Page:The Relations Tolstoy.pdf/21

 the fall has taken place with an inferior and without ritual; but regard this first fall as the only one, as an entry into actual and indissoluble marriage.

This entry into marriage, with the birth of children as result, restricts those who enter it to a new and more limited form of service of God and man. Before marriage they could serve God and man directly, in the most various ways; entry into marriage restricts the scope of their activities, and demands of them the rearing and education of the children, the future servants of God and man.

"What should a married man and woman do who are fulfilling the restricted service of God and man by rearing and educating children?"

Again the same -together strive to free themselves from temptation, to purify themselves and cease the sin by changing the relations which hinder both general and special service of God and man -changing sexual love into the pure relationship of brother and sister.

And therefore it is not true that we cannot guide ourselves by the ideal of Jesus, because of its being so high, perfect and unattainable. We cannot be guided by it merely because we lie to ourselves and deceive ourselves. Indeed, by saying that we must have rules more practicable than the ideal of Jesus, because otherwise, not having attained this ideal, we shall fall into sin, -we really say not that the ideal of Jesus is too high for us but only that we do not believe in it, and do not wish to regulate our conduct by it.

By saying that having once fallen we have thereby begun a loose life, we really only say that we have decided beforehand that to fall with one who is socially our inferior is not a sin but an amusement, an infatuation, which we are not bound to rectify by