The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-03-17
SHAKING HANDS

for pleasure and for profit, experts
claiming that the hidden nature of the
most reserved man or woman will infal-
libby creep out through the fingers end
and proclaim itself truly to the praetised
eye; that the twist of an $50 or the
cross of ''t'' may indicate the soul of a
saint or the instincts of a sinner; while
in the liliputian dotlet of an 'i'' may
Turk whole history of hypocrisy or
honesty, kindliness or cruelty.
1t may be so. 1t may be that, while
the subject matter is absorbing the
mind, we'll trained by worldly wisdom to
lie, the unsophisticated soul slips out in
the unguarded formation of the infinite
variety of curve and dash which is called
handwriting.
1t seems, then, that, though the eye is
the window of the soul, the hand is GER
tainly the door from which it issues
forth into the world; for none need to be
experts to recognize at once the charac-
ter of man or woman when engaged in
the grand old greeting called hand
shaking.
Variety in handwriting may be infinite,
but is it not so in handshaking? And, as
a means to unveil hidden thoughts or
feelings, the latter test must surely be
the better, for people write in truth or
falsehood and their writing remains the
same; but if people greet hypocritically,
though their words follow their wit,
their hands grasp those they greet as
their hearts alone command.
Handshaking, therefore, while in gen
eral style it may serve to indicate the
character, may also, by individual appli-
cation, mark the true relation in which
the factors stand.
Who has not felt the cold, metallic,
avaricious grasp, devoid of warmth OF
feeling, with which a man of business
welcomes you? Does not something
creep out of his finger tips, telling you
that, while his voice says Glow do you
do?" his heart feels, "How much shall
make out of you?"
Have not all experienced the jerk OF
the man who Stimulates intense delight
in the meeting, but involuntarily drops
your paw as if he were afraid it would
burn him? He probably owes you mon.
ey, and his handshaking tells you that
his JOY in the encounter is all sham
On the other hand, many are aware
though the experience is more rare, how
the grin of friend whose heart is sin
core, sends thrill through their own,
and ia that moment they know that he
reads them as clearly and truly as hey
understand him. Then it is their turn
to drop or retain his warm grasp, as
their instincts dictate. But their in
stincts alone are their rulers.
Again every one knows, or will know
sooner or later. that bandshaking and
love making are i1separable. When love
is in the soul, does it not creep out al
the finger tips and tell its tale of glad
ness or woe quicker and more surely
than by any other channel?
Examples such as these prove that in
the shaking of hands individual rela-
lations are revealed and thoughts may
undoubtedly be read BY a more gener.
al application this process may typify
character and broad outline of soul.
Old wise women say that "a cold hand
and warm heart are always associated
but some venture to think that expert
ence proves this to be fallacy. at least
as concerns the method of shaking
hands. A warm, steady pressure, which
reveals the pulsation of life, is surely
the habit of those whose hearts overflow
with the milk of human kindness
whereas cold, inanimate touch is the
natural style of those Unconditional ma
chimes called heartless humanity.
This is generally recognized, and, as
all virtues are aped and eXaggeI ated SO
a certain class, in their anxiety to i'm
press their friendships, torture their vic
Tins 30 the extent of the thumbscrew.
But the boarding-schoOl miss, who will
listlessly lay her hand in yours, must not
be too hastily judged, for her manner
proclaims that her character as yet is
not formed and matured to the ice-cOld
dame, the warm, loving woman, OF
the fast, Eighty, tickle, and insincere
ape.
The man who shakes your hand vic.
lently up and down, then drops it with
an air OF having done his duty, suggests
such thoughts as nodded into words
might say: "There! Don't say didn't
shake hands with you whatever else you
may say" and thus the fact that he
mistrusts you is implied.
The handshaking of the man who, by
prolonged pressure, causes uneasiness
should probably be read as Overweaning
value of the favors he confers and anx-
iety that you should not underestimate
his friendship. Such a man may be sci
down as victim of cOnceit, but con.
sciously lacking the fuel on which to
feed his master
The hasty snatch, and still more hasty
flingaway, is preferable to either of these
modes; for it betrays self-reliant spirit
aud happy Indifference to good or bad
repute. The man with this method Of
handshaking is at least no hypocrite, and
that is as near as most men come tc
honesty
The absurd practice of giving one oil
two fingers only always seems deliber
ate insult and is doubtless so translated
by all students of handshaking 1t is q
giaring proof of littleness. The hear
and mind may be judged to be proper
tionate with the part proifered.
The method of shaking hands adopted
by great men has often been described
although modern interviewers systemat
ically ignore this, and give preference tC
minute details of dress, aud immediate
surroundings.
There is a wide and profitable field fol
the student in the investigation of char
aster and thought as revealed by hand
| shaking When perfectiOn. born of Drac