SEX IN CHILDHOOD
By Ernest R. Groves '03 and Gladys H. Groves. New York: Macaulay, 1933. Pp. 247.
With the undergraduates talking a great deal about the need for a course in "marriage" (whether they mean from the psychological, historical, biological, or ethical points of view is not clear), it is timely to review the latest book by a Dartmouth graduate and his wife on this troublesome subject. This makes the eleventh book this couple (or Dr. Groves alone) have published on this and related subjects; it begins to look as if their message might begin to percolate after so much repetition. After dedicating their most recent effort to Dr. Dickinson for his "first comprehensive authoritative knowledge of the medical aspects of sex adjustment" (italics are mine), they preface their book as aiming to "interpret the sex career of the child in its normal setting and with restraint, that there may not be the exaggeration of the problems of sex development that all too often brings emotional panic to conscientious and sensitive parents through their misinterpretation of their children's reactions to sex." For this, as well as for the dedication, let there be applause. Any book on sex which sets out to talk sanely and at the same time without exaggerating the importance of sex for the reader has its work cut out. I may say that the modified Freudian point of view (very much softened and in non-Freudian jargon) has been consistently held to, with good effect.
The content of the book begins .with the background in the parental attitudes toward sex, the development of modesty and jealousy, the handling of the problems of "bad" companions and of masturbation (ancient ghost now being recognized for what it is), how to answer questions (assuming a will to do so), and then the rest of the book relates to adolescence as it really is—both for the boy and the girl—and how to meet the problems of that time. There is a glossary that might well be studied by any parent trying to find the words to tell their children of sex. The worst feature of the book, to me, is 'he lack of good illustrations. The two that are given seem to me entirely unsuitable. They are all right for one who knows from actual observation the external adult genitals, but in the case of the diagram of the female sex organs one who knows only the barest of detail would be helped but little by these sketches.
Instead of commenting on the details of the book I prefer to confine myself to two aspects. First, despite the deluge of books on sex topics there is still plenty of room for more and better ones. Like other social phenomena, my guess is that those parents who need this book most are just the ones who will not read it—or understand it if they do digest the words. I could quote from my teaching experiences any number of cases of college boys with meagre sex information and plenty of misinformation as well as cases of boys whose sex lives are badly warped. The need is truly great. Second, the content of this book impresses me as being good; the tone is high and entirely free from offense. I am afraid, however, its very merit there will be the reason why it will fail to convince those who most need to be convinced.
