PARIETALS

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

. . . I believe that the attitude that sexual intercourse before marriage is morally wrong in the Harvard milieu stems from a cultural belief of long standing concerning sex-segregation. Western culture as well as so-called primitive cultures has recognized roles and activities which were distinctively "male" or "female." ... ritual myths and taboos were invented in certain cultures concerning the contaminating effect of women and their magical ability to injure or harm man.... I feel that the attitude of the Deans toward sexual intimacy is another expression of the myth that women distract or contaminate men through sexual attractiveness....

Due to the positive efforts of Radcliffe, sex-segregation is on the wane in the Harvard community.... Along with this cultural change come necessary changes in what we know as morality.

But the question of sexual intimacy in a university atmosphere is not basically a moral question.... Sexual intimacy fulfills cultural as well as psychological needs of late adolescence in a society whose cultural forms are changing rapidly.... Morality is a relative concept projecting certain mythologies associated with magico-religious beliefs....

The seeds of cultural change have been sown; Harvard can contribute creatively to cultural change or regress to a system of strict sex-segregation and no parietals. John Hartman '64