A Positive Romance

In a charged conversation about why men so often idealize women, Hammond argues that the impulse runs deeper than romance and belongs to human nature itself. He then turns to Auguste Comte's Positivism, recalling how, as a college student, he was drawn into the creed by the brilliant and enigmatic Professor Régnier, a magnetic Frenchman with rumored revolutionary connections. Under Régnier's influence at Leroy College, Hammond and a few classmates embraced the doctrine as a kind of new religion, one that promised moral nobility through self-sacrifice, devotion to humanity, and intellectual superiority. But Hammond's enthusiasm soon gave way to unease. Humanity as an abstraction could command duty, yet it could not satisfy the heart's need for reverence and adoration. Régnier answers this problem with a striking idea: Positivism finds its sacred emblem in woman, whose symbolic place in the human spirit gives worship a living focus. Blending philosophy, romance, and spiritual yearning, this reflective tale explores the mysterious force behind devotion to womanhood and the emotional power of ideas. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.