The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-01-07
PALM1sTRY IN CHINA.
Centuries Ago They Used Finger :. Prints to Identify. {.~ .t

Centuries Ago They Used Finger Prints to Identify. F. ~t
 With the Chinese, palmistry is a branch of an ancient art which in- lcludes physiognomy, phrenolology and general inspection of the human body. Its origin has been assigned to pre- historic times-the third millennium before Christ" says Herbert A. Giles. in ''The Nineteenth Century"
 ''The object of this art is twofold: to ascertain the mental and moral char acteristics of persons, and to foretell | happiness or misfortune, success or failure, disease and death. An instance l is given of a young woman of the tenth century A. D.. who had no broth CTS and was obliged to perform some of the morning ceremonies before the image of her dead father. While thus occupied she was observed by a visitor who had come to condole. I did not see her face he said, but when she grasped the incense burner I noticed her hands gave proniceIof high posi- tiofi.i' Later on this visitor married the young woman, and rosesto be Minis ter of State |g
 Restricting the inquiry to palmis- trx only, an attempt will be made to show what the Chinese people have to say on a subject which has been much to the front.of late years. and especially l in the last few weeks. One writer l'says:
 The persence of lines ins nsthe hand may be compared with the grain of wood. If the grain of wood is beautiful l that wood becomes known as excellent material: and if the lines in the hand are beautiful that hand is obviously we'll constituted. Therefore hand that
 has lines on it is of higher order than those which have none. Fine and deep | lines mean success; coarse and shallow Hines mean failure, of the three lines on the palm, the uppermost answers to heaven; 1t connotes soveign or | father, and determines station in life. | The middle line answers to man; 1t connotes wisdom or folly, and deter mines poverty or wealth. The lowest | line answers to earth; it connotes sub- ject or mother, and determines length of days If these three lines are well defined and .unbroken they are an au- gury of happiness and wealth Vertical lines in excess mean rebellious na- ture and calamity; horizontal lines in excess mean foolish nature and i'll suc- cess. A vertical line running up the fin- ger means that all plans will turn out well; random lines, which cross the creases of the fingers, mean that they will fail. Lines which are fine and re- semble tangled silk mean wit and beauty; coarse lines, like the grain of the scrub oak, mean stupidity and low estate Lines like scattered filings mean a bitter life; lines like sprinkled rice husks mean a life of joy
 "'The hand says the author of "The Divine Art Is used for taking hold, and this causes lines to appear on it. If these, lines are long the nature will be kindly and generous; if short, mean and grasping. A man whose hand reaches below his knees will top his generation; but one whose hand reach es only to his waist will ever be poor and lowly. A small body and a large hand portend happiness and emolu- ment; a large body and a small hand, purity and poverty. fl.
 "The Chinese, however, do not con- fine their Investigations to the palm only; they examine carefully the lines on the back of the hand, thus making 'cheiromancy'' better term than palmistry. Nor do they, omit the nails, each variety of which has its own signi- fication.- G
 "Tapering nails mean brains; hard and thick nails mean old age; coarse, stumpy nails mean dulness of wit: broken and sloughing nails mean dis ease and i'll health; bright yellow nails mean rank to come; dark thin nails mean obscurity; bright greenish nails mean loyalty and goodness of heart; -