the similarity of the words by which it has
been called in the various languages of the
race. Lord Byron once informed the Ocean
that " time had written . no wrinkle on his
(the ocean's) azure brow." So likewise may
we say. of the sneeze, " Such as creation's
dawn beheld " it sneezeth now. It is pleas
ant to think that amid the mutations of this
time-world there are some things that change
not, or if at all, but slightly. Sneezing is one
of these. The great Aryan family which traces
its pedigree far back into the beginnings of
things all sneezed in substantially the same
way, for there is one root-form, probably of
imitative origin, that is used to express this
one simple and ordinary act. While we as
remote descendants of that primitive stock
sneeze with a " Ktchu," our Saxon forefathers
said something like "fnaes" ; the Danes re
marked " nyse" ; the Icelanders observed
" hnerra" ; the Swedes "nysa " ; and search
where we will among the different Indo-
European tongues we shall find that "sneeze"
ever comes to one thing—returns to one root
form which is nearly expressed by inns, or
hnus. This may be considered as the root of
the whole matter, or, so to speak, the average
sneeze of humanity.
It would be interesting to dwell at length
upon the superstitions which have, disfig
ured this innocent act. Space forbids that I
should mention more than one or two. The
custom already referred' to, of saluting per
sons when they sneeze is supposed to originate
in the fact that in ancient times people some
times died from a disease which commenced
with sneezing. One of the old historians
relates that in Italy in the time of Gregory,
the Great, there was a pestilential distemper
that proved fatal to those who sneezed. , (La
Grippe ?) The reason for this custom was
the notion which the ancients entertained
that sneezing was either a good sign or an
'evil one, and therefore they deemed it wise
to congratulate the one and deprecate the
THE FREE LANCE.
other. Among Greek writers, Plutarch and
Aristotle gravely inform us that sneezing at
certain times was held to be lucky, at others
unlucky, and Austin says that the ancients
were in the habit of going to bed again if
they sneezed in the morning while putting on
their shoes.
But the world moves slowly and supersti
tions ding to men with great tenacity. Even
in enlightened. England many people are
found who attach undue importance to sneez
ing. Here is a popular rhyme often heard in
Devonshire :
"To sneeze on Monday, hastens anger ;
I'o sneeze on Tuesday, kiss a stranger ;
To sneeze on Wednesday,
To sneeze on Thursday,
'l'o sneeze on. Friday, give a gift ;
To sneeze on Saturday, receive a gift •
To sneeze on Sunday, before you break your fast,
You'll see your true love before a week's past,"
The following is the version common in
Hertfordshire :
" If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger ;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter ;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better ;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow ;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart to-morrow ;
Sneeze on a Sunday, and the devil will have dominion
over you all the week."
Is it not a most surprising fact that men
have for uncounted generations believed
in such puerilities as these, and have even
allowed them to influence their lives and
mould their character? Why should we have
been so slow to learn the simple truth ex
pressed in Milton's line :
Have you signed the pledge ?
" God bless these dear youths."
Kinsell has made a mash, so the girls say.
When Dude left his best " one " for her
mother, she must have bit his cheek.
Something some should surely say slow :
"Sheeny Scheffer sells cheviot shirts cheap."
~ Harmless, if not wholesome, as a sneeze,"
LOCALS
E. F. D.