St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-06-23
ABOUT Misunderstanding.


ABOUT HAND.sHAklNo.
Eho PamP.Haadla fFooess - Uanes00.
sary and Dlsagrsosbls Ose.
II any one who 10 at all curious In
the matter of statistics will b good
enough to try and calculate the mum.
Der Of people who meet each other
every day in London alone. to say
nothing Of the provinces or in fact.
Of any other place either in or out Of
England. and Of whom quite two.
thirds we think We may positively as
sert, 'shake hands" when they do 50
meet the numbers would probably ap-
pear absolutely incaedibla and yet
more extraordinary still 1t would seem
that out Of these many millions Of
hand d-shakers no two arc absolutely
similar. Why do we shake handsf n o
one appears to know. It does not
mean much. IL any thing. Who has
not suffered from the strong and hearty
grasp Of let rs fondly hope ardent
friendship when our perhaps wrin ged
hand Is wrung with the fervor Of
enthusiastic gushingness or affection
by some juvial Hercules in
dogslins. who forgets he some
times goes near to smashing the frag-
lie and confiding fingers rashly for
tho moment placed at his mercy. Why
are we thus compelled to suffer from
our friends? Who has not suffered
from the man who. when you meet
hin. holds your hand as il it were a
pump. p.huhdle for ten minutes and will
not let gof Who has not suffered
from that other who will not hold ON
at ALL but allows you to do the shak.
ing process for hlmf Who does not
know the man who simply seizes your
hand to throw 1t violently away from
him in apparent furyf Who does not
fear tho sort Of spasmodic hand-shaker
who pushes you backward and for.
ward to him and away from him. as Il
he were saving you perpendicularly
through Who does not try to shun
tho man who works your arm around
- II you were . barrel organ? Who
is unacquainted with the man with the
clammy hand who. - q rule. will not
wear gloves7 Why must We shake
hands with himp
Yet we all do It; We dislike II; We
dislike It very much. even: he sees We
dislike 1t. that it is positively distaste-
ful to us; yct. meet him tomorrow.
and out comes his hand once moro to
engulf your own. and make you wish
you had gone wherever you were going
by another route To sit down calmly
to write Of shaking hands, il 50
enormous an undertaking that one
would require almost three volumes
wherein to express all there Is 70 be
sand ON this subject When one thinks
that not only every country in the
world, but ncarly every county in that
country has some special and dis
tinguishcd method Of salutation on
meeting friends and acquainiances. it
seems absurd even to attempt it We
are credibly informed that handshak-
ing. which. is supposed to be proof
OF friendly feeling first, came into
fashion in the time Of Henry IL
Up 10 that time our ancestors were
more a6ectionate in their greetings
than We. their colder-n at ured descend
ants embracing and kissing each
other much In the same fashion As our
ncighbors on the other side Of the
Channel and in Italy are accustomed
to do at the present moment. The
historian who Is pleased to date the
commencement Of hand-shaking in
place Of oscillation and embracing
about Henry lis time n perhaps. in
error. as it is more probable the close
embrace of acquaintances began tc
be discontinued later on. perhape
when tobacco was first introduced into
this country. This ccrtsinly seems .
probable surmise. as evea in our pres
ent year Of grace man who has been
smoking cheap cigar or rank pipe
is certainly not the most smbraccable
object in the world; and only thiak
what tho tobacco Of Raleigh's time
must have been like!
n However. whether Henry II did or
did not begin the fashion Of shaking
hands," It 10 now rapidly becoming 8
overdone in England Tho iinc ..Asur
dcs pois." the 'creme de IL creme. !"
the quite too-too people do not indulge
In this practice - much as the upper
and lower middle clas sea for there
every one shakes hands with every
one on entering and leaving q room.
on meeting in the street. and on say.
ing good morning." good night' OF
good bye" It is . wonder Ne En-
glish have not transplanted this irri.
tat,ng and glove-spliiting habit over
tho world. Certainly in some parts Of
India they shake hands q We do. but
it Is by no means universal. though. to
please US be it understood. foreigners
Of all degrees from the Duke to the
dustman. try to ingratiate themselves
with US English people BY shaking our
hands immoderatcly whenever they
get chance. e.-Losdon Queen
Johnny's Idea Of Men.
All the boys in the school but one
had stepped up on the platform and