A Solemn Appeal - James White

It enfeebles the mind
"Frequent indulgence in any of its forms, will
run down, and run out, any one, of either sex.
Those who would write, or speak, or study, must
forego this indulgence or intellectual exertion, or
else die. Powerful constitutions will stand an
immense drain before they finally break, but
terrible indeed is the result.
"Mere animal temperaments are less injured,
because, by supposition, their vitality is abundant,
and its drain by other functions is slight; nor do
they enjoy this function as do those more highly
organized, and hence are proportionally less
exhausted. Such live, to be sure; so do brutes.
Carnal, groveling, sensual, lowlived animals, living
mainly on a single pleasure, when their nature
serves up so many! Let such revel in lust, because
capable of little else. But those highly organized
must partake rarely, else it will excite to
distraction, and proportionally exhaust. Besides,
they can expend their less-abundant, perhaps
deficient, vitality to better advantage. Frequent
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