the pillow, and so intensify the illusion.

"Before puberty the boys appeared to be more continent than
afterward. A few of the older and more intelligent masturbators
regulated the habit, as some married men regulate intercourse.
The big boy referred to, who chose always the same manipulator,
professed to indulge only once in twenty days, his reason being
that more frequent repetition of the act would injure his health.
About twice a week for boys who had reached puberty, and once a
week for younger boys, was, I think, about the average
indulgence. I have never met with a parallel of one of those
cases of excessive masturbation recorded by many doctors. There
may have been such cases at this school; but, if so, the boys
concealed the frequency of their gratifications.

"My experience proved that many of the lads regarded masturbation
as reprehensible; but their plea was 'everyone does it.' Some,
often those who indulged inordinately and more secretly than
their companions, gravely condemned the practice as sinful. A few
seemed to think there was 'no harm in it,' but that the habit
might stunt the growth and weaken the body if practiced very
frequently. The greater number made no attempt to conceal the
habit, they enlarged upon the pleasure of it; it was 'ever so
much nicer than eating tarts,' etc.

"The chief cause I believe to be initiation by an older
schoolmate. But I have known accidental causes, such as the
discovery that swarming up a pole pleasurably excited the organ,
rubbing to allay irritation, and simple, curious handling of the
erect penis in the early morning before rising from bed."

I quote the foregoing communication as perhaps a fairly typical
experience in a British school, though I am myself inclined to
think that the prevalence of masturbation in schools is often
much overrated, for, while in some schools the practice is
doubtless rampant, in others it is practically unknown, or, at
all events, only practiced by a few individuals in secret. My own
early recollections of (private) school-life fail to yield any
reminiscences of any kind connected with either masturbation or
homosexuality; and, while such happy ignorance may be the
exception rather than the rule, I am certainly inclined to
believe that--owing to race and climate, and healthier cond