登陆注册
4245700000049

第49章

"It would seem that the origin of prostitution is to be found primarily in a religious custom, religion, the great conserver of social tradition, preserving in a transformed shape a primitive freedom that was passing out of the general social life. The typical example is that recorded by Herodotus, in the fifth century before Christ, at the Temple of Mylitta, the Babylonian Venus, where every woman, once in her life, had to come and give herself to the first stranger, who threw a coin in her lap, to worship the goddess. Very similar customs existed in other parts of Western Asia, in North Africa, in Cyprus, and other islands of the Eastern Mediterranean, and also in Greece, where the temple of Aphrodite on the fort at Corinth possessed over a thousand hierodules, dedicated to the service of the goddess.

"The theory that religious prostitution developed, as a general rule, out of the belief that the generative activity of human beings possessed a mysterious and sacred influence in promoting the fertility of Nature, is maintained by all authoritative writers on the subject. Gradually, however, and when prostitution became an organized institution under priestly influence, religious prostitution developed utilitarian sides, thus helping to increase public revenue.

"The rise of Christianity to political power produced little change in policy. The leading fathers of the Church tolerated prostitution.

Brothels under municipal protection are found in the thirteenth century. They constituted a sort of public service, the directors of them being considered almost as public servants."*----------

* Havelock Ellis, SEX AND SOCIETY.

----------

To this must be added the following from Dr. Sanger's work:

"Pope Clement II. issued a bull that prostitutes would be tolerated if they pay a certain amount of their earnings to the Church.

"Pope Sixtus IV. was more practical; from one single brothel, which he himself had built, he received an income of 20,000 ducats."In modern times the Church is a little more careful in that direction. At least she does not openly demand tribute from prostitutes. She finds it much more profitable to go in for real estate, like Trinity Church, for instance, to rent out death traps at an exorbitant price to those who live off and by prostitution.

Much as I should like to, my space will not admit speaking of prostitution in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and during the Middle Ages. The conditions in the latter period are particularly interesting, inasmuch as prostitution was organized into guilds, presided over by a brothel Queen. These guilds employed strikes as a medium of improving their condition and keeping a standard price. Certainly that is more practical a method than the one used by the modern wage slave in society.

It would be one-sided and extremely superficial to maintain that the economic factor is the only cause of prostitution. There are others no less important and vital. That, too, our reformers know, but dare discuss even less than the institution that saps the very life out of both men and women. I refer to the sex question, the very mention of which causes most people moral spasms.

It is a conceded fact that woman is being reared as a sex commodity, and yet she is kept in absolute ignorance of the meaning and importance of sex. Everything dealing with the subject is suppressed, and persons who attempt to bring light into this terrible darkness are persecuted and thrown into prison. Yet it is nevertheless true that so long as a girl is not to know how to take care of herself, not to know the function of the most important part of her life, we need not be surprised if she becomes an easy prey to prostitution, or to any other form of a relationship which degrades her to the position of an object for mere sex gratification.

It is due to this ignorance that the entire life and nature of the girl is thwarted and crippled. We have long ago taken it as a self-evident fact that the boy may follow the call of the wild; that is to say, that the boy may, as soon has his sex nature asserts itself, satisfy that nature; but our moralists are scandalized at the very thought that the nature of a girl should assert itself. To the moralist prostitution does not consist so much in the fact that the woman sells her body, but rather that she sells it out of wedlock.

That this is no mere statement is proved by the fact that marriage for monetary considerations is perfectly legitimate, sanctified by law and public opinion, while any other union is condemned and repudiated. Yet a prostitute, if properly defined, means nothing else than "any person for whom sexual relationships are subordinated to gain."*----------

* Guyot, LA PROSTITUTION.

----------

"Those women are prostitutes who sell their bodies for the exercise of the sexual act and make of this a profession."*----------

* Banger, CRIMINALITE ET CONDITION ECONOMIQUE.

----------

In fact, Banger goes further; he maintains that the act of prostitution is "intrinsically equal to that of a man or woman who contracts a marriage for economic reasons."Of course, marriage is the goal of every girl, but as thousands of girls cannot marry, our stupid social customs condemn them either to a life of celibacy or prostitution. Human nature asserts itself regardless of all laws, nor is there any plausible reason why nature should adapt itself to a perverted conception of morality.

同类推荐
  • 教外别传

    教外别传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上化道度世仙经

    太上化道度世仙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE IDLE THOUGHTS OF AN IDLE FELLOW

    THE IDLE THOUGHTS OF AN IDLE FELLOW

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明伦汇编宫闱典东宫妃嫔部

    明伦汇编宫闱典东宫妃嫔部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Dolly Dialogues

    Dolly Dialogues

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 天河相会

    天河相会

    王晋康的科幻作品之一。在耶路撒冷的巴比酒吧,侍者琼斯看到一个穿黑色衣裙的中年女人走到酒吧门口,略微犹豫了一下。这里离米希里姆城区不远,那儿是哈西迪教派的聚居地,所以穿黑衣的犹太人很多。那女人大约45岁,一头金发,明眸皓齿,不过她的美貌已经开始凋零了,有一点过气明星的味道,面容冷漠,似乎有心事。
  • 暴君杠上刁蛮妻

    暴君杠上刁蛮妻

    终究还是来了啊,原来以为这一天会很远很远,没想到此刻真正来临的时候,自己却……--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 神涅

    神涅

    这些年来,随着时间的流逝,那些曾经和他很是要好的朋友,也都一个个的渐渐和他疏远,而唯独自己身前的这个大哥,依旧是一如既往的关心他,鼓励他。孱弱少年意志坚,孤身勇斗神魔劫,掌万物生机,控天地火焰……
  • 星际重生:拒当太子妃

    星际重生:拒当太子妃

    她易容成满脸斑的丑女设计指腹为婚的太子殿下退婚,一心只想找回万年前宠她如命的师父。可是,谁能告诉她,她师父怎么突然从温润如玉的仙人变身吃人不吐骨的狼人了?“师父,你…在做什么?”“傻落儿,师父突然想起来,有件事忘了教你……”“什么事啊?”“傻落儿,别捂着嘴,会呼吸不过来的…为师设了结界,不会有人听到的……”第二天晚上,她悲愤地跑去质问他:“师父你骗人!不是说没人会听到么?!”他微微一笑,“是没人听到…不过,你在我床上睡了一天一夜,他们可都看到了。”“落儿,你该好好补补了……身体这么弱怎么行?”“…………”
  • 青天歌注释

    青天歌注释

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 艰难决战

    艰难决战

    这是一部纪实文学作品,以翔实的资料介绍了日本政府和警方同黑帮组织山口组家族较量的艰难过程。披着所谓“合法存在”的外衣,就可以为所欲为、呼风唤雨?“暴力与犯罪”是任何一个社会都不能容忍的,山口组也不例外,这个“亚洲神秘组织”的构成,正在悄然变化……本书生动地介绍了山口组家族的发展和在日本社会的巨大影响,重点描写了警方为了重建社会秩序,稳定社会环境,不惜一切代价同犯罪做斗争的决心和行动。
  • 仙歌

    仙歌

    黄金巨龙仰天长啸,龙鳞被刮了?上古凤凰悲痛嘶鸣,凤羽被拔了?丹之大帝破口大骂,神丹被偷了?双修大典,洞房花烛,绝世美娇娘不知所踪?诸位可准备好,与我一起,斗神龙,戏凤凰,耍大帝,证道成仙!!!
  • 最佳炒作女王

    最佳炒作女王

    自从Ko掉出轨小鲜肉前男友,开始在娱乐圈大展拳脚的时候,夏乔感觉被一只大Boss盯上了。夏乔:打怪升级的路上,总有人想撩我......某boss:今天的我,你爱理不理,明天的我还要找你!高冷心机网红VS闷骚抖M总裁,撩宠停不下来!
  • 牧鉴

    牧鉴

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 北京雪人

    北京雪人

    一次公路之旅,因为时光让我们相遇,所以我才会对你的样子念念不忘,因为现实我们分离,所以,才有这无法停止的追寻,陈默和Lily,从北京前往加拿大,寻找大学同学张然,从温哥华到魁北克,从哈利法克斯到卡尔加里,我们在路上,寻找着曾经存在的东西。