Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-05-31
LEFT HANDED PEOPLE,.
Statistics Show That They Are In
creasiDg In Numbers Yearly.

Physicians and Psychologists have long
been at variance as to the cause of left
handedness in the human race. Some
have thought it a misfortune; others have
regarded it as a fault that should be cor
rectcd in the young, even though resort
be needed to rigorous measures. But
whether misfortune or fault the fact re-
mains that left handed people are on
the increase in the United States. Said
n well known physician OF Washington
recently: The most reliable statistics
on the subject are to the effect that in
America, up TO - years ago, but per
cent Of our people were left handed. The
statement has been allowed to run along
without question ever since, though the
observations OF every one show that it is
now far from correct. nm no, prepared
with any figures, but it is safe to say
that Mt least g per cent Of Americans to-
day are left handed. Take congress, for
instance. On hurried visit TO the cap
itol one day last week noticed one sem
ator who was left handed, and there are
more. In the house side during a visit
the week before | saw three left handed
repre- natives.
"Chairman Cannon of the appropria-
tons committee was presenting "A matter
il his usual earnest style and gesicu-
lating entirely with his left hand. The
representative who was on the other side
of this particular matter under discus
sion was also left handed. To add to the
interest Of the scene, page, who was
called by Mr., Cannon to take a paper
to the cletk's desk, was also left handed
The following day | visited the manua
training school, where my son, who i,
left handed, by the way, is pupil, ant
out of class of SO | noticed that be
sides my son there were two other left
handed boys. The teacher told me thai
moro than q per cent Of the boys in hi
class were left handed. On the sug
gcStion from him | visited a sewing elias.
in the same district and found that Tho
sewing school teacher had observed :
similar state of things among the girls.
"1hc proprietor of the largest billiard
room I'M the city told me recently that the
number of left handed players seemed
constantly on the increase and that some
times il appeared to him that there was {
left handed player at each table. He re
minded me that each of the League base
ball clubs last season had left handed
battcrs and that the Boston club had tive
left handed players in il, while left hand
ed batters were so numerous that he
could not remember all OF them.
"In this connection the sewing teacher
told me that she never allowed her pu
pills to give Il preference to the left hand
but that she had not been able to entire
ly cure many who were left handed natu
rally. She said it was n positive injurl
to a girl TO be left handed who expected
10 do much sewing and that dressmaker
never employed left handed sewers wheI
they could avoid it, for IL" reason that i
was not practicable to put two person
at work on the same piece of work If on
of them was left handed. Strange as i
may appear, left handedness rarely oc
ours among the colored race, and n Chi
nese laundrymnn tells me that the Chi
ncse are not alowel to be left handed."-
Cleveland Plain Dealer