APPLAUSE, the expression of approval by clapping of hands, or otherwise. Among civilized nations applause has been sub ject to certain conventions. The Romans had a set ritual of applause for public performances, expressing degrees of ap proval : snapping the finger and thumb, clapping with the flat or hollow palm, waving the flap of the toga, or a handkerchief. At the close of the play, the chief actor called out "Valete et plau dite ! " and the audience chanted their applause. This was often organized and paid for. When Christianity became fashionable the customs of the theatre were transferred to the churches. Paul of Samosata encouraged the congregation to applaud his preaching by waving linen cloths. Applause of the rhetoric of popular preachers became an established custom destined to dis appear under the influence of a more reverent spirit. The insti tution of the claque, people hired by performers to applaud them, discredited the custom, and indiscriminate applause has been felt as an intolerable interruption to serious performances.