This is a collection of lectures and essays first published in 1872 by a Reformed/Presbyterian minister. The purpose is to spotlight sins current in his day that destroy lives, families, and society, and to give the remedy for those sins. The problems of society are remarkably similar to our current world. He explores idleness, the desire to appear "in fashion" (or today just "in"), gambling, failure to pay equal pay for equal work, drunkenness (and other drug abuse), dishonesty, unclean entertainment, impure reading materials, and other evils that continue to be destructive today. (Debbie)