The Opelousas courier., 1904-08-27
PRACTICE or aSSING.
THE SOCIAL HISTORY AND sclEN.
TiFIc CRITICISM or oscu.
LATloN.

custom ls UnknoWn-Lip-to-Lip
salutation Was Especially charae-
oteristic Of English Social Life.
The social history and scientific
criticism Of the practice of oscillation
are in the atmosphere just now. But
a short period has elapsed since the
thrillingly instructive volume Of Dr..
Nyrop, "The Kiss and It's History"
was presented to the public in an
English dress. And q twentieth cen
fury epoch in the history oil English
law was made when the legislators
of Great Britain eliminated the neces-
stty for contamination-and possible
infectfon-of the lips of a witness in
a court of law, by contact with the
foul and bacteria laden cover Of the
Testament. This was, asSNesdly, a
contamination to be desiredNpost
devoutly; and we do not at alW be-
lieve that the adoption Of the "sani-
tary OATH will in the least dimin-
ish the trustWorthiness of sworn tes-
timony. The practice Of kissing the
book" appears to have been originally
peculiar to the British Isles. and
there does not seem to be any known
Quotable authority for its origin; but
We incline to think that a plausible
explanation will be afforded by the
history of the Introduction of the Eng
lish version OF the Bible. This was
substituted o- %hn irfolJihIa oy1iAn NJ
religious and moral thought and &C
ton, for the previously infallible au-
thority Of the church. In this connec-
ton the effect of the Reformation was
to substitute q certain amount of ia
miliarity for the previously %pervading
awe, so that loving expression was
superadded to the former wholly rev
erential feeling.
The gradual development Of the
psychological item in the physical
! morals Of OSCILLATION is, Of course, ia
miliar to all readers of the recent lit
erature of medical journalism. One Of
the most interesting and complete of
these latter-day discussions is n
contributed by M. Fere, the well
known authority or the emotions. AS
might be expected, the author Is very
much at home in his subject; espec-
tally so in the homeopathic depart
ment. To the average healthy citi-
zen the practice of kissing includes
danger of %iasidious bacterial infec-
ton. When the muco-cutaneous in
vestment of the lips presents one or
more breaches of continuity, the dam
ger is, Of course, Indefinitely increas-
ed. But to such dangers there is su-
peradded, in case of the neuropath,
that of a shock highly Injurious to
the nervous system. A kiss has been
followed by an epileptic fit; we must,
however, note that the kiss had been
enforced.
The first step toward the legislative
control of oscillation was introduced
into Virginia by Mr.. Ware.
It has been long known to ethnolo-
gists that among many primitive
tribes and races the practice OF kiss
ing was unknown. Among the Laps
and the Maoris, rubbing of noses oc-
cupied its place. The average native
of Japan, a country which promises
to take so important a place in the
making of future history, still knows
nothing of the practice of kissing.
The practice of lip-to-lip salutation
was especially characteristic of Eng
lish social life in Tudor times. Its
universal employment was n OF the
things noticed by Erasmus during his
sojourn in England, and is thus com
mented on in one of his Epistoiae
(Furnivell's version: Here are girls
with angels faces, so kind and oblig-
ing that you would prefer them to all
YOUR Muses.. Besides, there is a GUS
tom here never to be sufficiently
commended. When ever you come, you
are received with a kiss by all; when
you take your leave you are dismiss
ed with kisses; you return, kisses are
repeated. They come to visit you,
kisses again; they leave you, you kiss
them all round. Should they meet
you anywhere, kisses in abundance;
in fine, wherever you move. there Is
nothing but Kisses"
The ~delectable word painting OF
Anglo-Saxon life contrasts faVoraoly
with the gloomy one of the domestic
existence of ancient Rome in tho days
Of its republican austerity. The au'
thor of 'The Decline and Fail OF the
Roman Empire" informs US In charac
e~eristic diction of grandiose ponderos
fty that such form of salutation was
employed by the Roman husband OF
reaching home-for the purpose O
as~certaining whether his wife hat
made a special visit to the wine Gel
lar In his absence; a breach OF DC
nestle discipline for which she some
Zines paid with her life.
Prof. Lombroso would refer the
demonstratiye affection OF all modern
kissing to material origin. M. Fer
looks upon kissing as a manlIestatfoi
of sentiment, as we'll as a means o
eliciting and exalting It.
For our own part, we are disposed
to adhere to our older form of be
lief; that the evolution OF speciall!
sensitive nerve endings in the muco
sutaneous labial margin has largel
contributed to the widespread popu
Iarity of psculation.-New York an
philadelphia Medical Journal.