FORTUNES TOLD BY SCIENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 104, 3 May 1890, Page 5

FORTUNES TOLD BY SCIENCE.

AN INTERVIEW WITH AN AUCKLAND CHEIROMANTIST.

Tasso is in Auckland. Nob the great Italian poet or his shade, but Tasso B. Hall. A Star representative saw the announcement,and decided that a man with such a name ought to be interviewed, specially aa he described himself as a cheiromantist. Hβ decided to eearch out Mr Hall therefore, but he was saved the trouble. Curiously enough, Mr Hall was at that very moment seized with a desire for a little intelligent conversation, and culled at the Star Office as the mosfj like'y place to obtain what he wanted. The reporter welcomed him. There was a slight misunderstanding at first owing to our representative mixing up the words chiropodisb and cheiromantist. He drew off his boot, and presenting his foot, .desired the stranger to doctor his pet corn. Then Mr Hall, having informed him that he was a professor of palmistry, not a corn-doctor,-the interview proceeded. Mr Hall is a short, sharp-lookine , little man, with an intelligent face, and what the old lady described aa the " hoye of an 'awk." He wears spectacles, but his eyes seem to beam through them so that you. find yourself wondering that they don'b break the lenses.

" So you profess to tell fortunes by hand ?" asked the reporter. Mr Hall intimated that he not only professed to do so, bub undoubtedly did. He was nob a common fortune-teller like the gypsies. His was a science—founded and governed on well-defined rules and laws. Hehasnot been long in Auckland, only about five weeks, and he has had a good many clients. Thus much having been extracted, our reporter asked: " Do most ladies or gentlemen come ?"

" Well," answered the sooth-sayer, "about equal. I was rather surprised at this myself, for generally ib is the ladies who come most, but here in Auckland gentlemen—especially young fellows—seem just as anxious to know their luck and future as the ladies."

" The girls, however," he went on, " take the matter up more. They buy books and sbuely the art for themselves, and then tell their friends their fortunes. You may have heard that the practice of ladies telling fortunes —holding their young men's hand all the while of course—became very popular in London last season." Our man said he had heard something of the sort, and opined that it would not be bad fun if Auckland girls took the thing up. The Professor said he thought they very likely would. The Professor then got hold of our reporter's hand and began telling his fortune —how he would die at fifty-nine years of age, and almosb do so at the age of thirty ; how he would grow rich, and be married twice, and how the first one would be a failure. At this point the hand was withdrawn, and cross-ex-amination again began. " What are the principal signs you judge by, and their significance ?" "■ Well, a large thumb indicates strong will. ' If, when the hand is held up to the light with the fingers lying close together, you can see spaces between, the man or woman is generous. If they fit close, and no cracks are seen between them, then the subject is cautious in benevolence and probably close-fisted. " A short, stout hand indicates an active mind and-laziness of body.

" Ono of the most extraordinary things in connection with the lines on the hands is," broke off Mr Hall in the midst of his explanations, "one of the most extraordinary is that after death all lines disappear from the inside of the human hand. I was once at an inquest, and pointed out the phenomena to several present, amongst them a doctor."

"Do you depend entirely on the hands for your estimate of character ?" % "By no means. I always take the face into consideration. Full pouting lip 9 indicate affection for instance."

"You bet," interjected the reporter, dreamily.

"Thin lips which retreat show wanb of affection and cruelty."

" Can you find anything else.out by lips ?" questioned our man, interestedly. " Oh, yes, heaps, but it would take too long to explain. A large upper lip, for instance, indicates great tenacity of purpose." • ...-,. " Can you tell anything by the eyes ?" "Of course. Dark eyes show penetration, those, very light in colour wane of intelligence."

"Oh, indeed."

"Yes, and the chin too tells us something. Artists have generally oval chins. A great square chin indicates firmness of character." ,

" But to return to the hands, Mr Hall. What can you tell from them ?"

"Well," was the startling reply, 'flean tell a murderer, or a man who will be one, from his hands. He has always a heavy, club thumb, and the hand it3elf is thick, heavy and red. It is always carried half closed."

" And a pickpocket's, can you tell that ?"'

"Certainly; why not? A pickpocket's bond is lithe, narrow, very long and white. The fingers are always exactly the same length one with another. " A gambler," went on the Professor, "has a small hand with the firsb three fingers of the same length. His lips are thin and nearly always closed. His eye is very bright and keen. He himself is generally a very good judge of character from face reading." " Can you tell other professions ?" " Great engineers have short fingers, their eyes are set wide apart, and they generally have heavy eyebrows.

"Builders, on the contrary, andarchitects have small hands. Literary men have long bony narrow hands with a loose and yellowed skin. You have missed your vocation ; you should have gone to the bar." Our man reserved his opinion. He thought he went often enough. After a little advice and some warning the Professor took his leave.