on on the
part of grown persons who deliberately debase the mind of youth, but
also in other ways. The conversations of adults often lead to sexual
acts on the part of children, who understand far more of what is said in
their presence than grownups commonly believe. While the child is to all
appearance immersed in a book, while a girl is playing with her doll, or
a boy with his tin soldiers, the parents or some other adults carry on a
conversation in the child's presence under the influence of an utterly
false belief that the latter's occupation engrosses his or her entire
attention. Yet many children, in such cases, are listening to what is
being said with all their ears. Especially foolish, however, are those
parents who believe that by the employment of innuendo they are able to
conceal from any children who may be present the true inwardness of
their conversation. In these matters children are as a rule far sharper
than their elders are accustomed to believe. It is hardly necessary for
me to point out that opportunities for direct observation are especially
dangerous to children. I allude more particularly to the case of
children living in the same house with prostitutes; but the danger is
hardly less when the children have an opportunity of observing their own
parents engaged in sexual acts, or even in the mere preparation for
such acts. Forel[77] quotes the report of an experienced physician to
the effect that the children of peasants who have watched the copulation
of animals often attempt to perform such acts with one another, when
bathing, or when any other opportunity offers.

In the preceding portions of this chapter I have attempted to
distinguish individual influences from general influences, to
distinguish congenital influences affecting the germinal rudiments from
environmental influences acting after birth, and to distinguish
psychical stimuli from physical stimuli. But it is obvious that the
maintenance of a sharp distinction in these respects is very difficult,
and indeed often quite impossible. A few additional considerations will
elucidate this statement. Let us consider, for instance, seduction: here
the separation of the psychical from the physical element cannot
possibly be effected, because, as a rule, in these cases the two
elements co-operate simultaneously. Let us consider the cases in which,
owing to a congenital racial peculiarity, the sexual life awakens
earlier than is usual among ourselv