Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-11-22
The Thumb.

- ]. II
ain want of other proofs" said
Newton, I" the thumb would convince
me of the existence of God; as with
out the thumb the hand would be a
defective and incomplete instrument,
SO without the moral will, logic, de-
cision, faculties of which the thumb
in different degrees offers the differ
ent signs, the most fertile and the
most brilliant mind would only. be a
Gift without worth" In common with
animals, we have an instructive will,
an instructive logic, and an instructive
decision; but the thumb alone repre-
sents the reasoning will, reasoning
logic, and reasoning decision. The
superior animal is in the hand, the
man is in the thumb. The thumb Of
apes, very little flexible, and. there
fore, opposable, is looked upon by
some naturalists as movable talon;
while, on the contrary, the human
thumbs placed and organized so as
to be able to act always in sense
against the other fingers, it, therefore,
symbolizes, as | have said, the inner or
moral sense that we oppose to our III
cinations, and to the allurements OF
our instinct and senses. Proofs OF
this abound. Born idiots come into
the world without thumbs, or with
them pOwerless and inert, which Is ma
tural, because where the substance Is
absent the symbol must fail. Until
they arrive at time when ray OF IN
tellect comes to their aid, they con-
stantly keep their hands shut with the
fingers above the thumb, but in pro
portion as the mind develops with the
body the thumb in its turn shuts over
the fingers.
The epileptic in their fits shut the
thumb before the fingers, which signi
fees that that malady which is expert
enced before being felt, reaches the
principle by which we think betor'
that 10y which we feel,
AT the approach Of the great dark
ness, the thumb Of the dying, as ia
ken with some vague fear, takes re
uge under the fingers, which announce
the near end Man alone, because h
has a thumb-that is to say, reason
knows death. At the root of til
thumb sits the sign Of the reasOnin
will, the intensity of which you wi
measure by the length and thickness
OF that rOot-the mount of Venus o
chiromancy. In the first phalange
the sign of Iogic--that is to say, 0
perception, Of judgment, Of reason
aud in the second is that Of inventio
decision and the initiative.
People with small thumbs are 90
erned 10y the heart, source Of tole
ance, and breathe more freely in /;
atmosphere of sentiment than in TIN
of thought, and see better with Il
eye OF the moment than with that {
reflection. People with large thumI
are governed by the head, source {
eycluoiveness; they breathe more fire
ly III an atmosphere OF thought thi
in that of sentiment; they see bett
with the eye of reflection, than wi
that OF the moment.
Souvaroi1, celebrated for the streng
Of his will; Danton that magnani
GUS soul, who took upon him the d
grace of a crime to save his countr
Calico, Socrates, Newton, Leibni
Saint Simon, Fourier, Owen-thc
profound reasoners, those bold inl
vators-had intalIibly very m a
thumbs. Voltaire, the man of t
world, whose heart was subject to
brain, had enormous thumbs, as y
we'd 10y his statue in the Theatre FIR;
cais.-MOdern Palmesry.