iness as
you are for that of your daughters. Besides the future happiness of
another woman's daughter depends in a large measure upon the health of
your son. The boys need instruction as much if not more than do the
girls; at any rate they need it earlier than the girls do, because boys
talk more freely than girls and boys acquire their first impressions of
these subjects much earlier than girls.

No boy ever willfully contracted a disease that would produce so much
future misery as that resulting from one of the venereal diseases. You
remember I made the remark that the large percentage of men contracted
these diseases before their twentieth year, before they had any adequate
knowledge of the possible consequences. If boys were warned there would
be no more of this innocent acquisition of disease. Many a man has had
cause to regret all his life a few moments of thoughtless dissipation.
Even though a boy has acquired one of these diseases that is no reason
why he should suffer from it the remainder of his life any more than
that he constantly should suffer from an attack of smallpox. One
difference at the present time is that the smallpox patient receives the
most scientific treatment procurable, but the victim of one of these
plagues is neglected. Boys are told these diseases are no worse than a
cold and so do not realize the necessity for prompt and adequate
treatment. The ordinary boy treats himself, following the advice of some
of his friends or some incompetent person. He has a feeling of shame
which prevents him from going to the family physician, who would give
him honest advice. If he goes to any physician he usually goes to some
advertising physician who claims to be a "men specialist." The main
speciality of these men is obtaining money from their ignorant dupes.
Their advertisements would make nearly every man in the world think he
were suffering from some grave disease. The young boy, at an
impressionable age, is a ready victim to their lures. He is treated for
a real or an imaginary disease until his money is all gone, then he is
discharged.

Let me read you a letter I received from a young boy which will
illustrate my meaning: "I read your article 'A Father's Duty to His
Son,' in the ---- and take the liberty of writing to you. My father died
when I was but nine years old, so I was left to my own resources, the
result being I am now a nervous wreck at the age of nineteen. I have
doctored for nervous debi