MASTURBATION 
27 
that all boys be circumcised, claiming that it renders them 
less subject to infection. Others advise against circumcision 
except in cases in which the foreskin is too tight or otherwise 
abnormal. There seems to be a difference of opinion as to 
whether the circumcised penis is more sensitive or less sensi¬ 
tive to sexual excitement than the uncircumcised. 
1. What is circumcision? 
2. Who practice it ? 
3. Give arguments for and against making the practice general. 
Masturbation. — The external sex organs of little children 
sometimes have some slight defect, such as the skin’s adhering 
where it should be free; or the urine or some other secre¬ 
tion produces an irritation and causes the child to rub or 
scratch the organs. The trouble can usually be remedied 
by a physician, and it should be promptly cared for, since 
otherwise the child might get accustomed to excite the sex 
organs and thus contract a most vicious habit. Whether 
such a habit, called masturbation, is thus established because 
of an irritation of the organs, or whether the boy or girl delib¬ 
erately stimulates them for the sake of the sensation, it is an 
exceedingly harmful practice. 
To stimulate the nerves of the sex organs idly or wantonly 
is to degrade to a vulgar use a passion which has an exalted 
function in conjugal life; it is a serious offense against one¬ 
self and against one’s future mate; it takes away one’s self- 
respect and makes one a coward before others. The young 
man or young woman who persists in this vice becomes in 
extreme cases a moral and physical wreck, with a pale, weak 
body and hysterical mind. Any one who has fallen into the 
vicious habit of self-abuse can escape this horrible outcome 
by a determined effort and a hard fight. Sometimes the 
cooperation of a physician is almost indispensable. Normal 
health and strength are usually quickly recovered after the 
evil practice is stopped. 
