The Washington herald., 1908-05-17

there Is no small competition for the
honor among the elgibles at Hungerford.
The custom is hundreds Of years old. and
neither husband nor wife. as a rule. OBJ
jeets to the advent of the tutty men, with
the inevitable result.
Mayor Kisses, Too.
Once every five years the good old
town of Newcastie-on-Tyn England
has been in the habit of holding fes-
/ tival known as barge day, when the
mayor and corporation go down the river
in a fine state barge to claim the rights
of the town to certain dues at an ap-
pointed spot Then the procession re-
turns up the river to a well-known stone
where the mayor seleets any zfoman he
likes from the large crowd generally
there and kisses her before the assem-
bled company, and, let It be said softly
before the good mayoress herself His
worship then gives the favored woman a
sovereign as a present, while the may
Dress, 10 show that there is no III feel
ing, adds a gift of her own, such as a
satchel, purse, or other appropriate arti-
Gle. Not only is il the duty Of the mayor
TO do the kissing in this fashion, but the
appointed sheriff, not willing to be left
out in the cold on such occasSns, also
duly carries out a similar privilege He
chooses another girl, and saluting her
gTaveiy-or otherwise-he also hands her
useful present.
When the pretty Thames town of Maid
enhead decided to have a beating of the
! bounds" the steward appointed for that
purpose is always accompanied by a
! large crowd of curious people These
| help rim, or think they do, when he has
/ to climb over houses which stand in his
way, or to get through windows under
which the bounds pass. Also, when the
party meets any man by chance during
/ its progress it proceeds gravely TO
bump" that Individual; but If the per-
son met should be a woman she is given
the choice as TO whether she will be
bumped or kissed.
Other kissing Games.
| Nor is England the only country with
such compulsory kissing ceremonies. Hal
magen. IN Austria. has an annual fair on
st. Theodore's Day at which every man
present has the right to claim one girl
and kiss her without entering any pro-
tests. The custom is the outcome OF a
raid which was once made on the town
| by Turkish brigands, who carried OFF all
the women as captives But a band OF
men travelling in the district CHANGED to
meet the captors and forced them to give
/ up their victims. and were then kindly
| escorted TO their homes and friends. In
grateful remembrance Of the day the
maidens Of Ealmagen annually offer their
/ lips modestly and freely to the strangers
who frequent the town during the fair
/ of ST Theodore.
/ kissing was an act OF religion in an
cient Rome. The nearest friend OF dy-
| ing person performed the rite Of receiv-
| ing his soul by a kiss, supp0sing that il
| escaped through his lips at the moment
| Of expiration The sacredness Of the
/ kiss was inviolable among the Romans
! for long time. At length it degraded
/ into a current form Of salutation. Pliny
/ ascribes the introduction of the custom
20 the degeneracy Of the Roman ladies',
who. in violation Of the hereditary deli
cacy Of the females Of Rome. descend
ed to the Indulgence OF wine. kissing
was resorted to by husbands to ascertain
the quality of their wives libatiOns. and
Cato the Elder recommends the plan TO
/ the serious attention OF all careful heads
OF families The kiss was. in process of
I time dinused generally as a form Of
salutation in Rome. where men testified
1 their regard. and the warmth of their
welcome for each other, chiefly by the
number of their kisses.
Kiss of Peace Sacred.
Among the early Christians the kiss
/ of peace was a sacred ceremony. obsev-
ed Upon their most solemn occasions. II
was called signaculum orationis-the seal
OF prayer-and was a symbol of that mu-
/ tual forgiveness and reconciliation which
t the church required as an essential con-
ditioE. before any one was admitted TO
! the sacraments. The Roman civilians.
at length, took the kiss under their pro-
/ lection. Their code defined with exquisite
/ accuracy the nature, limits. incidents.
/ &c. of the Right Of kissing. The kiss
/ had all the virtue of a bond, granted rs a
/ seal 10 the ceremony Of betrothing. and
/ if the husband-elect repented of what he
/ rad done. he surrendered the presents re-
! ceived in the ceremony. in consequence OF
/ the violence done 20 the mOdesty OF the
/ lady by a kiss.
/ Montaigne deplored the diffusion Of the
spirit of kissing in France, because he
thought the prevalence of the custom
would take away from the grace and
1 favor Of a kiss. He complained of the
/ hard fate to which ladies were exposed.
/ in being Obliged TO lend their lips 10 every
one with the appearance of gentleman.
| 'As for our parts" he adds, we are no
gamers by IT, for. taking the sex in gen
eral, for three pretty girls we must kiss
/ fifty ugly ones, and to a squeamish
stomach ike mine. a bad kiss viii not
| compensate for good one"
The last instance in which the kiss
formed the subject OF serious regulation
| belongs to Russia. Empress Catherine
of Russia instituted assemblies of men
and wonren. to promote the cultivation Of
public manners. Among the rules for
maintaining the decency or those as
| semblies. she directed that mo gentle
man should force a kiss from, OF strike
la woman in the assembly. under pain
| Of exclusion
| Scandinavian tradition has il that kiss
| ing was introduced into the world by
/ Rowena, daughter of Hengist. the Saxon
| monarch. Al banquet given by the
/ British King in honor of his allies, the
| princess, who was present after pressing
| the brimming beaker to her lips. saluted
the astonished and delighted Vortigera
with a little kiss after the manner OF
| her own people. SO well did this novel
/ importation into England thrive that
| from being an occasional luxury il soon
became an everyday enjoyment. and the
/ English were soon celebrated far and
near as a kissing people