Page:The Girl Who Earns Her Own Living (1909).djvu/185

 them alone, you lack the touch, and only in cases of rare persistency and study can: it be acquired.

Quite generally this soothing touch is ascribed to personal magnetism. It is really a manifestation of a strength in both nerves and will. It indicates a firm, sympathetic nature and admirable self-control. It is never possessed by the self-centered, selfish or hysterical girl. The soothing hand is neither large nor small, never damp or clammy, and always firm.

There is a regular way of cultivating this power known as magnetism. Sit quietly until you are in absolute repose. Relax and drop everything. Then make up your mind what you want. You want to give forth help, to be helpful. Out of your calmness and strength you want to get the quality of giving forth or expressing through your hands your desire to aid others. This is not hypnotism or chicanery, but the influence of mind over matter. If the mind is cross or irritated, you cannot be helpful. You cannot have a soothing effect or stroke of the hand if your thoughts are jumping in a hundred different directions. The soothing hand presupposes mental concentration.

Scalp massage is excellent work for the beginner. It requires only a fair amount of strength, brings quick results and is very generally in demand. The scalp masseuse is really a hair culturist. Her office is to quicken the life