The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-11-06
ABOUT SHAKING HANDS.


The Latest EyoYution Of . Very Ancient
=. Custom
We are more given to shaking hands
than other nations Where the French
man or German would content himself
with a comprehensive bow thai includes
q whole company Of people in one COURT
eous sweep, the Englishman, especially
II he is country bred. will patiently and
perseveringly shake hands with every.
one present Perhaps it Is owing to
feeling that an unnecessary use Of the
practice Is provincial that we may trace
a visible decline in it at the present day.
But it is difficult to say 10 what cause
is attributable the present extraordinary
form which it takes among certain peo-
pie when theF-de practice tia form
which-is-e especially prevalent among
those people whose ambition 1t Is to be
known as Smart When two members
OF this class. or of the far more numer-
GUS class that initiates them, meet each
other they go tbrough1a ceremony
which certainly bears a faint resem-
blance to. that Of shaking hands, but is
/ in all real essentials absolutely differ
ent The lady IT'S her elbow as high
as tight sleeve VIII permit hers and.
bangles little hand before her face,
carefully keeping the wrist as stiff and
high as possible. while she allows the
fingers to droop down. The man con-
trives to lift his elbow little higher,
and, by dexterous turn of the wrist,
touches her fngers-that is all The
reason ass gned for this is curious.
1t is said that ladies who are hidden
to court, and whose privilege it is to ex-
change greetings wit royal personages
find it difficult to combine a. courtesy
with shake OF a gracious hand with
out raising their own hands to the level
of their faces. Hence their too frequent
communication with illustrious peo-
pie have corrupted their good
manners; they acquire a habit,
and are SO forgetful as to introduce 1t
into their ordinary life and their rela-
#tions with more ordinary people. But
they forget the courtesy, while they for
get to remember to lower their hands.
Another feason that has been suggested
for this greeting, as it is -practiced by
the best society, is that they have bor-
rowed it from the goodman. With his
re ms in one hand and his whip in the
other, the only approach to salntation
that a coachman can make is by sharp,
upward movement of the elbow and
whip hand. Indeed, this explanation is
very plausible, for there is a Kind or
natural affinity between the manners of
the stable and those of the very smart
people.
:. How ancient a custom is the shaking
of hands no one can say. The giving
and clasping of right hands had its
origin most probably in Wsh'to show
that the right hand was unarmed, and
that no danger need be apprehended
from its owner. There is evidence to
show that the clasping of hands was an
ancient Hindoo usuage in legal trans
actions, as it was also among tho
Romans in such matters as marriage
contract. Asa mede-ef- salutation=zit
certainly existed among the latter; for
we have Horace's description of bore
Arreptaqne manu-, "QuiI agis, dHlcissme
rerum?"
The modern idea of the science of
politeness is science that will save
time No one would wish to bring back
the stately obeisances the sweeping
courtesies, and the hollow compliments
of last century. But at least they were
pretty comedy while they lasted,
whereas this last fashion of hand-sha :.
ing is a grotesque farce. -London Spec