The record-union., 1895-01-05
PERILouS KISSES.
Newspaper Men Do Not Believe In
Them.


What is the matter with the doctors?
What IS all this trumpery about the
perils of kissing? Haven't they done
enough mischief in the world already?
Haven't they told US to our sorrow that
we nave vermiform appendix concealed
in our Intervals, and haven't they coaxed
US IN many ridiculous instances to allow
them to cut it oSlt and us off at the same
time? Haven't they sent US away on
long and expensive and needless jour-
neys, exiled us from our friends and
homes and put us out to grass, when all
we needed was slap on the back and
little spirits at regular intervals poured
over our quinine? And after all these
professional didoes, when we had mu-
tinted against their oppression, shall they
come to us IN our sweetest private rela-
tions and tell US that we must let up on
kissing and stop distributing germs and
bacilH in the manner sanctioned by usage
and the recognized conventions of good
society? Shall we as men and women of
the first and second part submit to such
arbitrary dictation? Certainly not, an
swers the Kansas City Star.
Now there is no possible objection on
the part of the public at large to the prac-
tice of selt-denial by the medical profess
sion in the matter of kissing, though it is
related of this noble profession that it has
gallantly contributed its ample proper
tAOh VI OaSliiA III LuS SOOu Olu-ldSulOu0u
way. But what man of sentiment, of
good taste, and, what is more to the point,
OF opportunity, is going to relinquish
prerogative that has come to him as a
birthright?
OF course kissing, like quail eating and
indulgence IN other luXuries, may be
overdone. The indiscriminate kissing of
baby, the meaningless OSCILLATION of TWO
women-these are proper subjects of re-
form. 1t is well enough also to practice
measure OF restraint in the kiss between
the sexes, even where relations sanction
unlimited emotion. But to make an iron
clad rule, to say that we shall not kiss be-
cause the japanese did not approve of it,
is TO say that the Mohammedau snail not
pray three times day because we think
we have put in good days work if we
pray once. Many nations in the Orient
have different hygienic customs from our
own, but 1t is not likely that in most cases
they spring from hygienic reasons.
Ordinary common sense will regulate
kissing as 1t governs other pleasures in
life. The Octogenarian grandmother
VINO passes quietly away full of years and
kisses, might have died sixty yearb be-
fore had she happened to kiss the wrong
party. She might also have been crushed
TO death had she stood under a house
when it tumbled down. But she took her
reasonable chances and was none the
worse tor them.
The anti-kissing crusade as a hygi-
enlc measure is likely to be successful
only in restricted sense. The Cau-
casian race has been educated to the
KISS, and centuries of practice and COM
parative exemption from ills are not
going to be overcome by the dictum
of few enthusiastic scientists, who
are probably the very last to practice
what they preach. The kiss is de-
cIdedly the most agreeable and satis-
factory way OF expressing the sentiments
OF love and affection, and is as rule per-
fectly harmless and safe. At all events,
until science can substitute something as
agreeable and expressive, it will be futile
to preach bacilli TO the most enlightened
race on the globe. The kiss has come to
fStay.