Note.--The thumb is extremely short and low-set with the Elementary type.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1--THE ELEMENTARY HAND. FIG. 2--THE SQUARE OR USEFUL HAND.

FIG. 3--THE SPATULATE HAND. FIG. 4--THE PHILOSOPHIC HAND.

PLATE I.

PART II.]

THE SQUARE TYPE.

The Square type (Plate I., Part II.,) is so designated on account of the

palm being like a square in shape, or at least nearly so. Such a hand in fact "looks square." It is rather straight or even at the wrist, at the base of the fingers, and also at the sides. The fingers themselves also have a "square-cut" appearance. The thumb is, however, nearly always long, well-shaped, and set high on the palm, and stands well out from the palm.

The Square Hand is also called the practical or useful hand. People who possess this type are essentially practical, logical, and rather materialistic. They belong to the earth and the things of the earth. They have little imagination or idealism, they are solid, serious workers, methodical and painstaking in all they do. They believe in things only by proof and by their reason. They are often religious and even superst.i.tious, but more from habit than from anything else.

They are determined and obstinate, especially if their thumbs are long and the first joint stiff.[7]

[7] See Chapter on Thumbs, page 127.

They succeed in all lines of work that do not require imagination or the creative faculties, and as business men, lawyers, doctors, scientists, they do extremely well, and are generally to be found in such callings.

THE SPATULATE HAND.

The Spatulate or active nervous type (Plate I., Part II.) is usually

crooked or irregular looking, with large tips or pads at the ends of the fingers, rather like the spatula chemists use and from which peculiarity this type gets its name. The people who possess this type are in fact always "pounding" at something. They are full of untiring energy, enormous workers in everything they take up, and generally remarkable for their originality.

They are not built on the hard set square lines of the former type. These persons have enormous imagination, their creative faculties largely developed. They are inventive, unconventional, emotional, demonstrative, and in fact the complete opposite in character to the cla.s.s who possesses the square type of hand.

The Spatulate type has also the palm irregular in shape. It may be wider at the base of the fingers than at the wrist, or it may be found vice versa.

In the first case they are then more practical in their work and views and less impulsive. With the larger development at the wrist, they are more carried away with their impulses, hasty and impetuous in temper, speech, and action.

THE PHILOSOPHIC HAND.

The Philosophic Hand (Plate I., Part II.) received this name from the

Greek [Greek: philos]--love, and [Greek: sophich]--wisdom. When the Greeks made a study of hands they noticed that all those persons who possessed this type had a bent for philosophy in their blood that nothing could eradicate.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.--THE CONIC OR ARTISTIC HAND.

FIG. 2.--THE PSYCHIC OR IDEALISTIC HAND.

FIG. 3.--THE MIXED HAND.

PLATE II.

PART II.]

The Philosophic Hand is long, bony, and angular with knotty joints, and is as a general rule fairly thin. People with this type of hand are always studious. They are great readers and usually have a strong tendency towards literature. They love sedentary work, and have a somewhat lonely, ascetic disposition. Perhaps on account of this quality they are very often found in church-life, or largely a.s.sociated with religious movements. The monks of old, I mean those who compiled those wonderful ma.n.u.scripts on doctrine, science, art, alchemy, and occult matters, all had this cla.s.s of hand. In our modern times this type may be easily recognised, and the qualities it expresses remain the same even in the age of money-getting and machinery.

It is, however, more usual nowadays to find a slight modification of the true philosophic hand in that of the hand with the palm square and with the fingers only belonging to the philosophic type. In such cases the practical nature is a basis or foundation on which the studious mind builds its theories, its religion, its literary achievements, or its scientific researches.

As a rule the Line of Head on such hands is rather sloping, but it may also be found almost straight, and when it is, a more "level-headed" disposition will make more practical use of the studious nature. But speaking generally, people with this type of hand rarely acc.u.mulate as much wealth as those possessing the Square Hand.

The knotted or jointed fingers give carefulness and detail in work or study. They arrest the impulse of the brain, and so acquire time for thought and reflection.

The Philosophic Hand is one of the highest developments of the mental side of the human family.

THE CONIC OR ARTISTIC HAND.

The Conic, also called the Artistic, Hand (Plate II., Part II.), is

always graceful looking, with the fingers tapering and pointed. It has, not only on account of its appearance but also because of the qualities it represents, been called the Artistic Hand.

Its possessor may not always paint pictures or design beautiful things, but he will have the emotional, artistic temperament, which loves beautiful surroundings, and is most sensitive to colour, music, and all the fine arts. It largely depends on the kind of Head Line and the will power shown by it, to determine whether its owner will develop the natural artistic temperament that he or she possesses.

Such hands being generally full, fleshy, or soft, there is always a decidedly p.r.o.nounced indolence in the nature which, if not overcome, combats the hard work necessary to achieve any real result. All very emotional people have more or less the characteristics of this type, but great numbers simply squander their time in the appreciation of art, rather than in making the effort in themselves to create it.

The harder and firmer this type of hand is, the more likely it is to find that its possessor will really make something out of his artistic temperament.

THE PSYCHIC OR IDEALISTIC HAND.

This type (Plate II., Part II.), may in many ways be considered as the

highest development of the hand on the purely mental plane, but from a worldly standpoint it is the least successful of all. Its possessors live in a world of dreams and ideals. They know little or nothing about the practical or purely material side of existence, and when they have to earn their own bread they gain so little that they usually starve.

These beautiful hands do not appear made for work in any sense. They are also too spiritual and frail to deal blows and hold their own in the battle of life. If they are supported by others, or have money of their own to live on, all may be well, and in such cases they will be likely to develop strange psychic gifts dealing with visions and ideals that some few may hear and understand. But if not, their fate as a rule is a sad one, they will easily be pushed aside by the rougher types of humanity or, in sheer helplessness, take their own lives, and so end the unequal struggle.

In const.i.tution they are seldom strong physically, and consequently they are doubly unfitted for the struggle for existence.

THE MIXED HAND.

What is called the "Mixed Hand" (Plate II., Part II.), is an aggregation

of all the types, or at least, some of them.

It is very often found having all the fingers different from one another, as for example one pointed, one square, or spatulate, and so on. Or sometimes the palm may be of one type, say spatulate, with all the fingers mixed.

Such persons are always versatility itself, but so changeable in purpose that they rarely succeed in making much out of any talents they may possess. They can generally do a little of everything but nothing well. They can talk on any subject that may crop up, but never impress their listeners with depth of thought on any subject.

It is only when the Line of Head is found on such hands clear and straight that there is a likelihood of these persons developing some one talent out of the versatility that this type gives.

CHAPTER II.

THE THUMB.

In the judgment of character by the formation of the Hand, the Thumb is of about the same importance as the nose is to the face. It must be understood to represent the natural Will Power, whereas the Line of Head represents the Mental Will.

In my larger works on this subject I have gone into very deeply the medical reasons why character should be expressed by the Thumb and the extraordinary role it has played in civilisation, and also in the various religions of the world.

The Thumb proper represents the three great worlds of ideas, viz., Love, Logic, and Will (Plate VI., Part II.).

Love is represented by the base of the Thumb which is covered on the hand by the Mount of Venus.

Logic is the middle phalange, and Will is the top or nail portion.

When these divisions are found large, the qualities are increased; when small, they play a smaller role in the life of the individual.

There are two distinct cla.s.ses of Thumbs, the supple-jointed and the firm-jointed.

The former of these divisions is the Thumb bending outwards and supple at the joint underneath the nail (Fig. 2, Plate III.).

This denotes a nature pliable and adaptable to others, very broad-minded, rather unconventional, and not obstinate in its views of life. These characteristics will be increased if the Head Line be found sloping and bending downwards. If, however, the Line of Head be found lying straight across the palm, they are more conventional. The "supple-jointed" thumb also denotes generosity of mind both as regards thought and money. In all ways these people are more extravagant than people who have the straight firm-jointed thumb. In other words they "give more" even in what they think as well as in what they do.

The nearer the Thumb approaches the side of the hand, or the more it looks tied down or cramped to the palm, the more the subject is inclined to grasp or hold. The true miser has always a thumb cramped towards the hand, and the nail phalange as a rule slightly turned in, as if the mind wanted to grab hold or retain.

The supple-jointed Thumb is more impulsive in its desire to give than is the stiff-jointed cla.s.s, whereas the latter type demands reflection before he even gives an opinion.

If a favour should be asked of the man with the supple-jointed Thumb, one should remember that he is more inclined to give in on the impulse of the moment, and if one does not press one's point home at once, he is likely first to promise, and later, on reflection, change his mind.

The man with the stiff-jointed Thumb (Fig. 3, Plate III.) on the contrary, is more likely to refuse at first and on reflection to agree to the proposition; but it he does make up his mind, he will stick to his judgment or opinion, and the more he is opposed the more determined he will be to hold to his view.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.--THE CLUBBED THUMB.

FIG. 2.--THE SUPPLE-JOINTED THUMB.

FIG. 3.--THE FIRM-JOINTED THUMB.

FIG. 4.--THE WAIST-LIKE THUMB.

FIG. 5.--THE STRAIGHT THUMB.

FIG. 6.--THE ELEMENTARY THUMB.

PLATE III.

PART II.]

The firm-jointed thumb is then the outward sign of a more resisting nature, and the longer the first or nail phalange is, the stronger and more powerful the Will force.

These people seldom make friends so easily or rapidly as those belonging to the other type. On a railway journey they rarely begin a conversation with a fellow traveller, and if they have to do so it will generally be in the form of an argument that "the window must be left open or shut," as the case may be. Heaven help the other poor traveller if he should also happen to have a stiff thumb, and oppose his ideas to those of the first.

The supple-jointed cla.s.s, on the contrary, enter readily into conversation with strangers, and they often make their greatest friends while travelling. They are affable, charming companions, and give in readily to the wishes of others. In fact, this quality inclines to a weakness that should be guarded against. Among all those men and women who take the "easiest way" a large majority will be found to have very supple-jointed thumbs. This, however, will be greatly qualified by the position and appearance of the Line of Head, the indicator of the developed mental Will.

To have a supple lower or middle joint does not relate to the Will but to the phalange of Logic of the possessor. When this second joint is found supple the subject adapts himself to circ.u.mstances rather than to persons. He reasons out that he must bend or adapt himself to the conditions or circ.u.mstances of the life in which he is placed.

The Clubbed Thumb (Fig. 1, Plate III.), is so called from its being thick like a club. People possessing this cla.s.s of Thumb belong to the Elementary type as far as Will is concerned. They are brutal and like animals in their unreasonable obstinacy. If they are opposed they fly into ungovernable pa.s.sions and blind rages. They have no control over themselves, and are liable to go to any extreme of violence or crime during one of their tempers. In fact the clubbed-shaped Thumb has also been designated "the murderer's thumb" on account of so many murderers having been found with this formation.

The possessor of a Clubbed Thumb could not, however, plan out or premeditate a crime, for he would not have the determined Will or power of reason to think it out.

The shorter the Thumb, the nearer the possessor is to the brute in pa.s.sion and lack of self-control.

The "waist-like" Thumb (Fig. 4, Plate III.), and the "straight" formation (Fig. 5), must also be considered as the opposite of one another in their characteristics, but in this case the difference is in the quality of Logic or Reason. The former will not use or depend much on such things, he will rely, on the contrary, on tact and diplomacy to gain his point or win his way. The second cla.s.s have little or no tact, but in all matters depend on argument and reason.

The third phalange of the Thumb, which is placed under the designation of Love (Plate VI., Part II.), when found long, denotes more control over

the quality of Love or Sensuality; when short and thick-set, the pa.s.sion or sensual nature is more brutal and animal.

The s.p.a.ce at my disposal in this work will not allow me to go deeper into all the shades of character that can be made out by a study of the Thumb alone, but I think I have said enough to show my readers the great truth in D'Arpentigny's words that "the Thumb individualises the man."