Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-04-21
KISSES IN THE AIR.


Mrs. 8wisshelm continues her re-
marks on "kissing" in the Chicago TIT
6w2e, in answer to several correspon.
dents who have criticised her state
ments. She says:
Time and again have witnessed, In
the homes of prominent church mem.
bers, . whole evenings performance
OF kissing plays, 10 many of which the
performers vent through the most
general figures OF . Quadrille, and
went Through them rhy Enthusiastically, TO
enc s0und or mnsic-the rule being
that every man in the play kissed
every woman in II, and often more
than once. Nay, more: the women
were often required to kiss the men,
while they were to be passive. More.
over, the public sentiment of the com.
munity always was, that the girl who
refused TO submit or obey had been
guilty OF rudsness. II my memory
eeFves me, Mr.. Eggleston, In 'The
Circuit-resder,D describes . scene of
this kind at the 1husking' with which
DO opens his story, where The heroine
Patty, refused to 20 and kiss the vii.
lage fop, who knelt and waited for her
salute, and was MORALLY offended
when she refused TO comply with the
rules. .& rs So
Much ~ have secn Of these plays.I
have heard moro, and can, with . little
trouble, furnish "W," with any amount
Of testimony. In ons of them there 10
. mock marriage ceremony, IN which
the groom kisses the bride as . con-
clusi0n; and, in . county adjoining
the one In which am writing,
yousg and wealthy bachelor was, many
years ago, the partner Of poor and
very unwomanly old maid. The man
who said the ceremony happened to be
the Justice Of the Psace. She claimed
her bachelor, On tho strength of that
ceremony, - her husband, compelled
him TO support her, prevented hin
marriage with the girl TO whom he
had been engaged, wrecked his life,
and lived until be was an old, gray.
haired man.
The play WAS permitted By the
church % an innocent substitute for.
dancing. In the neighborhood in
which now live-and IL is one OF the
most orderly In Pennsylvauia-if .,
company OF young folks met this even.
Ing In the house OF any Christian man
or womAa, any strict church member.
they will have their kissing plays alias
"promisoous dancing sancti6ed by pro
miscous kissing !" while, II they meet
In the house Of one OF the worlds PEG.
pie, they will have the dancing with.
out tho kissing. In the tlrst case.
young Pemhsss Of the church or old
members OF the church can participate,
dancing and kissing, kissinr and dane.
ing, until broad daylight ID the morn.
Ing, and their social church standing
be nothing the worse; but, In the sec.
ono, every one would be brought up
tor chursh discipline, and be made to
repent, confess. and give satisfaction,
0fsbs excluded from tho fold.
!. The custom 10 not peculiar to this
or this State. Il 10 one
TO which my attention was called ct .
very early period OF life, and about
which I have been writing, publishing
and protesting for thirty odd years. Il
has come mp In every public couiro.
versy I have had with preachers about
the sin OF dancing. and these have not !
been few or fer between, and I have
kept watch Of Il. In most OF al the
neighborhpods / have visited, or Ia
whioh I hsye resided, ! have found
remnanls OF Il. / heard Of i last sum-
meg 10 tho rural districts of Illinois,
and heye bean assured that Il 10 still
prscttseA IN Chicago, or was two years
ago. T0o o1oeoW grew into general