Conjugial Love (Chadwick) n. 106

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106. Next he read from the third paper he took from the urn as follows.

'We, the representatives in our cell, have debated the reasons for the development of conjugial love, and have observed that the leading one is its identity with the development of marriage, since this love had not before come into existence. It did so, because when someone is dying [of love],* that is, is desperately in love with a girl, he wants with all his heart and soul to possess her, as the most attractive of all properties. As soon as she pledges herself, he looks on her as one looks upon oneself. It is quite plain that this is the source of conjugial love from the frenzy each lover displays against his rivals, and his jealousy towards any who violate his love.

'Afterwards we debated the source of the strength or potency of that love, and the verdict by a majority of three to two was that strength or potency with a wife was the result of some licence with the other sex. They said they knew from experience that the potency of sexual love was stronger than that of conjugial love.' This paper was signed with the letter I.

On hearing this there was a cry from the tables, 'Take this paper away, and draw another from the urn.' * It has been suggested that perit 'is dying' is here a printer's error for petit 'is seeking', but this is unnecessary.


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