Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30


Science sees no good in attempts to read
character in the bumps on your head. 1t
refuses to believe that red-haired people are
by inference fiery-tempered. Nevertheless SCI
ence cautiously thinks there may be something
significant in handwriting.
Rather slowly and quietly the significant
facts about handwriting in relation to person.
atty are being discovered. The scientific dis"
cOveries are sweeping away the glib character
readings of the handwriting fortune teller.
One of the psychologists who is doing much
to put the science of handwriting solid
ground is a woman, DR.. June Downey, pro-
feSsor of psychology at the University of Wy
0ming. At a recent meeting of psychologists
DR. Downey reported to an interested audience
her latest discoveries as to what it means to
write backhand
Now psychologists who read character from
handwriting have always maintained that the
slant of your handwriting is a barometer OF
your emotional traits; if you write stratghtly
vertical hand you person of normal emo
tiOnal makeup, not readily excitable, moderate
~ responsive; if your handwriting slantS far
forward it is supposed to betoken eagerneSs,
and warm affection whereas slant to the left
indicates reserve and GOODNESS an anti-Social
nature.
Psychologists long ago pointed out feeble
link in this line of reasoning, for left-handed
people are most frequently addicted to back
hand writing, and surely lefthandedneSS does
not imply a chilly attitude toward the world.
Still there remained to be accounted for a
large number of right-handed people who push
. backhand pen.
WONDERING if these right-handed individ-
uals could be left-handers in disguise, DIR.
DOwney questionnaired about TOO of her right
handed acquaintance and found that per
cent of them wrote backhand. At the meeting
she reported to the psychologists that she has
analysed As of these supposedly right-handed
bankhand writer's and has found that some OF
them had been left-handed babies who were
taught to the right hand. Some were
ambidextrous, using both hands for skilled
tasks. Fully so per cent of the backhand writ
ers had dominant left eye, or depended on
the two eyes impartially.
Hence an urge to write backhand need not
make you fear that you have a heartless and
chilly nature. 1t means more probably that
you have tendency to be left-handed, which
may have been long ago suppressed by well
meaning parents, or more probably still, you
have a tendency to be left-eyed.
sEOFTEN the graphologist proceeds by the
~ easy way of superficial analogy and
argues that the individual who puts generous
fouriSheS on his gs will also be generous in
his dealings with his neighbor, or asserts that
loops running high above the base line indicate
ASPIRATION, and that loops extending far below
the line show materialistic tendencies.
'5uch deduction fails to analyze the writ
ing movement. 1t does not explain how q
motor habit can be an index to a mental dis
position. Nor does it satisfactorily link graphic
speed, rhythm and form with the phases OF
personality for very little is known about these
matters"
The completely of the problem has been
shown by evidence that trait of handwriting.
such as large letters, may be due to bad eye
sight, mental disease, from initiating some
one eISe's dashing style. Further, an indvid-
uaI's writing varies from day to day with the
effects of WEAKNESS, excitement weather con-
ditiOns, lighting arrangements unconscious i'm
ftatiOn or drugs