ad by the young or offering guidance to mothers
and teachers in the task of imparting knowledge--has become very
large indeed during recent years in America, England, and
especially Germany, where there has been of late an enormous
production of such literature. The late Ben Elmy, writing under
the pseudonym of "Ellis Ethelmer," published two booklets, _Baby
Buds_, and _The Human Flower_ (issued by Mrs. Wolstenholme Elmy,
Buxton House, Congleton), which state the facts in a simple and
delicate manner, though the author was not a notably reliable
guide on the scientific aspects of these questions. A charming
conversation between a mother and child, from a French source, is
reprinted by Edward Carpenter at the end of his _Love's Coming of
Age. How We Are Born_, by Mrs. N.J. (apparently a Russian lady
writing in English), prefaced by J.H. Badley, is satisfactory.
Mention may also be made of _The Wonder of Life_, by Mary Tudor
Pole. Margaret Morley's _Song of Life_, an American book, which I
have not seen, has been highly praised. Most of these books are
intended for quite young children, and while they explain more or
less clearly the origin of babies, nearly always starting with
the facts of plant life, they touch very slightly, if at all, on
the relations of the sexes.

Mrs. Ennis Richmond's books, largely addressed to mothers, deal
with these questions in a very sane, direct, and admirable
manner, and Canon Lyttelton's books, discussing such questions
generally, are also excellent. Most of the books now to be
mentioned are intended to be read by boys and girls who have
reached the age of puberty. They refer more or less precisely to
sexual relationships, and they usually touch on masturbation.
_The Story of Life_, written by a very accomplished woman, the
late Ellice Hopkins, is somewhat vague, and introduces too many
exalted religious ideas. Arthur Trewby's _Healthy Boyhood_ is a
little book of wholesome tendency; it deals specially with
masturbation. _A Talk with Boys About Themselves_ and _A Talk
with Girls About Themselves_, both by Edward Bruce Kirk (the
latter book written in conjunction with a lady) deal with general
as well as sexual hygiene. There could be no better book to put
into the hands of a boy or girl at puberty than M.A. Warren's
_Almost Fourteen_, written