The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1896-05-13
A BUSTED BTr=
7tfT HAND
SENATOR STEW
RGe THAT Is SHOWN IN
eLy EVERYTHING WE DO.

NEE IHRi 10 O'1S"N Nv
sly EVERYTHING WE DO.
Tn Mechanics, at Table and In dames AZ
Ia tn. Ru,e-The Buttons on Our Cloth
c,.ton,, That Recognize the supe-
riority Of the Right.
The other day, on Offering to shake
hands with self possessed young gem
tleman, received from him the lett
hand for salutation, and his revered I
narent instantly remarked, THAT is the
wrong hand" Before / had well gotten
out Of my mind the thoughts stirred up
nv this expression, l saw carpenter
driving nails with his left hand in the
most easy going fashion. There are lett
handed players in the baseball field, in
the cricket field and in the tennis court,
and it is curious to note the changes
made in the disposition OF the 'held
in the first two cases and the evident
discomfort Of the other players IN the
third case. We may even see left handed
aunners in the sporting clubs, but the
bystanders instinctively draw back when
one appears on the line, as If they were
afraid that the weapon held IN the left
hand might shoot round the corner.
These things, and many others OF like
kind, are considered abnormalities, Tor
men and women are supposed to be nor
mally right handed and not left handed.
There are however, some marked incon-
sistencies, as, for instance, that we must
hold our knife in the right hand and not
eat with it, but with the fork held IN
our left, while a spoon must be held III
the right hand, and the soup conveyed
to the mouth by that, for every eye at
the table would be turned OH person
who yeptured to use the spoon in the
left hand.
The results of the prevalent right
handedness Of man are shown IN many
curious ways If we look at DRESS we
find that mans buttonholes are on the
left, while the buttons are on the right.
"a man in buttoning grasps the button
in his right hand, pushes it through
with his right thumb, holds the button
hole open with the left and pulls all
straight with his right forefnger. Ne
verse the side and both hands at once
seem equally helpless" Not very long
ago the buttonholes and buttons OF
women's dress were ON opposite sides to
those Of men. 1t may be SO to large
extent even now. but am told on very
good authority that with the introduc'
ton of tailor made dresses the old rule
is going out Of vogue. If SO, this las
badge of masculine superiority il
doomed, and the future man will hav'
but little difficulty in donning tho Goa
of the new woman. A man general.
carries his loose cash in his right han'
pocket in order that he may reach !
with ease. His pocket handkerchief i
placed in the right pocket Of his "sack
coat if low down, in the left breai
pocket if higher up for similar reason
His railway ticket and nickels fer ca
fare occupy q middle position on tn
right hand side, in order that they ma
|. be handy" A soldier wears his swor
u ON the left for convenience; the drive
y holds his reins in the left hand, viii
the right carries the whip as his weapo
Of offense.
The right hand is the seat Of honor
banquets and ceremonies, and Il
phrase has come into use for the post
dignity in matters both sacred and sec'
lar. We hold out the right hand OF fe
lowship, not 30 much perhaps from an
sense Of its superiority as because
days gone by it was found that if
was extended in greeting it could n
be used to grasp the sword and tn
give an unforeseen blow.
In the way Of tools, screws arc ma
to be turned by the right hand, al
that useful article at picnics---a COZ
screw--is fitted for dextral and not 81
istral use. Clocks and watches r
round from left to right, as the sun
pears to do, although the earth, wht
time they are keeping, is 80 perverse
to move from right to left.
In walking down the street we keep
the right hand, and that is the rule
the road in driving, as we'll as the "
in which trains move along the track
When We come to augury, matt
become mixed up. The Romans held {
lightning flash from left to right ,
propitious, while one from right to
was unfavorable. 1t may have been
cause, as the lightning was supposed
be hurled by Jove, from left to ri
would be the way in which it would
seen if the Deity had his face toward
suppliant, but if Jove turned his b
on the watchers the lightning hurled
his right hand would move from n
to left
But why is there this difference in
hands at oil? The truth is, our boz
sre one sided. The heart is, after al
very important item in man. An
Jury to it Is fatal. Hence even say
man found ont that he had to defen
and devised the plan Of covering tbs
gion Of his body where it is located
shield. Blows therefore, were st,
By the right arm, and soon right sho
might. With frequent use in this
followed adaptability in other W
and as each generation Of the imita
genius followed not its own bent,
the practices Of its predecessors,
handedness became the mark OF tht
dividuals, and, although there Nigh
less necessity for striking blows
each generation, the right hand did
forget its cunning" Civilization
adopted the principle as law OF p
society. and therefore to be right hal