Woman far surpasses man in the natural psychology of love, partly because, through heredity and education, her native element is love; and partly because she has finer feelings (Mantegazza). Even in a man of the very highest breeding, it cannot be found objectionable that he recognizes woman as a means of satisfying his natural instinct. But it becomes his duty to belong only to the woman of his choice. In a civilized state this becomes a binding social obligation,—marriage; and, inasmuch as the wife requires for herself and children protection and support, it becomes a marriage right. It is of great importance psychologically, and, for certain pathological manifestations to be later described, indispensable, to examine the psychological events which draw a man and a woman together and unite them; so that, of all other persons of the same sex, only the beloved one seems desirable. If one could demonstrate design in the processes of nature,—adaptation cannot be denied them,—the fact of fascination by a single person of the opposite sex, with indifference toward all others, as it occurs between true and happy lovers, would appear as a wonderful creative provision to insure monogamous unions for the promotion of their object. To the scientific observer, however, this love, or “harmony of souls,” this “heart-bond,” does not, by any means, appear as a “soul-mystery;” but, in the majority of cases, it may be referred to certain physical or mental peculiarities, as the case may be, by which the attractiveness of the beloved person is exerted. Thus we speak of what is called _fetich_ and _fetichism_. In the term _fetich_ we are wont to comprehend objects, or parts, or simply peculiarities of objects, which, by virtue of associative relations to an intense feeling, or to a personality or idea that awakens deep interest, exert a kind of charm (“_fetisso_,” Portuguese), or, at least, owing to peculiar individual coloring, produce a very deep impression which does not belong to the external sign (symbol, fetich) in itself.[18]