ventable suffering in general which grow out of misuse of the sex impulses, warrant a national effort of the proportions planned.

The chief function of such an association would seem to be to promote scientific and thorough investigation, and observation of experimental efforts in its field, and to turn over the findings promptly to other organizations equipped to apply them to the environment and education of the people.

In conclusion, the foregoing viewpoints may be summarized by pointing out that in these diseases, as in other communicable contact-diseases, the medical profession, with the assistance of the nurses and druggists, has in its power the opportunity to largely control the secondary cases; the clergy and teaching profession, by the effective development of the observance of moral standards, have in their power the opportunity to increasingly lower the number of primary cases. The American Social Hygiene Association, through coöperation with these professions, the public press, and other agencies active in forming public opinion, hopes to play its part in the accomplishment of a great moral as well as a great medical triumph.

SEX EDUCATION IN THE COLLEGES AND

UNIVERSITIES

MAX J. EXNER, M.D.

Secretary, Student Department, International Young Men's Christian Association

We are just now in the midst of a period of transition in respect to the treatment of the sex function in the training of youth and in the whole educational program. Only a few years ago most parents, educators and society generally were still bound by the traditional attitude of reticence toward the whole question of the sex life. The bare mention of anything pertaining thereto was looked upon as a breach of good manners. Ignorant innocence was relied upon to safeguard the lives of the young from sexual temptation. Today discussion of topics relating to sex has become popular and movements almost without number have sprung up in the interest of educating the young in sex matters and of solving the perplexing social problems which center in the sexual appeal. A large body of literature dealing with sex matters has already accumulated.

It is not to be wondered at that this rapidly changing attitude should bring serious disturbance to many honest minds and create perplexity and confusion. All important transition-periods are periods of reconstruction. They involve reshaping of ideas, reinterpretation of truth, changing of conviction and establishing of new standards. Nothing dies so hard as old convictions freighted with the weight of tradition. All true progress is made against resistance. The path of transition nearly always runs through the field of conflict and confusion. In this path honest and discerning intelligence does not walk alone. Here ignorant zeal, bigoted conservatism and exploiting selfishness also meet and the result is inevitable conflict. This is not to be wholly deplored. It is the method of social evolution. Out of the conflict gradually emerge those new conceptions, interpretations and movements which make for human progress.

The thoughtful observer of the present movement which centers in the sex life, while deploring many of its manifestations,

92

He sees

is not too seriously concerned about the outcome. steadily emerging out of the turmoil a sane and effective movement which is destined to play an important part in strengthening the modern educational movement where it is weakest,-in its relation to conduct and character.

There has been of late much of popular sex agitation which thoughtful persons must deplore. Much of it has its roots in calculating commercialism and some has been the outgrowth of mere hysteria. Unfortunately these objectionable phases of the movement have been so much in the public eye as to obscure its sane and intelligent aspects.

The steadily rising standard of sex education during the short life of the movement, gives confidence for the future. It has already passed through three distinct stages. The first was that of the pathological appeal which sprung out of the terrible experiences of physicians in the venereal clinic. Conscientious physicians seeing the results of sexual transgression threatening the integrity of the race, could no longer keep silent. This phase of the movement served a definite purpose, though it was necessarily on a low plane. Efforts were chiefly directed at attempts to frighten individuals into purity by setting forth the terrible consequence of transgression. It dealt with the sordid aspects of the sex question. The appeal was negative and depressing.

The next step was that of the physiologic emphasis ushered in chiefly by the writings of Dr. W. S. Hall, professor of physiology in the Northwestern University Medical School. This has been on a much higher plane. It sought to interpret the sex life in its relation to the development of the individual and the welfare of the whole physical and psychic life of man. The teaching has been clean and lifting. The appeal was, however, too largely to self-preservation and did not fully meet the need of constructive help in living up to the highest ideals with reference to the sex life.

We have now for some time been passing to a still higher plane of teaching, one which seeks more fully to dignify the sex instinct and to place it in its true relation to life as a whole,— to character and to family and social responsibilities. Dr. Hall himself is now a leader in this advanced movement. The term "Sex Hygiene" has come to be a misnomer, for it is being more clearly recognized that the question of the sex life is a much

broader question than one of health, that it has important psychologic, sociologic, moral and religious bearings. It is a question which touches the whole of life and must be dealt with as such.

What are some of the more important considerations which indicate the need for sex education in the colleges and universities?

First, there is the general need of re-forming, of re-directing the sex thinking of students; the need of changing their mental attitude toward the whole question of the sex life. The interpretation which the great majority of college students have consciously or unconsciously placed upon the meaning and purpose of the sex nature is derived for the most part from haphazard and erroneous information gained during the impressionable years of childhood and youth, in such connections as to leave the whole subject in an atmosphere of vulgarity and depression and give the sex instinct a direction which makes it a relentless down-drag upon all high qualities of manhood. In the minds of the great majority of students the sex nature is something more or less to be apologized for rather than something that should call out and energize all that is best in manhood. In the main the mental attitude toward the subject is a selfish one. The majority of students need to have the meaning of the sex nature re-interpreted in terms of manhood, of character and of family and social responsibilities. The whole subject needs for them to be lifted out of the atmosphere of coarseness and depression into one of purity and respect.

A second important reason for sex education in the colleges is the general prevalence of struggle with sex problems among students. Let us look at some of the factors which brings this about.

(1) Most of the students are in their later adolescent years, the "stormy period" of the sex life; that period in which sex impulses are most powerful, in which the sexual appeal is most fascinating and alluring; and the period in which, on the other hand, the controlling faculties are not yet fully developed.

(2) While these powerful sex impulses are natural and have a most important character-building function, they are to a very large extent fanned into unnecessary flame and given a dangerous direction by a selfish interpretation of the sex function resulting from the general neglect of proper sex education during the

earlier years; an interpretation which looks upon that function as primarily for the purpose of selfish gratification.

(3) A considerable proportion of our students are subjected to an environment which unduly stimulates the sex nature and increases temptation. This is especially true in institutions situated in or near the larger cities. Many young men for the first time are thrown up against the seductive wiles of the immoral woman. Emphasis on this point is increased by the next:—

(4) Students are away from powerful influences and retraints which in most cases have been operative before college. It is a time when the impulse to try the world for himself particularly asserts itself and in no direction is this impulse urging more strongly than in the direction of sex experience. Much of immorality of adolescent young men springs mainly from curiosity as to what sex experiences really are.

(5) Lack of knowledge of how to reduce the sex problem to the minimum and keep the sex impulse under control. For example, large numbers of students come to the college or university from a physically active life out-of-doors to a life largely indoors, studious, sedentary and inactvie, while at the same time the generous diet to which they had been accustomed is continued. A result is excessive sexual tension which greatly increases the problem of control and gives rise to sexual day-dreaming which demoralizes intellectual application and undermines character. Large numbers of students have their fight for character made unnecessarily difficult and many lose the fight chiefly because of a lack of understanding and appreciation of the physical factors involved. All men need to understand the relation of physical exercise and sensible hygiene to the solution of their sex problem. Let me illustrate with a case which came to my notice recently. A young man from the farm came to college. He entered into the new life with enthusiasm and for a time did splendid work. Then he began to drop off in his standing and gradually became gloomy and despondent. Finally one day he came to the president and told him he must leave college. Fortunately this president was closer to student life and problems than many professors and teachers are. He understood. He gave the young man a bracing talk and best of all-a job with the lawn-mower. It solved the young man's difficulty and he stayed.

More general still is utter disregard of the psychologic laws