EUROPE THE WAYWARD BUSS IN COMMUNIST EAST EUROPE, COMMISSARS AND COPS DO 
IT . IN ROME AND MADRID, MOPPETS IN DANCING CLASS DO 
IT . FRENCHMEN PERFORM THE RITUAL WITH SINUOUS GRACE, SPANIARDS SMACKINGLY, 
GERMANS WITH A CLICK OF THE HEELS . HOWEVER WIDELY THEIR 
TECHNIQUES MAY VARY, EUROPEANS FROM BARCELONA TO BIALYSTOK IN RECENT YEARS 
HAVE TAKEN TO HAND KISSING WITH FERVOR AND FREQUENCY UNMATCHED IN 
THEIR HISTORY . AFTER WORLD WAR II, THE CUSTOM SEEMED IN 
DECLINE . BUT TODAY, MEN OF VIRTUALLY EVERY CLASS AND CALLING 
ON THE CONTINENT DIVE FOR DISTAFF KNUCKLES AS ASSIDUOUSLY, IF NOT 
ALWAYS SO EXPERTLY, AS DO THE COURTIERS IN A LEHAR OPERETTA 
. TELEGRAPHED ADMIRATION . TRADITIONALISTS DEPLORE THE TREND AND COMPLAIN THAT 
IT HAS VULGARIZED A STYLISH, PATRICIAN RITUAL . IN THE OLD 
DAYS, NO WELL-BRED EUROPEAN KISSED A WOMAN'S HAND BEFORE NOON, OR 
OUTDOORS (EXCEPT AT GARDEN PARTIES OR THE RACE TRACK), OR IF 
SHE WORE GLOVES AND NOT AT ALL, IN MOST COUNTRIES, IF 
SHE WAS UNMARRIED . NOWADAYS, EVEN IN STRAIT-LACED SPAIN, GIRLS WHO 
ARE BARELY OLD ENOUGH TO HOLD UP A STRAPLESS BRA HAVE 
THEIR HANDS OUT . WHEN IT IS ENCLOSED IN A GLOVE, 
UNINHIBITED MALES BLITHELY PEEL IT OFF OR SMOOCH THE WRIST INSTEAD 
. AND NOW THAT THE HAND KISS HAS BECOME DEMOCRATIC, IT 
IS BESTOWED ALFRESCO, ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, EVEN WHEN THE RECIPIENT 
IS ON HORSEBACK OR IN CHURCH . NOTWITHSTANDING THE CELEBRATED ADVICE 
OF LORELEI LEE ( " A KISS ON THE HAND MAY 
BE QUITE CONTINENTAL, BUT DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND " 
), MOST EUROPEAN WOMEN WELCOME THE NEW WAVE OF HAND KISSING, 
AND TO THEIR MEN IT HAS ALWAYS SEEMED A MORE INTRIGUING 
APPROACH TO A WOMAN THAN THE ASEPTIC ANGLO-SAXON HANDSHAKE . AS 
A VIENNESE SATIRIST WROTE IN 1825 : TO TAKE YOUR HAND 
FOR A KISS IS MERELY TO ASK THIS : WILL THE 
MOUTH OF THE MISS PERMIT FURTHER BLISS ? TO SPEED THE 
ANSWER, ARDENT LATINS, IN PARTICULAR, SOMETIMES TELEGRAPH THEIR ADMIRATION FOR AN 
ATTRACTIVE WOMAN BY SQUEEZING HER FINGERS OR LOCKING ON TO THEM 
WITH BOTH HANDS ALL, CRACKS ITALIAN MOVIEMAKER VITTORIO DE SICA : 
" YOU'VE GOT TO START SOMEWHERE . " CAPITALIST HANGOVER . 
HAND KISSING GOT ITS START IN EUROPE WITH THE ROMAN EMPERORS, 
WHO EXPORTED THE GESTURE AS A SYMBOLIC ACT OF FEALTY . 
IN CENTRAL EUROPE IT CEASED TO BE A PLEDGE OF LOYALTY 
TO THE SOVEREIGN IN THE LATE 18TH CENTURY, WHEN AUSTRIAN EMPEROR 
JOSEPH II SNATCHED HIS HAND FROM SUBJECTS' LIPS WITH THE CRY 
: " IT ISN'T THERE FOR SOMEONE TO WIPE HIS NOSE 
ON ! " MORE RECENTLY MUSSOLINI, WHO FROWNED ON THE CUSTOM 
IN ANY FORM, TRIED TO DISCOURAGE IL BACIAMANO . HE MIGHT 
AS WELL HAVE TRIED TO SUPPRESS SPAGHETTI . THE NAZIS ALSO 
DEPLORED THE HANDKUSS GOOD GERMANS WERE MEANT TO GIVE THE HITLER 
SALUTE INSTEAD BUT DER FUHRER HIMSELF WAS OFTEN PHOTOGRAPHED WITH HIS 
FORELOCK FANNING SOME ACTRESS'S PAW . IN EASTERN EUROPE AFTER WORLD 
WAR II, THE COMMUNISTS DENOUNCED THE PRACTICE AS A " CAPITALIST 
HANGOVER, " BUT THEY SOON DESPAIRED OF CURING IT . AFTER 
HUNGARIAN MALES, WHO HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO FEAST ON A PRETTY 
FINGER FOR SEEMING MINUTES IN A DIPLOMATIC RECEIVING LINE, POLAND BOASTS 
THE IRON CURTAIN'S MOST INSATIABLE HAND KISSERS ; WARSAW POLICEMEN ROUTINELY 
KISS POLICEWOMEN'S HANDS, AND HAVE EVEN BEEN KNOWN TO BUSS A 
COMELY SPEEDER AFTER HANDING HER A TICKET . ITALY'S COMMUNIST BOSS 
PALMIRO TOGLIATTI IS AN ACCOMPLISHED FINGER-SMOOCHER . AS FOR RUSSIA, TSELOVAT 
RUKU WAS OUTLAWED BY THE COMMISSARIAT OF HYGIENE IN 1924, BUT 
TODAY IT IS CONSIDERED SO KULTURNY THAT AN ANNOUNCER WHO RECENTLY 
NUZZLED A FRENCH ACTRESS'S HAND ON SOVIET TELEVISION DID NOT EVEN 
RAISE PRAVDA'S TEMPERATURE . 