The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-11
NOW CONSIDER
THE THUMBS
The PeCuliaritieS of the
Strongest of Our
Digits
THE SIGN OF SUPERIORITY
OF the Human Race---Sacred and Pro-
fame History Gives 1t a
Place of Considerable
Prominence
THE SIGN OF SUPERIORITY

France, with the same compelling, tena-
clous grip. So strong is this supremacy
that the phrase "under the thumb' is
contemporary significant of tho COM
plete subsection of the weaker will to the
stronger. The potency of the thumb has
been recognized from the earliest record
ed history.
In the Bible we find the earliest record
OF the thumb, and meager account OF
1t as factor in religious ceremonies and
in punishments. When Aaron and his
sons were consecrated to be priests over
the Israelites, during the ceremony the
blood of a newly killed ram was put on
the right ear. the thumb of the right
hand. and the great toe of the tight foot.
Thess priests. in cleansing lepers, OBJ
served similar rites, substituting the
blood of a lamb as 'trespass Offering
for that of ram, and followed up the
application of blood to the right ear, or
right thumb and great toe of the right
foot by amounting the same members with
oil upon the place OF the blood of the
tresspass Offering"
In judges we read of battle at the
city OF Beck, the ruler Of which. Adoni,
was engaged with the Canaanites and
Perzzites against the Israelites. The
city fell and its ruler fled, but was over
taken and punished by having his
thumbs and great toes cut off, from which
he died. Adoni seems to have been some-
thing of philosopher, for he regarded
this as a just reward for his own sins in
that direction. he having cut off the
hIp hS md - oil
kings with fatal results.
Later in history we find this scriptural
punishment in force. l the fourteenth
century, when constant warfare was rag
ing between the Scotch and English.
"Black" James Douglas contented himself
with cutting off the thum bs Of the Eng
lIsh archers he captured and turning
them looose inst cad of killing them out
right. a doom infinitely preferable to the
savage border men, when they could no
longer grip the bow and let fly the dead
ly arrow.
When the gladiators were led into the
arena to furnish amusement for the FASH
ionable Roman world-too often with
| their lives-how eagerly they must have
watched for the sign from the omnipo.
tent thumb. Ii it was turned down they
were doomed. 1t up thev were saved.
Ard its verdict could not BIZ appealed
from. This practice was not overthrow
until A. ". 404, when Telem achus, a
| Christian monk, threw himself between
| the contestants at the sacrifice of his
| life. Then the Emperor Honorius, by a
decree, put an end to the gladiator
games. 1t is doubtless from this source
J that the nursery game, 'thum BIS up" had
| it's origin. Happily the innocents adj
| dicted to it have no idea of its original
| terrible significance.
The early Saxon kings are accredited
with signing state papers by dipping the
thumb in blood and pressing it on the
document Whether it was their own
blood or that OF some accom- m odatin =
courtIer tradition does not relate. How
long this custom prevailed is uncertain.
but when the Saxons became Christian
lied it was superseded by signing the
cross and attestng the same by the priv
ate seal of the individual-a custom
somewhat modified in use by the litter
ate to this day as proof OF signature.
The Chinese are believed to have en-
ployed the thumb in this manner ALSO
even earlier than the Saxons, and it is
said to be in use yet in remote Parts o!
the empire, but Its authenticity cannot
be vouched for.
If we may trust Shakespeare, biting
the thumb under certain circum stan ces
was illegal in the fourteenth century in
Verona. 1t was regarded as a prologue
to quarrel or challenge to fight. In
the play of Romeo and Juliet we find
this curious dialogue between the SER
wants of the rival houses of Montague
and Capulet:
Abraham Do you bite your thumb at
us, sir?
Sampson-I do bite my thumb. sir.
A br.-Do you bite your thumb at us,
sir?
Sam. (asde to Gregory Is the law on
our side if l say aye?
Greg.-No.
Sam.-No, sir; do not pite my thumb
at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.
Ores. DO you quarrel, sir?
A br.-Quarrel, sir! No. sir.
sam.-lf you do. sir, 1 am for you.
And this pickering, which commenced
by Il sim pie nlbbling CT the thumb, end
| ed in a fight with drawn swords.
In Macbeth the itching of tho thum
| presages evil. This is probably an old
! Scotch superstition. as Shakespeare was
| quick to utilize any popularity of the
| people of whom no wrote. In the fourth
| act of that play, where the witches arc
| brewing their hell broth, the second
| witch cries:
| By the pricking of my thum BIS.
Something wicked this way comes.
Wheeupon the weak and wicked Mac
| beth enters. in one of the old fairy tales
| the thumb OF "a giant is subject to this
| same prOpnetlC ltCulnB aI tue hpproaCu
| of victim.
Recently Mark Twain has made the
thumb play prominent part in fiction.
| He uses an old theory, created to the
| Chinese, that at birth every human being
| bears on his thumb lines that will for
| ever establish his identity, from the fact
| that no other person has or will have
| identical ones. This is extremely chimer
! ical and fanciful, and would not be &C
| cepted as relevant by most of the haro
| headed, unimaginative occupants of Thu
bench OF this country. However. from
! the depths of bs own fertile Imagination
Mark succeeds in Turing Judge ana jury
! that gave a verdict in accord with Puddin
Head Wilson's Photographic Argument.
! Blu there are thumbs and thumb,
For one, the "miIler's thumb" which
| is fattened at the tip to a peculla
shape, and acquires great delicacy o
! touch from the Sitting of -four through it
| So sensitive does it become that mile
| can readily determine the grade of tlou
by the touch. 1t frequently descends to
| his children as birth mark. The pot
ter's thumb is similar, and IN hand m adt
! pottery plays an active part in shaping
| the ware, insensibly assuming tiattenet
shape, which distinguishes it,.
| Shakespeare mentions the pilot
thumb" about which must have huns
some specific charm from the fact that il
was in the possession of witch:
First witch-"See what | have"
Second witch-"Show me. show me.
| First witch--"Here | have pilots
thumb,
| Wrecked as homeward he did come"
| Wherein the spell 10y is not explained,
| but left to the Inauguration of the reader
| to divins for himself.