Youth and Sex: Dangers and Safeguards for Girls and Boys by Mary Scharlieb — Summary & Review

Youth and Sex: Dangers and Safeguards for Girls and Boys offers a comprehensive look at the multifaceted changes adolescents undergo, focusing on both girls and boys. The book begins with a careful description of puberty in girls, detailing physical transformations like skeletal growth and pelvic development, alongside mental shifts such as the rapid growth of reasoning, imagination, and emotional variability. It highlights the emergence of sexual instincts and social behaviors, including the natural formation of peer groups or 'gangs.' The author stresses the importance of proper care—adequate diet, warmth, sleep, exercise, and hygiene—to support healthy development and prevent common adolescent health issues like dental decay, throat diseases, digestive troubles, and menstrual irregularities.

Mental and moral education is emphasized as equally vital, with the author advocating early instruction about reproduction and parenthood to prepare youth for future roles as citizens and parents. The book discusses the challenges faced by working-class youth, particularly those leaving school early, and underscores the need for meaningful occupation and discipline to prevent idleness and its harmful effects.

Turning to boys, the author draws on extensive personal experience interviewing young men about their sexual knowledge and habits. Contrary to common assumptions, many boys acquire sexual knowledge early, often from peers or mixed social environments, and many engage in self-abuse before their teens. The book presents candid case studies illustrating these realities, revealing boys’ frequent lack of awareness about the moral and physical consequences of their actions. It critiques societal silence and parental blindness regarding boys’ sexual development, arguing that innate modesty does not protect them from impurity. Expert opinions included in the text confirm the widespread prevalence of masturbation and sexual impurity in schools, describing it as a hidden condition that can cause long-term harm if unaddressed.

The author warns of the physical, intellectual, and moral damage caused by impurity, including loss of vitality, nervousness, deceitfulness, and weakened character. This impurity often leads to a loss of frankness between boys and parents and can contribute to broader social evils such as prostitution, seduction, and venereal disease. The book advocates for frank, early, and sympathetic sex education within the family, ideally beginning between ages six and eight, to fortify boys against harmful influences. It recommends using scientific terms and clear communication to avoid embarrassment and shame, and suggests pamphlets as helpful tools when direct oral instruction is difficult.

Challenges in school settings are acknowledged, where traditions and lack of parental cooperation often hinder effective purity teaching. The author also discusses controversial remedies like hypnotic suggestion for severe cases but remains cautious about their use. Throughout, the tone is authoritative yet empathetic, urging parents, educators, and society to recognize the naturalness of sexual development and the urgent need for proper guidance. The book closes with an invitation for boys and young men to seek confidential advice and stresses the importance of trustworthy counsel before marriage.

Overall, the work combines medical, educational, and moral perspectives to address the dangers of ignorance and neglect in adolescent sexual development, offering practical safeguards grounded in sympathy and scientific observation.