The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-09-06
What is a Kiss.

! win most clVlllZed ana many I'M
civilized people the kiss is the nat
ural expression of love and kindred
! feelings.
How is it, then, TO be explained
that kiss has become to be OF
such vast Importance? How is it that
light touch of the lips is able TO
express our Utmost feelings more elo-
quently than the words of any Ian
guage?
Is this to be considered something
primitive or something artificial and
conventional? It's as natural to kiss
when We love as TO laugh when we
are happy or cry when we are sad.
In other words is Steele right when
he says that nature has taught us to
kiss, and that it began with the first
courtship.
l shall try to answer this question
but l must advance the remark that
we here touch something of which
We cannot know anything definitely,
and that all we can do is TO put for
ward more or less plausible theories.
First, it is important to remember
that many nations do not know the
kiss in its ordinary form. 1t is I'M
known in the greater part of Polyn-
STA, in Madagascar, and among many
negro tribes in Africa, principally, of
course, among those who mutilate
their lips.
w. Reade tells of the terror of a
young negro girl when he kissed her.
1t is also unknown among the Pata-
gonians and the Eskimos as well as
among the natives of part of Fin
land. B. Taylor says in his North
ern travel" that, while in Finland
men and women may battle together;
kissing is considered immoral and in
decent. When he told a Finish wo-
man that it was common in England
for husband and wife 10 kiss each
other, she replied Indignantly, IF my
husband dared try that | should box
his ears SO that ne would feel II
for a week."
If one then asks what takes the
place of the kiss among these people,
1t should be remembered that there
are an infinite number of greetings.
Some people slaps each others hands
or stomach, others blow ON each 9TH
er's hands, while still others scratch
their right ear and put out their
tongues.
In many countries greetings are
exchanged with she nose. THIS is
the so-called Malay kiss, which con-
sists of rubbing the noses together.
This nose greeting is found among
the Polynesians, Malays, Bskimos and
negro tribes in Africa-all people who
do not know the usual kiss.
1t seems that this nose greeting is
a very primitive custom, whose ORR
gin is rooted in the sense of smelling.
Spencer says: The sheep brays
70 call back its little runaway lamb.
1t shifts at several lambs gambling
around it, and recognizes its own by
smelling it, and rejoices at the reun-
ron. BY repetition a certain relation
between the two factors is developed
SO that the odor of the lamb gives
MISE TO feeling OF Joy in the mother
sheep.
AS every animal has its own pecu-
liar odor, thus has also every human
individual. When Isaac, the patriarch
grew old, his eyesight grew dim and
he could not see. He wanted TO bless
his Oldest son, Esau, but Jacob de-
ceived him by putting on his broth
er's clothes. Isaac then said to him:
Come nearer. my son.. and kiss me-"
He smelled the odor of his clothes and
blessed him, saying 10, the odor
Of my son is like unto a field, bless
ed be the Lord" "a
To smell the peculiar. odor of hui
man being, whom one loves, produces