invariably the ecclesiastical ceremony is superadded
to the civil marriage. In our moral estimate of masturbation, we have to
take another point into consideration. We have seen that long-continued
and excessive masturbation is dangerous to health; now every voluntary
action, and every action that is commonly believed to be voluntary, the
effects of which are injurious to body or to mind, is considered to be
immoral, unless it is performed in pursuit of some lofty aim--as, for
instance, in the case of the doctor who exposes himself to some deadly
infection for the sake of his patient's welfare. But these reasons do
not suffice to account for the fact that masturbation is commonly
regarded as a more immoral act than illegitimate sexual intercourse.
Here, however, as so often happens, the popular instinct contains a
kernel of truth, which in this case relates not so much to the
individual ethical judgment as to the general interest. The popular
instinct, or we may rather say the soul of the people, commonly regards
that as immoral which, if approved, would entail serious general
consequences. In this ethical judgment we have, as it were, the
manifestation of an instinct of self-preservation on the part of the
soul of the people. We must not forget that the practice of masturbation
is extraordinarily easy, and that if it were recognised as a morally
permissible act, its frequency would be notably increased. The reason
last given, namely, the injury to health that may result from
masturbation, explains one way in which the practice is opposed to the
general interest. But another reason is still more important. The
practice of masturbation naturally limits the frequency of sexual
intercourse, not only in its illegitimate, but also in its legitimate
form. The easier an act is, the more readily, if it is deleterious, will
popular sentiment build a protective wall around it. In individual
instances, such popular valuations are devoid of logical foundation, and
for this very reason it is often impossible to reject them on logical
grounds. But they are largely based upon considerations of the general
interest, and for this reason it is often just as well that they are
impervious to logic. Hence, although in concrete cases of masturbation
physicians and schoolmasters will not always take a severe view, and, in
certain instances, as explained above, it may even be considered that
masturbation is a morally permissible act, this will