Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-12-07
THE HASKIN LETTER
SHALL WE CAN KISSING
Rv Frederic J. Haskin.

IiO0.
From Paris comes the report that
oven n new disease has been caused
bv kissing and that the malady is
spreading. From the fragmentary
information given, the disease
seems TO be something like pyor--
rhea for the teeth are loosened
and the gums are sore.
AT the same time. a doctor in
this country urges that IL people
must kiss, at least they should
forego indulging in the morning kiss
as germs-especially the germs OF
apt to be most
virulently active in the mouth then.
Medical objection to kissing in
the morning might be made a con-
yenient excuse for avoiding the per-
functory peck of duty expected by
some of your relatives. No doubt
the family physician would be glad
to furnish a certificate showing that
you were not to engage in oscula-
ton until one O'Clock.
The doctor in question was prob
ably chiefly concerned with the
kissing of children, a practice which
has long been looked upon with dis
favor by sticklers for a germless
existence. Children are much mo-"
susceptible to many kinds of disease
germs than grown people.
have a great many so-called chill
dren's diseases often unnecessarily,
and while there are no figures. some
doctors hold that these diseases are
frequently contracted by kissing.
Mouth Microbes.
The number of bacteria you can
catch by one kiss has been carefully
calculated by vianese physician. He
found, presumably by counting
them. that there are at least 10000
microbes or one square centimeter
of the human lips. These bacteria
may include the germs of scarlet
fever, typhoid. diphtheria. tubercu
losis and other dreaded diseases. 1t
has been observed that the mouths
of children who have fully recover
ed from diphtheria, are filled with
the germs for long time after
ward. To kiss such a child, and es-
pecially for another child to kiss 1t,
is to invite the disease, according
to doctors opposed to kissing. They
admit that it Is possible to kiss a
mouth reeking with all sorts of MI
crobes and escape IL your body Is
strong enough to throw off the poi
sons. But then again you may be
in a susceptible condition and the
results are disastrous.
Very impressive all of this. But
even while your brain Is struggling.
to picture the horrors of 10000 bac-
terra huddled on human lip, along
comes another doctor and says that
A thimbleful of milk contains more
bacteria than that, and a. drink
from an ordinary glass is far more
(if there is such word)
than a kis from an ordinary per-
son.
Anyway, what could be done
about it? History shows that the
desire to kiss Is deeply ingrained in
civilized humans so that it would be
difficult to eradicate 1t. 1t Is true
that II no one had taught us how to
kiss we might never have discov-
cred It for ourselves. 1t is not an
instinct, like laughing or crying.
Some savage tribes know nothing
of 1t. They do usually, however.
have some method of outwardly in
dicating affection, such as the Ma
lay kiss which consists of two peo-
pie rubbing noses together.
hIsSsuS IIuS DAIhAIuSAhCOs
But though kissing is an inte-
grail part of conventional conduct.
1t does seem to be taking a smaller
place in the social life of civilized
1t used to be the custom
In England for a girls partner to
kiss her before giving her up at
the end of a dance to another man.
back, the lady of the feudal
castle kissed the feet of beggars,
even leprous beggars. on certain re-
ligious festivals. And to bark still
furthe rback into history the wor-
ship of many pagan gods and god
de- sses prescribed kissing some part
o, the image.
The kiss of devotion, kissing be-
tween men and indiscriminate kiss
ing at social functions have fallen
off. Likewise the kiss of casual
which is still prevalent
laritq. At one time In England 1t
was customary for the hostess of
the mansion to kiss her guests. men
and women, on their arrival, depart
ure, and when ever else 1t seemed
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 permanent to our civil
ization. Yet even they change. Here
are the rules laid down by an au-
thority on etiquette of the Victo-
rian age for the perfect kiss:
when a gentleman discovers that
everything is propitious, he will po-
litely take the right hand of the
lady in his. then pass his left grace
fully over her right shoulder, and
down to her waist, ac-
this with a warm clasp,
full of magnetism and respect. He
will not be in hurry, for such low
ing experiences always come to an
end too soon, and never with COM
plete satisfaction"
Tho Victorian Kiss.
And here is how the damsel is
to retaliate:
After playfully delaying to COM
ply with the gentleman's advances,
the lady will gradually show willing
ness by resting her head trustingly
on his shoulder. A glow will come
to her cheeks, and bushes will ap-
pear. These are the never failing
signs of her readiness to share her
sweetness with the man who looks
bravely into her half-closed eyes,
while manfully drawing her to his
bosom like a hero"
Anyone who wants instruction in
the art as it is now practiced can do
better by studying skilled profess
sionals who give sample methods at
close range In any moving picture
play. This is the one field where
the kiss is gaining ground rather
than losing 1t.
The stage kiss used to be a palpa-
Bile sham. France went so far as to
make it ocense punishable by fine
for an actor to give an actress a
bona fide kiss unless by her consent.