International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1934)

794 EDUCATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY same idea under different aspects. We must not give up the idea of making another film on hereditary syphilis because there is already a perfect one in existence. It requires several blows of the hammer to drive in a nail, and we must insist on the need for all prospective parents to be cured and healthy before beginning to produce children. Many films can be made, without fear of their being superfluous, with the object of putting our young seamen on guard against the hospitable and often infamous houses to be found in every region and port. In how many other circles also the film could carry out its work of propaganda! There is one very delicate point on which we feel bound today to take up a clear stand. It is a point of pure doctrine, but a capital one on account of its practical consequences, namely, the problem of educating the public in everything connected with venereal diseases, which subject is very closely allied with sexual education. In fact, numerous educators tend to join their efforts for sexual education and anti-venereal education together. But if they are right in theory, I do not hesitate to say that in practice they are wrong, seriously wrong. If we may say that the battle is won as far as the anti-venereal education of the public is concerned it must not be supposed that there is no possibility of a change of ideas. There are still many who feel at bottom that the projection in public of problems which they themselves dare not face openly is an offence. They submit, because so far the films presented leave no branch open to justifiable criticism. But if the chance should offer, these persons would not hesitate to assert that anti-venereal education is useless and even perhaps scandalous. Such a chance might be given to them by sexual education. We can say this with an easy mind because, as far as the writer personally is concerned, he is in favour of sexual education. He is not at all of the opinion of those who want silence kept on this subject, but thinks that it would be well to speak clearly and freely to young people of both sexes, not only of their puberty, but also, and even more necessarily of sexual problems. « They teach us how to live when life is ended », said Montaigne. The personal opinion of the writer of this article has nothing to do, as regards this particular point, with the way of acting of those whose duty is to carry on the antivenereal campaign. We ask ourselves whether or no antivenereal education should be incorporated with sexual education. It is obvious that there should be no delay in the latter case, but that every means should be used to convince those opposed to sexual education; it will not be easy, for many reasons, to win this battle but in any case we must engage in it. In the former case, on the contrary, we may limit ourselves to arousing interest in the anti-venereal campaign; there is no need to teach young people genital anatomy and physiology to make them aware of the Celtic diseases. Now, our opinion and conviction on this point, formed already for some years past, is just this. Why knock our heads, then, against those very tendencies which, although accepting the idea of venereal education, are absolutely and definitely hostile to any kind of sexual education? Why insist on joining the two problems together? By doing this, we are almost certain of making it impossible to continue our work of anti-venereal education. We are not speaking lightly, and we know by experience that some lectures officially intended for future educators were permitted as long as what was aimed at was to put the future educators on guard against the venereal danger, but they were at once prohibited when the organizers of the lectures, profiting by the authorization granted, tried