Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-07-25
ALL KISS UNDER PALM
Wonderful Plant at Department of Agri
culture, Washington.

CnIture, Washington.
Among the wonders of Washington
and they are umberless, there prOba
bly, is not to be found today anything
more remarkable than a specimen O.
of plant life now in the possession >o
the Department of Agriculture ant
basking in the grateful warmth of one
of the greenhouses of the department
on the Mall. This rare and almost
priceless curiosity is none other than
the famous kissing palm, or as sci
entifically designated, the palmetto
. oscnlari," and heretofore believed by
many toexist only as a myth. That
such belief should obtain, however,
is not to be wondered al 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 its
scientific value from it's wonderful in
fiuence over all persons who come with
4 in given radius of it. This influence,
as powerful as the strongest magnet,
insinuating as perfume, and as subtle
as the very ether, is exerted upon any
and all and finds expression in an ir-
resistible impulse to indulge in kissing,
and only by fleeing the presence of the
plant can the influence be thrown off.
Y oupg men and women, ,staid middle
aged persons, prosaic married couples
and aged people, while in the presence of
the palm, have found themselves en-
Enthusiastically. rapturously, ecstatical-
ly kissing their companion Of the op-
posite sex, and receiving in return lip
imprints none the less saccharineIy
blissful,
Many OF these persons, entirely .un-
aware of The influence exerted upon
them, have marveled greatly at their
unaccustomed actions when once away
from the plant, but in many cases has
the power of the palm been such that
they have found themselves uncOnsci
ously straying back to the vicinity,
only to find themselves enjoying the
osculatory delights with the same
abandon as before.
SOME KISS WITH IMPARTIALITY.
In a number of cases, where there
have been several in the party, a man
or woman of especially ardent nature
has been known to not confne lip
tribute to any one member of the par
ty, but to favor all of the opposite sex.
One man, it is said, was so far carried |
by the influence as to kiss his mother !
in-law, and she, stranger still, return |
ed the salute with wild fervor 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 men toned now to show
the wonderful power of the palmetto
osculari."
Young couples who, because of timid-
ity or diffidence, have found it impos
sible 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 "Jes-
sie," or MARY" and John" quite ma
turally, this during what little time
and what little breath they found
themselves 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 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 goodly one.
AGE NO BAR TO INFLUENCE.
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 that happy
period, with the love. flame alight once
again, have gone forth from the warmth
of the palm house into the bright sun
shine of a better, happier martial exist
ence. Those with hair whitened by
the frosts of many winters, who have
CHANGED near the plant, have found its
influence just as potent for them, and
at least one breach Of promise suit of
the May and December variety can be
directly traced to the occult 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 1t will no doubt result in bringing
out much that will be of interest and
of real scientific value concerning this
and hitherto 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 it not for the fact that at no time
in the worlds history has it been other
than very rare, and perhaps to-day the
of kissing palms" in growth
is no smaller than for centuries. The
existence of the plant has long been a
matter of dispute among botanists.
No less an authority than Humboldt
declared it as'his belief that the ''klss-
ing plant was fabulous. Bonpland
also shared this belief, and INDUCED in
a bitter controversy with Baudiers,