Chapter II: Part 2

The Hill of Mars is above the Mount of Mercury. It includes three areas, known as the mount proper, the plain of Mars, and the second mount. The first or most important part is near the percussion. Here are read the fighting qualities of the subject. If this and the plain are both high, the subject is pugnacious. A strong mount without lines gives equanimity of temper and resignation to circumstances. If the mount is covered by a great many lines, it shows insolence, fury, and cruelty. So the story is told.

According to another interpreter, lines running across Mars represent enemies. Each one stands for a particular individual, and the amount of harm he can do is made clear by the length and the depth of the lines. Small cross-lines at the percussion make for scandal.

The Hill of Luna or the Moon, which lies between Mars and the wrist, makes for imagination when it is strongly developed. The subjects of the Moon love mysticism, solitude, and silence. If the mount is soft and flabby, dreaminess and an unpractical character are to be inferred. If it is strong, the subject may be fond of voyaging to the distant parts of the world. He may be something of a romancer. He is not likely to talk well, especially when he is speechless with indignation. He (or she) may make a hasty marriage, afterward deeply regretted.

Lines on the percussion in the district of the Moon show voyages. A star at the end of such a line makes for shipwreck or some other disastrous end to a journey. Many crossing lines on the mount are taken to show that the subject is worried. Or perhaps they refer to nervous complaints and neuralgia. Then again, they may be taken to indicate that the individual under examination is fond of playing marbles or euchre.

The Mount of Venus is the large area at the base of the thumb. It is usually higher than any other of the chirosophical hills. A good mount gives the reading of affection. Excessively developed, sexual desire is strong. If the region is flat, coldness is supposed to characterize the emotional life of the subject.

Venus is supposed to rule poetry, music, painting, and the other arts together with Apollo. Apollo and Jupiter stand for masculine beauty, while Venus--goddess, planet, and hill--rules the loveliness of women. On the lines of the mount, islands stand for lost marriage opportunities. A triangle indicates calculation in affairs of the heart. So the story is told.

The Plain of Mars is the middle part of the hand. If it is high and hard, we are supposed to read great combativeness. If it is hollow, submissiveness is to be inferred. The subject will not fight adverse circumstances or ill health. Perhaps it really means that the subject objects to the combination of grapefruit and cream for breakfast, or it may presage the loosening of a shoelace while he is marching in a parade.

THE LINES

In chiromancy, the lines of the hand are considered to be of the greatest importance. They are considered good if they are of strong color, neither too thin nor too broad, running without breaks or twists. A line which is broad and pale is interpreted to show excess of some sort. Also pale lines show the phlegmatic temperament, while bright red lines are sanguine, yellow lines are bilious, and extremely dark lines are melancholy. The bad results of a broken line may be partially counteracted if a bridge is formed by an accompanying or “sister” line. The lines are not exactly the same on both hands. It is sometimes said that those on the right hand are the result of time and circumstance, while the markings of the left hand indicate the subject’s original nature.

The Line of Life is supposed to give a definite indication of the number of years an individual will live. Palmists prefer to be somewhat vague about this, though. There is a special difficulty in the fact that the line is seldom of equal length in both hands. The Line of Life starts at the base of the first finger or at the side of the hand below it, and circles around Mount Venus. It is taken to show the physical condition, breaks representing disease. If the line is broken in both hands at the same point, this gives a clue to the time of death. However, a short Line of Life does not always mean that the subject will die young. If an octogenarian, falling into senile decay, decides to visit a chiromancer, and the charlatan observes that the line stops short at the age of thirteen, it is clearly necessary to find other indications of old age on the hand.

A frayed line, or one which is broken but connected by light lines, is said to make for illness or delicate health. But if there is a thin part at the ending of which there is a spot, death is inferred. If the line starts from the base of the finger rather than from the side of the hand, it is alleged to indicate an ambition which is cherished all the subject’s life.

The Zancigs say that a break in the Line of Life, if it evidently is not indicative of illness, may perhaps show a great change of some sort. Possibly the subject learned that King Cheops Turkish Blend Cigarettes offer more for the money than Picadillies No. 45, or that socks may be kept up with rubber bands if garters are lacking.

But if a man of thirty comes to a palmist and learns that his line of life comes to an end at the ninety-seventh year, he should remember to be especially cautious when he reaches that age. He should not drink more than a pint of red whiskey daily, except upon the advice of a physician. I suppose that predictions of early death were actually harmful in the days when people were more credulous, and possibly there are dolts who still brood over such prophecies, if they are uttered in a sufficiently solemn tone. Even a physician employed by an insurance company is seldom able to tell within ten or twenty years how long the patient he examines will live. He can make a good guess only if he sees strong indications of a fatal disease. As for astrologers, crystal-gazers, dream-interpreters, soothsayers, and palmists, they may accidently hit upon the truth on occasion. Their failures are forgotten, but their successes are repeated and magnified.

It is unfortunate, we are told, to find the lines of Life, Head, and Heart all joined together. This combination is interpreted as a sign that the subject will probably fail in life because he does not realize the dangers which confront him. How unhappy some people would be, though, if they knew what miseries await them at a future time! We are always counting on the years ahead, expecting them to bring prosperity and happiness. Clever palmists usually manage to find good indications, for these are more generously feed than bad ones.

If the Line of Life branches off somewhere in the middle of its course, sending a line toward the Mount of Luna, this is supposed to forebode death in a foreign land. It stands for travel, according to some high authorities, or, in a flabby hand, for dissipation. Dissipation may mean anything from staying out after nine in the evening and carrying matches in one’s pocket to blasphemy, treason, murder, or even the violation of the Prohibition laws. It is necessary to make use of rather ambiguous terms in order to gain fame in the pursuit of the mantic arts.

Little lines rising out of the Line of Life are taken to indicate weakness at the time when they appear. As for judging time on the various lines, I find rather vague directions. The lower end of the Life Line may perhaps be taken to show the ninetieth year, and the line divided into ten-year segments which are approximately equal.

An island at the beginning of the Life Line, we are told, signifies a mystery connected with birth. Perhaps the subject was stolen from the cradle and substituted for somebody else. Possibly he is the son of a great monarch or of a splendid courtesan, or of both. The situation demands investigation.

Indentations moving upward from the Line of Life are supposed to be favorable. If they lead to the Mount of Jupiter, they show success in entering high social circles or the attainment of some secret ambition, such as that of carrying a walking stick. A line going up to Mount Saturn indicates that the subject will deposit money in the bank or buy lottery tickets or put a coin in a slot before he dies. This is always a financial line. A line moving up in the direction of Apollo forecasts artistic success--perhaps a reputation for carving roasts expertly. A line to Mercury shows commercial or scientific triumphs. But what sort of success will be attained must be read from the hand as a whole.

Islands along the Line of Life show periods of illness, we are told. Stars stand for shocks and dots for fevers. These are malarial or typhoid if the spots are black, drunken or erotic or bronchial if the spots are red. A mauve spot along the Line of Life stands for leprosy or a cold, one of terra cotta is to be interpreted as smallpox or a sprained ankle, one of Nile blue means infantile paralysis or constipation, while a dot of henna is a sure sign of falling arches, hay fever, poison ivy, or a twitching in the great toe of the left foot. The hand should be carefully washed with soap and water, however, before these spots are sought.

The Heart Line rises from the percussion and runs below the four upper mounts. Or, as some authorities say, it rises on or near Jupiter. According to the first view, the part of the line near the percussion refers to infancy. According to the second, it has to do with old age. My readers, having paid their money, may proceed to take their choice. The Heart Line is sometimes called the Line of Affections.

A good line is not too broad or pale, neither is it too thick and red. It shows a good disposition, an even temper, and satisfactory health. The best position for the line is close to the fingers. If it is near the Head Line, the line which runs approximately parallel to it, it is supposed to indicate disappointment and unhappiness. If it runs up to the base of the index finger, we are told that it forecasts a constant and romantic love. If several branches come to the finger, such love will be felt for more than one person. Thus tell the chiromancers their tale.

A line which ends abruptly in the middle of the Hill of Jupiter shows a love which may be noble and worthy, but which is not purged altogether of interest in the flesh. Ending between the index and the middle fingers, it shows practical affection, without any great storm of passion. If there is a circular branch near Jupiter, the loved person will prove unworthy. If the line rises (or ends) near the middle finger, it shows an affair of the heart without unselfish interest or spiritualization. So the story is told.

A Line of the Heart which is looped is taken as a sign of flirtation and of palpitation of the heart. It is not clear which is the cause and which the effect. Does palpitation of the heart result from flirting? Or flirting from palpitation? Or both from the chained line? Or all three from the astrological condition at the time when the subject was conceived? Or all four from the will of God? Or all five from the weaving of the Fates? Or--but we must not enter too far into this absorbing metaphysical problem.

A bright red line indicates violence in matters of the affections. The subject may perhaps carry off a wife, or he may steal a kiss, or he may be chastised for being “too fresh.” A colorless, broad line, we are told, shows a heartless wretch, capable of marrying a wealthy widow for her money or of betraying hosts of virtuous maidens. This is made especially clear if the Line of the Heart is close to the Line of the Head.

A very thin line running all the way across the hand is said to be sadistic. The subject may murder, assault, batter, use strong language, or otherwise misbehave. The palmist should immediately report all persons with such lines to the police, unless he has been sworn to secrecy beforehand. But perhaps the things which the chirognomist learns are sacred confidences, like the stories which are poured into the ears of lawyers, physicians, and confessors.

The absence of the Line of the Heart is a very, very unfavorable sign. If the subject does not kill his grandmother or betray the secrets of his mother, he will probably work on Sunday or forget to say his prayers. And I have been told of a young girl without this line who wore skirts so short that her knees were plainly visible when she sat down. In the interests of public morality, this line should be painted on in all cases where it is absent.

Breaks in the Heart Line indicate weakness of the heart or of some other physical organ. A number of small lines crossing it are to be read the same way. Possibly they show a wandering of affections, a tendency to feel drawn toward more than one person of the opposite sex. Or they may be indicative of a dislike for the small pieces of candy which are colloquially known as kisses.

It is an excellent sign if the Line of the Heart divides into three branches below the index finger. The subject will own at least three pairs of shoes at some time in his or her life. If there are more than six such branches, part of them may refer to stockings, mufflers, pipes, corsets, or can-openers. Even a single line in the direction of the Hill of Jupiter is a favorable indication. It proves that the subject will own at least one pair of shoes. Whether or not the sole will be in good condition must be judged from the development of the thumb--in the case of the right shoe, the left thumb; in the case of the left shoe, the right thumb. The uppers may be judged from the first phalanges of the fingers.

If the Heart Line is without branches, we may infer that the subject is and will remain friendless. If the branches droop, his or her friends will be the cause of sorrow. If they go upward from the line, the friends they represent will be generous, tender, and not averse to lending a dollar or two if approached with proper tact. This quality is indicated by conic first phalanges. Without these, friends are of no great use.

If the line comes up to the base of the middle finger, as we are told, the subject is likely to find all his hopes shattered because of too great an attachment to unworthy friends and ideals. This is likely to be due to religious fanaticism, especially if another line branches off to the index finger.

If the Heart Line is long and unbroken and the first phalanx of the thumb is large, the subject will be a devoted friend. He may perhaps cultivate acquaintances for the purpose of selling them life insurance, but he will never willingly relinquish them so long as he hopes they will prove advantageous to him.

Something like a hole in the line is supposed to show a disillusionment in love or friendship. Or it may be a symptom of apoplexy. Red or deep spots are to be read as wounds. If they are red and deep enough, they show that the hand itself has been wounded. If there is fresh blood on the hand, this is especially likely, unless the subject has been slaughtering cattle.

A fork in the Heart Line, with both tines about equal, shows fidelity in love. No person will ever come between the forks, we are told, no matter how much disappointment and unhappiness the first love may bring. Squares in the line are interpreted to forecast recoveries from illness. But of course it is also necessary to consider the Line of Life and to examine the heart and lungs before coming to any definite conclusion.

The Line of the Head begins with the Life Line and runs across the hand toward the percussion. In some hands, however, it starts separately, from the Mount of Mars or the Hill of Jupiter. It is considered most favorable when it is clear, of good color, connected with or approaching the Line of Life, and sloping a little toward the Mount of the Moon. A good Line of the Head is supposed to show a clear mind, usually associated with a strong will.

A short, deep line may mark the pedant, absorbed in his own specialty and oblivious to everything else. A long, straight line is indicative of selfishness, unless, of course, there are other signs which show generosity and altruism. If the Head Line is even, the subject has a certain rigor of thought, but he or she may be narrow-minded. A chained line shows mental instability. A double line indicates versatility, perhaps amounting to a dual personality. This is the story the chirosophists tell.

If the line starts from Jupiter without approaching the Line of Life very closely, the subject is lacking in caution. But a large thumb may go far to correct this. The individual whose line is thus formed is sure to be independent in his views, and he is likely to be talented. He may play the saxophone by ear without regard for the feelings of his neighbors.

If the Head Line crosses the Line of Life, the subject will be usually cautious. Even though wearing a belt and suspenders, he will constantly fear the loss of his trousers. If the person who has crossed lines is of the sex which we do not in polite society associate with bifurcate garments, she will be constantly hitching up her skirts. Such a combination of flexion-folds makes for frequent changes of opinion and for a lack of intellectual harmony with neighbors and relatives.

The Line of the Head causes a love of beautiful things, especially if it slopes gradually in the direction of the upper end of the Hill of the Moon. The subject will be fond of cutting rotogravure pictures out of the Sunday paper and pasting them up on the wall of his bedroom, together with mottoes expressing tender sentiments about home and mother. But if the line bends or slopes toward the center of Mount Luna, we may read dreaminess and more or less innocent eccentricities. Persons with such lines write to the editor of their favorite newspaper or magazine to interpret the symbolism of the Bible: Jesus stands for either worldly wisdom or love, Judas represents material matter out of tune with the infinite, Adam is the American farmer, and so on.

A small fork in the Head Line makes for diplomacy, whereas a large one causes cunning. But I have not been able to learn how large the fork must be to create a subject too cunning to be a diplomat. If chirognomy were altogether a product of the present day, we should no doubt be provided with precise measuring instruments.

Memory, we are told, depends upon the depth of the Line of the Head. But if the line and the fingers are usually long, there will be an undue interest in trivial details. The subject will be able to say immediately who was the nineteenth vice-president of the United States, and he will remember the exact number of pounds of white rouge produced in France in 1928, as also the precise amount sold in America with French labels.

An island on the Line of the Head forebodes illness. The same thing is said about black spots. If the spot or island is found in the Mars district, or if the Hill of Mars is high, the disease may be scarlet fever or smallpox or the hives. If Jupiter dominates, a sore throat, bronchitis, or pneumonia may be predicted. Saturn causes toothache, and any subject whose mouth presents a flash of gold may safely be told that he has had aching teeth. According to another writer, Saturn’s island indicates an injury to the limbs. Apollo’s evil influence causes disease of the eye, especially if there is a star at the base of the ring finger. A long island anywhere on the line means mental disease. So the story goes.

Red dots mean wounds, and the sign is confirmed by a cross on the line. No person with such marks will live much longer than a century or so. White points are favorable indications, however, for they show that the subject will make a scientific or artistic discovery or perhaps invention. Perhaps he will find out how to squeeze the last bit of shaving cream from a tube or how to open a jar of mustard without getting any spots on his clothing.

An abnormal slope or bend of the Head Line is taken to mean insanity, especially if it is found in a philosophic, spatulate, or square hand. An uncertainty of the line confirms such a reading. And if the subject is confined in a lunatic asylum, the diagnosis is very likely to be correct.

The Fate Line runs between the middle finger and the wrist. It relates to the career and the accomplishments of the subject. It is sometimes spoken of as the Line of Luck or of Fortune. It is found most strongly developed in philosophical and conic hands. Therefore, we are told, a short line in an ordinary or square hand means as much (or perhaps we should rather say, as little) as a long one in a conic hand.

If the Fate Line begins at the wrist, it denotes early responsibility. The subject started to sell papers when he was five, perhaps, or was compelled to dress himself as soon as he was nine. But if the Head Line and the Heart Line in the hand are united for a considerable distance, it may be that the responsibilities were felt and yet not assumed. A deep line indicates a monotonous life. If the line wavers, there is much doubt and uncertainty about the career. A sharp break in the line means a period of worry, or else a change of occupation. According to Oxenford and Alpheus, religious conversion is made clear by a break in the Fate Line of the left hand. By all the occult signs, the writer of this little book will soon be writing a life of Christ. But in order to determine whether or not it will be published in this series, it will be necessary to examine the palm and the cranium of Mr. Haldeman-Julius.

If the Fate Line starts from the Hill of Luna, the course of events has been influenced (or will be influenced) by somebody else. Such a line in a woman or in a henpecked husband may mean an early marriage. If it begins at the Line of Life, the family influence is important. Such, at least, is the story which the palmists tell.

If the line is entirely wanting, the subject is the creature of circumstance, permitting himself to drift upon the seaward-flowing river of life. He may become a vagrant, a speculator, a dealer in old clothes, a soldier of fortune, a chauffeur, a perfumer, a barber, a politician, or a pickpocket. But it is also possible that he should become a valet, a steel magnate, an oil king, a rubber in a Turkish bath, a pander, a writer, a physician, a patrolman, a sergeant in the Marine Corps, or a vegetable peddler. A woman without a Line of Fortune may be a housewife, a prostitute, a nurse, a stenographer, a maid, a factory worker, a milliner, or a teacher. Of course she may enter these callings also if she has the line.

An island on the line betrays conjugal infidelity. The husband who finds it on his hand should hire a duenna and a corps of private detectives to watch his wife. If there is a star close to the island, the unchastity will bring about some great calamity. Perhaps it will be necessary for the cornuted husband to pay alimony to his faithless wife in order that she may support her paramour in the luxury to which he is accustomed.

Lines running parallel to the Fate Line indicate hobbies, avocations, and subsidiary interests. But if it is difficult to tell the Line of Fate and these subsidiary flexion-folds apart, we may infer that the subject is more interested in golf, dominoes, or the collection of old bottles than he is in his business.

The Line of Apollo runs from the ring finger toward the wrist. It is usually rather straight. Sometimes known as the Line of Brilliancy, it shows worldly, especially financial, success. Just what sort of victories the subject will win, precisely what sort of laurels he will wear, must be read from the other lines and from the mounts.

“The type of hand,” says Oxenford and Alpheus, “must in all cases be taken into consideration. A Line of Apollo on a philosophic or extremely pointed hand will mean little, whereas a very short or slightly developed Apollo Line on a square hand will indicate great success.”

According to the Zancigs, the absence of such a line does not always mean poverty. It may show simply that the subject is careless with small sums of money. For the practicing palmist, the old tradition that the absence of a certain sign indicates anything very definite is rather embarrassing. If a man wears a ring worth a thousand dollars, one cannot very well tell him that the marking of his hand makes it impossible for him to accumulate or to have accumulated or acquired any wealth.

A star on the Line of Brilliance, we are told, is a very fortunate indication. Some sort of success is certain. It may simply be success in getting through life without ever being sent to jail. Many lines branching off from this fold are taken to mean a scattering of talent. An island on the Line of Apollo is supposed to show the loss of a position, because of the plotting of enemies.

A forked line means that money comes in from two or more sources. But if the junction is not very distinct, we are told that the subject has too many interests. He should rather concentrate on a single task. A doubling of the line is supposed to show an increase in wealth. A line from the Hill of Mars running into the line and breaking it is said to indicate that money will be lost to an enemy, or because of his machinations.

The Hepatica or Health Line runs from the base of the little finger toward the wrist. It is frequently absent, in which case a strong constitution is indicated, according to some authorities. A long, straight, clear line is almost as good as its total absence, we are told. A broken line is supposed to mean digestive trouble or some form of disease. Red at the lower end indicates heart trouble. At the upper end, it shows headache. In the center, red is a sign of fever. Nevertheless, according to a practicing physiognomist and palmist, these symptoms do not always appear--“This author has found its evil signs all absent when there was known heart trouble and disease.” Such is the admission of Holmes Whittier Merton. His book on _Descriptive Mentality_ departs in some respects from the traditional system of palmistry, but I cannot find that it is a whit more scientific or accurate.

A pale white spot upon the line means chronic indigestion, we are informed. A cross shows illness, and a circle is a sign of a wound. Internal illness is shown by islands on the Hepatica. The name of the line (from the Greek word _hepar_, liver) shows which organ was once supposed to be almost exclusively concerned with digestion. A thick and blunt line indicates illness in old age. A long island near the wrist may mean somnambulism, it is said. Or perhaps it points out that the subject weeps whenever coming close to cut onions. A sister line to the Hepatica is said to show avarice.

The Marriage Lines appear to be somewhat uncertain. Sometimes there is a strong line beginning at the percussion and running parallel to the base of the little finger. There may be several such folds, in which case the deepest or the longest one is considered most carefully, but the others are also studied.

Recent palmists emphasize the fact that the lines merely indicate tendencies, or that they may stand for love affairs which do not end in marriage. Sometimes they are called Influence Lines, so that an old maid in whom the folds are sharp and long may be told that she has been influenced by some person or persons, not necessarily a husband. For indications of marriage we may examine the Life and Fate Lines as well as a number of Influence Lines crossing Venus. A plain circlet of gold or platinum on a woman’s finger is frequently a sign that she is married. I have not found the fact mentioned in any book on palmistry, but chiromancers and other fortune tellers watch for such clues with very keen eyes.

Tiny lines dropping from the chief Marriage Line are supposed to show illness in the mate. If such a line describes a large semicircle, death is prognosticated. An island in the Line of Marriage shows a period of separation. If the line sends two equal branches toward the palm, divorce is indicated, especially if there is a connecting line to the Hill of Mars. According to other authorities, an island on the line means marriage to a cousin. Or, at the end of the line, the island is taken to represent the death of one of the parties in love or marriage, caused by hereditary illness. Perhaps it shows a sweet tooth, a tendency to write nonsense verse, or a limp in the left leg.

Above the Marriage Line and running into it are to be found the lines traditionally taken to indicate the children of the subject. If they are broad, clear, and vertical, they show boys. If they are fine, delicate, and somewhat oblique, they represent girls. Long and prominent lines are supposed to show that the offspring will have brilliant careers.

These lines, we are told, should be sought on the hands of women rather than on those of men. But they may be found if the man is fond of children or if it happens that he possesses them. Stars on these little lines stand for illness in the children, crosses represent accidents, and squares stand for narrow escapes. Islands show ill health or, at the end of a line, death.

The Via Lasciva or Cephalic Line, which occurs on some hands as a sister line to the Line of Health, is said to show sexual and emotional intensity. Perhaps injuries to the head are to be found there. Then again, inability to appreciate free verse may be the result of a long, deep line, without any spots. Or it may show a fondness for old Scotch whiskey. But some high authorities find a separate line of Drink, Drugs and Deadly Cigarettes.

Closer to the thumb than the Line of Life and running in the same general direction is the Line of Mars. Like the other folds which are still to be mentioned, this occurs only in some hands. We are told that it is common in the hands of great military commanders. Its ending always shows a love affair, according to one expert. Possibly it means the blowing of soap bubbles or the drinking of grape juice, though.

The Line of Intuition is somewhat semicircular, and it is often connected with the Hepatica at both ends. If the fold does not touch the Line of Health, it is taken as an indication of occult power. It makes dreamers, mediums, hypnotists, astrologers, and palmists. An island near the beginning may or may not show second sight.

The Ring of Saturn is a semicircle cutting off half of Mount Saturn, at the base of the middle and ring fingers. It is said either to confer occult powers, of which little advantage is taken, or to bring misfortune. Again my readers are welcome to accept whichever interpretation may please them, or even to consider it an indication that the subject will soon lose a button on his or her winter coat.

The Girdle of Venus is another semicircle found on some hands, running outside the Ring of Saturn. According to Desbarrolles, this shows a tendency to immorality. The Zancigs maintain that he made a mistake because he only examined the hands of French people, with whom sexual delinquencies are frequent. Perhaps, then, it shows a nervous temperament or a love of orchids or a fear of frogs. In the hand of a member of the Anti-Saloon League, it indicates great idealism and the firm belief that bootleggers should be hanged, drawn, and quartered, while their customers should merely be boiled in oil or given a few dozen strokes with the knout.

The Bracelets or Rascia are lines on the wrist below the palm. They are sometimes said to show the number of years the subject will live. Each fold stands for twenty-five or thirty years, if it is sharply defined. Badly formed lines are supposed to indicate either bad health and a short life or extravagance. If the Bracelet next to the palm in the hand of a woman arches up in the middle, we are told by Cheiro that it shows weakness of the ovary. According to other writers, the looping of the first line means that the subject will make his fortune after struggling hard and long for it.

The area enclosed by the Hepatica and the Lines of Life and the Head is called the Great Triangle. If it is large, it is said to indicate generosity and a broad mind, especially if the outlines of the triangle are clear and straight. A narrow triangle shows individualism, and selfishness is to be inferred in some cases.

SOME APPLICATIONS

Some palmists consider that either hand may be read, with the left giving the more definite indications. Others insist that it is necessary to consider both hands. When the same sign is found in both hands, it is considered more reliable. The left hand is said to show inborn tendencies, while the right hand is supposed to indicate to what extent these have been or will be followed.

A healthy hand is said to be of even texture, not too flabby and perhaps not excessively hard, with lines which are clear and of a clear red color. The nails are without spots or ridges. If the lines are too bright, a tendency to fever is shown. A confusion of small lines all over the hand is taken to indicate poor health.

There are signs for the various diseases, which have, we are told, been verified in the hospitals. But an examination by a competent physician is the best course to take in case of ill health. I should be reluctant to put down these “certain indications” if I thought that some of my readers might possibly take them at their face value.

Scarlet fever, as the chirognomists tell their story, is shown by a small square on the Line of Life, with an upright cross within it. Typhoid fever is indicated by a similar square with a blue dent or a cross with slanting lines inside. Fine lines striking across each other mean rheumatism, especially if the skin is unusually smooth. Consumption is indicated by a moist skin and curved nails. There are islands in the Head Line. Diseases of the respiratory organs are shown by islands on the Line of the Head below the middle finger. The Head Line or the Via Lasciva is broken or frayed in cases of brain disease. A blue dent means influenza. Circles or dots on the Line of Life indicate eye trouble. Dots on the Line of the Head in the region of Jupiter show deafness. Internal disease is indicated by islands on the Hepatica. Maladies which are inherited are shown by islands on the Line of Life.

According to the position on a line in which such an indication is found, it represents a disorder of the past, the present, or the future. As we have already seen, the fixing of a definite time on the lines is not easy, and there are some contradictory statements as to the direction in which the folds are to be read. But since palmistry is without value for the study of character, the forecasting of the future, and most other purposes, we need not worry about such difficulties. I think that palmistry is no longer exceedingly profitable for the mountebanks who practice it. There are still credulous people, to be sure, but we can detect a slight feeling of doubt in most of the individuals we find entering a chiromancer’s booth at Coney Island or a county fair.

I do not know to what extent young people actually consult astrologers, palmists, and physiognomists to help them make up their minds as to which calling in life to pursue. Many charlatans who know that their fortune telling ability can often be tested represent that they are able to show tendencies which ought to be followed. Thus, if the hand shows a military career and the gentleman who presents it is a millinery salesman, it is not sufficient for the palmist that the words sound pretty much alike. He will tell the chicken-hearted fellow that he ought to be riding a horse in front of an army. Our modern generals ride in expensive limousines forty or fifty miles behind the front, but that is beside the point.

Some of the English palmists have been ambitious enough not only to describe what a minister’s hand looks like, but also to indicate how the palm of a Methodist churchman differs from that of an Episcopalian. In an encyclopedic book on chirognomy, we should find the palm type of the rabbi, the sheik, the fakir, the brahmin, the druid, the bonze, the lama, the pope, the canon, the dean, the vicar, the abbot, the mendicant, and the leader of an Ethical Culture group.

Ministers of the Church of England have long fingers and conic hands, we are told, while Methodist clergymen have heavy fingers and square palms. Since the Anglican (or in America, the Episcopalian) Church tends to emphasize ceremony and beauty, the type of hand belonging by palmistic tradition to the artists, slightly modified by the marks of religion, is attributed to the clergymen of the sect. But Methodist churchmen are supposed to care less for beauty.

The signs belonging to the occupations arise in part out of astrological and mythical notions. Thus, Mars is the god and the planet of war. It is for this reason that a soldier is supposed to have a high Plain of Mars and a strong Mars Hill. His palm is square and hard, for this seems to be the type suitable for action.

We need not analyze the symbolism of the other professional signs. Luna stands for travel, for which reason a sailor has a well-formed Hill of the Moon, for example. The curious reader may pursue the subject with the aid of books on astrology, but it is of no practical value, except that it makes clear the flimsiness of the occult systems.

Some books of palmistry give gastronomical tables, showing what foods people with various hand types are supposed to prefer. Men and women who have the finger and the mount of Jupiter most strongly developed, and who are therefore considered to be of jovial temperament, are credited with liking turtle soup, trout, turbot, mace, nutmeg, beef, mutton, venison, turkey, duck, rich puddings, parsnips, French beans, Stilton cheese, pears, plums, figs, olives, mulberries, raspberries, walnuts, stout, port, punch, cherry brandy, sloe gin, and coffee. The list is rather attractive, especially toward the end. But it seems to me that people should seek the good things of life without worrying too much about the lines on their palms. Keep the hands reasonably clean, use them for helping yourself to bread but not to stick into soup in order to test the temperature, and stay away from the palmists.

Transcriber’s Note:

- Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).

- Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.

- Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice.

- Spelling was retained as in the original except for the following changes:

Page 12: "My God. have I married" to "My God, have I married"
Page 14: “According to M. Desbarroles” to “According to M. Desbarrolles”
Page 21: “fluted are indicative fo” to “fluted are indicative of”
Page 25: “and diplomacy or some times” to “and diplomacy or sometimes”
Page 41: “on both hands. Iit” to “on both hands. It”
Page 42: “does not always means” to “does not always mean”
Page 45: “readers, having paid thteir” to “readers, having paid their”
Page 51: “of white rouge producd” to “of white rouge produced”