The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-11
THE KISSING HABIT.

A Reprehensible Practice When INDUCED In
by Girls and Women.
Kate Epson Clark, in Philadelphia Press.
Much ridicule has been expended, and rightly,
upon the almost universal habit among women
even those not especially intimate with each
other, OF kissing whenever they meet part
The kiss, as a salutation, belongs properly to
another and more barbarious quarter of the
globe than America, and to time long ago. 1t
is legitimately an expression of profound af-
lection, and to use it commonly or slightingly ia
to degrade beautiful and tender ceremony
Some recent observers have remarked that the
Kiss as salutation. except among near kindred
or dear friends, is passing out of use. We should
be glad to believe that this is so, but in many
portions of the country it is certain that the
kissing habit is still almost universal among
women. Those between whom an actual dislike
is known to exist, touch each others lips in their
calling rounds, and even on the street and at
railroad stations.
At certain girls school some years ago where
the kissing furore was prevalent las is the case in
most schools of the sort), a society was formed
which was dubbed the A. K l.. These mystic
letters stood for the words. Anti-kissing League
and the society embraced at time most of
the solid" girls of the school We understand
that is no longer in existence, but its influence
was most salutary and is felt even to the pres
emit time If the teachers in girls schools
and colleges would only take the matter
of kissing in hand and create public sentiment
practice there would be much less of the absurd
mash" epidemic among the callow maidens in
our educational institutions.
The whole trouble arises, we are inclined to
believe, from the large place which love and
marriage-matters of emotion-occupy in the
thoughts Of the young women of the country.
Young men and boys never make themselves
ridiculous by kissing each other Unfortunately.
Love is to a thing apart;
lis woman's whole existence"
says some poet. This is undoubtedly true,
speaking broadly as society is organized at
presene but a genuine, large love is, and ought
to be, the underlying basis of the character of
every man as we'll as of every woman The love
to which the poet alludes is too apt to be a
sickly sentimentalism. 1t is impossible to cher
lsh such unhealthy fancies in the busy life
which every woman ought to live, in common
with her husband or her brothers. This dreamy
romanticism which is ready to make hero out
of the first stupid youth who happens along is
responsible for large proportion of the bad
matches, the broken hearts and unsettled minds
which infest society. If women could only be
taught that they are not to think of marriage
excepting as happy chance and as something
not in the least essential to the completeness of
their lives, great step forward would be taken
in their progress. With both men and women
the period OF youth must necessarily be more or
less haunted with dreams of love- This is nat
ural and inevitable. No thoughtful person
would have it otherwise. But when romantic
Ideas absorb the whole power of mind, render
ing efficient practical work impossible as is the
case with many silly young girls, the question
becomes serious one, how shall we elevate
these young women, and give to love and
marriage the proper space and weight in their
mindsl We believe that it can be done only by
uprooting from the feminine mind certain in
grained and long inculcated notions, namely,
that woman lives but for marriage; that any
kind of light occupation at all will do till
the expected inexpensive he" appears, and that
the mastery of some sort of useful and remuner-
alive business is not just as much a duty of
woman as of man.
We fear that the frequent kiss of average
womanhood Is but, in some sort, an expression
of the sentimentalism which is characteristics of
large part of the female sex of the human
species at this period. 1t is not unlikely that
the disappearance of the too social lip touching,
If we ever live to see it, may mark not only a
restoration of the kiss to its true affectional sig
nihcance but an advancement of women to
higher grade of intelligence and sensibility