The hands are, by the very instincts of humanity, raised in prayer;
clasped in affection; wrung in despair; pressed on the forehead when the
soul is "perplexed in the extreme;" drawn inward, to invite; thrust
forth objectively, to repel; the fingers point to indicate, and are
snapped in disdain; the palm is laid upon the heart, in invocation of
subdued feeling, and on the brow of the compassioned in benediction. The
expressive capacity of the hands was never more strikingly displayed
than in the orisons (prayer) of the deaf and dumb. Their teacher stood
with closed eyes, and addressing the Deity by those signs made with the
fingers which constitute a language for the speechless. Around him were
grouped more than a hundred mutes, following with reverent glances every
motion. It was a visible, but not an audible, worship.
823