Читать книгу The House We Live In; or, The Making of the Body онлайн

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Amy: Fingers.

Mother: Look at your fingers. Are they all alike?

Percy: One is much shorter than the others; all are different in length, and one is very small.

Mother: What do you call your short finger?

Elmer: My thumb.

Mother: You would find it hard to button your clothes and do many other things if you had no thumbs. A dog has no fingers, and if he wishes to hold or carry anything, he does it with his teeth. The first finger is called the forefinger, or index finger, because it comes first, and we use it to point with. The second is the middle finger; then we have the third finger; and the fourth is called the little finger, because it is the wee, tiny one of all. Open and shut your hands quickly. What do you call the parts of your fingers where you bend them?

Helen: Finger joints and knuckles.

Mother: You see there are many joints in the hands, so we can move them easily and quickly. What do you find on the ends of your fingers?

Amy: Finger-nails.

Mother: These hard, horny nails protect the ends of the fingers, and give them strength. Our hands were given us to help ourselves and others, and we should keep them neat and clean. They were not made to strike or steal.