The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-12-30
SHAKING HfNDS.

one OF The customs Of this country,
which is especially in vogue at election
tine and in the welcoming Of returned
heroes. deserves special mention as a
relic of barbarism. II is the handshak-
ing habit.
The handshake in ordinary inter-
course is very good, and there is no
! prospect that il viii soon become OBJ
solete. When We meet a friend, otter
an absence Of a week or "A month, ghe
impulse 10 Clasp his hand Is most nat
Gral cordial and appropriate It is also
a pleasant greeting for the stranger.
who may become friend. or for the
acquaintance, who inspires a friendly
seeing But says the Washington
Times, when 4 comes 20 handshaklng
in battallons, simply as a matter of
form. there is no more meaning in II
than in a kafiir witch dance IL is un-
satisfactory 70 the thousands and tor
turing TO the chief &C or in the tragedy.
j. is a cOfnnon experience for great
men 20 suffer severe agony from shak-
iig hands with hundreds OF people
daily for a prolonged period of time.
II ever ybody knew how TO shake
hands, Of course the effects would not
De so bad 4 simple handclasp. with
out Unnecessary Vigor. might be re-
peated many times in an evening With
out causing serious inconvenience. But
in every crowd there is a considerable
proportion OF men and women who put
much muscular Vigor !DtO The opera
ton. Some of them wear seal rings
which cut into the ilesh Of the victim.
Some insist on grips and passwords.
| And ore public man. VINO !s sald u
! have expressed envy Of the Venus az
| Milo after a few experiences or the
| handshaking craze. says that the aver
| age person perspires ana lurnS cold
| when excited so that the hand feels
! very much like a piece Of iced beef
| steak and Is about as pleasant To nan
! die. This idea cffectually dispels any
| romance which may be lingering IN
| ones mind about a handshaking scene
| Again many public men have acquir-
| cd . faculty OF shaking hands easily.
| 'rhev all agree that 20 avoid pain one
| must get the first hold" and after
! brief clasp let go. passing on 10 the
next I'm line. IL is noVlces like Admiral
! Dewey who suffer most from idlotlc
| custom But why. i'm the name of all
! common and uncommon sense. should
| a man who has distinguished himself
| i'm the service of his country be- requir-
| ed 10 do manual labor for several hours
A day I'm the midst OF "a crowd largely
composed OF mere sightseers ana cur
.osity- mongcrs:
Every patriotic purpose would be
served If the great man In question
merely stood on a platform and was
looked at There Is no reason why fe
should come into personal contact WIN
humanity IN bulk. Hc mrs be az DEM
ocratic as he pleases in his private life.
He may eaunter down the principal
street and talk TO very newsboy. boot
black and shopkeeper hc meets, II IL
suits him to 10 so-and that was prac-
ticallv what President Grant used 20 90
during his residence here. nut there Is
no reason why ali the nrwshoys boot
blacks shhpkeeners. laborers street.
car conductors doctors, lawyers. clergy
men and other inhabitants OF the town
should gather in 2 hall and insist on
shaking his hand on one single after
noon. TO HE utter exhaustion. and
perhaps az the cost ~ a seriously IN
iured hand That makes NJ pleasing
and dignifcd social ceremony nothing
more than mischievous fetch.