,illustration3 ,book ,cover ,,the ,,life ,,radiant by ,,lilian ,,whiting ,author of ,the ,world ,beautiful1 ,the ,spiritual ,significance ,the ,world ,beautiful in ,books1 ,kate ,field1 a ,record1 ,boston ,days1 etc4 ,follow it1 follow it1 ,follow the ,gleam4 ,boston ,little1 ,brown1 and ,company #aijc ,,to ,,arvilla ,,delight ,,meeker 7,,mrs4 ,,nathan ,,cook ,,meeker7 ,,in ,,whose ,,beautiful ,,life ,,patience ,,has ,,done ,,her ,,perfect ,,work1 ,,and ,,whose ,,unfaltering ,,and ,,joyful ,,faith ,,in ,,god ,,reveals ,,impressive ,,truth ,,in ,,the ,,life ,,radiant ,,of ,,holy ,,living ,,these ,,pages ,,are ,,inscribed ,,with ,,the ,,devotion ,,of ,,lilian ,,whiting ,,contents4 ,,page ,,the ,,golden ,,age ,,lies ,,onward4 ,,the ,,supreme ,,illumination #bd ,,creating ,,the ,,new ,,world #bf ,,eliminating ,,anxieties #cc ,,heaven',s ,,perfect ,,hour #cg ,,love ,,and ,,good ,,will #df ,,the ,,diviner ,,possibilities #ea ,,the ,,weight ,,of ,,the ,,past #fd ,,discerning ,,the ,,future4 ,a ,,determining ,,question #he ,,in ,,proportion ,,to ,,power #ii ,,the ,,ethereal ,,realm4 ,a ,,scientific ,,fact #abd ,a ,,glorious ,,inauguration #acf ,,finer ,,cosmic ,,forces #adi ,,health ,,and ,,happiness #aeh ,a ,,new ,,force #agb ,,the ,,service ,,of ,,the ,,gods #agd ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,exalted ,,moment4 ,,obey ,,the ,,vision #aib ,,the ,,open ,,door #bja ,,interruptions ,,as ,,opportunities #bjd ,,the ,,charm ,,of ,,companionship #bad ,a ,,summer ,,pilgrimage ,,in ,,arizona #bbf ,a ,,tragic ,,idyl ,,of ,,colorado #bcg ,a ,,remarkable ,,mystic #bed ,,the ,,momentous ,,question #bfa ,,the ,,nectar ,,of ,,the ,,hour4 ,a ,,profound ,,experience #bhe ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,prayer #bii ,,conduct ,,and ,,beauty #cac ,,the ,,divine ,,panorama #cba ,,also ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost1 ,,the ,,comforter #cca ,,the ,,life ,,radiant4 ,i am ,merlin ,who follow the ,gleam4 99 99 99 99 99 ,know well1 my soul1 ,god's hand controls ,whate'er thou fearest2 ,round ,him in calmest music rolls ,whate'er thou hearest4 ,what to thee is shadow1 to ,him is day1 ,and the end ,he knoweth4 ,and not on a blind and aimless way ,the spirit goeth4 ,,whittier4 ,,the ,,golden ,,age ,,lies ,,onward4 ,the ,golden ,age lies onward1 not behind4 ,the pathway through the past has led us up3 ,the pathway through the future will lead on1 ,and higher4 ,the ,life ,radiant is that transfiguration of the ordinary daily events and circumstances which lifts them to the spiritual plane and sees them as the signs and the indications of the divine leading4 ,every circumstance thus becomes a part of the revelation2 and to constantly live in this illuminated atmosphere is to invest all experiences with a kind of magical enchantment4 ,life prefigures itself before us as a spiritual drama in which we are1 at once1 the actors and the spectators4 ,the story of living goes on perpetually4 ,the days and the years inevitably turn the pages and open new chapters4 ,nothing is ever hopeless1 because new combinations and groupings create new results4 ,the forces that determine his daily life are partly with man and partly with ,god4 ,they lie in both the ,seen and the ,unseen4 ,we are always an inhabitant of both realms1 and to recognize either alone and be blind to the other is to deprive ourselves of the great sources of energy4 ,the divine aid1 infinite and all-potent as it is1 capable at any moment of utterly transforming all the conditions and transferring them to a higher plane1 is yet limited by the degree of spiritual receptivity in the individual4 ,as one may have all the air that he is able to breathe1 so may one have all the aid of the ,holy ,spirit which he is capable of receiving4 ,man can never accept so gladly and so freely as ,god offers2 but in just the proportion to which he can1 increasingly1 lift up his heart in response1 to that degree ,god fills his life with a glory not of earth4 ,man may ask1 and ,god may answer1 but we may not understand1 ,knowing but our own poor language1 all the writing of ,his hand4 ,science has discovered the existence of that incalculable energy1 the ether1 interpenetrated in the atmosphere4 ,electro-magnetic currents of power beyond all conception are revealed1 and when intelligently recognized by some happy genius1 like that of ,marconi1 they begin to be utilized in the service of human progress4 ,now as this ethereal energy which is only just beginning to be recognized can be drawn upon for light1 for heat1 for motor power1 for communication1 just as this hitherto undreamed-of power can be drawn upon for the fundamental needs of the physical world1 so1 correspondingly1 does there exist the infinite reservoir of spiritual energy which ,god freely opens to man in precisely the proportion in which he recognizes and avails himself of its transforming power4 ,and in this realm lies the ,life ,radiant4 ,if this transfiguration of life could only be experienced by the aid of wealth and health and all for which these two factors stand1 it would not be worth talking about4 ,we hear a great deal of the privileged classes and of fortunate conditions1 as if there were certain arbitrary divisions in life defined by impassable boundaries1 and that he who finds himself in one1 is unable to pass to another4 ,never was there a more fatally erroneous conception4 ,in the spiritual world there are no limits1 no boundaries1 no arbitrary divisions4 ,just so far as the soul conquers1 is it free4 ,conquer ignorance1 and one enters the realm of education1 of culture2 conquer vice1 and he enters into the realm of virtue2 conquer impatience and irritability and bitterness1 and their result in gloom and despondency1 and he enters into the realm of serenity and sweetness and exaltation with their result in power of accomplishment4 ,the ,life ,radiant can be achieved1 and is within the personal choice of every individual4 ,one may place himself in relation with this infinite and all-potent current of divine energy and receive its impetus and its exhilaration and its illumination every hour in the day4 ,the toiler in manual labor may lead this twofold life4 ,on the visible side he is pushing onward in the excavation of a tunnel2 he is laying the track of a new railroad2 he is engaged in building a house2 he stands at his appointed place in a great factory1--but is this all8 ,his real work lies both in the visible and in the invisible4 ,on the one hand he is contributing to the material resources of the world1 and he is earning his wage by which to live2 on the other hand he is developing patience1 faithfulness1 and judgment1--quantities of the spiritual man and possessions of the spiritual life which extend the spiritual territory4 ,faithfulness to the immediate duty creates a larger theatre for duty4 ,there are not wanting examples that could be named of statesmen1--senators1 governors1 and others in high places1 to say nothing of the supreme example of a ,lincoln2 there are not wanting examples of professional men in high and important places who initiated their work by any humble and honest industrial employment that chanced to present itself at the moment4 ,conquering this rudimentary realm1 they passed on to others successively4 ,integrity is a spiritual quantity1 and it insures spiritual aid4 ,the cloud of witnesses is never dispersed4 ,the only imprisonment is in limitations1 and limitations can be constantly overcome4 ,the horizon line of the impossible recedes as we advance4 ,in the last analysis nothing is too sublime or too beautiful to be entirely possible4 ,its attainment is simply a question of conditions4 ,these conditions lie in entering into this inner realm of spiritual energy in which the personal will is increasingly identified with the will of ,god4 ,like an echo of celestial music are these lines by ,sully-,prudhomme3-- ,the lilies fade with the dying hours1 ,hushed is the song-bird's lay2 ,but ,i dream of summers and dream of flowers ,that last alway4 ,nor is this only the day-dream of a poet4 ,the summers and flowers that last alway are a very immediate treasure which one has only to perceive1 to grasp1 to recognize1 and to realize4 ,surely1 exclaimed the ,psalmist1 goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life1 and ,i shall dwell in the house of the ,lord forever4 ,this dwelling in the house of the ,lord is by no means a figure of speech4 ,nor is it to be regarded as some ineffable privilege to be--possibly to be--enjoyed after that change we call death4 ,its real significance is here and now4 ,one must dwell in the house of the ,lord to-day1 and every day4 ,the house of the ,lord is a beautiful figurative expression for that spiritual atmosphere in which one may perpetually live1 and in which it is his simple duty both to live and to radiate to all around him4 ,in these summer days of #aijc1 in this golden dawn of the twentieth century1 the world is echoing with wonder in the discovery of a new and most mysterious force in nature1--radium4 ,science is1 at this date1 powerless to analyze or explain its marvellous power4 ,the leading scientists of the world of learning--,sir ,william ,crookes1 ,sir ,oliver ,lodge1 and ,professor ,curie 7who1 with ,mme4 ,curie1 has the honor of being its discoverer7--believe that in radium will be found the true solution of the problem of matter4 ,radium gives off rays at the speed of one hundred and twenty thousand miles a second1 and these rays offer the most extraordinary heat1 light1 and power4 ,yet with this immense radiation it suffers no diminution of energy2 nor can any scientist yet discern from what source this power is fed4 ,a grain of it will furnish enough light to enable one to read1 and1 as ,professor ,j4 ,j4 ,thomson has observed1 it will suffer no diminution in a million years4 ,it will burn the flesh through a metal box and through clothing1 but without burning the texture of the garments4 ,the rays given out by radium cannot be refracted1 polarized1 or regularly reflected in the way of ordinary light1 although some of them can be turned aside by a magnet4 ,professor ,curie has reported to the ,french ,academy of ,science that half a pound of radium salts will in one hour produce a heat equal to the burning of one-third of a foot of hydrogen gas4 ,this takes place1 it must be remembered1 without any perceptible diminution in the radium4 ,it emits heat maintaining a temperature of #b4g degrees ,fahrenheit above its surroundings4 ,it evolves sufficient heat to melt more than its own weight of ice every hour4 ,radium projects its rays through solid substances without any perceptible hindrance and burns blisters through a steel case4 ,the light is pale blue4 ,down in the deepest pitchblende mines1 where particles of radium have been hidden away since the creation of the world1 they are still found shining with their strange blue light4 ,the radium electrons pass through the space which separates every molecule in a solid body from another4 ,the scientific theory is that no two molecules in any body1 however dense1 actually touch4 ,the relative power of radium to the ,x-ray is as six to one4 ,the rays of radium have one hundred thousand times the energy of those of uranium and over one hundred times the energy of barium radiation4 ,the scarcity of the metal will be understood when it is stated that there is far less radium in pitchblende than gold in ordinary sea water4 ,radium colors glass violet2 transforms oxygen into ozone1 white phosphorus to red2 electrifies various gases and liquids1 including petroleum and liquid air4 ,professor ,sir ,william ,crookes1 the world's greatest living physicist and experimental scientist1 said of radium in the ,june of this #aijc3-- ,in total darkness ,i laid a piece of pitchblende--the ore from which radium is extracted--face down upon a sensitized plate1 and let it act with its own light for twenty-four hours4 ,the result was a photograph1 where the black pitchblende appeared light owing to the emanations from the radium contained in it4 ,the photograph also shows these going off into space from the sides of the specimen4 ,radium is dangerous to handle4 ,once ,i carried a tiny piece of radium in my waistcoat pocket to a soiree at the ,royal ,society1 and on reaching home found a blister in my side4 ,the blisters from radium may take months to get well1 as the injurious effect goes so deep4 ,now ,i carry a thick lead box just large enough to hold the little brass case in which ,i keep the radium itself4 ,there it lies--a little1 tawny1 crystalline patch4 ,there would hardly be a larger quantity together in one box anywhere in ,england4 ,there are several kinds of emanations from radium4 ,photographs similar to those produced by the ,roentgen ray tube and induction coil can be got by means of the emanations from a small quantity of radium4 ,i took a screen made of zincblende1 which will phosphoresce when the emanations of radium fall upon it4 ,i then painted upon it1 in a solution of radium1 the word ',radium4' ,in the dark this screen 7about three inches by four inches7 gives off sufficient light to read by4 ,but the most striking way of showing the emanations is by the little contrivance ,i call a ,spinthariscope4 ,in this a zinc sulphide screen is fitted at the end of a short brass tube1 with a speck of radium about a millimeter away from it4 ,looking in the dark through the lens at the other end one sees a regular bombardment of the screen by the emanations4 ,the phenomena of radium require us to recast many of our ideas of matter1 electricity1 and energy1 and its discovery promises to realize what for the last hundred years have been but day-dreams of philosophy4 ,although the fact of emission of heat by radium is in itself sufficiently remarkable1 this heat is probably only a small portion of the energy radium is constantly sending into space4 ,it is at the same time hurling off material particles which reveal their impact on a screen by luminous scintillations4 ,stop these by a glass or mica screen1 and torrents of ,roentgen rays still pour out from a few milligrams of radium salt in quantity to exhibit to a company all the phenomena of ,roentgen rays1 and with energy enough to produce a nasty blister on the flesh1 if kept near it for an hour4 ,it is hardly possible to contemplate this remarkable element in the world of nature without recognizing its correspondence in the world of spirit4 ,if an element radiates perpetual light1 heat1 and power with no loss of its own inherent energy1 so the spirit can radiate love1 sympathy1 sweetness1 and inspiration with no diminution of its own quality4 ,science may be unable to recognize the medium from which radium is fed2 but religion recognizes the medium from which the spirit draws its sustenance in the power of ,god4 ,the human will merged in the divine will is invincible4 ,there is no ideal of life which it may not realize1 and this realization is in the line of the inevitable and is experienced with the unerring certainty of a mathematical demonstration4 ,yet1 when one comes to examine the actual average attitude of humanity toward this subject of the divine will1 one finds it is largely that of a mere gloomy and enforced resignation1 even at its best1 and1 at its worst1 of distrust and rebellion to the will of ,god4 ,it seems to be held as the last resort of desperation and despair1 rather than as the one abounding source of all joy and success and achievement4 ,the average individual holds a traditional belief that he ought1 perhaps1 to be able sincerely to wish that ,god's will be done1 but as a matter of fact he far prefers his own4 ,the petition is1 in his mind1 invariably associated with seasons of great sorrow1 disaster1 and calamity1 when1 having apparently nothing else to hope for1 a prayer is offered for the will of ,god6 ,it is somewhat vaguely held to be the appropriate expression for the last emergency1 and that it implies resigning one's self to the most serious and irreferable calamity4 ,there is also a nebulous feeling that while the will of ,god may be entirely appropriate to the conditions and circumstances of the aged1 the poor1 the unfortunate1 and the defective classes1 it is the last thing in the world to be invoked for the young1 the gifted1 the strong1 and the brilliant orders of society4 ,it is tacitly relegated to a place in some last hopeless emergency1 and not to a place in the creative energy of the most brilliant achievement4 ,now1 as a matter of profoundest truth1 this attitude is as remote from the clear realization of what is involved in the will of ,god as would be the conviction that the flying express train or the swift electric motor cars might be suitable enough for the aged1 and the weary1 and the invalid1 and the people whose time was of little consequence1 but that the young1 the radiant1 the eager1 the gifted1 the people to whom time was valuable1 must go by their own conveyances of horse or foot under their immediate personal control4 ,this fallacy is no more remote from truth than is the fallacy that the will of ,god is something to be accepted with what decorum of resignation one may1 only when he cannot help it6 ,on the contrary1 the will of ,god is the infinitely great motor of human life4 ,its power is as incalculably greater over the soul than that of radium over other elements1 as it is higher in the scale of being2 as spirit rather than substance2 and the ,life ,radiant is really entered upon when one has come absolutely to merge all his longing and desire into the divine purposes4 ,it is like availing one's self of the great laws of attraction and gravitation in nature4 ,with the human will identified with the divine will1 every day's experience becomes invested with the keenest zest and interest4 ,the events that may arise at any moment enlist the energy and fascinate the imagination4 ,the consciousness of union with ,god produces an exquisite confidence in the wise and sweet enchantment of life2 the constant receptivity of the soul to the influence and the guiding of the ,holy ,spirit make an atmosphere ecstatic1 even under the most commonplace or outwardly depressing circumstances4 ,celestial harmonies thrill the air4 ,in this divine atmosphere--the soul's native air--every energy is quickened4 ,the divine realm is as truly the habitat of the spiritual man--who1 temporarily inhabiting a physical body that he may thus come into relations with a physical world1 is essentially a spiritual rather than a physical being--as the air is the habitat of the bird1 or the water of the fish4 ,when the divine statement is made1 ,without ,me ye can do nothing1 it is simply that of a literal fact4 ,the gloom1 the depression1 the irritation that so often prevail and persist in mental conditions1 do not arise1 primarily1 from any outward trial or perplexity2 they are the result--the inevitable result--of the soul's lack of union with ,god2 the lack of that rapport between the spirit of man and the divine spirit in which alone is exhilaration and joy4 ,when this union is forged1 when the human will rests perfectly in the divine will1 one then absolutely knows1 with the most positive and literal conviction1 that all things work together for good to them that love ,god4 ,the assurance is felt with the unchallenged force of a mathematical demonstration4 ,not merely that the pleasant and agreeable things work together for good1 but all things--pain1 loss1 sorrow1 injustice1 misapprehension4 ,then one realizes in his own experience the significance of the words1 ,we glory in tribulation1 also4 ,one has heard all one's life1 perhaps1 of the ministry of sorrow1 and similar phrases1 and he has become a trifle impatient of them as a sort of incantation with which he has little sympathy4 ,at the best1 he relegates this order of ministry to the rank and file of humanity2 to those whose lives are 7to his vision7 somewhat prosy and dull2 and for himself he proposes to live in a world beautiful1 where stars and sunsets and flames and fragrances enchant the hours1 where1 with his feet shod with silver bells1 he is perpetually conscious of being ,born and nourished in miracles4 ,he is perfectly confident that every life can be happy1 if it will2 and he regards sorrow as a wholly stupid and negative state which no one need fall into if only he have sufficient energy to generate a perpetual enchantment4 ,thus he dances down the years like the daffodils on the morning breeze1 singing always his hymn to the radiant goddess3 ,the ,fairest enchants me1 ,the ,mighty commands me1 pledging his faith at the ,altar of ,perpetual ,adoration that one has only but to believe in happiness and make room for it in his life in order to live in this constant exhilaration4 ,then1 one day1 he awakens to find his world in ruins4 ,sorrow1 pain1 loss1 have come upon him1 and have come in the one form of all others that seems most impossible to bear4 ,if it were death1 even of the one dearest on earth1 he would be sustained by divine consolations4 ,if it were financial deprivation1 he could meet it with fortitude and accept ,goethe's counsel to go and earn more4 ,if it were any one of various other forms of trial1 he reflects1 there would be for his pain various forms of consolation2 but the peculiar guise it has assumed paralyzes him with its baffling power1 its darkness of eclipse4 ,the element of hopelessness in it1--his own utter inability to understand the cause of the sorrow which is literally a thunderbolt out of a clear sky1--plunges him almost into despair4 ,he had endeavored to give the best1 but the result is as if he had given the worst2 he had come to rely on a perfect and beautiful comprehension and sympathy1 but he is confronted with the most inexplicable misapprehension of all his motives1 the most complete misunderstanding of all his aspirations and prayers4 ,this1 or other combinations and conditions of which it may serve as a type1 is one of the phases of human experience4 ,if pain were only the inevitable result of conscious and intentional wrong-doing1 then might one even learn to refrain from the error and thus avoid the result4 ,but a deeper experience in life1 a more profound insight into the springs of its action1 reveal that pain1 as well as joy1 falls into experience as an event encountered on the onward march1 rather than as being1 invariably1 conditions created by ourselves4 ,in the final analysis of being1 we may have created the causes sometime and somewhere2 but in the immediate sense we fail to discern the trace of our own action4 ,a joy1 a radiance undreamed of1 suddenly drops into a day1 making it a memorable date forever2 a joy that transmutes itself into exaltation and a higher range of energy4 ,naturally1 we count such an experience divine1 and offer our gratitude to ,god1 the giver of all blessings4 ,but a tragedy of sorrow1 a darkness of desolation impenetrable and seemingly final1 also falls suddenly into a day1 and inexpressible amazement and incredulity that it can be real are added to the pain4 ,but it is real4 ,the sunshine has vanished2 the stars have hidden their light2 the air is leaden where once it was all gold and rose and pearl2 one is alone in the desert1 in a loneliness that no voice sounds through1 in an anguish that no human sympathy can reach or sustain4 ,all that made life worth the living has been inexplicably withdrawn2 and how1 then1 shall he live8 ,and why shall he live8 he may even question4 ,the springs of energy are broken and his powers are paralyzed4 ,whatever he has hitherto done1 whatever he has tried or hoped to do in the joyous exaltation of the days that have vanished from all save memory1 he can do no longer4 ,it is not a question of choice1 not a decision that he would not still continue his efforts2 but it is the total impossibility of doing so that settles down upon him like a leaden pall4 ,the blind cannot see1 the deaf cannot hear1 the dumb cannot speak1 the paralyzed cannot walk1--no matter how gladly they would fulfil these functions4 ,so he looks at his own life4 ,his world is in ruins1 and he has no power to ever rebuild it again4 ,in such conditions the problem of suicide may arrive like a ghastly spectre to confront the mind4 ,it is a spectre that1 according to statistics1 is alarmingly prevalent4 ,the statisticians talk of periods of it as an epidemic4 ,both science and religion take note of it1 discuss its bearing upon life1 its tendency and its possible prevention4 ,it is seen as the result of both great and of trivial causes4 ,it is seen to follow a great sin1 and to be the--terribly mistaken--refuge of a great sorrow4 ,and the remedy lies1--where8 ,it can hardly lie elsewhere than in a truer understanding of the very nature of life itself4 ,the only remedy will be found in the larger general understanding that life cannot be extinguished4 ,one may destroy his physical body1--he can do that at any moment and by an infinite variety of methods4 ,but he cannot destroy himself4 ,he may deprive himself of the instrument that was given to him for use in the physical world2 he cannot escape from the duties that he should have fulfilled when he had the means of doing so in the use of this instrument we call the body4 ,if science and religion could clearly teach the awful results that follow suicide1 the terrible isolation and deprivation in which the spiritual being who has thrown away his instrument of service finds himself1 it would be the one effective cure for a demoralizing tendency4 ,if one has sinned1 sometime and somewhere must he meet the consequences4 ,he cannot escape them by escaping from his body1 and the sooner he meets them1 in repentance and atonement1 the sooner will he work out to better and brighter conditions4 ,if one encounters disaster or great personal sorrow1 what then8 ,one does not throw away all his possibilities of usefulness because he is himself unhappy4 ,if he does do this he is ignoble4 ,life is a divine dream4 ,it is a divine responsibility1 primarily between each soul and ,god4 ,it is one's business to live bravely1 with dignity1 with faith1 with generosity of consideration and good will1 with love1 indeed1 which is the expression of the highest energy4 ,yet1 with his personal world in ruins1 what shall he do8 ,he must learn that supreme lesson of all time and eternity1--the lesson to accept and to joyfully embrace the will of ,god as thus revealed to him1 in an inscrutable way4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,supreme ,illumination4 ,until he shall learn to accept this experience as divine1 and offer his gratitude to ,god for pain as sincerely as he offered it for experiences of joy and of beauty1 he cannot enter upon the ,life ,radiant4 ,for the radiant life is only achieved through these mingled experiences as all equally accepted from the ,divine ,power4 ,ah1 when the infinite burden of life descendeth upon us1 ,crushes to earth our hopes1 and under the earth in the graveyard1 ,then it is good to pray unto ,god1 for ,his sorrowing children ,turns ,he ne'er from the door1 but ,he heals and helps and consoles them4 ,yet is it good to pray when all things are prosperous with us2 ,pray in fortunate days1 for life's most beautiful fortune ,kneels before the ,eternal's gate1 and with hands inter-folded1 ,praises1 thankful and moved1 the only ,giver of blessings4 ,the ,life ,radiant comes when one can as sincerely thank ,god for pain as for joy2 when1 after long groping in the darkness1 clinging1 indeed1 to his faith in ,god 7for without that he could not live an hour1 though that faith be totally without sight71 he suddenly realizes how a great sorrow has wrought in him a great result2 that it has perfected and crystallized all that was nebulous in his faith1 and that it has absolutely brought him into perfect rest in the ,divine ,will2 that it has forged that indissoluble link which forevermore identifies his will with the will of ,god1 and thus opens to him a realm fairer far than a ,world ,beautiful--even a ,world ,divine4 ,only in this finer ether is revealed to him the ,life ,radiant2 in the atmosphere made resplendent and glorious by this revelation of the soul's union with ,god4 ,it is a life only experienced after one who has seen before him the ,promised ,land is led into the ,wilderness instead1 and who1 standing there in the midst of denial1 and defeat1 and desolation1 can rejoice in the sea of glass mingled with fire through which he must pass4 ,only in this supreme surrender of the soul to ,god2 only in this rapture of union with the divine power1 lies the ,life ,radiant4 ,it is a glory not of earth2 it is the instant crystallization of an intense and infinite energy that pours itself into every need of the varied human life4 ,it is the igniting of a spark that flashes its illumination on every problem and perplexity4 ,it is the coming to know ,god in the sense meant by ,saint ,paul1 and thus to enter into the eternal life4 ,for the eternal life is not a term that implies mere duration4 ,it implies present conditions4 ,the eternal life is now4 ,it is a spiritual state1 and implies the profound and the realized union with ,god1 rather than a prolongation of existence through countless ages4 ,only the eternal life can thus prolong itself4 ,the life of the spirit is alone immortal4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,creating the ,new ,world4 ,the soul looketh steadily forward1 creating a world before her1 leaving worlds behind her1 and the web of events is the flowing robe in which she is clothed4 ,that union of energy and will which we call the soul is capable of creating a new world every day1 and any adequate perception of the life that now is1 as well as that which is to come1 suggests consolation for the ills of the day and leads one into the atmosphere of peace and joy4 ,when one comes into any clear realization of this life of the spirit1--of its infinite outlook1 its command of resources1--the entanglement with trifles falls off of itself4 ,not unfrequently a great deal of time and energy is totally wasted in endeavoring to combat or to conquer the annoyances and troubles that beset one2 that weight his wings and blind his eyes and render him impervious and unresponsive to the beauty and joy of life4 ,nine times out of ten it is far better to ignore these1 to put them out of sight and out of mind1 and press on to gain the clearer atmosphere1 to create the new world4 ,the whole course of things goes to teach us faith4 ,we need only obey4 ,there is guidance for each of us1 and by lowly listening we shall hear the right word4 ,why need you choose so painfully your place1 and occupation1 and associates1 and modes of action and of entertainment8 ,certainly there is a possible right for you that precludes the need of balance and wilful election4 ,for you there is a reality1 a fit place and congenial duties4 ,place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which animates all whom it floats1 and you are without effort impelled to truth1 to right1 and a perfect contentment4 ,then you put all gainsayers in the wrong4 ,then you are the world1 the measure of right1 of truth1 of beauty4 ,if we will not be marplots with our miserable interferences1 the work1 the society1 letters1 arts1 science1 religion of men would go on far better than now1 and the heaven predicted from the beginning of the world1 and still predicted from the bottom of the heart1 would organize itself1 as do now the rose1 and the air1 and the sun4 ,the poet declares that sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering happier things1 but there is a certain morbidness in even the sensitive delicacy and intensity of feeling that broods too deeply over the past4 ,it is a great art to learn to let things go--let them pass4 ,they are a part of the flowing conditions4 ,even the pain and sorrow that result from failures and changes in social relations2 loss of friends1 the vanishing of friendships in which one had trusted1--even this phase of trial1 which is truly the hardest of all1 can be best endured by closing the door of consciousness on it1 and creating a new world by that miracle-working power of the soul4 ,friendships that hold within themselves any permanent1 any spiritual reality1 come to stay4 ,only that soul can be my friend which ,i encounter on the line of my own march1 that soul to which ,i do not decline and which does not decline to me1 but1 native of the same celestial altitude1 repeats in its own all my experience4 ,life has too many claims and privileges and resources to waste it in lamentations4 ,let one look forward1 not backward4 ,fairy realms of enchantment beckon him on4 ,these flowing conditions of life are1 really1 the conditions of joy1 of exhilaration1 of stimulus to energy rather than the reverse4 ,they invest each day1 each week1 each year1 with the enchantment of the unknown and the untried4 ,they produce the possibility of perpetual hope1 and continuity of hope is continuity of endeavor4 ,without hope1 faith1 and courage1 life would be impossible2 and courage and all power of energy and endeavor depend entirely upon hope and faith4 ,if a man believes in nothing and is in a state of despair and not hope1 his energies are paralyzed4 ,but hope lends wings1--hope and faith are creative1 and can both control and change the trend of events4 ,circumstances are but the crude material1 which is subject to any degree of transformation by the alchemy of faith4 ,when a god wishes to ride1 every chip and stone will bud and shoot out winged feet to carry him1 and it is hope and faith that give the power of the gods4 ,there is1 perhaps1 no adequate realization on the part of humanity of the enormous extent to which the forces in the ,unseen mingle with the forces of the ,seen1 and thus complete the magnetic battery of action4 ,life approaches perfection in just the degree to which it can intelligently and reverently avail itself of this aid which is a divine provision4 ,it is not only after death that the soul stands before ,god4 ,the soul that does not stand before ,god1 now and here1 in the ordinary daily life1 does not even live at all1 in any true sense4 ,i am come that ye might have life1 said ,jesus1 and have it more abundantly4 ,it is only as one holds himself receptive to the divine currents that he has life1 and it rests with himself to have it more abundantly every day and hour4 ,this constant communion with ,jesus1 this living in constant receptivity to the divine energy1 includes1 too1 the living in telepathic communion with those who have gone on into the ,unseen world4 ,the spirituality of life is conditioned on so developing our own spiritual powers by faith and prayer and communion with ,god1 that one is sensitive to the presence and responsive to the thought of friends who have been released from the physical life4 ,shall ,phillips ,brooks1 the friend and helper and wise counsellor when here1 be less so now that he has entered into the next higher scale of being8 ,shall the friend whom we loved1 and who was at our side in visible presence yesterday1 be less our friend because his presence is not visible to us to-day8 ,why is it not visible8 ,simply because the subtle spirit-body is in a state of far higher vibration than the denser physical body1 and the physical eye can only recognize objects up to a certain vibratory degree4 ,it is a scientific fact4 ,musicians and scientists know well that above a certain pitch the ear cannot recognize sound2 it becomes silence4 ,but as ,saint ,paul says1 there is a natural body1 and there is a spiritual body1 and the spiritual body also has its organs of sight and hearing4 ,clairvoyance and clairaudience are as natural1 when the spiritual faculties are sufficiently developed1 as are the ordinary sight and hearing4 ,even when there is no clairvoyance and clairaudience1 in the way of super-normal development1 the mind kept in harmonious receptivity to the divine world may be telepathically in more or less constant communion with those in the unseen4 ,the power of our own will to determine certain facts is1 itself1 one of the facts of life1 says ,professor ,josiah ,royce4 ,the power of our own will is but another name for spiritual power--that positive force to which all events and circumstances are negative4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there never was a right endeavor but it succeeded1 says ,emerson4 ,patience and patience1 we shall win at the last4 ,we must be very suspicious of the deceptions of the element of time4 ,it takes a good deal of time to eat or to sleep1 or to earn a hundred dollars1 and a very little time to entertain a hope and an insight which becomes the light of our life4 ,we dress our garden1 eat our dinners1 discuss the household1 and these things make no impression1 are forgotten next week2 but in the solitude to which every man is always returning1 he has a sanity and revelations which in his passage into new worlds he will carry with him4 ,never mind the ridicule1 never mind the defeat3 up again1 old heart6--it seems to say1--there is victory yet for all justice2 and the true romance which the world exists to realize will be the transformation of genius into practical power4 ,sidenote3 ,eliminating ,anxieties4 ,a large percentage of the anxieties and perplexities of daily experience could be eliminated at once and struck off the balance1 never to return again1 if life were but viewed aright1 and held in the scale of true valuations4 ,nothing is more idle than to sell one's soul for a mess of pottage2 for the pottage is not worth the price4 ,seen in the most practical1 every-day light1 it is a bad bargain4 ,not only is it true that a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things that he possesseth1 but1 conversely1 as a rule1 the greater the mass of things the less the life4 ,the spiritual energy becomes clogged and fettered and strangled amid its entanglement with things4 ,the very power of finance1 that might and that ought to insure its possessor a certain peace of mind1 a liberation from petty anxieties1 and a power to devote himself to higher aims1 too often reverses this and chains him as to a wheel4 ,recently there arrived at a fashionable hotel a family whose command of finance might have redeemed every day from the sordid and from any anxious efforts1 and enabled them to live in the realm of high thought1 of generous and beautiful expressions of sympathy and love to all4 ,their visit might have made the time a glorified interlude to every one with whom they came in contact by its radiation of hope and happiness and sympathy and good cheer4 ,instead1 each and all1 individually and collectively1 were entangled in possessions1--weighted down with things1 and quite illustrating the terse little couplet of ,emerson1-- ,things are in the saddle ,and ride mankind4 ,the things which rode these unfortunate beings--for the multi-millionaires may not unfrequently be so classed--were masses of jewels1 that could not be worn and enjoyed because too elaborate to be suitable1 and so must be instantly consigned to the safe4 ,such part of these treasures as were in use1 and left in rooms1 suffered from losses or theft4 ,they caused more or less vexation1 anger1 discord1 and fret in general to the owners and every one concerned1 until the onlooker was ready to exclaim1 ,if this is the price of diamonds and rubies and pink pearls1 and rich and rare gems in general1 let one escape the tyranny of purple and fine linen1 and take simplicity and its accompanying peace of mind4 ,after a certain limit of ordinary comfort1 great possessions seem to enslave rather than to liberate4 ,if the price of costly jewels is peace of mind1 as well as a cheque of imposing figures1 then1 indeed1 let one keep his peace of mind1 and go without the necklace4 ,it is often curious to see how little imagination goes into the spending of colossal fortunes4 ,the possessors simply build more houses than they can live in2 each one has more space and more impedimenta than he knows what to do with1 and the multiplication of all these possessions results in perpetual anxieties1 and fret1 and worry1 until one would prefer a crust and a garret1 and his spiritual freedom1 to any such life as that entailed by the golden shower of fortune4 ,are you rich8 rich enough to help somebody8 ,there is the test4 ,the diamond and ruby necklace1 whose chief use seems to be to incite anxieties1 would give some aspiring youth or maiden a college course4 ,the costly ring left carelessly on the bureau1 tempting theft1 would give a gifted young girl just the study in a musical conservatory that she needs1 or would make a young artist happy and encouraged by buying his picture1 and some one else might be made happy and helped on to new endeavor by having the gift of the picture4 ,money can be transmuted into spiritual gifts1 and only when thus used is it of much importance in promoting any real comfort or enjoyment or stimulus to progress4 ,the event1 the thing1 is purely negative1 and only when acted upon by force of spirit does it become positive4 ,let one go on through the days doing the beautiful thing in every human relation4 ,life is a spiritual drama1 perpetually being played4 ,the curtain never goes down4 ,the actors come and go1 but the stage is never vacant4 ,to inform the drama with artistic feeling1 with beauty1 with generous purpose1 is in the power of every one4 ,it depends1 not on possessions1 but on sympathy1 insight1 and sweetness of spirit4 ,these determine the ,life ,radiant4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i will wait heaven's perfect hour ,through the innumerable years4 ,sidenote3 ,heaven's ,perfect ,hour4 ,the saving grace of life is the power to hold with serene and steadfast fidelity the vision1 the ideal1 that has revealed itself in happier hours2 to realize that this1 after all1 is the true reality1 and that it shines in the spiritual firmament as the sun does in the heavens1 however long the period of storm and clouds that obscure its radiance4 ,the tendency to doubt and depression is often as prevalent as an epidemic4 ,in extreme cases it becomes the suicidal mania2 in others it effectually paralyzes the springs of action and leaves its victim drifting helplessly and hopelessly with the current2 and any such mental tendency as this is just as surely a definite evil to be recognized and combated as would be any epidemic of disease4 ,to rise in the morning confronting a day that is full of exacting demands on his best energies2 on his serenest and sunniest poise2 that require all the exhilaration and sparkle and radiance which have vanished from his possession1 and yet to be forced1 someway and somehow1 to go through his appointed tasks1--no one can deny that here is a very real problem1 and one that certainly taxes every conceivable force of will far more than might many great and visible calamities4 ,for all this form of trial is invisible and very largely incommunicable1 and it is like trying to walk through deep waters that are undiscerned by those near1 but which impede every step1 and threaten to rise and overwhelm one4 ,the poetic and artistic temperament is peculiarly susceptible to this form of trial4 ,in work of an industrial or mechanical nature1 a certain degree of will force alone will serve to insure its accomplishment whether one feels in the mood or not4 ,the mood does not greatly count4 ,but in work of any creative sort1 the mood1 the condition of mind1 is the determining factor4 ,and is it within human power1 by force of will alone1 to call up this working mood of radiant energy when all energy has ebbed away1 leaving one as inert as an electric machine from which the current has been turned off8 ,and yet--and yet--the saving gift and grace of life and achievement comes1 in that there is a power higher than one's own will1 on which one may lay hold with this serene and steadfast fidelity4 ,physicians and scientists have long since recognized that intense mental depression is as inevitably an accompaniment of la grippe as are its physical symptoms1 and the more fully the patient himself understands this1 and is thus enabled to look at it objectively1 so to speak1 the better it is for him4 ,the feeling is that he has not a friend on earth1 and1 on the whole1 he is rather glad of it4 ,he feels as if it were much easier to die than to live1--not to say that the former presents itself to him as far the preferable course4 ,so he envelops himself in the black shadows of gloom1 and1 on the whole1 quite prefers drawing them constantly deeper4 ,and this is very largely the semi-irresponsible state of illness combined with ignorance of the real nature of the malady4 ,the knowledge of how to meet it with a degree of that sweet reasonableness which should invest one's daily living1 is knowledge that can hardly come amiss4 ,one must treat it as a transient visitation of those ,black spirits or white1 blue spirits or gray1 which are to be exorcised by keeping close to beautiful thought1--to something high1 poetic1 reverent4 ,thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on ,thee is one of the most practical aids in life4 ,it can be relied upon more fully than the visit of the physician4 ,from the ,bible1 from the poets1 one may draw as from a sustaining fountain4 ,as this intense depression is a mental feature of the disease it must be met by mental methods1--of resolutely holding the thoughts to high and beautiful themes2 by allying the imagination with serene and radiant ideals4 ,emerson is the greatest of magicians4 ,his words will work marvels4 ,his thought is as luminous as a ,roentgen ray4 ,heaven's perfect hour is sure to sometime dawn if one but keep his face turned toward the morning4 ,heaven's perfect hour is within one's own possibilities of creation1 if he live aright and think aright2 and with joy and radiance may he make it his perpetual experience2 although it is the supreme anomaly in life that the social relations which are designed to offer the profoundest joy1 the most perfect consolation for disaster or sorrow1 and to communicate the happy currents of electrical energy1 are yet those which not unfrequently make themselves the channel of the most intense suffering4 ,there is something wrong in this4 ,the friendships of life1 all forms and phases and degrees through which regard and friendship reveal themselves1 are the one divinest1 perhaps it may be said are the only1 part of life on earth that is absolutely divine1 and the divine element should communicate perpetual joy4 ,this is the ideal view of the entire panorama of social interchange and social relations1 and being the purest ideal1 it is also the most intensely and absolutely real4 ,for nothing is real1 in the last analysis1 save that which is ideal2 and nothing is ideal that is not a spiritual reality4 ,then the question recurs1--how is it possible1 how can it be accounted for that the one phase of suffering which seems past even trying to endure1 comes through the sources which should radiate only joy and blessedness8 ,the old proverb1 ,save me from my friends1 is founded on a certain basis of fact4 ,twenty enemies cannot do me the mischief of one friend1 rather cynically1 but perhaps not wholly untruly1 said ,gail ,hamilton4 ,for it certainly is not the avowed enemy1 or the person to whom one is indifferent1 who has the power to greatly harm or pain him4 ,so far as injury goes1 ,emerson is probably right when he says1 ,no one can work me injury but myself4 ,misrepresentation1 misinterpretation1 there may be1 but in the long run truth is mighty1 and will1 and does1 prevail4 ,one need not greatly concern himself with misinterpretations1 but1 rather1 only with striving to live the life of truth and righteousness4 ,perhaps one cause of much of the unhappiness and suffering that not infrequently invests relations that should only be those of joy and peace and mutual inspiration1 is an over and an undue emphasis on material things4 ,now1 when viewed in the light of absolute truth1 material things are of simply no consequence at all4 ,they do not belong to the category of realities4 ,money1 possessions1--the mere goods and chattels of life1--are1 even at their best appraisal1 a mere temporary convenience4 ,as a convenience they fill a place and are all very well4 ,as anything beyond that they have no place at all in one's consciousness4 ,whatever luxury they can offer is simply in using them to the best advantage1 and human nature is so constituted that this best advantage is usually more closely connected with those who are dear to one than it is with himself4 ,for himself alone1 what does he want that money1 mere money1 can buy8 ,he wants and needs the average conditions of life1 in the food1 clothing1 and shelter line2 he needs and requires certain conditions of beauty1 of harmony1 of gratification of tastes and enlargement of opportunities1--all these are legitimate needs1 and are part of the working conditions of life2 of the right development and progress which one is in duty bound to make1 both for his own personal progress and as the vantage ground of his efforts for usefulness4 ,beyond that1 the luxury of life lies in doing what the heart prompts4 ,the one heavenly joy of life is in the enlargement of social sympathies2 it is in the offering of whatever appreciation and devotion it is possible to offer to those whose noble and beautiful lives inspire this devotion4 ,to have this accepted--not because it is of intrinsic value1 not because it is of any particular importance per se1 but because it is the visible representation of the spiritual gift of reverence1 appreciation1 and devotion--is the purest happiness one may experience1 and that which inspires him anew to all endeavor and achievement4 ,to have it refused or denied is to have the golden portals close before one and shut him out in the darkness4 ,why1 the heavenly privilege1 the infinite obligation1 is on the part of him who is permitted to offer his tribute of love and devotion1 expressed1 if it so chances1 in any material way1--and he is denied his sweetest joy if this privilege be denied him4 ,there are gifts that are priceless1 but they are not of the visible and tangible world4 ,they are the gifts of sympathy1 of intuitive comprehension1 of helpful regard2 and1 curiously1 these--the priceless and precious--are never regarded as too valuable for acceptance1 while regarding the material and temporal1 which1 at best1 are the merest transient convenience1 there will be hesitation and pain4 ,and this hesitation arises1 too1 from the most beautiful and delicately exquisite qualities1 but it produces the pain that is ----the little rift within the lute1 ,that by and by will make the music mute4 ,there is in life a proportion of pain and jarring that is inevitable1 probably1 to the imperfect conditions with which the experience on earth is temporarily invested2 and because of this1 all the range of friendship should be held apart as divine1 and any interchange of material gifts should not receive this undue emphasis1 but be regarded as the mere incidental trifle of momentary convenience1 while all the regard and devotion that may lie behind should give its mutual joy as free and as pure as the fragrance of a rose4 ,of all that a friend may be ,emerson so truly says3-- ,i fancied he was fled1-- ,and1 after many a year1 ,glowed unexhausted kindliness ,like daily sunrise there4 ,my careful heart was free again4 ,o friend1 my bosom said1 ,through thee alone the sky is arched1 ,through thee the rose is red2 ,all things through thee take nobler form4 ,that alone is what all the loves and friendships of life are for1--that through their ministry life may take on nobler form4 ,i fancied he was fled4 ,but a friendship that is true cannot flee2 it is1 by its very quality and nature1 abiding4 ,it may be silent forever2 it may be invisible1 inaudible1 immaterial1 impersonal2 but once forged it is of the heavenly life1 the heavenly language1 and the ,word of the ,lord abideth forever6 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,love and ,good ,will4 ,the stress and storm of life1 however1 fade away very largely before the power of simple love and good will1 which is the key to all situations and the solution of all problems4 ,how shall ,i seem to love my people8 asked a ,french king of his confessor4 ,my son1 you must love them1 was the reply4 ,when there is genuineness one does not need to engage in the elaborate and arduous labor of counterfeiting qualities and manufacturing appearances1 and it is really easier--to say nothing of its being a somewhat more dignified process--to be what one wishes the world to regard him1 than it is to endeavor to merely produce the effect of it4 ,doctor ,holmes had a bit of counsel for those who were out at sea1--that they should not waste any energy in asking how they looked from the shore2 and the suggestion is not an infelicitous one in its general application to life4 ,it is quite enough for one to keep his feet1 as best he may1 set on the upward and onward way1 without concerning himself too much as to the effect of his figure in the landscape4 ,the energy that goes towards attitudinizing is always wasted1 while that which expends itself on the legitimate fulfilment of tasks contributes something of real importance to life4 ,and so1 any significance of achievement seems to be exactly conditioned by the degree of energy involved--the finer the energy1 the more potent the achievement4 ,it would seem as if all the noble order of success hinged on two conditions1--the initial one of generating sufficient energy1 and the second that of applying it worthily4 ,the present age is characterized as that in which new forms of force appear1--in both the physical and the spiritual realms of life4 ,what a marvel is the new chemical force1 thermite1 of which the first demonstration in ,america was made in #aijb1 by the ,columbia ,university ,chemical ,society in ,new ,york4 ,here is a force that dissolves iron and stone4 ,an extremely interesting account of this new energy appeared in the ,new ,york ,herald1 in which the writer vivifies the subject by saying of thermite3-- ,under its awful lightning blaze granite flows like water and big steel rails are welded in the twinkling of an eye4444 ,the interior of ,mount ,pelee1 whose fiery blast destroyed ,st4 ,pierre in a moment and crumbled its buildings into dust1 would be cool compared with this temperature of #edjj deg4 ,it would melt the ,white ,mountains into rivers of liquid fire4 ,nothing could withstand its consuming power4444 ,and what makes this stupendous force8 ,the answer seems incredible as the claims for the force itself4 ,it is produced by simply putting a match to a mixture of aluminum filings and oxide of chromium1 both metallic1 and yet1 as by magic1 a mighty force is instantly created4 ,the writer describes the discovery and processes at some length1 and adds3-- ,such are the wonders of chemistry suggesting ,emerson's claim1 ',thought sets men free4' ,by a simple process--flame applied to metal filings--prison bars melt and vaulted dungeons flow like water4 ,the article closes with this wonderful paragraph3-- ,by chemistry the pale-faced modern ,faust1 working in his laboratory1 makes metals out of clay and many marvellous combinations4 ,what they will do when skilfully proportioned and exposed to heat1 the story related gives a hint1--accounting1 as it were1 for the forces at work in space1 creating heat and electricity1 making suns burn with indescribable fury1 colliding with peaceful planets1 mixing their metals in a second of time1--and new worlds seem to leap into vision1 balls of molten fire sweeping through space2 vast cyclones of flame1 making ,pelee a cold-storage vault by comparison4 ,all this seems simple enough as explained by modern chemistry1 giving men unlimited power1 making them gods1 as it were1 to first master themselves and then the universe4 ,this description of the new force1 whose intensity is almost beyond realization1 is hardly less remarkable than is the energy described2 and it lends itself1 with perfect rhythm of correspondence1 to analysis on the side of the spiritual forces of life4 ,cast thyself into the will of ,god and thou shalt become as ,god is one of the most illuminating of the mystic truths4 ,the will of ,god is the supreme potency1 the very highest degree of energy1 in the spiritual realm1 which is the realm of cause1 while the outer world is the realm of effects4 ,now if one may so ally himself to the divine will as to share in its all-conquering power1 he partakes of creative power and eternal life1 now and here1 just in proportion to the degree to which he can identify his entire trend of desire and purpose with this ,infinite will4 ,this energy is fairly typified in the physical world by the stupendous new force called thermite1 and it is as resistless as that attraction which holds the stars in their courses and the universe in their solar relations4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,diviner ,possibilities4 ,it is a fallacy to suppose that it is a hardship and a trial to live the more divine and uplifting life1 and that ease and pleasure are only to be found in non-resistance to the faults and defects of character4 ,the truth is just the opposite of this1 and the twentieth century will reveal a fairly revolutionary philosophy in this respect4 ,heretofore poet and prophet have always questioned despondently1-- ,does the road wind up hill all the way8 as if to wind up hill were the type of trial1 and the descent of ,avernus were the type of joy4 ,does the road wind up hill8 ,most certainly1 and thereby it leads on into the purer light1 the fairer radiance1 the wider view4 ,does one prefer to go down hill into some dark ravine or deep mountain gorge8 ,it is a great fallacy that it is the hardship of life to live in the best instead of in the worst4 ,it is the way of the transgressor which is hard--not of him who endeavors to follow the divine leading4 ,the deeper truth is that the moment one commits all his purposes and his aspirations into the ,divine keeping he connects himself by that very act with a current of irresistible energy2 one that reinforces him with power utterly undreamed of before4 ,there is no limit to the power one may draw from the unseen universe4 ,it is possible1 ,i dare to say1 says a thoughtful writer1 for those who will indeed draw on their ,lord's power for deliverance and victory1 to live a life on which ,his promises are taken as they stand and found to be true4 ,it is possible to cast every care on ,him daily1 and to be at peace amidst the pressure4 ,it is possible to see the will of ,god in everything1 and to find it not a sigh but a song4 ,it is possible in the world of inner act and motion to put away all bitterness1 and wrath1 and anger1 and evil speaking1 daily and hourly4 ,it is possible1 by unreserved resort to divine power1 under divine conditions1 to become strongest at our weakest point2 to find the thing which yesterday upset all our obligations to patience1 an occasion to-day1 through ,him who loveth us and worketh in us1 for a joyful consent to ,his will and a delightful sense of ,his presence4 ,these things are divinely possible4 ,one very practical question that cannot but confront the world at the present time is as to whether there is any relation between religion1 in its highest and most inclusive and spiritually uplifting sense1 and the possibility of communication between those in this life and those who have passed through the change we call death and have entered on the next round of experience4 ,it is a fact--albeit a rather curious and unaccountable one--that organized religion1 as a whole1 has been largely opposed to the idea of possible communication between what is currently termed the living and the dead4 ,yet when one focusses the question to a matter of personal individuality1 it does not stand the test4 ,take1 for instance1 the revered name of a man who was universally recognized as one of the greatest spiritual leaders the world has known1--,phillips ,brooks4 ,when he was the rector of ,trinity ,church1 or the ,bishop of the ,massachusetts diocese1 no one who sought his companionship or counsel would have been regarded as being wrong to do so4 ,now1--always provided that there is full conviction of immortality1--why should it be wrong to seek his companionship or counsel from the unseen life8 ,death has no power over the essential individuality4 ,indeed1 in being freed from the physical body1 the spiritual man becomes only more powerful1 and with his power acting from a higher plane of energy4 ,regarding ourselves as spiritual beings1--and if we are not that we are nothing1--regarding ourselves as temporarily inhabiting a physical body1 but in no sense identified with it save as we use this body for our instrument of communication with the physical world2 what more logical or natural than that the spiritual being1 not yet released from his physical body1 should hold sweet and intimate communion with the spiritual being that has been released from this physical environment8 ,telepathy has already become a recognized law4 ,that mind to mind1 spirit to spirit1 flashes its messages here in this present life1 is a fact attested by too great an array of evidence to be doubted or denied4 ,now the spiritual being who is released from the physical body is infinitely more sensitive to impression1 more responsive to mental call1 than was possible in conditions here4 ,the experimental research and investigation in psychology1 as shown in such work as that of ,professor ,muensterberg of ,harvard in the university laboratory1 reveals increasingly that the brain is an electric battery of the most potent and sensitive order2 that it generates electric thought waves and receives them4 ,does it lose this power by the change called death8 ,is this power only inherent in the physical structure8 ,on the contrary1 ,professor ,william ,james has demonstrated with scientific accuracy in his book called ,human ,freedom1 that this is not the case4 ,if1 then1 intellectual energy survives the process of death1--and if it does not then there is no immortality1--the communication between those in the ,unseen and those in the ,seen is as perfectly natural as is any form of companionship or of social life here4 ,as all kinds of people live1 so all kinds of people die1 and the mere fact of death is not a transforming process1 spiritually4 ,he who has not developed the spiritual faculties while here2 who has lived the mere life of the senses with the mere ordinary intelligence1 or without it1 but never rising to the nobler intellectual and moral life--is no more desirable as a companion because he has died than he was before he died4 ,and the objection to any of the ordinary seance phenomena is1 that whatever manifestations are genuine proceed very largely1 if not entirely1 from this strata of the crude and inconsequential1 if not the vicious1 with whom the high-minded man or woman would not have associated in life1 and after death their presence would be quite as much to be deplored4 ,granted all these exceptions4 ,one may sweep them off and clear the decks4 ,then what remains8 ,there remains the truth of the unity of the spiritual universe2 of the truth that the mere change of death is not a revolutionary one1 transforming the individual into some inconceivable state of being and removing him1 in a geographical sense1 into some unrevealed region in space2 there remains the truth that life is evolutionary in its processes2 that there is no more violent and arbitrary and instantaneous change by the event of death1 than there is in the change from infancy into childhood1 from childhood into manhood4 ,there remains the truth that the ethereal and the physical worlds are inter-related1 inter-blended2 that man1 now and here1 lives partially in each1 and that the more closely he can relate himself to the diviner forces by prayer1 by aspiration1 by every thought and deed that is noble and generous and true1 and inspired by love1 the more he dwells in this ethereal atmosphere and is in touch with its forces and in companionship with his chosen friends who have gone on into that world4 ,there is nothing in this theory that is incompatible with the teachings of the ,church1 with all that makes up for us the religious life4 ,on the contrary1 it vitalizes and reinforces that life4 ,this life of the spirit must be in ,god4 ,let one1 indeed1 on his first waking each day1 place his entire life1 all his heart1 mind1 and faculties1 in ,god's hands2 asking ,him to take entire possession1 to be the guide of the soul4 ,thus one shall dwell hourly1 daily1 in the divine atmosphere1 and spirit to spirit may enjoy their communion and companionship4 ,the experience of personal spiritual companionship between those here and those on the next plane of life is included in the higher religious life of the spirit while living here on earth4 ,it vivifies and lends joy to it2 for the joy of sympathetic companionship is the one supreme and transcendent happiness in life4 ,and to live in this atmosphere requires one absolute and inevitable condition1 the constant exercise of the moral virtues1--of truth1 rectitude1 generosity1 and love4 ,the life held amenable to these1 the life which commits itself utterly into the divine keeping1 is not a life of hardship2 the road that winds up hill is the road of perpetual interest and exhilaration4 ,it is a fatal fallacy to invest it with gloom and despair4 ,it is the only possible source of the constant1 intellectual energy of life1 of sweetness1 of joy1 of happiness4 ,the only standard which is worthy for one to hold as that by which he measures his life is the divine one illustrated in the character of ,jesus4 ,to measure one's quality of daily life by this is always to fall short of satisfactory achievement2 and still there is always the realization that its achievement is only a question of persistence and of time4 ,it is the direction in which one is moving that determines his final destination4 ,there is the deepest inspiration to the soul in taking for one's perpetual watchword1 ,be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father in heaven is perfect4 ,not that this divine state is attained2 but there is perpetual aid in the conviction that one's self--his spiritual self--can press on to the high calling of ,god4 ,man is a divine being2 the divine life is his only true life4 ,the deepest loyalty to the divine ideal involves1 however1 not only the striving after perfection1 but the charity for imperfection4 ,to denounce evil is a part of rectitude2 to condemn sin is a moral duty2 but to condemn the sinner is not infrequently to be more deeply at fault than is he who thus offended4 ,an illustration of this point has recently been before the public4 ,a ,new ,york clergyman preached on ,easter ,sunday a sermon that was not his own4 ,he gave no credit to its writer4 ,the sermon was published1 and a minister of another church1 recognizing it1 at once proceeded to expose the matter in the daily press4 ,not only did he call public attention to the error1 but he did it in a manner that seemed to rejoice in the opportunity2 a manner so devoid of sorrow or sympathy as to fill the reader with despair at such an exhibition4 ,rev4 ,e4 ,walpole ,warren fittingly rebuked the evident malice with which the fault was exposed1 and quoted the words of ,saint ,paul in the injunction3 ,brethren1 if a man be overtaken in a fault1 ye who are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness1 considering thyself1 lest thou also be tempted4 ,to have gone1 in a spirit of love1 privately and quietly1 and pointed out the error1 would have been ,christian-like2 to exult in it must be described by a very different term4 ,devotion to truth is good1 but it is speaking the truth in love that is the ideal4 ,it is even possible to convey questioning1 counsel1 encouragement1 or reproach without the spoken word2 to send the message by the law of suggestion from mind to mind4 ,the mental intimation will reach the one to whom it is sent if the conditions for telepathy are observed1 for thought is far more penetrative than the ,roentgen ray1 and the atmosphere is magnetic1 and carries it as the wire does the electric current4 ,all these finer conditions are beginning to make themselves felt as practicable forces4 ,humanity is becoming plastic to the spirit touch2 sensitive to those vibrations too fine to be registered by the outward ear4 ,thought is the wages ,for which ,i sell days1 said ,emerson4 ,thought is the motor of the future4 ,as a man thinketh1 so is he1 is one of the most practical and literal truths4 ,it is only by the divine law that one can measure the ethics of companionship4 ,the frequent experiences in life of broken friendships2 of those alliances of good will1 of mutual sympathies and mutual enjoyment1 that1 at last1 some way became entangled amid discords and barriers1 and thus come to a disastrous end1--such experiences could be escaped were life lived by the diviner standards4 ,friendship need never deteriorate in quality if each lives nobly4 ,if one conceives of life more nobly and generously than the other1 it may become1 not a means of separation and alienation1 but a means and measure of just responsibility4 ,there are friendships whose shipwreck is on the rock of undue encroachment on one side and undue endurance--which has not the noble and spontaneous character of generosity--on the other4 ,one imposes1 the other is imposed on1--and so things run on from bad to worse1 till at last a crisis comes1 and those who had once been much to each other are farther apart than strangers4 ,in such circumstances there has been a serious failure1--the failure of not speaking the truth in love4 ,the failure on the part of the one more spiritually enlightened toward the one less enlightened4 ,one should no more consent that his friend should do an ignoble thing than he should consent to do an ignoble thing himself4 ,he should hold his friend in thought to the divine standard4 ,he should conceive of him nobly and expect from him only honor and integrity4 ,those who trust us educate us1 says ,george ,eliot2 and still more do they who hold us in the highest thought draw us upward to that atmosphere through which no evil may pass4 ,each one is his brother's keeper1 and life achieves only its just and reasonable possibilities when it is held constantly amenable to the divine ideal1--when it is lived according to that inspiring injunction of ,phillips ,brooks3 ,be such a man1 live such a life1 that if all lives were like yours earth would be ,paradise4 ,let one put aside sorrow and enter into the joy and radiance4 ,omit the negative propositions4 ,nerve us with incessant affirmatives4 ,if biography teaches any lesson1 it is that the events which occur in life are of far less consequence than the spirit in which they are received4 ,it is the attitude of mental receptivity which is the alchemy to transmute events and circumstances into experience1 and it is experience alone which determines both the quality and the trend of life4 ,it is in activity2 in doing and giving and loving1 that the joy of life must be sought4 ,and it is joy which is the normal condition rather than depression and sadness1 as health and not illness is the normal state4 ,disease and sadness are abnormal1 and if one finds himself blue1 it is his first business to escape from it1 to change the conditions and the atmosphere4 ,the radiant life is the ideal state1 both for achievement as well as for that finer quality of personal influence which cannot emanate from gloom and depression4 ,everything good is on the highway1 said ,emerson1 and the first and only lasting success is that of character4 ,it may not be1 for the moment1 exhilarating to realize that one's ill fortune is usually the result of some defect in his selection1 or error in his judgment1 but1 on the other hand1 if the cause of his unhappiness lies in himself1 the cause of his happiness may also lie with himself1 and thus it is in his power to so transform his attitude to life as to reverse the gloom and have the joy and sweetness rather than the bitterness and sadness of life4 ,everything1 in the last analysis1 is a matter of temperament4 ,nothing is hopeless1 for life is infinite1 and new factors can be evolved whose working out will create the new heaven and the new earth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,here1 in the earth life1 we have it in our power to seize our future destination4--,,fichte4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,weight of the ,past4 ,one of the most inspiring injunctions of ,saint ,paul is that in which he bids us to lay aside every weight4 ,poet and prophet have always recognized the weight of the past as a serious problem4 ,one has made all sorts of mistakes2 he is entangled in the consequences of his errors and ignorances1 if not in his sins1 and how can he enter on a ,life ,radiant with this burden8 ,well does ,sidney ,lanier express this feeling in the stanzas3-- ,my soul is sailing through the sea1 ,but the ,past is heavy and hindereth me1 ,the ,past hath crusted cumbrous shells ,that hold the flesh of cold sea-mells ,about my soul4 ,the huge waves wash1 the high waves roll1 ,each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole1 ,and hindereth me from sailing6 ,old ,past1 let go and drop i' the sea ,till fathomless waters cover thee6 ,for ,i am living1 but thou art dead2 ,thou drawest back1 ,i strive ahead ,the day to find4 ,thy shells unbind6 ,night comes behind1 ,i needs must hurry with the wind ,and trim me best for sailing4 ,there is no question but that the past is heavy and hindereth every one4 ,its cumbrous shells cling like dead weights around man1 and keep him from the larger1 freer life4 ,man is not by any means convinced as yet of his immortality1 says ,sir ,edwin ,arnold2 all the great religions have in concert more or less positively affirmed it to him2 but no safe logic proves it1 and no entirely accepted voice from some farther world proclaims it4 ,the one proof1 of course1 so far as absolute evidential demonstration goes1 lies in the communication from those who have passed through death4 ,there unfolds an increasingly impressive mass of logical probabilities that point to but one conclusion to every student of science and of spiritual laws4 ,biology offers its important testimony4 ,the law of the conservation of forces1--of motion and matter1--which is definitely proven by actual demonstration1 suggests with a potency which no one can evade that intellect1 emotion1 and will--the most intense and resistless forces of the universe--can hardly be extinguished when the forces of matter persist4 ,the study of the nature of the ether alone pours a flood of illumination on the theory of an ethereal world1--a theory with which all the known facts of science and psychology accord1 and with which they range themselves4 ,rev4 ,doctor ,newman ,smyth says that the facts disclosed by a study of biology1 as well as the theories advanced by some trained biologists1 fairly open the new and interesting question whether death itself does not fall naturally under some principle of selection and law of utility for life8 ,it is of religious concern as well as of scientific interest1 he continues1 for us to learn1 as far as possible1 all the facts and suggestions which microscopic researches may bring to our knowledge concerning the minute processes or most intimate and hidden laws of life and death4 ,for if we1 children of an age of questioning and change1 are to keep a rational faith in spiritual reality1--strong and genuine as was our fathers' faith according to their light1 ours must be a faith that shall strike its roots deep down into all knowledge1 although light from above alone may bring it to its perfect ,christian trust and sweetness4444 ,the least facts of nature may be germinal with high spiritual significance and beauty4 ,the twentieth century leads faith to the brink of knowledge4 ,the deepest spiritual feeling must perpetually recognize that faith alone--,christ's words alone--are enough for every human soul2 but faith grows not less1 but more1 when informed by knowledge4 ,when man measures and weighs the star and discovers their composition2 when he sends messages without visible means1 then he may believe with ,fichte1 that here1 in the earth life1 we have it in our power to seize our future destination4 ,mr4 ,weiss objected to any 7possible7 evidential demonstration of immortality1 because 7as he said71 ,if you owe your belief in immortality to the assumed facts of a spiritual intercourse1 your belief is at the mercy of your assumption4444 ,it is merely an opinion derived from phenomena4 ,but this reasoning would not hold good regarding any other trend of knowledge2 the vital necessity of the soul to lay hold on ,god and immortality is not lessened1 but rather deepened and reinforced by understanding1 when knowledge goes hand in hand with faith4 ,and the one supreme argument of all is that a truer knowledge of man's spiritual being--now and here--with a truer conception of his destiny in the part of life immediately succeeding the change of death1 would make so marvellous a difference in all his relations on earth1 in all his conceptions of achievement1 and would1 as ,sir ,edwin ,arnold says1 turn nine-tenths of the sorrows of earth into glorious joys and abolish quite as large a proportion of the faults and vices of mankind4 ,the ,past is heavy with misconceptions of the simple truths of life and immortality as ,jesus taught them4 ,the ,present seeks to throw off these cumbrous shells4 ,death is the liberator1 the divinely appointed means for ushering man into the more real1 the more significant life1 whose degree of reality and significance depends wholly on ourselves2 which is simply the achievement--better or poorer--which man creates now and here1 in the same manner in which the quality of manhood and womanhood depends wholly on the degree of achievement in childhood and youth4 ,we do not find1 but instead1 create our lives4 ,as we are perpetually creating1 we are perpetually making them anew4 ,if we must1 this year1 live out the errors that we made last year1 there is an encouragement rather than a penalty in the fact1 as this truth argues that if we now enter on a loftier plane and realize in outward life a nobler experience1 we shall1 next year1 or in some future time1 find ourselves entirely free from the weight of the errors we have abandoned1 the mistakes we have learned not to make1 and the entanglements that our negligences and ignorances created4 ,if we have caused our own sorrow1 we can cause our own joy4 ,for the ,golden ,age lies onward4 ,,discerning ,,the ,,future4 ,as the sun1 ,ere it is risen1 sometimes paints its image ,in the atmosphere1 so often do the spirits ,of great events stride on before the events1 ,and in to-day already walks to-morrow4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there exist moments in the life of man ,when he is nearer the great ,soul of the world ,than is man's custom1 and possesses freely ,the power of questioning his destiny4 --,,coleridge4 99 99 99 99 99 ,think of the power of anticipation everywhere6 ,think of the difference it would make to us if events rose above the horizon of our lives with no twilight that announced their coming4 ,god has given man the powers which compel him to anticipate the future for something4 --,,phillips ,,brooks4 ,the unexpected and the unaccountable play so large a part in human life that they may well incite study4 ,it is not conceivable that man should always remain at the mercy of events without conscious and intelligent choice in selecting and grouping them4 ,is there no ,roentgen ray that will pierce the horizon of the future and disclose to us what lies beyond8 ,of course it is a sort of stock-in-trade1 axiomatic assertion1 that if it were intended for man to know the future ,god would have revealed it to him2 and as it is not thus revealed1 it is unwise1 or unlawful1 or immoral to seek to read it4 ,on the same principle and with just as much logic1 it might be solemnly declared that we have no right to endeavor to surprise any of the secrets of the ,universe2 that if it had been intended for us to know the weight and composition of the stars1 to understand the laws that hold them in their courses1 or to know what is conquered by the scientist in geology1 or chemistry1 or anything else1 that the knowledge would have been ready made1 and as it is not so1 it is not lawful for man to explore any of these territories of the unknown4 ,or this assertion could be carried to a still further absurdity1 and construed that if man had been intended to read he would have been born with the knowledge1 and have had no need of learning the alphabet2 or that if ,god had intended man to dwell in cities they would have sprung up spontaneously like forests4 ,as a matter of fact1 the extending of the horizon line of knowledge in every direction is man's business in this part of life2 and why1 indeed1 if he can weigh and measure the stars in space1 shall he not be able to compel some magic mirror to reveal to him his future8 ,as it is1 we all tread on quicksands of mystery1 that may open and engulf us at any instant4 ,it is simply appalling when one stops to think of it1--to realize the degree to which all one's achievements1 and possibilities1 and success1 and happiness depend on causes apparently outside his own control4 ,one awakens to begin the day without the remotest idea of what that day holds for him4 ,all his powers of accomplishment1 all his energy1 all his peace of mind1--even the very matter of life or death hangs in the balance1 and the scales are to him invisible and intangible4 ,the chance of a moment may make or mar4 ,a letter1 a telegram1 with some revelation or expression that paralyzes all his powers2 the arrival of an unforeseen friend or guest1 a sudden summons to an unexpected matter1--all these and a thousand other nebulous possibilities that may1 at any instant1 fairly revolutionize his life1 are in the air1 and may at any moment precipitate themselves4 ,is not the next step in scientific progress to be into the invisible and the unknown8 ,doctor ,loeb conceived the idea that the forces which rule in the realm of living things are not different from the forces that we know in the inanimate world4 ,he has made some very striking and arresting experiments with protoplasm and chemical stimuli and opened a new field of problems in biology4 ,if the physical universe can be so increasingly explored1 shall not the spiritual universe be also penetrated by the spiritual powers of man8 ,there is no reason why clairvoyance should not be developed into a science as rational as any form of optical research or experiment4 ,not an exact science1 like mathematics1 for the future is a combination of the results of the past with the will and power and purposes of the individual in the present1 and of those events that have been in train and are already on their way4 ,it is a sort of spiritual chemistry4 ,but it seems reasonably clear that all the experiences on this plane have already transpired in the life of the spirit on the other plane of that twofold life that we live1 and they occur here because they have already occurred there4 ,they are precipitated into the denser world after having taken place in the ethereal world4 ,and so1 if the vision can be cultivated that penetrates into this ethereal world1 the future can thereby be read4 ,it is the law and the prophets4 ,now as the present largely determines the future1 the things that shall be are partly of our own creation4 ,we shape ourselves the joy or fear ,of which our coming life is made1 ,and fill our future's atmosphere ,with sunshine or with shade4 ,there are no conditions of being that are not plastic to the potency of thought4 ,as one learns to control his thought he controls the issues of life4 ,he becomes increasingly clear in intuition1 in perceptions1 and in spiritual vision4 ,as the planets and the stars and the solar systems are evolved out of nebulae through attraction and motion and perpetual combination1 so the present and the future is evolved for each individual out of his past1 and he is perpetually creating it4 ,nothing is absolute1 but relative1--no truth so sublime but that it may become trivial to-morrow in the light of new thoughts4 ,there is no relationship1 no casual meeting1 no accident or incident of the moment1 however trivial it may seem1 but that is a sign1 a hint1 an illustration of the human drama1 perpetually moving onward1 and demanding from each and all insight1 as well as outlook1 and a consciousness of the absolute realities involved in the manifestation of the moment4 ,the present moment is like an ambassador which declares the will of ,god1 says the writer of a little ,catholic book of devotions2 the events of each moment are divine thoughts expressed by created objects1 and the one serious hindrance1 it may be1 to the acceptance of events in this spirit1 lies in the fact of not being prepared for their acceptance4 ,the problem of life1 then1 resolves itself into the question of so ordering one's course of living as to be prepared to receive the event of the moment2 but the entire rush and ceaseless demands of the life of the present form the obstacle in the way of this harmonious recognition4 ,one cannot accept the event of the moment because he is absorbed in the event of yesterday1 or last week1 and his life is not1 thereby1 up-to-date4 ,to be always behindhand is to be under a perpetual and ever-increasing burden4 ,empedocles under ,mt4 ,etna was no more imprisoned than is the life of to-day which is filled with the things of yesterday4 ,yet where does the remedy lie8 ,it is the problem of the hour4 ,in nature every moment is new1 says ,emerson1 and it is that sense of freshness and exhilaration that one needs in order successfully to enter into the experiences of the present hour4 ,the world of mechanism keeps pace in the most curiously interesting way with the world of thought4 ,inventions came as material correspondences to the immaterial growth and demand4 ,when in the middle of the nineteenth century the human race had achieved a degree of development that made swift communication essential to the common life1 the telegraph and the ocean cable were invented2 or it might rather be said1 the laws that make them possible were discerned1 and were taken advantage of to utilize for this purpose4 ,the constant developments in rapid transit1 in the instantaneous conveniences of telephonic communication1 and1 latest of all1 in wireless telegraphy1 are all in the line of absolute correspondence with the advancing needs of humanity4 ,more than a decade ago ,doctor ,edward ,everett ,hale made the prediction in an article in ,the ,forum that writing 7in the mechanical sense7 would become a lost art1 and that the people of future centuries would point to us as the ancients1 who communicated our ideas by means of this slow and clumsy process4 ,according to ,doctor ,hale's vision1 the writing of all this present period would come to be regarded in much the same light as that in which we look at the ,egyptian hieroglyphics or the papyrus4 ,at that time the phonograph1 if invented1 was not in any way brought to the practical perfection of the present1 and telepathy was more a theory than an accepted fact2 but ,doctor ,hale has the prophetic cast of mind1 and already his theory is more in the light of probability than that of mere possibility4 ,the demands of modern life absolutely require the development of some means of communication that shall obviate the necessity of the present laborious means of handwriting4 ,there is needed the mechanism that shall transfer the thought in the mind to some species of record without the intervention of the hand4 ,whether the phonograph can be popularized to meet this need2 whether some still finer means that photograph thought shall be evolved1 remains to be seen4 ,thought is already photographed in the ether1 but whether this image can be transferred to a material medium is the question4 ,that telepathy shall yet come to be so well understood2 its laws formulated as to bring it within the range of the definite sciences1 there can be no doubt2 but this result can only attend a higher development of the spiritual power of humanity4 ,in its present status telepathy is seen as a result of wholly unconscious and unanalyzed processes that open a new region of life and a new range of possibilities4 ,it is the discovery of a new keyboard1 so to speak1 in the individual1 enabling him to still more live in thought1 and to act with energies that are immortal4 ,science is continually revealing the truth that the world1 the solar system1 the infinite universes are all created as the theatre of man's evolutionary development4 ,as ,emerson so truly says1 the world is the perennial miracle which the soul worketh4 ,the ,discovery of the ,future was the title of an interesting lecture by ,mr4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells1 given in ,london early in #aija1 before the ,royal ,institute1 in which the subject was speculatively discussed1 and in the course of his lecture ,mr4 ,wells said3-- ,along certain lines1 with certain limitations1 he argued1 a working knowledge of the things of the future was practicable and possible4 ,as during the past century the amazing searchlights of inference had been passed into the remoter past1 so by seeking for operating causes instead of for fossils the searchlight of inference might be thrown into the future4 ,the man of science would believe at last that events in ,a4 ,d4 #djjj were as fixed1 settled1 and unchangeable as those of ,a4 ,d4 #afjj1 with the exception of the affairs of man and his children4 ,it is as simple and sure to work out the changing orbit of the earth in future until the tidal drag hauls one unchanging face at last toward the sun1 as it is to work back to its blazing1 molten past4 ,we are at the beginning of the greatest change that humanity has ever undergone4 ,there will be no shock1 as there is no shock at a cloudy daybreak4 ,we are creatures of twilight1 but out of our minds and the lineage of our minds will spring minds that will reach forward fearlessly4 ,a day will come--one day in the unending succession of days--when the beings now latent in our thoughts1 hidden in our loins1 shall stand on this earth as one stands on a footstool1 and they shall laugh and reach out their hands among the stars4 ,mr4 ,wells is a disciple of ,darwin1 and he is applying to the life of humanity certain laws of evolution4 ,in this lecture he argued that great men are merely the images and symbols and instruments taken at haphazard by the incessant1 consistent forces behind them4 ,they were the pen nibs which fate used in her writing1 and the more one was inclined to trust these forces behind individuals1 the more one could believe in the possibility of a reasoned inductive view of the future that would serve us in politics1 morals1 social contrivances1 and in a thousand ways4 ,the lecturer argued that a deliberate direction of historical1 economic1 and social study toward the future1 and a deliberate and courageous reference to the future in moral and religious discussion1 would be enormously stimulating and profitable to the intellectual life4 ,one incalculable aid in thus throwing a spiritual searchlight forward and discussing the future is the realization embodied by ,dr4 ,lyman ,abbott1 that there is no death1 and no dead2 that the entire universe is life2 and that we are encompassed round about by invisible companions and friends2 sustained1 guided1 helped by forces that we see not4 ,to see the future as clearly as we see the past1 what does it require8 ,saint ,paul tells us that spiritual things are spiritually discerned4 ,the future is visible to the spiritual sight4 ,no one doubts but that the future is known to ,god1 for it is ,he who creates and controls it4 ,and man is the child of ,god1 and his true life is in co-operating with ,god in every form of the higher activity4 ,so far as he may co-operate with ,god he becomes1 himself1 a creative force2 making1 shaping1 and determining this future1 and thus1 to an increasing degree1 he becomes aware of it1 or sees it1 before it is realized on the outward plane4 ,the day is not1 indeed1 distant1 when humanity will live far less blindly than now4 ,as man develops his psychic self and lives the life of the spirit1--the life of intellect and thought and purpose and prayer1 rather than the life of the senses1 he will perceive his future4 ,to just the degree that one lives in the energies which are immortal does he perceive the future4 ,knowledge penetrates into the unknown and the unseen4 ,leverrier postulated ,neptune long before his long-distance theory was verified4 ,the intelligent recognition of the unseen forces and unseen presences1 the intelligent conception of the manner in which these unseen forces are working out the problems of destiny1 alone enables one to consciously combine with them2 to enter into the processes of evolution as an intelligent factor1 and thus redeem his individual life to harmony1 beauty1 and happiness4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,a ,determining ,question4 ,the question confronts one as a very determining problem in life1--can man control his circumstances8 ,to go deeper still1 can he create them8 ,or is he the product of his environment8 ,is every life just that which it is made8 ,or does there work1 under all our human will and endeavor1 a force resistless as gravitation and as constant as attraction8 ,a writer1 considering this subject1 thus expresses his own convictions3-- ,i believe that every life is the exact and necessary outcome of its environment1 and that there is in reality not one particle of actual freedom in this respect from the cradle to the grave4 ,i cannot here go into any extended proof of my position4 ,the syllogism may be stated as follows3 ,every phenomenon is the necessary result of pre-existing causes3 ,life is but a succession of phenomena4 ,therefore every life is necessarily determined by pre-existing causes4 ,i do not see how the conclusion can be escaped that from the time we open our eyes upon the world and receive our first impressions1 we are thrust forward between insurmountable walls of fate that leave no room for freedom4 ,it is true that so far as external or objective forces are concerned we may be1 as a rule1 under no compulsion to follow one more than another2 but subjectively we are in no sense free1 because the peculiar way in which the will will act under given conditions must depend upon the preponderating subjective force4 ,to hold otherwise is to contend that a lesser force can overcome a greater1--which is absurd4 ,certainly the problem as to the degree to which environment determines life is an interesting one1 but may it not be reversed and stand as the problem to what degree life controls and fashions the environment8 ,does not the environment change with the life in a corresponding evolutionary process8 ,every spirit builds its house4 ,then1 too1 the thing we call life is not composed exclusively of character and circumstances4 ,there enters into it a third element1--that of the unknown4 ,the environment of ,tennyson1 for instance1 in his early youth1 was that of the limited1 even though thoughtful and refined life of the son of a country clergyman of modest means2 as his powers expanded and developed his environment kept pace with it in extension of breadth4 ,is it not1 then1 true that a life really belongs to the environment it creates for himself1 rather than to that in which it is first nurtured8 ,it doth not yet appear what we shall be applies to the possibilities of life in the present as well as in that future which lies beyond the change we call death4 ,the divine electric spark leaps through the atmosphere and communicates its kindling power4 ,the inner force of the spirit works outward and begins to shape and fashion its own world4 ,environment is simply another name for that series of the more stately mansions that each one may build according to the power that worketh in him4 ,a great sorrow comes2 or an overwhelming joy1 on which one rises to heights of ecstasy1 to the very ,mount of ,transfiguration itself1 and thus transcends all former limits and creates his new environment1 whose walls are transparent to the sunrise flame and through which the glory enters in4 ,what has he to do with that far-away1 opaque1 limited environment into which he was born8 ,no more than has the giant oak1 tossing its branches under the stars1 to do with the acorn cup out of which it sprang4 ,let one realize1 ever so faintly1 even1 the miracle of possibilities that may unfold1 and his life is uplifted into a richness and a peace1 and a serene confidence that carries with it the essential essence of all that is best and noblest in its past1 and all that is potential in its infinite future4 ,the problem evolves into a definite work to be fulfilled1 and this work1 in turn1 leads to another problem involving its demonstration1 in actual performance1 as well2 and by this alternation life progresses1--growing ever larger and deeper and more exalted with its increasing power4 ,in this way man produces his circumstances--creates his outer conditions4 ,his successive environments become the expressions of his inner life and energy in their series of development and growth4 ,but this growth1 this development1 may be stimulated or retarded4 ,it depends entirely upon the degree to which one may relate himself to the spiritual energy of the divine atmosphere1 ever ready to pour itself1 with unlimited power1 through every receptive channel4 ,and this energy is the ,divine ,will1 and entering into it man does not lose his own free choice1 but only enters into that which makes his conscious choice vital and magnetic with infinite power of achievement4 ,maurice ,maeterlinck offered a fascinating contribution to this range of discussion1 in the course of which he said3-- ,one would say that man had always the feeling that a mere infirmity of his mind separates him from the future4 ,he knows it to be there1 living1 actual1 perfect1 behind a kind of wall1 around which he has never ceased to turn since the first days of his coming on this earth4 ,or rather1 he feels it within himself and known to a part of himself2 only1 that importunate and disquieting knowledge is unable to travel1 through the too narrow channels of his senses1 to his consciousness1 which is the only place where knowledge acquires a name1 a useful strength1 and1 so to speak1 the freedom of the human city4 ,it is only by glimmers1 by casual and passing infiltrations1 that future years1 of which he is full1 of which the imperious realities surround him on every hand1 penetrate to his brain4 ,he marvels that an extraordinary accident should have closed almost hermetically to the future that brain which plunges into it entirely1 even as a sealed vessel plunges1 without mixing with it1 into the depths of a monstrous sea that overwhelms it1 entreats it1 teases it1 and caresses it with a thousand billows4 ,time and space are the two dimensions which differentiate the physical and the spiritual worlds2 the higher the degree of spiritual development and advancement1 the less is the individual limited and hampered and fettered by these two conditions4 ,one may get a certain analogy on it by realizing to how much greater extent the infant or the child is bound by the conditions of ,space and ,time than is the man or the woman4 ,to the child the idea of the next year is1 practically1 an eternity2 while the man calmly and confidently makes his plans for the next year1 or for five years or ten years later2 with a matter-of-course assurance4 ,the next year to the man is not so remote as the next day is to the child4 ,so by this analogy it is not difficult to realize that when one is released from the physical world and advances into the realm of the subtle and potent forces of the ethereal world1 with his faculties responsive to the larger environment1--it is not difficult to realize that he is increasingly free from these conditions that are so strong in their power of limitation over the mortal life4 ,it is1 continues ,maurice ,maeterlinck1 quite incomprehensible that we should not know the future4 ,probably a mere nothing1 the displacement of a cerebral lobe1 the resetting of ,broca's convolution in a different manner1 the addition of a slender network of nerves to those which form our consciousness1--any one of these would be enough to make the future unfold itself before us with the same clearness1 the same majestic amplitude as that with which the past is displayed on the horizon1 not only of our individual life8 but also of the life of the species to which we belong4 ,a singular infirmity1 a curious limitation of our intellect1 causes us not to know what is going to happen to us1 when we are fully aware of what has befallen us4 ,from the absolute point of view to which our imagination succeeds in rising1 although it cannot live there1 there is no reason why we should not see that which does not yet exist1 considering that that which does not yet exist in its relation to us must necessarily have its being already1 and manifest itself somewhere4 ,if not1 it would have to be said that1 where ,time is concerned1 we form the centre of the world1 that we are the only witnesses for whom events wait so that they may have the right to appear and to count in the eternal history of causes and effects4 ,it would be as absurd to assert this for ,time as it would be for ,space1--that other not quite so incomprehensible form of the twofold infinite mystery in which our whole life floats4 ,the latest progress in this new century is that of overcoming space4 ,it is being overcome2 it is being almost annihilated4 ,when on the ,atlantic ,coast we call up a friend in ,chicago and speak with him any hour2 when we cable across three thousand miles of water and receive a speedy reply2 when wireless telegraphy wafts its message through the etheric currents of the air2 when the electric motor is about to revolutionize all our preconceived ideas of distance and journeyings1--we see how space is being dominated and is no longer to be one of the conditions that limit man's activities4 ,to a degree1 overcoming space is also overcoming time4 ,in an essay of ,emerson's1 written somewhere in the middle of the nineteenth century1 he speaks of something as being worth going fifty miles to see4 ,fifty miles1 at that time1 represented a greater space than three thousand miles represent at the present4 ,regarding the condition of space ,maeterlinck further says3 ,space is more familiar to us1 because the accidents of our organism place us more directly in relation with it and make it more concrete4 ,we can move in it pretty freely1 in a certain number of directions1 before and behind us4 ,that is why no traveller would take it into his head to maintain that the towns which he has not yet visited will become real only at the moment when he sets his foot within their walls4 ,yet this is very nearly what we do when we persuade ourselves that an event which has not yet happened does not yet exist4 ,the only explanation of certain phases of the phenomena of life is in the theory that life is twofold2 that what we call life--in the sense of experiences and events and circumstances--is simply the result1 the precipitation into the physical world1 of the events and experiences that have already occurred to us on the spiritual side of life1 and that they occur here because they have occurred there4 ,maeterlinck says further 7in this paper entitled ,the ,foretelling of the ,future73 ,but ,i do not intend1 in the wake of so many others1 to lose myself in the most insoluble of enigmas4 ,let us say no more about it1 except this alone1--that ,time is a mystery which we have arbitrarily divided into a past and a future1 in order to try to understand something of it4 ,in itself1 it is almost certain that it is but an immense1 eternal1 motionless ,present1 in which all that takes place and all that will take place takes place immutably1 in which ,to-morrow1 save in the ephemeral mind of man1 is indistinguishable from ,yesterday or ,to-day4 ,the question is raised by ,mr4 ,maeterlinck as to whether the clairvoyant who foretells to one future events gets his knowledge from the subliminal consciousness of the person himself4 ,he relates a series of experiences that he had in ,paris with all sorts and degrees of the professed seers1 and he says3-- ,it is very astonishing that others can thus penetrate into the last refuge of our being1 and there1 better than ourselves1 read thoughts and sentiments at times forgotten or rejected1 but always long-lived1 or as yet unformulated4 ,it is really disconcerting that a stranger should see further than ourselves into our own hearts4 ,that sheds a singular light on the nature of our inner lives4 ,it is vain for us to keep watch upon ourselves1 to shut ourselves up within ourselves2 our consciousness is not water-tight1 it escapes1 it does not belong to us1 and though it requires special circumstances for another to install himself there and take possession of it1 nevertheless it is certain that1 in normal life1 our spiritual tribunal1 our for interieur1--as the ,french have called it1 with that profound intuition which we often discover in the etymology of words1--is a kind of forum1 or spiritual market place1 in which the majority of those who have business there come and go at will1 look about them and pick out the truths1 in a very different fashion and much more freely than we would have to this day believed4 ,mr4 ,maeterlinck reiterates that it is incredible that we should not know the future4 ,the truth is that it is even more than incredible2 it is unpardonably stupid1 and the great desideratum is to so develop and unfold the spiritual faculties that they will discern the experiences on the spiritual side1--those which will1 later on1 precipitate themselves into the mortal life1 and that will be knowing the future4 ,that is to say1 if we can read our spiritual past1 we then know our earthly future2 for that which has been1 in the inner experience1 shall be1 in the outer experience4 ,mr4 ,maeterlinck says3-- ,i cannot think that we are not qualified to know beforehand the disturbances of the elements1 the destiny of the planets1 of the earth1 of empires1 peoples1 and races4 ,all this does not touch us directly1 and we know it in the past1 thanks only to the artifices of history4 ,but that which regards us1 that which is within our reach1 that which is to unfold itself within the little sphere of years1 a secretion of our spiritual organism1 that envelops us in ,time1 even as the shell or the cocoon envelops the mollusc or the insect in space2 that1 together with all the external events relating to it1 is probably recorded in that sphere4 ,in any case1 it would be much more natural that it were so recorded than comprehensible that it be not4 ,there we have realities struggling with an illusion2 and there is nothing to prevent us from believing that1 here as elsewhere1 realities will end by overcoming illusion4 ,realities are what will happen to us1 having already happened in the history that overhangs our own1 the motionless and superhuman history of the universe4 ,illusion is the opaque veil woven with the ephemeral threads called ,yesterday1 ,to-day1 and ,to-morrow1 which we embroider on those realities4 ,but it is not indispensable that our existence should continue the eternal dupe of that illusion4 ,we may even ask ourselves whether our extraordinary unfitness for knowing a thing so simple1 so incontestable1 so perfect and so necessary as the future1 would not form one of the greatest subjects for astonishment to an inhabitant of another star who should visit us4444 ,moreover1 we must not believe that the march of events would be completely upset if we knew it beforehand4 ,first1 only they would know the future1 or a part of the future1 who would take the trouble to learn it2 even as only they know the past1 or a part of their own present1 who have the courage and the intelligence to examine it4 ,we should quickly accommodate ourselves to the lessons of this new science1 even as we have accommodated ourselves to those of history4 ,we should soon make allowance for the evils we could not escape and for inevitable evils4 ,the wiser among us1 for themselves1 would lessen the sum total of the latter2 and the others would meet them half-way1 even as now they go to meet many certain disasters which are easily foretold4 ,the amount of our vexations would be somewhat decreased1 but less than we hope2 for already our reason is able to foresee a portion of our future1 if not with the material evidence that we dream of1 at least with a moral certainty that is often satisfying2 yet we observe that the majority of men derive hardly any profit from this easy fore-knowledge4 ,such men would neglect the counsels of the future1 even as they hear1 without following it1 the advice of the past4 ,not to know the future is extremely inconvenient1 to say the least1 and it may present itself as the next most needed advance in progress4 ,the question is in the air2 the demand for its solution may increase1 and demands penetrate the unknown and reconstruct it for the higher use of man4 ,meanwhile1 as ,mr4 ,maeterlinck continues3-- ,our life must be lived while we wait for the word that shall solve the enigma1 and the happier1 the nobler our life1 the more vigorous shall it become1 and we shall have the more courage1 clear-sightedness1 boldness to seek and desire the truth4444 ,we should live as though we were always on the eve of the great revelation1 and we should be ready with welcome1 with1 warmest and keenest and fullest1 most heartfelt and intimate welcome4 ,and whatever the form it shall take on the day that it comes to us1 the best way of all to prepare for its fitting reception is to crave for it now1 to desire it as lofty1 as perfect1 as vast1 as ennobling as the soul can conceive4 ,it must needs be more beautiful1 glorious1 and ample than the best of our hopes4 ,for when it differs therefrom or even frustrates them1 it must of necessity bring something nobler1 loftier1 nearer to the nature of man1 for it will bring us truth4 ,to man1 though all that he value go under1 the intimate truth of the universe must be wholly1 pre-eminently admirable4 ,and though on the day it unveils1 our meekest desires turn to ashes and float on the wind1 still there shall linger within us all we have prepared2 and the admirable will enter into our soul1 the volume of its waters being as the depth of the channel that our expectation has fashioned4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,in ,proportion to ,power4 ,may it not be that the degree to which one is enabled to dominate his own life in the sense of controlling and selecting and grouping its outer events is precisely in proportion to the spiritual power that he has achieved8 ,nor has this spiritual power any conceivable relation to what is currently known as occultism1 or a thing to be attained by any series of prescribed outer actions4 ,there has sprung up a species of literature with explicit directions for concentration and meditation and one knows not what1--directions to spend certain hours of the day gazing upon a ten-penny nail or something quite as inconsequential1 and a more totally demoralizing and negative series of performances can hardly be imagined4 ,but all this is not even worth denunciation4 ,the only real spiritual power is that of the union of the soul with the divine4 ,lift up your hearts4 ,we lift them up unto the ,lord4 ,in these lines lies the secret of all that makes for that mental and moral energy whose union is spiritual power4 ,the question of what happens to one daily and constantly1 as weeks and months go on1 is the one most practical question of life4 ,in it is involved all one's personal happiness as well as all his power for usefulness4 ,to feel that this ever-flowing current of events is something entirely outside one's own choice or volition is to stand helpless--if not hopeless--before the spectacle of life4 ,it is out of this aimless and chaotic state that resort is had to the seeking of all kinds of divination1 omens1 prophecies1 and foreshadowings1 with the result of more and more completely separating the individual from his legitimate activities and endeavor1 and leading him to substitute for spiritual realities a mere false and mirage-like outlook1--and instead of that rational activity and high endeavor that create events and increasingly control their conditions1 there is merely an impatient and restless expectation of something or other that may suddenly occur to transform the entire outlook4 ,the unforeseen events do occur1 and they are the crowning gift and grace and sweetness of life4 ,but they are the product1 the result1 the fine inflorescence of intense spiritual activity1 not of stagnation and idleness4 ,it might almost be said that there happens to one only that which he desires1 says ,maeterlinck3 it is time that on certain external events an influence is of the feeblest1 but we have all-powerful action on that which these events shall become in ourselves--in other words on their spiritual part1 on what is radiant1 undying within them4444 ,there are those with whom this immortal part absorbs all2 these are like islands that have sprung up in the ocean2 for they have found immovable anchorage whence they issue commands that their destiny must needs obey4444 ,whatever may happen is lit up by their inward life4 ,when you love1 it is not your love that forms part of your destiny1 but the knowledge of self that you will have found1 deep down in your love--this it is that will help you to fashion your life4 ,if you have been deceived1 it is not the deception that matters1 but the forgiveness whereto it leads1 and the loftiness1 wisdom1 completeness of this forgiveness--by these shall your life be steered to destiny's haven of brightness and peace2 by these shall your eyes see more clearly4444 ,let us always remember that nothing befalls us that is not of the nature of ourselves4 ,there comes no adventure but means to our soul the shape of our every-day thoughts4444 ,and none but yourself shall you meet on the highway of fate4444 ,events seem as the watch for the signal we hoist from within4 ,the inner life that is lived--the life of thought1 purpose1 aspiration1 and prayer--dominates and determines the outer life4 ,it creates it4 ,and when one feels helplessly drifting1 at the mercy of events1 his only safety lies in a more positive and abounding energy2 in deeper purpose and a firmer grasp on his work1 a higher and diviner trend to his thought1 and a closer clinging to the divine promises4 ,in man1 says ,balzac1 culminates a visible finite universe2 in him begins a universe invisible and infinite1--two worlds unknown to each other4 ,but one's life always belongs far more to his future than to his past4 ,he is more closely and truly related to that which he shall be than to that which he has been2 as the flower1 the plant1 the tree1 is in more intimate and vital relation with the air and sunshine than with the dark ground in which the seed germinated4 ,it retains its hold on the kingdom of the earth1 but it has achieved a new and a higher relation with the kingdom of the air4 ,man's relations with the invisible and the infinite universe are his truest and most determining relations4 ,and these are governed and are constantly extended by his power of will4 ,the power of will is so akin to the divine energy that it is the power through which1 and by means of which1 the closest relation with the divine energy can be effected4 ,man1 by the power of will1 unites his life with the life of ,god2 he so relates himself to the divine energy that he becomes receptive to it1 and when this irresistible force pours itself into his life all nobler realizations become possible2 all sublimest aspiration may express itself in the daily quality of life1 and fulfil its visions in actual tasks and deeds4 ,nothing is ever hopeless4 ,there is no situation nor complication that has not its key simply in lifting up the heart to ,god2 in willing1 through prayer1 to work1 as well as to walk1 with ,him2 and in praying1 through power of will brought to bear in all its resistless intensity of aspiration1 that the power of ,god may work through all the conditions of the human life4 ,the subjective or subliminal self is capable of extending the mental faculties in a way almost undreamed of by the ordinary consciousness4 ,there is in the mind a faculty1 says a writer on this subject1 which1 if it receives the correct impression1 is able to correct the mental and physical life of a person and produce a manifest impression on his environment1 the secret of which is conscious and concentrated attention under direction of the will of the individual4 ,the subjective mind is a distinct entity4 ,it occupies the whole human body1 and1 when not opposed in any way1 it has absolute control over all the functions1 conditions1 and sensations of the body4 ,while the objective mind has control of all our voluntary functions and motions1 the subjective mind controls all the silent1 involuntary1 and vegetative functions4 ,this subjective mind can see without the use of physical eyes4 ,it perceives by intuition4 ,it has the power to communicate with others without the use of ordinary physical means4 ,it can read the thoughts of others4 ,it receives intelligence and transmits it to people at a distance4 ,distance offers no resistance against the successful missions of the subjective mind4 ,it never forgets anything1 ,it never sleeps4 ,it is capable of sustaining an existence independent of the body4 ,it never dies4 ,it is the living soul4 ,that distinct entity which has been called the subjective mind is probably more accurately defined as the real person1 the man himself1 the immortal being who inhabits for a time the physical body4 ,the development of this immortal self by an intellectual and moral and religious progress is the real business of life1--the raison d'etre of man's sojourn on earth4 ,there is no more important truth to be grasped at the present time than that this culture and development of the spiritual self1 or this spiritualization of life1 is in no sense a matter of incantations and mysterious rites1 but is only to be achieved through faith in ,god1 through prayer and the constant uplifting of the spirit to the ,divine4 ,the inspiration of life lies in the unceasing effort to unite all the conscious inner life with the ,divine will and guidance4 ,the problem that presents itself to the instructors of the deaf1 dumb1 and blind is in this development and liberation of the spiritual self1 that the psychic powers may1 to some extent1 take the place of the outer senses that are closed4 ,the physical mechanism of communication with the visible world is defective1 and that perception1 which is spiritual sight1 must overcome blindness2 that swift recognition which is spiritual hearing must overcome deafness2 and the wonderful delicacy and intense keenness that these perceptions develop in those with defective senses is itself an incontrovertible proof of the reality of the inner spiritual being that for a time inhabits the physical body4 ,the observation of the deaf and blind leads one to see that sight and hearing in all people vary in degree1 and that a vast number of people are partially defective in these senses1 and that all mankind are defective beyond a given point4 ,there are vibrations too fine to be detected by the human ear2 and the sight of the eye is1 as is well known1 entirely limited to a certain degree of distance even in those whose eyesight is the keenest4 ,clairvoyance and clairaudience are considered as abnormal and phenomenal gifts1 and as in no way conceivable1 nor even desirable1 as general and usual powers for every one4 ,yet what are they but the sight and hearing of the spiritual man1 the development of the powers of the subtle body transcending those of the physical body8 ,this ethereal or psychic body is in correspondence with the ethereal world4 ,it is formed to be an inhabitant of that world in which it finds itself the moment it is released by death4 ,but if sufficiently developed to take command1 so to speak1 while here1 of the will and the consciousness and all the mechanism of the physical body1 it then brings to bear upon practical1 daily life all this infinite and irresistible energy of the higher planes with which it is in receptive relation4 ,then1 whether in the body or out of the body matters little in the responsive communion with those who have passed through death4 ,could the spiritual vision of the present man be unfolded but for a moment1 to realize the mighty forces of nature that will one day be at his command1 he would become dizzy at the contemplation of such wondrous possibilities1 says a recent writer4 ,the electro-magnetic energy that holds worlds in their orbits1 and neutralizes the power of gravitation1 is but one of those powers that awaits the growing genius of man to utilize4 ,the magnetic force is the attractive or centripetal power2 the electric force is the repellent or centrifugal power4 ,a machine will be invented1 in the near future1 that will combine these into a single electro-magnetic force1 and with this force the power of gravitation will be neutralized4 ,then the world's traffic will be as readily carried in the air as now it is upon the ground4 ,the forces of the ,universe await only the dissipation of ignorance1 selfishness1 and greed to bless and harmonize the world4 ,the outlook for the twentieth century in its grandeur2 in the unfolding and expanding powers of man1 and the new and deeper insights into the hidden forces of nature1 can hardly be exaggerated4 ,we stand on the threshold of a new heaven and a new earth4 ,the drama of life is to be uplifted to a higher plane1 to the realm of beauty and blessedness and radiance and joy4 ,,the ,,ethereal ,,realm4 ,it is henceforth open to science to transcend all we now think we know of matter and to gain new glimpses of a profounder scheme of cosmic law4 --,,sir ,,william ,,crookes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we exist also in a world of ether2--that is to say1 we are constructed to respond to a system of laws1--ultimately continuous1 no doubt1 with the laws of matter1 but affording a new1 a generalized1 a profounder conception of the ,cosmos4 ,so widely different1 indeed1 is this new aspect of things from the old1 that it is common to speak of the ether as a newly-known environment4 ,on this environment our organic existence depends as absolutely as on the material environment1 although less obviously4 ,in ways which we cannot fathom1 the ether is at the foundation of our physical being4 ,perceiving heat1 light1 electricity1 we do but recognise in certain conspicuous ways1--as in perceiving the ,x rays we recognise in a way less conspicuous1--the pervading influence of ethereal vibrations which in range and variety far transcend our capacity of response4 ,within1 beyond1 the world of ether1--as a still profounder1 still more generalized aspect of the ,cosmos1--must lie1 as ,i believe1 the world of spiritual life4 ,that the world of spiritual life does not depend upon the existence of the material world ,i hold as now proved by actual evidence4 ,that it is in some way continuous with the world of ether ,i can well suppose4 ,but for our minds there must needs be a critical point in any such imagined continuity2 so that the world where life and thought are carried on apart from matter1 must certainly rank again as a new1 a metetherial environment4 ,in giving it this name ,i expressly imply only that from our human point of view it lies after or beyond the ether1 as metaphysic lies after or beyond physics4 ,i say only that what does not originate in matter or ether originates there2 but ,i well believe that beyond the ether there must be not one stage only1 but countless stages in the infinity of things4 --,,human ,,personality4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the glorious consummation toward which organic evolution is tending is the production of the highest and most perfect psychical life4--,,john ,,fiske4 ,the recognition of the untold force of thought is productive of marvellous results and opens as unlimited possibilities as the discovery and the increasing application of the power of electricity4 ,the force of thought--the most intense potency in the universe--has always existed1 as has that of electricity4 ,it only awaited recognition4 ,telepathy is just as entirely the manifestation of a law as is gravitation2 and gravitation existed long before it was recognized4 ,the entire question of the conduct of life is included in the true development and right use of thought4 ,the entire problem of achievement1 of success1 lies in it4 ,the supreme end of all religious teaching is the culture of right thought4 ,it is the power that determines all social relations1 all opportunities for usefulness1 and all personal achievement4 ,the right thought opens the right door4 ,there is absolutely no limit to its power1 and each individual may increase and strengthen his grasp of it and develop it to an indefinite and unforeseen degree4 ,one actual method of the use of thought is to use it1 creatively1 for the immediate future4 ,the time that is just before one is plastic to any impress4 ,it has not yet taken form in events or circumstances1 and it can1 therefore1 be controlled and determined4 ,one may sit quietly and alone for a little time at night1 calling up all his thought force1 and by means of it create the next day4 ,the events of the day will follow the impression made by the thought4 ,one can thus will himself1 so to speak1 with the successful currents4 ,he can create his atmosphere and environment1 and can open wide the portals of his life to beauty and happiness4 ,the law of telepathy is as supreme in the spiritual universe as are the laws of gravitation and attraction in the physical universe4 ,the law that holds the constellations in their courses is not more in absolute evidence than that which governs the flashes of perception between two persons in a finer and more subtle communication than words1 spoken or written1 could possibly convey4 ,but while there is no law more universally and impressively in evidence1 there is also no law so totally unformulated1 so entirely1 it would seem1 outside the domain of conscious recognition and will4 ,one endeavors to send a telepathic message to his friend--and no impress is made4 ,again1 when he has made no effort at all1 nor even thought of trying1 the telepathic message is received4 ,the magnetic sensitiveness of the spirit to thought currents is astounding4 ,it has long seemed to many persons that the very air conveyed messages--and so it does4 ,one may call up another1 in either this world or in the ethereal world1 at any time1 simply by directing to him a strong current of thought4 ,the thousand little things generally ranked as coincidence are really illustrations of this law4 ,one thinks intently of a friend whom1 perhaps1 he has not met1 or heard from1 for years1 and1 presto1 a letter1 or the person himself appears4 ,one can settle misunderstandings1 convey counsel1 entreaty1 instruction1 or comprehension1--all by the quality of the thought he sends forth4 ,all this is a part of the phenomena of spiritual life4 ,we must not make the mistake of imagining we become spiritual beings only by death4 ,we are spiritual beings now and here1 and our real life is1 even in the present1 in the spiritual world1 and carried on by means of spiritual forces4 ,everything which is intellectual and moral is of the spirit4 ,such men as ,edison and ,tesla and ,marconi are dealing with the higher spiritual forces4 ,when ,cyrus ,field laid the ,atlantic cable1 it was a work of the spiritual rather than of the physical world4 ,so are the vast works of commerce1 of transportation1 of building1 the discovery of new countries1 and the promulgation of the higher civilization in every form4 ,we must not regard spiritual life as limited to mere religious or devotional rites and ceremonies4 ,these have their place1 and an important one2 but they are included among a thousand other things that make up the life of the spirit4 ,man is primarily and permanently a spiritual being1 and only incidentally and temporarily a physical being4 ,still the further problem confronts us3 ,how shall we consciously and intelligently control telepathic communication as we now control our communication by speech1 letters1 or telegrams8 ,a curious instance of unconscious and unaccountable telepathy is the following3 ,there were two individuals who had never met1 but who held some mutually antagonistic conceptions of each other1--conceptions that were1 too1 perhaps more or less mutually erroneous1 and this condition had lasted over a prolonged period of time4 ,then one of these persons had the experience of waking in the night1 simply engulfed in an overwhelming wave of tender and compassionate feeling toward the other3 seeing1 as if with spiritual vision1 a nature unstrung1 hardly responsible1 and one that invited only the most infinite tenderness and care4 ,this wave of new and perfectly clear perception was like a magnetic trance4 ,it was an hour of absolute spiritual clairvoyance1 and the evidence was furnished by a letter received1 the next morning1 from a mutual friend1 which entirely substantiated and corroborated the telepathic impression that had been experienced in the night4 ,now the scientific question is3 ,from whence did this impression proceed8 ,was it direct telepathy between the two persons concerned8 ,was it a clairvoyant reading of the letter that was en route during the night8 ,who can decide8 ,the special point here is that these most vivid and intense experiences are largely1 if not entirely1 encountered unconsciously4 ,they suddenly--come4 ,one asks for them--and they do not come8 ,now how are we to pluck out the heart of the mystery8 ,the moment one realizes himself as a spiritual being1 belonging by right to the spiritual world2 one whose true interests are in and of that realm1 and to whom communion with the ,divine is the very breath of existence1 the one elixir of life1 that moment he asserts himself aright4 ,from that hour his life becomes a significant factor in true progress4 ,prayer may be a formal and ceremonial act1 and mean nothing3 it may be the absolute surrender of one's soul to the ,divine1 when it enters behind the veil into the very glory of ,god4 ,this spiritual truth is closely linked with certain scientific facts4 ,the scientists have theories of inner ether by means of which psychic power is conveyed and which translate it into action1 as the wire translates the electric current to express a message4 ,a scientist asserts a new theory that there are no varying states of ether1 but that all space is filled with matter in various states of vibration2 and that what we had heretofore called air and ether is simply all one substance in degrees of lower and higher range4 ,it is conceivable that this latest idea may approximate to the truth more than any previous theory4 ,no one has yet discovered those forces of nature by means of which sense relates itself to spirit4 ,there is certainly some great law1 still unrecognized and unformulated1 which acts1 and which is acted upon by human beings1 irrespective of any physical means2 but why these laws sometimes do and sometimes do not produce given results1 no one can tell4 ,there are other existing laws in the physical world that transcend scientific scrutiny4 ,the marvellous results of chemical combinations1 the miracle nature of electricity and all its phenomena1 fade into absolute nothingness beside the higher marvels of the action of spirit4 ,the crude and merely approximate truth must be that in each human being is a part of the divine being2 that this divine element may be nurtured and strengthened by living in its native atmosphere of spiritual life1--in the atmosphere of peace1 joy1 and love2 and that this potency of ,god and of man1 so far as he relates himself to ,god1 can act upon that substance that fills all space2 that this substance1 whether it be ether1 or whether it be matter differentiated in degree of vibration1 is intensely susceptible1 in the most infinitely delicate way1 to thought1 which acts upon it as physical force can act on physical matter4 ,to realize intelligently one's relatedness to ,god1 and one's own power over this subtle matter1 whatever it be that fills all space1 is to arise in newness of life4 ,it is to realize one's self as a spiritual being1 here and now1 and an inhabitant of the spiritual world4 ,it is to realize that one's relation to the physical world is a merely incidental thing1--a fact that has its purpose1 its responsibilities1 as a phase of development1 and which it is most important to use aright2 but which is inevitably transient4 ,day-dreams1 the habitual meditations that go on of themselves in the mind1 are prophecies and potencies4 ,they are the creative factors of future states4 ,out of the heart are the issues of life4 ,it is a question of degree1--so much love1 so much force to act upon outer affairs4 ,he who finds his currents of thought verging to the unkind1 the ungenerous1 the inimical2 whose mind1 in its unconscious action1 is in a discordant state1 fretting at circumstances1 or persons1--is doing himself the gravest injury4 ,he is creating1 on the unseen side1 which is the most potent and determining side1 conditions which he must live out sooner or later4 ,it would seem1 if one may judge from the data of telepathic experiences1 that the power belongs to the sub-conscious self1 or1 as we may prefer to call it1 to the spiritual self1 and does not relate itself to the conscious intellectual life and the conscious will4 ,if this deduction is true--what then8 ,can we not relate our consciously intelligent life to our unconscious spiritual life8 ,not only1 indeed1 that we may1 but that we must1--for it is the next step in spiritual advancement4 ,the time has come in the era of progress when humanity begins to realize its spiritual development4 ,all the signs of the times point it out4 ,the discoveries of higher laws constantly being made1 are an impressive attestation that register the movement4 ,with the new century came in ,tesla's discovery of the vacuum tube and its wonderful light2 and hardly a week later came the announcement of the discovery of a perpetual light found by a certain chemical combination placed in a glass globe1 which1 when the air was exhausted and the globe sealed1 would burn as long as the globe lasts4 ,the discoverer claims that there is but one force in all nature1--that of vibration2 that all space is pervaded by matter1 which is energy4 ,certainly the world is on the eve of new revelations1 and life is to be lifted up1 even here and now1 to the ,divine plane4 ,perhaps the most practical counsel in the way of determining one's own future control of these telepathic conditions is conveyed in the words3 ,begin now the eternal life of trustful consecration and sanctified service1 consciously drawing your innermost life from ,god4 ,this absolute personal control of each man over his own future lies in a twofold power3 the one being that integrity1 moral purpose1 aspirations1 have a creative power of the most potent character2 and the other being in that one attracts to himself the spiritual companionship and sympathetic co-operation of just such quality as his own4 ,there is an objection1 often made to the faith in the companionship and communion with those in the ,unseen1--that only those of a lower order in the life beyond death are attracted into the sphere of this world4 ,nothing could be more remote from the truth4 ,one might as well refuse all social intercourse with those in this world1 on the plea that if he have companionship at all it would be of a lower order1 and therefore he will have none4 ,now the order of one's companions and associates depends on himself4 ,if he is noble and exalted1 he does not attract nor is he attracted to the base and the unworthy3 and only more deeply and unfailingly does this law hold true in the realm of spirit4 ,one attracts to himself from the unseen world companionship of the same order and quality as that of his own spirit1 with the exception that in proportion to the purity of his aspiration does this quality of companionship come to him of a still higher order than his own4 ,thus one creates his own world4 ,he need not abjectly feel that he must accept sorrow1 trial1 defeat1 and disaster at the moment1 because compensation somewhere awaits him4 ,the law of transmutation supersedes the law of compensation4 ,one may bring to bear1 at the moment1 the potent force that transforms all3 that changes dullness into radiance1 trial into joy1 depression into exaltation4 ,and how8 ,simply by bringing to bear on the events and conditions of the hour the intense and creative potency of spiritual power4 ,by means of this we shall certainly gain those new glimpses of a profounder scheme of cosmic law to which ,sir ,william ,crookes refers and which his vision discerns as open to science4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,a ,scientific ,fact4 ,it is a scientific fact that any vibration set up in the ether persists to an unlimited degree1 communicating itself to that which is in correspondence with its rate of vibration4 ,this1 of course1 is the explanation of the phenomena involved in wireless telegraphy1 and is equally the explanation of the phenomena involved in telepathy4 ,at a meeting of the ,society of ,arts in ,may of #aija1 ,professor ,ayrton1 commenting on ,marconi's system1 said that we are gradually coming within thinkable distance of the realization of a prophecy he had ventured to make four years before1 at a time when1 if a person wanted to call to a friend he knew not where1 he would call in a very loud electro-magnetic voice1 heard by him who had the electro-magnetic ear1 silent to him who had it not4 ',where are you8' he would say4 ,a faint reply would come1 ',i am at the bottom of a coal mine1 or crossing the ,andes1 or in the middle of the ,atlantic4' ,or1 perhaps1 in spite of all the calling1 no reply would come1 and the person would then know that his friend was dead4 ,think of what this would mean1 of the calling which goes on every day from room to room of a house1 and then think of that calling extending from pole to pole1--not a noisy babble1 but a call audible to him who wants to hear1 and absolutely silent to all others4 ,it would be almost like dreamland and ghostland1--not the ghostland cultivated by a heated imagination1 but a real communication from a distance1 based on true physical laws4 ,yet even this speculation fails to keep pace with the advance of truth1 for there is no death1 in the sense in which ,professor ,ayrton refers to it here1 as a state of unconsciousness which no message can reach1 and from which no reply can come4 ,on the contrary1 that transformation we call death is a condition of far more intense consciousness1 of being far more alive and far more responsive to the call and the thought4 ,we are learning to realize the literal truth of the phrase in the ,bible1 dead in trespasses and sins4 ,so far as one is in sins and faults and defects he is dead4 ,spiritual vitality is in goodness alone4 ,so far as one endeavors to follow after righteousness1 to achieve and live in truth1 honor1 and love1 he is alive2 so far as he fails in this he is dead1 and this1 quite irrespective of the fact as to whether he is in or out of his physical body4 ,this present world has its dead people walking around1 it is true3 eating1 drinking1 dressing1 travelling1 taking part in the average activities of daily life1 but dead1 all the same1 or1 at most1 only partially alive1--the dead souls1 as ,gogol well terms them4 ,the vital truth of immortality is to be immortal now1 to-day2 to be spiritually alive1 spiritually conscious1 and with this achieved1 whether in or out of the body is immaterial4 ,that becomes a mere detail of no special significance4 ,given the condition of spiritual vitality1 and the electro-magnetic call would receive its reply from the friend who had shed his body4 ,sir ,william ,preece1 in a recent address before the ,royal ,society1 remarked3-- ,if any of the planets be populated 7say ,mars7 with beings like ourselves1 having the gift of language and the knowledge to adapt the great forces of nature to their wants1 then if they could oscillate immense stores of electrical energy to and fro in electrical order1 it would be possible for us to hold communication1 by telephone1 with the people of ,mars4 ,it is hardly a bolder or more startling speculation to contemplate the establishment of intelligent and definite communication with ,mars than it would have been1 a half-century ago1 to contemplate communication across three thousand miles of ocean without visible means4 ,an evening's observation of the heavens1 made recently through the great telescope of the ,naval ,observatory in ,washington1 revealed1 in one of its phases1 a sunrise in the moon4 ,one gazed at the dark edge of a mountain range to see it suddenly grow light2 to see the illumination increase both in area and intensity1 precisely like a sunrise over a mountain range here on earth4 ,the spectacle was as suggestive as it was sublime4 ,it brought the observer into a new relation to the universe4 ,the sun that lights the earth was then rising on the moon4 ,one realized a new conception of the unity of the solar system4 ,now it is this unity in the universe that scientists are everywhere affirming4 ,this is the new note in science1 and it is only one aspect of this truth to realize that wireless telegraphy and telepathy are both manifestations of the same principle1--that of setting up a magnetic disturbance in the ether1 by utilizing the electricity in etheric currents4 ,thought is the most potent form of energy1 and given the conditions of a certain rapport between two minds1 and the result is the same as that discerned and verified by ,marconi1 in setting up two instruments that are attuned to each other4 ,in the end telepathy will take entire precedence of all other forms of communication4 ,it will supersede the telegraph1 the telephone1 the cable1 and wireless telegraphy4 ,it will serve every demand1 public and private4 ,distance will interpose no obstacle or difficulty1 for thought overcomes space and time4 ,we are spiritual beings here and now4 ,we are living in a spiritual universe4 ,we are entering in more and more to the grasp and knowledge of spiritual appliances1 and we can only say1 reverently1 that it doth not yet appear what we shall be4 ,is thought1 itself1 photographed on the ether8 ,does the vibration of the spoken word linger in the place where it is uttered8 ,the question cannot but recur to one after recognizing phenomena that1 apparently1 point to this solution1--when1 for instance1 a caller comes1 and1 taking the chair of a preceding guest1 repeats1 substantially1 the same words that the other had spoken regarding some subject or event4 ,this is something that frequently occurs4 ,just what is the explanation8 ,do thoughts register themselves magnetically on the air1 and is this magnetic writing perceived1 unconsciously1 by one sensitive to it8 ,the question is certainly one of curious interest4 ,again1 are the daily occurrences of life pre-destined8 ,how far do we make our own life8 ,how far is it made for us8 ,an individual was led in dreams one night through rooms that seemed to have granite walls1 to be very bare1 cold1 and vast4 ,the next evening he was leaving on a journey1 and did start2 but after he had taken his seat in the palace car1 the discovery of a mistake caused him hastily to leave the train before it started1 and return4 ,in consequence of the mistake discovered he was obliged to seek a certain official in a great granite building1 whose interior had1 heretofore1 been entirely unknown to him4 ,entering it1 his way led through the same cold1 vast1 bare rooms that the preceding night in dreams he had traversed4 ,now the mistake that delayed his journey and brought about these results was not even his own mistake1 but one made by another person4 ,was all this series of events--trifles of no importance in themselves1 but very curious in their combination--foreordained8 and if not1 how was it that they were partly perceived1 in the passive state of sleep1 twenty-four hours before they occurred8 ,it often seems true that the spirit1 in the unconscious condition of sleep1 has a certain clairvoyance1 and looks out beholding and reporting to the consciousness the immediate future2 but if the events it reports were not already formed1 how could they be seen8 ,the question involves many psychic complexities4 ,there can be little question that the atmosphere is electric1 magnetic1 and conducts thought from mind to mind1 as the wire does the electric current4 ,the higher spirituality to which the race has advanced enables one to perceive and experience this truth more or less1 some to a great degree1 some only in a minor2 but some sort of perception is universal1 and is seen as phenomena1 or as indications of the working of spiritual laws1 according to the individual who recognizes it4 ,one of these striking phases may be seen in the experience that results from absence and separation4 ,let two persons who are mutually sympathetic and responsive to each other meet1 and they at once strike the chord of ardent social enjoyment in their companionship1 and the note of prelude to an enthusiastic friendship4 ,let a sudden separation come in the external world1 and the mutual spiritual experience is strangely full of color1 of vital sympathy1 of vivid perceptions4 ,evidently1 the spirits of each meet and mingle1 independent of the fact that a thousand miles of distance lie between the individuals4 ,what is distance to the spiritual being8 ,it is not an element which bears any significance to that part of the nature which has transcended time and place4 ,in such an experience as this1 and one that occurred recently between two persons1 one writes to the other3-- ,i talk to you incessantly4 ,i find currents from my life continually running out like telegraph wires to yours4 ,and a letter written by the other person1 crossing this one on the way1 had borne a message something to the effect3-- ,i go about companioned by you4 ,far more actually present you are to me than those by whom ,i am surrounded4 ,everything ,i read and think keeps referring itself to you for response4 ,between these two persons telepathy was working perfectly4 ,absence and separation made no blank1 but rather a season filled with the most intense and direct sense of psychical communion4 ,they were meeting--spirit to spirit--more closely1 more clearly1 indeed1 than would have been possible had they been dwelling under one roof4 ,for personality1 and all the incidents and accidents and interruptions hinder rather than help actual companionship1 when it is on this higher plane of spirit to spirit in mutual1 swift1 unerring response4 ,in this phase of actual experience may we not find a hint from which to study the words of ,jesus to his disciples1--,it is expedient for you that ,i go away4 ,through that mystic silence that fell between them on ,his departure from the visible world1 there thrilled the sense of a communion so near1 so exalted1 so divinely sweet1 that it could never have been theirs in the external life4 ,to give this it was expedient that ,he should go away4 ,here we find the key to the separations that must occur between friends by the demands of life1 or that occur by death1 but that may be in either case infinitely deeper in spiritual communion4 ,the friend with whom we are in any real relations is nearer1 even when the ocean rolls between1 than one in the same room can be with whom we are not in special sympathy2 and one who has gone into the invisible world is nearer still1 as out of the realm of pure spirit the communion is still stronger and more direct and more intense4 ,for this is a universe of reciprocal forces4 ,the very ether is the medium of communication between spirit and spirit4 ,marconi has recently completed a new wonder in the shape of a ship detector4 ,by means of this instrument the course of any ship having one aboard can be traced1 wherever she may be in mid-ocean4 ,it acts on the principle of the wireless telegraph1 but does not require a wireless plant to operate it4 ,no operator is needed on the ship1 the shore stations locating the ships by a system of tunings4 ,it is proposed to install this system on the leading liners1 and the home office can thus know at every moment the exact position of a ship and note her progress as she moves along her course4 ,should the vessel become disabled it will become noted1 and by means of the chart her position can be known and assistance can be sent to her4 ,here is one of the most marvellous among the new illustrations of the finer forces4 ,but this ship detector1 which acts on the principle of wireless telegraphy1 is less potent than are the electric forces in every human being1 if it were known how to control and utilize these to serve the purposes of perception4 ,for perception is a faculty that may far transcend both sight and hearing4 ,perception is a faculty of the soul--often undeveloped2 rarely developed to anything like its full possibilities1 but capable of locating objects or of discerning persons and events1 or of apprehending states of mind in others1 regardless of space1 as the ship's detector and the shore stations become aware of each other through their relation of finer vibrations4 ,a recent experimenter in electric and super-physical force1 ,m4 ,tessier d',helbaicy1 states this theory3 ,taking as his premise the fundamental law of physical science1 that all chemical reaction is accompanied by a generation of heat and electricity1 he said to himself that the human body1 with the innumerable and incessant chemical reactions presented by all its cells1 should create a thermo-electric pile of great power4 ,in any case1 the ,austrian savant1 ,reichenbach1 in his remarkable series of experiments1 has already proved1 fifty years ago1 that we radiate electric waves of a special kind1 visible in the dark under certain conditions1 and these present positive and negative poles4 ,this being granted1 ,m4 d',helbaicy has measured the yielding power of the human machine in heat and electricity1 and has compared these with what the heat industrial machines can do1 such as those run by steam1 dynamos1 and electric piles4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,glorious ,inauguration4 ,the new year of #aijc was inaugurated by the scientific success of the most remarkable1 the most marvellous achievement of any age1--that of wireless telegraphy4 ,before you write #aijc ,i will have demonstrated the success of wireless communication1 exclaimed ,marconi1 early in #aijb2 and ten days before the dawning of the year he named1 the achievement was an undisputed success4 ,it is so marvellous a thing that thought1 without visible mechanism1 can be flashed through the air1 across the ocean1 and record itself1 that the success of ,marconi can be held as nothing less than sublime4 ,it is the most impressive of all the realizations of the past decade in entering on the unseen and intangible potencies4 ,it has become a familiar thing to see the cars in city streets1 and carriages move swiftly by a motor power that is invisible to the eye2 a power that no one can analyze or detect save in its effects and its results4 ,it has become so familiar a thing that one can carry on a conversation with a friend at a thousand miles' distance1 that one forgets how wonderful it really is4 ,within the memory of men still living is the time when it required forty days to make the voyage to ,europe1 and to obtain1 or to send1 news between the two countries4 ,now1 within forty minutes1 the news is flashed under the ocean4 ,all these discoveries that annihilate ,time and ,space are simply the result of the evolution of life to higher stages2 of the advance of man into the ethereal realm4 ,for is not the underlying and fundamental truth this3 that all is spirit8 ,one may talk of the spiritual life1 but there is no other life6 ,withdraw the spiritual element1 and there is no life at all6 ,the difference1 then1 between the physical and the material worlds is only a difference of degree1--as ice-water1 steam1 and vapor are only different degrees and conditions of the same element4 ,progress is the transformation of the physical into the spiritual2 of the lower and cruder and denser life into the finer1 the more potent1 the more ethereal4 ,energy is proportioned in potency to its ethereal aspects4 ,in its cruder and denser form there is only a low degree of potency1 and in its more ethereal forms is there higher potency4 ,the ox-team is a dense and crude form of potency1 and the electric motor is the more ethereal and intense form of energy4 ,now the progress of humanity is unfailingly registered by its advance into the employment of the ethereal forces and the more intense energies1 as these form conditions that react upon life4 ,how far more intelligent a nation may be when its facilities for swift intercommunication foster and stimulate and instantly disseminate the knowledge of all events1 discoveries1 and experiences2 and when its facilities for swift transportation facilitate all economic and social intercourse6 ,judged1 then1 by their unfailing measurements1 how significant was the triumphal achievement of wireless telegraphy on the eve of the dawn of #aijc4 ,if telepathy is the science of the soul's interchange with ,god--of the interchange of the thought of one soul with another2 if it reveal that realm of consciousness where all ,god's thought is interpreted to the soul3 if its vibration never dies out of the atmosphere of thought2 the discovery of this great law must indeed take precedence of that of any other achievement of the past century4 ,the nature of ,human ,personality holds the secret of spiritual evolution4 ,it doth not yet appear what man may be2 but the increasing knowledge of his powers2 the development of those heretofore latent and unrecognized1 are combining to throw a new illumination on not only the aspects1 but the purposes of life4 ,man is coming into enlightenment concerning the environment of the spiritual world as one more immediately controlling him1 as well as one far more profound and significant1 than the environment of matter and of ether4 ,as things go1 the chief emphasis has always been placed upon the material environment4 ,man has not infrequently been willing to sell his soul for a mess of pottage--his chief concern being1 not the loss of his soul1 but the gain of the pottage4 ,he has been willing to exchange the entire devotion of all his energies for a finer and more resplendent quality of food1 clothing1 and shelter1--for a palace in which to live1 for private cars and steam yachts in which to go about1 and all the paraphernalia accessible to the multi-millionaire4 ,but it is not all that these possessions typify which constitutes his most important environment4 ,it is that degree of the spiritual world with which his own quality of spiritual life is fitted to ally itself4 ,the life of the organism consists in its power of interchanging energy with that of its environment1 says ,frederic ,w4 ,h4 ,myers1--of appropriating by its own action some fraction of that pre-existent and limitless power4 ,we human beings exist1 in the first place1 in a world of matter1 he continues1 whence we draw the obvious sustenance of our bodily functions4 ,we exist also in a world of ether2 that is to say1 we are constructed to respond to a system of laws1 ultimately continuous1 no doubt1 with the laws of matter1 but affording a new1 a generalized1 a profounder conception of the ,cosmos4 ,on this environment our organic existence depends as absolutely as on the material environment1 although less obviously1--but 444 within1 beyond the world of ether1 as a still profounder1 still more generalized aspect of the ,cosmos1 must lie1 as ,i believe1 the world of spiritual life4 ,this world of spiritual life1 a deeper reality1 a profounder realm of energy than the ethereal world1 is the true environment of the spirit even while embodied in physical form2 and the secret of all success1 of all achievement1 of all progress1 of all happiness1 is to discover increasing means by which we may thus relate ourselves to our native realm4 ,science and ,psychical ,research are supplementing ,religion2 are1 indeed1 incorporating themselves into ,religion as vital factors of the spiritual progress of humanity4 ,far from being hostile elements to the revelation of the ,divine ,power given in the ,bible1 they explain1 they extend1 they interpret that revelation4 ,as ,archdeacon ,wilberforce so finely points out1 ,god is ever the same1 but what men see of ,him changes1--changes without contradiction of the past conceptions4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was a definite promise of ,god that ,he should unfold1 develop1 spiritualize the conceptions of the early ,christian faith1 revealing gradually1 as men should be able to assimilate them1 higher1 nobler views of the nature1 character1 and purpose of the ,eternal ,father1 continued ,archdeacon ,wilberforce in a memorable sermon preached in ,westminster ,abbey1 and he added3-- ,it is1 ,i suppose1 inevitable that timid hearts1 rooted in the traditions of the past1 iron-bound in antiquated definitions1 should imagine that the foundations of faith are shaken4 ,they forget that the ,christ told us that when ,his visible presence was removed ,he would speak by ,his spirit1 as ,he had only delivered the preliminaries of ,his full message2 that there were truths yet to be unfolded which men would receive and assimilate as the generations succeeded one another1--'as the thoughts of men widened with the progress of the suns4' ,i have been told by experts that the astronomers who built those marvels of antiquity1 the ,pyramids of the ,nile1 pierced a slanting shaft through the larger pyramid which pointed direct to the ,pole-star1 and that in those days had you gazed heavenward through the shaft into the ,eastern night1 the ,pole-star alone would have met your eye4 ,it was in the ages of the past1 it was when the ,southern ,cross was visible from the ,british ,isles4 ,slowly1 imperceptibly1 the orientation of the planet has changed4 ,did you now look up into the midnight sky through the shaft in the ,great ,pyramid you would not see the ,pole-star2 new brilliant space-worlds would shine down on you4 ,but the heavens have not altered1 and the shaft of the pyramid is not guilty1 so to speak1 of unorthodoxy4 ,a new view of the heavens has quietly come1 for the earth's axis has changed its place4 ,similarly1 it is the work of the spirit of the ascended ,jesus to advance the axis of the ,church of ,god from glory to glory4 ,conceptions of the ,universal ,soul once prominent before the telescope of human faith and aspiration grow1 enlarge1 expand4 ,he changeth not2 ,he is ever the same4 ,and these conceptions will change until knowledge1 in the sense of the acquisition of facts1 shall be no more1 and intuitive perception of the transcendent majesty of the ,universal ,life shall fill our souls forever4 ,in these latter days one may hold all his old faith and add to it knowledge1 as ,saint ,paul himself enjoins4 ,one of these powers of the spiritual man now being rapidly developed is that of telepathy4 ,we shall learn to talk in thought1 as well as in oral speech4 ,we shall learn to call up the friend at a distance1 or the friend in the ,unseen1 as unmistakably as we now call up a friend by telephone4 ,time and ,space are the limits which define the terrestrial life as distinct from the celestial4 ,but man is1 primarily1 a celestial being4 ,he is1 first of all1 a spirit1 belonging to the spiritual world1 and only secondarily and temporarily a denizen of earth4 ,he can regain1 to some extent1 at least1 his celestial faculties4 ,for centuries he has accepted imprisonment in the senses4 ,his release is at hand4 ,he has but to assert his own pre-eminence as a spiritual being with spiritual powers4 ,he has but to exert these in order to prove to himself their existence1 and to develop them to their increasing use4 ,extension of power over the material universe1 more wonderful and more potent1 and more all-comprehending than even ,marconi's wonderful wireless telegraphy1 is at hand4 ,it doth not yet appear what we shall be2 but that man can create and control his destiny to an increasing extent1 is true4 ,it is the evolution of religion1--of that faith which has added to itself knowledge4 ,thought is the highest manifestation of energy2 and when man learns to live in thought he acts upon all his environment with energies that are immortal4 ,professor ,leavenworth of the ,state ,university ,observatory in ,minnesota photographed the new asteroid ,eros at a distance estimated to be some thirty-six millions of miles1--a distance that renders it impossible to discern this planet even through the strongest telescope4 ,exact mathematical calculation had worked out the problem of the location of ,eros1 and the sensitive photographic plate caught it1 even though it is beyond the power of the telescope4 ,this scientific fact illustrates perfectly the way in which an unseen universe exists about us1 registering its existence on the sensitive plate of spiritual impression4 ,science has long since established the truth of the different rates of vibration that characterize different things4 ,the reason that the psychic 7or spiritual7 body of those who have passed from the physical to the ethereal world is unseen is simply that the ethereal body is in a state of vibration too high for the eye to follow4 ,stephen ,phillips expresses a deep scientific truth when he says3-- ,i tell you we are fooled by the eye1 the ear2 ,these organs muffle as from that real world ,that lies about us4 ,yet in every human being there lies latent the inner sight and the inner hearing1 which can be increasingly developed by psycho-physical culture2 by such habits of life as make the physical body more flexible1 more subtle1 and which thus raise to a far higher rate its degree of vibration1 and enable the organs of sight and hearing to be far less muffled than they are in those who live more in the mere life of the senses4 ,this unseen world that lies about us may be explored2 the unseen friends who encompass us may be recognized by those who will so live as to develop the psychic senses1 and so as to allow the psychic body to take greater control of its physical instrument2 this unseen world is simply the natural continuation of the physical universe in the scale of evolution4 ,science is every day penetrating its space1 and the horizon line of mystery constantly recedes4 ,what is wireless telegraphy but one of those marvels which a decade ago we should have considered as quite beyond the horizon line of our experimental knowledge1 and as belonging to the unrevealed mysteries of the spiritual universe8 ,the ordinary trolley car of to-day--moving without visible means--would have been regarded as a miracle a century ago4 ,there is no hard and fast line between the physical and the ethereal worlds4 ,they melt into one another and are determined only by degrees4 ,any element may exist as a solid1 a liquid1 a gas1 or in the etheric condition1 and one state is no less real than another4 ,the trend of progress is leading humanity constantly into the realm of finer forces2 of more subtle forms of expression4 ,the trend of progress is constantly discarding the more ponderous and clumsy for the subtle1 the swift1 and the more ethereal form of mechanism4 ,instead of the stage coach1 with two1 four1 or six horses1 we have the automobile2 instead of the sailing ship1 the twin-screw propeller2 instead of stoves or fireplaces1 with fuel to be carried in and refuse to be carried out1 we have the hot-water radiator1 and are on the eve of having heat1 as we already have light1 from electricity4 ,now when science provides the explanation of this ethereal universe surrounding and interpenetrating that in which we live and psychic science begins to explore it and formulate its means and methods1 there are persons who object on the ground of its materializing heaven4 ,if one were to inquire as to what this idea of heaven is he would probably receive no more definite reply than that it was supposed to be a condition of playing on golden harps and waving palm branches4 ,the figurative pictures of the ,new ,testament have largely been accepted as literal ones1 and it may be an open question as to which condition would be the more material1 that of walking golden streets1 waving branches of palms and devoting one's time to the harp1 or the life that prefigures itself as a development and expansion of our present intellectual1 artistic1 and spiritual life4 ,unless some insight is gained into the psychical side of things1 some communications realized with intelligences outside our own1 some light thrown upon a more than corporeal descent and destiny of man1 wrote ,frederick ,w4 ,h4 ,myers in that monumental work entitled ,human ,personality1 which offers a rich mine of suggestion1 it would seem that the shells to be picked up on the shore of the ocean of truth will ever become scantier1 and the agnostics of the future will gaze forth ever more hopelessly on that gloomy and unvoyageable sea4 ,for vast as is the visible universe1 infinite as may have been the intelligence that went to its evolution1 yet while viewed in the external way in which we alone can view it--while seen as a product and not as a plan--it cannot possibly suggest to us an indefinite number of universal laws4 ,such cosmic generalizations as gravitation1 evolution1 correlation of forces1 conservation of energy1 though assuredly as yet unexhausted1 cannot1 in the nature of things1 be even approximately inexhaustible4 ,sidenote3 ,finer ,cosmic ,forces4 ,the entire trend of progress is toward the continued discovery of finer cosmic forces and their utilization in practical affairs4 ,within the past five years this tendency has strikingly demonstrated itself4 ,the evolution of the ways and means of travel offers1 in itself1 an impressive illustration of this tendency4 ,the visitor to the ,musee ,cluny in ,paris will find1 among the masses of relics of an historic pass1 the state carriages used in the time of ,louis ,,xv4 and ,marie ,antoinette4 ,they are incredibly clumsy and gigantic1--the carriage itself mounted on four great wheels1 two of which are very large1 with the two front ones smaller1--the entire vehicle occupying about twice the space of a modern conveyance1 and its weight must be something to reckon with4 ,several of these are standing in the ,cluny and offer a strange contrast with the carriages of to-day4 ,but when these1 with their lumbering motion1 are contrasted1--not merely with the modern carriage1 but with the flying automobile1--one realizes1 indeed1 the evolution in the methods of local transportation4 ,again1 let one compare the traditions of the sailing vessels on which passengers crossed to ,europe within the memory of men still living1--the forty days' passage between ,boston and ,liverpool which is well within the memory of ,doctor ,hale1--with the passage on this latest floating palace of the ocean1 the ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,,ii41--and he realizes how far science has penetrated into the more subtle forces1 where lightness and speed take the place of clumsy device and slow motion4 ,to go up to the hurricane deck of the wonderful ,kaiser ,wilhelm and look down through the openings on the six mighty engines1 with their intense throb of vibration day and night1 is to behold an object lesson in the possibilities of motion4 ,with the precision and the persistence of fate1 the great beams fly up--and down4 ,the vibration pervades the entire vast spaces of the great steamer4 ,it becomes like an electric current1 a thing of life1 to be missed when one leaves the steamer as if one had left there a part of his own life4 ,there is an exhilaration in it that communicates itself to mind and body4 ,it is like a dynamo generating vitality4 ,and still more swift and subtle methods of loco-motion are in the air4 ,doctor ,albertson1 an electrical engineer of the ,royal ,university of ,denmark1 has an invention for a railroad train without wheels to make a speed of three hundred miles an hour4 ,two things defeated the attainment of speed above the present maximum 7sixty miles an hour71 says a writer in the ,new ,york ,herald1 and these are specified as the dead weight of the train1 and aerial resistance4 ,now comes the announcement that there has been discovered a method of abolishing the dead weight of the train1 leaving only aerial resistance to be contended with4 ,if this can be done1 as ,mr4 ,albertson asserts1 half of the battle is won1 and the world may yet be able to travel on the earth's surface with the much-dreamed-of speed of hundreds of miles an hour4 ,for many years the great principle of magnetism has been known to electricians and used in practical work by laymen4 ,steel companies have found the magnet useful in lifting huge metal girders4 ,at one end of their lifting apparatuses they have placed a magnet which1 when charged1 grips the steel bars and lifts them1 no matter how great their weight4 ,it has been noticed that a magnet would move to come in contact with the steel bar as soon as it arrived within the drawing radius1 carrying any amount of weight with it which happened to be attached at the time4 ,it is this principle which ,doctor ,albertson sought to make use of--the lifting power of a magnet when attracted to a fixed rail of steel4 ,he arranged a series of magnets under a miniature car running on a steel railway track4 ,the magnets were insulated and attached to the bottom of the car so that they came under the rail and about an inch below it4 ,then he turned on enough electricity to make the magnets active4 ,they rose upward toward the rail1 lifting the car bodily in the air4 ,the weight of the train was thus simply overcome6 ,the electro-magnetic train has demonstrated its principle to the satisfaction of scientific engineers4 ,professor ,roberts1 in charge of the chemical works at ,niagara ,falls1 says of it3-- ,it is the electrical discovery of the age1 and so simple in application that the marvel is that it has escaped us so long4 ,the lightening power of magnetism has been known for years1 the greatest saving power to overcome gravity1 but it seems it had to wait for ,doctor ,albertson to discover it4 ,the air-ship promises1 however1 to eclipse the greatest and swiftest of latter-day steamers4 ,the air1 rather than the ocean1 is to be navigated4 ,all these marvellous developments in scientific activity correspond to the developments of man's mental and spiritual powers4 ,telepathy establishes its communication from spirit to spirit1 as wireless telegraphy establishes its sending of messages without visible means4 ,on both planes1--the physical and the psychical1--the subtle and finer forces are being utilized1 and the horizon line of the unknown continually recedes before the progress of man4 ,sir ,oliver ,lodge1 ,,ll4,d41 presented a new phase of the problem of personality in an address in ,london1 in the following statement of a speculative belief3-- ,to tell the truth1 ,i do not myself hold that the whole of any one of us is incarnated in these terrestrial bodies2 certainly not in childhood2 more1 but perhaps not so very much more1 in adult life4 ,what is manifested in this body is1 ,i venture to think likely1 only a portion--an individualized1 a definite portion--of a much larger whole4 ,what the rest of me may be doing1 for these few years while ,i am here1 ,i do not know1 perhaps it is asleep2 but probably it is not so entirely asleep with men of genius2 nor1 perhaps1 is it all completely inactive with the people called 'mediums4' ,imagination in science is permissible1 provided one's imaginations are not treated as fact1 or even theory1 but only as working hypotheses1--a kind of hypotheses which1 properly treated1 is essential to the progress of every scientific man4 ,let us imagine1 then1 as a working hypothesis1 that our subliminal self--the other1 the greater part of us--is in touch with another order of existence1 and that it is occasionally able to communicate1 or somehow1 perhaps unconsciously1 transmit to the fragment in the body something of the information accessible to it4 ,this guess1 if permissible1 would contain a clue to a possible explanation of clairvoyance4 ,we should then be like icebergs floating in an ocean1 with only a fraction exposed to sun and air and observation3 the rest--by far the greater bulk--submerged and occasionally in subliminal contact1 while still their peaks1 their visible peaks1 were far separate4 ,that which ,doctor ,lodge expresses in the form of a speculative theory is by many realized as an actual experience2 an absolute consciousness that over and above and outside of the ordinary intelligent consciousness is another being more one's self than is his conscious self2 with whom he is in a very varied degree of communion2 clearer and more immediate at times2 clouded1 confused1 even shut off by some dense state at others2 intermittent always1 yet often sufficiently clear and impressive to compel his attention to the phenomena and compel recognition of the truth4 ,in fact1 as one comes into still clearer recognition of this other self1--which is far more the true self than is the lower and lesser manifestation1--one comes to absolutely realize that his larger1 higher1 more comprehensive life is being lived in this higher realm1 or condition1 and that his entire being on the plane of the lower consciousness is a series of effects of which the causes lie in this other larger and more real life4 ,that is1 the individual has two lives not precisely corresponding in chronological sequence4 ,the experiences of the day are his because1 before the day has dawned1 they have been the experiences of the higher life lived in the larger realm4 ,the spiritual self has realized that train of experiences in the spiritual realm2 therefore1 and as a result inevitable1 these experiences precipitate themselves into the physical life1 and are manifested on the physical plane of being4 ,one does a given thing to-day1 or meets a given event1 because his spiritual or subliminal or even real self has already done that thing or met that event on the higher plane4 ,the real being is all the time dwelling in the more real world4 ,as all planes of life are spiritual planes1--even that which we call the physical1 being but the cruder and denser quality of the spiritual1--it makes the theory clearer to designate the realm just above our present one as the ethereal4 ,in this ethereal realm dwells the ethereal body4 ,a certain portion of its consciousness animates the physical structure and works through the physical brain4 ,it lies with ourselves as to how closely we may establish the relation between the higher and the lower self4 ,this relation may constantly be increased in the degree of receptivity of the lower to the higher self by living the life of the spirit4 ,and what is the life of the spirit8 ,the life of joy and peace2 and the life of study1 thought1 and endeavor2 the life of both intellectual and spiritual culture2 the life in which the physical body is subordinated to its true place as a mechanism1 an instrument for carrying out the will of the spiritual self4 ,thus1 by study1 thought1 and prayer1 may one more and more consciously and entirely control and determine his active life1 and constantly refine and exalt it in quality4 ,as this is done its potency increases1 for spirit alone is power4 ,of telepathy ,doctor ,lodge says3-- ,telepathy itself1 however1 is in need of explanation4 ,an idea or thought in the mind of one person reverberates1 and dimly appears in the mind of another4 ,how does this occur8 ,is it a physical process going on in some physical medium or ether connecting the two brains8 ,is it a primary physiological function of the brain1 or is it primarily psychological8 ,if psychological only1 what does that mean8 ,perhaps it may not be a direct immediate action between the two minds at all2 perhaps a third intelligence is in communication with both4 ,will this theory furnish the basis for a true interpretation of telepathy8 ,the relations between the individual and the forces of the ethereal realm are also determining as regards health4 ,sidenote3 ,health and ,happiness4 ,for health and illness are by no means the mere and exclusive consideration of the physical life4 ,health1 in its complete significance1 is mental and even moral1 and involves1 in its higher aspects1 the entire question of the spiritual life4 ,health1 successful achievement1 and happiness are an indissoluble trinity1 when interpreted in their full integrity and in their inter-relations4 ,ideally considered1 they are in closest interpenetration4 ,as a matter of actual fact each is often partially manifest1--good physical health without any special achievement2 or a high degree of achievement with defective health2 or both1 without much resultant happiness2 or happiness even1 without outward success or physical health1 resulting only from a deeper spiritual insight and recognition of eternal laws4 ,still1 ideally considered1 as this world goes1 health should be the basis of successful achievement1 and this achievement should rest on health2 and the union of both should produce the inflorescence of happiness2 for the true sense of all successful achievement is in that it makes for the forces of righteousness1 and a successful swindler or criminal could hardly be included under these general definitions4 ,and so1 to have good health1 and to achieve good and noble work1 must produce a good degree of personal happiness as inevitably as that certain numerical combinations produce certain numerical results4 ,so much we may concede4 ,the question is then before us3 ,how can we secure and hold unvarying1 from day to day1 from year to year1 this basis of physical health on which the superstructure of all endeavor and realization must rest8 ,just how shall one be well and keep well8 ,it is certainly a question not restricted to the physician nor yet to the metaphysician4 ,for health is not merely a physical condition4 ,it is the question of the poise1 the harmony of the entire psychical being4 ,professor ,john ,d4 ,quackenbos has recently said of ,hypnotism3-- ,investigations extending over many years have led me to a belief in the dual personality of man--that is1 each human unit exists in two distinct states of superior consciousness4 ,one of these states is called the primary or superliminal consciousness1--the personality by which a man is known to his objective associates1 which takes cognizance through the senses of the outside world1 and carries on the ordinary business of every-day life4 ,the second or subliminal personality is the superior spiritual self1 the man's own oversoul1 which automatically superintends all physical functions and procedures1 and influences mental and moral attitudes4 ,it happens to be a fact of mind that in sleep--natural or induced--this subliminal or submerged self may be brought into active control of the objective life4 ,my experiments have forced me to the conclusion that there is no difference as regards suggestibility between natural sleep and the so-called hypnotic trance4 ,in the induced sleep the subject is in rapport exclusively with the operator2 in natural sleep only with his own objective self1 perhaps with a multitude of discarnate personalities1 who think and feel in common with him1 and1 in case he be of superior parts1 possibly with all well-wishing extra-human intelligences4 ,here we have the basis of truth4 ,that condition of vigor1 poise1 vitality1 and harmony which we call good health depends on the degree of control exercised over the physical body by that second or subliminal personality1 the superior spiritual self1 the man's own oversoul1 which1 as ,doctor ,quackenbos so truly observes1 superintends all physical functions and procedures1 and influences mental and moral attitudes4 ,the problem1 then1 becomes that of bringing the psychical body into this receptive relation to the physical self8 ,how shall the perfect spiritual supremacy be established8 ,this question reveals1 of itself1 to how great a degree health is a mental and moral as well as a physical affair4 ,perhaps the initial step is that of clearly realizing--of holding the luminous conception--of one's self as a spiritual being in the psychical body1 temporarily inhabiting a physical body1--a spiritual being using as its instrument a physical body so long as it is at work in the physical world1 or on the physical plane4 ,one may thus conceive of his physical body as being really as objective as is the pen of the writer2 the palette and brushes of the painter2 the machine1 or mechanism1 or instrument used by any one4 ,and the moment one learns to thus hold the physical instrument objectively1 he thus brings it under the control of thought4 ,he is no longer so a part of it2 so entangled and involved in it that he cannot control it4 ,the moment he holds this clear1 vivid mental realization of it as his instrument1 he is in command4 ,this may be illustrated by an electric car and a motor-man4 ,if the man were bound up and entangled among the cogs and wheels he could not guide and control the car2 but in his place1 free from all its mechanism1 his hand on the motor1 the course and the degree of speed obeys his mental direction applied through his control4 ,this realization of the true relation of the spiritual man to his body is the initial condition of health1 and this involves as a matter of course the spiritual relations with the ,divine ,power1 and receptivity to the infinite energy4 ,it also involves an intelligent care of the physical mechanism4 ,a clogged pen would repress the recording of the noblest sonnet or epic2 a defective brush1 or pigment1 would ruin the picture of the greatest artist2 a broken wire would prevent the transmission of the most important telegraphic or cable message4 ,and so1 however intelligently and completely one holds the faith of supremacy of the spiritual over the physical1 he must realize the absolute necessity of fidelity to hygienic laws4 ,food1 in its quantity and quality2 bathing1 exercise1 fresh air1 sleep1--these are the conditions on which the state of the physical mechanism depends1 and which involve that perfection of health which determines exhilaration1 power1 achievement1 and happiness4 ,canon ,scott ,holland of ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral has ably discussed these new problems of the finer forces in the ethereal realm2 and in a discourse entitled ,other ,world ,activities he drew the following analogy3-- ,the text is from the ,book of ,daniel1 a ,book which takes us into a world of visions and trances and mystical imagery4 ,there is a world within the world2 a life beyond life4 ,that world is not only the sphere of ,god1 but of recognizable beings1 meditating presences subject to rule1 with organization and degrees1 activities and authorities4 ,it is a host1 a kingdom1 swayed by law and purpose4 ,in the ,bible there is much of this1 learnt probably by the ,hebrews from their captors4 ,they had gone far afield3 their horizon had been widened3 they had been taught how to enter largely into this mysterious region4 ,but1 fortunately1 they dealt soberly with this weltering flood of occult knowledge4 ,these hosts of unseen presences are marshalled into order3 they are not mere genii1 fantastic and magical2 they pass under the control of the sole directive will of the ,most ,high4 ,they are solemn instruments of spiritual destiny3 they are semi-human1 and the record is1 'one like unto a man touched me4' ,canon ,holland proceeds to arraign modern teachings4 ,we have drifted from this tremendous reality1 he says4 ,we have tried to isolate the field of known experience1 and to cut it off from disturbing supernatural imaginings4 ,we have set ourselves to purge out from our scheme of things anything that seemed to interfere with it4 ,the unseen was the unknown and the unknowable4 ,but our agnostic programme has broken down4 ,facts have been too much for it4 ,the isolation desired by it is impossible4 ,in and out of the life that we can cover with our rationalized experiences1 there are influences1 forces1 powers which are forever at work1 and belong to a world beyond our scientific methods4 ,we float in a mysterious ether to which no physical limitations apply4 ,sounds1 motions1 transmit themselves through this medium1 under conditions which transform our whole idea of what space or time they mean4 ,through and beyond the semi-physical mystery1 a world of spiritual activity opens upon us4 ,it has capacities of which we have never dreamed4 ,it allows of apparent contact of spirit with spirit1 in spite of material distance and physical obstruction4 ,there are modes of communication which are utterly unintelligible to our ordinary scientific assumptions1 yet which actual experience tends more and more to verify4 ,yes1 as ,canon ,holland well says1 ,facts have been too much for those who would cling to the old and the less intelligent ideas of the future life4 ,the ethereal world will even cease to be mysterious before advancing scientific investigation and knowledge4 ,through the ether1 as ,canon ,holland notes1 sounds and motions transmit themselves under conditions which transform our whole idea of what space or time may mean4 ,in the realm of present life the same assertion may be made4 ,who can contemplate wireless telegraphy without having opened to him a range of activities and conditions undreamed of heretofore8 ,we become sure1 continues ,canon ,holland1 that both above and below our normal consciousness we are in touch with mysteries that travel far1 and that we lie open to spiritual acts done unto us from a far distance1 that we assimilate intimations and intuitions that reach us by inexplicable channels4 ,this world of spirit powers and activities has been opened afresh2 and now even physical science is compelled to recognize the evidence for it1 and a new psychological language is coming into being to describe its phenomena4 ,we are only slowly recovering our hold upon this life of mystic intuition1 of exalted spiritual communications2 we are only beginning to recognize the abnormal and exceptional spiritual condition with which ,saint ,paul was familiar1 when1 whether in the body or out of it1 he could not say1--,god only knows1--he was transported to the third ,heaven and heard unutterable things4 ,this remarkable sermon is an initiation of a new era of religious teaching4 ,the light is breaking and the full illumination is only a question of time4 ,life is exalted in its purpose and refined in its quality by holding the perpetual consciousness of the two worlds in which we dwell2 by the constant realization that ,the spirit world around this world of sense ,floats like an atmosphere4444 ,this atmosphere is all peopled1 and it is magnetic with intelligence4 ,every spirit-call for aid1 for guidance1 for support1 is answered4 ,if a man fall on a crowded street in the city1 how instantaneous is the aid that cares for him4 ,he is lifted and conveyed tenderly to his home1 or to a hospital1 or to some temporary resting-place if the ill be but a slight one4 ,strangers or friends1 it matters not1 rush to his rescue4 ,this1 which occurs in the tangible and visible world1 is but a feeble illustration of the more profound tenderness1 the clearer understanding1 the more potent aid that is given instantly to man from the unseen helpers and friends in this spirit world which floats like an atmosphere around this world of sense4 ,it is all and equally the help of ,god2 it is the ,divine answer to the call2 but the ,heavenly ,father works through ways and means4 ,if a man fall on the street ,god does not cause a miracle to be wrought and a bed to descend from the clouds1 but ,he works through the sympathies of the bystanders4 ,is it not equally conceivable that the appeal for leading and for light sent into spirit spheres meets the response of spirit-aid2 that it awakens the interest and the infinite tenderness and care of those who have passed from this life into that of the next stage beyond1 and that they are1 according to their development and powers1 co-workers with ,god1 even as we who are yet on earth aim and pray to be8 ,now it is just this faith that is so largely pervading the religious world to-day4 ,spirituality includes all the convictions that constitute ethics4 ,spirituality is the unchanging quality in all forms of organized religion4 ,and it is found1 in greater or in less degree1 in every sect and every creed4 ,outward forms come and go2 they multiply1 or they decrease1 and the change in the expression of religious faith is a matter largely determined by the trend of general progress2 but the essentials of religion1 under all organized forms1 remain the same1 for the essential element is spirituality4 ,in and around ,copley ,square in ,boston1 within the radius of one block1 are several denominations whose order of worship varies1 the one from another4 ,the ,baptist believes in immersion as the outer sign of the inner newness of life2 the ,episcopalian holds dear his ritual2 the ,unitarian and the ,presbyterian1 and perhaps a half-dozen other sects in close proximity 7which express the various forms of what they call new thought71 each and all exist and have their being by virtue of the one essential faith held in common by all1--the one aim to which all are tending1--that of the spiritualization of life4 ,the larger recognition of the spiritual universe includes the recognition of this interpenetration of the life in the ,seen and the ,unseen4 ,every thought and decision is like an action on the spiritual side4 ,a thought has the force of a deed1 and there is a literal truth in the line1-- ,the good1 though only thought1 has life and breath2 and in ,lowell's words3-- ,ah6 let us hope that to our praise ,good ,god not only reckons ,the moments when we tread ,his ways1 ,but when the spirit beckons4 ,the thought-life is1 indeed1 the most real of the two lives1 and dominates the other4 ,the events and achievements1 held in thought and will1 precipitate themselves into outer circumstance and action4 ,to live in this perfect sympathy of companionship with the forces and the powers of the unseen world is to dwell amid perpetual reinforcement of energy1 solace1 and sustaining aid1 and with faith vitalized by spiritual perception4 ,all scientific problems are ethical1 and even spiritual1 problems4 ,they are discoveries in the divine laws4 ,can man by searching find out ,god8 ,apparently he approaches constantly to this possibility1 and finds that --through the ages one increasing purpose runs1 ,and the thoughts of men are widened with the process of the suns4 ,every succeeding century brings humanity to a somewhat clearer perception of the nature of the ,divine ,creation4 ,however slowly1 yet none the less surely1 does the comprehension of man and his place in the universe and his oneness with the ,divine life increase with every century4 ,jonathan ,edwards taught that while ,nature might reflect the ,divine image1 man could not1 as he was in a fallen state1 until he was regenerated4 ,putting aside the mere dogma involved in the fall of man1 the other matter--that of regeneration1 of redemption--is undeniable1 even though we may interpret this process in a different manner from that of the great eighteenth-century theologian4 ,the redemption1 the regeneration of man1 lies in faith4 ,in that is the substance through which and by means of which man comes into conscious communion with ,god4 ,it is by the intense activity possible to this mental attitude that he conquers the problems of the universe1 that he advances in knowledge1 and advances in the increasing capacity to receive the ,divine messages and to follow the ,divine leadings4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,a ,new ,force4 ,of late years a new force has been discovered in the line of ethico-spiritual aid in the higher order of hypnotism1 as discovered and practiced by ,doctor ,quackenbos1 who may1 indeed1 without exaggeration1 be called the discoverer of this higher phase of applied suggestion4 ,i have been brought1 he says1 into closest touch with the human soul4 ,first objectively2 subsequently in the realm of subliminal life1 where1 practically liberated in the hypnotic slumber from its entanglement with a perishable body1 it has been open to approach by the objective mind in which it elected to confide1 dynamically absorptive of creative stimulation by that mind1 and lavish in dispensing to the personality in rapport the suddenly apprehended riches of its own higher spiritual nature4 ,of the nature of this power1 we again find ,doctor ,quackenbos saying3 ,hypnotic suggestion is a summoning into ascendancy of the true man2 an accentuation of insight into life and its procedures2 a revealing1 in all its beauty and strength and significance1 of absolute1 universal1 and necessary truth2 and a portraiture of happiness as the assured outcome of living in consonance with this truth4 ,the learned doctor regards hypnotism1 indeed1 as a transfusion of personality4 ,the truth is that there lies in every nature forces which1 if recognized and developed1 would lift one to higher planes and induce in him such an accession of activities and energies as to fairly transform his entire being and achievement4 ,this would be effected1 too1 on an absolutely normal plane4 ,the development of the spiritual faculties is just as normal as is that of the intellectual4 ,and it is to this development that we must look for the true communion with those who have passed into the ,unseen4 ,the objective life must be spiritualized4 ,the soul can come into a deeper realization of its own dignity and the worth of its higher nature2 can discern the spiritual efficiency1 the energy commensurate to every draft upon it4 ,all1 however1 that is done by the highest phase of hypnotism1 as exerted by ,doctor ,quackenbos1 can be done by auto-suggestion4 ,the soul has only to call upon its own higher forces4 ,it has only to act from love and compassion1--from sympathy and generous aims1 and all the infinite power of the ,divine world is at its service4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,service of the ,gods4 ,we had letters to send2 couriers could not go fast enough1 not far enough2 broke their wagons1 foundered their horses2 bad roads in spring1 snowdrifts in winter1 heats in summer2 could not get the horses out of a walk4 ,but we found out that the air and earth were full of ,electricity1 and always going our way--just the way we wanted to send4 ,would he take a message8 ,just as lief as not2 had nothing else to do2 would carry it in no time4 ,only one doubt occurred one staggering objection--he had no carpet bag1 no visible pockets1 no hands1 not so much as a mouth1 to carry a letter4 ,but1 after much thought and many experiments1 we managed to meet the conditions1 and to fold up the letter in such invisible1 compact form as he could carry in those invisible pockets of his1 never wrought by needle and thread--and it went like a charm4 ,now that is the wisdom of a man1 in every instance of his labor1 to hitch his wagon to a star1 and see his chores done by the gods themselves4 ,that is the way we are strong1 by borrowing the might of the elements4 ,the forces of steam1 gravity1 galvanism1 light1 magnets1 wind1 fire1 serve us day by day1 and cost us nothing4 ,with his wonderful insight into conditions1 ,emerson thus expresses a provision of conditions that are now being realized to an even greater degree than he consciously knew1 although he unconsciously foretold them4 ,now it is wireless telegraphy that is the ultimate fulfilment of what he saw1--the method that will reduce to practical realization his counsel to hitch one's wagon to a star1 and see his chores done by the gods themselves4 ,it is not only humanity--civilization--the onward sweep and march by the progress of the world1 but the individual life also that can take advantage of the might of the elements4 ,the one irresistible element is the power of will1 the power that results from the perfect uniting of the human will with the divine will4 ,people talk of fate1 and conditions1 and burdens1 and limitations4 ,they are all merely negative1 and are easily and instantly subject to the infinite and irresistible potency of the will brought to bear upon them4 ,on the threshold of any endeavor when one takes account of his possessions and conditions1--material and immaterial2 when he again1 from a new vantage ground1 surveys his future1 it is his salvation and success to realize the depth and height of his own personal power over his own life4 ,there are points from which we may command our life1 ,when the soul sweeps the future like a glass1 ,and coming things1 full freighted with our fate1 ,jut out on the dark offing of the mind4 ,but when these points appear they must be taken advantage of at the moment4 ,they are the result of an occultation of events that may never occur again within the limits of a lifetime4 ,the swift intuition that leaps over all conceivable processes is the heaven-appointed monitor4 ,it is the divine voice speaking4 ,it is the word which must be obeyed4 ,when one 444 by the ,vision splendid ,is on his way attended1 he must give heed to the vision or it vanishes and returns no more4 ,we need a new1 a deeper1 a far more practical realization that the ideals and visions which flash before us are the real mechanism of life2 that they are the working model by which one is to pattern his experience1 in outward selection and in grouping by means of his own force of will4 ,somewhere has ,emerson said1-- ,all is waste and worthless till ,arrives the wise selecting will1 which is1 to the potential circumstances1 like a magnet introduced among filings that suddenly attracts to itself and draws all into related and orderly groups4 ,circumstances are thus amenable to the power of will brought to bear that selects1 arranges1 combines1 after the pattern of the revealed ideal held in view4 ,each individual life may borrow the might of the elements4 ,man is created1 not only in the image of ,god1 but with ,god-like faculties and potency1 which1 if he but truly relate them to the divine potency1 if he unite his will with ,god's will1 there is then no limit1 no bound to that which he may achieve4 ,in one of the most wonderful creations of ,vedder1 the artist shows us the figure of a woman whose eyes are closed1 and whose hands1 lying in her lap1 are inextricably entangled amid crewels and threads that bind and hold them4 ,but one sees1 also1 that she has but to open her eyes1 and lift her hands1 and all the entanglement would fall off of itself4 ,the picture offers the most typical lesson of life4 ,all imprisonment of conditions is dissolved into thin air the instant one impresses his own will-power on the affairs and circumstances of his life4 ,he can do that which he desires to do4 ,the desire has only to be intensified into conscious1 intelligent choice1 into absolute will1--and all the minor barriers melt away and are no more4 ,every life may hitch its wagon to a star4 ,it may borrow the might of the elements4 ,it has but to resolve to hold its ideal firmly and clearly in mind1 and it will then be realized as the sculptor's dream in clay is realized in the marble4 ,all things are yours1 said ,saint ,paul4 ,one has but to take his own2 to wisely and clearly select the elements and combine them by that irresistible potency of mental magnetism and energy4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,exalted ,,moment4 ,the salvation of ,christ is the complete occupation of the human life by the divine life4 ,it is in our best moments1 not in our worst moments1 that we are most truly ourselves4 ,oh believe in your noblest impulses1 in your purest instincts1 in your most unworldly and spiritual thoughts6 ,you see man most truly when he seems to you to be made for the best things4 ,you see your true self when you believe that the best and purest and devoutest moment which ever came to you is only the suggestion of what you were meant to be and might be all the time4 ,believe that1 ,o children of ,god6 ,this is the way in which a soul lives forever in the light which first began to burn around it when it was with ,jesus in the ,holy ,mount4--,,phillips ,,brooks4 ,the power of the exalted moment is the very motor of human life4 ,the exalted moment is the dynamo that generates the working energy4 ,the moment itself fades2 it passes into the region of memory where its true service is to shine1 with the unfailing continuance of radium1 as a perpetual illumination of life4 ,it is the greatest1 the saddest1 the most hopelessly fatal error that can be made1--to cast away from one the exalted moment because it has not fulfilled itself in outer condition and circumstance4 ,vision and prophecy are given by ,god for a working model1 which the long patient days--days of monotony1 of trial1 of commonplace work under commonplace conditions1 amid commonplace people and events--are yet to fashion and fulfil4 ,these are the material1--the ordinary events1 the commonplace daily duty4 ,the perplexity of problems rather than the clear grasping of their significance2 the misunderstanding and the misconstruction of motive that make the tragedy of life2 the interpretation of evil where one only meant all that was true1 and sympathetic1 and appreciative1 and holy2 the torture and trial1 where should be only sweetness of spirit and true recognition1--of all these are the days made2 all these are a part of the flowing conditions of life1 which it is the business1 the responsibility1 the personal duty1 to transmute into noble living1 into poetry and ecstasy and exaltation1 and into that perfect faith in ,god that can truly say1 ,though ,he slay me1 yet will ,i trust in ,him4 ,though ,he slay all that made life seem worth the living2 the enchantment1 the response of sympathy2 recognition rather than misconstruction1--though all these be obscured in what may seem a total eclipse1--still let one not forget ,the ,gleam2 still let one keep faith with the power of the exalted moment4 ,it came from ,god and held its deep significance4 ,it laid upon its beholder consecration of divinest aspiration and unfaltering effort4 ,if ,i could uncover the hearts of you who are listening to me this morning1 said ,phillips ,brooks1 in a memorable sermon1 ,i should find in almost all--perhaps in all--of them a sacred chamber where burns the bright memory of some loftiest moment1 some supreme experience1 which is your transfiguration time4 ,once on a certain morning you felt the glory of living1 and the misery of life has never since that been able quite to take possession of your soul4 ,once for a few days you knew the delight of a perfect friendship4 ,once you saw for an inspired instant the idea of your profession blaze out of the midst of its dull drudgery4 ,once1 just for a glorious moment1 you saw the very truth1 and believed it1 without the shadow of a cloud4 ,and so the question comes1--,what do they mean8 ,what value shall ,i give to those transformation experiences8 ,on the personal answer to that question depends all the success or the failure2 all the nobleness or the unworthiness of the individual life4 ,no one can estimate too ardently1 or too earnestly1 the spiritual salvation of keeping faith with the exalted moment1-- ,delayed1 it may be1 for more lives yet1 ,through worlds ,i shall traverse--not a few1 ,with much to learn and much to forget-- ere the golden hour of fulfilment shall come2 but faith in the exalted moment is but another name for faith in ,god4 ,the great truth of life--that which we may well hold as its central and controlling and dominating truth--is that our best moments are not departures from ourselves1 but are really the only moments in which we have truly been ourselves4 ,these moments flash upon the horizon of the soul and vanish2 they image themselves before us as in vision1 and fade2 but the fact of their appearance is its own proof of their deep reality4 ,they are the substance compared with which all the lower and lesser experiences are mere phantasmagoria4 ,and this fulfilment is not found1 but made4 ,it is a spiritual achievement4 ,so let one not reject1 or ignore1 or be despairing before undreamed-of1 unexplained1 and incomprehensible forms of trial1 but know that it is trial that worketh patience2 know that no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous1 but grievous2 nevertheless1 afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby4 ,it was given unto me1 wrote ,dante in the ,vita ,nuova1 to behold a very wonderful vision2 wherein ,i saw things that determined me4 ,it may be given to any one at any time to behold the vision4 ,circumstances are fluidic and impressionable1 and take on any form that the mental power has achieved sufficient strength to stamp1 and because of this--which is the explanation of the outward phenomena whose significance1 on the spiritual side1 is all condensed in prayer--one need never despond or despair4 ,at any instant he can so unite his own will with the divine will that new combinations of event and circumstance will appear in his life4 ,a writer on this line of thought has recently said3-- ,there is an elemental essence--a strange living essence--which surrounds us on every side1 and which is singularly susceptible to the influence of human thought4 ,this essence responds with the most wonderful delicacy to the faintest action of our minds or desires1 and this being so1 it is interesting to note how it is affected when the human mind formulates a definite1 purposeful thought or wish4 ,there is a phase of occult thought represented at its best by ,mr4 ,c4 ,w4 ,leadbeater of ,london1 and at its worst by a host of miscellaneous writers1 whose speculations are more or less grotesque and devoid of every claim to attention1 who materialize thought and purpose1 and invest it with an organism which they name an elemental1 and one finds ,mr4 ,leadbeater saying things like this1 of the results of an intensely held thought3-- ,the effect produced is of the most striking nature4 ,the thought seizes upon the plastic essence1 and moulds it instantly into a living being of appropriate form1--a being which when once thus created is in no way under the control of its creator1 but lives out a life of its own1 the length of which is proportionate to the intensity of the thought or wish which called it into existence4 ,it lasts1 in fact1 just as long as the thought force holds it together4 ,mr4 ,leadbeater continues3-- ,still more pregnant of results for good or evil are a man's thought about other people1 for in that case they hover not about the thinker1 but about the object of the thought4 ,a kindly thought about any person or any earnest wish for his good will form and project toward him a friendly artificial elemental2 if the wish be a definite one1 as1 for example1 that he may recover from some sickness1 then the elemental will be a force ever hovering over him to promote his recovery1 or to ward off any influence that might tend to hinder it1 and in doing this it will display what appears like a very considerable amount of intelligence and adaptability1 though really it is simply a force acting along the line of the least resistance--pressing steadily in one direction all the time1 and taking advantage of any channel that it can find1 just as the water in a cistern would in a moment find the one open pipe among a dozen closed ones1 and proceed to empty itself through that4 ,this train of speculation1 which if one is to reject he must first confront1 is demoralizing4 ,it leads nowhere save into mental quagmires and quicksands4 ,it leads into materiality and not into spirituality4 ,of course with all this the one question is as to whether such conceptions are true2 but judged by intuition1 which is the ,roentgen ray of spirit--judged by the data reached by scholars and thinkers1 by psychologists and scientists--it has no claim to recognition4 ,that thought is the most intense form of energy1 its potency far exceeding that of even electricity1 is certainly true1 and that one can think himself--or another person--into new and different outward phases and circumstances is most true4 ,tesla1 in a paper discussing the problem of how to increase the sum of human energy1 considers the possibility of the existence of organized beings under conditions impossible for us4 ,we cannot even positively assert that some are not present in this1 our world1 in the very midst of us1 he says1 for their constitution and life manifestation may be such that we are unable to perceive them4 ,this speculative possibility opens the gate to the scientific recognition of the truth that all the company of heaven may companion us1 here and now1 in the terrestrial life1 invisible1 intangible1 inaudible to the perceptions of sense4 ,it may largely be through their ministry and mediation that the unforeseen and unexpected opportunities1 privileges1 gifts fall upon man1--gifts that the gods provide4 ,dreams1 visions1 and ideals are given that they may be realized4 ,the vision is projected from the higher spiritual realm as the working model1 the pattern of the life here4 ,a dream is something to be carried out2 not put aside and neglected and lost in over-lying and ever-accumulating stratas of experience4 ,the dream1 once clearly recognized1 becomes a personal responsibility4 ,it has been revealed for a purpose4 ,it is the ,divine revelation to the individual life1 and these visions are given to the individual as well as to humanity1 and they are the most significant occurrences in the entire experience of life4 ,to once clearly recognize this divine ideal1 this glorious vision of possibilities that shines once and for all upon the individual1 and then to turn away from it and leave it unrealized in the outward life3 to put it by1 because the effort to transform the vision into external and visible conditions is surrounded with difficulties and invested with perplexities1 is to wander into the maze of confusion4 ,difficulties are merely incidental4 ,they are neither here nor there4 ,if ,god give the dream ,he will lead the way4 ,if ,he gives it1 ,he means something by it1 and its significance should be appreciated and taken into life as a working energy4 ,it is the will of the ,lord1 and to pray sincerely that the ,divine will be done1 is also to accept the obligation of entering into the doing of it4 ,indeed1 difficulties and perplexities in the way do not count and should not4 ,briars and brambles there will always be1 but one's path lies onward all the same4 ,who would relinquish a right purpose because its achievement were hard8 ,all the more should he press on and gain the strength of the obstacles that he overcomes4 ,doctor ,william ,t4 ,harris says1 ,realize your ideals quickly4 ,that is1 an ideal is a responsibility2 it is the working model that ,god has set before the individual2 the pattern after which and by which he shall shape his life4 ,if he accept and follow it with fidelity and energy2 with that energy born of absolute faith in the ,divine leading1--he will find himself miraculously led2 he will find that the obstacle which appears so insurmountable in perspective vanishes as he comes near2 that a way is made1 a path appears4 ,it chanced to the writer of these papers to take a long day's stage drive one summer through the ,colorado mountain region4 ,for a distance of forty-five miles the solitary road wound on and on1 ever ascending through the dreamy1 purple mountains4 ,the entire route was a series of vistas that apparently came to an abrupt end at the base of an insurmountable height4 ,the mountain wall seemed to utterly arrest progress1 as it rose across the ascending valley through which the driver urged his four-in-hand1 and no way to pass beyond the next mountain ahead could possibly be discerned4 ,but as the stage drew near1 a way1 unseen before1 revealed itself1 and the winding road found its outlet and onward course in another valley opening by a natural pass between the hills1 and one that apparently in its turn was as inevitably blocked at its end by another mountain range4 ,it was a constant interest to watch the changing landscape and discover the new ways that constantly came in sight as fast as the need for them came4 ,that day amid the dreamy purple of the ,colorado mountains was one to translate itself into renewed trust in the ,divine guidance on the journey of life4 ,some wonderful words of ,phillips ,brooks seemed to write themselves on the air3-- ,look up1 poor soul1 out of the valley and know that on the top of yonder shining mountain lies folded safe the secret of your life1 the oracle which would1 if you could read it1 solve all your mysteries and tell you just exactly how you ought to live4 ,look up out of the valley and know that it is there2 and then turn back again into the valley1 for in the valley is the home where you must live1 and you can never read the oracle which you know is there upon the mountain top4 ,that day1 alone with the mountains and with ,god1 was one to leave its impress forever upon life4 ,it was a day of solutions as well as of impressions--of solutions of the problem of living4 ,one has but to follow the path that ,god has revealed to him1 and however insurmountable the difficulties that seem to hedge him in and to limit his progress1 they vanish as they are drawn near1 and a way is revealed4 ,sidenote3 ,obey the ,vision4 ,to forsake a dream as being impracticable and impossible of realization is to take the wrong turning in life1 like one who leaves the mountain road1--which winds in and out of the passes1 on and on1 and leads to a definite place at last1--and1 because he sees an apparently impassable mountain wall across the path1 forsakes this and wanders off into some other valley and defile that looks more open1 but in whose mazes he loses himself and makes no progress toward his true destination4 ,no1--when the vision shines suddenly upon one's life1 it is ,god's call to him to realize in it outward expression4 ,the difficulties that hedge it round about will vanish as he approaches them4 ,a dream is given to be realized4 ,it is the working model that ,god sends into one's life for that full expression which alone is at once his best service and truest success4 ,it is the common daily work of fulfilling duties add meeting claims4 ,not by the exceptional1 says ,maeterlinck1 shall the last word ever be spoken2 and1 indeed1 what we call the sublime should be only a clearer1 profounder insight into all that is perfectly normal4 ,it is of service1 often1 to watch those on the peaks who do battle2 but it is well1 too1 not to forget those in the valley below who fight not at all4 ,as we see all that happens to these whose life knows no struggle2 as we realize how much must be conquered in us before we can rightly distinguish their narrower joys from the joy known to them who are striving on high1 then1 perhaps does the struggle itself appear to become less important2 but1 for all that1 we love it the more4 ,this normal fulfilment of the due claims of ordinary life leads to that order of success which is a beautiful and desirable one1 and which is almost a universal aim and purpose4 ,aspirations and energy are its factors1 and these are of all various and varying degrees of excellence according to the specific aim in view4 ,success itself1 therefore1 is merely a representative term1 and may be used regarding almost every variety of achievement1 from the triumphant winning of a game of football1 the making of a great fortune1 the attainment of professional or political rank1 the production of great art1 the acquirement of world-wide fame1 or the achievement of character that is potent for fine and ennobling influence4 ,all these are typical of myriad forms of the thing the world calls success1 and while it involves a vast amount of competition1 of selfishness1 of greed1 of injustice1 it is yet a matter of the progress of humanity that each individual should strive after the highest form of attainment that he is capable of conceiving4 ,in the long run1 and as a general principle1 this is advantageous and desirable4 ,it involves and indeed develops many of the lower and baser qualities2 but these are the tares among the wheat1 and the wheat is essential4 ,the great enterprise that builds a railway across the continent1 tunneling under mountains1 or climbing the precipitous inclines2 that inaugurates a new steamer line1 or that exerts itself for the founding of institutions for culture or technical instruction2 that concerns itself with municipal reforms and improvements1--all these expressions of energy are manifestations of successful effort1 and are necessary to the onward march of civilization4 ,yet the visible achievement is not1 after all1 the realization of the highest ideal of success4 ,the conditions of success may best be approached by a clearly defined idea of what success itself means1 what it stands for to us1 what proportion of our real life it represents4 ,success is the watchword of ,american life--one might almost1 indeed1 say that it is made the test of our national life to a far greater degree than in any other country4 ,the elements are well defined in ,emerson's phrase of the flowing conditions of life4 ,they are1 indeed1 more than merely plastic and malleable2 they are fluid1 flowing1 and the constant advance into higher states of life is precisely in proportion to the mental and moral force of the individual brought to bear upon them4 ,even this assertion1 however1 is to hold in the light of the true conception of success itself4 ,we see a man whose life is conspicuously that of mental and moral force1 working faithfully and ably day by day1 year by year1 and yet never being free from certain financial anxieties1 if not financial needs2 while his neighbor1 who is neither very learned nor able1 nor yet in any wise remarkable in his moral development1 is living much after the fashion of ,midas1 whose touch turned everything to gold4 ,but is gold the test of success8 ,the panorama of life is a complicated one4 ,it used to be the fashion of the novelists to represent the world of riches and fashion as the world devoid of sympathy and love1 and often1 indeed1 as devoid even of moral principle2 while the world of poverty and toil was held up as composed of men and women whose lives were all unselfishness and sacrifice1 and as those who truly followed the example of ,him who was meek and lowly of heart4 ,but the panorama of actual life reveals no such sharply defined divisions as that4 ,virtue and vice are not checked off into special and separate regions2 wealth has its greatness of mind and beneficence of sympathy and love1 and poverty has its selfishness and cruelty and injustice4 ,other things being equal1 the command of unlimited means may be so used as to make it one of the great blessings of life1 and this fact is attended and illustrated by such an increasing array of evidence as to make the statement merely the trite one of every-day fact4 ,again1 that prominence in affairs that we call position is good if rightly used1 and to an increasing degree it is so used4 ,noblesse oblige is the watchword of modern life4 ,success in thyself1 which is best of all4 ,that line from a poem of ,emerson's most clearly defines true success4 ,the power of conduct1 the power of intellect and knowledge1 the power of beauty1 and the power of social life and manners1--to achieve such power as is thus enumerated by ,matthew ,arnold1 and adding to it that which is greater than all1 and that without which all else is useless and unvitalized1 the power of the ,divine energy received through prayer1--these are the powers and achievements that tend to the true and only success1--the success of character4 ,new conceptions of the old watchwords of life are in the air4 ,in ,culture ,president ,eliot of ,harvard sees new points of view2 he finds a new definition of the cultivated man1 who is not1 in this ,twentieth-,century reading of the term1 to be a weak1 critical1 fastidious creature1 vain of a little exclusive information or of an uncommon knack in ,latin verse or mathematical logic2 he is to be a man of quick perceptions1 broad sympathies1 and wide affinities1 responsive but independent1 self-reliant but deferential1 loving truth and candor1 but also moderation and proportion1 courageous but gentle1 not finished but perfecting4 ,the situation that has not its ideal was never yet occupied by man1 well said ,goethe2 and perhaps one of the greatest aids to both achievement and happiness would be to recognize this ideal as the standard placed before one1 the model after which he is to fashion his life1 because he is1 now and here1 in the ,divine ,presence1 because now and here he stands before ,god4 ,nor is this too sublime a test for the trivialities of every day4 ,as a matter of truth1 nothing is trivial that has to do with the life of the spirit4 ,the petty irritations1 impatience1 vexations1 and disappointments of life are things that affect one's spiritual quality1 that make or mar his higher self1 that accelerate or retard his progress in the upward way1 according as these feelings are allowed to take control or are resolutely conquered4 ,the occurrences that excite them are1 to the life of the spirit1 like the gifts in a kindergarten1--they are the object lessons by means of which growth and progress are attained4 ,now1 if one can conceive of his life1 every day1 every hour1 as lived in the very presence of the ,divine2 if he can realize himself at all times as standing before ,god1 how this recognition transforms all the conditions and circumstances6 ,the drama of living is instantly lifted up to a higher plane4 ,that which was hard becomes easy2 that which was sad1 or dull1 or unattractive1 becomes invested with interest4 ,one is living1 not unto himself1 but unto ,god4 ,he is living within that marvellous1 all-enfolding charm and radiance4 ,he is an actor in the great spiritual drama1 and he feels the stimulus of playing his part nobly and well4 ,and they who have gone behind the curtain come forth and minister to him4 ,he is aware of the courage of companionship4 ',mortal1' they softly say1 ',peace to thy heart4 ,we1 too1 yes1 mortal1 ,have been as thou art4' ,voices unheard by the outer ear speak to the soul2 presences unseen by the eye are yet felt1 giving their sympathy and stimulus4 ,it is good to remember that it is not only after death that the soul stands before ,god2 that here and now is the heavenly test to which life must be held amenable2 here and now must one make his thought and his acts those that know only the ideals of love and generosity and sweetness and courage4 ,one may thus call up all his higher forces to meet misunderstandings with patience and with love3 to meet adverse fortune with courage and with stronger and more intense endeavor2 to live above the tide of jar or fret so as to dwell in perpetual radiance and sunshine of spirit4 ,this is to stand before ,god here and now1 through the days and the experiences of the life that is1 as well as to anticipate standing before ,his ,presence in that which is to come4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,open ,door4 ,visions and enthusiasms are the only true guides in life4 ,to keep true to the ideal dream that in some rare and exalted moment falls upon the soul1 is to set one's steps toward that success which lies in fulfilment4 ,such dreams may be obscured by passing clouds2 they may become entangled with the transient and the trivial2 but nothing that is temporary holds over them any power to disintegrate or to destroy1 for they are made of heavenly revealings and illuminations4 ,the ideal that reveals itself in a sudden vision of the higher harmonies and achievements possible to human life is but another name for the ,opportunity which ,shakespeare defines1--the opportunity that1 if one fail to accept it1 vanishes1 to leave all the remainder of life bound in shallows and in miseries4 ,there is something about hesitation and reconsiderations that is curiously fatal to successful achievement4 ,good fortune is in going on1--not in going back4 ,the parable of ,lot's wife1 who turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back1 is by no means inapplicable to the life of to-day4 ,let one on whom the vision has shone look backward instead of forward and he becomes paralyzed and immovable4 ,he has invoked inimical influences4 ,he is impeded by the shallows and the miseries4 ,he has withdrawn himself from all the heavenly forces that lead him on4 ,the fidelity to the vision is the vital motor4 ,it gives that exhilaration of energy which makes possible the impossible4 ,the ,americans have many virtues1 said ,emerson1 but they have not ,faith and ,hope4 ,i know no two words whose meaning is more lost sight of4 ,we use these words as if they were as obsolete as ,selah4 ,and yet they have the broadest meaning and the most cogent application4 ,the opening of the spiritual senses1 continues ,emerson1 disposes men even to greater sacrifices1 to leave their signal talents1 their means and skill of procuring a present success1 their power and their fame1--to cast all things behind in the insatiable thirst for divine communications4 ,a purer fame1 a greater power1 rewards the sacrifice4 ,each recurring ,new ,year is an open door4 ,however arbitrary are the divisions of ,time1 there is inspiration and exaltation in standing on the threshold of an untried year1 with its fresh pages awaiting record4 ,it is1 again1 the era of possibilities4 ,the imaginative faculty of the soul must1 indeed1 be fed with objects immense and eternal4 ,life stretches before one in its diviner unity1--even in the wholeness of the life that is and that which is to come4 ,there is not one set of motives and purposes to be applied to this life1 and another set to that which awaits us4 ,this is the spiritual world1 here and now1 and it is the business of man to live divinely in it2 to be responsive to the enthusiasms that enchant his thought2 to be faithful to the vision that beckons him on4 ,it is well to drop the old that one may seize the new4 ,progress lies in a successive series of new conditions4 ,let one give all and ask for nothing1--let him yield himself wholly to the overpowering enthusiasm2 let him not look backward from his vision of the ,morning ,star and the ,promised ,land1 and thus shall the ,new ,year fulfil itself in ever widening glory and that enchanting loveliness which invests the higher fulfilments of life4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,interruptions as ,opportunities4 ,to work1 to help and to be helped1 to learn sympathy through suffering1 to learn faith by perplexity1 to reach truth through wonder1--behold6 this is what it is to prosper1 this is what it is to live1 said ,phillips ,brooks4 ,when ,herbert ,spencer produced his great ,data of ,ethics he did not consider in it the ethics of interruptions which sometimes assume a formidable place in the strenuous life4 ,one is perhaps exceptionally patient and tolerant when it is a question of great trial or calamity1 and not infrequently very impatient with the trifling annoyances and demands and interruptions that occur4 ,yet1 is there not just here a richness of opportunity in the aim to do good to all men that may often be unrecognized8 ,a writer who may be pressed for time finds in his mail-matter a number of personal requests from strangers4 ,one package contains manuscripts1 perhaps1 which a woman in ,montana entreats shall be read and returned with advice or suggestion4 ,some one in ,texas wants a paragraph copied that he may use it in compiling a calendar4 ,an individual in ,indiana has a collection of autographs for sale and begs to know of the ways and means for disposing of them4 ,and an author in ,arizona desires that a possible publisher be secured for her novel2 and so the requests run on4 ,strictly speaking1 perhaps1 no one of these has any real right to thus tax the time and energy of a stranger2 but is there not another side to it8 ,here are an array of interruptions1 but why not give them another name--that of opportunities8 ,one has1 perhaps1 his theories and his convictions regarding the service of humanity4 ,he holds it to be a duty1--a privilege4 ,he believes that it is through entering into this service that he may even co-operate with ,god in the onward progress4 ,to help humanity is a very attractive and high-sounding term4 ,but what is humanity8 ,is it not1 after all1 composed of individuals8 ,and here are individuals to be helped2 here they are1 with their several individual requests1 and the injunction of the apostle suggests itself1 ,as ye have therefore opportunity1 444 do good unto all men4 ,do not the interruptions assume a new form1 and are they not1 thereby1 transfigured into glad and golden opportunity8 ,and it is the will of ,god1--that great1 resistless1 and unceasing force1 working underneath all our human wills--it is the will of ,god manifesting itself in small things as well as in those that seem outwardly more important1 that has grouped all these special things together and sent them on an especially busy morning4 ,shall not one rejoice and recognize that the need of another is brought as a privilege to himself8 ,the blessedness of giving is not limited to cheques and bank-bills4 ,there are gifts that far transcend these1--gifts of patience1 sympathy1 thought1 and counsel1 and 7such is the blessedness of the ,divine ,law7 these are gifts that the poorest can give4 ,the need on the one side may be the luxury on the other1 for it invites sympathetic comprehension and the enlargement of friendly relations4 ,and as for one's time1--even in a full and busy life1--it is not so much time that one requires as it is right conditions4 ,an hour will do the work of a day1 when the conditions are harmonious2 and nothing so increases the degree of spiritual energy as the glow and ardor and joy of doing some little service for another4 ,in this lies the real blessedness1 the real luxury of life1 and one reads the profound significance in the words of ,maeterlinck3 ,it is well to believe that there needs but a little more courage1 more love1 more devotion to life1 a little more eagerness1 one day to fling open wide the portals of joy and truth4 ,these qualities redeem the temporal to the immortal1 for immortality is a condition of the soul1 not a definite period in time4 ,the soul1 now and here1 may put on immortality4 ,life is1 after all1 an affair of the immortal self1 and it is the invisible powers which are its stay1 its guide1 and its inspiration4 ,we live and move and have our being on the divine side of things4 ,we only live--in any true sense--as we are filled with the heavenly magnetism4 ,thou hast made known to me the ways of life2 thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance1 says the apostle4 ,here is the true gospel to live by4 ,there are ways of life2 even through toil and trial they shall be reached4 ,the one is eternal1 the other temporal4 ,it is unwise to lay too much stress on the infelicities of the moment4 ,exaltation alone is real2 depression is unreal4 ,the obstacle before one is not intended to stop progress1 but to stimulate new energies to the overcoming4 ,by living so purely in thought and in deed as to prevent the interposition of any barrier between his phenomenal and substantial self2 and by steadfastly cultivating harmonious relations between these two1--by substantiating the whole of his system to the ,divine ,central ,will1 whose seat is in the soul1--the man gains full access to the stores of knowledge laid up in his soul1 and attains to the cognition of ,god and the universe4 ,among the devastators of a day there is encountered1 however1 a vast army of persons who advertise themselves vociferously as being wonder-workers of human life4 ,according to their insistent proclamations1 poverty is a disease1 and is to be cured by a course of correspondence lessons2 beauty1 address1 gifts and graces and power1 are secrets of which they hold the key2 even death1 too1 is but another mental malady and is easily to be overcome by their recipes4 ,all these fraudulent representations--as absurd as they are false--are but the gross distortion of the underlying truth that thought creates conditions and controls results4 ,thought cannot transform poverty into wealth by means of six lessons2 but the right quality of thought can set in motion the causes which1 carried on to fulfilment1 result in an increasing prosperity and welfare4 ,one may thus achieve the top of his condition through serenity and poise of spirit1 and thus be enabled to see events and combinations in their true perspective4 ,he is not overwhelmed and swept into abysses of despair because some momentary disaster has occurred1 but he regards it in its relative significance to the general trend of matters1 and thus remains master of the situation4 ,still1 if there are spurious claims to the power of the magician1 and if these claims1 paraded by the idle1 invade disastrously the realms of the industrious in a continual procession of interruptions1 there is something1 too1 to be said on the side of another--and a very genuine sort of wonder-working1--to transmute these interruptions into opportunities4 ,individuality is the incalculable factor in life1 and it is one1 too1 that must be fully allowed for1 if one would proceed as harmoniously as possible among the unseen brambles and pitfalls that may beset his onward pathway4 ,a very large proportion of the discords of life arise from the failure to take into consideration the special qualities in their special grouping that determine the person with whom one has to do1--qualities which are1 practically1 unalterable1 and must simply be accepted and borne with as best one may4 ,there is the person1 for instance1 who is always and invariably behind time in every movement of his life4 ,he leaves undone the things that ought to be done1 until there is little use in doing them at all4 ,he exhausts the patience and excites the irritability of his friend1 who is1 by nature1 prompt and always up with the hour4 ,there is the person who1 from some latent cause in his character1 always manages badly2 who reduces all his own affairs to confusion2 who contrives to waste more money1 time1 and energy than industry and energy can produce2 whose normal condition is a crisis of disaster1 and who1 if extricated from this seventy times seven1 will contrive to fall into it again4 ,all these1 and a thousand variations on characters of this type1 we see around us1 or within ourselves1 constantly1 and a liberal proportion of the trial or discord incident to family life1 or to friendship and companionship1 is simply in constantly demanding of another that which he cannot give1 which he does not possess4 ,to ask of the habitual procrastinator that he shall be prompt2 or of the defective manager that he shall keep his affairs in order and make the most and the best out of his possessions1 is totally useless4 ,in the evolutionary progress of life1 he will probably1 sometime and somewhere1 learn wisdom and do better2 but habit and temperament are not liable to meet a sea change into something new and strange all in the flash of a moment1 and it is worse than useless to demand this1 or to be irritated1 or impatient1 or even too sorrowful1 because of this fact4 ,there are things that cannot be cured1--at least1 not immediately4 ,therefore they must be endured4 ,when one once makes up his mind to the acceptance of this theory it is astonishing to see how it simplifies the problem4 ,the philosophy is merely to do one's own part1 but not to make any superhuman effort to do the other person's part also4 ,let it go4 ,there is no use in making a casus belli of the matter4 ,nothing is ever helped by irritation over it1--even the irritation of generosity and love1 which seeks only the good of the other4 ,there is1 for instance1 the procrastinating correspondent4 ,you write1 and you want a reply1 and you want it straightway4 ,on your own part you would make it with the promptness and despatch of the ,united ,states mail itself1 but your correspondent is not constructed after the fashion of a galvanic battery1 and although he means to respond at once1 he doesn't4 ,he has not the temperamental apparatus that works in that way4 ,he has1 perhaps1 a thousand qualities that are better1 finer1 more important1 but he does not happen to have that particular one4 ,what then8 ,shall you make his life and your own a burden with complaint and reproach8 ,by no means4 ,let it pass4 ,it is a part of his individuality1 and cannot--at the moment1 at least--be altered4 ,this one must frankly accept as the defect of his friend4 ,but recognizing the defect need not blind one to the thousand virtues that his friend possesses4 ,in fact1 as we have each and all our individual sins1 negligences1 and weaknesses1 we may well limit our zeal for reform to our own needs1 at least until we have achieved such perfection that we are entitled to require perfection on the part of our associates4 ,to the orderly1 thrifty type of ,new ,england temperament nothing is more incompatible with sympathy than the bad management of the person not endowed with faculty1 as ,mrs4 ,stowe well expresses it4 ,and it must be conceded that a lack of the power essential to dominate the general affairs of life and keep them in due subordination and order1 is an unmistakable draft on the affections4 ,it is a problem as to just how far aid and sympathy do any good1 and not infrequently the greater the real care and affection1 the greater1 too1 is the irritation and the annoyance4 ,but even the annoyance born of tender interest and love1 it is better not to feel too keenly4 ,let one do what he can1--do all that is reasonable and right to assist in counterbalancing the ills that arise from defective management1 and then let it pass1 and not take it into his mind as a source of constant anxiety4 ,we have all our lessons to learn1 and every failure brings its own discipline as the inevitable result4 ,regret calamities if you can thereby help the sufferer1 as ,emerson so well says2 if not1 attend to your own work1 and already the evil begins to be repaired4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,charm of ,companionship4 ,of society1 in the true sense1 social life offers comparatively little4 ,in the midst of ceremonial assembling one is starved for companionship4 ,one may live in the very heart of what is held to be a brilliant social season and be as unutterably lonely as if in a desert solitude4 ,indeed1 the latter offers compensations which the former denies4 ,there is a great deal of companionship1 however unrecognized1 in the cloud of witnesses that encompass us round about1 and whose presence is less vividly felt in the gleam and glitter of ceremonial society4 ,the more general assemblages of clubs1 teas1 and receptions are so incorporated into the social system that no one could cancel these if he would1 nor would he if he could4 ,they have their uses4 ,all exchange of human sympathies is good1 even if it be somewhat superficial and spectacular4 ,the more exclusive dinners are not without their special charm as occasions when conversation becomes possible on a less unsatisfactory scale than the exchange of inanities in crowded receptions4 ,yet1 with due recognition of the stimulus and the brilliancy that may flash from a select group of people1 the deeper truth remains that it is only in a more personal companionship that is found the supreme luxury of life1 and that companionship is a relation existing solely between two1 refusing its spell when that number is increased4 ,nothing is less considered by society than companionship4 ,it is considered an unheard-of waste of time to devote an entire evening to one guest1 when1 indeed1 five1 ten1 or fifty might be warmed1 lighted1 and fed in the same time4 ,the fashionable hostess invites her friends to pay off her social debts4 ,if she can pay off fifty or five hundred--in the time that she would give to one1 she felicitates herself on her clever management4 ,the idea of inviting her friends because she really wishes to talk with them would bewilder her4 ,she does not converse2 she receives4 ,she arrays herself in her smartest gown1 and her social interchange with each guest consists in a graceful greeting and a no less graceful adieu1 followed by an epoch of private gratitude that the required entertainment is over4 ,she consults her visiting list and conscientiously arranges for her next reception1 or dinner1 or dance1 in the fulfilment of what she is pleased to call her social duties4 ,and all this1 however superficial or spectacular it may be1 has its place1 and serves1 with more or less success1 to promote social meeting1 preliminary acquaintance1 out of which the choicest friendships sometimes spring4 ,but it is quite possible to concede that certain formalities and ceremonial observances have their legitimate place without conceding that they monopolize the resources of social enjoyment4 ,when one comes to that--it is quite another matter4 ,the supreme gift and grace and enchantment of life is in sympathetic companionship4 ,and this1 in its truer sense1 is a relation of spirit1 an elective affinity1 rather than a mere concurrence of intellectual or artistic tastes4 ,it is quite possible for two persons to like ,sargent's pictures1 or to draw the line at the inane society play without1 after all1 finding themselves in any relations of especial sympathy4 ,only that soul can be my friend1 said ,emerson1 which ,i encounter on the line of my own march2 that soul to which ,i do not decline1 and which does not decline to me1 but1 native of the same celestial latitude1 repeats in its own all my experience4 ,margaret ,fuller defined this sympathy as that of beings born under the same star4 ,but phrases are of little worth1--the experience eludes all definitions and defies all phrasings4 ,it exists by divine right1 or it does not exist at all4 ,it is a law unto itself4 ,it is a recognition that has to do with the inward springs of thought and action4 ,companionship is the inflorescence of social life1--its finest result1 its most exquisite and perfect ideal4 ,but it requires a certain degree of fitness4 ,it requires the choice organization1 the nobler and the finer degree of spiritual development4 ,the crude person can pass well enough in a social assemblage1 but only the choicer individuality is fit for that finer and more subtle relation of companionship4 ,yet this highest realization of social enjoyment is1 for the most part1 relegated to shreds and patches of time4 ,the mornings must be given to lectures1 readings1 receptions1 clubs1 and teas2 the evenings must be devoted to dinners1 dances1 opera1 concerts1 plays1 or musicales4 ,for communion of friend with friend1 spirit with spirit1 there is no time4 ,the crowning joy of life1 in its possibilities for sympathetic companionship1 is ignored4 ,for companionship is a spiritual joy1 and society recognizes only the spectacular pleasures4 ,the finer order of social life for which the world were well lost1 awaits its evolution4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the life a man lives and the life he ought to live belong together4 ,the real and the ideal lie side by side in the thought of ,god4 ,the distractions of life are every day's tragedy4 ,the mutilation of purpose1 the disintegration of time1 the neutralization of all endeavor1 which result from the perpetual occurrence of the unforeseen1 cannot but prefigure itself as a theme for meditation to the worker who looks back on a day1 a week1 a month1 an entire season1 in which the flighty purpose has never been overtaken4 ,the calendar has the inexorableness of fate4 ,the day1 the month1 goes by1 unrelenting4 ,it may be shattered with feeble and inexpressive demands1 but all the same it is gone1 and it is unreturning4 ,whether freighted richly with the essential1 or merely burdened with the ineffectual1 it is equally irretrievable4 ,this involves a problem of life full of spiritual perplexity4 ,certainly1 no man liveth to himself1 or1 if he does1 his living is a selfish and worthless thing4 ,certainly a man is his brother's keeper--to a degree4 ,the poet whose dream is about to crystallize in verse is assured that life is more than art1 and that to sustain the spirits of the depressed caller who appears at that precise instant1 with the unfailing instinct with which the depressed do invariably appear at a literary crisis1--he is assured that this act is a nobler poem than any he could write4 ,and such is the tremendous impression that the gospel in the air of the service of humanity makes on us all1 that he dare not disregard this possibility4 ,he is not absolutely sure1 it is true1 that he is serving humanity in this individual instance1 but he is not at all sure that it is not true2 and he reflects that other days are coming1 when1 perhaps1 by some divine dispensation1 the depressed caller will not appear6 ,but there are no days on which he1 or his prototype1 is not on hand1 and so the problem ever remains a present1 an immediate1 and1 alas6 an insoluble one4 ,for this is an age when the depressed1 who have nothing to do1 require1 to sustain their drooping spirits1 the sympathetic ministrations of those who are too busy to indulge in the languid luxury of gentle and romantic sadness4 ,in fact1 they feel a certain inalienable right to demand that current of sympathetic interest which otherwise would express itself in the specific work in which one is engaged4 ,you desire to 'serve humanity1' do you8 the depressed caller says1 virtually1 as he fixes the mere worker with his glittering eye4 ,well1 ,i am ,humanity4 ,what is a book compared to a human soul8 ,here1 before you1 in living personality1 is a need4 ,can you forsake it for abstract literature8 ,if the unfortunate worker has any species of the ,new ,england conscience he is at a disadvantage4 ,he has nothing to say for himself4 ,there are behind him more than two centuries of his ancestors who have preached and practiced self-sacrifice1 generosity1 love4 ,in one sense he is even enfeebled by his ethical nature4 ,it possesses him1 rather than enables him to clearly and consciously possess it4 ,he feels a certain magnetic attraction to the fulfilment of a definite purpose2 but after all1 the world is full of purposes and of far greater and abler persons than himself to carry them on2 and perhaps this particular appeal is from one of those little ones whom the ,christ he holds in reverence bids him care for first of all4 ,perhaps the immediate human need should take precedence over specific work4 ,perhaps it is a real human need4 ,treat the people as if they were real1 said ,emerson2 perhaps they are so4 ,and so he becomes the victim rather than the master of his own diviner life4 ,he sees through a glass darkly4 ,he is not in the least sure that he can do any good1 but he is fearful he may do evil4 ,and so he espouses what is really a negative side2 a side of blind chance2 a mere spiritual gambling1 so to speak1 and throws his stakes on the side of what may be useful1 as he cannot prove to himself that it is not1 and his life becomes a poor1 mean1 weak1 ineffectual thing4 ,he recalls ,sir ,hugo's counsel to ,daniel ,deronda3 ,be courteous1 be obliging1 ,dan2 but don't give yourself over to be melted down for the tallow trade4 ,he becomes sadly conscious that his entire time1 purpose1 energies are being simply1 with his own dull consent1 melted down for the tallow trade1 and that he himself is by way of being on a far more perilous margin than that of any one of the gently depressed spirits who devastate his days1 and command him to create for them1--not energy1 purpose1 will1--but1 instead1 external conditions in which they may more luxuriously enjoy their romantic languor and their comforting consciousness of superior qualities4 ,now is it not more than an open question that when temptation assumes the masque of service1 it is no less temptation1 and that it is evil disguised as good8 ,the woman who reads the infinitely uplifting sermons of ,rev4 ,doctor ,charles ,g4 ,ames2 who solaces what she is pleased to call her soul in that marvelously great work1 ,the ,expansion of ,religion1 by ,rev4 ,doctor ,e4 ,winchester ,donald2 who is excited--and mistakes it for being aroused--by ,rev4 ,doctor ,philip ,moxom's noble book called ,the ,religion of ,hope2 or who entertains similar emotions over recent new and great and uplifting books by ,rev4 ,doctor ,george ,a4 ,gordon or ,rev4 ,doctor ,lyman ,abbott1 or many another1 often evolves the pleasing fantasy that all she requires for producing the same quality of work is the illumination of personal interviews or personal correspondence with them4 ,surely1 she reasons1 these men are servants of the ,lord1 and ,i am one of the least of these whose needs they are divinely commanded to serve4 ,is not the life more than meat8 ,should not the minister break off his morning meditation--an abstract thing1 at best--to see me1 who needs an immediate infusion of encouragement8 ,and the tragedy of this is that the worker1 who is true to his own purpose1--through good report or through ill report1--to the duties he is divinely commissioned to perform1 is not infrequently entirely misunderstood4 ,the woman who sends him a voluminous manuscript1 accompanying pretty phrasings regarding his work1 and modestly requesting that he shall read it1 give his views on it1 and decide just what editor or publisher will be rejoiced to issue it1--and who receives her pages of outpouring back by return mail with a note1 however courteous1 expressing his inability to fulfil this commission1--this woman becomes1 as a rule1 the enemy of the person who declines to be melted down for the tallow trade4 ,she may do no particular harm1 but the antagonism is there4 ,this1 however1 could be borne2 but the nature sensitive to shades of human need is always liable to torture itself because of any failure to meet a specific demand4 ,and this torture is disintegrating to that force of positive energy which a special work requires4 ,is there not1 then1 a need for the gospel of one's own endeavor8 that a given line of work1 plainly revealed in hours of mystic communion with the ,divine1 indicated by the subtle trend of circumstance and condition1--is there not a need of realizing so clearly that it is the duty apportioned to the one fitted for it1 that it shall inspire fidelity and reverence1--even at the risk of what the unthinking may describe as selfish absorption8 ,for there are vast varieties of ministering for ministering spirits4 ,the work of the social settlement is divine2 but the poet and the painter1 if they produce poems and paintings1 cannot devote their time to its work4 ,and the poems and the pictures have their value1 as well as service in giving food and clothing to those in need4 ,the special gift does require special conditions1 and it is not selfish to insist on those conditions1 when the special work is held as unto the ,lord4 ,it often requires more heroism1 more faith1 more love to deny than to accede to a given request4 ,to yield is often easy2 to be steadfast to one's own purpose1 shining like a star upon the horizon1 is not infrequently very difficult4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,a ,summer ,pilgrimage in ,arizona4 ,no pilgrimage of the ,crusaders of old could be more impressive in its spiritual results than that which can be made to-day to the ,grand ,canyon of the ,colorado in ,arizona4 ,the majesty and sublimity of the scene suggest another world1 not1 indeed1 an ,inferno1 but a ,paradiso4 ,it is a sea of color1 a very ,new ,jerusalem1 on which one looks down from the rim of this ,titanic chasm4 ,it is a vision not less wonderful than that beheld by ,saint ,john in the ,isle of ,patmos4 ,the term canyon is a misnomer for this supreme marvel of earth4 ,one journeys to it anticipating a colossal variation on ,cheyenne ,canon or the ,royal ,gorge4 ,instead1 what does the tourist see8 ,the ridge of a vast mountain-chain over two hundred miles in length split asunder in a yawning chasm eighteen miles in width and over seven thousand feet deep2 one in which a thousand ,niagaras would be lost2 in which a cliff that1 relatively to the scene1 does not impress one as especially lofty1 yet which exceeds in height the ,eiffel ,tower in ,paris2 and another which does not arrest special attention1 yet is taller than the ,washington ,monument4 ,but the splendor of apparent architectural creations arrests the eye4 ,solomon's ,temple1 the ,temple of ,vishnu1 and altars1 minarets1 towers1 pagodas1 colonnades1 as if designed by architectural art1 lie grouped in wonderful combinations of form and color4 ,an ,inferno1 swathed in soft1 celestial fires2 a whole chaotic underworld1 just emptied of primeval floods1 and waiting for a new creative word2 a boding1 terrible thing1 unflinchingly real1 yet spectral as a dream1 eluding all sense of perspective or dimension1 outstretching the faculty of measurement1 overlapping the confines of definite apprehension4 ,the beholder is at first unimpressed by any detail2 he is overwhelmed by the ensemble of a stupendous panorama1 a thousand square miles in extent1 that lies wholly beneath the eye1 as if he stood upon a mountain peak instead of the level brink of a fearful chasm in the plateau whose opposite shore is thirteen miles away4 ,a labyrinth of huge architectural forms1 endlessly varied in design1 fretted with ornamental devices1 festooned with lace-like webs formed of talus from the upper cliffs1 and painted with every color known to the palette in pure transparent tones of marvellous delicacy4 ,never was picture more harmonious1 never flower more exquisitely beautiful4 ,it flashes instant communication of all that architecture and painting and music for a thousand years have gropingly striven to express4 ,it is the soul of ,michael ,angelo and of ,beethoven4 ,the spectacle is so symmetrical1 and so completely excludes the outside world and its accustomed standards1 it is with difficulty one can acquire any notion of its immensity4 ,were it half as deep1 half as broad1 it would be no less bewildering1 so utterly does it baffle human grasp4 ,something may be gleaned from the account given by geologists4 ,what is known to them as the ,grand ,canyon district lies principally in northwestern ,arizona1 its length from northwest to southeast in a straight line being about one hundred and eighty miles1 its width one hundred and twenty-five miles1 and its total area some fifteen thousand square miles4 ,its northerly beginning1 at the high plateaus in southern ,utah1 is a series of terraces1 many miles broad1 dropping like a stairway step by step to successively lower geological formations1 until in ,arizona the platform is reached which borders the real chasm and extends southward beyond1 far into the central part of that territory4 ,it is the theory of geologists that ten thousand feet of strata have been swept by erosion from the surface of this entire platform1 whose present uppermost formation is the ,carboniferous2 the deduction being based upon the fact that the missing ,permian1 ,mesozoic1 and ,tertiary formations1 which belong above this ,carboniferous in the series1 are found in their place at the beginning of the northern terraces referred to4 ,the theory is fortified by many evidences supplied by examination of the district1 where1 more than anywhere else1 mother earth has laid bare the secrets of her girlhood4 ,the climax in this extraordinary example of erosion is1 of course1 the chasm of the ,grand ,canyon proper1 which1 were the missing strata restored to the adjacent plateau1 would be sixteen thousand feet deep4 ,the layman is apt to stigmatize such an assertion as a vagary of theorists1 and until the argument has been heard it does seem incredible that water should have carved such a trough in solid rock4 ,it is easier for the imagination to conceive it as a work of violence1 a sudden rending of earth's crust in some huge volcanic fury2 but it appears to be true that the whole region was repeatedly lifted and submerged1 both under the ocean and under a fresh-water sea1 and that during the period of the last upheaval the river cut its gorge4 ,existing as the drainage system of a vast territory1 it had the right of way1 and as the plateau deliberately rose before the pressure of the internal forces1 slowly1 as grinds the mills of the gods1 through a period to be measured by thousands of centuries1 the river kept its bed worn down to the level of erosion2 sawed its channel free1 as the saw cuts the log that is thrust against it4 ,tributaries1 traceable now only by dry lateral gorges1 and the gradual but no less effective process of weathering1 did the rest4 ,in the innermost depths of this colossal chasm runs the ,colorado ,river4 ,descending the stupendous crags and terraces by one of the two or three trails1 the traveller at last stands upon a sandy rift confronted by nearly vertical walls many hundred feet high1 at whose base a black torrent pitches in a giddying onward slide that gives him momentarily the sensation of slipping into an abyss4 ,with so little labor may one come to the ,colorado ,river in the heart of its most tremendous channel1 and gaze upon a sight that heretofore has had fewer witnesses than have the wilds of ,africa4 ,dwarfed by such prodigious mountain shores1 which rise immediately from the water at an angle that would deny footing to a mountain sheep1 it is not easy to estimate confidently the width and volume of the river4 ,choked by the stubborn granite at this point1 its width is probably between two hundred and fifty and three hundred feet1 its velocity fifteen miles an hour1 and its volume and turmoil equal to the ,whirlpool ,rapids of ,niagara4 ,its rise in time of heavy rain is rapid and appalling1 for the walls shed almost instantly all the water that falls upon them4 ,drift is lodged in the crevices thirty feet overhead4 ,descending to this ledge the tourist can hardly credit ,powell's achievement1 in spite of its absolute authenticity4 ,never was a more magnificent self-reliance displayed than by the man who not only undertook the passage of the ,colorado ,river1 but won his way4 ,and after viewing a fraction of the scene at close range1 one cannot hold it to the discredit of three of ,major ,powell's companions that they abandoned the undertaking not far below this point4 ,the fact that those who persisted got through alive is hardly more astonishing than that any should have had the hardihood to persist4 ,for it could not have been alone the privation1 the infinite toil1 the unending suspense in constant menace of death that assaulted their courage2 these they had looked for2 it was rather the unlifted gloom of those tartarean depths1 the unspeakable horrors of an endless valley of the shadow of death1 in which every step was irrevocable4444 ,not the most fervid pictures of a poet's fancy could transcend the glories revealed in the depths of the ,canyon2 inky shadows1 pale gildings of lofty spires1 golden splendors of sun beating full on facades of red and yellow1 obscurations of distant peaks by veils of transient shower1 glimpses of white towers half drowned in purple haze1 suffusions of rosy light blended in reflection from a hundred tinted walls4 ,caught up to exalted emotional heights1 the beholder becomes unmindful of fatigue4 ,he mounts on wings4 ,he drives the chariot of the sun4 ,the language is not yet invented that can suggest any adequate idea of the ,grand ,canyon4 ,nor can it be painted or photographed1 or in any way pictorially reproduced in a manner to afford any suggestion1 even1 of its sublimity in design and its perpetual enchantment of color4 ,one beholds the temples and towers and mosques and pagodas glowing in rose-red1 sapphire blue1 with emerald and amber and amethyst1 all blending1 and swimming1 apparently1 in a sea of purple1 or of pearl gray mist1 the colors flashing through like flame under alabaster4 ,the sunlight changes as the day wears on1 and so this play of color changes1--glowing1 fading1 paling1 flaming4 ,watching these magical effects from dawn to sunset1 watching the panorama of color as it deepens into mysterious shadows and spectral illusions under the moonlight1 one can only say1 ,what hath ,god wrought6 ,to contemplate this marvellous and sublime spectacle is to come into a new perception of the ,divine creation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,formerly almost as inaccessible as the ,himalayas1 the ,grand ,canyon in ,arizona can now be reached by the most luxurious methods of modern travelling4 ,from ,williams1 on the ,santa ,fe road1 a branch line of sixty miles runs over the rolling mesas to the ,bright ,angel hotel at the ,bright ,angel ,trail4 ,the journey is enchanted by beautiful views of the ,san ,francisco mountains seen through a purple haze4 ,the entire journey through ,arizona offers one of the most unique experiences of a lifetime4 ,is this ,the ,country ,god ,forgot8 ,the vast stretch of the plains offer effects as infinite as the sea4 ,the vista includes only land and sky4 ,the cloud forms and the atmospheric effects are singularly beautiful4 ,as one flies on into ,arizona this wonderful color effect in the air becomes more vivid4 ,mountains appear here and there3 the journey is up a high grade1 and one realizes that he is entering the altitudes4 ,a special feature of interest in ,arizona is the town of ,flagstaff1 famous for the great ,lowell ,observatory1 established there by ,percival ,lowell1 a nephew of the noble ,john ,lowell1 who founded the ,lowell ,institute in ,boston4 ,professor ,percival ,lowell is a man of broad and varied culture1 a great traveller1 who has familiarized himself with most things worth seeing in this sublunary sphere1 and has only failed to explore ,mars from reasons quite beyond his own control4 ,at his own expense he has founded here an ,observatory1 with a telescope of great power1 by means of which he is making astronomical researches of the greatest value to science4 ,the special advantage of ,arizona in astronomical study is not the altitude1 but in the fact that there is the least possible vibration in the air here4 ,mr4 ,lowell's work makes ,flagstaff a scientific centre of cosmopolitan importance1 and scholars and great scientists from all over the world are constantly arriving in the little ,arizona mountain town to visit the ,observatory4 ,flagstaff has no little archaeological interest1 also2 the famous cliff dwellings of the ,zuni tribe1 which ,frank ,cushing explored and studied so deeply1 are within a few miles of the town1 located on the summit and sides of an extinct volcano4 ,they now present the appearance of black holes1 a few yards deep1 often surrounded with loose and broken stone walls1 and broken pottery abounds all over the vicinity4 ,the most remarkable group of the cliff dwellers is to be seen in ,walnut ,canyon1 eight miles from ,flagstaff4 ,this is one of the deep gorges1 the cliffs rising several hundred feet above the valley2 and they are sheer terraced walls of limestone1 running for over three miles4 ,in these terraces1 in the most singularly inaccessible places1 are dozens of the cliff dwellings4 ,some of them are divided into compartments by means of cemented walls1 and they retain traces of quite a degree of civilization4 ,the petrified forests of ,arizona are a most extraordinary spectacle1 with its acres of utter desolation in its giant masses of dead trees lying prostrate on the ground4 ,arizona is a land of the most mysterious charm4 ,the ,grand ,canyon alone is worth a pilgrimage around the world to see1--a spectacle so bewildering that words are powerless to suggest the living1 changing picture4 ,long may the visitor loiter upon the rim1 powerless to shake loose from the charm1 tirelessly intent upon the silent transformations until the sun is low in the west4 ,then the canyon sinks into mysterious purple shadow1 the far ,shinumo ,altar is tipped with a golden ray1 and against a leaden horizon the long line of the ,echo ,cliffs reflects a soft brilliance of indescribable beauty1 a light that1 elsewhere1 surely never was on sea or land4 ,then darkness falls1 and should there be a moon1 the scene in part revives in silver light1 a thousand spectral forms projected from inscrutable gloom2 dreams of mountains1 as in their sleep they brood on things eternal4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,tragic ,idyl of ,colorado4 ,i hung my verses in the wind1 ,time and tide their faults may find4 ,all were winnowed through and through1 ,five lines lasted sound and true2 ,five were smelted in a pot ,than the ,south more fierce and hot2 ,these the siroc could not melt1 ,fire their fiercer flaming felt1 ,and the meaning was more white ,than ,july's meridian light4 ,sunshine cannot bleach the snow1 ,nor time unmake what poets know4 ,have you eyes to find the five ,which five hundred did survive8 --,,emerson4 ,not only verses1 but lives1 are winnowed through and through1 and time and tide reveal their faults and their virtues4 ,in the history of the ,state of ,colorado there is one man whose life and work stand out in noble pre-eminence2 whose character is one to inspire and to reward study as an example of intellectual and moral greatness4 ,this man is ,nathan ,cook ,meeker1 the founder of the town of ,greeley1 ,colorado2 the founder and for many years the editor of the ,greeley ,tribune2 later appointed by ,president ,hayes1 in a somewhat confidential capacity1 the ,indian ,commissioner at ,white ,river1 where he died the death of a hero1 and where1 marking the spot of the tragic massacre1 the town of ,meeker now stands1 among the mountains of the ,snowy ,range4 ,mr4 ,meeker1 who is one of the heroes of pioneer civilization1 founded this town in the very desert of sand and sage-brush4 ,its first inception is a wonderful idyl of the extension of progress into the unknown ,west4 ,the vision of the bands of singing angels in the air that fell upon the shepherds in the ,judean plains was hardly more wonderful than the vision out of which the town of ,greeley arose from the desert4 ,on a ,december night in the late sixties ,mr4 ,meeker found himself one evening standing under the brilliant starry skies of ,colorado near the foot of ,pike's ,peak4 ,the marvellous splendor of the scene filled his mind with sublime picturings4 ,in the very air before him he seemed to see a city arise in the desert--a city of beautiful ideals1 of high purposes1 of temperance1 education1 culture1 and religion4 ,the vision made upon him that permanent impression which the heavenly vision1 revealed for one instant to a life1 forever makes1 however swiftly it may be withdrawn2 however deep and dark the eclipse into which it fades and seems forever lost4 ,to ,mr4 ,meeker had been granted the angelic vision4 ,the ideal had been revealed1 and it was revealed in order that it might be realized in the outer and actual world4 ,he felt the power1 the nameless thrill of enchantment that pervades this wonderful country4 ,one who is a poet in heart and soul has said of this ,pike's ,peak region3-- ,over the range is another world--a happy valley hundreds of miles in extent1 fenced in with beauty and joy2 palisaded with ,god's own temples2 roofed with crystal and gold1 and afloat in dream life2 perpetual youth in thought and growth--all of it life to the soul2 music and rapture to the weary traveller of earth4 ,oh1 the leaping ecstasy of it by day and by night1 and at the dawn6 ,this indescribable ecstasy of the ,colorado air communicated itself to ,mr4 ,meeker4 ,he went home to ,new ,york2 he called a meeting in ,cooper ,institute2 ,horace ,greeley presided1 and ,mr4 ,meeker outlined his plans to the large audience4 ,he presented them1 also1 in full detail in the columns of the ,tribune1 and the result was that in #ahgj he led a colony of some seven hundred to this most favorable site--now mid-way between two state capitols--fifty miles north of ,denver and fifty miles south of ,cheyenne2 he laid out the town with broad boulevards and double rows of shade-trees while yet they lived in tents1 and the shade-trees seen in his imagination are now an established fact4 ,greeley is to-day a town embowered in trees4 ,the first work was to dig a canal at a cost of sixty thousand dollars1 this being the initial experiment of upland irrigation4 ,such is1 in outline1 the history of ,greeley1 which the colony desired to name ,meeker--for its founder--but which ,horace ,greeley's friend and associate editor insisted should bear its present name4 ,greeley is known as the garden city of ,colorado1 and that it was founded in faith and in ideals has been a determining fact in its quality of life and its phenomenal progress4 ,nathan ,cook ,meeker was born in the ,western ,reserve1 in ,ohio1 in #ahad1 coming of the order of people whom ,emerson characterized as those who go without the new carpet and send the boy to college4 ,behind him were a long list of distinguished ancestry1 men who through successive generations had stood for achievements4 ,mr4 ,meeker in his youth taught school1 went into journalism1 was connected with the ,new ,york ,mirror1 and later was associated with ,george ,d4 ,prentice on the ,louisville ,journal1 now the ,courier-,journal1 edited by the brilliant ,henry ,watterson4 ,a versatile writer in both prose and verse1 he wrote two or three books1 one of which he dedicated to ,president ,pierce4 ,he married a woman of great force and exaltation of character1 a native of ,connecticut1 and a descendant of ,elder ,brewster4 ,she shared his aims and ideals4 ,in the decade of #ahfj-gj ,horace ,greeley1 who was always waving his divining rod to see if it indicated the proximity of genius1 discovered ,mr4 ,meeker1 and invited him to become the agricultural editor of the ,tribune1 succeeding ,solon ,robinson4 ,mr4 ,meeker's work made a strong impression on the reading public of the day1 and even ,emerson inquired as to the authorship of some of ,mr4 ,meeker's editorial work1 which won the appreciation of the ,concord seer4 ,in #ahfh ,mr4 ,meeker made a trip to the ,west for the ,tribune1 writing a series of valuable letters embodying his observations of the country4 ,it was during this journey that the night came which lends itself to imaginative picturing with dramatic vividness when1 just after ,christmas1 he stood in the ,garden of the ,gods near the foot of ,pike's ,peak1 while the stars of the ,colorado skies blazed above him1 and1 as if by a flash of vision saw a town arise in the desert4 ,the vision fell upon him like an inspiration4 ,founding towns seemed1 indeed1 to run in the family1 as one of his ancestors had founded the town of ,elizabeth1 ,new ,jersey1 naming it after his wife4 ,mr4 ,meeker returned to the ,tribune office with his dream of a beautiful city to arise out of the sand and sage-brush of the desert4 ,an idealist himself1 ,mr4 ,meeker had also the good fortune of having married a woman capable of sharing ideal dreams and of rising to the heights of sacrifice1 and she1 too1 embraced his new enthusiasm4 ,go ahead1 replied ,mr4 ,greeley1 when ,mr4 ,meeker mentioned his new project1 the ',tribune' will back you4 ,a meeting was then called in ,cooper ,institute1 as before stated1 ,horace ,greeley presiding1 and ,john ,russell ,young entering into the idea with sympathy4 ,mr4 ,meeker presented his project of a ,union colony to establish itself in ,colorado4 ,of the conditions he said3-- ,the persons with whom ,i would be willing to associate must be temperance men and ambitious to establish good society1 and among as many as fifty1 ten should have as much as ten thousand dollars each1 or twenty should have five thousand dollars each1 while others may have from two thousand to one thousand dollars and upward4 ,for many to go so far without means could only result in disaster4 ,the members were to each contribute one hundred and fifty-five dollars to a fund to purchase and prepare the land4 ,it was in ,april of #ahfi that the committee made the purchase of forty thousand acres1 located between the ,cache la ,poudre and the ,south ,platte rivers1 twenty-five miles from the ,rocky ,mountains and in full sight of ,long's ,peak4 ,greeley has a beautiful situation1 and a perfection of climate that perhaps exists hardly anywhere else in all ,colorado4 ,whatever the heat of the day1 the nights are cool4 ,the days are so bright1 so beautiful1 that they seem a very foretaste of paradise4 ,in the spring of #ahgj the seven hundred members of ,union ,colony1 with their families1 arrived4 ,mr4 ,meeker further stipulated3-- ,in particular should moral and religious sentiments prevail1 for without these qualities man is nothing4 ,at the same time tolerance and liberality should also prevail4 ,one thing more is equally important4 ,happiness1 wealth1 and the glory of a state spring from the family1 and it should be our aim and a high ambition to preserve the family pure in all its relations1 and to labor with the best efforts life and strength can give to make the home comfortable1 to beautify and to adorn it1 and to supply it with whatever will make it attractive and loved4 ,he added3 ,i make the point that two important objects will be gained by such a colony4 ,first1 schools1 refined society1 and all the advantages of life in an old country2 while1 on the contrary1 where settlements are made by the old method1 people are obliged to wait twenty1 forty1 or more years4 ,second1 with free homesteads as a basis1 with the sale of reserved lots for the general good1 the greatly increased value of real estate will be for the benefit of all the people1 and not for schemers and speculators4 ,in the success of this colony a model will be presented for settling the remainder of the vast territory of our country4 ,every deed granted forbade the sale of intoxicating liquors4 ,the town was founded in the purest moral ideals of education1 culture1 faith1 and prayer1 and ,greeley is everywhere pointed out to the tourist in ,colorado as one of the most interesting features of the ,centennial state4 ,of the town ,mr4 ,meeker himself said in one of his letters to the ,tribune3 ,individuals may rise or fall1 may live or die2 property may be lost or gained2 but the colony as a whole will prosper1 and the spot on which we labor so long as the world stands will be a centre of intelligence and activity4 ,in #ahgf ,mr4 ,meeker was appointed commissioner from ,colorado to the ,centennial ,exposition4 ,he was strongly talked of for ,congress1 but his destiny led elsewhere4 ,early in the seventies he founded ,the ,greeley ,tribune1 which he edited with conspicuous ability1 making it the leading country paper of that part of the state4 ,the ,indian troubles became a prominent problem of the government in the decade of the seventies1 and this question deeply engaged ,mr4 ,meeker's attention4 ,he had his own theories regarding their treatment--ideas much in advance of his time1 and which in some respects have been adopted in the best ,indian legislation in ,washington within the past two years4 ,one point in ,mr4 ,meeker's policy was that work should go hand in hand and to some extent precede school education--an insight comprising much of the truth taught to-day by the more eminent leaders of industrial education1 and one which the recent ,indian legislation1 during the fifty-seventh ,congress1 has recognized4 ,mr4 ,meeker believed that the ,indian could be advanced into the peaceful arts of civilized life1 and this aim he held with conspicuous courage and fidelity4 ,with a desire to carry out these theories1 ,mr4 ,meeker applied for and received1 under ,president ,hayes1 the post of commissioner to the ,utes on ,white ,river in ,colorado1 his appointment being1 as before stated1 of a somewhat confidential nature1 and charged with more important responsibilities than are usually included in this office4 ,mr4 ,meeker entered on the duties of this position with much that same high and noble purpose that inspired ,general ,armstrong in his work at ,hampton4 ,general ,hall of ,colorado1 who is said to be the most authoritative historian of that state1 thus wrote of ,mr4 ,meeker's entrance on the agency at ,white ,river4 ,in the spring of #ahgh ,mr4 ,meeker1 founder of ,union ,colony and the now beautiful city of ,greeley1 at his own solicitation was appointed resident agent1 succeeding several who had attempted to carry this benevolent enterprise into effect1 but without material success4 ,he was a venerable philanthropist1 eminently representing the humanitarian school of the ,atlantic seaboard1 under the example of ,horace ,greeley1 whom he revered above all the public men of his time4 ,thoroughly imbued with the purpose of educating1 refining1 and ,christianizing the wild rovers of the mountains1 and longing for an opportunity to put his cherished theories into practice1 confident of his ability to bring about a complete transformation of their lives and character1 he entered upon the work with deep enthusiasm4 ,his ideals were splendid1 eminently worthy of the man and the cause2 but1 unhappily1 he had to deal with savages1 of whose natures he was profoundly ignorant4 ,he took with him his wife and youngest daughter1 ,josephine1 and also a number of mechanics from ,union ,colony to aid in the great work of regeneration and redemption4 ,the ,honorable ,alva ,adams of ,pueblo1 ,colorado1 ex-,governor of the state1 writing of ,nathan ,cook ,meeker1 said3-- ,meeker was a patriot1 and no soldier upon the field of battle was more loyal1 and no one in the annals of our country has ever made a more awful sacrifice than the ,meekers4 ,but ,i need not tell the story4 ,back of it is the incompetent treatment of the ,indians that was responsible for the ,meeker massacre4 ,upon the government rests the blood and outrage of the ,meekers4 ,nor can ,i recall that the ,indians were ever adequately punished for the crime4 ,it is a black spot4 ,mrs4 ,meeker entered into the views and the work of her husband in this new field with sympathetic comprehension and sustaining aid4 ,their youngest daughter1 ,josephine1 who shared the idealism of the family1 opened a free school for the ,indians4 ,mr4 ,meeker encountered peculiar difficulties over a period of several months1 during which he appealed1 unsuccessfully1 for government aid and protection4 ,general ,william ,t4 ,sherman1 in his report 7#ahgi7 to the ,secretary of ,war1 alludes to these troubles2 ,general ,pope was familiar with the situation1 and ,major ,thornburg1 at ,fort ,steele1 held himself ready to send protection to ,mr4 ,meeker at a day's notice2 but the government failed to give that notice4 ,the tragedy came swiftly and suddenly1 like the fates in a ,greek drama1 and on ,september #bi1 #ahgi1 ,mr4 ,meeker was brutally massacred1 his wife and daughter were taken into captivity1 where1 for twenty-three days1 until rescued by ,general ,adams1 they endured unspeakable sufferings1 and the agency buildings and their contents were burned4 ,to the awful spectacle of her husband's mutilated body1 his wife--a woman of gentle birth and breeding--was led by the ,indians1 in their savage cruelty1 to thus first learn of the tragedy4 ,through her agony of tears she pleaded to be allowed to stop and kiss the cold lips of him whose faithful1 tender companion and wife she had been for thirty-five years4 ,this last sacred consolation was denied her4 ,with diabolical glee they reviled her tears and her prayers4 ,her daughter ,josephine1 a girl of twenty1 with the ,evangeline type of face1 was torn from her arms and hurried away into a deep1 lonely canyon1 which is now called ,josephine ,valley4 ,mrs4 ,meeker herself was shot in her hip and left lame for life4 ,she was thrust on a horse without even a saddle and carried off into the lonely mountains in this terrible captivity4 ,yet so sublime is the character of ,mrs4 ,meeker in her deep religious feeling that in this moment of supreme desolation1--her husband's murdered body left alone on the ground2 her daughter snatched from her arms2 her home in smoking ruins behind her1--so remarkable is her character in its religious exaltation1 that even in this hour of supreme agony she could say1 ,though ,he slay me1 yet will ,i trust in ,him6 ,a little mountain town of some five hundred inhabitants1 named ,meeker1 for the heroic man who there met his tragic death1 now marks the site of the massacre4 ,even at this day it is forty-five miles from the nearest railroad station1 ,rifle1 on the ,denver and ,rio ,grand scenic route4 ,the little town reminds one of ,florence1 ,italy1 in the way it is surrounded by amethyst mountains1 and the ,white ,river on which it is located is far more beautiful than the turbid ,arno4 ,the name of ,nathan ,cook ,meeker is held in the greatest reverence by the people of the entire region4 ,on an ,august afternoon more than twenty years after this tragedy a visitor to ,colorado stood on the site of the massacre under a sky whose intense blue rivalled that of ,italy4 ,with the peaceful flow of the river murmuring in the air and the hum of insects in the purple-flowered alfalfa1 the tragic scene seemed to rise again and impressed its lesson1--the ethical lesson of apparent defeat1 disaster1 and death in the outer and temporal world1 while1 on the spiritual side1 it was triumph and glory and the entrance to the life more abundant4 ,the man might be massacred1--the idea for which he stood cannot die4 ,it rises from the apparent death and is resurrected in the form of new and nobler and more widely pervading ideals which communicate their inspiration to all humanity4 ,in the cemetery of ,greeley lie buried the body of ,mr4 ,meeker and of his daughter ,josephine1 whose early death followed close upon the tragedy4 ,the aged widow1 now in her eighty-ninth year1 still survives1 occupying her home in this ,colorado town4 ,mrs4 ,meeker retains all her clearness of intellect2 all her keen interest in the affairs of the day4 ,she reads her daily newspapers1 writes letters that are models of beautiful thought and exquisite feeling1 and still continues to write the verse which through life has been the natural expression of her poetic nature4 ,mrs4 ,meeker writes verses as a bird sings--with a natural gift full of spontaneous music4 ,the work of ,nathan ,cook ,meeker in all that makes for industrial and social progress and moral ideals contributed incalculable aid to ,colorado4 ,all over the state the tourist is asked1 ,have you seen ,greeley8 ,that is our ideal town4 ,during all the years of ,mr4 ,meeker's residence in ,colorado he remained a staff correspondent of the ,tribune4 ,horace ,greeley went to the ,west and visited the ,colony2 and in the fine high school building of ,greeley to-day1 there hang1 side by side1 the portraits of ,horace ,greeley and ,nathan ,cook ,meeker4 ,in this world in which we live events are not finished when they have receded into the past4 ,they persist in the texture of life4 ,they stand for certain fulfilments1 and1 like ,banquo's ghost1 they will not down until their complete significance is worked out to its final conclusion4 ,say not the struggle naught availeth4 ,it always avails4 ,it matters little as to amassing of possessions2 but it matters greatly as to the purity of a man's motives and the degree to which he keeps faith with his ideals4 ,unfalteringly1 even unto death1 did ,nathan ,cook ,meeker keep faith with those ideals that revealed themselves to him4 ,a noble work like that of ,mr4 ,meeker is like the seed sown which is not quickened except it die4 ,sown in weakness1 it is raised in power2 sown in dishonor1 it is raised in glory4 ,the three years of the ministry of ,jesus on earth ended in defeat1 disaster1 and death4 ,was his life thereby a failure8 ,who has won the triumph's evidence--,pilate or ,christ8 ,lincoln had to die that the nation might live4 ,heroism is forever being crowned with martyrdom4 ,all life is better to-day for every noble individual life that has been lived in the world4 ,nathan ,cook ,meeker was one who literally gave his life to lofty ideals1 and this hero whom the ,silver ,state holds in honor and reverence merits the recognition of the nation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,a ,remarkable ,mystic4 ,the only affections which live eternally are those of the soul--those which have struck deep into the man and made part of his inmost being4 ,the loves of the earthly mind die with it and form no part of the permanent man4444 ,to enter the heavenly sphere and to come into communion with souls a generated state is necessary4 ,there are four atmospheres surrounding us1 and only in the highest of these do we find the freed soul4 ,interior knowledge1 earnest aspiration1 and purity of thought and life1 are the keys by which alone can be opened the gates of the inmost and highest sphere4 ,the lowest is enlightened by the natural sun4 ,it is that of the present life of the body4 ,the next is enlightened by the astral or magnetic light1 and it is that of the sidereal body4 ,the next is that of the soul1 and it is enlightened by the spiritual sun4 ,and the highest is the immediate presence of ,god4 ,since the days of ,jacob ,behmen there have been no such remarkable series of mystic writings as are contained in the two volumes called ,the ,perfect ,way and ,clothed with the ,sun1 by ,doctor ,anna ,kingsford4 ,her belief and her illuminations were crystallized in the affirmation1 ,life is the elaboration of soul through the varied transformations of matter4 ,she saw the entire purpose of creation to be the evolution and elaboration of the soul4 ,very little is generally known of ,doctor ,kingsford4 ,she was descended from an old ,italian family1 one of whom had been the architect of the ,vatican1 and1 on her mother's side1 from mingled ,german and ,irish ancestry4 ,she was the daughter of ,john ,bonus1 born in ,england in #ahdf1 and she married1 in #ahfg1 ,algernon ,godfrey ,kingsford1 who subsequently took orders in the ,english ,church4 ,three years later ,mrs4 ,kingsford entered the ,catholic communion1 and some years afterward she studied medicine in ,paris and received her degree4 ,she is said to have been very beautiful1 with great talent in painting and in music1 a poet of lyric gifts1 and from her childhood she saw visions and dreamed dreams4 ,she died in #ahhh1 and is buried in ,atcham1 near ,shrewsbury1 where her husband had his parish4 ,in #ahha ,doctor ,kingsford delivered in ,london1 before drawing-room audiences1 comprising representatives of literature1 art1 fashion1 and the peerage1--audiences inclusive of the most notable people in ,london1 the nine lectures that are published under the title of ,the ,perfect ,way1 and at the time these lectures inspired a profound interest4 ,their central theme is the ,pre-existence and ,perfectibility of the soul4 ,the intuition1 she says1 is that portion of the mind whereby we are enabled to gain access to the interior and permanent region of our nature1 and there to possess ourselves of the knowledge which in the long ages of her past existence the soul has made her own4 ,for that in us which perceives and permanently remembers is the soul4 ,and all that she has once learned is at the service of those who duly cultivate relations with her4 ,and those relations1 she taught1 are cultivated by living so purely in thought and deed as to prevent the interposition of any barrier between the phenomenal 7or the outer7 and the substantial 7or the inner7 self2 and by steadfastly cultivating harmonious relations between those two1 by subordinating the whole system to the ,divine will1--thus does one gain full access to the stores of knowledge in the soul4 ,doctor ,kingsford further explains3-- ,for1 placed as is the soul between the outer and the inner mediator1 between the material and the spiritual1 she looks inwards as well as outwards1 and by experience learns the nature and method of ,god2 and according to the degree of her elevation1 purity1 and desire1 sees1 reflects1 and transmits ,god4 ,it is in virtue of the soul's position between the worlds of substance and of phenomenon1 and her consequent ability to refer things to their essential ideas1 that in her1 and her alone1 resides an instrument of knowledge competent for the comprehension of truth1 even the highest1 which she only is able to behold face to face4 ,it is no hyperbole that is involved in the saying1 ',the pure in heart see ,god4' ,true1 the man cannot see ,god4 ,but the divine in man sees ,god4 ,and this occurs when1 by means of his soul's union with ,god1 the man becomes 'one with the ,father'1 and beholds ,god with the eyes of ,god4444 ,and he to whom the soul lends her ears and eyes1 may have knowledge not only of his own past history1 but of the past history of the planet1 as beheld in the pictures imprinted in the magnetic light whereof the planet's memory consists4 ,for there are actually ghosts of events1 manes of past circumstances1 shadows on the protoplasmic mirror1 which can be evoked4 ,but beyond and above the power to read the memory of himself or of the planet1 is the power to penetrate to that innermost sphere wherein the soul obtains and treasures up her knowledge of ,god4 ,this is the faculty whereby true revelation occurs4 ,and revelation1 even in this1 its highest sense1 is1 no less than reason1 a natural appanage of man1 and belongs of right to man in his highest and completest measure of development4 ,doctor ,kingsford was an evolutionist1 holding that development along evolutionary lines is a true doctrine1 but she held that this development was not of the original substance1 because that1 being infinite and eternal1 is always perfect2 and that the development lay in the manifestation of the qualities of that substance1 in the individual4 ,the highest product1 man1 she said1 is the result of the spirit working intelligently within4 ,but man attains his highest and becomes perfect only through his own voluntary co-operation with the ,spirit4 ,doctor ,kingsford regarded ,jesus as a spiritual ,ideal and an ,eternal ,verity1 and ,religion as an ever-present actuality4 ,we find her saying3-- ,for every man makes his own fate1 and nothing is truer than that character is destiny4 ,it is by their own hands that the lines of some are cast in pleasant places1 of some in vicious1 and of some in virtuous ones1 so that there is nothing arbitrary or unjust4 ,but in what manner soever a soul conducts itself in one incarnation1 by that conduct1 by that order of thought and habit1 it builds for itself its destiny in a future incarnation4 ,for the soul is enchained by these prenatal influences1 which irresistibly force it into a new nativity at the time of such conjunction of planets and signs as oblige it into certain courses and incline it strongly thereto4 ,but if the soul oppose itself to these influences and adopt some other course1--as it well may to its own real advantage1--it brings itself under a 'curse' for such period as the planets and ruling signs of that incarnation have power4 ,but though this means misfortune in a worldly sense1 it is true fortune for the soul in a spiritual sense4 ,for the soul is therein striving to atone and make restitution for the evil done in its own past2 and thus striving1 it advances towards higher and happier conditions4 ,wherefore man is1 strictly1 his own creator1 in that he makes himself and his conditions1 according to the tendencies he encourages4 ,the process of such reformation1 however1 may be a long one4 ,for tendencies encouraged for ages cannot be cured in a single lifetime1 but may require ages for their cure4 ,and herein is a reflection to make us as patient towards the faults of others as we ought to be impatient of our own faults4 ,the entire interpretation of life1 as given by ,doctor ,kingsford in these books1 is remarkable1 and is one of singular clearness in tracing the law of cause and effect4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,momentous ,question4 ,the question for man most momentous of all is whether or no he has an immortal soul2 or--to avoid the word immortal1 which belongs to the realm of infinities--whether or no his personality involves any element which can survive bodily death4 ,in this direction have always lain the gravest fears1 the farthest reaching hopes1 which could either oppress or stimulate mortal minds4444 ,the method of modern science--that process which consists in an interrogation of ,nature entirely dispassionate1 patient1 systematic 444 has never yet been applied to the all-important problem of the existence1 the powers1 the destiny of the human soul4 ,the ,rev4 ,doctor ,alexander ,whyte of ,edinborough1 one of the few greatest and most celebrated preachers in ,europe1 said1 in a sermon recently delivered in ,london1 that the spiritual1 like the physical life1 required constant sustenance4 ,doctor ,whyte dwelt with marked emphasis on the important truth that no one who does not give at least one hour of the day to the concentration of thought on the higher purposes of life1 and devote himself1 essentially and especially1 to aspiration and prayer1 can live aright1 and live up to his higher possibilities4 ,doctor ,whyte especially recommended the last hour before sleep as the best season for this uplift of the soul to its native atmosphere4 ,it is not necessary1 he said1 that one should be kneeling1 in the attitude of prayer1 all the time4 ,walk about4 ,go out and look at the stars4 ,read1 if you prefer1 some ennobling book4 ,but1 in whatever form thought and meditation may take1 keep the key held to the divinest melody of life4 ,in that way shall the spiritual life gather its rich strength and infinite energy4 ,the principle is one that every life which has given to the world noble results1 has acted upon1 consciously or unconsciously1 as may be4 ,no one can live1 in the sense of that life which is alone worth the living1 without definite and constant periods of seeking that refreshment which is found in communion with ,god1 and in setting one's spiritual forces in touch anew with the infinite spiritual energy4 ,poet and prophet have emphasized this truth4 ,stephen ,phillips1 in his poem of ,the ,dead ,soul1 touches it most impressively4 ,without its own sustenance from the spiritual world1 how could it survive8 ,she felt it die a little every day1 ,flutter more wildly and more feebly pray4 ,the soul is ever imploring dimly something beautiful1 and it must have this or its powers remain latent and undeveloped4 ,not in dead matter do we live1 said ,lord ,kelvin1 in his recent address before the ,british scientists1 but we live and move in the creative and directing power that science compels to be accepted as an article of faith4 ,we are forced to believe1 with absolute confidence1 in a directive power1--in an influence other than the physical1 dynamic1 and electric powers4 ,science is not antagonistic to religion1 but a help to religion1 he added2 science positively affirms creative power1 and makes every one feel a miracle in himself4 ,the soul has certainly a door into infinite beauty1 and through the portals must it fare forth to renew its activities in its own atmosphere4 ,the question as to whether the individual survives bodily death is one that the ,twentieth ,century will answer with no unmistakable reply4 ,the investigation into the very nature of man is one possible on strictly scientific lines1 whose results agree with and confirm all that ,faith has intuitively divined4 ,this investigation--pursued in many ways--is best of all pursued in keeping some hour apart1 each day1 for absolute reunion and communion with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,to lift up the heart to ,god in deepest aspiration and prayer is to come into an increasing knowledge of one's own spiritual self1 and into increasing harmony with the divine world in whose atmosphere1 alone1 we live and breathe and have our being4 ,in love and sympathy lie the daily solution of all the problems of the spiritual life4 ,these are the divine attributes1 and they are as indispensable to life to-day as they were when ,christ walked in ,galilee4 ,compassion and love are the handmaids of hope and faith and joy4 ,the heart to sympathize1 the love to aid1 lead on to the radiant atmosphere of happiness4 ,there is a deep and impressive significance in the lesson of the music-drama of ,parsifal4 ,only those of pure heart can be strong4 ,and that the ,knights in the play were saved by ,parsifal who was willing to encounter anything4 ,this alone is the diviner quality of love1--to be willing to encounter anything2--to meet pain1 disaster1 defeat1 if so it be the appointed way to serve4 ,there is a consecration in pain that purifies and refines and exalts all effort4 ,it may be the very divine sign and seal of approval when the way leads to personal sacrifice rather than to personal joy4 ,the ,magi1 it is said1 have but to follow their ,star in peace4444 ,the ,divine action marvellously adjusts all things4 ,the order of ,god sends each moment the appropriate instrument for its work1 and the soul1 enlightened by faith1 finds all things good1 desiring neither more nor less than she possesses4 ,one may tread1--not the whole round of creation1 as ,browning phrases it1 but a minor segment of it1 at least1 and come back with added and more profound conviction that happiness is a condition of the spirit2 that the soul is ceaselessly joyful2 that the incidents and accidents of the outward life cannot mar nor lessen that sense of higher peace and joy and harmony which is the atmosphere of any true spiritual life4 ,one may recognize and affirm this truth by spiritual intuition1 and he may then be led through many phases of actual tests in actual life2 he may1 for a time1 lose his hold on it and come to say that happiness is a thing that depends on so many causes outside one's own control2 that illness1 death1 loss of friends1 adverse circumstances1 failures and trials of all kinds may come into his experience1 and that one is at the mercy of all these vicissitudes4 ,can the individual be happy1 he will ask1 when all that made happiness is taken away8 ,can he be happy if he has lost all his worldly goods8 or if death has taken those nearest and dearest to him8 or if the separations of life1 far harder to bear than those of death1 have come into his experience with their almost hopeless sense of desolation8 ,and yet1 until he has learned to answer these questions with the most triumphant affirmative1 he has not learned the measure nor sounded the depth of a true and noble order of ,happiness4 ,the difference is that of being safely on board a great steamer when wind and wave are tempest-tossed1 or of being helpless in the raging waters4 ,the storm may be precisely the same2 the tempest may rage as it will1 but safe and secure in the cabin or stateroom1 the voyager does not mind its fury4 ,truly may this analogy be held in life4 ,it is possible to emerge from the winds and waves2 to enter so entirely into the sense of security in the ,divine2 to hold so absolutely the faith in the ,divine leading1 that even in the midst of trial and loss and deprivation and sorrow1 one shall come to know1 through his own experience1 that the soul is ceaselessly joyful4 ,for it is one thing to accept a truth theoretically1 to believe it intuitively1 and another to prove it through experience that shall test the quality of faith and conviction4 ,learning this supreme truth of life through outward experiences as well as though inner revelation1 is a victory of the will that may even make itself an epoch1 a landmark1 in spiritual progress4 ,one of the great discourses of ,phillips ,brooks had for its theme the lesson of not laying too much stress on the recognition of one's motives or on any return of sympathetic consideration4 ,let me not think1 said ,bishop ,brooks1 that ,i get nothing from the man who misunderstands all my attempts to serve him and who scorns me when ,i know that ,i deserve his sympathy4 ,ah6 it would be sad enough if only the men who understood us and were grateful to us when we gave ourselves to them had help to give us in return4 ,the good reformer whom you try to help in his reform1 and who turns off from you contemptuously because he distrusts you1 seeing that your ways are different from his1 does not make you happy1--he makes you unhappy2 but he makes you good1 he leads you to a truer insight1 a more profound unselfishness4 ,and so 7it is the old lesson71 not until goodness becomes the one thing that you desire1 not until you gauge all growth and gain by that1 not until then can you really know that the law has worked1 the promise has been fulfilled4 ,with what measure you gave yourself to him1 he has given himself--the heart of himself1 which is not his favor1 not his love1 but his goodness1 the real heart of himself to you4 ,for the rest you can easily wait until you both come to the better world1 where misconceptions shall have passed away and the outward forms and envelopes of things shall correspond perfectly with their inner substances forever4 ,in the last analysis one comes to realize that happiness is a condition depending solely on the relation of his soul to ,god2 that neither life1 nor death1 nor principalities1 nor powers1 nor height1 nor depth1 nor any living creature can separate him from it1 because happiness and the love of ,god are one and identical1 and it is not in the power of this world to give1 or to take away1 this sense of absolute oneness with the ,divine life that comes when man gives himself1 his soul and body1 his hopes and aspirations and ideals1 in complete consecration to the will of ,god4 ,for this alone is happiness4 ,it may not be ease nor pleasure1 but it is that ceaseless joy of the soul that may be the daily experience of every human being4 ,and to gain the deep inner conviction of this sublime truth is worth whatever it may cost of tears or trial or desolation of spirit4 ,it is the threshold of joy4 ,it is the initiation into a higher spiritual state which one may gain during his progress on earth as well as in heaven4 ,in fact1 no one is really fitted for the highest privileges and sweetness he may crave1 until he has learned to live well1 to live joyfully1 without these4 ,no one is fitted for joy until he can live well without joy4 ,it is the law and the prophets4 ,,the ,,nectar ,,of ,,the ,,hour4 ,i share the good with every flower1 ,i drink the nectar of the hour4 --,,emerson4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if we knew how to greet each moment as the manifestation of the divine will we could find in it all the heart could desire4 ,nor what indeed is more reasonable1 more perfect1 more divine1 than the will of ,god8 ,can its infinite value be increased by the paltry difference of time1 place1 or circumstance8 ,the present moment is always filled with infinite treasures2 it contains more than one is capable of receiving4 ,faith is the measure of these blessings2 in proportion to your faith will you receive4 ,by love also are they measured2 the more your heart loves the more it desires1 and the more it desires the more it receives4 ,the will of ,god is constantly before you as an unfathomable sea1 which the heart cannot exhaust2 only in proportion as the heart is expanded by faith1 confidence1 and love can it receive of its fulness4444 ,the divine will is an abyss of which the present moment is the entrance2 plunge fearlessly therein and you will find it more boundless than your desires4--,,the ,,rev4 ,j4 ,p4 ,,de ,,caussade1 in ,holy ,abandonment4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the moment we desire ,god and ,his will1 that moment we enjoy them1 and our enjoyment corresponds to the order of our desires4 ,what though the bough beneath thee break8 ,remember1 thou hast wings4 --,,victor ,,hugo4 ,to enter into the will of ,god is an initiation of such power and beauty that language falters in any effort to interpret this supreme experience4 ,it can be indicated only in the words of the poet3-- ,i share the good with every flower1 ,i drink the nectar of the hour4 ,that wonderful test of seeing every event of life from the point of view of the will of ,god simply transforms and revolutionizes the entire scale of human experience4 ,it simplifies all perplexities1 it offers the solution for all problems4 ,it illuminates the small and the apparently insignificant occurrences which1 nevertheless1 contrive to play so large and often so determining a part in our days1 as well as places in high relief the great questions that beset one in his varied round4 ,the little book from which the extract on the preceding page is taken--a ,catholic book of devotion--is one of the most illuminating in all spiritual literature4 ,it offers to one instruction and guidance in that life which alone is progress1 peace1 and joy1--and one who comes to use it daily will place it almost next to the ,bible in its practical and almost miraculous helpfulness4 ,catholic or ,protestant1--what matters it so that one who listens may hear the word8 ,it is in no wise necessary to embrace ,catholicism in order to concede that some of the most vital literature of the spiritual life is written by the priests and thinkers of that communion2 and it is good to take help wherever one can find it1--regardless of sect or creed4 ,a ,french priest1 preaching in an impassioned and sublime abandon of enthusiasm2 caught up in a rapture of the heavenly life1 poured out these wonderful words to audiences that thronged the dim shades of ,saint ,sulpice1 in ,paris4 ,his theme was the consecration of life to the divine will4 ,he called upon all humanity to recognize that this divine will is revealed1--not exclusively in the cloister or the silence1 but in the common trend of daily life4 ,the field is the world4 ,all things1 said this priest1 may further the soul's union with ,god2 all things perfect it1 save sin1 and that which is contrary to duty2 and he added3 ,when ,god thus gives ,himself to a soul1 all that is ordinary becomes extraordinary2 therefore it is that nothing appears of the great work which is going on in the soul2 the way itself is so marvellous that it needs not the embellishment of marvels which belong not to it4 ,it is a miracle1 a revelation1 a continuous enjoyment of ,god1 interrupted only by little faults2 but in itself it is characterized by the absence of anything remarkable1 while it renders marvellous all ordinary and sensible things4 ,the entire discourse was a fervent and illuminating illustration of how ,god's will reveals itself through the most common things4 ,o ,divine ,action1 ,pere ,de ,caussade exclaims1 ,i will cease to prescribe to ,thee hours or methods2 ,thou shalt be ever welcome4 ,o ,divine ,action1 ,thou seemest to have revealed to me ,thy immensity4 ,i will walk henceforth in ,thy infinity4 ,no longer will ,i seek ,thee within the narrow limits of a book1 or the life of a saint1 or a sublime thought4 ,no longer will ,i seek ,thy action alone in spiritual intercourse4 ,for since the divine life labors incessantly and by means of all things for our advancement1 ,i would draw my life from this boundless reservoir4 ,the will of ,god imparts to its every instrument an original and incomparable action4 ,we do not sufficiently regard things in the supernatural light which the divine action gives them4 ,we must always receive and worthily meet the divine action with an open heart1 full confidence and generosity3 for to those who thus receive it1 it can work no ill4 ,the divine action killeth while it quickeneth2 the more we feel death1 the firmer our faith that it will give life4 ,these words invest the truth of the constant revelation of ,god's will through ordinary events1 with a burning intensity and vividness that can hardly fail to leave a permanent impress upon the reader4 ,there is probably no thoughtful observer of the phenomena of life with whom spiritual aspiration is ever present1 who is not often honestly puzzled as to what extent the ordinary tide of events that attend him must be accepted as the will of ,god1 and to what degree he should modify these by his own power of will in selection and grouping4 ,he is engaged1 for instance1 in important work4 ,to what extent should he yield to the devastator of the day8 ,to what extent should he allow his general onward course of pursuits and interests to be deflected or changed by the unforeseen events that attend his pathway8 ,it may be accepted as a fundamental truth that good sense1 good judgment1 discretion1 poise1 are not unworthy to be ranked among the ,christian virtues4 ,jesus was eminently sane4 ,he was no fanatic4 ,he gave both by precept and example the ideal of a rational and reasonable life4 ,the individual has no right to rush off and kill himself because his dearest hope is denied or his most cherished purpose defeated4 ,nor has he any more right to commit what may be called intellectual suicide1 by relinquishing his aspirations and endeavors1 merely because things go wrong1 or because he thinks they are wrong4 ,the conditions of life are not necessarily wrong because contrary to what one might desire4 ,perhaps it is the desire itself which was wrong1 and the conditions which are right2 and which are the expression of ,god's will and are thus to be joyfully accepted4 ,the test of all circumstances and influence lies in unchanging fidelity1 in unswerving allegiance to the divine ideal of life4 ,the devastator of a day need not be welcomed to make unlimited waste of time and energy that have their due channels1 but the interruption may be met with patience and sweetness1 as well as with firmness of purpose in declining to be turned aside from the duty in hand4 ,the adverse circumstances of life1--loss of money1 of friends1 disaster in one way or another1 that may come without visible relation to any error on one's own part1--shall not such adverse conditions teach a divine lesson of patience and incite new springs of energy to overcome trial1 and to gain by it a higher spiritual vantage-ground on which to live8 ,cannot even denial and defeat be held as developing qualities that might otherwise lie latent8 ,may they not teach the divinest lesson of all1--the one most invaluable to human life1--absolute trust in ,god8 ,gaining this1 the soul really gains all that it was sent on earth to learn through all the varied phenomena of joy and sorrow1 of triumph and failure4 ,there is a common expression of one's embracing religion and turning away from the world4 ,it is a contradiction of terms4 ,the world is the place in which any real religion is tested and proved1 and it is there that the soul must recognize and receive the ,divine ,action4 ,in the marvellous sermons of ,pere ,lacordaire are found suggestions that might well serve as a daily manual on this sublime and vital truth of the relation between the will of ,god and the daily experience4 ,these sermons are among the world's treasures of help toward a higher spirituality4 ,the argument of ,pere ,de ,caussade--one equally entitled to consideration--is that ,god reveals himself to us now1 in ordinary events1 as mysteriously and as adorably and with as much reality as in the great events of history or in the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,when the will of ,god reveals itself to a soul manifesting a desire to wholly possess her1 says ,pere ,de ,caussade1 if the soul freely gives herself in return1 she experiences most powerful assistance in all difficulties2 she then tastes by experience the happiness of that coming of the ,lord1 and her enjoyment is in proportion to the degree in which she has learned to practice that self-abandonment which must bring her at all moments face to face with this ever adorable will4 ,the entire philosophy of this is that the events of life are the language in which ,god speaks to us4 ,the thought is as simple as it is impressive1 and it is yet so great as to be fairly epoch-making in its complete realization4 ,and it is more than an open question whether1 even to a large majority of the most prayerful and ardent of ,christian believers1 there is not still a new aspect of life revealed in this simple acceptance of the common details of the day1 the events of the hour1 as the divine language which is to be read and followed4 ,because there is a more or less widespread conviction that events1 circumstances1 conditions are things to be battled with1 in case they are not agreeable1 and that there is a signal virtue in overcoming them4 ,nor is this conviction without value1 too1 and a large measure of truth1 for aspiration and achievement must always be among the vital forces in creating the immediate future2 and we must create the future as well as accept the present4 ,thou speakest1 ,lord1 to all mankind by general events4 ,thou speakest to each one in particular by the events of his every moment4 ,pere ,de ,caussade proceeds to say3-- ,but instead of respecting the mystery of ,thy words and hearing ,thy voice in all the occurrences of life1 they only see therein chance1 the acts1 the caprice of men2 they find fault with everything2 they would add to1 diminish1 reform4 ,they revere the word of the ,lord1 but have they no respect for words which are not conveyed by means of ink and paper1 but by what they have to do and suffer from moment to moment1--do these words merit nothing8 ,this handwriting on the wall in the guise of the daily events is a message to be read by faith alone4 ,just here is the parting of the ways4 ,one fares forth in a certain direction1 intent on a given accomplishment1 and unforeseen circumstances arise that hinder1 annoy1 delay1 or prevent the fulfilment of the intention4 ,from one point of view1 one would say that interruptions and disasters were things to be overcome as speedily as possible1 and that the virtue lay in pressing on4 ,but the theory of life so wonderfully set forth by this great preacher teaches1 instead1 that these very obstacles1 delays and embarrassments are a signal and an important thing in and of themselves2 that they are nothing less than the divine voice2 the appointed means through which the voice of ,god speaks to us2 that each moment1 each hour1 is just as valuable during delay and enforced pause as it could be for the most strenuous action1 because1--the only important thing we have to do in this life is to bring our own will into harmony with the will of ,god2 to learn to recognize ,his leading and to love this leading4 ,nor does this interpretation of the divine purposes of life lead the least in the world to inertia and dull passivity4 ,on the contrary1 it is1 in essence1 the theory to do all one can1 ceaselessly and constantly2 but1 having done this1 then await the results in a believing trust which is peace and love of harmony4 ,the larger part of the events and circumstances that have to do with our lives are not under our personal control4 ,no man liveth to himself4 ,regarding this large part of our lives that are not under our personal control1 there is a perpetual tendency to fret1 to worry1 to impatience1 to irritation1 or to despondency1 and the consequent loss of that cheerfulness and radiant exhilaration in which one should live if he live aright4 ,could one1 then1 regard all this part of his life which he cannot change1 nor hasten1 nor delay1 nor alter in the slightest degree1 one way or the other1--could he but recognize all this as the divine language and meet it1--not only with resignation but with that joyful acceptance of perfect faith which absolutely realizes the oneness of the will between himself and ,god1--then would not life gain1 at once1 immeasurably in peace and happiness8 ,can the divine will err8 questions ,pere ,de ,caussade4 ,can anything that it sends be amiss8 ,but ,i have this to do2 ,i need such a thing2 ,i have been deprived of the necessary means2 that man thwarts me in such good works2 this illness overtakes me when ,i most need my health4 ,the answer is3 ,no2 the will of ,god is all that is absolutely necessary to you1 therefore you do not need what ,he withholds from you--you lack nothing4 ,if you could read aright these things which you call accidents1 disappointments1 misfortunes1 contradictions1 which you find unreasonable1 untimely1 you would blush with confusion1 but you do not reflect that all these things are simply the will of ,god4 ,the life of faith1 that perfect faith which is perfect peace1 consists in this ever-present recognition1 and1 tested by its results1--tested by the absolute peace and the larger energy which is liberated by the cheerful and believing rather than the sad and distrusting state of mind1--tried by all those tests of actual experience1 this attitude of perfect faith is the attitude most favorable to progress and achievement4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,a ,profound ,experience4 ,renunciation is a word that stands for a great experience1 and it is1 perhaps1 too often conceived of as relating to the material rather than to the spiritual life4 ,the question as to whether one shall give up this or that article1 or practice1 during ,lent1 for instance1 is sometimes in the air1--always with the saving clause that the renunciation is merely temporal1 and if given up for forty days in the year1 is to be fully enjoyed and revelled in on the other three hundred and twenty-five1--a clause that degrades a religious theory to a purely material plane4 ,if it is better for one's command of his higher powers not to take coffee1 for instance1 during ,lent1 then it is better not to take it for the greater proportion of the year aside from ,lent4 ,if it is better to be gentle1 tolerant1 forgiving1 and generous for forty days1 it is still better to be so for three hundred and sixty-five days4 ,there is really something absolutely absurd as well as repellent in the apparent acceptation that to live the higher1 sweeter1 fuller1 nobler life is a penitential affair1--to be endured but not enjoyed1 and limited chiefly to ,lenten periods and the special holy days of the ,christian ,church4 ,for religion is the life1 the continual life of every hour and moment1 and consists in the quality of that constant life4 ,the offices of religion1 the ceremonial forms1 are quite another matter4 ,they have their place1 and a most important one4 ,the gathering together at stated hours and periods for the devotions of religious worship is so great an aid to the ,christian life as well to be ranked indispensable to the community and the nation2 and while it is true that the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life1 yet the letter1 rightly interpreted1 is filled with the ,spirit1 and conveys it to us4 ,the cry of certain reformers 787 that society has outgrown the ,church1 has little claim to consideration1 for the ,church itself is a progressive institution1 and moves forward and enlarges itself with still larger revelations of the ,divine ,truth4 ,the great opportunities for renunciation come not in the guise of temporal and material things2 whether one shall eat or drink this thing or the other2 whether he shall forego the theatre1 or deprive himself of music1 or array himself in sackcloth and ashes1 or in purple and fine linen4 ,the real question comes in the guise of the spiritual problems4 ,one comes to know1 for instance1 of an act of his neighbor's which is really one of treachery and betrayal of trust4 ,circumstances arise in which he could put his finger upon the evidential chain revealing this lapse from integrity4 ,shall he do it8 ,perhaps in the spiritual vista three ways open to him4 ,the one would be to reveal the affair publicly2 but this is crude if not cruel1 and to touch the spring that precipitates discord and controversy is hardly less disastrous than to precipitate war4 ,discord only engenders evil1 and it never produces good results4 ,evil things must1 of course1 be resisted1 and combat inevitably results1--but discord for the sake of revealing some one's inadvertences is invariably disastrous as well as morally wrong4 ,then there is the method of seeking the person directly1 and laying before him his error1 thus giving him the opportunity of any extenuating explanation1 and protecting his reputation in the genuineness of true friendship1 from the world4 ,and this course is often the wisest as well as the noblest1 and really requires more heroism than the former one4 ,yet1 after these there is still another1 and it is absolutely the most potent1 the most successful in its results1 the most truly uplifting for all concerned4 ,has one been wronged1 or misrepresented1 or in any way injured8 ,let him commit it all1 unreservedly1 to the very immediate1 the very real1 the infinitely potent power of the divine world4 ,let him1 as his own form of personal renunciation1 absolutely forgive whatever annoyance or injury he has received1 and let him pray1 not for any vengeance against the wrong-doer1 but that the ,divine ,love and ,light would so envelop and direct the one who has erred as to enable him to free his own spirit from whatever fault he had been led into1 and to rise into such regions of spiritual life that never again would he repeat it4 ,how beautiful is the counsel given by ,whittier3-- ,my heart was heavy1 for its trust had been ,abused1 its kindness answered with foul wrong4 ,so1 turning gloomily from my fellow-men1 ,one summer ,sabbath day ,i strolled among ,the green mounds of the village burial-place2 ,where1 pondering how all human love and hate ,find one sad level1 and how1 soon or late1 ,wronged and wrong-doer1 each with meekened face1 ,and cold hands folded over a still heart1 ,pass the green threshold of our common grave1 ,whither all footsteps tend1 whence none depart1 ,awed for myself1 and pitying my race1 ,our common sorrow1 like a mighty wave1 ,swept all my pride away1 and trembling ,i forgave6 ,forgiveness1--forgiveness in love1 and in readiness to aid and to rejoice in all future success of the one who had erred1--is not this the highest renunciation of the ,christian life8 ,is it not this which is set before us in the progress of spirituality8 ,mutual forgiveness1 mutual aid1 mutual trust and sustaining1 realizing that we all err and need to be forgiven even as we need to forgive1--shall we not in these touch the blessedness of sacrifice rather than its barren husk1 and find in it that soul of happiness which should be the perpetual atmosphere of the higher life8 ,for this is the life eternal--to know ,thee1 the only true ,god1 and humanity knows ,god just in proportion to the degree in which it is able to partake of the ,divine ,spirit and translate its religious aspiration into practical guidance for the affairs of the day4 ,probably the one solution of the problem of life in all its intricacies and its perplexing and baffling experiences lies in that trust in ,god which is the soul's absolute surrender to the ,divine will4 ,even in this solution1 however1 perplexities not unfrequently lie1 from the fact that it is not always easy to separate that inevitableness which runs through human affairs from the results that we1 ourselves1 produce by our own series of choices and our habitual currents of thought4 ,a good will has nothing to fear1 says ,pere ,de ,caussade2 it can but fall under that all-powerful hand which guides and sustains it in all its wanderings4 ,it is this divine ,hand which draws it toward the goal when it has wandered therefrom1 which restores it to the path4 ,the work of the divine action is not in proportion to the capacity of a simple1 holy soul1 but to her purity of intention2 nor does it correspond to the means she adopts1 the projects she forms1 the counsel she follows4 ,the soul may err in all these1 and this not rarely happens2 but with a good will and pure intention she can never be misled4 ,when ,god sees this good disposition ,he overlooks all the rest1 and accepts as done what the soul would assuredly do if circumstances seconded her good will4 ,nevertheless1 as things go in this world1 the good will may encounter the most peculiarly trying experiences4 ,the most entire and absolute devotion of thought and interest1 of love1 friendship1 regard1--whatever may be1--pouring itself out lavishly1 asking nothing but to give of the best the soul conceives1 meets the experience of total indifference in return4 ,had it given coldness instead of ardent regard1 selfish scheming instead of infinite and vital interest and absorbing devotion1 the result could not be less devoid of response or recognition4 ,nor is this1 perhaps1 as life goes1 an exceptional experience1 though the multiplication of instances does not tend to make any single one less bitter or less tragically sad4 ,loss is common1 but that statistical truth does not make one's own losses less disastrous or less difficult to bear4 ,yet1 accepting all these experiences that are encountered as absolute facts in life1 facts from which there is no appeal1 and for which1 alas1 there is no mitigation1 what remains8 ,one may feel as if he would gladly give up the whole business of trying to live at all1 but that is not a matter that is optional with the individual4 ,one has to live out his appointed days in this phase of being1 and it is only the person of defective intellect as well as defective moral power who will not take the gift of life and make the best--not the worst--of it4 ,mr4 ,longfellow's familiar lines1 ,not enjoyment and not sorrow ,is our destined end or way2 ,but to act1 that each to-morrow ,find us further than to-day1 have often been pronounced trite1 but they contain a vital philosophy4 ,it is not enjoyment1 or the reverse1 which is the aim2 but development4 ,and the culture of the soul lies in these mingled experiences2 in the baffled efforts1 the devotion that gives itself without return or response1--it lies in the doing and the giving1 and not in the receiving4 ,nor does one fare onward uncompanioned by the friends and helpers unseen1 as well as by those in this visible world4 ',mortal1' they softly say1 ',peace to thy heart6 ,we1 too1 yes1 mortal1 ,have been as thou art1 ,hope-lifted1 doubt-depressed1 ,seeing in part2 ,tried1 troubled1 tempted1 ,sustained as thou art4' ,the spiritual faith and that courage and persistence of energy which is the fruition of faith1--and which are both results of the recognition and acceptance of the great truth so luminously revealed by ,bishop ,brooks when he says1 ,jesus never treated his life as if it were a temporary deposit of the divine life on the earth1 cut off and independent of its source2 he always treated it as if it lived by its association with the ,father's life1 on which it rested1--this faith and courage go forward to complete themselves in exhilaration1 in firmness of purpose1 and in actual achievement4 ,one finds that he not only gains the strength of that which he overcomes1 but that he gains a higher plane of life altogether1 a more exalted view and a purer atmosphere by accepting cheerfully and lovingly the discipline of denial and limitation1 and using the experience as a stepping-stone1 and not as an obstacle to his endeavors4 ,there are three ways of meeting the disappointments and denials that are--for the most part--somewhat inevitable to every human life3 one of sheer despair1 of the relinquishing of every effort1 and1 in the extreme degree of this feeling1 resorting to the apparent extinction of life by suicide2 the second1 of resignation1 that is still1 however1 a hopeless and passive and negative state1 in which the man anchors himself to some mere platitudes of submission to the ,divine ,will1 misunderstanding and misinterpreting and misapplying the great and sublime law of obedience and translating it into conditions of spiritual and mental inactivity that are only a degree less degrading than the cowardice and ignorance that rushes into suicide2 and the third1 of learning the great lesson involved in the disappointment4 ,submission to the ,divine ,will is all very well2 it is one of the sublimest of the divine laws2 but it is not fulfilled by a hopeless and inert evasion of all the duties and demands of life1--it is1 instead1 in its integrity and its deep significance1 fulfilled by the joyful acceptance of the leading1 the willing surrender that opens a still wider view and a still more vital faith in the divine wisdom4 ,another way in which denial and defeat and thwarted desires or plans can be met is one still higher and greater1 and is that path by which true spiritual advancement is made4 ,this is1 not despair and hopelessness because an apparently impassable wall arises across the pathway2 not even mere content1 and cordial or joyful submission however noble that attitude may be2 but there is a loftier state in which the denial can be met2 it is not merely an acceptance of ,god's manifest leading that is so informed with faith that it becomes ceaselessly joyful1 but it is to even discern in limitation1 in denial1 new and sublime opportunities4 ,one's dearest hopes are suddenly1 by circumstances and conditions entirely outside his control1 totally cut off4 ,what then8 ,at that moment an entire world of new possibilities opens1 and it rests with the man himself to develop these into something far greater than the scope of his former hope or expectation could reveal4 ,he can bring to bear a power of spiritual energy that shall transform the very ill-fortune itself into one transcendently beautiful and even angelic4 ,he can lift all the factors of his individual problem to the divine plane of love4 ,for love is the spiritual alchemy1--not merely the love for friends and for those near and dear to us2 not merely the love for those who are agreeable and winning and whose high qualities inspire it1--but love1 love and good will for all4 ,the command to love one's enemies is not an idle nor even an impossible one4 ,the whole law--the whole philosophy1 it may be--of life can be read in the counsel1 ,as ye have therefore opportunity1 do good unto all men4 ,do good1--do the right thing1 the kind1 the generous thing1 regardless of return 7for which one usually cares little or not at all71 or even of recognition 7for which one usually cares a great deal71 regardless of the recognition1--let the good be done4 ,let one1 finding himself suddenly confronted by disaster or defeat1 resolve3 ,all that has been1 every factor and every circumstance that has led up to this moment1 shall be for good and never for evil4 ,it shall be for good to each and all and every one involved in it4 ,even loss or sadness shall be transmuted into gain and joy on a higher than the mere earthly plane4 ,for life shall be kept open1 that the ,father's life may flow through it4 ,always may one realize the profound truth that the going down of the walls between our life and our ,lord's life1 though it consisted of the failure of our dearest theories and the disappointment of our dearest plans1--that1 too1 could be music to us if through the breach we saw the hope that henceforth our life was to be one with ,his life1 and ,his was to be ours4 ,prayer1 in its relation to ,god and the divine laws2 its practical effect upon the immediate events of life1 and its power to transform the spiritual self1 is one of the great problems of the intellectual and the scientific as well as of the religious life4 ,one day a prayer seems absolutely and undoubtedly answered1--the relation between the prayer and the fulfilment being too direct to admit of classing it under coincidence2 and again the purpose that is made a continual supplication perhaps recedes from the realm of the possible to that of the impossible1 and the more fervent the entreaty1 the more absolute and hopeless seems the denial4 ,by means of which1 it may be1 one learns a very high spiritual lesson1--that of not desiring any specific event or fulfilment1 but of praying1 instead1 to be kept in harmony with the divine laws1 to be enabled to make his life a means of aid and true service to others1 and to think as little as possible about any special conditions for himself4 ,he that loseth his life shall find it1 is the affirmation of a very deep philosophy as well as of sacred truth4 ,to entirely emancipate one's mind from thoughts of himself1 and to fill it with the inspiration and the sweetness and exhilaration of making his life a quest after every good1 and an increasing means for service to humanity1 is the only way to find it in the truest and largest sense4 ,so1 for the most part1 the highest use of prayer is not to ask for the specific gift or event4 ,in a work entitled ,esoteric ,christianity by ,annie ,besant there is a chapter on prayer in which we find ,mrs4 ,besant saying3-- ,in the invisible world there exist many kinds of ,intelligences1 which come into relationship with man1--a veritable ,jacob's ladder1 on which the ,angels of ,god ascend and descend1 and above which stands the ,lord ,himself4 ,some of these ,intelligences are mighty spiritual ,powers1 others are exceedingly limited beings1 inferior in consciousness to man4 ,this occult side of ,nature is a fact recognized by all religions4 ,all the world is filled with living things1 invisible to fleshy eyes4 ,the invisible worlds interpenetrate the visible1 the crowds of intelligent beings throng round us on every side4 ,some of these are accessible to human requests and others are amenable to the human will4 ,christianity recognizes the existence of the higher classes of ,intelligences under the general name of angels1 and teaches that they are 'ministering spirits2' but what is their ministry1 what the nature of their work1 what their relationship to human beings8--all that was part of the instruction given in the ,lesser ,mysteries1 as the actual communication with them was enjoyed in the ,greater1 but in modern days these truths have sunk into the background4 ,for the ,protestant the ministry of angels is little more than a phrase4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,law of ,prayer4 ,mrs4 ,besant notes that it seems almost impossible for the ordinary student to discover the law according to which a prayer is or is not productive4 ,and the first thing necessary in seeking to understand this law1 she says1 is to analyze prayer itself4 ,mrs4 ,besant classifies prayers as3 7#a7 those which are for definite worldly advantages2 7#b7 those which are for help in moral and intellectual difficulties1 and for spiritual growth2 and lastly1 those which consist in meditation on1 and adoration of1 the ,divine ,perfection2 and then we find her saying3-- ,in addition to all these man is himself a constant creator of invisible beings1 for the vibrations of his thoughts and desires create forms of subtle matter1 the only life of which is the thought or the desire which ensouls them2 he thus creates an army of invisible servants who range through the invisible worlds seeking to do his will4 ,yet1 again1 there are in the world human helpers1 who work there in their subtle bodies while their physical bodies are sleeping1 whose attentive ear may catch a cry for help4 ,and to crown all1 there is the ever-present1 ever-conscious life of ,god ,himself1 potent and responsive at every point of his realm1--that all-pervading1 all-embracing1 all-sustaining ,life of ,love1 in which we live and move4 ,as naught that can give pleasure or pain can touch the human body without the sensory nerves carrying the message of its impact to the brain centres1 so does every vibration in the universe1 which is ,his body1 touch the consciousness of ,god1 and draw thence responsive action4 ,nerve cells1 nerve threads1 and muscular fibres may be the agents of feeling and moving1 but it is the man who feels and acts2 so may myriads of intelligences be the agents1 but it is ,god who knows and answers4 ,nothing can be so small as not to affect that delicate omnipresent consciousness1 nothing so vast as to transcend it4 ,in the most literal sense we live and move and have our being in the realm of spiritual forces4 ,our life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,that assertion is no mere mystic phase1 but a plain and direct assertion of an absolute spiritual truth4 ,our real life1 all our significant action1 is in the invisible realm1 and the manifestation in the physical sphere is simply the results and effects of which the processes and causes are all in the ethereal world4 ,prayer1 in all its many and varied phases1 is simply activity on the spiritual side1 and because of this it is the motor of life4 ,it is the key to that intense form of energy which is the divine life1 and its highest development is reached when the soul asks only for one thing1--the one that includes all others1--that of union with ,god4 ,anxiety and misgiving1 wrote ,fenelon1 proceed solely from love of self4 ,the love of ,god accomplishes all things quietly and completely2 it is not anxious or uncertain4 ,the spirit of ,god rests continually in quietness4 ,perfect love casteth out fear4 ,it is in forgetfulness of self that we find peace4 ,happy is he who yields himself completely1 unconsciously1 and finally to ,god4 ,listen to the inward whisper of ,his ,spirit and follow it--that is enough2 but to listen one must be silent1 and to follow one must yield4 ,the quiet and perfect obedience to the divine will1 taught by ,fenelon1 has nothing in common with a mere passive and blind acceptance of events as they occur4 ,obedience to the ,heavenly ,vision is not in standing still1 but in following4 ,it finds its best expression in energy and not in inactivity4 ,the more absolutely one abandons himself to the divine will1 the more unceasingly will he fill every hour with effort toward the working out of the higher and the more ideal conditions4 ,an ideal once revealed is meant to be realized4 ,that is the sole reason for its being revealed at all1 and the way of life is to unfalteringly work toward its realization4 ,it is a curious fact that there can be no achievement of life so improbable or so impossible that it cannot be realized by the power--the absolutely invincible power--of mental fidelity4 ,let one hold his purpose in thought1 and the unseen forces thus generated are working for it day and night4 ,like one of the new inventions in electricity1 so thought--a force infinitely more potent than electricity--sets up a certain rate of vibration in the spiritual atmosphere and works as with irresistible sway4 ,the individual who is held to possess great strength of will is1 really1 simply the one capable of holding the thought1 of keeping a certain tenacity of purpose4 ,this power alone redeems one from living on shifting sands1 and being perhaps1 at last1 engulfed and swallowed up in the quicksands of his own shattered visions and ideals1 which never grew to fulfilment because of his infirmity of will and his closing his eyes to the star that had shone in his firmament4 ,the very pain and trial and multiplying obstacles that one may encounter who definitely sets his steps along a certain way1 are only helps1 not hindrances4 ,one gains the strength of that which he overcomes4 ,he transforms obstacles into stepping-stones4 ,for we live and move and have our being in an ethereal atmosphere1 which is universal1 and which unerringly registers every thought and every energy1 and transmutes these into living forces4 ,thought is creative1 and if the thought be held with sufficient intensity1 it acts upon every element that has to do with the final achievement4 ,imagination--which is simply clairvoyant vision--discerns the ideal in the dim distance1 and thought is the motive force by means of which it is achieved4 ,to be infirm of will is1 therefore1 the greatest of misfortunes1 as it inevitably produces complete failure in all the affairs of life4 ,however hopeless a certain combination of events may look1 it really is not so4 ,nothing is ever hopeless1 because nothing is final4 ,conditions are forever flowing like a river1 and may be modified and transformed at any moment4 ,failure or success is optional with the individual1 for each lies in character1 and is not a matter of possessions or external conditions4 ,to become cynical1 despondent1 indifferent1 is failure1 and one has no moral right to fall to that level4 ,associations that induce these feelings should be abandoned4 ,the happy conditions of life are to be had on the same terms4 ,the fretful1 the ill-tempered1 the selfish1 the exacting1 must1 somewhere and some way1 learn their lesson and grow toward the light2 but their influence should not be allowed to poison the spiritual atmosphere4 ,it is neither a moral duty1 nor is it even true sympathy to share the gloom and depression generated by these qualities4 ,the inward whisper of the ,spirit is the summons to a nobler plane on which all the higher powers find their expression4 ,it is a fatal mistake to enter into the dark and unreasoning moods of every unfortunately constituted person4 ,to do this habitually is to so deplete the forces of the spirit that one has nothing left4 ,let one keep his heart and mind in the currents of the ,divine ,power2 let him actively follow the vision that is revealed to him1 and he shall achieve and realize his ideals4 ,it is the law and the prophets4 ,a force as resistless as that of the attraction that holds the stars in their courses will lead him on4 ,the love of ,god accomplishes all things quietly and completely4 ,the mystic truth that lies enfolded in the words1 ,cast thyself into the will of ,god and thou shalt become as ,god1 is one of marvellous potency4 ,to achieve the state of absolute peace and reconcilement with the ,divine will is to achieve poise and power4 ,for to be thus cast into the will of ,god means no mere languid acquiescence or hopeless1 despairing acceptance2 it means no merely negative and passive state that accepts the will of ,god for lack of sufficient stamina to assert its own will4 ,but1 instead1 it means an intelligent recognition of the divine order2 it means the will to gain the higher plane of life2 it means the glad entering into a new and finer atmosphere charged with the utmost potency1 and to become so receptive to it1 so much a part of this energy as to command its expression in various forms of activity4 ,the will of ,god is1 indeed1 the atmosphere of heavenly magnetism2 it is liberation1 not captivity2 it is achievement1 not renunciation4 ,people talk about being resigned to the will of ,god2 as well might they phrase being resigned to ,paradise6 ,that has been an inconceivably false tradition that repeated the prayer1 ,thy will be done1 as if it were the most sorrowful1 instead of the most joyful1 petition4 ,there is another phase of experience into which those of a certain sensitiveness of temperament are apt to fall when encountering the loss or pain that1 in one form or another1 seems a part of the discipline of the present life2 a phase that can only be described as spiritual loneliness and desolation1 in which no effort seems possible4 ,it is an experience portrayed in the following stanzas3-- ,i see a ,spirit by thy side1 ,purple-winged and eagle-eyed1 ,looking like a heavenly guide4 ,though he seems so bright and fair1 ,ere thou trust his proffered care1 ,pause a little1 and beware6 ,if he bid thee dwell apart1 ,tending some ideal smart ,in a sick and coward heart2 ,in self-worship wrapped alone1 ,dreaming thy poor griefs are grown ,more than other men have known2 ,though his words seem true and wise1 ,soul1 ,i say to thee1 ,arise1 ,he is a ,demon in disguise6 ,it is a phase in which one feels his own peculiar sorrow as the most unendurable of all4 ,perhaps it is--but one must abandon that point of view4 ,that way madness lies4 ,his life may be desolate1 but he must not allow himself to meditate on that conviction4 ,it is moral as well as mental disaster1 and as life is a divine responsibility1 not to be evaded because things in general go wrong1 one has no right to live in less than his best expression every day and hour4 ,in darkness and desolation1 even1 one may find a spiritual exaltation4 ,such a period in life may be like that of the seed1 isolated and buried in the ground--that it may germinate and grow2 that it may spring up in leaf and flower and fruit1 and reach out to life and light with multiplied forces in the transfiguration of new power4 ,a period that seems empty and devoid of stimulus may be1 after all1 that of highest potency4 ,when nothing crystallizes into events1 all the elements are plastic to the impress of spiritual energy4 ,cast thyself into the will of ,god4 ,this is the crucible from which is distilled the alembic of power4 ,one may stamp the image of noblest achievement upon this plastic period4 ,it is the time in which to create on the spiritual side4 ,to live in poise1 and beauty1 and harmony is the finest of all the fine arts4 ,it is1 in itself1 the occupation of life4 ,i am primarily engaged to myself1 said ,emerson1 to be a public servant of the gods2 to demonstrate to all men that there is good will and intelligence at the heart of things1 and ever higher and yet higher leadings4 ,these are my engagements4 ,if there be power in good intention1 in fidelity1 and in toil1 the north wind shall be purer1 the stars in heaven shall glow with a kindlier beam1 that ,i have lived4 ,it is in the will of ,god that perfect serenity and joy shall be found4 ,in ,his will is our peace1 says ,dante4 ,the acceptance of this profound truth is the absolute key to all harmony and happiness4 ,when sorrow is felt as a dark cloud1 a crushing weight1 the energies are paralyzed2 but when one can rise above this inertia and cease questioning that which he regards as a mysterious and--in all humility--undeserved calamity2 when he can simply accept it as an expression of the divine action that is moulding the soul1 and thus leave it all in peace of spirit2 when1 forgetting the past1 he can press onward to the things that are before1--then1 indeed1 does he receive of the true ministry of pain4 ,every consecration made in the darkness is reaching out toward the light1 and in the end it must come into the light1 strong in the strength which it won in its life and struggle in the dark4 ,there is a great renewal and regeneration of life in the actual realization of ,saint ,paul's admonition as to forgetting the things that are behind to press onward to those before4 ,one should force himself1 simply by an act of will and by his rational convictions of the beauty and value of life1 to let go past experiences that chain him to sorrow1 and1 instead1 link himself in that magnetism of spiritual apprehension possible to achieve1 to the enchantment and power of the future4 ,even the most tragic sorrows lose their hold over one if he will reflect that these1 as well as his joys1 are alike expressions of the divine will4 ,seek you1 said a devout ,catholic priest1 the secret of union with ,god8 ,there is none other than to avail yourselves of all that ,he sends you4 ,you have but to accept all that ,he sends1 and let it do its work in you4444 ,no created mind or heart can teach you what this divine action will do in you2 you will learn it by successive experiences4 ,your life unceasingly flows into this incomprehensible abyss1 where we have but to love and accept as best that which the present moment brings1 with perfect confidence in this divine action which of itself can only work you good4 ,when the divine action comes in the guise of joy and happiness1 one is swift to give thanks4 ,but when it comes in the guise of pain1 shall he not also see in it the expression of ,god's will1 and accept it with that absolute confidence in the wisdom and beneficence of the divine action that is1 in itself1 peace and sweetness8 ,for it is a light affliction which is but for a moment1 and the promise is ours that it worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory4 ,and this is not merely nor mostly a religious enthusiasm2 it is the only practical working basis on which one whom experiences touch deeply can live at all4 ,without this philosophy sorrow would undermine the health and paralyze all the energy that should express itself in achievements4 ,but the secret of joy is hidden in pain4 ,for what ,god deigns to try with sorrow ,he means not to decay to-morrow2 ,but through that fiery trial last ,when earthly ties and bonds are past4 ,an experience that receives this test must hold deep significance4 ,let one accept it1--not only with patience and trust1 but triumphantly1 radiantly1 as in the exquisite realization of the divine words3 ,for ye have need of patience1 that after ye have done the will of ,god1 ye shall receive the promise4 ,and the promise is sure if the conditions have been fulfilled4 ,it is only a question of time4 ,even heaven itself is but the perfect sight of ,christ1 and why shall not this radiant vision flash upon us1 now and here in the earthly life1 and make heaven of every day8 ,it is not merely by the change called death that we enter into the spiritual world4 ,the turn of thought1 the thrill of love and sacrifice and generous outgoing1 carries one1 at any instant1 into the heavenly life4 ,it is only the qualities that find there their native atmosphere which give beauty1 depth1 and significance to this human life4 ,it is only as one lives divinely that he lives at all1--only as one recognizes the perfect sight of the ,christ that he recognizes the full scope of his responsibility and enters on his truest experiences4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,conduct and ,beauty4 ,matthew ,arnold dwells often upon our need for conduct1 our need for beauty2 and he finds the springs of the supply to be1 not in the strenuous life1 always at high pressure and extreme tension1 but in the thoughtful leisure1 in the serenity of repose1 in the devotion to poetry and art4 ,how1 he questions1 are poetry and eloquence to exercise the power of relating the modern results of natural science to man's instinct for conduct1 his instinct for beauty8 ,and here again ,i answer that ,i do not know how they will exercise it1 but that they can and will exercise it ,i am sure4 ,i do not mean that modern philosophical poets and modern philosophical moralists are to come and relate for us1 in express terms1 the results of modern scientific research to our instinct for conduct1 our instinct for beauty4 ,but ,i mean that we shall find1 as a matter of experience1 if we know the best that has been thought and uttered in the world1 we shall find that the art and poetry and eloquence of men who lived1 perhaps1 long ago1 who had the most limited natural knowledge1 who had the most erroneous conceptions about many important matters1--we shall find that this art1 and poetry1 and eloquence1 have1 in fact1 not only the power of refreshing and delighting us1 they have also the power1--such is the strength and worth1 in essentials1 of their author's criticism of life1--they have a fortifying1 and elevating1 and quickening1 and suggestive power1 capable of wonderfully helping us to relate the results of modern science to our need for conduct1 our need for beauty4 ,life has a tendency to become far too strenuous with the best one can do1 even2 and the need is not for greater pressure of intensity1 but for greater receptivity of intellectual and spiritual refreshment2 for a calmer trust and a loftier faith4 ,the joy of faith in its inspiration and emotion is wonderfully renewed from the ,divine ,word4 ,the ,lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light1 and thy ,god thy glory4 ,the gospels are full of these positive and radiant assurances that invest faith with the most absolute joy of confidence and positiveness of trust4 ,these assurances meet the eye and enter the heart with the certainty of a personal message1 directly given from ,god4 ,and it is in this realm of the higher thought1 of that culture of the soul which is the true object and aim of the temporary life on earth1 that the relief from the too strenuous pressure of affairs must be found4 ,the human soul is so constituted that it cannot live unless it breathes its native air of inspiration and joy and divineness4 ,it is stifled in the strenuous lower life1 its energies are paralyzed unless it seek renewal at the divine springs4 ,it is this strenuousness of latter-day life1 unrelieved by love and by prayer2 unrelieved by the spiritual luxury of loving service and outgoing thought2 this strenuous attitude1 intent on getting and greed and gain and personal advantage1 that1 at last1 ends in the discords and the crimes1 the despair and the suicides1 whose records fill the daily press4 ,the cure for all these ills is to be found only in the higher life of conduct and of beauty4 ,thou shalt show me the way of life3 ,thou shalt make me full of joy with ,thy countenance4 ,here1 and here alone1 is the cure1 the relief1 the leading into peace and serenity and exaltation4 ,it is not that the fierce energy of life is in excess1 but that its application is in wrong and unmeaning directions4 ,let the soul find its true refreshment and infinitely sustaining tide of energy in ,god1 and immediately old things have passed away1 and all have become new1 and life is full of exhilaration and joy4 ,every day we ought to renew our purpose1 saying to ourselves3 ,this day let us make a sound beginning1 for what we have hitherto done is naught4 ,every day is a new and definite re-entrance upon life4 ,nor is it worth while to linger too much on the mistakes1 the errors of yesterday4 ,true1 the consequences of errors and mistakes linger in life until they are worked out2 but the working out is1 after all1 only a question of time and of unfaltering persistence in the upward way1 and thus a new foundation of life is laid3 old things have passed away and all things have become new4 ,it is in the serene and joyous exaltation of life alone that one truly lives2 in that sweetness of mutual trust and generous aims and over-flowing love that radiates its joy and beauty to all with whom it comes in contact1 and which is perpetually fed and perpetually renewed by the constant communion of the soul with ,god4 ,on the ,new ,year's eve of #aijb there was a wonderful phenomenon transpiring in the stellar universe1 which continued during several weeks4 ,that night was one of the utmost beauty4 ,the air was as clear as crystal1 and the constellation of ,orion gleamed and sparkled like a colossal group of diamonds against an azure background4 ,the entire sky was a scene of unparalleled grandeur and magnificence4 ,the superb constellations of ,orion and ,ursa ,major 7familiarly known as the ,dipper7 blazed with an intense brilliancy that seemed the very incarnation and concentration of electric vitality4 ,five of the stars in ,ursa ,major were then receding from our atmosphere at the rate of twenty thousand miles a second2 the other two were approaching2 and the phenomenon of these weeks was in the changing aspect of that constellation which the astronomers hold will require some two thousand years to complete4 ,then will ,ursa ,major1 as seen from the earth1 be entirely changed4 ,such facts as these1 and the speculation they suggest1 offer to us a new basis for the contemplation of life4 ,if it require a period of two thousand years to produce the appreciable change of grouping in a constellation whose stars are moving at the rate of twenty thousand miles a second1 this fact indicates to us the infinite spaces and the unlimited time in which the universe moves onward in its appointed path4 ,with the individual life1 as with the star1--it is the direction in which it is moving that determines the results4 ,in this truth lies infinite encouragement4 ,let one set his feet in the upward way1 and keep steadfastly to his aim2 let him keep unfaltering faith with his ideals1--and his success in whatever direction he is moving1 his ultimate achievement of every aim he follows1 is assured4 ,it becomes simply a question of time when the entire aspect of his life shall be changed even as that of constellations in their appointed course4 ,it is in this manner alone that one may control his life1--not by the working of an instantaneous miracle1 but by absolute fidelity to a definite ideal of progressive change4 ,quicksand years that whirl me ,i know not whither1 ,your schemes1 politics1 fail1 lines give way1 substances mock and elude me1 ,only the theme ,i sing1 the great and strong-poss'd soul1 eludes not1 ,one's self must never give way--that is the final substance--that out of all is sure1 ,out of politics1 triumphs1 battles1 life1 what at last finally remains8 ,when shows break up what but one's self is sure8 ,the quicksand years whirl away many things4 ,schemes dissolve and vanish2 new combinations constantly arise2 every day is1 indeed1 a new beginning1 and ,every morn is the world made new4 ,but a purpose that remains unchanged amid all the shifting scenery of perpetual new environments must eventually fulfil itself4 ,the stars in their courses fight for it4 ,the celestial laws insure its final goal4 ,out of politics1 triumphs1 battles1 life1 what at last finally remains8 ,when shows break up1 what but one's self is sure8 ,one has this sure self only in proportion as he relates his life to the divine life4 ,the only permanence is to be found in the currents of divine energy1 infinite and exhaustless4 ,there are many ways of watching the ,new ,year in2 but the somewhat unique personal experience of welcoming it on that eve of #aijb1 gazing at the vast expanse of the brilliant skies through the windows of a sleeping-car1 had its claim to beauty and sacredness4 ,the rush of the train gave a sense of almost floating out into the ethereal spaces4 ,there was a detachment from earth that hardly comes even in the sacred service of the church on that mystic midnight of a ,new ,year4 ,one seemed alone with the infinite ,powers1 and a new and deeper trust in the ,giver of all ,good was inspired4 ,the beautiful lines of ,whittier came to memory3-- ,i know not what the future hath ,of marvel and surprise1 ,assured alone that life and death ,his mercy underlies4 ,thus might one remember and dream while flying on under the ,new ,year's skies1 and realize anew that any trend of thought is inevitably creating its future4 ,auto-suggestion is the most potent of forces1 and the assertion that as a man thinketh so is he1 is literally true4 ,as he thinketh1 so he shall be1 also2 and he can thus think himself into new conditions and attract to himself new forces4 ,he has the power to keep his feet set in this upward pathway1 and so sure as is the destiny of the stars and the constellations on their course through the heavenly spaces1 so sure is his own arrival at the point toward which he is moving1 and his achievement of the supreme end he holds steadfastly in view4 ,thus life will be to him no period of mere quicksand years1 but1 instead1 a series of advancing realization and beautiful states4 ,ideals may be swiftly realized by the accelerated energy of concentration and prayer1 and the secret of transformation from defeat and denial to the perfect hour of triumph and happiness lies1 for each one1 within his own keeping4 ,one's self must never give way--that is the final substance4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,the ,divine ,panorama4 ,do we not all wish that we could live our lives over again in the light of our present experience8 remarked ,rev4 ,doctor ,charles ,gordon ,ames2 but this is just what ,god lets us do4 ,here1 in a word1 was that divine panorama of the completeness of life revealed2 the part of it lived in this present phase of experience being infinitely less in its relation1 compared to the whole1 than is one day in its relation to the longest life possible on earth4 ,one day out of seventy1 eighty1 ninety years1 would not seem so much2 yet this entire period of even the longest life on earth1 in its relative proportion to the life of all the eternities1 is far less than is one day out of a lifetime in its proportional relation to ,immortality4 ,this spiritual panorama suggests its infinite energy of hope2 it reinforces courage2 it reveals in the most impressive manner the significance of living4 ,for it is the tendency which always determines the result4 ,there can hardly be a question but that distrust of conditions is a fatal element in all effort and achievement4 ,depression might1 indeed1 well take its place among the seven deadly sins that ,dante names4 ,there are serious errors whose effect is less disastrous than is that of habitual depression of spirits4 ,mental power is one's working capital1 and the degree of power depends1 absolutely1 on the quality of thought1 or1 as the phrase goes1 on the state of mind4 ,conditions determine events1 but conditions are plastic to thought4 ,on them one may stamp the impress4 ,if he persist in regarding himself as a victim to fate and his life as a sacrifice and burnt offering1 he can very soon work this conception into actuality4 ,he can--indeed he will1 and he inevitably must--become that which he continually sees himself1 in mental vision4 ,but if he will take his stand1 with poise and serenity1 on spiritual truth2 if he will amend his life according to spiritual laws2 if he will accept failure as merely a stepping-stone to ultimate success1--as the triumph's evidence1--ill fortune can establish no dominant power over his life4 ,that things have gone wrong is only1 after all1 a proof that they may go right4 ,the consequences of error or mistake warn one not to make the same error or mistake again2 and therefore the consequences1 however unpleasant or sad at the moment1 are really educative in their nature1 and their very trial or pain becomes1 if truly recognized1 a friendly and redemptive power4 ,then1 too1 time is a variable factor4 ,it is degree1 not duration1 that it means4 ,the consequences of an error may be accepted and annulled swiftly4 ,intensity of feeling will condense a year1 an eternity1 even1 into an hour4 ,and the new day1 days in which1 as ,doctor ,ames so charmingly wrote1-- --,god sets for you ,a fair clean page to write anew ,the lesson blotted hitherto1-- a new day may be a new lifetime as well as that next life beyond the change we call death4 ,how wonderfully ,emerson unfolds the magic possible to a day4 ,one of the illusions1 he says1 is that the present hour is not the critical1 decisive hour4 ,write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year4 ,no man has learned anything rightly1 until he knows that every day is ,doomsday4 ,there are days which are the carnival of the year4 ,the angels assume flesh1 and repeatedly become visible4 ,the imagination of the gods is excited1 and rushes on every side into forms4 ,yesterday not a bird peeped2 the world was barren1 peaked1 and pining3 to-day 't is inconceivably populous2 creation swarms and meliorates4 ,the speculative idea that immortality is an achievement rather than a gift is not new1 but whenever it is formulated1 as in a recent sermon by ,rev4 ,doctor ,parkhurst1 it startles many people and arouses antagonism1 so far as it is not truly understood4 ,yet it has its deepest aspects of spiritual truth1 and it is the idea constantly1 persistently1 and most impressively taught by ,saint ,paul throughout the entire gospels4 ,we are constantly besought to lay hold on the eternal life2 to press forward toward immortal things2 to be renewed in the spirit2 to put on the new man1 which after ,god is created in righteousness and true holiness2 to follow ,him1 who is the ,life1 the ,truth1 the ,way4 ,the entire teaching of the gospels is one forcible system of active and unfaltering endeavor in the growing achievement of spirituality1 which determines ,immortality4 ,it is the exact accountant--measure for measure4 ,so much spirituality1 so much immortality4 ,nor does this assertion partake in the slightest degree of the nature of a metaphysical problem1 to be comprehended only by the theologian and the philosopher4 ,it is the most simple1 clear1 and direct of propositions4 ,we all accept ,saint ,paul's assertion that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven4 ,so far as one lives only in the processes of the physical life he is not living the life of those spiritual energies which alone lay hold on immortality4 ,there is a certain degree of intelligent consciousness that is inseparable from this physical life2 an intelligence that buys and sells1 and bargains and calculates on the physical plane1 and is sufficient to produce a certain rational status of life4 ,there are not wanting individuals who never rise above this plane4 ,they may1 and often do1 acquire possessions and even power on the limited plane of the outward life2 they may even have some formal and ceremonial religious observances which they mistake for ,christianity1 but which are the framework ready and able to inspire them if filled with the spirit1 but which1 to them1 remain empty and dead4 ,the man whose body1 simply1 occupies his church pew on ,sunday1 and who on ,monday proceeds to cheat his neighbor1 is not1 we will all agree1 the man who has really entered into the true privileges offered by the ,church4 ,the sacrament of ,sunday must become the consecration of ,monday4 ,unless this be true the man has not laid hold on ,immortality4 ,so we see that this lower plane of considerable intelligence and consciousness1 related exclusively to the visible and the tangible1 must be eliminated from our conceptions of ,immortality4 ,there is nothing at all in this that can possibly survive death4 ,doctor ,john ,fiske gives a fine and comprehensive definition of that degree of achievement which is above the level of death when he says3-- ,in the highest of creatures the ,divine immanence has acquired sufficient concentration and steadiness to survive the dissolution of the flesh1 and assert an individuality untrammelled by the limitations which in the present life everywhere persistently surround it4 ,here we have the initial truth4 ,the acquirement of sufficient concentration and steadiness to survive the dissolution of the flesh1--and to assert an individuality untrammelled by the limitations of the present life1--when man has progressed so far as this1 then1 and then alone1 has he achieved immortality4 ,he has laid hold on its initial phase4 ,for immortality is infinite beyond conception4 ,it is as infinite as space1 and as the idea of ,god4 ,to have achieved enough of this concentration and steadiness--which is merely another phrase for spirituality--to survive death1 is no more achieving immortality1 in its wholeness and completeness1 than learning the alphabet is the achievement of scholarship in its infinite resources4 ,it cannot be conceived of as complete1 but1 instead1 as an endless chain of infinite possibilities1 of ever new and ever widening vistas4 ,one of the noblest men and loftiest thinkers of the day1 referring1 in a private letter1 to this sermon of ,doctor ,parkhurst that inspired such wide discussion1 thus wrote3-- ,that paragraph from ,doctor ,parkhurst expresses my idea regarding immortality4 ,there must be a master 7good7 thought or passion4 ,it is the angel with wings that wafts the soul where the man most longed to be in life1--with the purest and best4 ',as one thinks1 so he shall be1' is sound doctrine4 ,all this embodies what ,i once read of ,sappho1 who counselled her pupils to cultivate their thoughts and grow1 or they would have nothing to carry with them1 nothing to make a soul of1 nothing to survive the grave4 ,i believe that on this idea rests the scheme of life through faith in ,christ4 ,as ,he is the highest1 the ideal1 the supreme1 the soul finds rest in ,him1 and there grows into a life that death cannot annihilate4 ,in the presence of the great master passion1 with the soul thrilling with nobleness1 as when dying for another1 burned at the stake for righteousness' sake1 the spirit goes straight to ,god1 into the infinite bosom1 an angel fit for only heaven4 ,if the soul hungers and thirsts for ,god it will reach him4 ,if1 at the last moment1 a man's whole nature cries longingly in faith to ,christ1--that will save him1 waft him1 draw him into the divine abode4 ,and this explains the ,christian plan of so-called salvation4 ,faith in ,christ is the master passion1 and love the magnet that draws the soul to its own kind4 ,it may be set down as true that vice and sin have no vitality4 ,wickedness is death4 ,virtue and love of ,god are life4 ,but the question recurs just here1 ,is there absolutely no possibility of immortality for him who does not advance beyond a certain conscious and partly automatic intelligence on the physical plane8 ,does the gate of possibilities1 does the door of opportunity close with this brief mortal life8 ,to that question science as well as faith answers no4 ,the law of ,evolution is the law of eternal possibility and opportunity4 ,the spark of immortality--the divine spark1 implanted by ,god1 when he made man in ,his image1--this is eternal in its nature1 and unquestionably survives death4 ,but immortality is the result of man's co-operation with the ,divine4 ,god has implanted the spark4 ,he has placed man in an environment of discipline and of opportunity4 ,the individual may be whatever he1 himself1 decides and chooses to be4 ,not all in an hour1 or in a year2 not1 perhaps1 even in this entire lifetime2 but sometime and somewhere he who is unfaltering in his allegiance to his ideal shall realize it at last4 ,and the degree of immediateness and celerity with which he realizes it depends entirely on the degree of spiritual energy that he brings to bear on his purpose4 ,the higher the potency1 the swifter the result4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sidenote3 ,also the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,comforter4 ,science as well as ethics recognizes the reality of the unseen potencies4 ,science is1 indeed1 pointing the way4 ,the influence of the ,holy ,spirit1 exquisitely called the ,comforter1 says ,professor ,william ,james1 is a matter of actual experience1 as solid a reality as that of electro-magnetism1 and he adds3-- ,the further limits of our being plunge1 it seems to me1 into an altogether other dimension of existence from the sensible and merely understandable world4 ,name it the mystical region1 or the supernatural region1 whichever you choose4 ,so far as an ideal impulse originates in this region 7and most of them do originate in it1 for we find them possessing it in a way for which we cannot otherwise account72 we belong to it in a more intimate sense than that in which we belong to the visible world1 for we belong in the most intimate sense wherever our ideals belong4 ,yet the unseen region in question is not merely ideal1 for it produces effects in the world4 ,when we commune with it1 work is absolutely done upon our finite personality1 for we are turned into new men1 and consequences in the way of conduct follow in the natural world upon our regenerative change4 ,but that which produces effects in another reality must be termed a reality itself1 so ,i feel as if we had no philosophic excuse for calling the unseen or mystical world unreal4 ,not unreal4 ,on the contrary1 the unseen is the realm of that which is alone real and abiding4 ,the positiveness of the divine life is a quality that has too little recognition from the world of philosophy and speculation4 ,it is an infinite reservoir of infinite energy1 from which may be drawn at any moment1 peace1 courage1 and power4 ,man can learn to transcend the limitations of finite thought at will4 ,the ,divine ,presence is known through experience4 ,the turning to a higher plane is a distinct act of consciousness4 ,it is not a vague twilight1 or semi-conscious experience4 ,it is not an ecstasy4 ,it is not a trance4 ,it is not super-consciousness in the ,vedantic sense4 ,it is not due to self-hypnotization4 ,it is a perfectly calm1 sane1 sound1 rational1 common-sense shifting of consciousness from the phenomena of sense perception to the phenomena of seer-ship1 from the thought of self to a distinctively higher realm4 ,for example1 if the lower self be nervous1 anxious1 tense1 one can in a few moments compel it to be calm4 ,this is not done by a word simply4 ,nor is it done by hypnotism4 ,it is by the exercise of power4 ,one feels the spirit of peace as definitely as heat is perceived on a hot summer day4 ,the power can be as surely used as the sun's rays can be focussed and made to do work1 to set fire to wood4 ,in these words there is very clearly set forth a certain spiritual achievement of a definite nature4 ,it is simply the act of liberating the spiritual self from entanglement with the lower self1--the summoning into ascendency of the higher powers4 ,this intense degree of spiritual energy may be achieved with the force and suddenness of a special creation4 ,the physical universe in which man finds himself is not only surrounded by the spiritual universe1 but the two are so absolutely interpenetrated that he may live in both1 and1 as a matter of fact1 whoever lives the life of the spirit does live now and here1 as an inhabitant of both these realms4 ,the spiritual universe is the reservoir of energy4 ,the things that are seen are temporal1 but those that are unseen are eternal1 and faith1 as the substance of those things not seen1 is a definite potency which is practically related to daily affairs4 ,that is to say1 it is an absolute power1 by means of which one can fulfil the practical duties of every day4 ,the degree of one's ability to draw from this energy and assimilate it into his life measures his degree of success4 ,doctor ,ostwald1 a ,german scientist1 claims that in energy he has discovered the actual bridge1 the missing link1 between mind and matter1 between the spiritual and the physical worlds2 that it is a bridge which covers the chasm between force and substance1 and which is of a nature sufficiently manifest to embrace the totality of our experiences1 the interior as well as the exterior4 ,doctor ,ostwald claims that there is an immaterial factor1 one endowed with neither weight nor mass1 which in a quantitative way is just as unchangeable as the mass and weight of material substances1 and which1 exactly like these1 can undergo qualitative transformations of all kinds4 ,he holds that energy may be converted from every one of its forms into every other1 and its power of transformation is therefore unlimited1 and that every change which takes place in the outer world1 and every process1 may be described by a statement of the kind and amount of energy that has undergone conversion4 ,this conception of energy is a very clear and remarkable one1 placing it as the infinite power from which any form of force1 spiritual or mechanical1 can be derived4 ,in the moral universe the true expression of this energy upon which one may draw infinitely lies in service4 ,it is in so enlarging the personal sphere of life as to include the widest possible range of sympathy and comprehension4 ,the mystic spirit is full of value in reaching out into the realm of spiritual forces1 but when these forces are gained they must be applied4 ,the old religious idea used to include a great deal of discussion about saving the soul2 but the larger spiritual enlightenment of to-day sees that the phrase saving the soul implies a present condition1--the state of love1 sympathy1 service1 by which the soul is saved to-day1 and not a vague condition to be only realized in some remote eternity4 ,now is the day of salvation4 ,the success of life lies not in possessions2 it lies in keeping the harmonious and perfectly receptive relation with the spiritual realm of forces1 and using these forces in every duty and need and opportunity that presents itself4 ,as for always compassing desires1 or achieving the possession of this thing or that1 is in reality immaterial4 ,the best things in life are often the things one does not have2 but they produce effects in the visible world1 and often1 just in proportion as the things themselves remain in the ethereal realm1 is the potency of the effects they produce in the physical realm4 ,this other dimension of existence is one with which the final reckoning must be made4 ,it is no longer length of days1 but intensity of energy1 that determines results4 ,not length of time1 but intensity of purpose1 energy of action1--in these lie the secret of achievement4 ,the power that lies in brief moments is the power required for effective life and work4 ,emerson truly says that we talk of the shortness of life1 but that life is unnecessarily long4 ,degree and not duration is the test of power in any work1 and the application of this truth to the ordinary affairs of life would render it possible to have every day hold in itself the value of a week or a month as usually estimated4 ,the entire trend of progress is toward that intensity of creative energy that fairly speaks things into being4 ,a business man has now on his desk a long-distance telephone1 connecting him with far-away cities2 he answers his letters by speaking into the phonograph2 his typewriting clerk copies them from this1 and an hour of his morning represents as much accomplishment as by the old and slower methods would have required days2 and thus time is constantly made more valuable4 ,the discoveries in nature are in a perfect correspondence with the advancing requirements of human life4 ,the deeper researches of science are revealing the absolute unity of the entire universe4 ,the earth and the most remote stars are composed of the same matter4 ,the wonderful discovery of spectrum analysis by ,kirchoff and ,bunsen in #ahfa has shown that the whole stellar universe is made up of the same chemical materials as those with which we are familiar upon the earth4 ,a part of the dazzling brilliance of the noonday sun is due to the vapor of iron floating in his atmosphere1 and the faint luminosity of the remotest cloudlike nebula is the glow of just such hydrogen as enters into every drop of water that we drink4444 444 ,the generalization of the metamorphosis of forces1 which was begun a century ago by ,count ,rumford when he recognized heat as a mode of molecular motion1 was consummated about the middle of the century1 when ,doctor ,joule showed mathematically just how much heat is equivalent to just how much visible motion1 and when the researches of ,helmholtz1 ,mayer1 and ,faraday completed the grand demonstration that light and heat and magnetism and electricity and visible motion are all interchangeable one into the other1 and are continually thus interchanging from moment to moment4 ,it is not a far cry from these scientific data to the recognition that force1 in all its various forms of manifestation1 proceeds from the same energy1 and that the curious manifestation of it in radium is explained by the possibility that this substance is merely a remarkable conductor of this intense energy in the ether4 ,the human organism may make itself increasingly a conductor and transmitter of this energy1 and the secret of coming into perfectly harmonious relations with this energy is the secret of all achievement4 ,life is a search after power1 says ,emerson1 and this is an element with which the world is so saturated1--there is no chink or crevice in which it is not lodged1--that no honest seeking goes unrewarded4444 ,all power1 he adds1 is of one kind2 a sharing of the nature of the world4 ,with his characteristically marvellous insight1 ,emerson has1 in this paragraph1 recognized the truth that1 in these latter days1 is a matter of absolute scientific discovery4 ,the life that now is and that which is to come are no more definitely separable than are the periods of childhood and youth1 or youth and manhood4 ,the advance is by evolutionary progress1 with no sudden1 or visible1 change from day to day4 ,the life that now is creates and determines the life that is to come4 ,a man is what he is to-day because of the life he lived yesterday1 and last year1 and a decade1 or several decades1 ago4 ,that which we call life--environment1 circumstances1 conditions--is the sum of the expression of all its past experiences1 thought1 aspirations1 energy1 or the lack of thought1 aspirations1 and energy4 ,one's life is in his own hands2 it is subject to his own will power1 to his own energy of aspiration4 ,he must aspire and go forward or he will degenerate4 ,there is no possibility of an epoch that is stationary4 ,both in any form of work or art1 as well as in mental and spiritual life1 one must constantly go forward1 or he will find himself going backward4 ,even a pianist as great as ,paderewski must keep his fingers in practice on the keyboard every day4 ,the painter cannot long absent himself from his canvas without losing in his art4 ,the thinker1 the student1 must be forever conquering new realms4 ,science is demonstrating the actual existence of another world1 transcending1 pervading1 surrounding this one2 a world which interpenetrates our own1--the ethereal in the atmospheric1--and there is one part of the personality of man that dwells continually on this ethereal side4 ,the physical body only conveys a partial expression of the entire being4 ,the spiritual self lived long before it tenanted this present body1 and it will continue to live after it has discarded this body4 ,the life that is constantly proceeds to create the life that is to come4 ,in this ethereal world1--which interpenetrates our atmosphere and in which the higher part of man's being continually dwells1--there are stored the finer forces which humanity is now discovering and learning to use4 ,in this realm spirit speaks to spirit1 telepathically4 ,the power to thus communicate is an attribute of the spirit1 and1 whether in or out of the body1 does not seem to affect the power4 ,in this ethereal realm are the currents that make possible wireless telegraphy4 ,the grouping and combination of these finer and more intense potencies result in great inventions4 ,this realm is1 in short1 the miracle world2 but a miracle is not something outside the laws of nature4 ,indeed1 as ,phillips ,brooks truly said1 ,a miracle is an essential part of the plan of ,god4 ,it is simply an occurrence under the higher laws1 and on a higher plane4 ,the great truths of spiritual life are pouring themselves out to this age with larger revelations of ,god4 ,they teach the deepening necessity for constant love1 for larger service1 for a more complete consecration to the ,divine life that may contribute more and more of usefulness to the human life4 ,to achieve that closer walk with ,god that alone gives power1 one must constantly seek larger fields of effort and endeavor1 and bring himself face to face with great problems4 ,to live the higher life1 the life of the spirit1 is not to seek cloistered seclusion1 but to enter into all the great opportunities1 the difficulties1 the privileges1 or the penalties1 that attend every real endeavor4 ,in this1 alone1 does one find the life more abundant4 ,in this1 alone1 lies the secret of making noble the life that now is and glorifying that which is to come4 ,the profound significance1 and the illumination brought to the problem of living by simply giving one's self entirely1 with belief1 and love1 and joy1 to the will of ,god1 is an experience that transcends human language4 ,too often has the acceptance of ,god's will been held to be a spirit of the abandonment of despair1 or of the mere inertia that ceases from striving and from aspiration4 ,on the contrary1 it is the most intense form of action4 ,it embodies the loftiest aspiration4 ,it compels the highest degree of energy4 ,it calls into play every intellectual faculty2 it arouses and inspires4 ,it is the regeneration of the individual4 ,he does not know what life is2 he does not even begin to live1 at all1 in any sense worth the name1 until he lives and moves and has his being in the will of ,god4 ,it is1 indeed1 as ,professor ,carl ,hilty has said1 a sense of initiative and power4 ,what is the happy life8 questions ,professor ,hilty4 ,it is a life of conscious harmony with the ,divine order of the world1 a sense1 that is to say1 of ,god's companionship4444 ,the better world we enter is1 indeed1 entered by faith and not by sight2 but this faith grows more confident and more supporting1 until it is like an inward faculty of life itself4 ,to substitute for this a world of the outward senses is to find no meaning in life which can convey confidence4 ,faith in ,god1 continues ,professor ,hilty1 is a form of experience1 not a form of proof4444 ,here then1 is the first step toward the discovery of the meaning of life4 ,it is an act of will1 a moral venture1 a listening to experience4 ,no man can omit this initial step1 and no man can teach another the lesson which lies in his own experience4 ,the prophets of the ,old ,testament found an accurate expression for this act of will when they described it as a 'turning1' and they went on to assure their people of the perfect inward peace and the sense of confidence which followed this act4 ',look unto me and be ye saved1' says ,isaiah2 ',incline your ear and come unto me2 hear1 and your soul shall live4' ,from that time to this1 thousands of those who have thus changed the direction of their wills have entered into the same sense of peace2 while no man who has thus given his will to ,god has ever felt himself permanently bewildered or forsaken4 ,here1 also1 in this free act of the will is attained that sense of liberty which is described as righteousness4 ,it is a sense of initiative and power1 as though one were not wholly the subject of arbitrary grace1 but had a certain positive companionship with ,god4444 ,this step once taken both the world in which one lives and one's own personal life get a clear and intelligible meaning4 ,mrs4 ,browning has a line in ,aurora ,leigh that runs1-- ,and having tried all other ways1 to just try ,god's4 ,ignorance and blindness may try all other ways1 and they prove unavailing4 ,there is no success1 there is no happiness1 there is no progress1 until there is the clear inner recognition and the profound and loving and joyful acceptance of the ,divine will2 of coming into such perfect acceptance of it as to make one's own will identified with its harmony4 ,thus1 when ,jesus said1 ,i am the way1 the truth1 and the life1 ,he simply expressed a fact that cannot be negatived nor ignored4 ,it is an actual1 a positive law1 as impossible to evade as the law of gravitation4 ,one may refuse the way1 the truth1 and the life1 and wander in bewilderment and inaction2 but he will never be able to achieve worthy work1 or personal peace1 until he accepts and lives by this law4 ,as ,professor ,hilty so well says1 this1 alone1 gives life an intelligent meaning4 ,as one follows the way1 he gains1 first of all1 courage1 so that he dares to go on in his search4 ,he goes still further1 and the way opens into the assurance that life1 with all its mystery1 is not lived in vain4 ,he pushes on1 and the way issues into health1 not only of the soul1 but even of the body2 for bodily health is more dependent on spiritual condition than spiritual condition is on bodily health2 and modern medicine can never restore and assure health to the body if it limit its problem to physical relief alone4 ,nor is even this the end of the 'way' of ,christ4 ,here alone is positive social redemption4444 ,finally1 the way is sure to lead every life which follows it1 and is willing to pay the price for the possession of truth1 into the region of spiritual peace4 ,thus1 in the end1 out of the midst of evil1 issues at last the mastery of the good4 ,thus moral progress itself is the witness of ,god4 ,living by this faith1 life becomes strong1 serene1 and radiant4 ,the ,magi have but to follow their ,star in peace4444 ,the ,divine action marvellously adjusts all things4 ,the order of ,god sends each moment the appropriate instrument for its work2 and the soul1 enlightened by faith1 finds all things good1 desiring neither more nor less than she possesses4 ,one of the great discourses of ,phillips ,brooks had for its theme the lesson of not laying too much stress on the recognition of one's motives or on any return of sympathetic consideration4 ,let me not think1 said ,doctor ,brooks1 that ,i get nothing from the man who misunderstands all my attempts to serve him1 and who scorns me when ,i know that ,i deserve his sympathy4 ,ah6 it would be sad enough if only the men who understood us and were grateful to us when we gave ourselves to them had help to give us in return4 ,the good reformer whom you try to help in his reform1 and who turns off from you contemptuously because he distrusts you1 seeing that your ways are different from his1 he does not make you happy1--he makes you unhappy2 but he makes you good1 he leads you to a truer insight1 a more profound unselfishness4 ,and so 7it is the old lesson71 not until goodness becomes the one thing that you desire1 not until you gauge all growth and gain by that1 not until then can you really know that the law has worked1 the promise has been fulfilled4 ,with what measure you gave yourself to him1 he has given himself--the heart of himself1--which is not his favor1 not his love1 but his goodness1 the real heart of himself to you4 ,for the rest you can easily wait until you both come to the better world1 where misconceptions shall have passed away1 and the outward forms and envelopes of things shall correspond perfectly with their inner substances forever4 ,in the last analysis one comes to realize that happiness is a condition depending solely on the relation of his soul to ,god2 that neither life1 nor death1 nor principalities1 nor powers1 nor height1 nor depth1 nor any living creature can separate him from it1 because happiness and the love of ,god are one and identical1 and it is not in the power of this world to give1 or to take away1 this sense of absolute oneness with the ,divine life that comes when man gives himself1 his soul and body1 his hopes and aspirations and ideals1 in complete consecration to the will of ,god4 ,for this alone is the ,life ,radiant4 ,it may not be ease or pleasure1 but it is that ceaseless joy of the soul that may be the daily experience of every human being4 ,and to gain the deep inner conviction of this sublime truth is worth whatever it may cost of tears or trial4 ,it is the threshold of joy4 ,it is the initiation into a higher spiritual state which one may gain in his progress while on earth as well as in heaven4 ,in fact1 no one is really fitted for the highest privileges and sweetness he may crave until he has learned to live well1 to live joyfully1 without them4 ,no one is fitted for joy until he can live well without joy4 ,it is the law and the prophets4 ,one may tread1--not the whole round of creation1 as ,browning phrases it1 but a minor segment of it1 at least1 and come back with added and more profound conviction that happiness is a condition of the spirit2 that the soul is ceaselessly joyful2 that the incidents and accidents of the outward life cannot mar nor lessen that sense of higher peace and joy and harmony which is the atmosphere of any true spiritual life4 ,one may recognize and affirm this truth by spiritual intuition1 and he may then be led through many phases of actual tests in actual life2 he may for a time lose his hold on it and come to say that happiness is a thing that depends on so many causes outside one's own control2 that illness1 death1 loss of friends1 adverse circumstances1 failures and trials of all kinds1 may come into his experience1 and that one is at the mercy of all these vicissitudes4 ,can the individual be happy1 he will ask1 when all that made happiness is taken away8 ,can he be happy if he has lost all his worldly goods8 or if death has taken those nearest and dearest to him8 or if the separations of life1 far harder to bear than those of death1 have come to him8 ,and yet1 until he has learned to answer these questions with the most triumphant affirmative1 he has not learned the measure nor sounded the depth of a true and noble order of ,happiness4 ,the difference is that of being safely on board a great steamer when wind and wave are tempest-tossed1 or of being helpless in the raging waters4 ,the storm may be precisely the same2 the tempest may rage as it will1 but safe and secure in the cabin or stateroom1 the voyager does not mind its fury4 ,and truly may this analogy be held in life4 ,it is possible to emerge from the winds and waves2 to enter so entirely into the sense of security in the ,divine2 to hold so absolutely the faith in the ,divine leading1 that even in the midst of trial and loss and deprivation and sorrow1 one shall come to know1 through his own experience1 that the soul is ceaselessly joyful4 ,for it is one thing to accept a truth theoretically1 or believe it intuitively1 and another to prove it through experience that shall test the quality of faith and conviction4 ,learning this supreme truth of life through outward experiences as well as through inner revelation is a victory of the will that may even make itself an epoch1 a landmark1 in spiritual progress4 ,it is the complete recognition of that invincible aid given to the soul through the ever-present aid of the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,comforter4 ,jesus1 the ,christ1 this one perfect character1 has come into the world and lived in it2 filling all the moulds of action1 all the terms of duty1 and love1 with ,his own divine manners1 works1 and charities1 wrote ,doctor ,horace ,bushnell4 ,all the conditions of our life are raised thus by the meaning ,he has shown to be in them and the grace ,he has put upon them4 ,the world itself is changed and is no more the same that it was2 it has never been the same since ,jesus left it4 ,the air is charged with heavenly odors1 and a kind of celestial consciousness1 a sense of other worlds1 is wafted on us in its breath4 ,it were easier to untwist all the beams of light in the sky1 separating and expunging one of the colors1 than to get the character of ,jesus1 which is the real gospel1 out of the world4 ,the one deepest need of the world to-day2 the one deepest need of each individual1 is the more actual realization of the personality of ,christ4 ,the perspective of nineteen hundred years only brings more vividly before the mind1 more close to the spiritual apprehension1 the personal holiness of ,jesus1 and enforces the truth that shall redeem humanity1--the practical possibility of the increasing achievement of this personal holiness for every man and woman4 ,because ,i live ye shall live also1 ,he said4 ,but what is it to live8 ,certainly1 something far above and beyond mere existence4 ,life1 in its true sense1 is to know ,god4 ,this is the life eternal4 ,no one can know ,god save in just the degree to which he lives ,god's life1--the divine life1--and in the degree to which he is living the divine life does he live the life eternal4 ,the life eternal may be lived to-day as well as after death1 in some vague eternity4 ,the life eternal is simply the life of spiritual qualities4 ,it is the life in which truth1 honor1 integrity1 sacrifice1 patience1 and love abound1 and in which all that is selfish and false is cast out4 ,now1 however exalted a definition of the present1 daily life this may seem to be1 it is in no sense an impossible one4 ,the more exalted is one's standard for the perpetual quality of his life1 the more stimulating it becomes4 ,the exalted ideal inspires2 the low standard depresses4 ,an invincible energy sweeps instantly through the atmosphere to sustain him who allies himself with his noblest ideals4 ,a force that disintegrates and baffles sweeps down upon him who abandons his nobler ideals1 and substitutes for them the mere selfish1 the commonplace1 or the base4 ,the ,choose ye this day whom ye will serve is no merely abstract phrase or trick of rhetoric4 ,every hour is an hour of destiny4 ,every hour is an hour of choice4 ,legions of angels are in the unseen world surrounding humanity4 ,not one thought1 one aspiration1 one prayer1 is unheard and unnoted4 ,no conditions or circumstances are sordid or material unless he whom they invest make them so by sordid and material thought2 by turning away from that life of the spirit whose very reality is made and is tested by these circumstances4 ,all the conditions of life are raised1 says ,doctor ,bushnell1 in the extract quoted above1 by the meaning ,he has shown to be in them1 and the grace ,he has put upon them4 ,might not one1 with profit1 dwell for a moment upon this statement8 ,there is a current sweeping through latter-day life and reflecting itself largely in miscellaneous literature1 to the effect that what the writers are pleased to call success in life is achieved by self-reliance2 that a man must believe in himself2 and the final triumph is illustrated as that of the man who begins as an errand boy at two dollars a week and ends as a multi-millionaire4 ,between these two points in space the arc of success subtends1 according to this order of literature1 and the word is3 make a million1 or a hundred millions of dollars1--honestly if you can1 dishonestly if you must1 but1 at all events1 the point is to arrive4 ,now there is both a most demoralizing fallacy and a strong and valuable truth mixed up in these exhortations4 ,trust thyself1 said ,emerson2 every heart vibrates to that iron string4 ,i thank whatever gods there be ,for my unconquerable soul1 sings ,william ,ernest ,henley1 and he closes with the ringing lines1-- ,i am the ,captain of my fate1 ,i am the master of my soul4 ,and ,emerson and ,henley are right--so far as they go4 ,and the man who has been industrious1 and economical1 and has accumulated a fortune1 has1 at all times1 some elements that are right2 and rigid economy is far better than selfish indulgence4 ,but whether a rigid economy is always a virtue--depends4 ,there is that scattereth1 yet increaseth4 ,whether it is nobler to increase one's bank account at the expense of all the personal expansion of life1 through study1 social life1 travel1--all that makes up a choice and fine culture1 and at the expense of depriving one's self of the untold luxury of service1 as needs come in view1--is certainly an open question1 and one in which there is a good deal to say for other uses of money than that of establishing an impressive bank account2 but leaving this aspect of the problem1 one returns to that phase of it represented by self-reliance4 ,it is a great hindrance to the infinite development of man to conceive of courage and self-reliance as capacities or powers of his own rather than as fed from the divine energy4 ,a stream might as well cut itself off from its source1 and from its tributaries1 and expect to flow on1 in undiminished current to the sea1 as for man to regard courage and force of will as generated in himself4 ,thus he dwarfs and hinders all his spiritual powers that are found to lay hold upon ,god4 ,thus he stifles himself1 rather than open his windows into the pure air4 ,all the conditions of life are raised by the meaning ,jesus has shown to be in them4 ,certainly1 it was not for nothing that ,christ came into the conditions of the human life4 ,his experience on earth comprehended every privation1 every limitation1 known to the physical life4 ,not only these1--but ,he experienced every phase of sorrow1 of trial1 of mental pain1 of spiritual anguish4 ,he was misunderstood1 ,he was misrepresented1 ,he was assailed and crucified4 ,he understood the needs of the body as well as of the spirit4 ,he had no contempt nor condemnation for comfort1 prosperity1 or wealth1 in and of themselves4 ,he simply regarded them as means to an end1 and if nobly used to noble ends1 life was the better for whatever phases and factors of power it possessed4 ,but ,he taught the truth that here we have no continuing city2 that this temporary sojourn on earth is designed as a period in which to develop qualities rather than to heap up accumulations4 ,what shall it profit a man1 ,he well said1 if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul8 ,so here was a man1 living the earthly and physical life2 comprehending all the earthly and physical problems involved in relation with the physical world2 not ignoring or denying them like a mere fanatic1 but estimating them in the true scale of values1--here was a man who by his experience and example proved that personal holiness of life is not incompatible with personal attention to every detail of human affairs4 ,jesus did not isolate ,himself in a monastic cell in order to live the life of the spirit4 ,he practically taught that the very supreme test of the life of the spirit is to live it in the heart of human activities4 ,it is in the resistless tide of daily affairs1--in the office of the lawyer1 the journalist1 the physician1 the architect2 in the studio of the artist1 in the counting-room1 the bank1 the salesroom1 and the market-place1 that the life of personal holiness is possible1 and it is possible to man because ,jesus1 taking upon ,himself the human life1 so lived it in these very circumstances and under these conditions4 ,christ and ,his all-quickening life remain in the world4 ,they did not leave it with ,his physical death4 ,they remain as the incorruptible1 the glorious1 the priceless possession of every man and woman to-day4 ,to this divine example of a perfect character revealed in the guise of the human life1 each individual in the world to-day can turn1 as the most practical ideal by which to shape his own life and to ultimately realize the command1 ,be perfect1 even as your ,father in heaven is perfect4 ,if this transcendent ideal were not a possibility for the soul1 surely ,god would not have given it as an idle command2 but man1 as a spiritual being1 is designed to live the spiritual life1 and this life is that of perpetual spiritual progress and ideal achievement2 of entering into that golden atmosphere in which he shall not only --dream of summers and dream of flowers ,that last alway1 but find1 in an ever-increasing degree1 that the dream is merged into the profoundest reality of experience4 ,present suffering is not enjoyable1 said the late ,rev4 ,doctor ,maltbie ,davenport ,babcock1 but life would be worth little without it4 ,the difference between iron and steel is fire1 but steel is worth all it costs4 ,iron ore may think itself senselessly tortured in the furnace1 but when the watch-spring looks back it knows better4 ,david enjoyed pain and trouble no more than we do1 but the time came when he admitted that they had been good for him4 ,though the aspect of suffering is hard1 the prospect is hopeful4444 ,the tests of life are to make1 not break us4 ,the blow at the outward man may be the greatest blessing to the inner man4 ,if ,god1 then1 puts1 or permits1 anything hard in our lives1 be sure that the real peril1 the real trouble1 is what we shall lose if we flinch or rebel4 ,doctor ,babcock's words suggest that there is perhaps nothing in all the divine teachings that is less understood and less accepted than the assertion of ,saint ,paul1 ,we glory in tribulation also4 ,the general reader of the gospels and epistles--even the prayerful and reverent reader--relegates this expression to some abstract conditions1 as something that might do very well for ,saint ,paul and a rudimentary civilization2 as something that might be a very appropriate and decorous sentiment for ,saint ,sebastian on his gridiron1 or ,saint ,catherine keeping her vigils in the vast and gloomy old church in ,siena1 but which certainly can bear no relation and hold no message for the modern reader4 ,for the electric life of the hour1--full of color and vitality2 throbbing with achievement2 the life that craves prosperity as its truest expression1 and finds adversity a poor and mean failure quite unsuitable to a man of brilliant gifts and energy2 the life that believes in its own right of way and mistakes possessions for power1--what has it to do with tribulation except to refuse it8 ,if it comes it is met with indignant protest rather than as a phase of experience in which to glory2 it is evaded1 if possible2 and if it cannot be evaded it is received with rebellion1 with gloom1 with despondency1 and perhaps1 at last1 an enforced and hopeless endurance1 which is not1 by the way1 to be mistaken for resignation4 ,endurance is a passive condition that cannot1 and does not even try1 to help itself4 ,resignation1 in its true reading1 is wholly another matter2 it is active1 it is alive1 it is conscious and intelligent and in joyful co-operation with the will of ,god4 ,it is no poor and negative mental state2 it is rich in vitality and in hope1 as well1 for in its absolute identification of itself1 this human will with the divine will1 it enters into a kingdom of untold glory1 whose paths lead by the river of life to the noblest and most exalted heights of achievement and of undreamed-of joy4 ,if this be true of resignation1 what shall be said of tribulation1--of glorying in tribulation8 ,a man awakens to find himself in poverty instead of in wealth2 his possessions suddenly swept away2 or from health1 he1 or some one whose life is still dearer to him than his own1 prostrated with illness2 or to find himself unjustly accused or maligned1 or misunderstood1 or to encounter some other of the myriad phases of what he calls misfortune and tribulation4 ,how is he to endure it8 ,how is he to go on1 living his life1 in all this pain1 perplexity1 trial1 or annoyance1 much less to glory in this atmosphere of tribulation8 ,one is engaged1 it may be1 in a work for which it would seem that peace of mind and joy and radiance were his only working capital2 his essential resources2 and suddenly these vanish1 and his world is in ruins4 ,clouds of misapprehension envelop him round about1 and he can neither understand1 himself1 what has produced them1 nor can he1 by any entreaty or appeal1 be permitted the vantage ground of full and clear explanation4 ,and his energies are paralyzed2 the golden glory that enfolded his days investing them with a magical enchantment1 has gone1 and a leaden sky shuts him into a gloomy and leaden atmosphere4 ,it is not only himself1 but his work2 not only what he may feel1 but what1 also1 he may not accomplish4 ,and his work is of a nature that is not only his own expression1 his contribution to the sum of living1 but one which involves responsibility to others1 and some way1--well or ill1 as may be1--it must be done4 ,shall he1 can he1 glory in this paralyzing pain and torture that so mysteriously has fallen upon him1--whose causes do not1 so far as he can discern1 lie in his own conduct1 but in some impenetrable mystery of misapprehensions and misunderstandings2 a tangled labyrinth to which he is denied the clue8 ,can he1 indeed1 facing all this torture and tragedy1 with all that made the joy and light of life withdrawn1--can he encounter this form of tribulation with serene poise1 with unfaltering purpose1 with an intense and exalted faith8 ,it is not enjoyable1 indeed1 as ,doctor ,babcock1 in the quotation above1 at once concedes2 but that the experience has a meaning1--a very profound meaning1 one must believe2 and believing this1 he must feel that the responsibility rests on himself to accept this new significance that has1 in an undreamed-of way1 fallen into his life2 to read its hidden lesson2 to transmute it1 by the miracle of divine grace1 into something fairer and sweeter2 to let its scorching fire make steel of that which was only iron4 ,to accept1 to believe1 to feel this1 in every fibre of his nature1 is to glory in the tribulation4 ,it is to extract its best meaning1 and to go on in life better equipped than before4 ,the tests of life are to make and not break us4 ,here is the truer view1 and one that reveals the divine significance in all mysteries of human experience4 ,beyond all these views1 also1 is that inflorescence of joy that springs from this more complete identification of one's own will with that of the divine4 ,one comes into the full glow and beauty of that wonderful assurance of ,jesus3 ,these things have ,i spoken unto you1 that my joy might remain in you1 and that your joy might be full4 ,this fulness of joy is a condition freely offered for perfect acceptance4 ,the varied experiences are1 as ,browning has said1 just a stuff to try the soul's strength on4 ,the kingdom of heaven lies open to all2 it is at hand1 not waiting afar in some vague futurity4 ,shall we not enter to-day into this kingdom of heaven which is at hand8 ,shall we not enter to-day into the very joy of the ,lord8 ,pain and sorrow may invest the conditions of the moment1 but they are forces which are transmuting the inconsequential into the significant2 the common and trivial into the exalted and the sublime4 ,the discord is merged into sublime harmonies that thrill the air2 the glory of the ,lord shines round about1 and we enter into its illumination2 we are ascending the ,mount of ,vision and the soul looketh steadily onward1 discerning the beauty of holiness1 in whose transfiguration gleams the fairest ideal revealed to humanity1--even the ,life ,radiant4 ,,index4 ,abbott1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,lyman1 #hc1 #bbc4 ,academy of ,science1 #aj4 ,adams1 ,hon4 ,alva1 his tribute to ,nathan ,cook ,meeker1 #bdh4 ----1 ,general1 #bej4 ,africa1 #bcj4 ,albertson1 ,dr41 his invention1 #aea1 #aeb1 #aec4 ,altar of ,perpetual ,adoration1 #ai4 ,ames1 ,dr4 ,charles ,gordon1 his uplifting sermons1 #bbc1 #cbb1 #cbd4 ,andes1 the1 #abe4 ,arizona1 #bje1 #bbf4 ,armstrong1 ,gen4 ,samuel ,chapman1 #bdg4 ,arno1 the1 #bea4 ,arnold1 ,sir ,edwin1 #fe1 #fh4 ----1 ,matthew1 #aih1 #cac4 ,atlantic1 the1 #abe4 ---- cable1 #aaf4 ---- coast1 #ib4 ,aurora ,leigh1 #cde4 ,austrian1 #ace4 ,avernus1 #ea4 ,ayrton1 ,prof4 ,w4 ,e41 #abd1 #abf4 ,babcock1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,maltbie ,davenport1 his noble words1 #cei1 #cfj1 #cfc4 ,balzac1 ,honore de1 #ajc4 ,banquo1 #bec4 ,baptist belief1 #afi4 ,beethoven1 #bbh4 ,behmen1 ,jacob1 #bee4 ,besant1 ,annie1 her theories on ,prayer1 #bih1 #bii1 #cjj4 ,bible1 the1 #abf4 ,bonus1 ,john1 #bef4 ,boston1 #aej1 #bcd4 ,brewster1 ,elder1 #bda4 ,bright ,angel ,trail1 ,the1 #bcc4 ,british ,isles1 #adb4 ,brooks1 ,rt4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,phillips1 #ca1 #ec1 #fb1 #ahc1 #aib1 #bjd1 #bfg1 #bfh1 #bic1 #cdg4 ,browning1 ,elizabeth ,barrett1 #cde4 ----1 ,robert1 #bfe1 #cfd4 ,bunsen1 ,dr4 ,robert ,wilhelm1 #ccg4 ,bushnell1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,horace1 #cea4 ,cache la ,poudre1 #bdd4 ,carboniferous1 #bbi4 ,centennial ,exhibition1 the1 #bde1 #bdf4 ,chemical ,society1 #dh4 ,cheyenne1 #bdj4 ---- ,canyon1 #bbf1 #bcb1 #bcc4 ,chicago1 #ic4 ,christmas1 #bdb4 ,clothed with the ,sun1 #bee4 ,colorado ,river1 #bcj4 ----1 ,state of1 #aia1 #bcg1 #bch1 #bci1 #bdj1 #bdb1 #bdc1 #bdd1 #bde1 #bdf1 #bdg1 #bdh1 #bea1 #beb1 #bec4 ,columbia ,university ,chemical ,society1 #dh4 ,congress1 #bdf4 ,connecticut1 #bda4 ,cooper ,institute1 #bdj1 #bdc4 ,copley ,square1 #afi4 ,cosmos1 the1 #adj4 ,courier ,journal1 #bch1 #bda4 ,crookes1 ,sir ,william1 #i1 #aa4 ,crusaders1 the1 #bbf4 ,culture1 #aih4 ,curie1 ,professor1 ,radium discovered by1 #i1 #aj4 ----1 ,madame1 #i1 #aj4 ,cushing1 ,frank1 #bce4 ,daniel1 ,book of1 #afc4 ,daniel ,deronda1 #bbb4 ,dante1 #ahe1 #cji4 ,data of ,ethics1 #bjd4 ,darwin1 ,dr4 ,charles1 #hc4 ,de ,caussade1 ,pere1 #bge1 #bhj1 #bha1 #bhd1 #bij4 ,denver1 #bdj4 ,denver and ,rio ,grande ,railroad1 #bea4 ,discovery of the ,future1 #ha4 ,donald1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,e4 ,winchester1 #bbc4 ,divine ,creation1 #aga4 ---- ,love1 #bjf1 #bhh4 ---- ,perfection1 #cjj4 ---- ,pressure1 #aii1 #ccb4 ---- ,truth1 #bhf4 ---- ,word1 #cad4 ---- ,will1 #hi1 #bid4 ,echo ,cliffs1 #bcf4 ,edison1 ,thomas1 #aaf4 ,edwards1 ,jonathan1 #aga4 ,egyptian1 #hj4 ,eiffel ,tower1 #bbf4 ,electricity1 #agd4 ,eliot1 ,president ,charles ,w41 #aih4 ,elizabeth1 #bdb4 ,emerson1 ,ralph ,waldo1 #cb1 #dj1 #db1 #de1 #di1 #fa1 #gh1 #ha1 #ic1 #age1 #agg1 #aif1 #aig1 #bjb1 #bjc1 #bad1 #bag1 #bba1 #bcg1 #bda1 #bdb1 #cji1 #cbd1 #cci1 #ced1 #cee4 ,empedocles1 #gh4 ,england1 #bef4 ,episcopalian1 #afi4 ,eros1 #ade4 ,esoteric ,christianity1 #bih4 ,europe1 #acg1 #aej4 ,evangeline1 #bej4 ,evolution1 #ccj4 ,expansion of ,religion1 #bbc4 ,faraday1 ,michael1 #cch4 ,faust1 #di4 ,fenelon1 #cjb4 ,fichte1 ,johann ,gottlieb1 #fh4 ,field1 ,cyrus1 #aaf4 ,fiske1 ,dr4 ,john1 consummation of organic evolution1 #aac2 degree of achievement above the level of death1 #cbg4 ,flagstaff1 #bcd2 cosmopolitan influence of1 #bce4 ,florence1 #bea4 ,foretelling of the future1 #bd4 ,fort ,steele1 #bdi4 ,forum1 ,the1 article of ,edward ,everett ,hale in1 #gi4 ,fuller1 ,margaret1 defines social sympathies1 #bag4 ,galilee1 #bfd4 ,garden of the ,gods1 #bdb4 ,german1 #ccd4 ,giver of all ,good1 #cbj4 ,goethe1 #aih4 ,gogol1 #abf4 ,gordon1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,george ,a41 #bbc4 ,grand ,canyon of the ,colorado1 #bbf1 #bbh1 #bbi1 #bcc1 #bcf4 ,greek1 #bdi4 ,greeley1 ,horace1 presided at meeting in ,cooper ,institute1 #bdj2 invited ,nathan ,cook ,meeker to place on ,tribune1 #bda2 encouraged founding of town1 #bdc1 #bdh2 portrait of1 #bec4 ----1 town of1 founded by ,nathan ,cook ,meeker1 #bcg1 #bdj2 beautiful situation of1 #bdd2 interest of1 #bde1 #bdg4 ----1 ,tribune1 ,the1 founding of1 #bch4 ,hale1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,edward ,everett1 prediction of1 #gi1 #hj2 memory of1 #aej4 ,hall1 ,general1 writes of ,nathan ,cook ,meeker1 #bdg4 ,hamilton1 ,gail1 #db4 ,harris1 ,dr4 ,william ,torrey1 #aij4 ,harvard1 #ee1 #aih4 ,hayes1 ,hon4 ,rutherford ,b41 appoints ,nathan ,cook ,meeker ,indian ,commissioner1 #bcf1 #bdg4 ,heavenly ,vision1 #cjb4 ,helbaicy1 ,m4 ,tessier d'1 theory of1 #ace1 #acf4 ,helmholtz1 ,hermann ,ludwig1 #cch4 ,henley1 ,william ,ernest1 #cee4 ,hilty1 ,carl1 his ideas on ,happiness1 #cdc4 ,himalayas1 #bcc4 ,holland1 ,canon ,scott1 discussions of1 #afc2 arraigns modern teachings1 #afd1 #afe2 characterizes the ether1 #aff4 ,holmes1 ,dr4 ,oliver ,wendell1 counsel of1 #dg4 ,holy ,spirit1 the1 #bhj1 #cca4 ,hope of ,religion1 #bbc4 ,hugo1 ,victor1 lines of1 #bgc4 ,human ,freedom1 #ee4 ,human ,personality1 #abi1 #adh4 ,humanity1 #bba4 ,indian1 the1 #bdg4 ,indian ,commissioner1 #bch4 ,indiana1 #bje4 ,indians1 legislation for1 #bdf1 #bdh1 #bdi1 #bej4 ,isles of ,patmos1 #bbf4 ,italy1 #beg4 ,jacob's ladder1 #bih4 ,james1 ,prof4 ,william1 demonstration of1 #ee2 depicts power of the ,holy ,spirit1 #cca4 ,jesus1 #bgg4 ,joule1 ,dr41 #cch4 ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,,ii41 the1 #aej4 ,kelvin1 ,lord1 #bfc4 ,kerchsoff1 #ccg4 ,kingsford1 ,dr4 ,anna1 nee ,bonus1 remarkable mystic writings of1 #bee2 marriage of1 #bef2 theories of1 #beg1 #bei2 remarkable interpretation of life of1 #bfa4 ,lacordaire1 ,pere1 #bbi4 ,lanier1 ,sidney1 #fe4 ,latin1 #aih4 ,leadbeater1 ,c4 ,w41 #ahf4 ,leavenworth1 ,professor1 #add4 ,lent1 #bhe4 ,leverrier1 ,urbain ,john ,joseph1 #hd4 ,life ,radiant1 ,the1 #c1 #e1 #f1 #af1 #bd1 #be4 #bf1 #cg1 #cdh4 ,lincoln1 ,abraham #g1 #bed4 ,liverpool1 #aej4 ,lodge1 ,sir ,oliver1 #i2 new problems presented1 by1 #aec1 #aed1 #aee2 his theories regarding telepathy1 #aeg4 ,loeb1 ,dr41 #be4 ,london1 #hf1 #aed1 #baf4 ,longfellow1 ,henry ,wadsworth1 #bib4 ,long's ,peak1 #bdd4 ,lot1 #bjb4 ,louis ,,xv41 #adi4 ,lowell ,institute1 #bcd4 ,lowell1 ,james ,russell1 #agj4 ----1 ,john1 #bcd4 ---- ,observatory1 #bcd4 ----1 ,prof4 ,percival1 his astronomical work1 #bcd1 #bce4 ,maeterlinck1 ,maurice1 the future discussed by1 #ia1 #ic1 #id1 #if2 theories of1 #ih1 #aja2 insights of1 #aic1 #bjg4 ,magi1 the1 #bfe1 #cdf4 ,marconi1 ,guglielmo1 genius of1 #e1 #aaf2 system of1 #abe2 ship detector of1 #acd2 predictions of1 fulfilled1 #acf4 ,marie ,antoinette1 #adi4 ,mars1 #abg1 #bcd4 ,massachusetts1 diocese of1 #ed4 ----1 ,bishop of1 #ed4 ,mayer1 ,julius ,robert von1 #cch4 ,meeker1 ,arvilla ,delight1 nee ,smith 7,mrs4 ,nathan ,cook ,meeker71 #bdi1 #bej1 #beb4 ----1 ,nathan ,cook1 town of ,greeley1 ,colo41 founded by1 #bcg2 visions of1 #bch1 #bci2 outlines plans1 #bdj2 birth of1 #bda2 editorial work of1 praised by ,emerson1 #bdb2 municipal principles of1 #bdc1 #bdd1 #bde2 appointed commissioner to ,centennial ,exposition1 #bdf2 ,the ,greeley ,tribune founded by1 #bdf2 ,indian policy of1 #bdf1 #bdg2 difficulties encountered by1 #bdg2 massacre of1 #bdg2 estimation of1 #bea1 #beb2 work of1 #bec2 noble ideals of1 #bed4 ----1 ,josephine1 #bdh1 #bdi1 #bej1 #beb4 ,mesozoic age1 #bbi4 ,michael ,angelo1 #bbh4 ,mont ,pelee1 #dh1 #ej4 ,montana1 #bje4 ,morning ,star1 #bjd4 ,mount ,etna1 #gh4 ---- of ,transfiguration1 #hh4 ---- of ,vision1 #cfe4 ,moxom1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,philip1 #bbc4 ,muensterberg1 ,prof4 ,hugo1 #ee4 ,musee ,cluny1 the1 #adi1 #aej4 ,myers1 ,frederic1 ,w4 ,h4 #adj1 #adh4 ,nature1 #aga4 ,naval ,observatory1 #abg4 ,neptune1 #hd4 ,new ,england1 #bac4 ,new ,jersey1 #bdb4 ,new ,jerusalem1 #bbf4 ,new ,testament1 #adh4 ,new ,year1 the1 #bjc1 #bjd1 #cbj4 ,new ,york1 #bdj4 ,new ,york ,herald1 #dh1 #aea4 ---- ,mirror1 #bda4 ---- ,tribune1 #bch4 ,niagara1 #aec1 #bbf1 #bca4 ,nile1 #adb ,observatory1 the ,minnesota ,university1 #add4 ,ohio1 #bda4 ,orion1 #cag4 ,ostwald1 ,dr41 #ccd4 ,paderewski1 ,ignace1 #cdj4 ,paradise1 #fc4 ,paradiso1 #bbf4 ,paris1 #ie1 #adi1 #bbf1 #bge4 ,parkhurst1 ,rev4 ,dr41 #cbe1 #cbh4 ,parsival1 #bfe4 ,permian1 #bbi4 ,phillips1 ,stephen1 #ade1 #bfc4 ,pierce1 ,hon4 ,franklin1 #bda4 ,pike's ,peak1 #bch1 #bci1 #bdd4 ,pope1 ,general1 #bdi4 ,powell1 ,major ,john ,w41 #bca4 ,preece1 ,sir ,william1 #abg4 ,prentice1 ,george ,d41 #bda4 ,presbyterian1 #afi4 ,promised ,land1 #bjd4 ,protestant1 #bgd4 ,prudhomme1 ,sully1 #h4 ,psychical ,research1 #ada4 ,pueblo1 #bdh4 ,pyramids1 #adb1 #adc4 ,quackenbos1 ,dr4 ,john ,d41 #afj1 #afa1 #agb4 ,reichenbach1 ,anton ,benedict1 remarkable experiments of1 #ace4 ,roberts1 ,professor1 electrical work of1 #aec4 ,robinson1 ,solon1 #bda4 ,rocky ,mountains1 the1 #bdd4 ,roentgen ray1 #da1 #fj1 #gc4 ,royal ,gorge1 #bbf4 ---- ,institute1 #ha4 ---- ,society1 #ab4 ---- ,university of ,denmark1 #aea4 ,royce1 ,prof4 ,josiah1 #cb4 ,rumford1 ,count1 experiments of1 #cch4 ,saint ,john1 #bbf4 ---- ,paul1 the two bodies described by1 #cb2 counsel of1 #fd2 spiritual things discerned by1 #hd1 #adc1 #agh2 admonitions of1 #caj1 #cbe1 #cbf2 ,cathedral of1 #afc4 ---- ,pierre1 #dh4 ---- ,sulpice1 #bge4 ,san ,francisco1 #bcd4 ,santa ,fe road1 #bcc4 ,secretary of ,war1 the1 #bdi4 ,shakespeare1 #bja4 ,sherman1 ,gen4 ,w4 ,t41 #bdi4 ,shinumo ,altar1 #bcf4 ,silver ,state1 the1 #bed4 ,sir ,hugo1 #bbb4 ,smyth1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,newman1 #ff4 ,snowy ,range1 the1 #bch4 ,society of ,arts1 #abd4 ,solomon's ,temple1 #bbg4 ,south ,platte ,river1 #bdd4 ,southern ,cross1 #adb4 ,spencer1 ,herbert1 #bjd4 ,spirit1 whisper of the1 #cje4 ,state ,university ,observatory1 ,minnesota1 #add4 ,stowe1 ,mrs4 ,harriet1 nee ,beecher1 #bac4 ,tennyson1 ,lord ,alfred1 #hg4 ,tertiary1 #bbi4 ,tesla1 ,nicola1 #aaf2 discovery of1 #abb2 human energy discussed by1 #ahh4 ,texas1 #bje4 ,the ,gleam1 #ahb4 ,the ,inferno1 #bbf4 ,the ,country ,god ,forgot1 #bcd4 ,the ,perfect ,way1 #bee1 #bef4 ,the ,world ,beautiful1 #be4 ,thompson1 ,prof4 ,j4 ,j41 #i4 ,thornburg1 ,major1 #bdi4 ,titanic1 #bbf4 ,trinity ,church1 #ed4 ,twentieth ,century1 #aih1 #bfd4 ,union ,colony1 #bdd1 #bdg1 #bdh1 #bec4 ,unitarian1 #afi4 ,united ,states1 #db4 ,universe1 #aji4 ,unseen1 the1 #agc4 ,ursa ,major1 #cag1 #cah4 ,utah1 #bbh4 ,utes1 the1 #bdg4 ,vatican1 the1 #bef4 ,vedantic1 #ccb4 ,vedder1 ,elihu1 #agg4 ,vita ,nuova1 #ahe4 ,walnut ,canyon1 #bce4 ,warren1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,walpole1 #fj4 ,washington1 #abg1 #bdf4 ,washington ,monument1 #bbg4 ,watterson1 ,col4 ,henry1 #bda4 ,wells1 ,h4 ,g41 theories of1 on foretelling the future1 #ha1 #hc4 ,west1 the1 #bch4 ,western ,reserve1 the1 #bda4 ,westminster ,abbey1 #adb4 ,white ,mountains1 the1 #dh4 ,white ,river1 #bch1 #bdg1 #bea1 #bfa4 ,whittier1 ,john ,greenleaf1 #bhh1 #cbj4 ,whyte1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,alexander1 #bab4 ,wilberforce1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,basil1 ,archdeacon of ,westminster1 #ada1 #adb4 ,will of ,god1 #bhb1 #bhd4 ,young1 ,john ,russell1 #bdc4 ,zuni1 #bce4 99 99 99 99 99 ,lilian ,whiting's ,works ,,the ,,world ,,beautiful4 ,first ,series ,,the ,,world ,,beautiful4 ,second ,series ,,the ,,world ,,beautiful4 ,third ,series ,,after ,,her ,,death4 ,the ,story of a ,summer ,,the ,,spiritual ,,significance ,,kate ,,field3 ,a ,record ,,from ,,dreamland ,,sent4 ,verses of the ,life to ,come ,a ,,study ,,of ,,elizabeth ,,barrett ,,browning ,,the ,,world ,,beautiful ,,in ,,books ,,boston ,,days ,,the ,,life ,,radiant 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,world ,beautiful ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting ,i know of no volumes of sermons published in recent years which are so well fitted to uplift the reader1 and inspire all that is finest and best in his nature1 as are the series of essays entitled ,the ,world ,beautiful1 by ,lilian ,whiting4--,b4 ,o4 ,,flower1 in ,the ,coming ,age4 ,the ,world ,beautiful 7,first ,series7 #afmo4 ,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4be4 ,comprising3 ,,the ,,world ,,beautiful2 ,,friendship2 ,,our ,,social ,,salvation2 ,,lotus ,,eating2 ,,that ,,which ,,is ,,to ,,come4 ,the world beautiful about which she writes is no far-off event to which all things move1 but the every-day scene around us filled by a spirit which elevates and transforms it4--,,prof4 ,,louis ,j4 ,,block1 in ,the ,philosophical ,journal4 ,no one can read it without feeling himself the better and richer and happier for having done so4--,the ,independent4 ,the ,world ,beautiful 7,second ,series7 #afmo4 ,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4be4 ,comprising3 ,,the ,,world ,,beautiful2 ,,our ,,best ,,society2 ,,to ,,clasp ,,eternal ,,beauty2 ,,vibrations2 ,,the ,,unseen ,,world4 ,the style is at once graceful and lively4 ,every touch is fresh4--,zion's ,herald4 ,the ,world ,beautiful 7,third ,series7 #afmo4 ,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4be4 ,comprising3 ,,the ,,world ,,beautiful2 ,,the ,,rose ,,of ,,dawn2 ,,the ,,encircling ,,spirit-,,world2 ,,the ,,ring ,,of ,,amethyst2 ,,paradisa ,,gloria4 ,the thoughtful reader who loves spiritual themes will find these pages inspiring4--,chicago ,inter-,ocean4 99 99 99 99 99 ,after ,her ,death ,the ,story of a ,summer ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting1 author of ,the ,world ,beautiful1 etc4 #afmo4 ,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4be4 ,comprising3 ,,what ,,lacks ,,the ,,summer8 ,,from ,,inmost ,,dreamland2 ,,past ,,the ,,morning ,,star2 ,,in ,,two ,,worlds2 ,,distant ,,gates ,,of ,,eden2 ,,unto ,,my ,,heart ,,thou ,,livest ,,so2 ,,across ,,the ,,world ,i ,,speak ,,to ,,thee2 ,,the ,,deeper ,,meaning ,,of ,,the ,,hour4 ,my conviction is that every preacher1 reformer1 religious editor1 and ,christian worker should read the books by ,lilian ,whiting4--,,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,rogers1 in ,the ,christian ,standard4 ,after ,her ,death has given me the light and help ,i have so long craved2 it has given me comfort and strength which no other book has ever done4--,,cordelia ,l4 ,,commore4 99 99 99 99 99 ,from ,dreamland ,sent ,verses of the ,life to ,come ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting4 ,new ,edition1 with additional verses1 #afmo4 ,cloth1 extra1 #a4jj4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4be4 ,lilian ,whiting's verse is like a bit of sunlit landscape on a ,may morning4--,boston ,herald4 ,graceful1 tender1 and true1 appealing to what is best in the human heart4--,the ,independent4 ,i never saw anything on earth before which looked so much as if just brought from heaven by angel hands as this new edition of ,from ,dreamland ,sent4 ,in the golden sunshine of an ,italian morning ,i have heard the silver trumpets blow4 ,this exquisite book reminds me of them4--,,sarah ,,holland ,,adams4 99 99 99 99 99 ,kate ,field3 ,a ,record ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting4 ,author of ,the ,world ,beautiful1 ,a ,study of ,elizabeth ,barrett ,browning1 etc4 ,with several portraits of ,miss ,field1 including one by ,elihu ,vedder4 #abmo4 ,cloth1 extra4 #b4jj4 ,,contents ,,childhood ,,and ,,circumstance4 ,an ,interesting ,heredity2 ,family ,letters2 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,field's ,stage ,life2 ,death of ,joseph ,m4 ,field2 ,the ,mother and ,daughter4 ,,early ,,youth4 ,aspirations and ,studies2 ,interest in ,art and ,literature2 ,ardent ,devotion to ,music4 ,,florentine ,,days4 ,at ,villa ,bellosguardi2 ,enthusiasm for ,italy2 ,george ,eliot and the ,trollopes2 ,walter ,savage ,landor2 ,at ,casa ,guidi with the ,brownings4 ,,lecturing ,,and ,,writing4 ,intense ,energy of ,purpose2 ,john ,brown's ,grave2 ,ristori1 ,fechter1 and the ,drama2 ,planchette's ,diary2 ,death of ,eliza ,riddle ,field4 ,,europe ,,revisited4 ,among ,london ,celebrities2 ,in ,spain with ,castelar2 ,music and ,drama2 ,professor ,bell and the ,telephone2 ,the ,shakespeare ,memorial4 ,a ,,significant ,,decade4 ,return to ,america2 ,failures and ,renewed ,effort2 ,the ,mormon ,problem2 ,alaska and the ,golden ,gate2 ,fame and ,friends4 ,,kate ,,field',s ,,washington4 ,a ,unique ,enterprise2 ,miss ,gilder's ,friendship2 ,charming ,life in the ,capitol2 ,the ,columbian ,exposition2 ,france decorated ,kate ,field4 ,,crossing ,,the ,,bar4 ,a ,journey of ,destiny2 ,life and ,studies in ,hawaii2 ,noble and ,generous ,work2 ,the ,angel of ,death4 ,,in ,,retrospect4 ,universal ,appreciation and ,love2 ,the ,strange ,ordering of ,circumstance2 ,a ,sculptured ,cross in ,mount ,auburn2 ,death only an ,event in ,life4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,spiritual ,significance or1 ,death as an ,event in ,life ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting4 ,author of ,the ,world ,beautiful1 ,boston ,days1 etc4 #afmo4 ,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,decorated cloth1 gilt top1 #a4be4 ,comprising3 ,,the ,,spiritual ,,significance2 ,,vision ,,and ,,achievement2 ,,between ,,the ,,seen ,,and ,,the ,,unseen2 ,,psychic ,,communication2 ,,the ,,gates ,,of ,,new ,,life4 ,it suggests and hints at the ultimate significance of scientific investigation with relation to the totality of thought in a very fresh and suggestive way4444 ,the spirit of her book1 like that of its predecessors1 is admirable4--,the ,outlook4 ,a book from her pen means new flashes of insight1 a revelation of spiritual truth almost ,emersonian in kind4--,chicago ,chronicle4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,world ,beautiful in ,books ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting4 #afmo4 ,cloth1 #a4jj net4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4be net4 ,the careful and repeated reading of ,the ,world ,beautiful in ,books would be a liberal education4--,philadelphia ,telegraph4 ,it is like a ,greek urn filled with priceless relics4 ,hundreds of brains1 ancient and modern1 are daintily picked of their best thoughts1 and there is scarcely a page that is not enriched with some rifled treasure4 ,it is1 in fact1 concentrated food for select minds4--,chicago ,post4 ,to read it is like being taken informally into a great assemblage of poets1 romancers1 and thinkers1 while all are at their best1 and being introduced to them by a near friend of all4--,the ,era1 ,philadelphia4 99 99 99 99 99 ,boston ,days ,the ,city of ,beautiful ,ideals1 ,concord and ,its ,famous ,authors1 ,the ,golden ,age of ,genius1 ,dawn of the ,twentieth ,century4 ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting4 ,author of ,the ,world ,beautiful1 etc4 ,with portraits and other illustrations4 #abmo4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4ej net4 ,all the famous names associated with ,boston pass in review before the reader of this apotheosis of the intellectual life of ,massachusetts4--,the ,boston ,herald4 ,the book is full of fascination of the intrinsic sort1 by virtue of the material of which it is made up1 and ,miss ,whiting has fulfilled her task with special literary grace and discretion4--,albany ,argus4 ,a volume to place on the same shelf with the ,yesterdays ,with ,authors of the late ,james ,t4 ,fields and the ,literary ,friends and ,acquaintances of ,william ,d4 ,howells4--,cleveland ,plain ,dealer4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,life ,radiant ,by ,,lilian ,,whiting1 #afmo4 ,cloth1 #a4jj net4 ,decorated cloth1 #a4be net4 ,in this book ,miss ,whiting aims to portray a practical ideal for daily living that shall embody the sweetness and exaltation and faith that lend enchantment to life4 ,it is1 in a measure1 a logical sequence of ,the ,world ,beautiful1 leading into still diviner harmonies4 99 99 99 99 99 ,little1 ,brown1 ,company1 ,publishers #bed ,washington ,street1 ,boston1 ,mass4