from the ,google ,print project47       
,,the ,,sex ,,side ,,of ,,life  ,an     
,explanation for ,young ,people   ,,by  
,,mary ,,ware ,,dennett  ,,copyright1   
#aiai1 ,,by ,,mary ,,ware ,,dennett     
,,sixth ,,printing  ,extra copies of    
this booklet may be had at the following
 rates from the author    ,,mrs4 ,,mary 
,,ware ,,dennett   #ha ,singer ,street  
,astoria4 ,long ,island1 ,new ,york     
,single copies        #j4be    each     
,orders of five         4#bj            
ten          4#ah                fifty  
4#af #b_/c            one hundred  4#ae 
,,the ,,sex ,,side ,,of ,,life ,,first  
,,appeared ,,in ,,the ,medical ,review  
of ,reviews ,,for ,,february1 #aiah4    
,,the ,,following ,,is ,,quoted ,,from  
,,the ,,editor',s ,,foreword4   ,we have
 come across so much rubbish on this    
subject that we drifted into the        
conclusion that an honest sex essay for 
young folks would not be produced by    
this generation4  ,recently there came  
to this desk a manuscript bearing the   

title ,the ,sex ,side of ,life and the  
sub-title ,an ,explanation for ,young   
,people1 written by ,mary ,ware         
,dennett4 ,no editor ever confesses that
 he reads an article with prejudice1 but
 we will admit that we expected this    
,,ms would be returned with thanks4 ,it 
was reasonable to suppose that a        
laywoman would not succeed where        
physicians had failed4 ,even after we   
had read the introduction we were not   
convinced1 for we have met several books
 whose texts do not fulfill the promises
 made by the preface4 ,but after reading
 a few pages of the essay itself1 we    
realized we were listening to the music 
of a different drummer4 ,instead of the 
familiar notes of fear and pretense1 we 
were surprised to hear the clarion call 
of truth4  ,mary ,ware ,dennett's ,sex  
,side of ,life is on the level4 ,in the 
pages of the ,medical ,review of        
,reviews1 her essay will reach only the 
profession1 but we sincerely hope that  
this splendid contribution will be      

reprinted in pamphlet form and          
distributed by thousands to the general 
public4 ,we are tolerably familiar with 
,anglo-,american writings on sexology1  
but we know nothing that equals ,mrs4   
,dennett's brochure4 ,physicians and    
social workers are frequently asked3    
,what shall ,i say to my growing child8 
,mary ,ware ,dennett1 in her rational   
sex primer1 at last furnishes a         
satisfactory answer4    ,v4 ,r4         
,,the ,,sex ,,side ,,of ,,life          
,,introduction ,,for ,,elders  ,in      
reading several dozen books on sex      
matters for the young with a view to    
selecting the best for my own children1 
,i found none that ,i was willing to put
 into their hands1 without first        
guarding them against what ,i considered
 very misleading and harmful            
impressions1 which they would otherwise 
be sure to acquire in reading them4     
,that is the excuse for this article4   
,it is far more specific than most sex  
information written for young people4 ,i

 believe we owe it to children to be    
specific if we talk about the subject at
 all4  ,from a careful observation of   
youthful curiosity and a very vivid     
recollection of my own childhood1 ,i    
have tried to explain frankly the points
 about which there is the greatest      
inquiry4 ,these points are not frankly  
or clearly explained in most sex        
literature4 ,they are avoided1 partly   
from embarrassment1 but more1           
apparently1 because those who have      
undertaken to instruct the children are 
not really clear in their own minds as  
to the proper status of the sex         
relation4  ,i found that from the       
physiological point of view1 the        
question was handled with limitations   
and reservations4 ,from the point of    
natural science it was often handled    
with sentimentality1 the child being led
 from a semi-esthetic study of the      
reproduction of flowers and animals to  
the acceptance of a similar idea for    
human beings4 ,from the moral point of  

view it was handled least satisfactorily
 of all1 the child being given a jumble 
of conflicting ideas1 with no means of  
correlating them1--fear of venereal     
disease1 one's duty to suppress animal  
passion1 the sacredness of marriage1 and
 so forth4 ,and from the emotional point
 of view1 the subject was not handled at
 all4  ,this one omission seems to me to
 be the key to the whole situation1 and 
it is the basis of the radical departure
 ,i have made from the precedents in    
most sex literature for children4       
,concerning all four points of view just
 mentioned1 there are certain departures
 from the traditional method that have  
seemed to me worth making4  ,on the     
physiological side ,i have given1 as far
 as possible1 the proper terminology for
 the sex organs and functions4 ,children
 have had to read the expurgated        
literature which has been specially     
prepared for them in poetic or          
colloquial terms1 and then are          
needlessly mystified when they hear     

things called by their real names4  ,on 
the side of natural science1 ,i have    
emphasized our unlikeness to the plants 
and animals rather than our likeness1   
for while the points we have in common  
with the lower orders make an           
interesting section in our general      
education1 it is knowing about the vital
 points in which we differ that helps us
 to solve the sexual problems of        
maturity2 and the child needs that      
knowledge precisely as he needs         
knowledge of everything which will      
fortify him for wise decisions when he  
is grown4  ,on the moral side1 ,i have  
tried to avoid confusion and dogmatism  
in the following ways3 by eliminating   
fear of venereal disease as an appeal   
for strictly limited sex relations1     
stating candidly that venereal disease  
is becoming curable2 by barring out all 
mention of brute or animal passion1     
terms frequently used in pleas for      
chastity and self control1 as such talk 
is an aspersion on the brutes and has   

done children much harm in giving them  
the impression that there is an         
essential baseness in the sex relation2 
by inviting the inference that marriage 
is sacred by virtue of its being a      
reflection of human ideality rather than
 because it is a legalized institution4 
,unquestionably the stress which most   
writers have laid upon the beauty of    
nature's plans for perpetuating the     
plant and animal species1 and the effort
 to have the child carry over into human
 life some sense of that beauty has come
 from a most commendable instinct to    
protect the child from the natural shock
 of the revelation of so much that is   
unesthetic and revolting in human sex   
life4 ,the nearness of the sex organs to
 the excretory organs1 the pain and     
messiness of childbirth are elements    
which certainly need some compensating  
antidote to prevent their making too    
disagreeable and disproportionate an    
impress on the child's mind4  ,the      
results are doubtless good as far as    

they go1 but they do not go nearly far  
enough4 ,what else is there to call upon
 to help out8 ,why1 the one thing which 
has been persistently neglected by      
practically all the sex writers1--the   
emotional side of sex experience4       
,parents and teachers have been afraid  
of it and distrustful of it4 ,in not a  
single one of all the books for young   
people that ,i have thus far read has   
there been the frank1 unashamed         
declaration that the climax of sex      
emotion is an unsurpassed joy1 something
 which rightly belongs to every normal  
human being1 a joy to be proudly and    
serenely experienced4 ,instead there has
 been all too evident an inference that 
sex emotion is a thing to be ashamed of1
 that yielding to it is indulgence which
 must be curbed as much as possible1    
that all thought and understanding of it
 must be rigorously postponed1 at any   
rate till after marriage4  ,we give to  
young folks1 in their general education1
 as much as they can grasp of science   

and ethics and art1 and yet in their sex
 education1 which rightly has to do with
 all of these1 we have said1 ,give them 
only the bare physiological facts1 lest 
they be prematurely stimulated4 ,others 
of us1 realizing that the bare          
physiological facts are shocking to many
 a sensitive child1 and must somehow be 
softened with something pleasant1 have  
said1 ,give them the facts1 yes1 but see
 to it that they are so related to the  
wonders of evolution and the beauties of
 the natural world that the shock is    
minimized4 ,but none of us has yet dared
 to say1 ,yes1 give them the facts1 give
 them the nature study1 too1 but also   
give them some conception of sex life as
 a vivifying joy1 as a vital art1 as a  
thing to be studied and developed with  
reverence for its big meaning1 with     
understanding of its far-reaching       
reactions1 psychologically and          
spiritually1 with temperant restraint1  
good taste and the highest idealism4 ,we
 have contented ourselves by assuming   

that marriage makes sex relations       
respectable4 ,we have not yet said that 
it is only beautiful sex relations that 
can make marriage lovely4  ,young people
 are just as capable of being guided and
 inspired in their thought about sex    
emotion as in their taste and ideals in 
literature and ethics1 and just as they 
imperatively need to have their general 
taste and ideals cultivated as a        
preparation for mature life1 so do they 
need to have some understanding of the  
marvelous place which sex emotion has in
 life4  ,only such an understanding can 
be counted on to give them the self     
control that is born of knowledge1 not  
fear1 the reverence that will prevent   
premature or trivial connections1 the   
good taste and finesse that will make   
their sex life when they reach maturity 
a vitalizing success4   ,,an            
,,explanation ,,for ,,young ,,people    
,when boys and girls get into their     
teens1 a side of them begins to wake up 
which has been asleep or only partly    

developed ever since they were born1    
that is1 the sex side of them4 ,it is   
the most wonderful and interesting part 
of growing up4 ,this waking is partly of
 the mind1 partly of the body and partly
 of the feelings or emotions4  ,you     
can't help wanting to understand all    
about it1 but somehow you find yourself 
a little embarrassed in asking all the  
questions that come into your mind1 and 
often you don't feel quite like talking 
about it freely1 even to your father and
 mother4 ,sometimes it is easier to talk
 with your best friends1 because they   
are your own age1 and are beginning to  
have these new feelings too4  ,but      
remember that young people don't know   
nearly so much about it as older people 
do1 and that the older ones really want 
to help you with their experience and   
advice2 and yet1 they1 like you1 often  
feel rather embarrassed themselves and  
don't know how to go about it ,i suppose
 it is because it is all so very        
personal and still remains somewhat     

mysterious1 in spite of all that people 
know about it4  ,if our bodies were just
 like machines1 then we could learn     
about them and manage them quite        
scientifically as we do automobiles1 but
 they are not like that4 ,they are more 
than machines that have to be supplied  
with fuel 7food7 and kept clean and     
oiled 7by bathing1 exercise and sleep74 
,they are the homes of our souls and our
 feelings1 and that makes all the       
difference in the world in the way we   
act1 and it makes what we have to learn1
 not limited to science only1 but it has
 to include more difficult and          
complicated things like psychology and  
morality4  ,maybe ,i can't make this    
article help you1 but ,i remember so    
well what ,i wanted to know and how ,i  
felt when ,i was young that ,i am now   
going to try4 ,and ,i will tell you to  
start out with that there is a great    
deal that nobody knows yet1 in spite of 
the fact that the human race has been   
struggling thousands of years to learn4 

,life itself is still a mystery1        
especially human life4 ,human life1 in  
many respects1 is like plant and animal 
life1 but in many ways it is entirely   
different1 and the ways in which it is  
different are almost more important for 
us to think about than the ways in which
 it is similar4 ,in all life1 except in 
the very lowest forms1 new life is      
created by the coming together1 in a    
very close and special way1 of the male 
and female elements4 ,you have studied  
at school about the plants and you      
probably have observed certain of the   
animals1 so you know something about    
what this means if you do not understand
 it thoroughly4  ,but what you want to  
know most of all is just how it is with 
human beings4 ,you want to know just    
what this coming together is1 how it is 
done1 how it starts the new life1 the   
baby1 and how the baby is born4 ,you    
want to understand the wonderful sex    
organs1 that are different in men and   
women1 what each part is for and how it 

works4  ,if you feel very curious and   
excited and shy about it1 don't let     
yourself be a bit worried or ashamed4   
,your feelings are quite natural1 and   
most everybody else has felt just the   
same way at your age4 ,remember that    
strong feelings are immensely valuable  
to us4 ,all we need to do is to steer   
them in the right direction and keep    
them well balanced and proportioned4    
,now in order to understand something of
 why this subject stirs us so1 we must  
notice in what ways we human beings are 
different from the plants and animals4  
,about the lowest form of life is the   
amoeba4 ,it looks like a little lump of 
jelly1 and it produces its young by     
merely separating itself in two4 ,one   
part drifts off from the other part and 
each becomes a separate live being4     
,there is no male and no female and they
 didn't know they were doing it4 ,in the
 plants a higher stage of development is
 reached3 there is the male and the     
female and they join together1 not by   

coming to each other1 or because they   
know they belong together1 but quite    
unconsciously1 with the aid of the bees 
and other insects and the wind1 the male
 part is carried to the female          
part--they mix1 and at once the seed of 
a new plant begins to grow4  ,then come 
to the animals4 ,in all higher forms of 
animal life1 the male creature comes to 
the female creature and himself places  
within her body the germ which1 when it 
meets the egg which is waiting for it1  
immediately makes a new life begin to   
grow4 ,but the animals come together    
without knowing why4 ,they do it from   
instinct only1 and they do it in what is
 called the mating season1 which is     
usually in the spring4 ,the mating      
season happens once a year among most of
 the higher animals1 like birds and wild
 cattle1 but to some animals it comes   
several times a year like the rabbits1  
for instance4 ,you doubtless know       
already that the more highly developed  
the animal1 the longer it takes the     

young one to grow before it is born1 and
 the longer the period when it is       
helpless to provide its own food and    
care4  ,now we come to human beings1 and
 see how different they are6 ,they have 
no regular mating season1 and while     
there is a certain amount of instinct in
 men and women which tends to bring them
 together1 the sex impulse among highly 
developed people is far more the result 
of their feeling of love for each other 
than mere animal instinct alone4 ,many  
of the animals make no choice at all in 
their mating4 ,any near-by female will  
do for the male4 ,but among some of the 
higher animals the male has a special   
instinct for a certain female1 and the  
female will not tolerate any but a      
certain male4 ,most of the animals have 
different mates every season1 though    
there are a few kinds where the male and
 female1 once having mated1 remain mates
 for years1 sometimes even for life4    
,but it is only human beings whose      
mating is what we call falling in love1 

and that is an experience far beyond    
anything that the animals know4  ,it    
means that a man and a woman feel that  
they belong to each other in a way that 
they belong to no one else2 it makes    
them wonderfully happy to be together2  
they find they want to live together1   
work together1 play together1 and to    
have children together1 that is1 to     
marry each other2 and their dream is to 
be happy together all their lives4      
,sometimes the dream does not come true1
 and there is much failure and          
unhappiness1 but just the same people go
 right on trying to make it a success1  
because it is what they care most for4  
,the sex attraction is the strongest    
feeling that human beings know1 and     
unlike the animals1 it is far more than 
a mere sensation of the body4 ,it takes 
in the emotions and the mind and the    
soul1 and that is why our happiness is  
so dependent upon it4  ,when a man and a
 woman fall in love so that they really 
belong to each other1 the physical side 

of the relation is this3 both of them   
feel at intervals a peculiar thrill or  
glow1 particularly in the sexual organs1
 and it naturally culminates after they 
have gone to bed at night4 ,the man's   
special sex organ or penis1 becomes     
enlarged and stiffened1 instead of soft 
and limp as ordinarily1 and thus it     
easily enters the passage in the woman's
 body called the vagina or birth-canal1 
which leads to the uterus or womb1 which
 as perhaps you already know is the sac 
in which the egg or embryo grows into a 
baby4 ,the penis and the vagina are     
about the same size1 as ,nature intended
 them to fit each other4 ,by a rhythmic 
movement of the penis in and out1 the   
sex act reaches an exciting climax or   
orgasm1 when there is for the woman a   
peculiarly satisfying contraction of the
 muscles of the passage and for the man1
 the expulsion of the semen1 the liquid 
which contains the germs of life4 ,this 
is followed by a sensation of peaceful  
happiness and sleepy relaxation4 ,it is 

the very greatest physical pleasure to  
be had in all human experience1 and it  
helps very much to increase all other   
kinds of pleasure also4 ,it is at this  
time that married people not only are   
closest to each other physically1 but   
they feel closer to each other in every 
other way too4 ,it is then most of all  
that they feel sure they belong to each 
other4  ,the sex act is called by       
various names1 such as coitus1 coition1 
copulation1 cohabitation1               
sex-intercourse1 the sex-embrace1 etc4  
,but all these terms refer to the same  
thing4 ,the first coitus is apt to be   
somewhat painful for the woman1 as there
 is usually a thin membrane1 called the 
hymen1 partly closing the vagina which  
has to be broken through1 but all women 
do not have it and it varies in size and
 thickness with different people4       
,without the sex act1 no babies could be
 created1 for it is by this means only  
that the semen which contains the male  
part of the germ of life can meet the   

ovum or the female part of the germ of  
life4 ,when the two parts come together 
in the woman's body under just the right
 conditions1 a baby begins to grow--at  
first so tiny that it could hardly be   
seen without a microscope1 and finally1 
after nine months' growth in the uterus 
or womb of the mother till it weighs    
about seven or eight pounds1 it is born1
 a live human being4 ,the birth process 
is called labor1 and it is indeed labor1
 for it usually means much pain and     
struggle for the mother1 although the   
baby's journey from the uterus to the   
world is only a few inches4 ,it takes   
anywhere from an hour to two days for a 
baby to be born4 ,doctors are learning  
more and more how to lessen the pain1   
and by the end of another generation it 
ought to be possible for child-birth to 
be practically painless for most women4 
,by that time people will more generally
 understand how to have babies only when
 they want them and can afford them4 ,at
 present1 unfortunately1 it is against  

the law to give people information as to
 how to manage their sex relations so   
that no baby will be created unless the 
father and mother are ready and glad to 
have it happen4  ,now you must          
understand something about this         
intricate sexual machinery4 ,plate ,i   
shows the woman's organs and ,plate #b  
the man's4 ,both these illustrations are
 sections1 as if the body were cut in   
two vertically4  ,illustration3 99,plate
 ,one99  #a4 ,backbone4  #b4 ,rectum1   
which carries away the solid waste      
matter from the bowels4  #c4 ,anus1 the 
opening of the rectum4  #d4 ,bladder1   
which holds the waste water or urine4   
#e4 ,ovary1 in which grows the ovum or  
egg4  #f4 ,fallopian tube1 which carries
 the ovum to the uterus4  #g4 ,uterus or
 ,womb1 in which the egg or ovum grows  
into a baby4  #h4 ,mouth of the ,uterus1
 through which the semen has to go to   
meet the ovum4  #i4 ,vagina or ,birth   
,canal1 into which the penis fits during
 the sex act4  #aj4 ,entrance to the    

,vagina4  #aa4 ,entrance to the         
,urethra1 which carries away the waste  
water or urine4  ,illustration3 99,plate
 ,two99  #a4 ,backbone4  #b4 ,rectum1   
which carries away the solid waste      
matter from the bowels4  #c4 ,anus1 the 
opening of the rectum4  #d4 ,bladder1   
which holds the waste water or urine4   
#e4 ,penis1 which fits into the vagina1 
during the sex act4  #f4 ,prepuce1 or   
fore-skin4  #g4 ,scrotum1 the bag which 
holds the testicles4  #h4 ,testicles1 in
 which grow the spermatozoa1 or germs of
 life4  #i4 ,vas ,deferens1 which       
carries the spermatozoa to the urethra4 
#aj4 ,prostate ,gland4  #aa4 ,seminal   
,vesicle4  ,both #aj and #aa secrete    
liquids that make part of the semen1 and
 which nourish the spermatozoa4  #ab4   
,urethra1 which carries the spermatozoa1
 also the urine4  #ac4 ,cowper's ,gland1
 which secretes a liquid which makes the
 urethra alkaline4  #ad4 ,one of the    
spermatozoa1 or germs of life1 much     
magnified4  ,sometimes it seems very    

distasteful to us that the sex or       
generative organs should be placed so   
near to what we might call our sewerage 
system4 ,we do not like to have to      
connect in our thought anything so sweet
 and nice as a baby or so happy and     
precious as the sex embrace with the    
waste of our bodies1 which we want to be
 rid of with as little thought as       
possible1 as it is disagreeable at best1
 and we wonder why we were created this 
way4 ,but we have to remember that the  
sex organs are very delicate and they   
are probably placed where they can best 
be protected from injury4 ,it would be  
hard to think of any other part of the  
body that would be safer than just this 
place4 ,at any rate there they are1 and 
our duty is to understand them as best  
we can1 and take mighty good care of    
them as our most wonderful possession4  
,looking at ,plate ,i1 you will see that
 the woman's body provides the egg or   
ovum4 ,these grow1 many thousands of    
them1 in two small sacs called ovaries1 

and every little while 7usually every   
four weeks1 but not always7 an ovum     
ripens and passes out from the ovary    
through the fallopian tube 7there are   
two of these1 one leading from each     
ovary7 into the uterus or womb1 a       
process which takes several days4 ,here 
it may be met by the male life element1 
and if so1 it becomes fertilized and    
remains in the uterus to grow into a    
baby4 ,this is called fertilization1    
fecundation1 impregnation or conception4
 ,but if the egg is not fertilized1 it  
passes from the uterus through the      
vagina and out of the body4 ,the ovaries
 take turns in developing the ovum4     
,every twenty-eight days or so a woman1 
from the time she is about thirteen or  
fourteen till she is about fifty1 has a 
slight flow of blood from the uterus1   
which is called menstruation4 ,the      
reasons for this are not wholly         
understood1 but it is supposed there is 
an extra supply of blood provided       
periodically for the growth of a baby1  

but when there is no baby starting to   
grow1 the blood is not needed so it     
flows away 7about once in four weeks74  
,often the unfertilized ovum is carried 
away with it1 but the two things do not 
necessarily happen at the same time4    
,menstruation lasts from three to five  
days and young girls sometimes have pain
 then and feel languid and unwell4 ,if  
so they should be quieter than usual and
 avoid cold baths and getting their feet
 wet4 ,but menstruation is not an       
illness1 and a girl in perfect health   
finds it only a slight inconvenience4   
,the ovaries not only produce the egg1  
but they also produce a secretion that  
is absorbed by the blood and which is   
most necessary in the development of a  
girl into a woman4 ,it has an almost    
magical effect in adding the specially  
womanly qualities to the body and       
character4  ,looking at ,plate #b1 you  
will see the man's sex machinery4 ,the  
testicles are to a man what the ovaries 
are to a woman4 ,they are two sacs held 

in a bag of rather thin loose skin      
called the scrotum1 and it is here that 
the sperm 7spermatozoa7 or germ of life 
grows4 ,just how no one really knows4   
,the spermatozoa are very tiny and the  
testicles hold many thousands of them4  
,under the microscope they show a sort  
of head and tail like a pollywog4 ,they 
are very much alive and move by a rapid 
wiggling of the tail part4  ,leading    
from each testicle is a tube called the 
vas deferens1 through which the sperm   
goes at the time of the sex act on its  
way out to meet the ovum in the woman's 
body4 ,on the way it is joined by two   
other liquids1 one secreted by the      
seminal vesicles 7of which there are    
two7 and the other by the prostate      
gland4 ,these three liquids together    
form the semen1 which at the times of   
sexual excitement is forced out through 
the penis into the vagina of the woman4 
,you will notice that the woman has     
separate tubes for the urine 7waste     
water7 and the sex function1 but the man

 uses the same tube for both3 that is1  
in the woman the bladder which holds the
 urine is emptied by a separate tube1   
the urethra1 while in the man the       
urethra not only empties the bladder1   
but it also carries the semen4  ,the use
 of the seminal vesicles and the        
prostate gland is to supply a means of  
nourishment for the spermatozoa until   
they reach the ovum1 which may not be   
for several days after the semen is     
expelled into the vagina4  ,then there  
are two small glands called ,cowper's   
glands1 which make the passage in the   
penis alkaline1 as the spermatozoa can  
only remain alive in an alkaline        
secretion and the urine is acid1 so     
always just before the penis forces out 
the semen1 the secretion from ,cowper's 
glands goes ahead to protect the sperm  
from being destroyed by any remaining   
traces of the acid urine4  ,at the end  
of the penis is a fold or cap of skin1  
the prepuce1 which the doctor often     
removes for the sake of the boy's       

health1 a process called circumcision1  
and it is a great relief to boys whose  
prepuce or foreskin is too tight as to  
make difficulty in keeping clean4 ,all  
,jewish babies are regularly            
circumcised1 a custom dating way back to
 ,bible times4  ,there is a constant    
internal secretion from the testicles of
 a man just as from the ovaries of a    
woman1 and it has the same beneficial   
effect on the whole being4 ,it makes a  
boy what we call manly or virile4 ,the  
value of the internal secretions of the 
sex organs in both boys and girls is so 
great that for that reason1 if for no   
other1 the whole sex machinery must be  
kept in perfect health4  ,boys have a   
certain discomfort to bear which is     
difficult for them just as menstruation 
is difficult for girls4 ,but by knowing 
the meaning of things and by taking care
 of themselves1 they need not be        
seriously troubled by it4 ,every once in
 a while as they are growing up1 but    
before they are old enough to really    

fall in love and marry and have         
children1 boys feel a sort of stirring  
of the sex organs--sometimes so much so 
that it makes them quite uneasy and     
anxious for relief4 ,the thing to do is 
to keep as calm as possible and keep    
very busy and very healthy4 ,then the   
discomfort will not be too great1 and   
nature will usually bring relief by     
letting the accumulated semen pass off  
during sleep4 ,this is called a seminal 
emission1 and is perfectly harmless4    
,sometimes a vivid sexual dream comes   
with it1 but that too will do no harm1  
unless a boy lets his mind dwell on it  
till the excitement grows unnatural4    
,this emission may happen every two     
weeks or so1 but it is not a regular    
thing4 ,boys are sometimes alarmed and  
fear their sex machinery is out of      
order1 but it is a perfectly natural    
thing1 and only means that the organs   
are relieving themselves of the extra   
secretions that are not needed till the 
time comes for the real sex relation4   

,boys and girls sometimes get the habit 
of handling their sex organs so as to   
get them excited4 ,this is called       
masturbation or self-abuse4 ,it is also 
called auto-erotism4 ,such handling can 
be made to result in a climax something 
like that of the natural sex act4 ,for  
generations this habit has been         
considered wrong and dangerous1 but     
recently many of the best scientists    
have concluded that the chief harm has  
come from the worry caused by doing it1 
when one believed it to be wrong4 ,this 
worry has often been so great that real 
illness1 both of the mind and body has  
resulted4 ,there is no occasion for     
worry unless the habit is carried to    
excess4 ,but remember that until you are
 mature1 the sex secretions are         
specially needed within your body1 and  
if you use them wastefully before you   
are grown1 you are depriving your body  
of what it needs4 ,so do not stimulate  
your sex organs into action             
intentionally4 ,and do not yield to the 

impulse to handle the sex organs in     
order to relieve the pressure which may 
occasionally feel overwhelming1 unless  
you find that nature does not bring you 
relief during sleep4  ,remember always  
that your whole sex machinery is more   
easily put out of order than any other  
part of your body1 and it must be       
treated with great care and respect all 
along4 ,it is not fair to ourselves or  
to each other to do a single thing that 
will make us either weak or unnatural4  
,remember that your sex organs have a   
very powerful1 even if invisible1 effect
 upon your whole being1 and up to the   
time that you are really old enough to  
love some one to whom you want to       
actually belong1 you must let your sex  
machinery grow strong and ready for its 
good1 happy work when the right time    
comes4 ,the sex organs during your youth
 do not need frequent exercise in the   
same sense that your muscles do4 ,they  
are active all the time with their      
internal secretions which strengthen    

both you and them4  ,don't ever let any 
one drag you into nasty talk or thought 
about sex4 ,it is not a nasty subject4  
,it should mean everything that is      
highest and best and happiest in human  
life1 but it can be easily perverted and
 ruined and made the cause of horrible  
suffering of both mind and body4  ,there
 are two very terrible sexual           
diseases--syphilis and gonorrhea4 ,they 
are both frightfully infectious and very
 difficult to cure4 ,these diseases are 
usually acquired by sex contact with a  
diseased person1 but they can also be   
gotten by using public drinking cups1   
towels1 water-closets1 or in any way by 
which an infected moist article can come
 in contact with one's skin4 ,the worst 
thing about these diseases is that they 
are such invisible enemies4 ,after the  
outside appearance of the disease is    
gone1 they often go reaching farther and
 farther into the body1 making awful    
results that hang on for years4 ,men who
 get diseased frequently give the       

infection to their wives1 often causing 
them to be so ill that surgical         
operations are necessary1 by which their
 sex organs are so crippled that they   
can never be mothers2 and1 worst of all1
 innocent unborn babies are infected and
 come into the world sick or deformed or
 blind4  ,men often get these dreadful  
diseases by having sex relations with   
women who are called prostitutes or bad 
women1 that is1 they are women who are  
not in love with any one1 but who make  
money by selling their sex relations to 
men who pay for them4 ,many prostitutes 
become diseased1 and there is1 as yet1  
no way for either them or the men who   
visit them to be positively safe from   
infection4 ,but the doctors are making  
progress in their study of these        
diseases1 and they are finding out how  
to control and cure them1 just as they  
have in the case of tuberculosis4  ,but 
even if presently these venereal        
diseases1 as they are called1 can be    
entirely cured and prevented1           

prostitution will still remain a thing  
to hate4 ,for the idea of sex relations 
between people who do not love each     
other1 who do not feel any sense of     
belonging to each other1 will always be 
revolting to highly developed1 sensitive
 people4  ,people's lives grow finer and
 their characters better1 if they have  
sex relations only with those they love4
 ,and those who make the wretched       
mistake of yielding to the sex impulse  
alone when there is no love to go with  
it1 usually live to despise themselves  
for their weakness and their bad taste4 
,they are always ashamed of doing it1   
and they try to keep it secret from     
their families and those they respect4  
,you can be sure that whatever people   
are ashamed to do is something that can 
never bring them real happiness4 ,it is 
true that one's sex relations are the   
most personal and private matters in the
 world1 and they belong just to us and  
to no one else1 but while we may be shy 
and reserved about them1 we are not     

ashamed4  ,when two people really love  
each other1 they don't care who knows   
it4 ,they are proud of their happiness4 
,but no man is ever proud of his        
connection with a prostitute and no     
prostitute is ever proud of her         
business4  ,sex relations belong to     
love1 and love is never a business4     
,love is the nicest thing in the world1 
but it can't be bought4 ,and the sex    
side of it is the biggest and most      
important side of it1 so it is the one  
side of us that we must be absolutely   
sure to keep in good order and perfect  
health1 if we are going to be happy     
ourselves or make any one else happy4   
,,transcriber',s ,,note   ,some words   
were hyphenated inconsistently in the   
original pamphlet 7child-birth1         
fore-skin74 ,this e,text keeps the      
original hyphenation4