Here is the Church
| Fig. [465].—"Here is the church," | Fig. [466].—"And here is the steeple," |
([Fig. 465]). But it is without a steeple. Build one by raising the two first fingers, without disturbing the remainder of the hands; bring the raised finger-tips together and, "Here is the steeple" ([Fig. 466]). A church, like any other building, to be of use, must have people in it, and if we could only look inside this building we might find them; move your thumbs apart, or "Open the doors and see all the people" ([Fig. 467]). There they are sitting in rows; don't you see them? Now let the people go up-stairs. Cross your two smallest fingers on the inside, which will bring the backs of the hands toward each other; keeping the little fingers together, cross the third fingers, next the second, then the first fingers. The fingers on the left hand form the stairs for the people or fingers of the right hand to climb. Try it again, allowing the people to ascend slowly one by one: "Here are the people climbing up-stairs" ([Fig. 468]). Keep your hands loosely in the last position and raise your right elbow; while holding that up, twist your left hand around forward until the left thumb rests on the inside of the right hand. Both hands will now be turned downward with the wrists uppermost.
| Fig. [467].—"Open the door and see all the people." | Fig. [468].—"Here are the people climbing up-stairs," |
Fig. [469].—"Here is the preacher who for them cares."
Leaving the hands in this position, turn your two elbows outward and down, which will bring your hands up; slide your right thumb outside and around your left thumb, the left thumb will then be the minister and, though you cannot see them, the fingers clasped inside the hands are the people, but you can see the thumb, preacher, standing up ready to talk to the people, and you may say, "Here is the preacher who for them cares" ([Fig. 469]).
If you want to form
A Bird's Head
of your hand, lift up the second finger of the left hand with your right hand, and cross the lifted finger well over the back of the first finger of the left hand. Again, use your right hand to lift the third finger of the left hand and twist it over the second left-hand finger. The last finger is the little one of the left hand; lap this over the left third finger and you will have all the left-hand fingers crossed, one on top of the other. Bring the top of the left thumb up to meet the tip of the second left-hand finger, which will finish the bird's head. The head does not greatly resemble that of a real bird, but we will pretend it does, for the fun of seeing who can build the head first.