The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-15
HIS MANNER OF GAIT.
Mans Thoughts and Character Revealed
by His waIk-rhe Troubled.

by His WaIk-Ihe TrouDied.
Would you read a mans thoughts
Observe his gait; study his walk. A
famous philosopher approached by per-
son whom he had never met before,
shouted out: 'Speak, that | may see
YOU 1t was through the voice only
that the beauty of person could be seen
by him. II he had desired to form an
accurate estimate of the mind he would
no doubt have cried: "Walls, that may
judge Of YOU" A man may conceal his
true character by his tongue-he may be
able to make it wag in way which will
deceive, but his legs will betray him. A
thief can no more walk ike an honest
man than camel can go through the
eye Of needle; melancholy
man cannot possibly put on the
gait Of the soldier, and Caliban
never walked like Ariel. There is
fine walking which indicates self posses
sion; uprightness walks with ease and
freedom; the student has the slow and
musing pace: the trade:man The quick,
nervous movement, while the laboer has
the hard and heavy tread. A keen OBJ
server once remarked that dUplicity al
WAYS skulks; so it does. In like man
ner, the thief invariably sneaks shame
has a sidelong carriage, but honesty puts
its feet into Excelsior boots and
marches to an coward" measure.
You will have no difficulty in picking
out the student. Who has not, while
strolling in the public garden or walking
along some Of the few thoroughfares not
yet blocked by commerce, noticed the
man with arms behind and eyes fastened
fixedly before him. neither looking TO the
right nor to the left, but with slow and
steady step passing silently onward1 Per-
haps you ask yourself, "What can that
man be out fer; he neither sees nor hears
anything that is happening around him;
what good does a walk DO hlmf
The students air, his gait, his every
action will indicate that he is thlnking-
that there is something he is endeavoring
TO grasp; he walks like a man seeking n
pearl which he feels he will certainly
sooner or later find. He has a confident
gait. Note the air of him who is troubled.
Restless nature-ouick, nervous step; not
attempting to seek anything not striving
TO note the beauties Of the universe of
God. or the handiwork of man, but on
the contrary endeavoring to shake off
come dreaded monster which appears to
follow him; hidden power which seems
10 speak to him as to that other wanderer.
bidding him ''move on, " and he walks
hurriedly, seeing nothing, hearing
nothing. He is oppressed by horrible
nightmare whose name is sorrow. Sorrow
and stiffness in such a case are synon-
ymous terms, and exercise is the only
aniidote.
Ii is the easiest thing in the world to
note that a man is in trouble by his gait;
indeed, he betrays it to that extent that
dogs have been known TO bark at such
persons, as if divining that they were at
war with mankind. II man is vexed
he walks to get over his madness, and If
you observe him sharply you will notice
that, not having the object Of his anger
to kick, he viciously kicks up the gravel
or tries to chip off pieces of the pave
ment with his boots.
How can you tell wicked MANI The
wicked flee when no man pursueth. If
man has done anything for which his
conscience accuses him, his impulse is to
fly, to get away from the scene Of his
crime and to put space between himself
and that still, small voice He will be
in a hurry, and there will be neither po-
etry nor harmony in his step. After men
quit this earth they are sometimes force =
to walk, in order to expiate some of their
offenses.--D. j. McGrath in Boston Globe.