The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-08-02
THE AMERICAN HAND.
1t Is Distinctive and Possesses Feature,
that Other Hands Do Not.


What shall 1 say to the distinctively
American hand? For there is a dis.
tinctively American hand, Just as dis
tinctive as those of the Ethiopian, the
Chinaman, the German, or the Hindoo.
In his curious work, la Science de la
Main, n,"D'Arpent'gny quotes the strange
description lie Yankee" contained in
Michael Chevalier's ''Lettres sur Amer
ique du Nord" (of which translation
was published in Boston in 1880 and
concludes: In nation such as this
there can not exist any but hands
which are square" He was partly
right and partly wrong.
When first | encountered the racially
American hand was almost alarmed.
/ thought / had found a new and
unique specimen overwhelming in its
contradictions. The specimen belonged
to Henry Ward Beecher, whose hands
/ Overhauled one sunny afternoon on
the deck of the Etruria as we made for
the states together at the close of his
lecturing tour in Great Britain.
The hand of which 1 have a draw
ing, was of medium size, inchning to
large; the palm thick and heavy, the
consistency firm, neither hard nor soft;
the thumb rather long ii. e., reaching
almost to the first phalanx of the fore
tinger), its two phalanges being OF
equal length, and the outer pha1anx
pointed. The fingers were large and
very square, the joints not very prom
inent, the outer or nailed phalanges
long, the nails round and inclining to
shortness, the lower phalanx thick.
Here was a surprising collection of
anomalies for cheirosophist! So pre-
suming it to be unique specimen, !
made very careful drawing thereof
and notes thereon.
But hardly had settled down to a
steady swing of hand reading, when ]
made quaint discovery-to-wit, that
this was the distinctively American
hand-seven out of ten hands that
were presented to me, whether male
or female, presented this, to me here
tofore unknown, collection of contrast
ing formations. Their significance is
Interesting as sketch of the Ameri-
can character.
The size of the hand indicates a ca
pacity for synthesis combined with
analysis, capacity to seize the mean
ing of an entire subject, and anaIyze
its details with equal rapidity; the
palm gives sensuality and love of
pleasure, the consistency gives great
mental activity and love of exercise
when other people are taking it; in a
word, love of the display of physical
energy, which we do not ourselves
practice. The thumb denotes an equal
amount of will power and common
sense. neither overriding the other.
The fingers again show love of pleas
ure and luxury. combined with intense
order, regularity, and arrangement,
and spirit of impulsive calculation
Gf | may be allowed the paradox), a
tendency to act promptly on an i'm
pulse and analyze the cause and effects
of ones actions afterwards, so as to
make ones action, however hasty, in
ure to ones own good. Dominating
the entire character is keen intuition,
and good natured spirit of criticism,
shown by the long pointed or comic
tips with the short, round nails.
1t took me month before l could
contrast and combine these character
istics so as to arrive at clear COM
prehensiOn of the average American
personally, and during that month 1
made some grand enemies, who have
never forgiven me! Indeed, had it not
been that had Henry Ward Beecher's
hand to ponder over before 1 arrived,
/ should probably have been so rat
tled'' by the type as to despair of ever
properly diagnosing it.
l have derived much pleasure-and
some pain-from it, but to it I owe
one of my sublimest American expert
ences. My thirty-second fool-girl stem
ographer entered on her duties one
morning in Boston. A lady entered,
seated herself. and rendered to me
1.-THE distinctively American hand"
Motioning my stenographer to take
her seat at my elbow. as usual, I be-
gan: "You see, your hand is at the
same time square and comic-a comic.
My gentle stenographer elaborately
typed the following heading to m
description:
You see. heaven is sublime to stare
at, and conie-what an affiictionr'
She had provided me with a prob
lem far handler to solve than the dis
tinctively American hand.-Heroas-Al-
len ia america.