UNCHASTITY 271 



ing vice. Once a bright boy, kind, affectionate, active, 

 intelligent, the pride of a loving mother and the hope 

 of a doting father, his mind had sunken to driveling 

 idiocy. His vacant stare and expressionless counte- 

 nance betokened almost complete imbecility. If allowed 

 to do so, he would remain for hours in whatever posi- 

 tion his last movement left him. If his hand was 

 raised, it remained extended until placed in a position 

 of rest by his attendant. Only with the utmost diffi- 

 culty could he be made to rise in the morning, to eat, 

 drink, or walk. Only by great efforts could he be 

 aroused from his lethargy sufficiently to answer the 

 most simple question. The instinctive demands of 

 decency in regarding the calls of nature were not re- 

 spected. In short, the distinguishing mental and moral 

 characteristics of a human being were almost wholly 

 obliterated, leaving but a physical semblance of human- 

 ity,— a mind completely wrecked, a body undergoing 

 dissolution while yet alive, a blasted life, no hope for 

 this world, no prospect for the next. In the insane 

 asylums of the country may be seen hundreds of these 

 poor victims in all stages of physical and mental de- 

 moralization. 



Causes of the Habit.— It is needless to recapitu- 

 late all the causes of unchastity which have previously 

 been quite fully dwelt upon, nearly all of which are 

 predisposing or exciting causes of solitary as well as 

 social vice. Sexual precocity, idleness, pernicious liter- 

 ature, abnormal sexual passions, exciting and irritat- 

 ing food, gluttony, sedentary employment, libidinous 

 pictures, and many abnormal conditions of life are 

 potent causes in exciting the vile practice; but by far 

 the most frequent causes are evil associations, wicked 

 or ignorant nurses, and local disease, or abnormality. 



