The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-02-17
here slight deviation which added
"a the general graceful outline.

there slight deviation which added
to the general graceful outline.
"The person who is responsible for
this pencil is at once accurate and ar
tistic. While precise as to things
fundamental, the attractive, the beau-
tiful is ever in mind and brought to
the fore at the proper time and place,
but rather to adorn the useful than
as an end in ITSELF
This delineation was particularly
good, as the owner of the pencil is an
architect who has to his credit at least
one building in New York, which is
much discussed and admired.
The next pencil point taken up
was scarcely a point at all, as it had
been hacked into such shape as it had
with a dull knife. leaving small,
unsharpened bit of lead exposed. A
cheap affair in the beginning, it had
evidently been long in use.
It was said that this pencil indi-
Gated person whose point Of view
was ever the material aspect of things;
a person of little delicacy, much greed
and fondness for contemplating
things that represent an immense
amount of physical labor. Energetic,
forceful, determined, in certain way,
the pencil owner, if successful, must
have achieved success through bodily
force, neither using nor recognizing
the power which is finer.
This delineation again was quite
true, as the person who contributed
the pencil had begun as day laborer,
and, in the way pointed out, had
become the owner of trucking busi-
ness.
81 hardly know what to make of
this" said the student of pencils,
scrutinizing one neatly sharpened on
one side and cut in two deep gashes,
that extended into the lead, on the
other. 1T does not seem to be done
by one person"
"It isn't" said he who had col
lected the pencils. Il asked wo-
man who is good deal out of the
common in certain way to sharpen
a pencil for me. She cut into it twice
and then gave it up, saying she could
not do it and l must finish it."
"That makes it plain,'' said the
woman. and I'll wager dollars to
pencil stubs that she has a beautiful
hand, with long, pointed fingers. and
a small, shapely thumb. have
found that the character indicated by
the sharpening of pencil is verified
in the hand.
"Now, she who sharpened, not this
pencil, but one side of it, is an ideal
list I; worshipper at the shrine of
beauty and imagination. Of course,
she would not sharpen pencil if
there was anyone at hand to do it for
her, and, if there was not, she most
likely would not do it herself.
"Fervor of soul she has, enough
and to spare, but when bodily effort
is required she is not equal to the de-
mand. She would see visions, but
would stumble over the first impedi-
ment in her path, however obvious.
It is such as she who have the sixth
sense"
Again the reader of character from
pencils was correct. The woman who
had cut one side of the pencil has pc
culiar gifts, but is helpless when it
comes to the practical things of life.
The last pencil to be examined was
one sharpened in long and short
strokes, sometimes two of kind
together and again alternating. There
was vigor, but no precision, in the
way it was done, and the woman,
smiling as she looked at the pencil,
said:
"This craft can turn in much less
sea room than man Of war requires.
1t was not shapened by woman, of
that am certain, and a weather vane
does not move more easily than does
the one who cut it, but there the like
ness ends, as there is indication of
virile force and certain quick deci-
sion, and also of economy of effort,
which seven times out of ten would
lead the person to score success.
"You see, this is one of the best
makes of pencils, and has an eraser
at the end. The man to whom it be-
longed wastes no time or strength
with poor tools.
The pencil was one obtained from
a member of the Stock Exchange,
whose quick turns from the bull to
the bear side of the market and back
again are proverbial.
AS she gathered up the sheaf of
pencils she had examined, this reader
of character explained that she had
given but the barest outline of what
She could do, and that little obser-
vation and experience would enable
anyone to accomplish more than she
had done, and incidentally; to make
unexpected discoveries as to himself
in noting how he points his own
pencil.