directed to and held upon certain things, and likewise removed or kept away from certain things. Interest kindles desire, and lack of interest causes desire to die. And interest results from attention, and may be controlled by the will And the will is the chief instrument of the Ego. By using the reasoning and judicial faculties of the mind in the matter of the right selection of objects of interest, the positive qualities and objects may be selected in preference to the negative ones. And this being done, we are well started on our way toward character building, mastery and power."
In the following pages of this book the reader will be asked to consider each particular set of mental faculties, and each particular phase of mental activity and expression. The special machinery of each set or phase thereof will be analyzed, and the part played by it in the mental life of the individual will be described and explained. At the same time the reader will be instructed in the most approved methods whereby each of these set of faculties, or phases of mentality, may be brought and held under the control of the Ego, by the use of the will, and those be brought into the category of Positive Mentality.
Common belief to the contrary notwithstanding, every individual is the possible architect and builder of his own mental character—though but few really exercise that power. Too often we are told that a man's character is entirely molded by Circumstances. We lose sight of the spirit of that great Master of Mind who exclaimed: "Circumstances! I make Circumstances!" The Positive Mentality always is stronger than the Negative Mentality, and is able to direct, control, and master the latter. Hence the power of the Master Minds of the race over the Slave Minds of the herd of the masses of the race.
Before proceeding to the detailed consideration of the several mental faculties, and phases of mental activity, let us consider the following quotation from a popular writer on the subject of mind power. This writer once said to his students, concluding a series of lessons to them:
"If you are an individual, this teaching is just what you want. And the same is true if you are not one, but want to be one. But if you are a weakling, and prefer to remain one, instead of rising and claiming your birthright of strength—your heritage of power, then by all means remain as you are, and go on your own way. Leave these teachings for the others of your brethren, who will not sell their birthright of power for the mess of pottage of negative content and sheep-like passivity, but who are boldly claiming their own, and demanding their rightful portion—these strong brothers of yours, the individuals who are the coming inheritors of the earth. I send to you, who are now reading these words, all the energy, force, and power at my command, to the end that it may pierce your armor of indifference, fear, and doubt. And that, reaching into your heart of desire it may fill you with the very spirit of individuality, conscious egohood, perception of reality, and realization of the Ego. So that henceforth your battle-cry will be changed, and you will plunge into the thick of the fight, filled with the Berserker rage of attainment like the Icelandic hero of old, shouting your positive battle-cry of freedom, 'I can, I will; I dare, I do! you will mow your way clear through the ranks of the horde of ignorance, find negativity, and reach the heights beyond. This is my message to YOU, the Individual!"
We trust that the reader of this book will "catch the spirit" of the above message, and will carry it with him through his study of the following pages of this book— for this, indeed, truly expresses the spirit of the Positive Mentality of the Master Mind.
Chapter 5
The Senses and Sensations
It is usual to begin all teaching concerning the mind by a general discourse upon "the senses." This is, indeed, the only logical approach to the main subject, for the impressions received by us through the senses—the '' sensations"—have well been called "the raw materials of mental activities." It is well that the Master Mind become acquainted with these "raw materials" which it expects to use.
In popular usage the term "sense" is commonly employed as identical with '' understanding,'' or "reason"; but in psychology the term has a far more restricted meaning. In psychology the term "sense" has the following meaning: "The faculty possessed by conscious creatures whereby they perceive external objects by means of impressions made upon certain organs of the body, or whereby they receive impressions concerning changes in the condition of the body." The term "sensation," in psychology, is defined as: "An impression made upon the mind through the medium of the nervous system, and usually through one of the organs of sense."
The senses are usually regarded as consisting of five general classes, each with its appropriate organism of sensation, as follows:
The Sense of Touch, or Feeling
The sense of Touch, or Feeling, is regarded by psychologists as the elementary sense—the one sense from which the others have evolved, and of which they are, in a way, an evolution. The sense of Touch, or Feeling, operates by means of certain nerves which have their endings in the outer covering or skin of the body, and also in the internal organism of the body. These nerves report to the mind their contact with outside objects; and, in some cases, certain changes of state or condition in the body itself. By means of this sense we are able to become aware of the size, form, shape and delight of material objects; of their degree of hardness, roughness, elasticity, etc.; of their temperature; and of other physical characteristics by which we distinguish one material object from another by means of respective reaction to our sense of Touch or Feeling. By means of this sense we also become aware of changes of state or condition in our bodies, such as thirst, hunger, sexual-feeling, and other "internal sensations."
The mechanism of the sense of Touch, or Feeling, is composed of many different and varied classes of nerve channels. This being so, the sense of Touch, or Feeling, is really a composite sense, manifesting diverse activities, principal among which are those of pressure, temperature, muscular resistance, pain, contact, etc. This diversity of activity is illustrated of the physiology of the senses: "A lesion which may cut off the possibility of feeling pain in a given part of the body, may leave it still susceptible to sensations of heat and cold; or the sensations of touch may be present while the sensation of pain cannot be aroused. From this we see that nerve impulses, giving rise to sensations of touch, of pain, of temperature, of the muscular sense, must pass upwards to the sensorium by different paths, one of which may be cut off while the others remain."
The Sense of Sight
The sense of Sight, regarded by psychologists as an evolution of the elementary sense of Touch or Feeling, is regarded by the best authorities as the highest in the scale of the evolved senses. It manifests through a most complex organism and nerve- arrangement. The sense of Sight operates by means of registering the sensations of the intensity of the light waves, and the color vibrations thereof. The eye does not touch or feel the outside objects in order to "see" them; instead, it "touches" or "feels" the vibrations of the lightwaves coming in contact with the nervous matter of the organ of sight.
A leading text book on the subject of physiology describes the mechanism of the organ of sight as follows: "The optical apparatus may be supposed for the sake of description to consist of several parts. First, of a system of transparent refracting surfaces and media by means of which images of external objects are brought to a focus upon the back of the eye; and, secondly, of a sensitive screen, the retina, which is a specialized termination of the optic nerve, capable of being stimulated by luminous objects, and of sending through the optic nerve such an impression as to produce in the brain visual sensations. To these main parts may be added, thirdly, an apparatus for focusing objects at different distances from the eye, called 'accommodation.' Even this does not complete the description of the whole organ of vision, since both eyes
