| OCR Text |
Show i THAT COVETED KISS. It Agitata India and England and Wring! t Growl From "Ibby." The severity of the sentence (resignation (resigna-tion under threat of dismissal) against Surgeon Major Smith, an officer in the Indian sen-ice Btationed at Madras, who i asked Mrs. Clegg, wife of another civil I service official, to give him a kiss, is J making a great sensation both in India and England. " j That kiss, or rather the suggested ! kiss, has almost caused a revolt in official offi-cial circles in India, has bven a matter of serious consideration by the secretary of state in London and would be the subject of a parliamentary inquiry if the house of commons were in session. Mr. Labouchere has brought his heaviest heav-iest guns to bear in behalf of Dr. Smith. He indorses the suggestion which some one, signing himself "American Citizen," makes in a London newspaper, newspa-per, appealing to all who have ever felt tempted to commit the offense which has brought such tribulation upon Dr. Smith co contribute a trifle to a fund for his benefit Mr. Labouchere commends com-mends the suggestion to.every government govern-ment official, every military and naval officer, every judgo and magistrate and every other person in authority who ever felt tempted to kiss a lady not hia wife or sweetheart. He adds: "I would not go so far as to ask them to put their names to the subscriptions, but would suggest that they send their mites anonymously to the Smith fund as a Eort of conscience money. Not only would the fund thus attain handsome, proportions, but it would form a unique-and unique-and permanent memorial of the extent to which human nature prevails in man. "The most unwise thing Dr. Smith did, in my opinion, was to 6ay that he had been flirting. Flirting can no more be carried on by one person than one person can play at lawn tennis. In its nature it is a game of reciprocity, but the use of the word was evidently an error of expression, and as the doctor himself explains when using the word he only alluded to himself. Where flirting flirt-ing ends and lovemaking begins is a questioa a young lady can answer better bet-ter than I can. Does it go beyond flirting flirt-ing to ask to be allowed to kiss a lady? If not, is kissing itself involved in flirt-1 flirt-1 ing? My knowledge on the ethics of ; flirting and kissing is imperfect, but I should have thought that the latter is seldom preceded by a request to the lady to allow it This may, however, be the custom in India. " London Letter. |
