tOO*/. AMERICAN 
 
 Thinking 
 
 IMPARTIAL readers will agree 
 the ONLY key that will open the 
 door to "PEACE ON EARTH 
 and GOOD WILL TOWARDS ALL 
 MEN" is disclosed herein. 
 
 4 For 6000 years man has endea- 
 vored to find a panacea for the social 
 ills of the world— readers will 
 
 admit the solution given herein is so reasonable and yet so simple that 
 
 all who read must admit. 
 
 This Little Book 
 
 will create more favorable and unfavorable criticism 
 than anything written in the past century. 
 
 4 The results will be a greater stride towards a higher plane ON 
 EARTH in the next 25 years than has been accomplished thru any 
 forward movement in the past 500 years. 
 
 To be in touch with modern thinkers 
 you should read this message. 
 
■ 
 
 COPYWRITED 1920 
 
 By The D. O. S. T. Co. 
 
 ^ 20 ! 
 ©CU604821. 
 
v* 
 
 ^v>\ 
 
 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 100 PER CENT AMERICANISM AND 
 ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC 
 
 Goethe has said — 
 
 "The true poet is only a mask father 
 confessor, whose special function is to 
 exhibit what is dangerous in sentiment 
 and pernicious in action by giving a vivid 
 picture of their consequences. " 
 
 We have no quarrel with the ethics of 
 the Ten Commandments or with the 
 teachings prescribed in the Sermon on 
 the Mount. Believing the former to be 
 the essence of right rules of living se- 
 lected by philosophers preceding and 
 during the time they were adopted by 
 the Jewish law givers as the most con- 
 cise and reasonable rules of action for 
 the occasion; and the latter, especially 
 that part commencing with the 21st 
 
 1 
 
verse and on thru the chapter, very 
 good worth-while advice, profitable to 
 each and all who may follow it. Wheth- 
 er they were given under the circum- 
 stances history records, or not, is beside 
 the question. 
 
 We do believe, however, and lay this 
 charge against our Theologian Friends: 
 That — by dividing their forces into 
 more than two hundred denominations, 
 and formulating creeds so unreasonable 
 that many fair, honest, intelligent men 
 cannot ^rooc^KS io them, and are there- 
 by eliminated from co-operating in up- 
 lift movements with them, that they 
 have failed to make good with their 
 very elaborate plan along religious 
 lines, for, after using millions and mil- 
 lions in money and workers, to-day they 
 admit — as is shown herein by their own 
 testimony — that things considered 
 from a church growth viewpoint are not 
 what thev should be. That new converts 
 
are much less now in comparison with 
 what they were twenty and fifty years 
 ago, when less than half the money and 
 workers were used. This being true, is 
 it not high time we stop and take stock, 
 as it were, endeavoring to learn the 
 cause for the social unrest the world 
 over, find out, if possible, whether it's a 
 case of commission or omission on our 
 part, figure out a new rule of action if 
 necessary that may change conditions 
 for the better? A physician, on learn- 
 ing his patient is not doing well under 
 the treatment prescribed, calls in other 
 experts in his line for a consultation, 
 when a new treatment is promulgated 
 in hopes that the change may cure. Our 
 patient is a very sick one and covers the 
 world; should we not follow the wise 
 tactics of the physician? 
 
 As proof of how sick, politically and 
 socially, we really are, I would call the 
 reader's attention to the many articles 
 
 3 
 
on this line filling the editorial space of 
 newspapers and magazines everywhere, 
 Leslie's of October 9th, 1920, has a very 
 strong editorial on this line and in it 
 the editor expresses the idea that it is 
 high time we sat up and took notice 
 with the thought in mind of concentrat- 
 ing our efforts in learning the causes 
 and endeavoring to find a remedy there- 
 for. Collier's, The Outlook, The Satur- 
 day Evening Post and many, many oth- 
 er strong " public opinion moulders" 
 both here and abroad, are lending their 
 best efforts in the endeavor to seek out 
 if possible a remedy for prevailing un- 
 healthy political and social conditions. 
 
 If we will stop to consider, take no- 
 tice of conditions as they are, we will 
 quickly discover that a change along so- 
 ciological lines cannot be encouraged 
 and adopted too soon if we would be 
 saved from deteriorating to the primi- 
 tive condition of the cave man. 
 
 4 
 
In our efforts along this line we have 
 first, endeavored to prove, out of the 
 mouths of the leaders, that the plan of 
 redemption for mankind, as followed 
 for the past two and three thousand 
 years, has seemed to shoot wide of the 
 mark desired; and second, to offer for 
 the consideration of all, a plan for a 
 new rule of action that we believe un- 
 biased, intelligent, fair minds will agree 
 is a most reasonable remedy for the so- 
 cial as well as spiritual ills of mankind. 
 
 We are sure this work will receive 
 more favorable and unfavorable com- 
 ment than anything written in the past 
 century, however, we are also confident 
 that the plan offered will thrive on criti- 
 cism and in the near future be backed 
 by a great majority of the fair minded 
 thinkers of this age. This will mean the 
 adoption of the plan, then its good re- 
 sults will be so apparent that a nation- 
 
 5 
 
wide movement will follow. We expect 
 this much and could ask no more. 
 
 In closing will cite a statement re- 
 cently made by a prominent preacher, 
 and published in a leading newspaper 
 of the Northwest. This is given merely 
 as added proof that all new departures 
 in lines of thought or discoveries re- 
 ceive considerable adverse criticism 
 which only seems to encourage investi- 
 gation and more thought on the matter, 
 resulting, as a rule, in its adoption pro- 
 viding, of course, the plan or scheme or 
 device proves on investigation to be 
 practical. His statement was as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 "What do you do with the ' radicals' 
 in your town, your church, your labor 
 union? Kill them off? Put them in 
 prison? Excommunicate them? Any- 
 body can do that. 
 
 "It doesn't require any amount of 
 
 6 
 
brain power to shut a* man off just be- 
 cause you and your side are in the ma- 
 jority. 
 
 " It's a lot better to understand a man 
 than to silence him. And perhaps — if 
 you understand him — you'd find that he 
 was right even though he was different. 
 "Every man who ever became a leader 
 was regarded as a ' radical.' Every 
 great thinker — every scientist, every 
 philosopher, every inventor, was at one 
 time scored as a ' radical' because he 
 wasn't thinking in a rut. 
 
 "He had the courage to be different. 
 
 "It's quite possible to go to extremes 
 — although the greatest danger in most 
 men's lives is that they will die of dry 
 rot — in fact, they are already dead, but, 
 unfortunately, they don't know it. 
 
 "You needn't worry much about the 
 6 radical.' For if he is right, you can't 
 stop him — his convictions will finally be 
 
 7 
 
accepted by everybody, anyway. And 
 in whatever respect lie may be wrong, 
 we'll all find it out — and so will he. 
 
 "And so, you'd better be slow about 
 bucking the Galileos — who are sure 
 that the world revolves on its axis ; the 
 Columbuses who insist that the world 
 is round; the Fultons who see the possi- 
 bilities in the steamboat; the Gothen- 
 burgs who have dreamed out the print- 
 ing press. 
 
 " These are the ' radicals' in practical 
 life who sow, even thru an agony of 
 tears, while 'wise men' mocked and 
 smiled in derision." 
 
 8 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 The Philosopher and his theorie, bas- 
 ed on the deductions of the leading 
 Thinkers of history along sociological 
 lines. 
 
 The difference between Scientists 
 and Theologians as to the manner in 
 which the "next life," should there be 
 one, is attained. 
 
 The many ways in which the Com- 
 munity Education plan as suggested 
 herein would spell uplift the world over. 
 
 Why Religions? Giving the cause 
 for same and the evolution of thought 
 on this line since primitive man. 
 
 Spiritualism, and a Young Man's 
 Confusion. 
 
Why a Board of Arbitration should 
 be established in each County of U. S. 
 where small civil cases might be settled, 
 at a great saving both to the counties 
 and litigants. 
 
 Why a National Matrimony Bureau 
 should be established, and the many 
 benefits that would result. 
 
 And many other thoughts concerning 
 how to live THIS LIFE that good 
 health, peace and happiness may pre- 
 vail HERE and NOW, with a most rea- 
 sonable assurance that should there be 
 another life we will enter it on a plane 
 our efforts to perfect this life shall war- 
 rant. 
 
 These thoughts will lead the reader 
 in a line of Straight Thinking such as, 
 perhaps, he has never experienced. 
 
 10 
 
Discovering a Philosopher 
 
 While hunting in the Adirondacks 
 late in the fall of 1920, I ran across a 
 path leading to a grove of large elms. 
 In this grove I found a bungalow, and 
 soon learned it was the retreat of a wise 
 old philosopher. Had it not been for 
 the fact that the smell of dinner cook- 
 ing in the near vicinity attracted my 
 attention, I would have passed with- 
 out noticing it, so well had it been con- 
 cealed with shrubbery and trees. As 
 I stopped to locate the direction from 
 whence came the familiar smell, a man 
 appeared not twenty yards to my right, 
 advanced and offered his hand in wel- 
 come, and, after passing the compli- 
 ments of the day, bade me tarry with 
 him for a bit — an offer I was glad to ac- 
 cept, for I was both tired and hungry, 
 
 11 
 
and looking for a sheltered spot to build 
 a fire and pass the night when I discov- 
 ered the path leading to his camp, as he 
 called it. Here I found rest and food 
 already prepared. 
 
 My host was a fine specimen of the 
 race, whom I took to be perhaps sixty- 
 five ( learned later he was eighty-two), 
 but so well preserved that he looked 
 much younger. His broad deep chest 
 and large well shaped head showed 
 physical and mental engines capable of 
 performing any work requiring a vig- 
 orous constitution and a strong mind. 
 His face was a remarkable one, in that 
 it showed no trace of care or worry — 
 this characteristic, they say, is true of 
 men who are wise enough to rise above 
 the stress and cares, and the small 
 things of this strenuous world, and 
 view the struggles of life as from a dis- 
 tance, in this way escaping the mental 
 
 12 
 
and physical wounds of the social bat- 
 tles for life, liberty, and happiness. 
 The philosopher whose thoughts and 
 experiences have been along the lines of 
 sociology know enough about the his- 
 tory of the gradual and slow advance 
 and uplift of the human race to 
 know T that worry adds nothing but hin- 
 ders much. Hence that calm, content- 
 ed, well-satisfied face of the truly great 
 philosopher, wherever and w r henever he 
 is found, for he knows, in the words of 
 Emerson — 
 
 "Every line of history inspires a con- 
 fidence that we shall not go far wrong; 
 that things mend. That is the moral of 
 all we learn, that it warrants Hope, the 
 prolific mother of reforms. Our part is 
 plainly not to throw ourselves across 
 the track, to block improvement and sit 
 till we are stone, but to watch the up- 
 rise of successive mornings and to con- 
 spire with the new works of new days." 
 
 13 
 
I found my host interesting in many 
 ways, for lie seemed filled to overflow 
 w r ith good cheer, love of all nature 
 — whether bird, flower or beast — a pro- 
 found student of mankind, and conse- 
 quently, full of hope and faith in the 
 race, with charity and sympathy abun- 
 dant. His kindness seemed to reach 
 out and consider the welfare of every 
 living thing. I have seen him pull 
 weeds that seemed to choke or shade 
 some wild flower that it might grow 
 and blossom as nature intended it 
 should. With birds, squirrels, and rab- 
 bits, he would not think of hurting or 
 molesting one, and would shoot only 
 such as would provide meat for the 
 man, and in such cases, would always 
 make sure that whatever was shot was 
 put out of its misery as quick as possi- 
 ble. In one of our talks — when taking 
 our constitutionals — he said when 
 younger he enjoyed the hunt, and 
 
 14 
 
would get pleasure in killing even more 
 than he intended to eat, but now there 
 was only a discontented thought, when 
 considered from the point of sport, and 
 he was much inclined to think that in 
 the near future, man would question 
 whether it was morally right to kill 
 any living creature under any circum- 
 stances other than that of absolute 
 necessity to save himself from starva- 
 tion. "For my part," he said, "I am 
 ready now to subscribe to any law that 
 may be necessary to protect bird or 
 beast from being killed for any other 
 purpose." 
 
 On entering the bungalow, I found it 
 neatly arranged, and divided into five 
 rooms — a good sized living room with a 
 large fire place, in which a cheerful fire 
 was burning, hanging above it two ket- 
 tles — one containing water and the 
 other as good a boiled dinner as I ever 
 remember partaking. The smell and 
 
 15 
 
the taste remain with me — tho, likely, 
 the long walk I had helped some to 
 make it seem so delicious, but I am 
 sure, the cooking added most. After 
 washing up, we sat down to eat, and got 
 quite well acquainted before the meal 
 was finished. 
 
 On learning that my profession was 
 in the literary line, my friend seemed 
 much pleased, for, he said that he had 
 followed that line of work himself for 
 nearly seventy years, and at this time 
 was writing a book, which, he hoped, 
 would prove the most profitable, in the 
 way of uplift for humanity, of anything 
 he had yet written. This book, I learn- 
 ed later, was on sociology. It would 
 contain a treatise on what he called "a 
 new line of action for encouraging the 
 uplift spirit in mankind.' ' 
 
 Dinner over, and dishes washed, we 
 retired to his studio or den, this— like 
 the living room — had a rug on the floor, 
 
 16 
 
pictures on the walls, and was as clean 
 and cosy as it could have been had there 
 been servants to look after it. On the 
 large library table was a good sized 
 "Sun Burner Gas Lamp," considerable 
 manuscript, books with marking slips 
 sticking out at the ends, pens, ink and 
 blotters. There were many shelves of 
 books on the walls, and a large grand- 
 father's clock ticked away the time as 
 stately and correctly as it no doubt had 
 in former years in the more sumptuous 
 quarters in this man's manor on the 
 east end of Commonwealth Avenue, 
 Boston. On looking over the books at 
 odd times while there, I learned that 
 those shelves contained perhaps the 
 largest private collection in this coun- 
 try of works on sociology and every 
 thing that would have a bearing on 
 this line of thought; many were well 
 thumbed and all contained bookmarks. 
 It would not have required a great 
 
 17 
 
knowledge of human nature for one to 
 figure the trend of the owner's mind 
 after looking over these books. The 
 making over of new thoughts out of 
 this collection of old ideas, reminded 
 me of the saying along this line of 
 another great American philosopher — 
 
 "Each age, it is found, must write 
 its own books, or rather, each genera- 
 tion, for the next succeeding. The 
 books of an older period will not fit in." 
 
 His Splendid Dog, Companion, Pet 
 and Hunter. 
 
 Besides the two rooms mentioned, 
 there was a small kitchen off the living- 
 room, and two bedrooms, all in the best 
 of shape, with dishes, pans and bedding 
 as clean as hands could make them. 
 The only pet around the place was a 
 fine specimen of a Collie, that appeared 
 knowing enough to be a good compan- 
 ion for anyone camping out. His hair 
 
 18 
 
was as clean as water and soap could 
 make it, I gave his master credit for 
 this, of course, for lie seemed to make 
 cleanliness a part of his religion. The 
 intelligence of this dog was shown in 
 many ways, but to me the most inter- 
 esting was in his way of hunting. 
 Early every morning we three would 
 go out "for a constitutional" as my 
 friend called them, taking the guns 
 along in case we flushed a rabbit or 
 partridge, and tramp the woods, ra- 
 vines, and hills for about two hours. 
 This dog would seem to see every squir- 
 rel, bird, or rabbit in our path whether 
 on rail, limb, or under the brush, and 
 the way he would endeavor to make us 
 see what he did was very amusing. 
 After we showed him by our actions 
 that we saw but did not wish to shoot, 
 he would run on as if to find something 
 we would shoot. If we did, he would 
 act as pleased as a young sportsman on 
 
 19 
 
getting his first big game. I am well 
 aware that my nimrod friends will 
 laugh at the idea of a shepherd dog be- 
 ing a hunter, but I would match this 
 Scotch beauty, with his almost human 
 expression and intelligence, in his way 
 of hunting, with any pointer or English 
 setter that I ever saw hunt. From what 
 I saw of him while there, there is little 
 a dog can learn that cannot be taught 
 this species. Of course, his sense of 
 smell is not as acute as that of some of 
 his cousins, but his greater intelligence 
 will outweigh any deficiency he might 
 have otherwise, when comparing the 
 knowledge dogs are supposed to ac- 
 quire, or can be taught. 
 
 Good Habits. 
 
 On those "constitutionals" I enjoy- 
 ed my pipe, for, as I discovered no 
 signs of tobacco in or about the camp, I 
 did not care to impose on my good 
 
 20 
 
friend by smoking around the place. I 
 think my host did not use this — to the 
 hunter — all important commodity, for 
 he had drilled himself in those habits 
 only of eating, drinking, exercising, 
 and amusements as would spell uplift, 
 and it seemed nothing entered his lips 
 or his mind, if he could help it, that 
 would not encourage good health and a 
 strong contented mind. Tobacco, no 
 doubt, seemed to him quite unnecessary 
 as well as absolutely harmful. I won- 
 dered not at his keen eye sight, his 
 strong physique, and his great wit, after 
 learning his habits. Do not think from 
 anything said here that he was in the 
 least a recluse, a miser, or one who was 
 so warped in his judgment that he en- 
 joyed not the wholesome amusements 
 of the world. On the contrary, he 
 seemed to know more about the stars, 
 in every line of their profession, from 
 the ball diamond to the movies, than I. 
 
 21 
 
In the field of athletics, he knew the 
 record holders for the past thirty 
 years — painters, sculptors, musicians, 
 and poets had all received some atten- 
 tion, and he seemed to have retained a 
 little good from each and every class. 
 In fact, he was very broad minded, al- 
 lowing himself to examine every line of 
 thought, every line of amusement, 
 every line of action, and like the honey 
 bee that makes its stop long or short on 
 each and every flower according to its 
 honey value, so he would pause on this 
 or that thought for more intensive ex- 
 amination, testing whether it added 
 much or little to that general knowl- 
 edge so necessary to the really great 
 thinker. 
 
 Invitation Extended. 
 
 Getting back to my introduction to 
 the library — After talking over the 
 important affairs of the times, and on 
 
 22 
 
learning that my time was not too 
 pressing, he urged me to make my visit 
 of some days, as time would permit. 
 An offer I was quite pleased to accept 
 for I realized now that I had as my host 
 a man whose understanding was so 
 broad and so deep that I seemingly had 
 not as yet even penetrated the outer 
 shell of his capacious thought tank. 
 Having spent a good share of my work 
 days as a professional interviewer on 
 the staff of one of the large magazines 
 in this country, stationed a good part of 
 that time in Washington, where I inter- 
 viewed the great statesmen of this and 
 foreign countries, you can get some idea 
 of the pleasure and profit I must have 
 realized in a visit that did last three 
 short weeks, when I should have been 
 about my business the day after I took 
 the path that led to this pleasant re- 
 treat. 
 
 He had selected this spot in his pre- 
 serve, which comprised more than two 
 
 23 
 
hundred acres, on account of its roman- 
 tic and beautiful yet wild appearance. 
 Here lie had men build for him an in- 
 teresting camp where he could seek its 
 seclusion away from the noise and strife 
 of a mercenary world, away from the 
 strenuous city life with its shrieking 
 whistles, noisy bells and auto horns. 
 Here he would come to commune with 
 nature, to drink long and deep from 
 the pure spring water that ever trickled 
 down the ravine near by— to hear the 
 sweet song of the birds morning and 
 night, and inhale the fragrance of the 
 ferns and wild flowers. Under such 
 environment, what splendid ideas 
 should sprout and blossom. No wonder 
 his thoughts and reasoning seemed to 
 encompass and overlap the problems 
 that have vexed the smaller man for 
 thousands of years. Sometimes he 
 would remain here thru the winter 
 months and late in the spring his 
 
 24 
 
daughter and her two children visited 
 him occasionally. He said that at such 
 times, the books were laid aside, and 
 everything was play in which all hands 
 joined, and the dog seemed to get just 
 a little more fun out of it than the rest, 
 but when they departed he was glad to 
 return to his work again. 
 
 "His Master Work." 
 
 The book he was now working on 
 was not quite completed, but he said 
 that I could read what he had written 
 if I desired and pass the thought along 
 but not being able to read shorthand — 
 written in that way, likely to save time 
 — I could not take advantage of his 
 offer, much as I should have liked, but 
 had to satisfy myself in getting as 
 large a part of it as I could, given by 
 him in our talks from time to time. 
 This was not always the easiest thing 
 in the world to do, for he was better 
 
 25 
 
at getting the other man's idea than in 
 giving his own, and altho I had prided 
 myself on being able to find the depth, 
 breadth and height of the knowledge 
 on any certain subject of those I inter- 
 viewed in what I thought the least time 
 possible, mv wise friend, I soon found 
 out, had the peculiar faculty of sink- 
 ing his inquisitive probiscus deep in 
 one 's mental sponge and sucking it dry 
 of everything of interest on the subject 
 in less time than it would take me to 
 get fairly started on any one line I was 
 endeavoring to exploit. Is it any won- 
 der that we enjoyed the company of 
 each other every minute of the three 
 weeks, when you consider that I had 
 found the most interesting character I 
 had ever met, and was doing my best 
 to get material for future use from a 
 seemingly unlimited fountain of knowl- 
 edge, and he just as pleased on finding 
 in my thoughts meat for his stew? 
 
 26 
 
I discovered, after several attempts, 
 that to get best results in the way of 
 learning what his book would contain, 
 or what were his deductions as he often 
 called them, was to carefully refrain 
 from letting any other subject be pro- 
 jected when discusing his work. In 
 this way I finally succeeded in getting 
 probably the salient parts of the book 
 and will give them as memory will 
 permit, with his consent. 
 
 By way of introduction, I will offer 
 the thoughts of another that seem to 
 apply here quite appropriately. 
 
 "We should be able to get light on 
 the real worth of a man's theories, 
 ideas, or beliefs by looking at the re- 
 sults in good or bad they would cause if 
 applied/ ' 
 
 This, I believe, a most fair test of 
 one's work, in this or any other line, 
 and I ask the reader to think a moment 
 
 27 
 
after reading the thoughts herein pre- 
 sented, and if he believes the results 
 must be for the good of mankind, then 
 he should do the best that is in his pow- 
 er to bring about those conditions in the 
 quickest possible time. He can help 
 much by passing this little book along 
 or the thoughts therein. The author, 
 no doubt, spent much time and thought 
 on it with the one idea in mind — to 
 help in the uplift of humanity. Surely, 
 you should do what little you can as 
 opportunity presents itself, and by so 
 doing, bring about that better condition 
 we are all wishing for, as soon as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 Another thought from the same 
 source that should be remembered by 
 the reader, for if he will hold to the 
 thoughts herein presented, other ideas 
 along the same line will crowd in until 
 his mind seems to find most congenial 
 work along lines of better thought, bet- 
 
 28 
 
ter work, and a better man. And when 
 he realizes this, he surely will have ob- 
 tained a most happy, worth while con- 
 dition in this life. 
 
 "Man moves slowly or swiftly, does 
 his work feebly or strongly, according 
 to the energy that is in him. But the 
 direction of his life, this way or that 
 way, follows the unseen influence of 
 what he admires and loves and believes 
 in." 
 
 And I would add, good thoughts 
 along any certain line, seem to attract 
 like thoughts. If one sets out on the lines 
 of uplift ideas and can concentrate his 
 mind on those lines, he will be surprised 
 to learn how fast thoughts on those 
 lines will accumulate, fill up, and en- 
 compass his brain, until he is fairly 
 elevated out of the ordinary line of 
 small thoughts and little actions to a 
 position where he views life in its ever 
 changing moods, from a lofty more per- 
 
 29 
 
feet station, where the senses of vision, 
 smell, taste, and splendid ideals are 
 multiplied according to his ambition to 
 improve — for just as certain as does 
 the dung-pile attract flies, and the 
 flower pistil the honey-bee, so will bad 
 thoughts increase, or good thoughts 
 multiply. 
 
 As most great men have some one 
 hobby they like most to dwell on, so 
 had my prophet. His dominating 
 thoughts seemed to be concentrated on 
 the uplift of mankind; to make the 
 environments of man better, that a bet- 
 ter man physically, mentally and mor- 
 ally would obtain in this life was now 
 to be the effort of his remaining years. 
 
 He believed that one should so live 
 that when the shadows were nearing 
 their limits, he might lay aside the lit- 
 tle cares of life and devote at least a 
 part of his remaining years in writing 
 those thoughts and experiences that to 
 
 30 
 
him seemed most worth while, that the 
 younger, and those to follow, might 
 profit by the good things he had learned, 
 and also profit, if they would by escap- 
 ing the pitfalls experience had revealed 
 to him at considerable cost. 
 
 In working out his deduction he had 
 studied most of the mass of matter 
 written by philosophers on this line — 
 Every side light on any subject that 
 might have a bearing on this thought 
 had been considered and after compar- 
 ing notes — pondering over contradic- 
 tory conclusions, sifting this and that 
 plan or scheme, secured here and there 
 from history six thousand years back 
 and up to date — he had gleaned, he 
 thought, the wheat from the chaff, and 
 is well satisfied with the results. 
 
 Again to quote Emerson, — "Each 
 philosopher, each bard, each actor had 
 done for him only what a delegate 
 might have done and what he is now 
 
 31 
 
doing for himself. The books he once 
 valued more than the apple of his eye. 
 he has quite exhausted. AVhat is that 
 but saying, he has attained the point of 
 view the universal mind took thru the 
 eyes of many scribes: he has drained 
 all cisterns, and waxed great by their 
 supply. He craves better and more 
 abundant food, knowing the man can 
 never live that can feed us ever. He 
 has explored the theories and laws com- 
 piled by the wise men of all time, and 
 his deductions are — give me insight into 
 today, and you may have the antique 
 and future worlds." 
 
 Knowing that there are no two hands 
 alike, no two faces alike, no two cran- 
 iums alike, and hence no two minds 
 alike, and for that reason, two thinkers 
 will rarely if ever agree on a complex 
 question of this magnitude, covering, as 
 it does, so broad a field as sociology, yet, 
 I must confess, I differed but little with 
 
 32 
 
him on listening to his reasons for the 
 conclusions arrived at, after giving 
 same the careful consideration he sure- 
 ly did. 
 
 Why a Change is Necessary. 
 
 His premises are as follows: "The 
 religion of the past and present has not 
 made good, considering the vast amount 
 of money and time expended on same. 
 In proof of this he cites present social 
 conditions all over the world, and the 
 fact that according to the clergy them- 
 selves, there are less adult converts 
 among civilized nations per capita, then 
 there were fifty years ago, and yet there 
 have been many millions spent each 
 year for the past twenty years in this 
 cause, where there were thousands 
 then: that we have seemed to shoot wide 
 of the mark in our uplift movement in 
 endeavoring to concentrate the efforts 
 in this life to that of insuring a life here- 
 
 33 
 
after, and in order to do that have es- 
 tablished rules and precepts that are 
 unnatural, unreasonable and unbeliev- 
 able, and have required the prospective 
 members of denomination churches to 
 subscribe to a belief based on faith in 
 things unbelievable; that that practice 
 has failed to accomplish its object, we 
 have but to refer to the report of the 
 National Conference of Churches and 
 we learn that less than two per cent of 
 the new members in the past twenty 
 years are male adults: and from the 
 same source we learn that there is a 
 much smaller increase in membership 
 per capita in civilized countries than 
 fifty years ago, and yet millions of dol- 
 lars have been spent in the cause, and 
 where there were hundreds working 
 the field then, there are many thou- 
 sands now." He had a large list of 
 bishops, priests, and preachers in all 
 parts of the world who have made state- 
 
 34 
 
ments in the past two or three years 
 that will prove his claim; that the old 
 plan is not making good. I will cite 
 but two or three here, could give many 
 more were it necessary. 
 
 Bishop Welldon, of London, England, 
 on returning from a conference on 
 Christian Reunion at Oxford is report- 
 ed as stating in an interview given at 
 that time, as follows: — 
 
 "The world is rocking under men's 
 feet. Society is threatened by forces 
 which repudiate the Christian faith and 
 the Christian moral code. The church 
 runs a grave risk of losing her influence 
 upon national life; the decadency of 
 regular church going has long been a 
 cause of anxiety. The statistics of di- 
 vorces are alarming, and it may be nec- 
 essary to rebuild human morals from 
 the foundation. Meanwhile the church 
 is disregarded because she is divided. It 
 is too much to expect the world will 
 
 35 
 
listen to her when she speaks with 
 many discordant voices. If the eccles- 
 iastical istatesmanship-jdoes not avail 
 itself of the spirit excited by the war, 
 the chances of a Christian reunion or 
 Christian intercommunion will be lost 
 and may not recur in the life of the 
 living people." 
 
 A St. Louis paper has the following 
 statement concerning the Inter-Church 
 World movement: 
 
 "Only about one child in every twenty 
 in St. Louis attends Sunday School reg- 
 ularly, according to a survey made by 
 Protestant denominations. Apartment 
 dwellers have less interest in Church 
 affairs than any other class — the more 
 intelligent the less interested." 
 
 At the Inter-Church Conference held 
 at Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1920, 
 it was stated by one of the speakers that 
 there were in the United States fifty 
 million unchurched, that there were 
 
 36 
 
27,000,000 under 25 years of age who 
 were receiving no religious instruction, 
 and of this number 20,000 were in North 
 Dakota. At this conference it was also 
 stated that a budget amounting to the 
 enormous sum of $336,000,000 was ask- 
 ed for, this amount meaning more than 
 a dollar for every minute that has 
 elapsed since Christ was born. 
 
 Rev. E. Talbot is quoted as stating 
 that if the twenty-two leading evangel- 
 ical churches would unite, he believed 
 it would stop rivalry which has cost 
 Americans $500,000,000. 
 
 The following from a London paper 
 published April 29th, 1920 has a strong 
 bearing on what has been claimed: 
 
 "Are sermons indispensable? This 
 is one of the questions on which a de- 
 cision may be taken by the Bishops of 
 the Angelican at that meeting in Lam- 
 beth in July. 
 
 37 
 
"A. section of the churchmen are de- 
 clared to be of the opinion that the day 
 of sermons has passed. They hold that 
 if a man has not the gift of preaching, 
 it would be better for everyone that he 
 should not preach. The 'two sermon 
 Sunday' custom, they say, imposes a 
 great strain on the clergy — a strain 
 equally if not more heavily felt by the 
 laity, who are required to listen to these 
 effusions. The unpopularity of ^pub- 
 lished volumes of sermons, once in great 
 demand, is cited by this faction as evi- 
 dence of the sermons' waning effective- 
 ness." 
 
 From another clipping, this time 
 a Chicago paper: 
 
 "The fact that a Chicago judge of the 
 Superior Court resigned for the reason 
 that he was 'sick and tired of hearing 
 divorce cases' points to a condition of 
 our social economy that needs a phys- 
 
 38 
 
ician. Marriage is no longer the solemn 
 and sacred condition of former ties." 
 
 For those who may have faith in the 
 visions or prophetic sayings of wise 
 men, I will cite the following as quoted 
 to me by my host : 
 
 The Vision of Tolstoi. 
 
 "You will remember the prophecy 
 published some years back that was 
 made by Count Leo Tolstoi, the Russian 
 prophet and writer of thirty and forty 
 years back? This old man was then in 
 his dotage and while in a trance, as he 
 called it, he had a vision in which he saw 
 the great World War just ahead, the end 
 of his statement of that vision is as fol- 
 lows: 'The end of that great calamity 
 will mark a new political era for the 
 world. There will be left no empires, 
 or kingdoms, but there will be born a 
 federation of united states; and there 
 will exist four great giant races ; and I 
 
 39 
 
see a change in religious sentiment and 
 the church as we know now will fail. 
 And I see the dawn of a new day as the 
 new thought supplants the old.' " 
 
 As a part of that surprisingly accurate 
 prophecy seems to have materialized, 
 is it not possible that the thoughts pre- 
 sented in this book, when adopted 
 may not also prove the sequel to his 
 closing remarks? Can any other plan 
 be figured out so likely to bring about 
 the results desired as this plan of regen- 
 eration thru Community Education? 
 
 Puts the Emphasis on This Life. 
 
 As before stated, he had much more 
 to offer on this line were it necessary, 
 but is this not enough to prove from 
 their own mouths that the old religion 
 that places the emphasis on the life 
 hereafter is but a waste of time and 
 money? Does not this testimony prove 
 the old system has not made good? Is 
 
 40 
 
it not high time that we should change 
 our tactics and, thru the medium of ed- 
 ucation, endeavor to make the body 
 whole, the spirit larger for this life 
 and for the next, if there is one % Com- 
 munity Education should appeal to all 
 mankind. The thinkers as well as those 
 who think but little — the mentally 
 strong, as well as the mentally weak — 
 the rich, the poor — the black, the yellow, 
 the red or white — no matter how big 
 or how small — Community Education 
 will regenerate them all. 
 
 In devising a plan to encourage a 
 change of thought with the object of 
 separating church and state along so- 
 ciological lines, Francis Bacon once 
 said: 
 
 "It would be an unsound fancy and 
 self-contradictory to expect that things 
 that have never yet been done can be 
 done except by means that have never 
 yet been tried.' ' In his day, as it is 
 
 41 
 
today, as he tells us, " There were many 
 obstacles in the way, obstructing the 
 path of any new theory," and he realiz- 
 ed that to get a hearing "he must direct 
 a destructive criticism of the older 
 methods of reasoning." 
 
 In Bacon's works on this line of 
 thought he oftimes expressed this sent- 
 iment — "what we learn from the ex- 
 perience of others, with our own obser- 
 vations constitute the sum total of our 
 knowledge, all else is merely specula- 
 tive. By following the new thought 
 we shall also arrive at a true knowledge 
 of the universe in which we live." 
 
 The above words might quite appro- 
 priately be termed the key notes or 
 thoughts from which the deductions 
 herein compiled were first suggested, 
 and, as suggested by Emerson as pre- 
 viously quoted show how thoughts along 
 various lines evolve and grow some- 
 times holding to the true line, and again 
 
 42 
 
varying a little this way or that, in 
 which case the conclusions are not ex- 
 actly what the old line of thought would 
 have arrived at, for the fruit is the 
 result of grafting to some extent. How- 
 ever, with thoughts, as with the animal 
 kingdom, evolution means improve- 
 ment, where there is no improvement, 
 death soon follows in either case, for 
 that law of nature which eliminates the 
 man or beast at an early stage in life 
 who follows the line of least resistance, 
 applies to language and thought in a 
 somewhat similar way. Each improves 
 by usage, and each deteriorates without 
 it. 
 
 Knowledge The All Power. 
 
 Knowledge is the medium suggested 
 in his book as the all important pan- 
 acea for the social ills of this and other 
 nations, and we might well say, the 
 whole world. Knowledge will part 
 
 43 
 
the curtains dividing poverty from 
 wealth, chaos from order, misery from 
 happiness, and open the way leading to 
 a peace loving, industrious, contented 
 nation. Education is the only true 
 medium that points with an unerring 
 finger to that Utopian condition Sir 
 Thomas More tells us about in his in- 
 teresting story of the island where laws 
 and principles were perfect, and the 
 people .most happy and contented. 
 (This story was suggested to More, no 
 doubt, by one written many years pre- 
 vious by Bacon, and his, by similar 
 lines of thought suggested by the 
 Greek sages fifteen hundred and two 
 thousand years before. Many similar 
 growths or cases of evolution could be 
 cited by way of proving the evolution 
 of thought.) As proof of the statement 
 that knowledge is the cure for all ills 
 
 of mankind, we ask you dear read- 
 
 ' %j 
 
 er, to stop a moment and try to think 
 44 
 
of some social, physical, or mental 
 ill knowledge will not remedy 
 in time. It will teach thrift, 
 economy and purity — sure reme- 
 dies for most mental troubles: it 
 will encourage ambition, cleanliness 
 and an optimistic disposition — sure 
 cures for most physical ills. Know- 
 ledge will eliminate credulity and men- 
 tal cowardice, and the great fear some 
 people have of death. Knowledge will 
 eliminate class hatred, jealousy and 
 malice, substitute kindness, sym- 
 pathy, and brotherly love. Knowl- 
 edge will assure a more intel- 
 ligent vote — the remedy for near- 
 ly if not all social ills of city, state, 
 or nation. If this be true, and I think 
 no intelligent person will deny it, should 
 we not concentrate our thoughts, our 
 time, and our money on a line of action 
 that shall encourage every effort, 
 every opportunity offered to advance 
 
 45 
 
this idea? If knowledge will bring about 
 the results desired, and philosophers 
 agree it is the only medium that will, 
 the sooner we make this fact plain to all, 
 the quicker will be our redemption from 
 a false rule of action — one that seems 
 to have led us into great political and 
 economic failures and almost to moral 
 bankruptcy — one that seems to have 
 turned every man against his fellow 
 man, and gave us a world war, the like 
 of which was never experienced in past 
 history — one that offers no brighter 
 future than before obtained. For when 
 we pin our faith to a future life only, 
 and place all earthly efforts — millions 
 upon millions in money, and thousands 
 of thousands of lives — on preparing for 
 that life according to the religious 
 teachings of the past two thousand 
 years — a thinking mind will see no im- 
 provement in store for us, because it will 
 realize that this teaching will always 
 
 46 
 
interest only a minority, and allow the 
 vast majority to drift on aimlessly as 
 in the past, as the record obtained in the 
 late world-wide movement will prove. 
 As drifting certainly does not spell up- 
 lift, it is high time, he believes, 
 we should figure out a new 
 rule of action, and it should 
 be so comprehensive and yet so 
 plain that all classes, all nations, and all 
 peoples, no matter what their birth, lan- 
 guage or education, may be, will find in 
 it a solution for the political and social 
 ills of our days — that will guarantee 
 them better conditions in every walk of 
 life — that means — better economic con- 
 ditions, better city, state and national 
 conditions, better mental and physical 
 and moral conditions, better health, 
 more love, more sympathy, and more 
 charity — all of which will aid very mat- 
 erially in bringing about a more con- 
 tented happy life here and now with a 
 
 47 
 
certainty of progressing to the next 
 world, should there be another life, on 
 a much higher plane than would obtain 
 under the present system that holds 
 over one the threat of a future punish- 
 ment, instead of proof of a sure punish- 
 ment here and now for every law of 
 nature transgressed. 
 
 My Doubt No. 1 and the Explanation. 
 
 I suggested that his ideals were sure- 
 ly sublime, but that I was inclined to 
 doubt their feasibility, for I realized 
 that philosophers of all times had en- 
 deavored to reach the same happy con- 
 ditions, but had seemed to miss fire 
 somewhere in their plans — and as be- 
 fore stated — even the great religious 
 program that had held man's destiny 
 in the palm of its hand for the past two 
 or three thousand years, with all of its 
 
 48 
 
Papal authority, and the power of the 
 clergy — its untold millions in money 
 and workers, seemed to fail in accomp- 
 lishing the goal aimed at — for their ad- 
 vocates admit today, that the following 
 is much less in proportion now than a 
 century ago — if population, education, , 
 and the millions expended are consider- 
 ed. Knowing this, of course, I most 
 naturally would be skeptical, and I said 
 " Community Education " looks like 
 the only panacea that might accomp- 
 lish what the threat of everlasting dam- 
 nation in the future life has failed to 
 do — but the great question in my mind 
 is — How are you going to compel a peo- 
 ple to be educated? Education is now 
 pretty freely offered to all, but few 
 seem to care to take advantage of it. 
 The average run of adults would prefer 
 a dance or ball-game to that of attend- 
 ing a class in economics, hygiene, cook- 
 ing, or political economy. And right 
 
 49 
 
here is where the working out of your 
 idea, it seems to me, must prove im- 
 practicable." 
 
 My wise old friend only smiled and 
 said " After you have heard the story 
 thru perhaps it will not appear so vis- 
 ionary." 
 
 And then he went on to explain how 
 he would interest each and every per- 
 son, if in their right mind, man, woman 
 and child, who had ears to hear and eyes 
 to see, his plan would surely interest. 
 
 To get the eyes and ears of a people 
 who think on large questions but little, 
 would first require a community-hall 
 large enough to seat the people of the 
 town. In large towns, of course, several 
 such halls would be necessary — circuits 
 would be arranged to accommodate the 
 various towns desiring to become mem- 
 bers of the association, and there would 
 be a faculty arranged large enough to 
 
 50 
 
take care of each circuit as desired. 
 These teachers, lecturers, or demonstra- 
 tors, as the cases may require, will visit 
 each town on the circuit as often as nec- 
 essary — at first, perhaps, there will be 
 but one day in a week. As Sunday would 
 be the best day to get people out on 
 that day there would be one, two or 
 three meetings — one for the general 
 public, one for the younger class, and 
 perhaps one to men only and at the same 
 time, one for women only in another 
 room in the same building. These talks 
 would be on every line of thought of in- 
 terest to the public. Of course, each 
 and all spelling uplift in one way or 
 another, some on hygiene, others on 
 economic questions, politics, cooking, 
 raising the children. The teachers, 
 professors, and demonstrators would 
 be required to pass examinations held 
 by an examining board who were ex- 
 perts on the line of work to be ex- 
 
 51 
 
pounded. The expert lecturers would 
 be composed of those scientists who had 
 much experience along their various 
 lines — physicians, surgeons, political 
 economics, sociologists, and the like. 
 The community-hall meetings, after 
 once introduced would prove so practic- 
 able and profitable that each commun- 
 ity would vote a tax to support it, the 
 same as schools are now supported. In 
 fact, they would be nothing more or 
 less than great community schools 
 teaching everything of importance to 
 young and old not taught in the regu- 
 lar grade schools. 
 
 Doubt No. 2 and the Answer. 
 
 "But," I rather impatiently inter- 
 jected, "How are you going to interest 
 Mary Jane Casserly, our washerwom- 
 an, who doesn't know the definition of 
 the word education, and cares less about 
 it?" 
 
 52 
 
" Wait and you shall hear" — and then 
 the following "To get the public inter- 
 ested, we must have meat for all — fun, 
 art, music and more solid food in the 
 shape of lectures on the various subjects 
 suggested, but these talks, demonstra- 
 tions, and artists' efforts must be sand- 
 wiched in between other amusements 
 that all may be interested. Programs 
 consisting of not too much of any one 
 line, with a good mixture of things to be 
 taught would be the plan for each and 
 every meeting when intended for the 
 general public. Of course, there would 
 be talks and lectures on special lines, 
 when it would be expected that only 
 those interested would attend, such as 
 talks on surgery, astronomy, geology, 
 botany, etc. The main object in getting 
 up each program, for the general 
 public w^ould be to make it, or some 
 parts of it, that would appeal to every- 
 one having ears to hear and eyes to see. 
 
 53 
 
So to begin with, each meeting must be 
 arranged so as to ^ing as 
 
 ssible — later on. as the general pub- 
 lic gets more interested in the advan- 
 ta ges : : be derived from the more solid 
 subjects, it will not necessitate so much 
 of the lighter amusements to encourage 
 
 :h and all to turn out. 
 
 * ' You ask me how will Mary Jane Cas- 
 ested — just imagine the 
 following conversation now being car- 
 ried on over her back yard fence with 
 her neighbor. Airs. O'Brien — with your- 
 self within hearing distano- — Airs. 
 GTBrien is telling of the Community 
 Meeting she attended the day before 
 Sunday i . 
 
 " 'Indeed it was line/ sh s s. ; and 
 ev T - there — the best music I 
 
 er heard, the pipe organ seemed to 
 shake the roof, and everybody joined In 
 singing the patriotic pieces, and I tell 
 
 11. it was me sing — i: seemed lik^ 
 
 54 
 
great Hallelujah meeting and every one 
 doing his or her best to make it a suc- 
 cess. After the singing a man came 
 out and drew Mutt and Jeff pictures as 
 fast as you could count, and I laughed 
 until my sides ached; then a lady came 
 out and talked in just plain English — 
 I could understand every word she said, 
 she started in by saying what a fine 
 thing it would be if everybody owned 
 their own little home. I say little 
 home, said she, because most people do 
 own their big homes, and in nearly 
 every case, not all, but a large majority, 
 own them because they saved and sav- 
 ed and paid for their home — instead of 
 paying out the money for pool, billiards, 
 tobacco, and the movies. You cannot 
 have everything in this world, and if 
 you prefer the movies and ice cream and 
 cigars and things like that, then you 
 cannot expect to have the pleasure of 
 living in your own little home, for few 
 
 55 
 
make enough to pay for both — observ 
 tion shov^ is hat those living in small 
 houses which they rent are usually the 
 ones who patronize the shows and bil- 
 liard halls most. I do not ask anyone 
 - :::— - ^:- : :hr ::lr;-..--"Ji"'rS :: life — 
 ii s a matter for each family to figure 
 out for themselves, but if yon dec! 
 
 1 would prefer to spend a good share 
 of your earnings for those small thiru - 
 of life, yon must not be envious of your 
 neighbor who goes to movies perha: - 
 onee a month, and has cut out the lar _ 
 
 pense of tobacco and so on that he 
 may own a little home where he can take 
 pleasure as well as profit b tting ont 
 berry bushes, shade trees, rhubar as- 
 paragus, and keep a cow, or a few chick- 
 ens as well- To gather the eggs, the milk, 
 berries and garden truck yields to him a 
 "oleaSMT- :-r:: tines iTrat^r thai. "~ \;1 1 
 the pleasures of a few cold drinks that 
 please for a moment and are forgotten. 
 
 5o 
 
Compare these fleeting pleasures with 
 the thought presented by that great 
 American philosopher, Franklin, when 
 he said, in showing the pleasure of being 
 thought well of 'Now that I have a cow 
 and a pig and own a little home, people 
 say Good Day to me as they pass by.' 
 Oh, the pleasures are many for the home 
 owner but how shallow and unsatisfying 
 are those of the spender. Then she 
 told us to take home one of the little 
 books that would be offered, at no cost 
 to us, as we left the hall, and if we were 
 wise enough to profit by what we could 
 read in it, we might all own homes and 
 be out of debt in a few years. 
 
 ■ ' ' Sure, Mike and I are going to liye up 
 to the teachings of that little book, he 
 has cut out a part of his tobacco and I 
 shall take in the moyies but once a 
 month hereafter. And Mary Jane, af- 
 ter the lady told us much about how to 
 economize in cooking and in many other 
 
 57 
 
ways, and yet we would not be any 
 worse off in the way of nutrition, and in 
 dress, etc., a man came out and got us 
 all to laughing again telling us how a 
 young couple would spoon a while, he 
 being flush with show tickets, candy and 
 such, and she full of make believes with 
 her wigs, powder and paint — after a 
 spell of rubbing noses and talking non- 
 sense, they get married. For a month 
 or two things go fine ; then the cave man 
 begins to assert himself and Jack thinks 
 he should be a little more the boss, a lit- 
 tle more demonstrative in showing his 
 authority, gives his bride of two months 
 or such a black eye by way of emphasis, 
 and repeats the performance in another 
 month or two; when Mary begins to 
 think life as a wife is not what it first 
 seemed — pays a lawyer and gets a di- 
 vorce. Well, after telling us how things 
 shouldn't have been, he turns around 
 and shows how things should have been 
 
 58 
 
— and to tell you the truth, I think every 
 husband and wife who heard his talk on 
 the value of love and right living, will 
 be better to each other, better to their 
 children, and better neighbors, for he 
 showed them in such a nice way, the 
 happiness and contentment in married 
 life for those who know enough to live 
 it right. Then they all stood up and 
 sang another patriotic piece, and sure I 
 could feel the whole building shake, for 
 everyone seemed full of good cheer, and 
 like the birds in the spring, seemed anx- 
 ious to express their pleasure in song, 
 that the world might know the happi- 
 ness within. Not for a pair of twins, 
 Mary Jane — as much as I would like 
 them — would I miss those community 
 schools, and my man says they have 
 made the world ten times as big and five 
 times better than he thought it was, for, 
 says he 'before these meetings, the 
 world to me was the railroad-shop, the 
 
 59 
 
pool-hall, with the company of about 
 fifteen or twenty of the boys, and the 
 privilege of living in a railroad shack, 
 and having a time out once a month. 
 Now along come these educationalists, 
 and connect us up with their circuit, and 
 its just like a big phonograph; all you 
 have to do is set and listen and look, and 
 you get the w^orld before you, the more 
 you go the bigger the world ! If anyone 
 thinks it's not worth while, let them at- 
 tend one of those public meets, and if 
 they miss another, it will be because 
 they would have to go in an ambulance 
 to get there. ' And everybody is as wel- 
 come as anybody else, Mary Jane, it be- 
 longs to you and me just as much as it 
 belongs to Jones, the banker, for the 
 town pays the expenses, and everybody 
 is taxed for that, you know. Next Sun- 
 day you go with Mike and me, they have 
 a place there to take care of the kiddies, 
 so that won't keep you home/ " 
 
 60 
 
And then this — Carry your imagina- 
 tion on this line a little fur- 
 ther, and hear what old man 
 Smith and Bill Jones are talk- 
 ing about, who might be passing 
 just as Mrs. O'Brien finishes her talk 
 with her neighbor. Smith is saying to 
 Jones — "If we'd had those community 
 talks when I was a boy I'd be president 
 of the United States by this time — I just 
 crazed for something in this line, some- 
 one to give me the right ideas, the right 
 motives, and the way to climb high; 
 someone — you know — to sort of give 
 you a boost in the right direction at the 
 right time. You know what a warm 
 sun and soil will do for a kernel of corn 
 — I was like a kernel of corn and the en- 
 ergy was in me, but the sun failed to 
 shine in the way of good advice, when I 
 needed it most. I tell you, Jones, when 
 a man's thinking high, and most men do 
 at some period of their life, then is the 
 
 61 
 
time they need the right kind of help, 
 and how could they get it better than in 
 the way it's given out in these meet- 
 ings? And you know it's made a great 
 difference in so many ways in our town 
 — people have seemed to just plumb for- 
 get about the price of hogs, flour, and 
 shoes, to figure everything in dollars 
 and cents. Today they realize money 
 and profits and trades and the like are 
 but trash as compared to the new light 
 that guarantees contentment and hap- 
 piness thru education — something that 
 makes the teamster, the cobbler, and the 
 blacksmith as contented with life and 
 as happy as they would be if they could 
 change places with the banker, because 
 they know now that contentment cannot 
 be bought, traded, or borrowed, but can 
 be obtained in only one way, and that is 
 RIGHT LIVING and the secret is theirs 
 for the taking. Isn't it strange, Jones, 
 that the people of this old world have 
 
 62 
 
wasted so many, many centuries in look- 
 ing for a prophet to lead them out of 
 darkness, when all the time the remedy 
 was within their grasp, and its name 
 was simply EDUCATION? Now the 
 young see the light and are all figuring 
 on finishing high school as quickly as 
 possible to push on to higher and bet- 
 ter things at the university or college, 
 where they can soar as high as they 
 please, and their tuition will cost them 
 not a cent. The married folks, both 
 young and old, are now vieing with one 
 another in their cooking contests, in 
 their budgets for household expenses, 
 and in their health records. You know 
 now it's very unpopular to be sick for it 
 denotes, in most cases, carelessness or 
 excesses in some manner or other, of 
 course, with some few exceptions, 
 knowing this, those who are sick are 
 ashamed to tell it, for it spells over-in- 
 dulgence, laziness, or mental weakness 
 
 63 
 
on their part. The shows are better and 
 more elevating, for people will not pat- 
 ronize a film company that puts out 
 plays that encourage a morbid mentali- 
 ty. Athletic games are more interest- 
 ing and more worth while now that we 
 know the value of good clean contests. 
 The streets are cleaner, parks prettier, 
 and taxes lower, with a community 
 spirit filling the hearts of all, encour- 
 aging that condition of general fellow- 
 ship and brotherly love, with content- 
 ment, and happiness everywhere, with 
 envy, malice and hatred almost forgot- 
 ten—the condition so long sought for, 
 but never obtained until education solv- 
 ed the problem." 
 
 "Yes," says Jones, "I begin to real- 
 ize for the first time in my life that 
 neither dollars nor dullards spell happi- 
 ness, but that a life rightly lived is the 
 only key to the solution. You know, 
 Smith, a good lot of real worth-while 
 
 64 
 
pleasure has been slipping by unnoticed 
 and unappreciated by us all — pleasures 
 that should fill us with gladness, and 
 yet costs not a cent. Honestly, I am 
 like a man just awakened out of a long 
 sleep with dreams aplenty, but all on 
 small things ; the flowers look brighter, 
 smell better, and seem sweeter than ever 
 before; the song of the birds interests 
 me more. I seem to hear their song so 
 much of tener than before, and somehow 
 they sound sweeter than ever. Before 
 I thought of birds as crows, black birds, 
 robins, and sparrows; now I know 
 more than twenty varieties, their songs, 
 and their homes, and I get much pleas- 
 ure in watching them as well as listen- 
 ing to their varied notes; each and ail 
 seem to strike a responsive chord in my 
 makeup, and do you know, I'd hate aw- 
 fully to have their lives nearly elimin- 
 ated from my own, as it was before these 
 community talks opened up the book of 
 
 65 
 
all nature, and toned up my dormant 
 faculties. It's quite plain to me now 
 to figure the difference between a piano 
 badly out of tune, and one nicely tuned 
 by an artist for, altho, I can hardly tell 
 one note from another, yet judging by 
 the difference in the way of the pleasing 
 influence I get in hearing the song of 
 the birds now and how little it was be- 
 fore I knew enough to recognize the 
 sweet things of life when I come in 
 touch with them, I can easily judge 
 what proper tuning should do for a 
 piano. Before these meets I would 
 have spells in which things looked very 
 blue, could scarcely see a bright cloud 
 on the horizon, and at such times I very 
 much doubted my ability to make good. 
 Now it is different — I can see opportuni- 
 ties opening up on every hand. Why, 
 it seems as if I was needed everywhere, 
 for I have learned of the power within 
 me, if I but use the engine right. Some- 
 
 66 
 
how I feel like going out in the fields and 
 yelling at the top of my voice ' whoop la 
 — whoop la — Bill Jones has found him- 
 self, and from this time on, just watch 
 his smoke V Those talks to young men 
 were my redemption; they seemed to 
 shake me up like. I just seemed to be 
 the object of every talk and like a novice 
 in wrestling with an expert, I was sim- 
 ply picked up and slammed down again, 
 punched here and there. I got it in the 
 ribs, on the jaw, and over the ears, but, 
 as with the beginner in the boxing game, 
 the lesson was good and seems neces- 
 sary, before I could realize my possibili- 
 ties, if I was ambitious enough to profit 
 by the training. They just put the pep 
 in me, and today I'm proud to say, 
 Jones' ego is way above par and going 
 higher fast." 
 
 The following words are those of an- 
 other thinker, and as they seem to ap- 
 
 67 
 
ply very well to what lias just been 
 written. I will quote them: 
 
 "It is a Disgrace — to be lazy, indol- 
 ent, indifferent. 
 
 "To do poor, slipshod, botched work. 
 To have crude, brutish, repulsive man- 
 ners. To hide a talent because you 
 have but one. To live half a life when a 
 whole life is possible. To acknowledge 
 a fault and make no effort to overcome 
 it. Not to be scrupulously clean in per- 
 son and smToundings. To be grossly 
 ignorant of the customs and usages of 
 good society. To kick over the ladder 
 upon which yon have climbed to your 
 position. Not to be able to carry on in- 
 telligently a conversation upon current 
 topics. Not to know enough about the 
 laws of health to live healthfully and 
 sanely. To know practically nothing 
 scientifically of the things we see, han- 
 dle, and enjoy every day of our lives. 
 Not to have intelligent knowledge of 
 
 68 
 
the general affairs of the world, and the 
 interrelations of nations." 
 
 Doubt No. 3 and His Explanation. 
 
 I must confess that his plan did not 
 seem so impractical to me as it did be- 
 fore hearing his program for interesting 
 the prospective student who was to be 
 educated along the material walks of life 
 under a community system. But, as 
 Bunyan would say, another great chasm 
 seemed t$ obstruct the path. If, in 
 time, owing to college education being 
 offered for the taking, — for the expense 
 would be paid by the state as far as tui- 
 tion was concerned, — all the young peo- 
 ple would take advantage of such a 
 splendid opportunity, then in a few 
 years everyone, or the large majority 
 anyway, would be educated, and many 
 would take up professions of various 
 kinds under those conditions, who 
 would do the menial labor — housework, 
 
 69 
 
ditch digging, shop work and so forth? 
 These thoughts bothered me not a little, 
 for I now knew so much of his great up- 
 lift idea, that I hoped with all my heart 
 that it could be made practical. As he 
 did not touch upon this point, I gradu- 
 ally worked up to it in our talks in such 
 a way that he discovered my perplexity 
 without the question being asked, and he 
 said: 
 
 "Of course, in explaining a plan cov- 
 ering so much ground, and in a way rev- 
 olutionizing previous ideas on similar 
 lines, one is apt to overlook the little de- 
 tails. Yet, if any one of those little de- 
 tails fails to work as planned, then the 
 whole scheme must fail, for a plan that 
 shall improve social conditions must 
 consider everything that shall have a 
 bearing on the problem from every side. 
 In my book, I believe, I have covered 
 the ground quite thoroughly. Still I 
 expect others to make corrections and 
 
 70 
 
improvements. You, perhaps, wonder 
 who will do the drudgery, the work of 
 the scavenger, etc. In the first place, 
 the less attractive and harder the work 
 is, the higher will be the pay for such 
 work. Of course, as it is today, this 
 work receives the smallest pay because 
 there are more who can do it than there 
 are those who can do other work, the 
 higher the expert, the greater the pay. 
 Now the conditions I hope would pre- 
 vail under the new system will be such 
 as to make the class of common laborers 
 much less in number than that of many 
 other vocations. This, of course, will 
 reverse the standard of pay, and right- 
 fully should under those conditions. 
 Then this class of work that doesn't re- 
 quire skilled artisans will be done, not 
 by any one class as now, but in part at 
 least by the young men and women who 
 may, for various reasons, wish to make 
 big money in the least time possible. 
 
 71 
 
They may desire to go travelling for a 
 few weeks or months during vacations 
 another year, or when school days are 
 over, or they may want to put in the 
 spare time in this way to pay their 
 room and board while at school, to 
 pay for clothes, or buy a home or 
 farm, or to start in their chosen line of 
 work. Education will not be as apt to 
 eliminate work, under those conditions, 
 as it does now. However, work is the 
 greatest foe of mischief, and as a health 
 restorer there is nothing that equals it 
 and as both health and a clear con- 
 science are ne'cessary conditions before 
 contentment and happiness can be as- 
 sured, work must not be eliminated. 
 There, too, will always be a class, altho 
 I hope it will be much smaller than now, 
 who would prefer work to that of secur- 
 ing a college education, and also, those 
 who for various reasons, cannot spare 
 time for higher education. Many will 
 
 72 
 
prefer other lines than those requiring a 
 university education — merchants, 
 blacksmiths, farmers, etc. As before 
 stated — to get big money in the shortest 
 time, they will be available for any kind 
 of work that pays well. This rule will 
 hold good, I think, for the young women 
 also, for with intelligent people, honest 
 work of any kind is honorable. 
 
 That class of young men and women 
 who prepare themselves for teachers, 
 demonstrators, and scientific lecturers, 
 and those whose work is in the line of 
 amusing by acting or music or drawing 
 for the circuits, must, of necessity, as 
 time lengthens, be very large, and their 
 pay — as well as the remuneration for 
 every line of work — will be governed as 
 now according to the law of supply and 
 demand. 
 
 "The programs, as before stated, would 
 be most interesting for both young and 
 old, the educated as well as the illiter- 
 
 73 
 
ate, for the topics, demonstrations, and 
 amusements would be arranged from an 
 educational standpoint, with the one 
 idea in mind — that of general uplift all 
 along the line — the health; rearing of 
 children; economics and its various 
 branches for Home, City, State, and Na- 
 tion; athletics, and on all investigations, 
 discoveries, and experiments by scien- 
 tists — all of which would tend to bring 
 about that standard of living that 
 should spell better homes, better towns, 
 and a better country — a better man 
 physically, mentally, and morally — 
 when contentment and happiness, with 
 brotherly love, sympathy, and charity 
 shall reign supreme — and envy, malice 
 and hatred be eliminated; where the 
 greedy profiteer and the immoral rake 
 will receive the same careful considera- 
 tion that is now given the rattler and 
 the three-leaved ivy — For a community 
 education will quickly realize the bad 
 
 74 
 
effect on the general public, in the 
 neighborhood, the town and the state, of 
 those pernicious pests, and either ostra- 
 cize them, or build them over into new 
 and better animals. To be sure, there 
 are educated men and women who are 
 moral degenerates, thieves, swindlers, 
 and murderers — but they are small in 
 proportion to those of the same class who 
 are illiterate. However, when the truth 
 of the great harm this class can do, and 
 what an economic waste they really 
 are to a community, as will be shown 
 by these talks, pictures, and demon- 
 strations, they will be as quickly tak- 
 en care of as were the yellow fever- 
 carrying mosquitoes from Cuba as soon 
 as they are discovered, or as would 
 the skunk that might invade your chick- 
 en-coop. Community education, like a 
 great search-light, will show up the 
 dark places and purify the atmosphere; 
 then neither money nor social standing 
 
 75 
 
will save the rake, the double-standard 
 virtue thief, or the social lounge lizard, 
 for the Devil could walk the golden 
 streets of Paradise without being dis- 
 covered much easier than could these 
 parasites live and prosper in an educat- 
 ed community. ' ' 
 
 Doubt No. 5 and the Answer. 
 
 This mountain of doubt removed, I 
 next wondered how he figured on get- 
 ting his new thought — his Community 
 Educational plan — started, and his 
 reply to this question was as follows: 
 
 "I have no plan at this time further 
 than that of getting these thoughts be- 
 fore the people, hoping that thru forces 
 of that unknown but ever present power 
 that seems to control the destinies of 
 man, and manifested by its inviolable 
 law of the survival of the fittest, they 
 may be accepted, and in that case I an- 
 ticipate they will grow and grow and 
 
 76 
 
ever be improved upon until possibly 
 future generations will know them only 
 as the old roots from which much graft- 
 ing produced the splendid social condi- 
 tion then obtained. It's just possible, 
 that in carrying out this plan, this unde- 
 fined power — some call it 'God' given 
 power — it all depends on how you define 
 the meaning of the word 'God' — will 
 show the light to one or more men who 
 have the money, the executive ability, 
 and the inclination to have their names 
 perpetuated for future history, who will 
 start the movement. It will spread 
 fast, w r hen its great value to a Town, 
 City, State and Nation is discovered. 
 For surely the great advantage offered 
 by a community-hall with its trained 
 educators, in every line of life, spelling 
 uplift, patriotism, love of family, home, 
 and country, will quickly be realized 
 and appreciated; then will the move- 
 ment grow and multiply until it covers 
 
 77 
 
the civilized world, and as education un- 
 winds the film of knowledge of all na- 
 ture, we will live under better condi- 
 tions ; have a better understanding, and 
 a clearer vision, in the near future, as 
 the results of this community education 
 plan. Then will obtain that Utopian 
 condition so much desired — when com- 
 munities will be as one big family, with 
 interests joined for better conditions in 
 the neighborhood, in the city, state and 
 nation — then will class hatred, profit- 
 eering, and poverty decrease here, there 
 and everywhere — for as the sunbeams 
 are death to mildew germs — so is educa- 
 tion death to each and every theory, 
 practice and belief that does not spell 
 uplift in every sense of the word," 
 
 Summary, 
 
 The foregoing covers briefly the idea 
 of a plan that would aid much in bring- 
 ing about in the least possible time, that 
 
 78 
 
condition on earth man has striven for 
 since the first thought of better condi- 
 tions entered his mind. In our talks at 
 times on other subjects, and on side 
 lights on his main topic, I was able to 
 get many good things that I thought 
 worthy of consideration — one day on 
 some one thought, the next on perhaps 
 a subject we had not touched at all. Be- 
 fore retiring each night I would make 
 a note of what I wished to retain, some 
 of them are given here. It 's not unlike- 
 ly that each subject may interest some 
 reader, and possibly, help in clearing the 
 reader's mind of cloudy moods, and 
 push him on to brighter and better 
 thoughts. I am sure they are worthy 
 of the reader's attention. 
 
 79 
 
WHY RELIGION? 
 
 " Since the dawn of intelligence, man 
 has endeavored to fathom the secrets of 
 the origin, death and the future condi- 
 tions of mankind. In the primitive pe- 
 riod, the law of self-preservation was 
 the dominating thought, the all-absorb- 
 ing effort of his existence, and, of 
 course, is today, perhaps, the main law 
 governing the impulse of the human 
 race. In fact, it seems to be one of the 
 most natural laws of all life ; but as the 
 mind of man developed and the pleas- 
 ures of life multiplied, a desire to con- 
 tinue life even though under different 
 circumstances in another world grew 
 apace. The wish fathered the thought, 
 and life after death became a theory 
 the majority were glad to subscribe to. 
 Every race in every clime, white, black, 
 
 80 
 
yellow and red, savage or civilized, fig- 
 ured out a future life most suitable to 
 their desires. And so, we of today, 
 living under probably the highest in- 
 tellectual conditions at this time, have 
 a beautiful city with pearly gates and 
 golden streets prepared for us, provid- 
 ing we accept the belief of a certain line 
 of teachers. The followers of Moham- 
 med have their splendid haven of rest 
 awaiting the true followers of their 
 prophet, and the more Christians they 
 kill the surer are they of obtaining it. 
 The Buddhist his re-incarnation into 
 that condition of life most befitting him 
 after dwelling in this sin-laden world 
 for a time, his Nirvana is a home where 
 neither desire, cares nor wants enter. 
 The American Indian, and many other 
 races of a lesser developed intellect, 
 have their future hunting grounds 
 where the race is over fields of clover, 
 thru forests filled with game, and 
 
 81 
 
streams and lakes with fish abundant 
 await their pleasure. 
 
 "Beautiful dreams — and we surely 
 hope each and all will find their heart's 
 desire awaiting the faithful in this life. 
 We sometimes wonder if man is wise 
 in allowing himself to indulge in doubt- 
 ful speculation — why not follow the 
 route of least resistance and accept the 
 beautiful theories prepared by others? 
 There is no question but what a large 
 majority are satisfied with the habit of 
 delegating to others this interesting 
 work, and the farther back in history 
 one goes, the more prone were the peo- 
 ple to follow a leader whether a proph- 
 et of the pearly-gate plan or the happy 
 hunting-ground as pictured by a coun- 
 cil of Indian Medicine men. Few 
 there were and few there are, who wish 
 or care to make their own deductions on 
 a problem so agreeably figured out for 
 them. Why stop to ask ' whys' like 
 
 82 
 
Gladstone, who said, 'My mother's re- 
 ligion is good enough for me.' ' Splen- 
 did,' echoes his fellow men. 'But how 
 very unreasonable,' say we. 'Would 
 Gladstone have accepted his mother's 
 opinion on any other great problem?' 
 Hardly, and yet on so great a problem 
 as that concerning the future life, he is 
 willing to abide by her decision. He, no 
 doubt, realized it was a problem a boy 
 of ten could figure with as much cer- 
 tainty as the wisest of men. Many 
 great men have been quoted on the 
 same, line, some correctly and many 
 falsely, all to bolster up a theory abso- 
 lutely unbelievable by any unbiased 
 honest thinker. But there are some 
 who will not admit, or intimate, or al- 
 low it to be inferred that they believe 
 in any one of the various theories offer- 
 ed as to the future state of the spirit or 
 the soul of man, or the manner in which 
 that life is attained, regardless of the 
 
 83 
 
fact that they are called hypocrites, 
 bigots, and sinners. " 
 
 On this line of thought we have the 
 following from that splendid old nature 
 student, philosopher and writer — John 
 Burroughs — 
 
 "The term religion is an equivocal 
 and much abused word — one's habits on 
 sanitary lines, dieting, over-indulgence, 
 or economy may properly be termed his 
 religion as well as his belief in a life 
 hereafter and the only way to attain it. 
 
 "Treated as a belief, a passport to the 
 next world, religion in some form is as 
 natural to man as eating or sleeping. 
 The mysteries of life, and wonder and 
 terror of the world arouse notions of 
 awe and fear and worship in him as 
 soon as his power of reflection is formed. 
 "In man's early history, religion, phil- 
 osophy and literature were one ; he wor- 
 shipped before he investigated" (how 
 
 84 
 
many do it now) "he built temples be- 
 fore lie built schools. 
 
 "But the old theory of religion as 
 dominated by creeds and dogmas has 
 had its day, and we are passing on to 
 better things because we are now work- 
 ing from a more solid foundation.' ' 
 
 To him this new plan of action would 
 be considered a new religion that must 
 surpass the old for it substitutes facts 
 for fancy, knowledge for mysticism 
 and truth for credulity. 
 
 "I am much inclined to believe there 
 is a future life, not entirely because I 
 wish it, but because there are many 
 things we see in life that seem to argue 
 in favor of a future existence, and, of 
 course, many things observed argue 
 very strongly to the contrary. While 
 all living things seem to die and rot 
 that other plant life may be nourished, 
 which in turn nourishes animal life 
 
 85 
 
which dies, decays, and again builds up 
 life, and so on; with man, and for all 
 we know now, with all animal life — 
 there seems — some put it more posi- 
 tively and say 'there is a dual life' — 
 one, the life of the body, and the other, 
 the spirit. Whether the spirit or soul 
 lives on after life in the body is dead or 
 not has been the all absorbing problem 
 of thinkers for the past five thousand 
 years or more, and the solution seems no 
 more apparent now than when first dis- 
 cussed. 
 
 u We have discovered that the tadpole 
 changes into a frog; the caterpillar into 
 a butterfly; and the jelly-fish into a biped 
 or quadruped, according to its environ- 
 ments. But, whether this life is the 
 cause of another after death is still a 
 sealed mystery, and I believe it would 
 be so decided were the question voted 
 on by the recognized unbiased thinkers 
 of the world. They would not, I think, 
 
 86 
 
hold positively that there was no life 
 after death, but, rather, that there is no 
 acceptable proof of it, and perhaps 
 would go so far as to say that if there 
 were a life after death, it most naturally 
 would mean a progression, or spiritual 
 evolution of the soul of this life, and in 
 that case they would hold that the more 
 perfectly developed the spirit or mind 
 or soul — whichever you like — in this 
 life, the higher the plane in the next, 
 regardless of a belief or nonbelief in 
 any set of creeds. This being fair, and 
 not an unreasonable assumption, it 
 must follow that the more perfect the 
 body, the better and stronger the spirit 
 or mind. This being also logical, as all 
 specialists on mind or body will attest, 
 it then is quite apparent to all who will 
 think for a moment, that one 's environ- 
 ment in this life has most to do with the 
 state or development of the life at birth 
 into the next world — if there is one. 
 
 87 
 
And, this also being a fair and logical 
 deduction, it brings us back to the 
 foundation of a most perfect physical 
 and spiritual being as the result of good 
 environment as brought about by the 
 only medium possible — EDUCA- 
 TION,' ' 
 
 "Of course," he said, "you must 
 realize that in a small volume on so 
 large a subject, one can touch only the 
 high spots, sowing a few seeds, here 
 and now, as it were, hoping for a good 
 crop of ' Straight Thinking' in the near 
 future as the result." 
 
 I happened to think of a few lines I 
 had oftimes heard repeated, in support 
 of the blessings assured the believer of 
 the Christian faith, and as this point 
 had not been covered as yet in any of 
 our talk, I handed him the lines to 
 read, which ran as follows : 
 
 88 
 
"I have seen her rub and scrub 
 In the wash-board in her tub ; 
 While the children soaked in suds 
 Roll and tumble in the dust. 
 
 She still clinging, is clinging, 
 
 to her Friend 
 
 Who will keep her to the end. 
 
 Human hopes and human creeds, 
 Have their root in human needs. 
 
 And I would not care to strip 
 From that washerwoman's lips, 
 Any song that she may sing, 
 Any hope that song may bring, 
 For the woman has a Friend 
 Who will keep her to the end." 
 
 After reading it, he replied — " Com- 
 munity Education would take that 
 wash-board from that woman and give 
 her better work at better pay, with 
 which she could rescue her little ones 
 from the 'suds and dust' and care for 
 
 89 
 
them as they should be, or pension her 
 sufficiently for her to do it. Then would 
 her song of delight change from the 
 hope of the future to the blessings of 
 the present. With the knowledge that 
 according to the development mentally, 
 morally and physically here — altogether 
 building up a more perfect being — spir- 
 it, if you will — would she advance to an- 
 other world, should there be one." 
 
 A prominent philosopher of this dec- 
 ade once said — 
 
 "The most formidable weapon against 
 error of every kind is reason; reason is 
 nourished to a high development thru 
 education.' ' 
 
 90 
 
PATRIOTISM. 
 
 The principles underlying our sys- 
 tem of government consist of the best 
 set of plans for a self-governing people 
 yet devised, and are the result of select- 
 ing the best features from all govern- 
 ments in the past. 
 
 There is no system yet devised that 
 guarantees as good results as can be ob- 
 tained thru the honest use of a free se- 
 cret ballot. The higher we prize that 
 ballot, the more valuable will it prove 
 to be as a sure cure for all political ills. 
 Are there poor, vicious or class laws — 
 laws that seem to be framed for the spe- 
 cial benefit of a certain class — oil mo- 
 nopolies, packers, or railroad men's 
 unions — each and every law can be rem- 
 edied by the use of the ballot. Can you, 
 Mr. Reader, figure out any system, any 
 plan, whereby laws could be enacted for 
 
 91 
 
the benefit of the masses, and all other 
 laws abridged or entirely eliminated 
 any better or more quickly than the free 
 secret ballot ? 
 
 The foregoing being self-evident, and 
 in addition thereto, having a country 
 filled to overflow with all the good 
 things necessary to life, as well as, per- 
 haps, the most beautiful, healthiest, and 
 best governed land on earth, what more 
 should we ask? Then why should there 
 be room for the Reds, or Bolsheviks, or 
 Discontents under whatever flag they 
 may flaunt ? Asa great stateman once 
 said: 
 
 " There is no place in this country for 
 a traitor. There is no spot on this broad 
 domain of ours where for a single in- 
 stant a conspirator may sit and incu- 
 bate the germs of lawlessness and revo- 
 lution. We are Americans first, and the 
 spirit of the Republic swells within the 
 
 92 
 
heart of every true American. When 
 we admit within the gates of our great 
 country the cosmopolitan hordes of 
 alien people, we expect them to live up 
 to the traditions for which our fore- 
 fathers fought, and unless they do, they 
 must go. The advocate of the torch, 
 the apostle of mass action against the 
 fundamentals of our Government, the 
 poisonous reptile who seeks by word or 
 deed to undermine our institutions, must 
 expect the treatment red-blooded 
 Americans mete out to all things un- 
 clean and unsound. ' ' 
 
 The following by an editor in the 
 West is not out of place in this con- 
 nection: 
 
 "The worst aspect of a certain com- 
 mon form of radicalism is that it is born 
 of hate, lives by hate, and would die if 
 hate were eliminated. 
 
 93 
 
"The radical of this type must con- 
 stantly lash his fury by hot terms of 
 hate applied to the beneficiaries of the 
 existing order, which he aims to over- 
 throw. Personal contact between him 
 and the objects of his wrath would be 
 fatal to his philosophy, because he 
 would find them human beings like him- 
 self. On the other hand, such personal 
 contact would be wholesome for the rich 
 man also, because he would find that 
 many of the radicals are human beings 
 too, even if embittered ones. 
 
 "It is perfectly silly to hate people 
 who have succeeded under the existing 
 order. If you think the existing order 
 is bad and wrong, hatred of it might be 
 logical, but not hatred of those who ben- 
 efit by it. It would be more logical to 
 pity the rich man, especially if he is one 
 of those who has traded everything 
 worth while in this world for wealth. 
 But why hate him ? 
 
 94 
 
' ' Surely nobody is in a position to hate 
 those who benefit by the existing order 
 unless he is perfectly sure that if he had 
 had the same opportunities and taste 
 and capacity, he would not have profit- 
 ed by the existing order himself." 
 
 And again using the sentiment, in 
 connection with our own, of another 
 statesman, the late Win. B. Cookran — 
 who said in part : 
 
 "We believe that the very essence of 
 civilization is mutual interests, mutual 
 forbearance, mutual co-operation. ' ' 
 Now, in his forceful language, he 
 would say — Men, today, should stand 
 shoulder to shoulder with their backs to 
 the wall, if necessary, and fight as a 
 solid unit against Bolsheviks. Soviet 
 principles may improve or may not a 
 country where fully eighty per cent of 
 the people can neither read nor write, 
 but will never help a people who under- 
 
 95 
 
stand what a free secret ballot means 
 for them. Under Soviet rule here, civ- 
 ilization would revert to the condition 
 of the cave man, and all the improve- 
 ments socially, economically, and mor- 
 ally of the past two thousand years 
 would soon be swept aside, for the guer- 
 illa man would quickly develop when 
 every vestige of civilized man would be 
 swept away, and the world would be in 
 intellectual darkness for many decades, 
 again. For when the selfish nature is 
 unrestrained in man his downfall fol- 
 lows fast and furious indeed. ' ' 
 
 The artisan, the professional man, 
 and the banker, each and all, should 
 realize that thru Community efforts, 
 Community interests, and Community 
 Education, can man be saved from his 
 own weaknesses. 
 
 Citizens of this United States 
 should be the most patriotic people in 
 the world for "Old Glory " waves over 
 
 96 
 
the most independent, the most intelli- 
 gent, the richest and best satisfied peo- 
 ple on earth as a class. Every man, 
 woman and child in this great land, if 
 they don't know them now, should be 
 taught the stories of the conflicts in 
 which this splendid banner has led us 
 to victory that we might attain the po- 
 sition we now hold as a nation — the 
 brightest star of this old world where 
 INDEPENDENCE is all that the word 
 implies, where the tanner's boy may be- 
 come president, the washerwoman's 
 daughter a senator and the farmer's son 
 a governor. A country that offers 
 wealth, honor and fame to every child 
 born under its flag according to their 
 ambition to obtain one or all. I ask 
 again.— COULD WE ASK FOR ANY- 
 THING MORE? 
 
 Surely there must be something men- 
 tally wrong with anyone who disdains 
 the privileges here offered, who points 
 
 97 
 
with ridicule at the emblem of liberty, 
 for any sane man who knows history 
 must know that we have the most splen- 
 did country on earth, if he doesn't 
 know history, he, for his own peace of 
 mind, if for no better reason, should 
 take a trip to N. Y. City and see, daily, 
 the swarms of emigrants from all parts 
 of the earth— 5,000 and more daily — 
 each, as he steps foot on this soil offer- 
 ing in silence, sometimes audibly, a 
 prayer of thanks that he at last has 
 reached a country where one's fate or 
 estate depend on his ambition only. 
 
 98 
 
PUBLIC OFFICES AND LAW- 
 MAKERS. 
 
 A great mistake is made, I believe, 
 in delegating the work of framing our 
 City, State and National laws to a class 
 of professional men (lawyers dominate 
 this class by a very large majority), 
 for, as stated elsewhere in this book, 
 men who are educated for the bar or 
 pulpit, have not the opportunity of 
 judging the wants of humanity as well 
 as those who are following other pur- 
 suits as, for instance, mechanics, agri- 
 culture, or educational, for, in most 
 cases, men in either of these classes are 
 in closer touch with the masses than is 
 the legal fraternity or the preacher. A 
 lawyer, as a rule, sees his brother man 
 in life from two extremes, either acting 
 the part of the lamb or the lion, and like 
 the nurse or physician who becomes cal- 
 
 99 
 
loused to the sufferings of their pa- 
 tients, so he, seeing so many lambs 
 slaughtered, whether right or wrong, 
 owing to his ability or inability as a 
 lawyer, is quite apt to get out of touch 
 with the real unfortunate conditions of 
 the great mass of people in regard to 
 good government. And for that reason 
 be too indifferent to care to figure out 
 remedies that may improve those con- 
 ditions, for his own financial welfare 
 depends largely on the muddled condi- 
 tion of our statutes. (We have few A. 
 Lincolns practicing nowadays, more's 
 the pity.) 
 
 Give the average farmer, business 
 man or artisan, the problem of making 
 such laws as will from time to time im- 
 prove conditions in City, State or Na- 
 tion — and I am sure the good results 
 would be so conspicuous that the plan 
 would be perpetuated. There are now 
 
 100 
 
so many laws conflicting with one an- 
 other, so many loopholes by which a 
 case can be continued from time to time 
 indefinitely, so many ways to thwart 
 justice with money and high priced 
 lawyers, and so little opportunity offer- 
 ed by which one can get justice in the 
 courts without spending much time and 
 money, that it is hard to believe a 
 change could be made in the way of the 
 personnel of legislators that would not 
 improve conditions. 
 
 All city, state and national officials 
 should be selected and elected after 
 careful consideration of their ability to 
 fill the office, first their character, next 
 their executive ability. No man with- 
 out a clean character should be elected 
 to fill any official position for, of all men 
 who should set a high example for their 
 fellow men, I know of none under great- 
 
 101 
 
er obligation to do so than is the public 
 official. 
 
 Nominate and elect only men with 
 good character, energy, and executive 
 ability, and better government is sure 
 to obtain. 
 
 102 
 
COURTS OF ARBITRATION. 
 
 In every county seat in the United 
 States an arbitration board should be 
 established where all civil cases of small 
 importance, or where the amount of 
 damages will not exceed, say $1,000, 
 could be settled by an arbitration board. 
 This Board should consist of three or 
 five men of which the County Judge, 
 where they have one, should be the 
 chairman, and the other members 
 should be reliable citizens who might be 
 called on to act once or twice a month if 
 necessity required. While on duty in 
 this line of work they should, of course, 
 be paid for the time required out of 
 county funds. 
 
 When two citizens disagreed over a 
 matter of small import, if either desir- 
 ed, the matter could be taken before 
 
 103 
 
this board at one of its regular meet- 
 ings. Each litigant should be required 
 to pay a small fee, say $10.00. Each 
 should present his side of the case, hav- 
 ing the privilege of securing a layman 
 or lawyer to do it for him at his own ex- 
 pense, if he preferred. Should either 
 party to the controversy desire to ap- 
 peal from the decision of the board — 
 said decision to be given in less than six 
 davs after the evidence was heard — he 
 could do so, but would be required to 
 give a cash bond sufficient to cover all 
 costs, should he lose in the higher court. 
 If this plan was adopted, it would save 
 each county many thousands of dollars 
 annually, and save litigants even more, 
 for cases would seldom be appealed, and 
 therefore the cost need not exceed $10 
 to each party interested. 
 
 Of course, this would eliminate many 
 lawyers in every county. However, 
 
 104 
 
they would be of much more use to the 
 community did they take up farming, 
 plumbing, teaching or some other pro- 
 fession — for lawyers, to a very large ex- 
 tent, are but excess baggage if consider- 
 ed from an economic point of view. 
 
 In addition to above I would add that 
 all penalties in criminal cases should be 
 prison sentence; to allow the guilty to 
 escape his just deserts by paying a fine 
 in cash is no more or less than penaliz- 
 ing the poor and allowing the rich to 
 escape with merely a slight inconveni- 
 ence. A prison term should be the pun- 
 ishment for every criminal act whether 
 embezzlement, profiteering, robbery, 
 horse stealing or what not, and the term 
 should be arranged as near alike in 
 every state as possible: If one was 
 guilty of wrecking a bank, for instance, 
 he should be given the same sentence al- 
 ways whether the time was to be served 
 
 105 
 
in the State or Federal prison. There 
 must be in no case the inference that 
 our laws are framed to protect any one 
 class. 
 
 106 
 
MATRIMONIAL BUREAU. 
 
 In treating social conditions there are 
 many problems that should be consid- 
 ered, some of them at first thought 
 might be considered of too little impor- 
 tance for a work of this nature, yet, if 
 given a little serious thought, they grow 
 large and really form a most important 
 feature in our social affairs. 
 
 To my mind, one of the most im- 
 portant side issues of our social make- 
 up is that of building up just as many 
 family units as is possible, if built on a 
 solid foundation, one that will guaran- 
 tee a successful, healthy, worth-while 
 family. The starting point for such re- 
 sults, of course, is the happy union of 
 two healthy persons of opposite sex, 
 and while we are thankful that there 
 are as many of such unions per capita 
 
 107 
 
as we have in the United States when 
 compared to that of other nations, yet 
 we know there are many thousands of 
 marriageable people of both sexes not 
 married, who perhaps never will be, ow- 
 ing to the lack of an opportunity to 
 meet those of the opposite sex of a sim- 
 ilar mood. 
 
 Can you imagine anything more pa- 
 thetic than the following words so often 
 heard, and yet this condition could be 
 easily remedied. Is the government 
 not guilty of omission in this case 1 — 
 
 "I hate being an old maid. I was 
 never meant to be an old maid. It's a 
 shame that I should be one. Why are- 
 n't conditions changed?" 
 
 For a long time it has seemed to me 
 that a National Matrimonial Bureau 
 would be most profitable if rightly man- 
 aged, for it should offer just the oppor- 
 tunity necessary for this class of un- 
 
 108 
 
married people to get acquainted under 
 circumstances that would assure good 
 results with little chance of deceit or 
 fraud, and at the same time guarantee- 
 ing secrecy to all parties concerned. 
 
 The plan could be worked out some- 
 thing along the lines here briefly sug- 
 gested: — 
 
 One desiring to take advantage of the 
 opportunity offered by a National Bu- 
 reau, would write the Secretary of the 
 Bureau for an application blank, giving 
 their sex, age, and nationality, and in 
 return they would receive the blank, 
 with the desired information as to the 
 working plan of the Bureau, and the ob- 
 ligations of each and every applicant. 
 These blanks would be so arranged 
 that when filled out and returned to 
 the Secretary, he would know the age, 
 size, complexion, social standing, na- 
 tionality, and occupation of each appli- 
 
 109 
 
cant, and their preference as to the 
 class they desired to correspond with. 
 This would enable him to so classify 
 each application that with an adequate 
 index system at hand, he could quickly 
 return to applicant the numbers of from 
 three to five in the class desired. As 
 each applicant would be required to 
 subscribe to the application sent in, un- 
 der oath, with a severe penalty assured 
 anyone who endeavored to mislead or 
 perpetrate fraud, the possibilities of 
 misunderstanding as to the important 
 particulars concerning the circum- 
 stances of any member would be much 
 less than under present conditions. 
 
 While the Secretary would have the 
 name and address of each applicant, 
 these names and addresses would not be 
 given to anyone else, members or oth- 
 erwise, until each of the applicants rep- 
 resenting the opposite sex, would so re- 
 
 110 
 
quest by a letter to the Secretary. Then, 
 and not until then, would anyone out- 
 side of the Bureau know who or where 
 any other member was, and then only 
 the one having the number designating 
 the one desired to correspond with out- 
 side of the Bureau. Until this request 
 is received from both parties, all cor- 
 respondence is addressed to the num- 
 ber given in care of the Bureau, where 
 it would be forwarded. 
 
 When an application was received by 
 the Secretary, he would select three to 
 five numbers from the opposite sex, and 
 in other states than that of the appli- 
 cant, and in the class of that of the ap- 
 plicant as explained in said applicant's 
 application, and mail these numbers. 
 After corresponding with the numbers 
 received, should the applicant desire 
 the address of any one for the purpose 
 of corresponding outside of the Bureau, 
 
 111 
 
if the one of the opposite sex represent- 
 ing the number requested is willing, the 
 address of each will then be furnished 
 and the names marked off the list. 
 Should an applicant not find a congen- 
 ial correspondent in the first list of 
 numbers furnished, they may have that 
 list canceled so far as they are concern- 
 ed, and get a new list, paying for same 
 enough only to cover the small cost of 
 making the change. 
 
 Should any member, after they 
 thought they had found a number that 
 seemed to meet their wishes, desire to 
 correspond with this number outside 
 of the Bureau, and still were not sure 
 of the standing of the one representing 
 said number, on request and the pay- 
 ment of cost of investigation — which 
 should not be great owing to the fact of 
 the Bureau having so large a list of cor- 
 respondents in all parts of the country 
 
 112 
 
— the record of the party could be veri- 
 fied without said parties knowing it. 
 But inasmuch as each applicant would 
 be required to subscribe to the state- 
 ments made on the application first 
 mailed to the Bureau under oath, with 
 the knowledge — as printed on the ap- 
 plication blank — that a heavy penalty 
 would be the result of any fraud in this 
 line — it would be quite likely to guar- 
 antee a very large percentage of hon- 
 esty in the matter. A health certificate 
 in all cases would be required before 
 any addresses allowing correspondence 
 outside of the Bureau was permitted. 
 As each applicant would be required to 
 pay a membership fee, say of five dol- 
 lars for males, and two dollars for fe- 
 males, the Bureau would surely be self- 
 sustaining in a very short time. Such 
 a bureau would eliminate the evils of 
 the catch-as-catch-can matrimonial 
 
 113 
 
bureaus, with their bad results, we have 
 to-day. 
 
 A movement is now on in England to 
 bring about similar results thru the me- 
 dium of "Mixed Clubs," where young 
 people of marriageable age are offered 
 the opportunity to meet, with the ob- 
 ject in view of causing "more marriag- 
 es and earlier marriages." And it is 
 suggested, by the promoters of the plan, 
 that every municipality establish a 
 marriage bureau and provide candi- 
 dates for wedlock with introductions. 
 
 As the high cost of living has very 
 materially decreased the prospective 
 family units in the United States, as 
 well as thruout the world, I think 
 something along this line should be 
 worked out without delay. But in 
 working out such a plan, stress should 
 be laid on that feature of the work that 
 would be most likely to guard against 
 
 114 
 
fraud on the part of either. If the 
 chance to mislead is quite eliminated, 
 and a certificate of health required, this 
 plan, I think, offers much surer chance 
 of happy results than does the commun- 
 ity meeting clubs mentioned above. 
 
 115 
 
CREDULITY. 
 
 Thinking perhaps we might encour- 
 age many to think for themselves who 
 now believe in things most •unreason- 
 able, because of the faith they have in 
 their prophets whom they have allowed 
 to do the thinking on these lines for 
 them, we give a few cases which many 
 millions of people accept as true, even 
 in this enlightened age. For we believe 
 when each can see the ridiculous beliefs 
 of others, they are more apt to allow 
 that even their old theories may be im- 
 proved upon; and hoping that as the 
 cobwebs of outworn, unreasonable 
 ideas are cleared from the mind, more 
 worth-while unlifting thoughts may 
 take their place. When the masses 
 realize that the laws of nature point 
 with unerring fingers the right and 
 
 116 
 
only paths to follow, leading to health, 
 wisdom, happiness and a long life, and 
 to a higher plane in the next world if 
 there be one, then will humanity move 
 on to better things socially and spiritu- 
 ally. 
 
 The followers of Mohammed — and 
 there are millions of them — believe he 
 could perform miracles. That he as- 
 cended to Heaven with a veil over his 
 face to protect him from the glorious 
 vision awaiting, and, according to the 
 picture found in a Persian MS., was 
 riding his favorite white steed. 
 
 Only a few centuries back — and in 
 some localities in this past century — 
 priests and bishops sold indulgences for 
 every known sin, and claimed the abili- 
 ty to perform miracles. 
 
 The following is given verbatim from 
 the introductory leaf of the Mormon 
 Bible and there are perhaps a million 
 
 117 
 
or more who seem to believe every word 
 thereof: 
 
 "The Book of Mormon: 
 
 An Account Written by The Hand of 
 Mormon upon Plates Taken from the 
 Plates of Nephi. 
 
 " Wherefore it is an abridgement of 
 the record of the people of Nephi, and 
 also of the Lamanites; written to the 
 Lamanites who are a remnant of the 
 House of Israel; and also to Jew and 
 Gentile; written by way of command- 
 ments, and also by the spirit of prophe- 
 cy and of revelation. Written and seal- 
 ed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that 
 they might not be destroyed; to come 
 forth by the gift and power of God un- 
 to the interpretation thereof; sealed by 
 the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the 
 Lord, to come forth in due time by the 
 way of Gentile; the interpretation 
 thereof by the gift of God. 
 
 118 
 
"An abridgment taken from the Book 
 of Ether also ; which is a record of the 
 people of Jafed; who were scattered at 
 the time the Lord confounded the lan- 
 guage of the people when they were 
 building a tower to get to Heaven; 
 which is to shew unto the remnant of 
 the House of Israel what great things 
 the Lord hath done for their fathers; 
 and that they may know the covenants 
 of the Lord, that they are not cast off 
 forever; and also to the convincing of 
 the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the 
 Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting 
 Himself unto all nations. And now if 
 there are faults, they are the mistakes 
 of men; wherefore condemn not the 
 things of God, that ye may be found 
 spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ. 
 
 "Translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. 
 
 "The Testimony of Three Witnesses: 
 
 "Be it known unto all nations, kin- 
 dreds, tongues and people unto whom 
 
 119 
 
this work shall come, that we, through 
 the grace of God the Father, and our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates 
 which contain this record, which is a 
 record of the people of Nephi, and also 
 of the Lamanites, their brethren, and 
 also of the people of Jared, who came 
 from the tower of which hath been 
 spoken; and we also know that they 
 have been translated by the gift and 
 power of God, for his voice hath declar- 
 ed it unto us; wherefore we know of a 
 surety that the work is true. And we 
 also testify that we have seen the en- 
 gravings which are upon the plates; and 
 they have been shown unto us by the 
 
 power of God, and not of man. And 
 we declare with words of soberness, 
 that an angel of God came down from 
 Heaven, and he brought and laid be- 
 fore our eyes, that we beheld and saw 
 the plates, and the engravings thereon; 
 and we know that it is by the grace of 
 
 120 
 
God the Father, and our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, that we beheld and bear record 
 that these things are true ; and it is mar- 
 velous in our eyes, nevertheless the 
 voice of the Lord commanded us that 
 we should bear record of it; wherefore, 
 to be obedient unto the commandments 
 of God, we bear testimony of these 
 things. And we know that if we are 
 faithful in Christ, we shall rid our gar- 
 ments of the blood of all men, and be 
 found spotless before the judgment 
 seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him 
 eternally in the Heavens. And the hon- 
 our be to the Father, and to the Son, and 
 to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. 
 Amen. 
 
 " Oliver Cowdery, 
 " David Whitmer, 
 " Martin Harris. 
 
 "And Also the Testimony of Eight 
 Witnesses. 
 
 121 
 
"Be it known unto all nations, kin- 
 dreds, tongues, and people unto whom 
 this work shall come, that Joseph 
 Smith, Jr., the translator of this work, 
 has shewn unto us the plates of which 
 hath been spoken, which have the ap- 
 pearance of gold; and as many of the 
 leaves as the said Smith has translated, 
 we did handle with our hands; and we 
 also saw the engravings thereon, all of 
 which has the appearance of ancient 
 work, and of curious workmanship. 
 And this we bear record with words of 
 soberness, that the said Smith hath 
 shewn unto us, for we have seen and 
 hefted, and know of a surety that the 
 said Smith has got the plates of which 
 we have spoken. And we give our 
 names unto the world, to witness unto 
 122 
 
the world that which we have seen; and 
 we lie not, God bearing witness of it. 
 
 "Christian Whitmer, 
 
 "Jacob Whitmer, 
 
 "Peter Whitmer, Jr., 
 
 ' ' John Whitmer, 
 
 "Hiram Page, 
 "Joseph Smith, Sr., 
 "Hyrum Smith, 
 "Samuel H. Smith." 
 
 Many members of churches even to- 
 day believe their leaders could and do 
 perform miracles. Did space permit, 
 many of such could be enumerated, not 
 including the Spiritualists, the Dowey- 
 ites, or the Dukhobors. 
 
 In a New York paper published in 
 September, 1920, we read: "A Roman 
 Catholic priest who had been on a visit 
 to Ireland, and who returned to New 
 York from Queenstown, said he saw the 
 bleeding statue of Templemore where 
 
 123 
 
hundreds of miraculous cures are being 
 effected. According to newspaper re- 
 port, he informed some of the customs 
 officers that he saw the statue of the 
 Virgin Mary bleeding from the mouth, 
 and that of the Saviour bleeding from 
 the eyes, and further says he saw cures. 
 He is also credited with saying, accord- 
 ing to the papers, that he saw the lame 
 and the blind cured of their afflictions 
 by their pilgrimage to the home of 
 Thomas Divan, a shopkeeper, where the 
 statues are being displayed." 
 
 And thousands will believe this story. 
 Will any liberal thinker deny the fact 
 that education with its enlightening 
 power, would quickly eliminate such 
 hoaxes as the case mentioned above? 
 
 Down right STRAIGHT THINK- 
 ING — the kind that would result from 
 these Community Educational Meet- 
 ings — will clean the mind of many un- 
 
 124 
 
reasonable, harmful, fear - making 
 thoughts, and give room for uplifting, 
 courageous, independent thoughts, 
 thoughts worth while, thoughts worthy 
 of every intelligent man. It would 
 change the cringing, fawning, half idiot 
 to the full stature of man with a power- 
 ful, independent, worth-while mental- 
 ity. 
 
 MAN — We mean the man developed 
 to the full stature of a man as Commun- 
 ity Education will make him — fearing 
 neither man, beast or the devil. We 
 salute you. As you see the light, may 
 you grow stronger in every way, and 
 your heart be ever full of sympathy, 
 love and kindness, with your strength 
 always at the service of the weak. 
 
 125 
 
DEBATES. 
 
 On many problems concerning the 
 town, city, state, or nation, whenever 
 there seemed to be a divided opinion 
 the leaders of the different sides could 
 debate the matter at one or more of 
 these meetings, and the audience 
 would vote on same after they were 
 thru. This plan would give the opinion 
 of the people on many subjects that oth- 
 erwise would necessitate an election. 
 This, of course, would save many dol- 
 lars now spent on holding elections of 
 little importance. It would not, of 
 course, be used to settle large affairs. 
 
 These debates would not only be in- 
 teresting, but from an educational 
 standpoint, they would be most valu- 
 able. If the differences between em- 
 ployer and employee could be debated 
 
 126 
 
in the locality where the difference 
 arises, public opinion would help much 
 in settling each affair without delay, 
 for the public would hear both sides and 
 be quick to see the unfairness of either 
 side. Big business like the railroads or 
 coal mines, could not be settled locally. 
 But even those strikes could be mitigat- 
 ed by getting the pulse of the people se- 
 cured thru these Community meetings 
 all over the United States. 
 
 Education along the lines offered by 
 the Community meetings would prac- 
 tically eliminate strikes, boycotts, and 
 profiteering. 
 
 Even in international affairs the 
 Community plan would prove most val- 
 uable. As the Japanese Vice-Minister 
 of Foreign Affairs said on being inter- 
 viewed soon after landing here — 
 
 "We must go straightway to the 
 root of every anti-Japanese and anti- 
 
 127 
 
American agitation or movement with 
 acts of ruthless publicity and EDUCA- 
 TION." 
 
 Could this straight-thinking advice 
 be carried out in any better way than 
 thru the debates and lectures given on 
 all questions of importance at these 
 Community gatherings all over the 
 country? Surely not. 
 
 128 
 
HIGH PRICES. 
 
 Just now high prices would receive 
 some attention from the lecturers and 
 teachers. They would be most likely to 
 help the public in the way of educating 
 them in buying produce and staple ar- 
 ticles so as to get the best results for 
 their money. It is not unlikely that in 
 some cases they would advise commu- 
 nity buying, of sugar for instance. 
 Again — along similar lines used 65 
 years ago by that great editor, Hor- 
 ace Greeley, in New York City, when 
 someone got a monopoly on butter and 
 raised the price from twenty to forty 
 cents, in his paper he advised the people 
 to eat molasses for two or three weeks, 
 when butter at the end of that time 
 could be secured at the old price. They 
 did it, and butter dropped to twenty 
 cents in ten days. 
 
 129 
 
While the cold storage houses should 
 prove a blessing, they are now proving 
 the reverse, for when produce and fruit 
 are plenty, and people might buy at a 
 reasonable price and put away to use 
 later, these companies buy up the mar- 
 ket supply, and then when there is none 
 to offer on the open markets, make the 
 price enough higher to cover both the 
 cost and a large profit. 
 
 Whenever opportunity offers as these 
 community meetings would — to edu- 
 cate the people in a collective body on 
 various lines, great reforms would 
 surely follow, for by letting down the 
 bars that seem to separate the people 
 into classes, and educating them all to- 
 gether, it would work to the best pos- 
 sible advantage for the masses who 
 would realize that the safest, surest, 
 and happiest condition for the people 
 of a town, city, or state, is obtained 
 
 130 
 
only when all pull together to make 
 those conditions the best possible for 
 every living person therein. 
 
 131 
 
COMMUNITY LECTURES 
 ON HEALTH. 
 
 The saving to the public in both 
 money and time now wasted thru sick- 
 ness would alone amount to many mil- 
 lions annually. A great physician once 
 said — 
 
 "I believe fully sixty per cent of the 
 ills of man are imaginary and a very 
 large percentage of the balance could 
 be eliminated by education. " 
 
 Thru these lectures on hygiene peo- 
 ple would be taught not only the simple 
 remedies always at hand, but the more 
 important lesson, of how to prevent 
 sicknesses of many kinds. Cleanliness, 
 first, last, and all the time; then the 
 care of the teeth and mouth: diet: ex- 
 ercise: the value of sunshine and pure 
 air: the care of the eyes, the feet and 
 
 132 
 
the hair — in fact, thru these lectures 
 on health the longevity of mankind 
 should increase considerably, and the 
 money now squandered on patent nos- 
 trums that do more harm than good in 
 most cases, would purchase more profit- 
 able commodities. Then, too, would 
 doctor's bills and druggist's bills be cur- 
 tailed not a little. But, perhaps, the 
 most valuable results would be the 
 saving of infant life and the next great- 
 est would be the converting of thous- 
 ands upon thousands of those who are 
 mind-sick, or sick only because they 
 think they are, into healthy, vigorous, 
 useful men and women. By letting sun- 
 shine into the souls of many who are 
 
 broken in spirit and in body thru mental 
 
 * 
 
 morbidity, and the change of thousands 
 from that condition of mind that breeds 
 the pessimist — a liability for any com- 
 munity — to the more healthy, health- 
 ful, happy, worth-while condition of 
 
 133 
 
the optimist — a great asset to any 
 family, neighborhood or city — great 
 good would result. The difference be- 
 tween the influence of the pessimist 
 and that of the optimist is quite simi- 
 lar to that of lowering, threatening 
 clouds that foretell a long dismal rain 
 storm and the bright, many colored 
 rainbow that precedes the clearing up 
 and the bright sunshine soon to fol- 
 low. You are unfortunate indeed if you 
 have a pessimist in your household. 
 Not unlike the death knell of a funeral- 
 bell that has a musical sound to but one 
 — the Undertaker — so is his doleful 
 song music to himself, alone. 
 
 The great specialist, Dr. E. E. Rit- 
 tenhouse has said, quite recently that 
 there are at least 1,500,000 Americans 
 ill with preventable diseases. That 
 many thousand die before they are 45 
 owing to lack of proper exercise. 
 
 134 
 
Think it over — What would his talks 
 at these Community Educational meet- 
 ings mean to thousands and thousands 
 of people who do not know how to care 
 for their health? 
 
 135 
 
THINKERS DO NOT ACCEPT 
 ORTHODOX RELIGIONS. 
 
 The following thoughts will show 
 some of the reasons. Never in all his- 
 tory was man as free to think as he 
 pleases, write as he pleases, and talk 
 as he pleases. Never before was he 
 able to grasp the thought of mankind 
 as expressed in all ages since the dawn 
 of intelligence. 
 
 Paleographers can now decipher 
 histories of nations, tribes, and peo- 
 ples as recorded by their historians 
 on papyrus, bricks, stone tablets and 
 obelisks, whether in characters, pic- 
 tures, or figures, and make their deduc- 
 tions accordingly. So that in addition 
 to having the experiences of a people 
 as recorded in histories written in the 
 past two centuries we can now go back 
 
 136 
 
three, four and five thousand years. 
 This opportunity has given us a better 
 insight into man's early thoughts and 
 habits and helped much in the way of 
 forming our ideas as to the evolution 
 and growth of the reasoning power of 
 the mind of the animal kingdom, and 
 particularly of man. 
 
 There being no Ecclesiastical Dicta- 
 tors, no Theological Tyrants, in these 
 times to make a charred corpse of a 
 man's body, or a sainted martyr of his 
 spirit for being a heretic — depending 
 on the class of religious belief he hap- 
 pened to be connected with — there is 
 an abundance of evidence in the way of 
 editorials, magazine articles and books 
 to prove that the mind of man is grow- 
 ing stronger, broader, and healthier. 
 For the mind, so soon as liberated and 
 encouraged to think straight, spreads 
 out, expands, and rapidly develops 
 
 137 
 
those reasoning faculties so long held in 
 bondage. 
 
 One of the first discoveries made in 
 this new era of the individual free 
 thinking mind if allowed free sway, 
 was that it was inclined to straight 
 thinking, and as the result of this 
 straight thinking, much attention is 
 now devoted to social problems; for the 
 normal, unbiased thinker of today real- 
 izes that the road to a better man, a 
 better life, and contentment here and 
 now can be obtained only by improv- 
 ing social conditions. 
 
 Therefore, we may expect better con- 
 ditions all along the line, better homes, 
 better towns, and better men every- 
 where as the direct results of this some- 
 what new free unbiased mode of think- 
 ing. Perhaps the best proof that the 
 habit of straight thinking will regener- 
 ate mankind is the known fact that the 
 
 138 
 
power that really knocked out one of 
 the old lines of thought as represented 
 by Prussian Militarism, was the little 
 bunch of free-lances from the western 
 hemisphere, whose individuality, as 
 well as the collectively irresistible pow- 
 er, and the habit of thinking straight, 
 each for himself and man power mould- 
 ed into a great military machine with 
 but one thought in mind — go forward 
 or retreat, as ordered, was utterly and 
 unmercifully routed by that contend- 
 ing foe who fought with his mind as 
 well as his gun, and when the little de- 
 tails of the great war are finally tabu- 
 lated, it will be seen at a glance, that 
 brain and not brawn won the great war. 
 
 Thinkers hold that the same law 
 that encourages the blades of grass to 
 grow to their full stature and grow 
 straight; the heart of a healthy person 
 to beat strong and regular; also gov- 
 
 139 
 
erns the mind, which, under proper en- 
 vironments, will think straight. The 
 blade of grass, the heart, and the mind, 
 all three, will not fulfill their natural 
 functions if not allowed to mature un- 
 der favorable circumstances — the grass 
 must have the proper soil, a certain 
 amount of rain and sunshine — the 
 heart a healthy body made so by a suffi- 
 cient quantity of pure blood — so, with 
 the mind, there must be a happy spirit, 
 the results of a clean, healthy body, 
 abundance of good material for thought, 
 and above all — a free and unrestricted 
 habit of thinking — that is, a mind al- 
 lowed alwavs to make its own deduc- 
 tions. The more one uses his mind to 
 think out for himself each and every 
 problem presented, the more apt is he 
 to find his conclusions square with the 
 opinions of thinkers of note. 
 140 
 
Straight thinkers, as a class, are well 
 represented by that line of investiga- 
 tors who come under the head of Scien- 
 tists. As a rule, they represent peo- 
 ple with large, well developed mentali- 
 ties, for the trend of their minds has 
 been such as to best promote a normal 
 condition of every part^ of the brain. 
 Being liberal minded, w r ith the princi- 
 pal object in view of getting at the 
 facts in each and every case, they have 
 developed the habit of carefully analyz- 
 ing each and all problems and consi- 
 der same with as nearly an unbiased 
 mind as possible. Therefore, their 
 opinions represent, perhaps, the re- 
 sults of a much straighter mode of 
 thinking than would that of a class 
 whose trend of thought followed but 
 one channel. True it is that in many 
 cases the man of one idea seems to gain 
 a respectable standing socially and 
 financially much quicker than his broth- 
 
 141 
 
er who may endeavor to cover a wider 
 field in thought or business, but a 
 proposition that concerns the happi- 
 ness of this life 'and the possibilities 
 of a life hereafter, can be treated fair- 
 ly, and most consistently, by minds 
 bent on accepting all evidence, and con- 
 sidering all arguments offered on the 
 subject, and then making their deduc- 
 tions accordingly, instead of accept- 
 ing a dogmatic theory, and use only 
 such evidence as will substantiate that 
 supposition. 
 
 This is the difference between broad 
 minded scientists and the theologians, 
 the former trained to believe only 
 tangible facts — facts that are deter- 
 mined by an unspeculative mode of 
 reasoning, eliminating conjectures, sup- 
 positions, and unsupported theories; 
 while the latter accept the speculative 
 mode of reasoning, figuring out a theory 
 
 142 
 
or belief on the idea that because man 
 finds the world as it is, there must be 
 a cause — which is true, we admit — 
 then they build upon this foundation 
 many beautiful ideas, concerning the 
 personality, desire, and ultimate aim 
 of this Great Cause, and argue the 
 matter, each sect from their especially 
 prepared viewpoint, much of which we 
 hold is mere conjecture and some 
 quite ludicrous. The different schemes 
 figured out by each leader or prophet 
 for their followers, that they may at- 
 tain that happy condition in the vision- 
 ary home to be prepared for them, in 
 the visionary life hereafter, is interest- 
 ing reading, and would be given here 
 by way of showing their many incon- 
 sistencies did it not take too much 
 space to even give a small share of the 
 different beliefs, conjectures, and theo- 
 ries worked out by men who have 
 been stranded on some one idea, and 
 
 143 
 
concentrate a strong mind on the one 
 thought and built up a future life and 
 a future home accordingly. 
 
 Psychology and Sociology can no 
 more be taught intelligently by theo- 
 logians than can Astronomy be taught 
 by one versed only in mechanics. The 
 average priest, preacher, or monk, who 
 endeavors to lead men on these sub- 
 jects, sees but one side of life, and knows 
 but little concerning man's thoughts 
 and habits. The large part of his life 
 he comes in contact with only the bet- 
 ter side of man. Always meeting him 
 at his best, he naturally must be a poor 
 judge of the worldly life he leads, and 
 then he wonders why the average ser- 
 mon seems to fall on deaf ears, as is 
 admitted by them, as mentioned in an- 
 other part of this book. While men 
 will talk and speak their minds freely 
 on all subjects when together, they 
 
 144 
 
will not commit themselves when talk- 
 ing to the clergy, and naturally, be- 
 cause his parishoners do not take is- 
 sue with him the preacher quite like- 
 ly thinks they agree with him in 
 what he says. I have heard preachers 
 say from the pulpit "The man who does 
 not accept the Christian religion is eith- 
 er a bigot, a fool, or a sinner," and be- 
 cause not one of his audience remon- 
 strated, he probably believed they all 
 thought likewise; whereas, could he 
 have known the thoughts of those men, 
 many of them there to please their 
 mothers, wives, or sweethearts, he 
 would have learned that they thought 
 he, perhaps, was the only bigot in the 
 room. 
 
 Had the average priest, preacher, 
 or monk devoted but a small part of 
 his study hours to analyzing the pos- 
 sibilities of the mind of a liberal think- 
 
 145 
 
er, lie would have known that a 
 free, unbiased, thoughtful, healthy mind 
 has no room for superstitions com- 
 piled by scribes, prophets, or monks of 
 fifteen hundred, two, three or four 
 thousand years ago; for as a philoso- 
 pher has so wisely said "No man could 
 write a religion for the people of five 
 hundred years hence for the environ- 
 ments are a great factor, and to as- 
 sume what they will be is too much 
 of a speculation." 
 
 For these reasons and many others, 
 scientists, as a class, do not accept the 
 modern religion as represented by any 
 one of the two hundred or more de- 
 nominational churches. 
 
 In a poll recently taken of a class 
 in Sociology in one of the leading uni- 
 versities in the United States, out of 
 about a dozen female students inter- 
 viewed as to the qualities they desired 
 
 146 
 
in the opposite sex as their possible 
 mate. Among the qualities given in 
 the enumeration was that of religion 
 — of the girls, about 6.5, or but lit- 
 tle over half of those interviewed, or 
 who answered the questionnaire, gave 
 religion as the principal quality. With 
 a similar number of young men of the 
 class, either it was not thought neces- 
 sary to ask this question, or it was ig- 
 nored by them entirely, for in the list 
 of answers given, religion is not men- 
 tioned. All of w T hich should prove 
 along with other evidence given in 
 this work, that religion as represent- 
 ed by the different churches is not con- 
 sidered seriously today by thinkers, 
 young or old. 
 
 Let's take Justine Hartley Moore 
 at his word, and see what the deduc- 
 tions of an unbiased mind would be 
 
 147 
 
after analyzing his remark on this line. 
 He was quoted as follows — 
 
 Justin Hartley Moore in "The 
 World Beyond" — "Science can readily 
 strip away from any earlier system of 
 religio-mythological accounts of crea- 
 tion which represent the state of nat- 
 ural knowledge, when the system was 
 growing and can disprove or reject ac- 
 counts of natural phenomena which 
 are now known clearly to be errors, 
 but when this has all been done, the 
 real kernel still remains in any religious 
 system worthy of the name. 
 
 "Man is still left venerating the great 
 cause of creation, and worshipping at 
 the shrine of an infinite and all-pow- 
 erful creator. Nor is it any bar to his 
 worship that he possesses no rigorous 
 proof nor exact knowledge in terms of 
 material things. The mysticism only 
 stimulates devotion, and urges him on- 
 
 148 
 
ward toward higher realization of di- 
 vinity and idealization of all that is 
 highest in the deity that he personi- 
 fies and worships." 
 
 Suppose we eliminate all history as 
 recorded in the Bible that Science 
 would term unprovable, unreasonable, 
 and entirely contrary to all laws of na- 
 ture we have yet encountered, and 
 we would have left, as he states "man 
 venerating the great cause of crea- 
 tion, worshipping at the shrine of an 
 infinite and all powerful creator. The 
 mysticism only stimulating devotion 
 and urging him onwards toward high- 
 er realization of all that is highest in 
 the deity that he personifies and wor- 
 ships." 
 
 We differ with him in his conclusions 
 in this respect. We hold that belief 
 based on mysticism cannot interest the 
 intelligent man who reasons from an 
 
 149 
 
unbiased viewpoint. That much stress, 
 time, and money is therefore wasted 
 in the endeavor to lead men to do right 
 by appealing to their credulity. We 
 hold that man can best please his "All 
 Powerful Creator" by conforming 
 strictly to His laws — which we call 
 the laws of nature. Thru education 
 and experience we are taught that if 
 we put our hand in the fire, we are 
 burned; that if we indulge to excess 
 in eating, drinking, exercising, sleep- 
 ing, or smoking, we are sure to pay the 
 penalty — and on the other hand, if we 
 practice right living and right think- 
 ing, we are just as sure to cultivate 
 good thoughts and a good disposition 
 and in every way improve our physi- 
 cal and mental makeup. 
 
 Now then, if we do this, (and there 
 is no lesson better learned and profit- 
 ted by more than the lesson taught by 
 
 150 
 
experience and education) will we not 
 be assured of a future existence, if 
 there is one, regardless of whether we 
 " venerated and worshipped the Great 
 Cause" or not? In progressing, pro- 
 viding there is a progression on to an- 
 other life, would not the stage in which 
 we entered the next life be measured 
 by our spiritual development in this 
 life? If we follow closely the unerring 
 laws as we discover them, that should 
 govern our habits of living both physi- 
 cally and mentally, we surely develop 
 into better human beings on earth, 
 and if there is another life, is it not 
 most reasonable to believe we shall 
 progress there on a higher level than 
 if we were to allow mysticism to domi- 
 nate our lives? When I show my 
 boys that every time they transgress 
 a law of nature, they are promptly 
 punished for so doing, and then prove 
 it in many ways as occasion offers, 
 
 151 
 
they believe it, and when I tell them it 
 is most reasonable to believe that the 
 more perfect physically, mentally and 
 morally here the higher the plane 
 there — if there is another life — it ap- 
 peals to their natural reasoning powers 
 and they are much more apt to profit by 
 the knowledge obtained, than they 
 would if I told them they must do so 
 and so because their ancestors two or 
 three thousand years back had laid 
 down certain rules to follow if a future 
 life were desired, and those rules were 
 based on mysticism. I, as a father, 
 would much prefer that my boys would 
 endeavor to seek out and follow every 
 law of nature that would improve them 
 physically and mentally, than to have 
 them rely on my figuring it out for 
 them. I would want them to discard 
 the mysticism for the reality every time. 
 And the Judge of all creation surely 
 would not be less wise. 
 
 152 
 
In conclusion I will add that Zoroast- 
 er, a philosopher who seems to have 
 preceded the time of Moses, taught 
 his followers that "the condition in 
 the eternal life depended entirely on 
 the life lived in this world. By im- 
 proving their physical, mental and 
 moral condition here they would reach 
 a higher standard on entering the 
 next life." This theory, as old as his- 
 tory, is the most reasonable suggestion 
 offered concerning the manner of ob- 
 taining and the condition on entering 
 the life hereafter, and it seems likely, 
 altho a mere guess, to be as near solving 
 the problem as mortal man will ever at- 
 tain. 
 
 The Theologian says — " Concentrate 
 3^our efforts on attaining the life here- 
 after thru the spiritual salvation of- 
 fered by the church." 
 
 153 
 
The Philosopher says — " Study the 
 laws of nature that govern the mental 
 as well as the physical forces, with the 
 aim in view of improving this life as 
 much as environments will permit and 
 should there be another life you will 
 advance to that level your life work 
 here warrants regardless of church or 
 creed." 
 
 154 
 
COMMUNITY EDUCATION. 
 
 It would be quite impossible to re- 
 cord the many ways in which commun- 
 ity education would spell uplift for 
 humanity in the space given here. 
 However, we will mention a few just 
 to give the reader an idea of what a 
 plan of this nature would do for a city, 
 state, or country where it was adopted. 
 
 First — There is hardly a known phys- 
 ical ill man is heir to that education 
 would not, in a short time, eradicate. 
 
 Second — The money saved, by teach- 
 ing the multitude how easily they 
 could save a very large part of their 
 earnings, and yet not deny themselves 
 any real worth while pleasure, would 
 amount yearly to more than it cost to 
 carry on the late great war. 
 
 155 
 
Third — By bringing the people to- 
 gether as often as these community 
 programs would, they would prove a 
 great incentive for encouraging that 
 feeling of brotherly interest, brotherly 
 sympathy, and brotherly love, so neces- 
 sary to bring about better social con- 
 ditions, by eliminating class hatred, 
 selfishness and greed. Along this line, 
 it would surely be the greatest leveller 
 socially that could be figured out. It 
 would eliminate classes and encourage 
 a united effort, for each and every citi- 
 zen would be taught the necessity of 
 communistic interests, that only by 
 pulling together as one large family 
 could conditions be improved for all. 
 A man may be large and look strong 
 and healthy and happy, but if there is 
 but one small boil on his body, a can- 
 cer eating a hole in his cheek, or a smit- 
 ten conscience that eliminates peace- 
 ful sleep, he is neither well nor con- 
 
 156 
 
tented, and cannot be until he is re- 
 lieved of the poison in his blood or 
 brain. Neither can communities, large 
 or small, realize good social conditions 
 until they have eliminated the condi- 
 tions that encourage a disposition to 
 organize into classes, with the thought 
 in view that that is the only plan by 
 which men of various lines of work 
 or vocation can get their share of the 
 ' ' plunder . ' ' Every effort must be made 
 and without delay, to eliminate those 
 economic and social conditions that en- 
 courage class legislation, class ; units, 
 etc., for a division into classes means not 
 one boil on the social body but many. 
 Each and all, if not eradicated, will as 
 surely sound the death knell to a 
 healthy condition along the lines of 
 good government and better social con- 
 ditions, as does the little cancer mean 
 death to the man on which it is work- 
 
 157 
 
ing if the poison in his blood is not 
 quickly purified. 
 
 Fourth — Communistic education 
 would prove to all how necessary was 
 each spoke to make a perfect wheel; 
 how much better the wheel if every 
 spoke is perfect, and the damage to it 
 if even one is defective. By showing 
 to the man above how necessary to 
 him is the man working below, surely 
 he would have much more considera- 
 tion, a more brotherly feeling, respect- 
 ing the law of self-preservation if 
 nothing else; then would he extend a 
 hand to his fellow man and lift him 
 to the level above realizing that the 
 two could work out their salvation to- 
 gether, where either must fall if left 
 alone. 
 
 Fifth — Communistic education would 
 curtail the leeches who spend most of 
 their time figuring out unnatural, un- 
 
 158 
 
healthy, expensive fads for the silly 
 rich who can afford them, and many 
 foolish people who cannot afford them 
 — for people will not be crazed over 
 dress or be immodest in dress either 
 when educated. Today, if you'll no- 
 tice, it's only the shallow-brained rich 
 and the very vain poor that dress either 
 gaudily or immodestly. 
 
 Sixth — The grade schools will also 
 improve as the result of this line of 
 education. The children will be taught 
 how much of their welfare depends on 
 their fellow students, how slow things 
 would go — how lonesome they would 
 be without them — and each and every 
 student from the first day to the last, 
 would be encouraged in many ways to 
 have a care each for the other; to have 
 sympathy and charity for the less for- 
 tunate mentally, physically, or financial- 
 ly, and to realize that if they learn to 
 
 159 
 
love one another, the world will be 
 brighter and life more worth living 
 when they grow up. Then will give 
 way the almost criminal habit prac- 
 ticed today of allowing the graduates 
 to vie with one another in the cos- 
 tumes they shall wear, much to the dis- 
 couragement and remorse of those in 
 the class who cannot afford new and 
 expensive costumes. We know of no 
 one thing a teacher should be respect- 
 ed and approved for more than that 
 of encouraging and inculcating the 
 above thoughts in their students. Let 
 the graduating costumes be arranged 
 as simple and inexpensive as is possi- 
 ble. When people are educated, as a 
 few years of Communistic Education 
 would educate them, the little tots in 
 the first four or five grades will all be 
 clothed alike — in durable, convenient, 
 but inexpensive clothes, and the stu- 
 dents of higher grades will not get far 
 
 160 
 
away from this plan either, for when 
 the benefit of discouraging vanity 
 and selfishness in the young is appre- 
 ciated, we shall have overcome one 
 great social evil. 
 
 The many, many benefits of com- 
 munistic education could be sufficient- 
 ly enumerated to fill a fair sized library, 
 but we believe the few cases cited will 
 be sufficient to convince the reader 
 that the arguments in favor of this 
 movement are without number, and 
 so powerful that the plan will certain- 
 ly be adopted here, there, and every- 
 where in the very near future. For it 
 would prove a blessing of great mag- 
 nitude, physically, morally, mentally, 
 socially and economically, in every 
 community, state, or country where 
 adopted. 
 
 Education is surely the bread of 
 life for mankind. To go thru life 
 
 161 
 
without education is like driving an 
 auto on a dark night without lights— 
 the brighter the lights, the more of the 
 beautiful landscape can one see, and 
 the less jars and bumps will he ex- 
 perience. By enlarging the under- 
 standing, we increase efficiency and 
 the power for good. 
 
 Education is the only key that will 
 open the door to opportunity, to bet- 
 ter physical, social, and financial con- 
 ditions. Education is not unlike the 
 telescope, for it broadens the vision 
 and eliminates space; it puts music 
 into the warble of the birds, adds fra- 
 grance to the flow r er, and makes won- 
 derful and beautiful paintings as large 
 as the vision can encompass. It mel- 
 lows the heart and creates love and 
 sympathy and charity for all. It en- 
 larges one's environments, expands the 
 mind until it takes in the earth, the 
 
 162 
 
skies, and the seas, and all that is in 
 them. It lengthens the life and dou- 
 bles the pleasures of mankind — what 
 more could one desire? 
 
 163 
 
SPIRITUALISM. 
 A True Story. 
 
 In 1885 I knew a young man about 
 20 years of age who was considerably 
 puzzled concerning the various creeds 
 of the many denominational churches. 
 Being somewhat conscientious in the 
 matter he found he could not subscribe 
 to either of those investigated with- 
 out compromising his conscience for he 
 firmly believed that miracles are not 
 performed by man to-day and never 
 were. This idea, of course, eliminat- 
 ed his chances of co-operating with 
 those church organizations he would 
 prefer to work with in the uplift work 
 they, as a church, were supposed to do. 
 At this time he was much at sea and 
 not a little troubled in mind for he did 
 wish to live the next life should there 
 be one. About this time a prominent 
 
 164 
 
Lecturer, Platform Debater and 
 Preacher visited his town and deliver- 
 ed five lectures on spiritualism, all of 
 which the young man attended and 
 was considerably impressed with what 
 he heard, for Moses Hull was known 
 all over the TJ. S. as a profound think- 
 er and platform debater second to 
 none. Mr. Hull would appear on the 
 stage with a Bible under his arm and 
 always make the following statement: 
 "I preached from a Methodist pulpit 
 for twenty years using this Bible most 
 of the time as my guide, when one day 
 the scales seemed to drop from my 
 eyes and I was then given the privi- 
 lege of interpreting the Good Book in 
 the right light.' ' Then he would en- 
 deavor to prove the theory of spirit- 
 ualism by it, quoting from many chap- 
 ters and nearly every book therein. 
 He would close by saying, "It has 
 always been a friend to me but now 
 
 165 
 
that I can interpret it with a clear vision 
 it gives me greater pleasure than 
 ever." The above is true, the balance, 
 except the sequel to above story given 
 later, is the invention of the writer 
 given, merely, to complete the argu- 
 ment. This young man might have 
 gone his way rejoicing after listening 
 to these lectures for at last he seemed 
 to have found a leader who, after 
 pondering over the contradictory state- 
 ments found here and there thruout 
 the Bible, for more than twenty years, 
 had at last been able to see things 
 clearly and to give a (seemingly) rea- 
 sonable interpretation thereof. But 
 alas and alack, an analytical turn of 
 mind was inclined to ponder still more 
 over the subject, and so he soliloquized 
 thus, "If I went to either or all of 
 the clergy of the denominational 
 churches who preached from a similar 
 Bible and told them that I had at last 
 
 166 
 
found a safe anchorage where the trou- 
 bled seas of doubt washed not the 
 shores, and my little boat rode at lei- 
 sure in the calm; and then explain to 
 them my new found theory that guar- 
 anteed a contented mind on this score 
 here and hereafter, they would, one and 
 all, throw up their hands in horror and 
 quickly inform me that I was on the 
 straight road to hell and that my aged 
 interpreter was a first lieutenant of his 
 Satanic Majesty." This experience 
 and these thoughts w x ould likely encour- 
 age the following deductions : If the All 
 Wise Creator had decided it necessary 
 to have His Disciples write a book that 
 should be our only passport to the life 
 hereafter, surely, being ALL WISE He 
 would have known there would be mil- 
 lions and millions who would possess 
 minds that could not accept a theory 
 concerning the manner of obtaining 
 salvation not based on facts that would 
 
 167 
 
square with the laws of nature: That 
 many of these clear thinkers would in- 
 clude the best species of mankind, — for 
 the strength of the mind is the gauge 
 of the man always. Therefore the 
 young man's final deductions might 
 have been — If the All Wise Creator had 
 thought it necessary for the salvation of 
 mankind that any other commandments 
 should be given in addition to the un- 
 erring laws of nature that seem ade- 
 quate to cover all rules of action war- 
 ranting a perfect life here and now as 
 well as the life hereafter, should there 
 be one, He surely would have written 
 those commandments in the sky in no 
 uncertain language, where they would 
 ever shine as plain as the stars that ALL 
 men of ALL climes could read their ti- 
 tle clear each in his own language with 
 no chance of disagreeing as to the mean- 
 ing of a single word, and so clear to all 
 
 168 
 
that the Clergy, Priest or Pope would 
 be unnecessary as interpreters. 
 
 I will add, in closing, the sequel to 
 the true part of this article as given 
 above. This is also true. 
 
 Sometime after the lectures above 
 mentioned — I think it was in 1896 — 
 this young man had the opportunity of 
 attending a camp meeting held near the 
 Twin Cities by the Northwestern Spir- 
 itualistic Association. His ambition to 
 investigate the phenomena of this 
 theory at first hand was now to be 
 realized and he took the first opportu- 
 nity offered to visit the camp-grounds 
 near Hamline, and, with an unbiased 
 mind, hoping to obtain the proof he so 
 long desired, that there was surely a 
 life hereafter, with the added pleasure 
 of being convinced that the departed 
 could be consulted thru the efforts of 
 the prominent mediums there, he took 
 
 169 
 
in each and all of the so called demon- 
 strations or tests, and, in return, was 
 taken in himself by each and all, for 
 after investigating the '" Healer," the 
 trumpet talk, the slate writing, the 
 spirit photographing, the materializa- 
 tions, single, double and also the dema- 
 terializing seances he came away 
 thoroughly satisfied that he had found 
 sufficient downright fraud to have 
 even satisfied on that score a Sir Oliver 
 Lodge who would surely have turned 
 away with disgust. Later he secured 
 the testimony of one of the prominent 
 performers at that meeting to the effect 
 that, not only were his efforts pure, 
 unadulterated fraud, but that he had 
 never in his experience seen anything 
 in the line of the various "manifesta- 
 tions" that were not tricks pure and 
 simple. And this man was the leading 
 drawing-card of that camp-meeting for 
 he was the great " materializing me- 
 
 170 
 
dium" second to none in the whole 
 world, for while other mediums were 
 satisfied with materializing one spirit 
 at a time, he had the power to material- 
 ize two at one and the same time, and 
 in addition his spirits would demater- 
 ialize on the stage not ten feet from the 
 faithful, apparently. 
 
 Community Education would quickly 
 put such fakes, and many others, out of 
 business for good and all time; when 
 the mind is cleared of the many cob- 
 webs in the shape of unreasonable be- 
 liefs then will there be room for straight 
 thinking and not until that time should 
 we expect too much in the line of a 
 great forward uplift movement. 
 
 171 
 
BOY SCOUTS. 
 
 I know of no organization quite as 
 helpful to the boy or girl as The Boy or 
 Girl Scout movement. Anything that 
 will get the growing child out in the 
 country where they can get in touch 
 with nature surely will aid them both 
 physically and mentally. Under the 
 guidance of the Scout Master they learn 
 many things instructive and useful — in 
 fact, if a girl or boy is fortunate enough 
 to be a member of a Troop, their charac- 
 ter and individuality is sure to get a big 
 boost in the right direction, as well as 
 their health. 
 
 If you have one or more children and 
 there is a Scout Troop in your town, lose 
 no time in getting them to join it — for 
 the experience, the interesting infor- 
 mation concerning birds and animals 
 and all nature, — will add much to their 
 worth-while knowledge. The encour- 
 
 172 
 
agement to help others, to respect their 
 elders, and above all — to set their ideals 
 high and then strive to attain them — 
 in many ways will be of great help to 
 them thru life. 
 
 Loosen up your self-centered sel- 
 fishness and help a little to making 
 men and women worth while out of 
 your children. Each one of them is 
 just craving to grow big, and grand, 
 and good. If they don't attain those 
 lofty aims the blame, in most part, 
 should be charged directly to their in- 
 dolent, selfish, no-good fathers and 
 mothers — in most cases fathers, for we 
 have found in a long life of observation 
 that in a very large majority of cases 
 where the family does not measure up 
 to an average standard the FATHER 
 is the skulking, selfish, self-centered 
 conceited idiot who doesn't know that 
 the high value of his existence is meas- 
 ured by the standard of his children. 
 
 173 
 
FINIS. 
 
 Let no reader think for a moment 
 the foregoing spell a free rein for his 
 conscience, quite the contrary, for 
 where his conscience smote him once 
 before, under this program, he will 
 surely feel the lash twice and thrice, for 
 when one really gets on the road lead- 
 ing to a better man physically, mentally 
 and morally he will quickly learn that 
 his conscience grows more sensitive 
 and more insistent that he press on to 
 better things. The unschooled boy is 
 most apt to be cruel to birds and dogs; 
 a little education and his brute nature 
 gives away to a more kindly disposi- 
 tion; the higher the education the more 
 humane. 
 
 As man learns the great pleasure in 
 store for all who strenuously endeavor 
 to reach the perfect standard of a man, 
 he will find himself governed more and 
 
 174 
 
more by an unrelenting conscience that 
 seems ever to push and urge him on to 
 a better condition in mind and body as 
 attained only by carefully following the 
 laws of nature: 
 
 Those laws will teach Jiim for in- 
 stance, that over-indulgence in eating, 
 drinking or idleness must be atoned for, 
 whereas proper eating and work would 
 bring peaceful sleep and good health 
 and many other valuable lessons. 
 When one reaches that stage where he 
 may look into the mirror and see the 
 image of the full stature of a man phys- 
 ically and mentally, with every faculty 
 healthy and vigorous, with his moral 
 nature filled to overflow with love, sym- 
 pathy and kindness — for thru these 
 qualities he garners much real pleasure 
 — surely he will find happiness and con- 
 tentment on earth. And having lived 
 up to the most exacting laws of nature 
 governing the moulding of that splen- 
 did personality, he may look to the fu- 
 
 175 
 
ture life, should there be one, with con- 
 fidence that it means a high standard 
 for him as a starting point. 
 
 There is not anything that should be 
 valued more or more sought after than 
 a perfect condition of body and mind, — 
 the two are inseparable, — for the re- 
 ward of such a condition is the king- 
 dom of earth, and of heaven, with all 
 the real worth while good therein. 
 
 If you seek, — and all well balanced 
 minds do — health, contentment and 
 happiness you will attain them only 
 thru education. Not necessarily a 
 college education but one obtained thru 
 diligently seeking out those laws of 
 nature that govern our development 
 into better beings, and b}^ accumulat- 
 ing as many worth-while ideas as 
 environments may permit. These op- 
 portunities should be greatly multiplied 
 had you the privilege of attending the 
 Community Educational Schools out- 
 lined herein. — G. Schoft — Author. 
 
 176 
 
L|BRARY OF CONGRESS* 
 
 CAESAR'S TOWER. 
 
 Composed of the Skulls of the Rich 
 and Reaching to the Skies 
 
 was the title of a book written by a philosopher 40 yea 
 ago. His prophecy is now being fulfilled to the letter 
 Russia. 3 % 3 
 
 To "all, except the most optomistic, the future looks dark ; 
 indeed, still the clouds have a silver lining if you look from 
 the right angle, for the world may yet be saved from man*| 
 selfishness if we adopt the plan for our salvation ON EARTH 
 as outlined herein.