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sixteen, polluted myself and helped to pollute a sister-woman, without
understanding what I did. Never had I heard from my elders that what I
thus did was bad. It is true that there are the ten commandments of
the Bible; but the commandments are made only to be recited before
the priests at examinations, and even then are not as exacting as the
commandments in regard to the use of ut in conditional propositions.
"
Thus, from my elders, whose opinion I esteemed, I had never heard
that this was reprehensible. On the contrary, I had heard people whom
I respected say that it was good. I had heard that my struggles and my
sufferings would be appeased after this act. I had heard it and read it.
I had heard from my elders that it was excellent for the health, and my
friends have always seemed to believe that it contained I know not what
merit and valor. So nothing is seen in it but what is praiseworthy.
As for the danger of disease, it is a foreseen danger. Does not the
government guard against it? And even science corrupts us."
"
"
How so, science?" I asked.
Why, the doctors, the pontiffs of science. Who pervert young people
by laying down such rules of hygiene? Who pervert women by devising and
teaching them ways by which not to have children?
"Yes: if only a hundredth of the efforts spent in curing diseases were
spent in curing debauchery, disease would long ago have ceased to exist,
whereas now all efforts are employed, not in extirpating debauchery,
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