The Democratic advocate., 1885-04-18
Our 0liu.
literature of the sneeze.

prevent man, woman, or child from the ex-
ercise of this faculty 1t is defined as a
violent emission of air, with a moisture,
audibly by the nose. So universal is the
custom, and so many superstitions connected
with this simple act that, trifing as it is, no
!. ineonsiderable argument could be deduced
therefrom showing the unity of the human
race. In that delightful mine of oddities,
''The Arabian Nights and what child
has not read and run fancy free in their
gorgeous descriptions and Oriental imagin-
ings-there is an account of a hump-backed
schoolmaster, whose unfortunate habit
proved nearly his ruin. He was always
teaching, among his precepts of learning,
those of politeness, and when he sneezed
he told his pupils to clap their hands and
say: 'sLong live our noble master" One
day master and pupils went out for stroll.
The day was oppressive, the air hot, and
wearied with excessive exertion one and
all, they hailed with joy akin to that Of
the storm tossed sailors of Columbus when
Gland, no r rang out, deep well at whose
bottom lay in refreshing GOODNESS depth
of crystal water The bucket was at the
bottom, and the schoolmaster descended
for the purpose of bringing it up full. This
he soon did, and gave the word for the
boys to pull at the rope, and when near
the top the schoolmaster sneezed. The
BOYS let go the rope, simultaneously shout
ing, sLong live our noble MASTER! and
clapped their hands vociferously. The
luckless master went to the bottom, break
ing his back, and ever after regretting his
preiudices in favor of etiquette. Absurd
as the story is, it is but one way of ex-
planning curious custom prevalent in one
form or another among many different peo-
ples of salutation at the event of sneezing.
Not only among the Greeks and Romans,
but even among savage tribes, will this be
found to be true. Xenophon, in his cana
basis SAYS that when the Greeks were
about to commence their celebrated retreat
after the death of Cyrus the Younger, and
as Xenophon was addressing them with
these words, 'sWe have many reasons to
hone for preservation" soldier unfortu-
nately sneezed. The whole army thereupon
invoked Jupiter the Preserver. The ora
tor continued ''Since at the mention of
YOUR preservation Jupiter has sent this
omen" thus turning the event into an in-
dication of success The Jewish account,
as explained by the rabbis, gives, however,
a clearer idea of the origine of the custom.
The rabbis declare that there was no dis
ease or illness among men until some time
after the flood. How, then, did men die
in those days? Simply sneezed and died.
They say that Jacob, not fancying this
mode of crossing the dark river, wished to
give some warning so that parties could
prepare for this momentous moment For
this purpose he went and wrestled with the
angel. His prayer was granted; he sneezed
and fell sick. Heretofore men had sneezed
and died Therefore, the fact of Jacobs
sneezing and surviving made great sensa-
tion, and ever after the act became one of
the important phenomena of the human
system, and when men sneezed they saluted
and uttered some ejaculation of well-wish-
ing. The Jews accordingly, when per
son indulges in sneeze, says: "1O6lm
Chaiiiine' "a long life to you.
Travellers relate many incidents re-
garding this custom. Speke and Grant
saw that among some of the natives Of
equatorial Africa they could discover no
traces of any religious idea except in the
Arabic custom of uttering prayer when
a person sneezed De Soto declares that
when an Indian sachem sneezed savages
around him bowed down and prayed the
sun for his salvation. In New Zealand the
priest is guided by sneeze when he names
an infant. He repeats over list OF names,
and when the child sneezes the name then
pronounced is selected An amusing story
is told of an English lady travelling in Italy,
and not understanding the language, who
was present when married lady, sneezing,
was saluted by her friends present, after
ward brought bishop to the blush who
happened to sneeze near her by exclaim-
ing "Fggio Maschio'' May it be a
boy.
The Thugs of India are without doubt
the most bloodthirsty people that ever lived.
Yet, in one respect, they are the most re-
ligious. They are guided by bloody god
dess whom they serve most zealously. The
goddess is supposed to give her commands
by omens and sounds, and one of them is
a sneeze. Were one of the victims of the
Thugs with strangling- cord about his
neck to suddenly awake and utter sneeze
his life would be regarded as sacred. The
Greek legend in reference to sneezing takes
this form: One day Prometheus deter
mined to make clay statue. He wished
to give it life and motion. So he slipped
up to heaven one day, while Minerva was
making visit on earth, by gliding under
her wing, and there stole the celestial fire
which was needed to animate his clay mod
ell The fire he hid in tube which he
called narthex, the end of which he sealed
with stars stolen from the milky way
Fastening to earth, he blew the celestial
fire into the nostrils of the clay image, and
as soon as the brain was reached the statue
became man, and began bobbing its head
up and down, and gave prodigious sneeze.
The astonished and delighted man-maker
cried out "Much good may it do you,
and ever afterward words of good cheer
and well-wishing were uttered by mortals
after person sneeZed.
There is a good sneezing story told of
the chaste Penelope, who, when she was
one day surrounded by her adorers, each
suing for favors, she prayed that her long
lost Ulysses might he restored to her.
Scarce had she concluded her prayer when
Tlemachus, her son, gave loud sneeze.
The good Penelope jumped up and scream
ed with delight "Much good may it do
you" she fairly shouted, for she knew that
the time of Ulysses return was close at
hand.
There are, however, people who do not
regard sneezing as an omen of good. There
is a belief among the kaffers of Africa and
many of the Celts of Ireland that fairies of
ancestral spirits enter the body of a person
who sneezes The belief is common in
fairies, as the following story by Judge
Halliburton, of Nova Scotia, will corrobo-
rate: Colonel Tydd, of the seventy-sixth
regiment, tells me that when he was sta
toned in Ireland many years ago father
and mother of the name Of Mahoney
were tried for murder for having boiled
their child under the impressionth that it was
fairy child The poor fellow was deli
cate child, whom nothing could apparently
| o.oo - Loo1+l A fairv n,otbar had av-