"Sex Education" was discussed at the International Congress of the World's League for Sexual Reform at the Wigmore Hall yesterday.
Mr Bertrand Russell said that it would be impossible to publish a treatise urging reform of the law on sexual subjects without offending the law relating to obscenity. Highly technical terms "not understanded of the people" might be used where generally understood terms would be held to be obscene. A book on birth control for workmen's wives was condemned as indecent merely because it was understood by workmen's wives. The alleged harm done by pornographic literature would not exist if sex education were rational. Experience showed that frankly salacious works evaded the law, and that serious works were sacrificed to censorships.
Mr Bernard Shaw, speaking at an evening meeting, said that the only method of creating sex appeal was by clothes. The voluptuous woman of the 19th century was a masterpiece of sex appeal. Modern women would probably be shocked by pictures of those Victorian ladies, with every contour emphasised and upholstered. The Victorian age was an exceedingly immoral age, affected with the disease of exhibitionism. Women had now taken a very large step towards nudity, and sex appeal had vanished. Bring back clothes and it would be increased.
