The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-09
Boy Has Mania For Cold
 Baths
HAVE A boy fourteen years

old. Recently I have found him
 taking cold baths at the most
 peculiar hours-sometlmes late at
 night, sometimes in the middle of the afternoon. He is not a strong child
 physically, but he will not stop this habit. He seems to regard it as a kind of punishment or something like that. Do you think I ought to have him examined by a paychOanalyst?" NTO, I don't think so. From what M you say I imagine that the lad
 is inflicting the bath on himself As kind of self-inflicted punishment, connpensation and cure for habit of which he wishes to rid himself.
 If the cause be what 1 guess it to be from your letter, you can help him to occupy his mind with other mat fers by seeing to it that has has plenty of interesting things to do in his leis- ure time and goes to bed tired but happy Take him to doctor and see what is wrong with his nutritional sys- lem and build it up so that he is Stronger.
 The cold baths are, of course, in- furious to one of frail physique, but for the time being don't insist that he stop them. You might do more harm than good. If the habit doesn't stop of its own accord after few weeks of such procedure as I have indicated. then it will be plenty of time to have the family doctor or good psycho- analyst have a frank talk with him.
 All young boys and girls have to 70 through a more or less difficult period of adjustment about the age at which your son has now arrived {; ? Al. ,xNls kn1 INNr Ian Various moral and religious beliefs in culcated by some particularly inhuman systems vf dogma, the effect on the personality of the youth is bound to De severe.
 The ancient Greeks had one of the most wonderful training systems yet Invented Their ideal was beauty and symmetry and harmony as expressed in the individuals life as whole. They made no radical distinction be- tween the mental and the physical, and indeed there is none at all. The boys and girls were taught to express them selves in graceful motions, in music and in some of the arts and sciences.
 This led to full and happy life. and a corresponding freedom from many bad habits which are developed in ignorance and in seclusion. Beauty snd truth were to them synonymous, and the Puritanical dogma that ev- erything that was pleasant was of the devil had not yet appeared on the hu- man stage.
 With the introduction of Chris tianity, however, some of the early zeaiots, in their haste to root out all the customs of beautiful culture, con- demned as "evif' the whole system, and the misguided view prevailed Through the middle ages and is only Beginning to be recognized as a colossal mistake.
 Again and again I have to repeat that it is not our boys and girls who are at fault-it is the fault, first, of the social system into which they are born, and second, of the parents them selves in allowing it to be perpetuated, which puts the sand. in the gears.
 Many, many things have been called ehad," and preached against from the pulpit, which are in reality just the contrary. Excess is bad, of course, but there are few normal healthy pre- sons who carry any habit to excess if properly oriented when they are chil- drens and wisely guided as they grow up.
 If you will go to doctor who is a graduate of a good medical school, and who has kept up to date in his read ingy you will find that he will confirm what have. said You and were brought up to believe in many super stitions that modern experimental science has conclusively demonstrated to be false, and not merely false, but Thoroughly vicious in their effects if taught to inexperienced human ani- Snals.
 Take any boy or girl and put them under a physiological tension then teach them that any such tension is evil, or that they must believe that ft, doesn't exist at all; and you will develop either hypocrite or liar or A perfectly miserable creature or else . rebel who totally rejects your doc Urine, and that of society in general.
 Another book you might find profit able is Kempf's Psyche Anthology" < One reason why I don't like to see children put on the rack and Ques- tioned about the intimate details of