Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-02-07
UNEER THE THUMB.
The STRONGEST AND MOST USEFUL
OF THE HUMAN HANDS DlGiTS.

IL Is "a sign OF superiority over Other
Creature sacred aud Profane History
Give 1t "A Place Of Prominence Thumb
of the Monkey.
The thumb dominates the hand much
as the sturdy Little Corporal" did
France, with the samo compelling, tcna.
cious grip So strong Is this supremacy
that the phrase "under the thumb" is con
tcmptuously significant Of the complete
subsection of the weaker will 10 the
stronger The potency OF the thumb has
been recognized from tho earliest recorded
history.
In the Bible we find the earliest record
OF the thumb and meagor account Of II
rs a factor in religious ceremonies and in
punishments. When Aaron and his sons
were consecratcd TO be priests over the Is
raeltes during the ceremony the blood Of
newly killed ram was put on the right
ear, the thumb Of the right hand and the
great toe of tho right foot. Those priests
in cleansing lcpers observed similar rites
substituting the blood OF a lamb as a
"trespass offering for that Of ram and
followed up the application of blood TO the
right ear, right thumb and great toe Of
the right foot by amounting the same mem.
bers with oil upon the place of the blood
of the treSpass Offering
In the fourteenth century, when con
slant warfare was raging between Scotch
and English, Black James Douglas
contentod himself with cutting off the
thumbs of the English archcrs no captured
and turning them loose instead Of killing
them outright, II doom infinitely pretoria
BILE to the savage border men when they
could no longer grip the bow and let hy
the deadly arrow.
When thc gladiat0rs were led into the
arena to furnish amusement for the fash
ionablo Roman Wurld-toO often with
their liycs-how eagerly they must have
watched for the sign from the omnipotent
thumb. If il was turned down. they were
doomed. Ii up, they were saved And its
verdict could not be appealed from. This
practice was not oyerthroWn until y ID
40l when Tclemachus, Christian monk,
threw. himself between the contestants at
tho sacrifice Of his life. Then the Emperor
Honorious 10y decree, pat an end To the
gladatorial GaMC~. II j. doubtless from
this source the nursery game, Thumbs
up" had its origin. Happily tie limo
cents addicted 10 il have DO idea of its orig
inal terrible significance.
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