The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-02
Must the Hamd-shake Co.

The biologists, the microscoplsts and va
rious other scientific sharps seem to be
conspiring to take the spice out of life.
1t has not been long since they told us
that If we wished to live long and be
happy we must either sterilize the kiss,
or go without it altogether. The labial
contact, they declared, was the vehicle
by which many bad little germs Travelled
from one field of action to another, and
said they had been able to trace diphthe-
ria and other ailments 10 kissing.
Now these scientists are telling US that
the hand-shake is almost as dangerous as
the kiss The bad little germs, they say,
secrete themselves under the finger nails,
and are transferred to new territory by
the hand-shake. Having found new fields,
they 90 to work making the new subject
sick, and getting under his or her finger
nails ready to make an assault upon some
body else at the next hand-shake. A prom
inent doctor not long ago found the bacilli
Of scarlet fever, diphtheria and smallpox
in the scrapings from several sets of finger
nails
How would the scientific people have us
to make our salutatons? Shall We like
the Chinese, shake hands with ourselves,
or like one of the African tribes, stick out
our tongues? That would be a pretty
howdy-do! In Japan there is no kissing;
that is, kissing is not common, stul it is
probable that Q NIimosa San, having been
taught by foreign visitors what kissing
is like, practices it occasionally on the sly,
in defiance of custom ana microbes and
with more or less delight Are the Chi
nese and the japanese centuries ahead of
us in this matter of Misunderstanding and
kissing, or are we centuries ahead of
them in our boosted civilization. which
permits Of these things. even if they do
spread bacilH?
1t would be an extremely difficult mat
ter TO eliminate the hand-shake. A ply
sician says the custom originated in the
ancients grasping each other by the wea-
pon-hand 50 as to guard against treachery.
From this beginning the form of saluta-
ton has grown into recognition among
probably half the people of the world as
the proper thing in expressing welcome,
friendship, appreciation, etc 1t has come
TO be of tremendous political importance
What would the American politician do
without the hand-shake? The President
of the United States suffers his arm 10
be pump-handled thousands and thousands
of times in a year. for the sake of the
popularity which 1t gives him. The cam
pagner who makes "stumpng' tours
must not only shake hands during the
whole time that he is campaigning, but
he must also commit the other hygienic
sin of kissing the subject being the in
fantile progeny of his constituents; and
often at such times the campaigner wishes
in his innermost heart that carboized
kisses We're compulsory
Haud-shaking may be a mannerism. it
may be 10 some extent and under certain
circumstances dissemination of bacili;
but it is a mighty good old custom, and
it is safe to say that the danger in it. to
the average person, Is very small indeed
A hand-shake at the proper time, and in
the proper manner and spirit, carries
world of meaning. II may be made to
convey sentiments which could hardly be
spoken. It can give courage to the falter-
ing. assure the hesitating and lift up
and steady and save the fellow creature
that is upon the point of falling to perdi-
ton. There is nothing which could take
the place of the hand-shake in express
ing cordially and good-fellowship. 1t is
good thing. and win remain.