Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-10-21
ABouT SHAKING HANDS.


The Latest Ewoiution Or 4 Very Ancfent
Custom.
We are more given to shaking hands
than other natiopA Where the FRENCH
man or German would content himself
with comprehensive bow that Includes
whole company Of people in one court
eous sweep. the Englishman, especially
II he ID country bred, will patiently ana
perseveringly shake hands with every
one present Perhaps it IL owing to
feeling that an unnecessary use OF the
practice La provincial that we may trace
visible decline in 1t at the present day.
But II Is ldifficult to say to what cause
is attributable the presentextraordinar
form which 1t takes among certain peo-
pie when they do practice tia form
which IL especially prevalent among
those people whose ambition it ID to be
known az smart" When two members
OF this class, or Of the far more numer-
Gus class that initiates them, meet each
other, they. go through = ceremony
which certainly bears faint resem-
blance to that OF shaking hands, but is
In all real essentials absolutely differ
emit The lady lifts her elbow as high
as = tight sleeve will permit her, and
bangles > little hand before her face,
carefully keeping the wrist as stin and
high IS possible. while she allows the
fingers to droop down. The man CON
trives to lift his elbow . ntt1a higher,
and, BY dexterous turn Of the wrist,
touches her fngers--that Is all The
reason assigned for this is curioua
II q aafd that 1nA;r. l4a5rs.
to court, and whose privilege it is 70 ex-
change greetings with royal percentages
find it difficult to combine . courtesy
with shake Of gracious hand with
out raising their own hands to the level
Of their faces. Hence their too frequent
communications with illustrious peo-
pie have corrupted their good
manners; they acquire habit
and are so forgetful as to introduce II
into their ordinary life and their rela-
tons with more ordinary people. But
they forget the courtesy, while they for
get to remember to lower their hands.
Another reason that has been suggested
for this greeting, as it is practiced by
the best society, is that they have Dor
rowed 1t from the coachman. With his
reins in one hand and his whip in the
other, the only approach to salutation
that coachman can make is by sharp,
upward movement OF the elbow and
whip hand. Indeed, this explanation il
very plausible, for there is a kind oil
natural affinity between the manners Of
the stable and those Of the very smar
people.
! How ancient custom is the shaking
of hands no one can say. The giving
and clasping Of right hands had it.
origin most probably in wish to show
that the right hand was uuarmed, ani
that no danger need be apprehended
from it's owner. There is evidence t.
show that the clasping of hands was al
ancient Hindoo usuage in legal trans
actions, as it was also among tn,
Romans in such matters as marriage
contract As mode Of salutation
certainly existed among the latter; TO
we have Horace's description of bore
Arreptaque manu-, t'Quid agis, dulcissim
rerumr
The modern idea of the science o
politeness is science that will say
time No one would wish to bring bacl
the stately obeisances. the sweepin
courtesies. and the hollow compliment
of last cen ury. But at least they wer
pretty comedy while they lasted
whereas this last fashion of hand-sha
ing is grotesque farce. -London Spec
tatOr