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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 2 (June 2, 1930)

Care of the Hands

Care of the Hands

Modern poets find greater subjects for their efforts than mere “hands”—yet these have been immortalized by the Greeks and Egyptians, who realized that a “thing of beauty is a joy for ever,” and that the human hand—that eminently useful portion of our anatomy—can lay claim to very real aesthetic value.

Beautiful hands often redeem an otherwise ugly woman, while ugly, ill kept hands can make us forget that a woman is really pretty. I have often heard people say. “Of course she is quite plain, but have you ever noticed what wonderful hands she's got?”

I am afraid that nowadays beautiful hands and arms are extremely rare. They are left to their own devices, while every wrinkle on the face is studied with anxious care—and while the figure occupies the prominent place in the world feminine. Have you ever noticed glaringly polished, sharply pointed, and vulgarly coloured nails, upon a hand which is obviously page 62 neglected? Where, oh where, has thy sense of proportion gone, oh, daughters of Eve?

Most of us are devoted to outdoor games. We live during the reign of Diana the huntress, the swift of foot and clear of eye, and it is well for us that we do. But this is no excuse for neglecting our hands; they will swing a golf club and drive a tennis ball equally well if they are beautiful. In New Zealand we live in a servantless land for the most part, and our hands suffer accordingly; they become the “hoary palms of toil.” Why not wear thin rubber gloves for that plunge into the greasy washing-up water? They are cheap, and last a long time—two undeniable attributes. Another invaluable aid to beauty—to remove grease and dirt—is vaseline, rubbed well in and rinsed off in warm, soft water and really good soap. Don't economise here.

After a tennis match or a day in the sun, use glycerine and rose water, mixed in equal proportions; you will be surprised at the result. Use a little of the time you spend upon your ill-used face, to glance at your hands. Cut a lemon in half; rub one half over your hands and arms, and use the other half to soften the water in which you wash. You need not bother with exercises, etc., life is too short, although I believe our grandmothers found time to soak their elbows in hot water for ten minutes, and massage them for another ten! As for leaning them on the table, that was never done.

However, gone are those days, with the wasp-waists and fans. File your nails every day, it will become a habit soon, and will repay you—no claw-like points, but a symmetrical oval.

Don't under-estimate the value of beautiful hands. You are proverbially supposed to be able to hold the great clever male in the “hollow of your little hand,” and to twist him round your finger; let it be a pretty one.

The first lesson to learn is that there are other people in the world beside yourself.—Hazlitt.