The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
HAND WILL ALWAYS
 IDENTIFY 4 MAN Occupation Always Leaves
 Some Marks HOW TO TELL GAMBLER Cannot Often Tell Exact Occupation, But People Can Be Classified
 in General Way By
 Keen Observer
HOW TO TELL GAMBLER


 Two men were seated on a cross seat
 in street car One was young, alert
 intelligent. The other was middle aged
 quiet apparently little interested in the
 surroundings.
 The car stopped at the corner and
 among the passengers who boarded 1t was
 a well dressed. tall rather slender man
 Of about 35, who took the seat just in
 fornt of them and rested his right arm
 along the back of the seat. the hand
 hanging over the end.
 The young man gave the newcomer q
 quick, comprehensive look The older man seemed scarcely to notice him. Presently the young man put into whis- lpered words the thought that had been | puzzling him.
 l T wonder what he Is" l Gambler the other replied laconic- ally. Card sharp"
 Do you know him?9 the young man asked with interest.
 "No; never saw him before"
 How do you know he's a gambler, then?" The young man became half skeptical instantly
 | ly. His hand
 1 Yes" the young man asserted after a critical examination of the hand T see the fingers are long and taperins and white, but that might mean mu- sician or an artist or professional man doctor. lawyer, minister" | "It might" the older man smiled patronizingly. If it wasn't for the way he holds his hand. Don't you see that the fingers are close together-they touch, in fact-and tho general ten dency is for the palm 10 be turned to- ward the body?" The younger man nodded, the light of comprehension dawning on his face, and his companion continued That's why l say he's a card sharp. Holding the cards has got ten him, into the habit of keeping his fingers close together, slightly curved, with the thumb and part of the base of the thumb folded over to conceal the cards from every one but himself Nat urally, too, he. would hold the palm inward all the time. When he relaxes, even without any cards in his hands. the old habit exerts it's infuence.p The young man nodded again, but the older one saw that he was still un- convinced
 NOW" he went on. If the man were musician or an artist, or any of those you mentioned, those fingers would fall apart slightly. Try it yourself and see how natural 1t is whom you relax the muscles for the fingers to leave each other"
 The young man tried and was con- vinced. Later his companion made the proof overwhelming When they Jeff the car a policeman was in the vesti- hule. The officer said, in response to ! question, that the man was John Blank card gambler.
 | The old man was a professor of psy- chology, interested in tracing the effect of habits of thought and work upon the body.
 Here is young man who drops his hand on the table, or his knee, with the three smaller fingers partly closed un- der, the index finger slightly pointing E | out and forming an angle with . thumb held nearly straight He is a clerk or a bookkeeper, a man who han dies pen or pencil most of the tima turing his working hours. That is a physical habit almost exclusively though at times ., may be possible to determine whether he has been boring over figures for along time. The men tai effort to concentration has a ten dency to contract the muscles of the fingers somewhat and the thumb and index fingers are nearer at right angles
 There are certain lines of work which leave distinct traces upon the posluon of the hands at rest. There's the gam bier and the clerk and the booAAeeper. already mentioned
 It isn't often that you can be certain of the exact profession or occupation, but you can classify them generally.
 There is decided tendency among all of these classes for the hands to take the position of a loosely closed fist when they are at rest. Sometimes it is possible to detect a bricklayer hy the manner in which the ends of the fingers and thumb of the left hand are calloused or worn slightly raw from continual handling of the bricks. The carpenter and blacksmith are likely to have the muscular part of their hands between the bases of thumb and index finger rather unusually developed This results from the reaction of the blows continually struck in bea ting iron, driving nails or in blaming work Tho right hand of the plasterer prob ably will show a calloused place be- twen the thumb and index finger The right hand of the bricklayer may show the same characteristic a little more pleinly In some instances the mason doesn't grasp the trowel handle as he would a club, but extends the index finger to press down the trowel sligh- l ly. In these cases there is not likely to be a calloused spot between thumb and finger. but the tip of the first finger will be hard.
 | Another class of workers, such as clerks, bookkeepers, artists, draftsmen, etc, generally hold their hands more open when at rest than do the first l class. It is difficult to distinguish be- tween the different members of these professions. though occa asionally there are characteristic marks on the hands | that will help But these marks vary according to the temperament" of the particular subject. The bookkceper and 1 the draftsman who find their work diff fcult and perform 1t under nervous 1 tension probah bly, will have hard places at the same spot--at the first joint of the middle finger
 | Then there is another class of workers who use their hands but do not grasp thcir tools at all--typists, pianists, or ganists. Wien at rest their hands usua l. ly take the form of a bridge, with the tips of the fingers and the wrist rest ing upon the table, seat or laps. Most of
 those who use the typewriter continual ly are likely to have the hand a tri1e l,,,ar r1n mia ct thap