A CHAPTER ON HANDS. BY H. T. TUCKERMAN. "Give ine your hands!" Pericles. HYLOCK had reason, while enumerating his claims to humanity, to ask, "Has not a Jew hands?" I have just examined the sculp tured hand of a child modelled from life, by an artist of exact eye, and whose chisel bestows a flesh-like surface upon its products. The abstract beauty of the hand is better realized when thus viewed; and if we combine with this perception a sense of its varied facility as a mechanical instrument, and its countless offices as a means of expression, we cannot but feel that it is one of the graceful mysteries which characterize human beings; and hence it is that the most pathetic line in the Corsair, occurs in the description of the dead Medora, where the poet speaks of "the cold flowers her colder hand contained." The hand, in the light of comparative anatomy, most significantly marks the distinction between men and brutes. Its complex apparatus, and the relation between its performances and the mind, are so remarkable, that familiarity alone prevents their being observed with wonder. When we consider that its metions depend upon no less than twenty-nine bones, their certainty and vigor is marvellous. As an instrument, it combines to an inconceivable degree the almost antagonist qualities of great strength and extreme delicacy, freedom of movement with nicety of action, and perfect ease with thorough control. The same machine whereby the athtete raises himself to the slack-rope, or the blacksmith wields a ponderous sledge, is adapted to graduate the hues upon the artist's canvass, and modify sounds of the most exquisite musical instruments. The fingers, whose accurate sensation counts the pulsations of the invalid, when folded together, become a weapon, which, deftly managed, may fell a resisting Hercules; grasping a mechanic's tool they perform miracles of skill, and closed gently around the pen of genius, they act as the magnetic telegraph of the soul. The freedom of the hand's movements is ascribed to the collar-bone, which keeps the shoulders apart, and distributes muscular effort to the arm; their fineness is owing to the wrist and finger bones, and the nervous tissue, and their Power and flexibility are thus equally attained, ease, seems to grow out of the union of all these. and the result is, an instrument which, guided by intelligence, is adequate to the homeliest and most exalted offices, and has for its sphere the whole domain both of the useful and fine arts, enabling the savage to weave bark-thatch for his log-hut, and Raphael to light up an eternal smile upon the lip of maternity; the mariner, by a regulated pressure, to guide his vessels with unerring helm over the trackless waters; and the sportsman, by the lightest touch, to bring to his feet the eagle that hovers in the clouds. But, perhaps, the most extraordinary characteris ic of the hand is its intimate relation to the will. The infinite quickness and certainty with which the form er obeys the faintest intimations of the latter, is a study for the metaphysician. The hand is the mind's only perfect vassal, and when, through age or illness, the connexion between them is interrupted, there are few more affecting tokens of human decay. We seldom realize the nicety as well as promptitude of the hand's obedience. It is but the difference imperceptible to the eye, between the pressure of a finger which distinguishes a merely practiced musician and the great masters of the violin and piano. A more sensitive nerve in the hand, communicating with a more growing brain, is the proximate cause of the vast space between mechanical imitation and artistic genius. The engravings of Morghen, the busts of Powers, Gobelin tapestry, the bouquets of Genoa and Florence, the mosaics of Rome, and the lawns of England-whatever object or product is wrought or embellished by the hand, of acknowledged superiority in its kind, owes that distinction not more to peculiar aptitude in the hand itself, than to a closer alliance between it and the will, and a more keen intelligence or a richer sympathy in the mind that prompts its action. Thus the hand becomes the representative of the individual, not only working out his casual objects, but giving embodiment to his noblest conceptions. It is this instant and complete response that induced the opinion once broached that the hand was the seat of the will. No less than fifty muscles consent to its simplest motion. The different length of the fingers accommodates them to a variety of grasp, as the rod which stirs the alembic must be held in quite a different manner, and perform a distinct office, from the fishing-rod or the battle-axe. It has been truly said, that a hand, with reason to use it, supplies the natural defence of other animals! The muscles of the palm, which are so small and even exposed, unlike those of other parts of the of," the simple English for intrigue; and buono mano the Italian for a gratuity. Intention, desire, motive-all suggest themselves figuratively by epithets borrowed from the natural action of the hand; and the marriage rite hath for its almost universal symbol, encircling the finger with a little hoop of gold. A vague sense of the intrinsic correspondence between the hand and thought, doubtless originated the idea of palmistry, and superstition hoped to discover in the varied lines of the open palm an index of character and destiny. A less fallacious test of the former has been recognized in the comparative heat or cold of the hand, as this indicates temperament, which in itself is no inadequate revolution of conduct. Thus the quick or slow upfolding of the sensitive leaf betrays the touch of the sanguine or sympathetic. "There are," says Sir Thomas Browne, "certain mystical figures in our hands, which I dare not call mere dashes, strokes à la volée, or at random, because delineated by a pencil that never works in vain; and hereof I take more particular notice, because I carry that in mine own hand which I never could read of or discover in another."* In aristocratic portraits, the shape of the hands is remarkably elegant, and Byron was undoubtbody, to contact and strain, are protected accord-edly correct in regarding the beauty of this feature ingly; and so intimately united are the eight bones of the wrist, that they form a ball which moves at the extremity of the radius. Such are the minute and effective contrivances which sustain and direct the wonderful mechanism of the human hand. This apparent identity between the hand and the will, is manifested by the old proverbs, "catch time by the forelock," and "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Indeed, expressions in dicative of tenacity or readiness, are drawn chiefly from the movements of the hand. Thus we speak of seizing occasions, and holding on to promising objects. The sailor's phrase let go," seems to give full scope to the breeze of accident, and the tide of events, while "hands off" is the most colloquial of warnings to the tarry passer. The "sign manual" in law and courtesy has an unquestioned authority, and the raised finger of a king challenges as much obeisance as a sanctioned watchword. 66 The henna-stained nails of the harem are typical of oricutalism; the thrown gauntlet of the knight was a summous to the combat, and " gyves upon the wrist," in Hood's poem of Eugene Aram, tell the whole story of his capture. "Except these bonds," said St. Paul, lifting his manacled hands before Festus; and " may my right hand forget its cunning," was Webster's adjuration, should he ever lack magnanimity. "To palm off," is the Saxon for treachery; "make a handle as an indication of gentle blood. It is said that long before Keats died, he was accustomed to prophecy his fate by the swollen veins of his hands, which, he said, looked like those of a man of fifty. There is an instinctive association with personal character in the disposition of the hands. Thus, the most effective likeness of Sterne represents him with the forefinger on the temple, where phrenologists locate the organ of wit. Napoleon, at St. Helena, is always depicted with folded arms, because they indicate a passive and thoughtful state; and in one of the most appropriate designs for a statue of Washington, the left hand rests on a sheathed sword, while the right points upward. The peculiar melancholy suggested by Egyptian sepulchral monuments, as well as many of the effigies on Italian tombs, arises from the utterly listless or confined position of the hands. It gives the figure the aspect of helplessness; the voluntary power seems annihilated, and a feeling instantly arises of a completed destiny and final sleep. "His palms are folded on his breast; In the grace of elocution, the dignity of rule, and the natural language of social intercourse, the hand enacts a greater part than we are apt to Religio Medici. A CHAPTER ON HANDS. 267 recognise. In all those noble gestures which convey moral impressions, the extended arm and open palm are vastly expressive. In the cartoons of Raphael, and the apostolic statues of Thorwaldsen, this is finely illustrated. There is a passage in one of Southey's poems which eloquently points out the significance of such ges tures: "Toward the shore he spread his arins To show how justly in art and life the action of the hand is characteristic, were an endless theme. In poetry, by citing one of its movements, an entire history or picture is suggested. Scott, to express the warrior's unconquered heroism, tells us that "with dying hand he shook the fragment of his blade;" the old masters always portrayed Cleopatra "holding the viper to her snowy breast," which instantly fills the imagination with the cycle of her being-voluptuous beauty, imperious will, and impassioned death. In the museum at Naples, there is a statue of Aristides, and the manner in which his robe is gathered up in his hand, gives a complete idea of the inflexible jus tice of his nature. One of the most common signs of want of breeding, is a sort of uncomfortable consciousness of the hands, an obvious ignorance of what to do with them, and a painful awkwardness in their adjustment. The hands of a gentleman seem perfectly at home without being occupied; they are habituated to the dolce far niente, or if they spontaneously move, it is attractively. Some of Queen Elizabeth's courtiers made playing with their sword-hilt an accomplishment, and the most efficient weapon of the Spanish coquette is her fan. Strength in the fingers is a sure token of mental aptitude. When Mutius burnt his hand off before the eyes of his captor, he gave the most indubitable proof we can imagine of fortitude; and it was natural that amid the ferocious bravery of feudal times, a bloody hand in the centre of an escutcheon should become the badge of a baronet of England. The phenomena of touch have been less investigated than those of the other senses, from which it is altogether distinct. The nerves of touch are enclosed in spiral ridges of cuticle at the pulpy end of the fingers, and still more shielded by the nails. All familiar with the modern education of the blind, are aware to what extent the sense of touch may be cultivated, so in a measure to take the place of sight. Manipulation is almost a science by itself, the nicer processes of the artizan, refined modelling in clay, the minute sculpture of the lapidary, and those delicate surgical operations which require the most precise guidance of an instrument among nerves and arteries, seem to justify the saying of Anaxagoras, that the superiority of man was owing to his hand. When we consider that the nervous tissue, ramifying from the brain, spreads itself intricately through the hand where touch is located, there seems little romance in assenting to the enthusiastic interpretation of the sounds of a violin when swayed by genius, and the healing, exciting, or somuiferous influence ascribed to the hand of the magnetizer. In some persons the sensitiveness of touch is so great, that to feel of certain fabrics, or come in physical contact with ungenial individuals, produces the most decided nervous revulsion. Domestic, and even wild animals, are remarkably susceptible to the human touch, and may be soothed in ferocious moods by the hand they recognize. There is, indeed, an exquisite sensibility and influence residing in the hand, which, in rare organization, may be said to constitute a world of sensation and efficiency, “caviare to the general." In southern countries, kissing the hand is a loyal salutation. On a beautiful winter evening, I disembarked at an island in the Mediterranean in company with a lady who had been for some months absent from her home. She stood at the head of the staircase of her palazzo, and every servitor respectfully imprinted a kiss upon her hand. There was in their manner of so doing, a fidelity and pleasure delightful to witness. The practice is recognized in several of Shakspeare's Why, this is he who kissed away his "You kiss your hand," says hand in courtesy." Colin to Touchstone; "that courtesy would be unclean at court, if courtiers were shepherdsthey are often tarred over with the surgery of our sheep. The courtier's hands are perfumed with dramas. civet." 66 In dramatic literature especially we find constant figurative allusion to the hand, as the symbol of both will, intelligence, and character. Thus Brutus reproaches Cassius with avarice, by declaring he has " an itching palm ;" and the ambitious Thane's sceptre is said to be wrenched "with an unlineal hand." Of one it is observed, that his hand was made to handle nought but gold, and of another, "to grasp a palmer's." Among the undisputed traits of beauty, seems to be a white hand. "My lady has a white hand," boasts Olivia's clown; and Brion, sending a missive to his love, tells the messenger And to her white hand see that thou do commend, Romeo speaks of the "white wonder of dear Juliet's hand;" and this exclamation he utters as he gazes upon her from the garden, is an instance of Shakspeare's masterly union of the picturesque and the affecting. We see a picture-Juliet in the balcony, precisely in the attitude natural under the circumstances, and, at the same time, sympathize with the impatient devotion of her lover as he thus beholds her. Nothing can be more appropriate than the very poetical extravagance of his apostrophe: See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! But in two instances the poet of nature has given us hints of the philosophy of this subject, in so dramatic and moving a way, that the scenes live in remembrance, consecrated alike by the genius which makes vital, and the truth to nature that endears them. In the two most earnest phases of the soul-love and remorse, the hands are made to illustrate their connexion with the mind, and, for the moment, endowed with prophecy and retribution. It is poetry, indeed, but founded in truth. When that "noble and loving nature is first put upon the rack of agonized suspicion, the sight of Desdemona for an instant O, hardness disarms his fears. He exclaims: 66 And what picture of a troubled conscience has ever been imagined equal to the night-walking scene in Lady Macbeth? She had been used to "lave her dainty hands" from childhood, but having once stained them with human blood, it seemed to her reproachful heart that the "damned spot" would never out. There is something irresistibly pathetic in the moaning whisper, "all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." The epithet "little" applied to her hand, brings up the idea of the gentleness of her sex in contrast with the horror of her crime, in a manner singularly accordant with dramatic truth. Doct. What is it she does now? Look how she rubs her hands. Gent. It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands; I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour. Lady M. Out, damned spot! publican to cast— 44 An election was carried in Massachusetts by adopting as a rallying word the term 'hard-hand,' an unfortunate epithet which some orator of the opposition had given to the farmers and mechanics. It was immediately seized upon on the same principle that Yankee Doodle was adopted as the to dissemble!" and then gazes inquiringly upon continental air, and by reminding the party of the her face, wherein he had been wont to read his derision of their enemies, worked their most spirown devoted love, beaming in reflected but gen-ited resistance. It is the glorious boast of the reuine expression, in order, if possible, to peruse the heart where he had "garnered upon his hopes." The scrutiny is useless. There is the same ingenuous, tender, and womanly look; but the demon in his brain repeats Iago's fiendish insinuation, and, by an impulse the most natural, he seizes her hand-that hand by which he led her to the altar, whose lightest touch heretofore had power to thrill him with confident joy; he inspects the lines of the palm, attempts to realize afresh its sensation, to test, as it were, its maguetism, and thus doing, peer into her eyes with a mind aching for the truth. Othello. How do you, Desdemona ? O. Give me your hand: this hand is moist, my lady. For here's a young and sweating devil here A frank one. D. You may, indeed, say so: For 'twas that hand that gave away my heart. O. A liberal hand: the hearts of old gave hands, But our new heraldry is-hands, not hearts! This dialogue is a perfect indication of the two states of mind—unsuspecting love and perverting suspicion. The hand is spontaneously recognised as an exponent both of honor and love. With unpurchased hand The vote that shakes the turrets of the land." In most countries, the oath is administered with the hand either gravely uplifted, or laid upon a sacred relic. The claqueurs of the Parisian theatres earn a livelihood by applause; and, to pass at once from such an unromantic matter-offact, to a bit of sentimental philosophy, Dante says: Si comprende, Quanto in femmina, fuoco d'amor dura Le l'occhio o'tatto spesso nol raccende.* The hands are, by the very instinct of humanity, raised in prayer, clasped in affection, wrung in despair, pressed upon the forehead when "chaos is come again," and the soul is "perplexed in the extreme;" drawn inward to invite, thrust forth objectively to repel; the fingers point to indicate, and are snapt in disdain; the palm is laid upon the heart in invocation or subdued feeling, and on the brow of the compassionated in benediction. What is consciously held in pictures or on the stage, is emblematic to the most careless observer. Dido, with her willow-branch, tells us she is abandoned; Richard III., with his prayer-book, enacts the hypocrite; the crook in the hand reveals the shepherd, a baton the marshall, a cross the devo THE BRUISED REED, tee, a tome the scholar, a telescope the navigator, and so on through the whole symbolized category of human vocations, each holds fast that which is good unto him. I was never more struck with the expressive capacity of the hands, than in witnessing the orisons of the deaf and dumb. Their teacher stood, with closed eyes, and addressed the Deity by those signs made with the fingers which constitute a language for the speechless. Around him were grouped more than an hundred mutes, following with reverend glances every motion. It was a visible but not an audible worship. A locust hummed in the branches of an adjacent elm, and the summer air stirred the leaves that hung beside the open window; otherwise, the profound silence of a quaker-meeting brooded over the assemblage. Few public acts of religious devotion ever impressed me like this. The very hearts-the still small voice in each bosom seemed communing with the Creator. It was a most affecting recognition of the fatherhood of God. After Hamlet's mind has been solemnized by the revelations of his father's ghost, he manifests a consciousness of the new and sad responsibility which has come over his life, by a significant shaking hands with his friends, intimating by the action, with the delicate consideration of a noble soul, that he has bade farewell to ordinary sympathies, in consequence of having been called into relation with the supernatural: Why, right, you are in the right, And so, without more circumstance at all, 269 The mere offer of the hand is the readiest sign of voluntary courtesy or forgiveness, and its nonacceptance the most civil yet meaning of repulses. Shaking hands is a mode of greeting, the origin of which is lost in obscurity. Individuals display character in their mode of so doing. Who cannot feel at once the antagonism between the touch of a prude and the cordial grasp of a friend? Who knows not the sailor's grip of candid heartiness from the conventional, passant "giving of hands?" How perfectly does the graduated or lingering pressure cause the mercury in love's barometer to rise or fall by the scale of hope! What sympathies and antipathies are demonstrated by the various degrees of kindly, irresolute, vivacious, careless, fond, or earnest manner of shaking hands! It is this relation between temperament, feeling, consideration, and the instinctive action of the hand, which has given rise to those theories which profess to read the predominant impulses of character in the traits of chirography. THE BRUISED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK. BY E. C. HURLEY. GoD crushes not the vilest thing, Then how can imortals dare presume- If led to seek a Saviour's face. Awaken'd conscience, whispers man, Thy fellow creatures never spurn; Condemn not, but read self aright, The hardest lesson, man can learn. |