The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-09
ERON OTHER PENS

OLD AND TRIED ART OF KISSING.
Why do people. kiss? The act itself
! Is ridiculous as a spectacle and unsatis-
| tying as an amusement. Its sole physi-
| cal accompaniment is feeling of suf-
| location, Ind on the psychic side is
| frequently embarrassing, particularly if
an unsupported audience reveals itself,
say, by satiric whoeps and catcalls. 1t
| has none of the charm of other pleas
| ures. such as solfeggio, eating and au-
tomobiling, for example Kissing will
| neither build up the H.anaemic nor
soothe the neurasthenic.
7 But still it fhrfEss, and no jeremiads
on its. peril viii sxer work it's abolition.
! ing the figr sex As a man attracted
rather than repelfed by danger. He
knows that every kiss he steals is full
of fearful hazards. The girl herself
may black his eye, stab him with d
hatpin or call for the police, and then
again she may choose to regard his
idle favor as an offer of marriage,
and ACCEPT him before he can escape.
Yet again her father or brothers. de-
tecting him with his arm around her
neck and his eyes gazing into her fore
head. may rush in and hail him as a
relative, touching him for small loans,
calling him by his first name and seiz-
ing extensively upon all the other ia
miliarities which relatives-in-law af-
feet Finally, the mother of the girl
may knit him pulse-warners and send
him amateur remedies for his rheu-
matism and red nose, and her. little
sisters may giggle every time they see
him.-Baltimore Sun.
SPAIN AND THE CONCORDAT.
The change of ministry at Madrid
has created little. comment, probably
because the events leading up to it
were of a routine political nature, as
contraSted with those which a short
while ago brought the new repuriated
mi In jef T~x- iT1fn Vnf
is of interest, since it brings to the
front a statesman hitherto little krowni
to the world at large, ard at the same
time there is an. intimation that his
selection foreshadows a purpose to Sc
cure modification of the Concordat.
The Spanish Concordat, dating back to
1851, is a conspicuous survival of the
relationship once common between
Roman Catholic Church. which else
where has been abandoned.
The Spanish Constitution of 1876,
however, materially sustains the Con-
cordat, requiring the government to
support the clergy and the buildings
of the church. On their part. many |
religious communities maintain schools |
and industries Occasional efforts have |
been madt for a reduction of the |
church estimates. and it has been pro- |
posed that the religious orders be reg |
ulated by the state. The letter of the |
Concordat. at least. may not stand in |
bodies great changes in Spain when |
such matters come within the domain |
of practical politicssAProvfdence Jour
nal.
DONATIONS WITH STRINGS.
A man who wanted to make a do
nation to any institution for educa-
tionaI or charitable purposes has perl
feet right to fix conditions of the gift. |
but the same freedom he enjoys, to
give or not to give and to stipulate
the conditions of the gift. carries with
1t correlative right on the part of the
favored institution to accept or not to
accept the limitations which may be
imposed.
These remarks are occasioned by the
controversy precipitated over the prof
fered conditional gift of 100000 to
Princeton University and the refusal of
the university to accept because of
the strings tied to it. It has become
almost a habit of wealthy people en-
downing public or semi-public institu-
tons to make their contributions con-
ditional. The usual condition is that
they shall become effective only when
an equal or proportiOnate sum is raised
by solicitation from other sources.
While 1t is true that this was only one
Of the conditions of the rejected gift
Princeton, yet If the trustees
had stated their reason that they did
not care to go out on a begging ex-
petition to glorify a benefactor who
others were forced to match him
they would have commanded the APP
prevail of large lumber of intelligent
peoUie --Orna ha Pee /