A CHAPTER FOR BOYS 399 



edge of the whole truth, else would her sorrow have 

 been too great to bear. 



From Bad to "Worse.— C. E., a young man from 

 the West, was sent to us by his father with the request 

 that we do what we could to save him. His father's 

 letter intimated that the son had been a source of 

 grief to him, but he hoped that he had repented of his 

 prodigal course, and was really determined to reform. 

 Though scarcely more than twenty years of age, the 

 young man's face wore an aspect of hardness, from 

 familiarity with vice, that we have rarely seen. He 

 was reduced to a mere skeleton by the vice of which 

 he made no secret, and was so weak that he could 

 scarcely walk a rod. It seemed as if every organ in 

 his body was diseased, and that he had so squandered 

 his vital resources that he had no power to rally from 

 his wretched condition, even should he carry out the 

 determination to reform which he announced. How- 

 ever, we gave him the best counsel and advice within 

 our power,, and placed him under treatment. After a 

 few weeks it was evident that nature was still willing 

 to respond to his endeavors to reform, by vigorous 

 eiforts to restore him to a condition of comparative 

 health. Thus he was snatched, as it appeared, from 

 the very jaws of death. Under these circumstances it 

 would seem that the most hardened criminal would 

 reform, at least for a season, and lead a life of recti- 

 tude; but so utterly depraved was this poor wretch 

 that no sooner did he find that he was not liable to die 

 immediately than he at once began again his career of 

 sin. By long indulgence his moral sense had become 

 apparently obliterated. He seemed to be utterly with- 

 out the restraint imposed by conscience. In less than 

 a month he was detected in the crime of theft, having 



