Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-05-13
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Why ARE THEY SO vERf LARGELY.IN
THE MAJORITY
There Are Two Factors In the Prop
lem, an Inherited Tendency md
Constant Prncticc-The Origin OF
the Innate Iroclfvity.

Constant Practicc-The Origin of
the Innate I'rocIivity.
That the great majority of persons
use the right hand with greater skill
than the left IL doubtless due to two
influences = an innate proclivity and
constant practice. The preference
shown by most infants Mt the age Of
one year for the use of the right hand
proves TINT there Is am Inherited tend
ency. Further evidence Of it Is found
IN the greater ease with which any en-
tirely new act Is performed by the right
than by the left hand. Training how
ever, is I'M important factor ~ mature
person, having lost the right hand by
accident, can achieve wonders with
the other If he only exercises patience,
perseverance and a strong will.
The more mysterious OF the two fac
tors In this problem is the Unborn tend
ency. How did 1t arise? There are
exceptions to the rule. Perhaps two
out OF every hundred babies are left
handed. But when you stop to think of
1t the natural inclination OF the other
nlnety-elght Is remarkable A great
many Psychologists have specialized in
regard to IFS cause without reaching
any conclusion upon which all could
agree.
DR.. George NJ. Gould says In the
Popular Science Monthly that right
hnndedncss Is SO thoroughly ingratiat-
ed in human nature That it must have
been partlally developed in the savage
a fay fl,rH Dat.
IN his opinion, must have felt definite
need for the exercise Of his right hand
In preference to his left, and that ne
ccssity must have been recognized uud
obeyed for IL long period continuously.
The Impulse could not well have die
tated his habits IN eating, for knives
aud forks are Of recent origin, the
modern gun had not been Invented,
and writing was practically unknown.
Moreover, in such operations rs chip
ping arrowleads, weaving baskets and
welding clubs, bows and arrows 1t
could not have mattered much which
hand WIS employed.
When warfare had been carried to
such stage Of advancement us to in
volve the use Of n shield, however, that
object was probably held on the left
side In order to protect the heart. Then
as matter of convenience the right
arm was left free for the more active
function of fighting with spear and
sword, and with hnbitunl exercise
came special skill. An attendant phe-
nomenon was finer organization Of
that particular center In the brain
which controlled these movements and
which WINS situated in therleft half OF
the organ. The brain Is the real seat of
oil dcNterIty, and something takes
place there In correspondence with ex-
ternnl efficiency. With an increased
use Of the right hand, Dr. Gould thinks.
there must hive been greater demands
upon the right eye. because Vision must
precede the order to strike or to give
peaceful signals. In this way there
may have been developed keencr
power of vision in the right eye than In
the left DR.. Gould assumes that there
was and declares that fright handed
people are right eyed" and that IN their
brains the center OF vision Is on the
left side. In close proximity to TINT gov
erning the right arm.
While civilization was yet Mt n low
level communication was carried on,
especially with strangers, largely In
the sign language. Barter laid the
foundations of arithmetic and called in
to play the digits. The preference al
ready given to the right hand In battle
may have guided men in the choice for
this service md also in official and so.
cinl ceremonies. Computation, DR..
Gould points out, was an intellectual
process which was conducted in the
speech center Of the brain. Nature was
compelled to tnke sides I'm locating the
latter, and she placed 1t to the left OF
the middle. Dr. Gould thinks that tho
choice was governed by the employ
ment OF the right hand for giving sig
nails So intimately related are the
functions OF speech and vision and
the control Of the muscular efforts with
the right arm that action would be
quicker IL the cerebral centers control
ling them were closely associated.
Before discussing the cause of left
handedness DR.. Gould calls attention to
the fact that with right handed people
the left hand Is occasionally called up
OH to perform task Of greater impor-
lance than its mate. In eating the
fork Is used more than the knife. In
playing q violin or violoncello the I'm
gering is done with the left hand and
the bowling with the right. It Is sug-
gested that some Of these operations
may result from the superiority Of the
right eye. Perhaps the latter can watch
and guide them better when they are
performed with the left than with the
right hand.
Left handedness is considered by DR..
Gould an Inheritance from ancestors.
savage or civilized, who were obliged