Love and Sex

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

general sense. And even in the animal creation we find the same

analogy existing between these feelings of sympathy and their

opposites which occur in the case of human beings. Every feeling of

attachment or sympathy existing between two individuals has a