The Daily News WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 1905. AMBIDEXTRAL CULTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7824, 17 May 1905, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 1905. AMBIDEXTRAL CULTURE.

Ambidexterity, or two-handedness. is no new craze, but now and again attention is prominently drawn to its advantages, and an effort made to enthuse mankind in its canse. Left-handed craftsmen, players, artists, etc., are no longer looked upon as "awkward" in - their peculiar me'hod of giving prominence to the opposite hand to lhat mainly used by the majority. As wo are more frequently brought into contact with thouc who use the left hand as others do their right, the novelty wears off, and it, becomes apparent that there arc many advantages, especially if the right hand is made greater use of than in the case when positions are reversed. The direct advantages of ambidexterity are veryobvious, in fact, so much so that it

is a source of wonder-why, ages ago, people were not taught in early infancy to use either hand with equal skill, and to have both at full command. By mainly relying on our right hand alone for performing the daily tasl<s of lite we arc placed at a groat disadvantage as compared with those who can use either inemJ)Or witft equal facility. Curiously ivough, in some thing.-, such as piano playing, both hands are occupied, and practically each has a separate and frequently a different work to do. What then is to prevent the same result! being obtained 1 in/'.other, mechanical operations, such as writing, drawing, etc ? It is only a question of early training, and the revolution

is accomplished. We recognise, bow- • ever, that the disuse and "dishonour" of the left hund have b.v long' tradition so become second nature that pluck as well as zeal must be . exercised in any attempt to restore both hands to their primitive equality, thus giving to coming generations what may be termed two right hands-. An effort in this direction is being made by the Ambidextral Culture Society, which has set itsell the task of effecting this important changj;. From the sculptured hieroglyphics and picture writings' of the primitive ages It is evident that the use of the left hand was very common, both in art and war. and even in the palaeolithic ag€ indications are by no means rare that left-handed- ■ ness was by no means uncommon. We have only to pass over the intervening ages and study the Japanese of to-day lo realise that the art is not lost, for the Japanese are the most ambidexterous people on earth Many interesting facts and arguments may be gleaned on this subject from a perusal of the book written by Mr John Jackson, F.E.1.5., who Is the founder and secretary of the Ambidextral Culture Society. Tho preface of this work is writtiiu by General lladen-Powcli, who in 1894, when undergoing a painful course of consc quent on having "been bitten b.v a dog, went about with his right hand in a sling, rode with the others for the 21 days of the manoeuvres in Denshire, and never excused hinisell a single duty. Being ambidexterous he wrote his reports every evening as usual, and they were said to be models of what such documents should be, containing beautifully executed m J)iis and sketches, and alj . this was done with the left hand Instances are recorded of such artists as Leonardo da Vinci and Landseer drawing two niduses at the same time; of surgical operations conducted with ei titer hand according to convenience ; and i'ac similes are given of signatures of people who can write equally well with either hand. There is another phase of tho question which should not be lost sight of, and that is the value of ambidexterity as manual and mental training. It is claimed that thi brain would bii .strengthened and the usefulness of the individual greatly enlarged, inasmuch as two different thing* could lie done »t one and the same time. Probably most of us think we have quite enough 1,0 do already, but there are times when some would gladly avail themselves of the opportunity of doing l\v& things at once did they possess the required ability for executing the double performance. There is one branch of this training Chat everyone can undertake, namely, lefthanded writing, and then once a riglit-handod man has accomplished this comfortably, other sinistral matters will easily follow. Statistics show that about 80 per cent, of the persons born into this world arc naturally either-handed, so that it is as the r.euult of early training that most of us are dsprideJ of flic great gift of ambidexterity. There is much in the subject that is attractive, and ' not a little that may eventuate in good, but it Is havdly likely that there will be any rapid growth of' the

movement that has now been Initiated by the society above referred to. The supremacy of the right hand is so firmly established that it will not be easily dethroned. Nevertheless the advantages of having two hands at full command are so great that it will not be surprising if some efforts are made towards increasing' the usefulness of the lflft bnml.

OX THE FOI'KTIT P.UJE. Uterature,