130 SEX 



affairs, there is a sense in which " falling in 

 love " may be termed instinctive, if we take 

 instinct to mean a reaching-out of the whole 

 organism impulsively rather than deliber- 

 ately, synthetically rather than analytically, 

 intuitively rather than rationally. We are 

 not referring to a passing fancy for a pretty 

 face, nor to a sudden impulse of the flesh, 

 but to something much more wonderful 

 which is probably the highest expression of 

 " instinct " in the Bergsonian sense. It is 

 the feeling say rather the instant and vivid 

 assurance that this is the person who is 

 well-pleasing in my sight, whom I wish to 

 honour, who calls forth what I believe to be 

 the best in me, with whom I should like 

 to live for and along with whom I should like 

 to work, and whom, therefore, at all risks 

 I must win ! 



In normal human love there is first and 

 fundamentally the instinctive organic attrac- 

 tion, which in certain temperaments may be 

 almost subconscious. Secondly, there is the 

 sesthetic attraction, aroused by excellencies 

 other than those which may be roughly 

 called " physical." We refer to qualities of 

 voice, eyes, gesture, manner, and so on, 

 and with these, nowadays scarce separably, 

 of costume also. Thirdly, there is the senti- 

 mental attraction, which is purely psychical. 

 This person, as a person, is attractive to us, 

 winning our affection. Love is an affair of 

 body, soul and spirit, but compounded in 

 varying degrees in each individual, and these 

 again changing throughout the hours, seasons, 

 and years. 



