Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924051784944 SEXOLOGY OR STARTLING SINS OF THE STERNER SEX PRICE $2.00 BY GEO. F. HALL, AUTHOR OF 'The Lord's Exchequer," "Some American Evils and Their Remedies," etc. THE L. V/. WALTER COMPANY CHICAGO, ILL. Copyright, 1892 BY- CEO. F. HAUe DEDICATORY. 2o everc/ man, both, ^reat and small, "^fheiher youn^ or old, "Whether white or blaafi, '^l^Fhetfier rich or poor, '^heiJ^er strong or weafi, "^^eiher saint or sinner. This voluirie is respectfully inscribed ■ b^ on^ who desires to enlist the active sympathies of all in behalf of a nobler manhood. AUTHORITIES CITED. Addison Franklin Parkes Arnold Galen Paul Arvine Garfield Payne Augustine Geike Phillips Badeau Gladstone Pope Bailley Green Pope (Dr.) Bamum Griswold Potter Barrow Guernsey Prince Beacousfield Hall Psycholo^cal Beaumetz Haynes Journal Bible Hippocrates RepubUc Bovee Howe Richardsoa Brandt Hughes Rush Brodie Kellogg Scott Bryant I/allemand Seerly Buckley I/angford Sherman Burrows La Rochefoucauld Silliman Cameron 1/aws of Life Sibith Caton Leonard Solomon Chase Leopold Spaulding Cicero Lewis Steele Clokey Livesey Stewart Coles London Times Swift Columbus Longfellow Talmage ComstocK Lowber Tappan Cowan Lowell Taylor Dix McArthur Tennyson Dixon McCandlass Todd Drysdale Meredith Updike Dwight Milton Waite Ellis Moore Watts Ely Kapoleon Wayland Emerson Newton Webster Everest Nott Wilcox Fairchild Parker Windom Table of Contents, INTRODUCTORY. To be a man a greater privilege than to be an angel.— Man a free moral agent — ^The world is growing both better and worse. — ^True religion deals with both body and soul. — ^Dr. Pope on the laws of Moses. — Excessive timidity dangerous. — A frank discussion of those evils which affect personal purity the need of the hour. — Pages 10-14. ^APTER I.— THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD. Not the man of mere sntscle. — ^A glass of liquor can whip Sullivan.— Samson lost his strength in the house of a harlot — ^Poe, Byron and Bums. — The man of principle the truly strong man. — A wise motto of the ancient Greeks. — Paul's advice to Timothy.— Pages 15-19. CHAPTER IL— CAUSES OF PHYSICAL AND MORAL DEGENERACY. The dark and bright sides of human life. — Mock modesty. — ^Why are females winning most of the prizes in competitive examinations to-day? — ^Aa ex-warden's testimcmy concerning the increase of trime. — Only five per cent of our young men thurchmembers.— rPlenty of work for competent hands. — ^Physical excellence of the ancients. — Modem intellectual giants.— The right and wrong of things. — ^A warning needed.— The evils to be discussed. — ^Pages ao-27. CHAPTER m.— STRONG DRINK, OR THE DEVIL IN LIQUID FORM. iT)ne of the most prominent causes of degeneracy in man. No soft words for Old Alcohol and his family.— Strong drink a poison.— Testimony of Dr. Kellogg. —A Pennsylvania goat killed by beer. — ^Testimony jfDr.Beaumetz.— Delirium tremens.— The eflEect Tabi,e of Contents. of alcohol on the heart. — Arguments, so-called. — Arctic explorers teetotalers. — ^A physician's start- ling prescription. — The Washingtonian Home.^ A suggestive incident. — Strong drink the breeder of many terrible diseases. — A frequent cause of insanity. — ^Its sad effects upan our progeny. — The Keeley cure recommended. — Financial and moral phases of the question. — Testimony of the Lon- don Times, Gov. Dix, Sen. Windom, Prince I/eopold, Mr. Livesey, etc. — What the Bible says. — The solution of the problem. — Impeachment of the tyrant. — ^Pages 28-59. CHAPTER IV.— TOBACCO, OR HEATHENDOM'S MOST POPULAR GIFT TO CHRISTENDOM. An unhallowed pest. — ^The author's experience at Johns- town, Pa. — ^The origin of the tobacco habit. — ^The grave charges of Dr. Ellis. — Tobacco 'a dan^rous poison. — Johnson, Milton, Lamb, Hall. — Effect of tobacco upon plants and animals. — Mr. Barrow's observations in Africa. — ^A Yale student killed by smoking. — ^Tobacco and disease. — Nervousness, dyspepsia, stunted growth, consumption, cancer, etc. — Cuba. — Europe. — The cause of Gen. Grant's death. — ^Testimony of Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster, Horace Greeley, and others. — Tobacco and licentiousness. — Its filthiness. — ^An inexcusable waste of money. — Dulls the mind, impairs the health, and besmirches the purity of man. — ^The only proper attitude toward the weed that oi fight. --Pages 60-97. CHAPTER v.— BAD BOOKS AND PICTURES. An evil of alarming magnitude.^-Testimony of Dio Lewis, Dr. Kellogg and T. De Witt Talmage.— Police Gazette "securely wrapped." — Novel-read- ing a common cause of neurasthenia. — A bad habit with many traveling men, clerks, elevator boys, ' and fashionable young people. — Marvelous influ- ence of pictures in human development. — Startling amount of obscenity in modem advertisements. — The value of good books. — Articles of immoral nse. — The proper coMse . for decent druggists.— Pages 9S-1 18. Table of Contbnts. CHAPTER VI.— GAMBLING, OR THE ART 0I> GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. A growing sin. — Anthony Comstock's startling reports.— Some sad incidents. — Opinions of Chief Justice Waite and Jndge Catotfconceming lotteries.— P. T. Bamum's testimony concerning the gullibility of Americans.— The Chicago Board of Trade.— The desperate depravity to which gambling leads its votaries. — Gamblers seldom reform. — Proper amusements. — A nest of vipers less dangerous than a deck of cards. — ^All bettmg should be discoun- tenanced. — Pope on honesty. — Pages 119-142. CHAPTER VIl.— THE SOCIAL EVIL, OR ADUL- TERY, FORNICATION, AND KINDRED CRIMES. Great need of plain talk on these subjects. — Seduction now a studied art — ^The sad dilemma of a theo- logical student. — A cab-driyer's testimony. — The awful power of lust. — Filthy conversation. — Some of the causes of illicit intercourse to-day. — Heredi- tary influences, fast living, dancing and midnight courtships. — Ella Wheeler Wilcox. — ^What the word of God says. — Libertinism in history. — Sexual appetite controlled a blessing. — ^Does nature de- mand a gratification of the passions? — Solomon's testimony concerning harlots. — Venereal dfeeases. — Can syphilis be cured? — ^Two sad stories. — Is there a remedy for the social evil? — Our Saviour's beautiful example.-Recapitulation.-Pages 143-197 CHAPTER VIIL— THE SECRET VICE, OR THE UNNATURAL SIN OF MASTURBATION. Testimony of a Chicago medical professor concerning the ftightfid extent of this evil. — A flood of despicable literature on the subject. — ^Medical charlatans. — Masturbation defined. — Its insidious Character. — Causes. — Bad companions, exasper- ating physical conditions, improper food and drink, unclean thoughts and idleness. — ^Twenty- two syinptoms. — ^The value of one drop of semen. — The awful results of self-abuse. — One of the most prolific causes of insanity, consumption, and other are dioorders. — Involuntary emissions. — They can TabIiB op Contbnts. be cured. — Some invaluable prescriptions and snggestioas.— Nine golden rules. — Is sexual inter- course a sure cure? — ^Victory. — Pages 198-251. CHAPTER IX.— PRIVATE WORDS TO YOUNG ' MEN. Youth the goWen period of human life. — Wild oats. — Good and bad habits.— Jeremiah Evarts. — Having a plan. — ^Industry the golden talent. — Attention to little things. — Two proverbs. — Perseverance. — Characteristics of Grant and Moltke. — Punctuality. — Lord Brougham. — 'A bad practice of speakers. — Early rising. — Great virtue in soap and water. — How to keep the skin, teeth and feet. — How to dress. — Constant development the proper watch- word. — Learn something from everybody. — ^Is a college education necessary? — The value of the soul. — Mother's religion. — James Russell Lowell on Christianity. — Great men who were believers in the Gospel. — Infidelity a disgrace. — ^The value of a lAweet temper and gentle disposition. — ^Who should not marry. — ^Who should. — ^The kind of a wife yon should select. -After the ceremony. -Pages 252-290. CHAPTER X.— PRIVATE WORDS TO MARRIED MEN. A good wife man's best earthly heritage. — Who is to blame for so many divorces? — ^The importance of owning a residence. — Domestic bliss. — Foretaste of Heaven. — Keep yourself busy. — Be truthful, gallant, faithful. — ^Keep up your courtship. — Dangers of secrecy and jealousy. — Sexual inter- course. — ^A natural and healthful act. — Effects of over-indulgence. — ^The marriage certificate not a license to treat your wife as a slave. — How often should man and wife indulge? — Sleeping together vs. sleeping apart— Children the light of the home. — Queen Victoria twelve times a mother. — ^Rearing children a sacred duty and sweet prerogative. — Is it ever right to prevent conception? — Jeremiah Taylor on conjugal purity. — ^Abortion an awful sin. — Both husband and wife should follow Jesus. — How to become a Christian. — Necessity of Bible study and prayer. — Looking ahead. — Pages 291-317 An&orities cited.— Page 4. INTRODUCTORY. "Vrithout meaning any disrespect what- ever to the gentler sex, I am profoundly thankful that I was not born to wear pet- ticoats, T would rather be a man than anything else in the universe, angels not excepted. I never sing that old song, "I want to be an angel, And with the angels stand, etc.," for I don't want to be an angel I want to be simply a man, — a plain man, a true man, a pure man, a redeemed man ! We learn in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis that God created man in his own image. What a magnificent honor ! How careful we should be to pre- serve this image in aU its strength and beauty. But man is a careless being. He is very much incHned to sinful things. He more often does that which is wrong than that which is right, because it is easier, lO INTRODUCTORY. and, for the moment, perhaps, more sat- isfying to the flesh. The Creator is often blamed for man's weaknesses and incon- sistencies. This is wrong. God did not intend that we should be mere machines, but free moral agents. We are privileged to choose between good and evil. Hence, if we perversely choose the latter, and make a miserable failure of hfe, we should blame only ourselves. After optimism has done its best to throw a halo pf glory about the present age, the fact still remains that this is a very wicked old world. I do not mean to insinuate that the world is not growing better. It is — in spots. It is also grow- ing worse in spots. The important ques- tion is, Which spot are you in ? I have written this Kttle volume to help my brothers everywhere. I want to see them make improvement in everything that's good. Want to see them have stronger bodies, stronger minds, and stronger characters. Want to see them hve longer and happier. Want to see them make the most of hfe, and come to their journey's end in the fuU flush of an immortal victory. One of the most press- INTRODUCTORY. ing wants of the age is for men — ^men of genuine worth, physically, mentally, and spiritually; men of unwavering personal purity in every particular. I hope these pages will help in some measure to sup- ply the demand. I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ was intended to make the race better everyway. That religion which fails to take in the whole being — body, soul, and spirit — ^is not worthy to be called after Christ. Therefore I have no apology to offer for speaking along liaes of thought usually ignored by ministers. I feel it to be my duty. Would that every pulpit in the land might join hands with the medical profession and cry out with no Tincertain sound against the mighty evils herein stigmatized! It would work a revolution for which com- ing society could never cease to be grateful. "Moses, learned in the knowl- edge of the Egyptians, not only pub- licly announced the moral law for the guidance of man's social Ufe," says Dr. Pope, 'Tjut also gave excellent precau- tions against the spread of sickness, and rules by which the body might be main- tained in health and integrity. It is an 12 INTRODUCTORY. undeniable fact that moral impotence usually denotes neglect of physical wel- fare:' The time has arrived for a full and frank discussion of those things which af- fect the personal purity of men. Thou- sands are suffering to-day from various weaknesses, the causes of which they have never learned. Manly vigor is not increasing with that rapidity which a Christian age demands. Means of dissi- pation are on the increase. It is high time, therefore, that every lover of the race should call a halt, and inquire into the condition of things. Excessive mod- esty on this subject is not a virtue. Tim^ idity in presenting unpleasant hut impor- tant truths has permitted untold damage in every age. I have endeavored, there- fore, to speak the truth plainly and boldly, and devoutly hope that my labors wiU re- sult in the transformation of many char- acters for their present and eternal wel- fare. Oh, brother, be manly! Strive to attain unto a higher and better life. Beware of aU excesses, of whatever nature, and guard youi- personal purity with sacred INTRODUCTORY. 13 determination. Let every aspiration be upward, and be strong in every good res- olution. Seek the light, for in light there is hfe, while in darkness there is decay and death. Tennyson wisely wrote : "Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control. These three alone lead life to sovereign power." God give us men ! A time like this demands Strong; minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands ! — Holland. Chapter I. THE STBONGEST MAN IN THE WOBLD. 'AMSON is commonly spoken of as the strongest man that ever lived, and John L. Sullivan as the strong- est man of modern times. But this is not true, except iu a very limited and inferior sense. Samson and Sullivan are names now almost imiformly associ- ated with muscle, hut not with noble character. Sullivan wore the championship belt as the world's greatest pugilist for more than ten years, and yet he is not strong enough to resist a ^lass of whisky, or the fulsome praise of his boon companions, which, if possible, is more debiMtating in effect upon him than the Hquor. And so with Samson. He was strong enough to slay a lion, kill a thousand i6 PtAiN Points on Pbrsonai, Purity; Philistines with the jaw bone of an ass, carry off the heavy gates of the city of Gaza, and to do many other marvel- ous things, and yet he was not strong enough to resist the enticements of a lewd woman. Through the evil machi- nations of Delilah, the great giant was shorn of his hair, and thus lost his match- less strength of muscle. "But," says my sceptical friend, "it is asking too much for me to beheve that the strength of a man lies in long hair." I do not ask you to beheve that. Sam- son's great strength did not lie in his hair hterally, but in a principle. In the Book of Judges, thirteenth chapter, we read, "And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her: Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not, but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drivik not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing. For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor OR, STARTLING Sins OF THE STERNBR SEX. IJ shall come on bis head, for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb ; and he shall begin to deliver Is- real out of the hands of the PhiUstines." God raised up Samson for a certain impor- tant work, and gave him the strength necessary to do that work. But he should retain his strength only on certain con- ditions: he should allow no razor to come upon his head; should eat no unclean thing; and should abstain from wine. He should live the life of a Nazar- ite, and just so long as he observed this law of his Maker with reference to him- self, just so long was he able for every great task. But the moment he violated Divine principle, that moment he became a weak man. Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron and Robert Burns were men of marvelous strength intellectually. But measured by the true rule of high moral principle, they w^re very weak. Superior endow- ment in a single direction — physical, mental or spiritual — is not of itself sufficient to make one strong in all that that heroic word means. Many a good man spiritually has gone i8 Pi,AiN Points ok Personai. Purity; to an untimely grave because of impaired physical powers. Many a good man spiritually has gone to the insane asylum because of bodily and mental weaknesses. Many a good m!an spiritually has fallen from virtue in an evil moment because of a weakened wiU, or, a too demanding fleshly passion, or, worse than either, too lax views on the subject of personal chastity. Who, then, is the strongest man in the world? I answer, he who most symmet- rically and vigorously develops body, soul and spirit, and who lives most nearly in accordance with the eternal principles set forth in the Booh of God. Every reader of these lines, therefore, may become one of the strongest men in the world. You may never be as muscular as Sullivan, or as intellectual as Byron, or as spiritual as Spurgebn ; but you may be able to better combine and harmoniously develop these several elements of strength. If so, you may confidently expect to be one of the happiest and strongest of men in aU that constitutes true manhood. It is said that the ancient Greeks wrote this maxim over the portals of their tern- OR, SXARXUNG SlNS OF THS STBRMBK. SBZ. I9 pies dedicated to Hygeia : Mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a sound body). This was a wise suggestion. Would that I could write it upon the tablets of every man's memory to-day. Physical and moral degeneracy is the bane of this age. The words of the great apostle to the GrentUes to the yoTing preacher Timothy, "Keep thyself pure," were never more appropriate than now. This commandment of three words enwraps the secret of manly strength. In another chapter, penned to the same individual, Paul said, " Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that caU on the Lord out of a pure heart." The man who ignores this inspired advice, whether in whole or in part, should never expect to be rated a strong man. But for him who accepts it and acts accordingly, Heaven only knows what rich things are in store, both for time and eternity. Pi,AiN Points on personal Purity; Chapter II. CAUSES OP PHYSICAL AND MOBAL DEGE»BBACT. It is a weU-known f^ct that people usually do not like to looJs on the dark side of things. They do not hke to be told of their faults. They want preachers, teachers and everybody to tickle rather than switch. I am frank to confess that this is the case with myself. And yet I know that many times in my hfe, fate, or some other power, has tickled me, when a switching, perhaps, would have been much more appropriate. I shall have to do some switching in this work. Much as we love to look only on the brighter side of life, we must at times look on the darker. He who does not, has no right to claim to be the friend of his race. The true friend of humanity points out the pitfalls of life, as well as its green pastiires and still waters. Some timid souls have objected to works of this nature on the ground that " where ignorance is bliss, 'tis foUy to be OR, STARTLING SiNS OF THE STBRNMR SBX. 21 wise." They argue that boys and young men ■will read the book and learn of vices eoncerning which they had never so much as dreamed before. Well, so mote it be. If I can clearly describe, and in frightful colors paint, some of the secret as well as open sins which are blighting themen of our generation, and thus liiake plain to all the path of duty, I feel sure that thousands of as yet undefiled youths wiUrise up and bless my labors for opening their eyes to danger, though their over-modest parents consider me too bold. The fact is clearly visible on every hand that the physical and moral man- hood of the race is not what it should be. Indeed, with a considerable part of the world, it may be seriously questioned if it is what it once was. The present gener- ation is notorious for its small-bodied and weak-principled men. It is notorious for its dissipating and demon-Mke men — men indeed "whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." Men are dying much more rapidly than women proportionately, chiefly because their disregard of personal purity in its 22 Pi,AiN Points on Personai, Ptjrity; various phases is greater. The vast majority of the graduates from the pubHo schools and colleges of the land to-day, and two-thirds of the memberships of our churches, are females. In competitive examinations everywhere girls are carry- ing off most of the prizes. Why is it? Because the gentler sex dissipates less. That is why. Because, as a sex, women have maintained in a more perfect degree their personal purity against the weaken- ing dissipations to which men yield them- selves with such loos&rein. Which sex furnishes ahnost the entire number of criminals for the cells of our penitentiaries? Is it not the sex that patronizes more freely the saloons, gambling dens, brothels, tobacco stores, and other vile pits of impurity? And are not these pits rapidly increasing in num- ber, efficiency for evU, and popularity with the masses? An ex- warden of the state penitentiary at Johet, TH., recently stated that while the population of his state has increased twenty-five per cent, in the past few years, its crime has in- creased forty per cent. And as our criminal population is made up almost OK, Starxung Sins of thb Sternsr Sex. 23 entirely of males, is it not high time that earnest, thoughtful inquiry was being made as to the cause of this startling degeneracy? It has been estimated that seventy-five per cent, of the young men of this country do not darken a church door from one month's end to another, and only five per cent, are professing Christians. This does not augur well for the future of our repub- lic. Much of the business of our country, commercial and professional, is in the hands of young men, who, in a few short years, must control it all. To-day they occupy positions of trust in our stores, counting houses, factories, institutions of learning, pulpits, etc. To-morrow, they Tin be looked to for leadership in all the departments of human activity. What can the world expect of them if they come into this larger sphere with weakened bodies, and still more weakened morals — weakened by indulgence in every form of physical and mental dissipation? The world is full of good places for the right men. It is true that tens of thousands of men, young, middle-aged and old, put in much of their time 24 Pi,AiN Points on personai, PnnWY; scrambling for a place. But they are incompetent. There are many places of trust and honor scrambhng for good men, true men, pure men, strong men — men who are thoroughly competent in every particular. Such men never seek long for a place. There is no greater barrier to one's advancement and success than per- sonal impurity, which is the mqther of incompetency. For six thousand years, the human race, as a race, has been slowly ascending the hill of progress. In some things, 'tis true, we are not as well off as by-gone gener- ations ; but in many other things, we are infinitely better off. This is undoubtedly, everything considered, the grandest age of the world so far, thanks be to the com- paratively few men of principle, who, under Godj have saved each generation from total rnin. The great question is. Shall we have more men of principle, and so hold what has been gained, and go on to even greater heights of prosperity? Or shall we give over to the god of impurity, and retrograde? Personally, I believe that there are better times ahead. There is more agitation on the subject of principle OR, Startling Sins of thb Stbrner Sbx. 25 to-day than ever before, and I believe it was Wendell Phillips who said that " agitation is haK a victory." The Greeks and Romans were especially noted for their physical prowess. The former had their Olympian games, and the latter their gladiatorial conquests. For thousands of years, the physical had as much, and often more, to do- with a man's promotion or downfall at the hands of his countrymen as the mental or moral. Saul was selected first king of Israel on account of his being a head and shoulders taller than any other man in the nation. Coming further down the cen- turies, we find that the intellectual figured more prominently in human great- ness than the physical. And this contin- ues in large measure even to the present. When speaking of Luther, Milton, Shakespeare, Pitt, Cromwell, Burke, Napoleon, WashingtonjFrankhn, Webster, Garfield, etc., we 'do not admire them so much because they were more remarkable than many other men physically, for they were not, but because they were men of giant intellectual prowess. We are now passing ra|)idly into a moral age. To-day 26 Pi,AiN Points on Personai, Purity; we talk more about the right and wrong of a thing than ever before, and the spirit of arbitration is abroad in the land. The sign is good. It promises the hasten- ing on of the universal reign of Christ — the spiritual age. But now why not pay careful attention to man in all his elements of strength, physical, mental and moral? Why not make personal purity a fixed principle in the manhood of the present and coming generations, and thus insure the best men the world has ever seen? It can be done. Let every reader of these lines resolve that he will be one to help do it. It is not the few especially that I am after with these deductions, but the many. Not the few tens of thousands who Kve in the bright spots of the world's higher development, but the many millions who are physically and morally retrograding in the huge black spots of human deprav- ity — the great hissing, seething caldrons of physical, mental and spiritual impurity. I want to throw out to them the life-hue of knowledge, and ring the buoy-bell of warning. Well, to be more specific, what are the OK, Startung Sins ok the Stbrnbr Sbx. 17 prime causes of the physical and moral degeneracy of our nineteenth century manhood? I shall speak of the six which I consider mostprohfic, as foUows : First, strong drink; Second, tobacco; Third, bad books and pictures ; Fourth, gambhng ; Fifth, the social evil; Sixth, the secret vice. I have not purported to arrange these evils in the order of their importance at aU. There is no need of any compari- son. They are aU bad enough, God knows. The devil certainly has a controlling inter- est in them aU, and whether this is the best arrangement or not, I hope to make his majesty gnash and snarl somewhat over the plain truths I shall speak concerning these six productive plants. aS PwJN Points on Personal Fubits; Chapter III. STEONG DBINK; OB, THE DEVIL IN LIQUID FOEM. Among the causes of physical and moral degeneracy in our nineteenth century manhood, strong drink is one of the most potent. Strong drink is the devil in liquid form. Its use is the source of untold misery, and no vpords can adequately de- scribe the evil. While I write these sen- tences, strong drink is stealthily getting in its helMsh vp^ork on tens of thousands of men and youths — weakening body, sap- ping intellectjbesmirching soul, and bhght- ing prospects. Strong drinkis ruining men everywhere — cursing its multitudes both for time and eternity. I have no soft words for the business. By strong drink, I mean every form of intoxicating drink, every hquid used as a beverage, such as alcohol, whisky, brandy, rum, gin, ale, beer, and aU fermented wines. They all belong to the same fam- ily, and, in character and capacity for de- grading their victims, are much alike. OR, STARTLING SiNS OF THE STBRNER SBX. 29 Old Alcohol, however, is the father of the outfit, and most responsible for the pitiful condition of the poor mortals who have fallen into the clutches of the family. So it is against him particularly that I would direct these strictures, for if we could kiU him, his children would succumb without a struggle, as they would have no heart for further operations. I would array strong drink against the personal purity of men first, because it is a poison. Numerous cases of almost in- stant death from drinking a considerable quantity of pure alcohol have occurred. It might be better for society if those ad- dicted to the use of strong drink would just take a large dose of pure alcohol and be done with it. It would prevent many heart-aches and tears. But Satan always has a sharp eye to business, and knows that such an event would be ruinous to his plans. So he has his agents mix the pure alcohol in many different forms, thus weakeniog its terrible sting, and permit- ting the drinker to hve on awhile. Dr. KeUogg says "the effect is largely deter- mined by the degree of dilution in which tiie poison is introduced into the system." 30 Plain Points on Personal Purbty; This poison , is sure/^eathr to plants aijd animals. PSiar aXolution of alcohol on a plant and its l^^es "wiU soon wither and change their, color j'^d/ although the ' proportion oi^pd poison "ijp the water is as one to one thousand, tl;(e plant dies. It takes about one minute/to kill a tadpole by immersion in alcohd!. Some time ago, a French physician qionducted'some ex- periments to determine the in:ftuence of rum on fowls. A N/w York journal, com- menting on his BBport, says: "He ad- ministered to tljem brandy and absinthe, and found one md all to take so kindly to their unwoi^d stimulants that he was forced to Hmit each bird to a d^ily allow- ance of six cubic centimeters of spirits, or twelve, of wine. There was an extraor- dinary development of cock^' crests and a rapid and general loss of flesh. The fexperiments were continued until it ap- peared that two months' absinthe drink- ing sufficed to kiQ the strongest cock or hen ; while the brands-drinkers lived four months and a half., and the wine-bibbers held on for ten months before they died the drunkard's/death." Dr. Kellogg, in s^is splendid ^rk entitled " Man the Mas- OR, STARTLING Sins of thb Sterner Sex. 31 terpiece," gives the following pregnanfj paragraph : "Some PennsylTania beer-sellers tried the effects of beer upon a goat. Whether the experiment was for the purpose of de- termining the quaUty of the beer, or the constitutional foughness of the goat, is not recorded ; but the result was fatal to the goat, notwithstanding the hardihood for which he is proverbial. Just how many glasses were required to extinguish him is not mentioned; but he died, and the high quahty of the beer was estab- lished beyond the possibiUty of cavil! But this is not the end of the story. The Humane Society heard of the proceeding, and immediately began an action against the beer-venders for cruelty to animals. The action was undoubtedly justifiable, but it is a matter of wonderment that the same law-makers who have made it an offense to kill goats with beer have never once thought of its being a crime to kOl human beings by the same means, al- though there are millions of human be- ings sacrificed in this way to one goat. It is to be hoped that the question of prohi- ,33 Pi,AiN Points on Pbrsonai, PuriTY", bition will be agitated until human beings are at least as well protected as goats." Dr. Beaumetz, of Paris, after experi- menting several years, avers that the effects of alcohol upon pigs is " uniformly that of a poison." I refer to the animal of lower creation, not to the human pig ! The effect, however, is the same upon the latter. Some one has said that, " If lower animals were addicted to the drug to one- tenth the degree man is, in a short time there would not remain upon the face of the earth an animal which would be tam- able, workable, or eatable." Take a drop of pure alcohol and place upon a raw surface of the body and wit- ness the effect. It causes intense suffer- ing. Alcohol is a most dangerous irri- tant. No wonder its constant use drives thousands into that terrible disease known as dehrium tremens. Alcohol poisons the blood, paralyzes the nerves of the stomach, and hardens the brain. Medical students are always happy when they can secure the brain of an old toper for dissection. It is said to be a very difficult undertaking to dissect a' healthy brain without maligning its OK, Startling Sins of the Sterner Sex. 33 structure. A very sharp knife and a steady hand are required to perform the task successfully. But not so Avith a drunk- ard's brain. It is always found to be hard, and is easUy cut. The stomach of a person dying of deh- rium tremens is usually found, upon a post mortem examination, to be black with mortification. In a healthy state, the stomach presents a bright, rosy tint. The drunkard's stomach is infested with ugly alcers. As the stomach is the headquar- ters of digestion, it wiU be readily seen that the results of drinking rum cannot but be injurious to the whole system. Strong drink affects the heart. Dr. Parkes, by careful experiment, is reported to have ascertained that "the pulse of a man whose heart beats about seventy-four times a minute, or 106,560 times in twenty-four hours, when drinking only water, was, when under the influence of one ounce of alcohol per day, compelled to beat 430 times more in a day. Two ounces of alcohol per day caused an in- crease of 1,872 beats a day. Four ounces required 12,960 extra beats a day. Six ounces drove the pulse up to 18,432 extra 34 Plaiv Points ok Pbrsonai, Pority; beats ; and eight ounces to 25,488 unnec- essary beats, or nearly one-quarter more than when taking only water." What a fearful waste of vital energy ! It is amazing how many arguments, so- called, the lovers of rum advance in favor of its use. Some say it is a food, and cite instances where persons have been known to Hve for several weeks on alcohol and water. But this is no proof. There are numerous instances on record of indi- viduals living longer on water alone. In 1876 the International Medical Con- gress, probably the highest medical body in the world, reported as follows : " First — Alcohol is not shown to have any definite food value by any of the usual methods of chemical analysis or physiological investi- gation. Second — ^Its use as a medicine is chiefly as a cardiac (relating to the heart) stimulant, and often admits of substitu- tion. Third — ^Even as a medicine, it is not well fitted for self preservation by the laity." Some say that alcohol is good for regu- lating the temperature of the body. Men drink it in the summer to keep cool, and in winter to keep warm. Maxvelous OR, 3i^\RTUNG SiNS OF THE STERNER SESL 34, remedy! By disturbing the oircuiafeon, drink causes an appa»3nt increase of heat for a little time. Bat the thermometer always shows a decrease in the tempera- ture. Dr. Parkes says that " all obser- vers condemn the use of spirits, even oi wine or beer, as a preventive against cold." And Dr. Kellogg asserts that " the names of Dr. King, Dr. Kane, Capt. Ken- nedy, and Dr. Hayes, may be cited u holding this opinion. In the last eiipedi- tion ir, cearch of Sir John FrankUn, the whole crew were teetotalers." Some say that, whatever else may be said, alcohol is a good medicine, and v/ill always be required in the treatment of various diseases. So are quinine, aconite^ belladonna, strychnir.e, and other poi*one good medicine in. &cme cases. But who would thiiik of using tr- Pi,AiN Points on Personal Purity: States. But Mexico is not far away, and already her lotteries are raking in thou- sands from the gullible in the States. It was P. T. Bamum, the great showman, I beheve, who said "the American people love to be humbugged." The lottery is a dangerous species of humbug. The whole tendency is evil, and no man who respects true industry, honesty, and sobriety, should ever countenance the pest for a moment. By way of illustratioil, I will quote an anecdote from the Rev. Dr. Arvine's "Cyclopaedia." It is one among thousands of similar ones, I suppose, which, if col- lected and printed, would make a startling book. But one is enough to arrest the attention of those who are not too far gone: — "In 1833, an adventurer in lotteries committed suicide in the city of Boston by drowning himself. The fate of this unfortunate man contains one of those impressive moral lessons which address us with a power which no uninspired Hps can do. He was in the employment of one of the most respectable houses in the city, highly esteemed and respected by OR, Startling Sins of the Sterner Sex. 131 the members of it, and in the receipt of a Hberal salary. About a year before, he had the misfortune to draw a prize in the lottery, and from that moment his fate was sealed. The regular earnings of honest industry were not enough for him — ^visions of splendid prizes were continu- ally floating before his eyes, and he plunged at once into the excitement of lotteries. He soon became deeply in- volved, and his access to the funds of the firm held out to him a temptation which he could not resist. He appropriated to himself considerable sums from time to time, continually deluded by the hope that a turn of the wheel would give him the means of replacing them. But that turn never came; fortune gave him but one smUe, and that was a fatal one. He saw that detection would soon come, and that the punishment and the shame of a felon would succeed the consideration and respect he had always enjoyed, and he had not courage to wait the moment of disclosure. He sought refuge in death, thus adding to his other sins the horrible act of self-murder ! He left a memoran- dum which contained an account of the X32 Pi,AiN Points on Personai, Purity; circumstances that made life intolerable to him," Dealing in futures under the rules and regulations of modern "Boards of Trade" has come to be another dangerous pitfall to men. Whatever may be said in the defense of these institutions, they are, nevertheless, closely akin to regularly or- dained gambhng dens and lotteries. In the great Chicago Board of Trade, millions of bushels of fictitious grain are bought and sold on margins, and sometimes the saddest results follow these wild specula- tions. I have more than once sat and watched the "bulls" and "bears" in the wheat pit of this great institution ; and I cannot refrain from saying that it is almost enough to make angels weep some- times to witness what consummate fools many men make of themselves in order to pile up a httle gold. Legitimate trading in actual products is all right. But the tendency of dealing in futures is all wrong. From the Eev. Dr. Arvine's work, to which reference has already been made, I extract the following paragraphs, illus- '■"'i.ting, first, the fact that gambling is OR, Startung Sins of the Sterner Sex. 133 largely sustained by deception and fraud; second, that it is a sin which destroys nat- ural sensibihty— blunts every noble con- ception as to the eternal fitness of things ; third, that it often leads to the direst temporal and spiritual consequences : — "Cheats are used in horse-racing as in other species of gambhng. There was a man in Kentucky noted for making match races ; and a cltib of men went to the ex- pense of procuring a fast horse in order to beat one he boasted much of. The jockey closed the agreement for the race with a bet of about $2,000; and the club was very certain of beating the jockey. When the day arrived for the race, and the horses started, the club's horse went ahead of the jockey's immediately, and took the inside track. At the first turn, he fell to his knees, and while recovering himself the slow horse got ahead of him. After running some distance, the fast horse fell again, and the slow horse won the race. The fast horse became lame from his faU. His owners were much chagrined at their misfortune, and on the next morning went to the jockey's lodgings in order to close another race 134 Plain Points on Pbrsonax Purity; with him. The landlord informed them that he had left the night before, soon after the race was over. His sudden de- partmre, after a successful race, excited suspicions of foul play. They then ex- amined the track, and found that the jockey had dug a number of small holes on the inside of the same, placing gourds in them, and spreading a little loose dirt over them ; and when the fast horse ran close to the fence he would tread on these gourds, sinking and stumbling, and thus giving the slow one the advantage. When this discovery was made, they decided on having another race at all events, and so chased the jockey nearly a hundred miles, but did not succeed in overtaking him. "Well did Dr. Nott say 'the finished gambler has no heart— he would play at his brother's funeral— he would gamble upon his mother's coflfin!' Horace Wal- pole mentions an anecdote of a man hav- ing in his time dropped down at the door of White's club house, into which he was carried. The members of the club imme- diately made bets as to whether he was dead or not ; and upon its being proposed OR, Startung Sins of the Sterner Sex. 13s to bleed him, the wagerers for his death interposed, alleging that it would affect the fairness of the bet ! "The desperate depravity to which gambling reduces its votaries is strikingly illustrated in the case of three gamblers here related. They determined on a game which was doubtless meant to show their contempt of aU things sacred in this world and the next. Accordingly, they enter at night the chamel house and take from thence a corpse that very day placed in the vault. They bear the deceased iato the cathedral, pass within the chancel, hght up one of the candles before the altar, seat the grim corpse by the com- munion table, and, gathering around the table themselves, proceed to engage in a game of cards! Shameless, sacrilegious doings that none but gamblers could think of without shuddering ! ! This incident is said by Eev. Wm, B. Tappan, of Boston, to rest on good authority, and he has ac- cordingly made it the occasion of a short poem on gambhng. "I was well acquainted," says Mr. Green, the reformed gambler, "with the circumstance of a young man starting to 136 Pi,AiN Points on Personai, Purity; go to the hot springs of Arkansas. He was a man who had acqtiired by hon- esty and industry about $900. He had been in bad health for some time, and concluded to visit the springs to recruit. On his arrival at the mouth of White Eiver, he was detained for a boat, and while there was induced to play cards. I am unable to say at this time what the game was that he played, but he won some forty or fifty dollars and the game broke up. After the game was broken up, one of the gamblers pulled out a button and bantered the young man to win it at 'faro.' He pulled out a quarter and bet it against the button, and the banker won. He tried again and again until he lost some three or four dollars to win that button, and then went to bed. The banker had now several persons betting small bets on the game, and had won some eight or ten dollars, and there was qmte a noise and bustle going on. The young man, who had quit and gone to bed, got up and felt a strong propensity to win all. He began betting on the game again, and in a short time lost the whole of his $900 trying to win a button ! For that was all OR, Startung Sins of the Sterner Sex. 137 he could have won, as the man had at first no money except what he had won from the young man. The young man was obMged to make his way home with- out his health beiag benefited and with- out hie money. "A colored fireman on board a steam- boat running from St. Louis to New Orleans, having lost all his money at poker with his companions, staked his clothing, and being still unfortunate, pledged his own freedom for a small amount. Losing this, the bets were doubled, and he finally, at one desperate hazard; ventured his own value as a slave, and laid down his free papers to represent the stake. He lost, suffered his certifi- cates to be destroyed, and was actually sold by tbe winner to a slave dealer, who hesitated not to take him at a small dis- count upon his asserted value!" Thousands of similar illustrations might be collected. But these will suffice to show to what fatal extremes this terrible sin can lead its votaries. There is a fear- ful fascination about this evil, and no man should risk himself by even so much as learning the tricks of gamblers merely 138 Pi,AiN Points on Personai, Purity; for pastime. And let me cry out right here with all my strength against the aU- too-oommon practice of card-playing ia the home for amusement. Many profess- ing Christians argue that it is safer to teach their hoys to play cards at home, for then they wUl not care to visit gaming places to practice this art mysterious. What inexcusable foolishness ! What fa- ther would teach his boy to swear at home, thus hoping to forestall his swearing abroad? What mother would teach her son to drink at home and assist him ia the cultivation of a healthy appetite for hquor, thus hoping to prevent his getting drunk abroad? But this would be just as wise as to teach the boy cards. It stands to reason that the average lad who can play well at home wiU sooner or later want to display his abihty abroad. And he will do it too. He may not bet at first. But look out! There is danger ahead. One taste of victory in gambling and he is gone. It is a starthng fact that there are very few reformed gamblers. "There is nothing," says Steele, "that wears out a fine face like the vigils of the card-table OR, Starti,ing Sins op the Sterner Sex. 139 and those cutting passions which natu- rally attend them." Oh, parents, I implore you, set your faces like flint against cards. I speak of this particular game because it is by far the most common and potent for evil. Perhaps nine-tenths of aU the gambling in Satan's dens is conducted with cards. So true is this that the very words "poker" and "euchre" seem ahnost syn- onymous with hell. I would not exclude from this comparison the modem fashion- able game of "progressive euchre," often engaged in by prominent and popular church members. The Eev. Sam Jones, though harsh, was not far wrong when he styled this new diversion "progressive damnation." No respectable man should play cards, much less gentlemen and ladies who claim to be followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene. "But do you condemn amusements al- together?" inquires a friend. By no means. Amusements are neces- sary. In this roaring, boiling, seething nineteenth century life, they are indis- pensable to the man who would not break down long before his time. But there are 140 Pi,AiN Points on Pbrsonal Pbmty; many good and wholesome amusements whioli remove the imagined necessity of resorting to cards, "Authors," "logam- achy," etc., are not only amusing, but in- struotiye. "croquet," "lawn tennis," etc., are both amusing and healthful. "But are not "authors" cardsl and is it not just as bad to play this gdlme as 'euchre' or 'poker' ?" No. Gamblers never play "authors." Such games are too tame and refined for them. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, says, "Abstain from aU ap- pearance of evU" (1 Thess. 5:22). The cards used by gamblers would certainly faU under the condemnation of this text, for with their black and red spots and grotesque figures they seem a fitting picture of the bottomless pit. Father, do you value your boys' present and eternal welfare at aU? If so, never let a card come into your house. It would be just as sensible for you to bring home a nest of young vipers, and, putting them in your wife's work-basket, say, "Boys, go in mamma's room and play now," as to bring home a "deck"- of cards, and, placing them upon the center table of the OR, Startung Sins op thb Stbrnbr Sbx. 141 Bitting room, say, "Boys, stay ia here and play now." They would soon learn the fatal game, and nine chances to one their precious souls would he bhghted forever. It would be infinitely better in the long run to bury your boys from the sting of the adder's bite, than to corrupt their sonls beyond the probability of redemption by teaching them the devil's favorite game. Boys should never be allowed to play marbles for "keeps. " This is undoubtedly with thousands a first step toward gam- bhng. The expression "I'U bet you so- and-so" should never be used by those who value a pure and wholesome con- versation. The betting of cigars or small amounts of money on trifling results, often lead into the habit of gambhng. No man should bet on anything. The custom of betting on elections is one to be de- plored by aU good citizens. There is no- thing manly about it, but on the other hand much that borders on the heathen- ish. Have you ever been guilty of gambling, dear reader? Have you ever let yourself down beneath the true dignity of a noble 143 Plain Points on Personal purity; manliood by betting, gaming for* money, riskLag at lottery, or anything of this na- ture? If so, I entreat you, stop, and stop now. "Unless above himself lie can Bract himself, how poor a thing is man. " Eise above your baser desires. Trample under foot every inchnation to get some- thing for nothing. Be a man, and an honest one at that. Pope says, "An honest man's the noblest work of God." And another, "Man is his own star; and that soul that can Be honest is the only perfect man." OR, Startung Sins of thk Stbrnbr Sex. 143 Chapter VII. THE SOCIAL EVIL ; OE, ADULTBBT, FOENICATION AND KINDEED CEIMES. If there is any subject under heaven needing plain and pointed discussion to- day, it is the one novF before us. And yet it is one sadly neglected by pulpit and press, owing, perhaps, to its peculiar deHcateness on the one hand, and to a manufactured modesty on the other. "It is a dreadful comment on the so- caUed modesty of the Christian world," says Joseph Waddell Clokey,"that its mag- azines, newspapers and pulpits have been almost whoUy silent on the so-called so- cial vices. Hush! hush! the refined have cried at every public reference to them, till hoentiousness has weU-nigh under- mined our social fabric. Its prevalence is truly appalling. The better classes have been ignorant of it, because it is a malady that moves in silence and preys on its 144 PI.AIN Points on Phssonax, Pukity; victims in the night-time and in conceal- ment. It has no plain advertisements in the newspapers; pastes up no flaming posters ; glows with no electric lights ; is surrounded by no bands of music. It is this secrecy that leaves so many parents and reformers ia ignorance, and, when the thin veil is hfted, makes them incredulous of what is revealed." Various books touching more or less on the subject have been written, chiefly by medical practitioners, many of whom, it is believed, care more about the business phase of the question than the moral. Thus the evil is growing, and with fear- ful rapidity. We are, as a nation, becom- ing shamefully unchaste. Sins that shocked our forefathers and called forth the severest condemnation are now winked at in average social circles. Adul- teries, fornications, and kindred crimes, are more common in America to-d'ay than ever before. "This is one of the most important sub- jects that could engage the mind of man," says Prof. H. I. Bryant, in a lecture on " Social Purity," "and yet it is one of the most sadly neglected. While it has been OR, StarTwng Sins of thb Stbrnbr Sbx. 145 dealt with in a general way by the press and from the pulpit for centuries, this manner has not been successful ia effect- ing the end desired. What means this lamentation over the decay of morals and virtue? Bishops and sages tell us they are waning. Is it true? If ever there was a time in the history of any country when the moral tide was lower, may Grod pity the generation of that time. There are more hbertines among men than ever before. They work more successful schemes on young and innocent girls than in any other age of the world — more cun- ning and artful. " Seducing women is now a studied art among hbertines; and it is pursued by more students than is any branch of science or literature. It has more gradu- ates than any department of aU our insti- tutions of learning, and they are more successful in their chosen profession. Women are not always guiltless. Almost every city has its bawdy houses, and many of them hundreds. They have their thousands of inmates, many of whom are girls between eight and twelve years old. Death takes pity on them and re- 146 Pi