doctors, vaudeville performances, many so-called comic operas, popular new
songs, the dress of women approved by modern fashion,--these all help at
times to prepare young people to fall before the special temptations that
beset all commercial recreation centers. Especially dangerous are the
saloons, billiard rooms, dance-halls, ice-cream parlors, road-houses and
amusement parks. Both male and female enemies of decency frequent these
resorts. They are often schools of sexual immorality, with clever and
persistent teachers. Unless we take them into due account, we cannot see
the whole problem of education in sexual hygiene and morals.

Then there are the legal phases of the situation. We must consider, on the
one hand how much can be accomplished by legislation, in view of all the
known factors in the situation. Our courts, for example, in spasmodically
or regularly rounding up women, fining them ten or fifteen dollars apiece,
and turning them loose, are trying to meet the social emergency by
shutting their eyes to nine out of ten of its essential features. Their
policy gives a clean bill to the male prostitute, arrests the woman, takes
away a part of her earnings, sets her free under the necessity of seeking
new victims to offset the fine, offers her no incentive to lead any other
life, incidentally increases opportunities for police graft, and virtually
gives the sanction of the law to the whole nefarious business. The ostrich
with his head buried in the sand sees our gravest social problem about as
clearly and wholly as do many who are administering laws concerning
prostitution in American cities.

The impotence of laws passed in advance of public education and public
demand is a difficulty often overlooked. Some reformers seem to think
they can eliminate the social evil by getting a law passed. They urge
state legislatures to pass laws requiring every school to teach sex
hygiene. These people think they are going straight at a solution; but