A Solemn Appeal - James White

of this evil, he said that nine-tenths of his
acquaintances were given to it.
" 'On inquiring of one of the physicians in
Blockley Alms House, Philadelphia, as to the
number of its inmates who were brought into the
insane department by its instrumentality, he started
at once upon his feet, and spoke with great energy
and emphasis of its influence in inducing
derangement, and narrated several very interesting
cases. In my visit to that institution a few days ago,
I saw several insane patients who were brought
there by this vice, and whose hands were tied, to
prevent self-pollution.
" 'If it is facts that you want, I assure you they
exist in abundance in every degree of aggravation.
Let the young be warned, for most of its victims
become so ignorantly. Let us have light, especially
in our institutions of learning; because there, the
absence of exercise, the seclusion from female
society, and the character of their studies,
especially those that cultivate (vitiate) the
imagination, all tend to induce and increase the
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