Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-10-29
sALUTING A SNEEZER.
n CUSTOM THAT BELONGS TO EVERY
NATION AND CLINE.

There Are Many and Varied Answers
to the Question, Why Do We DO Itf
That Was Ankcd by Pliny Some
Nineteen Centuries Ago.
why do we salute the sneezer?" ask.
nd Pliny nineteen centuries ago. We
Htlll ask the question, and one Won
,lers it Plny could collect so many
ingenious replies as the ana Of tbs
twentieth century furnish
In Cations 14S3 edition of THE
Golden Legende" is an account of
pestilencc in Rome In the time Of Greg.
DRY the Great. from which many died
suddenly. 'In this mancrc. somctyme
snesylng they dcyed, so that when any
persone was herd snesying, anone they
that were by said to hym. God hclpc
YOU. or Cryst hclpe, md yet endureth
the custome.' AS Pope Gregory reign
cd in the sixth century Plinys query
FAR antcdates the explanation in THE
Golden Lcgendc."
In the Buddhist Scriptures, dating
al least $50 -. c.. It. is related that
Buddba. when preaching one day to
h'H NiH'iDitS. SuttStu. W ueEtuDDu alt
exclaimed: May the Blessed Lord
live! May the welcome one live" thus
seriously inicrruptlng the discourse
Buddha said. Tell me, when person
sncczrs. IL the bysiandcrs say. May
you live will lie live the longer or
die tic sooner for IT." "CertaInly not,
lord So he forbade them to say 1t.
But the people took orcnsc because the
priests did not thus salute them, and
Buddhn revoked his command.
Tho Tamndic tradition is that the
custom dates from Jacob. Before his
lime man did not die of disease. but
when his appointed time was come lie
snerzed once and was dead Jacob De.
titioncd for exemption from This Inv.
and his prayer was granted on condi-
ton that among MI nations n sneeze
should be hnllowed by the words God
bless you
The Greeks traced the custom back
TO the myth of Prometheus. who made
an Image OF clay ana wished 10 give it
life. From the sun he stole n reedful
or rays. and. fastening back 10 his
statue, he placed the reed under it's
nostrlls, producing sneeze-a phe.
nofnenon I'VE may mt any time produce
by standing in the sun. AT this sign
of life In his creation Promotions ejac.
nlated blessing and a prayer for its
preservation, and this response TO
sneeZe has been handed down through
all generations.
Also in the story OF the Shunamite
thil1 tn IN l,,,, a.,
Elisha do we find the Idea that this
convnlsive effort OF nature is the first
Sign OF life. The child sncezcd seven
times, and the child opened his eyes"
According 30 Scottish folklore. new
born child is under the fairy spells nm
Ill it sneezcs. Aristotle mentions thu
practice OF physicians who. when death
seems near, give medicines to induce
snec2ing. hoping thereby 10 arouse the
failing faculties. Aristotle seems to
have given much attention to omens
OF sncezing. lie says sncczc on tho
right hand brings good fortune; Oh Tho
left hand it betokcns i'll.
In the Odyssey. when Penelope calls
on the absent Ulysses to punish wrong:
Tclcmnchus then sneezed aloud
she smiling queen the happy omen bless
cd,
$50 may these mplous fall by fate OPP
pressed"
81. Augustine records that when the
pncicnts arose in the morning ir they
hneezcd while putting on their shoes
they Immediately went back 10 bed
again in order 10 get up more aus
picionsly and so escape mlsfortrnes
likely TO occur during the day. II
Hindoo sneczeS while performing his
morning ablutions in the Ganges lie
touches his forehead, nose. CHA nnd
checks with the tips Of his fingers and
recpmmcnces his prayers from the very
beginning. In illness sneezng Is con,
sidercd good omen. n sign of return
Ing health. Howell in 1859 snid, He
tlat hath sneezed twice, turn him out
of the hospital" Among the ancicnts
IL any one sneezed directly after din
her dish was brought back and tast-
ed to avert misfortune.
!. The custom of saluting