ears; but the bones of those who have surrendered to the song lie
bleaching on the rocks. These sweet anticipations presage sorrow and
ruin; there is no heavier sight than to see happy, heedless youth caught
by the lure of this strange, mysterious thrill and drifting to their
destruction-"As a bird hasteth to the snare, And know not that it is
for his life." So much is at stake here that we must be more than
ordinarily sure that we are not biased, that we are not binding ourselves
by needless restrictions. But after whatever doubts and wanderings,
the man of mature experience comes back to the monogamous ideal with
the conviction that in it lies not only our salvation but our truest
happiness. A thousand pities that so many learn the lesson too late!
Nothing in the whole field of ethics is more important than for each
generation, as it stands on the threshold of temptation and
opportunity, to see clearly the basic reasons for our hard-won and
barely maintained code of chastity. A reverence for authority, a deep-
implanted sentiment, a recurrent emotional appeal, and a barrier of
scruples and pledges may keep many within the lines of safety. But
the morality of sentiment and authority must always be based on a
morality of reason and experience. We must therefore begin by
recapitulating the fundamental reasons for our monogamous ideal.

What are the reasons for chastity before and fidelity after marriage?

(1) The most glaring danger for a man in unchastity is disease. The
venereal diseases are among the most terrible known to man; they are
highly contagious-one contact, and that not necessarily actual
intercourse, sufficing for infection-and at present only very partially
curable. Practically all prostitutes become infected before long; the
youngest and prettiest are usually diseased; the chance of indulging
in promiscuous intimacies without catching some form of infection is