its is t bé mine, so is t he form

CHE IRO’S

LANGUAGE OF THE HAND0

COMPLETE PRACTICAL WORK ON THE SCIENCES OF CHEIROGNOMY

AND CHEIROMANCY. CONTAINING THE SYSTEM , RULES.

AND EXPERIENCE OF

CHEIRO

3a

Fzfiy-five Edi-page Illusb'alzons, and over Two Hundred Engrawhgs of Lines,Mounts, and Marks

3‘

DRAWINGS OF‘

THE SEVEN TYPES B'

Y THEO DORE

A

REPRODUCTIONS OF\

FAMOUS HANDS, ALSO NORMAL AND ABNORMAL HANDS

TAKEN FROM LIFE , INCLUDING i,

The hands of Madam e Sarah Be rnhardt , Mark Twain , Madam e Nordica , Col. R . G. lngersoll .M rs . Frank Le slie Mr . W. T . Stead, The R ight Hono rable j oseph Chambe rlain , M .P..

Aus te n Chambe rlain , Esq. , M .P . , M rs . Annie Besant . Sir Frede rick Le ighton , P.R .A

Sir j ohn Lubbo ck , M .P. , The Coun te ss of Abe rde e n , Sir Edwin Arnold,The Lo rdChie f justice o f England, The Swam iVive kananda , R ev . C . H . Parkhufrst , D .D . , LadyLindsay , Sir Arthur Sullivan , Lady He nry Som e rse t , A Prom ine nt Membe r of the House

of Comm ons , Madam e Me lba , Lo rd Charle s Be re sford, M r. William White ley, Ge n .

Sir Redve rs Buller, V.C.. K.C .B Rev. Mino t j . Savage , and H. N. Higinbotham , Esq.

FIFTEENTH EDITIONCo n taining Illustratio ns o f the

.

Wo nde rful Scie ntific Inven tionthe Apparatus fo r

THOUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AND REGISTER OF

.

CEREBRAL FORCE3‘

N ICHOLS C0 . R AND M CNAL LY C0 .

PUBL I SH E R S3 Oxfo rd Stre e t, L 0\\

I d0n,W . Chicago an d N ew York .

REV I SE D AND ENLARGE D'

EDI TI ON.

COPYR I GHT, 1897,

BY LE I OH DE HAM ONG .

COPYR I GHT,1900,

BY RAND , M CN AL LY CO .

LIBRARYBR IGHA I I 1 we UN IVERSITY

PROVO. UTAH

DEDI CATION.

WH AT do I bring ?Kind L ife , ’

tis bu t a lit t le thing,A flower I loved in you th ;

A flower upon th e wayside thrown ,Y e t o n e th e lips of tru th have kn own ,

An d is i tse lf a tru t h .

CH EI RO.

PREFA CE .

TO believe is to perceive—e ither by the senses or the sou l. This distin ot ion constitu tes two classes—the skeptic an d the believer

,which

,though

depen dent o n , may yet be in comprehen sible to, each other ;bu t both being

n ecessary to establish the balan ce Of thought,they are forced into existen ce

and become th e links and cross-links which make life’s endless chain from

thought to tru th .

I n placing the following w ork before the public,though deeply con sciou s

Of my respon sibility,I am also con sciou s Of the good that may be derived

through su ch a study. I have therefore en deavored to write,not for an y

distin ct class, bu t for all, believin g in the u ltimate u n iversal acceptance

Of those,

n atu ral laws which con stitu te n atu re a nd con trol mankind,and

which are pecu liarly exemplified by th is study Of the hand.

A trifle is n o n cealed immen sity—the atom is equ al to the whole inthe importan ce Of it s existen ce ; if, therefore, this stu dy be con sidered by

some too trivial for their atten tion,I wou ld remin d them that man y of the

greatest tru ths the world has kn own,though on ce con sidered trivialities

,have

become sou rces of in fin ite power. I w ou ld ask of su ch people n othing more

than that they investigate this “atom ” for themselves,resting assu red that

the study will prove its tru th, whether examin ed from the palm istic theory,o r from the fact that “progressive specialization of stru ctu re ” produ cessu it

ability Of shape,which by study can be classed u n der variou s heads dealin g

w ith those characteristics common to occupation s, su rrou ndin gs, and tem

per am en t s.

I n the accompanying Defen se Of Cheiroman cy I have endeavored to

collect th e m an y facts,both medical an d scien tific, which can be brought

forward to demonstrate that, as the hands are the servan ts of the system, so

all that affects the system affects them. In followin g ou t the ideas of many

vi P r eface.

famou s m en o n the subject Of the n erve-conn ection between the brain and

the han d,I have in every case given my au thority for whatever statemen t I

have adopted. I tru st that in this way even the greatest skept ic in su ch mat

ters will be led to see that the study Of the han d has n o t been confin ed alon e

to the atten tion Of those he has so Often been pleased to call weak-min ded,”

bu t,o n the con trary, that m en of learn in g

,both amon g the philosophers Of

Greece an d the scien tists Of the presen t, have con sidered the subject worthy

of their time and atten tion .

When the mysteriou s act ion Of the brain and its influ en ce over the en tire

body are con sidered, it is n o t surprisin g to find that those scien tists who

first proved th at th em are m ore n erves between the brain an d the han d than

in an y other portion of the system n ow go so far with their investigation s

as even to decide that the brain can n ot think withou t the han d feelin g the

in fluen ce Of the thou ght. It w ill thu s be seen that,view in g palmistry from

this standpoin t alon e,it becomes a study not con trary to the dictates of

reason,bu t in accordan ce with those n atu ral laws that we Observe in the

shapin g Of even in an imate Objects,which

,by dem on stratin g the efle ct Of a

heretofore cau se,are in themselves the cau se Of a hereafter efi e ct .

I n presen ting with this work the han ds Of fam ou s people,I have don e so

with the Object both of en ablin g the stu den t to study the han ds Of th o se w ith

whose lives an d characteristics he is for the most part acqu ain ted,an d also

in order to show the reader at a glan ce the differen ce that exists between the

han ds of people Of differen t temperamen ts. It wou ld n o t be in keepin g with

the pu rpose Of this book if I w ere to give a delin eation Of su ch han ds. I n the

first place,their ow n ers are too w ell kn own to m ake the readings Of valu e

as a test ;an d in the secon d, the stu den t w ill derive greater ben efit by trac

ing o u t for himself the lin es and formation s that exhibit each/w ell-kn own

char acteristic.

I n the followin g chapters I have en deavored to place clearly an d can

didly before the in telligen ce Of the reader the ru les and theories that I

have proved to be tru e,an d those from whose fou n dation I have bu ilt up

whatever su ccess I may have achieved. I have don e so for two reason s : the

fir st—and most important—being,that I believe in cheiroman cy and wish to

se e it acknowledged as it deserves to be ; the secon d is, that the time is

P r eface . vii

not far distant when , from con siderations of health an d demands from other

fields Of labor, I mu st perforce retire from the scen e and leave others—I tru st

more competen t—to take my place. It is for these reason s,as an en cou rage

men t to those who may follow,an d to show what this stu dy has don e an d can

do,that in the Appen dix at the back of this book w ill be fou n d the Opin ion s

of both the press and the public as to the resu lts Obtained by the ru les an d

methods set forth by this work.

Nothin g has been more removed from m y thou ghts than the in tention Of

givin g Offen se to an y sect-io n Of the commu n ity by an y expression , religiou s

or otherwise,con tained in these pages . I have, however, u sed my right Of

in depen den ce Of thought and freedom Of speech . If,therefore

,my remarks

sh ou ld give Ofi en se to an y sect, commu n ity, or people, I am willin g to take the

respon sibility Of su ch statem en ts ;bu t I ask Of my accu sers that if, in the

cou rt Of their conscien ce,my expression s shou ld be con demn ed, it be o n

my head alon e they hu rl their con demn ation,an d n o t on the mu ch-maligned

stu dy which it has ever been my effort to raise—n o t to disgrace.

I n con clu sion,I wish to say that

,in my presen t tou r rou n d the world, I

hope to visit every civilized cou n try,an d I take this Opportu n ity of express

ing my thanks to those cen ters Of civ ilization which I have already visited

fo r the atten tion and cou rtesy I have received.

CHEIRO.

SECOND EDITION.

The first editio n of five thou san d copies havin g b een exhau sted in th e short spaceof four m o n ths, is in itself a gratify ing pro of of th e fav or w ith which th e bo ok hasbeen receiv ed.

I n revising it an d produ cing a seco nd edition,I hav e e n deavored t o m ake it still

m ore valuable t o th e studen t,by adding som e m ore w o rld-kn own han ds, in cluding

tho se Of Sir Frederick L e ighto n , Sir John Lu bb o ck, Sir Edw in A rn o ld, Austin Chamb erlain

,Esq.,M . P .

,an d th e Co u n tess o f Ab erde en .

Th e hand o f Au stin Cham b erlain has b een placed n ext t o that Of his fath er, th eR ight Hon . Joseph Cham b erlain ,

as a strikin g example of heredity in the shape and

po sition o f th e lin es,indicative n o t on ly of character, bu t of sim ilarity in the igen eral

aspects o f career.

CHE IEO .

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

IN the Second Edition, also in the Third and Fou rth, I have added several

important and interesting hands that I con sidered helpfu l and in structive to

th e student in the pu rsu it of this st udy. Since the pub lication of t he First

Editio rr I have further increased the book by adding to it

Th e hand Of AUSTEN CHAMBERLAI N , Esq. , M .P.,

Th e CouNTEss OF ABERDE EN,

Sir JOHN LUBBOCK,Sir EDWI N ARNOLD ,

Sir FREDER I CK LE I GHTON,Th e SWAM I V I VExANANDA,

Th e R ev . C. H . PARKH URST, D .D .,

In th e publishing Of the last Edition I have endeavored to mak e it still

more valuab le by su ch addition s as

Th e hand of LADY L I NDSAY ,

Sir ARTHUR SULLI VAN ,

LADY HEN RY SOM ERSET,

A . J . B .,

M ADAM E MELBA ,

LORD CHARLES BERESFORD ,Mr. W I LLI AM WH I TELEY ,

Ge n . R EDVE RS BULLE R,R ev . MI NOT J. SAVAGE .

H . N . H I G I NBOTH AM , ESQ.

I tru st in this w ay to make the book n o t on ly of u se to the student ,bu t also of historical valu e in the collection of hands whose owners have

been m ore or less in strumental in influ en cing both the thought Of the age

an d the destiny Of mankind. I n cases where th e left hands are given, th e

right does n o t come ou t clear enough in the impressionfor reprodu ction .

w;

CHEIRO.

A D D R E SS A L L COM M UN I CA TI ON S I N CA RE OF TH E P UBL I SH ER S

F o r a cco un t o f t h e appa r a t us fo r“Th o ugh t Ph o t ogr aphy a nd R egis t er o f Cer e br a l F o rce.

“

se e P a r t I V.

CONTENTS.

PART I .—CHEIROGNOMY.

CHAPTERI . OF THE SHAPES OF HANDS A ND FINGERS

I I . THE ELEMENTARY, OR LOWEST TYPE . .

I II . THE SQUARE HAND AND I TS SUBD I VI SIONS

The Squ ar e Han d w ith Shor t Squar e Finge rs.The Squ ar e Han d w ith L on g Squ ar e Fin gers.Th e Squar e Hand with Kn o t ty Finge rs.

The Squar e Han d w ith Spatu lat e Fingers.

Th e Squ ar e Han d w ith Con ic Fin ger s.

Th e Squar e Han d w ith Psych ic Finger sTh e Squ ar e Hand w ith M ixed Finger s.

IV.

V. THE PHILOSOPHIC HAND

VI . THE CONI C HAND

VI I . THE PSYCHIC HAND

VI I I . THE M IXED HANDIX. THE THUMB

Th e Supple -jo in t ed Thumb .

Th e Firm -jo in ted Thum b .

Th e Se con d Phalange .

X. THE Jos OF TH E FINGERS

XI . THE FINGERS

The L ength of the Finge r s in Relat ion to On e An other .

XI I . THE PALM,AND LARGE AND SMALL HANDS

XI I I . THE NAILSLong Na ils in Re la t ion to Health .

Shor t Nails in Re la t ion to He alth .

Disposit ion as shown by the Nails.

x Con ten ts.

HAIR ON THE HANDS.—A SUGGESTI VE THEORY

MOUNTS, TH EIR POSITI ON AND THE I R MEAN I NGS

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

Th e M oun t Of Jupit e r .

Th e M ou n t Of Sa t u rn .

Th e M oun t Of th e Su n .

Th e Mou n t Of M ercury.

Th e Mou n t Of Ma r s.

Th e Mou n t Of Lu n a .

Th e L ean ing Of th e M o u n t s t oward On e An o th e r .

XVI . THE HANDS OF NATI ONS .

Th e E lem en t ary Han d.

The Squ a r e H an d, a nd th e Nation s r epr e sen t ed by it .The Ph ilo soph ic.

Th e Con ic.

Th e Spat u lat e .

Th e Psych ic .

PART I I . CHEI ROMANCY .

I . A FEW REMARKS I N REFERENCE TO THE READ ING OF THE B AND

I I . THE L I NES OF THE HAND

I I I . IN RELATION TO TH E L I NES

I V . THE R IGHT AND LEFT HANDSV. THE L I NE OF L I FE

V I I I . THE L INE OF HEAD I N RELATI ON TO THE SEVEN TYPES

Th e L in e Of H e ad in R e lat ion t o th e Squ ar e H an d.

Th e L in e Of H ead in R e la t ion t o th e Spatu lat e Han d.

Th e Lin e Of H e ad in R e la tion t o th e Ph ilo soph ic Hand.

The L in e of H ead in R e la t ion to the Con ic Han d.

Th e L in e Of H e ad in R e lat ion t o th e Psych ic Han d.

INSANI TY As SHOWN BY TH E L INE OF HEAD

Mur de r ou s Pr open sit ie s as sh own by th e L in e Of H ead.

THE L INE OF HEART

TH E L INE OF FATE

THE L INE OF SUN

THE L I NE OF HEALTH, OR THE HEPATI CA

THE V IA LASCIVA AND THE L INE OF INTUI TION

THE GI RDLE OF VENUS, THE RING OF SATURN, AND THE THREE BRACELETS .

THE L I NE OF MARRIAGE

Con ten ts.

CHAPTER

Th e Sta r o n th e M ont/11, 91? Jupit e r .

The Sta r on th e M ou n t o f Satu r n .

Th e Sta r on the M ou n t Of th e Su n .

The Star on th e M ou n t Of M e rcury.

Th e Star on th e M o un t Of Mar s.

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

Th e Star on th e M ou n t Of Ven u s.Th e Star on th e Fin ge r s.

THE CROSS

THE SQUARE

THE I SLAND ,THE CI RCLE , TH E SPOT

TH E GR I LL E,TH E TR I ANGLE ,

“LA CROIx MYSTIQUE ,”TH E RI NG OF

HANDS COVERED WI TH L INES—THE COLOR OF THE PALM

Sm o o th Han ds.

Th e Sk in .

The Co lo r Of th e Pa lm .

THE GREAT TR IANGLE AND THE QUADRANGLE

Th e Upper An gle .

The M iddl e An gle .

Th e L ow er Angle .

Th e Qu adr angle .

XXV. TRAVEL , VOYAGES, AND ACCI DENTSTIM E—THE SYSTEM OF SEVEN

PART I I I .-ILLUSTRA

'I

'

IVE TYPES.

I . A FEW WORDS ON SUI CIDE

I I . THE PECUL I AR I TI ES OF HANDS THAT SHOW A SUICI DAL TENDENCY

I I I . PROPENSI TI ES FOR MURDER

IV. VAR IOUS PHASES OF INSANI TY

M e lan ch o ly an d R e ligiou s Madn e ss.

Th e Dev e lopm en t of th e Crank .

The Na tur a l Madn mn .

V . M oDUs OPERANDI

THOUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AND R EGISTER OF CEREBRAL FORCE

I LLUSTRATIONS OF FAM OUS H ANDS

APPENDIX .

L IST OF IL LU STRATION S.

ELEMENTARY

SQUARE , OR USEFUL HANDSPATULATE , OR ACTIVE HAND

KNOTTY, OR PH I LOSOPHI C HAND

CONI O, OR ARTI STIC HAND

PSYCHI C, OR I DEAL I STIC HAND .

M IXED HAND

JOINTS OF THE FI NGER S

Th e Po in t ed.

Th e Ph ilo soph ic.

Figs. 1 an d 2,Th r o a t Afi e ction s.

Figs. 3 an d 5,Br on ch ial Affe ct ion s.

Figs. 4, 6, an d 7, De lica cy of Lu n gs.Figs. 8

,9, an d 10, Con sum pt iv e Ten den cies.

NAI LS

Sh ow ing Te n den cy t ow ar d H e ar t-disease .

Show in g Ten den cy t oward Par alysis.

THE MOUNTS OF THE HAND

THE MAP OF THE HAND

SIGNS FOUND IN THE HAND

Fig. 1 . Fo rk ed L in e s.

Fig. 2. Sist e r L in e s.

Fig. 3. Spo t s o n L in e s.

Fig. 4. I slan ds.

Fig. 5. Ta sse led L in e s.Fig. 6. Ascen din g an d Descending Br an ch es.

Fig. 7 . Wavy L in e s.

Fig. 8. Capillaried L in e s.Fig. 9 . Br ok e n L in e s.

Fig. 10. Cha in ed L in e s.Fig. 11. Th e Squ ar e on L in e .

PLATE

SI GNS FOUND I N THE HAND

MODIFI CATI ONS OF PRI NCIPAL L I NES

MODI FI CATIONS OF PRINCIPAL L INES

MOD IFI CATIONS OF PR INCI PAL L INES

List of I llustr a tions.

FACI NG PAGE

Fig. 1 . Th e Star .

Fig. 2. Th e I slan d.

Fig. 3. Th e Spo t .Fig. 4. Th e Cr o ss.

Fig. 5. Th e Tr ian gle .

Fig. 6. Th e Gr ille .

Fig. 7 . Th e Squ ar e .

Fig. 8. The Circle .

Fig. 9. Th e Tr ipod and Spear -h ead.

MOD I FI CATIONS OF PR I NCI PAL L I NES

MODIFI CATI ONS OF PR I NCIPAL L INES

MODIFICATIONS OF PRI NCI PAL L IN ES

MODIFI CATI ONS OF PRINCI PAL L IN ES

TIM E—THE SYSTEM OF SEVEN

XXIV. A MURDERER ’S HAND

XXV. A SUICI DE ’S HAND

XXVI .

XXVI I .XXVI I I .XXIX.

XXX.

XXXI .

XXXI I .XXXI I I .

XXXIV.

XXXV.

XXXVI .

XXXVI I .XXXVI I I .

XXXIX.

XL

XL I

XL I IXL I I IXL IV

A BABY’s HAND

THE HAND OF MADAM E SARAH BERNHARDT

TH E HAN D OF MARK TWAI N

THE HAND OF MADAME NORD ICA

THE HAND OF JOHN THEO DORE BENTL EY

TH E HAND OF COLONEL ROBERT INGERSOLL

THE HAND OF MRS. FRANK LESL I E

TH E HAND OF W. T. STEAD

TH E HAND OF TH E R I GHT HON . JOSEPH CHAM BERLAIN,M . P .

TH E HAND OF AUSTEN CHAMBERLAI N,ESQ.,

M . P

THE HAN D OF MRS. ANNI E BESANT

THE HAND OF TH E LORD CHI EF-JUSTICE OF ENGLA ND

THE HAND OF THE COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN

THE HAND OF SI R JOHN LUBBOCK , M . P.,F . R . S

THE HAND OF SI R EDWIN ARNOLD

TH E HAND OF SI R FREDER ICK LE I GHTON, P. R . A .

THE HAND

THE HAN D OF E . M . CURTI SS, ESQ

THE HAND OF THE REV. C. H . PARKHURST, D . D

76

L ist of I llu str a tion s.

THE OF LADY L I NDSAY

THE HAND OF SIR ARTHUR SULL I VAN

THE HAND OF

THE HAND OF A PROM I NENT MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF

THE HAND OF MADAM E MELBA

THE HAND OF LORD CHARLES BERESFORD .

THE HAND OF MR . W I LLIAM W H ITELEY

THE HAND OF GEN . SIR REDVERS BULLER,V .C. ,

THE HAND

THE HAND OF H . N . HI GINBOTHAM , ESQ

TH E H AN D OF R I GHT H ON . W. E . GLADSTON E

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 A Defense.

rests u pon,I will m

erely ask my readers to follow the pages of this defen se

,

with cu riosity if they wish,bu t

,I hope

,with cu riosity tempered by common

sen se an d patien ce. It shall therefore be my provin ce to assume the posi

tion Of the stu den t, and n o t that Of the partisan . Thu s, discarding the argu

m en tative standpoin t, do I presen t the history Of the study,and the facts

u pon which it rests,feeling assu red that the resu lt will be satisfactory to the

reason,the logic

,and the common sen se Of those who

,from it matters not

what motive, m ay examin e this study for themselves.

/TO con sider the origin Of this scien ce, we mu st take ou r thoughts back to

the ear liest days Of the world’s history,and fu rthermore to the con sideration

Of a people the Oldest Of all,yet on e that has su rvived the fall Of empires

,

nation s, an d dyn asties, and who are to-day as characteristic and as fu ll Of

individu ality as they were when thou san ds Of years ago the first records Of

history were written . I allude to those children Of the East,the H in du s

,a

people whose philosophy and w isdom are every day being more and more

rev ived. Looking back to the earliest days Of the history Of the known

world,we fin d that the first lin gu istic records belong to the people u n der

con sideration,an d date back to that far -distan t cycle Of time kn own as the

Aryan civilization . Beyon d history we can n ot go ;bu t the mon uments and

cave temples Of In dia,according to the testim on y Of archaeologists

,all poin t

to a time so far beyon d the scan t history at ou r disposal, that in the exam i

nation Of su ch matters o u r greatest knowledge is dwarfed in to in fan tile n oth

ingn ess—ou r age and era are b u t the swaddling-clothes Of the child;ou r

manhood that Of the in fan t in the arms Of the etern ity Of tim e.

I n en deavoring to trace the origin Of palmistry,we are carried back to

the confin es Of a prehistoric age. H istory tells u s th at in the remotest

period of the Aryan civilization it h ad even a literatu re Of its own . Beyon d

this we can n ot go ;bu t as fragm ents Of this literatu re are even now extan t,we mu st therefore con clude that it had a still more remote infancy ;bu t in to

that n ight Of an tiqu ity we dare n o t venture. There are no stars to gu ide,

n o faded moon s to Show u s light ;an d SO,stan din g on the borders Of the

kn own, we gaze in to the darkn ess Of the unkn own , from the vastn ess Of

which we occasion ally draw th e bon es Of a mammoth or the fragments Of a

shrin e : they are helps to kn owledge ; they ar e weeds u pon the san ds of tim e;

A Defen se . 3

they tell u s Of days before o ur days, Of races before ou r race

,Of verdan t

islands, Of civilization su nk forever in the ocean Of an tiqu ity.

AS regards the , pe ople’

w h o fifi t u n de r st o od an d practised this study 01.th e han d, we fin d u n dispu ted proofs Of their le arn in g and knowledge. L on g

before Rome or Greece or Israel was even heard Of,the mon umen ts Of

India poin t back to an age Of learn in g beyon d,an d still beyond. From the

astron omical calcu lations that the figu res in their temples represen t,it has

been estimated that the H in du s u n derstood the precession Of the equ in oxes

cen tu ries before the Christian era. I n some Of the an cien t cave temples,the

mystic figu res Of the Sphin x silen tly tell that su ch kn owledge had been pos

sessed an d u sed in advan ce Of all those n ation s afterw ard so celebrated for

their learn in g. It has been demon strated that to make a chan ge from o n e

Sign to an other in the zodiacal cou rse Of th e sun mu st have occupied at the

least 2140years, an d h ow man y cen turies elapsed before su ch chan ges came

to be Obse rv ed'

an d n oticed it is impossible to even estimate.

Th e in tellectu al power which was necessary to make such Observation s

speaks for itself ;an d yet it is to su ch a people that we trace the origin Of

the stu dy u n der con sideration . With the Spread Of the H indu teachings

in to oth er lands do w e trace the spread of th e kn owledge Of palmistry. Th e

H indu Vedas are the Oldest scriptu res that have been fo un d, an d according

to some au thorities they have been the Fo u n dation Of ev en the Greek schools

Of learn ing.

When we con sider that palmistry is the Offspring Of su ch a race,we

shou ld for su ch a reason alon e at least treat it With respect, an d be morein clin ed to examin e it s claims for ju stice than we are at presen t. I n th e

exam in ation Of these poin ts we therefore fin d that this stu dy Of the hand

is o n e Of‘

the most an cien t in the world. H istory again comes to o u r assis

tan ce,and tells that in the n orthwest province Of India palm istry was prae

tised an d followed by the Joshi caste from time immemorial to the present

day .

It may be in terestin g to describe here, in as few words as possible, an

extremely ancien t and cu riou s book on the markings Of han ds, that I was

allowed to u se and examin e du ring my sojou rn in India. This book was o n e

Of the greatest treasu res Of the few Brahman s who possessed and u n derstood

4 A D efense .

it,and was jealou sly guarded in o n e Of those Old cave temples that belon g

to the ru in s Of an cien t H indu stan .

This strange book was made Of human Skin ,pieced and pu t together in

the most in gen iou s man n er. It was Of en ormou s size,and con tain ed h u n

dreds Of well-drawn illu stration s,with records Of how

,when

,an d where this

or that mark was prov ed correct.

On e Of the stran gest featu res in con n ection wi th it was that it was written

in som e r ed liqu id which age h ad failed to Spoil or fade. Th e effect Of those

vivid r ed letters o n the pages Of du ll yellow Skin was m o st r rem arkable . By

some com pou n d,probably made Of herbs

,each page was glazed

,as it were

,

by varn ish ;bu t whatever this compou n d m ay have been , it Seemed to defy

tim e,as the ou ter covers alone Showed the sign s Of wear an d decay. AS

regards the an tiqu ity of this book there cou ld b e no qu estion . It was ap

par e n t ly written in three section s or division s : the first part belonged to

the earliest langu age Of the coun try,an d dated so far back that very few Of

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

in H indu stan i ;bu t all are SO jealou sly gu arded by the Brahman s that neither

mon ey,art

,n o r power will ever release su ch pledges Of the past.

AS the W isdom Of this strange race spread far and wide a cross the earth.

SO the doctrin es an d ideas Of palmistry spread an d were practised in other

coun tries . Ju st as religion su its itself to the con dition s Of the race in which

it is propagated, SO has palmistry been divided in to systems. Th e most an

cien t records,however

,are those fou nd amon g the H indu s. It is difficu lt

to trace its path from cou n try to cou n try. I n far-distan t ages it has been

practised in Chin a,Tibet

,Persia

,and Egypt ;bu t it is to the days Of the

Grecian civilization that we owe the presen t clear and lu cid form Of the

study. Th e Greek civilization has in man y ways been con sidered the high

est an d m ost in tellectu al in the world,an d here it was that paly i my ,£1;

cheiroman cy—from the Greek cheir

,the han d—grew

,flou rished

,and found

favor in the Sight Of tho se whose n ames are as stars Of hon or in the fi r

m am en t Of kn owledge. We fin d that An axagoras tau ght and practised it in

423 We fin d that Hispan u s discovered, on an altar dedicated to Hermes,a book o n cheirom an cy written in gold letters

,which h e sen t as a present to

Alexan der the Great, as“a study worthy the attention Of an elevated an d

A Def en se . 5

inqu iring min d.

” We fi nd it also san ctioned by such m e n Of learn ing as

Aristotle, Plin y, Paracelsu s, Cardam is, A lb e I'tu S Magn u s

,the Emperor Au

gu stu s,and many o th e rS‘

Of n ote.

NOW, whether these an cien t people were more en lighten ed than w e are

has lon g been a qu estion of dispu te. Th e poin t,however

,which has been

admitted, an d the o n e which con cern s this study most,is,that as in those

days the greatest study Of man kin d was m an,it therefore follows that in a

stu dy like this their con clu sion s are fa r m ore likely to be right than are

those Of an age famou s for its im plem en ts O f destru ction,its steam-en gin es

,

an d its commerce. Again , if an age like the presen t will admit, and hasadmitted, that those Greek philosophers were m en Of extraordinary depth Of

thou ght and learn ing, an d that the ir works, thoughts, an d ideas are worthy

Of the deepest respect, w hy Shou ld we then lightly con sider their au thority on

this subject, and throw a side a study that SO deeply occu pied their atten tion ?An d again , if we go back, as we do, to these men for their learn ing in other

matters, why, in th e n ame Of all that is reasonable,shou ld we reject their

kn ow ledge in this“.2

Now, as in the study Of mankind there came to be recogn ized a n atu ral

position o n the face for the n ose,eyes

,ears

,e tc .

,SO also on the hand there

came to be recognized a n atu ral posit io n for the lin e of head, t he lin e Of life,an d SO o n . Th e

'

tim e and study devoted to the subject en abled these stu

den ts to give n ames to these marks ;as the lin e Of head, mean ing men tality ;the lin e Of heart

,afi ectio n ;the lin e of life, longevity ;an d SO o n

,with every

mark or mou n t that the hand possesses . This brings u s down to the periodwhen the pow er Of the chu rch wa s begin n in g to be felt ou tside the domain

an d ju risdiction Of religion . It is said that the early Fathers were jealou s

Of the power of this Old-world scien ce. Su ch m ay or may n o t have been the

case ;bu t even in the presen t day we fin d that th e church con stitu tes itself

in all matters,both spir itu al an d temporal, the chosen oracle Of God. With

ou t w ishin g to seem in toleran t,o n e can n ot h elp bu t remark that the history

NEHany domin an t religion is the history Of the opposition to kn owledge, u n lessthat kn owledge proceed from its teachin gs. Palmistry

,therefore, the child

of pagan s an d heathen s, was n o t even given a trial. It was denou n ced as

r ank sorcery and W itch craft. Th e devil w as con ju red up as the father of all

6 A Defen se.

palmists, an d the resu lt was that m en and women , terrified to ackn owledge

su ch a paren tage, allow ed palmistry to become ou tlawed an d fall in t o the

hands Of vagran ts,tramps

,and gipsies.

Du ring the middle ages several attem pts were made to revive th is an

cien t study ;as, for in stan ce,“Die Ku n st Cirom an ta

,

” pu blished in 1475,

an d “Th e Cy r om an tia Aristo t elis cum Figuris,” published 1490, which is at

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

ashes o f the study from dyin g o u t ;bu t it is in the n in eteenth cen tury that

on ce more it rises a Phoen ix from the fire Of persecu tion which has tried in

vain to destroy it. The scien ce Of the presen t has come to the rescu e Of the

so -called su perstition Of the past. On almost every side proof is bein g added

to proof that this an cien t st udv is n o t a delu sion , b u t a real thin g— a jewel,

as it were,dimmed and covered by t he accumu lation s Of bigotry an d super

stitio n,yet o n e which con tain s w ithin its depths that light Of tru th wh ich

natu re’s followers delight to kn ow and worship.

It may be w ell here to defen d palmistry from the attacks Of the chu rch.

L e t u s examin e for a mom en t th e right Of th e chu rch to attack it. Alas'

!

his m ajesty Satan has still the repu tation Of being behin d every person w h o

dares to advan ce an y scien ce or thought that may not be in accordan ce with

the in terpretation Of the chu rch’s idea Of right an d wron g. I had n o t been

in Lon don on e mon th before a Catholic priest refu sed to give absolu tion to

an en tire fam ily becau se they had con su lted m e again st his orders. I n

America, du rin g my first year,I was visited by tw o clergymen , with the

Object Of persu ading me that m y su ccess was du e alon e to the agen cy Of the

devil. On e wen t SO far as to tell me that God h ad sen t him to Ofi e r me a

clerkship—at a small salary,Of cou rse—if I wou ld on ly give up my relation s

with the Evil On e . Bu t all this is n o t to be wondered at when o n e remem

bers that in this year in on e Of the most prom in en t chu rches in Amer

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

followed a lon g description Of “a fiery an im al shaped like a horse,that glowed

like a bu rn ing coal,which had a m an m ou n ted upon it w ithou t arms. I t

rolled from on e e nd Of the islan d to the other,an d from side to side with

Immen se speed. Th e people were terrified;they thought it was the devil,

A D ef ense. 7

and they im plored me to intercede for them,bu t I refu sed. I h ave trav~

eled all over the world an d seen the greatest sights an d won ders Of the earth ;bu t I n ever saw an y thing

’

like tha t b e fo r e . It w as a warn ing to all who saw

it,an d represented Satan and his army, who are to visit with awfu l resu lts

the Sinn ers Of the earth.

”

I make n o comm en t. I qu ote the abov e wo rds verbatim from a leading

New York paper Of the 3d Of March,1894

,which reported the en tire sermon .

The chu rch is n o t Con sisten t ;its fou n dation is the Bible, an d from the

first Of Gen esis to the end Of R evelation the Bible is a book Of fate. I n th e

open in g chapters we find that God ordain ed a certain time when a V irgin

wou ld con ceive, and a little later when a Ju das wou ld betray. Poor Judas

thu s becomes a selected V ictim,a ch ild Of fate

,from whom Oppo rtu n ities

wou ld arise to alter the destiny Of nations. It is u seless to say that Judas was

a free agen t ;if he had shirked his fate wou ld n o t some other m an have h ad

to take his place “that the Scriptu res might be fu lfilled ” ? Over fo u rteen

times in the Gospels do we find these mysteriou s words. I n almost every

portion Of the Bible we find the spirit Of prophecy en cou raged. We find

Schools Of the Prophets” established for su ch a pu rpose

,and in dication s

that divination s were held in high repu te by God’s chosen people . Amon g

the H ebrew s,as amon g the H indu s

,Egy ptian s

, Chaldean s, and all n ation s

who en cou raged the spirit Of prophecy, the prophets were a separate and

distin ct class from the priesthood . Among the Jew s the prophets Often

acted in direct Opposition to the priesthood, den ou n cing in the strongest

langu age the abomin ation s an d corruption s that they practised. Again,

what can be more my stical, or more allied to magic, than the an cien t cabala

Of the JeWs ? Accordin g to tradition it was commu n icated by God to Adam,

by Adam given to Seth,and lost by the latter in some mysteriou s way. It

was ren ewed again by God to Moses o n Mou n t Sin ai, from Moses t o Joshu a,from Joshu a to the Seven ty E lders, an d was sometimes u tilized by learn ed

Jews in stead Of the cou n sels of the Talmud. Examining the Biblical state

ment that the Jew s were in bon dage to Egypt at a time when the Egyptian s

were famou s for their m agic, it can n ot b e wondered at that after leaving

that lan d Of mystery they wou ld still clin g to the teachings imbibed while

there. According to man y au thorities,the description Of t he H ebrews de

8 A Defen se.

Spoiling th e Egyptians on the eve Of their departu re, an d robbing them Of

their orn aments,sign ifies in cabalistic langu age “the takin g from them th e

extern al rites an d ceremon ials Of their magical worship .

” We therefore fi nd

that the Bible,upon which the creeds Of the modern chu rch are fou n ded

,is

tin ged with the mysticism comm on to its time ; that it en cou rages prophecy.

an d that it teaches fate : which three things in the study Of palmistry arou se

the wrath Of the chu rch,and are den ounced as sorcery,witchcraft, an d every

thing else con trary to the t eachings Of God.

I n v iew Of the opposition Of the chu rch, it is interesting to notice the

many importan t phrases in the Bible in which hands are men tion ed. There

are many au thorities w ho affirm that among the arts learn ed by the Jews

While in Egypt was this stu dy Of the han d;bu t the mos t important verse

that is u sed in support Of this is the seven th Of the thirty-seven th chapter Of

Job. I n the origin al Hebrew it appears to have a very different meaningfrom that given to it by the E nglish version . On e tran slation Of it ru n s

,

“God placed Sign s or seals in the han ds Of m en,that all m e n might kn ow

their works.” This verse,abou t the middle Of the sixteen th cen tu ry

,cau sed

som e very great discu ssion s am on g theo logian s and commen tators. Among

them we find that man y advocated the ch eirom an tic aspect that the lin es Of

th e han d are “the markings Of God,that all m en might kn ow their works .”

Among those in su pport Of this V iew were Franciscu s Vale siu s, Schu lten s,Ly ran n u s, Thomassin, and Debrio, and this is all the more rem arkable when

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

age in which to propagate their views . Th e?

tran slation Of the Bible in to

En glish at a time w hen th e Opposition to palmistry,sorcery

,an d witchcraft

was at its height,is very probably the cau se Of the wording Of this verse as

it n ow stan ds .

Amon g other verses that seem to bear a relation to this point might be

mention ed“L en gth Of days is in her right h and

,riches and honor are in her left.”

(Prov. iii.“What evil is in mine han d“i (1 Sam . xxvi.“An d receive his mark in his forehead

,or in his han d.

” (R ev . xiv.

Bu t of all t he many allu sion s to the subject,the verse in Job is certainly

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

10 A Defense.

kn owledge o n particu lar things,bu t it confines men to a narrower lin e Of

thought. It therefore happen s that the physician m ay know little abou t

an atomy,w hereas the su rgeon may know next to n othing Of m edicin e ;the

n erve specialist w on’t treat the common ailmen ts Of life, an d t h e doctor will

n o t in fringe u pon the latter ;the physician who devo tes his talen ts to con

sumption cu res won ’t treat fever patien ts ;and SO o n . NOW all this leads upto a very grave poin t

,namely

,the u n reason able way in which the ordinary

popu lace treat the ordin ary medical man. A m an sees,perh aps

,a strange

experimen t in hypn otism ;he goes to his ph ySI CI an , an d becau se that'

physi

e ian,who probably has n ever devoted five minu tes’ study to' su ch a subject,

pron ou n ces su ch a thing impossible,the patien t goes away and tells his

acqu ain tan ces to pooh-pooh the idea,becau se Dr . SO-an d-so does n o t believe

in it. NOW,when one con siders that even in medicine there are hu n dreds

Of mysteries perfectly u nkn own to the ordin ary medical;man , how m u ch

more SO may it n o t be in regard to the mysteries Of life an d n atu re,wh ich

are su bject to invisible laws beyond the pow er Of man to analyze ?

I respect doctors as a body Of edu cated m e n ;bu t I do n o t respect the

idea that they Shou ld be the appointed judges Of su ch matters as telepathy,

mesmerism, clairvoyan ce, and SO on,withou t an y other qu alification bu t that

Of having MD . to their n ame . It was Voltaire who said that “New ton,with

all his scien ce,did n o t kn ow how his han d moved.

” Almost every day in

my work,t h e followin g con versation occu rs

“Well,Sir

, y ou have told me the ev ents Of my past life SO accu rately

from these lin es that I am half in clin ed to believe y o u can tell the fu tu re ;bu t I have asked Dr . SO-and-SO ;he says it mu st be all humbu g, SO I really

do n o t kn ow what t o think .

” Alas ! Dr . SO-and-SO too Often tu rn s ou t to be

a m an who has n ever h ad the time,the opportu n ity

,or even the in clin ation

to study the con nection between the brain an d the han d. H e has not even

read the works Of m edical specialists o n the subject. H e has confin ed

himself to the treatm en t Of fever,pn eumo n ia

,the illn esses Of children

,or

the hypochon driacal fads and fan cies Of age. H e kn ows that there are

su ch things as han ds,that they are dry and hot du ring fever, and that is

abou t all.

I n reference to this I qu ote a few remarks from the address Of the pres

A D efense . 11

Iden t of the New Jersey State Medical Society,at its meeting

,June

,1893

,in

which he said :

How man y physicians kn ow any thing Of the n atu ral cau se Of most dis

eases except by h earsay ? How many have had the cou rage to Observe for

themselves while sternly combatin g the sedu ctive Opportu n ity Of prescribing

a v ariety Of u n n ecessary medicines ? ”

No t more than tw enty years ago almost every physician Of note cried

ou t that hypn otism was impossible. TO-day the same profession em braces

it,and stu dies the v ery laws whose existen ce it on ce den ied. It is the same

with eh eir om an cy : for y ears th ey have pooh-poohed t h e idea ; to-day they

admit that diseases are indicated in a m arvelou s man n er by the han d,and

at presen t the stu dy Of the Shape Of th e n ails is a bran ch calling forth the

greatest attention from medical m en in both Lon don and Paris.

If the medical profession cou ld on ly forget their Old-tim e prejudices ;if

they cou ld on ly be persuaded to take some reliable work o n palmistry an d

study it for themselves—they wou ld withou t doubt come to the con clu sionthat, in the words Of H ispana s, it was indeed

“a study worthy the atten tion

of an elevated an d in qu iring min d.

”

I n relation to this I publish the following letter which appeared in the

Studen t, a paper be longm g to the Un iversity of Edinbu rgh

, Scotland, dated

Jan u ary 29,1890.

CHEIROMANCY.

SI R : Som e year s ago I w as w alk ing thr o ugh o n e Of th e wa rds in the Royal I n firm ary, wh ensuddenly th e idea o ccur r ed t o m e that I wou ld exam in e th e lin e s o n a pat ien t ’s han d.

I w en t to the n e ar e st b ed, and w itho ut pau sing t o lo ok at th e pa t ien t , I exam in ed his han d.

I kn ew litt le Of palm istr y,an d b e liev ed st ill le ss ;in fact , I hardly kn ew m or e than the n am e s Of

th e fiv e pr in cipal lin e s, an d tha t br e aks in tho se lin e s u su a lly m e an t m isfo r tu n e . I exam in edth e han ds, an d saw th e life -lin e br ok en in b o th han ds, an d th e fa t e -lin e , b efo r e it h ad r e ach ed

a quar t e r Of its n a tural length , stopped and r eplaced by a large cr oss. I qu e st io n ed the pa t ien t ,an d found that he wa s twen ty-thr e e year s Old, an d far gon e in ph thisis. H e died in a few days. I

cou ld m u lt iply in stan ce s, bu t space fo r bids. Wou ld y ou th en a llow m e t o Offe r a few sugge st ion sas to th e po ssib le r e lat ion Of th e se lin e s t o pr o ce sse s car r ied o n in th e ce lls Of th e gr ay m at te r ?

I am w e ll aw ar e that palm istry is con sider ed quack ery an d hum bug ;bu t , aft e r a ll,fact s ar e

stubborn thin gs, e v en if th ey do n o t r e st on an y kn own scien t ific basis.

Of lin ear m ark ings on th e pa lm Of the hand to

th e br ain .!pecu liar to m an a s a r eason ab le b e ing.

d afi ectio n , ar e sh ow n by m ov em en t s.

12 A D efen se.

3. The se m ovem en ts ar e coar se an d fin e , an d so pr odu ce large an d sm a ll cr ease s or lin e s.4. Gr ease s an d lin e s, th er efo r e , be ar a defin it e r e lat ion t o m o v em en ts

,an d so t o t en den cie s.

5. Th er e a r e fo ur w e ll-m a rk ed'

cr ease s o r lin e s on e v e ry h an d, fou n d by expe r ien ce to b eara defin it e r e la t ion t o t he t e nden cie s Of affe ct ion , m en t a l capacity, lo ngev ity, an d m en ta l b en t

,

o r w ha t cheir om an ts ca ll “fa te .

”

6. A lin e cr o ssin g th e longev ity lin e , a b ran ch o r b r eak in it , in terfe r e s w ith its u n ifo rm ity,an d th e r efo r e in t e r fe r e s with th e u n ifo rmity Of th e t en den cy t o liv e .

7 . Ne r v e s r egu lat ing coar se r and fin e r m o t ion s, an d so cr ease s o r lin e s, co n tain ch iefly m o t o r

fib e r s;bu t pr o bab ly also o th e r filam en t s t ran sm it t in g in v ibr at ion s th e r e sultan t o r com b in ede ffe ct o f a cqu ir ed an d con st itu t ion a l t en de n cie s, a n d de t e rm in ing I t t o that par t o f th e lo ngev itylin e tha t w ill b e affe ct ed

,an d th e r e cau sin g a cr e ase r e sem b lin g a cr o ss by its jun ct ion w ith the

m a in lin e o r a b ran ch,as th e case m ay b e .

8. Th e sam e t ra in Of r easo n ing Ob v iou sly applie s t o avoidable acciden ts—tha t is, acciden tscau sed by car e le ssn e ss.

9. Un avoidable acciden ts. Ce r ta in t r acts Of ce lls in the con ica l gr ay m at t e r a r e,in cr edib le as

it m ay se em ,pr obab ly affect ed b y com ing e v en ts

,an d m ade t o v ibra t e ;h en ce , vagu e fear s,

in t u it iv e pe rcept io n , bu t n o a ct ua l t r a in of r ea soning. Th e V ib r at ion s excit ed in th ese ce llscan n o t aw ake n th e act iv ity Of th e ce lls e ngaged in r ea son rn g pr o ce sse s t ha t adjo in th em ,

bu t

m e r e ly cau se pr o t oplasm ic v ib ra t ion s in th em,th e se v ib rat ion s b e ing t ran sm it t ed an d m arked

o n th e han d by cr e ase s Of diffe r en t sh ape s. Acco rding t o ch eir om an t s, th e left han d is wha ty ou ar e , con st itu t ion ally ; th e r ight hand, What y ou m ak e you r se lf o r

‘

acquir e . We m ay , the r e

for e , r e ason ab ly expe ct t o se e in th e r igh t han d th e r e su ltan t Of acqu ir ed an d con st itu t ion a lt e nden cie s.

As r egards fu tur ity, I th ink it n o t im po ssib le tha t Pr ofe ssor Char co t ’s r e sear ch e s on th e

h igh e r fu n ct ion s Of th e n e r v ou s syst em w ill dem on st ra t e that t r acts Of ce lls,o r a l

path ological

con dit ion of th e se ce lls, en ab le s a pe rcept ion Of fu tu r ity, bu t n o m em or y Of it .(Sign ed) SPERANUS.

I t will thu s be seen that it requ ires b u t a little study Of the subject

to convin ce even the most Skeptical that “there is somethin g in the lin es ” ;and if a little

,why n o t a great deal

,if a su fficient amou n t Of study be devoted

to it ?

I n medical work,h oem at om a Of the car has been for a long tim e r ecog

niz ed. This con sists in the upper portion Of the ear assumin g a pecu liar

shape, either by the formation Of a blood tumor, or by t he th icken ing Of

th e u pper portion,which is foun d in the ears Of lu n atics, gen erally those who

in herit m adn ess ;bu t in Paris lately it has b een more closely studied, with

the resu lt th at in Augu st,1893

,tests were given before t h e Academ ic des

Scien ces, provin g that madn ess cou ld be predicted years in advan ce by

a proper study Of the car alon e . Now m y argument is, that if, as has been

prov ed, accu rate prediction can be made by a study Of the ear, is there then

an y th ing impossible in prediction bein g far more accu rately made by a study

A Def en se . 18

Of the han d, which has been pron ou n ced to be, both in n erv es and mechan ism,

the most won derfu l organ in the entire system,an d to have the most intimate

con n ection with the brain ?

Almost all medical m en admit n ow that the differen t formation s of n ails

in dicate different diseases, and that it is possible from th e nails alon e to

predict that the subject will su ffer from paralysis,consumption

,heart dis

ease, and so o n . Man y a well-kn own doctor has told me that he has readmOr e from the hand than he dared acknowledge

,an d that it was bu t the Old

tim e preju dices which kept many a m an from admittin g the same thin g.

At this poin t let_me also draw a comparison between the w ay a doctor

treats his patien t an d the way a palmist treats his clien t. I draw this com

parison On account Of the u n fair man n er in which medical m en as a ru le treat

t h e palmist.

In the first place,the doctor has a recogn ized scien ce to gdby ;he has

scien tific in strumen ts with the most modern improvements to assist his r e

searches ;bu t how man y can tell the patien t what he is su fferin g from ,u n less

the patien t first tells th’

e doctor all'

abou t himself an d his symptom s ;and

even then,h ow Often can the doctor arrive at a correct diagn osis ? Man y Of

my readers will remember that dur in g the great epidemic Of La Grippe in

LOt n,1890, letters appeared in the leading papers relatin g to the expe ri

e n ce s Of'

a man wh o visited seven “of the most noted physician s Of the

day ;that these seven ,after thorou ghly examin ing him

,each said he was

su ffering from a different disease an d all prescribed en tirely differen t drugs

for li1m to take .

NOW,in the case Of a palmist

,the clien t

,withou t givin g his or her nam e,

withou t telling his Occupat ion,or whether married or single, Simply holds

ou t his hands,an d the palm ist has to tell him past even ts in his life, present

su rroun dings,health

,past an d presen t;and havin g, by accu racy on ly, gain ed

his con fiden ce,he proceeds to read the fu tu re from the same materials that

he has told the past. Now,if the palm ist

,withou t on e particle Of the help

that the doctor gets,shou ld make on e mistake, the clien t immediately con

siders that he is a ch arlatan , an d palmistry a delu sion and a sn are. If,however

,the doctor makes a blun der,it is never kn own , bu t the resu lt is that

th e patien t has been “called away by Providen ce to an other sphere.”

14 A Defense .

I leave my readers to draw their own conclu sion s.

Among the testimony an d ideas given by scien tific m en we find th e

greatest possible argumen ts in favor Of the ch eir om an tic u se Of the lin es,

formation s,m ou n ts

,an d SO forth . In the first place

,the markin gs Of n o two

hands have ever been found alike . This 1s particu larly n oticeable In the case

Of twin s ;the lin es will be widely difi e r en t if the n atu res are difi e r en t in

their individu ality,bu t at least some importan t differen ce will be Shown

,in

accordan ce with the differen t temperamen ts. It has also been n oted_that

even with the lin es Of the hand a certain pecu liarity will ru n in families for

gen eration s,an d that each su cceedin g race will also Show in tem peramen t

whatever that pecu liar characteristic is. Bu t again,it will be fou nd that in

the markin gs Of the han d som e children bear very little resemblan ce, in the

position Of the lin es,to those Of the paren ts, an d that, if on e watches th eir

lives,they will

,in accordan ce with this theory, be foun d very differen t from

those wh o gave them birth. Again,one child may resemble the father

,

an other the mother,an d the markin gs Of the h an d will also be fou n d to

correspon d with the markings o n the hand Of the particu lar paren t that the

child resembles.

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

Opposite, however, is the case. At the birth Of the in fan t the lin es are deeply

marked (Plate XXVI ) . Work, o n the con trary, covers the han d with a coarse

layer Of skin , an d SO hides in stead Of exposes them ;bu t if the han d is soft

en ed,by pou lticing or other mean s

,the en tire mu ltitude Of m arks will be

shown at an y time from the cradle to the grave .

Th e su periority Of the hand is well worthy ou r atten tion . Scien tists and

m en Of learn in g in all ages have agreed that it plays o n e Of the most impor

tan t parts Of all the members Of the body. An axagoras has said : “Th e

superiority Of man is owin g to his hands.” I n Aristotle’sWritin gs we find“Th e han d is the organ Of organ s

,the active agen t Of the passive powers Of

the en tire system .

” I n ou r own day , su ch men as Sir R ichard Owen , Hum

ph rey , and Sir Charles Bell all call atten tion to the importan ce Of the han d.

Sir Charles Bell in 1874 writes : “We ou ght to define the hand as belon gin g

exclu sively to man, corr esponding,in its sensibility and motion , to the endowm en t

of his mind.

”

A Defense. 15

Sir R ichard Owen, in his work o n“Th e Natu re of L imbs

,” published in

1849, says“I n the hand every single bone is distingu ishable from on e

another ;each digit has itSown _.pecu liar character.”

It has lon g been known and recogn ized that the han d can express almost

as mu ch by its gestu res and position s asthe lips can by Speech. Qu in tilian,Speaking of the langu age of han ds, says

“For the other parts of the body

assist the speaker,bu t these

,I may say

,speak for themselves ;they ask, they

prom rse, they in voke, they dismiss, they threaten , they en treat, they depre

cate,they express fear

,joy

,grief

,ou r doubts

,o ur assen ts

,o u r pen iten ce

,

they Show moderation,profu sion

,they mark n umber and time.”

We will n ow give ou r att en tion to the skin,the n erves

,and th e sen se of

tou ch . Th e highest au thority we can have on the hand is Sir Charles Bell.

Speaking of the Skin , he says :“Th e cu ticle is so far a part of the organ of

tou ch that it is the m edium through which the extern al impression is co n

v ey ed to the n erve . Th e extremities of the fingers best exhibit the provision s

for the exercise of this sen se. Th e n ails give su pport to the tips Of the

fin gers,an d in order to su stain th e elastic cu shion that form s their extremities

they are made broad an d Shield-like. This cu shion is an importan t part Of

the exterior apparatu s. Its fu ln ess an d elasticity adapt it adm irably for

tou ch . It is a remarkable fact that we can n ot feel the pu lse w ith th e tongu e,bu t tha t we can with thefinger s. On a n earer in spection we discover in the

poin ts of the fin gers a more particu lar provision for adaptin g them to tou ch.

Wherever the sen se Of feelin g is most exqu isite, there we see m in u te Spiralridges of the cu ticle. These ridges have correspon ding depression s o n the

in n er su rface,an d they again give lodgmen t to soft, pu lpy processes of the

skin called papillae,in which lie th e extremities of the sen tien t nerves. Thu s

the n erves are adequ ately protected,while they are at the sam e time su ffi

cien tly exposed to have impression s commu n icated to them through the

e lastic cu ticle and thu s give rise to th e sen se of tou ch.

”

As regards the n erves,medical scien ce has demon strated that the hand co n

other portion of th e system,an d the palm con tain s

o n of the hand. It has also been Shown that the

e hand are so highly developed by generations of

passive or active, is in every sen se the immediate

16 A Defen se.

servan t of the brain . A very in teresting medical work states “that every

apparen t single n erve is in reality two n erve cords in one sheath ;the on e

con veys the action of the brain to the part,an d the other conveys the action

of the part to the brain .

”

I n conn ection with this,it is importan t to con sider the corpu scles that

are fou n d in the hand. Meissn er,in his “An atomy an d Physiology of the

Han d ” (L eipzig, showed that these corpu scles in the han d have a very

importan t mean in g. H e demon strated that these “u nyieldin g molecu lar

substances ” were fou n d in the tips of the fingers,the lines of the han d

,and

disappeared completely at the wrist ;that these corpu scles contain ed the en d of

the importan t nerve fiber,and du rin g the life of the body gave forth certain

crepitation s or vibration s,which ceased the momen t life became extin ct. I

have cou n ted,

” says he,

“in the first phalan ge of the Volar su rface of the fore

finger Of a fu ll-grown m an,o n e hundred and eight corpu scles

,and abou t fou r

hu n dred papillae in a squ are lin e.”

These investigation s were afterward followed up by exper imen ts as t othe n oises or crepitation s that they gave forth du ring life. It was demon

st r a t ed that people with acu te hearin g cou ld detect these v ibrations distin ct

an d dide r en t in every human bein g. An d in the case of a m an experimented

o n in‘

Paris,who was born blind

,bu t whom n atu re h ad compen sated by

givin g him a greater sen se of hearing,it was fou n d that by listen in g t o th e

V ibration s Of these corpu scles “he cou ld determin e the Sex, age,‘

and tem

per am en t,the state of health

,and even their n earn ess to illn ess an d death.

”

We will n ow tu rn ou r atten tion to what,perhaps

,as far as palmistry is

con cern ed,may be the most importan t poin t Of all, n amely, as to the ideas o f

m en of learn in g as regards a flu id or essen ce in connection with the n erves

an d the brain .

On this poin t Abercrombie states : “The communication of perceptions

from the sen ses to the mind h as been . accou n ted for by m otions of th e

nervou s flu id, by vibration s of the n erves, or by a subtle essence resemblingelectricity or galvan ism.

”'

We fin d that this theory haab een very freely cir

cu lat ed by those who have devoted seriou s thought tothe subject. Miille r

also says : “Perhaps there exists between the phen om en a of th e nervou s

system and of electricity a sympathy or con n ection at presen t unkn own ,

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18 A Defen se.

a carefu l study of the most importan t member of the body—th e hand ? I s

there an ythin g absu rd or ridicu lou s in the idea that the han d specialist (as

the tru e palmist is) shou ld attempt an d be able to read the health, the sur

rou n din gs Of the past an d presen t,an d even the fu tu re

,from an examination

Of the han d, in depen den t Of an y palm istic theory of lin es to go by ?

That the lin es are not produ ced by work w e have n oted earlier. If,therefore

,as has been demon strated

,they are n o t produ ced by work, they

lik ewise are not produ ced by con stan t foldin g. It is tru e that the hands fold

on the lin es, bu t it is also tru e that lin es an d marks are fou n d wh e r e‘

n o fold

ing can possibly take place, an d if so in o n e case,why n o t in all ? Again

,

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

completely disappear,althou gh the han ds con tin u e to fold as before. Th e

foldin g argumen t,it will therefore be observed

,does n o t hold groun d.

As regards the qu estion ,Is the study of phren ology an d physiogn omy to

be con sidered as an aid in a ch eir om an tic exam in ation ? a little thought will

convin ce the in qu irer that su ch is n o t by any mean s n ecessary. A thorough

study of the han d will com bin e both. Th e han d,by its direct commu n icat ion

with every portion of the brain,tells n o t on ly the qu alities active, bu t those

dorman t,and those which will be developed. AS regards physiogn omy, the

'

face allows itself to be too easily con trolled to be accu rate in its findin gs, bu t

the lin es can n ot be altered to su it the pu rposes of th e mom en t.

It is Balzac who has said,in his Comédie Humain e “We acqu ire the

facu lty of imposin g Silence upon ou r lips,u pon ou r eyes

,u pon ou r eyebrows

,

and upon ou r foreheads ; the han d alon e does n o t dissemble—n o featu re is

more expressive th an the han d.

We will n ow tu rn to the qu estion of the fu tu re as revealed by this study,an d carefu lly exam in e the reason s advan ced for su ch a belief.

I n the first place,we mu st bear I n mind that the mean ing Of the difi e r

en t lin es in con ju n ction with the differen t types Of hands dates back to that

period already referred to when th is study lay in the han ds of men who

devoted their lives to its cu ltivation . Now,as there came to be recognized a

natu ral position for the n ose or th e lips o n the face, so in t h e stu dy of the

han d there cam e to be recogn ized a n atu ral position for the lin e of head or

the lin e of life,as the case might be. HOW su ch a th ing was originally dis

A D efense. 19

cov ered is not ou r prov in ce to determin e, bu t that the tru th of su ch desrgna

tion s has been proved, an d can be proved, will be admitted by an y person who

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

poin t that certain marks on the lin e of head mean this or that pecu liaritymen tally

,and that certain marks On the lin e of life have been proved to be

in relation to length Of life or the reverse,the same cou rse of observation

,it

is n o t illogical to assume, that can predict illn ess, health, m adn ess, an d death

years in advance may,if persisted in

,be also accu rate in its Observation th at

mar riage will occu r at this or that poin t,with this or that resu lt

,an d also in

regard to prosperity or the reverse. It is beyon d my power to an sw er w hysu ch a thin g shou ld be, bu t it is su rely n o t beyond my ju risdiction to advan ce

the followin g theory That as the hidden laws of n atur e become more r e

vealed by each cen tu ry o f tim e,so does m an become more cognizan t Of the

fact that things before called m ysteries are bu t produ ced by the action of

certain laws that beforetime he was ign oran t Of. I also advan ce the theory

that it is n o t possible for usto lead the isolated lives that at first sight appear

probable ; that as the laws which afi e ct the en tire u n iverse afi e ct u s,so do

we,as part Of a whole

,af oot again those laws, and thus on e an other . I n ex~

amining this qu estion we find that the han d preaches, to a certain exten t,the doctrin e of fate

,in its prediction Of things years in advan ce

,an d in its

r elation to the cfi ect of circum stan ces over which we h ave little or no con trol.

There is here,however

,a stran ge combin ation

,not on ly in terestin g bu t

in stru ctive : man appears respon sive to the du al laws of destin y an d free

will. Man has free w ill, I argu e, bu t with limitation s, as there are limita

tions to all other things in life—to on e’s strength,to on e’s height, to on e

’s

age,and so forth. Free will. is the oscilla tion of the cy linder , which very

oscilla tion drives the e ter n a l m achin ery of evolu tion . Lookin g over the pages

or the Bible, we fin d destin y absolu te, the pu rpose of God appearing in all

things. L ookin g back over the history of the world, the fate of n ation s

stands o u t in grand relief u pon the somber backgrou n d of the past. M an b e

com e s

'

th e servant Of destiny. Th e ru lers of Rome, the Grecian s Of Athen s,the Pharaohs of the Nile

,all have served their pu rpose an d are gon e. We

behold in all the slow bu t steady stride Of evolu tion bearin g u s higher, bear.

ing u s to perfection . L e t u s look back—the lesson s of the past may be th e

20 A Defense.

te ach ers of the fu tu re. We behold an age when freedom Of though t lay dyingbeneath the dogma Of a chu rch ;we behold a bondage great as an y when

a Rama rose in H indu stan , a Moses in Egypt, or a Christ in Jeru salem ;a

million things lead to the one cr isis—again history is repeated, again a manis forced to the fron t . Was there anythin g in the appearan ce of that in

significant monk, Lu ther, that he Shou ld be called upon to take su ch a

r esponsibility u pon his shou lders ? Ah ! he was n o t called u pon by m an ;

destiny was again absolu te—n atu re was on e-Sided,the balan ce had to be

r estored. God—n atu re—fate—w e will n o t qu arrel abou t a n ame—workin gthrough the medium of hereditary laws, so fashioned a m an that

,standin g in

th e niche of n ecessity, he was the lever upon which the fate of thou san ds

depended. Th e same in the case of Napoleon,the same again in the boy

George Washington, an d as in the greater,so in the smaller; from creed to

creed,from class to class

,from the Presiden t to the preacher

,from the

banker to the gamin , all. fulfil their pur pose, each star within its sphere, each

person,each position, all are chords an d discords, notes an d harmon ies in the

son g of life,an d as in the u ltimate millennium of perfection will that per

fe ction be etern al, SO shall all Share the perfection Of that gran d harmony of

which even n ow we form the ton es, the semi-tones, an d the discords.

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

that thu s shapes and controls ou r lives ? If at first sight it seem s so,w e

mu st con sider the hu n dred and on e things we have believed in with less

foun dation . To be con sistent,we mu st remember the mu ltitu din ou s variety

of religion s,creeds

,an d theor ies that have not on ly been accepted by th e

m asses,bu t have been the solid beliefs of intellectu al min ds. If

,th erefore

,

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

which n o actu al facts exist,is there an yt hin g so very absu rd in su pportin g

a doctrin e of fate, which it is logical to suppose exists, if we only take it from

the standpoin t of the repetition Of even ts from natu ral cau ses ? On this qu es

tion I w ou ld draw atten tion to the words of Dugald Stewart in his “Ou tlin es

of Moral Philosophy,

” published 1837,in which he says : All philosoph ical

inqu iry, an d all that practical knowledge which gu ides o u r condu ct in life,

presu pposes su ch an establish ed order in the su ccession of even ts as enables

us to form con jectu res concerning the futur e from the observa tion of the past.”

A Defen se. 21

Man ther efore becomes both the maker an d the servan t of destiny,he

brin ging in to force, by his existen ce alon e, certain laws that react upon him

self,an d

, through him ,u po n others. Th e presen t is therefore the efi ect Of a

heretofore cau se ;an d again , the/

pr esen t is the cause of a her eafter effect. Th e

deeds of the past are th e karma of the presen t,as in “the sin s of the fathers

,

”

an d in the effect of hereditary laws. AS we,therefore

,work o u t ou r ow n fate

,

SO do we make fate for those to follow,and so on in every degree from stage

to stage in the world’s progress.

It will thu s be seen that in stead of this doctrin e becomin g a dangerou s

o n e,it becomes the reverse. It forces m e n an d wom en to realize the r espon si

bility of life it teaches them to feel for others, an d n o t to be carefu l alon e for

the salvation of self. This creed I hold wou ld su it all classes of the com

munity,wou ld raise m en by its u n se lfishn ess

,wou ld redeem them by its

person al claim,wou ld broaden men ’s V iews

,that where n ow they see bu t

dogma they wou ld see Tru th ;would teach that we, the children Of human ity,bein g brothers an d sisters

,shou ld serve on e an other

,to th e u ltim ate per

fection of the race, to the ben efit Of all life, an d to the advan cemen t of those

who are yet to come.

This doctrin e of fate does n o t retard m en from work, it advan ces them

on the plan e of work. It does n o t hold o u t a reward for work don e, which,after all

,is bu t the wage of the hirelin g ; it gives the higher satisfaction

of doing one’s best,that others may be better—n o more. It teaches patien ce

in trial,resignation in . affliction

,humblen ess in su ccess, an d V irtu e in what

ever position in life it‘

has pleased God (or fate) to call u s.

”

Con trast this doctrin e with that of free will as u su ally preached, an d

what is the resu lt ? We fin d the greatest m an redu ced to the smallest atom

in the immen sity of human ity. We look lower in the scale of life,we see m il

lion s of bein gs cru shing on e an other, living o n o n e an other, strugglin g with

all the fi e rcen e ss of their freedom. There is n o con ten tmen t in su ch a scen e,

n o peace,n o beau ty ;n o t even in their religion do we fin d the rest which

after death shou ld be the reward of the weary.

On the other hand, the tru e fatalist will n o t close his han ds an d wait, he

will Open them and work, earn estly an d patien tly an d well, remembering

that the bu rden he bears has been made for him to teach him to make lighter

22 A Defen se.

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

is etern al ;that n o matter h ow sm all that link may be, it still has its pu r

pose—to be born e with patien ce,t o b e served with hon or. ’Tis n aught to him

the clash of creeds,

’tis n au ght the su ccess of the mom en t, or the failure of

the year ;he will do wron g in his life, as w ell as right—we all do ;evil is as

n ecessary as good—bu t he will do his best, that is all. An 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

ticles of clay from when ce he cam e ;bu t if there b e a Spirit, then is his spirit

part of the etern al spirit of all thin gs,and so in the su ccess of all is he su c

ce ssfu l. This is,to my m ind

,the doctrin e of fate as preached by this study

of the han d ;this is the creed that has been despised by the chu rch an d

ranked as “an en em y to the teachings of God.

” What that agen cy or power

is which marks the hands may forever rem ain a mystery,bu t that does n o t

qu alifyu s for obstin ately refu sin g to b elieve in it—becau se we do n o t kn ow

A m an might as well say,

“I refu se to live,becau se I do n o t kn ow a ll that

con stitu tes life,

” or “I refu se to think,becau se I do n o t kn ow the process of

thought.” There are hu n dreds Of mysteries,even in the sim ple things of life.

that the fin ite m in d can n ot fathom,bu t we can n ot affo rd to discard them b e

cau se we do n o t kn ow their cau se. Th e greatest thinkers,Christian or anti

christian , have ackn owledged their belief in some power beyon d o u r con trol

that“shapes ou r en ds,rough hew them how we will.” What can be stronger

than the words of Professor Tyndall : “L ife an d its condition s set forth the

operation s of an in scru table power ;we kn ow n o t its origin,we kn ow n o t its

e nd;the presumption , if n o t the degradation , restsWith those who place u ponthe thron e of the u n iverse a magn ified im age of them selves.”

Voltaire has said : “There is a power that acts within u s withou t co n

su lting u s.

”

An d lastly, let me draw attention to the words of Emerson :“A little

con sideration of w hat takes place aro u n d u s every day mu st Show u s that

a higher law than tha t of our will r egu la tes even ts.

”

We have n ow seen how this stu dy has su rvived from age to age. We

have seen how even hard-headed m aterialistic scien ce brings fo rth f acth tosu pport its theories. We have v iewed it from a n atu ral light

,an d w e 'fin d it

n atu ral ;we have examin ed it from a religiou s stan dpoin t, an d it is religiou s a

A Defen se. 23

we find that good can be don e through it,n o t on ly in its doctrines of the

respon sibility of life,bu t

_

in its warn in gs,in its cau tion s

,an d in the kn owledge

of self that it gives to all. Wh atf th e n , is to be done ? Discard it becau se of

opposition ? NO,We mu st help it for the sake of the tru th th at it possesses.

We mu st teach it to others,that its kn owledge may be power. We mu st

u se it becau se of its u se,we mu st support it becau se of its support ;an d

lastly,to the man or woman who

,in Spite of reason

,of proofs

,of facts

,still

doubts—to su ch a person , u sing Foster’s argument again st atheism as a

fou n dation I wou ld say,that by taking su ch a position they do not do them

selves ju stice as reason able Or in tellectu al beings . An dwhy ? Becau se u n less

they know every law that con trols mankin d,that law that they do n o t kn ow

may be the one whose existen ce they deny. Unless they have been in every”

p ortion Of th e u n iverse,that portion they have not seen may contain the

secret of th e whole ;an d u n less they kn ow every power that constitu tes life,

th at power they do n o t. know may be the very one that marks the han d.

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26 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

acter Of stran gers while Sittin g in the railroad car, the chu rch, th e con cert,or the salon .

Th e characteristics of variou s n ation s as Shown by the Shape of the han d

is also a fascin atin g bran ch of the study, and o n e very mu ch overlooked.

L ater,I will en deavor to poin t ou t the leadin g characteristics that I myself

have Observed in relation to this portion Of the subject._Th e varying shape

Of han ds an d their su itability to variou s kin ds of occupation is also worthy

of n ote,an d although by the exercise of will we can alter and make up, in a

certain degree,for almost an y con stitu tion al defect

,yet it is u n doubtedly th e

case that certain types are more su ited for o n e work than an other, which is

the more immediate provin ce of cheirogn omy to determin e. We will there

fo re a t on ce proceed to con sider the differen t types of han ds with their vari

o us modification s,in their relation to temperamen t and character.

There are seven types of hands,each of which may again be subdivided

in to sev en varieties.

Th e seven types are

I. Th e elemen tary,or the lowest type.

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

III. Th e Spatu late,or the n ervou s active type.

IV. Th e philosophic,or the kn otty hand.

V. Th e con ic,or the artistic type.

VI. The psychic,or the idealistic hand.

VII. Th e mixed hand.

Th e seven varieties are formed by the blen ding of the seven types.Amon g civilized n ation s the elemen tary b ein g rarely fou nd in its pu rity

,we

therefore commen ce with the squ are,divided 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

,

long;the squ are with kn otty fingers ;the squ are w ith spatu late fingers ;the

squ are with con ic fingers ; the squ are with psychic fingers ;and the squ arewith mixed fin gers.

CHAPTER II.

THE ELEMENTARY,OR L OWEST TYPE .

TH IS hand natu rally belon gs to the lowest type of men tality. I n appear

an ce it is coarse and clumsy,with large

,thick

,heavy palm

,short fingers

,an d

short n ails (Plate It is always importan t to n otice the length of the palm

and fingers . Some books on palmistry state that to Show in tellectuality the

fingers shou ld always be longer than the palm ;bu t an examin ation of this

statemen t will Show that it is n o t correct. It has n o t been proved that fin

gers have been fou nd longer than the palm. That they may be n early as

lon g,or as lon g

,there can be n o doubt;bu t it is a very rare case to fi n d

them even Of the same len gth. When , however, in proportion to the Size ofthe palm the fin gers are long

,it indicates a more in tellectu al n atu re than

when they are short. I n Dr . Cairn ’s work on the physiogn om y of th e hum an

body,he states that “the bon es of the palm form

,amon g bru te an imals

,al

most the whole han d.

” Th e dedu ction,therefore

,is that the more the palm

dom in ates the han d,the more does the an imal n atu re ru le.Q This is the im

portan t poin t in the elemen tary hand : the palm is always thick and coarse,

an d the fin gers Short an d clumsy. There are also very few lin es to be seen

on the palm. Th e people possessin g su ch a type have very little m en tal

capacity,an d what they do possess lean s more to the order of the bru te.

They have little or n o con trol over their passion s ; love of form,color

,and

beau ty does n o t appeal to them.

” Th e thumb o f su ch han ds is short and

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

Su ch people are violen t in temper,passionate bu t n o t courageou s . If they

commit mu rder,it is in the fu ry an d in the spir it of destru ction . They pos

sess a certain low cu n nin g,bu t the cun n in g of in stin ct, n o t reason . These

ar e people withou t aspiration s ; they bu t eat, drink, Sleep, and die. (Se e also“The Hands of Nation s

,” Chapter XVI.)

27

CHAPTER III.

THE SQUARE HAND AND I TS SUBDIVI SI ONS.

C THE squ are han d mean s the palm squ are at the wrist, squ are at the base

of the fingers,an d the l

ingers them selves squ are (Plate Such a type is

also called the u sefu l,becau se it is found in so man y walks of life. /,With

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

People with su ch a han d are orderly, pu n ctu al, an d precise in manner,

n o t,however

,from an y in n ate grace of natu re, bu t more from con formity to

cu stom an d habit. They respect au thority,they love disciplin e

,they have

a place for everythin g an d everythin g is kept in its place,n o t only in their

hou sehold,bu t in their brain s. They respect law an d order

,an d are Slaves

to cu stom ;they are n o t qu arrelsome, bu t are determin ed in opposition ;they

prefer reason to in stin ct,peace to war

,an d are methodical in w ork an d in

habit. They are en dowed with great perseveran ce,bu t are ten aciou s

,n o t

resign ed;they are n o t en thu siastic over poetry or art; they ask for the

material, they win su ccess in practical thin gs. I n religion they will n o t go

to extremes , they prefer substan ce _to Show,and dogma to ideas. They ar e

n o t adaptable to people,or versatile

,they h ave lit tle origin ality or imagin a

tion , bu t in work they have great application , force of character, strength

of Will, and often o u tdistan ce their more brillian t an d inspirational rivals.They n atur ally love the exact scien ces

,an d all practical stu dy. They en

cou rage agricu ltu re and commerce ; they love home an d the du ties Of

home, bu t are n o t demon strative in affection . They are sin cere and tru e in

promises, stanch in friendship, stron g in prin ciple, an d hon est in bu siness.Their greatest fault is that they are in clin ed to reason by a twelve-inch ru le

,

an d disbelieve all they can n ot u n derstand.

28

Plat e I I .—TH E SQUAR E;OR USEFUL HAND .

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30 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

make u sefu l things, in strumen ts, an d hou sehold articles, and are, as well,good en gin eers. They love mechan ical work of alm ost every kin d, an d th e

fin est u sefu l mechan ism has been tu rn ed o u t by m en with the squ are hand

and the spatu late fingers.

THE SQUARE HAND WITH CONI C FINGERS.

Now ,though at first Sight it may appear stran ge to say that mu sical

composition comes u n der this head, y e t a little con sideration will Show that

su ch n o t on ly is the case, bu t that there is a logical reason that it Shou ld be

so. In the first place,the squ are hand is more the han d of the stu den t. It

gives more the power of application an d Con tin u ity of cfi o r t,while th e con ic

fingers give the in tu itive and in spiration al facu lties. Th e mu sical composer,

n o matter how imagin ative,n o matter h ow in spired in ideas

,is certainly not

withou t the studen t’s side to his character. If w e con sider,for a momen t

,

the qu ality Of brain an d the disposition which is absolu tely n ecessary,we

will u nderstand more clearly w hy the hand mu st be thu s won derfu lly bal

anced—why the inspiration al,im agin ative n atu re mu st be linked to that of

the thoughtful,the solid

,the methodical

,an d th at which also proceeds from

the foundation of the kn own—as,for in stan ce

,harmony an d cou n terpoin t

to reach the world of the u nknown,throu gh the gates of im agin ation and

idealism. I have given great study to the han ds of mu sical people,and I

find this ru le in variable. I find that th e same also applies to literary people,those who from t h e fou n dation of stu dy build up the ivy-clad towers Of o r

man ce. It is here that the studen t of palmistry is Often discou raged. H e"

imagines that becau se a m an or woman leads an artis tic life,be it mu sical

or literary, that the shape of the han d mu st be what is common ly called the

con ic or artistic ;bu t the smallest Observation of life will show that thou gh

the people w ith the pu rely con ic or artistic han ds have the art istic natu re

and the appreciatio n of what is artistic,yet they may n o t have—and I have

more often Observed that they h ave n o t—the power or the ability to bringtheir ideas before the world in the same masterfu l way in which the mixedsqu are an d con ic do . A m an of a very artistic Spirit

,with the con ic: h

on ce said to me : “It is su fficient for the artist to be the artist to {hisin n er n atu r e ; the approbation of the world I s, after all, o n ly the V I Ilgar

The Squar e Hand and its Subdivisions. 31

m arK on wh at h e knows is gold. Yes,

” I reply,su fficien t for you r own

natu re, perhaps, bu t n o t su fficien t for the world that expects the diamond

to shine and th e gold to glit t er JJ

I f/

th e flower made itself,then might it r e

fu se to allow its perfume to scen t th e earth .

” On the con trary,the square

type will exert its powers to the greatest advan tage Of all mankind.

l‘HE SQUARE HAND AND PSYCHI C F INGERS.

Th e squ are han d with pu rely psychic fin gers is rarely found, bu t an ap

proach to it is Often seen in the form Of the squ are palm combined with lon g,

pointed fin gers and lon g n ails. Su ch a formation cau ses people to start well,

and mean well,bu t makes them subservien t to every mood and caprice. An

artist with su ch a type will have a studio Of u n fin ish ed pictur es,and the bu si

ness m an will have his office filled with u nfinished plans. Su ch a blendin g of

types the extreme Opposite of each other makes a natu re too contradictory

to ever su cceed.

THE SQUARE HAND AND M IXED FINGERS.

This is a type that is very Often seen,an d more so among men than

amon g women . It con sists of every fin ger bein g difi er en t in shape,some

times two o r thr ee,sometimes all. It is Often found that the thumb of su ch

[

a hand is supple,or bends back very mu ch in the middle join t ;the first finger

is generally poin ted,the second squ are

,the third spatu late

,an d the fou rth

poin ted. Su ch a hand in dicates great versatility Of ideas ;at times su ch a

m an will be fu ll of in spir ation,again he will be scien tific and extremely log.

ical;he will descen d from the most imagin ative idea to the most practical ;h e will discu ss any subject with the greatest ease ;bu t from Want of con

tin uity of pu rpose, he will rarely, if ever, rise to an y great height of power or

su ccess.

I have not space at my disposal to thu s give the subdivision s Of every

type,bu t this is an example for the studen t Of how the seven types m ay b e

divided.

CHAPTER IV.

THE SPATULATE HAND .

THE spatu late hand is so called n o t on ly becau se the tip of each finger

resembles the Spatu la that chemists u se I n mortars,bu t also becau se the palm,

in stead Of havin g the squ aren ess of the precedin g type, is either u n u su ally

broad at the wrist or at the base of the fingers (Plate

When the greater breadth of formation is at the wrist,the palm Of the

hand becomes poin ted toward the fin gers ;when ,o n the con trary

,the great

est breadth is fou nd at the base of the fingers,the Shape of the hand Slopes

back t oward the wrist. We will discu ss these two points a little later,bu t

we mu st first con sider the sign ifican ce of the Spatu late han d itself.

I n the first place,the spatu late hand

,when hard and firm

,in dicates a.

nature restless and excitable,bu t fu ll of en ergy of pu rpose an d en thu siasm.

When soft an d flabby,which is Often the case

,it denotes the restless bu t

irritable spirit. Su ch a person works in fits an d starts,bu t can n ot stick

to an ythin g long. NOW,in the first place

,the pecu liar attribu te that the

spatu late hand has is its in ten se love of action,en ergy

,an d in depen dence.

It belongs to the great n avigators,explorers

,discoverers, an d also the

great en gin eers and mechan ics,bu t it is by n o mean s con fin ed to su ch

‘

people, and may be fou n d in almost every walk of life. As a ru le,it is a

large han d, with fairly lon g, w ell-developed fin gers. Th e most striking

characteristic of all is the Singu lar in depen dence Of spirit that characterizes

in dividuals possessin g su ch a developmen t. It is doubtless this spirit that

makes them explorer s an d discoverers,an d cau ses them also to depart from

the kn own r u le s Of engin eering an d mechan ics to seek the u nkn own

thu s become fam ou s for their inven tion . No matter in what grade

position in life these spatu late hands fin d themselves,they always in so

form strike o u t for themselves,an d assert their right to possess a marked

32

Plate III . -THE SPATULATE. OR ACTIVE HAND.

The Spa tula te H and. 33

dividu ality of their own. A sin ger,actress

,doctor

,or preacher with su ch a

development will break all r u les of precedent—not by any means for the sakeof eccen tricity

,bu t simply becauSe

/

fh ey have an origin al way of looking at

things, an d their sense of indepen den ce in clines them to resen t su iting their

brain to other people’s ideas. It is from this han d that we get not on ly

ou r great discoverers an d engineers,bu t also the whole army of men an d

women we are pleased to call cranks,simply becau se they will not follow the

ru t made by the cen tu ries Of Sh e ep'

th a t have gon e before them. Su ch m en

andwomen with the spatu late han ds are the advan ce agents of thought. They

are,it is tru e

,very often before their time ;they are often wrong in the way

they set abou t their work ;bu t they are, as a ru le, the heralds Of some new

thou ght or life that will,years later

, give life to their fellow-men.

This brin gs u s down to the two divisions I h ave ju st mentioned. We will

now con sider their mean in g.

The spatu late handwith the broad developmen t at the base of the fin gers

is the more practical of the tw o . If he be an in ven tor,he wil l u se his talen ts

for makin g locomotives,ships

,railways

,an 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.

Bu t if he has the greater an gular developmen t at the wrist,his ben t will be

fgr action in the domain of ideas . He will inven t flying-machines if he has

the in ven tive talen t,hu nt fo r n ew flowers if he be a botan ist

,be the demigod

Of some new gospel if he be a priest. These people wonder that God took six

days to make t h e earth—with the little power that they possess they wou ld

revolu tionize the world in a day. Bu t they all have their pu rpose in the

evolu tion of life ;they are necessary, therefore they are created.

CHAPTER V.

THE PHILOSOPH I C HAND.

THE name of this type explain s itself, the word“philosoph ic ” being de

rived from the Greek philos, love, an d sophia, wisdom . This shape of hand

is easily recognized : it is gen erally long and an gu lar,with bony fin gers, devel

oped join ts, an d lon g nails (Plate As far as su ccess in the form of wealth

is con cern ed,it is n o t a favorable

“

type to have ; it glean s wisdom, rarely, if

ever,gold. People with su ch a type are, as a ru le, studen ts, bu t of pecu liar

subjects. They study mankin d ;they kn ow every chord and ton e in the harp

of life ;they play u pon it, an d are gratified w ith its respon sive m elody more

than with the clink of coin .

‘ I n this way they have as m u ch am bition as

other types Of human ity,only theirs is of a differen t kin d

,that is all. They

like to be distin ct from other people,an d they will go through all kin ds of

priv ation s to attain this en d;bu t as kn owledge gives power, so does the

kn ow ledge of mankind give power over m an . 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 mystic ; if they are poets, they discard the dramatic clash an d

color of life for the v ision ary sim iles an d vaporish dr apings Of the spirit.

Theirs is the peace of the aesthetic ;theirs the domain beyon d the borderlan d

of matter ; theirs the cloudlan d Of thought,where the dreaded grub-w orm

Of materialism dare n o t follow. Su ch han ds are fou n d very largely amon g

the Orien tal n ation s, particu larly in In dia. The Brahman s,Yogis

,an d other

mystics possess them in great n umbers. I n E nglan d,striking examples are

fou nd in the han ds of Cardin al Newman,Cardin al Man n in g

,and Ten n yson .

They are also largely seen amon g the Jesu its Of the Catholic Chu rch,rarely

in the En glish Chu rch, an d more rarely still in Baptists, Presbyterians, and

Indepen den ts. I n character they are silen t an d secretive ;they are deep

thinkers, carefu l over little matters, even in the u se Of little words ; they are34

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The Philosophic H and. 35

proud with the pride of being difi e r en t from others ; they rarely forget an

injury, bu t they are patien t with the patien ce of power. Th ey wait for

Opportunities, and so Oppo r t unitig serve them. Such hands are gen erally

egotistical,which I s in keepin g with the life they lead. When I n an y excess

of developmen t they are more or less fan atical in religion or m y sticrsm . Of

this the most won derfu l examples are fou n d in the E ast,where from the

earliest childhood the Yogi will separ ate himself from all claims Of relation

ship an d kin dred,an d starve and kill the body that the sou l may live. I

difi e r in my defin ition of this type very largely from the modern writers on

palmistry. I fear it has been too Often the case that the writer o n this sub

jcet has followed too closely what other au thorities have said,withou t taking

the trou ble to follow ou t his ow n observation s . Th e greatest in ju ry that has

been don e to palmistry has been don e in ' the nin eteen th cen tu ry,by the

lady an d gen tleman ” writers of the day . Su ch people read a few books

devote sometimes a few mon ths,sometimes less

,to the study as a fad

,or as

somethin g by which to make.

a tin sel repu tation of bein g in terestin g,then

they write their n am es to a book and disappear in to the whirl of society from

when ce they cam e. On ly this week I read a pamphlet written by a lady who

eight mon ths ago did n o t kn ow a lin e o n the han d, bu t to-day she comes for

ward as an expon en t of palmistry,an d

,havin g mixed up the types in her

brain,writes that the squ are hand with short fin gers is the hand of poetry

an d idealism. I n this work I have en deavored to keep an u n biased min d

toward the differen ce of opin ion o n this or that in con n ection with the study.

When I have come in con tact with an Opin ion in opposition to my own ,

I have carefu lly con sidered all points for and again st,an d before deciding in

an y direction I have taken tim e to examin e often hu n dreds of han ds before

coming to a conclu sion on even the smallest poin t. When o n e considers the

opportu n ities placed at my disposal,not on ly in o n e cou n try

,bu t in almost

every cou n try in the world,he will more readily u n derstand that there is some

likelihood of my bein g,n o t in fallible

,bu t fairly accu rate.

ith thes efo r e i in d that the dev elo ed

join ts are he ecu liar char act eri i of thou h

poin ted fingers are t he reverse. Again,su ch a developmen t gives the love of

an alyzing,bu t it is the Shape or type of han d which determines whether that

36 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

power of analysis be fo r chemicals or for man kin d. Th e end of the finger

being squ are an d conic combin ed gives the solemn tone to their in spiration

a nd fits them specially for the religiou s thought or the mysticism with which,

as a ru le,they become associated. Again

,these han ds

,in the pu rsu it of what

they con sider tru th,will have the patien ce of the squ are type

,with that love

of self-martyr dom which is the characteristic of the conic. It is the blen ding

of these almost opposite characteristics which brings abou t the pecu liar ideasthat make m en and women with the philosophic type of hands so different

from the practical dr ones in the vast h ive of humanity.

CHAPTER,

VI .

T H E C O N I C H AND .

THE con ic hand,properly speaking

,is medium-sized

,the palm slrglit lv

tapering, an d the fingers fu ll at th e base,and conic

,or slightly pointed

, at‘ the

tip or n ail phalange (Plate It is Often con fou nded with the next type,

the psychic,which is the lon g

,narrow b and

,with extremely lon g

,tapering

fingers.

Th e main characteristics of t h e con ic han d are impu lse an d in stru ct .

People with the con ic han d are Often,in fact

,designated the children

of impu lse.” Th ere is a great variety in con n ection with this type,bu t it is

more u su ally fou n d as a fu ll,soft han d

,w ith poin ted fingers

,an d rather long

n ail s. Su ch a formation den otes an artistic,impu lsive n atu re

,bu t o n e in

which love of lu xu ry and in dolen ce predomin ate. Th e great fau lt with

people possessin g this type is,that though they may b e clever an d qu ick in

thou ght an d ideas,yet they are SO u t terly devoid of patience and tire so

easily,that they rarely

,if ever

,carry ou t their inten tion s. Su ch people appear

to their greatest advan tage in com pan y,or before strange rs. They are good

conversation alists,they grasp the drift of a subject qu ickly

,bu t they a re

more or less su perficial in kn owledge,as also in other things ;they have n o t

th e power of the studen t, through want of application ; they do not reason ,they judge by impu lse and instin ct. It is that qu ality which makes them

chan geable in friendsh rp and afi ectio n ;one can easily Offend them over little

things. They are also very mu ch influ en ced by the people they come in con

tact with,and by their su rroun din gs. They are impression able in afiair es do

occur ; they carry their likes and dislikes to extremes;they are u su ally q u ick

tempered,b u t temper with them is bu t a thin g of the momen t. They

,how

ever,when ou t o f temper, speak their min d plain ly, an d are too impetu ou s to

study words or expressions. They are always gen erou s an d sympathetic,

38 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

selfi sh where their ow n person al comfort is con cern ed, it is tru e, bu t not in

mon ey matters;they are easily influ en ced to give mon ey for charity, bu t ,alas here they have n o t the power of discrimination , con sequ en tly the mon ey

is given to anybody or anythin g which m ay rou se their sympathies at the

m omen t. These hands n ever get that credit for charity which falls to the‘

lot of the more practical types. To get credit for charity very often con sists

in say in g what w e give to the beggar an d givin g it to the chu rch, bu t the con ic

fingers n ever thin k of that. Th e beggar comes, and if the impu lse to give is

there—well, they give, and that is all .

This in teresting type has been called,an d deservedly so, the artistic, bu t

su ch relates m ore to tem peramen t than to the carrying ou t of the artistic

ideas . It wou ld really b e more correct to say that the own ers of su ch hands

are influ en ced by the artistic, than that they are artistic. They are more

e asily influ en ced by'

co lo r,mu sic

,eloqu en ce

,tears

,joy

,or sorrow

,than an y

other type. M en an d w omen possessing this class of han d respon d quickly t o

sym pathetic influ en ces ;they are emotion al, an d rise to the greatest heights

of raptu re,or descend to the lowest depths of despair

,over an y trifle.

When the con ic hand is hard and elastic,it den otes all the good qu alities

of the fi rst-men tion ed,bu t accen tu ated by greater en ergy an d firmn ess of will.

The con ic han d hard is artistic in n atu re,an d if en cou raged for an artistic

life the en ergy an d determin ation will go far toward makin g su ccess. It

will have all the qu ickn ess of the first,with all the brillian cy and sparkle in

company and before strangers,an d it is for that reason th at the con ic han d

has b een chosen to represen t those who lead a public life,su ch as actors

,

actresses, sin gers, orators, and all those wh o follow a pu rely emotion al

career. Bu t it mu st n o t be forgotten that su ch people depend more upon

the in spiration al feelin g of the momen t than thought,reason

,or study.

They will do thin gs well,b u t will n o t kn ow why or how they do them.

Th e singer will carry away her audien ce by her own in dividu ality m ore

than by study of the song ; the actress, from her own emotion al natu re, will

stir the emotion s of others ;an d the orator will move mu ltitu des by the elo

qu en ce of his tongu e—n o t by the logic of his words. It mu st, therefore, b e

rem em bered that the type of han d bu t relates to the n atu ral temperamen tand disposition of the individu al ; it is the foundation u pon which the talen t

The Conic Hand. 39

rises or falls. For instance, a woman with squ are fingers can be as gr eat a

singer,and may often b e capable of risin g to greater thin gs than th e

w oman with the poin ted fo rm a tio'

rT;bu t she will reach that point by difi e ren t mean s—by her application , by her study, by her con scientiou s work, and

by the greater power of en du ran ce an d patien ce that she possesses. Study

an d development are o n e half the ladder of fame. Geniu s sits on the ru ngs

to dream,Study works and rises ru n g by ru n g ; it is the earthworms alon e

who,dazzled by the heights above them

,con found the two

,and oft crown

Study an d call it Gen iu s. Th e artistic type as a type bu t relates to tem

per am en t ; the variety of fingers indicates only where that temperamen t is

stron gest : as,for in stan ce

,the artistic hand with squ are fin gers in dicates

more the studen t,an d

,con sequ en tly

,more exactness in fou n dation

,method

,

and correctn ess ;su ch person s w ill try an d t ry again u n til they are su ccessfu l.

Th e spatu late fingers o n the artistic han d w ill give,say

,to a pain ter

the greater breadth of design and color,the more darin g ideas that will m ake

the m an famou s for his origin ality. Th e philosophic will give the m ystical

treatmen t of the idea—the ton es an d semiton es that subdu e the already su b

du ed colors. Th e lights an d shades that creep across the canvas,the poem in

the petals of the asphodel,the B en edictus in the han ds that soothe the dyin g

all w ill be detail, bu t detail leadin g to the regions of the spirit ; all will b e

calm . bu t with that calmness that awes o n e with the sense of the myster iou s.

CHAPTER VII.

T H E

'

r s r o H i c H A N D .

THHmost beau tifu l bu t the most u n fortu n ate of the seven is what is

kn own as the psychic (Plate This in its pu rity of type is a very rare

han d to fin d. Th e nam e explain s itself—that which appertain s to the sou l.Th e very word seem s to suggest to on e’s m in d the o ld fable of the en vy of

Ven u s toward the maiden Psyche—the war of the goddess of passion again st

t h e more spiritu al charm of the dau ghter of the sou l. I n its pu ren ess of type

it is a hard han d to fin d : nin eteen th-cen tu ry civilization does n o t en cou rage

su ch rare flowers of lily whiteness an d icy pu rity ;the calmness, coldn ess,and dreamy chastity of su ch a type are n o t sought after by the presen t-day

son s of the soil, whose heads are bowed in th e qu est for gold, and whose

blood is heated by the closen ess of the cattle . Bu t althou gh the exact type

m ay be hard to fin d, yet there are hun dreds of m en and women who so approach the psychic that they mu st be con sidered part of it

,particu larly

when the cu stoms that con trol ou r presen t-day life are taken in to con sider

ation . The psychic is the m ost beau tifu l han d of all. It is in formation

lon g, n arrow ,an d fragile-lookin g

,w ith slen der

,tapering fingers an d lon g

,

almon d-shaped nails. Its very fin en ess an d beau ty,how ever

,in dicate its

wan t of en ergy an d strength,and on e in stin ctively pities su ch h ands if they

have t o try to hold their own in the battle of life.

In dividu als with the psychic han d have the pu rely visionary,idealistic

natu re. They appreciate the beau tifu l in every shape an d form ;they are

gen tle in man n er,qu iet in temper ;they are co n fiding, and they in stin ctively

tru st every o n e who is kind to them. They have n o idea of how to

tical, bu sin ess-like, or logical ;they have n o con ception of order,

ality, or disciplin e they are easily influ enced by others ;again st t

they ar e carried away by the stron g ru sh of humanity. Color

40

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The Psy chic H and. 41

this natu re in the highest possible way ; to some, every tone of mu sic, every

Joy , every sorrow ,every em otion is reflected in a color. This type is u n co n

sciou sly a religiou s one ; it fee lfi h at is tru e, bu t has n o t the power t o seek

tru th. I n religion su ch people will be more impressed with the service,the

m u src, an d the ceremon y than with the logic or tru th of the sermon. They

ar e in nately devotion al,they seem to dwell on the confines of the spiritual,

they feel the awe and the mystery of life,withou t know in g why. All form s

of magic and mystery attract them ;they are easily imposed u pon, an 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,mediums, clairvoyan ts, becau se

they are more alive to feelin gs,in stincts

,and impressions than are their more

matter-of-fact brothers an d sisters .

Paren ts havin g su ch children gen erally do not at all understan d how to

treat them. Th e stran ge thin g is that they are often the ofi spr ing of matter

oi-fact,practical people. Th e on ly way in which I wou ld accou n t for su ch

a fact is by the theory of balan ce : natu re, working thro ugh hereditary laws,

fin ds a poin t of balan ce by produ cin g the direct opposite of the paren t ; thu s

the law of reaction produ ces the type u n der examin ation . Alas ! too often

a temperament of this kin d,by the ign oran ce an d stupidity of the paren ts

,

is forced in to some bu sin ess life,simply becau se the fath er is in bu sin ess.

Thé’

u tter wrongn ess of the life so cru shes an d dwarfs the n atu re that very

often the resu lt of su ch environmen t is in san ity or an early grave. There is

n o qu estion bu t that the asylums of the world are largely filled by the u tter

in ability of paren ts for su ch a position of responsibility ;an d the soon er this

fact is recogn ized,the better.

Possessors of these beau tifu l,delicate han ds, the in dicators of the pu rely

sen sitive n atu re,u su ally feel their position in life so keenly that they too

often con sider themselves u seless,and become morbid and melan choly in

con sequ ence. Su ch,however

,is not the case ;there is nothing u seless that

natu re calls in to creation ; the beau ty an d sweetness of su ch temperamen ts

are often of more u se an d do more good than those who, by th e accum u laa

tion of this world’s goods,bu ild a con ven t or en dow a chu rch . They may be

placed here to establish a balance in the laws of human ity ; they m ay be h ere

to increase ou r love and appreciation of the beau tifu l ;bu t they are not u se

42 Cheiro’s L anguage of the H and.

less—o f that we m ay b e'

a ssured;therefore let u s en cou rage and help them .

instead o f cru shin g an d destroyin g them as we too often do . Alas ! in the

worldly sen se they are gen erally left far behin d in the race for fame an d

fortu n e. I can n ot refrain from drawing the following pictu re, as illu strative

of such types :

They are as lilies thrown , by som e ru thless hand, u pon the tempest-tossed

river of life—t hey seem so helpless in the onward sweep of that terrible cu r

ren t. On e sees them at times clinging to the banks for pity Ah ! those

beau tifu l han ds have n o stren gth ;they ar e swept on again by the risin g tide

of bubblin g,babbling

,frothy human ity. A little lower

,one sees them, soiled

and stain ed,crou chin g ben eath the shadow of some rock

,trying, as it were,

to look happy amid the weeds that for a moment m ock the stream . Again,

it is the ru sh of the onward tide or the wash of some passin g barge that

drags them from the shelter of the stone and hu rries them nearer and n earer

to the sea. Th e river is broader n ow,qu ieter

,calmer

,wider : we expand in

ou r views as we leave the narrow banks of you th . Se e , n ow ,as the night

is nearing, how those lilies rest and dream upon the tide. Th e river is silen t

now, the ru sh is past,

'

the day of life is don e. Se e how it bears th e broken

flowers ten derly, as if sorry for the roughness of its early tide. All is qu iet

n ow, all is calm. Wider an d wider yet it grows

,calmer an d yet still calmer.

Th e e n d has come. Th e mists fall now,thicker and closer an d whiter. How

still it is ! Th e silen ce hangs like a coldn ess on the heart. Th e river widens

ou t in to '

. the sea, and lilies and flowers and weeds drift—it may be to thegarden of God

CHAPTER VI II.

T H E M I X E D H A N D .

THE mixed h and is th e most difficu lt of all to descr ibe. In the chapter

on the squ are I gave an illu stration of that type with mixed fingers. In

that case,however

,the mixed fingers have the fou ndation of the squ are

hand,whereas with the tru e mixed type no su ch fou ndation can be cited for

the student’s gu idance.

Th e mixed type is so called becau se the han d cannot possibly be classed

as squ are,spatu late

,con ic,philosophic, or psychic ; the fingers also belon g

to difi efen 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 hand of ideas, of versatility, an d gen erally of

chan geability of pu rpose. A man with su ch a hand is adaptable to both

people an d circumstances,clever

,bu t erratic in the application of his talen ts.

H e will be brilliant in conversation,be the subject scien ce

,art

,or gossip.

H e may play some instrumen t fairly well, may paint a little, and so on ;bu t

rarely will he be great. When,however

,a strong line of head ru les the han d,

he w ill,of all his talents

,choose the best

,an d add to it the brilliancy an 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 th e different dispositions with which they come in to

con tact. Their most striking pecu liarity is their adaptability to circum~

stan ces : they never feel the ups an d down s of fortu ne like others ;alm ost

all classes of work are easy to them . They are gen erally in ven tive,partie

u lar ly if they can thereby relieve themselves of labor. They are restless

an d do not rem ain lon g in an y town or place. They ar e fond of new ideas

on e momen t they determin e to write a drama,the next

,perhaps

,they invent

a gas-s tove or go in to politics ;bu t as they are always chan ging, an d u n

43

44 Cheiro’s L anguage of the H and.

stable as water,th ey rarely su cceed. It mu st be remembered that wh en the

palm belongs to a certain type these characteristics are mu ch modified;as,for in stan ce

,mixed fin gers on the squ are

,th e spatu late

,the philosophic

,or

the con ic will often su cceed where th e pu re developmen t of the type wou ld

fail. When the entire han d is mixed it is then that,through versatility of

talen t an d pu rpose,the subject is inclined to become the “Jack of all trades

,”

to which class of unfortu n ates th e individual possessing this type of hand is

so commonly relegated in w orks on palmistry.

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CHAPTER IX.

THE THUMB .

THE th umb is in every sen se so importan t that it calls for special atten

tion,n o t on ly in the domain of cheirognomy, bu t also in its relation to cheiro

m ancy. The tru th of palmistry cou ld rest u pon the solid foundation giv en

by th e study of the thumb alon e,in its

,

relation to th e most importan t char

act e ristics of the subject.

I n every age the thumb h as played a con spicu ou s part, n o t on ly in the

han d,bu t also in the w orld itself. It is a well-kn own fact that among many

of the tribes of Orien tal nation s,if t h e prison er

,when brought before his

captors,cover his thumb by his fingers

,he is in this dumb bu t eloqu en t

fashion giving up his will and in depen dence, and beggin g for mercy. We

find in the war an n als of the children of Israel in stances of their cu t tin g ofi

t he thu m bs of their en emies. Gipsies,in their ju dgment of character,make

t he thumb the great fou n dation for all their rem arks. Being interested with

gipsies in my early life, I know th is for a fact, for I h ave seen an d watched

them from the position,angle

,an d gen eral appearan ce o f the thumb make

their calcu lation s accordingly. I n In dia they have a variety of system s by

which they read the han d, bu t here, again , they make the thumb the cen ter

and fou ndation,n o m atter what system they work ou t . Th e Chin ese also b e

lieve in palm istry,an d they

,too

,base their remarks on the position of the

thum b itself. Again,it is an in teresting fact to n otice that even in Chris

tianity the thumb has'

played an importan t role,the thumb representin g

God ; the first fin ger Christ,the in dicator of the will of God

,and the on ly

fin ger o n the han d that has,by virtu e of its position

,the power to poin t, or

to stan d u pright in dependen t of the rest ; the secon d represen tin g the H oly

Ghost,as the atten dan t to the first. I n the Greek chu rch the bishop alon e

gives the blessin g by the thumb an d first and second fin gers,represen tin g the

45

46 Cheiro’s L anguage of the Hand.

Trinity ; the ordinary priest has to u se the whole hand. An d,again

,in the

old ritu al of the English chu rch,we find that in baptism the cross mu st be

m ade by the thumb.

I do not wish to tire my readers by gorng 1n t o a lengthy dissertation

u pon the medical poin ts which cou ld be given by the hu n dred in'

pr oo f of

th e importance of this mem ber ;bu t the most significant of all is that which

relates to what is kn own in medical work as the “thumb cen ter ” of the brain.

I t is a well-kn own fact among the specialists of nerve diseases that by an ex

amin ation of the thumb they can tell if the patien t is affected or is likely to

be afi ect ed b y paralysis or not, as the thumb will in dicate su ch a likelihood a

lon g time before there has appeared the slightest trace of su ch a disease in

any other part of the system . If it indicate su ch an afi ectio n,an operation

is at on ce perform ed o n the thum b center of the brain , and if that operation

is su ccessfu l (which is again shown by the thu m b) they h ave baffled the dis

ease an d the patien t is saved. And yet,in face of this

,which is a well

kn own fact,there still are people who do n o t believe in th e study of the han d.

Within the last few years Dr . Francis Galton has demon strated in London

the marvelou s accu racy by which crimin als can be traced by the study of

the corrugation s of the skin of the thumb . E n passan t, the En glish gov ern

men t thou gh t well of the idea,and even p re posed to pu t it in to practice—an d

yet that v ery governmen t arrested an d prosecu ted palmists du ring the sam e

year in almost every part o f the cou n try. Ju stice is in deed blind. An other

very in terestin g point is the old idea of the midwives—an idea,by the way

,that

can easily be seen to con tain a good deal of tru th. They believed that if the

child some days after birth was in clin ed to keep the thumb in side the fingers,it foreshadow ed great physical delicacy, bu t if, seven days after birth, th e

t humb was still covered,then there was good reason to su spect that the child

wou ld be delicate men tally. If o n e will V isit the asylums of the cou n try, he

cann ot fail to n otice that all con gen ital idiots have v ery w eak, poor thumbs ;1n fact

,som e are so weak as not tobe properly developed, even in shape. Al l

weak-min ded in dividu als have weak thumb s, a nd th e m an or woman who will

stan d talkin g with the fin gers coverin g and con cealing the thumb has little

self-co n fiden ce or self-relian ce. It is an interesting thin g to watch the hands

of people when dying. On e will see that, as death appro aches and th e

The Thumb. 47

r eason goes, the thumb loses all power an d drops m on th e hand,bu t

that if the reason has only faded temporarily the thumb still retains its

power an d there is every h e pe of life. It is D’Arpe ntign y who has said,“Th e t humb in dividu alizes the m an .

” This is remarkably tru e,particu larly

when on e follows o u t Sir Charles Bell’s discovery that in the hand of th e

chimpan zee,which is the nearest approach to the human , though well formed

in every way,yet the thumb, if measu red, does n o t reach the base of th e first

fin ger. The deduction to be made is,therefore, that the higher an d better

proportioned th e thumb,the more the in tellectu al facu lties ru le

,and vice

ver sd. This poin t the student will prove by the most casu al observation.

Th e man with the short,clumsy

,thick-set thum b is coarse an d bru tish in his

ideas an d animal in his in stin cts,while the m an or woman w ith the lon g

,

well-shaped thumb is in tellectu al and refin ed, and in the attainment of a

desire,or the carrying o u t of an object, su ch a person will u se the strength

of in tellectu al will,as opposed to that of bru te force

,which will be applied by

the m an with the thick,short formation . Th e thumb

,therefore

,shou ld be

lon g an d firm u pon the hand. It should not stand at right an gles to the

palm,n o r yet shou ld it lie too close to the side. It shou ld h ave a slope 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, th e natu re will fly l

t o extremes,from sh eer in

depen den ce o f spirit. Itwill be impossible to man age or con trol su ch n atu res ;they will brook n o opposition

,and th ey will be in clined t o the aggressive in

their man n er and bearing. When the thumb is well formed, bu t lyin g down,cramped toward the fin gers

,it indicates the u tter want of indepen dence of

Spirit. It den otes a n ervou s,timorou s

,bu t cau tiou s n atu re ; it will be im po s

sible to find ou t what su ch a person is thinkin g abou t or wh at he in tends

to do ;he can n ot be ou tspoken,becau se his natu re is the reverse. If the

thumb,however

,is a lon g on e

,he will u se his in tellectu al facu lties to ou twit

his oppon ent,bu t if it

'

be short and thick he will cau tiou sly await his op

po r tu n it y for an y deed of violen ce that h e may meditate. Wh en a well

formed thumb,therefore

,strikes th e happy medium of these two extremes,

the subject will have su fficient in depen dence of spirit to give him dign ity and

force o f char acter ;he will also be properly cau tiou s over his own afi air s,an d

have stren gth of will an d decision. It therefore stands : the lon g, well

48 Chetr o’s L anguage of the Hand.

formed thumb denotes strength of in tellectu al will ; the short, thick thumb, ,

bru te force and obstin acy ;the small,weak th umb,weakness of will andwan t

of en ergy.

From t1me immemorial the thumb ha s been divided in to three parts,

which ar e sign ifican t of the three great powers that rul e the world—love,

logic, an d will.

The first or n ail phalan ge den otes will.

The second phalange,logic.

Th e third,which is the bou n dary of th e Mou n t of Ven u s

,love.

When th e thum b is u n equ ally developed,as

,for in stan ce

,the first pha

lange extremely lon g,we fi nd that the subject depen ds upon neither logic n or

reason,bu t simply u pon w ill.

When the secon d phalange is mu ch longer than th e first,the subject

,

though havin g all the calmn ess and exactitude of reason, y et has not su fficien t

w ill an d determ ination to carry ou t his ideas.

When the third phalange is lon g and the thumb small,the m an or wom an

is a prey to the more passion ate or sen su al side of the n atu re.

On e of themost in terestin g things in the study of the thumb is to n oticewhether the first join t is supple or stiff. When su pple

,the first phalan ge is

allowed to ben d back, an d forms the thumb in to an arch ;when , on the co n

t r ar y , the thumb is stifi,the first phalan ge can not be ben t, back, even by

pr essu re ; an d these two opposite pecu liarities bear the greatest possible rela

tion to character.

Th e supple thumb (Plate VIII.) is the distin ctiv e pecu liarity of the L atin

races ; the‘

stifi'

join t is more the property of theNorthern . Th e supple jo in t,

for in stan ce,is very rare amon g the Dan es

,Norw egian s

,German s, E nglish,

an d Scotch, whereas it is fou n d in large n umbers amon g the Irish, Fren ch,Span ish, Italian s, an dwherever these races h ave con gregated. I hardly think

that the theory of climatic in flu en ce bears ou t this poin t. I am more in clin ed

to con sider that the unconsciou s influ en ce of the su rrou n dings,pren atal or

otherwise,has more to do with this pecu liarity

,for the characteristics that it

shows in the in dividu al are also the characteristics of the nation t o which

that individu al belon gs.

The Thum b.

THE SUPPLE-Join TED THUMB .

For example,the supple-join ted thumb, ben ding from the hand, is the in

dication of t he extravagan t person, n o t on ly in m atters of mon ey,bu t in

thou ght ;these are life’s n atu ral spendthrifts—improviden t of time

,improvi

den t of wealth . They have adaptability of tem peramen t for both people and

circumstances;they are qu ickly at hom e in whatever society they are thrown

they have the sen timen tal love of kin dred and cou ntry, as opposed to the

practical ;they settle down easily to new work and n ew su rrou ndings,an d

consequ ently they quicklyx

m ak e a home in whatever cou n try they are placed.

THE FIRM -JOINTED THUMB.

Again , in a gen eral way, the exact opposite of all this is fou n d among the

people with the stifi,firm jom t (Plate I n the first place

,they are more

practical ;they have a strong will and a kin d of stubborn determin ation which

makes them rather stron ger in character,and which is a large elemen t in

their su ccess. They are more cau tiou s and secretive they advan ce by slow

steps where the other n atu re will act by leaps an d bou nds . Again,they ar e

not erratic like the first mention ed;they stick to o n e thin g ;they car ry ou t

their pu rpose with a kind of resistless stu bborn ness they have the practical

idea of making the most out of their own home and their ow n cou n try ; they

ru le with strength ;they h ave a keen sen se of ju stice ;they con trol self as they

wou ld con trol machin ery ;in war they are solid, stron g, an d resistless ;in

love they are u ndemon strative,bu t firm an d st an ch ; in religion their

chu rches are plain,bu t solid; in art they have th e stren gth of their own

in dividu ality.

THE SECOND PHALANGE .

Th e n ext importan t characteristic of the thumb is the shape and make of

the secon d or middle phalan ge. It will be fou n d that this varies greatly

and is a decided in dicator of temperamen t. It has two n oticeable formation s,

namely, the n arrow molded cen ter or waist-like appearan ce (Fig. 3, Plate

VI II ), and its opposite, which is fu ll an d m ore clumsy (Fig. 1, Plate

I n Lon don ,in 1892

,when I published my “Book o n the Han d,” which

was to be followed later by this larger an d fuller work, I called atten tion to

50 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

the great difference,as far as character is con cerned

,sh own by these two

formation s. My statement that the waist-like appearan ce indicated tact

arou sed a good deal of in terest, and as it was taken exception to by some of

my critics,I will here en deavor to show in a logical way why su ch shou ld be

the case. In the first place,the stu den t has by this time seen the tru th of my

remarks abou t the fin er formation of the thumb being the in dication of the

greater developmen t of the in tellectu al will,and the coarse formation that of

the n atu re that will u se more bru te force in the accomplishment of an object.

It therefore follows that the waist-hke appearan ce,which is a portion of the

fin er developmen t,in dicates the tact born of men tal power

,whereas the

fu ller,coarser development indicates force in the carrying ou t of a pu rpose

,

in keepin g with the characteristics of each n atu re.

When the first or n ail ph alan ge is thick and heavy,with a short,flat nail,it is a su re in dication of the u n govern able passion of the subject. All bru tal

animal n atu res have su ch clubbed fo rmation s, the force of blin d passion com

ple t e ly domin atin g wh atever reason they possess. Su ch people, as a ru le,also have th e first join t stiff

,an d the two poin ts together give that terr ible

obstin acy of pu rpose that drives the subject,on ce ou t of temper

,in to deeds

of violen ce an d crime. Th e flat first phalange,con sequ en tly

,whether short

or long,is more calm in matters of temper an d more con trolled by reason .

When the han d is hard the n atu ral ten den cy toward en ergy an d fi rm ~

n ess in dicated by the thumb is in creased ;con sequ en tly the subject with the

hard,firm hand an d the first phalange of the thumb well developed will be

more resolu te of pu rpose and more determin ed in the execu tion of his ideas

than is the subject w ith the soft han d.

Wh en the hand is soft the subject will be more in clin ed to u se his will by

fits and starts,bu t can n ot be so much depended u pon in the execu tion of his

plan s.

On e very striking pecu liarity to be fou n d in this stu dy of human natu re

through the medium of the hand is shown in the case of people with t h e

su pple or ben din g-back thumb. They rarely h ave the same keen n ess of m ora l

consciou sness that is foun d with those of the straight, firm developmen t.

They are generally more th e se impu lsive children of natu re in w hom co h

scien ce in morals does n o t play so importan t a part.

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SQUARE . WITH SMOOTH JO INTS. POINTED, WITH SMOOTH DEVELOPED JOINTS.

Plate 1x.

CHAPTER X.

THE JOINTS o r THE FI NGERS.

THE development or n on -developmen t of the joints'

of th e fingers" is“

Very importan t con sideration in the reading of th e h and. Th e join ts are.

figuratively speaking,walls between th e phalan ges, and are importan t indica

tion s of the pecu liarities as well as o f the temperamen t of the subject.When the subject has what are known as smooth joints he 1s more in

clin ed to be im pu lsive in thought and to arrive at con clu sion s withou t u sin g

t he reason in g facu lties. With squ are hands this is very mu ch'

modified,

bu t n o t by an y mean s eradicated. Con sequ en tly a scientific man with squ are

fin gers,bu t with smooth joints (Fig. 1, Plate will jump at conclu sions

withou t bein g always able to account for them . Such a doctor will diagnose

a patien t in the same way ; if the man be really talen ted he may be veryaccu rate in his con clu sion s

,bu t su ch a man is more apt to m ake mistakes

than the m an with the squ are type with developed join ts. With the poin ted

han ds th e smooth join ts are pu rely intu itive (Fig. 2,Plate IX ) , they can n ot

be trou bled with details of an y kind they are also careless 1n dress, appear~

an ce,and in little matters. Such a person in bu sin ess affairs cou ld not keep

papers an d little thin gs in their places,althou gh h e wou ld be very particu lar

in in sistin g u pon order in other people.

Th e opposite is fou n d in the case of people with the developed joints

(Fig. 3,Plate Work has n othing to do with the in crease or dimin u tion

of su ch formations ; the sm ooth join ts are as often fou n d among m en who do

the hardest kin d of m an u al lab o r as the knotty or developed join ts amon g

m en who do nothing bu t men tal work. They are sometimes fou n d running

in families for gen eration s,or appearm g l n on e child an d bu t Slightly found

in all the others. I n the breeding of an imals it may be observed,en passan t,

h ow often little pecu liarities of this kind occu r,and also how sign ifican t they

51

52 Chetro’s L anguage of the Hand.

are. Thu s,wh en on e con siders how won derfu l are the laws of heredity

,he

will stu dy these “little things ” with greater in terest. For in stan ce,there is

that w ell-kn own fact that if a woman gives birth to a child by her first hu sl

band, children who follow by the secon d, third, or even fou rth hu sban d, as

the case may be,all in some Slight way exhibit the pecu liarities of the first

hu sband.

Th e developed joints bein g the Opposite of the smooth, it follows that

they Show more exactn ess in method an d work. I n this case,a m an with the

squ are,han d an d developed join ts, engaged in som e scien tific pu rsu it, does

n o t care how mu ch time he spen ds in workin g o u t details in con n ection with

an y science in which he is engaged. It is the same reason that makes the

philOSOphic han ds SO exact abou t detail in con n ection with their work. The

own ers of these join ts n otice the slightest thin g o u t of place in even the

arrangemen t of a room . They worry over little things,though in important

matters they will be cool an d calm. M e n with th ese developed join ts have

an almost femin in e in stinct in matters of dress—they class an d blen d color

well,an d n othin g will irritate them more than to accompan y a woman the

colors of whose costume do n o t harmon ize. In dramatic work, people with

su ch join ts are carefu l an d accu rate in the delineation of character,bu t

lack dramatic breadth an d force. Ou tside of science,they perhaps make th eir

best mark in l1t e 1 atu r e , becau se of their extraordinary power of an alyzinghuman n atu re, an d becau se of th e tru e 1n stin ct and kn owledge of hiTmanity

which seems to come to them withou t effort. We mu st therefore draw th e

dedu ction that these developed walls o r joints between the phalanges, figu ra

tively Speakin g, stop the tide of impu lse, and make the natu re more observant,thou ghtfu l, an d analyzing.

CHAPTER XI.

THE FINGERS.

FINGERS are either long or Short, irrespective of th e length o f the palm to

which they belon g.

L on 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 of n ation s

,or in the

pain ting of a pictu re . L on g-finge red people are exact in matters of dress,qu ick to n otice small att en tions ;they worry themselves over lit tle th ings,and have occasion ally a lean in g toward affectation.

Short fin gers are qu ick and impu lsive. They can n ot be trou bled abou t

little things ;they take everyth in g en m asse they generally jump at con

elu sions too hastily. They do n o t care so mu ch abou t appearan ces,or for the

con ven tion alities of society ; they are qu ick in thought, and hasty an d o u t

spoken in speech .

Fin gers thick and clumsy,as well as short

,are more or less cru el and

selfish .

Wh en the fingers are stifi an d cu rved inward,or n atu rally con tracted

,

they den ote an excess of cau tion and reserve,and very often in dicate a

cow ardly spirit.

When they are very supple and ben d back like an arch,they tell of a

natu re charming in compan y,afi able and clever, bu t cu riou s and in qu isitive.

Natu rally crooked,distorted

,twisted fin gers on a bad han d in dicate a

crooked,distorted

,evil natu re on a good han d they are rarely fou n d, bu t if

found they den ote a qu izzical,irritatin g person .

When a small fleshy ball or pad is fou n d on the in side of the nail pha

lange,it denotes extreme sensitiveness an d tact throu gh the dread of cau sin g

pain to others.

Wh en the fingers are thick and pu fi y at th e base, the su bject con siders.

53

54 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

his ow n comfort before that o f others ;he w ill desire luxu ry in eating, drink

ing, and livin g. When , on the con trary, the fingers at the base are Shaped

like a waist,it Show s an u n selfish disposition in every way

,and fastidiou sness

in matters of food.

When,with the fingers open

,a wide space is seen between th e first and

secon d,it in dicates great indepen dence of thought: When the space is wide

between th e third and fou rth, it in dicates independence of action .

THE LENGTH OF THE FINGERS IN RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER .

The first fin ger o n some b ands is very Short ;again , on others, it is as

lon g as the secon d,and so on .

When the first,or in dex finger

,is excessively lon g

,it denotes great

pride,an d a ten den cy to ru le an d domin eer. It is to be fou n d in the han ds

of priests as well as politician s. Su ch a m an,literally speaking

,will “lay

down the law.

”

When this fin ger is abn ormal, namely, as lon g as the second, it indicates

great pride of disposition,a desire for power

,the “on e m an

,on e world ”

creed. Napoleon was a strikin g example of this ru le ;on his han d the first

fin ger was abn ormal,it being fu lly equal to the second.

When the secon d finger (the finger of Satu rn ) is squ are and heavy, it

Show s a deeply thoughtfu l, almost morbid n atu re.

When poin ted,the reverse—callou sn ess and frivolity.

When the third fin ger (the fin ger of the Su n ) is nearly of the same length

as the first,it den otes am bition for wealth an d hon or through its artistic

lean in gs,and a great desire for glory . If excessively lon g, almost equal to the

secon d,it den otes the n atu re 1hat lo oks at life in the light of a lottery, on e

that gambles with all things—mon ey,life

,an d danger—bu t on e en dowedwithal

w ith strong artistic in stin cts and talen ts .

Th e Spatu late termin ation for this third finger is an excellen t Sign for the

actor,orator

,or preacher. I t in dicates that his artistic gifts are strengthen ed

by the dram atic or sen sational power,the breadth

,the color n ecessary to

appeal to au dien ces.

When the fou rth,or little fin ger

,1swell-shaped and long, it acts as a kin d

of balance in the h an d to th e thumb,an d in dicates the power of the subject to

influ ence others. When very lon g—almost reaching to the nail of the third

it Shows great power of expression in both writin g an d speaking,and the

owner is more or less the savan t and philosoph er : on e who can con verse with

ease on an y subject ;on e who interests and commands people by the man n er

in which he will apply facts and knowledge to the treatmen t of anythin g

brou ght under his notice. Mr.Gladston e is a good example of this class ; on

his hand his fou rth finger nearly reached the nail of the third.

CHAPTER XII.

THE PALM,AND LARGE AND SMALL HANDS.

A THIN,hard

,dry palm indicates timidity

, an d a nervou s,worrying

,

troubled n ature .

A very thick palm,fu ll an d soft

,Shows sensuality of disposition.

When the palm is fi rm an d elastic,an d in proportion to the fin gers

,it in

dicat es even n ess of min d,en ergy

,an d qu ickness of in tellect.

When not very thick,bu t soft an d flabby

,it den otes indolen ce

,love of

luxu ry,and a ten den cy toward sen su ality.

A hollow palm has been proved to be an u n fortu n ate sign ;su ch people

u su ally have even more disappointments than fall,as a ru le

,to the lot of

m o rtals. I have as well n oticed a pecu liarity that has n o t been men tion ed

in other works o n the subject,n amely

,that the hollow in clines more to on e

lin e or portion of the h and than to an other.

If it in clin es to the lin e of life,it promises disappoin tmen t and trouble in

domestic affairs,and if the rest of the hand den otes ill-health

,it is an added

Sign of delicacy an d! trou ble.

When the hollow com es u nder the lin e of fate,it in dicates misfortun e in

bu sin ess, money, and worldly affairs.

When u nder the lin e of heart it tells of disappoin tmen t in the close st

affection s .

I do n o t h old with other works on the subject, that the fingers mu st be

lon ger than the palm to Show the in tellectu al natur e. Th e palm of the han d is

n ever, properly speakin g, exceeded in length by the fingers. How can we ex

pect this to be the case with the squ are, spatu late, and philosophic types ?

Th e statemen t that in every case the fingers mu st be lon ger than the palm is

erro n eou s and misleading.

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CHAPTER X I I I .

THE NAI LS.

PARTI CULARLY as regards health, and the diseases likely to afi e ct the su b

ject , the n ails will be found to be remarkably su re gu ides . Medical m en in

both Lon don and Paris have lately taken up this stu dy of the n ails with great

in terest. Often a patien t does n o t kn ow, or for the momen t forgets, what his

parents have su ffered or died from ;bu t an examin ation of the n ails will in

a few seconds disclose importan t hereditary traits . I will first treat of the

healt h side of the qu estion,then of the disposition

,as sh own by this study.

I n the first place,the care of the n ails does n o t alter or affect their type

in the slightest degree : whether they are broken by work or polished by

care,the type remain s u n changed. For instan ce

,a mechan ic may have long

n ails, and the gen tleman at ease may have very short, broad on es, though h e

man icu re them every morn in g.

Nails are divided into fou r distin ct classes lon g,Short

,broad

,an d

n arrow .

LONG NAI LS.

Lon g nails n ever indicate su ch great physical strength as the short broad

type. Very lon g n ailed person s are more liable to su ffer from chest and lu ng

trouble,an d this is more accen tu ated if the n ails are mu ch cu rved

,both from

the top back toward th e fin ger and across the fin ger (Fig. 7, Plate This

ten den cy is even more aggravated if the n ail is flu ted or ribbed (Fig. 10,

Plate

This type of n ail,when Shorter

,in dicates throat trouble, su ch as lar y ngy

tis,asthma

,an d bron chial afi ection s (Plate

L on g n ails,very w ide at the top an d blu ish in appearan ce, den ote bad

circu lation proceeding from ill-health or n ervou s prostration . This is very58

THROAT AFFECTIONS. BRONCHIAL. BRONCH IAL.

DELICACY OF LUNGS. CONSUMPTIVE TENDENC IES

Plate X.—NAILS.

SHOV‘I ING CIRCULATION TENDENCY TOWARDS HEART DISEASE.

SHOWING TENDENCY TOWARDS

Plate XI .- NAILS.

The Nails. 59

often the case with the ands of women between the ages of fou rt een and

twenty-o n e an d forty—two and forty-seven .

SHORT NAIL S.

Short,small nails r u n in whole fam ih e s in which there is a ten dency

toward heart disease (P late XL) .

Short n ails,thin an d flat at the base

,with little or n o moon s

,are su re

Sign s of weak action of the heart,an d

,gen e1 ally speakin g, heart disease.

L arge moon s indicate good circu lation .

Short n ails,very flat an d su nken

,as it were

,in to the flesh at the base

,

Show nerve diseases (Plate

Short n ails,very flat and in clin ed to cu rve Ou t or lift up a t the edges

,are

the foreru n ners of paralysis,particu larly if they are white and brittle as

well as flat . If the latter is the case the disease is more advanced (Fig. 9,

Plate XL ) .

Short-n ailed people h ave a greater ten den cy to su ffer from heart trou ble

an d from diseases affectin g the tru n k an d lower limbs than those with lon g

nails.

L ong-nailed person s are more liable to trou ble in the u pper half of th e

system—in the lungs,chest

,an d head.

Natu ral Spots o n the n ailsare Signs of a highly stru n g nervou s tempera

men t when the n ails are fle ck edwith spots the w hole n ervou s system requ ires

a thorough overhau ling.

Thin n ails,if small

,den ote delicate health an d w an t of en ergy. Nails

very narrow an d lon g,if high and mu ch cu I v ed, thr eaten spinal trou ble, and

never promise very great stren gth.

DI SPOSI TI ON AS SHOWN BY ~,THE NAI LS.

I n disposition,lon g-nailed individu als

”

are less critical and more impr e s

sion able than those with short nails; They are also calmer I n temper and

more gen tle.

L on g n ail s Show more resignation and calmn ess in every way. AS a ru le

th eir owners take things easily. Su ch nails indicate great ideality ; th ey also

60 Chetr o’s L anguage of the H and.

Show an artistic natu re,and their own ers

,as a ru le

,are fon d of poetry

,paint

ing, and all the fin e arts. Long-nailed persons,h owever

,are rather in clin ed

to be visionary,and shrink from looking facts in the face

,particu larly if those

facts are distastefu l.

Short—n ailed individu als, on the con trary, are extremely critical, even of

things relatin g to self;they analyze everything with which they come in to

contact ;they inclin e to logic, reason, and facts, in opposition to the vision ary

qu alities of the long-n ailed. Short-nailed individu als make the best critics ;they are qu icker

,Sharper an d keen er in their judgmen t ;they are, as well, fond

of debate,and in an argumen t they will hold ou t till the very last ; they have

a keener sen se of hu m or an d of the ridicu lou s than the long-nailed ; they are

qu ick and Sharp in temper,and are more or less Skeptical of things they do

n o t understan d.

When the nails are broader than th ey are long,they indicate a pu gnaciou s

disposition, also a ten dency to worry an d meddle and to in terfere with other

people’s bu siness.

Nails Short by th e habit of bitin g in dicate the n ervou s,worrying tem

pe ram en t .

I do not pay an y atten tion to th e spots o n the n ails, except asa Sign of

illness through nervou s strain.

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62 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

ha I r . I f we will examine h air, we will fin d that r ed hair is coarser in qu ality

as a r u le than either black, brown, or ble nd. Now,being coarser or larger

the tube itself is, consequ en tly, wider, an d therefore shows the greater qu an

tity of electricity that escapes, an d of which these n atu res hav e the greatest

amount. It is n o t that they have as mu ch pigmen t as the dark people,bu t

havin g the greater supply a nd force of electricity, they are con sequ ently the

more“excitable and qu icker to rou se to action than either the black, brown ,or ble n d.

When th e system gets old, or becomes en feebled by excess or dissipation ,the electricity

,n o t bein g gen erated in su ch large qu an tities

,is nearly or e n

tir ely consumed by the system itself; the pigment 1s n o longer forced in to

these hair tubes,an d con sequ en tly they commen ce to grow white at the ou ter

en ds,and so o n

,till the en tire h air or tube becomes white. It is the same in

the case of a su dden Shock or grief—the hair often stan ds on en d from the

force of the n ervou s electric flu id ru shin g throu gh these tu bes ; reaction

natu rally sets in immediately,an d the hair often becomes white in a few

hou rs. Very rarely can the system recover from su ch a strain,and con se

qu en tly very rarely will the hair resume its color.

I n America m ore people are to be fou n d with white hair than,I th ink

,

in a n y other cou n try in the world. This theory accou n ts for the fact,

when it is remembered that n o people go throu gh so mu ch,or live u n der

such high pressu re,as do the American s . Th e climate of the cou n try has

,I

con sider,a great deal to do w ith their temperam ent ;the brightn ess and bril

lian ce of the atm osphere,even in win ter

,the pecu liar n erve-stimu latin g

qu ality of the air,all combin e to cau se its m en and women to press forward

with a keen spirit of competition,both in work and in amu semen t. This

theory of the color of the hair has n ever,to my know ledge, been pu t forward

in this way before. I commen d it to the atten tion of those who do not lose

sight of the fact that in the Book of Natu re n othing is so small that it may

not give u S kn owledge,an d as knowledge is power

,let u S th erefore n o t

be a shamed to seek it,even in little things.

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64 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

Venu s be well developed, it in dicates strong and robu st health . A sm all

Mou n t of Venu s betrays poor health and,con sequ en tly

,less passion .

The Mou n t of Ven us, abn orm ally large, indicates a v iolen t passion for the

opposite sex.

This m ount den otes affection , sympathy toward oth ers, ben evolen ce, a

desire to please,love and worship of beau ty

,love of color

,an d melody in

mu sic,and the attraction of the on e sex to the other.

THE MOUNT OF JUPI TER .

Th is mount is the raised formation at the base of the first finger (Plate

When developed it shows ambition,pride, en thu siasm in anything

attempted,and desire for power.

THE MOUNT OF SATURN.

This is found at the base of the second finger (Plate and denotes

love of solitude,qu ietn ess

,prudence

,earn estness in work

,pron eness to the

stu dy of somber things,and appreciation of mu sic of a sacred or classical

order.

THE MOUNT OF THE SUN

This mount is found at the base of the third fin ger,and is also called the

Mount of Apollo (Plate When well developed it in dicates an e n th u

siastic appreciation of all things beau tifu l,whether or n o t o n e follows a pu rely

artistic callir It den otes love of pain tin g,poetry, literature, and all imagi

native worL3’

grace of mind and thought.

THE MOUNT OF MERCURY.

Th e mount of this n am e is found at of the fou rth finger (Plate

It den otes all the Of chan ge. travel,excitemen t

,wit

,qu ickn ess 11 . If the rest of the han d

will redound to the good

The M oun ts,their P osition and their M eanings.

THE MOUNT OF MARS.

There are two mou nts of th is n ame ;the first ben eath the Mount of

Jupiter,bu t inside the lin e of life

,lying next to the Mount of Ven u s (Plate

This,the first

,gives active cou rage

,th e mart ial Spirit

,bu t when large

,

shows a very qu arrelsome,fighting" disposition.

Th e secon d lies between the Mount of Mercu ry and the Mount of

Lu n a (Plate It den otes passive cou rage,self-control

,resignation

,and

strength of resistance again st wron g.

THE MOUNT OF LUNA.

The Mou n t of Lu na lies on theSide,of th e hand beneath the Mount of

Mars and directly opposite the Mou nt of Venu s (Plate

It indicates refinemen t,imagination

,love of beau tifu l scen ery

,a taste

for the romantic,great ideality

,an d a fondness for poetry and imaginative

literatu re.

THE LEANING OF THE MOUNTS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER .

When the mou n ts lean toward one anoth er,the qu alities of each are

blended and developed in u nison.

For example,if Satu rn lean toward Jupiter, it gives the latter som e of

its love of solemn things—its pruden ce,sadn ess

,and its religiou s ten den cy.

If Satu rn in cline toward t he Mou n t of the Su n , Satu rn’s solemn thou ghts

and ideas wil l blen d with the artistic taste of the subject,and if the Mou n t o f

the Su n lean to Mercu ry,art will influ ence th e bu siness or Scientific natu re

of the individual.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE HANDS OF NATI ONS.

THAT difi e re n t types of faces an d bodies are characteristic of differen t

n ation s is a w ell-kn ow n fact. There is a familiar statemen t which I w ou ld

qu ote here Th e law which rou n ds a dewdrop Shapes a world. Th ere

fore,if certain laws produ ce differen t types in difi e r en t races they also produce

differen t Shapes of han ds and bodies as illu strative of the difi e r en t character

istics. Th e in te rm ingling and in termixin g by marriage, etc., mu st n atu rally

modify the pu ren ess of the differen t types ;b u t that it does n o t destroy the

en tire individu ality can n ot for a momen t be dou bted.

THE ELEM ENTARY HAND .

Starting w ith the elem en tary han d,it is rarely if ever fou n d in its pur ity

amon g civilized nation s. We fin d this type am on g t he prim itive races in .

extremely cold latitudes,as

,for in stan ce

,amon g the E squ imaux and the

inhabitan ts of Iceland,L aplan d

,and the n orthern portion of Ru ssia and

Siberia.

Su ch people are phlegmatic an d emotion less even the n erve cen ters of

the body are n o t in a high state of developm en t,therefore they do n o t feel

pain as keen ly as the other types. They are more an imal in their in stin cts

an d bru tal in'

their desires ;th ey are devoid of aspiration s, an d have on ly

su fficien t men tality to m ake them distin ct from the bru te creation . I n a

slightly more dev eloped form the elemen tary hand is fou nd in more sou thern

an d civilized nation s.

THE SQUARE HAND AND THE NATIONS REPRESENTED BY I T.

Th e squ are han d,gen erally speaking

,is fou nd am o n g th e\Sw ede s, Dan es,

German s,Du tch

,E nglish

,an d Scotch . Th e chief ch aract e istics which it

66

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68 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

exten t swallowed up all the others. This hand, and, consequ en tly, the char .

act e ristics that it represen ts, has to my mind played the importan t rOle in

the history of that great cou n try. AS I may claim to be a cosmopolitan in

every sen se of the word,I can therefore take an u n biased stan dpoin t in

reading the character of nation s as I wou ld that of the individu al. The

spatu late han d,as I stated before

,is the han d of en ergy

,origin ality

,an d rest

lessn ess. It is the han d of the explorer and th e discoverer,which terms can

also be applied to discoveries in scien ce,art

,or mechan ics. Spatu late han ds

are n ever con ven tion al ; they have little respect for law,less for au thority.

They are in ven tors,more from the qu ickn ess of their ideas than from the

solidity o f earn est work as exemplified by the squ are ;they m ay u tilize othermen ’s ideas

,bu t they will try to im prove u pon them ; they love risk and

Specu lation ; they are versatile, an d their chief fau lt is their chan geability—fthey shift from on e thin g to an other with the mood of the momen t ; they are

fan atics in their fads,en igm as in their earn estn ess ;bu t , even with su ch fau lts,

it is to a people man y-Sided and many-talented like this that the world mu st

look for her new ideas,for the inven tion s an d discoveries

.

in scien ce,r e

ligio n , or materialism which mu st in years to come work o u t th e evolu tion of

hu m an ity.

THE PSYCH I C.

This pecu liar type is n o t con fin ed to an y particu lar coun try or kin dred ;it is evolved sometim es among the most practical

,sometim es amon g the most

en thu siastic. Y e t is it n either practical n o r en thu siastic in itself; it may b e

an evolu tion of all the types,reaching in to that plan e in which there may

be seven sen ses in stead of fi v e . Certain ,it is that its own ers are n o t of the

earth,earthy,n o r yet of h eaven—for they are human ; they make up n o

distin ct commu n ity,bu t are foun d in all an 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 world, so their

thoughts are n o t su ited to the material things of life ; their place may be in

giving to mankin d that which is bu t the reflection of mankind ; thu s in the

Shadow may we fin d th e substan ce,and thu s in the speculation that this type

gives rise to may we find that wisdom that sees the fitness and the u se of all

things.

PART II . CH E IROM AN CY .

CHAPTER I .

A FEW REMARKS IN REFERENCE TO THE READING OF THE HAND .

BEFORE I proceed to explain the more in tricate details of cheiromancy,I

wish to address a few words to the studen t,as w ell as to the casu al reader

who may take su fficien t in terest in this stu dy to glan ce through this book.

I n the first place,in my earn est desire to make this work a thorou ghly

reliable gu ide in all matters con n ected with palmistry, I have been compelled

to brin g the det ails of the stu dy promin en tly before the reader an d -to en large

on certain po in ts that may be con sidered dry and u n in terestin g. This the

studen t m ay resen t du ring th e commencemen t of his en thu siasm ,bu t later he

w ill,I think

,see its advan tages

,as I have en deavored to make even the de

tails as graphic as possible. I have n o t con fin ed myself to the se t theories of

an y particu lar school ;I have gathered whatever in formation this book con

tain s from,I m ay say, the fou r corn ers of th e earth, an d in presen tin g this

in formation to those who desire to learn,I do so with the kn owledge that I

have proved whatever statem en ts I m ake to be correct. Th e on e poin t I

wou ld,however

,earn estly desire to impress u pon the stu den t is the n ecessity

for conscien tiou s stu dy an d patien ce . As 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 study more ardu ou s, there is n on e morefascin atin g or that will repay the time and labor Spen t upon it with morein terest.

To do this stu dy ju stice,I can n ot an d will n o t pretend

,as do the gen e

r ality of writers o n this subject,that it is an easy matter

,by following th is,

69

70 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

that /fo r the other map of the han d, or by takin g some set ru les as a gu ide, tob e

!

able to “read th e han d ” withou t an y exercise of the studen t’s men tality.

On the con trary, I shall Show that every lin e, withou t exception , is modified

by the particu lar type to which it belongs, as, for instan ce, a slopin g lin e of

head o n a squ are hand has a completely differen t mean ing from the same

sloping lin e o n a con ic or philosophic type, and SO o n . I have written this

book with the object o f m akin g it not on ly in terestin g to the reader,bu t u se

ful to the studen t. I have endeavored to make every poin t as clear and

con cise as possible, bu t the stu den t mu st bear in mind the enormou s difficu l

ties that lie in the way of m aking a clear explan ation of every poin t in

con n ection with su ch an in tricate study.

Th e n ext poin t to be born e in m ind is th e difi e r en ce of opin ion which

will be met with,an d which is often u sed as an argumen t again st palm

ist ry . Now we mu st rem em ber that it is o n ly through the con cen tration

of differen t m in ds,an d the con sen su s of differen t opInion S, that we can

ever hope to reach the tru th o n an y subject. No better illu stration of this

can be foun d than in the divergen cy of opin ion that has existed an d always

will exist in religion,as well as in scien tific study. What body of studen ts

have,or can have

,more divergen cy of opin ion

,for in stan ce

,than m edical

m en ? I mu st,therefore

,say, in the words which a celebrated physician

on ce u sed to his pu pils,that w e Shou ld

,in the pu rsu it of an y particu lar b ran ch

of stu dy,take th e teachings which w e have the m ost reason to believe are

correct,and that by bu ilding u pon such a foun dation w e w ill attain greater

heights of kn owledge than the in dividu al w ho follows ev ery n ew teacher who

for a momen t,like the will-o ’-the-wisp

,flitS across the Shiftin g san ds of

human fan cy. Particu larly in palm istry,I wou ld say

,take some work wh ich

y ou have good reaso n to believe is at least n ear the tru th , a nd by following

that ou t with the light of you r ow n men tality an d reason y ou will be

more likely to su cceed than those who,shiftin g their grou n d accordin g to

every fan cy,fin d themselves at last withou t faith

,withou t h ope

,an d

,worse

still,withou t kn owledge.

Th e chief poin t of differen ce between m y teachin gs and those of other

writers lies in the fact that I class the variou s lin es u n der difi e r en t heads,

treatin g of each particu lar poin t.

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CHAPTER II.

THE L INES OF THE HAND .

THERE are seven important lin es on the han d,and

.

seven lesser lin es

(Plate XII I) . Th e importan t lines are as follows

Th e L in e of L ife,which embraces the Mou n t of Ven u s.

Th e L in e of H ead,which crosses the cen ter of the hand.

Th e L in e of Heart, which ru n s parallel to that of the head, at the

base of the fingers.

Th e Girdle of Ven u s,fou nd above the lin e of heart and gen erally

en circlin g the Mou n ts of Satu rn an d the Su n .

Th e L in e of H ealth,which ru n s from the Mou n t of M ercu ry down

the han d.

Th e L in e of Su n , which rises gen erally o n the P lain of Mars and

ascen ds the han d to the Mou n t of the Su n .

The L in e of Fate,which occu pies the cen ter of the hand

,from the

wrist to the Mou n t of Satu rn .

seven lesser lin es on the hand are as follows

Th e L in e of Mars which rises o n the Mou n t of Mars and lies within

the L in e of L ife (Plate XIII) .

Th e Via L asciva,which lies parallel to the lin e of health (PlateXI IL) .

The L in e of In tuition ,which extends like a semicircle from Mercu ry

to Lu n a (Plate

The L ine of Marriage,th e horizontal lin e on the Mou nt of Mercu ry

(Plate and

The three bracelets found o n the wrist (Plate XIII ).72

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CHAPTER“

III.

IN RELATION TO THE L INES.

THE ru les in r elation to the lin es are, in the first place, that they Should

be clear and well marked,n either broad n or pale in color ;that they shou ld

be free from all breaks,islan ds

,or irregu larities of an y kin d.

L in es very pale in color in dicate, in the first place,want of r obu st

h ealth, an d, in the secon d, lack of en ergy an d decision.

L in es red in color in dicate the san gu in e,hopefu l disposition ;they Show

an active,robu st temperamen t.

Yellow lin es,as well as bein g in dicative of biliou sn ess and liver trouble,

are indicators of a n atu re self-con tain ed,reserved, and proud.

L in es very dark in color,almost black

,tell of a melan choly

,grave tem

per am en t,an d also in dicate a haughty

,distan t n atu re

,one u su ally very

r even gefu l an d u n forgiving.

L in es may appear,dim in ish

,or fade

,which mu st always be born e in

min d when readin g the hand. Th e provin ce of the palmis t , therefore, is to

warn the su bject of approachin g danger by poin tin g ou t the evil ten den cies

of his n atu re. It is pu rely a m atter of the subject’s w ill whether or n o t he

w ill overcome these tenden cies,a nd it is by seein g how the natu re has

modified evil s in the past th at the palm ist can predict whether or not evils

will be overcome in the fu tu re. I n reading the han d,no single evil mark

mu st b e accepted as de c1s1v e .. If t he evil is Importan t

,almost every pr in

cipal lin e will Show it sxef ‘“

an i both hands mu st be con su lted before th e

decision can be fin al. A SI I gle Sign in itself on ly show s th e ten dency ;when ,how ever, the Sign is repeated by other lin es, the dan ger is then

“

a certainty.

I n an swer to the qu estion, Can people

’ avert or avoid dan ger or disaster

predicted in the han d ? I answer that decidedly I believe that they can ;

bu t I say ju st as decidedly that they rarely if ev er do . I kn ow hundreds

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76 Cheiro’s L anguage of the H and.

When,however

,the lin e en ds in a tassel (b—b, Plate XVI.) it is a Sign of

weakn ess and destru ction to any lin e of wh ich it forms part, particu larly

at the en d of th e lin e of life, where it den otes weakn ess an d the dissipation of

all the n erve qu alities.

Bran ches risin g from an y lin e (a—a , Plate XIV.) accen tu ate its power and

strength,b u t all bran ches descen ding denote the reverse.

At the commen cemen t of the lin e of heart,these lin es are m ost Importan t

w hen con siderin g th e su ccess of marriage for the subject : the ascen ding lines

at this poin t in dicate vigor and warm th of the afi ectio n s (a—a , Plate XVII.)the descen din g

,the opposite.

On the lin e of head ascending bran ches den ote clevern ess an d am bitiou s

talen t (c—c, Plate XVI) , an d o n the lin e of fate they Show su ccess in all u n der

takings made at that particu lar poin t.

A chain ed formation I n an y lin e is a weak Sign (Plate XIV) : if o n the lin e

of heart it den otes weakn ess and chan geability of afi e ction if o n the lin e of

head,wan t of fixity of ideas, an d weakn ess of in tellect.

Breaks in an y lin e den ote its failu re (o—c, Plate XVII ) .A wavy formation weaken s the power of the lin e (6 Plate XVII ) .

Capillary lines are those little h air-lines r u nn 1ng by the Side of the m ain

line,sometimes join in g it, sometimes falling from it ;they den ote w eakn ess,

lik e the chain ed formation (Fig. 8,Plate XIV) .

When the en tire han d is covered with a network or mu ltitu de of little

lin es ru n n in g aimlessly in all direction s,it betrays men tal worry

,a highly

nervou s temperamen t,an d a troubled natu re .

As th e“

little grain s m ake mou n tain s,so do these little poin ts make this

stu dy great . I therefore recommen d their close con sideration .

l[IYNGA

M A8311013 ”M k

Plate XV.—SIGNS FOUND IN THE HAND.

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78 Cheiro’s L anguage of the H and.

My advice,therefore, is : place both hands Side by Side;examine them,

and see what the n atu re has been, see what it is;find the reason by you r ex

amin ation for this or th at chan ge ;an d, in forecasting what will be, depen d

upon the developm en t of the lin es in th e right h and.

It is very in terestin g to note that left-han ded people h ave the lin es more

clearly m arked on the left hand,and vice uer sd. Some people change so

completely that hardly tw o lines are alike on both hands;again, some change

so slightly that the difi e ren ce in the lin es is barely perceptible. The gen eral

ru le to follow is, that when a m arked difference is Sh own by both han ds the

subjec t has had a more interesting, eventfu l life than th e person with both

alike. Th e more in terestin g details as to a subject’s past life,and even th e

very chan ges in his method of work an d ideas,can b e brought to ligh t b y a

carefu l examination condu cted in this way .

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80 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

‘

development or non-developmen t of this lin e or that mark is the palmist able

to say that a certain disease at a certain time will cau se illn ess with su ch an d

su ch a resu lt. Bearin g these arguments in min d, we will n ow proceed to an

examin ation of what has become known as the line of life.

Th e lin e of life (Plate XIII .) is the line which, risin g u n der the Mount of

Jupiter,goes down the han d and embraces the Moun t of Ven u s. On it is

marked tim e,also illn ess and death

,and even ts foreshadowed by the other

importan t lin es are verified.

Th e line of life shou ld be lon g,n arrow

,an d deep

,withou t irregu larities

,

breaks,or crosses of an y kind. Su ch a formation promises lon g life

,good

health,an d vitality.

When the lin e is linked (Fig. 10, Plate XIV.) or made up of little pieces

like a chain,it is a su re Sign of b ad health

,an d particu larly so o n a soft han d.

When the lin e recovers its even n ess an d con tin u ity,health also is regain ed.

When broken in the left hand and join ed in the right,it threaten s some

dan gerou s illn ess ;bu t if broken in both han ds it gen erally sign ifies death .

This is m o r eHecidedly confirm ed when o n e bran ch tu rn s back o n the Mou n t

of Ven u s (c—c, PlateXVII) .

When th e lin e st arts from the base of the Mou n t of Jupiter,in stead of

the Side of the han d,it den otes that from the earliest the life has been on e of

ambition .

When the line is chain ed at the commen cem en t u n der Jupiter, bad h ealth

in early life is foreshadowed.

When the lin e is closely con n ected with that o f the head, life is gu ided by“

reason and in telligence,bu t the subject is extremely sen sitive abou t every

thin g which affects self,andmore or less cau tiou s in en terprises for self (d—d,

Plate XVI ).

When there is a medium Space between the lin e of life an d that of head,the subject I S more free to carry ou t his plan s an d ideas ; it also den otes

en ergy and a very go -ahead spirit (d—d, Plate XVII ) .Wh en

,however

, th e space is very wide, it is a Sign of too mu ch self

con fiden ce and dash ; it in dicates that the subject is foolhardy, impul sive,h asty, an d n o t gu ided by reason.

When the lines of life,head

,an d heart are all joined together at the comm

The Lin e of L ife. 81

m en cem en t (a—a, Plate -is a very u n fortu n ate Sign, den otin g that

the subject,through a defect in temperamen t

,ru shes blindly in to danger an d

catastrophe. This mark,as far as temperam en t is concern ed, indica tes th e

subject’s want of perception,both in personal dangers an d in those arisin g

from dealin gs with other people.When the lin e of life divides a t abou t the cen ter of the han d

,and on e

bran ch Shoots across to the base of the Moun t of L u n a (b—b, Plate XVIII ), it

indicates o n a firm,well-made han d a restless life

,a great desire for travel

,

and the u ltim ate satisfaction of that desire. When su ch a mark is fou n d o n

a flabby,soft han d

,with

'

a slopin g line of head,it again den otes the restless

natu re,craving for excitement

,bu t in this case th e cravin g will be gratified

in v ice or intemperan ce of some kin d. This statement,as will be seen

,can

be logically and easily reason ed o u t : the lin e crossin g to th e Mou n t of L u n a

den otes the restless natu re cravin g for change,bu t

,the han d bein g soft an d

flabby, the subject will be too lazy an d in dolen t to satisfy this cravin g by

t r aVel, and the slopin g lin e of h ead in this case showin g a weak n atu re,th e

reason for this statemen t is apparen t.

When little hair-lin es are fou n d droppin g from or clin gin g to the lin e o f

life,they tell of weakness and loss of v itality at the date when they appear.

They are very often found at the e nd of the lin e itself,thu s den oting th e

breaking up of the life and the dissipation of vital power (b—b, Plate XVI ) .

All lin es that rise from the lin e of ll t e are marks of in creased power, gain s,an d su ccesses.

If su ch a lin e ascend toward or ru n in to the Mou n t of Jupiter (c—c, P late

XVIII ), it will den ote a rise in position or step higher at th e date it leaves

the lin e of life. Such a mark relates more to su ccessfu l ambition in th e

sen se of power than anything else. If the line,o n the con trary

,rise t o

Satu rn and follow by the side of the lin e of fate,it den otes the in crease o f

wealth an d worldly thin gs, bu t resu ltin g from t h e subject’s ow n en ergy an d

de teg m

ation (d-d

,Plate XVII

If the lin e leave the line of life an d ascen d to the Mou n t of th e Su n , it

denotes distinction accordin g to the class of hand.

If it leave the lin e of life an d cross to Mercu ry, it promises great

su ccess in bu sin ess or scien ce, again in accordance with the class of hand

82 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

-whether squ are,spatu late

,or con ic. For in stan ce, su ch a line on the square

wou ld indicate su ccess I n bu sin ess or scien ce ;on th e Spatu late, in in ven tion

or discovery ;and o n the con ic it wou ld foretell su ccess in mon ey matters,

reached by the impu lsive action of su ch a n atu re, ,as in su dden specu lation

or en terprise.

When the lin e of In c divides toward the e n d an d a wide space is Shown

betw een the lin es, it is a n in dication that the su bject will most probably e nd

his life in a cou n try differen t from that of his birth , or at least that there w ill

be some great chan ge from th e place of birth to the place of death (a—a , Plate

XIX) .

An islan d o n the lin e of life mean s an illn ess or loss of health while the

island lasts (6, Plate XIX) , bu t a clearly formed island at th e commen cemen t

of the lin e of life den otes som e mystery conn ected with the su bject’s birth .

The lin e ru n n in g throu gh a squ are (0, Plate XIX.) in dicates preserva

tion from death,from bad health when it su rrou nds an islan d

,from sudden

death when the life-lin e ru n n ing throu gh is broken,an d from acciden t when

a little lin e cu ttin g the life-lin e rises from the Plain of Mars (d, Plate XIX) .

A squ are,when ever fou n d on the lin e o f life

,is a mark of preservation .

Of the great atten dan t lin e (Plate XIII.) fou n d parallel to and within the

lin e of life,otherwise called th e lin e of Mars, I shall Speak later. This atten

dan t lin e,the lin e of M ars

,which rise s o n the Mou n t of Mars

,m u st n o t be

con fou n ded with those springin g from the lin e of life itself,n o r with those

that rise u pon t h e Mo u n t of Ven u s. Th e sim plest ru le to bear in m in d is.

that all even,well-formed lin es following the lin e of life in dicate favorable

influ en ces over t he life (f—f, Plate XVII ), bu t that all those risin gin the oppo

site direction an d c uttin g the life-lin e Show w orries an d obstacles cau sed by

the opposition and in terferen ce ofo thers g—g, Plate XVII ) . Where these

lin es e nd an d h ow they term in ate is,therefore

,an importan t poin t in this

stu dy.

Wh en they cu t the lin e of life on ly g—g, Plate XVII) , they den ote the

in terferen ce of relatives—gen erally in the h ome life

When they cross the life-lin e an d attack the lin e of fate (c—c, Plate

XVI) , they den ote people who will oppose u s in bu sin ess or w orldly in ter

e sts,and where they cu t the fate-lin e the poin t of ju nction gives the date.

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84 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

t o persecu te h er at difle r en t in tervals. Again, su ch a lin e o n a woman’s hand

is illu strative of the natu re of the m an who influ en ces her, as denoting a

fiery,passion ate

,an imal temperamen t.

If,however

,the ray-lin e should rise by the side of the lin e of life and

t ravel by the side of it (f—fi Plate XVII) , it shows, on the woman’s h an d

,that

the m an who en ters in to her life has the gen tler natu re, and that she will

strongly influ ence him.

If the ray -lin e, risin g at an y poin t, in travelingwith the life-line, retreatsfarther in on the Mou n t of Venu s

,thu s away from the life, it indicates that

the person with whom the woman is connected will more an d more lose

sym pathy with her, an d will even tu ally drift ou t of her life altogether (i—i,Plate XVI) .

Wh en the ray-lin e, however, ru n s in to an islan d or becomes one itself, it

foretells that the influ ence ov er her life will r u n in to disgrace, and that some

thin g scan dalou s will resu lt.

When the atten dan t lin e fades ou t by the side of the life-line,bu t ren ews

itself later,it tells that the person influen cing the life will cease his influ en ce

at that particu lar poin t,bu t that it will be ren ewed again .

When the lin e of in flu en ce fades altogether,total separation—generally

death—will b e the resu lt of su ch compan ion ship.

When o n e of these atten dan t lin es join s a. cross-lin e an d ru n s over the

hand with it,it foretells that through the in strumen tality of an other the

affection of the person influ en cing the life will chan ge to hate, and that this

will cau se in ju ry at whatever point it tou ch the life,the fate

,the head

,or the

lin e of heart (e—e,Plate XIX) .

Th e farther the ray-lin es lie from the lin e of life,the farther remov ed

from o u r lives will those influ en ces be. Bu t,as before remarked

,o n e cou ld

easily fill a volume o n these lin es an d cross-lin es, which with the H in du s are

the fou ndation for all systems con n ected with palmistry.

By this system alon e,then

,it is reason able to assum e that the studen t

can predict marriages by con sidering the relation which these lin es bear t o

the life-lin e. We w ill again refer to this poin t when we con sider the qu es

tion of marriage.

An other in terestin g phase of this subject is the co n sideration of the

The Lin e of Life.

number of these lines of influ en ce‘

(it being remembered that only those near

the line of life are important) . Numerou s lines indicate a n atu re depen den t

u pon afi ection . Su ch people are what is called passion ate in their disposition ;they may have many liaison s

,bu t in th eir eyes love redeems all. On the

other hand,the fu ll

,smooth Moun t of Ven u s indicates that the in dividu al is

less aflect ed by th ose with whom he is associated.

When the lin e of life sweeps far ou t into the h an d,thu s allowin g th e

Mou n t of Ven u s a greater scope, it is in itself a sign of good physical strength

and lon g life.

When,o n the con trary

,it lies very close to the Mount of Venu s

,h ealth

is n o t so robu st or the body physically so well bu ilt. Th e shorter the line

the shorter the life.

That the lin e of life does not a lway s show the exact age at which death

takes place I am qu ite convin ced. This lin e merely den otes the n atu ral term

of the subject’s life apart from acciden tal in flu ences. Catastrophes in dicated‘

by other lin es of th e han d may,cu t short a life that wou ld otherwise be lon g.

For in stan ce,a

‘

b r e ak in the head-lin e at certain poin ts,as explain ed in Chap

ter VII.,will foretell death ju st as su rely as wou ld the broken life-lin e.

Again , and most importan t of all, the slope an d position of the lin e of health

in relation to the life-lin e is a poin t which h itherto h as not received theattention it deserves. When we consider the lin e of health

,the relation that

these lin es bear to on e an other will be treated in detail. I may,however

,

here remark that,when 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 though it be years in advan ce of

w hen the life-lin e en ds. Su ch a death will be cau sed by whatever disease is

indicated by the health-lin e,and the provin ce an d o n e of th e man y u ses o f

this stu dy is to fin d o u t an d warn the subject o f that germ of disease which

is even then the en em y of the system .

I n addition to the in formation I have given here con cern ing islan ds,squ ares

,etc .

,I refer the studen t back to Chapter III.

,which treats of them

more fu lly. As regards time an d the calcu lation of events, a special chapter

will be devoted to these subjects.

CHAPTER VI.

T H E L I N E O F M A R S.

THE lin e of Mars (Plate XIII.) is otherw ise known as the inner vital or

in n er life lin e . It rises o n theMou n t of Mars,an d sweeps down by the side of

the lin e of life,bu t is distin ct in every way from those fain t lin es kn own as the

attendan t lin es,of which I spoke a little earlier.

The gen eral characteristic o f the lin e of Mars is that it denotes excess of

health o n all square or broad han ds ;to a m an of this type it gives a mar

tial n atu re, rather a fightin g disposition,an d robu st strength . It also den otes

that while it run s close to th e life-lin e the in dividu a l will be engaged in

many quarrels, an d will be subject to a great deal of“an n oyan ce wh ich w ill

brin g all his m artial or fighting qu alities in to play. It is always an excellen t

sign on the h an d of a soldier .

IVh en a bran ch sho ots from this line o u t to the Mou n t of Lu n a (b—b,Plate XX) , it tells that there is a terrible t en den cy toward in temperan ce of

every kin d,through the very robu stn ess of the n atu re, an d the craving for

excitem en t that it gives .

Th e other type of the lin e of Mars is fou nd o n th e long,n arrowb an d

,an d

here it is generally by the side of a delicate , fragile lin e of life. Its character

istics in su ch a han d are that it su pports the life-lin e,carryin g it past an y

dan gerou s breaks,and givin g vitality to the n atu re .

A broken lin e of life with su ch a lin e beside it will at the poin t of the

break indicate closen ess to death,bu t helped by this m ark the subject will

recover, through the great vitality given by the line of Mars.

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CHAPTER VII.

T H E L I N E O F H E A D .

To kn ow 18 pow e r —le t us th en b e w ise ,An d u se ou r bra in s w ith ev ery. go od in ten t ,

That a t t he end w e com e w ith t ir ed eye sAnd give t o Na tur e m or e than wha t she le n t .

CHE I Ro .

THE line of head (Plate XIII.) relates prin cipally to the n . e n t ality of the

subject—to the in tellectu al strength or w eakn ess,to the temperamen t in its

relation to talen t,and to the direction and qu ality of the talen t itself.

It is of extreme importance in connection w ith this line that the pecu liar

ities of the variou s types be born e in m in d;as, for in stance, a slopin g lin e of

h ead on apsychic or conic han d is n o t of half the importance'

o f a slopin g

lin e on a squ are hand. We will,however

,take gen eral characteristics first,

an d proceed to con sider variations afterward.

The lin e of head can rise from three difle r en t poin ts—from the cen ter of

the Mou n t of Jupiter,from the commen cemen t of the lin e of life, or from the

Mount of Mars,within the life-lin e.

R isin g from Ju piter (c- e, Plate XX.) and yet tou ching the lin e of life, it

is,if a lon g lin e of head

,the most powerfu l of all. Su ch a subject will h ave

talen t,en ergy

,and daring determ in ation of pu rpose

,with bou n dless ambition

combin ed with reason . Su ch a m an will con trol others, yet n o t seem to con

trol them;he will have cau tion even in his most daring design s;he takes

pride in his man agemen t of people or thin gs,and is stron g in ru le

,bu t ju st in

the admin istration of power.

There is a variation of this which is almost equ ally stron g. This again

rises on Jupite is slightly separated from the line of life. Su ch a type

will have the e eristics of the first,bu t with less con trol an d diplom acy.

87

88 Cheiro’s L anguage of the H and.

He will be hasty in decision , impetu ou s in action . As a leader in a crisis su ch

a m an would fin d his greatest opportu n ity. When,however

,t h e space is very

wide,the subject will be foolhardy

,egotistical

,and will ru sh blindly in to

danger.

Th e lin e of head from the commen cement of the lin e of life,and

con n ected w ith it (cl—d, Plate XVI) , in dicates a sensitive and more n ervous

temperamen t ;it den otes excess of cau tion ;even clever people with this m ark

r e 1n themselves down to o tightly.

Th e lin e of head rising from the Mou n t of Mars,within the life-lin e (f—f,

Z/Pla te XIX) , is n o t su ch a favorable sign

,it being the extreme o n the in

side of the life-line, as the wide-spaced head-line is the extreme on the o u t

side. This indicates a fretfu l, w orrying tem perament, in con stan t in thou ght,inconstan t in action ,

the shifting san ds of the sea are more steadfast than are

the ideas of su ch an in dividu al,and the conn ection with Mars gives his

natu re this one disagreeable trait -h e is always in conflict with his n eigh

bors ;he is also highly sen sitive, nervou s, and more or less irritable.

Th e gen eralities in dicated by the lin e of head are as follows :

When straight, clear, an d even , it denotes practical common sense and a

love of material things more than those of the im agin ation .

When straight in the first half,then slightly slopin g

,it shows a balan ce

between the pu rely imaginative and the pu rely practical ;such a subject w ill

have a level-headed, common -sen se way of goin g to work, even when dealin g

with imagin ative thin gs.

When the en tire lin e h as a slight slope, there is a lean ing toward im ag

in ativ e work, th e quality of su ch im agination den o tin g, in accordan ce w ith

the type of han d,either mu sic

,pain ting, litera ture, or mechanical inven tion .

When v ery slopin g,rom an ce

,idealism

,imagin ative work

,and Bohemian ism.

When sloping, and termin atin g with a fin e fork on the Mou n t of L u n a, it

prom ises literary talen t of the imaginative order.

When extremely long an d straight,and going directly to the side of the

han d (the peicu ssio n ), it u su ally den otes that the subject,h as m01 e than

ordin ary in tellectu al power, b u t is in clin ed to be selfish in the u se of that

pow er.

When this h n e lies straight across the han d and slightly cu rves u pward

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90 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

power for playin g and toyin g with human n atu re,an d gen erally great will

and determination .

When the lin e of head is broken in two on both han ds, it foretells some

fatal acciden t or violen ce to the head.

An island is a sign of weakness (j, Plate XVII) . When clearly defin ed,

if the lin e does n o t extend farther, the person will n ever recover.

If the lin e of head sen ds an offshoot to or ru n s in to a star o n the Mou n t

of Jupiter, it is a sign of won derfu l su ccess in all thin gs attempted.

When a n um ber of little hair-lin es bran ch u pward from the lin e of head

to that of heart,the affection s will be a matter of fascin ation

,n o t of love.

When the lin e of head ru n s into or throu gh a squ are,it indicates preser

vation from acciden t or violen ce by the su bject’s o wn cou rage an d presen ce

of min d.

When there is a space fou nd betw een the lin e of head an d that of life,it

is ben eficial when n o t too w ide ;w hen medium,it den otes splen did en ergy

a nd self-co n fiden ce , promptn ess of action an d readin ess of thought (f—f,Plate XXI) . This is a u sefu l signfor barristers

,actors

,preachers

,e tc .

,bu t

people with su ch a mark w ou ld do w ell to sleep on their decision s— they are

in clin ed to be too hasty,self-con fide n t

,and impatien t. When this space is

extremely wide,it den otes foolhardin ess

,a ssu rance

,excessive effron tery

,and

self-co n fiden ce .

When the lin e of head,o n the con trary

,is very tightly con n ected with

that of life,and low down in the han d

,there is u tter wan t of self-co nfiden ce .

Such indiv iduals suffer greatly from extreme sen sitiven ess,and the slightest

thing will wound and grieve them.

CHAPTER VII I.

THE L INE OF HEAD IN REL ATI ON TO THE SEVEN TYPES.

THE gen eral ru les to be observed in con n ection with th is most remarkable

poin t are as follows

Th e lin e of head is u su ally in accordan ce with t h e type of han d on which

it is fou n d—n amely,practical o n a practical t ype, imagin ative o n an artistic

,

and so o n . It therefore follows that sign s con trary to the n atur e are more

importan t than characteristics in dicated in accordan ce w ith it.

These pecu liarities,it is therefore more reasonable to assume

,relate t o

the developmen t of the brain ou tside and beyon d its n atu ral characteristics.

Su ch a divergen cemight be accou n ted for.

by the theory that the variou s ten

den cie s of the brain reach their working poin t throu gh a process of slow

grow th an d developmen t,similar to the evolution s of life itself. It therefore

follows that at the age of twen ty there may be the commen cemen t of a develop

men t which may alter the en tire life at thirty ;bu t as that chan ge has already

commen ced in the brain,so m u st it affect the nerves an d thu s the h an d. Thu s

a tenden cy toward a chan ge of thou ght or action is in dicated years before it

takes place .

Starting with the elemen tary han d, or the n earest approach to it fou n d

in ou r cou n try, the n atu ral head-lin e o n su ch a type wou ld be short , straight.

and heavy; co n sequ en tly the dev elopmen t of it to an y u nu su a l exten t

w ill show u n u su al characteristics in su ch a su bject. For in stan ce , su ch

a line of head dropping downward toward Luna will show an imaginative

bu t su perstitiou s ten den cy,completely at varian ce with the bru tal and an imal

natu re it influ en ces. This accou nts for the fear of the u nknown , the super

stitiou s'

dr ead that is so often foun d among the lower class of humanity,particu larly amon g savage tribes.

92 Chetr o’s L anguage of the H and.

THE L INE OF HEAD IN RELATION TO THE SQUARE HAND .

Th e squ are h an d,as I have stated (Part I .

, Chapter III) , is the u sefu l o r

practical hand ; it deals with logic, method, reason, scien ce, and all things

appertain in g to su ch matters.

Th e lin e of head o n su ch a type is st ra ight and long, in keepin g with

the characteristics of the han d itself. It therefore follow s that the slight

est appearance o f this lin e sloping,being the direct opposite to th e n atu re

,

shows even a greater developmen t of the imagin ative facu lties than a far

greater slope of the same lin e on a con ic or psychic,bu t the difference

in the class of work wou ld be the difference of tem perament. Th e squ are

han d with the sloping head-lin e wou ld start with a practical fou ndation for

imagin ative work,whereas the other wou ld be pu rely in spiration al and

imagin ative. This difi e r en ce is extremely n oticeable in the han ds of writers,pain ters, mu sicians, etc.

THE L INE OF HEAD IN RELATI ON TO THE SPATULATE HAND .

Th e spatu late h an d (Part I .,Chapter IV.) is th e han d of action , in ven tion ,

in depen den ce,an d origin ality. Th e n atu ral position for the lin e of head on

this type is lon g,clear

,and slightly sloping. When

,th erefore

,on su ch a han d

this slopin g is accen tu ated,the resu lt is that all these characteristics are

doubled or strength en ed;bu t when lyin g straight, the opposite of the type,the subject’s practical ideas w ill keep the others so mu ch in check that the

plan s of the imagin ation will n o t get scope for fu lfilmen t, and, as far as th e

tem peramen t is concern ed,the natu re will be restless

,irritable

,and dis

satisfied.

THE L INE OF HEAD IN RELATION TO THE PH I LOSOPH I C HAND .

Th e philosophic hand (Part I .,Chapter V.) is thoughtfu l, earn est in the

pursu it of wisdom, bu t imagin ative an d rather eccen tric in the application of

ideas to every-day life. Th e n atu ral posit ion fo r the lin e of head o n this type

is lon g, closely con n ected with th e lin e of life, set low dow n on the hand;an d

sloping. Th e u n n atu ral type,or the m an with the straight lin e of head o n

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94 C'hen‘

e’s L anguage of the H and.

is one of the rarest thin gs to find a straight lin e of head on su ch a han d

bu t wh en fou nd it is gen erally on the right hand,the left bein g still very

sloping. Su ch a formation den otes that by the pressu re of circumstan ces the

en tire n atu re has undergon e a chan ge an d has become m ore practical. This

type,even with the straight lin e of head

,can n ever be very material or bu si

n ess-like, bu t in matters of art the subject will have a very good chance, as!

he wou ld h ave more opportunity to exercise his talen ts,yet even in art it

wou ld requ ire the greatest tact an d strongest en cou ragemen t t o in du ce him

to tu rn his talen ts to practical u se .

By Su ch illu stration s the student will u n derstan d how to make every

other modification in accordan ce w ith the type of han d. Th e modification s

of the head-line are more importan t than an y other m arks that th e hand

possesses.

CHAPTER IX .

INSANI TY AS SHOWN BY THE L INE or HEAD .

THERE is really n o ten dency wh ich the h an d den otes more plainly than

insanity,whether hereditary or brou ght on by circumstances. The multitu de

of forms which cou ld be gathered u n der this heading cannot be en tered into

in this work,bu t I will endeavor to show th e most gen eral.

It mu st be born e in min d that an y point that is beyond the normal is ab

normal. When,therefore

,the lin e of head sinks to an abnormal poin t on the

Mou n t of L una,the imagin ation of the subject is abn ormal an d u nnatu ral.

This will be more importan t in the elementary,squ are

,spatu late

,and philo

sophic,than in relation to the con ic or psych ic types. When the line of head

,

even on a ch ild’s hand,reaches this u n n atu ral point

,it may; grow up to man

hood or Womanhood with perfect clearn ess and san ity of ideas, bu t as su relyas a men tal shock or strain comes

,so su rely will that brain be thrown ofi its

balance,an d in san ity will be the resu lt.

Th e same developmen t of the lin e of head,with an unu su ally h igh Mount

of Satu rn , will den ote a m orbidly imaginative natu re from the very start

(Plate XXV) . Su ch a subject is gloomy, morose, an d melan choly, and this

tendency,even withou t cau se

,generally in creases u ntil the subject completely

loses his or her men tal balan ce.

Temporary in san ity is shown by a n arrow islan d in the cen ter o f a slop

ing line of head, bu t this mark generally in dicates some brain-illness or

temporary in san ity con sequ en t upon brain -fever.

Th e han d of the con gen ital idiot is remarkable for its very small, badly

developed thumb,and for a lin e of head sloping and made up of broad lin es

filled with a series of islan ds,like a chain .

I have fu rther illu strated these remarks in Part III.,ChapterV., on variou s

phases of in sanity as shown by the han d.

95

96 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

M URDEROUS PROPENSITI ES AS SHOWN BY THE L INE OF HEAD.

Th e mere act of mu rder, su ch as o n e m an killin g an other in the heat of

passion or in self-defen se, is n o t show n by the han d exc ept asa p as t—eve nt ,a n d then on ly when it has deeply affected a very sen sitive n atu re ;bu t

”

if

propen sities for crime exist, the age at which they will reach their active

or workin g poin t in the n atu re is decidedly shown , as I w ill proceed to

demon strate.

I have explain ed in the foregoin g rem arks that,when th e lin e of head is

abn ormal in o n e direction,ab n ormal characteristics are the result

,such as in

san ity,m orbidn ess

,an d extreme melan choly

,which u n der certain condition s

lead to self-mu rder. These,however

,are abn orm al characteristics den oted

by the falling lin e. We will n ow con sider the abn ormalities indicated by the

risin g lin e of head.

I t will be remembered that I have previou sly stated that the lin e of head

divides t he han d in to tw o hemispheres—that of mind and that of m atter ;an d

that if it be high o n the hand,then the world of m atter h as greater scope

,and

the subject is more bru tal an d an imal in his desires. This has been am ply

proved by the hands of those w ho hav e lived a life of crim e,particu larly if

they have been mu rderou s in their propen sities (Plate XXIV) .

I n su ch case s the lin e of head leaves its proper place on t he han d and

rises and takes possession of the lin e of heart,an d sometim es even passes

beyon d it. Whether su ch people mu rder o n e or twen ty is n o t the qu estion .

Th e poin t is that they have abn ormal tenden cies for crim e ; they stop at

n othing in the accomplishm en t of their pu rpose,an d u n der the slightest

provocation or temptation they mu st an d w ill gratify these stran ge an d terri

b le propen sities. Th e extraordin ary thin g in con n ection with this poin t is

that the sam e lin e also predicts years in advan ce w hen these propen sities

will cau se the destru ction of the subject. If the h ead and heart meet

u nder Satu rn , it w ill occu r before he is tw en ty-fiv e ;betw een Satu rn and

th e Su n , b efore thirty—fiv e u nder the Mou n t of the Su n , before forty

fi v e ; an d so o n . This is o n e of the mo st in terestin g poin ts in the stu dy

of the han d, an d goes far t o prove that, on ce the lin e of head goes ov er or

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CHAPTER X.

THE L INE OF HEART.

K e ep still,my heart ,

No r ask fo r peace , wh en car e m ay su it th e e b est ,No r ask for lo v e , n o r jo y , n o r ev en r e st

,

Bu t b e co n t e n t'

t o lov e,what e ’e r b e t ide ,

An d m aybe lo ve w ill b r ing th e e t o L ov e ’s side .

CHEI RO.

THE line of heart is n atu rally an importan t lin e in the study of th e h and.

-Love,or t he attraction of the sexes from natu ral cau ses

,plays on e of the

most prominen t parts in the drama of life,an d as _in the natu re so in the

han d. Th e lin e of heart,otherwise called the men sal (Plate is that

lin e which ru n s across the upper portion of the han d at the base of the

Mou n ts of Jupiter,Satu rn

,the Su n , and Mercu ry.

Th e line of’

h ear t shou ld be deep,clear

,and well colored. It may rise

from three importan t positions,as follows : the middle of the Mou n t of

Jupiter,between the first and

”

secon d fin gers,an d from the cen ter of the

Mount of Satu rn.

When it rises from the cen ter of Jupiter (d—d, Plate XX) , it gives the

h ighest type of love—the pride and the worship of the heart’s ideal. A m an

with su ch a formation is firm,stron g

,an d reliable in his affection s ;he is as

well ambitiou s that the woman of his choice shall be great,n oble

,and famou s

—su ch a m an wou ld n ever marry ben eath his station,and will have far less

love-affairs than the m an with the lin e from Satu rn .

Next we will con sider the lin e risin g from the Mou n t of Jupiter, even

from the finger itself (e—e, Plate XX) . This denotes the excess of all the fore

going qu alities ; it gives the blin d en thu siast, the m an so carried away by his

pride that he can see n o fau lts,n o failin gs in that being whom he so devotedly

worships. A las ! su ch people are the su fferers in the world of affection98

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-100 Cheir o ’s L anguage of the H and.

When,however

,it lies high o n the hand

,and the space is n arrowed by

the lin e of head being too close,the reverse is the case

,an d the head will so

completely ru le the afle ction s that it gives a hard, cold natu re, enviou s and

un charitable.

Breaks in the line tell of disappoin tmen t in affection—u n der Satu rn,brought abou t by fatality ;u nder the Su n , through pride ;an d underMercu ry,through folly an d caprice.

When the lin e of heart commen ces w ith a small fork on the Mou n t of

Jupiter j—j, Plate XVI) , it is an u n failing sign of a tru e,hon est natu re and

en thu siasm in love .

A very remarkab le poin t is to n otice whether the lin e of heart commen 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 lin e lyin g so low that it droops down toward the lin e of head is a

su re sign of u nhappin ess in afi ection s du rin g the early portion of the life.

When the lin e of heart forks,with o n e bran ch restin g on Jupiter

,the

othe r between the first an d secon d fingers,it is a sign of a happy

,tran qu il

n ature, good fortu n e, and happin ess in affection ; bu t when. the fork is so

wide that o n e bran ch rests o n Jupiter,the other on Saturn , it then den otes a

very u n certain disposition,and o nethat is n o t in clin ed to make the marital

relation s happy,through its erratic temperamen t in afi ection .

When the lin e is qu ite bare of bran ches an d thin , it t e lls of coldness of

heart an d wan t of affection .

When bare an d thin toward the percu ssion o r side of the han d,it den otes

sterility.

Fin e lin es risin g up to the line of heart from the lin e of head den ote

those who in flu en ce o u r thoughts in affairs of the heart,an d by being cro ssed

or u n crossed den ote if th e affection has brou ght trou b le or has b een smooth

and fortu n ate.

When the lin es of heart,head an d life are very m u ch j o in ed together

,it

is an evil sign ;in all m atters of afi e ction su ch a su bject wou ld stick at

n othin g to ob tain his or her de s1r e s.

A su bject w ith no lin e of heart,or with v e rv little, has n o t the power of

feelin g very deep afi ection . Su ch a person can,however

,be very sen su al, par

The L in e of H ear t.

ticu larly if the han d is soft. ~ On“

a hard hand su ch a mark will aflect the

subject less—h e may n o t be sensual,bu t he will n ever feel very deep

affection.

When,however

,the lin e has been th ere

,bu t has faded ou t , it is a sign

that the subject has had su ch terrible disappointm ents in aflection that he

become cold,heartless

,an d indifferent .

CHAPTER XI .

T H E L I N E O F F A T E .

An d w ha t is fa t e ?

A pe rfe ct law th a t shape s a ll th in gs fo r go od;And t hu s

,that m en m ay hav e a ju st r eward

Fo r do in g wha t is r igh t , n o t ca r in g sh ou ldNo ear thly cr ow n b e th e ir s, b u t in acco rd

With wha t is t ru e , an d h igh , an d gr eat .An d in th e en d—th e par t a s t o th e wh o leSo shall a ll b e ; in th e su cce ss o f all

So sha ll all shar e ;for th e A ll-con sciou s Sou lNo t e s e ’en the spa r r ow ’

s fe eb le fall.An d su ch is fa t e .

CHEI RO.

THE lin e of fate (Plate otherwise called the lin e of destiny,or the

Satu rn ian , is the cen ter u pright lin e o n the palm of the hand.

I n the con sideration of this lin e the type of han d plays an important part;for in stan ce

,the lin e of fate

, even in the most su ccessfu l han ds, is less marked

on the e lem en t ary , th e squ are, an d the spatu late, than on the philosophic,th e

con ic,or the psychic. These u pright lin es are more in keeping with the latter

han ds,and are therefore less importan t o n them; con sequ en tly if o n e sees,

as o n e often will,a n apparen tly very stron g lin e of fate o n a con ic han d,

on e mu st remember that it has n o t half the im portan ce of a sim ilar lin e o n

a squ are type as far as w orldly su ccess is con cern ed. This poin t,I am sorry

to say , has been completely overlooked by other _writers

,though it is on e of

f n e most sign ifican t in this study. It is u seless to simply give a map of the

han d withou t clearly expla 1n 1ng this point. Th e bewildered studen t sees

this lon g lin e of fate marked as a sign of gr eat fortu n e an d su ccess; an d

n atu rally con cludes that a sm all lin e o n the squ are hand mean s nothin g, and

that a long o n e o n the con ic or psychic mean s su ccess,fame

,and fortu n e,

w herea s it has n o t on e qu arter the importan ce of the small lin e shown o n the

102

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104 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

I f the line of fate itself shou ld go to any mount or portion of the hand

other than the Mount of Satu rn,it foretells great su ccess in that particu lar

direction, accordin g to the characteristics of the mou n t.

If the lin e of fate ascen d to the cen ter of the Mou n t of Ju piter,unu su al

distin ction and power will come in to the subject’s life. It also relates to

character. Su ch people are born to climb up higher than their fellows

through their en ormou s en ergy,ambition

,and determin ation .

If the lin e of fate shou ld at an y poin t throw a bran ch in that direction ,n amely

,tow ard Jupiter

,it shows more than u su al su ccess at that particu lar

stage of life.

If the lin e of fate termin ate by crossin g its ow n mou n t an d reachin g

Jupiter, su ccess will be so great in the en d that it will go far toward satisfy

ing even the ambition of su ch a sub ject.

When the lin e ru n s beyon d the palm,cu tting in to th e finger of Satu rn , it

is n o t a good sign,as everythin g will go too far. For in stan ce

,if su ch an in

dividu al be a leader,his su bjects will some day go beyond his wishes an d

power,and will most probably tu rn and attack their comm an der.

When the lin e of fate is abru ptly stopped by the lin e of heart,su ccess

will be ru in ed throu gh the a ffection s ;when , how ever, it join s the lin e of

heart a nd they together ascen d Ju piter,the subject will hav e his or her high

est ambition gratified throu gh the affections (h—h, Plate XIX) .

When stopped by the lin e of head, it foretells that su ccess

thwarted by some stupidity o r blu nder of the head.

If the lin e of fate does n o t rise u n til late in the Plain of

a very difficu lt,hard

,an d trou bled life ;bu t if it goes o n

difficu lties will be su rm ou n ted,an d on ce over th e first half of the life all the

rest will be smooth. Su ch su ccess comes from the subject’s own en ergy, per

severan ce,an d determin ation.

If the lin e of fate rise from the lin e of head,an d that lin e be well marked,

then su ccess will be won late in life,after a hard struggle and through the

subject’s talen ts .

When it rises from the line of heart extremely late in life,after a diffi cu lt

struggle su ccess will be w o n .

When the lin e rises with on e bran ch from the base of Luna, the other

The Lin e of F a te.

from Ven u s,the subject’s destin y will sway between imagination on the o n e

hand an d love and passion o n the oth er (m—ui, Plate XXI) .

When broken an d irregu lar;the career will be u n certain ;the ups and

down s of su ccess and failu re fu ll of light an d shadow.

When there is a break in the lin e,it is a su re sign of m isfortune an d loss ;

bu t if the secon d portion of the lin e begin before the other leaves o ff,it de

n otes a complete chan ge in life,and if very decided it will mean a chan ge

more in accordan ce with the subject’s own wishes in the way of position an d

su ccess (a—a , Plate XXI) .

A double or sister fate-line is an excellent sign . It den otes two distin ct

careers which the subjectwill follow. This is mu ch more important if they go

to differen t m ou n ts.

A squ are on the lin e of fate protects the subject from loss through

mon ey,bu sin ess

,or finan cial matters. A squ are tou chin g the lin e in the

Plain of Mars (b, Plate XXI.) foretells danger from acciden t in re lation to

hom e life if o n the side of the fate-line n ext the lin e of life ;from accident

in travel. if o n the side of the fate-line next the Mou n t of L u n a.

A cross is a sign of trouble and follows the same ru les as the squ are,bu t

an islan d in the line of fate is a mark of m isfortu n e,loss

,and adversity

(d, Plate XXI) . It is sometimes marked with the lin e of influ en ce fromLu n a,

and in su ch a case mean s loss an d misfortu ne cau sed by the in flu en ce,be it

marriage or otherwise,which affects the life at that date (0, Plate XXI) .

People w ithou t an y sign of a lin e of fate are often very su ccessfu l, bu t

they lead more a vegetable kin d of existence. They eat,drink

,an d sleep

,bu t

I do not think we can really call them happy, for they can n ot feel acu tely,and to feel happin ess we mu st also feel the reverse. Su n sh ine and shadow,smiles and tears comprise the sum total of ou r lives.

CHAPTER XII.

T H E L I N E O F S U N .

An d the r e a r e som e wh o have su ccess in w ealth,

An d som e in w ar , an d som e aga in in peace ,An d som e wh o

, ga in ing th e ir su cce ss in h ealth ,Se e o th e r t h ings de cr ease .

Man can’t hav e all—th e sun con sum e s itse lf

By bu r ning in its lap m or e fe eb le star s,

And th o se wh o crav e th e H in du ido l’s par tOft cru sh th e ir ch ildr en ’

n eath the ir gilded car s.

CH EIRO.

THE lin e of sun (Plate otherwise called the lin e of Apollo, t he lin e

of brillian cy,or the lin e of su ccess

,mu st

,like the lin e of fate, be considered

w ith the type of han d on which it h e s ;for in stan ce, it w ill be more h eavily

marked o n the philosoph ic,con ic

,an d psychic

,an d n o t mean as mu ch as a

similar lin e on the squ are or spatu late. Th e sam e ru le given in referen ce to

the lin e of fate therefore applies to this.

I prefer in my work to call this the line of sun , as this n ame is more

expressive an d more clear in m eam ng. It in creases the su ccess given by a

good lin e of fate,and gives fame and distin ction to the life when it is in

accordan ce with the work and career given by the other lin es of the han d;otherwise it merely relates to a tem peram en t that is keen ly alive to the

artistic,bu t u n less the rest of the han d bears this o u t

,the subject will have

the appreciation of art withou t the power of expression .

Th e lin e of su n may rise from the lin e of life,th e Mou n t of Lu na, the

Plam of Mars, th e lin e of head, or the lin e of heart.

R isin g from the line of life,with the rest of the han d artistic

,it denotes

that the life will be devoted to the w orship of the beau tifu l. With the other

lin es good, it prom ises su ccess in artistic pursu its .

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The Line"

of Sun . 107

R isin g from the lin e of fat e;it increases the su ccess promised by th e lin e

of fate, and gives more distinction from whatever date it is marked—fromthat time on things will greatly improve.

It is far more accu rate an d less misleadin g to class this lin e as relatin g

to brillian cy or su ccess—as its name implies—than to call it th e lin e ofApollo or of art. It depends upon the talen t shown by the line of head

,an d

the class of han d itself,to determine in what way the su ccess is shown

,

whether in art or in riches.

From the Mou n t of L un a it promises su ccess and distinction , largely

dependen t upon th e fan cies and the help of others. I n this case it is n ever a

certain sign of su ccess, bein g so in flu en ced by the fortunes of those we come

in con tact with (e- e, Plate XXI) .

With a slopin g lin e of head,however

,it is more in clin ed to den ote su c

cess in poetry,literatu re

,an d thin gs of the pu rely imagin ative orde r.

Rism g u pon the Plain of Mars,it promises sun shin e after tears

,su ccess

after difficu lty.

R isin g from th e lin e of h ead,there is no caprice of other people in con

n ection with su ccess,the talen ts of the subject alon e bein g its factor

,bu t not

un til th e secon d half of life is reached.

R isin g from the lin e of heart it m erely den otes a great taste for art

and artistic things,and lookin g at it from the pu rely practical standpoint

it den otes more distin ction and in flu en ce in the world at that late date

in life.

If the third fin ger be nearly equ al in length to the secon d,the finger of

Satu rn , a very lon g lin e of su n with su ch a formation makes the subject

in clin ed to gamble with everything—the talents,the riches

,an d even the

chan ces of life.

Th e chief pecu liarity of this lin e is that it gen erally gives,when well

marked,a great tenden cy toward sen sitiveness, bu t when combin ed with an

exceptionally straight line of head it denotes the love of attain in g riches,

social position,an d power.

Man y lin es on the Mount of Sun show an extremely artistic n atu r e, bu t

mu ltiplicity of ideas will in terfere with all su ccess. Su ch subjects never

h ave su fficien t patience to win either fame or ren own (Plate XXI) .

108 Cheir o’s L anguage of the Hand.

A star on this lin e is perhaps the very fin est sign that can be fou nd.

Brilliant an d lasting su ccess is in su ch cases a certain ty.

A squ are on the lin e of su n is a sign of preservation again st the attacks

of enemies in reference to on e’s n am e and position (g, Plate XXI) .

An islan d on this lin e means loss of position and name fo r the length

of time that the island lasts,and gen erally su ch will occu r through scan dal

(h, Plate XXI ) .

On a hollow h and the lin e of sun loses all power.

Th e complete absence of the lin e of su n o n an otherwise talen ted and

artistic han d indicates that su ch people, thou gh they may work h ard, will

find the recognition of the world difficu lt to gain . Su ch individu als,

no matter how they may deserve hon or an d fame,will rarely achieve it.

Perhaps o n their graves will be laid the wreaths that should have crowned

their heads.

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110 Cheiro’s L anguage of the Hand.

When rising from the lin e of heart at the Mou nt of Mercu ry and r u n

ning into or through the lin e of life, it foretells some weakn ess an d disease of

the heart. If very pale in color, and broad, it will be weak action of the

heart an d bad circu lation.

If red in color,particu larly when it leaves the line of heart

,with small

,

flat nails,the trouble will be active heart-disease.

When very red in small spots, it den otes a tendency in th e system

toward fever.

When twisted and irregu lar,biliou sness an d liver complain ts.

When formed in little straight pieces,bad digestion (i—i, Plate XIX ) .

I n little islands, with lon g, filber t nails, danger to lu n gs and chest (i—i,Plate XX) .

Th e same mark, with the same kind of nail, bu t broad, th roat trouble.

(Se e“Nails

,

” Part I ., Chapter XIII.)

When heavily marked,join ing the lin es of h eart and h ead

,and not fou n d

elsewhere,it threaten s brain -fever.

A straight line of hepatica lying down the h an d may not give robu st

h ealth,bu t it is a good mark becau se it gives a more wiry kin d of health than

on e crossing the hand.

It will thu s be seen that th ough th e studen t can depend very largely

upon the in dications afi o rded him by the hepatica,yet he mu st look for other

illn esses,an d for confirmation of illn esses

,to other portions of the hand

,as

,

for in stan ce,to the chain ed life-lin e fo r n aturally delicate health, to the lin e

of head for brain troubles,an d to the nails

,which mu st always be noted in

conju n ction with th e study of th e h epatica.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE VIA LASCIVA AND THE L INE OF INTUI TION.

THE Via L asciva, otherwise called the sister health-line (Plate is

not often fou n d,an d is generally confounded with the hepatica. It shou ld

by right ru n ofi the palm in to the wrist. I n su ch a position it gives action

and force to the passions,bu t if run n ing across the han d into the Mou n t o f

Venu s it shorten s the natu ral length of life by its excesses (t—l,Plate XVII) .

THE L INE OF INTUITI ON.

Th e line of intu it ion (Plate XII.) is more often fou nd on the philosophic,the conic

,and the psychic

,than on an y other of the seven types. Its position

on the hand is almost that of a sem lcl r cle from the face of the Mou nt of

Mercu ry to that of the Mount of Lu n a. It sometimes ru n s throu gh or with

the hepatica,bu t can be fou n d clear and distinct even when the hepatica is

marked. It denotes a pu rely impression able natu re,a person keenly sensitive

to all su rroundings and influ ences, an intuition al feeling of presentimen t for

others,stran ge vivid dreams and warnings which science has n ever been

-

able

to account fo r by that mu ch-u sed word,“coincidence.” It is foundmore on

psych ic hands than on an y others.

CHAPTER XV.

THE GIRDLE or VENUS, THE R ING o r SATURN,AND THE THREE BRACELETS.

THE Girdle of Ven u s (Plate XIII.) is that broken or u nbroken kin d of

semicircle rising between the first and second fingers and fin ish ing between

the third an d fou rth .

I mu st here state that I h ave never found th is Sign to indicate the sen

su ality so gen erally ascribed to it except when found on a broad, thick hand.

Its real domain is u su ally o n su ch han ds as th e conic an d psych ic. A little

stu dy will prove that this mark is as a rul e associated with highly sensitiv e,

in tellectu al n atu res, bu t natures changeable in moods, easily ofi ended, and

tou chy over little thin gs. It denotes a h ighly strung,n ervou s temperamen t

,

an d when u n broken it certainly gives a most u nhappy ten den cy toward

hysteria an d despon dency.

People possessin g th is mark are capable of rising to the h ighest pitch of

en thu siasm over anythin g that en gages their fancy,bu t they are rarely twice

in the sam e mood—on e momen t l n the height of spirits,the next miserable and

despon den t.

When the girdle goes over the side of the hand and by so doin g comes in

con tact with the lin e of marriage (It—k, Plate XVI) , the happin ess of the

marriage will be marred throu gh the pecu liarities of th e temperamen t. Su ch

subjects are pecu liarly exactin g,and hard to live with . If on a m an’s hand

,

that m an wou ld want as many virtu es in a w ife as there are stars in the

u n iverse.THE R ING o r SATURN .

The R ing of Satu rn (Plate XII.) is a m ark very seldom fou nd an d is not a

good Sign to have o n the han d. I have closely watched people possessing it,an d I have n ever yet observed that they were in an y way su ccessfu l. It seems

to cu t ofi the Mou n t of Fate in su ch a pecu liar way that su ch people n ever1 12

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The Girdle of Venus, the Ring of Sa tur n , and the Thr ee B r acelets. 113

gain any poin t that they may w ork”

for or desire. Their temperament has a

great deal—it may have everything—to do with this, as I alw ays find thesepeople fu ll of big ideas and plans

,bu t with su ch want of con tinu ity of pu r

pose that th ey always give up half-way . (Se e also Plate XXV.)

THE THREE BRACELETS.

THE bracelets (Plate XIII.) I do not con sider of mu ch importan ce in

r eadin g the lin es,or in the study of the hand itself. Th ere is

,however

,o n e

stran ge an d pecu liar point with regard to them,and one that I have

noticed contains a great deal of tru th. I had been tau gh t in my early life,a lways to observe principally the position of the

.

first bracelet,the on e n ear

e st the han d, an d that when I saw it high on the wrist, almost rising in to th e

palm,particu larly when it rose in the Shape of an arch (Wt—m ,

Plate XVI) ,I was always to warn my consu ltan t of weakness in r elation to the in

tern al organ s of the body—as,for in stan ce

,in the bearing of children.

Afterwards in m y life, when I took up this stadyin a more practical way

,I

fou n d there was a great deal of tru th in what I at first thou ght a superstition.

In later years,by watchin g case after case

,

'

by going through hospitals, and

from what my m any consu ltants have told me in refe rence to their ailments,

I have become convinced that th is point deserves bein g recorded,an d con

sequ en tly I now give it for what it may be worth.

An other sign ifican ce attach ed to the bracelets is that,if well an d clearly

defined, they mean strong health an d a robu st con stitu tion,and this again

,

it is interestin g to notice, bear s ou t in a m anner th e point I have called

a ttention to.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE L INE OF MARRIAGE.

Wha t m at ter if the w o rds b e sa id,Th e lice n se pa id—th ey ar e n o t w ed;Unle ss lov e link e ach he ar t t o h ear t ,’Tw er e b e t t er k eep th ose live s apar t .

CHE I Ro .

OF th e many books that h ave been written on cheirom ancy, I am sorry t o

say that almost all have ignored or have barely noticed this natu rally in teresting and important poin t. I will therefore endeavor t o give as man y

details as possible in connection with this side of the study.

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 Mou n t of Mercu ry as shown by Plate XIII. It

mu st be first stated,andastat ed clearly, that the han d does not recogn ize the

mere fact of a ceremony,be it civil or religiou s—l t merely registers the influ

en ce of different people over ou r lives,what kind of influ ence they have had

the efi e ct produ ced, and all that is in accordan ce with su ch influ ence. Now,

marriage bein g so importan t an event in one’s life,it follows that

,if events

can be foretold by the han d,marriage shou ld certain ly be marked

,even years

in advan ce,an d I have always fou n d that su ch is the case in respect to all im

portan t influ en ces ;and it is also n atu ral that aflair es de ewur , liaisons, an d so

on,can thu s be singled ou t an d divided from wh at is kn own as m arriage,

except when the liaison is ju st as im po r tan t a n d the influ ence on the life ju st

as stron g. Why there shou ld be a time se t apart in on e’s life to marry, or

n o t to marry,as the case may be

,can on ly b e

'

an swered by referring to the

other mysteries that su rrou n d u s. If any o n e can explain why a perman en t

magnet brou ght into an ordinary room has the power to magnetize every

other bit of iron in the room,what that

,power 1s, an d what the con n ection1 14

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116 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

Luna and then runs up and into the fate-lin e, the marriage will be more th e

capriciou s fan cy than real afi ection .

When the lin e of influ en ce is stron ger than the su bject’s line of fate,then

the person the subject marries will have greater power and more in dividuality

than the subject.

Th e happiest mark of marriage o n the line of fate is when the influ en ce

lin e lies close to the fate-lin e and ru n s even ly with it (l—l, Plate XX) .

Th e lin e of marriage on the Mou n t of Mercu ry should be straight,with

ou t breaks,crosses

,o r irregu larities of an y kin d.

SAL Wh en it cu rves or drops downward tow ard the lin e of heart, it foretells

that the person with wh om the subject is marriedwill die first (j, Plate XX) .

When the lin e cu rves u pward,the possessor is n o t likely to marry at a n y

time.

When the lin e of marriage is distinct,bu t with fine hair-lin es dropping

from it toward the lin e of heart,it foretells trouble brou ght on by the illn ess

an d bad health of the person the subject marries.

When the lin e droops with a small cross over the cu rve,the person the

subject is married to will die by accident or sudden death ;bu t w hen there is

a lon g,gradu al cu rve

,gradu al ill health will cau se the e nd.

1When the lin e has an islan d in th e center or at an y portion ,it den otes

some. very great trouble in married life, an d a separation while the islan d

lasts.

When the line divides at the end in to a drooping fork sloping toward

the center of the han d,it tells of divorce or a judicial separation (j, Plate

XIX) . This is all the more certain if a fin e line cross from it to the Plain

of Mars (Ir—k, Plate XIX) .

When the lin e is fu ll of little islan ds an d dr oopin g lin es,the subject

shou ld be warned n o t to marry. Su ch a mark is a Sign of the greatest un

happin ess.

When fu ll of little islands and forked, it is again a Sign of u n h appm ess I n

marriage.

Wh en the lin e breaks in two, it denotes a sudden break in the married

When the line of marriage sends _ah offshoot on to the Mount of Su n

The Lin e of M ar riage.

and in to th e lin e of sun , it t ells that/

its possessor will marry som e one of dis

tinction, an d gen erally a. person in some w ay fam ou s.

When,o n th e con trary

,it goes dow n toward and cu ts the lin e of su n

the person on whose hand it appears will lose position through marriage (i—i,Plate XXI) .

When a deep line from th e top of the mou n t grows downward an d cu ts

the lin e of marriage,there will be a great obstacle and opposition to su ch

marriage (i, Plate XVIII) .

When there is a fin e line runn ing parallel w ith an d almost tou ching th e/

marriage-line, it tells of some deep afi ectio n after marriage o n the side of theperson o n whose han d it appears .

Q

It is n o t within my provin ce in this work on palmistry to go deeply into

my opinion s as to the laws relatin g to m arriage, or to m arriage s as e n te r ed

in to by m en an dwomen of th e presen t day . It is almost in cr edible w hat m en’

an d women h ave told me du rin g the pu rsu it of this stu dy? They: gen erally

say,

“You h ave read so mu ch, y ou may as well n ow know all,

”and so they

u n ravel the greatest secrets of their hearts. Th e palmist’s lips are sealed,as

are those of the father con fesso r,bu t if he did speak he wou ld tell that half

the smilin g faces are bu t masks of gaiety to hide hearts of woe,that half the

so -called tru ths are falsehoods cloaked,that half the vows are mockeries

,an d

that the greatest mockery of all is,alas ! too often , that so -called ceremony of

marriage. Th e Protestan t Chu rch allows its children to be divorced if the

marriage has tu rn ed ou t u n su itable,and yet th e last words dinn ed in to the

ears of the bride and bridegroom are,

“Those wh om God hath join ed together,

let no man pu t asu n der.” The Catholic Chu rch, equ ally in consisten t,will n o t

even allow the wretched pair to divorce an d marry again unless on certain

special occasion s through the“mediation of the pope,” an d on th e other han d

the divorce cou rts pou r back in to the coffers of the state that which is in reality

the blood-money of its citizen s. How lon g, how lon g will this lip-service de

thron e an d cru sh the service of the heart ? How lon gwill this slaveryof cu stom

degrade and destroy the better n atu re, m akin g men bru tes and women beasts

of bu rden H ow lon g mu st m en andwomen exist and live together becau se

they have not the mon ey to bu y their freedom,or becau se of their dread of that

tortu re-chamber of divorce ? M en who were noble once, women who were1 2

Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

queen s of tru th and sou ls of hon or—h ow often do we see th em,th e hu sband

hating the wife, the w ife fearin g the hu sban d, an d ou tside of all and seeing

all,like the spectators in the arena, are the pale faces of the children

,the

reincarn ated ghost s of bur ied faith, edgin g closer and close r to the scen e, fear

ing too mu ch, loving too little, wrappin g around them,closer than their very

garmen ts,the cloak of paren ts’ Shame

,goin g o u t in to the world to deceive

“

as

mother did,to drink as father did—goin g o u t in to the world to do likewise.

L e t men and women,on ce and for all, read n ature more and fiction less let

them stu dy on e an other as they do the art of flattery or of costum e. L e t them

ma rry,bu t if they make mistakes

,give them a chance of redeemin g those

m’

stakes ;give them children ,bu t teach them to be responsible to those chil

dfen ;preach n o t goodn ess fo r the sake of gain,bu t goodn ess for the sake

honor for hon or’s sake,tru th for tru th’s . An d lastly

,give them

pride,not in s e lf—for th ey are servan ts—bu t in that part of life in wh ich

they serve,that as they be son s of human ity and daughters of th e world

,

so may they live as helpers of the world. And so may they be till the end

draws n igh,till the task is don e, till th e universe is finished

,till th e destiny

IS Spun .

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120 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and .

life of the subject or oth erwise ;if they will be delicate o r strong;if they will

be male or female.

The leading points with regard to th ese lines are as follows

Broad lin es denote males ;fin e , narrow lines, females.

When they are clearly marked th ey denote strong,h ealthy childr en ;wh en

very fain t,if they are wavy lines, th ey are the reverse.

When the first part of the line is a little island, the child will be very

delicate in its early life, bu t if th e line is well marked farth er it will even

tu ally have good health.

When endin g at th e islan d, death will be the result.

When o n e line is longer and superior to th e rest, on e ch ild will be more

importan t to the parent than all the others.

The numbers r u n from the ou tside of the marr iage-lin e in toward the

hand.

On a man ’s hand th ey are often ju st as clear as on a woman ’s,bu t in

su ch a case the man will be exceptionally fon d of children an d will have an

extremely affect ionate n atu re ;as a rule, however, the woman’s hand shows the

marks in a superior way. From th ese observations I thin k the student will

be able to proceed in his or her pursu it of other minu te details which I can

not go into here.

MODIFI CATIONS OF THE PR INC IPAL LINES.

Plate XXI .

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122 Cheir o’s L anguage of the Hand.

It really means that th e subject will have some terribly fatalistic life, bu t that

of a m an in every way a child of fate, a plaything of destiny;a man cast for

some terrible part in the drama of life—h e may be a Judas,or he may be a

Saviou r, bu t all his work and life and career will have some dramatic and

terrible climax,some u nrivaled brillian cy, some position resplendent with the

majesty of death—a kin g for the moment, bu t crowned with doom.

The second position fo r the star on Satu rn is that almost ofi th e moun t,

either at the side or cu ttin g in to the fin gers . This, like the star on Jupiter,den otes that the subject will be brought .in to con tact with one of those who

make history, bu t in this case

‘

with one who gain s distin ction through some

terrible fate.

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF THE SUN.

Th e star on the Mou n t of the Sun (39, Plate XIX.) gives the brilliancy of

wealth and position,bu t

,as a ru le

,withou t happin ess. Su ch wealth has come

too late ;the price has probably been too dearly paid in the way of health , or

, perhaps in peace of min d. Certain it is,h owever

,that

,though it gives great

riches,it never gives con ten tment or happin ess. When in this case by the

side of the mou n t,it den otes

,like the others

,that the subject will be brou ght

in con tact with rich and wealthy people,withou t himself being rich in the

world’s goods.

When , however, it is conn ected or formed by the lin e of sun , it den otes

great fame and celebrity,bu t throu gh talen t an d work in art. It should 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 of whose

han d will be found o n Plate

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF MERCURY.

The star in the center of the Moun t of Mercu ry (g, Plate XIX.) denotes

brilliancy an d su ccess in science,bu siness

,or the power of eloqu en ce

,accord

ing to th e type of han d, an d, as in the foregoin g examples, by the Side of the

mount it denotes association with people distin gu ished in those walks of life.

The Star

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF MARS.

Th e star on the Mou nt of Mars u n der Mercu ry (j, Plate XVIII) , denotes

that throu gh patience,resign ation

,and fortitu de the gr eatest hon ors will be

gain ed.

On the opposite side of the han d,the Mou n t of Mars u n der Jupiter,great

distinction an d celebrity will arise from a martial life, or a Sign al battle o r

warfare in wh ich the su bject will be en gaged.

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF LUNA.

The star on the Mou n t of Lu n a (k, Plate-

XVIII.) is, according to m ysystem,

a sign of great celebrity arisin g from the qu alities of the mount,

namely,through the imagin ative facu lties. I do n o t hold that it r elates

to drownin g,in accordan ce with other ch eir om an t s. Th ere is an other mean

ing, however, to this Sign , wh ich may have given rise to this idea, an d that

is that when the lin e of head ends in a star on this mou n t the dreamy im ag

in ativ e facu lties will ru in th e balance of the lin e of head, and the resu lt

will be insan ity. Becau se this star has been fou n d so .often on the han ds of

su icides,it m ay have given rise to the former belief, bu t people loSe Sight of

the fact that water for su icides is going o u t of fashion . In these days the

revolver or the overdose of m orphine is mu ch more in vogu e.

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF VENUS.

In the center or high est poin t of the Moun t of Ven us (l, Plate XVII I.)the star is once more su ccessfu l an d favorable, bu t this time in relation to the

affections and passion s. On a man’s han d su ch a Sign indicates extraordinary

su ccess in all afi air s of love—the same on a woman’s hand. No jealou s1es or

opposition will rob them of the spoils of conqu est.

Wh en lying by the Side of the mou n t,th e amou rs of su ch a subject will

be with people distingu ished for th eir su ccess in th e arena of love.

124 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

THE STAR ON THE FINGERS.

The star on th e tips or ou ter phalan ges of the fingers gives great good

fortu n e in anythin g tou ched or attempted, and o n the first phalan ge of the'

thumb su ccess through the subject’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 shou ld be born e in mind that the in dications

d enoted by this importan t lesser Sign mu st natu rally be in keepin g with the

tendencies Shown by the gen eral character Of the han d. It stan ds to reason,

for in stan ce,that the star cou ld have little power or mean in g on a han d con

tain ing a weak,u n developed lin e of head . In dealing with this

,as indeed

with every other portion of the stu dy, it mu st be u nderstood that however

clear the directions may be,it is impossible to dispen se with the exercise of a

certain amou n t of men tality and discretion on the part of the student.

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126 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

trial or fatal influ ence of aflectio n ;bu t when very small and lying close to the

line of life,it tells of troubles an d qu arrels with near relatives.

A cross by the Side of the lin e of fate,and between it and the life-lin e

in the Plain of Mars, denot es Opposition in on e’s career by relatives, andmeans

a change in the destin y ;bu t lyin g on the other Side o f the hand next to Lu n a

it relates to a disappointment in a jou rney.

Above and tou ching the line of head, it foretells som e wound or accident

to the head.

By the Side of the line of sun , disappointment in position.

Ru n n in g in to the lin e of fate, disappointment in money ;and over the

lin e of heart, the death of some loved one.

CHAPTER XX.

THE SQUARE .

THE squ are (Plate XV.) is one of the most interesting of th e lesser Signs.

It is u su ally called“the mark of preservation,” becau se it shows that the sub

ject is protected at that particu lar poin t from wh at ev er .dange r men aced.

When the line of fate ru n s through a well-formed squ are,it den otes one

of the greatest crises in the subject’s life in a worldly sense,con n ected w ith

finan cial disaster or loss,bu t if the lin e goes right o n through the squ are all

danger will be averted. Even when the line of fate breaks in the cen ter, th e

squ are is still a Sign of protection from very seriou s loss.

Wh en ou tside the lin e,b u t on ly tou chin g it

,and directly u nder the Mou nt

of Satu rn;it denotes preservation from acciden t.-When th e line of head ru n s throu gh a well-formed squ are

,it is a Sign of

stren gth an d preservation to the brain itself,an d tells of some terr ible strain

of work or of anxiety at that particu lar mom en t.

When risin g above the lin e of head u n der Satu rn,it foretells a preserva

t ion from some danger to the h ead.

When the line o f heart ru n s through a squ are,it den otes some heavy

trouble brought on by the affection s. When u n der Satu rn,some fatality to

th e object of on e’s affection (j, Plate XXI) .

When the life-lin e passes through a squ are,it den otes a protection from

death,even if th e line be broken at th at poin t (It , P late XXI) .

A squ are on the Mount of Venu s in side the lin e of life den otes preser

vation from trouble brought on by the passion s (l, Plate XXI) . Wh en

resting in the center of the Mou n t of Ven u s,it tells that the subject will

fall into all kin ds of danger throu gh passion,bu t will always m an age to

e scape.

When,however

,lying ou tside the line of life and tou ching it from th e

127

128 Cheir o’s L anguage of the Hand.

Plain of Mars, a squ are in su ch a place means imprisonment or seclu sion from

the world.

When on the mounts the squ are denotes a protection any excess

arising through th e qu alities o f the mou n t

On Jupiter, from th e ambition o f the subject.

On Satu rn , from the fatality that Shadows the life.

On the Sun , from the desire for fame.

On Mercu ry,from the restless

,mercu rial temperament.

On Mars, from danger through en emies.

On Luna, from an excess o f imagination, or from the evil efi ects of som e

other line, as, for instance, a line of travel.

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MODI FI CAT IONS OF TH E PR INCI PAL L I NES.

Pla t e XXI I .

CHAPTER . XXI.

THE I SLAND, THE OIROLE,THE SPOT.

THE island is not a fortu nate Sign, bu t it only relates to th e line or por

tion of th e hand 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 marked on th e

line of heart it den otes heart-disease inherited.

Wh en as one distin ct mark in the center of the line of h ead, it den ote s an

hereditary weakness in relation to men tality.

When on the line of life, it denotes illn ess an d delicacy at that par ticu lar

th e line of fate, some heavy loss in worldly m atters.

the lin e of sun , it foretells loss of position and n ame,generally

(h, Plate XXI) .

e line of health,it foreshadowsa seriou s illness.

into or forming an islan d is a bad in dication in r e lat ion

d on which it is fou nd.

Mou n t of Venu s ru nning into an island foretells

rom passion to the man or woman who influ ences th e

islan d an d crossing th e h and from the Mount ofVenu s

foretells that an evil influ en ce at that particu lar pom t

disgrace to th e marriage (r ,Plate XVIII) . I f th e

r u n to the lin e of heart,some bad in flu en ce will bring

e to the affections ;when it run s to the line of h ead, some

rect the talen ts and intentions in to some disgracefu l chan

it runs in to an d bars the lin e of fate, some evil influ ence

to the su ccess of the subject at the date at wh ich the lines

Cheir o’s L anguage of the Hand.

An island on any of the mou nts inju res the qu alities of the m ount on

wh ich it is foun d.

On the Mou nt of Jupiter it weaken s thepride an d ambition.

On Satu rn it brin gs misfortu n e to the subject.

On th e Mount of the Su n it weakens the ta lent for art.

On Mercu ry it makes a person too changeable to su cceed, particu larly in

anythin g in relation to bu siness or scien ce.

On Mars it Shows a weak Spirit and cowardice.

On Lu n a, weakness in working ou t th e power of the imagin ation.

On Ven u s, a person easily led and influ enced by the Sport of fancy and

passion (h,Plate XX) .

THE CIRCLE .

If fou nd on the Mount of the Su n , the circle is a favorable mark. This

is th e on ly position in which it is fortu n ate. On an y other m oiin t it tells

again st the su ccess of the subject.

On the Mou n t ofLuna it den otes danger from drown in g.

a nd?When tou ching an y important line, it indicates that at that particu lar

poin t the su bject will not be able to clear h imself from m isfor tu ther

words,he will

,as it were

,go round and round in a circle with o able

to break through and get free.

THE SPOT.

A spot is generally the Sign of temporary illness.

A bright-r ed spot on the lin e of head indicates a Shock or ilmry from

some blow or fall.

A black or blu e spot denotes a nervou s illn ess.

A bright-red spot on the lin e of health is u su ally taken to , mean fever,and on th e line Of life some illness of the natu re of fever.

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182 Cheir o’s L angu age of the H and.

On the Mou n t of the Su n it den otes a practical application Of ar t an d

a calm demean or toward su ccess an d fam e. Celebrity w ill n ever spoil su ch

people.

On the Mou n t of Mercu ry . it checks its restless qu alities,an d prom ises

su ccess in relation to bu sin ess Of m oney.

On the Mou n t of Mars it gives scien ce in warfare, great calmn ess in an y

crisis,an d presen ce of min d in dan ger

On the Mou n t of L u n a it tells of a scien tific method in following o u t the

ideas of the im agin ation .

On the Mou n t of Ven u s,calmn ess an d calcu lation in love

,the power of

restrain t an d con trol over self.

Th e tripod or Spear-head (Plate XV.) is an excellen t Sign of su ccess o n

an y mou n t on which it is fou n d.

LA CROIX MYSTIQUE.

”

This stran ge mark h as u su ally for its dom ain the cen ter of the qu ad

rangle (r , Plate XIX) , bu t it may be fou n d a t e ither its upper or lower ex

t r em itie s. It may be form ed by the lin e of fate and a lin e from the head t o

the heart,or it may lie as a distin ct mark withou t connection with an y other

main lin e.

It den otes mysticism,occultism

,and su perstition .

These three qu alities are w idely apart in themselves, although Often con

foun ded, an d the position this m ark takes on the hand is therefore very

importan t.

When high up on the han d toward Jupiter, it will give the belief in

mysticism for on e’s ow n life,b u t n o t the desire to follow it farther than

where it relates to self. Su ch people wan t their fortu n es told,actu ated more

by cu riosity to kn ow how their ow n ambition s will tu rn o u t than by th e

deeper in terest that the stu dy in volves for its ow n sake.

When the Croix Mystiqu e ” is more closely con n ected with the lin e of

heart than with that of head,it gives a superstitiou s natu re, an d this even

more so when it is marked over the cen ter of the head-lin e, when that

lin e takes a sharp cu rvo downward. It mu st be remembered that the length

The Grille,The Triangle,

“L a Cr oix M ystique,” The Ring of So lomon . 133

of th e lin e of head has mu ch to Ore / with this. Th e very shoft lin e with the

cross over it will be a thou sand times more superstitiou s than the lon g o n e .

Th e lon g o n e will be the greatest for occu ltism,and particu larly so if the

Croix Mystiqu e ” is a n indepen den t formation on the lin e of head.

Wh en it tou ches the fate-lin e,or is formed by it

,the love of the mystic

will influ en ce the en tire career.

THE R ING OF SOLOMON.

Th e R in g of Solom on (Plate XII.) is a Sign that also denotes the love of

th e occu lt, bu t in th is case it Show s more the power of the master, the adept,than the mere love of the mystic denoted by “L a Croix Mystiqu e.”

CHAPTER XXIII.

HANDS COVERED WI TH L INES—THE COLOR OF THE PALM .

WHEN the entire han d is covered with a multitu de of fine lines like a n et

spreading over its su rface, it tells that the natu re is intensely n ervou s and

sensitive,bu t o n e that will be con tin u ally distu rbed and worried by little

thoughts and troubles that w ou ld be of no importance whatever to others.

This is particularly so if the palm be soft—su ch people imagin e all sortsof things in the way of ailmen ts an d troubles bu t if the palm of the hand be

hard an d firm,it den otes an en ergetic

,excitable natu re

,bu t o ne that is far

more su ccessfu l for other people than for self.

SMOOTH HANDS.

Very smooth han ds with few lin es belon g to people calm in temperament

and even in disposition . They seldom if ever worry ; they rarely lose temper,bu t when they do they kn ow the reason why. This is again modified by the

palm being hard or soft. When fir m ,it is a greater Sign of control and calm

n ess than when soft. In the latter case it is n o t so mu ch a m atter of con trol

as of in difference : the subject will n o t take sufficient in terest to lose temper-that wou ld be too mu ch of an exertion .

THE SKIN.

When the palm of the hand is covered natu rally with a very fine light

skin , the subject will retain the bu oyan cy an d temperamen t of you th mu ch

lon ger than the person with a coarse Skin . This is of cou rse mu ch afi ected by

work,bu t I am speakin g of cases where little labor or man u al work is don e

yet even where there is manu al work this can still be observed by the ridges134

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CHAPTER XXIV.

THE GREAT TR I ANGLE AND THE QUADRANGLE .

WHAT is called the great trian gle, or the Trian gle of Mars, is formed by

the lin es of life, head, an d the hepatica (Plate XXII) .

When,as is very frequ en tly the case

,the lin e of health is altogether

absen t, its place mu st be filled by an imagin ary lin e to form the base of the

trian gle,or (as is Often fou n d) the lin e of su n forms the base (a—a, Plate XXII) .

This latter is by far the greatest Sign of power an d su ccess, although the

su bject will n o t be so broad-min ded an d'

lib er al as when the base of the tri

an gle is form ed by the lin e of health.

Th e Shape an d position s of the great trian gle must be con sidered by them

selves,although it con tain s t he u pper

,the middle

,an d the lower angle

,which

three poin ts will be dealt with later.

When the trian gle is well formed by the lin es of head,life

,an d health, it

Shou ld be broad and in close th e en tire Plain of Mars. I n su ch case it den otes

breadth of views,liberality an d gen erosity of Spirit; su ch a person will be in

clin ed to sacrifice himself to fu rther the in terests of the whole, n o t the unit.

If,on the con trary

,it is formed by three small

,wavy, u n certain lin es, it

den otes timidity of spirit,mean n ess

,an d cowardice. Su ch a m an wou ld always

go with the m ajority even again st his prin ciples.

When in the secon d form ation of the trian gle it has for its base the lin e of

su n, the subject will then have n arrow ideas bu t great individu ality an d

stron g resolu tion . Su ch a Sign,from the very qu alities it exhibits

,contains

within itself the seeds of worldly su ccess.

THE UPPER ANGLE .

Th e u pper an gle (b, Plate XXII.) is formed by the lin es of head an d life.

This angle shou ld be clear,well poin ted

,an d even . Su ch will in dicate refine

men t of thought an d min d,and delicacy toward others.

136

The Grea t Triangle and the Quadr angle.

Wh en very obtu se, it deno tes’

a du ll matter-Of-fact intellect with little

delicacy and feeling and a very small appreciation of art or of artistic things

or people.

When extremely wide an d obtu se, it gives a blunt, hasty temper, a person

who w ill con tinu ally Offend people. It also denotes impatience and want of

application in stu dy.

THE M I DDLE ANGLE .

Th e middle angle is formed by the line of head and that of h ealth (0, Plate

XXII) . If clear and well defin ed,it denotes qu ickness of intellect, vivacity,

an d good health .

Wh en very acu te,it denotes a painfu lly nervou s temperament and bad

health .

Wh en very obtu se,du lln ess of in telligen ce and a matter-of-fact method

of work ing.

THE LOWER ANGLE .

The lower angle (d, Plate XXII) , when very acu te and made by the hepa

tica,denotes feebleness

,and littleness of spirit ;wh en obtu se, it denotes a

stron g n a tu re.

When made by the line of su n and very acu te, it gives individu ality,bu t

a narrow v iew of things ;when obtu se, it gives a broader and more generou s

min d.

THE QUAD RANGLE .

Th e qu adrangle,as its nam e im plies

,is that qu adr angu lar space between

the lin es of head and heart (Plate XXII) .

It shou ld be even in shape,wide at both ends

,bu t n o t narrow at th e

cen ter. Its in terior shou ld be smooth an d not crossed with m an y lines,

whether from the head or from the heart. When m arked in this way,it in

dicat e s even n ess of mind,power of in tellect

,an d loyalty in frien dsh ip or

affection .

This space represen ts within itself the man’s disposition toward his fel

lows. When excessively n arrow,it shows narrow ideas, smalln ess of thought,

and bigotry,bu t more in regard to religion and m orals

,whereas the triangle

138 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

den otes conservatism as regards work and occupation. With r eliglou s people

this is a remarkable Sign,the han d of the bigot always havin g this space ex

tremely narrow .

On the other han d, the space mu st not be too wide. Wh en it is, the

subject’s view s of religion an d morals will be too broad for his own good.

When this space n arrows so mu ch in the cen ter that. it has the appear

an ce of a waist,it den otes preju dice and in ju stice. Again

,the two ends

shou ld bd fairly equ ally balan ced. When mu ch wider u n der the Mou n t of

the Su n than Satu rn,the person is careless abou t his nam e

,position

,or repu

t a tion . Th e Opposite of this is shown when the space is narrow. It is in

su ch a case a Sign of in ten se anxiety as to the opin ion of other people

What the world thin ks,an d what on e mu st do t o keep Up one

’s repu tation .

When excessively wide u n der Satu rn or Jupiter and narrower at the

other e nd,it den otes that the subject will chan ge from the gen erosity of his

views and br o adn e ssl

of min d to become n arrow and preju diced.

When the qu adran gle is abn ormally W ide in its en tire len gth, it den otes

wan t of order in the brain,carelessn ess of thought and ideas, an u n con v en

tion al n atu re,an d o n e impruden t in every way.

When the qu adrangle is sm ooth and free from little lin es, it den otes a

calm temperament.

When very fu ll of little lin es an d crosses,the n atu re is restless an d

irritable.

A star in an y portion of the qu adran gle is an excellent sign , particu larly

if it be u n der some favorable mou n t.

Un der Jupiter it promises pride an d power.

Un der Satu rn,su ccess in worldly matters .

Un der the Mou n t of the Su n , su ccess in fame and position through art ;and between the Su n and Mercu ry

,su ccess in science an d research .

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140 C’heir o’s L anguage of the H and.

position and power will be gain ed by it, an d the jou rney will also be ex

t r em e ly long.

When the travel-lin e ru n s to the Mou n t of Satu rn,some fatality w ill

govern the en tire jou rn ey.

When it ru n s to the Mou n t of the Su n,it is most favorable

,an d prom ises

riches an d celebrity.

When it reaches the Mou n t of Mercu ry,sudden an d u n expected wealth

will arise fr om it.

When the h o r 1z on tal lin es on Lu n a cross the face of the mou n t an d reach

the lin e of fate,the jou rn eys will be lon ger and more importan t than those

1n dicat ed by the short,heavy lin es also o n that moun t

,thou gh they may n o t

relate to a chan ge Of cou n try g—g, Plate XXII) .

When they en ter the lin e of fate an d ascend with it,they den ote t ravels

that will materially benefit th e su bject.

When the e nd of an y of these horizon tal lines droop or cu rve downward

toward the wrist,the jou rn ey will be u n fortu n ate (h, Plate XXII) . Wh en

they rise u pward,n o matter h ow short

,it will be su ccessfu l.

Wh en o n e of these lin es crosses an other,su ch a jou rney W ill be repeated,

bu t for some importan t reason .

An y squ are on su ch a line will Show danger,bu t protection from acci

den t o r m isfortune.

If the travel-lin e ru n s in to the lin e of head an d cau ses a spot, islan d, or

break,it foretells some dan ger to the head

,or som e malady arising from su ch a

jou rn ey (h- h, Plate XXII) .

ACCIDENTS.

I have allu ded to accidents con siderably in my treatment of the lin e of

t ravel an d in relation to travel,bu t disasters are more marked on the lin e of

life an d lin e of head than at an y other poin t.

I n the first place,the acciden t marked to the lin e of life den otes a more

immediate danger of death,as follows

When,from an islan d o n Satu rn , a line falls downward and en ters the

life-lin e, seriou s, if n o t fatal, dan ger is in dicated (i—i, Plate XXII) .

When su ch a lin e ends by a sm all cross,either on the lin e of life or with

Tr avel,Voyages, and Acciden ts.

ou t it,it t ells th at the subject will

’

have some n arrow escape from ser iou s

accident.

When the same mark occu rs lower down,at the base o f th e Mou n t of

Satu rn,the acciden t will resu lt more from an imals than from other cau ses.

An y straight lin e from Satu rn to the life-lin e mean s dan ger of some kind,bu t n o t so Seriou s as from a lin e possessing th e islan d either o n Satu rn or

lower down .

To the line of h ead exac tly the same ru les apply,with this difi e r en ce

,

that the dan ger will be direct to the head itself,bu t u nless the accident lin e

ou t or break the head-lin e th e dan ger does not signify death as much as when

marked on the lin e of life it den otes,as it were

,that the person has time ‘to

foresee the dan gers that approach,and su ch a mark indicates a fright and

shock to the brain,bu t no seriou s resul ts unless th e line is inju red or broken .

CHAPTER XXVI.

TIME—THE SYSTEM OF SEVEN.

IN my own work I u se a system as regards time an d dates which I have

n ever fou nd men tion ed elsewhere. It is on e which I con sider exceptionally

accu rate,and I therefore recommen d it to the stu den t for his or her con

sideration . It is the system of seven,and I advan ce it as being taught by

n atu re in all her mysteriou s dealings with life.

In the first place,we find from a m edical an d scien tific stan dpoin t the

seven a most importan t poin t of calcu lation . We fin d that the en tire system

u n dergoes a com plete chan ge every seven years ;that there are seven stages

of the pren atal existence ;that the brain takes seven forms before it takes

upon itself“the u n iqu e character of the human brain ”;and so forth. Again

,

we find that in all ages the number seven has played a most importan t part

in the history of the world ;as, for in stan ce, th e seven races of human ity, the

seven won ders of the world,t he seven altars to the seven gods of the seven

plan ets, the seven days of the week, the seven colors, the seven min erals, the

supposition of the seven sen ses,the three parts of the body each con tain ing

seven section s,an d the seven division s of the world. Again

,in the Bible

seven is the most importan t n umber ;bu t it is su perflu ou s to give furtherdetails. Th e poin t that bears most largely o n this subject is that of the

en tire system undergoin g a chan ge every seven years . My ow n observation

leads me to also advan ce (simply for the con sideration of the stu den t) the

theory that the alternate seven s are somewhat alike in their relation to the

fu n ction al chan ges of the body. For example,a child very delicate on pass

ing the age of seven is also likely to be delicate on passin g t he age of twen tyon e

, whereas a child healthy an d stron g at the age of seven will again be

healthy an d strong at twen ty-one,n o matte r how delicate he or she may be

through the in termediate years. This is an interestin g point in prediction s

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Time—Th e Sy stem of Seven .

r elating to health,and one Which/ T have fou nd not only in teresting bu t ex

tr em ely reliable. Every lin e o n the han d can be divided into section s givingdates with more or less accu racy. The most important lines, however, an d

those u su ally con su lted in referen ce to dates,are those of life an d fate. In

Plate XXIII. it will be n oticed that I have divided the lin e of fate in to three

great divisions, namely, twenty-o n e , thirty-fiv e , an d forty-n in e,and if the

studen t will keep this in m in d he will more easily fill in the subdivision s o n

the human han d itself. Th e poin t,however

,which I can n ot im press too

strongly is,th at the stu den t mu st n otice the class or type Of han d before

proceedin g or attempting to m ake the smallest calcu la t lo n . It stands to

reason that there mu st be the greatest difference between the dates given bythe palm of th e squ are or spatu late h an d and that of the psychic. I f

th e student will bear this in mind,he will reduce or in crease his scale in ac

co rdan ce with the length of the palm. To men tally divide the lin es in to

section s as illu strated will be fo un d the simplest an d the most accu rate plan

th at the studen t can pu rsu e.

When,in the calcu lation of dates

,the lin e of life and the lin e of fate are

u sed together,it will be found th at they corroborate o n e an other an d give

accu racy as to the even ts. It istherefore n o t difficu lt, after a little practice

to give a date as to when an illn ess or an e v en t'

t o ok place,or when su ch an d

such a thin g will happen . Practice gives perfection in all things ; let n o t the

studen t be discou raged,therefore, if at first he finds difficulty in dividin g the

lines into divisions an d subdivision s.

PART III .—IL L U STRATIVE TYPE S.

CHAPTER I.

A FEW WORDS ON SUI CI DE.

I WI LL now de al with a few illu strative types to help th e student in the

con gregation of lin es,sign s,and formations that go to form each in dividu al

character. It is seldom,if ever

,that on e distin ct mark or pecul iarity has th e

power to ru in or blight an y o n e n atu re. An evil or dan gerou s Sign as r e

gards character merely Shows the particu lar ten dency in this or that direction .

It takes a variety of wheels to make a watch : so does it take a variety of

characteristics to make a crimin al or a sain t. Th e type bearin g th e disposi

tion toward su icide is a very striking example of this. Bu t before I go

farther I would like to make a few remarks as to the subject of su icide itself.

In every town in which I may reside,an establishmen t which has con sider

able in terest for me is that stran ge temple of death,th e morgu e. Why no t ?

If on e in an y sen se studies life, he shou ld stu dy it to th e borders of that

u n discovered cou n try,from whose bou rn no traveler retu rn s.” Th e sem i

barbarou s,semi-human idea that by su ch an act the su icide has made him or

her self an ou tcast,n o t on ly to this world

,bu t to the next

,can n ot be too

highly con demn ed. Even in this so-called en lighten ed age I have seen

clergymen refu se to attend the grave. I n some cou n tries I have seen the

body of the su icide dug up in the dead of n ight and bu ried in the san d of

the sea-shore,or

,worse still

,thr own over the clifls in to the sea. It is n o t

the treatm ent to the corpse that I raise my voice again st—the dead feel n othing, the corpse is clay—it is the bru tality of the livin g that makes me Speak.

People who lightly con sider this matter are apt to say that su ch thin gs do144

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146 Cheir o’s L anguage of the Hand.

to avoid and dread. I have kn own the most n oble deeds of Silent martyrdom

performed by those who afterward wou ld scarce receive Christian bu rial. I

have kn own n o t a few cases of person s sufi e ring from an in cu rable disease

endin g life a few mon ths soon er—an d why ? No t becau se of the agon y they

su ffered,bu t becau se they were cau sing their children to sufi e r , an d bu rden

ing them With expen diture which they cou ld n o t afi o rd;an d yet I have been

told that su ch a person cou ld have no part or lot in that kingdom of peace,

be it rest or be it life,which lies beyon d the silen ce of the tomb. Is it m an

,

or ghou l,o r devil

,I ask

,who has thu s the presumption to dictate to m an the

wishes or the judgmen ts of that w hich is Almighty What man among the

mortals of the earth has the right to elect himself the mou thpiece of the Om

nipo t en t an d the Unkn own ? H ow man y poor su icides has this relic of

barbarian ism con demn ed to the eve rlastin g torment of the spirit ? How

many mothers has this fetishism broken beneath the wheels of its Jugger

n au t ? H ow man y sisters have cried and sobbed ben eath the darkn ess of the

n ight ? How many brothers have raised defian t eyes to heaven that su ch

a thing cou ld be ?

Alas ! thou great Spirit of life,of death

,of all that is

,of all that will

be,we kn ow n o t thy name

,thy bein g

,thy creation

,or the u ltimate pu rpose

for which thou hast en dowed m an a nd shaped m an in the carrying o u t of

thy design . A swe are n othin g,forgive u s all thin gs ; as we ask for nothin g,

give u s bu t what we n eed;and as we be nothing, be thou to u s the all

su fficien t,

'

th e life, the death, the etern al of th e sou l.

CHAPTER II.

THE PECUL I ARITI ES OF HANDS WHI CH SHOW A SUI CIDAL TENDENCY.

THE han d is gen erally lon g,with a slopin g lin e Of head

,and a developed

Mou nt of Lu na,particu larly toward its base. Th e line of head is also very

m u ch con nected with the lin e of life,and so in creases the excessively sen si

tive natu re of the subject. I n such a case the in dividu al wou ld n o t natu rally

be morbid or even Show the in clin ation for su icide, bu t the natu re is so

sen sitive and so imagin ative that an y trouble, grief, or scan dal is in tensified a

thou san dfold,and to kill or in ju re self gives the pecu liar satisfaction of self

martyrdom to su ch a type,as exemplified b y Plate XXV.

Th e same in dication s being fou n d in conn ection with a well-developed

Mou n t of Satu rn will give the thorou ghly sen sitive,morbid n atu re ;an in

dividu al who will determin edly come to the con clu sion that life u nder an y

circumstan ces is n o t worth livin g—SO the slightest provocation by trou ble or

disappoin tmen t cau ses him to qu ietly and resign edly fly to that last resource

which he has cherished an d thought of for so lon g.

Th e excessively droopin g line of head (Plate XXV.) on a poin ted or

con ic hand den otes the same resu lt,bu t on ly throu gh the sudden impu lse that

is characteristic of the natu re. To su ch a person a shock or trouble is all

su fficien t to impart the im pu lse to the excitable disposition,and before there

is time to think,the deed is don e.

Th e Opposite of this excit ability is shown in the case of th e subject’s com

mittin g su icide when the lin e of head is n o t abn ormally slopin g. Su ch a

person , however, will have the lin e closely con n ected with the lin e of life, a

depressed Moun t of Jupiter,and a very fu lly developed Saturn . Su ch a sub

ject will feel the disappointm en ts Of life unu su ally keen ly ;he will as well

have a melancholy and gloomy tu rn of min d ;he will, however, be logical inw eighing every side of the qu estion for life and death

,and if he arrives at th e

147

148 Cheir o’s L anguage of the H and.

con clu sion that the game is up an d the battle over as far as he is con cerned,he will

,in a most reason able and sen sible manner

,accordin g to his stan d

poin t,proceed to pu t an en d to all misfortu n es. What su ch a person will

su ffer b efore h e arrives at this con clu sion it is scarcely possible to estimate.

We are all so wrapped up in o u r ow n interests and affairs that we ‘hardly see

or n o tice .th e pale, worn face that has su ffered so patiently, the hollow eyes Of

wakefu l nights,the wasted cheeks of hun ger, that appear for a mom ent by

ou r side, an d are gone forever.

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150 P r open sities for M urder .

many difi eren t expressions o n e fin ds in the face of a pictu re from differen t

points of view.)As regards the hand, it divides mu rder into three very distin ct classes

l st . Th e mu rderer made so by the in stin ct to kill, as exhibited in the

bru te creation , through passion , fu ry, or revenge.

2d. Th e mu rderer made so by the greed Of gain ; the natu re that w ill

stop at n othing in order to gratify the covetou s tenden cy.

3d. Th e u tterly heartless disposition which feeds on the sufi erings of

others ;the n atu re that will even live on frien dly terms with the victim—theone t h at will

,as it were

,deal o u t death in drops of honey ;the person who

can n ot be tou ched by the longings for life exhibited by the sufi er er , and who,thou gh keen ly alive to t he dan ger, feels in that danger a Sen se of delight, and,with -

u tter lack Of mo ral con sciou sness, takes more pleasu re in su ch work than

in the gain it brings.

Th e first class is very ordinary. Th e m an or wom an becom es a m u r

derer by circumstan ces . Su ch an in dividual may be thorou ghly good

n atu red an d kin d-hearted,bu t some provocation excites the blin d fu ry of the

an imal n atu re,an d when the deed is don e

,su ch a o n e is gen erally cru shed

an d broken by remorse.

I n su ch cases the han d shows n o bad sign more th an u ngovernable tem

per an d bru te passion . It is,in fact

,the elem en tary han d

,or a n ear approach

to it. Th e lin e of head is short,thick

,and red

,the nails short and red

,and

th e han d heavy and coarse. The most rem arkable characteristic,however,

will be the thumb. Th e thumb will be set very low on the han d ; it will be

short and thick in the secon d phalange,and the first phalan ge will be what is

called “the clubbed thumb ” (Plate VIII) , very short, broad, and squ are : this

is fou n d almost withou t exception in su ch types. If in su ch cases the Mou n t

of Ven u s is also abn ormally large,sexu al passion Will be the destroyer ;when

n o t u nu su ally developed,the greatest failin g will be that of u n governable

temper.

I n the secon d class n on e Of these poin ts will be abn ormal ;the most

striking pecu liarity will be the lin e of head,which will be heavily marked

,

bu t with a decided growth upw ard (Plate XXIV) ; it will be found in an

abn orm al position , rising high toward Mercu ry, or far before it reaches that

Cheup ’s L anguage of the H and.

point it completely leaires itgplace o n the right hand ;as the propensities b e

come stron ger,it en ters the line of heart

,takes possession of it

,as it w ere,

an d thu s completely masks all the gen erou s Impu lses or kin d thoughts of the

subject. (Se e . previou s remarks o n the lin e of head, Part II., Chapter IX.,

page Th e han d is u su ally hard,the thumb not abnormally thick, bu t

lon g,very stiff

,and con tracted inward. Th e en tire formation gives covetou s

propen sities,and an u tter wan t of con scien ce in the pu rsu it Of gain .

Th e third class,to the student of human natu re

,is the most in terestin g

,

though 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

nothin g abn ormal in con n ection with the hand itself. It will be on ly_by ex

amin ation of all th e characteristics that the treacherou s side of this n atu re

will be discovered. Th e leadin g featu res,however

,will be a very thin

,hard

han d,lon g, the fingers gen erally sligh tly cu rved inward; the thumb lon g,

an d with both phalan ges well developed,givin g bo th the ability to plan an d

the stren gth of will necessary for execu tion it will rarely,if ever

,be fou n d

ben t or in clin in g ou tward,although su ch a formation exists at times on th e

han ds of the fi rst -men tion ed class.

Th e lin e of head m ay or may n o t be ou t of its proper position . It will,

however,be set higher than u su al across th e han d

,b u t will be very lon g an d

very thin,den oting th e treacherou s in stincts . Th e Mou n t Of Ven u s may be

either depressed o n the hand,or very high. When depressed

,su ch a subject

will comm it crime simply for the sake of crime when high,the crime will

be committed more for the sake Of satisfying the an imal desires.

Su ch are the han ds of the skilled artists in crime. Mu rder with su ch

persons is redu ced to a fine art,in the execu tion Of which they will stu dy

every detail. They will rarely,if ever

,kill their victim by violen ce—su ch a

thing wou ld be vu lgar in their eyes—poison is the chief instrumen t that they

employ,bu t so skilfu lly that the verdict is u su ally “Death from natu ral

cau ses.”

CHAPTER I V.

VAR I OUS PHASES OF INSANITY.

I T has Often been said that all m en are mad on some particu lar point. It

is when this madn ess passes the half-way poin t Of eccentricity that the title“lu n atic ” is bestowed u pon the in dividu al . AS there aremany forms of m ad

n ess,so are there m an y indication s given by the han d. Th e ch ief types that

we will con sider here are the following

l st . Melan choly an d religiou s madn ess,hallu cin ations

,e tc.

2d. Th e developmen t of the crank.

3d. Th e n atu ral madman .

M ELANCHOLY AND REL I GIOUS MADNESS.

In the first case the lin e of head,o n a rather broad hand

,descends with

a Sharp cu rve low down o n the Mou n t of Luna, very Often to the base, de

n oting t h e ab n orm ally im agin ative temperamen t Of the subject. I n addition

to this, the Mou n t of Ven u s is n o t well developed, thu s decreasin g the su b

ject’s in terest in all human or natu ral thin gs ;and lastly, the Mou n t of Satu rn

domin ates.

As a ru le,su ch is the hand of the religiou s man iac. H e commen ces

early in life with stron g hallu cination s from the extraordinary imagin ation

that he possesses,which imagin ation

,if directed in to the proper chan n el,

w ou ld probably work o ff its excess and relieve itself,bu t if opposed, feeds on

itself, and thu s in creases. At first this is shown on ly occasion ally in fits and

starts. Its periods then grow longer an d longer, u n til at last its moments Of

balan ce are few an d far between. This is the morbid or melanch oly type of

th e religiou s man iac

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154 Various Phases of I n sanity

the brain becomes more an d more Off its balance, an d the m an becomes more

and more mad.

THE NATURAL MADMAN.

Malformation Of the brain is respon sible for this type,which, by a studyof the han d

,can be divided in to two distin ct classes—that Of the hopeless

idiot, an d that of the Viciou s lu n atic .

I n the first class we gen erally fin d a wide,slopin g line of head

,formed

en tirely of islan ds a nd little hair-lin es . This n ever gives an y hope what

ever Of reason or in telligen ce,an d den otes that the su bject h as been brought

in to the world w ith a brain in su fficien t— either in qu an tity or in quality— to

govern or con trol the body,an d the hopeless idiot is the resu lt.

I n the secon d division of this type the lin e of h ead, in stead of being a

con tin u ou s lin e,is made up of Short,wavy bran ches ru n n in g in all direction s .

A n um ber of them rise in side the lin e of life o n Mars,an d cross to the other

Mars o n the opposite side of the h an d. With this formation the n ails are

gen erally short and r ed Su ch a type den otes the qu arrelsome, viciou s

lu n atic more than an y other class . I n this case it will be n oted that there

are Often san e mom en ts,bu t su ch are extremely rare

,and with regard to the

last t wo classes I have n ever kn own an y recovery.

CHAPTER V.

M O D U S O P E R AN D I .

IN the first place,I wou ld advise the studen t to seat himself Opposite his

subject,so that a good light may fall directly o n the han ds. I wo u ld also

advise that n o person be allowed to stan d or sit in close proximity, as n u

con sciou sly a third person will distract the atten tion of both su bject an d

palm ist. There is no special time'

absolu tely n ecessary for the su ccessfu l

readin g of han ds. In India they advocate the hou r of sunrise,bu t that is,

merely becau se of the fact that the circu lation of the bloo d is stron ger at th (

extremities in the early mornin g than after th e fatigu e of the day , con

sequ ently the lin es are more colored and distin ct. By placing the su bject

directly Opposite,the stu den t is in a better position to examin e both h an ds at

the same time. I n proceedin g with th e examin ation,first n otice carefu lly th e

type the han ds belong to,Whether the fin gers are in keeping with the palm

,

or in themselves relate to a distin ct class ;n ext carefu lly examin e the left

han d,then tu rn to the right—see what m odification s an d changes have

occu rred there, and make the right hand the basis of you r reading.

mpor tan t poin ts, su ch'

as illn ess,death

,loss of fortu n e

,marriage

,

so forth,see what the left promises before coming to the con clu sion that

or that even t will take place .

Holdwhatever .h and y o u are examin in g firmly in you rs;press the lin e or

mark till the blood flows into it—y ou will see by this mean s the tenden cies ofits growth .

Examin e every portion of the hand—back, fron t, n ails, skin , color—beforeSpeaking. Th e first poin t shou ld be the examin ation of the thumb : see

whether it is lon g,short

,or poorly developed ;whether the w ill-phalan ge is

firm or su pple,whether it is st ron g or weak. Then tu rn you r atten tion to

the palm : n ote whether it I s hard,soft

,or flabby.

155

156 M odus Oper andi.

I w o u ld n ext advise that y ou remark the fi nge rs—their proportion to the

palm,whether lon g or Short, thick or thin ; class them as a whole, according

to the type they represen t,or if they be mixed

,class each in dividu al fin ger.

Then n otice the n ails for their bearing o n tem per,disposition

,and health.

Fin ally,after carefu lly examin in g the en tire han d

,tu rn you r atten tion to the

mou n ts : see which mou n t or mou n ts have the greatest promin en ce ;an d then

proceed to the lin es. There is n o fixed ru le as to the lin e to exam in e . first ;the best plan

,however

,is to start with the lin es of life an d health combin ed

,

then proceed to the lin e of head, the lin e of destin y, the lin e of heart, and

so o n .

Speak hon estly, tru thfu lly,yet carefu lly. Yo u can tell the plain est tru ths,

bu t y o u n eed n o t shock or hu rt you r con su ltan t by doin g so . Be as carefu l

with that com plicated piece of human ity b efore y ou as y ou wou ld be in han d

lin g a fin e an d delicate piece of m achin ery. Above all thin gs, y o u m u st be sym

pathetic : take the deepest possible in terest in every person whose han ds y ou

read;en ter in to their lives, their feelin gs, an d their n atu res . L e t you r en tire

am bitio n be to do good,to be of som e ben efit to the person who con su lts y ou .

If this be the foun dation of you r work, it w ill n ever tire o r distress y ou ; o n

the con trary,it will su stain y o u . If y ou meet frien ds, b e thankfu l for their

frien dlin ess ;if y o u meet en emies, be n o t argumen tative for the sake of argu

men t. Think of you r work first,of self last.

Above all thin gs,be n o t im patien t in the pu rsu it Of this kn owledge ;y ou

will n o t learn a langu age in a day , n either mu st y ou expect to learn cheiro

man cy in an hou r. Be n o t dismayed if y o u fin d it more difficu lt than y ou

have Imagin ed. Co n sider it earn estly— n o t in the light of an amu semen t, bu t

as a work en tailin g depth of thought,patien ce. of research

,an d on e worthy of

the highest talen ts that y ou can give. If we study it aright, we hold within

ou r han ds the keys of the m ysteries of life. I n it are hereditary laws,the

sin s of the fathers,the karma Of the past

,the effect of the cau se

,the balan ce

of things that have been,the Shadow of thin gs to be.

L e t u s b e carefu l,then

,that this kn ow ledge h e u sed aright. L e t u s be

earn est in work,hum ble if su ccess may crown work. L e t u s examin e self

before w e examin e others. If w e see crim e,let u s con sider the temptation of

the crim in al. If we see fau lts,let u s remember we are n o t perfect.

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PART IV

TH E APPAR ATUS FOR TH OUGHT PH OTOGRAPH Y AND R EGI STER

CE R EBRAL FORCE .

IN the earlier pages o f this w ork it w ill be n oticed that I have allu ded

more than once to t he idea of t he brain gen erating an u nkn ow n force,which

n o t on ly by its r adiations through the body cau sed marks and variations

o n and in t he body , bu t that also through th e medium o f the eth er in th e

atmosphere every hu m an b eingw as m ore or less in tou ch w ith and influ enced

by o n e an other ( see p ages 1 6, 19, and0

When I m ade this statemen t some y ears ago , I did n o t do so on ly on

an opin ion based o n t he writings o f scien tists su ch as Abercrom bie,H erder,

and others,fo r I h ad a t that time a tangible proof th at su ch a fo rce did

exist through experim ents made by m y frien d, t h e w ell-known Fren ch savan t,

Mon sieu r E . Savary d’Odia rdi. I kn ew that some y ears before I wrote o f

this force that th is gen tleman had in ven ted an apparatu s which had been

exhibited before th eAcadem ic des Scien ces,Paris

,in wh ich a n eedle Of metal

cou ld be mov ed a distan ce o f t e n degrees, by a person o f strongwill co n ce n

tr a ting his atten tion o n it a t a distan ce o f from t w o to three feet.

This little m achin e was in its in fan cy then , an d althou gh scientists m ar

veled at it I n those days,yet there w ere few w h o thought it wo u ld ever be so

far perfected as to be of u se in a ny practical way b u t the brain o f t he m an

w ho cou ld think o u t an d in ven t such an apparatu s cou ld n o t be satisfied to

rest at su ch small begin n ings ; fo r n early five y ears h e patien tly w orked

and labored o n , u n til a t last,abou t tw o y ears ago , h e triumphed ov er all

158

Thought P 71otogr aphy an d R egister Cer ebr a l Force.

Ob stacle s, and con stru cted an appa ratu s wh ich completely e clipsed the first

m achine he had invented, and show ed with ever y per son t h e action o f

though t in t he brain , and w h ich, in stead o f only being able to move ten

degrees, cou ld register 360 in o n e movemen t. From that time o n he co n

fined his attention to observation s o f th e registering n eedle with people o f

differen t em otions an d idiosy n crasies o f temperamen t.

I n his ele ctro -medical h ospital fo r t he cu re o f diseases repu ted incu rable

by ordin ary means,1h e h ad ample Oppor tu nities o f w atching t he effect of

variou s temperamen ts and diseases on th is singular apparatu s. The r esu lt

of his work has been that h e has been able,by“th e Observation o f cases

,

”

t o m ak e certain ru les t o act as a guide in watching th e indications of this

in strumen t.

On m y retu rn to London , in Ju n e, 1896, I had t he honor o f assistingProfessor d’Odiardiwith variou s experimen ts in con n ection with th is appa

r atu s ;and, finally, fo r the sak e o f Obtain ing charts o f all sorts and co n

ditio n s o f people, he requ ested me to collab orate with him in the u se o f

this m achin e,in order that he migh t enlarge his scope and field of Observa

tion

After placing notes made from h un dreds o f experiments in m y han ds,I bro ugh t t he in strument to m y ro oms in Bo n d Street, and have sin ce then

tested it upw ard o f th irty to forty tim es a day in con n ection with t he

v ariou s people w ho visited me.

Th e proof that t he n eedle in this m achin e is influ enced by a force

radiating from t he brain is Shown by t h e Professor in his experiments with

people w h o approached it u n der th e influ en ce o f certa in drugs that in ju re

or stupefy th e brain . This is also proved by t he fact that though t he en tire

b ody may be paraly zed, y e t as lo ng as t h e brain is u nin ju red t he needle

in th e in strum en t will act as before. H e has also demon strated that“subjects addicted to t he h abit o f having recou rse t o drugs kn ow n as

neu ro -m u scu lar agen ts,” depr e sse r s o f t h e reflex action Of t he snin al cord,

Th e No t tingh ill Gate Hospital, 30Silve r St re e t , London . W.

160 Cheir o’s L a ngu age of the H a nd.

su ch as ch loral,ch lorofo rm

,brom ide o f are th e less apt t o

'

produce (by lo ok ing at t h e in stru m en t) a deflectio n or a su ccession of them

in the registering n ee dle thu s dem o n strating that the tran smission of cere

bral force by external radiation is in terfered with by th e u se o f su ch drugs ;

th e absen ce o f t h e radiation produ ced b y thought-force seeming to poin t

o u t th at th e production o f though t an d t he in t en sit y o f it is impaired by

t he ingestion and assim ilation o f th ose agen ts. No t on ly is Su ch an effect

produ ced by toxic drugs, b u t also by any kind o f intoxication ;e'

. c.,by an

excess o f stimu lan ts, wh ether in th e form o f drin k or o f food. Thu s is the

stupefy ing effect o f dru nken n ess an d voracity scien tifically prov ed by t his

registering apparatu s.

The sam e diminu tion Of deflective power in a subj ect over the needle

is cau sed by anger, violen ce (after .t he fi t ) , and b y en vy, j ealo u sy , hatred

(du ring the fi t ) . A su bj ect b eing'

t eSt ed’

in the vicin ity o f a person h e dis

likes o r hates is show n by t h e in strumen t to lose sta nda rd if in th e vicin

ity of a person h e likes or lov es th e stan dard den oted by t he needle is r aised.

H e has also demon strated that an idiot h as n o pow er to deflect th e

needle in the apparatu s, whereas a single look from a person endow ed

with brain-pow er m ay cau se a variety o f movemen ts an d deflection s even at

a distan ce o f from two to twen ty feet.

Amo ng the m an y in teresting experim en ts m ade from tim e to tim e byth e in ven tor an d my self, there is o n e that has been qu oted by

“An swers

in an article en titled,

“Th e M ost Won derful Mach in e in t he World ”

; it

is to t he effect that u pon one occasion a gen tleman stood in front of t he

in strum en t criticising its action an d en deavoring, if possib le, to find some

explan ation of its pow er. Abou t th e same time several other persons

en tered t h e ro om,and in casu al con versation o n e o f th em men tioned the

fact Of a su dden fall in th e valu e o f Sou th A frican Chartered Compan y’s

shares. No o n e kn ew that t he gen tlem an looking at the mach in e was t he

holder o f many thou san ds o f pou n ds wort h o f these shares ; b u t a t t he

mom en t the drop in t h e valu e was mentioned the man ’s men tal emotion

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T ho ught P hotography a nd R egister Cer ebr al F o r ce.

cau sed t he in dicator in t he mach in e to m ove rapidly , and register on e of

t he h ighest num bers t hat has recorded by it .

An o ther cu rio u s experimen t is that in w hich one can determine

whether o u t o f t w o people there is one w h o loves more than t he other in

th is case t he t w o person s are tested separately ,a nd charts m ade o u t of

their m ovemen ts Shown by the machine. After they are left togeth er fo r

half an hou r they are again tested, an d the o n e w ho lo v es the.

m ost w ill

be fou n d to have a greater in flu en ce o n t he in strument, wh ile the person wh o

loves t he least w ill be fou n d to h ave lost pow er over the registering needle,

in a greater or less degree, according to th e effect that has been produ ced

by th e other person’s presen ce.

Bu t hu n dreds o f in teresting experimen ts migh t be cited in con n ection

wit h th is won derfu l in ven tio n ,which have been summed up by the editor

o f Va n ity F air , December 17, 1896, in wh ich he say s :“This cu riou sly

Interesting mach ine really seems to bridge the gu lf between mind and

matter.”

The accompanying illu stration s ar e taken almost at random from t he

hundreds o f charts that have been made fr om th is in stru m ent they Show,

in a very striking w ay , what a differen ce exists in t he radiation s o f two

persons Of widely differen t temperam en ts. NO . 1 is that o f M r . Lion el

Ph illips, w ho has play ed su ch an impor tan t part recently in connection w ith

Sou th A frican affairs. NO . 2 is that Of a well-known Lon don clergyman ,

th e R e v . R u ssell Wak efield. Th ese are good examples o f what o n e w ou ld

call two strong per sonalities, entirely distinct and different in magnetism ,

will-power, e tc.

On e o f t he most extraordinary conditions o f the mach in e is that th ere

is n o physica l con tact wha tever r equir ed ( see P a llM a ll Ga z ette,article a t th e

e nd o f appen dix) . I n t h e regu lar cou rse o f experim en ts th e person to b e

t ested stands with in a foot t o two fee t o f t he instrument ;bu t if th e atm os

ph e r e is clear and dry , a person Of a strong w ill m ay Influ en ce t he needle

at a distan ce o f from t e n to twenty feet.

162 C’heir o’

s Lgnguage of\the H and.

There are ,no m agnets employed by t he operator, or electric comm u ~

nication’

w ith t he n eedle,except the u nknown agent—L b e it Odic force, m ag

n e tism;or Some t hing still mo re su b t le that radiates frOm t he brain through

the body, and that pas‘

sing thro u gh t h e atmosph ere, plays upon t he con

den s'er Of this sen sitiv e mach in e. People Have tested this fo r them selves

in every cOn ceixvab le manner. The greatest u nbelievers in t h1s machine

hav e t ried in every w ay toprove that th e needle Was mov ed by any other

agen cy b u t this u nkn own force r adiating from th e body, b u t o n e and all

have in the end adm it ted that the actiOn o f t he needle was du e t o a fgr ce

given Off by t he person tested.

On e of t he leading div in es in th e Chu rch o f E nglan d, a few days

before th is article was written,after seeing t he mach in e being tested in a

v arie ty'

of way s, said .

“Such a machin e not on ly wou ld con vin ce o n e o f

the influ en ce o f mind Over m atter, b u t m ore importan tly t he influ en ce o f

mind Ov er min d,for if. th e radiation o f o u r though ts affect this n eedle o f

metal,h ow m u ch m ore so mu st w e n o t affect t he thoughts, ideas, and lives

of thOs'

e

'

arou ndUs.”

In conclu sion,m ay n o t then th e very force that mo ves this n eedle be

the very pow er that in its con tinu al action m arks the hand through t he

per 1ph er alr

nerves. We k n ow not,and m ay n ever kn o w

,why thisUn seen

force shou ld write the deeds o f the past or t he dream s o f t he fu tu re. A nd

yet t he prison er in his du ngeo n will Often w rite o n the ston es arou n d h im

hiS name and legend, to b e read or n o t,as the case may be. May n o t

,

then th e SOuI,

‘as a captiv e in t he body , write o n t he fle shly walls o f its

prison -ho u se its past trials, its fu tu re hopes, t he deeds that it w ill som e dayrealize ? Fo r if

l

t h e r e be a soul,then is it

,being a spirit, con sciou s o f all

things, I ts past joy s, its present sorrow s, and t h e fu tu re—b e it what it m ay .

CHE I R O.

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A BABY’

S HAND .

Pla t e XXVI :

TH E HAND OF MADAM E SARAH BERNHARDT

Pla t e XXV I I .

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TH E HAND OF MADAM E NORD ICA .

Pla t e XXIX .

TH E HAND OF JOHN TH EO DORE BENTLEY .

(TH E PAINTER OF TH E“L IV ING CHR I ST "

)

Pla t e XXX .

TH E HAND OF COLONEL R OBE R T I NGERSOL L .

Plat e XXXI .

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TH E HAND OF W . T . STEAD .

Plat e XXXI I I .

TH E HAND OF TH E R IGHT H ON . JOSEPH CHAMBER LA IN , M . P .

Pla t e XXXIV

TH E HAND OF AUSTEN CHAM BE R LA IN , ESQ , M . P .

(I llu stra t iv e o f h e r e dit ary t e n de n cie s , se e h an d o f h is fa th e r , Plat e XXXIV

Pla t e XXXV .

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J THEI’

HAND‘

OE T H E LOR D CH I E F JUST I CE OF . ENGLAND .

LORD RU SSEL L : OF K I LLOWEN .

Pla t e XXXVI I .O

TH E HAND OF TH E COUNTESS OF ABER DEEN .

Pla t e XXXV I I I .

TH E HAND OF SI R JOHN L UBBOCK , M . P F . R . S.

Pla t e XXXIX .

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THE HAND OF SWAM I V IVEKANANDA .

Pla t e XL I I .

THE HAND OF E . M . CU R TISS, ESQ.

Pla t e XL I I I .

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THE R IGHT HAND OF SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN .

Pla t e XLVI .

TH E R I GHT HAND OF LADY I I ENRY SOM ERSET.

Pla t e XLVI I .

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TH E R I GH T HAND OF MADAM E M E LBA .

Pla t e XL IX.

TH E R IGHT HAND OF LORD CHARL ES BER ESFORD .

Pla te L .

TH E R IGHT HAND OF MR’

. W I LLI AM WH ITE L EY.

(“TH E UNIVE R SAL PROVIDER ,

”

LONDON . )

Pla t e L I .

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TH E R IGHT HAND OF R EV . M I NOT J. SAVAGE .

Pla t e L I I I .

T H E R IGHT HAND OF H . N . H IG I N BOTHAM E SQ .

(PRESI DENT W ORLD'

S COLUMBIAN EXPOSI T ION . )

Pla t e L I V .

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APPEND IX .

OP IN ION S OF TH E P R E SS AND PUBL IC .

A FEW EXTRACTS FROM OHE I RO’S AUTOGRAPH -ROOK .

Th e D u k e o f N ew ca s t le .

Che iro has to ld m y pa st an d im m ediat e fu tu r e w ith w onde rfu l accuracy, e specia lly withregar

d to ce r ta in com ing e v en t s wh ich h e co u ld n o t po ssib ly have known .

Oscar Wilde .

In de ed,Che iro , the m yste ry of the w o r ld is th e v isible , n o t th e inv isib le .

Sir Hen ry D rum m on d W o lf.

I have be en m u ch str uck by Ch e ir o ’s ext rao rdin ar y pow e r .

F lo r en ce M a r ry a t .

Che iro has r ecalled my past from m y hand m o r e accur at e ly than I cou ld have don e fr omm em o ry m yse lf .

L ieu t en an t-Co lon e l P on son by .

Che ir o is r eally m arv e lou s.F lor e n ce F enw ick M ille r .

Ch eir o was v e ry r em arkab le in his kn ow ledge o f m y charact e r,m y surr oun dings, and (as

far as I can m yse lf se e ) th e pr obab ilit ie s o f m y life . His r oom s ar e crowded—and n o w onder .

B lan ch e R oosev e lt .I am m or e than a ston ish ed m ar v e lo us—m o st m ar v e lou s.

R ob t . T . Co ope r , M .D .

Che iro has m apped ou t th e leading charact e r ist ics o f m y past life w ith great accuracy. The

sub ject is cer ta inly de se rv ing Of ca lm an d scien t ific study.

M e lt on P rio r .

Che iro has in spir ed m e with v en er at ion for palm istry t o an appalling exten t.

Appendix.

R ev . E v e ra rd B lak e , A .R .C .

Che ir o n o t on ly t o ld m e th e leading incide n ts of m y life , bu t also m ost lik e ly predict ion swith r egard t o m y fu tu re .

L o ie F u lle r

Th e m ar v e lou s th ings Che iro r ead in m y palm in 1890 hav e , m or e t o m y surpr ise than I cant e ll

,b een pr o v ed t o b e ab so lu t e ly t ru e .

R it a .

”

Ch e ir o has a st on ish ed m e w ith his accura t e de scr ipt ion of m y life du r ing his r eading of m v

hand.

Joh n St r an ge W in t e r .

Che ir o to ld m y past life fr om m y han d w ith th e m ost abso lu t e accur acy.

M r s . F r an k L e s lie .

Yo ur pa lm -r eading is so star tlingly t r u e that you r po ssession o f th is m yst er iou s Sk ill orfacu lty m ight we ll in spir e fea r , w er e it accom pan ied by le ss o f perfect tru st an d discr e t ion .

E lla W h e e le r W ilcox .

Ch e ir o helps as w e ll as aston ish e s.

M adam e M e lb a .

Che ir o is wonderfu l, what m o r e can I say .

M a r k Tw a in .

Che ir o has expo sed m y char act e r t o m e w ith hum iliat ing accur acy. I ough t n o t t o con fess

this accu racy,st ill I am m ov ed t o do it .

EXTRACTS FROM ENGLISH AND AMERICAN PRESS.

“H e a r t h an d H om e ,” A u gu s t 4 .

Che ir o is a w onde r . I hav e had m y hand to ld b efo r e , b u t n ev e r so m in u t e ly, n ev er so a-b w

so lu te ly co r r e ct ly. E ve ry de tail o f m y char act e r , a s I alo n e can kn ow it , w as giv en sw ift ly an du n er r ingly. M y r e lat ion s w ith va r iou s pe ople w e r e de scr ib ed. M y em o t ion s w e r e an alyz ed and

t r aced back t o th e ir b egin n in gs. I wa s t o ld m y am b it ion in life,m y h e sita t ion in ch o o sing a

ca r e e r , wha t I had a t fir st im agin ed t o b e m y t r u e b e n t , an d w hat I Sh ou ld e ven tu ally fin d m yt r u e b en t t o be . Th e exact sta t e o f m y h e alth n ow an d in th e pa st w a s giv en an d th e n Che ir o ,hav ing th o r o ugh ly co n vin ced m e o f his cla im s upo n m y t im e an d in t e lligen ce , pr o ce eded t o r e ad

m e som e o f th e dark , m yste r iou s fu t u r e . I kn ow in w ha t year I Sha ll c ue , in what ye ar I sha lllo se m o n ey, wh en I shall m ar ry, an d w hen I sha ll a t tain su cce ss. A t le a st I fe e l a s if I k n ew it ,fo r if Ch e ir o can r e ad th e past , a s h e un do u b t edly can , w hy sh ou ld he n o t r e ad th e fu tu r e

“I

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Appendix.

He t ells on e of weak po in ts, po in ts to guard again st , as w e ll a s tho se to ch er ish ; o f fan cies,am b it ion s, and aspira t ion s wh ich w e though t h idden from ev e ry on e bu t o ur se lv e s.

“W h it eh all R ev iew ,

” F eb r u ary 2 5 .

My b e lie f in Pa lm istry an d the tr u th o f 1t has b e en con firm ed by a v isit t o that we ll-kn own ,cleve r Palm ist , Ch e ir o . Howev e r skept ical y ou m ay b e , o n e m u st b e in clin ed t o b e lieve tha tther e is t r u th in Pa lm ist ry when your past life can be r ead

“

so accurat e ly by a st range r .

Ch e ir o t e s t ed b y t h e “N ew Y o rk W o r ld.

”

With ou t kn ow ing e ithe r th e nam e s o r th e po sit ion s in life of an y of th e pe ople , an d w ithou t a sk ing a qu e st ion o r an y b e at ing abo ut the bu sh , Che ir o r ead fr om im pr e ssion s o f hands onpape r th e life and characte r ist ics o f each per son w ith the m ost w on de rful accu racy.

(Se e ar t icle N ew York Wor ld, No v em be r 26,

“Th e M o rn in g Jou r n al,” D e cem b e r 1 7 .

I t wou ld se em as if th is pr in ce.

o f palm ists, Che ir o , w e r e a de sce n dan t of th e o ld Egypt ianso rcer e r s, by th e r em arkable an d a lm o st un can n y e ase w ith which h e r ead th e liv e s of pe oplewho se han ds w e show ed him im pr e ssio n s o f o n pape r , w ithou t giv ing him the slight e st clu e ast o who the people we re .

Th e R e co rde r ,” N ew Y o rk , Oct ob e r 2 .

Che ir om ancy, as practised'

by Che ir o , is an exact scien ce . The hand con ta in s an epitom eo f the life 's reco rd an d a lso o f th e de st in y which awa it s each m an .

Su n day Adv e r t ise r ,” N ew Y o rk , Oct ob e r 2 9 .

Che ir o has ext rao rdin ary pow er , abso rbed f rom u n u su a l sou r ce s an d kn owledge acqu ir edin pecu liar ways; th e re is n o doub t that h e po sse sse s th e facu lty o f r eading hum an n a tur e to a

w on de rful degr e e .

Th e W o r ld,” N ew Y o rk , N ov em b e r 1 2 .

I n L ondon , Che ir o was th e r age , an d r ead the hands o f ev e ryb ody w ho w as an ybody,including r oya lty. The aggr ega t e o f his han d-r e ading up to da t e is

Th e P r e ss,

” N ew Y o r k , F eb ru a ry 1 8 .

Che ir o is a ver itable w iz a rd,a n e crom an ce r , a m agician , a m ale w itch who w ould have been

bur n ed at th e stak e in the days o f Co t to n Ma th e r . Ch eir o ’s histo ry is as strange as h is pr o

fe ssion . Th e b lo od of m an y n a t ion s flows in his v e in s and m ake s him co sm opo litan . H e liv edam ong th e Brahm an s fo r fou r ye ar s

,an d in th e sum m e r o f ’92 t ur n ed up in New Bon d St r e e t ,

L on don,and con ve r t ed th e gr e a t e st sk ept ics t o b e lie f in pa lm istry—a t le ast in his m e th od of

dom g it .Cu r r e n t L it e r a t u r e ,

” F e b r u a ry 1 .

Che ir o has st udied the han d from a pur e ly scien t ific sta n dpo in t . He is just tw en ty-sixy ear s of age , an d la st yea r his r o om s in New Bo n d St r e e t

,Lon don , w e r e filled w ith th e m ost

fash io n ab le people , and h e w ase n te r tain ed e verywh e re by th e social le ade rs o f th e city . H e

h as w r itten o n e o r tw o v a lu able boo ksx

oii’

his fav o r ite sub ject , an d altoge th e r can be st be

de scr ibed,in Bla nch e Roosev e lt ’s ow n w o rds, as m ar v e lous, m o st m arv e lo us !

On ce a W e ek , M ar ch 3 l st .

Ch e iro ’s r eadin g is m in u te , cle a r , and logical . H e do e s n o t ge n era liz e or fall back upon

m er e in dica t io n s o f ch ar acte r , bu t go es st raigh t to th e v e ry h ear t o f th e m at te r , show ing wh e re ,wh en ,

and w hy y o u h av e fa iled, what possib ilit ies lie be fo re y o u , and w ha t m ora l fo rce m u st

be bro ugh t to bear to pre ven t fa ilu r e in th e fu tu re . Sw ift ly an d u n e r r ingly he lays bare ev e r yde ta il o f you r character as y o u a lo n e can kn ow it . H e ca n even descr ibe yo u r re la t ion s witho th e r people an d th e influ en ces th e y h av e had o n yo u r k fc.

F ran k L e slie’

s W e ek ly , M ay l ot h .

Ch e ir o is on his to u r aro u n d th e w o r ld, bu t propo ses to r em ain fo r an exten ded t im e in

I ndia,wh ere a w e lcom e is aw a i t in g him . H e is to be th e gu e st o f a Maha ra ja

,an d is to have

th e u se of ce r tain an cie n t w o rks o n Ch e irom an cy, which m an y o f th e I n dian po ten tates a re

an xiou s to re v iv e . Du r in g his season in Londo n h e r e ad n ea r ly n in e th o u sand palm s, fo r

wh ich h e has m an y le tte rs o f com m e ndat ion from ro yalty,sta te sm en , savan ts, and bo th m en

a n d w om e n prom in en t in th e w o r ld.

Th e B ost on H e rald, M ay 5th .

Ch e ir o can t e ll w ithou t e rr o r th e fie ld o r fie lds in wh ich a perso n can dist inguish himse lf

,if in an y . H e can rev e a l to him his wh o le in n er n atur e ; h e can war n him of im pen ding

da nge rs, especially when th ese t ake the fo rm o f an ev il ten den cy, u n ch ecked o ften becau se

u n kn ow n o r o f a disease existen t in ge rm ;h e can e v en fo re te ll with co n side rable accu racyo f t im e an d circum stan ce th e ch ief ev e n ts o f the life .

Th e Boston P ost ,” M ay 1 2 th .

Ch e iro is a so lid, sen sib le , ear n est studen t wh ose kn ow ledge o f han ds is in bo rn , sin ce from

ear liest ch ildh o od fa te h as led him to th e clo se study of h um an n atu re as re vea led in th e

sh ape s an d lin e s o f th e h and

Th e B ost on Jou rn al, April 7 th .

Che iro is a scien t ist , an d fu r th erm o r e m ak es n o m yste r y o f his scien ce . H e has prov edby his life an d exper ien ce th at it can be u sed fo r the h e lp an d advan cem en t of the hum an

r ace , bo th m o ra l ly an d m en ta lly .

Th e Bo st on Budge t , Ju n e 3d .

Che iro , th e Pa lm ist , is o n e o f th e m o st r em arkab le scien tists tha t th e wo rld has e v er

kn own . His gr eat lear n in g, th e th o ughtfu l , th e philos0phic po we r , th e charm o f pe r so n a lityin Ch e ir o m akes h is cou n se l o f va lu e , an d raise s his w o rk to a sch o lar ly an d scien t ific basis .

His o ccu lt kn owledge is vast an d gen u in e , and th e tr ue seeker after th e h igh e r life can n o t

bu t fi nd in his aid th e m ost po ten t st im u lu s.

App en diw.

P R E S S N O T I C E S O F L E C T U R E S .

Th e N ew Y o rk H e ra ld, F eb r u a ry 2 5t h .

Che iro ’s lectu r e befo re “Th e L o tu s Clu b ”

w as extr em e ly in te resting. H e show ed that

Palm istry w as a r eliab le gu ide n o t o n ly t o characte r,bu t to even ts.

Th e B o s t o n H e ra ld, April 1 9 th .

Chicke r ing Hall was cr owded ye ste rday w ith a distingu ish ed a udien ce to hear Ch e iro ,

wh o is n ow m ak ing a to u r o f th e wo r ld in th e in te r ests o f his scien ce . I n his lectu r e pr ope rCh e ir o po in te d to th e gr ea t an t iqu ity of Palm ist ry, an d to the r epu te in wh ich it has be e n h e ldby th e first m in ds o f an t iqu ity . H e ga ve in de ta il som e o f th e m edica l an d scien t ific r e aso n s

on which th e tr u th o f Ch e irom an cy r ested. H e a lso po in t ed to its pract ica l u se s in life,in its

u t ility in th e k n ow ledge o f h e alth an d disease , as w e ll as fo r th e r ev e la t ion o f ch ar a cte r an d

he r edita r y ten den cie s. Th e lectu r e r also expou n ded th e o r ien tal philo sophy o f life tha t w en ta lo n g w ith th e scien ce

,an d m ade an e loqu e n t plea fo r it o n t he gro u n d o f its th o r o ughly

scien tific ch ar act e r and its supe r io r h um an ity Ch e ir o is yo u n g an d h an dsom e in fea tu r e .

H e m ak e s a m ost en gagin g le ctu r e r . H e he ld his au die n ce to th e last , an d at th e en d was

gr e e ted with u n stin ted applau se .

B os t on Sa t u rday E v e n in g Ga z e t t e , A pr il 2 o t h .

Ch e ir o,th e Pa lm ist , called fo r th a la rge an d fashion ab le assem b lage a t Ch icke r in g H all

o n Thu rsday afte r n o o n,w h e n h is lectu r e o n Pa lm istr y fr om a scien t ific stan dpo in t , t oge th e r

w ith the r e lat ion of sev era l in ciden ts o f his ear ly life , pr o v ed o f r ar e in te r est .

‘ Th e E v en in g I t em , L yn n . Jun e 4 t h .

Che iro , th e ce lebrated Pa lm ist , gav e a r em arkab le le ctu r e o n his scien ce befo r e a largean d fash ion ab le au dien ce at Odd Fe llow s’ H a ll on Mo n day e v en ing. Th e speaker n o t o n lyu n dersto od h is su bject

,bu t w as a lso a tho ro ugh m aste r o f th e ar t o f laying his facts an d

explan a t ion s befo r e 1118 audien ce in su ch a w ay that th e ir at ten t ion an d in te r est w as kept toth e last . H e w as hear tily applauded at th e c lo se .

Th e B o s t o n H e ra ld, Ju n e l 6 th .

Ch e ir o de liv e red a m o st in str uct iv e an d en te r tain in g lectu r e o n his ar t , illu strated by Ster eoptico n Vie ws o f han ds o f fam o u s pe ople , in th e Asso ciat ion H all last n igh t . I n spite o f th eh o t w ea th e r

,th e large h all w as filled to th e do o rs w ith fash ion ab le a nd dist in gu ish ed pe ople ,

an d a t th e close of th e lecture Ch e ir o was gree ted w ith en thu siast ic applau se .