Evening star., 1943-05-01

troll in youth; literature which por-
trays romantic love at its highest
level.
Accumulated evidence indicates
that normal children are almost
certain to get more or less sex in
formation, not later than the early
adolescent years, from unreliable
and vulgar sources. Morals may
become corrupted, vulgar attitudes
fixed, and health injured several
years before puberty. The only sure
pathway to health, wholesome at
titudes and good conduct is in in
structing children gradually as the
facts OF sex come to the attention
OF the individual child. It is es-
pecially important that sex edu-
cation in home and school SHOULD
not be concentrated in a short period
OF early adolescence, because it is
impossible to exert the most desir-
able influence upon health, atti-
tudes and moral character except
by such instruction and guidance.
beginning in early childhood and
graded for each period of life up
to maturity.
Must Be Progressive.
Sex education in childhood and
youth should aim at protection of
physical and mental health and de-
velopment of character as these are.
affected by awakening sexual life.
Obviously this combination of
health education and character ed
ucation cannot be accomplished at
any one time. 1t must be a pro-
gressive process Of hygienic care,
guidance, instruction and example.
This places upon the home the chief
opportunity and responsibility for
direct sex education of children be-
fore adolescence.
AS for social hygiene in courses
OF study, it Is not desirable that any
parts or courses Of the curricula for
schools and regular colleges should
be known to the students and to
the public as sex" studies. Such
terms as social hygiene" and sex
education" should be used only to
indicate to teachers and parents
that definite parts of the education
OF young people are being directed
toward a healthy, natural and
wholesome understanding of life as
1t Is affected by sex. The facts of
life which directly or indirectly con-
Germ sex should not be taken from
their normal settings and organized
into separate courses. On the con-
trary, the subject-matter and regu-
lar courses in biological and social
sciences, physical education, hy-
giene, homemaking, general litera-
ture, psychology and extra -curricu-
lar activities offer many natural sit
uations for dealing with fundamen-
tai facts and problems Of sex.
For the purpose of training teach
ers and workers, there should be
special short courses or units in So
cial hygiene In professional schools
OF education, medicine, theology,
nursing and social work.
The earliest instruction In home
or in school that looks toward So
cial hygiene education is biological.
The life-histories Of plants and ami
mails, as taught in the home or in
the best natural study and biology
OF our schools, are important in
forming attitudes toward sex and
reproduction and In giving a basis
for simple and truthful answers to
children's questions as to the origin
of the individual human life.
Should Stress Moral Standards.
Social hygiene education should
stress sex ethics or moral standards.
The marvellous progress of sanitary
and medical science may some day
control the health problems of sex
(e.g., venereal disease) without i'm
proving morality. In short, the fu-
ture teaching Of rational sex ethics
must show youth the advantages of
those relations of the sexes which
society at its highest development
approves, and calls moral" Indi-
vidualism in sex relations means So
cial chaos. Sex normally involves
more than one individual and the
great sex problems are social prob
! lens and must be solved, not as
demanded by individual desires, but
with reference to the best interests
Of social groups-the family, the
community and the race.
Certainly abnormality and inn
morality in sexual lines should not
be stressed in education. Rather
there should be emphasis on the
moral, the normal, the healthful,
the helpful and esthetic aspects of
the sexual relations in human life.
Extensive knowledge Of vice and
sexual abnormality is not helpful
to any individual who has not a
professional interest in medical or
legal phases of social hygiene.
General sex education already has
helped to improve the personal sex
health of millions; prostitution is
now opposed by an enlightened pub
lie opinion; a wholesome and esthe-
tic attitude concerning sex Is be-
coming more common, and mar
riages of tens of thousands are
becoming more successful and give
hope that specially directed educa-
ton will reduce divorce to its desir-
able minimum. Social hygiene edu-
cation also has led the way to
public support for medical cam
paigns against the venereal diseases.
But lest we expect too much from
teaching in this field, it is well to
heed one of Bigelow's wisest warn
ings! Sex education at its best
cannot be a universal solution for