Attend, ye gentle souls, and give thine ears unto this most curious charge. Behold, within the glowing frame of artifice, there shineth forth a visage most jocund, whose eternal smile doth mock despair and bid all hearts to mirth. Mark it well, for this countenance is no idle fancy, but a gate through which secret marvels lie concealed, awaiting but the bold hand to summon them forth. Approach it not in haste, nor as a clown who jests without measure, but as a pilgrim to a holy shrine, whose every step is sanctified with purpose. Lift then thine arm with gravity, and extend thine honored digit, that noble instrument of mortal will. With it thou art as a monarch, whose sceptre commandeth obedience; or as a knight, whose lance is sworn to noble quests. And in this gesture of approach, small though it seem, lieth the seed of change most vast and strange.

Now let thine finger descend, with tempered grace, upon that merry visage which beameth with unending cheer. Press it as one might press a lover’s hand in secret tryst, soft enough to honor its gentle mirth, yet firm enough to awaken its hidden virtue. Lo, at the instant of thy touch, the countenance doth stir, and unseen powers leap forth like sprites of the air, each bearing tidings of delight. The smile itself doth widen, as though the heavens laughed in chorus with thy deed, and all creation, for the briefest breath, is quickened with joy. Thus doth the world obey the smallest act of mortal hand: a tap, a touch, a press upon the jocund face—yet from this seed springeth marvels unnumbered. Take heed, then, ye who partake of this mystery: for in so slight a motion lieth the power to summon delight, to charm away despair, and to crown thy moment with triumph most sweet.