第3章

That’soneoftheadvantagesofhavingawellbalancednature,aPRACTICALside。

And,anyway,thevalueofagiftisnotintheCOSTofit。Quitecheapthings,whentheyrepresenttruethoughtandaffection,areaboverubies。

MammaandPapaaregoingtogetmeapearlnecklace,justtocirclethethroat,butbeautifullymatchedpearl。Iwouldn’tcareforanostentatiouslylongstringofpearlsanyway。

Poor,dearPapasayshereallycan’taffordit——

withtimessohard,andthosedear,patheticEuropeansoneverybody’shands,youknow——butMammamadehimunderstandhownecessaryBEAUTYistome,andhefinallygavein。

Isn’titjustWONDERFULhowloverulesusallatChristmastime?

POORDEARMAMAANDFOTHERGILFINCH

(Hermione’sBoswellLoquitur)

HERMIONE’Smother,whohasfiguredsooftenas\"PoordearMama\"inthesepages,hascomeoutdefinitelyforSuffrage。

Someonetoldherthattherewasanalliancebetweentheliquorinterestsandtheanti—Suffagistsandshebelievedit,anditshockedher。

SincetheactivitiesofherdaughterhavebroughtherintocontactwithModernThoughherlifehasbeenchieflypassedinoneoranotherofthreephases:Shehasbeenshocked,sheisbeingshocked,orshefearsthatsheisabouttobeshocked。

Sheisnearingfiftyandratherstout,thoughherfigureisstillnotbad。Shehasanabundanceofchestnuthair,allherown,andnaturallywave;herhandsarepretty,herfeetarepretty,herfaceispretty。

Hermouthisverysmall,almostdisproportionatelyso,andhereyesareverylargeandblueandverywideopen。Shewasintendedforaplacedwoman,butHermioneandModernThoughthavemadecompleteplacidityimpossible。Shehasafondnessforrichbrocadesandprettyfansarechocolatecandyandbigbowlsofrosesandcomfortablechairs。WhenshewasHermione’sagesheusedtodowatercolorsketches;theoutlineswerepenciledinbyherdrawingteacher,andshewashedonthecolorverysmoothlyandneatly;butsheheardagreatmanystoriesconcerningthedissolutelivesthatartistsleadandshegaveitup。

Nevertheless,shesometimessays:\"HermionecomesbyherinterestinArtquitenaturally。\"

FothergilFinchandIcalledrecently。Hermionewasnotin,andhermothersuggestedthatwewaitforher。Hermione’smotherlooksuponallofHermione’sfriendswithmoreorlesssuspicion,andshewouldnotpermitFothergilinparticulartobeabouttheplaceforamomentifshewerenotobligedto;butshedoesnothavetherequisitestern—

nessofcharactertoresistherdaughter。Fothergil,knowingthatheisnotapprovedof,scarcelydoeshimselfjusticewhenHermione’smotherispresent;

althoughheendeavorstoavoidoffendingher。

\"Haveyouseentheplay,’YoungAmerica’?\"

askedFothergil,searchingforasafetopicofconversation。

Alittlerippleofalarmimmediatelyruffledthelakeblueinnocenceofhereyes。

\"IfitisaProblemPlay,Ihavenot,\"shesaid,\"Iconsidersuchthingsdangerous。\"

\"Butitisn’t,youknow,\"saidFothergileagerly。

It’sa——a——it’saperfectlyNICEplay。

It’saboutadog!\"

\"Aboutadog!\"Hereyebrowswentup,andhermouthroundeditselfwiththeconvictionthatnoperfectlyniceplaycouldpossiblybeaboutadog。

\"IthinkthatisdreadfullyCoarse!\"shesaid。

\"Butitisn’t,\"protestedFothergil。\"It’sjusttheSORTofthingyou’dlike。\"

\"Indeed!\"Shefeltslightlyinsultedathisassumptionofwhatshewouldlike,anddismissedthesubjectwithawaveofherprettyhand。Fothergiltriedagain。

\"Ihope,\"hesaidingratiatingly,\"thatyouhaven’tbeenbotheredbymosquitoes。\"Shelookedabitfrightened,butsaidnothing,andhedashedondeterminedly。\"Youknow,thisisanewvarietyofmosquitoeswe’vebeenhavingthisyear。Mostofthemhavestripesontheirlegs,youknow,butthesehaveblacklegsthisyear。Butmaybeyouhaven’tnoticed————\"

Hestoppedinmidcareer。ThepreposterousideathatshecouldbeinterestedinexaminingthelegsofmosquitoeshadtooevidentlyoutragedHermione’smother。Fothergil,flushedandembarrassed,triedtomakeitbetterandmadeitworse。

\"Maybeyouhaven’tnoticedtheir——er——limbs,\"

saidFothergil。

\"Ihavenot,\"shemurmured。

Fothergildesperatelypersevered。

\"Wedon’tseesomuchasweusedtoof——

of————\"(Iamsurehedidn’tknowhewasgoingtofinishthesentencewhenhebeganit,butheplungedahead)——\"oftheQueenAnnestyleofarchitecture。\"

Withvisiblerelief,andyetwithalurkingsuspicion,sheassented。AndFothergil,feelinghimselfonsafegroundatlast,wenton:

\"Don’tyouthinkshewasoneofthemostinterestingqueensinEnglishhistory——QueenAnne?

Doyouremembertheanecdote————?

Butshecheckedhim,frightenedagain:

\"Idonotwishtohearit,Mr。Finch,\"shesaid。

\"But,\"saidFothergil,\"ShewasamostunexceptionalQueen——notlike,er——notlike——well,Cleopatra,youknow,oranyofthosebadones。\"

Hermione’smotherwassilent,butitwasapparentthatshefearedthetalkwasabouttoveertowardCleopatra。

\"WhenIwasagirl,\"shesaid,\"thelivesofqueenswereconsideredratherdangerousreadingforyoungwomen。Youneednotgointodetails,please。\"

Icouldn’tstanditanymoremyself。\"Ifyou’lljusttellHermioneIcalled,\"Isaid,edgingtowardthedoor。Fothergil,however,stuckitout。Inthefrenzyofembarrassmenthemusthavelosthisheadcompletely。ForasIleftIheardhimbe—

ginning:

\"Didyoureadthestoryinthepaperstodayofthemanwhokilledhiswife?Crimesofpassionarebecomingmoreandmorefrequent……\"

PRISONREFORMANDPOISE

AREN’Tyoujustcrazyaboutprisonreform?

Themostwonderfulmantalkedtous——toourLittleGroupofAdvancedThinkers,youknow——aboutittheotherevening。

ItmademefeelthatI’dbewillingtodoanything,simplyANYTHING!——tohelpthosepoor,unfortunateconvicts。Collectmoney,youknow,orgivetalks,orreadbooksaboutthem,ormakeanyothersacrifice。

Evengetthemjobs。Oneoughttohelpthemtostartoveragain,youknow。

Thoughasforhiringoneofthemmyself,orrathergettingPapato——well,really,youknow,onemustdrawthelinesomewhere!

Butit’saperfectlyfascinatingsubjecttotakeup,prisonreformis。

Itgivesonesuchasenseofbrotherhood——andofservice——it’ssobroadening,don’tyouthink?——

takingupthingslikethat?

Andonemustbebroad。IaskmyselfeverynightbeforeIgotobed:\"HaveIbeenBROADtoday?

OrhaveIfailed?\"

Though,ofcourse,onecanbeTOObroad,don’tyouthink?

WhatImeanis,onemustnotbesobroadthatonelosesone’spoiseinthemidstofthings。

Poise!Thatiswhatthisageneeds!

Isupposeyou’veheardwide—brimmedhatsarecominginagain?

ANEXAMPLEOFPSYCHICPOWER

HAVEyouthoughtdeeplyconcerningthePersistenceofPersonalIdentity?

Wetookituptheotherevening——ourlittlegroup,youknow——inquiteathoroughway——

devotedanentireeveningtoit。

Yousee,there’satheorythatafterEvolutionhasevolvedjustasfarasitpossiblycan,everythingwillgotosmash,butthenEvolutionwillstartalloveragain。Andeverythingthathashappenedbe—

forewillhappenagain。

Onlythequestioniswhetherthepeopletowhomitishappeningagainwillknowwhethertheyarethesamepeopletowhomithashappenedbefore。

That’swherethequestionofPersistenceofPersonalIdentitycomesin。FRIGHTFULLY

fascinating,isn’tit?

FormypartI’djustassoonnotbereincarnatedastobereincarnatedandnotknowanythingaboutit,wouldn’tyou?

Ofcourse,one’sSubliminalConsciousnessmightknowaboutit,andgiveoneintimations。

I’vehadintimationslikethatmyself——really!

I’mdreadfullypsychic,youknow。

SometimesIquitestartlepeoplewithmypsychicpower。

FothergilFinchwasheretheotherevening——

youknowfothergilFinch,thepoet,don’tyou?——

andIastoundedhimutterlybyreadinghisinmostthoughts。

Hehadjustfinishedreadingoneofhispoems——

averslibrepoem,youknow;allaboutStrengthandVirility,andthatsortofthing。FothergilisjustsimplyfascinatedbyStrengthandVirility,thoughyouneverwouldthinkittolookathim——heisso——

so——well,ifyougetwhatImeanyou’dthinktolookathimthathe’dbewritingaboutvioletsinsteadofcavemen。

\"Fothy,\"Isaid,whenhehadfinishedreadingthepoem,\"Iknowwhatyouarethinking——whatyouarefeeling!\"

\"What?\"hesaid。

\"You’rethinking,\"Isaid,’howWONDERFULathingistheCosmicUrge!\"

Thoughtscometomejustlikethat——leaptome——

rightoutofnowhere,sotospeak。

Fothywasstaggered;heactuallyturnedpale;

foraminuteortwohecouldscarcelyspeak。TherehadbeenscarcelyaWORDaboutCosmicUrgeinthepoem,youknow;he’dhardlymentionedit。

\"Itiswonderful,\"hesaid,whenwegotovertheshock;\"wonderfultobeunderstood!\"Andyouknow,really——poordear!——somanypeopledon’tunderstandFothyatall。Norwhathewrites,either。

Butthestrangestthingwas——IwishIcouldmakeyouunderstandhowpositivelyEERIEitmakesmefeel——thatjusttheinstantbeforehesaid,\"Itiswonderfultobeunderstood!\"Iknewhewasgoingtosayit。Igotthatpsychically,too!

\"Fothy,\"Isaid,\"ItisabsolutelyWEIRD——I

eavesdroppedonyourbrainthesecondtime!\"

\"Wonderful!\"hesaid,\"butthestillmorewonderfulthingwouldbe————\"

AndbeforehecouldfinishthesentenceithappenedtheTHIRDtime!Iinterruptedandfinisheditforhim。

\"Thestillmorewonderfulthingwouldbe,\"Isaid,\"ifitwereNOTso。\"

\"Heavens!\"hecried,\"thisisgettingpositivelyghostly。\"

Andyouknow,italmostwas。NotthatI’msuperstitiousatall,youknow,inthevulgarway。Butinthedimroom——Ialwayshavejustcandlelightinthedrawing—room——itfitsinwithmymorereflectivemoods,somehow——Ibelieveonemustsuitone’senvironmenttoone’smood,don’tyou?——inthedimroom,allthosethoughtsflyingbackandfortybetweenmybrainandhisgavemeapositivelycreepyfeeling。AndFothywassoshakenIhadtogivehimadrinkofPapa’sScotchbeforehewentoutintothenight。

SOMEBEAUTIFULTHOUGHTS

(FothergilFinch,theVersLibreBard)

OH,theBeautifulMud!Ialwaysleaveitonmyboots。Itissacredtome。Becauseinitarethesoulsoflilies!

TheHogshouldbeasacredbeast。HogsareBeautiful!TheyareclosetotheMire!Oh,tobeaSwine!

WhatismoreeloquentthanaSneeze?TheSneezeistheprotestoftheFreeSpiritagainsttheSmugCitizenwhoneverexposeshimselftoacold。

Oh,BeautifulSneezes!Oh,tomakemylifeoneloudexplosiveSneezeinthefaceofConventionality!

Whatissofree,sountrammeled,soungyved,sounconventional,asanInfluenzaGerm?Fromthroattothroatitfloats,fullofthespiritoftruedemocraticbrotherhood,makingthemassesequalwiththeclasses,careless,wingedungyved!Oh,theBeautifulGerm!Oh,tobeanInfluenzaGerm!

WhatissonaiveasaHiccough!Oh,tobeingenuous,unspoiled,beautiful,barbaric!Oh,thehiccoughs,thebeautifulhiccoughs,thehiccoughsofArtutteredagainstthehurricaneoftime。

BugsareBeautiful!Oh,thebeautiful,sleekslitherybugs。Oh,tobeawater—bugofpoesyskippingacrossthefloodofoblivion!Oh,tobeaBug!

IwentdowntothewaterfrontwheretheysellfishandthereIsawafishermanwhohadcaughtaDogfish,andhecursed,butIsaidtohim,\"DonotcursetheDogfish!TheDogfishisSymbolical!TheDogfishisbeautiful!Beautiful!\"

Oh,thelovelyGarbageScows!Iwentdownthebay,andthereIsawthemdumptheGarbageScows!

Isaidtothemanwhosailedmyboat:\"WhatdoestheGarbageScowMEANtoyou?\"HewasaPhilistine;hewasBourgeois;hewasSmug;hewasConventional,andhesaid:\"AGarbageScowmeansaGarbageScowtome!\"ButIsaidtohim:\"YouareAcademic;youareConservative!GarbageScowsarelovelySymbols!Oh,myArgosiesofDream!Oh,mybeautifulGarbageScows!SomedayeventhePhilistinesofBenightedAmericawillseetheSpiritualSignificanceoftheLovelyGarbageScow!\"

IfoundaGlueFactory,aFreeUntrammeledGlueFactory!Iwasexpressingitself。Itwasassertingitsindividuality。ItwassayingtotheBlindComplacentPillarsofPoliteSociety:\"Myaromaisnotyouraroma,butmyaromaismyown!\"Oh,theCourageousGlueFactory,theFree,UnfetteredGlueFactory!AthousandGlueFactories,fromMaintoOregon,arethusrebukingClassPrejudiceandBourgeoisSmugness。LikePoets,likeProphetsoftheNewArt,theystand,GlueFactoryafterGlueFactory,expressingtheirEgos,BeingThemselves,undaunted,unshackled,strong,independent,virile!Oh,tobethePoetoftheSuperGlueFactory!

WithvioletsinmyhandsIwanderedtothewilds,andthereImetaBuzzard。HewasBeingHimself!IwoveawreathofthevioletsandI

crownedtheBuzzard,andtheBuzzardsaid,\"Whydoyoucrownme?\"AndIsaid,\"Oh,LovelyBuzzard,areyounotBeingYourself?AreyounotrebukingtheTrivialConventionalitiesofourOrganizedSociety?IknowyourDream,OBuzzard!

AcceptthisCrownofVioletsfromourlittlegroup!\"

Comewithmetothezoo,andIwillbareourSoulstotheHyena,andtheHyenawillcommunewithus,andwewillknowthemeaningofLife!

Oh,thelovelyHyena。

THEBOURGEOISELEMENTANDBACKGROUND

ISN’TitsimplywonderfulaboutD’AnnunzioenlistingasacommonsoldieranddiggingtrenchesalongwiththeDueD’AbruzziandthoseotherItalianpoets?OrwasitD’Abruzzi?

Anyhow,itwasoneofthosepoetsthatwerealwaystalkingabouttheSuperman。

Although,Imustsay,onedoesn’thearsomuchabouttheSupermanthesedays,doesone?TheSupermanisgoingout,youknow。

Oneofmyfriends——she’squiteanadvancedthinker,too,andbelongstoourlittlegroup——toldmeayearorsoago,\"Hermione,IwillNEVERmarryuntilIfindaSuperman!\"

\"Ofcourse,thatisallright,mydear,\"Isaidtoher,\"buthowaboutGenetics?\"

Because,youknow,thesloganofourlittlegroup——thatis,oneoftheslogans——is\"GeneticsorSpinsterhood!\"

Itmadeherquiteangryforsomereason。Shepursedherlipsupandactedshocked。

\"Itisallverywell,Hermione,\"shesaid,\"todiscussGeneticsintheABSTRACT。ButtoconnectthediscussionwiththemarriageofaFRIENDisnot,tomymind,theproperthingatall!\"

Didyoueverhearofanythingmoreutterlyin—

consistent?

Oh,Consistency!Consistency!Isn’tConsist—

encyperfectlywonderful!

ButthatisalwaysthewaywhenitcomestoadiscussionofSex。TheBourgeoisElementareNEVERFundamentalandThoroughintheirtreatmentofSex,ifyouknowwhatImean。

And,asFothergilFinchsays,inthiscountryweareNEARLYallBourgeois。

WehavenothadenoughBackgroundforonething。

IfallthelittlegroupsthecountryoverwouldtakeupthematterofBackgroundinaseriousway,somethingmightbedoneaboutit,don’tyouthink?

Wemustorganize——wewhoaretheintellectualleaders,youknow——andstartaneffectivepropagandaforthepurposeofobtainingmoreBackground。

TAKINGUPTHELIQUORPROBLEM

WE’REthinkingoftakinguptheLiquorproblem——ourlittlegroup,youknow,——

inquiteaseriousway。

TheWorkingClasseswouldbesomuchbetteroffwithoutliquor。Andwewhoaretheleadersinthoughtshouldsetthemanexample。

Soanumberofushavedecidedtosetourfacesverysternlyagainstdrinkinginpublic。

Ofcourse,acocktailortwoandanoccasionalstinger,issomethingnoonecanwellavoidtaking,ifoneisdiningoutorhavingsupperafterthetheaterwithone’sownparticularcrowd。

Butallthemembersofmyownparticularlittlegrouphaveenteredintoasolemnagreementnottotakeevensomuchasacocktailoraglassofwineifanyoftheworkingclasseshappentobeaboutwheretheycanseeusandbecomecorruptedbyourexample。

TheBestPeopleowethosesacrificestotheMasses,don’tyouthink?

Ofcourse,thewaiters,andpeoplelikethat,reallybelongtotheworkingclassestoo,Isuppose。

But,asFothergilFinchsays,veryoftenonewouldn’tknowit。Andwhocouldexpectawaitertobeinfluencedonewayoranotherbyanything?

Andit’sthehomelifeoftheworkingclassesthatcounts,anyhow。

WhenwetookupSociology——wegaveseveraleveningstoSociologicalDiscussion,youknow,besidesdoingalotofpracticalWelfareWork——itwasimpresseduponmeverystronglythatifoneistodoanythingatallfortheMassesonemustfirstSWEETENtheirHomeLife。

ThoughPapamademestoppokingaroundintothehorridplaceswheretheyliveforfearImightcatchsomedreadfuldisease。

Andthepeoplewevisitedweren’tallthatgrateful。

SoVERYOFTENtheMassesarenot。

Onedreadfulwoman,youknow,claimedthatshecouldn’tkeepherrooms——shehadtworooms,andshecookedandwashedandsleptandsewedinthemandtherewerefiveinthefamily——claimedthatshecouldn’tkeepherroomsinanybettershapebecausetheyweresooutofrepairandtheplumbingwasbadandthewindowsleakedandallthatsortofthing,youknow,andoneoftheroomswasENTIRELYdark。

Ipreachedthedoctrineoffreshairandsunshineandcleanlinesstoher,youknow,andtheimprudentthingtoldmePapaownedthebuildinganditwasn’ttrueatall——Papaonlybelongedtothecompanythatownedthebuilding。Onecan’tdomuchforpeoplewhowillnotbetruthfulwithone,canone?

Besides,itistheSilentInfluencethatcountsmorethanargumentsandvisiting。

Ifonemakesone’slifewhatitshouldbeGoodwillRadiate。

Vibrationsfromone’sEgowillpermeateallclassesofsociety。

AndthatisthewayweintendtomakeourselvesfeltwithregardtotheLiquorProblem。Wewillinculcateabstemiousnessbyexample。

Abstemiousness,FothyFinchsays,shouldbeourmotto,ratherthanAbstinence。WeshallbeQUITE

carefulnottoidentifyourselveswiththeMORE

VULGARaspectsofthepropaganda。

Andofcourseatsocialfunctionsinourprivatehomestotalabstinenceisquiteoutofthequestion。

Theworkingclasseswouldn’tgetanyexamplefromourhomes,anyone;forofcoursewenevercomeintocontactwiththemthere。

Buttheworkingclassesmustbesavedfromthemselves,evenifalltheemployersoflaborhavetowriteoutalistofjustwhattheyeatanddrinkandmakethembuyonlythosethings。TheysimplyMUSTbesaved。

Notthatthey’llappreciateit。Theyneverdo。IfIwerenotanincorrigibleidealistIwouldbeinclinedtogivethemup。

Butsomeonemustgiveuphislifetoleadingthemonwardandupward。AndwhoistheretodoitifnotweleadersofModernThought?

THEJAPANESEAREWONDERFUL,IFYOUGETWHATIMEAN

DON’TyoujustdoteontheJapanese?

They’resoesoteric——andsubtleandallthatsortofthing,aren’tthey?

JustlookatBuddhismandShintoism,forinstance。Couldanythingbemoresubtleandesoteric?

We’vebeentakingthemup——ourLittleGroupofSeriousThinkers,youknow——andthey’vewonderful,simplyWONDERFUL!

Not,ofcourse,thatonewouldBEaBuddhistoraShintoist——butit’sbroadeningtothemind,don’tyouthink,tocomeincontactwiththegreatthoughtof——of——well,reallyofpeoplelikeShinto,youknow,andthoseothersages?

Andhowwonderfullyartistictheyare——theJapanese!

ThenewparasolsarequiteJapanese,youknow。

Haven’tyouseenthem?

Ihavethree,fordifferentcostumes。OneiscoveredwithembroideredJapanesecrepe,andan—

otherwithmartinesilk。

Buttheone,IthinkthatexpressMEthemostaccurately——theonethatrepresentsmyindividuality,REALLY——ismadewithgoldspokescoveredwithblackChantillylace。Japaneseshape,youknow,andFrenchworkmanship。

Andonemuststrivetorepresentone’sselfifoneistobehonest。

Onemustputone’ssoulintoone’senvironment。

AlthoughEnvironmentisn’twhatitusedtobe。

Youdon’thearEnvironmentspokenofnearlyasoftenasyoudid。

Environmentisgoingout。

Butbesidesbeingsoesotericandexoticandartistic,andallthatsortofthings,theJapanesearewonderfullyuptodate,too。

Doyouknow,theyactuallyhaveabattleshipnamedTheTango!

HaveyouthoughtdeeplyofInterstellarCommunication?

Itpromisestobeoneofthegreatnewproblems。

Theloveliestmantalkedtousaboutittheotherevening。\"InterstellarCommunicationinItsRelationtoRecentPsychicHypotheses\"——that’sthetitle;

Iwroteitdown。Ialwaystakenotesofatitlelikethat。

Ithelpsonetogettotheheartofthematter。

InterstellarCommunicationiswonderful——simplyWONDERFUL!

We’regoingtotakeupMarssoon。

Mammasaidtomeonlyyesterday:\"Hermione,youSIMPLYMUSTdropsomeofyourserioussubjectsduringthehotweather。\"

\"Mamma,\"Itoldher,\"thatwasallverywellinyourday——totakethingsupanddropthematwill。

Butpeopledidn’thaveaSocialConscienceinthosetimes。Weadvancedthinkersoweadutytotherace。Wemustgrapplewiththings。Wearenotcontenttofrivol,IWILLtakeupMars!\"

And,youknow,Idon’thavethetemperamenttoremainidle。MymindMUSTbeactive。SometimeswhenIthinkhowactivemymindis,Iwondermyforeheadisn’twrinkled。

Andofcoursethatwouldbealoss——anythingisalossthatdestroysBeauty。

For,afterall,Beautyiswhattheworldneedsmorethananythingelse。It’saseriousthought——

howfarUseshouldbesacrificedtoBeauty,andBeautytoUse,isn’tit?

Youknowthat’swhyIcan’tjointhesuffragists。

Iamone,ofcourse,butthesuffragistyellowissuchaHORRIDcolorIsimplyCANNOTwearit。

SHEREFUSESTOGIVEUPTHECOSMOS

WE’VEtakenupGertrudeStein——ourLittleGroupofSeriousThinkers,youknow——

andshe’swonderful;simplyWONDERFUL。

SheSuggeststheInexpressible,youknow。

Ofcourse,sheisaPioneer。AndwithallPioneers——don’tyouthink——theReachisgreaterthantheGrasp。

Notthatyoucantellwhatshemeans。

ButintheNewArt,onedoesn’thavetomeanthings,doesone?Onestrikesthechords,andthechordsvibrate。

Aren’tVibrationsjusttooperfectlylovelyforanything?

TheloveliestmantalkedtoustheothernightaboutWorldMovementsandCosmicVibrations。

Yousee,everytimetheCosmosvibratesitmeansanewWorldMovement。

AndtheSoulsthatareinTunewiththeCosmosarebenefittedbytheseWorldMovements。Theothersoulswillgetharmoutofthem。

Frightfullyinteresting,isn’tit?——theCosmos,Imean。

Ihavegivensomuchthoughttoit!Ithasbe—

comealmostanobsessiontome。

OnlytheothereveningIwasthinkingaboutit。

AndwithoutrealizingthatIspokealoudIsaid,\"IsimplycouldNOTDOWITHOUTtheCosmos!\"

Mamma——poorMamma!——sheissoterriblyunadvancedyouknow!——Mamasaid:\"Hermione,IdonotknowwhattheCosmosis。ButthisI

doknow——notanotherSexDiscussionorEastIndianSwamiwillevercomeintoTHIShouse!\"

\"Mamma,\"Isaidtoher,\"IwillNOTgiveuptheCosmos。Itmeanseverythingtome;simplyEVERYTHING!\"

IamalwaysfirmwithMamma;itiskinder,inthelongrun,tobequitepositive。ButwhatI

sufferathomefromobjectionstotheadvancedmovementsnobodyknows!

NobodybuttheLeadersofThoughtcandreamwhatMartyrdomis!

Sacrifice!Sacrifice!ThatisthekeynoteoftheLiberalLife!

NearlyeverynightbeforeIgotobedIaskmyself:

\"HaveIshowntheSacrificialSpirittoday?

OrhaveIFAILED?\"

THECAVEMAN

DON’Tyouthinktheprimitiveisjustsimplytoofascinatingforanything?We’veallgotitinus,youknow,anditseemslikenowadaysthemoreculturedandadvancedoneisthemorelikelytheprimitivesistobreakoutonone。

Ihaveastrongstrainoftheprimitiveinme,youknow。

Iwouldn’ttakeanythingforit——it’ssimplywonderful——wonderful!

Itcomesovermesostrongattimes,theyearningfortheprimitivedoes,thatIjustsitwithadreamylookonmyfaceandmurmurtomyself:\"ALONE,ALONE——UNDERTHESTARS!ALONE!\"

MammaoverheardmesayingthattheotherdayandthoughtIhadgonecrazy,andshesaid:\"forHeaven’ssake,Hermione,whatareyouthinkingabout,andwhatdoyouwant?\"

\"Thestars,\"Imurmured,scarcelyknowingthatIspokealoud,\"thestarsandmyCaveMan!\"

Mammawasshocked——shesaysforanunmarriedwomantothinkofCaveMenissimplyindelicate。

Mammaisnotatalladvanced,youknow。

She’sdearandsweet,butshedoesn’tbelieveinTrialMarriagesatall。

AndImustadmittheyshockedmewhenIfirstheardaboutthem。ButthatwasbeforeIhadtakenupthesethingsseriously。

\"Mamma,\"Isaidtoher,\"itisnouseforyoutopretendtobeshocked。Ihavearighttohappiness。

Andhappinesstomemeansbeingalone,underthestars,andwalkingbarefootandbareheadedinthedew。\"

\"AlonewithaCaveMan!\"shesaid。Andthenshecried。

Tears!——thatissoliketheold—fashionedwoman!

\"Mamma,\"Isaid,kindly,butfirmly,\"IfitismydestinytobekidnapedbyaCaveManandtakenintothewasteplaces,underthestars,canIavoidit?\"

ShesaidIcouldatleastberespectable,andthatIwasactinglikeIWANTEDtobekidnaped。

And,youknow,attimesIdofeelasifthatmightbemyfate,\"really。Iamsopsychic,youknow,andpsychicsfeeltheirfatecomingonquickerthanmostpeople。

ItoldMammathatIfelteverywomanhadarighttochoosethefatherofherownchildren,andshewasshockedagain。AndthenshewantedtoknowwhatbeingkidnapedbyaCaveManhadtodowithchoosingthefatherofone’sownchildren,andhowdidIknowbuttheseCaveMenkidnapedadifferentwomaneveryyear?

ButIsettledher。

\"Mamma,\"Isaid,\"youareNOTadvanced,andsoIcannotarguewithyou。Youwouldn’tunderstand。

ButifIAMprimitive——andIfeelthatIam——whosefaultisit?WhodidIinherititfrom?\"

Shecouldn’tsayanythingtothat。Shedidn’tliketoownthatIinheriteditfromher。AndsheknewifsheblameditontoPapaIwouldaskherhowsheDAREDtodenymeaprimitivemanwhenshehadmarriedoneherself。

Finallyshequitcryingandsaid,pressingherlipstogether:\"Hermione,doyouKNOWanyofthoseCaveMen?\"

ButIrefusedtoanswer。Iwenttomyroom。

Dissensiondisturb’sthesoul’sharmony。

One’ssubliminalconsciousnessmustevervibrateinharmonywiththeCosmicAll。

Ineverfusswhenapersondisturbsme。IjustgointotheSilencesandvibratethere。

ButIkeptthinking:\"DOIknowanyCaveMen?\"

IThinkIdo——one。Hetriestoconcealit。Butit’shissecret。I’msure。

Hehasthemostluminouseyes!

Likeawolf’s,youknow,whenitgallopsacrossthewasteplaces——underthestars,alone!

Andthewayheeats!Idon’tmeanthathe’snoisy,youknow。ButthewayhecrunchedachickenbonethelasttimehedinedwithmewasperfectlyWONDERFUL——sononchalant,youknow,andloudlyand——and——well,primitive!I’mSUREhe’sone!

Iwouldn’tgoautoingwithhimforanything——

unless,ofcourse,hegavemeoneofthosecompellingglances,likeCaveMendointhemagazines,youknow。

ThenI’dknowitwasdestinyanduselesstoresist。

THELITTLEGROUPGIVESAPAGANMASQUE

TheLittleGroupgaveapartyAndallofthegodswerethere,FromThortoMissSusanAstarteWithdoo—daddlesgemmingherhair,BillBaldurandJaneAphrodite,DickVishnuandBennyO’Baal,AndBacchuscameoninanightieWithlittlepinksnakesinthetail;

Latin,PhoenicianandHinduNorseandEgyptianandChink……

CastorwaswatchinghisTwindoStunts,withabrotherlywink……

PersephoneswearingbyHades……

ANornandSibyllineSimp……

AMomus,whoshoweduptotheladiesThelatestOlympianlimp。

WasHermionepresent?ByCrikey!

(ThisCrikey’saWhitechapeljoss)

OurHermyattendedasPsyche——

ShesikedandshegotitacrossAndFothergilFinch,rathergaumyWithCosmiccosmetics,wasthere,ButtheSwamiwentjustastheSwami,Afteroilingthekinksinhishair。

IsaidtoHermione:\"Goddess!

You’regraceful,you’reGreek,you’rearose,FromthepinionsthatrisefromyourbodiceTotheraddleInoteonyourtoes,\"AndFothergil,here,withhiscenser,Andhislittlecheekscrimsonasbeets,Youracolyte,perfume—dispenser,IssweetasapageoutofKeats,\"Buttellme,myDea——myPsyche!——

(WithyourwingsoutspreadastoraceWiththatswiftandacephalousNikeWholostherbeansomewhereinThrace)——

\"MyThea——myclassicalpigeon!——

IsnotyourSincerityshockedBythisgiddyrevueofreligion?……

Arenoneofthesegodsbeingmocked?……

\"Intheregionsunknowable——Thea!——

WherethenoumenonchumbswiththeNous,WheretheIdolgetsheptoIdea,AndpythagorasoglesaGoose,\"IntheheavensofBrahmandOsiris,Aretheypeevedwiththisrevel,Iask?……

DoesPlutolikethis,wherehisfireis?……

Whatinhelldotheythinkofthismasque?……

\"Wherethedeities,avidofIs—ness,ResurgefromtheFlivversthatWere,WhilethewildChaoticalWhiznessGivesplacetoaCosmicWhir,\"Dotheyrelishthisjoshofthejosses?

Dotheylampnotthesamewithagrouch?

AreyoustingingthesegloomyBigBossesToakeener,immortalerouch?\"

Hermionemurmured:\"Howeerie!

YouarevoicingmyownInnerMood!

Ahme!buttheworldislessdrearyIfoneisbutunderstood!

\"AndIthankyou,Ithankyou,forrisingTomypersonalpointofview……

ITHANKyouforSYMPATHIZING!……

Dearman,howyoualwaysdo!\"

SYMPATHY

OFcoursewe’reoutoftownforthesummer——

EVERYBODY’Soutoftown,now——butImotorinonceortwiceaweektokeepintouchwithsomeofmycommittees。

Sociologicalwork,forinstance,keepsrightuptheyeararound。

Ofcourse,it’snotsointerestinginthewinter。

Youseemorestrikingcontrastsinthewinter,don’tyouthink?

AcoupleofgirlcousinsofminefromCincinnatihavebeenhere。They’reinterestedinwelfareworkofallsorts。

\"Hermione,\"theysaid,\"wewanttoseethebreadline。\"

\"Mydears,\"Isaid,\"Idon’tmindshowingittoyou,butit’snothingmuchtoseeinsummer。It’sinthewinterthatitarousesone’sdeepestsympathies。\"

Andonemustkeepone’ssympathiesaroused。

OftenIsaytomyselfatnight:\"HaveIbeensympathetictoday,orhaveIFAILED?\"

Mammaoftenlackssympathy。SheobjectstohavingmereopenmySalonthiswinter。

\"Hermione,\"shesaid,\"Idon’tmindthesubjectsyoutakeup——orthepeopleyoutakeupwith——ifyouonlytakethemuponeatatime。AndIamgladwhenyourownlittlegroupmeetshere,be—

causeitkeepsyouathome。ButIwillNOThaveallthedifferentkindsoffreakshereattheSAME

TIME,sittingarounddiscussingfreeloveandsexeducation。\"

Iwasindignant。\"Mamma,\"Isaid,\"whatrighthaveyoutosaytheywoulddiscussthatallthetime?\"

\"Because,\"shesaid,\"Ihavenoticedthatnomatterwhethertheystartwithsociologyorpsychology,theyalwaysgetaroundtoSexintheend。\"

Isn’titfunnyaboutpure—mindedpeople?——inthegenerationbeforethisanythingthatshockedapure—

mindedpersonlikeMammawassuretobebad。

Butnowitsonlytheevil—mindedpeoplewhoevergetshockedatall,itseems。

ThereallyPURESTofthepure—mindedpeopledon’tgetshockedbyanythingatallthesedays。

IthinkMammaiseithergettingpurer—mindedallthetimeorislosingsomeofit——Ican’ttellwhich——

forsheisn’tshockedaseasilyasshewasafewmonthsago。

ButIgotashockmyselfrecently。

IfoundoutthatplantshaveSex,youknow。

Justthinkofit——carrots,onion,turnips,potatoes,andeverything!

Isn’titfrightfultothinkthatthisagitationhasspreadtothevegetablekingdom?

IvowedIwouldnevereatanotherpotatoaslongasIlived!

And,afterall,whatGOODdoesitdo——lettingthevegetablekingdomhaveSex,Imean?

Evenagoodthing,youknow,canbecarriedtoofar。

\"Mamma,\"Itoldher,\"youarehopelesslybehindthetimes。SexisaGreatFact。Someonemustdiscussit。AndwhobuttheLeadersofThoughtareworthyto?\"

Iintendtosaynothingmoreaboutitnow——butwhenthetimecomesIWILLreopenmySalon。

AndasfarastalkingaboutSexisconcerned——

therightsortofmindwillgetGOODoutofit,andthewrongsortwillgetHARM。

Idon’treallyLIKEdiscussionsofSexanymorethanMammadoes。Noreallynicegirldoes。

Butweadvancedthinkersoweadutytotherace。

Notthattheraceisgrateful。Especiallythelowerclasses。

ItwasonlylastweekthatIwasendeavoringtointroducethecooktosomeadvancedideas——forherowngood,youknow,andbecauseoneowesaspiritualdutytoone’sservants——andshegotangryandgavenotice。

Theservantproblemisfrightful。Itwillhavetobetakenseriously。

BLOUSES,BURGARSANDBUTTERMILK

SOMEofus——OurLittleGroupofAdvancedThinkers,youknow——aregoinginforBulgarianbuttermilk。

ItcameinaboutthetimetheBulgarianblousesdid——therewasawarovertheresomewhere,youknow,beforethisbigwar,thatmadeitfashionable。

Buttheblouseswentout,andthebuttermilkstayedin。

Itseemsthere’saBulgarianbythenameofMetchnikoffinPariswhositsdownanddesignsthesethings——thebuttermilk,youknow,nottheblouses。

Isn’tsciencewonderful——simplyWONDERFUL!

We’regoingtotakeupMetchnikoffinaseriousway。

Youknowwhatheaimstodoistolengthenlife。

Thequestionis:\"Shouldlifebelengthened?

Orshoulditnot?

TheLeadersofThoughtwillhavetothreshthatoutsoon。

Thequestionofoldageisasubtleone,isn’tit?

Andit’sverytypicalofourtimes,don’tyouthink,thatweshoulddiscusstheproblemsofoldage?

Otherepochshavedoneit,ofcourse,butnotoptimistically。

Thequestionentersintoeverything——evenmillinery。

I’mhavingtheloveliesthatadaptedfromaFrenchmodel——towearwithmylingeriecostumes,youknow——awide—brimmedblacklacewithablackvelvetcrown。

It’sonlyrecentlythatyoungwomencouldaffordtowearblack,evenwhenitwasbecoming。WhenMammawasyoungitwasasignthatyouthwaspast。

Andnowadays,agedoesn’tmattersomuchonewayoranother。ApersonistheageoneFEELS,youknow。

HaveyouthoughtdeeplyonHypnagogicIllusions?We’replanningtotakethemup。

TWILIGHTSLEEP

HAVEyoureadanythingabouttheTwilightSleepyet?It’swonderful;simplyWONDERFUL!

Theloveliestmantoldourlittlegroupallaboutit——justtheotherevening。

\"Hermione,\"saidMamma,\"IwillNOThaveyoutakingupanymoresubjectsofthatEasyIndiancharacter。NoSwamishalleverenterthishouseagain!\"

\"Mamma,\"Isaidtoher,\"youarehopelesslyunadvanced。,IthasnothingwhatevertodowithGoingintotheSilencesorSwamis。It’sentirelyscientificandnotpsychicatall。Andifitwerepsychic,whatthen?\"

\"NoSwami,\"saidMamma,evenmorestubborn—

ly,\"shalleverdarkenmydooragain!\"

Poor,dear,stupidMamma!Shegetsthingssomixed!

\"AsfarasSwamisareconcerned,\"Itoldher,\"thedebtweowetotheminincalculable。Where,forinstance,wouldwehaveeverheardofKarmaifithadnotbeenfortheSwamis?\"

Shecouldn’tanswer;shejustlookedstubborn;

unadvancedpeoplealwayslookstubbornandglare。

\"Where,\"Isaid,\"didwegettheVedantasandVegetarianismandAlternateBreathingfrom?\"

Shecouldn’tsayaword。Shejustpouted。

\"Whotaughtus,\"Isaid,\"TransmigrationofSoulsandVibrations?\"

Shebrokedownandcried。

\"Hermione,\"shesaid,\"IsimplyHATEhowdahsandcobrasandswastikasandallthoseOrientalthings!\"

Mammahasnoideawhateveroflogic。Sheisatypicalold—fashionedwoman。

\"Mamma,\"Isaid,\"cryasmuchasyoulike。YoushallnotdisturbMYinnerHarmony!Iwillnotpermityouto。Andmymindismadeup。IwilltakeuptheTwilightSleepinaseriousway!\"

Thatsettledit,too。

Haveyounoticed,there’sbeenjustahintofautumnintheairtheselastfewdays?

Haveyouseenthenewstylesforautumn?Theyarewonderful;simplyWONDERFUL!

INTUITION

INspiteofallwe’vedoneforthem——byweI

meantheseriousthinkersoftheworld——somepeoplearesofrightfullyuncultured!

Agirlaskedmetheotherday——andthesurprisingthingaboutit,too,isthatshebelongedtoourownLittleGroupofAdvancedThinkers——sheaskedme:\"Hermione,don’tyoujustdoneonRubaiyat’spoetry?\"

ForamomentIcouldn’tthinkwhoshemeantatall。

\"He’snotanAmerican,ishe?\"Isaid。

\"Oh,no,\"shesaid,\"he’ssomesortofanOriental。\"

\"Itisn’tRubaiyatyou’rethinkingof,mydear,\"

Itoldher。It’sRabindranath。RabindranathSomething—or—other,thatnewman——he’swonderful,mydear,simplywonderful。\"

Andthenshequotedsomeofitand——theideaistooabsurdforanything,butwhatdoyousup—

poseitwas?

OmarKhayyam——imagine!

Andreally,youknow,it’sbeenyearssinceanybodyquotedOmarKhayyam;he’sQUITEgoneout,youknow!

Eventhequestionwhetherhewasmoraldoesn’tattractanyattentionanymore。Althoughasfarasthatisconcerned,thepuremindwillgetpurityoutofhimandtheimpuremindwillgetimpurity。

Honisitqui——whatistherestofit?Oh,youknow——it’sLatin——whattheRomansusedtosayaboutCaesar’swifeandhercontinualsuspicions。

My,howasuspiciouswifecanhandicapaman!

But,ofcourse,aswomengetmoreandmoreadvanced,andknowaboutthelivesmenlead,theyarefindingoutthatthesuspicionswerejustified。

Theirintuitionstoldthemsoallthetime。

Ihavealotofintuitionmyself——themomentamancomesIjudgehiminspiteofmyself。

Firstimpressionsalwayslastwithme,too。

Youknow,I’mverypsychic。

SometimesIamalmostfrightenedwhenIthinkofthethingsmyintuitionwouldtellmeifIal—

lowedittoroamatwill,sotospeak,amongmyfriendsandacquaintances。

ButIrestrainit。Onemust,youknow。Theloveliestmangaveussuchaninterestingtalkonself—restrainttheotherevening。

AndnowIalwaysaskmyselfthelastthingbe—

foreIgotobedatnight:\"HaveIrestrainedmy—

selftoday?OrhaveIfailed?\"

Thereisnorealculturewithoutrestraint,youknow。

That’swheretheEnglisharesosuperior,don’tyouthink?

ImettheloveliestEnglishmantheotherevening。

ThemomentIsawhimIsaidtomyselfhewasoneofthearistocracy。Otherpeoplehavenosesliketheirs,ofcourse,butitisonlytheEnglisharistocracywhocanCARRYthatkindofanose。

Andmyintuitionwascorrect——thereareonlyfivelivesbetweenhimandatitle,andoneofthoseisapoloplayerandanotherisatthefront。

Someonetoldmehisfamilywerepayinghimnottogohome,butwhattheythinkthepoormanwoulddoifhewereinEnglandIdon’tknow,becausetheydon’tduelthere,youknow。Iftheydueledthere,ofcourse,hemightdisposeofallfivelives。

Don’tyouthinkthoseoldEuropeanfamiliesareso,so——well,soROMANTICsomehow?

STIMULATINGINFLUENCES

SCIENCEandphilanthropyshouldgohandinhand——twoheartsthatbeatasone,ifyouknowwhatImean,andallthatsortofthing。

Andtheydo,too。Wewerediscussingittheotherevening——ourLittleGroupofSeriousThinkers,youknow——andwedecidedthatwhatphilanthropyowestoscienceismadeupbywhatscienceowestophilanthropy。

Isn’titwonderfulhowthingsbalancelikethat?

There’stheTwilightSleepandtheMother—

TeacherIdea,forinstance。

OurlittlegrouparethinkingofstartingapropagandatourgeALLTeacherstobeMothers。

And,ofcourse,alotofthemmightobject——butalongcomestheTwilightSleepandtakesawayallPOSSIBLEobjections。

AndalongcomesPhilanthropytoputtheTwilightSleepwithinthereachofall——atleast,wehopeitwill——andwe’regoingtotakethematterupwithsomeofthePhilanthropistsrightaway。

Isn’titjustsimplyWONDERFULhowModernThoughtbringssubjectslikethattogether?

Ofcourse,evenModernThoughtcouldn’tdoit,unlessthesubjectsbelongedtogether,anyhow,couldit?Unlesstheywere——er——er————

Well,youknow,Affinities。ThoughIdon’tcaremuchfortheword。

Affinitieshavequitegoneout,youknow。Youdon’thearmuchaboutAffinitiesthisautumn。

NorSoulMates,either,forthatmatter。

ThoughIalwayswillsaythere’sanIDEAbehindallthetalkaboutthem。

Isn’titoddaboutthingsthatway——howIdeascomeandgo,youknow,andbecomequiteold—

fashioned,andyetallthetimehaveaQUITE

profoundIdeabackofthem?

There’sCubistandFuturistArt,forinstance——

onedoesn’thearnearlysomuchaboutthemnow,thougheveryoneadmittedtherewasanIdeabehindthem。

Ofcourse,nooneknewwhattheIdeaMEANT。

Butitwasstimulating。

AndwhyshouldanIdeahavetoMEANanythingifitisSTIMULATING?

Stimulation!Stimulation!ThatisthesecretofModernLife!

OneshouldbereceptivetoStimulation——oneshouldstrivetoStimulate!

OneowesittotheMassestoStimulate!ItistheDUTYoftheleadersofAdvancedThought!

NearlyeverynightbeforeIgotobedIaskmyself,\"HaveIbeenaStimulatingInfluencetoday?

OrhaveIfailed?\"

FothergilFinchsaysIStimulateHIM!

Poor,dearman!——he’sbecomingquite——quite——

well,er——er——TOOencouraged,ifyouknowwhatImean。

Yes,thatisthewaywithpoets。

IdoubtifANYpoeteverunderstoodapurelyPlatonicFriendship。

Igavehimalong,longlooklasteveningandsaid,\"Fothergil,CANyoukeeponthePlatonicPlane?\"

Heonlysaid,\"Alas!ThePlatonicPlane!\"

Ihopehecan。IneedhimformySalon。

I’mhavingtheentiregroundfloorofthehousedoneoverforthat,youknow,andImayreopenitanytimenow!

POLITICS

I’Mthinkingoftakinguppoliticsinapracticalway。

I’veneverbeenanactivesuffragist,youknow,onaccountofthathorridyellowcoloronthebannersandthings。

ButonemustsacrificeIdealsofBeautytoIdealsofUsefulness,mustn’tone?

Andpoliticsisfascinating;simplyFASCINATING!

Goingaboutandorganizingworkinggirls,youknow,andseeingCorruptBossesandenlistingthemforMoralCauses,andmakingone’sselffeltasaForce——couldonemakeone’sselfmoreUtile?

MorespirituallyUtile?

Utility!ThatiswhatourLeadersofThoughtneedtodevelop!

NearlyeverynightbeforeIgotobedIsaytomyself:\"HaveIbeenUtiletoday?OrhaveI

FAILED?\"

Politics,practicalpolitics,willbesuchanoutletformypersonality,too。

AndwhenIreopenmySalonIcanmakeitcountfortheCause,too。

Wearegoingtogiveaneveningsoon——ourGroupofAdvancedThinkers,youknow——toaseriousandthoroughstudyofpoliticaleconomy。Theysayit’ssimplywonderful。

Theloveliestwomantalkedtoustheotherevening。

She’sapoet。Whenwomenhavechargeofaffairs,shesaid,Humanitarianism,IdealismandthePoeticSpiritwillruleinpubliclife。

Won’tthatbelovely?

Butwemustbepractical,andgettheBossesonourside。Theyaresimplyhorridpeoplesociallyandethically,youknow。Butthere’ssomethingfrightfullyfascinatingabouttheideaofbeardingthemintheirdenswithpetitionsandthings。

ThoughhowtheideaofabolishingmenaltogetherwillworkoutIdon’tknow。

SomeoftheleadersoftheCauseseemtowantit。

Ihavenodoubtthatitcouldbedone。Someplantsandinsectshaveonlythefemalesex,youknow。Andmaybethehumanracewillbethatwayoneday。

Although,formypart,iftheycouldonlybereformedI’dfavorretainingmen。

There’ssomethingaboutthemso——so——well,soMASCULINEsomehow,ifyouknowwhatImean。

ButImusthurry——Ihavetodosomeshopping。

Clothesareabore,aren’tthey?

HERMIONEONPSYCHICALRESEARCH

SPIRITUALISMisbecomingquitethething,isn’tit?

DearSirOliverLodgehasbeenprovingsomemorethingsquiterecently,youknow。HowanyonecoulddoubtamanwithsuchalovelyheadandfaceIcan’timagine。

SpiritualismandSpiritismarequitedifferent,youknow。Ithasbeenalongtime,really,sinceSpiritualismwastakenseriously。

Exceptbysuperstitiouspeople,ofcourse。

ButSpiritismhascometostay。Ithasnothingtodowithsuperstitionatall。It’spartofAdvancedThought——quitescientific,youknow,whileSpiritualismwasjustafad。

AndSpiritualismissomehowmore——well,er——

VULGARifyougetwhatImean。ThesortofpeopleonecarestoknowwellhavedroppedSpiritualismforSpiritism。

Though,ofcourse,aghostisaghost,whetheritismaterializedbyspiritualismorSpiritism。

IhavebeenoftentoldthatIamnaturallyveryclairvoyant——ifIweredevelopedIwouldmakeasplendidmedium。Mediumshaveseenshapeshoveringaroundmyhead,andoncewhenIwasatschoolIdidsomeautomaticwriting。

Itwasthestrangest,easiestthing!IhadapencilinmyhandandwithoutthinkingofanythinginparticularatallIjustscribbledaway,andwhatI

wrotewas,\"Wheninthecourseofhumaneventsitbecomesnecessary;Wheninthecourseofhumaneventsitbecomesnecessary,\"overandoveragain。

Iwasquitestartled,forthelastthingIhadbeenthinkingofwasanalgebraexamination,andnothistoryatall。Wehadhadourhistoryexaminationdaysbefore。

IfeltasifanunseenhandhadreachedoutoftheSilencesandgraspedmine!

Wasn’titweird?

AndIknowwhoitwas,too。AdistantrelativeofMamma’sonherfather’sside,bymarriage,wasoneofthemenwhosignedtheConstitutionoftheUnitedStatesinFaneuilHall,inPhiladelphia,in1776,anditwasHISspiritthatwastryingtode—

liverhismessagethroughme!

AndonlylastyearIcameacrossaverysimilarcase。Onlythiswasstrangerthanmine,ifany—

thing。Forithappenedonatypewriter——whichprovesthattheveilbetweenthetwoworldsmustbeverythin,doesn’tit,ifthespiritsaretakingupmoderninventions?

IthappenedtooneofPapa’sstenographers。I

hadheruptothehousetotakenotesforareportIwasmakingtooneofthesociologicalcommitteesIwasonthen。

Andshetookthenotesandputthemintoshapeforme,butwhenshesentthereporttomethebackofoneofthesheetswasjustfullofonesentencewrittenoverandoveragain。Shedidn’tknowshe’dincludedthatsheet,ofcourse。

ItwassocuriousIaskedheraboutit。

Shelookedalittlequeerandsaidthatwhenshewasn’tthinkingofanythinginparticular,butjustsittingbeforehertypewriterandnotworking,shealwayswrotethatsentence。

\"Itjustcomesintomyhead,\"shesaid,\"andI

writeit。\"

\"Anoccultforceguidesyourfingers?\"Iasked。

\"Yes,ma’am,that’sit,\"shesaid。

Overandoverandoveragainshehadwritten,\"Nowisthetimeforallgoodmentocometotheaidoftheparty。\"

Andhereistheeeriepartofit——italmostfrightenedmewhenIgotitoutofher!——herfatherhadbeensomesortofpolitician;adistrictleader,orsomethinglikethat。Andhewasdead,andshehadhadtogotowork。

Buthewastryingtodeliveramessagethroughher!

Isn’tPsychicalResearchsimplywonderful!

NotthatI’dcaretogoinforanyvulgarthingsuchastintrumpets,youknow,but————

Well,there’stheAstralBody。Thathasn’tbeenvulgarizedatall,ifyougetwhatImean。Really,theBestPeoplehavethem。

ENVOY

HERMIONE,THEDEATHLESS

Shewillnotdie!——inBrainstormSlumFake,NutandFreakPsychologistEternallyshallbuzzandhum,AndSpookandSwamikeeptheirtrystwithThinkersinaMentalMist。

YouthreatenherwithNightandSorrow?

OutoftheSilences,Iwist,MoreLittleGroupswillrisetomorrow!

ThelipsofPatterne’eraredumb,TheFutileMillsshallgrindtheirgristOfsandfromnowtillKingdomCome;

TheWindsofBunkareneverwhist。

Youscowlandshakeanhonestfist——

YouthreatenherwithNightandSorrow?

GoslayonePseudo—Scientist,MoreLittleGroupswillrisetomorrow!

WithFudgetofeedtheHungryBumSheplaystheGirlPhilanthropist——

Eachpinchbeck,boyMilleniumSheswings,aBangle,atherwrist——

BlitheParrotandPertEgoist,YouthreatenherwithNightandSorrow?

Hermioneswillayepersist!

MoreLittleGroupswillrisetomorrow!

She,whomPrincePlatitudehaskissed,YouthreatenherwithNightandSorrow?

Slayherbythousands,friend——butlist:

MoreLittleGroupswillrisetomorrow!