Minnesota weekly times., 1856-10-11
The Philosophy Of kissing.

A BAKERS dozen of our female brethren have
volunteered subject for an editorial to-day
read 1.-THE above title,-s' The Philosphy of
Kissingp' Just as if there were any &C Philoso.
ply" about the impulsive concussion-and if
there is, what are we expected to know about it ?
We dislike it-not the kissing, but the philoso-
phy-not the object but the subject-and it is
needless to say that our hand trembles when we
take our pen to describe an emotion whose thrill
ling joy and exquisite intensity have defed the
poetizers since the times Of David. It is kind
of test-bar of all writing, whether poetry or
prose. Few can vault it. So we prudently give
it up or, to use Hibernianism, stop before we
begin-and let lovelorn swains and sentimental
swesthearts do the talking. The first who essays
to suggest how it ought to be, is young lady,
writing probably during the first four months of
courtship:- =
" Let thy twine
Around me like a zone Of love,
And thy fond lips, soft,
To mine be passonately pressed,
As they have been sft.''
The next is also BY one of the &c dear crea.
tures," and is far more graphic, her production
smacking OF experience =
"sweetest love,
Place thy dear arm beneath my dropping head,
And let me lowy nestle thy heart;
Then turn thy sou-lh bs and press
My parting lips te taste the ecstacy
Impaired BY each long and lingering kiss!',
Whew! That sounds desperate. The next
quotation in the scale of honeyed nonsense is by
Tennyson-Victoria's poet-lauriete. The pow
dered old gentleman is really getting interested.
Cupid is brave young archer to reach such a
heart as his: -
Last night when one spoke his name,
From my swift blood that and came
thousand little shafts Of flame,
Were shivered In my frame.
Oh, love! O, fire once he drew,
With one long kiss, my whole ssul through
My lips, as sunlight drinketh dew,
This seems like a strong and desperate case of
labial suction. 1t is maintained by s-Atlantic
critics that "soul," in the last line but one,
should read I" "sole," and it certainly does them
justice, for sucking the sole of lady's gaiter
"through her lips" would be hydraulic dis
covery, second only to the North lest passage.
" The times which try mems souls' seem past,
and scomen's soles are now in danger.
Alexander Smith, under this nectarine influence
is reckless, and bloody, and more impetuous than
if he had drank week from the lilies of the
Orchises. Keep out of the way when he is on
one of his smoroqs expeditions, for it really
seems as if the world would be annihilated. lie
aspires to riot among the live angel Cleopatras
as his cousin John has done, but we fear his con-
stitution will give way under it. Even an imag-
mary approach to the pearly gates makes him
conceive the Sun, Moon and Stars axtinguished.
Jupiter blown out, the world smashed up, and
himself sliding down a rainbow made of ice
cream in the center of universal chaos. Hear
him rave -
g My soul leAped up beneath thy tiu,id kiss;
What then to me groans E
Or pain, or death Earth was round OF bliss
seemed to walk on thrones.v
Again.
"Last night my cheek wetted with warm tears,
Each worth world, they from eyes divine;
Last night loving lip pressed to mine,
And at It's touch fed all the barren years!
And softly couched upon bosom white
That came and went beneath me like sea,
An emperor lay, in empire bright
Lsrd Of the besips heart. - -+
The shape of kiss is said to be elliptical a.
lip-tckle,) but Whatever form it assumes it ID al.
ways acceptable to this mad poet of crazy age.
We don't know much about it. f .,f5 -e~
" Senator Douglas will, it is reported in pri-