Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-14
WHY WOMEN KISS EACH OTHER.
Question Which the Wisest Phiioso-
uhor. unye Tried to Answer.

uhers HIVE Tried to Answer.
The average young man, when ne sees
two ladies' kiss one another, IS apt 10 re-
mark: What a waste of good material!
and If the ladies' are young and pretty
he bemoans all the more the loss OF the
good things thus wantonly thrown away.
The only consolation to the masculine
spectator OF the purely feminine kissing
process Is the knowledge that they are
not dealing in the genuine article pu.
only in "A sham and insipid imitation, got
up merely for appearance sake, ana DOL
INDUCED in from any virtue IN the mere
act OF kissing lie knows very wen that
"a kiss without a mOustache Is ike an
egS without salt; at least, ne mas toid
II often enough before his own moustache
had made its appearance. The ecstatlc
thrill OF the levers kiss. which liits the
happy pair for the nonce into state OF
bl.ssful forgetfuness Of mundane mat
tiers. Is hitting subject for the pen OF
lofty poetic inspiration, but what poet
ever bothered his brains to write a single
line on pair Of women pechllg AT cach
others faces. amiably or otherwise?
That man was at once philosopher
and a man Of science who gave out that
he had discovered the electric, unSllng
sensation produced by u real kiss should
be felt through the whole frame FOR al
least half an hour He was. as the Ne"
York Sunday Advertiser says, no doubt,
n German. for only a German could be 50
keenly athlrst for knowledge as TO ven
ture to subject this diyinest OF sensations
to physiological analysis In his labora-
tory--to measure its magnetic pulsauHns,
and calmly to count the accelerated
heart-beats OF kisser and klssee; but'
though he probably looked out at the
world from behind beetling brows ana
a pair of blue specs" he evidently knew
a thing or two.
1t is not imaginable. on any possible
view OF the subject, that there Is the
slightest pleasurable result experienced by
ladies when they kiss each other, much
less one demonstratable by the most deli
cate scientific methods OF investigation.
An ordinarily-hearty hand-shake Wouid
lick 1t all to fits in this respect.
Learned men Of the Middle Ages, VINO
spent much time In discussion OF trl'iaH-
ties and in hair-splitting, enumerated
host of different kind Of kisses. though
they, after ALL wound up the whole mat
ter by admitting that there Is OnIy one
true kiss-the kiss OF love-and theg puI
the kiss between women very FAR down On
the list as a thing Of no account or NdIue'
btlIs kNus III dCtOIu WIN NhN N"''~'
OF all sensible people who have studieu
the question.
Still. We have TO DO with facts anu
women. for all that may be SAID against
the practice, do kiss each other ana III
the pursuit OF knowledge on the subject,
/ asked my wife whether she found any
pleasure In kissing any member OF her
own sex.
POOH" was all the reply she delgheu
TO give. though presently. AFTER appar-
emily cogitating and arriving at the CON
cluslon that this ejaculation, expressive
enough in it's way. could not neip ihe
very much, she made some remarks whish
were. altogether. 20 the male seA-,o DC
here set down ut large. Ultimately l
managed, by pressing the question, "
elicit something definite on the subject,
the gist of which was that when women
kiss each other they do 30 merely as
matter OF form. meaning by H. TOT .n'
most part, no more than mere manu-
shake, and often less. for there may DC
warmth In that, but nature has denied the
possibility of warmth existing IN KISS
between members OF the same sex. sonie-
times, but very seldom, women KISS De-
cause they like each other.
They aigo kiss because they don't IKE
each other. and in that case they are sure
never TO lose an opportunity OF KISSING
each other most punctIlicusly. They may