The sun., 1916-08-27

things that harm and the observance
Of the things that count. How str.k-
Ing the analogy between the two. how
impressive and how fruitful. When a
man Is SO intelligently trained that
he can see the enemies OF the body
and the enemies of the soul. namely.
disease and sin, in practically the
same light and knows The tactics
against them. his career is assured.
The opponents Of the teaching OF
hygiene in the schools found a new
argument in the recent craze over the
attempt to introduce sex hygiene. Per-
haps n word on this matter will not
be amiss to conclude this discussion.
Catholics often forget that their view
point Is different and that the circum-
stances which beget the viewpoint are
also different in their case. The effort
to teach sex hygiene sprang from con-
d!tions with which Catholic society is
not familiar. Parents aud teachers and
interested citizens in America awoke
suddenly to the fact that chastity IL
not q virtue Of the irrelig ous; that
consequently impurity is both jest
and practice among some millions
OF Americans, and that the children
were learning too much about sen from
private conversation and from the
public press. Men like the Socialist
Edward Carpenter, had already ouW-
planned that children were left Ia learn
the sexual side OF their nature from
the creatures Of the gutter and ta,
sewer, instead OF learning il properly
from parent or teacher or wise fr.c.i.
II is perfectly just acd proper COM
plant. The Christian world In oar
day is man.fcstly guilty. The CAr s-
tlan world of an earlier time was murc
Intelligent, less prudsh and hiichuIul
on sexual matters. Having considered
all these things, the people most COM
cerncd did what every American docs
with now theory. attached ii to the
school syst IN. And then the war be-
gan. Ii is ancient history nov. hut
undoubtedly It will rcappcar The
children are to-day exposed OUTRAGE
ously to contamination by the rr,~s
in street and office chatter, from h..h
and low. from k!usfolk and nc,ghhors.
so that IL is often asserted that the
children know more about sex than
their parents did at twenty.
II In q parental duty to Instruct
them. but is not the whole system ot
public education. Civil and ccclcs.Astl-
cal. founded on the presumption that
the parents will not instruct? Not
from lack Of will, hut from other lacks.
quite as effective? And il the ch.Id
needs instruction, and no one " N GI,"
II, must not State or church or philan-
thropist do so? Here Is evidently a
dilemma. II Is unnecessary tn settle
II, since this is a matter which time
and thought and knowledge alone can
settle. / merely present the facts. TIE
millions without religion find the sex
ual problem insistently before them,
and know not what to do. The rc.g.ogS
section of the community have COM
nnanded silence in the school, but they
cannot insure the silence Of q lubri-
Cious press, OF sensual population
whispering and singing IN praise ~
Venus everywhere, so that The ch.'-
dren must hear. and then you have
the figures of the medical societies on
the spread of ALARMING dis'l-rs' Poor
human nature. aS the Italians say.
From all pniCts of view Il LOOKS %. z
in the school Of the future two studies $
will take the right prominence. re-
ligion and hygiene. perfect hcallh Of
body and soul to insure a strong. use