"Wisdom hath builded her house. She hath hewn out her seven pillars." - Proverbs ix., I.

THE science of Palmistry is founded upon the shape of the hand. It is by the development of what are known as the Mounts, seven in number, which lie at the base of the fingers, and along the sides of the hand, by estimating properly their various combinations, that we are able accurately to delineate the character of any subject presented to us. There are other separated elements which enter into and add to a proper understanding of the science, viz.: the manner in which the hand is naturally carried and held when walking, the texture of the skin, consistency of the hand, color of the hand, the nails, hair on the hands, the hands divided into three sections called the three worlds, the shape of the fingers, and their individual phalanges, the shape of the finger-tips, knotty fingers, smooth fingers, long fingers, short fingers, and the thumb. All of these will receive separate and minute attention in subsequent chapters, and a thorough knowledge of them all is absolutely necessary.

Chapters on the above-enumerated subjects comprise the first half of the science of Chirosophy, and collectively form the science of Chirognomy. To this branch has always been allotted merely a study of the character of your subject, but it is capable of much greater usefulness, and a far greater scope than has hitherto been given it. There has been from the beginning of the world a perfectly well-defined plan under which the human species is brought into existence, and while by using the currently accepted types of Chirognomy many attributes and qualities belonging to humanity have been up to now possible of delineation from the hand, the limitations of a really scientific hand-reading from these types have been very quickly reached. This has led practitioners, in response to a demand from the public, to resort to much guessing, where a thorough knowledge of the plan of creation would have made guessing give place to reason; and as no scientific study can depend for its successful application upon guesswork, the whole fabric of Palmistry has of its own weight fallen to the ground. The plan of creation is exceedingly simple, easily understood, and can be verified in every person you meet.

You do not have to take anything for granted, nor believe in anything you cannot see or touch or hold in your hand, consequently in this very practical and realistic age, the most advanced materialist can embrace the new science of Palmistry without offending in any way his sense of propriety. A knowledge of the plan of creation is gained from the Mounts in the hand, the exact locations and boundaries of which are correctly shown in the accompanying illustration "A."

The names which appear on the Mounts are not used in any astrological sense, but because they have been so long in use that the mention of each name instinctively brings to mind certain attributes. I use these names for I have found them a great help to the memory of the student, though any other names would do as well. They are not used because it is considered that planetary influences are necessary, or play any part, in our science.

The ancient theory of the seven distinct types of people begins with the idea that the human race was undoubtedly constructed by its Creator under a definite plan. There was no hit-or-miss in shaping and putting together the inhabitants of this globe. The fact that there are so many combinations in this plan of creation has, however, been a source of confusion to those who have not fully understood the matter, but everything in this plan has been worked out by the Creator under the operation of specific laws and rules, and when these laws are understood, the whole plan reveals itself.

Seven distinct types of people were first created. Each of these types represented certain strong qualities, certain strong aptitudes, certain virtues, and certain faults, as well as peculiarities of health and character. The reason for the adoption of this plan was that a combination of the qualities represented in these seven types was absolutely necessary to the harmonious operation of the universe. If all humanity was of one type, progress would be stopped, and diversity of talent and thought, with its various methods of expression and operation, would not be present with us to-day. Take out of existence any one of these types, and it would be like removing one wheel in a watch, - the movement would stop. Each type was thus created for a specific sphere in life, and represents some element indispensable to the harmonious operation of the world as a whole.

The fact that there are well-defined specimens of all these types on the streets of our cities to-day, that they can be easily recognized, and that eighty-five per cent, of these typical people are at their best in the same occupations, all have the same faults, the same virtues, like the same kind of surroundings, live, think, and act after the same plan in everything they do, proves that the original method in creating humanity has not been changed, but that the laws of creation are in operation to-day just as they were in the beginning. If we can feel sure that there are, as I say, seven types of people, each of which has distinctly separate qualities, and if we can know what these qualities are, it must be a fact that, when we learn to distinguish these seven types from each other as we meet them, we shall at once know their characteristics, what people of their type have done through ages past, and what the outcome of their life is likely to be, judged by those of the same type who have gone before. From this point of view we can include a knowledge of the past, for we know what ancestors of the same type have always done; the present, for we know what the typical people always do; and the possible future, for we know what the outcome generally is.