The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-29

Poems of Northern Mexico do not gen.
orally point with the finger but with
the lips, protTuding them in diverse
fashions to express shades of meaning
a perennial source of amusement for
the foreigner. 1t is suggested that
this practice arose from disinclina-
ton to uncover the arms, often naked,
which are swathed in the sarape; for
morning and evening in that country
are bitterly cold.
All signs and gestures, of course,
must be due to some reason. Mr..
Tyler was vastly astonished to see
the pupils of the Deaf and Dumb
School at Berlin express the word
French" by making a chop, as it
were. on the back of their necks with
the open palm. 1t was explained to
him that a former generation of schol-
ars had been much impressed with the
story of the French Revolution, and
henceforth they adopted the process of
guillotining, as a symbol of the nation.
This is an instructive little anecdote.
Had the origin of the custom dropped
out of memory it would have remained
as mysterious as the "doleful bowling
of New Zealanders when transported
with joy; for it must be noted that Mr..
Tyler described the sign as a Chop"
after he had heard the explanation.
Perhaps it did not strike him so at
the time. Swapping the fingers means
contempt with u.s. if 1t means anything
In the south of Europe it means de-
light. But many African races show
respect thus, and some shake their fists
under the nose of a person whom they
specially honor. When the mountain
GERS of Sikkim meet a friend first they
bow low, then they put out their tongues
and simultaneously press forward the
left ear like a man somewhat deaf. DR..
Waddell, who gives photograph of the
ceremony, attributes this latter action
to the "Reminiscences of a practice long
extinct. When Sikkim was ruled by
Ameers, centuries ago, their generals
used to cut off the left ear of prison.
ers for transmission to the capital
We are reminded of Mr. Herbert
Spencer's theory, that the usage of
cropping the slaves hair, general in
Europe. sprang from a Renaissance of
scalping. But Dr. Waddell does not at
tempt to explain the protrusion of the
tongue. That also has parallels else
where. Pliny tells us that it was usual
to touch the lobe of a mans ear when
summoning him as a witness to facts,
because that is the seat of memory
In the same passage we find mention
of other signs approved in Greece and
Rome. When calling upon the gods. in
token of good faith, men kissed the
back of the right hand and stretched
or more laughable. But for the Greeks
touched the chin. Also, it may be
observed, they raised the left arm
sometimes, making a rectangle, de-
pressed the right arm, in similar fash
ion, and spread out the fingers of each
hand like a starfish If the reader can
not understand this description it may
be enough to say that ingenuity could
not devise an attitude more grotesque
or more laugable. But for the Greeks
it expressed deep reverence. No strong
er evidence could be found to prove
that the language of gestures is con-
ventional. not instructive.
Clasping or wringing ones hands
seems to us a motion irresistible when
oppressed with grief or anxiety. But
the learned Becker, who had surveyed
all the classic bas-reliefs and illustra-
lions extant in his time declared that
the former gesture occurs only twice
and the latter only once throughout the
series. In the famous fresco at Pom
peii representing Medea killing the
children, a figure in the background
looks on with hands clasped in agon-
lied pity, doubtless, and in a bas-relief
a slave hangs over his masters death
bed 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.
Sir Emerson Tenant says that
the Veddahs in his time conn
municated by movements, grimaces.
and grunts scarcely articulate, even
when among themselves" An explana-
tion is offered-clasping the hands was
regarded as a SPELL but he does not
support il by evidence of any kind.
Consider the famous example given
by Mr.. Fisher; 1t is much too long to