opening our eyes: that is one out of thousands of proofs that external irritation is not always necessary to internal activity: it is an example of the use of power to enable us to escape from the effects of a former state. It may be otherwise illustrated—A deep cut in the finger leaves a scar that is never obliterated; though every seven years, some say one year, the whole finger and the whole body are renewed in all their substance. It is a symbol of the permanence and reality underlying all change and appearance. Take a further view. Evil habits, vicious courses, the dull inebriate's life, the vile person's seared brain, though every particle of the body and brain has passed away, are a lasting curse to the possessor; and carry the evil beyond the grave to children's children. “Κραιπνὸς δὲ μετέρχεται, εἶδοκε πᾶσαν dè συμμάρψας ὀλέσῃ γενεὴν καὶ οἶκον ἅπαντα” (Herodotus, vi. 86). To resist, and in part overcome this abiding evil, the volitional nerve-arcs may be put into action; giving power to check and modify the automatic action of the nervous mechanism which has been abused. The volitional power may, by force of habit, become almost automatic-whether for good or evil. Satan's orator can acquire fluent, powerful, extemporaneous eloquence "Though all is false and hollow, yet his tongue MILTON, Paradise Lost, ii. 112 (slightly altered). and sometimes the pious man falls into slovenly specch. We may scar our nervous system with evil habits, and sear our conscience as with a red-hot iron; or, little by little, build up a character beautiful and strong. The soul of one man wells forth a living spring, and flows as a river of life to many. Another man, by abuse of voluntary power, becomes a demon. We are not to regard the action of our volitional nervous arcs as creative of force; but as springs for the optional opening of reservoirs of energy, stored within, for use of free-will. Experience shows that the bodily and mental constitution, acquired during our period of growth, becomes "a second nature," and the nervo-muscular apparatus, concerned in executing the mandates of the mind, acts. as a trained automaton. When we mentally determine to do a thing, we will. The will does not, as physiologists formerly believed, throw itself into a particular set of muscles; but says to the automaton, "Do this," and it obeys. Those who maintain that the mind is wholly dependent upon the bodily organization, exclude all possibility of real self-direction. John Stuart Mill, speaking of this, says, “I felt as if I was scientifically proved to be the helpless slave of antecedent circumstances, as if my character and that of all others had been formed for us by agencies beyond our control, and was wholly out of our own power." The real facts of the case are, as he himself states, "We have real power over the formation of our own character; our will, by influencing some of our circumstances, can modify our future habits. or capacities of willing." We all feel that this fairly represents the real facts. Freedom is an essential attribute of will-or will is not will. We are more free to do right, and less to do wrong; have more use in the subordination of our powers to reason, than in abuse of reason; and the limits are our capacity of self-develop ment and improvement. In earlier life, our characters are formed for us rather than by us; but there comes a time when we take the formation into our own hands, and thenceforth it depends upon ourselves what course the development shall take“ Ἡ δὲ ἠθικὴ ἐξ ἔθους γίγνεTai" (Aristotle, "Ethics"). "Use doth breed a habit in a man. وو SHAKESPEARE. "A character is a completely fashioned will." NOVALIS. The most valuable result of early training is the enabling us to be our own masters-" sui potens' (Horace, "Ode" iii. 29, 41), to keep lower appetites and passions in subjection-"¿yкpaτnç kaνтov," and to give full favourable exercise to our higher faculties. In some measure, then, the soul or spirit, or that which puts volition in action, if not able to create force, is able to acquire energy. From what reservoir does it so acquire? Is it from the vast universe, flowing in according to the measure of the man, or from the nearness of God Almighty? Who knows? We want the strong and wise of our race to be up and doing, to gird themselves with science, reverently to explore the mysteries "In mysteriis perscrutandis absit pervicacia contendendi, adsit diligentia requirendi, humilitas petendi, perseverantia pulsandi" (S. Augustine)—and tell us plainly concerning the energy, physical and intellectual, that we find in the world, whether or not it cometh, as we assert, from God Almighty. Our consciousness, all the facts of our personality, when duly examined, do they not point to an omnipresent God-upholding all things? The question and the marvel turn not on the continuance of our own being, this seems involved in the fact that we already are in being: to die means simply that change-“ Μεταβολὴ τις τυγχάνει οὖσα καὶ μετοίκησις τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ τόπου τοῦ ἐνθένδε εἰς ἄλλον τόπον (Plato, "Ap. Soc.")-by which we become no longer perceptible to ordinary sense. も "Change! there is nought but change and renewal of strife, Life! what is life, that it ceases with ceasing of breath? Death! what were life without change, but an infinite Death? Physicists assert that a simple elementary atom is an everlasting being-" æterno constant semina quæque (Lucret., i. 222). We claim like permanence and reality for the soul. Butler ("Analogy," i. 1) says, "Since consciousness is a single and individual power, it would seem that the subject in which it resides must be so too." As a man throweth away old garments and putteth on new, so the unknown energy bringeth forth and inhabiteth the new. Even the atoms, as their existence is inconceivable apart from intelligence, are energized by Intelligence-the Cause of all causation-the Life of all that lives-the Mind of all that thinks. View the mental process by which energy may be acquired to develop our character. We are all able determinately to fix our attention upon some one object. We can look upon a picture, then examine every part separately. We can, if we have a musical ear, single out any instrument in an orchestra and follow it through the whole performance. Carry this fact to any object of study, endeavour to fix and maintain your attention by sufficient effort-" Attention is the link between the moral and intellectual faculties " (Kant). Determinate effort is an act of the will, and the power of so fixing and concentrating attention is almost the highest and best in our intellectual self-education, and is the great means by which we effect our moral self-improvement. Selective attention, intensifying of mental gaze; then making the object fixed on call up some other, and another, until knowledge, or memory, by determinate fixation, attains the desired result; is the secret of high moral and mental success. Every child should be taught to do this. Begin with a few minutes at a time; by gradual and judicious training the child will gladly exert itself determinately; and thus will be laid that foundation without which nothing supremely good can be attained, whether in intellectual study or in moral discipline. Look at the moral side-we may be tempted to indulge in wine, to apply our powers to ill uses, to play some mean trick, to gain credit not due to us. Though we cannot bring motives before our mind, can only take what comes to our mind, we can think of the wrong, of the consequences, and determinately direct our attention, our conscience, to the reasons why we should not do the evil thing; and we can fix our attention upon something else. Dr. W. B. Carpenter says, "I ask you to take as your guiding star, as it were, in the conduct of your lives, these four words 'I am, I ought, I can, I will.' 'I am' is the expression of reflection and self-consciousness, the looking in upon our own trains of thought. 'I ought' expresses the sense of moral obligation-Turn to the right, and keep straight on. 'I can'the consciousness U |