Otherwise, he is defeated beforehand. But he
should also have that distrust of self which warns
him against rushing into temptation.
No man Is strong of body, no matter what his
constitution may be, if he does not eat what pre-
serves health and avoid what ruins It. Because a
man is strong, he cannot trust himself to eat
tainted meat. Any man who Is so sure of his
strength that he does not distrust dangerous food
has not self-confidence, but self-disregard.
DANGERS TO YOUNG MEN 101

There are certain things in life more deadly for
young men, no matter how virtuous they may
consider themselves, than poisoned meat is for a
healthy and strong man. There is such a thing
as poisoned pleasure. JCeep away from it !

Sometimes we read of persons poisoned by
something they ate at a banquet. They enjoyed
the banquet immensely. A few hours later they
were dangerously ill, or perhaps dead. There
are pleasures of life which are tainted. They
cause illness of mind and body, and often death.
But we cannot be taken unawares by them, as men
at a banquet. We are warned. Tainted pleasure
is labelled.
Every pleasure of life that is forbidden by
God's commandments is labelled poisonous. Sin
is that label. The man who wants to disregard
that label, may do so. But he must not blame
anyone but himself if he meets with fatal results.
