第3章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"WHAT IS MAN",免费读到尾

  O。M。HowdidtheyhappentobePresbyteriansandnotCongregationalists?AndwhyweretheCongregationalistsnotBaptists,andtheBaptistsRomanCatholics,andtheRomanCatholicsBuddhists,andtheBuddhistsQuakers,andtheQuakersEpiscopalians,andtheEpiscopaliansMilleritesandtheMilleritesHindus,andtheHindusAtheists,andtheAtheistsSpiritualists,andtheSpiritualistsAgnostics,andtheAgnosticsMethodists,andtheMethodistsConfucians,andtheConfuciansUnitarians,andtheUnitariansMohammedans,andtheMohammedansSalvationWarriors,andtheSalvationWarriorsZoroastrians,andtheZoroastriansChristianScientists,andtheChristianScientistsMormonsandsoon?

  Y。M。Youmayansweryourquestionyourself。

  O。M。ThatlistofsectsisnotarecordofSTUDIES,searchings,seekingsafterlight;itmainly(andsarcastically)

  indicateswhatASSOCIATIONcando。Ifyouknowaman’snationalityyoucancomewithinasplithairofguessingthecomplexionofhisreligion:EnglishProtestant;American

  ditto;Spaniard,Frenchman,Irishman,Italian,SouthAmerican

  RomanCatholic;RussianGreekCatholic;TurkMohammedan;andsoon。Andwhenyouknowtheman’sreligiouscomplexion,youknowwhatsortofreligiousbookshereadswhenhewantssomemorelight,andwhatsortofbooksheavoids,lestbyaccidenthegetmorelightthanhewants。InAmericaifyouknowwhichparty

  collaravoterwears,youknowwhathisassociationsare,andhowhecamebyhispolitics,andwhichbreedofnewspaperhereadstogetlight,andwhichbreedhediligentlyavoids,andwhichbreedofmassmeetingsheattendsinordertobroadenhispoliticalknowledge,andwhichbreedofmassmeetingshedoesn’tattend,excepttorefuteitsdoctrineswithbrickbats。WearealwayshearingofpeoplewhoarearoundSEEKINGAFTERTRUTH。Ihaveneverseena(permanent)specimen。Ithinkhehadneverlived。

  ButIhaveseenseveralentirelysincerepeoplewhoTHOUGHTtheywere(permanent)SeekersafterTruth。Theysoughtdiligently,persistently,carefully,cautiously,profoundly,withperfecthonestyandnicelyadjustedjudgmentuntiltheybelievedthatwithoutdoubtorquestiontheyhadfoundtheTruth。THATWASTHE

  ENDOFTHESEARCH。ThemanspenttherestofhislifehuntingupshingleswherewithtoprotecthisTruthfromtheweather。IfhewasseekingafterpoliticalTruthhefounditinoneoranotherofthehundredpoliticalgospelswhichgovernmenintheearth;

  ifhewasseekingaftertheOnlyTrueReligionhefounditinoneoranotherofthethreethousandthatareonthemarket。Inanycase,whenhefoundtheTruthHESOUGHTNOFURTHER;butfromthatdayforth,withhissolderingironinonehandandhisbludgeonintheotherhetinkereditsleaksandreasonedwithobjectors。

  TherehavebeeninnumerableTemporarySeekersofTruthhaveyoueverheardofapermanentone?Intheverynatureofmansuchapersonisimpossible。However,todropbacktothetext

  training:alltrainingisonefromoranotherofOUTSIDE

  INFLUENCE,andASSOCIATIONisthelargestpartofit。Amanisneveranythingbutwhathisoutsideinfluenceshavemadehim。

  TheytrainhimdownwardortheytrainhimupwardbuttheyTRAIN

  him;theyareatworkuponhimallthetime。

  Y。M。Thenifhehappenbytheaccidentsoflifetobeevillyplacedthereisnohelpforhim,accordingtoyournotionshemusttraindownward。

  O。M。Nohelpforhim?Nohelpforthischameleon?Itisamistake。Itisinhischameleonshipthathisgreatestgoodfortunelies。HehasonlytochangehishabitathisASSOCIATIONS。ButtheimpulsetodoitmustcomefromtheOUTSIDEhecannotoriginateithimself,withthatpurposeinview。Sometimesaverysmallandaccidentalthingcanfurnishhimtheinitiatoryimpulseandstarthimonanewroad,withanewidea。Thechanceremarkofasweetheart,\"Ihearthatyouareacoward,\"maywateraseedthatshallsproutandbloomandflourish,andendedinproducingasurprisingfruitageinthefieldsofwar。Thehistoryofmanisfullofsuchaccidents。

  Theaccidentofabrokenlegbroughtaprofaneandribaldsoldierunderreligiousinfluencesandfurnishedhimanewideal。FromthataccidentsprangtheOrderoftheJesuits,andithasbeenshakingthrones,changingpolicies,anddoingothertremendousworkfortwohundredyearsandwillgoon。ThechancereadingofabookorofaparagraphinanewspapercanstartamanonanewtrackandmakehimrenouncehisoldassociationsandseeknewonesthatareINSYMPATHYWITHHISNEWIDEAL:andtheresult,forthatman,canbeanentirechangeofhiswayoflife。

  Y。M。Areyouhintingataschemeofprocedure?

  O。M。Notanewoneanoldone。Oneasmankind。

  Y。M。Whatisit?

  O。M。Merelythelayingoftrapsforpeople。TrapsbaitedwithINITIATORYIMPULSESTOWARDHIGHIDEALS。Itiswhatthetractdistributordoes。Itiswhatthemissionarydoes。Itiswhatgovernmentsoughttodo。

  Y。M。Don’tthey?

  O。M。Inonewaytheydo,inanothertheydon’t。Theyseparatethesmallpoxpatientsfromthehealthypeople,butindealingwithcrimetheyputthehealthyintothepesthousealongwiththesick。Thatistosay,theyputthebeginnersinwiththeconfirmedcriminals。Thiswouldbewellifmanwerenaturallyinclinedtogood,butheisn’t,andsoASSOCIATION

  makesthebeginnersworsethantheywerewhentheywentintocaptivity。Itisputtingaveryseverepunishmentuponthecomparativelyinnocentattimes。Theyhangamanwhichisatriflingpunishment;thisbreakstheheartsofhisfamilywhichisaheavyone。Theycomfortablyjailandfeedawifebeater,andleavehisinnocentwifeandfamilytostarve。

  Y。M。Doyoubelieveinthedoctrinethatmanisequippedwithanintuitiveperceptionofgoodandevil?

  O。M。Adamhadn’tit。

  Y。M。Buthasmanacquireditsince?

  O。M。No。Ithinkhehasnointuitionsofanykind。HegetsALLhisideas,allhisimpressions,fromtheoutside。I

  keeprepeatingthis,inthehopethatImayimpressituponyouthatyouwillbeinterestedtoobserveandexamineforyourselfandseewhetheritistrueorfalse。

  Y。M。Wheredidyougetyourownaggravatingnotions?

  O。M。FromtheOUTSIDE。Ididnotinventthem。Theyaregatheredfromathousandunknownsources。MainlyUNCONSCIOUSLY

  gathered。

  Y。M。Don’tyoubelievethatGodcouldmakeaninherentlyhonestman?

  O。M。Yes,IknowHecould。IalsoknowthatHeneverdidmakeone。

  Y。M。Awiserobserverthanyouhasrecordedthefactthat\"anhonestman’sthenoblestworkofGod。\"

  O。M。Hedidn’trecordafact,herecordedafalsity。Itiswindy,andsoundswell,butitisnottrue。GodmakesamanwithhonestanddishonestPOSSIBILITIESinhimandstopsthere。Theman’sASSOCIATIONSdevelopthepossibilitiestheonesetortheother。

  Theresultisaccordinglyanhonestmanoradishonestone。

  Y。M。Andthehonestoneisnotentitledto

  O。M。Praise?No。HowoftenmustItellyouthat?HEisnotthearchitectofhishonesty。

  Y。M。Nowthen,Iwillaskyouwherethereisanysenseintrainingpeopletoleadvirtuouslives。Whatisgainedbyit?

  O。M。Themanhimselfgetslargeadvantagesoutofit,andthatisthemainthingtoHIM。Heisnotaperiltohisneighbors,heisnotadamagetothemandsoTHEYgetanadvantageoutofhisvirtues。ThatisthemainthingtoTHEM。

  Itcanmakethislifecomparativelycomfortabletothepartiesconcerned;theNEGLECTofthistrainingcanmakethislifeaconstantperilanddistresstothepartiesconcerned。

  Y。M。Youhavesaidthattrainingiseverything;thattrainingisthemanHIMSELF,foritmakeshimwhatheis。

  O。M。IsaidtrainingandANOTHERthing。Letthatotherthingpass,forthemoment。Whatwereyougoingtosay?

  Y。M。Wehaveanoldservant。Shehasbeenwithustwenty

  twoyears。Herserviceusedtobefaultless,butnowshehasbecomeveryforgetful。Weareallfondofher;weallrecognizethatshecannothelptheinfirmitywhichagehasbroughther;therestofthefamilydonotscoldherforherremissnesses,butattimesIdoIcan’tseemtocontrolmyself。Don’tItry?Idotry。Now,then,whenIwasreadytodress,thismorning,nocleanclotheshadbeenputout。Ilostmytemper;Iloseiteasiestandquickestintheearlymorning。Irang;andimmediatelybegantowarnmyselfnottoshowtemper,andtobecarefulandspeakgently。Isafeguardedmyselfmostcarefully。

  IevenchosetheverywordIwoulduse:\"You’veforgottenthecleanclothes,Jane。\"WhensheappearedinthedoorIopenedmymouthtosaythatphraseandoutofit,movedbyaninstantsurgeofpassionwhichIwasnotexpectingandhadn’ttimetoputundercontrol,camethehotrebuke,\"You’veforgottenthemagain!\"YousayamanalwaysdoesthethingwhichwillbestpleasehisInteriorMaster。Whencecametheimpulsetomakecarefulpreparationtosavethegirlthehumiliationofarebuke?

  DidthatcomefromtheMaster,whoisalwaysprimarilyconcernedaboutHIMSELF?

  O。M。Unquestionably。Thereisnoothersourceforanyimpulse。SECONDARILYyoumadepreparationtosavethegirl,butPRIMARILYitsobjectwastosaveyourself,bycontentingtheMaster。

  Y。M。Howdoyoumean?

  O。M。Hasanymemberofthefamilyeverimploredyoutowatchyourtemperandnotflyoutatthegirl?

  Y。M。Yes。Mymother。

  O。M。Youloveher?

  Y。M。Oh,morethanthat!

  O。M。Youwouldalwaysdoanythinginyourpowertopleaseher?

  Y。M。Itisadelighttometodoanythingtopleaseher!

  O。M。Why?YOUWOULDDOITFORPAY,SOLELYforPROFIT。

  Whatprofitwouldyouexpectandcertainlyreceivefromtheinvestment?

  Y。M。Personally?None。TopleaseHERisenough。

  O。M。Itappears,then,thatyourobject,primarily,WASN’T

  tosavethegirlahumiliation,buttoPLEASEYOURMOTHER。ItalsoappearsthattopleaseyourmothergivesYOUastrongpleasure。Isnotthattheprofitwhichyougetoutoftheinvestment?Isn’tthattheREALprofitsandFIRSTprofit?

  Y。M。Oh,well?Goon。

  O。M。InALLtransactions,theInteriorMasterlookstoitthatYOUGETTHEFIRSTPROFIT。Otherwisethereisnotransaction。

  Y。M。Well,then,ifIwassoanxioustogetthatprofitandsointentuponit,whydidIthrewitawaybylosingmytemper?

  O。M。InordertogetANOTHERprofitwhichsuddenlysupersededitinvalue。

  Y。M。Wherewasit?

  O。M。Ambushedbehindyourborntemperament,andwaitingforachance。Yournativewarmtempersuddenlyjumpedtothefront,andFORTHEMOMENTitsinfluencewasmorepowerfulthanyourmother’s,andabolishedit。Inthatinstanceyouwereeagertoflashoutahotrebukeandenjoyit。Youdidenjoyit,didn’tyou?

  Y。M。Forforaquarterofasecond。YesIdid。

  O。M。Verywell,itisasIhavesaid:thethingwhichwillgiveyoutheMOSTpleasure,themostsatisfaction,inanymomentorFRACTIONofamoment,isthethingyouwillalwaysdo。YoumustcontenttheMaster’sLATESTwhim,whateveritmaybe。

  Y。M。Butwhenthetearscameintotheoldservant’seyesI

  couldhavecutmyhandoffforwhatIhaddone。

  O。M。Right。YouhadhumiliatedYOURSELF,yousee,youhadgivenyourselfPAIN。NothingisofFIRSTimportancetoamanexceptresultswhichdamageHIMorprofithimalltherestisSECONDARY。YourMasterwasdispleasedwithyou,althoughyouhadobeyedhim。HerequiredapromptREPENTANCE;youobeyedagain;

  youHADtothereisneveranyescapefromhiscommands。Heisahardmasterandfickle;hechangeshismindinthefractionofasecond,butyoumustbereadytoobey,andyouwillobey,ALWAYS。

  Ifherequiresrepentance,youcontenthim,youwillalwaysfurnishit。Hemustbenursed,petted,coddled,andkeptcontented,letthetermsbewhattheymay。

  Y。M。Training!Oh,what’stheuseofit?Didn’tI,anddidn’tmymothertrytotrainmeuptowhereIwouldnolongerflyoutatthatgirl?

  O。M。Haveyounevermanagedtokeepbackascolding?

  Y。M。Oh,certainlymanytimes。

  O。M。Moretimesthisyearthanlast?

  Y。M。Yes,agoodmanymore。

  O。M。Moretimeslastyearthantheyearbefore?

  Y。M。Yes。

  O。M。Thereisalargeimprovement,then,inthetwoyears?

  Y。M。Yes,undoubtedly。

  O。M。Thenyourquestionisanswered。YouseethereISuseintraining。Keepon。Keepingfaithfullyon。Youaredoingwell。

  Y。M。Willmyreformreachperfection?

  O。M。Itwill。UPtoYOURlimit。

  Y。M。Mylimit?Whatdoyoumeanbythat?

  O。M。YourememberthatyousaidthatIsaidtrainingwasEVERYTHING。Icorrectedyou,andsaid\"trainingandANOTHER

  thing。\"ThatotherthingisTEMPERAMENTthatis,thedispositionyouwerebornwith。YOUCAN’TERADICATEYOUR

  DISPOSITIONNORANYRAGOFITyoucanonlyputapressureonitandkeepitdownandquiet。Youhaveawarmtemper?

  Y。M。Yes。

  O。M。Youwillnevergetridofit;butbywatchingityoucankeepitdownnearlyallthetime。ITSPRESENCEISYOUR

  LIMIT。Yourreformwillneverquitereachperfection,foryourtemperwillbeatyounowandthen,butyoucomenearenough。Youhavemadevaluableprogressandcanmakemore。ThereISuseintraining。Immenseuse。Presentlyyouwillreachanewstageofdevelopment,thenyourprogresswillbeeasier;willproceedonasimplerbasis,anyway。

  Y。M。Explain。

  O。M。Youkeepbackyourscoldingsnow,topleaseYOURSELF

  bypleasingyourMOTHER;presentlythemeretriumphingoveryourtemperwilldelightyourvanityandconferamoredeliciouspleasureandsatisfactionuponyouthaneventheapprobationofyourMOTHERconfersuponyounow。YouwillthenlaborforyourselfdirectlyandatFIRSTHAND,notbytheroundaboutwaythroughyourmother。Itsimplifiesthematter,anditalsostrengthenstheimpulse。

  Y。M。Ah,dear!ButIsha’n’teverreachthepointwhereI

  willsparethegirlforHERsakePRIMARILY,notmine?

  O。M。Whyyes。Inheaven。

  Y。M。(AFTERAREFLECTIVEPAUSE)Temperament。Well,Iseeonemustallowfortemperament。Itisalargefactor,sureenough。Mymotheristhoughtful,andnothottempered。WhenI

  wasdressedIwenttoherroom;shewasnotthere;Icalled,sheansweredfromthebathroom。Iheardthewaterrunning。I

  inquired。Sheanswered,withouttemper,thatJanehadforgottenherbath,andshewaspreparingitherself。Iofferedtoring,butshesaid,\"No,don’tdothat;itwouldonlydistresshertobeconfrontedwithherlapse,andwouldbearebuke;shedoesn’tdeservethatsheisnottoblameforthetrickshermemoryservesher。\"IsayhasmymotheranInteriorMaster?andwherewashe?

  O。M。Hewasthere。There,andlookingoutforhisownpeaceandpleasureandcontentment。Thegirl’sdistresswouldhavepainedYOURMOTHER。Otherwisethegirlwouldhavebeenrungup,distressandall。IknowwomenwhowouldhavegottenaNo。1

  PLEASUREoutofringingJaneupandsotheywouldinfalliblyhavepushedthebuttonandobeyedthelawoftheirmakeandtraining,whicharetheservantsoftheirInteriorMasters。Itisquitelikelythatapartofyourmother’sforbearancecamefromtraining。TheGOODkindoftrainingwhosebestandhighestfunctionistoseetoitthateverytimeitconfersasatisfactionuponitspupilabenefitshallfallatsecondhanduponothers。

  Y。M。Ifyouweregoingtocondenseintoanadmonitionyourplanforthegeneralbettermentoftherace’scondition,howwouldyouwordit?

  AdmonitionO。M。DiligentlytrainyouridealsUPWARDandSTILLUPWARD

  towardasummitwhereyouwillfindyourchiefestpleasureinconductwhich,whilecontentingyou,willbesuretoconferbenefitsuponyourneighborandthecommunity。

  Y。M。Isthatanewgospel?

  O。M。No。

  Y。M。Ithasbeentaughtbefore?

  O。M。Fortenthousandyears。

  Y。M。Bywhom?

  O。M。Allthegreatreligionsallthegreatgospels。

  Y。M。Thenthereisnothingnewaboutit?

  O。M。Ohyes,thereis。Itiscandidlystated,thistime。

  Thathasnotbeendonebefore。

  Y。M。Howdoyoumean?

  O。M。Haven’tIputYOUFIRST,andyourneighborandthecommunityAFTERWARD?

  Y。M。Well,yes,thatisadifference,itistrue。

  O。M。Thedifferencebetweenstraightspeakingandcrooked;

  thedifferencebetweenfranknessandshuffling。

  Y。M。Explain。

  O。M。Theothersofferyourahundredbribestobegood,thusconcedingthattheMasterinsideofyoumustbeconciliatedandcontentedfirst,andthatyouwilldonothingatFIRSTHAND

  butforhissake;thentheyturnsquarearoundandrequireyoutodogoodforOTHER’SsakeCHIEFLY;andtodoyourdutyforduty’sSAKE,chiefly;andtodoactsofSELFSACRIFICE。ThusattheoutsetweallstanduponthesamegroundrecognitionofthesupremeandabsoluteMonarchthatresidesinman,andweallgrovelbeforehimandappealtohim;thenthoseothersdodgeandshuffle,andfacearoundandunfranklyandinconsistentlyandillogicallychangetheformoftheirappealanddirectitspersuasionstoman’sSECONDPLACEpowersandtopowerswhichhaveNOEXISTENCEinhim,thusadvancingthemtoFIRSTplace;whereasinmyAdmonitionIsticklogicallyandconsistentlytotheoriginalposition:IplacetheInteriorMaster’srequirementsFIRST,andkeepthemthere。

  Y。M。Ifwegrant,forthesakeofargument,thatyourschemeandtheotherschemesaimatandproducethesameresult

  RIGHTLIVINGhasyoursanadvantageovertheothers?

  O。M。One,yesalargeone。Ithasnoconcealments,nodeceptions。WhenamanleadsarightandvaluablelifeunderitheisnotdeceivedastotheREALchiefmotivewhichimpelshimtoitinthoseothercasesheis。

  Y。M。Isthatanadvantage?Isitanadvantagetolivealoftylifeforameanreason?IntheothercaseshelivestheloftylifeundertheIMPRESSIONthatheislivingforaloftyreason。Isnotthatanadvantage?

  O。M。Perhapsso。Thesameadvantagehemightgetoutofthinkinghimselfaduke,andlivingaduke’slifeandparadinginducalfussandfeathers,whenhewasn’tadukeatall,andcouldfinditoutifhewouldonlyexaminetheherald’srecords。

  Y。M。Butanyway,heisobligedtodoaduke’spart;heputshishandinhispocketanddoeshisbenevolencesonasbigascaleashecanstand,andthatbenefitsthecommunity。

  O。M。Hecoulddothatwithoutbeingaduke。

  Y。M。Butwouldhe?

  O。M。Don’tyouseewhereyouarearriving?

  Y。M。Where?

  O。M。Atthestandpointoftheotherschemes:Thatitisgoodmoralstoletanignorantdukedoshowybenevolencesforhispride’ssake,aprettylowmotive,andgoondoingthemunwarned,lestifheweremadeacquaintedwiththeactualmotivewhichpromptedthemhemightshutuphispurseandceasetobegood?

  Y。M。Butisn’titbesttoleavehiminignorance,aslongasheTHINKSheisdoinggoodforothers’sake?

  O。M。Perhapsso。Itisthepositionoftheotherschemes。

  Theythinkhumbugisgoodenoughmoralswhenthedividendonitisgooddeedsandhandsomeconduct。

  Y。M。Itismyopinionthatunderyourschemeofaman’sdoingagooddeedforhisOWNsakefirstoff,insteadoffirstfortheGOODDEED’Ssake,nomanwouldeverdoone。

  O。M。Haveyoucommittedabenevolencelately?

  Y。M。Yes。Thismorning。

  O。M。Givetheparticulars。

  Y。M。ThecabinoftheoldnegrowomanwhousedtonursemewhenIwasachildandwhosavedmylifeonceattheriskofherown,wasburnedlastnight,andshecamemourningthismorning,andpleadingformoneytobuildanotherone。

  O。M。Youfurnishedit?

  Y。M。Certainly。

  O。M。Youweregladyouhadthemoney?

  Y。M。Money?Ihadn’t。Isoldmyhorse。

  O。M。Youweregladyouhadthehorse?

  Y。M。OfcourseIwas;forifIhadn’thadthehorseI

  shouldhavebeenincapable,andmyMOTHERwouldhavecapturedthechancetosetoldSallyup。

  O。M。Youwerecordiallygladyouwerenotcaughtoutandincapable?

  Y。M。Oh,Ijustwas!

  O。M。Now,then

  Y。M。Stopwhereyouare!Iknowyourwholecatalogofquestions,andIcouldanswereveryoneofthemwithoutyourwastingthetimetoaskthem;butIwillsummarizethewholethinginasingleremark:IdidthecharityknowingitwasbecausetheactwouldgiveMEasplendidpleasure,andbecauseoldSally’smovinggratitudeanddelightwouldgiveMEanotherone;andbecausethereflectionthatshewouldbehappynowandoutofhertroublewouldfillMEfullofhappiness。IdidthewholethingwithmyeyesopenandrecognizingandrealizingthatIwaslookingoutforMYshareoftheprofitsFIRST。Nowthen,I

  haveconfessed。Goon。

  O。M。Ihaven’tanythingtooffer;youhavecoveredthewholeground。CanyouhavebeenanyMOREstronglymovedtohelpSallyoutofhertroublecouldyouhavedonethedeedanymoreeagerlyifyouhadbeenunderthedelusionthatyouweredoingitforHERsakeandprofitonly?

  Y。M。No!Nothingintheworldcouldhavemadetheimpulsewhichmovedmemorepowerful,moremasterful,morethoroughlyirresistible。Iplayedthelimit!

  O。M。Verywell。YoubegintosuspectandIclaimtoKNOW

  thatwhenamanisashadeMORESTRONGLYMOVEDtodoONEoftwothingsoroftwodozenthingsthanheistodoanyoneoftheOTHERS,hewillinfalliblydothatONEthing,beitgoodorbeitevil;andifitbegood,notallthebeguilementsofallthecasuistriescanincreasethestrengthoftheimpulsebyasingleshadeoraddashadetothecomfortandcontentmenthewillgetoutoftheact。

  Y。M。Thenyoubelievethatsuchtendencytowarddoinggoodasisinmen’sheartswouldnotbediminishedbytheremovalofthedelusionthatgooddeedsaredoneprimarilyforthesakeofNo。2insteadofforthesakeofNo。1?

  O。M。ThatiswhatIfullybelieve。

  Y。M。Doesn’titsomehowseemtotakefromthedignityofthedeed?

  O。M。Ifthereisdignityinfalsity,itdoes。Itremovesthat。

  Y。M。Whatisleftforthemoraliststodo?

  O。M。Teachunreservedlywhathealreadyteacheswithonesideofhismouthandtakesbackwiththeother:DorightFOR

  YOUROWNSAKE,andbehappyinknowingthatyourNEIGHBORwillcertainlyshareinthebenefitsresulting。

  Y。M。RepeatyourAdmonition。

  O。M。DILIGENTLYTRAINYOURIDEALSUPWARDANDSTILLUPWARD

  TOWARDASUMMITWHEREYOUWILLFINDYOURCHIEFESTPLEASUREIN

  CONDUCTWHICH,WHILECONTENTINGYOU,WILLBESURETOCONFER

  BENEFITSUPONYOURNEIGHBORANDTHECOMMUNITY。

  Y。M。One’sEVERYactproceedsfromEXTERIORINFLUENCES,youthink?

  O。M。Yes。

  Y。M。IfIconcludetorobaperson,IamnottheORIGINATOR

  oftheidea,butitcomesinfromtheOUTSIDE?IseehimhandlingmoneyforinstanceandTHATmovesmetothecrime?

  O。M。That,byitself?Oh,certainlynot。ItismerelytheLATESToutsideinfluenceofaprocessionofpreparatoryinfluencesstretchingbackoveraperiodofyears。NoSINGLE

  outsideinfluencecanmakeamandoathingwhichisatwarwithhistraining。ThemostitcandoistostarthismindonanewtractandopenittothereceptionofNEWinfluencesasinthecaseofIgnatiusLoyola。IntimetheseinfluencescantrainhimtoapointwhereitwillbeconsonantwithhisnewcharactertoyieldtotheFINALinfluenceanddothatthing。Iwillputthecaseinaformwhichwillmakemytheorycleartoyou,Ithink。

  Herearetwoingotsofvirgingold。Theyshallrepresentacoupleofcharacterswhichhavebeenrefinedandperfectedinthevirtuesbyyearsofdiligentrighttraining。Supposeyouwantedtobreakdownthesestrongandwellcompactedcharacterswhatinfluencewouldyoubringtobearupontheingots?

  Y。M。Workitoutyourself。Proceed。

  O。M。SupposeIturnupononeofthemasteamjetduringalongsuccessionofhours。Willtherebearesult?

  Y。M。NonethatIknowof。

  O。M。Why?

  Y。M。Asteamjetcannotbreakdownsuchasubstance。

  O。M。Verywell。ThesteamisanOUTSIDEINFLUENCE,butitisineffectivebecausethegoldTAKESNOINTERESTINIT。Theingotremainsasitwas。Supposeweaddtothesteamsomequicksilverinavaporizedcondition,andturnthejetupontheingot,willtherebeaninstantaneousresult?

  Y。M。No。

  O。M。TheQUICKSILVERisanoutsideinfluencewhichgold(byitspeculiarnaturesayTEMPERAMENT,DISPOSITION)CANNOTBE

  INDIFFERENTTO。Itstirsuptheinterestofthegold,althoughwedonotperceiveit;butaSINGLEapplicationoftheinfluenceworksnodamage。Letuscontinuetheapplicationinasteadystream,andcalleachminuteayear。Bytheendoftenortwentyminutestenortwentyyearsthelittleingotissoddenwithquicksilver,itsvirtuesaregone,itscharacterisdegraded。Atlastitisreadytoyieldtoatemptationwhichitwouldhavetakennonoticeof,tenortwentyyearsago。Wewillapplythattemptationintheformofapressureofmyfinger。Younotetheresult?

  Y。M。Yes;theingothascrumbledtosand。Iunderstand,now。ItisnottheSINGLEoutsideinfluencethatdoesthework,butonlytheLASToneofalonganddisintegratingaccumulationofthem。Isee,now,howmySINGLEimpulsetorobthemanisnottheonethatmakesmedoit,butonlytheLASToneofapreparatoryseries。Youmightillustratewithaparable。

  AParableO。M。Iwill。TherewasonceapairofNewEnglandboys

  twins。Theywerealikeingooddispositions,fecklessmorals,andpersonalappearance。TheywerethemodelsoftheSunday

  school。AtfifteenGeorgehadtheopportunitytogoascabinboyinawhaleship,andsailedawayforthePacific。Henryremainedathomeinthevillage。AteighteenGeorgewasasailorbeforethemast,andHenrywasteacheroftheadvancedBibleclass。AttwentytwoGeorge,throughfightinghabitsanddrinkinghabitsacquiredatseaandinthesailorboardinghousesoftheEuropeanandOrientalports,wasacommonroughinHongKong,andoutofajob;andHenrywassuperintendentoftheSundayschool。AttwentysixGeorgewasawanderer,atramp,andHenrywaspastorofthevillagechurch。ThenGeorgecamehome,andwasHenry’sguest。Oneeveningamanpassedbyandturneddownthelane,andHenrysaid,withapatheticsmile,\"Withoutintendingmeadiscomfort,thatmanisalwayskeepingmeremindedofmypinchingpoverty,forhecarriesheapsofmoneyabouthim,andgoesbyhereeveryeveningofhislife。\"ThatOUTSIDEINFLUENCEthatremarkwasenoughforGeorge,butITwasnottheonethatmadehimambushthemanandrobhim,itmerelyrepresentedtheelevenyears’accumulationofsuchinfluences,andgavebirthtotheactforwhichtheirlonggestationhadmadepreparation。IthadneverenteredtheheadofHenrytorobthemanhisingothadbeensubjectedtocleansteamonly;butGeorge’shadbeensubjectedtovaporizedquicksilver。

  V

  MoreAbouttheMachineNote。WhenMrs。W。askshowcanamillionairegiveasingledollartocollegesandmuseumswhileonehumanbeingisdestituteofbread,shehasansweredherquestionherself。Herfeelingforthepoorshowsthatshehasastandardofbenevolence;thereshehasconcededthemillionaire’sprivilegeofhavingastandard;

  sincesheevidentlyrequireshimtoadoptherstandard,sheisbythatactrequiringherselftoadopthis。Thehumanbeingalwayslooksdownwhenheisexamininganotherperson’sstandard;heneverfindonethathehastoexaminebylookingup。

  TheManMachineAgainYoungMan。Youreallythinkmanisameremachine?

  OldMan。Ido。

  Y。M。Andthathismindworksautomaticallyandisindependentofhiscontrolcarriesonthoughtonitsownhook?

  O。M。Yes。Itisdiligentlyatwork,unceasinglyatwork,duringeverywakingmoment。Haveyounevertossedaboutallnight,imploring,beseeching,commandingyourmindtostopworkandletyougotosleep?youwhoperhapsimaginethatyourmindisyourservantandmustobeyyourorders,thinkwhatyoutellittothink,andstopwhenyoutellittostop。Whenitchoosestowork,thereisnowaytokeepitstillforaninstant。Thebrightestmanwouldnotbeabletosupplyitwithsubjectsifhehadtohuntthemup。Ifitneededtheman’shelpitwouldwaitforhimtogiveitworkwhenhewakesinthemorning。

  Y。M。Maybeitdoes。

  O。M。No,itbeginsrightaway,beforethemangetswideenoughawaketogiveitasuggestion。Hemaygotosleepsaying,\"ThemomentIwakeIwillthinkuponsuchandsuchasubject,\"

  buthewillfail。Hismindwillbetooquickforhim;bythetimehehasbecomenearlyenoughawaketobehalfconscious,hewillfindthatitisalreadyatworkuponanothersubject。Maketheexperimentandsee。

  Y。M。Atanyrate,hecanmakeitsticktoasubjectifhewantsto。

  O。M。Notifitfindanotherthatsuitsitbetter。Asaruleitwilllistentoneitheradullspeakernorabrightone。

  Itrefusesallpersuasion。Thedullspeakerweariesitandsendsitfarawayinidledreams;thebrightspeakerthrowsoutstimulatingideaswhichitgoeschasingafterandisatonceunconsciousofhimandhistalk。Youcannotkeepyourmindfromwandering,ifitwantsto;itismaster,notyou。

  AfteranIntervalofDaysO。M。Now,dreamsbutwewillexaminethatlater。

  Meantime,didyoutrycommandingyourmindtowaitforordersfromyou,andnotdoanythinkingonitsownhook?

  Y。M。Yes,IcommandedittostandreadytotakeorderswhenIshouldwakeinthemorning。

  O。M。Diditobey?

  Y。M。No。Itwenttothinkingofsomethingofitsowninitiation,withoutwaitingforme。AlsoasyousuggestedatnightIappointedathemeforittobeginoninthemorning,andcommandedittobeginonthatoneandnoother。

  O。M。Diditobey?

  Y。M。No。

  O。M。Howmanytimesdidyoutrytheexperiment?

  Y。M。Ten。

  O。M。Howmanysuccessesdidyouscore?

  Y。M。Notone。

  O。M。ItisasIhavesaid:themindisindependentoftheman。Hehasnocontroloverit;itdoesasitpleases。Itwilltakeupasubjectinspiteofhim;itwillsticktoitinspiteofhim;itwillthrowitasideinspiteofhim。Itisentirelyindependentofhim。

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