The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-05-27
USE'THE RIGHT HAND
A PREFERENCE THAT IS SHOWN IN
NEARLY EVERYTHING WE DO.
Ia Mechanics, at Table and In Games It
Is the Ruie-Thc Buttons on Our Cloth
ing-Customs That Recognize the supe-
riority of the Right.

hands with self possessed "young gen
tleman," received from him the left
hand for salutation, and his revered
parent instantly remarked, "That is the
wrong hand" Before l had well gotten
out of my mind the thoughts stirred up
by this expression, / saw u carpenter
driving nails with his left hand in the
most easy going fashion. There are left
handed players in the baseball field, in
the cricket field and in the tennis court,
and il is curious to note the changes
made in the disposition Of the "fcld"
in the first two cases and the evident
discomfort of the other players in the
third case We may even see left handed
gunners in the sporting clubs, but the
bystanders instinctively draw back when
one appears on the line, az IL 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, for
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 tho fork held in
our left, while spoon must be held in
the right hand, and the soup conveyed
to the mouth by that, for every eye at
the table would be turned on person
who ventured 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 grnsps 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 forefinger. Re-
verse the side and both hands at once
seem equally helpless" " Not very long
ago the buttonholes and buttons Of
women's dress We're 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 last
badge Of masculine superiority is
doomed, and the future man will have
but little difficulty in donning the coat
of the new woman. A man generally
carries his loose cash in his right hand
pocket in order that he may reach it
with ease. His pocket handkerchief is
placed in-She right pocket Of his 'sack"
coat if low down, in the left breast
pocket If higher up for a similar reason.
His railway ticket and nickels for car
fare occupy middle position on the
right hand side, in order that they may
be "handy." A soldier wears his sword
on the left for convenience; the driver
holds his reins in the left hand, while
the right carries the whip as his weapon
Of offense.
The right hand is the seat Of honor at
banquets and ceremonies, and the
phrase has come into use for the post OF
dignity in matters both sacred and secu-
lar. We hold out the right hand Of fell
lowship, not so much perhaps from any
sense Of its superiority as because il
days gone by it was found that if il
was extended in greeting it could not
be used to grasp the sword and thus
give an unforeseen blow.
In the way of tools, screws are made
to be turned by the right hand, ant
that useful article at picnics-a cork
screw-is fitted for dextral and not sin
istral use Clocks and watches rui
round from left to right, as the sun ap
pears to do, although the earth, who's
time they are keeping, is so perverse a
to move from right to left.
In walking down the street we keep t.
the right hand, and that is the rule o
the road in driving, as well as the wa.
in which trains move along the track.
When we come to augury, matter
become mixed up The Romans held tina
lightning flash from left to right wa
propitious, while ono from right to lef
was unfavorable. 1t may have been be
cause, as the lightning was supposed b
be hurled by Jove, from left to righ
would be the way in which it would b
seen if the Deity had his face toward tn
suppliant, but il Jove turned his bacl
ON the watchers the lightning hurled b.
his right hand would move from righ
to left.
But why is there this difference in ou
hands at all? The truth is, our bodie
IC OilC biuCt. lio sLtci dii,
very important item in man. An in
jury to it is fatal. Hence even savag
man found out that he had to defend
and devised the plan Of covering the re
gion of his body where it is located wit
shield. Blows, therefore, were struc
by the right arm, and soon right Shove
might. With frequent use in this wa
followed adaptability in other wayi
and as each generation Of the imitativ
genius followed not its own bent, br
the practices Of its predecessors. rigt
handedness became the mark Of the il
dividuals. and, although there might |
less necessity for striking blows wit
each generation, the right hand did nj
forget its cunning" Civilization hs
adopted the principle as law Of polit
society, and therefore to be right hande
is right, to be left handed is wrong.
must cut my food, write my letter
greet my friends and do Thousand otl
er things with my right hand. In Il