Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-08-10
WE USE OURHANDS
THE PREFERENCE FOR THE RIGHT
AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE.
I'm Primitive Times 1t Is Probable
Tint Both Hands Were Equally
Used-What the Hieroglyphics OF
the Egyptians Teach Us.

The fact that some persons are left
handed may start the question Wheth-
pr the human animal was always right
handed, for abnormality often indicates
trying back" to an ancestral condl-
ton. Now, when we look at our IAN
guage, and that In the case OF man Is
a fair test, we find how strongly the
comparative force exhibited by each
of the hands has left its mark on our
common expressions. The right Is the
ruling" hand; the left Is the worth
less" or the weaker" hand II we re-
gard the derivative meanings or the
names. In words imported from the
Latin a certain ability is called "dex-
terity," or right handedness, while that
which has an evil or unsuccessful 1nf1u-
ence becomes sinister" or left handed
In like manner If we look at words
from a French source we find that
clever person is "adroit" because he
has right handed qualities, but clum-
sy person is "gauche" because his work
is left handed.
1t Is evident that when our race be-
came so far advanced as to frame
words for ideas and things the rule was
that the members Of it were right
handed. And if we examine other Ian
guages we find proofs that such a rule
existed among the people using them.
There is, however, good reason for
thinking that man originally could use
either hand equally we'll.
This seems hazardous statement to
make about a remote ancestor In the
age before the great glacial epoch had
furrowcd the mountains of northern
Europe, but nevertheless 1t is strictly
true and strictly demonstrate. Just
try as you read to draw with the fore
finger and thumb Of your right hand
an imaginary human profile on the
page on which these words are printed.
Do you observe that (unless you are an
artist and therefore sophisticated you
naturally and instinctively draw 1t with
the face turned toward your left shout
der? Try now to draw it with the
profile to the right and you will find 1t
requires far greater effort OF the
thumb and fOrefinger.
"The hand moves Of its own accord
from without inward, not from within
outward. Then again draw with your
left thumb and forefinger another mag
mary profile and you will find, for the
same reason, that the face In this case
looks rlghtward. Existing savages and
our own young children whenever they
draw q figure in profile, be 1t of man
or beast, with their right hand, draw 1t
almost always with the face or head
turned to the left, in accordance With
this natural instinct Their doing so
is a test Of their perfect right handed
ness.
"But primitive man, or, at any rate,
the most primitive men we know per-
sonally, the carvers Of the figures from
the french DODe CAVES, uiSW ihSh "AN
beasts on bone or mammoth tusk turn
ed either way Unfortunately. The In
ference Is obvious They must have
been ambidextrous. Only ambidextrous
people draw so at the present day.
and. indeed, to scrape a figure other
wise with sharp flint on piece OF
bone or tooth or mammoth tusk would,
even for practiced hand, be compara-
lively difficult" (Allen).
In connection with this passage II IS
interesting to examine the reports. OF
the bureau of ethpology, where 1t VIII
be seen that altt, Sh the majority OF
profiles executed ~ North Amer
lean Indians TO 'ud rule, many
faces also turn he Int, and 1t is
found that left re IS, or, rather,
ambidexterity, is1es nmon among
these tribes. ~