PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 625 



each of which debilitates and depraves its devotee, as much on 

 the morrow as consuming one gill of alcoholic spirits, or one- 

 tenth of his constitutional capabilities, are, chewing half an ounce 

 or smioking a quarter of an ounce of tobacco per day ; or one 

 gill vinegar, or one pint strong beer, wine, ale, porter or lager 

 beer ; or one quart ice- water, small beer or soda Avater ; or four 

 ounces pickles, ice-cream, molasses, sugar or candy ; or one ounce 

 lard, whether in gr&vy or pastry ; or half an ounce of carbonate of 

 soda or potash, either in drinks, bread or bathing; or one tenth 

 of an ounce of salt-petre, or sulphur ; or consuming one pound 

 yeast in fermented bread, instead of unleavened bread ; or one 

 pound of much cooked meat, instead of as little cooked as would 

 be most palatable ; or every fifteen minutes sexual, erectile excite- 

 ment ; or every consummation of sexual excitement, whether by 

 natural excitement or self-abuse ; shivering in the cold one hour 

 for every degree below normal temperature ; breathing one-tenth 

 of breath of consumed air, instead of pure atmosphere; every 

 hour's neglect of at least four hour's per day of necessary general 

 muscular labor ; or every hour's violent excess of labor for exceed- 

 ing every tenth of his normal working capacity ; or every tenth of 

 his daily allowance of food, more or less than by norrnal quan- 

 tity ; or every hour's loss or excess of his usual necessary sleep. 

 Moreover, every day's disobeying and offending his enlightened 

 natural instincts, otherwise called the fretting or demoralizing 

 each and every moral impulsive sense, debilitates, deranges, 

 weakens, brutalizes and unmans him for the morrow's cares> 

 labors and enjoyments, ten per cent. ; which is each intemper- 

 ately equivalent to drinking one gill of alcoholic spirits per day. 

 Especially such violations of natural honesty as lying, or irrelevant 

 remarks ; or mistaking suppositions or observations, against nor- 

 mal imagination: Bufi'oonry, or absurd fancies and plans, against 

 novelty : Filthiness or obscenity, or excessive refinements, against 

 ideality : Despondency, or absurd hopes ; or reading silly lite- 

 erature ; or praying longer than the examples and precepts of 

 Christ require, against hope : Remaining in great danger to self, 

 friends or business ; or in any unpleasant circumstances, when 

 there is opportunity for relief, against cautiousness: Neglecting to^ 

 conceal one's own afi'airs from competitors or enemies ; or conceal- 

 ing them from assistants and friends, against secretiveness: Want 

 or excess of energy ; or pursuing vengeance instead of overcom.- 



[Am. Inst.] NN 



