its is t b é m in e , so is t h e form

C H E I RO S
’

L A N G UA G E OF TH E HAND
A 0

CO M P L ETE PR AC T I C A L WORK O N T H E S C I E N C E S O F C H E I R OGN O MY

A N D C H EI R O M AN C Y . CO NTAI NI N G T H E SY STE M , R U LES .

A ND E X P E R I E N C E O F

CH EI RO
3a

Fzfiy fi ve E dipage I llusb a lzons a n d o ve r Two Hundr e d Engr a whgs

- - '
, o f Lin e s ,

Mo un t s a n d M ar ks ,

3‘

D R AW I N G S O F T H E S EV E N TYP E S BY T H E O D O R E
'
‘

REP R OD UC TI ON S OF F AM O US HAND S AL SO N OR M AL A ND A B NOR MAL HAND S ,

TAK E N F R O M LI FE , I N CL UD I N G i
,

The hands of M a da m e Sa rah B e rnhar dt M a r k Tw a in M a da m e Nordi ca C o l R G ln ge rso ll

, , , . . . .

M rs F ra k L e sli e M r W T S t e a d T h e R igh t H o n o ra ble j o s e ph Cha m b e rla in M P

. n . . . , , . ..

A u s te n Cha m b e rl a in E sq M P M s A n n i e B e sa n t S ir F re de r i c k L e ight o n P R A
, .
, . . , r . . , . .

S ir j o h n L u b b o c k M P , T h e C o u t e ss o f Ab e r de e n S ir E dw i n A r n o ld T h e L o rd
. .
,
n , ,

Chie f j u st i ce o f E gla n d Th e Swa m i Vi ve ka n a n da R e v C H Pa r khuf

n ,
r st D D L a dy , . . . , . .
,

L in dsa y S ir A rt h u r Su lliv a n L a dy H e n ry So m e rse t A P ro m i e t M e m b e r o f t h e H o u se

, , ,
n n

o f Co m m o ns M a da m e M e lb a L o r d C h a rl e s B e re sfo r d M r W illia m Whi t e le y G e n

, , , . , .

Sir R e dve rs Bu lle r V C K C B R e v M in o t j Sa va ge a n d H N H iginbo t ha m Esq

, . .. . . . .
, . . , .

FIFT E E N T H E DIT IO N
C o n t a in in g I ll u s t r a t io n s o f the .
W o n de r fu l Sc ie n t ific I n v e n t io n
t h e A ppa r a t u s fo r
.

THOUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AND REGI STE R OF CEREBRAL FORCE

3‘

N I CH OLS C0 R A N D M CN A L LY C0
PU B L I SH E R S
. .

3 O x fo r d St re e t L 0 I d0n , W Chic a g o an d N e w Y o rk
\
, . .
 R E V I SE D E N L A R G E D E D I T I ON
'

AN D .

COP YR I G HT , 1 89 7 ,

B Y L E I OH DE H A M ON G .

CO P Y R I G HT ,
1 900,

B Y R AN D , M CN A L L Y CO .

LIBRA RY
BR I GHA I I 1
we U N I V E R SI TY
P R O VO. UTA H
 D E D I CA TI ON .

WH A T do I br i g?
n

K i n d L i fe , t is b u t l l
it t e t h in g
’
a ,

A flo w e r I l o v e d in y o u t h ;
i
A flo w e r u po n t h e w a y s de t hro w n ,
Yet one i
t h e l ps of tru th h a v e k n o wn ,

A n d is i t se lf a tru t h .

CH E I R O .
 P R E F A CE .

TO believe is to perceive—e ither b y the senses or the sou l This distin o

.

t io n constit u tes two classes—the skeptic a n d the believer, whi c h , thou gh

depe n dent o n , may yet be i n c omprehe n sible to , each other ; b u t both bein g
n ecessary to establis h the bala n ce O f tho u ght they are forced into existe n c e
,

a n d become t h e li n ks a n d c ross li n ks whi c h make life’ s en dless chai n from

-

thou ght t o tru t h .

I n placin g the followi n g w ork before the p u blic tho u gh deeply co n scio u s
,

O f my respo n sibility , I am also c o n s cio u s O f the goo d that may be d erived

throu gh s u c h a st u dy I have therefore en deavored to write , not for a n y

.

distin c t class b u t for all , believin g in the u ltimate u n iversal acceptance

,

O f those n at u ral laws which co n stit u te n atu re a n d c o n trol ma n ki n d a n d

,
,

w hich are pec u liarly exemplifie d by th is stu dy O f the han d .

A trifle is n o n c e a le d imme n sity—the atom is equ al to the whole in

the importan ce O f it s existe n ce ; if therefore , this stu dy be con sidere d by
,

s ome too trivial for their atte n tio n , I wo u l d remi n d them that man y of the

greatest tru ths the world has k n own , thou gh o n ce c o n si dered trivialities, h ave
become sou rces of in fin ite power I w ou l d ask of su ch people n othi n g more
.

t han that they investigate this

“ a tom
”
for themselves , restin g assu red that
t h e stu dy will prove its tru th , whether exami n ed from the pa lm ist ic theory,
o r from the fact that
“ progressive spe c iali z ation of stru ctu re produ ce s s u it
”

a bility O f shap e , which by stu dy c a n be c l a sse d u n der vario u s hea d s dealin g

w ith those characteristics c ommo n to o c c u patio n s su rro u n din gs , a n d tem

,

p e r a m e n ts .

In the accompan y ing D efen se Of Cheiroman c y I have endeavore d to

c olle c t t h e m a n y fac ts , b oth medical a n d s c ie n tific , which c a n be bro u ght

for ward to demonstrate that, as the han d s are the serva n ts of the system so ,

a ll th a t a ff ects the system a ff ects them . In followin g o u t the ideas of many

vi P r ef a ce .

famo u s m e n o n the s u bject O f the n erve -con n ection betwee n the brain a n d
the ha n d , I have in every case give n my au thority for whatever stateme n t I
have adopte d I tru st that in this way eve n the greatest skep t i c in s u c h mat
.

ters will be led to see that the st u dy O f the han d has n o t been co n fin e d alon e
to the atten tio n O f those he has so O fte n bee n please d to call weak mi n de d,- ”

b u t , o n the co n trary, that m e n of learn i n g, both amon g the philosophers O f

Greece a n d the scien tists O f the prese n t , have co n sidere d the s u bj ect worthy
of their time a n d atten tio n .

Whe n the mysterio u s ac t io n O f the brain a n d its in flu e n ce over the en tire

bo dy are co n si dere d, it is n o t s u rprisin g t o fi n d t hat those s cie n tists who
first proved th at t h e m are m ore n erves between the brain a n d the han d than
in a n y o t her portio n of the system n o w go so far with their i n vestigatio n s
as even to decide that the brain can n ot think withou t the ha n d feelin g the
i n fl u e n c e Of the thou ght It w ill th u s be seen that , view in g palmistry from
.

this sta n dpoin t alo n e , it be c omes a st u dy not c o n trar y to the dic tates of
re a so n , b u t in ac c ordan ce with those n at u ral laws that we O bserve in the
shapin g O f eve n in a n imate O bje c ts , which , by de m o n stratin g the e fle ct O f a
heretofore cau se , are in themselves the cau se O f a hereafter e fi e c t .

I n prese n ti n g with this work the ha n ds O f fam o u s people , I have do n e so

w it h the O bje c t both of e n ablin g the st u de n t to stu dy the han ds O f t h o se w ith
whose li v es a n d chara c teristics he is for the most part acqu ain ted, a n d also
in or der to show the rea der at a gla n ce the di ff ere n ce that exists between the
han ds of people O f differe n t temperame n ts It wo u ld n o t be in keepin g wit h
.

the p u rpose Of this book if I w ere to give a delin eat io n O f su ch han ds I n the .

first place , their o w n ers are too w ell kn own to m ake the readi n gs O f valu e
as a test ; a n d in the secon d the stu de n t w il l derive greater be n efit by trac
,

in g o u t for himself the li n e s a n d formatio n s that exhibit e a c /w e ll k n own

h
-

char a c teristic .

I n the followin g c hapters I have e n deavored to place clearly a n d ca n

didly before the in tellige n c e O f the reader the r u les a n d theories that I
have proved to be tru e a n d those fro m whose fo u n dation I have b u ilt u p
,

w hatever s u ccess I may have a chieve d I have don e so for two reason s : the
.

fi r st —a n d most important—bei n g, that I be lie v e in cheiroman cy and wish to

s e e it acknowledge d as it deserves to be
; the seco n d is ,
that t h e time is
 P r ef a ce . vii

not far distant when , from con siderations of health a n d demands from other
fields O f labor, I m u st perforc e retire from the sce n e a n d leave others—I tru st
n —
more compete t to take my plac e It is for t h ese reason s , as a n e n co u rage
.

me n t to those who may follow, a n d to sho w what this stu dy has don e a n d can
do , that in the A ppe n dix at the back of this book w ill be fo u n d the O pin io n s
of both the press a n d the p u blic as to the resu lts O btained by the ru les a n d
methods set forth by this work .

N othi n g has been more remove d from m y thou ghts than the i n tentio n O f
givi n g Offen se to a n y sectio n O f the co m m u n ity by a n y expressio n , religio u s
-

or otherwise, con tained in these p ages I h ave , however, u se d my right O f

.

in depe n den ce O f tho u ght a n d free dom O f speech If, therefore , my remarks
.

sh o u ld give Ofi e n se to a n y sect, comm u n ity, or people , I a m w illin g to take the

respon sibility Of s u ch state m en ts ;b u t I ask Of my accu sers that if, in the
co u rt O f their conscie n ce , my expressio n s shou l d be co n demn ed , it be o n
my head alo n e they h u rl their co n dem n atio n , a n d n o t o n the m u ch -maligne d
stu dy which it has ever bee n my effort to r a ise—n o t to disgra c e .

I n co n clu sio n , I wish to say that , in my prese n t to u r rou n d the world I ,

hope to visit every c ivilize d c ou n try, a n d I t a ke this O pportu n ity of express

in g my than ks to those ce n ters O f ci v ili z atio n whi ch I have already visite d
fo r the atte n tion a n d co u rtesy I have received .

CH E I R O .

SE CON D E D I TI ON .

Th e fi rst e di tio n o f fi v e tho u san d co pi e s hav in g b e e n e xh au st e d in t h e sho rt space

o f f o u r m o n ths, is in itse lf a grati fy i n g pro o f o f t h e fav o r w i th w hi ch t h e b o o k h a s

b e e n r e ce iv e d .

I n r e v is i n g it a n d pro du c i n g a se c o n d e di ti o n , I hav e e n de av o re d t o m ak e i t sti ll

m o r e v al u ab le t o t h e stu de n t, b y add i g s n o m e m o re w o rl k n o w n han ds, i n cl u di n g
d -

th o se Of Sir F re de ri ck L e i ghto n , Sir J o hn L u b b o ck , Sir E dw i n A rn o ld, A usti n Cham

b e r l a in , E sq ,M P , a n d t h e Co u n t e ss o f A b e rde e n
. . . .

Th e han d o f A u st i n Cham b e rlai n has b e e n place d n e xt t o that O f hi s f ath e r, t h e

R i ght H o n J o s e ph Cham b e rlai n , as a str ik i n g e xa m pl e o f h e re di ty in t h e shape a n d
.

p o s i ti o n o f t h e l i n e s,
in dicati v e n o t o n ly o f char a ct e r,
b u t o f s im il arity i
n the ge n e ral
i

aspe cts of c are e r .

CH E I E O .
 SP E C I A L E D IT I O N .

IN the Second E dition also in the Third a n d Fou rth I have a dded several
, ,

important a n d interestin g han d s that I con sid ered helpfu l a n d i n stru cti v e to
t h e st u dent in the p u rsu it o f this s t u d y Sinc e the p u b lic ation o f t h e First .

E dit io r I have f u rther increase d the b ook b y addin g to it

r

Th e hand Of A U ST E N CH A M B E RL A I N , E sq , M P . . .
,

Th e C o u N T E ss O F A B E R D E E N ,
Sir J O H N L U B B O C K,
Sir E D W I N A R N O L D ,
Sir F R E D E R I C K L E I GH T O N ,
Th e SW A M I V I V E xA N A N D A ,

Th e R e v C H . . . P A R K H U R ST, D D . .
,

p u blishin g O f the last E dition I have e n deavored to mak e it stil l

In t h e
m ore v al u ab le b y su ch additio n s as

Th e han d of L A D Y L I N D SA Y ,
Sir A R T H U R SUL L I V A N ,
L A D Y H E N R Y SO M ER SE T,
A . J . B .
,

MELBA
M AD A M E ,

L OR D C H A R L E S B E R E SF OR D ,
Mr W I L L I A M W H I T E L E Y
.
,

G e n R E D V E R S B UL L E R
.
,

R e v MI N O T J SA V A G E
. . .

H N H I G I N B O T H A M E SQ
. .
, .

I tru st in this w a y to make the b ook n o t o n ly

of u se t o the stu dent ,

b u t also of historical valu e in the colle c tion of h a n ds whose ow ners have

b een m ore or l ess i n stru mental in i n fl u en cin g b oth the thou ght O f the a ge
a n d the d esti n y O f manki n d I n cases w here t h e le f t han ds are given t h e
.
,

right d oes n o t come o u t clear e n ou gh in the impressionfo r repro du ctio n .

w;

CH E I R O .

A D D R E SS A L L CO M M UN I C A TI O N S I N CA R E O F TH E P UB L I SH E R S

fo r
“Th o u h t P h o t “
For a cco u n t o f t he a pp a r a t us g o gr a p hy a n d R egis t e r o f C e r e br a l F o r ce.
se e Par t I V.
 C O N TE N T S .

PA RT I —CH EI ROGNOM Y
. .

C HA PT E R

I . OF TH E SH AP E S OF H AN D S A N
D FI NGE R S
II . TH E E L E M ENTAR Y , OR L OW E ST TYP E . .

I II . TH E SQUAR E H AN D AN D I T S SU B D I VI SI ON S

Th e S q u ar e i
H an d w t h Sh o r t S u a r e F n ge r s q i .

Th e Sq u ar e i
H a n d w t h L o n g S u a r e F n ge r s q i .

Th e Sq u ar e y i
H a n d wit h K n o t t F n ge r s .

Th e Sq u ar e Han d w it h Sp a t la t e F i ge r s u n .

Th e Sq u ar e Han d w it h C i c F i ge on n r s.

Th e Sq uare Han d w it h P ych i c F i ge ss n r

Th e Squ a r e H a n d w it h M ix e d F i ge s n r .

IV .

V . TH E PH I L OSOP HI C H AN D
VI . TH E CON I C H AN D
VI I . TH E P SY CH I C H A N D
VI I I . TH E M I XE D H AN D
I X TH E TH UM B
.

Th e Su pple j i - o n t e d Th u m b .

Th e Fi m j i t
r - o n ed Th u m b .

Th e Se co n d Ph a la n ge .

X . TH E Jo s OF T H E F I N G ER S
XI . TH E FI N GE R S

Th e L e n gt h of the F i n ge r s in R e la t i o n t o On e A n o t h e r .

XI I . TH E PAL M , AN D LAR GE AN D SM AL L H AND S

XI I I . TH E NAI L S

L o n g Na ils in Re l ti
a on l
t o He a th .

Sh o r t N a ils in Re l ti
a on t H lt h
o ea .

i
D spo s ti io n a s sh o w n b y t h N il se a .
x Con t en ts .

H AI R O N TH E H AN D S — A SU GG E STI VE TH E O R Y
.

M OUN T S, TH E I R P O SI T I ON AN D T H E I R M E AN I N G S

Th e M o u n t of V e n u s.

Th e M o u n t Of Ju pit er .

Th e M o u n t Sa t u r n
Of .

Th e M o u n t O f t h e Su n .

Th e M o u n t Of M e r cur y .

Th e M o u n t Of Mar s .

Th e M o u n t Of Lu n a .

Th e L e a n i n g Of t h e M o u n t s t o w a r d On e A n o t h e r .

XV I . TH E H AN D S OF NA TI ON S .

Th e E l em en t ar yH an d .

q
Th e S u a r e H a n d, an d t h e Na t i
on s re p r e se n t e d b y it .

il p i
Th e P h o so h c .

Th e Co n c i .

Th e Sp t l ta u a e .

Th e P y hi
s c c.

PA R T I I . CH E I R O M AN CY .

I . A F E W R EM A R K S IN RE FE R EN CE T O TH E R E AD I N G OF TH E B A ND
II . TH E L I N E S O F TH E H AN D
III . I N R E L A T I ON TO TH E L I NE S
IV . TH E R I G H T AN D LE FT H AN D S
V . TH E L I N E OF LI FE

VI I I . T H E L I NE O F H EA D I N R E L A TI ON T O TH E SE V E N TYP E S

Th e L i n e Of H e a d in R e l i
at on t o th e S q u ar e H an d .

Th e Li n e Of H e a d in R l e a ti on to the S pa t l u at e H a n d .

Th e Li n e Of H e a d in Rel a tion to t h e P h il ph i H
o so c an d .

Th e Li n e of H e a d in R l e a ti on to the C i H
on c d an .

Th e Li n e Of H e a d in R l e a tion to t h P y h ic H
e s c d an .

I N SANI T Y As SH OW N B Y T H E LINE OF H E AD
M ur de r o u s P r o p e it i
ns e s a s sh o w n by the L i n e Of H e ad .

TH E L I N E OF H E AR T
TH E L I N E O F FA TE
TH E L I N E OF SU N
TH E L I N E OF H E AL TH , OR T H E H E PAT I CA
TH E V I A L A SCI V A AN D TH E L I N E O F I N T U I TI O N
TH E GI R D L E OF V E N U S, T H E RIN G OF SA TU R N , AN D TH E TH R E E B R A CE L E T S .

TH E L I NE OF M AR R I A GE
 Con t en ts .

CH APTE R

Th e St a r on th e M ont 11 9 1? Ju t e r
/
,
pi .

Th e St a r on th e M o u n t o f Sa t u r n .

Th e St a r on the M o u n t O f t h e Su n .

Th e St a r on th e M o u n t O f M e r cu r y .

Th e St a r on th e M o un t Of M ar s .

Th e St a r on the M ou n t Of Lu n a .

Th e St a r on th e Mou n t Of V e n u s.

Th e St ar on the F i n ge r s .

TH E CR O SS
TH E SQU A R E
TH E I SL A ND , TH E CI R CL E , TH E SP OT
TH E G R I L L E , TH E TR I AN GL E , “L A CR O I x M Y ST I QU E , ”
TH E RI N G OF

H AND S COV E R E D W I T H L I N E S— TH E COL O R O F TH E P AL M

Sm o o t h H a n ds .

Th e Sk n i .

Th e Co l o r Of th e Pa m l .

TH E GR EA T TR I AN GL E AN D TH E QUAD R AN GL E
Th e U pp er An gl e .

Th e M i ddl e A gl
n e .

Th e L o w e r A gl e
n .

Th e Qu a dr a n gl e .

XXV . TR A V EL , VO Y A G E S, AN D A CCI DE N T S
TI M E —TH E SY STE M OF SE V E N

'
P A RT I I I - I L L USTR A I I V E TY PE S
'

. .

I . A FE W WO R D S ON SU I CI D E
II . TH E P E CU L I AR I T I E S OF H AN D S T H A T SH O W A SU I CI DAL TE N D E N CY
I II . PR OP E N SI TI E S F OR M U R D ER
IV . VA R I OU S P H A SE S OF I N SAN I T Y
Me l a n ch o ly d R ligi
an e ou s M a dn e ss .

Th e D e v e o l pm t f t h e
en o Cr a n k .

Th e N a t u r a lM d m a n n .

V . M o D U s OPE R AN D I

TH O UG HT P H O TOG R AP H Y A ND R E G I STE R OF CE R E B R A L F O R CE
I LL U STR A TI ON S OF F AM O U S H AN D S

A P P EN DI X .
 L I ST O F I L L U ST R A T I O N S .

E L E M E N TAR Y
SQUA R E , OR U SE FU L H AN D
SP AT U L A TE , OR A CT I VE H AN D
K N O T TY , OR P H I L OSOP HI C H AN D
CO NI O, O R A R TI ST I C H AN D
P SY CH I C, OR I DE AL I ST I C H AN D .

M I X E D H AN D

J OI N T S OF T H E F I N GE R S

Th e P o i t d n e .

Th e Ph il o ph i c so .

i
F gs 1 a n d 2 , Th r o a t A fi e ct io n s
. .

i
F gs 3 a n d 5, B r o n ch a Affe ct o n s
. i l i .

F ig s. 4, 6 , an d 7 , De lic y ac of L u n gs .

Fig s . 8, 9 , an d 1 0, Co n su m t pi ve Te n de n c ie s.

N AI LS

Sh o w i
n g Te n de n c yt o w ar d H e a r t -d i se a se .

Sh o w i n g Te n de n c yt o w ar d Pa r a ly is s.

TH E M OUN T S OF T H E H AN D
TH E M AP O F TH E H AN D
SI GN S FOUN D I N TH E H AN D

F ig . 1 . Fo r k e d L i n e s.

F ig . 2 . i
S st e r L i n e s.

F ig . 3 . Sp ots on L i n e s.

F ig . 4 . I l s an ds .

F ig . 5 . Ta sse l ed L i n e s.

F ig . 6 . A sce n d i n g an d D e sce n din g Br a n ch e s .

F ig . 7 . Wa v y L i
n e s.

F ig . 8 . Ca pilla r ie d L n e s i .

Fig . 9 . Br o k e n L n e s i .

F ig 1 0 Ch a n e d L n e s
. . i i .

F ig 11 Th e S u a r e o n L
. . q i n e.
 L is t f
o I llu s tr a tion s .

P L ATE F A CI N G P A G E

SI GNS FOUN D I N TH E H AN D 76

F ig . 1 . Th e St a r .

F ig . 2 . Th e I s l an d .

Fig . 3 Th e
. Sp ot .

Fig . 4 . Th e Cr o s s .

F ig . 5 Th e Tr
. i gle an .

F ig 6
. . Th e G illr e.

Fig 7 . . Th e S q u ar e .

F ig 8
. . Th e C i le
rc .

F ig 9
. . Th e T ip d a
r o n dS pe a r -h e a d.

M O DI FI CATI ON S O F
M O D I FI CA TI O N S O F
M O D I FI CA T I ON S OF
M O D I FI CA T I O N S O F
M OD I FI CA TI ON S O F
M O DI F I CA TI O N S O F
M O D I F I CATI ON S O F
TI M E —TH E SY ST E M
P R I N CI P AL L I N E S
P R I N CI P A L L I N E S
P R I N CI PAL L I N E S
P R I N CI PA L L I NE S
P R I N CIP AL L I N E S
P R I N CI PAL L IN E S
P R I N CI P AL L IN E S
OF SE V E N

XXI V . A M U R D E R ER ’
S H AN D
XXV . A SU I CI D E ’ S H AN D
XXVI . A B AB Y ’
s H AND
XXVI I . TH E H AN D OF M A D AM E SAR A H B E R NH A R D T
XXVI I I . TH E H AN D OF MARK TWAI N
XXI X . TH E H AN D OF M A DA M E N OR D I CA
XXX . TH E H A ND O F J O H N TH E O D OR E B E N T L E Y
XXXI . TH E H A N D OF COL ON E L R OB ER T I N G E R SOL L
XXX I I . TH E H AN D OF M R S F R AN K L E SL I E
.

XXXI I I . TH E H A N D OF W . T . STEA D
XXXI V . TH E H A ND O F TH E R I GH T H ON J OSE P H CH AM BE R L AI N , M
. . P .

XXXV . TH E H AN D OF A U STE N CH AM B E R L AI N , E SQ , M P . .

XXXVI . TH E H AN D OF M R S A N N I E B E SAN T
.

XXXVI I . TH E H AN D O F TH E L O R D CH I E F -JU ST I CE OF E N GL A N
D

XXXVI I I . TH E H AN D O F TH E CO U NTE SS OF ABE R DEEN

XXXI X . TH E H AND O F SI R J O H N L U BB O CK , M P . .
,
F R S
. .

XL TH E H AND OF SI R E D W IN A R N OL D
XL I TH E H AN D OF SI R F R E D E R I CK L E I GH T ON , P R A . . .

XL I I TH E H AN D
XL I I I TH E H AN D O F E M CU R T I SS , E SQ . .

XL I V TH E H AN D OF T H E R EV . C H . . P A R K H U R ST , D . D
 L ist o f I llu st r a t ion s .

TH E OF L AD Y L I NDSA Y
TH E H AN D OF SI R A R TH U R SUL L I VAN
TH E H AN D OF

TH E H A ND OF A P R O M I N E NT M E M B E R O F TH E H OUSE OF

TH E H AND OF M A D AM E M E L B A
TH E H AND OF L OR D C H A R L E S B E R E S FORD .

TH E H AND OF MR . W I L LI AM W H I TE L E Y
TH E H A ND OF GE N . SI R R E DV E R S B U L L E R , V C . .
,

TH E H AN D
THE H A ND OF H . N . HI G I NB O THAM , E SQ
TH E H A N D OF R I GH T H ON . W. E . G L A D STO N E
2 A D ef en se .

rests u po n , I will m rely ask my readers to follow the pages of this defe n se ,
e
with c u riosity if they wish b u t , I hope , with c u riosity tempered by common
,

se n se a n d patie n c e It shall therefore be my provi n ce to ass u me the posi

.

tio n Of the stu de n t , a n d n o t that Of the partisan T hu s , discarding the argu

.

m e n t a t iv e stan dpoi n t do I prese n t the history O f the stu dy , a n d the facts

,

u po n which it rests , fe e li n g ass u red that the res u lt will be satisfactory to the

reaso n , the logic , a n d the co m mo n se n se O f those who , from it matters not

what motive , m a y exami n e this stu dy for themselves .

/TO co n sider the origi n Of this scien ce, we mu st take o u r thou ghts back to
the ear liest days O f the worl d s history a n d f u rthermore to the c on sideration
’
,

O f a people the O l dest O f all , yet o n e that has s u rvive d the fall O f empires ,

natio n s , a n d dyn asties , a n d who are to da y as charac teristic a n d as f u ll Of

-

in dividu ality as they were when tho u san ds Of years ago the first records O f
history were writte n I all u de to those c hildren O f the E ast the H in du s , a
.
,

p e ople whose philosophy a n d w isdom are every day bei n g more a n d more
re v ived L ookin g back to the earliest days O f the history O f the known
.

world , we fi n d that the first lin g u istic record s b elo n g to the people u n der
c o n sideratio n , a n d date ba c k to that fa r distan t cycle O f time k n own as the
-

A ryan civilizatio n . Beyon d history we ca n n ot go ; b u t the mo n u ments a n d

cave temples O f In dia, accordi n g to the testi m o n y O f ar ch aeologists , all poin t
to a time so far beyon d the s c a n t history at o u r disposal that in the e xa m i
,

nation O f s u ch matters o u r greatest knowle dge is dwarfe d i n to i n fa n tile n oth

in gn e ss—o u r age a n d era are b u t the swa ddling clothes O f the chil d ; o u r
-

man hood that O f the i n fan t in the arms O f the eter n ity O f tim e .

I n e n deavori n g to trace the origin O f palmistry we are carried back to

,

the co n fin es O f a prehistoric age . H istory tells u s th at in the remotest

perio d of the A ryan c ivili z atio n it h a d even a literat u re O f its own Beyo n d
.

this we c an n ot go ; b u t as frag m ents O f this literatu re are even now extan t,

we mu st therefore con cl u de that it had a still more remote infancy ; b u t in to
that n ight Of a n tiqu ity we dare n o t vent u re T here are no stars to gu ide ,
.

n o faded moo n s to Show u s light

; a n d SO , stan din g o n the borders Of the
kn own we gaze i n to the dark n ess Of the u n kn own , fro m the vastn ess Of
,

which we oc c asion ally draw t h e bon es O f a mammoth or the fragments O f a

shrin e : they are helps to kn owledge ; they a r e weeds u pon the sa n ds of tim e ;
 A D ef e n s e .
3

they tell u s O f days before o u r days Of races before o u r race O f verdan t

, ,

islands , O f c ivilization su nk forever in the ocean O f an tiqu ity .

A S regar d s the p e o pl e w h o fifi t u n de r st o o d a n d practised this st u dy 0 1

’

,
.

t h e han d, we fi n d u n disp u ted proofs O f their l e ar n in g and kn owledge L on g

.

before R ome or Gree c e or Israel was even heard Of, the mo n u men ts O f
I n dia poi n t ba ck to an age O f learn i n g beyo n d, a n d still beyo n d From the
.

astron omi c al calc u lations that the fig u res in their temples represen t , it has
bee n estimated that the H in du s u n derstood the precession Of the equ in oxes
c e n tu ries before the Christia n era . I n some Of the an c ien t cave temples , the
mystic figu res Of the Sphi n x silen tly tell that s u c h k n owle dge had bee n pos
sessed a n d u sed in ad v a n ce O f all those n atio n s afterw ard so celebrated for
their lear n in g It has bee n demo n strate d that to make a c han ge from o n e
.

Sig n to a n other in the zo dia c al co u rse O f t h e s u n m u st have occ u pie d at the

least 2140 years a n d h o w man y ce n t u ries elapsed before su ch chan ges c ame
,
'

to be Ob se r v e d a n d n otice d it is impossible to eve n estimate .

Th e i n tellectu al po w er whic h was necessary to make s u ch O bservatio n s

speaks for itself ; a n d yet it is to su ch a people that we trace the origin O f
the stu dy u n der co n sideratio n . With the Spre a d Of the H i n du teachin gs
i n to oth er la n ds do w e trace the spread of t h e kn owle dge O f palmistry Th e .

H i n du Ve das are the O ldest s c ript u res that have bee n fo u n d, a n d accordi n g
to some au thorities they have been the Fo u n datio n O f e v en the Greek s c hools
O f learn i n g.

When we co n sider that palmistry is the O ffspri n g O f s u ch a race , we

sho u l d for s u ch a re ason alo n e at least treat it W ith respect , a n d be more
in cli n e d to examin e it s claims for j u stic e tha n we are at presen t I n t h e .

exa m in atio n O f these poi n ts we therefore fi n d that this stu dy O f the han d
is o n e O f the most a n cien t in t h e worl d H istory again c omes to o u r assis
‘

tan c e , a n d tells that in the n orthw est province O f In dia pal m istry was prae
t ise d a n d followe d by the J osh i caste from time immemorial to the present
da y .

It may be i n teresti n g to describe here, in as fe w words as possible, a n

extremely an c ie n t and cu rio u s book o n the markin gs O f ha n ds , that I was
all owed to u s e and exami n e du rin g my sojou rn in In dia This book was o n e
.

O f the greatest treas u res O f the few Brahman s who possessed a n d u n derstoo d
4 A D ef e n se .

it, a n d was jealo u sly g u arded in o n e O f those O ld cave temples that belon g
to the r u in s Of an c ie n t H i n du stan .

This stra n ge book was ma de O f hu man Skin pie c e d a n d p u t together in

,

the most in gen io u s ma n n er It was O f e n ormo u s size, a n d co n tain ed h u n

.

dreds O f well-drawn ill u stratio n s , with re c or d s O f how , when , a n d where this

or that mark was pro v ed c orrect .

On e O f the stran gest featu res in co n n ectio n wi t h it was that it was written
in som e r e d l iq u id whi c h age h a d faile d to Spoil or fade . Th e e ffe c t O f those
vivid r e d letters o n the pages O f du ll yellow Skin was m o s t r e m a r k a b l e By
r
.

some com pou n d probably ma de O f herbs each page was gla z ed , as it were ,
, ,

by var n ish ; b u t whatever t h is compo u n d m a y have been , it Seeme d to defy

tim e as the o u ter c overs alone Showe d the sign s O f wear a n d d e c ay A S
,
.

regards the an tiqu ity of this book there co u l d b e no qu estion It was a p .

p a r e n t l y writte n in three sectio n s or divisio n s : the first part belo n ged to

the earliest lan gu age O f the co u n try a n d dated so far back that very few O f
,

even the Brahman s cou ld read or decipher it There a r e man y s u ch treas u res
.

in H in du stan i ; b u t all are SO j ealo u sly g u ar de d by the Brahma n s that neither

mon ey art, n o r power will ever release su c h ple dges O f the past
,
.

A S the W is do m O f this stra n ge race sprea d far a n d wide a c ross the earth .

SO the do c trin es a n d i deas O f palmistry sprea d a n d were practise d in other

c o u n tries .J u st as religio n s u its itself to the co n ditio n s O f t h e race in which

it is pro pagate d, SO has palmistry bee n divided in to systems Th e most a n .

cie n t re c ords , however are those fo u n d amo n g the H in du s It is difficu lt

,
.

to trac e its path from cou n try to cou n try I n far-dista n t ages it has bee n
.

practise d in Chin a , Tibet, P ersia, a n d E gypt ; b u t it is to the days O f the

Gre c ian civiliz atio n that we owe the presen t clear a n d l u cid for m O f the
stu dy Th e Greek c ivili z atio n has in man y ways bee n c on si dered the high
.

est a n d m ost i n telle c t u al in the worl d a n d here it was that pa my £1;

, ly i ,

c hei r oma n cy— fro m the Greek ch e i

r ,
the ha n d — grew ,
flo u rished a n
,
d fo un d

favor in the Sight O f th o se whose n ame s are as stars Of hon or in the fi r

m a m e n t O f k n owle dge . We fi n d that A n axagoras tau ght a n d practised it in
42 3 We fi n d that H ispan u s dis c overe d, o n a n altar de dicated to H ermes ,
a book o n cheiro m a n c y writte n i n gold letters , which h e se n t as a present to

Alexan der the Great as “ a stu dy worth y the attention O f a n elevated a n d

,
 A D ef e
n se .
5

inq u iri n g min d ”

. We fi n d it also san c tione d b y s u ch m e n O f learn i n g as
A ristotle P li n y, P aracels u s , Ca r da m is A lb e I t u S Mag n u s , the E mperor A u
, ,
'

g u st u s , a n d ma n y o t h e r S O f n ote
‘

N O W , whet h er these a n cie n t people were more e n lighte n ed than w e are

has lon g bee n a q u estio n of disp u te Th e poi n t , however, whic h has been
.

admitte d, a n d the o n e whic h c o n cer n s thi s st u dy most , is , that as in those

d ays the g r eatest stu dy O f man k i n d was m a n it therefore follows that in a
,

stu dy like this thei r c o n clu sion s are fa r m ore l ikely to be right than are
those O f a n age famo u s for its i m plem en ts O f destr u c tio n its steam en gi n es ,
-
,

a n d its commerce A gai n , if a n age like the prese n t will admit a n d h a s

.
,

admitte d, that those Greek philosophers were m e n O f extraordi n ary depth O f

thou ght a n d lear n i n g, a n d th a t th e ir works thou ghts , a n d i deas are worthy
,

O f the deepest respect w h y Sho u ld we the n lightly c o n si d e r their a u thority on

,

t his s u bj ect , a n d thro w a side a st u dy that SO deeply oc c u pied the ir atte n tio n ?
A n d agai n , if we go ba ck , as we do , to these men for their learn i n g in other
matters , why, in t h e n ame O f all that is reasonable sho u ld we reject their ,

kn o w le dge in this 2. “

N ow, as in the st u dy O f man kin d there came to be recogn i z e d a n atu ral

position o n the fa c e for the n ose eyes , ea rs , e t c , SO also on the ha n d there

,
.

c ame to be reco gni z ed a n at u ra l posi t io n for the li n e of hea d t h e li n e O f life ,

'
,

a n d SO o n . Th e t im e a n d stu dy devote d to the su bject e n able d these s t u

d en ts to give n ames to these marks ; as the lin e O f head mean in g me n tality ; ,

the li n e O f heart, a fi e ct io n ; the lin e of life , lon gevity ; a n d SO o n with ever y ,

mark or mou n t that the ha n d possesses T h is bri n gs u s down to the period

.

when the po w er O f the c hu rch w a s begin n in g to be fel t o u tside the domain

a n d j u risdiction O f religio n . It is said that the early Fathers were jealo u s
O f t h e power o f this O ld-world s c ie n ce Su c h m a y or may n o t have been the
.

case ; b u t even in the prese n t day we fi n d tha t t h e ch u rc h con stitu tes itself
in all matters , both spir it u al a n d temporal the chose n oracle O f Go d With
, .

o u t w ishi n g to see m i n toleran t , o n e c a n n ot h elp b u t remark that the history

E
N Hany domin an t religio n is the history O f the oppositio n to k n owledge, u n less
that k n owledge proceed from its teac hin gs P almistry, therefore the c hild
.
,

of pagan s a n d heathen s was n o t eve n give n a trial It was denou n ced as

,
.

r ank sorcery a n d W it ch craft . Th e devil w a s c o n j u re d u p as the fa t her of a ll

6 A D ef en se .

palmists a n d the res u lt was that m e n a n d wome n terrified to ack n owledge

, ,

su c h a pare n tage , allo w e d palmistry to become o u tlawed a n d fall i n t o the

han ds O f vagran ts , tr amps a n d gipsies

,
.

D u rin g the mi ddle ages several atte m pts were made to revi v e th is a n
c ie n t stu dy ; as , for i n sta n ce ,
“ Die K u n st Cir o m a n t a , pu blishe d in 1 47 5
”
,

an d
“ Th e Cy r o m a n t ia A r ist o t e lis c u m F igu r is, pu blishe d 149 0, which is at
”

presen t in the British Mu seu m These attempts were u sefu l in keepin g the
.

ashes o f the stu dy from dyin g o u t ; b u t it is in the n in eteenth c e n t u ry that

o n c e more it rises a P h oen ix from the fire O f persecu tio n whi c h has trie d in
vai n to destroy it Th e scie n ce Of the presen t has come to the rescu e O f the
.

s o c alle d su perstitio n O f the past

- O n almost every side proof is bein g a dde d
.

to proof th at this an cie n t st u dv is n o t a del u sio n b u t a real thin g— a jewel ,

,

as it were dimmed a n d covered b y t h e ac cu mu latio n s O f bigotry a n d s u per

,

s t it io n , yet o n e whi c h c o n tai n s w ithi n its depths that light O f tr u th w h ich

natu re s followers delight to k n ow a n d worship

’
.

It may be w ell here to defen d palmistry from the attacks O f the c hu rc h .

'

L e t u s exami n e for a mo m e n t t h e right O f t h e c h u rch to attac k it A las !

.

his m ajesty Sata n has still the repu tatio n O f bei n g behin d every person w h o
dares to advan ce a n y s c ie n ce or tho u ght that may not be in a c cordan ce with
the in terpretatio n O f t h e ch u rch s idea O f right a n d wro n g I h a d n o t been
’
.

in L on don o n e mo n th before a Ca t holic priest refu se d to give absolu tio n to

a n e n tire fa m ily becau se they had c o n s u lte d m e agai n st his orders In.

Am eric a du rin g my first year, I w a s visited by t w o clergymen , with the

,

O bje c t O f pers u a di n g me that m y s u c cess was du e alo n e to the age n cy O f the

devil . On e wen t SO far as to tell me that G o d h a d se n t him to O fi e r me a

clerkship —a t a small salary O f co u rse— if I wo u ld o n ly give u p my relati on s
,

with the E vil O n e B u t all this is n o t to be wo n dered at whe n o n e remem

.

bers that in this year in o n e O f the most pro m i n en t ch u rches in A mer

ica a very noted clergyman u se d these words
,
“L e t me tell o u what I saw a few years ago with my own eyes ” Then
y .

“
followe d a lo n g descriptio n O f a fiery an im al shape d like a horse , that glowed
like a b u rn i n g coal , w hic h had a m a n m ou n te d u pon it w ithou t arms I t .

rolle d from o n e e n d O f the islan d to the other a n d from si de to side with

,

I mme n se spee d Th e people were terrifie d ; they tho u ght it was the devil ,
.
 A D ef e n s e . 7

an d they im plore d me to intercede for them , b u t I refu sed I h ave trav

.
~

e le d a ll over the world a n d see n the greatest sights a n d wo n ders O f the earth ;

b u t I n ever saw a n y t h in g lik e tha t b e fo r e It w a s a warn i n g to all who sa w

’

it, a n d represented Satan and his army who are to visit with aw fu l resu lts
,

the Sin n ers Of the earth .

”

I make n o comm e n t I q u ote the abo v e w o rd s verb atim from a leadi n g

.

N e w Y ork paper O f the 3d Of March , 18 94, whi c h reporte d the e n ti r e sermo n .

Th e ch u rch is n o t Co n siste n t ; its fou n dation is the Bible , a n d from the

first Of G e n esis to the e n d Of R evelatio n the Bible is a book O f fa t e I n t h e .

ope n in g c hapters we find that G o d ordai n e d a certai n time when a V irgin

wou ld co n ceive , and a little later whe n a Ju das wo u ld betray P oor J u das .

th u s becomes a selecte d V ictim , a ch ild O f fate fro m whom O pp o rtu n ities

,

wo u ld arise to alter t h e destin y O f nations It is u seless to say that J u das was

.

a free agen t ; if he had shirked his fate wo u ld n o t some other m a n have h a d

“
to take his place that the Sc riptu res might be fu lfille d ? O ver fo u rtee n
”

times in the Gospels do we fi n d these mysterio u s words I n almost every .

portion O f the Bible we fi n d t h e spirit O f prophecy en co u raged We fi n d .

Schools O f the P ro phets establishe d for s u c h a p u rpose , a n d in dic atio n s

”

that divinatio n s were held in hig h repu te by God s c hose n people A mo n g

’
.

the H ebre w s , as amo n g the H i n du s E g y ptia n s , Chal dean s , a n d all n ation s

,

who e n co u raged the spirit O f prophecy the prophets were a separate a n d

,

distin ct class from the priesthood A mo n g the Je w s the prophets O ften

.

a c ted in direct O ppos ition to the pries t hood, de n o u n ci n g in the stro n gest
langu age the abomin atio n s a n d c orru ptio n s that they practise d A gai n , .

what ca n be more m y stical or more allied to magi c , than the an cien t c abala
,

O f the Je Ws ? A c cordin g to traditio n it was co mm u n icated by G o d to A dam ,

by A dam give n to Seth a n d lost by the latter in some mysterio u s way It

,
.

was re n ewed again by God to Moses o n Mo u n t Sin ai , from Moses t o J oshu a ,

from J osh u a to the Seven ty E lders , a n d was sometimes u t ilize d by lear n ed

Jews i n stead O f the c o u n sels o f the Talmu d E xamini n g the Biblical state
.

ment that the Je w s w ere in bo n dage to E gypt at a time whe n the E gyptia n s
were famo u s for their m a gi c it c an n ot b e wo n dere d at that after leavi n g
,

that lan d O f mystery they wo u ld still clin g to the te a chi n gs imbibed while
there A ccor din g to man y au thorities ,the descriptio n O f t h e H e b rews de
.
8 A D ef en s e .

S poiling t h e E gyptian s o n the eve O f their departu re a n d robb in g them Of

,

“
their orn aments sign ifies in cabalisti c lan g u age the takin g from them t h e
,

extern al rites a n d ceremo n ials O f their magic al worship ”

We therefore fi n d
.

that the Bible, u po n which the creeds O f the modern c hu rch are fo u n ded , is
tin ge d wit h the m yst icism com m o n to its time ; that it e n co u rages prophe c y .

a n d that it tea ches fate : which three thi n gs in the st u dy O f palmistry aro u se

the wrath O f the ch u rc h a n d are de n o u nce d as sorcery, witchcraft a n d every

, ,

thi n g else con trary to the t eachi n gs O f God .

I n v iew O f the oppositio n O f the chu r c h , it is interesti n g to notice the

man y importa n t phrases in the Bible in w hic h ha n d s are me n tio n e d There .

are many au thorities w h o a ffirm that amo n g the arts learn ed b y the J ews
W hile in E gypt was this stu dy Of the han d ; b u t the mos t important verse
that is u sed in s u pport Of this is the seven th O f the thirty seve n th chapter O f
-

Job I n the origi n al H ebr e w it appears to have a very diff erent meanin g
.

from that give n to it by the E n glish versio n On e tran slatio n O f it ru n s

.
,
“God plac ed Sign s or seals in the han d s O f m e n that all m e n might kn ow
,

their works .
”
This verse abou t the mi ddle O f the sixtee n th ce n t u ry , c au sed
,

so m e very great disc u ssio n s am on g the o logian s a n d commen tators A mo n g .

them we fi n d that man y ad v ocated the ch e ir o m a n t ic aspect that the lin es O f

t h e han d are “ the markin gs Of G o d, that all m e n might kn ow their works ”
.

A mo n g those in s u pport O f this V ie w were Francisc u s V a le siu s Sch u lten s ,

,

L y r a n n u s, Thomassin , a n d D ebrio , a n d this is all the more rem arkable when

o n e remembers that these m e n c o u ld n o t h ave lived in a more an tagonistic

age in which to propagate their views Th e tra n slatio n O f the Bible i n to

.

E n glish at a time w he n t h e O ppositio n to pal mistry, sorcery , a n d wit c h c raft

was at its height, is very probably the ca u se Of the wording Of this verse as
it n o w stan ds .

A mon g other verses that seem to bear a relatio n to this point might be
mention ed
“L en gth O f days is in her right h a n d rich es a n d honor are in her left ” .
,

(P rov iii
. .

“What evil is in mine han d “ i (1 Sa m xxvi . .

“A n d receive his m ark in his forehead or in his han d ” R e v xiv

, ( . . .

B u t of all t h e many all u sio n s to the s u bject, the verse in Jo b is c erta inly
10 A D ef e n se .

k n owle dge o n partic u lar thi n gs , b u t it confines men to a n a rrower lin e Of

t ho u ght
. It t h erefore happe n s th at the physician m a y kno w little abou t
a n atomy, w hereas the s u rgeon may know next to n othi n g O f m e di c in e ; the
n er v e spe c ialist w on t treat the c ommo n ail me n ts O f life , a n d t h e d octor will
’

n o t i n fri n ge u pon the latter ; the physi c ian who dev o tes his tale n ts to c o n

su mptio n cu res wo n t treat fever patie n ts ; a n d SO o n N O W all this leads u p

’
.

to a very grave poi n t, namely, the u n reason able way in whi c h the ordi n ary
pop u lace treat the ordin ary me di c al man A m a n sees , perh aps a stran ge
.
,
'

experime n t in hyp n otism ; he goes to h is ph y SI CI an , a n d be c a u se that physi

e ia n , who probably h a s n ever d e v oted five mi n u tes st u dy to s u ch a s u bject ,
’ '

pron ou n ces s u c h a thi n g impossible , the patie n t goes awa y a n d tells his
a c q u ain tan ces to pooh poo h the idea, becau se D r SO -a n d s o does n o t believe
-
.
-

in it. N O W when one co n si ders that eve n in medicine th e re are h u n dre ds

,

O f mysteries perfectly u nk n ow n to the ordin ary me dical ;m an , how m u c h

mo r e SO may it n o t be in regard to the mysteries O f life an d n atu re wh ich ,

are s u bje c t to invisible laws beyo n d the po w er O f man to analyze ?

I respect doctors as a body O f e du c ated m e n ; b u t I do n o t respect the
idea that they Sho u l d be the appo inte d j u dges O f s u ch matters as telepathy ,
mesmerism c lairvoyan ce , a n d SO o n witho u t a n y other qu alificatio n b u t that
, ,

O f havi n g M D
“
to their n ame It was Voltaire who said that N e w to n , with
. .

all his s c ie n c e , did n o t k n o w how his ha n d moved ”

A lmost eve r y da y in
.

my work, t h e followin g c on versatio n occu rs

“Well Sir o u have tol d me the ev ents O f my past life SO accu rately
, y ,

from these lin es that I a m half i n cli n ed to believe y o u can tell the f u t u re ;
b u t I have aske d D r SO and SO ; he says it m u st be all h u mbu g, SO I r e ally
.
- -

do n o t kn ow what t o thin k ”
A las ! Dr SO a n d-SO too O fte n t u rn s o u t to be
. .
-

a m a n who has n ever h a d the time , the oppor tu n ity, or even t h e i n clin atio n
to stu dy the co n nectio n betwee n the brai n a n d the han d H e has not e v en .

re a d the works O f m e dical specialists o n the s u bje c t H e has c o n fi n e d .

himself to the treat m e n t O f fever, p n e u m o n ia , the illn esses O f c hil dre n , or

the h ypocho n driacal fad s a n d fan cies O f age H e kn ows t hat there are.

su ch thin gs as han ds , that they are dr y a n d hot du ri n g fever a n d that is ,

abou t all .

I n reference to this I q u ote a few remarks fro m the address O f the pres
 A D e fe n se . 11

Iden t of the N e w Jersey St ate Medical Society , at its meeting, Ju ne , 1 893, in

which he said :
H o w man y physici a ns k n ow a n y t hin g O f the n at u ral c au se O f most dis
eases exce pt by h earsay ? H o w man y have had the co u rage to O bserve for
themselves while sternly combatin g the sed u ctive O pportu n ity Of pres c ribin g
a v ariety O f u n n ecessary medicines ? ”
N o t more than t w enty years ago almost every physicia n O f note c ried
o u t that hyp n otism was impossible T O day the same professio n e m braces .
-

it , a n d stu dies the v ery laws whose existe n c e it o n c e de n ie d It is the same .

with e h e ir o m a n c y : for y ears th ey have pooh -poohed t h e idea ; to -day they

admit that dise a ses are i n dicated in a m arvelo u s ma n n er by the han d, a n d
at prese n t the st u dy O f the Shape O f t h e n ails is a bran ch c alli n g forth the
greatest att e ntio n from medi c al m e n in both L on do n a n d P aris .

If the medical profession cou ld o n ly forget their O ld-ti m e prej u dices ; if

they co u l d on ly be pers u aded to take some reliable work o n palmist r y a n d
stu dy it for themselves—they wou ld witho u t do u bt come to the con clu sion
“
that, in the words O f H ispana s , it was i n deed a st u dy worthy the atte n tion
of a n elevated a n d i n qu iri n g min d ”
.

I n relation to this I p u blish the followin g letter whi c h appeared in the

Stu den t a paper b e lo n gm g to the U n iversity of E din b u rgh, Scotla n d, da t e d
,

J an u ary 29 1 8 90 ,
.

CH E I R OM ANCY .

y l i
So m e e a r s a go I w a s w a k n g t h r o u gh o n e O f t h e w a r ds in t h e R o a I n r m a r , w h e n
SI R : yl fi y
su dde n l y i l
t h e de a o c c u r r e d t o m e t h a t I w o u d e xa m n e t h e n e s o n a a t e n t s h a n d
’
i li p i .

i p i l
I w e n t t o t h e n e a r e st b e d, a n d w t h o u t a u s n g t o o o k a t t h e a t e n t , I e xa m n e d his h a n d p i i .

li l p l i y li
I k n e w t t e O f a m st r , a n d b e e v e d st ly
e ss ; in fa ct , I h a r d ill l
k n e w m o r e t h a n t h e n a m e s Of
th e fiv e p i ip l li
r nc li lly
a n e s, a n d t h a t b r e a k s in t h o se n e s u su a i i
m e a n t m s fo r t u n e I e xa m n e d .

li li li
t h e h a n ds , a n d sa w t h e f e - n e b r o k e n in b o t h h a n ds , a n d t h e fa t e - n e , b e fo r e it h a d r e a ch e d
a q t O f it s
uar e r at al l gt h t pp d
n ur d pl d b y l g c o s I q e st i d t h p t i t
en , s o e an re a ce a ar e r s. u on e e a en ,

a dfn d th t he w
oun twe t y th
a ye
as ld d f go e i p h t h i i s H e di d i
n - ree ar s O f w d y
,
I
an ar n n s . e n a e a s .

co ul d m lt iply i t ce b t p e f b id W l d y t h ll w m e t ff f w gg t i
u n s an s, u s ac or s. ou ou en a o o O er a e su es on s

as t th p
o e ib le l t i O f t h li t o p
o ss re a on c i d i t h ll f t h g y m t t ?
e se nes r o ce s se s ar r e on n e ce s O e ra a er

I m w e ll w a
a t h t p a lm i t y i c
a re a id d q ck y d h m b g ; b t ft
s r s on s ll f t s a e
er e ua er an u u u ,
a er a ,
ac r

st b b
u t h i gs
orn if t h y d
n ,
t
e v en t o a y k w e i t ific b i
o no res n n no n sc e n as s .

O f li e m k i g o t h p lm f t h h d to n ar ar n s n e a O e an

th b ai ! e r n .

p c lia t o m a e bl b i g e u r an a s r a so n a e e n .

d a fi e c t io n , a r e sh o w n by m o v e m e n t s.
12 A D ef en s e .

3 Th e se m o v e m e n t s a r e c o a r se a n d fin e , a n d so
. p d ro u ce l ar ge a n d sm a ll cr e a se s o r lin e s .

. l
4 Gr e a se s a n d in e s , t h e r e f o r e , b e a r a de n t e r e fi i l tia on to m o vem en t s, an d so t o t e n de n c i e s.

5 Th e r e
. ar e fo u r we ll -m
'

a r k e d cr e a s e s o r li n es on e ver yh d f an ,
ou n d by ex p i e r e n ce t o b e ar
a de fi itn e r e at onl i t o t h e t e n de n c i e s O f a ffe c ti on ,
m enta l p it y l
ca ac ,
on ge v t iy , an d m en ta l ben t ,

or w hat ch e ir om an ts ca ll “f a t e .
”

6 A . li n e cr o ss n i y li i g the l on i
ge v t i if m it y
n e , a b r a n ch o r b r e a k in it , n t er f e r e s w t h it s un or ,

an d th f i t f
ere or e n i y
er er e s w it h y li t h e u n fo r mit O f t h e t e n de n c t o v e .

7 N .
g l ti g c
er ve s r e dfi u a m ti n d o li
o a r se r a n c t ai ch i fly m t
n er o o n s, a n so c r e a se s r n e s, on n e o or

fib s ; b t p b b ly l t h fil m t t
er u ro a m it t i g i
a so o ib t i t h
er a lt ent sm bi d
r an s n n v ra on s e r e su an or co ne

e ff t f
ec qi d d
o ac u ret it t i lt d i
an d d t m i i g t t t h t p a t f t h l g it y
co n s u on a en e n c e s, a n e er n n I o a r o e on ev

li t h t w ill b ff t d d t h
ne a e a i g
ec e ,
e m b li g
an b y it j
e r e ca u s n ti w it h t h e a c r e a se r e s n a c r o ss s un c on

m i li
a n b h
n e or a th m y b
r an c ,
as e ca se a e .

8 Th . m t i Of e sa s i g b i ly ppli t
e ra n rea id bl on n cid t —t h t i O id t s
v ou s a es o a vo a e ac en s a s, a cc en

ca u se d by l e ca r e e s sn ss.

9 U . id b l id t
n a vo Ce t i t
a t
e a cc f e ll i t h e
en s . ic l g y m t t
r a n i c dib l s
r ac s O c s n co n a ra a er ar e ,
n re e a

it m y e m p b b ly a ff ct d b y c m i g
a s e ,
ro a t d m d t
e e ib t ; h e g f o n even s, a n a e o v ra e en c ,
va ue e a r s,

i t it i p c p t i b t
n u ve er e t lt i f
on , u i gn o Th ib t i e x it d i t h e
ac ua ra n lls
o r e a so n n . e V ra on s c e n se ce

ca n n ot w k th
a at iv i t y f t h
en ll g g d i
e ac o g pO t h t a dj i t h m b t
e ce s en a e n r eas n rn r o ce sse s a o n e ,
u

m ly
er e p t pl m ic ib t i i t h m t h e ib t i b i g t a m i t t d d m a k d
c a u se ro o as v ra on s n e ,
es v ra on s e n r n s e an r e

on th h d by c
e an f di ff t h p Ac
r e a se s O di g t h i om eren t t h e l e ft h
s ad i wh te s. co r n o c e r a n s, an s a

y o u ar e t it t i
, lly ; t h i gh t h n d W h t y m k y
co n s u on a lf
e r q i W m y th
a ,
a ou a e o u r se or ac u r e. e a , ere

lt t f q i d d
‘

f b ly e xp t t
o r e , r e a so n a i th igh t h d t h
ec o se e n e r t it t i l an e r e su an O ac u re an co n s u ona

t d
en i
e n c e s.

A g d f t r it y I t h i k it t im p ib l t h t P f o Ch co t h ’
s re ar s u u ,
n no th o ss e a r o e ss r ar s r e se a r c es on e

h igh f
er ti f th
unc on s O y t m w ill d m t t t h t t ct f ll
e n er v ou s s s e p t h l gica l e on s ra e a ra s O ce s, o r a l a o o

c dit i
on f thon o ll bl p c p t i f f t it y b t m e m y f it
e se c e s, e n a es a er e on O u ur ,
u n o or O .

( Sig d ) SP E R AN U S ne .

It
will thu s be seen that it requ ires b u t a little stu dy O f the s u bje ct
“
to c on vin c e even the most Skeptic al that there is somethin g in the lin es ; ”

a n d if a little , why n o t a great deal , if a s u ffi cient amo u n t O f stu dy be devoted

to it ?
I n me dical work , h oe m a t o m a O f the ca r has been for a lo n g t im e r e c o g
n iz e d This co n sists in the u pper portio n O f the ear assu mi n g a pecu liar
.

shape, either by the formatio n Of a blood t u mor, or by t h e th icken in g O f

t h e u pper portio n , which is fo u n d in the ears O f l u n ati c s , ge n erally those who
in herit m a dn ess ; b u t in P aris lately it has b ee n more closely stu die d with ,

the res u lt th at in A u g u st, 1 893 tests were give n before t h e A ca dem ic de s ,

Scie n ces , provin g that mad n ess co u l d be pre dicted years in advan ce by
a proper stu dy O f the c a r alon e N ow m y argu ment is , that if, as has been .

prov e d, accu rate predictio n can be made by a stu dy Of the ear , is there then
a n y th i n g impossi b le in pre dic tio n bein g far more accu rately made by a st u dy
 A D ef e
n se . 18

Of the han d , w hich has been pro n o u n c e d to be , both in n erv es a n d me c han ism ,

t h e mo st wo n derfu l organ in the e n tire system , a n d to have the most intimate

co n n ectio n with the brain ?
A lmost all m e dical m e n admit n o w that the diff ere n t formatio n s of n ails
in dicate diff erent diseases , a n d that it is possible from th e nails alo n e to
pre dict that the s u bje c t will su ff er fro m paralysis consu mption , heart dis
,

ease a n d so o n Man y a well k n o w n doctor has told me that he has read

, .
-

m Or e from the ha n d than he dared acknowle dge a n d that it was b u t the Old
,

ti m e prej u dices whic h kept many a m a n fro m admitti n g the same thi n g .

A t this poi n t let me also draw a comparison between the w a y a doctor

_

treats his patien t a n d the way a palmist treats his c lie n t I draw this com
.

parison On acco u nt O f the u n fair man n er in which medical m e n as a ru le treat

t h e palmist .

In the first place, the doctor has a recogn i z ed scien ce to gd by ; he has

scie n tific in str u men ts with the most mo de rn improvements to assist his r e
searches ; b u t how man y ca n tell the patie n t what he is su ff eri n g fr o m , u n less
the patien t first tells th e doctor all abou t himself a n d h is symptom s ; a n d
’ '

even then , h o w O fte n c a n the doctor arrive at a corre c t diag n osis ? Man y O f
my rea ders will remember that dur in g the great epidemic O f L a Gripp e in
L Ot ,
n 1 890, letters appeare d in the leadi n g pa pers relatin g to the e xpe r i

“
'

e n c e s O f a man w h o visited seve n of the most noted physic ia n s O f the

day ; that these seve n after thorou ghly exami n ing h im each said he was
, ,

su ffering from a diff erent disease a n d all prescribed en tirely diff eren t dr u gs
for li1 m to take .

N O W , in the case O f a palmist the clie n t, witho u t givin g his or her nam e
, ,

witho u t tellin g his Oc c u pa t io n , or whet h er married or single , Simply holds

o u t his hands , a n d t h e palm ist has to tell h im past eve n ts in his life , present

su rro u n dings , he alth , past a n d presen t ; a n d havin g , by ac cu racy on ly, gain ed

his co n fiden ce , he proceeds to rea d the fu tu re from the same materials that
he has told the past . N o w , if the palm ist wit h o u t o n e p a rticle O f the help
,

that t h e doctor gets shou l d make o n e mistake , the clie n t imme diately co n
,

siders th a t he is a ch arlatan a n d palmistry a del u sion a n d a s n are If,

,
.

ho w eve r the doctor makes a blu n der, it is never k n own , b u t the res u lt is that
,

t h e patie n t has been “ called away by P rovide n ce to an other sphere ”

.
14 A D ef en s e .

I lea v e my readers to dra w their own conclu sion s .

A mo n g the testimo n y a n d ideas given by scie n tific m e n we fi n d t h e

greatest possible argu me n ts in fa v or O f the ch e ir o m a n t ic u se O f the lin es,
formation s , m o u n ts , a n d SO forth In the first pla c e , the markin gs O f n o two
.

hands have ever been fo u nd alike T his 1 s parti c u larly n otic ea b le I n the case
.

O f twi n s ; the li n es wi ll be widely di fi e r e n t if the n atu res are difi e r e n t in

their i n dividu ality, b u t at least some importan t di ffere n ce will be Shown in ,

accordan ce with the diff ere n t temperamen ts It has also be en n ote d that
.
_

even with the lin es O f the ha n d a certai n pecu liarity will r u n in families for
gen eratio n s , a n d that ea c h su c cee din g race will also Show in tem peramen t
w hatever that pec u liar c haracteristic is . B u t again it will be fo u n d that in
,

the markin gs O f the ha n d so m e c hil dre n bear very little resemblan ce in the ,

positio n O f the lin es , to those O f the paren ts , a n d that, if o n e watches th eir

lives , they will, in ac cordan c e with this theory, be fo u n d very differe n t from
those w h o gave them birth A gain , one child may resemble the father,
.

a n other the mother, a n d the markin gs O f the h an d will also be fou n d to

correspo n d wi t h the marki n gs o n the hand O f the particu lar pare n t that the
chil d resembles .

I t is a very popu lar fallacy that the lin es are made by work Th e direct
.

O pposite however, is the case

, A t the birth O f the in fan t the li n es are deeply
.

marke d (P late XXVI ) Work , o n the c o n trary covers the h a n d with a coarse
.
,

layer O f ski n a n d SO hi des i n stead O f exposes them ; b u t if the han d is soft

,

e n e d, by po u lticing or other mean s the e n tire mu ltitu de O f m arks will be

,

shown at a n y time from the cradle to the grave .

Th e s u periority O f the han d is well worthy o u r atten tion Scien tists a n d

.

m e n O f learn i n g in all ages have agreed that it plays o n e O f the most impor

tan t parts Of all the members O f the body A n axagoras has said :
.
“ Th e
s periority O f man is owin g to his han ds
u ”
. I n A ristotle s Writin gs we fi n d
’

“Th e han d is the organ O f organ s the a ctive age n t Of the passive powers O f
,

the e tire system

n ”
I n o u r o w n da y , s u c h men as Sir R i chard O w e n , H u m
.

h
p e y , and Sir Charles Bell all call atte n tio n to the importan c e O f the han d
r .

Sir Charles Bell in 1 8 74 writes : “ We ou ght to define the ha nd as belon gi n g

excl u sively to man , cor r e sp on ding, in its s en sibility a n d m o tion , t o t h e e n dowm en t
f his
o m in d .
”
 A Def en se . 15

Sir R ichard O wen , in his work o n “ Th e N atu re of L imbs , p u blished in

”

1 849, s ays
“ I n the hand every sin gle bo n e is disti n gu ishable from o n e
another ; each digit has it So w n pe c u lia r character ”
_. .

It has lo n g been known a n d recogn ized that the han d c a n express almost
a s m u ch by its gestu res and positio n s a s the lips c a n by Speech i tilian
.
Qu n ,

Spe a k in g of the la n g u age of han ds , says

“ For the other parts of the body
assist the speaker , b u t these, I may say speak for themselves ; they ask , they
,

o m r s e , they i n voke , they dismiss they threate n they e treat they d epre
p r , ,
n ,

c ate they express fear ,

j oy grief o u r d o u bts , o u r a s se n ts , o u r pe n ite n ce
, , , ,

S d n u i
they how mo eratio , prof s o , they mark n u mber a n d time
n .
”

We will n o w give o u r att en tio n to the ski n , the n erves , a n d t h e se n se of

tou ch . Th e highest au thority we c a n have o n the han d is Sir Charles Bell .

“
Speaking of the Skin , he says : Th e c u ticle is so far a part of the organ of
to u ch that it is the m e diu m throu gh w hic h the exter n al impression is co n
v e y e d to the n erve . Th e extremities of the fin gers best exhibit the provisio n s
for the exerc ise of this sen se Th e n ails give s u pport to the tips Of the
.

fin gers , a n d in order to su stain t h e elastic cu shio n that form s their extremities

they are made broad a n d Shield like -
Th is c u shio n is a n importan t part O f
.

the exterior apparat u s . Its fu ln ess a n d elasticity a dapt it adm irably for
tou ch It is a remarkable fact that we can n ot feel the p u lse w ith t h e to n gu e,
.

bu t t h a t w e ca n w it h t h e fi n ge r s O n a n earer i n spectio n we discover in the

.

poin ts of the fin gers a more parti cu lar provision for a daptin g them to to u ch .

Wherever the se n se O f feeli n g is most exqu isite , there we see m in u te Spiral

ridges of the cu ticle . These ridges have correspo n di n g depressio n s o n the
in n er su rfa c e , a n d th e y a gain give lo dgme n t to soft , p u lpy processes of the
ski n called papil lae , in which lie t h e extremities of the se n tie n t nerves Thu s .

the n erves are adequ ately protecte d, while they are at the sam e time su ffi
cie n t ly exposed to have impressio n s comm u n icated to them throu gh the
”
e lastic c u ticle a n d th u s ive rise to t h e se n se of to u ch
g .

A s regards the n erves, me dical s c ie n c e has demo n strated that the hand c o n
other portio n of t h e system , a n d the palm co n tain s
o n of the hand It has also been Shown that the
.

e hand are so highly developed by generations of

passi v e or active, is in every sen se the immediate
16 A D ef en se .

servan t of the b rain A very i n teresti n g medical work states that every
.
“
apparen t single n erve is in reality two n erve cords in one sheath ; the o n e
co n veys the action of the brain to the part, a n d the other conveys the ac tion
of the part to the brain ”
.

I n conn e c tio n with this it is importan t to co n sider the corp u scles that
,
“
are fou n d in the han d Meiss n er in his A n atomy a n d P hysiology of the
.
,

H an d ( L eipzig
”
,
showed that these corp u scles in the han d have a very
importa n t mean in g . H e demo n strate d that these “ u n yieldin g molec u lar

su bstan c es were fo u n d in the tips of the fi n gers the lines of the han d a n d
”
, ,

disappeare d completely at the wrist ;that these c orpu s c les contain ed the e n d of
the importan t nerve fiber a n d du rin g the life of the body gave forth certain
,

crepitatio n s or vibratio n s which c ease d the mome n t life became extin c t

,
I .

“
have cou n te d says he , in the first phalan ge of the V olar su rface of the fore
”
,

fi n ger O f a fu ll grow n m a n o n e h u n dre d a n d eight corp u scles a n d abo u t fou r

-
, ,

hu n dre d papill ae in a squ are lin e .

”

These i n vestigatio n s were afterward followe d u p by expe ime n ts as t o r

the n oises or crepitatio n s that they gave forth du rin g life It was demo n .

s t r a t e d that people with ac u te heari n g c o u l d detect these v ibrations disti n c t

a n d di d e r e n t in every h u man bein g A n d in the case of a m a n experimente d

.

o n in P aris who was bor n bli n d, b u t who m n at u re h a d compe n sate d by

‘

givin g him a greater sen se of heari n g , it was fo u n d that by liste n in g t o t h e

V ibratio n s O f these corp u scles
“ h e co u ld determi n e the Se x age a n d tem , ,
‘

p e r a m e
,
n t the state of health a n d eve n their n earn ess to ill n ess a n d death
,
”
.

We will n o w tu rn o u r atte n tio n to what, perhaps , as far as palmistry is

co n cern e d, may be the most im portan t poi n t O f a l l n amely as to the ideas o f
, ,

m e n of lear n i n g as regar d s a flu id or esse n ce in connect ion with the n erves

a n d the brai n .

O n this poi n t A berc rombie states : “Th e comm u nication of perceptions

from the sen ses to the mind h a s been accou n ted for by m otions of t h e
.

nervou s flu id by vibration s of the n erves or by a su btle essence resemblin g

, ,

electricity or galvan ism We fi n d that this theory h a b e e n very freely cir

'

c u la t e d by those who have devote d serio u s tho u ght toa

.

h e s u bject M iille r
t
.

a lso says :
“ P erhaps there exists betwee n the phe n o m en a of t h e nervo u s
system a n d of electricity a sympathy or co n n ectio n at prese n t u nk n ow n ,
18 A D ef en s e .

a c a refu l st u dy of the most importan t member of the body—t h e hand ? I s

there an ythin g abs u rd or ridic u lo u s in the idea that the han d specialist (a s
the tru e palmist is) shou l d attempt a n d be able to read the health , the sur
rou n din gs O f the past a n d presen t, a n d eve n the fu tu re , from a n examination
Of the han d , in depe n de n t O f a n y p a lm ist ic theory of li n es to go by ?

That the lin es are not produ c e d by work w e have n ote d earlier If .
,

therefore as has bee n demon strated , they are n o t produ ced by wor k , they
,

lik ewise are not produ ced by c o n stan t fol din g It is tru e that the ha n ds fold
.

o n the lin es , b u t it is also tru e that lin es a n d marks are fo u n d w h e r e n o fold

‘

in g can possibly take pla c e , a n d if so in o n e case , why n o t in all ? A gai n ,

there are man y diseases (as for exam ple paralysis ) in which the lin es
, ,

completely disappear, altho u gh the han ds co n tin u e to fold as before Th e .

foldin g arg u men t, it will therefore be observed , does n o t hol d gro u n d .

A s regards the qu estio n Is the st u dy of phre n ology a n d physiogn omy to

,

be c o n sidered as a n aid in a c h e ir o m a n t ic exam in ation ? a little tho u ght will

co n vin ce the in qu irer that s u ch is n o t by any mean s n ecessary A thoro u gh .

stu dy of the han d will c o m bin e both Th e ha n d, by its dire c t c omm u n icat io n
.

with every portion of the brain , tells n o t o n ly the qu alities active , b u t those
dorman t , a n d those whi c h will be developed A S regards physiog n omy , t h e
.
'

face allows itself to be too easily c o n trolled to be ac cu rate in its fi n din gs , b u t

the lin es can n ot be altered to s u it the p u rposes of t h e mo m en t .

It is Bal z ac who has said, in his Com é die H u main e “ We acqu ire the
facu lty of imposin g Silenc e u po n o u r lips , u pon o u r eyes , u po n o u r eyebrows ,
a n d u po n o u r forehea ds ; the han d alo n e does n o t dissemble —n o featu re is

more expressive th an the han d .

We will n o w tu rn to the qu estion of the fu t u re as revealed by this stu dy,

a n d caref u lly exam i n e the reaso n s advan ced for s u ch a belief .

I n the first place , we m u st bear I n mi n d that the mea n in g O f the difi e r

e n t li n es in c o n j u n c tio n with the differe n t types O f ha n ds d ates back to that

period already referred to when th is stu dy lay in the ha n ds of men who

d evoted their lives to its cu ltivatio n .N o w , as there came to be recognized a
nat u ral position for the n ose or t h e lips o n the face s o in t h e stu dy of the
,

h an d there cam e to be recogn i z e d a n atu ral pos itio n for the lin e of head or
the li n e of life, as the case might be H O W s u c h a th i n g was originally dis
.
 A D ef en se . 19

o red is not o u r prov i n ce to determin e , b u t that the tru th of su ch de srgn a

c ve

tion s has been proved, a n d c a n be prove d, will be admitted by a n y perso n w h o

will even casu ally examin e ha nds for himself Therefore , if proved in o n e
.

poin t that certai n marks on the lin e of head mean this or that pec u liarity
me n tally, a n d that certain marks On the lin e of life have bee n proved to be
in relatio n to length O f life or the reverse , the same c o u rse of o bservatio n it ,

is n o t illogic al to ass u me , that c a n pre dic t illn ess , health m adn ess , a n d death
,

years in advance may, if persiste d in be also acc u rate in its O bservation th at

,

mar riage will occ u r at this or that poin t with this or that resu lt , a n d also in
,

regar d to prosperity or the reverse . It is beyo n d my power to an s w er w h y

s u ch a thin g sho u ld be , b u t it is s u rely n o t beyo n d my j u ris dictio n to advan ce
the followi n g theory That as the hi dden laws of n atur e bec ome more r e
veale d by each ce n tu ry o f tim e so does m a n be c ome more cogni z an t Of the
,

fa ct th at thin gs before c alled m ysteries are b u t pro du ced by the action of

certain laws that beforetime he was ign ora n t O f I also advan c e the theory
.

that it is n o t possible for u s to lead the isolate d lives that at first sight appear
prob able ; that as the laws whi c h a fi e ct the en tire u n iverse a fi e c t u s so do ,

we as part Of a whole , af oot aga in t h o se la w s a n d t h u s on e a n o t h er I n e x

, ,
.
~

a m in in g this qu estio n we fi n d that the han d preaches , to a c ertai n exte n t,

the doctrin e of fate , in its predictio n O f thi n gs years in advan c e , a n d in its

r elatio n to the cfi e c t of circu m stan ces over whi c h we h ave little or no co n trol .

There is here , however, a stran ge combin atio n , not o n ly i n teresti n g b u t

in stru ctive : man appears respon sive to the du al laws of desti n y a n d free
will Man has free w ill I argu e b u t with limitatio n s , as there are limita
.
, ,

—
tions to all other thi n gs in life to on e s stre n gth , to o n e s height , to o n e s
’ ’ ’

age , and so forth . Free will is the o scilla tio n of t h e cy lin der , w hich ve r y
.

v e s t h e e t e r n a l m a ch i
o s cilla tio n dr i n er y of e vo lu t io n L ookin g over the page s
.

o r the Bible we fi n d d estin y absol u te , t h e p u rpose of God appeari n g i n a ll

,

thi n gs . L ooki n g back over the history of the world , the fate of n ation s
stan ds o u t in gra n d relief u pon the somber backgrou n d of the past M a n b e .

Th e ru lers of R ome the Grecian s O f A the n s,

'

co m e s t h e servant O f destiny .
,

the P haraohs of the N ile, all have served their pu rpose a n d are go n e We .

behol d in all the slow b u t steady stride Of evol u tion bearin g u s higher, bear .

in g u s t o perfection . L e t u s look back — the lesson s of the past may be t h e

20 A D ef en s e .

t e ach ers the fu tu re We behold an age when freedom Of th ou gh t la y dying

of .

beneath the dogma Of a chu rch ; we behold a bondage great as a n y when

a R ama rose in H in du stan , a Moses in E gypt , or a Christ in J er u salem ; a

millio n things lead to the one cr isis—agai n history is repeated, agai n a man
is forced to the fro n t Was there a n ythin g in the appearan ce of that in
.

s ignifi c ant mo n k L u ther , that he Sho u l d be called u po n to take s u ch a

,

r esponsibility u pon his sho u lders ? A h ! he was n o t called u po n by m a n ;

d estiny was agai n u —
absol te n atu re was o n e -Side d, the balan c e had to be
r estored . G o d—n atu re—fate—w e will n o t qu arrel abou t a n ame —workin g
throu gh the medi u m of hereditary laws , so fashioned a m a n that, stan din g in
t h e niche of n ecessity, he was the lever u po n which the fate of thou san ds
depe n ded Th e same in the case of N apoleo n , the same again in the boy
.

G eorge Washi n gton , a n d a s in the greater, so in the smaller ; from cree d to

creed from class to class , from the P residen t to the preacher, from the
,

ban ke r to the gami n , a ll f ul fil their pu r pose , each star withi n its sphere , eac h
.

perso n , ea c h position , all are chords a n d discords , notes a n d harmon ies in the
son g of life , a n d as in the u ltimate mille n ni u m of perfection will that per
fe c t io n be etern al , SO shall all Share the perfection O f that gran d harmo n y of
which eve n n o w we form the to n es , the semi -tones , a n d the discords .

Is it hard to believe in some u nseen law, some mysteriou s c au se or power

that thu s shapes a n d controls o u r lives ? If at first sight it see m s so , w e
mu st c o n sider t h e hu n dred and o n e things we have believe d in with les s
fou n datio n To be co n sistent, we m u st remember the m u lt itu din ou s variety
.

of religio n s , creeds , a n d theor ies that h ave not on ly been accepte d by t h e

m asses , b u t have bee n the solid beliefs of intellectu al min ds . If, th erefore,

people ca n so easily believe in that which is beyond this state of life, Of

which n o a c tu al facts exist, is there an y t hin g so very abs u r d in s u pportin g
a doctrin e of fate , which it is logical to s u ppose exists , if we only take it from

the stan dpoin t of the repetitio n O f eve n ts from natu ral cau ses ? O n this qu es
tion I w o u ld draw atten tion to the wor ds of D u gald Stewart in his Ou tlin es “
of Moral P hilosophy, p u blished 1 837 , in which he says : A ll philo soph ical
”

inqu iry, a n d all that prac ti c al knowledge whi c h gu i des o u r c ondu ct in life ,
presu pposes su c h a n establish ed order in the s u ccessio n of eve n ts as enables
u s to form co jectu res con ce r n in g t h e f ut u r e f r o m t h e o bs e r v a tio n of th e p a s t
n .
”
 A D ef e n se . 21

M a n ther efore becomes both the maker d

the servan t of destiny , he
an

brin ging in to for c e, by his existen ce alo n e , certain laws that react u pon him
self, a n d, thro u gh h im , u po n others Th e prese n t is therefore the e fi e c t Of a
.

/
heretofore c au se ; a n d agai n , t he pr e se n t is t h e ca u se of a her e af ter ef e ct Th e
f
.

h “
dee ds of the past are t e karma of the prese n t, as in the si n s of the fathers , ”

a n d in the e ffe c t of hereditary la w s A S we , therefore , work o u t o u r o w n fate ,

.

SO do we make fate for those to follow, a n d so o n in eve ry degree from stage

to stage in t h e worl d s progress

’
.

It will thu s be seen that i n stea d of this do c trin e be c omin g a da n gerou s

o n e it becomes the re v erse
,
It for c es m e n a n d wo m en to realiz e the r e sp on si
.

bility of li f e it teac hes them to feel for others , a n d n o t to be carefu l alon e for
the salvatio n of self This c ree d I hold wou ld s u it all classes of the com
.

m u nity, wou ld rai se m e n by its u n se lfi sh n e ss, wo u ld re dee m them by its

perso n al c laim , wo u ld broa den me n s V iews , that where n o w they see b u t
’

dogma they wo u l d see Tru th ;woul d teach that we, the children O f h u man ity ,
bein g brothers a n d sisters , shou l d serve o n e an other , to t h e u lti m ate per
fe c t io n of the ra c e , to the be n efit O f all life , a n d to the advan ceme n t of those
who are yet to come .

This doctrin e of fate does n o t retard m e n from work , it advan ces them
o n the pla n e of work . It does n o t hol d o u t a reward for work do n e , w h ic h,
after all , is b u t the wage of the hirelin g ; it gives the higher satisfac tion
’ —
of doin g one s best , that others may be better n o more It teaches patie n ce .

in trial, resignation in a fflictio n , h u mblen ess in s u c c ess , a n d V irtu e in what

.

ever positio n in life it h a s please d God (or fate ) to c all u s ”

.

Co n trast this doctrin e with th a t of free will as u su ally prea ched, a n d

what is the res u lt ? We fi n d the greatest m a n red u ce d to the smallest atom
in the imme n sity of h u man ity We look lower in the s c ale of life , we see m il
.

lio n s of bein gs cr u shi n g o n e an other, livin g o n o n e an other, stru gglin g with

all the fi e r ce n e ss of their free dom There is n o co n te n tmen t in su c h a s c e n e,
.

n o pea c e , n o beau ty ; n o t eve n in their religio n do we fi n d the rest which

after death sho u ld be the reward of the weary .

On the other hand, the tru e fatalist will n o t c lose his han ds a n d wait, he
will O pen them a n d work , earn estly a n d patien tly a n d well rememberin g ,

that the bu rden he bears has been mad e for him to tea c h him to make lighter
22 A D ef e n s e .

the bu rdens o f others H e will feel that he is a link in life s chain , which
.
’

is eter n al ; that n o matter h o w s m all that lin k may be it still has its pu r ,

—
pose to be born e with patie n ce , t o b e served with hon or Tis n au ght to h im
’
.

the clash of cree ds , tis n au ght the su c c ess of the mom en t, or the fail u re of
’

the year ; he will do wro n g in his life, as w e ll a s right —w e all do ; evil is as

n ce essary as goo d— b u t he will d o his best,
that is all A n d at the e n.d— well
there is n o e n d, for even if there be n o life beyon d, he lives again in the par
t icl e s of c lay from whe n ce he c am e ; b u t if there b e a Spirit th en is his spirit ,

part of the etern al spirit of all thin gs , a n d so in the s u c c ess of all is he su c

c e s s fu l
. This is , to my m i n d the d o c tri n e of fate as prea c hed by this st u dy
,

of the han d ; this is the c ree d that has bee n despise d by the chu rc h a n d
“
ran ke d as a n en em y to the teachin gs of God ”
What t hat agen c y or power
.

is whic h marks the han ds may forever re m ain a mystery, b u t that does n o t
u u n t —
q alify s for obsti n ately refu si g to elieve in i becau se w e do n o t k n ow
b
“
A m a n might as well say, I refu se to live , becau se I do n o t k n ow a ll that
c o n stitu tes life , or
” “ I refu se to thin k be c au se I do n o t kn o w the process of
,

tho u ght ”
. There are h u n dreds O f mysteries , even in the si m ple thi n gs of life .

that the fi n ite m in d can n ot fathom , b u t we can n ot a ffo r d to discard them b e

c au se we do n o t k n ow their cau se Th e greatest thin kers , Christia n or anti
.

c hristian , have ackn owledge d their belief in some power beyo n d o u r co n trol
“
that shapes o u r e n ds , ro u gh hew them how we will ”
What c a n be stro n ger
.

“
than the word s of P rofessor Tyn dall : L ife a n d its co n ditio n s set forth the
operation s of a n i n scru table power ; we kn ow n o t its origin , we k n ow n o t its
e n d ;the pres u mptio n if n o t the degra datio n rests W ith those who place u po n
, ,

the thro e of the u n iverse a magn ified im age of them selves

n ”
.

“
Voltaire has sai d : There is a power that acts withi n u s witho u t c o n
su lt in g u s
”
.

A n d lastly let me draw attentio n to the words of E merso n :

,
“A little
c o n si deratio n of w hat takes pla c e aro u n d u s every day m u st Show u s that

a high e r la w t h a n th a t f
o our w ill r egu la t e s e v e n t s .
”

We have n o w see n how this stu dy has su r vived from age to age We .

have seen how eve n hard-headed m aterialistic scien ce brin gs fo r t h f a cth t o

s u pport its theories We have v iewe d it from a n atu ral light a n d w e fi n d it
.
,
'

n atu ral ; we have exami n ed it from a religio u s stan dpoin t a n d it is religiou s

, a
 A D ef e n se . 23

we find that good c a n be do n e thro u gh it , n o t o n ly in its doctrines o f the

respon sibility of life, b u t in its war n in gs , in its cau tio n s , a n d in the k n owledge
_

of self that it gives to all Wh at f t h e n , is to be done ? D iscard it becau se of

.

opposition ? N O , We m u st help it for the sake of the tru th th at it possesses .

We mu st teach it to others , tha t its k n owle dge may be po w er We mu st .

u se it becau se of its u se , we m u st s u pport it becau se of its s u pport ; a n d

lastly, to the man or woman who , in Spite of reaso n , of proofs , of facts , still
—
d o u bts to s u c h a perso , u sing Foster s argu ment agai n st atheism as a
n ’

fou n datio n I w ou l d say that by takin g su c h a position they do not do them

,

selves j u stice as reason able O r in tellectu al beings A n d why ? Becau se u n less

.

they know every law that co n trols man kin d, that law that they do n o t kn o w
may be the one whose existe n ce they de n y U nless they have bee n in every
.

p ortion O f t h e u n iverse , that portion they have not seen may contain the
”

s ecret of t h e whol e ; a n d u n less they k n ow every power that constitu tes life,

t h at po w er they do n o t k now may b e t h e very one that marks the han d

.
.
26 Ch e ir o s L a n gu age
’
f
o th e H a n d .

a c ter O f stran gers while Sittin g in the railroad car, the chu rch , t h e con cert,
or the salo n .

Th e c hara c teristi c s of vario u s n atio n s as Shown by the Shape of the han d

is also a fas c i n atin g bran ch of the stu dy a n d o n e very mu c h overlooke d
, .

L ater, I will en deavor to poin t o u t the lea di n g c haracteristics that I myself

have O bserve d in relatio n to this portion O f the s u bject Th e varyi n g shape .
_

O f han d s a n d their s u itability to vario u s kin ds of occ u pation is also wort hy

of n ote, a n d altho u gh by the exercise of will we can alter a n d make u p, in a

certain degree , for almost a n y c on stitu tio n al defect yet it is u n do u bte dly t h e
,

c ase that c ertai n types are more s u ite d for o n e work than a n other, which is

the more imme diate provin ce of c heirogn omy to determin e We will there .

fo r e a t o n c e procee d to con sider the differen t types of han ds with their vari
o u s mo difi c atio n s , in their relatio n to temperame n t a n d character .

There are seve n types of hands each of which may again be s u bdivide d
,

in to se v e n varieties .

Th e seve n types are

I . Th e eleme n tary, or the lowest type .

II . Th e squ are, or the u sefu l ha n d .

III . Th e Spat u late , or the n ervo u s active type .

IV . Th e philosophic , or the kn otty han d .

V . Th e c o n ic , or the artisti c type .

VI . Th e psychic , or the idealisti c han d .

VII . Th e mixed han d .

Th e seven varieties are forme d by the blen di n g of the seven types .

A mo n g civili z ed n atio n s the eleme n tary b ein g rarely fo u n d in its p u rity we

,

therefore c ommen ce with the sq u are , divide d in to seven heads , as, for exam
ple : the squ are with squ are fin gers short ; the squ are with squ are fin gers ,
,

lo n g ; the squ are with kn otty fi n gers ; the squ are w ith spat u late fi n gers the
;
squ are with co n i c fingers ; the squ are with psychic fingers ; and the s qu a re
wit h mixed fin gers .
 CH A P TE R II .

TH E E L E M E N TAR Y , O R L OWE ST TYPE .

TH I S hand nat u rally belon gs to the lowest type of me n tality I n appear .

an ce it is coarse a n d clu msy , with large , thick , he a vy palm , short fi n gers a n d ,

short n ails (P late It is always importan t to n otic e the le n gth of the palm
a n d fingers . Some books o n palmistry state that to Show in tellect u ality the
fin gers shou l d al w ays be lo n ger than the pal m ; b u t a n examin atio n of this
stateme n t will Show that it is n o t correct It has n o t bee n proved that fi n
.

gers have been fou n d lo n ger than the palm That they may be n early as
.

lo n g, or as lon g there c a n be n o do u bt ; b u t it is a very rare case to fi n d

,

them eve n Of the same len gth Whe n , howe v er, in proportion to the Siz e of
.

the pal m the fin gers are lo n g, it i n dic ates a more i n telle c t u al n atu re than
whe n they are short I n D r Cair n s work on the physiogn om y of t h e h u m a n
. .
’

“
body, he states that the bo n es of the palm form, amo n g bru te an imals , a l
most the whole han d ”
.Th e de du ctio n , theref ore , is that the more the palm
dom in ates the han d the more does the an imal n atu re r u le Q Th is is the im
,
.

portan t poin t in the elemen tary han d : the palm is al w ays thick a n d coarse ,
a n d the fin gers Short a n d cl u msy There are also very fe w li n es to be see n
.

o n the palm Th e people possessin g su ch a type have very little m e n tal

.

capacity, a n d what they do possess lean s more to the order of the br u te .

They have little or n o co n trol over their passio n s ; love of form , color , and
”
beau ty does n o t appeal to them Th e thu mb o f s u ch han ds is short and
.

thick, with the u pper part or n ail phalan ge heavy, fu ll, a n d generally squ are .

Su ch people are viole n t in temper , passionate b u t n o t co u rageo u s If they .

commit m u rder, it is in the fu ry a n d in the spir it of destru ctio n They pos .

sess a certai n low c u n nin g, b u t the c u n n in g of in stin ct, n o t reason These .

a r e people witho u t aspiratio n s ; they b u t eat , drink , Sleep , a n d die (Se e also.

“Th e H ands of N atio n s ” Chapter XVI

, ) .

27
 CHAP TE R III .

THE SQU AR E H AN D AN D I T S SU BDI VI SI O N S.

C TH Esqu are han d mean s the palm squ are at the wrist , s qu are at the b as e
i
of the fi n gers , a n d the l n gers the m selves squ are (P late Su ch a ty pe is
also called the u sefu l , becau se it is fo u nd in so man y walks of lif e /, With .

this type the n ails as well are gen erally short a n d squ are a .

P eople with s u ch a han d are orderly, p u n ctu al , a n d precise in man ner ,

n o t howe ver, from a n y i n n ate grace of n

,
atu re , b u t more from co n formity to
c u stom a n d habit . They respe c t au thority, they love discipli n e , they have
a place for everythin g a n d everythin g is kept in its place , n o t only in their
ho u sehold , b u t in their brai n s They respect law a n d order, a n d are Slaves
.

to c u stom ; they are n o t qu arrelsome , b u t are determin ed in opposition ; they

prefer reason to i n stin ct , peace to war, a n d are methodical in w ork a n d in
habit They are en dowed with great perseveran ce , b u t are te n a ciou s, n o t
.

resign e d ; they are n o t e n th u siastic over poetry or art ; they ask for the
material , they w in su ccess in prac tical thin gs I n religio n they will n o t go
.

to extrem e s , they prefer s u bst an c e to Sho w , a n d d ogma to i deas They a r e

_
.

n o t adaptable t o people or versatile

, ,
they h ave lit tl e origin alit y or imagi n a
tion , b u t in work they have great applicatio n , force of character stren gth ,

of Will, a n d ofte n o u t distan ce their more brillia n t a n d inspiration al rivals .

They n atu r ally love the exact s c ie n c es , a n d all practic al stu dy . They e n
cou rage agricu ltu re and commerce ; t h ey love h ome a n d the du ties Of
home b u t are n o t demo n strative in affectio n They are si n cere and tru e in
, .

promises , stan ch in frien dship , stron g in prin ciple , a n d ho n est in b u siness .

Their greatest fau l t is that they are in c lin e d to reason by a twelve -inch r u le
,

a n d disbelieve all they c an n ot u n ders t a n d .

28
P l at e II .
—T H E SQU A R E ;O R U SE F U L H AND .
30 Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age o f the H a n d .

make u sefu l thin gs i n stru men ts , a n d ho u sehold articles, a n d are , as w ell ,

,

goo d e n gin eers They love mechan ic al work of al m ost every ki n d, a n d t h e

.

fin est u sefu l mechan ism has been tu rn ed o u t by m e n with the squ are hand
a n d the spat u late fi n gers .

TH E SQU AR E H AN D WI T H C ON I C FI N GE R S
.

No w , tho u gh at first Sight it may appear stran ge to say that mu sical

composition c omes u n der this head y e t a little co n sideratio n will Show that
,

su c h n o t o n ly is the c ase , b u t that there is a logical reaso n that it Shou ld be

so In the first place, the squ are ha n d is more the han d of the st u den t It
. .

gives more the power of applic atio n a n d Co n tin u ity of cfi o r t , while t h e co n ic

fin gers give the i n tu itive a n d i n spiration al fac u lties Th e mu sical c omposer,
.

n o matter how imagi n ative n o matter h o w i n spire d in i deas , is certainly not

,

withou t the stu de n t s si de to his chara c ter If w e c o n si der, for a mome n t,

’
.

the qu ality O f brain a n d the disposition which is a bsolu tely n ecessary, we

will u n dersta n d more clearly w h y the ha n d m u st be thu s wo n derf u lly bal
a n ce d—why the inspiratio n al , i m agi n ative n at u re m u st be li n ke d to that of

the tho u ghtfu l , the solid, the metho dical , a n d th at whi c h als o procee ds from
the fo u n dation of the k n own — as for i n stan ce harmo n y a n d cou n terpoin t
, ,

to reach the worl d of the u n know n , thro u gh the gates of i m agi n ation a n d
idealism I have give n great stu dy to the han ds of mu sic al people, a n d I
.

fi n d this r u le in variable . I fi n d that t h e same a lso applies to literary peopl e,

those who from t h e fou n dation of stu dy b u il d u p the ivy-clad towers Of o r
man c e It is here that the stu de n t o f p a lmistry is O fte n dis c ou rage d H e
. .
"

imagines that becau se a m a n or woman leads a n artis t ic life , be it mu sical

or literary, that the shape of the ha n d m u st be what is c ommo n ly called the
co n ic or artisti c ; b u t the smallest O bserva tion of life will show that thou gh
the people w ith the p u rely co n ic or artistic han ds have the ar t istic nat u re
a n d the appre c iati o n of what is artistic yet they may n o t have —a n d I have
,

more often O bserve d that they h ave n o t —the power or the ability to b rin g
their ideas before the worl d in the same masterfu l way in which the mixe d
squ are a n d c o n ic do A m a n of a very artistic Spirit , with the co n i c: h
.

“
on c e said to me : It is su ffic ient for the artist to be the artist to {his
i n n er n atu r e ; the app r obatio n of the world I s, after all, o n ly the V I I lgar
 Th e Squ a r e H a n d an d its Su bdivisio n s . 31

m arK on wh at h e knows is gold Y

. I reply, s u fficien t for yo u r o w n
e s,
”

natu re , perhaps , b u t n o t su fficie n t for the world that expects the diamond
/

to shine a n d t h e gold to glit t e r J I f t h e flower made itself then might it r e

J

fu se to allo w its perfu me to s c e n t t h e earth ”

O n the co n trary the squ a re
.
,

t ype will exert its powers to the greatest advan ta ge O f a ll mankind .

‘
l HE SQU AR E H AN D AN D P SYC H I C F I N GE R S .

Th e squ are han d with p u rely psychic fin gers is rarely fou nd , b u t a n a p

proach to it is O ften seen in the form O f the squ are palm combine d with lo n g,
pointed fi n gers a n d lo n g n ails Su ch a formation cau ses people to start well ,
.

a n d mean well b u t makes the m s u bservie n t to every moo d and caprice

, An .

artist with s u ch a type will have a stu dio Of u n fin ish ed pictur es, and the b u si
ness m a n will have his o ffi ce filled with u nfinished plans Su ch a blendin g of .

types the extreme O pposite of each other makes a natu re too contradictory
to ever su cceed .

TH E SQU AR E H AN D AND M I XE D FI N GE R S .

This is a type that is very O fte n see n , a n d more so among men than
amon g wome n . It co n sists of every fin ger bein g difi e r e n t in shape some ,

times two o r th r ee , sometimes all It is Often fou n d that the thu mb of su ch

.

a hand is s u pple , or be n d s ba c k very mu c h in the middle j oi n t ;the first finger

is generally poin ted, the seco n d squ are , the third spatu late , a n d the fo u rth
poin ted Su ch a ha n d in dicates great versatility O f ideas ; at time s s u c h a
.

m a n will be fu ll of in spir atio n , again he will be scie n tific and extremely log .

ical ; he will descen d from the most imagi n ative idea to the most practic al ;
h e will disc u ss any s u bj ect with the greatest ease ;b u t from Want of con
tin u it y of p u rpose , he will rarely, if ever, rise to a n y great height of power o r
su ccess.

I have not spa c e at my disposal to thu s give the su b divisio n s O f every

type , b u t this is an example for the stu de n t Of how the seven types m a y b e
divided .
 CH A P TE R IV .

TH E SP ATU L AT E H AN D .

TH E spatu late hand is so c alled n o t o n ly becau se the tip of each finger

resembles the Spat u la that c hemists u se I n mortars , b u t also becau se the palm ,
in stead O f havin g the squ aren ess of the pre c edin g type, is either u n u su ally
broad at the wrist or at the base of the fi n gers (P late
When the greater breadth of formation is at the wrist, the pal m O f the
hand be c omes poin ted toward the fi n gers ; when , o n the c o n trary, the great
est breadth is fo u n d at the base of the fingers , the Shape of the han d Slopes
back t oward the wrist We will discu ss these two points a little later, b u t
.

we mu st first c o n sider the sig n ifican ce of the Spat u late han d itself .

I n the first place , the spatu late hand , whe n hard a n d firm , in di c ates a .

nat u re restless a n d ex c itable , b u t fu ll of e n ergy of p u rpose a n d en thu siasm

.

When soft a n d flabby which is O ften the case , it denotes the restless b u t
,

irritable spirit . Su c h a person works in fits a n d starts b u t c an n ot sti ck

,

to an ythin g lo n g N O W , in the first place , the pe cu liar attrib u te that the

.

spatu late hand has is its in te n se love of action , e n ergy, a n d in depen dence .

It belo n gs to the great n avigators , explorers , discoverers, a n d also the

‘

great en gin eers a n d mechan ics , b u t it is by n o mean s c on fi n e d to s u ch

people, a n d may be fo u n d in almost every walk of l ife A s a ru le , it is a
.

large han d with fairly lon g, w ell devel o ped fin gers

,
-
. Th e most strikin g
characteristic of all is the Si n gu lar in depen dence O f spirit that characterizes
in dividu als possessin g su c h a developme n t It is dou btless this spirit that
.

makes them explo r er s a n d discoverers a n d cau ses them also to depart from
,

t h e k n own r u l e s O f e n gi n eeri n g a n d mechan ics to seek the u n k n own

thu s be c ome fam ou s for their in ve n tion . N o matter in what grade

position in life these spatu late han d s fi n d themselves , they always in so
for m strike o u t for themselves , a n d assert their right to possess a m a rked
32
 l
P at e I II .
-
TH E S PAT U LAT E . O R ACT IV E HAN D .
 Th e Sp a t u la te H a n d
. 33

div idu a lit y of their own A sin ger, a c tress , doctor, or prea cher with s u ch a
.

development will break all r u les of precedent —not by any means for the sake
of ecce n tricity, b u t simply b e c a u Se fh e y have a n origin al way of looking at
/

hi n gs , a n d their sense of in depe n de n ce i n clines them to rese n t s u iting their

t
brain to other people s ideas It is from this h an d that we get not on ly
’
.

o u r great discoverers a n d engineers , b u t also the whole army of men a n d

women we are pleased to call cran ks , simply becau se they will not follow the
r u t made by the c e n tu ries O f Sh e e t h t have go e be fore them S ch m
'

p a n . u e n

a n d women with the spat u late han ds are the advan ce agents o f tho u ght The y.

are it is tru e , very ofte n before their time ; they are often wrong in the way
,

they set abo u t their work ; b u t they are , as a ru le the heral ds O f some new
,

thou ght or life that will , years later, give lif e to their fellow men -
.

This brin gs u s down to the t w o divisions I h ave j u st mentioned We will .

now con sider their mean in g .

Th e spat u late h a n d with the broad developmen t at the b a se of the fin gers

is the more pra c tical of the t w o If he be a n in ven tor, he wil l u s e his talen ts
.

for makin g locomotives , ships , railways , a n d all the more u sefu l thin gs Of life ,

for the simple reason that he comes n earer the formation of the squ are type .

B u t if he has the greater an gu l ar developmen t at the wrist, his be n t will be

fg r action in the domai n of i deas H e will i n ve n t fly in g-machines if he has
.

the in ven tive talen t , hu nt fo r n e w flowers if he be a botan ist , be the demigo d

O f some new gospel if he be a priest These people wonder that God took six
.

days to make t h e eart h— with the little power that they possess they wou ld
revolu tionize the world in a day Bu t they all have their p u rpose in the
.

e volu tion o f lif e ; they are necessary , therefore they are created .
 CH A P TE R V .

TH E P
P H I L OSO H I C H AND .

“
TH E name of this type explain s itself, the word philosoph ic being de
”

rived from the Greek p hilos, love a n d s op hia , wis dom

,
This shape of ha n d
.

is easily recognized : it is ge n erally lo n g a n d an gu lar, with bo n y fin gers , devel

ope d joi n ts, a n d lo n g n ails ( P late A s far as s u ccess in the form of wealth
“

is con cern ed, it is n o t a favorable type to have ; it glean s wis dom , rarely if ,

ever, gold P eople with s u ch a type are as a ru le , stu den ts b u t of pecu liar
.
, ,

su bjects They stu dy man kin d ; they k n ow every chord a n d to n e in the harp
.

of life ; they play u pon it , a n d are gratifie d w ith its respon sive m elody more
than with the c lin k of coin .
‘

I n this way they have as m u ch am bitio n as

other types Of h u man ity , only theirs is of a differe n t kin d that is all They,
.

like to be distin ct from other people , a n d they will go thro u gh all ki n ds of

priv ation s to attain this e n d ; b u t as k n owle dge gives power so does the ,

kn ow le dge of man ki n d give power ove r m a n Su ch people love mystery in

.

all thin gs If they preach , they preach over the heads of the people ; if they
.

pain t, they are mys tic ; if they are poets they dis c ard the dramatic c lash a n d
,

color of life for the v isio n ary si m iles a n d vaporish dr a pin gs O f the spirit .

Theirs is the peace of the aestheti c ; theirs the domai n beyon d the bor derlan d
of matter ; theirs the clo u dlan d O f tho u ght , where the dreaded gru b w orm -

O f materialism dare n o t follow . Su c h ha n ds are fo u n d very largely amo n g

the O rien tal n atio n s particu larly in In dia Th e Brahman s , Y ogis , a n d other
, .

m ystic s possess them in great n u mbers I n E n glan d striki n g examples are

.
,

fou n d in the han ds of Car din al N ewma n , Cardin al Ma n n i n g , a n d Ten n yson .

They are also largely seen amo n g the J es u its O f the Catholic Chu rch , rarely
in the E n glish Ch u rc h , a n d more rarely still in Baptists P resbyterians a n d
, ,

In depen den ts I n c hara c ter they are silen t a n d se c retive ; they are deep
.

thin kers , carefu l over little matters eve n in the u se O f little words ; they are
,

34
 Th e P hilosop hic H a n d . 35

prou d with the pride of bein g difi e r e n t from others ; they rarely forget an
inj u ry, b u t they are patien t with the patie n ce of power Th ey wait for .

Opportu nities , and so O ppo r t u n it ig serve them S u ch han ds are ge n erally

.

egotistical , which I s in keepin g with the life they lead When I n a n y excess
.

of developme n t they are more or less fan atical in religio n or m y s t icrsm . Of

t his the most wo n derfu l examples are fo u n d in the E ast , where from the
earliest c hildhood the Y ogi will separ ate himself from all claims Of relatio n
ship a n d ki n dred , a n d starve a n d kill the bo dy that the so u l may live . I
difi e r in my defi n ition of this type very largely fro m the mo der n writers o n
palmistry . I fear it has bee n too Ofte n the c ase that the writer o n this su b
j cet has followed too closely w hat other au thorities have said, withou t taki n g
the trou ble t o follow o u t his o w n observation s Th e greatest in j u ry that has
.

been don e to palmistry has bee n do n e in the nin eteen th cen t u ry, by the
'

lady a n d gen tleman writers of the da y Su ch people read a few books

”
.

devote sometimes a few mon ths , sometimes less , to the st u dy as a fad, or as

.

somethin g by which to make a ti n sel repu tatio n of bein g in terestin g, then

they write their n am es to a book a n d disappear in to the whirl of society from
wh e n ce they cam e O n ly this week I read a pamphlet writte n by a lady who
.

eight mo n ths ago did n o t k n ow a li n e o n the han d, b u t to da y she comes for

-

ward as an expo n e n t of palmistry, a n d, havin g mixe d u p the types in her

brain , writes that the squ are han d with short fin gers is the hand of poetry
a n d idealism . I n this work I have e n deavored to keep a n u n biased min d
toward the differe n c e of opi n ion o n this or that in co n n e c tion with the stu dy .

When I have come in co n tact with a n O pin ion in opposition to my o w n ,

I have carefu lly co n sidered all points for a n d agai n st, a n d before decidin g in
a n y directio n I have take n ti m e to exami n e ofte n h u n dre d s of han ds before

comin g to a conclu sio n on even the smallest poin t Whe n o n e considers the
.

opportu n ities placed at my disposal, not o n ly in o n e co u n try, b u t in almost

every co u n try in the world, he will more readily u n derstan d that there is some
likelihood of my bein g, n o t in fallible , b u t fairly acc u rate .

ith thes e fo r e i in d that the de v e lo ed

join ts are he e cu lia r ch a r a c t e r i i of thou h
poin ted fingers are t he reverse . A gain , s u c h a developme n t gives the love of
an alyzing b u t it is the Shape or type of han d whi c h determines whether th a t
,
 Ch e ir o s L a n gu age f the H a n d
’
36 o .

power o f a nalysis be fo r chemicals or for man kin d Th e end of the finger

.

b ein g squ are a n d conic combin ed gives the solemn tone to their i n spiration
a n d fits them speciall y for the religio u s tho u ght or the mysticism with which ,

as a ru le, they become associate d A gain , these han ds, in the pu rs u it of what
.

they c o n sider tru th, will have the patie n ce of the squ are type, with that love
of self-martyr dom which is the characteristic of the conic It is the blen di n g
.

of these almost opposite characteristics which brings abou t the pecu liar i deas
that make m e n and women with the philosophic typ e o f h ands so diff erent
from the prac t ical dr ones in the vast h ive of h u manity .
 ,

CH AP TE R VI .

TH E CONI C H A ND .

TH E con ic hand, properly speaking, is mediu m-sized the palm sl rglit l v

,

ta pering, a n d the fi n gers f u ll at t h e base , a n d conic , or slightly pointed , a t the

‘

tip or n ail phalange (P late It is O ften con fou nded with the next type,
the psy c hic , which is the lon g, narro w b a n d, with extremely lon g, taperin g
fi n gers .

Th e main c har acteristic s of t h e c o n ic ha n d are imp u lse a n d in s t ru c t .

P eople with the co n i c han d are O ften , in fa c t, d esignated the c hildren

of imp u lse ”
Th ere is a great variety in con n ectio n wit h this type , b u t it is
.

more u s u ally fou n d as a fu ll , soft han d , w ith poi n ted fi n gers , a n d rather long
n ai ls
. Su c h a formatio n de n otes a n artisti c , imp u lsive n at u re , b u t o n e in
which love of lu xu ry a n d in dole n ce predomin ate Th e great fau lt with
.

people possessin g this type is , that tho u gh they may b e clever a n d qu ick in
t h ou ght a n d ideas , yet they are SO u t terly devoid of p atien c e and tire so
easily, that they rarely, if ever, c arry o u t their inten tion s Su ch people appear
.

to their greatest ad v an tage in com pan y, or before stra n ge rs T h ey are goo d

.

c onversatio n alists , they grasp the drift of a su bj e c t q u ickly , b u t they a re

more or less s u perficial in k n owle dge as also in other thin gs ; they have n o t
,

t h e power of t h e st u den t thro u gh want of applicatio n ; they do not reaso n

, ,

they ju dge by imp u lse a n d instin ct It is that qu ality which makes them
.

chan geable in fr ie n dsh rp a n d a fi e c t io n ; one c a n easily O ffend them over little

t hin gs . They are also very mu ch i n flu e n ce d by the people they come in co n
tact with a n d by their su rro u n din gs Th ey are impressio n able in afi a ir e s do
, .

o ccu r ; they carry their likes and dislikes to extremes ;they are u s u ally q u ick

tempered , b u t temper with them is b u t a th in g of the mome n t They , how

.

e ver whe n o u t o f temper , speak their min d plain ly a n d are too impet u o u s to
, ,

s tu dy words or expressions . T h ey are al w ays ge n ero u s a n d sympathetic ,

38 Ch e ir o s L a n gu age
’
f
o t he H an d .

selfi sh where their o w n person al comfort is con cern ed, it is tru e , b u t not in
mo n ey matters ; they are easily i n fl u e n ced to give mon ey for charity, b u t ,
alas here they have n o t the power of discrimi n a tio n , con sequ en tly the mon ey
is give n to an ybo dy or an ythin g which m a y rou se their sympathies at the
‘

m ome n t . These han ds n ever get that c re dit for charity which falls to the
lot of the more pra c tical types To get cre di t for c harity very often c on sists
.

in s a y in g w hat w e give to the beggar a n d givi n g it to the ch u r c h b u t the,

c o n i c

fi n gers n e v er thin k of that Th e beggar comes , a n d if the imp u lse to give is

.

there—well t hey give, a n d that is a ll

,
.

This i n terestin g type has bee n c alled, a n d deserve dly so the artisti c b u t , ,

su ch r elates m ore to te m perame n t tha n to the c arryi n g o u t of the artistic

ideas . It wou ld really b e more correct to say that the own ers of su ch han d s
are i n fl u e n c e d by the artistic , than that they are artistic They are more
.

e asily i n fl u e n c e d b l m si eloq e ce tears joy or sorrow tha

'

c o o r u c u n n an y
y , , , , , ,

other type M e n a n d w omen possessin g this c lass of han d respo n d qu ickly t o

.

sy m pathetic i n flu en c es ; they are emotion al , a n d rise to the greatest heights

of rapt u re , or des c en d to the lowest depths of despair, o ver a n y trifle .

W h e n the c on i c han d is har d a n d elastic , it den otes all the goo d qu alitie s
of the fi r st me n tio n e d b u t ac c e n tu ate d by greater e n ergy a n d firmn ess of will
-
,
.

Th e c o n i c han d har d is artisti c in n atu re , a n d if e n c ou rage d for a n artisti c

life the e n ergy a n d determin ation will go far toward maki n g su c cess It .

will have all the qu ickn ess of the first, with all the brill ia n cy a n d sparkle in
compan y a n d before stra n gers , a n d it is for tha t reaso n th at the co n ic han d
has b ee n chose n to represen t those who lea d a p u bli c life , su ch as a c tors ,

ac tresses , sin gers , orators , a n d all those w h o follo w a p u rely emotio n al

c areer . B u t it mu st n o t be forgotten that su c h people depe n d more u po n
the i n spiratio n al feelin g of the mome n t than tho u ght, reason , or stu dy .

They wi ll do thin gs well , b u t will n o t k n ow why or how t h ey do them .

Th e s in ger will carry away her au die n ce by her own i n dividu ality m or e
tha n b y stu dy of the so n g ; the a c tress , from her o w n emotio n al natu re, will
stir the emotio n s of others ;a n d the orator will move mu ltitu des by the elo
q u e n c e n u —
of his to g e n o t by the logic of his wor ds It m u st therefore b e
.
, ,

re m em bere d that the type of han d b u t relates to the n atu ral temperamen t
a n d dispositi o n of the i n divi du al
; it is the fo u n d atio n u pon which the tale n t
 The Con ic H a n d . 39

rises or falls For instance , a woman with squ are fingers can be a s gr eat a
.

si n ger, and may ofte n b e capable of risin g to greater thin gs th a n t h e

w oman with the poin ted fo r m a t iorT;
'

b u t she will reach that point by difi e r

en t mea n s — b y her applicatio n , by her stu dy, by her co n scientio u s work , a n d
by the greater power of e n du ran ce a n d patien c e that she possesses Stu dy .

a n d development are o n e half the ladder of fame . G eni u s sits o n the ru n gs

to dream , Stu dy works a n d rises ru n g by r u n g ; it is the earthworms alo n e
who , da zz led by the heights above t h em , co n fou nd the two , and oft crow n
Stu dy a n d call it G e n iu s
. Th e artistic type as a type b u t relates to tem

pe r a m e n t ; the variety of fi n gers i n dicates only where that temperamen t is

stron gest : as , for i n stan ce , the artistic ha n d with squ are fin gers in dicates
more the st u de n t a n d, co n sequ e n tly, more exactness in fou n dation , method,
,

a n d correctn ess ;s u ch perso n s w ill try a n d t ry agai n u n til they are su ccessfu l.

Th e spatu late fi n gers o n the a rtistic han d w ill give , say to a pain ter
,

the greater breadth of desig n and color, the more darin g ideas that will m ak e
the m a n famo u s for his origi n ality Th e philosophic will give the m ystic al
.

treatme n t of the idea—the to n es a n d semito n es that s u bdu e the already su b

d u e d c olors Th e lights a n d sha des that creep across the c a n vas , the poem in
.

the petals of the asphodel , the B en e dictu s in the han ds tha t soothe the dyin g
all w ill be detail b u t detail leadi n g to the regions of the spirit ; all will b e
,

calm b u t with that calmness that a w es o n e wit h the sense of the myster iou s
. .
 CH A P TE R VII .

'

TH E r sr o H ic H AN D .

TH H most beau tifu l b u t the most u n fortu n ate of the seven is what is
k n own as the psychic ( Plate This in its p u rity of type is a very rare
han d to fi n d Th e na m e explain s itself—that whic h appertain s to the sou l
. .

Th e very word see m s to s u ggest to o n e s m in d the o ld fable of the e n vy of

’

Ven u s to w ard the maide n P syc he—the war of the goddess of passio n agai n s t
t h e mo r e spirit u a l charm of the dau ghter of the so u l I n its p u ren ess of type
.

it is a hard h a n d to fi n d : ni n eteen th -ce n t u ry c ivilization does n o t e n cou rage

s u ch rare flowers of lily whiteness a n d ic y p u rity ; the calmness , c ol dn ess ,

a n d dreamy c hastity of s u c h a type are n o t so u ght after by the prese n t -day

son s of the soil whose heads are bowe d in th e qu est for gold, a n d whose
,

b loo d is heated by the c losen ess of the c attle . B u t altho u gh the exact type
m a y be hard to fi n d, yet there are h u n dreds of m e n a n d wome n who so a p

proach the psychic that they m u st be co n si dere d par t of it, par t ic u larly
when the cu stoms that con trol o u r prese n t-da y life are take n in to co n sider
ation Th e psychic is the m ost beau tifu l han d of all It is in formatio n
. .

lon g n arro w , a n d fragile -lookin g, w ith slen der, taperin g fi n gers a n d lon g
, ,

almon d-shaped nail s . Its very fi n e n ess a n d bea u ty, ho w ever, in dicate its
wan t of e n ergy a n d stre n gth , a n d o n e in stin ctively pities su ch h a n ds if they
have t o try to hold their o w n in the battle of life .

In divid u als with the psychic han d have the pu rely vis ionary, i dealistic
natu re They appreciate the beau tifu l in every shape a n d form ; they are
.

gen tle in ma n n er, q u iet in temper ; they are c o n fi din g a n d they i n stin ctively
,

tru st every o n e who is kin d to them They have n o idea of how to

.

tical, bu sin ess -like or logical ; they have n o co n ception of order,

,

ality, or discipli n e they are easily influ en c e d by others ; agai n st t

they ar e carried away by the stron g ru sh of h u manity Color .

40
 Th e P sy chic H a n d . 41

this natu re in the highest possible way ; to some, every tone of mu sic , every
Jo y every sorro w , every e m otion is reflecte d in a color
,
T his type is u n co n
.

scio u sly a re ligio u s one ; it fe e lfi h a t is tr u e b u t has n o t the power t o seek

,

tru th I n religion s u ch people will be more impressed with the service , the
.

m u src , a n d the ceremo n y than with the logic or tru th of the sermon They .

a r e i n nately devotio n al , they seem to d well on the confines of t h e spirit u al ,

they feel the awe and the mystery of life , withou t kno w i n g why All form s .

of magic and mystery attract them ; they are easily imposed u pon, a n d yet
bitterly resen t bein g deceived These individu als have the in tu itive facu lties
.

highly developed ; they are good as sen sitives , mediu ms, clairvoyan ts , becau se
they are more alive to feelin gs , i n stincts , a n d impressions than are their more
matter o f-fact brothers a n d sisters
-
.

P are n ts havin g su ch ch il dren ge n erally do not at all u n derstan d how to

treat them Th e stran ge thin g is that they are often the o fi spr in g of mat t er
.

o i fact , practical people

-
Th e o n ly way in which I wou ld a c c ou n t for su c h
.

a fact is by the theory of balan c e : natu re worki n g thr o u gh hereditary laws,

,

fin ds a poi n t of balan ce by produ cin g the direct opposite of the pare n t ; thu s
the law of reac tio n pro du ces the type u n der exami n atio n A las ! too often
.

a temperament of this kin d, by the ign ora n ce a n d st u pidity o f the paren ts ,

is forced in to some bu sin ess life , simply becau se the fath er is in b u sin ess .

Th é u tter wro n gn ess of the life so cr u shes a n d dwarfs the n atu re that ve r y
’

ofte n the res u lt of s u c h environmen t is in san ity or a n early grave There is .

n o qu estion b u t that the asyl u ms of the worl d are lar ely fille d by the u tter
g
in ability of paren ts for su ch a positio n of responsibility ; a n d the soo n er this
fact is recogn ize d the better
,
.

P ossessors of these beau tifu l , delicate han ds the in dicators of the p u rely
,

se n sitive n at u re u su ally feel their positio n in life so keenly that they too
,

often co n sider themselves u seless , a n d become morbid a n d mela n choly in

con sequ ence Su ch , however, is not the case ; there is nothing u seless that
.

natu re call s in to creatio n ; the beau ty a n d sweetness of su ch temperamen ts

are often of more u se a n d do more good than those who , by t h e a ccu m u la a

tion of this world s goods bu ild a co n ven t or e n dow a ch u rch They may b e
’
,
.

placed here to establish a balanc e in the laws of h u man ity ; they m a y be h ere
to increase o u r love an d appreciation of the beau tifu l ; b u t they are not u se
42 Ch eir o s L a ngu age
’
f
o the H a n d.

less—o f that we m a y b e a ss u re d ; there fore let u s e n co u rage and help them

'

instead o f c ru shin g a n d destroyin g th em as we too often do A las ! in the .

worl dly se n se the y are ge n erally left far behi n d in t h e ra c e for fame a n d
fortu n e I c a n n ot refrai n fro m dra w i n g the followi n g pictu re , a s ill u s t rative
.

of s uch types :
They are as lilies thrown , by so m e ru thless han d, u po n the tempest tossed -

river of life—t hey seem so helpless in the o n ward sweep of that terribl e cu r
ren t On e sees the m at times clingi n g to the banks for pity A h ! tho se
.

bea u tifu l han ds have n o stren gth ;they a r e swept o n agai n by the risin g tide
of bu bblin g, babbling, frothy h u man ity A little lower, one sees t hem soiled
.
,

a n d stain e d, cro u chi n g be n eath the shado w of some rock , try in g as it were , ,

to look happy amid the weeds that for a moment m ock the stream A gain , .

it is the ru sh of the onward tide or the wash of some passin g barge t hat
drags them fro m the shelter of the stone a n d h u rries them nearer a n d n earer
to the sea Th e river is broa der n o w , qu ieter, calmer, wider : we expa n d in
.

o u r views as we leave the narrow ban ks of yo u th Se e n o w as the night

.
, ,

is nearin g, how those lilies rest a n d dream u pon the tide Th e river is silen t
.

'

n o w the r u sh is past , the da y of life is do n e

, Se e how it bears t h e broken
.

flowers ten derly a s if sorry for the ro u ghness of its early ti de All is qu iet
, .

n o w , all is calm . Wi der a n d wider yet it grows , calmer a n d yet still calmer .

Th e e n d has come Th e mists fall now, thicker a n d c loser a n d whiter

. How .

still it is ! Th e silen ce ha n gs like a col dn ess o n the heart Th e river widens

.

o u t i n to th e sea and lilies and flowers and weeds drif t — it may be to the
'

,
.

garde n of God
 CHAP TE R VI II .

TH E M I XE D H A N D.

THE mixed h a n d is t h e most diffi cu lt of a ll to descr ibe In the chap t er

.

on the squ are I gave an ill u stration of that type with mixed fi n gers In .

that case, however, the mixed fingers have the fou ndatio n of the squ are
h a nd, w hereas with the tr u e mixed type no s u c h fo u ndation can be cited for
the stu dent s gu idance
’
.

Th e mixed type is so called becau se the han d cannot possibly be classed

as squ are , spatu late , co n ic ,philosophic , or psychic ; the fingers also belo n g
to difi e fen t types—often o n e poin ted, o n e squ are , one spatu late, one philo
sophic , etc
Th e m ixed h and is the h a nd of ideas , o f versatility, a n d ge n erall y of
ch a n gea bility o f p u rpose A man with s u ch a han d is adaptable to both
.

people a n d circ u mstances clever b u t erratic in the applic atio n of his tale n ts
, ,
.

H e will be brilliant in conversation , be the s u bject s c ie n c e , art, or gossip .

H e may play some instr u me n t fairly well , may paint a little a n d so on ; b u t

,

rarely will he be great Wh en, h owever, a strong line of head r u les the han d
.
,

he w ill of all h is talents , choose the best, a n d add to it the brilliancy a n d

,

versatility of the others Su ch han ds find their greatest scope in w ork r c

.

qu irin g diplom acy and tact They are so versatile that they have n o diffi
.

cu lty in gettin g on with t h e diff erent dispositions with which they come in to
co n tact Their most striking pec u liarity is their adaptability to circu m
.
~

stan ces : they never feel the u ps a n d down s of fortu ne like others ; al m ost
all classes of work are easy to them They are ge n erally in ve n tive , partie
.

u la r ly if they can thereby relieve themselves of labor They are restless

.

a n d do not re m ai n lo n g in a n y town or pla c e T hey a r e fond of new ideas

.

o n e mome n t they determi n e to write a drama the next perh aps they invent
, , ,

a ga s-s tove or go i n to politic s ; b u t as they are always chan ging, a n d u n

43
44 Ch e ir o s L a ngu age f the H a n d
’
o .

stable as wate r th ey rarely su c c eed It mu st be remembered that wh en the

, .

palm belongs to a certain type these characteristics are mu ch modified ; as ,

for i n stan ce, mixed fin gers on the squ are t h e spatu late , the philosophic, or
,

the con ic will ofte n s u cceed where t h e p u re developmen t of the type wou ld
fail When the entire han d is mixed it is the n that throu gh versatility of
.
,

“
talen t a n d pu rpose , the s u bject is inclined to become the J ack of all trade s, ”

to which class of u nfortu n ates t h e i n divid u al possessing this type o f h a nd is

so commonly relegated in w orks on palmis t ry .
 CH APTE R IX .

TH E TH U M B .

TH E th u mb is in every se n se so importan t that it calls for special atte n

tio n , n o t o n ly in the domai n of cheirognomy b u t also i ,
n its relation to cheiro

m ancy . Th e tru th of palmistry co u ld rest u po n the solid fo u n datio n gi v e n

,

by t h e stu dy of the th u mb alon e in its relatio n to t h e most importan t char

,

a c t e r ist ic s of the s u bject

.

I n every age the th u mb h a s played a co n spic u o u s part , n o t o n ly in the

ha n d b u t also in the w orl d itself It is a well-kn own fact that amo n g man y
,
.

of the tribes of O rien tal natio n s , if t h e prison er, when bro u ght before his
captors , cover his th u mb by h is fi n gers , he is in this d u mb b u t eloq u en t
fashion givi n g u p his will a n d in depe n den c e , and beggin g for mercy . We
fi n d in the war an n als of the childre n of Israel in stances of their c u t tin g o fi
t h e th u m bs of their e n emies G ipsies , in th eir j u dgment of chara c ter make
.
,

t h e thu mb the great fo u n dation for all their re m arks Being intereste d with
.

gipsies in my early life I know th is for a fact, for I h ave seen a n d watche d
,

them from the positio n , an gle , a n d gen eral appearan ce o f the thu mb make
their calcu latio n s a c cordi n gly I n In dia they ha v e a variety of system s by
.

which they read the han d b u t here , a gain , they make the thu mb the cen ter
,

a n d fou ndatio n , n o m atter what system they work o u t Th e Chin ese also b e
.

lieve in pal m istry, a n d they, too , base their remarks on the positio n of the
th u m b itself A gain it is a n i n teresti n g fact to n otice that even in Chris
.
,
'

t ia n it y the thu mb h a s playe d a n importa n t r ole, the thu m b representi n g

G o d ; the first fin ger Christ , the i n dicator of the will of God , a n d the o n ly
fi n ger o n the han d t h at has , by virtu e of its position , the power to poi n t or ,

to stan d u pright i n depe n de n t of the rest ; the se c on d represe n tin g the H oly
Ghost, as the atten dan t to the first I n the Greek c h u r c h the bishop alo n e
.

gives the blessin g by the thu mb a n d first a n d second fin gers , represen tin g the
45
46 Ch eir o s L a n gu age
’
f the H a n d
o .

Trinity ; the ordinary priest h a s to u se the wh ole hand A n d, a gain , in t h e

.

old ritu al of the E nglish ch u rch , we fi n d that in baptis m the cross m u st b e

m ade by the th u mb .

I do not wish to tire my readers by go rn g 1 n t o a lengthy dissertatio n

'

u po n the medical poi n ts which co u ld be given by the hu n dred in pr o o f of

t h e importance of this me m ber ;b u t the most significant of all is that whic h

“
relates to what is kn own in medical work as the thu mb cen ter of the brain ”
.

I t is a well -k n own fact among the specialists of nerve diseases that by an ex

amin atio n of the th u mb they can tell if the patie n t is affected or is likely to
be a fi e c t e d b y paralysis or not, as t h e thu mb will in dicate su ch a likelihood a
lo n g time before there has a ppeared the slightest trace of s u ch a disease in
a n y other part of the syste m . If it i n dicate su ch a n a fi e c t io n , a n operation
is at o n ce perfor m ed o n the th u m b center of the b r ai n , and if that operatio n
is s u cc essf u l (which is again s h o w n by the th u m b) they h ave baffle d the dis
e a se a n d the pat ie n t is saved A n d yet, in face of this , w hi c h is a well
.

kn o w n fact t he r e still are people who do n o t believe in t h e st u dy of the han d

, .

Within the last fe w years D r Fran c is Galto n has demo n strated in L on do n

.

the marvelo u s acc u racy by which crimi n als c a n be traced by the stu dy of
the cor r u gatio n s of the ski n of the thu mb E n p a ss a n t , the E n glish go v ern
.

men t thou gh t well of the idea, a n d even p r e posed to pu t it i n to pra c tice—a n d

yet that v ery go v er n me n t arrested a n d prosecu te d palmists d u ri n g the sa m e
year in almost every part o f the cou n try Ju stice is in dee d bli n d A n other
. .

n n d —
very i teresti g point is the old idea of the mi wives a n idea , by the way, that
ca n easily be see n to co n tai n a good deal of tru th . They believed that if the
child some days after birth was i n cli n ed to keep the thu mb i n side the fi n gers ,

it foreshado w e d great physical deli c acy , b u t if, seve n days after birth , th e
t h u mb was still covered , then there was good reason to s u spect that the c hild

wou ld be delicate men tally . If o n e will V isit the asyl u ms of the co u n t r y he ,

ca n n ot fail to n otice that a ll c on ge n ital i diots have v ery w eak poor th umbs ;
,

1 n fact , so m e are so weak as not t o be properly develope d eve n in shape

,
. Al l
weak-mi n ded in divid u als have weak thu mb s a n d t h e m a n or woman who will
,

s tan d talki n g with the fi n gers coveri n g a n d c o n ceali n g the th u mb has little

self-co n fi de n c e or self-relian ce It is a n interesti n g thin g to watch the han d s

.

of people when dying . On e will see that, as death appro ac hes a n d t h e

 Th e Thu m b . 47

r eason goes , the th u mb loses all power a n d drops m on t h e hand, b u t

that if the reason h a s only faded temporarily the thu mb still retains its
p ower a n d there is every h e pe of life It is
. D ’
A r pe n t ign y who has said
,
“Th e t h u mb in dividu alizes the m a n ” This is remarkably t r u e particu larly
.
,

when o n e follows o u t Sir Charles Bell s discovery that in the hand of t h e

’

chimpa n zee, which is t h e nearest approa c h to the h u ma n tho u gh well formed ,

in every way, yet the th u mb , if me a s u red , does n o t reach the base of t h e first
fin ger . Th e ded u ction to be made is , therefore that the higher a n d better
,

proportione d t h e thu mb the more the in telle c t u al facu lties r u le , and vice
,

v er sd
. This poin t the stu dent will prove by the most cas u al observation .

Th e man with the s h ort, cl u msy thick-set th u m b is coarse a n d bru tis h in his
,

ideas a n d animal in his i n stin cts , while the m a n or woman w ith the lon g,
well-shap ed th u mb is in tellectu al a n d refin e d a n d in the attain ment of a
,

desire , or the carryi n g o u t of an obj ect, su c h a person will u se the strength

of in tellect u al will , as opposed to that of br u te forc e , which will be applied by
the m a n with the thick short formation
,
Th e thu mb therefore , sho u ld be
.
,

lon g a n d firm u po n the hand It sh ou l d not stand at right a n gles to the

.

palm, n o r yet shou ld it lie too close to the side It shou ld h ave a s lope to
.

ward the fin gers and yet not lie down o n them Wh en it stan ds o ff the
,
.

h an d, at right an gles to it, t h e na t u re will fly t o extremes , from sh eer in

l

depe n de n c e o f spirit It will be impossible to man age or con trol s u ch n atu res ;
.

they will brook n o oppositio n , and th ey will be in c lined t o the aggressive in

their ma n n er a n d beari n g W h en the thu mb is well formed b u t lyin g down ,
. ,

c ramped toward the fi n gers it i n dicates the u tter want of indepe n dence of
,

Spirit . It den otes a n ervou s , timoro u s b u t cau tiou s n at u re ; it will be im po s

,

sible to fi n d o u t what s u ch a person is thin kin g abo u t or wh at he i n tends

to do ; he c an n ot be ou tspoke n , beca u se his natu re is the re v erse If the .

thu mb , however, is a lon g o n e , he will u se his in tellectu al fac u lties to o u twit

'

his oppo n ent , b u t if it be s hort a n d thick he will c au tio u sly await his o p
po r t u n it y for a n y deed of viole n ce that h e may meditate Wh en a well.

formed thu mb , therefore , strikes t h e happy mediu m of these two extremes ,

the su bj e ct will have su fficient in depen dence of spirit to give h im dign ity and
force o f char acter ; he will also be properly cau tiou s over his own a fi a ir s , a n d
have stren gth of will a n d decision It therefore stands : the lo n g, well
.
48 Ch e t r o L a n gu age f th e H a n d
’
s o .

f ormed th u mb denotes stre n gth of in tellectu al will ; the short , thick thu m b , ,

b r u te for c e and obsti n acy ; the small, weak th u mb , weakness of will a n d wa n t

of en ergy .

From t 1me immemorial the th u mb h a s bee n divi ded in to three parts ,

whi c h ar e sign ifi c an t of the three great powers t h at rul e t h e world—love,
l o gi c a n d will
,
.

Th e firs t or n ail phalan ge den otes will .

Th e se c o n d phalange , logic .

Th e third , which is the bo u n dary of t h e Mo u n t of Ve n u s , l ove .

When t h e th u m b is u n eq u ally develope d, as , for i n s t a n ce , the first pha

la n ge extremely lon g, we fi n d that the su bj e c t depe n ds u po n neither logic n o r
reason , b u t simply u po n w ill .

Whe n the se c o n d phalange is m u ch lo n ger than t h e fi r st , the s u bject ,

tho u gh havi n g all the calm n ess a n d exactitu de of reason , y e t has not su fficie n t
w i ll a n d determ inatio n to carry o u t his ideas .

Whe n the third phalange is lon g a n d the th u mb small , the m a n or wo m an

is a prey to the more passion ate or se n s u al si de of the n atu re .

O n e of the m os t i n terestin g thi n gs in the stu dy of the th u mb is to n otice

w hether the first join t is s u pple or stiff When s u pple , the first phalan ge is
.

al lowe d to b e n d back a n d forms the t h u mb i n to a n ar c h ; whe n , on the co n

,

t r a r y , the th u mb is st ifi t h e first phalan ge c an n o t be ben t back , even by

, ,

pr ess u re ; a n d these two opposite pec u liarities bear the greatest possible rela
tio n to chara c ter .

Th e su pple thu mb (P late VIII ) is the distin cti v e pe c u liarity of the L atin
.

r aces ; t h e st i fi jo in t is more the property o f the N o r ther n Th e s u pple j o i n t,

'
‘

for i n stan ce , is very rare amon g the D an es N or w egian s Germa n s E n glish ,

, , ,

a n d Scotch whereas it is fo u n d in large n u m b ers amo n g the Irish , Fre n c h ,

,

Span ish , Italian s , a n d wherever these races h ave co n gregate d I har dl y thin k .

that the theory of climatic in flu e n ce bears o u t this poin t I am more in c lin ed .

to co n si der that the u nconsciou s i n flu e n ce of the su rrou n di n gs , pren atal or

otherwise, h a s more to do with this pecu liarity, for the characteristics that it
shows in the in dividu al are also the c haracteristics of the nation t o which
that individu al belon gs .
 Th e Thu m b .

TH E SU P P L E -J o i
n TE D T H U M B .

For example , the s u pple -join te d th u mb , ben ding from the hand , is the in
dica t io n of t h e extravagan t person , n o t o n ly in m atters of mo n ey, b u t in
th ou ght ; these are life s n atu ral spendthrifts —improvide n t of time , improvi
’

de n t of w ealth .They have adaptability of te m perame n t for both people an d

circu mstan c es ;they are qu ickly at ho m e in whatever society they are throw n
they have the se n time n tal love of kin dred a n d cou n try, as opposed t o the
prac tical ; they settle down easily to new work a n d n e w su rro u n di n gs , an d
x

consequ ently th ey qu ick ly m a k e a home in whatever cou n try they are pla c e d .

TH E J
F I R M - O I N TE D TH U M B .

Again , in a gen eral way, the exact opposite of all this is fo u n d among t h e
people with the st ifi , firm jo m t (P late I n the first place , they are more
practical ;they have a strong will a n d a kin d of stu bbor n determin atio n which
makes the m rather stro n ger in character, and which is a large eleme n t in
their su c cess They are more cau tio u s and secretive they advan c e by slow
.

steps where the other n a t u re will act by leaps a n d bou n d s A gain they a r e .
,

not erratic like the first mentio n e d ; they stick to o n e thin g ;they car ry o u t
their p u rpose with a kind of re sistless stu bbor n ness they have the practic al
idea of making the most o ut of their own home a n d th eir o w n co u n try ; they
r u le with stre n gth ;they h ave a keen sen se of j u stice ;they con trol self as they
wo u ld co n trol machin ery ; in war they are solid, stron g, a n d resistless ; in
love they are u ndemo n strative , b u t firm a n d s t an ch ; in religion their
chu rches are plain , b u t solid ; in art they have t h e stre n gth of their own
in dividu ality .

TH E SE CON D P H AL AN GE .

Th e n ext importan t characteristic of the th u mb is the shape and make of

the secon d or middle phalan ge It will be fou n d that this varies greatly
.

a n d is a deci de d in dicator of temperame n t It has t w o n oticeable formation s

.
,

namely, the n ar row molded cen ter or waist-like appearan ce (Fig 3, P late .

VI I I ) , a n d its opposite , which is fu ll a n d m ore clu msy (Fig 1 , P late .

I n L on do n in 1 89 2, whe n I pu blishe d my “ Book o n t h e H an d which

”
, ,

w a s to be followed later by this larger a n d fu l ler work I called atte n tio n to,
50 Ch e ir o s L a ngu age f the H a n d
’
o .

the great diff erence, as far as character is con cerned , sh ow n by these two
formatio n s .My statement that the waist-like appeara n ce in dicated tact
a ro u sed a good deal of i n terest , a n d as it was take n ex c eptio n to by some of

my critics , I will here e n deavor to show in a logic al way why su ch shou ld be

the case In the first place , the stu de n t has by this time seen the tru th of my
.

remarks abou t the fin er formation of the th u mb bei n g the in di c ation of the

greater developme n t of the i n tellect u al will , a n d the coarse formation that of
the n at u re that will u se more br u t e force in the a c complishment of a n obj e c t .

It therefore follows that the w aist-h k e appeara n c e whi c h is a portio n of the

,

fi n er developme n t, i n dicates the tact bor n of men tal power, whereas the
f u ller, coarser d evelopment indicates force in the carryi n g o u t of a p u rpose,
in keepin g with the characteristics of each n atu re .

When the first or n ail ph alan ge is thick a n d hea v y with a short, flat nail,
,

it is a su re i n dication of the u n govern able passion of the s u bj ect A ll br u tal

.

animal n at u res ha v e s u ch cl u bbed fo rmatio n s the forc e of bli n d passio n co m

,

pl e t e ly d omin ati n g wh atever reaso n they possess .Su ch people , as a ru le ,

al so have t h e first j oin t stiff, a n d the t w o poin ts together give that terr ible
obstin acy of p u rpose that d rives the su bj ect, o n c e o u t of temper, i n to d ee ds
of viole n ce a n d crime Th e flat first phalange , co n sequ e n tly , whether short
.

or long is more cal m in matters of temper a n d more co n trolle d by reaso n

,
.

When the han d is hard the n atu ral ten de n cy toward en ergy a n d fi r m ~

n ess i n dicated by the th u mb is i n c reased ; con seq u e n tly the s u bject with the

hard, firm hand a n d the first phala n ge of the th u mb well developed will be
more resolu te of p u rpose a n d more determin ed in the execu tio n of his i deas
than is the s u bj ect w ith the soft han d .

Wh en the hand is soft the s u bje c t will be more in clin ed to u s e his will by
fits and starts , b u t can n ot be so m u ch depe nded u po n in the exec u tio n of his
plan s.

O n e very striki n g pe c u liarity to be fo u n d in this stu dy of hu man natu re

throu gh the mediu m of the han d is shown in the c ase of people with t h e
su pple or be n di n g-back th u mb . They rarely h ave the same keen n ess of m ora l
consciou sness that is fo u n d with those of the straight , firm developme n t .

They are generally more t h e se impu lsive children of natu re in w ho m co h

scie n ce in morals does n o t play so importa n t a part .
SQUAR E W IT H S M OOT H J O INTS
. . PO I NT ED , WIT H S M O OT H DEV EL O PED JOI NTS.

P l
a te 1x .
 CH A P TE R X .

TH E J O I NT S or T H E FI N GE R S.

development or n o n -developme n t of the j oints o f t h e fingers is "

'

TH E
V ery importan t co n sideration in the reading of t h e h and Th e j oi n ts are . .

figu ratively speaking, walls between t h e phalan ges , and are importan t indica
tio n s of the pe cu liarities as well as o f the tempera me n t o f the s u bj ect .

When the s u bj ect has what are known as smooth joints he 1 s more in
cli n e d to be i m p u lsiv in tho u ght and to arrive at co n cl u sio n s witho u t u sin g
e '

t h e reaso n i n g fac u lties

. With squ are ha n ds this is very mu ch mo difie d,
b u t n o t by a n y mean s eradicated Co n sequ e n tly a scientific man with squ are
.

fin gers b u t with smooth j oints (Fig 1 , P late

,
. will j u mp at conclu sions
witho u t bein g always able to acco u nt for them Su ch a doctor will diagnose
.

a patien t in th e same way ; if the man be really tale n ted he may be ver y
accu rate in his co n clu sio n s , b u t s u ch a man is more apt to m ake mistakes
than the m a n with the squ are type with develop ed j oin ts With the poin ted
.

han ds t h e smooth j oin ts are p u rely intu itive ( Fig 2, P late IX ) they c an n ot
.
,

be trou ble d with details of a n y ki n d they are also careless 1 n dress , appear ~

an c e , a n d in little matters . Su c h a person in b u s in ess affairs cou ld not keep

papers a n d little thin gs in their places , altho u gh h e wo u ld be very partic u lar
in i n sistin g u po n order in other people .

Th e opposite is fo u n d in the case of people with the developed j oints

(Fig 3, P late
. Work has n othi n g to do with the i n crease or dimi n u tion
of su ch formations ; t h e sm ooth joi n ts are as often fo u n d among m e n who do
the hardest kin d of m a n u a l l a b o r as the knotty or developed joi n ts amo n g
m e n who do nothing b u t me n tal work They are sometimes fo u n d r u nnin g
.

in families for ge n eratio n s , or a ppe a r m g l n o n e child a n d b u t Slightly fo u nd

in all the others . I n the breedi n g of an imals it may be observed , e n p a s s a n t,
h o w often little pec u liarities of this ki n d occu r, a n d also how sign ifican t they
51
52 Ch e t r o ’
s L a n gu age o f the H an d .

are . Th u s , wh en o n e co n siders how wo n derfu l are the laws of heredity he ,

“
will stu dy these little thin gs with greater i n terest For in stan ce, there is
”
.

that w ell kn ow n fact that if a woman gives birth to a child by her first h u sl
-

b and , c hildren who follow by the seco n d thir d or even fo u rth h u sban d as
, , ,

the case may be, all in some Slight way exhibit the pec u liarities o f the first
h u sban d .

Th e developed joints bein g the O pposite of the smooth , it follo w s that

they Show more ex a ct n ess in method a n d work I n this case a m a n with the
.
,

squ are han d a n d developed j oin ts , e n gage d in so m e scie n tific pu rsu it does
,
,

n o t care how m u ch time he spe n ds in worki n g o u t details in c o n n ectio n with

a n y science i n which he is e n g a ge d It is the same reason t hat makes the

.

p h il O SO ph ic ha n d s SO exa c t abo u t d etail in co n n e c tio n with their work T h e .

own ers of these join ts n otice the sl ightest thin g o u t of plac e in even the
arra n gemen t of a room . They worry over little thi n gs , t h ou gh in importan t
matters they will be cool a n d calm M e n with th ese developed joi n t s have
.

a n almost femi n in e i n stinc t in matters of dress —they c l ass a n d ble n d color

well a n d n othin g will irritate them more than to accompan y a woman the
,

colors of whose cost u me do n o t harmo n ize In dramatic work people with

.
,

s u ch joi n ts are caref u l a n d a c c u rate in the delineatio n of character b u t ,

lack dramatic breadth a n d forc e Ou tsi de of scien c e , they perhaps make th eir
.

best mark in l1 t e 1 a t u r e becau se of their ext r aordinary power of an alyz in g

,

h u man n atu re a n d becau se of t h e tru e 1 n st in c t a n d kn owledge of h iTm a n it y

,

which seems to come to them wi t ho u t effort We m u st therefore draw t h e

.

dedu ctio n that these developed w alls o r joints between the phalanges fi gu r a ,

t iv e l y Speakin g, sto p the tide of i m pu lse , and make the n a t u re more observant,
thou ghtfu l , a n d analyzing .
 CH A P TE R XI .

TH E FI N GE R S .

F I N GE R S are either long or Short , irrespective o f t h e length o f the palm to

which they belon g .

L o n g fin gers give love of detail in everyth ing—in the decoration of a

room , in the treatment of servants , in the m an agemen t o f n atio n s , or in the
pain ting of a pictu re L on g-fi n ge r e d people are exact in matters of dress ,
.

qu ick to n otice small a tt e n tions ; they worry themselves over li t tle th i n gs ,

a n d have o c casio n ally a lean i n g toward aff ectation .

Short fi n gers are qu i c k and impu lsive They can n ot be tro u bled abo u t
.

l ittle things ; they t a ke everyth i n g e n m a sse they generally j u mp at c o n

elu sions too hastily They do n o t care so m u ch abo u t appearan ces or for the
.
,

c o n ve n t i
on alities of society ; they are qu ick in tho u ght , and hasty a n d o u t
spoken in speech .

Fin gers thick and clu msy, as well as short , are more or less cr u el and
selfish .

Wh en the fin gers are st ifi a n d cu rve d inward, or n at u ra lly co n tracted ,

they de n ote a n excess of cau tion a n d reserve, a n d very ofte n in dicate a

co w ar dly spirit .

Whe n they are very su pple a n d ben d back like an arch , they tell of a
natu re charmi n g in compa n y, a fi a b le and clever b u t c u rio u s and i n qu isitive
,
.

N atu rally crooke d, distorted , twisted fi n gers o n a b a d han d i n dicate a

crooked , dist orted evil nat u re on a good han d they are rarely fo u n d , b u t if
,

fou nd they d en ote a qu i z zical , irritatin g person .

When a small fleshy ball or pad is fo u n d on the i n side of t h e nail ph a

lange , it denotes extreme sensitiveness a n d tact throu gh the dread of cau sin g
pain to others .

Wh en the fingers are thick and pu fi y at t h e base the su bject con sider s ,
.

53
54 Ch e ir o L a n gu age f the H a n d
’
s o .

his o w n comfort before that o f others ; he w ill desire lu x u ry in eatin g, dri n k

in g a n d livin g
,
When , o n the co n trary, the fi n gers at the base are Shaped
.

like a waist , it Sho w s a n u n selfish disposi t ion in every way , a n d fasti diou sness
in matters of foo d .

Whe n , with the fi n gers open, a wide space is seen bet w een t h e first and
seco n d, it in dicates great indepe n dence of thou ght When the space is wide :

between t h e third a n d fou rth , it i n dicates independence of actio n .

TH E L E N GTH OF TH E F I N GE R S I N R E L ATI ON T O O NE AN OTH E R .

Th efirst fin ger o n some b a n ds is very Shor t ; again , o n others , it is as

lon g as the secon d , a n d so o n .

W hen the first, or in dex fin ger, is excessively lo n g, it denotes great

pride a n d a te n de n cy to r u le a n d domin eer It is to be fo u n d in the han ds
,
.

of priests as well as politician s .

“
Su ch a m a n , literally speaking will lay ,

down the law ”

.

When this fi n ger is ab n ormal namely, as lon g as the seco n d, it i n dic ates
,

“
g r eat pride of dispositio n , a desire for power, the o n e m a n , o n e worl d ”

creed N apoleo n was a strikin g example of this ru le ; o n his han d the first
.

fi n ger was abn ormal, it bei n g fu lly eq u al to the se c ond .

When the seco n d fi n ge r (the fi n ger of Satu rn ) is squ are a n d heavy it ,

Sho w s a deeply tho u ghtfu l , almost morbid n at u re .

Whe n poi n te d, the reverse—c allou sn ess a n d fri v olity .

When the third fi n ger ( the fin ger of the Su n ) is nearly of the same le n gth
a s the first, it de n otes am bitio n for wealth a n d ho n or thro u gh its artisti c

lean in gs , a n d a great desire for glory If excessively lo n g almost equ al to the

.
,

secon d, it den otes the n at u re 1 hat l o oks at life in the light of a lottery o n e ,

that gambles with all thin gs—mon ey, life , a n d dan ger—b u t o n e e n dowe d withal
w ith st r o n g artisti c i n stin c ts a n d tale n ts .

T h e Spatu late termi n atio n for this thir d fin ger is a n ex cellen t Sign for the
actor, orator or prea c her I t in dicates that his artistic gifts are stre n gthe n e d
,
.

by the dram at ic or sen sational power, the breadth , the c olor n ecessary to
ap peal to au die n ces .

Whe n the fo u rth or little fin ger 1 s well-shaped a n d lo n g it acts as a kin d

, , ,
of balance in the h an d to th e thu mb , a n d in dicates the power of the su bje c t to
influ ence others When very lo n g —almost reachi n g to the nail of the third
.

it Shows great powe r of expression in both writi n g a n d speaking and the ,

owner is more or less the savan t a n d philosoph er : o n e who can co n verse with
ease o n a n y su bj ect ; o n e who interests and commands people by the man n er
in which he will apply facts a n d knowledge to the tre a tme n t of anythin g
brou ght u nder his notice Mr Gladsto n e is a good example of this class ; on
. .

h is h a nd his fou rth fi n ger nearly re a che d t h e nail of t h e thir d

.
 CH AP TE R XII .

TH E P AL M , AN D L AR GE AN D SM AL L H AN D S.

A TH I N , hard dry palm i n dicates timidity, a n d a nervo u s , worrying

, ,

t ro u ble d n ature .

A very thick palm , f u ll a n d soft , Shows s ens u ality of disposition .

When the palm is fi r m a n d elasti c , a n d in proportio n to the fin gers , it in

dica t e s eve n n ess of mi n d , en ergy , a n d qu ickness of i n tellect .

When not very thick, b u t soft a n d flabby, it de n otes i n dole n c e, love of

l u xu ry , a n d a te n de n cy toward se n su ality .

A hollow pal m has bee n proved to be a n u n fortu n ate sig n ; s u c h people

u s u ally have eve n more disappointments than fall , as a ru le , to the lot of

m o r tals
. I have as well n oti c e d a pecu liarity that has n o t been men tio n e d
in o t her works o n the s u bject n amely, that the hollow in c lines more to o n e
,

lin e or portio n of the h and tha n to an other .

If it in c lin es to the li n e of life, it promises disappoin tme n t a n d trou ble in

domestic affairs , a n d if the rest o f the ha n d den otes ill-health , it is an a dded
Sign of delicacy a n d trou ble
!
.

Whe n the h ollow com es u nder the lin e of fate, it in dicates misfortu n e in
bu si n ess money and worldly affairs
, ,
.

Whe n u nder the lin e of hear t it tells of disappoin tmen t in the c lose st
aff ectio n s .

I do n o t h old with other works on the su bject that the fi n gers mu st be

,

lon ger than the palm to Show the in tellectu al natur e Th e palm of the ha n d is
.

n ever, properly speaki n g exceeded in length by the fin gers

,
H o w can we ex
.

p c t this to be the case with the squ are , spatu late , a n d ph i

e l osophic types ?
Th e statemen t that in every case the fingers mu st be lo n ger th an the palm is
erro n eou s a n d mi sleading .
 CH A P TE R X I I I .

T H E N AI L S .

P AR TI CUL ARL Y as regards health , a n d the diseases likely to a fi e c t the su b

je c,
t the n ails w ill be fo u nd to be remarkably s u re g u ides Me di
. c al m e n in

both L o n do n a n d P aris h ave lately take n u p this stu dy of the n ails with great
in terest Of t en a patie n t does n o t k n ow, or for the mome n t forgets what his
.
,

parents have su ffered or died fro m ; b u t a n examin ation of the n ails will in
a fe w seconds dis c lose importa n t hereditary traits I will first treat of the
.

heal t h side of the q u estio n , then of the dispositio n , as sh own by this st u dy .

I n the first pla c e the care of the n ails does n o t alter or aff e c t their type
,

in the slig h test degree : whether they are broke n by work or polished by
c are , the type remai n s u n cha n ged . For instan ce , a mechan ic may have lo n g
n ails a n d the ge n tleman at ease may have very short broad o n es tho u gh h e
, , ,

ma n ic u re them every morn in g .

N ails are divided into fo u r disti n ct classes lo n g Shor t , broad, a n d

,

n arro w .

L ON G NA I L S .

L on g nails n e v er indicate s u ch great physical stre n gth as the short broad

type Very lon g n aile d perso n s are more liable to s u ffer fro m chest a n d lu n g
.

trou ble , a n d this is more acce n t u ated if the n ails are m u c h c u rved, both from
the top back towar d t h e fin ger a n d a c ross t he fi n ger (Fig 7 , P late. Thi s
te n den cy is eve n more aggr avate d if the n ail is flu ted or ribbe d ( Fig 1 0, .

P late
This type of n ail whe n Shorter, i n dicates throat tro u ble, su ch as la r y n gy
,

tis , asthma , a n d bro n chial a fi e ct io n s (P late

L o n g n ails , very w i de at the top a n d blu ish in appearan ce , den ote bad
circu latio n pro c ee di n g from ill-health or n ervou s prostration This is very
.

58
T H R OAT A F F E C T IO NS BR O NC H IAL.
.
BR O N C H IA L .

DE L I CACY O F L UNGS .
CO NS U M PT IV E T E N DE NC IE S

P l
ate X —N AI LS
. .
S H OV‘I I N G C I R C U LAT I O N T E ND E N C Y T O WA R DS H E A R T DI S EAS E .

S HO W I N G T E N D E N C Y T O W A R D S

P l
ate XI -
. NA I LS.
 Th e N a ils . 59

of te n the case with the ands of wome n betwee n the ages of f ou r t een an d

t wenty-o n e a n d forty —
two a n d forty-seve n .

SH OR T N AI L S.

Short, small nails r u n in whole fa m ih e s in which there is a ten dency

to w ard heart disease (P late X L ) .

Short n ails, thin a n d flat at the base with little or n o moo n s , are su re
,

Sign s of we a k actio n of the heart a n d, ge n e 1 ally speaki n g, heart disea s e

,
.

L arge moon s i n dic ate g ood c ircu latio n .

Short n ails , very flat a n d s u n ke n , as it were , i n to the flesh at the base ,

Sh o w nerve diseases ( P late

Short n ails , very flat a n d in cli n e d to c u rve Ou t or lift u p a t the edges , are
the foreru n ners of paralysis , partic u larly if they are whi t e and brittle as
well as fla t If the latter is the c ase the disease is more advanced (Fig 9 ,
. .

P late X L ).

Short-n ail ed people h ave a greater te n de n c y to s u ff er from heart trou ble

a n d from diseases aff ecti n g the tru n k a n d lower limbs tha n those with lo n g

nails.

L ong-nailed person s are more liable to tro u ble in the u pper half of t h e
—
system in the l u ngs c hest, a n d head
, .

N atu ral Spots o n the n ail s are Sign s of a hi ghly str u n g nervo u s tempera
men t when the n ails are fle ck e d with spots the w hole n ervo u s system req u ires
a thoro u gh overhau ling .

Thin n ails if small, de n ote deli c ate health a n d w an t of e n ergy

,
N ail s .

very narrow a n d lon g, if high a n d mu ch cu I v e d, th r eaten spinal tro u ble and ,

never promise very great stre n gth .

D I SP O SI TI ON AS SH OWN B Y ~,T H E N AI L S.

”
In disposition , lo n g-nailed in dividu al s are less critical and more imp r s e

sio n a b le tha n those with short nails ; They are also calmer I n temp e r a n d
more gen tle .

L o n g n ail s Show more resignation a n d calmn ess in every way A S a r u le .

th eir owners take things easily Su ch n ail s indicate great ide a lity ; t h ey a ls o
.
60 Ch e tr o s L a n gu age of t h e H a n d
’
.

Sh ow anartistic natu re , and their own ers , as a r u le, are fo n d o f poetry, paint
in g, a n d a ll the fi n e arts L ong-nailed persons , h owever, are rather in clin ed
.

to be visionary, and shrin k from looking facts in the fac e , partic u larly if those
facts are distastef u l .

Short— n ailed individu als , o n the co n trary , are extremely critical eve n of ,

things relatin g to self ; they analyze everythi n g with which they come i n to
contact ; they inclin e to logic reason , a n d fac ts in opposition to the vision ary
, ,

qu alities o f the lo n g-n ailed Short-na iled i n dividu als make the best critics ;
.

they are qu icker, Sharper a n d keen er in their j u dgme n t ;they are as well, fo n d ,

of debate , and in a n a rg u men t they will hold o u t till the very last ; they have
a keener se n se of hu m or a n d of the ridicu lo u s than the long-nailed ; they are
qu ick and Sharp in temper, a n d are more or less Skeptical of thin gs they do
n o t u ndersta n d .

When the nails are broader than th ey are long, they in dicate a pu gnaciou s
disposition , also a ten dency to worry a n d meddle a n d to i n terfere with other
people s b u siness
’
.

N ails Short by t h e habit of biti n g i n dic ate the n ervou s , worryi n g tem

p e r a m e n t .

I do not pay a n y atten tio n to the spots on the n ails , except a s a Sign of

illness t h ro u gh nervo u s strain .

62 Ch e ir o s L a ngu age
’
f
o t he H a n d
.

haI r . we will examine h air, we will fi n d that r e d hair is coarser in qu ality

I f
as a r u le than either black , brown , or b le n d N o w , bei n g coarser or larger
.

the t u be itself is , conseq u en tly, wider, a n d therefore shows the greater qu an

tity of electricity that escapes a n d of whic h these n at u res hav e the greatest
,

amo u nt It is n o t that they have as m u ch pigmen t as the dark people, b u t

.

havin g the greater s u ppl y a n d force of electri c ity, they are co n sequ ently t h e
“
more excitabl e a n d qu icker to ro u se to action than either the black , brown ,
or b le n d .

When t h e system gets old , or becomes e n feebled by excess or dissipatio n ,

the electricity, n o t bei n g gen erated in su ch large q u an tities , is nearly or e n

t ir e ly consu med by the system itself ; the pigment 1 s n o longer force d in to
these hair t u bes , a n d co n sequ en tly they comme n ce to grow white at the ou ter
en ds , a n d so o n , till the e n tire h air or tu be be c omes white It is the same in
.

the case of a su dde n Shock or grief—the hair ofte n stan ds on e n d fr om the

force of the n ervo u s electric fl u id ru shin g throu gh these tu bes ; reaction
natu rally sets in immediately, a n d the hair often becomes white in a few
ho u rs .Very rarely c a n the system recover from s u ch a strain , a n d co n se
qu e n tly very rarely will the hair resu me its color .

I n A meric a m ore people are to be fo u n d with white hair than , I th in k ,

in a n y other co u n try in the world . This theory a c co u n ts for the fact ,

whe n it is remembered that n o people go thro u gh so m u ch , or live u n der

s u c h high pressu re , as do the A meri c an s . Th e climate of the co u n try has I
,

c o n si der, a great d e al to do w ith t h eir tempera m ent ; the bright n ess a n d bril

lia n c e of the atm osphere , even in win ter , the pecu liar n erve -stim u latin g
qu ality of the air, all combi n e to cau se its m e n a n d w omen to press for w ard
with a kee n spirit of competitio n , both in work a n d in am u semen t This .

theory of the c olor of the hair has n ever, to my kno w le dge been pu t forward,

in this way before . I c o m men d it to the atten tio n of those who do not lose
sig h t of the fact that in the Book of N atu re n othi n g is so small that it may
not give u S k n owledge, a n d as knowle dge is power, let u S th erefore n o t
be a sha med to seek it , eve n in little thi n gs .
64 Ch e ir o s L a n gu age
’
f
o th e H a n d .

Venu s be well developed, it i n dicates strong and rob u st health A sm all

.

Mou n t of Venu s betrays poor health a n d, con sequ e n tly, less passio n .

Th e Mo u n t of Ve n u s , ab n or m ally large , i n di c ates a v iole n t passio n for the

opposite sex .

This m ou nt den otes affe c tio n , sympathy toward oth ers be n evole n ce a , ,

desire to please , love a n d worship of beau ty, love of color, a n d melo dy in

m u sic , and the attractio n of the o n e sex to the other .

TH E M O U N T OF JU PI TE R .

Th ismo u nt is the raise d formation at the base of the first fin ger (P late
When developed it shows ambitio n , pride, e n th u si a sm in anythin g
a ttempted , and desire for power .

TH E M O UN T O F SAT U R N .

This is fo u nd at t h e base of the seco n d fi n ger (P late and denotes

love of solitu de qu ietn ess , pr u dence, earn estness in work , pron eness to the
,

stu dy of somber things, a n d appreciation of mu sic of a sacred or classical

order .

TH E M O UN T O F TH E SU N

This mo u nt is fou nd at the base of the third fin ger, and is also called t h e
Mo u nt of A pollo (P late When well develope d it in dicates a n e n t h u
sia st ic appre ciatio n of all things beau tifu l , whether or n o t o n e follows a p u rely

artistic ca llir It den otes love of pai n tin g, poetry litera tu r e and all imagi
, ,

nativ e w o r L3 g race of mind and tho u ght

’
.

TH E M OUN T OF M E RCU R Y.

Th e mou nt of this n a m e is fo u nd at of the fou rth finger (P late

It d en otes all the O f chan ge . travel ,

ex c iteme n t wit, qu ick n ess

,
11 If the rest o f the han d
.

will redo u nd to the good

 Th e M o u n ts, t h e ir P o s it io n an d t h e ir M e a n in gs .

TH E M O UN T O F M AR S.

Th ere are two mou nts of th is n ame ; the first ben eath the Mou nt of
J u piter , b u t inside the lin e of life , lyi n g next to the Mo u nt of Ve n u s (P lat e
This , the first, gives active co u rage , t h e mar t ial Spirit, b u t whe n large ,
s hows a very q u arrelsome , fighti n gdi sposition
"

Th e seco n d lies between the Mo u nt of Mercu ry and the Mo u nt of

L u n a (P late It d e n otes passive cou rage, self-control , resignation, a n d
s trengt h of resistance again st wro n g .

TH E M O UN T OF L UN A.

Th e Mou n t o f L u na lies on t h e Side of t h e hand b e neath the Mo u nt of

,

Mars a n d directly opposite the Mo u nt of V enu s ( P late

It indicates refineme n t, imaginatio n , love of beau tifu l sce n ery, a taste
for the romantic , great ideality, a n d a fondness for poetry and imaginati v e
literatu re .

TH E L E AN I N G OF TH E M OU N T S T OWAR D O NE AN OTH E R .

When the mou n ts lean toward one a noth er, the qu alities of e a ch are
blended and developed in u nison .

For example, if Satu rn lean toward Ju piter, it gives the latter so m e of

its love o f solemn thin gs—its pru de n ce , sad n ess , and its religio u s ten de n cy .

If Satu rn in cline toward t h e Mou n t of the Su n , Satu rn s solemn thou ghts

’

a n d ideas wi l l ble n d with the artistic taste of the s u bj ect, and if the Mo u n t o f
the Su n lean to Merc u ry , art will influ ence t h e b u siness or Scientific nat u re
of the individ u a l .
 CH A P TE R XVI .

TH E H AN D S OF N ATI O N S .

TH AT difi e r e n t types of fa ces a n d bodies are characteristic of diff eren t

n atio n s is a w ell k n o w n fact
-
There is a familiar stateme n t whi c h I w o u ld
.

qu ote here Th e l a w w hi c h ro u n ds a d ew drop Shapes a world Th ere .

fore if certain laws produ c e differe n t types in d ifi e r e n t races they also pro du ce
,

diff ere n t Shapes of han ds a n d bo dies as ill u strative of the difi e r e n t c haracter
is t ic s
. Th e in t e r m in glin g a n d in termixin g by marri a ge etc m u st n atu rally, .
,

mo dify the p u ren ess of the differen t types ; b u t that it does n o t destroy the
en tire i n divi du ality can n ot for a momen t be dou bte d .

TH E E L E M E N T AR Y H AN D .

Starti n g ith the elem en tary han d it is rarel y if ever fo u n d in its pu r ity
w ,

amon g c iviliz e d natio n s We fi n d th is type am o n g t h e pri m itive ra c es in

. .

extremely cold latitu des as for i n stan c e amo n g the E squ imau x a n d t he
, , ,

i n habitan ts of Icela n d , L apla n d , a n d the n orther n portio n of R u ssia a n d

Si b eria .

Su c h people are phlegmati c a n d emoti on less eve n the n erve ce n ters of

the bo dy are n o t in a high state of d evelop m e n t t h erefore they do n o t feel,

pain as keen ly as the other types They are more an imal in their i n sti n cts
.

'
a n d bru tal in their d esires ; th ey are devoi d of a spiratio n s a n d have o n ly ,

su ffi cien t me n tality to m ake them distin c t from the b r u te c reatio n I n a .

slightly more dev el o ped form the eleme n tary ha n d is fo u n d in more sou thern
a n d civilize d natio n s .

TH E SQU AR E H AN D AN D TH E N AT I ONS R E PR E SE N T E D BY I T .

Th e squ are han d ge n erally speaki n g is fo u n d a m o n g t h e \

, ,
Sw e de s, D an es ,
G erman s , D u tch E n glish , a n d Scot ch
, Th e c hief c h a r a c t e i
. s t ic s which it

66
 Ch e ir o L a n gu age f the H a n d
’
68 s o .

exte n t swallowed u p all the others This ha n d a n d, conseq u en tly , the cha r
.
,
.

a ct e r is t ics that it represe n ts , has to my mi n d played the importa n t r Ole in

the history of that great c o u n try A S I may claim to be a cosmopolitan in

.

every se n se of the word, I c a n therefore take a n u n biase d stan dpoin t in

readin g the ch aracte r of natio n s as I wo u ld that of the in divi du al Th e .

spatu late han d, as I stat ed before , is the han d of e n ergy origin ality a n d rest , ,

less n ess It is the h a n d of the explorer a n d t h e discoverer, whi c h terms c a n

.

also be applied to discoveries in scie n ce , art , or me c han ics Spatu late han ds .

are n ever co n ve n tio n al ; they have little respe c t for law less for a u thority , .

They are i n ve n tors more from the qu i c k n ess of their ideas tha n from the
,

soli dity o f earn est work as exemplifie d by the s qu are ; they m a y u tiliz e other
men s i deas b u t they will try to i m prove u pon them ; they love risk a n d
’
,

Spec u latio n ; they are versatile , a n d their c hief fau lt is their chan geability— f

they shift from o n e thin g to an other with the moo d of the mome n t ; they are
fan a t i c s in their fa ds , e n igm as in their earn e stn ess ;b u t , even wit h s u ch fa u lts ,

it is to a people man y Si de d a n d man y talented like this that the worl d mu st

- -
.

look for her new i deas , for the i n ve n tion s a n d dis c overies in s c ien c e r e ,

ligio n or materialism whi c h m u st in years to come work o u t t h e evol u tio n of

,

hu m an ity .

TH E P SY CH I C .

This pecu liar type is n o t co n fi n e d to a n y partic u lar co u n try or ki n dred ;

it is evolve d sometim es amo n g the most pra c tical sometim es amo n g the most ,

en th u siastic Y e t is it n either practi c al n o r e n thu siastic in itself ; it may b e

.

a n evol u tio n of all the types , reachi n g i n to that pla n e i n which there may

be seve n se n ses in stead of fi v e Cer t ai n it is that its own ers are n o t of the
. ,

earth ,earthy , n o r yet of h eave n —for they are h u man ; they make u p n o
distin c t comm u n ity , b u t are fo u n d in all a n d of all It may be that as their .
,

beau tifu l han ds are n o t formed for the rou gh u sage of this worl d, so their
thou ghts are n o t su ite d t o the material thin gs of life ; their place may be in
givi n g to ma n kin d that whi ch is b u t the reflection of ma n kind ; thu s in the
Shadow may we fi n d t h e s u bsta n ce a n d th u s i n the spe c u l ation that this type
,

gives rise to may we find that wisdom that sees the fitness a n d the u se of a ll
thin gs .
 PA RT II . C H E IR O M A N C Y .

CH A P TE R I .

A FE W R E M AR KS I N R E F E R E N CE T O TH E R E AD I N G O F TH E H AN D .

B E F OR E I pro c eed to explain the more in tricate d etails of cheiromancy, I

wish to a ddress a fe w wor ds to the stu de n t , as w ell as to the c asu al reader
w h o may take s u fficie n t i n terest in this stu dy to gla n c e thro u gh this book .

I n the first place , in my ear n est desire to make this work a thoro u ghly
reliable gu ide in all matters c o n n e c ted with palmistry I have been compelle d
,

to b rin g the det ails of the stu dy promin e n tly before the reader a n d to e n large -

o n c ertai n p o i n ts that may be co n sidered dry a n d u n i n teresti n g This the .

s t u den t m a y resen t du ri n g t h e commencemen t o f his e n thu siasm , b u t later he

w ill , I thi n k , see its a dva n tages , as I have e n deavore d to make eve n the de

tails as graphi c as possible I have n o t con fin e d myself to the se t theories of

.

a n y parti cu lar s c hool ; I have gathered whatever i n formatio n this book co n

tai n s fro m I m a y say , the fo u r corn ers of t h e earth , a n d in presen tin g this
,

i n formatio n to those who desire to learn I do so with the kn owle dge that I
,

have prove d whatever state m e n ts I m ake to be c orrect Th e o n e poin t I .

wo u l d, however, ear n estly desire to impress u pon the stu de n t is the n ecessity
for c onscien tiou s stu dy a n d patie n c e A s there are no two n atu res alike , so
.

there are n o two h an ds alike . To be able to read the han d is to be able to

read the book of n atu re—there is n o stu dy more ardu ou s , there is n on e more
fasci n atin g or that will repay the time a n d labor Spe n t u po n it with more
i n terest
.

To do this stu dy j u stice , I can n ot a n d will n o t prete n d , as do the gen e

r ality of writers o n this s u bje c t , that it is an easy matter by followi n g th is , ,

69
 Ch e ir o L a ngu age f t he H a n d
’
70 s o .

t h at f /
the other
or map of the ha n d or b y taki
,
n g some set ru les as a gu ide to
,
!

b e able to “rea d t h e han d witho u t a n y exer c ise of the st u de n t s me n tality

” ’
.

On the co n trary, I shall Show that every lin e witho u t exceptio n is mo difie d , ,

b y the partic u lar type to which it belo n gs , as , for instan ce a slopin g li n e of ,

hea d o n a squ are ha n d has a completely differe n t mea n ing from the same
slopi n g lin e o n a co n ic or philosophic type , a n d SO o n I have written this .

book with the obj e c t o f m aki n g it not o n ly i n teresti n g to the reader, b u t u se

f u l to the st u de n t I have e n deavore d to make every poin t as c lear a n d
.

c o n c ise as possible , b u t the stu de n t m u st bear in mi n d the enormo u s di ffi cu l

ties that lie in the way of m aking a clear explan atio n of every poi n t in
co n n e c tion with s u c h a n i n tri c ate st u dy .

Th e n ext poi n t to be bor n e in m i n d is t h e difi e r e n ce of opi n io n which

w ill be met with , a n d which is ofte n u sed as a n argu me n t again st pal m

ist r y N o w we m u st re m e m ber that it is o n ly thro u gh the c o n c e n tratio n

.

of differe n t m in ds a n d the co n se n su s of di fferen t o pI n io n S t hat we c a n

, ,

ever hope to reac h the tru th o n a n y s u bje c t N o better ill u stratio n of this
.

c a n be fo u n d t han in the diverge n cy of opi n io n th at has existed a n d always

will exist in religio n , as well as in s c ien tific st u dy What body of st u de n ts .

have, or c a n have , more divergen c y of opin io n , for i n stan ce, than m e di c al

m en ? I mu st , therefore , say, in the wor ds which a c elebrate d physician
o n c e u se d to his p u pils , that w e Shou l d in the pu rs u it of a n y parti cu lar b ran ch
,

of stu dy, take t h e teachi n gs which w e have the m ost reaso n to believe are
corre c t , a n d that by b u il di n g u po n s u c h a fo u n datio n w e w ill attai n greater
heights of k n owledge than the in divid u a l w h o follows e v ery n e w teac her who
for a momen t , like the will o the wisp, flit S across the Shiftin g san ds of
’- - -

h u man fan c y P artic u larly in palm istry, I wou l d say, t a ke some work w h ich
.

y o u have good reas o n to believe is at least n ear the tru th , a n d by followi n g

that o u t with the light of yo u r o w n me n tality a n d reaso n y o u will be
more likely to s u c c ee d tha n those who shiftin g their gro u n d accordin g to
,

every fan cy fi n d themselves at last withou t faith withou t h ope , a n d worse

, , ,

still , withou t k n owle dge .

Th e chief poi n t of differe n ce between m y teac hi n gs a n d those of other

writers lies in the fact that I class the vario u s lin es u n der difi e r e n t heads,
treatin g of each parti cu lar poin t .
 CHA P TE R II .

TH E L I NE S O F TH E H AND .

TH E R E are seven important lin es o n the han d, an d seven les ser lin es
(P l a te XII I )
. Th e importa n t lin es are as follows

Th e L i n e of L ife, which embraces the Mo u n t of Ven u s .

Th e L in e of H ead , which crosses the c e n ter of the hand .

Th e L in e of H eart which r u n s parallel to that of t h e head at the

, ,

base of the fi n gers .

Th e Gir dle of Ve n u s fo u n d above the lin e of heart a n d ge n erally

,

e n cir clin g the Mou n ts of Satu rn a n d the Su n .

Th e L in e of H ealth , which r u n s from the Mou n t of M erc u ry dow n

the han d .

Th e L i n e of Su n , whic h rises ge n erally o n the P lai n of Mars a n d

ascen ds the han d to the Mou n t of the Su n .

Th e L in e of Fate which occu pies the ce n ter of the han d, fr om the

,

wrist to the Mou n t of Satu rn .

seve n lesser lin es on the ha n d are as follows

Th e L i n e of Mars whi c h rises o n the Mou n t of Mars and lies withi n

the L i n e of L ife (P late XIII ) .

Th e Via L a s civa , which lies parallel to the lin e of healt h ( P late X I I L ) .

T h e L i n e of In t uitio n , whic h extends like a semicircle from Mercu ry

to L u n a (P late
Th e L ine of Marr age , t h e horizontal lin e o n the Mou nt of Merc u ry
i

(P late an d

Th e three bracelets fo u nd o n the wrist (P late XIII ) .

72
 “

CH AP TE R III .

I N R E L ATI ON T O TH E L I N E S .

TH E ru les in r elation to the li n es are , in the first place th at they Shou l d ,

be clear a n d well marke d, n either b roa d n o r pale in color ; that they sho u l d
be free from all breaks , islan ds , or irreg u larities of a n y kin d .

L in es very pale in c olor in di c ate , in the first place, wa nt of r ob u st

h ealth , a n d, in the seco n d , lack of e n ergy a n d decision .

L i n es red in c olor i n di cate the san g u i n e , hopefu l disposition ;they Show

a n active , rob u st temperame n t .

Y ello w lin es as well as bein g i n dicative of biliou s n ess and liver tro u ble
, ,

a r e in di c ators of a n at u re self c o n tai n ed , reserve d, a n d pro u d

-
.

L in es very d ark in c olor , almost blac k tell of a melan choly, grav e tem
,

e r a m e n t a n d also i n di c ate a ha u ghty dista n t n atu re one u s u ally ve r y

p , , ,

r even gefu l a n d u n forgivi n g .

L i n es may app ear di m in ish , or fade which mu s t al w ays be born e in

, ,

min d when readin g the ha n d Th e provi n c e of the palmis t therefore, is to

.
,

warn the su bject of approachi n g danger by poi n ti n g o u t the evil te n den c ies
of his n atu re It is p u rely a m atter of the s u bject s w ill whether or n o t he
.
’

w ill over c ome these te n de n c ies , a n d it is by seein g how the natu re has
modifie d evil s in the past th at the palm ist c a n pre dict whether or not evils
will be overc ome in the fu t u re I n rea din g the han d, no sin gle evil m ar k
.

m u st b e ac c epte d as de c 1 s1v e If t h e evil is I mporta n t, almost every pr in

.
.

“
ci pa l lin e will Sho w i both ha n d s m u st be co n s u lted before t h e
‘
f
t s e
x
an
i
de c isio n can b e fin al . A S gle Sign in itself o n ly sho w s t h e te n dency ;when ,
I I

ho w e v er, the Sign is repeate d by other li n es , the dan ger is then a c ertainty .

I n an swer to the qu estio n , Ca n people avert or avoid d an ger or disaster

’

pre dicte d in the han d ? I answer that de c ide dly I b elieve that they c a n ;
b u t I sa y j u st as de c i de dl y that they rarely if ev er do I kn ow h u ndreds
.
76 Che ir o ’
s L a ngu age f
o the H a n d .

When , however, the lin e en ds in a tassel ( b—b P late XVI ) it is a Sign o f

, .

weak n ess a n d destru c tio n to a n y lin e of wh ic h it forms part partic u larly ,

at the e n d of t h e lin e of life where it de n otes weak n ess a n d the dissipation of

,

all the n erve qu alities .

Bran ches risin g fro m a n y lin e ( a—a , P late XIV ) ac cen tu ate its power a n d
.

stre n gth , b u t all bran ches desce n di n g denote the reverse .

A t the co m me n c emen t of the li n e of heart, these lin es are m ost I mporta n t

w he n c o n si deri n g t h e su c c ess of marriage for the su bje c t : the asce n di n g lines

at this poin t in dicate vigor a n d warm th of the a fi e c t io n s ( a —a P late XVII ) ,

.

the descen din g the opposite

,
.

On the lin e of head asce n di n g bra n ches de n ote c levern ess a n d am b itiou s
t ale n t ( c—c, P late XVI ) , a n d o n the lin e of fate they Show s u ccess in all u n der
t aki n gs made at that partic u lar poi n t .

A chai n ed formation I n a n y li n e is a weak Sign (P late XIV ) : if o n the li n e

of heart it den otes weak n ess a n d chan geab ility of a fi e ct io n if o n the lin e of
head wa n t of fi xit y of ideas , a n d weakn ess of in tellect
, .

Breaks in a n y li n e de n ote its failu re ( o— c, P late XVI I ) .

A wavy formatio n weaken s t h e power of the lin e ( 6 P late XVII ) .

Capillary lines are those lit t le h air-lines r u n n 1n g by the Side of the m ain
line , sometimes join in g it sometimes fall i n g fro m it ;they den ote w eakn ess ,
,

lik e the c hain e d formatio n (Fig 8, P late XIV). .

Whe n the en tire han d is covered with a network or m u ltitu de of little

lin es r u n n i n g aimlessly in all direction s , it betrays men tal wor r y, a highly
nervo u s temperame n t, a n d a trou bl ed natu re .

A s t h e l ittle grain s m ake mo u n tai n s so do these little poin ts make thi s

“

stu dy grea t I therefore recomme n d their close co n sideratio n

. .
 [
I N AM A 8 3 k
3
l Y G 11 01 ”M

P l
at e XV —S I GNS
. FO U N D I N T H E H A N D .
78 Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age f t he
o H an d .

My advice th erefore is : place both hands Side by Side ;examine them ,

, ,

a n d see what the n at u re has been , see what it is ; fi n d the reason by yo u r ex

ami n ation for this or th at chan ge ; a n d, in forecastin g what will be, depen d
u po n the develop m e n t of the lin es in t h e right h and .

It is very in teresti n g to note that left-han ded people h ave t h e lin es more
clearly m arked o n the left hand , and v ice uer s d Some people change so
.

c ompletely that hardly t w o lines are alike on both hands ;again , some c h ange

so slightly that the difi e r e n ce in the lin es is barely perceptible Th e gen eral .

ru le to follow is that whe n a m arked diff erence is Sh own by both ha n ds the

,

su bjec t has had a more interesti n g, eventfu l life than t h e person with both
a like
. Th e more i n teresti n g details as to a s u bject s pa st life , a n d even th e
’

very chan ges in his method o f work a n d ideas , can b e b rou ght t o ligh t b y a
carefu l examination condu cted in this w a y .
80 Ch e ir o ’
L a n gu age f the H a n d
‘

s o .

development or non developme n t of this lin e or that mark is the pa lmist able
-

to say that a certain disease at a certai n time will cau se ill n ess with su ch a n d
s u ch a res u lt Beari n g these arg u ments in mi n d, we will n o w proceed to an
.

examin ation of what has be c ome known as the line of life .

Th e li n e of life (P late XII I ) is the line which , risin g u n der the Mou nt of
.

Ju piter, goes down the han d a n d embraces the Mo u n t of Ven u s On it is .

marked ti m e , also illn ess and death , a n d even ts foresha dowe d by the other
importan t lin es are verifie d .

Th e line of life sho u ld be lo n g, n arrow, a n d deep , withou t irregu larities ,

breaks , or c rosses of a n y kin d Su ch a formatio n promises lo n g life goo d
.
,

health , a n d vitality.

When the lin e is lin ke d (Fig 10, P late XIV ) or made u p of little pieces
. .

like a chain it is a s u re Sig n of b a d health a n d particu larly so o n a sof t han d

, ,
.

When the lin e re c overs its eve n n ess a n d co n tin u ity, health also is regai n ed .

When broke n in the left han d a n d join e d in the rig h t , it threaten s some
dan gero u s illn ess ; b u t if broken in bot h han ds it ge n er ally sign ifies death .

This is m o r e He c id dl y c o n firm e d whe n o n e bran ch tu r n s b ack o n the Mo u n t

e
of Ve n u s ( c—c, P lat e XVII ) .

When t h e lin e st arts fro m the base of the Mou n t of J u piter, i n stead of
the Side of the han d, it de n otes that from the earliest the life has been o n e of
ambitio n .

When the line is chain ed at the comme n c e m en t u n der J u piter b a d h ealth ,

in early lif e is foreshadowed .

When the lin e is closely con n ecte d with that o f the head, life is g u i ded by “

reason and in telligence, b u t the s u bje c t is extremely sen sitive ab o u t every

thin g which affects self, a n d more or less cau tio u s in e n terprises for self (d—d,
P late X V I ).

Whe n there is a mediu m Space betwee n the lin e of life a n d that of hea d ,

the s u bject I S more free to carry o u t his plan s a n d ideas ; it also den ote s
e n ergy and a very go -ahead spirit (d— d, P late XVI I ) .

Wh e n , however t h e space is very wide it is a Sign of too mu c h self

, ,

c o n fi de n ce a n d dash ; it i n dicates that the s u bje c t is foolhardy, impu l sive ,

h asty, a n d n o t gu ided by reason .

Wh the lines of life , head, a n d heart are all j oine together at the com
e n d m
 Th e L in e f
o L if e . 81

m e n ce m en t a—
( a ,
P l a te
is a very u n fortu n ate Sign den oti n g that
-
,

the s u bject, throu gh a defect in temperame n t, r u shes blin dly in to d a n ger a n d

catast r ophe This mark, a s far as temperam e n t is concern ed, indic a tes t h e
.

s u bject s w a nt of perception , both in personal da n gers a n d in those arisin g

’

from d ealin gs with other people .

Whe n the li n e of life divides a t abou t the ce n ter of the han d a n d o n e ,

b ran ch Shoots across to the base of the Mo u n t of L u n a ( b—b, P late XVIII ) it ,

i n dicates o n a firm , well -made han d a restless life, a great desire for travel ,

a n d the u lti m ate satisfaction of that desire When s u ch a mark is fo u n d o n

.

a flabby, soft han d , with a slopin g line of head, it agai n den otes the restless
'

natu re, cravin g for excitement, b u t in this c ase t h e cravin g will be gratified
in v ice or intempera n ce of some kin d This statement , as will be seen , c a n
.

be logically and easily reason ed o u t : the li n e crossi n g to t h e Mo u n t of L u n a

den otes the restless natu re cravi n g for cha n ge, b u t , the ha n d bein g soft a n d
flabby the su bj ect will be too lazy a n d in dolen t to satisfy this c ravi n g by
,

t r a Ve l and the slopi n g lin e of h ea d in this case showin g a weak n at u re , t h e

,

reason for this statemen t is apparen t .

When little hair lin es are fo u n d droppin g from or clin gi n g to the li n e o f

-

life , they tell o f weakness and loss of v itality at the date whe n they appear .

They are very of t en fo u nd at the e n d of the lin e itself, th u s de n oting t h e

breaki n g u p of the life and the dissipatio n of vital power ( b—b, P late X V I ) .

A ll lin es that rise from the lin e of ll t e are marks of in creased power, gai n s ,

a n d s u c c esses .

u n u —
If s ch a li n e asce n d toward or r u n i n to the Mo t of J piter (c c, P late
u

XVIII ) it will de n ote a rise in position or step higher at t h e d ate it leave s

,

the lin e of life Su ch a mark relates more to s u ccessfu l ambition in t h e

.

se n se of power than an ythi n g else If the line , o n the con trary, rise t o
.

Satu rn a n d follo w by the si de of the lin e of fate , it de n otes the in c rease o f

wealth a n d worldly thin gs b u t resu ltin g from t h e s u bj ect s o w n e n ergy a n d
,
’

de t e
g m a t io n ( d d, P late XVII
-

If the lin e leave the line of life a n d ascen d to the Mou n t of t h e Su n it ,

denotes distinctio n accordin g to the class of han d .

If it leave the lin e of life a n d cross to Mercu ry, it promises great

su cces s in b u sin ess or scie n ce , again in accorda nce with the cl a ss of h a n d
 Ch e ir o s L a ngu age f the H a n d
’
82 o .

- wh ether squ are , spatu late , or con ic For i n stan c e , su ch a line on the sq u are
.

wo u l d in di c ate s u ccess I n b u si n ess or s c ien ce ; o n t h e Spatu late in in ve n tion ,

or disc overy ; a n d o n the con ic it wo u ld foretell s u c c ess in mon ey matters,

reache d by the imp u l sive action of s u c h a n at u re , as in s u dden sp e cu lation
,

or e n terprise .

Whe n the li n e of In c divides towa r d the e n d a n d a wide space is Shown

bet w ee n the lin es it is a n i n dicatio n that the su bject will most probably e n d
,

his life in a co u n try diff ere n t from that of his birt h , or at least that there w ill
be some great c han ge fro m t h e pl a c e of birth to the pla ce of death (a — a , P late

XIX ) .

A n islan d o n the lin e of life mean s a n illn ess or lo s s of health while the
islan d lasts ( 6, P late XIX ) , b u t a c learly formed isla n d at t h e c ommen ceme n t
of the li n e of life den otes so m e mystery c o n n e c ted with the su bject s birth’
.

T h e li n e ru n n in g thro u gh a sq u are ( 0, P late XIX ) i n dic ates preserva

.

tio n from d eath , from bad health whe n it s u rro u n ds a n islan d from s u dden ,

d eath whe n the life li n e ru n n in g thro u gh is broke n , a n d from a c ci de n t whe n

-

a little li n e c u ttin g the life lin e rises fro m the P lain of Mars (d, P late XIX )
-
.

A squ are , whe n ever fo u n d o n the li n e o f life , is a m a rk of preservatio n .

Of the great atte n da n t li n e ( P late XIII ) fou n d p a rallel to a n d within the

.

lin e of life , otherwise called t h e li n e of Mars I shall Speak later This atten
,
.

d an t li n e the lin e of M a rs whi c h ris e s o n the Mo u n t of Mars , m u st n o t be

, ,

c o n fo u n ded with t ho s e spri n gin g from the li n e of life itself, n o r with those

that rise u po n t h e M o u n t of Ve n u s Th e si m plest ru l e to bear in m i n d is

. .

that all even , well forme d lin es followi n g the lin e of life i n dicate favorable
-

i n fl u en c es over t h e life (f—f , P late XVII ) , b u t that all those risin g in the oppo
site dire c tio n a n d c u tti n g the life -li n e Show w orries a n d obstacles cau se d by
the opposition a n d i n terferen c e of o thers g— g P late XVII ) Where these
,
.

lin es e n d a n d h o w t hey ter m in ate is , therefore , an importan t poin t in this

stu dy .

Wh en they cu t the lin e of l ife o n ly g—g P late XVII ) they d e n ote the
, ,

i n terferen c e of relatives—ge n erally in the h ome life

When they c ross the life li n e a n d atta ck the li n e of fate ( c—c, P late
-

XVI) they de n ote people who will oppose u s in bu sin ess or w orl dly in ter
,

e sts , and where they c u t the fate -li n e the poi n t of j u n ctio n gives the date .
84 Ch eir o s L a n gu age f t he H a n d
’
o .

t o pe rsecu te h e r at difle r e n t in tervals A gain, s u ch a lin e o n a woman s h a nd

.
’

is illu strative of the natu re of the m a n who influ en ces her, as denoting a
fiery, passion ate, an imal temperamen t .

If, however, the ray li n e shou l d rise by the s ide of the lin e of life a n d
-

t ravel by the si de of it ( f— fi P late XVII ) , it shows , o n the woman s h an d that

’
,

the m a n who e n ters i n to her life has the gen tler natu re and that she will ,

s tro n gly infl u ence him .

If the ra y -lin e risin g at a n y poi n t, in travelin gwith the life-line , retreats

,

far t her in o n the Mou n t of Venu s, th u s away from the life , it indicates that
the person with whom the woman is connecte d will more a n d more lose
sym pathy with her a n d will even tu ally drift o u t of her life altogether (i—i,
,

P late XVI ) .

Wh e n the ray lin e , however, ru n s in to a n islan d or bec omes one itself, it

-

foretells that the i n flu ence ov er her life will r u n i n to disgra c e, a n d that some
thin g scan dalou s will res u lt .

When the atte n da n t lin e fades o u t by the side of the life -line b u t re n ews ,

itself later it tells that the person i n fl u e n cing the life will cease his influ en ce
,

at that particu la r poi n t b u t that it will be re n ewe d again

,
.

When the lin e of in fl u e n c e fades altogether, total separation—generally

d eath —will b e the res u lt of s u ch compan ion ship .

When o n e of these atte n dan t lin es j oin s a c ross li n e a n d ru n s over the

.
-

han d with it , it foretells that throu gh the i n str u men talit y of an other the
a ffection of the person in fl u e n cing the life will c han ge to hate, a n d that this
will cau se in j u ry at wha t ever point it tou ch the life the fate , the head, or the ,

li n e of heart ( e—e , P late XIX ) .

Th e farther the ray li n es lie from the li n e of l i

- fe t h e farther remo v e d ,

from o u r lives will those i n flu e n ces be B u t , as before remarked o n e co u ld

.
,

easily fill a vol u me o n these lin es a n d cross lin es whic h wit h the H in du s are
-
,

the fou n dation for all systems c o n n ecte d with pal mistry .

By this system alo n e , then , it is reaso n able to ass u m e that the stu de n t
c a n pre dict marriages by c o n si derin g the relatio n whic h these lin es bear t o

the life li n e We w ill agai n refer to this poin t when we con sider the qu es
-
.

tion of marriage .

A n other in terestin g phase of this s u bj ec t is the c o n sideratio n of the

 Th e L in e f L if e
o .

nu mber of these lines of influ e n c e (it being remembered th at only those near
‘

the line of life are important) N u merou s lines indicate a n atu re depe n de n t
.

u pon a fi e c t io n Su ch people are what is called passio n ate in their dispositio n ;

.

they may have ma n y lia iso n s , b u t in th eir eyes love re deems all On the .

other h a nd , the fu ll , smooth Mo u n t of Ven u s i n dic a tes that the i n dividu al is

less a fle ct e d by th ose w ith whom he is associate d .

When the lin e of life swe e ps far ou t into the h an d, th u s allowin g t h e

M o u n t of Ven u s a greater scope , it is in itself a sign of good physical strength
a n d lo n g life .

Whe n , o n the c o n trary, it lies very close to the Mo u nt of Venu s , h ealth

is n o t so robu st or the bo dy physically so well b u ilt Th e shorter the line .

the shorter the life .

That the lin e of life does not a lw a y s show the exact age at which death
t a kes place I am qu ite co n vi n ced This lin e merely de n otes the n at u ral term
.

of the su bject s life apart from acciden tal i n flu ences Catastrophes i n dicated
’
.
‘

b y other li n es of t h e han d may c u t short a life t hat wo u ld otherwise be lo n g

,
.

For in stan c e a b r e a k in the head-lin e at certain poi n ts , as explai n ed in Chap

,

ter VII , will foretell death j u st as su rely as wo u l d the broke n life li n e

.
-
.

A gai n a n d most importan t of a ll , the slope a n d position of the li n e of health

,

in relation to the life -lin e is a poi n t which h itherto h a s not re c eived the
attentio n it deserves When we consider the li n e of health , the relatio n that
.

these lin es bear to o n e an other will be treated in detail I may, however, .

here remark that , whe n it is o f equ al strength w ith that of life , where these
lin es meet will be the poin t of death , even tho u gh it be years in advan ce of
w hen the life -li n e e n d s Su ch a death will be cau sed by whatever disease is
.

i n dicate d by the health -li n e, a n d the provin c e a n d o n e of t h e ma n y u ses o f

this stu dy is to fi n d o u t a n d warn the s u bje c t o f that germ of disease which
is even then the en em y of the system .

I n additio n to the i n formatio n I have give n here co n c er n ing islan d s ,

squ ares , etc , I refer the st u de n t back to Chapter III , w hich treats of them
. .

more f u lly A s regards time a n d the c al cu latio n of events , a special chapter

.

will be devoted to these su bje c ts .

 CH A P TE R VI .

TH E L I N E O F M AR S .

TH E lin e of Mars (P l a te XIII ) is other w ise known as the inner vital or

.

in n er life li n e It rises o n the Mou n t of Mars , a n d sweeps dow n by the side of

.

the lin e of life , b u t is distin ct in every way from those fain t lin es k n own as the
atte n da n t lin es of whi ch I spoke a little earlier
,
.

T h e ge n eral c hara c teristic o f the lin e of Mars is that it denotes excess of

health o n all sq u are or broa d han ds ; to a m a n of this type it gi v es a mar
tial n atu re rather a fightin g dispositio n a n d rob u st stre n gth It also den otes
, ,
.

that w hile it r u n s close to t h e life lin e the i n divi du a l will be e n gage d in

-

ma n y q u a rrels a n d will be s u bject to a great deal of a n n oyan ce wh i c h w ill

,
“

brin g all his m artial or fighti n g q u alities in to play It is al w ays a n excelle n t

.

sig n o n the h an d of a sol die r.

I Vh e n a bran ch sh o ots from this li ne o u t to the Mou n t of L u n a ( b— b ,

P lat e XX ) it tells that there is a terribl e t e n de n cy towar d i n temperan c e of

,

every ki n d, thro u gh the very robu stn ess of the n at u re a n d the c ravi n g for
,

excite m en t that it gives .

Th e other type of the li n e of M a r s is fo u n d o n t h e lo n g n arrow b an d, a n d

,

here it is generally by the side of a delicate fragile lin e of life Its character
, .

ist ic s in s u c h a ha n d are th a t it su pports the life -li n e , carryin g it past a n y

dan gero u s breaks a n d givi n g vitality to the n atu re
, .

A broke n li n e of life with su c h a li n e besi de it will at the poi n t of the

break i n dicate close n ess to death b u t helped by this m ark the s u bject will
,

recover, throu gh the great vitality give n by the line of Mars .

 CH A P TE R VII .

T H E L I N E O F H E A D.

To k n o w 18 po w er —le t us then b e w i
se ,

An d u se our br a i ns i
w th e v er yg
. oo di n ten t,
Th a t at t he e nd w e co m e i
w th ti d
re e ye
s

A nd g i ve t o Na t u r e m or e t h an w hat sh e l ent .

CH E I R o .

TH E line of head (P late XIII ) relates prin cipally to the n e n t a lit y of the
. .

s u bj ect—to the in tellectu al stre n gth or w eak n ess , to the temp e ramen t in its
relatio n to talen t and to the directio n a n d qu ality of the tale n t itself
, .

It is of extreme importance in connection w ith this line that the pec u liar
ities of the vario u s types be born e in m in d ;as , for i n stance , a slopi n g lin e of
'

h ead o n a psychic or conic han d is n o t of half the importan c e o f a slopi n g

lin e on a squ are han d We will , however , take ge n eral chara cteristic s first
.
,

a n d proceed to co n sider variation s afterward .

Th e li n e of head can rise from three difle r e n t poi n ts—from the ce n ter of
the Mou n t of J u piter, from the comme n cemen t of the li n e of life , or from the
Mou nt of Mars , withi n t h e life lin e -
.

R isi n g fro m Ju piter ( c e , P late XX ) and yet tou c hi n g the lin e of life it
-
.
,

is , if a lon g li n e of head , the most powerfu l of all Su ch a su bj ect will h ave .

talen t, en ergy, a n d dari n g determ in atio n of p u rpose , with bo u n dless ambition

combin e d with reaso n Su ch a m a n will con trol others yet n o t seem to c o n
.
,

trol them ; he will have c au tio n eve n in his most daring design s ; he takes
pride in his man ageme n t of people or thin gs , a n d is stro n g in ru l e , b u t j u st in
the admin istratio n of power .

T here is a variatio n of this whic h is almost eq u ally stro n g This agai n .

rises on Ju pite is slightly separated from the line of life Su ch a type .

will have the e eristics of the first, b u t with less c o n trol a n d diplo m acy .

87
 88 Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age f
o the H a n d .

He will be h asty in decisio n , impetu ou s in a c tio n A s a leader in a crisis su ch

.

a m a n wo u ld fi n d his greatest opportu n ity Whe n , however, t h e spa ce is very

.

wide , the s u bj ect will be foolhardy, egotistical , a n d will ru sh blindly i n to

danger .

Th e li n e of head from the commen cement of the li n e of life , and

co n n ected w ith it ( cl—d, P late XVI ) , in dicates a sensitive and more n ervous
temperamen t ;it de n otes excess of cau tion ;even c lever people with this m ark
r e 1n t hemselves dow n to o tightly .

Th e li n e of head risi n g fro m t h e Mo u n t of Mars withi n the life -li n e ( f—

, f,
Z/
P la t e XIX ) , is n o t s u ch a favorable sign , it bei n g the extreme o n the in
si de o f the life line , as the wide spaced head-line is the extreme o n the o u t
- -

side This indicat es a fretfu l, w orryi n g tem perament , i n co n sta n t in thou ght,
.

inc o n stan t in action , the shifti n g san ds of the sea are more stea dfast tha n are
the ideas of s u ch a n i n dividu a l a n d the con n ectio n with Mars gives h is
,

natu re this one disagreeabl e trait h e is al w ays in con flic t with h is n eigh
-

bors ; he is also highly se n sitive nervou s a n d more or less irritable

, , .

Th e ge n eralities i n dicate d by the li n e of hea d are as follo w s :

When straight, clear , a n d eve n , it denotes prac tical common sense and a
love of material thi n gs more th an those of the i m agin atio n .

When straight in the fi rst half the n slightly slopin g, it shows a balan c e
,

betwee n the pu rely imaginative a n d the p u rely practical ;s u ch a s u bj e c t w ill

have a level hea ded co m mo n -se n se way of goin g to work eve n whe n dealin g
-
, ,

with imagin ative thin gs .

Whe n the e n tire li n e h a s a slight slope , there is a lean i n g toward im a g

in a t iv e work , th e q u ality of s u ch i m agina t io n de n o ti n g in accordan c e w ith ,

the type of han d either m u sic , pai n tin g litera t u re or mechanical i n ve n tion
, , ,
.

Whe n v ery slopi n g rom an ce idealism , imagin ative work a n d Bohemian ism
, , ,
.

When slopin g a n d termin atin g with a fi n e fork o n the Mou n t of L u n a it

, ,

pro m ises literary tale n t of the imaginative order .

W h e n extremely lo n g a n d straight, a n d goin g directly to the side of t h e

han d (the pe i c u ssio n ) it u su ally de n otes that the su bje ct ,h a s m 01 e than
,

ordin ary i n tellectu al power , b u t is in cli n ed to be selfish in the u se of that

pow er .

Whe n this h n e lies straight across the han d a n d slightly cu rves u pward
90 Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age f
o t he H an d .

power for playin g a n d toyin g with h u man n atu re , a n d ge n erally great will
a n d determinatio n .

Wh e n the lin e of head is broken in two o n both han ds , it foretells some

fatal ac c ide n t or vio le n ce to the hea d .

A n island is a sign of weak n e ss ( j, P late XVII ) When clearly defin e d .

,

if the lin e does n o t exte n d farther, the perso n will n ever recover .

If the li n e of head se n ds a n o ffshoot to or ru n s in t o a star o n the Mou n t

of J u piter it is a sign of wo n derfu l su c c ess in a ll thin gs attempte d
, .

Whe n a n u m b er of little hair li n es bran c h u pwar d from the lin e of head

-

to that of heart the aff e c tio n s will be a matter of fasci n atio n , n o t of love
, .

Whe n the lin e of head ru n s into or throu gh a squ are it i n dic ates preser ,

vatio n fro m accide n t or viole n c e by the su b j ect s o w n co u rage a n d prese n c e

’

of min d .

Whe n there is a spa c e fo u n d betw ee n the lin e of hea d a n d that of life it ,

is be n eficial whe n n o t too w i de ; w he n mediu m , it de n otes splen did en ergy

a n d sel f c o n fi de n c e , prompt n ess of action a n d rea di n ess of tho u ght (f—
-
f ,

P late XXI ) This is a u sefu l signfor barristers , actors preachers , e t c , b u t

.
, .

people with s u ch a mark w o u ld do w ell to sleep o n their decisio n s— they are

i n c lin e d to be too hasty , self c o n fi de n t , a n d impatie n t
-
Whe n this spac e is .

extremely wi de , it de n otes foolhardi n ess a ssu rance excessive e ffro n tery a n d

, , ,

self co n fi de n c e
-
.

W h e n the lin e of head o n the c o n trary is very tightly co n n e c te d with

, ,

that of life a n d low down in the han d there is u tter wan t of self c o n fi de n c e
, ,
- .

Su c h i n div id u als s u ff er greatly from ex treme se n sitive n ess a n d the slightes t ,

thi n g will wou nd a n d grieve them .

 CH A P TE R VII I .

TH E L I N E O F H E AD I N R E L ATI ON T O TH E SE VE N TYP E S .

TH E gen eral r u les to be obser v e d in c on n ectio n with t h is most remarkable

poi n t are as follows
Th e li n e of hea d is u s u ally in a c cordan ce with t h e type of han d on which
it is fo u n d—n amely, practic al o n a prac tic al t ype , imagin ative o n a n artistic ,

a n d so o n . It therefore follows that sign s co n trary to the n atur e are more

importa n t than c haracteristics in dicate d in a cc or dan ce w ith it .

These pec u liarities , it is therefore more reasonable to ass u me relate t o ,

the developme n t of the brai n o u tsi de a n d beyo n d it s n atu ral characteristics .

Su c h a diverge n c e m ight be acco u n ted for b y the theory that the vario u s ten
.

de n c ie s of the brai n reach their worki n g poin t thro u gh a process of slow

gro w th a n d d evelopme n t , similar to the evol u tio n s of life itself It therefore
.

follows that at the age of twe n ty there may be the comme n c eme n t of a develop
men t which may alter the e n tire life at thirty ; b u t as that c han ge has alrea dy
comme n c ed in the brain so m u st it affect the nerves a n d th u s the h an d T hu s
,
.

a ten den c y toward a chan ge of thou ght or a c tio n is in dicated years before it
takes pla ce .

Starti n g with the eleme n tary han d, or the n earest approach to it fo u n d

in o u r c o u n try the n at u ral head lin e o n s u c h a type wo u l d be short straight
,
-
, .

a n d hea v y ; co n sequ e n tly the de v elopmen t of it to a n y u nu su a l exte n t

w ill sho w u n u s u al c haracteristics in s u c h a s u b ject For in stan c e s u ch
.
,

a line of head dropping dow n ward toward L u na will show an imaginativ e

b u t su perstitiou s te n de n c y , completely at varian ce with the bru tal and a n imal

natu re it influ e n ces .T his ac c ou nts for the fear of the u n known the s u per ,

s t it io u s dr e a d that is so often fo u n d amo n g the lower class of h u mani t y,

'

particu larly amon g savage tribes .

92 Ch e t r o s L a n gu age
’
f
o the H a n d .

TH E L I NE O F H E AD I N R EL ATI ON T O TH E SQU AR E H AN D .

Th e squ are h an d as I have state d ( P art I , Chapter III ) , is the u sefu l o r

,
.

practical hand ; it deals with logic , metho d, reason , scien ce , a n d all thin gs
appertain i n g to su ch matters .

Th e li n e of head o n su ch a type is s t ra ight and lo n g, in keepin g with

the characteristics of the han d itself It therefore foll o w s that the slight
.

est appearance o f this lin e slopi n g, bei n g the direct opposite to t h e n atu re ,
shows eve n a greater developme n t of the imagi n ative fac u lties than a far
greater slope of the same lin e on a co n ic or psychic , b u t the diff erence
in the c lass of work wo u ld be the di fference of te m perament Th e squ are .

ha n d with the sloping head-li n e w o u ld start with a practical fo u n dation for

imagi n ative work , whereas the other wou ld be p u rely i n spiratio n al a n d
imagin ative This difi e r e n c e is extremely n oticeable in t h e han ds of writers ,
.

pain ters mu sicians , etc

, .

TH E L I NE OF H E AD I N R E L AT I ON T O T H E SP AT U L AT E H AN D .

Th e spat u late h an d (P art I , Chapter IV ) is t h e han d of actio n , in ven tion

. .
,

in depen den c e , a n d origin ality Th e n atu ral positio n for the lin e of head o n
.

this type is lo n g c lear a n d slightly slopi n g Whe n th erefore o n s u ch a han d

, ,
.
, ,

this slopin g is accen t u ate d, the res u lt is that all these characteristics are
do u ble d or stre n gth e n e d ; b u t w he n lyi n g straight, the opposite of the type ,

the su bject s practic al ideas w ill keep the others so m u ch in check that the
’

plan s of the imagi n ation will n o t get scope for f u lfilme n t and , as far as t h e ,

tem perame n t is concer n ed, the natu re will be restless , irritable , and dis
satisfie d .

TH E L I N E O F H E AD I N R E L ATI O N T O T H E P H I L OSOP H I C H AND .

Th e philosophic ha n d (P art I , Chapter V ) is tho u ghtfu l, earn es t in the

. .

p u rs u it of wis dom , b u t imagin ative a n d rather eccen tric in the applic atio n of
ideas to every day life Th e n at u ral posit ion fo r the lin e of head o n this type
-
.

is lon g , c losely c o n n ecte d with th e li n e of life , set low dow n o n the han d;a n d
slopi n g Th e u n n at u ral type or the m a n with t h e straight lin e of hea d o n
.
,
 Che ne
'
94 ’
L a n gu age f the H a n d
‘

s o .

is one of the rarest thin gs to fi n d a straight li n e of hea d on s u ch a han d

b u t wh e n fo u n d it is ge n erally o n the right han d the lef t bein g still very
,

slopi n g Su ch a formatio n de n otes that by the pressu re of circu mstan ces the
.

e n tire n atu r e has u ndergo n e a chan ge a n d has become m ore practical . This
type , eve n with the straight li n e of head , can n ever be very material or b u si
n ess -like b u t in matters of art the s u bject will have a very good chance , a s
,
!
he wou l d h ave more opportu nity to exercise his tale n ts , yet eve n in art it
wo u l d requ ire the greatest tact a n d stro n gest e n cou rageme n t t o in d u ce h im
to tu rn his tale n ts to practical u se .

By Su ch i ll u stratio n s the stu dent will u n derstan d how to make every

other mo difi c atio n in ac c orda n ce w ith the type of han d Th e modificatio n s
.

of the head-line are more i m po rtan t than a n y other m arks that t h e han d
possesses .
 CH A PTER IX .

I N SAN I TY AS SH OWN B Y TH E L I N E o r H EAD .

TH E R E is really n o te n dency wh ich the h an d den otes more plainly than

insanity, whether here ditary or bro u ght o n by c irc u mstances Th e m u l titu d e
.

of forms which co u ld be gathered u n der th is hea ding cannot be en tered into

in this work, b u t I will endeavor to show t h e most ge n eral .

It mu st be b or n e in mi n d that a n y point that is beyond the normal is a b

normal Whe n , therefore , the lin e of head si n ks to an abnormal poin t on the
.

Mo u n t of L u na, the imagin atio n of t he s u bj ect is ab n ormal a n d u nnatu ral .

T his will be more importan t in the elementary , squ are , spatu late , and philo
sophic , than in relation to the co n ic or psych ic types Whe n t h e line o f head,
.

even on a ch ild s han d, reaches this u n n atu ral point , it may grow u p to man
’ ;

hood or Womanhood with perfect clear n ess a n d san ity of i deas , b u t as su rel y
a s a me n tal shock or strain comes , so s u rely will that brai n be thrown o fi it s

balance , a n d in san ity will be the resu lt.

Th e same developmen t of the lin e of head , with an u n u su ally h igh Mo u nt

of Satu rn , will den ote a m orbidly imaginative natu re from the very start
(P late XXV) . Su ch a su bj ect is gloomy , morose a n d melan choly, and this
,

tendency, even with ou t cau se, generally in creases u ntil the s u bject completely
loses his or her men tal balan ce .

Te mporary in san ity is shown by a n arro w islan d in the ce n ter o f a slop

in g li n e of head, b u t this mark generally in dicates some brain -illness or
temporary in san ity co n sequ en t u po n brain -fever .

Th e han d o f the co n ge n ital idiot is remarkable for its very small, badly
develope d thu mb , a n d for a li n e of head sloping a n d made u p of broad lin es
fil led with a series of islan ds , like a chai n .

I h a ve fu rther illu strated these remarks in P ar t III , Chapter V , on vario u s

. .

phases of in sani t y as show n by the han d .

95
 Ch e ir o L a n gu age f the H a n d
’
96 s o .

M UR D E R O U S P R OP E N SI T I E S AS SH OWN BY T H E L I N E O F H E AD .

Th e mere a c t of mu rder su ch a s o n e m a n killin g an other in the heat of

,

passio n or in self defe n se , is n o t sho w n by the han d exc e pt a sa p as t —

- e v e nt ,

a n d the n o n ly whe n it has deeply a ffecte d a very se n sitive n at u re ; b u t if

”

prope n sitie s for crime exist , the age at whic h they will reach their a c tive
or workin g poin t in the n at u re is decide dly show n , as I w ill procee d to
demon strate .

I have explai n e d in the foregoin g re m arks that, whe n t h e li n e of he a d is

ab n ormal in o n e directio n , ab n ormal c haracteristics are the resu l t, s u ch as in
san ity m orbidn ess a n d extreme melan choly , which u n der certain co n ditio n s
, ,

lea d to self-m u rder . These , ho w ever are ab n orm al c haracteristi c s de n oted

,

by the falling lin e We will n o w c on sider the ab n ormalities i n dic ate d by the
.

risi n g li n e of head .

I t wil l be remembere d that I have previo u sly state d that the lin e of hea d
d ivi des t h e ha n d i n to t w o hemispheres—that of mi n d a n d that of m atter ;a n d
that if it be high o n the ha n d, then the worl d of m atter h a s greater scope , a n d
the su bj e c t is more br u tal a n d a n imal in his desires This has bee n am ply
.

prove d by the h a n ds of those w h o ha v e live d a life of c rim e parti c u larly if ,

they have been mu rdero u s in their prope n sities (P late XXIV ) .

I n s u c h case s the lin e of hea d leaves its proper pla c e o n t h e h a n d a n d

rises a n d takes possessio n of the lin e of heart, a n d someti m es eve n passes
b eyon d it . Whether s u c h people m u rder o n e or twe n ty is n o t the q u estio n .

Th e poi n t is that they have ab n ormal te n de n c ies for crim e ; they stop a t
n o t hi n g in the accomplish m e n t of their p u rpose a n d u n de r the slightest
,

provocatio n or temptatio n they mu st a n d w ill gratify these stran ge a n d terri

b l e prope n sities . Th e extra or di n ary thi n g in c o n n ection with this poi n t is
that the sa m e lin e also pre dicts years in a dva n c e w he n these propen sities
will c au se the destru c tio n of the s u bje c t If the h ead a n d heart meet
.

u n d er Sat u r n , it w ill o c c u r before he is t w e n ty -fi v e ; bet w ee n Satu r n a n d

t h e Su n , b efore thirty— fi v e u n d er the Mo u n t of the Su n , before forty

fi v e ; a n d so o n . T his is o n e of the m o st in terestin g poi n ts in the stu dy
of the han d, a n d goes far t o pr o ve that on c e the lin e of hea d goes o v er or
,
 CH A P TE R X .

TH E L I N E O F H E AR T .

Kee p l my
st il , he a r t ,
No r a sk fo r p e a ce , w h e n c a r e m a y su it t h e e b e st ,
No r a sk fo r l
ove , n or jo y , n o r e v e n r e st ,

Bu t b e co n ten t to
'

lov e, wh te a b t id
’
er e e,

An d m a b e y l o ve w ill b i g t h e e t o L o
r n ve s s
’
id e .

CH E I R O .

TH E line o f heart is n atu rally a n importan t li n e in the stu dy of th e h an d .

L ove , or t h e attractio n of the sexes from nat u ral cau ses , plays o n e of the
-

most prominen t parts in the drama of life , a n d as in the natu re so in the _

han d Th e lin e of heart, otherwise called the me n sal (P late

. is that
lin e which ru n s across the u pper portion of the ha n d at the base of the
Mou n ts of J u piter, Satu rn , the Su n a n d Mer c u ry ,
.

Th e line o f h e a r t sho u ld be deep , clear, a n d well c olore d It may rise

’

from three importan t positions , as follows : the middle of the Mou n t of

Ju piter, betwee n the first a n d se c o n d fin gers , a n d from the c e n ter of the
”

Mo u nt of Satu rn .

When it rises from the ce n ter of Ju piter ( d— d P late X X ) , it gives the ,

h ighest type of love —the pride a n d the worship of the heart s ideal A m an ’
.

w ith su ch a formatio n is fi r m , stro n g, a n d reliable in his aff ectio n s ; he is as

well ambitio u s that the woman of his choice shall be great, n oble a n d famou s ,

—su ch a m a n wo u ld n ever marry be n eath his statio n , and will have far less
l ove -aff airs than the m a n with the li n e from Satu rn .

N ext we will co n sider the lin e risin g from the Mo u n t of Ju piter, even
fro m the fi n ger itself (e— e P late XX )
,
T his denotes the exc ess of all the fore
.

goi n g qu alities ; it gives the blin d e n th u siast, the m a n so carried away by his
pride that he c a n see n o fau lts , n o failin gs in that bein g whom he so devote dly
w orships . A las ! s u ch people are the s u fferers in the worl d of aff ectio n
98
1 00
- Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age f the H a n d
o .

Whe n , however, it lies high o n the han d, and the space is n arrowe d by
the lin e of head bei n g too close the reverse is the case , a n d the head will so
,

c om p letely r u le the a fle c t io n s that it gives a hard col d nat u re e n vio u s a n d

, ,

u n c harita ble
.

Breaks in the line tell of disappoin tme n t in affectio n —u n der Satu rn ,

bro u ght abo u t by fatality ; u n der the Su n , thro u gh pride ;a n d u n der Mercu ry,
thro u gh folly a n d caprice .

When the li n e of heart co m me n ces w ith a small fork on the Mou n t of

—
Ju piter j j, P late XVI ) it is a n u n faili n g sign of a tru e ho n est nat u re a n d
, ,

e n thu sias m in love .

A very remarkab le poi n t is to n otice w hether the lin e of heart comme n ce

high or low o n the han d Th e first is the best , becau se it shows the h appiest
.

n atu re
.

Th e li n e lyi n g so low that it droops down toward the lin e of head is a

s u re sign of u n happi n ess in a fi e ct io n s du rin g the early portion of the life .

Whe n the li n e of heart forks , with o n e bran ch restin g o n Ju piter, the

othe r between the fi r s t a n d seco n d fingers it is a sign of a h a ppy, tran qu il
,

n at u re goo d fortu n e , a n d happi n ess in a ff ectio n

, ; b u t when the fork is so .

wide that o n e bra n c h rests o n Ju piter, the other on Sat u rn , it the n de n otes a
very u n c ertain dispositio n , a n d o n e that is n o t in cli n e d to make the marital
relatio n s happy, thro u gh its erratic temperame n t in a fi e ct io n .

Whe n the lin e is qu ite bare of bran c hes a n d thi n , it t e lls of col dness of
heart a n d wan t of affectio n .

Whe n bare a n d thi n toward the per c u ssio n o r si de of the han d it de n otes ,

sterility .

Fi n e lin es risin g u p to the li ne of heart fro m the li n e of hea d den ote

those who in flu en c e o u r tho u ghts in a ffairs of the heart a n d b y b ei n g cro sse d
,

or u n crosse d den ote if t h e affe c tio n has brou ght tr o u b le or has b ee n smooth
a n d fortu n ate .

Whe n the lin es of heart , he a d a n d life are very m u c h j o in e d together, it

is a n evil sign ; in all m atters of a fi e ct io n s u c h a su bje ct wo u l d stick at
n othin g to o b tai n his or her de s1 r e s .

A su bje c t w ith no lin e of heart, or wit h v e r v little has n o t the power of

,

feelin g very d eep afi e ct io n Su c h a perso n ca n , however, be very s en s u al , par

.
 Th e L in e f
o H ear t .

if the ha n d is soft O n a h ard hand su ch a mark will a fle ct the

“

t icu l a r l y .
~

s u bj e c t less—h e may n o t be sens u al , b u t he will n ever feel very deep

affe c tion .

When , however, the li n e h a s been th ere b u t has faded o u t it is a sign

, ,

that the s u bj ect has had s u ch terrible disappoint m ents in a fle c t io n th at he

b ecome cold , heartless , a n d indi ff eren t.
 CH A P TE R XI .

T H E L I N E OF F ATE .

A n d w h a t is f a t e ?
A p e r f e ct la w t h a t sh a p e s a ll th i n gs fo r go o d ;
A n d t h u s, t h a t m e n m a y h a v e a j u st re w ar d
i
F o r do n g w h a t is r gh t , n o t ca ri i n g sh o u d l
No e a r t hl y cr o w n b e th e i r s, b u t in a cc o r d

W it h w h a t is t r u e , i
d h gh , a n d gr e a t
an .

A n d in t h e en d— t h e p ar t a s t o th e wh o e l
So sh a ll a llb e ; in t h e su c c e ss o f a ll
So sh a ll a ll sh a r e ;f o r t h e A ll -c o n s c i ou s So u l
N te s e en the
o
’
s p ar r o w s
’
fe e b l e fa ll .

An d s u ch is fa t e .

CH EI R O .

TH E lin e of fate ( P late otherwise calle d the lin e of destiny or the ,

Satu rn ia n is the ce n ter u pright lin e o n the palm of the ha n d

,
.

I n the con sideratio n of th is lin e the type of h an d plays an imp ortant part ;
for in stan ce, the li n e of fate , e ve n in the most s u cc essfu l han ds , is less marke d
o n the e le m e n t ar y , t h e squ are a n d the spat u late than o n the philosophi c , t h e
, ,

co n i c , or the psychic These u pright li n es are more in keepi n g with the latter
.

han ds a n d are therefore less importan t o n them ; co n sequ e n tly if o n e sees ,

,

as o n e often will a n apparen tly very stro n g li n e of fate o n a co n ic han d,

,

o n e m u st remember that it has n o t half the i m porta n ce of a si m ilar lin e o n

a squ are type as far as w orl dly s u ccess is co n c ern e d This poin t , I am sorry .

to s a y has bee n completely overlooked by other writers , thou gh it is o n e of

, _

f
n e most sig n ifi c a n t in this stu dy It is u seless to simply give a map of the
.

ha n d witho u t clearly e xpla 1n 1 n g this point Th e bewildered stu den t sees .

t h is lo n g lin e of fate marke d as a sign of gr e at fortu n e a n d su cces s a n d ;

n atu rally co n clu des that a s m all li n e o n the squ are ha n d mean s nothin g and ,

that a lo n g o n e o n the c o n i c or psyc hic mean s su ccess, fame , a n d fortu n e,

w herea s it has n o t o n e q u arter the importa n ce of the small lin e show n o n t h e

1 02
1 04 Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age o f the H a n d .

If the line of fate itself sho u ld go to a n y mo u nt or portion of the hand

other tha n the Mou nt of Satu rn , it foretells great su ccess in that particu lar
direction accor di n g to the c haracteristics of the mo u n t
, .

If the lin e of fate as c en d to the ce n ter of the Mou n t of Ju piter, u nu s u al

distin c tion and power will come i n to the s u bject s life ’
It also relates to .

character . Su c h people are bor n to climb u p higher than their fellows

throu gh their e n ormou s en ergy, ambitio n , and determin ation .

If the li n e of fate sho u ld at a n y poin t throw a bran ch in that directio n ,

n amely to w ard J u piter, it shows more than u s u al s u ccess at that partic u lar
,

stage of life .

If the lin e of fate termi n ate by c rossi n g its o w n mo u n t a n d reachin g

J u piter s u ccess wi ll be so great in the e n d that it will go far towar d satisfy
,

in g eve n the ambition of s u c h a s u b je c t .

Whe n the lin e r u n s beyo n d the palm , cu tti n g in to t h e fi n ger of Satu rn , it

is n o t a goo d sign , as everythin g will go too far For in stan c e if s u c h a n in
.
,

divi du al be a lea de r , his su b j ects will some day go beyo n d his wishes a n d
power a n d wil l most probably tu r n a n d a t tack their com m an der
, .

When the lin e of fate is abru ptly stoppe d by the lin e of heart su c cess ,

will be ru in ed throu gh the a ffe c tio n s ; whe n ho w ever , it j oin s the li n e of

,

heart a n d they together as c e n d J u piter, the s u bject will ha v e his or her high
est ambitio n gratified thro u gh the affections (h — h, P late XIX ) .

Whe n stopped b y the lin e of head it foretells that s u c cess ,

thw a rted by some stu pidity o r blu n der of the hea d .

If the lin e of fate does n o t rise u n til late in the P lain of

a very diffic u lt hard, a n d tro u ble d life ; b u t if it goes o n
,

difficu lties will be su r m ou n ted a n d o n ce over t h e first half of the life all the
,

rest will be smooth Su c h su c c ess comes from the s u bject s o w n en ergy , per
.
’

severa n ce a n d determin ation

, .

If the lin e of fate rise from the lin e of hea d, a n d that li n e be well marked,
then su ccess will be won late in life , after a hard stru ggle a n d thro u gh the
su bje c t s tale n ts
’
.

Whe n it rises from the line of heart extremely late in l ife , after a diffi cu lt
s tr u ggle s u ccess will be w o n .

When the lin e rises with o n e bran c h from the base of L u na the other ,
 Th e L in e f
o F a te .

fr o m Ven u s the su bject s destin y will sway betwe en imagination on

,
’
the one

han d a n d love a n d passion o n the oth er (m — ui, P late XXI ) .

When broke n a n d irregu lar;the career will be u n certain ; the u ps and

down s of su c cess a n d failu re f u ll of light a n d shadow .

When there is a break in the li n e , it is a s u re sign o f m isfortu ne a n d loss ;

b u t if the seco n d portio n of the li n e begi n before the other leaves o ff, it de
n otes a c omplete chan ge i n life , a n d if very de c ided it will mean a cha n ge

more in ac c ordan ce with the s u bj ect s o w n wishes in t h e way of positio n a n d

’

—
su ccess ( a a , P late XXI ) .

A do u ble or sister fate -line is an excellent sign It den otes two distin ct
.

c areers whi c h the s u bject will follow Thi s is mu ch more important if they go
.

to differen t m o u n ts .

A squ are o n the lin e of fate protects the s u bject from loss throu gh
mon ey, b u sin ess or finan c ial matters A squ are to u chin g the lin e in the
,
.

P lain of Mars ( b, P late XXI ) foretells danger from acciden t in r e lation to

.

ho m e life if o n the side of the fate -line n ext the li n e of life ;from accident
in travel if o n t h e side of the fate -line next the Mo u n t of L u n a
. .

A c ross is a sign of tro u ble and follows t h e same ru les as the squ are, b u t
a n islan d in the line of fate is a mark of m isfortu n e , loss , and a dversity
( d, P late XXI ) . It is sometimes marked with the lin e of i n fl u en ce from L u n a,
and in su ch a case mean s loss a n d misfortu ne cau sed b y the i n flu e n c e, be it
marria ge or otherwise which affects the life at that date ( 0 P late XXI )
, ,
.

P eople w itho u t a n y sign of a lin e of fate are ofte n very s u ccessfu l, b u t

they lead more a vegetable kin d o f existence They eat, drin k, a n d sleep , b u t
.

I do not thin k we c a n really call them happy , for they ca n n ot feel acu tely,
a n d to feel happi n ess we mu st also feel the reverse Su n sh ine and shadow,
.

s miles and tears comprise the su m total of o u r lives .

 CH A P TE R XII .

T H E L I N E OF SUN .

A n d t h e r e a r e so m e w h o h a v e su cce ss in w e a t h , l
A n d so m e in w a r , a n d so m e a ga n in e a ce , i p
i i i
A n d so m e w h o , ga n n g t h e r su c c e ss in h e a t h , l
i
Se e o t h e r t h n gs de cr e a se .

M a n c a n t h a v e a ll —t h e sun co n su m e s t se f
’
i l
B y b u r n in g in it s la p m o r e fe e b e st a r s, l
A n d t h o se w h o cr a v e t h e H n du do s a r t
’
i i l p
O ft cr u sh th e i r ch ild r en
’
n e ath t h i gil d
e r e d c a r s.

CH E I R O .

TH E li n e of su n ( P late other w ise called the li n e of A pollo t h e li n e ,

of brillian cy, or the li n e of su ccess , m u st , like the li n e of fate be c onsidere d ,

w ith the type of ha n d on which it h e s ; for i n stan ce , it w ill be more h eavily

marked o n the philosoph ic , co n ic a n d psychic , a n d n o t mean as m u ch as a

,

similar li n e o n the squ are or spat u late Th e sam e r u le given in refere n ce to

.

the lin e of fate therefore applies to this .

I prefer in my work to call this the lin e of s u n , as this n ame is more

expressive a n d more clear in m e a m n g It i n creases the s u ccess give n by a
.

goo d lin e of fate , a n d gives fame and distin ctio n to the life when it is in
ac c ordan ce wit h the work a n d c areer given by the other lin es of the han d ;
otherwise it merely re lates to a te m pera m e n t that is kee n ly alive to the
artistic b u t u n less the rest of the han d bears this o u t , the s u bje c t will have
,

the appreciatio n of art witho u t the power of expressio n .

Th e lin e of s u n may rise fro m the li n e of life, t h e Mo u n t of L u na the ,

Plam of Mars , th e li n e of he ad or the li n e of heart

, .

R isin g from the line of life , with the rest of the han d artistic , it denotes
that the l ife will be devote d to the w orship of the beau tifu l With the other .

lin es goo d it pro m ises s u c c ess in artis t i c p u rs u its

, .

1 06
 "

Th e L in e f Su n
o . 1 07

R isin g from the lin e of fa t e ;it increases the s u ccess promised by t h e lin e
o f fate , and gives more distinction from whatever d a te it is marked—fro m

that time on things will greatly improve .

It is far more acc u rate a n d less misleadin g to class this lin e as relatin g
to brillian cy or s u ccess—as its name implies—t h an to call it t h e li n e of
Apollo or of art .It depends u pon the talen t shown by the line of head , a n d
the class of han d itself, to determine in what way the s u ccess is s hown ,

whether in art or in riches .

From the Mou n t of L u n a it promises su ccess a n d distinction , lar gely

depende n t u pon t h e fa n cies a n d the help of others I n this case it is n ever a
.

certain sign of su ccess bein g so in fl u e n ced by the fort u nes of those we come
,

in co n tact with (e e, P late XXI)

-
.

With a slopin g lin e of hea d, however, it is more i n clin ed to den ote su c

cess in poetry literatu re a n d thin gs of the p u rely imagin ative ord e r
, , .

R ism g u pon the P lain of Mars , it promises s u n shi n e after tears , s u ccess
after difficu lty .

R isi n g from t h e lin e o f h ead , there is no caprice of other people in c o n

n e ct io n with s u c cess the tale n ts of the s u bj ect alo n e bein g its factor, b u t not
,

u n til t h e seco n d half of life is reache d .

R isin g from the li n e of heart it m erely den otes a great taste for art
and artistic thi n gs , and looki n g at it from the p u rely practical standpoint
it den otes more distin ction a n d in flu en c e in the world at that late date
in life.

If the third fin ger be nearly equ al in le n gth to the seco n d , the finger of
Sat u rn , a very lo n g lin e o f s u n with s u ch a formation makes the s u bj e c t
in clin ed to gamble with everythi n g—the talents, the riches , a n d even the
chan ces of life .

Th e chief pec u liarity of this li n e is that it gen erally gives , when well
marked, a great tenden cy toward sen sitiveness , b u t when combi n ed with a n
exceptionally straight line of head it denotes the love of attai n in g riches ,
social positio n , a n d power .

Man y lin es on the Mou nt of Su n show an extremely artistic n atu r e , b u t

mu ltiplicity of idea s will in terfere with all s u ccess Su ch s u bject s neve r .

h ave s u ffi cien t patience to win either fame or ren own ( Plate XXI ) .
108 Ch e ir o s L a n guage
’
f
o t he H a n d .

A star on this lin e is perhaps the very fin est sign that can be fou nd .

Brilliant a n d lasting su ccess is in s u c h cases a certain ty .

A squ are on the li n e of su n is a sign of preservatio n again st the attacks

of enemies in reference to o n e s n am e a n d position ( g, P late XXI )
’
.

A n islan d o n this lin e means loss of positio n a n d name fo r the le n gth

of time that the island lasts and gen erally su ch will occu r thro u gh scan dal
,

(h, P late XX I )
.

On a hollow h and the lin e of su n loses a ll power .

Th e complete absence of the li n e of su n o n an otherwise tale n te d a n d

artistic han d indicates that s u ch people , tho u gh they may work h ard, will
fi n d the recognitio n of the world di ffic u lt to gai n Su ch i n dividu als,
.

no matter how they may deserve ho n or a n d fame, will rarely achieve it .

P erhaps o n their graves will be laid t h e wreaths th a t sho u ld h a ve crowne d

th ei r hea ds
.
1 10 Ch e ir o L a n gu age f t he H an d
’
s o .

When rising from the li n e of heart at the Mo u nt of Mercu ry and r u n

nin g into or throu gh the lin e of life , it foretells some weak n ess a n d disease of
the heart If very pale in color, and broa d, it will be weak action of the
.

heart a n d bad circu lation .

If red in color, particu larly when it leaves the line of heart, with small ,
flat nails , the trou ble will be active heart disease -
.

Whe n very red in small spots , it de n otes a tendency in t h e system

t oward fever .

When twisted and irregu lar, biliou sness a n d liver complain ts .

Whe n forme d in little straight pieces, bad digestion (i— i, P late X I X )

.

I n little islands , with lo n g, fi lb e r t nails , danger to lu n gs and c hes t (i—

i,
P late XX ) .

Th e same mark , with the same kind of nail , b u t broad , th roat trou ble .

“ N ails P art I Chapter XIII

( S )
”
e e ,
.
, .

When heavily marke d, joi n i n g the lin es of h eart and h ead , and not fo u n d
elsewhere , it threate n s brai n fever-
.

A straight line of hepatica lyi n g down the h an d may not give robu st
h ealth b u t it is a good mark be c a u se it gives a more wiry kin d of health than
,

o n e c rossing the ha n d .

It will th u s be seen that th ou gh t h e st u den t can depend very largely

u po n the i n dications a fi o r de d him by the hepatica, yet he m u st look for other

illn esses, a n d for co n firmatio n o f ill n esses, to other portions of the hand , as,
for in sta n ce, to the chai n ed life-lin e fo r n at u rally delicate health , to the li n e
of head for brain trou bles , a n d to the nail s, which mu st always be noted in
conj u n ctio n with t h e stu dy o f t h e h epatica .
 CH A P TE R XIV .

TH E VI A L ASCI VA AN D T H E L I NE OF I N TU I TI ON .

TH E Via L a sciv a ,otherwise called the sister h ealth -line (P late is

not often fo u n d, a n d is generally confou nded with the hepatica It sh ou ld .

by right r u n o fi the palm in to the wrist I n su ch a position it gives action

.

and force to the passions , b u t if r u n n i n g across the han d into the Mou n t o f
Ven u s it shorten s the natu ral le n gth of life by its excesses ( t—l, P late XVII ) .

TH E L I N E O F I N T U I TI O N .

Th e line of intu it ion ( P l a te XII ) is more often fo u nd on the philosophic ,

.

the coni c , and the psy chic , than o n a n y other of the seve n types Its position .

on the hand is almost that of a s e m l cl r cle from the face of the Mou nt of
Merc u ry to that of the Mo u nt of L u n a It sometimes ru n s throu gh or with
.

the hepatica, b u t can be fou n d c lear and distinct eve n when the hepatic a is
marked It denotes a p u rely impressio n able natu re , a person keenly sensitive
.

to all s u rro u ndings and i n flu ences , an int u itio n al feeling of presentime n t for -

others , stran ge vivid dreams and warnings w hic h science h a s n ever been able
-
“
to a ccou nt fo r by th at mu ch u sed word, coincidence ”
It is fou nd more on
.

psyc h ic h a nds th a n on a n y others

.
 CH A P TE R XV .

TH E GI R DL E or VE N U S, TH E R I N G or SAT UR N , AND TH E TH R E E B RACEL E T S

.

TH E G irdle of Ve n u s ( P late XIII ) is that broken or u nbroken kin d o f

.

semicircle risi n g bet w een the first and second fingers and fin ish ing between
the third a n d fou rth .

I mu st here state that I h ave never fou nd th is Sign to indicate the sen
su a lit y so ge n erally ascribed to it except when fo u nd on a broad , thick hand .

Its real domain is u su all y o n su ch han ds as t h e conic a n d psych ic A little .

stu dy will prove that this mark is as a r ul e associated with highly sensitiv e,
in tellectu al n at u res b u t nat u res changeable in moods, easily o fi e n de d, and
,

tou c hy over little thin gs It denotes a h ighl y stru ng, n ervou s temperamen t,
.

a n d whe n u n broke n it certainly gives a most u nh appy te n de n cy toward

hysteria a n d despo n dency .

P eople possessi n g th is mark are capabl e of rising to the h ighest pit c h o f

en thu siasm over a n ythin g that e n ga ges their fancy, b u t they are rarely twice
in the sam e mood—o n e mome n t l n the height of spirits , the next miserable a n d
despon de n t .

Whe n the girdle goes over the side of the han d a n d by so doin g c omes in
co n tact with the li n e of marri a ge ( It — k, P late XVI ) the happi n ess of the
,

marriage will be marred throu gh the pe cu liarities of t h e temperamen t Su ch .

su bjects are pec u liarly exacti n g a n d hard to live with

,
If on a m an s han d ,
’
.

that m a n wo u ld want as man y virtu es in a w ife as there are stars in the

u n iverse.

TH E R I N G or SAT U R N .

Th e R ing of Satu rn (P late

XII ) is a m ark very sel dom fou nd a n d is not a
.

good Sign to have o n the han d I have c losely watc he d people possessi n g it,
.

a n d I have n ever yet observed that they were in a n

y way su ccessfu l It seems .

to cu t o fi the Mou n t of Fate in s u c h a pec u liar way that su c h people n ever

1 12
 Th e Gir dle f
o Ven u s, t h e R in g f
o Sa tu r n , an d t he Thr e e B r a ce le ts . 113

ga in any poin t that they may w o r k for or desire Their temperament has a
”

great deal—it may have everything —to do with this as I alw ays fi n d these ,

people f u ll o f big ideas a n d plans , b u t with su c h want of co n tinu ity of pu r

pose that th ey always give u p half-w a y ( Se e also P late XXV )
. .

TH E T H R E E B R A CE L E T S.

TH E bracelets (P late XIII ) I do not con sider o f mu ch importan ce in

.

r eadin g the lin es , or in the stu dy of the hand itself Th ere is , however, o n e
.

s tran ge a n d pec u liar point w ith regard to them , and one that I have

noticed contains a great deal o f tru th I had bee n tau gh t in my early life
.
,
.

a lways to observe principally the position of the first bracelet , the o n e n ear

e st the ha n d , a n d that when I saw it high on the wrist , almost risin g i n to t h e

—
palm , partic larly when it rose in the Shape o f an a rch (Wt m , P late XVI ) ,
u

I was always to warn my consu ltan t of weakness in r elation to the in

ter n al organ s of the body—as , for in stan c e , in the bearing of ch il dren .

A fter wards in m y life , when I took u p this st dy in a more practical way, I

a
fou n d there was a great deal of tr u th in what I at first thou ght a s u perstition .

'

In later years , by watchin g case after c a se , b y going th ro u gh hospitals , and

from what my m any consu ltants h ave told me in refe rence to their ailments ,
I have become convinced that th is point deserves bein g recorded, a n d con
sequ e n tly I now give it for what it may be worth .

A n other sig n ifican c e attach ed to the bracelets is that, if well a n d clearly

define d, they me a n strong health a n d a robu st co n stit u tion and this agai n , ,

it is interestin g to notice , bear s o u t in a m anner t h e point I h ave called

a ttention to.
 CHA P TE R XVI .

TH E L I NE OF M AR R I A E . G

Wh a t m a t t e r if t h e w o r ds be sa id ,

Th e li p a i d— t h y
ce n s e e ar e n o t wed ;
Un l e s s lo li k h h t
ve n eac e ar t o h e art ,
’
Tw e r e b ett e k e e p t h o se li
r ves a p ar t .

CH E I R o .

OF t h e many books that h ave been writte n on cheirom ancy , I am sorry t o

m
say that al ost all have ignored or have barely noticed this natu rally in ter
esting a n d important poin t I will therefore endeavor t o give as man y
.

details as possible in connection with this side of the stu dy .

What is kn own as the lin e or lines of m arriage , as the case may be, is
that mark or marks o n the Mo u n t of Mercu ry as show n by P late XIII It .

mu st be first state d, a n d s t a t e d clearly, that the h a n d d oes not recogn ize the
a

mere fa ct of a ceremony, be it civil or r eligiou s—l t merely registers the in flu

e n c e of different people over o u r lives , what ki n d of in flu ence they have had
the e fi e ct produ c ed and all that is in accordan ce with s u ch in flu ence N o w ,
,
.

marriage bein g so importan t an event in one s life, it follows that, if events

’

c a n be foretol d by the han d marriage sho u ld certai n ly be marked , even years

,

in a dva n ce , a n d I have always fou n d that s u ch is the c ase in respect to all im

portan t infl u e n ces ;a n d it is also n atu ral that afla ir e s de e wu r , lia ison s, a n d so
o n , ca n th u s be si n gle d o u t a n d d ivi ded from wh at is k n own as m arriage ,

except when the lia is on is j u st as im po r t a n t a n d the in fl u ence on the life j u st

as stro n g W h y there sho u ld be a time se t apart in o n e s life to marry, or
.
’

'

n o t to marry as the case may be can o n ly b e a n swered by referring to the

, ,

other mysteries that s u rrou n d u s If any o n e can explain why a perman e n t

.

magnet brou ght into a n ordinary room has the power to magnetize every
other bit of iron in the room what that power 1 s, a n d what the co n n ection
, ,

1 14
 Ch e ir o s L an gu age f t he H an d
’
1 16 o .

L u na an dthen r u ns u p and into the fate -lin e, the marriage will be more t h e
capriciou s fan cy than real a fi e ct io n .

When the lin e of in flu e ce is stro ger than the su bject s line of fate then
n n ’
,

the perso n the s u bject marries will have greater power a n d more in dividu ality
tha n the s u bj e c t .

Th e happiest mark of marr iage o n the line of fate is whe n the in flu e n c e

lin e lies close to the fate lin e a n d ru n s even ly with it ( l—l, P late XX)
-
.

Th e li n e of marriage o n the Mo u n t of Mercu ry sho ul d be straight, with

o u t breaks crosses , o r irregu larities of a n y ki n d
,
.

SAL W h e n it c u rves or drops downward to w ard the li n e of heart it foretells ,

th at the perso n with wh om the s u bject is marrie d will die first ( j P late XX ) , .

Whe n t h e lin e c u rves u pward , the possessor is n o t likely to marry at a n y

time .

When the li n e of marriage is distinct , b u t with fine hair-lin es droppin g

from it toward the li n e of heart , it foretells tro u ble brou ght o n by the illn ess
a n d bad health of the perso n the s u bj ect marries .

Whe n the lin e droops with a small cross over the cu rve , the person the
su bject is married to will die by ac c ident or s u dden death ;b u t w hen there is
a lo n g, grad u al c u rve, gra du al ill health will cau se the e n d .

1Whe n the li n e has a n isla n d in t h e center or at a n portio n it de n otes

y ,

some very great tro u ble in married life , a n d a separatio n while the isla n d
.

lasts .

When the line divides at the e n d i n to a droopin g fork sloping toward

the center of the han d, it tells of divorce or a j u dicial separatio n ( j P late ,

XIX ) . This is all the more certai n if a fi n e line cross from it to the P lain
of Mars (Ir—k, P late XIX ) .

When the lin e is fu ll of little isla n ds a n d dr oopin g lin es, the su bjec t
shou l d be warned n o t to marry Su c h a mark is a Sign of the greatest u n
.

happin ess .

Whe n f u ll of little islands and forked, it is again a Sign of u n h a ppm e ss I n

marriage .

Wh en the lin e break s in two , it denotes a s u dden break in the married

Wh e n the line of marriage sends _ ah off shoot on to the Mou nt of Su n

 Th e L in e f M a r r iage
o .

an d in to t h e lin e of su n it t e lls t h at it s possessor will marry so m e one of dis

,

tinction , a n d gen erally a perso n in some w a y fa m ou s

. .

When , o n t h e co n trary, it goes do w n toward and cu ts the lin e of su n

the person on whose han d it appears will lose positio n thro u gh marriage (i— i,
P late XXI ) .

When a deep line f r om t h e top of the mo u n t grows down ward a n d c u ts

the lin e of marriage, there will be a great obstacle a n d oppositio n to su c h
marriage (i, P late XVIII ) .

/
When there is a fi n e li n e r u nn i n g parallel w ith a n d almost to u ching t h e
marriage lin e , it tells of some deep a fi e ct io n after marriage o n the side of t he
-

perso n o n whose han d it appears .

Q

It is n o t within my provi n ce in this work o n palmi st ry to go d eeply into

my opinion s as to the laws relatin g to m arriage or to m a rria ge s a s e n te r ed
,

in to by m e n a n d wome n of t h e prese n t da y It is almost in cr edible w hat m e n

.
’

a n d women h ave told me du ri n g the p u rs u it of this st u dy?

:
T h ey gen erally
“
say , Y o u h ave read so m u ch , y o u may as well n o w k n ow all , a n d so they
”

u n ravel the greate s t secrets of their hearts Th e palmist s lips are seale d as
’
.
,

are those of the father c o n fes so r, b u t if he did speak he wo u ld tell that half
the smilin g faces are b u t masks of gaiety to hide hearts of woe , that half the
s o calle d tru ths are falsehoods cloaked , that half the vows are mockeries , a n d
-

that the greatest mockery of all is , alas ! too often , that so -calle d c eremony of
marriage Th e P rotestan t Chu r ch allows its children to be divorced if the
.

marriage has t u rn ed o u t u n su itable, a n d yet t h e last wor ds din n e d in to the

“
ears of the bride and bridegroom are Those wh om G o d hath j oin ed together
, ,

let no man pu t as u n der .

”
Th e Catholic Ch u rch , equ ally in consiste n t, will n o t
even allow the wretched pair to divorc e a n d marry again u nless o n c ertain
“
special occasio n s throu gh the mediatio n of the pope a n d on t h e other han d
”
,

the divorce co u rts po u r back in to the coffers of the state that which is in reality
the blood-money of its citizen s H o w lon g, how lo n g will this lip service de
.
-

thro n e a n d cru sh the servic e of the heart ? H o w lon g will this slavery of cu stom
degrade and destroy the better n atu re , m akin g men bru tes and women beasts
of b u rden H o w lo n g m u st m e n a n d women exist a n d live together becau se
they have not the mon ey to b u y their freedom or beca u se of their dread of that
,

t ortu re-chamber of divorce ? M e n who were noble once , women w h o we re

12
 Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age f
o the H a n d .

q u ee n s of tr th
u an u —
d so ls of ho or h o w often do we see th em
n ,
t h e hu sban d
hatin g the wife, the w ife fearin g the h u sban d , a n d ou tside of all and seeing
all, like the spe c tators in the arena , are the pale faces of the c hildren the ,

reincarn ated ghos t s o f b u r ied faith , edgi n g closer a n d clo se r to the scen e, fear
in g too m u ch , lovi n g too little , wrappin g aro u nd them , closer than their very
garmen ts, the cloak of pare n ts Shame , goin g o u t in to the world to deceive as
’ “

mother did, to drin k as father did—goin g o u t i n to the world to do likewise .

L e t men and wome n , o n ce a n d for all , read n at u re more a n d fict ion less let
t he m stu dy o n e an other as they do the art of flattery or of costu m e L e t them
.

ma rry, b u t if they make mistakes , give them a chance of redeemin g those

m st a k e s ; give them childre n b u t tea c h them to be responsible to those chil
’

d en ; preach n o t goodn ess fo r the sake of gai n , b u t goodn ess for the sake
f
honor for ho n or s sake , tru th for tru th s A n d lastly, give them
’ ’
.

pride, not in s lf—for th ey are servan ts—b u t in that part o f life in wh ich
e

they serve , that as they be so n s of h u man ity a n d d au ghters of t h e world,

so may they live as helpers of the world A n d so may they be till the e n d
.

draws n igh , till the task is do n e till t h e u niverse is finished till t h e destiny
, ,

I S Sp u n
.
1 20 Che ir o s L a n gu age
’
f
o t he H a n d .

life o f the s u bject or oth erwise ; if they will be delic a te o r strong ;if th e y will
be male or female .

Th e leadi n g points with regard to th ese lines a r e as f ollows

Broad lin es denote males ; fi n e , narrow lines , females .

When they are clearly marked th ey denote strong, h ealth y ch il dr e n ;w h en

ver y fain t, if they are wavy lines , th ey are the reverse .

When the first part of the line is a little island , t h e child will be very
delicate in its early life, b u t if t h e line is well marked farth er it will even
t u a lly have good health .

When endin g at t h e islan d, death will be the resul t .

When o n e line is longer and s u perior to t h e rest , o n e ch ild will be more

importan t to the parent than a ll the others .

Th e n u mbers r u n from t h e o u tside o f the marr iage -li n e in toward the

ha n d .

O n a man s hand th ey a r e o ften j u st as clear a s on a woman s , b u t in

’ ’

su ch a case the man will be exceptionally fo n d of children a n d wil l have an

extremely aff ect ionate n atu re ;as a ru l e , h owever, the woman s hand shows the
’

marks in a su perior way . From th ese observations I thin k the st u dent will
b e able to procee d in h is or her p u rs u it o f oth er minu te details whic h I can
not go into here .
M O D I FI C A T I O N S O F TH E P R I N C I P A L L I N E S .

P l
ate XX I .
 1 22 Ch eir o s L an gu age of t he H a n d
’
.

It really mea ns th at t h e s u bject will have some terribly fat a listic life , b u t th a t
of a m a n in every way a child o f fa te a pla yt hing of destiny ;a man cast fo r
,

some terrible part in the drama of life—h e may be a Ju das , or he may be a

Savio u r, b u t all h is work a n d life and career will have some dramatic a n d
terrible climax, some u nrivaled brillian cy, some positio n resplendent with t h e
majesty of death—a kin g for the moment , b u t crowned with doom .

Th e second position fo r the star on Satu rn is that al most o fi t h e mou n t ,

either at the side or cu ttin g i n to the fin gers This , like the star on Ju piter,
.

de n otes that the s u bje c t will be bro u ght in to co n tact with one of those who
.
‘

make history, b u t in this case with one who gain s distin ction th rou gh some
terrible fate .

TH E STAR ON TH E M O UN T O F TH E SU N .

Th e star on the Mou n t of the Su n (39 P late XIX ) gives the brilliancy o f
, .

wealth and position, b u t , as a ru le with ou t happin ess Su c h wealth has come

,
.

too late ; the price has probably bee n too dearly paid in the way of health , or
, perhaps in peace of m i nd C
. ertai n it is , h owever, that , tho u gh it gives great

riches , it never gives con te n tment or happin ess When in this case by the
.

side of the mou n t , it den otes , like the others , that the s u bj ect will be brou ght
in co n tact with rich and wealthy people , witho u t himself being rich in the
world s goods
’
.

When , however, it is conn ected or formed by the lin e of su n , it den otes

great fame a n d celebrity, b u t throu gh tale n t a n d work in art It shoul d n o t
.

be too h igh on the han d ; a little above the middle of the line is its best posi
tion , as in the case of Madam e Sarah Bern hardt, an impression o f whose
han d will be fou nd o n P late

TH E STAR ON TH E M OU N T OF M E R CU RY.

Th e star in the center of the Mou n t of Mercu ry ( g, P lat e XIX ) denotes .

brilliancy a n d s u ccess in science, bu siness, or the power of eloqu e n ce , accord

in g to t h e type o f han d , a n d, as in the foregoin g examples , by the Side of the
mo u nt it denotes association with people distin gu ished in those walks of life .
 Th e St a r

T H E STAR ON TH E M OU N T O F M AR S.

Th e star on the Mou nt of Mars u n der Mercu ry ( j, P late XVIII ) , denotes

t hat throu gh patience , resign atio n , a n d fortitu de the gr eatest ho n ors will be
gain e d
.

On the opposite side of the han d , the Mou n t of Mars u n der Ju piter, great
distin c tio n a n d celebrity will arise f r om a martia l life, or a Sig n al b attle o r
warfare in wh ich the s u bj e ct will be e n gaged .

TH E STAR O N T H E M OU N T OF L U NA .

Th e star on the Mou n t o f Lu n a (k, P late XVIII ) is , a ccording to m y

.

system, a sign of great celebrity arisin g fro m the qu alities of t h e mo u nt ,

namely, throu gh the imagin ative facu lties I do n o t hold that it r elates
.

to drownin g, in a c cordan ce with other ch e ir o m a n t s Th ere is an other mean

.

in g, however, to this Sig n , w h ic h may have give n rise to this idea , a n d that
is that when the lin e of head ends in a star on this mou n t the dreamy im a g
in a t iv e facu lties will r u i n t h e balance of the li n e of head , and the res u lt
will be insan ity Becau se this star has been fo u n d so ofte n o n the han ds of
. .

s u ic ides , it m a y have given rise to the former belief, b u t people lo Se Sight o f

the fact that water for su ic ides is going o u t of fashio n In th ese d a ys t h e
.

revolver or the overdose of m orphine is mu ch more in vog u e .

TH E STAR O N TH E M OU NT O F VE N U S .

In the cente r or high est poin t of t he Moun t of Ve n u s ( l, P late XVII I ) .

the star is once more su ccessfu l a n d favorable , b u t this time in relation to the
aff ections a n d passion s On a man s han d s u ch a Sign indicates extraordin a ry
.
’

—
su ccess in all a fi a ir s of love the same on a woman s hand N o j ea lou s1 es o r
’
.

opposition will rob them of the spoils of conqu est .

Wh e n lying by the Side of the mou n t, t h e amou rs o f s u ch a su bj e ct w ill

be with people distingu ished for th eir s u ccess in t h e aren a o f love .
124 Cheir o s L a n gua ge of t h e H a n d
’
.

TH E STAR ON TH E FI N GE R S
.

Th e star on t h e tips or o u ter phala n ges of the fingers gives great good
fortu n e in anythin g tou ched or attempte d, a n d o n the first phalan ge of the
'

thu mb su ccess t h rou gh t h e su bj e c t s stren gth of will

’
.

Th e star is one of the most importan t of the lesser sign s to seek for .

I n the foregoin g remarks it sho u ld be born e in mi n d that the i n dications

d enoted by this importan t lesser Sign mu st nat u rally be in keepi n g with the
ten dencies Shown by the ge n eral character O f the han d It stan ds to reaso n , .

for in stan ce , that the star c o u ld have little power or mea n in g o n a han d c o n
tain in g a weak, u n developed lin e of head In dealin g with this , as indeed
.

with every other portion of t h e stu dy it m u st be u nderstood that however

,

clear the dire c tions may be , it is impossible to dispe n se with the exercise o f a
certain amou n t o f men tality a n d discretion on the pa r t of the stu dent .
1 26 Ch eir o s L a n gu age of t he H a n d
’
.

trial or fatal influ enc e of a fle ct io n ;b u t whe n very small a n d lying c lose to the
line of life, it tells of tro u bles a n d qu arrels with near relatives .

A cross by the Side of the lin e of fate, and between it a n d the l ife-lin e
in the P lain of Mars deno t es Opposition in o n e s career by relatives , a n d means
,
’

a change in the destin y ;b u t lyin g on the other Side o f the hand next to L u n a
it relates to a disappointment in a j ou rney .

A bove a n d to u c hin g the line of head , it foretells so m e wo u nd or a ccident

to the head .

By the Side o f the line of su n , disappointment in position .

R u n n i n g i n to the li n e of fate , disappointment in money ; a n d over t h e

li n e o f heart, the death of some loved one .
 CHAP TE R X X .

TH E SQU AR E .

TH E squ are (P late XV ) is one of the most interesting o f t h e lesser Signs

. .

“
It is u su ally c alled the mark of preservation , becau se it shows that the su b
”

je ct is protected at that parti c u lar poin t from w h a t e v e r da n ge r me n aced

. .

When the line of fate ru n s thro u gh a well formed squ are it den otes one
-
,

o f the greatest crises in the s u bject s life in a worldly sense , co n n ected w ith
’

finan cial disaster or loss , b u t if the li n e goes right o n thro u g h the squ are all
danger will be averted . E ven whe n the line of fate breaks in the c e n ter, t h e
squ are is still a Sign of protection from very seriou s loss .

Wh en o u tside the lin e, b u t o n ly tou chin g it, a n d directly u nder the Mou nt
o f Satu r n ;it denotes preservatio n from acci de n t .

-When t h e lin e of head r u n s throu gh a well-formed squ are , it is a Sign o f

stren gt h a n d preservation to the brain itself, a n d tells of some terr ible strain
of work or of anxiety at that pa r ticu lar mom en t .

Whe n risin g above the lin e of head u n der Satu rn , it foretell s a preserva
t ion fro m some danger to the h ead .

When the line o f heart ru n s thro u gh a squ are , it den otes some heavy
tro u ble brou ght on by the affectio n s . When u n der Satu rn , some fa tality to
t h e obj ect of o n e s affectio n (j, P late XXI )
’
.

When the life -lin e passes thro u gh a squ are, it d en otes a protection from
de a th , even if t h e line be broken at th at poin t (It , P late XXI ) .

A squ are on the Mo u nt of V enu s i n side the li n e of life den otes preser
v ation fro m trou ble brou ght on by the passion s ( l, P late XXI ) Wh en .

resting in the center of the Mo u n t of Ve n u s, it tells that the subject will

fall into all kin ds of danger throu gh passion , b u t w ill always m an age to
e scape .

When , however, lyin g o u tside the line o f life and tou ching it from t h e
1 27
1 28 Che ir o s L a ngu age f t he Hand
’
o .

P lain o f M a rs , a s qu are in s u ch a place means imprisonment or seclu sion from

t he worl d .

When on t h e mou nts the squ are denotes a protection a n y excess

arising thro u gh t h e qu alities o f the mo u n t

On Ju piter fro m t h e ambition o f the s u bject
, .

On Satu rn , from t h e fatality that Shadows the life .

O n the Su n , from the desire for f ame .

O n Merc u ry , from the restless , merc u rial temperament .

O n Mars , fro m danger th ro u gh e n emies .

O n L u n a , from a n excess o f imagination , or from t h e evil e fi e c t s of so m e

o th er line as fo r instance , a line o f tra ve l
, , .
M O D I F I CA T I O N S O F T H E P R I N C I PA L L I N E S
.

P l ate XX I I .
 CH A P TE R XXI . .

TH E I SL AN D , T H E OI R OL E , T H E SP OT .

TH E isl a nd is not a fortu nate Sign, b u t it only relates to t h e line or por

“

tion of t h e han d on which it is fou nd It is in teresting to n otice that it

.

frequ ently relates to hereditary evils as , for instance , heavily marke d on t h e

line of heart it de n otes heart-disease in herited .

Wh en as one distin ct mark in the center o f the line o f h e ad it de n ote s a n

,

h ereditary we a kness in relation to me n tality .

Whe n on the line of life , it denotes illn ess a n d delicacy at that par ticu lar

th eline of fate , some heavy loss in worldly m atters .

the lin e of su n , it foretells loss of position and n ame , genera lly

(h, P late XXI ) .

e line of health , it foreshadows a seriou s illness .

into or forming an islan d is a bad in dication in r e la t ion

d on which it is fou nd .

Mou n t of Venu s ru nning into an is land foretell s

rom passion to the man or woman who i n fl u ences t h e

islan d a n d crossing t h e h and from the Mou nt of V enu s

foretells that an evil i n flu en ce at that particu lar po m t
disgrace to t h e marriage (r , P late XVIII ) I f the .

run to the lin e of heart, some bad in flu en ce will bring

e to the aff ections ; wh en it ru n s to the line of h ead , some
rect the ta le n ts and intentions in to some disgracefu l ch a n
it r u ns i n to a n d bars the li n e of fate , some e vil influ enc e
to the s u ccess of the su bject at the date a t wh ich t h e line s
 Ch e ir o s L a n gu age f the H a n d
’
o .

An island on any of the mou nts inj u res the qu alities o f the m ou nt on
wh ich it is fo u n d
.

O n the Mo u nt of Ju piter it weake n s t h e pride a n d ambition .

O n Satu rn it bri n gs misfortu n e to the s u bj ect .

O n t h e Mou nt of the Su n it weakens the ta lent for art .

On Mercu ry it makes a person too changeable to s u cceed , particu larly in

a nythin g in relatio n to b u siness or scie n ce .

On Mars it Shows a weak Spirit and cowardice .

O n L u n a , weakness in workin g o u t t h e power of the imagin ation .

O n Ve n u s , a person easily led and in flu enced by the Sport of fancy a n d

passion (h,P late XX ) .

TH E CI R CL E .

If fou nd on the Mo u nt of the Su n , the c ircle is a favorable mark This .

is t h e o n ly position in which it is fortu n ate O n a n y other m o iin t it tells

.

again st the s u ccess o f the su bj ect .

On t h e Mou n t of L u na it de n otes danger from d rown in g

a n d?
.

When tou ching a n y important line , it indicates that at th at p articu lar

poi n t the s u bj ect will not be able to clear h imself from m isfo r t u ther
w ords , he will , as it were , go ro u nd a n d ro u nd in a circle w it h o able
to break th ro u gh a n d get free .

TH E SP OT .

A spot is generally the Sign o f temporary illness .

o m
A bright r e d spot on the li n e of head i n dicates a Sho c k r l
-
r y from
i

some blow or fall .

A black or blu e spot denotes a nervo u s ill n ess .

t e
A bright -red spot o n the lin e of health is u s u ally taken o m a n fever ,
,

a n d o n t h e line O f life some illness o f the natu re of fever .

1 82 Ch e ir o s L a n gu age
’
f
o t he H a n d .

On the Mou n t of the Su n it de n otes a prac tic al application Of a r t a n d

a calm demea n or towar d su c c ess a n d fam e Celeb rity w ill n ever spoil s u ch
.

people .

On the Mo u n t of Mercu ry it c hecks its restless qu alities , a n d pro m ises

.

s u c c ess in relatio n to b u sin ess Of m on ey .

On the Mo u n t of Mars it gives s c ie n ce in warfare great c alm n ess in a n y

,

crisis, a n d prese n c e of min d in dan ger

On the Mo u n t of L u n a it tells of a scien tifi c metho d in followi n g o u t the
ideas of the im agin atio n .

O n the Mo u n t of Ve n u s , calm n ess a n d c alcu latio n in love , the power of

restrain t a n d c o n trol over self .

Th e tripod or Spear hea d (P late XV ) is a n exc elle n t Sign of s u c cess o n

- .

a n y mo u n t on which it is fo u n d .

L A CR O I X M Y ST I QU E.
”

This stran ge mark h a s u su ally for its d o m ai n the ce n ter of the qu ad

ran gle (r , P late XIX ) b u t it may be fo u n d a t e it her its u pper or lower ex
,

t r e m it ie s
. It may be form e d by the lin e of fate a n d a lin e from the head t o
the heart, or it may lie as a distin ct mark with ou t connection with a n y other
main lin e .

It de n otes mystic ism , occu l tism , a n d su perstitio n .

These three qu alities are w idely ap a rt in themselves , althou gh O ften con

fo u n de d, a n d the positio n this m ark takes o n the hand is therefore very
importan t .

When high u p on the ha n d toward J u piter, it will give the belief in

mysticis m for o n e s o w n life , b u t n o t the desire to follow it farther than
’

where it relates to self Su ch people wa n t their fortu n es told actu ate d more
.
,

by cu riosity to kn ow how their o w n ambitio n s will tu rn o u t than by t h e

deeper in terest that the stu dy in volves for its o w n sake .

Whe the Croix Mystiqu e is more closely con n ected with the lin e of
n ”

h eart tha n with that of head, it gives a s u perstitiou s natu re , a n d this eve n
more so when it is marke d over the ce n ter of the head-lin e , when that
lin e takes a sharp c u rvo downward It m u st be remembered that the length
.
 Th e Gr ille , Th e Tr ia n gle , “
L a Cr o ix M y s tiqu e , Th e R in g f So lo m on 133
”
o .

of t h e lin e of head has m u c h to O e wit h this

r
/
Th e very sh o ft lin e with the
.

cross over it wil l be a tho u sa n d times more su perstitio u s than the lo n g o n e .

Th e lo n g o n e will be the greatest for oc c u ltism , a n d partic u larly so if the

Croix Mystiqu e is a n i n depe n de n t formatio n o n the li n e of head
”
.

Wh e n it to u ches the fate -lin e , or is formed by it, the love of the mystic
w ill i n flu e n c e the e n tire career.

TH E RI N G OF SOL O MON .

Th e R i n g of Solo m on (P lateXII ) is a Sign that also denotes the love of

.

th e occ u lt b u t in th is case it Sho w s more the power of the master, the adept,
,

than the mere love of the mystic denot e d by

“L a Cro ix Mystiqu e ”
.
 CH APTE R XXIII .

H AND S COVERE D WI TH L I NE S —TH E COL OR OF TH E P AL M .

WH E N the entire han d is covered with a m u ltitu de of fine lines like a n e t

spreadi n g over its su rface it tells that the natu re is intensely n ervou s and
,

sensitive, b u t o n e that will be co n tin u ally distu rbe d a n d worried by little

thou gh ts a n d tro u bles that w ou ld be of no importance whatever to others .

—
This is partic u larly so if the palm be so t s u ch people imagin e all sorts
f
of things in the way of ailme n ts a n d tro u bles b u t if the palm of the hand be
hard a n d firm , it den otes a n en ergetic excitable natu re , b u t o n e th at is fa r
,

more su ccessfu l for other people than for self .

SM O O T H H AN D S.

Very smooth han ds with few lin es belo n g to people calm in temperament
a n d eve n in dispositio n. They seldom if ever worry ; they rarely lose temper,
b u t when they do they k n o w the reason why This is again modifie d by the
.

palm bein g hard or soft When fir m it is a greater Sign of c ontrol a n d c alm

.
,

n ess than when soft . In the latter case it is n o t so m u ch a m atter of con trol
a s of in diff erence : the s u bject will n o t take s u ffi cient i n terest to lose temper

-that wo u ld be too m u ch of an exer t io n .

TH E K
S I N.

When the pal m of the hand is covered natu rally with a very fine l ight
skin , the s u bject will retain the b u oyan cy a n d temperame n t of yo u th m u c h
lo n ger than the person with a coarse Skin This is of cou rse mu ch a fi e ct e d by
.

work , b u t I am speakin g of cases where little labor or man u al work is do n e

yet even where there is man u al work this can still be observed by the ridges
1 34
 CH AP TE R XXIV .

TH E GR EAT TR I AN GL E AN D TH E QU AD R AN L E G .

WH AT is called the great trian gle or the Trian gle of Mars , is formed by
,

t h e lin es of life , head , a n d the hepatica (P late XXII ) .

Whe n , as is very frequ e n tly the c ase , the lin e of health is altogether
a b se n t , its place m u st be fille d by a n imagin ary li n e to for m the base of the

trian gle , or (as is O fte n fo u n d ) the lin e of su n forms the base (a — a , P late XXII ) .

This latter is by far the greatest Sign of power a n d su c c ess , altho u gh the
'

su b ject will n o t be so broad min de d a n d lib e r a l as w hen the base of the tri
-

an gle is for m ed by the li n e of health .

Th e Shape a n d positio n s of the great trian gle m ust be con sidered by them
selves altho u gh it co n tain s t h e u pper, the middl e , a n d the lower an gle which
, ,

three poin ts will be dealt with later .

Whe n the trian gle is well formed by the lin es of head, life , a n d health it ,

Sho u ld be broad a n d in c lose t h e e n tire P lai n of Mars I n s u c h case it den otes

.

brea dth of views , liberality a n d gen erosity of Spirit ; s u c h a perso n will be in

c lin e d to sacrifice himself to f u rther the i n terests of the whole n o t the u nit , .

If, o n the c o n trary, it is formed by three small, wavy, u n certain li n es , it

de n otes timidity of spirit , mean n ess , a n d c owar di c e Su ch a m a n wo u l d al ways
.

go with the m aj ority eve n agai n st his pri n c iples .

When in the seco n d for m atio n of the trian gle it has for it s base the lin e of
su n , the s u bject will the n have n arrow ideas b u t great individ u ality a n d

stro n g resolu tio n Su ch a Sig n , from the very qu alities it exhibits , contains
.

within itself the seeds of worldly s u ccess .

TH E UPPER AN GL E .

Th e pper an gle ( b, P late XXII ) is forme d by the lin es of head a n d life

u . .

This a n gle sho u ld be c lear , well poin te d, a n d even Su c h will i n dicate refine
.

men t of thou ght a n d mi n d a n d deli c acy toward others

,
.

1 36
 Th e Gr ea t Tr ia ngle an d the Qua dr a ngle .

Wh en very obtu se , it den o te s a du ll matter-Of-fact intellect with little

’

delicacy and feeling and a very small appreci a tion o f art or of artistic thi n gs
or people .

Whe n extremely wide a n d obtu se , it gives a blu nt, hasty temper, a person
who w ill co n tin u al ly Off end people It also denotes imp a tience a n d w a nt of
.

application in stu dy .

TH E M I D D L E AN GL E .

Th e middle angle is formed by the line of head and that of h ealt h (0, P late
XXII ) If clear and well d efi n ed , it denotes qu ickness of intellect, vivacity
. ,

a n d good health .

Wh en very acu te , it denotes a painfu lly nervou s temperament a n d bad

health .

Wh en very obtu se , d u ll n ess of in telligen ce a n d a m a tter-o f-fa ct method

of work ing .

TH E L OWE R AN GL E .

Th e lower angle (d, P late XXII ) , when very acu te and made by the hepa
tica , denotes feebleness , and littleness o f spirit ; wh en obtu se, it denotes a
stro n g n a t u re .

When made by the line of su n and very acu te it gives individu ality,b u t ,

a narrow v iew of thin gs ; when obt u se , it gives a b roader a n d more generou s

mi n d .

TH E G
QU AD R AN L E .

Th e qu adrangle , as its na m e i m plies , is th at qu adr angu lar space bet w een

the lin es of head and heart ( P late XXII ) .

It sho u ld be even in shape , wide at both ends , b u t n o t narrow at t h e

ce n ter .Its in terior sho u ld be smooth a n d not crossed with m a n y lines ,

whether from the head or from the heart Whe n m arked in this way, it in
.

dic a t e s e v e n n ess of mi n d, power of i n telle c t , a n d loyalty in frie n ds h ip or

aff ection .

This space represe n ts withi n itself the man s disposition toward his fel
’

lows Whe n exc essively n arrow, it shows narro w ideas , small n ess of tho u ght,
.

and bigotry, b u t more in regard to religio n a n d m orals, whereas the trian gle
1 38 Ch eir o ’
s L angu age f
o t he H a n d .

den otes conservatism as regards work and occu pation With r e ligl o u s peopl e .

this is a remarkable Sign , the han d of the bigot al w ays h avin g this space ex
tremely narro w .

On the other han d, the space m u st not be too wide Wh e n it is , the

.

s u bject s vie w s of religion a n d morals will be too broad for h is o w n good

’
.

Wh en this space n arrows so m u ch in the cen ter that it has the appear .

an ce of a waist, it de n otes prej u dice a n d in j u stice A gain , the two e n d s

.

sho u ld b d fairly equ ally balan ced Whe n m u ch wider u n der the Mou n t of
.

the Su n than Satu r n , the perso n is careless abou t his na m e , position , or rep u
t a t io n
. Th e O pposite of this is sho w n when the space is narrow It is in .

s u ch a case a Sign of in te n se anxiety as to the opin ion o f other people

What the world thin ks, a n d what o n e mu st do t o keep U p one s rep u tation
’
.

When excessively wide u n der Satu rn or Ju piter a n d narrower at the

other e n d it de n otes that the s u bj e c t will c han ge from the gen erosity of his
,

views a n d b r o a dn e ss o f mi n d to become n arrow a n d prej u di c ed

l
.

When the qu adran gle is ab n ormally W i de in its e n tire len gth , it den otes
wan t of or der in the brain , careless n ess of tho u ght and ideas , a n u n co n v e n
t io n a l n atu re , a n d o n e impr u de n t in every way .

When the qu adrangle is s m ooth and free from little lin es , it de n otes a
c alm temperament .

Whe n very fu ll of little lin es a n d crosses the n at u re is restless a n d

,

irritable .

A star in a n y portion of the qu adran gle is a n excellent sign , particu larly

if it be u n der some favorable mo u n t .

U n der J u piter it promises pri de a n d power .

U n der Sat u r n , s u ccess in worl dly matters .

U n der the Mou n t of the Su n , s u c c ess in fame and positio n thro u gh art ;
and betwee n the Su n and Merc u ry, s u ccess in science a n d researc h .
 f
’
1 40 Ch e ir o ’
s L a ngu age o the H a n d
.

position an d power will be gain ed by it , an d the j o u rney wi ll also be ex

t r e m e ly lo n g .

When the travel -lin e ru n s to the Mo u n t of Satu rn , some fatality w ill

govern the e n tire j o u r n ey .

Whe n it ru n s to the Mo u n t of the Su n it is most favorable , a n d prom ises ,

riches a n d celebrity .

Whe n it reaches the Mo u n t of Mer c u ry, s u dde n a n d u n expected wealth

will a r ise fr o m it .

When the h o r 1z o n t a l li n es on L u n a cross the face of the mo u n t a n d reach

t h e li n e of fate , the jo u r n eys will b e lo n ger a n d more importan t tha n those

1n di c a t e d by the short , heavy li n es also o n that mo u n t, tho u gh they may n o t

relate to a chan ge Of c o u n try g— g, P late XXII ) .

When they e n ter the lin e of fate a n d asce n d with it they den ote t ravels ,

that will materially benefit t h e su bj ect .

When the e n d of a n y of these horizo n tal lines droop or cu rve d own ward
toward the wrist, the j ou r n ey will be u n fortu n ate (h P late XXII ) Wh en ,
.

they rise u pwar d n o matter h o w short , it will be s u ccessfu l

, .

Wh e n o n e of these li n es crosses an other, su ch a jou rney W ill be repeated,

b u t for some importan t reaso n .

A n y squ are on s u c h a line will Sho w d anger, b u t protectio n from acci

de n t o r m isfort u ne .

If the travel lin e r u n s i n to the lin e of head a n d cau ses a spot, islan d or
-
,

break, it foretell s some dan ger to the head , or som e malady arising from su ch a
jou rn ey ( h h, P late XXII)
-
.

A CCI D E NT S.

I have allu ded to accidents co n siderably in my treatment of the lin e o f

t ravel a n d in relation to travel , b u t disasters are more marked on the li n e of

life a n d li n e of head than at a n y other poin t .

I n the first plac e the acci de n t marke d to the li n e of life de n otes a more
,

immediate da n ger of death , as follows

When , from a n islan d o n Sat u rn , a li n e falls down ward and e n ters the
life -lin e , seriou s , if n o t fatal , da n ger is in dicate d (i—
i, P late XXII ) .

Whe n s u ch a li n e e n d s by a s m all c ross , either o n the lin e of life or with

 Tr a ve l, Voy ages , an d A cciden t s .

ou t it , it t ells th at the su bj ect wil l have some n arrow esc a p e fr om s e r iou s

’

a c c i d ent
.

When the same mark occ u rs lower down , at the base o f t h e Mo u n t of

Sat u rn , the accide n t will res u lt more from an imals than from other cau ses .

A n y straight lin e from Satu rn to the life-lin e mean s dan ger of some ki n d ,
b u t n o t so Se rio u s as from a lin e possessing t h e islan d either o n Sat u r n or
lower down .

To the line of h ead exac t ly the same r u les apply, with this difi e r e n c e ,
that the dan ger will be direct to the head itself, b u t u nless the a ccident lin e
o u t or break the head-li n e t h e dan ger does not signify death as m u ch as whe n

marked o n the li n e of life it de n otes , a s it were, that the person h a s time to ‘

foresee the dan gers t h at approac h a n d s u ch a mark i n dicates a fright a n d

,

shock to t h e brain , b u t no serio u s resul ts u nless t h e line is inj u red or broken .

 CHA P TE R XXVI .

TI M E —T H E SY STE M OF SE VE N .

IN my own work I u se a system as regards time a n d dates which I have

n ever fo u n d me n tio n ed elsewhere It is o n e which I con sider exceptionally
.

ac cu rate, a n d I therefore recomme n d it to the stu den t for h is or her co n

sideratio n. It is the system of seven , and I advan ce it as being tau ght by
n at u re in all her mysterio u s deali n gs with life .

In the first place, we fi n d from a m ed ical a n d scie n tific stan dpoin t t h e

seven a most importan t poi n t of cal c u latio n We fi n d that the e n tire system
.

u n dergoes a co m plete chan ge every seve n years ; that there are seve n stages

of the pren atal existen c e ; that the brain takes seve n forms before it takes
u po n itself
“ the u n iqu e c haracter of the hu man brain ;a n d so forth A gain ,
”
.

we fi n d that in all ages the nu mber seven has played a most importan t part
in the history of the world ; as for in stan ce , t h e seven races of h u ma n ity the
, ,

seven wo n ders of the world , t h e seve n altars to the seve n gods of the seven
plan ets , the seve n days of the week , the seven colors , the seve n min erals the ,

su ppositio n of the seve n sen ses , the three parts of the body each con tain in g
seven se c tio n s , a n d the seven di v ision s of the world A gai n , in the Bible .

seve n is the most importan t n u mber ;b u t it is su perflu ou s to give f u rther

details. Th e poin t that bears most largely o n this s u bj ect is that of the
e n tire system u ndergoin g a chan ge every seven years My o w n observatio n
.

leads me to also advan ce ( simply for the co n sideration of the stu de n t ) the
theory that the alternate seve n s are somewhat alike in their relation to the
fu n ctio n al chan ges of the bo dy For example a child very delicate o n pass
.
,

in g the age of seve n is also likely to be delicate on passin g t h e age of tw e n ty

o n e , whereas a child healthy a n d stro n g at the age of seve n will agai n be

healthy a n d strong at twen ty-one , n o matte r how delicate he or she may be

throu gh the in termediate years This is a n inte restin g point in pre dictio n s
.
 Tim e— Th e Sy s te m f Sev en
o .

r elating to health , and o ne W h ich T have fou nd not only in teres t ing b u t ex
/

t r e m e ly reliable
. E very li n e o n the han d can be divided into sectio n s givin g
dates with more or less acc u racy . Th e most important lines , however , a n d
those u su ally co n su lted in refere n c e to dates , are those of life a n d fate In.

P late XXIII it wil l be n otic ed that I have divided the li n e of fate in to three
.

great divisions , namely, twenty-o n e , thirty-fi v e , a n d forty-n in e a n d if the ,

st u de n t will keep this in m in d he will more easily fill in the s u b divisio n s o n

the h u m a n han d itself Th e poin t , however whic h I ca n n ot im press too
.
,

stro n gly is , th at the stu de n t m u st n otice the class or type Of han d before
proceedin g or attempti n g to m ake the smallest c a l cu la t l o n It stan ds to
.

reason t h at there m u st be the greatest diff erence betwee n the dates given b y
the palm of t h e squ are or spat u late h an d and that of the psychic If
.

t h e stu dent will bear this in min d, he will redu ce or in c rease his scale in a c
c o r da n c e with the le n gth of the palm To me n tally divide the lin es i n to
.

sectio n s as illu strated will be fo u n d the simplest a n d the most a c cu rate plan
th at the st u de n t c a n pu rsu e .

Whe n , in the calcu latio n of dates the li n e of life a n d the lin e of fate are
,

u sed together , it will be fo u n d th at they corroborate o n e a n other a n d give

a ccu racy as to the eve n ts .It is therefore n o t diffi c u lt after a littl e prac tice
,
'

t o give a date as to when an ill n ess or an e v e n t t o o k pla c e or whe n s u c h a n d

,

s u ch a thin g wil l happen P ractice gives perfection in all t hin gs ; let n o t the
.

s t u de n t be disco u raged , therefore if at first he finds di ffic u l ty in dividi n g the

,

lines into divisions a n d s u bdivisio n s .

 PA RT I I I —I L L U ST R A T I V E
. TY P E S
.

CH AP TE R I .

A FE W WOR D S O N SU I CI D E .

I now de al with a fe w illu strative types to help t h e stu dent in the

WI L L
co n gregatio n of lin es , sig n s,and formations that go to form each in dividu al
character It is seldom , if ever, that o n e disti n ct mark or pec ul iarity has t h e
.

power to ru in or blight a n y o n e n atu re A n evil or dan gero u s Sign as r e

.

gards character merely Shows the particu lar te n dency in this or th at direction .

It takes a variety of wheels to make a wat c h : so does it take a variety of

characteristics to make a crimin al or a sain t Th e type bearin g t h e disposi
.

tio n toward su icide is a very striking example of this B u t before I go

.

farther I wou l d like to make a few remarks as to the su bject of su icide itself .

In every town in whic h I may reside , a n establish men t whic h has co n sider
able in terest for me is that stran ge temple of death , t h e morgu e Wh y n o t ? .

If o n e in a n y sen se st u dies life he shou ld stu dy it to t h e borders of that

,

u n discovere d co u n try , from whose bo u rn no traveler ret u rn s Th e se m i

”
.

barbarou s, semi-h u man i dea that by su ch a n act the s u icide has made him or
her self a n o u tcast, n o t o n ly to this world b u t to the ne xt , can n ot be too
,

highly co n demn ed E ve n in this so -called e n lighte n ed age I have seen

.

clergymen refu se to atte n d the grave I n some co u n tries I have seen the
.

body of the s u icide du g u p in the dead of n ight a n d b u rie d in the san d of

the sea-shore , or, worse s t ill, thr o w n over the clifls in to the sea It is n o t .

the treat m ent to the corpse that I raise my voic e again s t —the dead feel n oth
in g, the corpse is clay—it is the br u tality of the livin g that makes me Speak .

P eople who lightly co n si der this matter are apt to say that s u ch thi n gs do
1 44
1 46 Ch e ir o ’
s L a n gu age f
o the H a n d.

to avoid and dread I have k n own the most n oble deeds of Silent martyrdom
.

performed by those who afterward wou ld scarce receive Christian bu r ial I .

h ave kn own n o t a few cases of perso n s s u fi e r in g from an i n cu rable disease

e n din g life a few mo n ths soo n er—a n d why ? N o t becau se of the agon y they
s u ffered, b u t becau se they were c au si n g t h eir c hil dre n to su fi e r , a n d b u r de n
in g them W ith expen dit u re which they co u ld n o t a fi o r d ;a n d yet I have been
told that s u ch a perso n co u ld have no part or lot in that ki n gdom of peace,
be it rest or be it life, whi c h lies beyon d the sile n c e of the tomb . Is it m a n,

or ghou l , o r devil , I ask, who has thu s the presu mption to dictate to m a n the
wishes or the j u dgmen ts of that w hich is A lmighty What man among the
mortals of the earth has the right to elect himself the mou thpiece of the O m
n ipo t e n t a n d the U n k n own ? H o w man y poor s u icides has this reli c of
b arbarian ism c o n dem n e d to the eve rlasti n g torment of the spirit ? How
ma n y mothers has this fetishism broke n beneath the wheels of its Ju gger
n au t ? H o w man y sisters have cried and sobbed ben eath the dark n ess of the
n ight ? H o w man y brothers have raised defian t eyes to heaven that s u c h
a thi n g cou ld be ?
A las ! tho u great Spi r it of life , of d eath , of all that is , of all that will
be , we k n ow n o t thy name , thy bein g, thy creation , or the u ltimate p u rpose
for whic h thou hast e n dowed m a n a n d shaped m a n in the carryin g o u t of
thy desig n . A s we are n othi n g, forgive u s all thin gs ; as we ask for nothin g,
give u s b u t what we n ee d ; a n d as we be nothi n g, be tho u to u s the all
su ffi ci e n t , t h e li fe , the death , the etern al of t h e so u l
'

.
 CH A P TE R I I .

TH E P E CU L I AR I TI E S OF H AND S WH I CH SH OW A SU I CI D AL TE ND E N CY.

TH E han d is ge n erally lon g, with a slopin g lin e Of head, a n d a developed

M o u nt of L u na , parti c u larly toward its base Th e line of head is also very
.

m u ch con nected with the li n e o f life , and so in creases the excessively sen si

tive nat u re of the s u bj ect I n su ch a case the in dividu a l wou ld n o t natu rally
.

be morbid or even Sho w the in clin atio n for s u icide , b u t the natu re is so
sen sitive a n d so imagin ative that a n y tro u ble , grief, or scan dal is in tensified a
thou san dfol d, a n d t o kill or i n j u re self gives the pe c u liar satisfaction of self
martyrdom to s u ch a type , as exemplifie d b y P late XXV .

Th e sa me i n dicatio n s bei n g fo u n d in con n e c tio n with a well-developed

Mou n t of Satu rn will give the thorou ghly sen sitive , morbi d n atu re ; an in
dividu al who will determin e dly come to the co n cl u sion that life u nder a n y
circ u mstan ces is n o t worth livin g—SO the slightest provocation by trou ble or
disappoin tme n t cau ses him to qu ietly a n d resign edly fly to that last reso u rce
which he has cherished a n d tho u ght of for so lo n g .

Th e excessively droopi n g line of head (P late XXV ) o n a poin ted or.

co n ic hand de n otes the same resu lt, b u t o n ly thro u gh the s u dden impu lse that
is characteristic of the nat u re . To su ch a person a shock or tro u ble is all
su ffi cie n t to impart the i m p u lse to the excitable disposition , a n d before there

is time t o thi n k , the deed is don e .

Th e O pposite of this e xcit a b ilit y is shown in the case of t h e su bject s com

’

mittin g su icide when the lin e of head is n o t ab n ormally slopi n g Su ch a .

perso n , however, will have the li n e closely co n n ected with the li n e of life, a
depressed Mo u n t of Ju piter and a very fu lly developed Sat u rn Su c h a su b
,
.

je ct will feel the disappoint m e n ts Of life u nu su ally kee n ly ; he will as well

h ave a melancholy and gloo my tu rn of min d ; he will , however, be logi c al in
w eighing every side of the qu estion for life and death , and if he arrives at t h e
147
1 48 Ch e ir o s L a n gu age
’
f
o th e H a n d
.

con clu sion that the game is u p a n d the battle over as far as he is con cerned,
he will, in a most reason able a n d se n sible manner, accor din g to his sta n d
poin t, pro c eed to pu t a n e n d to all misfortu n es What su ch a person will
.

su ff er b efore h e arrives at this c o n clu sio n it is scarcely possible to estimate .

We are all so wrapped u p in o u r o w n interests and affairs that we hardly see

‘

or n o t ice t h e pale, worn face that has su ff ered so p a tiently , the hollow eyes Of
.

wakefu l nights , the wasted cheeks of hu n ger, t h a t appear for a mom ent by
o u r side , a n d are gone forever .
1 50 P r op en sitie s f or M u r der .

m a ny difi e r e n t expressions o n e fin ds in the face of a pi c tu re from diff ere n t

points of view ) .

A s regards the hand , it divides mu rder into three very distin ct classes
l st Th e mu rderer made so by the i n stin ct to kill , as exhibited in the
.

b ru te creatio n , thro u gh passio n , f u ry , or reve n ge .

2d Th e m u rderer made so by the greed O f gain ; the nat u re that w ill

.

stop at n othing in order to gratify the covetou s te n de n cy .

3d Th e u tterly heartless dispositio n which feeds o n the su fi e r in gs of

.

others ; the n at u re that will even live on frien dly terms with the victim—the
one t h at wil l, as it were , deal o u t death in drops of h oney ; the person who
can n ot be tou ched by the lo n gin gs for life exhibited by the s u fi e r e r , and who ,
thou gh keen ly alive to t h e dan ger, feels in that d a n ger a Se n se of delight, a n d,
with u tter lack O f m o ral co n scio u sness , takes more pleas u re in su ch work than
-

in the gain it brin gs .

Th e first class is very ordinary Th e m a n or wo m an becom es a m u r

.

derer by circ u mstan c es Su ch an i n divi du al may be thorou ghly goo d

.

n atu re d a n d kin d hearted , b u t some provocatio n ex c ites the bli n d fu ry of the

-

an imal n at u re , a n d whe n the deed is do n e , s u ch a o n e is ge n erally cru shed

a n d broke n by remorse .

I n s u ch c ases the han d shows n o b a d sign more th an u n governable tem

per a n d br u te passion It is , in fact, the ele m en tary han d, or a n e a r approac h
.

to it Th e li n e of head is short, thick, a n d red the nails shor t and red , a n d

.
,

th e han d h eavy a n d coarse Th e most re m arkable characteristic , h owever

.
,

w ill be the thu mb . Th e th u mb will be set very low on the han d ; it will be
short a n d thick in the seco n d phalan ge a n d the first phalan ge will be what is
,

calle d “the cl u bbed thu mb ( P late VIII ) very short, broa d, a n d squ are : this
”
,

is fou n d almos t witho u t exc eptio n in su c h types If in s u ch cases the Mou n t

.

of Ven u s is also ab n ormally large, sexu al passio n Will be the destroyer ;when
n o t u n u su all y develope d, the greatest faili n g will be that of u n governable

temper .

I n the seco n d class n o n e O f these poin ts will be abn ormal ; the most
s triki n g pec u liarity will be the li n e of head whi c h will be heavily marked
, ,

b u t with a de c ide d growth u p w ard ( P late XXIV ) ; it will be fou n d in a n

a b n or m al positio n risin g high toward Merc u ry or far before it reaches that
, ,
 Ch eup L a n gu age f th e H a n d
’
s o .

point it completely le a i e s it gpla ce o n the right hand ;as the propensities b e

r

come stron ger, it en ters the line of heart, takes possession of it, as it w ere ,
a n d th u s completely masks all the ge n ero u s I mp u lses or ki n d tho u ghts of the

su bj ect .
( Se e previo
. u s remarks o n the li n e of head ,
P art II ,
Chapter IX . .
,

page Th e ha n d is u s u ally hard , the th u m b not abnormally thick , b u t

lo n g, very stiff , a n d co n tracted i n ward Th e en tire formation gives c oveto u s
.

propen sities , and an u tter wa n t of con scien ce in the pu rsu it O f gai n .

Th e third class , to the st u dent of h u man nat u re , is the most i n terestin g,

tho u gh it may be the most terrible .

It is the han d of the su btlest n atu re in regard to crime There will be

.

nothi n g ab n ormal in con n ectio n with the ha n d itself It will be on ly b y ex

. _

ami n atio n o f all t h e c haracteristics that the treachero u s side of this n at u re

will be disco v ered Th e leadin g featu res , however wil l be a very thin , hard
.
,

han d , lo n g the fingers ge n erally sligh tly c u rved i n w a rd ; the thu mb lo n g,

,

a n d with bot h phala n ges well d eveloped , givin g bo t h the ability to plan a n d

the stre n gth of will ne c essary for execu tio n it will rarely, if ever, be fo u n d
ben t or in clin in g o u tward , althou gh s u ch a formation exists at times on t h e
han ds of the fi r st -men tio n ed class .

Th e li n e of head m a y or may n o t be o u t of its proper positio n It will , .

however, be set higher tha n u s u al across t h e han d, b u t will be very lo n g a n d

very thin , den oting t h e treachero u s in stincts Th e Mo u n t O f Ven u s may be
.

either depresse d o n the hand , or very high When d epressed, su ch a s u bje c t

.

will com m it crime simply for the sake of crime whe n high , the crime w ill
be committed more for the sake O f satisfying the an imal desires .

Su ch are the han ds of the skilled artists in crime Mu rder with s u ch

.

persons is redu ced to a fine art , in the exec u tion O f which they will stu dy
every d etail They will rarely, if ever kill their victim by viole n ce—s u ch a
.
,

—
thing wo u ld be vu lgar in their eyes poison is the chief instru men t that they
“
employ, b u t so skilf u lly that the verdict is u s u ally D eath from natu ral
cau ses .
”
 CH A P TE R IV .

VAR I OU S P H A SE S O F I N SANI TY .

IThas O ften bee n said that all m e n are mad o n some parti cu lar point It .

is wh e n this ma dn ess passes the half way poi n t O f eccentricity that the title
-

“l u n ati c ” is bestowe d u po n the i n dividu al A S there are many forms of m a d

.

n ess so are there m an y i n dicatio n s give n by the ha n d

,
Th e ch ief types tha t .

we will c o n sider here are the followin g

l st . Melan c holy a n d religio u s madn ess , hallu cin ations , e t c.

2d . Th e developme n t of the cran k .

3d . Th e n at u ral madman .

M E L AN CH OL Y AN D RELI GI O U S M AD N E SS .

In the first case the li n e of hea d, o n a rather broa d hand , descends with
a Sh arp cu rve low do w n o n the Mo u n t of L u na very O fte n to the base , de
,

n otin g t h e ab n or m ally i m agi n ative temperame n t Of the s u bje c t I n ad ditio n .

to this , the Mo u n t of Ve n u s is n o t well developed th u s decreasin g the su b,

je c
’
t s i n terest in all hu man or natu ral thin gs ; a n d lastly, the Mou n t of Sat u rn
domi n ates .

A s a ru le , s u c h is the hand of t h e religio u s man iac H e commen c es .

early in life with stron g h all u cination s from the extraor dinary imagin ation
that he possesses , which imagin atio n , if directe d in t o the proper chan n el ,

w o u ld probably work o ff its excess a n d relieve itself b u t if opposed, fee d s o n

,

itself, a n d thu s in c reases A t first this is sho w n o n ly occasion ally in fits a n d

.

starts Its periods then grow longer a n d lo n ger u n til at last its moments O f
.
,

balan ce are few a n d far between This is the morbid or melanch oly type o f
.

t h e religiou s man iac

1 54 Va r io u s P h a s e s f
o I n s an ity

the brain becomes more an d more O ff its balance ,

an d the m an becomes more
a n d more mad .

T H E N AT U R AL M AD M AN .

Malformatio n O f the brai n is respo n sible for this type , which , by a stu dy
of the han d ca n be divide d i n to two distin ct classes — that O f the hopeless
,

idiot a n d that of the V icio u s lu n atic

,
.

I n the first c lass we ge n erally fi n d a wide , slopin g line of head , forme d

e n tirely of islan ds a n d little hair li n es This n ever gives a n y hope what
- .

ever O f reaso n or i n tellige n c e , a n d de n otes that the s u bj e c t h a s bee n bro u ght

i n to the worl d w ith a brain in su ffi cie n t — either in q u a n tity or in q u ality— to
gover n or c o n trol the body a n d the hopeless i diot is the res u lt
,
.

I n the se c o n d d ivisio n of this type the lin e of h ea d i n stea d of bein g a ,

c o n ti n u o u s li n e is ma de u p of Short , wavy bra n ches r u n n i n g in all dire c tio n s

,
.

A n u m ber of the m rise i n side the lin e of life o n Mars , a n d c ross to the other
Mars o n the opposite side of the h an d With this formatio n the n ails are
.

ge n erally short a n d r e d Su c h a type de n otes the qu arrelsome vicio u s ,

l u n atic more tha n a n y other c lass .I n this case it will be n oted that there
are O ften san e mo m e n ts b u t s u ch are extremely rare , a n d with regar d to the
,

las t t w o classes I have n ever k n own a n y recovery .

 CHA P TE R V .

M O D U S O P E R AN D I .

IN the first place, I wo u ld advise the st u de n t to seat himself O pposite his

s u bject, so t hat a good light may fall dire c tly o n the ha n ds I w o u ld also .

advise that n o person be allo w ed to stan d or sit in close proximity as n u ,

co n sciou sly a third perso n will distract the att en tion of both su bj ect a n d
pal m ist Th ere is no special time absol u tely n ecessary for the s u ccessfu l
'

readi n g of han d s In India they advocate the hou r of s u nrise , b u t that is

. ,

merely becau se of the fact that the cir cu latio n of the bloo d is stro n ger at t h (
extremities in the early morni n g than after t h e f atigu e of the da y , c o n
sequ ently the lin es are more colored a n d distin ct By placi n g the s u bje c t .

directly O pposite the stu de n t is in a better positio n to exami n e both h an ds a t

,

the same time I n proceedi n g wit h t h e exami n ation , first n otic e carefu lly t h e
.

type the han ds belong to , W hether the fi n gers are in keepi n g with the palm ,
or in themselves relate to a disti n ct class ; n ext c arefu lly exami n e the left
han d, then tu rn to the right— see what m odificatio n s a n d c hanges have
occu rre d there a n d make the right hand the b a sis of yo u r rea di n g
, .

'

m po r t a n t poi n ts s u c h as illn ess death loss of fortu n e marriage ,

, , , ,

so forth , see what the left promises before c omi n g to the c on cl u sion that
or that eve n t will take place .

H old whatever h and y o u are exami n in g firmly in yo u rs ;press the li n e or

.

mark till the bloo d flows into it —y o u will see by this mean s the tende n cies of
its growth .

E xami n e every portio n of the hand—back , fro n t, n ails , ski n , c olor—before

Speaking .Th e first poin t sho u l d be the exami n ation of the th u mb : see
whether it is lon g short , or poorly developed ; whether the w ill phalan ge is
,
-

firm or su pple , whether it is s t ro n g or weak Then t u rn you r atte n tion to

.

the p a lm : n ote whether it I s hard, soft, or flabby .

1 55
1 56 M o du s Op e r a n di .

I w o u ld xt advise that y o u remark the fi n ge r s—their proportion to the

ne

palm , whether lo n g or Short, thic k or thin ; class them as a whole, accor di n g

to the type they represen t, or if they be mixe d c lass each in dividu al fi n ger , .

The n n otice the n ails for their beari n g o n te m per , dispositio n , a n d health .

Fin ally, after carefu lly examin in g the e n tire ha n d, tu rn yo u r atte n tio n to the
mo u n ts : see which mou n t or mo u n ts have the greatest promin e n c e ;a n d the n
pro c ee d to the lin es There is n o fixe d ru le as to the lin e to exam i n e first ;
.
.

the best plan , however , is to start with the lin es of life a n d health c ombin e d,
the n pro c ee d to the lin e of head, the lin e of destin y , the lin e of heart, a n d
so o n .

Speak ho n estly tru thfu lly , yet c arefu lly Y o u c a n tell the plai n est tru ths ,
,
.

b u t y o u n ee d n o t sho c k or h u rt yo u r co n s u ltan t by doin g so Be as carefu l .

with that c o m plic ate d pie c e of h u man ity b efore y o u as y o u wo u ld be in han d

lin g a fi n e a n d delic ate pie c e of m a c hin ery A bove all thin gs , y o u m u st be sym
.

patheti c : take the deepest possible in terest in every perso n whose han ds y o u
rea d ;e n ter in to their lives t h eir feelin gs a n d their n atu res L e t yo u r e n tire
, ,
.

am biti o n be to do goo d, to be of so m e ben efit to the perso n who c o n s u lts y o u .

If this be the fo u n datio n of yo u r work it w ill n ever tire o r distress y o u ; o n

,

the c o n trary it will s u stain y o u If y o u meet frien ds , b e than kfu l for their
,
.

frie n dlin ess ; if y o u meet e n emies be n o t argu men tative for the sake of arg u
,

men t Thin k of you r w ork first of self last

.
,
.

A bove all thi n gs , be n o t i m patien t in the p u rs u it O f this k n owledge ; y o u

will n o t learn a la n gu age in a da y n either m u s t y o u expe c t to lear n cheiro
,

man cy in a n hou r .Be n o t dismaye d if y o u fi n d it more diffic u lt than y o u

have I magin e d Co n si der it ear n estly— n o t in the light of a n amu semen t, b u t
.

as a work e n tailin g dept h of tho u ght patien c e of resear ch a n d o n e worthy of

,
.
,

the highest tale n ts that y o u c a n give If we stu dy it aright, we hold withi n

.

o u r han ds the keys of the m ysteries of life I n it are here ditary laws , the
.

sin s of the fathers the karma O f the past the eff e c t of the cau se , the balan c e
, ,

of thi n gs that have bee n the Sha do w of thi n gs to be

, .

L e t u s b e carefu l , the n that this k n o w ledge h e u se d aright

,
L e t u s be .

earn est in work , h u m ble if s u cc ess may crown work L e t u s examin e self .

before w e ex amin e others If w e see c rim e let u s c on sider the temptation of

.
,

t h e c rim in al
. If we see fau lts let u s rem e m b er we are n o t perfe c t
, .
 PART IV

TH E A P P A R AT U S FOR TH O U G H T P H O TO G R A P H Y AN D R E G I STE R

CE R E B R A L F O R CE .

I N t h e earlier p age s o f t h is w ork it w ill b e n oti c ed t h at I h ave all u de d

more t h an once to t h e idea o f t h e brain ge n erati n g an u n k n o w n forc e , wh ich
no t o n l y by its r ad iation s t h ro u gh t h e b od y c au sed marks an d variations
o n an d in t h e bod y , b u t t h at al so t h ro u gh t h e med iu m o f t h e eth er in t h e
atmosph ere every h u m a n b ei n g w a s m ore or less in to u c h w ith a n d i n fl u enced
0
b y o n e a n ot h er ( see p age s 1 6 , 1 9 , a n d
W h en I m a de t h is stateme n t some y ears a go , I did n o t do so o n l y on
an opin io n based o n t h e writi n gs o f scien tists s u c h a s A berc r o m bie , H erder,
a n d ot h ers , f o r I h a d a t t h at time a tan ib l e roo f t h at s u c h a fo rc e did
g p
exist t h rou gh e xperi m ents made b y m y fr ie n d , t h e w el l k now n F ren ch sa v a n t
-
,

M o n sie u r E Sa v ary d O dia r di I k n e w t h at some y e ars before I wrote o f

.
’
.

th is force t h at th is ge n tleman h a d in ve n ted an apparat u s w h i c h h a d been

exhibite d be fore t h e Ac a dem ic des Sc ie n c es P aris, in w h i c h a n eedle O f metal
,

c o u l d be mo v e d a distan c e o f t e n de rees by a erson o f stro n will co n ce n

g p , g
t r a t in g h is
atten tion o n it a t a distan c e o f fro m t w o to t h ree feet .

T h is little m a c hi n e was in its i n fa n c then , a n d alt h o u gh s c ie nt ists m a r

y
v ele d at it I n t h ose days yet t h ere w ere f e w w h o tho u ht it w o u ld e v er b e so
, g
fa r perfe c ted as to be of u se in a n y pra c tic al way b u t the brai n o f t h e m a n
w h o c ou l d thi n k o u t a n d i n ve n t s u c h a n a arat u s c o u l d n o t be satisfi e d to
pp
rest at s u c h small b egin n i n gs ; fo r n earl y fi v e y ears h e patien tly w orked
a n d labored o n u n til a t last abo u t t w o ear h e tri u m h ed o v er a l l
, , y s a o
g , p
1 58
 Th o u gh t P 71 o t ogr aph y an d R egist er Cer e br a l F o r ce .

Ob st a cl e s , a n d co n stru cte d an a ppa rat u s w h ic h co m pletely e cl ipse d t h e fi rst

m ac h in e h e h a d invented , a n d sh o w e d w it h e v e r y p e r so n t h e a ction o f
t h ou gh t in t h e b rai n , a n d w h ic h , i n stead o f only being a bl e to move ten
degrees , co u l d register 36 0 in o n e mo v eme n t F rom t h at time o n h e c o n .

fi ned h is attention to observatio n s o f t h e register in g n eedle with peo pl e o f

differe n t e m otion s an d idiosy n crasies of tem per a men t .

I n his ele ctro -me di ca l h ospital fo r t h ere o f disease s repu te d incu rable
cu

b y or din ary means, h e h a d ampl e O ppo r t u n ities o f w at c h i n g t h e e ffe c t o f

1

vario u s tempe rame n ts and d iseases on t h is si n gu l ar apparat u s T h e r es u l t .

of hi s work h a s been t h at h e h a s b een ab l e b

“ t h e O bserva t io o f cases ”
, y n ,

t o m ak e certain r u les t o a c t as a gu ide in w at c h i n g t h e indic ations o f t h i s

in str u men t .

On ret u rn to L ondo n , in J u n e , 1 8 9 6 I h a d t h e h onor o f a ssistin g

my ,

Pro fessor d O dia r di wit h vario u s ex perime n ts in c o n n ection wit h t h is appa

’

r at u s ; a n d, fi nal l y , fo r t h e sak e o f O btain in c h ar t s o f all sorts a n d c o n

g
dit io n s f peopl e , h e re qu este d me to co ll ab orate wit h h im in t h e u s e o f
o

t h is m ac h i n e, in order t h at h e migh t enl arge h is s c o pe and fi el d o f O bser v a

tion
A ft er pla cing notes made fro m h u n dreds o f ex periments in m y h an ds ,
I br o u gh t t h e i n str u men t to m y r o o ms in B o n d Street , a n d h ave si n ce t h en
teste d it u
p w t h irt y to forty ti m es a da y in co n n ectio n wit h t h e
ar d of

v ario u s eo l e w h o visite d me
p p .

Th e p roo f t h at t h e n eedle in t h is m a c h in e is in fl u en c e d b y a f orce

radiati n g fro m t h e brain is Sh own by t h e P ro fe ssor in h is ex periments wit h
eo l e w h o a roa c h e d it u n der t h e i n fl u e n c e o f c ert a i n dr u gs t h at i n j u re
p p pp
or stu pefy t h e brai n T h is is also proved by t h e f ac t t h at t h o u gh t h e e n tire
.

b ody may be p aral y z e d y e t as l o n g as t h e brai n is u n in j u r e d t h e needle

,

in t h e in str u m e n t will a c t as be fore H e h a s also demo n strate d t h at

.

“s u b j e cts addi c ted to t h e h abit o f h avi n reco u rse t o dr u s k n o w n as

g g
ne u ro m u s cu l a r agen ts de pr e sse r s o f t h e refl ex a c tio n O f t h e sn in a l cor d,
-
”
,

Th e N o t t in gh l il G at e i l
H o sp t a , 30 S il ve r St r e e t L o n do n
, . W .
 L a n gu a ge f the H a n d
’
1 60 Ch e ir o s o .

'

s u c h as loral , c h loro fo r m , bro m ide o f

ch are t h e less a pt t o
rod uc
e by l o ok i n at h e i n stru m e n t ) a d e fl e c ti o n or a s u c cession o f t h e m
p ( g t
registeri n g n e e dle thu s d e m o n stratin g t h at the tran smission o f cere
in t h e
bral forc e by exter n al radiatio n is in terfered wit h b y t h e u se o f su c h dru gs ;
the absen c e o f t h e radiation prod u c e d b y t h ou gh t for c e seemin g to poi n t
-

ou t t h at t h e pro du c tio n o f t h ou gh t a n d t h e in t e n sit y o f it is impaire d b y

t he in gestion a n d assi m ilatio n o f th ose agen ts N o t o n l y is Su ch an e ffect
.

n d o f intoxi c atio n
'

ro d u c ed b toxi c dru s b u t also b any ki e c , b an

p y g , y ; y . .

exc ess o f stimu lan ts , w h ether in t h e form o f drin k or o f food Th u s is t h e .

st u pefy in g effe c t o f dru n ke n n ess a n d vorac ity scie n tifically pro v e d b y t h is

re gisterin g app aratu s .

T h e sam e dimin u tion O f de fle c t iv e p ower in a s u bj ect over t h e needl e

is c au sed b y an ger viole n c e ( after t h e fi t ) a n d b y e n vy , j eal o u sy , h atre d
,
.
,
'

A u bj e c t b e i e St e d in t h e vi c i n i t of a h e di
( u rin fi )
’

d g the t . s n
g t y p erson s

l ikes o r h ates is s h o w n b y t h e i n str u me n t t o lo se s t a n da r d if in t h e vi cin

ity o f a perso n h e likes or l o v es t h e sta n dar d den ote d by t h e needle is r a ise d .

H e h a s al so demo n strated t h at a n idiot h a s n o p o w er to de fl ect t h e

needle in t h e apparat u s w h ereas a sin gle look from a pers o n e n do w ed
,

wit h brain-p o w er m a y c a u se a variet y o f moveme n ts a n d defl e c tio n s even at

a distan c e o f f ro m two to t we n t y f eet .

A mo n g t h e m an y i n terestin g ex peri m en ts m ade from tim e to tim e b y

t h e i n ve n tor a n d my sel f, t h ere is o n e t h at h a s been q u oted b y “ A n swers
“
in a n arti cle e n titl e d Th e M ost W o n derfu l M ac h in e in t h e W orld ; it ”
,

is to t h e effect t h at u po n o ne o c c asion a ge n tleman stood in fron t o f t h e

i n str u m e n t c riti c ising its a c t io n a n d en deavorin g, if p ossi b le , to fi n d some
explan atio n of its po w er A bou t t h e same time several oth er p ersons
.

en tere d t h e r o om , a n d in c asu al c on versat io n o n e o f t h e m me n tione d t h e

fact O f a s u dde n f all in t h e val u e o f So u t h A fri c an Chartered Comp an y s ’

sh ares N o o n e k n e w t h at t h e gen tle m an looki n g at t h e ma ch in e was t h e

.

h older o f man y t h o u san ds o f po u n ds wort h o f t h ese sh ares ; b u t a t t h e

mo m en t t h e dro p in t h e val u e was mentione d t h e man s men tal emotio n
’
 T ho u gh t P h o t o gr aph y and R egist e r Ce r e br a l F o r ce .

ca u se d t h e i n dicator in t h e mach in e to m ove rapidl y , a n d register o n e o f

t h e h igh est n u m bers t h at h a s recorded b y it .

A n o t h er c u ri o u s ex perime n t is t h at in w h ic h one can determine

w h et h er ou t of t w o p eople t h ere is one who loves more t h a n t he ot h er in
t h is case t he p erso
twon s are teste d se aratel
p y a n d c h arts m a de o u t o f ,

t h eir m ovemen ts Sh o w n b y t h e mach ine A fter t h e y are l eft to geth er fo r .

h al f a n h o u r t h ey are a gai n tested , a n d t h e o n e w h o l o v es the m ost w ill

be f o u n d to h ave a greater i n fl u e n c e o n t h e i n str u ment , w h il e t h e p erson w h o
l oves t h e least w il l be fo u n d to h ave l ost po w er over t h e registerin g n ee dl e ,
in a greater or less de gree, ac c ordi n g to t h e eff ect t h at h a s been pro du ced
’
b y t h e ot h er perso n s presen c e .

B u t h u n dreds f
i n terestin g experimen ts migh t be cited in c o n n e c tion
o

w it h t h is wo n derfu l in ve n ti o n w h i c h h a ve bee n s u mmed u p b y t h e e ditor

,

o f Va n it F a ir D ecember 1 7 1 8 9 6 in w h i ch h e sa s : “ T h is c u riou sl
y , , , y y
nteresting mach ine reall y seems to brid ge
I t he gu l f between mind an d

”
matter .

Th e a c com pa ny in g ill u stratio n s tak en a lmos t at ra n dom from t h e

ar e

h u ndre d s o f c h arts t h at h a ve been made fr om t h is i n stru m ent t h e y Sh o w ,

in a very striki n g w a y , w h a t a di ffere n c e exists in t h e ra diatio n s o f two
ersons O f widel di ffere n t tem era m e n ts N 1 is t h at o f Mr L io n el
p y p O . . .

Ph illip s , w h o h a s pl ay ed s u c h a n i m por t an t part recentl y in c onnection w ith

So u t h A fri c an affairs NO 2 is t h at O f a wel l -kn o w n L on don c lergyman
. .
,

th e R e v R u ssell
. W ak efi eld Th ese are good exam ples o f wh at o n e w o u ld
.

call two strong p er sonal ities, entirel y distinct and different in m a gn e tism ,
will p ower, e t c
-
.

O n e o f t h e most extraordinar y conditions o f t h e mac h i n e is t h at t h ere

is n o ph y sica l co n t a ct w h a t ev e r r e qu ir e d ( see P a ll M a ll G a z e t t e articl e a t t h e ,

en d o f app en dix) . o u rse o f experi m e n ts t h e perso n to b e

I n t h e regu lar c

t ested stan ds w it h i n a foot t o two f ee t o f t h e instr u ment ; b u t if t h e a t m os

p h e r e is cl ear a n d dr
y a p erso n O f a strong w il l m a y I nfl u en ce t h e n ee dle
,

at a distan ce o f from t e n to twent y feet .

 Che ir o L f \ the H a n d
’ ’
1 62 u a ge o
s
gg
n .

Th e re ’
ar e , em plo y ed b y t h e o perator, or el ect ric co m m u
no m agnets ~

n ica t i h
o n w it h t e n t h n w —
eedle , except e u kno n agent b e it O dic force , m a g
L

n e t is m ;or S o m e t h ing still mo re s u b t le t h at r a diates fr Om t h e brain t h r o u gh

o u g h t h e at m
t h at g h h r p y h
‘

t he body , an d t r p as sin os p e e la s u
p o n t e con ,

de n s er Of t h i s
'
se n siti v e ma ch i n e P eo ple Ha ve t ested t h is fo r t h em sel ves
.

in e v ery c On ce iva b le manner T h e gre atest u nbel ievers in t h 1 s mac hine

x
.

h a v e t ri ed in ev ery w a y t o prove t h at t h e nee dle Wa s mo v ed b y a n y oth er

agen cy b u t this u n k n o w n force r adiat in g fro m t h e bod y b u t o n e a n d a ll ,

h ave in t he e nd adm i t te d t h at t h e a c t iOn o f t h e needle w as du e t o a fgr c e

g i ve n O ff b
y t h e p erso n test ed .

O n e o f t h e leadi n g di v i n es in t h e C h u rc h o f E n gla n d , a fe w d ays

be fore th is article was writte n , after seei ng t h e mach i n e b ei n g test ed in a
v ar iet o f w a s said
'
“ Su ch a mac hi n e not o n ly wo u l d c on vi n c e o n e o f
y y ,
.

t h e in fl u e n ce o f mi n d Over m atter, b u t m ore i m p ortan tl y t h e i n fl u e n c e o f

mi n d Ov er min d for if t h e radiatio n o f o u r t h o u gh t s affe ct t h is n eedle o f
,
.

metal , h o w m u c h m ore so m u st w e n o t a ffe c t t h e t h o u gh ts i deas a n d l ives , ,

'

of t h Ose aro u n d Us ”
'

In concl u sio n m a y n o t t h e n t h e very forc e th at m o ves t h is n eedle be

,

the v ery p o w er t h at in it s c o n ti n u al actio n m arks t h e h a n d t h ro u gh t h e

r
e r 1 h e r a l ner v es
p p W e k n o w not a nd m a
.
y n ever k n o w w h
, y t h i s
,
Un s ee n

f or c e s h o u ld write t he deeds o f t h e past or t h e d ream s o f t h e fu t u re And .

yet t h e priso n e r in h is d u n ge o n will O fte n w rite o n t h e sto n es aro u n d h im

h iS n ame and l egend , to b e re ad or n o t , a s t h e c ase may be May n o t .
,

t h e n t h e SOu I as a c apti v e in t h e bod y wr ite o n t h e fle sh ly walls o f its

,
‘

p r iso n h o u se its
-
p ast trials its fu t u re h o es , t h e deeds t h at it w i
l
p ,
l l so m e d a
y
real i z e ? F o r if t h e r e be a so u l t h en is it bei n g a spirit co n s cio u s o f all
, , ,

th i ngs I t s past j o y s , its present sorr o w s a n d t h e f u t u re — b e it w h at it m a y

, , .

CH E I R O .
 BA BY S H A N D
’

A .

P la t e XXV I :
THE H AND O F MADAM E SA R A H BE R NH AR DT

P l ate XXV I I .
THE H AND OF MADAM E N O R D I CA .

P la t e XXI X .
THE HAND OF JO H N THEO D O R E BENTL EY .

“L I V I N G H "

(TH E P A I NT E R OF TH E C R I ST )

P la t e XXX .
THE HAND OF CO L O N E L R O BE R T IN G E R SO L L .

P l at e XXX I .
TH E HAND OF W . T . ST E A D .

P l at e XXX I I I .
THE H A ND OF T H E RI GH T H ON .
JO S E P H CH A M BE R L A I N , M . P .

P l ate XXX I V
 THE H A ND O F A U ST E N CH A M B E R L A I N , E SQ , M . P .

( I llu st r a t i ve of i
h e r e d t a r y t e n de n c i e s , se e h an d o f h is fa t h e r , P l at e XXX I V
Pla t e XXXV .
 THEI H AN D
’

J
‘

OE T H E LORD CH I E F JU ST I C E OF . EN GL A N D .

:
LOR D R U SS L LE OF K I LLOW EN.

P l ate XXXV I I O
.
TH E HAND OF TH E CO U N T E SS O F A B E R D E E N .

Pl ate XXXV I I I .
THE H AND O F SI R JO H N L U BBO C K , M . P F . R . S .

P l ate XXX I X .
THE H A N D O F SW A M I VIVE KA N A N D A .

P l ate XL I I .
TH E H AN D OF E . M . I
C U R T SS , E SQ .

Pl a t e XL I I I .
THE R I GH T H AN D O F SI R AR T H U R SU L L I VAN .

P l
ate X LVI .
THE RI GH T HA ND OF LAD Y I I E NR Y S O M E R SE T .

P la t e XL V I I .
THE RI GH T H AND OF M ADA M E M E L BA .

Pl a t e XL I X.
THE RI GH T HAND OF L OR D C H A R L E S B E R E SF O R D .

P l ate L .
 GH T W I L LI A M WH I T E L E Y
’

THE RI H AND OF MR . .

“T H E
(
”
U N I V E R SA L PRO VI D E R , LO ND O N .
)

P la t e L I .
THE RI GH T HAND OF R EV . M I NOT J
. SA V A GE .

P l ate LIII .
THE RI GH T H AND OF H . N . HI GI N BO T H A M E SQ .

'

( P R E SI D E N T W O R LD S C O L U M BI A N E X PO SI T I O N .
)

P l ate LIV .
 AP P E N D I X .

OP INION S OF TH E P R E SS A N D P U B L IC .

A F E W E X T R A CT S FR O M ’
OH E I R O S A U T O GR AP H -R O OK .

Th e D u k e of N e w ca s t l e .

Ch e i
ro has to d l my p a st an im m dia t f t
d w it h w o
e e u ure n de r fu l a cc u r a c y , e spe ci
a lly wi th
re ga r d to i
ce r t a n co m n i g even ts w h i ch h e ld n t p sib ly h co u o os ave k n o wn .

O s ca r W il d e .

I n de e d, Ch e i ro , the m y st e r y of t h e w o r d is t h e l i ib l
v s e, not th e in v i ib le
s .

Sir He n r y D ru m m on d W o lf .

I h a v e b e e n m u ch st r u ck b y Ch e i r o s e xt r a o r d n a r
’
i y pow e r.

F l o r e n ce M ar ry at .

Ch e i ro has r e ca lle d m y p a st fr o m m y h a n d m o r e a c cur a t e ly t h a n I co u ld h av e do n e fr o m

m em o ry m ys lf
e .

L ie u t e n a n t -C o l o n e l P o n s o n b y .

Ch e i ro is r e a ll yma l
r v e o u s.

F lo r e n ce F e n w ick M ill e r .

Ch e ir o w as v er y r e m ar k ab e l in h is k n o w l e dge of m y ch a r a ct e r , m y su r r o u n din gs, an d (a s

fa r as I ca n m yse lf se e ) the p r o b ab ilit i e s of my life . H is r o o m s a r e cr o w de d —a n d n o w o n de r .

B l a n ch e R o o s e v e lt .

I am m o r e than i
a st o n sh e d m ar v e l ous — m o st m ar v e o u s l .

R ob t . T . Co o p e r , M D . .

Ch e i ro h as m a pp e d t ou th e l ead n i g ch a r a c t e r i st i f m y p ast lif e w it h gr e a t a ccu r a cy

cs o . Th e
j
su b e c t is ce r t a n i l y de se r v i n g O f ca lm an d i t ifi st dy
sc e n c u .

M e lt on P r io r .

Ch e ir o h a i spir e d m e w it h v e
s n n e r at o n i fo r pa lm ist y t o r an a ppa lli n g e xt e n t.
 App en dix .

R ev . E v e rar d B l ak e , A R C . . .

Ch e i r o n o t on ly t o ld m e th e le di
a ng i idnc en ts of my lf i e, bu t a so l m o st lik ly p
e i i
r e d ct o n s

w th i r e ga r d t o m y fu t u r e .

Lo i e Ful l er

Th e m a r v e l ou s th i n gs Ch e i ro r ead in m y p lma in 1 890 h a v e , m or e t o m y su r p ise

r th an I ca n

te ll ,
b een p roved to be a b so u t el ly t rue .

R it a .
”

Ch e i ro has a st o n sh e d i m e w th i h is a cc u r a t e de scr ip t io n of my life du r i ng h is r ea d n g o f i mv

h an d .

Jo h n St r a n g e W in t e r .

Ch e i ro l
to d m y p a st life fr o m m y h a n d w it h th e m o st a b so u t e a c cur a c l y .

M rs. F r an k L e s l ie .

Y o ur p lm a -r
ead n i g is so st a r t li gly t
n rue t h at y our p o s se ss o n i of is m yst e io
th r u s Sk ill or

fa cu t l y m igh t we ll i pi ns re fe a r , w e r e it a cc o m p i an ed by l e ss o f pe r fe c t t r st a d di c t i
u n s re on .

E ll a W h e e l e r W il c o x .

Ch e i ro h e lp s as we ll a i
s a st o n sh e s .

M a da m e M e lb a .

Ch e i ro is w o n de rfu l, w h a t m o r e ca n I sa y .

M ar k Tw a i
n .

Ch e i ro has p e x o se d m y ch a r a c t e r t o m e w t h i hu m ilia t i n g a ccu r a c y . I o u gh t n o t to c o n fe ss

th i s a c cu r a c y t ill I
,
s am m ov ed t o do it .

E X TR A CTS F R OM E N GL I SH A N D A M E R I CA N PR E SS .

“H e a r t h an d H o m e,
”
A u gu s t 4 .

Ch e ir o is a w o n de r . I h av e h a d m y han d to d l b e fo r e , b u t n ever so m i n ute ly ,

n ev er so b
a- w

so l u t e ly co r r e c ty de t il f m y h lyte .I l E ve rk w it w aw i ft lyo d c ar a c r , as a o n e ca n n o ,
as gi e
v n s an

i gly M y l t i w it h i p pl w d ib d M y m t i w
u n er r n . re a on s ly e d d
var ou s eo e ere e sc r e . e o on s e r e an a z an

t d b a k t t h i b gi
r a ce c i g I w t ld m y m b it i i lif m y h it t i i h i g
o e r e nn n s. as o a on n e ,
es a on n c oos n a

wh t I h d
ca r e e r , t fi t im gi d t b m y t
a a b t a d wh t I h rs ld t lly fi d m y
a ne o e rue en ,
an a S ou e ven ua n

t be t t b
ru e Th
n x t t t
o f m y h lt h
e . w d i th p t w
e e gi
ac dth
s a Ch i
e o ea n o an n e as as v en an en e r o,

h i g th
av n gh ly i d m f h i l im p m y t im
or o u d i t lli g
co n v n ce p e d dt e o d s c a s u on e an n e e n ce , roc e e o rea

m m
e so f th d k m y t i
e o f t eI k w i wh t y
ar , I h ll i wh t y
s er ou s I h llu ure . no n a e ar S a c ue ,
n a e ar s a

l m y w h I h ll m y d w h I h ll t t i
o se one , en s aAt l t I f l
ar r if I k,
w it
an en s a a a n su c ce ss . eas ee as ne ,

f if Ch i
or a d th p t
e ro c h d b t e dl y
n rea w hy h ld h t d t h e f t I
e as , as
“ e un ou ca n s ou e n o rea u ure
,
 App e n dix .

He t e lls o n e of w e ak po i n t s, po i n t s t o gu a r d a ga i
n st , a s we ll as t h o se t o ch e r sh i ; o f fa n cies,
am i io
b t n s, a n d as pi rat on s i i
w h ch w e t h o u gh t i
h dde n fr o m ever y on e but l
o u r se v e s .

“W h it e h a ll R e v ie w ,
”
F e b r u a ry 2 5 .

My b e lil i st y a d t h e t t h f t h
ef in P a m r n ru o 1 as been co n fi rm ed by a v s i it t t h a t w ll k
o e - n o wn
,

l
c ever Pa l m i t Ch i Ho w e
s ,
k pt ic l ye ro . ver s e a ou m ay be , one m u st b e i li e d t o b li
nc n e eve th a t

i t t h i P a lm i st y w h e y o p st lif e ly b y a t a g
“
ther e s ru n r n ur a ca n be r e a d so a c c u r a t e s r n er.

Ch e i ro t e st e d b y t h e “N e w Y ork W o r ld .
”

Wit h o u t kn o w i n g e it h e r the n am e s o r th e p it i
os on s in lif e of an y of p o pl th e e e , an d w th i
o u t a sk n i g a q u e st o n o r a n i y b e at i n g ab o ut t h e b u s h , Ch e i r o r ead f m im p
ro i r e ss o n s o f h a n ds on

p p
a er th e life an d ch a r a c t e r i t ic
s s o f e a ch p e so r n i
w t h t h e m o st w o n d f l a cc
er cyu ura .

( Se e ar ti l c e N e w Yor k Wo r ld, N o v e m b e r 26 ,

“T h e M o r n in J o u r n al,
”
D e ce m b e r 1 7
g .

It wou d l se e m as i pi e
if t h s r nc o f p lm i a st s , Ch e i
ro, w er e a de sce n da n t of the o ld Eg ypt i an

so r ce r e r s , b y th e re m k bl
ar d a lm o
a e an st u n ca n n y e a se i
w t h w hich h e r ead the li ves of p pl
eo e

w h o se h an ds w e sh o w e d h im i m p i r e ss o n s o f o n p p a er ,
w it h o u t g i iv ng h im t he sli ght l
e st c u e a s

t o who t he p e pl o e we re .

Th e R e co r d e r ,
”
N e w Y o r k , O ct o b e r 2 .

Ch e i y Ch e ir o , is i i pit
'

r o m an c ,
as p r a ct ise d b y a n e xa ct sc e n ce . Th e h a n d co n ta ns an e om e

of the li f '
e s r e co r d a n d l
a so o f t h e d e st i y w hi
n ch a w a it s ea ch m a n .

Su n d a y A d v e r t i se r ,
”
N ew Y ork , O ct o b e r 2 9 .

Ch e io r h as e xt r a o r d n a r i yp o w e r , a b so r b e d from u n u su a l so u r ce s a n d kn ow l e dg e ac qi
u red

in p e cu li ar wa y s ; t h e r e is no do u b t t h a t h e p o sse sse s t h e fa cu t ly o f r ead n g i h u m an n a t ur e to a

w o n de r ful de gr e e .

Th e W or ld ,
”
N ew Y or k , N ov em b e r 1 2 .

I n L o n do n , Ch e i ro w as t h e r a ge , an d r ead t h e h a n ds of ever yb o dy w ho w as an yb o dy ,

in c l di
u ng ro y lt y
a . Th e a ggr e ga t e o f his h a n d-r e a din g up t o da t e is

Th e P r e s s ,” N e w Y o r k , F e b r u a r y 18 .

Ch e i ro is a v er it b l a e w i z ar d, a n e cr o m a n ce r , a m ag c an ii , a l i
m a e w t ch w h o w o u ld hav e b e en
b ur n e d at th e st a k e in t h e da y s of Co t t o n M a t h e r . Ch e ir o ’
s hist o r y is a s st r a n ge as h is pr o
fe ssio n . Th e b l oo d of m an y n at on s i flo w s in h is i
v e n s an d m a k e s h im c o s m o po l it an . He li ved

am on g t h e Br a h m an s fo r fo u r y e a r s, a n d in t h e su m m er of
’
92 t u r n e d up in N e w B o n d St r e e t ,
L o n do n , an d co n v e r t e d t h e gr e a t e st sk e pt i cs to be li ef in p l m i t y— t l
a s r a e a st in h is m e t h o d of

do m g it .

C u r r e n t L it e r a t u r e ,” F e b r u a r y 1 .

Ch e i ro has st u d e d i t h e h a n d fr o m a p ur e ly i
sc e n t ifi c st a n d p i o n t . H e is j u st tw e n t y -si
x

y ear s o f a ge , a n d l a st ye ar h is room s in N e w B o n d St r e e t , L o n do n , w e r e fill ed i

w t h t h e m o st
fa sh io n a b l e pe p le d h e w a se t e t a i n e d e v e y w h e r e b y th e so c i a l le a de r s o f t h e c it y H e
o ,
an n r r .

h as w i t t e l b le bo o k o ii h is f i t e s b j e t d a lt g t h can b e st b e
’

o e o
r tw n n r o va ua s
x
av o r u c ,
an o e er

de sc r i be d i B l c h e R o o s v l t s w w o d a s l u s m o t m a v e lo u s ! ’
,
n anm e e o n r s, ar v e o ,
s r

On ce a We ek , M a r ch 3 l s t .

Ch e ir o s r e a di g is ’
n i
m n u te , c e a r , a n d l l o gical . H e do e s n o t ge n e r a iz e l or fall back u po n
m ere i dica t io s o f ch
n i n ve y h e t ar a c t e r ,
b u t go e s st r a gh t t o t h e r ar o f th e m a t t e r , sh o w i ng w h e re ,

whe d why y o h
n ,
an e fa il d w h a t p o ss ib ili t ie s l i b e fou yo av e , e re u , an d w h a t m o r a fo r c e m l u st

b b o gh t t o b e a t o p v e t f il e i t h e f t r e
e r u r Sw ift ly d re n a ur n u u . an u nerr n i gly h e la y b ar e e v e y s r

d t a il f y o
e ch a oct as y l e a k o w it H e
ur ra ve er ou a o n c n n . ca n e n de sc r ibe yo u r e l t io s w it h
r a n

o t h r p o pl e a d t h e i fl
e e ce s t h y h e h ad
n y kf n uen e av on our c .

F r a n k L e slie
’
s W e e k ly , M a y l ot h .

Ch e i ro is on h is t o u r aro u n d t h e w o r d, b u t l p p ro o se s to r em a n i fo r an e xt e n de d t m e in i
Ind i a, wh ere a w e l co m e is awa iti n g h im . H e is t o b e t h e gu e st of a M aha ra j a , an d is t o h a v e
the u se o f c e r t a n i an c e n i t w o r ks on Ch e ir o m a y nc , w hich m an y o f th e I n d i an po t e t a t s n e a re

an x ou s i to re v v e i . Du r i n g h is se a so n in L o n do n h e r e ad n ea r ly i n ne th o u sa d p a l m s
n ,
fo r
w h ch i h e h as m a n y le t t e r s o f co m m e n da t o n fr o m r o i ya lt y ,
s t a t e sm e n , sa v a n t s , a n d bo t h m e n
an d w om en p rom i n en t in t h e w o r d l .

Th e B o s t o n H e r a ld, M ay 5t h .

Ch e ir o can te ll w it h o ut e rr o r th e fie ld fie lds or in w h i ch a p e r so n can i i n gu ish h im

d st
se lf ,
if in an y . He ca n r e v e a l to h im h is w h o l e i e nn r n at ur e ; h e ca n w ar n h im o f i m pe di g n n

da n ge r s , es pe c ia lly w he n t h e se t a k e t h e fo r m o f an e v il t e n de n c y ,
u n ch e c k e d o ft e n be c a u se
un kn o w n o o f a di e a e
r s s e x st e n i t in ge r m ; h e ca n e v en fo r e t e ll w i th co n s ide r a b l e a cc u r a c y
o f t me i an d c ir cu m t a s n ce the i
ch e f e v e n t s o f t he life .

T h e B o st o n P o s t ,
”
M ay 1 2 t h .

ir o i a so lid se sib l a st
Ch e s , n e ,
e rne st u de n t w h o se k n o w le dge o f h a n ds is i n bo rn , sin ce fr o m
ea r lie st h il dh o o d f t
c h l e d h im t a e as o th e l
c o se st u d y of hum an n a t u re as re v e a e d l in t h e
sh pe s a d li
a f th e h a d
n n es o n

T h e B o st o n J o u r n al, A p r il 7 t h .

Che i ro is a sc e n i
i t a d f th e m o e
t s , n ur r r m ak e s n o m y st e r y of h is i
sc e n c e . H e h as p r o v ed

b y h is life an d e xp e ie ce t h t it ca b e r n a n u se d fo r t h e h e lp a n d a dv a n c e m e n t of th e hu m a n
r ace , bo th m o r a lly a d m e t a lly n n .

Th e B o s t o n B u d g e t , J un e 3d .

Che ir o
l it i ,
f th e m o t em
th e P a m k bl i t i t s t h a t t h e w o ld h a s e v e
s , s one o s r ar a e sc e n s r r

k wn
n o H i g eat l . i g t h t h o ght f l th ph ilo s0ph i p w e t h e h a m f pe so lit y
s r e ar n n , e u u , e c o r, c r o r na

i Ch e i
n m a k s h is ro l f v l e a d r a ise s h is w o k t o s h l ly a d s i e t ific b asis
e co u n se o a u ,
n r a c o ar n c n .

H is o ccu l t kn o w l e dge i v a st a d ge u i e an d th e t u e se e k e a ft e r t h e h i gh e r life ca

s ot n n n ,
r r nn

b t fi d i h i id t h e m o st p o t e t st i m l s
u n n s a n u u .
 App en d iw .

P R E SS N O T I C E S O F L E CT U R E S .

Th e N e w Y o r k H era ld , F e b r u a ry 2 5t h .

“Th e L o t u s
i o s le c t e b e fo
Che r
’
ur re C l u b ”
w a s e xt r e m e ly i n t e r e st in g . He sh o w e d t h at
Pa l m ist y w a s a e l i a b l e g i d
r r u e n ot on ly t o c ha r a c t e r ,
b ut to even ts .

Th e Bo ston H e r a l d, A p r il 1 9 t h .

Chick e r i n g H a l l w as y w i t h di t i g ish d di e cr o t he Ch e i o
w de d y e s t e r da a s n u e au n ce o ar r ,

w h o is o w m a k i g
n t f th e w o ld i t h e i t e
n a t s o f h i cie c
o ur o I h is l t e p p r n n res s s n e . n ec u r ro er

Ch i po i te d t t h e g e t a t i q it y o f P l m i t y d t t h p t i w h ich it h a s b h l d
e ro n o r a n u a s r ,
an o e re u e n een e

b y t h e fi rs t m i d f t i q it y n H g s o i d t il man f t h m di lu d s ie t ifi
. e a ve n e a so e o e e ca an c n c r e a so n s

o n w hi h t h ct t h f Ch i o me ru y e t d H e l p i t d t it p t i l
o e r i lif i it
an c r s e . a so o n e o s r ac ca u se s n e, n s

u t ilit y i t h k n w l e dge f he lt h d di
no w ll f tho l ti f hea t a d an se a se , a s e as or e reve a on o c ar a c er n

h dt yt d i
er e i ar Th e l t
en l o e xpo d d t h i t l phil ph y o f lif t h t w e t
en c es . ec urer a s un e e or en a o so e a n

l g w it h t h
a on i d m de l q t pl f it t h g
s c e n ce ,
an d f it t h o gh l y
a e an e o uen ea or on e ro u n o s rou

sc ie n t fi ih c t c d it p i h m i t y Ch i is y g d h d m e i fe t e
ar a c e r an s su er or u an e ro oun an an so n a ur .

H m k e aa m t e g gi g l t
es os e H e he l d h i
n a di ce t t h e l t
n d t t h e e d w as
ec ur r . s au en o as ,
an a n

g e e t e d w it h
r s t i t e d a ppl a se
un n u .

B o s t o n Sa t u r d a y Ev en i n g Ga z et te, A p ilr 2 ot h .

Ch e i ro, th e Pa m l i st , ca l e d l fo r t h a l a r ge a n io b le s m b l g t Ch i k i g H a ll
d fa sh n a a se a e a c er n

on y ft
Thu r sda a ern oo n ,
w h e n h is l e ct ure on P lm i t y f m
a s i e t ifi c st
s r dp i t t o ge t h e
ro a c n an o n , r

w it h t h e r e l t i a o n o f se v e r a l i id nc en ts of h is e ar ly lif p e d o f e i t e e t
e, rov r ar n r s .

‘
Th e E v en i n g I t em , L y nnJ . un e 4th .

Che io r ,
th e l
ce e br at e d Pa m l i st , ga v e a r e m ar k a bl l e e ct u r e on h is i
sc e n ce b e fo r e a l a r ge

d fa s h io n ab e l d i O dd F e ll ll o M o n da y i pe a k e ly
’
an au e n ce at ows Ha n ev en n g. Th e s r n ot on

un de r st o o d h is su b e c t ,j bu t w a s a sol ho r o u gh m a st e r o f t h e a r t o f l a yi n g h is fac t s a n d
a t
ex pl t io s b e f e 1
an a ndi e or 118 au en c in s u ch a w a y t ha t t h e i r a t t e n t i o n a n d i n t e r e st w a s k e p t t o

t h e l a st H e w a s he t ily a ppl a
. ar u de d at the l
c o se .

ld J l 6th Th e B o st o n H era ,
un e .

Ch i de li v e d a m o t i t
e ro ti d
er t t i i g le t o h i a t ill u st at e d b y St e e
s n s r uc v e an en er a n n c u re n s r , r r

o pt i Vi w s f h d f fa m p pl i t h A ci t io H ll la t igh t I spit f t h
co n e o an s o o us eo e, n e sso a n a s n . n e o e

h t w th
o eath l ge h ll w fill d t t h do w it h f h i b l d di t i g ish e d pe o ple
er , e ar a as e o e o rs as on a e an s n u ,

an d a t t h l o se o f t h e le ct u r e Ch e i o w a gr e e t e d w ith e n t h ia t ic a ppl a u e
e c r s us s s .