from London, which he visited some time since. Nearly all the occupants of those beds were very young men, and seventy out of the ninety were in this sad case of weakness and pain through disease brought on by themselves. Yes; these seventy young men might have been in good health if they had only abstained from the gratification of their sinful nature-if they had not indulged in fornication and uncleanness'-those crimes of which we have been speaking.

We next enter a lunatic asylum. I will not try to describe the scenes of moping melancholy, of witless mirth, of brooding despair, of fierce blasphemy, of pitiable idiotcy which abound there. My object is not to gratify a morbid curiosity, but to impress upon your minds the solemn fact, that many of these pitiable beings have become inmates of this place in consequence of their indulging in the same sins as those in the hospital were guilty of. Further, I wish you to know that these are the very worst and most incurable lunatics. The brain is so affected, that medical men fear it will never resume its functions. The secret sin in which they indulged has been God's avenger, and a very terrible one it is.

I could take you to other scenes—in gaols, in prisons, and even in more private places where the young congregate to show the workings and results of these terrible yet

common sins. But not wishing, unnecessarily, to continue these descriptions, I will tell you of only one more fact.

A few years ago you might have seen a boy, full of life and health, with bloom on his cheeks, fire in his eyes, and vigour in every limb. Look at him now, blighted, stooping, pale and thin, not liking to look any one in the face. 'Surely,' you will say, this cannot be the same youth I saw before.' Yet this is the case. His parents are much concerned about his health, and wonder what is the matter with him. He has just been to the doctor, who has told him that his lungs are affected, and that his whole constitution is shattered; but he has not told him the cause of this sad state, and perhaps even he does not guess what it is. Not long after, a friend takes this young man aside, and puts a few plain questions to him which he cannot evade. 'Cannot you,' says the faithful friend, 'guess the reason for all weakness and decay?' 'No,' is the reply. Have you not been guilty of certain secret sins?' The young man makes no answer. His pallid cheeks are covered with blushes, but presently, with downcast eyes, he answers, Yes;' and adds, 'But I was not aware this was the cause of my illness.' 'Depend upon it,' said his friend, that is the cause, and you must at once abandon it, or speedy death will follow.' 'Oh!' said the young man, deeply

your

affected, tell R— D—, for he taught me this abominable habit; his intellect is much impaired, and he is already partially deaf; and do write to F H—, for I led him astray; and now he is far away, and may be teaching others also to destroy themselves.'

The young man then affectionately bid adieu to his friend, but it was their last interviewin a few months after the young man died.

Remember, reader, these are not made-up stories, every case mentioned is true, and many thousands more are to be found.

Alas! for such young men! Was it for this that their mothers nursed and reared them -for this that their fathers laboured and toiled -for this that their teachers instructed and prayed? We know, young reader, that your answer to this question will be No.' Let such cases then prove a warning to you, and fail not to engrave in your memory the injunction of the Apostle, Flee youthful lusts, which war against the soul.'

Purity will do well in nothing without the heart; the heart can be happy in nothing without purity. It is a great pity two such sweet companions should be kept asunder. The God of all purity bring them together.

So dear to Heaven is saintly chastity,
That when a soul is found sincerely so,
A thousand liv'ry'd angels lacquer her,
Driving far off each thing of sin and guilt,

THINGS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH.

ON NARCOTICS.

ON OPIUM.

When I reflect on what I have seen, what I have heard, and what I have done, I look upon all that is passed as one of those romantic dreams which opium commonly occasions, and I do by no means desire to repeat the nauseous dose.

OPIUM may be considered as the type of all narcotics, and for this reason we place it at the head of our list.

The exceedingly injurious effects of opium are so generally acknowledged by all those capable of forming an opinion on the matter, that any long description of this drug is scarcely needed.

The practice of taking opium, however, and other drugs of the same class, such as laudanum, morphia, &c., prevails to so large an extent― much larger than persons generally suppose -that we are doing a service to our readers if, in referring to it, we can induce them to see the importance of carefully avoiding its use.

We may first state a few facts, in order to give some idea of the wonderful extent to which the human constitution is capable of being turned aside, by degrees, from its appropriate work, and natural condition, by the use of this drug, and then show the danger of commenc

ing its use on account of the sad results which follow.

Dr. Thompson, an authority on the subject, declares, in his Materia Medica, that he was consulted by a lady who absolutely took 100 grains of opium daily! and Dr. Smith, another eminent writer, relates the case of a man who was in the habit of taking the enormous quantity of 180 grains daily! but more extraordinary still are the facts recorded in a work by Thomas De Quincey, entitled, The Confessions of an Opium-eater.' In this work the author informs us that from small beginnings he increased his dose of opium until he took 320 grains daily! which he estimated to be equal to 8,000 drops of the tincture of opium, called laudanum.

Now, instances are recorded in which four grains of opium have proved a fatal dose for an adult, and yet a person may, by beginning with very small doses, go on increasing them until such quantities as those we have named may be taken apparently without fatal results-a most remarkable proof, indeed, of the extent to which Nature may be trifled with before punishing the offender for a transgression of her laws.

To show the effects of opium-the fearful ravages which such practices as those described make on the human system, we may refer to the narrative already mentioned, whose author used this drug for many years, and whose experience is recorded in his Confessions,' in