Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-21

Moslem greeting one OF his own faith, IL being
expressly forbidden by Mahomet. But IL 9
Moslem found that by any i'll luck he had "a
luted Jew or infdel he instantly recalled the
salutAtiou with the addition, Death to you," to
which the Jew would respond, The same to
you"
The climate Of the Persian is accountable 70,
his salutation. May God cool your eye and
Egyptians put IL in another way, and take the
shape OF pressing inquiry as, "How goes the
perspiration2" "Do you sweat profusely2''
sALurINa AFTER sNEEzE
Tho practice Of saluting after q sneeze is both
a curious and ancient one. 1t existed in Africa
among nations unknown to the Greeks and
Romans. Strada, in his account Of Monomo-
tapa, states that when the prince sneezed all
bis subjects In the capital we're appraised of it
that they might offer up prayers for his safety.
Prescott, the historian, is authority for the
statement that when the cacique Of Guachoia
having sneezed in the presence Of the Spaniards
the Indians of his train fell PROSTATE before
him and stretched forth their hands invoking
the sun to enlighten him, to defend him and
to be his constant guard. Sneezing
seems to have been regarded among
the Greeks and Romans good
omen generally, but sometimes as a bad one.
10 Parthenis, who sneezed in the middle Of her
love letter to Sarpedon, it supplied the place of
an answer. To Penelope the sneeze Of Tele-
manchus promised the return of Ulysses. The
| sneeze of a soldier encouraged Xenophon to
order an advance. While Themistocles was
making a sacrifice before the battle with the
Persians one Of his attendants CHANGED to
sneeze, and this regarded by Euphrantides
as favorable omen which presaged the victory
Of the Greeks.
On several occasions sneezing has been looked
| upon as more or less intimately connected with
| fatal and dangerous maladies. Thus, according
| to Ihucyddes, 1t was symptom of the crisis
| in the great Athenian plague. Pliny held that
| IT was lucky to sneeze TO the right. bnt IN
| lucky to the left. St. Austin states that if the
ancients sneezed when they were putting on
| their shoes they went to bed again. The Zulus
! imagine that the spirit OF some deceased ances-
tor causes them to sneeze, and they accordingly
utter blessings and return thanks.
| According to the rabbinical account It WAS
formerly decreed by the Creator that the
instant man sneezed he must die. Jacob,
however, prayed go earnestly for the removal
OF this decree that his prayers were granted,
and ne was allowed to sneeze and live. In the
miracle wrought by Elisha "the lad sneezed
| eleven times and opened his eyes"
DIED A VICTIM OF ETIQUETTE
The ridiculous rigidity Of Spanish court eti-
quette was answerable for the death of Philip
Ill. Hewas busily engaged with his dispatches
and state papers, and, the day being cold,
| a great braZier of burning Goals was brought
luto tue room ana set down so close TO the Elng
that he was soon bathed in perspiratiOn. 1t
was not in his nature to complain. and SO he sat
in patience enduring the excessive heat until
the Marquis Of Pabar. one of the gentlemen of
his chamber. perceiving how he was inconven-
fenced told the Duke of Alba anoth of the royal
bodyguard to remove the trazier. NO" said
the duke, THAT was the duty Of the kings
chief steward, the Duke of Usseda.'' He was
| accordingly summoned, but, unfortunately he
was not at hand. and before he made his APP
pearance the king was so heated that next day
fever supervened, which, acting on a naturally
fervid constitution. turned to erysipelas, and
then the victim OF etiquette died.
There is devotion and energy. If little grace,
in the fgambo Of central Africa, where the
negro filings himself upon his back and kicking
bis heels high in the air, slaps his sides and
screams: 'Banu! banu!' The Burmese exhibit
extreme humility at the expense of dignity in
their mode Of grovelng with the face in the
dust. Rubbing noses, which prevails in Ger.
tain South Sea Islands, possesses novelty if
nothing more. while the Hottentots. very con-
siderately perhaps, scratch each others heads
upon meeting.
Europeans uncover the head as token of
respect or reverence. Orientals never uncover
it. and the Turkish ambassador is allowed to re-
tain his fez even when in the presence of Eu-
ropes mightiest rulers. To uncover the head
is regarded by Turk and celestial as indecent
familiarity. In church all mems heads are
sidered wrong to remove the hat.
To salute with the left hand is a
deadly insult to NIohammedans in the
east. and for this reason the native
commissioned officers of the Indian army in
giving the military salute confined it to the
sword held in the right hand without at the
same time raising the left hand to the forehead.
as in the ordinary English salute. The Thibetan
women when leaving their houses to appear in
pnblic smear their faces over with dark.
sticky substance; it is said that they do so in
compliance with law made by certain
lama, in order to protect their morals
by making them look ugly when
in public. The Thibetans also put out the
tongue as sign Of respectful salutation. and.
In similar contradiction TO our own customs
the Malays, Fijians, Tongans and many other
Polynesians always sit down when speaking to
superior. At Natavula it is respectful to turn
ones back toward superior, especially when
addressing him, and among the Wahuma
in Congo and in central Afraica the
same custom prevails. The Todas of
the Neitgherry hills show respect b. raising
the open right hand TO the face and resting the
thumb on the bridge OF the nose. By way of
compliment the people of Yddah shake the
clenched fist; the inhabitants of the White Nile
and Ashanti spit on those they delight to honor.
In some of the South Sea Islands the natives spit
on their hands and then rub the face Of the per
son they desire to compliment
PECULIAR CUSTOM IN PERSIA.
In Carmana, province of Persia, singular
custom prevails. When they wish to show
peculiar esteem they open vein in their arm
and present. the blood as it flows for their
friend to drink. This is more Questionable
than the rough pulling of noses INDUCED in by
jolly Eskimos of certain tribes when they meet
to have comfortable gossip with the mercury
thirty degrees below Zero kick of the
leg is not generally considered as courteous
method OF paying ones respects to u
guest. nor do we snap our fingers in the faces
Of those we desire to entertain. But the Phil
lipine Islanders, when they are in particularly
am:ab!e mood. practice both customs. There
are natives of the South Sea Islands who testify
their delight at meeting friend or guest by
bending their bodies very low. placing their
hands on their checks and raising their left foot
in the air.
In China the left hand is the seat of honor
and Chinese guest in Europeans house may
often be observed to be uneasy at finding him
SELF as he imagines, sighted by being placed
on the right hand OF his host. On entering
room or receiving visitor a Chinaman's first
care IL to put on his hat, not to take it off, and
when European would say, keep on your
hat, beg of you" in China it would be. BE
pleased to remove your hat" In Europe
host requests his guest to be seated
and at the same time occupies
chair himself. In Chinait would be regarded
as the height of rudeness to sit down before
every guest is well seated. Europeans grasp
each other by the hands by way Of greeting,