THE line of Apollo is a vertical line rising, if long, from the upper part of the Mount of Moon, if short, higher in the hand, and running toward the Mount of Apollo, sometimes ending high on that Mount, and sometimes not reaching to it (422). It has been variously called the line of the Sun, and the line of Brilliancy, and to it has been ascribed the gift of great artistic talents, wealth, and fame. It is one of the most thoroughly misunderstood of all the lines, and the mistaken reading of it has caused practitioners many mortifications. Whenever a good line of Apollo was seen, it has been customary to "gush" about the wonderful talent the subject possessed for art, music, the stage, and various other artistic callings, of which perhaps no idea had previously entered his mind. Often a subject especially well fitted to be a good housewife has been made to feel indignant towards her parents by some well meaning palmist because alleged latent talents were not discovered and developed. Many such have been told that the world was the loser because they have never entered their proper sphere.

Sometimes these great talents have been ascribed to people who were color blind or musically deaf, and both palmist and client have wondered at the failure of a good line of Apollo to give the proper indication. This has not been entirely the fault of practitioners, for such interpretations have been sanctioned by the best authors. In many cases conscientious students have dropped the use of the line entirely, deeming it unreliable and misleading. This is certainly true of it according to its present understanding, and it had much better be dropped than used as extravagantly as it has been in the past.

No. 422.

"The line of Apollo, running as it does to the Mount of that name, emphasizes the Apollonian traits and qualifications. The Apollonian is brilliant, consequently the line of Apollo indicates brilliancy, and the subject who has it should shine in art and artistic callings" Such is the reasoning from which the present interpretation of the line was derived, and it would be good reasoning if one factor had not been forgotten. The Apollonian has many sides to his character; there are good, bad, and indifferent subjects of this type. He also moves in one of the three worlds, the mental, practical, or material, in any of which he may be brilliant and successful, and in any of which he may secure fame or wealth. But if an Apollonian who is built to shine in the material world has a good line of Apollo, and you tell him he is a great artist, you have placed him out of his sphere, and made an error which counts against the accuracy of the science of Palmistry. If this same subject had been told that he was brilliant in the world of material matters, perhaps a successful gamester, an owner of racehorses, a leading butcher, or foremost in other callings in which some Apol-lonians engage with success, the estimate would have been correct.

It is the reading of a line of Apollo as always indicating wealth and fame derived from artistic pursuits that has impaired its usefulness and successful application. It is the attempt to make the line of Brilliancy always indicate brilliancy in art, which is only one of the directions it may take, and the disregard for the fact that a subject may be brilliant in many directions, that has made the reading of the line of Apollo so inaccurate. The line of Apollo, like all other lines, can only be successfully used when it is made to fit the subject. It is only accurate when the subject has first been understood and the line has been applied to him, and it never has been and never will be accurate when the attempt is made to force every subject to fit the line. No better name has ever been given this line than the Line of Capability. This name expresses in a nutshell the idca which should be applied to the line. It indicates a capability or possibility of accomplishing a great deal, the field in which the capability will best operate to be shown by Chirog-nomy, indicating the forces behind, which will direct the ability into some calling which produces results.

A good line of Apollo is undoubtedly an indication of the possession of the characteristics of the Apollonian, who makes friends, money, and reputation more easily than any other type. But in reading the qualities of the line be sure that you have placed the subject in his proper world, after which you can successfully apply the brilliancy indicated by the line to the affairs of that world. You will not find a great number of really fine Apollo lines, though you will see a good many of some value; but by far the greatest number of hands examined will have no Apollo line at all.

The presence of a fine line of Apollo is an indication that the subject has been endowed with exceptional talents for getting on in the world, and if other parts of the hand be good, he most surely will do so. The line of Apollo must be estimated continually in the light of the Chirognomic development of the subject. A fine line of Apollo is ruined by a flabby hand, a weak thumb, a poor Head line, poor Mounts of Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus, or other deficiencies which may be seen in the hand. In making a final estimate of the worth of any lines, these factors must all be taken into account.

The absence of a line of Apollo does not necessarily indicate that a subject will be unsuccessful, for, as in the case of an absent line of Saturn, the qualities that make "self-made men" may exert themselves, and produce even greater results than come from the brilliant talents which a fine line of Apollo indicates. In my examination of hands during the study of this line, I find that in most cases the subjects having good Apollo lines rely too much upon their talents, and not enough on the industry and perseverance that should be expended in developing them. For this reason less talented plodders often produce greater results in life than their far more talented brethren. If only the talents of a fine line of Apollo are coupled with energy, almost unlimited success is possible. It is absolutely incorrect to say that the absence of a line of Apollo indicates ill success in life, but it is true that the presence of this line makes success easier. It must be understood then that in the treatment of this line, when we use the word success, it applies to effort in the world in which the subject moves.