INTRODUCTION
No greater and more sacred ambition can stir the heart of a boy or youth than to grow up into a perfect manhood, to become strong enough physically and mentally to meet any demands on his strength that life may put upon him. Equally so, no more important nor more sacred duty lies on a grown-up, fully developed man than to keep this treasure of physical and mental equipment bestowed upon him by generous Nature intact and unimpaired.
Unfortunately, while most men and boys have good intentions and right ambitions, many of them, by weakness of character, light-mindedness, but mostly thru ignorance, yield to evil temptations, to ugly and morbid habits, to self-destructive practices, only to find themselves, after a few years of “sowing wild oats,” as “damaged goods,” physical and mental wrecks, without strength or ambition to live, worn out and sapped by chronic diseases. It can be truly said that no other scourge blights as many happy homes, destroys as many brilliant careers, undermines as much vitality of body and spirit as does abuse of the sexual system. If it were possible to express in figures and money value the total amount of loss of money, time, physical suffering, mental anguish, blighted happiness, and permanent invalidism; if it were possible to summarize all the misery and suffering, all the decay and waste of human bodies and souls, caused directly or indirectly by diseases of sexual origin, the world would be staggered and shocked by the immense sacrifice it brings to the Moloch of sex ignorance.
What does sex mean to the average man and youth? What idea does he have of the function of sex in the human body and its significance in human life? To a youth, sex means a mysterious force that makes itself felt by vague desires and impulses, by an irresistible attraction toward the opposite sex, by its undefinable impulses in his whole being—his body, his mind, his feelings. But before he has time to clear up the mystery of his body, some companions more experienced in life’s vulgarities initiate him almost by force in the physical mysteries of the sexual relationship, ordinarily under the most vicious and vile surroundings, which initiation leaves in him invariably a lasting and intense aftertaste of shame and disgust. More sensitive and refined natures instinctively recoil after this harrowing experience, and exert their best and sincerest efforts to avoid temptations and keep their bodies and feelings fresh and clean. Others yield again to the stronger will of the older debased companions, and gradually develop a habit of indulgence in brutal and degrading passions, with the subsequent train of venereal diseases, impairment of physical and mental strength, and gradual withering of all moral noble features of manly character. And yet under proper instructions and the right attitude of mind, no man or boy should fail to realize that sex is the most precious treasure he possesses, the squandering and abuse of which is sheer madness and self-destruction.
Think of a boy fourteen to sixteen years old on the threshold of manhood, and watch the changes going on in his whole being at this period of transition. Watch this most wonderful transformation, how a frail, little, helpless skeleton shoots into a large-boned frame with powerful muscles; how his squealing, girlish voice deepens into a low, manly, vibrating tone, and the smooth skin of the face and genital organs begins to show a hairy growth. Equally great changes take place in the boy’s mentality and feelings. A childish helplessness and insecurity gives place to self-assurance and assertiveness, coming from the inner feeling of growing power and ability to protect himself. Childish, care-free, everlasting joy gives way to a new feeling of growing responsibilities and duties, to plans and ambitions to strive for glory and success in life. The feeling of inner force and energy stirs him to ever-new activities, spurs him to ever-new achievements. Nothing is too hard for a youth standing on the threshold of manhood, no job is too big for him, no ambition is too high to realize. This is the time when the character and personality of a boy assume their permanent shape that forecasts the success or failure of his whole future life. And then comes the last and crowning change in growing manhood. He begins to feel an indefinite longing, vague and dreamy romantic impulses, and rapid changes of mood begin to disturb his repose. A new attitude toward the opposite sex gradually makes itself felt, and a woman acquires in his mind and feelings a new meaning and a new light. Womanly beauty and perfection, of which he has been unaware and unconscious, begins to exert on him all-powerful and irresistible attraction, and with further bodily and mental growth, he gradually reaches full maturity and enters the stage of highest consummation of normal manhood—love, marriage, and happy family life.
What magic power has brought about these changes from a helpless child to a strong, able-bodied man, ready for an active and happy life? This wonderful power is sex. Sex is the magic source of life, which not only reproduces life, but also keeps up the divine spark of vitality in the human body and controls and stimulates its growth and healthy development. Sexual glands that every healthy child gets from its very inception, thru their internal secretions, act as a source of life and energy in the body, stimulating its growth and influencing its general condition. And just as killing frost or withering heat stunts and dwarfs a young plant, so any abuse or lack of care of the sexual system will dwarf and stunt the growing boy, physically, mentally, and morally.
But even after a man has reached a full state of physical development, his sexual system exerts the same all-powerful influence over his body and mind. His own health and happiness, as well as the happiness of his wife and children, are most intimately and deeply dependent on the healthy and normal condition of his sexual system.
So it can readily be seen that sex is the greatest treasure Nature has bestowed upon men, and that the sexual organs are just as important for health and happiness as are any other organs of the body. For this reason every boy and man should know how to take care of these most vital organs in health and disease. In a word, he should have all necessary knowledge to protect and to keep intact his priceless heritage—healthy and noble manhood.