Youth and the race : the development and education of young citizens for worthy parenthood / being the fourth report of and the chief evidence taken by the National Birth-rate Commission, 1920-1923 ; Sir James Marchant, secretary.

  • Great Britain. National Birth-rate Commission.
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Youth and the race : the development and education of young citizens for worthy parenthood / being the fourth report of and the chief evidence taken by the National Birth-rate Commission, 1920-1923 ; Sir James Marchant, secretary. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    46/408 (page 22)
    There is no doubt whatever that, owing to lack of protection, children form a low moral standard at a very early age and bad habits are acquired, which vitally affect them in later life. It was agreed that for this important preventive work the assistance of policewomen is indispensable and that, moreover, the preliminary training of these women by women for such work is essential. A resolution! was accordingly passed to this effect. (4) “ The American plan ’’? it may be noted involves the assumption that mere instruction in the facts of sexual physiology and pathology is insufficient for morality, and may even directly conduce to an immorality, which has learned to escape its physical consequences. Such instruction can be regarded as desirable only when it is part of education in the wider sense, which has been defined as “‘the provision of an environment.” A _ psychical and social environ- ment must be provided for the adolescent in which his intellect is instructed, his emotions are guided, and his ideals reinforced. The problem of our age is how to provide such an environment for the education of youth. For the protection of adolescence there must be the systematic provision of recreation in the place of dissi- pation. Youth is entitled to rejoice greatly, and our task is to see that it may rejoice safely. Recreation is the creation anew of the vital resources and reserves upon which work has drawn. (5) Two great needs of youth in the cities of this country must here be emphasised. First, the food consumed by our young people is very often deficient 2 p. 251. 4 The American Plan of Social Hygiene :— 1. Suppression of prostitution. 2. Compulsory notification and treatment of venereal disease. 3. Provision of recreation. 4. Prohibition of alcoholic beverages.