The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-11-24
THE MUTE TATTLER
BY MARY LEE WILLIAMS.

The hand has played an important part
in romance and history, in song and
E story, since the dawn of antiquity. We
hear and read great deal about the
beauty of the hand. and so little about
the expression; for ones hand has an
expression, just as eloquent as that Of
ones face.
PaImsts divide the hand into seven
groups
The elementary"
THE square,"
1.-The spatuate."
THE philosophic."
THE comic"
"'rhe psychic
THE mixed hand"
The elementary, the lowest type, they
tell us is coarse and clumsy, with large
thick heavy palm, short fingers and
short nails.
This hand belongs to the robber. the
murderer and the debauche, and its ex-
preston can be defined in one word-re-
pulsive,
The square hand is the useful hand.
This hand belongs to the plodder of the
world, and while it is found in every
walk of life. its owner has a methodical,
orderly. materialistic nature. In every
instance they choose the trodden paths,
and what they lack in originality and
imagination they make up in attention
to detail and close application
Art, music and poetry do not interest
them, really they could not be trnthfully
called refined or affectionate; but are
usually pretty well supplied with the coin
of the realm. and as a consequence pos
sess the good opinion of their associates.
The expression of this hand is, like its
owner, hard and cold. When one grasps
such a hand ones mind Unfortunately re-
verts to ones bank account.
The speculative hand is the nervous. ac-
tive type. This hand, if hard and firm
belongs to nature full of energy and
enthusiasm. If soft and fiabby it de-
notes a restless, irritable spirit. The
broad finger tips of this hand indicate
an intense love of action and independ-
ence. 1t is found chiefly among nayiga-
tors and explorers. engineers and mechan-
les. In appearance it suggests readiness
for battle and ability to establish prece-
dent. Its owner, most certainly will never
be found in a rut-indeed these hands
revolutionize, or attempt to revolutionize
all things.
The philosophic or knotty hand is long
and angular, with prominent joints. AS a
rule it does not belong to the rich. Its
owner seeks wisdom rather than gold
He would play upon every chord in the
harp of life. know every shade of tint in
cloud and leaf. To him the universe is
vast treasure house. He loves the mys-
FERROUS and the beautiful In all formsi his
nature is capable of the deepest affection
and the greatest self-denial. This is the
hand of the idealist. the artist and the
ascetic
The much loved Vatican. who brought
t.,I,
youth and love and gayety into the state
ly. historical art of the seventeenth cen
fury, possessed hands of the philosophic
type. 1t has been said of him, He seemed
always seeking for something that is in
the world in no satisfying quantity, if at
ALL"
Voltaire, that delightful impulsive au-
thor, who loved so ardently and SO often
whose bouyant spirit enabled him to find
humor in the most tragic affairs of life
possessed hands Of this type. This hand
may. and frequently does suggest many
things, but 1t always expressed refine
ment of the highest type.
The comic hand indicates impulse and
instinct 1t is usually of medium size
the palm slightly tapering and the fin
gers full at the base and slightly point
ed at the tips. The possessors love the
beautiful and the artistic. but more than
anything else they love luxury and indo-
lence. These people have the ability to
grasp a subject quickly and in this way
they conceal the superficialfty of Their
knowledge They are changeable in
friendshinp and love. and when angry
usually say what they think regardless
of the feelings of others. They are i'm
questionable in the affairs of the heart
and are very interesting admirers. They
are generous and sympathetic, and will
rise to heights of rapture descend to
the depths of despair over tribe
This hand Is sometimes found with
broad finger tips, and in such cases seems
TO redeem the otherwise tickle nature
The idler then becomes the student: he