The Dickinson press., 1906-01-27
sALUTING A sNEEZER
A CUSTOM THAT BELONGS TO EVERY
NATION AND CLINE.

NATION AND CLINE.
There Are Many and Varied Answer
to the Question, why Do We Do Its
That Was Asked by Pliny Some
Nineteen Centuries Ago.
"Why do we salute the sneezerw ask
ed Pliny nineteen centuries ago. We
still ask the question, and one won-
ders If Pliny could collect so many
ingenious replies as the n Of the
twentieth century furnish.
In Cations 1883 edition Of 1.-THE
Golden Legende" is IN account Of a
pestilence in Rome in the time of Greg
DRY the Great, from which many died
suddenly. I'm this manere, sometyme
snesying they deyed, SO that when any
persone was herd snesying, anone they
that were by said to hym, God helpe
you, or Cryst helpe, and yet endureth
the custome." AS Pope Gregory reign
ed in the sixth century Pliny's query
far %antedates the explanation in "The
Golden 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
live! May the welcome n liveT' thus
seriously in%terrupting the discourse.
Buddha said, "Tell me, when a person
sneezes. If the b%ystanders say, May
you live,' will he live the longer or
die the sooner for it2' Certainly not,
lord" So he forbade them to say It.
But the people took ofense because the
priests did not thus salute them, and
Buddha revoked his command.
The Talmudic tradition Is that the
custom dates from Jacob. Before his
time man did not die Of disease. but
when his appointed time wal come he
sneezed once and was dead. Jacob Pc
titioned for exemption from this law,
and his prayer was granted on condi-
ton 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 he stole q reedful
!. of rays, and, fastening back to his
statue, he placed the reed under its
nostrils, producing a sneeze-a phe-
nomenon we may at any time produce
by standing in the sur. At this sign
of life in his creation Prometheus ejac-
ulated a blessing and a prayer for its
, preservation, and this response to q
--.1-~ l.o- 1900. ho~Jo5 S~rv- kI~o,,~h
all generations.
Also in the story of the Shunamite
child restored to life by the prophet
: Elisha do we find the idea that this
convulsive effort of nature is the first
sign Of life. '"The child sneezed seven
] times, and the child opened his eyes"
According to Scottish folklore, q new
born child is under the fairy spells I'm.
til it sneezes. Aristotle mentions the
! practice Of physicians who, when death
e seems near, give medicines to induce
s sneezing, hoping thereby to arouse the
failing faculties. Aristotle seems to
have given much attention to omena
v of sneezing. He says a sneeze on the
! right hand brings good fortune; on the
left hand it betokens i'll.
In the Odyssey, when Penelope calls
on the absent Ulysses to punish wrong
~ Telemachus then sneezed aloud.
The smiling queen the happy omen bless.
ed,
8 may these impious fall by fate op
pressed" 4, 9f#, "a
st. Augustine records thatfwhen thu
ancients arose in the morning If they
sneezed while putting on their shoes
: they Immediately went back to bet
. again in order to get up more aus
piciously and so escape misfortune
H. likely to occur during the day. If
Hindoo sneezes while performing hi
E. morning ablutions in the Ganges b.
d touches his forehead, nose, chin ant
h cheeks with the tips Of his fingers ant
recommences his prayers from the yer,
beginning. In illness sneezing is con
:, sidered a good omen, a sign of return
ing health. Howell in 1863 said, HI
IT that hath sneezed twice, turn him GU
~ Of the hospital" Among the ancientl
70 If any one sneezed directly after din
,e ner a dish was brought back and tast
ed to avert misfortune.
1ue CUSTOM OF SdluIl1lS DelOuSS I
every nation and cline. In Ethiopi
when the king sneezed those abou
pr him saluted so loudly that they wer
~ heard and echoed through the who'll
- city. Nm 1912 De Soto had an inter
y. view in Florida with a cacique VIII
II during conversation happened
sneeze. All his attendants bowed thei
heads, opened and closed their arm
and saluted the prince with May til
. sun guard you, shine on you, defen
you, prosper you," and similar phrase!
Il An italian child's primer Of 1868 say
"Being prompt in saluting any on
who may sneeze and returning thank
to any who on such ar occasion ma
have wished you we'll"
An epigram in the Greek antholog
shows it was customary to say "Go
LESS you." The ancient Romans sal
"Salve." The modern Roman Of tt
lower class says. "Figli maschi' (Ma