natural, because we transpose it from the plane of the apparently impossible to that of the actual.

But the realm in which prayer, as well as all other phases of thought, is most potent is that of the unconscious. This is the sphere of the mental storehouse, where all our feelings, ideas, impulses, acts, and desires become, as it were, stereotyped in fixed images, susceptible of spontaneous animation, which at times sally forth and charge the normal consciousness with amazing consequence. We are impelled, as we say, from within; yet why or wherefore, we cannot tell. As Shakespeare makes Antonio muse:

"In sooth I know not why I am so sad;

It wearies me.

But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,

What stuff 'tis made of, or whereof it is born,

I am to learn;

And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself."

Here Antonio was momentarily seized by the powers of his unconscious self, whose images so oppressed and bewildered him that they passed beyond his comprehension. This subconscious self, from whose reservoir (into which the stream of all our experiences forever pours) emanate the constant inspirations and motives of our lives, is the most mysterious phase of existence. Here every impulse, word, emotion, desire, or ambition is indelibly impressed. Our unconscious prayers are the sudden emanations of these long-forgotten experiences. The ghost of our former selves then arises to inspire or oppress us. The soldier on the battle field wins an instant victory without knowing why. His whole life rose in that one moment to push him on to triumph. His prayer was unconscious and unuttered, but fathomless as his immortal self.

The secret of life's truest success lies in the art of so guiding our conscious thoughts and experiences that they will flood the reservoir of our interior being with noble purposes and

purified emotions, with kindly affections and exalted hopes. Then when the prayer spontaneous springs from the unconscious realm of being into conscious activity, it will avail for the good and happiness of ourselves and all concerned.

Character is nothing but the reflex and counterpart of our fixed and unconscious moods. If we nurse the thoughts of suffering, sorrow, and despair; if we think hate, vengefulness, and woe; if we would stab others with the invisible weapons of our baser selves; we must know that as we sow we shall reap, and the wind begets the whirlwind! Each of us builds the scales on which are balanced the joys and sufferings of life.

If we would be happy, hopeful, and exultant, we must crowd the gallery of thought with the most brilliant canvasses of joyfulness, buoyancy, and good cheer. These, like a friend in need, will oft return to inspire, sustain, and encourage us in the weary hours of life. If we but persist in maintaining such happy moods of mind till they become fixed and permanent, then we have established a habit of prayer, whose utterance may never rise to the lips, but which will be a guardian angel and a guiding Deity. Here is the law of prayer: The conscious, momentary, impulsive thought or wish sinks into the unconscious self, whence it may arise at a moment's call. The abiding memory of the unconscious being sinks still deeper into the depths of self, reaching the subconscious or permanent realm. Here it becomes fixed, and the foundation of all character. This is the final prayer; the "fervent, effectual prayer that availeth much." This is the voice of the God within, be that God, Deity or Devil.

"Prayer may summon heaven or hell,

For him who knows what sound to knell."

FOR whoever would be fairer, illumination must begin in the soul. The face catches the glow only from that side.-William C. Gannett.

PROFESSOR CUSHMAN ON CHRISTIAN SCIENCE AND THE NEW THOUGHT PHILOSOPHY.*

BY B. O. FLOWER.

I have recently read a little work which I believe will interest the thoughtful readers of MIND, even though they may take exception to many views expressed. It is entitled "The Truth in Christian Science," and is from the pen of Professor H. E. Cushman, Ph.D., of Tuft's College.

The author is a critical investigator, trained to the modern. methods of research; but he also possesses the happy faculty of being fair, judicial, and to a degree, at least, sympathetic with his subject. And this is much at a time when scholars as well as the laity seem to have largely lost the power of being fair and dispassionate in the presence of subjects which run counter to the popular or generally accepted theories and prejudices of the age.

This work is scholarly, and at the same time reveals the broad sympathy of the true savant whose love of truth and respect for the honest convictions of others are greater than prejudice or fear of conventional antagonism. The author has made an extensive study of the philosophies of all ages and lands, and consequently is thoroughly familiar with the theories and concepts of the great metaphysical philosophers of past times. This fact gives a special value and interest to his critique which contains four principal divisions, in which the social aspects, the literature, the healing and the philosophy of Christian Science are considered.

Though Professor Cushman is far from agreeing with the conclusions of Christian Scientists and many New Thought authorities in regard to certain religious tenets, and also in

*"The Truth in Christian Science." By H. E. Cushman, Ph.D. Cloth. Pp. 64. Price 60 cents. Boston, James H. West Company.

regard to the cause to which they attribute their cures, he finds in the philosophy much vital truth and a truth of which the world to-day is greatly in need; and he also frankly recognizes the fact that they do perform very many most remarkable cures. His broad and delightfully frank spirit is mirrored forth in these words, taken from his introduction:

"We must remember that we cannot afford to deal with a matter of this sort other than seriously;-if for no other reason, because to a large number of earnest-minded people it is a matter of religion. For our own sakes, indeed, we can never afford to treat any religious or philosophical belief in other than the mood in which the devotees themselves accept it."

In discussing the social aspects of the new faith, Professor Cushman observes:

"Looked at from a social point of view, the Christian Science movement is a social reform. It represents the protest of the individual. It finds its counterpart in many epochs in history-as in the revolt of Luther from the Roman Catholic Church, in the revolt of Wesley from the English Church, and in many other ecclesiastical crises. It is an antidote for the poison in the blood of the church, and as such I, for one, sympathize with it heartily. The boom is now on, to use a western phrase, and I look to see this new church attain considerable proportions. The individual's religious life has been starved, and now we find the individual rising to a full consciousness of his power. The central doctrine of Christian Science, to wit: that God is the real in the life of every individual, although, as we shall see, it is a very old doctrine, has given to the modern man a new sense of his immortality and greatness. He finds himself great even in his routine and menial work, and he revolts against the traditionalism which has practically obscured his greatness to himself. Even his health, his life, according to this new church's teaching, rests in his own power. He denies the claims of heredity, environment, and disease, and in his enthusiasm the individual is ready everywhere to shake off the shackles that have seemed to limit him. The denial of the existence of matter is only the other form of this self-arrogation.

"If this emphasis upon individuality had not taken this religious form, it would have taken some other at the present time. History is a matter of ebb and flood-individualism, then traditionalism, then individualism again. Trace the course of history and see if this is not its process. Sometimes the traditionalism or the individualism is scientific in expression-sometimes political, sometimes philosophical. Whatever the character of the expression, human history vibrates between these two poles.

"This movement is not only a reaction against ecclesiasticism, but, as its name indicates, against materialism as well. Ecclesiasticism and materialism are not of necessity companions, but in the present period of civilization they happen to be such.

"In the term materialism, as we roughly use it here, are included all those forms of human activity that are non-idealistic, from the ordinary forms of commercial life to the achievements in practical science. Any occupation may become materialistic in temper if the higher ideals are wanting to it and it exists for itself alone.

*

"Men are practically materialists when they have no ideals whatsoever, and when their lives are given over to pleasure, self-aggrandizement, money-making, or any end that does not rise above what the senses may perceive.

"It is possible that the fact may have escaped the notice of some that the close of the eighteenth century was idealistic in all its best products. Some of its ideals were capricious and mad, as those of the French; some were expressed in a rich literature, as, for example, the works of the German romanticists; and this romantic, idealizing spirit flowed over into the first two decades of the nineteenth century. But the fall of Napoleon, who was the great idealizer of that romantic time, marks the beginning of the nineteenth century's materialism."

The points of difference between Christian Science and Mental Science are touched upon, though on this point our author does not seem to be as fully acquainted with all phases of the New Thought movement as he is with the theory of Christian Science. The New Thought movement in certain respects resembles the Unitarian Church in that it has within its rank fellowships holding widely divergent views relating to the philosophy of life and the mastery of disease. So wide, indeed, are these differences that some groups are above all altruistic, while others are distinctly egoistic. In differentiating between Christian Science, Mental Science and Divine Healing, Professor Cushman says:

"There is, therefore, a distinctly religious and unequivocal spiritual basis for this belief; and one should note that, in order to emphasize this basis to the last degree, the Christian Scientists have always disclaimed any relation whatsoever to sects which, to an outsider, seem in doctrine to resemble Christian Science. For example, Christian Science is held to be quite different from Mental Science. Mental Science claims no special revelation, but finds an historical basis for its theory in ancient philosophy.