The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-09
Kissing as a Fine Art.

II is said that kissing goes by favor.
Sometimes il does-yery often If does
not. There are as many kinds Of kisses as
there are Of strawberries. and like the
fruit they differ in size and favor. Some
are delicious, and Others are insipid as
the fruit that grows by the Dead Sea. |
suppose in discussing these little explo-
sives / ought to classify them as We DO
plants and minerals, but instead Of that
/ shall bunch them and select a few from
the job lot.
NAV say, by way Of a starter. that
when kissing came it came to stay, and
the old records show that it came very
early in mankind. l would not have the
cheek to say that when Adam awoke
from that sleep when he lost a rib and
beheld beautiful Eve blushing by his
side he kissed her. but | will assert that
if he bore any resemblance to the males
Of the present day there is no doubt that
he tasted her cherry lips. | further as
sert that if Mother Eve had the same an
ticipations that her daughters have she
expected that Adam would salute her
with a kiss. Under the circumstances it is
reasonable to suppose that kissing com
menced in the Garden of Eden. Don't
you think so?
Now, my dear reader, ] am not going
into any sentimental disquisition on kiss
ing. i don't believe I could if / wished
to. Poets and novelis;s have given us a
surfeit long ago, while at the same time
many of them have not had as much
practice as those who kiss and don't
tell" There is considerable etiquette in
kissing, by which | NEAR there are rules
or proprieties which make a kiss proper
or improper. \ baby furnishes a free
lunch for kisses, but IL that baby is a girl
there comes a time when said free lunch
ceases. You run no risk at 10 months.
hut you must be careful about il at Is
years, although in my opinion she is re-
ally more kissable at the latter age. /
never had a passion for kissing babies
it seemed ike plucking fruit before it is
ripe, and besides that, ] DO not believe
il is right for smok ems. chewers and snuff
dippers to glue their tobacco tinctured
lips TO a baby.
Kissing that is genuine must be done
by those who want It. 1t takes two will
ing people TO make one kiss, Just as it
takes two blades to make scissors. ANY
other sort is not perfect, although it may
he pleasant. 1t requires the combined
effort of both 10 make it a success.
Women kiss each other because it IS the
custom, but they have none OF the gen
uine flavor, and they are as dried apples
compared to the juicy fruit when it hung
on the tree. Their action, their counte-
nances,a and their whole bearing show that
there is no enjoyment in it. and some
Of them take it like distasteful medicine.
In saying this / have reference 70 those
who have no affinity either by the ties Of
o~onsanguinity or love.
ike to see children kiss each other
because their is no deceit or dress parade
in it. They are genuine and have some
meat in them, although they have not
the sugary sweetness Of those given by
lovers. They are first class in every re-
spect, because they are gathered when
they are ripe. 1t makes me laugh to see
two men kiss each other. know il is
the habit in some countries. and / have
frequently seen it at Broad Stree, Station
in Philadelphia. but / cannot believe it
is a luxury. Ii is an unsexed kiss, and
that is sufficient 10 destroy all its sweet
ness. ] might 20 on and give.a sermon
on this sort Of kissing, but as | desire to
introduce the opinion Of others / desist
for the present. Here is what a celebn-
ted writer says on the subject There is
both sentiment and sense in it
kiss to be a success must have mu-
tual interest there must be a reciprocity
in the operation, or somebody suffers the
punishment of disgust. Kissing an un-
willing pair of lips is as mean a victory
as robbing a birds nest, and kissing two
willing is about as u~nfragrant a pas
time as making bouquets out of dande-
lions.
At the start the average man makes
a bOtch Of kissing. The beauty Of a kiss
lies in its impulsiveness and its i'm
possibility, nor Is it possible to make the
tirst too brief. There is danger in the At
tempt TO make the initial kiss complete.
The girl won't have il. There is
too much audacious avarice about
it. The thing to do is to go at the fair
creatures lips slowly, 50 as to not fright
en- her. Ii is to be expected that she
will draw them away from the point Of
attack, but instead of retreat the thing
for heroism to do IS to kiss her on some
place-on the cheek, the temple. behind
the ear or on the hair.
A woman's fancies are as branching
as the trees of a forest, and however I'M
satisfactory 10 the swain the misplaced
kiss may have been. it will, If left 10 il
self. make the REGIMENT wondrons in