Thumbs and Character

Southland Times, Issue 12730, 14 October 1893, Page 1 (Supplement)

Thumbs and Character

It has been said the thumb individualises the man. That this is true in a sense, none of us can doubt, since man alone possesses its formation in ths-bighest degree. The neatest approachi in gqnerahkhapei'to ■human thumb is that-of thb’monkey. Ob-!, 'eerire, however, the one-formed with its complement of ’ sinews and musdles, of bone, skin, and nai},. faultlessly arranged for'madipulatioh .in every department of labour, Then turn to tho other, and yon will realise impoUWhpart the hand plays in the every-day economy of life. Qbifosqpbisis «ar ( e primary disposition may be estimated by the HZ® /fibffiPr ;C9lour, #»d • tq«Jurp<fflf |onr bands, Look, then, to your friends and their-hands,.and.in ..them you.have.a.suro. indication of the relative strength or weakness of their respective characters, their fineness or coarseness of structure, and so on, not forgetting that small hands always accompany a fine and delicate organism, as opposed to their larger r brethren, which denote greater-powqr ibnt’lesH rqfinenieptJ and feeling. To the thumb we look for two very important attrib, man?— will and logic ; and in proportion to its greatenor ,lesq .qo are ..they equally pronounced.' We all more orless judge our. friends instinotively by their general appearance, manner, dress, and, may be, their little are .struckby.tho general harmony or otherwise. Wo may expect a men who is neat and orderly in hisdress and person to be the same in all the affairs of'every-day life, provided his sense of neatness does not arise from a feeling, of vanity. Again, it is possible to note which feeling does predominate. Indeed, none of us can be sure our neighbour does not read us as though we were an open book, in which our several dispositions, abilities, and even the minute shapings of-.our character; lie open to inspection. This is equally applicable to our thumbs. One that is well-formed, clearly defined, firm,, and of medium height, the joint a little more than midway between the ball and the tip, would indicate a well-regulated mind, good judgment, a certain amount of enthusiasm, plenty of energy, and determination and ability to succeed. The Chinese have long recognised ibe never-failing individuality „o£ the thumb, An impression is taken upoh-eoft wax of tbo thumb of every criminal, to be used should occasion require for. purposes of identification. Frequently this very original method has served to establish tbo identity of the accused vhen all others had signally failed. The thumb is a distinct boautifier of tho hand, and as an inidicator of mentality should be, in order to possess i’s highest significance, firm, though not hard, to tho touch, flexible, and throughout equally proportioned to the size and shape of the hand. The possessor of such a thumb would_.be distinguished for his love of justice and jintogrity in all matters relating to existence. He would be a keen observer and a good thinker, energetic self-reliant, persevering; and last, though not least, .essentially a practical and philanthropic man.. It may be taken as ajgeneral rule that as the thumb decreases ip size in proportion to the hand so does the possessor become capricious, irresolute, and wanting in barmony of character—a mere creature of impulse, lacking steady application and that executive ability which only largethumbed subjects possess.