of the man, as soon as his passion is aroused to any considerable
extent, the penis at once makes itself ready for action. It
"tumesces," or swells itself hard, almost instantly; and, so far as
its mere physical stoutness is concerned, is as ready to enter the
vagina then as ever, even if it has to force itself in.

On the other hand, the tumescence of the parts in women is usually,
(especially as girls are reared) not infrequently, a matter of
considerable time, not infrequently several minutes, and now and then,
of _half-an-hour or more_! This is not always so, for in some very
passionate women they are ready for action almost instantly. Indeed,
there are some women whose sex organs tumesce if they (the women) even
touch a man--any man--and occasionally a case occurs where a woman
will experience an orgasm if her clothing brushes against a man! Such
cases are, of course, abnormal. But, _for the most part_, it is true
that women are _much slower_ in making ready for the sexual act than
men are.

Again, as the organs become ready for the act, nature has provided a
most wonderful means for bringing about their easy and happy union.
Both the male and female organs secrete and emit, or pour out, a sort
of lubricating fluid which covers and sometimes almost floods the
parts. This is a clear and limpid substance, that looks much like the
white of an egg, and is much like the saliva that is secreted in
the mouth, only it is a thicker substance. Chemically, it is almost
identical with saliva. That generated by the man is called "prostatic
flow;" that produced by the woman "pre-coital secretion."

Now, if time is given for this fluid to be secreted and exuded, all
the parts become covered or saturated with it, and they are admirably