Collected Articles

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

Collected Articles

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Ida Craddock's collected articles offer a pioneering, spiritualized guide to marital relations, challenging Victorian taboos with frank, medical, and esoteric insights on the wedding night, sexual health, and the divine nature of marriage.

Summary up to 500 words

Originally published between 1894 and 1902, Ida Craddock's *Collected Articles* presents a revolutionary synthesis of physiological science and spiritual philosophy regarding marriage. The collection begins with *The Wedding Night*, where Craddock advises couples to prioritize affection and patience over immediate genital contact. She argues that the inexperienced bride is often unprepared for such intimacy and warns that the male organ is a precious secretion for creating life, not an excretion to be discarded. Craddock urges self-control to avoid harming the wife's health, suggesting that genital union should only occur when both partners are aroused and desiring it. The text expands into *Psychic Wedlock* and *Heavenly Bridegrooms*, exploring the concept of the 'Borderland'—a spiritual realm where marriage continues after death. Craddock cites global myths of virgin births and divine paternity, from Buddha to the Mexican Virgin Chimalman, to suggest that the soul's marriage transcends physical limitations. The narrative takes a dramatic turn as Craddock details her persecution by Anthony Comstock and the 'Society for the Suppression of Vice.' She describes her arrest, the suppression of her books, and the legal precedents used to silence her, framing her struggle as a defense of freedom of the press and religious liberty. Craddock accuses Comstock of being a 'sex pervert' and a 'Sadist' who exploits the government for private ends. She highlights the injustice of the legal system, which forbids defendants from producing witnesses to testify to the beneficial effects of their books, effectively abolishing the right to a trial by jury in obscenity cases. Ultimately, the collection serves as both an instructional manual for 'Right Marital Living' and a passionate plea for the public to protect sexological literature from censorship. Craddock promises a healthier, holier, and more ecstatic life for those who embrace her teachings, urging the American public to demand the protection of her work, *Right Marital Living*, before she faces imprisonment or death. She concludes that true marital joy is possible only through enlightened knowledge and spiritual communion, inviting readers to share in a radiantly happy life that she hopes to continue even from the 'Borderland'.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/ida-craddock_collected-articles.epub

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Categories

• Psychology
• Religion
• Essays