Page:The Virile Powers of Superb Manhood.djvu/31

Rh step, his manly carriage, his fine, wholesome, symmetrically-formed body.

A year or two, or even a few months, intervene, and this boy has learned, through evil associates, or by accident, this secret vice. You see him again, and you may well start with pain and surprise at the change.

Is this the same boy I admired so much? you may exclaim.

There is no light of health in his eyes now; there is no symmetry to his ungainly body, no tint to his sallow cheeks, no grace, or manliness in his bearing. He looks old and weak, appears bashful and timid, seems afraid of your glance. The dark circles under his eyes, unshapely appearance of his lower limbs, and general decrepit and demoralized condition tell a tale that no language can fittingly depict,—the awful results of masturbation.

"The most fruitful source of self-pollution is ignorance. If parents were faithful in the discharge of their duty to their children in this respect, the evil would be generally