The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-10
LOCAL WOMAN LEADS
HYGIENE DISCUSSION
Awakening Of Parents to Con.
ditions Is vitality Necessary,
Says Mrs. Jennings.

A feature of especial local interes
was introduced in the meeting Of tn,
child hygiene department of the n. Il
A. at the Lafayette school yesterday
morning, when Mrs. Martha b. Jen
nings, matron Of the Salt Lake higl
school, was asked TO lead the discussion
following the paper of DR.. T. w. Gal
loway of Decatur, Ill, on "Sex Hy
giene. -
After commencing the paper as th'
sanest, most comprehensive state
ment she had ever heard,' Mrs. Jen
nings said in part;
I believe that il is important to
awaken parents to the necessity of
training young people to have the
right idea on sex questions. We
have followed the plan here Of hav
ing meetings IN the grade schools
for mothers, lnstructing them In
the need of teaching their chill
dren in these matters in the right
way Small libraries have been
placed in the grade school dealing
with sex education While the
books are not perfect, they are the
best that / have found available.
/ think the state of Washing
ton has an ideal law, which com
pels the teaching of a course in
sex training. The dangers
children may encounter / believe
should not be insisted upon as
strongly as other phases of the
question. ] believe that teachers
should be awakened to their re-
sponsibility for this kind of teach
ing and should be properly equip
ped for 1T
j agree with those who think
that too much publicity is given
matters Of this kind, at least too
much is said in the headlines of
newspapers and elsewhere. | be-
lieve that girls and boys should
be taught, not sensationally, but
wisely to keep themselves on
high plane as the mothers and
fathers of the future.
Not a Reform.
Some of the leading thoughts in DR.
Galloway's paper, which was read by
the secretary, are as follows:
The idea in sex instruction is
not so much reform, as the sane
use of most vital series of in
fluential facts so that they may
be consciously directed to construc
tive ends rather than be allowed
through neglect to work havoc in
character.
The promise in sex instruction
arises from the fact that ignorance
or false information about funda-
mental things has never solved
any question. The order of the
universe puts a premium on know
ledge-on real, sound, adequate
knowledge. In other words, there
is a positive, though not a com
plete, correlation between knowl-
edge and conduct. Everything else
being equal, the person who knows
right is more likely to do right
than one who does not know.
Sex instruction looks, however,
to more than mere information. 1t
contemplates bringing, at the
proper time and to the right per-
the best of all the materials the
race has gathered to inform, to
encourage, to inspire, and to fur
nish ideals and standards of social
virtue, Of chivalry and respect for
women. of the single standard of
purity for the sexes, of devotion TO
right conventions-of everything
that may serve to give both inter
nal and external control of these
profoundly valuable and powerful
impulses.
There is at present no we'll as
sured outline Of this instruction,
properly selected and graded as it
must be, which has had thor
ouph practical testing. We cannot
afford. therefore, TO urge haste
except in the making of definite
experiments here and there in or
der that we may get workable
course.
General Discussion.
In general discussion which fol
lowed the paper, DR.. R. W. Corwip o.
Pueblo said that he objected to thu
term "sex hygiene" and thought tina
it should be abolished.
DR.. T. B. Beatty Of Salt Lake saic
that the necessity for training in Sc,
matters was certainty-the only
thing that was uncertain was the bes
means to employ. He believed thai
the training of teachers was too cir
cumscribed: that they as custodian
of future generation, should have ;
broader outlook. IT was important