“‘Raves,’ as a rule, begin quite suddenly.  They may be mutual or all on one side.  In the case of school-girls the mutual ‘rave’ is generally found between two companions, or the girls may have a ‘rave’ for one of their teachers or some grown-up acquaintance, who does not necessarily enter into the school-life.  In this case there may or may not be a feeling of affection for the girl by her ‘rave,’ though minus all the emotional feelings.

“Occasionally a senior student will have a ‘rave’ on a little girl, but these cases are rare and not very active in their symptoms, girls over 18 having fewer ‘raves’ and generally condemning them.

“In the large school already referred to, of which I have personal knowledge, ‘raving’ was very general, hardly anyone being free from it.  Any fresh student would soon fall a victim to the fashion, which rather points to the fact that it is infectious.  Sometimes there might be a lull in the general raving, only to reappear after an interval in more or less of an epidemic form.  Sometimes nearly all the ‘raves’ were felt by students for their teachers; at other times it was more apparent between the girls themselves.

“Sometimes one teacher was raved on by several girls.  In many cases, the girls raving on a teacher would have a very great friendship with one of their companions—­talking with each other constantly of their respective ‘raves,’ describing their feelings and generally letting off steam to one another, indulging sometimes in the active demonstrations of affection which they were debarred from showing the teacher herself, and in some cases having no desire to do so even if they could.

“As far as I have been able to judge, there is not necessarily any attraction for physical characteristics, as beauty, elegance, etc.; the two participants are probably both of strong character or a weak character raves on a stronger, but rarely vice versa.

“I have often noticed that the same person may be raved on at different times by several people of different characters and of all ages:  say, up to 30 years of age.  It is hard to say why some persons more than others should inspire this feeling.  Often they are reserved, without any particular physical attraction, and often despising raving and emotional friendships, and give no encouragement to them.  That the majority of ‘raves’ have a sexual basis may be true, but I am sure that in the majority of cases where young girls are concerned this is not in the least recognized, and no impurity is indulged in or wished for.  The majority of the girls are entirely ignorant of all sexual matters, and understand nothing whatever about them.  But they do wonder about them and talk about them constantly, more especially when they have a ‘rave,’ which seems to point to some subtle connection between the two.  That this ignorance exists is largely to be deplored.  The subject, if once thought of, is always thought