The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1897-02-13
KISSES FOR EVERY ONE.
Scenes at French Line .ElsrS on the. zae'
: parture=of a steamer. -. .ss:

parture-of = steamer: -. ,>s
Certain physicians ofanore OF less re.
plte have publicly condemned the
practice of kissing: as distinctly mimi
cal to the persons who pursue it, says
the New York Tribune. Although the
fulminations 1pf;these 'would-be reform
erss have attracted a goog ;aeaf: OF at.
tention from the comic papers ';,aqd
from the small army of. people whose
greatest delight in. life It is to seize and.
follow fads' in rapid succession, yet
the thing has never been held Of ,suffi-
Gent weight to demand the official no
:tice' of the health. authorities. But the
abolition of slavery was long in CON;
ing, and for hundreds Of. years the
earth was held to be fiat All reforms
rise FROM small beginnings, and: it lis
possible that 1p. tipe we shall see signs
similar to those: that new denounce ex!'
pectoration in our public conveyances,
declaring that Oscillation is most dan
gerous to- the public wellbeing and is
thereby forbidden by. the board Of
health" If that day ever comes the
first public place to- receive the atten--
ton of the health authorities will,zbe
the pier Of the French line Of transat-
tlaptic steamers at Morton. street. IF
|sanybody happens to- be abroad. at the
unseemly hour Of 3 o'clock of satur-
day morning and is looking for an en-;
pertaining spectacle he can.<do no bet.
ter than to HE himself down, to the
river 'front.' to see the French :finers 60
out. He will get l. new idea Of the
tremendous possibilities. of OSCILLATION.
He, will find the. big pier 'a-stfange
contrast to-. the silent and deserted
streets through. which he has come. 1t
will be ;ablaze with electric lights. It
will be thronged with crowd Of pas
sengers about to.embark for Havre, and
with them will :besnear1y every one Of
their friends who Could by any possi-
bility get: there mo passengers ). go
aboard the steamer until the last min,
ute, and in the time That elapses .:be4
tween theft arrival at lie pier .and.the
moment wheM issheard the cry OF .:":Alf
ashore that's going ashore!' ,thsrss IS
not IAN instant when somebody. Hssh dt
getting kissed. TIL Flea,ch ate,notSa
for their effusivehess, but there ig prob:
ably no occasion when this trait ap-
pears TO. such an extent as when they
are about to commit their friends to-
the mercy of the sea-, They are kisses
that are felt, too. None Of your half
and-half. milk-and-watsr, namby-
PANTY Kisses for your Frenchman, but
kisses that are to be remembered for
days and weeks and months and. not
forgotten until the friends meet again.
They: are -a,idible-those kisses-all
over the pier and they make the casual
stranger feel utterly lonesome and dis
NAL, The women are kissed by the
men and The; men are kissed by. the
women, and, strangest of all, the men
are, kisesd by the men. 1t is not one
kiss or two or three, but scores and
scores OF them. 1t is a perfect fusillade,
bombardment Of kisses, Or the
mouth they fall and nsthe cheeks. and
on the hair and on the eyes. There is
no part or portion Of their; faces that
escapes. Big, bearded amt - bronzed
men clasp each other in their arms, and
their lips meet time and: time again.
And between kisses the air is full Of
arms flung about in excited gesticula-
ton and one gets a bewildering impress
sion of shoulders, that are shrugged
and eyes that are rolled end eyebrows
that are raised>and lowered with the
speed of memory. 80 And ak the while
tho orr is f,,ll :Afr 'nerfescf, ftlaos of ex-
clamation points and din:inutives and
all the terms of sendearmsnt Of which
the French language is:scsful1. ITO the
colder-blooded native Of this latitude
it is all quite aincomprehensible and be-
wildering. ~.xs ~ ''2:t