very　wisewiser　than　he　knewfor　in　attempting　to　drive　out　Sex　（which　of　course　he　could　not　do）　he　entered　into　a　conflict　which　was　bound　to　end　in　the　expulsion　of　SOMETHING；　and　that　something　was　the　domination；　within　himself；　of　self…consciousness；　the　very　thing　which　makes　and　ever　has　made　sex　detestable。　Man　did　not　succeed　in　driving　the　snake　out　of　the　Garden；　but　he　drove　himself　out；　taking　the　real　old　serpent　of　self…greed　and　self…　gratification　with　him。　When　some　day　he　returns　to　Paradise　this　latter　will　have　died　in　his　bosom　and　been　cast　away；　but　he　will　find　the　good　Snake　there　as　of　old；　full　of　healing　and　friendliness；　among　the　branches　of　the　Tree　of　Life。
  Besides　it　is　evident　from　other　considerations　that　this　moment　of　the　denial　of　sex　HAD　to　come。　When　one　thinks　of　the　enormous　power　of　this　passion；　and　its　age…long；　hold　upon　the　human　race；　one　realizes　that　once　liberated　from　the　instinctive　bonds　of　nature；　and　backed　by　a　self…conscious　and　self…seeking　human　intelligence　it　was　on　the　way　to　become　a　fearful　curse。
  A　monstrous　Eft　was　of　old　the　Lord　and　Master　of　Earth；　　　For　him　did　his　high　sun　flame；　and　his　river　billowing　ran。
  And　this　may　have　been　all　very　well　and　appropriate　in　the　carboniferous　Epoch；　but　WE　in　the　end　of　Time　have　no　desire　to　fall　under　any　such　preposterous　domination；　or　to　return　to　the　primal　swamps　from　which　organic　nature　has　so　slowly　and　painfully　emerged。
  I　say　it　was　the　entry　of　self…consciousness　into　the　sphere　of　Sex；　and　the　consequent　use　of　the　latter　for　private　ends；　which　poisoned　this　great　race…power　at　its　root。　For　above　all；　Sex；　as　representing　through　Childbirth　the　life　of　the　Race　（or　of　the　Tribe；　or；　if　you　like；　of　Humanity　at　large）　should　be　sacred　and　guarded　from　merely　selfish　aims；　and　therefore　to　use　it　only　for　such　aims　is　indeed　a　desecration。　And　even　ifas　some　maintain　and　I　think　rightly＇1＇sex　is　not　MERELY　for　child…birth　and　physical　procreation；　but　for　mutual　vitalizing　and　invigoration；　it　still　subserves　union　and　not　egotism；　and　to　use　it　egotistically　is　to　commit　the　sin　of　Separation　indeed。　It　is　to　cast　away　and　corrupt　the　very　bond　of　life　and　fellowship。　The　ancient　peoples　at　any　rate　threw　an　illumination　of　religious　（that　is；　of　communal　and　public）　value　over　sex…acts；　and　to　a　great　extent　made　them　into　matters　either　of　Temple…ritual　and　the　worship　of　the　gods；　or　of　communal　and　pandemic　celebration；　as　in　the　Saturnalia　and　other　similar　festivals。　We　have　certainly　no　right　to　regard　these　celebrationsof　either　kindas　insincere。　They　were；　at　any　rate　in　their　inception；　genuinely　religious　or　genuinely　social　and　festal；　and　from　either　point　of　view　they　were　far　better　than　the　secrecy　of　private　indulgence　which　characterizes　our　modern　world　in　these　matters。　The　thorough　and　shameless　commercialism　of　Sex　has　alas！　been　reserved　for　what　is　called　〃Christian　civilization；〃　and　with　it　（perhaps　as　a　necessary　consequence）　Prostitution　and　Syphilis　have　grown　into　appalling　evils；　accompanied　by　a　gigantic　degradation　of　social　standards；　and　upgrowth　of　petty　Philistinism　and　niaiserie。　Love；　in　fact；　having　in　this　modern　world…movement　been　denied；　and　its　natural　manifestations　affected　with　a　sense　of　guilt　and　of　sin；　has　really　languished　and　ceased　to　play　its　natural　part　in　life；　and　a　vast　number　of　peopleboth　men　and　women；　finding　themselves　barred　or　derailed　from　the　main　object　of　existence；　have　turned　their　energies　to　'business'　or　'money…making'　or　'social　advancement'　or　something　equally　futile；　as　the　only　poor　substitute　and　pis　aller　open　to　them。
  ＇1＇　See　Havelock　Ellis；　The　Objects　of　Marriage；　a　pamphlet　published　by　the　〃British　Society　for　the　Study　of　Sex…psychology。〃
  Why　（again　we　ask）　did　Christianity　make　this　apparently　great　mistake？　And　again　we　must　reply：　Perhaps　the　mistake　was　not　so　great　as　it　appears　to　be。　Perhaps　this　was　another　case　of　the　necessity　of　learning　by　loss。　Love　had　to　be　denied；　in　the　form　of　sex；　in　order　that　it　might　thus　the　better　learn　its　own　true　values　and　needs。　Sex　had　to　be　rejected；　or　defiled　with　the　sense　of　guilt　and　self…　seeking；　in　order　that　having　cast　out　its　defilement　it　might　return　one　day；　transformed　in　the　embrace　of　love。　The　whole　process　has　had　a　deep　and　strange　world…　significance。　It　has　led　to　an　immensely　long　period　of　suppressionsuppression　of　two　great　instinctsthe　physical　instinct　of　sex　and　the　emotional　instinct　of　love。　Two　things　which　should　naturally　be　conjoined　have　been　separated；　and　both　have　suffered。　And　we　know　from　the　Freudian　teachings　what　suppressions　in　the　root…instincts　necessarily　mean。　We　know　that　they　inevitably　terminate　in　diseases　and　distortions　of　proper　action；　either　in　the　body　or　in　the　mind；　or　in　both；　and　that　these　evils　can　only　be　cured　by　the　liberation　of　the　said　instincts　again　to　their　proper　expression　and　harmonious　functioning　in　the　whole　organism。　No　wonder　then　that；　with　this　agelong　suppression　（necessary　in　a　sense　though　it　may　have　been）　which　marks　the　Christian　dispensation；　there　should　have　been　associated　endless　Sickness　and　Crime　and　sordid　Poverty；　the　Crucifixion　of　animals　in　the　name　of　Science　and　of　human　workers　in　the　name　of　Wealth；　and　wars　and　horrors　innumerable！　Hercules　writhing　in　the　Nessus…shirt　or　Prometheus　nailed　to　the　rocks　are　only　as　figures　of　a　toy　miniature　compared　with　this　vision　of　the　great　and　divine　Spirit　of　Man　caught　in　the　clutches　of　those　dread　Diseases　which　through　the　centuries　have　been　eating　into　his　very　heart　and　vitals。
  It　would　not　be　fair　to　pile　on　the　Christian　Church　the　blame　for　all　this。　It　had；　no　doubt；　its　part　to　play　in　the　whole　great　scheme；　namely；　to　accentuate　the　self…motive；　and　it　played　the　part　very　thoroughly　and　successfully。　For　it　must　be　remembered　（what　I　have　again　and　again　insisted　on）　that　in　the　pagan　cults　it　was　always　the　salvation　of　the　CLAN；　the　TRIBE；　the　people　that　was　the　main　consideration；　the　advantage　of　the　individual　took　only　a　very　secondary　part。　But　in　Christendomafter　the　communal　enthusiasms　of　apostolic　days　and　of　the　medieval　and　monastic　brotherhoods　and　sisterhoods　had　died　downreligion　occupied　itself　more　and　more　with　each　man　or　woman's　INDIVIDUAL　salvation；　regardless　of　what　might　happen　to　the　community；　till；　with　the　rise　of　Protestantism　and　Puritanism；　this　tendency　reached　such　an　extreme　that；　as　some　one　has　said；　each　man　was　absorbed　in　polishing　up　his　own　little　soul　in　a　corner　to　himself；　in　entire　disregard　to　the　damnation　which　might　come　to　his　neighbor。　Religion；　and　Morality　too；　under　the　commercial　regime　became；　as　was　natural；　perfectly　selfish。　It　was　always：　〃Am　_I_　saved？　Am　_I_　doing　the　right　thing？　Am　_I_　winning　the　favor　of　God　and　man？　Will　my　claims　to　salvation　be　allowed？　Did　_I_　make　a　good　bargain　in　allowing　Jesus　to　be　crucified　for　me？〃　The　poison　of　a　diseased　self…consciousness　entered　into　the　whole　human　system。
  As　I　say；　one　must　not　blame　the　Christians　too　much　for　all　thispartly　because；　AFTER　the　communal　periods　which　I　have　just　mentioned；　Christianity　was　evidently　deeply　influenced　by　the　rise　of　COMMERCIALISM；　to　which　during　the　last　two　centuries　it　has　so　carefully　and　piously　adapted　itself；　and　partly　becauseif　our　view　is　anywhere　near　rightthis　microbial　injection　of　self…consciousness　was　just　the　necessary　work　which　（in　conjunction　with　commercialism）　it　HAD　to　perform。　But　though　one　does　not　blame　Christianity　one　cannot　blind　oneself　to　its　defects　the　defects　necessarily　arising　from　the　part　it　had　to　play。　When　one　compares　a　healthy　Pagan　ritualsay　of　Apollo　or　Dionysusincluding　its　rude　and　crude　sacrifices　if　you　like；　but　also　including　its　whole…hearted　spontaneity　and　dedication　to　the　common　life　and　welfarewith　the　morbid　self…introspection　of　the　Christian　and　the　eternally　recurring　question　〃What　shall　I　do　to　be　saved？〃the　comparison　is　not　favorable　to　the　latter。　There　is　（at　any　rate　in　modern　days）　a　mawkish　milk…and…wateriness　about　the　Christian　attitude；　and　also　a　painful　self…　consciousness；　which　is　not　pleasant；　and　though　Nietzsche's　blonde　beast　is　a　sufficiently　disagreeable　animal；　one　almost　thinks　that　it　were　better　to　be　THAT　than　to　go　about　with　one's　head　meekly　hanging　on　one　side；　and　talking　always　of　altruism　and　self…sacrifice；　while　in　reality　one's　heart　was　entirely　occupied　with　the　question　of　one's　own　salvation。　There　is　besides　a　lamentable　want　of　grit　and　substance　about　the　Christian　doctrines　and　ceremonials。　Somehow　under　the　sex…taboo　they　became　spiritualized　and　etherealized　out　of　all　human　use。　Study　the　initiation…rites　of　any　savage　tribewith　their　strict　discipline　of　the　young　braves　in　fortitude；　and　the　overcoming　of　pain　and　fear；　with　their　very　detailed　lessons　in　the　arts　of　war　and　life　and　the　duties　of　the　grown　man　to　his　tribe；　and　with　their　quite　practical　instruction　in　matters　of　Sex；　and　then　read　our　little　Baptismal　and　Confirmation　services；　which　ought　to　correspond　thereto。　How　thin　and　attenuated　and　weak　the　latter　appear！　O