Kitobni o'qish: «Menticulture»

This little paper; being a Kindergarten presentation of a theory of menticulture through the elimination of the germs of the evil passions; proven to be of practical benefit by a personal experience in every-day life; was read before a gathering of Mental Scientists at New Orleans. At the request of a number of my friends I have had it put into printed form for them.

I have added the substance of a discussion which followed the reading of the paper, a diagnosis, a prescription, some scraps of evidence from influential sources which have come to me, some suggestions relative to the tendency to far-away search for happiness, and a ray of hope that it can be found near at hand, through Emancipation.

PREFACE

Medical science had struggled for centuries with the repression and amelioration of physical disease before it discovered the possibility of prevention by killing the germ.

Mental science pursued the same course of attempted repression in this country until quite recently it was found that mental afflictions have germs also, and it naturally follows that any who are interested in the subject should try to discover, not only the germs themselves, but methods of getting rid of them.

The discovery that I have made is not new, as Christ, Buddha, Aristotle, Omar Khayyam and many others, have all suggested that the elimination of the evil passions is entirely possible; but my special analysis of them, and the easy method of defeat that I have found possible to myself, have excited such interest, that I have been induced to publish them, without attempting to follow the subject beyond the elementary stage.

The theory that I have built up is based on a proper estimation of the limitations of mental weaknesses, a discovery that they have roots, and also that they can be "pulled out by the roots" and disposed of just like any other weeds; only that the task, being mental and not physical, can be more easily performed.

Literary grace has been sacrificed in the belief that redundant reference to the germs will be effective in bringing them into contempt.

THEORY

Anger and Worry are Germs

All of the evil passions are traceable to one of two roots.

Anger is the root of all the aggressive passions.

Worry is the root of all the cowardly passions.

Envy, spite, revenge, impatience, annoyance, selfishness, prejudice, unrest, and the like are all phases of anger.

Jealousy, fear, the belittling of self, the blues, and all the introspective forms of depression are the children of worry.

Anger and worry are the most unprofitable conditions known to man. While they are in possession of the mind, both mental and physical growth are suspended.

Anger and Worry are Thieves

Anger and worry are thieves that steal precious time and energy from life.

Anger is a highway robber and worry is a sneak thief.

Anger and worry are the most potent forms of self-abuse, for the reason that in many cases anger is the result of misunderstanding, and in most cases worry's prophecies never come true; or, if they do, the fulfilment is generally caused by the worry itself.

Anger and worry do not stimulate to any good end.

Anger and worry not only dwarf and depress, but sometimes kill.

Anger and worry are bad habits of the mind and not necessary ingredients.

Anger and worry are no more necessary than other passions civilized man has learned to control, and it is only needful to realize that they are unnecessary in order to make it impossible to feel, much less to show them.

Anger and worry cannot be eliminated through process of repression any more than a weed can be killed by cutting down the stalk, or a cancer can be cured from the surface, or the drinking habit can be gotten rid of by "tapering off." Germ eradication is not only the easiest, but the only sure cure for all physical diseases and mental handicaps.

The dispossession of anger and worry does not cause indifference or encourage indolence.

The natural tendency of the emancipated mind is towards growth, both intellectual and spiritual, just as the tendency of plant life is towards vigorous growth and perfect blossoming, if it is kept free from the gnawings of cankerous worms.

Anger and Worry are Parasites

Anger and worry are as much parasites as are the cankerous worms that attack plants. The intelligent horticulturist knows that the worms are parasites, picks them off his plant, and throws them away too far to return. The intelligent menticulturist of the future will treat anger and worry in the same intelligent manner.

It is not necessary to engage in battle the small army of lesser passions if you concentrate your efforts against anger and worry, for they are all children of these parents. Oppose them with a bold front; make one heroic stand against them and they and all of their children will fly. Disown them once and the ability to re-adopt them will have disappeared with them.

Worry Causes Dissipation

Anger and worry, especially worry, are the cause of most of the drunkenness and other dissipations which are the curses of the age. Excuse for them or temptation to them is found in the desire to smother the depression which they themselves cause.

Anger and worry are creations of the mind, and can be dispelled by the same power that gave them birth.

Anger and Worry are Phantoms

Anger and worry are caused by phantoms that we create within ourselves and whose only strength is that with which we endow them.

Anger and worry are like echoes; they do not exist until we call for them, and the louder we call, the louder is their response. We can never drown them; yet, if let alone, they drown themselves.

Fear is possibly the truer name for the cowardly root-passion than worry; but as they are synonymous, and as anger and worry are more frequently used together, and worry has a less formidable sound, I have chosen to present it for attack under that title.

While the evil passions align themselves into two classes, as the offshoots of Anger and Worry; they are, in fact, all growths from one root. Worry (or fear) is the male principle, as it were, without which, all the others wither and die. For instance; if we do not worry, we do not fear; and if we do not fear aggression, or insult, or slight, we do not become angry. We quarrel most frequently with what we fear is thought or intended by our adversary, and least frequently with what he actually does or thinks. On the other hand our adversary endows us with intentions which he himself creates, and each puts his own fuel on the fire, to increase the heat of the controversy.

In Emancipation there is no fear, (or worry) and consequently no fuel for discord.

Emancipation Disarms

Emancipation is a disarmament which disarms others, but adds strength to itself.

To the Emancipated every moment is a delight, or a moment of calm, during which he is susceptible only to good impressions, and the best interpretation of everything, no matter what the external conditions. Even in cases of sickness, the tendency of the emancipated mind is so inclined to gratitude for the limitations of the calamity, that it has little if any room left for regret. Its thankful appreciation of a half loaf of blessings, leaves no place for disappointment that it is not a whole one, and it certainly has no desire to question the wisdom of the process of evolution to which it is related.

To question or to regret the inevitable seems to the emancipated mind the greatest folly imaginable. It certainly is as foolish as barking at the moon.

"Sweet Sorrow"

"Sweet sorrow" must not be classed with the depressing passions. It is the tenderest expression of love. If tears of love or of sympathy spring to the eyes, do not repress them; do not be ashamed of them; they are like dew from Heaven and promote the growth of the soul.

Neither must friendly rivalry, nor ambition to excel, be classed as aggressions; as they are phases of growth.

Blesses or Curses

The disposition of the Emancipated is to switch the current of the Divine Spark (which is the energy of man) on to wires that connect with motors belted to good acts, and good thoughts, and worthy appreciation, and to cut out the circuits of worry and anger and their branch lines entirely, leaving them to rust and decay through disuse. It is a matter of voluntary selection. The same effort of thought can be made to bless or to curse; can stimulate to good or stimulate to bad; can propel or retard; can aid or obstruct; can nourish or kill.

Perfection is Divinity

Nature uses the same atoms to perform many services of widely differing purpose. Where she is inanimate the blind and dumb law of the "survival of the fittest" rules supreme. In her lowest forms of life this law begins to be modified by selection, and protection from without. In the higher forms of animal life memory, and selection, and division of labor, and provision, and gratitude, show a degree of development that is beautiful indeed; but it is left to man to perfect this development within himself. To him is given the power, through cultivation, to promote, without limit, growth towards Perfection, which is the evidence of Divinity in him.

 
Soft mist, down-falling, from its cloud domain,
Bathes all the thirsty land with gentle rain;
Again, to Heaven ascends, by sunbeams wooed,
Then plunges back to earth in torrent mood.
 
 
As gentle rain it swells the softening seed;
In torrent force, it wrecks with demon greed;
Now, like the radiance of a loving heart;
Now, like the scorching of a lightning dart.
 
 
The self-same atom, hidden in a tear.
May shine with love, or note a potent fear;
When bound to others form the flintiest stone;
Or, floating freely, bear the subtlest tone.
 
 
Thoughts are like atoms, fashioned by the will;
Each has a mission, charged with good or ill;
Sometimes to bless; anon to desolate;
Love's messenger; or harbinger of hate.
 
 
In Nature's hands, one atom plays two parts,
As may be needed in her several arts;
In man alone, should love forever shine;
Displacing hate; proclaiming man Divine.
 

Love, and Appreciation, and Gratitude, – the ever-present and ever-faithful handmaids of Emancipation, – are the natural and only conditions favorable to growth; they are the less assertive but stronger attributes which are always waiting to occupy the places left vacant by anger and worry, and to fill the "void which Nature abhors." Born of them is that other Divine attribute called Help or Charity, and together they stimulate to good action and good thought, and lift into life that plant of the soul, the Divine Responsibility of each member of the human family.

Anger and worry are the rankest forms of Egotism.

Emancipation not Phariseeism

Emancipation is the reverse of Phariseeism. Phariseeism is self-sufficiency; while Emancipation shows its desire for growth, through the preparation of its mental and spiritual entity for unimpaired growth, by clearing it of the weeds of egotism.

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Ernest Francisco

Fenollosa It was my privilege one evening to be with Prof. Fenollosa in his Japanesque apartment in Boston. Almost every article in view was the product of some Japanese artist who had been the friend of Prof. Fenollosa in Japan. The odor of incense added perceptibly to the calming influence of the environment.

We had met in Japan

Many years ago we had met in far-off Japan amid similar surroundings, and had discussed theories of true living that had been a source of great pleasure to me, and whose influence had been with me to many countries and climes, helping me to enjoy more fully than I otherwise could, the beauties of nature, and of art, and of life.

We were exchanging the experiences of the intervening years, and I became acutely interested in his account of the wonderful degree of culture and self-control attained by some of his Japanese friends through the practice of the Buddhist discipline.

It was all so interesting and beautiful, that under the spell of the recital and the surroundings, I longed to taste some of the sweets of the calm he pictured, and begged him to tell me the process of the discipline, so that perchance I might follow it and reap some of the benefits.

The philosopher saw that I was serious in my desire, and his face lit up with approval as he said, "It is not easy to communicate at a sitting what took me years of study to learn, but I can at least put you in the way of a start. I can tell you where to begin to grow. You must first get rid of anger and worry." "But," said I, "is that possible?" "Yes," replied he, "it is possible to the Japanese, and ought to be possible to us."

I was startled at the suggestion of the possibility of the entire repression of anger and worry. I knew that their repression was counselled by Christianity and Buddhism, and presumably by all codes of religion and ethics; but I had never considered getting rid of them as a human possibility, except under conditions of health and wealth and ease, to which few, if any, ever attain.

Get rid of Anger and Worry

On my walk back to the Parker House, a distance of fully two miles, I could not think of anything else but the words, "get rid," "get rid;" and the idea must have continued to possess me during my sleeping hours, for the first consciousness in the morning brought back the same thought, with the revelation of a discovery, which framed itself into the reasoning, "If it is possible to get rid of anger and worry, why is it necessary to have them at all?" I felt the strength of the argument and at once accepted the reasoning. The baby had discovered that it could walk. It would scorn to creep any longer.

Anger and Worry Instantly Removed

From the instant I realized that these cancer spots of worry and anger were removable, they left me. With the discovery of their weakness they were exorcised. From that time life has had an entirely changed aspect.

Although from that moment the possibility and desirability of freedom from the depressing passions has been a reality to me, it took me some months to feel absolute security in my new position; but, as the usual occasions for worry and anger have presented themselves over and over again, and I have been unable to feel them in the slightest degree, I no longer dread or guard against them, and I am amazed at my increased energy and vigor of mind; – at my strength to meet situations of all kinds, and at my disposition to love and appreciate everything.

Wonderful Photographic Films

I have had occasion to travel more than ten thousand miles by rail since that morning; North, South, East and West, with the varying comforts and discomforts, as they used to be. The same Pullman porter, conductor, hotel waiter, peddler, book-agent, cabman, and others, who were formerly a source of annoyance and irritation have been met, but I am not conscious of a single incivility. All at once the whole world has turned good to me. I am sure the change is not so much in the world as in me. I have become, as it were, sensitive only to the rays of good, as some photographic films of recent invention are sensitive only to certain single colored rays of light.

Sensitive only to Good

If we are wise we never leave school. When the academy and the college have put us through their curriculum, we have still before us the example of Nature, and the walks of Science, and Art, and Brotherhood, in which to search for suggestions to be applied in menticulture. May we not learn a lesson from the newly discovered film?

Should not the chemical condition of selection be more difficult than a similar voluntary mental accomplishment? In comparison with a similar process in physics the more pliable material of the mind ought to be fashioned with greater ease.

A Fortunate Disappointment

I could recount many experiences which prove a brand new condition of mind, but one more will be sufficient. Without the slightest feeling of annoyance or impatience I have seen a train that I had planned to take with a good deal of interested and pleasurable anticipation, move out of a station without me, because my baggage did not arrive. The porter from the hotel came running and panting into the station just as the train pulled out of sight. When he saw me he looked as if he feared a scolding, and began to tell of being blocked in a crowded street and unable to get out. When he had finished, I said to him, "It doesn't matter at all, you couldn't help it, so we will try it again to-morrow. Here is your fee, I am sorry you had all this trouble in earning it." The look of surprise that came over his face was so filled with pleasure that I was repaid on the spot for the delay in my departure. Next day he would not accept a cent for the service, and he and I are friends for life. The sequence of this incident has no bearing on its value, but it has a significance. Had I taken the train I missed, I would have been caught in a wreck in which two persons were killed and several wounded, while my stay over in Cleveland proved to be both pleasant and profitable.

During the first weeks of my experience I was on guard only against worry and anger; but, in the meantime, having noticed the absence of the other depressing and dwarfing passions, I began to trace a relationship, until I was convinced that they are all growths from the two roots I have specified.

I have felt the freedom now for so long a time that I am sure of my relations toward it; and I could no more harbor any of the depressing and thieving influences that once I nursed as a heritage of humanity than a fop would voluntarily wallow in a filthy gutter: and the strength of the position is reinforced by the experience of others.

The Religions

There is no doubt in my mind that pure Christianity, and pure Buddhism, and the Mental Sciences, and all Religions, fundamentally teach what has been a discovery to me; but none of them have presented it in the light of a simple and easy process of absolute elimination. All of the religions seemed to me to hinge principally on some other life, with the usual features of punishment and reward, and with incidental satisfaction or fear in this life. But as life reveals itself to me in my present condition of mind, this world, these fellow men, the blush of Spring, the blossom of Summer, the flame of Autumn, the sparkle of Winter, and the violet-softened refulgence of every waking moment yield a never failing succession of delights.

Fear Eliminated

At one time I wondered if elimination of the passions would not lead to indifference and sloth. In my experience the contrary is the result. I feel such an increased desire to do something useful that it seems as if I were a boy again and the energy for play had returned. I could fight as readily as, (and better) than ever, if there were occasion for it. It does not make one a coward. It can't, since fear is one of the things eliminated.

Surprise Modified

That fear is gotten rid of with worry is proven in many ways. I notice the absence of timidity in the presence of any audience I am called on to face, whereas I had never before conquered a tendency to partial paralysis on such occasions. Timidity resulting from a shock has been cured also. When I was a boy I was standing under a tree which was struck by lightning and received a shock, from the effects of which I never knew exemption until I had dissolved partnership with worry. Since then lightning, and thunder, and storm clouds, with wind-swept torrents of rain have been encountered under conditions which formerly would have caused great depression and discomfort, without experiencing a trace of either. Surprise is also greatly modified, and one is less liable to become startled by unexpected sights or noises. Temperaments may differ, but Emancipation strengthens all.

It has been suggested to me, in argument, that in Nature there is sunshine and shadow, and that every height must have a corresponding depression, and that immunity from the black or shadowy passions is an unnatural condition. This is not true. In the process of growth and evolution, conditions that once were natural, are changed to other conditions equally natural. Weeds are pulled up by the roots to clear the fields for the growing grain. Why should not mental weeds be pulled up by the roots also, and the mind cleared for growth?

My experience teaches me that the natural evolution of the emancipated mind is dominant calm, varied by seasons of exaltation, but never of depression. It is a healthful succession of energy and rest, all blessed with loving appreciation, which finds expression in ever-present gratitude.

I thanked the clock

One morning recently I heard myself audibly thank the clock for striking the time for me, and each awakening is as if on a much desired holiday, no matter what the conditions of the weather or the comforts of life at hand.

Contentment and happiness and gratitude and Heaven are generally accepted as synonymous terms; but Emancipation embraces them all, and in it only can they all be found.

Heaven Here

As far as I am individually concerned I am not bothering myself at present as to what the result of this emancipated condition may be. I have no doubt that the perfect health aimed at by Christian Science may be one of the possibilities, for I note a marked improvement in the way my stomach does its duty in assimilating the food I give it to handle, and I am sure it works better to the sound of a song than under the friction of a frown. Neither am I wasting any of this precious time formulating an idea of a future existence or a future Heaven. The Heaven that I have found within myself is as attractive as any that has been promised or that I can imagine; and I am willing to let the growth lead where it will, as long as anger and worry and their brood have no part in misguiding it; but I feel the value of Mental Emancipation to be so great that I long to spread the news of the discovery of an easy and immediate means of attaining it.

Practical Benefits

The practical benefit of the emancipated mind to the individual, and of the emancipated individual to the community, can not be over-estimated. In every walk in life Emancipation is invaluable to the worker, and the most potent aid to success. The emancipated peanut vender will have more customers than his worm-eaten neighbor. The emancipated merchant will find that trade will pass the door of his calamity-howling rival and come to him. The emancipated writer will find writing an easy and pleasant task as compared with that of his moody confrere, and that if he has occasion to dip his pen in vinegar he can wield it better under the influence of judicial calm than he can between the gulps of rebellious indigestion. To woman Emancipation means everything. Any other condition to her is like an ill fitting garment, and every lapse from it is like adding a blotch to her complexion which succeeding smiles can never entirely efface. Each expression of a shadowy passion leaves a scar. The Emancipation of woman would mean the Emancipation of the race. The adoption of the germ cure will be woman's means to that end, and Emancipation will be her Heaven and man's Heaven at the same time.

Everything to Woman

The influence of emancipated individuals in a community could be made so great that if there were only one in ten, and they should organize in clubs for the purpose, they would attract or rule the rest for good, and something better than the social Utopia pictured by Edward Bellamy in "Looking Backward" would follow as a natural sequence, and save us from the threatened battle between capital and labor, which otherwise seems inevitable. The horrors of such a conflict cannot be imagined; and, unless the germ cure is sought to avert it, it is sure to come.

Emancipation Cures All Ills

The germ cure of the evil passions in the individual, followed by the germ cure of social clumsiness in the body politic, form the only hope of Emancipation from the evils which beset the social structure. For these there is no real necessity. There is already such a surplus of mechanical energy, such a surplus of creature comforts, and such a surplus of luxuries on our planet, that a moderately sensible distribution of them, would render every inhabitant comfortable and happy. Among the Emancipated the desire to make a generous distribution of these surplus stores would be as natural as is the habit of recognizing "the rule of the road" among us all to-day. So also, the vast amount of surplus energy born of Emancipation would find a natural outlet in the arts.

In suggesting the possibility of a Social Paradise or Community Heaven, it is presupposed that education along the lines of both intellectual and manual training will have become universal, and that every one shall render service to his fellows according to his strength; also that idleness, when one should work, and deception in trade, will have come to be classed as crimes, and not as evidences of "shrewdness."

Thirty years of Travel

It has been my good fortune to travel to and fro over the earth's surface for thirty years, years of experience passed among the people of many different nations. I have made quick comparisons of the habits and customs of them all; and I have observed how easily some do things that others perform clumsily. The standard measure of my comparison has always been Japan. I could not help observing there less crime, better appreciation of art and nature, more physical dexterity and skill, fewer notes out of harmony, and more general happiness, gentleness, and consideration for fellows and animals; less (almost no) religious or sectional prejudice; a universal patriotism and respect for authority (as good children are respectful of the authority of beloved parents); a love of life, but no fear of death; and many other qualities that have commanded the respect of the world under the bright light of recent events.

Brave Little Japan

Brave, gentle, artistic, lovable little Japan, which, thirty odd years ago, was nursing in quiet seclusion a beautiful flower of artistic civilization, has been rudely but providentially forced into the community of nations to teach the rest of the world a great lesson in the art of true living. By the exercise of judicious but resistless courage she has laid the Oriental Colossus who attacked her at her feet; and if the bulldog and buzzard nations of the West, do not unite their forces to obstruct her inclination, she will lift her fallen foe from a condition of slavery to barbarous aliens to a condition of tranquillity and happiness. She will do this through the introduction of reforms in government and administration which she has gathered from the best experience of all the world. What a missionary Japan is! A missionary of the art of true living. A missionary of harmony. The

contact of Japan with the other nations made the World's Congress of Religions possible; and what this means to the advancement of man on the road to harmony and happiness, was recently stated by Prof. Max Muller, when he prophesied that this event would come to be appreciated as the greatest civilizing influence of the Nineteenth century.

World's Congress of Religions

Extremes Brought Together

May the example of Japan set the boors of the world to thinking, cause them to take their fore feet out of the trough, look up to the sun and the light of dawning civilization, accept the simple teachings of Christ and Buddha and common sense, and start a Heaven here on earth. Steam and electricity have brought the extremes of our earth together; the telescope has let us into the secrets of the neighboring worlds, and logic and common sense may find in the possibility of Emancipation a means of bringing Heaven to us in this life.

A DISCUSSION
WHICH FOLLOWED THE READING OF THE FOREGOING PAPER

"Can anger and worry be entirely eliminated from the human mind?"

"Yes; they are simply bad habits of the mind, parasites, unnatural, and therefore uncivilized conditions, nursed by false ideas of pride or necessity; and their elimination is a purely mental process within the control of every intelligent person who has sufficient self-respect to recognize within himself the reflection of the Divine Image."

"In what does the germ cure of mental ills differ from the Christian method of repression through answer to prayer?"

Christ Advocated Germ Cure

"Christ clearly advocated the germ cure. He did not say 'Try to do unto others as you would have others do unto you,' but 'Do unto others,' etc. 'Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.' In all of his teachings do and be were the commands. Most of the creeds, however, endow man with a weakness which is self-condemning. The prayers are offered perfunctorily, and sometimes without belief in their efficacy, while the passions are nursed privately in full belief that they are essential attributes of fallen man."

"May not the elimination of anger and worry take away some of the stimulation to effort that is necessary to human progress?"

Emancipation not Weakness

"Assuredly not. The absence of anger and worry is an evidence of strength and not of weakness. So-called righteous anger is a weakness in the presence of judicial calm. Without anger and worry one is stronger to ward off a blow, administer a correction, or protect a principle. The emancipated mind is as eager for effort as a child is for play. Freed from anger and worry one can shovel more dirt, plough more furrows, perform every duty better, and with less fatigue, than if under their influence."

"Are there examples in every-day life, among every-day people, that prove the possibility of superiority over anger and worry?"

The Strongest Evidence

"Yes. Habitually profane men do not swear in the presence of ladies. Vicious men are gentle when among those whom they respect. The passions are subservient to the will under conditions that reverence or fashion prescribe. If they are subservient under any conditions they can be controlled under all conditions. Nothing for instance, could make you angry while we are talking on this subject, because you would feel ashamed to show slavery to a condemned and unmanly weakness."

"If it is possible to get rid of the depressing passions, and they are so unprofitable, why has not mankind become emancipated long before this?"

Why not Always Known

"This question can best be answered by asking others. Why were a personal devil and witches and filmy ghosts considered possibilities as late as the beginning of this century? Why was human slavery believed to be a divine institution by the majority of the world's inhabitants as late as fifty years ago? Why are the divine right of kings, and the assumption that the sovereign can do no wrong, possibilities of the present? Why is it possible that a Supreme Court of the United States can be divided on questions of political significance, and the points of difference of opinion be in harmony with the previous political affiliations of the justices? Politics represent the selfish in human contact as at present managed, while justice is supposed to be spotlessly unselfish; yet the former unblushingly invades the sanctuary of the latter, because selfishness is held to be a necessity."

Emancipation not Selfish

"Is not the condition of Emancipation selfish? Is it not selfish not to worry for one's friend, even if self-worry is eliminated?"

"Emphatically, no! Emancipation puts one in a condition to be unselfish. Suppose his friend need aid or sympathy; will worry furnish either? With the extirpation of the depressing passions comes the strength, and the ability, and the desire, to give to others, the aid and sympathy they may be in need of. Actual, or even metaphorical, wringing of hands, is not the sort of sympathy that soothes. It is like the "blind leading the blind," or rather, the weak trying to assist the weak. Better try to help with the strength born of Emancipation than with the weakness of the enervating passions."

"I can easily understand how anger can be classed as a sin, because it is aggressive and affects something outside of us; as a sin, I can see how it ought to be cast out; but as worry deals only with one's self, I do not believe it can be called a sin; then why is it necessary to eliminate it, especially as it may be an incentive to action, to prevent the causes of the worry?"

"This whole question has been answered before in the presentation of the theory, but as it has not carried the force of impression that I intended, I will take it up piecemeal, and try to be more clear.

One's First Duty

"In the first place, one's first duty is to one's self in the matter of cultivation and care; this, not on account of egotism or selfishness, but in order to fit him to be strong and useful and a good member of his circle. As a parent, he should make himself the most perfect progenitor and example possible; as a member of Society he should aim to be the most able and useful; and as the custodian of the Divine Essence within him, he should not harbor or encourage weeds of the soul, whether visible to others, or within the secret corners of his own heart.

"As to worry ever being an incentive to wise or good action, I will repeat a section of the theory. 'Worry's prophesies are seldom realized, and if they are, the realization is generally caused by the worry itself.'"

"How can emancipation be secured for the community?"

Woman's Opportunity

"Through the influence of the emancipated individual; chiefly through the influence of the emancipated woman. In the crossing of sabers she cannot assist; but in a war against the enemies of the mind, when love is the weapon, she can and will occupy a place in the front rank. She can make anger and worry unfashionable, as she already has made profanity and obscenity unfashionable.

Emancipation Clubs

"To accomplish this, let clubs be formed in each community and in each church, and let each church become a club-house as well. Introduce healthful amusements such as make other clubs attractive, and place in large letters over the portal and the altar

GROWTH

EMANCIPATION

HELP

"You will have then constantly before you the only cure for mental cancers, and the essence of all religions expressed in three words; you will have touched the button of the Divine camera within you whose film is sensitive only to the rays of good. Love and growth will do the rest. The teachers of morality and religion will do abler work under the realization that not only the 'old Adam,' but the Divine Essence as well, have seats in each human soul, and that, when the good is appealed to in terms of confidence and understanding, evil will be cast out instantly, without a lifetime of controversy, and without waiting for eternity, or even for the death-bed to unloose the fetters.

Christian Societies

"As a result of organization on the basis of Emancipation, and when it has become an accepted fact that anger and worry are only bad habits of the mind, no clergyman can show them and retain the respect of his congregation; no King's Daughter can entertain them and be worthy of her badge; no member of the Christian Endeavor Society can harbor within himself the arch enemies of Christianity which the Master commanded his disciples to cast out, and be loyal to his cause; and no individual in the pursuit of duty, or even of selfish pleasure, can afford to carry such weighty handicaps and hope to win the race."

PLYMOUTH CHURCH CLUB AND ARMOUR INSTITUTE

Frank W. Gunsaulus

A good example of a church club is that which forms a part of Plymouth Church in Chicago. Plymouth Club was founded by Dr. Scudder and is warmly encouraged by Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, the present pastor of the church. Dr. Gunsaulus is also president of Armour Institute, where manual training is taught side by side with letters and the sciences to men and women alike. In these two eminently practical organizations most of the conditions favorable to growth are already furnished. Add to these Emancipation as the motto of the club, and as the requisite mental accomplishment for admission to the school, and the conditions will be perfected to the highest degree.

The word Emancipation has a very formidable sound because it is associated with a great war; but its attainment through germ eradication is a simple and easy accomplishment.

College Presidents Responsible

The presidents of great mental and manual training institutions know that the depressing and dwarfing phantoms of the mind are merely bad habits – weeds that can be rooted out – and that anger and worry are the roots.

They have provided commodious buildings, learned professors, the most perfect chemical and mechanical appliances, and thousands of books, to aid mental and manual culture; and yet, they fail to apply the first principle of all their sciences to the preparation of the pupil. In horticulture they do not tolerate worms or weeds; in chemistry they first examine into the purity of the ingredients; and in mechanics the greatest care is taken to avoid friction. Anger and worry are conditions of extreme mental friction, which, during their presence, stop the progressive action of the mental machine.

It would impose no impossibility, neither would it entail any hardship, to require of students that they should subscribe to the following:

Science teaches, and experience corroborates the fact, that the depressing or evil passions are bad habits of the mind, and not necessary ingredients.

Anger and worry are the roots of the evil passions and can be pulled out.

In order to promote the best possible growth it is required that Emancipation should be the rule of life of the student.

A Rule of Life

Under the suggestion of the possibility of Emancipation from undesirable mental enemies, emanating from so respected a source as the faculty of a chosen college, the student would acquire the prerequisite condition of "faith"; while the absorbing work of college life, surrounded by fellows working in sympathy with him, would strengthen the faith into a belief; and the immediate recompense of harmony would be evidence of its value as a rule of life.

Emancipation will Spread

From the school the student would carry the rule back into the family, and into all walks in life; and with the aid of present means of communication the influence would spread the world over, disarm the prodigious preparations for struggle that are being made, and distribute the palm branch to take the place of the sword.

Will not the great educators whom the world respects so highly, and in whom it has so much faith, try the experiment? The promised fruit is worth the trial.

DIAGNOSIS AND REMEDY

Degeneration

It is believed by many, that Society and Politics, at the present time, are badly diseased. Mr. Max Nordau's diagnosis of them, which he entitled Degeneration, has met with general approval. Legislative (especially municipal) corruption, and the degradation of some of the courts, are open evidence of the fact. Statesmanship and Politics have been divorced, and are already strangers to each other. The marriage of Might and Right, has been sanctioned by popular consent. Power is no longer used as a lever with which to uplift the weak, but has been transformed into a social crushing machine. Caste, ostentation, dissipation, and insincerity, are the established idols that lure the present generation towards greedy ambition.

Ready to Break

It is also believed, and is perhaps true, that the social ulcers have been so irritated by ostentatious rivalry, and the commercial ulcers are so distended with the pus of ruinous competition and corruption, that they must soon come to a head, and that convalescence and cure may be possibilities of the future.

While these symptoms of disease are visible to all, and are tolerated as necessary evils, they fortunately do not cover the whole body politic; but yet, they seriously disfigure its face, and grievously affect the healthy action of its heart.

In the political world, many agents are actively at work to effect cure of the evils which flaunt unblushing in the face of the public. The Committee of Seventy in New York, The Civic Federation in Chicago, and the National Municipal Reform League of the United States, are all doing good temporary work, but they do not reach the root causes of the evils they aim to correct; and it is doubtful if the reforms they accomplish will be any more permanent than were those of their equally zealous predecessors.

Slow Repression Futile

In the moral and religious world, much the same futile methods of cure through repression are in use that obtained during the Dark Middle Ages.

In the individual, phantoms of the imagination, whose presence impose stagnation and disease, are created and clothed with the authority of masters, under the belief that they are the curses which bind fallen men to earth; and this in contradiction of every assurance and promise of Christ; in opposition to all intelligent methods of culture used in connection with animals and plants; and contrary to common sense.

These are strong statements, but they are indisputable; and if they are true, what then, is the remedy?

As previously stated, the only cure is the germ cure; and, beginning with the individual.

Task not Difficult

The task is not a difficult one. Appreciation of the limitations of the power of the depressing passions, and one's strength to extirpate them, and to be superior to them, are the only necessary prerequisites to victory. There is no tedious discipline, as in the various methods of repression in vogue; and dividends are immediately and continuously collectable on the fair face of the investment. No rule of conduct is necessary; for, out of Emancipation, only good conduct, to fit environing circumstances, can be expected; and yet, every Christian, every Jew, every Buddhist, every Mohammetan, every Free Mason, and every Odd Fellow, can accept Emancipation as a rule of life, without renouncing his other faiths and affiliations, because it is the fundamental principle of them all, expressed in terms of present knowledge, and unclouded by the shadows of ignorance and superstition, which gave the name of Dark Ages to a period of our history.

Skeptics Interested

And outside of these devotees, there is the great mass of men, the so-called Skeptics, who claim to adhere to logic, and scientific sense, for their light on spiritual, as well as on material subjects. To these, Emancipation will be a haven of repose for their spiritual yearnings; and, unimpeded growth, under Divinely natural conditions, "will do the rest" for them all.

PRESCRIPTION

A Simple Remedy

One grain of the assurance of Christ that man is made in the image of God.

One grain of respect for the responsibility of the care and culture of the Divine Essence with which we have been entrusted.

One grain of the command of Christ (implying a possibility) "Be ye perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect."

One grain of the example of Buddha that man can grow to perfection through the elimination of anger and worry and their brood of dependent passions.

One grain of the wisdom of Aristotle which declared that the passions are habits of the mind, and can be gotten rid of as physical habits are gotten rid of.

One grain of the assurance of Omar Khayyam that Heaven and Hell are within ourselves.

One grain of the assurance of Christ that "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

One grain of common sense applied to an analysis of mental handicaps and the discovery of their limitations.

One grain of the to-day experience of the author that anger and worry are the roots of all the passions which depress, and can be eliminated.

DIRECTIONS

Take: and then let

The Ever-full Never-full

 
The ever-full, never-full bounty of love,
Sing a song, tell a tale, strike a chord, from above,
Soften strife out of life, find a pleasure in giving,
Sound the key-note on earth, of the Art of True Living.
 

SCRAPS OF EVIDENCE

Evidence Sought

Early in life I was fortunate enough to acquire the belief that, what seemed to be the consensus of opinion of the learned in any art or science, ought to be true; and, accepting their dictum, I have tried to grow up to an appreciation of their intelligence or taste in the subjects of their study, without combatting it with my own callow impressions. In this way I have enjoyed an early appreciation of the classics in music and in art, much in advance of the ordinary experience derived from personal contact. In this spirit of investigation I have collected some scraps of evidence which all prove my theory. No one has denied the possibility of Emancipation, but every one has found a pleasure at once in the ray of hope it suggests.

Since my attention has been directed to the possible total emancipation from the depressing passions, I have taken occasion to interview every man who seemed to enjoy unclouded happiness, as to the secret of his happiness. In almost every instance I have learned that the emancipated condition has dated, not from infancy and inheritance, but from some incident in later life that exposed the passions to ridicule, or showed them to be a cause of danger; such as death as the result of worry, or crime as the result of anger; some object lesson which proved the danger of permitting the passions to absorb one. I enquired of

A PHYSICIAN

A Physician

who has recently been selected by vote of the members of his profession to a position of honor among them, and who is conspicuous for his enjoyment of such healthful recreation as only much younger men usually enjoy, whether he did not consider anger and worry habits of the mind, and not as necessary ingredients. "Certainly," said he, "and I know it to be true by the best possible evidence, the evidence of experience." After some further questioning I was able to get from him the following story: "When I was a boy I had an ungovernable temper which brought from my neighbors the prediction that I would come to some bad end.

Possessed of Devils

At school I was known as one of the four or five 'roosters.' There was scarcely a day that a ring was not formed, and some of us 'roosters' did not engage in a fight. I followed my studies pretty closely, however, in pursuance of a natural inclination to be 'on top,' but without any laudable ambition in connection with them, and finally graduated in medicine and began practice. I suffered great annoyance from horses and servants, and quarreled with them constantly, and got mad at my patients if they showed any unreasonable tendencies; until one day it came to me as a sudden revelation, that, what most hindered them from getting well, was the very thing that possessed me the greater part of the time, and made me disagreeable to myself and others; and I resolved to master myself as I had tried to master others. From that time I date my success in life, and certainly my happiness. I will not allow anything to worry me. If a driver or other servant does not please me, I do not quarrel with him, but pay him off, and let him go with the best of feeling. I have a collector who is very faithful, and very candid at the same time. When he fails to collect an account that is due, I sometimes ask him the reason, and he repeats to me what my patient has said. One day I questioned him about an account that had been long overdue, against a patient whom I met cordially every day at the club, but who was evidently 'short' at the time and suffered annoyance from collectors. 'What did he say?'said I. 'He said, sir, "Tell the doctor to go to hell," replied the honest collector.

Emancipation Assures Success

Most men would have taken offense at the message, and prosecuted his patient for the debt, or 'cut' him, or expressed anger in some way; but I simply didn't go where he had ordered, and never referred to the matter with him. We are the best of friends now, and he is one of my warmest advocates."

A MANUFACTURER

The president of one of the largest manufacturing corporations in the country, having properties in a dozen states, related to me the following story:

Unreasonable Railway Magnate

"Some years ago I journeyed south with a railroad magnate who stood very high at the time in the railway world. We came to a river crossed by his road. The bridge had been washed away, and, while it was rebuilding, trains were ferried to the further shores. Owing to some accident there was no boat on hand to transport the official's car across the stream. He became so angry that he flew into a wild passion, and cursed and discharged the subordinates in charge of the division without inquiry as to the cause of the delay.

Too Proud to Apologize

He learned afterward that the accident to the boat was unavoidable, and that none of the employes whom he had insulted so grossly and discharged so unfairly were responsible for it; but he was too proud to apologize.

Did not Dare to be Angry

"The incident made such an impression on me, that I resolved never to show anger again before my employes; and I have kept my resolve. It has led to my renouncing the habit altogether, and for many years anger has ceased to be a component part of my nature. I am sorry that I did not discharge worry at the same time, as results have proved that it has had no real cause to exist; and it has, as you say, stolen much precious time and energy out of my life."

A MADMAN

Another example of the possible control of the passions, and a most important one, is told by another friend. One of the chums of his youth had fits of anger during which he was possessed with an insatiable desire to kill the object of his wrath, if it happened to be a living being, or to break it if it were inanimate. During his seasons of calm he deplored his weakness, and resolved not to permit it to take possession of him. He stopped being angry because he was afraid of the consequences. He did not dare to be angry. As a result he has lived a life filled with charity and consideration for others, which has been a blessing to himself and those about him.

MR. DANA

Hard Work Never Kills

Mr. Charles A. Dana once sent a member of the staff of the New York Sun to learn, if possible, what was the probable cause of the death of some men of high standing in the financial world who were reported to have hastened their death by overwork. Mr. Dana did not believe that hard work could kill. The result of the inquiry in each instance was to the effect that these men were the victims of worry, which was as unnecessary, as it was unprofitable and fatal.

AN AUTHOR

One of the most prolific, observing, and interesting writers of stories and descriptive articles for the magazines, a war correspondent and one time journalist, has endorsed and practiced the theory presented in this paper, and has done me the honor to write approvingly as follows:

"I have succeeded in entirely ridding myself of the cancers, and am amazed at the ease with which it was done. You are certainly an apostle of sweetness and light, and I shall never be able to thank you enough for letting me into your noble secret."

An Author Feels Younger

He notes especially an improved digestion, and feels younger each day as he progresses in the new life.

A GENERAL MANAGER

The Southern General Manager of one of the largest British Insurance Companies is a tried convert, and finds health and happiness which had never been attained while under the thraldom of worry, which was his only former affliction.

AN AUTHORESS

The author of a novel which has just come before the public, and which is one of the purest and most ingenious stories ever published, is an ardent convert to the belief that she is superior to the depressing passions, and her naturally religious temperament finds great solace in it.

A LAWYER

A leading lawyer of New Orleans, of very old family, religious by nature, but not sectarian, found comfort in the idea of the possible elimination of the passions, and the unrestricted growth of the God-given faculties, in substance as follows:

Germ Cure Logical to All

"The germ theory of cure must appeal to all persons in a greater or less degree, especially to such as find it difficult to believe in a personal Deity who receives directly and directly answers prayer as a special dispensation. They can find logic in the cultivation of the Divine Spark which has been breathed in to them, and feel that in its growth toward perfection the Laws of Nature are being assisted and not violated; while to such as find faith in a personal God and comfort and help in prayer, the ability to be superior to sinful thoughts will give stimulation to their faith, and be a fulfilment of the Example, which taught: 'Get thee behind me, Satan'!"

Key-stones and Cornerstones

The cornerstones and the keystones help and support each other in the stately arch, while the rubble and the atoms fall apart and become dirt, when allowed to find their level. Which shall we choose to become: the keystone of the arch, or some of the dirt of the earth beneath it? Which shall we choose: happiness, health, growth, usefulness, rest, and a fitting relationship to the Divine, or the reverse? Each is what God made him plus what he can attain by growth.

Cripple can be greater than a king

Through eradication of the cankerous passions; through the extirpation of the mental weeds; the dwarf may grow to be greater than the king; and all can freely and fully enjoy life and growth, when they have learned the A-B-C of True Living. The grammar, and the rhetoric, and the poetry, and perhaps a higher intelligence than we know of now may follow, and are sure to follow; but they will be but brighter phases of happiness already attained.

A CHURCHWOMAN

A Devout Churchwoman

In searching for corroborative evidence of the possibility of Emancipation, I was fortunate in meeting a lady whose acquaintance with the several religions and metaphysics is exceptional; and whose clear intelligence regarding the value of menticulture, makes her a rare critic in questions of this kind. From her I received the most valued encouragement. She is a devout church-woman, but has studied along the several lines of psychology in search of additional light and strength. She had read my simple presentation of the theory of germ cure, and found in it a ray of hope, the effect of which she described as follows: "The sensation that was produced in me by the suggestion, I cannot describe. It was as if a great flood of light had burst upon me, and I saw the possibility of an immediate realization of my spiritual ideal; and I have prayed to God constantly, that it may not leave me. There have been unusual occasions for worry and annoyance since then. I have just moved to a new city; into a new house; and my husband and I are beginning life anew in an untried field. All of my past associations are broken up, and new sympathies among strangers are to be formed. My husband's health has been poor, and mine has been wretched, so that we have been compelled to seek climates more favorable, at the expense of financial considerations; yet, the cloud that hung over our prospects has been miraculously dispelled, and my days and nights are soothed with a calm contentment and happiness which I have never known before. My religion seems more precious to me than ever. It seems as if one simple little ingredient that it lacked has been found; and that now it is perfect. I have always been possessed of a desire to accomplish one act in life which should be conspicuous for its usefulness to some one; and if I can ever succeed in giving to one person the light and comfort that this revelation has given to me, I shall feel that my ambition has been attained."

Simple Little

Ingredient Her discovery of a simple little ingredient, in the theory of germ cure, led to a new appreciation of the idea of simplicity in connection with it, which has been amplified in the succeeding chapter.

FIRST PRINCIPLES OVERLOOKED

Simplicity and Harmony are Ultimate

Simplicity and harmony are the ultimate conditions to be attained in all things. In literature, and in music, and in oratory, and in painting, and in mechanics, and in life, simplicity is at once the greatest charm, and the best evidence of merit. In mechanics, a simple little device usually perfects the great labor-saving machine. In chemistry, a simple little ingredient may give culminating power to a world-building or a world-destroying compound. In oratory, a simple and impassioned appeal is most potent to move the multitude to action; and in menticulture, the simple and direct application of the germ cure, may be able to effect a millennium in social evolution within a generation. Stranger things have happened! Because it has not happened, is no reason why it should not happen. In fact, there are logical reasons why the habit of repression should have smothered any idea of germ cure, till Science placed an analogy in physics before our eyes; especially because the false hypothesis of original (or natural) sin, has been persistently advanced as a law of our being.

Germ Cure not Understood

Christ taught the germ cure, and hinted at no other as an alternative. In the sermon on the mount; in his talks by the Sea of Galilee; and in his rebuke of the devil in the desert, there was no note of indecision suggested. Do and be and get were unmistakable commands. But these commands were given in a gentle manner, to half-doubting disciples, and faintly echoed by them to an incredulous world, that had not learned the power of mind over matter, or over itself; and hence the world waited for Science to prove even greater possibilities, before giving heed to the simple commands of the Great Teacher in the manner he commanded.

Order of Responsibility

One of the great weaknesses of the age in which we live is the ignoring of first principles, and a reaching out for the remote or unattainable. In the matter of home responsibilities, and in menticulture, this is most apparent. The order of responsibility is – the mind, – the body – the mind of the child – the body or health of the child – and so on in the sequence of relationship in the family, in the community, in the nation, and in the world; not with selfish discrimination against the more remote, but with zealous care of the nearer relationships. This order, however, is rarely observed. We weed the garden, but do not weed the mind. We pass laws to punish any who strike, or rob, or corrupt a citizen, but there is no law to protect the abused or neglected children of drunken or incompetent parents, except in extreme cases. Breeders of fine animals take the greatest pains to guard all the conditions surrounding their stock, and at the same time encourage family alliance with consumptive plutocrats.

Laissez Faire Superseded

The antiquated and primitive doctrine of laissez faire, has been replaced by those of Division of Labor, and of Protection, in the cases of the strong who have demanded them, or who have purchased them through legislative cupidity; but still obtains in the cases of the weak and non-assertive.

Strength Protected Weakness Unprotected

The truant subjects of great nations, scattered in foreign lands, are hedged about with protection equal to an imperial guard; and thousands of men and millions of money are sacrificed to revenge an insult to, or protect the property of a claimant citizen at the Antipodes; while hundreds and thousands of the producers at home are starving and dying, because of the maladministration of the first principles of economies, and the laissez faire license given to selfish and unscrupulous competition.

Arrogant commerce, and the already-powerful, have no end of protection; but the mind, the health, the child, and the producer, are left to the tender mercy of chance, or are hampered by crushing conditions of abuse and neglect contrary to every law of growth; and thus it must be; until we adopt the germ cure, as a principle of menticulture, and Emancipation, as the first evidence of intelligence and respectability.

Wasting Precious Time

In self-administration, the far-away habit is quite as prevalent as in the administration of Society. Men and women slave and save, to furnish means for sending missionaries to India, to release the Indian mind of imagined evils, while they crawl about servile to anger or worry, or both anger and worry. They set their ideal of happiness at an indefinite height, always out of reach. They hide their Heaven behind the curtain of death, and refuse to look for it within the precincts of their own heart. They waste precious time in speculating as to the form and attributes of the Cause of all things, its residence and disposition, while they smother under the pall of inappreciation, the best evidence of its existence, and the most potent workings of its power, within themselves. And all this because they work from the wrong end, and are dull to the efficacy of growth from the basis of Emancipation.

Their method of life is like the unraveling of a snarled skein from the middle. They fumble futilely at the snarl, and accomplish little, if anything, when they ought first to release the end within themselves, and follow the cord from that beginning, along the line of growth and organization, to the condition of unrestricted freedom, and usefulness, – the condition of Emancipated Brotherhood.

Nations Founded About an Idea

Religions are founded, fraternal societies are formed, armies are marshalled, and nations are grown about a sympathetic idea, to which the majority subscribe. The aim is always the same: growth, protection, harmony, happiness, Heaven. But the growth is slow, the protection is only partial, the harmony is incomplete, perfect happiness is impossible, and Heaven is indefinite and remote; because their organization tolerates selfishness as a necessary "mark of Cain," instead of being built on the foundation of Emancipation.

All true calculation must recognize a unit of value; in menticulture the only true unit is Emancipation.

In harmony, instruments cannot be tuned from several standards; there must be one key-note; and harmony in menticulture can only come from the key-note – Emancipation.

SLAVES OR FREEMEN – WHICH?

Within the memory of many now living, Society was dominated by the belief that human body-slavery was a Divine institution.

Thirty-five years ago a great war was waged against the institution in this country, at the expense of hundreds of thousands of lives, and thousands of millions of dollars worth of property.

That war resulted not only in killing the institution itself, but also in the extirpation of the idea of its Divine origin.

Body-Slavery Overcome

It is no longer a question of debate in any part of the civilized word, but an established international understanding, that slavery is not only unjust to the enslaved, but an evil, the effects of which are shared by the master.

Mercenary Fashion a Cruel Master

Negro slavery in America was, however, a mild and beneficent institution, as compared to the voluntary servitude to Mercenary Fashion, which enthrals so many at the present time. Mercenary Fashion places burdens on rich and poor alike, and costs Society more lives and property yearly, than all that was wasted during the war of the Rebellion.

Most of the masters of the negro were kindly and considerate, and not a few of the negro uncles and aunties now living, regret the "good old times when marster and missus did all the plannin' and pervidin', and all we uns had to do was work, and sing and dance."

Ostentation Panders to Fashion

On the other hand, Mercenary Fashion has headquarters in Paris, in London, in Vienna, and in Berlin; and sets its traps all over the world, baited with styles of such absurd taste and uselessness that interest in them can only be brief. It is part of its deliberate policy, not to suggest any form or style that has merit sufficient to make it desirable a second season. It avoids any approach to the simple and beautiful and comfortable drapery used by the ancient Greeks, because of fear that its trade will be ruined by the stability of the wares. Ostentation is the ever-ready victim to take the poisonous bait; and then, there is a mad rush of the mimicking slaves, to assume the fetters which bind them to constant toil. Dishonor, infamy, and shame, are braved by men and women alike, in following the allurements of Mercenary Fashion.

Fear (of criticism) and Envy are the two phases of the root passions, that are the most powerful and active agents in securing victims for Mercenary Fashion; but, if Emancipation were the established rule of life, these agents would not exist; Ostentation would not be followed; and Taste, and Usefulness, and Permanence, would be the leaders instead; and a state of coöperation which might properly be named Good Fashion, or God Fashion, would succeed the tyrant of the present; and Fashion, under such conditions, would be a blessing instead of a curse as at present.

Bicycle Brings Freedom

Mercenary Fashion has met with a formidable adversary in the bicycle. The absurd costumes inflicted by it on a servile world, seem as ridiculous when mounted on a bicycle, as if they were placed on the David of Michael Angelo, or on the Venus de Milo. Bicycle costumes for women may not displace all others; but, with the freedom of movement enjoyed on the wheel, in a costume suitable to the unhampered action of a biped; with the constant restraint of position rendered necessary by the wearing of skirts removed, woman may soon become free to move and act as Nature designed that she should move and act, and enjoyment of this new freedom will greatly modify her slavery to Mercenary Fashion.

Fashion (or mimicry) is good, if properly led.

Make Freedom Fashionable

If it were fashionable to believe that anger and worry were unnecessary weeds of the mind, were blemishes that could be removed from the disposition, were habits that were unbecoming to civilized man, and were handicaps to energy and happiness that could be put aside at will, the world could follow that fashion to a state of Emancipation, with all the enthusiasm it could muster, and benefit itself by being fashionable.

And, should a just appreciation of the power within us become fashionable, the tendency to mimicry; which is now the connecting link of resemblance between us and the monkey from which we have evolved, would become an element of strength, instead of an element of weakness.

We, as individuals, support the fashions, but we do not suggest them. We support waste and discomfort, for the benefit of mercenary and designing fashion-makers, with the product of never-ending toil, because we ape Ostentation, cringe before Fear, and encourage Envy as an attribute of Pride.

Plows with a Stick

We are slaves indeed! not only in the matter of clothes, but in the matter of the distribution of the necessities and luxuries of life and comfort. We do some things more cleverly than the rest of the world, but in others we excel in clumsiness and inconsistency. In Mexico (our nearest neighbor), a sharpened stick is still used for plowing; but, that is not nearly as crude, of its kind, as some of the business methods that we support in this country are of their kind; and in matters of utmost importance, too. For instance: in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, there is a square, or rather a diamond, around which, and within a block of which, there are eight or nine drug stores. This may not be an unusual bunching of druggists, but, as Montgomery is a meeting point of several terminal railroads, and trains from all directions are usually detained there one or two hours,

Druggists Convention

I have had abundant opportunity to study this constellation of red and green lights, that blink and stare at all who visit the park they look on. They all seem to be full fledged, and fully equipped drug stores, and not devoted to specialties, as one would suppose as a reason for there being so many of them.

As it is, there are eight stores, eight stocks of goods, eight sets of clerks, eight insurance policies, eight computations of interest, eight gas or electric light bills, and probably eight many-other items of expense chargeable to the profits on the sales, and supported by the public, when one establishment would serve all the people of Montgomery better than the eight do now. If these stores were scattered about the city, the matter of convenience could be urged for their existence. To support such prodigality, profits ranging from one hundred to one thousand per cent. have to be charged, and the public evidently pays them, for their existence from year to year is evidence of support from some one.

Montgomery, Alabama

Suppose the Corporation of the City of Montgomery were to vote an appropriation of fifty thousand (or perhaps only twenty thousand) dollars, for the purpose of establishing a first-class dispensary of medicines, etc., and should put it in charge of a competent chemist, who would know what medicines were good, and what compounds were not good? The patronage of the citizens would support such an establishment on a ten per cent. basis of profit, and pay ten per cent. interest on the investment without doubt, and the citizens would not be at the mercy of chance or imposition, in a matter of prime importance to health, as they are liable to be, under any but the most perfect system of selecting and dispensing drugs and patent medicines.

Slavery to Waste

This is a single instance among thousands, of the unintelligent application of the doctrine of laissez faire to matters of vital social interest; and is given here to illustrate a form of slavery to inconvenience and waste, that would be cleared away like mist before the sun, as the result of evolution, from the standpoint of Emancipation.

It required a million guns, and the assistance of several million men, with all the waste and blood which war carries with it, to free the negro; and the advance of humanity the world over, was a fruit, worth the cost of the war; but slavery of the individual to the parasite passions, will not enlist the rescue of arms, although it entails greater hardship than was ever suffered by the average negro slave. Each individual must gain for himself this freedom; no one else can aid him except through suggestion and moral help. It is his birthright however, and awaits his call.