THE SEVEN PURPOSES


      Chapter XII

      ONE day, about the middle of May, discuss-
      ing these manifestations over a luncheon table,
      a man who described himself as "a sympathetic
      agnostic" mentioned that while all those on
      the next plane reported that they were busy,
      none to his knowledge had told just what they
      were doing.

      At that time, we had received several state-
      ments concerning their activities. Frederick
      had spoken of his efforts in connection with "a
      pro - German newspaper editor." Maynard
      Holt's mother had told us that she worked
      "with undeveloped purposes, here before their
      time." It had been said of a famous editor:
      "He is for Justice. . . . He is one of the forces
      determining the grouping of the newly ar-
      rived." Anne Lowe had said: "I handle chil-
      dren. Some of them thought they were grown
      up when they left you." And the work of the
      healers, in receiving and soothing "war-stricken
      forces," had been repeatedly mentioned.

      However, with the comment of the "sympa-
      thetic agnostic" in mind, we asked Mary Ken- [288]
      dal, apropos of some allusion to the healers
      on her plane, whether she could tell us of their
      work in detail.

      "You have already seen that our ability to
      be specific, even about things here, is depend-
      ent on your ability to understand conditions
      of our plane," she reminded us. "As fast as
      we can, we give it to you. But as well explain
      the operation of wireless telegraphy to an il-
      literate 'cracker,' as to try to explain healing,
      as we understand and practise it, to the person
      unprepared by thought and study of these
      truths."

      The next day, in another city, Frederick,
      writing through a member of his family, said
      that he had been doing some work in develop-
      ing some spirits who had "let their lowest ten-
      dencies be their guiding force."

      "They were men who were very unhappy,
      because they had left the world before they
      were ready, and did not know what this life
      meant," he said.

      "Had they recently gone over?" he was
      asked.

      "Yes, not very long on this side. They were
      so bewildered that they thought they were in
      some kind of dream that they could not wake
      from. They had been sick, but not long enough
      to let them get any idea of death, or light after [289]
      death, so they were sorry to come over."

      "Do they call you teacher?"

      "No, just a friend."

      Replying to a question about a specific ac-
      tivity on this plane, he said: "I can tell you
      that a lot of those things that seem bewildering
      are not important enough to be doing what we
      call work here."

      "What do you call work?"

      "Conscious development of spiritual forces."

      A month later, a question about a woman
      known here as a sculptor brought the following
      reply from David Bruce.

      "She is working with a development of the
      purpose of production, which is the foundation
      that underlay her work there. She is produc-
      ing force by developing the undeveloped
      producers."

      Probably the most specific information yet
      received by any of our small group concerning
      the practical application of these principles
      to the affairs of our plane, came through May-
      nard Holt.

      "My work lies principally with business men
      on your plane," he said, one day, to a family
      connection. "We are much concerned about
      the lack of co-operation among persons of con-
      structive tendencies, and my own job is to
      apply this force we cannot fully explain to [290]
      you, in any way that will influence men or
      women toward co-operation. Sometimes we
      use it to suggest a new idea. Sometimes we
      use it to so direct apparently consequential
      circumstances and events that the person we
      wish to influence gets an object lesson."

      In support of this is a statement of his made
      in April. While writing a long message, most
      of which was intimately personal, he indicated
      his interest in business conditions, and urged
      a greater and more far-seeing co-operation
      among business men. In the midst of a sen-
      tence the pencil stopped, creating a long delay.
      Falling, after repeated efforts, to transmit the
      word he had attempted, he drew a series of
      singularly uniform arches across the whole
      width of the paper.

      After puzzling over it a moment, I drew a
      line above the arches, and said, perceiving no
      significance in the symbol: "That looks like
      a viaduct."

      "That's what I mean," he resumed, vigor-
      ously, and proceeded with an elaboration of his
      theme, comparing co-operation to a viaduct.

      "In the end, the forces for progress will
      cross to all lands by that viaduct," he con-
      tinued, "and those who balk and refuse it
      will be diverted and delayed by following old
      paths through the tortuous chasm of com- [291]
      petitive destruction. Not that we discourage
      competition. The individual organization, like
      the individual man, must follow its purpose
      and develop its force, but . . . competition at
      its best is entirely friendly and constructive.
      Boys have it taught them in the simplest form
      in college sports. There it is personal, but
      co-operative in the development of college
      spirit. Each man does his best for himself
      and his own record, but loyally and cheerfully
      supports against opposing forces the more suc-
      cessful man who is of his own group. With
      increasing responsibilities, temptations and dif-
      ficulties increase, but experience should bring
      ability to meet them. The code of school and
      college forces may be developed and applied
      to business and productive forces. This is the
      first application of college training to com-
      petitive business."

      Afterward, when Mr. Kendal had expressed
      his cordial sympathy with the theory of co-
      operation, widely applied, Maynard said:
      "That's where the college team has won and
      the union has failed. The union was good in
      conception, but has made for the suppression
      of individual development, where the college
      team encourages it."

      Later still, following a conversation con-
      cerning national economics and international [292]
      commerce after the war, he said:

      "Co-operation is moral. Commercial su-
      premacy is material. Material success is con-
      structive only if permanent, and permanent
      only if constructive. Until co-operation for
      permanent progress becomes a principle of
      international as well as national purpose, there
      will be little actual progress toward perma-
      nent peace, or lasting prosperity.

      "As the college boy works first for his own
      power, but most for his team, and first, last
      and all the time for clean athletics, so the busi-
      ness man should work first for his unit, defi-
      nitely for his country's welfare, but first, last
      and always for clean co-operation with all who
      make for the world's progress.

      "The exponents of national supremacy at
      the expense of world progress are exactly in
      the position of the exponents of personal pros-
      perity at the expense of national welfare. The
      situations are analogous to a degree as yet
      comprehended by few men.

      "It took many years to convince the manu-
      facturer that increased production would fol-
      low shorter hours and improved working con-
      ditions. It took many years to convince
      merchants that decreased cost and increased
      profit followed combination of forces. It took
      some time to convince financiers and manu- [293]
      facturers that success, not failure, would follow
      the co-operation of competing concerns in the
      foreign field. Yet it is now recognized that all
      these things are true and practicable. No less
      —even more—is it practicable to unite world
      forces of progress in commerce as they are
      united now in war, the fight at all times being
      for construction and development, against
      destruction and regression.

      "This cannot be done in a day or a year,
      but this is the goal toward which enlightened
      forces should move. It may sound Utopian
      now. So did model factories and tenements,
      a few years ago. Their advocates were scoffed
      at and discredited. Now, the manufacturer
      who fails to provide healthful working condi-
      tions for his operatives is called short-sighted
      and pig-headed, and cheats himself twice,
      while cheating his employees once.

      "Co-operation is the basic principle of all
      progress, and the point at which it stops is
      the measure of strength of man or nation.
      The nation that refuses to co-operate for prog-
      ress is a nation confessing itself deterrent."

      Again, in June, Maynard returned to this
      subject, saying that men must become "strong
      enough to let the other fellow live and prosper,
      without fearing him." After mentioning "fear
      of what may come, or lust for what may be [294]
      seized," as motives making for destruction, he
      added: "Neither is constructive or progressive,
      and neither can win in the end."

      "We have purpose to progress beyond the
      vision of man," he went on, "but even ma-
      terial progress, to be constructive and per-
      manent, must be governed by a vision beyond
      the day. We are trying to extend that
      vision.

      "Co-operation in individual enterprise has
      succeeded. Co-operation in national enter-
      prise would succeed no less. More and more,
      men are recognizing the value of united effort
      in commercial enterprise, however long it took
      the truth to dawn. Must other centuries pass,
      other wars be fought, other dynasties rise and
      fall, before the larger truth ushers in a new
      day? Will co-operation in business, co-opera-
      tion in war, teach them to study and practice
      co-operation in world welfare and progress?
      Will they learn that it is not only in war that
      a weakened Belgium means an endangered
      England, that a hungry France means short
      rations in America, that a link weakened means
      the chain weak?

      "How many times must this premise be
      demonstrated before the argument is carried
      to its logical conclusion, and national co-
      operation, free and voluntary, provide for the [295]
      good of one by protecting and developing
      all?

      "This is not a Utopian fantasy. It is com-
      mon sense."
 


      Chapter XIII

      TALKING about the Lessons one day, Mr.
      Kendal mentioned his impression that Zoroas-
      ter had said something approaching the first
      one in theory, and then asked, a whimsical gleam
      in his eye: "Mary, has Professor James said
      anything about Zoroaster in this connection?"

      "Manzie, Mr. James has no philosophical
      library here to refer to," was the prompt re-
      tort. She told us, however, that he would
      soon come himself to talk to this former pupil
      of his, adding a characteristic glint of humor
      in the assurance that he would then give "a
      demonstration of a philosopher simplified to a
      force."

      A night or two afterward (May 13th), she
      announced: "Manzie, here is Mr. James."

      There was a brief delay, and when the pencil
      moved again, it was with a changed application of
      force and a new movement, the first words being
      personal. Referring to an early period in his
      own investigation of psychic phenomena, he
      said:

      "Youth, in its nearness to inspiration, some- [297]
      times sees more clearly than age, with its
      academic dependence upon theory and prec-
      edent and what men call the wisdom of ex-
      perience. When this wisdom is based on
      perception, conscious or otherwise, of eternal
      purpose, it transcends the vision of youth.
      But when it is based on perception of physical
      phenomena and the accumulated theories of
      other men, youth has an inspiration and a
      faith that leads it, all unknowing, to the brink
      of great mysteries." This was followed by an
      allusion to those "befogged in precedent, physi-
      cal phenomena, and intellectual theory," who
      were "unable to follow where they should have
      led."

      "There has seemed to be a good deal of
      genuine feeling underlying the humorous persi-
      flage through the pencil about the scientific
      state of mind," Mr. Kendal suggested. "Hasn't
      the time come when we can reach the scientific
      type of mind? And isn't it worth while to do
      so? And if so, what is the best psychological
      line of attack?"

      "The scientist. is not by any means hopeless,
      but like many men in your plane, he is over-
      balanced and therefore unbalanced by physical
      considerations. Physical phenomena are of
      vital importance in your life, and their study
      and analysis has led to a degree of material [298]
      progress which would have been incredible to
      the third—and all but incredible to the second
      —generation back. It is only because scien-
      tists have persisted in the study of physical
      phenomena that you are enabled to understand
      in some part what is now being given you.
      The misapprehension has been that physical
      phenomena alone could be recognized. Those
      who have believed that have denied the exist-
      ence of the greatest and most persistent of
      all forces. Attempts to explain spiritual phe-
      nomena by physical formulae have been found
      unsuccessful by everyone save those who
      took refuge in denial of the thing that moved
      them to deny, the eternal and indestructible
      purpose.

      "When to their laboratories scientists bring
      perception of spiritual phenomena exceeding
      any material manifestation known to man in
      strength and significance, then they may hope
      to discover and develop a force beside which
      all known forces are insignificant. Science is
      the ladder by which life may quickly ascend,
      but until science recognizes a spiritual force as
      the one essential force, of which all other forces
      are incidental phenomena, progress must be
      limited."

      "Then, generally speaking," Mr. Kendal
      said, "perhaps the most effective appeal to [299]
      scientists would be the appeal to scientific
      ambition."

      "Always the most effective means to win
      any man to anything is to appeal to his pur-
      pose. If it be personal, appeal to his vanity.
      If it be progressive, appeal to his eagerness.
      If it be intellectual, pique his curiosity. Scien-
      tists, like others, are divided in purpose."

      "We have been much interested in the de-
      cisive definiteness with which our friends on
      that plane have been able to classify the pur-
      poses of persons here," Mr. Kendal mentioned.
      "Is this as clear to you as physical character-
      istics are to us, and as quickly determined?"

      "Yes, and in much the same way. We see
      motive and intention and their variations as
      you see physical appearance, vitality and its
      variations. We see disintegrating moral fac-
      tors more clearly than you see physical ills.
      We judge of purpose by its vitality and per-
      sistence under strain, precisely as you judge
      of physical health by its vitality under strain
      and by its persistence in spite of occasional
      disease."

      "Then you see disintegrating force as the
      scientist sees germs?" Cass inquired. "As
      disease?"

      "No, we see them as foes. I speak here
      only of the way we judge purpose. There is [300]
      no diseased purpose. There may be struggle
      between more or less intelligent forces, but in
      using the simile of physical health, I did it in
      a limited sense."

      "Is there an inherent reason for the different
      types of philosophies?" Mr. Kendal now ques-
      tioned. "That is, the Nirvana-oblivion type
      in the Orient, as contrasted with the hell-fire-
      and-brimstone type in the Occident. If in-
      herent, is its cause geographical, intellectual,
      biological, or what?"

      "A little of all of them. Philosophies are
      the outgrowth of conditions, physical, moral
      and geographical—and therefore to some extent
      biological—to a much greater degree than is
      generally recognized. It has been said that
      food makes the man. To a greater degree,
      environment makes the philosopher."

      "May we publish this as coming from you?"

      "Certainly. I am here for that purpose.
      . . . Light and Progress are my purposes, and
      teaching still my work."

      After a few lines of purely personal signifi-
      cance, this was signed: "William James."