The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-29
sNEEzING CUSTOMS.
Ancient Origin of the Post-SneeEinE
Blessing-Its wide Observance.

NNAue ODSeEN0nGGs
From the New York Post.
Why do we salute the sneezer?" asked
Pliny eighteen centuries ago. We still ask
the question, and one wonders If Pliny
could collect so many ingenious replies as
the ana of the nineteenth century furnish.
In Cations 1883 edition Of The Golden
Legende' is an account of a pestilence in
Rome in the time of Gregory the Great,
from which many died suddenly. I'm this
manere, sometyme snesying they dyed; so
that when any persone was herd snesy-
ing, anone they that were by said to hymn.
God helpe you. or Cryst helpe; and yet en-
dureth the custome" AS Pope Gregory
reigned in the sixth century, Pliny's query
far antedates the explanation in the Col
den Legende."
In the Buddhist scriptures. dating at
least $50 B. c., It is related that Buddha
when preaching one day to his disciples.
sneezed. Whereupon all exclaimed, MAY
the Blessed Lord liver May the welcome
one liver thus seriously interrupting the
discourse Buddha said, Tell me. when
a person sneezes, If the bystanders say
May you live, will he live the longer or
die the sooner for it?'' Certainly noe,
Lord. So he forbade them to say 1t. But
the people took offense because the priests
did not thus salute them and Buddha re-
voked his command.
The Talmudic tradition is that the Gus
tom dates from Jacob. Before his time
man did not die of disease, but when his
appointed time was come he sneezed
once and was dead. Jacob petitioned for
was granted on condition that among all
nations a sneeze should be hallowed by the
words, God bless you"
The Greeks traced the custom back to
the myth of Prometheus, who made an
image Of clay and wished to give it life.
from the sun ne stole reedful of rays,
and Fastening back to his statue he
placed the reed under its nostrils, produc-
ing a sneeze-a phenomenon we may at
any time produce by standing In the sun.
At this sign of life in his creation. Pro-
metheus CALCULATED a blessing and
prayer for its preservation, and this re-
Spouse to a sneeze has been handed down
throug all generations.
Also in the story of the Shunamite child
restored to life by the prophet Elisha 10
we find the idea that this conclusive eff
tort OF nature is the first sign of life
The child sneezed seven times, and the
child opened his eyes" According to
scottish folklore, newborn child is
under the fairy spells until ii sneezes
Aristotle mentions the practice of physi-
clans who, when death seems near, give
medicines to induce sneezing hoping
thereby to arouse the failing faculties
Aristotle seems to have given much atten,
ton to omens of sneezing He says a
sneeze on the right hand brings good for
tune; on the left hand it betokens i'll
In the odyssey, when Penelope calls on
lilc dhSehl Ulysses 10 punish wrong,
"relemachus then sneezed aloud.
The smiling queen the happy omen blessed
so may these impious fall by Fate op-
pressedr "
And in the Anabasis it is related that
while Xenophon was haranguing the
army some one sneezed. Immediately the
general voice addressed Calculations to
pTotectlag Jupiter, whose omen it was
was then proposed, universal shout de
clared appreciation, and the whole army
in one chorus sang the Paean"
St Augustine records that when the an
clients arose in the morning.if they sneezed
while putting on their shoes, they imme-
diately went back to bed again in order
to get up more auspiciously, and so es-
cape mtsfortunes likely to occur during
the day. If a Hindu sneezes while per-
forming his morning additions in the
chin, and cheeks with the tips of his fin
gers and recommences his prayers from
the very beginning. In Illness sneezing is
considered good omen, sign of return
ing health. Howell. in 1859. said "He that
hath sneezed twice, turn him out of the
hospital" Among the ancients, if any one
sneezed directly after dinner, a dish was
brought back and tasted to avert mis-
fortune.
The custom of saluting belongs to ev-
cry nation and CLINE. In Ethiopia, when
the King sneezed, those about him saluted
so loudly that they were heard and echoed
through the whole city. In 1912 De Soto
Clique, who, during conversation, happen
ed to sneeze All his attendants bowed
their heads, opened and closed their arms,
and saluted the prince with May the sun
guard you shine on you, defend you,
prosper you" and similar phrases An
italian child's primer of 1893 says BE
ing prompt in saluting any one who may
sneeze, and returning thanks to any who
on such an occasion may have wished you
we'll"
An epigram in the Greek anthology
shows 1t was customary to say, God bless
you" The ancient Romans said salve"
The modern Roman of the lower class
children) The North Germans say Your
good health" in Vienna. God be with
you" in Ireland the peasant says, God
bless your honor, Long life to your hon
health" or How do you do?" Erasmus, in
his "Colloquies, bids one say to the sneez-
er, sit faustum &C felix" or ''Servet te
Deus" or 'Bene vertat Deus" The
French say "Dieu vous benisse," the Ital-
ians "Felicitar' In old German 1t was
Got helf," "Nu helfen Cot The natives
of Samoa say Life to you" the Kaffirs
MAY God ever regard me with favor"
Other tribes believe sneezing a sign that
good spirits are near, and so pray for
whatever they most desire. The Parsees
give thanks for victory Of good over evil.
English folklore is full of rhymes about
sneezing on certain days. In Devonshire
they say:
"sneeze on Sunday morning fasting
ing"
In Lancashire:
'sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for dan
GER
Sneeze on a Tuesday. you kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, you sneeze for a
letter;
sneeze on a Thursday, for something bet
sneeze on a Friday, you'n sneeze for sor-
row,
sneeze on a Saturday. your sweetheart to-
morrow;
Sneeze on a Sunday, your safety seek;
The devil will have you the rest of the
week"
An old Puritan book had for Its title,
The Spiritual Mustard Pot, to make the
Soul Sneeze with Devotion. NJ. A. n.
Wellesley is the only woman's college
that seems TO give attention to practical
aduatics. New Haven boat builder has
lust completed a fine eight-oared barge
FOR the 81 class crew at Wellesley.