st he returned to his home, and a few weeks later
we received the awful intelligence that he had ended his miserable life
by blowing out his brains with a pistol. Thus tragically ended the
career of this young man, who might, with the advantages afforded him,
have become a useful member of society. In total despair of this life
or the next, he rashly ended his probation, and with his own hand
finished the work of destruction which he had himself begun. No words
can tell the grief of his stricken mother; but, fortunately, she was
spared the knowledge of the whole truth, else would her sorrow have
been too great to bear.

From Bad to Worse.--C. E., a young man from the West, was sent to us
by his father with the request that we would do what we could to save
him. His father's letter intimated that the son had been a source of
grief to him, but he hoped that he had repented of his prodigal course,
and was really determined to reform. Though scarcely more than twenty
years of age, the young man's face wore an aspect of hardness, from
familiarity with vice, that we have rarely seen. He was reduced to a
mere skeleton by the vice which he made no secret of, and was so weak
that he could scarcely walk a rod. It seemed as if every organ in his
body was diseased, and that he had so squandered his vital resources
that he had no power to rally from his wretched condition even should
he carry out the determination to reform which he announced. However,
we gave him the best counsel and advice within our power, and placed
him under treatment. After a few weeks it was evident that nature was
still willing to respond to his endeavors to reform, by vigorous efforts
to restore him to a condition of comparative health. Thus he was
snatched, as it appeared, from the very jaws of death. Under these
circumstances it would seem that the most hardened criminal would
reform, at least for a season, and lead a life of rectitude; but so
utterly depraved was this poor wretch that no sooner did he find that
he was not liable to die immediately than he began at once again his
career of sin. By long indulgence his moral sense had become, apparently,
obliterated. He seemed to be utterly without the restraint imposed by
conscience. In less than a month he was detected in the crime of theft,
having stolen a watch from a fellow-patient. Upon his arrest,
stimulated by the hope of in some degree mitigating his punishment,
he confessed to have been carrying o