The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-05-01
Rr HELEN MoRroN LIVINGSTON.

shire and Hampshire, England, for Il
is kissing Day" or otherwise Hook
tide" John of Gaunt. Duke Of Ian
caster, in the latter half Of the four
teenth century granted TO Hungerford
valuable rights Of posturage and trout
fishing, which are regulated annually al
the court OF hocktlde, and at .to-day's
manor court ell the ancient customs as
ISOLATED with It will be observed. In
the morning the townspeople are awak
ened by the blasts from John Of
Gaunts horn. the symbol OF HUngerford's
liberty. Then men, armed with 1orally
decorated slaves. sally forth TO collect a
head penny from every householder and
10 obtain kiss from every woman and
girl they come across. Generally speak
ing. the women think that II would be
a pity 20 let such venerable custom
drop. Husbands pay their pennies and
look stolidly on at its Observance. After
the transaction OF business comes re-
taxation over steaming bowls OF fragrant
punch brewed from an old recipe of Ian
castrian date and churchwarden pipes.
The story OF how the beautiful Duchess
OF Devonshire successfully weed the free
and Independent burgesses OF West
minister on behalf Of Fox by the witch
cry Of her bright eyes and red lips. IN
the general election Of 1854 Is well known.
But other times. other manners. A neat
retort was made by Lady Randolph
Churchill when once she was invited 70
follow the example OF the Duchess OF
Devonshire IN an eiectioneeriug contest.
II was during the general election OF
1885, when she was cauvassing IN the
interest OF a Tory candidate. say Sir
Horace Dash, whose wife had left her
youth remotely behind interviewing that
most important person in an election. a
wabbler-for II is he and his kind that
often decide the issue Of a parliamentary
contest. I am told,-'I hope" said she.
you VIII support the constitutional
cause and vote for the CulOnist party
I haven't made up my mind yet re-
Piled the man, but" he went on. with
a tocose smile. IF 7 could get the same
price as was paid once by the Duchess
OF Devonshire for a vote I think 7
could promise" Thank you very much"
said Lady Randolph Churchill sweetly.
I'll let Lady Dash know" The wab-
bier no doubt, continued wabbIng. In
tho one case. the ladys kiss would prob
ably have convinced him that her poll
tice were excellent. In the other-wen.
possibly he would have seen or felt little
in the argument that was convincing.
What IS a kiss worth anyway? What
II is money vaIue2 Can price. The cold
figures. be placed upon tho delights OF the
bps and heart? A Baltimore Judge not
long ago imposed a fine OF S47.75 for a
single kiss snatched by a boarder from
his fair laudlady, while for a similar Of
fense-doesn't i seem paradoxicaI 10 use
the word onense2-when the offended one
was pretty girl a New York judge sent
a shoe dealer 10 Jail for sixty days
II a man knew that Ito kiss body
comm thrO' the rye" or passing through
a railroad tunnel or walking the village
promenade would cost him. say. S. or
even so, he could let hts pocketbook de
eide what he ought 20 do. But there's no
such consolation. And there are those
who think the man who believes IN kiss
ing a pair OF pretty lips when he sees
them is used very meanly by the law Il
tho law Furnishes him.
That the Dominion government consid-
ers kissing without permission a INSIDE
meanor warrantiug imprisonment was
shown by the disposition OF a recent case
IN which DR. Charles W. Wilson, one OF
the prominent physicians OF Montreal.
vas the defendant. Before his arrest Dr.
Wilson had been roughly used by A. T.
Severance. OF New York City. With a
party Of friends Mr.. Severance and HIS
young daughter were sitting In the cor
rider OF a Toronto hotel. when Miss Sew
erance suddenly exclaimed. He kissed
me"' pointing 20 DR.. Wilson, standing
over her. Although pleading intoxication,
the doctor was sentenced 70 spend seven
days in Jail. 4 man OF Winsted. Conn.
was fned $50 for a kiss which he never
got. He was fined for an alleged attempt
TO kiss the pretty organist at the Hart
ford Union Baptist Church.
According TO at least one police officer,
a woman should be taught the value Of
kiss 70 the extent Of being sent 10 jail Il
she permits herself 10 be osculated IN
public. Policeman Corners, Of PhiladeI-
phia. came upon Mr.. and Mrs. John Dietz
(they were newly married. intently kiss
ing each other as he charged on a street
corner and promptly ran them in"
why did you arrest the lady2'' he was
asked. and he replied, For letting her
self be kissed IN public" But the mag
istrate IN this case thought differently
and dismissed the couple. with repri-
mand thrown IN for the policeman. That
# is a crime to hus and kiss a gIrl while
sitting on a door step. provided she IS
willing was the ruling OF New York
Judge recently. Originally the man IN the
case had been fined Sc for kissing. but
the case, and his appeal was
upheld.
There are different kisses and different
Of them according TO Mrs. Ken
dal, the English actress. who delivered a
lecture recently on behalf Of the Babies
Home at HoXtOn. In the course Of her
lecture. which she called Rambling
Roses" Mrs. Kendall had several things
20 say about kissing For example: I'VE
hear a lot about kisses. To steal a kiss
is natural; 20 buy one Is stupid Two
girls kissing is a waste Of time. To kiss
ones sister is proper. To kiss ones wife !
is an obligation. To kiss an ugly woman
is gallantry- To kiss an old. faded wom-
an is devotion. To kiss a young. blush
ing girl IS quite a different thing. To kiss !
ones rich aunt IS hyprocisy. kissing |
three girls on the same day Is extrava-
gance and 10 kiss ones mother-in-law is |
q holy sacrifice"
So much for Mrs. Kendars kisses. And
now for Nine. Bernhardt's. When this |
celebrated French tragedienne made her