The omission of the pudendal hair, in representations of the nude was, for instance, quite natural for the people of countries still under Oriental influence are accustomed to remove the hair from the body.

If, however, under quite different conditions, we perpetuate that artistic convention to-day, we put ourselves into a perverse relation to nature.

There is ample evidence of this.

"There is one convention so ancient, so necessary, so universal," writes Mr.Frederic Harrison (_Nineteenth Century and After_, Aug., 1907), "that its deliberate defiance to-day may arouse the bile of the least squeamish of men and should make women withdraw at once." If boys and girls were brought up at their mother's knees in familiarity with pictures of beautiful and natural nakedness, it would be impossible for anyone to write such silly and shameful words as these.
There can be no doubt that among ourselves the simple and direct attitude of the child towards nakedness is so early crushed out of him that intelligent education is necessary in order that he may be enabled to discern what is and what is not obscene.

To the plough-boy and the country servant-girl all nakedness, including that of Greek statuary, is alike shameful or lustful.