The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-12
THE KISS HAS AN
 ANCIENT HISTORY Plays Important Part In the
 Worlds Affairs IS OLDEST OF CUSTOMS Was Symboy of Good Will Among An cient Romans-kiss of Peace
 to the Dead In Greek
 Church.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune.
 Dear as remembered kisses after death" is perhaps as fine attribute to kissing as can be found in the whole realm of poetry. So Lord Tennyson sang in "The Princess" At the other extreme of characterization of this form. of salu- tation is Dean Swift's Lord, wonder what fool invented kissing" Kissing is by no means a universal practice among the nations of the world, being confined to certain peoples and countries. 'The sound of kiss is not so loud as that of can non, but its echo lasts a good deal long er," wrote Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes. As to the origin of kissing, there are nc records or traditions to give any def- nite light, so that 1t may presumed that rite light, so that 1t may be presumed that it antedates recorded history. Blu there are ! mention of a kiss in the Bile is not in the garden eastward of Eden," where the Lord put the man whom He had formed and gave him the woman as a helpmeet,, but in the scene in Genesis when the aged Isaac was deceived by his younger son Jacob. As Isaacs eyes were dlm with years, Jacob was impelled by his mother to impersonate his elder brother ,Esau, and secured his fathers blessing by fraud. The record runs: And his father
 
 kiss me, my son. And he came near and kissed him."
 An Early Custom.
 In the Hebrew the word kissing is the customary equivalent for "adorahon," and the Latin adoration means literally touching with the mouth" Homer has Priam kissing the hand of Achilles. It was an early custom to imprint kisses on ones hand and throw them to the sun, moon, hn Qnrpo the kiss, or osculum, was formal sym bol of goodwill. In the Latin language different words were used to express diff ferent degrees of intimacy involved in the act The '.osculum" was a kiss be- tween friends, the ''basium" a kiss for mere good-fellowship, and the "suayium" the kiss of love.
 The early Christians used the holy kiss and the kiss of charity. St. Paul, in his epistle to the Thessalonian Christians, directs them to greet all the brethren with a holy kiss" and St. Peter, in his first epistle, says: Gree ye one another with a kiss of charity. St. Augustine tells of four sorts of kisses-those of rec onciliation, of peach, of faith, and of charity. Plutarch, in his Life of Julius Cesar, relates how the conspirators, be- fore staying Caesar kissed his face, hands and breast. Tacitus tells how, when Agricola returned to Rome he was re- ceived by his Son-in-iaw, Domitian, with "s. cold kiss"
 The Kiss of Peace.
 In the Greek Catholic church the kiss 0, peace was given before the offertory and consecratiop, but in the Roman Catholic church 1t followed the consecra- ton and was closely connected with the communion. At the close of the thir- teenth century the kiss of peace gave wa to the osculatorium, or tabella pacis, or pax, a plate with figure If Christ on the cross imprinted on 1t, kissed first by the priest and then by The clerics and the congregation This kiss of peace was formerly bestowed at baptism, and is still given at the con 5ecration of new bishop by the other
 priests present, and by bishop to priest at his ordination. The Greek Or thodox church retains the practice of giving the kiss of peace to the dead The practice of kissing the altar where the eucharist is offered as mark of , reverence was early adopted py the Christian church, and in the Roman Catholic church the officiating priest does sc repeatedly. The practice of kissing
 the golden cross on the sandal of the popes right foot by newly created car d,nals has been in use for many hun dreds of years, and persons seeking an audience with the occupant of the holy seat follow the practice. Sovere1gns who owned allegiance to the pope formerly rerformed the same act of homage to the Vicar of Christ. but Charles is said 10 have been the last king to do so. Ceremonial Kissing.
 A writer on the subject of ceremonial
 kissing says: Kissing has been em- ployed in sacred and civil ceremonies from a very early period of time. Kiss ing the forehead of a person is a sign | of condescension and goodwill, the pa- | rental blessing being sealed with fath- | er's kiss on the forehead of child | among many nations. Kissing the sholl- | ders is an expression of inferiority; still | ,1lore so kissing the head or the foot; and | the sign of the fondest humiliation | among the Poles, Bohcmans, Russians ] and Asiatics is to kiss the ground as a | symbol that the place where the foot | of the honored person has trod is dear | to them.
 | Another rhapsodist says: My blessing | on the lady who first invented kissing! 1 She was. beyond all doubt, the greatest | benefactor of both sexes that the world | mas ever seen. While the name of the ! inc human race in the blissful mystery of kissing is lost to posterity, the bless