The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-12
HOTEL CUMBERLAND, the Gem of the Mountains

generations Here's to the glorious, p- ous and immortal memories of the orig inal kisser! May she bloom and flourish in the loving remembrance of mankind until the last syllable O. recorded time!
 A Most BIissful Institution.
 .It may safely be conjectured that oseulation is co-extensive with civilza- tion and that there is not on the face If the habitable globe ma. or woman in sensible to the enjoyment and advan- teges incidental to the practice of kiss ing Of all institutions under the sun, 1t is at once the most blissful and the most beneficial"
 In the "Chronike von Friesland' by Dr. Pierius Winsemius, "historiographer 10 their high mightinesses the states of F'riesland" published in 1922, the author says that the custom of kissing was un- practiced and unknown in England until Prince Roulx, daughter of King Hen gist of Friesland, pressed the Vecker with her lipkens and herself saluted the amorous Vortigern with kissJen, ac- cording to the practice Of our frlsls ha- tion From this period the aforesaid cus- tom of kissing was adopted in Britain, so that the learned Erasums Rotterda- uus Manverges afterward found occa- sion to praise the whole land on account thereof.
 FIourished Early in England.
 That the practice flourished in Eng land before it did in France is evident from this excerpt from Cavendlsh Life of Woolsey": 'I being in fair great dining chamber, l attended my ladys coming, and after she came thith- CT ont of her own chamber, she received me most gently, like one of noble estate, having A train of twelve gentlewomen. And when her train al. came out she said to me: For as much as ye be an F.uglishman, whose custom is in your own country to kiss all ladies and gentlemen without offense, and although it be not SO here in this realm, yet will l be so bold to kiss you, and so shall all my nradens.
 But if kissing did not begin so soon in France as in England, in the latter coun- try the custom of men kissing one an- other has not been in vogue since the seventeenth century, while on the other side of the channel it still prevails. Tn biblical times Christ accused Judas or betraying the Son of Man with a kiss The practice of prime minister to Kiss the hand of his sovereign on appoint ment to office still obtains in Great Brit ain. To kiss the rod is to accept pun ishment submissively, and to kiss the dust is to be overthrown or slain.
 The lxisser is the one bestowing a saiu- tation, while the kissee is the recelVer thereof. A writer says: 'The kisser and tbe lxissee must meet on equal terms, the latter reverting in due course to the practices of the former, else there VIII be no kissing worthy of the name KISS ing is like marrying: you cannot mary a woman unless she marries you Eacn of you marries the other, and therein consists the marriage. So 1t is with KISS ing. Indeed, kissing is subject to tniS wonderf,,l paradox. that kiss is the only gift in the world which wins all its value from being returned to the giver. Give back any other gift and the original giver will be offended; but in rot giving back kiss you offer an af- front never to be forgiven