Hand-shaking

The human hand is a cuuning instrument, inarvelous in its mechauism, multiplied in its U8es. In this age of ingenuity men have invented almost everything, even parts of the human system can be replaced to very good advantage, a cork leg and fopt areonly inferior in service to the eriginal, and even eyes can bo raamifactured to order, no way inferior to the products of nature save in the capacity of sight, but where ia the inventor capable of producing a hand, with any approach to tb.e cunningness of tho.se f urnished in the order of nature? The human hand is the rn.;sierpiece of divine niechanism. The eye is more delicate but less varied in its adaptations and use3. The tongue, too.thoughcuiiously flexible and wonderfuliy expressive. has Ie3s scope and breadtli of field tlian the manuel appendage. In view of all these considerations, we are certainly warranted in putting the hand among the most honorable members. Itis the member of all service, the jack of all trades, and unlike the traditionalJack, good at eaclï. In the ecoromy of life the hand works and plays, and has learned to read and write. With :t good pair of eyes, the hand would be a very fair substituto the rest of the physical man. In the West, the hand has become expressive of sentiment. The oriental greets you all over, especially with his lips; the occidental is more reserved and dainty, he gives jou only so much of hlmself as is able to pass along his arm to the hand. But hovv much is in a haud shake! How the soul of a man goes out at his fiugor tips ! By this manuel greetmg, you are able to read him through. In hardly any other way does a man so uufold hinaself as by the use of the haud. The clever and expert is the dextrous or handy man. To show your hand, is aceording to the proverb, to siioiv yourself, the whole man going out through the hand. In hand shaking, every man has a method of his own. In the dark he could be distinguished from all others. To greet some people with the hand ia a pieasure; togreet others is apenance. Oueclass renders you soraething agreeable in return; the othfr suggests unpleasant reflections. You fee! a cold, or hard, or selfish man, and are repel led by the touch. One has a greatdea of good nature in his model of hand shaking, he throws his heart into his hand; another is electric in his touch, thrilling your entire being; while the method of another is languid, as though the person were emerging from a protmcted vigil, or dyiiig of consumption. Such a greefing makes you faint and. sick. And then again yon find persona who shake hands daintily, clumsüy touching you with the ends of theirüngsrs, or dropping the digital exten sion loosely into your hand, without any tensión of the muscles. Goff tells ot a person whose clammy hand falla into yours like a dead fish - a cada , verous touch, that seuds a chili all oyer you. From all such we have need to pray, Good Lord, deliver us. üf all people, chrisüans ought to be most accomplished in hand shaking. Grace should drip from their finger ends. The spirit of the Master animating the disciple should thrill evory one he greets with the hand. To shake hands with some jubilant saints is a benediction. Thoir touch is quickening, inspiring, and êlevating. Virtuegoes out of them to cheei and inspire N. E. Methodist , „armr- An Alabama humorist writes : "Why can't people cultívate sociability and good nature? Here was a man the other night got tearing mad and organized a riot just because a fellow whi s.it behind him at a theatre put his f eet up on his shoulder, and spit in hi3 high hat, Soma men have such cold and unsympathetic natures that they oin't bear a little genial humor in their fellow-beings." Cardinal red velvet basques are worn with black skirts.