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214 ESOTERIC ANTHROPOLOGY.
have no right to receive the support of one man, while
she bears a child to another, except by consent. A
woman is bound, therefore, to be true to her marriage
relation, while that relation exists. She has no more
right to cheat her husband, than a slave has to cheat his
master. It is true that if love, the sole condition of
marriage, do not exist, it is no marriage in fact, but
only in form ; a mere sham, a a legalized adultery, sin
against nature and its Author. God joins people in
love : not in simple friendship, not in indifference, not
in hate and discord, repulsion
and horror. But if a
woman, for any consideration of property, or children,
or worldliness, choose to remain in such a relation, she
must be true to its falsity.
The duties of a husband to his wife must be recipro
cal just so far as their relations are equilibrated. In
some respects they strikingly differ. a During large
portion of the time, a woman child-bearing is not in a
condition to allow sexual intei-course. A woman has
usually no such excuse for infidelity. A man, in the
Bexual act, imparts ; a woman receives, and possibly re
tains. With the man, the physical consequences ter
minate with the act ; with the woman, they may remain
for months and years. These are evidently real dif
ferences, which must modify our ideas of duty and
criminality, in and out of the marriage relation, and
the civilized notions in this respect are not entirely des
titute of foundation.
It is curious to see the opinions of moralists and legis
lators upon these points. The common law and the com
mon religion decide that this marriage bond is equally
obligatory on both parties. But high authorities, ancient