The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-09-01
ETIQUETTE Of KISSING THE HAND.
An Ancient Court Custom That Has Fallen
Into Disuse In Most Countries.


An Ancient Court Custom That Has Fallen
Into Disuse In Most Countries.
Mayor Harrison's action In kissing the
hand of the Spanish infanta on her arrival
at Chicago aroused much discussion in the
various newspapers and has drawn atten-
ton to the very important part which the
kiss occupies in the etiquette of the royal
and imperial courts of Europe. Many PEG
pie have asked whether the mayor of the
Worlds fair city was dang the correct
thing in kissing the hant~ of the Princess
Eulalie, The question is one of some diff
Guilty to answer. While on the one hand it
is impossible to deny that this form of
greeting was an act of courtesy, on the
other hand it is equally undeniable that,
on the part of the chief magistrate of Chi
cago, it was an uncalled for and somewhat
exaggerated method Of salutation.
In the first place neither Mr.. Carter Har-
rison nor ex-Mayor Washburne nor indeed
any other of the reception committee that
met the infanta, was subject of the king
of Spain, whom the infanta represented at
the Worlds fair, and therefore was not ex-
pected to render to the little lady the
obeisance due by Spaniards to the queen
regent. In the second place, the Ameri
cans are an English speaking race, and the
kissing of the hand is Il distinctly un-Eng
lish custom, which is not expected of any
Englishman, and far less therefore from
the more independent and democratic
American. No Englishman ever kisses the
hand Of any royal princess and when either
the Princess of Wales the Duchess of Edin-
burgh or any of the daughters of the queen
offers her hand to either men or womelS it
is not kissed, but merely graspedl and the
person thus honored bows lows over it if a
man and courtesies if woman.
The only person in England whose hand
is ever kissed is the queen, and then gen.
orally on official occasions, when in the per
Torrance of a ceremonial act of homage
Thus the queens ministers and embassa
doris, as we us the spiritual members of
the house of lords and the great officers of
the realm, kiss her majesty's hand on ap-
pointment to Office, and when the queen
holds a drawing room she extends her
hand, f1guratively speaking, to be kissed,
but in reality to be bowed over by those
presented to her. The moment that she re-
tires from the throneroom, and her place
is taken by one of her daughters or daugh-
ters-in-law, the pretense of kissing ceases.
thoroughly understood in the United
States, is compromise of the kissing of
the foot, which was formerly exacted by
monarchs and princes and princesses of the
blood from their courtiers and interiors.
The custom originated with the magis-
trates, the consuls and the emperors of an
cient Rome, who were wont to give their
hands to be kissed. But this was soon con-
sidered to be too familiar an act of homage,
and in process of time, when the Caesars
began to insist on divine attributes and on
being treated as gods, their subjects were
placed under the necessity of kissing their
feet.
At several Of the courts Of continental
Europe the reigning sovereign's hand is in
variably kissed by his subjects whenever it
Is extended. To an American it can not
but have appeared somewhat incongruous
to see the spectacle of such men as the ven
cradle Field Marshal Won Moltke and
Prince Bismarck bending over to kiss the
hand of young Emperor William of Ger
many, and in the same wayit is displeasing
to see white haired old statesmen and gen
erals kiss the hand of the fat and indolent
young king of Portugal At the court of
Belgium the obeisance involved by the kiss
ing of hands is paid only to the ladies of
the royal family, as the Belgians are too
sturdily independent and possess too strong
sense of dignity to condescend to
kiss the hand of King Leopold. The same
may be said of the Swedes and Norwegians
with regard to King Oscar. In Denmark,
where Queen Louise, who is one of the
| greatest sticklers on the score of etiquette
! has introduced all the formalities and cere-
mony of the petty German court at which
she was brought up, the dignitaries of the
royal household and the persons connected
with the court in some cases endeavor tc
curry royal favor by kissing the hand Of
King Christian, but the practice is very fal
from being general at Copenhagen.
In Russia the cars hand is kissed in the
same servile manner whenever he offers it
and when he dies his corpse has to be kissed
in accordance with the rules of etiquette by
all the great officers of the realm and mem
bers of his household. In Italy King Hum
bert discourages the kissing of his hand as
out of keeping with the democratic spirit
of the age and may often be seen giving 6
hearty handshake to some laboring man
farmer or indeed any one of the humber
classes of his subjects, among whom he i,
specially popular. Queen Margaret hand
as well as those of the princesses of the
royal house of Savoy, is kissed, of course
by the Italians, men and women, and the
same is the case in Spain. Neither Princes.
Eulalie nor Queen Isabella ever dreams
however, of expecting her hand to be kissed
when at Paris, where each of them spends
a considerable portion of the year and goe:
great deal into society.-New York Trib
une.
i The Vintnrinn Rnnnnat