The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-04-11
1879

as sign of high rank, proving that he
was never required to perform manual
labor, and also providing him with the
means of tearing the meat which
formed his usual diet.
The falcon In Europe is carried on
the left wrist, but in Asia on the right.
The Latin races hold omens to be fa-
vorable when towards the right; but
the Teutonic races including our own,
when towards the left The Saxon
races, as masters of the sea and pio-
neers In the laying of railways, have
imposed their own rules of the left
side on the French and other Latin,
races, who, however, still In driving
and riding keep to the rule Of the road
derived from their progenitors. The
hands of clocks and watches travel
from east to west like the sun, or as we
draw spiral from the interior out
wards; and we hand around our play
ing-cards and our hospitable bottle
after the same fashion, which like
fashion we adhere to in turning
horse, so that the violation of it, or the
turning widdershins-tha is, against
the SUMS considered unlucly. 1t is
curious circumstance how few people
ever clasp hands otherwise than hav-
Ing the right thumb outwards, or coil,
thread save one way.
With regard to symmetricality, ma
ture, when she has purpose to serve,
is nowise 10th to depart from it. In
deed, there is hardly symmetrical
human face to be found. The right
eye and ear are generally placed high
or, and the left leg is frequently the
longer. Quadrupeds and very young
children are more symmetrical, but the
hermit crab has the claw protruding
| from the shell the longer; the cachelot
or sperm whale has the eye on the one
side larger than the other. Parrots
rather favor the right claw; and the All
rican elephant-as Sir S. Baker assured
the writer-works more with the right
tusk, called on this account by thel
Arabs the servant. Aristotle de-
clares that motion begins from the
right. Wherefore the burden should
rest on the part moved, and not on
the part moving, otherwise motion is
more difficult" He also looks on the
spiral curves of shells as suggesting a
! riQht-handed designer. Another an
cient philosopher assures us that our
dreams are less egotistical and selfish
when we are sleeping on our right side
than on our left.
Curiosity was naturally highly strung
when discoveries were made Of exceed
ingly ancient engravings and sculp-
lures fashioned by cave men at an era
4
tian records than ours Is from those.
We have the authority of Sir Daniel
Wilson that the earliest records of the
human race show preference for the
right hand, although not so completely
as that shown In modern times. In
the scarcely so remote bronze age, the
preference still holds good. One has
only to look over Egyptian, Etruscan,
Assyrian, Greek or Roman pictures,
engravings or sculptures, to see that
man was right-handed as he is now,
and that he carried his burdens then,
as now, mainly on the left shoulder,
While his dress and decoration follow
the same lines as the soldier still
wears his sword or the shepherd his
plaid. At the same time shoes made
especially for each foot, and gloves de-
signed for each hand, have more of a
modern aspect. The sandals Of ancient
times are extremely much alike.
Among the humble classes In Scotland
sixty years ago shoes for young peo-
pie not made for right and left were
preferred.
1t is pleasant to be able to record
that notwithstanding the sinister ridi-
cule Of ancient and modern language
and literature, and the antagonist pen
and ink demonstrations Of doctors, there
are and have been many eminent left
handed individuals both professional
and gymnastic. A list of these has
been preserved to us through the labors
Of SIR Daniel Wilson and Charles Reade,
the novelist. Chambers journal