632 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



finger held upward, vertically to and above the head, the concept 

 "being " the one who is above others." The same sign has variants 

 in many lands. Baker was greeted at Shoa by each native seiz- 

 ing both his hands and raising his arms three times to their full 

 stretch above his head. Perhaps this was to make him give the 

 sign of chief, which as in fact made by them through him implied, 

 " you are our superior," " we submit to you." 



The Andamanese salute by raising one leg and touching the 

 lower part of the thigh with the hand. This gesture, which 

 among some peoples is insulting, in the light afforded by sign-lan- 

 guage may mean, " I am supposed to be sitting " equal to the 

 modern " your servant." With this expression may be compared 

 the custom of the Zambesi, who, according to Livingstone, show 

 respect by slapping their thighs, and gratitude for presents by 

 holding them in one hand and with the other slapping their thighs. 



The punctilios relating to the fundamental rule that rank is de- 

 fined by elevation are carried to absurdity in the Orient. "When 

 an English carriage was procured for the Rajah of Lombok it was 

 found impossible to use it because the driver's seat was the highest, 

 and for the same reason successive kings of Ava refused to ride 

 in the carriages presented to them by ambassadors. In Burmah, 

 that a floor overhead should be occupied would be felt as a degra- 

 dation, contrary to civilized ideas that the lower stories are the 

 most honorable. In Siam, on the principle that no man can raise 

 his head to the level of his superior, he must not cross a bridge if 

 one of higher rank chances to be passing below, and no mean per- 

 son may walk upon a floor above that occupied by his betters. On 

 the same principle the furniture or stage setting for old ceremonies 

 required the dais or raised platform for the seats of dignitaries. 

 That elevation has become convenient for jireserving order to 

 officers presiding over assemblies, so that their seat has grown in 

 prominence, while the royal or nobiliary dais has become excep- 

 tional or at least occasional. 



From this executed concept of higher and lower the mere 

 diminution of stature by bowing the head has possibly some rela- 

 tion. Explanation may be suggested by two salutations of the 

 Chinese. Ceremonially they bend forward more or less deeply, 

 with hands joined on the breast. Their less formal greeting is 

 to raise the arms in front with the hands joined, thus forming 

 an arch the elevation of which specifies the degree of respect. 

 The Cossacks " bow to the girdle " that is, bend forward so as to 

 form a right angle at the waist. 



In gesture-speech, the consensus throughout the world is that 

 a forward inclination of the head, or in its place a similar mo- 

 tion of the hand in advance with an easy descent, as if in the 

 curve of least resistance, signifies assent, approval, agreement. 



