is is so," said I, "it follows that one may love his wife only
once every two years; and as man" . . .

"And as man has need of her, you are going to say. At least, so the
priests of science assure us. I would force these priests to fulfil the
function of these women, who, in their opinion, are necessary to man. I
wonder what song they would sing then. Assure man that he needs brandy,
tobacco, opium, and he will believe those poisons necessary. It follows
that God did not know how to arrange matters properly, since, without
asking the opinions of the priests, he has combined things as they are.
Man needs, so they have decided, to satisfy his sensual desire, and here
this function is disturbed by the birth and the nursing of children.

"What, then, is to be done? Why, apply to the priests; they will arrange
everything, and they have really discovered a way. When, then, will
these rascals with their lies be uncrowned! It is high time. We have had
enough of them. People go mad, and shoot each other with revolvers, and
always because of that! And how could it be otherwise?

"One would say that the animals know that descent continues their race,
and that they follow a certain law in regard thereto. Only man does not
know this, and is unwilling to know it. He cares only to have as much
sensual enjoyment as possible. The king of nature,--man! In the name of
his love he kills half the human race. Of woman, who ought to be his aid
in the movement of humanity toward liberty, he makes, in the name of his
pleasures, not an aid, but an enemy. Who is it that everywhere puts a
check upon the progressive movement of humanity? Woman. Why is it so?

"For the reason that I have given, and for that reason only."

CHAPTER XIV.

"Yes, much worse than the animal is man when he does not live as a man.
Thus was I. The horrible part is that I believed, inasmuch as I did not
allow myself to be seduced by other women that I was leading an
honest family life, that I was a very mortal being, and that if we had
quarrels, the fault was in my wife, and in her character.

"But it is evident that the fault was not in her. She was like everybody
else, like the majority. She was brought up according to the principles
exacted by the situation of our society,--that is, as all the young
girls of our wealthy classes, without exception, are brought up, and
as they cannot fail to be brought up. How many times we hear or read
of reflections upon the abn