e the
acuteness to detect the tendency to wrong-doing, will no longer
hesitate to utter the word of warning in season. As for the
extravagant claims made for the teaching of sex-hygiene, I have
too much faith in the good sense of the American people to believe
that it will ever be generally and regularly taught in American
schools. Surely, we have learned something since the law compelled
us to teach the untruths regarding the effects of stimulants and
narcotics that were published in the early school manuals of
physiology and hygiene."

[Sidenote: Reply to Dr. Maxwell.]

I comment as follows: (1) Dr. Maxwell refers only to the "extreme
advocates." They did exist in abundance a few years ago, but are
already rare in the group of well-known educators. (2) Most teachers
are not prepared and never can be prepared to teach the human aspect of
sex problems, especially the hygienic in the strict sense. (3)
Conservative sex-instruction such as was advocated by the advisers of
the American Federation for Sex-hygiene (see "Report" by Morrow and
others, 1913) aims to guard against "premature interest in the sexual
passion." (4) While I sympathize with Dr. Maxwell's view that teaching
the elementary hygiene of sex is the parent's duty, I am forced to
recognize the futility of advocating that all or even a respectable
minority of parents should undertake their duty (see Sec. 4). The truth
is that most of them will not, and cannot if they will, try to do so. (5)
Dr. Maxwell's idea that sex-hygiene should be taught only when an
astute principal or parent "detects wrong-doing" is, to say the least,
an educational theory that will astonish one who knows even the
elementary facts regarding the secrecy of the sexual life of young
people in general. Will he next be logically consistent and advocate
that all moral education should be given only after children show signs
of wrong-doing? (6) Sex-hygiene, as Dr. Maxwell understands it to be
concerned directly and solely with human sexual problems, will never be
taught in American schools controlled by people of good sense; but
sex-instruction from the larger viewpoint is taught in some of the best
of Dr. Maxwell's high schools. (7) All advocates of sex-instruction who
have a national reputation for educational sanity agree that
legislation is most undesirable. (8) It is obvious that like so many
others who have become confused regarding the sex-education