The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-29

Some kissing Customs of the Old Times
and To-Day.
rSt. Iouis Postl

|
lips pressed closely together and suddenly
parting them; a smack a buss."
Such is the learned Websters definition of
this sweet word, OF which poets of all ages
and chimes have sung: The sage photographer
regards 1t as a merely mechanical operation
and describes it with all the minuteness and
exactness with which a professor OF anatomy
might discourse on the movements OF the
and suddenly parting them p We can i'm
agine the grim savant with a sardonic grin die
tating this description, gleeful to think that
ne was knocking all the romance and senti-
mentality and such like rubbish out OF lovers
ambitious OF composing "a woful ballad and
seeking inspiration in the dictionary. What
lover gazing on such definition could be in
spired by the MUSES. 'Twere forlorn hope
to attempt coping with such q sentiment
Draining, prosaie description as this. Yet this
is the dictionary standard of what Gautier
terms, "twO mouths melting into One.'
How shall one describe a kiss ?
Even while / spoke,
The bare word kiss hath made my inner soul
To tremble like a Lutte string, ere the note
Had melted in the silence that it broke,
sings Tennyson, and similar sensation is
experienced In trying to put it on paper. 1t
Is hard thing to describe with only the I'M
yielding, unimpreSsiole materials OF pen and
ink but the effect has been courageously at
tempted by one of the society reporters OF a
fashionable weekly OF ST. Louis, who had been
to a brilliant wedding" 'all of which he saw,
and part OF which he was" and the modern
Jenkins, to whom naught Is impossible, dis
done and performed, and heard the reverber-
alton" This is the age of Improvement,
ladies and gentlemen-s stand back and you
will see kiss on paper. Don't be too In
type. Listen: "When two pairs Of affection
ate lips are placed together to the intent OF
OSCILLATION, the noise educed is something like
to the ensuing, .Epe-stoeep'st-e'eF and
| then the sound tapers OIL so softly and 80
musically that no letters can do it justice
| AS to its origin one knoweth not. Whether
kissing was known in Paradise as Byron, who
| had some experience OF it kissing, we mean,
not paradise), assures US.
| "One remnant of Paradise still Is on earth.
| And Eden revivss In the first kiss OF love-
there is not time to investigate, but that it
was a very early discovery those who read
their bibles may find out.
| 1t Is beautiful custom, an angelic custom
! 1t is said without bluShiDg, because it was
| originally, and, In many countries is--it Is to
be hoped even in America-the most innocent
| thing in the world. Certainly, about the Pc
Rod of our own era the kiss OF peace" was a
mark OF love between men, though in some
cases 1t was made to serve the deadliest ends
| 1t is still in use between men in France and
Germany. The parent kisses his grown-up
son on the forehead; friends press their lips
! to others cheeks; brothers throw their arms
around one anothers necks and embrace like
lovers. Alack and alas for our stiff human
| ity. Here in America it is reserved for chill
dren and girls, and for Minnie to stop
ones lips when one is going to scold
e Custom, "s ali the same and Sfadfu people p1e
were not so wicked in this nineteenth century,
one would have more of it. In the days OF
good Queen Bess it was the height of polite
grandfathers say that on entering room
| they kissed ali the women present as a mat
ter OF course Think Of it, dream OF it," ye
modern beaux. But, alas this beautiful
from warm lips through all the frame, has
now become matter Of almost shame to u.s.
| The kiss OF mere respect was made on the
! hand-a good old custom still retained In Ger
many and among a few old beaux in England
Whether 1t was pure respect which induced
Leicester often to kiss the Virgin Queen on
her lips, (which" 1t Is said, "she took right
heartily" one knows not; but at all events In
this day the kissing of the lips Is reserved for
lovers, and should scarcely be performed liz
public
This somewhat dry dissertation on kisses
| shall conclude with an anecdOte OF Horace
Vernet the celebrated French painter. The
artist, so the story runs was coming from
| Versailles to Paris in the cars. In the same
| compartment with him were two ladies whom
he had never seen before, but who were EVIL
IDENTIFY acquainted with him, They examined
him very infinitely, and commented upon him
quite freely-upon his martial bearing, his
hale old age, his military pantaloOns, etc
The painter was annoyed, and determined
to put an end to the persecution. AS the
train passed under the tunnel OF st. Cloud
the three travellers were wrapped In complete
darkness. Vernet raised the back of his hanC
to his mouth and kissed it twice violently
On emerging from the obscurity he foun6
/ that the ladies had Withdrawn their attention
from him and were accusing each other O
having been kissed by man in the dark
T. Iu hny orri or riS
on leaving them, said
Ladies', shall be puzzled all my life b.
the inquiry, 'phich OF these two ladies was /
that kissed meY"