WHY WE SHAKE HANDS.
To slinko hands with a person is rightly regarded as a token of amity, but very few know how this custom arose. According to a French cthonologist, whenever two men met in former days, they were accustomed to hold up their right hand in front of them as a sign that they iiad no intention of attacking each other. This mark of confidence, however, did not prove sudicient in all cases, for a man may hold up his right hand, and yet, if he keeps it closed, may have a weapon concealed in it, and therefore it became the custom for the two right hands to grasp each other, as only thus could full assurance bo given that no weapon was concealed in either of them. Formerly, therefore, this gesture, now the token of loyalty and friendship, was one,of reciprocal distrust.
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Bibliographic details
Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 17, Issue 6, 23 January 1903, Page 2
Word Count
145WHY WE SHAKE HANDS. Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 17, Issue 6, 23 January 1903, Page 2
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