"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate

Can circumvent, or hinder, or control

The firm resolve of a determined soul. Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great; All things give way before it soon or late.

What obstacle can stay the mighty force

Of the sea-seeking river in its course, Or cause the ascending orb of day to wait? -

Bach well-born soul must win what it deserves. Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate

Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves,

Whose slightest action or inaction serves The one great aim. Why, even Death stands still And waits an hour sometimes for such a will."

Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

IN all the study of the hand, no portion is of more importance than that devoted to the thumb. The consideration of this most wonderful member should be undertaken with a full appreciation of its power, and a realization of how much it can mean to you if properly understood. So great a revealer of character is the thumb that many of the Hindus base their entire work upon it; the Chinese have a most minute and intricate system based solely on the capillaries of the first phalanx; and all gypsies use the thumb for a large part of their Chirognomic work, for they have found that a knowledge of the thumb, added to their Mercurian shrewdness, gives them enough data for ordinary purposes. Without consideration of any other parts of the hand, the thumb would furnish a source from which could be given a very good reading, and a thorough understanding of it should be had before going into a discussion of the types with which the qualities of the thumb play so strong a part.

The thumb cannot be called a finger, because it is infinitely more : it is really four fingers, as it can oppose itself at will to the four others (61), thus doing away with the need of four additional single fingers to perform this necessary function. It is the fulcrum around which all the fingers must revolve, and in proportion to its strength or weakness will it hold up or let down the strength of the subject's character.

No. 61. THUMB OPPOSING THE FINGERS.

Large thumbs (62) denote strength of character, and belong to persons who are guided by the head; small thumbs, (63) show weak character, or persons who are guided by the heart. Large thumbs show force of character, small thumbs, lack of force. So in taking hold of a hand and finding a large thumb you will know that strength and head guide the subject, and that something pronounced may be expected. These are the people who naturally rule, and this will be more certain if the thumb is at all coarse, in addition to its size. If a small thumb is found, the character is weak; the heart and sentiments rule; these are the persons who are certain to be led. Big thumbs show a love of history, small thumbs, of romance. People with big thumbs seek for and enjoy useful, necessary, and practical things in life; those with small thumbs appreciate only the beautiful, poetical, sentimental side, consequently they will not be able to go into the world and hold their own against their big-thumbed brethren.

No. 62. LARGE THUMB.

The thumb as a whole is composed of three phalanges, as are all the other fingers. It is a mistake to divide it into only two phalanges. The Three Worlds of Palmistry apply just as much to the thumb as to any of the fingers, and it is no more complete without three phalanges than would the fingers be with only two. So in your examination of the thumb, divide it into mental and abstract worlds, indicated by the first and second phalanges, and add to these the material world shown by what we call the Mount of Venus, which is really the third phalanx of the thumb. These three worlds of the thumb embody three qualities supremely important to the success of any human being, and they may justly be classed among the greatest moving forces in the entire category of human levers. Without them no amount of brilliancy or talent, no amount of scholarly attainment, will enable a subject to achieve great success. These three factors so strongly estimated are will power and determination indicated by the first phalanx, reason and logic by the second, love and sympathy by the third, or Mount of Venus. Thus it will be seen that in the thumb we have determination backed by reason, and forced on by love, which is a combination so strong that it will overcome any obstacle which may seek to impede its progress, and will often force success when such an outcome seems impossible.

Realizing how powerful are the qualities shown by the thumb, you will understand why many palmists are content to centre their efforts upon it alone. When big thumbs are seen you know that determination, reason, and love in large supply are present, and you know the effort to which these qualities will lead. Small thumbs are found best developed in the third phalanx (Mount of Venus), and deficient in the other two, so here are love and sentiment strongest (Mount of Venus), without the accompaniment of will and reason; making a combination certain to bring only weakness to the subject. The special attributes indicated by the first phalanx are will power, decision, and ability to command others; those of the second phalanx, perception, judgment, and reasoning faculties; of the third phalanx, love, sympathy, and passion; a combination of the three phalanges showing you the amount of moral force of your subject, without which no character is strong, no brilliancy is of great value. That the thumb is of supreme importance to the usefulness of the hand is shown by the fact that on the hand of Man only is it found. In descending the scale from humanity into the animal kingdom we find that the thumb at once disappears when the break between man and the monkey has been made.