248 TABOO AND GENETICS 



a deep and tender feeling between men and 

 women has been elaborately discussed by Finck 

 (4). Thus it is evident that its individual and 

 social advantages more than balance its 

 disadvantages. 



Unfortunately, with the entrance into the 

 marital relationship and the release of the erotic 

 emotion into natural channels so that it no 

 longer seeks the vicarious outlets which were 

 partly supplied in the ideahzation of the lovers, 

 there is a tendency for this romantic element 

 to fade from their affection. The conjugal 

 affection which replaces it is built on quite other 

 foundations. It is not composed of day dreams 

 about the beloved, but is wrought out of mutual 

 interests, of joys and sorrows shared together, 

 of the pleasure of unrestricted companionship, 

 and of the common care of offspring. The 

 danger lies in the possibiHty that these founda- 

 tions for conjugal love will not have been lain 

 by the time that romantic sentiments begin to 

 grow dim. It is this crisis in the married life 

 which seems disappointing in the afterglow of 

 the engagement and honeymoon. 



Of late there have been attempts to build up 

 a new conception of love which shall incor- 

 porate the best features of romantic love and 

 at the same time make the transition to the 

 conjugal affection less difficult. This new con- 

 ception has grown up through the increasing 



