to get a clearer view of any subject than you have at present, address
yourself mentally to the abstract soul of that subject, and ask it to
tell you about itself, and you will find that it will do so. I do not
say that it will do this in any miraculous manner, but what you already
know of the subject will range itself into a clearer order, and you will
see connections that have not previously occurred to you. Then again,
you will find that information of the class required will begin to flow
towards you through quite ordinary channels, books, newspapers, or
conversation, without your especially laying yourself out to hunt for
it; and again, at other times, ideas will come into your mind, you do
not know how, but illuminating the subject with a fresh light. I cannot
explain how all this takes place. I can only say from personal
experience that it happens. But of course we must not throw aside
ordinary common-sense. We must sort out the information that comes to
us, and compare it with our previous knowledge; in fact we must _work_
at it: there is no premium for laziness. Nor must we expect to receive
by a sudden afflatus a complete acquaintance with some subject of which
we are entirely ignorant. I do not say that such a thing is altogether
impossible, for I cannot venture to limit the possibilities of the
Universe; but it is certainly not to be looked for in the ordinary
course. I have sometimes been shown specimens of "inspirational
painting" done by persons said to be entirely ignorant of art, and the
ignorance is very apparent on the face of the work. I dare say an artist
may be inspired in the production of a picture, but the technical
training comes first, and the inspiration afterwards. The same I believe
to be true of all other subjects, so that we come back to the maxim of
the power always expressing itself in terms of the instrument through
which it works. With this reservation, however, it appears to me, that
every class of subject has a sort of soul of its own with which we can
put ourselves _en rapport_ by, so to say, mentally unifying our own