第3章

类别:其他 作者:Mark Twain字数:12576更新时间:18/12/18 14:51:42
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。