MaxHalbe’sJUGEND*andWedekind’sFRUHLING’SERWACHEN**aredramaswhichhavedisseminatedradicalthoughtinanaltogetherdifferentdirection。TheytreatofthechildandthedenseignoranceandnarrowPuritanismthatmeettheawakeningofnature。ParticularlythisistrueofFRUHLING’SERWACHEN。Youngboysandgirlssacrificedonthealtaroffalseeducationandofoursickeningmoralitythatprohibitstheenlightenmentofyouthastoquestionssoimperativetothehealthandwell-beingofsociety，——theoriginoflife，anditsfunctions。Itshowshowamother——andatrulygoodmother，atthat——keepsherfourteen-year-olddaughterinabsoluteignoranceastoallmattersofsex，andwhenfinallytheyounggirlfallsavictimtoherownignorance，thesamemotherseesherdaughterkilledbyquackmedicines。Theinscriptiononhergravestatesthatshediedofanaemia，andmoralityissatisfied——
*YOUTH。
**THEAWAKENINGOFSPRING——
ThefatalityofourPuritanichypocrisyinthesemattersisespeciallyilluminedbyWedekindinsofarasourmostpromisingchildrenfallvictimstosexignoranceandtheutterlackofappreciationonthepartoftheteachersofthechild’sawakening。
Wendla，unusuallydevelopedandalertforherage，pleadswithhermothertoexplainthemysteryoflife: