Evening star., 1936-10-28

xIllSs IlC 4Clb, WaS POlAtCo CliQukl AVA
all practical purposes.
1t was not long after assuming the
presidency Of this organization that
Jones began to notice that wherever he
was some one was sure to sneeZe. For
long time this puzzled him. Had his
position been known, there was little
doubt that some persons would have
sneezed just for the STUN" Of 1t. This
idea of fun" is very widespread, and
perhaps Is partly responsible for some Of
the features Of our vast land which are
not so laudable. 1t is difficult to tell.
Jones was acquainted with several
persons who, had they known Of his con-
nection with the Anti-Sneezing Society,
would have found nothing more to their
liking than to have faxed set of most
hearty ker-choos for his express benefit.
This, such persons would have thought,
was terribly funny" The basis of such
fun, in all ages and countries, has been
savage. 1t shows itself by the barring of
the teeth, or fangs. 1t is first cousin to
the form of humor which delights In
watching some one else-always-slip on
the ice. or in other ways injure them
selves physically.
+ ~
must be some tangible connection be-
tween the fact of his own semi-immunity
from colds and the sneezing Of many
other persons in his vicinity.
That they sat around in cold, chilly
houses, at this time of year, rather than
start their furnaces, could account for
the fact that they sneezed. but scarcely
for the unmiStakable fact that they
sneezed upon him.
1t was not until he read a translation
of Hahnemann'S "Organon" dealing
with the rational art of healing, that he
began to believe that he was, in some
way, sending forth substances, undoubt-
edly invisible, which acted according to
Hahnemann's theory of cure, by giving
the person one Of the symptoms of a
cold"
Like cures like" such was the theory.
The originator worked it out with the
aid Of "provers," as he called them,
persons in good health who were willing
to take various substances, and note the
effects. If the substance, in most cases
herbal, set up one or more symptoms of
certain disease, it was held to be a
cure Of that disease.
The theory is complex, but seems to be,
at least as Jones got it, that only one
disease can exist at time, and the arti-
ficially introduced ailment cancels Aout
the disease for which the medicine is
taken.
President Jones of the Anti-Sneezing
Society pictured himself as sending forth
the curative bodies of the common cold.
These invisible things, winging to a
person about on the verge of sneezing,
Immediately make him sneeze, but
shortly cure him.
Thus Jones felt himself a benefactor
The sneezes he set up were not genuine
sneezes, but curing sneezes. He was
willing to believe-at least until some one
told him otherwise-that those who
sneezed in his presence were not so much
coming down with colds as getting cured
of them.
This was a helpful belief. Now helpful
beliefs are always good, especially to the
one who holds them. Templeton Jones,
once he got this idea into his head,
rapidly lost his fear of sneezers. Instead
of picturing himself as in danger of
catching cold, he saw himself in the
light of benefactor of mankind.
A fanciful picture? Undoubtedly.
] Templeton Jones is a fanciful fellow.