448 PLAIN FACTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG 



of the local disease and general poor health of girls, 

 young women, and married ladies, than has been gen- 

 erally recognized. These are startling statements, but 

 we are prepared to substantiate them. 



Remote Effects.— Not all the effects of vice ap- 

 pear in girlhood, nor even during early life. Fre- 

 quently it is not until the girl is grown up to be a wife 

 and mother that she begins to appreciate fully the 

 harm that has been wrought. At this time, when new 

 demands are made upon the sexual organism, when 

 its proper duties are to be performed, there is a sud- 

 den failure; new weaknesses and diseases make their 

 appearance, new pains and sufferings are felt, which 

 no woman will suffer who has not in some way seri- 

 ously transgressed the laws of health. In not a few 

 instances is discovered the fact that the individual is 

 wholly unfitted for the duties of maternity. Often, 

 indeed, maternity is impossible, the injury resulting 

 from the sins committed being so great as to render 

 the diseased organism incapable of the functions re- 

 quired. 



In the great majority of cases, these peculiar diffi- 

 culties, morbid conditions, and incapacities are attribu- 

 ted to overwork, overstudy, ''taking cold," ''getting 

 the feet wet," or some other cause wholly inadequate 

 to account for the diseased conditions present, al- 

 though in many instances it may be true that some 

 such unfortunate circumstance may be the means of 

 precipitating the effects of previous sin upon organs 

 already relaxed, debilitated, and thus prepared readily 

 to take on disease. 



Causes Which Lead Girls Astray.— The predis- 

 posing causes of sexual vice have already been dwelt 

 upon so fully in this volume that we shall devote little 



