The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-15
russmsnAx. NOVEMBER 1S. lOOa.,
FrGHrrNG NATuRE.

The school authorities of Indiana hav6 issued a positive and drastic cons7nand to all under their authority which. reads thus: DO not kiss any one on the mouth, or allow any one to do.so to you" or course. microbes, gerns, bacilli and other small cattle are responsible for what we must cali an absurd command. and a couAhand which is sure to, be dlsregarded and disobeyed. And speaking of it The. Richmond Journal remarks:
 That is probably the work of soms som, smart doctor who wasn't ousy witr measles and appendicitis, and who had a grouch that he wanted to. put where 1t would do the most harm.
 Name us one young man or woman who ever captured disease germ thraugh kissing, though 1t does some dimes bring on an acute mania Tor
 lust produce some. exhibits to back up the order that Is to be innieted on a patient public. Is 1t to be- under- Indiana osculation. or are the schools 9n. the hands of set, of human cried apples who have missed that which makes life a poem?
 There isa danger that the, microbists, sDr microphobists will run their theo-. ry into the ground if they keep, on. We eana understand how a sick person might pass microbes to another per sonsby kissing on the lips, but is tht4 q reason why all people should be continually on the dodge when they sec kisses coming in their direction? The advocates of the germ theory maintain their position and their con- xistency by arguing that inasmuchias no one person can be sure that the. lips of another are not loaded and primed, ready to go off at the slight est touch. the only safe plan is to side-step when you see a kiss cominR towards your mouth and thus avoid cpilisions and remain on the. safe side ok the fence. That is the doctrine of extreme caution, but it is too much so to meet the appreciation af alt. Alfred -Tennyson makes one of his, heroines say:
 o lovel o firel once he drew
 With, one long kiss my whole soul
 through d.
 My lips, as sunlight drihketh dew but more than two centuries earlie' 0darlo~ puts into the mouth of one of his male characters the words: Her. lips suck forth my soul; see, where 1t aiesl.
 It. might well be that such oscula- tory stunts as. those old poets allude to might bring on fits, or some other aiiment, and one might capture few
 
 modern devotees of such enjoyment do not set out to catch souls through the Enouth by kissing. That is not the game they are after, we imagine.
 We are somewhat curious to know how the Indiana authorities will go about insuring obedience to their or ders. It Is one thing to .ssue a com anand and quite another to have it obeyed and enforced. It may be prac- ticable, perhaps, for teachers to pre- vent this sort of game in the school room and during school hours, but we imagine that is about the extent of their power. What is done behind the house or at home by the pupils or the teachers themselves we hold to be Q little beyond the authority of the authorities or anybody else. There ard times and coaditions where kiss lsng may not be safe, from a hygienic point of view, but as long as there are young people with natural impul- ses they will kiss each other on the lips and tell the germs to go hang. There are some old people equally ob- s Htinate.: ....