Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-15

Cancellation, peace. faith and charitv-and
the later ceremonial forms of nectarleSs
oscuiatlon ranging from the parental
smack upon the forehead to the kissing
of the pope'S toe
on the hygiene Of the kiss there is not
such dearth of literature, but. as is i'm
eNilaDie Wheh any phase of the health
question is attacked. authoritative oniniop
Is all al skies and sevenS Old Socrates
opened up the discussion i'm thar talk
win Aenophon when he declared kisses
10 De more dangerous than spiders and
snakes. which View is held even NOV. b,,
that learned Prof W D. Miller of no
University of Berlin. who tho other day
IN an address at MiGdletown Conn 90
ciared that he had recently eyperImented
upon the mouths Of some beautiful c.
man iraIlelns. the nectar Of whose Inns
- paced upon an arrow, would carSa
uedth lhroes more terrible tuan would
the venom of the most noxious sernant
lute,t mere th Is no propaganda more per-
ssstent imam that Of these anti-kissinp
naiia'icS fhey pointed with gleefllI
pIide the other day at cable dispat,.hes
announcing the 1921 birthday of ,he
SWISS centenarian Jean Brun. vii, at
ill., ~, Ils great age To the fact that
IKE Gladstone Dowie. the son of orr
ldte zion prophetic had been kissed Nv
no o,ief woman than his mot her These
Kissing crusaders have already can
~ eu tie sovereign state Of Indiana il,
an or whose schools the stare board -
Health lately posted the warniro. ..I,a
not KISS any one ON the mouth or ALLOW
any one to do so 10 YOU oh safe and
sane age in which We live.
Finally. the laws attitude tovard la,.or,
iiius' una Il plase IN the curriculum d.
our Seh'"l OF love. for what can he az
more practical moment than the Iluawr-
edse Of how The statutes of different
states and different countries yery
as 10 the penalties for fovr-mal,
ing Tile loNer in these DAYS is lka
the automobiles always running afouI
., Strange laws framed lay -booded
old men for the limitation and sunpres-
sion of romance. Might il not he i'm
poftant TO know that whereas in Ire
OH world a man may anywhere kiss A
Wiling mad with impunity. most of The
states III our alleged land Of liberty row
hold il 10 be- punishable offens., to thils
salute lass even after she has coiIrtef
such an attention. In the mot her conn
try the fine for stealing "A kiss from an
unwilling lady ranges anywhere from $40
to So with alternatives of from two 10
hvo weeks i'll durancc vile. In Ame,ia
the average penalty for n kiss freely
given is S:;-this the regular fine for
willinr kisses enjoyed upon the beaches
OF eastern seaside resorts. even when
dai kness has fallen To hide the shameless
deed from all innocents except the police
man skulking behind the dune But here
unwilling kisses come much higher ard
subject the thief not only 10 a fine in
court but 10 heavy civil damages Thus
in Dies Noines not long ago "a Young man
was sued for S1h.tDn for stealing n kiss
from young woman. Eut there Yet
remains one American city where the
mnions of the law refusr to '.mu"'' Cupid
For tie rogueS' gallery THIS is PittSbure
whose SUPERINTENDENT If police the other
day uttered this dictum aneat park spoon
erS:
Let 'em kiss thcir heads off. Give
EN- room. And what is more we want
TO give en- better accommodat ions-more
benches. where more kissing parties can
be held. If q fellow wants to take Lis
best girl TO the park and there give Ter
few kisses. and she X willin.-uhy.
more power TO them BOTH,
III that ] can find Of interest anent the
kiss. in the learned commentaries on the
law. reads:
Tile kiSser and the kissee must meet
equal terms. the latter rsye-ifng in
due course 10 tie practices Of the faiancr.
Indeed. kiss is subject TO this woadcr-
full paradox. that il is the only gift in
the world which wins all Of IL vain" from
neinS returned Ia the !. vnr.
JOHN ELfRETH WATKINS.