But as Mr. FLETCHER declares, if men could take _Forethought_ as their
principle and guide they would obviate, anticipate or foresee and
provide for so many evil contingencies and chances that we might
secure even peace and happiness, and then man may become brave and
genial, altruistic and earnest, in spite of it all, by _willing_ away
his Timidity.

I have not assumed a high philosophical or metaphysical position in
this work; my efforts have been confined to indicating how by a very
simple and well-nigh mechanical process, perfectly intelligible to
every human being with an intellect, one may induce certain states of
mind and thereby create a Will. But I quite agree with Mr. FLETCHER
that Forethought is strong thought, and the point from which all
projects must proceed. As I understand it, it is a kind of impulse or
projection of will into the coming work. I may here illustrate this
with a curious fact in physics. If the reader wished to ring a
door-bell so as to produce as much sound as possible he would probably
pull it as far back as he could and then let it go. But if he would in
letting it go simply give it a tap with his forefinger he would
actually redouble the noise.

Or, to shoot an arrow as far as possible, it is not enough to merely
draw the bow to its utmost span or tension. If just as it goes you
will give the bow a quick _push_, though the effort be trifling, the
arrow will fly almost as far again as it would have done without it.

Or, if, as is well known, in wielding a very sharp saber, we make the
_draw-cut_, that is if we add to the blow or chop, as with an axe, a
certain slight pull and simultaneously, we can cut through a silk