ized, to pass
away unnoticed; if fertilized, to develop into a young animal which in
time will be born helpless and dependent upon the love and care of the
mother. In some of the higher mammals, as the sheep and the goat, there
are generally two ova developed in the womb at the same time; that is,
twins are born. In the larger ones, as the horse and the cow, but one
ovum generally develops, though the development of two is not uncommon.

As a result of these teachings, which are not formal like school work,
but given as opportunity offers and in as interesting and outreaching a
way as possible, the child learns that all life develops in the same
way. That all life, even human, starts as a tiny ovum. That these tiny
ova are produced in every female by a special tissue called the ovary,
which develops at maturity when the eggs begin to ripen; that if the ova
are not fertilized they do not develop; if they are fertilized they
develop into an individual like the parent, though having personal
peculiarities of its own. The fertilizing cells are produced in every
male from a special tissue, which greatly develops at maturity when the
fertilizing cells are matured and are capable of uniting with the ovum
to produce the new being.

Along with these necessarily material facts the youth is firmly
impressed with the high office of this great function, his thoughts
concerning it are honest and clear, and he understands in a natural way
the necessity for respecting it and guarding it for the good of those
who are to follow. The essential facts the child can well learn before
his own maturity. They seem to him matter-of-fact, like any other
phenomena of life. He does not need to brood over an incomprehensible
and veiled mystery, and the whole subject cannot fail to have a broader
significance, a deeper, wider meaning, a purer influence than it could
have if only the physiological facts relating to his own life came to
his knowledge.

But should one wait for all these intermediate steps before telling the
facts of human life?

That perhaps depends upon the temperament and circumstances of the
parent and the needs of the child. It does not matter much whether the
steps are taken consecutively or not, so long as the child gets a clear
idea of the main facts and connects them in his mind with similar
phenomena in all forms of life. Nor is a great store of knowledge on
the part of the parent necessary. Each will tell in his own way su