The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-04-05
Sex Hxolsns.

sex hygiene and where and how !
should be taught. Below is the pape
voicing the ideas Of mother as !
was read before the mothers at thu
last Y. W. @. A. kensington:
why is IL parents neglect to ex
plain matters OF sex to their children
Everybody knows this neglect Il
wrong and often leads to incalculablt
harm, bodily and mentally for the
child, and untold heartache for the
parent.
The most faithful and devoted par
ents in the world, parents who are do
ing everything else for their chill.
ldren's welfare, neglect this vital duty.
They are embarrassed and at loss
for an answer when asked the most
innocent question II 1t verges on this
isubject. Many parents do not talk
rightly to their children on this sub
lject because they do not think rightly
on 1t themselves. They have never
Thought through to conclusion. The
imost sacred of relations still keeps in
their own minds a faint Of unclean-
ness because perhaps they got their
first Impressions in some Objectionable
manner, and 1t IL never easy to get
away from first impressions. They
got their earliest knowledge OF sex
through sly. secret and unwholesome
channels. and can never be quite free
from these associations.
The mothers problem is usually
simpler than the fathers. She spends
more hours with the children. They
are closer to her heart before and at
ter birth. The incidental opportuni-
ties to SOW the seeds of true com
prehension Of sex life abound In all
the early daySpf childhood.
The ideal way to meet this problem
is to answer questions about sex as
they answer the thousand and one
other questions Of a growing child,
In perfectly frank, and natural man
ner. There are plenty of questions
that will be asked without our intro
ducing the subject.
At what age shall the giving Of in
formation to children on these sub.
iects first begin? Nature In her wis
dom has provided an answer, when.
ever they begin asking these questions.
To the pure, all things are pure, and
il anything can be purer and cleaner
and sweeter than the mind OF q little
child, / am unable to conceive what
it may be.
II their first naive question as to
where babies come from-what was I
before was little boy, are answered
clearly and truthfully, with simplicity
and brevity, suited to their little IN.
telligences, you will be surprised and
delighted to find how easily and nat
urally and simply all the important
facts about race continuance can be
gwen to children before they are
eight years old. 1t no more occurs to
as improper, immodest or even i'm
properly amusing than would similar
information in regard to their diges-
tons or the growth OF their teeth and
hair. Indeed so keen is their clean
and natural curiosity about such mat
tiers that any mother who meets it
and answers a quarter Of their ques-
lions Will hardly know when such in
structions begins or when it ends.
full of filth and then begin to pour in
as the current custom is.
This clear and early enlightenment
makes it easy to prepare children's
minds for. and warn them In advance
of the coming OF outward manifesto
lions of the race continuing functions
in both sexes, so that they will be
neither puzzled nor frightened By THAR
as Is alas now too often
the case.
Bishop Hall, in an article in the
Ladies' Home Journal, says: "A girl
should be taught, in pure fashion by q
responsible person (can a mother de-
volve the duty or privGege?) such
knowledge Of her physical being. and
its high purpose as will fores.all
either forfeiture Of self respect, or
the learning of these things in an i'm
proper way through wicked or heed
less companions. With boys an APP
peal should be made to preserve true
manliness because, first, this will be a
motive for turning from talk and hab-
its into which companions may seek
to lead them, from anything OF which
they would be ashamed before those
whom they respect and love. The
sense Of shame is the great preserva-
tive
Second, the desire for real manli-
ness should be urged as motive for
taking good care OF the body and an
its parts.
Third, the chivalry of the boy
should be appealed to that he may /
never do or say anything to girl. an
other boys sister. that he would re-
sent another's saying or doing to his /
own sister It is his duty to honor and /
protect the other sex. All this can be |
urged on young boy by his mother !
without any sort Of suggestion of evil,
and he should be encouraged as he I
orowe older and in the natural course I