A kiss is just a kiss

A missive from the past, with some personal relevance this weekend:

FAREWELL KISSES

Chief of Paris Police On Public Embraces

NOT IMMORAL

Paris breathes freely again, the Prefect of Police, M. Chiappe, having declared officially that 'kissing in public is not an immoral proceeding.'

Some time ago (says the B.U.P. [i.e., British United Press]) a Paris municipal councillor, M. Leon Riotor, called the attention of the Prefect to the amount of promiscuous public osculation occurring in cafés, railway stations, and other public places 'and asked that he police should suppress it on the ground that it was immoral, or likely to lead to immorality'.

M. Chiappe's reply, publicised in full in the official gazette, is a severe rebuff.

'It is quite true that people kiss each other at railway stations when saying good-bye or when greeting each other on arrival, but I see nothing immoral in that, and the police will not take any action to stop the practice.

'There is no evidence that such a custom leads to immorality'.

The Daily Herald, 18 June 1928, p. 5.

I am relieved.