The Penn's Grove record., 1889-02-09
NUMBER %.

Stays himself before his enemy's door,
In order to acquire greater power Of
injuring him. Tylor. In his Primitive
Culture. says that there we're toward
tie close of the last century two Brah-
mans out of whose house a man had
wrongfully, as they thought, taken
forty thousand rupees, whereupon M
of IT, Brahmins proceeded TO cut off
his mothers head, with the protested
view, entertained by both mother and
son, that her spirit. excited by the beat
ing of a large drum for forty days,
might haunt, torment and pursue to
death the taker of their money and
those concerned with him." In fact,
so Widespread is found to be this
superstitious belief regarding the indu-
ence of sp rits. ghosts and fairies, that
we here get a clue to the practice OF
invoking the name OF the Deity as pro-
lection against their agency; for in the
name Of the Deity is thought to rest
the mysterious power OF driving away
all evil spirits, as well as rendering
them poweriess to do harm. So the
Highlanders believe that when a per-
son sneeZes he is liable to be stolen by
fairies, unless protected by some n
invoking the name of the Deity. And
the New z 4alander, with a similar
Idea, makes use OF n charm to prevent
harm when a child sneezes. But the
scandinavian and Celtic races credited
tteir spirits with " more serious
influence, for they thought a sneeze or
yawn enough to convert a person into
a real fairy, unless the name OF the
Deity was invoked In time to prevent
the disaster.
The negro races Of Africa also regard
the act of sneezlng with great dread,
for they believe it to indicate the intiu-
ences of ancestral Spirits" which
they must m Ike haste to propitiate.
The Zulu must have the same idea, for
he eXclaims when he sneezes, The
ancestral spirit is with me, for it is
that which causes me to sneeze; let me
hasten to praise Ill" Then, the Mos
lem, when he sneezes. is saluted by his
friends with the formula, praise to
ALFALFA custom, it is said, that Is
conveyed from race to race wherever
Islam extends. And in Guinea, even
during the last century. when a prin-
cipdl person fzed, all present fell on
their knees, kissed the earth, clapped
their hands and wished him happiness
and prosperity. A custom involving
the same idea is still kept up in the
Tyrol; it is that of crossing ones self
when n yawns, lest something evil
should come into ones mouth. In
France an indication of the survival of
this superstition is seen by the follow
Ing quotation from a Book on Rules
and Civilities," OF the year 1855: "If
his Lordship chance to sneeze you are
not to bawl out God bless YOU but
pulling off your hat, bow to him hand
somely, and make the dissertation to
yourself.S The custom among the
Jews, when a person INDUCES in a
sneeze, is to calculate "a long life to
YOU" In Italy they say Happiness"
and In Germany the people say see
sundheit," thealth). We also lind this
singular superstition was very unlver-
sal among the Greeks and the Romans
and Is often referred to by classical
authors. Aristotle, for instance, has
devoted one of his Problems to the
question why the custom of invoking
Jupiter Stator was INDUCED 10 as a
safeguard against the dangers of a
sneeze. and tells us that his country
A1tA lNEituCt ttaO SiSA 10 oo ~
seems that IN Greece it has always been
considered au unlucky omen for any
one to sneeze at the commencement of
an undertaking; and that a sneeze to
the left was regarded as unlucky,
while to sneeZe TO the right was
thought a NEST lucky sign. Homer
carries back these superstitions to
Olympus and to the gods who make
the vault of heaven ring by invoking
Jupiter when one of their number
indulges In the ominous act Of
Sneezlng.
Thus we see that from primitive
times on through successive ages of
culture to the present age can be traced
this sneeZing supe %stition, with its at
tenGant joys and terrorS. And,
though this superstitlOus custom had
its root down in primeval philosophy,
and its real significance had long since
faded from mems minds. yet the old
formula remained aud was handed on,
showing how very slowly and pain
fully humanity gives up old customs,
even though they have dwindled to
mere survivals of primitive culture.