROSSING TIE LEGS.
CBSERyAT}ONS CONCERNING AFORM
OF PHYSICAL RELAXATION.

The Performance Of IA Discounted Love,
when the Brain Is Actively Engaged
the Limbs Are Strai.htened out Read.
ing the Morning Paper.
Have YOU ever noticed any striking De
cullarltieS about the way peOI e cross thelT
Nnees' asked II reporter "f an Old DenverIte
who has seen deal of the world at home
and abroad, the other day.
Yes, indeed" laughed the portly gentle
man Of many experiences. Il have often
studied the phase, 10th ia men ami women
but it never occurred to HE that any one
else was struck with it About the first in
stance remember occurred when was a
boy at home in my fathers house One OF
my very pretty sisters had two admirers
one Of them she encouraged because she re
turned his sentiment, and the other she was
Obliged to treat cOurteOusly bs ause he was
the son Of an old friend of the family.
Well, tho'e young men used 10 happen in
on the same evening, and then it was tie
( between them as to who should outstay the
/ other The son OF an old friend natura Iy
! was the ridiculous object in this proceed
ing, but he stayed with degree of persist
ency worthy of letter cause [ used to
tell my sister that his mute way of crossing
/ his legs htI language all its own. When
he entered the house. only to find the other
fellow, as he always did, he invariably
wriggied about for a little time, apparently
undecided as to whether to stay or not but
/ his inclination always conquered his judg-
n.snt, and when he leaned back in his char
and deliberately crossed his legs, We knew
that he meant TO stay.
As HIS THOUGHTS REvOIyFD
when it began to grow late he would
mechanically uncross his legs, but only to
cross them directly, if he couldn't possibly
make up his mind to go Final y, when the
clock struck a late hour, he would slowly it
even sc mel painfully uncruss his legs
p ace 9th feet ON the floor, and begin to
button his coat with a manner that SAY
. ored OF despair. Thesr motions never failed 4.
they were gone through as regularly as he
came 10 the house, ami they Were the most
expressive language OF the legs that have
ever seen The way the fellow crossed and
uncrOsssi his legs showed all the inner
workings Of his heart Hi, legs were the
Thermometers of his passion, and they never
on failed in performing their office.
Gou don | for AN instant suppose he
knew what he was doing"
Certainly not Crossing and increasing
his legs as has Thoughts revolved through his
mind was as InSt,nctIve with him as breath
ing. His uncons iousness of what he was
doing was just what made it 50 interesting
Il observe him
AT what times do you thing men gener-
ally cross their legs most
Why, at thus' times when there is the
least pressure on their minds. certainly.
You will never find a man actually en-
gagged i'll bu,iness with his legs crossed.
The limbs at thusc times are straight-r than
at any other. because the mind and body
work together and there is no giving way
Of either function TO relaxation A man
engaged in auditing accounts will never
cross his leg, neither will a man who is
writing article, or who is employed in
any manner where his brain is actively en-
gagged; when at work in a sitting posture,
the limbs naturally extend to the floor in a
perfectly straight line
wHE, HE GELS IN EARNEST.
"A man may cross his legs if he is sitting
In an otiice-chair discussing some business
proposition with another man, but the
ins. ant he becomes really in earnest aud
perceives something to be gained his limbs
uncrOss quick as a flash, he lends for
ward toward his neighbor and begins to Use
his hands That is phase that believe
you will always observe
Men often cross their legs at public
meetings, do they not
Certainly they o. because they go there
10 listen or TO be entertained, they are not
the factors in the performance and they
naturally place htmselveS in the most COM
Portable IOslti IL known to them-namely
that of leaning well back in their chairs and
crossing their legs A man always cross )
his leg when he reads n n,wspaper, but is
more apt 10 lie down when he reads a book
He reads the papyr. of course to inform
him elf. but at the same time the peruSql OF
its contents Is. re reatloh to hIm, and his
body seeks its position of relaxation
When a man is reauing news aper and
waiting for his breakfast his legs are always
crossed. Tut soon as his breakfast is
brought to him he puts the paper aside,
straightens out his legs and goes to work.
that is, begin, 10 eat his mind now turning
on the duties of the day before him When
l said men lay down to read books | knew
whereof | spoAe. There are more men who
read themselves to sleep nowadays than you
imagine. 1t is not quite aprOpOs of the
sub yect, but you see, boOk-reading always
requires more time, and man with an hour
to spare naturally throws himself down on
3 lounge, and il he has any literary taste
taxes up a book ami devouCS its contents as
he rests He either does this or sticks his
feet on a table when he reads, and you
know the German students have their Sip
per, nailed to the wall so that their feet may
reach them as soon ~ they sit down Den
yer T'ibuns