Conjugial Love (Chadwick) n. 109

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109. He then took out the sixth paper and read as follows.

'We, the representatives in our group, have looked around for causes which give rise to conjugial love and have agreed on two. One of these is the correct upbringing of children, the other is the clearly defined possession of inheritances. We have selected these two causes, because they aim at and have regard to a single target, the public good. This is achieved, because children conceived and born as the result of conjugial love are proper and true to their breeding; and a result of the enhanced parental love engendered by their legitimacy they are brought up to inherit all their parents' possessions, spiritual as well as natural. Reason can see that the public good is founded on the correct upbringing of children and the clearly defined possession of inheritances.

'There is sexual love and there is conjugial love. The second may look as if it were identical with the first, but it is quite clearly different. Nor is one alongside the other; one is inside the other, and what is inside excels in nobility what is outside. We have observed that conjugial love is from creation inside and hidden in sexual love, just like an almond in its shell. So when conjugial love is laid bare of its shell, sexual love, it shines in the sight of angels like such gems as beryl or moonstone. The reason for this is that conjugial love has been labelled the preservation of the whole human race, which is what we mean by the public good. This is our judgment about the source of this love.

'However, after debating the causes of its strength or potency, we have come to the conclusion that this is due to the laying bare and separation of conjugial love from sexual love. This results from wisdom on the part of the husband, and the love of her husband's wisdom on the part of the wife. For sexual love is shared with animals, but conjugial love is peculiar to human beings. So a man is a man and not an animal, to the extent that conjugial love is bared and separated from sexual love. It is his love which allows a person to acquire his strength or potency, and it is love which gives an animal its.' This paper was signed with the letter G.


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