ly lives on its
traditions. It remains in general in a state of idle depravity,
faithful to its old traditions, except when it has succeeded in
adapting itself to the work of modern life. It has, in fact, preserved
the vices of its ancestors rather than their virtues.

The more than doubtful offspring of extra-nuptial intercourse among
the nobility have often been adopted or raised to the nobility.
Moreover, kings and princes have often ennobled unworthy persons who
had succeeded in pandering to their follies or exciting their sexual
passions. It is, therefore, not to be wondered at if in the offspring
of such unions, the blood of the highest nobility is tainted with that
of the worst kinds of heredity.

Another sign or effect of the degeneration of the nobility is found in
the marriages they so often contract with wealthy heiresses, often of
mediocre quality, in order to repair their escutcheon. In the Middle
Ages, the nobility regarded it as degrading to work for their living,
and this prejudice accelerated their degeneration; for nowadays the
heroic and chivalrous deeds of the Middle Ages have little opportunity
for their performance.

Other social classes present certain sexual peculiarities; for example
the disastrous consequences of celibacy among the Catholic priests.
This excludes an important and intelligent portion of the species from
reproduction, and also favors clandestine debauchery.

The army and navy also exert a detrimental action on sexual life.
First of all they foster one of the lowest forms of prostitution;
soldiers' women are proverbial, and one of them alone may infect a
whole regiment. In the second place, the absence of normal sexual
intercourse favors all kinds of perversion, such as pederasty,
masturbation, etc. The abominable sexual life of soldiers and sailors
corrupts them to such an extent that when they marry later on they
come to their wives with filthy habits, to say nothing of syphilis and
gonorrhea. The result is the procreation of offspring who are more or
less tainted in body and mind by the effects of venereal disease
combined with alcohol. We have already mentioned the rules which
forbid German officers to marry a woman unless she possesses a certain
fortune.

In the Norwegian mercantile marine the customs contrast happily with
those we have just mentioned, and permit officers to live on board
with their wives. In all respects the Norwegian serves as a model in
the sexual q