The choice of a mate.

  • Ludovici, Anthony M. (Anthony Mario), 1882-1971.
Date:
[1935]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: The choice of a mate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    dividuals as to make each modern male and female a unique phenomenon from the standpoint of calculable behaviour ? This is the outcome, not only of the anarchy of values and the absence of any standardized taste and judgment, but also of the infinite number of permutations and combinations to which the mixture of races, nationalities, classes, types—aye and diseases, have led. Truth to tell, it is not unlikely that the very idea of exercising choice at all in mating is the result of the steady increase in individual differentiation. For if standardization of type, values and tastes, existed, and marked differences, whether in stature, beauty, health and psyche, were so rare that a young person blindfolded could be certain of picking out a suitable mate, merely by reaching out to a group of waiting men or girls, as the case might be, choice would be of no consequence what soever. 1 Indeed, Professor Richard Wilhelm, who writes with such authority on China, says that owing to “ the great similarity of personalities, it does not make much difference to a man which woman he marries, for they are all more or less alike,” 1 2 and Crawley mentions similar instances in other parts of the world. 3 How different is the position of the modern European ! While, however, the prerequisite of free choice may be differ entiation and variety, choice is not simplified by the fact that such variety exists. To assume that it is, would mean that, failing the necessary instincts and the stable environment, sound criteria of choice are to hand and accessible to all. But this is not so, and here we touch on the most defective of all branches of general knowledge. To make a sound choice from the stand point of health alone to-day, the average lay person’s knowledge is wholly inadequate. This is also true of the morphological, psychological and many other standpoints. The matter is now so extremely complicated that it almost meets the extreme of simplicity possessed by the other state (that of complete standardization), and we may wonder whether the 1 According to Athemeus (The Deipnosophists, trans. by C. D. Yonge, B.A., London, 1854, Bk. Ill, Chap II) some such practice existed in Sparta ; for he writes : “ Hermippus stated . . . that at Lacedemon all the damsels used to be shut up in a dark room, while a number of unmarried young men were shut up with them, and whichever girl each of the young men caught hold of he led away as his wife.” 2 B.M., p. 133. s C.M.R., p. 295.