that she would almost rather die than live. She sent with
her letter photographs representing herself at twenty and at that time,
so that we might see the contrast. It was indeed appalling to see what
changes sin had wrought. Her face, once fair and comely, had become
actually haggard with vice. Purity, innocence, grace, and modesty were
no longer visible there. The hard lines of sin had obliterated every
trace of beauty, and produced a most repulsive countenance. Though
greatly depraved and shattered by sin and consequent disease in body
and mind, she still had some desire to be cured, if possible, and made
a most pitiful appeal for help to escape from her loathsome condition.
We gave her the best counsel we could under the circumstances, and did
all in our power to rescue her from her living death; but whether in
any degree successful we cannot tell, as we have never heard from the
poor creature since.

We have often wished since that we might but show those two pictures
to every girl who has been tempted to sin in this way, to all who have
ever yielded to this awful vice. The terrible contrast would certainly
produce an impression which no words can do. We sent them back to their
wretched original, however, by her request, and so cannot show the
actual pictures; but when any who read these lines are tempted thus
to sin we beg them to think of these two pictures, and by forming a
vivid image of them in the mind drive away the disposition to do wrong.

A Mind Dethroned.--A young lady who had received every advantage which
could be given her by indulgent parents, and who naturally possessed
most excellent talents, being a fine musician, and naturally so bright
and witty as to be the life of every company in which she moved, suddenly
began to show strange symptoms of mental unsoundness. She would
sometimes be seized with fits of violence during which it was with great
difficulty that she could be controlled. Several times she threatened
the lives of her nurses, and even on one occasion attempted to execute
her threat, the person's life being saved by mere accident. Everything
was done for her that could be done, but the mania increased to such
a degree of violence that she was sent to an asylum for the insane.
Here she remained for months before she became sufficiently tractable
to be taken to her home and cared for by friends. Too close application
to study was the cause at first assigned for her mental disorder, but
a