that the human race, in the course of evolution, may eventually develop other and more complex senses. Even as it is, man is able to perceive only a limited number of sound sensations—there are many sounds above and below his scale that he is unable to perceive, but which are registered on instruments. Likewise, there are light waves below and above the human scale of perception, but which are caught by delicate instruments. And, at present, man is unable to "sense" electrical waves, or magnetic waves—though, theoretically, it is possible for him to sense these vibrations as well as light waves, or sound waves, the difference between these various "waves" being simply that of the rate of vibration. Imagine what a new world would be opened to man if he could sense the waves of electricity. In that case he could "see" things as far off as these waves could carry, and even though solid objects intervened—just as now, by means of an artificial screen, he is able to see through solid objects by means of the X-Ray. This is by no means a fanciful idea.
A leading authority has said: "If a new sense or two were added to the present normal number, in man, that which is now the phenomenal world for all of us might, for all that we know, burst into something amazingly different and wider, in consequence of the additional revelation of these new senses." And another says: "It is not at all improbable that there are properties of matter of which none of our senses take immediate cognizance, and which other beings might be able to see in the same manner that we are sensible to light, sound, etc." Another says: ""We know that our sensory nerves are capable of transmitting to the brain only a part of the phenomena of the universe. Our senses give us only a section of the world's phenomena. Our senses usher only certain phenomena into the presence of our minds. If we had three or four new senses added, this might appear like a new world to us; we might become conscious of a vast number of phenomena, which at present never have any effect upon our nervous organisms. It is possible to imagine a race of beings whose senses do not resemble ours, inhabiting other worlds."
A fanciful illustration of the part played by the senses in our mental world is offered by a writer who says: "The late Professor James once suggested as a useful exercise for young students a consideration of the changes which would be worked in our ordinary world if the various branches of our receiving instruments happened to exchange duties; if, for instance, we heard all colors, and saw all sounds. All this is less mad than it seems. Music is but an interpretation of certain vibrations undertaken by the ear, and color but an interpretation of other vibrations undertaken by the eye. Were such an alteration of our senses to take place, the world would still be sending us the same messages, but we should be interpreting them differently. Beauty would still be ours, though speaking another tongue. The birds' song would then strike our retina as a pageant of color: we should see all the magical tones of the wind, hear as a great fugue the repeated and harmonized greens of the forest, the cadences of stormy skies. Did we realize how slight an adjustment of our own organs is needed to initiate us into such a world, we should perhaps be less contemptuous of those mystics who tell us that in moments of transcendental conscious they 'heard flowers that sounded, and saw notes that shone,' or that they have experienced rare moments of consciousness in which the senses were fused into a single and ineffable act of perception, in which color and sound were known as aspects of the same thing."
As has been said, at the last all of the five senses are regarded by physiologists and psychologists as but different aspects or phases of the one elemental and basic sense, the Sense of Feeling. This is more fully realized when we consider that all impressions made upon the organs of sense arise from the motion of material particles, from the outside world, coming in contact with sensitive portions of the nervous system of the individual, the report of the contact being then transmitted to his brain. As an authority has said: "The only way the external world affects the nervous system is by means motion. Light is motion; sound is motion; heat is motion; touch is motion; taste and smell are motion. The world is known to sense simply by virtue of, and in relation to, the motion of its particles. Those motions are appreciated and continued by the nervous system, and by it brought at length to the mind's perception. The last material action we can trace in every process of sensation previous to its entering the abode of consciousness is motion."
And so, at the last, we are conscious of these different forms of motion of things of the outside world by some form of the sense of Feeling. Sight is but the feeling of the impact of the light vibrations; Sound, but the feeling of the impact of the sound vibrations; Taste, but the feeling of the vibrations of chemical action of the particles of material substances brought in contact with the taste-nerves; Smell, but the impact of the particles of material substance brought in contact with the nerves of smell; Touch, but the feeling of the contact with outside physical objects; and Internal Feelings but the feeling of certain states of conditions of the internal organs or parts of the body of the individual. And so, we see that the various sensations are all but forms or phases of the "feeling" arising from the contact with certain sensitive nerve- ends with outside things, and the transmission of such report to the brain.
When these reports to the brain are made, the sense impression becomes a full "sensation." An authority says: "A sensation is a state of consciousness resulting from nerve action. When a stimulation of a sensory nerve is transmitted to the brain, so as to affect consciousness, the result is a sensation. No one can tell us why nerve action affects consciousness, but such is the fact." And here we come into the presence of the great mystery of consciousness. Consciousness is different from anything else in the world of our knowledge or experience. It can be known only to itself and by itself, but even itself does not know "just what" it is, or how it is. As Huxley, the eminent scientist once said: "How it is that anything so remarkable as a state of consciousness comes about by the result of irritating nervous tissue, is just as unaccountable as the presence of the genii when Aladdin rubbed his lamp." We shall in this book make no attempt to tell "just what" consciousness is, but shall content ourselves with telling our readers "just how" it works, and how to use it efficiently and to the best advantage.
We have here seen the mechanism of the senses whereby the Ego is established in communication with the outside world. Dwelling alone in calm solitude, the Ego is constantly receiving the messages from without its dwelling place, as well as from the different rooms of its own place of abode. Telegraph and telephone lines run into that central office, from all directions—telescopes and other optical appliances are trained to all points—heat-registering, lightregistering, sound-registering, and motion- registering instruments are at hand and in constant use. All these instruments have been furnished by Nature for the use of the Ego—or, as some prefer to state it, the Ego has fashioned these instruments to meet its requirements. And, always remember this: It is the Ego who feels, the Ego who smells, the Ego who tastes, the Ego who hears, the Ego who sees—and not the sense organs which have been described in this chapter. And if other channels of sensation are opened up to the Ego, or by the Ego, in the future evolution of the race, it will then be the Ego who perceives through them. Back of all sensations is the Ego—the Subject to which all the rest is objective.
The Culture of the Senses
The senses may be cultivated in two general ways, as follows: (1) By maintaining the sense organs in a state of perfect health and normal functioning; (2) by employing each sense by means of the voluntary attention, according to the universal "Law of Use" which operates so as to develop and perfect the physical organs and parts, and the mental faculties, in response to the demands made upon them by Use and Active Employment. The first of the above mentioned methods are outside of the field and scope of this book, and the student is referred to works along the general lines of physiology and physical well-being for detailed information on this score. The second of the above mentioned methods will be considered in detail as we proceed in this book to a consideration of the subjects of Perception and Attention, respectively. Here is the thing in a nutshell: The senses may be cultivated and rendered more efficient by (a) giving the sense-organism the proper physical care and attention, and by (b) employing the senses intelligently and toward definite ends under the direction of the will. And the latter is a task of the Master Mind.
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