woman is treated as a free subject and as the equal and companion of
man, it is evident that a fundamental revision of such ideas is
requisite. Certain forms of adultery with voluntary consent on both
sides may even become positive from the moral point of view.

_In spite of this, one of the principal tasks of man's sexual morality
will always be to restrain his erotic polygamous desires, for the
simple reason that they are especially apt to injure the rights and
the welfare of others._ We must make exception for certain special
cases in which no one is injured. (Vide Couvreur's "_La Graine_," and
de Maupassant's "_Mouche_.")

The novelist loves to treat of tragic situations, often giving them a
fatal ending to excite the feelings of his readers. We must avoid
basing sexual ethics on such ideas. The average man, or even one whose
nature is a little above the average, is rarely as passionate as the
heroes in novels. He does not commit suicide for rejected love, but
finds compensation in time. He can even overcome jealousy.

It is thus an exaggeration, depending partly on the suggestion and
auto-suggestion of amorous intoxication, to require in the ethics of
love the absolute fusion of the personality of two human beings, a
mutual fusion of sentiments and ideas destined to last till death.
This kind of morality reverts to dual egoism, and in no way represents
the ideal of human happiness. However beautiful conjugal fidelity, its
exaggeration is deplorable, when it only results in the idolatrous
worship of a single being, living or dead, and regards the rest of the
world with indifference, if not with hostility.

We have already shown that the altruistic sentiments of man are the
direct or indirect[10] derivatives of the sexual appetite, and
especially of sexual love. The true secret of sexual ethics consists,
therefore, in a cult of altruism in the sexual domain. This cult
should not waste itself in moral phrases, but show its strength by
social deeds.

A sad proof of human weakness is given daily by certain forms of
modern ethics which waste themselves in public conferences or in
declamations in the press. This kind of morality is in accordance with
pure egoism. Without social work, it is not true morality, whether
this work be public or modestly hidden.

The struggle for existence was formerly carried on by man against
nature, against animals, and especially against other men. Nature and
animals (excepting the