The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-07-05
HISTORY OF KISSING.
The Salutation Means Various Things in
Various Countries.
Chicago Tribune.

With all people that have reached q
certain degree Of culture the kiss is
an old symbol Of love, friendship and
esteem. Nations that remain socially
as we'll as otherwise but little above
the animal do not know the kiss.
With them there is no mutual love,
friendship and esteem.
Even some nations that know DO
meslicity and family lfe-like the
Eskimos, Laplanders, Somalis, Ma
lays, and others do not practice oscu-
lation. Their sentiments are too SIM
pie and natural to require particular
symbols. This, however, is also the
case with some people among the most
highly developed nations.
The old Egyptians considered it a
high degree of politeness to kiss their
own hand and then place the latter on
the top Of their head. They also
kissed the hand Of o man Of high rank,
but they did not kiss women at all.
The Abyss;nians kneel down and kiss
the ground as sign Of their most
profound respect.
With the ancient Jews tie kiss was
quite common, and the modern Jews
have abated the custom but little.
Among the ancients even mere ac-
ouaintances kissed each other hand
and shoulder, while they exchanged
the salutation, "Scholem alcikums
peace be with you). IF the old Jews
desired to express their highest esteem
for somebody they kissed hisfeet, and
even his footprints. There was moth
ing extraordinary in the fact that
Judas kissed the Messiah because this
mode Of salutation was as common in
those days as a handshake is today.
Jesus, the reformer, however, did not
look upon a kiss as Q mere formality,
but an a token Of love, and Hc there
fore asked Judas: ''Doyou betray the
son Of man with kiss?" and hence
the Judas kiss, this token of treach-
cry, has become proverbial.
In ancient Rome, where, with the
conquest Of che Orient. many Oriental
bad habits we're introduced, kissing
became so promiscuous that it became
4 positive nuisance in the days of
Emperor Augustus Under the reign
of Romulus the old Romans, that is,
the male portion, had a habit Of kiss
ing women for the ostensible reason
to find oatwhether they had partaken
of:any wine, such imbihing being pro-
hibited for the weaker sex.
Greece of the olden times had a law
providing that any man who kissed a
woman or girl on the public street
should suffer death. It happened
that an Athenian youth who was in
love with the daughter Of Pisistratus,
the tyrant, kissed her on The street.
History tells us that even tyrants may
have softer moments, for when the
wife OF Pisistratus demanded the death
penalty for the offending youth, the
tyrant replied: fsF we remove those
that love us, what shall We do with
those that hate us?'
Pnblius Maevius Of Rome, OF the
other hand, had liberated slave torn
to pieces by wild horses because he
had kissed the Roman stateman' s
daughter. The censor. Cato promul-
gate.. law prohibiting married people
from kissing each other in the pres
ence Of their daughter.
The prohibition Of kissing in public
found formal expression in the old
Roman law. Some instances in this
connection are pointed. A married
woman who permitted any one but her
husband aud children to kiss her lost
her dover. 4 betrothed,. on the other
hand, who was kissed by her dying
afianced in the presence Of third per-
sons, was declared to be his lawful
wife, and after his death she received
half of his estate. There are several
countries where at the present time
the kiss Of betrothal mas legal effect.
During the imperial period Of an
cient Rome this serious and noble
conception Of the limitations Of kiss
disappeared gradually. Luston de-
scribes in his biographies of twelve
emperors the kissing mania Of mis-
times. The abuse became SO preva-
lent that Augustus and Tiberius issued
edicts against kissing. At great BAH
quets the lips Of the serving maids
were kissed by every guest 50 often as
there were letters-in the name of the
lo.I -. H. ..,,,ck =, xrboeo bonor tho