In several of the Histories which follow in this chapter, as well as in Histories contained in other volumes of these Studies, details will be found concerning homosexuality as it occurs in English schools, public or private. (See also the study “Auto-erotism” in vol. i.) The prevalence of homosexual and erotic phenomena in schools varies greatly at different schools and at different times in the same school, while in small private schools such phenomena may be entirely unknown.  As an English schoolboy I never myself saw or heard anything of such practices, and in Germany, Professor Gurlitt (Die Neue Generation, January, 1909), among others, testifies to similar absence of experience during his whole school life, although there was much talk and joking among the boys over sexual things.  I have added some observations by a correspondent whose experiences of English public school life are still recent:—­

“In the years I was a member of a public school, I saw and heard a good deal of homosexuality, though till my last two years I did not understand its meaning.  As a prefect, I discussed with other prefects the methods of checking it, and of punishing it when detected.  My own observations, supported by those of others, led me to think that the fault of the usual method of dealing with homosexuality in schools is that it regards all school homosexualists as being in one class together, and has only one way of dealing with them—­the birch for a first offense, expulsion for a second.  Now, I think we may distinguish three classes of school homosexualists:—­

“(a) A very small number who are probably radically inverted, and who do not scruple to sacrifice young and innocent boys to their passions.  These, and these only, are a real moral danger to others, and I believe them to be rare.

“(b) Boys of various ages who, having been initiated into the passive part in their young days, continue practices of an active or passive kind; but only with boys already known to be homosexualists; they draw the line at corrupting fresh victims.  This class realize more or less what they are about, but cannot be called a danger to the morals of pure boys.

“(c) Young boys who, whether in the development of their own physical nature, or by the instruction of older boys of the class (a), find out the pleasures of masturbation or intercrural connection. (I never heard of a case of pedicatio at my school, and only once of fellatio, which was attempted on a quite young boy, who complained to his house master, and the offender was expelled).  Boys in this class have probably little or no idea of what sexual morality means, and can hardly be accused of a moral offense at all.

“I submit that these three classes should receive quite different treatment.  Expulsion may occasionally be necessary for class (a),