The Tupelo journal., 1910-04-22

promptu dissertation on character.
The ingenuity of some of these fellows
Is amazing.
l used to watch n of them in
drawfng-rooms, and he found his
greatest success, %curiously enough,
not in flattery but in graceful insult.
1t was a treat to see him take the
hand Of a hopelessly respectable old
lady of an unblemished humdrum-
merry. glance at her palm, start with
a shock, look at her with amazement,
and refuse to read her hand before
people. l said 1t was a treat to watch
her, as she writhed with delighted
horror at his aspersions or character
lstics which, he told her, discretion or
cowardice had kept in check, but
which her hand-ah, her hand dis
played so that he who read might
rum!
Palmistry has kept what place 1t
has kept in civilized liberation by
the fact that its character studies can
hardly go entirely wrong. And palm
lists have taken good care to provide
a refuge from every mistake. The
wicked trait which n mount" pro-
claims Is annulled by the opposite
trait proclaimed by a star" the aw-
full thing which this Zine" threatens
Is Cancelled by the shape of a "pha-
lange;" grille contradicts "tri-
ANGLE" island" conquers CROSS"
spatulate finger gives the lie to conf
cal thumb, and the nails to the
knuckles.
Palmistry, then, involves nothing
very tragic, because its very believers
do not believe in it very much. The
chief objections to 1t are that 1t Is
false in premise and conclusion, that
It is a silly superstition allying itself
to ~astrology and phrenology and for
tune-telling, and that 1t is used to an
extent by cheap %swindlers to wheedl
money from people who could lind
better uses for 1t.
When paImistry pretends to vivisec'
character, it is merely diverting non
sense like charades and conundrums
When palmistry assumes to utter
prophecies, it becomes impudent as
we'll as puerile. When the palmist sets
himself UP as a counselor upon mat
ters oil personal conduct, he becomes
a public nuisance. 1t is a pitiful thing
for a state to allow liars and charla
fans to decoy the poor and the fool
ish flor no one else visits them), ant
take hard-earned dollars for worthless
advice. 1t is obtaining money under
false pretenses, and in many enight
ened communities professional palm
lists are under the legal ban along with
thimble-riggers, cla~irvoyants, pick
nockets. uuack doctors, and confidence
operators.
Among the numerous palmists work
ing New York Is one who has the un
speakable impertinence to advertise
such monstrous falsehoods as this:
-, the palmist, tells you about
business, lawsuits, changes and the
best moves to make, how to turn fail
ure into success and accomplish youl
ends. Marriages, divorce, personal
Disbursements, love affairs and all so
cial matters, and how to rectify mis-
takes are dwelt upon with great &C
+ He has brought light to many
in trouble. Ill health, accidents. dan
gers. enemies and all the evils thai
beset mankind are plainly indicated
and words of warning given. You
make no mistake in consulting him
"The hand is the mirror rejecting
the many events the future holds, and
palmistry shows how to change your
relation to Fate, and thus choose the
hest course. Thousands who are sue
cessful in every walk of life are be-
ing guided b. it to-day"
These are typical springes for
w~oodcocks, and many palmists are
even less immodest In their claims
than this man. All the professionals
guarantee not only to sound the
cayerns of character, but also to read
1.-THE vast backward and abysm" OF
your past and the vast forward and
abysm of your future.
The libraries contain black-letter
tones In the French, English, Ger
man. Latin of centuries ago giving
true and infallible signs which make
any palm as legible as this mornings
newspaper.
/ should like to quote some of the