firm and determined action, be a matter of moral conviction, it should
take the first place as such. Napoleon the First was an exemplar of a
selfish corrupted will, CHRIST the perfection of Will in its purity.
And if I can make my meaning clear, I would declare that he who would
create within himself a strong and vigorous will by hypnotism or any
other process, will be most likely to succeed, if, instead of aiming
at developing a power by which he may subdue others, and make all
things yield to him, or similar selfish aims, he shall, before all,
seriously reflect on how he may use it to do good. For I am absolutely
persuaded from what I know, that he who makes Altruism and the
happiness of others a familiar thought to be coupled with every effort
(even as a lamb is always painted with, or appointed unto, St. John),
will be the most likely to succeed. There is something in moral
conviction or the consciousness of right which gives a sense of
security or a faith in success which goes far to secure it. Hence the
willing the mind on the following day to be at peace, not to yield to
irritability or temptations to quarrel, to be pleasing and cheerful;
in short to develop _good_ qualities is the most easily effected
process, because where there is such self-moral-suasion to a good aim
or end, we feel, and very justly, that we _ought_ to be aided by the
_Deus in nobis_, or an over-ruling Providence, whatever its form or
nature may be. And the experimenter may be assured that if we can by
any means _will_ or exorcise all envy, vanity, folly, irritability,
vindictiveness--in short all evil--out of ourselves, and supply their
place with Love, we shall take the most effective means to secure our
own happiness, as well as that of others.

All of this has been repeated very often of late years by Altruists;
but, while the doctrine is accepted both by Agnostics and Christians
as perfect, there has been little done to show men how to practically