rst of all, he is no longer frank and open. He
becomes shifty and suspicious and will not look you squarely in the
face. A boy cannot become a slave to this habit without it affecting his
mind. He invites debasing thoughts,--the old pure and clean method of
thought and living no longer satisfy. His imagination even becomes
corrupt and his moral nature and moral sense is perverted until he no
longer seems to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong.
He has little regard for the truth and if occasion demands it he will
lie without appreciating the dishonorable part he is playing. In the end
his will power is lost--even the effort to save himself is too feeble to
succeed--he is a slave to the habit, his health and strength ruined.

If every boy could realize the possible end of this evil habit he would
make an effort to rid himself of it before he becomes its victim and its
slave. It may be easy to abandon the practice in the beginning. The
longer he continues it, however, the less chance he has of finally
mastering it, until, if he persists beyond a certain point, it is a
matter of serious question whether he will ever be able to free himself
from its grip. If the boy has lost the will power to carry out his
resolves, no number of good desires or resolutions will avail. And it is
just this will power that the wasting of the semen saps little by little
away.

TREATMENT.--What can we do for these boys? Most of them can do much for
themselves by simply stopping the practice. There are, of course, others
who need careful management before the habit may be controlled and
health restored. It is well to always remember to be tactful and patient
and kind to these boys. Many of them are standing on the brink of
despair, weak in body and weak in mind. They do not know where to turn
to look for a friend--the right kind of a friend. It is a terrible
thought that your own boy may be abjectly miserable in his own home
because he is harboring a secret that is wrecking his health, and,
though he may long for sympathy and a helping hand, neither his father
nor mother have invited his confidence or spoken to him about these
things. A watchful mother can usually tell when her boy becomes addicted
to this habit. He will show it in his manner, he will not be free and
open, he will want to be by himself. Later he will show the effects of
the abusive treatment he is subjecting himself to in his appearance. He
will be sunken-eyed,