endered him less likely
to yield to evil suggestion or temptation. His confidence in you will be
whole-hearted and implicit. You can do anything with him at the
psychological moment. It is now time to talk of more intimate matters.
Carefully and tactfully, the father approaches the fundamental truths of
sex hygiene.

The selection of a subject for a text as a means from which to advance
toward the real facts is sometimes of importance. It must not appear as
though the subject was designedly chosen. If it follows in a natural way
it will more thoroughly interest the boy and he will have swallowed a
large dose of truth before he is impressed with the personal viewpoint.
A passing trotting horse has served me a number of times for intimate
talks with boys on heredity and kindred subjects. I invite the boy to
watch how the horse uses his legs, and how rhythmically and beautifully
he places his feet, and how his whole attitude serves the end for which
he is exerting himself--to gain speed. Tell the boy the story of how
professional breeders have achieved such marvelous results; how for
generations the "strain" has been kept clean and pure, how any
descendant of a great sire, who showed any habit detrimental to the
development of the highest racing qualities--no matter how trivial the
disability might be--was cast aside, experience having taught that it
does not pay to waste effort and time on any horse whose physical or
mental characteristics are not up to the highest standard. Such a horse
will not win, and it is only "wins" that count.

Change the subject to human beings. Tell him how the race maintains its
standard; but show him the difference between the methods employed. How
the horse has his mate selected because of the female's good qualities,
so that the offspring may possess like qualities, if not better, and
that the selection is made by men who know their business, and have had
long experience in the work. How, on the other hand, a young man with no
experience is permitted to choose any woman he may fancy irrespective of
her qualifications. As a consequence, we have all kinds of children,
good and bad, feeble and strong, honest and dishonest, some degenerates
from birth, some criminal, and many diseased and inefficient, few of
them "winners." It is an easy matter to preach a little sermon from this
text. Show him how essential it is to select the mother of one's
children wisely, to know if there is disease in the