Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-31
A NON-KISSING ORGANIZATION

lovers" said the president. a. My life for
just one kiss sounds thrilling in romance
and poetry. But disillusion is found in
the hospitals. whence lovers follow one
another to the grave in q few short
months
ITO kiss or not to kiss?" is question
that bids fair to be discussed before long
throughout the country. Mrs. Rechtfn' S
society is now known in all OF the prtn-
cipal cities. and arrangements are being
made for the establishment Of hundreds
of branch offices.
In New York. Philadelphia and other
cities OF the east. the non-kiss idea has
not met with the favor with which 1t has
been greeted by the people Of Cincinnati.
Here are a few opinions expressed by
eastern club women of prominence:
Mrs Philip Van Valckenburgh, who has
been married three times. says:
II don't think life would be worth liv-
ing without kisses. They are as old as
the world I'm perfectly sure Eve knew
about kissing before she listened to the
serpent. OF course. 1 don't believe In
'promiscuous' kissing. which cheapens
the value of the kiss: but it Is silly to
talk about discouraging all kissing"
Miss Alberta Hill, suffragist-'I was
brought up in Japan. where they don't do
such things. So Of course I suppose 1
don't know anything about 1t. But
whenever am told not to do anything I
always want to go straight and do it. SO
if a society is organized to prevent peO-
pie from kissing" Ga pause, and then
a stammer). "well-l-l-think all the
other girls, who weren't brought up In
Japan, will want to see why kissing's
so bad
Mrs Belle De Rivera president of the
New York City Federation-"I think the
agitation is extremely silly and in very
poor taste. Every one knows a great
deal Of harm may be done by the promis
cuous kissing OF children. The fact is
so well understood it seems silly to try
to organize it. l feel certain New York
club women will not join in any SUCH
foolish, sensational agitation -s:.. ~
Mrs. William Cummings Story-"Frank-
", 1 never gave the question a serious
thought. but automatically 1t must have
a certain amount of Importance. or the
Cincinnati women would not have deemed
it worthy of their serious attention.
Mrs. Harriette j. Wood-"I think the
practice Of kissing Is altogether too ex-
tensive The habit of certain society
women of saluting each other with a kiss
tremely silly. < handshake is in much
better taste But a mother should kiss
her children whenever she chooses. un-
less she is the victim of disease. Her
impulse of affection. and the children
can receive nothing but good from
them AS to forbidding young men and
women to kiss-well, l think they are old
enough to look out for themselves. And
even if the practice is an evil, every evil
has it's compensations you know
DR.. Eugene Hancock-'There are dis
eases terrible in their effect that are
transmitted with the utmost ease by
kissing And all our young people are
equally in danger. Yet kissing is nat
uraI wholesome thing In its origin, and
sentimental considerations would make
it's Punishment impossible. 1t is the very
favor of all poetry and song and ro-
nance But it should be properly safe
guarded II would not be such bad
idea if all young people had to produce
health certificates before kissing or any
other forms of courtship are INDUCED In. +"
Mrs. Winifred II. Cooley. national sec
rotary of the Allied Clubs of Domestic
Science--''It seems to me such things as
domestic service and good roads and
pure food and adequate schools are much
more important than to kiss or not to
kiss. I"