Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-23
THE ETHICS OF HUGGING.
Learned DisquisitiOn Upon a Very
Popular Industry.
MT

Popular Industry.
Sacramento Bee.
A few days ago young gentleman re-
siding on Polk nvenue. hugged mis-
grandmother with such fervor that three
of the old lady's ribs were dislocated,
and she now lies in precarious cond.
ton. This, / may add, is an unprece-
dented case. Men have hugged the op-
posite sex with such ferocity as to en-.
danger their lives, but then the opera
ton was not performed upon the grand
mother. About year ago young
man in the East embraced his sweet
heart. and when the hug was over he
found that that she was dead. But she
had long suffered from disease of the
heart: 80 he was only in part responsi.
Bile for the melancholy occurrence.
Hugging is comparaivel modern irsti,
tuition, Our ancestors never hugged.
They calmly and demurely embraced.
Now, here pause to draw the
line between the hug and the embrace.
The hug is an earnest, quick, impetuus
contraction of the muscles of the arms
and chest when the object to be hugged
lies within the circle bounded by the
arms, while the chest is the goal or final
point of the hug. The warmth of the
hug is determined by the extent of the
muscular contraction. But the hug is
not as anatomists assert, terminated
when the object is brought in contest
with the chest. On the contrary, the
squeezing in is but the shell of the ope.
ration. The kernal is reached when the
space between the hugger and huggee is
annihilated, and the blade OF knife
could scarcely be inserted between both
surfaces This is, perhaps, the most
dangerous stage of the operation. A
pound, nay lew ounces, OF extra pref.
sure may result, if not in the displace.
ment of rib, at least in the bursting of
corset string, with the almost ine.ita.
BILE destruction of bangs, montagues and
such like headgear. The release, If not
skillfully managed, is also attended with
danger, and should be as gradual as the
elementary pressure. /
Expressions of anguish on the part of
the huggee may, as q rule, be regarded
as hypocritical, and should have no sf-
feet in inducing the hugger to diminish
the pressure. In like manner all danger |
signals in regard to the arrival of a third
party on the scene should be investigated
by the party of the first part before re.
ceiving the attention the genuine arrival
of q parent or guardian might command.
This may be done by quick glance over
the shoulder, and this rapid change of
dire ction of the head may be accom-
plished by little practice without max.
ing any relaxation of pressure necessary.
If the warning should prove to be with.
out foundation the deceit may be pun.
ished by from two to three pounds addi-
tional pressure, but so gradual that none
of the ad ornments of the person hugged
NAV suffer. For these little accidents
ruffie the temper and embitter the men,
ory of the operation. The small affairs
of the toilet are not accomplished easily, |
and the female mind is ruffled by the
destruction of the laborious embellish-
ments of the morning hour.
Near relatives should be embrace and
not hugged. The embrace is merely the
throwing out and partial contraction of
the arms without any special attention
to on objective point. An especially
young and pretty aunt may be expected,
and / have known cases where an ex.
tremely juvinile and good.looking step
mother has been the occasion OF the
merging of the embrace into the hug.
But this is rarely done, and is attended
with much danger, particularly ii the
embrace is dependent on the purse OF the
old man for the necessities, as we'll as
the luxuries of life. To embrace a
mother.in-law is hollow mockery. and
should be attempted only when some i'm
portent object is to be antained, and even
then we doubt if it is excusable. A
cousin may be either hugged Or EN-.
braced. as the fancy of the operator may
dict the choice dep nding solely on
the age and good looks of this most con.
venient and delightful relation.