ons for the highest
development of life's possibilities. Each succeeding generation of
young people must be prepared by educational processes to face
intelligently and bravely the problems of sex that are sure to come
into every normal life. Of course, sex-education at its best
development can do no more than give the individual a basis for
intelligent choice between good and evil; but here, as in all other
upward movements of human life, the decision must depend upon a clear
and positive recognition of the advantages of the good as contrasted
with the evil. Hence, the one essential task of sex-education in its
broadest outlook is to guide natural human beings to recognition and
choice of the best in the sexual sphere of life. And in so far as each
coming generation of individuals may be thus guided by the larger
sex-education, the problems of sex will be pragmatically solved, for
the social aggregate of human life will become better, happier, nobler,
truer, more in harmony with the highest ideals of life, more like our
vision of perfected humanity.

FOOTNOTES:

[19] The name was changed in 1913 to _Journal of the Society of
Sanitary and Moral Prophylaxis_.

[20] While this book was in press, the name was changed to New York
Social Hygiene Society.

XII

SOME BOOKS FOR SEX-EDUCATION

I have decided to publish only the names of selected books which seem
to me to be the best for teachers, parents, and young people. In making
the selection, I have considered several hundred books which bear on
the sex problems in an educational way, and have decided to reject the
majority of them. While there might be some value in a long list with
critical notes on books that I cannot recommend, it would be a worse
than thankless task to compile such an annotated bibliography; for the
compiler would surely add to his collection of enemies many authors
whose books deserve severe criticism. The sudden and sensational
publicity concerning matters of sex and the possibility of commercial
exploitation has produced an avalanche of sex books, some good, many
bad, and the majority ordinary. Evidently, most of the authors,
including numerous physicians, have written to order and without
special preparation.

The books of the following lists are not all deserving of unqualified
recommendation. In fact, some of them are included because they are the
least objectionable of their much-needed kind, and others because they
have some g