Omaha daily bee., 1916-04-01
Mss of Mdtr5mony
Meaningless j;
Absurd SurUjUaL
ny DOROTHY DIX.

In two divorce cases now pending the
court has been called upon to rule upon
the matrimonial kiss and to define what
IL the proper length, temperature and
frequency thereof.
In one of these cases the aggrieved
wife asked for a divorce because her
husband spent hours bestowing soul
kisses on her.
In the other case the woman asked
for q divorce because her husband re-
fused to kiss her at all. claiming that he
regarded kisses as unsanitary.
When both kissed and unkissed wives
claim that they have been subjected to
cruel and inhuman treatment that en-
titles them to alimony, what Is a poor
husband to do? 1t adds another and a
dangerous complication to the domestic
osculation problem. which is always a
eaygh explosive in the family circles any
way.
The why of the kiss of courtship is
obvious to all. It is the flower OF desire.
the red rose OF romance. 1t is gar
landed with moonbeams, and set to the
Tilt OF music. and its time is the hour
that is sacred TO love.
But the daily kiss of matrimony Is an
Its time. the minute when we are most
rushed and most engrossed with material
cares. Its aroma is that of bacon and
eggs.
II IL the proclamation, OF all romance
and why intelligent people persist in
keeping UP custom whose significance
has been lost, whose very soul is dead.
passes all comprehension.
The minute kias hocOY,1aa a dau,y
tom, like brushing your teeth. or doing
up your hair it loses il SAVIOR. 1t Is no
longer thrill. II is a bore. 1t is a flat.
stale and meaningless custom that gets
on our nerves. and that we would all
sadly cease to observe II we dared.
Women know this. and, yet so welded
are they to ancient superstitions that the
average wife would feel herself exceed
ingly ill-used II her husband omitted his
diurnal duty dry-as-dust kiss. although
every time she receives It she hears IN
!, her soul the thud of another nail being
1rtven in the coffin of her youthful ro-
mance.
Now It is no sign that q man mas
ceased to love his wife because the kiss
he bestows, hit of miss on her as he
rushes to catch the Sis car has no more
warmth nor thrill to It than the touch
\of a flabby flannel breakfast cake.
whether is it any indication that his
wife no longer cares for him because she
receives the peck on her cheek in the
spirit in which II was given and with her
mind centered more on what she is go-
ms to order from the grocer than on the
temperature of her husbands parting
kiss.
Very likely both husband and wife love
each other a thousand times more deeply
and more tenderly than they did in the
days OF courtship, when every kiss was
sacred rite and every touch of the lips
set their blood on fire.
After marriage comes the business Of
USfe when the very existence OF love de-
'pends upon the husband and wife turn
ing their thoughts to the practical affairs
OF making money and making a COM
Portable home. In the midst of this hustle
and hustle there is no place for airy 70
nance and sentimental kisses. and the
pity Of 1t is that married people do not
perceive this. and quit trying TO turn
the pink chiffons OF romance into the
scrubbing cloths of daily life.
Probably there is nothing else in the
world that would do more to conserve
lveal romance In domesticity than the
aDonIon OF tno dhlly uuty KISS, ana the
substitution for II of the occasional kiss
Of impulse. II we could only kiss those
who are near and dear to us when the
spirit moves us to do it. instead OF having
20 do It by the clock and because the
time has come around for us to take q.
Ngood morning or a good night pill! What
Na relief. oh. my fellow men and womenl
All of US are prone to loathe the things
that we are forced to do. and II man
could go to work and return therefrom
without having to bestow that odious
twice-a-day-smack. he would oftener feel
like giving his wife a real kiss. warm
and vital with love, and straight from
the heart instead of from the ends OF
his mustache.
Also IL the wife did not have to receive
these diurnal, meaningless, platitudinous,
thank -goodness-I -got-itsover-w with for
today kisses she might oftener turn her
left ear to receive her husbands kiss.
A kiss without love is without mean
ing, and can be as deadly an insult a
blow and that's what Is the matter
with most matrimonial kisses. People
serve them along with the bread and
butter. instead OF keeping them like a
rare cordial for an occasional treat. The
way to improve the domestic kiss Is to
diminish the quantity. That will improve
the quality.