The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-24
USE OF THE HANDS.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PREFER
ENCE FOR THE RIGHT.

In Primitive Times Both Were Used-Sig-
nihcance OF the Words Fright" and
Left" In Latin and French - What
Egyptian HieroRlyphics Teach Us.
The fact that some persons are left
handed may start the question whether
the human animal was always right hand
ed, for abnormality often indicates "try-
ing back" to az ancestral condition. Now
when We look at our language, and that
in the case of man is fair test, we end
how strongly the comparative force oxhih-
tied by each of the hands has left its mark
On 9pr common expressions. The fight Is
the "ruling' hand, tho left Is the "worth-
less" or the weaker" hand, If we regard
the derivative meanings of the names In
words imported from the Latin a certain
ability Is called "deSterity'' or right hand
edness, while that which has an evil or
unsuccessful influence becomes sinister
or left handed. In like manner, if we look
at words from O French source, We find
that clever person is "adroit" because
he has right handed qualities, but a
clumsy. person Is "gauohe' because his
work Is left handed.
1t Is evident that when our race became
so far advanced as to frame words for ideas
and things the rule was that the members
of it were right handed. And If we ex-
amino other languages we find proofs that
such rule existed among the people using
them. There is, however, good reason for
thinking that man originally could use
either hand equally we'll "This seems q
hazardous statement to make about a re-
mote ancestor in the age before the great
r1ociut had j.L-
of northern Europe, but nevertheless it is
strictly true and strictly demonstrable.
just try, as you read, to draw with the
forefinger and thumb of your right hand
an imaginary human profile on tho page
on which these words are printed. Do you
observe that tunless you are an artist and
therefore sophisticated) you naturally and
1nstinctively draw it with the face turned
toward your left shoulder? Try now TO
draw 1t with the profile to tho right, and
you will find it requires far greater effort
Of the thumb and foreiinger.
The hand moves of it's own accord from
without inward, not from within outward.
Then, again, draw with your left thumb
ana iorennfcr another imaginary profile,
and you will find, for the same reason,
that the face in this case looks rightward
Existing savages and our own young chill
efN''' N't'-i'N - tHty NIfsW u uGuTo III pro-
file, be Ii OF man or beast, with their right
hand, draw i, almost always with the face
or head turned TO the left, in accordance
with this natural instinct Their doing
so Is "a test of their perfect right handed
ness.
But primitive man, or, at any rate. the
most primitive mon we know personally
The carvers of the figures from the French
Done caves, drew men and beasts on hone
or mammoth tusk turned either way in
discriminatory. The inference is obvious
They must have been ambidextrous. Only
ambidextrous people draw so at the pres
ent day, and, indeed, to scrape a figure
otherwise with "a sharp flint on a piece of
bone or tooth or mammoth tusk would,
even for a practiced hand be compare
lively difficult (Allen). In connection
with this passage it is interesting to ex-
anime the reports of the bureau of ethnol-
ogy, whore 1t will be seen that. although
the majority of proflles executed by the
North American Indians follow the rule.
many faces also turn to the right. and IL
is found that left handedness, or rather
ambidexterity, is very cominon among
these tribes
But doubtless the reader will notice
that In writing his hand moves from left
10 right, ana not from right to left Here
Is an apparent violation of the principle
laid down in the quotation given from Mr..
Grant Allen. 1t is, however. more nnpnr.
emit than real. If you study Egyptlan hero.
glyphics, you will find that profiles invori.
ably look to the left Hebrew. Arabic.
Hindoostanee and other ancient languages
read from right to left In these as In
some modern tongues, we have to begin
the book at what is to us the wrong ond.
Tho reason OF this is that the early Ian.