her works devoted to the subject.[10] General and local cleanliness
are indispensable to general and local health.

[Footnote 10: See "Uses of Water" and "The Household Manual."]

_Religion_.--After availing himself of all other aids to continence,
if he wishes to maintain purity of mind as well as physical
chastity--and one cannot exist long without the other--the individual
must seek that most powerful and helpful of all aids, divine grace.
If, in the conflict with his animal nature, man had only to contend
with the degrading influences of his own propensities, the battle would
be a serious one, and it is doubtful whether human nature alone--at
least in any but rare cases,--would be able to gain the victory; but,
in addition to his own inherent tendencies to evil, man is assailed
at every point by unseen agencies that seek to drag him down and spoil
his soul with lust. These fiendish influences are only felt, not seen,
from which some argue that they do not exist. Such casuists must find
enormous depths for human depravity. But who has not felt the cruel
power of these unseen foes? Against them, there is but one safe,
successful weapon, "the blood of Christ which cleanseth from all sin."

The struggling soul, beset with evil thoughts, will find in prayer a
salvation which all his force of will, and dieting, and exercising,
will not, alone, insure him. Yet prayer alone will not avail. Faith
and works must always be associated. All that one can do to work out
his own salvation, he must do; then he can safely trust in God to do
the rest, even though the struggle seems almost a useless one; for when
the soul has been long in bondage to concupiscence, the mind a hold
of foul and lustful thoughts, a panorama of unchaste imagery, these
hateful phantoms will even intrude themselves upon the sanctity of
prayer and make their victim mentally unchaste upon his knees. But
Christ can pity even such; and even these degraded minds may yet be
pure if with the psalmist they continue to cry, with a true purpose
and unwavering trust, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew
a right spirit within me." "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

At the first suggestion of an evil thought, send up a mental prayer
to Him whose ear is always open. Prayer and impurity are as incompatible
as oil and water. The pure thoughts that sincere prayer will bring,
displace the evil promptings of exci