Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-05-11
Sex Education

Some time ago there appeared
in the newspapers certain express
sionS as to including sex educa-
ton as a part of the public school
curriculum and with it apparent
ly came both pro and con reac-
tons to the suggestion. We think
that to include that type of edu-
cation in our school curriculum
would be to admit defeat as par
entS. It would seem to us that
the first and primary object of the
home with children is to create
more upright and moral atmos-
phere for their upbringing.
We shouldn't do anything,
whatever, in the presence of our
children that we do not want
them to copy in the future. So
it is with sex education; unless
we are strangers to our children,
we can give them the proper
guidance which will stand them
in good stead in the future. Don't
trust that problem to our schools.
We as parents, in our busy lives,
are trusting enough to our schools
already.
Following is a letter on the
subject written by L. KerSch-
banner, M. D. of ST. Peter and
published in recent issue of the
Minneapolis Journal. 1t contains
much food for thought:
l read with great interest the re-
suits of the survey on illegitimate
births. The number does not sur
prise me. Besides, these are only the
illegitimate births, while the num-
Der of illegal operations is not in
Guided
However, sex education in schools
and in the tender teen age will hard
ly solve this important problem in a
satisfactory manner. Enlightening of
this kind should rather come from
the parents than from strangers pro-
vided that the parents are not strang-
ers to their own children. Parents
should feel pride and pleasure in the
raising of their own flesh and
blood" Probably a better under
standing between parents and chill
dren could be brought about by dis
cussions in parent-teachers' meetings.
What youth needs much more than
sex education is an upbringing that
tends toward character formation,
toward ethics, higher moral standards,
a general broad education that shows
tho rno1 1vo1r1oc Of lifn op1 0y,1U
the monetary and low brow ''pleas-
ure" values. Those young people who
are talented in a special line as in
science, arts, music, literature, etc.,
need an opportunity toward sublima-
ton (any psychic creative outlet).
Sex education alone will only pre-
vent conception, but it cannot save
the psychic condition of the girl, nor
of the boy either. There is not only
a physical factor to human life, but
a moral, spiritual factor. A human
being is supposed to have reached a
level of mental (moraD development
that is more or less superior to the
animal state. Without this develop
ment of the brain and of the per-
sonality, normal happiness that makes
life worth living cannot be attained.
The bulk of the so-called GRO
mances" deal mostly-as we all know
and should admit if we are not hypo-
crites-with the physical part of love
only, but the psychic part is missing.
Such incomplete or superficial "love''
is very ephemeral and usually leads
to grave establishment, lack of self
respect, lack of respect of the ''love''
partner which becomes generaliZed to
lack of respect and confidence in the
entire other sex or it leads to in
difference, to the frequent frigidity
and in later life to boredom and mis-
anthropy. Either one of these may
become an exciting factor for mental
disease.
And mental disease means an ap-
palling waste of millions of lives, il
means the mental anguish of those
who are afflicted and also of their
environment and in many instances
it means tremendous and still in
creasing tax burden.
A sounder philosophy of life based
upon "ideals" and taught by word
and by good example at home and al
school could prevent not only a large
number of Legitimate births and OF
illegal operations, but it also could
prevent much of mental disease (or
nervous breakdown") and much OF
delinquency of all types-briefly
much of human tragedy that presents
itself in varied forms of mental
(moraD shortcomings.