The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1907-09-07
COUGHING IN CHURCH.
1t Is IN Opinion of the Sermon OIL
Sign of Wandering Interest.

1t Is an Opinion of the Sermon OF
Sign of Wandering Interest.
The epidemic of coughing that at
tacks congregation at times Is re-
garded as of sufficient Importance by
a writer in the British Medical Journal
to merit discussion in a column article.
He is of opinion that the cause is
nervous irritability, but will not accept
the theory Of an American physician
that it is due to prolonged attention,
holding that lack of attentiveness must
ra ather be held responsible He goes on
with his investigation thus:
Persons who will SIT out a play or
listening to an interesting conversation
without coughing seem to be seized, as
soon as they compose themselves to
hear sermon, with distressing irrita.
ton of the windpipe that can be re-
lieved only by violent and continued
coughing. The affection is contagious,
spreading from seat to seat, cough an
swerlng to cough, till the church Is as
full of noise as Prospero's island As
far as we know, the etiology of this
strange disease has not received atten-
tion from the scientific investigator.
Is 1t due to sudden changes of tempera-
ture in the sacred edifice or to the
sudden inroads Of maIign drafts? 1t
may be granted that the elouuence of
some preachers has chilling effect.
while that of others Is Of a windy char
acter; neither of these things, how
ever, can be accepted as a vera causa.
We note with interest that the problem
has been attacked from another side
by an American scientist who has
studied the epidemic as it occurs in
theaters. He has satisfied himself that
there, at least, the coughing which
sometimes goes far to spoil the per-
formance Is due to reflex irritation
propagated from the ear to the larynx.
The source Of the irritation. accord
ing to him, is to be found in the strain
on the auditory apparatus induced by
the effort to hear what is said on the
stage. This suggests that actors of the
present day do not know how to use
their voices. 1t would be a comfort to
preachers If the church cough could
also be explained by overstrenuous list
ening. We fear, however, that a solu-
ton Of the riddle Is rather to be found
in what Falstaff calls the disease of
not listening, the malady of not mark
Ing 1t Is related that once upon a
time when an author was reading a
new play before the members of the
Comedie Franchise, an actress fell
asleep When the company were ex-
pressing their various opinions. the au-
thor maliciously insited on having that
OF the sleeping beauty on the ground
that the attention she had given to II
would make her opinion especially val
liable. The reply was disconcertinelv
to the point: Monsieur, lie sommel
est une opinion ('Sir, sleep Is an opin-
ION }. In like manner 1t may be said
that coughing is an opinion. At a full
nress rehearsal of new play by Sar-
uou' the audience, which had applaud
ed the first act, began to cough In the
middle of the second. The author at
once exclaimed: They cough; I al
ways thought that scene was too long,
PREACHERS might sometimes at least
lraw the same moral from the cough
ing of congregation"