Judged by the Hand.

Otago Witness, Issue 2580, 26 August 1903, Page 61

Judged by the Hand.

If a girl or woman is about to enter matrimony she is, of course, anxious to know the traits and characteristics of the man she has chosen as her lord and master. These she naturally flatters herself that she knows pretty well, from the association that has come to them in their courtship. But many small things may have slipped her notice. Good points and weaknesses may be there that have never come under her observation. Both the man and the woman are apt to be on their best behaviour in the days befoi*e marriage, ,and such things as a hasty temper a$ sulkiness may not come out in tlie brief period that they are in each other's society. But there is one point of the human ana-

tomy that never deceives. As the hand is; so is the nature of the one to whom It belongs. Look there closely if you are going to link your life with that of another. In choosing a husband, avoid a man with long, narfowj.hands. This is the hand of a nervous, • fussy man. It shows that he is vacillating: . The- fat hand, with puffy fingers, is not the one to slip the .wedding ring, upon a fair finger. The owner of such a band is japtr to be lazy and selfish. Very white (hands' are .indicative of an egotistical, selfabsorbed nature. If- the man ha^ very red hands, he is quick-tempered, possessed of high spirits and a sanguine temperament. He is a delightful friend, but makes a poor husband. A hard, thick-skinned hand is often the property^of a man who Jacks intelligence, and who is ;low and phlegmatic. * If the hand or palm is very, hollow, the man will be unsuccessful in business. A network of lines on the palm shows a .worrying, sensitive nature. Signs of delicate health, are blue, short, fat nails, with bo moons. If the nails are curved over like a cat's, the man is cruel and brutal. Red, short, iride nails are signs of pugnacity and hot temper. iNot only by the shape of the hand may 'character. be foretold, but by the shape of the fingers also. Meaning well, but seeing things in a different light from day to day, is the Jperson whose fingers each take a different curve. Bow-legged fingers, which touch only at the tip and base, show ability and strength of character. The fingers which ,Jbend backward mean powerful determination. If they are round, strength, both /physical and mental, is shown. Stubby ifingers are grasping fingers. A finger fbroad at the tip denotes energy. Pointed fingers with smooth joints belong to an impulsive, fickle, and impatient man. A little finger with a decided prominence at the base upon, the outside shows good judgment, and good qualities generally. After all, it is not necessary to closely Scrutinise the hand which is offered to you Jn marriage before breathing the final "No" or "Yes." A glance at a man's thumb should be sufficient, for "the- thumb confesses the man." I?or all time it has been divided into three parts, typifyiifg the three qualities that master the world— Tvill, logic, and love. When the" thumb is unequally developed, and the first phalange is extremely long, it ib neither love nor logic that governs the man, but merely sheer will. If the Jniddle phalange be much longer than the first, reason predominates. When the third phalange is long and the thumb is short, man is revealed as the slave of the senses, guided neither by will nor reason.