Project Gutenberg's Plain Talks on Avoided Subjects, by Henry Newell Guernsey
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Title: Plain Talks on Avoided Subjects
Author: Henry Newell Guernsey
Release Date: March 17, 2010 [EBook #31671]
Language: English
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Plain Talks
on
Avoided Subjects.
by
Henry N. Guernsey, M. D.,
Ex-Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children in the
Homoeopathic Medical College of Penn'a; Ex-Professor of Materia
Medica and Institutes in the Hahnemann Medical College
of Philadelphia and Dean of the Faculty; Author of
Guernsey's Obstetrics, including the Disorders
peculiar to Women and Young Children;
Lectures on Materia Medica, &c.
Honorary Member of the Hahnemannian Medical Institute of Phila-
delphia; of the Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of New
York; of the Instituto Homeopatico, Mexicano; of the Hahn-
emannian Society of Madris de Tulio, Spain; Member of
the American Institute of Homoeopathy; Consulting
Physician to the West Philadelphia Homoeo-
pathic Hospital for Children, &c. &c.
PHILADELPHIA
F. A. DAVIS COMPANY, PUBLISHERS
1905
Copyrighted, 1882,
by
H. N. Guernsey. M. D.
This little volume is fervently and solemnly dedicated to its Mission.
Those who conscientiously read and faithfully apply its teachings to
life, cannot fail to become wiser, better and happier members of the
Home circle and of Society at large.
PREFACE.
For many years I have wished that some able pen would place before the
community at large the knowledge contained in the following pages. Some
of this information has appeared from time to time in such books as
"Graham's Lectures on Chastity," "Todd's Students' Manual," and a few
popular works of a similar kind, which have been of immense service to
the human race in preserving chastity and in reclaiming the unchaste.
But all these are now inadequate to the growing demand for more light on
these vital topics. It has been too much the custom for everyone,
parents included, to shrink from instructing their own children, or
those entrusted to their care, on these points; consequently, many young
people _solely from their ignorance_ fall into the direst evils of a
sexual nature and are thereby much injured and sometimes wholly ruined
for life's important duties.
An experience of forty years in my professional career has afforded me
thousands of opportunities for sympathizing with young men, and young
women too, who had unconsciously sunk into these very evils merely for
want of an able writer to place this whole subject truthfully and
squarely before them, or for some wise friend to perform the same kind
office verbally. The perusal of a work by Wm. Acton, M. R. C. S., of
London, on "The Functions and Disorders of the Reproductive Organs in
Childhood, Youth, Adult Age, and Advanced Life," has, by his purity of
sentiments, which have ever been identical with my own, both inspired
and emboldened me to write a work of similar import. But his is for the
profession while mine is for the profession and the laity, of both sexes
and of any age. May its perusal inspire the readers with a higher
appreciation of the matters herein treated, and with a greater effort to
reformatory measures everywhere. Whenever I advise the consulting of a
"judicious" (a term I use many times) physician, I mean one fully and
practically qualified, both by inherent qualities and education, for the
fullest confidence of his patients.
I am indebted to my son, Joseph C. Guernsey, M. D., for assistance in
editing and carrying this work through the press.
Henry N. Guernsey, M. D.,
1423 Chestnut St., Philad'a.
June, 1882.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Introductory, 13
CHAPTER II.
The Infant, 24
CHAPTER III.
Childhood, 27
CHAPTER IV.
Adolescence of the Male, 42
CHAPTER V.
Adolescence of the Female, 68
CHAPTER VI.
Marriage.--The Husband, 84
CHAPTER VII.
The Wife, 90
CHAPTER VIII.
Husband and Wife, 100
CHAPTER IX.
To the Unfortunate, 110
CHAPTER X.
Origin of the Sex, 117
CHAPTER I.
Introductory.
In the creation of the world and all that therein is, we should consider
it an axiom that "Everything was created for use." All individual
substances, or beings, that come to our notice bear certain relations to
one another, have connection one with another, and are dependent upon
and useful to each other; and nothing could possibly exist or subsist
without this co-relation: connection with and use to each other. This is
a law which needs only a little reflection to be accepted as a truth in
every particular--in the greatest as well as in the least created form.
This is more plainly seen in the animal kingdom than in the mineral or
vegetable, because its members associate and finally become conjoined in
pairs. Man and woman, who represent the crown and glory of all created
beings, in whom are embodied all the lower orders, were and are still
created to associate in pairs--each created for the other, the one to
help the other; the two to love and to belong to one another. This
principle, fully carried out, justifies and shows the necessity for the
creation of man and woman precisely as they are, having bodies, parts
and passions, will and understanding. It is my intention in the
following pages to explain the relations existing between the sexes, for
the purpose of showing that the greatest happiness to the human race
will be found in living a life in full accord with these relations. In
order that the subject may be fully understood, let us examine the
physical development of man and woman in detail, particularizing the
different organs of the body as they appear in their order of formation,
from the very inmost or beginning, to the ultimate or end, in their
respective natures.
Ever since the primal creation of man and woman, the human race has been
perpetuated by a series of births. Children have been conceived in
harmony with the natural order of events, in such matters, and have been
born boys and girls. A boy is a boy to all intents and purposes from his
very conception, from the very earliest moment of his being; begotten by
his father he is a boy in embryo within the ovule of his mother. The
converse is true of the opposite sex. At this very early age of
reproduction the embryo has all the elements of the future man or
woman, mentally and physically, even before any form becomes apparent;
and so small is the human being at the earliest stage of its existence
that no material change is observable between the ovule that contains
the product of conception and a fully developed ovule unimpregnated.[A]
[A] For fuller particulars see Guernsey's Obstetrics, 3d edition,
pages 79-89, inclusive.
It is about twelve days after conception before the impregnated ovule,
which undergoes many changes during this time, makes its escape from the
ovary where it became impregnated and enters one of the Fallopian tubes,
thence gradually descending into the cavity of the womb. Here it begins
to mature and become fitted for its birth into the outer world. Soon now
the embryo (for such it is called at this early stage) begins to assume
form. The first indication of formation that it is possible to discover,
even by the help of the microscope, consists of an oblong figure, obtuse
at one extremity, swollen in the middle, blunt-pointed at the other
extremity. The rudimentary embryo is slightly curved forward, is of a
grayish white color, of a gelatinous consistence, from two to four lines
long and weighs one or two grains. A slight depression representing the
neck, enables us to distinguish the head; the body is marked by a
swollen centre, but there are as yet no traces of the extremities. So
much can be observed about the end of the third week after conception.
At about the _fifth week_ the embryo presents more distinctions. The
head is very large in proportion to the rest of the body, the eyes are
represented by two black spots, and the upper extremities by small
protuberances on the sides of the trunk. The embryo at this stage is
nearly two-thirds of an inch in length and weighs about fifteen grains.
The lower extremities now begin to appear in the shape of two minute
rounded tubercles. Till about this time a straight artery has been
observed to beat with the regularity of the pulse; but now it appears
doubled somewhat into the shape of an adult heart, although as yet it
has but one auricle and one ventricle. As time advances we find the
perfect heart with its two ventricles and two auricles, all developed
from the original straight artery. At this period the lungs appear to
exist in five or six different lobes and we can barely distinguish the
bronchial tubes; about the same time the ears and face are distinctly
outlined, and after awhile the nose is also faintly and imperfectly
perceived.
At about the _seventh week_ a little bony deposit is found in the lower
jaw. The kidneys now begin to be formed, and a little later the genital
organs. The embryo averages one inch in length.
At _two months_ the rudiments of the extremities become more prominent.
The forearm and hand can be distinguished but not the arm above the
elbow; the hand is larger than the forearm, but is not supplied with
fingers. The sex cannot yet be determined. The length of the embryo is
from one inch and a half to two inches, and it weighs from three to five
drachms. The eyes are discernible, but still uncovered by the
rudimentary lids. The nose forms an obtuse eminence, the nostrils are
rounded and separated, the mouth is gaping and the epidermis can be
distinguished from the true skin.
At _ten weeks_ the embryo is from one and a half to two and a half
inches long, and its weight is from one ounce to an ounce and a half,
the eyelids are more developed and descend in front of the eyes; the
mouth begins to be closed by the development of the lips. The walls of
the chest are more completely formed, so that it is no longer possible
to see the movements of the heart. The fingers become distinct and the
toes appear as small projections webbed together like a frog's foot. At
about this period the sexual organs show their development as follows:
On each side of the urinary locality an oblong fold becomes
distinguishable; in course of progress if these folds remain separate, a
little tubercle forms in the anterior commissure which becomes the
clitoris; the nymphæ develop, the urethra forms between them, and the
female sex is determined. If, on the other hand, these folds unite into
a rounded projection the scrotum is formed, the little tubercle above
becomes the penis and hence the male sex. The testicles forming within
the body, descend later into the scrotum, and organs similar to them,
their counterparts, form in the female and are called ovaries. These
ovaries are found attached to an organ called the womb, and this again
is united with the vagina, which leads downwards and outwards between
the labia majora.[B]
[B] For fuller particulars see Guernsey's Obstetrics.
At the end of the _third month_ the weight of the embryo is from three
to four ounces and its length from four to five inches, the eyeballs are
seen through the lids, the pupils of the eyes are discernible, the
forehead, nose and lips can be clearly distinguished. The finger nails
resemble thin membranous plates, the skin shows more firmness, but is
still rosy-hued, thin and transparent. The sex can now be fully
determined.
At the end of the _fourth month_ the product of conception is no longer
called an embryo, but a foetus. The body is from six to eight inches in
length and weighs six or seven ounces. A few little white hairs are seen
scattered over the scalp. The development of the face is still
imperfect. The eyes are now closed by their lids, the nostrils are
well-formed, the mouth is shut in by the lips and the sex is still more
sharply defined. The tongue may be observed far back in the mouth, and
the lower part of the face is rounded off by what a little later will be
a well-formed chin. The movements of the foetus are by this time plainly
felt by the mother, and if born at this time it may live several months.
At the end of the _fifth month_ the body of the foetus is from seven to
nine inches long and weighs from eight to eleven ounces. The skin has a
fairer appearance and more consistence; the eyes can no longer be
distinguished through the lids, owing to the increased thickness of the
latter. The head, heart and kidneys are large and well developed. At the
end of the _sixth month_ the foetus is from eleven to twelve and a half
inches in length, and weighs about sixteen ounces, more or less. The
hair upon the scalp is thicker and longer, the eyes remain closed, and
very delicate hairs may be seen upon the margins of the eye-lids and
upon the eye-brows. The nails are solid, the scrotum small and empty,
the surface of the skin appears wrinkled but the dermis may be
distinguished from the epidermis. The liver is large and red, and the
gall-bladder contains fluid.
At the end of the _seventh month_ the length of the foetus is from
twelve and a half to fourteen inches, its weight is about fifty-five
ounces, and it is both well defined and well proportioned in all its
parts. The bones of the cranium, hitherto quite flat, now appear a
little arched, and as the process of ossification goes on, the arching
increases till the vault is quite complete. The brain presents greater
firmness, and the eye-lids are opened. The skin is much firmer and red.
The gall-bladder contains bile.
At the end of the _eighth month_ the foetus seems to thicken up rather
than to increase in length, since it is only from sixteen to eighteen
inches long while its weight increases from four to five pounds. The
skin is red, and characterized at this period by a fine downy covering,
over which is spread a quantity of thick viscous matter, called the
sebaceous coat, which has been forming since the latter part of the
fifth month. The lower jaw has now become as long as the upper one, and
in the male the left testicle may be found in the scrotum. Convolutions
appear in the brain structure.
At _nine months_ the anxious time of parturition has arrived. The foetus
is from nineteen to twenty-three inches in length and weighs on an
average from six to eight pounds. Children at birth sometimes weigh as
much as fourteen pounds; but such extremes are very rare. At this period
the white and grey matter of the brain are distinct, and the
convolutions are well marked; the nails assume a horny consistence, hair
upon the head is more or less abundant, the testes are in the scrotum,
and the entire external genital organs of both male and female are well
formed.
The above particulars respecting the development of the human being have
been narrated to show that one organ is just as important as another,
and that each is really dependent upon the other; no one could exist
without the other and all are to subserve a use. First must be the
_esse_ (the inmost) the vital force imparted to the ovule. A little
later certain changes take place in the ovule, later still other
changes, and finally about the fifteenth day a slight development of the
new human being can just be outlined by the help of the microscope,
which, as before stated, has form at about the third week after
conception. First the vestige of a head and body, a little later the
heart and lungs appear lying in the open chest; then the hands are
protruded from the sides of the trunk, afterwards the forearms, then the
arms, all pushed out from the body; the feet and legs gradually protrude
from the lower end of the trunk, and the chest closes up so that the
heart and lungs can no longer be seen; the face, mouth and eyes take
form, the external genital organs make their appearance in conjunction
with other developments, and in due course of time the boy or girl is
born ready for further developments in childhood, and adolescence. When
the latter development has been attained, if due care has been taken by
all interested parties, we have pure men and pure women fitted to enter
upon the privileges and the _uses_ of a wedded life according to the
design of our Creator.
How wonderfully and how instructively are all organs in the animal body
disposed and arranged! In the highest place we find the brain to govern
and rule over all below. It is the first organ formed and in an orderly
life should control all the others. Next in order and importance are the
heart and lungs, which put into motion all other parts and enable the
animal frame to continue in motion. So each and every organ is developed
in its proper order, all to obey the commands of the first and most
important--the brain, the seat of the reason and the will. Happy are
they of either sex who will govern themselves by a pure enlightened
reason and a pure affectionate will.
CHAPTER II.
The Infant.
Embracing the First Year of the Child's Life.
The battle of life really begins as soon as the child is born. Its
cleanliness, its clothing, its temperature and its food are matters for
daily observance and care, as also are the light, sunshine and air which
it is to breathe. Opiates, soothing syrups and cordials, are to be
strictly avoided as being deleterious to health; proper sanitary
measures usually suffice to render all _dosing_ unnecessary. Spirituous
potions and lotions should be avoided as being contrary to the laws of
hygiene as well as for fear the child may learn to love and to become
addicted to their use later in life. Every organ of the body should be
carefully protected even at this early age, so that health may reign
supreme. Particular care and the utmost solicitude should be bestowed
upon the genital organs. No rubbing or handling of these parts should be
permitted under any pretense whatever--beyond what may be absolutely
necessary for cleanliness. The genital organs require just as much
watchful care, if not more, as the stomach, the eye, the ear, &c. I
regret to say that I have known some fathers to tickle the genital
organs of their infant boys until a complete erection of the little
penis ensued, which effect pleases the father as an evidence of a robust
boy. The evil effects of such a procedure are too manifest to require
dilating upon. Fathers take warning!
Nurses are known to quiet young children by gently exciting pleasurable
sensations about the genital organs both of males and females--practices
which are the most vicious and vice-begetting that can possibly be
invented. Many a young man and young woman has fallen to very low depths
from influences developed by these and similar means. Nurses should be
cautioned in this matter _and carefully watched too_, as even the least
suspected may (innocently perhaps) be guilty of this fault to save
themselves the trouble of quieting their charges in a proper way. Early
impressions upon these animal passions, as well as those made upon other
senses of the young, are very abiding. Mothers be watchful!
Great care should be exercised in the choice of a diaper for infants and
the material of which it is made. The diaper should fit easily about
the organs which it covers and protects, so as not to cause undue
heating or friction of the parts; and immediately after a babe has
soiled itself either with urine or from a motion of the bowels, it
should be made clean and dry at once to avoid any irritation that would
otherwise ensue upon these delicate parts. The material of which the
diaper is made should not be stiff or harsh, but very limp, soft and
pliable; nor should it be thick and bungling. There are great objections
to the use of oil-cloth, rubber or other impervious materials as they
prevent the escape of perspiration, urine, fecal matter, etc. As soon as
possible, say near the end of the first year, the child should be taught
to use its little chair-commode, thus dispensing with the diaper at an
early age. This is much better for the sexual organs, is more
comfortable for the child and is more healthy; it also favors a more
perfect development of the limbs and joints, the hip joints
particularly.
CHAPTER III.
Childhood.
Childhood is that portion of life extending from infancy to adolescence,
which in boys occurs at the age of fourteen to sixteen years; and in
girls at the age of twelve to fourteen years. In very warm climates
adolescence is reached some two or three years earlier.
Most fortunate the infant who has completed its term of life, thus far,
in accordance with the strictest rules of Hygiene, or the laws of
health.
"In a state of health sexual impressions should never affect a child's
mind or body. All its vital energy should be employed in constructing
the growing frame, in storing up proper external impressions and in
educating the brain to receive them." Unfortunately this state of health
is not always attained. Impressions may be exhibited in these organs at
a very early age either from inheritance, from improper handling or from
some morbid condition of the child that could show itself in no other
organ of the body and which, like morbid conditions in general, make
their appearance somewhere in the mind or body.
SEXUAL PRECOCITY.--Many parents who are most particular in all other
respects, as to the moral and physical training of their children,
imagine there is no need to pay any special attention to the genital
organs. This, however, is a grave mistake and needs our careful
consideration. As is well known, some children evince a sexual precocity
which may lead to very serious results. In these it often happens that
the sexual instinct arises long before puberty; such children, if males,
manifest an instinctive attraction towards the female sex which they
show by constantly spying after their nurses, chambermaids, etc.; by
seeking as much as possible to play with children of the opposite sex
and improperly toying with them. [C]"One case is so remarkable that an
abstract of it may be instructive: M. D----, between five and six years
of age, was one day in summer in the room of a dressmaker who lived in
the family; this girl thinking that she might put herself at ease before
such a child, threw herself on her bed, almost without clothing. The
little D---- had followed all her motions and regarded her figure with a
greedy eye. He approached her on the bed, as if to sleep, but soon
became so bold in his behavior that the girl, after having laughed at
him for some time was obliged to put him out of the room. This girl's
simple imprudence produced such an impression on the child that forty
years afterwards he had not forgotten a single circumstance connected
with it."
[C] Lallemand and Wilson, page 140.
Parents are remarkably careless on this point. They allow children to
play together for hours at a time without the surveillance of an older
person, provided only they are removed from any danger. It is sufficient
to merely draw attention to such a custom as every reflective mind can
easily draw the inevitable consequences. Habits are indulged in and
marks of familiarity shown which should not for an instant be tolerated.
CAUSES which commonly produce sexual impressions on young children are,
allowing them to repose playfully on their belly, to slide down
bannisters, to go too long without urinating, constipation or straining
at stool, cutaneous affections, and worms. Also, thoughtless acts of
elder people which are very frequently more closely observed than is
commonly supposed. The sliding down bannisters produces a titillation
which is agreeable to the sexual organs. Children of both sexes will
constantly repeat this act until they learn to become inveterate
masturbators, even at a very early age.
Among boys a disease called _priapism_ is often developed; this arises
from undue handling of the parts, or from some morbid state of the
child's health. The disorder consists of paroxysms, occurring more or
less frequently, of violent erections of the penis; these sometimes
become very painful and require the attention of a physician. At all
events medical aid should be sought at once, because some functional
derangement is at work which might, if not arrested and cured, give rise
to masturbation. Owing to unknown causes such morbid conditions induce
some little boys to pull frequently at the foreskin of the penis until
their health is seriously impaired; they pine away, lose flesh, and
still continue to worry at the foreskin, till death has been known to
result. These cases require the most careful and skillful constitutional
treatment, until they are cured.
Sometimes, in other cases, the foreskin becomes inflamed, offensive
secretions may form about the end of the penis, etc. All such disorders
should be submitted to a judicious physician at once, to avoid
irritations which might result in a tendency to sexual excitement--a
calamity truly deplorable to the young. The idea which some writers
advance--that a long prepuce (or foreskin) often proves an exciting
cause of troublesome sensations to the boy, is certainly erroneous. So,
too, it is all wrong to state that particular care should be taken to
wash under the prepuce. That this objection in regard to washing is
true, is proved from the physical fact that in a large majority of boys
the orifice of the foreskin is not sufficiently opened to permit of
these washings. And the objection is still further proved by the fact
that all these unnatural secretions, offensive odors, sensations, etc.,
which irritate and worry a boy together with all inflammations of these
parts are soon relieved and permanently cured by the proper medicament.
Needless laving, handling or rubbing the sexual parts should be avoided
as strictly as possible. To show how little good such washings really
do, even though persisted in, I will mention one out of many similar
cases: "In spite of repeated washings every day, a fetid smegma was
deposited in considerable quantity on the glans, causing a tiresome
burning and itching." All such cases are utterly intractable by any
amount of bathing. But the suitable remedy administered internally cures
the trouble permanently in a few weeks and at the same time improves
the general tone and health of the individual. This is so because the
proper remedy removes the morbific cause which produced that condition
of the penis and all concomitant symptoms, at the same time. It must be
remembered that the troubles referred to above come from within, and
that they are but developments of internal morbific causes. In a similar
manner, small pox, measles, chicken pox and all eruptive diseases come
_out_ as products from morbific causes _within_. No sane person ever
thinks of washing off these appearances with the hope of curing the
case!
All our external parts were made just as they should be and they work in
harmony so long as we are perfectly healthy inwardly. Every blemish upon
the skin, even to a wart, has a corresponding morbid influence within,
which can be removed by proper treatment. Let it be remembered then for
all coming time that a little boy's penis is never to be meddled or
trifled with, nor his foreskin, nor the parts about the generative
organs. All unnatural conditions, appearances or sensations require
prompt and proper medical aid. If erections of his little penis occur
during sleep, or if he cannot urinate promptly on rising in the
morning, because of an erection, let these conditions beget an anxiety
for his welfare and at once seek a judicious physician, who will be able
to prescribe a medicament to arrest all further development of sexual
precocity--an affliction so baneful to the young.
A little later in life children are liable to ascarides or seat worms,
called by some "pin worms." No applications, purgatives, "vermifuges,"
injections or other mechanical means should ever be employed to remove
these, as they are of constitutional origin and should be so treated,
until perfectly cured. Removing the worms by irritants or by mechanical
means does not remove the _cause_ of their existence or reproduction in
the body. The dyscrasia that gives rise to these worms, with the
accompanying itching and tickling, is apt to cause a sexual excitement
which may prove more disastrous than the original trouble itself.
Therefore be sure that this affection is treated constitutionally; so
long as the vital forces work in harmonious order, no abnormal
appearances of any kind can come to light, because they do not exist.
From the age of nine to fourteen, boys generally acquire very curious
notions about sexual affairs and are naturally, from what they hear,
desirous of obtaining some idea of sexual congress, a knowledge of
where babies come from, etc. This curiosity, of course, causes the mind
to dwell much upon sexual subjects. I fully believe that good
information will, by satisfying this curiosity, free the mind to a great
extent from sexual thoughts. It is from such very thoughts that boys are
led to play with their sexual organs in secret, and to handle them so as
to excite pleasurable sensations; erections of the penis are thus
produced and finally, by this continual excitation with the hand, the
height of sexual orgasm is reached, ejaculation of semen occurs and
_self-pollution_ is the consequence. This act is called "masturbation"
and becomes a _secret vice of the worst kind_!
Very frequently and to an alarming extent "masturbation" is taught by
older boys, and by young men even, in nearly all our colleges, boarding,
public and private schools, and by companions under the paternal roof.
This act is repeated time after time until the degrading and destructive
(morally and physically so) habit is confirmed. As a result, the boy
grows thin, pale, morose and passionate; then weak, indolent and
indifferent; his digestion becomes impaired, his sleep short, disturbed
and broken; he sometimes becomes epileptic or falls into a state of
marasmus; in any case he is in great danger of being totally ruined
forever.
There is a great difference in boys regarding the formation of these
habits. While some may almost insensibly glide into them, others,
intuitively as it were, turn away from all such temptations and banish
all thoughts of a sexual nature from their minds at once. This is right.
So long as a boy's mind refuses to harbor such baleful approaches, so
long he is safe; but the moment he heeds them and allows them to enter
his mind, that moment he is in danger and will most likely fall into bad
habits. He must strenuously resist all such thoughts and going to his
father or mother tell them about his trials and temptations and strive
to forget them until success crowns his efforts. By persistent efforts,
by repeated prayers to the Lord for help, by reading his Bible and good,
pure stories, by running into the open air and indulging in some useful
occupation or joyous, healthful play, he will eventually conquer them
and thus rise to the dignity of a true man. Sometimes, too, it may be
necessary to consult the physician for help. In addition to the
instinctive shrinking which every right minded person generally feels
from putting ideas of impurity into a child's innocent mind, a parent's
pride leads him to hope that _his_ boy would not indulge in any such
mean and disgusting practices. But, bearing in mind the advice of
Herbert Spencer--"that the aim of discipline should be to produce a
_self-governing_ being," the best advice a parent or guardian can, and
ought, to give, is: do not harbor bad thoughts or feelings about
anything; at once turn them away and think of something else, of
something good, true and pure. Indulge in no hatred or revengeful
feelings towards others; plot no evil things; always be true to your
word, faithful to your duties and charitable to all. Treat everybody
kindly and politely. And further, a child should be _taught_ what
"chastity" really is, instead of leaving him to find it out as best he
may.
It should be clearly explained to him that true chastity requires the
shunning of all indecency and foul language; that he should refrain from
touching his secret parts except when the necessities of nature require
it; that all sexual emotions should be subjugated. When he grows older
every boy should be taught that chastity means continence; and it should
be firmly impressed upon his mind that all lascivious actions are a
drain upon his whole system and weaken the powers which the Lord has
given him to be employed _only_ in the married state. These are
characteristics of a true man and will help him very much to keep out of
sexual difficulties which, as we shall see further on, are among the
greatest curses of life.
The use of tobacco, wine, coffee or tea by children is well known to be
highly injurious. Never allow a child to use either of these--not even
in small quantities. A too common practice in many families is to allow
a little wine at dinner "to assist digestion!" Others allow coffee or
tea, "because my child is so fond of it." "The after-effects of all
these is to disturb the heart, to cause nervousness and irritability,
and _to weaken the sexual organs in a marked degree_. Tobacco
particularly has this last effect in old and young, besides producing
convulsions, a dulled intellect, etc."[D]
[D] Lallemand and Wilson.
Remember where the brain is and the purposes for which it has been
given! Here reside the knowledge and the power to govern all below it.
No matter what the stomach craves or how strongly the appetite begs for
this or that; no matter how much one may be tempted to steal, to lie or
to swear; no matter how much the sexual organs may lead one to think
about or handle them--here is the great and good brain, the home of the
will-power, which says: "Touch not, taste not, handle not." So long as
these commands are listened to and obeyed, one is safe. The desire need
not and should not control the act--but the rational faculty can and
will control, when early taught to do so. The more one is led by this
rational faculty the easier it becomes to follow it, and _vice versa_.
What has been said above regarding the danger of little boys falling
into bad habits applies with equal force to little girls. Do not forget
this. They too may have sexual thoughts, feelings and curiosity, and
care must be taken to keep their minds pure and bodies healthy. They are
also liable to disorders that require prompt and careful attention, such
as inflammations, excoriations, itchings and swellings of the genital
organs with discharges from these parts resembling leucorrhoea. All such
conditions lead them to more or less rub and scratch these parts--which
should never be touched--for relief. Pleasurable sensations are
experienced and then comes masturbation--_a sin chargeable to the
parent_ for not having given the matter proper medical attention.
"Repeated washings" will no more cure these cases in little girls than,
as shown above, will they cure in little boys. All these are but the
outcropping of some constitutional affection and should be treated
accordingly. No applications or medicated washings of any kind should be
allowed. Such external treatment only palliates the suffering for a
little while without removing the disordered vital force that gave
origin to its appearance. This is simply repressed and may react upon
the child and appear in another form tenfold worse than the first. The
passing of urine or fecal matter may (in either sex) cause irritation
and excoriation; this is another sign that all is not right in the vital
forces and should be mentioned to the physician as a sure index that
medical treatment, but not topical applications, is absolutely
necessary. All abnormal appearances, actions and discomforts of the
child, whether mental or physical, should be submitted to an experienced
and judicious physician. A healthy child should be happy and comfortable
in all respects.
A very successful plan for keeping children from vice or vicious habits
is to see that their time is fully occupied with amusements and duties
which interest them. They need a great deal of harmlessly conducted
amusement and--do _not_ strive to "keep them quiet." Allow little boys
and girls to play together, under proper surveillance, and let them be
boisterous if they will; let them romp and run, climb fences, trundle
hoops, jump rope, go to dancing school, participate in military drills,
go coasting and skating, take swimming lessons, etc.
No judicious parents will allow a son or daughter to be alone much; to
seek to be alone is always a bad sign and should be carefully guarded
against without its being known that such precaution is observed.
Furnish them liberally with instructive and innocent story books and let
them read aloud to you or to each other. Take them to walk or ride when
you go, and strive to make companions of them as much as possible,
making whatever sacrifices are necessary to attain this end. Above all,
_encourage their making confidants of you_. Let them feel that they can
come and talk freely on any subject, no matter what its nature may be.
Do this, and you have thrown around them a bulwark of defence that will
withstand the repeated attacks of hosts of evil spirits. When night
comes and they go to bed, let them learn to go to sleep at once; no play
then--they may be read to sleep, but no romping or playing. No strange
children should be allowed to sleep with yours; make them occupy
separate rooms or at least separate beds; be sure that the sleeping
places of your children are sacred to them alone. Nor is it advisable
for children to sleep with a grown person of either sex and particularly
not with servants--all for obvious reasons.
The observance of all these precautions against influences that might
excite sexual disturbance is most sacred in its character and most
needful even in a religious point of view; for there should be
_chastity_ above all things.
CHAPTER IV.
ADOLESCENCE OF THE MALE.
Adolescence of the male embraces the period of life from the age of
fourteen or sixteen years to the age of twenty-five.
At about the age of fourteen years "the period of youth is distinguished
by that advance in the evolution of the generative apparatus in both
sexes, and by that acquirement of its power of functional activity,
which constitutes the state of _Puberty_." At this age the following
great changes take place in the general appearance and deportment of the
male: His frame becomes more angular and the masculine proportions more
pronounced; increased strength and greater powers of endurance are
manifested; the larynx enlarges and the voice becomes lower in pitch as
well as rougher and more powerful; new feelings and desires awaken in
the mind. His deportment becomes more commanding, his frivolity is less
and less apparent, and the boy is lost in the man. If he has been so
fortunate as to escape all the dangers and baneful influences of
childhood, he is manly indeed, and we behold him with an unburdened
conscience, bright intellect, frank address and good memory. His spirits
are buoyant and his complexion clear; every function of his body is well
performed, and no fatigue is felt after moderate exertion. He evinces
that elasticity of body, and that happy control of himself and his
feelings, which are indicative of the robust health and absence of care
which should accompany youth. His time is devoted to his studies, duties
and amusements; as he feels his stature increase, and his intellect
enlarge, he gladly prepares for his coming struggle with the world.
All boys may come to this condition with proper training through the
period of infancy and childhood; and after arriving at the adolescent
age of their existence as they have the power of mind to _choose_, so
also have they the power to _refuse_. The human race is created above
the animal so that we are something more than mere animals; we are human
beings with human propensities, human passions, human desires and human
tastes, which are subject to the human brain, to the human reason and to
the human will--all elevated and ennobled by the Divine Will. Man must
not let himself down to be governed by animal passions; the moment he
does that, his higher powers suffer and become weakened, and he becomes
more like an inferior animal; if he persists in this downward course,
his lower powers become strengthened until finally they transcend and
rule the higher. Then, to all intents and purposes, such a man's head is
downwards and the lower part of his body is upwards just where his head
ought to be.
Man is a human being, yet, like the whole animal kingdom, he has
appetites, desires and passions, as it is absolutely necessary that he
should have. He has organs corresponding to these appetites, desires and
passions, and it is necessary that he should have them. A proper
understanding in regard to this matter will convince anyone of the truth
of this assertion. Our Creator doeth all things wisely and well, in the
most perfect manner possible. Consequently, man with all his organs,
parts and passions is just what he should be when he blossoms into
youth, in the perfection of his adolescence as described above. In fact
there could be no other form of creating man, for the Lord always
creates in the most perfect way possible, according to one harmonious
law which He has ordained to govern the creation of all beings.
Such a man is fully prepared to struggle with himself and the world at
large. In his desires, appetites or passions of any kind, he, in his
humanity, protected by his rational faculties and enlightened by the
Divine Oracle of God, unquestionably has the power to choose between
propriety and impropriety, between the right and the wrong, between the
good and the bad. Take any evil into which a member of the human family
may fall--the love of ardent spirit for instance; he first thinks of it
and desires to partake of some. Finally he takes an opportunity to
gratify his desire, does satisfy it for the time and thinks it very
nice. The next craving is a little more intense, and he cannot overcome
the temptation quite so easily as he could have done before, and at last
he indulges again. So he goes on, step by step, until he may fall very
low. _The same thinking, feeling and desiring precedes the adoption of
every vicious habit that was ever formed._ Nor will anyone pretend to
say that a persistent effort of the will power, at the very outset, when
he first perceived the tendencies of his desires to do what he need not
do, would not have prevented the evil; no argumentation will prevail in
the face of stubborn facts, and the real facts are all on the side of
purity and order.
These very young men or youths, as they progress through adolescence,
may become tempted in a variety of ways, some to the use of ardent
spirits or tobacco, others to lie, to steal, to forge, &c.; but the
approach to all these evils is gradual and first comes through the mind.
They first think about the action, turn it over and over in their minds
until they come to greatly desire and then, later, to commit the evil
which would not have been ultimated if the mind had been persistently
set against it in the beginning. This is an indisputable fact.
In this manner many promising youths, just as they are blossoming into
the pride of early manhood, begin to indulge in sexual thoughts and to
allow these thoughts to influence their minds until they commit some of
the evils to which perverted and unchaste passions lead them. If this
evil be masturbation, then they are on the direct road to ruin, as will
be seen described further on. If it be the commission of sexual
intercourse with women, their ruin is still more certain, and in the
latter case they are exposed to one of the worst poisons that can
possibly infect the human race. I do not overdraw the picture when I
declare that _millions of human beings die annually from the effects of
poison contracted in this way_, in some form of suffering or another;
for, by insinuating its effects into and poisoning the whole man, it
complicates various disorders and renders them incurable. When
gonorrhoea is contracted, although frequently suppressed by local
treatment in the form of injections, it is never perfectly cured
thereby. No; the hidden poison runs on for a life time producing
strictures, dysuria, gleet and kindred diseases; finally, in old men, a
horrible prostatitis results from which the balance of one's life is
rendered miserable indeed. If inflammation of the lungs supervenes,
there is often a translation of the virus to these vital organs, causing
what is termed "plastic pneumonia," where one lobule after another
becomes gradually sealed up, till nearly the whole of both lungs becomes
impervious to air, and death results from asphyxia.
This horrible infection sometimes becomes engrafted upon other acute
diseases when lingering disorders follow, causing years of misery, and
only terminating in death.
If real syphilis, in the form of chancre, should be contracted, and in
that form suppressed, we have buboes often of a malignant type,
ulceration of the penis and a loss of some portion of this member.
Sometimes the poison attacks the throat, causing most destructive
ulcerations therein; sometimes it seizes upon the nasal bones, resulting
in their entire destruction and an awful disfiguration of the face;
sometimes it ultimates itself in the ulceration and destruction of other
osseous tissues in different portions of the body. Living examples of
these facts are too frequently witnessed in the streets of any large
city. Young men marrying with the slightest taint of this poison in the
blood will surely transmit the disease to their children. Thousands of
abortions transpire every year from this cause alone, the poison being
so destructive as to kill the child _in utero_, before it is matured for
birth; and even if the child be born alive, it is liable to break down
with the most loathsome disorders of some kind and to die during
dentition; the few that survive this period are short lived and are
unhealthy so long as they do live. The very first unchaste connection of
a man with a woman may be attended with a contamination entailing upon
him a life of suffering and even death itself. There is no safety among
impure or loose women whether in private homes or in the very best
regulated houses of ill-fame; even in Paris, where, after women have
been carefully examined and pronounced free from any infecting
condition, the first man who visits one of them, often carries away a
deadly enemy in his blood, which had lurked in concealment beyond the
keen eye of the inspector. A young man, or a man at any age, is in far
greater danger amidst company of this stamp, than he would be with a
clear conscience and pure character in the midst of the wildest forest,
full of all manner of poisonous serpents and wild beasts of every
description. A knowledge of the above facts should be enough to chill
the first impulse and to make any man who respects his own well-being,
turn away and flee from the destruction that awaits him.
As if the above sufferings were not a sufficient penalty for the
transgression against the law--"Be ye pure," we find yet another.
Coincident with the physical wreck, which syphilis makes of the man who
becomes thoroughly tainted with its poison, comes his moral wreck. He
loses all respect for the truth and all regard for his word; no
dependence of any kind can be placed upon him, and he will not pay his
debts or fulfil any moral obligation; all because he began by
prostituting his mind more and more until, with deadened conscience,
almost literally, his head is dependent and his feet uppermost, ruling
all the better part of his nature. And next come the mental
sufferings--and most agonizing they are. Unhappy to the last degree, he
no longer takes pleasure in life, but, wishing to die, finally commits
suicide. A search in any insane asylum will show that a very large
proportion of patients are made up from those who masturbate or have
syphilis. Stamp out these two evils, or rather _curses_ of the human
race, and the supply that feeds our insane asylums, aye and our
penitentiaries, too, will become vastly lessened. Think of it! So many
of the inhabitants of our prisons, asylums, and our poor-houses, are
composed of men and women who have offended against nature's laws by
violating their own sexual nature. Add to this summary the list of
broken-hearted, deflowered virgins and unwedded mothers, and you have
the picture complete.
What a contrast with that manliness of character from which he has
fallen! Now he is in an insane condition, blaming everyone for having
contributed to his many misfortunes and his fallen condition, whereas he
alone is the culprit. No one made him commit the first or any subsequent
evil. He allowed his own mind to yield to the first temptation, and then
went on from step to step, he alone being responsible for the result
Yield not the first point, and all is safe.
The pride of perfect adolescence, as described a few pages back, is due
to purity of thought, to chastity and continence. This purity shines
through every tissue, enkindles the eye with a true expression, makes
bright the countenance and erects the form. It gives elasticity to the
step, causes harmony in the tones of the voice, and adds dignity to the
carriage and deportment. The first step in the paths of vice in any
form, whether in sexual errors or any other, detracts in the exact
degree of the digression from all of the above beautiful and ennobling
characteristics.
We have spoken in the preceding pages of new feelings and desires being
awakened in the youth after his fourteenth year. This change is wholly
due to his approaching manhood, to the time when he will be fully
prepared to appreciate, to love and protect, guide and support her whom
he makes his wife, and to become the father of happy and healthy
children. But this approach to manhood is not due to the development of
the genital organs, as some writers affirm, for this would be a
reversion of orderly development. The approaching manhood develops in
full accordance to their uses and importance _all_ the organs belonging
to man. As the well-developed infant has all its organs developed in a
condition suitable for its state, and the child has all its organs in
all parts of the body, developed in full accord with its state, so
adolescence follows, and every organ must develop accordingly; and in
this development a new impetus is given to every organ in the body. The
whole man awakens to a newness of life as is seen in the change of his
voice, the spreading out of his frame, the independence and command of
his bearing, the activity of his brain, the soundness of his judgment,
until he becomes in the fullest sense a rational being. Of course the
development of his genital organs keeps pace with that of his brain; but
the brain should lead the way throughout the entire development of the
human race.
At the time of puberty, then, a new and a different sensation springs up
in the generative organs, which is in perfect harmony with the uses for
which they are intended. We recognize the use of the hands, the fingers,
the feet, the eyes, the ears, the sense of taste, &c., and we use them
accordingly. We should think of the generative organs only in the same
light. They are intended for use, for the highest and holiest use of
procreating human beings to the end that they may become angels in
heaven. These organs were not made to be abused; but they are abused
every time the mind is allowed to dwell upon them improperly. Every
excitation we allow from lewd thoughts or fancies, has a debasing and
deteriorating effect upon that well-developed form, upon that conscience
so free, and upon that countenance so open and bright, which has been
described in the preceding pages.
If the mere thought and excitation arising therefrom are injurious to
the perfection of the youth, how much more injurious must be the
ultimation of that thought in masturbation, in unlawful sexual
intercourse, or in the loss of seminal fluid by other unnatural means.
Right here I feel impelled to say something of the
DIFFICULTY OF MAINTAINING CHASTITY.
I, in connection with many of our best and wisest men who have given
the subject a lifetime's most earnest consideration, hold that for a
young man whose early education has been carefully looked to, and
consequently, whose mind has not been debased by vile practices, it is
no more impossible mentally, or injurious physically, to preserve his
chastity than to refrain from yielding to any other of the innumerable
temptations with which his life is beset. And every year of voluntary
chastity renders the task easier by mere force of habit. I wish to be
clearly understood in this matter.
So long as a young man remains chaste in thought and deed, he will not
suffer any bad effects from his continence. It is the _semicontinent_,
the man who knows the right but pursues the wrong, who suffers! Patients
frequently complain that enforced continence makes them restless,
irritable, unfit for mental application of any sort, &c. Sexual
intercourse is then indulged in, and presto: for the time being, what a
welcome change. The now unclogged mind grasps with vigor any subject
presented to it, the spirits are exuberant and the physical frame
buoyant. But, is the trouble cured, is it permanently eradicated from
the system? No! In a short time the symptoms reappear and the same
remedy is again sought. The more the sexual feelings are indulged the
more frequent will be their recurrence, and the result need not be
written; every candid mind can easily see it. To their shame and
confusion be it said, there are many physicians who, when consulted by
their patients for medical assistance in such trials, "deliberately
encourage the early indulgence of the passions, on the false and wicked
ground that self-restraint is incompatible with health. What abhorrence
can be too deep for a doctrine so destructive, or for the teachers who
thus, before the eyes of those whose youthful ignorance, whose sore
natural temptation, rather call for the wisest and tenderest guidance
and encouragement, put darkness for light, evil for good, and bitter for
sweet."[E]
[E] Wm. Acton, M. R. C. S.
I declare emphatically that no symptoms of sexual suffering, no matter
how feelingly described or cunningly insinuated, should ever lead a
physician to prescribe for a young man that fatal remedy, illicit
intercourse. Medically as a physician, morally as a Christian, and
sympathizingly as a fellow being, I record a solemn protest against such
false treatment. It is better for a youth to live a continent life. The
strictly chaste suffer comparatively little sexual irritability; but the
incontinent, at recurring periods are sure to be troubled in one or
other of the ways spoken of; and the remedy of indulgence, if effective,
requires repetition as often as the inconvenience returns. No! When thus
consulted, let the physician prescribe the proper medicament, if one be
necessary; and let him direct a plain, nourishing, non-stimulating diet,
physical exertion of any kind carried to exhaustion, and SELF CONTROL.
Would any young man in his senses listen to a physician, who, for
lowness of spirits, mental despondency, &c., should tell him to drink
plentifully of brandy or eat hasheesh? On the same principle then let a
youth shun the physician, who, for sexual excitement, prescribes sexual
indulgence.
Again, such complaints coming from young men are very often specious,
and are mere subterfuges--overdrawn pictures of their sufferings--which
are presented as an excuse for indulging the sensual emotions, instead
of manfully and righteously struggling to overcome them. And further,
"if anyone wishes to really experience the acutest sexual suffering, he
can adopt no more certain method than to be incontinent with the
intention of becoming continent again, when he has 'sown his wild oats.'
The agony of breaking off a habit which so rapidly entwines itself with
every fibre of the human frame (as sexual indulgence) is such that it
would not be too much to say in the Wise Man's words, '_None_ that go to
her return again, neither take they hold on the paths of life.'"
"The sin, of all, most sure to blight--
The sin, of all, that the soul's light
Is soonest lost, extinguished in."
Remember then that sexual suffering comes to the _incontinent_ man, and
that it is far easier, even for the fully developed vigorous adult, to
continue in control of these feelings, than when they have been once
excited and indulged.
One single impure connection may entail a whole life of syphilitic
suffering on the unhappy transgressor. Would this "pay?"
No inducement could persuade me to assume the awful responsibilities of
advising illicit intercourse. Apart from Christian principle, I know
that there is no necessity, physiological, pathological or any other,
that can excuse any physician for saying that the Seventh Commandment
may ever be broken. My sentiments on the physiological side of the
question are so admirably expressed by Acton,[F] that I will here quote
from him.
[F] Fourth American Edition, P. 97.
"One argument in favor of incontinence deserves special notice, as it
purports to be founded on physiology. I have been consulted by persons
who feared, or professed to fear, that if the organs were not exercised
regularly, they would become atrophied, or that in some way impotence
might be the result of chastity. This is the assigned reason for
committing fornication. There exists _no greater_ error than this, or
one more opposed to physiological truth. In the first place, I may state
that I have, after many years' experience, never seen a single instance
of atrophy of the generative organs from this cause. I have, it is true,
met with the complaint--but in what class of cases does it occur? It
arises in all instances from the exactly opposite cause--abuse: the
organs become worn out, and hence arises atrophy. Physiologically
considered, it is not a fact that the power of secreting semen is
annihilated in well-formed adults leading a healthy life and yet
remaining continent. The function goes on in the organ always, from
puberty to old age. Semen is secreted sometimes slowly, sometimes
quickly, and very frequently under the influence of the will. No
continent man need be deterred by this apocryphal fear of atrophy of the
testes from living a chaste life. It is a device of the unchaste--a lame
excuse for their own incontinence, unfounded on any physiological law.
The testes will take care that their action is not interfered with."
Many and many a time have I heard it regretted and bemoaned, on account
of the many troubles they had seemed to cause, that the sexual organs
exist. It is the lewd thoughts and uses to which they are put that
causes all this misery, and there is always that "first thought" which
should not be harbored. Cast away the impure thoughts, rise above them,
and one is safe! Pure thoughts can _never_ lead to harm.
The generative organs, with their functions and uses, are most closely
interwoven with the highest destiny and well being of the race
physically, mentally and spiritually; they are a part of us, without
which there would be no men and women, lovers and loved ones, fathers
and mothers, brothers and sisters. We must then happily accept the
situation as it is, and our bodies, parts and passions as they are; for
they are all indispensable, high and holy, when kept in an orderly and
chaste condition. We only need the above knowledge and its application
to make ourselves as happy in the enjoyment of these organs as it was
designed by our Creator that we should be.
To rise above the sexual temptations that may be more or less
experienced by many and perhaps by all, requires an effort of course,
and frequently a very great effort; but let it be borne in mind that
all temptations to do wrong, require effort to overcome them; and as a
rule, the greater the evil we are tempted to commit the greater is the
effort needed to overcome it. Now, as shown above, since sexual matters
are so thoroughly interwoven with the highest destinies of the human
race, physically, mentally and spiritually, there is scarcely any
function of higher import, allotted to any individual, than that
assigned to the genital organs. No function more deeply concerns the
healthfulness of the body, the clearness and brilliancy of the
intellect, or the purity and sincerity of the soul itself.
Several times in the course of this book I have referred to the term
"abuse." By "abuse," I mean precisely what _Lallemand_ so forcibly
expresses as follows: "_I understand by the term abuse, when applied to
the organs of generation, any irregular or premature exercise of their
functions; any application of them which cannot have, as its result, the
propagation of the species._"
Look at the habitual masturbator! See how thin, pale and haggard he
appears; how his eyes are sunken; how long and cadaverous is his cast of
countenance; how irritable he is and how sluggish, mentally and
physically; how afraid he is to meet the eye of his fellows; feel his
damp and chilling hand, so characteristic of great vital exhaustion.
Taken as a class, how terrible are their lost virility, their miserable
night's sleep, their convulsions and their shrunken limbs. They keep by
themselves, seeking charm in solitude and are fit companions for no one;
they dare not read their Bible, they cannot commune with good angels nor
with the Lord, our Saviour. Is not this picture deplorable? It is at the
last end of the chain I admit, but it is reached link after link, one at
a time; and the first link was forged when the first temptation in the
mind was first favored and finally yielded to. The above picture is a
true one and shows how intimately connected are the soul, the mind and
the body with this whole subject. Man in a healthy state need not and
should not lose one drop of seminal fluid by his own hand, by nightly
emissions or pollutions, or in any way, until he becomes conjoined to a
wife of his choice in the holy bonds of matrimony. Every time the seed
of his body is lost in a disorderly or unnatural way, he injures the
finest textures of his brain correspondingly, as well as the finest and
most exalted condition of his mind and soul, because the act proceeds in
its incipiency from a willful prostitution of these higher powers.
When sexual thoughts and temptations arise in one's mind, even very
young men are capable of putting them away, urged by the thought that
tampering with one's generative organs is wrong. He should intuitively
feel that it is something akin to theft, or a crime of some worse sort,
for him to indulge in solitary vice and he should intuitively feel an
inward reproach for all such meditations. When one is sorely tempted in
these matters, as is often the case, let him reflect that he was not
created to indulge in such pleasures by himself, and that to do so is a
crime, a sin against the God of Heaven; that it is his destiny, his
privilege and one of the uses of his life to share such enjoyments with
the wife of his bosom; and that all excitement or dallying with this
part of his nature before marriage only serves to weaken his sexual
powers, as well as his mind and body; also, that it mars his sexual uses
and will detract from his sexual pleasures in the married life. Sexual
indulgence of any sort in a young man is a loss, not only to himself but
also, prospectively, to that dear girl whom he will some day make his
wife. Such reflections will often drive away the temptation entirely. If
they are not sufficient to do so let him read some interesting book that
shall take his mind away from the subject; or, that failing, let him
take exercise, vigorous exercise--pushed to fatigue, if necessary. If
these states of temptation occur in bed at night, let him rise and read,
plunge his arm into very cold water, or if necessary go forth into the
open air and seek relief in a rapid walk. It is better to go to any
amount of trouble and to endure any physical discomfort, than to
sacrifice one's chastity, the loss of which can never be replaced.
A young man naturally desires and expects chastity of the strictest
order in the young woman of his choice for a wife. Who would marry a
girl, no matter how beautiful or how many and varied her accomplishments
if it were known that she had granted her favors to any other man? And
yet, what less has _she_ a perfect right to require from a young man who
presumes to pay his addresses to her? This consideration, too, should
serve as a restraint to any amorous desires that might infest a man's
mind. It is wonderful how keen are the perceptions of a pure minded
young lady to detect even an approach to licentiousness in the male. He
is abhorrent to her and his very sphere betrays him.
With the facts of the preceding pages, contained in this chapter being
known, it does seem as if every man would keep himself pure from all
carnal associations and use the utmost care not to prostitute his mind,
that he may approach the nuptial altar as pure in mind and body as he
would have her who is to become the idol of his heart.
Now this is all very beautiful in theory and desirable in practice, but
_is it practical_? Can man so school himself in self denial as to
accomplish this end? Are there not real physiological facts existing
which utterly preclude the possibility of this most desirable result? Do
not, as has been alleged by some writers, the testicles of man secrete
semen until they become so surcharged that emission becomes absolutely
necessary, and does not this accumulation actually produce such sexual
excitement that man feels compelled to seek relief in some way? I
answer, most unhesitatingly, NO! The above questions are all theories
and utterly devoid of fact.
Would Almighty God command, "Thou shalt _not_ commit adultery," and then
so create man as to compel him to break his Divine injunction?
Abundance of proof is at hand to substantiate this sweeping remark of
mine, were this the place to produce it. Seminal fluid is abundantly
secreted and produced only during the height of sexual excitement in the
male. As Acton remarks: "It is a highly organized fluid requiring the
expenditure of much vital force in its elaboration and its expulsion."
It is secreted from the blood of his body and the whole man physically,
mentally and spiritually is concerned and represented in its product;
consequently the action requires an effort of the whole man, and, if
often repeated, the effect is very exhausting to the physical powers, to
the mind and to the brain. Let this be another warning to remain in
purity of heart.
We have said in the preceding pages that man, in a healthy state, need
not lose a drop of seminal fluid until after marriage. There are many
abnormal causes resulting in what are called wet dreams, nightly
pollutions, spermatorrhoea, prostatic emission during stool or
urination, also diurnal emissions without erection. These may result
from over study, from errors in diet such as use of coffee, highly
seasoned food, wines, spirituous liquors or drugs of various
kinds--though perhaps prescribed by a physician. When these troubles
arise from constitutional disorders, a skillful physician must be
consulted at once. Errors in diet and the taking of drugs causing this
trouble must of course be discontinued. [G]"Certain medicines--as
astringents, purgatives, narcotics, stimulants and diuretics
especially--may bring on conditions from which spermatorrhoea may
arise." Among other causes Lallemand refers to the use of quinine,
tobacco and, particularly _alcohol_. The trouble may also arise from
injuries and many other accidental causes, besides masturbation and
venereal excesses.
[G] Lallemand and Wilson, page 192.
It is distressing to see what a complete wreck seminal losses make of
those who were once robust and healthy young men, and what a shock they
give to the nervous system. They become weak, pale, and feeble in mind,
while all that was manly and vigorous has gone out of them. Now which of
the two is preferable--the pride of a virtuous youth, or the roué
exhausted and worn out by sexual abuses? It demands great strength to
become either, but really a much greater effort for the latter; because
it requires very great perseverance for a chaste and pure minded man to
debase himself by such practices. It depends on the mind which is all
right before yielding the first point; therefore beware and shun the
first step downward. Strengthen the moral courage and exercise the will
power so as always to be able to say, "No," to whatever temptation the
conscience tells you is wrong.
CHAPTER V.
Adolescence of the Female.
Adolescence of the female embraces the period of life from the age of
twelve or fourteen, to twenty-one years.
At about the twelfth or fourteenth year of the girl's life a marked
change comes over her form, features and mental state. Unlike the male,
the forms which in him are angular, become in her rounded, symmetrical
and beautiful, and the characteristic feminine proportions are well
marked; she becomes more graceful in her movements, her voice grows
sweeter, more mellow, more powerful and capable of registering a higher
tone. New feelings and desires are awakened in her mind. Her deportment
becomes more commanding and less frivolous, and the girl is lost in the
woman.
If she has been so fortunate as to have escaped all the dangers and
baneful influences of infantile and childhood life, she is womanly
indeed, and we behold her with an unburdened conscience, clear
intellect, artless and candid address, good memory, buoyant spirits,
a complexion bright, clear and, as the poet declares, "beautiful
exceedingly." Every function of her body is well performed, and no
fatigue is experienced after moderate exertion. She evinces that
elasticity of spirit and gracefulness of body, and happy control of her
feelings which indicate healthfulness of both mind and body. Her whole
time is given up to her studies, duties and amusements; and as she feels
her stature increase and her intellect enlarge, she gladly prepares for
her coming struggle with the world--though in a manner becoming to her
sex. This, too, is no fanciful sketch, but is realized in thousands of
cases every year. It is one which parents feel proud to witness in a
daughter, and one in which the daughter takes a modest delight. We have
said that every function of her body is well performed. The functions of
the female body, which in a state of health are perfectly free from
pain, are very numerous and, in the four years from fourteen to
eighteen, she accomplishes an amount of physiological cell change and
growth which Nature does not require of a boy in less than twice that
number of years. It is obvious, therefore, that a girl upon whom Nature,
for a limited period and for a definite purpose, imposes so great a
physiological task, will not have as much power left for the tasks of
school as a boy, of whom Nature requires less at the corresponding
epoch. The functions of circulation, respiration, digestion,
perspiration, nutrition and menstruation, though involuntary, are all
important, dependent one upon another, and all develop at the proper
time. Puberty is the proper time for the appearance of menstruation, one
of the most important and sacred of her functions. It should not be
feared, dreaded or regarded as a nuisance; it forms a part of herself;
and she never commands the respect and forbearance of her friends, or
even of her enemies, more than when it is known that she is "unwell." It
serves in many ways as a blessing to her, rather than an inconvenience.
Let no young girl be alarmed, as, owing to the negligence of her parents
or guardians, many are, at the first appearance of this flow of blood
from the genital organs. She should keep more quiet than usual, at these
times, until the flow disappears, which it will do in a few days. In a
state of health these appearances occur every twenty-eight days and the
young lady should exercise extreme caution at such times, in avoiding
unnecessary fatigue, exposure to cold, getting wet, suddenly cooling off
when heated, etc. One of the reasons why so many suffer at this time is
due to the want of proper knowledge and care, also for the want of a
proper feeling about the matter. I have known young ladies to be guilty
of the almost incredible crime of trying to arrest the flow by plugging
up the vagina and by resorting to other means, that they might attend a
dancing party or some pleasure excursion. Such a procedure is sure to be
followed by the direst retribution to the offender. Nature never allows
her laws to be so trifled with. Some experience a deep mortification on
account of this function; some think it a very great inconvenience and a
nuisance--an obstacle to their pleasure; others feel unhappy and vexed
about it. In truth, every woman should consider it a privilege and
should regard menstruation as it really is, a blessing from heaven; and,
when rightly performed, a help to lend loveliness to her character,
beauty to her expression, music to her voice, and gracefulness to her
form and movements.
Mothers or guardians should instruct young girls in good time as to the
expected menstrual function and prepare their minds for its advent. They
should also be carefully instructed in regard to the external use of
water--of its attendant danger, lest they chill themselves sufficiently
to arrest this flow, which should continue uninterruptedly until the
function is complete. Too many lives have been sacrificed by suppressing
the monthly flux; external ablutions should be plentiful, but only
sufficient, as in the case of boys, for cleanliness. If menstruation
should not become healthfully established at the proper time of age,
consult a judicious physician who will see that any abnormal condition,
preventing such consummation, is properly removed. "The principal organs
of elimination, common to both sexes, are the bowels, kidneys, lungs and
skin. A neglect of their functions is punished in each alike. To woman
is intrusted the exclusive management of another process of elimination,
viz.: the catamenial function. This, using the blood for its channel of
operation, performs, like the blood, double duty. It is necessary to
ovulation, and to the integrity of every part of the reproductive
apparatus; it also serves as a means of elimination for the blood
itself. A careless management of this function, at any period of life
during its existence, is apt to be followed by consequences that may be
serious; but a neglect of it during the epoch of development, that is,
from the age of fourteen to eighteen or twenty, not only produces great
evil at the time of the neglect, but leaves a large legacy of evil to
the future. The system is then peculiarly susceptible; and disturbances
of the delicate mechanism we are considering, induced during the
catamenial weeks of that critical age by constrained positions, muscular
effort, brain work, and all forms of mental and physical excitement,
germinate a host of ills."[H]
[H] Clarke: "Sex in Education."
Here I must be allowed to protest most solemnly against the use of
injections into the vagina for the so-called purpose of cleanliness.
Vaginal syringes are constructed and used now by thousands and the
sufferings of the human race are increased thereby ten thousand fold
proportionately. The vagina, like all organs supplied with a mucous
membrane, is self-cleansing. Water, or any other fluid thrown into this
organ, has a tendency to disorder the mucous follicles, to dry up their
secretions and thus prevent the efflux of some of Nature's necessities.
From this cause alone there will be a reaction upon the vaginal walls,
upon the neck of the uterus and the uterus itself; the ovaries also
become disordered; the lungs sympathize as well as the throat and
bronchial tubes, producing hoarseness, hacking cough and a host of
troubles following in their train. Nervous headaches of fearful
intensity are frequently produced from this unnatural course of
procedure. Moreover, water thrown into the vagina, to wash it out, day
after day for a considerable time, absolutely produces a leucorrhoea
most persistent in character. This is the confession of young ladies to
me in making inquiry as to the origin of their trouble, and I have found
that the discharge was unknown to some of them till after the use of
these injections. It stands to reason that such unnatural washings
should be followed by a retribution equal to the error committed,
because, as before stated, Nature's laws cannot be perverted without a
penalty. A girl should never, under any pretext whatever, resort to such
unhallowed means for the cure or alleviation of leucorrhoea, ulceration,
or for any disorders that affect these parts. By so doing she is really
forming a basis for innumerable future ills. If the girl is well, she
has none of these disorders, for they all arise from constitutional
derangements. As all must acknowledge, it is a self-evident fact--that,
_if a woman is well, every part of her must be well also_; no one organ
can, unaided, get up a disease by itself. In all troubles of this
nature, as well as of any other, consult a judicious physician.
There are objections, however, of even a graver nature than those urged
above against the use of such instruments. They often excite sensations
in the parts to which they are applied, that should remain perfectly
dormant in the unmarried state. After awhile these sensations,
increasing in frequency and influence, serve to prostitute the mind and
the young lady may become ruined for life. I am stating facts that can
be proved by multitudes of living witnesses to-day in cases and
confessions that have come under my own observation. On remonstrating
against this habit, some remark, "But it feels so nice, doctor!" Of
course, ablutions of the _external_ organs are perfectly right and
proper and should be resorted to daily. To the reflecting mind no more
need be said about this matter. Those who wish to live in harmony with
the order of their creation and thereby preserve the freshness of
health, will not have recourse to such means as add new derangements to
the system.
To preserve feminine charms as the girl develops into womanhood, much
depends upon her mental state. She must not allow herself to bear malice
towards anyone, must not plot evil or attempt to "pay off others in
their own coin," as it is called, or seek revenge in any way; but she
must ever cultivate a forgiving disposition, good thoughts and good
feelings towards everyone. There is always danger of meeting both rude
and lewd girls, and that too in places where least expected; they may be
found in schools of all kinds and are occasionally met with in the
houses of one's own friends. Not very long since a charming young lady
wrote me from a neighboring city, that while sharing a bed with another
girl, she experienced a very strange sensation induced by the improper
liberties of her bed-fellow; and so persistent were these troublesome
sensations, although occupying a bed by herself ever after, she thought
it proper to seek my advice. Now this was a good and pure-minded girl
who might easily have been ruined but for her inherent love of chastity;
and so our daughters are always in danger of being contaminated. A
perfectly pure and chaste mind, unsullied by impure thoughts or acts,
and cultivated by the exercise of all the Christian virtues, lends
enchantment to the eye, sweetness of expression to the face, music to
the voice, and gracefulness of carriage. Cultivation of merely external
manners will not do; they must spring from the mind and thence they
shine throughout the whole, in every fibre and movement of the body.
Such an one is truly beloved wherever she goes; she has a real affection
for her father and mother, brothers and sisters; and she is fully
prepared to appreciate and love one of the opposite sex whose purity of
life and nobleness of mind fully corresponds to her own.
To retain this charm of excellence will cost her many a trial and her
temptations will be innumerable and very great. But her perceptive
faculties are keen, and at the first suspicion of anything wrong she
must have the moral courage to say: "No! that is not allowable, it is
not right," or, "this is impure and its tendency is to vice." Whatever
the temptation may be, in thought or in deed, let no one persuade her
into wrong-doing--not even her _apparently_ best friend; for it would
only be an appearance of friendship if he tempted to anything of a
vicious nature. She will be beset with hosts of admirers, some of them
pure and having honorable intentions; but (I am sorry to sound the note
of warning here,) others will come with the most dishonorable intentions
possible, though with an air of sincerity, and apparently as artless as
doves. Study all men long and carefully, keeping them meanwhile at a
respectful distance; never allow one to sit near with his arm about your
waist or to hold your hand in his; never allow him to kiss you--_the
vilest of loathsome diseases may be communicated by a kiss_ viz.:
_syphilis_. Do not allow any approach or touch beyond what is customary
in the best of society at a social gathering. Many a young lady with an
angelic form and spotless soul within, full of the best intentions and
of the purest character, giving bright promise of a brilliant future,
has been ruined for life by trusting herself alone with some of these
apparently wise and good, yet really vile men.
Young women have not, as a rule, any sexual propensity, or amorous
thoughts or feelings. If they have been properly educated and cared for,
they are, before marriage, perfect strangers to any such sensations; and
yet any young lady who falls, does so by her own hand and she has no one
else to blame for it. _Remember_ that the Lord, in the beginning, never
suffers temptations beyond one's strength to overcome. If she falls
ultimately, it results from allowing an impure seed to be planted in the
mind at first, which she then nourishes for a time and only in the end
it bears its fruit.
As time passes, a young lady forms an acquaintance with gentlemen, and
at length she favors the addresses of one who is particularly agreeable
to her. After this acquaintance has ripened into love, and she has
become convinced of the purity of his heart, she enjoys being with him,
in sitting by his side, and is unhappy in his absence. When betrothed,
owing to her great and pure love for him, she takes pleasure in
receiving such marks of affection from him as are shown by a tender
father or brother, but nothing more. After marriage, she feels that she
is really his and that he has become a part of herself--that they are no
more twain but are one flesh. All this has transpired without her hardly
suspecting such a quality in herself as an amorous affection. Still she
more than ever loves him, more than ever desires to be near him until
finally their union is fully and truly consummated by the marriage act.
At no time in her life does a woman make a greater sacrifice of her
feelings than at this time, and she does it solely for her pure and
fervent love for him. This is right and proper, and is in accordance
with the laws of order in the creation of the two sexes in the human,
animal and vegetable kingdoms throughout the world.
I wish here to have some "Plain Talk," that the true object of this book
may be more fully understood and its mission more successfully
accomplished. Unless willing to make the above sacrifice, no woman
should ever marry; because she would not then be fulfilling the
marriage covenant. Besides, she would be false to her husband and this
falsity might cause his moral and physical destruction; his health would
suffer and his manhood become dethroned, because her conduct would
utterly controvert the immutable laws of nature. Nature's laws cannot
possibly be set aside without the infliction of a severe penalty. The
healthy young woman will have no difficulty in preserving her chastity
intact, so long as she cultivates that purity of mind to which she is
naturally prone. She should never allow herself to read immoral stories
or books having in the slightest degree even, such a tendency;
theatrical plays with loose morals should also be avoided, and light,
silly novels are very pernicious to the imaginative mind of the young.
On the other hand useful reading stores the mind with high and noble
thoughts, whence spring good and useful deeds.
Unfortunately there are a variety of morbid conditions to which the
female is liable, so that sexual desires arise in spite of every effort
to keep aloof from them--even though there is not the slightest guilt in
mental or bodily transgression. These are owing to disordered conditions
of the sexual system, just as other disorderly desires arise, and are
often _inherited_--remember this all parents!--or they may be caused by
some morbific influences, as are other diseased conditions of the body.
Many a time have I had pure-minded young ladies apply to me for medical
aid in these matters, confessing that they had impure thoughts which
they knew were wrong, but of which they could not rid themselves. In
such cases there are physical symptoms of some kind that incite these
thoughts and feelings. The proper medical and hygienic treatment always
restores order in such functional derangements and the sexual
disturbances of the mind disappear. I have repeatedly cured nymphomania
by curing physical, or constitutional symptoms. In one case which came
under my care, nymphomania appeared in a married woman in the seventh
month of her pregnancy, and so fearfully did her mania rage that it
threw her into convulsions. Her physical and sensational symptoms led me
to the choice of the medicine that cured her, so that she was happily
delivered of a fine, healthy child at full term and no trace of the
disease has ever appeared since. Too often young women err and give way
to such feelings in resorting to _self-abuse_ for relief, or to the
caresses of the opposite sex, when they are ruined forever. It is never
safe to temporize or to tamper in this way with such sensations. Women
have heads and brains, as well as men, and rational faculties, too.
Every digression allowed, only paves the way for others, with less and
less resistance, and more and more ruinous results. Let a judicious
physician be consulted at once in all cases where a morbid condition
seems to excite immoral thoughts and sensations.
The effects of self-abuse upon woman, is as disastrous as masturbation
upon males. A few hours after its commission, or the next day at
furthest, she feels languid and dragged out, sleepy, unfit for reading
anything solid, or studying, and unfit for social enjoyment with others;
she looks pale and haggard; often she feels giddy, particularly when
rising in the morning, with many other discomforts too numerous to
mention here. And is it true that some young ladies, the sweetest and
fairest of our race, play with one another in an immodest and indecent
way, teaching immorality to the pure and innocent? I fear it is, I
_know_ it is. Such things need not, must not, and will not be tolerated.
This little book will go about in all classes of society confirming and
strengthening the pure in heart in their purity and enlightening the
ignorant who will joyfully hail the good news; all will join hands in
one popular cry against indecencies and indulgences of an impure nature;
and the vilest man even will be taught to fear and respect the combined
world of chaste female influence. So it must be and eventually will be;
but woman, naturally pure and lovely woman! the greatest part of this
work must be done by you.
CHAPTER VI.
Marriage.
The Husband.
"And JEHOVAH GOD said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I
will make him a help meet for him. * * * * And JEHOVAH GOD brought the
woman unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his
mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh."--Gen. ii. 18, 22-24.
"The marriage of one man with one woman is therefore designed in our
very creation by Him who made us. The love which brings them together
and binds them together, flows into their minds from the Divine Love,
from the love which has operated hitherto, and which now operates, in
creating and forming a Heaven of human beings."
All young men, on arriving at the age of twenty-five, other
circumstances being favorable, should conform to the laws of Divine
order and marry. "Whom shall we marry? Young ladies now-a-days require
such an outfit and it costs so much to support a wife in the style she
wishes to live, or has been accustomed to, that, to say nothing of the
extra expense of children, we cannot afford to marry." This is a wrong
view to take, because pomp, style and show _are not the true objects of
marriage_! The married state is a duty and a great privilege, while its
uses are of the highest possible order physically, mentally and
spiritually. The love which brings the two together and which should
bind them together, requires only a comfortable home of respectable
appearance. Young married people should begin like young married people;
it is more orderly and more conducive to the welfare and true happiness
of each that, as time passes on, they build up their fortunes together,
each helping the other--thus affording new charms that no other course
will or can yield.
In the choice of a wife, a man should especially seek _congeniality_. He
should make the acquaintance of a young lady living and moving in the
same sphere of life as his own, such as is congenial to his tastes; he
should see her in company with other young people and observe how she
treats them; and particularly notice how she acts towards her father
and mother, brothers and sisters: for a good daughter and sister always
makes a good wife. Study closely her character, her mental discipline,
her tastes in reading and her mode of life generally. Above all, note
her disposition as to selfishness, whether she be determined and bent
upon having her own way in everything, or whether she is yielding and
thoughtful of the comfort and happiness of her associates. Remember that
in the married state there must be a mutual yielding to each other,
though not the sinking of the wife's identity, so that the combined life
of the two may become one harmonious whole. Observe what she thinks of
children and get her opinion as to how they should be brought up and
educated. Be sure that she is one who can be loved most tenderly, one
for whom a man can make any sacrifice in reason for her sake--for whom
one can deny himself any comfort, any and every passion, brave any
danger, and conquer every difficulty in his power, to make her life
happy and useful. One quality: Is she strictly virtuous? Is she chastity
itself in thought, word and deed? If you, young man, have been the same,
if you have held yourself in by "bit and bridle," as it were,--then, if
she reciprocates your love, you are at liberty to propose marriage to
her.
Before marriage, a young man takes great pains to make himself
attractive, is very attentive and polite, keeps up a genteel appearance
and is civility itself, that he may woo and win the young lady most
nearly approaching his ideal of feminine perfection, and the one most
nearly suited to his tastes and congeniality. After marriage he feels
that she is his, that she has pledged herself to this effect; and the
law has so decided; she is his, as he is hers, irrevocably. Now, young
man, do you mean to be loyal, to be her real husband until death
dissolves the allegiance? Then let nothing cool your ardor. Be as
watchful as when you were her wooer and even more so. Let nothing induce
you to swerve from your duty, to violate your vow or to betray your
trust. But ever be faithful and true. So may you be accounted worthy of
her choice as a husband and worthy to be enrolled among the respected
and honored fathers in our land. Heavier responsibilities rest upon you
now than before marriage. Your wife must be protected, supported and
cared for in every possible way, and you need to be even more careful to
retain her love than you were to win it. You are under heavy
responsibilities to your relatives and the community in which you live,
that your united lives bear such fruit as will be to all a delight.
Together, in your unity, you form as it were a tree; your united lives
throw out branches and leaves, buds and blossoms, and finally fruit in
its season; and every tree is known by its fruit. Bearing in mind the
high duties to which as a husband and a father you are called, seek not
to live for carnal pleasures. You have struggled manfully with yourself
and the world and have come up to this stage of your life pure and
uncontaminated; and that love which brought you two together, now flows
into your united lives from the Divine Love. Let that love continually
operate through you unitedly in creating new human beings who shall
ultimately serve to swell the grand army of the Angelic hosts in Heaven.
Some well-meaning and otherwise apparently good husbands, but not true,
form habits of staying from their homes during their leisure hours,
particularly in the evenings. They visit club houses, billiard rooms or
other places of amusement, leaving their wives at home. Such absences
distress a wife greatly, though her love often restrains any expression
of disapproval. These habits increase, she suffers more and more, loses
sleep on his account and her health fails. The husband's dissipations
grow upon him--all such desertions are dissipations when they become
habitual--until he loses all relish for the company of his faithful wife
and for the caresses of his young and lovely children, until finally to
stay at home a single evening is a restraint and unhappiness to him.
Where now is the plighted faith! Where now is the tree, its branches and
leaves with their buds and blossoms, and what is the fruit? Where now is
that pure love which he promised when they became united and which
should forever bind them together, and who has almost severed that love?
Has not the little that remains become merely carnal, on his part at
least? Where is that union of mind and communion of soul that lifts one
above sensualism; and without which, sensualism is the only link and
quality left to keep the two together, until death dissolves the union?
CHAPTER VII.
Marriage [continued].
The Wife.
Young ladies, why do you marry? Through infancy, childhood and
adolescence you have been watched over most tenderly and cared for most
lovingly; you have been protected and educated, and have been made as
happy under the paternal roof as circumstances would allow; and this
very book has been written largely on _your_ account. It has been the
custom from time immemorial, as it always will be, for girls to complete
their education and then to marry. But alas! how very few seem to
realize what married life really is and what will be expected in it;
what its duties and responsibilities are, or even what leads to
marriage. But to the question why do you even think of getting married?
The answer is, "Because it is inherent in the mind of every true female
character. It was ordained of God in her creation, spiritually,
mentally, and physically--from her inmost being to her complete
ultimation. It was in the very design of her creation that she should
love and be loved, that she should be sought after by the male sex, and
that she should become a wife and mother."
First, let us understand what "marriage" signifies. The word itself
has the same meaning as the Latin word _conjugium_ and represents
a conjunction or union together. Carried out to its higher or more
interior meaning, marriage signifies the joining of good and truth--the
"good" being represented by the woman and "truth" being represented by
the man. Hence it denotes the spiritual conjunction of minds, and thence
of bodies, in contradistinction to the merely natural conjunction or
joining together of bodies only. So, to secure a real marriage, there
must be a spiritual conjunction of minds; and the conjunction of bodies
in wedlock is simply the ultimation, or manifestation of spiritual
principles in marriage.
The true reason why girls marry is because they have an innate principle
of love for the male sex; and this love is drawn from the Lord above.
Consequently, it is pure, chaste, and when fully developed, very
powerful. In connection with this principle comes the desire to be
sought after and loved by a man of congenial character for whose dear
sake a woman is induced to leave father and mother, brothers and
sisters, to become the wife of him whom she can claim as her own dear
husband. This Heaven-born principle is what leads and induces the female
to assent to the marriage relation. For her own sake, for his sake as
well as for the sake of all parties concerned, this step should be taken
very carefully and only after mature consideration. Once married, there
is no escape from its lifelong duties and responsibilities. She must
yield to him whatever the marriage vow allows, that she may become a
_wife_ in the fullest sense of the term. Marriage is a sacred relation,
instituted by God Himself, and the sexual approach which follows between
husband and wife, is a special avowal of their relation to each other;
and so often as it is repeated it is a renewal of their obligations to
be faithful to each other. All sexuality is in the order of creation
and, coming from the Lord, serves for high and holy purposes. It was
_never_ intended for mere carnal pleasure; as such, it is the
profanation and perversion of a great boon to the human race. The man or
woman who perverts it must and will, sooner or later, suffer a penalty
equal to the transgression.
The husband rightfully expects to find in his wife, as a seal of the
marriage covenant, his greatest possible delight. It should be her
greatest delight to give him that pleasure; and if she loves her husband
according to her avowal, she will not fail to do this. The feeling, each
of the other's nearness--in thought, word and act, as though each one
were intertwined with the other in the most complete union, is a very
great delight; even indescribably great. The sexual act itself is really
a type of the perfect harmony in which the married pair should dwell
throughout their lives. It teaches a mutual yielding so that the
honeymoon, rising so beautifully and lovingly, may continue to wax
lighter and brighter and its fullness be attained in this world only at
the dissolution, by a natural death, of a union so orderly and happily
formed. It is in the very nature of the male to seek his mate; it is an
inborn principle for him to do so, and his health, even his life,
certainly his moral life, often depends upon an orderly and lawful
indulgence of what this inherent principle demands. The greatest
longevity and the best health are found among fathers and mothers;
thereby proving that orderly and well-regulated sexual intercourse is
just as necessary to the married couple as are the functional demands of
all other organs of the body. From the foregoing it may be plainly
inferred, that, if the wife of a chaste young man who has duly guarded
himself from his childhood up, until he has sought and wedded his mate,
fails to reciprocate cheerfully and pleasantly in the seal of connubial
affection, she proves a bitter disappointment to him. Not that he is
carnal, gross or beastly, no! The principle given him by his Creator and
residing in his pure and inmost soul has been violated by her in whom he
placed his life's confidence; she has proved _false_ to him in this
particular, one upon which their present and eternal welfare so largely
depends. Young ladies about to marry should be taught to understand this
matter most fully, in all its bearings. If they pervert marriage in
false practices, the love of God, conjugal love, and the love of
infants, the three holiest and noblest inspirations of life, perish
together. No woman then should ever marry without a full knowledge of
her duties to her husband, particularly in the sexual respect; for
without granting this privilege to her husband in full and free accord,
there _cannot_ be maintained a happy married life.
_The duties of marriage_, as a topic, embrace a vast field of thought;
and there is _so much_ to say thereon, so much advice to tender, so many
absolute commands to enjoin, so many warnings to utter, that it is with
difficulty I restrain myself from launching out diffusely in an attempt
to give the most important of these. But to so specifically particularize
is not the purpose of this book. Enough is said herein, I trust, to set
the reflective mind to thinking seriously on these matters and thereby
to awaken the conscience to a full sense of its duties. Quite too many
cases have come under my observation where the marriage vow has never
been consummated or, if consummated at all, in a very begrudging manner,
owing to the insubordination of the wife. Consequently dissatisfaction,
unhappiness and frequently a permanent separation follows, bringing
disgrace upon the family and scandal to their circle of friends. This is
not only wrong, but it is a most unpardonable vice. Sexuality has been
ordained by God in his wisdom as the means of creation. It exists
throughout all nature, in every tree, plant and shrub, in every animal
and insect; in every bird that flies, in every fish that swims, in every
man and woman. The very best and purest of husbands and wives, all the
world over, indulge in sexuality to their united satisfaction, in full
acknowledgment that it is of God and from God. Every wife who is
unreasonable or derelict in this _duty_ is untrue to her husband and
commits a sin against the God of Heaven and earth. Since, then,
sexuality is so evidently of Divine appointment, it should be committed
entirely to him in its effects.[I]
[I] See "In Health." By Dr. A. J. Ingersoll, Corning, N. Y.
If at any time the act prove fruitful and a child be born, it should be
considered as a great blessing and gift from God Himself. What is more
beautiful than to see a married couple engaged in rearing a new human
being destined to become an angel in Heaven! For this indeed is the
prime object of sexuality and of the marriage covenant. As has been well
said, life on earth is Heaven's seminary. And yet, so many wives, to
their shame be it said, use preventives to conception, thus attempting
to controvert the order of Nature and Nature's God; this is one of the
greatest crimes of the present age and vengeance will surely be taken on
every transgressor in this sacred matter. Such practice is secret vice
which little by little wears upon the inmost vital principle until the
perpetrators of such wrongs suffer untold misery in their physical
nature--often not even suspecting the cause of such sufferings.
"But there is yet another reason, and a very strong moral one, why the
wife should not remain childless. There can be no question that the
blood of the father mingles with that of the mother through the medium
of the child _in utero_. (Hence the transmission of blood-diseases from
husband to wife.) Hence the indelible impressions made upon a wife by
the father of her offspring--impressions, both mental and physical,
which by character or resemblance she often transmits to her children by
a second husband. Now, * * * * may not this account for the similarity
of character and identity of tastes, and, indeed, for that wonderful
personal resemblance, which sometimes develops between husband and wife?
And does not this requisite alone fulfil the Divine interpretation of
marriage, that 'they are no more twain but one flesh?'"[J]
[J] Wm. Goodell, M. D., "Lessons in Gynecology," P. 442.
After marriage a new order of life is entered upon by the wife, and her
family matters should subordinate all other schemes and projects of her
future existence. Her main thought and study should now be, "How can I
best fulfil these new duties and responsibilities? First, my dear
husband! how can I be a true help-meet to him? Here we two are to be
one, a new _punctum saliens_, and every act of ours will bear the image
of our united lives. No matter what may happen, I will be true to my
matrimonial vow and to my God; for I am in His hands and my dear
husband's." A married life begun in this way, with such resolutions
sincerely and studiously kept, will secure a life full of happiness and
privileges beyond the fondest hope and expectation. When pregnancy
occurs, just as soon as the fact be suspected, the little embryo should
be regarded as already a member of the family. Every act of each parent
should now be performed in some degree with reference to the forth-coming
infant. The mother's thoughts particularly should be directed to it as
much as possible whilst performing the uses of life. She should read
much that is elevating and ennobling in character as this serves a good
purpose in producing a more perfect, more healthy and more brilliant
child. Let her read such books as "Elements of Character" by Miss
Chandler; "Growth of the Mind" by S. Reed; "Sex in Education" by E. H.
Clarke, M. D.; also, "Wear and Tear" by S. Weir Mitchell, M. D.; and any
other books of like character. Do not forget that the education of the
child begins _in utero_.
During gestation the mother should subsist as far as possible upon
fruit, vegetables and a farinaceous diet--always plain and without
spices. Plenty of active exercise is indispensable and the use of a
"Health Lift" will be found most beneficial. When the nine months are
completed, under care of a competent physician, the birth of the child
will be accomplished with but comparatively little pain, and its
attendant dangers and difficulties will be greatly lessened.
CHAPTER VIII.
Marriage [concluded].
Husband and Wife.
To preserve the marriage vow inviolate, the same pure love that brought
the two together should be cultivated by home uses and home amusements
such as readings, games, conversation, etc. If the wife have needle
work, let the husband read or talk to her; if he be a literary man, let
her presence cheer him on and inspire him to nobler and more refined
productions. What was done during courtship that made time pass so
rapidly and so pleasantly? Was every topic so discussed and used up that
nothing is now left for an exchange of views? Is carnal pleasure to be
the only binding tie? Such a life is not very pure and only a poor use
can be made of it. Topics of interest to a married pair should be
innumerable and their pleasures inexhaustible. Home is the soil in which
the tree is to grow; and the richer the soil, the better for the tree,
and the more numerous will be the branches, all of them vigorously
developing buds and leaves, blossoms and fruit, which will be most
fragrant, beautiful and useful. When amusement outside of home is sought
let it be, as far as possible, of a nature that both may enjoy it
equally.
Husband and Wife! He, being of larger mould in every particular, in
head, chest, and all the vital organs, is the provider, the protector,
the guardian of his home; he, the masculine, or representative of the
Truth, is to lead the way in conducting home or business affairs. She,
the feminine, or representative of the Good, inclines to the good way
continually; and, as married partners, Good and Truth should be married
in them. There cannot be a true evil way nor a good false way; there can
only be a true good way and a good true way. So the wife, the good, must
conjoin herself to her husband, the truth, in order that every truth may
result in good; and the husband, the truth, should seek to be conjoined
to the wife, the good, that every good may become true. In this there is
much wisdom: if the husband be truly wise he will always be sure that
all his projects are tempered with good; while if the wife be truly
good, all her doings will be enlightened by truth. As hand in hand they
thus go through life's planning and doing, the husband will always be
assisted by his good, the wife; and the wife will be led on in good by
her truth, the husband. By taking this high and holy ground, there will
be experienced pleasure and happiness by the married couple, far
transcending all other modes of life in existence. Then will each and
every organ in the body be seen to have a fitness, a place, and a use
which could not possibly be dispensed with, because, each and all these
organs have an originating cause in the mental and spiritual parts of
mankind, from which they proceed and from which they exist. Thus we see
how wrong, how frightfully wrong it is to abuse, or pervert the use of,
_any_ of these physical organs which are so sacred and so important to
the welfare of the human family. "Dishonor the body, the temple of the
soul, and you dishonor the soul." "If any man defile the temple of God,
him will God destroy."--I. Cor. 3:17.
When married, the battle for one united and harmonious life really
begins. The wife's great and supreme love for her husband personally,
will allow many privileges which under other circumstances her timidity
and chastity would refuse. Tenderly and with great consideration should
these privileges be accepted. For, contrary to the opinion of many men,
there is no sexual passion on the part of the bride that induces her to
grant such liberties. Then how exquisitely gentle and how forbearing
should be the bridegroom's deportment on such occasions! Sometimes such
a shock is administered to her sensibilities that she does not recover
from it for years; and in consequence of this shock, rudely or
thoughtlessly administered, she forms a deeply rooted antipathy against
the very act which is the bond and seal of a truly happy married life.
These sexual unions serve to bring the married pair into a perfectly
harmonious relation to each other. And just as tenderly, lovingly and
harmoniously should they join in each and all the daily uses of life
which they are called upon to perform. The sexual relation is among the
most important uses of married life; it vivifies the affections for each
other, as nothing else in this world can, and is a powerful reminder of
their mutual obligations to one another and to the community in which
they live. Indulgence, however, should not be too frequent, lest it
debilitate the pair and undermine their health. The bridegroom and
husband should carefully watch over his bride and wife to see that she
is not a sufferer and should govern himself accordingly. It is better
that these renewed obligations should be made at stated periods, as man
is governed so much by habit. As a rule, once or twice a week, or in
some cases once in two weeks, is sufficient; but once a week will
suffice in many cases for healthful purposes. During the menstrual flow
there should be an entire cessation of the conjugal act. When pregnancy
occurs it is in most cases, more healthful and better for the expectant
mother to allow intercourse at regular times, very gently, throughout
her gestation.
The object of marriage is the ultimation of that love which brings the
two together and binds them together, in the procreation and rearing of
children for Heaven. This is the only true aim and sole object about
which every earthly desire, interest and plan of the married pair should
cluster.
_As to the question of child-bearing._ No greater crime in the sight
of Heaven exists to-day than that of perverting the natural uses of
marriage. This is done in a great variety of ways, every one of which
is criminal, in whatever form practised; and none will escape the
penalty--no, not one. Nature's laws are inexorable; every transgression
thereof is surely punished, even at the _climacteric period_, if not
before. The questions of failing health, of physical inability, or too
frequent conceptions are matters for the investigation, advice and
decision of an experienced, judicious and upright physician. They should
never be taken in hand and judged upon by the parties themselves. And
to the objection "can't afford to have children; they cost too much," I
have faith enough to reply, "Our Heavenly Father never sends more mouths
than he can feed." Let each one do his and her duty in life and this
cavil falls to the ground like water--which, when spilled, cannot be
gathered up.
Good people everywhere rejoice when they behold a married couple living
together in an orderly manner and rearing a large family of children.
How often is Queen Victoria held up as a pattern of excellence in this
respect: she accepted and acknowledged Prince Albert as her husband and
gave herself to him as his wife; and so indeed she was in every sense of
the term. Although a Queen, sitting on the pinnacle of power, she did
not seek to avoid the pangs, the dangers or inconveniences of
child-bearing. By her own personal strength her twelve children were
brought forth and her own sensitive fibres and tissues felt the
suffering. She nursed, caressed and loved them like a good mother and
she was a _royal mother_! Other kings and queens have done likewise;
other husbands and wives, high in power, wealth and fashion have done
and are still doing the same. And how much the less should we, in the
humbler walks of life, obey the Divine command "Be fruitful and
multiply."
If a husband truly loves his wife and if she truly loves him, they will
live for each other and in each other, and they will be one; and they
will seek to do right in every particular of their marital relation.
To apply to life the truths advanced above and to realize them, will
require great effort by the parties in question. This manner of life
will not come of itself; it is too good to come without working for.
Mutual concessions must be made daily, and several times a day; one's
own way must frequently be given up, and always when discovered to
be a selfish way, because the mutual good is always to be consulted.
Questions of importance should be discussed freely and dispassionately,
and a good reason be established before adopting actions that may not
lead to proper results. In the marriage co-partnership the interest
in the right and the wrong, the loss and the gain, the lights and the
shadows, the pleasures and the pains, should be equally shared; because
they concern one just as much as the other, and should be equally
enjoyed, and equally borne by both.
A start is made with loving hearts and this state of affairs must never
be allowed to diminish. The husband should ever be glad to see his wife,
and the wife should ever be glad to see her husband. How many husbands
never know what reception they will meet with on returning home after
their anxious and exhausting business hours are over for the day; it may
be a happy or a very unhappy one. How much it consoles, encourages,
lifts up, and rests a man to return to his home after the trying scenes
of a day busily spent in providing for the support of his family are
over, to find his wife affectionate and serene, and all about the house
brilliant with contentment. Such a wife if she has troubles, and of
course she has just as many troubles as the husband, though of a
different kind, and wishes to call the attention of her husband to them,
will do it at a proper time, when she knows it will annoy him the least,
and when he will be able to give her the most assistance. She will never
try to annoy him; but endeavoring to be a true help-meet will seek in a
proper and loving way to get him to be the same to her. The wife will
gain and command the respect of her husband only through kind and
loving ways. By her love constantly and judiciously administered she
will lead him onward and upward to higher aspirations and better
circumstances in life, throughout their days of united existence. A
scolding, fretting, worrying and selfish wife has ruined for life many
a husband.
All the "self-denial" however, as it is called by some, is not on the
wife's side; the husband too must be forbearing; he must remember on his
way home at night that his faithful wife, who has been at home all day,
has had trials and disappointments in her domestic affairs; and he must
not be disappointed to find domestic arrangements a little disordered,
and his wife somewhat chagrined that, under the circumstances, she
really could give him no better a reception than he may experience. He
must always try to make the best of it and be satisfied. He must not
find fault with the cooking, for instance, but must be perfectly content
with everything as it is until his well-managing wife has had time to
overcome her difficulties and troubles.
Never find fault with your wife under any circumstances; let your
intellect discover a way to better things if need be. A really wise man
will never allow a harsh word to escape his lips to a loving wife, or
to his harmless children. By so living together a wise husband and a
loving wife will soon discover that they two are but complemental to
each other--like the Will and Understanding of one individual.
CHAPTER IX.
TO THE UNFORTUNATE.
Let no one imagine that, because he or she has committed any of the
great errors enumerated in former chapters, there is no hopeful future.
Such a conclusion need not, necessarily, be accepted. In very many cases
where there is a _will_ to reform, there is also a _way_; and very often
a complete cure and restoration to health may be effected. Diseased
bones may be made sound; ulcerations healed; sore throats cured;
blemishes on the skin removed; urinary difficulties may be dissipated or
at least greatly ameliorated; sexual disorders remedied; impaired eyes
much improved and defective vision much benefited if not wholly
restored; the auditory apparatus helped if not fully cured; and the
distracted mind, with its fanciful imageries, rendered tranquil and
rational.
To accomplish all this the _mind_ must lead the way. The brain must
assert its supremacy, and the will-power become absolute. It is only
where there is a will, an indomitable will, that a way out of these
direful difficulties is afforded. Let happen what may, no opposing
influences should dampen the determination to press forward to
reformation; and then, sooner or later, the conquest will be made.
To begin with, when the mind is fully determined to overcome all
obstacles or perish in the attempt, consult a judicious physician as
advised in the preface of this book. Lose no time with quackery in any
shape or form. Do not be beguiled by those who promise "a speedy cure."
Speedy cures cannot be made in these cases. Strong determination to
improve aided by proper medication can, in bad cases, only restore a
healthful condition in from two to three years. The system requires to
be made over anew as it were. The current of life must be turned into
new channels. New thoughts and new blood must be made to take the place
of what were wrong and polluted. This will take time and perseverance;
and then, little by little the old enemies will be overcome and driven
out. But progress for the better must be measured only from month to
month and even then there may be apparent relapses. Let me however
asseverate, from my abundance of experience in these cases, that there
is ultimately, after a reasonable time, every hope of becoming sound
and healthy again.
Many young persons are rendered quite distracted by the sexual
instinct being too strong. It infests them and goads them on to the
commission of further unseemly acts--though suffering much from past
transgressions--which it seems almost impossible to avoid. The sensation
haunts and clings to them day and night, in spite of every attempt to
rise superior thereto. Sometimes nocturnal pollutions, or "wet dreams,"
as they are commonly termed, result from these or other causes. There
must be some cause for this state of things and a rigid examination into
one's mode of life should ascertain the same. It may come from errors in
diet, in eating or drinking; in the use of highly seasoned food; or the
taking of some medicinal drug substance. It is well known that many
drugs have the power of producing such a condition. Should any of the
above seem to act as causes, a change should be made at once. The
plainest diet and simplest mode of life is always best in sickness or in
health. Again, one may take too little exercise in the open air. If so,
an abundance of physical exertion should be made daily, to insure a
natural and healthy condition of all organs of the body. Or, uncomfortable
conditions may arise, as they often do, from some morbid condition of
the vital forces. If diet and exercise are insufficient, the judicious
physician should be consulted and every symptom or unnatural sensation
from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, should be carefully
described to him. In all probability he will remedy the trouble, thus
restoring peace and happiness. The generative organs are as liable to be
affected by a morbid state of the vital forces, as are any other organs
of the body; and when so affected they are just as amenable to
treatment.
The above condition of affairs is not, however, confined to the male
sex. Females often suffer equally and in the same way. Many young
persons, of both sexes, have fallen victims to these disorders who could
have been cured by proper medical treatment. A female suffering from the
ill effects of any bad habit contracted in youth, or from any sexual or
venereal disorder, should seek medical aid with the same promptness and
openness of heart as a male. To overcome the vicious habit of self-abuse
is no trifling matter; it will require the persistent application of
indomitable will, aided by Christianity--by oft repeated appeals to the
Lord for aid, who lends a willing ear and a helping hand to the poor
and needy. When reformation is determined upon, it is better to consult
a physician at once and act under his advice. Besides directing the
proper diet and plenty of vigorous exercise in the open air, he will
prescribe the proper medicament.
Cases of real syphilitic poisoning are most serious affections, and
everyone should know of the fearful effects of this poison--how
searchingly it infests the whole system, and how it contaminates the
blood and every tissue in the body. Such cases, therefore, should not be
trifled with in any way. Advertised nostrums should be particularly
avoided. For, if this poison be simply smothered in one's blood instead
of being wholly eradicated and cured, it will be sure to seize upon the
offspring and either destroy them before birth or during dentition. The
bare fear of such contamination should be amply sufficient to deter
everyone from exposing him- or herself to the risk. But, having fallen,
by all means seek the aid of a judicious physician. An experience of
nearly forty years in the treatment of these cases, in both sexes, has
given me the power to know whereof I speak; and I do declare that a very
large percentage of these cases can be cured in a safe manner; and so
perfectly cured too, that there will be no danger of transmitting the
infection to the offspring. I, by no means stand alone in this statement;
many other physicians, after long years of experience assert the same
truth.
Therefore, let no one be discouraged, no matter how far he, or she, has
strayed from the paths of virtue or how much suffering has been entailed
thereby. In connection with the physician's help, aid yourself. Have
courage! Let the invincible will lead on unflinchingly--upheld by pure
thoughts, and good actions will surely follow. "Desire is really
dangerous only when it brings voluptuous pictures incessantly before the
imagination. It thus holds a thousand conflicts with virtue which it
conquers in the end; it installs itself in the bosom of the intelligence
of which it becomes the habitual pre-occupation." Seek therefore for
only pure thoughts.
We should at all times exert all the power within us to live correct and
blameless lives in every respect, but particularly so in sexual matters.
The happiness, the health, and the lives of families and communities are
far more largely dependent upon these matters than is commonly supposed.
Those who have led lives of blameless purity, will continue to do so
after reading this book; while those who have gone astray will here find
every encouragement to set about their reformation at once. If faithful
to the teachings recorded in these pages they will bless the day and the
occasion that inspired the writer to put his hand to this work. The God
of Heaven and Earth knows that the motive that led me to this undertaking
was pure, and as solely for the good of humanity, as that purity which
prompts a human being to live a blameless life in the sight of his Maker.
CHAPTER X.
ORIGIN OF THE SEX.
From Whence does the Sex Proceed and What Determines It?
So much has been written about this matter, and so many foolish, low,
and really debasing theories and speculations have been advanced in
relation thereto, that I deem it expedient at this time, and in this
place, to put forth the true theory of the reproduction of the sexes,
one that can endure the test of the most rigid scientific investigation.
The only theory upon this subject worthy of notice, must be based upon a
principle that will hold good and true throughout all animated nature,
not only in the animal, but in the vegetable kingdom as well.
The earth is the common mother of the vegetable world; seeds of all
kinds fall into her and she brings forth male and female plants
according to the seeds planted. The _earth_ certainly does not give the
sex to plants for they come forth according to the life inherent in the
seed; if this life-force be male, the plant must be male; and if the
life-force of the seed be female, the product must be a female plant.
The earth can possibly bring forth no other sex than that which the
life-force of the seed impels.
This is true in the animal creation. Within the female grows the seed
given her by the male, be it male or female, and she can grow none
other. In other words the male as is very evident on mature reflection
gives the soul or the inmost vital principle, and the female clothes
that soul, or gives it a body in which to operate. What else can the
male do; what office does he perform, if it is not strictly this: to
impart of his life-giving spirit! The mother in clothing this germ of
life commingles, intertwines, and insinuates her own spirit, at the same
time educating, instructing, and determining its development according
to the influence she imparts to it. So the offspring partakes largely of
the nature of both its parents. The determination as to whether he
begets a male or female depends entirely upon the inmost vital state of
the male at the time of giving, although he is unconscious of the fact,
so that he can have no choice and no regulation, as some writers most
absurdly claim, in the matter of the forth-coming sex. He determines or
produces it unconsciously and involuntarily, the mother simply receiving,
clothing, and issuing from her body what the father has given her.
It must not be forgotten when exploring these deep subjects that man is
a spiritual being, clothed with a material body, that his spirit is his
inmost, and that what proceeds from him in the generative act has life
from his inmost; consequently the life-giving principle of his semen is
from his inmost, which constitutes its life-giving power. This inmost
from the male, the begetting power, is clothed by his seminal fluid for
an All-wise purpose; it is not the gross material, the clothing, that
begets, but the living power which this material contains, which
fructifies, or becomes conjoined, or commingled with the vital force of
the ovule of the mother,[K] so that she can clothe it; and when so
conjoined the germ, or seed, is planted in congenial soil. Conception
has thus really taken place by virtue of this act, and the animal mother
proceeds with her reproduction precisely upon the same general
principles that mother earth reproduces corn from a single kernel.
[K] See Guernsey's Obstetrics, 3d edition, on Reproduction.
It is universally acknowledged that the Lord creates, that we owe all to
Him, that He gives us our children, etc., etc. This is true, and it is
also true that He makes use of the parents, through whom he operates to
this end. By the constant influx of his Divine Love and Wisdom He gives
us life, and by virtue of this constant influx into the father who
begets, the mother's conception becomes doubly sacred. She conceives
from her husband, and at the same instant the Lord by virtue of His
Divine Power breathes into that conception the breath of life, whereby
it becomes a living soul. By the light of this truth we see that it is
not the parents who give life to their offspring. They only supply the
pure material substances which are organized into the human form by the
living and life-giving forces which constantly flow in from the Lord who
is life itself and from whom all life constantly emanates.
INDEX.
"Abuse," self, definition of, 60
Adolescence of the female, 68
" characteristics of, in females, 68
" time of, in females, 27
" of the male, 42
" pride of in the male, 51
" of male, changes observable, 42, 43
" time of, in the male, 27
Amorous, females not naturally, 78, 103
Applications, in worm affections, 33
Ascarides, 33
Bannisters, injurious to slide down, 29
Chastity, what is true, 36
" difficulty of maintaining, 53, 64
" needful in both sexes, 63
" difficulty of regaining, 56
" should be maintained, 55
Child-bearing, the question of, 104
" prevention of, 104
Childhood, 27
Children, let them romp, play, &c., 39
" sleep of, 40
" weight of at birth, 21
Coffee, use of by children, 36
Conception, 15
Continence not hurtful, 54, 55
" physiologically considered, 57, 64
Diapers for children, choice of, 25
Diet of the mother, during gestation, 98
Embryo, earliest stage of, 15
Evil, first step of, 45, 61
Fathers, injurious actions of, 25
Females, self-abuse in, 76, 82
" dangers and temptations of, 77, 81
" from fourteen to eighteen years, 69
" naturally not amorous, 78, 103
Feminine charms, to preserve, 75
Foetal development, recapitulation of, 21, 22
Genital organs, care of in infancy, 24
" " uses of, 52, 59
Health Lift beneficial, 99
Hope for the fallen, 110
Husband, advice to, 87
" not to find fault, 108
" represents "The Truth," 101
Incontinent, trials of the, 56
Infant, the, 24
Insane asylums, who are there, 50
Introductory chapter, 13
Licentiousness, perception of by the female, 63
Life, all, comes from the LORD, 120
LORD, the, alone creates, 119
Marriage; act, the, 79, 80
" the husband, 84
" the wife, 90
" conduct of a man before and after, 87, 88
" the duties of, 94
" true meaning of the word, 91
" vow, the, 92
Married life, how to begin, 85
" true love in, 106
Marry, men should, 84
" why do girls, 90, 91
Masturbation, symptoms of, 34, 60
" taught in schools, at home, &c., 34
Mechanical means, in worm affections, 33
Menstruation; and care during, 70, 73
" not an inconvenience, 71
Mind, strength of, needful in reformation, 110
Nurses, vicious practices of, 25
Opiates should be avoided, 24
Origin of the Sex, 117
Penis, secretions forming on, 30, 31
Pin worms, 33
Pollutions, nightly, causes of, 65
" produced by drugs, 66
Poor houses, who the inmates are, 50
Preface, 9
Pregnancy, beginning of, 15
" fifth week of, 16
" seventh week of, 16
" two months of, 17
" ten weeks of, 17
" third month of, 18
" fourth month of, 19
" fifth month of, 19
" sixth month of, 19
" seventh month of, 20
" eighth month of, 20
" ninth month of, 21
Prepuce, long, 31
Prevention of child bearing, 104
Preventives to conception, 96
Priapism, in boys, 30
Prisons, who the inmates are, 50
Pure thoughts, necessity for, 59, 115
Purgatives in worm affections, 33
Queen Victoria, in child bearing, 105
" " a Royal mother, 105
Self-Abuse, to overcome, 113
Seminal fluid, 65
Sex, man powerless to regulate, 118
" origin of the, 117
Sexual act, the, in marriage, 92, 94, 102
" act, the frequency of, in marriage, 104
" disorders come from within, 32
" impressions on children, causes producing, 29
" impressions should never affect a child, 27
" instinct too strong, 112
" intercourse, illicit, dangers of, 46, 47
" intercourse, illicit, should not be recommended by a
physician, 55, 57
" matters, use of good information on, 34
" organs, earliest discernment of, 18
" organs, needless laving, handling, &c., 31
" precocity in children, 28
" precocity in children, case illustrating, 28
" temptations, to conquer, 56, 59, 62, 63
" thoughts, influence of, 46, 53
Soothing syrups, avoidance of, 24
Spermatorrhoea, causes of, 65
" caused by drugs, 66
Syphilis, 47, 48
" mental effects of, 49
Syphilitic poisoning, 114
Syringes, 73, 75
Syrups, soothing, avoidance of, 34
Tea, use of, by children, 36
Tobacco, use of, by children, 36
Unfortunate, to the, 110
Urinate, inability to, in the morning, 32
Vaginal injections, 73
Vermifuges, in worm affections, 33
Washings, uselessness of, 38, 39
Weight of children at birth, 21
"Wet dreams," causes of, 65
Wife, choice of, 85
" represents "The Good," 101
" should allow the sexual act, 92, 94, 95
" to be considerate, 107
Will power, man should be governed by the, 43
Wine, use of by children, 36
Worms, 33
" are of constitutional origin, 33
[ Transcriber's Note:
The following is a list of corrections made to the original. The first
line is the original line, the second the corrected one.
practically qualified, both by inherent qualities and education for the
practically qualified, both by inherent qualities and education, for the
Origin of the Sex 117
Origin of the Sex, 117
heighth of sexual orgasm is reached, ejaculation of semen occurs and
height of sexual orgasm is reached, ejaculation of semen occurs and
as inflamations, excoriations, itchings and swellings of the genital
as inflammations, excoriations, itchings and swellings of the genital
low. _The same thinking, feeling and desiring preceeds the adoption of
low. _The same thinking, feeling and desiring precedes the adoption of
view to take, because, pomp, style and show _are not the true objects of
view to take, because pomp, style and show _are not the true objects of
Some well-meaning and otherwise apparrently good husbands, but not true,
Some well-meaning and otherwise apparently good husbands, but not true,
Young ladies why do you marry? Through infancy, childhood and
Young ladies, why do you marry? Through infancy, childhood and
everyone from exposing him--or herself, to the risk. But, having fallen,
everyone from exposing him- or herself to the risk. But, having fallen,
Children, sleep of, 40
" sleep of, 40
Husband, advice to 87
Husband, advice to, 87
" seventh week of 16
" seventh week of, 16
Sex, origin of the, 117
" origin of the, 117
" temptations, to conquer 56, 59, 62, 63
" temptations, to conquer, 56, 59, 62, 63
]
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