Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-04-30
ing attendant naidens, thus accost-

ed the guest, For as much, as v,
De an Englishman whose custom i
Is IN your country to kiss all ladie,
and gentlewomen without offense
and although il be not so here i,
this realm, l will be- so bold as ts
kiss you, and so shall all my maid
ens.'"
When Erasmus visited England
the habit had taken on a vigorous
growth, and he wrote enthusiast.
cally in its commendation. He de-
scribes the numerous kisses as wond.
erfully soft and fragrant, in which
ke shoxed . disposition peculiar te
men 81 today. Apart from It's sig.
nificance as an expression Of tend.
erness. kissing has been regarded
as a mark of respect since the days
OF Caligula, when all kissed the
hand OF persons of unusual dis
tinction. In the reception by mon
archs of to-day one sees the prac-
tice continued. And many and
amusing are the incidents which
one witnesses in connection there
with. Numerous American ladies
have been presented to Queen Vic
toria, and, of course, American
gentlemen as well. And how diff
ferent is the American of to-day
VINO loves to be presented" from
that sturdy type Of the Yankee thus
described by Walt Whitman.
He met the King and called him Mister.
Asked how much he paid for the throne he
sat on,
He kissed the Queen till he raised blister,
And did 1t all with his old felt hat on.
The American who seeks an intro
duction to the Queen has lost good
deal of that sturdy American blood,
and looks exceedingly sheepish as
he goes through the ceremony.
The ceremony consists in this: The
"presentees" are ranged in line.
The Queen is seated on her dias.
The name of each "presentee" is
called out in turn, and the owner of
the name Immediately walks up
to the royal receiver. As he ap-
proaches her he makes a respectful
bow, and taking her right hand,
kisses it. Once a wealthy Chica-
gcan was among the number hon
ored. Others had preceded him,
looking as solemn as a preacher
about to pronounce his own funeral
oration. They seemed to be seized
with intense nervousness; their faces
were pale, their limbs trembled.
But the Chicagoan looked uncon-
cerned. His turn came, and he
prepared for the ordeal with great
GOODNESS. But, as he approached to
within few feet of the Queen his
nerve seemed to GO. lie knelt, as
is the custom, and seized the hand
of her Majesty. But, 10, he held it
and fnrn nhici -"
the Queen herself did not disdain a
smile.
In ancient Rome kissing was re-
garded as an act of religion. And
something of the spirit which in
corporated it in ancient rites is pre-
served in certain countries to-day.
The Mohammedans kiss the ground
in the direction of Mecca. The
Jews and Russians will always
stand around the bed Of dying re-
lative to kiss the lips just as the last
breath is drawn. The belief existed
in ancient times, as it exists to-day,
that the soul escaped through the
lips. Spenser, in his pastoral elegy
on Sir Philip Sydney, mentions as
an additicnalcause for lamentation,
lin connection with his death, the
I.fact that ahone was nigh his eye
lids up to close, and kiss his lips. y
So, in all the range of literature,
you have mentisu of the kiss in al
it's forms and yignifcations, but
areponderating al tove all, you have
the kiss of love. And as it wal
with the writer's of the past, so i
will be with the writer's of th'
} future. That kiss is simply tn
outward sign of an inward affection
In the words of Sam Slick, 1t
, like creation. 1t was made out o
nothing, and it is good. And
: has come to stay.-Republic.
"What is the best sign OF sprIn
| Sss