SEX INSTRUCTION

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 7

SEX INSTRUCTION

LECTURE BY CAPTAIN PETTIT.

"Tho Perils of Early Manhood arid the Scourge of Social Diseases" was tho subject of an illustrated lecture given in His Majesty's Theatre by Captain W. H. Pettit, of the N.Z.M.C, after church hours last night. The lecture was for men only, and the audience was largu enough to fill the whole building. It was given under the auspice.? of tho Council of. Churches, the arrangements for the meeting being in tho hands of the Young Men's Christian Association. Tho chair was taken by Colonel Smith, who was accompanied on the platform by Mr W. E. S. Knight (chairman of the Hospital Board), Dr do Lautour, Captain Sunektrum (vice-president of the Y.M.C.A.), Mr F. Arthur (chairman of the association's Religious Work Committee), and the Rev. Gk Heighway. During the evening a collection, was taken up for the purpose of assisting in the spread of literature on 6cx hygiene. Mr H. P. Desmoulins sang the popular verses "For' Honour and For Her," to music skilfully arranged by himself, with great effect. Captain Pettit has been lecturing for years now 10 all tho recruits entering our camps on the nature and effects of venereal disease, and he handled his subject last night with gieat skill and force. He began his address by entering a vigorous plea against the policy of ignorance and silence on sex questions. His contention that every boy and girl had a right to pure knowledge of tho facts of life and birth was roundly applauded. Surely, he said, wo now knew sufficient to realise that it was not a choice between ignorance and knowledge, but between clean and polluted knowledge. If we adopted the right lino of approach and taught thes-i facts scientifically it was possible to unfold to the developing m\nd of the growing lad how beautiful and how wonderful v ere the mysteries of God's creative work as they might be seen asserting themselvo; through the laws' of sex.