Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-20
STATE HOUSE
Next meeting Friday 10 A. M

still cool. what is their proper conduct
III life. The teaching should precede
the emotional crisis. Passion IS like
fire, 1t is exciting, novel, dlSconcertIng.
AS we need fire drill in our schools
so that everyone will react correctly
when the time of danger comes, so our
youths need TO be trained steadily to-
ward purity, so that 1t Will become
habit with them.
when the canoe is in the rapids
one has no time to consult authorities
or study currents. one must steer Tor
his life or the frail craft will upset.
The canoeist must be trained to keep
his boat upright before ne enters dam
gerous waters. He who hesitatcs then
is lost.
"One failure in the past is that We
delayed instruction until 1T was need
cd, and then the young person was
under too great emotion to protit by it.
AS we cannot reason with persons in
tempest of anger so we cannot exert
much influence on those who are pow
erfully in love.
And now let us sec how the newly
developed science of mental hygiene
benefits sex hygiene. Every human
being who lacks sclt-respect is po-
tential seX-offcnder, either in tho prac-
ticc of onaniSm or Of Illicit love.
The surcst prop of selt-respect is
the respect of others. The child who
is unpopular, who has no plaN-fclloWs.
who fails in his lessons and Is scoldcd
alike by his teacher and his parents, is
an apt case for Sclf-abuSe. He fcclS
that no one else loves him, so ho be
gins to love himself. and loses his own
sclf-respect thereby.
''Auto-eroticism, once learned and
practiced, is hard to overcome. 1t is
our duty TO bring such cncourag cement
and happiness to every child, however
forlorn or rcpulsiNe. that his mind VIII
not turn in on i'solf and seek this low
est form of pleasure, TO compensate
for trouble.
Young people abound in energy and
in vague ambitions and desires. Day
dreaming is especially to be avoided
for it often drifts into lasciyious
maundering.
Plenty of healthful occupation for
adolescents. athletic riValries amh
ton for leadership in studies. clubs
and contests. interest in birds and
flowers. in scouting and camping.-a}l
thcae things which are so pleasure BILE
10 youths are the proper outlets for
their energy.
some very critical moral conditions
exist today in cur high schools Tho
game of love sec ms to be a larger part
of the currcu um than Latin or Geom
Ctry. Teachers must be trained SO
that they can cope with sex precocity,
especially in girls, and arouse their
ambition to do something besides pow
our elders used to speak Of the pur-
suing male but noW-'othcr times,
other manners.
1t is my belief that We are getting
where we can frankly apprai>e our
moral situation and adopt Il helpful
program of moral prophylaxis. Who
knows but that with forcthought we
can cut in two the. number of moral
disasters? One way to do that is to
scuuester the tccblC-mindod
Let me close with a parable. A Ger
tain woman who had the body of
woman but the mind of child. bore
five children out of wcdlock. Her
neighbors groancd at the pauper bur
den. but did not interfere. For social
progress the guilty party must be
dealt with. You shall be the jury.
Someone was frchIe-mindcd and some
one was delinquent. | ask YOU, Was it
the woman or was it society"