New-York tribune., 1902-08-14
THE KISS.
IT'S PLACE IN THE CIVILIZATION OF ALL
AGES

IT'S PT ACE IN THE ClNllslbfA'
AGES,
rEE, KISS AND IT'S HISTORY BY Dr. IlaaTic- GhriSlG
pher Nyrop Translated by y HlI1an n5ffon & co.
Harvey. 12no, PIP \, ~ l. r
-, Gives in this book discussion Of
.be Hiss that is not only amusing but iul ol
,i,, All Uferatures and folk lore, appaf-
+,, e+and Al the command Of this author'
,ho Sc a distinguished romance phllologlst al
,be University of Copenha gen, and with lhese
resources he treats Of kissing in all It's Aspects
Five divisions he recognizes: The kisses OF pas-
sion of love Of peace, Of respect ana Oh lLieiic-
shin though he confesses that the DIVISION y
merely a practical one. and that these arllci"l
zroups frequently overlap one another' ne iNe
many arorPer specialist. has some trouble at the
outset in giving . satisfactory deTnltloh OF me-
subject German and Swedish poets. Nerialne
and the Dictionary OF the Danish PhilologlcaI
Societvp fail TO satisfy him. He is inclined 10
he content with the statement that a kiss IS an
Inspiratory bflabia1 sound when used as an eA-
preston Of certain feeling and Wheh lne lIpS
are pressed against or come into contact Win
living creature or object.
This eA4n,i1g 10 fill all needs from scienthc
asnect Of the case, Professor Nyrop examines
sone Of the aesthetic necessities, such as ihe
heard which II the Rumanian and Serb women
same taste prevails in Germany and Holland
Ia Jutland We regret to learn flavor OF To-
bscco is also desired Socrates. the professor
reminds ,,s bv a quotation. feared kissing. ana
advises Xenophon to run as fast as he could the
very instant he saw a beautiful woman FOR
tunateiy the world has never agreed with the
sage of Athens and we nowadays regard the
matter from "a far more sober point Of view
The rneum and tuum of kisses seems 10 have
been the same in all lands The Germans say
you must return stolen kiss, and so 90 the
poets and philosophers of most other nations
The kiss of love naturally occupies Professor
Nvrop's first attention. 1t impresses all other
earthly iovs in sublinaity-at any rate all poets
say So" and the professor is full Of quotations
10 exeuplify it II is a preservation against ia
1uck. it gives health and strength, as Helne
says
Yet could kiss thee. o, my soul.
Then straightway I should be made Whole-
# is as we all know, peculiarly efficacious
through repetition. a Greek folksong has II
thus:
Your first kiss has brought me near to the grave
Your second kiss came my life TO save
But if a third kiss you hestoW,
Not even death can bring me woe
Yet. as the author truly remarks, the lover
was certainly not satisfied with the three "a
tulus came nearer the mark:
A thousand kisses: add ivescore:
Another thousand kisses more;
Then best forget them all
Lest any wight with evil eye
Our too close counting might sSpS,
And dire nishap befaI.
The question of stolen kisses opens up a large
field for discussion from the ethical and Legal
roints Of view. No doubt the procedure of the
German courts is sound. where II is held that a
kiss is to be considered innocent till the con
IN b held also
that woman's right 10 defend herself in such
matters is indisputable; she is justified in ad-
rninistering a box the ears, but this may not
be inflicted with the fist of an Amazon" And
any woman who by look or gesture says l
should like 10 see the man who would dare TO
kiss me- exposes herself 10 the danger and
forfeits all claims
The kiss Of affection has also been met Win
in all ages. in grave or solemn moments; and
Dr. Nyrop's study is rich in examples from ira
dir:on. folklore history and the poets magin-
ings especially as to its redeeming power SO
too. the kiss Of peace though now apparently ex-
tinct. Ioomed large in medieval times, especially
in the Church. as did the kiss Of respect or ven
Grafton. We have reached nearly the end Of the
subject when we come to the kiss Of friendship
conventional salutatiOn between persons VINO
stand only in relations Of friendship or ac-
auaintance In Iceland it is still general form,
though even there there is now a certain falling
off AS DR. Nyrop remarks. this form can best
he studied at any German railway station We
are indebted &c this student for very scholarly,
svrnparhetic and far reaching examination Of
an important subject. He seems 10 have neg
lected none Of its bearings.