Moral | Page 7

is the
manner in which these temptations terminate.
BEERMANN. Our movement intends to do away with these very
deceptions. We want to protect the traditions of the home which

women treasure.
FRAU LUND. No. We, women also treasure modesty. We dislike to
see men pretend to have better morals than they actually have.
BEERMANN. Seriously, Frau Lund. Public immorality must hurt you
more.
FRAU LUND. You arc mistaken. It requires a genuine manly feeling to
sympathize with misery.
DR. WASNER. Misery and vice are different problems.
FRAU LUND. They're not. And that is why we will never agree.
FRAU BEERMANN. All the more reason why my husband should not
set himself up as an example. He knows nothing of worry or care.
BEERMANN. We can never subscribe to Frau Lund's principles.
FRAU LUND. No principles, please!
BOLLAND. Out of sheer opposition you will say that you hold
different ones from us.
FRAU LUND. No. I will say that I hold none at all.
BOLLAND. and WASNER [together]. But, gnadige Frau!
FRAU LUND. I can't help it. I lost them some place on my journey
through life. I have learned that all your principles have loop holes
through which people can conveniently slip out and take their friends
along with them. So I had my choice of either surrendering them or
dishonestly preaching them to others.
DR. WASNER. Real principles of life are never given up.
HAUSER [with sarcasm]. Cheers from the gallery!
BOLLAND. Principles of morality are the laws of nature--they are her
dictates.
FRAU LUND. Is that the reason you have started your Society for the
Suppression of Vice? Do you imagine your by-laws are stronger than
the laws of nature?
DR. WASNER. May I make just one remark?
BEERMANN. What is it?
DR. WASNER [stroking his beard]. In summing up the matter we can
come to this decision: women have a beautiful privilege. Certain facts
in life remain a closed book to them. We, men, unfortunately have to
come into contact with them.
HAUSER. Did you say UNFORTUNATELY?
DR. WASNER. Please don't interrupt. I maintain "unfortunately"! For

the last four years, I have been persistently following obscene literature,
and to-day I have gotten together a collection of it, which I dare say is
pretty complete. So I am speaking of matters about which I am
thoroughly informed. [With importance.] The degree of vulgarity our
people have reached is incredible.
FRAU LUND. And you have been the "persistent collector" of this
vulgarity?
DR. WASNER. Let me assure you that I took upon myself this task
with loathing.
HAUSER. Herr Professor, in all my life I have never met a man who
for four years voluntarily did something which was loathsome to him.
DR. WASNER. You have no business to make such a remark.
HAUSER. Have you derived no satisfaction from it at all?
DR. WASNER. Satisfaction--if you mean the satisfaction of
participating in the uplift of our people.
FRAU LUND. Uplift? Our reformers capitalize our national lack of
good taste. Good proof of that are the moral works of art which you
patronize.
DR. WASNER. The matter we are discussing is more serious than
reforming bad taste.
FRAU LUND. There is nothing more serious.
DR. WASNER [knowingly]. If you but knew, Frau Lund!
FRAU LUND. I don't have to call and see your collection. Frankly, to
me, the most obscene picture in your gallery could not be more
disgusting than the talk you carry on in your meetings.
BEERMANN. Oh! Oh!
FRAU LUND. The nudity of the human body is not disgusting. It is the
nudity of your mind. No vice is as repulsive as that virtue of yours
which loudly uncovers itself in public--in market places. Vice has at
least the shame to hide itself.
BEERMANN [to Bolland]. Can you understand her?
BOLLAND. I must admit, I can't.
DR. WASNER. Gnadige Frau stated that vice hides itself. But in spite
of that it exists.
BOLLAND. Yes, she admitted that it exists.
DR. WASNER. Shall we tolerate it merely because it crawls into dark
nooks and corners?

FRAU LUND. You reformers! Let more sunshine into this world and
vice will not find so many dark corners and nooks to hide in.
BOLLAND. You would not be as opposed to us if you had a son who
would be exposed to the temptations of our great cities.
FRAU LUND. I would be ashamed of myself if for personal reasons I
became narrow-minded.
BEERMANN. But just stop to think! Picture a healthy young man in
his prime falling into the hands of one of these abominable creatures!
FRAU LUND. I could picture something worse than that.
BEERMANN. Still worse?
FRAU LUND. For instance, if he should, with all the credulity of youth,
enter into the work of your society.
BOLLAND. Well! Well!
BEERMANN. You