The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-15
The gerald aud aud Ue1gs>
CRUSADE AGAINST KISSING.
Scientific Opposition to the Ancient Form
of Salutation and It's Modern Usage.

OF Salutation and 1ss Modero usage
COLUMBUS, O., February G.-Dr. Z.
o. Probst, secretary Of the State board
of health, to-day appeared before the
pastors union, Of this city, to urge
their cooperation in two sanitary re-
forms. One is to stop the custom OF
indiscriminate kissing and the o;her to
abolish the use of The same cup in the
administration of the sacrament by
several hundred persons. DR.. Proost
explained that the most certain and
most dangerous transmission OF the
germs of disease is by this mouth-to-
mouth method. He cited the almost
universal habit among ladies of kissing
friends on greeting them or bidding
them good-by, of kissing babies and
children and urging babies and chill
dren to kiss each other.
Pastors, too, usually consider it g
part of their duty to kiss the babies OF
their parishioners. All this was we'll
meant, but it was as dangerous as 1t
was perfunctory in many cases. He
quoted Moses as sanitarian on the
subject, and said the great lawgiver
would not have tolerated either the
kissing on the common cup custom IN
the sacramental administration. The
clergymen ask for some practical sug-
gestions as to how to obviate the dan
ger pointed out in the communion ser
vice. Several were given, but the one
considered practical was that each
communicate have bis own cup. A
resolution to do all possible to bring
about these reforms was adopted.
THE EXTINCTION OF THE KISS.
New York Sun
The kiss of affection and romantic
love is celebrated in the song and story
of all ages. Sacred literature justifies
and honors the holy kiss of religious
sympathy and fellowship. The meet
ing of the lips has always been with our
race the universal and natural and
spontaneous expression of the most
tender sentiment.
Now sanitary science pushes itself
forward to degrade the kiss to the level
of sewer gas and the many agencies by
which noxious and infectious disease
is propagated. It is demanding the
abolition of the practice as remnant
of barbarous ignorance to the laws of
health. 1t would subordinate roman
tic sentiment to cautious prudence and
forbid the lover to embrace his sweet
heart, even as seal of their betrothal,
until they are able to produce medical
certificates that they are free from the
traasmissible germs of disease.
For several years past prudent pa
rents, under the instruction of their
physicians, have guarded their young
children jealousy against the indis-
criminate kissing which was once in
vogue, lest those poisonous germs be
transmitted to the babies. It is rea-
sonable precaution, for undoubtedly
the danger exists, and as the germ the
ory of disease is more generally ac-
cepted, peril of such contact is appreci-
ated the more intelligently. If, then,
there is serious risk for children in
careless kissing, say the preachers of
sanitary science, it is a risk which
older people must avoid also. Even the
cherry red and pouting lips of beauty
may convey material poison along with
the rapture of love they express so ro-
mantically. The most ardent mani
festation of masculine devotion may be
the means of planting the seeds of dis
ease, which will bring forth a fruitful
crop of maladies sent down through
generations. So says science.
Accordingly. the secretary of the
Ohio board OF health has been urging
the Pastors Union of Sandusky to use
their influence to put stop to the
practice of unscientific kissing, or kiss
ing which is not carefully restrained
by sanitary laws. He also warns them
Of the danger Of using the same wine
cup in administeringthe rite of the
holy communion to different persons.
He would not let women kiss each
other after the prevailing fashion, and,
of course, he discountenances the kiss
ing of babies by every chance conner,
and he would prevent kissing among
the babies themselves.
Thus cold and prudential science is
invading the realm of tender and ro-
mantle, poetic and religious sentiment,
and destroying as a pest house the
very temple in which the love of. all
ages has offered up its worship. 1t is
an appalling revolution.