San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-12-29

last sacrament or extreme junction. 10 the
moribund. The same two fingers held in the
same position without the sign of the cross is
the gesture that is used by the priests of the
Catholic faith to accompany the Pax Vobis-
cum, and means the same thing, even when
not accompanied by words. A gesture of a
very different Specification is that of holding
up the first and little fingers with the rest
closed. This is used alike to exercise the
power of the evil spirit or the evil eye and to
cast an unholy charm upon an enemy.
In this country we beckon with the hand or
finger up; in South Italy that is a SALVATION,
and the fingers in reckoning are held down
and moved quickly toward the body The
command to ''go" is given by the hand held
in the Same position, that is, with the fingers
perpendicular to the ground and shaken from
the wrist in the direction which the party is
commanded to take With US, as of course
is known by the reader the arm is held out
perpendicularly and the index finger pointed
in that direction.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT GESTURES.
The gesture signifying "hunger," or 81 am
hungry" or ''let us eat" is to extend the
thumb and the first finger, keeping the Others
closed over the mouth and giving the wrist O
slight rotary motion. To-day" is indicated
by closing all the fingers Of the right hand
except the index, then pointing downward,
making a slight but rapid movement of the
hand from the wrist up and down The ges-
ture signifying tomorrow" is the same, ex-
cept that the motion is made from the elbow
Gestures are not unknown to the Anglo
Saxon race, and we have two or three that
are very expressive. To put the thumb to
the nose for instance, with all the fingers ex-
tended, means contempt and derision, and is
so generally accepted as meaning this very
emphatically that the person employing it
takes care, as rule, to make it behind the
back of the person insulted. Among Ameri-
can school children there is gesture made
by passing the forefinger of the right hand
quickly over that of the left, which means.
"Fie for shamer' the person so shamed being
pointed at by the index finger in repose. The
school children of San Francisco occasionally
employ gesture which Is of French origin
The thumb of the right hand is lifted to the
mouth with the ball pointing outward, and
the nail drawn forward from the teeth with
a slight click. 1t means, 81 don't care any
more for YOU" or "Our friendship is broken"
This is precisely the same gesture used by the
French grisette to indicate much the same
thing.
There is gesture that is quite common
among Hebrew tradesmen of the lower class
that has also received stage notoriety. 1t is
that of throwing up the right hand on a
level with the head with the fingers extended
and the palms in, with a waving motion
from the wrist. 1t means contempt, while
when both hands are so lifted and waved the
contempt is changed to denunciation. An
other gesture of contempt, but used only by
Christians, is that of laying the forefnger
beside the nose, although this sometimes is
Used to indicate cunning appreciation of q
trick or vulgar snartness.-San Francisco
Chronicle.