There is no country in the world where the "study of character" is more indulged in than in the United States of America. During my many visits there I could not help remarking how even the "hardest headed" businessmen used any form of this study that they could get hold of to help them in their business dealings with other men and also in endeavouring to ascertain the character of their clerks and employees. In looking over the records of my career I find that in the course of my visits to America I gave private lessons to the heads of two hundred andseventy business establishments in New York, one hundred and thirty-five in Boston, and three hundred and forty-two in Chicago. All these men were large employers of labour and what they principally wanted was, to have some help beyond that of their own judgment indealing with those with whom they came in contact in the regular courseof their business careers. In no other country did I find the same interest taken in the study of character from a practical standpoint. Everyone knows that "the face can wear a mask," that a person may be a good actor and put on a certain expression that may deceive even the best judgment. But hands cannot change as the result of a mere effort to please; *the character they express is the real nature of the individual* --the true character that has been formed by heredity or that has grown up with the person by long years of habit. Observe the fingers. If they look short and stumpy in proportion to therest of the palm--one may be sure that the individual to whom they belong is of an animal nature, possessing coarse instincts, devoid of real intellectuality, and belonging to the lower order of humanity. If the fingers and the palm appear equal in length, the owner belongs toa more cultured race. He has inherited from a more intellectual line ofancestors and for all work requiring intelligence and a higher mentality he or she could be depended on, whereas the first-mentioned type could not--no matter how well he might talk or advocate his own superiority. If the fingers look unusually long and thin, and in this way out of proportion to the palm, the man or woman will err on the side of too much ideality and refinement and is not suited to business or work requiring "level headedness" and practicality. It would be useless, for example, to put such a person in charge of work-people or over work-rooms. His ideality and refinement would be thrown away in such positions, and even with the best will in the world he would be completely out of harmonywith his surroundings. Such a man, however, could be depended upon in all positions requiring personal mental work, research, science, literature, philosophy,educational work or, in fact, anything relating to the higher qualities of the mind. The first finger is considered as the Dictator, the Lawgiver, the finger of Ambition, the Indicator, the Pointer, etc. If this finger is unusually long and nearly equals the second, all these tendencies are extremely pronounced. Therefore, if your employee has this finger long, you can safely entrust him with control over, and charge of others. You will be amazed how well he or she will make rules and regulations and see that they are obeyed; but beware, Mr. Employer, lest your first finger is short in proportionas that of your employee is long, for, if such be the case, you too willhave "to toe the line" and you may find yourself in a very disagreeable position. But let me give you a further warning: Should this man or woman have afirst finger that is long and crooked, you will assuredly find out toyour cost that the personal ambitions of such an individual are"crooked." Such an employee would be perfectly unscrupulous in findingout your secrets and getting you into his power.The detection of criminals by taking impressions of the tips of thefingers and by thumb marks is now used by the police of almost everycountry, and thousands of criminals have been tracked down and identifiedby this means.To-day, at Scotland Yard, is to be seen almost an entire library nowdevoted to books on this side of the subject and to the collections thatthe police have made, and yet, in my short time, I remember how the ideawas scoffed at when Monsieur Bertillon and the French police firstcommenced the detection of criminals by this method. If the ignorantprejudice against a complete study of the hand were overcome, the policewould be greatly assisted by studying the lines of the palm, andacquiring a knowledge of what these lines mean, especially as regardsmentality and the inclination of the brain in one direction or another.This study of hands can be traced back to the very earliest, mostenlightened forms of civilisation. It has been practised by the greatestminds in all those civilisations, minds that have left their mentalphilosophies and their monuments for us to marvel at. India, China,Persia, Egypt, Rome--all in their study of mankind have placed thegreatest store in their study of the hand.During my stay in India, I was permitted by some Brahmans (descendants ofthe Joshi Caste, famous from time immemorial for their knowledge inoccult subjects) with whom it was my good fortune to become intimatelyacquainted, to examine and make extracts from an extraordinary book onthis subject which they regarded as almost sacred, and which belonged tothe great past of the now despised Hindustan.As the wisdom of the Hindus spread far and wide across the earth, so thetheories and ideas about this study spread and were practised in othercountries. Similar to the way in which religion suits itself to theconditions of the country in which it is propagated, so has it divideditself into various systems. It is, however, to the days of the Greekcivilisation that we owe the present clear and lucid form of the study.This brings us down to the period when the power of the Church wasbeginning to be felt outside the domain and jurisdiction of religion. Itis said that the early Fathers were jealous of the influence of thisold-world science. Whether this be true or not, we find that it wasbitterly denounced and persecuted by the early Church. It has alwaysbeen, that the history of any dominant creed or sect is the history ofopposition to knowledge, unless that knowledge come through it. Thisstudy, therefore, the offspring of "pagans and heathens," was not evengiven a trial. It was denounced as sorcery and witchcraft; the devil wasconjured up as the father of all such students, and the result was thatthrough this bitter persecution, the study was outlawed, and fell intothe hands of vagrants, tramps, and gipsies.In examining this subject it will be found that in the study of mankindit came to be recognised that, as there was a natural position on theface for the nose, eyes, lips, etc., so also on the hand was there anatural position for what is known as the Line of Head, Line of Life, andso on. If these were found in some unnatural position they would equallybe the indications of unnatural tendencies. It doubtless took years ofstudy to name these lines and marks, but it must be remembered that thiscurious study is more ancient than any other in the world.In the original Hebrew of the Book of Job (chap. xxxvii., ver. 7), wefind these significant words: "God caused signs or seals on the hands ofall the sons of men, that the sons of men might know their works."As the student of anatomy can build up the entire system from theexamination of a single bone, so may a person by a careful study of animportant member of the body such as the hand, apart from anythingsuperstitious or even mystical, build up the entire action of the systemand trace every effect back to its cause.THE LINE OF HEADIn all my work I regard the Line of Head or the Line ofMentality as the most important sign that can be found in the hand.A Line of Head is like the needle in the compass, without a trueknowledge of which it is impossible to grasp the "direction of thesubject." I have seen more mistakes caused by a lack of grasp of thispoint than by anything else.The Line of Head (page 11), or indication of the Mentality of thesubject, must in all cases be considered as the most important line onthe hand. The greatest attention should be paid to it, so as to obtain aclear grasp of the Mentality under consideration.The two hands must be carefully compared--the left showing the inheritedtendencies, the right the developed or cultivated qualities. Theslightest change or deviation in the markings from the left to the rightshould be carefully noted down or remembered.The direction or the termination or end of the line should, above all, bedistinctly noted, for the all-important reason that this shows thedirection that the Mentality is inclined to develop towards. For example,if found with the end of the line sloping downwards in the left hand, andhaving become straight or lying across the palm in the right--the studentis safe in concluding that the subject has not been able to follow hisnatural bent, but by the force of circumstances has been obliged to makehimself more practical, to study business methods, and to have undertakena training towards practicality and level-headedness in order to riseequal to the circumstances that he found himself forced to meet.In this way the student obtains an insight into the earlier conditions ofthe life under examination that is invaluable, especially when there is,as will be found in many cases, no Line of Destiny visible in the earlyyears.It will thus be seen that by observation the student will be enabled toclass the sort of life led by the person under examination. No matter howintellectual a man or woman may look, the lines on the hand will indicatewhether or not they have developed their intellectuality. In this way itwill be seen that a study of the hand becomes a far more accurate guidethan the study of the face. Many men and women may have handsome,intellectual faces and yet prefer sport or outdoor life to any mentalpursuit or exercise.Those people with the Line of Head "open" and ascending slightly upwardstowards or on to the Mental Mount of Mars (3-3, Plate III.), areself-appointed leaders, organizers of any public movement. They willsacrifice everything, home, affection, and all ties for what they believeis their public duty in connection with the work that they haveundertaken.The Line of Head very open and separate from the Line of Life denotes acharacter with too little caution or sensitiveness (4-4, Plate III.). Thesubject will go to the opposite extreme of him with the Line of Head andLine of Life joined. When the space is very wide it denotes excessiveimpetuosity and lack of continuity of purpose, a person who pusheshimself forward on all occasions, a great desire for notoriety and onecontinually changing his plans as far as the world is concerned. Whenthis line is excessively open or separate from the Line of Life, thebrain seems to be an extremely excitable one. The subject suffers greatlyfrom excessive blood to the head, mental hysteria, sleeplessness, and allthings that affect the brain. If the Line of Head is badly formed withislands, or a broad line with breaks and hair lines (1-1, Plate IV.), itis just as much a mark of another form of insanity as the Line of Headcurving downwards at the wrist, but with the line mentioned the type isinclined to be morbid with a tendency to suicide.This other Line of Head with islands indicates the character that will bemore likely to be excitable and fly into a temper and kill other people.A Line of Head not too widely separated and either one end of itcommencing on the Mount of Jupiter, or with its main branch from theMount of Jupiter (4-4, Plate III.), is one of the most brilliant marks ofall.THE LINE OF HEAD AND ITS SECONDARY SIGNSOn the Line of Head when found in the form of a continuous chain (1-1,Plate IV.), all through the line, they denote mental weakness, butgenerally produced by ill-health which more immediately affects thebrain.Such mental weakness or "brain illness," if found with nails showing verysmall "moons" or none at all, denotes an anaemic condition of the bloodthat affects the brain, a low condition of vitality and bad circulation,which seems to starve the brain of blood and prevents such people frommaking any continuous effort in regard to study or will power, and causesthem to act in an erratic fashion.When the Line of Head is widely separated from the Line of Life, thenthis chain formation of islands is still more accentuated and moredifficult to cure. Such subjects have periods of mental excitabilitywhich it seems impossible for them to control, and in such moments theyare liable to fly off at a tangent and commit mad or rash acts, but actsgenerally dangerous to other people.When, however, the Line of Head is very sloping (2-2, Plate IV.), withthis formation of islands the subject is inclined to have fits ofdepression and melancholy, during which he is likely to shrink away frompeople or make an attempt against his own life. "Suicide whiletemporarily insane" is the verdict of the jury in such cases.Another important point of consideration in relation to the islands inthe Line of Head, is to note their position on the line itself, or underwhat finger they make their appearance. When these islands are found atthe commencement of the line under the first finger or Mount of Jupiter(3, Plate IV.), it will be found that the subject in early life wasdelicate mentally, and displayed no energy of will; no desire to study,was listless and without ambition.Under the second finger on the Mount of Saturn (4, Plate IV.), thesubject, on the contrary, is inclined to suffer from severe headaches,morbidness, melancholy, and a tendency for inflammation, especially atthe base of the head.Under the third finger, the Mount of Sun (5, Plate IV.), an island showsa very curious fact, namely that the person is inclined to suffer fromweakness of the eyes and short-sight. If many of these islands are markedit generally foreshadows a still greater tendency to blindness andweakness of the sight.Islands under the fourth finger, the Mount of Mercury (6, Plate IV.), andthe extremity of the Head Line denote weakness of the brain in old age,and a highly nervous worrying disposition. If very badly marked theydenote that in the latter part of life the subject may be disposed toinsanity proceeding from a worrying disposition, and often from theoverstraining of the mental faculties. It will thus be seen that everyportion of this remarkable line may be divided into sections to obtainmarvellous detail in making predictions for the future.THE LINE OF LIFE AND ITS VARIATIONSThe Line of Life is that line which runs round the base of the thumb andlies directly over a large blood-vessel called the great Palmer Arch(1-1, Plate VIII.). This blood-vessel is more directly connected with theheart, stomach, and vital organs which may have given use to its term"The Vital," as used by the ancients.It is reasonable to assume that it is this intimate connection with thevital organs of the body which enables it to foretell the length of lifefrom *natural causes*.If the student will bear this in mind it will make clear and plain to himmany difficulties in connection with predictions as to health anddisease, and he will follow more easily the following explanations.The first rules to master are, that to be normal the Line of Life shouldbe long, clearly marked, and without any irregularities or breaks of anykind. Such a formation would indicate length of life, vitality, freedomfrom illness, and strength of constitution (1-1, Plate VIII.).Bearing the first observation in mind it will be noticed that as the Lineof Life represents the stomach and the vital organs, when well markedthe stomach and digestion must necessarily be in a good condition.When made up of little pieces or linked like a chain, it is a certainsign of poor health, weak stomach and lack of vitality.At this point I must ask the most careful attention to the followingrules--which no other book on the subject contains, and which I have notpublished in any of my other writings, viz.: as the Line of Life seemsin every sense to be the representative on the hand of the body or trunkof the man--so the position of these breaks, marks, links, or islandsdenotes the portion of the body most affected.Before we go further I must also impress on the student to grasp the factthat every line or sign on the hand plays a dual role. By one of their roles these lines indicate the disease the person is most liable to forthe entire run of the life, and in another role these lines indicate the date when the illness will reach its greatest gravity.To explain carefully this strange phenomenon of nature, I have dividedthis line into sections (*see* Plate VIII.), and although I am not writing on astrology in these pages, yet all believers in that sciencemay be interested to find how wonderfully these twin sciences agree when the comparison is pointed out by an impartial observer such as I claim tobe.
THE LINE OF LIFE
It is very important at the outset to consider the qualities of this veryimportant line. In some hands it is broad and shallow on the surface ofthe hand, in others it is deep and fine; the appearance of this line isvery often deceptive, and leads students astray when they have not hadtheir attention called to its appearance.The broad, shallow Line of Life often leads people to suppose that it isa sign of a very healthy, robust constitution; but, on the contrary, suchan indication is not nearly as good a sign as a clear, thin, deep line.The broad Life Line seems to belong to people who have more robust animalstrength, whereas the finer line relates to people who have more nerve orwill-force. Under any strain of ill-health, it is the finer line that will hold out, whereas the broad-looking line has not the same resisting force.Very broad lines on the hand denote more muscular strength than will power, and I cannot impress this difference too strongly on the minds ofmy readers. If the line is made of chain formation (1-1, Plate IX.), itis a sure sign of a tendency to bad health, and especially so if the hand be soft. The same marks on a hard, firm hand would not indicate as much delicacy, because hard, firm hands denote in themselves a robustconstitution. While speaking on this particular point, I must also call attention tothe fact that when the Line of Head is curved downwards instead ofrunning straight across the palm, that it seems to be more attracted tothe qualities indicated by the Mount of Venus and gives more to the imaginative, romantic nature, showing a greater tendency to fall in love,than with people who possess the Line of Head running straight across the hand, as if it were not attracted to the qualities indicated by the Mountof Venus. It will thus be seen that every point of this study bearing oncharacter can be reasoned out from a logical standpoint. This places thestudy upon a higher foundation than when it is considered purely from the superstitious standpoint with which it has so long been associated.ASCENDING LINESWhen the Line of Life is found with a number of ascending lines, even ifthey are small, it denotes a life of greater energy; and the dates at which these lines ascend from the Line of Life may always be consideredpoints at which the subject has made a particular effort towards whatevermay have been the special purpose of his destiny at that moment. When these lines are seen ascending towards or on the Mount of Jupiter (1-1,Plate X.), it indicates the desire and ambition to rise in life,especially in some way that would give the subject control or authorityover others.THE LINE OF MARS OR INNER LIFE LINEWhat is called the Line of Mars is that line that is found only on somehands encircling the Mount of Venus and inside the Line of Life. This Line, which rises on the Mount of Mars, from which it derives itsname, when found clear and strong appears to back up and reinforce theLine of Life (4-4, Plate X.). It indicates great vitality, power of resistance to illness and disease, and is not found on all hands.It is an excellent sign on the hands of soldiers, or in connection withall persons who follow a dangerous calling.All breaks or bad marks indicated on the Line of Life are minimized onthe hands that have this Inner Life Line, or Line of Mars.
THE LINE OF DESTINY OR FATE
The Line of Destiny, otherwise called the Line of Fate (1-1, Plate XI.)is naturally one of the most important of the principal lines of the hand.Although one may never be able to explain why it is, this line undoubtedly appears to indicate at least the main events of one's career.It may be found on the hand even at the moment of birth, clearly indicating the class of Fate or Destiny that lies in the far distantfuture before the individual.In some cases it may look faint or shadowy, as if the path of Destiny were not yet clearly defined, while in other instances almost every stepof the road is chiselled out with its milestones of failure or success,sorrow or joy, as the case may be.That some human beings seem to be more children of Fate than others hasbeen admitted by almost all thinkers, but why they should be so has been the great question that baffles all students of such subjects.There are some who appear to have no Fate, and others who seem to carvetheir Destiny from day to day.I have seen hundreds of cases where every step of the journey was indicated from childhood to the grave; others where only the principal changes in the career were marked in advance. There are, again, otherswhere nothing seemed decided, and where the events indicated by the Lineof Fate appeared to change from year to year.The why and wherefore of such things may be impossible to fathom, butthere are so many mysteries in Life itself that one more or less does notseem to matter.Some of the greatest teachers and philosophers have come to theconclusion that Fate exists for all. In the 17th Article of Religion inthe Episcopal Church it is stated, and in no uncertain manner, that"Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God." All through the Bible the Destiny of nations and of men is clearly laid down, andfrom the first chapter of Genesis to the last page of Revelation the trials, tribulations, and pathway of the Jews was prophesied and predicted ages in advance.Thousands of years before the birth of Christ, it was foretold in Holy Writ in what manner He should be born, and in what manner He should die.It was predicted that a Virgin should conceive and that a Judas should betray, and that both were necessary "that the Scriptures might befulfilled."In more recent ages thousands and thousands of predictions have beenful filled, and all point to some mysterious agency that underlies thepurpose of humanity, and that nothing from the smallest to the greatest is left to blind chance.It may be that the Soul--in being part of the Universal Soul of allthings--*knows all things*, and so through the instrumentality of the brain writes its knowledge of the Future in advance. To the mysteries of the mind there are no limits. Medical science has, inlate years, gone so far as to prove that there must be an advance growthor change in the brain cells years before action or change in characterbecome the result of such development. For all we know, every deed in our careers is the result of some such mental change, and as there are moresuper-sensitive nerves from the brain to the hand, it may then followthat such changes and subsequent actions in our lives may be written in our hands even long years in advance.It may be, then, that to all living beings there is a Destiny "thatshapes our ends, rough hew them as we will."I would, however, humbly suggest that each of us endeavour by knowledgeto find what our Fate may be, and like loyal workmen accept whatever thetask should prove, and so carry it out to the utmost of our ability,willing to leave the final result to the Master that thought fit to employ us in the working out of His design.