Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/504

 492 CHIROMANCY CHISAGO at the base of the thumb is the mountain of Venus ; forefinger, that of Jupiter ; middle fin- ger, that of Saturn; third or ring finger, that of the sun ; little finger, that of Mercury. The elevation on the lower side of the hand, be- tween the mountain of Mercury (from which it is separated by the line of fortune) and the low- er extremity of the line of health, is the moun- tain of the moon ; and the elevation between the mountain of the moon and the line of the joint is the mountain of Mars. Among the laws of chiromancy are the following: The ob- servations must always be upon the person's left hand. If the line or fold of the joint pre- sents four distinct, equal, and straight furrows, the person will speedily attain to wealth and honors; if short perpendicular lines proceed from it toward the arm, he will be exiled ; if toward the palm of the hand, he will go upon a long journey. If the line of life is regular and deeply colored, it predicts a long and happy lite; if it is tortuous, colorless, feebly marked, and broken, it announces ill health and short life ; if it is narrow, but long and well colored, it indicates wisdom and inge- nuity ; if deep and unequally colored, it denotes malice ; if cut near the centre by two slight but well defined transverse lines, it is the sign of approaching death. If the line of health (also called the line of wit) is clear and regular, it indicates excellence of mind and body ; if the opposite, it indicates feebleness, timidity, and illness. The line of fortune, according to its various phases of distinctness and directness, indicates happiness or misery, and a pleasant or unpleasant natural temper ; if it begins close to the upper side of the hand, it indicates pride ; if very red in its upper part, envy ; if crossed by one line so as to form the Latin cross, gen- erosity ; if by several small lines near the mid- dle, duplicity. The line of the triangle, when present, usually promises great success after great difficulties. The mountain of Venus, when smooth and unfurrowed, indicates a hap- py temperament ; that of Jupiter, a heart in- clined to virtue ; that of Saturn, simplicity of character and love of labor; that of the sun, vivacity and eloquence ; that of Mercury, firm- ness in men and modesty in women ; that of the moon, tranquillity of mind, inclining to melancholy ; and that of Mars, courage and heroism. The various lines and shades of color on each of the mountains have special signifi- cance. Small lines apptaring near the little finger, parallel with the lii.e of fortune, are the llnecR matrimoniales, and promise a happy marriage. The milky way (via lactea) extends downward on the mountain of the moon from the line of the joint toward the little finger. If this is long apparent, it signifies success in study and the arts, or fortune in a foreign land. Small white spots on the nails announce happi- ness and the fulfilment of hopes, at a more re- mote period according as they are near the root of the nail. Chiromancy was practised throughout pagan antiquity, was regarded by Aristotle as a certain science, and was in great esteem among the disciples of Pythagoras. The augurs of Rome, and the emperor Augustus himself, practised it. During the later middle ages it was chiefly in the hands of gypsies, and was studied, like alchemy and astrology, by such philosophers as Albertus Magnus, Cardan, Roger Bacon, and Paracelsus. The church, which passed severe judgments on magical arts, tolerated chiromancy, only forbidding all alliance between it and astrology, and all inter- ference of it with the doctrine of human lib- erty. A rationalistic view of chiromancy is that all actions, passions, and thoughts leave their traces on the body, and that from the conformation of the hand, its furrows, folds, colors, veins, hardness or softness, an experi- enced and skilful eye can determine the per- son's habits, social position, and the stronger tendencies of his character. The most impor- tant writers on the subject are Artemidorus (in the 2d century), Codes (Bologna, 1504), Pic- cioli (Bergamo, 1578), De la Chambre (Paris, 1653-'4), Pratorius (Jena, 1661-'4), May (the Hague, 1665), Pompeji (Venice, 1680), In- genbert (Frankfort, 1742), Peuschel (Leipsic, 1769), and especially the anonymous author- ess of the Grand jeu de societe (Paris, 1845), which contains an account of ancient and mod- ern chiromancy. CHIRON, in Greek mythology, the wisest of all the centaurs, reputed to be the son of Cro- nus (Saturn) and Philyra, born before the Ar- gonautic expedition. He was taught by Apollo and Diana, and was skilled in hunting, gym- nastics, botany, medicine, music, and the art of divining future events. He lived at the foot of Mt. Pelion, in Thessaly, and such was his fame for wisdom that almost all the noble youths of Greece resorted to his cave for in- struction. Among his pupils were Hercules, Peleus, who was also his grandson, Nestor, Castor and Pollux, Ajax, Achilles, Ulysses, and Diomedes. When the other centaurs were about to kill his grandson Peleus, Chiron saved his life, and it was only by means of Chiron that Peleus was enabled to obtain his beloved Thetis for his wife. The Argonauts, on their expedition in quest of the golden fleece, stopped at the abode of Chiron, were kindly entertained by him, and received from him a chart of the constellations, which he made to assist them in their navigation. Hercules was one of his fa- vorite pupils, but an arrow from his bow shot at another centaur unfortunately killed his be- loved preceptor. Chiron was immortal ; but when pierced by the arrow of Hercules, he gave up his immortality to Prometheus, and died. CHISAGO, an E. county of Minnesota, separa- ted from Wisconsin on the E. by the St. Croix river ; area, 450 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 4,358. It is watered by affluents of the St. Croix, and by Rush, Chisago, and other lakes. The sur- face is uneven and partly occupied by pine forests. The Lake Superior and Mississippi railroad passes through it. The chief produc-