Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1907 — Lessons in Sex Physiology. [ARTICLE]

Lessons in Sex Physiology.

Referring to the recent movement started by the Society of Sanitary and Moral American Prophylaxis, the New York School Journal now declares that the necessity of recognizing sex in the practical teaching of pupils in the public schools is before us in a greater force than ever before. Dr. Mary Putnam, who had investigated the schools of twenty cities, found no attention given to sex instruction, except in three girls’ high schools, where women physicians gave brief talks on topics relating to childbirth. The result was that shamg, mystery and actual evil were “associated with sex in the minds of children, especially those over 10 years old.” She opposes the doctrine of leaving the matter alone on the ground that disease will punish the guilty, as many innocent-ones are infected for one guilty one. Dean Balliet of the New York school of pedagogy say the subject has passed the stage of inquiry as to whether these subjects shall be taught, for the present question is how the subject is to be presented. John R. Elliott of the New York ethical culture schools opposes the plan of having a physician brought in to teach sex knowledge, as' it increases the wrong notion that the subject is unusual, and he. makes the practical suggestion of using the boy and. girl leaders to influence their mates in the right direction.