Sheer animal passion, or natural love, is no less noble than the highly sophisticated esthetic sentiment that we favor today. Nor can love necessarily be limited to one individual. Monogamy is a stricture laid down to bind us by religion and social morals. The lower animals are not usually monogamous. Women have done most to advance this law, although they, too, in the dawn of life were not more monogamous than men. They were more selective, that is all. Modern monogamy is a product of property rights, and was merely intended to insure the legitimacy of the sons so that they might inherit the father’s property. But this monogamy never applied to the men. Man’s nature is against it, while his mouth speaks words in its favor. With the appearance of monogamy, came prostitution. Men demanded that their wives be virtuous, and then went out and sought other women for their pleasure. This gave rise to the double standard, of which more will be said later. Some persons believe that the coming of Christianity raised woman’s status. This is far from true. Christianity, bringing its preachment against the flesh, made woman appear as an evil influence. Men were told to scorn the body. By this time, men were ruling the world, so they immediately laid all of the blame of sex upon the women. Many of the early promoters of the church preached violently against marriage, calling it sinful and wicked. Men came to assume the attitude that they could be pure and godly, were it not for the alluring seductiveness of women. The urge of man toward women was denounced as a thing of the devil. Today, our growing intelligence recognizes the folly of this, and the purity and loveliness of natural love is conceded. _Romantic Love._—Romantic love is a hot-house growth feasting upon the dank soil of denial of natural impulses. It grew up in the days of roving knighthood, when for long months, and perhaps years, the lovers were separated. Men and women swore fidelity to each other, and the women at least were obliged to keep their vows. It became more noble to refuse than to accept love. All that the couple required was to be together. They contented themselves with sighs and madrigals. Natural love demands the possession of the person of the beloved; romantic love contents itself with the mere presence, or often the mere thought, of the beloved. Such love, in general, was regarded as illicit. Young knights knew this passion for great ladies, who were unattainable through marriage, or high station. Thus sprang up the belief that it was wrong. In fact, it is harmful only to those who yield to it, in that it festers in the soul, and knows no outlet.