Man Than Hub

MAN H OO D
A D
MA RRI AGE
B E RNARR C FAD D E N
A U H OR
T M C DD E ’
OF éT O m O P H Y C
A FA N s CU CL PE A F SI AL L
TU ER V
“
u Y SUITA M T
" H
OW DPR E OE,MU “
R TO 1 4 FL P SC U L A
P O WER A D B U Y P O WE R
,
" “
BU D "
N TH
EA T V E IL ING OF I T AL
AN D O H ER WO R "
,
S ON H E
T H AN D S X ALT E
N E W YOR "C I T Y
P H YSI C A L CU L TU RE PU BLI SH I N G C O .
F L AT I R ON B U I L D I N G
D E D I C A T I ON
T h e w ag es of sin is dea th .
( R o mans VI 23)
T his b oo k endea v o rs t o raise up th e fallen t o
,
sh ed t he lig h t o f k no w ledg e w h ere o nly t h e
darkness of the vilest p rudery reigns t o ,
plac e h ea lt h o f b o dy a nd puri ty o f mind

wi thin th e rea ch o f e v ery human so ul
no w strugg ling in th e mire o f w e ak
ness disease ment a l and moral
, ,
filth A nd to men who ha ve

.
b een to rtured a lmo st b ey o nd

mo rtal endurance as the
resul t of igno ranc e and
sin , at times w el
co med unkno w
i g ly t his b o o k
n ,
is rev erent ly
dedi cated .
PREFACE
We are living in a remarkable perl o d The .
developments and vicissitudes o f modern life and

’
o ur disregard o f nature s laws have combined t o
produce a state o f di sease and su ff ering the ex
"
tent Of which will shock those no t informed .
Ask any doctor Examine the records O f any

city o r o f any hospital see the startling statistics
, , .
The O lder civilizations Oriental and Euro

,
pean have learned to cope with these conditions ;

,
ou r struggles are restricted by the pru di shness
and superfi cialit y o f those who say “why talk

of such things Our Public Health auth o ri
.
ties as instanced by the Portland Oregon B oard ,
Of Health and the Indiana State Board o f

Health have been awakened to the realization o f
,
the enormous inr oads upon public health through

the lack o f sex knowledge and sex hygiene and ,
are accomplishing marvelous good through their

educational activities .
This book has been written by o ne who has

"
made the sub ect a life study but it is no t worth
,
a cent nor a moment O f the time O f any o ne to

,
whom knowledge o n these subj ects is of no im

portance .
Extraordinary difficulties were encountered in

the preparation O f this book A large part o f
.
PREFACE
the details dis cussed within its pages are too o f

ten classed as unmentionable Thi s prudish at .
t itude has been the di rect cause Of misery pa in , ,
and weak ness that have scourged their victims

,
beyond the power o f description But the truth .
is mighty and truth that is pitif t

, and tragi
cally needed to assuage pains to overcome weak ,
ness and defeat death cannot with intelli gence

, ,
be ignored o r suppressed T hi s book is literally

.
crammed with plain information o f this sort It .
is w ritten for the thousands who are in dire need

o f this special k nowledge It does not c at er t o
’
th e pruriency o f th e curious it does not dwell,
o n any so called forbidden topic except for the

-
,
purpose o f disseminating important life saving ,

-
information Sometimes it is necessary to speak

.
plainl y. Plain talk is most terribly needed in

conn ection with this vastly important theme .
We have realized however that the pur pose of

, ,
thi s book might be misunderstood that in our ,
enthusiasm we might present important truths

in a manner which might possibly be considered
by those not aware of o ur o b j ect as o ffensive , .
In order to avoid a possible mistake o f this

sort extreme precaution has been taken We
,
.
asked a prominent Sunday School official in one

o f the largest States in the Uni on to go over the ,
book carefully and change any statement therein

,
that coul d possibly o ffend even the most fas

t idio us reader After doing so he stated that
. ,
he could find nothing that could 111 any way be

VI
PREFACE
termed Obj ectio nab le He suggested various

.
changes however which he thought might make

, ,
the book more acceptable t o those w h o had no t

previously studied this sub3ect Al l the changes
suggested by this religious teacher—w h o is pra e
.
tically a specialist in directing the growing

minds o f youths—were made Also we asked .
a well known minister who has given a great

-
deal O f time to what is known as purity work ,
to read the book and suggest changes that he

might think appropriate All the changes .
thought desirable by this progressive clergyman

were made .
Believing that another phase o f the book

might be questioned we sought the opinion o f
"
,
medical men regarding that side O f the sub ect .
Their verdict was satisfactory in every detail .
They agreed with the author that the methods

o f treatment recommended could be depended
upon to the extent indicated and that the way t o

defeat disease is through knowledge .
We therefore feel that in sending o ut this

, ,
book we are not only presenting extraordinary

important truths but that they are set forth in
,
a manner that even to the most sensitive o r prud

ish mind will not be in the slightest degree Oh
j ect io nab le
.
Manhood of a superior degree is o f truly ex

t r a o rdinary value It is an asset beyond price
. .
Thousands o f young men and those that are no t

,
young can be wonderfully benefited by care

,
vii
PREFACE
fully following the instructions t o be found in

t h e pages o f this volume. May it go o ut and
carry its important truths to every human soul
struggling f o r the light so sorely needed amid
‘
the pitfalls o f life ’s pathway

.
C O NTENT S
C HAP T E R
PR EFAC E
TH E I M P OR T A N C E O F VIRI L IT Y ’
A M I A C OM P L E T E M AN ?
I S M A RRI AGE A N ECE SS IT Y ?
TH E A GE T O M ARR Y
S E L EC TI NG A WI F E
L O VE M A "
-
I NG A ND I T S D ANGE R S
E S T AB L I S H I NG T H E I N TI M A T E RE L A TI O N S
M ARRI AGE
M ARIT A L M I S T A"E S AND E X CE SS E S
REG U L A TI NG M A RIT A L I N TI M AC I E S
S HO UL D H US BAND A ND WI FE OCC U P Y S E P A
AT E B ED ?
R S
C O N SE R I NG L O E—TH E B A S I S
V V M A RI OF
T A L H A PP I NE SS
X II A M AN ’S D Y TO WARD A PR EGNAN T WI FE
UT 70
X III S HO ULD H US BAND S B PR E S EN T A T C H I D
E L
B IRT H ? .
AR E C HI LD R EN A L WAY S D E SI R AB L E ?
TH E C RI M E O F A B O RTI O N
D I V O R CE P H YS I O L O GI CA LL Y C O N S I DE R ED
C AN A WR EC "ED M A RRI AGE B E REC L A I M ED
TH E E RRI NG WI FE
"E A L O USY—TH E GR EEN E YED M O N STE R
-
ix
CONTENTS
C H A PTE R P AGE
QU A RR E LL I NG AND M A " I NG U P
-
S O WI NG WI L D OA T S
H o w VIRI L IT Y I S D E S TR O YED
TH E T R U T H A B O U T M A S T U R BA TI O N
S E M I NA L L O SS E S
TH E P L A I N F AC T S A B O U T VA RI C O CE L E
TH E T R O U B L E S OM E PR O S T A T E G L AND
I M P O T ENCE A ND A LL I ED S E XU A L WEA "
NE SSE S
XXV III STE RI L ITY

XX I X H w T O B U I L D VIRI L ITY
o
XXX E XE R C I SE S F O R B U I LD I NG VIRI L ITY

XXX I F OO D S TH A T H E L P T O B U I LD VIRI L E
ST A M I NA
XXX I I D S EA S E S O F M EN—TH E I H OM E T R EAT
-
I R
301
XXX III TH E PR E V EN TI O N OF VENE R E A L D I S EA S E 3 36
XXX I V VARI OU S P R OB L E M S OF YOU N G ME N 34 9

M A N H O O D AN D
MA R R I AG E
CHAPTER I
T h e I mpo rt ance of Vi rili t y
0 one can estimate the value of strong man

hood I t is a physical asset that is beyond
.
valuation and beyond price Vigorous

,
.
manhood may come to one naturally through in?

heritance and in the first flush O f youth o ne may
,
enj oy the turbul ent exaltation that comes with

the supreme force o f superb virility without giv
ing any special thought t o the matter ; but you
can rest assured that if this S plendid possession
is retained even to middle age you must have ad
,
hered at least t o a reasonable degree t o the laws

, ,
that govern the retention o f manly powers

The advantage of being a perfect man—vigor
.
o us
, , "
resourceful fearless Who can describ e
it ? Can w e attempt t o define this glorious pos
"
session in mere words ? N O Manh ood is the
crow ning glory o f a masculine career Some .
reach the z eni th o f its splendid heights through

good birth Others less fortunate are com
.
, ,
pe lled t o a certain extent to develop these valu

, ,
able powers But whether you have cultivated

.
MANHOOD AND MARRIAGE
'
and developed them o r have come b y them

,
through the blessing o f vigorous inheritance the ,
importance of the knowledge associated with the

development and maintenanc e o f virile manhood
cannot be too strongly emphasized Every man .
should desire to kno w the rules o f health which

favor the building O f a high degree o f virility .
He should know those laws which must be Oh

served in order to retain his manhood There is .
no phase Of life in which knowledge is more sadly

needed .
In taking up a subj ect o f this character it is

necessary in the first place that we should ap
, ,
proach it from the proper point of view It is .
absolutely essential that we sh o uld regard it with

pure minds rather than from the militant moral
ity and foul minded viewpoint O f the prude
- .
The impure mental attitude toward sex and sex

problems with the prudery and ignorance that
,
have grown o ut o f it has been responsible for

,
more human su ffering weakness and trage dy

,
than all t he wars o f the world .
“
T O the pure in heart all things are pure
, .
But to the prude the most sacred facts o f life are

vulgar and impure Prudery is simply the ex
.
pression o f an unclean state o f mind suppressed

artificially and m its very nature depends upon
pruriency and a perverted mental attitude toward
the most holy O f all functions The more con.
s icuo us the pose o f prudery as a r ule the

p , ,
greater is the impurity o f mind thereby indicated .
Remember that there is nothing and can be

9
IMP ORTAN CE OF VIRILITY
nothing inherently unclean in sex The sexual .
life is Simply o ne o f the great forces O f nature .
It represents merely the divine plan by which

life is perpetuated upon the e arth If there is .
anything sacred in this world it is surely the ,
function o f reproduction It is the highest o f .
all functions It is the most important o f all

.
fun ctions These facts are beyond the po ssr

.
b ility o f contradiction And f o r this reason

.
there can be nothing inh erently evil in sex pas

sion Let us have a clear and definite under
.
standing upon this point The sex instinct is .
simply the race instinct the Instinct of racial , ,
self preservation
-
.
There is nothing Impure I n sex but there is ,
in the abuse o f it Indecency is simply a ques

.
tion o f behavior and cannot possibly be an att ri

,
bute o f any part o f the body The body has .
been rightly termed the “Temple O f God ” I m .
purity i f present lies in the contemplating mind

, , ,
and no t in the body o r in any part o f it Sex

, .
pass10 n h a s O ften been referred to as o ur animal

,
nature o r lower nature This conception is the

.
natural result o f the perverted point o f view that

has been foster ed through prudery The minds .
O f civilized men and women have been saturated

with this form O f mental p0 1so n but it requires ,
only a little common sense to see not only the

absurd but even the blasphemous character of
such a view The sex instinct is the source O f
.
all that is sweet beautiful and enn obling in the

,
love O f man and woman It is the di vine f orce .

that brings them together and that holds them ,
together It is only the abuse o f the function

that o ne needs to be ashamed Of—a question o f
.
misbehavior And it is only when the mental

.
attitude is wrong and sexuality is without re ,
straint that it becomes sensuality

, .
With this fundamental understanding as t o

the prop er attitude o f mind toward the whole
subj ect we may consider the various problems
,
associ ated with it seri o usly earnestly and hon ,
e st ly .
To be strongly sexed means to be thoroughly

alive to be vital to b e vigorous in every other
, ,
respect as well To be strongly sexed does no t

.
mean the possession o f mere localized strength

in the reproductive system f o r sex is related to ,
the entire organism the mind as much as the ,
body Remember that sexuality is not merely a

.
physical quality It is a quality expressed as

.
much in the mind and spirit as in the e motional

body It pervades one ’s entire being And it
. .
is partly for this reason that the subj ect is O f

such all embracing impor tance
-
.
The importance o f the sexual glands as a fac

tor in the all round strength O f the body and
-
mind is not generally understood F o r in ad .
dition to their special function o f reproduction

they supply what is often called an “internal '
secretion the import ance o f which in the gen

,
eral bodily economy cannot be overestimated In .
this respect they are like the so called ductless -
glands which have an importance in the bodily

,
of g neral constitutional vigor due to the loss Of

the einternal secretion” the substances n ormally
‘‘
,
upplie d to the living fabric by the testicles .
And what is perhaps O f even greater impor

, ,
tance the e ff ect upon the mind is j ust as serious

,
as upon the body The eunuch i s never more

.
th an the merest child mentally He lacks cour .
age He lacks ambition He lacks the power

. .
Of mental concentration He lacks every mental

.
quality that distinguishes men o f great virility .
The same lesson is to be gained from a study

o f castrated animals Compare the meekness
.
and weakness o f the o x with the spirit and power

O f the fiery bull Compare the spirit and phys
.
ical energy of the stallion with the mild q uali

ties and lesser strength o f the gelding It is we ll .
known that horse s are castrated simply to mak e

them tame and safe for driving Emasculated .
pigs produce fat I n larger quantities than n o r

mally which mean s that they are less firm and
,
vigorous than in their natural state and consti ,
t ut io nally inferior When fawns are castrated

.
before the appearance o f their horns the latter

do not grow at all The mere q uestion of horns
.
may not seem important but su ch condit i ons I ndi

,
cate dee p seated constitutional deficiencies and

-
,
they accompany similar deficiencies of mind and

spirit Certainly you reader would no t wish t o
.
, ,
undergo such an operation in order to make you

“
tame ” and capable o f “easy and safe driving ” .
These facts are all important as sh o w mg the

v alue of virility Any weakening o f this power
.
6
IMPORTANCE OF VIRILITY
means a weakening o f mental capacity, a diminu

tion o f courage and of all other qualities that
go with superior manhood Weakened sexual
.
ity means a lack of ambition a lack of ent husi

,
asm a lack of energy— in fact a lack o f every

, ,
thing that makes life worth living .
N o w castration is not practiced in civilized

,
communities But there are abuses and V l ce s

.
which accomplish gradually the same result th at ,
is to say as is attained suddenly by this opera

,
tion It is partly the purpose o f this book to

.
make clear the influence o f these abuses Those .
who might shrink with horror at the suggestion

O f such unsexing by operation do nevertheless
, , ,
proceed at times to gradually bring about a simi

lar result The fact is that any abuse O f the
.
organs o f sex will tend to impair the ir power .
This lesson c annot be too strongly emphasiz ed

an d these abuses will be considered in detail in
later chapters .
It is absolutely necessary t o live a clean life

and a normal life in order to maintain the health
o f the sexual glands and the superb mental and
physical powers that go with them This is .
more important in youth than at any other pe

r io d
, though the rule applies throughout one ’s
entire adult life One cannot violate the laws
.
of life in this respect and escape the punishment .
It is necessary to reach maturity with these pow

ers unimpaired and thereafter to continue to
,
avoid abuses in order to attain and retain the

mental alertness and energy the courage the
, ,
MANH OOD A N D MARRIAGE
self c o nfi dence the ambition and also the phys

-
, ,
ical stamina that characteriz e true manhood .
If y o u are not a man what are y ou? T O be a

,
male and not a man to wear the c lothes indica

,
tive of the male sex and realize that you are mas
— —
q uera ding a hypocrite a pretender is indeed
,
a torturous experience . But remember th at if

y o u really are a man in every sense o f the word
'
,
then y o u are in po ssessio n o f all the forces th at

—
go with superior virility for virility is nothi ng
more than the physical expression o f manly
qualities Y o u c annot possibly possess these su
.
perior q ualities without being virile It may be

.
definitely and positively stated that every su

perior q uality O f mind and body is t o a l arge ex
tent dependent upon the characteristics and
emoti o ns as sociated w ith sex ed
hood .
CHAP TER II
Am I a C ompl e t e M an ?
M I a man ?
”
When this query cann ot
be answered satisfactorily when you feel ,
that there is a doubt as to the possession

o f the qualities es sential to true manhood then ,
indeed is your position difficult Y ou will at .
least realize the necessity f o r fac ing squarely ,
and honestly a problem that is momentous

, .
Are y o u a complete man ? If the answer is

”
NO, then the duties and respo nsibilities asso
c iat e d with the development o f the manhood
which y o u do no t possess should be imme di ately

a ssumed . The question may no t be easily
settled in all cases In fact some men w h o are
.
,
virile in every w ay may be in doubt as t o what

should be the answer to this plain question T O .
a la r ge extent the pitiful prudery o f the present

day is responsible f or this difficulty .
As a rule however if y o u possess ordinary

, ,
physical vigor if your organs are healthy in

,
e very way so far as y o u know if the functions

,
o f digestion and assimilation are apparently c ar
ried On satisfactorily y o u can practically depend

,
upon the possession o f manl y powers It is well .
t o remember however that when the answer is

, ,
doubtful there is in practically every instance no

, ,
physical evidence O f the possession o f superior

9
vitality When you possess the pulsating v i

.
,
b ra t ing forces of life and health in all their splen

did perfection there is always plain evidence o f
,
virility There is then no question about a man ’s

.
being a man He feels it and knows it every day

.
O f his life .
,
I t is certainly a good plan for a young man ,
when he is doubtful upon such an important mat

ter to ask himself some very plain questions
,
.
He should have a good plain talk with himself , .
And let h im first Of all be strictly honest with

himself D O I possess a ll the strength health
i i
.
l
,
and manh ood that I can attain ? Have I wasted

my vitality and vigor ? Has my heredity been a
handicap or have my f orefathers invested me
,
w ith a reasonab le amount of physical capital ? In

what way am I wanting ? In what way am I de ’
f e ct iv e ? A m I doing all I can to build superior

virility ? Am I as good a man as I can be ? ”
These q uestions Should be asked in all Sin
ce r ity and the answers that will come thereto
,
will to a certain extent give one an idea of the

, ,
course of action neces sary under the circum

stances I f a careful examination O f the inner
.
recesses of y our own soul indicates t o you the

need for more ma nh ood and the need f o r certain ,
e ff orts upon your part with a V iew to cultivating

your physical forces then your pathway is ,
,
plain Make a careful study O f this and other

.
,
books and lay o ut a plan Of act io n Begin a

,
.
.
campaign that has for its purpos e the develop

ment o f superior vitality and the splendid man
10
AM I A COMPLETE MAN ?
hood associated therewith In succeeding chap

.
ters of this book detailed instructions will be

given you for this purpose .
Naturally along with the various questions

,
associated with the ascertaining O f your phys

ical condition will come the query “A m I fit
, ,
to marry ? ”
The answer to this question will assume su
preme importance at some t i me in your life .
There may be periods when the replies thereto

will torture your soul almost beyond endurance .
For there comes a time I n the life O f every man

when he wants to marry that is provi ded he is
.
, ,
a real well sexed man And when that time

,
-
.
comes when the right girl has been found if a

, ,
man feels that he is defective or that there is ,
some taint within his organi sm that will mar the

sanctity of the marital t i e then indeed does he
,
face difficulties that assume tragic importance .
In det ermmmg whether or no t o ne is fit to

m arry the first query will of course be con
,
cerned with one ’s physical condition Are you .
a healthy well developed man ? Are there any

,
-
serious vital defects ? E ven after these ques

tions have been favorably answered there are ,
still others Is it possible that there is any v e

.
ne re a l infection lingering wi thin your organism ?

Does alcohol taint and devitalize your blood ?
If you have been tainted with any venereal dis
ease at least be absolutely sure that all traces O f
,
the complaint have disappeared by means of ,
blood tests If your blood 1s po 1so ne d with al

.
11
MANH OOD AND MARRIAGE
c ohol turn over a new leaf E liminate the drink

, .
habit from y our life ( and do not marry until

every trace of its evil e ffects has disappeared )
.
If y ou are weak sexually then th e problem b e

,
fore you pertains to the development O f the

vigor and Vitality which will overcome a condi
tion o f this sort It is true that in some cases
.
o ne is advised to marry with a V i ew to remedying
weaknesses o f this sort In many instances the

.
remedy is worse than the disease This is e s .
pecially true when the ordinary excesses asso

c iat e d with m arriage are permitted and prac
ticed If the marital relationship were assumed
.
with a woman thoroughly informed as t o the con

’
ditio ns then possibly a man s sexual strength
,
might increase as a result o f marriage Thi s .
would be practically impossible however if the , ,
woman should happen to be Of a passionate sort .
Wh ere she is entirely normal o r but little influ

,
e nce d by sexual e moti o ns a man might in some

, ,
instances safely hope f o r a g radual improvement

,
( though in all cases there is a considerable ri sk

in contracting marriage under such circum
st an ces ) .
secrecy and deception practiced in regard to sex

subj ects naturally increases interest in the
,
theme and conse q uently the sexual ch ara cteris

,
tics are prematurely develope d in both sexes .
As a result of this evil boys and less f re

, ,
quently girls fall into devitalizing habits The

, .
sexual v i ce know n as masturbation stimulates

the premature secretion o f the seminal fluid and ,
after the boy has learned the evil of his way and ,
is able t o control himself this rich fluid c o n

,
t inue s to be secreted too rapidly resulting i n , ,
practically every instance in constant losses

, .
This question will be discussed l n detail later o n .
These facts are presented here to Show how pres

ent conditions tend to create an abnormal sexual
app etite .
If a boy can escape masturbation he will usu ,
ally be almost entirely free from nocturnal losses ,
though some experts maintain that normally they

occur from two to four tim e s monthly H o w .
ever if masturbation is avoided the sexual ap

,
petite will no t be so insistent A S a rule men

.
who have maintained a continent life for a long

period have also been free from masturbation
and the evil which follows thereafter .
We may however j ust as well come o ut and

, ,
face the problem squarely and honestly and a c ,
knowledge that marriage is the normal condition

for nearly all men The desire for sexual grati
.
fi ca t io n is the strongest force in human nature .
Even the craving f o r food is less imperative and ,
O ften o f minor importance Every healthy.

,
14
MARRIAGE A N E C E S S I T Y?
s trong virile man must therefore realize the n e

, , ,
ce ssit y for marriage He must marry somebody

. ,
and should carefully choose his mate early in life .
Early marriage is advantageous largely because

it saves a man from all the diseases and excesses
associated with prostitution as well as from ,
other evils .
To be sure the economic question assumes con

,
sider ab l e importance when ma rriage comes up

for consideration but we are no t attempting to
,
settle that phase o f the problem If you have .
avoided masturbation if you c an be satisfied with

,
a continent life and are apparently enj oying a

normal degree o f vigor and vitality while a dh er
ing thereto there can be no obj ection t o your
,
continuing it Such temperance however is

.
, ,
the exception .
We hear much about the attractions o f b ache

l o rh o o d
. Single blessedness so j called is fr e ,
quently applauded But in many I nstances

.
bachelorhood is associated with immoralities O f

the worst sort True enough the bachelor may
.
be rarely strictly vi r tuous and continent— but

more frequently he is the opposite There are .
no marital ties to bind him and he feels free to ,
act as his masc uline instincts may dictate so that ,
not infrequently he preys upon the wives and sis

ters o f his friends and associates .
T O be sure we are not SO silly as to maintain

f t h at a marriage ceremony in itself hallows all
sexual relations or that such a ceremony would
,
definitely insure that every sexual relation would

15
MANHOOD A N D MARRIAGE
be beneficial Neither when speaking of mar
.
riage do we refer to all unions sanctioned by the

,
l aw . T rue marrl age presuppo ses a keen and

intense love between a man and a woman It is .
this love that cements the marital bond and mar

ri age lasts j ust so long as this strong a ff ection ex
i st s
. If a man and woman break the law s Of sex
ual life if they outrage what Should be o ur most
,
holy instincts then they must su ff er the penalty

, .
Love which may have brought t o each a divine

j oy an ecstatic bliss disappears and in its place
, , ,
will come O ften a feeling o f mutual disgust or ,
even hatred each for the other Where such a

, .
feeling exists it is a decree o r decision rendered

,
by the M ost High that this man and this woman

should no longer live together They have al .
ready been divorced and we would therefore ,
sa : What Go d h as rent asunder let no man

y ,
j oi n t o geth e
There are some men w h o cannot marry because
O f financial reasons When o ne is so placed that
.
marriage is practically impossible o n this ac

count what advice can be given ?
,
In many instances where marriage is c onsid

ered impossible there are ways and means
“
whereby it might be satisfactorily arranged But .
let us admit that t here are instances in which a

man is compelled to support a mother o r sisters ,
an d in which marriage would not allow him t o

continue to carry responsibilities that he feels
are imperatively fastened upon him Or let us .
take others in which a satisfactory life partner

16
cannot be secured What is a man t o do under

.
such circumstances ?
The average book dealing with this sub j ect will
advise a continent life Most w riters will say
.
that such a man must adhere t o this strict r égim e

until his circumstances have SO changed that he
can legally and properly take t o himself a wife .
The writers o f these idealistic volumes forget

that they are dealing under such c 1rcumst ances
with human problems that are varied in nature .
It must be admitted that when a man can fo l

lo w advice Of this nature it will generally be the
better fo r him in the end ; but w e are dealing with
human instincts and human passions that O ften
go beyond control The fact that we are for
.
bidden marriage because o f economic o r other

reasons does no t necessarily take us away from
all associations with the opposite sex And with
.
a virile man such companionsh i p l s bound at times

to arouse passions and desires that seek sat isf ac
tion What is a man to do under such circum
.
stances ? The problem is indeed hard to solve .
The question involved in a Situation O f this kind

is largely as t o whether o r no t the man will be
harmed through attempting t o lead a continent
life or whether it would pay t o incur the risk s
,
O f disease that attend deviations from the paths

O f moral rectitude .In other words are we to
,
follo w the usual policy and lay down a definite

rule o f strict continence to the men who cry f o r
help under such circumst ances ?
T h e problem in every i nstance is varied and
17
in di vidual in nature A S previously stated some

.
men can live a continent life for a grea t number

of years without serious inj ury to their capaci
ties mental moral Or physical Other men
, , , .
,
however are so constituted that the question Of

‘
a sexual mate assumes a dominating character

that is actually terrifying Such men will find
.
a continent life pr a ct ically impossible and with ,
the n particular natures if they possessed the de

,
termination to adhere to a r égime of this ch ar

acter it would perhaps be productive of inj ury
, ,
-
though perhaps not m o re t h an a certain slight
decline in vitality But under such circum
.
stances we are dealing with what might be termed

impossibilities Such men will n o t remain c o n
.
t in ent when temptati o n comes their w ay What .
are w e t o advise in such cases ?

Where the demand for the associations o f mar
r ia e are SO dominating in character the situa
g ,
tion regardless of all other conditions demands

, ,
marriage A nd it is unquestionably better that

.
the marriage should conform to the legal and

conv entional standards N O matter h o w y o u
.
may try to avoid other associations and r e

spo n sib ilit ie s that your instincts crave you can ,
not avoid the very definite commands o f your

cravings for a sexual mate .
The man who finds himself possessed o f these

imperative sexual demands if allowed freely to,
associate with members of the opposite sex will ,
surely find a mate There is no question about

.
18
that The o nly w ay a man o f this kind can re

.
main continent is to live the life o f a hermit ,
o r no t meet enough o f the opposite sex and even ,
under such circumstances there is a strong pos

sib i lit y or even probability o f his acquiring secret
sexual vices that are fearfully destructive in na

ture Therefore although y o u may be im
.
,
pressed with the idea that you are econ o mically

o r otherwise SO situated that marriage is i m po s
sible yet when you find yourself mated you

, ,
should so arrange your a ffairs that the legal re

spo nsib ilit ie s associated therewith can be satis
f a ct o rily a ssumed There I S really no other so

.
lut io n o f this problem that is tolerable or possi

ble.
Whatever mistakes y o u may m ak e avoid the ,
prostitute and the diseases that she carries .
Tainted more in body than in soul she should be ,
shunned as poison Remember also that the

.
clandestine prostitute masquerading under the ,
cloak O f decency perhaps as stage performer a

, ,
shop girl housemaid o r in some other form is

, , ,
even more dangerous than the street walker -

.
Furthermore aside from the dangers of venereal

,
poisoning intimate relations with women o f this

,
sort are destructive to character and mind as well

as to body .
The use Of a mistress while it may be free fr o m

,
some of the dangers O f other illicit relationships ,
cannot be regarded as a satisfactory solution o f

the problem for many reasons o ne that such a
, ,
19
plan is no t fair to the woman A due sense o f .
honor would make such a relationship int o ler

able.
What has been termed a free love union has -
O ften been suggested but thi s is equally o b j e c

,
t i o n ab l e In most cases the term “ free love ” is

.
o nl y an attempt to j ustify license It is a pretty .
phrase by which to further the purpose o f se duc

tion But when the matter is taken seriously
.
,
when the union is based upon the philosophy that

love rather than a ceremony sanct ifie s the mar
r iage relation and when the couple really live to
,
gether as in legal marriage then it really is mar ,

“
riag e an d the phrase
, free love ” is a misnomer
, , .
There is little o r no more freedom m a union o f

this kind than in a lega l marriage When men .
and women have tried it they have found that ,
they are j ust as tightly bound by the co ndi tio ns

‘
o f marriage as they would be by the legal tie .
Marriage therefore is the only solution o f the

, ,
problem in practically all c ases Bachelorhood .
in many cases means imm orality o r secret vices .
If immorality it tends to become promiscuous

, ,
a nd this means al most certain infection T he .
o nly no r ma l ,
t he decent
o nly sa e a ndf t he o nly
rela ti o nshi p is marriag e wi th a pure g o o d ,
wo man w ho m o ne respects and w ho m o ne lo v es ,
a nd w h o l o v es i n return T his is a rela tionship

.
"
t ha t is co nduci v e t o h ea lt h and h o nor and self

respect .One sea is necessary to t he o ther a nd
'
,
mo nog amic ma rri age is no t o nly t he idea l b ut the

o nly sa tisfa ct ory fo rm o f unio n .
so
with advantage F o r instance it would be safe

.
,
to say that the age o f twenty fiv e or even thirty -
years i s early enough for a man to marry if he

.
c ould maintain a continent life up to that time .
We must remember however that in some in

, ,
stances this I S no t accomplished Therefore we .
would say that fro m the twentieth year marriage ,
o r thoughts o f marriage should not be sev erely

,
discouraged for in many instances a marriage at

,
this age would certainly be choosing the lesser of

two evils :
We should distinguish however between wh at
, ,
w e may call early marriage and premature mar

r i ag e
. Marriage before the age o f eighteen may
be c o nsidered as premature For those who ma .
ture late marriage even at twent y might be pre

mature As a rule marriage between t wenty
.
,
and twenty four years O f age may be c o nsidered

-
early but not premature

, .
Complete maturity 1s unquestionably essential

to the use of the sex function if the highest good ,
o f the race is to be attained The children o f .
adult p arents are usually superior Not until .
they have had a chance to attain full strength and

fairly good growth are well cared for fruit trees - - -
allowed to bear The sam e reasoning should be

.
applied to the human race .
There ha s been considerable discussI o n I n sel en

t ifi c circles as to the supposed inferiority o f chil
dren of early parentage After extensive study
.
,
Casper L R edfi eld Of Chicago concluded that

.
m anv ex ceptionally great men have been the prod- f
as
THE ‘
A GE TO MARRY
uc t of families in which late marriage o r at l east ,
late parenthood has been the rule H e even Of

,
.
/
f er e d a prize o f $ 1 0 0 to the American Genetic As

sociation f o r evidence that any superior individual
was ever produced by breeding human beings as
rapidly as four generations to a century He .
wanted to find some intellectually superior per

son whose dat e of birth was no t more than One
hundred years after the average date o f birth o f
his sixteen great great grandparents A second
- -
.
prize o f the same amount was o ff ered for evi

dence that any extraordinarily great man such
as Aristotle Newton or Darwin could be found
, , ,
in the three generations to a century class The

- - - -
.
prizes were no t claimed at the end o f a year in

which many research es ha d been made .
This would seem to point to the supe ri o rl t y o f '
children born from adult parents that is par , ,
ents at least beyond twenty fiv e years o f age It -

.
is apparently true that the greatest men do no t

come from lines of ancestors who became parents
at early ages This does not mean however that
.
, ,
superior individuals may not be born o f parents

between twenty and twenty four years of age -
.
The weak point about Mr R e dfield’s contention.
1s probably t o be found in the fact that int e ll e c
tual types of people usually marry late if indeed ,
they do no t choose celibacy Work calling f or .
high intellectual q ualities does no t usually de

v e lo p su fficient earning cap a city to permit mar
ri ag e until somewhat past the ye a rs of y o uth .
Late marriage among such classes means late

23
MANHOOD
'
AND MARRIAGE
parentage which would naturally account f o r

,
the facts to which Mr R e dfield calls attention

. .
Prof Karl Pearson a British inve stigator O f

.
,
genetics following certain mq ul rie s came to the

, ,
conclusion that first born children were usually

-
inferior to those that foll owed although some ,
other students O f the question hold that his re

searches were not extensive enough to j ustify this
conclusion There was nothing to Show whether
.
the supposed result was due to the mere fact that

these children were born first o r that it was due ,
to the probable y o uth o f the parents when the

first children were born However there is no
'
.
,
doubt that premature parenthood is no t desir

able The lack of vitality of many Hindoos and
.
o ther Asiatic peoples where child marriage or -

,
premature marriage is the rule is good evidence

, ,
upon this point It is only reason able that fully

.
matured parents would bear more satisfactory

children .
The physiological aspects of child bearing in -
early life are also worthy of consideration Not .
o nly is adult parenthood better for the child but ,
the mother is better able to endure the drain upon

h er system after complete maturity Child .
bea ring is easiest during early maturity and b e ,
comes more difficult with advancing years so far ,
as the first child is concerned A woman is most .
likely to have t rouble in childbirth when having

h e r first child after the age O f thirty Again .
,
maternity before the age O f eighteen is also likely

to prove difficult .
4,
THE AGE TO MARRY
It has been claimed by some authorities that in

a very late marriage following a life o f complete
,
c ontinence there is sometimes a tendency toward

,
impotence o r sexual weakness in the man I

, , .
believe however that this is not usually to be

, ,
feared It may be possible in rare instances but

.
,
without doubt most cases o f impotence noted in

late marriage are the result o f venereal diseases
years before and secret vices extending over a pe
rio d o f many years Some authorities however
.
, ,
vouch for the statement that impotence may f o l

l o w prolonged continence I regard this as a.
point upon which we need further evidence .
One great obj ection t o late marriage is the

strong likelihood o f permanent bachelorhood .
To postpone marriage means O ften a permanent

li fe of celibacy Thirty per cent o r more O f
. .
, ,
men and women o f marriageable age in this coun

try are single which is a truly deplorable state
,
o f a ff airs .The longer marriage is delayed t h e

less is th e chance o f its ever being consummated .
I t is true that we cannot overlook the financial

burden O f a home and children as a factor in the
problem As a rule the earning capacity of a
.
man in the early twenties is limited N ev e rthe .
less the practice Of careful living will do much to

overcome these difficulties Others have success .
fully contended with these difficulties and it is ,
worth the struggle There is no q uestion that

unmarried m
.
e n commonly waste large sums o f
money and without a doubt the money so wasted

,
is O ften sufficient t o meet the re q uirements o f a

25
modest little home Again the responsibility o f

.
,
marriage in itself tends to make a man out o f a

youth He squares his shoulders to fit himself
.
for his burdens He settles dow n concentrates

.
,
his forces A great many young men by choos

.
,
ing the luxurious ease of single blessedness and ,
by drifting along in that condition undoubtedly ,
waste many Of the best years Of their lives .
Furthermore if y o u marry and have children

,
fairly early you will find that they are gro wn

,
and taking care Of themselves while you are still

young and vigorous and able to do your best
work Also y o u will be able to enj oy them
.
,
more t o ether with your grandchildren for you

, ,
w ill not ave reached blind and toothless senility

by the time they have m atured .
CHAPTER V
Se l ec t ing a Wife
ANY men select their wives by acmdent .
Would it not usually be more appropriate

t o say that their wives select them ? The
average man likes to deceive himself when he
“
goes a courting ” with the idea that he is the
-
pursuing party He is O ften pleased with the

.
thought that great difficulties obstruct his e f

forts in winning the woman of his choice thoug h ,
in the ma j ority o f cases if the truth were known

, ,
it is the woman and not the man who has made

the choice A woman instinctively likes to be
.
pursued is pleased to assume that she I S running

,
away and naturally c uj o y s the keen ardor o f the

,
wooer who seeks her .
Nevertheless a man r arely chooses his wife and

, ,
I am firm in the belief that it is entirely right f o r

a woman to do t h e choosing A woman should .
select the man w h o is to be the father o f her chil

dren for is she not compelled to nurture and
,
carry them within her own being for many

months before they can lead a separate existence ?
Under the circumstances therefore it may b e
, ,
a waste O f time t o tell a man how to select a wife ,
or to even suggest what sort O f a wife would be

best suited to him But a man can after all at
.
, ,
27
M A N HO O D AND MARRIAGE
least influence the choice by avoiding women w ho

are not of the proper sort .
N o w th e first suggestion I would mak e t o a

man searching for a wife would be t o select a
WOM A N .At first thought such advice may seem
foolish and frivolous but when it is known that
,
real women are scarce it may be worth considera

tion Being a woman means something more
.
than the ability to wear the garments associated

with the sex We hear SO much about the lack
of manl iness in men —
.
that men everywhere are

,
weak and defective But I am firmly convince d

.
that there are far more incompetent defective ,
women than th ere are men "

.
-
I n selecting a wife first o f all remember that
,
Sh e is to be the mother o f your chil dren DO .
y o u want your children to be strong resolute , ,
splendid specimens o f humankind ? If you do ,
then select a woman w h o you are sure will make

a splendid mother Remember that your child
.
w ill i nh erit in part from your wife its chest c a

p acity the m uscles o f its back legs and arms
“
, ,
.
Some may think that such considerations will

place marriage t o o much upon an animal plane ,
but w e might j ust as well face the essential facts

o f this very important relation T he science o f .
eugenics is yet in its infancy We are j ust ap .
pro aching a time when this prudery besmirched

-
world will allow study thought and discussion o n

,
a subj ect that has always been classed a s in

decent .
Strength in a woman I S j ust as important as it

as
ties to avoid mistakes that are sure to appear

when certain sexual defects are present .
It can be stated howeve r with a reasonable

, ,
amount O f accuracy that if a man will select a

woman who appears strong and healthy whose ,
bodily structure carries a normal amount of tis

sue who in other words is well nourished and
, , ,
well rounded whose eyes are clear and whose

,
lips indicate a good quality Of red blood he can ,
at least be reasonably sure that he has made a sat

isf a ct o ry choice .
Now that girls are taking part in athletics and

are competing frequently in public games their ,
physical st at us i s far more easy to determine than

formerly Whatever mist ak e you may make
.
,
try at least to avoid marrying a weakling a semi ,
invalid A virile well sexed man could not for

.
,
-
a very long period continue to love a weakling l

.
Above all things do no t marry a woman because

,
you pity her Likewise do no t marry a woman

.
,
merely because you love her For love is tran .
sient and fleeting in many instances You may .
be madly in love o ne day and the next day your

ardor wi ll have cooled It is certainly advisable
.
to have something more than mere sex love in

marriage whenever possible although that is in ,
dispensable in all cases .
Accordingly I would say marry a woman

, , ,
first because you love h er p sec o n d because you

, ,
are convinced that Sh e would be the mother o f

strong splendid children ; and third because you
, , ,
admire and respect her .
30
SELECTING A WIFE
Admiration and respect are determined largely
by the mental emotional and social quali ties o f a
,
wife and these cannot be overlooked when you

,
are choosing a life long comp anion The dis

-
.
position and temperament are far more impor

tant than looks It is true that good looks o f
.
ten indicate a sound constitution A state o f .
physical wholesomeness and health is the funda

mental basis f or womanly beauty But so far .
as the face is concerned remember that beautiful

features sometimes go with a weakly mis shaped -
body and a v e ry unb e aut iful disposition

'
. .
Purely physical attraction is dangerous D O .
not permit your decision to be made through

“ “
fasc ination infatuation .” Many mar
ri a e s hav e gone wrong because of having been
g
founded on purely physical attraction Make .
your choice on other grounds as we ll and become

, ,
thoroughly acquainted before making the de

ci sio n . F o r t his reason the dance h all will O ften
-
be found a poor place to pick out a wife Danc .
ing may be advantageous as a recreation but it is ,
a poor medium for marital selection .
The relative value of long and short engage

ments is a question o f much interest but it must ,
be det ermined in most cases by the individual cir

c umst an c e s .We may say briefly however that , ,
short engagements are too risky One cannot .
a ff ord to take any chances of making a mistake

in this w ay , On the other hand long drawn o ut ,
engagements are O ften not fair to o ne party o r

the other They too frequently end by being
.
31
broken up with the result that i n the meantime

,
o ne or the other o f the par t ies concerned may
have missed opportunities for advantageous mar

r ia e
g Many lives have been blighted through
.
long engagements which finally were no t co nsum :
m ated If o ne cannot marry for many years

. ,
and the future is uncertain he h as no right t o de

,
prive his fianc ee o f the freedom to make another

match if the occasion Should a rl se As a rule e u .
,
g a g eme nt s O f moderate length sufficient to in ,
sure a thorough understanding between the two

parties concerned are to be advised,
.
Lastly the eugenic considerations in marita l

,
selection are no t to be ignored It 1S always well .
to investigate the family characteristics that are

going to be implanted in your prospective chil
dren You cannot j udge entirely from the per
.
so n ment ality and character o f your sweetheart

, .
The qualities o f her family as well must be taken

into account If there are traces o f insanity
.
,
epilepsy and other constitutionally weak strains

in the parents grandparents brothers Sisters
, , , ,
uncles or aunts y o u will probably conclude that

,
you do not care to risk the t ran smI SSI On Of such

qualities to your children If you decide to .
marry into such a family be very certain that

your o w n family tree is sufficiently vigorous to
O ff set its weak strains
-
I cannot enter into this
.
question in detail here Heredity is a subj ect

.
that is only beginning to be understood I n a really

scientific manner but I may say that the most
,
important fact t o be kept l n mind apart from th e ,

SE LE CTING A WIFE
question O f physical vigor is that the qualitie s
,
o f grandparents are especially likely to r e appear
i n their grandchildren . The various children in

“
a family are more likely to take after ” their v a
rion s grandparents than their o w n parents ,
though in some cases certain strongly marked

and dominant characteristics may be noted alike
in grandparents parents and children It is a

, .
good plan to find o ut what is in the “stock and ,
then be governed accordingly .
There is no denying that the marrI age O f

cousins is sometimes productive o f healthy and
normal children when the stock is exceptionally
,
vigorous and free from all defects taints o r weak

,
strains Usually however the marriage o f

.
, ,
cousins is risky and inadvisable Any weak .
strains in the common ancestry are practically

certain to be reproduced and exaggerated in some
O f the chil dr en produced by the marr iage of
cou
.
sins It is better t o take no chances with

.
c o nsangu me o us marriage unless you know all

,
branches O f both families several generations

back.
CHAPTER VI
Lo v e -M aki ng an d i t s D ange rs
HE inclination to make love is one o f the

inborn characteristics o f humankind You .
see this phase of human nature in all its

various forms extending all the way from a
,
glance of the eye t o the most extreme form o f a f

f ec t io n a t e intimacy .
The habit o f “ falling in love should begin

early in life When you hear o f a b o y o r girl
.
six or seven years o f age having fallen in love ” ‘‘

,
you are greatly amused ; and yet it is the begin

n i ng o f a tendency which Should not be discour
aged The practice O f teasing boys and girls
.
merely because they have found a source o f at

traction in some one of the opposite sex should
be avoided In fact such an inclination can be
.
,
advantageously encouraged for it is through th e

,
develop ment of such instincts that boys become

manly and girls develop into Splendid women .
Such fri endships have a tendency at least t o

take a w ay the Obscene nastiness with which prud
ery enshrouds all subj ects associated with sex .
Furthermore the free and pure association o f

,
boys and girls at this age partly satisfies and

makes more normal what might be called their
“
sex cravings . There is no doubt that in many
instances such associations help greatly to pre
34,
LOVE MA -
"I N G
vent the immoralities and abuses that begin with
masturbation and O ften end with prostitution and
marital excesses that destroy body mind and ,
soul In fact I am firmly o f the opinion that

.
,
masturbation in boys is caused in some instances , ,
by the separation of the sexes in school and else

where .
I am convinced that it is a mistake to segregate

the sexe s at any time in life from childhood to ,
the grave They should be allowed to associate

.
freely with each other Wherever there is sepa .
ration in pra ctically every instance various evils

,
spring into existence Man was made for .
woman ; woman w as made for man ; and the more

clearly and definitely this l aw o f the Almighty is
recognized and rig idly adhered to the more we
shall secure from life Life is only full c o m .
,
plet e and satisfying in every detail when the in

nate desire f o r association with the opposite sex
is completely sati sfied Let us therefore no t con
.
demn the inn o cent courtships of children ; nor

look t o o harshly upon the ardent love making o f -
youthful swains when no harm is intended .
T o be sure love making of a too ardent Sort b e

,
-
’
fore marriage is O ften followed by evils o f c o n

si derab le Significance A lover ’s kiss for in
.
,
stance if accompanied by ardent embraces is

, ,
sure t o arouse the passions to a white heat and ,
when love mak ing o f this sort takes place at fre

-
quent intervals before marriage allows the nat

,
ural intimacies which should follow such asso

c iat io ns there are frequently very serl o us results
, .
35
Wh en thel e is a sincere and strong love and

when marriage is definitely intended very great ,
care must be used to avoid step ping beyond what

might be termed the dange r line
‘‘
If under .
such circumstan ces the lovers are left alone as ,
they frequently are there comes a time when re

,
si st anc e to the natural impulses 1s almost I mpo s

sible It 18 well therefore f o r love l s t o use the
.
, ,
greatest degree o f care to avoid overstepping the

mark .
In extreme cases when m ar1t al relations have

,
preceded the legal union the mistake has been

,
regretted for years afterward It has O ften .
made the husband mistrust his wife It has

.
.
sometimes made the prospective husband abandon

the girl for whom he has lost re spect because she ,
has yielded to him It has O ften made a man feel

.
after marriage that his wife is lacking in control ,
and that her loyalty could no t be depended upon .
We should remember however that it is the in

, ,
tense love between man and w oman that con

st it ut e s the real marriage tie and that every in
,
timate relation o f sex unde r normal conditions

Should stre ngthen this tie If a w oman loves a
.
man with all the intensity O f a strong nature he ,
shoul d not con demn her throughout years of mar

ried li fe Simply because Sh e may have been unable
to resist the temptations that come with too free
love making previous to m arrl ag e The man is
-
.
O ften much more to blame under such circum

stances than the woman and if there is any con
,
v e nt io na l tendency to ap plaud the man w h o

36
There is no reason why lovers should not be per

“ ”
mitt e d a good night kiss and there is no occa
-
,
sion for frigidity of attitude o r too much dis

'
tance but o n the other hand to permit long pe

,
r io ds o f embracing is dangerous A policy Of

.
“ ”
hands o ff would mean better health and per
haps added respect each for the other .
But aside from such considerations t h e phys ,
io l o g ic a l results of too ardent love mak ing in the

-
way Of bodily harm are O f special importance .
Not only will the misguided young people suff er

from the inj u ry t o the emotions due to unsat is
fi e d sexual excitement b ut they will have to c o n
,
tend with the weakening e ffect Of the congestion

and inflamm ation Of the organs concerned when
passion has been aroused and then left ungrat i
fied . The results are serious in many instances .
As f o r the young man v aricocele and more or

,
less inflammation o f the prostate gland naturally

follow the congestion of the parts due t o this
practice When extending over a period o f
.
months or years it would tend to produce im

,
potence o r other sexual weaknesses T o the .
young w oman might come the congestion o f t he

,
parts which would occasionally produce leuc o r

rhea possibly prolapsus O f the organs and Oft en
,
'
a train of other evils associated with the weak

nesses of women And do not forget that the
.
emotion strain involved in awak ening passion

-
when it cann ot be satisfied is a powerful factor

in many cases in bringing on neurastheni a B o d .
ily contact and intimate personal associations Of

38
LOVE MA
- "I N G
this character when carried t o o far must b e
, ,
classified as among the most we akening o f all sex

ual errors o r abuses
.
CHAPTER V II
E st ab li shing t h e I nt ima t e Re l a t i o ns Of
M arri age
ARRIAGE is of the most imp o rtant

o ne
steps a man can take It may make or .
mar one ’s entire life It can build y o u

.
up or tear y o u down It can ennoble every phase

.
o f y our character or it can make you a miserable

, ,
cringi ng failure .
In Vi ew o f the far re ach mg Importance O f this

-
influence on life is it not well to give much care

,
ful thought to the establishment o f the relation s

which are freighted with such mom entous possi
b ilit ie s ? And is it no t a frightful mistake th at
so few men o r women receive any sort o f correct
instruction about the problems o f married life ?
We may take it f o r granted first of all that , ,
you have married not only because o f love for

your wife but also because o f a deep seated sin
,
-
,
cere respect Therefore you should begin the

.
divinely instituted relationship of holy wedlock

in a manner that is fitting in every w ay .
Y o u should clearly understand that y ou hav e

no rights in wedded life which are not freely ,
willingly and even eagerly given you by the wife

,
O f your choice Some authorities declare that

.
9 5 per cent o f all marriages are unsuccessful

. .
Knowledge and consideration o n the part of

40
MARRIAGE RELATIONS
ither o r both the person s ab out to be married

e
would marv elously c hange these figures Some .
men hold the profane and p itiless theory th at

”
marriage g l v e s a man the right t o outrage a r
w oman regardles s o f h er desires Such a n ew .
makes the re lationship an ahn o st unreh ev e d ph r s
g at o ry for the wife .
The least a man can do w h o ex pects to assume

the serious reSpo nsib ilitie s of marr i age is to learn
something of wh at might be termed “the f emmme
rights ” No man has a right to force his desires
.
upon a woman and if ever there is a time I n a

,
man ’s life when passion should be reasonably co n

trolled it is during the first f ew days o f married
,
life Love is a wonderful power It b e aut ifie s

. .
and ennobles every ph ase o f human life When '
it enters your heart every possible e ff ort should

,
be made to retain strengthen and deepen it

, ,
.
Therefore treat your wife with every considera

tion Let the lovemaking Of your courtship days
.
c o nt l nue as before If y o u value your happiness

.
and the love of your wife postpone the intimate ,
relations o f married life until Sh e anxiously de

sires them Uncontrolled passion in the early
.
part o f married life can have but o ne result and ,
that will be disa ppointment and perhaps re pul

si on upon the part o f both husband and wife In .
most cases it is advisable to avoid these relations

f o r some time after marriage Sometimes a
month o r m
.
ore will elapse before they can b e en

red upon wisely .
Furthermore remember that women in some

,
41
MANHOOD AND MARR IAGE
instances require this particular part o f their na

ture to be developed and awak ened A wife ’s .
acquiescence must be courted and w o n When a .
husband rushes roughly and hastily t o the grati

fi ca t io n o f animal pass i ons the love o f the wife
,
may b e instantly an d permanently destroyed ,
and the possibility of a happ y home life may be

forever eliminated .
The husband should first of all make up his

mind that the wife is t o be the controlling factor
in all sexual relations If during marriage he
.
continues the conditions O f cou rtship and the ,
lovemaking associated therewith her instincts

”
will always indicate the time when the marit al re

lation may be wisely entered into He will soon
.
understand her attitude from her responses t o h is

caresses.
C HAP T E R V II I
M a ri t a l M i st akes a nd E x c e sses
ARRIAGE can bring happ i ness comp a

rable t o a heaven o n earth o r it can bring ,
mis ery which might be compared to in

f ern a l tortures .
In the intimate relations o f married life man

‘
has taken it upon himself to assume t h e pre

rogative of dictating to wom anh o od This fact .
is the cause o f most o f the evils and excesses

which we find in marriage Within the heart .
and soul o f the female are o r normally should

,
be implanted the definite instincts which indi

,
cate the na tural period during which the in

timate relations o f sex can be enj oyed But in .
t o o many marri ages largely because of ign o

,
ranc e the husband entirely ignores this feminine

‘
requirem ent He follows the demands o f un

.
controlled passion andi n some instances the wife

,
feels herself outraged o n the first night o f her

marriage She may feel that her husband h as
.
taken only what are supposed to be his legal

rights and yet he r Instincts rebel against the
,
treatment she has received In some instances .
the wife conceives a feeling o f loathing o r it may , ,
be actual hatred for the man for whom she pre

,
V I OU Sl y h a d a strong a ffection
l
.
Occasionally o ne sees in the newspapers some

reference to a bride who has left her husband the

morning after the weddi ng Probably there are.
thousand s o f other cases in which the newly mar

ried woman feels a Similar impulse to escape from
the man to whom Sh e has given herself refrain ,
ing from actually doing so because o f the fear of

what people will say or for other reasons The
,
.
reason is always to be found in a lack of co nsid

e r at io n by the husband o n the wedding night .
The worst part O f it is that the psychic o r mental

e ffect of such a brutal introduction to the marital
relation is likely to prove permanent In some .
cases the psy ch o lo gic a l e ff e ct can never be over

c
come The shock to th e mind and soul O f a sen

.
Sitiv o woman resulting from treatment o f this

,
kind is so far reaching in its e ff ects that it is

,
-
li kely to dominate her attitude towards sexual

matters throughout her whole life Under .
proper and natural conditions it is to be ex

’
pe ct e d that a woman s sexual nature will be
easily awakened but after an experience o f thi s
,
kind it will be very difficult f o r the husband t o

develop in her a normal attitude toward this rela
t io nsh ip .
Apart from the psychological e ff ect upon the

Wife j ust mentioned the actual physical I nj uries
,
in some instances are very serious particularly ,
when much force is used Although the loss o f

.
a very little blood may usually be expected as

the result O f the breaking of the hymen yet in ,
some cases very severe hemorrhages have been

brought about through the use o f unnecessary
4 4,
rights and when he grat ifi es his passions nightly

, ,
o r at frequent intervals he is Wasting energy l o s

, ,
ing vitality throwing away strength that could

,
be used to make life resplendent with gr eat

achievements .
Marriage is O ften accompanied by sexual ex

cesses In many cases such grave mistakes bring
.
bodily Weakness and mental deficiency All o f .
the functions of the body are busily engaged in

trying to recover the energy that has been spent
in sexual dissipation The body it should be
.
,
remembered is j ust as strong as its weakest part

,
.
It may aptly be compared with a chain that is

as strong as its Weakest link Therefore when .
,
any influence comes into one ’s life which lessens

the vital strength the weakest part is attacked
,
.
For instance o ne man may have a tendency to

,
ward weak lungs and when th e common sexual

,
excesses associated with marriage inter v ene he

quickly acquires consumption An other may .
have a weak heart ; still another may have a tend

ency toward disea ses o f the k idneys ; and sexual
i
excesses develop these weak nesses S O w e might .
go on enumerating defects which would perhaps , ,
never have assumed serious forms if it were not ,
for the generally devitalized condition o f the sys

t em resultin g from sexual excess Even where .
no serious physical disorders appear as a result

of this form o f legalized and sanctioned dissipa
tion o ne should remember that it robs the brain
,
as we ll as the body It sap s the energy No

. .
46
MARI TAL MISTA "E S
man can be mentally capable and efficient w h o is
continually draining his vitality by sexual ex
cesses He is sure to be dull and dopey and it
.
,
is unre a so nab le t o expect in fact it is impossible

, ,
that such a man Should make a success of any

thing in life Such men become Slaves to their
.
mad desire f o r sexual satisfaction .
It should be said that when the relation 1s

mutually desired the woman can usually endure
,
far more sexual abuse than the man When she .
is gratified ln the relation it is not so weakening

to her when carried to excess In other words .
,
the border line o f excess is as a rule reached , ,
more quickly by the man than by the woman .
If you are Observing you may note in the cours e

, ,
o f a Sunday afternoon walk in ci t y parks or ,
o n the streets many instances in which a healthy

, ,
plump and robust looking woman 1s accompanied

-
by a sallow debilitated thin dragged out and

, , ,
-
dried out look ing husband The vital condition

-
.
and th e sexual c ondition o f each will be plainly

indicated in their appearance The vitality o f .
the husband is simply insufficient to support an

amount o f sexual indulgence that is entirely
healthy and satisfactory in the caSe O f the wife .
The vital loss in his case through the continued

,
dr ain of the seminal fl uid is far great er On this

, .
account it is even more important for the hus

band than for the wife t o exercise temperance in
this relationship .
It 18 o f course entirely natural for these ex

, ,
cesses t o be followed by a weak ening o f the func

47
MANHOOD AND MARRI AGE
tion tending toward impotence o r actually pro

, ,
duc ing impotence and premature senility Spe .
c i alist s in the treatment of sex ual disorders find

occasional cases in which complete impotence has
been brought about within six months after mar
ri ag e purely as the result o f excess
, .
The conditions under which a woman su ff ers

most in connection with abuses and excesses ln
,
the marriage relation are those in which the act

,
is o ne sided the Wife simply serving as a tool for

-
,
the gratification o f her husband This is not only .
a moral a ffront to her but also a source o f phys

,
ical weakness and inj ury Intimacies undesired .
by a woman are always harmful to her It is an .
outrage upon her body as well as upon her in

st inc t s and feelings It is only when she is in
.
a state of receptivity and readiness f o r the rela

tion when her passions have been thoroughly
,
aroused to the extent O f actually demanding sat

i sf a ct io n that her organs assume a condition in
,
which the act will not be inj urious If she is not .
in a condition urgently to desire the relation

" ,
then it will be productive of irritation and con

gestion frequently resulting in serious Weak
,
nesses such as the state O f prolapsus o f these

,
organs from which so many women su ffer .
In most instances sexual excesses bring a fit

ting punishment In other words they destroy
.
,
the love existing between man and wife Satiety .
brings about a condition o f disgust and what may

"
be best described by t h e term “sex antagonism -

.
This is accompanied by a condition o f physical

48
MARI TA L MI S T A "E S
repul sion and resentment that makes M po ssib le
even a peaceful companionshi p betw een the two .
It is a reversal o f the sex magnetism which first

-
drew the t w o together The strength and power

.
o f this se x ant ag o m sm 1s exactly in proportion

-
to the strength and force O f the attraction which

w as previously experienced It is the one su
.
preme source o f friction in married life It is .
the o ne all powerful force which drives SO many

-
men and women t o the divorce courts Variou s .
complaints may be named in t h e papers fi led in a

divorce suit but the condition o f sex antagonism
,
-
is usually back of these various complaints R e .
member that the sex impulse is n o t as so many ,
people imagin e a purely physical manifestation

,
.
It pervade s one ’s entire nature ; it is not only

physical but psychic as well It is a part O f one ’s
.
very soul and its influence is reflected in eve ry

,
personal and social relationship F o r this rea .
son o utraged sexuality will breed a degree of

hatred and antagonism between a man and
woman which is measured quite accurately by the
former intensity of their love f o r each other .
These are important facts Thousands o f h us

.
bands and wives continu ally experience this sex

antagonism without understanding the cause o f
the unbearable friction between them .
A s a result O f excesses the most sacred o f all

human relations is made cheap and commonplace .
The marital intimacies finally lose flavor f o r the

man and frequently are endured by the woma n
,
simply f rom a sense o f ut y Conse quently the

l
o
49
‘
.
husband is likely to be attracted by other women ,
and the wife in turn is no t in all cases blin d t o

, ,
the attractions o f other men And there you .
have a picture O f a great many so called homes -
of to day Husband and wife in name only

-
. .
Married though in reality separated Liv ing in

, .
the same house calling it home and apparently , ,

“
grinning and bearing” their unpleasant rela
tions because of the children o r because o f their ,
fear of the notoriety that might result from a

separation .
A S I have said marital excesse s usually begin ,
with the mistakes of the wedding night They .
are due in most instances to the man ’s ignorance

, ,
and mistaken ideas o f his privileges In some .
cases however they may also be brought about

, ,
through abnormal manifestations on the part of

the wi fe Some women are poss essed by an un
.
controllable passion They are never satisfied . .
The intimacies of sex are acceptable t o them at

all times The man who has contracted a mar
.
r ia e with such a woman must either possess ex

g
t rao rdin ary will power or enormous vitality else
‘
he is doomed t o certain destruction N O ordi .
nary man can withstand the drain o n his vital

resources that will almost certainly take place
under such circum stance s .
pe riods during which

M M ‘
w W
alone her
“ W w M W T W cw d.
5
(
M
assions
W W
can be
W
MARITAL MISTA "E S
m
a used This rule applies throughout the eu
1re
.
a l world. These periods in the human

ra ce are usu a lly found two or three days before
menstruation and several days thereafter But.
when a woman is apparently not a ffected by these

periods and is in what might be termed a chrome
,
state o f passion the husband confronts difficul

,
ties that are extraordinary in character Such a

.
marriage cannot possibly be productive of per

manent happiness and we should be thankful
,
that it is likely t o be childless

.
CHAP TER IX
Regul at ing M arit al I n t i ma c ie s
HI S is no doubt o ne o f the most serious

problems associated with marriage It is .
true that when a man and woman are in

possession o f un usually good health it does no t , ,
in many c ases assume the character o f a prob

,
lem To a certain extent under such condi

. ,
,
tions it regulates itself After the newness of

, .
their intimate association has worn o ff they

gradually settle down to periods O f intimacy de ’
t e rmine d very largely by the wife This is as it .
should be and naturally in most cases preg

, , ,
nancy interv enes This in itself soon lessens

.
, ,
the number of intimacies largely because they ,
lose their attract ions .
The mental attitude toward the problem how ,
ever is of very great moment When a w oman

, .
does not possess the guiding instinct that is SO '
important under such circ umstances and when ,
she is influenced by the conventional theory O f

her duty towards her husband mistakes are made ,
w hich are O ften serious in their consequences .
The key note O f the whole situation is to b e

-
found as previously pointed out in th e Wife ’s

, ,
instinct She should be the guiding star In

. .
other words it is the female who should appoint

,
the t ime lead the way indicate the period when

, ,
52
MANHOOD AND MARRIAGE '
of normal sexual instincts If she is then be as .

,
sured that she wi ll guide y o u rightly if y o u will

merely follow her lead If your wife is ab no r .
mally sexed and seems to enj oy t hese relations at

all times then y o u have a problem before you
,
that is not by any means easy to solve A very .
plain talk is absolutely essential und er such cir

c umst anc e s if you wish to avoid serious inroads
,
upon your vital economy .
On the other hand if your wife is cold and um

,
responsive if she never seems to co operate or

,
,
-
reciprocate in the marital act it is your duty to ,
remain the lover until such a time as her desire

can be awakened If you force yourself upon
.
her simply satisfying yourself and making no e f

,
fort to satisfy her y o u will not only be harmed

,
by the practice but y ou will make it impossible

,
f o r her finally to develop the passion which is e s

se nt i a l to the normal intimacies O f marriage It .
will really be y o ur fault if your wife rem ain s

“
frigid One might say that under such cir
cum st ance s if y o u truly l o ve your wife y o u will
, ,
refrain from the marital act until your life part

ner has developed a definite desire for such rela
tions . This can be brought about no t only
through the delicate attentions o f a ffectionate
love making but also through the development of
-
her physical s trengt h and health .
In many cases the l ac k of sexual pass i on 18

due to a large extent to general physical we ak
, ,
ness and every e ffort Should be made no t only

,
to build up the entire physical organism but o s ,
54,
MARITAL INTIMACIE S
pecia lly t o bring into active use the muscles m and

around the pelvic r eg1o ns Greater strength a nd
.
improved circul ation in this region are impor

tant .
It may be said in this connection th at bathing

also has a marked e ff ect upon the sexual impulse
in many cases apparently as a result o f the tonic
,
o r invigor a ting e ffect upon the nervous system
through the hundreds o f thousands o f tiny nerve

endings located in the skin Physiolo gical psy .
chologists have declared that fund am entally t h e

sex instinct is a development or specialization o f
t h e sense of tou ch Any i nfl uence which may ex
.
ert a toni c o r stimulating e ffect upon the skin ,
therefore such as bathing f o r instance might

, , ,
naturally make more o r less impre ss1o n upon the

sexual Centers Havelock Ellis t h e famous
.
,
British scienti st who is undoubtedly one of the

,
world’s greatest a uthorities on the psycholog y o f

sex has given considerable study to this phase O f
,
the subj ect According to his c onclusions the

.
,
great public baths of Rome were closely asso

c iat e d with the well known licentiou sness o f that
-
ancient E mpire ap parently as a result o f the

,
sexually stimulating e ff ect o f the forms of bath

ing so much in vogue among t he aristocrats o f
that time involving much heating rubbing and
, ,
friction o f the skin It 1s also claimed that t h e

.
Christian fanatics of the Dark Ages avoided

bathing and went about l n the st ate o f filth that
historians record simply because they recogniz ed
,
that bathing through its influenc e upon the sense

,
MANHOOD A N D M A R RI A G E
of touch was inclined to stimulate the sexual

,
in
st inc t .
However this may be it is certainly true that ,
bathing is conducive to improved health and that

it tones up the nerves both results tending to im
,
prove the sexual condi tion Of o ne w h o is weak o r

in poor health Cold baths of a minute or so are
.
especially invigorating to those in fine health

, ,
while for this particula r purpose the cold sitz

bath is exceptionally valuable L ik eW1se air .
baths have a splendid tOnic e ffect upon the nerves .
These points are important if one has to deal with

a wife who is sexually apathetic .
A question O ften asked in conn ection with this

subj ect is “what is excess ? ” It would be dif
,
fi c ult to g ive an absolutely definite answe r.

What might be termed excess f or o ne man might
be regarded as moderate indulgence in the case of
another Ther e are marked di fferences in indi
.
v i dua l s in this respect .
Generally however if these relations are con

, ,
fined to the period previously referred t o that is , ,
the particular time during each month when a

woman is warm and capable of r eciprocating in
;
every way a man can indulge to a reasonable ex

,
tent with actu a l physical benefit but a rest Of ,
considerable time sh ould f o llow indulgences of

‘
this sort The theory O ften brought forward

.
that a man Should be allow ed one intimacy a

week one every other night or be placed upon any
, ,
other schedule making a “cut and dried ” a ffair

,
of these sacred relations is radically wrong from

,
56
MARI TA L INTIMACI ES
every st andpoint S exual intimacies should be
.
c onfined t o a period when they can be intense
to both parties concerned They Should not be .
allowed at any other time They are t o be pro .
h ib it ed absolutely when pregnancy is definitely

indicat ed
.
When the sexual relat l o ns have drifted into a

nightly a ff air when they occur with the same
,
reg ularity as going t o dinner o r getting up f o r

breakfast they become so commonplace as t o
,
be unworthy of the name Men and women who .
’
follow a regime o f this character simply rob thei
lives o f all that is beautiful and ennobling As .
for the devitalizing influence of such a practice ,
it can scarcely be described in words The man

"
.
becomes an automatic I nsensible doped machine

, , .
The woman become s a c hattel a slave without , ,
feeling o r emotion When the woman cannot

.
rec 1pro c at e in relations O f this character she

usually su ff ers to an unusual degree and loses all
zest in life Ambition enthusiasm vivacity and
.
, ,
the ordinary attractions O f superl o r womanhood

will all disappear when a woman gives herself up
in this unnatural manner .
Nevertheless we are compelle d reluctantly to

,
a dm it that marriage in many inst ances means

regular relations o f this sort Marital intimacy .
degenerates into a mere h abit a miserable matter ,

“ ”
of r o utine .A S a rule it is only when a man
a pproaches partial impotence that he awakens to
"
the full signific ance o f his mistake If he c o n .
t inue s even then t o dissipate in the same manner ,
7
he soon reaches complete impotence Sexual .
capacity a s I have already said was created f o r

, ,
a divine purpose and when it is abused in this

,
manner the victim Of the mistake frequently finds

himself Without either sexual desire or power ,
.
He be comes impotent a weak u seless inco m

-
, ,
plet e man a nonentity a mere pretence

, , In .
many instances such cases are incurable .
Through a process o f physical upbuilding a cure

can O ften be e ff ected but there is no other means
,
th r o ugh which this complaint can possibly be

a ff ected in the slightes t degree It may be added
.
that impotence O ften really acts as a l ife pre

“
server by p utting an end to the se excesses

, .
Were it not f o r the coming o f impotence to in

t erf ere the victim would probably continue until
he killed himself .
CHAPTER X
Sho ul d H usb and an d W
i fe Oc cupy
Separat e B e ds ?
‘
S it desirable for husband and wife t o sleep

together according to the o l d fashioned cus
-
t o m Or should they occupy separate beds ?

,
The answer to this question will nat urally v ary

in di fferent cases In many instances the bodily
.
contact and close association involved in Sleeping

in the same bed arouses the passions unduly and
naturally tends to lead t o excess Where such.
is the case there is but one alternative and that is

,
separate beds .
This plan would no doubt b e more e spe mally

desirable in the early period of married life It . ;
is then that most care is necessary to avoid over

stimulated sexuality As Bernard Shaw very
.
aptly expressed it in o n e O f his cyni cal moments ,

“
marriage is popular because it combines the
maximum of temptation with the maximum o f
o p portunity
. Unquestionably there is a great
deal of truth in this remark If it is found in a
.
given case that the plan o f Sleeping together

means continual temptation it will undoubtedly
,
be better to occupy separate beds ; then it will be

more likely that only the normal instincts o f the
husband and wife wi ll bring them together at th e
proper times Under such conditions the m ari
.
59
M A N H OOD I
AND MARRI AGE
tal relationship is less likely to degenerate into a

mere “habit ” but will continue to be a true ex
,
pression of love .
It must be remembered that if sexual excite

ment is to be avoided those caresses that lead up
,
to the sexual intimacies should be avoided The .
lover ’s kiss for instance is not permissible if y o u

, ,
do not desire to arouse passion .
We must recognize that sexual excitement is to

a large extent brought about by mental processes .
It depends greatly upon the woman and the man

concerned Each is influenced greatly by his or
.
her mental attitude However it must be ad

.
,
m itt e d that the woman in the case is th e real con

trolling factor The answer to the question un
.
der consideration will depend largely upon her

power O f control .
In the plan of occupying separate beds there is

some advantage I n the fact that there is less likely
to be any overheating o f the body One is usu .
ally able to rest better sleeping alone and to en ,
j oy a better nervous condition This however .

, ,
is a matter that depends somewhat upon the in

dividual .
In some instances even the plan of separate

rooms may be an advant age The forced intimacy .
o f sleeping together may detract from the mutual
attractiveness o f a married pair A little dis .
tance lends a certain charm t o the source o f at

traction Familiarity may not “breed co n
.
tempt ” as the Old saying puts it but when a thing

, ,
becomes too comm on it inevitably be comes less

so
MANHOOD AND M A R RI A G E
change caresses that do not arouse the passions ,
I would certainly say that they are benefit e d

thereby A man and his wife Should be able to
.
caress each other in the ordinary way with the

same simple feeling of pleasure that comes to
children when they express a ffection for each
other A man should never show passion until
.
the woman intentionally arouses it .
Therefore under absolutely normal condi tions

,
we might say that separate beds are not ne ce s

sary We must however admit that we are not
.
, ,
living in an age in which normality is usual It .
might really be term ed t h e exception Accord .
ing ly in most cases we would say th at separ ate

“
beds are to be recomm ended There is much less .
liability to excess The intimate relations o f the

.
sexes when they do take place are far more sat

, ,
i sf ac t o ry .They are not SO likely to be enerv at

in
g and devitalizin g I n their influence and the ,
strong a ff ection existing between hiI sb and and

wife can be maintained for a longer period .
By all means occupy separate beds if y o u find

,
it necessary But if you can control the intimate

.
relations of marri age without so doing y o u will ,
undoubtedly find more satisfaction and benefit

from o ccupying o ne bed .
CH AP TER XI
—
C o nserv ing Lo v e T h e B a SI S of
M ari t al H appine ss
OVE is absolutely essential to the mamt e

nance o f marital happiness There c an
.
be no real marriage without a strong deep ,
a ffection and the intimate relations involved can

,
no t b e properly or satisf a ctorily continued with

out love Love is a cementing force a magnetic
.
,
power that draws e ach sex toward the other .
Therefore the first essential l n perpetuating the

j oys and delights associated with true ma rriage
i s to acquire the knowledge necessary for the con
servation o f the love and attraction which each

has for the other .
L Ov e performs a very definite and serious pur

pose— the perpetuation o f the human race .
When we are enthralled with the exaltation as

so c iat e d with the intimate relations o f marriage ,
we are simply being used as instruments for the

performance o f a well define d practical purpose
-
, .
Each hum an atom is b rought i nto the w orld

through such influences If love should disap
.
pear there woul d be no more homes filled with

, ,
j oy ; there would be nQ n i ore prattling musical , ,
childish voices ; the ra ce would soon dwindle away

into nothingness and Oblivion .
The keenest pleasures in all human life are

63
found in the anticipations o f marriage But the .
actual union unfortunately dull s th e keen ardor

, ,
o f the lovers in many cases N o w the delights

.
,
of marriage are maintained only as a result of a d

h er enc e to the well defined physiological laws
,
that have been set fort h in preceding chapters .
S O long as we adhere to these natural laws j ust ,
SO long can we expect to partake of these j oys .
In other words to make permanent the happi

,
ness o f marriage we must perpetuate love And

, .
this requires that there shall be no mistakes ,
abuses or violations O f God given laws -

.
Love I S the one solution of all marriage prob

lems Conserving love is the only way to insure
.
happiness There is much talk everywhere about

.
marriage and divorce preachers and writers in

,
practically every case beating about the bush and

assiduously avoiding the important fact that
marital happiness and love are largely depend
ent upon a normal and happy sex life This is .
fundamental It is an unsatisfactory sexual re

.
l at io n sh ip or lack o f sexual harmony that is re

, ,
Sponsible for many divorces Some authorities

.
w h o have spent a lifetime studying this question

emphatically declare th at sexual difficulties are at
the bottom o f every case o f divorce without ex,
c ept io n
. Of course that is an extreme statement ,
but there is no question that it is true in many

cases H ealth and a normal life form the basis
.
o f happiness in the home ,and health depends

upon freedom from excesses o r abuses and strict
obedience to the physiological laws o f marriage .
64
CONSERVING LOVE
Marriage is no t simply a social compact a mat ,
ter of mere comp anionship as some would like to

,
suppose I t is not founded o n “Platonic love ”

. .
The element Of un ion is an indispensable factor .
There is no real marriage without it T rue ma r

.
ria g e is a relationship that involves the mental ,
spiritual social and physical union o f the two par

,
ties concerned .
When the sexual relationship is not of the per

f ect and absolutely satisfactory nature that I
h ave described in preceding pages there is less
,
likely to be possible a continuation Of the strong

conj ugal love that should exist in any true mar
ri ag e
. Even when a healthy man and woman
attempt to live a completely continent life they ,
“
will usually run the risk o f a decline in the love

that they may first have had o r o f a loss of hap
,
pine ss . It I S true that I n some cases a couple may

be able to tolerate such a con di tion and live to
gether peaceably but at the same time such an
,
existence would not be “marriage in the tru e

sense.
In a great number o f marriages it may require

considerable time and patience to insure a per
f e ct physical union Many women in the b e
.
ginning are not sufficiently awakened o r devel

oped t o properly and thoroughly enj oy the mar
riage, and for this reason the love making o f -
courtship days must in all cases precede any

marital intimacies When the man ’s caresses do
.
no t excite desire in his Wi fe then there should

,
be no relations o f this Wh en the husband

is unusually passionate and in consequence inco n

siderate he fails to awaken in his wife the emo
,
t io n a l response which mak es the association truly

a divine relationship If he forces these r ela
.
tions upon her when they are not desired o r ,
when they may be actually repugnant to her he ,
may lose permanently the opportunity or pos

sib ilit y of developing l n her the power to rec i p
I o c at e his ardo r Marriage under s uch c i rcum

O
stances becomes a sordid dull and commonplace ,
existence N O more will they feel the lovers ’

.
delight in each other ’s presence ; no more will they

experienc e th e thrill that is found in the touch of
the hand O f a Sweetheart ; gone is the spirit of
romance from life .
To conserve love you must be a considerate

lover y o u must recognize the guiding hand of
,
feminin e instincts you must refrain from the

,
marriage relation except during those particular

periods when your wife can reciprocate your a d
vances They make the marriage tie permanent
. .
They bind it more securely than a thousand legal

,
knots And after all it is only a relationship of

.
, ,
this binding sort that sanct ifie s marriage .
You must expect that the results o f such in

t imac ie s will be conception and pregnancy You .
should be prepared t o accept such respo nsib ili

ties If you are using any means to prevent
.
concepti o n which makes the relationship inco m

plet e o r prevents it from thoroughly satisfying
,
both parties then you can rest assured that y o u

,
are traveling a dangerous road o ne that is lead ,
66
CON SERVING L OVE
ing toward the divorce courts Y o u are slowly .
bU t surely severing the tie that binds y o u to your

sweetheart .
As I have said dur ing the particular periods

,
in each month when the feminine passions are

naturally active there are no particular rules to
,
be laid down for guiding husband and wife Her .
instincts Should rule As a rule indulgenc es at

.
such times should b e guided e ntirely by m utual

d esires The numb er o f intimacies is not of such
‘
great im portance provided they are confined to

,
these periods It is where these intimacies o c

.
cur at other times o r where they are inc omplete

,
as well as a source o f dissatisfaction t o husband

a nd wife that harmful results can be expected
,
.
As has been previously stated many who un

derst and something of th e possibilities o f preg
nancy resulting from marital relations j ust b e
fore and f o r some days following menstruation ,
mak e a practice o f confining such intimacies to

a short period beginning about t w o week s after
the cessat i on of the menses But remember that .
at such times it is abnormal f o r the wife either to

de sire o r t o reciprocate in the relationship and ,
therefore it cannot be other than devitalizing to

the husband Very early in life I had an em
.
phati c lesson in regard t o the e ff ect of this prac

tic e An acquaintance O f mine dilated upon his
.
cleverness in thus avoiding the parental re spo n

sib ilit ie s usua ll y associated with marriage At .
that time I was inclined to admire him for his

supposed superior intelligenc e I lost sight o f .
67
this man for some years and when next I heard

O f him he was in an insane asylum There is no .
doubt that his misfortun e was the result partly ,
at least of his habit o f confining the marital rela

,
tion to this improper period .
Most Of what I have said in this chapter refers

chiefly to those marriages in which there is a full
development of the normal sexual instinct in both
husband and wi fe It must be admitted that the
.
conventional view o f this subj ect is of such a na

.
ture that the feminine instincts are frequently

perverted and that conse q uently serious mis
, , ,
takes are made in nearly all marriages Some .
women fail to develop passion o r the power o f

reciprocation while others develop the reverse at
,
t it ude. I n other words the latter seem to ao

,
quire a c apacity f o r reciprocating the ad v ances

o f the husband at almost any time The inab il
.
ity o f the wife to experience pa SS1o n 1s a grievous

condition but the reverse state is even worse
, .
When passion can be reciprocated by the wife at

almost a ny time there is almost sure to be ex
,
c e ssiv e sexual indulgence with devitalizing e fi ect
upon the husband and frequently also upon the

,
wife especially when conception and pregnancy

,
do not intervene Naturally in such cases it is

.
, ,
strongly advisable for the husband as well as the

wife to ex ercis e all possible self-restraint The .
use o f separate beds and every other available

means of avoiding temptation may be reco m
mended And particularly all relations should
.
68
CHA P TER XII
’
A M a n s D ut y T o w a rd a
P regn a n t ife W
REGNAN CY is a phase o f marital life
that is much discussed by thos e who have
studied sexual laws and there are many di
,
ver ging views as to the duties o f a man toward

his wife at this time .
In facing this problem and endeavoring to find

a satisfactory solution we must first O f all rec
,
o gn i z e that the sexual relations and the emo ,
tions and instincts developed in conn ection there

with are to a large extent physical in nature
, .
Conception with all its related mysteries 1S phys

i o lo g ica l
. The physical functions and processes
whereby the young o f the lower animals are
brought into being are almost identical with those
involved in the creation o f a new human life .
Therefore in attempting to solve this problem it

would be fitting and advantageous t o study the
sexual lives o f the lower animals .
In comparing a human being with the lower

animals in a physical w ay I am not c asting a slur
upon the human animal for w hen we compare
,
m an with his distant four footed c ousins from a

-
physical viewpoint alone that is as an animal in

, , ,
most cases the quadruped is superior In other .
words the lower animal is usually the better ani

,
70
A M A N ’S DU TY
ma l though man lives longer than most o f the

,
lower animals H e is a strong er specimen of

.
life and is capable o f greater endurance .
N o w w e must admit that sexuality a nd the as

,
so ciat e d emotions spring fro m an animal instinct .
It is the all compelling creative force upon which

-
depends the permanency of all species O f animal

life A n d when we study the monogamous ani
.
mals which are o f course more closely allied to

, ,
humankind so far as sexuality is concern ed we ,
learn that there are certain limited periods dur

ing which the female will allow the approach o f
the male At thes e particular periods there is
.
little o r no limit to the number o f intimacies that

may o ccur ; but after this period when c o nce p ,
tion has taken place ,no further relations are al

lowed In fact the female o f almost any species
.
,
among what we may term the monogamous ani

mal s will fight with the ferocity Of a tiger to pro
teet herself from sexual approach after c o nce p
tion has taken place
N o w to my mind this definitely points out the ,
law o r rule which should be followed in the h u

, ,
man world T O be sure you will hear much

.
,
about man being a superior animal and about the ,
psychological influence o f our m ental make up -
having changed o ur functional processes so as to

make the human race to a certain extent a law , ,
unto itself SO f ar as sexual requirements are con

,
cerned We may adm it that there is some truth

'
in this contention but nevertheless the fact stands

,
o ut definitely and finally that after the womb has

71
completely closed upon an impregnated ov um

there shoul d be no sexual d esire and th at a ,
woman should turn at this t ifne against every

sexual advance The great fundamental pur
.
pose o f sexual desire has now b een accomplished ,
an d t h er e is n o further occasion for it .
Human inclination and requirements should

accord with this fundamental f a ct For genera .
tions however women have been compelled to

, ,
yield to the desires o f men under any and all cir

c um st ances
. Consequently impregnation has
not compelled sexual abstinence .
We Shall have to admit that su ch abstinence is

not desired by every woman Many women are .
to a certain extent abnormal in a sexual w ay and ,
this abnormality is manifested frequently by sex

ual desires even during pregnancy A s to wh at
extent this des ire When present should be satis
.
, ,
fi e d by the husband is a moot question My .
own conclusions would bar o ut all sUch relations

after conception It is certain that sexual in
.
tim a cies during pregnancy are no t nearly so sat

i sfying as under normal conditions and in a d ,
v an ce d pregnancy at least they involve a vital

, ,
drain upon the man that is almost as baneful in

its e ffects as masturbation Even when there is
.
reciprocatio n under such circumst ances there can

not b e the same exchange of magnetism as nor
mally .
Regardless O f all theories the more a man ,
studies the question the more forcibly he will be

,
72
A M A N ’S D U TY
impelled t o the conclusi on that pregna ncy should

interdict all sexual relations At least this is
.
definitely true after pregnancy has been indicated

beyond all possible doubt Sexual relations un
.
der such c ircumstances drain the vital forces and

tend to make o ne an easy victim to any o f the dis
eases which appear when vitality is lo w .
There are three special physiological reasons

w hy sexual indulgence should be avoided duri ng
pregnancy The first of these is the directly
.
weakening e ff ect upon the parts concerned with ,
irritation and congestion which o f cours e would

,
be unfavor able to natur al and easy childbirth .
It is an item o f material importance where the

woman is concerned The second is that in
.
t ima CI es O f this kind at this time have a tendency

to produce or at least greatly t o aggravate the
, ,
condition o f nausea o r “morning sickness ”

, ,
which many pregnant women experience The .
third reason is found in the very serious danger

o f inducing a miscarriage . There is no q uestion
that a large percentage o f miscarriages are the di
rect result o f this abuse of the sexual relation by
inconsiderate exacti ng husbands It is not a
, .
merely sentimental matter It is a practical

.
matter I believe that in very few instances

.
would the husban d and prospective father wish

f o r such abnormal indulgence if he knew that it
might result in the loss of his unborn child Nor .
would the prospective m other if she understood

,
the danger be w illing to t ak e any chances o f this

,
”
as
sort . Naturally the danger o f inducing misc ar

,
ria ge in this w ay b ec o mes increasingly great as

'
pregnancy advances .
Aside from this particular q u estion however , ,
it is the duty o f the husband t o do everyth ing pos

sible for the physical and mental welfare o f the
prospective mother The physical requirements
.
O f pregnancy call f o r freedom from mental strain

and from exhausting work A w oman needs all .
the vitality and reserve strength possible during

this period Women are often inclined to co n
.
fine themselves within door s when pregnant but ,
a husband should encourage his wife to be in the

open air as much as possible at such times He .
should see that she takes long walks that she has ,
plenty O f appropriate exercise and that she has

plenty of sleep Sleep is o f vital importanc e
. .
Fresh air and plenty o f Sleep are conducive to a

good appetite and functional power Clean sur .
roundings and freedom from o ff ensive O dors are

p articularly desir able .
The mental and nervous condition o f a preg

nant wife is seldom given due attention by the
hu sband but it is a matter of great importance
,
.
If kindness forbear ance and love are ever needed

, ,
it is during thi s trying period It should be thor .
oughly understood by every husban d that the

pregnant w oman is O ften not quite herself in a
mental and nervous way and if she develops an
,
irritable tendency he should not resent it In

,
.
fact the nervous con di tion of some women at this

,
time borders upon insanity Sexual indulgence .
74
’
A MAN S DU TY
tends to make the condition worse In any .
event a man should b e man enough at this time

,
to make all possible allowances for anything that

his wife may say o r do Loving consideration .
o n his part will go a long way towar d making
things easier f o r her .
S O far as possible freedom from worry on her

,
part is desirable Let the husband assume the

.
burdens o f the fami ly and keep her mind free ,
from anxiety The more happiness a wo man

.
can find during this wonderful period o f the for

mation of a new life the better will it be for her
,
in every way the more perfect will be her diges

,
tion the richer her blood supply and c o nse

, ,
quently the better the nourishment and th e

,
greater the vitality o f the coming child The .
di fferences in the physical V i gor and co nst itu

tions o f di ff erent children O f the same parents
may invariably be t raced to di fferences in the
“
conditions which prevailed previ ous to co nce p

t io n and during gest ation
v To take proper c are .
of his wife at this time and to do his utmost to

,
provide f o r her physical and mental welfare ,
therefore is not only a d uty that a man owes to

,
her but it is a duty that he owes t O h iS children

’
as well .
CHAP TER XI II
Sh o uld H usb an ds b e P re sent at
Chi l db i rt h ?
H E N a wife is struggling in the throes

Ofhildbirth when the excruciating
c ,
pangs o f the crisis O f motherhood are

scourging her very soul it seems t o me that she
,
would be strengthened buoyed up m

, m ade better
,
able to bear the tortures of this trying ordeal if ,
Sh e could clasp the h a nd o f a loving husband .
But in this matter again we have t o contend

with the i nfluence o f this prudery besmudged -
age H o w awful it is f o r a man to view the un

"
.
clothed o r uncovered body Of his wife It is sup

posed t o Shock the wife ’s sen se O f decency And "
yet h o w pitiably ridiculous is an attit ude of this
sort There is only one reason for the Obscenity
.
and indecency associated with the exposure O f t h e

feminine form and that reason is o f such a na
,
ture that it stands as a stigma a lasting dis

,
grace t o this much -vaunt ed civilization O f ours .
We have so closely associated sexual int imacies

with the un clothed human form that the view o f
a woman ’s leg unclothed o r o f any other part
,
o f her body that is ordinarily supposed to be c ov

,
ered is expected to excite a man sexually H e is

, .
n o t supposed t o be blamed especially f o r this

susceptibility ; but i n reality it indicates a degree
76
M A N H OOD AND MAR RIAGE
momentous “crisis o f her life on the e ff” eminate ,
plea that he cannot bear to see su ff ering ? H o w

a re w e to express the contempt due to the man
who offers the excuse that he “shrinks from the

sight of blood ” in order to skip away and spend
,
a comfortable time playing cards and waiting for ,
the news to be brought to him o n a platter ? It

-
is true that in rare instances men and women are

found who actually faint at the sight o f blood ;
but we are not speaking o f such extraordinary
cases and the unwillingness of a man to stand
, .
by the woman who means more than all the

world to him in the hour o f her su ffering and
,
trial is in practically every case due entirely t o a

,
-
lack of moral stamina N o o ne k nows better

.
than the writer that it is hard to witness pain and

su ffering but even so it is not so bad to see it as
,
to bear it And the husband at suc h a time can

.
help his wife to bear it .
Furthermore it is j ust as well that a man

,
should be m a position to understand j ust what

his Wifehas to go through f o r the sake o f bearing
his children especially if he 1s one of those who
,
insist upon the wife ’s going through the o rdeal

repeatedly and against her will in order to sat
, ,
isf y his vanity or pa ssmn .
A Woman will be more willing to bear children

if her husband shows the proper spirit in times
like these and if she has his sympathy and pres
,
ence t o help sustain her during the agony that sh e

sometimes su ff ers It is true that with proper
.
preparation the ordeal may often be made c o m

78
HUSBAND S AT CHILDB IRTH
para t iv e lyeasy but this result cann ot always be

,
insured o r accurately predetermined Child

,
.
birth 18 in an y case a crisis in a woman ’s h f e full ,
of possibilities and ev en o f dangers that c annot al

ways be foreseen The least that a man can do
.
is to give the woman he loves his moral support at

such a time
There is nothing so laudable so heroic so di , ,
vme in all human life as the ordeal associated with

the crisis o f motherhood The vulgarity and in .
d ecency with which this subj ect is viewed and dis

c ussed everywhere is appalling evidence of the
pitiful degeneracy o f the age Let us honor the .
’
pregnant w oman Let us uphold co mrnend and
.
,
admire her Why not ? Every human soul was

.
onc e confined within the walls o f a mother ’s

'
womb You my friend as you j eer o r stare at

.
, ,
a pregnant woman should recall that at o ne time

,
your mother was carrying y o u in the same way ,
and when y o u cast disrespect upon another

woman y o u are casting it to an equal extent upon
your o w n mother The man who cannot respect
.
his own mother is the vilest specimen o f de

graded degeneracy that this earth has ever
-
brought forth Such miserable beas ts have

.
hardly a human t rait They befoul everythin g.
with which they come in contact Their minds .
so reek with vulgarity and filth that life itself in

all its manifestations contains for them nothing
clean and wholesome .
CHAPTER XI V
Are C h i l dre n Al w ay s D e si rab l e ?
HE love o f childr en I S 1nnat e in every h u

man heart The yearning for the prat
.
tling voice of a child pulls at the heart

strings o f the possible mothe r in a manner that is
insistently dominating .
It is natural that a man should love a child

any child But it is imperative that he should
.
love and yearn for a child o f his own— a duplicate

o f himself . In this child he should be born again ,
made over new If he has improved his char

.
act er if his personality has gained through his

,
own work study and growth then his child should

, ,
be a superior representative o f humankind .
There are perhaps circumstances in which a

child is undesirable but it i s usually f o r economic
,
reasons There should be no other reason un

.
less there are physiological defects in the mother

that would make child bearing dangerous to her
-
life or health or unless there are eugenic or

,
hereditary reasons o r tainted blood Then t o o .

,
the economic reason based o n the claim that the

,
child cannot b e supported with a satisfactory de

gree of comfort is in many instances ex ag
,
gerated To be sure where the father and

.
,
mother are both compelled to labor outside o f

the home in order to live child bearing becomes
,
-
so
CHILDREN D E S I RAB L E?
exceedingly difficult A nd it might also be said

.
that marriage under such circumstances is n o t al

w a ys desirable for the duties and responsibilities
,
o f marriage should usually not be assumed until
o n e is able to shoulder the natural r esult o f mar

riag e—children .
Whenever you find a man who 1s without an in

nate love for children you may rest assured that,
there is something wrong with his character It .
has suffered from deterioration or perversion of

some kind However many have to struggle so
.
,
strenuously in t h el r endeavor t o make a liveli

hood o r their life experiences have been so tragic
‘
that they feel that it is ahno st a cr i me to bring an

other human life into being Some may feel that .
this excu se is entirely satisfactory But in ro b .
bing themselves o f the blessings of children they

are struggling against a terrible handicap f o r ,
children in the home are really necessary to round

o ut and make complete the lives o f those who live
therein A home is not a home without children

. .
It is cold barren lifeless Desolation , and the

, , .
death of the family tree are then inevitable .

.
We hear much about the trouble associated

with the care and training o f children But what .
the average parent is inclined to regard as trouble

should in reality be a continual so urce o f delight .
The very care that is often dwelt upon as a drain

upon parental vitality should be a source o f
never failing pleasure if viewed in the proper
-
w ay. A mother may fail to appreciate her chil

dren and may grumble because o f the hardship
,
81
which she feels she must bear o n their account ;

y et if she had the opportunity to eliminate the
experiences both sorrows and delights that come
, ,
t o her because o f her childr en sh e would rej ect

‘
it o n every occasion .
Many women of to day seek to avoid having

-
children through motives of selfi sh pleasure In .
some instances they do not wish to be bothered
"
with babies be cause motherhood would interfere
,
with their activities in “society ” Probably it is

j ust as well that such inhuman creatures shoul d
not reproduce their kind The world is p robably
.
better o ff without their progeny But from the .
standpoint of their o w n pleas ur e and welfare

such women make a great mistake For the sak e .
of the social enj oyment o f the moment they are

planting the seeds o f an empty barren and deso ,
late old age They sell their souls for the sake
.
of a so called pleasure that in the end proves to

-
be only a bubble .
Again many women fancy that they do no t

,
want babies for fear o f “losing their figures ” .
Even if this supposed r eason were valid it would

be a pitiful pretext The excuse is even offered
.
in some cases that a woman does no t wish to lose

the love o f her husband as if this result were,
likely to follow Such silly pretexts only reveal

.
lack o f character and womanh ood A husband ’s .
love for his wife is invariably intensified as soon

as she b ecomes the mother o f his children So .
far as the fear o f “losing one ’s figure through

maternity is concerned I need only point o ut
,
89
CHILDREN D E S I R AB L E ?
that this is absolutely unnecessary if one mak es

proper physical preparation for the event by ‘
strengthening and building up the body R e .
member that women also “lose their figures ”

when th ey finever have children You will see .
any n umber of “bachelor ladies and childless

wives whose figures are even more “lost ” th an
is that of the average mother The fact is that .
if a woman is properly developed she need have

no fear on this score That is to say if she
.
,
really has a figure she will not lose it On t h e

, .
contrary motherhood often means an improve

,
ment in health and vitality at least if the preg ,
nancies are no t t o o frequently repeated Ma ter .
nit y is the normal function of a woman it is her ,
natural physical destiny and in many cases is f0 1

, ,
lowed by greater physical maturity and increased

vitality Sterility is the abnormal condition
.
,
and is far more li kely than child bearing to result -
in a lack or loss of figure and of health , .
Yes children are desirable in practically every

,
instance I do not deny that there are e x cep

.
tions Alcoholic insane syphilitic o r otherwise

.
, , ,
tainted persons have no right to become parents .
But I am not considering these exceptional cases ,
and when you find a home into which a child is

forbidden to come you find o ne into which life ’s
,
most complete and satisfying j oys cannot enter .
Though children may be troublesome though at ,
times they may bring difficulties that torture o ne

a h no st beyond endurance they are nevertheless a
,
veritable nec essity In the growing child y o u

.
83
are able t o renew your o w n youth As your boys .
and girls approach maturity you may become a

boy or girl aga i n with them Y o u can taste the.
j oys and delights associat e d with their enthu

sia sm s
. You can take part in the keen pleasures
in which they find so much happiness No what .
,
ever you do do not voluntarily deny your self the

,
satisfaction t hat comes through having a child

o f your own .
Then too we must remember the neces sity for

, ,
making the child welcome The unwelcome .
c hild is indeed to be pitied The mother should

.
yearn for and love the child in advance of its co m

ing Undoubtedly this yearning this a ff ection
.
,
for the coming child to a certain extent at least

, ,
adds to the vitality and vigor o f the mother at the

time o f conception And as the prospective
.
mother ’s strength increases to a similar ext ent,
the vitality o f the child is developed Whether .
o r not the mental activities of the mother have
a marked infl uence upon the unborn may be a di s

put e d q uestion but the fact that certain mental
,
states influence the health o f the mother cannot

be denied Therefore a condition o f hopefulness
.
and the anticipation o f coming happiness by add ,
ing to the mother ’s well being will impress the

-
,
unborn child favorably .
As w e become more imbued with the impor

tance of the science of eugenics we will realize ,
more and more fully the value o f training the

child before birth The statement has f re
.
quently been made by those w h o have studied thi s

84.
MA NHOOD AND MARRIA GE
if the prosp ec tive father would tak e the same pre

caution for a considerable time before co nce p
tion a superior race would soon be the result
, .
If a man realized that j ust the degree o f man

hood health and streng th which he himself po s
,
sessed was to be transmitted t o his child would ,
he not be encouraged even compelled t o strive ,
for the high est physical development possible t o

him ? Were we plann ed l n advance m this man
ner the progeny o f each marriage would be far
,
stronger than either the mother o r the father .
In other wor ds the human race would grow more

,
fit physically mentally and morally generation

, ,
by generation .
It must be admitted however th at the te nd , ,
ency in some places at the present time is to

ward degeneracy This is especially true in
.
thickly popul ated communities A healthy .
young man vigorous virile a splendid specimen

, , ,
of country life moves to the city and founds a

,
family E ach generation thereafter loses a cer

.
tain amount o f the vitalit y with which it was orig

ina lly endowed by this country-bred father In .
from three to five generations the family is usu

ally wiped o ut ” eliminated by the devitalizing
‘‘
,
influences of city life usually associated with ,
1 no ranc e o f the l aws o f life sex ual physio

g , ,
logical dietetic etc

, , .
C H APTER XV
T h e C rime o f Ab o rt io n
HERE may be some excuse at times for

abortion But in nine cases o ut o f ten
.
such excuses are imaginary and the de ,
stru ctive influence of such interferen ce with the

plan o f the Almighty is often terrible in char’
acter We have no right t o tamper with God s
.
laws Within the recesses o f the prospective

i
mother ’s womb there are physiological processes

taking place that can only be interfered with at
a terrible cost .
T o be sure there are a few women who possess

,
a tremendous amount o f vitality and vigor .
They are literally as strong as young oxen and ,
seem to be able t o go through an abortion with

apparent impunity But such women are rare
.
exceptions Abortion will usually lea ve a

.
woman weak and ailing for months and many

times for life I t sh o ck s the whole nerv ous sys
‘
tem in such a manner as to interfere with the

harmonious processes o f the entire organism .
The food w ill not digest so well after such an ex

perienc e The blood has no t the life giving ele
.
-
ment s that it previously posses sed Strange un ,
pleasant and at times fearful pains dart through

the pelvic regions after an op era t i on o f this sort .
One operation will sometimes bring physiological

s .
defects from which a woman never completely re

covers An d when we realize ho w frequently
this crime—made possible o nly b y the prudery
.
h
,
ignorance and superstitions of this so called e n -
lightened modern age—is committed by the

, ,
married as well as by the single we truly have ,
cause f o r being appalled .
Though it may be entirely in accordance with

the conventional mor al law to stigmatize the il
legitimate child and to stamp the mother with
never ending disgrace abortion is nevertheless
-
,
considered a far greater c rl me But abortion .
may be secretly brought about N o o ne k nows .
the terrible secret ex cept the victim and the do c

t o r unless death intervenes And so called dis
.
-
grace is thu s avoided though perhaps at the cost

,
o f life long misery and weakness

-
.
When a woman once becomes pregnant the ,
duties and responsibilities naturally associated

with her condition should be assumed regardles ,
o f whether o r not she is protected by the mar
r iag e t ie The disgrace that is everywhere asso

.
c iat e d with bringing a child into the world o ut
side o f wedlock should no t induc e a woman t o

commit the appalling crime o f abortion .
We must recognize however that the practice

, ,
o f inducing abortion is far from being confined
t o the unmarried M any women w h o are placed

.
in such a position that children might easily be

welcomed refuse t o assume the obligation b e
,
cause o f social o r other insu fficient reasons .
They have accepted marriage but they refuse t o

,
as
woman to do w h o hates children who literally

,
abhors the thought o f bringing a new life into the

world ? “Why do y o u think I would have o ne
,
of those brats run ning around me ? ” is a remark

I heard o n o ne occasion from a woman who had
acquired an abnormal attitude toward children .
And I might well ask : Would it be desirable

for such a woman to have a child ? I might go
further and ask if it is not really a crime against
,
the child itself to have it brought into the world

by such a woman ? Women o f this sort should
no t marry .
But aside from such instances the question o f

,
birth control o r the prevention o f conception

, ,
assumes great importance in many other cases .
Is it not better l n nearly all cases that the bring

ing of children int o the world should be int elli
gently managed ? Is the possibility of co ncep
tion something t o be ignored and left to chance ?
Or should it be under control a matter to be
,
planned f o r so that it may take place only under

the most favorable conditions and only the most
,
satisfactory children be born ? Even in a family

where children are desired and welcome it will ,
often be found that there are times when the

vitality of oue or both o f the prospective parents
~
is lowered and un der such circumstances it is

,
certainly desirable t o be able t o avoid parenthood

until the physical condition o f both is made as
perfect as possible Children should come at a
.
time when the parents can best do j ustice to them .
If the husband t o take another instance is ad

, ,
90
CRIME OF AB ORTION
dicted to alcohol is it no t o f the utmost impor

,
tanc e that conc e ption should be avoided until he

has been able t o break the habit and his blood has
been free from the influence o f this poison for a
considerable time ? Various other re quirements
may make it desirable in di ff erent cases to limit
or control the bearing o f children S ometimes
'
where both parents desire and love children it ,
may still be desirable to limit the size of the fam

ily or t o insure against t o o short intervals b e
,
tween births I f a mother does not have a sufh

.
cient period for recuperation between the coming

o f her children this n atural function may involve
a serious drain upo n her vitality and bodily r e

sources whereby the vitality o f the later children
is reduced And when the earnings o f the father
.
are small it will usually be better to so limit the

size o f the family that it may be comfortably pro
v ide d f or and well brought up than to com pel ,
the mother t o bear children repeatedly to "the

limit of her physical capacity and to bring them ,
up l n poverty
'
All o f these considerations are practical .
T hey are intimately related to the lives o f thou

sands o f men and women Furthermore birth .
,
control would in a vast number o f cases mean

, ,
the prevention o f the hideous crime of abortion .
There are some people wh o do not seem able t o

distinguish between abortion and the prevention
o f conception but the t w o measu
, res are as dif
f erent as possible The first means murder
.
the destruction o f a new life The second mean s .
91
sirnply not calling a new soul into existence .
After conception has once taken place the new

life has begun and is it not criminal to destroy it ?
,
In European countries various means for pre

venting conception are openly sold in drug stores -
and freely advertised in publications They .
have apparently never seriously lessened the

birth rate except perhaps in France as it is far
-
, ,
greater per capit a in some European countries

than it is in the Uni ted States among native
born Americans H ere however it is a crime
.
, , ,
punishable in the mo st serious manner for o ne ,
in any w ay to furnish inform ation o r means that

will enable a woman to prevent conception As .
a result there are thous ands o f women who are

c ompelled to bring into the world unwelcome chil
dren .
It must be admitted that in nearly every ih

stance the child that at first seems unwelcome is
finally able to entw ine itself in the heart strings -
o f the mother and is c ared f o r in a fitting manner
so far as circumstances will permit . But there

are other instances in which the child remains nu
welcome throughout the entire pregnancy period ,
and is still more unwelcome when it appears It .
has no home to come to It really has no father

.
and no mother in the best sense It is simply an

, .
unwelcome “brat ” that interferes w ith the pleas

ure and the general routine of the life of mother
and father Such a child is cursed before birth
. .
Unquestionably from these child products of h u

man bestiality come the most o f o ur criminals
92
inj urio usly upon both p arties O nce the marital

.
act has been commenced it sh o uld be carried

through to a natural completion o r it will prove ,
harmful It might even be said that when once

.
the passions of both h ave been aroused t o the

‘
point at which the marital relation is ph y sio lo gi

cally demanded then it should be carried through
,
if the question of the health o f both parties i s to

be considered Not to do this means not only
.
more o r less nervous derangement but serious ,
congestion of the parts i nvolved producing we ak,
ness o r inflammation I have referred t o this

.
matter i n Chapter VI o n Love Making and Its -
Dangers ” But the p hysiological results are

.
naturally far more serious if the relation has actu

ally be en commenced and is then interrupted b e
f o re it has been completed
. The method prac
.
ticed by a certai n group o f idealists is to be ,
condemned as e q ually unnatural and undesirable

as a means of avoiding conception N o o ne can .
afford to take any chances of ruining the health

by th e se ab no rmal practices It were better by
'
far to live a strictly natural life

It should be said als o that mechan i cal me ans or
appliances for preventing conception are gener
ally very unsatisfactory and unreliable They .
are likely t o be misplaced and t o fail comple t ely

in their pu rpose but further th an this they tend
,
to cause seri ous irritation o f the female organs ,
inducing inflammato ry a nd other disorders .
There 13 at the present time a v ery extensive

agitation f o r the repeal o f legislation which
94
CRIME OF AB ORTION
makes it a crime f o r the physician or any one

,
else to supply information upon this important

,
subj ect It is claimed that such knowledge is

.
necessary in the cause of eugenics in order to

,
limit the birth rate o f those w h o are constitution

-
ally defe ctive o r tainted It is claimed that with

.
p roper knowledge upon the subj ect conception

could be prevented without resort t o the more
harmful and disa strous measures which many
people are now compelled through ignorance t o
, ,
use.
C H A P T E R XV I
D i v o rce Ph ysio l o gica l l y C o nsi de re d
I V OR C E is a much discussed s u bj ect .
Law s have been enacted to control divorce .
The men w h o have placed these re stric

tions upon the statute books know little o r noth
ing of the physiological laws involved in mar
r i a ge
. They have imbibed certain theories as a ,
result o f their environment in reference to the

,
intimate relations o f marri age that are founded

on nothing but superstitions Marriage the .
,
same as any other human relation should be in ,
t el ligent ly re ulated All laws that are made to

g .
control marri age should be made by those who

have a definite and det ailed knowledge o f the
natural laws of marriage They all naturally
.
, ,
recognize the ob j ect of marr i age It is plain and

.
clear to the dullest o f mi nds but the new sc i ence

o f eugenics will have to enter into and beco m
,
e a
part o f their home lives before marriage can be
intelligently controlled by theologians politi ,
eiaus or statesmen This is an age of spe c ial iz a

, .
tion and any rules that are laid down by the go v

e rnment regarding marriage should be made by
marriage specialists T hey should be made by

.
men w h o understand in every detail the relations

o f men and wom en living in a state o f wedlock .
F irst o f all we must rec ognize the right of the

,
96
c e ssiv e lyand unr easonably passionate and knows ,
nothing of feminine rights under the circum

,
stances He proceeds practically to kill the love

.
o f his sweetheart in the first da ys o f their union .
Or let us suppose another extreme in which ‘
the wife develops an abnormal and insatiable

passion Either o f these conditions will bring
.
about a gr adual dissolution o f the love bond b e

tween husband and wife Whether the man o r .
the woman is at fa ult is o f no very great impor

tance when it comes t o considering the question
of divorce .
To my mind marriage is truly a divine inst it u

,
tion It is created by laws that should be held

.
sacred If there is an influence in all human life

.
which can be termed divine it is surely that which

, ,
stirs the mind and heart o f a man and woman

j ust entering upon the wedded state T h e sa .
cred ties of love are a mighty force .
But when love has disappeared with its bind ,
ing cementing force marriage become s a farce

, , ,
a pretence Love then frequently turns to mu

.
tual hate and disgust Where there has once .
been strong a ff ection there often appears a feel

,
ing o f loathing Must men and women be

.
f o rced t o live together under such circumstances ?

I cannot imagine an influence in life that would
be more de structive to character than such a
compulsory relationship A man w h o hates a .
woman should not be compelled to live with her .
A woman w h o loathes a man could not su ff er a

98
D I V OR C E CONSIDERED
more terrible punishment than to be forced to live

with him .
Some may say Let the punishm ent fit the

crime ” But I believe at the beginni ng it is im
.
possible t o control love Men and women can

.
not fall in love by rule They are often driven

.
here and there by this uncontrollable irrepre ssi ,
ble force that wells up within them To be sure .

,
love has disappeared becau se o f cert al n ml st ak e s

that are made within the marital relationship .
But in practically every instance such errors are

committed because of ignorance One learns to
.
avo id t o o close proxim i t y to a blazing fire b e

cause o f the iM e diat e pa i n associated therewith ,
but the e ff ects o f marital mistakes are not indi

c at e d so definitely and decidedly .Such errors
are not usually detected e ven when the harm has
been wrought .
We hear much about incompatibility o f tem

per ame nt. You can depend upon it that many
a divorce is brought about not through tempera
mental diff erences but through errors m a de pos
,
sible b y the grossest sort o f 1gno ranc e relating to

physiological laws Marriage is made by love
.
and 1s unmade through the disappearance of love ,
regardless of legal o r theological enact ments .
’
This law is definite and final I n f act it is a
.
,
divine law a thousand time s more sacred than

, l
human enactments Men and women attract

.
each other for certain practical purposes The y .
repel each other f o r similar pra ct ical reasons and ,

99
when a man and woman have made mistakes that

have created within the soul o f each a feelin g o f
loathing that repels each from the other a higher ,
law than the human has se par ated them The .
Supreme Power has divorced them It would .
be a crime of the worst order for a man and

woman to live together under such circumstances .
And imagine if you c an the possible su ffering

, ,
involved in bringing children into such a home .
There is no crime that is more heinous I once .
heard o f a woman ’s boasting that she had not

"
spoken to ohn her husband for ten years ; but
, ,
note that during that period she had had five chil
dren At the time this incident was called to my
.
attention I was not so familiar with this subj ect

as no w or I would have been deeply inter ested
,
in learning something o f the characters and

physiques o f these childr en I am q uite sure
.
that they are miserable specimens and I know it ,
would be impossible for them to possess the spirit ,
zest and energy that should inspire every human

soul.
The marriage o f to day is a human made c o n

- -
tract Human beings are not yet infallible

. .
Marriages are often mistakes of the most tragic

sort Such mistak es should b e rectified Many
. .
marriages are not mistak es l n the beginning but

devitalizing errors are committed afterward and
the marital craft is wr ecked o n the rocks o f prud
ery and ignorance Divorce should be recog
.
n iz e d at times as a divine institution It rect ifi e s

.
mistakes that are sometimes terrible in their co n

100
CHAP TE R XVII
C an a W re cke d M arri a ge B e Re cl a ime d 3

‘
HE idea prevails that a love once lost can

not be recalled that within the ashes o f a
,
dead love no vital spark remains Is this .
conclusion j ustified in eve ry instance o r can one ,

'
hope to revive a dead love ? In other words if ,
you have made a failure o f your marriage and the

love that originally inspired it has disappeared ,
can it be reclaimed ? Can yo uagain feel the j oys

and delights that originally influenced you in se
le eting your mate ? These questions assume par
amount importance at times Divorce t o many .
,
people carries with it an unbearable di sgrace

,
and is a thing not to be considered under any cir

cu m st ance s .Those who look at it in this light
ar e willing to bear any degree of su ff ering and
shoulder daily a load of torture that is a hn o st

unendurable rather than seek the divorce courts
,
for relief F urthermore when children must

.
,
also share in the disgrace the difficulties are very

, “
greatly increased It is therefore well worth

.
while t o consider carefully every possible means

that might be adopted with a view of reclaiming
a lost love.
In attempting to o ff er reasonable suggestions

for th e solution of t his ve ry serious problem one ,
must first o f all det ermme the destructive agen

109
A WRECKED MARRIAGE
cies that are to blame for the change o f attitude .
Why does your sweetheart no longer attract y o u?

Why are the thrills which formerly enthralled
you no longer experienced ? The glance of the
eye the touch o f the hand have lost their alluring
, ,
force This change has been brought about by

some very definite causes and it is your duty as ,
nearly as possible to determine their nature

, .
In nearly every instance the change is brought

about by excess It more frequently arises b e
.
cause o f the desires and excessive demands of the

husband When a man takes advantage o f his
.
“
so called
-
rights ” in marriage and demands that
a wife satisfy him at a ll times there is bound to be
/
excess as I have clearly set forth elsewhere in

,
this volume The natural law does not recognize

.
the rights o f a man under such circumstances .
As already stated it should be the privilege of the

woman to dictate as to the time when marital ln
t imacie s should take place Where the man has .
taken upon himself this privilege he is largely to ,
blame for the death o f love In some cases .
where the wife has failed to develop th e instincts

o f passion o r where these desires have been de
,
v e lo pe d abnormally love can easily disappear

,
.
In order to cure a disease o ne must first o f all , ,
learn the cause Therefore 1n attempting to re

.
,
claim a wrecked marriage o ne must know the

cause of the difficulty C arefully read wh at h as
.
been said in these pages relating to the physio

logical laws of —marriage and then ask yourself
what mistakes y o u have made After you have .
103
been able clearly to see your errors then proceed ,
to prescribe for yourself accordingly .
The first remedy to be applied in practically

every case is a prolonged absence If the hus .
band and wife were separated for several months ,
o r if possible even for a year it would no doubt

, , ,
be far easier for them to overcome their diffi

c ult i e s During t his absence every possible
.
means o f building up the highest degree o f physi

cal exce ll ence should be adopted The wife at .
,
least should go through a thorough course of

,
physical upbuilding She should make her

.
physique as strong and as splendid as possible .
It must be admitted that in many instances the

con di tions which have made d ivorce possible have
come about largely through lack o f physical de
v e l o pm e nt on the part o f the wife If she had .
possessed a normal physique she would have had ,
the protective instincts w hich would have made

excess impossible Many women could under
.
,
such circumstan ces so radically improve their

,
physical appearance that whatever attraction ,
they may previously have had would be greatly ,
enhanced Physically defective wives in many

.
instances can easily be made into strong splendid ,
specimens of womanhood The o ld time sweet .

-
heart might easily be w o n back in many cases if

this reme dy w ere adopted completely and int el li
gently .
Naturally the same suggestions can be o ff ered

,
to the suff ering husband He too should go .

, ,
through a course o f physical upbuilding thor ,
104.
CHAP TER XV III
T he E rring Wif e
MAN f aces a serious problem indeed when

/
he finds that his wife has been unfaithful .
Happiness in the home is utterly impo s

sible where conditions o f this sort exist And the .
more deeply the husband loves his w ife the

k eener will be the mental torture that will come
with the k nowledge of her 1nfi delit y .
No advice can be g 1v en that will be applicable

to all cases of this kind The husband himself
.
must be the j udge and the j ury But if he is to

.
j udge he should at least try to be fair in every

,
way and to strive to understand all the circum

,
stances which have led up to this unfortunate

developmen t in his married life In writing this
.
chapter it is not our purpose to defe nd the erring

wife ; neither is it o ur purpose to condemn her in
all cases We should simply try to understand
“
the situation .
No one rule will hold good 1n all cases And .
yet it is always well for the husband t o make in

quiry as t o j ust why his marriage has proven to
“
be a failure F o r to a large extent in most cases

.
, ,
the problem of the erring wife is the problem of

an unhappy marriage And why has it been
.
unhappy ? As a rule a happy marriage does no t

result in infidelity upon the part of either hus
106
THE ERRING WI FE
band or wife " A woman will no t t urn t o any

.
other man so long as she devotedly loves her hus

band And the same is true of the husband
. .
N o w why this death o f love that makes in fidel

,
ity possible ?
This is the quest1on that the husband should
face squarely before he eternally condemns his
unfortunate wife Has he himself no t been to
.
blame partly at least ? Let him ask himself h o n

,
e st ly : In what way has he failed t o hold his

wife ’s a ff ections ? H o w has he ceased to be at
tractive to her ?
There is no doubt that the husband has some
times been seriously at fault and has to a certain
, s
extent at least infl uenced the action o f his wife .
Men are said to be selfish by nature They are .
continually seeking their own pleasure though I ,
am inclined to think that in a great many in

stances there would be no grounds for such a
charge if the husband really understood his posi
tion and thoroughly realized his duty toward his
life partner H is transgressions are sometimes
.
unconscious the result of thfongh t le ssne ss As I

, .
have previously said many hu , sbands k no w p r a c
t ically nothing about marriage and the necessity

f o r satisfying the sex desires o f their wives .
Thus there is often serio Us disappointment upon

the part o f the wife which if continued will re
, , ,
sult in an attitude which makes infidelity easily

possible when serious temptation appears In .
other words if the husband fails both to awak en

,
and satisfy the instinctive cravings o f his wife ,
107
MA N H OOD A N D M A R RI A G E
then she may finally fall a prey to another man .
There are also instances in which the husband

, ,
su ff ers from impotence A marriage o f this kind

.
is often produc tiv e o f the greatest unhappiness

and su ff ering The husband is humiliated and
.
irritable because o f it The wife is resentful

. .
Such a union is not a marriage But while such .
cases are not very frequent it is true that there

,
are thousands of instances in which the man suf

fers from some form o f sexual weakness Per .
haps it is what is know n as “pr ematurity ” which ,
is purely a condition o f weakness and mak es it ,
impossible for the victim to enj oy normal rela

tions or to satisfy his Wife In all such cases the
’
husband should consider the part he has played in

contributing to the cause o f his wife ’s infidelity .
He should shoulder his share o f the blame U n .
der such c ircumst ance s h e cannot aff ord to be too

severe.
This is not a defense o f the conduct of the wife .
She has made a grave mistake in any case She .
has chosen the wrong way o ut of her difficulties .
If f o r any o f the reasons j ust mentioned she

finds that her marriage is only a pretence a farce , ,
that it is no marriage at all then her course o f ,
action should be to secure a divorce At least .

,
she should have a plain understanding with the

man she h as married Frankness in such m at
.
ters will usually prevent trouble It is partly a .
question o f being honest and truthful If a .
woman finds that she has been tricked into a mar

r iage with a man who is really no t a man at all ,
108
MA N H OOD AND MARRIAGE
husbands ’ a ff ections merely because of their de

sire for a home They will all ow themselves to
.
be “used ” sexually when there is little o r no re ~
c ipro c a t io n on their part and in the meantime

,
they spend their a ffect ions o n other men U h .
der these circumstances th e marital relation will

,
always be devitalizing Whatever magnetism

.
the wife may have is spent o n others T here can .
be no proper continuance o f home life under such

conditions .
We should remember that divorce in cases of ,
this kind opens the way for a real marr iage and
,
a real home with some o ne else I nstead of being.
the foe o f marriage div o rce under such circum

*
, ,
stance is the friend o f marrl age It is not the

, .
“
divorce evil ” but the divorce good making it
, ,
possible for the man o r woman who has once ,
been cheated in love and marriage t o have an

other chance to contract a real marriage found a ,
truly happy home and raise a family o f happy ,
healthy children .
1 10
C H AP TE R XIX
"l uea o sy —T h e G ree n-e y e d M o nst er
HOUGH j ealousy is commonly looked

upon as a manifestation of the evil side of
one ’s character it is in reality the expres
,
sion of an instinct that performs a definite and

important service .
In the perpetuation of the human race t h e

sanctity o f the home is o ne of the most important
factors A wife must be true and loyal t o her
.
husband and the same fidelity is 1ncumb ent upon

,
him The instinct expressed in j ealousy en

.
forces in a very direct manner the mandates o f

the laws of monogamous marriage A man .
watches his wife with j ealous care On the other .
hand a wife ’s every instinct and her keenest pow

,
ers of intuition are used in the same way She .
wants her husband and lover all t o herself She .
Will accept no deviation in h isc o nduct is j ealous ,
frequently of his very thoughts She wants to

“
.
be the apple o f his eye Sh e will not willingly

“
permit any other woman t o enter into his life and

thoughts And the husband is interested to an
.
equ al degree in maintaining t h e integrity and
"
honor of his home .
ealousy therefore is a very important force

, ,
in human character It helps to insure the per

.
pet uat io n of the human race under the best con

111
MANHOOD AND M AR R I A G E
dit io ns It protects the home from violation

. .
It gives the home and family a more certain per

manenc e .
In cases where men are untrue to then wives ,
o r wives are untr u e to their husbands absolute ,
secrecy is maintained in regard to such devia

tions — an acknowledgment that mistakes o f thi s
sort are not only conventional crimes b u
,
t un ,
"
natural crimes o f the worst sort .
ealousy serves a b enefic ent purpose and its ,
various manifestations not only should not be t o o

much condemned but should be viewed with a
certain amount o f approval You can rest as
.
sured that in practically every instance a woman

who ser1o usly loves you is also j ealous o f you .
She will make every possible endeavor to insure

your “be1ng true ” to her Y o u can tak e this as
.
very definite evidence o f her own love for you

and loyalty to y o u Y o u should not therefore
.
, ,
view this as an unpleasant phase o f her nature ,
for you mus t expect a certain amount o f this feel

ing within your o w n heart and soul If you are .
truly in love with your wife y o u must expect to

be j ealous o f her You must expe ct to demand
.
o f her the same loyalty that you feel should be
given her in return A nd it is only natural that

.
any deviation o n her part would materially

change your attitude toward her and your love
for her .
I realize that theorists and dreamers o f a cer

tain type will take exception to t his practical
V iew o f the sub j ect The statement is frequently
.
112
sex love by stigmatizing it as a phys ical attrae

tion ” I t is infinitely more than that It is the
.
,
.
highest and noblest force in the universe and its ,
practical purpose is the perpetuation o f life Its .
definite aim is the bringing of children into the

world an d insuring their highest welfare after
birth .
Sex love therefore involves possession and

, , ,
loyalty o ne to the other as a necessary and 1nevi

,
table part of the relation The un i on is made

.
permanent for the sake o f providing most per

f ect l y for the children
. Therefore j ealousy 1s an
essential part o f sex love Pride o r vanity may
.
have something to do with it in some instances ,
but analysis will show that this pride and j ea l

o nsy are r ooted in the sex attraction and the
conditions and relations that grow o ut o f it .
In short j ealousy appears to be simply the

,
working o ut of a great natural law that has f o r

its purpose the perp etuation of the race .
Valuable and helpful as it 1s when controlled ,
it must "not be perm itted to run to unreasonable

and heart breaking extremes
-
.
l 4«
CHAPTER X X
Quarre l ling an d M aking up -
E W marriages are free from occasional mis

understandings In fact h f e at its best is
.
,
rarely serene and cahn day after day .
There are a hn o st sure to be troublesome periods .
A man and a woman marry During the .
courtship period the deli ghts o f their association

have harmonized all their di ff erences But the .
closer relationship o f marriage nat urally brings

out cha racteristics which do not harmonize S o .
long as the love attraction is suffi ciently intense

to gloss over these diff erences no difficulties need
,
be feared .
But the time comes in nearly all marriages

when complete harmony cannot be maint ame d .
There are di ff erences o f opinion There are mis

.
understandings F o r a time at least Cupid

.
hangs his head in s o rrow These lovers ’ quar

.
r els are as a rule o f no importance They seem .
necessary in most m arriages to amalgamate the

di fferences existing betw een the characters o f
man and wife In most marriages they be come
.
less severe as year after year passes by though in ,
s ome cases the inclin a tion to quarrel never e n

t ire ly disappears Naturally it would be unre a
.
sonable to expect that there would be absolute

h armony between two individuals w h o have no
,
.
1 15
doubt grown up in di fferent environments ; a cer

tain amount o f mis understan di ng o r contention
must be anticipated .
It is a man ’s duty under such circumstances to

avoid as much as possible the spirit o f contention
o r anything that approaches a domineering atti
tude Human instincts demand harmony in

. -
marriage Quarrelling and strif e bring their

.
own penalties There is no experience that

.
-
brings a more po 1gnant misery than the knowl

edge that you have q uarrelled with your loved
o ne
. In fact this reaction must have been
,
planned by the Almighty for the p ur pose o f in

suring the perman ence o f marriage A lovers ’ .
quarrel always brings su ffering of the most ex

treme sort to e ach o f its victims and this distress
usually brings the trouble to an end very quickly .
It should be remembered however that a con

, ,
t ent io us spirit or a domineering attitude will

lead to a too fre quent repetition o f these quarrels
and under such circumstances really serious re
sult s often ensue In other words frequent dif
.
f erence s may mean a gradual decay o f love nat ,
urally resulting in a final separation .
'
It is not the obj ect of this book to go into the

psychological aspects of the lack of harmony in
marri age We would say however that if o ne
.
, ,
adh eres to the physiological laws o f marriage the ,
sex attraction will be maintained at its greatest

strength and intensity so that whatever di ff er
,
e nc e s may arise temperamental or other they

, ,
w ill be harmonized and smoothed over because o f

116
MANH OO D AND MARRIAGE
quently nervous and depressed sensitive and ir

,
r it ab l e to an extreme degree . She is really not

herself under such circumstances an d she is no t
,
to be held entirely responsible for what she may

say o r do. She is li kely to be cross and peevish ,
and it is the husband ’s duty to make due allow

a nce s f or the di fficulties associated with her con
dition At such times at least a woman should

.
not be held strictly to account f o r any unpleasant

c haracteristi c s that she
may manifest .
If y o u are a husband you should remember at

“
such times that y ou are a man And you should

.
t ry t o b e a man. Be chivalrous Be generous

. .
Play the big part rather than the small part in

your associations with your wife Make up your
.
mind that nothing that she can say or do is

capable o f o fl ending yo u .
118
C H A P TE R XXI
So w ing Wild Oa t s
E are rapidly outgrowin g the idea that a

young man must necessarily pass
through the grossest sort o f immoralities
in order to graduate into a decent specimen
o f the masculine sex .
‘
Sowing wild oats is in itself a plea smg
phrase It is a nice w ay o f referring to immo
.
r a lit ies o f the vilest sort .
This “sowing” process usually begins with se

cret habits continues with the help o f various
,
prostitutes during which diseases o f the most

,
loathsome character are acquired and is said t o ,
end with marriage But it is well to rememb er

.
that in many instances marriage is not the end .
It is frequently only the beginning f or terrible ,
penalties often follo w the “wild oats program - .
Gonorrhea syphilis and other complaints may b e

,
the “harvest ” o f t his sort o f dissipation

'
Perhaps a man thinks he is cured o f any such

diseases that he may have had He marries and .
settles down In time a child comes Its ap

. .
pe ar ance is looked forward to with j oyous antici

pat io ns . But whe n it opens its eyes upon the
world they are blurred with a dise a se t h at renders
them sightless Or it is covered with sores that
.
indicate that dreaded disease syphilis T h l s 13 , .
119
the beginni ng of the penalties that often follow

the suppose dl y harmless prac t ice of “sowing wild
oats ” .
A young man has no more right to th e perilous

privileges indicated by this pretty phrase than his
sister o r mother There is no reason why the
.
mind of a boy cannot be imb ued with principles

o f decency .
Prostitution is a mighty evil a scourge that ,
has grown to be the gre atest curse o f the age .
Consumption smallpox and cancer are as noth

,
ing compared with this tremendously destructive

force For the devitalizing e ffect of the sowing
.
of “wild oats ” renders one more susceptible to

every dise ase .
Thi s sowing process is an o th e1 o f the damnable

produ cts o f our pitile ss prudery Were boys .
and girls allow ed freely to as sociate with each

other were they permitted to enj oy the whole
,
some upbuilding influ ence that comes with such

,
companionship there would be an exchange of

,
magnetism which to a large extent satisfies the

, ,
sexual craving although there is actually no per

,
so nal contact o r touch But where young men .
are much alone o r compelled through the co nv en

,
t io nal rules tha t prevail to day to associate only-
with each other instead of having the company of

,
d ecent cle an minde d members o f the opposite

,
-
sex they naturally seek fem1n1ne sympathy and

,
a ffe ction where they can get it If they cannot .
secure companionship o f the right sort they will ,
take the wr ong sort Thousands of young men.
190
MAN HO OD AN D MAR RIAGE
cannot keep men away from women If they .
c ann ot find good women to associate with then ,
t hey will accept the company o f bad women .
Every reformer who faces this evil squarely “
and honestly must recognize the truth o f this

statement .
There is o ne other phase o f the social evil that

is especially important from a preventative ,
standpoint and that is the intimate relation of

,
prostitution to the habits of drinking and smo k

ing The average young man in the beg inning
.
, ,
does not realize where o r what the se influences

w ill lead to I am personally convinced that if
.
these vices could be done away with it would .
minimize the social evil to such an extent that it

would n o longer represent the tremendous prob
l em that it is to day -
.
It is true that so far as smoking and drinking

a re concerned alcoholism is by far the greater
,
e vil
, and t h e more directly responsible for the
young man ’s first misste p in the direction of sex
ual license At the same time tobacco is also a
.
,
factor for it is u sually the beginning and helps

, ,
t o blunt his intelli g ence and moral sense And .
as a general thing the boy o r the man w h o smokes

will also drink If he does not drink in the b e
.
g 1nn 1ng it will not be long before he is induced

,
to do so usually with the feeling probably t hat

, , ,
only o ne o r two drinks cannot hurt anybody .
Smok ing and drinking at least in the young fool

,
“ ”
w h o is trying to be smart , almost invariably go
together .
199
SOWING WILD OATS
N ow, when the boy learns t o smoke and drink

he comes under certain influences There are .
new associations . He take s to pastimes and

questionable amusements that are common among
those who smoke and drink He probably thin
. ks
in the beginn ing that he is doing something
manly and that it is smart to emulate those older
,
than himself who do these things He even de .
v e l o ps a swaggering air in many instances

, He .
plays pool or billiards under surroundings in

,
which he can scarcely avoid drinking As a gen .
eral thing he gets interested in playing cards and ,
in gambling in other forms And here he drinks

.
still more The process is usually a more o r less

.
gradual o ne He goes down hill step by step

.
,
hardly knowing what he is really doing An d .
then before long there comes the “woman ques

tion as a matter o f course By this time the e f
“
.
feet o f the nicotine and the alcohol has blunted

his moral sense and his j udgment .
Almost without exception j ust as soon as the

,
young man goes o ut and drinks much the fast ,
women will be included in the program And he .
thinks he is smart in this too Think s he i s

, .
really a “man ” no w All these things go to

.
gether The fact of vital importance however

.
, ,
is that in practically every case the young man

makes his first ac q uaintance with the arms o f the
prostitute w hen he is dr unk Though he is prob
.
ably a very sober young man some days later

wh en he finds himself infected with venereal dis
ease especially if it is syphili s
, .
There may be some w h o will take exception to

the statement that these indiscretions are most
commonly committed in a state of drunkenness .
Some people distinguish between the man who

has j ust been drinking and the man w h o is
‘‘
drunk ” At the best however the di fference

.
, ,
is only one of degree The fact that a man can

.
still walk after having imbibed a few drinks does

not mean that he is sober or in possession o f his
faculties unimpaired It is a matter o f scien
.
t ifi c demonstr ation that even a small amount o f

alcohol clouds a man ’s j udgment and paralyzes
his mental faculties at least to some extent The .
man who “has been drinking” is no more him

“
self than the man who is soused ” H e is int o x i
.
cated which in it s most literal sense means po i

,
so ne d and the first e ffect o f this p 0 1so n1ng I s upon

,
the very delicate bra1n cells H e cannot think

.
clearly his normal standard o f conduct is upset

, ,
and he will do things which he would never dream
o f doing when in his right senses Psychologists

.
all know that normal young men are possessed of

a certain degree of sexual “reticence and this is ,
overcome by the e ff ect of alcohol j ust as re ,
straints of every other kind are l ost while under
this influence .
This drink evil in f act has much to do with the

, ,
problem of prostitution in relation to both sexes .
F o r when the young woman first loses her virtue ,
In by far th e m aj ority o f cases she is seduced only

because some unscrupulous m ale libertine has per
‘
suade d her to drink until she no longer knows

194.
C H AP TER X XII
H o w V iril i t y I s D e st ro ye d
H ERE are two classes sexual disorders of
in men the venereal diseases or infections

,
on the o ne hand and the various sexual

,
weaknesses and disturbances o f function on the

other Through proper instruction and right
.
l ivi ng both however may be avoided

, , In this .
and the chapters immediately following we will

c onsider the various special weaknesses o f men
and the disorders associated with them after ,
which we will take up the infectious complaints

referred to .
The prevalence of sexual weakne sses is o ne of

the most amazing con ditions with which o ur civ
i liz a t io n is thre atened Everywhere o ne finds
.
great numbers o f men lacking in the first essen

tial of manhood—virility To j ust what extent .
weaknesses of this kind prevail it is impossible to

say because owing to their pr1v at e nature there
,
is great difficulty in obtaining information upon

which to base an estimate Some investigators .
,
however after many years o f study have come t o

, ,
the c o nc lusmn that at least half of the people in

t h is c o unt ry are su ffering from some degree of
‘
sexual weakness o r disorder either mild or se ,
vere Natura ll y I cannot venture an opinion

.
,
as to wheth er o r not such an estimate is correct ,
19 6
VIRILITY DESTROYED
but it is probable that it is n ear t h e truth and is ,
rather an understatement than an exaggerati o n .
The medical quacks find here a profitable field in

w hich to enrich themse lves .
In considering this lack o r les sening of V 1ril , ,
ity often called “lost manhood ” the first need 15

, ,
t o understand its causes

'
If the cause o r causes
.
can be discovered in each individual case it sim ,
plifi e s the problem of finding the correct remedial

treatment which o f course must include the re
,
moval of these causes .
Virility like health 1s natural and a natura l

, , ,
life invariably means virility and all the sup erb

mental and physical qualities a sso c l at e d there
’
with Impairment o r loss o f virility is m every

.
,
instance the result of an unnatural life involving

, ,
abuses o r excesses o f v arl o us kinds The influ .
e nc e s tending to destroy virility may be o f t w o
kinds those which directly a ff ect the generative

,
system and those which indirectly a ff ect I t

through lowering the tone of the entire bodily
organ i sm In other words virility 1s a ffected o n
.
,
the one hand by abuses of the g enerative system

itself and o n the other hand by abuses o f the body
,
as a whole as for instance through the use o f

, ,
alcohol o r t o bacco .
A point which cannot be emphasized too

strongly is that loss of virility is not a condition
which concerns mer ely the sexual organs but o ne ,
that means also a loss o f energy and impai rment

o f function throughout the whole body inv o lv ,
Ing I n most instances a failing o f ment al f acul

, ,
97
MA NH OOD A N D MARRI AGE
ties Nothing indi cates this more clearly than

.
the difficulty o f mental concentration in hard ,
sustained work that is experienced by those suf

f ering in a marked de gree from weaknesses o f
this type The loss of memory that follows too
.
frequent seminal drains shows very plainly the

relation of virility and healthy sexuality to men
tal vigor Accordingly thos e a fflicted with such
.
weaknesses should make every e ffort to overcome

them not merely for the sak e o f an improved sex
ual condition but f o r the sake o f their general
, “
health physical and mental as well and in order

, , ,
that they may attain the very greatest success in

life
.
Remember that the generative system is no t an

isolated o rganism something apart from the rest
,
o f the body but is closely related t o every other

,
part o f it its connect ion with the nervous system

,
being especially intimate I emphasize this point

.
because so many are inclined to take a narrow

vie w of the subj ect not recognizing this re lat 1o n
,
ship And j ust as infl uences which lower the

.
vitality o f the body as a whole tend to destroy

one ’s sex ual power so the special abuses o f the
,
sexual system weaken the ent ii e system .
Masturbation is undoubtedly the first and most

important o f all the causes of sexual weakness .
Not only is it the active cause o f trouble in by

far the greater number o f cases but it is es ,
pec ia lly serious because it commonly begins

earlier I n life than other abuses Owing to the .
importance o f this particular practice in causing

198
before Even when the e ff ects of gonorrhe a

in causing sterility—unsexing operations upon
.
women and blindn ess in babies— are known it ,
is still supposed by the ordinary man that after

the disease has been cured in his own case he wi ll
be through with its e ffects and as good a man as
,
ever It is for this reason th at I would em

.
ph a siz e the fact that if the disease has once b e

come deep seated a man will probably never be
-
,
quite the same a fter an attack o f gonorrhea A .
mild attack which is confined to the anterior

,
urethra usually works no permanent inj ury but

, ,
where the infection has penetrated to the deeper

structures the e ffects may remain even after t he
actual disease has been overcome When the .
testicles or their adj acent parts have been in

, ,
vaded the inflammation ( epididymitis o r o r

,
chit is ) commonly results in sterility as 1s well ,
k nown but this impaired condition of these essen

,
tial glands is likely also to a fi ect one ’s sexual

power in every respect Al so by causi ng infl am
.
mation o f the prostate gland o r congestion of the

posterior urethra this infection may cause vary
,
i ng degrees of weakness such as that know n as

prematurity o r even impotence
,
.
There are some men who a1 e uninflue nce d by

moral considerations o f any kind and who will ,
not be frightened into good behavior by the pros

peet of an infection which they believe will cause
temporary inconvenience o nly but w h o would be
,
keenly alive to any danger which seemed to

thr eaten them with impotence or any weaknes s ,
130
VIRILITY DE STROYED
t ending inthat direction T o such as these this

x
.
question o f the r elation of venere al disease to les

sened or lost virility is recomm ended for special
consideration .
There are various abnormal and unnatural

practices which are j ust as harmful as masturba
tion in some instances even more so and which
, ,
may even be classed with masturbation .
Among these are unnatural methods o f inter

course which if long continued tend to bring o n
, , ,
either impotence o r other serious weaknesses as

so c iat e d with congestion of the prostate gland
and other parts o f the generative system The .
most widespread o f these practices is coitus inter

“
rupt us often spoken o f as
, withdrawal ” This .
consists in terminating the sexual relation j ust

previous to the climax o r moment of highest in
,
tensity This naturally involves a severe shock to

.
the nerve centers concerned and cannot fail to be

inj urious both locally and to the general system .
It is debilitating to the man but it is usually ,
an outrage upon the woman The relation, .
if entered into at all should be carried through in

,
an absolutely natural manner resulting in the

‘
orgasm or climax being experienced by both hus

band and wife If this do es not occur then it is
.
,
devitaliz ing in its e ff ect Men who practice this

.
method o f intercourse for a term of years gradu

ally experience a lessening o f power the ej acula ,
tion either being retarded o r becoming more and

more premature and also develop a train o f
,
symptoms characteristic of nervous disorders as

131
MANH OOD ‘
AND MARRI AGE
well a s digestive and other functional disturb

ane c s
.
An other 1nj ur10 us practice is the attempt to

prolong the marital act beyond natural limits .
The direct e ffect of this is to bring about a seri

ous congestion o f all the parts concerned though ,
it is probably most exhausting to the nerve cen

ters involved Of cours e the sexual act can only
.
be prolonged by stopping it from time to t ime .
Even then if it is finally terminated I n a natura l

,
manner the result 18 not so bad as when the at

,
tempt is made to avoid the orgasm e ntirely .
This is thoroughly unnatural and invariably

harmful in the long run Yet not only has this
.
method been practiced by the members of the

Oneida Community and by many others but ,
there are still some writers who advocate it o n ,
the theory that by conserving v ital energy

through the retention o f the seminal fluid it pro
longs life There has been so much trash and
.
nonsense written and thought about sexual mat

ters that it is a safe plan for the average reader
t o beware o f any unscientific teachings upon the
subj ect .
If one wishes to conserve vital energy by avoid

ing the waste o f t h e spermatic fluid then the w ay ,
to do it is to live a continent life free from sexual

,
excitement o f any kind Or if not a completely

.
,
celibate life one in which temperance in the mar

,
ital relation results naturally from obe di ence t o a

’
w ife s normal instincts as suggested in previous
,
chapters To avoid waste of this fl uid it is not

.
139
Whether contin ence is harmful o r not—a ques

t ion which has been very widely discussed with
m uch di fference o f opini on—depends a h no st en
,
t ir el y upon whether or not one can live a life

comparatively free from sexual excitement If .
o n e can avoid sexual stimulation it is both easy

“
a n d beneficial to h v e a completely continent life .
But if one has very strong sexual instincts and

’
o ne s passions are frequentl y aroused then con ,
’
t inuo us abstinence would no t only be difl‘icult but
unsatisfactory in its influence o n the general
health.
To avoid sexual excitement it is not alone nec

essary to avoid the physical intimacies above
mentioned Erotic thoughts will do j ust as
.
much harm and after the habit o f stimulating the

,
sexual centers mentally has once been formed it

is likely to be very persistent and insidious in its
infl uence This sensual state of mind k eeps the
.
se x centers in a state of constant excitement and
t h e organs concerned in a state of congestion .
It leads to prostate trouble urethral congestion

,
and irritability varicocele and a general weaken

, ,
ing o f the entire function This habit can best

.
be described by the term “mental masturbation ”

, ,
and the fact is that after a time as a result o f its

,
weakening e ffect it becomes possible for the v ic

,
tim to induce an emission merely through his

t houghts . Of course this indicates that he has
reached a condition of serious weakness .
The general bodily influences which tend to de

stroy virility may be said to include ah no st every
134
VIRILITY DE S TROYED
thing that lowers vitality and weakens the body

as a whole and particularly anything that acts as
,
a poison to the system .
Alcohol is regarded by many men in the medi

cal profession as a sexual stimulant but there is ,
nothing more destructive o f reproductive integ

rity in the long run Without doubt its st imu
.
lating quality is only apparent the result o f a ,
lessening of the moral sense or the natural re

,
straint which would be exercised in a normal and

sober condition Any sense o f delicacy in b e
.
havior which o ne may possess is blunted through

the infl uence o f alcohol and without doubt its
'
reputation as a sexual stimulant is due largely

to this fact .
N o t only are the children of alcoholic fathers

constitutionally weak o f prone to nervous and
,
mental deficiencies epilepsy and lunacy but the

, ,
direct result upon the drinker himself is a tend

ency toward impotence greater or less accord
,
ing to the extent o f his indulgence in intoxicants .
It is true that some constitutions can stand a

great deal more abuse than others and in some ,
cases one may imagine that the use o f alcohol or

tobacco is no t doing any harm But if so it is
.
,
only because their evil e ffects are not at first so

pronounced as to be apparent or because one ’s
,
perceptions are blunted Sooner o r later their

.
harmfulness will be manifested unmi stakably .
The fact is that in a great many cases of chroni c

alcoholism the victims are absolutely and per
manent ly impotent .It is obvious that if the ex
135
MANH OO D AND MARRIAGE
tended use o f this pOl SOIl will bring about this re

sult even a moderate or small indulgence must
,
'
have a weakening e ff ect upo n th e sex fun ction .
There is a widespread notion that the so called -
lighter alcoholic beverages such as beer a nd wine , ,
are comparatively harmless There are some .
writer swho even advocate a freer use o f these as ,
a means of doing away with th e use o f spirits .
The “prohibition ” movement in France is di

r e ct e d only against the sale o f spirituous liquors ,
there being no hope of curtailing the sale o r use

o f wines and beers and perhaps no desire t o do
,
so The truth is th at the lighter alcoholic bever

.
,
ages are likely to do j ust as much harm as the

heavier beverages because o f the greater quan
,
tity consum ed One is likely to secure j ust as

.
much alcohol in a large glass o f beer with its ,
four and o ne half per cent o f the poison as in

-
.
,
a very small portion Of some spirit with its forty ,
o r fifty per cent of alcohol

. It all depends upon .
t h e size o f the portion One great disadvantage

.
o f beer and wine is the tendency to use them re g u
l arly . It is known to life insurance actuaries

and other student s of the subj ect that the “mod
crate ” indulgence which so many persons think
harmless I S the very worst form of alcoholism ,
because it is so often “regular ” The c o nt 1nuo us .

,
daily use of alcohol however moderate under, ,
mines the system and does most h arm O cca .
si o nal actual drunkenness with more o r less ex ,
tended intervals o f complete sobriety will do less ,
harm to the liver kidneys heart and arteries than

, ,
136
mmg
c o nsu considerable amount of liquid I
a .
have known many exam ples where the alcohol

habit has been broken in this manner for after a ,
while one can dispense with the wine but can

, ,
continue to take a su fficient amount of wate r to

meet the necessities o f the physical system .
Many writers have commented upon the

curious e ffect of alcohol in b oth increasing the
sexual appetite and diminishing the capacity for
its satisfaction It is hardly necess ary t o do
.
more than refer to the facts that rape like most ,
other crimes is commonly committed under the

,
influence of alcohol a nd that the groggery and

,
the brothel are usually found together From .
this it does not follow that alcohol is a sexual

stimulant as I have already pointed out The
, .
supposedly stimulating e ff ect o f alcohol on the

sexual system is due largely t o the fact that it
first of all attacks the higher brain centers thus ,
lessening the power of inhibition and na turally ,
turning loose all o f the most primitive animal

impulses even though the power o f satisfying
,
these desires may be either impaired or entirely

lost f o r the time On the o ne hand alcohol causes
.
,
young men to forfeit their self respect and per -
haps th eir health in houses of prostitution young ,
w omen to lose their virtue and husbands and ,
wives to commit adultery ; on the other hand it ,
makes the sexual relation unsatisfactory difficult ,
or even impossib le Truly no o ne can a fford to

.
,
indulge in a habit o f this kind whether the sub ,
j ec t is regarded from the standpoint o f mora lity

133
and decency physical and sexual integrity o r

, ,
from that o f the epicure .
I once received a letter from a woman asking

advice in reference t o her husband whom she de ,
scribed as having been completely impotent for

some years though he was not over thirty I n
, .
detailing the case she referred to the fact that

he smoked excessively drank regularly every ,
evening while playing cards an d took no phys ,
ical exercise whatever What should he do ? It

.
w a s no wonder that he was impotent There .
may have been other causes fo r thi s result in the

beginning perhaps I n the form o f masturbation
,
or excesses but it would certainly have been

,
hopeless for him to expect any improvement in

his condition so long as he continued t o use these
narcoti c poisons no matter what treatm ent h e
,
might adopt .
Tobacco is o ne of the greatest of all foes to

virility because o f its extensive use by million s
,
of men The e ffect is not so immediate as in the

.
use o f other poisons but in the long run it has a

,
most depress ing e ffect upon the procreative func

tion and without doubt is in many instances the , ,
main c ause for sexual weakness or impotence .
In all medical works tobacco is listed among the

most important anaphrodisiacs o r agents for al ,
laying the sexual desire and lowering the func

tion I have even known medical writers to ad
.
vocate the use o f tobacco 1n combating a habit

like masturbation j ust as they sometimes pre
,
scribe the bromides for this purpose T his is .
139
MAN H OOD A N D MARRIAGE
only c o r1 0 b o r at iv e evidence o f the destructive e f
feet of this alkaloid poison When nicotine th e
.
,
active principle o f tobacco is abstracted in its

,
pure form it is perhaps next to prussic acid th e

, , ,
most rapidly fatal po ison known Of course in .
smoking o ne gets a very small amount of it and ,
th e system is poisoned only gr adually but none ,
the less the harm 1s done and any man who values
,
his reproduc tive vigor and certainly one who

,
wishes to overcome any weakness in this resp ect ,
should absolutely avoid the tobacco habit Nico .
tine is a gastric irr itant it causes an undue flo w

,
o f saliva which is naturally a drain upon the

,
system it a ff ects t h e vision the heart the lungs

, , , ,
the muscles and especially it has a numbing e f

,
fe et upon the brain and nerves No o ne can use .
tobacco freely and persistently and still retain

steadiness or st re ngth o f nerves and this is j ust
'
as much true o f mental keenness and sexual

strength It is true that many clever and
.
capable men use tobacco freely but there is no ,
doubt that m all such cases they could do even

better work and far more o f it if their systems
were free from the influence of this chronic nar
cotic poisoning .
Drugs and stimul ants o f all k inds are similarly

destructive to virility There are certain drugs
.
which are supposed to be sexually stimulating ,
but in the end they will be found to be injurious .
Remember that anything which over stimulates -
the sexual centers will only tend to exhaust them

the sooner Am o ng physicians strychnine is a
.
’
MANH OOD A N D
1
MARRIAGE
Some physicians have estimated that from twen

t y -fi v e to fifty per cent of women are deficient in
.
their sex sensibilities though it is impossible to

,
make any definite statements o n this point Cer .
t a inl y the condition is fairly common We must .
remember also that where there are likely to be

va l ions o th eI factors contributory t o this c o n
dition it is difficult to isolate any special cause ,
such as tea drinking Yet l n v i ew of the e ffect

.
of other drugs and the general health destroy

,
-
ing e ff ect of ca ff eine I can see no reason why it

,
should not act upon the reproductive system j ust

as do other drugs .
And while we are talking about the e ffect of

drugs in producing impotence or sexual weak
ness it should be said that medical litera ture has
,
much to ans w er f o 1 in this I e spe ct It i s true .
that t h e gre at eI burden o f blame falls upon medi

cal quacks but the fact 1s that standard medical
,
works are quite as apt as the quack to advise

treatment which robs the patient of what little
vigor he may still have had when he applied for
relief I have had any number of letters from
.
men telling o f their experiences with medic al

t reatment and pointing out that aft er a course
,
o f medication usually the taking o f bromides

, ,
their power steadily declined complete impotence ,
being the outcome in many cases .
The use o f the bromides l s always to be co n

de m n e d . It is undisput e d th at they are sexually
‘
depressing For this reason they are employed

.
in many cases to check the tendency toward mas

149
VIRILITY DE S TROYE D
t urb at io n and also to prevent excessive night

losses They actually do produce results in such
.
cases But how ? Simply by paralyzing and

.
destroying the sex function If t h eir use is co n .
”
t inue d long enough they will cure masturba ,
tion and night losses by producing impotence and

sexlessness I may say that the better informed
.
-
and more careful specialists use these remedies

with caution and only when they find what seems
,
to be occasion f o r reducing extreme activity and

excitability o f the organs and nerve centers in -
volved When any pronounced weakness is

.
present they will no t use t hem at all They .
know better But un der such conditions there

.
is always weak ness and it must always be dan

,
gero us t o use such methods Besides they are .

,
unnec ess ary Cold water and other treatment

.
will produce the same results A prolonged cold .
pack to the spine will have the desired depressing

e ff ect Many physicians however regard the
.
, ,
bromides a s established remedies to be used uni

v er sa lly in sexual troubles and pre scribe them , ,
in almost any k ind o f a case with disastrous re ,
sult s.
Then h o w can the suff erer avoid mistak es ?

Certainly no t by using the ordinary medical
methods Many books are no w published upon
.
the sub j ect o f “sex hygiene ” and a large number ,
o f them are written by physicians Practically .
always these book s advise the young man to avoid

quacks but to “go t o his family physician I ncase
,
“ ”
o f trouble T h e family ph yician is held up as
.
143
MA N H OOD A N D MARRI AGE
an infallible authority in matters o f this kind but ,
in some cases he is as ignorant as the layman .
Don ’t go to your family physician unless he can

treat y o u without the aid o f drugs that must ulti
mately have a damaging e ffect .
The medical profession as a whole h as never

given much study to the subj ect of sexual w eak
ness For a long period venere al diseases were
.
practically ignored perhaps o n the theory that

,
the victim deserved punishment for his moral

transgressions But while as much attention is
.
now gi ven to venereal as t o other diseases the ,
same cannot be said o f other sexual disorders .
The great reason why quack s and charlatans have

been able practically t o tak e possession of this
field is that the reputable members o f the pro
f e ssio n know but li ttle about it and have ignored
it Your family physician in ninety nine cases
.
-
o ut o f a hundred will advise y o u t o get married
in order to cure a con di tion o f complete unfitne ss

for marriage ap parently Ignoring the fact that
,
such an alliance i s nothing more than a fraud

and an outrage so far as the woman in the case
is concerned In some instances he will advis e
.
marriage only as a last resort upo n finding that

‘
his “treatment ” has failed to benefit “I can do .
nothing f or y o u The best thing y o u can do no w

.
is to get married And a man is fortunate in

.
de ed if after a cour se of medical treatment he

, ,
does not find that he is infinitely worse o ff than

he was before .
Al l this may b e a diversion from the subj ec t

labors are carried o n in the face of worries and

trials that involve excessive nerve strain the sys -
,
tem will eventually break d own and virility will ,
su ffer at the same time .
Physical overwork is no t so very common and ,
in no case is it so inj urious as mental overwork ,
but physical overwork is likewise detrimental as ,
in the case of the man who begins his toil long

before the sun rises and continu es i t into the even
ing Physical overwork o r the daily and re
.
,
pe at ed expenditure o f energy beyond the power

o f t h e organism to restore the loss the continuous ,
forcing o f oneself to a state of fatigue from which

o ne cann ot quite recover means in time the weak
,
e ning of the kidneys the overtaxing of the liver

, ,
the degeneration of the arteries and the prema

ture aging o f the various other organs Men .
who live to a very great o l d age are usually pro

f e ssio nal men o r others who have not inj ur ed
t hemselves by working to excess
“
Underwork is a condition likewise unfavorable

to the high est degree of virility for the reason ,
th a t with t o o much l o afing the body as a whole

deteriorates and all the organs su ff er in common
, .
It is only when living an active life that one can

be at one ’s best Vigorous exercise o r good hard
.
,
work each day both physical and mental are

, ,
highly desirable both for one ’s general welfare

and reproductive strength A great obj ection .
to underwork t o o is that idleness in the case o f

, , ,
o ne lacking in ch aracter permits the mind t o

,
dwell too much upon erotic fancies Also in .

,
146
some instances the failure to use the energy o f

,
the body in legitimate ways sometimes leads the

idler to divert an unnecessary and undesirable
amount of it to sexual channels .
Furthermore underwork favors the accumula

,
tion o f flesh Obesity is seldom a favorable sex

.
ual indication Fat often accompanies senility

.
,
and its accumulation in men previ ous to middle

age usually means a loss of much of that energy
and power both o f mind and body that go with
virility at its best The vigorously sexed man is
.
usually hard and rugged There are exceptions .
to this rule as when a man carries a moderat e

,
amount of fat and 1s still full o f energy appar ,
ently as active and quick and strong as ever We .
have all known such men But fat accumul ated .
beyond this point and accompanied by the phleg

,
matic tendenci es of the obese generally usually ,
means a loss of virility Keep strong keep ao . ,
tive keep hard and vigorous

, .
Social dissipations especially when they in

,
volve much excitement are as bad as o r worse , , ,
than mental overwork It is all a question o f the

.
amount o f nerve strain involved Late hours

-
.
and excitement are among the very worst of dis

sipat io n s It used t o be thought that dissipation
.
meant smoking drinking and other immoral b e

,
havior but one can be dissipated while doing none

,
o f these obj ectionable things simply because one ,
is wasting one ’s forces Novels and plays o f an

.
exciting stirring character t o o much indulged

, ,
in have a decidedly weakening eff ect The same

, .
147
is t rue of worry and other depressing mental

states I do not mean to say that a short period
.
o f worry in the case o f One possessing vigorous

,
sexual health will have the e ffect of producing

,
any material disorder but it is true that a state

,
of worry and mental depression continued over ,
a long period of time will not only undermine

,
the health generally but the re productive system

as well Sexual weaknesses are a common source
. .
o f worry Many cases of impotence are o f a

.
“ ”
psychic character the result o f long broodi ng
,
o r worrying over weaknesses o r mistakes of the
past until the victim is unable to utilize even

,
such strength as he m ay possess But the more .
he worries over it the worse the condition b e

comes This however is a matter to be taken up
.
, ,
ln detail later .
An appreciation o f these vari ous causes o f

sexual weakness will enable the reader to j udge
somewhat o f the requirements o f his o w n case .
To know the cause of the trouble is half the battle .
In most cases of impaired o r lost virility f a

.
v o rab l e results may be expected by avoiding t h e
causes o f the weakness in the future and by build ,

«
ing up the body and increasing vitality Definit e .
results cannot be promised in all cases for the ,
results will to a certain extent depend upon the

, ,
character of the abuses to which one ’s body has

been sub j ected and the extent to which they have
,
been c arried Nature will work wonders h o w

.
,
ever if given a chance and the methods which I

, ,
will outline in the following chapters have ac

143
CHAP TE R XXIII
T h e T rut h Ab o ut M ast urb a t io n
A ST U R B A T I ON ,
also commonly
“
known as self abuse is the greatest o f
-
,
all sexual evils not only because of its

,
widespread practice and the opportunity for ex

,
cesses but especially because o f the fact that it

,
generally works its harm during the period of

growth when the results o f any sexual mistake
,
o r abuse are far more serious than they would
be in adult life .
The habit is inj urious at any time o f life h o w

,
ever owing to the drain upon the constitution and

,
the weakening or exhaustion of the nerve centers

which it involves It is truly an outrage upon
.
the body to such an extent that the e ffects are

not Only physical but moral or psychic as well .
The mind and soul of the victim seem t o be tainted

at the same time that the body is weakened and
sexual power impaired by this degrading prac
tice
.
Masturbation is often thought to be more

harmful to boys than to girls because o f the di
,
rect drain upon the resources o f the body in the

case o f the male through the loss of the seminal
fluid But when o ne considers the havo c
.
wrought upon the more delicate nervous systems

o f young women it is not always so certain that
150
MAS TURBATION
they su ff er less seriously from the practice than

do young men .
Naturally the Inj ury that results from this

particular evil is infl uenced to a very large ex ,
tent by two factors : first the general vital vigor

, ,
o f the victim and second by the e ffects o n t h e

, , ,
whole physical fabric For instance if one is

.
what migh t be termed high strung ” possesses a ,
delicately adj usted and keenly sensitive nervous

- -
system the e ff ects of a habit of this sort would

,
be far greater than in those who might be de

scribed as phlegmatic in temperament The
‘
phlegmati c temperament is usually protected by

superior vitality but also by less inclination to
,
indulge in a habit o f this sort Therefore it .

,
might be said that the more ability one possesses ,
the more alert and keen one ’s mental capacity ,
the greater would be the inclination towards a

habit o f this sort and the greater would be the
harm wrought by its indulgenc
We must also fully admi t that the inj ury re
sult ing therefrom is very greatly increased b e
c aUse o f the usual inclination to worry about it .
The mind and body act and react upon each other .
The after e ffects o f indulgence o f this sort are

strongly inclined towards mental perturbation
and undoubtedly this tendency has been created
as a means o f self protection from the evil tend
-
,
ing naturally t o lessen gradually its practice .
Because o f the almost universal prevalence o f

this evil the subj ect is o ne to which the closest
attention should be given by every o ne and espe ,
151
c i a lly by parents and educators It is a possi .
b ilit y in the life o f every child boy o r girl and it

, ,
is therefore imperative th at parents should guard

a gainst it not only by keeping in close touch with
,
their children but also by gaining and k eeping

,
their confidence and warning them of the physical

and mental inj ury that follows self abuse -
.
Owing to the secret charact er of the practice

it is impossible to make any definite statements as
to the extent to which it is carried on Many .
writers of authority have even asserted that

among boys the habit is universal One inv es
.
t igat o r has said that o ut o f every hundred men

ninety nine have masturbated at o ne time or
-
another and the hundredth is a h ar Such a

, .
statement is o f course the utterance o f an ex trem

ist It may no t b e very far from the truth but
. /
,
the situation is bad enough without ex a ggeration .
That this secret vice has been practiced by the

maj ority o f young men to some extent at o ne ,
time or another there seems to be n o doubt

, .
Various careful students have estimated that any

where from seventy fiv e to ninety fiv e per cent
- -
.
o f young men have thus de file d themselves some ,
o f them perhaps only for a short time and to a ,
moderate extent and others excessively and for

,
long periods In most cases the practice is com

.
m ence d in utter ignorance o f the harm that may

’
result from it and when the victim learns that it

,
is inj urious and vicious he either stops it o r tries ,
to stop it In the latter case his struggle against

.
159
MANHOOD AND MAR RIAGE
fact that they are doing any re al wrong or in ,
j url ng themselves when commencing this habit

, .
If the parents had the i r confidence and had

warned them o f the danger they would be pro ,
t e ct e d to a great extent against such influences

, , .
There is at the present time a considerable num

ber o f people who obj ect to the teaching o f sex
hygi ene in the schools o r even elsewhere on the
, ,
theory that knowledge alone is not sufficient to

prevent wrong doing of this character That .
may be true in some i nstances Knowledge .

‘
might not be sufficient in all cases ; but it would

give the child or youth a fighting chance and that ,
is something which the secrecy and mystery in

which this subj ect is no w 1nv o lv e d do not give ,
him The world is full of young men and women

.
suffering from the weaknesses and mental tor

tures that follow excessive early i ndiscretions ,
and crying o ut “ If I o nly had known if I only

, ,
had known ” I don ’t know h o w many thousands

.
o f letters I have received from men a nd women
appealin g for help most of them explaining the

(
manner in which they commenced this habit and ,
stating in practically all cases that they had no

, ,
idea that it was injurious The secrecy regard .
ing sex subj ects maintained by their elder s had

been such that they had had no chance to learn
‘
that it was wrong .
It may be true as respectable prudish people

, ,
insist that knowledge alone is not sufficient to

,
prevent these vices in all cases But I note that .
kn owledge alone is often suffi cient to enable the

154.
MAS TURBATION
victim to bre ak the habit aud i t is far more dif

,
ficult to break a habit than to avoid forming it .
It is certainly true that character building and re

ligio us training count for a great deal in matters
o f this kind but Sunday school child ren and eve n
, ,
adult ministers preaching the Gospel from the

,
pulpit each Sunday are sometimes ad di cted to

,
this habit often contracted through ignorance

,
.
Several State Sunday Sch ool Associations no w

have a Department o f Purity and by means of ,
literature addresses and conferences are dis

, ,
'
seminating this much needed knowledge The .
value o f characte r building and ethical teaching

does not alter the fact that knowledge in itself is
both desirable and necessary What would w e .
think o f sending o ur children to walk blindfolded

through a woo d filled with pitfalls and quick
sands ? Yet that 1s j ust what we do in keeping
from them the knowledge that is so necessary to
their self preservation I t is prudery that is
-
.
chiefly at fault
Sometimes this habit is not acquire d from
.
others but 1s commenced accidentally o r as a re

, ,
sult o f curiosity as may be observed in monkeys .
Not rarely it is due to some irritation o r itching

o f the parts concerned which is di rectly due to
,
lack of cleanliness If strict cleanliness of these

.
parts is maintained the young boy o r girl will

,
usually be unconscious o f their existence unless ,
attention is drawn to them through outside influ

e nce s
. But even when the habit is commenced
for such reasons as these it is still ignorance and ,
155
the prudery back of ignorance that is chiefly at

,
fault .
This question o f genital cleanliness is o ne that

is still greatly neglected even by many who are
,
more or less refined in most Other things The .
hygienic requirements o f the body in this matter

should be taught to every child very early in life .
Physicians having much experience with genito

urinary disorders testify t o the fact that cl e anl i
ness is still far from being universal o r even gen ,
eral It would seem almost incredible that such

.
should be true in any civilized country where soap

and water are matters o f course The neglect of
.
this important detail o f the toilet is sometimes

such as to remind one o f the filth o f the religiou s
ascetics o f the dark ages and often is of similar
,
origin One Sunday school teacher found by his

.
-
,
physician to be a frightful o ffender l n this r e

spect said that he regarded it as sinful to handle
"
,
o r bother about these parts Even in bathing

.
The local use o f plenty of soap and water is e f

f ec t iv e in preventing irritation of these parts and ,
when there is inflammation that makes them sen

sit iv e to soap a solution of boric acid will be found
a good cleansing and antiseptic agent ,
The age at which masturbation is most com

mo nly practiced is between puberty and matur
ity although it may be found at almost any time
,
o f life It is carried on by many men and by

.
some women through adult life It is sometimes

.
begun in early childhood and even in infancy

, ,
usually as the result o f irritation The coming .
156
extreme in declaring that masturbation does little

o r n o harm in most cases .
Both of these extremes are wrong The fact .
that a man may survive an experience does no t

mean that it h a s been good for him o r without ,
bad e ffects .
Many writers o f the present time are undoubt

e dly doing much harm by belittling the e ffects of
self abus e They have so much to say about the
-
.
:
exaggerations o f the early writers that the reader

is likely to get the 1mpre ssio n th at the habit 1s not
so inj urious after all and therefore does not try
,
t o break it I quite agree that the alarmist view

.
is not usually desirable be cause it sets up a tra m

,
of worry in the mind o f the young man or woman

which only aggravates the trouble and makes the ,
struggle against it harder But at the same time .
it is foolis h to give t h e im pre ssio n that the pra e

’
tice is o f little importance or to say that nearly ,
every o ne has been addicted to it and that most of

them have survived with good health and func
tions unimpaired .
The fact is that masturbation is always det ri

mental even in the most moderate de gree and
, ,
when carried far is extremely destructive If .
not commenced until after mature years have

been arrived at the results will b e less ser l o us .
Unfortunately however it is practiced in nearly

, , ,
all cases before the age of eighteen years more

, ,
often from fourteen to sixteen and sometimes it ,
is kept up from the age o f twelve or fourteen un

til marriage— occasionally even after that It is .
158
MA S TURBATI O N
really true that when practiced extensively in the

.
early years o f y outh the results are Often ahn o st

se rl o us enough to j ustify the horrible pen p1c
tures painted by the sensational and exaggerating

writers o f a generation ago And even in adult
.
life it is sufficiently debilitating robbing a man ,
o f his bodily energies , his mental strength his ,
spirit and his ambition besides weakening the

,
sex function 1t self and inducing a condition o f

general unfitne ss for marriage It is a ser1ous .
m atter even in adult life .
The great consideration to k eep 1n ml nd is that

the harm depends very largely upon the extent to
which and the length o f time during which t h e
,
practice h a s been carried o n Fortunately as I

.
,
have said many break the habit as soon as they

,
lea rn its serious character In other cases it

.
,
may have taken such a hold as to be very difficult

to break but by cont inually struggling against it
,
the frequency with which t h e pr a ct ic e is indulged

in may be so reduced as to lessen the harm done .
In many such cases the habit is finally broken

o nly a f t e r two or three years of fight i ng against
'
it
It is well to remember also that some c o nst it u
, ,
tions seem to be much stronger than others in

this respect and can stand far more abuse j ust as ,
some men can tolerate more alcohol and tobacco

without showing the immediate e ff ects even ,
though these poisons are continually inj url ng

them There are some who claim that mastur
.
b at io n never did them any harm The man who .
159
feels this way about it was probably gifted by

nature with prodigious sexual strength But I .
do not think this can ever be truthfully said I .
cannot agree with those who hold that it is only

the excess that is harmful This practice is in
.
j urio us no matter with what moderation it may be

indulged in j ust as alcohol and tobacco even in
, ,
small quantities are harmful in spite o f the fact

, ,
that the user may not be able to s e e the e ffect im

mediately .
The fact 1s that masturbation 1s always weak

e n in
g and devitalizing either l n youth o r in adult
,
life It is a process of accomplishing gradually

.
what castration accomplishes suddenly It .
means the slow undermining o f manhood and all

that goes with it That th e h arm is often ex ag
.
‘
gerated is doubtless true but in view of the fact

,
that the practice when carried far enough ut

, ,
t erly unfit s a man f o r marriage and for life any ,
attempt to minimize it s serio usness may be cri m

1nally misleading .The fact that the victim may
still be able to dre ss himself and walk about and ‘
eat does not necessarily mean that he is a man .
It does not indicate that he has not been harmed .
The results may range in di fferent cases all the

way from nocturnal seminal losses and varicocele
down to complete impotence Let the young .
man who finds himself hopelessly impotent ask

some of these physicians what they mean by say
ing that the habit is not especially harmful .
What is known as “prematurity ” o r precipi ,
tate e j aculation a condi tion which I S nearly as

,
160
symptoms a pale o r sallow complexion often with

, ,
dark rings around the eyes as well as pimples and

,
blackheads poor memory difficulty in study o r

, ,
mental concentration lack o f self c o nfi dence a

,
-
,
tendency to avoid the society o f others espe ,
c i all y that o f the opposite sex and an i nability to

,
look other people in the eye Of c ourse these .
symptoms are typical only of serious cases .
When the habit has not been carried very far or ,
has not been productive of much harm they will ,
not be in evidence The mental o r psychic symp

.
toms are esp e cially important and may b e o b

served in varying degrees A naturally strong
.
mind e d character may overcome some of them

as f o r in stance the lack o f confidence by fo rce ,
o f will but in many cases these anti social sy m p

,
-
toms are extremely marked Weakened memory .
and poor mental concentration are among the

most persistent and common o f such symptoms .
The personal appe arance does not however , ,
a lways indicate addiction to this habit contrary ,
to the statements of s ome of the old writers .
When the individual has inh erited extraordinary

vitality his natura l strength may enable him to
,
endure considerable abuse without sh o w mg it ex

t ernal ly so that we cannot as a rule j udge by
, , ,
appearances There has been much said about

.
the masturbator ’s face which the keen observer

,
is supposed to read like the page o f an open book ,
and also about the masturbator ’s walk ; but there

are thousands o f c a ses in which there is no indica
tion o f the habit either in face o r walk There
,
.
MA S TURBATION
are some men who are actually impotent but who ,
yet retain a healthy good app earance so far as

, ,
the face is concerned Only in a test of athletic .
strength or trial o f nerves would they be likely

, ,
t o show plainly the e ff ect o f their condition .
Much has been said ab out the relation of acne ,
o r pimples to this habit , While this condition .
is a frequent result yet it is not always a tru e in

,
dic at io n The natural character of the skin has

.
much to do with acne and persons with clear , ,
smooth skins are often great o ffenders in this re

spect Persons having naturally oily skins are
.
most likely to be a fflicted with pimples and black

heads which are commonly found on the face an d
,
shoulders these being the parts of the body where

,
the sebaceous glands are m ore plentiful T h e .
“
so called
-
flesh worm ” o f the blackhead is only
a n accumulation o f the dried oily secretion of a
sebaceous gland resulting from the clogging of

the opening The ordinary pimple is caused by
.
,
a mild infection which has traveled down the duct

o f one of these g lands o r down the root of ,
a hair When these tiny glands are especially

.
active such difficulties are more likely to be met

with T he sebaceous glands like all the other
.
,
glands of the body are most active in youth from

, ,
t h e period o f puberty until maturity and it is ,
largely f o r this reason that young people o f this

a ge are so frequently a ff ected with pimples .
Masturbation is no t necessarily involved Rigid .
c leanliness by preventing the clogging of the tiny

,
d ucts and also by preventing infection will do

, ,
163
MA NHOOD AND MARRIAGE
a great deal to prevent pimples Also cold .
water and ice because they contract o r close t he

,
pores are useful Warm o r hot water opens

,
.
them and should be avoided generally

, .
At the same time there is another factor to be

considered in acn e namely the question o f pure
, ,
blood and resistance t o infection I n vigorous .
health the infection cannot g am a foothold But .
when the vitality is lowered the circulation weak ,
and the vital functions impaired it is easy to de ,
v e lo p these pimples Now masturbation of .

, ,
course tends to derange the internal functions

, ,
weakeni ng digestion and otherwise impairing the

q uality o f the blood so that pimples are likely t o
,
occur .
In other words acne is often found upo n the

,
face shoulders chest and back of masturbators

, ,
as a symptom of lowered vitality but is not the

positive indication that some have supposed In .
some cases the health is undermined only slowly ,
during a period of years and the appearance for ,
a long time may indicate nothing wrong .
The nervous results of this habit are serious ,
being in the case o f many women victims the ‘

,
most pronounced of all Neurasthenia f re .
q uently follows and failing memory and brain

,
fag are c ommonly experienced After the habit .
has been broken there will be a gradual recovery

from these conditions but so long as o ne suff ers
,
from excessive night losses o r spermatorrhea o ne

will continue to feel these e ff ects of nervous de
plet io n .
64
that men went insane from overwork or from ,
grief but this actually does not happen in the

,
ca se of one with a normal nervous constitution .
If it were true millions o f us would be insane

, .
Shock or grief or nerve strain from overwork

,
-
,
might possibly be the “active ” o r “exciting” cause

o f insanity in the case o f o ne having an inherited
tendency toward it but even then it is more likely

,
that the determining factor would be found in

alcohol or some real destructive influence Shock .
o r grief certai nl y would have no such e ff ect upon
a normal man The “moving picture ” s cenes i n

.
which persons are represented as “going mad ” ,

“
or losing their reason ” from any o ld cause are
, ,
unpardonably false and silly Even whe n one .
has an inherited susceptibility insanity can be ,
avoided by keeping the blood pure and living a ,
life that will keep the nerves healthy and strong .
When insanity is not induced by heredity it re

sul t s from the e ff ect o f poisons up o n the bod y and
brain o r from inj uries to the head Most in

,
.
sanity is directly due to the destruction o f brain

cells through poisoning The alcohol poison for
.
,
instance is to blame for one fourth o r more o f all

,
-
cases to be found in the asylums Habit form .

-
ing drugs are often responsible A large per .
centage of criminals also are drug fi ends when -

,
they are not alcoholic The poison o f syphilis is

.
another cause o f insanity producing paresis o r

,
general paralysis popularly known as “softening

,
”
o f the brain . In a similar way the poisons
of other diseas es sometimes a ffect the brain .
166
MAS TURBATION
Feeble mindedness is sometimes the aftermath

-
of scarlet fever o r other childhood infection

”
.
:
I have g one to the trouble of explaining all this

about insanity simply t o show that masturbation
is not a factor in producing this condition as it ,
was once thought to be and to convince you if , ,
y o u are o ne of those who have been losing sleep

an d undermining your health in the fear o f in
sanity that you can dismiss this worry at least
, , ,
from your mind I want you to understand that

.
the mental symptoms I have mentioned brain ,
fag poor memory inability to concentrate and all

, ,
that sort of thing are purely neurasthenic sy mp

,
toms and not evidences of approaching insanity

,
.
They simply mean a lack of energy impo v er ,
ish e d blood a depleted condition o f the system

, ,
and nothing more .
There is o ne somewhat misleading f act t h at has '
probably had much to do with the belief that

masturbation leads to ma dn ess This is the .
prevalence of the vice among the feeble minded -
and the insane They lack all sense o f restraint

.
,
and many of them are inclined to indulge in the

practice immoderately We should recognize in.
such cases that the mental defect is the cause o f

the habit instead o f supposing that the hab it is
,
the cause o f the mental defect It was easy for .
the old writers to confuse cause and e ff ect .
Another important point If y o u are afraid .
you are go ing insane it is a sure sign that you are

not Am ong the certain tests o f i nsanity is the
.
absolute conviction o f the patient that he is sane .
16 7
If o ne thinks that he is 1nsane or 1s afraid of in

‘
sanity he is probably neurasthenic but it is a

, ,
pretty safe conclusion that he is not even l n dan

ger o f insanity I especially want to make this
.
point clear because worrying about these things

is one o f the greatest diffi culties that the victim
o f this habit has to contend with If you are .
one of this class you may j ust as well stop

,
worrying right now o n these po ints .
Practically the same thing applies to locomotor

ataxia and other extreme conditions L o co mo .
tor ataxia like paresis is usuall y a result of syph

, ,
ilis There are some good authorities w h o still

.
hold that masturbation o r sexual excess in e x c e p

t io n a l and extreme cases may cause paralysis or
locomotor ataxia and it is possible that these con
,
dit io ns might result from the exhaustion of the

nerve centers o f the spine In many cases those
-
.
who have abused themselves complain of aches

and pains in the spin e which perhaps indicate , ,
the partial breaking down of the ne rve centers -

,
but paralysis and similar disorders if possible at ,
all
, would result only from extreme and pro
longed abuse of this kind .
Remember that the general bodily e ff ect o f

masturbation is debility which naturally a ffects ,
all organs and functions It is true that mastur .
b at io n is actually the cause of death in many

cases but it is because the system has been under
,
mined so that the su ff erer becomes an easy vict im

of tuberculosis or any other disease which may
come along There is no doubt that this habit is
.
168
also f o r the sake of the stronger mind that will re

sult from it and which is necessary for the fight
against this evil Strength o f will and mind y o u
.
,
will find are difficult to develop in a poorly func

,
t i o ning body with a deficient blood supply t o the

,
brain and a broken down system of nerves One

-
.
should therefore do everything possible to culti

vate bodily vigor and strength The more nearly .
you can attain to a body perfect ly developed in

other respects the more hope you may have of
,
regaining your sexual strength Take a prid e in .
your body and its strength Build yourself up as

.
nearly as possible into the condition of an athlete ,
not only by special exercises such as I am de scrib

1ng l n another chapter but by various athletic
,
activities in the open air that are suited to your

strength and muscular powers .
Remember that the most e ffective way o f build

ing up any part o f the body is to improve the
quality o f the blood and increase the circulation .
It is for this reason that exercise and other meas

ures that tend to build up the ent ire constitution
are essential in overcoming the e ff ects o f self
abuse However I am going to take up this
.
,
matter in detail in the later chapters on exercise

and other factors l n virility building .
The diet is important and should be no n stim -
ul at ing in character Meat and eggs should not

.
be used too freely and in some few difficult cases

,
in which the assimilation is especially poor it ,
would be better to avoid them entirely The red .
meats are especially stimulating and ob j e ct io n

170
MA S TURBAT I ON
able 1n s om e cases although they may be helpful

in a case o f im
,
potence Fish and chicken are less

.
pronounced 1n their e ff ect and may be used mod

,
e rat e ly. Not only alcoholi c drink s but even tea ,
and co ff ee should be avoided and it is hardly

, ,
necessary to say that pepper hot sauces and con ,
dime nt s o f all k inds are ob j ectionable This

does not necessarily apply to salt Uncooked .
foods particularly fruits green salads nuts but

, , , ,
t ermilk and other things that you can eat and e n

j oy raw should be used extensively in the diet .
It is also important to avoid any inclination

toward constipation There is no doubt that thi s
.
is an important factor in many ca ses accumula ,
tions in the colon naturally pressing upon the

prostate and crowding th e other structures l n
such a way as to produce excitement o f the parts ,
o r at least to increase it Therefore the bowels

.
should be kept open and regular There should .
be no i rritation of the parts through an over dis -
tended colon .
So far as the ment al treatment o f masturba

tion is concerned the first great requirement is to
,
enter into the fight with the unfaltering deter

mination that y o u are going to break the habit ,
and then stick to it until you have done so The .
second essential 1s to stop worrying about it and ,
the third 1s to become so b usy filling your life ,
with so many forms o f mental activi t y that the ,
o l d habit will not have any chance to assert itself
o r to worry y o u Your mind must be so o ccu

.
pied with other matters that there will b e no o p

171
MAN HOOD AND MARRIAGE
po rtunit y for dwelling o n licentious thoughts .
The four th requirement is t o avoid being too

much by yourself and t o cultivate the society o f
,
refined people j ust as much as y o u possibly can .
If the habit has taken a strong hold you may ,
be disappointed to find that in spite o f your best

resolutions y o u have been unable to escape from
‘
its bondage This is a fairly common experience

.
with those who have been addict ed to this practice

f o r a considerable time They struggle with all
.
t heir will power restraining themselves for per

,
haps a considerable period and then some day the

,
force o f the o ld habit may b e too much for them

and they “fall . At least the result o f t h e,
struggle has been to mak e indulgence less fre

quent and that is a great deal But o ne should
,
.
not be content with that One should never stop

.
fighting until the weakness has been mastered ,
finally and f o r all Do no t be di scouraged if you

.
should have occasional failures but each time ,
start o ut again with even greater determination

than before t o conquer the habit and t o build up
the physical strength and mental st aml na that
will make it easier for you to succeed .
Remember that each time you resist the inclina

tion y o u are helping to form the habit o f resist
ance Each t ime you galu 1n the p ower to resist
.
,
and even though y o u may back slide occasionally ,
yet by continually resisting the impulse and figh t

ing the good fight you will gradually gain the
,
strength o f will that will enable y o u to stop the

practice entirely There are some who are able
.
your sense o f pri de then by all means cultivate

,
the habit o f dressing well The psychology of

.
clothes is always wort h considering Do every

thing possible— no matter what—t o arouse your
.
,
pride and self respect And especially clothe

-
.
,
your bones with a shapely and well fitt ing mus -
c ul ar development A good chest will do more

.
than anything l n the way of clothing to give you

pride. If you cultivate a body that you can be
proud o f y o u will be less inclined to abuse it
, .
St 0 p worrying and broo di ng over your trouble .
Get your mind away from it I have already ex.
plained that there is no danger o f insanit y and ,
t hat the mental symptoms are simply the result

o f the debility that naturally follows the loss of
the chemically rich and highly vitalized fluids that

should hav e been employed in building strength
o f brain and bone and muscle Y o u can ab so
.
l ut ely depend upon it that as y o u tone up your

vital organs and strengthen your body as a whole
your mental powers will return to their full
strength and you will gradually regain your sex
ual vigor .
S o you can simply dismiss all these worries

from your mind and devote yourself heart and
soul t o the work o f getting back your manh ood .
F orget the past Live for the present and the

.
future Make up your mind what you intend to

.
do m a business o r professional way determine to ,
be a success in your chosen work and then strive ,
for it forgetting your weakness and the causes of

,
it Let your thoughts be p ositive and c o nst l uc

.
174
MAS TURBAT IO N
tive and they will crowd o ut the brooding

, ,
gloomy fancies It is true that i t is easier t o say

.
“
Stop worrying than to do it but the way to do
, ,
it is to fill your mind up with other things so ,
that the worry will simply drop out o f sight and

be forgotten Let the dead past bury its dead
. .
Y o u are going to make a man o f yourself in the

best sense o f the word in every sense o f the word
, ,
and let that det ermin at io n sat isf y you .
Mental activity is the greatest thing in the

world by which to combat either this habit or any
other You cannot have t o o many interests to
.
take up your time and attentio n The o n e thing .
that will make success impossible is lo afing .
Idleness is t h e great insurmountable obstacl e .
If y o u have nothing to do find s omething I n

, .
activity will give your mind a chance either to

dwell upon erotic thoughts o r to worry about
"
your condition and both o f these should be rig
,
idly avoided Don’t be lazy Do something

"
. .
Do many things In the very first place get o ut ,
o f bed with a j ump the instant

’
y o u wake up ,
.
Make it a habit Don t lie in bed for a while

.
,
even if it does feel soft and warm If y o u are o n .
the go from the time you wake up y o u will be ,
tired enough to slee p when you go to bed so that ,
y o u will have little time to lie awake .
To keep your mind occupied cultivate all ,
kinds o f hobbies and sources o f interest It does .
not matter what these are so long as they tak e up

,
your whole attention This keeping busy will do

.
more than anything else to enable you to conquer

175
the habit Be as much o f a faddist as y o u like

. .
Take up singing It wi ll do you good It h a s . .
an inspirational quality as well as being physi

cally beneficial Or take up any other kind of
.
music Play in the band if y o u like That

.
, .
would give you the company of others so much ,
to be desired If you are interested in art study

.
,
that If you like writing o r amateur acting try

.
, ,
your hand at o ne or the other o f them Any .
thing t o keep your mind filled with healthy con ,
structive thoughts I f chemistry appeals to y o u .

,
follow it up Perhaps you ar e good at mechan

.
ics in which case cultivate your mechani cal s ense

,
and skill Motor boating o r any other form o f

.
-
motoring can be commended Photography .

,
wireless telegraphy or the making o f model aero

planes might interest you E very o ne can find .
things that appeal to him .
Above all don’t forget the great outdoor pas

,
times You may not have the muscular strength

'
in the beginning to take up cross country run -
ning o r real athletic pursuits but at least you can

, ,
start in with walking and possibly a little short

run each day until you build up the strength t o
,
engage in the more vigorous pastimes Accord .
ing as they are suited t o your strength ,
ming skating h ockey handball rowing tennis

, , , , , ,
baseball golf riding gardening mountain climb

, , , ,
ing tree climbing cross country walks— any

, ,
-
thing that keeps you away from idleness and at

the same time builds up your body—will be use
ful.
is not onl y an o ffense against the physical integ

rity of the body but that it is a spiritual and
,
moral o ff ense as Well After all no t much is

.
,
known about psychology The mysteries of the

.
human mind are still unexplained f o r the most ,
part: However it is at least clear in a case o f

,
this kind that the very heart and soul of th e

young man have been shocked and outraged by
this unnatural act and thi s shock apparently
,
‘
makes a profound impression upon the sub co n

scious mind The term “ soul wound ” as used
.
,
-
,
by some of the psychologists might express it , .
The impression must be very severe to bring

about such strange deviations from the normal
social attitude as is seen in this shrinking from
other people and the inability to look them i n the
eye It is perhaps a manifestation o f a sub co n
.
scious conscience Apparently dow n in the sub

.
,
conscious mind the masturbator carries a deep

sense o f his wrong doing and this works out in
-
,
his guilt like avoidance o f the gaze and society o f

-
his fellows and especially o f those o f the opposite

,
Whatever the explanation the practical thing

,
to do in breaking away from this habit is to culti

vate the company o f others instead o f avoiding it .
The greatest o f all mistakes is t o be too much

alone If you could even manage to spend every
.
minute of your waking time in the society of

others it would keep you o ut o f trouble and
would make it easy to break the habit absolutely .
In any case be with others as much as possible

, ,
17s
MA S TURB ATI O N
though o f course they should not be people o f

”
v ulgar tastes or with a vicious point o f view .
Bad associates would naturally be worse than

none However fight against the tendency t o
.
,
ward timidity o r lack o f confidence and you will ,
soon find that you are not so easily embarrassed .
As y o u leave the habit further behind you y o u

will find yourself more and more free from this
curious mental condition .
Most o f all I would strongly urge you to seek

the company of refined members o f the opposite “
sex This is almost the best advice that I can

.
o ff er In an early chapter o f this book I have

.
already expressed the view that masturbation is

to some extent the result o f too much separation
o f the sexes I am inclined to think that if there
.
were more constant association between boys and

girls there would be much less inclination to com
m it any such unnatural crime against the body .
The mutual enj oyment o f social intercourse b e

tween the two sexes is natural and conduces to ,
t h e physical moral and spiritual welfare o f both

, .
Of course in the company of the opposite sex

t here should be no holding of hands o r personal
intimacies It is often a good plan to j oin some
.
c ongenial social group such as is found in ,
c hurches the Y M C A and other social o r

, . . . .
r eligious organizations .
It will o f course be necessary for each o ne to

study his own problem In the ligh t o f what I
.
h ave said any o ne should be able to plan some

s ystem o f safe g uardi ng himself aga inst yielding
179
to the force of habit If there is any special ex

.
c it e m ent o f the generative system a cold spinal ,
pack applied for twenty minutes or longer will ,
have a satisfactory depressing e ffect Fold a .
towel lengthwise wring o ut o f cold water and

,
place up o n the spine This will not have the in

.
"
j urio us reaction o f the bromide o r other drug

treatment for allaying sexual excitement .
In occasional instances it might possibly be a

,
good plan to change one ’s location to occupy a ,
di ff erent room o r even to go away into an e n

,
t ire ly new environment In this way one would

.
be better able to get away from the force of sug

gestion that might cling to o ld surroundings I .
do not say this is necessary but it wo ul d often ,
help .
Good books poetry history oratory music

, , , ,
and all inspiring forms of art are among the re

fining influences that are valuable to rais e the
level of one ’s thoughts to a higher plane Bea u .
tiful pictures are helpful .
To what extent can o ne overcome the e ff ects of

self abuse ? It would be impossible to g1v e an
-
answer to this question that would fit all cases .
It depends partly upon the nat ural strength po s

sessed by each individual partly upon the extent
,
to whi ch he has indulged in the practice and

partly upon how long and faithfully he works to
irnpro v e himself In what I may call the aver
.
age case the prospects of satisfactory results are

alw ays good Cases even much worse than the
.
average are always hopeful Even where there .
18 0
prolonged and violent indulgence in this vice it ,
is not possible to promise marked results In .
many such cases impr ovement is possible In .
some it is not When persistent e fforts do not

.
produce result s in these exceptional cases I feel

that it is usually because the nerve centers in -
volved have bee n exhausted literally used up o r

,
“ ’
b urned o ut But t he cases in which no sexual

.
improvement is possible are rar e indeed and even

in these the general health and vigor may be im
proved with probably better functioning o f the
,
reproductive glands to the extent that they may

,
react upon the general health though potency ” ,

‘‘
is not recovered .
There is another im portant question that I

have been asked so many times in letters written
to me for advice that I am sure it Wil l be of inter
est t o thousands o f others as well It is whether .
o r not it is possible fo r the victim o f masturbation
t o have normal and healthy children after attain ,
ing good health In reply to this I would say

.
that it is entirely a question o f your present vital

ity I f you have built up robust physical health
.
,
if you are happily married and seem to have fully

recovered from the weakening e ff ects o f past f o l
lies then you can rest assured that you will have
,
normal and healthy children It is not so much .
a question o f your past as of y our present condi

tion It is true that your past has had much to
.
do with determining what your present condition

is but if you are sound and vigorous to day that
,
-
,
is the important point It is true that masturba

.
l 8a
MA S TURBAT I O N
tion may be the cause o f temporary sterility the ,
general debility reducing the vit ality o f the sper

mat o z o a but this condi tion may be overcome by
,
increasing the constitutional strength .
In many letters I have been asked if the past

pra ctice o f this habit long since discontinued , ,
would leave any mental e ffect or hereditary stamp

upon the o ffspring There is no fear o f this
. .
The germ plasm has been pretty well protected

-
by kind and far seeing Mother Nature against

-
influences o f thi s kind The chief thing to co n .
sider so far as healthy children are concerned is

, ,
the question of physical vitality perfect nutri ,

.
tion and freedom from alcohol o r other poisons .
If both parents are properly n o url sh e d if they ,
have plenty of vitality and are free from the

‘
e ffects of stimulants and poisons they can be sure ,
o f normal vigorous children

, ,
Another question o f vital interest has to do
with the advisability of marriage following mas
t urb at io n This again depends upon individual
.
circumstances and the present physical and sex

ual condition rather than upon the question o f
,
past errors Considering that without doubt the

.
vast maj ority o f men have masturbated at o ne

time or another it will be evident that the greater
,
numb er o f those who are now married must have

done so I do no t mean that all married men are
.
satisfactory husbands but I do mean to say that

,
the man who has masturbated and has not only

discontinued the practice but recovered a fair de
gree o f health is as fit f o r marriage as the maj or
188
ity of his sex To him marr1age is no t only pos

.
sible but advantageous .
Marriage should not be undertak en however , ,
in the rash manner commonly advised by the

“
family physician ” One should first undertake
.
a serl o us and persistent course o f physical up

building to ensure a fit condition f o r marriage .
In case o f partial i mpotence o r marked debility ,
t w o o r three years o f virility building methods -
are advisable Marriage has been much advised

.
‘
as a cure f o r masturbation In some instances it .
is true that it may prove to be a complete solution

o f the problem if the abuse has not been c arried
,
too far and has been practiced in adult life

,
chiefly because of an unmated existence But .
w hen one is a slave to the habit and has been ,
d ecidedly weakened by it marriage 1s the most ,
dangerous of all remedies Unles s properly reg .
ulat e d it may weaken the su ff erer still further ,
causing absolute impotence Again in many .

,
cases the force of the habit is so strong that it is

,
c o nt inue d e v e n after marr1age which certainly 18

/
not to be recommended One should conquer the

.
habit first If the masturbator is able to demon

.
strate that he can refrain from h 1s mj ur1o us pra c

ti c es for a period of several months at a time that ,
he is master o f himself and that he is a man in the

,
true sense then marriage might be permitted

,
.
With these pointers f o r gu idance any man ,
should be able to solve the problem in his own

case.
18 4
physician y o u will probably be told that no c

,
t i1 rna l emi ssions are entirely normal if not occur

ring at t o o frequent intervals And it is um .
doubtedly true that if y o u are vigorous and these

emissions take place only at intervals o f ten days
o r more ,they will not be likely to have any i n
j uri o us e ffect You can feel quite certain o f this
.
,
especially if you experience no immediately weak

e ning e ff ects A great many y oung men com
.
plain that the d ay following o ne o f these night

‘
losses they su ff er from great lassitude and de

”
pression This is the usual result in a serious

.
case and y et I am satisfied that in many in

, ,
stances such symptoms are o f purely mental

origin the result of the fear and horror with
,
which the victim himself regards the complaint .
We must remember that what may prove harm

ful to one constitution may no t have any appar
ent e ffect on another T o one w h o is vigorous
.
and active these losses may not be materially

weakening even if they occur at intervals o f o ne
,
week or more fre quently Of course these cases .
are exceptional for such frequency is usually ,
harmful I mention them only to show that

.
there is no iron clad rule in the matter

-
.
The primary cause o f too many seminal losses

is t o be found chiefly in the stimulating influences
o f o ur artificial civilized life but the direct ca u se
,
l n ume cases o ut o f ten is undoubtedly mastur
b at io n. Through this habit there has been estab

li sh e d a continuous active secretion of the seminal
fl uid and after the practice has been stopped the
,
86
SEMINAL LOSSES
excessive and rapidly accumulating secretion

naturally finds an outlet through these emissions ,
occurring at intervals the frequency o f which de

pends largely upon the extent to which self abuse -
has been carried o n and the parts concerned

weakened It frequently happens also that
.
, ,
when one has been married and accustomed to

regular sexual intercourse involuntary emissions
,
occur when this relationship is suddenly discon

t inue d .
Physicians sometimes go so far as to say that

night losse s are the normal experience o f all
healthy and vigorous young men It is certainly
.
true that the most robust athletes may experience

them But I believe there is usually some special
.
cause for them It may b e that nocturnal emis

.
sions would occur sometimes in the case o f a full

blooded and healthy young man who had never
indulged in either sexual intercourse o r masturba
tion simply through the natural active secretion
,
o f the sexual glands and perhaps partly a s a

,
result o f more or less amorous excitement as ,
there is no question that various mental influ

e nce s such as lascivious thoughts erotic stories
, , ,
suggestive theatrical performances vulgar j ok es ,
and other stimulating fact ors have a grea t deal

to do with the question in all cases I am in .
c line d to think however that these losse s would

, ,
occur very rarely if there were no t some predis

posing cause such as masturbation o r habitual
sexual indulgence .
F o r this reason I would hardly be ready t o

187
say that night losses are ever really normal in ,
a strict sense I feel that the generative glands

.
would never form such an excess of their secre

tions as to make this m eans o f relief necessary ,
if they were not over stimulated o r overworked

-
.
I believe that such emissions are always more or

less abnormal although from a practical stand
,
point they may not be actually inj urious if not

occurring too often .
It is claimed that they may be natural or

physiological ” in healthy young men and that ,
they are “pathological ” or indicative o f some dis

ord er o r weakness only under certain circum
“
stances ; and while I would never call them phys
”
i o l o gi c al in the strict sense yet for practical ,
purposes we may regard them as such in those

cases where they apparently do no real h arm ,
assuming that they merely serve as an outlet for

the accum ulated secretions But how may the .
young man distinguish ? H o w may he know

when the condition is or is not serious ?
, ,
The frequency o f the losses is one indication ,
though not always sufficient in itself As a rule .

,
nocturnal emissions two o r three times a month

are nothing to worry about Usually they will .
o
not b e found to have any weakening result the

following day and there will be no later loss o f
,
health o r energy In the case of a f ew vigorous

. ,
full blooded young men they may occur even

-
more often without serious results though once ,
a week except for those possessed o f unusual

,
v 1g o r, 18 really too often Any greater f re

.
188
them without any dreams o r voluptuous sens a ,
tions and without waking up In such a cas e .
they are unmistakably pathological and may be ,
followed by daytime losses occurring on the occa

sion of the least sexual excitement o r even with ,
o ut any provoking cause whatever and without ,
any consciousness o f them In some cases any .
mental excitement o r unusual mental e ffort i s

su fficient t o induce them Yo u may understand
.
that when they occur in the daytime it is usually

because the sexual organs have become very
'
seriously weakened Under such circumstances

.
there is little o r no sensation One ma y be so .
weakened in this respect that the t ouch o f a

wom an ’s clothi ng o r even conversation with her
, ,
will cause an emission .
N o w it may be said that the night losses a o

,
companied by voluptuous dreams and sensations ,
follo w ed by waking represent the normal o r

,
physiological type o f involuntary emiss ions If .
not t o o fre q uent there is little o r nothing to feel

concerned about When there is no dream o r
.
sensation, and one does no t wake up it is clear ,
that there is already a decided weakness o f the

sexual system When the losses occur in th e
.
day time they indicate an even more serious weak

ness o f the organs and the nerve centers control
,
-
ling them .
There are cases o f seminal losses in which the

emissions take place backward into the bladder ,
and do no t appear externally This of c ourse .
means a mark ed condition o f weakness o f the

190
SEMINAL LOSSES
parts and a feeble ej aculation The strue .
tures c oncerned lack tone A strong ej aculation

.
would expel the fluid in the normal way In .
ca ses of this kind the water passed first thing in

,
the mo rmng i s clouded examination showing that

,
the condition is due to semen One wakes tired .
and depressed with all the ordinary symptoms

,
that go with debilitating losses and yet without ,
apparent cause I should also say however that

.
, ,
mere cloudiness o f the urine does not necessarily

indicate this trouble for that may be due to
,
catarrh of the bladder o r some other co ndition .
It is only by laboratory examination that the

cause of such clou di ness can be d efinitely deter
mined T h e treatment should b e the same as for
.
seminal losses under other conditions .
Spermatorrhea is the most serious and weaken

ing o f all seminal losses but is only experienced
,
as a rule in the later or final stages o f a case that

has been go mg from bad to worse It is some .
times a feature of organic spl nal cord o r brain -
disease being really a symptom in such an in

,
stance .
Trouble begins usually with the ordinary

, ,
night losses amorous dreams and waking up If

, .
these are t o o frequent or depressing in e ffect

, ,
there will follow a continuous weakening of the

sexual parts until the su fferer does not wake up
in case o f night losses and in time comes to have
,
day losses without sensation and without an erec

tion As he becomes still weaker he may develop
.
“
spermatorrhea which is a sort o f
, leak y condi
191
tion in which the seminal fluid oozes o ut without ,
any exciting cause at any and all times This

, .
disorder has often been compared t o the condi

tion o f a leaky f aucet and when it has been es
,
t ab lish e d the debility of the patient becomes ex

treme for it involves a terrible dra i n upon the
,
vital resources o f the body .
However it is very i mp ortant to distinguish

,
between real spermatorrhea a nd prostat o rrhea ,
whi ch is s1mply a loss of the s ecretion from the

prostate gland The fact is that true sperma
.
t o rrh ea is very unusual and prostatorrhea is

fairly common ; and while the loss of the seminal
fluid is extremely devitalizing the loss o f pros ,
tatic fluid is far less serious O f co urse the .
quacks in their literature have not failed to do

e verything they could to scare the young man ,
and so all symptoms involving a loss o f mucus ,
prostat e fluid or anything else are decl ared to in

,
dicat e spermatorrhea ; Hence if the complaint ,
does n o t nearly kill the young man the worry

‘
does I will discuss prostatorrhea in the chapter

.
on the prostate gland It o ften goes along with

.
seminal losses The only way in which o ne can

.
absolutely distinguish between prostatorrhea and

Spermatorrhea is by means of a laboratory exam
inat io n . It may be worth while to spend the

money necessary for such an examination if you
are worried in order to set your mind at rest and
,
be convinced that there are no spermatozoa in

the di scharge Real spermatorrhea is so un
.
usual however that in most cases you can pra e

, ,
19s
use an occasional enema to prevent the colon from

being distended and thus pressing t o o much upon
the prostate and seminal vesicles Always avoid .
straining at stool T ry to depend upon the nat

.
ural action alone If you use enough water and

.
fruit you can probably do this It wil l also help

.
t o prevent these losses if y o u will press upon the

posterior urethra j ust under or back of the scro
tum in the perineal region when at stool
, , .
Mucus discharges following urination are like

wise symptoms o f prostatorrhea in most cases ,
although in exceptional cases there may be true

micturition sperm atorrhea indicati ng weakness
,
and laxity o f the semin al vesicles and e j aculatory

ducts In such cases vigorous treatment is nec
.
essary .
Spermatorrhea do es not often occur except

after the most excessive masturbation as f o r in ,
stance when it has been practiced daily o r even

more than daily for some time In the face of
, .
abuses o f this kind one cann ot be surprised at the

breaking down of the organs concerned In .
some cases spermatorrhea may set in while the

victim still continues the habit .
The results of excessive seml na l losses upon

the constitution are very much the s ame as those
o f masturbation inasmuch as there is the same
,
dra m o f the chemically rich and highly vitalized

semen S o that even after o ne has stopped t h e
.
secret habit o ne may continue to experience the

same weakening symptoms as a result of t o o f re
,
quent night losses unless the general health is

,
19 5
SEMINAL LOSSES
r apidly b uilt up Even then o ne will no t be able

.
t o avoid some of the consequence s f o r a time ; the

n ight losses cannot be stopped all at onc e .
Naturally the system can ill a ff ord the f re

,
quent loss of the highly phosphorized seminal

fl uid and the e ff ect upon the brain is especially
,
pronounced as in the case o f masturbation The

, .
t ypical loss o f memory lack o f mental energy

, ,
l ack o f ambition and di ffi culty in concentration

o f though t in work o r study for any length o f
t ime are all pronounced i n any seri ous case o f

s eminal losses You may know therefore that
.
, ,
j ust as soon as y o u have improved in your ability

t o think remember and do other mental work
, ,
y o u have made a very great improvement in your

c ondition even though the seminal losses have not
,
stopped entirely You cannot expect to stop

.
t hem at once But if you decrease their f re

.
q uency or if y o u find that they have a less

,
w eak ening e ff ect upon you when they do occur ,
t hat means a very pronou nced improvement and

y o u should be tremendously encouraged .
In respect to the physical symptoms in a seri ,
o us case the su ff erer from seminal losses e x e ri

p
e nce s great muscular and nervous debility He .
lacks strength and endurance He gets o ut o f .
b reath quickly upon any exertion and may even

‘
e xperience some palpitation of the heart ( nerv
o us
) He has a tired feeling his legs feel heav y , ,
h is c irculation is feeble and he 1s likely to have

c onsiderable trouble with stomach and bowels .
H e may have a marked lack o f appe tite o r o n the ,
19 5
other hand may eat like a wolf apparently nu ,
able to get enough His tongue is usually .
coated he is likely t o be constipated o r may be

, ,
subj ect to diarrhea nausea vomiting and other

, ,
digestive disturbances H e may have headaches .

,
pains in the back of the head a weak back and ,
more o r less discomfort in the perineum The .
generative organs are sometimes atrophied and

cold and the testicles small and tender o r per
, ,
haps painful at times Usually there is a los s of

.
sexual desire and sometimes actual dislike f o r

,
the opposite sex In some instances owing to a

.
,
state of irri tability of the parts sexual desire 13 ,
increased even though the sexual power has been

,
lost or greatly lessened This loss o r impair .
ment o f function is invariable involving “pre ,
maturity in practically all cases where th ere is

n o t complete impote nce .
Of course these marked symptoms are usually

,
found only in those su ff ering from spermatorrhea

o r from other excessive losses Even the more .
normal nocturnal eml ssmns or erotic “wet ,
dreams ,however have a similar weakening

,
e ff ect if they occur too often though to a less ,
mark ed extent .
Thousands o f young men c o mpl a1n of no t ic

ing a discharge o f a drop o r t w o of mucus when
in the company o f a member o f the opposite sex
to whom they are strongly attracted Many o f .
them naturally suppose that it is a serious sy mp

t o m o f weakness or perhaps o f spermatorrhea
,
.
There is no special cause for alarm in this fol ,
196
prove the circulation and build general bodi ly

vigor according to the methods set forth m the
chapter o n virility building .
Y o u will be greatly handicapped in your e f

forts however if y o u do not observe certain men
, ,
tal requirements in the way o f keeping the mind

free from lascivious thoughts and sexually st imu
lating infl uences Do t his as I have already
.
,
“
s uggested by so filling t he mind with wholesome

,
activities and interests that there will be no room

o r time for sensu a lity Remember that it was
.
the mental attitude that was first chiefly responsi

ble for the trouble So long as y o u harbor erotic
.
thoughts they will cause congestion o f the genera

tive organs and the filling up o f the seminal
vesicles with an excessive se cretion It is true .
that it is partly the e fl ect upon the bra 1n of the

accumulation of semen in these reservoirs that
causes the mind to turn to these thoughts but at ,
t h e same time by striving to keep the imagina

tion at rest and the mind clean and occupied with
other things y o u will be able to avoid this condi
,
tion It is largely a matter of mental habit

. .
Avoid suggestive literature Don ’t read novels .
that dwell upon passionate love making Avoid -

.
the burles que theatres Avoid caressing mem .
bers o f the opposite sex and all other exciting in

fluence s o r con di tions .
So far as possible live a no n stimulating life

,
-
in other ways T o o much excitement of any

.
kind is undesirable until your condition has been

improved A quiet farm life would be good ex
.
'
198
SEMINAL LOSSES
cept when it is found so monotonous and lacking

in interest as to cause the mind t o turn t o sexual
matters A c ountry life is for this reason the
.
very worst for certain people though in most ,
cases it is the best .
A no n-stimulating diet is especially important

so long as there exists the sensitive and irritable
condition which causes seminal losses t o occur
o n the slightest provocation There f ore meat
.
should be used very sparingly Eggs if used .

,
at all had better be limited to o ne each day .
Stimulating drink s and condiments should be

shunned Overeating should be particularly
.
av o ide d Q One should no t eat anything o n going
to bed and it is better not to eat a very heavy meal

in th e evening T h e heartiest meal should be
.
eaten in the middle o f the day .
It is perhaps still more important t o avoid

drink ing water before going to bed o r during
the evening and even to avoid the free use o f
,
liquids at supper T h e re a son for this is that a

.
full bladder during the night often helps to cause

an emission through pressure u pon the prostate
gland and seminal vesicles producing irritation
,
and excitement of these p arts The bladder .
should be emptied before going to bed and if y o u ,
can form the habit of waking up at about t w o

o ’clock in the morning to empty the bladder
,
again it would do a great deal to prevent sem

,
inal em1ss1o ns from taking place I cannot over .
emphasize this point .
Constipation must als o be guarded against .
199
M AN H OO D AND MARRIAGE
It greatly aggravates the trouble and is often ,
a contributing cause inasmuch as a full colon

,
crowds all the surrounding parts and a distended

rectum presses directly against the prostate g land
and seminal vesicles It will be greatly in your
.
favor if the b o wels can be evacuated before going

to bed Y o u will probably find that you can
.
make this a habit if y o u try ( See my discus

, .
sion o f constipation in another chapter ) .
Avoid sleeping on the back If you find that .
y o u are inclined to turn over o n your back in

your sleep it would be well to improvise a belt
,
consisting o f a towel o r some other piece o f f abric

o f suitable size and shape with a large knot in
‘
the m iddle of the back or some hard obj ect simi

,
l arly placed so that if y o u turn over o n your back

,
it will disturb you and force y o u to change your

position A position illustrated in my book
.
Vit ality Supreme half side and half face down

,
ward is especially valuable in this trouble .
Open air life and plenty o f exercise to

-
strengthen the sexual system are especially a d

vised The movements in the chapter o n ex er
.
0 1ses for virility building are all satisfactory for
the purpose Many persons find it convenient to

.
take their exercise in the evening but exercise ,
before going t o bed sometimes seems t o aggra

vate t h e trouble through the over stimulation of '
-
the parts In such ca ses th e ex ercise should be

.
taken only in the morning while the evening is ,
passed quietly except for walking

,
I n all cases .
,
9 00
MANHOOD AND MARR IAGE
ating ’
e fl ec t the baths has in such cases pro
of
duc e d an even more active secretion than usual ,
while the muscles and the controlling nerves are

still t o o weak to control it Probably the con.
t inue d use o f the cold water would in time tone up

all these parts inducing eventually a decrease in
, ,
the losses but it is usually best in such cases to

, , ,
use the hot sitz bath instead for the sake o f re

-
,
lieving any irritation and quieting the nerves

We must not forget that in m
.
any cases exces sive
night lo sse s are associated with an extremely sen

sit iv e condition of the prostate gland and the po s
t erio r urethra which condition should naturally

,
be corrected as speedily as possible The hot .
sitz bath is o ne o f the most satisfactory and eff e c

-
tive o f treatments for this purpos e Water at .
1 1 5 to 1 1 8
°
Fahrenh eit or as h o t as you can
°
,
stand it may be u sed the bath being contin

, ,
ued from three to five minutes with a subsequent ,
quick sponging or bathing of the genitals with

cold water to prevent excessive relaxation o f the
blood vessels When there is any irritability o f
.
the bladder this hot sitz bath will likewise be help

-
ful When it appears that the prostate gland is

.
exceedingly irritable and sensitive and perhaps ,
largely to blame for the night losses o ne should ,
for a time concentrate o n the treatment for pros

tatic troubles given in the chapter o n that sub
j ect using especially the h o t rectal irrigation
,
mentioned in that connection .
One should no t however depend upon baths

, ,
and local treatment of that character Every .
9 02
SEMINAL LOSSES
th ing possible should be done to build vitality and

improve the circulation Mountain climbing . ,
out oor pastimes cross country walks and o ut

do od
, ,
r sleeping are especially valuable A i r baths .
are of great benefit in t o nmg up the nerves .
There should be no excess o f clothing or over

heating o f the body Especially the lo w er part
.
o f the trunk sho uld not be too warmly o r t o o
tightly covered With shirt s overlapped about

.
the abdome n and hips by the drawers and trou

sers the parts under consideration are t o o much
covered and it is t o be regretted I f the gen
, .
e rat iv e organs could be kept cool and more or
less exposed to t h e air as in the Scotchm an ’s

,
“
kilt ” it would be o f great advantage It would
, .
also be well to provide for an air bath f o r this

part o f the body during sleep by ra1s1ng the c o v ,
e rin s by means o f a safety pin fastened into -

g
them at the middle and held up by a cord pa ssmg
,
from the top o f the foot o f the bed t o the t o p o f

the head I have described and illustrated this
.
plan in detail in my book Vitali ty S upreme , .
H o w long will i t take to ove 1 come night losses ?

It 1s simply a question o f toning up the organs
involved with their muscl es and the controlling
,
nerve centers Wonderful results may be se

-
.
cured in a f ew w eeks in many cases if t he sugge s

‘
tions f o r treatment are foll owed faithfully In .
other cases it may take months When the co n .
dition is very deep seated it may possibly take

-
tw o o r three years t o overcome it entirely though ,
y o u should greatly 1mpro v e long b efore the ex

9 03
MANH OOD AND MARR I AGE
pirat io n of this time Make up your mind to be

.
well satisfied if you find that the losses soon de

crease to the extent that t hey no longer Weaken
you Of course yo u should not stop at that
. .
Keep right o n stri ving f o r a perfect con di tion ,
building up nerve streng th and bodily vigor

until in the course o f time y o u are entirely free
from the complaint .
D o n ’t attempt to marry while in this weak

ened condition though I may say that if you
,
marry after you have largely overcome your

wea kness you will probably find yourself free
,
from further ann oyance of this sort I do n o t

.
mean that marriage always prevents seminal

losses A m
. arried man may so weaken his system
as to su ffer from them ln spite o f his marriage .
B ut as a rule y o u will find that they will not o c

c ur after marriage if y o u have built up a certain
degree o f constitutional vigor and sexual strength

before taking this step .
The treatment of s permatorrhea and day losses

is identical with that for night losses but o ne
,
should be even more strict in the observance o f

the re quirements o f the treatment In these
.
cases it will be more than evernecessary to inv es

t ig at e the condition o f the prostate gland and ,
suit the treatment to its requirements .
I might add that the bromide treatment is c o m

mo nly prescribed by physicians f o r night losses ,
irrespective o f individual requirements The .
bromides often do take e ff ect by so paralyzing the

entire sex function that if their use is continued
904
C H APTER XXV
T h e P l a in Fac t s Ab o ut V ari co ce l e
R I C OC E L Emeans simply speaking

, ,
varicose veins in the scrotum In mild .
cases there is no special inconvenience nor ,
are any o f the results likely to be o f much c o nse

q uence ; but when the disorder 1s pronounced it
may cause extreme sensitiveness and pain and in ,
an aggravated case there may be such an inter

ference with the circulation in the t e sticles and
adj ac ent parts as to cause the shrinking o r at ro
phy o f th ese glands Like every other part of
.
the body they depend upon a good blood supply .
Of course atrophy of the testicles may be l argely

,
the result of the same abuses that have produced

the varicocele but there is no question that im
,
paired circulation would tend t o produce this re

sult H o wever whe n the circulation has not
.
,
been materially interfered with the testicles and

,
the degree o f virility may be little a ff ected by the

varicocele One should no t allow himself t o be
.
alarmed by the quack literature about this com

plaint in case minor symptoms o f the trouble are
,
experienced As a rule it is very easily cured by

.
simple natural methods

, .
Varicocele is always very readily induced when

there is much sexual excitement with the result ,
ing congestion o f the generative organs I t is .
206
VARI C O CE LE
more likely to develop in those w h o are no t ath

lc tic in their habits for the circulation o f such
,
persons is generally not strong Especially are .
those subj ect to it who have a tendency toward

weakness o f the veins o r their valves as when ,
varicose veins are hereditary but o f course such ,
an inheritance is rare .
Naturally any relaxed o r weakened condition

,
o f the tissues would favor the development o f this
disorder Long standing aggravates it b ut

.
,
should 1 10 1: be regarded as a cause f o r standing ,
will not a ffect o ne who is vigorous .
Masturbation is o f c ourse a common cause of

, ,
varicocele but mental incontinence is j ust as

,
likely to produce it U ngrat ifie d sex excitement

.
,
frequently repeated is almost certain to cause it

,
to a greater or less degree But if one is much .
debilitated with tissues lacking in tone and c ircu

,
lation weak o ne may possibly develop varicocele

,
without any specific abuse Tight clothing may .
have something to do with it Constipation is a .
cause in many instances The wearing o f a truss.

,
the presence o f a tumor o r any o ther obstruction

,
a
’
t o the circulation might cause it

, G o no rrh e a .
is sometimes an active cause because o f the in

flammat io n o f the veins produced when this dis
ease has penetrated t o the remoter parts o f the
g enerative system Inj uries involving the veins
.
concerned are the cause o f some o f the most se

rio us cases o f varicocele .
Varicocele is really a complaint a ff ecting the

s erm ati c cord and not t h e testicle though t h e
p ,
207
latter may su ffer from it through impaired cir

culation The spermatic cord is a sheathlike
.
structure which supports the testicle the latter ,
being suspended from it in the scrotum The .
spermatic cord contains the v as deferens or duct ,
by which the seminal fluid is carried from the tes

t ic l e to the seminal vesicle o r res ervoir just under
the bladder It also shelters the spermatic ar
.
t e ry which supplies the testicle with blood and

,
the veins for its return The ve ins in th is part.
take som ething of the form of a network so that ,
when congested and enlarged as in varicocele , ,
they will feel something like a “bunch o f worms ” ,
to which they have often been likened Each .
testicl e has its o w n spermatic cord duct and ,
bloo d supply and either side may be affected

,
without the other .
It should be understood that in some cases

these veins are rather full and tortuous when in
a healthy condition so that the fact that o ne may
,
be able to feel them pl ainly does not always in

dica t e varicocele Don ’t be too easily frightened
. .
Varicocele in its troublesome o r harmful stage

, ,
invariably takes the form o f a tumor or lump

that can be seen but which on palpation is found
,
to be a group of enlarged veins Hydrocele and .
hernia may also cause the appearance o f atumor

in the scrotum Varicocele is most frequently
.
found in young men because it is among them ,
that the extreme abuses that cause it are most

prevalent There are cas es however in which it
.
, ,
is brought o n by th e debility of advancing years ,

208
When ther e is extreme degeneration o f the

walls o f the veins and especially o f the valves
, ,
it may take a li ttle time to get completely satis

factory results The o rdinary case responds
.
quickly to treatment but o ne cannot expect that

,
in all cases the veins will immediately be reduced

t o their former size If the walls o f the veins
.
have become greatly thickened as often happens , ,
it may be a long time before they decrease mate

rial ly in siz e b ut at least the walls will be
‘
strengthened and the veins will do their work o f

conveying the blood satisfactorily which is all that
is necessary If a painful and tender condition
.
o f the veins can b e overcome by a f ew days o r
weeks o f treatment the su ff erer should be well

,
satisfied even if they remain abnormal as to size

,
f o r a considerable tim e after .
Surgery is a popular form o f treatment for this

trouble but it is rarely necessary T h e usual
, .
surgical treatment consists in tying a ligature

around the o ff ending vein in such a w ay as to
'
“
put it o ut of b usiness ” entirely shutting o ff the
,
flow o f blood from it The result is that the .
venous blood h as to find or mak e another channel

for itself which is often accomplished by the en
,
largement of small blood vessels o r capillaries ,
while the former vein atrophies It is undoubt .
e dly better t o continue t o use the old veins if it

is possible to i1n pro v e them by treatment It is .
true h owever that in exceptional instances in

, ,
which the valves o f the veins seem to have degen

c rated and the v ems generally are much enlarged ,
210
VARI C O CE LE
and very tender and painful surgery may be re ,
quired But don ’t take the quack ’s word for it

.
Go to a reputable member o f the profession

'
And first o f all give the physical culture treat -
ment a good trial .
THE TREA T M E N T
The mental requirements o f the treatment are

i1npo rt ant as in other sexual disorders
, There .
should be no harboring o f lascivious fancies o r

exposure to other influences likely to cause sexual
excitement and consequent congestion of the a f
f ect e d parts. There should be no fondling o f
the opposite sex such as will arouse passion
,
which cannot be gratified N o treatment will .
bring results if these precautions are neglected .
Masturbation if practiced must be stopped

, , .
The most important local treatment consists o f

the application o f cold water and the most i1n ,
portant general treatment is bodily exercise .
Exercise has the two fold e ff ect o f strengthen

ing all tissues muscular and other and o f greatly
, ,
improving the circulation When the parts are.
no t so tender and sensitive as to make active ex

ercise painful the more vigorous it is t he better .
Temporary congestion can usually be overcome

by an hour ’s exercise which keeps the blood cir
,
c ul at ing vigorously throughout the entire body .
Even brisk walking at perhaps four miles an

,
hour o r faster would often be sufficient to over

,
com e trouble o f this k ind Slow walking would

.
b e o f no value B e as athletic as possible

. If .
211
MAN H OO D AND MARR I AGE
y o ucan, play games like tennis handball hockey

, , ,
baske t ball and engage l n any other sport that

,
calls fo r runn ing o r much activity Swimm ing .
is an ideal exercise for varicocele for it combi nes

,
the good e ff ect o f the cold water with the type o f

e x e r mse for the legs that is best suited t o this com
plaint Also by reason o f the more o r less hori

.
,
z o nt a l position assumed in swi mm ing there is re

’
lief from the blood pressure in the large veins in

the lowe part o f the body making the return of
,
the venous blo o d in the a ff ected parts much

easier.
Most o f the special moveme nts that I have de

scribed in the chapter o n exercises for virility
building will be useful in the treatment o f vari
c o c c l e though f o r immediate relief from the pain
,
of this disorder I would particularly recommend

those in the up side — -
down positi on with the ,
weight o f the body o n the shoulders and back of

the neck while the legs are extended upward
, .
This position serves to reduce the blood pressur e

in the large veins o f the lower body Remember .
th at the upright position assumed by the human

race when standing necessitates a considerable
column o f blood in the large veins This has to
.
b e forced upward t o and by the hea rt with som e ,
assistance from the valves of the veins which ,
help to support the weight o f t he blood and keep

it moving in the right direction When t h e .
walls of the veins have become weakened in any

way there is likely to be a di stended condition o f
the large veins in the abdomen which is relieved ,
212
so lut ely necessary to relieve marked tenderness

o r pain . In th at case it may be advisable f o r a
time but make sure that the testicles ar e held
,
well up against the abdomen so that the veins will

,
naturally drain downward Don ’t depend upon

.
it t o o much however and discard it j ust as soon

,
as possible Commence by leaving it off only a

.
part o f a day at a time and gradually you will

,
find that you can dispense with it altogether .
In all cases y o u should study t h e list of causes

o f the complaint given in this chapter f o r the
,
purpose of ascertaining if any exist in your o w n

case If there is constipation it should receive
.
the very first attention the other treatment being

,
secondary .
214
CHAPTER X X V I
T h e T ro ub l e so me P ro st a t e G l and
HE prostate gland is a small organ that is

ordinarily very well behaved if one lives a
normal life but which is capable of giving
,
you a lot of trouble if you make trouble for it .
It is probably a more important part of the gen

e rat iv e system than most persons suppose being ,
regarded as the chief seat o f Sexual sensat i on in

the male its secretions contributing to a c o nsid
,
e ra b l e extent to the bulk o f the seminal fluid and
its power o f muscular contraction having much

to do with the ej aculation thereof The ej acu .
l at o ry ducts pass through the prostate Situ .
ated as it is too at the n eck of the bladder it is

, , ,
closely associated with the functions of that o r

gan and is often involved in its disorders
, .
The prostate gland is a partly muscular organ ,
weighing little more than h alf an ounce about the ,
size and shape of a chestnut and surrounding the

,
urethra as it leaves the bladder It assists in con

.
trolling the flo w o f urine and when greatly en

,
l arg e d it naturally interferes with the free pas

,
sage o f water because it constricts the urethra .
On this account men in advanced years some

,
times have serious trouble with it The condi .
tion o f the prostate is ascertained by digital ex

amination through the rectum for in that w ay ,
215
the size and outlines of the gland may be easily

,
felt It lies a little forward in the perineal re

.
,
gl on or as o ne might put it o n the floor o f the

, ,
pelvis .
This gland is the source o f much trouble in con

n e ct io n with gonorrheal infection for w henever ,
the disease reache s the recesses o f t h e prostate

it plays havoc with it and is likely not only to,
make itself at home there f o r some time but also ,
to leave its e ffects after it has passed away Ex .
pe rience d physicians agree that even though

gonorrhea may be cured the prostate gland is ,
never quite the same afterwards as it was b efore .
The fact is that acute prostatitis o r inflamma tion ,
o f this gl an d an extremely painful and serious

,
complaint is almost always the result o f go no r

,
rhea Some other a ctive infection however

.
, ,
such as may result from the introduction of um

clean sounds o r other unsterilized in struments
into the urethra may produce it Also it may re
,
.
sult from in j ury I Will discu ss a cute prostatitis

.
more in detail in the chapter dealing with v e

n ere a l diseases .
A less active form of inflammation o f the

gland commonly known as chronic prost atitis
, ,
may result from masturbation f requent sexual ,
excitement— especially when ungrat ifie d— erotic

thinking uncompleted sexual intercourse sexual
, ,
excess the lingering traces of gonorrhea irrit at

, ,
ing inj ections stricture constipation o r stone in

, ,
the bladder Sexual abuses o r exc itement are

.
responsible in most cases .
216
MANHOOD , AND MARRIAGE
Nevertheless the complaint certainly has a pro

no unc e d e fl e c t upon the nervous system .
It is now suspected by some investigators that

the prostatic secretion has a close relation to the
functions of the body as a whole like the secre ,
tions of the testicles and of the thyroid adrenal ,
and other glands Such a theory would explain

.
the influence of disorders of this kind upon the

‘
nervous system and indicates the urgent need

,
o f overcoming prostatorrhea as rapidly as pos ,
sible The disorder is by no means as serious as

.
spermatorrhea ; yet it is not to be ignored or ,
taken lightly While less serious it is also much

.
more common than spermatorrhea and in prac ,
tically every case when there is any question in

your mind as to the nature of a discharge o f this
sort you may assume it to be prostatorrhea But .
o f course an absolute diagnosis can only be made
through a laboratory examination showing the

presence or absence of spermato zoa
, , .
Prostatorrhea is directly due to a relaxed c o n

dition o f the prostatic ducts o f which there are
,
some fifteen o r twenty opening into the urethra .
This laxity naturally goes with a weakened con

dition of the organ The reason why the dis
.
charge is especially mark ed in connection with

straining at stools is because the gland is so situ
ated that such straining causes pressure upon it ,
forcing o ut the fluid through the relaxed ducts .
In acute prostatitis when the organ is much

,
swollen and extremely tender any evacuation o f ,
the bowels is likely to produce excruciating pain .
218
THE PRO STATE GLAND
The contraction of the prostate and adj acent

p a rts after urinating also naturally tends to ex
press sb me of the secretion when the weakness is
well mark ed .
It is a gradual enlargement o f the prostate

gland that commonly gives older men so much
trouble The con di tion may come about so
.
slowly as not to be noticed until it is found t o in

t e rf ere greatly with the passing o f water at the ,
same time inducing frequency o f urination .
When there is any bladder trouble in connection

with it this condition is very troublesome Such .
enlargement may follow inflammation o f the

prostate in early life or it may be produced by
,
the irritation o f the gland through constipation ,
an acid condition o f the urine disease of the blad

,
der or any other condition causing congestion

,
i n the neighborhood A life o f sexual excess o r

.
,
m ark ed abuses o f any kind in early years may ,

'
be regarded as a predisposing factor The e n .
largement 1s sometimes painful sometimes no t , .
THE T RE A T M EN T
In undertaking treatment f o r the prostate

gland the causes o f the disorder should first o f
all be considered If the real cause as is so com
.
,
mouly the case should be found in frequent sex

,
ual excitement of any kind this must be avoided

, .
A complete sexual rest is advisable for a time ,
and if o ne is married it might be well to sleep

alone Masturbation if practised must be
”
.
, ,
stopped and as the severe strain o f ungratifie d

,
219
pa ssmn 1s most injurious there must be no in ,
t errupt e d intercourse o r other practices of this

,
sort N o
. treatment will do any good if you keep
your mind full o f sensual ideas .
Constitutional treatment is indispensable .
The more vigorous your general health and the

better your circulation the more quickly y o u will
,
recover In fact active exercise may be re

.
,
garded as the most important feature o f the treat

ment in many ordinary cases of prostatorrhea .
Don ’t be half hearted Make it real exercise

-
.
“
Of course in the acute inflammatory conditions

exercise will have to be avoided until the sensi
t iv en e ss and extreme irritability o f the gland
have been overcome .
The h o t sitz bath is o ne o f the most e ff ective

-
o f all treatments when there is congestion in ,
fl ammat io n and irritability o f the prostate This .
should be taken each evening Another exceed .
ingly e ffective treatment is a rectal douche with

fairly h o t water Treatment can be applied to
.
the prostate very dir ectly through the rectum

since the latter lies right against it The rectal .
douche does no t mean the flushing o f the entire

colon It is sufficient to confine it to the rectum
.
and it is best to use the hot water in the form of

irrigation letting it run o ut as fast as it enters
,
for two or three minutes o r more There are .
special appliances made for rectal irrigation

‘
which y o u can secure at a drug store but you may ,
be ab le t o m anage it with an ordinary fountain

'
syringe Of course when th ere is constipation

.
,
220
of this kind to stay in bed o r to be as quiet as ,
possible If lying down have the hips elevated

.
,
“
o n a pillow No exercise should be attempted

. .
A non stimulating diet and the free drink ing of

-
hot water would be o f g reat value The diet .
should include little o r no meat eggs nuts o r , ,
high proteid foods In fact the milk diet is

-
.
,
usually best It may also be necessary in such

.
a case to draw the water with a catheter ( in

,
skilled hands only ) and if an abscess should de

,
v e lo p in the prostate gland su r l c al hel

g p will be
necessary .
Ordinary prostatorrhea when there is no ,
marked tenderness i nflammation or irritability

,
o f the gland will often respond best t o a di ffer

,
ent line of treatment o f which cold sitz baths

,
-
each morning form a part with plenty o f V i gor ,
ous exercise as already suggested In such a

,
.
case after any congestion or marked infl amma

,
tion may have subsided o ne has t o deal chiefly

,
with the relaxed condition o f the prostatic ducts .
It is necessary to tone u p these tissues A cold .
water j et directed against t h e perineum o r even ,
rectal irrigation with cool water will b e of great ,
service But so long as there is irritability and

.
mark ed inflammation the h ot water treatment is -
essential .
Massage of the prostate will : usually be of

value in cases of this kind and when there is a ,
moderate degree of i nfl amm ation wi thout much

tenderness very gentle massage will also help .
This is applied by means o f the fingers through

T HE PROSTATE GLAND
the r ectum and its self application 1s more o r

,
-
less difficult It should never be so vigorous as

t o be painful or unco m f o rt ab l e and should no t ,_
be attempted at all when the gland is in a very

sensitive state .
When the prostate gland is in trouble the po s

t e rio r urethra will often be found more o r less
inflamed tender and sensitive as a result of the
, ,
same abuses o r causes As a rule the treatment

.
f o r the prostate gland will also cover the require

ments of the urethra as well The hot sitz b ath
j
.
-
will a ffect it directly and gentle ma ssage admin

,
i st ere d under o r back o f the scrotu m will help .
In both cases improve ment is entirely a matter

o f 1mpro v in
g the circulation a nd quality o f blood .
Therefore anything that 1s of use i n one condi

tion will help in the other .
F o r enlargement o f the prostate in advanced

years many doctors advise an o pe rat l o n for the
c omplete removal o f the gland Of course it is ‘
possible that in some exceptionally sever e cases

such treatment may be necessary but they are ,
few indeed if prop er natural methods o f treat

,
ment are adopted Constitutional treatment f o r

.
vitality building and attention to any bladder

trouble present with the correction o f constipa
,
tion will usually be sufficient combined with lo

, ,
cal treatment in the way o f hot sitz baths and -
hot rectal irrigation When there 1s pronounced

.
inflammation the hot water treatment is espe

-
c ia l ly necessary but when th ere is no infl a mm a

,
tion it will often be found that the application

223
of cold w e t cloths to the perineum and pelvic
region is more e ff ective as it tones up the tissues , .
Always the condition o f the bladder must be

,
investigated .
If the enlargement o f the prostate reaches a

critical stage at a ny time involving 1nab ilit y to ,
pass water a fast of o ne o r two days may be

,
necessary o r perhaps the milk diet should be

,
adopted with complete rest An acid condition

, .
o f the urine will not only cause inflammation o r
catarrh o f the bladder but will also irritate the,
prostate Urine that i s retained 1s likely to de

.
v e l o p this acid condition or to form ammonia .
One treatment is to drink plenty o f hot water y
thus increa sing t h e flo w of urine and diluting it

'
in such a way as to mak e it non irritating A -

.
catheter is sometimes absolutely essential under

such circum stances to save life though it should ,
be inserted by a physician or other experienced

person Results that are nothing short of won
.
derf ul are obtained in many cases simply through

hot water drinking Because of the increased
-
.
quantity o f water in the bladder the fl o w is

‘
stronger and the vessel is more perfectly emptied ,
aside from t h e fact that its contents are made —
less acid and less irritating An inflamed blad .
der will recover quickly under such conditions .
It is hardly n e c e ssary to say that alcohol must

be strictly avoided for it is often the cause of
,
difficulties o f this kind Also a non stimulat ing .

-
diet should be used Instead o f tea and co ff ee

.
,
use hot water And do not forget th e value of

.
C H AP TE R XXV II ‘
I mpo t e nce an d Al l i e d Se x ua l We aknesses
OR practical purposes there may be said

to be various degrees o f sexual weakness ,
but complete impotence implies a total

lack o f the power o f erection One may be prac
“
tically impotent however when t he erection is

, ,
weak and of short duration .
What is commonly known as prematurity ,
als o s o metimes called irri ta ble or partial impo

t ence is t he most prevalent o f all sexual weak ‘
"
,
nesses of this type It is often ust about as se ri

.
‘
o us as complete impotence in rendering o ne unfit
for marriage It consists in a supersensitive o r

"
.
irritable co ndition resulting in a premature e ac

ul at io n which in extreme cases may tak e pla c e
, , ,
even before the sex relation is attempted There .
are oth e r fo rms of sexual weakne ss though they ,
are unusual in which the orgasm and ej acula

,
tion may be very greatly delayed o r in which it ,
may be impossible to bring them about at all .
The causes of impotence are to be found in all

those conditions which lessen v 1rilit y and which ,
I have outlined in some detail in Chapter 22 on

/
,
How Virility is Destroyed ” Masturbation .

,
continued and excessive semin al losse s sexual ,
excesses interrupted intercourse ungrat ifie d

, ,
sexual excitement mental unchastity unnatur al

, ,
226
IMPOTENCE
habits of any kind alcoholism tobacco poisoning

_
, , ,
drug h abits overwork worry mental o r emo

, , ,
t i o nal strain and all conditions that tend to de

b ilit at e the system are t o be found among the
causes o f impotence The bromide treatment .
,
used as much by reputable physicians as by the

quacks may be the direct and immediate cause in
,
some cases Contact with poisonous m etals in

.
certain o c cupat 1o ns and especially chronic lead

,
p0 1so n1ng may have a great de a l to do with it

, .
A tropical climate such as that o f I ndia or the

‘
Philippines may in the course o f time produce

,
partial o r complete impotence through its de

structive e ffect upon the nervous system and the
bodily powers in general .
There is no necessary o r invariable connection

between sexual weakness and dyspepsia but cu ,
rio usly the t w o are often found together The .
chronic and emaciated dyspeptic does not as a

rule make a very promising prospective marital
partner .
Exceedingly hard and prolonged mental work

’
in some cases seems to have a depressing e ff ect

upon the sexual function though in most cases ,
o f this kind there have probably also been some
o ther contributing o r predisposing causes for the
weakness At any rate the impotent int e llec

.
,
tual worker o ften makes a remarkable improve

ment in his virility as a result o f several weeks
o r month s o f camp o r country life M l sed .
e nt ar
y occupations are naturally more o r less
detrimental in this respect .
There is often a close connection between

,
obesity and impotence Obesity is a common ac

.
c o mpan ime nt o f senility indicating a loss o f viril

,
ity and energy and when appearing too early in

,
life is not a favorable sign It is true that a cer .
tain amount of fat 1s natural with many persons ,
and when evenly distributed and very gradually

acqui1 ed 1s cons i stent with activity and vigorous
health But when fat is not distrib uted through
.
o ut the entire body o r whe n it is acquired b e

,
yond what is t erme d normal weight it usually sig

nifi es more o r less degeneration and impaired
health and 1s likely to accompany o r produce 1m
,
potence Therefore if you think you are get ting

.
fat you had better become as active as you can

,
.
Keep hard and vigorous .
Stricture which o f course is generally the re

, , ,
sult of gonorrhea is sometimes accompanied by

,
impotence or by some weakening in this direc

,
tion Ofttimes also gonorrhea is a conspicuous

.
cause of impotence through its e fl ect upon the

prostatic urethra the prostat e gland o r the
, ,
other structures of the sexual system A num .
ber of co n st it ut 1o nal diseases such as diabetes , ,
pernicious aneml a leukemia Addison ’s disease

, , ,
those ar i s i ng from a deficient thyroid gland loco ,
motor atax i a o r other spinal cord diseases in -

,
j uries o f the spinal cord or brain o r tumors , ,
may occasionally be responsible for imp otence .
Sometimes the poisons o f malaria typhoid fever ,
or other infections attacking the generative

,
structures may cause trouble o f this kind An d .
228
find the sexual appet l t e 1ncrease d l n spite o f the ,
absence o f the power o f gratification When .
this desire for the other sex is still present it is a ,
hopeful indicat ion It probably signifies that

.
while the power o f erection has been impaired

and temporarily lost the glands o f the re pro duc
,
tive system have not su ff ered to the same extent .
Apparently the system has not yet been entirely

deprived o f the influence of t he substances o f
these glands and o ne may retain at least a cer
,
tain degree o f the qualities that are associated

with virility T h e sex instinct is still alive and
.
,
that means something .
In other cases of impotence however there is , ,
a co mplet e loss of the sexual appetite and the

'
victims may even have a positive dislike for

women This is a far more serious condition
.
than the first indicating a greater degree of lost

,
virility with lesser prospects o f e ffe cting a cure

,
.
When an impotent man has entirely ceased to

have any interest in the opposite sex under any ,
conditions h e may be regarded as sexua lly dead

, ,
f o r all practical purposes A cure or an im

.
provement may be secur ed even in most such

cases but it would take time and definite prom
, ,
ise s as to results are not advisable .
In cases where the desire is greatly increased

in c o nne ct l o n with impotence o r partial impo ,
tence it is o f course usually because o f a greatly

,
congested condition o f the prostate gland irrita ,
tion produced by constipation some spinal dis ,
order o r some other pathological condition

,
9330
IMPOTENCE
There are also instances in which a man may

n o t be impotent strictly speaking but in which he
, ,
has no sexual desire does not care for women

,
.
There is often more or less atrophy o f the o r

gans more particularly o f the testicles in co n
,
.
,
ne c t io n with impotence but this need not be pres

,
ent and when this is marked the c ondition is

,
usually difficult to overcome .
P sy chi c i mpo tence is a purely mental condi

tion and usually a temporary o ne due to emo
, ,
tions nervousness embarrassment excitement o r

, , ,
mental suggestion It is not serious inasmuch

.
,
as it does not indicate any organic or c o nst itu

t io nal defect and will usually disappear by itself
,
under normal c onditions In other words .

,
psychic impotence is a transient condition which ,
may be compared with any temporary state such ,
as a sick stomach .
Upon the theory that those troubled with im

potence are simply the victims of their o w n men
tal attitude some w riters pooh pooh that there is
,
-
any physiological basis f o r this difficulty Of .
course it is no t true that all these men have

merely hypnotized themselves into the belief that
they are impotent But at the same time there
.
is such a thing as psychic impotence and every ,
man should make sure of the exact nature of his

o w n case .
Nervousness from almost any cause may pro

duce this tem porary or psychic impotence The
, , .
necessity f o r hurry may do it Fear of any kind .
is likely t o produce it such as fear o f venereal

,
9231
in fection fear o f pregnancy resulting o r the fear

,
o f being interrupted or discovered Embarrass .
ment may temporarily a ffect o ne and the impo ,
tence thus produced w ill t h en so increase the em

b arr a ssment that the situation is hopeless f o r the ,
t irne being . Excitement o f any kind would nat

ura lly be a factor Too much intense desire o r
“
eagerness may in this way defeat its o w n purpose .
Or o ne may be influenced by an unclean room or

unclean clothing .
hf ent al suggestion however o r what is called

, ,
auto suggesti on ” is doubtless the most fre q uent

-
,
cause of psychic impotence A man may doubt .
his fitness for marriage Perhaps he has been .
worrying a great deal about his past bad habits ,
or the results o f a former venereal di sease and ,
h as thus conceived the ide a in his head that

he may be impotent The result is that his
"
.
anxiety o n the sub ect practically paralyzes him ,
and until he can overcome this mental attitude

he Wl ll be pract ically impotent In addition he .
,
may be embarrassed But this does not mean

.
true impotence and a few weeks of marriage will

set him right .
One great mistake frequently made by men

who fear that they are impotent is to test them
selves by visiting a prostitute Of course such a .
thing cannot be recommended o r even excused ,

.
It is wrong from every possible point of view ,
and furthermore it is never a satisfactory test .
One cannot j udge o f one ’s condition by attempt

ing relations with a strange woman for there is ,
9 32
such a condition cannot correctly be called 1m

potence Indi fference or lack of desire o n the
.
part of the wife is naturally an important factor ,
but under such circumst ances the marital relation

should not be attempted .
On the theory that alcohol is a s e xual st imu

lant physicians oft en prescribe the use o f wine
, ,
w ith a generous diet of rich stimulating food in

, ,
cases o f i mpotence There is no doubt that in

.
some cases o f psychic impotence the use of cham

pagne o r wine does produce results but it is not ,
because of any “ strengthening” e ff ect o f the alco

ho l
. It is simply because the e ffect o f this poison
upon the brain is to paralyze the higher mental
faculties and thus deaden any sense of restraint
,
and blunt any fears anxiet i es o r considerations

, , ,
which may previously h ave had an inhibiting e f

f ect . The alcohol really has a detrimental e ff ect
upon the sex function as upon the body gener
,
a
ally ( See Chapter

. Under the ideal co n
dit io n s of a happy m arriage there is no danger
o f psychic impote nce and under immoral or ab
,
normal conditions a man is to be congratulated

if he find s himself temporarily lacking in the
power t o debase himself .
S ewual n euras t henia I S t he term often employed

to designate a condition of great nervous and c o n
st it ut io nal debility associated with or growing o ut
of sexual weaknesses It does not di ff er g reatly
.
from any other case of neur a sthenia except that ,
it is the result o f sexual ab u ses or excesses It is .
934.
IMPOTENCE
true that impotence o r some degree o f sexual

,
weakness may be the result o f neurasthenia pro

,
duc e d b y other causes such as o verwork worry

‘
, , ,
o r mental and emotional strain o f any k ind The .
sex function like every other function is nat

, ,
urally impaired by lowered vitality poor circula ,

-
tion and impoverished blood a nd when sexual ,
weakness is a marked feature of such a case it

may perhaps be classified as sexual neurasthenia ;
but as a rule this term is applied to nervous de
b ility resulting from the drain upon the nervous
system and the vital resources made by sexual
abuses and seminal losses Some authorities also

.
claim that sexual neurasthenia may be the result

o f the continued repression o f the sex instinct
for many years as when o ne who possesses very

,
strong and active sex 1mpulses is forced to live a .
life o f complete abstinence This probably is th e

.
case with women more often than with men .
Sexual neurasthenia may take various forms in

di ff erent cases but aside from local sexual weak
,
nesses and disorders ranging from seminal losses

,
down to impotence the marked mental sy mp

,
toms that I have already mentioned in connection

with extremes of masturbation and seminal losses ,
namely brain fag poor memory and inability to

, ,
work are invariably present The su ff erer is at .
the mercy o f his moods ; he is inclined to worry

and t o exaggerate his troubles o r he may be sub ,
j ect to absurd fears of o ne kind o r an o ther .
Aches and pains in t he spine usually around the ,
235
MANHOOD ‘
AND MARRIAGE
small of the back are fairly common in connec

,
tion with this condition There is a general lack

.
o f energy and poor endurance .
It is in respect t o other symptoms that cases

di ffer mostly Some are especially characterized
.
by digestive troubles and in others urinary dis

,
orders are particularly marked Stubborn and .
per sistent cases o f dyspepsia should b e studied

with reference to the individual ’s sexual health .
Constipation occurs in sexual n eurasthenia ,
though there may be periods of diarrhea When .
bladder troubles are especially in evidence there

is a frequent desire to urinate during the day but ,
no special di fficulty o f this kind at night in con ,
trast to the conditions o f prostate enlargement

and other disorders o f the bladder It is found .
difficult to commence the act of urinating and ,
the su fferer may be unable to do it at all in the

presence o f other persons There 1s also usually
.
a dribble at the end indicating local weakness

, .
Disturbances of circulation are much in evi

dence in sexual neurasthenia with more o r less ,
palpitation o f the heart so that the victim thinks

,
he has some organic heart disease His heart .
beats rapidly and with a feeble pulse o n the least

exertion He gets out of breath quickly He is
. .
troubled with cold feet and hands Often he is .
inclined to blush easily an indication of an un

,
stable circulation Often the eyes are weakened

.
,
with symptoms o f eye strain and specks floating

-
before them One may be sensitive to noises

.
,
236
phy siological age for parenthood has been passed ,
at least in all probability in the case o f one ’s

, ,
wife and therefore it is only natural that o ne

,
should gradually come to neglect and more o r less

forget this function as o ne occupies oneself with
,
other interests I would not venture to lay down

.
any rule for all men Each must regulate h is

.
own life in conformity with his o w n individual

“
needs and constitutional peculiarities But there .
is no doubt that temperanc e or continence in a d , ,
v anc e d years would be advantageous and it ,
would probably go far toward preventing the

prostate enlargement from which many old men
su ff er Incontinence at this time of life may
.
prove very weakening Old men with young .
wives often age rapidly When there 1s weak .
ness of the heart or hardening o f the arteries c o n ,
t ine nc e is absolutely necessary .
While it is true that virility should in a large

measure last as long as life some dec lme l n power
,
is to be exp ected In many cases impotence after

.
the age of sixty fiv e years is to be regarded as

-
physiological and there should be no occasion f o r

,
alarm if it should come even earlier Impotence .
at the age of fifty years is of course premature , , ,
though it may be regarded as a natural result o f

an extremely active sex life One cannot eat . _
one ’s cake and still have it In all cases much .

,
depends upon the h abits of early life Many .
foolish young men have almost exhausted them

selves before the age o f twenty Su ch facts must .
be considered Impotence before the age of fifty

.
238
IMPOTENCE
1s of course abnormal It is to be found how

.
,
ever in many men und er the age of thirty

,
.
Impotence in early life like other sexual dis ,
orders is usually accompanied by bodily weak

,
ness o r more o r less neurasthenic condition and

,
general functional disturbances There are ex .
ce pt io n a l cases however usually l n men over

, ,
thirty m which there seems to be little or no in

,
convenience associated with the condition except

f o r its bearing on the question o f marriage o r
parenthood In other words one occasionally
.
,
finds a case in which a man has become impotent

before middle age but still maintains fairly ro
,
bust health and a good physique I have known .
a few such cases in which treatment seems to have

,
little e ff ect on the local weakness Such cases

'
have usually developed following a period o f

great excess in adult life rather than during the,
period of growth The explanation probably is

.
that the controlling spinal nerve centers have -
been exhausted o r paralyzed thus causing the ,
power of erection t o be lost while apparently the ,
glands are still in a sufficiently active condition

to supply the secretions which are necessary to
keep the general bodily functions healthy and
vigorous B ut as I have said such cases are ex
.
,
c e ptio nal The rule is that sexual weakness and

.
general constitutional debility go together and ,
by building up a vigorous constitution improving ,
the quality o f the blood promoting an active cir

,
culation and strengthening every tissue and strue

ture in the body a corresponding improvement
,
9 39
will be brought about in the generative system as

well .
THE T RE A T M E N T
What I have j ust said therefore indicates the , ,
most important feature of the treatment The .
body as a whole must b e strengthened and the ,
general instructions in the chapter o n virility

building should be followed faithfully The sug .
gestions on spinal stimulation are very impor

tant Muscular exercise must be regarded as
“
one of the most essential features of the treat

ment in most c a ses though fresh air sunshine
, , ,
sufficient sleep a strengthening diet and general

,
blood purifying measures are all necessary

-
.
Simply make y ourself as perfect a specimen o f

manhood as you possibly c an
.
.
A complete sexual rest is necessary in all cases ,
whether of prematurity sexual neurasthenia o r ,
complete impotence There should be no a t

”
tempt at indulgence c f any kind This restp

.
should last from two or three months to a year or

tw o .
The causes o r co ndit l o ns at the bottom o f the

trouble must always be considered For in .
stance in a case of sexual neurasthenia with more

, ,
or less impotence which obviously depends

,
largely upon continuous seminal losses it will be ,
necessa ry to stop these before any marked im

provement can be expected and the special sug ,
gestions which I have given in the chapter o n that

subj ect should be carefully and diligently fol
940
extent to which the appetite may call for them ,
plenty o f milk o r buttermilk if appetizing and , ,
meat at least once a day if desired An ex , .
c lus1v e milk diet for t wo o r three months migh t
be helpful in some cases where there is serious

assimilative o r digestive difficulties .
The cold sitz bath would be very valuable in

-
,
total impotence but the use of alternate hot and

,
cold sitz baths would be even more stimulating

-
and e ffective two tubs being p rovided for the

,
purpose with the hot water at 1 1 0 to 1 1 5 degrees

,
Fahrenheit Remain in the hot sitz bath for one

.
-
minute then in the cold for two o r three minutes

, ,
then return to the hot and so on making several

, ,
changes and ending with the cold water .
If the alternate hot and cold sit z baths are not -
convenient then use the cold sitz bath in the

,
-
morning from three to five minutes and sponge

, ,
the generative organs in the evening o r at some ,
other time during the day with hot and cold w a ,
ter alternately alwa ys ending with c old water

, .
Five or ten minutes may be devoted t o such treat

ment Sun baths i n which the organs concerned
.
,
are exposed directly to the rays of the sun should ,
be of special value in a case of this kind Of .
course these suggestions must be combined with

the general instructions o n virility building .
When the organs are more o r less atrophied or

wasted such a stimulating course o f treatment
,
will be especially necessary except where there ,
is the extremely sen sitive and irritable condition

already ment ioned But o ne should be sure that
.
9 49
IMPOTENCE
t here is really a wasted condition or lack of de ,
v e l o pment before torturing himself with worry

,
about it Often the idea of atrophy exists only

.
in the imagination The sexual neurasthenic is

.
inclined to worry about these things and some ,
men have an exa ggerated idea as to what should

be the normal size of the generative organs .
The truth is that men di ff er greatly in respect

t o the s 1ze o f these parts : The variations appar
ently have no relation to virility or to the size of ,
the individual Some ve ry large men have com

.
pa r at iv e ly small organs while small men occa

,
sio n ally have comparatively large ones Size has .
n othing t o do with power There is no rule that

.
a pplies , though o n the average the male organ

when erect measures from five to six i nches In .
its relaxed condition as well as erected it may be

quite s mall without indicating any deficiency .
R eal atrophy of this member is not ve ry co mmon .
An unusual shrinking may be due to anxiety o r

n ervousness especially when under medical ex
,
a mination .An exceptionally small size o f this

p art is usually congenital .
True atrophy o f the testicles however is likely , ,
t o result from excessive ma sturbation o r sexual

o ver -indulgence Probably most cases o f g reatly
.
shrunken glands are the outcome o f masturba
tion commenced early and continued with un

usual frequency during the years o f growth The .
same result however may be produced by gon

, ,
o rr h e a o r an
y other in fection causing severe i n
fl amm atio n .
It is sometimes said that atrophy of the g en

e r a t iv e organs may be the result o f continence ,
o n the theory that any part o f the body no t used
tends to waste away It is extremely doubtful

.
,
however if this rule ever holds good for these

,
particular parts The facts apparently indicate

.
that in practically all cases o f atrophy through

supposed continence there has been some other
definite and direct cause in the way o f abuse of "
o ne k ind or another S hrinking of these parts in

.
the case o f an abstinent and debilitated man is of

course due to his debility .
The treatment for wasted organs calls —for the

building up of all the tissues and nervous diges ,
tive and muscular forces o f the body by every

possible means combined with stimulating local
,
treatment the same as for chronic impotence

,
.
Alternate local hot and cold water bathin g or -

,
sitz -baths should be persisted in though other

, ,
means o f improving the circulation may also be

used The vacuum or “cupping” treatment has
.
often been recommended in such cases and some ,
times does produce results But such treatment .
can rarely be advised as it over stimulates the

,
-
nerves and blood v essels The suction exerted.
by this apparatus brings a large amount of blood

into the parts and though in a few instances it
,
might have a beneficial e ffect its value is q ues

t io nab l e
. Such treatment if used should be b rief
, ,
and should be followed by sponging with very

cold water o r by a cold sitz bath to prevent t o o -
,
much relaxation o r dilatation o f the blood vessels .

MAN H OOD AND MARRIAGE
be much harder t o get appreciable results Do .
no t expect a cure in a hurry I ak e up your

lV .
mind t o live a continent life until you have re

gained a n ormal condition Thi s may mean any
.
where from a few mont hs to two or three years .
Such 1s the vitality o f the human body that it

can often be built up after it seems to have been
,
compl etel y wrecked to such a degree that o ne ac

,
t ually may have reason to be proud o f

physi que and his manhood .
21 6
CHAP TER XXVIII
St e ri l i t y
T E RI L I T Y is the inability t o pro cf eat e for ,
whatever reason The condition may be

.
either temporary o r permanent depending ,
upon the cause .
Sterility is confused with impotence in the

minds o f many persons but there 1s a g reat di f
,
ference m the meaning o f the two terms A man .
may be ste rile without being impotent That is .
to say he may be deficient m the seminal secre

,
tion o r no spermatozoa may be present therein

, ,
although he may be perfectly potent and normal

in other respects On the other hand there may
. ,
be a normal formation of semen with healthy ,
spermatozoa while practical sterility may result

,
from impotence f o r mechanical reasons Of

,
.
course it is true that in a great many instances

the same devitalizing condition s which have made
a man impotent are a lso likely to make him sterile .
Sometimes the spermatozoa may not be entirely

lacking and y et because they are weak and want
,
ing in vitality fertiliza tion will no t take place

, .
When the testicles are he althy in every w ay

sterility may be produced through obst ruction of
the ducts .
Gonorrhea is without doubt the most fre q uent

cause o f sterility in men sometimes through its
,
94 7
destructive e ff ect upon the t e st l cle s themselves ,
but more often thr ough the closing up o f the

epididymis—the delicate convoluted structure
which forms the beginning o f the spermatic duct
— following the inflammation produced by this
infection Of course when the disease does not
.
penetrat e so far sterility does no t result Strie

, .
tur e of the urethra also usually due to gonorrhea

, ,
may cause sterility in rare cases by interfering

with the passage of the seminal fl uid which um , ,
der these conditions is forced backward into the

,
bladder .
Sterility is occasionally caused by mumps ,
when this infection has been ca rried to the testi

cles pro ducmg a destructive inflammation The
“
.
,
child so affected recovers from the disease rega 1n ,
ing apparently perfect health but finds y ears , ,
afterwards that his marr 1age 1s not productive o f

,
c hildren In this case as when it results from

.
,
gonorrhea the condition 18 1ncurab le Typhoid

,
.
fever o r t h e poisons of other infectious diseases

may m rare cases cause sterility and c o nst itu ‘
tio nal disorders like diabetes or obesity may have

great deal to do with the condition in some in
”
stances
The Roentgen rays or X rays will produce ,
-
,
temporary sterility through their e ff ect upon the

spermatozoa D uring the first f ew years after
.
these rays were discovered when little was known ,
o f their physiological e ffects a considerable num ,
ber o f men were render ed sterile for a time .
X ray operators may protect themselves ho w

-
,
9 48
vigorous body he may depend upon having nor

,
mal children The question is o ne that depends

.
upon one ’s present condition rather than upon

o ne ’s past If a man has recovered virility and
.
,
is not sterile he will make a satisfactory parent

, .
As I have said sterility o f gonorrheal origin

,
is almost invariably incurable but it may some ,
times be worth w hile to try persistent treatment

by means o f hot sitz baths and gentle massage of
-
the testicles In su ch cases there is usually a

.
hardened o r lum py condition o f the epididymis ‘
and if this can be overcome and the adhesion s

loosened so that an opening is re established -
,
through which the semin al secretion may pass ,
fertility may be recovered I must a dmit that .
the chances are no t very good for it is only in ex ,
t r ao r dinary cases that thi s can be brought about .
The chance is worth tak ing however even if it is , ,
only o ne in a million There are cas es in which

.
,
following venereal disease disturbed functioning ,
o f the prostate glan d and the seminal vesi c les
m ay be responsible f o r sterility for the secretions

“
o f these organs mixing with the semen have much
t o do with the health and activity o f the sperma

t o zo a
. An inflammatory o r purulent condition
of these parts would tend to destroy them or ,
lessen their vitality T reatment for the pros

.
tate gland would eff ect a cure m such cases .
Childlessn e ss sometimes se ems t o be the result

of a peculiar temperamental o r constitutional in
compatibility I t occasionall y happens that both
.
the husband and the wife may be individually no r

9 50
STERILITY
mal and fertile but do not possess t h e mysterious

,
and peculiar chemical qualities that will combine

through the process of fertilization to produce a
ne w life
. T he man might have children by a sec
o nd marriage and the wife might have children
,
by a second husband but with each other they

,
a re unfruitful . This cannot be explained but it ,
is a well attested fact It probably happens

-
.
mostly where there is a lack of sexual harmony .
When there has appeared to be no good reason

f o r childlessness and when it seems probable that
,
the vaginal secretion has the e ffect of destroying

o r weakening the spermatozoa before fertilization
could be accomplished artificial impregnation

,
has frequently been tried and often with success

, .
Artificial impregnation consists simply in intro

duc ing 1nto the womb a f ew drops o f the seminal
fluid It should never be attempted however
.
, ,
excep t by a skilled physician under strictly ase p ,
tic conditions and with a sterilized syringe and ,
no t even the physic ian should experiment without

a thorough knowledge o f the technique required .
The failures always greatly exceed the successes .
When it is undesirable f o r eugenic o r other

'
legitimate reasons for a man to have children ,
sterility may be produced by a simple operation

called “vasectomy ” which consists merely in cut
,
ting o ut a part of the v as deferens or spermatic ,
d uct o n each side so that there will be no outlet

,
for the secretions of the testicles Sterility is .
thus pr o duced mechanically This treatment has .
been much recommended and in some States has

9 51
M A N H O OD A N D MAR RIAGE
even been employed to some extent in connection
with cr imi nals insane persons idiots and others
, ,
deemed unfit for parenthood It has also some

.
times been submitted to voluntarily It does not .
a ffect one ’s fitness for marriage since the sex in

,
st mc t and power are unimpaired but only pre ,
vents parent hood The seminal secretion in such

.
a case is reabsorbed In some instanc es a marked

.
improvement in health has been reported as a r e ,
sult o f such operations apparently because the

,
frequent loss of the rich seminal fluid has been

stopped .
It w a s once thought that childlessness was

nearly always due t o som e defect in the gener
ative organs o f the wife It 1s no w known how
.
,
ever that it is the result in a fairly large per

, ,
centage o f in stances o f the husband There

, .
fore when children are desired in the home and

,
do no t m ake their appearance it is w ell to inve sti

,
gate the condit ion o f both the husband and the

wife so a s to ascertain j ust where the trouble lies
,
and to see if it cannot be remedied .
252
MANHOOD AND M ARRIAGE
have very largely outgrown the results o f their

various indiscretions simply because they have
,
discontinue d their evil practices Time alone has .
helped them to recuperate To such an extent is

.
this true that some medical writers have been in

c lin e d to beli ttle the harmful e ffects of sexual
abuses and excesses Of course this is a mistake

.
,
for such habits are always weakening and de

structive ; but if it is true that time alone will
often cure the resulting evils y o u may be sure ,
that a persistent course of proper treatment and

training especially designed for virility building
will be infinitely more e ff ective .
The o ne paramount consideration in the attain

ment o f virility is the building up o f the vital and
n ervous forces o f the body The whole organism
.
must be strengthened in every possible way the ,
bloo d purified and enriched the vital organs toned

,
up and the circulation made more active and vig

o ro us
. Every single infinitesimal cell in the body
must be made to vibrate with healt h and vitality ,
and when this has b een do ne it will not be long

before you develop a norm al and satisfactory de
gree of sexual vigor .
You cann ot expect to g am m v 1rility so long

as you are a nervous wreck o r anything a p ,
pro ac h ing it
. You need strong nerves muscles , ,
and a reserve supply of nerve f orce in order to -
build virility Many maintain that the central

.
nervous system is really the source o f all human

energy o r power every function of the body de
,
pending upon the supply o f nerve-force from the

9 54
HOW TO B UILD VIRILITY
brain and spinal cord And inasmuch as sexual

.
weakness means or at least is associated with

, ,
more o r less exhaustion o f the spinal nerve cen

" -
ters it is of the utmost impo rtance that the nerv

,
o us system be built up and the highest possible
degree of all round vital vigor attained

-
.
The very first essential for virility building is

a favorable mental attitude Everything really .
depends upon your determination and your per

sistence in following o ut the vitality building -
régime which I would recommend ; f o r if y o u lack

this determination o r persistence you will g rad ,
ually neglect your treatment and health program

and so fail to secure results Make up your .
mind that it will be an up hill struggle and then

-
,
determine to stick to it until you win Others .
have done it and so can y o u Stop worrying

, .
a nd do more working An d above all things cul

.
t iv at e the clean attitude o f mind keeping away ,
fr o m lascivious thoughts and from eve rything

that will tend to stimulate sexual excitement .
As I have already suggested spend as much t ime ,
as possible in the company of other clean minded -
persons and especially those o f the other sex but

, ,
without personal familiarity .
With reference to the causes o f his weakness ,
each o ne should make a study o f himself In .
most cases the cause is only too plain It is t o be .
found in some abuse o f the generative system .
In other cases some constitutional condition may

be chiefly at fault as when the quality o f the
,
blood is a ff ected by digestive troubles dissipa ,
9 55
tion o f any kind nerve strain o r overwork All

,
-
.
these things should b e considered so that any de ,
b ilit at ing i nfluence may be avoided in future .
A strictly continent life for some time is im

pera t iv e . One should enj oy complete sexual
r est . If married it would be well to occupy a
,
separate bed It is necessary to give the organs

.
,
muscles tissues generally and nerve cent e rs in

,
-
volved a full opportunity t o recuperate and this ,
"
demands not merely temper ance but complete ab
st ine nc e for a time ust how long this will take
‘
depends upon the degree of weakness in each v ic

tim A f ew months may be sufficient to permit
.
satisfactory recuperation but a rest o f two o r

,
three years may perhaps b e necessary Remem .
b er also that after having once su ffered any

,
mark ed loss o f virility o ne must exp ect after re

,
co v e ry to exercise temperance in mari tal indul

’
e s f o r the rest o f one s life One cannot a f
‘
g e n c .
’
ford to w aste one s vitality and virility through .
any further excesses .
In reference to the advice to marry which is

fre quently o ff ered by physicians f o r se x ual weak e
ness I wo uld repeat that this is usually the worst

,
thing that o ne can do and is particularly an in,
j ustice to the woman in view I t is o ffering .

-
“
damaged goods ” though in a di fferent sense
,
from that implied in the famous play o f that

name and it often means the rapid loss and ex
,
tinction o f what little virility a man may have

left Build up before thinking o f marriage At
. .
the same time I will admit that there are cases

,
9 56
profit is gained by scaring young men into t h e

belief that they h ave lost their manhood when
they may in reality have only night losses or the
slightest symptoms of varicocele o r even wh en ,
they are entirely normal .
As for any “treatment that one may receive

from the quack the victim will have reason to
,
congratulate himself if it does not actually pro

duce the disorder which previously may have
been only imaginary T h e electric belt fraud is
.
-
now a thing o f the past Even the most une du

.
c at e d man o n the street to day knows th at there

-
1s nothing m these worthless devices It I S suffi .
cient for me to say here that they are not electric ,
f o r o ne thing and that even if they were they

,
would not produce the marvelous results claimed

for them .
One o f the first and most important of all

means for acquiring virility is muscular exercise .
You cannot expect to be a man in the fullest sense

unless you are physically active and possess a nor
mal and vigorous muscular development A c .
,
t iv ity is the o ne great law of life and it is only ,
through the use o f the muscular system that o ne

can exercise and strengthen the vital and othe 1
organs Stagnation means deterioration of every
.
organ and tissue i n the body For building man .
hood therefore it is absolutely essential that y o u

, ,
should make yourself physically as perfect as

possible In fact there i s nothing m the world
.
,
that can take the place of muscular exercise fo r

your purpose So important is this feature o f
.
9 5s
HOW TO BUILD , VIRILITY
the treatment that I am devoting a special chap

ter to the subj ect .
Another prime essential is a strengthening and

nutritious diet One cannot build up the body
.
without suitable food So many mistakes m diet .
are made at the average table that it is necessary

to give special attention to the subj ect On a c .
count o f the import ance o f this factor in virility

building I am devoting a special chapter t o it
also .
Fresh air and outdoor life are likewise of the

greatest importance Get the oxygen into your
.
system Let it give you the good red coloring

.
o f the blood that signifies health and manhood

‘
You can tell the outdoor man from the indoor

man by his very appearance The o ne has a .
healthy coloring and looks robust and vig orous

,
.
The other is sallow and lacks the clear bright eye ,
and springing step that goes with superabundant

vitality He may not have the color o f death
.
itself but his pallor approaches it One simply

, .
cannot be at one ’s best unless o ne spends a cer

tain part o f each day in the open air It should .
be t w o o r three hours at least and preferably ,
more The ideal plan f o r one trying to build

.
virility would be to live and work outdoors and

even t o sleep outdoors If o ne cannot realize .
this ideal o ne should approach it as closely as

,
possible If a man works all day there is no ,
reason w hy he cannot spend his evenings at least

in long walks o r in some other open air pastime
,
-
.
The bicycle and t he automobile have done much

9 59
for the cause o f open al r life and motoring of

-
,
almost any kind may be recommended o n that

account The only exception would be the mo
.
t o r cycle in the case of a person with a sensi

-
,
tive or inflamed prosta te gland .
But if o ne cannot be outdoors all the time o ne ,
can at least have a supply of fresh air indoors if

o ne will only open up the place and let it in .
Bring the outdoors into the house with you by

opening up the windows Nearly every o ne b e .
comes accustomed in winter to r ooms that are too

much heated and to air that is t o o dry for the
,
good of the health Warm air is enervating in

.
it self apart from the question o f its impurity

, .
Cool or cold air 13 energizing invigorating The , .
body has th e property o f adj usting itself to varia

tions o f temperature and if y o u keep your win
,
dows open you will soon get used to the cooler air
and will enj oy a higher degree o f virility both o n
acco unt o f the lower temperature and the better
supply o f oxygen The tendency o f civilization
.
is to mak e man an indoor creature and by t oo ,
much confinement to destroy him If he is not .
attacked by tuberculosis at least his vitality is

,
,
weakened and he o ffers less resistance to other

disorders We should mak e a lifelong fight
.
a gainst the devitalizi ng tendencies o f indoor life ,
and by so do mg we will no t only prolong life but

w e will have more life and more viri l ity while we
Many complicated systems o f ventilation have

been devised by the experts Some o f them work .
9 60
All the muscles ligame nts and adj acent parts are
,
strengthened by them and the cartilages sup

,
porting the spinal vertebrae are so strengthened

and improved as to keep the vertebrae in align
ment and prevent any compression of the spinal
cord Also the circulation throughout the en
.
,
tire region o f the spine is improved The use of .
carefully devised movements and treatments for

the spine in my sy stem o f Mechanical P hy scul
t o pat h y ( described and illustr ated in Volume III
“ ’
of M ac f a dden s Encyclopedia o f Physical C ul
ture ” ) may be recomm ended in stubborn exam
ples Osteopathy would also be of v alue for
.
many suff erers But for the average good re

.
,
sult s may be secured by alternate hot and cold
spinal packs and sometimes by mechanical vibra

,
tion.
Hot spinal pack s alone will b e very e ff ective

.
,
especially applied to the small o f the back and

lower part o f the spine If o ne desires to inv ig
.
orate the entire syst em at the same time o ne may

use a towel for the purpose folding it lengt hwise
, ,
so that it may cover the entire length o f the spine

from t he back of the neck down It should be .
wrung o ut of water j ust as hot as can be borne ,
and changed o r renewed every half minute the ,
treatment being continued for a f ew minutes .
The most convenient plan is to lie o n the stomach

wh en the application s are being made When .
h o t water is not available cold spinal packs will

,
be o f some value being invigorating but no t so

, ,
stimulatin
g and e fl ect iv e as the hot packs .
9 69
HOW TO BUILD VIRILITY
I suggest the use of mechanical vibration f o r

what it may be worth I do not promise results
.
from it b ut will say that it is often decidedly

,
va luable a s a means o f massaging tissues that

cannot otherwise be reached and as a means o f
,
accelerating the circulation F o r this particular

.
purpose it should be applied to the spine in the

region o f the small o f the back upward and ,
dow nward for a few inches Vibration should .
not be applied directly to the sexual organs .
Suitable bathing habits are also remarkably

e ffective in building manhood All baths that are
.
beneficial to the health in a general way will be

useful for this purpose as they will react favor
,
ably o n one ’s sexual condition The one o r two .

(
warm baths with soap usually taken each week

for purposes of cleanliness are helpful because
healthful For the same reason any form o f
.
,
cold bathing that tends to build up the general

vigor o f the body and tone up the circulatory sys
tem will be helpf ul Swimming is o f e x ce p
.
t io n al value but one should n o t stay in the water

,
too long It is true that one who is fairly well

.
covered with fatty tissue can stay in water o f

ordinary temperature perhaps f o r hours at a time ,
without inconvenience but the man who has no

such protection—that is to say the man who is
,
lean and drawn—will lose too much vitality if he

,
'
stays in c o l d water for a prolonged period

'
Aside from bathing in general however there , ,
are spe cial forms of bathing which have an ex

trao rdinary e ff ect in most cases of sexual weak
9 63
ness The most important of these is the cold

.
sitz bath in which one sits down in eight or ten

-
,
inches o f water in such a way as t o immerse only

the hips and pelvic region This bath can be .
taken in any ordinary bath tub or wash tub by - -

,
keeping the feet up and out o f the water al ,
though special tubs are made for the purpose .
The cold sitz bath has a most remarkable tonic

-
e ff ect upon the whole system as well as upon the

parts locally a ffected This is probably due in
.
part to the important symp athetic nerve plexus

in the abdomen The generative organs are par
.
t icul arly invigorated by this treatment ; all o f the

tissues are toned up the circulation is improved
,
and o ne ac quires a sense of life and strength
throughout the entire region The cold sitz .
bath is usually very e ff ective in a case o f piles ,
and usually has a favorable e ffect also in consti

pat io n It is practically all that is needed in
.
most cases o f varicocele .
I have already referred to the sitz bath in some -
of the preceding chapters In many cases of .
complete impotence or atro phy o f the t e st icle s a ,
more stimulating treatment i s desired 1n the f 0 1 m

o f alternate h o t and cold sitz baths In that -
.
event if o ne has only one tub local sponging

, ,
with hot and cold water alternately concluding ,
with a cold sitz bath might answer the purpose

-
,
.
’
In case o f an inflamed pro st at e land o r extreme G
g ,
irritabi lity o f the urethra and other parts a hot ,
sitz bath will be best It 18 also useful m occa

- .
sio nal instances o f seminal losses followed by a ,
264
M A N H OO D AND MARRIAGE
prising m anner and often hel p greatly in curing

sleeplessness I n o ur customary clothing we usu
.
ally smother t h e sk in not only through the over ,
heating o f the body but by excluding it from con

,
tact with the air The skin actually breathes m

.
a manner through its function o f eliminating im

,
purities This duty is carried o n in the most sat

.
i sf ac t o ry manner only under natural c onditions ,
o r in other words when the s k in 18 exposed t o t h e

,
air Daily air baths therefore are o f great

.
, , ,,
value The lower part o f the trunk l n particular

.
should be exposed to the a i r as much as possible ,
and tight clothing in this region is undoubtedly

detrimental t o a serious degree Clothing should .
not be tight about the crotch abdomen and hips , .
The ideal costume is the S cotch kilt f o r this per ,
mits o f a circulation o f air in this region But .
however you may dress you should try to take air ,
baths as often as possible When alone m your .
o w n room for instance for some time before

, ,
going to bed it is always possible to take an air

_ ,
bat h o f considerable duration Y o u can do it .
when w riting letters studying o r working at any , ,
thing It is an important feature o f the treat

.
ment .
Dry rubbing or what I should call a friction

,
b ath is a very valuable treatment for toning up

, .
the nerves and health Rub the surface of the .
ent 1re body vigorously with a rough Turkish

towel o r with a pair of soft brushes until the skin
, ,
takes o n a pink glow T he rubbing will give .
you a little more exercise and the e ff ect o n the ,
96 6
,
s kin is pronounced In many cases it will over

.
come the tendency to pimples and it alw ays ,
makes the skin soft and smooth The friction .
not only stimulates the eliminative function o f

the skin but it also tones up or wakes up the
,
nervous system because o f the myriads o f tiny

,
nerve endings located in the cuticle One should

-
.
spen d abou t five minutes o n this friction bath ,
going over the entire surface o f t h e body .
Sun baths are also invaluable as a stimulating

factor in sexual debility All the energy fou . nd
in the various forms o f life on the earth comes
from the sun It is the great energizing pr1nc1
.
ple The sun ’s ra ys upon the body directly in

.
crease metabolism o r cell activity They st imu -

.
late the nervous forces In fact direct sunshine

.
,
is so powerful a stimulant that it is easy to get t oo

much o f it An exc ess o f the vertical rays o f the
.
sun has a destructive e ff ect an d will a c t ua lly k ill

,
‘
a white man in the tropi cs Therefore some care .
may be n ecessary in the b eg 1nn1ng A fair .
skinned person does not need so much exposure

to the sun ’s rays as one o f dark complexion and ,
cannot stand so much B ut the sunshine is such

.
a n e ff ective vitalizing agency that one s h ould not
fail to take advantage o f the free treatment thus

available Y o u can take y our sun bath and a ir
.
bath together if you have a window through which

the sunshine comes in Particularly is it a g ood
.
plan to expose the sexual organs directly to the

rays of the sun for at least a sh o rt time each day .
In a case of impotence weakness o r atrophy o f

,
9 67
the organs I believe this treatment will do much

toward awakening new life and activity o f the
glands In sterility o f the functional ki nd due
.
,
to a devitalized cond ition the sun bath should be

,
very e ff ective .
Men who work may not be able to take a d

vantage o f the sun ’s rays at all times o f the year ,
but usually they can contrive to do so o n Sun

days In any event one ’s clothing may be
.
’
a dapted to one s requirements in this respect .
Black is very unsuitable By wearing a light .
gray o r tan of por ous charac ter i t may be possi

, ,
ble to let a good deal o f the sunshine rea ch the

’
sk in through the clothing Especially in sum .
mer o ne can practically take a sun bat h throug h

,
one ’s clothing if o ne is dressed properly The .
light silk and linen suits recently much worn by

men in summer are highly to be recommended .
F urthermore by wearing clothing o f loose open

, ,
weave at all times o f t h e year the skin may be ,
more o r less ventilated even when o ne has one ’s

clothing o n Both underwear and external gar
.
ments should have this porous loosely woven

"
,
character Such goods are also much warmer

.
than closer weaves Avoid the tightly woven

.
goods A sweater is usually better than an ov er

.
coat.
The same considerations apply to bed covering .
While o ne naturally de s1re s to be comfort ably

warm in bed o ne should not be overheated C o t
,
.
ton comforters tend to become matted and are

heavy in proportion to warmth Blankets have .
9 63
think of drinking o r dissipating in any o th er w ay

will dissipate in this manner Don ’t lose sl eep .
even to read poetry philosophy o r religious

,
books It is dissipation Get to bed And

. . .
sleep in the fresh air If you can possibly ar

.
range it sleep outdoors F ix up a couch o n the

, .
roof o n the balc ony o r anywhere y o u can so

, , ,
lo ng as it is o ut o f the house Try it D o it not . .
only for the benefit but for the pleasure o f it

,
.
Y o u will enj oy it as you never enj oyed sleep b e

fore because you will sleep as y o u n ever did b e
,
fore A nd it will give you vitality

. .
Wh olesome recreations th at do not overtax the

nerve forces and which do not devitalize because
,
they are too exciting are advisable Avoid ex

, .
c it eme nt o f any k ind but find as much happiness

,
as y o u can in your pleasures and in your work .
Cultivate the laugh cure Practice singing at .
every oppo rtunity F ind congenial friends If

. .
possi b le find outdoor work and avoid exhausting ,
your strength through overwork o f any kind If .
you do physical work y o u need have little fear .
But if you do mental work with the expenditure ,
o f much nervous ener gy see that you balance it

,
o ff by bei ng outdoors all the time when not at
work and by sleeping outdoors In short do

, .
,
everything that tends to buil d up general bodily

vigor and strong nerves .
Remember y o u cannot expect to g et results by

following a part o f this adv ice and 1gno ring the
rest Don ’t think that y o u will improve if you
.
simply tak e cold sit z baths and neglect the rest

-
9 70
of the treatment All o f these measures as far

.
,
as they are required f or your individual needs ,
should be cl osely and persistently followed o ut .
Everything I have mentioned is important and ,
most o f all exercise which I will take up in the

,
next chapter If you make up your mind t o

.
make a man o f yourself and stick to it like a man

, ,
I can promise that unless your case is e x t r ao r

dinary y o u will succeed in building up a degree
o f energy and manhood of which you will never
n eed to be ashamed and o f which y o u may even

,
,
hav e g ood reaso n to be p roud.
271
E x e rci se s f o r B ui l ding V i ril i t y
H AVE in the past devoted a great deal of
attention to what I consider the great im

portance o f exercise in the building of viril
ity Whenever y o u add to your vitality y o u in
.
crease your nervous energy and m conse q uence

add to the virile powers o f the b ody The more .
perfect you make y o ul self as a man the mo1 e ,
complete you will become in every way and the

more y o u will have to perpetuate If y o u are so.
fragile and de fect iv e that y o u are not worth per

pet uat ing then as a natura l conse q uence you lose
, ,
o r never develo
p the virile powers o f perfect man
,
hood .
Physical activity means exercise for the in

ternal organs as well as for the muscles and ,
therefore every cell in t h e body partakes o f the

benefit Through the influence on the circula
.
tion exercise has the e ff ect o f flushing all parts of

,
the body with fresh pure oxygenated blood and

”
, ,
thus has an internal cleansing e ffect Dead cells .
and waste m atter are carried away new building ,
material is supplied oxygen is brought t o every

,
tissue and cell in the most 1 emote extremities and ,
accor dingly every tissue a nd every cell 1s filled

th li fe and energy .
Muscular stagnation means a wasting away of

9 79
M A N H OOD AND MARR IAGE
often explained virility depends to a large extent

,
upon nervous energy the harmonious working o f

,
the nervous powers o f the body The sexual sys .
tem a nd the general physical organism act and

react upon each other in accordance with the con
dition o f each For instance if you are su ffer
.
,
ing from spermatorrhea o r from any losses due ,
to the weakness of the mu scles o f the g lands that

are intended to retain the life giving fluids o f the -
body such losses will naturally a ffect the general

,
physical organism quite materially Every drop .
o f these vital fluids is w e igh t e d w it h a tremendous

‘
amount o f energy and their loss represents so

,
much wasted force .
The problem is to restore the vigorous muscu

lar tone o f this organ and increase the streng th of
the entire generative system including the ej acu ,
l at o ry ducts the seminal v esicles a nd the posterior

,
urethra Remember also that s eminal loss es

.
‘
particularly in spermatorrhea and prostatorrhea ,
as well result from a weakened condition o f the se

,
parts The loss o f prostate fluid is due entirely

.
t o a relaxed and dilat ed condition o f the prostatic

ducts It is essential that these should be con
.
tracted and that all the tissues muscles and

, ,
nerves involved should be toned up Local cold .
water treatment exercises that promote the cir

,
c ul ation and all helpful influences generally will

, ,
tend to restore these tissues to a normal condition .
But exerci se o f these parts themselves will di

re ct ly strengthen them and that is t h e purpose o f
,
the new method o f which I am speaking .
9 74
EXERCI SE S FOR VIRILITY
The idea occurred t o me that if means could be

found actually to exercise the muscular tissue o f
the prostate gland great advantages would be se
,
cured t hereby The location o f the prostate

.
gland itself indicates what to my mind is a wise

provision o n the part o f the Creator for the pur
pose o f maintaining the functional vigor o f this
very important organ It is well known that if
.
a muscle lies inactive for an indefinite time it b e

comes soft and flaccid or even in some cases e u
, , ,
t irely loses its power N o w t h e peculiar loc ation

o f the prostate gland— surroun di ng the urethra
.
,
at the neck o f the bladder—insures that it is ex

erc i se d every day to a certain extent in connec
,
tion with the passage o f the urine That this re .
markable provision o f nature is designed to main

tain virility in spite o f continence continued over
a very prolonged period seems very clear The .
means of further exercising this gland was easily

learned .
Y o u have probably noticed that y o u have some

degree o f control over these parts for probably ,
every o ne imm ediately at the end o f the act o f

urinating tries to force o ut of the urethral can al
the f ew remaining drops by means o f a muscular
c ontraction at the neck o f the bladder and in the
r egion o f the perineum generally The muscles

.
c oncerned y o u can learn to contract voluntarily ,
a nd as y o u practice the exercise y o u will find that
y o u do it better and better .
There is little need f o r going into details about

t h e value o f exercises o f this sort They have .
275
been found in practice to be unusually helpful ,
and their value will be self evident to any o ne -
who cares to give the idea a brief trial I am

therefore o fl’
.
e r ing a series of what mig ht be

termed internal tensing movements o r “ Prostate ,
Gland Tensing Movements ” the o b j ect o f which,
is t h e acceleration o f the circulation and the im

provement of the tissues di rectly a fl ect ing sex
ual it y .
Also while searching for more definite k nowl

"
,
edge o n this most important sub ect I noted t h e ,
location o f the nerves o f the spine that radiate t o

the sexual orga n s It seemed conclusive to me
.
that by exercising this particular part of the spin e

in a vigorous manner these nerves would be s tim
,
ul a t e d to function more vigorously and perfectly ,
thus increasi ng virility and general stamina In .
what is known as the upper lumbar region of t h e

spine at ab o ut “the small ” of the back are lo
, ,
c a t e d the v e rt eb rm from which issue the spinal
nerves that control and supply the energy for t h e

entire sexual system I am accordingly includ
.
, ,
ing in this list of exercises some very e ff ective

movements for strengthening and stimulating
th is particular part of the back They have been .
named “ Lower Spinal Tensing Movements .
Phrenologists have maintained that the seat o f

the a ffections or the emotions influenced by the
,
sexual system is located at the lower back part

,
o f the brain . N o w there is no method o f di

,
rect ly exercising the brain in the manner that We

exercise a muscle but the idea occurred to me that
,
,
276
t i cul arly t h o s e ab out t h e re ct um and anus . I

d o not ref er h ere t o t h o s e v o lunt ary musc l e s
i n t h e ab domen w it h w hi ch o ne s omet imes
a s si st s i n t h e mov ement o f t h e b o w el s , b u t
rat h er t o t h o s e w it h w h i ch o ne resi st s t h e i m
pul s e t o mov e t h e b ow el s Get c ontro l of

‘
t h es e and l earn t o c ont ra ct or t ens e t h em

v i gorou s ly al ong w ith t h e musc l es of t h e pro s
t at e gl and and s urrounding part s .
A f ew c ontrac ti ons of t h es e t i ssues w fll not

c ount f or much , b ut if y ou mak e t h e mov e
ment s frequent ly it w ill mean a great im
prov ement i n t h e c ours e of a litt l e t ime . You
can pra c t i c e t h em w h en sitt ing at a desk , and
y ou w ill perh aps find th at y o u can c ont ract

t h e musc l e s more v i gorously i f y ou press t h e
k nee s t oget h er at t h e s ame time , or cross th e
l egs. Youmigh t mak e it a rul e t o do t hi s not
o nly af t er u ri nating, b u t al s o t en or tw enty
time s morning, noon and nigh t , and perh aps
at ot h er time s du ring t h e day .
I t i s a go o d pl an als o , at frequent int erv al s

w h en uri nat ing, t o use c onsiderab l e eff ort
w ith a v i ew t o f orci ng out t h e uri ne as f ast as
possib le . T hi s of c ours e t o a c ert ai n ext ent
ex erc i s e s all th e s e mu sc l es , in additi on t o th e
musc ul ar ti ssues of t h e b ladder and ab domen
generally . I c onsi der th i s pl an inv al uab l e in
t h e treat ment of stri ctu re , sinc e f orc ing t h e
stream in th i s manner i s naturall y inc l ned
i
t o enl arge t h e opening and assi st in remedy

ing any ob structi on of t h e pass age .
278
EXE RCI SE S FOR VIRILITY
L OWER SP I NAL T nns mo

M OVEM ENT S
T o a c quire t h e ab ili ty t o t ens e t h e muscl es
o f t h e l ow er Spi ne pl a c e t h e end o f o ne finger
upon t h e spi no us pro c ess or b ony structure of
t h e spi ne i n t h e small of t h e b a ck , and t h e
o t h er fingers o n t h e mu sc l es o n each side .
T h en, th rough t h e mere eff ort o f y ou r w ill ,

t ens e t h e musc l e s i n t hi s regi on v i gorously .
You may find t h i s di ffi c ult at first , b ut if y o u

are f ai rly mu sc ul ar, you w ill s oon s ec ur e f ull
c ontrol o f t h es e musc l es Yo u sh oul d prac
.
ti c e t h es e t ensing mov ements or c ont rac t i o ns

o f t h e mu sc l es unti l t ired t w o or t h ree t imes a
day , or w h enev er y ou find it c onv eni ent .
Th e ex ercis e can b e t ak en w h en s ligh t ly b ent

f orw ard, w hi l e st andi ng ere c t , or w hi l e lyi ng
down . I f y ou prac ti c e t h em w i th suffici ent
regu l arity y ouw ill a ct ually b e amaz ed at t h e
ch ange in t h e ch arac t er of t h e muscul ar t is
su e i n t h e s mal l o f t h e b a ck . Furt h ermore ,
y ouwi ll noti c e a t endenc y t o st and ere ct , and
an ab s enc e of th at w eak ness of t h e s pi ne
w h i ch i s suc h a tremendous h andi c ap t o th os e
suff eri ng from s ex ual w eak ness of any s ort .
L at er in t hi s c h apt er I sh al l ref er t o s ome sup

pl ement ary ex erci s es f or t h e spine , f or th o s e
w h o h av e t ime, b ut I w oul d parti c ul arly u rge
caref u l att enti on t o th es e spinal t ensing mov e
ments 1n all c as es Practi c e t h em f aith f ully
.
and persi st ently if y ouwi sh

go od results .
279
UPPE R SPINAL T ENSIN G

M OVEM ENT S
C ontrol of t h e upper spinal musc l es may b e
ac qu ired m t h e s ame manner as i n t h e c as e o f
t h e l ow er o nes . P l ac e t h e fingers on t h e b ack
of t h e ne c k j u st b el ow t h e b as e of t h e sk ull ,
and ende av or, t h ro u gh an e ff ort of t h e w ill , t o
t ens e t h e musc l es , av oiding as f ar as possib l e
any c ontra cti on o f t h e mu sc l es i n t h e front of
th e ne c k . Giv e y our entire att enti on t o th e
“
musc l es on t h e b a c k o f t h e ne ck . C oncen
trat e” y our th ough ts th ere I f th e musc l es
.
are w ell dev el ope d, litt l e effort w ill b e re
u
q ired t o ob t ain full c ontrol of t h em, ot h er
wi s e i t may t ak e s’ome ti me . W h en y o u are
ab l e t o t ens e th em at w il l , y ou w i ll not nee d
t o depend upon pl ac ing y ou r h and th ere on .
You can t ell b y t h e f e eling of t h e musc l e s

t h ems elv es th at t h ey are b eing properly
t ens ed .
T h e ex erc i s e can b e tak en w h il e sit ting,

st andi ng or rec lining, th ough as a rul e c ontro l
i s more easily o b t ai ne d i n t h e b egi nni ng i n a
st andi ng posit i on I t may b e repeat ed t w o
.
or th ree t ime s a day , or w h enev er c onv eni ent ,
prov i ded t h at yo ur eff orts are not c ont inue d

b ey ond ordi nary f atigue at any time .
Th e ex erci sing of t h e spinal musc l es h as a

t endency t o strength en and stimul at e t h e
spi ne general ly, and th i s also must react
f av orab ly upon th e s exual syst em . At t h e
4 80
reg ul at ed in s uch a manner as to av oid strain

of any s ort C ont inue t h e mov ement each
.
t ime unt i l a sligh t f eeling of f atigue i s noti c ed .
DRAWIN G I N T HE AB DOMEN
T h i s ex erc i s e i s o f spe ci al v alue i n i ncreas
i ng ab dominal strengt h , and c onsi st s simply
i n t h e draw i ng i n of t h e l ow er ab dominal
regi on t o t h e f u ll est ext ent of your c apacity .
I f o ne i s not f airly w el l dev el ope d i n t hi s

regi on t h e ex erc i s e may b e diffi c u lt at fir st ,
b ut b y practi c e y ouw ill s o onb e ab l e t o ob t ain
f ull c ontrol o v er th es e musc l es
(
Draw t h e
.
ab domen i n as f ar as y oupossib ly can, rel ax ,

and t h en repe at t h e ex erc i s e , c ont inu ing until
a s ens e o f f atigu e i s noti c ed .
HI P T ENSI N G EXERCI SE
'
Th e eas1est w ay t o l earn th i s ex erc1se 1s t o

att empt i t w h en st anding erect T ens e t h e
.
musc l es of t h e extreme upper l egs and of t h e

b utt o c k s , pl ac ing t h e h ands on t h e musc l es so
th at y oumay b e ab l e t o det ermine wh eth er or
not yo uare properly perf orming t h e ex erci s e .
W h en c orre ctly ex e cut e d, you w ill f eel t h e

muscl es h arden under y our t ouch each time
y out ens e th em . T h e c irc ul ati on o f t h e b l oo d
through t h e hips and upper l egs is v ery great ly
acc el erat e d b y th i s mov ement , and t h e i m
prov ement i n th e qual ity of t h e ti ss ues adj a

c ent t o t h e s exual parts undoub t edly h as an
influenc e of special v alue .
EXERCI SE S FOR VIRILITY
SPINE ST RE T CHI N G EXE RCI SE

T h e ob j ect o f t h is ex erc1se 1s t o stret ch and
t ens e t h e spi ne t h rough o ut it s ent ire l engt h ,
t h us arousi ng t o gr eat er a ct iv it y pra c ti c ally
ev ery organ o f t h e b o dy , and one of it s ad
v ant age s i s t h at it can b e t ak en anyw h ere ,
w h et h er s itt ing, st anding or w alking . Simply
endeav or t o b ri ng t h e h e ad u pw ard and b ack
w ard as f ar as you can, stret c h i ng t h e s pine
and fl ex i ng i t s mu scl es t h ro ugh out it s ev ery
part as v igorously as y o u po ssib ly can Re
.
l ax and repeat t h e ex erci s e unt il a f eeling o f

f atigue i s i nduc ed .
I regard the above exercise as being o f unusual

importance in virility building and have there
,
fore called special attention to them but o f , ,
course additional e x ermse s will help The

, .
movements referred t o in the few pages follow

i n may be regarded as supplementary If y o u
g .
have time enough y o u can map o ut an exc lusive

,
cour se of tra i n i ng But if your str eng th is l im

.
it e d in the beginning o r if you have very little

,
time you will get most benefit from the spemal

,
exercises outlined above .
Now t aking up ordinary exercises for the ex

ternal mus cles I may say that there are t w o o r
,
even three types which should rece i ve careful

att ent i on : first special movements which a ffect
,
the s exual region in a stimulating manner ; sec

ond general exercises for all around bodily
,
-
9 83
vigor ; and third addit ional spinal e xercises f o r

,
stimulating the nervous system and thus reacting

upon the generative system .
The first type of e xercises consisting of special

,
movements o f a stimulating nature are partie ,
ul arly valuable in the treatment o f varicocele ,
and are useful also in the case o f impotence o r

“
lost manhood ” In the case o f those su ffering
.
from masturbation , night losses spermatorrhea ,
o r prematurity in whom there is already over

,
stimulation o f the sex organs they are o f value

but not so desirable as in t he former conditions. .
These cases especially re quire the general e x er

cises f or all round vigor The exercises for the
-
.
spine are valuable in every instance .
The special stimulating exercises o f most value

for local strengthening o f the sex organs are ,
thos e which bring into action the muscles o f t h e

adj acent part s o f t h e body notably the abdomen
, ,
the hip s and the upper thighs especially the a d ,
ductor muscles of t he thighs Such exercise s not

.
only streng then the particular muscles c o n

c erned but they also strengthen and increase the
,
circulation in all the adj acent organs and tis

sues.
These special exercises will naturally consist

o f such movements as the following : Lying on
the back r aise the hips o ff the floor as high as
,
posible Lying o n the stomach raise legs and

.
,
shoulders high from the floor with hands behind ,
the back Lying o n the back flex the knees

.
,
tightly against the abdomen either o ne at a time

, ,
must be very careful in the beg inning no t to ex

haust himself High kicking is another exercise
.
which may be commended like running after , ,
o ne has gained a material degree o f strength .
High kicking would be suggested in a case o f

varicocele if there is no t too much tenderness
,
and pain .
In a case of varicocele o r much congestion o f

the prostate gland it might be advantageous to
,
relieve the blood pressure in this region at least ,
so far as the ve ins are concerned by assuming ,
an upside down position for t w o o r three minutes

-
at a t ime and by executing some special exercises

,
.
in that position An elevated position o f the hips

.
,
secured through the use o f pillows o r lying on ,
an inclined plane head downward would be sat

, ,
i sf act o ry ; or what would be a little more st renu

,
o us but also more e ffective you could assume a ,
position balanced o n the shoulders and back of

the head Lying first o n the back raise the legs
.
, ,
extending them upward and raising the hips and

back until you can rest the elbows o n the floor
and support the sm al l of the back at each side
with your hands practically standing o n the back
,
o f you r shoulders In this position you can

.
spread the legs a part and bring them together

again execute a scissors movement double the
, ,
legs and then kick them up and perform other ,
movements which you may be able to work out

for yourself This position and these exercises
.
will tend to get the stagnant blood o ut of the

286
EXERCISES FOR VIRILITY
congested p arts Remember that in the uprig ht

.
position o f the body peculiar to the human race

there I S a considerable column of blood in the
large veins which must be forced upward to the
heart The large abdominal veins are sometimes
.
greatly distended with much pressure

, The .
above position will relieve this and favor the

movement o f the blood in the smaller congested
veins I would particularly recommend this
.
treatment when a case o f varicocele is aecom

panie d by m uch pa 1n .
Usually if the heart and other organs are

healthy and in tone it will be desirable to com
bine the special x ercise s which I have described
with general body building movements For in
-
.
all cases o ne must build all round bodily vigor -

.
It would be best to use the general and spinal

e x e rc 1se s first each morning t hen after the g e n,
eral circulation has been aroused to take the spe ,
cial exercises for the purpose o f concentrating
the circulation to some extent in the r egion o f

, ,
the genital organs F inally tak e a friction rub

.
and a cold sitz bath Al together this might tak e

-
.
,
up thirty or forty minutes perhaps less Don ’t , .
be t o o strenuous at first for all these exercises

,
are very e ff ective Don ’t continue to the point

.
o f exhaustion . Feel your w ay carefully in the

matter o f exercise and gradually become more
,
energeti c As I have said when the sex org an s

.
,
are already over-stimulated as in masturbation , ,
seminal losses and prematurity it will be j ust ,
9 87
as well to avoid the special exercises and confine ,
yourself to the Spinal movements and those for

general body buildi ng .
A form o f exercise o r massage which will be

found stimulating in cases o f complete impotence ,
is percussion o f the abdomen Thi s 1s partien .
l arly e ffective l n reliev ing constipation and will ,
also help a weak bladder and influence the pros

tate gland It consists in a rapid tapping 0 1
.
pounding o f the abdomen with the tip s o f the fin?

gers the sides o f the hands o r th efists according
, , ,
to h o w strong y o u may be and ho w vigorous you

desire to make the treatment But it should not .
be attempted when there is infla mmation o r c o n

gestion o f any o f the parts o r if one su ff ers from
,
seminal losses .
We now come to the subj ect o f general e x er

cises for build ing all round bodily vigor which
-
are necessary in every case o f whatsoever k ind

, .
It is not my purpose t o insist upon any particular

k ind o f movements for this purpose because you ,
may choose to v ary y o ur exercise f o r t he sake

'
o f interest . The kind o f general e xercise does

not matter so much as the fact that y o u a ctually
get it and thus build general strength Build
, .
up every part o f the body as thoroughly as possi

ble.
In order that y o u may not overlook the 1m

portance o f this let me emphasize again with all
,
possible force the intimate relat ion between g en

,
eral physical weakness and sexual debility The .
muscular weakling positively cannot expect t o

9 88
M AN H OO D AND MARRIAGE
o ro usprogram He should not attemp t it in the

.
beginning But it represents th e ideal t oward

.
which he should work He should gradually .
build himself up until he has attained t his ath

le t ic quality and his body is a picture o f normal
muscular development ; This is possible at any
age Don ’t think that you have to be under
.
twenty o r a ny other age to develop yourself .
Above everyt hing I recommend walking as a

constitutional tonic and general exerc i s e f o r
b uildmg endurance and vi ta l st amina If y o u
m e not strong st art l n W1th m oderate walks con
, ,
tinning only until slightly fatigued D On’t half .
k ill y ourself E ach day slightly 1nc rea se the

.
distance until y o u are able to cover t e n o r fifteen

miles w ithout special inconvenience Y o u
”
should reach that condition in three months in

most cases perhaps sooner and when y o u can
, ,
walk ten miles without being tired y o u will be

making fine progress Don ’t poke along in a
.
lazy manner Step out b risk ly so as to induce

"
.
,
deep breathing and even perspiration That ’s .
the kind o f walk that will build vitality

D o no t forget what I have said about the t o mc
/
e ff ect o f outdoor life o f any kind Try to live .
in the open for a time and as you get stronger

,
indulge m as many open air pastimes as y o u can - .
Splitting wood I consider an ideal streng th build -
ing exercise but don ’t exhaust yourself in the

,
be gi nn ing P itching hay is another superb ex

.
croise and farm work in general can be reco m

,
mended Climbing trees if y o u are in th e coun

.
,
9 90
EXERCISES FOR VIRILITY
try is o ne o f the most pleasant and most satis

,
factory exercises that I can suggest S w imming .
I have a lready mentioned But as y o u become .
sufficiently vigorous I would by a ll me ans r eco m

mend such energetic games as handball tennis , ,
baseball football hockey boxing and wrestling

, , , , .
Horseback riding is o f doubtful value in cases

in which there is congestion or irritability o f
the prostate gland or possibly aggravated vari
,
co c e le Remember that open air life builds

.
“
-
nerve strength as well as muscular vig or and

, ,
that y o u particularly need to build up the nervous

forc es o f the body .
T h e spi nal exercises are o f exceptional 1m

portance as a means of invigorating the central
nervous system To the spinal tensing move
.
ments which I have specially advised y o u may ,
add other exercises which a ffect the muscles and

ligaments o f the back and especially those which ,
tend to stretch the back bone In fact all body .

,
stretching a nd trunk bending exercises may be -
cons idered as suitable for the sp1ne but for the ,
present purpose o ne should give particular at

tention to movements that a ffect the small o f the
back ; While hanging by the hands from some _
support preferably against the side o f a hig h

,
fence wall o r door bend o r raise the legs far

, ,
backward from the hips This a ffects the lower .
sp1ne . Also f o r the same purpose ly ing face

, ,
downward and holding the shoulders down b y

,
taking hold o f something raise the legs as high ,
as you can from the hips Lying face down .

,
99 1
MANHOOD AN D M ARRIA GE
with legs held down raise head shoulders and

, ,
chest as high as you can Standing with hands

.
o n hips feet apart bend far backward and for

, ,
ward ; also twist from the waist far to each side

, , .
Then circle the body around rotating from the ,
hips first in o ne direction then in the other

, , .
While stretching the back with arms high above ,
the head bend far to each side All o f these

, .
movements will directly affect the part o f the

spine that y o u desire to influence f o r this pur
pose though o f course other exe rcises f or the up
,
per spine including neck bending and stretching

, ,
wi ll naturally help through their general st imu

,
lating e ff ect upon the entire nervous system I .
may say that I have given considerable attention

“
t o spinal exercises in my book Vit a lity Su ,
”
preme but those I have mentioned here will
,
cover your needs for the purpose under c o nsid

cration Perform each movement only a f ew
.
times f o r they are e xtremely energizing and e f

,
’
f ec t iv e but don t be lazy 1n their execution
, .
The time t o tak e your exercise wi ll depend

somewhat upon your work I t may sometimes .
be neces sary t o take it in the ev emng I would .
lay dow n no rules except that it is not best to

,
exercise j ust before going t o bed when y o u fin d

it t o o stimulating A good plan in most cases is
.
t o do the formal exercises in the morning fir st ,
general development movements ,then spinal ex

erc i se s ,then the special movements following ,
them by a quick friction rub and a col d sitz bath -

.
If the cold sit z is no t suited t o yo ur case tak e a '
9 92
CHAPTER XXXI
Fo o ds t h at H e l p t o B uil d Vi ril e
St amina
WHOLE SOME strengthening diet is

,
one o f the first requirements of virility

building Y o u cannot build without sat
.
i sf ac t o ry building material And y o u cannot ex

.
p e ct to build vitality and manly vigor o n a diet of

white bread co ffee and denatured food Y o u
, .
will need foods that are well supplied with the ele
ments that give streng th and stamina P art icu .
l arly when there has been a heavy drain upon the

system through seminal losses is it necessary to ,
have the very best food to make up for it The .
seminal secretion is a rich and highly phos

ph o riz e d fluid and it is of the utmost importance
,
in this condition that the diet should o ff er an

abundance o f the organic mineral salts that have
been steadily dr ained away .
I may say that all foods which are best f o r the

building of health pure b lood and vitality are
,
also best for virility building except that m the ,
latter case the diet is o f even more importance

than in the former One should avoid fancy
.
,
complicated dishes and adhere as nearly as pos

,
sible to a selection o f plain wholesome foods , ,
eaten as nearly as possible in their natural condi

tion.
294
FOOD AND VIRILITY
If you would really eat natural foods they ,
would practically solve the whole problem .
Civilized people commonly destroy the best part

o f their food by the process of refining o r by im ,
proper cooking I t is refined flo ur refined

.
_ ,
sugar polished rice and similarly denatured

,
foods until o ne has left nothing but the pure

,
starch or other carbohydrate and the nerves and ,
bones and blood are starved— literally actually ,
starved of the elements which they need most .
On this account I advocat e using as much un

cooked fresh natural food as possible Use
, , , .
fruit fresh and uncooked salads o f lettuce celery

, , ,
tomatoes onions water cress cabbage and other

, ,
-
, ,
green vegetables together with nut s eggs and

, ,
milk o r any other food that you find palatable in

,
a raw state B e sure that y o u enj oy and so di

.
gest everything you eat .
F ruits and green vegetables contain a good

proportion of phosphorus iron lime and other , ,
necessary minerals in their organic form Many .
of these elements are very poisonous in their min

eral o r inorganic form but in the organic form
,
a r e indispensable to o ur health Get enough of .
them Y o u will find them in vegetables like

.
spinach string beans squash cauliflower and

, , ,
others that grow above the ground You will .
also find them in vegetables that grow in the

ground though the latter have a larger percent
,
age o f starch and so are suited f o r winter co n

sumption The trouble is that in the cooking o f
.
vegetables nearly every o ne boils them and throws

995
away the water in which the minerals are largely

dissolved thus losing the most valuable elements
,
they conta in and most o f t he flavor It I S stupid

, . .
The liquid in which foods are cooked should be

eaten with them B etter bake all vegetables that
.
can be baked .
White bread is not only constipating but it ,
lacks these organic minerals Eat bread made .
from the natural flour o f the wheat th e whole ,
wheat berry ground up There are now many .
concerns making whole wheat flour And if you -

.
must eat sugar use the dark brown which has not
, ,
been refined to death F o r syrup use the old

.
,
fashioned N ew Orleans molasses Always read .
labels carefully for the name o f o b j ect io nab l e l n

,
gre dient s 1s usually printed in very fi ne letters .
Better avoid sugar and syrup entirely and when ,
y o u must have sweets use honey dates figs , , , ,
rais ins and natural sweets o f that type .
I need hardly say that o ne should avoid tea ,
co ffee and stimulating foods o f every k ind as ,
well as alcoholic beverages In short the diet .

,
should be o f a non stimulating character gener

-
ally Pepper hot sauces and condiments o f all

.
,
kinds shou ld be eliminated from the diet I .
would not attempt to outline menus o r name f o o ds

for everybody since individual needs must be
,
considered T h e appetite in all cases must be

.
considered .
Over eat mg 1s a great m1st ak e and y ou can

‘
-
,
avoid it by using chiefly uncooked foods Eat .
ing without appetite is a still great e r crime

99 6
tin ned for three o r four mo nth s an d combined

with rest and outdoor air The milk diet would.
not only supply the proteids in such a quantity

as to stimulate sem1na l se cret l o n but milk is so ,
well supplied with lime phosphorus and the min

,
eral salts in an available form as to promote the

rapid building up of the body and the toning up
o f all functions .
Those who do not like fresh milk will usually

profit by drinking buttermilk o r fermented milk ,
a nd will digest it bette 1 In recommending milk

.
and eggs I do not mean to imply that they are

stimulating I n the usual sense but that they sup ,
ply in a liberal quantity the food elements that

help to build sexual strength .
On the other hand one who has to contend with

,
night losses o r masturbation would do well to fol

l o w a vegetarian diet and to avoid eggs entirely
o r use them 1n moderation He should not even
.
use much fish o r poultry although these are less

,
ob j ectionable for his purpose and he may indulge

in them to a limited extent I do no t mean that .
o n e should deprive oneself o f all proteid foods .
I would especially recommend buttermilk or f er ,
me nt e d milk to supply these elements in such a

,
case though in some cases o ne may prefer the

fresh milk Nuts are valuable f o r their proteid
.
supply and are non stimulating They are so

,
-
.
rich that y o u need only a f ew .
The diet has much to do with constipation and ,
sinc e t h is condition is partly the cause of many

'
sexual disorders and at least greatly aggravates

,
9 98
FOOD A N D VIRILITY
many others it should have special attention

,
.
White bread is the o ne greatest cause of constipa

tion Use whole wheat bread graham bread o r
.
-
,
bran bread Bran muffins are excellent Use

.
~ ~
.
bran s tirred in with your cereal breakfast food if ,
y o u use it If constipated avoid cheese maca

.
, ,
roni rice tapioca and other excessively starchy

, ,
food Oatmeal and whole grain cereals are a d

.
-
v a nt ageo us One bowl each day o f uncooked

.
rolled oats o r o f crushed o r flaked wheat eaten

with dates figs o r raisins but preferably fi g s and
, , ,
a little cream would help greatly being alone suf

, ,
fi cient to cure most cases o f constipation Fruits .
and vegetables should be used freely Eat .
apples oranges grape fruit peaches plums

, ,
-
, , ,
melons and other fresh fruits as plentifully as y o u

wish One ’s water drinking habits are closely as
.
-
soc i at e d with the action o f the bowels If y o u .
drink enough y o u are no t likely to be troubled

with constipation If y o u get enough exercise
.
you will naturally drink freely but if no t y o u , ,
should cultivate the water drinking habit D on ’t -

.
use water too cold Hot water is best o f all In

. .
fact the best measure for overcoming constipa

,
tion that I can suggest is the combination of free

h o t water drinking and exercise in the morning
- -
“
which I have described in my book Vital ity Su ,
preme . Use an enema in an emergency but ,

’
don t use drugs Cathartics only make the con
.
dition more obstinate in spite o f the temporary ,
relief they give If your diet is right and y o u

.
,
take enough exercise and drink enough water it ,
9 99
sh ould not be necessary even to r esort to th e use

of enemas .
If you have any special trouble W1th your di

gestion it may be necessary f o r you to make a
,
mo re detailed and extended study of food and

diet In the average case however I believe that
. , ,
the suggestions which I have given here will b e

su ffic ient Always chew your food thoroughly
. .
It doesn ’t m atter h o w fast y o u “chew ” so long ,
as you keep it up until the food melts in your

mouth Don ’t wash it down with drinks though
.
)
drink during y our meal all that you may desire

t o satisfy thirst Give the saliva a chance
. .
Remember that a non stimulating diet that

-
provides pure blood and builds vitality makes for

a high degree o f sexual strength A highly stim .
“ ”
ul at ing diet may produce o r provok e a feverish
state o f sexuality but a quiet healthy life and
, , ,
plain foods will give o ne far more real v ir1lity

, ,
with instincts normal and un der control .

MAN H OOD AND MARRIAGE
pl e t eagreement that no plague o r war in the his

t o ry o f the world even including this last over
,
w h e hn ing conflict in Europe has ever caused so ,
much havoc and misery as these infections and ,
during the last few decades their ravages have b e

come more alarming than ever For conditions .
o f civilization and c i ty life have naturally tended
to favor their spread until n o w they threaten t o

,
poison the entire human race B ecause o f the

"
.
secrecy in which the whole sub ect is shrouded it ,
is impossible to ascertain the exact facts in regard

to the prevalence o f these disorders but it is rea ,
so n ab ly certai n that any estimate is likely to be
below rather than above the truth .
One authority declares that there are five mil

lion syphilitic persons in the United States .
Others hold that from twelve to twenty per c ent .
o f y oung men become infec ted with this disease .
As t o the prevalence o f gonorrhea estimates of ,
c areful observe 1 s in armies hospitals dispen , ,
saries and private pra c t ic e pl ace the number at , .
anywhere from seventy fi v e to ninety per cent of

-
.
men who have reach e d th e age o f thirty

'
It used to be said that venereal dis ease was a

pun ishment severe but richly deserved by the
,
transgressor Unfortunately the innocent suf

.
,
fer as well as the guilty and often su ff er far more

,
.
Wives and children only too fre quently pay the

price Gonorrhe a is a far more terrible disease
.
in a woman than in a man and in its worst mani ,
f est at io ns often necessitates mutilating and un

,
sexin g operations Yet some authorities have

.
3 02
, D I SE A SE S OF MEN
estim ated that there are over a million innocent

wives suff ering from this disease in the United
States perhaps even more than the number of
,
prostitutes a fflicted with it It is such a simple .
matter fo r the husband to infect his wife ; in fact ,
it is almost a certainty that he will do so if he ,
marries with the disease still present or contracts ,
it after marriage One investigator estimates .
that forty fiv e per cent o f sterility in women is

-
.
due to this infection and there is no doubt that it

,
is responsible for seventy fiv e per cent of opera -

.
tions on women Blindness in the o ffspring is an

.
other resul t o f this supposedly trifling disorder ,
f o r thirty per cent o f the cases of lost vi sion are

.
attributable to it .
Syphilis on the other hand no t only destroys

, ,
health but disfigure s maims makes i nsane and , ,
ki lls many o f its vi ctims and is transmitted to ,
their offspring It has been called the great child

.
murderer being the cause of innumerable inv o l

,
unt ary aborti o ns and deformities in children

, .
From thirty to forty thousand death s occur in

this country each year from heredi tary syphilis
alone A considerable proportion o f all cases o f
.
apoplexy are due to syphilis o f the arteries of the

brain Locomotor ataxia and the form o f ih
.
sanity k nown as paresis o r softening o f the ,
brain ” are in practically all cases the result o f

, , ,
syphilis .
These diseases are sometimes called private dis

eases But from the w ay in which they are
.
spread they might more appropriately be called

as
public diseases an d dealt with in a public w ay

, .
N O disease that is communicable is a private mat

ter and inasmuch as the infected o ne is meces
,
sar il y a danger to other persons no o ne has a ,
right to contract a disease o f this kind More .
over it is not simply a matter o f health b ut also ,
a question o f euge mc s .
G o no rrh ea This disease is very c o mmonly

.
known as Clap Scientifically it is also known

.
,
as Blennorrhagia o r Specific Urethritis It is

, .
no t only the most common venereal disease but ,
among adult males it is the most frequent o f all

dis e ases It is due to a very pers i stent micro
.
organism known as the gonococcus which attacks ,
the mucous membran e o f th e urethra the inf ec ,
tion being a lmost invariably contracted during

sexual intercourse Any mucous membrane may
.
be attacked however and when the infection

, ,
reaches the eye as it sometimes does it produces

, ,
a violent inflammation which leads to total blind

ness in a short time if radical treatment is not im
mediately ado pted One infection doe s not offer
.
protect i on aga i nst future attacks .
Most men do no t realize what a serious dis

order gonorrhea really is Some men think it a .
great j ok e Other s boast o f it thinking that it

.
,
only shows what a delightful “devil o f a fellow ”

a man is What fools these mortals be h I any
. "
men declare that they “would j ust as leave have
it as a bad cold ” They do not think o f t h e co n
.
se quences Even if cured the a ffected mucous

.
,
membranes are n ever quite the same afterward .
3041
o us The disorder is then more diffi cult to cure
.
and there are likely to be complications leading

to permanent trouble o f o ne kind o r another .
There is a rare form o f simple urethritis which

is not due to the gonococcus but is contracted as ,
a result o f the discharge s of an inflamed womb or ,
a bad case of leucorrhea and sometimes through

,
intercourse during menstruation when the dis

charge is no t o f a healthy character This of .
course is a mild form o f infection as compared ,
with the gonorrheal o r sp ecific ” inflammation .
Usually this simple form o f urethritis is quickly

cured by cleanliness light diet o r fasting free
, ,
water drinking and general care o f the health

-
.
It sometimes causes domestic trouble by giving

rise to unj ust suspicions and accusations .
Gonorrhea starts with inflammation c o mmenc ,
in
g in from three days to a week after exposure .
The first sign is an itching o r tickling at the e nd

o f the urethra The meatus is red there is a
.
,
slight discharge of thin grayish

"
mucus the organ
, ,
swells somewhat and there is marked tenderness

along the underside and in the reddened parts
This conditi on represents What may be termed
.
the first stage and lasts three o r four days T h e

, .
passage o f water may be painful even at this

time .
The fir st symptoms gradually becom e more

marked until the second stage o f severe inflam
mation is reached In this the discharge becomes
.
copious and is of a thick yellowish character

, ,
.
The end of the organ sometimes swells and b e

306
DIS E ASES OF MEN
comes very red and sore i n appearance The .
passage o f the urine now becomes excruciatingly

p ainful with a burning o r scalding sensation
,
.
This inflammatory stage usually lasts from t w o

to fo ur w eeks o r longer and then gradually
, ,
subsides The third stage is the period during

.
which the discharges and pain decline .
Naturally it is important to limit the disease

, ,
to the anterior urethra and to avoid the infection

,
o f the prostate gland bladd e r and other o f the

,
more remote structures in which case o ne m ay ,
be through with it in the course o f a few weeks

”
.
When the poste1 ior urethra is involved there is

g 1 e a t ly increased frequency of urination and
more pain though t h ei e may seem to b eless dis
,
charge There may also be retention of the

.
'
urine . A good test o f the location of the disease

is found in the cloudiness o f the urine In an .
t erio r urethritis the first part o f the urine voided

,
is clouded and the last part clear as may be seen

, ,
b y passing the first part into o ne glass and the ,
l ast part into a second glass In posterior ure .
t h rit is both fir st and last specimens will be

clouded .
F o llo w mg posterior urethritis there 1s always

a possibility o f inflammation o f the bladder and ,
e ven o f the kidneys resulting in severe illne ss

,
and even death in some instances Infection o f .
the prostate gland a t least is probable in all such

, ,
cases and a permanent enlargement of this organ

,
m ay follow Cowper ’s glands may also be in

.
v olve d . There may be abscesses in these glands ,
307
abscess o f the prostate o r abscess o f the k idney ,
The seminal vesicles may become diseased and ,
the infection may travel along the spermatic

ducts to the testicles themselves most frequently
,
attacking the epididymis the very fine convo

, ,
luted tub e adj acent to the testicle which forms

the beginning o f the v a s deferens o r duct It is , .
the permanent clo sing up o f the epididymis "
through this inflammation that causes most cases

o f sterili y l n men
t .
C h o rdee 1s a very distressing symptom o r c o m

plication of the inflammatory s tage o f gonorrhea ,
involving a state o f painful erection with a ,
marked dow nward c urve o f the organ Gentle .
handling is imperative in such a case ; otherwise

one may cause much bleeding and subse q uent
stricture Local cold applications with a h o t
.
,
sitz bath each evening b efore going to bed are ,
recommended .
When the prostate gland is involved and the

inflammation is marked there is likely to be more
,
o r less fever with a sense o f heat and weight and

, ,
possibly considerable pain in the perineal region

‘
The movement o f the bowels usually cause s in

tense pain and there may be an almost constant
,
desire to evacuate V ery fre quent urination is

.
the rule though there may also be retention o f

,
urine The prostate gland unfortunately is

.
, ,
a structure well adapted to serve a s a hiding
place fo r the gonococci after the di sease appears

t o have been cured In the recesses o f this organ
.
c oll ections o f pus cells conta ining the germs may

308
MANH OOD AND MAR RIAGE
no t believe in inj ections under any circumstances ,
because o f the danger o f driving the infection

back into the posterior urethra bladder and pros ,
tate gland though there i s but slight danger o f

,
this possibility .
T o 1mpro v e the condition o f the blood r apidly ,
an extremely light diet chiefly of fruit salads , ,
and green vegetables for t w o o r three days at ,
least is necessary Buttermilk can be rec o m

, .
mended In a severe case especially o ne in which

.
,
‘
the prostate gland is involved a complete fast o f ,
several days is occasionally desirable In severe .
prostatitis after a fast o f five to seven days the

‘
, ,
exclusive milk diet could be recommended though ,
this diet can not be recommended in active go mor

‘
rhea B e temperate in the use of meat until all

.
active signs of the infl am mation have passed .
One should be spari ng in the use o f eggs nuts , ,
beans and proteid foods generally .
The free drinking o f wat e r is especially impor

tant—the more the better Usually o ne can ab .
sorb more hot water than cold and it is well t o ,
use it h o t to a large extent Lemonade is per .
missible b ut should no t be t o o strong nor t o o

, ,
sweet F ree water drinking from the time o f

.
-
exposure will usually make the attack lighter .
The increased passage of ur i ne will tend t o wash

o ut the germs of the di sease and this will still ,
hold true after the inflammation has become ao

tive Also the urin e will b e dilut ed and made
.
,
less irritating thus relieving to some extent the

, , ,
scalding pain experienced when passin g water .
310
D I SE ASE S OF ME N
This water drinking is perhaps the mo st impor

-
tant single feature o f the treatment and will do .
much to reduce the inflamm ation and prevent the

infection fr om travelling to the posterior urethr a .
Rest is very important to avoid irritating the ,
1nfl am e d parts and t o prevent the infection from
spre ading to other parts In a bad case rest in .

,
bed is desirable If you must be about be a s

.
,
quiet as possible .
C onstipation must be avoided Keep the .
colon as clean and free from accumulations as

possible Warm enemas will be advantageous
. ,
especially if the prostate gland is a ff ected .
Alcohol must be rigidly eschewed It has an .
irritating and weakening e ff ect upon the tissues .
Tobacco condiments and all stimulating drinks

,
should be av 0 1de d There should be no se xual

.
indulgence or even sexual excitement while any

, ,
traces of the disease rema i n Avoid ex c 1t ement .
o f any k ind and also overhea ting

, .
The strictest cleanliness 1s 1mper at 1v e The .
contagious character o f the disease and the inf ec

t io ns nature o f the discharges must be kept co n
t inually in m1nd A careless person may infect
.
his o wn eyes o r convey the disease t o another

'
, .
With his unclean hands he may soil a t o wel which

will be the means of producing blindness m an
other member o f his family Towels h andk er .
,
chiefs shirts or other articles o f clothing soiled

,
with these discharges should b e thoroughly _
washed and sterilized preferably by prolonged ,
boiling The safest plan is t o wash the organ

.
MAN H OOD AND MAR RIAGE
fre quently with good soap and water and to ,
wrap the end well in aseptic absorbent cotton to ,
take up the discharges and protect the clothing .
It is a good plan to we ar a pair o f swimming

tights inside o f the other clothing to keep these
wrappings in position Local packs o f cold w et
.
cloths will reduce the inflammation and it is best ,
t o use cold salt water for this purpose If con .
v en ie nt it would be well to keep the organ con

,
t inually wrapped in these wet salt packs renewed ,
as often as possible ; but at least they Should be

used in the evening o r at any other time of the
,
day when it is possible All such cloths and

.
cotton wrappings should preferably be burned .
Wash the hands very thoroughly after each

handling of the parts .
Much harm can be done by the use o f strong

inj ections o f permanganat e o f potash o r nitrate
of silver If inj ection s are used the solution
.
must be weak Strong inj e ct io ns w ill often de

.
stroy the mucous membranes It is important .
that the tissues should not be deprived o f their

vitality and power of resistance A good rule .
to observe is to use no inj ection so strong that it

could not also be used in the eye .
The main purpose o f any inj ection should be

cleanliness A mild antiseptic inj ection may
.
thus be useful f o r cleansing the membranes ,
flushing o ut the urethral canal and thus removing

many o f the germs During the first stage i rr i
.
g at io n of the canal with a very mild solution o f

sulphate of zinc can often immediately arrest
319
MAN H OOD A N D MARRIAGE
The treatment should be the same in nearly all

particulars when the seminal vesicles epididymis ,
and other parts are involved Improvement of .
the blood is always important Gleet is uncured .
gonorrhea and a little stickiness o n the end of

,
the organ is due to the same cause The condi

tion calls for prolonged treatment In this .
chronic form o f the disease plenty o f e x ermse is

desirable whi ch o f course is the exact contrary o f
,
the re quirements in the acute stages of the dis

ease Also when the prostate and seminal vesi
.
,
cles have been diseased a great deal o f vigorous

,
exercise is desirable after the cure partly in ,
order that any remaini ng traces of the disease

may be brought to light and eradicated .
When is it safe to marry after having su ff ered

,
from gonorrhea ? The question is a troublesome

o n e simply because o f the possibility that germs
,
may lurk in the recesses of the prostate and other

parts for prolonged perl o ds after an apparent
cure has been e ffected If the disease has been
.
confined to the anterior urethra and o ne is in a ,
position to know this positively then the ques ,
tion is very simple and one is q uite safe in marry

,
ing within a year after all signs o f the trouble

have disappeared It might no t be necessary to
.
wait as long as that if there remal ns no trace o f

,
the infection But when the deeper structures

.
have been a ffected one is not j ustified in co nsid

ering marr 1age until o ne has been free from all
active Signs o f the disease for at least t w o years ,
an d t hen only when repe ated careful examin a

314
D I SE A SE S OF M E N
tions o f the pr ostatic fluid semen and the mucou s

,
secretions o f the membranes generally Show c ,
pl et e freedom from any signs o f the disease

GON ORRHE A —
.
I mport ant f eatu r e s of t h e

treatment Wh en t h e fir st sympt oms appear,
.
or ev en if s u spi ci ons of h av ing b een inf e ct ed,

an i nj e c t i o n sh o ul d b e t ak en of a w eak s olution
of su lph at e of zi nc or permanganat e of pot
a sh . T h es e inj e cti ons sh ou l d b e repeat ed
ev ery th re e or f o u r h ou rs f or t h e fir st t w o or
th ree days at l east, gradually l ess eni ng t h eir
frequency .
Drink v ery freely of pu r e w at er c o l d or h ot

,
as desired . A gl ass ev ery h alf h our or h our

at l east f or t h e first f ew day s . T h es e pre
c auti ons wi th out any addi ti onal treat ment
w ill oft en destroy t h e germs th us c u ri ng t h e
di s eas e b ef ore it dev el ops .
I f t h e c omplaint persi st s th en t h e h ot and

c old sitz b ath s , as prev i ously descri b ed can b e
-
,
t ak en onc e or twi c e daily A ppli c at ions of

.
c ol d w et t owel s t o t h e aff e ct ed parts sh oul d b e

tak en at l east during part o f t h e nigh t .
Great c are sh oul d b e us ed t o av oi d c onstipa

ti on, th ough usuall y th e free drinking of w at er
suggest ed will remedy th is diffic ulty if pres ent .
Foll owi ng t h e v ery sh ort f ast adv i s ed f or

thi s di s eas e , it is oft en w ell t o s atisfy t h e de
mands of t h e appetite f or nouri shing f oods t o
bu il d t h e v it al v igor nec ess ary t o th row off
t h e c ompl aint .
A ctiv e ex ercl se 1s not advis ed . Remain as

315
MANH OOD A N D MA RRIAGE
q ui et as po ssib le at l east f or th e first f ew days

o f t h e t re atment
GLEET —I mportant f eatures of treatment
.
. .
T h e treat ment of gl e et depends almo st ent irely

upon an upb uil di ng pro c ess f or i ncreasing th e
general v it al strengt h T h i s naturally w ill
i nclude a c ours e of ex erc i s e t oget h er w it h ,
fri cti on b ath s f oll ow ed b y c old b ath s l ong

, ,
w alk s w h ol es ome di et et c
, , .
T h e tre atment migh t b eg m w ith a sh ort

f ast th ough thi s w il l b e o f litt le a dv ant age
,
f urth er th an it s eff e cts on t h e assimil ativ e

organs Ev ery f uncti on of t h e b ody must b e
.
made t o perf orm its offic e i n t h e treatment of

th i s c omplaint .
I n a dditi on t o thi s th ere 13 one v ery im

"
port ant s uggest io n th at i s oft en of t remeu

dous i mport anc e I n t h e c h apt er on ex erc i s e,
.
page 277 youw ill find a mov ement f or stim

,
ulati ng t h e prostat e gl and w h i ch h as a

dec i ded influenc e on t h e ureth ral c anal .
T h i s ex erci s e practi ce d t w o or t h ree times a

,
day assi sts v ery mat eri ally in remedyi ng th i s

troub l es ome c omplaint .
S tri c ture o f t h e urethra I S an abnormal con

striction o f the canal, interfering with the flo w
o f urine It is most fre quently the result o f
.
gonorrhea though it may be due to other causes

,
.
Gleet is often accompanied o r followed by st ric

ture I nflamma tory stric ture may be a tempo
.
rary condition the result o f swelling which nat

,
urally t ends t o obstruct o r close up the canal .
316
MANHOOD A N D MARRI A GE
w ay . The forc ible passing o f large quantitie s

o f non irritating urine
-
following free water
,
drinking is a better w ay t o expand o r open the

,
constricted part In a case o f organic stricture

.
,
o ne may even compress the meatus o f the ure
thr a when o n the point o f urinating thus holding ,
the water back in the canal and causing the con ,
st ric t e d part t o be expanded o r opened A little .
force in the expulsion o f the water Under such

conditions will mak e this procedure very eff ec
tive and the tissues will not be lacerated as they
, ,
often are by the passage o f sounds and probes .
When there is much inflamm ation however o ne , ,
must be careful with this method as there is dan ,
ger of causing rupture of the urethra with seriou s

c omplications If there is marked tenderness it
.
would be well no t to use it at all but to pursue ,
treatment to overcome the inflammation as o ut ,
lined for the cure o f gonorrhea Local w et .
packs are always helpful h o t if the condition is

,
painful but otherwise cold Don ’t trust quack

, .
doctors and avoid advertised remedies which

,
“
dissolving” it
,
—
c laim to cure stricture by .
ST RI CT URE I mport ant

. f eatures of
treatment T h e treatment of th i s c ompl aint
.
i s t o a l arge ex t ent c onstituti onal T h e h ot .
and c o l d s it z b ath s a dv i s e d i n gonorrh ea i s of
great v alue if t ak en onc e d aily T h e s it z .
b ath s c oul d b e t ak en in t h e morni ng, and at

l east part of th e ni gh t c ol d w et c l ot h s sh oul d
b e appli ed t o t h e afi ect ed part A sh ort f ast
'
or a ri gid di et eti c regime f or a f ew days w ou ld

318
DISEASES OF MEN
b e o f adv ant age t h o ugh a f ull nou ri sh ing di et

inc ludi ng a lib eral amount of out door ex erci s e
is re q u i red t o b ui l d t h e v i t ality ne eded i n
r emedyi ng th i s c ompl ai nt .
M ud pac k s can b e us ed adv ant ageously in

s eri ous c ases o f t hi s c ompl aint .
T h e pro st at e and uret h ral ex erc i s e ref erre d

t o i n c h apt er 30, page 277 , c oul d b e us ed w it h
adv ant age .
C hancro id is a local infection the least seri ,
o us and the least fre q uent of the three com
mon venereal diseases It takes the form o f an

.
ulcer usually found o n the head o f the gener

,
ative organ which secretes and discharges a

,
purulent pus It is not f ollowed by co nst itu

.
t io nal o r other symptoms except for the infection

,
o f the lymphatic glands o f the groin in many
cases causing what is known as a bubo If great

, .
care in the way o f cleanliness is not tak en o ne ,
may have several ulcers o f the same kind The .
disease is seldom contracte d except through asso

c i at io n with the most unclean type o f woman .
The ulceration may be very severe possibly de ,
stroying considerable tissue but when cured o ne,
is through with it In rare case s when the inf ec

.
,
tion reaches the larger blood vessels and gets into

th e general c irculation a general septic infection
,
or blood poisoning results and this may end

-
fatally .
Chancroid is comm only called soft ch ancre to

diff erentiate it from the h ard chancre which is the
initial sore o f syphilis It is important to distin
.
319
MANH OO D A N D MARR I AGE
guish between the two but some authorities main

,
tain that a Wassermann b lood test and a micro

scopi c examination is the only sure means of
doing so for at times the chancroid may be hard
,
and the syphilitic so re so ft It is possible too

'
.
, ,
to contract both diseases at the same time The .
syphilitic chancre is no t a lways but usually in , ,
durat e d o r hardened and is commonly smooth

,
and glazed with little o r no secretion The

, .
chancroid has rough punched o ut edges and has

,
-
,
a copious pus secretion Again the chancroid.

,
develops quickly always within a week and

,
often within two or three day s after exposure ,
while the syphilitic chancre does not appear until

fully three weeks o r more from the time o f ex
, ,
“ ”
p o sur e and 1n f ec t i.o n The mixed sore result ,
ing from th e complication of syphilis with the

less serious a ffection has at first the appearance
, ,
o f the quickly developing chancroid .
The treatment o f chancroid is t o a large

extent simply a matter o f cleanliness although ,
the improvement o f the blood 1s important The .
free drinking o f water and the use o f a light diet ,
at least for a f ew days the same as in gonorrhea

, ,
are essential One must be careful to keep the

.
secretions o f the ulcer from reaching other parts

o f the body . Washing with soap and hot water
or with an antiseptic morning and ev emng l s nec
essary after which a cold sitz bath could ad
,
-
v ant ag e o usly be tak en Thereafter absorbent

.
cotton wet with “black wash ” made by adding

calomel t o lime water should b e applied to the
3 90
MA N H O OD A N D MARRIA GE
The bubo characteristic o f syphilis is usually no t

painful and simply tak es the form o f a hard
,
swelling o f these glands Chancroid is most f re

.
qu ently followed by bub o the disorder being ,
painful and fre quently ending in suppuration .
It may appear a couple o f days after the chan

c ro id o r later. When following gonorrhea it ap
pears usually one or tw o w eek s after .
The fir st symptoms o f a bubo are hardness and

swelling o f the gland pain i n the groin tender
, ,
ness heat and discoloration as in any inflamma

, ,
tion A mild case may go no further than this

. ,
but when more serious the pain may be continu

o us f o r a f ew days before suppuration occurs ,
i
when the pain subsides and a softening o f the

part can be felt The b ubo next turns dark a nd
.
finally breaks discharging the pus very much like

, ,
any other abscess Free dr ainage is desirable

.
,
and great care to maintain cleanliness In a seri .
o us case surgical help f o r the purpose o f open i ng
up th e abscess and insuring good drainage will

be advantageous If the pus burrows into the
.
surrounding tissues other abscesses will follow

, ,
o r the skin may be pe rforated at several points ,
forming fi stulo us ulcers and more o r less de ,
struction o f t issue When the ch ancro idal b ub o

"
.
discharges the edges become ul cerate d w ith the

,
chancroid virus often resulting in much dest ruc

,
tion of tissue and nearly always in very Slow

,
healing .
The first Sl gns o f trouble indicate the need fo r

DISEASE S OF MEN ,
q uiet In fact violent exertion may b e instru

.
m ental l n carry1ng the primary infection to the

l ymphatic glan ds Constitutional treatment is
t hen necessary—free drinking o f water a ligh t
.
d iet with plenty o f fruit and green vegetables

, ,
a nd the avoidance o f constipation A fast o f o ne .
o r t w o days is recommended Of cours e the.
original disease should have first attention with ,
s uch sit z baths and other treatment as may be r e

-
q uired When the swelling is very p ainful hot

.
,
s itz baths are e specially helpful

-
H o t enemas .
m ay also be used This general treatment will

.
in nearly every case prevent suppuration It I S .
e specially important to avoi d alcoholic drink s o f
a l l k inds .
In the very beginning the application o f cold

,
w et cloths and cold sitz baths will often give re

-
l ief but if the pain becomes more severe h o t

,
water will b e found more soothing After the .
bubo break s or is opened by the surgeon great

, ,
c are in the w ay o f cleanliness will be necessary .
Use absorbent cotton plentiful ly f o r this pur

pose t o absorb all discharges and as much o f the
, ,
time as possible use w et pack s dipping the cloth s

,
i n cold salt W ater o r in some mild ant i septi c solu
t ion
EURO —
.
I mport ant f eatures of treatment .
T h e h ot sit z b at h and t h e h ot and c ol d sitz

-
.
b ath adv i s ed i n gonorrh ea are v aluab l e in thi s

dis eas e .
Gold, w et cl oth s appli ed t o th e aff ect ed part

323
MA N H OOD AN D MARRIAGE
is of espe ci al adv ant age, th ough th e constit u
t i c h al treatment prev i ously ref erred t o w i ll b e
o f de c i ded a dv ant age .
M ud pack s are o f speci al v alue A pply at .
nigh t and all ow pac k t o remai n until morni ng

—Syphilis
.
S yphilis . is the one infectious vene

real disease that is constitutional poisoning the ,
blood secretions and tissues o f the entire body

, .
It is sometimes called “the pox ” Fastidious .
persons often call it by the polite name o f “Lues ” ,
and still more often it is hinted at by the indefinite

name o f “blood poisoning ” The specific micro
-
.
organism which is no w believed to be the active

factor in s yphilis is a protozoon the t repo nema ,
p a llida which is threadlike or spiral in form o r

, ,
corkscrew shaped and possessed of great vitality

-
, .
There are three methods o f infection First .

,
direct transmission from o ne person to another

, .
S econd mediate transmission in which the poison

, ,
is c arried by a towel drinking cup tooth brush

,
-
,
-
,
dental o r surgical instrument spoons forks o r , ,
other table implements o r any other o b j ect upon

,
which the virus has been deposited by a diseased

person Infection in this w ay is commonly
.
called “inn ocent ” o r accidental The saliva o f a .
syphilitic is literally alive with the germs so that

,
,
kissing and the use of drinking cups towels and

,
-
,
other o b j ects that touch the mouth are sources o f

danger The third method is congenital trans
.
mission Syphilis is the o ne disease that is di

.
r ec t ly inherited though usual ly the o ff spring is

,
fatally infected before the time of birth .
394,
MANHO OD AND MARRIAGE
n ess and antiseptic treatment that I have sug

gested for chancroid .
The second symptom characteristic o f syphilis ,
f ollowing closely upon the appearance o f the

c hancre ,is the swelling and hardeni ng o f the
n earest lymphatic glands This of course means
.
in most cases a syphilitic bubo in the groin which ,
is not painful If the chancre is o n the face the

.
,
glands of the neck swell ; if on the hand o r arm ,
t hose o f th e armpit are involved

'
The second stage o f the disease called second ,
a ry syphilis is usually rea ched in abou

, t tw o
m onths after the development of the chancre It .
may be from six weeks to ten week s after If .
t hese constitutional symptoms do no t show up

f o r from three to six months you can assume ,
that the suspected sore was an ordinary pimple

and that there is no danger .
With the secondary stage there is more o r less

e nlargement o f all the lymphatic glands notably ,
i n neck armpits and groin but the most co nspicu

, ,
o us feature o f this stage is the characteristic erup
tions and ulcerations o f the skin and mucous

membranes o f the body The throat and mouth
.
,
f o r instance are subj ect to mucous patches and

,
ulcers which may also be discovered in the rec

,
tum and o n other mucous surfaces The skin .
symptoms take various forms which may vary

,
from simple eruptions to severe ulcerations and

crusts One c an never tell where o r when the
.
m anifestations o f this disease will crop o ut .
Usually there is a first eruption o f a copper color ,
326
DISEASES OF MEN
by which the disease 1s distinguished from most

red skin di sorders These blotches or pustules
.
dry in a little time after which they may be

,
rubbed o ff like bran leaving the skin apparently

,
in a fairly healthy condition f o r a time but the ,
rising hope o f the sufferer is soon dashed to the

ground b v the appearance of another eruption ,
probably more severe than the fir st and taking ,
the form of a serious ulcer The various crup .
tions may vary in color b ut the copper color is

,
most frequent Vesicles like those of small pox

.
-
,
dr ying and leaving scabs may develop o r there

, ,
may be blotches covered with scales followed by ,
scabs and shallow ulcers with copper colored -
edges The ul cers o f the mouth throat and rec

.
’
tum however are likely to be the most trouble

, ,
some often being thought to be cancers o r fi s

,
tulas The hair is usually a ff ected in the second

.
ary stage falling o ut extensively ; and o ne is

,
likely to su ffer more o r less from fever pains in ,
the head j oints and bones loss o f weight and

, ,
strength mental torpidity and other general

,
symptoms The headaches and pains in the

.
bones are sometimes severe .
The third stage or tertiary syphilis is that

, ,
which involves the more frightful developments

and ravages of t h e di sease the “horrors ” which,
are so much feared With proper treatment one

.
should not reach even the second stage but when ,
the poisons have not been eradicated from the

system and the vitality 1s lowered serious symp
, ,
toms are likely t o ensue The third stage in .
327
volves the deeper structures such as the vital ,
organ s the internal membranes and the bones

,
.
Any part of the body may be attacked The .
formation o f characteristic tumors o r “gumma”

is the rule in the third stage leading to the de
, ,
generation o f the t issues a ff ected The bones .
may be eaten away piece by piece those of the , ,
nose and face being often the first to su ffer in

this way The associated pains are usually most
.
frightful at night The eyes and ears may suf

.
fer ending in blindness and de afness The nails

, .
may go The vital organs may be involved and

.
the blood vessels are usually a ff ected more o r

-
less even when the disease does no t reach the

,
thir d stage The weakened arteries may later

.
on be responsible for a rupture in the brain o r ,
apoplexy .
In the past medical men have regarded syph

,
ilis as having only these three stages But there .
is sometimes a fourth stage possibly occurring ,
twenty or twenty fiv e y ears afterward in which

-
,
the brain and nervous system are chiefly con

cerned T h e fact is that paresis o r general pa
.
,
ral y sis the most d readed and always fatal form

,
of insanity is in nearly every instance due to

,
syphilis which has been cured ” a long time

previously The same thing is true of locomotor
.
ataxia which is nearly always the result o f the

,
same disease .
H eredi ta ry syp hilis naturally does no t have

the first stage o r chancre but otherwise is no t
, ,
unl ike the ordinary case and is very commonly ,
328
for an indefinite time but there is good reason to
,
bel1eve that so far as this poison is concerned the

treatment is even worse than the disease .
Chronic mercurial poisonin g often adds to the

difficulties o f the body alr eady struggling
against the Syphilitic poison .
One o f the mos t important features o f the

treatment is abstinence from both alcohol and
tobacco Not only do these poisons directly
.
cause the patches and ulcers o f the mucous mem

branes to be much more numerous and severe ,
but they weaken the resistance o f all the tissues .
I am inclined to believ e that the virulent char

acter o f this disease in the past has been due in
part to the fact that it has most commonly been
contracted by the more o r less dissipated class o f
men those who both drink and smoke and w h o
, ,
are usually disinclined to give up their pet habits

even for the sake o f a cure It is well known
.
that women as a rule bear this disease better than

men o r at least show it less and it is q uite likely
, ,
that this di fference is due to the fact that women

as a r ule do no t use tobacco and alcohol o r at ,
least consume them t o a less extent than men .
In any case 1t is impossible to make any progress

,
with any kind o f treatment if o ne uses either o f

these poisonous narcotics .
Constitutional and blood-purifying treatment

should be commenced upon the first appearance
o f the chancre . Cauterizing this pri mary sore
does some good despite the fact that in fection
,
has already entered the blood Cleanl iness and

.
330
D ISEASES O F MEN
antiseptic washes may b e used but no strong ,
antiseptic that will have a destructive e ffect upon

the tiss ues .
F resh air and e x erC 1se are o f vital importance .
Cleanse the b lood strea m through activity and

plenty of oxygen Work outdoors live outdoors
.
,
and sleep outdoors if you can Get as much ac .
tive exerc i se as y o u can stand without lowering

your vitality Walks are invaluable Try t o
. .
walk ten miles a day at least and walk fas t ,
enough to make y o u breathe deeply a nd perspire .
Drinking water will help greatly in purifying

the blood Drink at least two or three pints of
.
hot water within an hour after r l smg l n the morn

ing Use distilled water by p reference and
. ,
quarts o f it Boiled water is next best but the

.
,
softer the better “Hot springs ” have no special

.
value over the water at your o w n home if y o u ,
will only use the latter as freely The Hot .
sprl ng s fallacy has grown up because many ,
have not the strength o f mind to follow th e same

'
regimen at home .
The eliminative activity o f the skin should be

encouraged by friction baths daily except where ,
eruptions interfere by air baths and sun baths in

,
every case and by the external use o f water

,
.
The air baths and sun baths are more important

than y o u may think and I would insist upon
,
them if y o u wish the best results A wet sheet .
pack each day o r three times a week would serve ,
as a powerful eliminative treatment combined ,
with a soap and hot water bath twice a week

- - -
.
331
MAN H OOD AN D MARRIAGE
After the cold w et sheet is thoroughly wrapped

around the body o ne should be bundled up with
,
blankets outside of it remaining in the pack a ,
couple o f hours if convenient The sheet should .
be boiled afterward If the sheet pack is not

.
convenient take a cold sponge dip o r shower in

, ,
the morning following your exercises and take

, ,
a short hot bath o f five o r ten minutes each ev e

ning followe d by a cool sponging o r shower
, .
These will have an active eliminative influence .
A dry hot air o r steam bath once a week will also

”
be e fl e ct iv e A cabinet bath is satisfactory

.
The skin eruptions when ulcerations are pres

,
ent should be treated with a mild antiseptic wash

,
after your baths You may use a weak solution

.
o f permanganate o f potash bichloride or any ,
other standard antiseptic Any mouth wash for .
the mucous patches must be mild Peroxide of .
hydrogen o r even boric acid o r salt water may be

used Thorough and prolonged boiling o f all
.
underwear handkerchiefs napkins towels and

, ,
“
,
the like used by the syphilitic is necessary .
The diet should be limited in respect to rich

‘
foods It i s usually best to avoid meat entirely

. ,
but eggs may be used in moderation Tea and .
co ffee should be e liminated from the diet but ,
buttermilk is highly t o be recommended if y o u ,
lik e it Use fruit as e xtensively as your appc

.
tite will permit also green salads and all v ege

,
tables that grow above the ground p referably ,
uncook ed if they are palatable th at w a y Fruit

,
'
drink s such as apple j uice unfermented grape

, , ,
332
such signs however is not evidence o f its absenc e

, , .
Even the Wassermann blood test is no t entirely

reliable The positive reaction is said t o be co n
.
clusiv e . But the negative reaction while a favor ,
able sign is not absolute evidence o f a cure T he

, .
disease may reappear at any time and in any ,
form It is the rule however that some year s

.
, ,
after recovery from syphilis a man will have no r

mal and healthy children It is ent irely a ques .
tion o f being free from t h e disease but this is ,
always uncertain Some syphilologists hold the

.
opinion that a syphilitic man should never marry .
The preponderance o f opinion o n the subj ect ,
however is that it is usually safe to marry in

,
about five years from the time when the di sease

w a s contracted provide d there have been no
,
signs o f it f o r at least two or three years It is .
well to have a series o f blood o r Wassermann

tests at intervals o f two or three months extend ,
ing over a period o f a year o r mor e Even this .
will not make the c a se ab so lut ely sure but if the ,
results are negative t h e chances that the infection

has been eradicated are fairly good The former .
syphilitic should always continue however t o

/
, ,
take th e b est care o f himself keep his blood in ,
good condition and even take a fast o f three o r

,
four days twice a year as a constitutional and

cleansing measure He should form life long
.
-
habit s o f fruit eating water drinking outdoor

-
,
-
,
e x e rc 1se long walks air baths sun baths friction

, , , ,
baths daily cold-water baths and fre quent h o t

,
baths.
DISEASES OF MEN
SYPHILI S .
—
I mport ant f eatures of treat
ment A f ast of from s ev en t o f ourt een days
.
i s o f unusual v al ue i n t h e treatment of thi s

c ompl ai nt .
T h e ex clusiv e mil k di et t o f o ll ow th e f ast

a s adv i s e d, i s anot h er reme dy t h at pro du c es
ex t raordi nary re s u lt s .
Frequent b at h ing and dry fri c ti on b at h s t o

ins ure an a ctiv e ski n i s v ery import ant .
I f t h e mi lk di et i s not us e d t h en w at er must
b e drunk v ery freely .
Fo o ds must b e us ed th at w ill i nsure b ow el

.
a c t iv ity .C onstipati on aggrav at es t h i s com

pl aint .
A f ull nouri sh ing di et is not adv i s ed Use .
as lit tl e f o o d as po ssi b l e t o mai nt ain y o u r

w eigh t and strengt h T w o meal s a day are
—
.
b ett er th an t hr ee , one i s s omet imes b ett er

t h an h i m T h orough mast i cati on must b e i n
.
sist ed upon Out door ex erci s e of all ki nds ,

.
e spe c i ally w al k i ng, 1s ri gi dly re q uired

T h es e more i mport ant suggesti ons t ogeth er
wi t h t h e prev i ous h ints o ugh t t o enab l e any
o ne t o remedy t h i s t erri fyi ng c ompl aint if it
h as not progress ed t oo f ar .
CHAPTER XXXIII
T h e P re v e nt i o n o f V ene re al D ise ase
ORE important than the cure of disease is

its prevention This applies with special
.
force to venereal diseases .
Can they be prevented ? Can they be stamped

o ut ? What can be done by the individual to
‘
avoid them ? What can be don e by society at

large t o eliminate them from human life ?
C holera and the bub onic plague have been v ir
t ually eliminated from Western civilization .
Yellow fever has been almost completely wiped

o ut in Havana in the Panama Canal
, one and " ,
in other districts The ravages of small pox have

.
-
been reduced not through vaccination but

,
through sanitation until it is no w exceedingly

,
rare And so with many other infections It

.
'
.
seems theref ore that it ought t o b e po ssib le to

,
control venereal disease partly at least Even if

, .
it cannot be stamped o ut yet it would be a great

,
a chievement to so reduce the number of cases
that there would be only five thousand syphilitics

in the United States instead o f five millions ,
though o f course that would be five thousand t o o

many .
But can s ti ch an improvement be brought

a bout ? So long as w e have prostitution we shall
a lso have venereal disease and most o f those w h o
,
336
M A N H O OD A N D MARRIAGE
without treatment rather than be reported and

quarantined But it must come some day in
.
,
spite o f all difiicultie s Meantime o ur chief

‘
.
means o f prevention lies l n reducing prostitution

t o a minimum .
Vice commissions m various great cities have

recently given a great deal o f study to the sub
j ect as h ave social workers physicians and
, ,
sociologists generally So far they have not ac

'
.
,
c omplished much Questions o f regulation

.
,
registration ex am1nat io n and li cense have been

,
much discussed but the prevalent O pinion among

,
these investigators is that regulation and registra

tion are no t successful There are many h o w
.
,
ever w h o still advocate these measures as tending

,
t o lessen the amount o f infection My o w n opin .
io n is that w e can accomplish very little by medi

cal examination o f the prostitutes at intervals if ,
w e do not at the same time examine all o f their

male visitors as we ll And this is never even
.
considered Furthermore it is impossible to

.
,
register those who ply their trade clandestinely .
There are some factors in this problem that are

no t usually taken into consideration by the vic e
comm issi ons and most writers o n the subj ect .
The first of these undoubtedly I S prudery with ,
the ignorance resulting therefrom The second .
is bachelorhood with i t s pretense o f celibacy and

,
actual pro ml scuity in many cases The third

, .
,
and most important o f all is alcohol I mpro p , .
erly conducted restaurants theatres dance halls , ,

-
333
VENEREAL DISEASE
and other 1nstitut1o ns o f that nature are largely

incidental .
Ignoranc e 1s always a source of dange r par ,
t icul arly in this matter and it is entirely the res u lt

,
o f prudery . If only the world would face this

problem honestly and squarely instead o f shut
,
t ing its eyes t o it and keeping it in the dark under ,
cover much o f the danger would disappear and

,
the harm done would be minimized T hink o f .
the crimin al folly o f turning o ur young people

l oose in the world without knowledge o f the most
s erl o us o f all dangers that they will surely have to
f ace . I know that there has been much obj ection

t o the teaching of sex hygiene to young people o n
the ground that knowledge is not always sufii cient
t o restrain them from wrong doing -
This is um
.
d oubtedly true b ut at the same time knowledge

,
is safer than 1gno ranc e and if it did not save all o f

o ur young people it would save most o f them
, .
A large percentage o f venereal infections occurs

a mong young men under the age o f twenty one -
.
It is true that there are many men who know

t hat they are practically certain t o contract what
“ ”
t hey familiarly call the clap but most o f them
,
ar e entirely ignorant o f the terribly serl o us and

dangerous character o f this d1se a se for have they
,
not been told with terrible untruth that it is a ,
trifling matter “no worse than a cold ” ? Even

,
here where they possess a little knowledge it is

,
really ignorance that makes them foolishly eager

t o take the life damning risk
-
Some men w e
.
,
must admit would not be restrained by any con

,
sideration even by the risk o f life itself ; yet there

,
is no question that a l arge number probably the ,
large maj ority would not dare to take chances if

,
they truly knew what they were exposing them

selves to And up to the present time the pre
.
vailing policy has been to keep the young people

in as nearly absolute ignorance upon the subj ect
as possible An extended campaign of public
.
education along this line is the fir st re quirement .
A n d if we could entirely do away with prudery ,
so that the subj ect could be di s cussed honestly
and freely it would be possible very soon to de

,
v e lo
p other methods o f fighting the evil of prosti
t utio n .
I have mentioned bachelorhood as a factor in

this problem What can w e expect to do with
.
t he social evil so long as nearly one third o f the -
men o f m arriageable age in the country are un

married ? This means millions o f men who are
preten ding to live celibate lives b ut who are actu ,
ally living immoral lives It is foolish f or us t o

.
continue to shut o ur eyes to this fact It doe s .
no t solve the problem to say merely that thes e

men o ught to remain continent if they are n o t
married A f ew o f them d o so But the fact
the hard cold relentless fact—is that the ma
. .
, ,
j o rit y o f them find a substitute for marriage ,
either in prostitution or in the degradation o f

,
young women who serve first as mistresses only

t o j oin the ranks of the prostitutes later .
It is often said that prostitution is maintained

34 0
MA N H O OD A N D MA RRIAGE
f o r various self evident reasons but in many case s
-
,
it is only because his senses have been taken away

"
by the alcohol that he exposes hirnself to the in

f e c t io n I cannot to o strongly emphasize this
.
point Until the li quor problem has been solved

.
,
if it ever is it will be impossible t o accomplish

,
very much in the direction o f minimizing either

the social evil or the diseases that go with it .
We may assume therefore that there will al

, ,
ways be some danger of infection even o f inno ,
cent infection f o r prostitut ion we will always

,
have with us B ut if w e cannot deal with thes e

.
e vils ade q uately in a public w ay at least the in ,
dividual may do what he can to safeguard himself .
Ordinary cleanlin ess and h ygiene are usually

suffic ient to protect o ne against accidental inf ec
tion One should be careful to avoid the use o f
.
public towels public drinking cups unwashed

-
, ,
fruit unsterilized dental o r surgical tools bor

, ,
rowed lead pencils moistened with possibly syph i

litic saliva public hairbrushes and combs and
, ,
various other ob j ects that may carry infection .
The public toilet seat may be a medium of inf ec

tion I t is b est t o shave oneself ; otherwise mak e
. ,
sure that the barber follows sanitary methods .
A lways avoid placing the fingers in the mouth

after having the hands on public stair rails car -
,
str aps or other places where the hand s o f others

,
have been .
Kiss ing is t h e most frequent of all causes o f 1n

f e ctio n asid e from intercourse itself
,
The sall v a .
o f a syphilitic person i s literally alive with th e

343
VENEREAL DISEASE
in to
ing plaster to apply t o a
l
-
knee N o matter h ow attractive the lips may

.
look there may be ulcerous patches j ust behind

,
them o f the most dangerous kind It is never .
safe to kiss a strange person Parlor game s .
which call f o r promiscuous kissing are extremely

dangerous .
Leaving accidental infection o ut o f the ques

tion the only satisfactory o r perfect method o f
,
avoiding venereal disease is to live a clean and

cont i nent life Thi s 18 absolutely safe and it is
.
,
truly the only course open t o a self respecting un -
married man T here are many physicians h o w

.
,
ever who believe l n the teaching o f prophylactic

,
measures by means o f which o ne w h o has been

exposed t o infection may protect himself It is .
pointed o ut that as the experience of the world

,
proves there are some men w h o will not be de

,
t erre d by fear o f disease from exposing them

selves t o the danger and that under such circum, ,
stances it is better for them t o be able to protect

themselves than t o contract these diseases and
then transmit them t o innocent wives and chil
dr en The great trouble with this plan 18 t hat
.
none o f the suggested prophylactics are entirely

dependable and that because o f the false sense o f
,
securi ty they gi ve many men will be inclined t o

take chances whereas under other conditions they
,
might restrain themselves .
V arious governments have at times put into

343
MA N H O O D AND MARRIAGE
practice the use o f such prophylactic measures in

the army and navy and usually with remarkable
,
results in diminishing if n o t eradicating venereal

, ,
disease In some army posts the exposed men

.
are ordered to report at the hospital for pre

v entiv e treatment i mmediately o n return from
absence In others the men are supplied with
.
what 18 called a prophylactic packet containing a ,
calomel ointment in o ne end o f a collapsible tube ,
a nd a t w o per cent
protargol solution m the other
. .
It 1s reported that m o ne army post where a h o s

pital corps attendant was o n duty day and night
-
,
and where consultation and treatment were given

in strict privacy only fifteen cases o f disease fol
,
lowed o ne thousand six hundred and seventy fiv e -
prophylacti c tr e atments which is less than one ,
per cent o f those exposed So far as conditions

“
. .
in the army are concerned such results are cer ,
t ainly worth while .
It is sometimes necessary f o r a husband and

wife to be able to prot ect themselves against each
other The infection of the husband by the wi fe
.
is o f course comparatively rare The reverse is

, , .
,
unfort unately not so uncomm on There are said

, .
t o be a million innocent wives su ffering from

gonorrhea in this country— a sort o f wedding gift
from their husbands .
It 13 o n this account and because o f the possi

.
b ilit y o f syphilitic infection that thorough e x ami ,
nat i on o f all men before marr 1age is desirable as ,
a part of any public program to limit the spread

o f these di s eases S ome States have already
.
stances in which he may suff er at the hands o f his

,
wife And th e fact that it is imp ossible to ab so

'
lut ely guarantee a cure even by the most thor ,

.
ough tests and examinations makes it essential ,
that both men and women should be able to pro

t eet themselves under th ese unusual circum
stances .
As a rule any infection which a man may con

,
tract from his wife is o f a less serious character

than those which she contracts from him There .
is a rather widespread opinion that a man may

contract gonorrhea from his o w n wife ” parti cu ,
l arly during menstruation even though she has ,
not been infected with this disease This n otion .

,
however is absolutely unfounded A husband

, .
does not contract this particular disease from his

wife w hen she is free from it though he may con ,
tract some other inflammatory infection that re 3
sembles it He may be unable to tell the di ffer

.
ence but the difference is very marked nev erth e

, ,
less There is only o ne w ay in which a man can

.
be infected through contact with a woman who is

free from disease and that is when she has j ust
,
previously consorted with another who is so

tainted and w h o has left upon her person the
,
virus o f the disease This oftens happens in

.
houses o f prostitution but the possibility is prae

,
tically o ut o f the qu estion in marriage .
It is 1mpo rt ant t o know these facts for igno ,
rance o f them may lead to false and unj ust a c

,
cusat io ns in marriage and possibly t o domestic

tragedies Infection s th at are no t specific o r
.
346
VENEREAL DISEASE
gonorrheal in nature and which are entirely inno ,
cent so far as the wife is concerned occasionally

, ,
take place but even they would not be possible

,
if a woman were absolutely healthy When any .
such thing takes place it is because of some dis ,
eased condition involving catarrhal discharges

,
that are more o r less purulent in nature and in ,
fl amm at io n of the wom b o r related parts If the .
condition of these organs is absolutely wholesome

and healthy a man could not even contract an in
,
f ec tio n o f this kind during the menstrual period

’
Of course there are other r easons for avoiding

any relationships at this time if only those o f ,
fastidiousness but unless the discharges are

,
purulent with dise ase secretions there is no possi ,
b ilit y o f infection resulting from such inter

course However when the wife su ff ers from
.
,
any inflammatory disorder however mild t h e , ,
husband should take certain precautions which , ,
while very simple are usually e ffective , .
There is another condition that often demand s

c are o f a similar nature and that is the possibility ,
o f r e infecting oneself after i t is thought that a

-
previous attack o f gonorrhe a has been cured .
As already said in some cases the active symp

,
toms may have disappeared although the disease ,
lies dormant the germs quietly sleeping so t o

, ,
speak in the recesses o f the prostate gland

, Un .
usua l excitement o r activity such as the first e x ,
perienc es o f marriage may force them o ut o f ,
their hiding place into the urethra and cause re

, ,
infection T h e ignorant husband in such a cas e

.
34 7
M A N H O OD A N D M A R R I A GE
is lik ely to accus e his wife when he 18 him self to

blame The man wh o has previously s uff ered
.
should be o n the lookout f o r any such recurring

symptoms and immediately take measures t o
,
p revent the development o f the disease and t o ,
avoid infecting his wife The prophylactic treat

.
ment would be the same as that used t o protect

against no n spec ific inf ect l o ns
-
.
Lead a clean decent life o ne that will command

,
the respect o f others and also entitle you t o your

o w n self respect
-
.
Avoid alcohol above all things

, G o m for
.
a thletic pastimes and outdoor activities Fairly .
early in your twenties if possible marry a good

, , ,
pure girl and give her as good as you get in the

'
w ay o f clea n blo od and a pure life .
348
MA NHOOD A N D MARRIAGE
C ircumcisio n —This an operation which

‘
1s
consists in cutting o ff a part o f the prepuce or

foreskin from the penis o r generative organ .
The practice is to cut o ff as much o f this as can

be draw n forward beyond the extremity of the
organ Ordinarily the head o r glans is more o r
.
less protected by this sheath but after circum ,
cisio n it is uncovered and exposed It I S sup .
posed that because this part is rendered tougher

and less sen sitive by the operation that the indi
vidual will be less liable to contract syphilis .
The percentage of circumcised persons su ff ering

from this disease however definitely proves it is
“
, ,
by no means a sure preventative So f ar a s .
gonorrhea is concerned circumcision can have b ut

little e ffect either .
"
p
This operation was originally a religious rite
among the ews and Mohammedans and is still ,
practiced as such among them It is no w reco m .
mended in occidental countries as a sanitary

measur e although its relation to freedom from
, _
venereal disease is not apparent It is j ustly .
claimed f o r it that it favors cleanliness generally

_
.
This usually depends however upon the habits

, ,
o f the individual whether cleanly or the reverse

, .
Only when the prepuce is too tight so that the ,
glans cannot be uncovered for thorough clean

ing is c 1rcumc l sio n necessary Inflammation is
,
.
often caused by uncleanliness and in such cases ,
if the condition is due to an abnormality o f t h e

prepuce no time should be lost in having the o p
,
350
cr ation performed OtherW1se there 13 seldom
.
o r never any advantage in it
When the prepuce while large enough seems

, ,
to adhere to the glans as it sometimes does in

,
infants it may usually be loosened with a little

,
care A good way to accomplish this is t o force

.
into the enclosure created by the foreskin a small

quantity of water preferably soapy water by
, ,
means o f a rubber tipped glass sy r 1ng e holding

-
,
th e o penmg fir m around the syringe Rinse .
well using a boric acid solution for the purpose

,
-
,
if there is inflammation Repeat the treatment

.
twice a day until the adhesion h as been overcome

C o ld Wa ter I nj ec ti ons for I mpo t enc e —
.
, See .
discussion o f nitrate o f silver treatment in this

-
,
chapter
C o nfessing One s P ast — Should a man co n
.
fess his past before being married ? Should he

demand that his intended wife tell her past ?
This is a moot question It is true that im .
pulses o f love trust and confidence lead o ne

,
confess when there is a past

,
But it 13 partly
.
a practical question depending u pon whether o r

,
.
not such a confession will be beneficial or destruc

tive to the happiness and harmony of the home .
Will the knowledge o f each other ’s previ ous

indiscretions be used later as a ba 31s of taunts and
quarrels ? Will either take advantage in this
w ay o f the confidence reposed in him or her ? Or
is it certain that both will be so broadmi nded that
there will be no lessening o f respect ? Many o f
us h ave made mistakes Is it no t really the pre s
.
ent rather than the past that counts ? When

confession is likely to lead to f uture trouble is it
,
,
not foolish t o take t he risk j ust for sentimental

reasons ?
On the other hand many will hold that there,
cannot be any real happiness without complete

confidence .
There are cases in which it appears to be a

“
’
man s 1mpe r at iv e duty to inform his fi ancée as t o
his past If it has been such as to produce steril
.
ity it is his absol ute duty to tell of it If there

, .
h as been recent venereal disease and even the ,
slightest possibility of infection remaining it is ,
his duty to tell all If the past has rendered him

.
in a ny way unfit or partially unfit for the normal

marri age relations, the c onfession should be
made .
But when the dead past is bur1ed with its dead

and no result remains—is it wise o r unw i se to
,
confess ? The question must be decided by the

individual When o ne is sure to be misj udged
.
,
when the revelation wil l result in misunderstand

ing when the other party 1s prej udiced by c on
,
v e nt io nal views a nd bigoted o n the sub j ect and

, ,
there has been no harmful result o f any kind ,
then the confession may cause loss of respect un ,
happiness an d possibly the breaking up o f the

home It may be inadvisable in a case o f that
.
'
kind .
F o reskin A dh eri ng ,
See C ircummsmn this .
-
,
chapter
H ema to cele A swelling 1n the scrotum du
.
.
-
e
353
MA NH OOD AND MARRIAGE
imme diately surrounding the testicl e It is often .
more inconvenient than painful Sometime s .
mi staken f o r rupture sometimes associated with

,
rupture It may be due to inj ury infection

.
, ,
t uberculosis obstructed veins o r dropsy It is

, .
sometimes congenital The treatment should

depend upon the cause In som
.
e cases rest on
.
,
the back the local application of cold w et cloths

, ,
fasting and limited water drinking will be suffi

cient T app1ng may be necessary in some i n
.
stances
H ypospadias —
.
A deformity m which the

. ,
opening of the urethra appears on th e under side

o f the penis instead o f at t h e end f It u sually.
accom panies more or less deformity o f the part .
Surgical treatment may be useful i n correcting

the condition
M ilk D ie t — I have referred to the exclusive
milk diet in several places in this book as being
valuable l n some cases o f impotence —o r wherever ,
there is an extreme degree o f debility loss o f flesh ,
and neurasthenia in connection with sexual weak

nesses o r disorders It is not w ise to attempt the
.
milk diet without a thorough understanding o f

the necessary procedure and it might be well t o
,
have the su pervision of some o ne who is familiar

with it It may be helpful however t o give
.
, ,
briefly a f ew o f the important details .
The best results are always obtained by fast

ing from o ne to three days before commencing
the milk diet at the same time drinki ng water
,
freely and taking o ne o r two full enemas Then .
354.
PROBLE M S OF YOUNG
take a glass o f milk every half hour through the -

(
day It would be well to use only three o r f0 ur

‘
~
.
quarts the first day an d gr adually increase the

,
amount until at the end of three o r four days y o u

,
are able to consume from 31x to eight quarts

daily Sip it very slowly taking five to ten min
.
,
utes to consume o ne glass Use nothing but the .
milk in this diet except for lemon j uice the first

,
thing each morning o r at any time during the

,
day when it is appetizing The lemon j uice may .
be diluted with a little water If the milk is no t .
appetizing use more lemon j uice o r fast half a

, ,
day drinking water freely If there is constipa

, .
tion; increase the amount o f the ml lk If the .
patient is very weak an d the cold milk chilling

, ,
it may be warmed to the t emperature o f the body ,
like fresh drawn milk Pasteurized milk is less

-
.
"
satisfactory than fresh raw milk o f good q uality .
ersey milk is too rich in cream ; the milk of other

breeds is better In most cases the best results
.
a re secured with the milk diet when used in con
j unction with comparative rest

N itra te of Silv er T rea tment —A word upon
.
- e
the subj ect o f the nitrate -o f silver treatment for -
sexual disorders is necessa ry because o f its very

’
e xtensive use by specialists T h e reader h as a l .
ready seen that this antiseptic is often used f o r in

j ect io ns into the urethra in the treatment o f gon
"
o rrh e a and also as a prophylactic measure to pre

,
‘
vent this a fl ect io n It is also extensively used

.
by physicians in the treatment o f a congested ,
sensitive and irritable posterior urethra such as ,

"
MA N HOOD AND M ARRI A GE
'
often results from excessive masturbation o r may ,
be found l n connection with prematurity o r par

tial impotence The theory upon which this
.
treatment i s based I S that by c o mmenc l ng with a

very weak solution and gradually 1ncre asing its
strength the mucous membranes involved are
,
hardened and rendered less sensitive The chief .
obj ection to it is that in most cases the solution

employed is too strong I do not believe that
.
anything stron ger than a t w o per cent solution - -
should ever be permitted Nothing that causes .
pain in the urethra can b e beneficial and it is a ,
good rule not to inj ect into it anything so strong

that it could not also be put into the eye .
I doubt whether any real o r permanent benefit

1n sexual weakness is secured by such treatment ,
though its antiseptic and cleansing value is un

questionable when infection has entered the
urethra Usually the physician prescribes with
.
the local treatment some general health building

measures and it is probably these that produce
,
the good results if there are any

,
.
I believe that m most cases the external use of

cold water will accomplish better results If 1n .
ternal treatment seems necessary an inj ection o f ,
cold sterilized ( prev 1o usly boiled ) water would

,
do as well as the nitrate o f silver instillation A

- - ;
saline solution ( teaspoon o f salt to a quart o f

water ) o r a weak boric acid solution prepared
,
-
,
with sterilized water would probably be better

,
.
The obj ection to these 1s the possibly detrimental

e ff ect of the cold water upon the bladder It I S .
356
t inuo us and persistent erection o f the generative
organ It is sometimes due t o some s pinal dis
.
ease and is then very serious In other cases it

, .
may be due to local irritation from prostate trou

ble o r some other disorder i n which case treat ,
ment should be directed t o the primary condition .
Chordee is an erected condition with a mark ed

downward Curve frequently occurring in go no r
rhea ( which see ) .
S pinal stimulation and constitutional treat

ment are necessary Hot and cold applications
‘
to the spine may be hel pful in di ff erent cases .
Plenty o f active e x ercise cold sit z baths and local,

-
cold applications if long c ontinued will be o f

, ,
value A full bladder often aggravates the con

.
dition General building up is the most impor

.
-
tant remedial measure

R upture o r H ernia — There is no question that
.
in many cas e s hernia has a weakening e ff ect upon

the sexual system though it would often be
,
nearer the truth t o say that the general weak nes s

is responsible for both hernia and sexual weak
ness As a rule herma can be p revented by ex
.
’
,
e rc ise that builds up the muscular walls o f the
abdomen and in most cases it can be cured in the

,
same w ay Of course a properly fitting truss

.
should be k ept in plac e while executing such ex

erc ise s to protect t h e weak ened part
, .
T h e question as t o whether o r not sexual in

t erc o urse should be avoided in this condition is
o ne that depends l a rgely upon the extent and
353
PROBLEMS OF YOUNG
serio usne sso the hernia If at all pronounced

f .
,
it would b e best to maintain strict continence un

til an improvement o r cure has been brought
about Particularly in the case o f a scrotal rup
.
ture is it a dvisable to avoid any sexual indul

gence
S a ty ri asis —A c ondition o f extreme and un
.
controllable sexual de sire being the counterp art ,
o f the diso rder in women known as n m h o ma

y p
nia In its more serious forms it is usually a
.
symptom o f brain o r spinal disease perhaps ap ,
pro ac hing insanity In other cases it may be

.
,
a symptom of irritation or inflammation o f parts

o f the generative system especially the prostate ,
gland or posterior urethra Local treatment for .
these parts will b e necessary When the brain .
o r nervous system is at fault thorough c o nst itu ,
t io nal and vitali ty building treatment will be nec

-
ess a ry See the chapter o n “H o w t o Build Vi

.
”
rilit y
S ew D eformities — Most
.
deformities o f.
sexual organs are congenital ( ex ist in

birth ) and little o r nothing can b
though in some cases surgical treatment may be
advantageous S ee h ermaphroditism and h y
.
po spa di as The question o f undersized o r un

.
developed organs is discussed in the chapter o n

imp otence
T esticles D i so rders o f — I nflamm atio n o f the
.
.
,
testicles may be the result not only o f gonorrheal

infection but o f mumps typhoid fever general
, , ,
359
MANH OOD AND MARRI AGE
pus o r septic infection syphilis o r tuberculosis

, .
When the epididymis alone is a ffected the con ,
dition is called epididymitis and is in most cases ,
the result o f gonorrhea When the body o f the.

‘
testicle is involved it is called orchitis Sterility .
may result in either case Inj uries naturally .
caus e inflamm ation Tubercular o r syphilitic

.
inflammat io ns sometimes take a chronic form .
Constitutional treatment is always desirable t o ,
purify the blood and build up the health Fast .
ing and water dr inking are always helpful in in

-
flammat o ry con di tions of any kind Hot sitz .
bath s are invariably best though alternate h o t ,
and cold sitz baths or alternate hot and cold local

-
,
packs may sometimes answer the purpose better

, .
Enemas are usually helpful Rest is important . .
Apparent absence o f the testicles may mean

“
simply that they ar e undescended ” o r m other ,
words that they are still in th e pelvic cavity

, ,
where they first form In normal cases they de

.
scend into the scrotum a f ew weeks before birth

‘
Sometimes they do so later In a few cases they .
never do They may function satisfactorily

.
,
even if undescended in some cases but more f re

, ,
quently their functional power is poor or lacking .
If o ne is virile and the sex instinct normal in

, ,
spite o f the condition one need not be concerned

,
about it and it is not wise to have an operation

,
performed o r to meddle otherwise Complete .
absence o f the testicle is ordinarily accompanied

by a lack o f development and vigor .
Atrophy o f the testicles was discussed in the

360
advised Strict cleanliness is necessary together

.
,
with blood purifying measures They are pain

-
.
less grayish and inclined to slough o ff easily

, , .
Surgical treatment may be advantageous

M arried L ife A f ter M iddle A g e —What
.
should be the character o f the marriage relation

ship after middle age ? Should a man expect to
continue the habits o f his earlier years o r sho uld
“
there be a gradual decline in sex activity ?

It is well known that women ex perience b e ,
tween the age o f forty fiv e and fifty a physio-

,
logical change which mark s the end o f the repro

duct iv e period This is really the end o f true
.
sex activity even though it does not neces sarily

,
mea n that the sex instinct is obliterated The .
“
change o f life has very little e ffect upon the sex
impulse in the case o f some women In others .
it is practically lost after this time The general

‘
rule is that ther e is a gradual decline in the sex

instinct following t h e menopause .
M en however do not experience any sudden

, ,
physiological change o f this nature It is only .
nat ural however that there should be a decline

, ,
in the force o f the sex impulse after middle age ,
corresponding to a certain extent t o the ending

o f the reproductive period in woman It is true .
that in the case of a healthy man virility should ,
last as long as life but it is a matter o f common

,
experience that the strength and power o f the

sexual urge is diminished from middle age o n .
And it is only natural that there should be a c o r

responding decre ase in sex activity even though ,
363
PROBLEMS OF YOUNG
’
one s vigor and Vi rility are unimpaired It is .
certain that excesses during this period o f life

cause o ne to age rapidly It is even advisable in
~
.
_
many cases to pr actice continence from the age of

fifty o r fif ty -fiv e years A great many men are
.
perfectly content with such a program com

‘
me nc ing even earlier in life I have referr ed to

.
this aspect o f the question in the chapter o n “I m

potence ” in discussing impotence in relation t o
,
o ld age .
It is wise f o r the young couple therefore t o , ,
anticipate the coming decline in the sex instincts ,
and to prepare f o r their mutual enj oyment o f
the later years of life by strengthening the bonds

o f a ff ection and companionshi
p in other ways
There should be as many sources o f mutual 1n
t ere st as possible domestic mental and social
, , .
Of course the strongest bond in many c ases will

be the children whom the couple may have raised .
But usually the children leave home t o establish

homes o f their o w n and if the parents are still
,
dra w n t o each other by their mutual i nterest in

many things in addition to the natural a ff ection
, /
that has developed between them it will make ,
life much h appier and more full o f mea mng .
This does not necessarily mean that each o ne

should not “live his o w n life ” o r that either ,
should lose his o r her individuality by having it
merged into that o f the other But it is nec e s.
sary that there should be a common interest in

v arious department s o f life and mutual e nj oy
,
ment o f such things as muS1c the arts literat ure ,

, ,
363
MANH OOD A ND MA R R I A G E
gardening animal life current events busines s
, , ,
and various other m atters if the couple are to

,
continue to enj oy each other ’s so c 1ety during the .
later years o f life

.
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Only o ne v uch
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MAN H OO D

sh ed t he lig h t o f k no w ledg e w h ere o nly t h e

darkness of the vilest p rudery reigns t o ,

plac e h ea lt h o f b o dy a nd puri ty o f mind

ﬁlth A nd to men who ha ve

b een to rtured a lmo st b ey o nd

We are living in a remarkable perl o d The .

developments and vicissitudes o f modern life and

produce a state o f di sease and su ff ering the ex

Ask any doctor Examine the records O f any

The O lder civilizations Oriental and Euro

pean have learned to cope with these conditions ;

ou r struggles are restricted by the pru di shness

and superﬁ cialit y o f those who say “why talk

ties as instanced by the Portland Oregon B oard ,

Of Health and the Indiana State Board o f

the enormous inr oads upon public health through

are accomplishing marvelous good through their

This book has been written by o ne who has

a cent nor a moment O f the time O f any o ne to

whom knowledge o n these subj ects is of no im

Extraordinary difﬁculties were encountered in

the details dis cussed within its pages are too o f

t itude has been the di rect cause Of misery pa in , ,

and weak ness that have scourged their victims

beyond the power o f description But the truth .

is mighty and truth that is pitif t

ness and defeat death cannot with intelli gence

be ignored o r suppressed T hi s book is literally

crammed with plain information o f this sort It .

is w ritten for the thousands who are in dire need

th e pruriency o f th e curious it does not dwell,

o n any so called forbidden topic except for the

purpose o f disseminating important life saving ,

information Sometimes it is necessary to speak

plainl y. Plain talk is most terribly needed in

We have realized however that the pur pose of

thi s book might be misunderstood that in our ,

enthusiasm we might present important truths

In order to avoid a possible mistake o f this

asked a prominent Sunday School ofﬁcial in one

book carefully and change any statement therein

that coul d possibly o ffend even the most fas

he could ﬁnd nothing that could 111 any way be

termed Obj ectio nab le He suggested various

changes however which he thought might make

the book more acceptable t o those w h o had no t

tically a specialist in directing the growing

a well known minister who has given a great

deal O f time to what is known as purity work ,

to read the book and suggest changes that he

thought desirable by this progressive clergyman

Believing that another phase o f the book

medical men regarding that side O f the sub ect .

Their verdict was satisfactory in every detail .

They agreed with the author that the methods

upon to the extent indicated and that the way t o

We therefore feel that in sending o ut this

book we are not only presenting extraordinary

a manner that even to the most sensitive o r prud

Manhood of a superior degree is o f truly ex

Thousands o f young men and those that are no t

young can be wonderfully beneﬁted by care

fully following the instructions t o be found in