,note3 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/nuggetso fnewthou#jj;atki ,transcriber's note3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,text enclosed by tilde characters is in bold face 7bold74 ,,nuggets ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,thought ,several ,things ,that ,have ,helped ,people by ,,william ,,walker ,,atkinson ,associate ,editor of ,new ,thought1 ,chicago2 ,author of ,thought ,force1 ,the ,law of the ,new ,thought1 etc4 ,published by ,the ,psychic ,research ,company1 #chce ,vincennes ,ave4 ,chicago1 ,ill41 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 #aijb ,copyright1 #aijb1 ,by the ,psychic ,research ,company1 ,chicago1 ,ill4 ,all ,rights ,reserved4 ,notice4--,this work is protected by ,copyright1 and simultaneous initial publication in ,united ,states of ,america1 ,great ,britain1 ,france1 ,germany1 ,russia and other countries4 ,all rights reserved4 ,,preface4 ,i do not like writing a preface--it seems too much like an apology4 ,i have no special apology to tender for offering this collection of ,new ,thought nuggets4 ,they may possess no literary merit1 but they have helped men and women4 ,with the exception of ,the ,secret of the ,i ,am1 these essays appeared from month to month in ,new ,thought1 of which magazine ,i am associate editor4 ,they were written hastily1 principally upon the demand of the printer for copy1 and1 for the most part1 were printed just as they were written1 there being no time for revision or polishing up4 ,you may pick up any one of them and find many sentences needing straightening out--many thoughts which could be better expressed by the change of a few words4 ,knowing these things1 ,i first thought that ,i would go over each essay and add a little here1 and take away a little there1 polishing up and burnishing as ,i went along4 ,but when ,i looked over them1 my heart failed me4 ,there they were just as they were written--just as they were dug out of my mind--and ,i hadn't the heart to change them4 ,i remembered the circumstances surrounding the writing of every one of them1 and ,i let them alone4 ,a nugget polished up would be no longer a nugget4 ,and these thoughts are nuggets--,i dug them myself4 ,i will not say much regarding the quality of the metal--that is for you--but you see them just as they came from the mine--rough1 unpolished1 mixed with the rock1 queerly shaped4 ,if you think that they contain metal of sufficiently good quality1 refine them1 melt them and fashion them into something useful or ornamental4 ,for myself1 ,i like things with the bark on--with the marks of the hammer--with the original quartz adhering to the metal4 ,but others are of different taste--they like everything to feel smooth to the touch4 ,they will not like these nuggets4 ,alas1 ,i cannot help it--,i cannot produce the beautifully finished article--,i have nothing to offer other than the crude product of the mine4 ,here they are1 polish them up yourself if you prefer them in that shape--,i will not touch them4 ,w4 ,w4 ,a4 ,chicago1 ,october #b1 #aijb4 ,,contents4 ,,the ,,keynote4 ,i ,can and ,i ,will--,the recognition--,equal to any task--,a feeling of calm confidence--,an abiding sense of power1 reserve force and security--,the ,something within--,the triple key to the door of attainment--,the vibrations of ,success #i ,,the ,,secret ,,of ,,the ,i ,,am4 ,the ,ego--,the physical plane--the mental plane--the new plane of consciousness--,the ,real ,self--,the ,i--,the ,temple of the ,living ,spirit--,development of the ,i ,am consciousness4--,the ,higher ,reason #ab ,,let ,a ,,little ,,sunshine ,,in4 ,the young people's song--,good ,new ,thought doctrine--,plenty of sunshine in life1 if you look for it--,don't make a dark dungeon of your mind--,throw open the windows of your soul--,how to let a little sunshine in #ag ,,the ,,hunger ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,the soul1 as well as the body and mind1 requires nourishment --,the want1 a promise of the fulfillment--,the law of unfoldment --,nourishment provided when it is needed--,provided for in the ,divine ,plan--,the feast of good things #ai ,,look ,,aloft4 ,the old sailor's advice--,the warning cry--,peace and content-- ,mental balance recovered--,the glory of the ,universe--,all governed by ,law--,the ,law manifests everywhere--,a reverent feeling of calm1 peaceful faith--,look aloft #bd ,,to-,,morrow4 ,the work and cares of to-day easy if we do not worry about those of ,to-morrow--,the mysterious ,to-morrow and its terrors--,the way to meet the cares of ,to-morrow--,to-morrow's opportunities will come as surely as ,to-morrow's cares--,law supreme--,no need to be afraid--,the real ,to-morrow #bf ,,in ,,the ,,depths ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,stores of information2 rich mines of knowledge2 uncut gems and precious metal awaiting the discoverer--,psychic and spiritual faculties--,strange attraction of soul to soul--,the ,rock of ,ages--,the ,voice of the ,soul #bi ,,forget ,,it4 ,why worry about the past--,hugging old sorrows to your ,bosom-- ,what to do with them--,don't ,poison your life--,pain brings experience--,learning your lesson--,how to get rid of a gloomy thought--,throw it away--,forget it #cd ,,the ,,kindergarten ,,of ,,god4 ,life a great school--,man a child learning his lesson--,preparing for higher grades--,the game-task--,what it all means--,things as they are--,the rules wise and good--,each task means something-- ,greeting the ,kindergartner #cf ,,the ,,human ,,wet ,,blanket4 ,sees no good in anything--,expects the bad and gets it--,attracts it to him--,depresses everything and everyone--,carries an aura of negative depressing thought--,clammy--,puts out the fire of energy --,take ,warning #ci ,,aim ,,straight4 ,fear attracts as well as ,desire--,learn to aim straight and aim at the right thing--,examples--,the bowler--,the bicyclist and the car--,the bicyclist and the post--,the boy and the marbles--,wisdom from the babe--,look straight2 ,think straight2 ,shoot ,straight #da ,,at ,,home4 ,don't be afraid--,you are at home--,not here by chance--,you belong here--,,you are the soul--,,you cannot be hurt--,,you cannot be banished--,,you are right in the universe1 and there is no outside--,great things are before you--,make yourself at home #df ,,the ,,solitude ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,lorado ,taft's group--,description--,each stands alone--,each is in touch with every other--,soul communion in silence--,silence is the sanctuary of the soul--,the oneness of life and its apparent separateness--,the message #dh ,,jerry ,,and ,,the ,,bear4 ,the ,law's plan of developing an individual--,folly of clinging to old worn out sheaths--,the story of ,jerry and the ,bear--,who ,jerry was--,he meets the ,bear--,the fight--,the result--,the consequences --,the change in ,jerry--,the moral #ea ,,the ,,unseen ,,hand4 ,the consciousness of the hand--,when it first was felt--,always there--,now as the hand of a father--,now as that of a mother--,a lover--,a brother--,always guiding--,always leading--,a mystery-- ,some day we will know the owner of the hand #ee ,,how ,,success ,,comes4 ,seeking success through mental powers--,holding the thought alone not sufficient--,how to get the real benefit of thought-force-- ,fall in with the workings of the ,law--,stand on your own feet-- ,one step at a time--,i ,do as well as ,i ,am #eh ,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the ,,southern ,,exposure4 ,southern exposure as good a thing in a man as in a room--,the man who faces the sun--,lives one day at a time and does the best he knows how1 and is kind--,finds ,joy and carries it to others-- ,simple1 loving1 kind--,open yourself to the sun #fj ,a ,,foreword4 ,an individualist--,wearing no ticket or label--,no one has a corner on ,truth--,enough to go around--,the ,infinite ,power back of all things--,the ,real ,self is ,spirit--,the ,law of ,attraction --,fearthought--,the ,brotherhood of ,man #fc ,,partnership4 ,next to marriage1 partnership is the most important association --,mental partnerships--,be careful whom you choose as your mental partners--,get into partnership with the best thoughts--,dissolve partnership with the other kind--,i ,can1 ,i ,will2 ,i ,do1 ,i ,dare4 #fe ,,the ,,seekers4 ,the secret of life--the riddle of existence--,sought now as ever --,the whyness of things--,attempts to answer the riddle--,the ,seekers--,fantastic creeds and queer philosophies--,revamping old ideas--,the story of the man and the stars--,the answer to be found within the soul #fi ,,mental ,,pictures4 ,i hang bright pictures in my mind--,bright pictures encourage one2 gloomy ones depress--,get rid of your old1 gloomy mental pictures--,make a bonfire of them--,get rid of the particularly miserable one1 first of all--,then put bright ones in their places #gc ,,don',t ,,retail ,,your ,,woes4 ,a miserable habit--,it grows as it is fed--,a nuisance to friends and neighbors--,it brings to you more of the same kind--,you will get what you look for--,looking for trouble brings it--,don't imagine that you are being put upon-- ,don't retail your woes #ge ,,life4 ,there is in each of us a potential ,something seeking for expression--,the ,something ,within--,the plant of life--,no use trying to repress it1 for develop it must--,life has a meaning --,growth1 development and unfoldment--,the lesson of life #gi ,,let ,,us ,,have ,,faith4 ,faith necessary in every human undertaking--,you have faith in man1 but are afraid to trust ,,god--,the ,universe if governed by ,law--,the ,law is in operation everywhere--,don't be afraid--,you are a part of the plan--,fall in with the ,law--,have faith1 have faith #hc ,,do ,,it ,,now4 ,do to-day's tasks now--,don't try to do to-morrow's work to-day1 but be sure and do the day's work ,now--,the baneful effects of procrastination--,not fair to yourself--,demoralization attendant upon putting off things--,the world looking for people who can do things ,now #hg ,,get ,,in ,,tune4 ,marconi's wireless messages--,vibrations reach only the instruments attuned to the sender--,the same law in operation on the mental plane--,the correct pitch is the thing--,get in tune with the proper vibrations--,get the messages from the best senders #hi ,,mental ,,toxin ,,and ,,anti-,,toxin4 ,a new toxin--,the microbes in the thoughts we think--,the new anti-toxin--,thoughts may poison--,fear causes paralysis--,hate causes insanity--,fear and ,hate have killed their thousands-- ,gates' experiments--,how to overcome the poison of bad-thinking #ia ,,the ,,keynote4 ,i ,can and ,i ,will--,the recognition--,equal to any task--,a feeling of calm confidence--,an abiding sense of power1 reserve force and security --,the ,something within--,the triple key to the door of attainment--,the vibrations of ,success4 ,i ,can and ,i ,will666 ,have you ever said these words to yourself with a firm conviction that you were speaking the truth--with the strong feeling that needed no other proof4 ,if so1 you then felt within you a thrill which seemed to cause every atom of your being to vibrate in harmony with some note in the grand scale of ,life1 sounded by the ,real ,self4 ,you caught a momentary glimpse of the ,inner ,light--heard a stray note of the ,song of the ,soul--were conscious for the moment of ,,yourself4 ,and in that moment of ecstasy you knew that untold power and possibilities were yours4 ,you felt that you were in touch with all ,strength1 ,power1 ,knowledge1 ,happiness and ,peace4 ,you felt that you were equal to any task--capable of executing any undertaking4 ,for the moment there was no ,fear in the world for you4 ,all the ,universe seemed to vibrate in the same key with your thought4 ,for the moment you ,,recognized ,,the ,,truth4 ,but alas1 the spirit of doubt1 distrust1 fear and unfaith called you again to ,earth--and the vision faded4 ,and yet1 the remembrance of the sight--the echo of the sound--the remnant of the new-found strength--is with you still4 ,you still find that memory to be a stimulus to great efforts--a comforting thought in times of weakness and trial4 ,you have been able to accomplish much by the aid of the lingering vibrations of the mighty thought4 ,in times of great peril--grave perplexities--life and death struggles1 a feeling of calm confidence and strength often comes to us1 and we are borne on by a power of us and in us 7and yet in everything else1 too7 that seems to lift us off our feet and sweep us on to safety--to peace--to rest4 ,we are possessed of an abiding sense of power1 reserve force and security4 ,when extraordinary conditions confront us--when our bodies seem paralyzed--our minds stupefied--our will power gone1 we are often made conscious of the existence of the ,real ,self1 and it answers our involuntary demand1 and comes to rescue with the cheering cry3 ,i ,,am ,,here6 ,many of us have made use of this inner strength without realizing it4 ,one day we were sorely distressed and made the demand1 and lo6 it was answered4 ,we knew not from whence came this new-found strength1 but we were conscious of the uplift1 and felt more confidence in ourselves4 ,the next time we confidently demanded the aid1 and again we were answered4 ,we acquired that which we call confidence and faith in ourselves1 and were carried over many a dark place and started on the road to ,success4 ,our repeated success caused us to think and speak of our luck1 and we grew to believe that we had a star1 and took chances and risks that others would not dream of4 ,we dared4 ,we made some apparent failures1 but we soon came to know them as only lessons leading to ultimate success4 ,the ,i ,can and ,i ,will feeling carried us over rough places safely1 and we got to simply know that we would get there in the end4 ,and so we went on and on1 knowing that if we advanced three steps and slipped back two1 we were still one step ahead4 ,we had confidence1 because we knew that things would come our way in the end4 ,and so long as we held this attitude1 we did succeed1 and it was only when we lost heart at some unexpected slip--only when1 after having attained success1 we became dazed and frightened1 and began to fear that our luck might turn and that we would lose all of our accumulations--it was only then1 ,i say--that our star waned4 ,talk with any successful man1 and1 if truthful1 he will admit having felt1 from the time of his first success1 that he had some sort of pull with ,fate--some lucky star--some special ,providence operating in his behalf4 ,he grew to expect results--to have confidence in things turning out right--to have faith in something of which he knew not the nature--and he was not disappointed4 ,things seemed to work in his favor--not always just in the way he expected1 sometimes in an entirely different way--matters seemed somehow to straighten themselves out in the end--so long as he kept his nerve4 ,he did not know the source of his strength1 but he believed in it and trusted it just the same4 ,let us wake up and recognize this ,something ,within--let us begin to understand this ,i ,can and ,i ,will feeling--let us cherish it if we have it1 and cultivate it if we have it not4 ,do you know that we are young giants who have not discovered our own strength8 ,are you not aware that there are powers latent within us1 pressing forth for development and unfoldment8 ,do you not know that earnest desire1 faith and calm demand will bring to us that which we require--will place at our hand the tools with which we are to work out our destiny--will guide us in the proper use of the tools--will make us grow8 ,do you not know that ,desire1 ,faith and ,work is the triple key to the doors of ,attainment8 ,there are possibilities before us1 awaiting our coming1 of which we have never dreamed4 ,let us assert ourselves--take up the key--unlock the doors--and enter our kingdom4 ,to accomplish1 we must be possessed of earnest desire--must be as confident of ultimate success as we are of the rising of to-morrow's sun--we must have ,faith4 ,and we must work out the end with the tools and instruments that will present themselves day by day4 ,we will find that ,desire1 ,confidence1 ,faith and ,work will not only brush aside the obstacles from our path1 but will also begin to assert that wonderful force1 as yet so little understood--the ,law of ,attraction--which will draw to us that which is conducive to our success1 be it ideas1 people1 things1 yes1 even circumstances4 ,oh1 ye of little ,faith1 why do you not see these things8 ,the world is looking for these ,i ,can and ,i ,will people--it has places ready for them--the supply does not begin to equal the demand4 ,pluck up courage ye unfortunate ones--ye doubters--ye ,i ,can't people6 ,begin the fight by abolishing ,fear from your minds4 ,then start to climb the ladder of ,attainment1 shouting ,i ,,can ,,and ,i ,,will with all your might1 drowning out the sound of the buts1 ifs1 supposings1 you can'ts and aren't you afraids of your wet-blanket friends at the foot of the ladder4 ,do not bother about the upper rounds of the ladder--you will reach them in time--but give your whole attention to the round just ahead of you1 and when you have gained a firm footing on that1 then look at the next one4 ,one round at a time1 remember1 and give your entire attention to each step4 ,climb with ,desire1 ,confidence and ,faith inspiring each step1 and the task will become a pleasure4 ,you will be conscious of some mighty force attracting you upward and onward as you progress4 ,and don't try to pull some other fellow off the ladder--there's room enough for both of you--be kind1 be kind4 ,if you fail to feel the ,i ,can and ,i ,will vibrations within you1 start in to-day1 and say ,i ,can and ,i ,will--,,think ,i ,can and ,i ,will--,,act ,i ,can and ,i ,will1 and get the vibrations started in motion4 ,remember that as the one note of the violin1 if constantly sounded1 will cause the mighty bridge to vibrate in unison so will one positive thought1 held constantly1 manifest itself both in yourself1 others and things4 ,so begin sounding the note to-day--this very moment4 ,sound it constantly4 ,send forth a clear1 glad1 joyous note--a note of ,faith--a note of coming ,victory4 ,sound it over and over again1 and soon you will become conscious that the vibrations have commenced1 and that the mighty structure of your being is quivering and vibrating to the keynote3--,i ,,can ,,and ,i ,,will4 ,,the ,,secret ,,of ,,the ,i ,,am4 ,the ,ego--,the physical plane--,the mental plane--,the new plane of consciousness--,the ,real ,self--,the ,i--,the ,temple of the ,living ,spirit--,development of the ,i ,am consciousness--,the ,higher ,reason4 ,lord of a thousand worlds am ,i1 ,and ,i reign since time began2 ,and ,night and ,day in cyclic sway1 ,shall pass while their deeds ,i scan4 ,yet time shall cease1 ere ,i find release1 ,,for ,i ,,am ,,the ,,soul ,,of ,,man4 --,charles ,h4 ,orr4 ,many of us are accustomed to thinking of ourselves on the physical plane alone4 ,when we think of the ,ego--the ,i of ourselves1 we picture it as a human body with organs ranging from the finest--the brain1 down to those of coarser atomic structure4 ,to one living on this plane of consciousness the body is the real self1 and the ,mind but an appendage to the body4 ,such a man speaks of my mind or my soul1 as he speaks of my hat1 my coat1 my shoes--as things belonging to him1 which he uses1 but which are not him4 ,to him the ,body is the real man--the ,mind something useful to the body--the ,spirit a nebulous hypothetical something of which he has but a hazy idea and no consciousness4 ,he lives on the physical plane alone4 ,others picture their ,i as ,intellect or ,mind1 having control of the body and its organs1 and having its abode in the brain1 or brains1 of the human being4 ,to these people the ,intellect is the ,real ,self1 in fact to many of this class the ,intellect is elevated to the position of ,god1 and they bow down to and worship it4 ,they realize the subjection of the body to the ,mind1 and are aware of the wonderful power of the latter over the particular body under its control2 the bodies of others2 the minds of others4 ,to them the ,intellect is the highest self1 identical with the ,spirit4 ,they are conscious of the wonderful workings of the mind1 but are conscious of nothing higher4 ,to some of them death seems to end all1 their idea of mind being that it is a product of the brain4 ,others feel that somehow1 somewhere1 their ,intellect will maintain its existence1 but it is merely a belief or hope1 based upon the words of others who have claimed authority to speak4 ,they have no consciousness of pre-existence or future existence--no perception of that ,,real ,,self which knows itself to be ,eternal4 ,a third class have so far progressed along the ,path of ,life that they have crossed the borders of a new plane of consciousness4 ,they are in a strange land--they see no familiar landmarks--they do not recognize the country that lies before them4 ,their friends1 whom they have left just a few feet behind across the border1 do not seem to realize the difference the short distance has made to those who have traveled it1 and therefore doubt the prospect seen from the new point of view4 ,those who have crossed the border find that they have acquired a consciousness of a real ,existence4 ,the ,i consciousness has passed beyond the ,intellectual plane and is able to look back to that plane and the one still further back1 the ,physical plane4 ,i recognizes the value of both ,mind and ,body1 but regards them both as but instruments1 tools or servants1 with which to work4 ,i feels that it has existed from the beginning 7if beginning there was7 and will exist until the end 7if end there be74 ,i feels a keen pleasure in mere existence--in the ,,now4 ,i knows itself to be a part of the ,,whole ,,thing--knows that the ,,universe is its home4 ,i knows itself to be a tiny drop of ,spirit from the ,great ,spirit ,ocean2 a ray from the ,supreme ,sun2 a particle of the ,divine ,being1 encased in a material body1 using that body and a force called ,mind1 with which to manifest itself4 ,i does not at present understand all things--far from it4 ,it has not as yet been able to bring its tools to that degree of perfection4 ,it merely knows that it ,,is1 and has ,,always ,,been1 and ,,always ,,will ,,be4 ,i allows ,intellect to indulge in speculations1 but contents itself with the knowledge that it ,,is--it frets not itself with the problems of the past or future1 but lives in the ,,now1 and knows itself to be a part of the ,,whole4 ,i knows that it cannot be destroyed or injured--that it exists in accordance with ,law 7and that ,law is ,good7 and asks no further light at this time1 knowing that in its progress through matter1 discarding sheath after sheath1 more knowing will surely come4 ,it says trustfully and confidently1 to the ,absolute3 ,thy ,will be ,done4 ,knowing itself to be immortal1 ,i has no fear of the death of the body--one body is as good as another to it--it is willing to lay aside the body as it does a coat1 when it has outworn or outgrown it4 ,knowing itself to be impregnable to harm1 ,i has no ,fearthought--it fears nothing4 ,knowing that the ,law is working for development 7always for ultimate good7 ,i is not disturbed by the cares1 troubles and sorrows of ,life--it knows them for what they are4 ,the body may be in pain1 the mind may be burdened with sorrow1 but ,i1 knowing1 smiles4 ,i knows itself to be ,one with the ,i of all living creatures1 and knowing this cannot manifest ,hate1 ,fear1 ,envy1 ,jealousy--it cannot ,despise or ,condemn4 ,these and other feelings of the old life drop from the person like a discarded mantle when ,i mounts its throne4 ,i recognizes that others may not have progressed so far on the path as itself1 but knows them to be but fellow travelers on the same road1 who are doing the best they know how1 considering their stage of the journey4 ,i recognizes ,ignorance--not ,evil4 ,i has but one feeling toward ,mankind and the whole living world--,,love4 ,aye1 ,love and ,comradeship for even the last man1 for it knows that that last man cannot be left out of the great scheme of ,life4 ,i knows that it has traveled a long road leading to its present position1 and that all ,life is traveling the same4 ,i looks back and sees others covered with the mire and dust of the road1 far back on the ,path1 but knowing that it has traveled the same stage of the journey--been covered with the same mire and mud--it cannot condemn4 ,i knows that it is but on the threshold of the new consciousness--the borderland of the ,cosmic ,knowing--and that far beyond lie regions of marvelous beauty which will in turn be traveled1 and then on and on1 increasing in strength and knowing-power each day4 ,i sees endless phases of existence opening up to the vision--it cannot at this time understand1 but it knows of the existence of the ,law1 and is content4 ,i has the courage of ,intelligent ,faith1 and presses forward cheerfully to the ,divine ,adventure4 ,all this--and more4 ,to the man or woman who understands1 the task of self-development becomes a labor of love--an exalted task rather than the mere selfish striving after power4 ,as the sculptor saw in the block of marble the form of the angel1 and was impelled to cut away the surrounding material in order to liberate the angelic form--so may we1 seeing the ,god-like form within us1 strive to liberate it4 ,that inner form is the real self--the ,i4 ,if you have never realized this truth1 relax body and mind and indulge in a little introspection2 turn your gaze inward2 listen to the voice of the ,spirit4 ,you will be conscious of a faint recognition of the ,something ,within striving to make itself manifest to your understanding--asking for the proper tools with which to work4 ,listen1 listen in ,the ,silence6 ,day by day the ,voice will grow plainer--day by day the ,light will grow brighter--your own is coming to you1 at last4 ,o1 joy unspeakable6 ,o tears6 ,o laughter6 ,after long ages you are coming in sight of the ,promised ,land4 ,know yourself ,o ,man6 ,know that you have within you the ,divine ,spark1 to which both body and mind are but servants4 ,know that your body is the ,temple of the ,living ,spirit and respect it as such4 ,know that your ,intellect is but the instrument of the manifestation of the ,spirit--the ,i4 ,do not crawl on your belly like a worm2 do not humble yourself in the dust and call upon heaven to witness what a despicable creature you are2 do not call yourself a miserable sinner worthy only of eternal damnation4 ,no6 a thousand times ,no6 ,rise to your feet2 raise your head2 face the skies2 throw back your shoulders2 fill your lungs with ,nature's ozone4 ,then say to yourself3 ,i ,,am4 ,man has acquired a wonderful power when he can understandingly say3 ,i ,,am a part of the ,eternal ,life ,principle2 ,i ,,am created in the ,divine ,image2 ,i ,,am filled with the ,divine ,breath of ,life2 ,nothing can hurt ,,me1 for ,i ,,am ,,eternal4 ,the first requisite for the acquirement of an understanding of the ,law is the recognition of the existence and the power of the ,real ,self--the ,i4 ,the more complete the recognition the greater the power4 ,special directions for the acquirement of this faculty of recognition cannot be given4 ,it must be grown into and felt1 rather than reasoned out by the ,intellect4 ,you will not be long in doubt as to whether or not you are on the right track2 if you are right you will begin to realize it at once4 ,you will have glimpses of it1 and then it may slip away from you for a while1 but fear not1 you cannot escape it in the end4 ,you will feel that your body is but as a garment which whilst covering you temporarily is not ,,you4 ,you will feel that you are separate and apart from your body1 although for a time living in it4 ,you will feel that you could as well live in some other body1 and still retain your sense of individuality4 ,you will realize then even your mind is not ,you1 but is merely the instrument through which ,you manifest yourself1 and which being imperfect prevents the complete expression of the ,spirit4 ,in short1 when you say1 or think1 ,i ,,am1 you are conscious of the existence of your real self1 and feel the growth of a new sense of power within you4 ,this recognition of the self may be faint1 but encourage it and it will grow1 and whilst growing will manifest itself to your mind by impressing upon the latter the knowledge of the proper plan for further development4 ,it is another example of to him that hath shall be given4 ,this mere calling of their attention to the fact will awaken the first glimmer of recognition in some2 others will find it necessary to reflect upon the idea and awaken to a recognition of the ,truth more slowly4 ,some will not feel the ,truth4 ,to such ,i say3 ,the time is not yet ripe for your recognition of this great ,truth1 but the seed is planted and the plant will appear in time4 ,this may seem like the veriest nonsense to you now1 but the time will come when you will admit its literal correctness4 ,you will find that a desire has been created that will cause a mental unrest until more light is received4 ,as ,walt ,whitman says3 ,my words will itch in your ears till you understand them4 ,as ,emerson says3 ,you cannot escape from your good4 ,to those who feel the first indications of the awakening of the ,spirit1 ,i say3 ,carry the thought with you and it will unfold like the lotus1 naturally and gradually2 the truth once recognized cannot be lost1 and there is no standing still in nature4 ,what has been said is but a faint hint of a mighty ,truth1 which nestles in the bosom of the esoteric teachings of all religions--in the philosophies of the ,orient and of ancient ,greece4 ,you will find it in the songs of the poets--in the writings of the mystics4 ,the advanced science of this age touches it without recognizing it fully4 ,it is not a thing that can well be conveyed by words--it is not easily comprehended by purely intellectual processes--it must be felt and lived out by those who are ready for it--those for whom the time has come4 ,it has been known to the ,few throughout all ages and in all times4 ,all races have known it4 ,it has been handed down from teacher to pupil from the earliest days4 ,it is that ,truth which ,edward ,carpenter refers to when he says3 ,o1 let not the flame die out6 ,cherished age after age in its dark caverns1 in its holy temples cherished4 ,fed by pure ministers of love--let not the flame die out4 ,it is difficult to convey even a hint of this ,truth to any but those who are prepared to receive it4 ,to others it will seem to be arrant folly4 ,as ,emerson says3 ,every man's words1 who speaks from that life1 must sound vain to those who do not dwell in the same thought on their own part4 ,i dare not speak for it4 ,my words do not carry its august sense2 they fall short and cold4 ,only itself can inspire whom it will 99 99 99 99 ,yet ,i desire even by profane words1 if sacred ,i may not use1 to indicate the heaven of this deity1 and to report what hints ,i have collected of the transcendent simplicity and energy of the ,highest ,law4 ,if you prefer to try to solve the ,problem of ,life--the ,riddle of the ,universe--by scientific investigation1 by exact reasoning1 formal thought1 mathematical demonstration--by all means follow this method4 ,you will be taught the lesson of the power and the limitations of the human intellect4 ,and after you have traveled round and round the circle of thought and find that you are but covering the same ground over and over again--after you have run into the intellectual cul de sac1 the blind alley of ,logic--after you have beaten your wings against the cage of the ,unknowable and fall exhausted and bruised--after you have done all these things and have learned your lesson--then listen to the voice within1 see the tiny flame which burns steadily and cannot be extinguished1 feel the pressure of the ,something ,within and let it unfold4 ,you will then begin to understand that as the mind of ,man developed by slow stages from mere sensation to simple consciousness2 from simple consciousness to self-consciousness 7in its lower and higher degrees7 so is there a consciousness1 higher than we have heretofore imagined1 in store for ,man1 which is even now beginning to manifest itself4 ,you may then understand that there may be an ,intelligent ,faith which knows1 not simply believes4 ,these and other lessons you will learn in time4 ,and when you have reached the stage where you feel the promptings of the ,higher ,reason1 and live in accordance therewith1 you will say with ,carpenter3 ,lo6 the healing power descending from within1 calming the enfevered mind1 spreading peace among the grieving nerves4 ,lo6 the eternal saviour1 the sought after of all the world1 dwelling hidden 7to be disclosed7 within each 99 99 99 99 ,o joy insuperable4 ,,let ,a ,,little ,,sunshine ,,in4 ,the young people's song--,good ,new ,thought doctrine--,plenty of sunshine in life1 if you look for it--,don't make a dark dungeon of your mind--,throw open the windows of your soul--,how to let a little sunshine in4 ,the other night1 just as ,i was dropping off to sleep1 a crowd of young people passed along1 returning from some social gathering4 ,they were bubbling over with mirth and joy1 and every girl seemed to be talking at the same time1 the voices of the young men serving merely to punctuate the sentences of their fair companions4 ,just after they passed my window1 some one started up a song1 and the rest joined in4 ,i do not know the song they sang1 but the chorus went something like this3 ,let a little sunshine in2 ,let a little sunshine in2 ,open wide the windows1 ,open wide the doors1 ,and let a little sunshine in4 ,i listened with pleasure to the words and cheerful air of the song and said to myself3 ,well1 that's good enough ',new ,thought' doctrine for me4 ,the young people went on their way singing4 ,i1 now wide awake1 listened and thought4 ,the song grew fainter and fainter as the distance between us grew greater1 and at last ,i could not clearly distinguish the words they sang1 but the faint vibrations of the tune still reached me1 and ,i imagined that ,i could just hear the last words of the refrain3 ,let a little ,sunshine in4 ,oh1 if only those young people--and all young people--and all people young or old--would take to their hearts these words1 and let a little sunshine in4 ,it is not sufficient that you merely agree that the advice is good--that you merely repeat the words mechanically--you must make thought take form in action1 and not only say the words--not only think them--but you must ,,act them4 ,make them a part of your life--incorporate the idea in your being--train yourself into the habit of opening yourself to the sunshine of ,life--get into the way of letting it flow in4 ,let a little ,sunshine in4 ,there is plenty of sunshine in life1 if you only look for it4 ,and there is plenty of shadow in life1 if you only look for it4 ,but in the things that seem all shadow to others1 you will be able to find the sunshine if you but train yourself to always look for it4 ,and in that which may seem bright sunshine to some1 others will find nothing but shade--they are troubled with a mental cataract that shuts out all the rays of the sunshine of life4 ,let a little ,sunshine in4 ,and when you learn to love the sunshine and look forward to seeing it always1 you seem to draw it to you4 ,the ,law of ,attraction brings to you your share of the sunshine with which the world is plentifully supplied4 ,and1 if you fall into the habit of looking for and expecting the shadow1 the shadow will always be found4 ,let a little ,sunshine in4 ,it is astonishing what a change the ,mental ,attitude of the person will make4 ,change your ,mental ,attitude1 and the whole world seems to change4 ,it is like taking off the smoked glasses that have caused the world to seem dark and gloomy1 and seeing the brightness and colors of the world4 ,let a little ,sunshine in4 ,many of you have been making dark dungeons of your minds4 ,you have steadily shut out the sun1 and your minds have become musty1 damp and mildewed4 ,across the floor crawl noxious creatures4 ,the slimy form of ,fear drags itself slowly along1 leaving its track behind2 the hideous shape of ,jealousy eyes you from one corner--a creature of darkness2 the venomous reptile ,hate shows its fangs2 the vampire ,worry flits across the chamber4 ,fearful shapes are there glowering in the darkness--frightful forms crouch in corners and recesses4 ,all is gloom1 darkness1 horror4 ,a fit breeding place for the foul creatures who fear the light--a fit nursery for monsters4 ,look within the dark chambers of your mind--see what it really is--see what it generates4 ,look within--look within4 ,ah1 you see at last4 ,no wonder you shriek with terror--no wonder you turn away with horror4 ,no1 no1 do not turn away--look and see yourself as you are4 ,you need the lesson4 ,now that you see what you have been carrying around with you1 and are sickened at the sight1 start to work to remedy the evil4 ,throw wide open the doors2 throw open the windows of the soul4 ,let a little ,sunshine in4 ,ah1 yes1 never fear1 there is plenty of sunshine in the ,universe4 ,plenty for all of you4 ,there is an infinite supply4 ,draw it to you4 ,take it freely4 ,it is there for you4 ,it is your own--your very own4 ,it is as free as air and the material sunshine4 ,there is no tariff on it4 ,it is not controlled by any trust or combine4 ,it is not adulterated4 ,it is everywhere1 everywhere4 ,ho6 ye who are dwelling in darkness6 ,here is ,life and ,happiness for you6 ,here is ,peace for you6 ,here is ,joy for you6 ,joy1 comrades1 ,joy6 ,open wide your windows2 open wide your doors4 ,let a little ,sunshine in4 ,yes1 yes6 ,i hear you say that you cannot dispel the gloom with which you are surrounded4 ,nonsense4 ,do you not know that darkness is not a positive thing--it is the essence of negation4 ,it is not a real thing at all--it is merely the absence of light4 ,and here you have been for all these years1 believing that the darkness was a real thing that you could not get rid of4 ,just stop for a moment and think4 ,if a room in your house is dark and gloomy1 do you hire a man to shovel out the darkness--do you attempt to do it yourself in your desire for light8 ,no1 no1 of course you do not4 ,you just raise the shades1 and throw open the shutters and the sunshine pours in and lo6 the darkness has vanished4 ,so it is with the gloom of the soul1 the darkness of the mind4 ,it is a waste of energy to attempt to dig away the darkness--to cast out the shadows4 ,you'll never get light in that way4 ,all that you need to do is to recognize the advantage of light--the fact that light is to be had--that there is plenty of it anxiously waiting to be let in4 ,then all that you need to do is to ,let a little sunshine in2 ,let a little sunshine in2 ,open wide the windows1 ,open wide the doors1 ,and let a little sunshine in4 ,,the ,,hunger ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,the soul1 as well as the body and mind1 requires nourishment--,the want1 a promise of the fulfillment--,the law of unfoldment--,nourishment provided when it is needed--,provided for in the ,divine ,plan--,the feast of good things4 ,the ,soul1 as well as the body and the mind1 requires nourishment4 ,we have felt that hunger for spiritual knowledge which transcended our hunger for bread--exceeded our craving for mental sustenance4 ,we have felt soul-hungry and knew not with what to appease it4 ,the ,soul has cried out for food4 ,it has been fed upon the husks of the physical plane for so long that it is fairly starving for the proper nourishment4 ,it seeks this way and that way for the ,bread of ,life and finds it not4 ,it has asked this authority and that authority for information as to where this food may be had--where could be obtained the food that would nourish the ,soul--but it has been given nothing but the stone of ,dogma and ,creeds4 ,at last it sank exhausted and felt that perhaps there was no bread to be had4 ,it has felt faint and weary and almost believed that all was a delusion and a will-o'-the-wisp of the mind--that there was no reality to it4 ,it felt the chill of despair creeping over it and all seemed lost4 ,but we must not lose sight of the fact that just as the hunger of the body implies that somewhere in the world is to be found that which will satisfy it--that just as the hunger of the mind implies that somewhere is to be found mental nourishment--so the mere fact that this soul-hunger exists is a proof that somewhere there is to be found that which the ,absolute has intended to satisfy it4 ,the want is the prophecy of the fulfillment4 ,yes1 and the want and its recognition afford the means of obtaining that which will satisfy the want4 ,when1 in the course of unfoldment either on the physical1 mental or spiritual plane1 it becomes necessary for the well-being of the unfolding ,ego to draw to itself certain things which it requires in the process of evolution1 the first step toward the obtaining of that necessary thing is the consciousness of a great and pressing want--the birth of a strong desire4 ,and then the desire grows stronger and stronger1 until the ,ego becomes desperate and determines to obtain the necessary thing at any cost4 ,the obtaining of that thing becomes the prime object in life4 ,students of evolution realize this fact perhaps more than the rest of us4 ,the subconsciousness of the plant or animal becomes surcharged with this great desire1 and all the conscious and subconscious power of the living thing is put forth to obtain that which is necessary for its development4 ,and on the mental plane the same thing is true4 ,the hunger for knowledge1 when it once possesses a man1 will cause him to cut loose from old environments1 surroundings and everything else which has held him1 and he forces himself to the place where that knowledge may be obtained--and he obtains it4 ,if he only wants it hard enough he gets it4 ,when we think of ,lincoln in his boyhood days1 painfully and laboriously striving for knowledge1 lying on his side before the log fire and reading his book by the light of its flames--and this after a hard day's work such as only the boy on the farm knows--when we think of this we may understand the effects of a strong desire possessing the mind of man or boy1 woman or girl4 ,and this hunger for spiritual knowledge and growth1 from whence comes it8 ,when we understand the laws of spiritual unfoldment we begin to understand that the ,ego is growing and developing--unfolding and casting off old worn-out sheaths4 ,it is calling into operation new faculties--exploring new regions of the mind4 ,in the super-conscious regions of the ,soul are many faculties lying dormant1 awaiting the evolutionary hour of manifestation along conscious lines4 ,as the faculties approach the hour of birth into the new plane they manifest an uneasiness which is communicated to the subconscious and conscious planes of the mind1 causing a restlessness and uneasiness which is quite disturbing to the individual in whom they are manifesting4 ,there is a straining for expression--a reaching forward for development--a desire for growth which produces something akin to pain4 ,all growth and development is accompanied by more or less pain4 ,we speak of the beautiful growth of the plant--of the lily--and wish that we could grow as easily and as painlessly as it does4 ,but we forget that all growth means a breaking down--a tearing away--as well as a building up and adding to4 ,the lily's growth appears painless to us1 but if we were endowed with keen enough vision--with clear enough sight--with a power enabling us to feel that which is going on within its organism1 we would be made aware that there is a constant change going on--a tearing down of tissue1 a using up of cells1 a pressing upon and breaking through of confining sheaths--all meaning growth1 development and unfoldment4 ,we see only the birth of the new parts and lose sight of the pain and destruction preceding it4 ,all through life is manifested the growing pains of development4 ,all birth is attended with pain4 ,and so it is with the birth into consciousness of these unfolding spiritual faculties4 ,we feel an uneasiness1 dissatisfaction1 yea1 even pain1 as we strive to call into conscious life these children of the ,soul4 ,we feel that desire for something needed by our inner self and we seek for it in all directions4 ,we exhaust all of the pleasures of life1 so-called1 and find no satisfaction there4 ,we then endeavor to find comfort and solace in intellectual pursuits1 but without obtaining that which we seek4 ,we pore over the writing of the philosophers and learned writers of the past and present1 but find them as but husks to the hungering soul4 ,we seek in creeds and dogmas that comforting something1 the need of which we feel1 but of the nature of which we are ignorant--but we find no satisfaction there4 ,we1 perhaps1 go from creed to creed1 from philosophy to philosophy1 from one scientific theory to another scientific theory1 but still we hunger4 ,at last we get to a position in which we feel that life is not worth the living and that all is a ghastly mockery4 ,and so we go on and on1 seeking--ever seeking--but the quest is fruitless4 ,man on the physical plane has a comparatively easy time of it4 ,he lives as does the animal--he thinks as does the animal--he dies as does the animal4 ,the problems of life fret him not4 ,he does not even know of the existence of the problems of life4 ,he is happy in his way1 and it almost seems a pity that he must be disturbed from his state of animal content4 ,but he must be disturbed1 not by you or by me perhaps1 but by the inevitable ,law1 which is working around and about him1 and in him4 ,sooner or later in the course of his development he must be awakened4 ,and he awakens upon the mental plane1 and here his troubles begin4 ,on the mental plane everything seems beautiful for a time4 ,man finds himself a new being and he goes on and on1 feeling himself a very god and reveling in his intellectual powers4 ,but after a time these things cease to satisfy him4 ,the unfolding of the higher faculties begin to annoy him1 particularly as he cannot explain them4 ,his intellectual training has perhaps taught him to believe that there was nothing higher than the mind--that religious feelings were nothing but the result of the emotional nature and that he had outgrown all that4 ,but still he feels that ,something ,within1 never ceasing to annoy him--never ceasing to intrude upon his intellectual consciousness certain feelings entirely contrary to his theories4 ,he has grown to doubt the existence of a ,supreme ,being1 and having read ,haekel's ,riddle of the ,universe feels that the question has been satisfactorily settled for all time1 and that the answer to all of life's problems may be found in the tenets of his creed--,materialism4 ,but1 somehow1 he is not at ease4 ,he feels the pressure of the growing ,something ,within and becomes quite restless4 ,this goes on from time to time and he seeks the ,truth in all directions1 rushing from one thing to another in his desire to satisfy the cravings of the ,soul1 but all the time denying that there is anything to be found4 ,after a time he becomes aware of a new state of consciousness developing within him1 and in spite of his mental revolts against any good thing coming from within1 he is forced to accept himself in his growing state1 and to realize that he may possess a ,knowing other than that of the intellect4 ,it may take him a long time to accept this1 but so long as he rebels against it and struggles1 so long will he feel pain4 ,and only when he catches a glimpse of the true state of affairs does he open himself up to the ,divine ,unfoldment going on in his ,soul1 and joyfully welcome the tearing away of confining mental sheaths1 which destruction enables the newly born faculty to force its way into the conscious mentality4 ,he learns to even aid in the unfoldment by holding the thoughts conducive to spiritual development1 and thus assists in the bringing forth of the new leaf or flower of the ,soul4 ,it has always been so4 ,man has gone through stage after stage of unfoldment1 suffering pain each time as the old sheaths are burst asunder and discarded4 ,he is prone to hold on to the old sheaths and to cherish them long after they have served their purpose in his growth4 ,and it is only when he has reached the stage that many men are now coming into a knowledge of that he understands the process of growth and is willing and glad to aid in the development instead of attempting to oppose it4 ,he falls in with the workings of the ,law instead of trying to defeat it4 ,life is motion4 ,we are moving onward and upward throughout the ages4 ,man has passed over miles of ,the ,path1 but he will have to travel many more before he sees the reason of the journey4 ,but he has now reached the stage where he may see that it all means something--all is a part of a mighty plan--that this is a necessary stage of the journey1 and that around the bend of the road are to be found shady trees1 and a brook at which he may quench his thirst and wash away the dust of the last few miles4 ,this hunger of the ,soul is a real thing4 ,do not imagine that it is an illusion--do not endeavor to deny it4 ,if you feel it you may rest assured that your time is coming1 and that there will be provided that which will satisfy it4 ,do not waste your energy in running hither and thither seeking for bread4 ,the bread will be provided when it is most needed4 ,there is no such thing in ,life as spiritual starvation4 ,but instead of seeking without for that which will nourish you1 look within4 ,at each stage of the journey the traveler will find enough to nourish him for the hour--enough to sustain him until he reaches the next stage4 ,you cannot be denied this nourishment4 ,it is part of the ,divine ,plan that it be provided for you4 ,if you will look for it in the right place you will always find it1 and will be saved much seeking and worrying4 ,do not be impatient because the feast is not set before you at this stage4 ,be satisfied with that which is given1 for it suffices your needs at the present moment4 ,by and by you will reach the stage when the feast of good things will have been earned1 and you will be invited to feast and rest until you are ready for the next stage of the journey4 ,the great spiritual wave which is now sweeping over the world brings with it great wants1 but it also carries with it the means of satisfying those wants4 ,do not despair4 ,,look ,,aloft6 ,the old sailor's advice--,the warning cry--,peace and content--,mental balance recovered--,the glory of the ,universe--,all governed by ,law--,the ,law manifests everywhere--,a reverent feeling of calm1 peaceful faith--,look aloft4 ,i recently heard a little tale about a boy who went to sea1 in the old days of the sailing vessel4 ,one day he was ordered to go aloft1 and was urged on until he reached the highest possible point on the mast4 ,when he found that he could go no farther1 he glanced down4 ,the sight terrified him and almost caused him to lose his grip and fall headlong on the deck1 far below4 ,he felt dizzy and sick1 and it seemed almost impossible for him to maintain his hold on the mast4 ,far below was the deck1 looking so small as compared to the wide expanse of water on all sides of it4 ,the motion made him feel as if he was suspended between heaven and earth1 with nothing substantial to support him4 ,he felt his brain reeling and his senses leaving him1 and all seemed lost1 when far away from the deck below1 he heard an old sailor cry1 ,look aloft1 lad6 ,look aloft6 ,turning his eyes from the scene below the boy gazed upward4 ,he saw the blue sky1 the fleecy clouds passing peacefully along1 looking just the same as they did when he had looked at them while lying on his back on the green grass of the meadows in his country home4 ,a strange feeling of peace and content came over him1 and the feeling of dread1 terror and despair passed away4 ,his strength and presence of mind came back to him1 and soon he was able to slide down the mast until he grasped a friendly rope1 thence to the lower rigging1 and on until the deck was again reached4 ,he never forgot the old sailor's advice given in the hour of need1 and when he would feel dazed and fearful of danger1 he would invariably look aloft until he recovered his mental balance4 ,we may well take a leaf from the old sailor's note-book1 and impress his wisdom upon our minds4 ,there's nothing so good in hours of trial1 doubt1 sorrow and pain1 as to look aloft4 ,when we feel that we cannot see clearly with our spiritual vision--that our spiritual sight is blurred and dim--that we lose faith and confidence1 hope and courage--that we feel the deadly sensation of despair and hopelessness creeping over us and benumbing our senses1 stilling our heart--then is the time for us to listen to the warning shout3 ,look aloft1 lad2 look aloft6 ,when all seems lost--when darkness is closing around us--when we seem to have lost our foothold and have no way of regaining it--when all appears hopeless1 gloomy and dreadful--when faith seems to have deserted us1 and the chill of unbelief is on us--then is the time for us to shout to ourselves1 ,look aloft--look aloft6 ,when we try to solve the riddle of the universe--the problem of existence--by the aid of the intellect1 unsupported by faith4 ,when we ask our intellects1 ,whence come ,i8 ,whither go ,i8 ,what is the object of my existence8 ,what does ,life mean8 ,when we travel round and round the weary path of intellectual reasoning1 and find that it has no ending4 ,when we shout aloud the question of ,life1 and hear no answer but the despairing echo of our own sad cry4 ,when ,life seems a mockery--when ,life seems to be without reason--when ,life seems a torment devised by a fiend--when we lose the feeling of nearness to the ,infinite ,power that has supported us in the past--when we lose the touch of the ,unseen ,hand4 ,these are the times for us to look upward to the source of ,wisdom and ,light4 ,these are the times for us to heed the cry of the ,soul3 ,look aloft2 look aloft2 look aloft6 ,some clear night1 when the moon is not shining1 go out into the darkness1 and gaze upward at the stars4 ,you will see countless bright spots1 each of which is a sun equaling or exceeding in size the sun which gives light and life to our little earth--each sun having its circling worlds1 many of the worlds having moons revolving around them1 in turn4 ,look all over the heavens1 as far as the eye can reach1 and endeavor to grasp the idea of the countless suns and worlds4 ,then try to imagine that in space1 far beyond the reach of human vision1 even aided by the telescope1 are millions upon millions of other worlds and suns--on all sides of us1 on and on and on throughout the ,universe1 reaching into ,infinity4 ,and then remember that all these worlds hold their places and revolve according to ,law4 ,and then remember that the microscope shows that ,law manifests itself in the smallest thing that can be seen by its use4 ,all around you you will see nothing but the manifestations of ,law4 ,and then1 remembering that the ,infinite1 which has us all in charge1 takes note of the fall of the sparrow1 what has become of your fears and doubts and worries8 ,gone is your despair and unbelief1 and in their place is found a reverent feeling of calm1 peaceful ,faith4 ,aye1 there is much good sense in the old sailor's maxim4 ,when you get rattled1 ,,look ,,aloft6 ,,to-,,morrow4 ,the work and cares of to-day easy if we do not worry about those of ,to-morrow--,the mysterious ,to-morrow and its terrors--,the way to meet the cares of ,to-morrow--,to-morrow's opportunities will come as surely as ,to-morrow's cares--,law supreme--,no need to be afraid--,the real ,to-morrow4 ,the work of each day would be a pleasure if we would refrain from attempting to perform at the same time the work of to-morrow4 ,the cares of to-day would cease to disturb us1 if we would refuse to anticipate the cares of to-morrow4 ,the work of to-day is easily performed1 notwithstanding the fact that we spoiled the pleasure of yesterday by fretting about the tasks of the coming day4 ,the cares of to-day do not seem half so terrible as they appeared viewed from the distance of yesterday1 nor do we suffer nearly as much from to-day's burdens as we did yesterday in bearing these burdens in anticipation4 ,to-day is comparatively easy for us1 but ,oh1 to-morrow4 ,aye1 there's the trouble--to-morrow4 ,the past is gone1 and its sorrows1 cares1 troubles1 misfortunes and work do not seem so terrible viewed from this distance--the misfortunes of the past are now often known as blessings in disguise4 ,to-day is here1 and we seem to be getting along fairly well--excepting fearing the dawn of to-morrow4 ,but to-morrow--,oh6 mysterious to-morrow--that delight of the child--that bugaboo of the grown up--what shall we say of to-morrow8 ,who knows what terrible monsters are lurking in its gloomy recesses--what frightful cares are slumbering there--what dreadful shapes are there crouching1 with glowering eyes1 awaiting our coming8 ,no frightful tale of childhood begins to compare in horror with this fantasy of maturity--to-morrow4 ,yesterday1 with all its troubles--to-day1 with its pressing tasks--affright us not1 but to-morrow1 ah6 to-morrow4 ,tell us of the morrow6 ,who knows what a day may bring forth8 ,tell us how to meet the terrors of to-morrow6 ,forsooth1 an easy task1 good friends4 ,the way to meet the terrors of to-morrow is to--wait until to-morrow4 ,the cares of to-morrow indeed6 ',twould be laughable if it were not so pitiful4 ,to-morrow's cares may come1 will come1 must come1 but what of to-morrow's opportunities1 to-morrow's strength1 to-morrow's chances1 circumstances1 helpers8 ,don't you know that the supply of good things does not cease with the close of to-day8 ,don't you know that in the womb of the future sleep opportunities intended for your use when the time comes8 ,don't you know that an earnest1 confident expectation of the good things to come will cause these good things to grow for your use in the future8 ,well1 it's so2 they'll grow and grow and grow1 and then when you need them you will find them ripe and ready to pick4 ,water them with ,faith2 surround them with the rich soil of ,hope2 let them receive the full rays of the sun of ,love1 and the nourishing fruit of ,opportunity will be your reward--to-morrow4 ,did you ever shiver with dread at the thought of what would happen if the sun should not rise to-morrow8 ,did you ever doubt that the grass would grow and the trees take on leaves next ,spring8 ,did you ever fear that perhaps the ,summer would not come8 ,oh1 no1 of course not6 ,these things have always happened and you have sufficient faith to know that they will occur again4 ,yes1 but you have been fearing that opportunities1 chances1 circumstances1 may not be present to-morrow4 ,oh1 ye of little faith do you not know that this is no world of chance8 ,do you not know that you are working under the operations of a great ,law1 and that these things are as much amenable to that ,law as are the seasons1 the crops1 the motion of the earth1 the planets1 this and countless other solar systems1 the ,,universe6 ,the ,law which regulates the motions of the millions of worlds1 and whose jurisdiction extends over ,space--that ,space the abstract idea of which cannot be grasped by the puny intellect of man of to-day--also takes cognizance of the tiny living organism too small to be seen through our strongest microscope4 ,the sparrow's fall comes under the ,law as well as the building of a magnificent series of solar systems4 ,and yet1 man fears to-morrow4 ,of all living beings1 man alone fears to-morrow4 ,children1 lovers and philosophers escape the curse4 ,the first two look forward to it with joy and confidence1 having the love that casteth out fear2 the philosopher's reason teaches him that which the intuition of the other two has grasped4 ,the child intuitively recognizes that the infinite supply is inexhaustible and naturally expects to-morrow's supply as he does to-morrow's sun4 ,he has faith in the ,law1 until ,fear is suggested into his receptive mind by those who have grown old enough to fear4 ,the child knows that there are just as good fish in the sea as ever were caught1 but the grown-up fears that to-day's fish is the last in the sea1 and fails to appreciate to-day's haul by reason of his worry about the possible future failure of the fishing industry4 ,oh ,no6 ,i do not believe in just sitting down and folding my hands and waiting for mine own to come to me4 ,i know that mine own will come to me1 because ,i am doing well the work that the ,law has placed before me to do--that which lies nearest to my hand to-day4 ,i believe in work1 good work1 honest work1 cheerful work1 hopeful work1 confident work4 ,i believe in the joy of work--the pleasure of creating4 ,and ,i believe that he who does his best work one day at a time working with faith1 hope and confidence in the morrow1 with ,fear eliminated from his mind and replaced with ,courage--,i believe1 ,i say1 that such a man will never find his cupboard empty1 nor will his children want for bread4 ,and furthermore1 ,i believe that to-morrow is what we make it by our thoughts to-day4 ,i believe that we are sowing thought-seeds to-day1 which will grow up over night and bear fruit to-morrow4 ,i believe that ,thought takes form in ,action1 and that we are1 and will be1 just what we think ourselves into being4 ,i believe that our minds and bodies are constantly being molded by our thoughts1 and that the measure of man's success is determined by the character of his thoughts4 ,and ,i believe that when man will throw off the incubus of ,fear1 the frightful vision of the night will vanish1 and1 opening his eyes1 in the place of the monster he will see the fair form and smiling face of a radiant creature1 who1 bending over him with love-lit eyes1 will softly whisper1 ,i am ,,to-,,morrow4 ,,in ,,the ,,depths ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,stores of information2 rich mines of knowledge2 uncut gems and precious metal awaiting the discoverer--,psychic and spiritual faculties--,strange attraction of soul to soul--,the ,rock of ,ages--,the ,voice of the ,soul4 ,deep down in the soul are stores of information awaiting to be brought to the surface of consciousness4 ,rich mines of knowledge are there--uncut gems rest there awaiting the day when they will be uncovered and brought into the bright light of consciousness--rich veins of precious metals are there awaiting in patience the day when some ,divine ,adventurer will search for them and bring them to light4 ,the human mind is a wonderful storehouse1 concealing all sorts of treasures and precious things1 only a fraction of which have been discovered so far4 ,we have faculties not yet recognized by the science of the day--psychic and spiritual faculties--just as real as the recognized faculties1 playing an important part in our everyday lives1 particularly when we have been made aware of their existence4 ,in many of us these faculties are scarcely recognized1 and many of us doubt and deny their very existence4 ,others have a faint perception of their existence1 but do not know how to use them1 and get but the slightest benefit from them4 ,others have awakened to the wonderful faculties which are developing and unfolding within them1 and a few have gone so far as to aid in this development of these higher faculties of the mind1 and have been almost startled at the results obtained4 ,the ,orientals have their ways of development of these faculties1 and we ,occidentals have ours4 ,each best serves the purposes of the particular people using it4 ,as we bring these faculties out of the realm of the super-conscious into the field of consciousness1 life takes on an entirely different meaning1 and many things heretofore dark are seen plainly and understood4 ,no one can understand the ,oneness of things until his spiritual faculties are sufficiently developed to make him conscious of it4 ,blind belief or reliance upon the words of another will never do for the seeker after ,truth that which is accomplished by a single gleam of consciousness resting upon some of the hidden treasures of the soul4 ,one glimpse into the depths of the soul will do more than the reading of thousands of books1 the teaching of hundreds of teachers4 ,this glimpse1 once had1 will never be forgotten4 ,its reality may be questioned at times--at other times the memory may seem dim and unreliable--but it will return in all its freshness and brightness1 and even in the moment of doubt we cannot entirely escape it4 ,our real knowledge of the existence of ,,god is not obtained from the intellect4 ,we can take up the subject of ,,god and reason about it all our life1 only to find ourselves1 in the end1 in a worse muddle than when we started4 ,and yet one single ray of consciousness reaching down into the depths of our inner being will bring to us such a complete certainty of ,,god',s existence and being1 that nothing afterward will ever shake our faith in the reality and existence of the ,supreme ,power4 ,we will not understand the nature of his being--his existence--his power--but we will know that he exists1 and will feel that peacefulness and infinite trust in him which always come with the glimpse of the ,truth4 ,we will not understand any better the many theories of ,man regarding ,,god and his works2 in fact1 we will be more apt to turn away1 wearied1 from ,man's discussion of the subject--the attempt of the finite to describe and limit the infinite4 ,but we will know that at the ,center of things is to be found that ,universal ,presence1 and we feel that we can safely rest ourselves on his bosom--trust ourselves in his hands4 ,the cares1 sorrows and trials of ,life seem very small indeed when viewed from the absolute position1 although from the relative position this world often seems to be a very hell4 ,another glimpse into the recesses of the soul reveals to us the ,oneness of things4 ,we see ,,god as the great ,center of things1 and all the ,universe as but ,one4 ,the ,oneness of all ,life becomes apparent to us and we feel in touch not only with all mankind1 but with all life4 ,the petty distinctions of class1 race1 rank1 caste1 nationality1 language1 country fade away and we see all men as brothers4 ,and we feel a kindly feeling and love toward the lesser manifestations of life4 ,even the rocks and the stones are seen as parts of the ,whole and we no longer feel a sense of separateness from any thing4 ,we realize what the ,universe is1 and in our imagination visit the most distant stars and instinctively know that we would find nothing foreign to us there--all would be but bits of the same thing4 ,and we begin to understand those strange attractions of soul to soul1 instances of which have come to all of us4 ,we realize that it is possible to entertain a feeling of love for every living creature--to every man or woman1 the manifestations1 of course1 varying in degree and kind1 according to sex and closeness of soul relation4 ,it makes us more tolerant and causes us to see but ignorance in many things in which we saw but sin before4 ,it makes us feel pity rather than hate4 ,ah1 these little glimpses into the inmost recesses of the soul they teach us many new lessons4 ,and one of the greatest lessons that we may acquire in this way is the recognition of the eternal life of the soul4 ,we may believe1 with greater or less earnestness1 in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul1 our beliefs and conceptions depending more or less upon the teachings which we have received from early childhood1 but until we become conscious of that which lies within us1 we are never really certain--we do not know4 ,many good people will deny this statement1 and will say that they have never doubted the life of the soul after death1 but see how they act4 ,when death comes into their houses they mourn and cry aloud in their agony1 and demand of ,,god why he has done this thing4 ,they drape themselves in mourning and mourn and weep as if the loved one had been destroyed and annihilated4 ,all of their actions and conduct go to prove that they have no abiding sense of the reality of the continuance of life beyond the grave4 ,they speak of the dead as if they were lost forever--as if a sponge had been passed over the slate of life and naught remained4 ,how cold and hollow sounds the would-be comforting words of friends and relatives1 who assure the mourning ones that the being who has just laid aside the body is better off now1 and that all is for the best1 and all the rest of conventional expressions that we make use of4 ,i tell you that one who has had a glimpse into what lies within him knows so well that he is eternal that he finds it impossible to look upon death in the ordinary way1 and if he is not very careful he will be regarded as heartless and unfeeling for the sorrows of others4 ,and he will be regarded as a fool in his views of life by those around him who attend church regularly every ,sunday1 and who profess a full belief in all its doctrines4 ,if he considers that he himself is his soul1 and that he is as much an immortal being now as he ever will be--that his body is but as a garment to cover him1 or an instrument through which he manifests himself--if he considers that he is in eternity now just as much as he ever will be2 that he cannot be destroyed by ,mt4 ,pelee eruptions or railroad accidents--if1 in short1 he feels these things so strongly that they have become a part of his real everyday life--why1 he is looked upon as queer by those who hear these things taught them every ,sunday1 and who would feel horrified if they were accused of harboring a doubt regarding them4 ,this is one of the things that go to show the difference between believing a thing and being conscious of it4 ,now1 don't run away and say that ,i held that the church-goers have no conception of the reality of the immortality of the soul1 for ,i haven't said any such thing4 ,there are many church-goers who have experienced a full realization of the feeling ,i mention1 and there are many more church-goers who have not4 ,and there are many men and women who scarcely ever enter within the walls of a church who have had this experience1 and it means more to them than all the preachments they have ever listened to4 ,it is not a matter of being in-church or out-of-church1 it is a matter of spiritual development1 that's all4 ,i attend churches of all denominations1 and ,i find all of them good4 ,the service of the ,catholic ,church appeals to me1 and so does the meeting of some old-fashioned ,methodist congregation4 ,i do not accept all the doctrines and theories ,i hear in the various churches1 but ,i manage to get some good out of all4 ,if ,i have any preference whatever1 it is for an old-fashioned ,quaker meeting1 where1 perhaps1 not a word is said from beginning to close1 but where there is undoubtedly a strong spiritual power manifested4 ,i have even found much good in attending a certain orthodox church1 where the venerable preacher1 who does not believe in the higher criticism or creed revision1 often gives us a delightful sermon on the horrors of hell and the state of the damned1 including the unbaptized infants4 ,i can listen to a sermon like this with a thrill of delight--a feeling of intense joy which comes to me because ,i have been given the inward assurance that there exists a ,,god who is ,love1 instead of the hating1 wrathful1 vengeful creature that the poor preacher tries to make us believe is the ,infinite ,power--the ,universal ,presence--the ,loving ,father4 ,oh1 no1 ,i am not condemning churches--,i like them all1 and think that each one is doing the best possible work for the particular people who are attracted to it4 ,i have listened to the exercises of the ,salvation ,army1 and have seen much good in it4 ,how many of you ,new ,thought people1 or you high-toned church members1 would make half the sacrifices for what you consider ,truth that the ,salvation ,army soldier or the ,hallelujah lassie make every day of their lives8 ,stop a moment before you laugh at them4 ,some of these people have more spirituality in their little finger than many of us have in our whole bodies4 ,there are times when we feel disturbed and full of unrest4 ,we seek to use our intellects and solve all the problems of life4 ,we fret and chafe under the restrictions which have been placed upon us4 ,we wish to ,,know all things4 ,we reason this way and that way1 follow up every lane1 alley and street in the city of ,thought1 but1 alas1 we find not that which we seek4 ,and in our search we are apt to forget that we have within us an assurance that all is well with the world1 and with us4 ,we rebel against the leadings of the ,spirit--against the knowledge that has come from the inner self--and we want to get our knowledge over the old channels--by means of the ,intellect4 ,well1 at such times we storm and fume and fret1 and complain at our inability to solve the problem4 ,we set up ideas only to tear them down again4 ,we assume and then abandon one position after another1 until there is nothing left4 ,and the end of all the intellectual debauch is to say finally1 ,i do not know4 ,and then1 after the struggle is over1 we see1 just as plainly as ever before1 the glimpse of ,truth that has come to us from within--we hear the words of the soul--we have the same old consciousness4 ,we say to ourselves1 ,i may not get this thing intellectually1 but ,i ,,know it is true4 ,i cannot doubt the voice of the ,soul4 ,this knowledge which comes from within is like the rock against which beat the storms of the sea--against which dash the waves which completely cover it and which hide it from sight1 until it seems that it has disappeared forever from view1 carried away by the attacking waves4 ,the lightning flashes1 the thunder rolls1 the fury of the tempest seems concentrated against this rock1 and the demon of the storm seems intent upon destroying every particle of it--of tearing it to little bits with which to strew the shores4 ,all is darkness--all is blackness--all is fury1 raging and terror4 ,after hours1 the storm subsides1 and then later morning comes1 and the first rays of the rising sun kiss lovingly the rock which has stood the fury of the storm1 and has emerged unhurt1 a witness to its superiority to the elements4 ,storm away1 ye who would destroy this rock--dash your waves of ,doubt1 ,logic1 ,criticism1 ,unbelief1 ,dogma1 ,theory1 against this rock of the ,spirit4 ,exert yourself to the utmost--expend all the force that is within you--do your best--do your worst4 ,tear and twist1 pull and wrench1 beat and pound1 and what have you accomplished8 ,after the storm has passed away--after the clouds have dispersed--when the sky again is blue and the sun again is shining--the rock still stands1 undisturbed1 unchanged1 unshaken4 ,and stand it will for ages and ages4 ,and ,man shall begin to know of the stability and firmness of this rock4 ,he will begin to realize just what it means to him1 and he will know that while the waves that beat upon it are good and needful1 and not to be despised1 that only upon the rock can he safely build4 ,do not despise the intellect and its teachings1 but know that ye have within ye another source of knowledge--that ye have spiritual faculties which are developing and which you can use4 ,and trust the work of these faculties--listen to the voice of the ,soul4 ,,forget ,,it4 ,why worry about the past8--,hugging old sorrows to your bosom--,what to do with them--,don't poison your life--,pain brings experience--,learning your lesson--,how to get rid of a gloomy thought--,throw it away--,forget it4 ,one can often get some useful lesson from the slang and current phrases of the day4 ,there is something particularly attractive to me about slang1 and the pat phrases that are passed along from one to another on the streets4 ,many of these phrases condense in a few words certain practical truths that one could use as a basis for a sermon1 an essay1 or even a book4 ,they are the practical experiences of the people crystallized in a catchy phrase4 ,the phrase which ,i hear so frequently on the street just now1 ,forget it1 seems to me to contain much practical common sense1 and if people would put it into practice there would be many more brighter faces--many more lighter hearts4 ,what's the use1 anyhow1 of carrying around a long face or a heavy heart1 just because away back in the past something went wrong with us1 or even if we went wrong ourselves 7and most of us have--,i have1 ,i know78 ,what's the use8 ,forget it6 ,of course you will not forget the experiences of the past1 and you do not want to4 ,that's one of the things we are living for--gaining experience4 ,when we have once really learned a thing through experience1 we never forget it--it is a part of us4 ,but why bother about the memory of the pain1 the mortification1 the slip-up1 the heartache1 the wounded feelings1 the misplaced confidence1 the thing done in the wrong way1 the chance you let slip by1 the folly1 the sin1 the misery1 the might-have-beens1 and all the rest4 ,oh what's the use8 ,forget it ,i say1 forget it4 ,if one is to worry about all the things that went wrong--all the things that didn't come right--in the past2 if he has to take out each memory every day1 and after carefully dusting it off1 fondle and caress it1 and hug it close to his bosom2 if he has to raise up these ghosts from the past--these phantoms of long ago--these musty1 moth-eaten things--why he will have no time for the affairs of to-day4 ,he will lose all the joy of the now--all the pleasure of life of the moment--all the interest in the things of to-day4 ,oh1 dear1 dear1 what's the use8 ,forget it--forget it4 ,some people are not happy unless they have some old faded sorrow hugged up close to their bosoms1 and they feel guilty if they happen to smile and forget the old thing for even a moment4 ,oh1 how they do gloat over their own revamped unhappiness--how they enjoy the relieving of the pains and sorrows1 mistakes and ignorance of years gone by4 ,how they love to hold the fox to their sides and let it eat out their heart4 ,these people are really happy in the unhappiness1 and life would not be worth living if they were deprived of their pet sorrows4 ,of course1 if these people are really happy because they are unhappy1 ,i have no objection4 ,every man or woman has the right to pursue happiness in his or her own way1 and ,i suppose that that is as good a way as any other1 and ,i should not find fault if somebody else's way is different from mine4 ,but doesn't it seem like a pity to see people wasting their time1 energy1 thoughts and life on these old sorrows8 ,if they must think of the past1 why not think of the bright things that came into their lives1 instead of the dark ones8 ,think of the moments of happiness1 not of the moments of sorrow4 ,don't make a tomb of your mind4 ,don't let that particular painful experience poison your present life4 ,don't do it--don't do it4 ,what's the use8 ,forget it4 ,every bit of pain that has happened you has brought its experience to you--you are better1 wiser and broader for it4 ,look at it in that way1 and you will cease to mourn and wail and wring your hands over the fact that in the past you have done those things which you ought not to have done1 and have left undone those things which you ought to have done4 ,nonsense6 ,you have gained the experience and know better now4 ,if you were placed back in the same old position1 and lacked the experience that you have gained by just such things1 you would do the same old thing over again1 and in the same old way4 ,you couldn't help it1 because you would be the same old person4 ,what you would like to do would be to be placed back in the same position1 and face the same old temptation or problem1 but you would want to take with you the experience you have gained by your former mistake4 ,you want the cake and the penny at the same time4 ,you want the experience without the pain4 ,oh1 yes1 you do1 now1 that's just what you want--,i've been through it myself1 and know all about it4 ,you've gained the experience1 be satisfied4 ,some day you'll need that experience1 and will be glad you have it1 and will see that it was worth all you've paid for it4 ,no1 you don't see it that way8 ,well1 maybe you haven't had enough of it--haven't learned your lesson yet4 ,if that is the case1 some of these days the law will drop you back into the pot1 until you're well done4 ,the law is not satisfied with underdone people4 ,oh1 you're making a big mistake4 ,forget it--forget it4 ,the people who carry these old things around with them generally get themselves into the mental attitude that draws other things of the same sort to them4 ,misery likes company1 and a miserable thought also likes companionship1 and almost always manages to attract some other miserable thing to it1 to keep it from being lonesome4 ,the only way to get rid of a thought of this kind is to--forget it4 ,now if you have some pet thing that is gnawing out your vitals--is corroding your heart--is poisoning your mind--take it out and look at it for the last time4 ,give it a last long lingering gaze4 ,kiss it good-bye4 ,weep over it if you like1 for this is the last you will see of it4 ,then throw open the window of your mind and pitch it out into the outer darkness4 ,,forget ,,it6 ,,the ,,kindergarten ,,of ,,god4 ,life a great school--,man a child learning his lesson--,preparing for higher grades--,the game-task--,what it all means--,things as they are--,the rules wise and good--,each task means something--,greeting the ,kindergartner4 ,i see ,life as a great school--,man as a tiny child1 learning his little lessons1 performing his little tasks1 playing his little games1 enjoying his little pleasures1 suffering his little pains1 disappointments1 trials and sorrows4 ,i feel that we are in but the kindergarten stage of existence1 learning the first lessons of ,life--fitting ourselves for the grander1 broader1 fuller life in store for us4 ,and ,i feel that this little kindergarten experience will continue until we have learned its lessons well--have firmly grasped the principles designed for our baby minds4 ,and ,i feel that when we have proven our ability to weave our little mats--build our little blocks--draw our little pictures--mold our little clay forms--sing our little songs--then1 and not until then1 will we pass into a higher grade1 where we will spell out the lines of the ,primer of ,life1 and acquire the elementary principles of ,cosmic ,mathematics4 ,and ,i feel that each little lesson must be learned1 thoroughly1 before the next step is taken4 ,and ,i feel that every one of us must perform his own task--must memorize his own lesson--before he can gain the experience--can profit by the knowledge acquired in the performance of the task4 ,we may be inspired by some brighter pupil--be encouraged by the loving sympathy of some fellow-scholar1 but the task is ours to perform1 sooner or later--and ours is the joy of accomplishment4 ,i believe that as some children1 even whilst fascinated by the game-task of the kindergarten1 know that it is only a childish task and not the real thing of life1 so may we come to a point1 where1 whilst enjoying the constantly changing play of life1 we will realize that it is but the training for greater things1 and important only in that sense4 ,the perception of this fact by the child need not interfere with his interest in the game--need not prevent him from feeling the joy of doing1 creating1 working1 gaining new experiences2 nor need it prevent us from playing the kindergarten games of grown-up life with a zest and interest1 not alone because we realize that we are learning valuable lessons1 but1 yea1 even from the very excitement and joy of the game itself4 ,when we realize just what this view of ,life means1 we will find new pleasures in everyday life--will learn to laugh with childish glee at our little successes in molding the clay into the desired shape--in the clever weaving of the mat4 ,and we will learn to smile1 through our tears1 if our little mat happens to tear in two--if our little clay sphere drops to the floor and is shattered--if the hour's work is destroyed4 ,and we will learn our little lesson of ,love--of ,comradeship4 ,we will learn by experience that if we lead the narrow1 selfish life we will miss the joy that falls to the lot of those who have learned to express more fully the love-nature within them--we will find that ,love begets ,love--that the love-nature1 expressed1 attracts to itself the love in the hearts of our little playmates4 ,we will find that the child who carries within him the love for others1 and expresses that love1 need never want for friends or companions1 need never suffer from loneliness1 need never fear being left out in the cold4 ,the true ,personal ,magnetism of the child 7and the grown-up7 consists largely of--,love1 which never fails in its drawing power4 ,and we will learn1 from bitter experience1 the folly of the idea of separateness from our little playmates--will know that the standing apart brings nothing but sorrow to us4 ,we will realize that selfishness brings nothing but pain--that giving has its pleasures as well as receiving4 ,and we will learn something of ,brotherhood1 and its goodness--we will have the ,true ,democracy of the kindergarten impressed upon us4 ,these lessons 7and others7 we will learn well1 before passing on4 ,we1 like the child1 often wonder what is the use of it all--fret over our enforced tasks--chafe at the confinement--rage at the restrictions1 and1 failing to comprehend it all1 indulge in complaints1 protests1 rebellion4 ,and1 like the child1 we cannot expect to understand the whyness of it all1 certainly not until we pass beyond the kindergarten stage of existence and reach the higher grades4 ,when one begins to realize what he is--begins to be conscious of the ,i ,,am--begins to know things as they are--he gradually learns to appreciate things at their true worth1 and1 although not released from the necessity of playing out his kindergarten game tasks1 is able to1 practically1 stand aside and watch himself play them out4 ,he knows that he is gaining knowledge--is mastering his lessons--is living-out1 and out-living1 his desires--is acquiring and storing up new experiences--but he values things only at their final worth1 and is not deceived by the apparent value of the moment4 ,he begins to see things in their proper relations4 ,he does not take himself 7or things7 too seriously4 ,he enjoys the pleasure of the game--but he knows it to be but the play and pleasure of the child--he laughs1 but is not deceived4 ,he suffers1 also1 the sorrow1 grief1 disappointment1 humiliation and chagrin of the child-nature--but even though the tears are falling he1 knowing1 smiles4 ,he laughs with joy--with pain he cries1 but he knows--he knows4 ,he enjoys the playthings1 gifts1 rewards1 but he knows them for what they are--he knows4 ,he plays the games with the children who do not know--and well he plays--but he knows4 ,his disillusionment spoils not the sport--he plays on 7for play he must71 knowing1 but enjoying4 ,yes1 enjoying because of the knowing4 ,he knows that the child-things are good--but he sees them as but shadows of the ,good to come4 ,he knows that he cannot escape from his own good4 ,and he knows that the ,good is also in store for his playmates 7though they know it not7 and1 being full of love1 he rejoices4 ,he feels that the rules of the ,school are wise and good1 and that1 though he cannot see it clearly now1 ,,infinite ,,justice rules all1 as will in the end appear4 ,he knows that promotion will be gained1 just as soon as earned4 ,he knows that just as soon as he is able to master a task1 that task will be set before him--not a moment before4 ,and he knows that no task will be allotted him even one moment before the possibility of its accomplishment4 ,he knows that he is being tested1 trained and strengthened1 day by day--that every unpleasant and disagreeable task has an important end in view4 ,and he knows that every task placed before him is in accordance with a ,law that takes cognizance of his powers1 failings1 capabilities1 short-comings--that understands him better than he does himself4 ,he knows that the very allotment of the task is a guarantee of his ability to perform it4 ,he knows that within him are latent powers1 potential forces1 hidden knowledge1 which will well forth from his sub-conscious mentality when bidden by the ,confident ,expectation of ,intelligent ,faith4 ,and1 knowing these things1 he is filled with ,courage--and presses forth eagerly to the tasks of the day4 ,and1 knowing1 he casts off all ,fear1 ,worry1 ,discouragement and ,discontent1 and1 with the smile of ,love on his face and the joy of ,faith in his heart1 he greets ,,the ,,kindergartner with ,confidence and ,trust4 ,,the ,,human ,,wet ,,blanket4 ,sees no good in anything--,expects the bad and gets it--,attracts it to him--,depresses everything and everyone--,carries an aura of negative depressing thought--,clammy--,puts out the fire of energy--,take warning4 ,did you ever meet the ,human ,wet ,blanket8 ,to start with1 he sees no good in anything4 ,to him every man is a rogue--every woman a schemer trying to pull the wool over the eyes of some man4 ,he looks for the ,bad--expects to find it--and find it he does4 ,one generally gets what he looks for4 ,he attracts to him that for which he looks1 and he cannot see any other qualities than those possessed by himself4 ,everyone is trying to cheat him1 and out-wit him1 so he thinks1 and ,i have no doubt that the ,law brings him a fair share of people of this kind4 ,in order to prevent other people from taking advantage of him1 he endeavors to take advantage of them in the same small way that he fears they will use on him4 ,the consequence is the people with whom he has dealings are apt to give him a dose of his own medicine4 ,he trusts no man4 ,he's so shrewd that he measures off a spool of thread in order to be sure that the storekeeper has not robbed him of a yard or two4 ,and the funny thing is1 that he sets in motion the ,law which causes the one short-measure spool in the case to fall into his hands4 ,he just draws these things to him4 ,he thinks himself a marvel of cunning1 and endeavors to manifest it in petty practices1 the result being that he attracts to himself all the little schemers1 and some of the big ones1 who happen to be within the radius of his attracting power1 while the other type of people are repelled by his mental attitude and thought-force4 ,funny1 isn't it8 ,then he sees nothing but disaster ahead in any plan1 and1 sure1 enough1 if he gets near enough to the plan to contaminate it1 trouble is sure to happen4 ,as an attractor of ,negative ,thought he is a glittering success4 ,he seems to have a positive genius for doing things the wrong way4 ,and yet1 he doesn't believe in the ,attractive ,power of ,thought or any such nonsense4 ,he's too shrewd to take any stock in such ridiculous theories1 although he exhibits in his life a most convincing proof of the truth of ,new ,thought teachings4 ,he never says ,i ,can and ,i ,will1 and if he hears anyone around him indulging in such heretical notions1 he promptly proceeds to squelch him by a few ,supposings1 ,buts1 ,what ifs1 and two or three gloomy shakes of the head1 and a few sighs4 ,his motto seems to be ,there's no use trying1 you can't do it4 ,with him the country seems always to be going to the dogs1 and the poorhouse is constantly looming up before him4 ,i need scarcely add that ,fear1 ,worry1 ,jealousy1 and ,suspicion are his bosom friends4 ,he holds these thoughts constantly1 and they and the rest of the negative brood are devouring him4 ,they are making their home in his mentality and are increasing rapidly1 besides frequently inviting their friends for a visit4 ,of course1 it's nobody's business if he likes this sort of thing1 but it is not pleasant to come in contact with him4 ,he is surrounded with an aura of negative1 depressing1 gloomy1 thought-force1 which is manifest to all with whom he comes in contact4 ,turn him loose in a roomful of cheerful people1 and in a few minutes the conversation has lagged1 the warmth of love and friendship has disappeared and things begin to feel damp and chilly1 and someone will begin to make inquiry regarding the furnace or the steam radiators1 and wondering why the janitor does not keep up the fire on such a day4 ,approach him when you feel fired with energy1 ambition and push--when you feel that you can go out and conquer any obstacle--and you will feel the clammy wet blanket thrown over you1 putting out your fire of energy1 and in a moment or two you will wonder ,what's the use4 ,that is1 unless you understand your business1 and know how to throw off the influence of the negative thought-waves emanating from this man4 ,look out for him4 ,from the bottom of my heart1 ,i pity this man and his kind4 ,he gets none of the sweet things of ,life--he doesn't see them lying around4 ,he misses the joy of living4 ,he sees everything through jaundiced eyes4 ,he knows nothing of the happiness of the clear head1 warm heart1 and brotherly hand4 ,he is so occupied in looking for the spoiled fruit on the ground that he does not see the perfect fruit on the branches above his head1 begging to be picked4 ,he is so much engrossed in the mud upon the road1 that he does not see the bright blue sky above his head2 the beautiful landscape2 the children playing on the grass2 the mother nursing her babe2 the old couple trudging along hand in hand4 ,these things do not exist for him4 ,his mind is so full of ,fear1 ,suspicion1 ,distrust1 and ,petty ,spite1 that ,love finds no room4 ,but even this is ,good--for many find their way to ,optimism only by first sinking to the depths of extreme ,pessimism4 ,they reach the ,celestial ,city by the road that winds through the ,valley of the ,shadow of ,death4 ,even these things shall pass away4 ,all's well4 ,,aim ,,straight4 ,fear attracts1 as well as ,desire--,learn to aim straight and aim at the right thing--,examples--,the bowler--,the bicyclist and the car--,the bicyclist and the post--,the boy and the marbles--,wisdom from the babe--,look straight2 ,think straight2 ,shoot straight4 ,a strong ,desire or a strong ,fearthought is an aim at the thing desired or feared4 ,and in proportion to the degree of ,desire or ,fear1 will we be carried toward the thing at which we aim4 ,confident ,expectation is manifested in a ,fearthought as well as in an earnest ,desire1 and when we confidently expect a thing to happen we are carried toward it by an irresistible force4 ,it may seem strange to you to hear that ,fear is akin to ,desire1 but this is the truth4 ,it matters not whether we call it ,desire or ,fear1 the gist of the matter lies in the ,confident ,expectation4 ,a faint ,hope and a lurking ,fear have about the same attractive force--a ,desire coupled with a firm belief in its realization attracts strongly1 but no more strongly than does a ,fear coupled with a feeling of certainty of its realization4 ,the thing upon which your ,thought is firmly fixed or drawn toward1 will be the thing you will realize4 ,therefore ,aim ,straight4 ,we have heard much of the ,attractive ,power of ,thought as applied to ,desire4 ,i will now say something to you about the same force called into operation by ,fearthought4 ,it is far more pleasant for me to speak of the bright side of the question1 but ,i would be neglecting my duty toward you if ,i failed to direct your attention to the reverse of the shield4 ,when you thoroughly realize that ,thought-force works both ways1 you will know how to handle it1 and will understand many things that have heretofore been dark to you4 ,you will learn to ,,aim ,,straight1 but will also learn to be careful at what you aim4 ,you will learn to avoid the aim inspired by ,fear1 and will hereafter use all your energies to pointing your mental arrow at the bull's-eye of ,happiness and ,success4 ,let us take a few facts from the physical plane in order to illustrate things as they are on the mental plane of effort4 ,life has its correspondences on all its planes1 and by taking examples from one plane1 we will be able to more readily understand the workings of the ,law on other planes4 ,some time ago1 ,i was talking to a number of people about this subject1 and gleaned from each an illustration of the workings of the ,law of ,attraction on the physical plane4 ,and each example although on the physical plane1 showed the power of ,mind behind it4 ,i will tell you what some of these people said1 and you can see for yourself just what ,i mean4 ,the first man was a printer1 who after hours spent much time in bowling1 and who was looked upon as an expert in that game4 ,he said that some time before he was playing a game1 and at a critical point when he was taking aim and endeavoring to put the ball in between the #a and #b pins 7a specially advantageous shot71 his opponent spoke up and said ,just watch him hit the #d pin4 ,i do not know anything about bowling1 but it seems that to hit the #d pin is about the worst thing that can happen to a bowler1 outside of missing the pins altogether4 ,well1 to go on with the story1 with the remark of his rival1 ,fearthought entered the mind of the printer1 and he couldn't get the #d pin out of his mind4 ,he kept on looking at the place he wanted to hit1 but his mind was on the #d pin1 and he feared that he would hit it4 ,to use his own words1 he got rattled1 and away went the ball striking the #d pin fair and square4 ,he concluded the story by saying3 ,and so instead of making a 'ten strike' ,i got only a 'split4' ,maybe you understand those terms better than do ,i1 but at any rate you will see what a ,fearthought brought to this typographical bowler in his little game of ten-pins4 ,moral3 ,when you wish to place the ball ,energy between the #a and #b pins of ,life1 don't allow ,fearthoughts to switch you off to the #d pin1 thereby giving you a split instead of the coveted ten-strike4 ,another friend told me that1 a few days before1 he had been riding on the front bench of a grip-car on a ,chicago cable-line4 ,hearing the gripman break into the vernacular in a vigorous style1 he looked up1 and saw a colored man on a bicycle trying to cross the track on the bias1 as the girls say1 just ahead of the car4 ,there was plenty of time--plenty of room--for the man to get across1 but when he reached the middle of the track ,fearthought got hold of him1 and in spite of himself his wheel turned and he headed straight for the car4 ,he headed straight for the gripcar1 just as if he had aimed at it1 and the next moment he went bang right into it4 ,he escaped injury1 but his wheel was wrecked4 ,when asked about it1 he said that from the moment he got afraid of the car his wheel ran away with him1 right into the thing he ,feared4 ,moral3 ,keep your mind fixed on the thing you want--not on the thing you don't want4 ,another man1 to whom ,i related the story of the man on the wheel1 said that he had the same trouble when he was learning to ride the wheel4 ,he was getting along pretty well and could manage to steer half-way straight1 although in a wobbly manner1 until one day he happened to see a certain telegraph pole in front of the place where he was learning to ride4 ,the pole seemed to hypnotize him1 and from that day he couldn't keep his front wheel away from it4 ,he couldn't keep away from that pole--he was afraid of it4 ,the pole seemed to have magnetic qualities and the result was ,bump4 ,he remounted1 over and over again1 but the result was the same4 ,at last he made up his mind that he was going to get ahead of that pole somehow1 and he mounted the wheel with his back toward the pole 7but his ,mind was still on it7 and lo6 the front wheel described a semi-circle1 and back to the pole he went4 ,moral3 ,don't let a pole hypnotize you with ,fearthought--keep your ,mind on the place to which you wish to go4 ,but the best example was given by a boy who had kept his eyes open and his thinker working4 ,maybe ,i had better tell you in his own words4 ,this is what he said1 just as he said it3 ,oh1 pshaw6 said the ,boy1 you're making a big fuss over nothing4 ,every feller knows that you've got to think about a thing if you want to hit it1 and if you think about the wrong thing1 why1 you'll hit the wrong thing4 ,if ,i fire a stone at a tin can1 why1 ,i just look square at the can and think about the can for all ,i'm worth1 and the can's a dead one1 sure4 ,if ,i happen to let my mind wander to the cat what's on the shed over to the left of the can--well1 so much the worse for the cat1 that's all4 ,to shoot straight1 you've got to aim straight2 and to aim straight you've got to look straight2 and to look straight you've got to think straight4 ,every kid knows that1 or he couldn't even play marbles4 ,if ,i get my heart set on a beauty marble in the ring1 ,i just want it the worst way and says ,i to myself1 ',you're my marble4' ,then ,i look at him strong and steady-like and don't think about nothing else in the world but that beauty4 ,maybe ,i'm late for school1 but ,i clean forget it4 ,i don't see nothing--nor think nothing--but that there marble what ,i want4 ,as the piece in my reader says1 it's my ',heart's ,desire1' and ,i don't care whether school keeps or not1 just so as ,i get it4 ,then ,i shoot1 and the marble's mine4 ,and1 at school1 when our drawing teacher tells us how to draw a straight line1 she makes two dots1 several inches away from each other4 ,then she makes us put our pencils on the first dot and look steady at the other and move our pencil towards it4 ,the more you keep thinking about the far off dot1 and the less you think about the starting dot or your hand1 the straighter you're going to get your line4 ,wonst ,i looked straight at the far-off dot with my eyes1 but ,i kept thinking about a red-headed girl on the other side of the room1 and what do you think1 the line ,i was drawing slanted away off in her direction1 although ,i had kept my eyes glued on the far-away dot and never even peeped in the kid's direction4 ,that shows1 sure1 that it's the thinking as well as the looking4 ,see8 ,all of the examples above given contain within them the principles of a mighty truth--a working illustration of a great law of ,life4 ,if we are wise we will profit by them4 ,many things are happening around us every day1 from which we might gain lessons if we would only think a little1 instead of playing follow my leader and accepting other people's thought1 ready made4 ,we have gotten so accustomed to these hand-me-down thoughts1 that we have almost forgotten how to turn out thoughts for ourselves4 ,the day has come when we are required to do a little thinking on our own account1 instead of humbly bowing before moth-eaten ,authority perched upon a crumbling base4 ,the time has arrived when we must strike out for ourselves1 instead of following a musty ,precedent which has seen better days4 ,this is the age of the ,individual4 ,this the time for the ,i to assert itself4 ,i wish you would pay attention to what the ,boy said4 ,it is not the first time that we have gone to the babe for wisdom4 ,although a child has an imagination beyond our comprehension1 he1 at the same time1 is painfully and even brutally1 matter of fact4 ,he is continually asking3 ,why1 and when we grown-ups are unable to answer him he answers the question himself1 often better than we could have done4 ,he doesn't theorize1 but gets down to business1 and works things out for himself4 ,this boy knew all about the ,thinking part of the problems1 and had put it into practical application1 while we were theorizing about it4 ,he had discovered that in order to get things we must first earnestly ,desire them2 then ,confidently ,expect that we would get them2 then go to work to procure them4 ,that's the true philosophy of getting things4 ,he tells us1 about the marble1 that he first wanted it the worst way and didn't care whether school kept or not just so he got the marble4 ,then he looked strong and steady-like at the marble1 saying3 ,you're my marble4 ,then he shot1 and the marble was his4 ,can any of you describe the process of getting things better than this8 ,if we grown-ups would only put into our daily tasks the interest and attention that the boy put into his game of marbles1 we would get the marble oftener than we have been doing4 ,of course1 it may be true1 that the principal joy is in the getting of things rather than in the possession of them--that the ,game of ,life is like the game of marbles in that respect1 but what of that8 ,that needn't spoil the game4 ,the boy knows enough to enjoy playing for a few marbles that may be obtained for a penny-a-fistful at the corner store--but that fact doesn't bother him at all4 ,he knows that when he gets the marble it will not seem half so beautiful in the hand as it did in the ring--but he gets ready to shoot for the next one with just as much zest and enjoyment4 ,he finds a joy in ,living2 ,acting2 ,doing2 ,expressing2 ,growing and ,outgrowing1 ,gaining ,experiences4 ,take a lesson from the ,boy--while you are in the ,great ,game1 take a boy's interest in it2 play with a zest2 play your level best1 and get the marble4 ,the ,boy instinctively knows that the joy of life consists of ,living1 while we poor grown-ups vainly imagine that our pleasure will come only in the trophies of the game--the glass-marbles of ,life--and look upon the playing of the game as drudgery and work imposed upon us as a punishment of the sins of our forefathers4 ,the boy lives in the ,now1 and enjoys every moment of his existence--his winnings1 his losings1 his victories1 his defeats1 while we1 his elders and superiors in wisdom groan at the heat of the day and the rigor of the game and are only reconciled to our tasks by the thought of how we will enjoy the possession of the marbles1 when we get them at the end of the game4 ,the ,boy sucks his orange and extracts every particle of its sweet contents1 while we throw away the juicy meat and aim only to secure the pips4 ,oh1 yes6 the boy not only knows how to get there1 but he has also a sane philosophy of ,life4 ,many of us grown-ups are now re-learning that which we lost with our youth4 ,you will notice that the bowler1 the bicyclists and the others1 got what they didn't want1 because they were afraid of it1 and allowed it to distract their thoughts from the object of their ,desire4 ,to ,fear a thing is akin to ,desiring it--in either case you are attracted toward it1 or it to you4 ,it's a rule that works both ways4 ,you must think about the ,thing you ,want--not about the ,thing you ,don't ,want1 for the thoughts you are thinking are the ones that are going to take form in action1 as the ,boy said3 ,you've got to think about a thing if you want to hit it1 and if you think about the wrong thing1 why1 you're going to hit the wrong thing4 ,watch your ,ideal1 not your ,bugbear4 ,concentrate on your ,ideal--fix your thought and gaze upon it1 like the boy upon his marble--and don't allow ,fearthought to sidetrack you4 ,select the thing you want to be1 and then grow steadily into it4 ,pick out the thing you want1 and then go straight and steadily to it4 ,replace your old whine3 ,i ,fear1 with the ,new ,thought shout3 ,i ,can1 and ,i ,will4 ,then you will experience an illustration of ,thought taking form in ,action4 ,look ,straight2 ,think ,straight2 ,shoot ,straight2 in these three things lie the secret of ,success4 ,,at ,,home4 ,don't be afraid--,you are at home--,not here by chance--,you belong here--,,you are the soul--,,you cannot be hurt--,,you cannot be banished--,,you are right in the universe1 and there is no outside--,great things are before you--,make yourself at home4 ,don't be afraid4 ,you're living in your own home4 ,this ,universe was built for you to inhabit--to occupy--to enjoy4 ,do not feel strange--make yourself at home4 ,the wonderful laws of nature--those which have been discovered1 and those which remain to be discovered--are all laws for your use1 when you grow large enough to understand how to make use of them4 ,did you think you were here by chance1 or that you were an alien8 ,if so1 learn better4 ,you are to the manor born--you are the heir4 ,everything around the place is for your use1 when you grow up4 ,no one can dispossess you--no one can put you out4 ,you are at home4 ,do you long for another home8 ,do you fret and chafe at the trials and troubles of this world1 and imagine that somewhere else things will be better8 ,well1 they'll never be better for you until you have met and conquered the trials and troubles of this place4 ,you are just where you belong4 ,you are surrounded with just the things you need4 ,you are getting just what you deserve4 ,and until you learn the truth of this1 you will have the same surroundings--the same environments4 ,and then when you learn that the things around you are all right--that you are being treated justly--that you are getting just what you have attracted1 and are attracting1 to yourself--then you will be ready for the next step in the journey1 and you will have new surroundings and new environments--new tasks--new lessons--new pleasures4 ,i hear some of you talking about ,death4 ,you seem to think that you will be another order of being as soon as you take your last breath upon earth4 ,you talk about being a spirit1 bye-and-bye4 ,do ,i believe this8 ,of course1 ,i believe it4 ,i know it4 ,but ,i also know something else1 and that is that you are a spirit now1 just as much as you will be in another world4 ,did you think that some wonderful essence was going to grow from you1 and that that essence would be what you call a spirit8 ,nonsense6 ,,you are the spirit1 and the not-you part which will be discarded never was you4 ,the ,you which says ,i ,,am is the real thing--the real self--and the rest of you is but tools and instruments which ,,you are using4 ,why can't you see this8 ,you talk about my soul1 my spirit1 and so on4 ,you make me tired4 ,why1 the thing which is thinking and speaking--,,you--is the soul or spirit of which you are talking4 ,you talk as if the physical part of you1 which is changing continually1 was you4 ,you are like the boy with the old knife4 ,he was continually having the knife repaired4 ,he had had seven new blades and three new handles put on it1 and yet it was the same old knife4 ,why1 you could step right out of your body 7and maybe you do1 more than you have any idea of7 and it would be the same old ,,you4 ,you could discard your body just as you do your clothes1 and yet ,,you would be the same individual4 ,there is a wonderful difference between individuality and personality4 ,one you cannot get rid of2 the other may be changed4 ,what's the use in being afraid8 ,nobody can hurt the real ,,you4 ,you cannot be wiped out of existence4 ,if a single spirit atom should be destroyed1 the entire structure would smash up4 ,you cannot be banished from the ,universe1 for there's nowhere else to put you4 ,you cannot get outside of the ,universe1 for there's no outside4 ,there's no place for you outside of everywhere4 ,and you talk about time and eternity4 ,why1 you're in eternity right now4 ,you are right in it this moment4 ,it is always to-day--to-morrow never comes4 ,and you are right at home in the ,universe1 and always will be4 ,you are always there1 for there's nowhere else to go4 ,so what's the use in being afraid8 ,who's going to hurt you8 ,they can't kill ,,you4 ,they can't put you out of existence4 ,they cannot expel you from the ,universe4 ,so what are they going to do about it anyhow8 ,and1 after all1 who are ,they8 ,you talk as if there were outside forces and influences antagonistic to you4 ,outside of what8 ,no matter what beings of earth or air there may be1 they are creatures like yourself4 ,they are all a part of the ,whole ,thing--all made of the same material--all come from the hand of the same maker--you are all cut from the same piece of goods4 ,the apparent differences are illusions--the difference and separateness is only relative1 and not actual4 ,so1 make yourself at home4 ,take a look around and see what a nice bit of the ,universe you have to live in4 ,some of your family have been trying to occupy the whole house instead of only their share of it1 but those things are gradually working out1 and all will be better within a comparatively short time4 ,this is going to be a better world to live in when men take time to think a little4 ,and you'll be around to enjoy it when it comes--never fear4 ,you cannot get away1 even if you want to4 ,and1 what's the use of waiting for to-morrow4 ,there's lots of things in which you can find happiness to-day1 if you will only stop worrying about to-morrow4 ,the little child knows more about enjoying life than you do4 ,the little child feels at home anywhere and starts in to enjoy it1 and get the most out of it1 until he grows old enough to be hypnotized by the race belief4 ,you are at home here4 ,just as much at home as is the fish in the sea--the bird in the air4 ,realize this1 and make the most of it4 ,stop being afraid4 ,stop fretting4 ,stop worrying4 ,realize that yesterday1 to-day1 and to-morrow1 you are here in the ,universe4 ,it's a good ,universe1 and it grows better as man grows in wisdom to take advantage of its goodness4 ,and it is not yet sun-up here4 ,great things are before us4 ,and you will see them and take part in them4 ,make yourself at home1 for you're going to be around here for some time4 ,,the ,,solitude ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,lorado ,taft's group--,description--,each stands alone--,each is in touch with every other--,soul communion in silence--,silence is the sanctuary of the soul--,the oneness of life and its apparent separateness--,the message4 ,in one of the rooms of the ,art ,institute1 in ,chicago1 stands a remarkable group1 by ,lorado ,taft1 the sculptor1 entitled ,the ,solitude of the ,soul4 ,the average visitor stops a moment and passes on1 commenting on the beauty of the figures composing this group4 ,a few hurry past1 afraid to look at the figures1 for they are nude--as naked as the human soul before the gaze of its ,creator4 7,some people are afraid of things not hidden by draperies--even the naked ,truth shocks them47 ,but the man or woman who thinks and understands--stops long before this group1 conscious that it tells the tale of a mighty truth4 ,around a large rock1 stand four human figures--two men and two women4 ,they are so placed that but one figure is in full sight from any given point of view1 although the connection between any figure and the two on each side of it may be seen4 ,it is necessary to walk completely around the group to see the idea of the sculptor--to read the story that he has written into the marble4 ,each figure has an individuality4 ,each stands alone4 ,and yet each is in touch with the one behind1 and the one before4 ,each one is connected with all1 yet each one stands alone4 ,one figure extends a hand to her brother just ahead of her1 and on her shoulder rests the tired head of the brother following her4 ,hand in hand1 or head on shoulder stand they1 each giving to the other that human touch and contact so dear to the soul craving that companionship of one who understands4 ,each face shows sorrow1 pain1 and longing--that longing for that complete union of soul with soul--that longing that earth-life cannot satisfy4 ,and each feels and knows that the other has the same longing4 ,and each gives to the other that comforting touch that says ,i know--,i know4 ,each face shows a great human love mingled with its pain4 ,each face shows resignation mingled with its grief4 ,it is the old story of human love and human limitations4 ,it is also a story of deeper import--the story of the soul4 ,every lip is closed4 ,each man and woman is silent4 ,and yet each understands the other4 ,soul is communing with soul1 in the ,silence4 ,and in the ,silence alone can soul converse with soul4 ,words cheapen the communication of soul to soul4 ,with those who understand us well1 we can best commune in ,silence4 ,hand in hand--cheek to cheek--sit those who love well4 ,the tale of love is told and re-told without a word4 ,words serve their purpose in conveying the commonplaces of life1 but seem strangely inadequate to express the deeper utterances of the soul4 ,the tale of love--the story of sorrow--needs no words4 ,the soul understands the message of the soul--mind flashes the message to mind--and all is known4 ,the fondest memory of the one whom you loved and lost1 is not of moments in which he spoke even the most endearing words4 ,the memory most sacred to you is that of some great ,silence lived out with the loved one--some moment in which each soul drew aside its veil and gazed with awe into the depths of the other soul4 ,silence is the sanctuary of the soul4 ,enter it only with due reverence4 ,uncover the head--tread softly4 ,each figure stands alone1 and yet in touch with all the rest4 ,each is apparently separate and yet each is but a part of the whole4 ,each feels the frightful solitude which comes to the soul when first it recognizes what it is4 ,and yet1 in that dreadful moment each knows itself to be in touch with all of life4 ,each feels that intense longing for a closer soul union--a reunion of the separated parts of the whole4 ,and yet each realizes the impossibility of the consummation of that desire at this time--and they show their grief--they place the head upon the shoulder of the other--they clasp the hand of the other--they touch the flesh of the other--all as a symbol of the desire for the union of the soul4 ,this group is a symbol of the oneness of life and its apparent separateness4 ,a picture of the in-touchness of each part of the whole1 with every other part4 ,a story of the pain of the soul in its awful solitude--of its impotent striving for at-one-ment4 ,a representation of the communion of soul with soul1 in the ,silence4 ,a tale of the comfort and joy in the presence of another human form4 ,a message of ,the ,brotherhood of ,man4 ,all this--and more--is in this group4 ,i wonder if the sculptor saw it all1 or whether he chiseled better than he knew4 ,sometimes the ,divine in man causes him to write better--paint better--cut better--than he realizes4 ,others see much more in his essays1 stories1 poems1 paintings1 statuary1 than the maker knew was there4 ,and the man himself1 after years have past again views his work1 and wonders at the new story he reads there4 ,he feels dazed at having portrayed truths of which he dreamt not while he worked4 ,there are within us unexplored depths1 of the existence of which we do not dream4 ,and from these depths1 now and then1 rise into our consciousness beautiful thoughts--beautiful images--which we reproduce on paper--canvas--marble4 ,we do not understand these things1 and we join with others in the feeling of wonder inspired by the sight of the reproduction of that which came from the depths of our mental being4 ,and some1 who have grown closer to the ,real ,self within them1 see beauties in our work to which we are blind4 ,not until the scales fall from our eyes1 do we realize the full meaning of our work4 ,some call this ,inspiration4 ,but those who have pierced the veil know that it is inspiration from within1 not from without4 ,it is the voice of the ,divine spark within man1 whispering to the consciousness which is struggling to know better that ,higher ,self--a whisper of encouragement and good cheer--a portent of the future--a glimpse of the distant light--a bestowal of a few crumbs from the table of the ,spirit4 ,i know not1 ,i say1 whether ,lorado ,taft knew what he chiseled4 ,i know not whether he is a man of deep spiritual insight4 ,but this ,i do know1 that this group1 ,the ,solitude of the ,soul is the work of the ,spirit within this man4 ,and his work carries a deep spiritual message to those who are ready to receive it4 ,and in years to come this message will be understood by thousands1 for everyone who receives it to-day4 ,this work shall live long after its maker has forsaken the earthly body that he now uses as an instrument4 ,it will live because it carries a message--because it conveys a mighty truth4 ,,jerry ,,and ,,the ,,bear4 ,the ,law's plan of developing an individual--,folly of clinging to old worn out sheaths--,the story of ,jerry and the ,bear--,who ,jerry was--,he meets the ,bear--,the fight--,the result--,the consequences--,the change in ,jerry--,the moral4 ,the ,law1 in its efforts to develop ,man into a self-reliant being--into an individual--first tries the simpler plan of bringing a steady pressure to bear in the direction of gradual progress and growth1 impelling the man to think and act himself into a more positive condition each day4 ,after a while the man1 feeling behind him the steady push of ,life1 and being conscious of the attracting power of the ,absolute drawing him to higher things--leading him up the mountain path of ,attainment--learns to trust the propelling and attracting power1 and1 ceasing his resistance1 moves along in the direction of gradual unfoldment and growth4 ,he casts off sheath after sheath--and grows4 ,he does not attempt to impede or interfere with his development1 but cheerfully and joyfully presses forward to his unfoldment4 ,he finds pleasure in each stage1 and should pain manifest itself he knows it as the growing pains of the child--a promise of greater things4 ,there are some1 however1 who seem determined to cling to their old sheaths1 and resist the pressure of growth to the utmost4 ,they are unable to withstand the steady pressure1 and the attracting power1 carrying them forward1 and their resistance brings them much pain and friction1 and they are pushed this way and that by the pressure of the growing ,self1 resisting and struggling all the time4 ,the ,law has several ways of dealing with these people1 for their own good1 and often1 with a supreme effort1 tears them from the surrounding sheath to which they are clinging and forces them into a broader and wider life1 against their wishes and in spite of their struggles and cries4 ,many of us1 looking back over our past lives1 smile as we recognize how we were forced into new fields of work and endeavor--how we were broadened out in spite of ourselves--how we were torn from our old surroundings and environments1 in spite of our lamentations1 reproaches1 and cries1 and placed amid new scenes and faces4 ,this thing is repeated over and over again1 until we learn the lesson and cease to be unduly attached to persons and things1 and become willing to yield ourselves to the onward moving force and co-operate with the ,law instead of opposing it4 ,many men and women who steadily refuse to stand erect and assert their independence1 are deliberately worked into a position where they must declare their freedom from the things upon which they have been leaning1 and are forced to stand up and face conditions from which they have shrunk all their lives4 ,the ,law has a way of picking up those shivering mortals who stand around the river's edge1 and throwing them into the stream1 bidding them to strike out and ,,swim4 ,it prefers the easier way of teaching you to swim by degrees--of acquiring knowledge by easy stages--but if you refuse to learn in this way1 it will resort to the vigorous plan just mentioned--but swim you must1 one way or the other4 ,i am going to tell you a story--not a particularly pretty one1 but one that will give you an idea of what ,i mean1 and how the plan works4 ,it's about animals--but many a truth has been conveyed by fables in which animals were the actors1 and this homely little tale from the wilderness may convey to your minds the point of this talk better than do my words4 ,here's the story3 ,once upon a time a man1 away up in one of the ,northwestern ,states1 owned a dog named ,jerry4 ,he was not very much on looks--and less in good qualities4 ,he was not of any fancy breed--just ,dog1 that's all4 ,he had drifted on to the farm from ,somewhere and had been kicked and cuffed around in his early youth1 until he was afraid to claim a right to live at all4 ,he grew up into a worthless animal--snapped at by smaller dogs--bullied by those of his own size--looked down upon by all4 ,he expected to be kicked by everybody in sight--and1 of course1 got kicked4 7,men and dogs who go around expecting to be abused1 always draw upon them the thing they fear and expect47 ,his tail seemed a magnet which attracted all the tin cans around that neighborhood4 ,pitying did not seem to do him any good--it only made him more miserable and abject than ever1 just as it acts in the case of some people4 ,the poor chap gradually dropped down to the lowest state of dogdom1 and his case seemed hopeless4 ,the farmer would drive to town every once in a while1 and ,jerry would sneak along under the wagon1 in manner seeming to apologize for taking up even that space4 ,his appearance would be the signal for all the dogs of the several farms along the road to chase down to the wagon1 rout him out1 and roll him over in the dust1 the performance being repeated at every farm to and from the town4 ,the farmer1 at last1 feeling that the dog was bringing his establishment into disrepute1 and knowing that ,hopkins' ,jerry was becoming a township jest1 determined to put an end to the animal's unhappy career4 ,but ,destiny intervened--possibly in order to give me a tale to point the moral of this talk--and to give you something to remember in trying circumstances4 ,jerry strayed away from the farm one evening1 being chased a part of the distance by some of the smaller dogs who delighted in bullying him4 ,he traveled some distance from home and entered the woods4 ,bear tracks had been discovered in that region1 and some of the boys had dug a pit1 baiting it with some choice tid-bit pleasing to his bearship1 and covering it over with a thin roof which would yield to a light weight4 ,jerry started across the roof1 and in he went4 ,some hours after a young bear came sniffing around1 and he1 too1 dropped in the pit4 ,then the trouble commenced4 ,the bear feeling infuriated by his unceremonious drop1 reached out for ,jerry and gave him a scratch which caused him to yell4 ,the bear1 seeing that there was no fight in his opponent1 chased him round and round the pit1 until it seemed only a matter of a few minutes more until the dog would be relieved of his misery4 ,things took an unexpected turn1 however4 ,the bear knocked ,jerry over on his back1 and began giving him the finishing touches4 ,this seemed to bring to life the last remaining touch of self-respect left in the poor brute1 and with a mighty effort he sprang straight at the bear's throat and gave him a bite in which was concentrated all the repressed bites of a lifetime4 ,the bear1 with a roar1 sprang back to the other side of the pit4 ,it was hard to tell which was the most surprised of the two1 the bear at the sudden courage of his opponent1 or ,jerry at the fact that he could fight bear4 ,the dog's self-respect and confidence went up nearly to par4 ,the bear's caution adjusted itself accordingly4 ,after a bit the bear cautiously worked his way over toward ,jerry1 but the dog snarled fiercely and showed his teeth4 ,they had several rounds before things quieted down1 and each time ,jerry showed his mettle1 and although he was badly scratched he had bestowed upon the bear several tokens of his valor4 ,his self-respect and confidence was now an assured thing1 and the bear treated him with considerable deference and consideration4 ,after matters adjusted themselves1 the bear and the dog each retired to their respective sides of the pit1 and declared a truce4 ,in the morning the boys came to the pit1 shot the bear and lifted ,jerry out and carried him home4 ,his tail was several inches shorter1 and one ear was missing1 and his body was scarred and scratched like the face of a ,heidelberg student1 but away down in his heart he felt good--and he showed it4 ,the farmer1 feeling proud of the animal1 carefully nursed him until he was able to move around the house1 and then allowed him to go out of doors4 ,as soon as he appeared the other dogs made a rush for him1 but something in his look caused them to keep at a safe distance1 and they contented themselves with barking at him and keeping out of reach4 ,he did not seem anxious to fight1 but he had that look of confidence in his eyes that kept them where they belonged4 ,he had ceased to fear4 ,his tail no longer drooped between his legs1 but was held aloft as is the tail of every self-respecting dog4 ,and somehow1 that tail did not have the attracting power for tin cans that had formerly marked it4 ,the boys recognized that ,jerry had advanced in the scale1 and there was something about him that they liked and respected4 ,about ten days after the dog got well1 the farmer took a trip to town1 and ,jerry accompanied him1 trotting along in an unconcerned manner1 alongside1 behind1 or any other place that suited him4 ,as the first farmhouse was reached the dogs came rushing down to have some fun with our friend4 ,they pitched into him as of yore4 ,something happened4 ,the pack ran yelping back to the house for surgical attention--and ,jerry trotted on just the same4 ,this scene was repeated at every farm along the road1 ,jerry repeating the object lesson each time1 finishing up his task by rolling into the dust the big bull terrier in front of the postoffice1 who1 heretofore1 had been the terror of the town4 ,the homeward trip was a triumphal progress for the dog1 and all his old foes vied with each other in tail-wagging and other demonstrations designed to let ,jerry know that they were proud to be his friends4 ,but he paid little attention to them--he had developed into a canine philosopher4 ,after that he led a happy life4 ,he was not seeking fight1 but no boy or dog seemed to seek fight with him4 ,he had cast out ,fearthought4 ,he feared nothing that walked on legs4 ,,he ,,had ,,met ,,bear4 ,now1 some of my critics will call the attention of their readers to the fact that ,i am advising fight4 ,not so1 good friends4 ,i am using this dog story as an illustration1 and am trying to show you how the ,law will sometimes force a man into tight quarters in order to bring out his courage and self-confidence4 ,it knows the man has it in him1 and it proceeds to use vigorous methods to bring it out into action providing1 always1 that the man has not developed it before4 ,when a man has been placed in a position where he faces the worst1 and is compelled to grapple with the bear1 he finds that he has reserve force within him of which he never dreamt before1 and he puts forth all his energy to save himself4 ,he finds that when he boldly faces the difficulty the difficulty seems as much afraid of him as he had been of it4 ,he gains more confidence1 until at last he beats off the foe1 and rests secure in his own strength4 ,he finds that to the man who has abolished ,fear and who can smilingly face any situation1 ,fate is very respectful and obliging1 although to the man who fears it is a tormentor4 ,in proportion to a man's fear will be his troubles4 ,when he reaches the position when he can laugh in the face of ,fortune1 he will find her ceasing her coquetries and falling desperately in love with him4 ,and after the man has met the great difficulty--fought the mighty fight--he finds that he has ceased to fear the little troubles and trials of life--he feels his strength--he knows his source of power4 ,he holds his head erect and breathes in the pure air of heaven1 and feels the warm blood tingling through his veins4 ,he has found himself4 ,,he ,,has ,,met ,,bear4 ,,the ,,unseen ,,hand4 ,the consciousness of the hand--,when it first was felt--,always there--,now as the hand of a father--,now as that of a mother--,a lover--,a brother--,always guiding--,always leading--,a mystery--,some day we will know the owner of the hand4 ,i have felt the ,unseen ,hand--have been guided by it--have felt the kind but steady urge in the direction which it knew to be best1 though my ,intellect failed to see the beauty of the road toward which the ,hand was directing me4 ,for a time ,i rebelled against the impertinent interference of that which seemed to be a thing apart from me--a meddler--an unasked for helper4 ,i had emerged from the dependent state--the state in which ,i thought it necessary to lean upon others4 ,i gloried in my independence--my freedom--my ability to stand alone4 ,finding that it was good to stand alone--reveling in the joy of my new found freedom--rejoicing in the fact that the ,i ,,am within me was a reality--feeling within me the ecstasy that comes from the recognition of the reality of ,individuality--,i resented any interference from outside4 ,but the pressure of the hand was still here--it would take my unwilling fingers within its own and lead me on--and lead me on4 ,finding that ,i could not get rid of this unseen helper--realizing that it was intent upon guiding me in spite of my repeated assertions that ,i was able to take care of myself--that ,i was big enough to walk alone--,i began to study the ,something that was so determined to take an active part in the affairs of my life--,i started in to become acquainted with it4 ,i found that it had always been with me more or less1 but that ,i had not before recognized its presence4 ,so long as ,i felt that ,i was not able to stand erect upon my feet--so long as ,i feared--so long as ,i failed to recognize the ,i ,,am--,i was scarcely aware of this invisible helper4 ,but when ,i began to realize what ,i was--what was my place in the ,universal order of things--what were my possibilities--my future--the presence of this unseen hand began to be manifest4 ,when ,i at length threw off the last fetter that had bound me--when ,i threw back my shoulders and drew my first free breath--when ,i shouted aloud with joy at my freedom and strength--when ,i realized the power that was within me and at my command--when ,i started out to accomplish that which my awakened mind told me was possible of attainment--when ,i started to do these things all by myself--then ,i felt for the first time the firm clasp of the unseen hand4 ,now gently guiding--now leading--now kindly restraining--now giving a gentle urge toward people1 things and conditions--now drawing me back from the edge of a precipice--now directing toward a better path--now giving me a gentle1 firm pressure to reassure me of its presence when ,i doubted--now allowing me to rest my weight upon it when ,i felt tired--always there4 ,at times this hand has placed before me conditions that seemed to me to be anything but good4 ,at times it has brought me pain4 ,but ,i have learned to trust it--have learned to trust it4 ,the conditions that have seemed to me to be undesirable have brought me to desirable things4 ,the pain that ,i have suffered has brought me pleasure4 ,the experiences that have come to me ,i would not wish to part with--the more pain1 the more experience2 the more experience1 the more knowledge4 ,i have learned to love this hand4 ,and the owner of the hand seems to feel and return this love1 and now and then1 by a sympathetic little clasp1 lets me know that ,i am understood4 ,this hand sometimes seems to be that of a ,father--strong and firm--leading on with a confident air4 ,again it seems to be that of a ,mother--gentle and kind--leading me as does the mother lead her child4 ,again it seems as the hand of a woman who loves me--clinging and warm--neither leading nor being led--just moving on clasped in mine--no words--but with a perfect understanding4 ,the owner of this hand seems to combine within itself the qualities of both sexes--seems to have within itself all the attributes of ,father1 ,mother1 ,lover1 ,brother1 ,sister4 ,it seems to respond to the human need1 in every direction4 ,it seems always the hand of ,love--even while giving me pain4 ,i have never seen the face of the owner of this hand4 ,i have never looked into its eyes4 ,i have never seen its form1 if form it has4 ,but ,i have been conscious1 at times1 of being lifted up in its arms and being pressed close to its breast4 ,i have felt the impulse of the child1 at such times1 and have felt for the breast of the mother1 and have been conscious of the answering mother pressure as ,i was drawn up close to the body of the owner of the hand4 ,and1 at times1 have ,i felt rebellious at the confining clasp1 and have struggled and have even beat against the breast with my puny fists as ,i insisted that ,i be released from the clasping arms4 ,but1 mother-like1 the owner of the hand only drew me closer to the breast until ,i could feel the very heart-throbs within the mother-body--could feel the vibrations emanating from its life--could feel the warm breath upon my cheek as the invisible face bent over me impelled by the mother love4 ,again1 it takes on the father-form1 and ,i place my little hand within it1 and feeling like the boy whose father is taking him on a journey1 ,i say ,lead ,thou me on1 and go cheerfully and with faith into new lands--new surroundings--new fields4 ,why should ,i fear1 have ,i not hold of my father's hand8 ,and the hand at such times rests upon my shoulder1 every once in a while1 and ,i realize that the father feels a pride in his son1 and sees him growing in strength and knowing--that the father looks forward to a time when he will be able to talk with the boy who will then have grown in knowledge1 and will be able to understand some of the secrets of ,life that the father will then unfold to him4 ,and1 still again1 the hand is that of the loving woman who is walking along the path of ,life with the man she loves4 ,it is a tender clasp--the fingers tingle with love--the arm presses close to mine4 ,i hear no voice--no words are needed--soul talks to soul in the silence4 ,we walk on and on and on4 ,we understand4 ,and1 still again1 the hand seems that of a brother--a twin brother4 ,neither the protection of the father--the loving tenderness of the mother--the thrill of the lover's touch--is there4 ,i feel not that the hand is that of a stronger being--,i am conscious only of the brotherly clasp--the touch of comradeship--the presence of an equal4 ,i feel by my side a helper--someone who will back me up in time of need4 ,and ,i stroll along by his side and laugh with joy4 ,the joy of the boy is again mine4 ,the joy of companionship is again mine4 ,and1 lo the hand of the brother seems to grow--he and ,i are again men4 ,and something in his hand-clasp seems to say to me1 ,come1 brother1 let us go forth into the unknown future4 ,let us have ,faith4 ,there are lands awaiting our coming4 ,let us enjoy them4 ,let us explore them4 ,let us be filled with the spirit of adventure1 and go forth4 ,let us see--let us feel--let us know4 ,and ,i return the clasp1 and say1 ,aye1 brother1 let us go forth4 ,whither thou goest there will ,i go4 ,thy joys shall be my joy--thy pain my pain4 ,let us go forth--let us go forth to the ,divine ,adventure4 ,and1 so1 manifesting the attributes of all human relations1 in turn1 and at the proper time1 the owner of this unseen hand is near me4 ,i feel his presence--,i am aware of his nearness4 ,at times faith grows faint1 and ,i think it all a delusion--a phantasm--a dream4 ,all seems lost1 and ,i weep4 ,but1 lo6 in the midst of my despair1 ,i feel the hand upon my head--,i know that it is a reality and1 through my tears1 ,i smile4 ,shall ,i ever know the owner of this hand8 ,shall ,i ever see its face8 ,shall ,i ever understand the mystery of its existence8 ,i know not4 ,but faith whispers in my ear1 ,wait6 ,all is well6 ,when the pupil is ready the ,master appears4 ,when your eyes have a clear vision and can bear the sight1 then shall you see the ,face of the owner of the hand4 ,you have entered the ,path and there is no turning back4 ,go on--go on in ,faith1 ,courage and ,confidence4 ,why should you doubt--have you not felt the pressure of ,the ,hand8 ,aye1 why should ,i doubt or question8 ,have ,i not felt the pressure of the ,unseen ,hand8 ,open your hands1 friends1 that the ,hand may clasp yours as it has mine4 ,while your hand is clenched in ,anger and ,hate--while it clutches tight the gold it has snatched from the hand of another--while the fingers are drawn together with ,fear--it cannot receive the ,unseen ,hand4 ,open it wide--reach it out--offer it in friendly clasp--and you will feel within it the touch of that which you seek4 ,the ,unseen ,hand is waiting to clasp yours4 ,give it welcome--give it welcome4 ,,how ,,success ,,comes4 ,seeking success through mental powers--,holding the thought alone not sufficient--,how to get the real benefit of thought-force--,fall in with the workings of the ,law--,stand on your own feet--,one step at a time--,i ,do as well as ,i ,am4 ,many of the men and women who have been seeking ,prosperity by means of the powers of the mind1 have done so by holding the thought1 and then folding their hands and calmly waiting for some lucky event to happen1 or in other words1 for the long sought for prize to drop down into the laps1 from out of the ,nowhere4 ,now1 ,i have heard of a number of cases in which things apparently came about in this way1 although ,i have always felt that a little investigation would have shown some good and natural cause behind it all1 but as a rule the law does not work in this way--it does not leave the old beaten road of cause and effect4 ,it is no ,aladdin's lamp which has merely to be rubbed in order that glittering gems1 and showers of gold1 be poured out into the lap of the owner1 as he lies back on his cushions1 lazily rubbing the lamp with the tip of his little finger4 ,the law expects from the man who would invoke its mighty aid1 a little honest work on his part4 ,i think that the majority of those who have met with a greater share of ,success by means of the wonderful power of ,thought1 have met with such ,success not by having it fall from the skies1 but by following out the ideas1 impulses1 yes1 inspiration1 if you will1 that have come to them4 ,the man who has turned his back upon the old negative ,mental ,attitude--who has turned his face toward the rising sun--who has allowed the voice of ,faith again to be heard--who knows that the ,law which rules the motions of the worlds and still takes note of the sparrow's fall1 has his interest at heart and asks but for ,faith--that man1 ,i say1 finds that from time to time ideas will come into his mind just when they are needed2 will find that the ,law takes cognizance of all human needs and has prepared a way to satisfy them4 ,he finds that new ways are pointed out to him--avenues of escape from unbearable conditions--signboards pointing out the right road1 but he must have ,,faith in these little hints from the ,infinite1 and must follow them4 ,the ,law will open the door to you1 but will not push you in4 ,and when it finds that you refuse to see the open door1 it softly closes it1 and not until many weary years have passed do you recognize what you have missed4 ,and the ,law insists upon doing its work in its own good way--not in your way4 ,you may know what you want1 but you may not know just the right way to get it1 although you think you do4 ,the ,law will give you many a hint1 and many a gentle push in the proper direction1 but it always leaves you the liberty of choice--the right to refuse4 ,it does not insist upon your love1 your ,faith2 that is1 it does not make you love and have ,faith1 but until you do love and have ,faith you are not conscious of the promptings of the ,spirit1 or1 at most1 dismiss them as beneath your notice4 ,oh1 ye of little ,faith1 when will ye learn4 ,the man who understands the workings of the ,law1 acts upon the tender impulses imparted to him1 without resistance4 ,he does not ask to see the end of the journey1 but he sees the step just ahead of him very plainly1 and he hesitates not about taking it4 ,he does not expect the ,law to bring ,,results and place them in his hand4 ,all he asks and desires is that the way be pointed out to him1 and he is willing and ready to do the rest himself4 ,the true man or woman does not wish to be fed with a spoon4 ,all they ask is that they may have a fair chance to reach the source of supply1 and they can manage to handle the spoon themselves4 ,if any man think that the ,law is an incubator of parasites--of leeches--of vampires--he is greatly mistaken4 ,the lesson of the ,law is to teach every man to stand upon his own feet--to lean not upon another--but at the same time to feel that he is guided by the great ,law of which he himself is a part1 which manifests within him as well as without him1 and that1 consequently1 while placing his trust in the ,law1 he trusts in himself4 ,not paradoxical at all1 when you have the key4 ,yes1 yes1 the ,law expects every man to do well the work that lies to his hand--and to do it well1 whether it is irksome or distasteful or otherwise2 and as soon as he ceases to rebel and beat his wings against the bars of the cage1 the way is opened for the next step2 and if he does not take that step1 he must work away until he learns to take it4 ,and so on1 and on1 the lesson of each task to be learned before the next is presented4 ,work8 why certainly you must work4 ,everything in the ,universe works unceasingly4 ,when you learn to look upon work as a joy and not a curse1 then you are beginning to see your way out of the grinding process4 ,then you are getting a glimpse of the ,promised ,land4 ,why bless your hearts1 ,work is the best friend you have1 the only trouble is that you have treated it as an enemy and it has paid you back in your own coin4 ,when you learn to treat it as a friend1 it will be only too glad to make up1 and you will get along like two old cronies4 ,now1 you people who have been sitting with folded hands and calmly waiting1 and complaining that your own has not come to you1 listen3 ,you are mistaken4 ,your own has come to you--that's just the trouble4 ,your own is the thing you attract1 and you have been attracting just what has come to you4 ,start in to-day1 determined to fall in with the workings of the ,law1 and pay attention to the ,i ,,do side of things as well as the ,i ,,am1 and you will receive new light4 ,great things are just ahead of you1 but you must reach out for them--they're not going to drop into folded hands4 ,this is the ,law4 ,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the ,,southern ,,exposure4 ,southern exposure as good a thing in a man as in a room--,the man who faces the sun--,lives one day at a time and does the best he knows how1 and is kind--,finds ,joy and carries it to others--,simple1 loving1 kind--,open yourself to the sun4 ,did you ever go house hunting8 ,then you remember how the agent laid much stress on the fact that certain rooms had a ,southern ,exposure4 ,no matter how many other good qualities the house had1 all was subordinated to the fact that the best rooms faced the ,south--had the longed for ,southern ,exposure4 ,the very words conveyed to your mind the sensation of balmy breezes--the freedom from the rude blasts of the ,north--the cheering rays of the ,sun--plenty of light and healthful vibrations coming from old ,sol4 ,ah1 that ,southern ,exposure--how much the words convey4 ,now1 if this ,southern ,exposure is such a good thing in a room1 why isn't it a good thing in a man8 ,did you ever meet the man with the ,southern ,exposure--the man who faces the ,sun8 ,do you recall how he brought with him the inspiring ,solar vibrations8 ,do you remember how the wrinkles and frowns disappeared from the faces of those in his presence8 ,do you remember how1 long after he had departed1 the memory of his presence cheered you--the thrill of his thought vibrations remained to stimulate8 ,we all know this man with the ,southern ,exposure1 ,god bless him4 ,we couldn't get along without him4 ,there are a number of him1 and he is scattered all over the globe4 ,we call him by different names1 but he is always the same man4 ,after we have felt the cold ,northern chill emanating from some of the cold1 despondent1 negative people with whom we have come in contact1 what a relief it is to meet some one who carries with him the mellowing sunny1 vibrations of the ,south wind--the man with the ,southern ,exposure4 ,as the vibrations of the ,sun bring life1 energy1 and strength to all things having life1 so this sunny man brings positive1 bright1 cheerful and happy thoughts to us1 and stimulates1 encourages and strengthens us4 ,he actually radiates sunshine and cheer in all directions1 and thaws out the natures that have become well nigh frozen from contact with people of the other type4 ,oh1 it's a great thing1 this ,southern ,exposure in a man or woman4 ,this man faces the ,sun4 ,he is an optimist4 ,he looks on the bright side of things1 and gets all there is in ,life--he ,,lives4 ,he manages to extract fun out of the most unpromising conditions and things1 and goes on his way with a smile1 and a cheerful song1 an abiding faith in the ,absolute4 ,he lives his life1 one day at a time1 loving all of ,god's creatures and letting the creatures know it--carrying a message of hope1 and courage1 and a helpful suggestion to all mankind4 ,he is the salt of the earth1 and ,life would lose its flavor if he were taken from us4 ,and how smooth the pathway of ,life seems made for him4 ,it matters not in what station he may be placed--what seemingly small degree of material prosperity may come to him--what may be his surroundings and environments--he makes the best of everything--he still catches the rays of the ,sun1 and rejoices--he has the ,southern ,exposure4 ,he is broad and tolerant--merciful and forgiving--devoid of ,hate1 ,envy and ,malice--free from ,fear and ,worry4 ,he minds his own business1 and grants you the same privilege4 ,he is full of ,love1 and radiates it to all the world4 ,he goes through ,life in his own sunny way1 meeting cheerfully the things that drive others to ,despair and ,misery--somehow things seem to be smoothed out for him1 and he passes over the stony road1 unharmed4 ,his ,peace comes from within--and all who meet him feel his presence4 ,he does not seek after friends or love--,friendship and ,love come to him as a right--he attracts them4 ,people are glad to see him come1 and sorry to see him go4 ,little children and animals are drawn to him1 and know him as their friend and lover4 ,he is as much at home in the tenement of the laborer as in the palace of the wealthy--both places seem home to him1 and their occupants on a level4 ,brother to both ,saint and ,sinner is he1 and he loves one as much as the other1 for he somehow feels that each is doing his best4 ,he looks for the good in the ,sinner--not for the sin in the ,saint--although he knows that both exist4 ,he is not a ,pharisee--he recognizes within himself all that is within both ,saint and ,sinner--he knows that he is not without sin1 so he dares not cast the first stone4 ,the outcast recognizes in him a brother--the woman who has passed through the fiery furnace trusts him and is not afraid1 for she knows that he understands4 ,he1 being near the ,sun1 knows that it shines alike on ,saint and ,sinner--he feels that when ,god withholds his ,sunbeams from his most disobedient child1 then may he withhold his love from his most degraded brother or sister4 ,until that time comes he sees fit to love them4 ,he does not ,condemn--he lets ,god exercise that prerogative1 if he sees fit--he does not feel fit to act as ,judge4 ,he believes that the ,universe is conducted on sound business principles--that ,god knows just what he is about and does not require any gratuitous advice from ,man4 ,he works1 and works well4 ,he finds ,joy in his work--pleasure in the humblest tasks4 ,he likes to ,create things--and he is proud of that desire1 for he feels that it is an inheritance from his ,father4 ,he does not seem to hurry--nor is he rushed4 ,he has plenty of time--,eternity lasts a long while1 and he is in it ,,now4 ,he is not afraid of ,death--or even ,life--he knows them as one4 ,he goes about his way--doing his best--and letting the other fellow alone4 ,he has an abiding ,faith in the ,absolute--he believes in ,infinite ,justice and ,ultimate ,good4 ,he does not fear his ,father--he cannot find room for ,fear where ,love abides4 ,he does not believe that there is a bottomless pit into which his loving ,father intends to plunge him--he has too much confidence in his ,father to think that4 ,he believes that there is enough ,hell on earth to burn away the mistakes and ignorance of ,man4 ,and he believes that all the burning ones will eventually emerge purged of their dross4 ,he knows that his ,father is near him1 for he has felt the pressure of his hand4 ,in the darkness of the night he has felt the ,father's presence--by the glare of the lightning flash he has seen ,his form1 for a moment1 and that memory is burned into his brain4 ,he faces the ,sun--this man with the ,southern ,exposure4 ,he is ,simple1 ,loving1 ,kind4 ,he is of the ,elect4 ,he is a prophecy of the ,future4 ,and he is on the increase4 ,on the ,tree of ,life are many promising buds1 which the ,sun of the ,spirit is nursing into beautiful blossoms that will yet fill the world with the delicious fragrance of ,love4 ,there are certain people who have come into our midst silently and without announcement4 ,they have found places waiting for them4 ,they have come to prepare the way for their brothers and sisters who are in the womb of the future--they are working quietly to prepare a home for their unborn brothers and sisters when they come4 ,they are the forerunners of the ,coming ,race4 ,smiled at--sneered at--persecuted--reviled--pitied--it matters not4 ,god has sent them--they have his message to deliver--that's why they are here4 ,the world may raise its eyebrows--shrug its shoulders--tap its forehead significantly--but these new people smile1 they know1 they know4 ,they see the misunderstanding multitude as mere babes in the ,spiritual knowing--many of them babes unborn--and they heed them not4 ,take notice of these people--they are making their presence felt4 ,they are wielding a silent powerful influence1 and are molding public opinion far more than are the blatant reformers1 the boastful leaders1 the bespangled figures strutting at the front of the stage4 ,the people who are thus being used--instruments in ,god's hands--are these quiet men and women who are facing the ,sun--these people with the ,southern ,exposure4 ,if you feel the call to join the ranks of these people--do not resist1 but answer cheerfully ,i hear2 ,i obey2 ,i come4 ,allow the seed to grow into the plant1 the plant to put forth leaves--bud and blossom4 ,when you feel the impulse1 do not resist--open yourself to the ,sun--receive its vibrations--and all will be well4 ,be not afraid--have within you that ,love which casteth out ,fear--place your hand in that of the ,absolute and say ,lead ,thou me on4 ,after long ages of wandering1 you are coming ,home4 ,a ,,foreword4#a ,an individualist--,wearing no ticket or label--,no one has a corner on ,truth--,enough to go around--,the ,infinite ,power back of all things--,the ,real ,self is ,spirit--,the ,law of ,attraction--,fearthought--,the ,brotherhood of ,man4 99 99 99 99 ,i generally call myself a ,mental ,scientist1 and am so known to my friends1 but ,i merely use the term because it is broad and comprehensive1 not because ,i bear the ticket of any particular school of the ,new ,thought--not because ,i wear the badge of any special leader4 ,i am an ,individualist4 ,i believe in the right of every man to think his own thoughts--to find his way to the ,truth by whatever road he may see fit1 even if he prefers to cut across fields in getting there4 ,i believe that whilst all men are brothers1 and each a part of a mighty ,whole1 still each one must stand squarely upon his own feet--must work out his own salvation--must do his own thinking4 ,i believe that ,truth is everywhere--in everything1 and that we may uncover a bit of it wherever we may happen to dig4 ,i do not believe that any person has a corner on the ,truth--a monopoly of ,knowing4 ,i do not believe in ,popes1 in or out of the ,new ,thought4 ,each of us will uncover his own little bit of the ,truth1 but we must not imagine that we have the ,whole ,thing4 ,there's enough ,truth to go around--and to spare4 #a ,an extract from the article of this name in which the author introduced himself to the readers of the magazine ,new ,thought1 upon assuming the position of co-editor1 in ,december1 #aija4 ,i believe that there is an ,infinite ,power in1 and of1 all things4 ,i believe that1 although to-day we have but the faintest idea of that ,power1 still we will steadily grow to comprehend it more fully--will get in closer touch with it4 ,even now1 we have momentary glimpses of its existence--a momentary consciousness of ,oneness with the ,absolute4 ,i believe that the greatest happiness consists in maintaining toward the ,absolute the attitude of the trusting child1 who1 feeling no doubt of the parent's love--no doubt of his wisdom--places his little hand in that of the parent1 and says3 ,lead ,thou me on4 ,i believe that he who feels towards the ,absolute1 the trustfulness of the babe which places its little tired head close to the breast of the mother1 will also be conscious of the tender answering pressure1 as the babe is drawn just a little closer to the mother heart4 ,i believe these things--,i have felt them4 ,i believe that ,man is immortal--that the ,real ,self is ,spirit1 which uses mind and body as its tools1 and manifests itself according to the fitness of the tools4 ,i believe that ,man is rapidly growing into a new plane of consciousness1 in which he will know himself as he is--will recognize the ,i ,,am--the ,something ,within4 ,many are having glimpses of the ,truth every day--the first glimpses of the light of the great ,dawn are even now being perceived by those who are awake and watching4 ,i believe that the mind of ,man contains the greatest of all forces--that ,thought is one of the greatest manifestations of energy4 ,i believe that the man who understands the use of ,thought-force can make of himself practically what he will4 ,i believe that not only is one's body subject to the control of the mind1 but that1 also1 one may change environment1 luck1 circumstances1 by positive thought taking the place of negative4 ,i know that the ,i ,can and ,i ,will attitude will carry one forward to ,success that will seem miraculous to the man on the ,i ,can't plane4 ,i believe that thoughts are things1 and that the ,law of ,attraction in the thought world will draw to one just what he desires or fears4 ,i believe that ,fearthought is the root of more misery1 unhappiness1 disease1 crime1 failure and other undesirable things than any one thing in the world4 ,i intend to attack this monster most vigorously1 through these columns4 ,i intend going for him with the grace of ,god in my heart1 and a good hickory club in my hand4 ,i will cause many of you to tear out ,fear by the roots--you don't need it about you4 ,i will preach the gospel of ,fearlessness4 ,there is nothing in the world 7or out of it7 to fear except--,fear4 ,i will also preach the gospel of ,backbone to you--will insist upon your inserting a steel-rod vertebra in the place of that india-rubber affair that some of you are carrying around with you4 ,you doubt this1 do you8--well1 just you wait and see4 ,i believe in the ,brotherhood of ,man4 ,i believe in being ,kind4 ,i believe in everyone minding his own business--and allowing everyone else the same privilege4 ,i believe that we have no right to condemn--let him who is without sin cast the first stone4 ,i believe that he who ,hates1 is an assassin2 that he who ,covets1 is a thief2 that he who ,lusts1 is an adulterer2 that the gist of a crime is in its desire4 ,seeing this--looking into our own hearts--how can we ,condemn8 ,i believe that ,evil is but ,ignorance4 ,i believe that to know all is to forgive all4 ,i believe that there is good in every man2 let us help him to manifest it4 ,i believe in the absolute equality of the ,man and the ,woman--sometimes ,i think that the odds are slightly in favor of the ,woman4 ,i believe in the ,sacredness of ,sex--but ,i also believe that ,sex manifests on the ,spiritual and ,mental planes1 as well as on the ,physical4 ,and ,i believe that to the pure all things are pure4 ,i also believe in the gospel of work--in hustling4 ,i believe in the ,i ,,do1 as well as the ,i ,,am4 ,i know that the man who will take advantage of the ,power of the ,mind1 and who will manifest that power in action1 will go forward to ,success as surely and as steadily as the arrow from the bow of the skilled archer4 ,,partnership4 ,next to marriage1 partnership is the most important association--,mental partnerships--,be careful whom you choose as your mental partners--,get into partnership with the best thoughts--,dissolve partnership with the other kind--,i ,can1 ,i ,will2 ,i ,do1 ,i ,dare4 ,next to marriage1 a partnership arrangement is the most important association into which a man or woman may enter4 ,its consequences are far-reaching and difficult to escape1 and to a very considerable extent one is bound by the acts of his partners4 ,this being the case1 it is of the utmost importance that one should exercise the greatest diligence and care in selecting partners4 ,if any of my readers were to contemplate entering into a partnership agreement with others1 he would be sure to select those who were possessed of the most desirable qualities1 and those most conducive to success4 ,he would carefully avoid those possessed of ,lack of ,confidence1 ,fear1 ,worry1 ,discouragement and others of the ,i ,can't class4 ,he would seek out the ,courageous1 ,confident1 ,i ,can and ,i ,will men4 ,he would keep away from those in whom ,hate1 ,malice1 ,jealousy1 ,envy1 ,bigotry and other traits of ,ignorance were strongly manifest4 ,he would1 in short1 choose those who possessed to the greatest possible degree the qualities most conducive to ,success and would as carefully avoid those possessed of opposite qualities4 ,there is no doubt of the truth of what ,i have just said--every one of you will admit it4 ,now1 ,i do not purpose telling you about business partnerships of the ordinary kind--you know all about those--but ,i will call your attention to the fact that you are every day forming partnerships of a most important character and far-reaching in their effects1 but of which you probably have been unaware4 ,when your attention is once called to the matter1 many things will seem clear to you that have heretofore appeared quite dark1 and you will be able to avoid mistakes1 in the future1 that have been quite common in the past4 ,this is an important lesson1 and ,i trust that you will give heed to what ,i say4 ,i have stated1 in previous articles1 that your mind is a mighty magnet1 attracting to itself the thoughts emanating from the minds of others4 ,like attracts like in the world of ,thought1 and the prevailing character of your thoughts will be manifested in the character of thought waves drawn to you from the great ocean of thought4 ,your thought mingles and coalesces with thoughts of a corresponding nature sent out from the minds of others1 and both you and the other senders are strengthened in the mental attitude by reason of the joining of forces4 ,you are entering into a mental partnership with those unknown thinkers1 and attracting them to you1 and you to them4 ,why do birds of a feather flock together1 in business and everyday life8 ,simply because they are irresistibly drawn to each other by the ,law of ,mental ,attraction4 ,the people with whom you are brought in contact are those of the same mental key as yourself4 ,you may not agree with this statement1 but a close analysis will prove it4 ,the pushing1 hustling1 wide-awake man will attract to himself thought-partners of the same stamp1 while the man who is afraid is always sure to find himself surrounded by people having the same defects4 ,and not only is this true in the sense that the ,law brings you into actual contact with people of the same mental key1 but you are connecting yourself with hundreds of others who are thinking along the same lines1 although you may never actually come in physical contact with these people4 ,you are going into partnership with them1 and will share in the firm's profits and losses1 just as you would in case of an ordinary business partnership4 ,and it is easy to foretell upon just what side of the firm ledger the balance will appear4 ,when you approach a man on business1 with your mind laden with thoughts of ,fear1 ,lack of ,confidence1 etc41 you strike a similar keynote in that man1 and he instinctively feels that he has no confidence in you or your business1 and if he is a man whose predominant note is ,courage1 he will feel the inharmony and get rid of you as soon as he can4 ,if1 on the contrary1 he is also a ,i ,can't man he will feel a fellow feeling for you1 but it will do you no good2 it will be a case of misery loves company1 and the first thing you know you will find yourself and that man in an earnest conversation about dull times1 poor crops1 the country is going to the dogs1 no chance for a man nowadays1 we're all going to the poorhouse1 etc41 etc4 ,i've seen it happen many a time1 haven't you8 ,but if you are an ,i ,can and ,i ,will man1 and he is the same1 see how different things are4 ,he will warm up to you and will feel that he understands you1 and sooner or later you and he will do business with each other1 in fact1 the arrangement is begun with your first meeting4 ,if you can get yourself in something like the same mental attitude of a man with whom you wish to do business1 you will get along with him1 never fear4 ,when you have something in mind upon which you are working1 and you are at the same time maintaining the proper mental attitude1 you are placing yourself in psychic touch with every other man in the same line who is holding the same mental attitude4 ,you draw inspiration from them1 and both parties to the mental partnership share in the profits4 ,both will share1 to a certain extent1 in each other's progress and both will draw largely from the mental stock of those who are working along the same lines1 but who are holding a negative mental attitude4 ,in fact1 the whole store of knowledge and progress along those lines will be tapped by these partners holding the positive mental attitude4 ,new plans1 ideas1 combinations1 schemes1 devices will spring into being in their minds1 and they will not only help each other1 but will draw upon the less positive people4 ,this seems a hard law1 but it is like all of ,nature's laws1 so severe that we are forced sooner or later to learn the lesson4 ,we learn by experience only4 ,this operation of the ,law of ,mental ,attraction is a good example of one of the meanings of that saying1 so dark to many3 ,to him that hath shall be given2 to him that hath not shall be taken away1 even that which he hath4 ,at any rate1 that is the way the law works4 ,and it is not only in the matter of ,success that this mental partnership works4 ,its operations are manifest everywhere4 ,you will notice that the negative emotions draw to themselves people1 thoughts and things upon which they can feed4 ,let a man or woman manifest ,jealousy1 and1 lo6 as if from the earth spring apparent causes for that jealous feeling4 ,all sorts of things seem to conspire to feed the green-eyed monster into a state of fatness4 ,and let a man or woman get a notion that people are trying to slight them1 and let them continue to hold this thought1 and it will soon seem to the poor victim of ,fearthought as if everybody in the world was determined to snub1 slight and tread upon him and hurt his feelings4 ,if he persists in this attitude1 life will become a burden too heavy to bear1 and there will be no possible relief for him except a change of mental front4 ,let one imagine that everyone is trying to cheat him1 and he will be a lucky man if he does not find that the things he feared have come upon him4 ,let a man cherish thoughts of ,hate and ,malice1 and sooner or later he will become involved in all sorts of hateful1 malicious schemes and occurrences1 with his partners whom he has drawn to him4 ,he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword1 is proven every day4 ,he who thinks every man is a rogue will see enough rogues to justify him in his belief1 and will probably end up by having people think of him as a rogue--he will draw all sorts of roguish people1 things and circumstances to him4 ,did you ever start in the morning feeling cross and crabbed8 ,well1 if you did you probably found that after the inevitable domestic row over the buckwheat cakes and coffee--after you had left your wife with tears in her eyes1 and the children in good shape to get into trouble in school--that everyone seemed to have it in for you4 ,some fellow in the train seemed to deliberately tread on your pet corn1 another jostled you1 and so on4 ,when you got down to business1 everything went wrong1 and unless you brought yourself up with a short turn you had a dreadful time of it all day1 and were glad when night came that you might sleep it off4 ,you will always find that there are plenty of people waiting to go into mental partnership with you in such cases4 ,if you are looking for fight1 you will get it4 ,i tell you1 friends1 that people are all more or less in psychic touch with each other1 and the sooner we recognize this fact the better it will be for us4 ,this ,law of ,mental ,attraction works either good or bad for us1 according to the uses we make of it4 ,if we run contrary to the law we will be taught lesson after lesson1 until we learn something4 ,but if we fall in with the workings of the law we will reap the benefits that come to ,man when he masters and controls any of ,nature's great forces4 ,now1 don't make partnerships of an undesirable kind4 ,if you do you will have to bear the consequences4 ,if you have already formed such a partnership1 dissolve it at once and go into liquidation4 ,after a while you will have cleared up the old debts and straightened matters out and will begin to do business on another basis4 ,and ,i want to tell you right here that you can get into the best mental firms in the world if you only go about it right4 ,they will not object to you if you are a fit member1 and1 in fact1 they could not keep you out even if they wished4 ,the doors will open at the magic touch of the spoken word backed up by the proper mental attitude4 ,cut loose from the old thought associations and form new connections4 ,get in touch with the right kind of thought-waves1 people and things4 ,cultivate the proper mental attitude and demand an entrance to the firm you wish4 ,good men are scarce in all branches of business1 trades and professions4 ,there's room for you--away up at the top1 too4 ,get what belongs to you2 do not be cheated out of your heritage4 ,assert yourself4 ,join to-day that good1 hustling firm1 whose name on the signboard reads3 ,i ,,can1 ,i ,,will1 ,i ,,do1 ,i ,,dare4 ,,the ,,seekers4 ,the secret of life--,the riddle of existence--,sought now as ever--,the whyness of things--,attempts to answer the riddle--,the ,seekers--,fantastic creeds and queer philosophies--,revamping old ideas--,the story of the man and the stars--,the answer to be found within the soul4 ,i laugh at the lore and the pride of man1 ,at the sophist schools and the learned clan1 ,for what are they all1 in their high conceit1 ,when man in the bush with ,god may meet8 --,emerson4 ,man is trying to reason out now as in the past1 the secret of ,life--the riddle of ,existence4 ,he seeks to know from whence he comes1 whither he goes1 and what is the object of his existence4 ,he wants to know the whyness of things--what it all means4 ,he is like the squirrel in the cage1 which exhausts itself in traveling the long road of the wheel1 only to find itself at the end of its journey just where it started4 ,or worse still1 like the newly-caged wild bird1 he dashes against the bars of his prison1 again and again1 in his efforts to regain his freedom1 until at last he lies weak and bleeding1 a captive still4 ,it has ever been so1 from the childhood of the race until the present time4 ,sages1 seers1 prophets and philosophers have endeavored to reason out the problem1 but their labors have availed nothing1 and the riddle remains unanswered4 ,man has traveled over and over the circular road of thought1 only to discover that it has no beginning--no ending4 ,he thinks that he has explained things1 but he has merely given them names4 ,all the scientific research1 all the theological and metaphysical speculation1 has failed even to explain the sprouting of the mustard seed4 ,life and ,death is a mystery to the most brilliant man of this civilization1 as it was to the ignorant creature of the stone age4 ,races1 nations1 civilizations rise and fall2 creeds are born1 grow strong1 weaken and die1 but the secret remains a secret still4 ,the present day seems to have reawakened the latent desire of man to see behind the veil4 ,the pendulum which carried so many thinkers to the materialistic extreme is beginning to swing in the opposite direction1 and is causing a strange and wonderful revival of ancient creeds and philosophies4 ,those who have long since turned their backs upon the accepted creeds now find themselves in the company of those who still claim allegiance to the church1 but who feel themselves cramped by the creeds fashioned for them by their fathers4 ,the leader of the ,new ,thought1 reaching the top of the mountain1 often finds himself face-to-face with a scientific savant who has reached the same place by climbing up the other side of the hill4 ,and the scientist and the ,new ,thought man need not be surprised to find a leader of advanced religious thought claiming a foothold on the top of the same hill4 ,but the trio1 after they have congratulated themselves upon reaching the summit and ending their journey look around them1 and lo6 their mountain is but a foothill1 and far above them1 towering higher and higher1 rise range after range of the real mountains1 the highest peaks being hidden among the clouds6 ,one has but to look around him to see how strenuous has grown the search for the answer to the riddle4 ,new creeds1 philosophies1 cults and schools confront us at every turn4 ,the past has been ransacked for its discarded philosophies1 which have been renovated and trimmed anew for modern use4 ,the dust has been brushed off many an old and almost forgotten creed1 which is pushed to the front under a new name and with new trimmings4 ,plato is worked overtime to furnish the twentieth century creed promoters with material to be done over4 ,the wildest dreams of the ancients are toned down a little1 and boldly offered to the eager multitude as the long sought for solution of it all4 ,priests and teachers of all the religions of all lands are among us vying with the priests and priestesses of the new philosophies and creeds of our own land1 and bidding for public favor4 ,and these new home-made philosophies1 how frightfully and wonderfully are they made6 ,the old philosophies of ,greece and ,rome are skilfully dovetailed with the creeds of the ,orient1 and the result is a thing differing from anything ever seen before by gods or men4 ,brahmins1 ,buddhists1 ,confucians1 ,mahommedans and ,sun ,worshippers claim thousands of followers in our land1 and ,isis and ,osiris will before long again be given a place and duly installed in the new ,pantheon4 ,thor and ,odin will doubtless be revamped1 and the rites of the ,druids revived4 ,we are looking every day for the arrival on our shores of the advance agent of the ,joss propaganda from the ,celestial kingdom4 ,and the home product is1 if possible1 more fantastic and bizarre than the imported article4 ,the wildest claims and statements are made with an air of authority1 and are accepted as gospel by the adherents of the several sects4 ,one does not know whether to sigh or weep as he watches some of the modern prophets and prophetesses strutting their little stage and cutting fantastic capers before high heaven1 thus adding to the gayety of the nations4 ,the demand for these things has been created1 and nothing seems too highly spiced for the devotees of the latter day creeds4 ,and the followers of those strange prophets1 what of them8 ,many of them are mere excitement hunters2 others that class of people possessed of a consuming thirst for something new2 some are honest seekers for the ,truth2 and others are those who have cut away from their old moorings and are drifting about1 rudderless and without an anchor1 at the mercy of any stray current which may sweep them along4 ,there are thousands of people who never heard of the philosophies and creeds of the ancients1 who are now dazzled by the revamped doctrines expounded by the modern prophets1 and who1 being impressed with the strangeness and novelty of the 7to them7 new truths1 accept them as inspired and emanating from the ,,absolute4 ,new gods have arisen and also new devils4 ,the ,malicious ,mental ,magnetism of the ,christian ,scientists is as much a devil to them as was the orthodox devil of one hundred years ago to our forefathers4 ,the new cults usually begin by performing cures by means of the power of the mind and other natural laws1 which they attribute to the principles and teachings of their particular sects4 ,many of them now1 however1 frankly admit that they are past the healing stage1 and look down upon the mere healing of disease as a thing too nearly allied to the detested material plane to be seriously considered4 ,the time of the leaders is now principally occupied in announcing and elucidating wonderful1 high1 spiritual truths for the seekers1 soaring away up in the clouds of transcendentalism1 leaving their followers behind1 gaping upwards like a crowd at a country balloon ascension4 ,once upon a time there was a reformer who attended a public meeting1 and took part in an exciting debate on an important question of the day4 ,at last1 heated1 wearied and disgusted by the fruitless struggle1 he left the hall and started for home4 ,it was a beautiful1 cold winter's night1 and the heavens were studded with stars shining bright through the clear frosty atmosphere4 ,pausing for a moment in his rapid walk1 he glanced upward4 ,the stars were twinkling away merrily4 ,they did not seem to be at all disturbed by what had been going on in the meeting4 ,they appeared just the same as when1 in years past1 as a boy he had looked at them with wondering eyes4 ,as he gazed1 a peaceful calm came over him1 and his worry1 doubts and fears seemed very petty4 ,at last one little star appeared to notice him1 and he thought he could see it cast a good-natured glance downward1 saying1 in a cheerful voice1 ,why so hot1 little man8 ,when we feel cast down with doubt1 torn with anxiety1 weak from loss of faith1 faint with fear1 let us look aloft at the stars4 ,when we see those distant points of light1 knowing them to be centers of solar systems1 knowing that beyond1 beyond and beyond are countless other suns and world1 let us pluck up a little courage and realize that we are a part of a mighty ,law1 a stupendous plan4 ,let us know that the ,power which called these things into life1 and which is able to manage them1 and even greater things1 has us in charge and will not allow us to be destroyed4 ,let us know that we are but in the kindergarten stage of existence and that we shall go on and on and on1 from plane to plane1 ever onward and upward in the scale1 until at last we shall be able to spell out the lines of the primer of ,life1 and learn the multiplication table of the ,universe4 ,let us in the meanwhile live on in trust and hope2 one day at a time2 living our own lives2 doing our best work2 getting the joy which comes from the simple1 human life2 lending a helping hand4 ,let us abolish ,fear and ,hate1 and replace them with ,courage1 ,confidence and ,love4 ,let us look for ,good rather than ,evil4 ,let us know failure as merely a lesson in ,success4 ,let us look upon ,death as ,birth4 ,let us do the best we can with this world1 knowing that the next world will find us prepared for its task4 ,let us know that we are in ,eternity right ,,now4 ,let us know that ,god is not so far away as we have been taught1 for is it not true that in ,him we live and move and have our being6 ,let us preserve our sense of humor--for it will guard us against many a fear1 many a folly1 many a delusion4 ,and1 finally1 let us keep out of the throng which is rushing wildly hither and thither1 after leaders1 prophets1 sages1 seers4 ,let us look within ourselves and see the little flame which burns steadily there4 ,let us know that we have within us the ,light of the ,spirit which naught can extinguish4 ,and let us say with good old ,newman3 ,lead1 kindly ,light1 amid the encircling gloom ,lead thou me on4 ,the night is dark1 and ,i am far from home2 ,lead thou me on4 ,keep thou my feet2 ,i do not ask to see ,the distant scene2 one step enough for me4 ,lead thou me on4 ,,mental ,,pictures4 ,i hang bright pictures in my mind--,bright pictures encourage one2 gloomy ones depress--,get rid of your old gloomy mental pictures--,make a bonfire of them--,get rid of the particularly miserable one1 first of all--,then put bright ones in their places4 ,i now hang bright pictures in my mind1 said a friend to me1 recently4 ,her remark explained to me without the necessity of further words1 the cause of her bright1 cheerful and happy disposition1 so greatly in contrast with that of the despondent1 fretful woman ,i had known a few months ago4 ,the change seemed so remarkable that one would have almost expected her to have claimed some startling occurrence as the cause of the wondrous transformation1 instead of giving so commonplace an explanation4 ,but just think how much there is in this thought3 ,i hang bright pictures in my mind4 ,stop a moment1 and let the thought sink deep into your inner consciousness4 ,bright pictures in the mind1 why not1 indeed8 ,if we wish to make a chamber1 or office1 bright and cheery1 we see that nothing but pictures representing bright1 cheerful subjects are hung there4 ,they may be the choicest engravings or paintings1 or they may be some little inexpensive things1 but just so they are bright and cheery the purpose is accomplished1 and the room somehow seems a happier1 more joyous place than before4 ,if we were preparing a new room for the occupancy of some dear one1 would we place there any but the brightest picture8 ,would we hang there pictures of pain and misery1 hate and murder1 jealousy and revenge1 sickness1 suffering and death1 failure and discouragement8 ,would we do this thing ,i ask you8 ,would you do it8 ,and if not1 why not1 pray8 ,simply because you instinctively feel that the gloomy1 hateful subjects would react upon the loved one4 ,and you know1 is the same way that the bright1 cheerful1 inspiring subjects are likely to uplift1 stimulate1 encourage and make better the occupant of the chamber4 ,have you ever noticed that some rooms always seem to exert a beneficial effect upon you1 while others seem to depress you8 ,certainly you have4 ,well1 the next time you go into these rooms1 look around a little and see if the explanation of your moods is not to be found in the character of the pictures on the walls4 ,you may not have specially noticed them before1 but your sub-conscious mental faculties have taken up the impression1 and the reflex action has affected you4 ,who can resist the fetching qualities of a bright1 baby face1 smiling from a little picture on the mantel1 or on the wall8 ,not ,i1 for one4 ,and who can help feeling the sense of comradeship for the kindly ,st4 ,bernard whose great1 affectionate eyes look down upon you from the engraving on the other side of the room4 ,and on the other hand1 who could--but1 now ,i'm not going to describe the other kind of pictures in this article4 ,but now to get back to the pictures in the mind4 ,if the gloomy pictures on the wall affect people1 what do you suppose will be the effect of carrying around gloomy1 fearful1 hateful1 jealous1 envious1 despondent mental pictures8 ,can any good come of lugging this trash around with you8 ,come1 now1 be honest4 ,why don't you bundle up these horrible chromos of the mind1 and then make a bonfire of the lot4 ,now is the time for a mental house-cleaning--get to work and clean out these miserable daubs1 and replace them with nice bright1 cheerful1 happy1 sunny1 mental works of art4 ,do it to-day4 ,you can't afford to put it off until to-morrow--indeed you can't4 ,oh1 yes1 ,i know that you have grown attached to some of these old mental pictures--you've had 'em around so long that you hate to part with them4 ,there's that particular miserable one at which you're so fond of looking--you know which one ,i mean4 ,you see1 ,i know all about it4 ,you've been in the habit of standing before it with folded hands1 and gazing1 and gazing1 and gazing at it4 ,and the more you gazed1 the more miserable you grew1 until at last you felt that you would like to lie down and die1 only that there was some work to do around the house1 and you couldn't spare the time4 ,yes1 that's the picture ,i mean4 ,take it down and put it on top of the bonfire pile1 and touch off the whole lot4 ,then go back into the house and hang up all the new ones to be found1 and the brightest one of the lot must hang in the place of that dear old miserable one that you threw out last--that one which was so hard to part with 7the meanest one in the lot1 always74 ,and after you have done these things1 how good you will feel4 ,see how bright and cheerful the sun is shining2 how pure and fresh the air seems--take a good long draught of it2 look out the window and see the fleecy white clouds floating across the sky2 the sky itself--how blue it is2 and just listen to the bluebirds down by the old gate--,spring must be coming4 ,ah1 how good it is to be alive6 ,,don',t ,,retail ,,your ,,woes4 ,a miserable habit--,it grows as it is fed--,a nuisance to friends and neighbors--,it brings to you more of the same kind--,you will get what you look for--,looking for trouble brings it--,don't imagine that you are being put upon--,don't retail your woes4 ,don't retail your woes4 ,do you think that it does you any good to go around with a long face1 telling your tale of woe to everyone whom you can induce to listen to you8 ,do you think that it does you any good8 ,do you think it helps you to overcome your troubles1 or makes your burden any lighter8 ,no1 ,i don't believe that you think any such things4 ,all your experience teaches you that people do not like to listen to long-drawn-out tales of your troubles--they have enough of their own4 ,even those who are always ready to lend a helping hand and to give what aid they can to one who needs it resent being made targets for a continuous fusillade of troubles1 woes1 griefs1 etc4 ,and you know very well that a constant repetition of your own woes will only make them seem greater and more real to you4 ,and then the chronic retailer of woe grows to be like the journalist--develops a keen scent for matter to be dished out to others--she needs it in her business4 ,when one gets into this habit of carrying about tales to her friends1 she runs out of ready material1 and eagerly looks around for more with which to supply the demand4 ,she becomes quite an adept at discovering insults1 sneers1 double-meaning remarks1 etc41 on the part of her friends and relatives1 where nothing of the kind was intended1 and she rolls these things over and over in her mind like sweet morsels before she serves them up with appropriate trimmings1 to her listeners4 ,you will notice that ,i say her1 in speaking of the victim of this demoralizing habit1 and some of my readers of that sex will undoubtedly take me to task for blaming it on the woman instead of the man4 ,well1 you all know my ideas about the equality of the sexes--about their being different1 but one being as good as the other1 with the odds a little in favor of the woman4 ,but ,i feel justified in saying that this habit is one that seems to have a special liking for women1 and it generally picks out a woman for its victim in preference to a man4 ,when a man acquires this habit1 he becomes such a nuisance to his friends and associates that sooner or later he will notice that they avoid him1 and the chances are that some blunt fellow will tell him that he has no time for listening to tales of this kind1 and that if he1 the complainer1 would display the same energy in attending to his business that he does to peddling around tales about how badly he has been used1 he would not need any sympathy4 ,but woman1 ,god bless her1 does not like to hurt the feelings of others in this way--she suffers the infliction in silence1 and then tells her friends how she has been bored4 ,she will listen to her woe-retailing friend1 and seem to sympathize with her1 and say1 ,oh1 isn't it dreadful2 how could she speak so harshly of you2 you poor dear1 how you must have suffered2 how could he have treated you so unjustly1 and other things of that kind4 ,but when the visitor goes1 she yawns and says1 ,dear me1 if ,mrs4 ,groan would only try to say something more cheerful2 she gives me the horrors with her tales about her husband1 her relatives1 her friends1 and everybody else4 ,but ,mrs4 ,groan never seems to see the point1 and she adds to her list of people who have put upon her1 as she goes along1 her tired-out friends being added to the number1 as their patience wears out4 ,and then the effect upon the woman herself4 ,you know the effect of holding certain lines of thoughts2 of auto-suggestion2 of the attractive power of thought1 and you can readily see how this woman makes things worse for herself all the time4 ,she goes around with her mind fixed upon the idea that everybody's hand is against her1 and she carries about with her an aura that attracts to her all the unpleasant things in the neighborhood4 ,she goes around looking for trouble1 and1 of course1 she gets it4 ,did you ever notice a man or a woman looking for trouble1 and how soon they found it8 ,the man looking for fight is generally accommodated4 ,the woman looking for slights always gets them1 whether the giver intends them or not4 ,this sort of mental attitude fairly draws out the worst in those with whom we come in contact4 ,and the predominant thought draws to itself all the corresponding thought within its radius4 ,one who dwells upon the fancied fact that everybody is going around trying to injure him1 treat him unkindly1 sneer at him1 slight him1 and generally use him up1 is pretty sure to find that he has attracted to him enough people who will humor his fancy1 and give him what he expects4 ,in ,thought ,force you will remember1 ,i tell the story of the two dogs4 ,the one dog1 dignified and self-respecting1 whom no boy ever thinks of bothering4 ,the other dog1 who expects to be kicked by every passing boy1 and who draws himself up1 and places his tail between his legs1 and actually suggests the kick to the passing boy4 ,of course he gets kicked4 ,it's wrong for the boy to do it1 ,i know1 but the dog's attitude is too much for the nature of the average boy4 ,and grown-ups are built upon the same plan4 ,these people who are going around in the mental attitude which invites unkind treatment1 generally manage to find someone who will have his natural meanness drawn out to such a convenient lightning rod4 ,and1 in fact1 such people often generate harsh feelings in persons who scarcely ever manifest them4 ,like attracts like in the world of thought1 and one draws upon him the things he fears1 in many cases4 ,but one of the most regrettable things about this woe-retailing woman1 is the effect the habit has upon her own mind and character4 ,when we understand how one is constantly building up character1 adding a little every day1 and that our thoughts of the day are the material which are going into our character-structure1 it will be seen that it is a matter of the greatest importance what kind of thoughts we think4 ,thoughts are not wasted4 ,they not only go out in all directions1 influencing others--attracting persons and things to ourselves--but they have a creative effect upon our own mind and character4 ,thought along a certain line will develop certain brain-cells to a great extent1 and the cells manifesting the contrary line of thought are allowed to dwindle away and shrivel up4 ,now1 when we have our minds fixed upon the thought that we are long-suffering mortals1 and that everyone else is trying to do mean things to us2 that we are not appreciated1 and that those who should care most for us are only biding their time until they can hurt us2 we are building up our minds along that line1 and we find ourselves in the habit of looking for the worst in everybody1 and we often manage to bring it to the surface1 even if we have to dig hard for it4 ,some of this class of people seem to take a particular delight in bringing upon their head the harsh words and slights of others4 ,now1 ,i really mean this4 ,i have seen people go around with that ,i'm a worm of the dust1 please tread on me air1 and the same expression as that in the eyes of the dog which expected to be kicked4 ,and when somebody would be nagged into saying or doing something that they would not otherwise have thought of1 the woe-seeker's eyes would assume an expression of ,i told you so1 and ,it's only poor me1 and ,it's all ,i can expect1 everybody wishes to crush me1 and a few other assorted thoughts of that kind4 ,and then she will go to her room and moan and weep1 and dwell upon her miseries until they seem to be as large as a mountain4 ,and then the first chance she gets she will run around the corner to a friend1 and will retail all the new stock of woes which she has accumulated1 with fancy trimmings1 you may feel sure1 and the friend will try hard to avoid showing that she is bored at the tale she has so often heard1 but will say nice little things1 until the mourner is sure that the whole world sympathizes with her1 and she feels a glow of righteous indignation1 self-pity and martyrdom4 ,oh1 the pity of it all6 ,these people go through the world1 making things harder for themselves1 their friends1 their relatives1 and everyone else with whom they come in contact4 ,they are constantly seeking to keep their stock fresh and attractive1 and display more energy in their retailing than the average man or woman does in business4 ,this thing of looking for trouble is a very unfortunate thing in families4 ,as a rule1 ,i think that woman gets the worst of it in family troubles4 ,the economic position places her at a disadvantage1 and she often suffers all sorts of horrible things1 rather than have her troubles made public4 ,but ,i must say that some women bring upon themselves all that they get4 ,i have known them to get in a frame of mind in which they could see nothing but unkindness1 where the utmost kindness was meant4 ,man is not an angel--far from it--but the attitude of some women is enough to bring out all the qualities other than angelic4 ,they assume that they are put upon and live up to that idea4 ,every word that the man says is twisted and distorted into something entirely different from what he intended4 ,the mental attitude produces moral astigmatism1 and things are seen at the wrong angle4 ,all the little things that happen are promptly retailed to some mischief-making neighbor1 who is in the game for the excitement it affords her1 and who laughs at the wife behind her back1 and talks about her in turn to some third person4 ,and the wife fairly draws upon herself all sort of things that never would have happened otherwise4 ,she knows that her neighbor is waiting for to-day's budget of news1 and she1 almost unconsciously1 shapes things so that the facts justifying the news are forthcoming4 ,did you ever notice that woman who keeps her troubles to herself does not have nearly as much bickering and strife in her household as the one who has acquired the retailing habit8 ,don't retail your woes4 ,keep them to yourself1 and they will die1 but spread them1 and they will grow like weeds4 ,you are making things worse for yourself--are drawing things to you--and are spoiling your mind1 disposition and character by this miserable business of retailing woes4 ,,life4 ,there is in each of us a potential ,something for expression--,the ,something ,within--,the plant of life--,no use trying to repress it1 for develop it must--,life has a meaning--,growth1 development and unfoldment--,the lesson of life4 ,there is in each of us a potential ,something1 pressing forth for expression and growth in the direction of ultimate ,good--casting off sheath after sheath in its progressive development and unfoldment--impelled by the impulse imparted by the ,primal ,cause--attracted upward by the ,absolute4 ,failing to understand this impulse of the growing ,something--seeking relief from its steady pressure--we look upon it as an intruder1 and instead of allowing it to develop and grow naturally1 we endeavor to kill it1 or to train its growth after our own petty notions4 ,we fail to see that this ,something is like unto the plant which grows on steadily and surely1 from seed to blossom1 until its potentialities are fully expressed4 ,we do not realize that this ,plant of ,life should be allowed to grow as does the lily1 freely and without restraint1 unfolding leaf after leaf1 until the plant stands in its complete beauty1 crowned with its divine flower4 ,we would train the plant into some fantastic shape--dwarf it as the ,chinese do the oak1 that it may become the pretty ornament of the parlor instead of the noble monarch of the forest4 ,we would have it grow our way1 not according to the law of its being4 ,we fancy that we know what is best for it1 losing sight of the fact that deep down in the subconscious depths of its being reposes that which directs its every effort toward the ,good--forgetting that its attraction toward the ,absolute is drawing it steadily and irresistibly in the right direction4 ,we forget that the plant will fulfill these impulses so long as there remains in it one atom of life4 ,the seed in the ground will express itself in its little shoot1 often moving weights a thousand times heavier than itself in its efforts to reach the rays of the sun4 ,the sapling may be bent and confined to the ground1 but its branches1 following the laws of its being will instinctively shoot upward4 ,restrict the growth of the plant1 if you can1 but1 nevertheless1 it will move along the lines of least resistance and grow toward the sun1 in spite of your efforts4 ,and so it is with the ,plant of ,life--the ,something within us4 ,we are afraid to allow it to grow according to the laws of its being1 but wish to model it and shape it in accordance with the theories of ourselves or others 7more frequently the latter1 for most of our ideas on the subject are borrowed74 ,we seem to imagine that the ,intelligence that thought the plant into existence did not understand its business1 and we are afraid that without the assistance of our mighty intellect the poor thing will grow into a misshapen and unsightly thing4 ,we would alter the shape designed by its ,maker1 and would twist it into the form approved of by the passing fashion of the hour4 ,we would substitute for the beauty and symmetry of ,nature1 our own fantastic ideas of form4 ,but1 like the plant1 this ,something of ours will not submit to the confining bonds--will not conform to the false standards which we would set up for it4 ,submitting as long as it must1 it stores up reserve strength day by day and keeps up a continuous steady pressure in the direction of its desire1 and some day1 by a supreme effort1 it throws off the interfering obstacles1 and1 obeying the laws of its being1 again grows toward the ,sun4 ,life is growth4 ,it moves along1 pressing this way and that way1 along the lines of least resistance1 drawing to itself that which it needs for its complete expression and growth1 using this thing and that thing to-day1 and discarding them to-morrow1 after they have served their purpose--after their helpful qualities have been extracted4 ,it assumes many forms in its growth1 discarding sheath after sheath as outgrown4 ,any attempt to compel it to retain a sheath1 which has become outgrown1 will cause its life nature to revolt1 and1 in the end1 with a mighty effort1 it will burst forth1 tearing the confining sheath into fragments4 ,this ,something may be restrained temporarily1 but its growth is as sure as the rising of to-morrow's sun1 and its attempted restraint only results1 in the end1 in a violent assertion of its right to unfold and develop according to ,law4 ,when we finally come to realize that ,life has a meaning--that we are here for a purpose--that the process of spiritual evolution is being expressed in us and through us--that our growth is in accordance with ,law--that the ,absolute understands its business--then will we cease to attempt to meddle with the ,great ,plan4 ,we will then cease our futile efforts to mold to our absurd and arbitrary shapes that which is intended to grow in the beautiful form of ,nature's designing4 ,we will realize that the power which called into being this ,life of ours1 knew just what it was about--that this ,power placed within that ,life the energy which is expressing itself in changing form and color1 but which has but one real object--growth toward the sun1 and when we realize this truth we will begin to have ,faith1 and will trust the ,law to do that which is best to be done--will realize the folly of imagining that the weight of the ,universe rests upon our shoulders4 ,some of these days we will awaken to the fact that ours is the conceit of the fly resting upon the mighty revolving wheel1 imagining that the fanning of his wings causes the wheel to revolve4 ,some of these times the fly1 tired with its exertions1 will stop to rest for a few moments1 when it will find that the wheel continues to revolve quite well1 thank you1 without its active assistance4 ,we have been taking our little selves quite seriously1 indeed4 ,the ,something within is moving steadily and surely toward its goal1 and much of the pain of life comes to us by reason of our efforts to restrict it--our efforts to change its motion1 direction1 speed4 ,it is a mighty aid to those who understand and move along with it--but woe unto those who get in its way and endeavor to obstruct its progress4 ,if unobstructed1 there is no friction--if interfered with it manifests friction1 which means pain4 ,this pain is the notice given us by the ,law to the effect that we are obstructing the growth of the ,life ,plant1 and1 if we are wise1 we will heed the warning4 ,by conforming to the growth we will find that there is little or no friction1 and life begins to take on new pleasures4 ,by co-operating with the ,law1 and moving along with it1 we will find that things will come our way in a most unexpected manner4 ,the ,law is a good friend and helper1 and is of the greatest assistance to us1 if we but trust it to do its work well1 in its own good way4 ,we can use its growing force to aid us in our daily pursuits1 if we will trust it and move along with it1 but we must heed the first sign of friction and understand that we are in some way interfering with its natural growth4 ,by living in accordance with the ,law1 instead of attempting to oppose it1 we will find that we are guided in the direction of places1 people and occupations best suited to develop us and to impart to us the experience needed to round out our lives4 ,a realization of this fact by those who have experienced it1 has given rise to the saying nothing ever happens4 ,we find the teachers and helpers that we require1 and they find us4 ,if we need certain information1 we will find it in some person or book1 and will thus be placed upon the track of that which we seek4 ,the ,law will sometimes accomplish its results in ways far different from that which we would have supposed to be the best1 but after time has passed we can look back and will see that the way by which the results were accomplished was the best possible under all the circumstances4 ,we may meet with some bitter disappointments1 losses1 sorrows1 but in the end these things will be seen as good--will be seen as having been necessary to give us the experience needed--to round out our characters--to enable us to understand4 ,there are none who would be willing to part with the experience gained from even the most painful events of their lives4 ,after1 say1 ten years have elapsed no man would be willing to have the memory and recollection of his greatest pain eradicated2 if at the same time he would have to part with the experience and knowledge which have come to him by reason of that pain4 ,the pain and its resulting experience have become a part of us1 and we are not willing to be robbed of our own4 ,and we will realize1 in looking backward1 that if we had been living in accordance with the ,law in the past--if we had understood its workings--these very sorrows1 disappointments1 losses1 would have been considered only in view of their ultimate good1 and the very sting of the pain would thus have been removed4 ,when we learn to regard the pain of to-day as we now do the pain of ten years ago1 we may feel that we are beginning to understand something of the operation of the ,law of ,good4 ,and when we reach this stage1 we will find that the pain is no longer pain1 but only a form of ,good4 ,when we cease to cause friction1 friction no longer exists for us4 ,the lessons of life must be learned1 sooner or later4 ,it depends upon us whether they shall be forced upon us1 in spite of our resistance1 with much pain1 or accepted by us1 understandingly1 with knowledge4 ,in one case we will have the pain which comes from opposing the ,law2 in the other1 we will learn the lesson equally well1 without the pain of the birching4 ,the lesson must be well learned in either case4 ,choose your method4 ,now1 ,i do not wish to be understood as meaning that we should simply fold our hands and wait for the ,law to bring all things to us without any labor on our part4 ,try this way1 though1 if you like1 and see how quickly the ,law will rap you over the knuckles to remind you that a task is set before you4 ,the proper way is to take up the task that lies nearest your hand 7and some task is always there7 and do it well1 with the knowledge that the task has been placed there in accordance with the ,law4 ,if the task is not to your liking1 you will know that that is the very reason that it has been placed before you--you have a lesson to learn from it4 ,when the time comes for a change you will find a strong desire for a something else full-grown within you4 ,now is your chance4 ,trust to the ,law to aid you in working out your desire4 ,the desire is there in accordance with the ,law--its very existence is a promise of its fulfillment4 ,with the aid of the ,law you will work out your desire4 ,it is true that when you attain the object of your desire1 it may not be just what you had thought it--may not be at all what you want4 ,well1 what of that8 ,you have learned the necessary lesson--have lived out the desire and will now outlive it4 ,something else will take its place4 ,and you will be surprised at the way that ,law has brought about the accomplishment of your desire4 ,you will learn another lesson in this4 ,when you have learned to work on1 merrily--doing your best--living out each day's life--with ,faith and ,trust1 ,confidence and ,fearlessness--accepting the development of each day as meaning ultimate ,good--seeing and feeling that the ,law of ,good is in full operation--being willing to accept whatever it may bring you--then1 and not until then1 good friend1 will you begin to know what is ,,life4 ,,let ,,us ,,have ,,faith4 ,faith necessary in every human undertaking--,you have faith in man1 but are afraid to trust ,,god--,the ,universe if governed by ,law--,the ,law is in operation everywhere--,don't be afraid--,you are a part of the plan--,fall in with the ,law--,have faith1 have faith4 ,when you take a journey by rail1 you step into the car1 settle yourself1 take out a book and read1 and give little or no thought to the engine or engineer in charge of the train4 ,you go rushing across the country at the rate of fifty miles an hour1 with no thought of possible disaster or accident1 and for the time forgetting that there is such a person in existence as the engineer4 ,you have absolute faith in the careful management of the road1 and in the intelligence of the man who has been placed in the engine4 ,the lives of yourself and hundreds of fellow passengers are practically in the hands of one man1 and that man is a stranger to you--you have never seen him--you know nothing of his qualifications--you only know that the management has picked him out to safely conduct you across the country4 ,you take a steamship to ,europe and place yourselves in the hands of a few men who are total strangers to you4 ,you stake your life on their skill1 judgment and intelligence4 ,you feel that they would not be where they are unless the management of the line considered them competent4 ,it is all a matter of trust--of confidence4 ,the same thing is true when you take your seat on a trolley car or on the elevated railroad1 or even in a stage coach or a private carriage4 ,in each case you place yourself in the charge of another person in whom you have a certain amount of confidence1 although he may be comparatively1 or wholly1 unknown to you4 ,you place your wealth in a bank1 having confidence in its management4 ,you have business dealings with men whom you scarcely know1 trusting to their honesty of purpose4 ,in every transaction in life you are compelled to have confidence in people4 ,your lawyer1 your physician1 your grocer1 your clerks are all taken on faith4 ,one cannot get away from it4 ,if confidence were destroyed the wheels of modern life would stop in a minute4 ,the so-called hard-headed practical man may sneer at ,faith1 but it underlies every manifestation of the life of this civilization4 ,man has faith and confidence in ,man1 but is afraid to trust ,,god4 ,he looks about him and sees millions of worlds1 each in its appointed place1 each revolving in its own orbit4 ,he has faith that at a certain time each world will be in a certain position1 which position may be calculated centuries in advance--but he lacks faith in the ,power that created these worlds and keeps them in their places4 ,he has faith in certain ,laws--but he doubts the existence of the ,law-maker4 ,he sees the wondrous manifestation of ,life in great and small4 ,he takes advantage of the telescope and the microscope and explores new regions1 and finds the ,law in operation everywhere--but he doubts the existence of a great ,law which governs his life--his incomings and his outgoings--his great deeds and his petty acts--he fails to realize the truth of the saying that the hairs on his head are numbered1 and that not a sparrow may fall unnoticed4 ,he seems to think that if there is a ,,god1 he must have made the world and then ran away and left it to take care of itself4 ,he fails to see that ,law must govern ,man's life as it governs the unfolding of the leaf1 the development of the lily4 ,he fails to see that law is in full operation within him as well as without him4 ,he fails to see that as he opposes the operation of ,law1 pain comes by reason of the friction4 ,he fails to see that the only true philosophy is that which teaches one to fall in with the operations of ,law1 and to let it work in him and through him4 ,do you think for a moment that ,,god does not know what he is about8 ,do you doubt the ,supreme ,intelligence which knows all things and is conscious of all things8 ,do you doubt the ,supreme ,power which manifests itself in all forms of power8 ,do you doubt the ,universal ,presence which is in all places at all times8 ,do you suppose that the manifestation is everything1 and the manifestor nothing8 ,poor man6 ,either the ,universe is without ,law--without meaning--without reason1 or it is the manifestation of ,supreme and ,infinite ,reason4 ,either it is the work of a ,demon who sits somewhere and grins and gloats over our misfortunes--our trials--our troubles--our pain--our follies1 or it is the work of an ,all-knowing--,all-powerful--,all-presen t ,intelligence-,power-,presence which has taken into consideration everything within the ,universe1 down to the tiniest thing--down to the merest detail4 ,and if this last be true1 then everything that happens must be in accordance with ,law--everything that happens to us must be the very best thing that could happen to us at that particular time and that particular place4 ,things are not run by blind chance--there is ,law under everything4 ,everything has some connection with every other thing--every person has a relationship with every other person4 ,all is ,one--the manifestations are varied1 but there is but ,one reality4 ,there is a great plan underlying all ,life1 and ,life itself is in accordance with that plan4 ,nothing ever happens4 ,every occurrence has a bearing on every other occurrence4 ,chance has no part in the plan--everything is in accord with well ordered laws4 ,there is always an end in view in every thought1 word or act4 ,we are constantly being used for the benefit of the whole4 ,there is no escape--and when we get to know we cease to wish to escape4 ,he who understands not ,law is constantly struggling1 striving1 fighting and contending against it1 and1 producing friction1 he feels pain4 ,he who understands something of ,law ceases to contend against it--he lets it work through him1 and is carried along with a mighty force1 doing each day the best he knows how1 expressing himself in the best possible manner1 sailing to the right and to the left1 with the wind and against the wind1 but still being borne on by the mighty current and resisting it not4 ,he enjoys every mile of the journey1 seeing new sights and hearing new sounds--moving on ever4 ,he who understands not1 rebels at being swept along--he wishes to stay where he is1 but there is no such thing as staying--life is motion--life is growth4 ,if you prefer to pull against the tide--to row up stream--by all means do so4 ,after a while you will grow tired and weary1 and will rest on your oars4 ,then you will find that you are moving on just the same toward the unknown seas1 and you will find that it is much easier work rowing or sailing with the current1 or from one side of the river to another1 than to attempt to stay in the same place or to pull up the stream4 ,all this fretting--all this worrying--all this contention and strife1 comes from a lack of ,faith4 ,we may assert fervently that we know that ,all is ,good1 and that all is best for us1 etc41 etc41 but have we enough faith to manifest it in our lives8 ,see how we endeavor to tie on to things1 people1 and environments4 ,how we resist the steady pressure that is tearing us loose1 often with pain1 from the places to which we have wished to stay fastened like a barnacle4 ,the ,life force is back of us1 urging us along--pushing us along--and move we must4 ,the process of growth1 development and unfoldment is going on steadily4 ,what's the use of attempting to resist it8 ,you are no more than a water-bug on the surface of the river4 ,you may dart here and there1 and apparently are running things to suit yourself without reference to the current1 but all the time you are moving along with it4 ,the water-bug plan is all right1 just so long as we do not attempt to stop the current or to swim right against it--when we try this we find out very quickly that the current has something to say about it1 and before long we get so tired that we are willing to fall in with the law behind the current4 ,and yet even the opposition is good1 for it teaches us that the current is there--we gain by experience4 ,the ,new ,thought does not teach people to stem the current or to swim up stream1 although some teachers and some students seem to be of that opinion4 ,on the contrary1 the real ,new ,thought teaches us of the existence of the stream1 and that it is moving steadily toward the ,sea of ,good4 ,it teaches us how to fall in with it1 and be borne further along1 instead of attempting to hold back and become barnacles1 or to try to push back up the stream4 ,it also teaches us to live in the ,now--to enjoy the darting backward and forward over the face of the waters4 ,it also tells us of the direction in which the current is moving1 that we may move along that way1 without wasting our energies in trying to go the other4 ,it teaches us co-operation with ,law1 instead of opposition to it4 ,why do we not have ,faith8 ,why do we not see the great ,plan behind it all8 ,why do we not recognize ,law8 ,as we have seen1 we place our confidence in the engineer of the train--the pilot--the captain--the coach-driver1 and the other guiding hands and yet we hesitate to trust ourselves in the hands of the ,infinite4 ,of course1 it makes no difference to the ,infinite whether or not we repose trust in it4 ,it moves along just the same1 guiding and directing--steering and regulating speed--it minds not our doubts and obstructions any more than does the great driving-wheel mind the fly who is perched upon it and who does not like the movement and attempts to stop it by spreading out its wings and buzzing4 ,the great wheel of the ,universe is moving around1 steadily and mightily4 ,let us go with it4 ,and while we are going let us spare ourselves the trouble and folly of the buzzing1 wing-spreading business4 ,let us part with ,fear and ,worry4 ,let us cease our imagining that we can run the ,universe better than the engineer who has his hand on the throttle4 ,let us cease imagining that ,,god needs advice on the subject4 ,let us stop this folly of saying ,poor ,god1 with no one to help him run things4 ,let us trust the engineer4 ,let us have faith--let us have faith4 ,,do ,,it ,,now4 ,do to-day's tasks now--,don't try to do to-morrow's work to-day1 but be sure and do the day's work ,now--,the baneful effects of procrastination--,not fair to yourself--,demoralization attendant upon putting off things--,the world looking for people who can do things ,now4 ,if you have anything to do--do it4 ,if you have any task to perform to-day--do it ,now4 ,if the matter cannot possibly be performed to-day1 stop bothering about it1 and get to work doing the things of to-day4 ,but don't get into that miserable habit of putting off things until later in the day1 or later in the week--do them now4 ,the old proverb3 ,procrastination is the thief of time1 is true1 but it does not go far enough4 ,procrastination is not only the thief of time1 but the thief of energy--the thief of efficiency--the thief of success4 ,we have had much to say about living in the ,now--about not dwelling in the past or fretting about the future4 ,and all this is true1 and ,i will probably say it over and over again during the year1 because ,i believe in it1 and wish you to get acquainted with the idea4 ,but living in the ,now does not merely mean the thinking of the thoughts of to-day--the carrying of the burdens of to-day--the meeting of the problems of to-day4 ,it also means the doing of the ,,work of to-day4 ,to attempt to carry last year's burdens--or next week's burdens--to-day1 is folly of the worst kind1 as you well know4 ,but it is equally foolish to put off to-day's work until to-morrow4 ,it's not treating to-morrow right--not giving it a chance4 ,the ,self of to-morrow is not exactly the ,self of to-day4 ,that is1 it has grown a little and is the ,self of to-day plus the added experience of the day4 ,and it is just as selfish for the ,self of to-day to attempt to throw his burdens upon the ,self of to-morrow as it would be for you to attempt to throw your burdens upon your brother or sister4 ,it is not only selfish1 but it is hurtful to you--it impedes your growth4 ,to-day's work is set before you because of the lesson it contains1 and if you refuse to accept your lesson1 you are the loser4 ,you cannot get away from the task4 ,it will be placed before you again and again until it is performed1 and you might as well do it at once1 and get your lesson at the proper time1 and not be compelled like the schoolboy to catch-up in his work4 ,by putting off things until to-morrow1 you are simply heaping up troubles for yourself to-morrow1 as to-morrow's own work will have to be done as well as your leftover tasks1 and the chances are that neither of them will be done properly4 ,there's no sense whatever in this habit of procrastinating4 ,it is folly of the worst kind4 ,and not only in the immediate effects is procrastination hurtful to one4 ,one of the worst features of the case is the demoralizing effect it has upon the whole mental attitude of the man4 ,it cultivates laziness1 indecision1 shiftlessness1 slackness and many other undesirable habits of thought and action4 ,it manifests itself in numberless ways in the character of the man who has allowed himself to be tangled in it4 ,it impairs his efficiency--affects his value4 ,then again1 you are really unfair to yourself if you get in the way of putting off things4 ,you never have any time to yourself if you have a number of old matters demanding your attention4 ,the man who procrastinates is never able to spare time for mental improvement1 because he always has some old loose ends to wind up--some old tangle to straighten out4 ,and he loses all idea of the value of time--of getting the most out of every hour1 every minute4 ,the procrastinator is the veriest drudge--he has his nose to the grindstone all the time4 ,he never has any time he can call his own4 ,he is a slave to his own habit of laying things aside4 ,poor man4 ,i am satisfied that half the failures of life--yes1 three-quarters of them--are due to the failure of persons to do the thing ,now4 ,not only because of what they lose directly by this habit1 but because of the effect it produces upon their character4 ,the shiftless habit of thought manifests itself in action4 ,the thought and action1 long persisted in1 will lead to a demoralization of the entire character of the individual4 ,he soon forgets how to do things right4 ,and that is where so many people fail4 ,the world is looking for people who can ,,do things--and who can ,do ,them ,now4 ,if you are one of the procrastinating kind1 start in at once and get over it4 ,put up a sign before your desk1 your sewing machine1 your work-bench1 or wherever you spend most of your time1 and have these words in big black letters on the sign3--,,do ,,it ,,now6 ,by carrying the thought of this ,,now way of doing things1 and letting it manifest itself in action as frequently as possible1 you will find that before long your entire mental attitude regarding work has changed1 and you will find yourself doing things when they should be done1 without any particular effort on your part4 ,the mind can be trained and taught to do things right4 ,it needs a little courage1 a little perseverance1 a little will-power1 but the result will pay you for your trouble4 ,start in to cure yourself of this bad habit4 ,start in at once4 ,do it ,,now4 ,,get ,,in ,,tune4 ,marconi's wireless messages--,vibrations reach only the instruments attuned to the sender--,the same law in operation on the mental plane--,the correct pitch is the thing--,get in tune with the proper vibrations--,get the messages from the best senders4 ,i have just finished reading an account of ,marconi's wireless telegraphy4 ,it seems that when a message is sent from the ,marconi transmitter1 the vibrations travel in all directions1 and not alone in the direction of the person to whom the message is sent4 ,it would seem to the reader1 at first1 that any instrument1 in any direction from the sender1 could and would be affected by the vibrations and would take up and record them4 ,but such is not the case1 for ,marconi finds that he can attune his receiving instrument to a certain pitch1 and that the instrument will receive and record only vibrations emanating from a sending instrument attuned to the same pitch4 ,this is true no matter how near the instruments may be to each other1 or in what direction they may be from each other4 ,and all instruments1 irrespective of number1 that may be within sending distance1 will receive the message providing they are attuned to the same pitch4 ,now just notice how much this corresponds to what we know of the working of ,thought-force4 ,people whose minds are attuned to a certain pitch will receive the vibrations from the minds of others whose mental keynote is the same4 ,and if one maintains a high positive keynote1 he will not be affected by the vibrations emanating from the mind of another who may have a low negative pitch4 ,the nearer to our pitch the mind of another may be1 the more we feel the sympathetic vibrations in our own mind2 the greater the difference in the pitch1 the less we will feel in sympathy with him4 ,this will account for the instinctive likes or dislikes that many of us experience when coming into the presence of other people4 ,and how soon do people of kindred vibrations seek out and find each other in a mixed assembly4 ,many likes1 unexplainable by any theory of personal appearance1 etc41 arise from this cause4 ,and as the ,marconi instruments may have their pitch changed1 so are our mental keynotes changed from time to time as we adjust ourselves to new conditions--as we grow4 ,this will explain why two people1 who at one time seemed to be in perfect attunement with each other1 will drift apart until at last they seem to have scarcely a thought or feeling in common1 and yet both of them may be good people1 really anxious to be helpful to the other4 ,but this is not the only way in which the working of the ,marconi system resembles the workings of the mind4 ,i have often called your attention to the fact that the holding of certain mental attitudes resulted in the attraction to oneself of thought vibrations corresponding to the general character or the thought held in the mind of the person4 ,let a man be filled with the spirit of ,jealousy1 and everything seems to feed that feeling4 ,he hears of cases of faithlessness on the part of other persons2 every circumstance seems to confirm him in his belief4 ,the actions of the loved one seem doubly suspicious--signs of guilt are seen in every expression1 every move4 ,he draws to himself the thought-waves of other minds vibrating on the same pitch--like attracts like4 ,let a man drop into the ,fearthought condition1 and immediately he feels the rush of ,fear to his mind4 ,let him cast aside ,fear1 and attune himself to the ,fearless pitch1 and he feels an influx of ,courage1 ,fearlessness1 ,confidence1 ,energy and other positive thoughts4 ,and according to the character of your thoughts1 will you draw to yourself people calculated to co-operate with you and be of assistance to you4 ,even things seem to shape themselves to fit in with the keynote you have sounded4 ,not only do you attract to yourself people and things corresponding with your mental pitch1 but you send out thought-waves affecting others creating impressions upon them4 ,go into the presence of an ,i ,can and ,i ,will man1 and1 if you are of the same kind1 he will instantly perceive it and will be glad to talk to you4 ,on the other hand1 approach a man of this kind1 with your mind full of ,i ,can't1 and he will be conscious of inharmony and will want to be rid of your presence at once4 ,be a man with the southern exposure1 such as ,i described to you in another article1 and you will find that you will extract and draw to yourself all the sunniness in the nature of people with whom you come in contact4 ,be a human wet blanket1 such as ,i have described in another article1 and you will find that you will get the meanest qualities inherent in the nature of people with whom you come in contact--in fact you will be able to attract only that kind of people who are as musty and unwholesome as yourself4 ,get rid of the old negative notes4 ,start in and cultivate the positive1 joyous1 active vibrations1 until you reach the steady mental pitch of the ,new ,thought man4 ,then will all the negative vibrations pass you by1 finding no encouragement to enter your mentality--then will you receive the bright1 cheerful1 happy1 fearless vibrations coming from others who have reached the same plane of thought4 ,get in tune--get in tune4 ,,mental ,,toxin ,,and ,,anti-,,toxin4 ,a new toxin--,the microbes in the thoughts we think--,the new anti-toxin--,thoughts may poison--,fear causes paralysis--,hate causes insanity--,fear and ,hate have killed their thousands--,gates' experiments--,how to overcome the poison of bad-thinking4 ,in these days of toxin and anti-toxin--of poison in sausages1 oysters1 canned beef1 ice cream--of anti-toxin serums 7that often are more deadly than the original toxin7 for the prevention and cure of tuberculosis1 leprosy1 pneumonia1 typhoid fever1 tetanus1 bubonic plague1 diphtheria1 and the rest of the list1 it requires courage to call the attention of the public to a new toxin1 even if at the same time we furnish an anti-toxin that anti-toxicates4 ,we shudder at the thought of microbes and bacilli--and thereby attract them to us2 we filter our drinking water1 after boiling all the life out of it2 we develop into microbe hunters1 and see poison in everything we wear1 eat1 drink or breathe4 ,but we overlook the microbes in the thoughts we think4 ,we encourage the enterprising doctor in his giddy chase after the nimble dollar1 as he produces anti-toxin serums to order4 ,the poor1 broken-down cart horse is worked overtime in producing filthy pus and serum for the serum-maniac to inject into our circulation4 ,but we overlook the pure1 harmless1 powerful anti-toxin obtained fresh from the cells of the brain--,right ,thinking4 ,that ,thoughts may poison1 is a well-proven fact4 ,depressing thoughts interfere with the cerebral circulation1 impairing the nutrition of the cells and nerve centers4 ,the result is that the organs and tissues manifest lost or impaired function--loss of general nutrition follows--and a break-down is inevitable4 ,fear1 worry1 anger1 envy1 jealousy1 and other negative thoughts1 reflect themselves most disastrously in the human system4 ,fear has paralyzed nerve centers1 and turned the hair white over night4 ,a mother's milk has been poisoned by a fit of anger4 ,fear and ,hate--father and son--have produced insanity1 idiocy1 paralysis1 cholerina1 jaundice1 sudden decay of teeth1 fatal anaemia1 skin diseases1 erysipelas1 and eczema4 ,epidemics owe their rapid spread and heavy death rate to ,fear and ,ignorance4 ,epidemics may kill their dozens--,fear kills its thousands4 ,all the brood of negative1 fearful1 selfish1 hateful thoughts manifest themselves in physical conditions4 ,stigmata or marks upon the body1 caused by fear or desire1 are quite common in the annals of medical science and psychology4 ,professor ,gates1 of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 ,washington1 ,d4,c41 in his investigation of the effect of mental states upon the body1 found that irascible1 malevolent and depressing emotions generated in the system injurious compounds1 some of which were extremely poisonous2 he also found that agreeable1 happy emotions1 generated chemical compounds of nutritious value1 which stimulated the cells to manufacture energy4 ,he says3 ,bad and unpleasant feelings create harmful chemical products in the body which are physically injurious4 ,good1 pleasant1 benevolent feelings create beneficial chemical products which are physically healthful4 ,these products may be detected by chemical analysis in the perspiration and secretions of the individual4 ,more than forty of the good1 and as many of the bad1 have been detected4 ,suppose half a dozen men in a room4 ,one feels depressed1 another remorseful1 another ill-tempered1 another jealous1 another cheerful1 another benevolent4 ,samples of their perspiration are placed in the hands of the psycho-physicist4 ,under his examination they reveal all these emotional conditions distinctly and unmistakably4 ,remember1 this is not the airy fancy of some enthusiastic ,mental ,scientist1 but is the testimony of a leading scientific investigator in the laboratories of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 one of the best known scientific institutions of the world4 ,chemical analysis1 mind you--not transcendental imaginings4 ,now ,i have said enough about the toxin and some little about the anti-toxin of the ,mind4 ,i might go on for hours1 stating example after example2 illustration after illustration1 but the tale would be just the same4 ,now what are you going to do about it8 ,are you going to keep on poisoning yourself and those around you with vile1 malignant thoughts reeking with the miasmatic effluvia of ,hate--emitting the noxious exhalation of ,fear and ,worry8 ,or will you cease being a psychic pest-house1 and begin to fumigate and disinfect your ,mind8 ,and after getting rid of all the microbes of ,fear and ,worry and the bacilli of ,hate1 ,jealousy and ,envy1 open wide the windows of the ,mind and admit the bright ,sunshine of ,love1 and the bracing air of ,confidence and ,fearlessness4 ,come1 friends1 let us get out of this habit of poisoning the air with ,fear1 ,worry and ,hate ,thought4 ,let us join the ranks of the ,don't ,worry company--the ,fearless brigade--the invincible1 conquering army of ,love4 ,let us be bright1 cheerful and happy--the other things are not worth while4 ,let us be ,confident1 ,expectant1 ,hopeful and ,fearless--these things are winners4 ,let us be filled with ,love for all men--and we will find that ,life is one sweet song4 ,love1 ,faith and ,fearlessness1 are the ingredients of ,life's great ,anti-,toxin4 ,try it and be blessed4 ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox ,undertakes ,new ,work4 ,,favorite ,,author ,,becomes ,,associate ,,editor ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,thought ,,magazine4 ,,best ,,writing ,,she ,,has ,,ever ,,done ,,now ,,appearing ,,in ,,that ,,bright ,,publication4 ,the many friends and admirers of ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox will be interested to learn that this gifted author and thinker has connected herself1 in the capacity of associate editor1 with the ,new ,thought magazine1 and that hereafter her writings will appear regularly in that bright publication1 of which the aim is to aid its readers in the cultivation of those powers of the mind which bring success in life4 ,mrs4 ,wilcox's writings have been the inspiration of many young men and women4 ,her hopeful1 practical1 masterful views of life give the reader new courage in the very reading1 and are a wholesome spur to flagging effort4 ,she is in perfect sympathy with the purpose of the ,new ,thought magazine4 ,the magazine is having a wonderful success1 and the writings of ,mrs4 ,wilcox for it1 along the line of the new movement1 are among her best4 ,words of truth1 so vital that they live in the memory of every reader and cause him to think--to his own betterment and the lasting improvement of his own work in the world1 in whatever line it lies--flow from this talented woman's pen4 ,the magazine is being sold on all news stands for five cents4 ,it is the brightest1 cleanest and best publication in its class1 and its editors have hit the keynote of all sound success4 ,the spirit of every bit of print from cover to cover of the magazine is the spirit of progress and upbuilding--of courage1 persistence and success4 ,virile strength and energy1 self-confidence1 the mastery of self and circumstances are its life and soul1 and even the casual reader feels the contagion of its vigor and its optimism4 ,,free4--,the publishers will be pleased to send a handsome portrait of ,mrs4 ,wilcox1 with extracts from her recent writings on the ,new ,thought1 free4 ,address1 ,the ,new ,thought1 #ajj1 ,the ,colonnades1 ,vincennes ,ave41 ,chicago4 ,a ,,full ,,list 444,,of444 ,important ,books ,,published ,,by ,the ,psychic ,research ,company #chce ,,vincennes ,,avenue ,,chicago ,,at ,,the ,,uniform ,,price ,,of #a4jj ,,each1 ,,postpaid ,pointing finger ,address all orders to ,book ,department ,,the ,,psychic ,,research ,,company to insure prompt attention4 ,remit by ,,postal ,,order or ,,express ,,order4 ,if currency or stamps is sent1 register the letter4 ,if personal check is used1 add #aj;c4 for exchange fee4 ,,orders ,,filled ,,the ,,day ,,they ,,are ,,received4 ,thought-,force 7,in ,business and ,every-,day ,life7 ,by ,,william ,,walker ,,atkinson ,a wonderfully vivid book answering the questions3 ,can ,i make my life more happy and successful through mental control8 ,how can ,i affect my circumstances by my mental effort8 ,just how shall ,i go about it to free myself from my depression1 failure1 timidity1 weakness and care8 ,how can ,i influence those more powerful ones from whom ,i desire favor8 ,how am ,i to recognize the causes of my failure and thus avoid them8 ,can ,i make my disposition into one which is active1 positive1 high strung and masterful8 ,how can ,i draw vitality of mind and body from an invisible source8 ,how can ,i directly attract friends and friendship8 ,how can ,i influence other people by mental suggestion8 ,how can ,i influence people at a distance by my mind alone8 ,how can ,i retard old age1 preserve health and good looks8 ,how can ,i cure myself of illness1 bad habits1 nervousness1 etc4 ,thought-,force gives an answer to questions like these4 ,the book has been universally commended for its clearness and simplicity4 ,bound in ,purple ,silk ,cloth1 ,gold ,lettering4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,one ,year's ,subscription to ,new ,thought1 both for #a4ce4 ,nuggets of the ,new ,thought 7,in ,press7 ,by ,,william ,,walker ,,atkinson ,a series of essays by this forceful writer1 constituting the cream of his magazine articles upon ,new ,thought topics4 ,the famous ,i ,can and ,i ,will essay forms the opening chapter4 ,the ,secret of the ,i ,,am1 of which #dj1jjj copies have been sold1 is also contained in this volume4 ,we heartily commend this book as interpretative of the higher teaching4 ,a most suitable gift book4 ,silk cloth1 purple and gold4 ,price #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 both1 #a4ce4 ,the ,law of ,the ,new ,thought ,by ,,william ,,walker ,,atkinson ,this is a plain answer to the oft repeated questions4 ,what ,is ,the ,new ,thought8 ,what does it mean8 ,what principles does it stand for8 ,is it different from what is called ,mental ,science1 or ,christian ,science8 ,the ,new ,thought is quite different4 ,it is so broad and comprehensive in its bearing upon human life and human happiness that it can only be defined by its name1 ,new ,thought4 ,mr4 ,atkinson's new book not only explains what the law is upon which ,new ,thought is based1 but teaches how it may be used to the greatest good of men4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,the ,heart of ,the ,new ,thought 7,in ,press7 ,by ,,ella ,,wheeler ,,wilcox ,a new book of original essays by this gifted woman dealing with ,the ,new ,thought in practice4 ,this book will be off the press about the beginning of ,december4 ,a first edition of #ej1jjj copies has been ordered4 ,it deals with the practice of ,new ,thought in our daily lives4 ,a helpful and inspiring book1 fully equal to the very best work this author has done4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,mesmerism in ,india ,by ,,james ,,esdaile1 ,m4,d4 ,a classic from the pen of a surgeon in the ,british ,army1 stationed in ,india fifty years ago4 ,a most fascinating work for the student of practical psychology1 containing the plainest description of the methods then in vogue of inducing the artificial coma for the performance of painless surgical operations4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,the ,home ,course in ,osteopathy ,a clear and practical work1 fully illustrated1 for home use1 explaining the ,theory and ,practice of ,osteopathy1 ,massage and ,manual ,therapeutics1 and illustrating all the different movements4 ,the only complete work of the kind ever published4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,formerly sold at #e4jj in paper covers4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,series ,a ,a masterly work dealing with two phases of development3 the mental showing forth in self-control and force of character3 and the spiritual as taught through ,zoism1 the new mental science4 ,this book makes plain that which is known as the ,law of ,mental ,currents1 and teaches much that is new to the student of metaphysics4 ,it is clearly and simply written and has been warmly endorsed by ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,series ,b ,this is a book for physicians1 dentists1 osteopaths and professional nurses particularly1 inasmuch as it deals with the theory and practice both of suggestive therapeutics and magnetic healing4 ,it is intensely practical1 and gives the clearest directions how to proceed to induce the state of passivity necessary for the curing of diseases by these means4 ,it is considered by all authorities to be the most complete work1 written purely for instruction's sake1 ever put out4 ,it is well illustrated4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,series ,c ,this is a compilation of new1 copyright works dealing with the practice of clairvoyance or crystal-gazing1 human magnetism1 auto-suggestion1 concentration1 and mind reading in its two aspects of muscle reading and true telepathy4 ,this book really tells how to perform mind-reading4 ,in this it is unique2 no other work to our knowledge1 being really useful in this regard4 ,silk ,cloth4 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,series ,d ,although this is the last of this series of books it is in some respects the most important of any4 ,a life-time of study and practice will not exhaust its stores of knowledge4 ,it deals with ,psychometry1 ,phrenology4 ,palmistry1 ,astrology1 ,mediumship and ,somnopathy4 ,this last is a new word1 coined by the author1 ,sydney ,flower1 to define his discovery of a new method of educating the young1 i4e41 during natural sleep4 ,of this method1 a lady writing in ,the ,washington ,post1 of recent date1 said3 ,i never punish my little ones1 ,i simply wait till they are asleep1 and then ,i talk to them1 not loud enough1 you understand1 to wake them1 but in a low voice4 ,i tell them over and over that they must be good1 ,i suggest goodness to them1 for ,i think the mind is just as susceptible to suggestion during the natural sleep as during the working state4 ,i concentrate my mind on it1 and ,i am confident that before long all mothers will adopt my method4 ,it is the best way ,i know of to bring up children4 ,this method is fully described by its discoverer in this work1 and the endorsements of prominent physicians are given in full4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,the ,mail-,order ,business ,by ,,sydney ,,flower ,this little book1 if we are to judge by the testimony of those who have paid for and read it1 exactly fills the need of the many men and women who are now looking to the mail-order field as a means of starting in business for themselves in a small way4 ,this book is very practical1 very simple1 very much to the point4 ,it teaches how to enter the mail-order field1 manufacture goods1 buy1 sell and advertise articles1 keep a card-check system1 set of books1 etc41 in short1 how to conduct a small mail-order business on a limited capital4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,the ,mind's ,attainment 7,in ,press7 ,by ,,uriel ,,buchanan ,every reader of ,new ,thought literature is familiar with the charming literary style of ,mr4 ,buchanan4 ,this book1 which will be ready by the end of ,november1 expresses more nearly the high ideals of the author than anything he has hitherto published4 ,it gives the essence of a beautiful and ,uplifting philosophy that cannot fail to benefit and instruct humanity4 ,silk ,cloth1 ,purple and ,gold4 ,price1 #a4jj1 postpaid4 ,with ,new ,thought1 ,one ,year1 #a4ce4 ,,these ,,books ,,are ,,published ,,and ,,owned ,,by ,,the ,,psychic ,,research ,,company1 #chce ,,vincennes ,,avenue1 ,,chicago4 ,all books are sold by this company upon the full refund principle of ,your money back if the book does not suit you4 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,minor typographical errors have been corrected without note4 ,irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed4