author
Otterbein Oscar Smith
b. 1858
A pastor and lecturer from the early 1900s, he wrote frankly about child development and sex education at a time when the subject was rarely discussed in public. His best-known book, Child Life and Sex Hygiene, grew out of an address delivered in Pierre, South Dakota.
1 Audiobook
Child Life and Sex Hygiene: A Remarkable Message
by Otterbein Oscar Smith
About the author
Born in Illinois on March 6, 1858, Otterbein Oscar Smith was an American clergyman who later died in Denver, Colorado, on April 16, 1934. Surviving catalog and memorial records identify him as "Rev. Otterbein Oscar Smith," placing his work within both religious and public-speaking circles.
Smith is chiefly remembered for Child Life and Sex Hygiene: A Remarkable Message, a book published in 1912. The text presents him as an active pastor and lecturer, and notes that the book was issued after an address he gave before part of the Women’s Club of Pierre, South Dakota.
What stands out about Smith is his willingness to address a sensitive subject directly and in plain language. Even now, his work offers a glimpse into how some early twentieth-century writers tried to connect morality, education, and practical guidance for parents and communities.