nnocent" while their sons are
free to sow a large field of "wild oats," concerning which society in
general, and such parents in particular, will care little as long as
social diseases, bastardy suits, or chronic alcoholism do not result
from the dissipations. These are the fathers and mothers who need the
most enlightenment concerning the importance of such sex-instruction as
will make clear the far-reaching consequences of "wild oat sowing."
Perhaps most such parents are ignorant, but some are simply
thoughtless. As an illustration of the latter, the editor of a
well-known magazine was recently talking with a prominent author and
made some reference to the immoral habits of young men. Their
conversation was essentially as follows: The author remarked, "I assume
that my boys will be boys and will have their fling before they settle
down and marry." The editor quickly replied, "Yes, and I presume that
you expect your boys to sow their wild oats with my daughters, and that
in return you will expect my sons to dissipate with your daughters. At
any rate, you have damnable designs on somebody's daughters." This put
on the wild-oat proposition a light which was apparently new to the
literary man, for he replied, "That is a phase of the young man's
problem which never occurred to me. It does sound startling when stated
in that personal way."

All these classes of parents who have not yet learned the facts which
point to ignorance as the cause of the abundant sexual errors of young
people and those who do not understand that sexual promiscuity or
immorality is an error of gravest significance both to the individual
and to society, should have set before them time and again some of the
startling facts which in the first five years of the American
sex-education movement were promulgated among physicians, ministers,
and educators. All such ignorant or indifferent parents will not take
an interest in the proposed sex-instruction unless they are convinced
by frank and forcible statements regarding the great need of special
safeguarding of young people.

[Sidenote: Special associations needed.]

Since there are so many people who still need the most elementary
knowledge concerning the sexual problems that demand educational
attack, it is important that there should be local associations which
can manage lectures, publications, conferences, and other means of
informing the public as to the gravity of the sexual problems of our
ti