July 6 ‘We’ll always have Paris’

July 6th is International Day of Kissing. The Romans had descriptions of kissing. They described kissing in three forms: the osculum (a friendly peck on the cheek), the basium (a loving kiss on the lips), and the savium (the most passionate of kisses on the mouth). We shall talk a little today about kissing.

First we’ll start with a children’s book “A Kiss for Little Bear” by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, 1968. This is a wonderful little book. Little Bear draws a picture, and has it sent to his grandmother by Hen. She does, and Grandmother loves the picture. She kisses Hen and says “Will you take it to him?” She does leave, but meets up with some friends. She says “Hello, Frog. I have a kiss for Little Bear; Will you take it to him?” He does.

The kiss then keeps getting passed along, until it is given to Little Skunk. Little Skunk meets another little skunk. “She was very pretty. He gave her the kiss. She gave it back. And he gave it back. Then Hen came along. “Too much kissing,” she said.” She then gave Grandmother’s kiss to Little Bear. The Skunks decided to get married. Everybody came.

My next book is “The Little Blue Book #987” “The Art of Kissing” by Clement Wood, 1926, edited by E. Haldeman-Julius. In this little booklet, the author explains that a kiss is an ‘occulation’. He goes on:

‘For the girl who is willing to be kissed, the technique of the first kiss requires unusual care and artistry. Don’t hurry, as if you had a train to catch. Don’t stumble over yourself, and find yourself kissing her ear or hair instead of her mouth-which she will regret as much as you. Take it slowly…”

I then move to “Facts of Life and Love for Teen-agers” by Evelyn Millis Duvall, published 1957. The author states “Most girls, and boys too, agree that the first date is too soon for a goodnight kiss. Girls say that it seems too easy when it closes the very first date. How many dates before the first kiss? This is a good question, but hard to answer precisely…some boys collect kisses and caresses from girls in much the same way that they collected marbles as kids.”

I then move to “Strange Customes of Courtship and Marriage” by William J. Fielding, published 1942. Here we have a whole chapter about kissing customs. He states that “As a stimulus of love, of course, the kiss must carry the fire and force of conviction…It has been defined as the symbol of the union of souls, analogous to the galvanic contact between a positively ande a negatively electrified body.”

In another ‘how-to book, I have “The Etiquette of Engagement and Marriage” by G.R.M. Devereux, published 1919. This author added information about ‘in public’. “Some men like to advertise their kissing rights. . .but for my part I don’t think their should be anything in the bearing of an engaged couple in public to indicate that they are more than just friends.”

He goes on “It is sometimes debated whether lovers should kiss in public. As the sweetest kisses must be those exchanged “under four eyes” as the Germans put it, there seems little advantage in a mere conventional “peck’ in the public gaze.” (“unter vier Augen” -under four eyes-which means privately, for their own eyes only.)

The next book I have is “Rodin, the Man and his Art” compiled by Judith Ladel, 1918. I want to show you his statue “The Kiss”.

My last book is “Perfect Pairs, a photographic celebration”, 2002. A couple (great friends) gave me this book of movie couples, for my 45th birthday. On Page 34-35, there are Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund, who will always “have Paris”.

You must remember this
A kiss is still a kiss
A sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by – Sam in Casablanca

Thanks for reading.