LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. PART EIGHT.
Part Eight is enclosed herewith. In this Part you
will find that you may freely choose what you think
but the result of your thought is governed by an
immutable law! Is not this a wonderful thought?
Is it not wonderful to know that our lives are not
subject to caprice or variability of any kind? That
they are governed by law. This stability is our op-
portunity, because by complying with the law we
can secure the desired effect with invariable pre-
cision.
It is the Law which makes the Universe one grand
paean of Harmony. If it were not for law, the Uni-
verse would be a Chaos instead of a Cosmos.
Here, then, is the secret of the origin of both good
and evil, this is all the good and evil there ever was
or ever will be.
Let me illustrate. Thought results in action, if
your thought is constructive and harmonious, the
result will be good, if your thought is destructive or
inharmonious, the result will be evil.
There is therefore but one law, one principle, one
cause, one Source of Power, and good and evil are
simply words which have been coined to indicate the
result of our action, or our compliance or non-com-
pliance with this law.
The importance of this is well illustrated in the
lives of Emerson and Carlyle. Emerson loved the
good and his life was a symphony of peace and
harmony, Carlyle hated the bad, and his life was a
record of perpetual discord and inharmony.
Here we have two grand men, each intent upon
achieving the same ideal, but one makes use of con-
structive thought and is therefore in harmony with
Natural Law, the other makes use of destructive
thought and therefore brings upon himself discord
of every kind and character.
It is evident there fore that we are to hate nothing,
not even the "bad," because hatred is destructive,
and we shall soon find that by entertaining destruc-
tive thought we are sowing the "wind" and shall
reap the "whirlwind."
PART EIGHT.
1. Thought contains a vital principle,
because it is the creative principle of the
Universe and by its nature will combine
with other similar thoughts.
2. As the one purpose of life is growth,
all principle underlying existence must con-
tribute to give it effect. Thought, there-
fore, takes form and the law of growth
eventually brings it into manifestation.
3. You may freely choose what you
think, but the result of your thought is
governed by an immutable law. Any line
of thought persisted in cannot fail to pro-
duce its result in the character, health and
circumstances of the individual. Methods
whereby we can substitute habits of con-
structive thinking for those which we have
found produce only undesirable effects are
therefore of primary importance.
4. We all know that this is by no means
easy. Mental habits are difficult to con-
trol, but it can be done and the way to do
it is to begin at once to substitute construc-
tive thought for destructive thought. Form
the habit of analyzing every thought. If
it is necessary, if its manifestation in the
objective will be a benefit, not only to your-
self, but to all whom it may affect in any
way, keep it; treasure it; it is of value; it
is in tune with the Infinite; it will grow
and develop and produce fruit an hundred
fold. On the other hand, it will be well for
you to keep this quotation from George
Matthews Adams, in mind, "Learn to keep
the door shut, keep out of your mind, out
of your office, and out of your world, every
element that seeks admittance with no defi-
nite helpful end in view."
5. If your thought has been critical or
destructive, and has resulted in any condi-
tion of discord or inharmony in your en-
vironment, it may be necessary for you to
cultivate a mental attitude which will be
conducive to constructive thought.
6. The imagination will be found to be
a great assistance in this direction; the cul-
tivation of the imagination leads to the de-
velopment of the ideal out of which your
future will emerge.
7. The imagination gathers up the ma-
terial by which the Mind weaves the fab-
ric in which your future is to be clothed.
8. Imagination is the light by which we
can penetrate new worlds of thought and
experience.
9. Imagination is the mighty instru-
ment by which every discoverer, every in-
ventor, opened the way from precedent to
experience. Precedent said, "It cannot be
done;" experience said, "It is done."
10. Imagination is a plastic power,
moulding the things of sense into new
forms and ideals.
11. Imagination is the constructive
form of thought which must precede every
constructive form of action.
12. A builder cannot build a structure
of any kind until he has first received the
plans from the architect, and the architect
must get them from his imagination.
13. The Captain of Industry cannot
build a giant corporation which may co-
ordinate hundreds of smaller corporations
and thousands of employes, and utilize mil-
lions of capital until he has first created the
entire work in his imagination. Objects in
the material world are as clay in the pot-
ter's hand; it is in the Master Mind that
the real things are created, and it is by the
use of the imagination that the work is
done. In order to cultivate the imagina-
tion it must be exercised. Exercise is nec-
cessary to cultivate mental muscle as well
as physical muscle. It must be supplied
with nourishment or it cannot grow.
14. Do not confuse Imagination with
Fancy, or that form of day dreaming in
which some people like to indulge. Day
dreaming is a form of mental dissipation
which may lead to mental disaster.
15. Constructive imagination means
mental labor, by some considered to be the
hardest kind of labor, but, if so, it yields
the greatest returns, for all the great things
in life have come to men and women who
had the capacity to think, to imagine, and
to make their dreams come true.
16. When you have become thoroughly
conscious of the fact that Mind is the only
creative principle, that it is Omnipotent,
Omniscient and Omnipresent, and that you
can consciously come into harmony with
this Omnipotence through your power of
thought, you will have taken a long step in
the right direction.
17. The next step is to place yourself in
position to receive this power. As it is
Omnipresent, it must be within you. We
know that this is so because we know that
all power is from within, but it must be de-
veloped, unfolded, cultivated; in order to
do this we must be receptive, and this re-
ceptivity is acquired just as physical
strength is gained, by exercise.
18. The law of attraction will certainly
and unerringly bring to you the conditions,
environment, and experiences in life, cor-
responding with your habitual, characteris-
tic, predominant mental attitude. Not
what you think once in a while when you
are in church, or have just read a good
book, but your predominant mental atti-
tude is what counts.
19. You can not entertain weak, harm-
ful, negative thoughts ten hours a day and
expect to bring about beautiful, strong and
harmonious conditions by ten minutes of
strong, positive, creative thought.
20. Real power comes from within. All
power that anybody can possibly use is
within man, only waiting to be brought into
visibility by his first recognizing it, and
then affirming it as his, working it into his
consciousness until he becomes one with it.
21. People say that they desire abun-
dant life, and so they do, but so many in-
terpret this to mean that if they will exer-
cise their muscles or breathe scientifically,
eat certain foods in certain ways, drink so
many glasses of water every day, of just
a certain temperature, keep out of drafts,
they will attain the abundant life they seek.
The result of such methods is but indiffer-
ent. However, when man awakens to the
truth, and affirms his oneness with all Life,
he finds that he takes on the clear eye, the
elastic step, the vigor of youth; he finds
that he has discovered the source of all
power.
22. All mistakes are but the mistakes of
ignorance. Knowledge gaining and conse-
quent power is what determines growth
and evolution. The recognition and dem-
onstration of knowledge is what constitutes
power, and this power is spiritual power,
and this spiritual power is the power which
lies at the heart of all things; it is the soul
of the universe.
23. This knowledge is the result of
man's ability to think; thought is therefore
the germ of man's conscious evolution.
When man ceases to advance in his
thoughts and ideals, his forces immediately
begin to disintegrate and his countenance
gradually registers these changing condi-
tions.
24. Successful men make it their busi-
ness to hold ideals of the conditions which
they wish to realize. They constantly hold
in mind the next step necessary to the ideal
for which they are striving. Thoughts are
the materials with which they build, and
the imagination is their mental work-shop.
Mind is the ever moving force with which
they secure the persons and circumstances
necessary to build their success structure,
and imagination is the matrix in which all
great things are fashioned.
25. If you have been faithful to your
ideal, you will hear the call when circum-
stances are ready to materialize your plans
and results will correspond in the exact
ratio of your fidelity to your ideal. The
ideal steadily held is what pre-determines
and attracts the necessary conditions for
its fulfillment.
26. It is thus that you may weave a gar-
ment of spirit and power into the web of
your entire existence; it is thus that you
may lead a charmed life and be forever
protected from all harm; it is thus that you
may become a positive force whereby con-
ditions of opulence and harmony may be
attracted to you.
27. This is the leaven which is grad-
ually permeating the general consciousness
and is largely responsible for the condi-
tions of unrest which are everywhere evi-
dent.
28. Last week you created a mental im-
age, you brought it from the invisible into
the visible; this week I want you to take an
object and follow it back to its origination,
see of what it really consists. If you do
this you will develop imagination, insight,
perception, and sagacity. These come not
by the superficial observation of the multi-
tude, but by a keen analytical observation
which sees below the surface.
29. It is the few who know that the
things which they see are only effects, and
understand the causes by which these ef-
fects were brought into existence.
30. Take the same position as hereto-
fore and visualize a Battleship; see the
grim monster floating on the surface of
the water; there appears to be no life any-
where about; all is silence; you know that
by far the largest part of the vessel is
under water; out of sight; you know that
the ship is as large and as heavy as a
twenty-story skyscraper; you know that
there are hundreds of men ready to spring
to their appointed task instantly; you know
that every department is in charge of able,
trained, skilled officials who have proven
themselves competent to take charge of this
marvelous piece of mechanism; you know
that although it lies apparently oblivious
to everything else, it has eyes which see
everything for miles around, and nothing
is permitted to escape its watchful vision;
you know that while it appears quiet, sup-
missive and innocent, it is prepared to
hurl a steel projectile weighing thousands
of pounds at an enemy many miles away;
this and much more you can bring to mind
with comparatively no effort whatever.
But how did the battleship come to be
where it is; how did it come into existence
in the first place? All of this you want to
know if you are a careful observer.
31. Follow the great steel plates through
the foundries, see the thousands of men
employed in their production; go still fur-
ther back, and see the ore as it comes from
the mine, see it loaded on barges or cars,
see it melted and properly treated; go back
still further and see the architect and en-
gineers who planned the vessel; let the
thought carry you back still further in or-
der to determine why they planned the ves-
sel; you will see that you are now so far
back that the vessel is something intangible,
it no longer exists, it is now only a thought
existing in the brain of the architect; but
from where did the order come to plan the
vessel? Probably from the Secretary of
War; but probably this vessel was planned
long before the war was thought of, and
that Congress had to pass a bill apppropriat-
ing the money; possibly there was opposi-
tion, and speeches for or against the bill.
Whom do these Congressmen represent?
They represent you and me, so that our line
of thought begins with the Battleship and
ends with ourselves, and we find in the last
analysis that our own thought is responsi-
ble for this and many other things, of
which we seldom think, and a little further
reflection will develop the most important
fact of all and that is, if someone had not
discovered the law by which this tremen-
dous mass of steel and iron could be made
to float upon the water, instead of imme-
diately going to the bottom, the battleship
could not have come into existence at all.
32. This law is that, "the specific grav-
ity of any substance is the weight of any
volume of it, compared with an equal vol-
ume of water." The discovery of this law
revolutionized every kind of ocean travel,
commerce and warfare, and make the exist-
ence of the battleship possible.
33. You will find exercises of this kind
invaluable. When the thought has been
trained to look below the surface every-
thing takes on a different appearance, the
insignificant becomes significant, the unin-
teresting interesting; the things which we
supposed to be of no importance are seen
to be the only really vital things in exist-
ence.
LOOK TO THIS DAY.
For it is life, the very Life of Life.
In Its brief course lie all the Vereties
and
Realities of your existence;
The Bliss of Growth;
The Glory of Action;
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And Tomorrow is only a Vision;
But Today well lived makes every
Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, and
Every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look Well, therefore, to This Day!
-- From the Sanscrit.
PART EIGHT.
71. What is the imagination?
A form of constructive thought. The
light by which we penetrate new
worlds of thought and experience.
The mighty instrument by which
every inventor or discoverer opened
the way from precedent to experi-
ence.
72. What is the result of imagination?
The cultivation of the imagination
leads to the development of the ideal
out of which your future will emerge.
73. How may it be cultivated?
By exercise; it must be supplied with
nourishment or it cannot live.
74. How does imagination differ from
day dreaming?
Day dreaming is a form of mental
dissipation, while imagination is a
form of constructive thought which
must precede every constructive
action.
75. What are mistakes?
The result of ignorance.
76. What is knowledge?
The result of man's ability to think.
77. What is the power with which suc-
cessful men build?
Mind is the ever moving force with
which they secure the persons and
circumstances necessary to complete
their plans.
78. What pre-determines the result?
The ideal held steadily in mind at-
tracts the necessary conditions for
its fulfillment.
79. What is the result of a keen an-
alytical observation?
The development of imagination,
insight, perception and sagacity.
80. To what do these lead?
Opulence and harmony.
Those who have finished by making
all others think with them have usually
been those who began by daring to think
for themselves. -- Colton.