Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-11-29
LUXURY OF SNEEZING.
Ancient Superstitions About the
Act of Sternutation
To sncese Once Means a Wish Twice n
Kiss; Thrice Curse-If You sneeze
While Putting or Your Shoes,
Go Back to Bed.

he had stolen from heaven, proceeded
to vivify his clay man, the first sign of
animation manifested by the latter was
fit OF sneezing. Possibly the newly
made man was much impressed, and
an consequence thereof strong hered.
itary regard for sneezing may have
been transmitted to his descendants.
Be that as it may, however, the an
clients, prone as they were to find mys-
teries and omens in all quarters. failed
not to regard sternutation as very
serious matter for consideration, and
one that was fraught with many
portents for both good and evil, all
though, from physiological point Of
view, their ideas were no doubt some-
what crude and unseientiic, for a
knowledge of this phenomena of reflex
action, and an intimate acquaintance
with the pneumogastric nerve and its
functions, did not fetter the imagina-
tions of early observers. Thus, from
the earliest times and among all races
of men, we find that the apparently
simple act OF sneesiag has given rise
to many curious beliefs, and in nearly
every age and country has had moro or
less superstitious Importance attached
to it,
An Elizabethan authority, quoted
by a correspondent of Notes and
Queries, describes sternutation as "va-
pour ascending into the head, and so
to the brayne, and when there is more
and overmoche abundance, ascended
to that place more than nature can di-
,yest, then it is expulsed by tho spirite' $
vital, and so falleth down through the
nose and mouth" He adds, moreover:
"When you feel II will come, rubb
your eyes and 1t helpeth." No doubt
his advice would have been equally
welcome had he informed us how we
might effectually stop the sneese in
stead of helping it, for he goes on to
say that: "Yf man lie awake in his
bedde and snese one tyne it is syne
of some greater sickness or hyn-
draunce. Yf a man sleape in his
bedde and sneze one tyne it betoken-
yth greett trouble, the deathe of some
persone, or extreme hyndraunce in the
losse Of Substance. VI man lye in
his bedde and make a sneze one tyne
it Is a good syne both of health and
lucre, but If he sleape it is moche bet
ter" In the latter remark we think
our readers will quite agree with him;
1t certainly is very much better to
sleep when In bed than to lie awake
: saeeaing. Those who are IN the habit
of frequenting public houses would do
we'll to bear in mind that; "Yf man
travel by the waye and come into an
inne and sneze twyse, let hymn departe
out of the house and go TO another or
else he shall not prosper. Presum-
ably we may surmise that in this case
the .'snezesn point to the existence OF
draughts in the inn, and the risk OF
the traveller catching cold in conse-
quence should he stay there.
st. Austin tells us that If the ancients
sneezed when they were putting on
their shoes they went to bed again.
Moreover, that that /: /. is is lucky to sneeze in
the morning but unlucky to do so in
the afternoon or on a Friday, or for a
bride to hear cat sneeze shortly be-
fore her wedding, are well-known
pieces of folk lore prevalent in many
parts of this country at the present
day. 1t is also popular belief that
to sneeze once signifies wish, twice a
kiss, and three times a curse. Sneez-
ing at table as the viands are being re-
moved was at one time looked upon as
an i'll omen, and in undertaking any
business one or three sneezes were con-
sidered unlucky, although two or four
were favorable, as was also the case
when two men chanced to sneeze sim
ultaneously while engaged in some
business transaction. While Themis-
tocles was making a sacrifice before
the battle with the Persians one of his
attendants chanced to sneeze, and this
was regarded by Euphrantides as a
favorable omen, which presaged the
victory OF the Greeks. Piiuy held that
It is lucky to sneeze to the right bu,
unlucky to the left; and from another
writer we learn that 1.-TWO or three
sneezes be holsom, and one is a shrewd
token nr-whatever that may mean. Ac
cording to Suffolk rhyme:
sueeze on Monday. sneeze for danger;
sneeze on Tuesday, kiss stranger;
sneeze on Wednesday, sneeze for letter;
sneeze on Thursday, something better;
sseeso on Friday, sneete Tor serrew;
sneeze on Saturday see sweetheart to-moF
row.