48 Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



that such things have taken place or are taking place before 

 their eyes. Such liaisons may be developed and protracted for 

 a long time, the audacity of the child in the first lascivious flush 

 of puberty overcoming the scruples or the cowardice of the 

 man. The difference of rank here takes the place of the dif- 

 ference of sex. The man of the people allows himself to be 

 led by a young gentloiian when he would perhaps oppose a 

 young boy of the lower classes. If the man is an invert or a 

 pervert or very rough he asks merely an initiative from the 

 young goitleman to be enchanted. If he is none of these 

 things it should not be forgotten that the degradation or the sub- 

 jection of a son of his master or patron can only flatter a man 

 of the people and avenge his own servitude. It should not be 

 forgotten, too, that service may develop such a habit of obedi- 

 ence that the domestic may submit to the caprice of his young 

 master with or without pleasure, for better or worse. 



It is possible that in many cases a man who hunts up a 

 young boy with the intention of seducing him may succeed 

 only in frightening him. Many inverts have been frightened in 

 their youth by the desire of a man without morals and without 

 conscence and have escaped from his caresses seized with an 

 incomprehensible terror either trantient or persistent. It would 

 be only the invert born for passivity and feminine pliability who 

 would easily allow himself to be violated or polluted or in- 

 structed by any man, There are some virgin women who give 

 themselves up who would not permit themselves to be se- 

 duced. So also the virgin and masculine invert (there are some 

 inverts who are rather a male and a half than a half effeminate 

 male) might well offer himself and lend himself to all the delight 

 and all the baseness while he would betake himself to flight if a 

 man should take the initiative. This would explain many of 

 the histories of inverts and manj^ of their refusals and consents. 



So far we can only pity or deplore the conduct of the 

 young invert. He has all the excuses of his nature and he has 

 had no advice, no assistance. He knows that his conduct 

 would be execrated, but he does not consider himself any worse 

 than the men or the women who are attractive to each other 



