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You will encounter many hands on which the fingers are distinctly sooth in appearance (57). This means that the knotty joints, which are the distinctive feature of knotty fingers, are not seen, and the sides of smooth fingers where the joints would naturally show a development, are even and without bulges. These smooth fingers may have any shape of tip; it is only the absence of developed joints which lead you to recognize them. As analysis and reasoning are the attributes of knotty fingers, so impulse, inspiration, intuition, and the lack of a disposition to pick everything to pieces, belong to the smooth fingers. This smoothness, or lack of prominent joints, has always been considered in Palmistry as constituting artistic fingers, but in order to have the strongest artistic sense, smooth fingers must also have conic tips. The conic tip, which we suppose to afford less resistance to the entrance of the vital spark stands for ideality, and this in many minds stands for true art.
In the examination of the hands of successful artists, I was surprised and disappointed to find, instead of smooth, conic fingers, the ideal of an artistic hand, large knots, square or spatulate tips, or distinctly mixed tips. This at first seemed an anomaly, for the hand of the artisan had become the hand of the artist. Still another anomaly lay in the fact that small thumbs have always been considered the accompanying indication, with conic tips, of an artistic hand, and I found large square thumbs on the hands of many successful artists. In using the word successful artist, I mean not merely a dabbler with color, but one who has made a name. When we analyze the matter, however, this is not at all wonderful. Smooth fingers are artistic in that their owners act by impulse, inspiration, and intuition, not by reason, calculation, and premeditation. To be a genius, brilliant, full of inspiration and talent, means one thin, to put these talents to practical use is another. The one who can dream best is the one who has the artistic visions that would be most valued if transferred to canvas. From such visions have come the inspirational pictures that have lived through centuries of time. But how all told are there of these masterpieces? Countless numbers of human beings have live and died, and yet how few have produced anything immortal? I believe only a few inspired visions out of the countless millions which have floated though human brains have ever been recorded. This is because the minds able to dream artistic dreams have had, with their smooth fingers, soft of flabby hands(laziness), and small thumbs(no determination), consequently they have only dreamed, always meaning to work "tomorrow." The large hands, knotty joints, and square tips, while not possessing the genius or inspiration of smooth fingers, have had common sense (square tips), and determination (big thumbs), so they have worked to-day; and while not so gifted, they have copied nature in field and forest, copied humanity by portraying men and women as they saw then, so that while they have had not dreams to pain, they have reproduced material surroundings, and that is what comprises much of the art we see today. It is labor, determination, and common sense that have won the victory over imagination. This is why successful artists are found without artistic fingers.

Smooth fingers always speak of the unimpeded current flowing through them. These people are artistic in taste, quick to think, and act always by inspiration, not by reasoning. They do not delve to the bottom of every subject, but rely on the impressions which come to them without stopping to reason out all the "whys and wherefores." They are not by nature reasoners, though they often grow into a habit of analyzing, and as these tendencies increase, knots appear on their fingers. Smooth-fingered subjects are most safely guided by their first impressions and seldom are wrong in their intuitive deductions. Their minds, not being formed in an analytical mould, are not prepared to cope with knotty fingers in matters requiring deep analysis, consequently smooth-fingered fold in dealing with knotty-fingered ones are safer if they rely upon their leading characteristic, inspiration, than if they use analysis, which is the Gibraltar of the knotty fingers. In reading smooth fingers, do not fall into a common error in the use of the word artistic. That is, do not confuse a lover of the beautiful with a producer of it. It is true that with their impulsive, quick, intuitive qualities, smooth fingers wee more beauty in life, see more of the artistic side, the grace and attractiveness of color and form, and in this sense they are artistic. They think quicker, dispose of any subject with greater rapidity, and consequently cover more ground in a day than their knotty-fingered brethren, but they are not as a rule so thorough. In religion, while seldom skeptics, they vary from profound devotees to those who merely have a respect for religion, but are not often agnostics. They do no doubt, for they take much for granted. They do not reason out their religious faith, but take the work of others for much of it. They are not always trying to find flaws as are the knotty fingers, so smooth fingers are more agreeable and pleasant companions.
In daily life a love of beauty will be one of their prevailing characteristics. Being less engrossed in mental deductions than knotty-fingered people, they consequently think more of dress, of surroundings, of decoration in the home, of the adornment of their cities, places of business, and of their religion. The Smooth-fingered Latin nations love ritual and decoration in their churches rather than simplicity which belongs to the knotty, square-fingered Puritans. Smooth-fingered persons love those things which please the eye of appeal to the sense of beauty, are inclined to love tasteful dress, and this may degenerate into a love of show if the fingers are coarse.
In dealing with smooth fingers always bear in mind the kind of hand on which they are found. You must not expect that the quick, inspirational, intuitive, impulsive nature will always belong to a high grade of character. Neither must the word artistic be associated with high-born dames alone. You will find smooth fingers on the most unenlightened, and on people far removed from the "four hundred." But be the nature fine or course, the station in life high or low, smooth fingers will always tell you of one who does not rely on reason and analysis, but on inspiration, impulse, and intuition, who loves the beautiful according to their standard, and who acts generally on the spur of the moment. Smooth-fingered people are more susceptible to emotionalism than knotty-fingered ones, they may be "carried away" easier, thus while they are very successful in business and life, there is always one element of danger and uncertainty about them: their inspirations may be wrong. These people need a good Head line to make them safe, as their desire is to go too fast. To them the plodding and thinking of the knotty-fingered ones is far too laborious. They are willing to take a great deal for granted in order to get through with the day's occupations, consequently smooth fingers are quicker in every way than knotty ones. While in the realm of painting, and some kinds of music, we find other fingers making their possesors succeed better than smooth ones, yet in the realm of acting we find the latter winning applause and dollars. Copying may be done with the brush and pencil, and by pursuing certain rules and measurements, but to act a part, to be some one else, requires the inspiration of smooth fingers. If an actor having knotty fingers has planned just how to impersonate their part in a play, but finds, on their entrance to the stage, that something unforeseen has changed the surrounds, they cannot fall back on analysis and reason in this emergency. Inspiration on the spur of the moment is the only thing that will cary them through such a crisis. This inspiration is only possible to smooth fingers. In my observation of hands among members of the dramatic profession, I have found few if any other kind than smooth fingers. These are the fingers of those who have created parts, whose acting is full of life, true to nature, and lacking in stiffness and conventionality. They are the ones who appeal to the heart by grace, taste, and naturalness. Acting with them is truly art, it is creative power. These smooth fingers make the most of every opportunity, seize the incidents of the day and hour, and apply them with great ingenuity to whatever they are doing. If a baby in the audience cries, instead of being disconcerted, they will turn the incident to account. They are not easily taken off their guard, their minds are more elastic, quick, and read, and they are able, in a flash, to see nan opportunity and turn even a mishap to their advantage.

In music, smooth fingers are a necessity, unless very heavy music is to be produced. Music which sways the soul, does not do so by its rigid conformity to rules, but by its freedom from them. Melody cannot flower from the heart, if nothing but metre is to be considered. So the inspiration of smooth fingers is a necessity. Stately marches, oratorios, and recitatives may be produced and sung by less artistic souls, but the music to reach the heart must come from the heart.
Knotty fingers are rules by analysis (head), smooth fingers by impulse (heart), so it is to the latter that music must turn for its greatest exponents. Composers need square palms or square fingers to give them rhythm, they need smooth fingers for inspiration. With square tips they will produce marches, with spatulate, band music, with conic, weird or dreamy compositions, but the fingers must in each case be smooth.

In business, smooth fingers are often successful. The success of to-day is not won, as in days of yore, by saving alone. Some of the most brilliant lights in the business world succeed by rapid modes of thought, spend money recklessly, and rely on the large amount they can make, not the amount they can save. Rapidity has succeeded slow methods, and a transaction that can now be concluded in five minutes, would have taken our forefathers a week, maybe a month.
There is this to be said about the operation of smooth-fingered impulse to-day: People have learned more about life and natural laws, they have found that certain acts produce certain results, and with this knowledge can hear a proposition and tell the probable outcome without long thought. Knotty-fingered people have had to reason out these laws, the smooth-fingered one use them, which is a great saving of time to the latter. Smooth-fingered people are much fonder of society than knotty-fingered ones. They are not engaged in making deductions and calculations nor in reasoning out intricate problems, but ideas come quickly, and they rely on these. For this reason people with smooth fingers find time to mingle with their fellow men. They have more leisure hours than knotty-fingered ones. To this add that smooth fingers indicate greater readiness of expression, more fluency in though an speech, so their possessors are better adapted to shine in brilliant social surroundings than the slower, knotty-fingered folk. Altogether we seen that quickness of thought, inspiration, impulse, and spontaneity are the guiding forces indicated by smooth fingers, and when seen, always think how these factors swiftly impel such people forward in every sphere. Always examine most carefully the consistency and color of hands with smooth fingers, too much energy (hard), and ardor (red), will cause failure from over impetuosity. It would require a phenomenally straight and strong Head line to keep these people from continual blunders. Examine the tips always.
- If pointed, you have the most artistic side of smooth fingers.
- If square, their quickness and inspiration will operate in practical ways, they will be less idealistic.
- If spatulate, their force will be strongly augmented by the originality, activity, and independence of the spatulate tips. Such a combination will need most careful handling to prevent the subject from becoming a crank,a nd by excess of good qualities from having ill success.
With whatever combination found, always remember that smooth fingers indicate a less critical, careful, analytical way of thinking, that impulse and inspiration are the guides in every way, and by applying these qualities you can always properly estimate their force in the life of your subject.

References
The Laws of Scientific Hand Reading- A practical Treatise on the Art Commonly called Palmistry 1946 Benham, William. Printed and published by R. J. Taraporevala for D. B. Tarporevala Sons & Co. Bombay