The Washington times., 1922-11-14
SEX HYGIENE
IN SCHOOLS Of
j. 8. ADVOCATED
Mrs. Governor Morris Thinks
Secrets Of Life Should Be
Taught Children.
by WILLENE TAYLOR,

"criminally negligent mothers
were to blame in the sex tragedies
among young folks, and advocated
the teaching Of sex hygiene in
the erammer schools to children
of, and over, twelve years of ace.
The recent wholesale elope-
ments of children in Lafayette,
Ind, and in other parts of the
country prompted Mrs. Morris to
state her opinion.
Says Mothers Criminal"
This epidemic Of elopements is
astounding and distressing" Mrs.
Morris said. There is no general
condition in the country that I can
blame for II. or course. when a
thing like that starts an epidemic
always follows. was not surprised
at all to hear OF more elopements IN
Chicago as soon as 1t was announced
that the children of Lafayette, Ind,
had tried trial marriages.
THE fault, | think, lies with the
mothers of the individual children.
Some mothers are absolutely crimi'
nal in their negligent attitude
toward their children.
"A child should be told everything
about sex and its relations as soon
as the child shows the slightest
/ curiosity or interest in the matter.
There may be few children who
will not evince this interest, hut !
think the normal child will do so
about the age of twelve. Then tn"
mother should tell him or her all.
| think that today the mothers OF
the upper social classes do perform
this duty.
However, the mothers Of children
who attend public schools may not
have been convinced that II Is right
to do so, and these public school
children who play in the streets with
each other are the very ones who
need to be informed most. There
fore, the public schools would DO
well to introduce classes In this in
struction.
Encourage Sports.
Athletics do more than anything
else to save the adolescent child
Hope lies in the sports, and they
should be encouraged by parents and
schools A child participating IN
baseball. swimming, horseback rid.
ing, and sports of all kinds. Wlll
work off it's surplus energy and Will
have no time to NOPE around am
| develop sex interest, The normal
| child will profit by sports and retain
a clean mind and a clean body.
Sports also bring out the quail.
| ties in child. A romantic eir'
might think sexually Of n hoy II sh
sat on a sofa or danced with him all
the time. But when Nhe PLAYS go'f
or rides with him the contest spirit
enters their play and she does not
think of him as a boy" but as
playfellow. If he proves to be
moor sport. she will lose all her
girlish glamour over him.
What parents should seek for is
open-mindedness in their daughters,
I would much rather my daughters
looked upon boys casually than
romantically and mysteriously.
parent should see that the interest
between the daughter and her boy
friends Is casual A boy should be
just a boy to a girl, not an object OF
mystery"
Day Of Chaperon Gone.
Mrs. Morris declared that she be-
lieved the day had gone when there
should he absolutely no restrictions
on a child's conduct after his twelfth
or thirteenth year. The chaperon
has gone forever, she said. ana
despite the fact that she Is an East
erner and a society woman.
There's no place for the chaperon
any more. A child Is completely
independent and on his own re-
sources at the age of eighteen. Az
that rate he must have some train
ing prior to eighteen In order to take
care of himself. So from twelve on
he should be encouraged to think for
himself.
with the motion pictures and the
schools teaching current events and
the reading of newspapers, II Is alb
! solutcly impossible for child TO
grow up without becoming worldly.
II is much better that he have tho
straight Of IL than get suggestive
tales from fellow children. 1t Is
absurb for parents today to put re.
strictions on their children, telling
them not to go to picture shows or
to read certain books. The children
are too smart-they'll do II anyway
nd be much the worse for it."
Expects Greater Sanity.
In Chicago. Dorothy Howell. four
teen, and Arthur Fowler, seventeen,
were found in a hotel after they had
been missing three DAYS. Az the re-
suit of this affair and the elopements
of six children in their early teens
from Lafayette, Ind, the Chicago
schools are considering the intro.
duction of sex hygiene In grammar
schools.
at would be only natural to think
that such elopements would be rarer
than in former years. Years ago,
! when conventions were so strict,
| children would have been afraid 10
do such things--then. with the first
taste Of freedom. they became wildly
radical and went to any lengths.
Now, with conditions returning TO
normal again, we can expect more
sanity from our young folks, " onlv
the parents will do their share and
help them through the adolescent
stage"
Mrs Morris would be haDDy II