The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-07-20
Difident Young Couples Lose All Their
Bashfulness in its Presence.
NEITHER MARRIAGE NOR AGE is A BAR
This Wonderful Plant is Said by Authorities TO
Grow Only on Small Island Due
West From The Coast Of
Peru.
washington Post.)

NA'O- 80 Ai"hpCiiSoo, pioDdbiy ID
not to be found today anything more
remarkable than specimen of plant life
now in the possession of the Depart
ment of Agriculture and basking in the
grateful warmth of one of the green
houses of the department on the Mall
This rare and almost priceless curiosity
is none other than the famous kissing
PALM" or as scientifically designated
the Palmetto osculari,'' and heretofore
believed by many to exist only as a
myth. That such a belief should OBJ
tain, however, is not to be wondered
at when the marvellous nature of the
botanical specimen is considered and it's
extreme rarity taken into account.
The palm derives it's name and it's
scientific value from it's wonderful in
fiuence over all persons who come with
in a given radius of it. This influence,
as powerful as the strongest magnet, in
sinuating as perfume, and as subtle as
the very ether, is exerted upon any and
all and finds expression in an irresistible
impulse to indulge in kissing, and only
by fleeing the presence of the plant can
the influence be thrown off. Young men
and women, staid middle-aged persons,
prosaic married couples and aged peo-
pie, while in the presence of the palm.
have found themselves enthusiastically
rapturously, ecstatically kissing their
companion of the opposite sex, and re-
ceiving in return lip imprints none the
less saccharinely blissful
Many of these persons, entirely I'M
Of inf cd
them, have marveled greatly at their I'M
accustomed actions when once away from
the plant. but in many cases has the
power of the palm been such that they
have found themselves unconsciously
straying back to its vicinity, only to find
themselves enjoying the osculatory de-
lights with the same abandon as before.
SOME KISS WITH IMPARTIALITY.
In number of cases, where there have
been several in the party. man or wo-
man of especially ardent nature has been
known to not confine the lip tribute to
any one member of the party, but to ia
vor all of the opposite sex. One man.
it is said, was so far carried away by
the influence as to kiss his motherin-
law, and she, stranger still, returned the
salute with a wild feryor that fairly took
his breath. This, however, is said to
be most unusual case and the only one
so far recorded locally. and it is only
mentioned now to show the wonderful
power of the Palmetto osculari."
Young couples who, because of timid-
ity or diffidence. have found it impossi-
BILE to crafty their wish to break away
from the formal 'Mr." and miss" in
their remarks addressed to each other.
have suddenly discovered themselves
saying George" and Jessie. or Mary"
and John quite naturally, this during
what little time and what little breath
they found themselves possessed of be-
tween salutes of an osculatory nature.
Among those who have been found re-
turning to the palm most frequently and
whose visits are longest are couples of
this class. and it is said the reserve that
before stood as a barrier between them
and acted as minimizing factor in their
joys never returns. How many engage
ments and marriages have resulted be-
cause of proximity to the plant will never
be known, but the number must be a
goodly one.
AGE NO BAR TO INFLUENCE.
Married people, who have come to look
at matters in a less sentimental and more
practical light than in their earlier years,
have had recalled the joys of courtship
and the honeymoon, and. through this re-
hinder of that happy period, with the
love- flame alight once again, have gone
forth from the warmth of the palm house
into the bright sunshine of better,
happier marital existence. Those with
hair whitened by the frostss OF many
winters, who have CHANGED near the plant.
have found its influence just as potent
for them, and at least one breach of prom
Use suit of the May and December va
riety can be directly traced to the oc-
cult influence of the kissing palm" Now
that the facts are known, it is quite
possible that testimony as to the plant
will be introduced as evidence, and If
such is done it will no doubt result in
bringing out much that will be of inter
est and of real scientific value concern
ing this remarkable and hitherto little
known botanical specimen.
The extraordinary character of the palm
is only equalled by its scarcity. 1t could
almost be said to be extinct were it not
fer the fact that at no time in the worlds
history has 1t been other than very rare,
ond parbaps today the number of kiss
inc Mains" in growth is no smaller than
for centuries. The existence of the plant
ba., long been matter of dispute among
botanists. No less an authority than
Humboldt declared it as his belief that
the kissing plant was fabulous. Bon
pland also shared this belief, ana IN
dulged in bitter controversy with bau-
diern. who claimed to have seen. speci-
men of the palm in the South Sea Is
lands, and there to have come under its
influence to the extent that he was IN
able to refrain from embracing and kiss
ing two anything but attractive native
women standing near.
KISSING ORIGINATED IN ISLAND.
The writer, Giraldus Cambrensis. his
torian, antiquary, philosopher, theoiogian
and poet. is said to have written
lengthy treatise on the plant, in which