The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-07-23
TIE RRACE1CE OF KISSING.

| The social history and scientific
criticism of the practice of osculation
are IN the atmosphere just now. But
short period has elapsed since the
tirlllingly instructive volume of DIR.
Nyrop, "The Kiss and It's History
was presented to the public in an
English dress. And a twentieth cen
tury epoch in the history of English
law was made when the Legislators
of Great Britain eliminated the neces-
sity of contamination possible
infection-of the lips of a witness in
court Of law, by contact with. the
foul and bacteria laden cover of the
Testament. This was, assuredly, a
consummation to be desired-most
| devoutly; and we do not at all 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 original
ly 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 plausible
explanation will be afforded by the
history Of the introduction of the
English version of the Bible. This
was substituted, as the infallible
| guide of religious and moral thought
and action, for the previously infal-
lible authority of the church. In
this connection the effect of the Re-
formation was to substitute certain
amount of familiarity for the pre-
viously pervading awe, SO that low
ing expression was superadded to
the former wholly reverential feeling.
The gradual development of the
meteorological item in the physical
morals of OSCILLATION is, of course, fa-
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 one
contributed by M. Fere, the well
known authority on the emotions.
AS might be expected, the author is
very much at home in his subject (;
especially so in the homeopathic de-
partment. To the average healthy
citizen the practice of kissing in
cludes danger of insidious bacterial
infection When the -cutan-
eous investment of the lips presents
one or more breaches of continuity,
the danger is, of course, indefinitely
increased. But to such dangers there
is superadded, in case of the neuro-
path, that of shock highly inju-
rious 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 legisla
tive control of osculation was intro
duced into Virginia by Mr.. Ware.
1t has long been known to ethnolo-
gists that among many primitive
tribes and races the practice of kiss
ing was unknown. Among the Lapps
ctipied its pace. n The ravefagesfatqee
of Japan, a country which promises
to take SO important place in the
making of future history, still knows
nothing of the practice of kissing.
The practice of lip-to-lip saluta-
ton was especially characteristic of
English social life in Tudor times.
It's universal employment was one
of the things noticed by Erasmus
during his sojourn in England, and
is thus commented on in one of his
Epistolae (Furnivell's version) !:
"Here are girls with angels faces,
SO kind and obliging that you would
prefer them to all your MUSES.. Be-
sides, there is custom 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 dismissed 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, wher-
ever you move there is nothing but
kisses"
The delectable word painting of
Anglo-Saxon life contrasts favora-
bly, with the gloomy one of the do
mestic existence of ancient Rome in
the days of its republican austerity.
The author of "The Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire" informs us
in characteristic diction of grandiose
ponderosity that such form of salu-
tation was employed by the Roman
husband on reaching home-for the
purpose of ascertaining whether his
wife had made special visit to the
wine cellar in his absence; breach
of domestic discipline for which she
sometimes paid with her life.
Prof. Lombroso would refer the
demonstrative affection of all mod
ern kissing to material origin. M.
Fere looks upon kissing as a mani
festation of sentiment, as well as a
means of eliciting and exalting it.
For our own part, we are disposed
to adhere to Our older form of belief
that the evolution of specially sem
sitive nerve endings in the muco-
cutaneous labial margin has largely
contributed to the widespread popu-
larity of osculation.-Ne0V York
Medical Journal.
Shelf you want eggs to keep
they should always be laid in cool
place.
He-Well T'll po ripht out and