e
with continual pregnancies, while from the Catholic point of view it
is immoral to interfere with these pregnancies by preventive measures.

Nevertheless, the sexual appetite gives rise to much conflict with
human morality, for the simple reason that it looks upon human beings
as objects of pleasure. Fetichism, in which the sexual appetite is
directed toward inanimate objects, and sodomy, directed to animals,
are by themselves almost incapable of entering into conflict with
morality as we understand it.

The opinion of many people who consider the employment of
anticonceptional measures as immoral, while defending prostitution,
shows how much ideas vary on the subject of sexual ethics. Preachers
of morality, and even priests, sometimes blame a young man who wishes
to marry his mistress, and urge him to get rid of her and the child
by paying a sum of money. The inconsistency of men in the way they
introduce their so-called moral ideas into sexual questions is simply
incredible. Their heads are full of a jumble of hypocrisy, mysticism,
prejudice, pecuniary interests, veneration for old traditional customs
called good manners, a jumble which absolutely confuses all ideas of a
healthy sexual morality. Look at the indignation of parents when their
children become betrothed to persons whom they consider to be beneath
them in social position, or who possess too little money! And all
these people are unconscious of their immorality, which sails under
the flag of morality!

What standpoint are we to take in the sexual domain, which is free
from prejudice, with regard to true human morality? This is the
question which an honest and truly moral man has to put to himself.

The first principle is the old medical adage: _Above all things do no
harm_; the second is: _Be as useful as possible, both individually and
socially._

The commandment of sexual morality will thus be: _Thou shalt do no
harm willingly to any person, nor to humanity, by thy sexual appetite
or acts, and thou shalt do thy utmost to promote the happiness of thy
neighbor and the welfare of society._

Endowed with sexual appetite and the faculty of love, the social man
will utilize both for the benefit of the community as well as his own.
If he acts honorably his task will not be easy, but he will experience
all the more satisfaction, for his good deeds will bring their own
reward. He should bear in mind the following examples:

(1). A man of bad disposition