The Renewal of Life; How and When to Tell the Story to the Young   By: Margaret Warner Morley (1858-1923)

[Illustration: Book Cover]

The Renewal of Life

BY MISS MORLEY

A SONG OF LIFE. 12mo $1.25

LIFE AND LOVE. 12mo 1.25

THE BEE PEOPLE. 12mo 1.25

THE HONEY MAKERS. 12mo 1.25

LITTLE MITCHELL. 12mo 1.25

THE RENEWAL OF LIFE. 12mo 1.25

Each fully illustrated

A. C. McCLURG & CO. CHICAGO

The Renewal of Life

How and When to Tell the Story to the Young

By

Margaret Warner Morley

Author of "A Song of Life," "Life and Love," etc.

Illustrated

[Illustration: Publisher's Logo]

Chicago A. C. McClurg & Co. 1906

COPYRIGHT BY A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1906

Published September 15, 1906 THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE RENEWAL OF LIFE 9

II. WHO IS TO TELL THE STORY, AND WHEN IS IT TO BE TOLD? 17

III. HOW TO TELL THE STORY 27

IV. TELLING THE TRUTH 36

V. ON NATURE STUDY 40

VI. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEED 52

VII. THE FERTILIZATION OF THE FLOWER 87

VIII. WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM THE LIFE OF THE FISH 107

IX. AMPHIBIOUS LIFE 127

X. THE BIRD 137

XI. THE MAMMAL 154

XII. VIGILANCE 169

XIII. THE TRANSFORMATION 178

LIST OF BOOKS HELPFUL IN STUDYING PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE 193

The Renewal of Life

How and When to Tell The Story to the Young

I

THE RENEWAL OF LIFE

Every human being must sooner or later know the facts concerning the origin of his life on the earth. One of the most puzzling questions is how and when such information should be given to the young.

There is nothing the parent more desires than that his child should have a high ideal in regard to the sex life and that he should live in accordance with that ideal, yet nowhere is careful and systematic education so lacking as here.

What parent would allow his child to go untaught in the particulars concerning truth telling, honesty, cleanliness, and behavior, trusting that in some way the child would discover the facts necessary to the practice of these virtues and live accordingly? And yet with apparent inconsistency one of the prime virtues is neglected; one of the most vital needs of every human being the understanding of his sex nature is too often left entirely to chance. Not only is the youth uninstructed, but no proper way of learning the truth is within his reach. It is as though he were set blindfold in the midst of dangerous pitfalls, with the admonition not to fall into any of them. Those who ought to tell the facts will not, consequently the facts must be gathered from chance sources which are too often bad, poisoning mind and heart. Even the physiologies, with the exception of those large, and to the average reader inaccessible, volumes used in medical schools, scarcely ever touch upon the subject. Of course these larger books give only the physiological facts couched in scientific terms. How and where, then, can the youth learn what he needs to know?