A CUE FOR CŒLEBS.

A CUE FOR CŒLEBS.

The author of this poem is satirizing palmistry in a way not unlike Wilde's criticism in Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. The title pokes fun at the idea that palmistry can be a cure for the unwed, or coelebs, searching for wives. The poet mocks Frith's assertion that hands possess the ability to reveal the kind of woman someone is, and whether or not they are fit for marriage. He sarcastically thanks both the author and editor of "Chiromancy, or the Science of Palmistry," for imparting such knowledge to their readers. He concludes this satirical verse with a play on words, saying "it does seem strange that we should come To choose our spouses by the 'rule of thumb.''' Much like Wilde, the poet may perhaps be criticizing not only chiromantists themselves, but also those who choose to grant this pseudoscience enough authority to dictate something as momentous as marriage.

Punch Magazine (London)

19th Century UK Periodicals. Series I & II.

Punch Magazine

September 15, 1883

19th Century UK Periodicals. Series I & II.

Two paragraph column in a periodical

Poem, verse.