and neither the Christian state nor Christian society believes in trusting to God to provide for the children. Science, the views of the philosophers, and Luther’s sound common sense, all are agreed that man is entitled to normal satisfaction of those desires that are part and parcel of his very life. If social institutions or prejudices make this impossible, his development is hampered thereby. The results are well known to our physicians, and can be met with in hospitals, insane asylums, prisons, and in thousands of disrupted families. In a book published in Leipsic we find the following thought expressed: “Sexual impulse is neither moral nor immoral; it is simply natural like hunger and thirst. Nature knows nothing of morality.” But organized society is very far from recognizing the truth of this sentence. [44] E. Blackwell, “Essays in Medical Sociology.” Page 177. London, 1906. 2.--Celibacy and the Frequency of Suicide. Among physicians and physiologists it is generally assumed that even an imperfect marriage is preferable to celibacy, and this assumption is substantiated by experience. It is a striking fact that the rate of mortality is lower among married than among unmarried people (comparing about 1,000 married persons 30 years old with 1,000 unmarried persons of the same age). The difference is especially marked in the case of men. During some periods of life the rate of mortality among unmarried men is almost twice as great as that among married men. Mortality is likewise very great among men who have become widowers while still young.[45] It is furthermore claimed that the number of suicides are increased by unsound sexual relations. In all countries suicides are much more frequent among men than among women. The following table shows the ratio in various European countries: Among 100,000 Ratio of During --suicides.-- female to the years. Male. Female. male suicides. Germany 1899–1902 33.0 8.4 25.5 Austria 1898–1901 25.4 7.0 27.6 Switzerland 1896–1903 33.3 6.4 19.2 Italy 1893–1901 9.8 2.4 24.5 France 1888–1892 35.5 9.7 27.3 Netherlands 1901–1902 9.3 3.0 32.3 England 1891–1900 13.7 4.4 32.1 Scotland 1891–1900 9.0 3.2 35.6 Ireland 1901 2.3 1.2 52.2 Norway 1891–1900 10.0 2.5 25. Sweden 1891–1900 21.1 8.6 40.8 Finland 1891–1900 7.8 1.8 21.1 European Russia 1885–1894 4.9 1.6 32.7 During the years 1898 to 1907 we find the following ratio of suicides in the German Empire: Year. Total. Male. Female.