, 1889-08-22
DECLINE OF THE KISS.
1t is Declared Dangerous by the
Doctors and Has Lapsed
Into Desuetude.
Opinions of Writers of Prose and
Rhyme In Ancient and
Modern Times.
tFrom Tho chlcago Inter. occan,l


Rise and Fall of the Kiss"
OF late, kissing has fallen into state
of desuctudc. 1t was not always thus,
MS u glance at the poets, ancient and
modern, will show.
The fact of the matteris, II Is not good
form to kiss any more. The bridal kiss
was tnbooed long ago much against
ministerial protest, and weddings are rs
unosculatory as funerals. At receptions,
at homes, carpet parties and Kettle
drums, where the kiss OF peace went
rouad one has to he contentcd with
little hnnd-clasp, in which pair of kid
gloves intervene as n sort OF nOn-Con-
ductor To the tremuloue, vibratory touch
that thrills and awes and is so full of
meaning to the student.
The medical profession Is credited
with the decline of the practice, and II
is said there is ample evidence I'm its lit
erature to prove that promiscuous kiss
ing is an admirable means of spreading
disease.
A kiss is IA nour but beyond saying
this there is It remarkable lack of ulnni'
nifty in defining the little word Phil.
oSophcrs have called 1t the soul of alice
tion, the stamp of love, the door that
opens the citadel of the heart, loves ar
tillcry, contact ccslatic, or wild leaping
lame Ol love CnlnuSlUStn,
De l1cnClOs defined n kiss rs "an aims
which cnriches him who receives with
out improvcrishing her who gives"
Opitz called kisses the messenger of
love- and to the wcll-trained lips of
ROssCuu kisses were "elcCtric, transcend
ant, and cncrvatng' Bryon found each
kiss II heart quake" "rcckoned its
strength 10y its lcngth' and wished "thnt
womanki ind had but one rosy mouth, to
EiG4 thnnN all from north A nIIth W
Othello considered it "an excellent
courtesy" to be well kissed, hut hc must
have been an Unsuitable. monster for
Dcsdcmona said "hc kissed hard" as If
he pluckcd up kisses by tho roots that
grew upon her lips. Charles Kingsley
had AN abnormal taste for kisses, for
after one hc wanted another and an
other.
Romeo and Juliet "scnlcd with
righteous kiss dutclcss blirgain;' to
Dante Gabriel Rosctti n kiss was "cullcd
swcctne-s;' pindar in one of his odcs
calls it "a delicious thing lost in the
moment Won Homer found "magic in
u kiss and pOpc "SomC mysterious
virtucs.h MiltOn's "IinkCd sweetness
long drawn OUT descriptive OF "Lydian
airs married to immortal verse" Is by
common consent the most cOmprchcn-
sive definition of kiss in the English
language. ToGodwin there was rap
ture in the kiss of honest love- hut all
other kisses "wcrc Judas children
"'rhe kiss of Il virtunus woman was
sweetcr than honey to Dodscy, and "likC
the perfume of Arabia la Addison
Walter Savage LandOr's delight was
To kiss the cNclushcS of love, AVID Charles
Lamb knew only "tho tastcless kiss of
mrrasoning lips Boyoc, in his analysis
of kisses, wrote: ut il the passion in Il
kiss that gives it its sweetness and af-
a. Sttstl 4
pissed responsive kisses, and would not
kiss again girl who claimed coparter-
ship in the lip exercise. litus was
another antiquarian who dotted on one
sided kisses and submissive lips"
pctrarch had wonderful endurance,
and gave Laura standing invitation to
"ki-- him for ever with eyes SO blue and
true hands like the leaf of rose aud
lips of nectar BREATH
The most huisterous kiss on record
was AT the "Shrews " wedding, when
''lic took the bride about the neck,
And kissed her lips with such clamor-
Gus smack,
That, at the parting all the church did
echo.
In "Richard H." tho poet calls
"Thcir lips, four red roses on n stalk,
That, in their summer beauty kissed
each other
Coriolanus carried into captivity ga
kiss long rs his exile and sweet as re
yengc.'
Troilus prafaccd his kisses with "In
take that winter from thy lips.
parthcnips kisses were las full of
sanctity as the touch of holy bread"
George Eliors kisses were "huncycd
bV oblivion CraShaw called Kisses
'iovc's greni artillery" Elizahcth Bar
rctt browning wore u troth.kiss ON her
lin she could not give away W
Joaquin Miller had littlq taste for the
vulgar lip atholctic, and allows his he
roes to kiss u girl any place but on the
mouth In his isles of the Amazon
the Sierra poet sing:
" kiss Your eyes,
| kiss your hair in my delight;
kiss my hand and say goodnight"
Howolls' young men kiss their best
girl Oh the temple; James has them fold
the girl To their lapel, but says nothing
about oSculatan, and in her first
Love- Gail Hamilton Omits even the
folding operation. Tho author of
Queen Money" makes her characters
anti-kissers, and Blanche Willis in conc
summer has but u single trembling
little kiss" deposited on both eyelids of
the big man.
Tennyson and his cousin Amy used to
sit on the beach watching the stately
ships and their spirits rushed to-
gother at the touching of the lip" An
other time he voices hCroinc's dream
deirium" in this rod-hot fashion:
80 love, O iirel once he drew
With one long kiss my whole soul
through my lips,
As sunshine drinketh dew"
Henry V, could not kiss unless he was
in the humor; Aspusia indulged in "hot
and constant kissts;n Princess Joseph
inc "would be wakcned with warm
kisses" and Ella Wheeler Wilcox sim
ply asks for "dcwy lips TO kiss her eyes
to Sleep after eXhausting herself in
'long boiling kisses" TINT seem draw
ing her soul through her senses"
In "Lesbia" John G. SAKE showed an
omnivorous appetite for kisses when he
wrote:
"Givo me kissesl Nay, It's truo
am lust as rich as you,
And for every kiss | owe
I can pay you back, you know.
Kiss me then. Every moment and
again
Authea couldn't have had any lips
left ir ucrrick got all he wanted In his
apostrophe to her he wrote:
"Give me n, kiss, and 10 that kiss a score
Then 10 that twenty add hundred more
A thousand 10 that hundred; so kiss on,
TO make that Thousand up million;
Treble that million, and when that is
done,
Iet'skiss airesh, as when we first begun"
Ben johnson begged the lovely Celia to
'sl.oave kiss but In the cup
And he'd not look for wine"
Whenever the "Maid of Athens took
u drink II hobbedchoy wanted to "sip il