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Show KISSING THE BOOK. Ml.liJ I A Relic of the Time When Kisslnre ftMt -t ii M Was General In Merry England. W,Wff VM flB Sir Francis Jcune and Mr. Justlcrt hM i , II H florell llarnea have had imsted outsldo I i, .iJ" jhi HJ the two courts of Ihe probate, dlvorco I'm I J"!1 , HH and ndmlinlts division notices to wit- ! 31 IM HH nesses i ailing their ii tt rut Inn to tha I I, Jl, 'Rk HH fait that they inns be sworn In thn I jilt1 ,f flH Scotch manner hefoie giving evldeneo. I S jji, Hi flH That In In sny, Hies may ho aworn j aSl i "Vel HH with ui lifted hind, repenting a solemn U ff U a flH Invocation tn the Dells, Insteiid nt IRi r, m HH taking n book nnd kissing It after t fsj ' 9 flH listening to u form repcutod by a minor B,Jr ' 15 ?l HH orilrlnl of thn roiirl The notice to BitinMiit.l HH which wo lefir is trpented outside onn UJH jfij i;l flH of the eoiirts or the chancery division. ''!', S i !' I HH und we have cveis hope thut II may . W. i'l HH become unlvi rsal l ft? if' If HH Wo have for many sears contended rip'1 tllivtl il HH Hint the oath by kissing a book hna ! Ml R'lll1 Hi iiolhlng to commend II while It Is I )',! i 'l HH nasls and may benime a inenns of pro- Jlj f,j I J ! HH pagallnn of illsensn nnd we have seen "I- jlJ.T.'r H vvllh regret Hint the statutory permls- 8 "j'-iIIS-'S' ,'! HH Sinn In swear 111 Ihe Scotch fashion 2 t IBft-, ' HB was, as n rule, not known by wit- BJJfi rJlC!' 1 nessin and rreiiuentls also thnt M ! i!i 1,1 P I '' 1 Jutlgis, toruneia and magistrates vvcrn El '.ii! L,r. HB Ignnnint of II h iRKJtfi'tff H The furiii or sweirlng bs kissing it H fj!" 13 U fll hoeik Is puiely one of custom Thern K'sUi'lf'"'' HI Is no direct uulhoiity for It In nny j f '3? I j flB arl of I'aillniueut. oi rule, or book fc ?sjl 1S,,SI of pimtlie The dale nlso of Its In- .4lf. ff' J H ttoiliidloii la unknown, but this Is not 8rJ,k',l" bemuse it has been Inst hi the mists i 111 n. Jl! lU HA of iintiqults for It Is fulrls certain ! i'j ( :l fll that so recently nn at the end of thn f , I. if ( HH seventeenth centurs If the form ex- I lv " A i HB Isled It whs not In ans Retinal use. It ( !( HB has been nluleil nut that Coke In IiIh i I! , ') j flB liiHtltuteH in ikes no mention of kissing t t L V 1 1 M the book, but writes of the "corporal Ml HJll oath aa thus named, because the wit- 4 v i M nesn touched wllh his hunt! a portion Tf (-( W M nt thn Scriptures, nnd this aspect of ,Lj, '- H fl the on Hi no doubt survives In tha fa- l a 1 u IJE fl ml tin t warning of the usher to thn , i 4 it H w linens to remove Ihe glove before tak- IP T U HH Ing Iho Testament for tho purpose nt ,;, i'ai;ll HI kissing It. It Is nlso observed In thn , K ) , ,1 Utm fM 'Hook of OiHih." of which nn edition iFi , ,MlB HH was published lu 1689. there Is no men- mSj If Villi HH Hon of kissing a book. How the kiss- ''It II lwk Ing originated Is, wo believe, almost . if W 'M Htm HH ns liiiuli a matter of speculation as Is Ali. i:rn HH the date nt which It became frequent ('.(''i , J'lfJ nr universal. yJ 'i( JiW The Ins lug or tho hand on the Goo- I all J iJ'BB pels in swenrlns; Is, no doubt, of great ij4jP vjS ! IfB antliiulty, while the laying of the hamt ftf, i t, ItM on the altar of n Deity or Invoking; '" w : !4ffl tho Deity to witness n statement or ,i la ul AM promise la older thnn the Gospels. Tho .) (' J' y Dl laying of tho hand on the Oospels han I'1 SiPt I H lis parallel lu other countries bcsldcx .iiil I iijijl J l;nRlanil The kissing of tho book Is, ijj y-i JBTI '. however, we believe, peculiar to ring- fill! 'J i laud, or to Fnglantl and Ireland, ami ti (i I ti ', It Is not quite cass to assign Its origin I ! " r !3 A tn the klssliiK of idles when we np- '! it " , ' pnrenlly find It lutrnduccd In Rng- ili,'VJ ' land after all vcnerotlon for relics had! if jffT t) been swept away and mado Illegal. if, ''ff.Ul k It Is worlh noting thnt Ungllsh peo- ! , !l pin wero mnre adilicted to klsslnrr oncn . jl i than they aro now. Kissing ns u form ", t, fj ! of salutation was so common among; IJ,., n Cflfft them that It ixcltul tho Interest and , l. l'l) nmusement of foreigners l.rasrnus re- iKf, , ' r fers tn It and a Hungarian Rentlemart "ie tJi'ifEc who visited London nnd moved In good 1 ill H ijjat society in Kbi, was much struck with '.U'i 3 R' tho way In which mm kissctl ladleu ,l'i ill V ft when Hns greeted them, vihcro Hun- ' )! i ! wl garlans wnuld havo shaken hands, ',j lira!1 liven tho Frenchmen 111 the mlddln j, I I Is ' ' : ORt held klcalng as n peculiarity nt ' i, ' I . the Fngllsh nation, much nn wo remark; j livi a i ' iipnii It now among the French. It la. It J , i f i Ihereforo, at least pnsalble that the klsn i 'f ?! JJ , 1 f, bestowed upun the book In taking ft F t if j itj U oath may have been not so much n I " j ' I I I kiss of veneration as a form of salutn- Lll ' .' , Tu Hon ni ucknowlidgment by bodily ton- Kjil '" ijis j tact somewhat moro ceremonious than rf J rf manual inutnet but still not assocl- Wif li J ' oted w llh any great fei ling of bolem- I 1' If' i , -i-ncrt. L k ajgfr |
