Show I Why We Shake Hands The Prussian ofllcer who held It his duty to kill a mere soldier who offered of-fered to shake hands with him had from the official Prussian point of view u complete cane Ilundshaklng Implies a certain degree of equality and It IB not possible J for a Prussian otllcer to Imagine any equal except another Prussian ofllcer Clearly any act suggesting such a thJng could not b expiated by any punishment short of the Immediate death of the offender The custom oc handshaking dates back to prehistoric times a relic of those savage days when strangers could not meet without suspicion of murderous purpose Then all men went abroad with weapons and shields and when they met would stand In pleasant converse each with his shield upon his left arm and with his right hands clasped so that there would he no chance for a sudden swing of the knife or bludgeon The right hand was Invariably user for the weapon with the result that we are I right handed race The reason for this lay undoubtedly In the fact that the left arm was always employed In the Important Im-portant work of shielding the heart Among tho common people of the Aryan race the old pledge of amity in yielding the right hand to be grasped and held has since remained the chief token of open friendship In the Iliad returning chiefs were greeted with extended hands Even at that remote day the early significance sig-nificance of the handclasp has been lost In the nobler meaning of civilized life But it remains a salutation In which a greater or less degree of equality Is claimed or conceded I Is therefore possible for therefor a humble person to shako hands with tho President of the United States but not with an of Weekly fleer of the Prussian army Harpers |