The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-11
KISSING BETWEEN WOMEN.
Oscillation That Is Devoid Of All
Sincerity.
1t u Dono as Aero Matter OF Form, and
is Often Full OF Deceit md Treacn-
ery-Tho Moro tho Hate tho
Swcotcr tho Kiss.

1t is not imaginable, on any possible
view of the subject, that there is tho
slightest pleasurable result expe-
rienced by ladies when they kiss each
other, much less one demonstrable by
the most delicate scientific methods Of
investigation. An ordinarily hearty
hand-shalse would lick it all to fits In
this respect.
Learned inen' in the middle ages, who
Spent much time in discussion of trivial
ties and in hair-splitting, enumerated
host of different kinds Of kisses, though
they, after all, wound up the whole mat
ter by admitting that there is only one
true ltiss-thc kiss of love, and they put
the kiss between women very far down
on the list as thing Of no account or
value, being thus in accord with the
conclusions of all sensible people who
have studied the question.
Still, says n writer in the New York
Advertiser, we have to do with facts,
and women, for all that may be said
against the practice, do kiss each other,
and lin 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 deigncd
to give, though presently, after appar-
emily cogitating and arriving at the
conclusion that this ejaculation, express
sive enough in it's way, could not help
inc very much, she made some remarks
which were altogether, to the male sex
too vague to be here set down at large.
Ultimately l managed, by pressing the
question, to elicit something definite on
the subject, the gist of which was that,
when women kiss each other, they do
SO merely as Il matter of form, moaning
by it for the most part no moro than q
mere handshalSe, and often less, for
there may be warmth in that, but na-
ture has denied the possibility of
warmth existing in n kiss between mem
bcrs Of the same sex. Sometimes, but
very seldom, women kiss because they
like each other.
They also kiss because they don't like
each other, and, in that case, they are
sure never to lose an opportunity OF
kissing each other most punctiliously.
They may hate to do it ever so much,
and yet, whenever they meet, they
eagerly make Il pretty little dab at each
others faces, which passes muster in
the eyes of outsiders as quite touch
ing exhibition of womanly kindness
and affection, though those who know
the real state of affairs only smile, and
perhaps remark: Glow Mrs. A. and
Mrs. Is. do hate each other, to be sure,
Sec how sweetly they kiss!"
The wholc-hcartcd kiss of Young,
girls, rs yet innocent Of the why's and
dcceitfulncss of the world, is o pleas
ant thing in itself; but once they are
initiated into the wilcs of society, there
is no social usage which jars more on
their tender feelings, before these be-
come cnse hardened, than the feminine
habit of kissing, which so transparent
~ cloal1s all manner Of unpleasant and
uncharitablc thoughts. They loathe it,
yet, by degrees, they arc drawn I'M
they, too, become adopts.
When the female side of family,
mother and grown-up daughters, be-
come known to their acquaintances as
given over to the vanity of kissing
visitors all round, both. on arrival and
departure, the making of call on
them becomes such an ordeal that,
rather than run the gauntlet of so
many oscillations, however perfume
torily performed, many of their friends,
who find them in every other respect
charming, feel constrained to reduce
the number of their calls as far as Dos
siblc, in despair of any feasible rem
cdy. There is no excuse for cvading
what has become rulo Of tho house.
You must take them as you find them,
or leave them severely alone. 1t would
be q dire offensc to refuse to offer. the
check to the kiSser.
Perhaps the time will come when oil
kissing will be strictly prohibited I'M
der threat of the sevcrest penalties of
the law. This has been tried, with
moro or less success, in some peculiar
ly-minded communities. So far tho
doctors have practically put their veto
on kissing of all kinds; but, then, what
is there that the doctors have not for
bidden2