Since the publication of the fourth English edition and
the several editions of this work in Spanish in the South American
countries, a completely new approach has become necessary as a
reinterpretation of the laws governing creative (sex) activity
from a sound physical, moral and spiritual standpoint.
Up until that time, in fact until a very short time ago, humanity
as a whole was submerged in sex ignorance, though the more enlightened
were usually governed by inhibitions and taboos.
This was due to the fact that actual knowledge on sex subjects has been at a premium. Educators as a class are as ignorant as the mass.
The church, whose duty it was, and still is, to teach mankind the laws governing moral and spiritual behavior - sex coming under both categories - ignored, and continues to ignore, this all-important most vital subject.
It is true, of course, that shortly after the first world war, novelists, almost as a whole, sensing the degeneration of morality which had taken place during the war, sized upon sex and the worst of its characteristics, as themes for their novels.
Never before in the history of the world was mankind fed with so much immoral filth as during the past twenty-five Years. In the almost multitudinous novels with their varied themes, all dealing with the dark side of sex, virtually every phase of debased sex thought and practice was dealt with.
As was only natural, the millions of men and women who constantly read this debasing literature were inoculated with an inner defilement which gradually, imperceptibly and almost unconsciously, took place.
Today many of these millions are almost unable to look squarely into the eyes of even those they love, or believe they love, because of the contaminated thoughts and inner desires governing them.
During all of the past centuries there has been only one publication which could compare in its evil, debasing, degrading sex teaching, to these novels taken as a whole.
This was Le KAMA SOUTHRA Regles de L'Amour de Vatsyayana a work translated into French, but considered so evil in its inculcations and influence that its importation, even though published in French, was forbidden.
This work, giving instructions in all the vile practices known to man, did not actually have as evil an influence on humanity as our modern sex novels. This is explained in the fact that basically, it was a religious work and a strong psychological factor was present.
This factor was missing in our modern novels, the base side being paramount; the evil, sensual side was dramatized as the only important subject under consideration.
This lowering of the moral thought, sense and desire of the vast number of peoples as a direct result of these debased publications gave rise to another evil, which, if possible, has had, and continues to have, an almost greater influence for debasement than the "sexy" novels.
We have reference to the madness for the so-called surveys so much publicized, bringing to public attention what was and has always been considered the private affair of husband and wife.
The practices taught and explained in Kama Soutra were, as mentioned, basically considered as religious practices. These practices were as evil as a debased humanity can make anything evil; nevertheless, the psychological religious thought held a subduing influence over those given to the practice. BY NO POWER OF THE IMAGINATION CAN THIS BE SAID OF THE MODERN NOVELS OR OF THE EXPOSITIONS IN THE SURVEYS.
The state of mind in general of those engaged in these surveys is all too clearly indicated by a statement on the part of one of the men interested in the SURVEYS and which is here quoted:
"The sexual behavior of people is based on a great
many different traditions, superstitions, impulses and individual
experiences(1). But our attitudes toward sex are not even as reasonable
as our behavior.
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(1) We have no quarrel with this statement, though it is far from
complete. To the reasons for sexual behavior should be added,
above all - IGNORANCE ON THE PART OF THE MASS. The fact that men
are inherently possess of a mighty (biological) urge; an all-controlling
desire; without knowledge of how to correctly apply, direct and
use it.
All of this is due to the fact that those appointed, or who appointed themselves, to teach and guide mankind, have failed to do so. Mankind has honestly believed, and still believes, that sex belongs to the dark side of life, the gutter, and is to be hidden and not brought to light, whereas it is of the highest, deepest spiritual significance and importance.
It rests on a moral foundation; having within it the power to debase and degrade; to degenerate and destroy, or to elevate, exalt and REgenerate all mankind, i.e., spiritualize and lift up, as Moses did the serpent in the wilderness.
The church, above all others, has been, and still is, recreant
in its holy duty, despite the fact that in its Scriptures are
all the instructions needed, and only require proper, correct,
and enlightened interpretation.
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"The Greeks inhabited a rather unproductive land and,
at the height of their glory, there were a great many of them
per square mile. They were intelligent enough to realize that
all of them would suffer if their population grew so rapidly that
mouths multiplied faster than their resources(2). The result was
a set of sexual customs which positively discouraged reproduction.
As a last resort they employed infanticide, but they preferred
less obviously harsh measures.
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(2) This idea in itself is a sound and practical one. The entire
world is facing this problem now and unless wise measures
are taken, famine will stalk the world within another fifty years.
Unfortunately, the Greeks took the most disastrous means possible
to prevent this result and quickly became a degenerate (morally
and spiritually) people; falling from a high degree of culture
to little more than a memory. Our modern world is rapidly following
in its footsteps.
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Therefore, homosexuality(3) was an accepted outlet for the
sexual outlet of both men and women. A Greek gentleman was thought
a little queer, not quite respectable, if he did not keep a male
lover. In addition, a highly regarded class of women was developed,
a sort of super mistress, with whom Greek men could have extra-marital
relations without fear of consequences(4) either in the way of
undesirable offspring or social ostracism.
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(3) This development in itself is the proof of the degeneration
and the gradual decay of the Greek race. There is only one naturalness
native to the human creature and that is cohabitation as intended
AND ARRANGED FOR BY NATURE. Any deviation, irrespective of the
reason, is in the direction of moral decay. Whenever there
are actual needs for the limitation of children, there are natural,
non-harmful means which in no wise bring about deterioration of
morality or spirituality.
(4) A wholly misleading statement. It may be true, insofar as
reproduction is concerned, but other serious consequences where
then, as now, multitudinous; mental deterioration and race suicide.
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"Homosexuality among women was so equally recognized as a proper sexual outlet that the Greek island of Lesbos gave its name to the practice. Among the Greeks it was not a word which needs to be said in whispers or behind the hand.
"So far as we can tell, neither the strength of the Greek race nor the standards of its culture suffered. Rather, they established a golden age which successive generations have tried to emulate- but not in their frank approach to sex."
We suggest that our readers study these several paragraphs carefully and in doing so, ask themselves the questions: Where is Sappho and her cult? Where is this mighty Greek nation and her standards of culture? Is this author suggesting that we follow the practices of the Greeks? Lastly, if it is true that neither the Greek race nor their standard of culture suffered, then why should the honest American worker and business man now be so heavily burdened by millions in taxes to defend, protect and feed this "strong and cultured nation" of a "golden age" from annihilation?
Tolstoi is remembered above all else for his command to the people: "Bethink yourself!" It were indeed well if the American people began in real earnest and sincerity to do so.
These SURVEYS and the commentaries have successfully accomplished one thing: something which the verboten Le Kama Soutra never succeeded in doing for the peoples of India, or even for the French people; a damage beyond repair; an evil that will continue as long as these texts are read.
It is an inborn instinct in the human creature, irrespective of how low he may fall, to hold on to something as an ideal; something as sacred. Hence the thief and the murderer, even the panderer, will think of his mother, sister or sweetheart as pure, noble and exalted. The mother and father, irrespective of birth or culture, will think of their daughter as pure and undefiled; the youth will think equally well of his sister and sweetheart; the children of their parents; the girl of her lover. THIS USED TO BE TRUE, BUT IS TRUE NO LONGER.
Anyone, whether father, mother, youth or maiden, into whose hands these sex survey books unfortunately fall and who reads them, WILL BECOME INOCULATED WITH THE DEADLY POISON OF DOUBT; DOUBT THAT BECOMES SOUL SEARING AND DAMNING.
The youth meeting his sweetheart and looking into her eyes, innocent as they may be, will find the serpent doubt arising in his mind and wonder: "Is she, too, guilty of one or more of these practices? Is it true that she is no longer pure, no longer an ideal to be loved and worshiped?"
The lovely, innocent girl will be beset with these same damnable doubts when she greets her lover. The husband cannot help but think of them when he sees his wife. The wife will suspect the habits of her husband and mistrust every other woman.
Parents will doubt and suspect, if not mentally question the children, while the children in turn will doubt the purity of the lives of their parents. Each will suspect the other and never be able to entirely free the mind of suspicion.
If hell had opened its doors and spawned all its evils upon the face of the earth and its unfortunate inhabitants, no greater harm to man's ideals could have been accomplished than by the publication of these SURVEYS in the name of science and the conveyance of knowledge, with the resulting suspicions implanted in the minds of all who are so unfortunate as to read them.
Worst of all is the fact that no actual knowledge whatever has been gained by these SURVEYS. Mature mankind was well informed that these evils exist to some degree, but believed them limited to certain degenerate types. By these misleading SURVEYS they are now led to believe, or at least to suspect, that almost all human beings, beloved father, mother, brother, sister, sweetheart, husband and wife, may be secretly guilty of one or more of these unsavory practices or vices.
Moreover, all of the approaches are from the lower, animalistic, carnal plane, lacking all suggestion that there may be a higher, greater, spiritual concept, and a means for turning carnal thoughts, ideas and practices into avenues of idealism, exaltation and final spiritualization; or, as the Bible has it, the means of helping "mortality put on Immortality."
The approach is altogether wrong. It is an approach from the basest instinct in man; its concept, is the gutter of human society. Men who have the welfare of the race at heart, who believe that a Regeneration of the race is possible and practical; men of the "cloth" of all churches, must gather together and give battle to this evil from the opposite direction.
It must be a spiritual approach; not one of smugness and self-righteousness, but an activity that is sane, practical, and, above all, HUMAN. It must be something that the common man who is honest, sincere, more or less moral, can understand and be able to accept; both the reason and the modus operandi.
The author of this book is positive in his condemnation of all the evils of sex; the subterfuges employed to enjoy the creative act without assuming any responsibility. He believes that sex is dual in its nature; reproductive on the one hand, REgenerative on the other; that it is human in reproduction; divine in its possibility as an agent for REgeneration.
Life moves swiftly and not always constructively. Frequently the efforts made to correct an evil, are more degrading and destructive than the evil itself. This is most certainly true relative to affairs of sex.
After this text had been fully set into type, but before it could be printed, the thinking world horrified by the news emanating from Japan that that country had legalized Birth Control.
It is admittedly true that Japan is desperately in need
of reducing its birth rate for the reason that the country is
far from able to supply the necessary food to its people; but
the method pursued should be in harmony with the Laws of both
Nature and of God - if it is possible to separate them.
If Japan legalized Birth Control clinics where the people would
be instructed in natural methods for the limitation of childbirth
it would be the proper thing, but the statesman (?) of Japan acted
radically and legalized the establishment of what will be neither
more nor less than "Abortion rings," a crime greater
than the methods pursued in Greece when it was found that the
country could no longer adequately support its people.
The worst feature will be in the certainty that the lower, irresponsible class, with few exceptions, will not take advantage of the opportunities offered but will continue to breed as they always have, while the better class, the responsible class will, with the result that very shortly the "breeders," not the leaders, will be in control. It was so in Greece, it will be so in Japan.
With these thoughts in mind the work goes forth on its mission with the ardent prayer that it will be the means of destroying the suspicion that all men and women are guilty of sex evils. We also desire to awaken all who have the welfare of mankind at heart, to actively engage in teaching the truth, and nothing but the truth; the natural - and at the same time, the spiritual means of meeting a difficult problem.
REV. R. SWINBURNE CLYMER, (M.D.)
Beverly Hall
Quaker, Pennsylvania.
May 21, 1949