from which she may not recover during all the subsequent
years of married life_! And "here is where the trouble lies," for
untold thousands of married men and women, all over the civilized
world, to-day. And it might all be so different! It ought, _in every
case_, to be all so different! But if it ever does become different,
_knowledge_ has got to take the place of "_innocence"_ on the part of
the _bride_, and of _ignorance_ on the part of the _bridegroom_, both
of whom must be _taught_ to "_Know what they are about_" before they
engage in the sexual act, and be able to meet each other sanely,
_righteously, lovingly,_ because they both _desire_ what each has to
give to the other; in a way in which neither claims any _rights_, or
makes any _demands_ of the other--in a word, in _perfect concord_
of agreement and action, of which mutual love is the inspirer, and
_definite knowledge_ the directive agent.

Such a first meeting of bride and bridegroom will be no raping affair.
There will be no shock in it, no dread, no shame or thought of shame;
but as perfectly as two drops of water flow together and become one,
the bodies and souls of the parties to the act will mingle in a unity
the most perfect and blissful that can ever be experienced by human
beings in this world. This is no dream! It is a most blessed reality,
which all normally made husbands and wives can attain to, if only they
are properly _taught and educated_, if only they will learn how to
reach such blissful condition.

However, such greatly desired status is not to be had for the asking
merely. _Instinct can never bring it about; "innocence"_ will never
yield such a result; and _force_, or the declaration of a "_right_"
in the premises will forever banish it to the realm of the
never-to-be-realized. It can only come as a result of clear-headed
thinking, scientific investigation, honest study, wise and righteous
action under the given conditions; and, above all, _a love, each for
the other, that knows no bounds_. All these things _must_ obtain,
_on the part of both parties concerned_, or the desired results can
_never_ be attained.

Having said which, here shall follow some suggestions as to how such
estate may be reached by the readers of these pages.

But first, let us finish Dr. C., and all of his tribe--banish them from
all our reckoning in these matters, forever.

As already shown, this argument has not a leg to stand on. These
writers treat the whol