Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-05
NATIONAL GESTURES
HOW PEOPLES OF THE WORLD
SHOW EXPRESSION.
Many Thoughts and All Emotions Por-
trayed by Movements Of
the Hand.
From the Literary Digest.

FROM the Literary Digest.
1t is comparatively easy to tell a person
of a Latin race from a Teuton by watching
his gestures. A writer In La Science Illus
tree goes further and asserts that every
race has it's own characteristic gestures, or
at any rate it's own system Of gesture. Nj.
Fardeau begins by quoting Diderots asser-
ton that all gesture is metaphoric, which
he. indorses as IAN exact characterize
ton of this translation of feeling into anal
ogous movement" He goes on to say:
with primitive man gesture came before
speech, and it must therefore have been
very complex; 1t is still more in use among
savages than with civilized peoples We
understand less and less the delicate art
Of pantomime, once so greatly appreciated
Gestures may be divided into two great
groups:
ID Gestures of extension, which ex-
press force, joy, pleasure, pride, revolt,
action by the affirmation of the personal
element in the effort for life.
CD Gestures of fiexion, expressing IA
tigue, grief, Illness, humility, thought,
prayer. repose-the abasement of self with
weakening of the effort for life.
Gesture and Feeling
Certain gestures are absolutely idenlt-
fled with certain feelings. To shake ones
is to warn. To indicate thought, we place
the tips of the fingers on the forehead; to
show concentrated attention, we apply the
whole hand. To rub the hands is every
where a sign of joy, and to clap them
sign of enthusiasm. 1t would be easy to
multiply examples; affirmation, negation,
repulsion, are all indicated by motions that
every one understands. The influence of
the brain over the gesture is wen shown IN
the different professions. The soldier has
an attitude of extension the priest, one OF
flexion. The sailor, the horseman, the
dancer can be easily recognized; the
banker, the notary, the lawyer have also
characteristic gestures, but in their cases
diagnosis becomes uncertain.
1T Is the same, in quite as great de-
gree. with nationalities, in spite of the
original diversity of the races that MAKE
them up. The mimetic character Of each
nation results at once from race, from his
tory and from climate.
THE climate notably influences the num-
Der and mobility of the representative Inn
ages, and the more numerous, rapid and
intense these are the more so do the cor
responding motions become. In warm
countries existence is easy and all active
manifestations are greatly developed. In
cold regions, on the other hand where the
sun is constantly yelled by clouds, the man
is self-concentrated, sad, silent; for him
life is a perpetual struggle.
Expressive Frenchmen.
"Montegazza distinguishes in Europe an
expansive and 'concentric' manner in
gesture. The first is found among the
Italians, the French the Slavs; the second
among the English, the Germans, the Sean
dinavians and the Spaniards. The physiog
nomy of the French, says Lavater, is open;
1t announces a thousand agreeable things
at once. The Frenchman, he adds, does
not know how to keep silent; when his
mouth is shut his eyes and his facial
muscles continue to speak.
1.-The gesture Of the Engismman is fierce
and harsh; he speaks briefly, brusquely; he
is cold, positive forcefu. His salutation is
cold and accentuated. but his handshake is
loyal The gesture of Germany is heavy,
good humored and always ungraceful;
many of the Slav people are unwilling to
look one in the face, and they have a false
gesture.
The Spaniard and the Portuguese, al
though dwelling in a southern land, gestic-
ulate little; their language is rhythmic
slow, solemn; they are grave; their saluta-
ton is little theatrical. Their faces remain
almost always impassive, owing to some
what Asiatic influence, but especially from
a feeling that hidago's dignity must not
be compromised.
1.-The Italian is lively, mobile intelligent
gay; his language is harmonious, sonorous
warm and luminous like his country's sky
The salutation of the Italian is quick and
full Of feeling; his gesture colored and ex-
aggerated.