334 



THE ABNORMAL MAN. 



Woman's 

 Crowning 

 Virtue. 



"Keep Thyself 



The Command 

 of God. 



chastity was considered from the very dawn of 

 civilization woman's crowning virtue, and her 

 fall the unpardonable sin. Man, being the pos- 

 sessor, rather than the possessed, was not sub- 

 jected to the same law, and therefore his pro- 

 pensities and appetites were allowed to remain 

 controlling factors in his character. The chasten- 

 ing rod that fell heavily upon woman and 

 scourged her for sinning .to such an extent as 

 to be a warning to all others, was unfortunately 

 not applied to man. Thus in due course of time 

 the basis of our present double standard was es- 

 tablished. 



When man became sufficiently developed in his 

 nobler instincts that the purest and wisest were 

 able to receive the truth, Infinite wisdom and 

 eternal justice condemned licentiousness in man, 

 extolled virtue in woman, and demanded a like 

 conduct and chasity of all. Throughout the cen- 

 turies that have come and gone, whoever has been 

 able to silence the murmurings of propensity suffi- 

 ciently to catch the voice of God, has heard the 

 command, "Keep thyself pure!" 



When Moses left his people and climbed Mt. 

 Sinai above the clouds to talk with God he re- 

 turned with "Thou shalt not commit adultery" 

 plainly written on the imperishable tablets of his 

 conscience. Whoever has left the Valley of Pro- 

 pensities and ascended the Mountain of Justice, 

 to a point above the Clouds of Prejudice, and 

 there talked with God, has received a like mes- 

 sage. 



The Mosaic law was interpreted to mean con- 

 duct only; but when the Son of God, who knew 



