The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-30

r -'s THE ENToXfeANT KISS.
q think ldS ASSN the worst thing a
Young womaw cam do said DIR. anna
Hatfield, at tie, i Session OF. the pemorsst
unionsof the New 1a5orlx w. G. T. u; land
the amount g1ssgfng and kissing that
some girls-of our best families. too4-sub-
NIT to is literally menace to our moral
ity.'' ys4~e-s=;-
u Intoxieants as sths II theme Of Che ses-
Sion, and the ERsgbssrs Esoof the. Women $
Christian Temperance union present and
engaged in the discussion were speaking
of intoxicants i'm connection with the vice
crusade. 1t was then that the KISS was de-
nounced as one of the most insidious and
dangerous Of the intexicants. The nee
tar auaffed from red lips was described
as more fruitful of consequences to the
young women of the land, than all the
alcoholic beverages distilled. DIR. Anna
Hatfield, in a torrent g. eIoquence. de-
clared that the kiss, Ike The saloon.
must go. She told the result of careful
Investigation, into the. subject, and of
the testimony of, both. young men and
young women as to their experience and
observation in regard to the widespread
ravages of the kissing habit. and the
alarming growth of the kiss custom
The, radical conclusion which she at
taught that it is wrong, not only to kiss
a stranger, butt kiss the man they are
engaged to- - - Is r.
The officers of the national W. C. T. u.
whose headquarters are at Chicago, have
been interviewed on the subject of Dr.
Hatfield's address, and while they do
not place the kiss custom on par with
the drink custom ASA menace to society
they state that kissing has been jeplor-
ed and advised against in resolutions
adopted by ttfe1 association something
over a year ago. -
There is no-douht that the kiss is in
toxicating. Nest people. except dried up
editors, can testify to this by experience,
and even the,-edaitors have learned of it
by report if Tot17by observation. The
extent of the kiss habit likewise, is
alarming. There is no doubt of that.
Indeed, wherever two or more-more Of
ten just two-Iyouhg2 persons gather to-
gether, provide4f~1one of them be girl,
there. the chances are, has trans
pired a kiss. And wherever through the
universe NAH and a woman-some-
times when married, more often when
not, and always when engaged-have
come to one and the same
place at one and 1.-The same
time, the old danger of the intoxicating
kiss has reared .ftsSawful form before
them in all enhancing horrors. The
kiss. is. the frst thing which the babe
gets after it gets its, dinner. and
during the fvel>ysars,$ the chances
are. the little ,dtrpled darling gets 100
kisses to each meal served to it, and
Thousand kisses tosseach suit of clothes
or Sunday school,, saess6n. And these
kisses coma from the dearest sources
from. mother, father, sisters and broth
eFs; cousins and. aunts, friends and
teacherss so thati if there is one thing
in life That is thoroughly instilled into the
youthful mind it. is, that kissing. is the
dearest and sweetest thing, going. Mann
ma may be foolishss she may forget tc
teach. moral or insist. upon a. prinei,
pie, but she does not forget to kiss.
What are DE-. Anna Hatfield and her
good reform co4werkers going to do
about it? That is. the question. Sup
pose. the kiss Intoxicating? What of
that2 Hugging TsEfnore so. Love is ter
rible in that regand. Enthusiasm intox-
icates. PassRpsf all kinds, and some
tfrfes sentfmesS Iatoxicates. The beau
ty3 of some NFeGnassh is enough to take.
ones. breath dwa-except that of edi-
tors-and do n}ore4than a whole case of
claret. to send ,aypan on drunk Now
and then you .And ! man whose personal
magnetism istSe<sggdurce of more danger
to the fair sex than all the champagne
that could be uncorked.. Sometimes there
is a voice which enthralls or an eye
which bewitches, or a coil of hair which
thrills, or a bosom which gives delirium
What then? Shall there be no beauty in
the world and no love? Because Dr..
@Anna is virtuous, shall there be no
cakes and ale? Because there is a re-
form crusade, shall life be shorn of
love and beauty and sentiment? Because
there is a Demorest union of the w. c.
T. u, shall there be no hug. no kiss, in
this dull, dry universe? All. no! Not
while there are, dear ones on the earth.
Not while there are hearts which throb.
and arms and lips which make heaven
of earth. .1...,.
This is not saying that Dr. Anna may
not teach wisdom in regard to the hy-
gIenic menace, of promiscuous kissing
of babies. 81