And now let me show you a series of lines which my father called the inflective medallion.  Imagine a circle [describing a circle in the air with her hand].  Within this circle a vertical line, a horizontal line, and two oblique lines, all intersecting each other.  At both ends of the vertical and horizontal lines are small curved lines, the whole forming the medallion.  This medallion contains all necessary gestures.  If the vertical line is made from on high downward [Illustration:  down arrow], it means affirmation; if made from below upward [Illustration:  up arrow], it means hope.  The horizontal line means negation.  One oblique line means simple rejection [Illustration:  top right to bottom left arrow]; the other [Illustration:  bottom left to top right arrow] means rejection with scorn, as in a line from Lafontaine’s fable, “The Lion’s Court:”  “The monarch, vexed, sent him to Pluto.”  The little curve at the top of the vertical line [Illustration:  upward-facing curve] expresses ease, repose; it has the form of a hammock.  The opposite curve [Illustration:  downward-facing curve] means secrecy and mystery.  This curve ( means amplitude.  The other one, when made in this direction [Illustration] expresses admiration for physical beauty, and in the other direction [Illustration], admiration for moral beauty.  The entire circle O expresses glorification.  These gestures can be made with the whole arm, with the forearm only, or simply with the waving hand; the degree of expression varies accordingly.

Lastly, I will speak about the law of opposition.  The arm and the head should move in inverse directions [illustrating]; also the arm and the hand.  The statue of the Gladiator is a beautiful example of this law of opposition.  He is what we French call “well based;” you cannot overthrow him.  In contrast to him, my father used to cite Punchinello, the children’s toy, an object of ridicule.  Punchinello, when the string is pulled, raises his right arm and his right leg at the same time.

Notice the different ways in which people scold.  The schoolmaster moves his head from above downward; the boy threatens back, tossing his head upward.

And now, ladies, I hope that what I have said will move you to take a deeper interest in my father’s work, and enable you to understand his methods better than heretofore.  I shall then feel, when I return to my country, that I have not crossed the Atlantic in vain.

The Course of Lessons Given in America By Mme. Geraldy

Mme. Geraldy prefaced her course of lessons with the following remarks: 

God is Trinity.  Man, created in the image of God, bears the seal of the Trinity.  In these lessons we shall analyze our whole person.  We shall dwell upon three terms:  Concentric, normal, excentric.  We find them everywhere.

1, excentric; 2, concentric; 3, normal.