The sun., 1902-05-22
MISSING THE BOOk.
4 Relic NJ the Time when Kissing Was
General In Merry England.
F'rom ihs Lancet

Sir Francis Jeune and Mr. Justice Gorell
Barnes have had posted outside the two court :
| of the Probate. Divorce. and Admiralty nj
yision notices ,o Witnesses .,lling their a,ten-
ton 20 tho fact that they may h" sworn in
the Scotch manner before giving evidence
That Il to say. th'v may be sworn with ur-
lifted hand repeating solemn Invocation
90 tho Deity, instead Of taking a book and
Missing Z, after listening tn n form repeat ID
nv a minor o~fcial of the court The notice
90 which We refer Is repeated outside one ~
the courts of the Charcery Division and We
have every hope that II may h'corne universal
We have for rnArV wears CO''"ndeT that tho
oath Nv Kissing a book has nothing to COM
mend n. while IL i nasty and msy h~com-
u means of propagation ~ di~"1-" and W."
have seen with regret that tho statutory PEI
tuis,,on TO wear IN IN" Scotch & a>hion Was.
- -ul" not known by witn"' 80 and FRO
.I"ntlv. also. t4n, luis" 'oron"rs. and
The form of swearing ~ Kissing = hook
I, r'r'lr o." ~ custom ,',s b, NJ direct
rIl". OF hook Of pra',ic" H." date also Of
IT, introduction J. unknown, hut iNt' 4 not
i..cT,t.. \, has heNr 10 IN tho fnis's ~ an
tilutv for u T. fairly c"rt ain thnt. "a recently
~ N tho end NJ the s"v"rt""nth century.
II tho form visited " vs- not In 4uv general
"a. II hp- been pointed ont that tok" In
hi- institutes makes no mention ot ki~sing
tho book but writes of tNe 'corrorsl oath
a. thus named h"cNus" nc vltn"ss touched
with his hand a portion Of N" S"r,Ttur"s. md
thi. ,srec' ~ The oe,h 10 doubt survives
", tho familiar warning Of tho usher TO the
witness 70 remove the glove before taking
tho v.,sta m.ut for tho plrpC-" of ki-siug II II
T. N ~ ob-ery 81 that In the PNos nf paths,
~ which an edition wn- ruhN-he' IN ieSo.
there &. no mention ot kissing book How
tho kissing originated T., W" believe. almost
a much \ tn1'tcr Of speculation ~ Il the
date - which II heoame frequent or universal
Tho Iavinc Of the hand on tho tosp"l- In
swearing g. no doubt. of great antiquity,
while the lqvlng ~ tho hand on the altar OF
a d.ttv IN invoking IN" deity 20 Nitn"as "a
s,q,euleu, or pro'niss "a Older th7n ~" Cos
p.ls Tho lovlng Of the hand on tho Gosprls
has its parallel IN oth"r countries besides
Tnsiand The klssing ~ IN" hook j. how
ever We believe peculiar 80 ENGLAND, or to
ENGLAND and ireland. and II not puit" easy
20 assign - origin 10 the kissing ot relics
whom We apparently nud n introduced ~
Furland after al vrn"rttion for relies had
h-rn svert awav and made 'lsCNl
IL l. worth noting that English p"opl" were
more addicted to kissing once 'hpn th"v arc
now Eissing - form NJ -alutg'ion Wa 90
common among them thni " excited the in-
tcrss' and amusement of foreigners frnS-
mus refsrs TO II and Hungarian gentleman
who visited London and moved ~ cood 80
clctv In ieEa wac much strucS with ~" wav
in which men Kissed lqd,n- whom thev cr""fed
them vhcrc Wurc1rians would have sh1 ken
hands Tvrn Ftr'~'i mon IN IN" Middle ASr-
held kissing A. pso'itFritv of ~" fnGhsh
nation much ~ ve remark upon ~ nov among
the French II l.. Therefore. ~ l"1-, po~-l-
taking an oath may have b""n not - much
a ki-S of v.reraiion ~ r. form ~ srlutsiion or
acknovsd ym~nt nv bodily contact. som"-
What more Crr~moniou- than manual com
tact hut still tot associated With any great
feeling of sol"mnity