Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-07-19


they have found themselves uncon-
sciously enjoying the osculatory de-
lights with the same abandon as be-
fore.
In a number Of cases, where there
have been several in the party, man
or woman of especially ardent nature,
has been known to not confine the lip
tribute to any one member of the party,
but to favor all Of the opposite sex.
One man, it Is said, was so far carried
away by the influence as to kiss his
mother-in-law, and she, stranger still,
returned the salute with wild fervor
that fairly took his breath. This. how
ever, is said to be the most unusual
case and the only one so far recorded
locally, and 1t Is only mentioned now
to show the wonderful power of the
Palmetto osculari."
Young couples who, because Of timid-
ity or diffidence, have found 1t impos-
sible to crafty their wish to break
away from the formal MIR" and
Miss" in their remarks addressed %
each other, have suddenly discovered
themselves saying George" and "Jes-
sie," or Mary" and "John," quite nat
urally, this during what little time and
what little breath they found Them
selves possessed of between salutes of
an osculatory nature. Among those
who have been found returning to the
palm most frequently and whose visits
are longest are copious Of this class.
and 1t Is said the reserve that before
stood as q barrier between them and
acted as a minimizinging factor in
their joys never returns. How many
engagements and marriages have re-
suited because Of proximity to the plant
will never be known, but the number
must be a goodly one.
Married people, who have come to
look at matters in less sentimental
and more practical light than In their
earlier years. have had recalled the joys
of courtship and the honeymoon, and
through this reminder Of the happy pc
riod, with the love-fame alight once
again, have gone forth from the
warmth of the palm house into the
bright sunshine of a better, happier
marital existence. Those with hair
whitened by the frosts Of many winters
who have chanced near the plant, have
found its influence just as potent for
them, and at least one breach Of prom
ise 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, 1t Is
quite possible that testimony as to the
plant will be introduced as evidence,
and If such is done it will no doubt re-
suit in bringing out much that will be
of interest and Of real scientific value
concerning this remarkable and hither-
to little known botanical specimen.
The extraordinary character Of the
palm is only equaled by its scarcity. 1t
could almost be said to be extinct were
il not for the fact that at no time In the
worlds history has it been other than
very rare, and perhaps today the num-
ber of kissing palms" in growth is no
smaller than for centuries. The exist
ence of the plant has long been a mat
ter Of dispute among botanists. No less
an authority than Humboldt declared
it as his belief that the kissing plant"
this belief. and INDUCED in bitter con-
troversy with Baudiern, who claimed
to have seen a specimen Of the palm in
the South Sea Islands, and there to
have come under its influence to the
extent that he was unable to refrain
from embracing and kissing, too, any
thing but attractive native women
standing near.
The writer, Giraldus Cambrensis, his
torian, antiquary, philosopher, theolo-
gian and poet, is said to have written a
lengthy treatise on the plant, In which
he traced the origin Of kissing to 1t.
According to Cambrensis, the custom
prevailed originally only in a small Is
land in midocean, due west from the
coast Of Peru. Here, 1t Is said, under
the influence Of the palm, the intoxi-
eating delights Of kiss were learned
by castaway Europeans, who later re-
turning to their country, carried the
custom with them; the spread thence
forth being rapid and the custom soon
becoming general.
Some authorities. notably De Monke
and Geyer, have even tried to prove
that from the kissing Of the hand came
as a compliment to the kissing palm,
the styling of the inner side Of the hand
the palm" However this may be. one
thing is now certain, that this peculiar
variety Of palm Is Indigenous to the
Pacific island mentioned by Cambren-
sis. Outside of that of Baudiern, there
Is no record Of any specimen Of the
plant growing in other parts Of the
world.
The number of palms in the island to
which 1t is native Is very small. and,
for a number Of reasons, there Is little
likelihood of there ever being any ma
terial increase. The questions Of alti-
tude and climatic conditions make 1t
extremely improbable that the palm
can ever be successfully grown any
where other than its little island home.
A few feet higher or lower in its rela-
ton to the sea level determines against
it's life while a continual temperature
approximating SO degrees is an absolute
necessity. Only by the most patient
and persistent experimenting have
something like the conditions necessary
to the preservation of the palm been