The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-10

was ruled by Ameers. centuries ago. their
 generals used to cut of the ears of
 prisoners for transmission to the capital
 We are reminded of Mir. Herbert Spen-
 cer's theory that the usage of cropping
 the slaves hair. general in Europe, sprang
 from a renliniscence of scalping. But lE..
 Wadde1l does not attempt to explain the
 protrnsion ,,sa of the song%c. That also has has
 it was usual to touch the lobe of a man g
 ear when summoning him as a witness
 to facts, because that is the seat of mem.
 ory. In the same passage we find men-
 and Rome. When calling upon the gods
 in token of good faith, men kissed the
 back of the right hand and stretched it
 forth. In the act of worship Greeks
 served they raised the left arm some
 times, making a rectangle. depressed the
 right arm, in similar fashion. and spread
 out the fingers of each hand like a star
 description 1t may be enough to say that
 ingenuity could not devise an attitude
 more grotesque or more laughable. But
 for the Greeks it expressed deep rever-
 ence. No stronger evidence could be
 found to prove that the language Of ges-
 lures is conventional, not instncttve.
 Clasping or wringing ones hands seems
 to us a motion irresistible when op-
 pressed with grief or anxiety. But the
 learned Becker who had surveyed all the classic bas-relief and illustrations extant in his time. declared that the former ges- ture occurs only twice and the latter only once throughout the series. In the Ia nous fresco at Pompeii representing Me dea killing the children, a figure in the background looks on with hands clasped in agonized pity. doubtless. and in bas- relief a slave hangs over his master deathbed in that attitude. More instances are known at the present day; but the | fact remains that this gesture SO com mon with us. is rare in ancient art: SIT Emerson Tennant says that the Veddahs I in his time communicated by movements, grimaces and grunts scarcely articulate, l even when among themselves An eX- planation is offered-clasping the hands | was regarded as a spell: but he does not l support it by evidence of any kind.
 Consider the famous example gwen ps | MT. Fisher; 1t is too long to quote, un- | fortunately. but many readers must be | familiar with a puzzle so often cited; III | brief. Mir. Fisher met an Indian whose l language he did not know, and asked him l by signs whether he had passed six OK | wagons with three American and three | Mexican tcamsters. and man on horse 1 back The question was put ana tne m, | formation given, as we arc assured. no' | iesss quickly than. by word of month l Doubtless the story is true. or neal 1 enough. and when one knows the answer 1 the gestures detailed are perfectly 1htei' l ligible.N An Indian could hot fall. to llh' l derstand exactly what was wanted. Bu' | if We study them thonghtfully 1t becomes clear that they are conventional. Ever! native of the prairies might comprehend ! hut not savages in general. even though | they followed the same manner Of life. l A Bushman. for instance is perfectly Ia | miiiar with oX-wagons. and mouaseu men | and teamsters of varied nationality
 | He is a master of the sign-langGase also l that is. of his own. But we venture to say that he would misundcrstand the | question as MT. Fisher put 1t. Thus II | cannot properly be said that the languag ge 1 of signs is a natural means or commn- nication for huanity at large unless m | a yory narrow sense Its significance IS limited to certain tribes or groups oi | tribes. as spoken language Is. But there I are savagcs. not very low down m the | scale. who cannot do without it. Burton | was ridiculed for declaring that the Ra-
 pal hos had to sit by the fire in order te
 talk at night. But Miss kingsley made | the very same remark. When I was | u,itb tbc Fans they frequently said. We
 win go to the fire, SO that we can sec l what they say"