Year: 1875

The promiscuous kissing Of children is
postilent practice. We use the word
advisedly, and it is mild for the occasion.
Murderous would be the word, did the
kissers know the mischief they do. Yes,
madam, mulderOuS; aud we are speak
ing to you. Do you remember calling on
your dear friend, Mrs. Brown, the other
day, with strip Of flannel around your
neck ? And when Flora came into the
room, didn't you pounce upon her dem
onstratively, call her n precious little pet,
and kiss her Then you serenely pro-
ceeded to describe the dreadful sore throat
that kept you away from prayer meeting
the night before. You had no designs on
the dear child's life, we know novorthe-
less, you killed her Killed her as sure
ly as if you had ted her with strychninc
or arsenic. Your caressos were fatal.


Two or three days attcrward the little
pct began to complain of sore throat,
too. The symptoms became rapidly a
farming; and when the doctor came, tho
single word, diptheria, explained them
all. To-day n little mound in Greenwood
is the sole memeuto of your visit.


OF course tho mother docs not suspect,
nor would not daro to suspect you Of any
instrumentality in her bereavement. She
charges it to mysterious Providence.
The doctor says nothing to disturb the
delusion--that would be impolitic if not
cruel but to an outsider he is free to say
that the child's death is duo directly to
your informal stupidity. These aro pre-
cisely his words moro forciblo than Gle
giant it is true, but who shall say under
! the circumstances that they are not justi-
fable? Remember


Evil is wrought by want of thought,
AS we'll rs by want of heart


1t would be hard to tell how much of
the dipthcria and mortality prevalent is
due to such want of thought As n rule,
adults have the disease in so mild form
that they mistake it for simple cold ;
and as cold is not contagious they think
nothing Of exposing others to their breath
or to the greater danger of labial contact.
Taking into consideration the well estab-
lished fact that dipthora is usually if not
always communicated by the direct trans
planting of the malignant vegetation that
causes the disease, the fact that there can
be no more certain means OF bringing the
contagion to its tavorite soil than the act
of kissing, and the further fact that the
custom Of kissing little children upon
all occasions is all but universal, it is not
surprising that when the disease is once
imported into the community, it is very
likely to become epidemic.


1t would be hard to charge the spread
Of diptheria to d-kssing, entirely
There are other modes of propagation
though it would be hard to conceive o
any more directly suited to tho spread o
the contagion or more general in It's oper.
alton. 1t stands TO diptheria in about the
same relation that hand shaking formerly
did to the itch.


1t were better to avoid the practice
| The children will not suffer if they &c
unkissed and their friends ought fol
their sake to forego the luxury for sea
son. A single kiss has been known tc
infect Il family and tho most careful
may be in a condition to communicate
the disease without knowing it. Beware
then, Of playing Judas and let the babies
alone Scientific 1mertcuR.