Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-02-04

ISL bue 1SlL Hduo is Con SiuereQ more
important, and is the one from which
judgement is made.
In astrolegy the arms hands and
fingers are ruled by the sign Gemini
and 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 ii
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
them. 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-
dlence wholly by gestures without the
loss OF single idea. Got, the famous
French comedian, in 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-
idence, abandon; the closed hand
vexation, doubt, suspicion, and if in
tense the fingers squeese against the
palm. L find my word of honor
carries an open palm, but when the
liar says, L swear it is So the hands
are on his breast with the palms
down. Hands joined show bargain
or compact completed. The man who
keeps MS own counsel-depends on
his own will-joins his hands with
the palms down. Invo 7ation 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 gesticulates with
his whole body; the mechanic with
his arms, the man of the world with
his fingers.
So much for Mr.. Got. It is impossi-
bic to say to much for the hand.
Think for d moment what the world
would be without it, and how cheer
less existence itself. With His owl
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 reuuir-
ed to toll will leave to its offspring a
small hand.
The fingers are particularly express
sive of the condition and tempnra-
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 in the hand are certainly
suggestive of the occult, and It may be
asked, if they are not meant to unfold
destiny, or what use are they? The
Creator gave a meaning and q pur-
pose to everything, and here, of
course, is where the Bible text cones
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 a 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 a professional chiro
mant to interpret these matters.
There is even something in the tenn
Uriah Keeps and others hot and dry
lGS FeaU6f UOuULltSS TcLG6UUtfS WudG
Othello said about Desdemona's hand,
which was moist, and DR.. johnson
held the same opinion. The chilly
hand is aot pleasant to shake-one
naturally distrusts it, bat the arid few
erish hand is also disagreeable. There
is 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 sincere 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 Ia love and no doubt there is
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 a more graceful
act than the old-fasioned ceremony of
gentlemen kissing the ladies' hands?
It has now quite gone out, except in
courts, where it only prevails in the