Harmony of proportion in this, as in all features, constitutes real beauty. A hand or foot disproportionately small is no more a sign of beauty than is an undeveloped nose, mouth, or chin.

A well-proportioned hand is one which harmonizes not only in its several parts, but also with the arm and body to which it is attached.

In my estimation, large hands or feet on a man are signs of manly character, for such members express power of some sort; men whose hands and feet are large do nothing on a small scale.

The most beautiful object in this world, next to the human face, is a baby's hand; it is the embodiment of grace, innocence, and beauty.

Small wonder that the Palmers of old gazed into the hand in order to foretell the future. It is a wonderful and interesting object, and the next most striking feature to the human face, which I regard as the most marvelous object in existence; it is the epitome or sum of all things in the universe.

FIG. 337.-BEAUTIFUL HAND. (TAGLIONI.)

THE TEXTURE OF THE HAND.

A great deal of knowledge both of the mental and physical nature of individuals may be ascertained by the texture of the skin covering the hand. If it be fine-grained and thin, with the pores invisible to the naked eye, the mental powers are very keen, acute, and sensitive, the physical functions active, and the emotions intense by reason of the high organization of the brain and nervous system. If the pores are large and the skin thick, a common order of intellect is present and the functions and emotions are much less active than in the former subject. An excellent plan to ascertain the real condition of the skin is to inspect the under part of the wrist and arm, for this part is protected and usually retains its natural color and texture when labor and exposure have changed the texture and color of the skin of the hand.

A fine, brilliant color of the outer portion of the palm is a great beauty. This is seen only in the hands that express considerable intelligence; it is caused by a fine, thin skin and a healthy quality of blood.

The under part of the finger-tips should be a pink or of a healthy red color to come up to the normal standard.

THE COLOR OF THE HAND.

In a normal hand the skin should be white and clear, or brown and clear, and a roseate hue should be seen under the nails, the tips of the fingers, at the outer sides of the palm, and on the tip of the thumb. Hands that are well colored are warm, and this shows a good circulation and indicates great vitality, warm and active feelings, and strong sympathies.

Very thin, colorless hands denote a fragile, sensitive mind and body, not long for this world, because the stock of inherited vitality is not sufficient to continue life to an extended period.

Some hands are olive-colored, as we observe among the Spanish, Italian, and French. If the skin of these hands be clear in appearance and fine in texture, it is indicative of a high grade of quality and of mentality. If, on the contrary, they are thick and muddy in color and coarse in texture, it denotes a much coarser grade of feeling and inferior mental powers.

THE NAILS.

There are very great differences of form, size, color, and quality in the nails of the fingers; these diversities are as rich in physiog nomic meaning as are the same qualities in the face.

The forms and sizes of the nails have been described along with their associated classes of hands and fingers. The texture of the nails discloses character. Nails of fine, thin, smooth appearance belong to the fine and refined, to the mental rather than to the unrefined and stupid; while nails thick and coarse in texture belong to the coarse, strong, and unrefined, with more capacity for manual than for mental labor. There are various grades between these two extremes which only careful observation and comparison of each subject can reveal; the nails will agree with the quality of the skin, and will indicate the mental status of its possessor.

Nails that present a flat appearance indicate dyspeptic and consumptive tendencies, or at least congenital weakness of the nutritive system. Nails that are highly arched from side to side disclose not only good assimilative powers, but also large lungs and an arched chest.

THE COLOR OF THE NAILS.

The color of the nails reveals internal powers, both physiological and mental. Colorless nails, if congenital, denote a feeble condition of the circulation-hence absence of strong, ardent sympathies and a brain incapable of profound and protracted labor. If flat as well as colorless, they denote consumption or dyspepsia, and foretell an early decline.

A bright, pinkish color of the nails denotes a good quality of the blood, hence warm feelings and capacity for activity. If flat, with good color, the disposition is not as aspiring and energetic as when well-colored and arched from side to side; the latter belongs to the most energetic and ambitious minds, capable of profound thought-of executive powers, and desirious of leadership.

This combination of form and color shows that the thoracic and nutritive systems are well developed, hence the arched nail, combined with a healthy color, denotes just what the arch does wherever found, viz., power, vigor, activity, health, and longevity.

It is by these minute appearances that character is determined, for they rest on the basic laws of Form, and are governed by the laws of homogeneity and harmony, by the action of which one such minute portion of the body as the finger-nail is able to reveal the structure of the interior organs, the mode of action of the mind and feelings, and in many cases the probable duration of life. Nails that are sallow in color disclose biliary weakness or jaundiced conditions.

Those that are dark in color announce imperfect aëration of the blood, hence imperfect action of the heart may be inferred. Nails that bend over the tops of the fingers denote feebleness of the lungs or organs of digestion, or both.

The nails in some races, notably among the Chinese, are cultivated in lengths and are considered signs of high breeding, as showing that those who exhibit them are not obliged to do manual labor. I have seen many Chinese merchants with several of the finger-nails three or four inches in length, and I once met a man who trimmed the nail of his little finger to a point and wrote with it in place of a quill.

A nail arched and rosy, whether square or oval, is a sign of health and normal development; hence is a mark of beauty. The nails can be improved in shape, smoothness, and brilliancy by polishing and careful cultivation with brush and scissors.

"Hang-nails," as the loose bits of skin are termed which appear about the rim of the nails, should be removed, as they detract both from comfort and beauty.

Biting the nails is a habit which in children should be corrected; this can be done by making an application of myrrh or quassia to them. Ulceration of the stomach has resulted through swallowing the fragments of nails bitten off.

The preceding description of the several facial features and physiognomic indications gives most valuable knowledge of the human face, not only in regard to the significations of the form and color of the features, but also in regard to the subjects of beauty, morality, and intellect. I shall be rewarded if my ideas are understood and practically applied in the daily life of my readers.

CHAPTER IV.

SIGNS OF HEAlth and Disease, Strength AND WEAKNESS, Beauty AND UGLINESS IN THE HUMAN FACE AND BODY.

I

T would seem, at first mention of the subject, almost a work of supererogation to point out the signs of health and disease, strength and weakness, beauty and ugliness in the face and body of man, but I find quite as great a lack of this knowledge in the minds of the masses as I do of physiognomical indications. I shall therefore devote a space to the discussion of these subjects.

Without a knowledge of scientific physiognomy and the basic principles of Form it is impossible to know what appearances in the face reveal either health, beauty, or feebleness, unless they are very decided, and even in this case there are many who could not state decisively what these indications were. The densest ignorance in regard to beauty is so prevalent that it is small wonder that its corresponding signs of health are as little understood, for strength, health, and beauty are synonymous.

The majority of people regard as beautiful only those faces and forms in which the curve abounds. Some do not have as high a standard of beauty as this, even, and regard as beautiful those features in which the concave outline is present.

Now, we have learned in the preceding chapters that the concave outline in any feature or member ever denotes relatively enfeebled conditions; hence, the concave nose, cheeks, or chest cannot rightly be considered beautiful because they are departures from the normal standard of Form, and denote relative weakness. In order, therefore, to have a correct idea of beauty, health, strength, or weakness, we must apply the laws of Form to every feature of the face and to every part of the body. In this way our comprehension of beauty, health, etc., will be much enlarged, and our knowledge of the powers of the human mind and body be greatly increased. Had we no standards of form by which to test our forms and powers, personal opinion would be the only criterion as to what constitutes beauty and health. The fact that one likes or prefers a certain formation or a certain face does not make that