392 PLAIN FACTS EOR OLD AND YOUNG 



own experience, and by the fortunate tliouglitfnlness 

 of an intelligent friend who surmised his condition and 

 told him faithfully of the terrible results of the vile 

 habit, he made a manly effort to reform, and claimed 

 to have wholly broken the habit. To his great grief he 

 found, however, that the years in which he had devoted 

 himself to sin had wrought sad havoc in his system. In 

 many ways his health was greatly deranged, and his 

 once powerful constitution was broken down. The 

 sexual organs themselves were greatly diseased, so 

 much so that a serious and painful surgical operation 

 was necessary. With shame and mortification he 

 looked upon his past life, and saw what a hideous work 

 of evil he had wrought. His vileness stood out before 

 him in a vivid light, and he felt ashamed to meet the 

 gaze of his fellows. 



After performing the necessary surgical operation 

 upon this poor unfortunate, we dealt faithfully with 

 him, pointing out to him the way by which he might 

 with proper effort in some degree redeem himself by 

 a lifelong struggle against every form of impurity. 

 He felt, and rightly, that the task was a most severe 

 one. He well knew that the stamp of sin was on his 

 countenance and in his mind. Thoughts long allowed 

 to run upon vile subjects, forming filthy pictures in 

 the imagination, are not easily brought back to the 

 channel of purity and virtue. The mind that has 

 learned to love to riot in impure dreams, does not 

 readily acquire a love for the opposite. But he deter- 

 mined to make a brave and earnest effort, and we have 

 every reason to believe that he has, in a measure at 

 least, succeeded. But, if so, he has made a narrow 

 escape. A few more years of sin, and his rescue would 

 have been impossible ; both mind and body would have 



