FASHIONS IN HANDSHAKES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIV, Issue XV, 14 April 1900, Page 708

FASHIONS IN HANDSHAKES.

The "Daily Mail” a few weeks ago gave several sketches illustrating l the fashions in handshakes. We reproduce three of the pictures, together with some of the remarks" that accompanied them. When men put force and character into their handclasp, the pump-handle vogue was very modish among hearty friends, who would shake away for several seconds, while they looked ono another in the eyes, anil spent the

force of their gladness in phrases expatiatory of their extreme joy in the meeting. Then they would take a rest, and once again the more exuberant of the paii- would seize his comrade's hand and begin the whole process over again.

But there were jn-ople who shrank from the pump-handle shake. It made the recipient so conspicuous. They were content to display their feelings less openly, and mostly patronised a feeble, flabby sort of greeting. Using their hands as if they were fins or flappers, they inertly insinuated them into the grasp of their comrade, and then let them flop down, still quits inertly. The only drawback to this sort of mild greeting was discovered when two shakers of the same calibre met.

The result was that no hand-shake was accomplished. The pair of fins met. grazed one another, and parted, this was the hand-clasp in decadence. But the hand-shake that was most sincere was the “grip of iron.” This clasp is shown in the picture above, and though it sometimes was a little painful to bear, it nevertheless left no doubt that the shaker was pleased to meet von.