The Scented Garden

16 Introduction To return to the question on phallicism, I will not be so frivolous as to quote ‘ New every morning is the love Our waking and uprising prove ’ as an example of obscene symbolism in the Christian Church ; for there is no lack of serious identi- ty. The cross itself is notoriously the lingam : the vesica piscis — Christ being ιχθυς the fish — the Yoni. Now the vesica piscis is the foundation of all Christian architecture : that is to say, the female member lying open, and awaiting impregnation by the male, is the glyph of the church, and the divine invocations upon its altar. Similarly the figure of the bride of Christ has only been spiritualized in very recent days. Whoso doubts it may consult Payne Knight’s essays ‘ On the Worship of Pria- pus ’. The lady was usually represented by the ‘ Early Christians ’ (our models in all things) as a naked female with a lascivious grin ; offering with her hands, apparently to the first comer, a vulva which is of the shape and relative size of a horse- collar ! Any ordinary man who attempted to in- dulge her fancy would find himself in the position of Baker’s blue-jay. But with God all things are possible. I am tempted to add that even plain paederasty, without any question of symbol at all, is perhaps not so incompatible with the virtues, religious, so- cial, moral, and domestic, as by good compatriots make such a point of asserting with a fine show of disgust and indignation, thereby lending colour to the fixed idea which obtains on the Continent of Europe that all Englishmen are sodomites. To my hand, as I write this, comes a strange es- say ÀµÁ¯ À±¹´µÁ±Ãĵ¯Ç written by a well-known cler- gyman. He is adored by his wife and children ; his church is full when his brethren in the district are in despair ; his poor are better looked after than any for fifty miles around ; and his choir is incom- parable the best in the kingdom.6 To a sincere and