The Washington herald., 1908-05-17
KISSING GAME IS Old
Duchess of Gordon Recruits
Regiment with Lips.
WAS INTRODUCED By ROwENA
OSCILLATION Imported Into England
by Daughter OF Hengist, the saxon
AOnarch-Catherine of Russia Puts
Forth Rule as TO How cOurtiers
Must Treat the Maidens in Court.
By RUDOLPH DE zAPP.

Congress win soon adjourn and the
members of the national legislature will
hasten back to their respective "dees-
uicts' TO at once enter into the political
fray which will either result In their
return to the National Capital as the rep
.resentatives Of the people, or much de-
served retirement
IN order to accomplish their retention,
the national solons have been known to
resort to all sorts OF peculiar measures
and some of them in their campaigns
made even a speciality of kissing the
baby. when they saw that by doing so
it meant votes in their favor.
kissing the baby" is not new cam
paiga dodge, though the real value Of
this kind of political asset has not as
yet been determined by the leaders Of
either party One of the spellbinders
while campaigning down South some
years ago, in kissing the baby also
kissed a charming young miss. and Short
ly afteTward he had a lawsuit on hand.
The value of the kiss may be gathered
from the fact that the famous Gordon
Highlanders Is the only regiment ever
recruited by a woman and-kisses. It
was a duchess who did the recruiting
and the manner of It set a nation to gos-
siping. in the year 1894 King George
III found himself in need of more sol
dlers, and commissioned the youthful
Marquis Of Huntley to raise a regiment
of Highlanders from the tenants on the
lands of his ;ather, the Duke of Gordon.
The young marquis found it no easy
task 10 persuade the Highlanders to
leave their homes for in those days when
a man enlisted ne was Kings man
for life, or until he was so stricken by
wounds or disease as 20 be of no use as
a soldier. Seeing his difficulty his young
mother, the beautiful duchess. deter
mined TO help him.
Don Soldiers Tuntc.
Donning a soldiers tunic and a High
landers bonnet ana carrying with her
a bag Of shiHings, she mounted her horse
and made daily tours OF the countryside
Arriving at the cottage OF a likely man.
she called him forth. pointed out the
glory of a soldiers life. and. putting a
coin between her lips. invited him TO
come anu kaht the h4AlS > Shilling 0NLAi
an invitation from the Duchess Of Cor
don was not likely to be refused. and
as she bent down in the saddle each man
took the coin from her mouth with his
own lips There were some shy lads who
would have taken the shilling from its
rare resting place with their fingers. but
the duchess would allow no such timidity.
All Scotland was ringing with the news
that every man who joined the new regi-
ment should have the privilege of kissing
the beautiful duchess. and the duchess
saw 10 it that every recruit exercised
his privilege With such a recruiting
sergeant il was not surprising that the
regiment was established at fun strength
in less than four months.
ApTOpOs Of kissing. let me go 4 little
into the history and customs Of Oscula-
tion. The charming town of Hungerford.
in Berkshire. England. has an annual
kissing day in april when il celebrates
its Hocktide festival Then certain duly
appointed officials hold a court, collect
the tithes, and claim a kiss from the
woman of each house they have TO visit
during the ceremony. The two fortunate
officials thus appointed are known as