SCIENCE OF THE HAND. 43 



sign of good health to be without this line. There is also the " line of 

 the sun," which starts in the middle of the palm and rises towards the 

 base of the third finger. Its prominence is indicative of brilliancy and 

 of a sunshiny temperament. 



People who are by nature intensely nervous, easily worried and 

 excited, usually have the entire hand covered with a multitude of fine 

 lines, and if this sign appears in a child's hand, such child should re- 

 ceive more than ordinary careful training. The opposite is also true, 

 for phlegmatic, dull people have few lines in the hand. The color of 

 the palm is also important, for there are more nerves in the hand than 

 anywhere else, and more in the palm than any other part of the hand. 

 A pale or almost white palm is always found in extremely selfish peo- 

 ple, while a delicate pink denotes a hopeful sanguine temperament, 

 and a red color robust health, quick temper, animal spirits, etc. 



SHAPES OF THE HAND AND FINGERS. 



Much of a person's character is shown in the shape of the hand. 

 There is the " square " or useful hand that accompanies the practical 

 matter-of-fact worker in whatever line. The " spatulate " or moderately 

 square hand with fingers more or less curved, sometimes the thumb 

 bent back, and indicating a nervous active person. The " philosophic " 

 hand with its long tapering fingers often knotty on the knuckles and 

 belonging to people who love mystery or who are students in whatever 

 sphere of life they may be placed. The " conic " or artistic hand is 

 medium sized, the fingers thick at the base and tapering towards the 

 ends. Such people are apt to be impulsive and are guided by instinct 

 more than reason. If in addition, on such a hand, the line of the head 

 slopes towards the lower outside corner of the hand it denotes the 

 typical artist. 



The Thumb. Most important, perhaps, is the thumb. Every 

 manager of asylums fcr the feeble minded will agree as to the gen- 

 erally weak and poorly developed thumbs of the patients. It is a 

 common belief with midwives that if an infant after birth keeps its 

 thumbs covered with the fingers, it foreshadows physical delicacy, but 

 if after the seventh day it still keeps its thumb covered, it indicates 

 mental weakness. The thumb should be long and firm and the joints 

 of nearly equal length. If the first joint or nail joint is excessively 

 long, it means that the possessor has a very dominating will. If the 

 second joint is much longer than the first it indicates that the individ- 

 ual, though he may be very intellectual, lacks the will power to carry 

 'out his ideas. If the first joint is very supple and bends back it 

 usually indicates a very extravagant character in every way, while the 

 opposite is true of the straight, stiff -jointed thumb. If the thumb is 

 short and thick it indicates the preponderance of the coarse, brutal 

 nature which will show itself on occasions even if training and en- 

 vironment may have hidden it for a time. " The thumb individualizes 

 the man." 



The Fingers. Fingers are either long or short, thick or slender, 

 straight or crooked, stiff or supple. Long straight fingers, not too 



