Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-11-29

C'i ooNclG HoccaoiOns sHeeZlllS sHttS
been locked upon as being more or less
Intimately connected with fatal and
dangerous maladies. Thus, according
to Thucydides, it was a symptom OF
the crisis in the great Athenian plague.
With aclimate like that of England
catarrh and influenza are in season all
the year round, and sternutation oc-
ours so frequently that it receives per-
haps less attention than might other.
wise be devoted to it. Nevertheless,
even in the present age OF education,
and in our own civilized country,
when baby sneeaes, one occasionally
hears a fervent "Biess your ejacu-
lated by Its Nurse. 1t is extremely
doubtful, however, whether the latter
has even the remotest idea why she
should make use of this expression;
but. although she may not be aware OF
the fact, it is a time-honurea custom
which once received much attention.
In the "Rules Of Civility," quoted by
Brand, we are told that IF his Lord.
ship chances 10 sneeze, you are not to
bawl out God bless you, sir, but, pull
ing off your hat, bow to him hand
somely, and make that obsecration to
yourself" Brand also quotes from
the "Schoole Of Slovenrie, Or Cato
Turned Wrongside Outward CA. d.
1605), the following lines on the Gus
tom;
When you would sneeze, strait turne yourself
into your neibonr's face;s
As for my part, wherein I'd sneeze, know nc
filter plaee;
" y an order when you sneezc good men will
pray for you;
Marke him that doth so, for / thinke he is youi
! friend most true.
And that your friend may know who sneezes
and may for you pray
| Be sure you not forget to sneeze full In h face
nlway.
But when thou hearst another sneeze, al
though he be thy father
Say not God bless him, but Choak up, or some
such matter, rather
Why sternutation should call for a
blessing or prayer of of'fhanksgiving is
by no means clear, and when or how
the practice originated Must for the
present remain hidden in obscurity.
Some writer's would trace it to an edict
Of st, Gregory the Great, who ordered
the use of the benedietion to those
who sneezed -sternutation being fa
tai symptom in q pestilence which
broke out at that time. The custom
is, however, certainly of much greater
antiquity than the time of Gregory; it
was common with the Greeks and
Romans, and it dates back, no doubt,
through the remote past to some pre-
historic age, for among many savage
races in widely separated parts of the
world we find that some exclamation
or benediction is made use of when a
person sneezes. Indeed, 1t is said that
at one time when the king OF Mesopo.
tamia did SO blessings were uttered by
all his subjects throughout his domin-
ions; in one African tribe when the
chief sneezes his attendants snap their
fingersi and in Guinea, if a man OF
Importance sneezed, he was gratifed
by seeing all present immediately drop
on their knees, kiss the earth, and,
clapping their hands, wish him health
and happiness. II appears, too, that
the custom of making some exclama-
tion or blessing u person when he
sneezed was prevalent among the
tribes OF the new world at the time of
the Spanish conquest.
According to the Rabbinical account
OF sternutation and its origin it was
formerly decreed by the Creator that
the instant a man sneezed he must die,
jacob, however, supplicated so fer
vently for the removal of this decree,
that his prayers were granted and he
was allowed osneeze and live. After
this, in commemoration of the gra-
cious concession to Jacobs appeal, il
became customary TO offer UP prayer
of thanksgiving when sneezing. The
Zulus imagine that the spirit OF some de-
ceased ancestor causes them to sneeze,
and they accordingly utter blessings
and return thanks, for they look upon
! it rs good sign, Moreover, they
consider an illness very severe if the
sick man does not sneeze. The Per-
slams, too, look upon sternutation as a
lucky omen, especially if one sneezes
several times. In this respect it is,
perhaps, needless to say that they diff.
fer considerably from the people Of
our own country, for with us when a
man sneezes too frequently he does
not rejoice or thank the spirits of his
ancestors, but generally thinks that he
has caught cold and takes measures
accordingly. Not the least curious Of
the many superstitions connected with
sternutation is one which is TO bs
found among the Siamese. Wher
these people hear man sneeze they
wish him a long life, for they believe
that in hell there is a register in
which are entered the names OF all
men, together with the duration Of
their lives, and when the keeper o.
this book opens it every person whose
name is written on the page at which
he glances Immediately sneezes.-
London Standard.
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