Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-10-13
For the Spectator.
Kissing-a Nuisance.

LIT. kOJ)BcJUtOF II UO IOG UcloVe CudC IL Is
because you are either less competent to give ad
fortunate, than the Spectator of former age,
that you are not more frequently appealed to
by suffering humanity. 1t is certainly not be
cause all abuses have been reformed or all
nuisances abated, but, perhaps, we have become
more patient knowing that this world is not in
tended to be a paradise.
But there are some things we can't quite
stand, and we appeal to you for advice and
sympathy 1t is certainly not necessary to ar
que with you that kissing, if not an unmitiga-
ted evil, may be carried to excess, and that it
is just as liable to be abused as drinking, dan
cling or card playing. [ would place it precise
ly in the same category in many respects, while
in one particular it is even worse. No one can
compel even feeble woman, without her con
sent, either to drink, dance or play cards. If
drunkard wishes to imbibe and finds no will
ing companion, he can go to the woods or any
other private place, and have all the glory of a
big drunk to himself-but person addicted to
the habit in question, to indulge his abomina-
BILE cdcOethes Oscutanda, overpowers some help
less female and kisses her nolens volens.
Perhaps it was for this reason that long be-
fore the church thought of rule against dam
cling or card playing, or it had ever entered the
head of a puritanical Yankee to pass Maine
liquor law, kissing was restricted by law in
Rome, by probably the most refined, highly
civilized and chivaric people of antiquity. We
read that, when Cato was censor, he prosecuted
a man for kissing his wife, contrary to law, and
said in his speech, that he never embraced his
own wife, except when it thundered." Our
laws are said to have been founded on the old
Roman, and if so, why was this law left out ?
Is it because little indulgence in kissing, like
drinking, dancing and gambling, is not only in
nooent, but necessary? If SO, where is the
limit? How much can you drink, dance OF
gamble? and where is the proper limit to kiss
ing? | would not object to Cato S limit, Or to
the limit that seemed to be fixed by the Roman
law, to man kissing his wife and daughters
in private. IF you like, you may extend the
same private kissing to grand children and
nieces, and to female cousins kissing one a
MOTHER and to brothers and sisters.
IF you set any reasonable limits, you will not
hear one word of murmur from your CORES
pondent. say nothing about the habit of fe
males kissing one another almost indiscrimi
nately, the old, the young, the sour, the sweet,
the amlable, the cross grained, the good, the
bad, and every other imaginable form OF fe-
male humanity, with few exceptions from
long habit it has become sorter tolerable, like
the Irishmans hanging-''not so bad, after
you get used to it.
But, Mr. Spectator, there are some men who
try to force on us the habit of kissing them, OF
rather of being kissed by them in the same
kind of Im-no ways particular sort of style,
and it is this we can't stand, and we won't
stand, Mr. Spectator No, by physical means
we can't we'll help ourselves, and do not wish
to insult every man that offers us an insult.
Maybe he didn't intend it, Or from the force OF
bad habit, he can't help it,
But this do know as to the pecullarltles OF
this cacethes. However old and ugly they
may be themselves they never kiss the very old
and ugly, and if they happen to have wives,
the fit never comes on one of them in the pres
ence of the good old lady. There is, therefore,
method in their Madness and taking a
hint from this fact | wish you to tell each Of
them to provide himself with photograph OF
the old woman, and when he feels the fit com
ing on, to take it out Of his vest pocket, and
look at it, If this should not be sufficient, let
him repeat, as sort of talismanc words. part o
his marriage VOW in which he promised to stick
to this old lady Perhaps by this means he
might be exercised. If he has no wife, then
let him do as man could name. Whenever
the promptings of the old habit becomes un-
controllable, he kisses some bachelor friend :
True, he is apt to get black eye, or broken
mouth, but as that sets them about even, they
square off and quit friends.
Now, Mr. Spectator, if you can't do some
thing for our relief, we will hold a woman
rights Convention, and let all the world know
that among the rights Of women one is, to have
some choice about being kissed.
Yours truly,
KATE TOUCH ME NOT