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Show mrmmmwmmmmmmmtmmmmmmmmtmmmxmammmmmmammmmmmim DETECTING A DaINK WHEN OLD ROMAN8 WERE APOS TLE8 OF OSCULATION. Stood Around Waiting to Sample Pretty Pret-ty Women's Breath to Discover If They Had Been Unlawfully Unlaw-fully Imbibing. It may bo said without fear of contradiction con-tradiction that thero Is no custom so unlvorsal and so common to nil peoples, peo-ples, or the earth as that of kissing. Tho kiss Is also ono of tho oldest, If not tho oldest, customs tn tho world, the Milwaukee Journal remarks. Its origin dates back to a porlod before history was written and tho klBB appears ap-pears and roappoars in various conn trios and vurlous ngoB In ono gulso or another, either as a demonstration of love, mark of affection, or Blgn of rov-cronco rov-cronco or venoratlon. Tho custom of kissing may havo originated with tho Jowb, but It Is moro likely that It waH an old cuBtom, oven In tho days of Noah. It Is altogether probable that It had Its origin In a 8ort or "spontaneous "spon-taneous combustion" In tho Garden of Edon. nut no montlon Is mndo In the blblo of an oxchaugo of courtesy through tho lips In the Garden of Edon, although tho custom tuny have boon too old even then to deserve even passing comment As a custom was complotcd and tho repair pita In tho enso or relatives and kloslng on tho cheok In case, or rrlends. The custom cus-tom wns widespread and was merely a mark or affection and friendship. Trnvolors having business with tho Jews enmo to admire tho Jewish cus tom of kissing and helped to spread tho gospol of tho kiss among tho other oth-er imtlona of the earth. Tho Romans proved adopt pupils of tho Jews In this respect and tho custom or kissing bocumo a flourishing Institution among the Romans at an early dato. When klBslng boenmo the rago In nnclont Homo tho slgnlScnnco attaching attach-ing to It was modified. It became customary cus-tomary for tho early Christians to klsa each other before the communion service serv-ice ns an Indication or brotherhood. Ry custom tho kiss became gradually gradual-ly a useful Instrument, and It became tho prerogative of any ono to klsa any woman nt sight. Tho theory wbb that as tho uso of wine nnd Intoxicating beverages wiib prohibited women by law by kissing a woman It wns possible possi-ble to ascertain If bIio had broken the law and Imbibed from tho flowing bowl. It was great in tnoso ciayB to bo a policeman In Rome. But somehow some-how ugly womon woro novor suspected sus-pected of having taken n nip, and tho result wub that all those naughty Romans Ro-mans stood around on the corners waiting for protty womon to pnss thnt thcyinlght-namplrt. their breath and their lips, too. This may or "may" ho'f bo the origin of tho corner lonrcr. Or course, this promiscuous klBaing bocumo bo-cumo a groat evil and a public mil-sanco, mil-sanco, especially as crowds would gather around good-looking women and tlo up trnfllc. Tho Emperor Augustus, Au-gustus, as well as Tiberius, u little later, found It necessary to enact laws prohlbltlng'klsslng on the streets, and after tho ordinances wero enforced the kiBS was used In smaller doses, much ub It 1b used today. But tho Romans woro tho apostles of oscula-tlon oscula-tlon and diffused tho practlso In con-Junction con-Junction with tholr wnr business. From ono ond of tho known world to tho othor thoy licked tho mon folks and kltjsed the women. |