Smooth-fingered people are more susceptible to emotionalism than knotty-fingered ones, they may be "carried away" easier, thus while they are very successful in business and life, there is always one element of danger and uncertainty about them : their inspirations may be wrong. These people need a good Head line to make them safe, as their desire is to go too fast. To them the plodding and thinking of the knotty-fingered ones is far too laborious. They are willing to take a great deal for granted in order to get through with the day's occupations, consequently smooth fingers are quicker in every way than knotty ones. While in the realm of painting, and some kinds of music, we find other fingers making their possessors succeed better than smooth ones, yet in the realm of acting we find the latter winning applause and dollars. Copying may be done with the brush and pencil, and by pursuing certain rules and measurements, but to act a part, to be some one else, requires the inspiration of smooth fingers. If an actor having knotty fingers has planned just how to impersonate his part in a play, but finds, on his entrance to the stage, that something unforeseen has changed the surroundings, he cannot fall back on analysis and reason in this emergency.

Inspiration on the spur of the moment is the only thing that will carry him through such a crisis. This inspiration is only possible to smooth fingers. In my observation of hands among members of the dramatic profession, I have found few if any other kind than smooth fingers. These are the fingers of those who have created parts, whose acting is full of life, true to nature, and lacking in stiffness and conventionality. They are the ones who appeal to the heart by grace, taste, and naturalness. Acting with them is truly art, it is creative power. These smooth fingers make the most of every opportunity, seize the incidents of the day and hour, and apply them with great ingenuity to whatever they are doing. If a baby in the audience cries, instead of being disconcerted, they will turn the incident to account. They are not easily taken off their guard, their minds are more elastic, quick, and ready, and they are able, in a flash, to see an opportunity and turn even a mishap to their advantage.

In music, smooth fingers are a necessity, unless very heavy music is to be produced. Music which sways the soul, does not do so by its rigid conformity to rules, but by its freedom from them. Melody cannot flow from the heart, if nothing but metre is to be considered. So the inspiration of smooth fingers is a necessity. Stately marches, oratorios, and recitatives may be produced and sung by less artistic souls, but the music to reach the heart must come from the heart. Knotty fingers are ruled by analysis (head), smooth fingers by impulse (heart), so it is to the latter that music must turn for its greatest exponents. Composers need square palms or square fingers to give them rhythm, they need smooth fingers for inspiration. With square tips they will produce marches, with spatulate, band music, with conic, weird or dreamy compositions, but the fingers must in each case be smooth.

In business, smooth fingers are often successful. The success of to-day is not won, as in days of yore, by saving alone. Some of the most brilliant lights in the business world succeed by rapid modes of thought, spend money recklessly, and rely on the large amount they can make, not the amount they can save. Rapidity has succeeded slow methods, and a transaction that can now be concluded in five minutes, would have taken our forefathers a week, maybe a month. There is this to be said about the operation of smooth-fingered impulse to-day : Men have learned more about life and natural laws, they have found that certain acts produce certain results, and with this knowledge can hear a proposition and tell the probable outcome without long thought. Knotty-fingered people have had to reason out these laws, the smooth-fingered ones use them, which is a great saving of time to the latter. Smooth-fingered people are much fonder of society than knotty-fingered ones. They are not engaged in making deductions and calculations nor in reasoning out intricate problems, but ideas come quickly, and they rely on these. For this reason people with smooth fingers find time to mingle with their fellow men. They have more leisure hours than knotty-fingered ones.

To this add that smooth fingers indicate greater readiness of expression, more fluency in thought and speech, so their possessors are better adapted to shine in brilliant social surroundings than the slower, knotty-fingered folk. Altogether we see that quickness of thought, inspiration, impulse, and spontaneity are the guiding forces indicated by smooth fingers, and when seen, always think how these factors swiftly impel such people forward in every sphere. Always examine most carefully the consistency and color of hands with smooth fingers, too much energy (hard), and ardor (red), will cause failure from over impetuosity. It would require a phenomenally straight and strong Head line to keep these people from continual blunders. Examine the tips always. If pointed, you have the most artistic side of smooth fingers. If square, their quickness and inspiration will operate in practical ways, they will be less idealistic. If spatulate, their force will be strongly augmented by the originality, activity, and independence of the spatulate tips. Such a combination will need most careful handling to prevent the subject from becoming a crank, and by excess of good qualities from having ill success.

With whatever combination found, always remember that smooth fingers indicate a less critical, careful, analytical way of thinking, that impulse and inspiration are the guides in every way, and by applying these qualities you can always properly estimate their force in the life of your subject.