DOCTOR JACOBI'S essay is so admirable in so many ways, is so frank and so candid and so informed by the scientific spirit, that at the outset the possible critic is denied the spur of outraged feelings; he may not draw from the "deeper sources," whose waves, we are assured, sweep over and swamp the frail craft of human reason. He must argue, he must use logic, he must "preach", if he is to reach the ear of the reasoning and ethical human being.
No doubt the greater part of the intellectual force he expends, as was the greater part
of the intellectual force of millions before him, is ineffective in so far as tangible changes in
human customs and institutions are concerned, and this for two reasons: On the one hand,
the errors in the arguing and the preaching; and, on the other, the inability of most hearers
and readers to comprehend a statement of scientific facts and a logical argument made.
Nevertheless, even as Dr. Jacobi, thinking men and women will continue to interpret
non human and human facts, will continue to argue for their interpretations, will continue
to advocate personal reforms and social changes that seem to be in harmony with those
interpretations in short, will continue to reason the best they can, will strive to place wiser
and better guiding hands on the levers of the on rushing engine of human emotions.
Because from the "deeper sources" is lifted the curious and unreasoning mob that blocks the street
against the firemen is no reason why the disciplined and cool-headed police should not clear
the street and establish the firelines on the contrary, it is because of this very ebullience of
the primitive emotions that the police must be there and must establish and maintain the
fire lines.
Speaking of war, it is remarked that "if lives are sacrificed, the profoundest sympathies
must be enlisted in the cause". The historical fact is that the hireling soldier and the
conscripted soldier have appeared on the field even more often than has the fanatical
volunteer, and neither hireling nor conscript was moved by sympathy for "the cause". With
the hireling, it was a matter of cold calculation or the love of adventure; the conscript had
no choice.
Even Dr. Jacobi admits the part played by intellect, by teaching and precept, in creating
or directing those very emotions and sentiments which he argues are dominant, particularly
in the field of sex action. Speaking of "the controversy waged around the sex problem", he
says, "here, especially, is opinion and behavior based on powerful emotions and sentiments,
the products of heredity, education, race, and creed". I italicize "products". Two of the four
factors he names as having created present opinion and conduct in sex life, viz., "education"
and "creed", are of the domain of thought.
If education and creeds (precepts, dicta), in the past have helped form the body of emotions and sentiments which to-day aid in shaping our
opinions and modifying our actions in matters sexual, are we not encouraged to hope and
believe that the education which we in these later generations are imparting and the precepts
that we are repeating will in turn have appreciable effect in forming the body of emotions and
sentiments of the future? I am sure that Dr. Jacobi so thinks, or he would not have taken the
trouble to prepare this excellent paper. "To tell the simple truth", he says, "these advocates
have their emotions enlisted in behalf of the double standard thru heredity and upbringing",
thus again assigning to education ("up bringing") a creative role, as regards emotions and
feelings. So, also in the quotation from Lecky which he italicizes "much of our feeling on
these subjects is due to laws and moral systems which were formed by men".