Very frequently even in childhood sexuality gives rise to enduring imaginative sexual activity. There results that which Hufeland in his _Makrobiotik_ terms psychical onanism, viz., the imaginative contemplation of a train of lascivious and voluptuous ideas. In many instances there even results a poetical treatment of the sexual topic. Among children, love-letters also play their part. Sometimes, indeed, their contents is so harmless that the sexual motive remains unsuspected; but in other cases, the child's sentiments are clearly displayed, even when the whole character of the letter is extremely naive. Sometimes the letter appears out of harmony with the child's conduct in other respects. For example, I have seen cases in which, though in conversation children spoke to one another in an impassioned manner as "darling" and "my dear love," no such expressions were used by them in their letters. Verses are also composed by comparatively youthful lovers. As we should expect, such verses are commonly deficient in the matter of artistic technique. A lady who, when twelve years of age, had been enamoured of her governess, copied for me from her album the following verses:-- "Es gibt nichts schoeneres auf der Welt, Als wenn einem ein Wesen besonders gefaellt; Und fuehlt man sich gezogen hin Zu einer suessen Lehrerin, Das ist ein Glueck. Und liebt man sie so inniglich, Dann fuerchtet wohl gar sehr man sich Vorm Abschiedtag..." "Of all things sweet beneath the sun, The sweetest is to love but one; And when the object of one's fondness Is one's darling governess, Supreme the joy. And if one love her so intensely, Then, of course, one dreads immensely The day of parting...." In this style the poem continues for some time, and occasionally we come to verses showing that jealousy was felt:-- "O! Du Pauline sei kein Dieb, Raub' mir nicht Fraeulein ----'s Lieb'. Die Eifersucht, die quaelt mich sehr Und noch mit jedem Tage mehr. Sie sucht mich heim selbst in der Nacht. O Liebe, Du hast dies vollbracht." "Pauline, you my anger move, Stealing my Miss ----'s love. From jealousy I've no release; Day by day my pangs increase; I've jealous thoughts too in the night. Love, I suffer from thy might."