When we take under consideration the higher, truer love of one sex for
the other, that is, an affection which is not simply a friendship, but
has a sex basis, we realize that it may be a very noble emotion. There
is no manner of doubt but that the normal human being feels a great
need for love. Sex in love and its manifestation in the life of the
soul is one of the first conditions of human happiness, and a main aim
of human existence.
All know the tale of Cupid's arrow. A man falls in love with a face, a
pair of eyes, the sound of a voice, and his affection is developed
from this trifling beginning until it takes complete possession of
him. This love is usually made up of two components: a sex instinct,
and feelings of sympathy and interest which hark back to primal times.
And this love, in its true sense, should stand for an affection
purified from egoism.
When, among the lower animal forms we find individuals without a
determined sex, egoism develops free from all restraint. Each
individual creature devours as much as it can and feeding, together
with propagation by division, "budding" or conjunction, makes up the
total of its vital activities. It need do no more to accomplish the
purpose of its existence. Even when propagation commences to take
place by means of individual male and female parents, the same
principle of egoism largely obtains. The spiders are typical instances
of this: in their case the carrying out of the natural functions of
the male spider is attended with much danger for him, owing to the
fact that if he does not exercise the greatest care, he is apt to be
devoured immediately afterward by his female partner, in order that no
useful food matter may be lost. Yet even in the case of the spiders,
the female spider already gives proof of a certain capacity for
sacrifice where her young are concerned, at any rate for a short time
after they have crept from the egg.
In animals somewhat higher in the creative scale, more or less
powerful feelings of affection may develop out of their sex
association. There is affection on the part of the male for his mate,
and on the part of the female for her young. Often these feelings
develop into a strong, lasting affection between the sexes, and years
of what might be called faithful matrimonial union have been observed
in the case of birds. This in itself is sufficient to establish the
intimate relationship between love in a sex sense and love in a