“In former times the state of celibacy was regarded as censurable and blameworthy, because the unmarried by failing to raise and provide for a family of children were considered as shirking out of a duty they owed to society. But when it was no longer the business of individuals to provide for the growing citizens, it became a matter of total indifference to the general public whether one was married or not. It became unimportant to the public to know even of what sex any individual might be, and the ancient laws that required the sex to be advertised by their clothes, were repealed and everybody was allowed to dress according to the demands of their business or their fancy. All artificial distinctions of sex such as employment, civil rights and dress were abolished, and the personal pronouns and titles of address that recognized sex were of necessity dropped out of the languages. These things have already transpired in your country and in all the more advanced countries of the world and this has prepared the people to view the introduction of the third sex with philosophical interest and appreciation, instead of vulgar and unreasoning prejudice. You must make allowance for the advance people have made since your day in education and the comprehensiveness of their views. The third sex was looked upon in your day as a monstrosity, because it was rare. Did they regard a seedless orange or lemon or grape as a monstrosity? If you had ever seen a horse with three toes on each foot you would have called him a monstrosity, but the time was as you know, when the horse commonly had three toes and the monstrosity was the animal with only one, such as you regarded in your day as a perfect model of beauty and utility. “Your race will not regard the third sex with aversion or depreciation when they understand its relations and experience its value.” “Please tell me,” said I, “what the relations of this sex to the others will be. I suppose of course it will be subordinate to the others, especially the male.” “Well,” he replied, “your experience in this matter will closely follow ours. As it is in Luna, so it is beginning to be on earth. You are greatly mistaken in supposing our sex to be subordinate to another.” At the expression “our sex,” I involuntarily gave the Professor a surprised glance. “Then your affiliations are with that sex?” “I have indeed that honor.”