Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-09
Shall We Can Kissing?
BY Frederic J. Haskin
yyv ASHINGTON, Dec. 4.--The ancient
w war against kissing as an extra
hazardous sport has recently broken

Several learned doctors have issued pro-
nouncements on the deadly possibilities OF
unhygienic oSculatiOn
From Paris comes the report that even a
new disease has been caused by '-issng, and
that the malady is spreading. From the
fragmentary information given, the disease
seems to be something like pyorrhea, for the
teeth are loosened and the gums are sore.
At the same time doctor in this country
urges that If people must kiss, at least they
should forego indulging in the morning kiss,
as germs-especially the germs of tubercu-
losis-are apt to be lost virulently active in
the mouth then.
Medical objection to kissing in the morn
ing might be made a convenient excuse for
avoiding the perfunctory peck of duty eX-
pected by some Of your relatives. No doubt
the family physician would be glad to fur
nsh a certificate showing that you were not
to engage in OSCILLATION until 1 o'clock.
The doctor in question was probably
chiefly concerned with the kissing of chill
dren, a practice which has long been looked
upon with disfavor by sticklers for a germ
less existence. Children are much more sus-
ceptibe to many kinds Of disease germs than
grown people They have a great many So
called children's diseases, often unnecessa-
rily, and while there are no figures, some
doctors hold that these diseases are fire.
quently contracted by kissing.
Mouth Microbes
The number of bacteria you can catch by
one kiss has been carefully calculated by a
Vienese physician. He found presumably
10000 microbes on one square centimeter of
the human lips These bacteria may include
the germs of scarlet fever, typhoid, diphthe-
ria, tuberculosis and other dreaded diseases
1t has been observed that the mouths of
children who have fully recovered from
dirht 1o6 will fhn fnr q
ong time afterward. To kiss such a child,
md especially for another child to kiss it,
to invite the disease, according to doctors
opposed to kissing. They admit that it is
ossible to kiss a mouth reekng with all
IT'S of microbes and escape if your body
is strong enough to throw off the poisons
o.. a&a Il you may be in susceptible
condition, and the results are disastrous.
Very impressive, all of this. But even
while your brain is struggling to picture the
horrors of $1,000 bacteria huddled on a hui
man lip, along comes another doctor and
says that thimbleful of milk contains more
bacteria than that and a drink from an
ordinary glass is far more microbus (if there
is such word) than a kiss from an ordi-
nary person.
Anyway, what could be done about It?
History shows that the desire to kiss is deep
ly ingrained in civilized humans, so that 1t
would be difficult to eradicate it. 1t is true
CudI IL uO Ou0 udu Taught us NOW TO KISS we
might never have discovered it for ourselves.
1t is not an instinct, like laughing or crying.
Some savage tribes know nothing of it
They do usually, however, have some method
of outwardly indicating affection, such as the
Malay kiss, which consists of two people rub
bing their noses together
kissing Has Diminished
But, though kissing is an integral part of
conventional conduct, it does seem to be TAX
ing smaller place in the social life of civil
lied countries. It used to be the custom
IN England for girls partner to kiss her
before giving her up at the end of dance
to another man. Further back, the lady of
the feudal castle kissed the feet of beggars,
even leprous beggars, on certain religious
festivals. And to bark still further back into
history, the worship of many pagan gods and
goddesses prescribed kissing some part of
the image.
The kiss of devotion, kissing between men.
and indiscriminate kissing at social func-
tlons have fallen off. Likewise, the kiss of
casual friendship, which is still prevalent
among girls, is slowly losing popularity. At
one time in England it was customary for
the hostess OF the mansion to kiss her guests,
men and women, on their arrival, departure
and whenever else it seemed courteous This
custom has long since died out so far as
the men are concerned.
There remain with us chiefly the kisses of
love and those of duty These seem perma-
neHI 10 our civilization. Yet even they
change. Here are The rules laid down by
an authority on etiquette of the Victorian
Age for the perfect kiss:
when a gentleman discovers that every
thing is proptious, he will politely take the
right hand of the lady in his, then pass his
left gracefully over her right shoulder, and
diagonally down to her waist, accompa nying
this with a warm clasp, full of magnetism
and respect. He will not be in a hurry, for
such loving experiences always come to an
end too soon, and never with complete sat
isfacton.'
The Victorian Kiss
And here is how the damsel is supposed
to retaliate:
After playfully delaying to comply with
the gentleman's advances, the lady will grad
ually show willingness by resting her head
trustingly on his shoulder. A glow will come
to her cheeks and bushes will appear These
are the never failing signs Of her readiness
to share her sweetness with the man who
looks bravely into her ha1f-closed eyes, while
manfully drawing her to his bosom like a
HERO
Any one who wants instruction in the art
as 1t is now practiced can do better by study
ing skilled professionals who give sample
methods at close rang in any moving picture