At an early age you will be faced by a great injury to all boys. It is the appearance in the public schools of smutty pictures, lecherous talk and nasty stories. Now all these go to make for a weak foundation. If you have grasped the full sense of sex life,—what it means to your future, what it can do for a glorious life or a miserable end,—you will shun such nasty things as you would a boy with the smallpox. I want you all to know everything about sex life; but smut and filth are not connected with this knowledge. They have nothing to do with sex development. Nothing more to do with a full appreciation of the powers growing in you than the ulcers of a foul disease have to do with the growth of a healthful skin.
These nasty tales and pictures befoul a good mind. In listening or looking you are simply allowing your growing brain to wallow in a pigsty of thought. Scientific books on sex life, all the real knowledge you can obtain covering the real meaning of life, are proper reading. It is not necessary to roll in a manure heap to understand the care and diseases of cows. It is not necessary, but harmful, to live in an atmosphere of vice and mental filth to understand man and woman.
So you can see that it is as important to keep the mind clean as it is any organ. For one affects the other. If you have an unclean mind, poisons flowing through the brain from filthy talk, you will find that the sex organs will feel the effect. This is a dangerous state. Clean both at once and keep them clean as they grow.
Why, boys, there is scarcely one of your waking dreams of big deeds that is not possible of being true if you keep a mind clean for big thoughts and work. But this mind cannot work if it has to compete with foul matter working alongside.
If you were engaged upon some delicate work and had a chap working alongside of you who pulled down as fast as you built up, what would you do? Throw that fellow out. Of course. Well, if he gets along inside of your good thoughts, throw HIM out.
At this early age in your career I would not advise you to attempt any missionary work among those boys of evil thoughts and acts. Just let them alone; have nothing to do with them. This will appeal to such boys much more than any attempt at “goody-goody” talk. I don’t believe in this kind of education for the boys of vicious habits; it doesn’t appeal to them. What you can do if they ask questions is to show them the PRACTICAL side of the whole matter: That you want to be a strong man, a man who can do things, a man whose children will bless instead of curse him.
Sometimes it is necessary to smash a boy who makes evil suggestions to you. Don’t talk to him, smash him in the face. Smash him good and hard. Remember that if you have followed my advice and directions you will have much more strength than a boy of evil thoughts and habits. Such a one will be a coward; even if he LOOKS larger than you.
But beyond all, don’t blame such a boy; don’t unjustly blame him for what he is. Perhaps he had not had the chances you have had. Possibly he has had no parents to care for him and his associations have been such that he cannot see the good in life. Remember that such a boy has some good in him; often he wants to be the right kind of a fellow but does not know how. After you have licked him—if he makes any really bad suggestions—then he may become your good friend. If so, then you can tell him what you know. But no preaching, mind you. Don’t try to make him think you are any better than he is. Just let him understand that you know what is necessary to make a strong and successful man. Then he will want to know.