Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1913-05-23
FALSE MODESTY AND MORAL
REFORM.

of the greatest existent evil 10 pun
lie health which physicians are
called upon to combat and approa-
ches fearlessIy a situation which has
forever in all previous years been
sludiousIy avoidcG by mothers and
fathers in general who in speaking
Of it have done 20 in guarded tones
and only then in the secrecy Of
their own chambers using every
preeaution that growing up boys
and girls should not hear breath
Of what was being said or discussed
The News under the caption, Call
ing a spade a Spade mas the fol-
lowing
Any physician viii tell you that
in Idaho today there are more cases
Of venereal diseases among men
and women than there are cases Of
typhoid. tuberculosis. pneumonia.
and diptheria combined
None Of the latter class is half
50 vicious or 20 far reaching II
effect as the former. The latter
group Of ailments IS freely discus
sed. and from the layman's stand
point. fairly well understood. The
former IS hidden under veil Of
ignorance and prejudice amounting
Ito old world superstition.
When the vocabulary Of the aver
age man and woman j. sufficient
iy enlarged to contain the word
syphilis. the first step will have
been taken towards its eradication.
Now why all this great secrecy
among mothers and fathers to their
children about this dread disease?
Why should boys or girls De com
PEELED to grow up to mature age in
ignorance Of the greatest threaten
ed danger to their bodies and
health. and then only learn Of
such things after they have posi-
blv become infected through youth
full indiscretions; and then after
learning they were diseased De to
timid to 90 TO father or mother.
or physician to have treatment at
the proper time and eventually IN
MANY cases to become the victim
of the quack specialist in veneer
ial diseases who recruits his VIC
Tins from among such afflicted and
who invariably uses so-called
quick cure with the effect that IN
stead of being cured. the disease
is only CLOSED over 50 to speak,
and instead Of being cured IS driven
farther and farther into the system
of the sufferer only to appear years
later perhaps in a more virulent
form and later to be transmitted
to progenity. This a'plain state
ment of facts. but a statement alb
solutely bald in lis truthfulness.
The crime of the present century
against the growing up boys and
girls * the absolute Indifference
with which parents regard theiI
chiiateu. Boys grow OF without
parental instructor from their ia
theirs and by the time they are six
teen wears old all they have learn
ed has been from other boys and
in telling usually only the vicious
is retained. Do you know that
in this day and age Of the world
that before they have reached a
voting age at least seveniy-five PEI
cent Of American youth have al
ready become Inflicted with some
form of venerial disease? Do you
know that among young girls fifty
per cent have been so afflicted
before they have reached the age o
twenty vears2 Well It IS true. In
a neighboring city at the present
time The rate of disease and immOr
ality among nigh school girls has
reached such stage Is to be
lv>ltLN ely oLlll-llSs 4ttts--A NC g
reliably informed that something
ike thirty are at the present time
80 afflicted. Now let the rabid NOR
al reformer pause for moment
and ask himself or herself ques-
ton. Why IS this 50? What i
the cause? Who IS to blame2
Where is my responsibility in the
raiter9
Here's the answer. It's easy. You
mother and father. You are tol
blame and no one else. ~" you
exclaim. Gracious heavens. howl
am l to blame?n
Well, let US have a look. You,
father. are to blame because you
were to busy in a thousand ways
to take notice of the fact that John
ME or Willie were growing so fast
that they became young men al
most before you realize that they