IV PREFACE 



is always chaste in itself, and that it is only through 

 a corrupt imagination that it becomes invested with 

 impurity. The author has constantly endeavored to 

 impart information in the most straightforward, sim- 

 ple, and concise manner. 



The publishers recognize the fact that this work 

 should be judiciously circulated, and to secure this will 

 take care to place it in the hands of agents competent 

 to present it with discretion; yet it may be read with- 

 out injury by any one who is sufficiently mature to 

 understand it. Great care has been taken to exclude 

 from its pages those accounts of the habits of vicious 

 persons, and descriptions of the mechanical accessories 

 of vice, with which many works upon sexual subjects 

 abound, and which can only lead to evil by imparting 

 knowledge which has no element of saving grace. 



The first editions of the work were issued with no 

 little anxiety on the part of both author and publishers 

 as to how it would be received by the reading public. 

 It was anticipated that no little adverse criticism, and 

 perhaps severe condemnation, would be pronounced 

 by many whose education and general mode of thought 

 had not been such as to prepare them to appreciate it ; 

 but it was hoped that persons of more thoughtful and 

 unbiased minds would receive the work kindly and 

 with appreciation. This anticipation has been more 

 than realized, Wherever the book has been introduced 

 it has met with a warm reception; and of the many 

 thousand persons into whose hands it has been placed, 

 hundreds have gratefully acknowledged the benefit 

 which they have received from its perusal, and it is 

 hoped that a large proportion have been greatly bene- 

 fited. 



The addition of two whole chapters for the purpose 

 of illustrating how this subject may be brought before 



