,,living ,,the ,,radiant ,,life ,,latest ,,books ,,by ,,george ,,wharton ,,james ,,california1 ,,romantic ,,and ,,beautiful4 ,handsomely bound1 gilt top1 with #h full page illustrations in colors and #fd in duogravure4 ,in silk cloth1 #c4ej1 postpaid #c4ge2 in half morocco #g4jj1 postpaid #g4ej4 ,,indian ,,blankets ,,and ,,their ,,makers4 ,with #cb pictures in color of rare and unique blankets1 and more than #bjj other illustrations4 ,handsomely bound in cloth1 boxed #e4jj1 express paid #e4ej4 ,,the ,,lake ,,of ,,the ,,sky1 ,,lake ,,tahoe4 ,handsomely illustrated4 #b4jj net1 postpaid #b4be4 ,,our ,,american ,,wonderlands 7,see ,america ,first74 ,illustrated1 #b4jj net1 #b4be postpaid4 ,,quit ,,your ,,worrying4 #a4jj net1 #a4aj postpaid4 ,,living ,,the ,,radiant ,,life4 #cjj pages2 #a4jj net1 #a4aj postpaid4 ,,to ,,be ,,published ,,in #aiaf ,,or ,,later ,,the ,,prehistoric ,,cliff ,,dwellings ,,of ,,the ,,southwest4 ,fully illustrated1 and with maps and diagrams4 ,price1 possibly1 about #d4jj net4 ,,arizona1 ,,the ,,wonderland ,,of ,,the ,,southwest4 ,with #ab full-page illustrations in color1 and #dh duogravures2 #c4ej1 cloth1 net2 #c4ge postpaid2 half ,morocco1 #g4jj net2 #g4ej postpaid4 ,,reclaiming ,,the ,,arid ,,west4 ,the story of the work of the ,u4 ,s4 ,reclamation ,service4 ,fully illustrated1 #b4jj net1 #b4be postpaid4 ,,california ,,literature4 ,a ,text ,book for ,high ,schools and ,colleges1 with copious illustrative quotations4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for further list of books see end of the book4 ,any of these books will be autographed by the ,author1 on request1 if the order be sent direct to him1 #ajih ,w4 ,raymond ,avenue1 ,pasadena1 ,california4 ,,living ,,the ,,radiant ,,life ,a ,,personal ,,narrative ,,by ,,george ,,wharton ,,james ,author of ,quit from ,worrying1 ,what the ,white ,race ,may ,learn ,from the ,indian1 ,the ,story of ,scroggles1 ,the ,heroes of ,california1 ,the ,grand ,canyon of ,arizona1 ,lake ,tahoe1 ,the ,wonders of the ,colorado ,desert1 etc41 etc4 ,,pasadena1 ,,calif4 ,,the ,,radiant ,,life ,,press #aiaf ,copyright1 #aiaf ,,by ,,edith ,e4 ,,farnsworth ,j4 ,f4 ,,tapley ,,co4 ,,new ,,york ,,to ,,one who1 in all the years ,i have known her1 never once has failed to radiate that which is sweet1 pure1 helpful1 unselfish1 humane1 sincere1 beautiful and true1 with thankfulness for the blessedness of my association with her ,,contents ,,page ,,foreword ix ,,chapter ,i ,,radiancies ,,of ,,nature #a ,,ii ,,the ,,radiant ,,aura #f ,,iii ,a ,,few ,,words ,,in ,,passing #ad ,,iv ,,varied ,,radiancies #bb ,v ,,radiancies ,,of ,,individuality #ch ,,vi ,,conflicting ,,radiancies #ej ,,vii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,fear #ef ,,viii ,,the ,,radiancy ,,of ,,rebuke #gh ,,ix ,,what ,i ,,would ,,radiate ,,to ,,the ,,wrong ,,doer #ha ,x ,,the ,,radiancies ,,of ,,toleration #hi ,,xi ,,out ,,of ,,door ,,radiancies #if ,,xii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,joy1 ,,inspiration1 ,,and ,,serenity #aae ,,xiii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,the ,,will #abf ,,xiv ,,radiancies ,,of ,,cheerfulness #adg ,,xv ,,radiancies ,,of ,,moral ,,courage #aff ,,xvi ,,radiancies ,,of ,,content ,,and ,,discontent #ahf ,,xvii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,sincerity #bag ,,xviii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,service #bba ,,xix ,,radiancies ,,of ,,humor #bcb ,,xx ,,radiancies ,,of ,,the ,,eternal ,,now #bda ,,xxi ,,radiancies ,,of ,,extremes #bdg ,,xxii ,,absorption ,,in ,,relation ,,to ,,radiation #bee ,,xxiii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,death #bhf ,,foreword ,from the standpoint of religion the lives of good men and women may be divided into two great classes1 viz41 those who do no active wrong1 whose conduct is based upon the thou shalt nots of the ,bible1 the law1 and society1 and those whose every thought is to do some active good4 ,i am far more interested in the latter than the former class4 ,i am not content simply to forego doing wrong4 ,i want to do1 to be4 ,hence when the idea of ,living a ,radiant ,life took hold of me1 it sank deep1 and is now part of my inner self4 ,it was natural1 therefore1 that ,i should seek to formulate my thoughts as to what ,i desired to radiate4 ,this seeking soon taught me that ,i already was a radiant being2 every thought1 every act1 every word written or spoken was a radiant act1 having its influence for good or evil upon my fellows1 and that1 therefore1 ,i must decide speedily what ,i wanted to avoid radiating1 and that which ,i would radiate4 ,the following pages are some of the results of my earnest cogitations1 deliberations1 reflections1 and decisions4 ,consequently they partake strongly of personal preachments applied to myself4 ,they may be regarded as a record of personal aspirations and longings1 of spiritual hopes1 of living prayers1 and desires4 ,and they are purposely written in the personal form in the sincere hope that they will help others to put into similar form their own half-formed thoughts1 desires1 and aspirations4 ,this book is not offered as a complete manual of life4 ,it is merely a suggestion to others of the larger1 wider1 better1 nobler thing they may do for themselves4 ,it is my desire to arouse thought1 to stimulate ardent longings for something beyond the gratification of the senses1 to lead my readers to strive more earnestly for unselfish living1 and to encourage them in their endeavors to find1 realize1 and live those spiritual truths which redeem human beings from their mortal inheritance of imperfection4 ,the main test of any system of religion or code of life is3 ,does it work8 ,if it is not practical2 applicable to all the events of daily life2 enabling one to cope with problems as they arise2 making one more helpful to mankind1 less selfish1 less censorious1 less vain1 less proud1 less obstinate1 less cruel1 less thoughtless1 less despondent2 and1 on the other hand1 exciting and stimulating one to be more humane1 more tender and compassionate with sinning humanity1 more humble and ready to learn1 more amenable to the suggestions of the wise and good1 more kind1 more considerate1 more generous1 more noble1 more aspiring1 then1 indeed1 has it proven itself to be a broken reed1 instead of a tried staff upon which one may lean4 ,no longer to me is religion a question of ,thou shalt not4 ,the don'ts of life are of far less importance than the dos4 ,he whose life is occupied with doing good has little time or thought for doing harm4 ,christ's method of living was positive and active1 rather than negative and passive4 ,he went about1 doing good4 ,he said3 ,do unto others as ye would have them do unto you4 ,he taught love in action3 ,love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do good to them that hate you1 and pray for them which despitefully use you1 and persecute you4 ,hence ,i earnestly hope that every one of the following pages will contain some helpful thought for all who are seeking the more perfect life2 and also for those who are sitting in the darkness of discouragement1 under the depressing temptation to regard life as a failure4 ,there is no man living1 no matter how low in body1 mind1 or soul1 but can be helped into happiness2 no woman so utterly lost to all good who may not live to feel the sprouting of angel wings because of the birth within her soul of helpful1 unselfish love4 ,goethe's cry was for more light1 and as life comes with light in the material world1 so light and life are inseparably connected in the mental and spiritual world4 ,there is no real darkness in life4 ,there may be a temporary withdrawal of solar light1 but we know that as surely as all the days of the past have dawned1 so the sun will shine again to-morrow4 ,and through all the seeming mists of doubt1 fear1 and pain the true spiritual light forever shines to give immortal life4 ,let us take ,life then as ,god's gift1 and as we progress daily to a more perfect expression of freedom from all that would wrongfully enthrall us1 let us seek diligently to let our light shine upon those around who seem to live in the shadows4 ,i would come1 in these pages1 as the glorious sun1 bringing warmth1 healing1 and purification4 ,i would come as the stimulating breeze that vivifies and refreshes--the breeze that has its birth on the vast ,pacific where all impurities are scrubbed out of it in a thousand miles of storms1 then floats gently over the orange and lemon groves1 the rose gardens and violet beds1 the sweet scented blossoms of ten thousand times ten thousand shrubs of ,california2 then1 laden with sweet odors and charged with the bromine and ozone of the ocean1 climbs over the steep ,sierran heights and becomes cool and filtered through the vast pine and juniper forests1 and adds the balsams of health and strength1 distilled from a million trees and shrubs1 ere it falls to the desert and is there rendered aseptic and antiseptic4 ,like such a health-laden breeze would ,i come to weary men and women1 tired and exhausted with the battle of life1 sick of its complexities and frivolities1 longing for spiritual as well as physical health1 and seeking the happiness that comes alone when we live for the happiness of others4 ,my desire is to send forth a message that will bless body1 mind1 and soul1 just as a triple song1 whose melodies blend in perfect harmony1 carries healing1 strength1 and inspiration4 ,for he indeed is thrice blessed who knows the joy of life in its threefold manifestation1 who has a body that is vigorous and healthy1 a mind alert and active1 quick to observe and reflect1 to discern and classify1 and a soul whose emotions and aspirations are ever to help1 encourage1 comfort1 and purify humanity4 ,the conditions for such a life are in the ,everywhere waiting to be born into the ,here1 and ,god's time is now4 ,many of these chapters originally appeared in the pages of ,physical ,culture ,magazine1 and to my good friends1 its editor and founder1 ,bernarr ,macfadden1 and the present editor1 ,john ,brennan1 ,i tender my cordial thanks for the privilege of reprinting which they have generously accorded4 ,illustration3 ,george ,wharton ,james ,pasadena1 ,calif4 ,,prayer ,,oh1 ,,almighty ,,god1 ,thou radiant source of all power1 life and love1 ,thou free giver of sun and earth1 clouds and wind1 flowers and trees1 fruits and birds1 bees and butterflies1 work and play1 tenderness and unselfishness1 sympathy and love1 so fill us with ,thyself that we shall become radiant beings like ,thyself4 ,make us innocent as little children1 simple as the young animals of the hills and fields1 beautiful in soul as are the flowers1 heaven-aspiring as are the trees1 soothing as are the gentle breezes of night1 warming as is the sun1 fluid to meet all needs as water1 restful as night1 eager for work as the dawn1 joyous in all life as the birds1 and thankful for labor as the busy bees4 ,give us the needy to bless1 the loveless to love1 the sinful to stimulate and encourage to goodness1 purity1 and truth1 the orphan to father1 the degraded to uplift1 and at the same time the wise to be our teachers and the serene to lead us into peace4 ,be ,thou our ,constant ,vision1 longing and aspiration--nay1 be ,thou our never-failing companion1 counselor and friend4 ,so shall we become radiant1 true children of ,thine1 possessed of ,thy likeness and radiating the glory and beauty of ,thyself4 --,amen4 ,,living ,,the ,,radiant ,,life ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,radiancies ,,of ,,nature ,everything in ,nature is radiant4 ,use the term in its broad sense and there is nothing to which it does not apply4 ,the sun radiates light and heat1 and without it life would be impossible4 ,the moon radiates light1 but practically no heat4 ,its light is reflected and of an entirely different character from that of the sun1 so that no one ever mistakes the one for the other4 ,the stars have a light all their own which they1 though so many millions of miles away from us1 radiate in varying intensities4 ,and many of these stars are so individualistic in their radiancies that each one1 though perfect1 is different from each other one1 and may readily be detected by its own peculiarities4 ,every flower that grows1 from the night-blooming cereus on the desert to the most perfect amaryllis developed by ,burbank1 radiates its own colors1 odors1 and general appearance4 ,one familiar with them may close his eyes and detect in a moment1 by the odor of each--the violet1 rose1 lily1 cosmos1 verbena1 and a thousand others1 and there are those whose olfactory nerves are highly sensitive who can discern1 by smell alone1 the varieties of each flower4 ,every species of tree radiates its own qualities1 so that1 to the student1 they become growingly wonderful in what they give out4 ,a distinguished botanist whom ,i know is so familiar with the radiancies of the various pines of the ,pacific ,slope that he can sketch and perfectly describe the complete tree as soon as he sees the cone1 or1 blindfolded1 smells its odor4 ,every rock has its own radiancies of color1 texture1 weight1 and density4 ,one of ,john ,ruskin's most useful and beautiful books is his ,ethics of the ,dust1 and those who have not read it should do so to understand how many things a wise and good man has felt radiated from the rocks4 ,shakspere felt the potency of this truth or he would never have written that he saw tongues in trees2 books in the running brooks2 sermons in stones1 and good in everything4 ,every landscape radiates its own personality4 ,some are quietly pastoral1 as the valleys in ,connecticut4 ,the prairies of ,illinois1 ,iowa1 and ,nebraska are wide and impressive2 the wastes of the ,colorado ,desert are vast and appalling2 the varied colorings of the ,painted ,desert are weird and startling4 ,the orange1 lemon1 and other orchards of ,southern ,california delight the senses1 the forests of the north and the ,high ,sierras stir the soul by their expansiveness1 and the groves of ,big ,trees overpower by their height and size4 ,the ocean is restless and resistless2 the stars pitiless at times1 soothing at others4 ,each scene1 whether pastoral1 picturesque1 wild1 rugged1 grand1 or weird1 has its peculiar radiancies1 and some scenes possess many qualities1 all of which are felt or perceived by the sensitive onlooker4 ,for instance1 as one stands on the rim of the ,grand ,canyon he feels the radiancies of overwhelming vastness1 profound depth1 far-reaching length1 expansive width1 vivid and extraordinary coloring1 bizarre and strange carvings1 and1 in the lower depths of the ,inner ,gorge1 where flows the solemn and sullen ,colorado1 a strangeness and mystery found nowhere else in the known world4 ,in his ,kreutzer ,sonata1 ,tolstoi contends that certain music radiates damning influences1 and though ,i do not agree with him 7perhaps because ,i have never felt or seen such evil71 his attitude of mind serves as a further illustration of my proposition4 ,we all are aware of certain radiancies of certain kinds of music1 even though unaccompanied with words4 ,the ,dead ,march in ,saul2 the ,threnody in ,bach's ,passion ,music2 the ,death of the ,king in ,grieg's ,peer ,gynt1 and ,chopin's ,funeral ,march1 all radiate the solemnity and sadness of death1 while ,sousa's various marches1 ,chopin's ,march ,militaire1 and a hundred other similar compositions radiate the arousement either of active life or passionate war4 ,the ,glorias of ,mozart and ,pergolesi1 and ,handel's ,hallelujah ,chorus speak--even though the words are unheard--of the joy of the world at the ,savior's birth1 and the ,requiems of ,verdi1 ,bach1 and ,gounod of the sadness of soul felt at ,his cruel death4 ,every picture radiates the spirit of its artist at the period of creation1 and every piece of music the influences that overpower the soul of the composer2 and even every piece of furniture radiates to some extent the spirit of the age in which it was created1 or the animating spirit of its creator4 ,it should not be overlooked that1 although these radiant properties are possessed for all persons alike1 they are not discerned by all alike4 ,all people are not equally receptive1 equally sensitive1 equally apperceptive4 ,human beings are like soil--some is stony ground and the seed takes no root1 other is thorny1 and the seeds1 springing up1 are choked1 other still is good ground and bears fruit1 some thirty1 some sixty1 some an hundred fold4 ,in other words the state of our own responsiveness determines the effect upon us of the radiancy of the objects with which we come in contact4 ,the quartz picked up from a ledge may be full of valuable mineral1 but to the ignorant it is a piece of rock and nothing more4 ,the ordinary traveler on the desert sees a large black beetle4 ,knowing nothing of beetles1 it is to him only a bug4 ,but the scientific entomologist1 seeing the same beetle1 is carried away with delight1 for he recognizes the rare ,dinapate ,wrightii1 one of the least seen and most rare of ,american beetles4 ,most travelers seeing the cactuses of the desert note but a few varieties1 but the trained observer revels in hundreds of differences in mammillaria1 opuntias1 echinocactuses1 and agave4 ,some see no beauty in them1 some delight in their many and diverse charms2 to some their thorns are hideous and repulsive1 to others both interesting and beautiful in their arrangement and design4 ,according to our receptivity do these objects of ,nature affect us--some in one way1 some another4 ,the more sensitive our minds and souls are to what they perceive1 the more we receive1 absorb1 gain1 and1 therefore1 the more we in turn radiate to others1 but we must remember that the character and quality of that which we receive will be reflected1 therefore it is necessary to be constantly in that attitude of mind which is receptive to good only4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,radiant ,,aura ,swedenborg1 who was one of the most eminent of scientists and engineers1 as well as the founder of the religious system that bears his name1 asserted that various aura surrounded all living beings1 and that the mental or spiritual state radiates1 just as light and heat radiate from the sun1 and cold from the snow4 ,when one was angry1 he said1 he gave out the aura of anger which enveloped him as a cloud4 ,hatred had its aura1 as well as love1 sympathy1 purity1 impurity1 kindliness1 charity1 jealousy1 courage1 justice1 and the like4 ,he also asserted that1 to those who were simple1 natural1 and unspoiled by false reasoning--those who were spiritually inclined--these varied aura were clearly perceptible1 and were as certainly felt or seen as were heat1 cold1 whiteness1 blackness by the senses4 ,rudyard ,kipling bases his story1 ,they1 which appeared some years ago in ,scribner's ,magazine1 upon this statement of ,swedenborg's1 and in this light it becomes an extra fascinating story to read4 ,a great modern ,french scientist has made many exhaustive studies of these aura1 and claims to have photographed them4 ,in the ,panama-,pacific ,exposition1 one of the exhibits contained a series of interesting pictures1 or diagrams1 which purported to be exact representations of the various aura of people under different mental conditions4 ,in an article on this subject1 written by a well-known authority1 we are told that3 ,it is not around the human body alone that an aura is to be seen2 a similar cloud of light surrounds or emanates from animals1 trees1 and even minerals1 though in all these cases it is less extended and less complex than that of man4 ,the occultists assert that the aura is extremely complex in its character1 in other words1 that there are several aura superposed one upon the other4 ,the first appearance is of a luminous cloud1 extending some eighteen inches or two feet from the body1 assuming a somewhat oval shape4 ,careful study1 however1 reveals that this first appearance is resolvable into several component parts1 or separate aura1 of different degrees of tenuity1 and1 apparently1 superposed4 ,five of these have been defined4 ,the first1 or most material1 is that pertaining to the physical body4 ,in a state of health this is composed of separate1 orderly1 and nearly parallel lines1 which radiate from the body in every direction4 ,when one suffers from disease the lines in the neighborhood of the part affected become erratic1 and radiate less actively but in the wildest confusion1 or1 if the whole body be affected1 all the lines are consequently erratic4 ,for a long time it was not known what kept these lines straight and approximately parallel in the case of the healthy person1 until a second radiating aura was discovered4 ,this comes from a healthy body in pulsating waves1 with such vigor as to compel the rigidity of the health lines4 ,these waves may be compared to the pulsations of the heated air which rise from the ground on a very hot day4 ,baron ,reichenbach made experiments with certain sensitives who declared they could see these radiations1 and he called them the magnetic flame4 ,when these waves come from a sickly or weakly body they not only lose power1 but seem to give a confused direction to the health lines4 ,many observations also have led to the conclusion that when the lines are kept straight by the force of the pulsating waves from a healthy and vigorous body1 it seems to be almost entirely protected from the attack of evil physical influences1 such as germs of disease--such germs being repelled and carried away by the outrush of the life-force3 but when from any cause--through weakness1 through wound or injury1 through over-fatigue1 through extreme depression of spirits1 or through the excesses of an irregular life--an unusually large amount of vitality is required to repair damage or waste1 within the body1 and there is consequently a serious diminution in the quantity radiated1 this system of defense becomes dangerously weak1 and it is comparatively easy for the deadly germs to effect an entrance4 ,the third aura is that which expresses one's desires--a kind of mirror in which every feeling1 every desire1 every thought almost1 of the personality is reflected4 ,this changes constantly1 in some people1 accordingly as they are swayed by their impulses4 ,its colors1 brilliancy1 rate of pulsations1 alter from moment to moment1 or minute to minute4 ,an outburst of anger will charge the whole aura with deep-red flashes on a black ground2 a sudden fright in a moment will change everything to a mass of ghastly livid gray4 ,connected with this1 and yet1 seemingly1 of a separate character1 are the radiations of the aura that express the progress of the personality into higher and better appreciation of the things of mind and spirit4 ,the more intellectual and spiritual one becomes the more steady and beautiful are the colors and radiations of this aura1 and the variations and distressing manifestations of the evil desires of the third aura become less apparent and distinct4 ,the fifth aura is the highest at present discernible4 ,it manifests the spiritual development of the individual and is of almost inconceivable delicacy and beauty4 ,it seems to be a cloud of living light--the word cloud being used for want of a better term4 ,in the concrete examples of aura that were presented at the ,exposition1 that which radiated from a wise mother showing her protective love for her infant1 was in the form of outspread wings of a beautiful rosy tint1 the wings held together at the articulations by a sheaf-like mass of golden yellow4 ,selfish ambition1 sudden fear1 explosive anger1 selfishness1 grasping animal affection1 greed1 jealousy1 jealousy mixed with anger1 gloom1 murderous hatred1 were all displayed in peculiar1 hideous1 and repulsive forms and colors4 ,pure1 radiating affection1 on the other hand1 was represented in the form and color of a round body exhaling rays as from a rosy sun4 ,strange to say1 though ,i had never read anything explicit upon this subject before1 ,i had always conceived of pure affection as giving forth radiations of this exact appearance4 ,whether this occult explanation of the radiation of aura be a true one or not1 it serves to give one a beautiful conception1 viz41 that every soul may strive so to live within that he sheds upon his fellows glorious rays of light1 serenity1 warmth1 comfort1 blessing1 joy1 happiness that help them to the attainment of like felicities4 ,in the earlier part of this chapter ,swedenborg's assertion will be recalled that those who were unspoiled1 real children of ,nature1 could actually perceive these aura1 and that their acts were guided or influenced by them just as ours are by the perceptions of our five senses4 ,when ,i began to visit the ,hopi ,indians in ,northern ,arizona1 who celebrate that wonderfully thrilling religious ceremony known as the ,snake ,dance1 ,i found that their lives conformed exactly to this aura assumption4 ,they handle deadly rattlesnakes with fearlessness1 putting small ones into their mouths so that nothing but their heads protrude1 and larger ones1 up to five feet in length1 in their teeth1 head on one side of the mouth1 the writhing1 wriggling body on the other4 ,young boys1 from three to six and ten years of age--neophytes of the ,antelope ,clan1 which1 with the ,snake ,clan1 has charge of this ceremonial prayer for rain--hold these snakes during a part of the ceremony with an indifferent carelessness that is appalling to most onlookers4 ,on the other hand those who are alive to the dangers attending the handling of snakes assert positively that the reptiles must have their fangs removed1 as otherwise they would bite1 and either cause death or dangerous sicknesses4 ,yet both classes of observers are in error4 ,the snakes are not handled carelessly1 nor are their fangs removed4 ,apparent carelessness is often the result of years of training1 the ease and readiness that come with much experience4 ,fearlessness is another result of experience and knowledge4 ,but1 once in a while1 a member of the ,snake ,clan is afraid1 and at such times he is not allowed to dance4 ,in this exclusion is a strong suggestion that the ,hopis fully believe that not only do the aura of our mental and spiritual states surround us1 but that even to the lower animals they are as perceptible as light1 heat1 and cold4 ,it may be true that the truly occult1 or clairvoyant1 by pure and simple living1 return to the clarity of spiritual perception of the child and the lower animals1 and they likewise see and understand4 ,in the case of the snakes1 the ,hopis believe that if a dancer is afraid it makes the snake afraid4 ,in other words1 the reptile sees or discerns the fear aura1 and1 at once1 its own fear is awakened4 ,when afraid it assumes the defensive1 for that is its only mode of protection4 ,it coils ready to strike1 and rattles in warning3 ,beware6 ,on the other hand1 when the dancer is unafraid and handles the reptile in the true ,hopi spirit1 viz41 as his ,elder ,brother--for1 according to ,hopi mythology1 the ,snake ,clan originates with the ,snake ,mother1 and therefore all members of it are younger brothers to all snakes--the aura of friendliness and brotherly kindliness surrounds him1 which1 being perceived by the snake1 it is at once soothed and allows itself to be handled with restfulness and assurance of safety4 ,and in the thirteen times that ,i have witnessed the ,snake ,dance 7and several times been privileged to see and take part in the secret ceremonials of the underground chambers where the snakes are handled and washed71 only twice have ,i known any one to be bitten4,a ,a ,for a full and complete description of the ,snake ,dance see the writings of ,dr4 ,j4 ,w4 ,fewkes in the ,reports of the ,u4 ,s4 ,bureau of ,ethnology and my own ,indians of the ,painted ,desert ,region1 published by ,little1 ,brown ,co41 ,boston1 ,mass4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,a ,,few ,,words ,,in ,,passing ,perhaps the majority of human beings do not really live3 they merely exist for a time in the flesh and for the flesh4 ,and as all are constantly reminded that such existence is temporary and fleeting it is a very common belief that only in youth can one have a good time4 ,old age is dreaded because we have been taught to expect a greater or lesser degree of decrepitude1 pain1 and physical disability when we shall pass the so-called ,bible-limit of three-score years and ten1 and1 therefore1 we anticipate losing our powers of enjoyment4 ,fathers and mothers encourage their children to make the most of their youth1 and to get all out of life they can while they have the opportunity1 thus fostering and cultivating a high state of nervous tension in young people that is demoralizing in every way4 ,i believe this attitude is wrong1 and yet ,i believe fully in having a good time4 ,i believe ,god intended that all living beings should be happy1 and that it is possible to order our lives--our habits1 actions1 thoughts1 desires1 and ambitions--so that every conscious hour of every day will be full of real joy4 ,i believe in the buoyancy1 the happiness1 the radiancy1 the perfection of life4 ,browning expresses my thought in ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra1 and in ,saul4 ,in the latter he says3 ,oh1 our manhood's prime vigor6 ,no spirit feels waste1 ,not a muscle is stopped in its playing nor sinew unbraced1 ,oh1 the wild joys of living6444 ,how good is man's life1 the mere living1 how fit to employ ,all the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy6 ,and in ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra he says3 ,grow old along with me6 ,the best of life is yet to be4 ,and why should not old age be the best part of life8 ,does experience count for nothing8 ,can we not learn as the years roll along8 ,do we grow more foolish as we grow old8 ,if so it might be advisable to let the facetious suggestion of the celebrated ,dr4 ,osier be carried out in order that all men might be chloroformed at the age of fifty4 ,if1 however1 history and experience teach us that the intellectual faculties and reasoning powers of a man in normal health do not decrease with age1 let us protest vigorously against the false and injurious statement that youth is the best part of life1 and let us advocate that we should all possess greater mental and spiritual ability at ninety than at thirty1 with physical powers of endurance ample for every need4 ,it is recorded in the ,bible that many of the ancients lived to be several hundred years old1 and some of them were vigorously active at great age4 ,we are told that ,cornaro lived many years more than a century1 and ,i have personally known ,indians of great physical power and keen mentality who were over one hundred years old4 ,doubtless all are familiar with instances of great mental and physical ability at an advanced age1 and this is an encouragement for us to believe that health and happiness and usefulness are not confined to the early decades of human life4 ,my words1 therefore1 are not addressed merely to the young1 but to those of all ages1 for it is never too late to gain more of that mental health which strengthens body1 mind1 and soul--the real life which is manifested in love1 joy1 and all goodness1 and constantly radiates life-giving qualities4 ,radiancy is a condition of all life1 as ,i use the term in these pages4 ,no person can rightly live and retain within himself that which he possesses in abundance4 ,we must give out in order to live4 ,christ never spake a truer word than when ,he declared3 ,he that loveth his life shall lose it4 ,those who are so careful to keep all of their lives for themselves1 who never give of themselves to others1 who know nothing of the joy of self-sacrifice1 of service1 of helpfulness--these people defeat the very object of their selfishness by losing that which they are so determined to retain4 ,on the other hand1 he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal4 ,or1 as ,joaquin ,miller exquisitely and forcefully puts it in his unequaled couplet3 ,for all you can hold in your dead1 cold hand1 ,is what you have given away4 ,so1 then1 radiation of the good of ourselves becomes an essential condition in itself of real life4 ,this law of radiation is apparent everywhere in life4 ,for1 consciously or unconsciously1 willingly or unwillingly1 each man and woman radiates what is within4 ,the moment you come into the presence of some men you feel their uprightness1 their integrity1 their truth4 ,other men impress you in a moment as untruthful1 dishonorable1 and unreliable4 ,some radiate confidence1 so that the weak and uncertain rely upon them2 others the hesitancy and fear of incertitude4 ,others are radiant centers of conceit and overweening self-esteem1 which is an entirely different radiancy from that of self-confidence and true self-reliance combined with good sense and modesty4 ,some people radiate gluttony1 others drunkenness1 others impurity1 others dishonesty4 ,you have not been in the presence of some persons five minutes before you feel that they radiate ,every man has his price4 ,it is a great temptation when ,i come into the presence of such people to ask1 ,what is your price8 and then myself to give the answer3 ,thirty cents1 and it is twenty-nine cents too dear4 ,during a recent little outing trip ,i could not help witnessing the varying radiancies of a friend and the thirty students that he invited to accompany us4 ,one young man was full of physical energy1 good nature1 and helpfulness4 ,with keen eye he was prompt to notice any failure to keep up in the less strong of the girls1 and1 with jollity and jest1 but with real consideration and helpfulness1 he aided the weaklings whenever and wherever possible4 ,one of the girls radiated an abundance of joyous healthfulness that made it a pleasure to watch her4 ,another was a thoughtless go-ahead young miss1 who led a large part of the group a mile or two out of the way4 ,two of the girls were fault-finders1 three were radiators of efficient initiative when time came for preparing lunch1 and half a dozen were ready to help1 but had no idea how to go to work until directed by some one else4 ,one was able to determine somewhat the real character of the persons by that which they radiated4 ,of course1 that is not always a sure guide1 for one may pretend1 or affect the possession of qualities that are not inherent4 ,yet if we lived the true life and never dulled the keenness of our sense perceptions1 we should be like the animals and able to rely absolutely upon what we felt of the radiancies of others4 ,who has not seen the keen readiness of a horse to sense the mental condition of the man who was driving him8 ,suppose two men sit in the buggy4 ,one holds the lines1 but is unused to driving and especially nervous in a city4 ,he radiates nervousness and fear1 uncertainty and hesitancy4 ,the horse feels these radiancies and himself is nervous1 fretful1 fearful1 hesitant1 and uncertain4 ,seeing this1 his friend takes the lines4 ,almost instantly1 though the horse has blinders on and cannot possibly know by any ordinary sense perception that a change has taken place in his driver1 he calms and quiets down1 and goes ahead without further fear1 hesitancy1 or nervousness4 ,with dogs1 every one knows that to be afraid of a barking1 yelping1 aggressive cur is to invite him to bite you4 ,but if you advance upon him boldly and without any fear he will retreat in snarling dismay1 and if you make a bold dash at him he turns tail like the veriest coward and runs4 ,in my many visits to ,indian villages and camps ,i have tested this again and again4 ,i have had a dozen dogs run out as if they would tear me to pieces4 ,had ,i turned and run there is no doubt that1 unless their owners had interfered1 ,i should have been bitten4 ,but1 knowing the nature of the ill-bred curs of the ,indians1 ,i advanced boldly upon them1 kicking to left and right1 if the animals were more than usually persistent1 and invariably following into his own place of refuge the animal that seemed to be the leader1 and there giving him one or two sharp blows or decisive kicks4 ,the result was always the same4 ,so long as ,i stayed in that camp ,i was never bothered again4 ,they readily and quickly understood the radiancy of boldness and that of kindness when they ceased their fierce aggressiveness1 and never pestered me again4 ,this same radiant power of others is often recognized by lawless men and by criminals4 ,a fearless woman can go into places of great danger with absolute safety1 and a fearless and honest officer can arrest the most desperate and dangerous men far more easily than can a dozen fearful and dishonest ones4 ,thus it will be apparent that3 ,every person1 animal1 and thing1 consciously or unconsciously1 willingly or unwillingly1 radiates good or evil4 ,as human beings we radiate that which we possess1 or that which possesses us1 and we influence those with whom we come in contact by our radiancies4 ,the questions1 then1 that every true-hearted man and woman must1 and will1 ask are3 ,am ,i radiating good or evil8 ,if evil1 why8 ,if good1 am ,i radiating as much as ,i might and should8 ,for myself ,i want every man and woman ,i meet or shake hands with1 to feel that ,i am physically strong1 healthy1 and vigorous2 that ,i have vigor and health of mind2 that ,i think for myself1 rather than accept the opinions of others1 and that in character1 in spirit1 in soul1 ,i am healthy1 vigorous1 sincere1 pure1 true2 that my emotions1 my aspirations1 my ambitions are noble and upward4 ,i want to radiate spiritual health4 ,do you8 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,varied ,,radiancies ,man is a part of ,nature1 but he is more than that which we mean by the words1 mere ,nature4 ,he is ,nature plus4 ,there is given to him more than is possessed by sun or flower4 ,he has within him that spirit which renders him nearer the divine than sun or flower4 ,mind and soul make him a superior being4 ,hence it is the divine plan that he should radiate in his enlarged sphere as the sun and flower do in theirs4 ,unfortunately1 while we are in the body1 our imperfect and evil qualities are radiated as well as our good4 ,this is our misfortune1 and should be our distress4 ,for certainly every true man and woman would desire to radiate only truth1 purity1 sincerity1 courage1 good judgment1 self-control1 stamina1 or perseverance in good endeavor1 energy1 love of knowledge1 mental capacity1 justice1 tact1 ability1 executive power1 regard for the rights of others1 kindliness1 individuality1 self-reliance1 readiness to avail one's self of the wisdom of others1 self-dependence1 attractiveness of person1 companionable qualities1 good manners1 good taste in dress1 attractiveness of mind and soul 7this as differentiated from mere attractiveness of person71 cheerfulness1 optimism1 and altruism1 readiness to see and have faith in the good of others1 and good humor4,b ,b ,this list1 with slight variations1 is taken from the ,cosmopolitan1 ,vol4 ,,xxxviii1 ,no4 #b4 ,who could ever resist the radiating influences of a ,mark ,tapley1 such as ,dickens so vividly pictures8 ,such radiancies penetrate so deeply that nothing can obliterate them4 ,the greater the cause for wretchedness and misery1 the greater the opportunity to come out strong and show that his spirit of cheerfulness was greater than any untoward circumstance4 ,happy is that man or woman who gives out such radiancies1 and blessed are those who come in contact with them4 ,certain men and women radiate gloom and the abnormal recognition of their physical ills4 ,you greet them with a cheery ,good morning and they respond with an explicitly detailed wail of their ailments4 ,their rheumatism is so bad1 and their liver is out of order4 ,their backache is worse1 and their headache is simply frightful4 ,brooding over their pains and aches has magnified them so that they overshadow all things else in the universe4 ,an earthquake and fire that destroy a great city are of less importance to them than the recital of their own woes4 ,how different the cheery radiancies of the happy man--like ,dickens's ,cheeryble ,brothers--who gives out breezy healthfulness on every hand4 ,the clasp of the hand radiates physical vigor that in itself is a tonic to the body2 their bright and cheerful words brace up the mind2 and their ,god-like optimism and altruism lift up the soul so that--above the mists and fogs of mortal error--we see ,god and enjoy ,his smile4 ,some persons radiate selfishness4 ,i was riding in the train the other day4 ,a woman had two whole seats1 that is1 her suit case took up one and she sat on the other4 ,the car was filled with people2 every other seat occupied4 ,at the next station eight or ten people came aboard1 and all found places by the side of some one else1 except one woman4 ,walking down to where the whole seat was occupied by the suit case she asked the owner if she might have the seat4 ,i suppose if there's no other you can have it6 she replied in a surly and gruff tone4 ,god save us from radiating selfishness like this6 ,it is an almost daily occurrence to see a tired man or woman get upon a street car and no one makes a move to give a seat1 when that is all it needs--just a little sitting nearer4 ,this may be thoughtlessness1 but all the same it is selfishness2 a forgetfulness of the sweet privilege of helping others1 no matter who4 ,the wife of ,sir ,bartle ,frere once sent a servant to meet her husband1 who was just returning from ,africa1 an illness preventing her from going4 ,the man did not know ,sir ,bartle1 and he asked for a description4 ,the only description you will need1 said his wife1 is this3 ,look out for a fine-looking man who is helping some poor woman carry a baby1 or a basket1 or a load4 ,and1 sure enough1 when the train arrived he found the distinguished diplomat1 the great statesman1 helping a poor laundry woman carry her large basket of soiled linen4 ,ah1 ,sir ,bartle1 ,i greet you a nobleman indeed1 for you have radiated unselfishness1 thoughtful helpfulness1 to me1 and through me1 to others1 and thus out and on forever4 ,some persons radiate cynical distrust of their fellows4 ,there are no honest men6 ,i wouldn't believe in the integrity of that man under oath4 ,believe every man dishonest until he has proven himself honest1 and even then1 watch out4 ,he'll be liable to catch you if you nap4 ,do others as they would do you1 but do it first1 said ,david ,harum4 ,a profession of religion is but a cloak for evil4 ,if your bank cashier is a ,sunday-school ,superintendent1 watch him6 ,look out for the man who has no open vices4 ,these are the catchwords of this class of persons4 ,how pernicious and evil are their radiancies4 ,commend the fearless bravery of a ,roosevelt1 the unpopular decisions of an upright judge1 the single-heartedness of a labor leader1 the integrity of a railroad official1 and you are met with the sneer of the lip1 the cynical glance of the eye and the scornful words3 ,he's only waiting for his price4 ,far rather would ,i meet the converse of this cynic in the optimist who believes that every man is as good as he professes to be4 ,for such an abounding faith in mankind1 freely radiated1 has the effect of calling forth faithfulness1 and thus creating what it expects4 ,i know a woman who1 though abundant in good works and very kindly in some ways1 who seeks opportunities for helping the helpless and distressed1 yet1 when others fail to measure up to her own standard1 is harsh1 censorious1 bitter1 and fault-finding to a degree that many find it impossible to listen to her without distress4 ,thus her kindly deeds are overlooked and ignored and she radiates to a large degree discomfort1 unrest1 and irritation4 ,at our house we were once privileged to know a woman1 recently widowed1 who had a crippled and almost helpless son of about a dozen years of age4 ,when her husband was alive she was the president of the leading woman's club in her ,state and also the president of the ,state ,federation of ,women's ,clubs--a woman of executive ability and strong mentality1 though shy and unassuming4 ,her husband was a well-known ,governmental specialist in plants1 trees1 etc41 and she had aided him1 in some of his investigations1 to such a degree that she was almost as expert as he4 ,unfortunately she was afflicted with deafness4 ,when her husband died she was left with only a few hundred dollars4 ,her deafness prevented her taking any of the positions her mental qualifications so eminently fitted her to fill4 ,her crippled son must be cared for4 ,bravely and fearlessly1 yet cautiously and studiously1 she determined to make the living for herself and son4 ,she bought a small ranch1 planted it out in vegetables and small fruit1 and1 as the crops matured1 personally drove to town and marketed them4 ,yet with all this arduous work and care she found time and strength to read to her boy 7whose eyesight was poor71 to help him in his studies and sympathize with him in his boyish endeavors to accomplish something as an electrician4 ,there was no complaining1 no weeping at her hard fate--simply a brave recognition of her position and a cheerful facing of the responsibilities thrust upon her4 ,the sorrow and pain she felt keenly1 yet one saw no sign of suffering4 ,one day she came to our home and would have said nothing of her difficulties had we not pressed her to tell us about her affairs4 ,she made no claim for sympathy because of the way ,fate had tried her1 but when we offered it1 in our simple and unpretentious fashion1 she accepted it in as simple and unaffected a way4 ,her uncomplaining courage1 her fearless grappling with the hard problems of life1 radiated inspiration to all who came in close enough contact to know her4 ,we were all benefited and blessed by her presence and the helpful radiancies she shed upon us4 ,here is another case4 ,we are honored and blessed with the friendship of the widow of an ,episcopal clergyman4 ,for over twenty-five years she and her husband lived in marital oneness1 and seven boys and girls crowned their happiness4 ,she awoke one morning to find him dead by her side4 ,the shock was crushing and few would have blamed her had she been incapacitated for a while by its sudden awfulness4 ,but in an instant she leaped to meet her burdens and responsibilities4 ,religion was real to her4 ,her husband was with ,god4 ,he was safe4 ,it was her duty now to be both father and mother to her children4 ,a struggle then began which is as pathetic as it is heroic4 ,i have watched every battle and known the courage1 the patience1 the fidelity1 the failures1 the successes4 ,a house1 partially built with funds contributed by friends1 was eventually lost to the mortgagees4 ,the oldest daughter1 after years of brave and cheerful struggle with poverty and ill-health1 passed away4 ,a few years later1 within a week of each other1 two of the noble sons1 one about twenty-seven years of age1 the other nineteen1 the former the most ,christ-like youth ,i have ever known1 also died4 ,then the third daughter1 happily married1 died after giving birth to her third child1 and1 in a short time1 owing to some strange perversion which it is hard to understand1 the son-in-law took it into his head to refuse the grandmother the privilege of seeing the children4 ,the one remaining son1 who had studied with honors at the ,california ,state ,university1 went ,east to complete his special studies at ,yale1 suddenly collapsed mentally1 and was cared for for a long time in an ,eastern hospital4 ,think of the tragedies and sorrows thus crowded into one life in the short space of twenty years6 ,yet during the whole of this time1 though ,i have been as close to the family as though ,i were an uncle or older brother2 though all their affairs have been regularly and fully unfolded to me1 there have been absolutely no wailings1 no repinings1 no complaints1 and only the few tears that it is a relief to let flow when loving hearts sympathize4 ,instead1 this brave woman1 her heart fortified by an abiding faith in and love for ,god1 has been abundant in good works4 ,she is the right hand support of her clergyman1 and every poor and needy person in the parish has experienced her practical interest1 help1 and loving sympathy4 ,though unable personally to contribute of material things1 she has interested those who could1 and has thus made her sympathy practical and genuine4 ,her home for many years was the rallying ground for homeless young men--mainly1 of course1 belonging to her own church--who have been immeasurably blessed by her motherly sympathy1 loving counsel1 and helpful advice4 ,there radiates from her and her family a living belief in the goodness of ,god1 an assurance that all things work together for good to them that love ,god1 and that faith in ,god produces a living courage1 and daily strength1 a power to overcome affliction that is nigh to the marvelous4 ,to some it might appear almost like indifference2 yet those who know1 as ,i do1 can testify to the keenness of the inner feeling1 the longing for the companion whose dear presence was so awfully and suddenly removed1 the heart-crushing losses of children1 the terrible burden of the mental disturbance of the brilliant-minded and noble-hearted son4 ,to be brave1 cheerful1 helpful to others1 and strong to do under such burdens is to prove one's self possessed of the power of the living ,god4 ,it is the radiation of the truths of religion more potent than all the arguments of all the theologians of all the ages4 ,still another case comes to mind while ,i write4 ,it is of a woman who braved disinheritance by a stern father in order that she might marry the man she loved4 ,she came to the ,united ,states with him1 and on a vineyard in ,california they struggled happily together1 with a poverty that was almost sordid in its piteousness4 ,after two children were born the husband died1 leaving the wife with these little ones1 together with another child whom she had practically adopted1 and a mortgage at heavy rates of interest upon the home place4 ,the house in which they had lived for several years was poor and altogether devoid of comfort1 but shortly before the husband's death it had been made comfortable by the addition of several good rooms4 ,without a word of complaint this delicately nurtured1 refined woman1 who1 in her ,english home1 had been the organist and director of the choir of a large church1 took up the burden of running a ,california fruit farm4 ,heavily in debt1 interest imperatively demanded every three months1 knowing little of the practical working of such a place1 she personally took hold and learned4 ,she milked cows night and morning1 took them back and forth to pasture1 bred calves for the butcher1 made butter1 raised chickens1 drove weary miles summer and winter giving music lessons1 and yet kept home more comfortable for her growing brood than does many a woman well provided with funds and help4 ,in time the mortgage was paid off1 and a windmill and water tank added to the equipment of the place4 ,the children helped as they grew up1 and yet they were kept at school4 ,when apricots and peaches were ripe ,i have seen her for days and weeks at a time cutting and pitting them for drying1 until a half score or more of tons were lying in their drying trays on the alfalfa4 ,for hours at a time1 in the hot sun1 she sorted raisins and stacked them up in the sweat-boxes1 and did it happily1 cheerfully1 uncomplainingly1 in memory of the husband she so much loved4 ,can one come in contact with such a life without feeling its blessed radiancies of courage1 energy1 triumph over unpleasant circumstances1 cheerful doing of disagreeable work1 and the power of love to sweeten all things8 ,to know this woman is to be helped1 strengthened1 and blessed4 ,the bravery of such heroines far surpasses that of much lauded military and naval heroes1 and a few such women are worth more to the race1 in my judgment1 than all the ,napoleons1 ,pompeys1 ,csars1 and ,nelsons that ever lived4 ,certain men impress you with their calm self-reliance4 ,they are not disturbed by precedents or adverse judgments4 ,they do what they deem to be right and refuse to be swerved from the path they have laid out for themselves4 ,ruskin radiates this influence1 so do ,carlyle and ,browning4 ,every man who has dared to make innovations1 deviate from the ways of the old1 has had to be self-reliant4 ,every reformer of every age and in every field has had no other staff to lean upon than the assurance of his own soul4 ,galileo in his astronomical deductions2 ,savonarola in his criticisms of the existing political conditions2 ,luther in his fulminations against the evils of the church2 ,cromwell in his stand against the doctrine of the divine right of kings2 ,jefferson1 ,washington1 and the whole of our fathers1 who1 according to ,english law1 were rebels and revolutionists1 in the ,declaration of ,independence2 ,lincoln in his war measures and ,emancipation ,proclamation--all these and a thousand others radiated such self-reliance upon the principles they enunciated and advocated as to convince their followers4 ,every political party based upon real principles 7rather than upon a desire for spoils71 is organized as the result of the radiation of those principles held in the self-reliant hearts of a few men4 ,every school of thought1 in philosophy1 theology1 medicine1 law1 ethics1 or political economy1 is based upon the radiation of ideas from self-reliant men4 ,yet there is a marked difference between this quality and that of self-conceit4 ,when ,carlyle said of the grammarian who criticised his grammar1 ,why1 mon1 ,i'd have ye ken that ,i mak' language for such men as ye to mak' their grammar books from1 he stated a fact4 ,he was self-reliant1 but not conceited4 ,so with ,ruskin1 when1 in response to my question as to what literature ,i should read to cultivate a pure style of ,english1 after commenting on the worth of several masters1 concluded somewhat as follows3 ,and there are those who say you should read what ,i have written1 and ,i agree with them1 for ,i believe ,i have written more carefully than most men4 ,that was critical self-judgment1 not self-conceit4 ,still we are all more or less familiar with the conceit of ignorance1 the assumption of men and women who do not know the mere alphabet of the subjects they profess to be experts on4 ,recently1 on our sleeping car1 when a few people got together to sing1 one of the passengers1 with a self-conceit that was as ludicrous as it was ignorant1 spoke of the baritone voice of one of the women and discoursed learnedly upon the bass of the man who was singing tenor4 ,we have a writer in ,california who knows so well that he knows1 that some of us think he knows by the grace of ,god1 without study or effort4 ,his whole radiancy is one of cocksure self-conceit4 ,who has not felt the radiancy of the miserliness of some men and women6 ,those who would squeeze the eagle on a penny until the poor bird screams4 ,in his ,tom ,brown at ,rugby1 ,hughes shows that ,arnold always radiated his full appreciation of all the good in all the boys under his care4 ,maud ,ballington ,booth is a wonderful illustration of training to perceive the good radiancies in men and women in whom most others can see and feel only evil4 ,is not this a quality of soul to be highly desired8 ,how beautiful1 how helpful1 how comforting to others long used to feeling that only the evil of them is radiated to others1 to feel the sympathy of a large-hearted1 pure1 beautiful soul which has responded to the weak radiancies of the good that struggles for life within4 ,for1 just as ,i have shown elsewhere that we must be alert to receive the radiancies of animate and inanimate nature1 so must we be receptive to that which our fellow beings radiate4 ,we should train ourselves in receptiveness to that which is good4 ,all prejudice1 narrowness1 conceit1 over self-confidence1 cocksureness1 tend to ward off the good radiancies of others4 ,there are odors so subtle that the olfactory nerves of most people are incapable of recognizing them4 ,there are notes so refined that ordinary ears cannot hear them1 and we are all familiar with the fact that there are infinite depths of space that the largest telescopes fail to penetrate4 ,the expert violinist cherishes his sense of touch that he may not vitiate his playing1 and the engraver1 the watchmaker1 and the workers in a score and one other trades cultivate and preserve high sensitiveness of touch in order that they may become more expert4 ,the piano tuner's ear recognizes variations in the vibrations of the strings he is tuning that most of us fail to appreciate1 and the ear of a ,theodore ,thomas1 ,carl ,muck1 ,charles ,halle1 or any other masterly conductor1 recognizes fine shades of expression1 harmony1 and tastefulness in the playing of an orchestra that but few can appreciate4 ,browning in ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra speaks of things that ,god takes note of in measuring the man's account that men ignore3 ,all instincts immature1 ,all purposes unsure2 ,thoughts hardly to be packed ,into a narrow act4 ,all ,i could never be1 ,all men ignored in me1 ,this ,i was worth to ,god4 ,we may not be able to discern these instincts immature1 these facts that break through language and escape1 but we can assuredly discipline our minds and souls to see1 hear1 feel1 and touch many beautiful things in our fellows which we too often ignore4 ,reader1 what are you radiating8 ,i cannot answer that question4 ,your friends and your enemies may tell in part4 ,you alone can tell all4 ,sit down some day1 many days1 and study yourself4 ,weigh yourself4 ,see how much good you are doing1 how much evil4 ,write out a balance sheet4 ,it will help you in your efforts to know what you most need to seek to radiate in future1 and what to avoid radiating4 ,you surely do not want to radiate evil4 ,you surely want to radiate only good4 ,is it not better consciously to radiate that which you wish than unconsciously 7or thoughtlessly7 to radiate that which you do not wish8 ,as1 consciously or unconsciously1 we radiate that which is within us1 whether good or evil1 should we not aim consciously to radiate the best of which we are capable1 and thus evidence that we are striving to overcome all the evil that may be within us8 ,,chapter ,v ,,radiancies ,,of ,,individuality ,i want to radiate individuality4 ,i want to be myself and none other4 ,if ,i see in others things to emulate1 things that will more fully make me what ,i want and ought to be1 then emulation becomes a joyful duty--the something in another becomes part of myself through my desire1 my emulation1 my longing to attain4 ,hence in the right seeking to be myself ,i seek also to be like all the good in others which appeals to me4 ,herein is no destruction of my individuality4 ,it is a perfecting of it4 ,i take what is my own1 no matter where or how ,i find it4 ,it is so well known as to be trite that men and women are mere sheep4 ,we follow our leaders4 ,we are anything but individual4 ,in religion1 in medicine1 in law1 in speech1 in dress1 in amusements1 in architecture1 in literature1 in food1 in everything1 custom and fashion dominate us4 ,i would radiate a healthy resistance to the dictates of fashion4 ,why should fashion ride rough-shod over the wisdom of men and women8 ,the hoop-skirt1 the stove-pipe collar and hat1 the camel's hump of fifteen or twenty years ago that the ladies wore as an extra adornment1 the chignon1 and a thousand and one other foolish things that once domineeringly dared us to defy them have disappeared4 ,why should we ever have yielded to them8 ,what is fashion1 anyhow8 ,she is a fickle damsel1 generally proud of her money1 whose good looks are often the result of powder and paint and chalk and rouge instead of good health1 vigor1 and love4 ,she is a mere flirt1 carried away for a few hours with anything as a whim to pass away the time2 without heart1 feeling1 sensibility1 brain1 or knowledge4 ,her fads are more likely to be wrong than right1 and when right are generally the result of a lapse into sensibility by relinquishing any pretense at thought into the hands of some one who can think for her4 ,fashion1 a heartless1 conscienceless1 soulless jade whose friendship and favor are a curse1 whose flatteries are hollow1 insincere1 and corrupting1 and whose only use for any one or anything lasts merely so long as her own selfish pleasures are attained or desire for novelty satisfied4 ,why let fashion dictate what we shall wear8 ,radiate your distrust of its judgment4 ,radiate your refusal to submit to its dictates4 ,radiate your full and calm determination1 without argument1 to live in your own way4 ,if a certain style of dress1 which is structural1 honest1 neat1 is suited to you to-day1 it is suited to you to-morrow and for all time4 ,be yourself and wear that style regardless of the fluctuations of fashion4 ,why should fashion say that a man's overcoat this year shall fit him tightly and keep him warm1 and next year fit him loosely and send him into the cold1 through a storm1 shivering and chilled8 ,what sense1 what manliness1 what dignity1 is there in allowing a fashion-designer to thus have the opportunity of ruining our health8 ,let us radiate our positive repudiation of such insane follies1 of such sins against our bodies1 and in our dress1 our food1 our social customs1 be ourselves in a kindly1 unselfish1 unobtrusive manner4 ,wherever fashion dictates in matters of dress1 of personal custom1 there you find at once a restricted and provincial people4 ,for fashion compels adherence to her silly commands1 hence picturesque individuality disappears4 ,a few years ago the clever editor of the ,new ,york ,journal wrote an editorial against men's wearing whiskers4 ,one part of his argument was that the hairs were carriers of disease-germs1 and that1 therefore1 a man with whiskers was dangerous and to be shunned4 ,thousands of the poor people of ,new ,york read and believed this man's preposterous screed1 and were thus made unhappy and miserable1 and by mental suggestion rendered more liable to the attacks of disease than they would have been had these foolish words never been penned4 ,it was fashion--not a care for health--that dictated those words4 ,we ,americans so love the intellectual conversation and edifying monologues of our barbers that we allow them to dictate to us whether we shall have hair on our cheeks or not1 whether we shall have our necks shaved1 and how much and whose restorer we shall put upon our hair4 ,i use the barber here merely as a type4 ,he by no means stands alone4 ,i am determined to radiate a quiet but forceful protest against having my life or that of my fellows dictated to1 in purely personal matters1 by any one1 whether he be priest1 doctor1 lawyer1 barber1 or editor4 ,let each live his own life1 within reasonable bounds1 and let each expect every other to be himself4 ,in nature there are no two things alike1 yet fashion would have us all alike2 and1 it might be added1 therefore1 all foolish4 ,in seeking for the expression of yourself do not for one moment think it is necessary for you to think out something new1 original1 startling1 or strange4 ,that is not the idea at all4 ,your life may be yours--purely individualistic1 and yet everything you do and say and think and feel be as old as the hills4 ,the idea is this4 ,no matter where you get the thoughts from that incite you to action1 make them your own2 let them become a part of yourself1 then your life will be yours indeed2 an expression of your own soul1 and not that imitation of another that ,emerson so truthfully says is suicide4 ,but in the radiating of my own individuality ,i must be so filled with the true spirit of individuality that ,i shall in no way interfere with that of others4 ,too often men and women in seeking to be individual have seriously trespassed upon the rights1 the joys1 the comforts of others4 ,this is a fundamental error4 ,the first law of individualism is this3 ,what ,i claim for myself ,i thereby freely accord to all others4 ,note the word thereby4 ,in the very fact and act of claiming ,i thereby freely recognize to the utmost the right of every one else to claim the same right4 ,there is no selfishness in individualism2 there are no special privileges in its exercise4 ,it is the habit of a few to believe that they should have special privileges accorded them4 ,true individualism recognizes no such special rights4 ,in taking we give4 ,in claiming we avow the right of others to claim4 ,the trouble with mankind is that it has not learned that souls are individuals2 that the diversities seen between plants1 the differences that exist even between blades of grass1 so that there are no two blades exactly alike1 is but indicative of the individualism of the human soul4 ,there is a family likeness1 for we are all created in ,god's image1 but ,god is so large1 so great1 so diverse1 in ,himself1 that each soul is a different image4 ,hence each soul must be itself and not another4 ,each soul must develop in its own lines and not in those of others4 ,the great errors have come in when men have said3 ,i have found the way of life2 it is the only way2 all men1 therefore1 must walk herein4 ,it is a very human error1 yet error it certainly is4 ,that ,roman ,catholicism is the way for many human souls no one can question1 but that it is the only way for all human souls many millions have questioned and doubtless for ever will question4 ,every church1 every creed1 every philosophy has those for whom it is the way1 for the time being at least1 and it is well that they walk therein4 ,but in thought religion1 as in everything else1 progress is the law of life1 not standing still4 ,in religious thought1 as in all life1 let us say with our whole souls3 ,so welcome each rebuff ,that turns earth's smoothness rough1 ,each sting that bids not sit1 nor stand1 but go4 ,onward1 forward1 is the cry4 ,the law of evolution has demonstrated that there must ever be the disturbance of the equilibrium on the lower plane in order that there may be the readjustment upon the higher4 ,every soul that sits still and rests content is retrogressing4 ,there must ever be a godly discontent--a reaching out1 a following after1 as ,paul puts it1 if that we may apprehend--take hold of--the things for which ,christ ,jesus has taken hold of us4 ,every soul-field must be plowed and harrowed after each harvest4 ,crops do not volunteer very often1 and a volunteer crop is never so good as one that is carefully prepared for2 ground thoroughly nourished1 plowed1 drained1 harrowed1 rolled1 seeded with the best of seed1 watered1 weeded1 and properly harvested4 ,is a soul's harvest to be left to chance1 while farmers take anxious thought for field-harvests1 where only a few dollars' worth of produce are the outcome8 ,let us be wise for our own souls4 ,i can only radiate individuality when ,i am individualistic4 ,is there no infallible1 certain1 sure way of doing things8 ,of learning things8 ,i know not what others have found1 ,i only know for myself that there is but one way1 and that is the way of personal test and experience4 ,cardinal ,newman1 one of the greatest1 simplest1 purest1 and sweetest minds of the last century1 had to put his life's guidance into the hands of the church--the ,mother ,church1 to him--the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,his piteous cry has voiced the cry of millions of human souls since2 souls groping in the dark1 seeking for light1 desiring above all to know4 ,lead1 kindly light1 amid th' encircling gloom1 ,lead ,thou me on2 ,the night is dark1 and ,i am far from home1 ,lead ,thou me on4 ,keep ,thou my feet2 ,i do not ask to see ,the distant scene2 one step enough for me4 ,it was his desire to know that led him to write the hymn4 ,what a profound truth ,emerson said when he wrote3 ,a man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within1 more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages4 ,yet he dismisses without notice his thought1 because it is his4 ,the italics are mine4 ,why will men rely more upon written words than upon the flashes of illuminated truth that come to their own souls8 ,god and ,his truth are as much for me as for any man4 ,there is as much truth1 wisdom1 knowledge in the universe for me as for all the wise and learned of all the ages4 ,it is outside of me1 waiting to come in1 anxious to come in if ,i will allow it to do so1 and yet ,i allow a ,board of ,bishops1 a ,college of ,medicine1 a ,bench of ,judges to dictate to me as to what of ,god and ,his truth ,i shall receive4 ,while it is my duty and privilege to study reverently all which these people would present to me as the truth1 ,i want to radiate with all the power of my nature my belief that every soul must find truth for itself4 ,there is no patent truth extractor that suits every human need4 ,conventional thought which professes to express the truth is merely man's sign-board to point out to you the way some one else has found truth4 ,too often1 alas1 it is used as a restricting bond to tell you beyond which bounds you must not go4 ,let no man bind you4 ,god is over all and in all4 ,his truth is everywhere4 ,seek in spirit and in truth and you will find1--for yourself4 ,but be careful1 when you have found for yourself1 that you do not make the common mistake of most human beings1 and endeavor to force your truth1 appropriate and suitable for you1 down the mental and spiritual throats of every one else as the appropriate and suitable truth for them4 ,leave to every other soul the right1 the privilege1 the joy1 the necessity of finding truth for himself1 herself4 ,tell what you have found1 if you like1 but tell it reverently1 as a gift to you1 not as a divine light for every one else4 ,this1 therefore1 is the individuality ,i would radiate4 ,i would have the ,hindoo1 the ,hottentot1 the ,hopi1 the ,roman ,catholic1 the ,mormon1 the ,chinaman1 the ,methodist all feel that ,i revere and respect their individuality even as ,i revere and respect my own4 ,but1 further--and here is the important thing--,i would so radiate that they will respect and revere mine as ,i respect theirs4 ,when the ,methodist says either in words or acts1 ,i am a ,methodist and therefore you should be one1 he violates the law of individuality as of moral freedom4 ,so with the ,hopi1 the ,catholic1 the ,hindoo4 ,i would have it clear1 therefore1 that individualism is not toleration4 ,what is there in my exercise of a ,god-given right and duty to be myself that should call for the assumption of my fellow being that ,,he will tolerate these rights8 ,therefore1 ,i do not want to be tolerant to my fellows4 ,i would radiate the individualism which goes ahead and thinks and acts according to the dictates of personal conscience4 ,it is all very well to say that we should learn from the combined wisdom of the ages4 ,i am not so sure of much of it1 after all6 ,i accept the astronomy of to-day1 but by no means believe our astronomers have said the last word1 any more than ,i believe that the great and humble ,newton said the last word when he declared that man had gained the summit in the art of telescope making4 ,just four years after he made that foolish assertion ,john ,dolland invented the achromatic telescope which has revolutionized the astronomical science of the world by adding infinitely to the astronomer's seeing power4 ,nothing in human life is yet complete4 ,there is no absolute truth carried out to its ultimate4 ,when numbers were first discovered our forefathers thought they had gone as far as it was possible1 in discovering that two and two make four4 ,then geometry was discovered and ,euclid changed the arithmetic of the world1 and the teachers said we had gone as far as it was possible4 ,then algebra was discovered and the world found out the teachers were wrong in limiting the science of arithmetic4 ,yet foolish people would not learn from the folly of the past4 ,they wisely and sagely declared that now1 at last1 the ultimate had been reached4 ,but ,newton comes along and with his ,calculus opens up new worlds in arithmetical science4 ,,now we have got it all1 declares the teacher of fixed truth4 ,yet in the year of ,our ,lord1 one thousand nineteen hundred and six1 there comes a ,japanese1 and in his ,handbook of ,chess demonstrates as great an advance in arithmetical science as ,newton did in his ,calculus4 ,we are yet children4 ,we shall ever be learning so long as we are human4 ,the knowledge we have so far gained is vast1 apparently1 when compared with the knowledge held in the ,dark ,ages1 but1 as compared with what there is yet stored away for us to know1 ,i verily believe it is so insignificant1 so slight1 so small1 so puny1 so infinitesimal1 as to excite the pity and the contempt of any superior beings who look down upon us and see us strutting in our doctor's mortar-boards and gowns in our assumed wisdom4 ,god forbid that any arrogant pretension of mine should ever prevent one truth from entering a human soul4 ,i want to radiate my acceptance of all there is1 but my expectance for the large more that is yet to come4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,conflicting ,,radiancies ,there are few1 if any1 human beings in the world who radiate only evil1 or1 on the other hand1 only good4 ,man is a human being1 not divine4 ,humanity implies a lower stage than divinity1 and whether what we call evil be but manifestations of the imperfect and incomplete1 or deliberate wrong choice for which one is personally responsible1 we are all compelled to admit that there are few people with whom we meet who radiate toward us and all others only that which is good4 ,sometimes these not good radiancies have no immoral intent in them1 though they produce bad results4 ,for instance1 it is a well-known fact that many a man is driven to drunkenness by an unhappy home life1 yet probably no member of the household has the deliberate intention of producing such a result4 ,it may be that he is equally to blame for the conditions in his home1 for all are imperfect1 yet if the appetite for drink has been formed1 or environment supplies great temptation1 the complaints1 taunts1 or anger of his unhappy family do not increase his powers of resistance1 but rather weaken them4 ,there are men1 also1 who frankly confess to a reckless impulse to do wrong whenever they come under any very depressing influence4 ,it may be true that some peculiarity of temperament renders them liable to be thrown out of mental balance4 ,there may be inherent weakness1 or hereditary tendency1 which renders them unusually susceptible to depressing radiancies1 but the results are just as deplorable4 ,doubtless many a woman1 too1 warped and twisted out of normal conditions by disappointment1 ill-treatment1 and mental suffering1 becomes a tongue-lasher1 goes to the bad1 or commits suicide1 when different influences and environment would have saved her from such consequences4 ,there may not seem to be any immorality in the nagging of a husband1 or a wife1 or a parent1 yet the persistent nagging of some person1 whose intent was only good1 has produced direful effects in various ways4 ,these and a thousand other tendencies of the human being point to our present imperfection or subjugation to error1 out of which we must rise4 ,i know a poet4 ,his words have thrilled millions to a nobler and better life4 ,his pen has never incited to a mean or ignoble thought or action2 it has always written high and noble truth--peace1 good will to men1 the dignity of labor1 the joy of helping1 the blessing of purity1 the never-failing help of ,god--and yet in his personal life he sometimes radiates the degradation of drunkenness and the awfulness of impurity4 ,i know a writer4 ,he is one of the most brilliant men of his ,state4 ,his knowledge is profound4 ,he devotes more time1 unselfishly1 to the good of his adopted city and ,state than any other man ,i know4 ,his work is untiring in its fervid zeal for the preservation of historic landmarks that without his efforts would possibly have disappeared2 and also for a museum for the accumulation of evidences of past civilization4 ,yet he radiates a vindictive jealousy and fierce hatred of those whom he does not like that makes even his friends afraid of him and fearful lest they incur his anger4 ,shelley1 ,byron1 ,poe1 ,bret ,harte1 ,leigh ,hunt1 ,landor--and thousands of others1 including the ,psalmist ,david1 the ,hebrew king whom ,god loved--radiated grand1 sublime1 divine truths1 yet they also radiated weakness and moral wrong4 ,what should be our mental attitude toward those who give such conflicting radiancies8 ,shall we ignore the evil and see only the good8 ,how can we8 ,how dare we8 ,shall we ignore the good and see only the evil8 ,again ,i ask1 ,how can we8 ,how dare we8 ,there are good people1 ,i know1 who do both of these1 to me1 impossible things4 ,i want to do neither4 ,i will do neither if ,i can possibly help it4 ,i will not stultify my own sense of right and wrong by ignoring what ,i deem to be wrong in another4 ,i will reprobate it1 for myself1 and earnestly strive to be kept free from it1 but1 at the same time1 ,i will see the good in all its beauty and power and will glorify it and accept it1 and thank ,god that so much good does exist4 ,the whole question thus resolves itself to me3 ,shall ,i refuse to accept the good of certain men because they do many evil things8 ,shall ,i refuse to accept good except from those who are perfect8 ,if so1 from whom shall ,i gain good8 ,from you1 reader8 ,are you perfect8 ,if you take that position you had better drop this book1 here and now1 for you cannot receive good from me1 for too sadly do ,i know that neither the book nor its writer is perfect4 ,joaquin ,miller perfectly expresses this thought in the introductory lines to his poem on ,byron3 ,in men whom men condemn as ill1 ,i find so much of goodness still1 ,in men whom men account divine1 ,i find so much of sin and blot1 ,i hesitate to draw the line between the two1 ,where ,god has not6 ,let us be fearless1 honest1 just1 frank4 ,too often we condemn people who have as much good as evil in them--or more--because we are afraid if we do not condemn the evil that they do1 openly and loudly1 people will think we tolerate evil because we ourselves are evil4 ,hawthorne wrote his ,scarlet ,letter to teach us different4 ,the harsh1 stern1 vindictively pure and good people--in my humble judgment--have many and grave sins to answer for as well as those whom they so mercilessly condemn4 ,i condemn all that which appears evil to me1 and ,i seek to avoid it1 but ,i condemn no man1 no woman4 ,that is not my privilege1 my work4 ,judgment belongs to ,god who knows all circumstances and understands all hearts4 ,i know and understand very little1 for ,i am very short-sighted and ignorant4 ,how can any of us look with so severe an eye upon the sins of our brothers and sisters when we1 too1 are imperfect1 ignorant1 prone to wrong4 ,john ,wesley taught the people of his denomination very differently1 though they haven't yet learned the lesson4 ,one of his hymns says3 ,to hate sin with all my heart ,and yet the sinner love4 ,and the ,lord of the whole ,christian ,church spoke in no uncertain terms when ,he said1 ,judge ,not1 and in ,his action to those who brought the adulterous woman to ,him clearly showed us what our attitude should be4 ,joaquin ,miller wrote a much-needed lesson for this age1 this civilization1 this people 7the puritanic ,american and ,anglo-,saxon71 when he took this incident in ,christ's life and made it the theme of his poem1 ,charity4 ,may its high and sympathetic truths sink deep1 so that henceforth you will be able to stand side by side with the ,divine in dealing with sinful men and women1 and while condemning the sin be able to say3 ,go1 and sin no more4 ,and1 remember1 it is not for you to say which sin is most sinful in ,god's sight4 ,you may know which is of greater horror to yourself1 but it may be that the darling sin you cherish in secret1 or the weakness of your life may be regarded by the ,divine as of great culpability as well as the horrible sin you so much deplore and feel you must condemn so bitterly in another4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,fear ,fear is the greatest enemy of mankind4 ,it is the creator of evil1 for many people sin through fear4 ,it is the maker of cowards and moral weaklings1 the foe of all progress1 the barrier to advancement1 physical1 mental1 spiritual4 ,he who is afraid dares not1 and he who dares not1 knows not1 feels not1 enjoys not4 ,the fearful do not live2 they merely exist1 in bondage to a terror that leaves them neither night nor day4 ,they know few of the delights of achievement1 for they are afraid to dare4 ,fear throttles endeavor1 stifles hope1 murders aspiration4 ,it is a hydra-headed monster of protean forms4 ,it is a liar and a coward1 a beguiler and a thief1 a sneak and a poltroon1 a slanderer and a cur4 ,it comes in a thousand guises--sometimes as caution1 then as tact1 again as consideration for others1 but ever and always as a deceiver and a destroyer4 ,if there is one thing above another that ,i wish ,i had learned in earliest youth1 and ,i wish ,i had known enough to teach my children in their earliest days1 it is perfect fearlessness4 ,the only thing ,i fear to-day is fear4 ,to go through life afraid of this and that and the other1 is to take away all joy1 all spontaneity1 all freedom1 all aspiration1 all endeavor4 ,i used to believe and teach that we should fear ,god4 ,but the word fear as here used is not the abject1 groveling1 contemptible feeling that so many people imagine it to be4 ,god has made us in ,his own image4 ,he wishes us to stand upright1 and greet ,him as filial beings should1 proud and glad to come to ,him as ,our ,father4 ,fear makes us whine and whimper before ,god1 and go to ,him in the same spirit of dread that leads the ,indian to feel he must always be propitiating the powers that be4 ,if he does not pray and sing and dance and smoke the good powers will be offended1 and will injure him1 and the evil powers will be made more evil and do him more harm than they otherwise would4 ,hence month in and month out1 because of fear1 he seeks by his dances1 and smokings1 and songs1 and prayers to protect himself from evil by soothing their possible anger and quieting their fury against him4 ,there is much of this same spirit in our old-time theology1 and our present-day life4 ,we are afraid of ,god4 ,god doesn't want us to be afraid4 ,every man should therefore stand upright1 afraid of neither ,god1 man1 nor devil4 ,god is no tyrant to be turned from ,his purposes by sycophantic worship1 or by much speaking and importunity4 ,he is a reasonable ,god1 a loving ,god1 a just ,god1 a merciful ,god1 and abject fear will never change ,his plans as to ,his treatment of any human being4 ,as to being afraid of men1 why should one man ever be afraid of another8 ,let us stand upright as men--one man just as good as another--if he is as good1 and if he isn't as good1 knowing that all the potentialities of godhead are within his own soul4 ,we are gods1 says ,browning1 though but as yet in the germ4 ,let us fearlessly develop the germ1 or give it opportunity for development4 ,and as to being afraid of the devil1 ,i have long since learned that the proper way to deal with what ,i suppose to be the devil--or his henchmen--is simply to straighten up my back1 look him squarely in the eye1 and definitely and positively bid him ,go to hell6 ,even the most modest and refined of preachers1 whether of the new or old type1 will agree that that is the only place for the devil and his myrmidons4 ,i would have my children1 myself1 and the world afraid of nothing but of evil--and by evil ,i mean those sins that ,i myself know are evil--selfishness1 pride1 uncleanness1 as well as the sins of the decalogue4 ,but even here ,i would not let it be a fear that dreads falling into these sins4 ,i would not anticipate or expect anything of the kind4 ,hence1 in one sense ,i would not have them afraid of evil4 ,resist evil and it will flee from you4 ,harbor it not1 do not dread it1 but resolve to slay it by its opposite good4 ,the evil is null if you live its opposite4 ,there is no need for an unselfish man to fear selfishness4 ,a man who gives freely never need fear that he will become a miser4 ,yet people go through life afraid1 and teach their children to be afraid1 and thus lose nine-tenths of the love and joy and power and blessing of life4 ,fear holds a large and powerful grip upon the human race4 ,scarce one woman in a thousand of the so-called civilized portion but is afraid of child-birth--a perfectly natural process that should be attended with all the angels of ,love and ,joy and ,welcome1 instead of the horrible demons of ,fear4 ,from the time of birth until its body falls into the grave the mortal is taught fear4 ,we pay preachers1 teachers1 lawyers1 and doctors1 and much of their work consists of fostering our fears4 ,i have a picture before my mind's eye now of one of the noblest and best women that ever lived4 ,her whole life was a self-sacrifice1 an unselfish devotion to others1 yet1 such was the theology that had been taught to her that she was constantly in dread lest she had done wrong1 she was ever sitting on the stool of repentance1 and life was a gloomy1 somber1 awful thing to her1 because of her dread of an angry ,god4 ,thousands of people fear death because they have been taught that when they die they may go to hell for sins done on earth4 ,a mother was telling me only a few days ago of the perfect fearlessness of her boy until 7when about six years of age7 he went to a ,sunday school1 where they taught him their ideas of the devil and hell and ,god's method of punishing sin4 ,that night he dared not go to bed without a light and woke up several times crying that he was afraid of sinking into hell4 ,whatever preachers may feel it to be their duty to teach of hell and ,god's anger to grown men and women1 ,i deem it monstrously cruel to put such fears into the plastic and trustful souls of the young4 ,teachers1 lawyers1 and doctors are as bad as the preachers4 ,we must avoid night air1 and draughts1 and getting our feet wet1 and not eating enough1 and eating too much4 ,we must not eat this and that1 and must not do that or the other4 ,fear is instilled into our minds all along the pathway of life until if we are not healthy enough to throw it away and live our own fearless life1 we are weighted down by the burden of our needless and senseless fears4 ,all quack doctors work on the foolish and ignorant fears of the people1 or their nostrums would never sell enough to pay a thousandth part of what their advertising costs4 ,fear is the club that scoundrels use to beat the ignorant into paying tribute to them4 ,i do not believe in these fears--to me they are all bad1 and nothing but bad4 ,i would banish every one of them from the human heart4 ,but1 says an objector1 you surely would not let your child go and handle a deadly rattlesnake1 or send your growing and innocent girl into the company of expert rous1 or willfully sleep in a miasmic atmosphere1 or inhale the poisonous gases of a badly cared-for plumbing system8 ,of course not4 ,but neither would ,i be afraid of them4 ,there is all the difference in the world between knowledge of danger1 and fear of that danger4 ,let a child be taught definitely and positively the danger of handling a rattlesnake1 but do not fill his soul with fear of it2 impress forcefully and strongly the wisdom of avoiding evil company upon your daughter1 but teach her to be absolutely fearless in the presence of the debauchee2 seek to the full how to avoid all miasma and deadly plumbing1 but be fearless about them4 ,fear is the product of ignorance2 fearlessness of knowledge4 ,if my child knows all the harm a rattlesnake can do1 and all the power it possesses1 he can avoid it as easily as not4 ,therefore why should he be afraid8 ,the feminine fears of mice1 rats1 spiders1 and snakes are evidences either of ignorance1 or of a developed hereditary tendency to fear4 ,in the former case the fearful one should be trained so as to remove her fear1 in the latter she should resolutely set her will to work to overcome it1 in which all her friends should sympathetically aid her4 ,fear has ever been the foe of progress4 ,every advance step in all life has been taken by him only who had throttled his fears4 ,fire was conquered for the human race by the man who dared brave the strange and weird flames that grew and then disappeared4 ,prometheus--the fearless--is the type of all who have helped the race to progress4 ,it is the same in every field of endeavor1 on every plane of thought4 ,galileo1 ,newton1 ,savonarola1 the barons of ,king ,john's time1 ,cromwell1 ,luther1 ,bacon1 ,captain ,cook1 ,washington1 ,lincoln are but a few of the thousands of names of men who have dared1 who have bid their fears depart1 and in so doing have advanced the human race4 ,joaquin ,miller in his grand poem ,columbus clearly shows what would have become of him and the discovery of the new world had he let the fears of the mate and his sailors affect him4 ,read it carefully with this thought in view4 ,indeed it is well worth memorizing as a standing lesson against fear4 ,,columbus ,behind him lay the gray ,azores1 ,behind the ,gates of ,hercules2 ,before him not the ghost of shores2 ,before him only shoreless seas4 ,the good mate said3 ,now must we pray1 ,for lo6 the very stars are gone4 ,brave ,admir'l1 speak2 what shall ,i say8 ,why1 say3 ',sail on6 sail on6 and on6' ,my men grow mutinous day by day2 ,my men grow ghastly wan and weak4 ,the stout mate thought of home2 a spray ,of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek4 ,what shall ,i say1 brave ,admir'l1 say1 ,if we sight naught but seas at dawn8 ,why1 you shall say at break of day3 ',sail on6 sail on6 sail on6 and on6' ,they sailed and sailed1 as winds might blow1 ,until at last the blanched mate said3 ,why1 now1 not even ,god would know ,should ,i and all my men fall dead4 ,these very winds forget their way1 ,for ,god from these dread seas is gone4 ,now speak1 brave ,admir'l2 speak and say---- ,he said3 ,sail on6 sail on6 and on6 ,they sailed4 ,they sailed4 ,then spake the mate3 ,this mad sea shows his teeth to-night4 ,he curls his lip1 he lies in wait1 ,with lifted teeth1 as if to bite6 ,brave ,admir'l1 say but one good word3 ,what shall we do when hope is gone8 ,the words leapt like a leaping sword3 ,sail on6 sail on6 sail on6 and on6 ,then1 pale and worn1 he kept his deck1 ,and peered through darkness4 ,ah1 that night ,of all dark nights6 and then a speck-- ,a light6 ,a light8 ,a light6 ,a light6 ,it grew1 a starlit flag unfurled6 ,it grew to be ,time's burst of dawn4 ,he gained a world2 he gave that world ,its grandest lesson3 ,on6 sail on6,c ,c ,this poem has recently been set to music by ,dr4 ,carlos ,troyer1 of ,san ,francisco1 that is as thrilling and soul-stirring as are the words4 ,copies may be had by sending sixty cents in postage stamps to ,dr4 ,troyer1 #abcf #aith ,ave41 ,sunset ,district1 ,san ,francisco1 ,calif4 ,sydney ,smith once well said3 ,a great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage4 ,every day sends to their graves men who have remained obscure because of timidity4 ,the fact is that1 in order to do anything in this world worth doing1 we must not stand shivering on the brink and thinking of the cold and danger2 but jump in and scramble through as well as we can4 ,it will not do to be perpetually calculating risks1 and adjusting nice chances4 ,it did very well before the flood1 when a man could consult his friends upon an intended publication for a hundred and fifty years1 and live to see its success for six or seven centuries afterward4 ,but at present a man waits1 and doubts1 and hesitates1 and consults his father1 brother1 cousin1 friends1 till one fine day he finds he is sixty-five years of age4 ,there is so little time for our squeamishness that it is no bad rule to preach up the necessity of a little violence done to the feelings and of efforts made in defiance of strict and sober calculation4 ,too often elderly friends1 with the best of intentions1 inculcate this fear into the hearts of the young4 ,never was there a greater mistake or real unkindness4 ,it is nothing that the intent is good4 ,one's intent may palliate any judgment rendered against the offender1 but1 the unfortunate result1 the implanting of the fear1 cannot so easily be forgiven4 ,oh that ,i could prevail upon older people to refrain from this terribly demoralizing habit of giving advice to the young that inculcates fear4 ,let me illustrate3 ,a young man is a clerk in an office4 ,he sees an opening to which his heart and brain strongly impel him1 but there is a little1 perhaps a great deal1 of risk connected with it4 ,he goes for advice to his older friends4 ,they1 with their life-work practically finished1 valuing their rest and content more than desiring to renter the battle of life1 naturally are wary about an uncertainty4 ,why not leave well enough alone8 ,why run the risk8 ,what will you do if this fails8 ,you will have given up a certainty for an uncertainty1 and so on4 ,ah6 worldly wise though it seems1 it is the most injurious and harmful advice that the young could possibly receive4 ,where would progress and advancement be to-day if many had not totally disregarded such smug1 self-contented1 unheroic advice6 ,thank ,god1 youth is the time for adventure1 for striking out1 for making mistakes1 for learning1 for testing1 for proving all things1 and holding fast to that which is good4 ,old age has had its day4 ,it has made its mistakes and profited by them4 ,let it keep its hands off the young4 ,let them have their opportunity4 ,herbert ,spencer tells of throwing up a good job as civil engineer in order to experiment with a matter that a fortnight proved to be utterly impossible4 ,yet fifty years later he thus reviewed this apparently self-injurious act3 ,had there not been this seemingly foolish act1 ,i should have passed a humdrum and not very prosperous life as a civil engineer4 ,that which has since been done would never have been done4 ,in other words1 the act that shook him out of the rut1 the contented1 common1 mediocre path1 compelled him to find a new path for himself1 and this called upon all the resources of his great and1 to him and others1 unknown nature1 and he developed into the transcendent genius1 the profound philosopher1 whose writings had greater influence1 perhaps1 upon his century than those of any other man4 ,hence ,i want to radiate the spirit of complete fearlessness1 not only for myself1 but for my young friends of both sexes1 all the sons and daughters of men4 ,i would calmly watch them plunge overboard into the ocean of life1 trustful and confident1 having first taught them the first few strokes of swimming--the principles of true and godly living--and then stand1 fearlessly1 and watch them strike out for themselves4 ,i swam1--why should not they8 ,god is in ,his heaven to-day watching the sparrows fly just as ,he was a score1 a hundred1 a thousand years ago4 ,in the mental world how fearful people often are of breaking away from old ideas4 ,only the other day a friend wrote me that he had been to a funeral1 conducted by an orthodox clergyman4 ,he said3 ,i imagine his is a very orthodox denomination1 if he is a fair sample of what they believe4 ,glimmerings of a soul that hungers for larger things than its creed allowed was evident in his talk1 however4 ,is it not pitiful1 and more1 is it not tragical1 how people allow their soul-instincts and natural outreachings to be killed1 or hampered1 or stilled by what their befuddled brains or the brains of others have decided is proper1 or accepted as proper1 to believe8 ,i can remember when good ,methodists and ,congregationalists were kicked out of the church for daring to hope that all men would ultimately be saved1 and ,i have heard preachers and doctors fulminating against ,christian ,science and everything else that did not conform exactly to what they believed1 and seeking to work upon the fears of their congregations to prevent any investigation4 ,this kind of fear is unworthy the human soul4 ,be in a daring1 a receptive1 an investigative state of mind4 ,i would radiate a readiness and willingness to listen to anything that has proven1 or seems to have proven1 a truth to another4 ,i want to welcome truth from wherever it comes1 whether popular or unpopular1 wanted or unwanted4 ,i would broaden my horizon1 heighten my aspirations and deepen my conceptions of truth and be glad to receive from any source4 ,i well remember ,john ,ruskin saying to me3 ,never read that book or listen to that sermon which you know beforehand you will agree with4 ,by so doing you deepen the ruts of your own mentality4 ,i want no mental or spiritual ruts4 ,good roads are never rutted4 ,i wish to be a broad1 wide1 well-paved1 solid road1 over which all truth may run1 welcome1 free1 untaxed1 life-giving4 ,in his ,memory and ,rime1 ,joaquin ,miller in speaking of poets refers to them as these men who have room and strength and the divine audacity to think for themselves4 ,when a man strikes out for himself1 in thought and action1 he does have to be audacious1 in the higher sense of the word4 ,he has to dare his fellow men1 dare their criticism1 dare their disapproval1 dare to shock them1 dare to grieve them1 perhaps4 ,he has to dare himself1 throw down the gauntlet to himself in his struggle to become completely what he believes to be highest and best4 ,it takes a great deal of courage to do all that1 a great deal of resolution--an initiative that may seem impudence1 a fearlessness that may seem recklessness4 ,the strength that makes it possible to do this must be a strength like to the divine strength4 ,a strength ordained from the foundation of the earth as a part of man's birthright1 to become a part of himself1 when he begins to try for himself to conceive of higher good and to live it4 ,the man who thinks only as other men think1 dares act only as other men act1 is as a babe in swaddling clothes1 helpless1 dependent4 ,one can never be strong until he learns to walk alone1 independent of another's hand to cling to or another's strength to steady himself by4 ,one must learn to stand on his own feet1 learn to keep his own balance1 learn to step by his own volition4 ,if he does not he becomes a cripple4 ,most lives are as the lives of cripples1 and we help to make them so by our continued trying to force people to cling to us and our ideas1 frightening them into believing that they are in great danger if they try to step alone4 ,a little trembling of the legs as one first stands alone is nothing to be alarmed at4 ,a few falls and bumps as we first step out never seriously injure us4 ,it is only when a life has strength to stand out alone1 independent of its fellows1 that its soul can take hold of ,god4 ,and ,i fancy that it is only when a life thinks and acts for itself1 and allows its fellow men to think and act for themselves1 that it is in a condition to really give help and to receive help1 really in a state of mind to fulfill the commandment3 ,thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself4 ,it is one thing to be brave enough to do something which is hard to do but which your fellow men will approve of your doing1 and an entirely different thing to do something hard but which your fellow men will not approve of your doing4 ,therefore ,i want to radiate into actual1 living potentiality my belief that life consists in expression and not repression4 ,by many this is taken to be a plea for license and want of self-control4 ,do not believe it6 ,that is not what ,i mean4 ,the expression of evil is not the expression of myself1 for ,i long to do only good4 ,read what ,st4 ,paul says on the subject4 ,and by ,i1 ,i mean my real self1 as ,paul did--not my lower self1 my evil heredity1 or whatever it is that seeks to drive away the good from me--,i1 the real ,i1 the self which is1 and which may not appear to the world1 want to express all that is in that real self4 ,that means that ,i must control1 slay1 kill1 drive out all the evil that comes to me and demands that ,i express it as part of myself4 ,it is not a part of my spiritual self1 and if ,i express evil then ,i am not myself in that sense4 ,but ,i want to have such perfect1 such absolute control over all outward expressions that ,i shall ever and at all times express nothing but that which is good2 and that which will be felt to be good by all people4 ,and yet we must determine what we should express4 ,the thinking man and woman make their own standards4 ,these standards1 in certain great principles of honor1 truth1 nobleness1 purity1 are practically alike1 yet most men and women are controlled by fashion1 custom1 society1 rather than by their own cool1 deliberate judgment4 ,i want to radiate my protest against this state of affairs4 ,i will be my own judge and not place the responsibility for my own moral life upon the judgment of any person1 society1 clique1 class1 or church4 ,i must be saved by my own belief and life1 not by the belief and life of others4 ,for years ,i endeavored to avoid the appearance of evil4 ,when at last1 however1 ,i discovered that the appearance of evil--the determination of what it was1 rested upon the average quality of the minds of the community by which ,i was surrounded1 and not always upon right1 or truth1 or justice1 ,i made up my mind that for me1 at least1 ,god had a higher mission4 ,i resolved1 therefore1 in ,his strength fearlessly to radiate a higher conception of things4 ,an evil mind sees evil where none is2 a filthy mind sees filth where is only innocence and sweetness4 ,was ,i to shape my life and conduct to meet the ideas of those who deem innocence and trustfulness1 natural simplicity1 and true-heartedness as appearances of evil8 ,god forbid4 ,rather1 by far1 would ,i suffer in the judgments of men and women1 cruel and untrue though they would be1 than forego the life of natural trust1 simple uprightness1 that alone mean life to me4 ,and this is what ,i desire to radiate1--a positive1 powerful1 healthful1 aseptic moral quality that will refuse to allow people to see evil where none exists2 that will lead them to prefer to see1 to hope for1 to believe in1 the good rather than the evil in men4 ,better trust and be deceived1 than live a life of horrible mistrust4 ,i know men and women are imperfect1 and1 like myself1 composed of good and evil1 therefore ,i am determined to radiate my belief in the good in them rather than radiate my belief in the bad of them4 ,it is worth while to re-read ,george ,eliot's ,mill on the ,floss1 to see how poor ,maggie ,tulliver was misjudged and cruelly treated purely on what people supposed was her wrong-doing4 ,and ,i shall never forget the influence the following words had on me when ,i first read them4 ,i would that the lesson they contain might be burned into the inmost consciousness of every reader of this book4 ,even on the supposition that required the utmost stretch of belief--namely1 that none of the things said about ,miss ,tulliver were true--still1 since they had been said about her1 they had cast an odor around her which must cause her to be shrunk from by every woman who had to take care of her own reputation--and of society4 ,to have taken ,maggie by the hand and said1 ',i will not believe unproved evil of you2 my lips shall not utter it2 my ears shall be closed against it2 ,i1 too1 am an erring mortal1 liable to stumble1 apt to come short of my most earnest efforts1 your lot has been harder than mine1 your temptation greater2 let us help each other to stand and walk without more falling2'--to have done this would have demanded courage1 deep pity1 self-knowledge1 generous trust--would have demanded a mind that tasted no piquancy in evil speaking1 that felt no self-exaltation in condemning1 that cheated itself with no large words into the belief that life can have any moral end1 any high religion1 which excludes the striving after perfect truth1 justice1 and love towards the individual men and women who come across our own path4 ,it is my earnest desire that ,i may radiate this spirit of courage1 deep pity1 self-knowledge1 generous trust1 and all that follows4 ,and this1 not in an abstract or theoretical way1 but in the real concrete cases that one meets with in life4 ,i am not too good to associate with the found-out wrong-doer if he is striving against his wrong-doing1 and aiming to be better4 ,i would not look down on any human being because of any sin4 ,though ,i want to grow to hate sin more and more as the manifestations of that which separates us from the ,infinite1 ,i want the sinner to feel that ,i am one with him in all desire to be free from evil1 to be possessed only by the spirit of truth1 purity1 and love4 ,all great victories whether of peace or war have been won by the fearless1 the unafraid4 ,we honor the heroes of the past1 of ,thermopyl1 and the fearless and brave of all nations and all time4 ,tennyson's ,charge of the ,light ,brigade appeals to our love and respect for the virile1 the manly1 the courageous1 the fearless1 and it is the same spirit that thrills us when we read or hear ,curfew ,shall not ,ring ,to-night4 ,to save her lover the shrinking maiden was filled with high born courage and dared to hang on to the bell4 ,whether we agree with his beliefs or not we admire the bravery of ,luther that led him to exclaim3 ,were there as many devils in my way as tiles on the house tops yet would ,i go to ,worms4 ,whether we approve of his ascetic life or not we thrill at the bravery1 the simple-hearted daring of ,francis of ,assisi1 who resolutely cast aside his patrimony and dared his father's anger that he might serve ,god in his own way4 ,every advanced thinker1 whose life and action spell progress for the race1 has to be a daring pioneer4 ,he must be an iconoclast2 he must be self-contained1 self-assured1 self-confident4 ,he must stand aloof from his fellows in the very spirit of the message he brings1 for he dares--imperfect1 weak1 even sinful though he be--to be a teacher1 a leader of others4 ,and how natural1 human1 it is for those who live with or near him1 seeing and knowing as they do1 all his foibles1 weaknesses1 littlenesses1 failures1 sins1 to magnify these things and by them hide the beauty and grandeur of the lesson ,god has given him to teach the world4 ,our poets have given us some wonderfully vivid pictures of the fearless4 ,perhaps the greatest in all literature is ,shelley's ,prometheus4 ,it is worth reading a score of times in order that its spirit of fearlessness might be absorbed4 ,joaquin ,miller's ,columbus1 which ,i have already quoted1 gives a marvelously vivid picture of the great admiral when even hope had gone from his own heart1 when he could not pierce by faith the darkness of his own soul4 ,then1 pale and worn1 he kept his deck1 ,and peered through darkness4 ,ah1 that night ,of all dark nights6 ,yet though it was all darkness to his own soul1 and in his own soul1 he kept on4 ,his orders were ,sail on6 ,and his courage and bravery brought him to the light of the new world4 ,browning in his ,prospice opens with the bold and daring interrogative3 ,fear death8 and1 after showing what there is to fear1 exclaims as in an ecstasy of fearlessness3 ,i would hate that death bandaged my eyes1 and forebore ,and bade me creep past4 ,no6 let me fare like my peers1 the heroes of old4 ,in a minute pay1 glad1 life's arrears ,of pain1 darkness1 and cold4 ,i want to radiate the active consciousness even when ,i am storm-tossed1 beaten down by fierce winds1 compelled to stay my journey by the sand-laden1 hot sirocco of the desert1 dashed upon the cruel rocks by tempestuous waves1 frozen by the blizzards of the ,north1 that ,i have nothing to fear1 that nothing can harm me save myself1 that ,god is over all and in all4 ,as ,david called upon mountains1 and all hills1 fire1 and hail1 snow and vapors1 stormy wind1 to praise ,him1 fulfilling ,his word1 so would ,i call4 ,and in calling ,i would rest and be at peace4 ,and ,i want to radiate to others my fearlessness for them4 ,they need not fear though the heavens fall4 ,many a man fails in the fierce conflict raging in his own soul because he has been taught to fear the fierce judgment of an angry ,god4 ,i want with all the vehemence of my nature to radiate a spirit that will kill and bury forever such fear in human souls4 ,let no one daunt you by such teaching4 ,under all circumstances1 brother1 keep your face up6 ,look ever to the stars6 ,if1 in the conflict1 you lose heart1 do not let your face down so as to be covered by the mud into which you are sinking4 ,battle on1 though you are finally swallowed up--or fear you will be4 ,go down face up1 and let the last thing your expiring gaze rests upon1 be the stars above4 ,though the mud and mire cover your mouth so that you cannot cry out1 ,look up to the stars6 ,though it rise higher1 and cover your nostrils so that you cease to breath1 ,look up to the stars6 ,though it flows into your very eyes1 ,look up to the stars6 ,my word for it1 my soul for yours1 the ,god of men will take that last expiring glance of yours and make it the lever that shall pull you out of the mire and set your feet upon the rock and establish your goings1 and ,,put ,a ,,new ,,song ,,into ,,your ,,mouth4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,radiancy ,,of ,,rebuke ,i want to radiate the ability to rebuke without offense1 although this may appear to be a singular desire4 ,one night ,i sat with a friend enjoying the exquisite music of the ,boston ,symphony ,orchestra4 ,during one of the most subtle and delicate passages a lady in the seat behind me began to whisper to her escort4 ,it was as the thrusting of a bottle of sulphuretted hydrogen under my nose when ,i was enjoying the subtle essence of a violet4 ,four times that evening did that cultured ,boston savage outrage my susceptibilities by her rudeness1 by her theft of my power and right of enjoyment4 ,i wanted to rebuke her1 and ,i did not know how1 without giving her offense4 ,i used to offend such offenders and glory in my share of the offense4 ,i hope ,i have learned better1--yet1 all the same1 ,i do wish to administer some rebuke1 that will be effective4 ,as ,i have said elsewhere1 ,i want to do this so that my own serenity is preserved4 ,thus shall ,i radiate serenity and not offense4 ,if ,i am disturbed1 offended1 outraged1 ,i radiate those vibrations of unrest and disturbance4 ,i would reprove kindly1 but surely and effectively1 and that is best done by bringing the offender into sympathy with the best that ,i desire for him as well as myself4 ,i would that ,i could rebuke every boy who keeps a seat in a car when an elderly or aged man or woman stands by unseated4 ,i would that ,i could rebuke every parent who fails to teach his or her child his duty in this regard4 ,i would that ,i could rebuke every parent who fails to require absolute and explicit obedience to authority--his own and all other proper authorities--on the part of his or her child4 ,i would that ,i could rebuke every irreverent person whether in ,catholic ,cathedral1 ,episcopal ,church1 ,methodist ,chapel1 ,congregational ,meeting-house1 ,navaho ,hogan1 ,hopi ,kiva1 or ,chinese ,joss ,house1 who laugh1 sneer1 talk aloud1 or in other vulgar way show their irreverence4 ,all are sacred to some one--all should alike be reverenced4 ,i would that ,i could rebuke every haughty purse-proud woman or man who demands service1 not through love1 but by power of money or fear4 ,and my rebuke list would include the politician who uses his office for graft1 the senator who sells his vote1 the legislator who hesitates to give his interest and vote to all bills that seek the true welfare of the common people4 ,it would include every purveyor of adulterated foods for the people1 every user of child labor1 every employer of sweated labor1 and every bargain-counter fiend who hunts for the product of the sweat-shop4 ,it would include every newspaper owner who allows prejudice to control his columns rather than fairness1 and makes himself a party to the willful deception of the people2 every lawyer who values fees more than justice2 every physician a case more than health2 every preacher a fat salary more than truth4 ,and it might include you1 reader1 did ,i know you as well as ,i know myself1 whom ,i rebuke constantly4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,what ,i ,,would ,,radiate ,,to ,,the ,,wrong ,,doer ,for two years ,i was the chaplain for two homes where women who had led evil lives were sheltered and cared for4 ,during part of this time ,i helped organize and conduct a midnight mission in one of the most degraded parts of a large eastern city4 ,i have had a large and varied acquaintance with criminals of both sexes1 of all ages and conditions1 and have been the recipient of many strange and startling confidences of men and women whose integrity has never been questioned1 and yet who1 if their inner life were known1 would have been execrated and ostracized4 ,as a result of these varied experiences and the knowledge that has come to me ,i am compelled to assert that ,i believe our present system of treatment of wrong-doers is not only unchristian but unwise and foolish1 and that it fosters and cherishes some of the very wrongs we seek to prevent4 ,the attitude we take--that every evil doer loves his evil doing1 sins because he wants to sin1 is a criminal for his own pleasure--is absurd and foolish4 ,and what wicked cruelties such an attitude leads us to commit4 ,socrates saw clearer than that centuries ago when he said3 ,it is strange that you should not be angry when you meet a man with an ill-conditioned body1 and yet be vexed when you encounter one with an ill-conditioned soul6 ,most of us have a lot of maxims or rules that we apply to those wrong-doers who come under our ken1 forgetful of the fact that the strange thing about human nature is that it doesn't fit your1 or my1 or any one's ideas or notions4 ,it cannot be bounded1 as you bound a sea or an island4 ,it cannot be plotted or catalogued as you plot a lawn or catalogue a library4 ,the only way you can read men and women is with sympathy and love--sympathy for their failures to measure up to your conceptions of manhood and womanhood2 love for the undoubted good that you perceive4 ,all moral judgments must remain false and hollow that are not checked and enlightened by a perpetual reference to the special circumstances that mark the individual lot4 ,christ did not in the least abrogate the ,seventh ,commandment when he said to the woman taken in the act of adultery3 ,i do not condemn thee4 ,go and sin no more4 ,in my opinion ,he wished to teach the lesson that the self-righteousness and hypocrisy of her accusers were also crimes4 ,all men that are drunkards are not equally culpable1 deserving of hell-fire and to be swept there by quoting the ,hebrew scriptures3 ,no drunkard shall inherit eternal life4 ,the special circumstances must be considered1 and ,god only is competent to do this4 ,whenever ,i hear these ready quotations1 whenever ,i am tempted to use them in my dealings with my erring fellow-men and women ,i recall what ,george ,eliot wrote in ,the ,mill on the ,floss4 ,all people of broad1 strong sense have an instinctive repugnance to the men of maxims2 because such people early discern that the mysterious complexity of our life is not to be embraced by maxims1 and that to lace ourselves up in formulas of that sort is to repress all the divine promptings and inspirations that spring from growing insight and sympathy4 ,and the man of maxims is the popular representative of the minds that are guided in their moral judgment safely by general rules1 thinking that these will lead them to justice by a ready-made patent method1 without the trouble of exerting patience1 discrimination1 impartiality1--without any care to assure themselves whether they have the insight that comes from a hardly earned estimate of temptation1 or from a life vivid and intense enough to have created a wide fellow-feeling with all that is human4 ,the true brotherhood of man is that which takes upon itself all the weaknesses1 all the burdens1 all the woes1 all the sins of the world of men and women4 ,this is what ,christ did6 ,ah1 that we might perceive and realize it6 ,this is what makes ,walt ,whitman so great a poet1--that he tries to teach us this lesson4 ,this is what gave to ,ernest ,crosby his power1 gave to ,golden ,rule ,jones his influence4 ,they felt the brotherhood1 truly1 really1 deeply1 even though imperfectly4 ,christ felt it perfectly4 ,can we not try to feel it8 ,whenever we behold sin in others it behooves us to remember that ,paul said1 ,all have sinned and come short of the glory of ,god1 and that whenever we condemn sin in another we condemn some sin in ourselves4 ,we are all sinners in some way or another4 ,there are those who feel the oneness of human relationship so keenly that they have declared that when another did a wrong they felt it as if it were their own personal act4 ,while ,i have not yet come to so close a recognition of my brotherhood to all men and women as that1 ,i can deeply sympathize with the feeling4 ,we all know how a brother feels if one of his own family--sister or brother--goes wrong4 ,he is grieved and disgraced4 ,a burden is placed upon him4 ,when we fully recognize the brotherhood we owe to all men and women ,i doubt not we shall then feel this personal sorrow and disgrace1 which will lead us to seek our brother's speedy reclamation1 with helpful sympathy and loving encouragement4 ,only those touched with the essential spirit of the love that belongs to the ,divine1 or those who have sinned much1 can know the great secret of human tenderness and long suffering towards the wrong doer that alone1 at times1 can help him4 ,oh for more of this human tenderness and sympathy1 this long suffering and patience1 this active principle of ,divine ,love that burns through all crusts and coatings of evil into the most secret corners of the heart where the good is enshrined1 though forgotten4 ,i have just been talking with a prominent editor about a man in his office1 competent1 thorough1 reliable1 manly1 a systematic worker and able to get the best results out of those in his department1 yet who1 once in a while1 goes off on a terrible debauch4 ,he will drink up all the money at hand1 then draw out whatever he has saved in the bank 7sometimes nearly a thousand dollars71 engage an automobile1 surround himself with dissolute companions1 squander his money on them1 then borrow from his friends1 who1 knowing that when sober he will pay back every cent1 cruelly lend it to him1 and thus go the pace until either money gives out1 or physical endurance can no longer stand the strain4 ,then his true friends come and pick him up out of the gutter1 or care for him in a hospital until he recovers4 ,as soon as he is sane and sober again he is overwhelmed with remorse and sorrow4 ,he knows that he is ruining himself in every way and from every possible standpoint1 yet there is that in him that seems to render him incapable of resisting these temptations to periodical sprees4 ,he listens with true penitence to the cautions of his employers1 his fellow workers1 and to the heart-broken pleadings of his aged mother who fairly idolizes him--still he drinks4 ,what shall ,i radiate to such a man--to all such men8 ,can ,i ignore the degradation of their debauchery8 ,certainly not6 ,can ,i ignore the fact that1 as a rule1 when the downward path is once begun1 the sober intervals grow shorter after each debauch1 and that by radiating friendliness to such a man ,i am tying myself to one who will ultimately disgrace himself and me8 ,shall ,i cease to be his friend1 in order to protect myself8 ,god forbid6 ,to radiate friendliness is not enough4 ,seek to possess more than this1 that you may radiate more4 ,greater than friendship is love4 ,love your friend as yourself4 ,he is having a desperate struggle4 ,give him your love1 your thoughtful1 considerate1 protective love4 ,if necessary treat him as you would an insane person1 for the highest medical experts now concede that while alcoholic excess is a prolific source of disease and mental instability1 disease and mental instability are even more provocative of the alcoholic habit4 ,the greatest possible kindness to such an one would be to lovingly1 tenderly1 sympathetically lock him up4 ,the insane man must be kept from doing himself and others an injury4 ,society must protect itself from the evil doer1 regardless of his moral responsibility1 but the how of that protection is one of the most important things in the development of the human race4 ,as we now protect ourselves we show the barbarity of the aborigine1 the cruel vindictiveness of the savage4 ,i am fully satisfied that the time will come when we shall so radiate ,christian love one to another1 and especially to our weaker brothers and sisters--whether their weaknesses manifest themselves in alcoholic excess1 sexual sins1 gambling1 theft1 drug-manias1 or any other form of wrong-doing--that we shall prepare for them places where they may be properly cared for1 and especially whenever they fear they are in danger of succumbing to their weaknesses4 ,this method would not apply to those who are so enthralled by sin that they think they find great pleasure in the gross gratification of the senses1 for such are doomed to suffer until they are forced to see their errors and turn from them with loathing1 but there are others who are unwilling victims to appetite and evil habits4 ,the burdens which weak humanity carries are many and complex1 and sometimes even mysterious4 ,it is known to the medical world that many wrong deeds and even serious crimes are committed by men and women under temporary abnormal mental conditions4 ,in ,scriptural times doubtless it would have been said that they were possessed with demons1 but the modern expert calls such conditions manias of various kinds4 ,whatever the subtle cause of this species of insanity1 it is generally admitted that the attacks are of a periodical nature1 and that during the intervals the victims conduct themselves in accordance with ordinary standards4 ,condemnation and ostracism cannot remedy such evils1 but true ,christianity should prompt a method of treatment that will encourage and sustain rather than induce despair4 ,even ordinary so-called sinners are not reclaimed by avoiding them utterly4 ,those who go down into the slums and plague-spots of our cities would never rescue any of the perishing if they went grudgingly1 and holding themselves daintily aloof in self-righteous superiority4 ,no1 they brave the pestilential radiation in perfect safety and carry hope to the fallen because they possess the mind of ,christ1 which is purity and love4 ,this does not alter the fact that the pure and good naturally shrink from depravity and degradation1 nor that it is expedient to protect the ignorant and innocent from association with those who radiate impurity1 oftentimes1 but since it is well known that society contains many men and some women whose private lives would not stand publicity1 the only safeguard is to be fortified within with that purity and goodness which involuntarily resists evil and imparts good4 ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,radiancies ,,of ,,toleration ,i want to radiate my conception of what1 in religion1 is commonly termed toleration4 ,to me the term is a misnomer4 ,its use is based upon a gross and small-minded misunderstanding of the right1 inherent to each human being1 to live according to the dictates of his own conscience in all things that do not militate against what the majority conceive to be the public good4 ,what is religion8 ,my own definition is that it is the highest within myself reaching out to the highest ,i can see or conceive outside of myself4 ,in this reaching out1 this following after1 or apprehending1 as ,st4 ,paul calls it1 ,i alone must determine that which ,i will seek for4 ,others may aid me in my search1 others may point out to me and for me that which they have reached1 or are striving to reach1 and in that way they may aid and help me4 ,but for another to say1 ,this is that alone for which you should strive1 or ,that is the supreme end of all effort1 and to refuse me any right of appeal to my own judgment is to stultify my own ,god-given powers and to make a mere puppet of me4 ,hence ,i stand1 or fall1 on the platform of individualism in religion4 ,i affirm that it is a purely personal matter1 that there can be no coercion1 no forcing of any individual to adopt a general plan which another individual asserts that all must follow to their eternal well-being1 or disregard to their own damnation4 ,the attitude ,i would radiate is this4 ,for myself ,i know1 or am learning1 what ,i must believe1 what ,i must strive for1 what ,i must seek to become4 ,so long as this belief1 this striving1 this aim1 does not interfere with the exercise of the belief1 the striving1 the aim of others1 and is not subversive of the public good1 ,i demand my inherent right of individual belief1 individual striving1 individual aim4 ,when one who differs from me offers me his charity1 or his toleration1 ,i regard his offer as an insolence and small-minded impertinence4 ,i want no charity1 ,i refuse all toleration1 for ,i own as many inherent rights as the one who thus presumes to offer me his charity and his tolerance4 ,he needs my charity and tolerance to cover his individualism as much as ,i need his4 ,i have as much right to offer mine to him as he to offer his to me4 ,hence1 boldly1 fearlessly1 restful in my ,god-given right1 ,i believe1 ,i strive1 ,i aim to reach ,god as best ,i may4 ,but in the very self-assertiveness of this right it is an essential condition of my perfect freedom that ,i absolutely accord it to all others1 no matter how diverse from mine their beliefs1 their strivings1 their aims4 ,there must be no mental reservations1 no subterfuges1 no playing with one's own intellect or conscience4 ,the freedom to others must be as large and complete as the freedom ,i demand for myself1 for1 wherein ,i limit1 even in my most secret mind and heart1 the freedom of my neighbor1 ,i am giving to him the right to limit me4 ,with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again4 ,i resent any interference with my right to believe as ,i choose4 ,my friends1 ,g---- and ,s----1 are ,catholics4 ,in the exercise of their ,god-given right they accept a different faith from mine4 ,they are equally earnest1 equally intelligent1 equally sincere in their profession of faith as am ,i4 ,just as ,i resent any interference with my own right to believe as ,i choose1 so do ,i resent1 with equal1 and even stronger fervor1 any interference with ,g----'s and ,s----'s rights to believe as they choose4 ,i say with even stronger fervor4 ,you may ask1 ,why with stronger fervor8 ,the reason is this4 ,i find1 within my own soul1 a greater readiness to demand freedom for myself than ,i do to accord it to those who differ from me4 ,hence honor demands that ,i watch with even closer scrutiny the rights of my neighbors than ,i guard against encroachments upon my own4 ,selfishness will care for my own4 ,indifference to my neighbors may lead me to be careless of theirs4 ,other neighbors1 ,p---- and ,x----1 are ,christian ,scientists2 still others1 ,a---- and ,j----1 are ,unitarians2 others1 ,d---- and ,c----1 are ,universalists2 and ,i have friends1 dear to my heart1 whom ,i love with true1 pure fervor and who1 ,i am assured1 love me with an equal sincerity1 who are ,jews1 ,hopis1 ,wallapais1 ,havasupais1 ,apaches1 ,greeks1 ,mohammedans1 ,hindoos1 ,theosophists1 ,spiritualists1 ,atheists1 ,shakers1 ,agnostics1 ,communists1 and ,mormons4 ,take these beliefs and non-beliefs with the one ,i profess and the others ,i have referred to1 and there is as perfect a hodge-podge of diversities and differences as one can possibly imagine4 ,do ,i attempt to reconcile them8 ,no6 ,do ,i agree with them all8 ,no6 ,can ,i harmonize them all8 ,no6 ,it is neither my business to reconcile them1 agree with them1 nor harmonize them4 ,i am not sent to earth to make all men's minds and souls alike1 any more than ,burbank is sent to make all flowers and plants1 shrubs and trees alike4 ,my business is to develop and live my own life1 in harmony with my own beliefs1 aims1 and strivings1 to the utmost1 and seek the utmost good for my fellow4 ,and in no way can ,i better do that than by aiding him to live his highest beliefs to the utmost1 helping him in his strivings1 make clearer to him the beauty of his own aims4 ,hence1 even as ,i want all good men and true to bid me a hearty1 an earnest1 a sincere ,god-speed6 in my own strivings1 so do ,i1 with all my heart1 bid my many and diverse-believing1 diverse-aiming friends ,god-speed in their endeavors4 ,if1 for the public good1 ,i should ever be called upon to pass judgment upon any of the actions that are the result of the beliefs of my neighbors and friends1 and ,i1 with my fellow jurors1 deemed these actions subversive of the public good1 ,i could unite with my fellows in suppressing these actions4 ,but this would be done with a perfectly open heart1 without malice1 without censure even1 without any presumption1 without any interference with the principle ,i have sought clearly to state and exemplify4 ,it would be done as the result of our united judgment upon a matter of public policy--not a fixed1 established assurance of right or wrong1 but as a matter wherein1 for the benefit of others1 we regarded the restriction of an inherent and ,god-given freedom a justifiable act4 ,herein1 to my mind1 lies the power of the argument of the political prohibitionists4 ,they seek to prohibit men from the exercise of their undoubted right to manufacture and sell alcoholic stimulants--their undoubted right provided it could be done without injury to the bodies and souls of their fellow-beings4 ,no one can claim an inherent right to injure his neighbor willfully and deliberately4 ,no one can claim a ,god-given right to transgress ,god's own laws4 ,those who believe in ,god believe ,he has ordained laws for the government of all that ,he has created4 ,the interpretation of the moral law as handed down to us in the ,scriptures is1 in the main1 similar in all creeds in ,christendom1 and practically the same among all who1 without so-called creeds1 believe in the brotherhood of man4 ,upon those points wherein men have conscientiously differed there have been instances where the ruling majority has restricted or taken away the rights of the minority to put their beliefs into practice1 because the consensus of opinion has decided such acts to be contrary to public policy or public good1 but it does not necessarily follow that the interference was based upon incontrovertible ideas of right or wrong4 ,my contention is that no man or body of men has the inherent right to interfere with the beliefs and acts of their fellow-beings who are sincerely and conscientiously seeking to love ,god with all the heart and their neighbors as themselves1 but in all countries where the majority is supposed to rule it is expedient to submit to prevailing customs and laws unless conscience imperatively demands otherwise4 ,in any case1 however1 it does not necessarily follow that the majority is always in the right and the minority in the wrong1 especially in religious matters4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,out ,,of ,,door ,,radiancies ,i want to radiate a constant1 never-failing love for ,god's great out of doors at all times1 in all seasons1 under all conditions1 in all moods4 ,i want to understand ,nature1 to be one with her1 to feel with her1 expand with her1 be reserved with her1 be exuberant with her4 ,i want to realize and radiate my kinship with everything that exists in ,nature2 ,i am a part of this great whole1 all of which is an expression of a great thought of the great ,god4 ,by making myself a part of ,nature ,i am able to make allies of all the forces of ,nature1 and this fact ,i want to radiate with power and emphasis4 ,i would teach both by word1 influence1 and unconscious radiation that we are able to ally ourselves with all the powers of ,god as manifested in the world around us4 ,i have learned that1 no matter for whom else the sun may shine1 it shines expressly for me4 ,i would have you learn that it shines expressly for you4 ,whatever its power it belongs to you4 ,claim it6 ,and so with all the forces4 ,the winds blow for you1 the flowers bloom for you1 the stars glisten for you1 the fruits grow for you1 the trees clothe themselves in beauty for you1 the birds sing for you1 the sunsets are glorious for you1 and the sunrises gild the mountain tops with reddish gold for you1 the grass grows for you1 the creeks sing1 the rivers flow1 and the seas roar for you2 the forces of good are all yours1 you are allies with them1 and what they are you are1 what power they possess1 you possess4 ,what marvelous vivification comes into the body1 mind1 and soul of man when he realizes this stupendous fact4 ,he no longer stands alone on the earth4 ,god1 to many men and women1 is far away1 unseen1 unknowable1 but through ,his world in ,nature we can touch ,him1 realize ,him1 learn to know ,him1 and while we are learning this greatest of great facts we are becoming stronger1 more self-reliant1 more full of power1 more optimistic1 more sure of our own footing on earth4 ,a man may not say of a palace1 a house1 a garden1 a yacht1 a fortune1 this1 these1 are mine1 but we may each and all--the vilest drunkard1 the most wretched harlot1 the near-suicide1 and the nigh-insane1 as well as the poverty-stricken and the oppressed--say and know the sun is mine1 the stars1 the rain1 the sweetness of the flowers1 the blessedness of ,god's great gift of life4 ,therefore1 ,i am not poor1 ,i am not forsaken1 ,i am not forgotten4 ,i own much4 ,i will take and utilize these for my eternal blessing4 ,and as you utilize what you have you become both capable and worthy of larger things4 ,only those who use receive more4 ,to him that hath shall be given1 and these are the things that all may have and that bless more abundantly than any other things mankind may possess4 ,most of us go through life missing what ,nature has for us4 ,in one of ,sienkiewicz's books he makes one of his characters say of his betrothed1 ,i gaze on ,nature1 too1 and feel it2 but she shows me things which ,i should not notice myself4 ,a couple of days ago1 we all went into the forest1 where she showed me ferns in the sun1 for instance4 ,they are so delicate6 ,she taught me also that the trunks of pine-trees1 especially in the evening light1 have a violet tone4 ,she opens my eyes to colors which ,i have not seen hitherto1 and1 like a kind of enchantress going through the forest1 discloses new worlds to me4 ,reread these two sentences3 ,she shows me things which ,i should not notice myself1 and ,she opens my eyes and discloses new worlds to me4 ,the world's beauty is so common to us that we forget it4 ,nothing is commoner than the stars1 yet nothing more mysterious1 wonderful1 and attractive2 the grass is so common that we trample it under foot1 yet its beauty1 its varied features will repay long hours of study1 and it is a joy unspeakable to those who have learned to love it4 ,it is in the common things that we should look for beauty1 for lessons in color1 in art1 in criticism4 ,one of the great students and teachers of art of our country once wrote a book entitled ,the ,gate ,beautiful4 ,it was the result of a life of concentrated study upon true art4 ,whence comes true art8 ,what is it8 ,how shall one know it when he sees it8 ,the result of all ,dr4 ,stimson's study1 placed in that wonderful book1 summed up in short is--study ,nature1 and you will there learn more than all the books and teachers of art can tell you in a thousand years4 ,the author shows by remarkable illustrations spiral vibrations made by the voice1 the natural forms of mineralogy1 mechanics1 astronomy1 seeds1 fruit1 vegetables1 fish1 reptiles1 insects1 birds1 beasts1 flowers1 and humanity4 ,he shows the exquisite beauty of snow crystals1 and of the minute forms of earliest life1 found in the diatoms4 ,he sets forth the beauty of leaf and stem in the commonest trees1 in shells1 etc41 until one wonders where his eyes have been1 where his appreciation of beauty1 in all the years that these things have not appealed to him4 ,nature is so flooded with beauty that more than one lifetime will be necessary for any one man to discover the half of it4 ,so because of its beauty ,i want the men and women who come in contact with me to feel in me a pulsing1 living1 active1 irresistible love for ,nature which will draw them out into it2 arouse in them an insatiable longing to see and know1 to feel and comprehend more of the rich beauty so freely exposed out of doors4 ,the out-of-doors1 too1 is full of beauty of color as well as beauty in form4 ,oh1 the sunrises and sunsets at sea1 and on the desert1 and in the canyons1 and on the mountain heights1 and on the great plains of ,arizona and ,new ,mexico and ,utah4 ,what colorist of earth can ever equal them8 ,titian8 ,tintoretto8 ,velasquez8 ,turner8 ,la ,farge8 ,reid8 ,why waste words asking the questions8 ,how tame is ,titian's greatest color-effects side by side with a sunrise on the ocean1 or a sunset on the desert6 ,bostonians are proud of ,reid's magnificent paintings in the ,state ,house4 ,i enjoy them myself and do not wonder that visitors are struck by the powerful color-handling of the interesting historical subjects4 ,but ,mr4 ,reid himself is not so foolish as to imagine that his greatest paintings are more than futile attempts to put on canvas the colors his eyes have seen1 his soul has felt1 out in the open4 ,so1 for color ,i would radiate a love for out-of-doors4 ,and ,i would radiate a love for all of out-of-doors at all times4 ,winter1 ,summer1 ,spring1 ,autumn1 in rain and sunshine1 in storm and calm1 there is something in every condition1 every mood for the men and women who are receptive4 ,when ,i see newly born infants shut out from the pure air1 their faces covered1 lest they take cold1 ,i am filled with amazement at people's fear of out-of-doors4 ,my babies were put to sleep out-of-doors half an hour after they were born4 ,the latest and most approved methods of treating tuberculosis is to make those afflicted with it sleep out of doors4 ,there are camps in ,michigan and in the snowy regions of ,new ,york1 in the ,adirondacks1 where1 throughout the ,winter1 patients sleep out of doors with the best of results4 ,be not afraid4 ,go out of doors as does the ,indian4 ,learn of him and be wise4 ,he is a believer in the virtue of the outdoor life1 not as an occasional thing1 but as his regular1 uniform habit4 ,he lives out of doors2 and not only does his body remain in the open1 but his mind1 his soul1 are ever also there4 ,except in the very cold weather his house is free to every breeze that blows4 ,he laughs at drafts4 ,catching cold is something of which he knows absolutely nothing4 ,when he learns of white people shutting themselves up in houses into which the fresh1 pure1 free air of the plains and deserts1 often laden with the healthful odors of the pines1 firs1 and balsams of the forest1 cannot come1 he shakes his head at the folly1 and feels as one would if he saw a man slamming his door in the face of his best friend4 ,virtually he sleeps out of doors1 eats out of doors1 works out of doors4 ,when the women make their baskets and pottery1 it is always out of doors1 and their best beadwork is always done in the open4 ,the men make their bows and arrows1 dress their buckskin1 make their moccasins and buckskin clothes1 and perform nearly all their ceremonials out-of-doors4 ,i wish ,i could radiate to every human soul what ,i mean by having one's mind1 one's soul1 live in the open4 ,words fail to convey what ,i mean4 ,the sense of largeness1 of expansion1 of breadth1 depth1 width1 and height are as tangible in soul-results as in those of body4 ,none can live in the open all the time and become sordid money-grubbers4 ,if they are to become rich they do it in a large1 expansive1 virile way that commands respect4 ,it is only the shut-in man that can add to his millions by cheese-paring methods1 by grinding the face of the poor1 by counting up cents and nickels and dimes wrung from the labor of the children of the poor4 ,read these lines from a wonderful poem of the out-of-doors by ,edwin ,markham1 and see how much you can make it mean to yourself3 ,i ride on the mountain tops1 ,i ride2 ,i have found my life and am satisfied4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ride on the hills1 ,i forgive1 ,i forget ,life's hoard of regret-- ,all the terror and pain ,of the chafing chain4 ,grind on1 ,o cities1 grind2 ,i leave you a blur behind4 ,i am lifted elate--the skies expand2 ,here the world's heaped gold is a pile of sand4 ,let them weary and work in their narrow walls2 ,i ride with the voices of waterfalls6 99 99 99 99 99 ,i swing on as one in a dream--,i swing ,down the airy hollows1 ,i shout1 ,i sing6 ,the world is gone like an empty word6 ,my body's a bough in the wind1 my heart a bird6 ,never in a thousand years can one get such pure1 sweet1 pulsing1 living and stay-long-with-you delights as these1 in a city4 ,granted there are pleasures in the ballroom1 and they are doubtless great1 but can they begin to compare with the delights of out-of-doors8 ,languor next day1 ennui1 jealousies1 heart-burnings1 gossiping1 cruel slandering1 ruination of health1 too often come with these city pleasures4 ,then1 too1 the ballroom in its desirable form is only for the rich1 while the poor may enjoy everything good of the great out-of-doors4 ,the city has its theaters1 operas1 concerts1 lectures1 and the like1 but they are generally at night1 compelling people to be out when they should be in bed1 turning day into night1 and reversing the natural order of things4 ,and the artificial is never equal to the real1 the unnatural to the natural4 ,then1 too1 the out-of-doors is such a teacher2 and not a teacher of the arid1 formal1 dry1 embalmed knowledge1 but the real living facts4 ,as ,robert ,louis1 the well-beloved1 says3 ,there is certainly some chill and arid knowledge to be found upon the summits of formal and laborious science1 but it is all round about you1 and for the trouble of looking1 that you will acquire the warm and palpitating facts of life4 ,book knowledge can never equal living knowledge4 ,he whose mind is stored with what he has read too often only thinks he knows1 while the one whose facts are gained at first hand from the real objects themselves knows that he knows4 ,a man in a factory as a rule1 in these days of specialization1 is only a cog in a wheel1 a part of a great machine4 ,be he a woodworker1 he does not make any complete piece of furniture4 ,he saws on one part2 another on another2 a third on still another2 a fourth1 who knows nothing of shaping the parts1 assembles the whole1 and a fifth puts them together2 a sixth sandpapers2 a seventh stains or varnishes2 and an eighth polishes and finishes4 ,so with watchmaking and everything used by human hands4 ,nobody1 nowadays1 has the joy of doing it all4 ,but in the country a man plows1 harrows1 sows the seed and cultivates1 and during it all he is in the open1 seeing all the wonderful phenomena of ,nature pass before him in everchanging panorama each hour4 ,that is1 of course1 providing he has not been ground down by too many hours of hard physical labor until he has become a mere brother to the ox1 and the stolid and stunned creature so powerfully described by ,edwin ,markham in his ,man with the ,hoe4 ,every man needs something both of the city and the country4 ,rubbing up against his kind sharpens his wits2 often makes him more selfish and indifferent to the rights and needs of others2 and again prepares him more thoroughly to enjoy what the country offers4 ,so1 city man1 with all your senses sharpened by contact with mankind1 go out into the country to get your soul enlarged4 ,for ,nature is the great soul expander4 ,read ,john ,muir's ,mountains of ,california1 and see how the out-door-life enlarged him1 made him bigger1 grander1 nobler than he could ever have been had he stayed in the narrow confines of a city's walls4 ,in one chapter he tells of his experience in a storm in a ,sierra forest4 ,perched high on the mountains a great storm swept over the range4 ,most men would have remained indoors1 afraid of the fierceness of the wind and the beating of the rain4 ,not so he6 ,there were experiences to be had out there that could come to him in no other way2 so out he went4 ,after scrambling through underbrush1 climbing hilly slopes1 until his blood was fairly a-tingle in response to the power of the storm1 watching the swaying of the trees1 hearing the crash1 every few moments1 of a falling tree1 he finally decided to see the whole thing from the top of a tree4 ,so selecting a suitable tree he climbed to its topmost branches1 and there1 swaying to and fro like a bobolink on a reed1 he watched the wind playing with the gigantic trees and the tiny leaves1 and listened to such an olian concert as few men have ever dreamed of4 ,john ,muir's experiences and development are not peculiar to him4 ,most men who live the larger out-of-door life1 who engage in out-of-door occupations have a largeness and expansion about them that is stimulating and inspiring4 ,read the life of the fishermen--the ,gloucester ,folk1 and the ,folk of all the shores of the sea1 who gain their livelihood by battling with storms and circumventing them4 ,what brawny arms and shoulders and backs2 what tremendous power2 what deep breaths in powerful lungs6 ,see the pilots who come out to meet the transoceanic steamers2 what brave1 powerful1 massive men they are6 ,ordinary men are dwarfed in their presence--not merely physically1 but mentally and spiritually4 ,see the captains of these same great steamers1 and all sea-going vessels1 and the very sailors2 there is a strength of body and a largeness1 an openness of disposition1 that is good to come in contact with4 ,who that has climbed the ,swiss mountains with an ,alpine guide but has felt the strength and power developed by ages of conflict with snowstorms1 avalanches1 and other great ,nature forces4 ,even the loggers in the forest swing their axes or handle the huge logs with an ease and power that stagger the ordinary city man4 ,think how the old time stage-drivers used to handle their six- and eight-horse teams with ease and elegance1 guiding and directing their movements as gracefully as a grande dame promenades in her ballroom4 ,who has not been thrilled with the doings of the live-saving service1 and the lighthouse keepers8 ,what city girl could have dared do as did ,grace ,darling1 the lighthouse keeper's daughter1 who insisted upon her father rowing with her to rescue a shipwrecked crew in the face of a howling storm8 ,what delights ,i myself have enjoyed out on the plains1 prairies1 and foot-hills1 riding with the cowboys4 ,well do ,i remember several rodeos ,i united with in ,nevada1 where we rode madly after the wild cattle and horses1 over and through the sagebrush at break-neck speed1 now dodging to the right1 now to the left1 now jumping a piece of brush that could not be dodged4 ,we went up hill like the wind1 and then started down hill at equal or greater speed1 and once1 getting into a grove of trees1 ,i had to learn to bend down flat on the horse's back to avoid being swept off4 ,let your horse go where he will4 ,he understands his business1 and you don't1 were the instructions ,i had received1 and well it was that ,i was not required to guide my animal4 ,i had enough to do to keep my seat4 ,talk about rough-riders6 ,i was soon a rough-rider1 indeed4 ,and how tired out and weary ,i was that night1 but how ,i slept6 ,i had been dyspeptic1 sleepless1 and anmic4 ,three weeks of this shook me up so that my liver worked as it had never worked in my history before4 ,i got until ,i could eat and digest anything1 and my sleep was sweet1 sound1 dreamless1 and refreshing4 ,would that ,i had had sense enough then and there to resign the pastorate of my church2 quit being an indifferent and unhealthy parson2 become a cowboy and gain health1 vim1 vigor1 strength1 life4 ,i suppose ,i had to come to it slowly1 but come ,i did to the most important facts1 viz43 that ,i could never be healthy indoors1 and that ,i must live in the open4 ,and as ,i got out more my intellect and spirit expanded as my body grew healthier1 and ,i began to learn more from the objects around me than ,i had from all my schooling1 all my books1 and all my theological training and study4 ,nowadays there is no out-of-door occupation that does not appeal to me2 a ditch-digger1 a navvy on a railroad1 a roustabout on a dock1 a deck-hand on a steamer1 a brakeman1 a road mender1 a plowman1 a carter1 a teamster--even these1 the lowliest of the out-of-door callings1 show to me men of rugged strength that delight and appeal to me4 ,how one's very soul thrills in sympathy as he thinks of the marvelous achievements of the great explorers--all of them men of the out-of-doors2 ,columbus1 ,magellan1 ,capt4 ,cook1 ,kane1 ,sir ,john ,franklin1 ,peary1 ,sven ,hedin1 ,capt4 ,burnaby1 ,burton1 ,livingstone1 ,stanley1 ,major ,powell1 and a host of others4 ,how the mere thought of them and their lives radiates the very spirit of energy1 strength1 courage1 daring1 independence1 self-reliance6 ,in their physical or spiritual presence you feel you are in contact with an entirely different set of earth's mortals than ordinary men1 for they radiate unconsciously the largeness1 the expansiveness1 the majesty and strength of the vast out-of-doors4 ,rudyard ,kipling in his ,captains ,courageous fully explains what ,i mean about this largeness and nobleness of soul that come from the out-of-door life1 in telling of the fishermen of the ,new ,england coast4 ,in his vivid ,english he pictures their daily life1 what their work is1 how they have to brave the perils of the deep1 the dangerous fogs1 the uncertain storms1 the sudden death that comes when a great vessel looms through the fog and cuts them down4 ,yet they go ahead as a matter of course4 ,their life enlarges their faith and trust2 either it is that or they become used to looking in the face of danger and death and then calmly continue in their work4 ,no man does this without deepening and broadening his life4 ,when it comes to gardeners ,i fairly envy them4 ,think of the wondrous life that is theirs4 ,to learn and know the life-habits of plants and flowers1 and to see them growing from tiny seeds1 or slips1 or cuttings into all their rich and perfect beauty4 ,i never knew a despondent gardener4 ,his profession forbids it2 his experience rebukes it4 ,so of late years1 in my crude way1 ,i have been trying to become a gardener1 when ,i am at home and have time4 ,what an unspeakable joy there is in all this work4 ,how it occupies one's brain and body1 and drives away all despondency1 care1 blue-devils1 and worry4 ,out in the garden ,i am a king1 a proud monarch1 robed in blue flannel shirt and overalls1 my scepter a spade1 and my right to rule demonstrable by my strong muscles1 steady nerves1 strong lungs1 healthy skin1 and clear eyes4 ,who would not reign in such a realm8 ,more than all else ,i feel when living this life that ,i am lifted above all the petty meannesses of men and women4 ,i am dealing with creative forces--things direct from the hands of ,god--sunshine1 air1 water1 soil1 growth1 development1 life4 ,and how such feelings expand the soul6 ,then ,i begin to think of the wonderful work in flowers1 fruits1 and plants performed by ,hugo de ,vries and our own ,luther ,burbank1 and as ,i recall their achievements ,i feel the opening up of a new realm before me4 ,never can ,i forget the joy of a couple of days with ,burbank at his home at ,santa ,rosa1 and his proving grounds1 at ,sebastopol4 ,i there saw his winter rhubarb1 and as we walked along we came to his cactus patch4 ,the first section was of the rude1 prickly leaves ,i was so familiar with on the desert2 the next section less prickly and so on1 until at last1 with a frolic1 ,mr4 ,burbank dived into the cactus1 rubbed his face and ears against the great leaves and demonstrated them free from every vestige of a thorn4 ,then we saw flowers that he had completely changed1 in size1 color1 form1 and odor1 and when you ask how it was all done he declares that any man or woman with the necessary patience and skill 7and skill comes with patience7 can produce results as apparently marvelous as his own4 ,for the marvel is apparent and not real2 it is nothing but the understanding and application of natural laws2 laws that ,darwin and others have well understood and enunciated4 ,at ,sebastopol ,i had the joy of seeing him work in the selection of plum trees4 ,row after row of young bearing plum trees stood before us4 ,with two men following him1 one with black strings1 and the other with white1 he began4 ,picking a plum from the first tree1 he bit into it4 ,i did likewise4 ,to me it seemed a good plum4 ,he rapidly commented upon3 #a1 its appearance1 shape1 etc42 #b1 color2 #c1 firmness of texture2 #d1 flavor2 #e1 sweetness4 ,then he did the same with the tree3 its extent of foliage1 shapeliness1 etc4 ,all these things had to be considered4 ,the first few trees he took very slowly and deliberately in order that ,i might clearly comprehend what he was after4 ,then1 almost as quickly as his eye fell upon a tree1 he had put his teeth into the fruit1 his trained intellect had decided whether the tree was worth keeping or killing1 and as he said keep or kill1 the attendants tied on the corresponding white or black strings4 ,to produce the plum he wanted he assured me he has destroyed over a million trees4 ,his apple trees are perfect marvels4 ,some of them bear upwards of two hundred different kinds of apples1 and he says it is comparatively easy to produce an apple of any color1 texture1 size1 flavor1 and sweetness desired4 ,think what ,nature has taught to such a man4 ,he is not what you would call a supereducated man in books2 but he has read ,nature as few men in the history of the world have done1 and she has revealed many of her most intimate secrets to him4 ,and as you talk with him you find in this quiet1 unassuming1 sweet-spirited1 gentle-hearted man a breadth1 a largeness1 a sweep of soul that are rare4 ,and ,nature gives this same largeness to a woman as well as a man4 ,women who get into the bigness of the out-of-doors get away from feminine pettinesses just as surely as men do from their narrownesses and prejudices4 ,i have two women friends in ,california 7or had1 until one passed on71 both of them expert and scientific florists4 ,one lived at ,san ,buena ,ventura1 and the other at ,san ,diego4 ,the names of ,mrs4 ,theodosia ,shepard and ,miss ,kate ,sessions are known throughout the world4 ,both women determined to devote their lives to a scientific study1 out in the garden1 of plant life1 and each has therefore done things1 achieved results that have made her world-famed4 ,how much better this1 than to live the narrow1 contracted life of most women4 ,another woman friend1 ,mrs4 ,sarah ,plummer ,lemmon1 wife of the well-known botanist1 and herself a botanist known to the whole scientific world1 for years accompanied her husband in his expeditions throughout the wildest parts of ,arizona1 ,new ,mexico1 ,california1 and ,mexico4 ,i doubt whether there is a person living who has so real and intimate a knowledge of all this country as has this brave and intrepid woman1 who1 when ,apaches were on the warpath1 calmly and steadfastly sustained her husband in his scientific work4 ,in storms and perils1 in danger from wild animals and wilder men1 away from all luxuries and comforts and often deprived of what most people call necessities1 this woman communed with ,nature and has thereby grown into a large1 commanding1 powerful1 all-embracing soul1 as much above the average woman in intellect as an athlete is above a baby4 ,i am no technical botanist1 yet ,i have had pleasure untold when wandering in canyon1 mountain1 plain1 forest1 seaside1 and desert in seeking to learn all ,i could of the flora of the region4 ,when botanists said that the cereus giganteus--the giant suahuaro--was not to be found in ,california and ,i knew ,i had seen it growing on the ,california side of the ,colorado ,river1 there was great pleasure in photographing the few specimens ,i knew in this habitat and then in hunting for more4 ,how well ,i remember one day climbing up hill and down1 over rocky ridges and dangerous trails and places where there were no trails at all1 every now and again seeing fresh specimens1 in ,california1 of this cactus that did not grow in ,california4 ,and when1 at last1 ,i stood on a ridge1 looking down into a secluded canyon1 where there were a dozen or more 7which ,i photographed71 ,i felt as if1 humbly though it was1 ,i were being used as an instrument for increasing the botanical knowledge of the world4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,joy1 ,,inspiration1 ,,and ,,serenity ,i want to radiate the healthfulness of joy4 ,joy is the sunshine of the soul4 ,let it shine4 ,if there is so much of it that it fills the soul1 it makes of it a luminous body that must radiate light and warmth and health to others4 ,the joyous man is the healthy man1 and he that has health should joy to give it to others1 whenever and wherever he can4 ,my friend1 ,marshall ,p4 ,wilder1 was a radiating center of joy as well as fun4 ,he was funny1 but he was more--he was joyous4 ,there was no enmity1 no malice1 no unkindness1 no cruelty in his fun2 it was all healthful1 kind1 sane1 and joyous4 ,a little girl once said of a certain man3 ,i like that man because he always shines at me4 ,don't you want to shine and make glad the innocent heart of a child1 the striving heart of the young1 the sorrowful and vexed heart of the middle-aged1 and the weary heart of the old8 ,well did ,robert ,louis ,stevenson say3 ,a happy man or woman is a better thing to find than a five-pound note4 ,he or she is a radiating focus of good will2 and their entrance into a room is as though another candle had been lighted4 ,there is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy4 ,by being happy1 we sow anonymous benefits upon the world1 which remain unknown even to ourselves1 or when they are disclosed1 surprise nobody so much as the benefactor4 ,make the most of your happiness1 and the least of your sorrows4 ,use the telescope at the enlarging end for the former and at the reducing end for the latter1 until you have learned what most of us have to learn--how foolish and wrong it is to make our joys mere incidents while we make our sorrows events4 ,i want to radiate a joy in the little things of to-day4 ,most people live in anticipation4 ,the things of to-day are not enough4 ,it is1 ,oh1 tomorrow--next week--next year--will surely bring me my heart's desire6 ,let us learn that to-day is the fulfillment of the heart's desire4 ,take to-day all it brings1 and it will make to-day so full that you will have no care for the joys of anticipation4 ,live now1 so intensely1 so fully1 that life to-day will be compelled to deliver up all its treasures to-day4 ,hence every day becomes a perfect joy4 ,i want to radiate inspiration4 ,i do not believe the idea that the saints of old who wrote the ,bible1 are the only examples of inspiration4 ,god inspires every good man and good woman1 and all good in all people comes from ,him1 for ,he is the original source4 ,a self-centered life is a selfish life2 a life that gives of itself freely and fully to all with whom it comes in contact is a life of inspiration--it is a radiating center of inspiration4 ,it inspires to courage1 to higher endeavor1 to larger achievement4 ,i need all this for myself1 but ,i also long and desire to inspire it in others4 ,many a life seems to have inspiration for the carrying out of its own dreams1 ambitions1 desires1 but none to give away4 ,yet the lives we touch may need just the impetus1 the propelling force--light or vigorous--that we can give to enable the fulfillment in them of half dormant ambitions for good1 the attainment of noble endeavor4 ,what would become of the chick in the egg if the mother hen did not brood over it8 ,she forgets her own desires to move about in the stronger desire to bring into active being the hidden lives within the eggs4 ,let us brood over the souls of men and women1 young men and maidens1 boys and girls1 and quicken to life the dormant powers of the weak1 the tender4 ,aspirations may have begun in them that can only be quickened by warmth and love from outside4 ,oh1 for wisdom1 as well as love1 to brood aright4 ,this implies a reaching out to others4 ,it means an ability to feel even the hidden or only half-felt thoughts of others1 and love and sympathy alone are delicate enough instruments to thus feel4 ,the seismograph1 that registers the oscillations of the earth's crust1 is one of the most delicate of man-made instruments1 yet the human heart that would respond unerringly to every beginning of aspiration and longing for good in every other human soul must be ten thousand times more sensitive than the seismograph4 ,such a sensitive instrument let each seek to become4 ,we should hear the faintest beat of the human hearts near us and try to inspire those faint beats until they are strong1 regular1 powerful1 certain4 ,lives often possess1 unknown to themselves1 the germ cells of great powers and lofty ambitions that will never be developed unless some outside influence impregnates and vivifies them into existence4 ,with thousands of people the seeds of good in their souls need to be quickened from the outside1 and the help1 the food1 the desire to feed1 must also be given from the outside1 until they are born and nurtured into active1 self-reliant existence4 ,to be this outside quickening power is to be a radiant source of inspiration4 ,in this connection ,i have found that every life that is growing1 expanding1 enlarging1 is a stimulation to every other life to grow1 expand1 enlarge4 ,i seek1 therefore1 to radiate growth by my own growth4 ,by being something1 doing something1 ,i want to help others be and do4 ,growth is the most natural thing in the world1 but unfortunately1 men and women are far from being natural4 ,how then can ,i best radiate the inspiration for growth in them8 ,by being natural myself--throwing off the artificialities1 the restricting and restraining bands that prevent the best of myself from coming forth--by being real4 ,this demands that ,i think for myself1 that ,i decide for myself1 that ,i act for myself4 ,once get into this habit and growth is certain and sure4 ,the storms may beat upon such a life but1 like the sturdy oak1 it is thrusting its roots deeper into the soil in every direction--it is living for itself--and storms and tempests only make it the more sturdy and strong4 ,this1 in its turn1 quickens other lives to growth1 to self-thought1 self-decision1 self-action4 ,too long the leaders have tried to lull the power of thought in the masses4 ,the church has said3 ,we will think for you on matters of religion4 ,accept what we teach or your immortal souls will be imperiled4 ,the bar and bench have said3 ,in matters of law we will decide what you must think and do4 ,if you differ from us your acts will be illegal4 ,the colleges of physicians and surgeons have said3 ,we will think for you in matters of health4 ,if you differ from us your bodies will become diseased and die4 ,the schools and universities have said about everything3 ,think as we teach you1 for we have all knowledge and wisdom1 and knowledge will die with us1 and the result is that to find a being who dares to think and decide and act upon his own thoughts is as rare almost as to find a dodo4 ,thought is for you2 growth is for you as well as for all the universe of ,god4 ,teach yourself to think for yourself as naturally and unconsciously as you breathe for yourself4 ,once and forever rise up in your manhood1 or your womanhood1 and say3 ,henceforth ,i will think1 and decide1 and act for myself without reference to what other people think or say or do4 ,and then you will begin to grow as you never grew before4 ,doubtless at first you will grow scraggly1 and somewhat wild4 ,but time and experience will prune you4 ,better do that than never grow at all4 ,it is perfectly true that the way to learn to grow is by growing4 ,we learn to do by doing4 ,do not be afraid to reach out for growth because you don't know how4 ,if you reach out1 and grow1 you will soon learn the best way how4 ,there is another view-point to this question of growth4 ,we have within ourselves the power to quicken or retard our own growth4 ,too many of us are lazy1 physically1 mentally1 spiritually--yes1 and cowardly4 ,we don't want the trouble of thinking for ourselves4 ,it requires energy and courage4 ,it is so much easier for some of us to accept1 to drift1 to cast off all responsibility4 ,but growth cannot so come4 ,we must row against the tide to develop our muscles4 ,if we accept what others say and do let it be because our best judgment1 after due consideration and personal thought1 has decided that it is the wisest and best thing for us to do4 ,then1 too1 many of us do not grow because we are content with what we have4 ,the hindrance to life of smug and ignorant contentment1 the dwarfing power of self-complacent assurance1 who can tell8 ,this must be shaken out of every mortal before he can grow1 and this spirit is by no means found in the ignorant and uneducated alone4 ,boston and ,new ,york1 ,chicago and ,minneapolis1 are as full of it as ,podunk and ,milpitas1 ,four ,corners and ,snigginsville4 ,indeed ,i do not know but that there is more of it per capita in the great centers than in the country villages4 ,and how it retards growth4 ,the complacent1 correctly worded and phrased ,bostonian1 the haughty and self-assertive1 successful ,new ,yorker1 is each assured that he has all there is of good to have1 and that no good thing can come out of any other place than his4 ,yet ,god made other places and speaks to other people1 and all should be humble and learn1 reverent and grow4 ,some do not grow because1 having something1 they are either too indifferent1 too lazy1 too cowardly1 or too fearful to make extra exertion1 to reach out after1 to strive for more than they already have4 ,the man who hid his talent in a napkin is a type of this class4 ,let us arouse from our indifference1 our cowardice1 our fearfulness1 and seek to become something larger1 better1 more useful than hitherto we have been4 ,to such there is no growing old4 ,gray hairs may come1 wrinkles may seam the face1 yet the heart is ever nourished from the fountain of perpetual youth4 ,the life is ever fresh and full of exuberance1 and therefore is a radiating center of youth and energy4 ,the older one becomes in years1 the greater should become the growth of the mind and the soul4 ,grow old along with me1 ,the best is yet to be2 said ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra1 and he spoke the truth4 ,what radiating centers of spiritual growth in others are old men and old women1 who have learned the simple secret of constant growth in themselves1 which is the secret of perpetual youth4 ,growth means fruitage1 growth brings flowers4 ,the fruit and flowers of life that nourish1 refresh1 and delight others come only to those who grow4 ,roses always come on the new growth2 fruit buds best on the new branches2 the best grapes are always on the new stems4 ,and the older the bush1 the tree1 the vine1 the more beautiful1 the more rare1 the more delicate the fruit and flowers4 ,the life that is growing is constantly searching for nourishment4 ,the leaves of the tree absorb from the sun and the atmosphere1 the roots from the soil4 ,if the sun does not shine directly upon the leaf it reaches out1 turns around1 struggles until it puts itself in proper relation to receive all that the sun has to give4 ,if the root cannot reach the nutriment1 the moisture1 it stretches and grows up1 down1 around1 over1 under1 through obstacles until it gains that which it needs for life and growth4 ,human lives are like trees4 ,they must turn leaves to the sun1 send out rootlets and tendrils in every direction1 for moisture and nourishment1 searching until they find1 and demanding until they get all they desire4 ,and the glory of this searching and demanding by the human soul is that there is a whole infinity of space and power1 living1 palpitant1 energized for it to search in4 ,if it search it cannot search in vain4 ,if it demand it must receive1 and receive abundantly4 ,above all things1 and in all things1 at all times and under all circumstances ,i would radiate a calm serenity4 ,there is a rich fullness to me that is wonderfully significant in that first line of ,john ,burroughs' ,waiting4 ,look at it and let it sink in3 ,serene1 ,i fold my hands and wait4 ,few are serene1 fewer still can wait4 ,we are all in a hurry1 we are all impatient1 we are easily ruffled4 ,how rare the man or woman of self-poise--the being who has full command of his soul1 mind1 and body4 ,anger1 jealousy1 misunderstanding1 backbiting1 lying1 slander1 hate1 praise1 blame--all alike have no effect in disturbing the beautiful calmness of the serene of soul1 who are affable alike to friend and foe1 helpful alike to each1 sympathetic alike to each4 ,there is no haughtiness in serenity1 as some suppose1 though there is much pride4 ,yet it is not the pride of conceit1 the pride of power1 of possession1 of superiority1 but the wholesome1 joyous1 happy sense of a full-flowing life1 every good channel of which is healthily full--healthily flowing to healthy ends4 ,that1 to me1 is serenity4 ,the self-consciousness that all things are working together for good1 and working to the full4 ,there is no walking delegate to dictate the length of the hours such a life shall work1 or live4 ,it lives for the very joy of mere living1 and living means working1 giving1 doing for others1 more than for self4 ,i can see1 dream of1 long for1 anticipate the possession of1 some such serenity1 and my ideal of what it is and my reaching after it is what ,i would radiate1 though as yet ,i am but as one who seeks after rather than as one who has already attained4 ,personally ,i am naturally the very opposite of serene4 ,physically ,i used to be easily disturbed4 ,a whisper in an audience of two thousand people would distress me greatly1 and render me intensely nervous4 ,i have many a time called people down1 in my own audiences and by sheer force of will compelled silence1 and when at concerts1 have asked people 7not always either gently or kindly7 to cease their rude whisperings1 yet1 at the same time1 ,i never once lost my calmness1 the possession of myself1 without intense annoyance4 ,i longed to be able to suppress the whispers without a ripple in my own mind or soul1 by the sheer force of right1 kindliness1 courtesy1 serenity4 ,the more ,i possess serenity the more ,i shall radiate it4 ,it is a priceless boon1 to be desired more than great wealth1 and1 when possessed1 to be prized and treasured more than all the jewels of the world4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,the ,,will ,there are three things ,i wish to radiate as to my own will4 ,we speak of men being self-willed1 strong-willed1 weak-willed1 and the like1 but at the outset ,i wish to radiate my desire to be ,divine-willed4 ,by this ,i mean ,i wish to recognize the world-wide--nay1 the universe-wide--difference between the great1 all-powerful1 all-wise1 all-beneficent1 all-harmonious will of the ,great ,creator1 and the oftentimes foolish1 weak1 wavering1 irresponsible1 ignorant1 mistaken will of the human being4 ,every real man and woman wishes his1 her1 life to be a useful life1 a life that accomplishes something1 and that something must be worth while4 ,it is essential1 however1 if one would accomplish this that he start right4 ,now1 here is the crucial question--,how can you know that you are right8 ,the answer to this question is what ,i would put into every young man's and young woman's heart--into every boy's and girl's heart--so that1 at the start1 he1 she1 may be sure a right start is being made4 ,the only sure way is to drop your own will and become ,divine-willed4 ,this by no means signifies that you become a nobody1 a cipher1 an insignificant ant in the world4 ,it is just the reverse4 ,it is allying yourself with the right1 the only right1 the perfect right1 the unchangeable right4 ,suppose the case that a man starts out in life with the determination to be self-willed about the multiplication table4 ,he insists upon his freedom1 his individuality1 his self-will1 and refuses to be tied to any table made by any one else1 be that one ,god1 angel1 or man4 ,who cannot see that such a man is a fool8 ,it is impossible to reject1 to buck against the multiplication table4 ,every man1 sooner or later1 has to swallow it1 accept it wholly1 completely1 unreservedly1 live by it1 swear by it1 die by it1 and more than that he has to do it gladly1 willingly1 or it can never be a real part of himself4 ,if he is all the time protesting against it1 and declaring that it ought to be changed or abolished1 or not quite so dogmatic in its assertions1 he will all the time be worried1 distressed1 irritated1 because it pays no attention to his wishes4 ,two times two make four1 no matter who kicks1 or is irritated1 or wishes it to be changed1 and so with every other statement of the whole table4 ,what ,i am getting at is this1 that1 though we may not always see it at first1 or even at second or third sight1 the moral world is governed by a multiplication table as sure and certain1 as unchangeable and fixed as is the mathematical world4 ,and it is the acceptance of the moral multiplication table that ,i call being ,divine-,willed4 ,a man may live for years swindling his neighbors and giving them fourteen ounces for a pound1 and think he has fooled the multiplication table as easily as he has fooled his customers1 but the rate never changed2 it was sixteen ounces all the time4 ,a man may fool his neighbors and himself in regard to the moral multiplication table1 but sooner or later1 here or hereafter1 in this incarnation or some other1 he will have to learn to accept1 love1 and live by it in every act1 thought1 and word4 ,it cannot be any other--there is no other door--this is the only salvation4 ,this is accepting ,christ--the ,truth1 the ,way1 the ,life1 living the ,life ,he lived1 filled with the ,divine-,will1 the ,divine ,spirit1 that filled him4 ,whether you are a gambler1 a sport1 a liar1 a cheat1 a ,sunday-school superintendent1 a fool1 a drunkard1 a senator1 a professor of religion1 an agnostic1 a wise man or a mere child in knowledge1 you can never enter the ,kingdom of ,joy1 ,peace1 ,blessedness1 that we call ,heaven1 unless you conform to the ,divine ,moral ,multiplication ,table4 ,this is what ,i am endeavoring to radiate--that ,i am trying to set aside my imperfect human will1 which sometimes kicks against the unchangeable and immovable1 and accept the perfect1 complete1 and unchangeable4 ,but you ask3 ,how am ,i to know this moral multiplication table8 ,easy enough4 ,don't try to take it all in at once4 ,begin at the beginning4 ,learn the twos first4 ,twice one are two1 twice two are four1 twice three are six1 and so on4 ,start on the ,ten ,commandments4 ,master and live them4 ,then absorb the ,golden ,rule4 ,then try the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,there's enough to keep you busy for a few days1 anyhow4 ,but ,i suppose some of you will say you can't do it4 ,nonsense6 ,you've got to do it1 and you won't really live until you do4 ,you can't dodge the multiplication table2 nor can you dodge these4 ,there is no escape4 ,divinity never made any man or any woman who could get away from them4 ,creeds1 church dogmas1 men's ideas about religion or what they call religion may be true1 or may not be true1 but the fundamental principles of the life of the ,spirit always have existed1 always will exist1 and every man1 sooner or later1 must come into perfect harmony with them4 ,this is what ,i want to radiate--my desire that ,i should become ,divine-willed and that every one else should be the same--quick1 soon1 now4 ,then1 having started right1 one may have more confidence and assurance in taking the next step1 which is the second thing connected with the will that ,i would radiate1 viz43 ,i will to be good for something4 ,what is the purpose1 the object of life8 ,what are we here for8 ,to eat and drink1 sleep and satisfy our appetites and then die like other mere animals who do the same thing8 ,i don't believe it4 ,i never did4 ,as ,browning puts it1 a spark has disturbed my clod1 and now ,i am discontented to remain a clod--a mere brute beast1 living1 as does the hog1 merely for the satisfaction of my physical senses4 ,i feel higher1 nobler1 worthier aspirations within me4 ,john ,muir1 the great ,california ,nature-lover1 scientist1 and poet1 wrote when he was twenty-seven years old a letter in which he said3 ,a lifetime is so little a time that we die ere we get ready to live4 ,i would like to go to college1 but then ,i have to say to myself you will die ere you can do anything else4 ,i should like to invent useful machinery1 but it comes you do not wish to spend your lifetime among machines and you will die ere you can do anything else4 ,i should like to study medicine that ,i might do my part in lessening human misery1 but again it comes you will die ere you are ready1 or able to do so4 ,how intensely ,i desire to be a ,humboldt1 but again the chilling answer is reiterated4 ,but could we live a million years then how delightful to spend in perfect contentment so many thousand years in quiet study in college1 so many amid the grateful din of machines1 so many among human pain1 so many thousands in the sweet study of ,nature among the dingles and dells of ,scotland1 and all the other less important parts of our world4 ,here were four noble and beautiful aspirations4 #a4 ,to go to college and learn more4 #b4 ,to invent useful machinery4 #c4 ,to study medicine that he might lessen human misery4 #d4 ,to be a ,humboldt and explore the world for the enlightenment of mankind4 ,what do you want to be8 ,to go to college to have a good time 767--save the mark--as some students do8 ,i was once riding on a railway train going to ,boston1 and at ,new ,haven twenty-seven young students got on board and every one drunk4 ,do you think ,muir had anything of that kind in mind when he said he wanted to go to college8 ,at one of the great universities of the ,west ,i was present when the students made a great uproar because the faculty had prohibited beer-wagons from coming upon the campus to deliver their wares at the frat houses4 ,i have seen university men celebrating some baseball or other victory when the celebration has taken the form of a drunken and sensual orgy4 ,can you imagine a man like ,muir ever having wanted to engage in such a disgraceful and degrading scene8 ,muir started out right4 ,he began by seeking to be ,divine-willed1 and then by willing to be good for something4 ,a friend of mine1 who radiates love and helpfulness to every human being no matter how low and degraded1 once helped a poor1 ugly1 besotted son of the gutter1 who had sunk about as low as he possibly could sink4 ,one day as he sat on his piazza enjoying the beautiful calm of a glorious spring afternoon he saw his protg approaching4 ,giving him a glad welcome the two were soon in conversation and the gutter-waif finally expressed his thanks for the help and encouragement he had received1 and1 as is natural with every really awakened soul1 wanted to do something in return for what he felt my friend had done for him4 ,in vain the helper of men protested there was nothing he wished to have done1 but the one who had been helped kept on insisting that he must do something4 ,he said1 ,i not only want to be good1 but ,i want to be good for something4 ,now1 what can ,i do8 ,well1 at last said my friend1 since you must do something1 go out and find somebody worse off1 lower down1 more needy than you were when you first came to me1 and help him4 ,as he went away my friend settled down to an afternoon's study and enjoyment of his books1 and of ,nature1 but within an hour his protg returned wearing a smile that reached almost from ear to ear4 ,as he entered the gate he called out3 ,i've got him6 ,i've got him6 ,got who8 ,why1 the man you sent me for6 ,what man8 ,the man you told me to go and find and help4 ,i've found him1 and ,i thought ,i couldn't help him better than by bringing him to you4 ,where is he8 ,he's waiting out here by the barn1 for ,i couldn't persuade him to come up until ,i had first seen and told you4 ,bring him along6 ,as the two derelicts returned1 the one towing the other up the walk1 my friend said the sight of the second vagabond and outcast was almost too much for him4 ,he was not only ragged and filthy1 but thin to emaciation1 with that horrible look of long continued debauching degradation4 ,the principal feature about him was his nose--the large1 red1 pimply nose of the habitual drunkard4 ,almost instinctively the lower human in my friend asserted itself4 ,it rebelled against having anything to do with so vile-looking and disgusting a wretch4 ,what's the use8 he exclaimed1 almost aloud4 ,then1 suddenly1 these thoughts came3 ,inasmuch as ye did it unto the least of these my brethren ye did it unto me4 ,this man is as much a child of ,god as ,i am4 ,the real man in him is as ,godlike as ,i4 ,he is my brother4 ,we are both sons of ,god4 ,and1 said he1 ,i instantly arose and went to meet him1 with outstretched hand of cordial welcome4 ,to shorten the story ,i can only relate how1 after he had had a hearty meal and a long conversation1 the outcast finally poured out his soul to the man who had met him as a brother4 ,i was not always what you now see me4 ,i was in a good position1 honored1 respected4 ,had a beautiful family1 a good home1 was the superintendent of a ,sunday ,school1 the leader of a church choir1 and happy in my home1 my church1 my friends4 ,but ,i was tempted and fell4 ,i ran away from home and all my responsibilities1 and went on falling lower and lower1 until this very morning ,i vowed that the next fall would be into the river or a suicide's grave4 ,but ,god must have meant me for something or ,he would not have taken the trouble to get me here this morning4 ,i'm going to try to rise4 ,with cheering words he was heartily and sincerely encouraged1 with neither rebukes nor cant4 ,as he rose to go1 he said1 ,what can ,i do for you to show my gratitude for what you have done for me8 and he would not take ,no for an answer4 ,he was finally told he might mow the lawn if he chose1 and in telling the story1 my friend said1 with tears in his eyes3 ,he was so sincere that he went over it four times4 ,he really seemed to have shaved1 instead of mowed it4 ,he was then allowed to take a bath1 and my friend fitted him out as well as he could with an old suit of clothing4 ,in the meantime a couple of hundred friends who had been invited for an evening open-air social chat and singing began to arrive4 ,the organ was brought out from the parlor1 one of the number began to play1 and then my friend called for a volunteer choir to come and surround the organ to lead the singing4 ,to his great surprise the bathed and reclothed outcast gently sidled up with the rest4 ,some of the elegantly dressed ladies looked upon him with suspicion and some fear1 which1 however1 dropped away in great measure1 as he began to sing4 ,for1 strange to say1 though he afterwards declared he had not sung a note for several years1 the assertion of the purpose to live a new and clean life1 seemed not only to bring back the desire to sing1 but actually gave him back his voice4 ,his rich clear tenor soared sweetly and without effort over the voices of the others and then blended perfectly with them in glorious harmony4 ,a week later1 when the friends came1 he was there again1 and the short seven days of new resolve and high endeavor had so changed him in appearance that no one knew him again4 ,a job had been found for him1 and this was done in a remarkable way4 ,without seeing him1 a gentleman1 filled with the helpful spirit1 and desirous of being good for something1 at my friend's request interested himself in finding him occupation4 ,his capacity was so quickly proven that he was put into a responsible position where a two-thousand-dollar bond was required1 which he supplied4 ,he worked so thoroughly and efficiently that he was soon promoted1 and ere many months had gone by his family1 so long separated from him1 was with him in happiness and content4 ,before a year of service he gained the special reward of #a1jjj given each year by the firm that employed him for the highest general efficiency shown in any department1 and is to-day honored1 respected1 back again in the high estate from which he had fallen1 but a far wiser1 nobler1 and better man4 ,through tribulation and sorrow1 pain and woe1 wretchedness and despair1 sin and its consequences he had learned the lesson1 that you cannot shirk the moral multiplication table--that there is no short cut to goodness1 except to accept at once1 instead of later1 the will of the ,divine4 ,go back for a few moments to the first outcast1 who brought this second one to my friend4 ,had he gone away with the thought that now he must make some money1 he must take care of himself first1 the second man might have filled a suicide's grave4 ,he started out right--to be ,divine-willed--to be unselfish1 to be helpful to the rest of the world1 and those worse off than himself4 ,muir didn't want to study medicine to become a great physician for the purpose of making money1 but to relieve the pain of unfortunate sufferers4 ,he willed to be good for something4 ,this is the spirit1 the life1 ,i would radiate on every hand1 every day4 ,i do not mean that all endeavor for self-improvement1 self-culture1 self-benefit is undesirable4 ,by no means4 ,but the nearer it approximates to the unselfish ideal1 the better it will be4 ,when ,walt ,whitman was a young man1 he was a house-builder4 ,he happened to strike a building boom1 and made money so fast that1 said he1 ,i was in danger of becoming rich4 ,and he decided to go and be an unpaid nurse in the ,union ,army1 rather than spoil himself by becoming rich4 ,to gain riches is good as far as it goes--but it goes a very short way in the road to manhood1 character1 nobleness of life4 ,so whatever you will to do and be1 put a high ideal before you1 something immeasurably better than mere money-getting4 ,make your profession a means of grace1 of character-building1 of enabling you to benefit and bless the world4 ,mere financial success can easily be attained1 but you will surely not be content with that4 ,hitch your wagon to a star1 and soar upwards4 ,aim at the high things4 ,will to do great1 noble1 beneficent things and that will be willing to be good for something4 ,the third thing in connection with the human will that ,i wish to radiate is what ,i might term the insistence of the human will4 ,after ,i have willed to be ,divine-willed1 and to will to achieve a high and noble purpose1 ,i want to compel my will to keep on willing that which ,i have already willed4 ,it is comparatively easy to will to do1 or be1 something1 but alas6 how far short some of us come from attaining that which we have willed to be4 ,when ,jesus sent out ,his disciples ,he gave them many warnings1 much encouragement1 informed them of the difficulties they would encounter1 and then incited them to persistence of endeavor by assuring them that ,he that endureth to the end shall be saved4 ,it is this thought of endurance1 or persistence that ,i would ever radiate4 ,i have set before me an aim1 an object1 worthy to be achieved4 ,though it may be difficult to attain1 ,i will to keep on willing until it is attained4 ,a short time ago ,i watched the students at the ,physical ,culture ,training ,school1 in ,chicago4 ,it gives me a good illustration of what ,i would ever radiate4 ,i saw the leader of one of the classes do a particular act1 and then the students1 one after another1 tried to follow the leader in doing that thing4 ,some of the men who tried1 willed to do it all right1 but they did not succeed4 ,many times a man wills to do a thing when he does not seem competent1 but the real man keeps on until he makes himself competent4 ,so with some of these4 ,they went back and tried again--and went back and tried again1 and the men who willed and then kept at it until they became competent were the ones that achieved4 ,one of the great lessons of all life is1 not merely to learn to will--that is easy enough--but to insist upon the will keeping at it until we accomplish what we have determined to do4 ,we will every day to do things1 and yet we do not do them4 ,we say1 ,i am going to do this2 ,i am going to do that2 or the other4 ,we start out in life and we have all kinds of ambitions and aspirations before us1 and we say1 ,this is going to be my achievement2 ,i intend to accomplish this thing4 ,but we get to be twenty-five--thirty years of age1 and we have not achieved--that is1 the great mass of people have not4 ,why8 ,because we have not learned this lesson of the ,insistence of the ,human ,will4 ,we have determined to do a thing and then we have not had the power or the courage or the determination or the endurance to keep on willing until the thing desired was achieved4 ,let us suppose a case3 ,a man starts in a race2 he is on the ground ready to spring forward at the firing of the pistol4 ,the moment the pistol is fired he makes his forward bound and goes ahead as hard as he can4 ,is a good start all that is needed8 ,i picked up a picture recently of a runner who was coming to the end of his race4 ,his face revealed clearly what a struggle he was having4 ,his mouth was wide open1 and he was laboring to the very extremity of his strength and power2 he was enduring to the end4 ,he made a good start1 but now at the latter part of the journey the race was more difficult2 it was almost dangerous because he was panting so hard he could scarcely get his breath4 ,the whole face1 the whole body1 seemed in pain and distress2 but he was enduring2 he was going on4 ,it is the man who not only makes the start1 but he who endures that wins the race4 ,it is not those who start in with the greatest hope1 and faith1 and energy1 and courage1 but ,he that shall endure to the end shall be saved4 ,it is the enduring to the end4 ,hence let me urge upon you the speedy learning of this important lesson of life4 ,after you have willed to do a good thing put your purpose before you2 keep it clearly1 positively in sight all the time2 then1 every day and every hour1 resolve to do that which you have determined to do2 in other words1 insist that you do what you have willed to do4 ,i was once very much interested in watching ,bernarr ,macfadden1 the editor of ,physical ,culture magazine4 ,i was favored with opportunities for coming in close touch with him4 ,the way he insists that his will shall endure2 the way he takes himself by the throat1 as it were1 and insists1 is most interesting to me4 ,one day ,i started out with him for a walk4 ,he was quietly and easily getting himself in training so that he could walk fifty miles and be fresh and vigorous enough at the end of the walk so that he could give a lecture4 ,certainly it is a delightful and a profitable thing to be able to walk fifty miles without exhausting fatigue4 ,we started out together1 but after walking twelve miles ,i felt weary1 and returned4 ,but he went on1 and when he returned that night ,i found he had walked thirty-seven miles4 ,though he was doing all his regular and arduous work1 he was quietly insisting on these long walks1 and in a very short time he would accomplish his fifty miles daily with comparative ease4 ,he has mastered the idea--,the ,insistence of the ,human ,will4 ,take an inventor4 ,no man ever invents anything unless he insists day after day1 in spite of discouragements1 in spite of failures1 in spite of opposition1 sometimes in spite of the stealings of people who would rob him of what he has already accomplished4 ,the man who has the real desire to be an inventor keeps on and on1 compelling his will to rewill what he has already willed1 and ,i could fill these pages with the life stories of men who have determined1 and of women who have determined1 and who have achieved because they have learned this lesson of the insistence of the will4 ,i once had the pleasure of talking with ,thomas ,a4 ,edison1 in his laboratory1 in ,orange1 ,n4 ,j4 ,i said1 pointing to a mass of interesting looking materials3 ,what is this1 ,mr4 ,edison8 ,he said1 ,oh1 ,i have been working for thirty years on that thing4 ,how are you getting along with it8 ,he replied1 ,well1 sometimes ,i think we are making progress1 and then again ,i think we are not1 but the only way we can achieve is by keeping everlastingly at it1 and when ,i can't work1 ,i set my men to work on it1 and we are slowly getting results4 ,and so ,mr4 ,edison every once in awhile astounds the world with some marvelous achievement4 ,people suppose he stumbles on it--that he discovers it in a moment1 and perhaps he does1 but that moment was made possible by the thousands upon thousands of moments that were as steps he had taken leading up to the place where the vision burst upon him4 ,do you see the thought8 ,it is the ,insistence of the ,human ,will that compels achievement4 ,it is the man that never lets up that gains the reward4 ,fifty years ago a man named ,judah set out to survey a railroad across the great ,sierra ,nevada range of mountains1 that vast barrier that seems to separate ,california from the rest of the world4 ,the people practically said1 ,you are a fool to think of such a thing1 but he calmly replied3 ,i know ,i can put a road through2 ,i am going to try it anyhow4 ,so he began to climb those mountain heights4 ,he threaded the passes one by one4 ,he took his men and they worked day after day1 week after week1 month after month1 upon what seemed to be an impossibility4 ,what was the result8 ,he kept at it until he achieved4 ,he made his plans and made them so well that he ultimately succeeded in convincing the ,house of ,representatives and the ,united ,states ,senate that such a railroad was possible4 ,then four men1 ,huntington1 ,crocker1 ,stanford1 and ,hopkins1 determined to build the road that he had surveyed4 ,again the pessimists said3 ,it is impossible2 you will never raise the money to build a railroad over the ,sierra ,nevadas4 ,but the four men worked away1 and little by little got the money4 ,as they built they were harassed on every hand4 ,labor troubles in those days were terrible4 ,the ,president of the company said1 ,i don't know what we are going to do4 ,crocker1 the man who had undertaken to see after the actual building of the road1 said3 ,i know what ,i am going to do2 ,i am going to get help to build that railroad somewhere4 ,and so he sent a man to ,china to secure a lot of ,chinese laborers4 ,these were brought to this country1 and the result was that with those ,chinamen1 in defiance of the ,president of his company1 who had said that ,chinamen should not be employed1 ,crocker built the railroad4 ,and now you can cross the ,sierra ,nevada range without a thought of care because of the dominant1 insistent will of that man and his associates4 ,the fact of the matter is1 if you are going to achieve anything in life you will have to be drivers--you will have to keep at it until you succeed4 ,you will have to be a slave driver1 and you yourself will be the slave1 willingly1 gladly1 joyously1 of your own purpose4 ,do you want to be a slave to your own purpose8 ,do you want to do the things that you have willed to do8 ,some of us get the idea that bondage--to be bound to anything--is always an unpleasant thing4 ,not at all6 ,bind yourself to a high and noble purpose4 ,make yourself a slave to it in the sense of conscientiously sticking to it4 ,now drive yourself1 and compel yourself to go ahead and do that which you have determined to do4 ,when ,i think of the old pioneers who walked and rode across this country to reach ,california2 when ,i think of the many dangers1 difficulties1 and hardships that faced those men2 when ,i see that they were living illustrations of this thought ,i am trying to bring out--,i wish ,i had only time and space to give a definite account1 instead of a mere synopsis of the kind of things they had to endure4 ,they were surrounded by hostile ,indians2 again and again their lives were in jeopardy4 ,now and then they came to great sloughs and marshes1 and their wagons and animals were bogged4 ,they had to find their way across the dangerous quicksands2 hard storms came and they had whirlwinds and floods to contend with4 ,now and again they found themselves in the heart of canyons1 where there was no apparent way out2 yet they went on1 and on1 until they either died or reached the land for which they had started6 ,a party of eighty set out to cross the great ,sierra ,nevada range1 and the difficulties they encountered can best be imagined when ,i tell you that forty of them died on the way4 ,the difficulties that beset the forty that were left made it all but impossible for them to get out4 ,one of them told me about the terrible hardships they suffered4 ,she said1 ,i remember1 distinctly1 when the time came for us to get away1 my dear mother taking up the baby1 and leaving me behind with the other baby4 ,she said1 ',now1 ,virginia1 you stay right here6' ,she then went on with the baby1 and1 after struggling step by step1 in such a way that it would break your heart to think of it1 for about twenty paces1 she put down the baby and came back for the other baby and myself4 ,and so1 step by step1 step by step1 that woman with her three little children1 started on that awful journey of scores of miles through deep snow4 ,fortunately help came to her assistance and she finally achieved4 ,she reached ,california1 though one would have thought it absolutely impossible4 ,there was the tremendous insistence of the human will4 ,let us say ,i will6 and then insist upon doing the things we have said we will do4 ,i remember when ,i was a boy hearing some one recite something that ,i thought was very foolish4 ,a little piece of poetry it was called4 ,it was as follows3 ,go on1 go on1 go on1 go on1 go on1 go on6 ,go on1 go on1 go on1 go on1 go on1 go on6 ,go on1 go on1 go on6 ,i have since learned that there is a great deal in that poem4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,radiancies ,,of ,,cheerfulness ,i want to be cheerful and to radiate cheerfulness at all times1 under all circumstances1 in all conditions and places4 ,i want to do this because ,i want to do it4 ,not because it is my duty1 or because ,i shall make some one else unhappy if ,i do not1 but merely and simply because there is a great joy in the fact of cheerfulness itself4 ,i have a friend into whose presence ,i never come without feeling the radiant cheerfulness of his nature4 ,his face lights up with a beautiful smile1 his hand is immediately stretched out and my hand grasped with a cordial clasp2 kind words come to his lips with a sincerity that one can never question1 and in the most unaffected1 genuine1 and simple manner he radiates the cheerfulness and gladness of his own soul4 ,did you never meet with such people who were always bright and sunny1 who always gave forth a cheery word1 always radiated optimism8 ,everything they say or do makes you feel with ,browning3 ,god's in ,his heaven2 ,all's right with the world4 ,and all this is done without any flattery or conscious effort on their part to make you feel good4 ,some of the severest rebukes ,i have ever received were from this man of whom ,i have spoken1 and yet they were given in such a sweet1 gentle manner and with such perfect sincerity that not only was there no irritation aroused1 but a sense of gratitude implanted that ,i had such a real1 sincere friend4 ,i do not wonder that men demand cheerfulness in others4 ,it seems somewhat heartless to put up a notice in your office1 as ,i have seen in many offices1 ,i have troubles enough of my own4 ,tell yours to the janitor1 or as another version has it1 ,don't tell your troubles to me1 ,i have enough of my own1 yet it speaks of a fact that is all too universal1 namely1 that each person does have his own large share of burdens which sometimes seem as if they would swamp him4 ,as ,dr4 ,gulick once wrote3 ,there is probably not one person in the world but has tragedy enough and pain enough straight along to warrant--yes1 absolutely to warrant--pretty complete discouragement4 ,and ,i imagine that there is no person who is so perfectly adjusted by nature1 so entirely balanced in health1 that there are not times when it is necessary to hold himself by deliberate will power--to forget how he has been hurt1 to turn aside from some ugly thing in a friend's character1 to turn aside from the bad in his own character1 for every one of us has that which is bad in his character4 ,our characters are ugly enough in part so that1 if we were to dwell constantly on that part1 the prospect would seem pretty disheartening and justifiably so4 ,all this has to be remembered in our association with men and women4 ,and when we remember1 why should we not wish1 instead of adding to their burdens1 to lighten or help remove them8 ,that cheerfulness is possible in this world of woe and trial1 there can be no question1 because every now and again1 each of us has met with some person who radiated this quality at all times4 ,and we know that in our own experience1 when we have willed to be cheerful and to radiate cheerfulness to others1 we have accomplished far more in that line than we otherwise should have done4 ,only the other day ,i picked up a trade journal and in it was a short letter from one business man about another business man who had recently passed away4 ,let me quote a part of it3 ,away back in the '#hj's ,i met him under the following circumstances4 ,i was then in ,chicago and although an invalid was well enough to assist my brother a little in his office work4 ,one day a stranger came in who received an especially cordial greeting from both my brother and his partner4 ,it proved to be ,harry ,w4 ,sommers4 ,he was1 for a short time1 a daily visitor and when he came in there seemed to come with him a glow of sunshine4 ,it made the same impression upon me as it does sometimes1 after a long period of rain and cloudiness1 when the sun1 in all its brightness1 suddenly bursts forth4 ,one day he came to bid my brother good-by1 and although it is twenty-one years ago1 the wave of his hand1 the cheery smile and the hearty good-by1 as he looked toward me1 still linger in my memory4 ,many a time since has he come into my mind1 although ,i never saw him afterward1 accompanied with the thought that were there more ,harry ,sommerses in this world1 it would be a brighter and far happier place to dwell4 ,i would far rather leave a legacy like that behind me than to leave an immense fortune over which my heirs would quarrel and go to law and engender ill feelings and then possibly spend in an injurious manner4 ,it is said of ,sister ,dora1 the noble-hearted woman who gave her life to the iron workers of the ,black ,country in ,england1 that as she went to and fro in the wards of the hospitals1 her presence was like a glad burst of sunshine to the poor sick men and women to whom she ministered4 ,though they were rough1 uncouth1 even profane and wicked1 she never failed in her courtesy and bright cheerfulness1 and the result was that patients under her control regained their health far more rapidly than those who were subjected to the depressing influences of moody1 cheerless1 censorious persons4 ,the same thing is said of ,walt ,whitman4 ,when he was in the ,government's employ at ,washington1 with a salary of one hundred and twenty dollars a month1 he took forty dollars of this for his own use and spent the other eighty dollars to provide comforts and luxuries for the poor soldier boys in the hospitals4 ,i have heard old soldiers tell of the way they used to feel when he appeared4 ,it was like the coming of a young ,santa ,claus4 ,he carried a pack on his back which he would drop by the side of a bed and reaching out his friendly hand1 with a radiant smile would say3 ,well1 how is it with you to-day8 and then1 if the soldier were a stranger1 he would ask3 ,do you use tobacco8 ,if the man said1 ,no1 he would reply1 ,that's good4 ,if on the other hand he said1 ,yes1 ,walt's reply would be the same1 and he would dive down into his pack and bring out a little tobacco1 which he would give with a few kind and cheery words to the poor bed-ridden soldier4 ,if the invalid didn't use tobacco there was a book1 a game1 or something else that would bring cheer and forgetfulness4 ,thus he would pass up and down the wards1 radiating brightness and good cheer on every hand4 ,there is no wonder that as he passed outside every eye followed him1 every heart felt an instinctive ,god bless you1 and every voice called out1 ,come again1 soon4 ,there surely are enough conditions in ,nature to help the soul that wants to be cheerful and radiate cheerfulness4 ,every morning the sun arises with radiating light1 brightness and beauty1 illuminating and glorifying even the darkest and dullest of the things of earth4 ,the stars shine nightly in all their sincere and calm beauty1 radiating the assurance of ,infinite power and perpetual care4 ,in radiant ,nature1 the butterfly skims the air in its light and fascinating flight1 attracting the eye and charming with its exquisite coloring4 ,the dew of morning1 receiving the golden rays of the sun1 makes the grass and trees appear as if blossoming in millions of diamonds1 each a globe of radiating1 scintillating brightness and beauty4 ,the birds sing day and night1 rain or shine1 in sunshine or storm1 radiating their cheerfulness and constant optimism4 ,the trees awaken to the caressing touch of the sun and rustle to and fro1 speaking in unmistakable language their joy of mere living1 and glistening back and forth their appreciation of the gift of warmth and brightness4 ,the flowers grow as freely in the wilds as in the cultivated gardens of man--blossoming evidences of ,nature's power to produce gorgeous and resplendent color1 perfection in beauty of form and exquisite deliciousness in odor4 ,even the snail crawls along expressive of delight in the morning1 and the worm comes forth from the clod to express its appreciation4 ,i have watched the mountains with their snow-crowned1 virgin-pure peaks soaring into the blue of the heavens and the massive rocks of the mighty canyons of the ,west basking restfully in the glorious light of day1 and even these majestic rock-giants spoke the unmistakable language of joy1 and called upon men to be cheerful4 ,we find exactly the same spirit and influence1 if we will but look for it1 in mankind4 ,too often we see but the sordidness1 the greed1 the selfishness1 the cruelty1 the rapacity of men1 yet we all know that this is but one side1 and it is not the reality1 it is only the shadow of the real man1 that the real man is kind1 sympathetic1 helpful1 generous1 true-hearted1 and pure4 ,if we fix our eyes upon one tiny spot the size of a dollar that is speckled or black1 we can soon shut out all the brightness1 beauty1 and sweetness outside4 ,i well remember one of the sentimental songs that was current in my boyhood days4 ,it probably had as much of the mock sentiment as any other of these songs1 but two lines of the refrain ,i have never forgotten1 and whenever ,i hear one speaking of the unkindness of humanity1 ,i feel like quoting them3 ,but speak not so untruly1 ,there are kind hearts everywhere4 ,in spite of the strenuousness of our modern life1 as we look around upon the social settlements1 the orphan asylums1 and the thousands of men and women who adopt helpless orphans1 the prisoners' aid societies1 where business men actually make a point of finding their help1 where possible1 from those who have served a term in prison or the penitentiary1 and the thousand and one other institutions which show that the ,golden ,rule is actively in operation in the hearts of men and women--,i say these things make me happy and cheerful1 and ,i feel like singing for joy1 that innate beauty is as much in evidence1 and more1 in the hearts and minds of men as it is in ,nature4 ,so ,i want cheerfulness to be the constant habit of my mind and soul4 ,i do not wish to be cheerful occasionally or semi-occasionally4 ,i would prefer to be a man of one mood and that mood1 with its variations1 to be a mood of habitual cheerfulness4 ,i regard a cheerful disposition as one of the most precious possessions4 ,it is like a pair of spectacles that have the power of luminosity within themselves4 ,it sees clearly enough but lightens up the darkest and most dreary spots of earth4 ,cheerfulness is not only a duty1 but a philosophy1 a religion1 a wisdom4 ,the cheerful man is the perpetually wise optimist4 ,a cheerless or gloomy man is the perpetually unwise pessimist4 ,and years ago ,i learned to test all philosophies and religions by practical life4 ,no philosophy1 no religion was good that could not satisfy every-day life4 ,optimism never fails at any time1 but pessimism is worse than a broken reed to lean upon4 ,take the pessimists you know1 and ,i can pretty nearly stake my life upon it you will find nearly all of them dyspeptics1 with poor circulation1 shivering on a cold morning with their hands in their pockets1 complaining that they were not awakened early enough1 finding fault because the breakfast was not served just right1 railing at the car service1 ranting about the rottenness of men in public life4 ,they seem to take a pride in believing1 as did ,dickens' ,mantalini in ,nicholas ,nickleby1 that ,we are all going to the demnition bow-wows4 ,what a contrast there is between this man and the ,cheeryble ,brothers of the same book1 those great and simple-hearted human reservoirs of cheerfulness and optimism1 radiating sweetness1 happiness1 content1 wherever they went1 blessing and benefiting every heart willing to accept the sweetness and purity of theirs4 ,pessimism is not a working theory of life4 ,it is the substitution of gloomy1 deep-blue spectacles for the beautiful luminous ones4 ,as ,dr4 ,gulick says3 ,pessimism is negative1 denial1 believing that the evil is more than the good1 that life is not worth while2 it is a dampening down of life4 ,pessimism tends to its own annihilation1 because it takes away life's motives1 life's vigor1 life's power4 ,on the other hand1 optimism cheers1 encourages1 brightens1 beautifies1 glorifies1 blesses1 helps4 ,and ,i long ago learned that that man1 that woman1 who succeeds in helping and benefiting and blessing mankind is essentially an optimist4 ,the other day ,i saw the act of an optimist4 ,he and a friend were seated in a street car4 ,it was ,saturday night1 the car was crowded1 and by and by two well-dressed men got in1 one of them with an unmistakable look of refinement1 the other somewhat coarse looking4 ,both had evidently been drinking heavily4 ,the more refined and elder of the two could barely stand upright1 as the car whirled around the curves4 ,the optimist looked up1 saw the state of affairs1 and in the sweetest1 gentlest manner arose and extended his hand and bade the elderly gentleman take his seat4 ,there was no look of reproach or disgust1 and yet ,i know that he was a rigid abstainer and strong temperance worker and one who hated every form of indulgence in alcoholic liquors4 ,the companion of the man who had taken the seat1 began to talk in the ordinary mumbling1 rambling1 effusive style of the drunkard1 and the other without either impatience or any sign of disapproval1 quietly entered into the conversation1 and ,i speak only the fact when ,i state that without any preaching or fault-finding1 his few earnest1 sincere1 optimistic words so won the heart of that large1 coarse-looking1 drunken man that he seemed absolutely sobered and responded to the higher call of the soul4 ,this is what optimism and cheerfulness do for mankind1 hence ,i want to radiate it more and more4 ,mark ,twain was full of this spirit of radiating cheerfulness4 ,in one of his darkest hours in ,san ,francisco1 before he had gained name or fame1 things had gone wrong and a lady friend passing along a street saw him standing beside a lamp-post with a cigar-box under his arm4 ,cigars8 she asked4 ,where are you going in such a hurry8 ,i'm m-o-o-v-i-n-g1 drawled ,mark1 at the same time displaying the contents of the box which consisted of a pair of socks1 a pipe1 and two paper collars4 ,even in his darkest hours he was able to look out upon the bright side1 and out from those hours of gloom came some of the brightest pieces of wit and cheerful philosophy to irradiate and bless the entire world4 ,if ,i were an employer of labor and could get the right men and women to do the work1 ,i would employ a half dozen for my factory or workshop to teach my employees to be cheerful1 to laugh and sing at their work4 ,it would be a good paying investment4 ,i would get a great deal more work out of my employees and of a great deal better quality4 ,a hearty laugh is better than a bottle of medicine2 a volume of ,mark ,twain or ,marshall ,wilder1 better than a library of pessimistic philosophy of high sounding phrases4 ,cheerfulness takes the jolts out of the rutty road of life4 ,it is an extra pair of springs to the wagon4 ,it is an automobile shock-absorber4 ,it resists the encroachments of the grouch and bids the blue devils avaunt6 ,the old-fashioned methods of kings having a clown to keep them and their court laughing during meal time was a profound piece of philosophy and wisdom1 for the stomach's sake1 if for no other reason4 ,the folly of the clown caused laughter1 promoted genial humor which increased the flow of all the digestive juices and thus contributed to good digestion and perfect assimilation4 ,the uncheerful father or mother who sits down to the table like a thundercloud and suppresses the bright1 happy exuberance of childhood ought to be taken down to the dentist and pumped full of laughing-gas until he or she would laugh for a week4 ,i would make such people laugh until their sides ached and they had to go to bed to get over it1 and every time a frown or gloomy look came over the face ,i would have somebody lift a warning finger 7but also a laughing face7 and threaten them with another week's dose of laughing-gas4 ,but1 says the gloomy one1 life has gone wrong with me4 ,how can ,i be cheerful when ,i am out of work and sick and have no friends8 ,your case is hard1 my friend4 ,i recognize it with sympathy1 but let me tell you this1 that every grouchy look and word will make it harder for you to get work1 and will put friendship further away from you4 ,even as a business proposition1 it does not pay4 ,make yourself laugh and be cheerful1 whether you can be or not1 for very few men are willing to surround themselves with those who appear to be gloomy1 depressed and grouchy4 ,learn the lesson that it does no good to indulge in self-pity4 ,whatever the adverse circumstances of life may be1 face them like a man4 ,years ago ,i had learned this lesson of refusal to pity myself1 and ,i then wrote3 ,i want to radiate a spirit that refuses to pity itself for any of its woes1 its afflictions1 its misfortunes1 its sorrows4 ,there is no weakness so weak as the weakness of self-pity2 there is nothing so spiritually debilitating as to brood over one's own sorrows4 ,it is a kind of melancholy selfishness2 it neither helps one's self nor others2 it is depressing to all concerned4 ,i happened to read to-day in a popular novel a sentence that most truthfully expresses what ,i believe upon this subject3 ',the most absolutely selfish thing in the world is to give way to depression1 to think of one's troubles at all1 except of how to overcome them4 ,i spend many delightful hours thinking of the pleasant and beautiful things of life4 ,i decline to waste a single second even in considering the ugly ones4' ,it is just as easy to form a habit of dwelling upon the sweet and good and beautiful and happy things of life as upon the bitter and evil and ugly and unhappy things4 ,brooding enlarges whatever it exercises itself upon1 whether it be good or evil1 joy or woe4 ,so brood on the good things1 cast out the others1 and so live that you radiate this joy and determination not to recognize the evil and unpleasant things4 ,self-pity takes the backbone out of one4 ,it robs one of his manhood1 his courage1 his daring to go on and face all the difficulties before him4 ,it is self-pity that makes the suicide4 ,he looks at his woes1 his difficulties1 until he cannot bear them1 and so goes and takes the big plunge into the dark4 ,brother1 sister1 quit your self-pitying4 ,there is another side to the darkness4 ,look up1 not down4 ,remember that1 in the words of ,robert ,browning1 ',god's in ,his heaven1 all's right with the world4' ,so ,i have long resolved to radiate cheerfulness as much when ,i am down1 as when ,i am up--when misfortune glowers upon me1 as when fortune smiles4 ,it is so easy to interpret our material good as a proof of ,god's favor1 and our material ill as a sign that ,he is displeased with us4 ,those who went to ,jesus and asked1 when the tower of ,siloam fell and killed eighteen3 ',were they not sinners above all others because this thing happened to them8' are not without their myriads of counterparts in the world to-day4 ,when a man strikes a new gusher in an oil region1 or a good flow of water in a desert country1 or his grainfield gives him seventy bushels to the acre1 it is easy enough to believe that ,providence is smiling upon him1 and1 therefore1 his faith is strong and unquenchable4 ,i have enough of that kind of faith4 ,i can radiate that without an effort or thought4 ,but ,i desire above all things to radiate a like sure and definite faith when my neighbor strikes a gusher and ,i do not2 when my enemy finds a fine flow of water and my crops are being parched--,i want as strong a sense of contentment when ,fortune smiles upon the other fellow1 as when it smiles upon me4 ,this leads to another practical radiance4 ,it is that of absolute certainty that things do not happen4 ,there is no such thing as a happenstance in the world4 ,nothing happens1 is a word often on my inner lips4 ,there is no evil1 no wrong1 no misfortune to the man who consciously lives with power ever surrounding him4 ,in our short-sightedness1 we dream1 we think of evil1 or ill1 or wrong1 or misfortune1 but if our faith's eyes were always open1 we should see nothing but good--and that all circumstances are good in their ultimate results upon us4 ,some years ago ,i met a lady who possessed this spirit of radiant cheerfulness1 and yet she was in a sanitarium and had undergone several severe surgical operations4 ,in conversation with her1 ,i learned that some years before she had found herself afflicted with a tumor in her breast4 ,the surgeon said that nothing but the knife would remove it4 ,this seemed almost like a sentence to death1 and my friend and her husband1 children1 and friends were deeply saddened by the necessity4 ,they all went through a period of deep gloom1 of darkness1 of despondency4 ,then there came to her the idea that it was contrary to ,nature that she and her loved ones should waste their time1 energy1 and strength in such repining and sorrow4 ,she remembered the words1 ,be careful for nothing1 but in everything by prayer and supplication make your requests known unto ,god1 and then there came to her the joy of the promise that followed3 ,and the peace of ,god which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in what is sure to be the spirit of peace and love4 ,so she began to look upon the duty of cheerfulness4 ,she soon saw that it was the only path for her to walk in4 ,the operation was performed4 ,it was serious1 and for three years she and her loved ones had to struggle hard to be cheerful and optimistic4 ,but the results more than repaid for the efforts expended1 for1 when at the end of the three years1 the tumor again appeared1 even more serious in character1 and she had to go to the hospital again1 she found that1 after the first few dark hours1 a great peace stole over her whole being1 and as a result of her cheerful radiancy1 her husband and children were adorably cheerful and loving4 ,she has since said3 ,i went to the hospital feeling sure that ,i could find peace in suffering1 pleasure in pain1 contentment through it all4 ,when ,i was put upon the operating table this sense of peace and content and lack of fear enabled me to take the anesthetic easily1 and after the operation was over1 when the pain was terrible1 to fight my battle with a happy heart4 ,i faltered a little once or twice when the pain seemed to pile mountains high during the first few days1 but when my nurse found that ,i meant to make the best of everything1 she took hold in the right way with a spirit of determination to help me1 so it was not long before ,i really seemed to rise1 by means of the very mountains of pain that at first appeared as if they would overwhelm me1 to summits of joy1 content and satisfaction ,i could not have known without them4 ,as ,i looked out of the windows1 the trees seemed to be putting forth their leaves in richest beauty all for me4 ,the birds--the robins and bluebirds--seemed to come and sing for me4 ,the air grew daily more balmy and sweet1 and as ,i contemplated these things1 ,i found even the tremendous noises of switching cars and the disagreeable sounds of the engine1 combined with the racket of the wagons that came rattling over the cobble-stones1 came to be quite bearable4 ,peace and joy were in my heart4 ,i was content1 full1 satisfied4 ,and she certainly looked it4 ,she was a radiating reservoir of these glorious and uplifting qualities4 ,how could she be otherwise8 ,so1 with this woman's experience in mind ,i again urge you to be cheerful4 ,be happy4 ,acquire the habit of the effort4 ,it soon grows easy4 ,believe implicitly in the power of ,good--and that the apparently bad is contrary to ,nature's laws and wishes 7being a result of some transgression or ignorance71 and that whatever happens is good1 for it works out for the best in the end4 ,and now1 to conclude1 or as our preacher friends say1 one more word4 ,in my radiancy or cheerfulness1 ,i want to remember to radiate all the time and to all people4 ,it is easy enough to be cheerful in the presence of our superiors and with our companions and equals4 ,but ,i notice that it is a very different matter with many people to be cheerful with those whom society and the world call their inferiors--the elevator boy1 the bell boy1 the valet1 the chambermaid1 the clerk1 the stenographer1 the laborer1 the coachman1 in other words1 all those whom we call servants4 ,many people feel that they are not under any obligation to be cheerful to them1 but1 oh1 what a joy they miss1 what a privilege they throw away4 ,why not especially radiate cheerfulness to the fullest possible extent to those who have less of this world's goods than ourselves8 ,why not help them bear the burdens of life by your radiant optimism8 ,let your cheerfulness be real1 sincere1 honest1 manly4 ,try to concern yourself in their interests and understand somewhat of the battles they have to fight4 ,it does not take up much time or require much effort4 ,it is the spirit of the thing that is felt and that counts4 ,so1 be cheerful at all times and radiate your cheerfulness to all sorts and conditions of men4 ,thus you will go through the world leaving a blessed path of sweetness1 brightness1 and sunshine behind you which will illuminate1 cheer1 and bless all who walk therein4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,radiancies ,,of ,,moral ,,courage ,i want to radiate moral courage4 ,who that has read the life of ,emerson cannot appreciate the moral courage that controlled him at all times4 ,he was incapable of cowardice4 ,timid1 sensitive as the most delicate plant1 shrinking from notoriety1 he yet did and said things that brought down upon him the censure and concentrated fury and hatred of thousands4 ,he1 so gentle and kind1 spoke words that hit and smashed and crashed through the entrenched ideas of the world like red-hot cannon-balls4 ,though never a politician1 he spoke words on the principles involved in the slavery question that surpassed in fervid eloquence and effective power anything ever said by ,wendell ,phillips or ,william ,lloyd ,garrison4 ,on one occasion he faced a mob of fiery sympathizers with the other side and declared the highest1 purest truths of the brotherhood of man1 and when remonstrated with for daring such an assemblage he calmly and quietly replied3 ,had ,i been dumb1 ,i would have gone and muttered and made signs4 ,when men worshiped certain ideas and believed that they were religion1 and that it was needful to believe them in order to live aright on earth and win the favor of a heavenly hereafter1 ,emerson arose and smote them into the dust by the calm1 relentless1 passionless logic of one who sees and knows--the divinely ordained prophet--and one result of his daring was that he was cast out from his pulpit and from the sweet and hallowed communion he and his grandfathers for eight past generations had enjoyed in the church4 ,what a wrenching of heart strings1 what a tearing away of old ties1 what an isolation of oneself1 what a bringing down of the avalanche of abuse1 of slander1 of harsh words and unkind deeds6 ,yet he never hesitated4 ,the oversoul called to the sacrifice1 and at the same time pointed to the recompense of the spirit1 and he never saw1 never knew1 never felt the contumely1 the scorn1 the ostracism1 the abuse4 ,is it not glorious to live in such a realm of high spiritual courage8 ,to do unconsciously8 ,to be unconsciously8 ,not to have to work your courage up to the daring point2 to nerve yourself for the plunge1 but to plunge anyhow1 trusting1 knowing that in doing the highest1 the noblest1 the best thing conceivable to you1 you can never fail8 ,what does starvation of the body mean to the man whose soul is uplifted into the presence of the ,most ,high8 ,such an one can live for forty days or forty years1 if necessary1 without more food than would feed a sparrow4 ,what does isolation from his fellows--preachers1 doctors1 lawyers1 every-day men and women--mean to a man who communes daily with angels1 archangels1 and with ,god ,himself8 ,does he feel slighted1 hurt1 neglected8 ,such a courage as this ,i myself desire1 so that ,i may live it1 radiate it every moment4 ,it was this courage that made ,john ,brown march on that most quixotic of all marches--with a handful of men to free the slave4 ,it was rebellion1 anarchy1 unlawful invasion1 the breaking of man's law--of course it was4 ,but he saw a higher vision than man's outlook1 he felt a higher call than man's demand1 and he knew no law of man in the obedience of his soul1 body1 life1 his all1 to the call of the ,spirit4 ,and though a rude ,kansas pioneer and farmer1 he had the soul-courage to obey4 ,forward6 ,march6 ,he marched to his death6 ,did he8 ,no6 ,he marched to the death of his body1 but he began a triumphant march in the heavens forever brilliantly illuminating the minds and souls of men1 and lifting them up into a higher state of life1 making them less sordid1 less afraid of position1 life1 honor1 less easily influenced by the keen censure and scorn of the blind world4 ,talk about battlefields and batteries1 forts and forlorn hopes and the courages of the ,charge of the ,light ,brigade1 or of the ,stand of the ,old ,guards at ,waterloo1 or of ,dewey sailing into ,manila ,harbor2 what were those acts of physical courage compared with the moral heroism that leads a man to dare the stake1 the cross1 or the tortures of the bigot8 ,read ,mark ,twain's ,life of ,joan of ,arc1 and feel your heart throb to the high-souled1 divinely inspired courage of that girl of eighteen2 not only physical courage1 as when she led1 in person1 the charges of the ,french army against the ,english1 who had been victorious in ,france for almost a hundred years1 but when she dared the great ecclesiastical courts that badgered and baited her1 as she sat unaided1 alone1 unbefriended1 undefended1 unadvised by man1 for weeks at a time1 when the cowardly hounds were determined to send her to the stake4 ,where did her heroism and courage come from that she1 a mere country peasant child1 who had never even ridden a horse1 or seen a battlefield1 who never had read a book1 or knew the first thing of guiding and controlling soldiers1 or setting an army in battle array2 ,i say1 where did her courage come from1 that she could dare to go into the proud presence of nobles and warriors and demand that they give her a guard to take her to the ,king of ,france1 where she assured him that she would soon drive out the ,english and have him duly crowned king of his reconquered provinces8 ,here was the radiant life in actual1 potent exercise4 ,she radiated courage and faith1 just as the sun radiates heat--in such abundance that men sweated with it1 men were fired to the intense heat and fervor of new life and courage with it4 ,so that1 from a cowed1 disheartened pack of whipped men1 who fled from the mere sound of approach of a small body of ,english soldiers1 raw recruits1 as well as seasoned veterans1 shouted to be led against the foe1 and when once in the conflict hammered away regardless of wounds1 even of death1 until victory was theirs4 ,whence came this radiant courage and power8 ,it was simply because she dared to listen to the voices speaking to her soul1 and nothing else counted4 ,that's the life ,i want to get hold of4 ,that is the courage and the life ,i wish to radiate4 ,afraid of men1 of starvation1 of opposition1 of censure1 of hatred1 of ostracism8 ,no6 ,why should we be afraid to lose a few cents1 when our hands are filled with diamonds1 and rubies1 and pearls1 and nuggets of gold8 ,why should we fear men1 when we have the courage of our convictions8 ,let us look not down1 but up1 and seek to draw from the heavens above the inspiration1 the courage1 the bravery1 the heroism of the soul4 ,there has recently passed away in despotic ,russia a man whose life for years has radiated moral courage throughout the world4 ,tolstoi had the courage of his convictions4 ,he felt that social distinctions were wrong4 ,immediately he did the practical thing--put himself on the plane of every common laboring man by personally becoming a tiller of his own soil4 ,what a fool6 exclaimed the aristocratic world to which1 by birth1 he belonged4 ,does he think he can change our opinions by that silly act8 they cried4 ,no6 ,he knew it would have little or no effect on them1 but he was compelled to clear his own soul4 ,so he braved their laughter and scorn1 their contumely and contempt1 that the world might know for certain what he really did think and feel4 ,he came to the conclusion that the ,government of ,russia1 and the conduct of the ministers of the ,greek ,church--the established church of ,russia--were neither in conformity with true religion nor true brotherhood4 ,though the former was despotic1 and the latter as hide-bound and dogmatic as rigid adherence to dead forms and creeds ever makes men1 he fearlessly expressed his inmost convictions against both and called upon them to change1 reform1 amend their ways and actually become what they professed to be4 ,the state threatened him with ,siberian banishment unless he kept silence1 but never till death silenced him did he heed the threatening command2 the church cast him out1 and then he wrote a book1 ,my ,religion1 that gave newer and more exalted conceptions of religion to the world1 even though possibly it would be hard to find a single man who accepts everything just as ,tolstoi set it forth in that book4 ,he came to the decision that the fine clothes and luxurious surroundings of the rich and noble were neither ,christian nor humane4 ,they caused envy and bitterness in the hearts of those whose lives were one long struggle with poverty4 ,so at once he cast off his gorgeous apparel1 denuded his own rooms of all unnecessary and elaborate furnishings1 and thus1 again and further1 placed himself where men could feel the truth and power of his utterances about human brotherhood4 ,when ,russia declared war against ,japan1 ,tolstoi wrote a letter to the ,emperor1 the state officials1 and the ,russian people that was a loud trumpet blast heard throughout the world calling upon them in the name of their ,creator and down-trodden humanity to stop6 and declare peace4 ,many a man had been sent to ,siberia for life--nay1 sent to be speedily tortured to death--for far less than this1 but this fearless old man let his voice ring out with a power that convinced thousands as never before that war at its best was but a relic of barbarism and a disgrace to every professedly progressive nation4 ,oh1 for a courage like ,tolstoi's--true-hearted1 brave1 simple-minded1 pure1 that never failed when called upon4 ,granted he was queer1 quixotic1 unbalanced1 impracticable1 was not his queerness and impracticability at least on the side of the moral forces of the world8 ,everybody knew where and how he stood2 where his sympathies were2 and his life has strengthened the backbone and put new vigor into the weak knees of hundreds of thousands1 for moral courage radiates with power that increases according to the square of the distance4 ,it does not grow less2 it enlarges2 for each man who feels it becomes a new generator and transformer and thus enlarges and increases its radiating power four-1 eight-1 twelve-fold4 ,henry ,bergh was another of these heroic moral-courage radiators4 ,his tender heart was cut to the quick day by day by seeing the cruelties perpetrated upon the poor dumb brutes of the city of ,new ,york4 ,he determined to do what he could to stop these barbarous practices4 ,he agitated and wrote1 spoke and interviewed until he succeeded in getting ordinances and acts passed which gave him power to prevent whatever cruelties he saw4 ,how he was jeered2 how he was cursed1 when he sought to interfere with a brutal driver who would cruelly whip his horses to compel them to drag loads beyond their strength6 ,the newspapers said he stood in the way of business1 and they sarcastically called him the knight of the doleful countenance1 not realizing that it was the cruelties perpetrated by so-called men upon their younger brothers--the dumb animals--that had so frozen the pain and anguish of his heart upon his face4 ,but his heart never failed1 his courage never wavered4 ,threatened1 mobbed1 his life often in peril1 he fearlessly waged constant warfare against cruelty1 and to-day the very city that hated and scorned him is building monuments to his honor in every street-watering trough they erect4 ,and his radiant influence has reached every civilized city in the world1 such is the penetrating radiancy of a loving and true heart4 ,before ,i proceed to a further consideration of this radiancy of a large-hearted1 moral heroism1 ,i want to answer the objection raised to what ,i have already written by a young man to whom ,i read it4 ,he said3 ,but ,i am not an ,emerson1 or a ,wendell ,phillips1 or a ,john ,brown1 or ,tolstoi4 ,what chance do ,i have of exercising moral courage8 ,a very pertinent question1 and one ,i am glad to try to answer4 ,i do not believe there was ever a man1 a time1 or a place which did not1 sometime1 somehow1 call for the exercise of moral heroism4 ,and especially in these days of lax principle1 breaking down of old standards1 political graft1 and worship of material success4 ,what minister is there in no matter what church who is not called upon1 now and again1 nay1 often1 to speak fearlessly upon some practical subject upon which people are looking for light8 ,is he a moral hero who taboos such subjects1 who refrains from discussing them in the pulpit because they are not gospel subjects8 ,what gospel subject can surpass in interest and in human and divine appeal to the soul of man the white-slave question1 and a host of other subjects upon which ordinary well-to-do men and women need enlightenment8 ,that minister is endowed with the radiant power of moral courage who1 even though he offend some of the smug1 comfortably righteous members of his congregation1 dares to denounce the church people who rent their houses and lands for immoral purposes1 for breweries1 for saloons1 for any and all things that destroy men's bodies and souls and bring suffering to innocent women and children4 ,take the child-labor question1 especially in the communities where men live who have become rich by using child labor1 whether in cotton factories1 glass factories1 tobacco1 or any other factories4 ,should not such men hear the gospel plainly and without equivocation8 ,who is to give it8 ,the minister of the ,christ who came to seek and save the down-trodden1 the injured1 the forsaken1 the lost4 ,then all honor to the man who dares to speak out1 dares to be true to the inward voice1 though he lose caste1 position1 salary4 ,the same courage is required of the politician4 ,how often the public clamor for1 or against1 the very opposite of that which is right4 ,in ,california a few years ago there was a great fight for the exclusion of the ,japanese and ,chinese4 ,how about the doctrine of the brotherhood of man8 ,can we play fast and loose with eternal principles8 ,no6 ,let the true politician stand by the truth and let the poltroon sacrifice his principles for temporary advancement and gain4 ,there is not an employee who at some time or another is not called upon to exercise moral courage4 ,some are asked to do dishonest1 mean1 disreputable1 contemptible things--for their employers4 ,some have one temptation1 some another4 ,stand firm for the highest truth4 ,be morally brave and courageous4 ,dare to refuse4 ,dare to risk losing your job rather than your character4 ,dare to be poor rather than mean4 ,one of the great temptations of men and women to-day is to appear better off than they are4 ,we are all as good as everybody else--so we say--and1 therefore1 we must dress as well1 dine as well1 live as well1 and show off as much4 ,what is the result in many cases8 ,financial worry or disaster at best2 criminality at worst4 ,for many a man to-day is in the penitentiary because he and his wife did not have the moral courage to dare to live within their income2 she did not dare to wear her last-year's hat1 or a made-over gown1 and he did not dare say ,no6 when she insisted upon having new and expensive things1 or would not deny himself when his set indulged in an expensive pastime which he could not afford4 ,oh1 the pity of it6 ,let your courage have a chance to grow4 ,plant the seeds of moral heroism early1 so that when the testing time comes you will find the tree already grown to which you can cling4 ,every boy and every girl--no matter how young--has times when temptations come which it requires moral courage to resist4 ,better teach your boy the duty1 pleasure1 and benefit of this resistance than have him win every other prize of excellent scholarship4 ,are you radiating such courage so that your children feel it8 ,that they are influenced by it8 ,happy you1 if you are1 for it will return to you in the beauty1 strength1 nobility1 and grandeur of your boy's1 your girl's1 life in after days to your benediction and joy4 ,the world is cold for want of moral courage4 ,turn on the radiator4 ,call on the great source for a full supply and help make the world warm with the heroism1 the bravery1 the moral courage it needs4 ,possessed in any degree1 however small1 of this heroism of the soul1 ,i1 myself1 want to radiate the consciousness that my natural and proper place is in the forefront of every movement that makes for human progress4 ,most men are laggards in human progress4 ,of comparatively only a few is it said in such things3 ,he is abreast of his times4 ,of only the less than few--the solitary1 the individual soldiers--is it said3 ,he is ahead of his times4 ,here ,i want to find my place4 ,these are the men and women with whom ,i would stand4 ,and ,i would so radiate the spirit of advancement and progress that every awake and alert soul and also every quiescent and sleeping soul will feel and know it when we come in contact4 ,in ,november1 #aiaj1 there was held in the city of ,chicago an anniversary celebration of the life and work of ,theodore ,parker1 a ,new ,england ,congregational clergyman who lived from #ahaj to #ahfj4 ,when professional philosophers1 reformers1 and preachers were discussing1 in an academic fashion1 the question of human freedom1 while under our banner of professed human rights for all1 the shackles were on the hands of four millions of slaves1 while professional statesmen were temporizing with this iniquitous system and proposing compromises1 all of which affected slave owners1 and none of them made the slave free1 ,theodore ,parker1 in season and out of season at times appropriate and inappropriate1 was a flaming firebrand of passionate utterance against the hideous hypocrisy of our national pretense while the rattle of these shackles was in our ears4 ,it was nothing to him that the solid ,south was against him2 it was of no weight to him that many of the respectable moneyed men of ,new ,england were engaged in the slave trade1 and that practical men of affairs counseled moderation1 toleration1 and caution in dealing with so delicate a subject4 ,he saw only the horrible facts of human slavery1 and that this slavery existed in a land on whose national banner were inscribed the words3 ,we believe it to be a self-evident truth that all men are created free and equal1 and the only delicacy he felt was that the national conscience should be aroused to its hypocrisy1 self-deceit1 inconsistency1 and dishonor1 and that the slave-holding and slave-trading business should cease in this land of the free and home of the brave4 ,we1 to whom the ,emancipation ,proclamation has been familiar ever since its promulgation1 cannot conceive the terrible stir1 the bitter antagonism1 the fierce hostility ,parker's clear and ringing words caused at the time of their utterance4 ,in vain his fellow-preachers begged him to be more cautious1 to adopt a more conciliatory tone4 ,like ,campanello1 who took a bell for his crest1 and for his motto the words1 ,i will not keep silent1 he quietly but firmly1 calmly but resolutely1 refused1 and rang out all the louder and more insistently his call to the drugged conscience1 sleeping honor1 and deadened humanities of his fellow citizens4 ,it was he who inspired in ,lincoln that memorable phrase made forever world-famed by his glorious ,gettysburg speech3 ,government of the people1 by the people1 for the people4 ,lincoln spoke ,november #ai1 #ahfc4 ,parker had written in ,november1 #ahdf1 these words3 ,let the world have peace for five hundred years1 the aristocracy of blood will have gone1 the aristocracy of gold will have come and gone1 that of talent will also have come and gone1 and the aristocracy of goodness1 which is the democracy of man1 the government of all1 for all1 by all1 will be the power that is4 ,democracy is direct self-government over all the people1 by all the people1 for all the people4 ,by way of parenthesis1 it is interesting here to add that in ,the ,christian 7a ,london1 ,england1 weekly paper71 for ,september #ag1 #aiaj1 there was a letter giving an even earlier use of the phrase1 as follows3 ,,sir3 ,in your report of ,principal ,carpenter's striking speech at ,budapest1 you cite his reference to the well-known fact that ,it was from ,parker that ,abraham ,lincoln borrowed his famous phrase1 ',government of the people1 for the people and by the people4' ,but the further fact should be remembered that ,parker himself borrowed it--doubtless through his perusal of the current ,monthly ,repository--from ,rev4 ,robert ,aspland1 our once-famous ,hackney minister4 ,it occurs in ,mr4 ,aspland's speech at the great ,whig banquet of #ahbh1 which celebrated the repeal of the ,test and ,corporation ,acts1 and at which1 amongst many distinguished speakers1 ,mr4 ,aspland1 by common consent1 bore away the palm of eloquence4--,,an ,,ex-,m4 ,p4 ,these facts in the history of a great phrase ,i am glad to present1 but the most important fact is not the name of the originator1 but the names of the men who made the phrase live in the hearts of their fellows as biting1 stinging1 awakening truths4 ,parker was one of these4 ,lloyd ,garrison1 ,wendell ,phillips1 ,john ,g4 ,whittier1 ,lowell1 ,john ,brown1 ,lovejoy1 ,lincoln1 were others4 ,and you and ,i1 friendly reader1 are to-day basking in the fuller and larger sunlight of freedom let into the house of our common humanity by the fearless1 uncompromising1 daring courage of these men4 ,let us not be laggards in the army of human progress2 nor content even to be abreast with the times4 ,let us be athirst for deeper waters1 clearer streams4 ,let us get nearer the mountain top than either of these two crowds4 ,let us drink of the fountain spring itself and know nothing else but the fundamental principles of human relationship1 and1 drinking of them to the full1 go forth and radiate them in their original purity1 sweetness1 and power1 diluted only by our imperfect human expression4 ,let us1 in this and all similar matters1 make the words of ,browning ours1 that we may ringingly declare to the world as well as quietly radiate them3 ,what had ,i on ,earth to do ,with the slothful1 with the mawkish1 the unmanly8 ,like the aimless1 helpless1 hopeless1 did ,i drivel--,being--who8 ,one who never turned his back but marched breast forward1 ,never doubted clouds would break1 ,never dreamed1 though right were worsted1 wrong would triumph1 ,held we fall to rise1 are baffled to fight better1 sleep to wake4 ,let us not merely come in for the rewards of life's conflicts in which the few battle for the rights of the many4 ,let us be in the forefront of the battle array2 even if only as standard-bearers1 or buglers1 or drummer boys in the forefront of the advance army1 and though our hearts are often shaken by human cowardice1 let our souls triumph and keep our faces towards the foe1 courage at fighting pitch1 resolution indomitable1 purpose invincible1 so that1 if fall we must1 we shall fall with eyes heavenward1 and breast fearlessly exposed to the fire of the enemy4 ,i know of no conflict now as severe as the fight for the abolition of the slave1 yet ,i am in the fight to help women gain the suffrage1 and in the temperance reform4 ,i have been abused by my scientific friends as an anti-vaccinator and anti-vivisectionist2 have been threatened with a thrashing several times for interfering with brutal teamsters and others who were cruel to animals and children2 have lost caste and position 7with a few people7 because ,i would rebuke corporate injustice1 greed1 and tyranny2 ,i have cast behind me much money because it was offered me in exchange for my independence and freedom4 ,these are small things as compared with the heroic acts of the giants of past days1 but they are the deeds my soul has been called to face4 ,and ,i mention them not in boasting1 but as another declaration of principles1 principles ,i wish to radiate on every hand1 under all circumstances1 to all people4 ,for ,i am anxious and determined that1 according to the best of my ability1 ,i will do my share of the work of my time for the benefit of the future4 ,what would we be to-day without the advantages of ,magna ,charta1 of the ,bill of ,rights1 of the ,declaration of ,independence1 of the ,emancipation ,proclamation8 ,who won these charters of our liberty8 ,the heroes of the past4 ,then the questions ,i constantly ask myself are3 ,what are you doing to add to these liberties to hand on to future ages8 ,you have received freely2 how are you giving8 ,i want to help make the future more glad and blessed1 just as my present has been made glad by the actions of the heroes of old4 ,i have been inspired to high resolves1 heroic endeavors1 blessed ambitions by what they achieved4 ,am ,i doing anything to pass on these high inspirations to endeavor and ambition8 ,these men met obloquy1 hatred1 shame1 contumely1 contempt1 danger1 financial loss1 physical peril1 and in ,john ,brown's1 ,lovejoy's1 and other cases1 death1 because of their daring advocacy of unpopular movements4 ,shall ,i be any the less a man than they8 ,shall ,i have received so much1 and then be craven and pass on so little8 ,i believe that each generation must pay interest in kind on all their heritage of the past1 or they mark the period of a nation's decline4 ,unless we are better1 nobler1 truer1 more advanced1 more free1 more progressive1 more generous1 more philanthropic1 more daring1 courageous1 lion-hearted than our forefathers1 we have defaulted in our interest4 ,and defaulters are always cowards if nothing worse4 ,let us not be cowards4 ,in ,california there are strong movements against the ,japanese and the ,chinese4 ,it is easy to join the popular side1 but it takes strength of heart and courage of mind and body sometimes to stand on the other side4 ,i want to radiate my firm and unshakable conviction of the truth of human brotherhood1 regardless of color1 nationality1 prejudice1 or selfish and personal interest4 ,though the ,japanese and ,chinese1 in open and honest business competition1 take away my work1 even then ,i want to radiate my firm belief in the universal brotherhood of man4 ,and ,i want to do it without hesitation1 as well as without fear4 ,hesitation too often means temporizing1 evasion1 shuffling1 and ,i do not want to place myself open to any temptation to these things4 ,hence ,i would be prompt and outspoken in my adherence and advocacy of the fundamental principles of human brotherhood regardless of personal consequences and indifferent alike to praise or blame4 ,i believe in human democracy1 in human freedom1 in the equality of men and women2 in morality1 government1 and household control2 in resisting all tyrannies1 whether of law1 medicine1 theology1 or society2 in the uplift of all the criminal and downtrodden2 in the fair division of the profits of all labor2 in the jealous preservation of the independence of every man and every woman2 in the right of every child to be well born and welcomed1 and of every woman to determine1 without dictation from any one1 whether she shall bear a child or not2 in the abolition of all war2 in the disarmament of all nations2 in the abolition of land monopoly2 in submitting every question to the test--the greatest possible good to the greatest number4 ,these1 as ,i now recall them1 are the cardinal principles of my belief1 my adherence to which ,i would fearlessly1 without hesitation or equivocation1 ever and always radiate4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,radiancies ,,of ,,content ,,and ,,discontent ,i want to radiate a spirit of content4 ,the dictionary says that to be content is to be held full4 ,if one is full1 that is enough4 ,he is satisfied4 ,he has peace of mind4 ,all this is implied in the word content4 ,i want to radiate this sense of fullness1 of satisfaction4 ,i want people to feel that ,i am full of physical health1 full of mental vigor1 full of spiritual power1 and1 with the exceptions that ,i shall note later on in this chapter1 that ,i am satisfied4 ,i want to radiate a large-hearted contentment with things as they are4 ,i am content with the world as it is4 ,its glories1 its beauties1 its charms1 its allurements1 its variety1 satisfy me4 ,there is nothing in scenery that the mind can conceive that ,i cannot find2 every sort of climate is offered to me4 ,i can surround myself with people or ,i can dwell in the virgin solitudes4 ,i can live under the gray skies of the ,east or under the cerulean blue of the ,west4 ,the snow-covered heights of the ,himalayas are mine or the wastes of the ,sahara4 ,i can toss on the stormy ocean or bask in the sun-kissed gardens of the ,south4 ,it is a glorious1 beautiful1 blessed world4 ,yet ,i hear people complaining on every hand4 ,it is too hot1 or they wish it hadn't rained4 ,why does the wind blow so fiercely8 ,the snow has just come at the wrong time4 ,then1 too1 they find fault with the every-day occurrences of life4 ,they are angry because they missed a train1 have failed to carry through a business transaction1 were delayed and lost an important appointment4 ,the other day ,i met a young man holding his wrist1 and with a look of severe pain on his face4 ,in doing some work in the gymnasium he hurt his hand and wrist4 ,it is hard to radiate contentment under the annoyance and pain of such things as this and the circumstances ,i have mentioned4 ,yet in these1 as in all other things in life1 ,i believe with ,shakspeare3 ,there is a ,divinity that shapes our ends1 ,rough hew them as we may4 ,many a time it is the best thing in the world to have lost an appointment1 to have missed a train1 to have sprained one's wrist4 ,the wet weather is as good as the sunshine1 and the storm equally beneficent with the calm4 ,hence ,i want to be content and to radiate my content with things as they are4 ,discontent is a burning acid4 ,it eats away the happy1 blessed things of life4 ,it destroys the beauty of an otherwise perfect life4 ,it takes away the smile and substitutes a frown4 ,it injects bitterness into words that would otherwise be sweet4 ,it changes the kind word into an angry curse4 ,and it burns and corrodes far deeper than one imagines4 ,i once had a surgical operation in which a severe corroding substance was injected into a certain part of my body4 ,my physicians1 men of wisdom and men who loved me1 thought they knew how much that corrosive substance would burn4 ,but it burned far more severely and destroyed much more tissue than they conceived1 and my life came near to paying the penalty4 ,discontent works in exactly the same way1 only worse4 ,its burnings are of the mind1 and1 therefore1 more seriously injurious4 ,its burns are deep and uncertain4 ,to put it in another way--it sours the milk of human kindness4 ,it turns the butter rancid4 ,it pulls down the shades and shuts out the sunlight4 ,it turns the steam off from the radiator4 ,it shuts out the fresh air4 ,it banishes the fairies of jollity1 healthfulness1 happiness1 and content4 ,do not radiate discontent1 therefore1 but radiate a glorious1 buoyant1 exuberant contentment4 ,think of the books we have to-day1 as compared with those possessed by people who lived a few hundred years ago--the poems1 the dramas1 the essays1 the histories1 the novels1 the accounts of adventure and travel1 the revelations of science4 ,think how cheap they are1 how easy to obtain4 ,think of the public libraries established in almost every city1 town1 and village of the civilized world4 ,in many states they have now established a method by means of which the library systems may become county-wide in their influences instead of confined to the cities and towns4 ,books are being sent to the remotest farmhouse1 to the shack of the lumberman1 the moving home of the sheep-herder1 the log hut of the miner1 anywhere1 everywhere that a human hand is seen stretched forth for a book1 the new library system seeks to reach4 ,think of the music of to-day6 ,the great bands1 the marvelous orchestras1 the soul-inspiring choruses1 the wonderfully equipped opera companies1 the cheapness of the organ and piano1 the universality of the graphophone1 with its records of music of every character that can be heard in the humblest home4 ,think of the multiplication of the opportunities for hearing the drama1 some good1 some indifferent1 some bad1 but all more or less revealing artistic power and calling forth the satisfaction of the onlookers4 ,think of the spread of educational opportunities1 the public schools1 the colleges1 the universities1 the correspondence schools1 the women's clubs and leagues4 ,i went through a high school the other day that was ten times better equipped for the higher education1 as far as it went1 than the universities were a hundred years ago4 ,think of the ease with which we travel--electric cars1 railway trains1 automobiles1 flying machines4 ,think of the annihilation of distance in conversing with our friends1 the telephone1 the telegraph1 the telepost1 the wireless4 ,think of the opportunities of enjoyment and education offered to the poor in our large cities by means of the parks1 the children's playgrounds1 the free museums1 and the art galleries4 ,think of the improvements during late years in the conditions of home life--the application of gas and electricity for lighting1 heating1 cooking1 ironing1 and1 now1 even for sweeping and cleaning up4 ,think of the improvements of the condition of lives of our farmers and their laborers in the remote districts4 ,little by little the conditions of life are being made easier for them4 ,labor is being lightened and the hours shortened1 uncertainties are being eliminated1 results made more sure4 ,think of the growing spirit of freedom and true democracy1 of brotherhood and comradeship that are welding the world together in the bonds of humanitarian brotherhood2 treaties between nations1 federations of nations1 world's fairs1 the ,red ,cross movement1 ,the ,hague ,peace ,tribunal1 arbitration instead of war1 and agitation for the reduction of armies and navies4,d ,d ,this was written prior to the breaking out of the war of #aiad-ae1 when hell was let loose in ,europe4 ,yet ,i do not feel inclined to change one single line of what ,i then wrote4 ,during #aiae1 ,i was engaged speaking daily to large audiences at the ,panama-,pacific ,exposition in ,san ,francisco--,i estimate that ,i addressed not less than #cjj1jjj people during that time4 ,in many of these addresses ,i expressed my thoughts about the hideousness1 the needlessness1 the waste1 the devilishness of war1 with open frankness1 and without a single exception my denunciations of the system of war were received with hearty applause4 ,i refer to this merely as an index as to what ,i believe is the general thought of all intelligent people on the subject4 ,all except war-mad and war-hypnotized people hate war and desire to see it abolished1 and the higher standards of brotherly and amicable conference and equitable adjustment of difficulties take its place4 ,that nations were urged into the ,european conflict is no proof that they love war4 ,it is rather a proof that they hate war enough to die to make future wars impossible4 ,this1 ,i sincerely hope and confidently expect1 will be the tendency of the result1 if not an actually accomplished result4 ,one has but to study the changes that have taken place in our civilization since ,dickens began to write1 for instance1 to see how wonderfully the world has progressed4 ,he wrote ,nicholas ,nickleby to call attention to the horrible abuses existent in boys' boarding schools1 where boys1 who for any reason were desired out of the way at home1 were put in charge of human fiends in the guise of schoolmasters4 ,step-children1 heirs who were in the way1 natural children1 and those whose parents had no natural affection for them1 were put into these dens1 and so cruelly abused that they often died2 and at the best they dragged out their miserable existence afraid of what each hour of the day might bring forth and finding only in their troubled sleep the relief from the active cruelties they were made to bear4 ,little ,dorrit graphically pictured the horrors of the prison for debt system1 and in the wonderfully painted character of ,little ,dorrit's father1 ,dickens showed how every human trait and feeling1 every noble passion and emotion was dwarfed1 twisted1 distorted1 and perverted by the action of this unnatural1 cruel1 and monstrous law4 ,barnaby ,rudge called equally vivid attention to the laws which placed political disabilities upon ,jews and ,roman ,catholics1 rendering them incapable of voting and holding office throughout the ,british dominions1 and sought to remove the hatred1 prejudice1 and dissensions which unnatural acts of ,parliament always caused4 ,in ,a ,tale of ,two ,cities the curse of caste is revealed2 the inevitable results of giving special privileges to a so-called aristocratic class1 and while its teachings were veiled as being connected with incidents in the ,french ,revolution they were a wonderful help to the forwarding of true ideas of pure democracy and genuine recognition of the doctrine of the brotherhood of man4 ,in ,martin ,chuzzlewit the theme is the horrors of the ,circumlocution ,office--that vast1 hideous1 monstrous juggernaut that rode rough-shod over all justice1 truth1 honor1 right1 decency1 and sincerity1 by its evasions1 quibblings1 dodgings1 twinings1 twistings1 and deliberate perversions of the truth4 ,other writers made their novels the themes of similar crying abuses that needed reform4 ,henry ,cockton wrote his ,valentine ,vox the ,ventriloquist to expose the hideous dealings of private mad-houses1 where helpless men and women were confined by law1 who were perfectly sane1 yet who were in the way of dishonest lawyers1 judges1 administrators1 heirs1 or relations4 ,i can never forget the powerful and terrible impression this story made upon me1 though it is nearly forty years since ,i read it1 especially where the author described what it is said he himself had had to pass through1 when he was driven into temporary insanity by being strapped to his cot while fiends in human form mocked and taunted him and at the same time tickled his feet until he was a raging maniac4 ,to the people of to-day the term ,chartist means nothing4 ,nine-tenths of the population of the ,united ,states possibly never heard the term4 ,yet it is only a few generations since men were sentenced to ,botany ,bay and other penal settlements for twenty1 thirty1 and more years1 and sometimes for life1 for joining in this reform which demanded certain rights that we have enjoyed without a thought ever since we were born4 ,one of these grand old warriors for man's greater freedom used to visit at my father's house when ,i was a lad4 ,he was an intellectual giant who had won the honor and fame the world freely accords to those who do not take it by the throat too severely1 and once in a while he could be induced to tell of the days of his earlier conflict2--how that he and his compeers fought for a repeal of the corn laws--laws which made it almost impossible for a poor man to get bread--and for the right of a man to sell the products of his own labor from door to door to save himself from starvation4 ,he was imprisoned and sentenced for a long term of years and while in prison wrote a poem of tremendous power and influence4 ,how my heart burned to the old warrior1 and ,i then and there declared that ,i live to learn their story ,who've suffered for my sake1 ,to emulate their glory1 ,and to follow in their wake3 99 99 99 99 99 ,for the cause that lacks assistance1 ,for the wrong that needs resistance4 ,then1 too1 how ,i recall the fight for religious freedom in ,england--some of it before my time1 but some of it under my own eyes1 and in which ,i had the joy of bearing a small part4 ,the ,lord ,george ,gordon riots1 described by ,dickens in ,barnaby ,rudge1 were provoked by religious hostility4 ,when ,i was a boy1 no ,jew or ,catholic could hold office in ,england--,i think ,i am correct4 ,this act1 passed in the reign of ,charles ,,ii--,i write from memory--was thus in operation for two hundred years2 two hundred years of injustice1 prejudice1 fostering of religious hatred and separations4 ,yet ,benjamin ,disraeli made a great premier1 and was one of the most brilliant statesmen of ,europe1 and the ,howard family1 ,cardinal ,manning1 and ,cardinal ,newman1 all of whom were ,roman ,catholics1 were loved and revered on every hand for their enlightened patriotism and the help they gave to everything that had the welfare of ,england at heart4 ,it was a glad day for ,england that saw the removal of the disabilities from such good citizens as these1 merely because they chose to exercise their perfect ,god-given right of freedom of choice in religious belief4 ,and still1 even as late as the ascension to the throne of ,george ,v1 son of ,king ,edward1 and grandson of that progressive and liberal-minded ,queen1 ,victoria1 there remained in the oath a hateful spirit of narrowness and intolerance against ,catholic beliefs4 ,thirty to forty years previously ,charles ,bradlaugh was refused his seat in the ,house of ,commons because he desired to affirm instead of taking the oath4 ,he was an unbeliever1 and claimed his right to be such1 and yet to take his seat as a representative of the people without being compelled to swear to an oath in which he did not believe4 ,he was fought an every hand1 and with physical violence2 yet he kept resolutely on with the conflict1 until ,i saw him myself1 with joy1 take his place before the speaker of the ,house1 victorious4 ,yet ,i am not an unbeliever1 nor do ,i accept ,bradlaugh's conclusions as to ,god and the making of the universe4 ,nor is it necessary4 ,equally so it is not necessary that ,i should attempt to force my ideas down his throat and if he refuse to say that he swallows them should seek to keep him from exercising his political rights4 ,to us1 living to-day1 it seems impossible that a great civil war was necessary ere the shackles were shaken from the limbs of four millions of slaves2 it seems incredible that ,new ,englanders as well as ,southerners were engaged in fostering the iniquitous slave trade--the murderous trade in human flesh and blood4 ,grant everything the ,south claims to-day as to the difficulty of handling the negro problem1 that does not alter the fundamental principle of the ,declaration of ,independence that all men are created equal2 that they are endowed by their ,creator with certain inalienable rights2 that among these are life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4 ,to us it seems incredible that honest and honorable men1 clear-sighted1 clear-brained religious men who knew the value of words and their meaning1 could have so befuddled their intellects1 let alone their moral nature1 as to dare to read these words and at the same time own slaves4 ,yet it was so1 and not until the heroes whose work led ultimately to the ,declaration of ,independence for the slave1 called the ,emancipation ,proclamation1 set their faces against this great iniquity1 was anything done to mitigate its evils4 ,how well do ,i recall the endeavors of many ,englishmen to induce the ,government to interfere with the ,turks and prevent further infliction of horrible and murderous atrocities upon the ,bulgarians and other subject people1 because of religious differences4 ,but politics stood in the way4 ,and yet ,i heard the words of ,cleveland ring around the world when he bade ,england3 ,hands off1 from ,venezuela4 ,again was ,i thrilled when ,mc,kinley justified the prophecy of ,joaquin ,miller1 uttered nearly thirty years previously1 in his ,cuba ,libre1 where he declared3 ,she shall rise1 by all that's holy6 ,she shall live and she shall last2 99 99 99 99 99 ,she shall rise as rose ,columbus1 ,from his chains1 from shame and wrong-- ,rise as ,morning1 matchless1 wondrous-- ,rise as some rich morning song-- ,rise a ringing song1 and story1 ,valor1 ,love personified4 ,stars and stripes espouse her glory1 ,love and ,liberty allied4 ,the time came when we flashed her lights of freedom1 as we had done before1 but this time there was an admixture of personal feeling in which the cry1 ,remember the ,maine1 bore a large part4 ,yet the main issue was raised1 viz41 the intervention of a strong power to prevent another strong power from too seriously oppressing a confessedly weak power4 ,this is a step in the right direction4 ,the bully1 whether in school1 in the street1 in business1 or among nations1 should be taught that his bullying is unsafe1 and that if he must fight he must choose a fellow of his own size4 ,while ,i do not close my eyes to the facts that nations are human and liable to err1 ,i hail this as a great forward step1 and was filled with rejoicing when the ,united ,states ,government refused to accept any indemnity from ,china for its share of the expense of putting down the last great ,boxer ,rebellion4 ,in our ,national and ,state governments there is a growing spirit of righteous intervention4 ,in his last presidential message1 ,president ,taft voiced this spirit in his recommendation of an enlarged measure of protection for railroad employees1 and states and cities are moving more rapidly than ever before in the enactment of laws and ordinances for the protection of those least able to protect themselves4 ,reforms in law procedure are progressing4 ,in his #aiaj message1 ,president ,taft thus spoke3 ,one great crying need in the ,united ,states is cheapening the cost of litigation by simplifying judicial procedure and expediting final judgment4 ,under present conditions the poor man is at a woeful disadvantage in a legal contest with a corporation or a rich opponent4 ,the necessity for this reform exists both in ,united ,states courts and in all state courts4 ,in order to bring it about1 however1 it naturally falls to the general government by its example to furnish a model to all ,states4 ,this is a great step in the right direction4 ,the honest and manly recognition of a crying evil is often the beginning of its removal1 and ,i sincerely hope to live to see the day when our laws1 and legislative procedure1 will truthfully be equally for the poor and the rich4 ,the activity of the ,federal ,government in pursuing the nefarious malefactors who are conducting the white slave traffic1 is also a sign of marked improvement in affording protection to those who are helpless and often unable and incompetent to know what to do for their own welfare4 ,and how ,i hail with joy the movement so energetically furthered by ,mr4 ,bok1 of the ,ladies' ,home ,journal1 the ,bishop of ,london1 the ,physical ,culture magazine1 ,collier's1 and others1 for the education of the young of both sexes as to the sacred relations of sex and all they imply4 ,the ,w4 ,c4 ,t4 ,u4 has done a little1 the magazines and physical culture movement more1 and now the better schools--such as the ,polytechnic ,high ,school of ,los ,angeles1 and the ,high ,school in ,pasadena1 ,california--are giving definite and specific instruction upon these matters to boys and girls whose parents have been remiss in neglecting this all-important part of their home education and training4 ,the pure food bill is another step forward in our national progress2 the great conservation movement and the work of the ,united ,states ,reclamation ,service1 which is providing means for irrigating the soil and thus rendering possible the establishment of thousands of homes on lands that otherwise would be arid and useless--these are gigantic strides of advancement4 ,the postal-savings bank and parcels post are already facts1 thus demonstrating that1 little by little1 the powers that have controlled our ,government1 for the benefit of the few1 instead of for all the people1 and especially those who need such benefit the most1 are gradually losing their hold4 ,soon1 let us hope1 we shall have the penny postage--one cent for a letter instead of two1 as now4 ,the extension of the eight-hour day law2 the honest endeavors now being made to give labor a fair opportunity to state its needs and requirements and thus help bring oppressive employers to time1 are also forward steps4 ,granted that labor often makes unreasonable and unjust demands1 let it not be forgotten that it is only within the last few decades that they have been allowed to have a voice at all4 ,for centuries they have been chained to the wheel of labor1 ,the emptiness of ages in their face1 ,and on their back the burden of the world4 ,what if1 now that whirlwinds of rebellion are shaking the world and these hitherto dumb terrors have found1 or are finding1 a voice1 they speak a little too loudly1 or too harshly1 or ask more than they ought8 ,whose fault is it8 ,who has kept them in bondage so long8 ,they will learn1 by and by1 to speak more rationally1 but this will come only by speaking1 so ,i hail with delight the fact that the rulers and lords of all lands are recognizing their right to be heard1 and are more or less respectfully listening to what they have to say4 ,it is another grand sign of universal progress that the owners and landlords of vile tenement houses1 of the horrible kennels in which human beings in the past used to be penned as in pigsties1 are no longer allowed to reap monetary rewards from such abominable and cursed holes4 ,boards of health1 civic improvement bodies1 tenement reform associations are taking upon themselves the work of protecting the poor1 helpless1 and often unfortunate dwellers in these plague spots and compelling that they be made decent1 healthful1 and sanitary--often seeing that they are razed and entirely removed4 ,what though oftentimes the people who dwell in these places are brought thither by their own misconduct8 ,are men1 women1 and innocent children to be damned on this earth--as well as in the future--because morally they have been weak and unfortunate8 ,the greater the weakness and the lower the fall1 the greater the cry and need for help4 ,jacob ,riis was a brave and heroic leader in ,new ,york1 ,william ,booth and his gallant army in ,london and the thousand and one other cities of the world1 and the day is dawning when there will be no slums in any decent1 self-respecting city1 when such books as ,how the ,other ,half ,lives1 ,the ,submerged ,tenth1 ,if ,christ ,came to ,chicago1 and ,the ,people of the ,abyss can no longer be written1 for the true-hearted1 loving1 brotherly1 and sisterly1 will have been aroused to do their plain1 simple1 and manifest duty and slums1 abysses1 and plague spots will cease to exist4 ,there are many other excellent things ,i might comment upon that help bring content to the soul4 ,they betoken a glorious and blessed improvement upon the days of things as they were and they should lead every man to get into line1 to find the step and keep it1 marching on with this vanguard of human progress1 which seeks the best possible condition of body1 mind1 and soul for all men4 ,yet1 in spite of this large-hearted contentment with things as they are1 and with the way the world generally is progressing1 which ,i would radiate1 ,i would equally radiate a great discontent with many things as they are4 ,when ,i look at my own faults and failings1 my inadequacies and incompetencies1 my blindness and stupidity1 my ignorance and willfulness1 ,i find much of my content disappear like the airy visions of a dream4 ,i certainly do not want to be content with these things and so ,i call up as often as ,i can a mighty discontent which is a constant urge to the higher1 nobler1 truer1 better life4 ,i am as self-willed as other men1 and yet ,i well know that human will is both ignorant and blind1 and that only when it is made subject to the ,great ,controlling ,will of the ,universe will it lead me aright and in the paths of ultimate1 permanent success4 ,and by success1 ,i do not mean the paltry thing most men regard as success4 ,i certainly wish to radiate discontent with what men generally regard as success4 ,mere money1 fame1 honor1 social distinction1 count for little unless character1 divine sympathy with one's needy fellows1 and an enlarged conception of the brotherhood of men accompany them4 ,and how can ,i do other than radiate a large and tremendous discontent at the suffering and woe of the unfortunates of life8 ,it is little or nothing to me what causes their misfortune4 ,i have learned that the judgment of sociologists1 theologists1 and reformers generally is of little account in interpreting the causes of things4 ,as a rule1 they look only on the surface and see nothing of the hidden springs of action and therefore know little of the movement of hearts of men and women whose condition they so complacently and conceitedly imagine they can change4 ,some years ago1 ,jack ,london wrote a book entitled1 ,the ,people of the ,abyss4 ,it was severely censured and criticised and some critics went so far as to assert that it was full of untruths4 ,it told of the dismal lives of ,london's poor1 who daily find themselves with nothing but one meal1 two meals1 three meals between themselves and starvation--poor wretches to whom the wolf at the door is an ever present reality1 and who tremble every time their employers look towards them with a frown or speak with a voice that threatens dismissal4 ,what a frightful1 pitiable1 pathetic position for men and women--my brothers and sisters--to be in4 ,i certainly do not wish to radiate contentment at the fact of their unfortunate condition4 ,i want somehow to take some of their burdens upon my life4 ,i want to realize something of the spirit that led ,walt ,whitman to exclaim1 ,i will take nothing for myself that cannot be given upon equal terms to all men4 ,when ,i read the stories of child labor and learn of the many cruelties practiced upon helpless little ones1 in the name of business2 when ,i see those boys and girls of tender age in the cotton mills of the ,south1 owned by wealthy men of the ,north1 plodding back and forth1 hour by hour1 behind the whirling spindles2 when ,i see them1 as ,i have often done1 so utterly weary that when the noon hour came1 they would stretch out on the bare floor and try to gain a little snatch of forgetfulness of their weariness in sleep1 rather than eat their inadequate lunch1 ,i have certainly felt1 as ,i now feel1 that ,i wish to radiate a tremendous amount of discontent that such inhuman facts can exist4 ,when ,i see the private palace car owned by the many-times millionaire1 and catch glimpses of the extravagant and wasteful luxury in which he and his family live1 and realize that this prodigal wastefulness is made possible by the life-destroying labor of poor1 anmic children in the glass-blowing factories of ,new ,jersey1 ,i wish ,i had the power to send a great wail of discontent through the country that would thrill the hearts1 awaken the senses1 and arouse the consciences of every man and woman in the nation4 ,when ,i realize the inadequacies of our legal system to do justice alike to all men and women1 the poor as well as the rich1 the innocent and confiding as well as the crafty and cunning1 ,i feel nothing but discontent and long for the time to come when justice and mercy shall be of higher value in the courts of our land than precedent and legal procedure4 ,it often takes moral courage to radiate real living discontent with these injustices and crimes against our needy and defenseless fellows4 ,i long to possess this moral courage in fullest measure1 and to radiate it on every hand4 ,in view of the need for strong protest against the smug1 contented betrayers of the poor and needy1 ,i would radiate a spirit that has not inaptly been termed that of contemporaneous protest and rebellion4 ,by this ,i mean that present spirit of protest and rebellion against wrongs that exist now1 so that my protest will be contemporaneous with the evil4 ,it is easy enough to line up with the winning side and shout ,hurrah6 with the victors in any conflict4 ,even the ,english of to-day agree that the ,american ,revolution was a good thing and that the acts of ,george ,,iii were indefensible tyranny4 ,but it required considerable courage to join one's forces with those of ,washington when money was scarce and men few1 when the day seemed dark and gloomy1 and the prospects of success were doubtful4 ,it is easy enough to-day to ,hurrah6 for the principles of ,lincoln1 but many a great statesman like ,henry ,clay felt it was better to compromise than face the fierce antagonism of such men as ,calhoun1 ,jefferson ,davis1 and others who believed in the opposing ideas4 ,what ,i desire with all my heart is to radiate not only my readiness and willingness to line up with the unpopular cause1 but the fact that ,i am already lined up4 ,that1 without being asked1 people will know what my position is sure to be2 that ,i naturally belong on the side of the under dog1 and that in any conflict against entrenched power and wrong1 where the weak and oppressed are fighting for rights which are inherently theirs1 that as soon as ,i hear the battle-cry my ,,here6 will ring out immediate1 bold and clear4 ,nor do ,i always want to wait to be called upon4 ,i may not have either the wisdom and discretion or the ability to be a leader and ,i have no desire to thrust myself forward as such4 ,at the same time1 ,i do not want to be cowardly and hang back when ,i see that which ,i feel is inherently wrong4 ,even though ,i stand alone1 ,i want to stand in protest and contemporaneous rebellion against the wrong that ,i see4 ,nay1 further1 ,i want to radiate as my habitual attitude of mind that ,i am ever on the alert to seek out opportunities for rebellion against any and all systems of wrong1 no matter how powerful1 that ,i may gladly take upon my shoulders some part of the burden of helping forward the real progress of the entire human race4 ,james ,russell ,lowell expressed the passionate desire of my heart in his ,present ,crisis4 ,in that majestic poem he shows the need for this contemporaneous rebellion3 ,backward look across the ages1 and the beacon-movements see1 ,that1 like peaks of some sunk continent1 jut through ,oblivion's ,sea2 ,not an ear in court or market for the low foreboding cry ,of those ,crises1 ,god's stern winnowers1 from whose feet ,earth's chaff must fly2 ,never shows the choice momentous till the judgment hath passed by4 ,careless seems the great ,avenger2 history's pages but record ,one death-grapple in the darkness 'twixt old systems and the ,word2 ,truth forever on the scaffold1 wrong forever on the throne1-- ,yet that scaffold sways the future1 and behind the dim unknown ,standeth ,god within the shadow1 keeping watch above ,his own4 ,the whole poem is full of this passionate great-hearted1 manly1 ,god-like sympathy1 now and here1 with the needy1 the oppressed1 the helpless of today4 ,the crises are here now1 those stern winnowers that test and try men's souls1 that discover whether they are wheat or chaff1 ashes or gold4 ,oh1 for men who have made already the choice momentous--while the battle is raging1 when there is danger1 risk1 peril1 possible death in the conflict4 ,is he a true man who waits1 pauses1 hesitates1 wavers in such conflicts1 till the judgment hath passed by8 ,i would radiate1 again let me say it1 my readiness to march at the sound of the drum1 to advance with the front ranks1 to fight at the first word4 ,history affords us many noble examples and beacon lights of those who have lived in accordance with the principles herein laid down4 ,stephen ,langton and the barons of ,england protested against the tyrannical power of ,king ,john4 ,they did so at the peril of their heads4 ,yet they were possessed of this spirit of contemporaneous rebellion1 and they fought against ,john and won from him that great charter of the liberties of men1 that has been the basis of all proclamations of freedom ever since4 ,cromwell1 ,hampden1 ,pym1 ,milton1 and the other great commoners and democrats of ,england were in a state of contemporaneous protest and rebellion against the undue pretensions of ,king ,charles ,i4 ,their protests might have cost them their lives--yet they protested4 ,and they won a victory that has made republics possible throughout all time4 ,so with the leaders of the ,french ,revolution4 ,there were many awful and bloody events connected with that great act of contemporaneous protest1 but that the ultimate outcome upon mankind has been good most true-hearted thinkers agree4 ,yet the protests were made by the earlier agitators under great danger4 ,when ,patrick ,henry1 ,franklin1 ,jefferson1 ,adams1 ,washington1 and the other ,american revolutionists protested against ,king ,george's tyranny1 and when the noble band met at ,philadelphia and signed the ,declaration of ,independence1 they knew they did it at the peril of their lives--yet they protested and won for mankind the victory that ,joaquin ,miller calls ,time's burst of ,dawn4 ,had ,langton1 ,cromwell1 the ,french ,revolutionists1 ,washington1 and the signers of the ,declaration of ,independence failed1 they would all have forfeited their lives for their temerity4 ,it was an act of great moral courage to rebel4 ,when ,galileo rebelled against the dictum of the ecclesiastic authorities in regard to the movement of the earth1 it meant his imprisonment1 yet he rebelled and thus ushered in a new day of advancement in astronomical knowledge4 ,darwin did the same4 ,both men required daring and courage1 yet they did not hesitate or falter4 ,there are evils to-day that should be fought2 fashions1 customs1 entrenched wrongs in existence now against which manly men are called to be in contemporaneous rebellion4 ,those of us who live to-day are reaping great and blessed privileges1 freedom1 liberties1 won for us as the result of the protests1 rebellions1 warfares of the moral heroes of the past2 so should we further the progress of the world by protesting and fighting the existing wrongs1 in order that future generations may be freer than we are1 and may push on still further the glorious chariot of human progress4 ,henry ,george was a recent heroic example of contemporaneous protest against current evils4 ,garibaldi1 ,mazzini1 ,victor ,hugo1 ,kossuth1 were all noble and inspiring examples of the like spirit4 ,ruskin's life was a perpetual protest against the sacrificing of beauty1 peace1 harmony1 and brotherhood for the rush and show of material prosperity4 ,william ,morris's life1 work1 voice1 and pen were ever in active1 open1 contemporaneous hostility and opposition to the damnable spirit of modern competition1 and demoralizing commercialism which destroyed artistic labor1 banished fellowship1 and substituted therefor the rule of the jungle where the strong devour the weak4 ,thank ,god6 the ranks of the morally courageous have always found glad and willing recruits2 men willing to spend and be spent for the benefit of humanity2 willing to be rebels and accounted and treated as such that they might help gain larger victories of freedom for their fellow-men4 ,we sometimes think that there was more moral heroism in the days gone by than there is to-day4 ,i do not believe it6 ,in this matter of moral heroism and contemporaneous rebellion against entrenched wrong1 we have many fine and noble living examples on every hand4 ,i could mention a hundred of them in as many minutes4 ,a few must suffice4 ,when ,edwin ,markham wrote ,the ,man with the ,hoe1 he showed his spirit of contemporaneous protest and rebellion4 ,here was no reflection upon labor or its dignity1 as some thoughtless critics have affirmed1 but it was a tremendous and powerful onslaught upon the ,kings and ,rulers of ,all ,lands who permit employers to chain the laborer to the wheel of labor4 ,markham's poem is a direct challenge and throwing down of the gauntlet to those who contend that they have a right to purchase labor in the open market at any price1 however demoralizing to mankind4 ,it is a contention that manhood is more than money2 that the laborer is more than the labor2 and that the employers who value the labor done more than the men who do the labor are unworthy the honor and respect of decent men2 are unworthy to be called real men because of their tyrannical abuse of their helpless brothers4 ,william ,booth1 president of the ,salvation ,army1 ,jack ,london1 the socialist novelist1 ,jacob ,riis1 the ,new ,york newspaper idealist1 ,maud ,ballington ,booth1 the leader of the ,volunteers of ,america1 ,charles ,montgomery1 of ,san ,francisco1 the prisoner's friend1 and ,dana ,bartlett1 of ,los ,angeles1 the brother of poor ,dagoes1 ,portuguese and ,mexicans1 are all more or less widely diverse examples of contemporaneous rebellion and protest against existing social conditions4 ,each works in his own way to ameliorate these conditions1 but the work of each is a protest against those laws of supply and demand1 of competition1 of worship of material things1 that allow it to be possible that some men can gain more wealth than they can ever utilize1 even if they lived to be ten thousand years old1 and never earn another cent1 whilst others can earn barely enough to keep body and soul together and who live every day in dread of the future because they are capable of earning no more than enough to keep them one1 two1 or three meals away from starvation4 ,in a copy of his book1 ,the ,people of the ,abyss1 which ,jack ,london sent to me1 which truthfully portrays the life of the submerged tenth of ,london1 he wrote something like this on the title page3 ,dear ,james--,with the facts of these pages before me1 ,i may agree with you in your favorite quotation from ,browning1 that ',god's in his heaven1' but ,i cannot agree with you that ',all's right with the world4' ,it is the fashion with certain people to decry ,jack ,london's socialism1 but ,i happen to know that he has personally sacrificed thousands of dollars to his principles in this matter1 has lost the friendship of many wealthy people who would have showered their gifts upon him had he been complacent towards what he calls predatory wealth1 hence ,i hail his acts of contemporaneous rebellion and his taking upon himself of the battle for these1 his weaker brothers and sisters1 as heroic1 and fully worthy of the highest esteem of all good men1 whatever they may think of the methods by which he would bring about the desired changes4 ,all through his life there has been a strong current of contemporaneous rebellion and belligerent sincerity in the work of the poet of the ,sierras1 ,joaquin ,miller4 ,he was brought up as a ,quaker and taught to believe in non-resistance1 hence he preached peace at the beginning of the ,civil ,war until his printing office was wrecked and his life threatened4 ,when the world at large was condemning the ,indian1 he went and stood by his side1 and when he believed him to be in the right1 fought battles on his behalf4 ,all through his life he has boldly stood for man's larger freedom1 and against entrenched tyranny4 ,when ,england made war upon the ,boers1 he denounced the warlike and jingo politicians with a power and strength seldom surpassed in poetry1 in spite of the fact that the ,english had always been his best friends and the largest purchasers of his poems4 ,while he lived in ,california1 not far from ,san ,francisco1 and ,california was a hotbed of the sentiment that demands the exclusion of the ,chinese and ,japanese1 he ever fearlessly and in unmistakable terms denounced this action as opposed to the fundamental principles of the fatherhood of ,god and the brotherhood of man1 and demanded of his fellow citizens that they adhere strictly to these never-failing and abiding truths4 ,these men are but few of the many ,i might mention1 but they will serve as types4 ,they have been and are willing to suffer for the general good of mankind4 ,therefore1 in the presence of their moral heroism and courage1 let us cry with ,george ,linnus ,banks3 ,i live to learn their story ,who've suffered for my sake1 ,to emulate their glory1 ,and to follow in their wake2 ,bards1 patriots1 martyrs1 sages1 ,the noble of all ages1 ,whose deeds crowd history's pages ,and ,time's great volume make4 ,i live444 ,for the cause that lacks assistance1 ,for the wrong that needs resistance1 ,for the future in the distance1 ,and the good that ,i can do4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,sincerity ,we need more of the virtue of belligerent sincerity4 ,what the world needs to-day is bold1 outspokenness for principle4 ,it is not enough that we hold principles in the quietude of our own homes and discuss them in the sanctity of our bedrooms4 ,we need a belligerent sincerity of fundamental principles in the mart1 the store1 in the counting house1 in the bank1 on the board of trade1 and the stock exchange4 ,the tendency of men in office and men in employment is to be subservient for the purpose of their own advancement4 ,it is so easy to yield a principle to gain an increase in salary or to win the support of a swaying party vote4 ,in this age of great aggregations of capital1 when corporations are conducting gigantic enterprises1 it is so easy for subordinates to place all the responsibility of conscience upon their chiefs and to refuse to accept responsibility for acts of which they themselves are the instruments on the plea1 ,i am but a servant and carry out the will of my superior4 ,relentless crushing out of competitors1 secretly securing rebates1 unjust discrimination in discounts1 the utilization of official information for personal advantage or that of one's friends1 the writing of editorials contrary to one's principles because the policies of the paper require it1 in other words1 the whole realm of truckling subserviency1 yielding1 cowardice1 obsequiousness1 surrender1 fawning1 servility1 sycophancy1 toad-eating1 pliancy1 should be weeded out of the garden of the soul and belligerent sincerity planted in their stead4 ,at the same time1 ,i want to radiate my abhorrence of all the truckling subserviency that seeks to gain its ends and make secure its own position by cringing1 fawning1 and flattery upon those whose favor it seeks4 ,most men have their pet vanities4 ,few are free from weaknesses and frailties4 ,it is so easy to flatter1 so natural to kow-tow1 so profitable to pander4 ,the reason that the world so laughs at the delineations of the open1 bold1 corrupt1 parasitical1 pandering ,falstaff is that they find the echo in their own meannesses of soul4 ,like ,henry ,,vii1 many men have their ,falstaffs1 who seek to eat1 drink1 and be merry at their expense4 ,by this ,i do not mean to decry and impeach the integrity and sincerity of those who express sympathy and appreciation of those who are engaged in large enterprises4 ,it is natural for those conducting such to seek and require such sympathy in their lieutenants1 but to such lieutenants ,i would cry mightily and constantly1 ,sympathize and commend by all means1 but when you do1 be sure your purest virtue is on guard over your heart and your lips4 ,say nothing that you do not absolutely mean4 ,be belligerently sincere with your own soul and speak no words to your employer because he enjoys them that you would not as freely and gladly say if he had dismissed you from his employ4 ,i would also radiate my appreciation of those who1 occupying what we call a subordinate position1 speak out with frank1 plain1 direct simplicity the thoughts of their hearts4 ,i have sometimes found in business1 employers who sought by undue flattery1 scheming1 plotting1 chicanery1 and fraud1 all stealthily exercised1 to work their employees and secure from them a meed of service for which they were not willing to pay a full and just price4 ,in dealing with such employers a frank1 open1 simple-hearted1 and honest employee is often at a great disadvantage4 ,being used to tortuous1 underground1 secret1 plotting methods himself1 such an employer regards with suspicion the simple actions of his employee4 ,he sees in his frank openness nothing but deeply laid plots4 ,he finds in his candid sincerity craftily planned schemes4 ,the more open the one1 the more certain the other is that there is something hidden1 deep1 far-reaching1 cunning1 and deceitful underneath his acts4 ,to these open-hearted souls ,i would radiate a tonic that is stimulating--quickening to their moral fiber and stiffening and strengthening to their moral spines4 ,to such ,i would come as a cold shower bath to stimulate the nerves and muscles to greater tension4 ,stand by your truthfulness1 stand by your frankness1 stand by your openness until you teach these burrowing1 crafty1 stealthy1 sly1 evasive1 sneaking creatures that openness is better than secrecy1 light better than darkness1 truth better than falsity1 candor better than craft1 and an open enemy better than a secret1 fawning1 sycophantic foe4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,service ,i want to radiate by thought1 word1 and act the joy and blessedness of service4 ,what a privilege it is to be able to do something for your fellows6 ,how great and constant is the joy of ministering6 ,how ready we are to run with willing feet to do some little or big thing for those we love6 ,the lover will climb dangerous ,alpine heights to get the rare and richly treasured edelweiss for his beloved4 ,leander gladly and joyously braved the dangers of the ,hellespont that he might cheer and encourage his ,hero4 ,the lover has always cried1 in all ages1 to his loved one1 asking her to send him on some difficult errand4 ,he would gladly go anywhere1 to any service1 however arduous and dangerous1 to prove his love4 ,the records of chivalry are full of daring deeds accomplished by men in order to please the women they loved4 ,against this kind of service ,i have nothing to say4 ,at the same time1 this is not the kind of service of which ,i now write4 ,i would radiate the thought that in our service we should treat all men and women with the same willing gladness of ministry that the lover has for the mistress of his heart4 ,i desire to be ready and willing to fly on the wings of helpfulness to do service for the meanest and most despicable of human kind1 if thereby he1 or she1 may be benefited4 ,i would radiate the belief that our willing service belongs to humanity1 all men1 all women1 not to a select few1 not to the small and chosen circle whom we call our loved ones and friends4 ,i would radiate the spirit of service that possessed and animated the strong1 pure soul of ,william ,morris1 that led him to place his precious time and service at the disposal of a committee of men1 not one of whom knew enough to appreciate his exquisite and beautiful devotion1 and under whose control he was ready to go and speak words of cheer1 fellowship1 and brotherhood in the lowest and most degraded parts of ,london4 ,he was imbued with this passion for service and it was service to the whole of mankind--not the chosen few4 ,i once picked up some socialistic newspaper with which ,i was not familiar1 but in it was an account of the life of a man who had recently died4 ,according to the story of his biographer1 this man was carried away with this passion for human service to the lowest and most degraded1 and he had spent his active and busy life in ministering to those who1 as a rule1 are ignored by their more fortunate brothers and sisters4 ,it was a story that thrilled me to a higher and nobler endeavor4 ,many a time ,i have bowed my soul in reverence and humility before a group of ,salvation ,army lasses who1 with sweet1 gentle ministrations1 have cheered the dwellers in the wretched hovels of ,london1 ,new ,york1 and other cities4 ,i know one maiden1 delicately constituted1 and reared in a home full of wealth and luxury1 who felt this passionate call of service so strongly1 that1 in spite of the protests of her relatives and friends1 she went to ,london1 united with the ,salvation ,army1 and with her own beautiful and gentle hands1 down upon her knees1 has scrubbed into cleanliness the floor of a drunken wife and drunken husband whose children had never known a clean floor in the whole of their dirty and wretched lives4 ,i have helped her clean out the accumulated filth1 of what seemed to be months1 in similar wretched places1 and all this1 as well as the more refined ministrations of the mind and soul1 were offered with a sweet and gentle insistence that no one could take offense at1 and without an air of conscious self-approbation that one so often finds in those who are seeking to minister to others4 ,but it is not only in this larger and devoted sense that ,i would radiate my desire to serve and minister to my fellows4 ,it is in the small and every-day things of life1 no matter what my work or surroundings may be1 that ,i would radiate this ministering spirit4 ,what a pleasure it is to do things for others4 ,what a joy to realize that your friends love you enough to want you to do something for them4 ,i find1 however1 that in the mind of many is the idea that certain service is menial1 and that they would not serve if they were not obliged to do so for the money it brings4 ,i have a deep and profound pity in my soul for those who look upon life with this perverted vision4 ,if ,i were a waiter in a cheap restaurant1 it seems to me it would be my joy to serve the cheap meals as quickly and as cheerfully as ,i possibly could4 ,surely ministering to the bodily wants of men and women is a service which ought to be blessed4 ,if ,i were a housemaid ,i feel that ,i should find joy in making and keeping everything as orderly and tidy as possible4 ,i have several times stayed in a semi-public institution where a great number of nurses were employed1 and ,i have watched both men and women engaged in this beautiful service4 ,in this particular place they all seemed full of this passion for service4 ,there was no impatience at the often exacting calls and demands of the querulous and unreasonable invalids4 ,their very lives were a dedication4 ,sometimes we meet with those who will refuse to do certain things because they regard them as more menial than those they were engaged to perform1 as1 for instance1 the case of a bell boy who refused to take away a coal-scuttle when asked to do so because that was not in the list of his duties1 and a man lower down in the scale was supposed to attend to work of that kind4 ,now1 while ,i recognize that there must be for convenience's sake1 a division of labor1 ,i want to radiate the feeling and belief that there is no higher1 no lower1 in this call of personal service4 ,it is just as honorable to be a street sweeper or a scavenger of the meanest kind 7so-called71 to be a farm laborer1 to be a kitchen drudge1 to be a factory hand1 as it is to be a minister of a church that pays a salary of #bj1jjj a year4 ,the real blessedness of life of all grades of service from the scavenger to the expensive pastor is determined by the spirit behind the service1 and the kitchen drudge who does her work with the consciousness in her own soul that she is gladly1 merrily1 cheerfully undertaking her work and doing it well for the comfort1 benefit1 cheer1 and blessing of her employers is of more benefit to mankind than the services of the expensive pastor of the exclusive church who regards his ministry as a proof of his own intellectual worth1 and as a means of asserting his high social position4 ,who can ever forget the wonderful picture of that sturdy ,scotch ,doctor depicted by ,ian ,maclaren in his ,bonnie ,brier ,bush1 whose passion of devotion and ministry was so pure that it reached every soul in the whole region4 ,frances ,hodgson ,burnett1 in her ,dawn of a ,to-morrow1 tells of a degraded street waif who yet had this passion of ministry in her soul1 and ,i have come to the conclusion that wherever it is found1 it is divine1 and therefore blessed4 ,hence ,i would radiate it at all times1 under all conditions1 and under all circumstances to all classes and conditions of men4 ,where would have been the work of ,judge ,lindsay of ,denver1 ,golden ,rule ,jones of ,toledo1 ,mc,claughery of ,elmira ,penitentiary1 ,chief ,kohler of ,cleveland1 ,governor ,hunt and ,warden ,sims of ,arizona1 if they had worked only for the worthy8 ,it was the very openness of the unworthiness of those for whom they strove1 that made the appeal to these large-hearted men4 ,it is so easy to criticise men of this stamp because they have dared to break away from the conventional rendering of service only to the worthy4 ,it is so easy to cry that they are doing more harm than good4 ,but those who know the work and know the hearts that are constantly being touched and molded into betterment by it are better able to judge of its higher results4 ,shall ,i hesitate to render service because ,i myself am not perfect8 ,shall ,i refuse to give the shivering and hungry beggar on the street a twenty-five cent meal ticket because ,i myself am not free from debt8 ,shall ,i refuse to guide the lost wayfarer because ,i myself do not know all the winding pathways of life8 ,by no means6 ,let me do the best ,i may while ,i may1 and seize every opportunity that arises4 ,it was a ,christian minister that dared to rebuke ,father ,damien by claiming that he was not immaculate in his service to the repulsive and loathsome lepers of ,molokai4 ,and it was ,robert ,louis ,stevenson who showed that ,christian minister what true ,christianity would have led him to say instead of what he did say4 ,father ,damien's ministry was self-sacrificing1 noble1 and divine1 even though1--granting for the moment the truth of the minister's slander1--his service was touched of the earth1 earthy4 ,yet the beneficence and blessedness of it was so supremely above the smug1 self-satisfied1 standing-aloofness of the immaculate ministerial critic that ,stevenson's colossal rebuke to the latter found perfect echo in the heart of every decent man and woman throughout the world4 ,joaquin ,miller expresses the same thought in his beautiful and strong poem on ,father ,damien when he says3 ,why do ye not as he has done8 ,if we can do so much better than those we criticise1 why1 in the name of heaven and suffering humanity1 do we not go ahead and do it8 ,let us do our best regardless of our own infirmities and weakness and the consequent criticisms of others4 ,so ,i want to radiate to the needy and unworthy my readiness1 nay1 my anxiety to serve them whenever and wherever ,i possibly can4 ,and though my service be not unmixed gold1 though there be in it some of the dross of imperfection1 ,i would not withhold my hand on that account1 but ,i would serve the more readily and gladly in the hope and assurance that by suffering with the needy and unworthy in their need and unworthiness the fire of their pain and sorrow may help refine away the dross in me and leave only that of pure gold4 ,give to the needy6 worthy or unworthy6 should be the battle cry of him who wishes to be a blessing to his fellows1 and the more unworthy the needy are1 the more loving and wise the service should be4 ,when ,walt ,whitman was shedding blessing1 benediction1 comfort1 and joy on every hand throughout the hospitals of ,washington1 he had little or no money to give4 ,he asked no questions when he went to the bedside of the sick and dying soldier boys as to whether they were worthy or not4 ,they were needy and that was enough for him4 ,he stayed and soothed their weary hours by telling them stories1 reading to them1 writing letters home for them1 and in a thousand and one little and big ways seeking to make their sick beds more tolerable during the long hours of enforced confinement4 ,one of his rules for the making of a true poet was that he should give alms to all who ask1 and that he should stand up for the stupid and crazy4 ,i have a friend in ,chicago who seeks absolutely to live these two rules in his daily life4 ,even though he may often give to the unworthy1 he feels he can better afford to do that than to miss once giving to a really needy person lest he might be giving to some one who was neither needy nor worthy4 ,a poet1 whom ,i am very fond of quoting1 once wrote3 ,in men whom men condemn as ill1 ,i find so much of goodness still2 ,in men whom men account divine1 ,i find so much of sin and blot2 ,i hesitate to draw the line between the two2 ,where ,god has not4 ,it is impossible properly and wisely to differentiate1 and because a man is unworthy is all the more reason that his fellows should seek to help him into a state of worthiness4 ,how ,i wish ,i could imbue all with the spirit that moves ,charles ,montgomery1 the prisoner's friend of ,san ,francisco4 ,he goes to the state penitentiaries at ,san ,quentin and ,folsom1 and arranges to give help to the prisoners as soon as they are released4 ,nay1 he provides places for them and then goes before the board of parole and secures their release4 ,he takes a true brother's interest in the men and seeks to win them to a nobler life4 ,doubtless he is often deceived1 but in scores of cases he starts the men on the up-grade4 ,what is one failure or ten1 to one success or ten8 ,if it were my son that was saved ,i should be most grateful even though he saved but one4 ,it would make his work glorious and blessed to me4 ,then try to feel what it must be for some other father or mother to learn that his1 or her1 son is saved from the life of hell1 to the life of heaven1 here and now1 and do as much for that son as you would for your own4 ,i doubt not that some of the boys ,judge ,lindsay seeks to save in ,denver1 are not all they ought to be1 and that sometimes he is disappointed in the results4 ,but does this make him lose heart1 or cease to work for the new cases that come8 ,by no means6 ,it makes him more determined than ever to reach their hearts4 ,he is more tender1 more long-suffering1 more patient1 more sympathetic1 more loving4 ,the greater the need the greater the endeavor4 ,the other day ,i sat down to the dinner table with a friend who outlined to me a project in which himself and four others are interested4 ,it is to buy a farm1 on the shores of a small but beautiful lake1 a few miles out from one of our great cities1 and there establish a home and a school for needy children4 ,these five devoted young people are now working hard and each one is saving every cent he can out of his own earnings that1 without calling upon any one else1 they may be able to buy the farm4 ,i had asked my friend why he did not go to hear the great actress ,bernhardt4 ,the reason was that he preferred to put the three dollars that a ticket to hear ,bernhardt would have cost into his child farm fund4 ,here was self-denial with joy1 for the privilege of service4 ,and whom will he serve8 ,there will be no question asked as to the worthiness or unworthiness of the children that will be received into this home when established4,e ,e ,since these pages were written this farm-school has become an established fact1 and is doing excellent and beautiful work for needy children4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,radiancies ,,of ,,humor ,i want to radiate humor and my appreciation of it4 ,but it must be natural1 genuine1 kind-hearted1 sweet1 and pure4 ,the humor that has a sting for some one else1 that is unkind1 unjust1 malicious1 cruel1 or unclean is not for me4 ,and1 furthermore1 ,i do not want that any one should ever feel that ,i can or would enjoy such humor4 ,i want to radiate such a spirit1 give forth such an aura that no one will ever come to me with unkind or unclean humor1 or expect me to want to hear it4 ,no1 true humor is gentle1 kind1 humane1 and human4 ,i think little of any man or woman who cannot enjoy a good hearty laugh4 ,i believe in laughter2 in joking1 in fun1 in wit1 in humor--in the things that provoke laughter4 ,laugh heartily1 laugh loud1 laugh long1 and you will oftentimes laugh away dyspepsia1 the blues1 and worries4 ,laugh at your own misfortunes1 your own mishaps4 ,my dear friend1 ,burdette1 used to clap me on the back and exclaim in his bright1 cheery voice3 ,be your own funny man4 ,he once illustrated it by saying1 in effect3 ,you've laughed many a time watching a man chase his hat when a windstorm ran away with it1 but how do you feel when it's your own hat8 ,take a look at yourself4 ,see the spectacle you make--the bewhiskered1 the dignified1 the long-legged--as you rush frantically after the fleeing tile4 ,can't you see the fun in bending down1 making a dive for the hat1 just at the moment an extra gust comes and--flip1 flop--the hat scoots on and you grasp the empty space4 ,laugh at yourself1 my boy1 and you'll get hold of the world by the tail and conquer it6 ,how true it is6 ,the greatest humoristic after-dinner speaker in ,america to-day is ,simeon ,ford4 ,how often have ,i laughed at and with him4 ,study his humor4 ,half of it is making fun at himself1 his bizarre1 gothic style of architecture1 and that kind of thing4 ,he pokes fun1 slyly1 at himself1 and watches the effect on other people4 ,instead of guying other1 and sensitive1 people--7notice1 ,i say sensitive1 not sensible71--he guys himself1 and the more absurd the picture he can draw of himself the more he seems to enjoy it4 ,he is original1 quaint1 individualistic1 truly funny1 not a mere retailer of old chestnuts1 warmed over at the brazier of his wit1 but a creator1 a real maker of humor1 and the result is people sit and laugh and laugh1 and then laugh some more1 and when it is all over go away wondering what it was all about4 ,but there is no sarcasm1 no sting1 no malice in the fun1 no one is hurt1 everything is as harmless as the frolics of a young lamb4 ,so it was with dear little ,marshall ,wilder4 ,dear ,marsh6 how ,i loved him6 ,handicapped with a distorted body1 his mind was as quick as lightning4 ,how well ,i remember running in upon him in his bedroom in a hotel in ,buffalo one morning and asking him to come down to a breakfast table of friends who had assembled to give me a ,good-by4 ,though he was not well1 he hastily threw on his clothes1 came down1 and for an hour brightened our circle1 with some of the most flashing1 bright1 and spontaneous wit ,i ever heard4 ,everybody was charmed1 delighted1 thrilled1 for he sprang from gay to grave1 laughter to tears1 jollity to pathos so startlingly quick as to keep us with one hand to our eyes1 wiping away the tears1 when we had originally raised them to hide our wide-open1 laughing mouths4 ,he loved to make others happy2 he was ever ready to plunge deep into the pool of simple-hearted pure fun4 ,who will ever forget that day when he1 ,elbert ,hubbard1 ,von ,liebich1 with half a dozen or more of the brightest minds of the ,continent1 who were visiting at ,roycroft together1 planned to go to the ,pan-,american ,exposition at ,buffalo4 ,i was privileged to be of the number4 ,we planned to go as a lot of country joskins1 real ,hicks1 with hayseed in our hair1 and carrying our carpet-bags with us4 ,as ,i was the only bewhiskered man of the bunch1 ,i was made the victim4 ,i was to dress in country style1 go down the ,midway--or whatever the street of shows was called--and attract the attention of the barkers and draw their fire4 ,then the others were to saunter up and we1 in turn1 would open up our fire upon the barker4 ,can you imagine the results8 ,we carried out the plan exactly as contemplated4 ,i ate liquorice and let the juice flow down from the corners of my mouth1 so that it looked like tobacco juice1 ,i gaped at everything1 and listened with wide-eyed wonder1 ,i felt like a countryman1 so now ,i looked like one1 and ,i became1 immediately1 the butt of the jokes and jests of the spieler of the show before which ,i stood4 ,i think ,i can fairly hold my own in such a combat1 and the audience that was assembled1 generally seemed to think so1 but imagine the way the fur began to fly when ,hubbard arrived and chipped in1 and ,marshall and ,von1 and ,bert ,,ii1 and each of the others4 ,talk about a stranger dog set on by a dozen home dogs--it was nothing1 compared with the fun we had badgering and baiting that over-confident spieler4 ,then ,i moved on to the next stand1 far enough away1 however1 so that no one was aware of our plot4 ,the crowd soon tumbled and followed1 and we repeated the game to the infinite amazement of the discomfited barkers4 ,it was the wildest revelry of good-natured1 good-humored1 spontaneous fun ,i have ever engaged in1 and a thousand years can never efface its memory4 ,dignity6 ,what had we to do with dignity8 ,we were fun-makers1 delight-makers1 like the old-time ,indians of the cliff-dwelling days1 and we went into the game with vim1 energy1 earnestness1 abandon1 and enthusiasm4 ,and ,i learned a wonderful lesson1 once1 from ,marshall ,wilder1 that was worth many a long-winded sermon for practical usefulness in meeting the hardships1 the woes1 the pains of life4 ,i was on the stage of a theater with him1 just preparatory to his act4 ,he was suffering excruciating agony--as he often did1 from his frail and deformed body--and sweat was pouring down his brow and cheeks4 ,put your arms around me1 and love me tight1 ,george6 he gasped1 hold me tight1 and ,i held him1 clasping his hands also in mine4 ,he gripped me with fierce intensity1 clearly indicating the pain he was in1 and thus we stood1 until the call came for him4 ,then1 wiping his brow and face1 with a smile that was at once ghastly and sweet in its pathos1 he rushed before his audience1 and had them laughing at his merry quips and quirks1 his jests and jokes1 before ,i could recover from the sympathy ,i felt for his deep suffering4 ,brave1 courageous1 plucky ,marsh4 ,ready to make fun for others in spite of his own pain4 ,how often when men come to me with long drawn-out tales of their woes1 their pains1 their sufferings1 their trials1 their hardships1 do ,i feel like saying to them3 ,cut it out6 ,go and do as did ,marsh ,wilder4 ,make some one else laugh4 ,make some one else happy1 and you'll forget your own troubles6 ,for it is true4 ,the very effort of concentration upon making others laugh1 or add to their happiness1 largely1 if not completely1 leads to a forgetfulness of one's own woes4 ,then1 too1 the man who can laugh at himself wins a hearing from the world that nothing else can gain for him4 ,there is an appeal1 somehow1 in this fact1 that is irresistible4 ,bishop ,peck1 of the ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 was a ,falstaffian build of man4 ,indeed1 it is said that he weighed a full pound for every day in the year4 ,a man with three hundred and sixty-five pounds of corporeal presence naturally possessed an aldermanic front of compelling proportions4 ,on one occasion the ,bishop was called upon at the ,general ,conference 7which1 ,i believe1 that year met in ,baltimore71 to represent the church upon the ,pacific ,coast4 ,the good bishop had a habit of always stroking1 or smoothing down his vest1 when beginning his address1 and at this time1 as he arose1 and began his deliberate strokings of his vast and protuberant rotundity1 he accompanied it with the words3 ,brethren1 the ,pacific ,slope greets you6 ,his amazement1 as a perfect roar of laughter greeted him and shook the building1 can well be imagined1 yet he did not lose his sang-froid4 ,in another moment he had grasped the fun of the situation1 and laughing with the vast audience1 seized upon that as a theme upon which he played with eloquence1 fervor1 and power in an extemporized speech which1 as many who heard it say1 he never surpassed in his life4 ,suppose his dignity had prevented his joining in the laugh at himself6 ,what an opportunity he would have lost4 ,i saw a similar event once in the ,free ,trade ,hall1 in ,manchester1 ,england4 ,that great assembly hall was crowded1 awaiting the coming upon the platform of the ,conference of all the ,baptist ,ministers of ,great ,britain4 ,we had been waiting some time and ,i1 for one1 was young enough to be impatient as the time announced drew near4 ,it was in the days of ,moody and ,sankey's great revivals in ,england1 and ,sankey's hymn1 ,hold the ,fort6 had captured the church-going ear4 ,to pass away the time ,i started the song4 ,the audience caught on4 ,we sang the first verse and the chorus with vim and fervor4 ,then1 just as we began the second verse1 the body of ministers began to march on to the platform1 led by their gray-haired president4 ,recall the lines and imagine the result as the words of the marching ministers were united in our thoughts6 ,see the mighty host advancing ,satan leading on6 ,some of us shrieked with laughter4 ,one man near me nearly had a fit of hysterics4 ,they say ,englishmen can't see a joke4 ,i never saw an ,american audience catch on any quicker than did that ,manchester one4 ,in a moment the singing stopped and the place was in an uproar of wildest laughter4 ,the good president at first seemed nonplused and confused1 but some one must have explained it to him1 for before the ministers had scarce taken their seats1 he advanced to the edge of the platform1 secured silence1 and began to the effect3 ,beloved friends6 ,if we seem like the hosts of evil1 marching with ,satan at their head1 we belie our looks4 ,the ,evil ,one has blinded your eyes4 ,we are the army of the other side4 ,we are ,christian soldiers1 engaged in a never-to-cease conflict with that army of evil that we shall assuredly conquer1 and so on1 giving one of the most pertinent1 direct1 spontaneous1 and truly eloquent of addresses4 ,he rose to the occasion--joined in the laugh upon himself1 won his audience1 and then used the sympathy he had gained1 to strike home some deep and important truths4 ,this is what ,i want to live1 to radiate3 love of humor1 readiness to laugh at it even though it be laughing at myself1 ready to make it when ,i can for others1 ready to join in other people's appreciation of it4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,radiancies ,,of ,,the ,,eternal ,,now ,is there any past1 any future1 in our lives8 ,if ,i look back upon the past1 or anticipate the future1 whether with joy or pleasure1 do ,i not do it in the now8 ,to-morrow never comes1 for when it arrives it is no longer to-morrow1--it is now4 ,life is one eternal now4 ,the great trouble1 however1 with most people1 is that they have not learned that fact4 ,they do not live in the now1 they sit down and lament over the past2 weep that its joys are gone1 its glories faded1 altogether oblivious of the resplendent beauties that now surround them1 the radiant joyousnesses that environ them1 ,,now4 ,or1 they sit in fond anticipation1 in expectation1 with impatient waiting for to-morrow1 for next week1 for next year1 ignoring the immediate and present sweet singing of the birds1 the exquisite daintiness of the flowers1 their delicate fragrance1 the majesty and sublimity of the snowy mountain peaks1 the upright stateliness of the trees1 the supernal clarity of the sky1 the pellucidness of the atmosphere1 the champagne-like quality of the air1 ,,now4 ,what time we lose1 waste1 pervert1 by forgetting the duty1 the joy1 the delight of living in the ,eternal ,now4 ,take your joys as they come along4 ,it is the ,divine plan that every moment shall be filled with ,his joy--the joy of living1 of being4 ,eyes are given to see with now6 ,are you using them now8 ,do you gaze upon the grass1 the trees1 the flitting butterflies1 the busy insects1 the bees1 the beautiful birds1 the clouds1 the sky1 the sea1 the rippling cascades1 the everything of ,nature1 ,,now1 and enjoy their many-formed1 many-hued1 many-graced splendors4 ,ears are given for hearing now6 ,are yours alert for all the sweet1 the pleasant1 the comforting1 the joyous1 the sublime sounds that might come to them now8 ,or are you like the fools and blind who will sit at a ,boston ,symphony concert and gabble gossip or retail slander8 ,palates are given to taste with now6 ,are you tasting the apples1 the rare lusciousness of grapes1 peaches1 oranges1 plums1 and the thousand and one delicate fruits now1 or are you regretting the lost truffles1 the sauces1 the spices1 the wines1 the stimulating things of yesterday1 or longing for the ,lucullus repasts of to-morrow8 ,oh1 the content and happiness of taking joys as they come1 in their simpleness and naturalness1 in their every-day1 common1 normal order2 of looking for them1 expecting them1 anticipating them1 going out1 as it were1 to meet them4 ,is it only a walk of ten blocks 7or five7 to the store1 or office1 or school8 ,are you ready as you step out of your door to inhale the fragrance of the morning air1 or enjoy its own peculiar delight if the morning is wet1 misty1 foggy1 rainy8 ,do you see the moving and sun-lit clouds2 the clear sky1 the rustling leaves of the trees2 the hopping of the happy birds2 the joyousness of the children walking to school8 ,be alert1 receptive1 ready4 ,seize the small joy of the now1 and you will find it far more delightful than all the anticipations1 and even the realizations of what seem to be the large joys of the to-morrow4 ,one of the saddest pictures on canvas to me is one called ,the ,pursuit of ,pleasure4 ,it represents a female figure as ,pleasure1 floating through the air1 and followed by an eager crowd of men and women1 of all ages and conditions in life4 ,reaching1 grasping1 breathless1 regardless of their tramplings upon each other1 indifferent that some of their whilom companions are fallen and cannot arise1 and that hopeless despair is depicted in their eyes and faces1 each and all of the remaining strugglers fix their eyes upon the phantom though alluring figure4 ,and thus the pursuit goes on continuously2 there is no reaching her2 she is ever illusive and evasive1 a delusion and a snare1 ever beckoning yet ever retreating4 ,in her sculptured fountain at the ,panama-,pacific ,exposition1 ,mrs4 ,harry ,payne ,whitney expresses the same idea1 but even more forcefully than does the picture4 ,here are thirty-seven figures nearly all intent upon reaching their goal of happiness4 ,they cannot even see what it is4 ,yet the eagerness depicted upon the faces1 in the straining attitudes1 the strenuous striving in that one direction1 all typify the desire1 the intentness1 the resolute pursuit of happiness4 ,then1 alas1 when the doors are reached1 they are both found closed1 guarded by ,assyrian and ,egyptian figures1 that suggest the occult mystery of the beyond1 and that look down sternly and unyieldingly upon the two figures at their feet1 long strivers1 evidently pleading for the admission that is denied them4 ,there are two definite1 distinct1 and different ways in which these two allegories can be interpreted4 ,one is that mankind ever lives in the world of the senses1 pursuing the gratifications of the now1 the feastings1 the drinkings1 the carousings1 the pleasuring1 the wantonings of the sense-life1 the sensual life1 and that such a pursuit is ever doomed to failure1 for man--the spiritual1 created in ,god's own image--can never be satisfied with the temporary things of earth and sense4 ,the other interpretation is that man is ever seeking for some far-off1 great1 extraordinary pleasure1 joy1 or satisfaction1 something in the future1 rather than living in the smaller joys of the now4 ,the child longs to be the youth or maiden1 enjoying sitting up at nights1 going to parties1 eating candies1 going out with the boys1 smoking like a man2 the youth eagerly works for the time when he shall be his own master1 control his own business2 the maiden1 have her lover1 marry successfully1 become the mistress of her own house2 the grown man looks forward to and works desperately for the time when he shall have made his pile1 and the woman to an assured place in society4 ,these1 and a thousand and one pursuits engage men and women4 ,in my own life ,i am eagerly desirous to radiate the opposite of both of these conceptions4 ,i certainly do not wish to belong to the class pictured in ,christ's parable of the rich man2 he who thought only of the so-called good things of this life which he would enjoy now--he who said3 ,let us eat1 drink1 and be merry1 for to-morrow we die4 ,the slightest observation of life1 of the men and women one meets daily1 soon convinces one of the hollowness1 the dissatisfaction1 the incompleteness of all earthly things4 ,the subject is too trite to need any amplification4 ,yet1 the wonder of it is1 that1 in spite of this fact1 the great majority of people still thus strive for wealth1 place1 power1 honor1 social success1 possessions1 attainments4 ,why is it that this ignis fatuus has such power of allurement8 ,why is it that men and women are so foolish1 so slow to rule their actions by their own inner spiritual awakenings1 rather than the habits and fashions followed by others8 ,i have no desire or ambition for fame1 for honor1 for success1 for place1 for power1 as such4 ,they are useless to me save as ,i may use them for the benefit1 the happiness1 the pleasure of my fellows4 ,i am slowly awakening to the realization of what ,i believe now to be a primal fact1 viz41 that all a man can really hold and enjoy in his living hand1 in his soul1 in his life1 is that which he gives away1 shares1 distributes among his fellows4 ,elsewhere ,i have quoted ,joaquin ,miller's lines from ,peter ,cooper3 ,for all you can hold in your dead1 cold hand1 ,is what you have given away4 ,i now wish to radiate my belief in the enlargement of that idea as stated above4 ,even knowledge can give no real satisfaction unless shared1 given to others2 the joy of a picture owned is lost unless others can enjoy with you4 ,in other words1 the possession of anything for self alone is destructive of happiness4 ,one learns slowly but surely that even in these things of the mind and the soul3 ,that man who lives for self alone ,lives for the meanest mortal known4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,radiancies ,,of ,,extremes ,life is made up of extremes and everything that comes between them4 ,there is the ,north ,pole and there is the ,south ,pole4 ,there is the heat of the fiery furnace and the cold of the ,arctic ,zone4 ,there is the height of heaven and the depth of hell2 the voice of the thunder and the whisper of the gentle zephyr4 ,man is a singular being4 ,he is as diverse as is the manifold face of ,nature upon which he gazes4 ,his likes and dislikes are many and varied4 ,men of equal intelligence and equal powers differ in their ways of looking at the same thing4 ,the poet ,browning effectively states this when he says3 ,ten men love what ,i hate1 ,shun what ,i follow1 slight what ,i receive2 ,ten1 who in ears and eyes ,match mine4 ,in the face of such facts one is compelled to the conclusion that personal idiosyncrasy or individual preference alone can decide what it wants1 needs1 and must have1 in this large diversity that is offered it4 ,the fact that ten men who have equal powers of observation and reflection as myself love the things that ,i hate1 and reject the things that ,i receive1 has absolutely no influence in deciding me in regard to the things that ,i hate and receive1 any more than the fact that ,i hate and receive things to which they have the antagonistic feeling influences them2 hence it is useless for me to attempt to enforce my likings and antipathies upon others1 even as it is useless for them to attempt to force theirs upon me4 ,so ,i have been led to accept the philosophy1 which ,i wish to radiate to all men1 that it appears to me the ,divine ,wisdom has provided for these personal idiosyncrasies of human nature by giving to us the extremes of things with everything that lies between4 ,so1 regardless of my own preference1 ,i believe that the strong wind is as much a beneficent force of ,nature as is the zephyr2 the thundering cataract of ,yosemite as the placid ,mirror ,lake2 the avalanche as the snowflake2 the thunder as the violet2 the earthquake as the rippling rill2 the blazing meteor as the ,milky ,way2 the flaming sun-spots as the sparkling dewdrop2 the fiery volcano as the quiet glowworm2 the giant sequoia as the tiny forget-me-not2 the thundering breakers of ocean as the gentle pattering raindrop2 the fiery boiling geyser as the silently flowing fountain2 the dazzling comet as the serene fixed star2 the rugged ,grand ,canyon as the flower-besprinkled sward2 the monster whale as the tiny gold-fish2 the giant elephant as the timid mouse2 the blaring trumpet as the soothing guitar2 the startling kettle-drum as the smoothly flowing 'cello2 the clanging cymbals as the seductive oboe4 ,i firmly believe and wish to radiate my belief that ,god has as much use for the man of the farm as for the man of the drawing-room2 the rudeness of ,the man with the hoe as the smoothness of the man with the higher education4 ,he needs the arid desert as well as the fertile plain2 the wild ruggedness of the ravine as well as the cultivated garden2 the colorless abysses of the glacier as well as the flower-besprinkled foothills4 ,he has use for the snowy plains of the north as well as the rice fields of the south2 the cactus as well as the orchid2 the giant suaharo as well as the shrinking gilia2 the prickly pear1 as the velvety peach2 the sword-fish1 as the nautilus2 the shark as the flying-fish2 the flaming sunrises and sunsets1 as the tender tints of the lily1 and the night-blooming cereus2 the deep purples1 as well as the blush rose2 the glowing yellows as the softer blues2 the piercing greens as the quieter violets4 ,the bluffs and promontories that thrust their heads out into the ocean are as much a part of ,god's great out-of-doors and of as much use as are the placid landscapes2 the mountain heights as much needed as are the flower-bespangled levels2 the vast reaches of prairie as the secluded and confined valley4 ,the piercing cold of the ,arctic has as much a place in ,nature as the alluring mildness of ,southern ,california or the ,riviera2 the monster tides of the ,bay of ,fundy as the ripples of the placid pool4 ,the sturdy and warlike ,viking has as much a place in history as the diplomatic and artistic ,italian2 the ,negro as the ,caucasian2 the ,chinaman as the ,french2 the ,oriental as the ,english2 the ,japanese as the ,american4 ,el ,capitan and ,gibraltar are not exquisitely carved statues by ,canova or ,thorwaldsen1 but they have just as much a place in the history of the world's development4 ,the wilds of the high ,sierras1 in all their rude and majestic splendor1 rugged and tremendous vastness1 where clear-eyed1 horny-handed1 strong-oathed1 and rudely clad men wander and labor1 are very different from the city drawing-rooms1--those places of pink teas and white kid-gloved men and women2 those breeding places of superficial conventionality and effete conceptions of people and life1 but ,i doubt not that the high ,sierras have produced more of benefit to mankind than all the drawing-rooms of all the civilizations4 ,i love the pastoral and quiet landscapes of the ,connecticut ,river ,valley1 of placid ,killarney1 of the quiet vale of ,avoca1 of picturesque ,normandy1 but the passion1 power1 majesty1 sublimity1 solitude1 dreariness and desolation of the far-reaching ,colorado ,desert1 deep descending ,grand ,canyon1 bold escarpments of the ,red ,rock country1 and other tremendous and solitary places of ,nature command me1 allure me1 appeal to me1 and dominate me quicker than the quiet places of beauty4 ,what1 in ,nature1 to some men is the end of things to others is the beginning4 ,the sacred writer says that ,god even maketh the wrath of men to praise him1 as well as their love and tenderness4 ,life is not all comprised about a slender figure and transparent profile2 faultless coils of hair2 soft1 rich1 clinging garments2 laces falling over taper fingers2 graceful and dignified demeanor2 low and sweetly modulated voice1 and the perfection of faultless manners4 ,there may be a place for the rude1 uncouth clodhopper with disfigured features2 tousled hair2 clad in homespun or cheap denim2 rags taking the place of lace2 boorish and clumsy demeanor2 a voice like a steamer foghorn2 and the apotheosis of all that is blundering and awkward in manner4 ,i do not1 for one moment1 defend any unnecessary boorishness or uncouthness of manner1 and must not be understood as doing so1 but at the same time1 in spite of these things1 ,i am impelled to state my conviction that the latter class is more needful to the real progress of the world than the former4 ,i notice that several times in the history of the world1 canal-drivers1 shepherd-boys1 wood-choppers1 and rail-splitters have made wonderful pilots for the ,ship of ,state4 ,god has use in ,his world for the rough as well as the polished2 the roar of the thunder as well as the coo of the dove2 the stentorian trumpet-tone as well as the still1 small voice4 ,john the ,baptist came from the desert robed in skins and camel's hair2 his voice1 doubtless1 was not soft and well-modulated as were those of ,herodias and ,salome4 ,he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness4 ,his call contained the thunder tones of the storm and wild cry of the lonely eagle seeking its solitary aerie2 the strength and the roar of the lion4 ,it was neither refined1 pleasing1 nor cultured1 but it possessed life and power and it was chosen to herald the coming of the ,messiah4 ,nowhere have we been told that ,elijah1 ,jeremiah and ,daniel were noted for the soft and dulcet tones of their voices1 yet they were the chosen instruments of the ,divine in overthrowing dynasties and changing the history of nations4 ,peter the ,hermit was not a sweet-voiced singer in ,israel1 but he started a movement that led to the civilization of ,europe4 ,i doubt not that the charges of the ,british against ,joan of ,arc that she cried in a coarse military voice when she led the armored hosts of ,france were true1 but she drove the foreign invader from the soil of her beloved ,france where they had held footing for nigh upon a hundred years and no one else had been able to win a victory from them4 ,i doubt not there were times when ,grant's voice did not possess the mellow and refined quality of the drawing-room exquisite1 but he won victories and made a united people possible4 ,john ,brown was rude1 rough1 uncouth1 boorish1 when compared with the refined and polished cavaliers of the ,south4 ,they called him a bandit1 an invader1 a revolutionist1 an anarchist1 and they captured and hanged him1 but to thousands of men his crazy dream of the invasion of the ,south to forcibly compel the freedom of the slave is being more and more seen by hundreds of thousands of wise men to have been one of the most practical and effective means of calling the attention of men to the moral principle involved in the question of slavery1 as to whether men of one color of blood or skin had the right to hold in bondage men of a different color4 ,when ,theodore ,parker was denouncing the iniquities of any and all slavery1 his voice was not as soft and gentle and sweetly modulated as that of ,longfellow1 yet it played as important a part in the history of the development of mankind and stirred men to higher endeavor on the part of their suffering and down-trodden fellows4 ,what1 then1 is the upshot of the whole matter8 ,it seems to me it is this3 ,listen to the voice that appeals to your own soul2 that lifts you from the lower to the higher2 that thrills you to deeds of heroism1 that stimulates you to acts of nobleness1 that calls you to a life of helpful self-sacrifice2 and while doing this1 cease to criticise1 to find fault1 to censure the kind of voice to which you do not care to listen4 ,the strong1 vigorous1 robust1 red-blooded man of the out-of-doors generally will not speak nor act with the perfect restraint and conventionality of the man born in the atmosphere of the drawing-room1 but his message may be just as helpful to the world1 and as divinely inspired as that of his more refined and dignified prototype4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,absorption ,,in ,,relation ,,to ,,radiation ,most important factors in ,living the ,radiant ,life are ,living the ,life of ,possession and ,living the ,absorptive ,life4 ,to radiate one must possess1 and to possess one must absorb4 ,to give largely and well1 one must receive largely and well4 ,the ,absorptive ,life is as essential as the ,radiant ,life4 ,out in the great silences are the eloquent voices of ,god ready to speak to the attentive soul2 out in ,nature a million voices are ready to impart knowledge to the ignorant4 ,all one has to do to receive is to ask2 not with the voice but with the whole being4 ,as a sponge absorbs water up to the limit of its capacity1 so should man absorb1 and then1 unlike the sponge1 which must be squeezed from without ere it will give off that which it has received1 man should radiate from within all that he has received4 ,there are few people in the world who are true absorbers4 ,we are so full of prejudices1 conceits1 notions1 that we refuse to receive from this1 that1 or the other source1 because1 forsooth1 we in our pride deem the source unworthy4 ,the true life receives from every source4 ,call nothing unclean4 ,all things are yours4 ,god is over and in all4 ,prove all things4 ,open your heart to all good from whatever source4 ,stand humbly before ,god ready to receive4 ,keep your hands open2 your eyes1 your ears1 your nostrils1 your whole nature in a state of active receptivity4 ,be afraid of nothing4 ,some one comes and tells you that in this or that he has found spiritual life and help4 ,you1 however1 have been taught to regard that as a dangerous thing1 so you are afraid of it4 ,arise and be above such fears4 ,are you a man1 a woman1 a human soul1 made in the image of ,god and given powers of thought1 of discernment1 of decision8 ,or are you a mere puppet to be worked by the string of other men's thoughts1 other men's ideas1 other men's opinions8 ,listen for yourself2 think for yourself2 decide for yourself2 act for yourself4 ,if a thing seems right to your own soul do it though the heavens fall and you suffer the condemnation of all mankind4 ,true and rapid progress will never come to the race until individual men learn that they alone are the arbiters of their own destiny4 ,go out into ,nature1 into the silences1 into the workshops and the marts of trade and absorb4 ,listen to every good voice that speaks1 and if you are not sure whether the voice is good or not1 listen anyhow and prove it by the infallible tests of purity1 unselfishness1 and uplift4 ,every human soul may be a wireless telegraph receiver4 ,god is flashing out messages every moment from ,his million and one instruments all over the universe4 ,they are all kinds of messages--but all from the one spirit1 and therefore all spiritual4 ,they appeal to the bodies1 the minds1 the souls of men1 and all you have to do to receive them is to have your receiving apparatus of body1 mind1 and soul attuned to the sending apparatus of the ,loving ,sender4 ,get in tune4 ,cry out to ,god3 ,i want all there is4 ,i cast aside all prejudgments1 all conceits1 all ideas4 ,let me hear direct from ,thee4 ,go out into the fields and receive from the spirit that is in1 over1 and about ,nature4 ,every tree1 flower1 grass1 bird1 insect1 animal1 cloud1 storm1 rock1 stream has a message for you if you will but hear it4 ,love alone can open your heart to receive2 it is the key with which the soul and mind and body are set in tune4 ,get yourself into relationship with ,nature4 ,feel your kinship4 ,god is the ,father of every tree as much as he is your ,father4 ,go and claim your family4 ,and claim all the good they possess as your own1 for it is yours and merely awaits your taking4 ,as a child you did this with your mother4 ,the nourishment of her breasts1 the gentle hush of her voice1 the soothing touch of her fingers1 the brooding yearning of her love2 all these were yours the moment you cried out for them4 ,mother ,nature is as full of the spirit of ,love as your physical mother4 ,indeed the latter is one in spirit with the former4 ,call out then4 ,demand1 with the simple expectancy of the child1 all that you need4 ,call for it confident that it will come4 ,expect it1 and according to your expectancy it will be given unto you4 ,but to do this you must be a true child of your ,nature ,mother4 ,you must confidently lean on her breast1 you must confidently blend yourself with her1 you must let her touch you as your mother used to touch you when1 a helpless babe1 you lay in your cradle4 ,her hand went all over your body1 from head to foot1 with loving1 soothing caress4 ,let the sun and the breezes touch your body in like fashion4 ,their fingers will soothe with mesmeric power and at the same time bring health and strength and vigor1 and withal1 peace4 ,go and lie down on the bosom of the ,earth ,mother2 feel her pulsating heart1 and in time1 when you have forgotten your artificiality and pretension1 your so-called civilization and culture1 and found anew your kinship with the ,earth1 you will feel the whole power of ,nature pulsing through your veins2 the fever of your unhealthy blood will be soothed and it will flow naturally and coolly as the sweet sap that ascends to the nourishment of the topmost branch and leaf4 ,and when life has wounded you1 cut you1 torn you almost limb from limb1 and you feel and see yourself only an almost dismembered trunk1 ,nature will soothe and heal you4 ,your wounds will soon be scarred over and the trees1 the ferns1 the birds1 the grasses1 the squirrels1 the bees1 the buds1 the blossoms1 and the butterflies1--all--will associate with you on equal terms4 ,they will neither laugh at you nor repel you1 but as loving friends come and associate with you in sweet and dear kinship4 ,you will walk through the aisled forest temples of ,god repentant and forgiven for sins of the past1 and shame and sorrow will flee away1 replaced by the calm joy of the peace that flows into the receiving heart like a river4 ,you will undress and bathe in the sunshine and the pools1 the creeks and the rivers1 fearless and unabashed1 for you will have exposed your soul to the soul of things2 real shame has nothing to do with externals4 ,but1 you ask1 how am ,i to begin to observe and thus absorb the good gifts of ,god into my very life in order that ,i may live and radiate them to others8 ,let me help you to begin6 ,to be satisfied is to stagnate and petrify4 ,in his ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra1 ,robert ,browning has three pregnant lines3 ,what ,i aspired to be1 ,and was not1 comforts me3 ,a brute ,i might have been1 but would not sink i' the scale4 ,the aspiring soul is the one reaching out to absorb4 ,one might be a satisfied brute by closing all the avenues of aspiration and high ambition1 but it is immeasurably better to be an unsatisfied1 aspiring man rather than the satisfied low-minded brute4 ,aspiration is the hunger of the soul4 ,hunger implies need4 ,so foster--cultivate--your hunger4 ,the hungry seek for food1 and food gives new life1 new growth1 new strength1 new power4 ,the ,universe of ,god is full of food for man's mind and soul4 ,and it is of infinite variety1 capable of nourishing myriads of soul-powers that now lie dormant in your nature4 ,awaken to your needs4 ,be on the lookout every moment for the free gifts of ,god that hang from the trees of life that grow in every back yard as well as on high mountains and in every fertile orchard4 ,there is a great deal more in this expression1 cultivate a hunger1 than at first sight appears4 ,people who satisfy their lower appetites know nothing of the true hunger of the soul4 ,and consequently when they see the food designed by the ,almighty ,love and ,wisdom to satisfy to the full all the demands of true hunger1 these grossly contented minds pass them by1 their eyes are closed so that they see not2 their senses are dulled so that they smell not1 hear not1 feel not1 taste not4 ,i have seen people fast from every kind of food1 solid or liquid1 for ten1 twenty1 thirty or forty1 and in one case even for eighty days4 ,at the end of these fasts1 the fasters related with delight their keen pleasure and satisfaction at realizing what real hunger was as differentiated from the mere appetite for food that they had felt prior to their fasts4 ,as a rule we eat too much4 ,we satiate ourselves upon foods that are not always good for us1 and thus destroy the true normal appetite for pure1 good1 healthful1 simple foods4 ,among these people who fasted were several who were thin and poorly nourished1 and yet who had abnormal appetites and ate far more food than those who were robust1 hearty1 vigorous1 and strong4 ,the physician said1 what was self-evident1 that the more food they ate1 the less nourished they became1 because they overloaded themselves with food and much of it was the wrong kind4 ,it was hard work for these people to fast1 but at the close of the fast1 their abnormal and unnatural appetite had disappeared and in its stead had come a true1 normal hunger which revealed to them the right kind of food that they should eat to satisfy the demands of the body and which1 when they did eat1 was immediately assimilated4 ,the result was that within a month or two1 after having learned what real hunger was as differentiated from perverted appetite1 they were fat and rosy1 plump and vigorous1 beautiful and energetic4 ,it is exactly the same in our mental and spiritual life4 ,we feed upon the grosser foods to satiation and repletion and the result is that we suffer from mental and spiritual dyspepsia and are pale1 thin1 anmic and weak1 where we should be beautiful1 vigorous1 energetic1 and strong4 ,quit stuffing and craving the lower foods4 ,stay away from the theater1 the vaudeville1 the cheap show4 ,quit reading the sensational novel1 the trashy story of excitement4 ,give your brain1 your mind1 your soul1 a rest4 ,fast a while4 ,do as ,elijah did1 as ,jesus1 as ,mahomet4 ,go into the desert1 the solitude1 and for forty days and nights rest1 body1 mind1 and soul1 until real hunger takes possession of you4 ,then come forth and begin to absorb from all the great wealth of ,god that surrounds you4 ,there are three chief sources of purest mind and soul supply and ,i wish briefly to consider each one of these4 ,they are3 #a4 ,observation4 #b4 ,reading4 #c4 ,intuition4 ,this may not be a scientific classification1 but it suffices for my purpose4 ,i have not put the most important first1 but observation is the one man most relies upon4 #a4 ,observation is ,god's method of filling up the inner supply of man's knowledge through the senses4 ,he sees1 feels1 hears1 smells1 tastes1 and through these avenues receives mental impressions4 ,one can observe the lower things or the higher4 ,every day as ,i ride on the train or street cars1 ,i observe men reading their newspapers4 ,as a rule ,i can tell in a few minutes what a man's mental hunger is by watching him read4 ,he chooses the pink sheet and devours with avidity the stories of prize fights4 ,he turns to the pages devoted to courts and reads the accounts of murder trials or of scenes where lawyers quarrel or jangle and where witnesses testify to disgusting and loathsome things4 ,another man is interested in clean athletics and reads with interest of college football1 ,marathon games1 and the like4 ,still another is absorbed in the news of a higher nature1 a meeting of the ,hague ,peace ,conference1 the endeavors of statesmen to bring about a better understanding between the ,north and the ,south1 between nations4 ,in other words1 a man takes what his appetite craves out of the newspaper4 ,just so it is with all life4 ,men take whatever their appetites crave4 ,if the appetite is false1 unnatural1 abnormal1 they take injurious food4 ,only when the depraved appetite becomes changed into natural1 normal hunger1 is the right kind of food sought and found4 ,yet there is immeasurably more of the pure1 good food to satisfy the perfect1 normal hunger1 than there is of the carrion which the vulture instincts in us crave4 #b4 ,reading4 ,while ,i have put this under a separate head1 it really belongs under the head of observation1 for the reading of books is but observation of the observations of other men4 ,yet1 as ,i shall show later1 this is a special field which one should endeavor to glean with care4 #c4 ,intuition4 ,to the really normally hungry soul1 this is the chief1 indeed1 the only source of spiritual food4 ,it is what ,emerson called the ,oversoul1 and what ,doctor ,buck meant when1 in speaking of ,walt ,whitman1 he said he possessed the cosmic conscience4 ,it is receptiveness to universal truth1 ,divine truth1 that truth which knows no time1 no place1 no boundaries of nationality1 no difference in creed1 in sect1 in sex1 in color1 but that1 like the sun1 shines alike upon all1 whether bond or free1 rich or poor1 learned or unlearned1 black1 white1 brown1 or red1 savage or civilized4 ,it is the spirit that possessed--in varying degrees--,gautama1 ,buddha1 ,confucius1 ,mahomet1 ,jesus1 ,joan of ,arc1 ,emerson1 ,browning1 ,whitman1 all great souls who have seen the truth universal and recorded it for the uplift and ennobling of mankind4 ,may ,i here suggest a few ideas as to how you should begin to absorb the good things of ,god in order to get the fullest benefit from them1 and then let us go out together and absorb some of the things that will make one a newer1 fuller1 more vigorous and truly radiant being4 ,get into the habit of looking out of your bedroom window at the skies each night before you retire to rest4 ,is it clear8 ,study that brilliant scheme of stars and planets4 ,what grander sight could you ask for8 ,yet every common man and woman may see it from the smallest attic or hall-bedroom window4 ,is the moon in the heavens dimming the stars but flooding the earth with dream-light8 ,can you see the great wonderful clouds floating about in the night's silences away up under the light of the moon or against the sparkling of the far off stars8 ,or is the sky dark and lowering with black clouds so that you can see nothing as yet8 ,what a wonderful thing that cloud screen is2 that soft1 moist vapor piled in great billows above us1 shutting out the heavens and their wonders from our gaze4 ,how dark it seems on the earth beneath4 ,how shut away from the brightness and serenity of the stars4 ,yet we know that the clouds are but temporary1 that they will soon pass over1 and that we are perfectly safe nestling here on the quiet bosom of mother earth4 ,look up to the heavens every night for some intellectual and spiritual food1 just as you go to the dining-room1 only more so4 ,form the habit6 ,study the stars as ,david did4 ,they are as free to you as they were to him4 ,the poorest beggar and the most degraded sot have as much claim to the stars as the king on his throne or the most divine man that ever lived4 ,what a wonderful drama is being nightly played in the skies4 ,how much more interesting and attractive to the seeing and understanding eye than the puppet shows of the theater1 where there is so much of the glare1 the tinsel1 the sham1 the shoddy4 ,the ,passion ,play of ,oberammergau is well worth seeing4 ,to witness and hear the dramas of ,wagner is worth while1 especially soul-stirring ,parsifal1 but here in the heavens is the great mystery of the ,creator1 watched over1 guarded1 protected by these bright armored knights1--the stars and the planets1 the comets1 the nebul1 the milky way1--with a vigilance which is as keen as it is eternal4 ,a thoughtful girl once wrote me to the effect that after she first began to realize the glories of the stars1 she prayed to a different ,god from the ,god she had always associated with formality1 churches1 prayer books1 creeds1 and the communion service4 ,she said1 in effect1 that her prayer became less glib1 less wordy1 less ready1 for the stars inspired her with the sense of majesty and awe of the ,great ,creator1 so that she came before ,him with words that meant more even though they came with less smoothness of utterance4 ,awe will take the place of smug self-satisfaction2 the obeisance of the soul to mere bending of the knees2 an all-sweeping passion for uplift rather than vain repetitions and selfish cries for more of the baubles of life to play with4 ,there is no doubt whatever that ,tennyson had some such thoughts in mind when he wrote in ,locksley ,hall3 ,many a night from yonder ivied casement1 ere ,i went to rest1 ,did ,i look on great ,orion sloping slowly to the ,west4 ,many a night ,i saw the ,pleiads1 rising through the mellow shade1 ,glitter like a swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid4 ,longfellow1 too1 has an exquisite poem on ,the ,light of the ,stars3 ,the night has come1 but not too soon2 ,and sinking silently1 ,all silently1 the little moon ,drops down behind the sky4 ,there is no light in earth or heaven ,but the cold light of stars2 ,and the first watch of night is given the red planet ,mars4 ,is it the tender star of love8 ,the star of love and dreams8 ,o no6 from that blue tent above1 ,a hero's armor gleams4 ,and earnest thoughts within me rise1 ,when ,i behold afar1 ,suspended in the evening skies1 ,the shield of that red star4 ,o star of strength6 ,i see thee stand ,and smile upon my brain2 ,thou beckonest with thy mailed hand1 ,and ,i am strong again4 ,within my heart there is no light ,but the cold light of stars2 ,i give the first watch of the night ,to the red planet ,mars4 ,the star of the unconquered will ,he rises in my heart ,serene1 and resolute1 and still1 ,and calm1 and self-possessed4 ,and thou1 too1 whosoe'er thou art1 ,that readest this brief psalm1 ,as one by one thy hopes depart1 ,be resolute and calm4 ,o fear not in a world like this1 ,and thou shalt know ere long1 ,know how sublime a thing it is ,to suffer and be strong4 ,so study the stars1 get from them all you can4 ,let their serenity sink into your soul1 and their calm peace speak peace to your troubled and restless spirit4 ,yield to your imagination as to whatever they bring you1 and be thankful for every suggestion of largeness1 bigness1 power1 and love4 ,in his ,saul1 ,browning has ,david tell how the stars suggested to him the life of the people far away1 who dwelt far beyond the possibility of his ever seeking them4 ,how could he1 the poor and humble shepherd lad1 ever hope to see and know these people8 ,yet he could picture them4 ,so can you4 ,let your imagination grow6 ,let it roam6 ,enjoy all it gives to you of good and inspiration4 ,think of the life you might live if you had the power some of these people have1 and then seek to live worthy of that larger life even in the restricted sphere in which you are placed4 ,but there are other things in the heavens1 almost as common as the stars1 that may become a great and glorious inspiration to you4 ,i once saw a display of lightning that came to me as a revelation from ,god4 ,it was so vivid and intense that the friends who were with me1 old ,arizona pioneers who had braved hundreds of storms1 were afraid1 and like myself hid their faces in their blankets4 ,but by and by the absurdity of this act struck me2--as if we were safer with our heads covered than if we were taking in the sight in all its sublimity and terrible splendor4 ,so ,i resolutely cast my blanket aside1 and although ,i had not yet gotten over the shaking of my knees1 ,i stepped to the cabin door and enjoyed the splendid scene to the full4 ,who could hope to describe this display so that others can see it1 or to be believed if he even attempts to picture the intense and vivid brilliancy of that evening's marvelous fire-works8 ,for a few moments we were enveloped in a darkness that could be felt1 and then1 in a moment1 what seemed to be hundreds of millions of darting1 zig-zag forks of lightning struck downwards through the heavens in every direction4 ,we were encircled in these myriad flashes of vivid violet light that almost blinded us with their brilliancy4 ,for an hour or more this display continued4 ,but it was a sight that ,i can never forget1 and it gave me a new insight1 and new thoughts about the glory of ,god4 ,i have sat in the grass on a summer night or have walked many a mile both in the ,south and in the ,west watching the scintillating1 yet soft and delicate1 light of the fireflies as they sparkled and twinkled at my feet and in the air all about me4 ,with a sort of irregular yet rhythmic movement they opened and closed their tiny lanterns1 and interested1 fascinated1 and thrilled me by the perfection of their simple beauty4 ,with equal fascination ,i have watched the phosphorescent glow on the ocean beach1 as the great foam-crested breakers curved over and dashed shoreward1 gleaming with that peculiarly weird brilliancy1 altogether different from any other light known to man4 ,it is even more fascinating when seen in the amethystine waters of the ,gulf of ,mexico1 as the steamer plows its way through the yielding waters and casts the gleaming and phosphorescent spray from side to side in the otherwise dark and silent night4 ,talk about the beauties of ,nature6 ,once begin on such a theme and there seems to be no end4 ,a thousand and one things crowd upon the mind begging1 clamoring for utterance in this record1 but space forbids4 ,do not say you cannot see1 do not say there is nothing in your immediate surroundings for you4 ,you cannot take a step without glimpsing beauty of some kind if your eyes are awake to observe and your heart to absorb4 ,only this morning the maid in doing up my room in the city of ,chicago pointed out the beauty of the black trunks and branches of the trees in the avenue contrasted against the pure white of the snow which had just fallen4 ,then she remarked that even the smoky buildings were changed into something beautiful and harmonious when the snow came1 and she commented upon the fact that she found beauty here that charmed1 thrilled1 and stimulated her soul1 just as much as she did amid the much-described and certainly more glowing and picturesque scenery of ,california4 ,here is the true spirit6 ,do not repine for the things that are away off and that you cannot have4 ,take from what you can get1 or go resolutely to work to get the more desirable surroundings4 ,but wherever you are absorb that which is now and here presented to you1 and thus you will learn to know and appreciate greater and grander things when opportunity places them before you4 #b4 ,absorption through ,reading4 ,it must not be understood that because ,i am constantly urging my readers to rely upon their own observations of ,nature that ,i do not fully appreciate the benefit books may be to them4 ,books form a large place in my own life1 and ,i would regret to be separated from them4 ,they bring into my life the inner life of all the observers1 thinkers1 orators1 seers1 poets1 and prophets of the ages1 and yet what are books but the records of men's observations and their thoughts upon those observations8 ,all books are not good4 ,there are books and books4 ,and just as some associates are injurious1 so are many books4 ,do not waste your time on the cheap1 the trashy1 the useless1 and injurious4 ,select only those books from which you are sure you can absorb those things that will be helpful and beneficial4 ,some people say they read simply for entertainment4 ,there are times when it is well to read with this object in view4 ,if one is weary in mind or body1 the brain has been overtaxed1 trouble distresses one1 then it is well to seek entertainment4 ,for entertainment and the forgetting of one's cares1 troubles1 and weariness will mean rest and recuperation4 ,it is well to be able to absorb such from a book that takes away thoughts from one's self4 ,but even at such times1 choose the best books from which you may absorb those things that will enable you the better to take up the battle of life with renewed energy and courage4 ,do you try to keep up with all the latest books8 ,why8 ,do you read simply to say that you have read1 to be able to give expression to the usual fashionable gabble on so-called current literature8 ,it is not the amount you read1 but the amount of good1 ennobling1 and uplifting influences that you gain from your reading that makes reading worth while4 ,no person that lives can read book after book in rapid succession and absorb therefrom anything worth while4 ,as well sit down and eat from six o'clock in the morning until twelve o'clock at night and expect the body to be healthful as to read continually and expect the mind to be healthful4 ,it is not eating but assimilation that builds up the body4 ,just so1 it is not reading but mental absorption that informs the mind and strengthens the soul4 ,one book a year1 thoroughly mastered1 out of which you have absorbed helpful1 stimulating1 invigorating1 health-giving1 power-producing thought and action is worth more than a thousand books swallowed whole without thought or digestion4 ,joaquin ,miller says that ,books are for people who do not think4 ,very often this is a correct statement4 ,while it is a good thing to desire the knowledge we can gain from books1 it becomes an evil thing when we gain all of our knowledge of the world around us in this fashion4 ,if the only thoughts we have are the thoughts we get from books1 books are an injury instead of a blessing2 a crutch instead of an invigoration4 ,in his early life1 ,edwin ,markham1 the poet1 had but three books1 the ,bible1 ,shakspere1 and ,bunyan4 ,yet from these three books and the contemporaneous study of the mountains1 valleys1 canyons1 plains1 orchards1 gardens1 ocean1 sea-beach1 and valleys by which he was surrounded1 he absorbed thoughts and saw things that enabled him to write poems that have thrilled and benefited the world4 ,sir ,john ,lubbock a few years ago chose from all the millions of books that have been published one hundred which he claims comprises all the best literature of all the ages1 and more recently still1 ,president ,eliot of ,harvard compressed upon a five-foot shelf all the books that he deems necessary for the really thoughtful man to possess4 ,i am not prepared to accept these or any other limitations as to the books ,i shall possess and read1 and yet ,i do want to urge the principle involved in them upon my readers4 ,learn to do your own thinking rather than take your thoughts at second hand from what some one else has written4 ,at the same time ,i would urge upon you the reading of the writings of our great poets that you may absorb from them their love of ,nature4 ,in this way it may be that you will be won to the love and appreciation of that which you have never before known or enjoyed4 ,just as the artist on his canvas sets forth for us a beautiful scene out of the great world that surrounds us and thus focalizes our attention upon it1 and teaches us to see the beauty which hitherto we had passed unobserved1 so does the poet focalize our attention upon that which hitherto we had passed by and neglected4 ,let us read1 therefore1 by all means1 but not as an end in itself4 ,let us read that thereby we may be stimulated to go out into ,nature to see1 feel1 and absorb for ourselves4 ,many of the books that are worth while were written by men and women who have been close observers of ,nature4 ,it is by observation that we absorb the facts and lessons of ,nature4 ,some of the most helpful and beautiful books have been written as the result of the exercise of this faculty combined with the reflection that always comes to the truly thoughtful4 ,the sciences are based upon observation1 and as soon as one becomes interested in any particular line of study it is amazing how many fascinating things begin to crowd upon his attention4 ,the great scientist1 ,agassiz1 said that he could find enough to thoroughly and completely fill the whole of a life of eighty years in as much as he could cover with his one hand4 ,i have spent night after night with astronomers whose whole vocation was to study the heavens and learn the wonderful lessons revealed thereby4 ,one of the happiest epochs of my life was to spend two months in the ,high ,sierras of ,california with ,joseph ,le ,conte1 the great geologist1 and his keen and trained eyes revealed to me things in ,nature that ,i had never seen before1 and life has ever since been richer and fuller because of the experience4 ,darwin studied the facts of development of plant and animal life until he wrote a book which has completely revolutionized the thought of the world4 ,he spent years in studying the movements and influences upon the ground of the common earth-worm and showed us how great a friend to humanity is this apparently insignificant and useless creature4 ,sir ,john ,lubbock1 the eminent statesman and philosopher1 busy with the affairs of city and nation1 spent years in studying the actions and life of the tiny ant and has given us most fascinating accounts of what he saw with philosophical deductions therefrom4 ,the ,audubons spent their lives in studying the animals and birds of ,north ,america and their books have been a source of intense delight and instruction to all those that have been privileged to read them and see their marvelous illustrations4 ,michelet1 the great ,french scholar1 studied the bee and then wrote a book about this busy insect that is as fascinating as a romance and as thrilling and interesting as a drama4 ,john ,ward ,stimson studied the various forms of snow crystals1 salts1 of rock substances2 the natural forms of leaves1 their systems of veins2 the spines of the various cactuses2 the marking on the furs of animals and the backs of reptiles1 snakes1 lizards1 toads1 etc42 indeed1 all the multi-form shapes1 spirals1 curves1 angles1 lines1 etc41 of ,nature1 and wrote a book on them entitled ,the ,gate ,beautiful which one great critic and poet affirms is the greatest book1 outside of the ,bible and ,shakspere1 the world has ever known4 ,and thus might ,i go on page after page1 merely suggesting what men with the seeing eye and understanding heart have given to the world as the result of their observations of ,nature4 ,who would not observe in this fashion8 ,who would not like thus to fill up the mind and the soul with such wonderful facts and beautiful truths deduced therefrom8 ,henry ,d4 ,thoreau1 ,john ,burroughs1 ,philip ,gilbert ,hamerton1 ,john ,muir1 ,john ,c4 ,van ,dyke1 and ,w4 ,c4 ,bartlett have studied ,nature in the trees1 grasses1 the birds1 the animals1 and the sunrises and sunsets until they have been able to thrill the world with the record of those things that they have seen and felt4 ,ernest ,thompson ,seton1 ,w4 ,j4 ,long1 and ,c4 ,g4 ,d4 ,roberts have studied the wild life of animals until they have written books that have charmed perhaps millions of readers by revealing to them phases of animal life that they had never believed existed4 ,jack ,london goes up into ,alaska and with trained eye observes the wild wastes of snow and winter desolation and comes back and writes books that win him fame and wealth1 because of his power to see and tell what his seeing makes him feel4 ,this world is full of beauty1 of knowledge1 of joy1 to the hungry mind and soul1 and its treasures are all free1 are all to be had merely for the asking1 for the seeing1 for the reaching out4 ,nothing repays every effort more abundantly than does ,nature4 ,she preaches more eloquently1 because more simply1 purely1 and directly than any divine that ever occupied pulpit4 ,she is the direct voice of ,god to mankind1 ordained by the ,infinite himself4 ,few men in sacerdotal robes ever come to us with this divine song upon their lips4 ,joaquin ,miller never wrote truer words than3 ,the woods keep repeating ,the old sacred sermons whatever you ask4 ,it may be that as you read over what ,i have said of the observations and achievements of the scientists and others that you will say that you have no such opportunity for wide observation as this4 ,it is not necessary that you should have4 ,let me suggest to you how to begin the development of your powers of observation in order that you may in your way reap as beautiful a harvest as those men have in theirs4 ,david was only a poor shepherd boy1 but while out tending his flocks by day and night he learned the wonderful lessons that he afterwards incorporated into the ,psalms4 ,it was his observations1 without scientific knowledge1 without observatories1 without telescopes1 or other scientific instruments1 that gave him such clear knowledge of the stars that he was able to sing those wonderful words that have thrilled all mankind ever since they were uttered1 ,the heavens declare the glory of ,god1 and the firmament showeth ,his handiwork4 ,while a shepherd boy without training1 without education1 he so observed the things about him that when1 later in life1 the power of expression came1 he was able to sing messages that will live so long as man lives4 ,so1 like ,david1 begin to study the common things about you4 ,observe the flowers4 ,observe their loveliness4 ,study the infinite variety of their form1 color1 fragrance2 compare them one with another2 ask yourself why one appeals to you more than another2 wherein the special beauty and attractiveness lies of one flower over another for you4 ,no one can study the flowers and not realize that the ,divine ,creator loves beauty1 for the infinitude of varieties that are presented1 from the delicate orchids and cactuses of the tropical forests and barren deserts down to the plainest sunflower and dandelion1 are all rich in a beauty and attractiveness all their own4 ,ina ,coolbrith1 the ,california poet1 in one of her sweetest songs1 says3 ,i will out in the gold of the blossoming mould ,and sit at the ,master's feet1 ,and the love my heart would speak1 ,i will fold in the lily's rim1 ,that the lips of the blossom more pure and meet ,may offer it up to ,him4 ,see what a beautiful conception6 ,her heart was full of desire to lift her prayer of thankfulness1 praise1 and supplication up to ,god1 but feeling her own inadequacy and incompleteness1 and realizing the perfect purity of the delicate lily1 she felt that she might wrap her prayer up in the rim of the flower and thus make it acceptable to the ,god of purity and immaculate whiteness4 ,there never was a flower yet that was not a miracle to the observing eye and thinking mind4 ,how does it shape all that beauty8 ,from whence does it gain those delicate tints1 tones1 and colors8 ,from what laboratory does it extract those exquisitely delicate and delicious odors8 ,oh1 wake up to the beauty of the common grass1 the common flowers1 the common trees4 ,open your eyes to see1 open your hearts to feel1 cultivate your hunger for these common things and then absorb and assimilate them4 ,but the flowers and trees are but merely a part of the great world of ,nature from which one may absorb things beautiful and grand4 ,people who live by the sea or by an inland lake have wonderful opportunities for the observation of grandeur1 sublimity1 and beauty4 ,joaquin ,miller once stood by the seashore and wrote these words of poetry3 ,the sun lay molten in the sea ,of sand1 and all the sea was rolled ,in one broad1 bright intensity ,of gold and gold and gold and gold4 ,he saw the gold of beauty which in this materialistic age few men deem of value4 ,but when all the gold of commerce has disappeared1 the gold of beauty is a treasure stored up in one's soul that will accompany him through all the ages of eternity4 ,the one is ephemeral and useful only to provide the food1 clothing1 and shelter we need for the body1 the other1 permanent1 enduring1 lasting1 that clothes the mind with brilliant images and the soul with helpful and stimulating aspirations4 ,it is one of the mistakes of life to overlook the apparently small1 trifling and near-by things1 in the vain desire to see some great1 large1 important thing4 ,the things about us are the essential things of our life4 ,too often we deem them unimportant4 ,we are so accustomed to seeing them that we pay no attention to them1 yet these things were worth the thought of the ,almighty ,creator4 ,every blade of grass1 every leaf of every tree is a revelation of some thought of ,god1 hence can never be beneath the notice of mankind4 ,this careless and unobservant attitude of mind shows our ignorance and our unwisdom4 ,god's mysteries are before us and we refuse to read them4 ,as ,walt ,whitman says3 ,our streets are strewn with leaves from the book of ,god and we see them not4 ,we pass them by4 ,let us learn to pick up these divine mysteries and in their sweet1 beautiful simplicity read their sublime lessons to our own hearts4 ,who would think of learning anything from the mists8 ,yet ,joaquin ,miller once wrote these words3 ,behold the silvered mists that rise ,from all-night toiling in the corn1 ,the mists have duties up the skies1 ,the skies have duties with the morn2 ,while all the world is full of earnest care ,to make the fair world still more wondrous fair4 ,in one of his poems1 one of our great poets tells the story of a number of poor people who came to see their king who was to approach with his gayly dressed bands of music and all the pomp and ceremony attendant upon kingship4 ,the story goes1 however1 that the ,captain of the ,province drove the poor people away and refused to allow them to be present when the king passed through4 ,let the poet now tell his own story3 ,lo1 then a soft-voiced stranger said3 ,come ye with me a little space4 ,i know where torches gold and red ,gleam down a peaceful1 ample place2 ,where song and perfume fill the restful air1 ,and men speak scarce at all4 ,the ,king is there4 ,they passed2 they sat a grass-set hill-- ,what king hath carpets like to this8 ,what king hath music like the thrill ,of crickets 'mid these silences-- ,these perfumed silences1 that rest upon ,the soul like sunlight on a hill at dawn8 ,behold what blessings in the air6 ,what benedictions in the dew6 ,these olives lift their arms in prayer2 ,they turn their leaves1 ,god reads them through2 ,yon lilies where the falling water sings ,are fairer-robed than choristers of kings4 ,lift now your heads6 yon golden bars ,that build the porch of heaven1 seas ,of silver-sailing golden stars-- ,yea1 these are yours1 and all of these6 ,for yonder king hath never yet been told ,of silver seas that sail these ships of gold4 ,they turned1 they raised their heads on high2 ,they saw1 the first time saw and knew1 ,the awful glories of the sky1 ,the benedictions of the dew2 ,and from that day ,his poor were richer far ,than all such kings as keep where follies are4 ,have you experienced these blessings in the air8 ,have you felt these benedictions in the dew8 ,have you seen the exquisite robes of the lilies8 ,have you seen the ships of gold sailing through the silver seas8 ,and the bars of gold that build the porch of heaven8 ,you have rushed to see the pomp of kings4 ,you have rushed to see the glitter and tinsel of the circus procession4 ,you have struggled with desperation that you and your wife might mingle with the gayly dressed throng at some fanciful revel4 ,why be so eager for these vain shows and yet not see the true beauty1 real gorgeousness1 undying splendor of these other outward manifestations of the thoughts of ,god8 ,eager desire for the vain pomp and circumstance of things reveals the abnormal and depraved appetite just the same as the glutton's and drunkard's cravings do4 ,the more they are fed the more fiercely their fires rage and the less satisfied one becomes4 ,it is only real things that will satisfy the hunger of the immortal soul1 and then one of the remarkable things is how the trivial and small things will produce satisfaction4 ,as ,george ,macdonald says in his fascinating story1 ,sir ,gibbie3 ,it is wonderful upon how little those rare natures capable of making the most of things will live and thrive4 ,there is a great deal more to be got out of things than is generally got out of them1 whether the thing be a chapter of the ,bible or a yellow turnip1 and the marvel is that those who use the most material should so often be those that show the least result in strength or character4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,radiancies ,,of ,,death ,for centuries the human mind has been afraid1 disturbed1 distressed1 at the thought of death2 the uncertainty of the beyond2 shall we know each other there8 and the thousand and one questions that have arisen as to what life1 if any1 there is beyond the grave4 ,years ago1 in my own innerness1 all sense of fear1 of disturbance1 of distress at the thought of death vanished1 never again to appear4 ,i have no resentment at the thought of death1 either for myself1 or those ,i love4 ,i expect it for us all1 and am neither surprised nor hurt when it comes4 ,there may be the sense of physical loss1 but that is all4 ,there is no sense of real loss of anything except the temporal1 the physical1 that which1 in the very course of ,nature1 must pass through the change we call ,death4 ,hence ,i feel ,i have definite and positive radiancies upon this subject1 which ,i am assured will bring comfort and peace to those who can enter into the spirit of them1 and accept the same assurances that have come to me4 ,the first of these that ,i would radiate with clearness and fullness is that man is a spiritual being and not physical4 ,much of the fear1 dread1 distress1 pain of death has come from the mistaken belief that man is physical4 ,death has come and robbed us of the life of the physical4 ,the flesh has become cold1 inanimate1 lifeless1 therefore dead and lost to us4 ,the mother has grieved herself into sickness and a ruined life because of the death of her babe4 ,husbands have wept long for the wives they thought they had lost4 ,sorrow1 grief1 sadness1 woe--these seem the natural accompaniments of death4 ,our customs1 our language1 our literature1 our poetry1 our art1 are full of the expressions of this thought--the trappings of woe1 the solemn countenance1 the hushed voice1 the somber garments1 the widow's weeds1 the black band of bereavement1 the hearse1 the funeral marches1 the watch of the dead1 the lighted candles1 the solemn funeral addresses1 the tears1 the grief that will not be comforted1 all speak of the sadness attributed to death4 ,tennyson's ,in ,memoriam1 ,browning's ,la ,saziaz1 and hundreds1 thousands1 of lesser poems have been written on the woe1 the grief1 the cruelty of death4 ,while ,i long for the physical presence of my beloved ones as much as do other men1 ,i would radiate my belief1 my restful assurance1 in the love that exists1 persists1 lives1 after what we call the death of the body1 and that1 therefore1 to me1 save for the loss of the physical presence1 there is absolutely no death1 no need for sorrow1 grief1 pain1 or woe4 ,as birth itself is a death of the embryonic life1 so is death a birth into the life beyond--the life of the spirit1 the life1 free1 unhampered1 unhindered by the flesh4 ,browning expresses it perfectly in his wonderful ,pisgah ,sight1 where he stands and looks over ,jordan into the ,promised ,land3 ,good to forgive1 ,best to forget2 ,living we fret1 ,dying we live4 ,fretless and free1 soul1 ,clap thy pinion1 ,earth have dominion1 ,body1 o'er thee4 ,the ,indians' attitude towards death is very beautiful to me4 ,they regard it as a natural change2 a something to be expected1 to be looked for1 and therefore to be met with bravery1 courage1 and fearlessness4 ,while ,i know they grieve deeply at unexpected deaths by accidents1 sudden disease1 in war1 etc41 and make a loud show of their grief1 that is merely the child part of their nature asserting itself4 ,when a man1 a woman1 has lived out the natural term of years and he1 she1 feels death approaching1 retirement is made to some quiet and solitary place1 where ,death is awaited with calmness1 serenity1 and fearlessness4 ,this is what ,i would radiate1 both for myself and those whom ,i love4 ,i believe with all my heart in the great goodness of ,god2 in the progressiveness of the human soul towards the godhead possible for us4 ,i look forward with confidence and eager anticipation to the adventures new and brave that are to meet me when ,i go beyond4 ,i have had a grand and glorious time here4 ,in spite of hardships1 sorrows1 griefs1 pains1 sickness1 bereavement1 poverties1 and the pains that come from a recognition of my own mental and spiritual imperfections1 ,i have had a wonderfully rich1 joyous1 and blessed life4 ,i am thankful for it all4 ,as ,i look back upon it ,i regret only those things wherein ,i have brought pain and sorrow to others4 ,as for myself1 all the pains and distresses are gone and forgotten2 the joys and delights1 the pleasures and happinesses1 only1 remain1 and for these ,i am thankful beyond all power of expression4 ,shall ,i1 then1 be afraid that the ,supreme ,power who has so blessed me in this life will be unable1 or unwilling1 to equally bless me in the one to come8 ,fearless and unafraid ,i await the issue1 nay1 with glad confidence ,i will welcome it when it comes4 ,hence1 again to quote ,browning1 whom ,i love and revere for his great helpfulness3 ,i would hate that ,death bandaged my eyes1 and forbore1 ,and bade me creep past4 ,no6 let me taste the whole of it1 fare like my peers ,the heroes of old2 ,bear the brunt1 in a minute pay1 glad1 life's arrears ,of pain1 darkness and cold4 ,i want to meet death in just that spirit2 open-eyed1 in full possession of my senses1 if that be possible1 that ,i may have full cognizance of the experience as ,i pass through it4 ,but let it come as it may1 ,i want to be ready to meet and greet it4 ,in many of his poems ,walt ,whitman fully expresses my conceptions1 and ,joaquin ,miller's many sweet poems recho the thoughts that come to me1 again and again1 as ,i contemplate the sleep that has no earthly awakening4 ,take his beautiful ,river of ,rest3 ,a beautiful stream is the ,river of ,rest2 ,the still1 wide waters sweep clear and cold1 ,a tall mast crosses a star in the west1 ,a white sail gleams in the west world's gold3 ,it leans to the shore of the ,river of ,rest-- ,the lily-lined shore of the ,river of ,rest4 ,the boatman rises1 he reaches a hand1 ,he knows you well1 he will steer you true1 ,and far1 so far1 from all ills upon land1 ,from hates1 from fates that pursue and pursue2 ,far over the lily-lined ,river of ,rest-- ,dear mystical1 magical ,river of ,rest4 ,a storied1 sweet stream is this ,river of ,rest2 ,the souls of all time keep its ultimate shore2 ,and journey you east or journey you west1 ,unwilling1 or willing1 sure-footed or sore1 ,you surely will come to this ,river of ,rest-- ,this beautiful1 beautiful ,river of ,rest4 ,and elsewhere he says3 ,i go1 ,i know not where1 but know ,i will not die1 ,and know ,i will be gainer going to that somewhere2 ,for in that hereafter1 afar beyond the bended sky1 ,bread and butter will not figure in the bill of fare1 ,nor will the soul be judged by what the flesh may wear4 ,here is the spirit in which he describes and meets death3 ,come forward here to me1 ye who have a fear of death1 ,come down1 far down1 even to the dark waves' rim1 ,and take my hand1 and feel my calm1 low breath2 ,how peaceful all6 ,how still and sweet6 ,the sight is dim1 ,and dreamy as a distant sea4 ,and melodies do swim ,around us here as afar-off vesper's holy hymn4 ,this is death6 ,with folded hands ,i wait and welcome him4 ,thus1 in very deed1 and very truth1 would ,i await and welcome him4 ,and so ,i would radiate1 now and ever1 being sorry for my failings and failures1 but thankful beyond measure for any small degree of helpfulness1 joy1 happiness1 blessing ,i may have brought to others1 and with only one great desire towards the earth and its inhabitants1 viz41 to be remembered as one who loved and sought to bless his fellow men4 ,,books ,,by ,,george ,,wharton ,,james ,,palou',s ,,life ,,and ,,apostolic ,,labors ,,of ,,padre ,,fr4 ,,junipero ,,serra1 ,founder of the ,franciscan ,missions of ,california4 #cgb pages1 limited edition1 #ajjj copies only printed4 #aj4jj net4 ,,heroes ,,of ,,california4 #eae pages1 with eighty illustrations4 #b4jj net2 postpaid1 #b4af4 ,,the ,,grand ,,canyon ,,of ,,arizona2 ,,how ,,to ,,see ,,it4 #bfe pages1 with maps and #dh 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,illustration ,messrs4 ,harper ,brothers have just published the last volumes in this new edition of ,mark ,twain's works4 ,the contents of the volumes is the same1 with slight exceptions1 as in the ,uniform ,trade ,edition4 ,the price of this uncommonly fine ,limp-,leather ,edition is3 ,titles complete in one volume1 #a4ge net each2 ,titles in two volumes1 #a4ej net each4 ,this makes a total of #ci4jj net4 ,but when sets are bought complete the price is #cg4jj net1 a saving of #b4jj4 ,the titles and prices are3 ,,the ,,adventures ,,of ,,huckleberry ,,finn net #a4ge ,,the #cj1jjj ,,bequest net #a4ge ,,innocents ,,abroad1 #b ,vols4 ,each net #a4ej ,,joan ,,of ,,arc1 #b ,vols4 ,each net #a4ej ,,the ,,man ,,that ,,corrupted ,,hadleyburg net #a4ge ,,the ,,gilded ,,age1 #b ,vols4 ,each net #a4ej ,,tom ,,sawyer ,,abroad net #a4ge ,,life ,,on ,,the ,,mississippi net #a4ge ,a ,,tramp ,,abroad1 #b ,vols4 ,each net #a4ej ,,christian ,,science net #a4ge ,,sketches ,,new ,,and ,,old net #a4ge 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#hvo net #e4jj 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,italic text is denoted by underscores4 ,obvious printer's errors corrected4 ,every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible1 including obsolete and variant spellings1 non-standard punctuation1 inconsistently hyphenated words1 and other inconsistencies4