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FACE TO FACE 
 
 A Practicable Novelette 
 
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 BY 
 
 LILLIAN LOTUS LANG 
 
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 TIMKM-MIKKOK tfHlNTlNa tk UlUUltiti SUUMK 
 LOH ANOKI.KH 
 
 1922 
 
]^lejC{y\^ '^CTLuiUa^u^ 
 
 Copyrighted 1922 
 
 by 
 Lillian Lotus Lang 
 
 »/ • • • 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 1. IN THE GARDEN OF GOD. 
 
 2. WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE. 
 
 3. THE DEEP STILL WATERS. 
 
 4. HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 
 
 5. NATURE AND THE SOUL. 
 
 881905 
 
introduction! w 
 
 I feel His presence, I know it Is Here';' 
 I feel His love, so wondrous — dear. 
 My soul expands like some wonderful flower, 
 Blooming in some fragrant ethereal bower. 
 
 From the desert of ignorance I spring. 
 To the greater truth, that will ever bring 
 Happiness to the great and to the small — 
 To all, who hearken to His loving call. 
 
 When we attempt to convince others of the 
 truths we have been enabled to gather by the 
 wayside, we sometimes feel very much as did 
 Abion when he sought the hand of Penelope. 
 Placing a mallet and chisel in the hands of 
 Abion, Penelope bade him hew out the image of 
 her favorite sister, whom Abion had never seen. 
 Throwing down the mallet and chisel Abion flew 
 to Brene, where he established a kingdom, from 
 whence he sent a message to Penelope : 
 ' ' My dear Penelope : 
 
 **I cannot hew out the image of one whom I 
 have never seen, but if you will come to my 
 kingdom, I will show you the WORKS of one 
 whom I have never seen. 
 
 Devotedly, 
 
 ABION. '^ 
 
8 FACE TO FACE 
 
 I may be challenged for attempting to refute 
 the WOEKS of the so-called dead. However, I 
 **^.* &id the works of IngersoU and the queries they 
 ■ present, well suited (by refutation) to bring out 
 ,%5<it& high lights upon my theme: That is, the 
 VALUE OF LITTLE, homely, commonplace 
 things; the Divine origin of, and existence in, 
 animate and inanimate things which take their 
 place in our lives in no small way. Each little 
 thing that springs up by the wayside holds a 
 parable expressed in truth, in which we may find 
 a great theme through which to ennoble our en- 
 vironments will we but take the time and thought 
 to do so. We have not all taken the time and 
 thought to apply the FULLNESS OF THEIR 
 WORTH in our daily lives. It would not only 
 be more practical to do so, but we would also 
 reap so much that would add to the pleasurable 
 side of life — the side that God meant us to find 
 and apply to our better judgment. 
 
 It was largely through LITTLE THINGS that 
 Jesus taught the ^^deep things of God.'' Some- 
 times in parables and sometimes by demonstra- 
 tion. In short, we have NOT attuned ourselves 
 to meet these things that teach us not alone in 
 fables, but also the beauty and refinement of 
 ADAPTABILITY. Attunement sends us into 
 vibrations greater, more perfect, than we are 
 able to understand fully at the present time. 
 When we DO become attuned we see more clearly 
 God's purpose in placing these things around us, 
 even though they sometimes are so very repulsive 
 we shrink from them as we would from a leper. 
 
INTRODUCTION 9 
 
 When we learn to overcome hatred of things, 
 and infuse the love that comes with seeing nat- 
 urally, through the spiritual eye, we can live 
 among them and enjoy them thoroughly ; whereas 
 in the past we could not have done so at any cost. 
 
 This is a great part DIVINE SCIENCE takes 
 in our lives, infusing pleasure (when properly 
 applied) in the everyday routine of life. We do 
 not want to be a house divided against itself; we 
 do not want the other half loaf to waste in the 
 cinders of ignorance. We want to round out our 
 lives in the FULLNESS OF OUR INHETi- 
 ITANCE. ^^MADE IN HIS LIKENESS AND 
 IMAGE.'' 
 
 Ingersoll was a man of dual personality; on 
 the one hand a lover of love and justice; on the 
 other, a living denial of the SOURCE of love and 
 justice. He has left to us an inheritance, the 
 HALF LOAF, as it were. This I refute, bring- 
 ing into evidence the OTHER HALF, the SUB- 
 STANCE, that has made the image possible. 
 '^God is Love.'' 
 
 Spirit is INDESTRUCTIBLE. Spirit has 
 VITAL force, hence spirit and matter are in- 
 separable. Spirit has substance, hence the spirit- 
 ual body; the substance of DIVINE WILL 
 etherealized into one — perfect — whole. This com- 
 pletes the cause and effect of Divine Principle. 
 It also emphasizes the BODY and the BLOOD 
 in the sacrament. 
 
 '*I IN YOU AND YOU IN ME" 
 
 What this means to man is beyond the power 
 of words. It emphasizes the PERSONAL pres- 
 
10 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ence of God in time of prayer, in time of need, 
 and all the time. God is ever present. What 
 possibilities await man when he becomes in tune 
 with this great power; enabled to comprehend 
 and blend his being into one perfect UNITY 
 WITH GOD AND THE HIGHER FORCES. 
 In attunement there are no LIMITATIONS, but 
 progression, here and hereafter. 
 
 ^^When I was a child, I spake as a child, I 
 understood as a child, I thought as a child; but 
 when I became a man, I put off childish things. 
 For now we see through a glass darkly, but then 
 FACE TO FACE. Now I know in part; then 
 shall I know as I am known.'* 
 
 The little flower Immortelles have been the in- 
 spiration of many a hearty laugh; many a jest 
 has blended tears with lilushes because Dan 
 Cupid has caught some belated love in his 
 meshes; and yet these little Immortelles teach 
 us the EVERLASTING POWER OF GOD 
 VIVIDLY. These artful little blossoms are only 
 ONE of the LITTLE THINGS growing among 
 other little things that cry out unto us with all 
 the beauty and passion of Eden : BEHOLD THE 
 POWER OF GOD! SPEAK to us, LOVE us, 
 UNDERSTAND us, and SEE what we will do 
 for you! 
 
 Jesus taught through NATURE AND THE 
 SOUL, and e'en the washing of feet. ^^If I, 
 then, YOUR Lord and Master, have washed your 
 feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet: 
 For I have given you an example that ye may do 
 as I have done. Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
 
INTRODUCTION 11 
 
 the servant is no greater than his lord ; neither is 
 he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 
 If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do 
 them/* 
 
 It is the purpose of this book to show the way 
 through LITTLE THINGS, bringing humanity 
 closer to God, and the things of God. We have 
 not as yet tasted the sweetness of the honey- 
 suckle. We have pruned the vine, we have 
 admired its beauty, we have gloried in its fra- 
 grance ; and yet, we have not tasted the sweetness 
 of HIS DIVINE PURPOSE as we should have 
 done. 
 
 There is a little thing left undone, unthought of, 
 in almost every moment of our day. We do not 
 take the time, or are lacking in the KNOWL- 
 EDGE of God, our Creator, to enact His will 
 towards mankind and the things surrounding 
 him. It is the THINKING in right channels, the 
 DOING of things, that makes life worth while. 
 It is the WILLING enacting of His will that 
 stamps the seal **Made in His Likeness and 
 Image'* upon our brow with His own dear hand. 
 ^^Be still and KNOW that I am God.'' The 
 word has been spoken, the reflection appears 
 again and again, as the years go rolling by. 
 
 As time brings all things to greater perfection, 
 when the TRUTH abideth in it, so the WORD 
 grows brighter; grows in potent power, mag- 
 netic, thrilling in its intensity DEEP within the 
 IMAGE IT HAS CREATED, infusing a fine 
 sense of spiritual loveliness, fitness, creating a 
 STILL finer element of beauty as time goes on; 
 
12 FACE TO FACE 
 
 infusing within man an exquisite delight, not too 
 delicate to apply to practical life, but rather a 
 dynamic flood of energy and life; a form of 
 matter that cannot be decomposed by any known 
 science. Only God and HIS WORD IS LIFE: 
 Hence we know that matter and spirit are in- 
 separable. 
 
 As electricity is directly connected with divinity 
 and is a stream of particles having generating 
 properties, it is a clear, distinct phenomenal 
 truth that atom to atom is capable of individual- 
 ism, hence the formation of each individual atom 
 WOULD create, according to the WILL or 
 POWER of the spoken word, which is electric 
 energy, a force that sends into active principles 
 the creating powers. 
 
 As ether is the MEDIUM filling all space, the 
 spoken word passing through ether enables vi- 
 brating subtle light, LIFE, to spring forth into 
 active expressions. The beauty and wonder of 
 it cannot help but bring to the hearts and minds 
 of man the great desire to find, and when found, 
 imbibe deeply the MIGHTY POWER, LOVE 
 AND TRUTHS of the God who created him. 
 Thus are we made free in truth. 
 
 When seekers of perpetual motion will look 
 to the constructive principles of spirit as a 
 DIRECT FORCE COMPELLING EXPRES- 
 SION, they may find the rudiments of perpetual 
 motion. As ^^all things are FIRST worked out 
 in spirit,'' then it stands to reason that WILL 
 holds a greater force in the ideals man tries to 
 
INTRODUCTION 13 
 
 materialize than any other operating energy 
 brought to bear. 
 
 It is a well known fact that in the ether there 
 is some quality that might compel perpetual 
 motion that man has not yet fathomed. When 
 he understands fully the co-operation of gravity 
 and usage of ethereal products, he will have it. 
 Can it be that perpetual motion lieth close at 
 hand! YEA — ^when we take into our thought- 
 world the fact that the eternal spirit of man is 
 perpetual, everlasting, eternal, breath of God, 
 we know it. The question is answered; it is for 
 man to perfect the ideal. Seek not great inven- 
 tions apart from God, for THEY ARE OF GOD. 
 When we recognize that fact inventions will 
 grow in greater and greater magnificence. 
 
 Inventions are largely due to electrical force, 
 thrilling, spirited. As electricity is directly con- 
 nected with divinity, we cannot get away from 
 God, no matter how we try ; but to recognize His 
 power in all things is to intensify that power, 
 giving it an outlet for full expression, hence we 
 reach perfection in that we undertake. It is 
 just one of the little things that COUNT FOR SO 
 MUCH IN LIFE and in the time of death where 
 we shall ^^know as we are known. ^' 
 
 The Divine inflow is filled with the potent 
 power to DO : ^^For if ye DO THINGS ye shall 
 NEVER fail.'' THINK of it— a thought, a 
 promise, we should never lose sight of! 
 
 There is a little nest constructed in the Garden 
 of God in which nestles happiness and pros- 
 
14 FACE TO FACE 
 
 perity. Little things, you murmur; YEA — little 
 MIGHTIES; a military band that plays its own 
 compositions. As we listen to the harmony our 
 eyes wander to yonder field where stands a wind- 
 mill with its g-reat fan at the top singing a little 
 song — all its own. ^^Eound and round I go,** it 
 is singing, *^ while you look indeed weird to me 
 toppling (so it would seem) on your little head, 
 spinning round like a bean spilling from the pod. 
 I should like YOU to tell ME how I look to you— 
 and then I almost catch my breath as I see you 
 coming closer and closer to me, driving the cows 
 to water; and a little sheep is among them, and 
 a dog, too ; and 0, what is that ? A little chicken 
 hobbling along, and so determined. 0, isn't it 
 just too funny. And YOU and THEY look nat- 
 ural again, and I must work harder to give to 
 you that you are seeking. 
 
 *^And 0, Look, there is a little bird sitting 
 right on my trough ! 0, how I love to work for 
 these. So you see, I must go round and round, 
 while you are resting NATUEALLY near me 
 gathering strength and new vigor to go your way 
 again. For it is when we ARE natural, you 
 know, that we meet each other as we ARE, 
 FACE TO FACE. 
 
 '*As you go on your way I listen to your 
 merry whistle, and rejoice it is so; — and youf 
 
 I — why, I listen to your drowsy hum-oo-youm- 
 um, blending with the music of the spheres, and 
 my soul meets you there where we are all kin in 
 the great understanding of NATURE AND THE 
 SOUL, FACE TO FACE, where His truths are 
 
INTRODUCTION 15 
 
 reflected in the DEEP STILL WATERS, IN 
 THE GARDEN OF GOD. A light falls around 
 me and I know HAPPINESS— What IS IT? It 
 is the co-mingling of God's purpose ringing the 
 vespers in the soul of LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 I say, kind friend, it is possible to speak to 
 these and they will answer thee. And yet the 
 infidel shouts in turbulent tides: **If there is a 
 God, WHO made God?'' What is that but sob- 
 bing in the dark? For has not God said: *^Let 
 there BE LIGHT and there WAS LIGHT"! 
 In the reflection we are enabled to see God as a 
 SUPREME FORCE, PERSONAL by nature, 
 Divine in character; a Divine whole that em- 
 bodies spirit. ^'God is a spirit!' that took on the 
 form of man to ENNOBLE and SAVE mankind. 
 
 He is the RISEN CHRIST; He came from a 
 Divine principle of ethereal evolution — THE 
 LILIES TELLETH THEE 
 
 When we wander with the rain-drops, when we 
 
 wander with the dew; 
 It is then our hearts sing Halleluiah! aye, 'tis 
 
 true. 
 When we wander with the sunbeams, when we 
 
 wander with the rain; 
 It is then the echo of His victory comes floating 
 
 back again. 
 It is then the bells peal faster, as though to hurry 
 
 us to prayer. 
 While the glorious Halleluiah spellbinds all our 
 
 care. 
 
16 FACE TO FACE 
 
 list, the glorious Anthem, the exultant Gloria 
 
 Patri strain. 
 Drooping like the willows, around our earthly 
 
 frame. 
 Methinks I hear Him calling, not so very far 
 
 away, 
 Come, through trials and temptations, come, 
 
 while ye may. 
 Come through the grave to triumph, for this is 
 
 God's own way; 
 Come, little soul with the lilies, for this is Easter 
 
 Bay. 
 
 And as we, ascending in His loving arms, look 
 
 back on yesterdays. 
 Pause and fold our wings in wonder, at the lilies 
 
 and their ways. 
 And then go on rejoicing in their theme and song. 
 While God's little children scatter colored eggs 
 
 along. 
 Christ is risen! Christ is risen! the lilies telleth 
 
 thee. 
 Risen from the tomb to immortal VICTORY. 
 
 LILLIAN LOTUS LANG. 
 
CHAPTEE I 
 
 IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 
 
 **The cedars in the Garden of God could not 
 hide Him; the fir trees were not like His 
 branches; not any trees in the Garden of God 
 were like unto Him in beauty.'' i ' :• : : •. ,• ••• : 
 
 DIVINE UNDERSTANDING ',' /'\ L, 1 1' '^J I'l 'M 
 
 IngersoU says, *^ There never can be an argu- 
 ment tending to prove the inspiration of any 
 book." 
 
 What callest thou inspiration, Ingersoll? 
 
 The fact is, the Infidel has not as yet found the 
 first great principle to Divine Understanding; 
 that is, the science of being ; Divine Mind in man. 
 
 When Divine Mind is permitted to express 
 itself in the HIGHEST manifestation of truth, it 
 emits the principle of being — the **I am, made in 
 His Likeness and Image." The fact that Made 
 in His Likeness and Image INCLUDES MIND 
 is not to be overlooked; on the contrary, the 
 truth in it proclaims itself. We realize fully our 
 possibilities when we come into that great at- 
 one-ness human will meeting Divine. 
 
 '*It is my pleasure to give you the Kingdom." 
 This is an inheritance that includes everything. 
 
18 PACE TO FACE 
 
 It is one of supply, love, redemption, truth and 
 eternal life. 
 
 What purely material mind could have written 
 the Twenty- Third Psalm unless Divine Inspira- 
 tion was seeking expression through Divine Will? 
 
 Let us term inspiration Divine Mind wrought 
 in the soul; mind exempt of error by beauty of, 
 or in. Spirit, whether Divine or material. 
 
 The passing of His footsteps still leave their 
 ;im'pri^t' upon the earth — an inspiration to all 
 whoMlw in His wake. His LIFE was the 
 gi'^atest love- song ever sung in the heart of 
 truth; the greatest inspiration ever conceived. 
 *^For God so loved the world that He gave His 
 only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 
 Him should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life.'' No one who has ever read these words 
 can truthfully say they have not had a heart- 
 throb of belief in them; because they breathe 
 love, and all the world understands — love. 
 
 Every living thing expresses love in some 
 form. Domestic animals show it, not only among 
 themselves, but to us. We are loved ; it is in the 
 atmosphere; it is one of the greatest principles 
 in nature; it IS nature continually expressing 
 HIS DIVINE GIFT. Every leaf and branch 
 express the Divine spirit of inspiration. We 
 learn to love the thoughts, the words, of the in- 
 spired. They are deathless; Spirit never dies. 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 19 
 
 My friend, could I but take thy hand and say 
 with thee: 
 
 **If my feeble prayers can reach thee, 
 O My Saviour I beseech thee. 
 Even as thou hast died for me, 
 More sincerely 
 
 Let me follow where thou leadest. 
 Let me, bleeding as thou bleedest, 
 Die, if by dying I may give 
 Life to one who asks to live. 
 And more nearly. 
 Dying thus, resemble thee.'^ 
 
 There is no place for argument in truth, it as- 
 serts itself. 
 
 Inspiration is a stimulant to DO things, 
 whether it be the writing of books, songs, or 
 takes an inventive turn. It matters but little 
 what form it may take; the idea is ^*to put it 
 through.'' Ah, man, spirit hath no limitations, 
 and spirit dwelleth within man richly. Too oft 
 the infidel swims in a cesspool of infamy, while 
 inspiration is found in the light above. 
 
 INGEESOLL: ^^The notion that faith in 
 Christ is to be rewarded by an eternity of bliss, 
 while dependentees upon reason, observation and 
 experience merit everlasting pain, is to be re- 
 lieved only by the unhappy state of insanity and 
 ignorance. ' ' 
 
 LOTUS: When we seek to evade answering 
 a truth, we are seeking the meadow-lark's song 
 where only sea-gulls fly. ^* Faith without works 
 is dead." To work with faith quickens the Di- 
 
20 FACE TO FACE 
 
 vine within. Honest work brings its own reward. 
 If we have faith ENOUGH IN CHRIST to LIVE 
 His teachings, then we will receive an eternity 
 of bliss. It IS bliss to know we have done our 
 honest best even upon this mundane plane. 
 Bliss now is bliss eternally assured. 
 
 Faith in Christ is the goal of integrity. It is 
 the DIVINE that Christ calls attention to, 
 demands obedience to, it is His way of calling us 
 INTO OUR OWN. His way is the way of truth, 
 of love; it is Divine. Our best interests are 
 always at heart with Him. 
 
 Callest it insanity to be taught by the lilies 
 whom God hath made immortal? The lily lets 
 life live in natural simplicity; it asks not why, or 
 wherefore; just blooming, content to send its 
 fragrance and beauty throughout the world, with- 
 out respect of persons. What a wonderful world 
 this would be were we to follow in its wake, and 
 PRACTICE brotherly love in the fullest sense 
 of the word! And that is what the Bible has 
 been teaching for ages; takes mankind a long 
 time to grasp the truth and apply it to reason, 
 does it not 1 It is the fault of man, not the Bible, 
 if the world is not to his liking; he has been 
 taught better. The lack of practical application 
 to teachings of a higher nature in the world is 
 appalling. 
 
 Faith is not ignorance, nor ever has been. It 
 is the foundation of character; holding the mys- 
 tery of faith in pure conscience. He who lives 
 by faith in works is bound to live in truth, where 
 progress abounds. 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 21 
 
 It is in the world of truth that we realize our 
 own possibilities. To realize our own possibili- 
 ties is to realize possibilities for others. This 
 quickens the truth around us and in our own 
 little world there shines a NEW light. Why 
 then should we seek the ways of infidelism when 
 the Christ way has been so long perfected? 
 Proven, because ye cannot put it from you; it is 
 life itself; it is truth; it is the hope of eternity; 
 it IS eternity. 
 
 To continually seek something we have had in 
 our possession from the day of our birth is an 
 unhappy state of ignorance; and, I might add, 
 negligence. The way of truth has been in our 
 possession from birth. The trouble is mankind 
 has tried to squeeze by one little un-truth, and 
 another little un-truth, until the scales have 
 tipped to the bottom of deception. Too long has 
 man sought truth in things too weak to bear, 
 when it Keth within his own being, waiting to be 
 called forth as the **day star'* that knows no 
 night. When man realizes that truth does lie 
 within his own being, he is accepting his Divine 
 inheritance (made in His Likeness and Image) as 
 the one great gift through which he gains and 
 never loses, and that is none other than exempli- 
 fied inspiration. 
 
 Truth is the greatest investment man can 
 make; it draws a personal interest that compels 
 the good to be made manifest in all things need- 
 ful. To work with truth is to add to our store- 
 house of good things. 
 
 No more earnest devotee of truth exists than 
 
22 FACE TO FACE 
 
 the Bible. It ever has been a silent witness to 
 man's indifference. Progression (that is, true 
 progression) is found in the world of truth, the 
 kind that is lasting and satisfying. Truth traces 
 everything good for man; it never grows weary, 
 it never grows old. Adhere to the truth and at 
 the close of life (for which life was created) you 
 will find roses, EOSES and lilies, too; for God 
 hath spoken, and His word rings true. When 
 we have trained ourselves to interpret the TRUE 
 MEANING of God's reflected purpose in sending 
 opportunities that seem at times phenomenal, 
 coming as they do through varied and various 
 channels, we also find the truth that gains and 
 NEVER loses. For through that great at-one- 
 ness we have tasted the bodv and the blood, by 
 ACCEPTING CHRIST who worketh IN ALL 
 THINGS GOOD FOR MAN. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^'Over the vast plain called 
 life, we are all travelers ; not one traveler is par- 
 ticularly certain that he is going in the right 
 direction. No other plain is so well provided 
 with guide-boards; at every turn and crossing 
 you will find them. Upon each one is written 
 the exact direction and distance. One great 
 trouble is that most travelers are confused in 
 proportion to the number they reach. Every 
 pulpit is a pillory upon which stands a hired cul- 
 prit defending the injustice of his own imprison- 
 ment. No religion seems able to comprehend the 
 simple truth.*' 
 
 LOTUS: There can be no diversity of ways 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 23 
 
 in the simple statement ''IB GOD IN ITT' If 
 God is in it, then there is something there for 
 you. If you fail to see God in the ways of man, 
 then others may. Respect every man's vision; 
 respect will meet some note of harmony in 
 response unto thine own. 
 
 Some come closer to God through some theme 
 in nature than they do in the ways of man. Are 
 they to be condemned? Nay, methinks not so; 
 they have found Him. Truth lieth within the 
 conscience of man; it is limitless when put into 
 expressive principles in PURE conscience. If 
 the man in the pulpit seems full of error, we may 
 free him to a certain extent, by first seeking truth 
 within ourselves. The best way to find truth in 
 another is to first search self, then another's 
 faults may not seem so enormous. 
 
 The greatest indignity we can inflict upon self 
 is to belittle self through another's wound. This 
 nearly every one does to a certain extent, by re- 
 fusing the pure laws of spirit, holding to some- 
 thing we know cannot be the truth though we 
 should like it to be. When mankind will admit 
 the truth, accepting it in pure conscience, waver- 
 ing not, the millennium will not be afar off, for 
 God will appear in truth destroying untruth. 
 
 ** Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
 see God." The reward of faith is purification, 
 illumination, by which we are enabled to see the 
 coming of the Lord. 
 
 The bird by wandering, the swallow by flying; 
 so the curse Causeless shall never come. 
 
 ^*And ye shall seek me, and ye SHALL FIND 
 
24 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ME when ye shall seek me with ALL YOUR 
 HEART/' 
 
 Getting RIGHT WITH GOD is all the EVI- 
 DENCE man needs. Getting right with God is 
 getting right with the LAW OF IDEAL THINK- 
 ING, which breeds ideal LIVING. The Bible 
 contains this scientific truth. To accept the 
 truth is to confess the Divine within. Accept- 
 ance is the ONE great stride UPWARD. The 
 man in the pulpit is not imprisoned unless he 
 abdicates his sacred trust. 
 
 The churches are our springs by the wayside, 
 wherein man may quench his thirst. The man 
 that stands waiting, holding the cup lovingly to 
 our lips that we may drink, rep^-esents God. If 
 we push the cup from his hand, we cannot be re- 
 freshed. *^As ye drink of the waters of life, so 
 shall it be unto you; as ye think when ye drink, 
 so shall ye be refreshed. ' ' 
 
 Upon every guide board is written the HOPE 
 of eternal life; where there is hope, there is the 
 bark that carries us on to greater rivers, greater 
 seas. Hope is the birth of achievement ; it lends 
 zest to pursuit. Each one of us paddles our 
 canoe according to our ENLIGHTENMENT and 
 best judgment. **A lift now and then'' renews 
 our strength and gives greater insight within and 
 without; also gives greater confidence to go on. 
 If we do not always use our best judgment, it is 
 because we have not become strong enough, BIG 
 enough to overcome LITTLE temptations, little 
 errors. 
 
 There can be no confusion as to numbers, when 
 
IN THE GARDEN OP GOD 25 
 
 they are met in pure conscience; pure conscience 
 is clear seeing, calm reasoning, brotherly love, 
 doubt eliminated, the DIVINE expressed in the 
 fullness of HIS WILL towards mankind. 
 
 If you go to church with the affirmation on 
 your lips and in your heart, that there is nothing 
 there for YOUR PEOGRESSIVE MIND, you 
 will be stranded by the wayside while greater 
 souls move on. 
 
 *^If any of you lack wisdom let him ask God, 
 who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth 
 not. For he that wavereth is like the sea, driven 
 and tossed. For let no such man think he shall 
 receive anything of the Lord, for a double minded 
 man is unstable in all his ways. Blessed is the 
 man that endureth temptation, for he shaU re- 
 ceive the crown of life, which the Lord hath pre- 
 pared for those that love Him.'' We receive the 
 crown of contentment in this expression of life, 
 when we obey the law of the Spiritual man. 
 
 Harmony and obedience are the first laws of 
 nature, hence the first requisite to obtaining the 
 kingdom. To live in harmony, charity and love 
 need not be confusing. We are not expected to 
 accept everything that is unpleasant and detri- 
 mental to our welfare; it becomes necessary 
 sometimes to protect ourselves; we cannot meet 
 chaos on common ground. 
 
 The best way to **get even with the other 
 fellow'' is to hold harmony within. It is indeed 
 humiliating to **fuss one's feathers" while **the 
 other fellow" is looking on in meek and quiet 
 spirit. To retain harmony within is the Christ 
 
26 FACE TO FACE 
 
 way, the way that leads to greater power over 
 self, and conditions that may arise of a deroga- 
 tory nature. We not only house our own energy 
 by holding harmony within, but we are enabled 
 to help the '^ other fellow'^ when he has ex- 
 hausted his. 
 
 Would we but take our ^^ hurts'' to God, as the 
 little shaver takes his hurts to mother, it would 
 so weaken them they would no longer have the 
 power to hurt. The same parental understand- 
 ing is waiting for us at the throne of God as the 
 mother and father has for their child or children. 
 When we go to the fountain head, when we are 
 enabled to help the ^^ other fellow'* by OUR 
 OWN SOUL POWER, then are we leaving all 
 and following Him; stopping not by the wayside 
 to bury skeletons, for they are as naught. 
 
 *a AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE 
 LIFE!" 
 
 God is life ; in Him is no death at all. We are 
 not wholesome when we cannot see the truth in 
 the above statement. ^*I am the WAY, the 
 TRUTH, and the LIFE." What a blessed as- 
 surance ! 
 
 Keeping time and rhythm with the better self 
 is the music that spins the thread of inspiration; 
 the kind of inspiration that brings into our world 
 the immortal works of art, literature and inven- 
 tions, to say nothing of thousands of little 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 27 
 
 GEEAT THINGS that continually spring up by 
 the wayside to astonish man. That is when God 
 makes Himself felt. It is ascending to the 
 heights, where God meets us more than halfway. 
 It is passing through the storms of material 
 things, gathering up the sunbeams, taking them 
 with us in the spirit of truth to the great open in 
 God's Garden, wherein is found the inspiration 
 that thrills — the expressive principles in man — 
 until the thrill becomes an actual reality, a living 
 presence, a force that compels appreciation and 
 gratitude from the world at large. Inspiration 
 is creative in its desire to reach mankind. It 
 builds a home in fertile brains, and there it stays, 
 if fed, until it has created a throne before which 
 all men bow. AH, MAN ! it is worth working for, 
 worth waiting for. 
 
 ^^ HEEDING NOT THOSE THAT KILL 
 THE BODY, AND AFTEE THAT HAVE NO 
 MOEE THAT THEY CAN DO.'' 
 
 No harm can come to us on the heights; it is 
 God's resting place. I oft-times wonder at the 
 indifference of mankind in this respect; they de- 
 liberately run into danger to both soul and body 
 and then say **GOD HAS DESEETED THEM," 
 when in fact they have been going against every 
 law of God and nature. Sooner or later they 
 must know that the bell taps of worldliness are 
 going to resound within their own souls. We 
 are striking a responding chord somewhere 
 momentarily; the sweetest music will sound dis- 
 
28 FACE TO FACE 
 
 cordant to those whose ears ring with wanton- 
 ness so — 
 
 Let thine heart sing, let it bring 
 
 The Divine within its walls. 
 No wintry blast can wear a mask, the 
 
 Lord thy God knoweth all. 
 Let Plim linger — let Him linger close 
 
 Within thy call. 
 He knows the frost the billows tossed 
 
 Around thy soul, today; 
 He knows the sorrows of thine heart. 
 
 Behold the morning gay ! 
 It turns, it burns the dead leaves of 
 
 Eegret to a cinder, and yet. 
 Only God, knows why, regret and triumph 
 
 Met, no more — regret! 
 
 INGEKSOLL: ^'People of the church are en- 
 slaved to God.'^ 
 
 LOTUS: On the contrary, ^^God gives to 
 every man liberty.*' The trouble lies in the fact 
 that it is not generally understood that LIB- 
 ERTY is not a material condition only. TRUE 
 LIBERTY is born of spirit; in it only can the 
 grand flight in truth be made. There must be 
 liberty of spirit as well as liberty in a material 
 sense, to co-operate with the Divine. 
 
 IN HIM I HAVE MY BEING; by Him are 
 ALL THINGS MADE POSSIBLE, even love; 
 and love is a truth that has answered all, from 
 Calvary's blood-stained cross. He who permits 
 DIVINE LOVE to guide him will have an il- 
 lumined pathway. 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 29 
 
 Mankind is as free as the little brook in yonder 
 field. Eain comes (and I am going to be old 
 fashioned enough to say, God sends it) or the 
 brook would soon run dry and be no more. Just 
 so God sends His truths to replenish man. The 
 brook in NATURAL SUBMISSIVENESS re- 
 ceives the rain. When mankind FULLY UN- 
 DERSTANDS that the greatest power for good 
 comes to those who ARE SUBMISSIVE to the 
 natural inflow of Spiritual truth, they will receive 
 not alone material benefits, but will receive Spir- 
 itual UNDERSTANDING in how to use truth 
 and not abuse it. Truth itself is as clear as a 
 June sky, but it is sometimes frost-bitten beyond 
 recognition by misuse and abuse. 
 
 Preparedness begins within the conscience of 
 man; it enables us to look in the mirror of truth 
 without flinching. When we look long enough, 
 we see also that the little brook has its uses, its 
 profitable side; it irrigates the land, refreshes 
 fowl and beast, and they in turn give to us again. 
 Just so must we turn to the GREAT INFINITE 
 SOURCE, and we shall not return empty handed. 
 The future depends upon how we take care of 
 the truth NOW, knowing that the guiding hand 
 leads ever beyond material power ; on, on into the 
 realms of miracle wherein we are made whole 
 without the aid of material subjects. We then 
 have nothing to fear by LIVING in truth. 
 
 Let us pause now and then and note the violets 
 growing near our feet. We may find a serpent 
 lurking beneath their leaves; if we do, we will 
 walk around it — a long way around it, and forget 
 
30 FACE TO FACE 
 
 it ever was there, remembering only the violets 
 beautiful. Learning WHAT and WHEN to for- 
 get is a science. To forget the serpent hiding 
 among the violets and remember only the beau- 
 ties of the violet, is a form of worship that is 
 refreshing. And this is the way to FIND and 
 HOLD the Divine in all things, though they may 
 seem ever so commonplace. Nothing is com- 
 monplace when we know the substance of truth 
 in it; it is just finding God after all, finding His 
 bounteous supply, finding the beautiful side to 
 things we had hoped to forget. 
 
 God does not mean for us to forget, however, 
 until we have learned to master ; nor is it slavery, 
 but living in obedience to the natural law of the 
 beautiful, God's law, that carries us beyond the 
 things that might have been harmful if seen 
 through material eyes only. The result of such 
 science of thought is that of health and happi- 
 ness. The more beauty we bring into our being 
 the better health we will have. Everything is 
 beautiful when we know how to find the beauty 
 in it; and the way? — ^'I am the Way, the Truth, 
 and the Life.'' 
 
 We make others happy when we shed the 
 truth around them, compelling love; that is, the 
 natural love of man for his fellow man. 
 
 ^^LOVE THY NEIGHBOE AS THYSELF." 
 
 And this also is in obedience to ^^THOU 
 SHALT NOT KILL'' and ^^THOU SHALT 
 NOT STEAL." We steal the rights of others 
 when we stoop to pilfer their freedom, and this 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 31 
 
 alludes to every living creature as well as man- 
 kind. We rob them of their natural birthright; 
 the right to be loved, not hated, not feared. 
 
 **In all places where I record My name, I will 
 come to thee and I will bless thee.'* His name is 
 recorded in the Garden of God. 
 
 Another great result of the science of ex- 
 pressed thought is that we grow in love, become 
 more Christlike; hence we are not only giving 
 happiness to every living thing that passes our 
 way, but we heal, consciously or unconsciously. 
 We lead the lame and see for the blind. Love — 
 Divine! INEXHAUSTIBLE fountain! 
 
 God does not demand slavery, nor is man en- 
 slaved; but God does demand that man follow in 
 the footsteps of ^^HIS LIKENESS AND 
 IMAGE'' for the GOOD OF MAN. Man en- 
 slaves himself when he refuses the truth, in which 
 he might have been a great factor for good. The 
 church stands amidst strife and contention, grow- 
 ing ever nearer our hearts as we realize that it 
 stands for GOD and ALL THE NAME IM- 
 PLIES. 
 
 **He loved, and did not hate; 
 He healed, and did no harm." 
 
 We pick up an apple ; it has a worm-eaten core ; 
 we do not despise the TREE because the apple 
 was bad; no, we go straightway to the tree and 
 search for a good apple. The church, like the 
 tree, bears much fruit. The man that ascends 
 the steps to the altar gives freely. Our souls 
 with devotion illumined accept in humble submis- 
 
32 FACE TO FACE 
 
 sion; we hear no evil, we see no evil, we are en- 
 veloped in the gauze of SPIRITUAL UNDER- 
 STANDING. The serpent of doubt and mis- 
 trust cannot enter the kingdom filled with 
 DIVINE LOVE, whether that kingdom be within 
 or without. 
 
 To remember to *4ove thy neighbor as thy- 
 self^' when entering the church door is a supreme 
 way of confessing God. No evil can withstand the 
 beauty of a soul living in PURE CONSCIENCE. 
 Love is the LAW OF LIFE, in the FULLEST 
 SENSE OF PURE CONSCIENCE. **Are not 
 two sparrows sold for two farthings, and NOT 
 ONE is forgotten before Godr' 
 
 Every victory we gain without injury to our 
 feUow man, brings us nearer to God and the 
 angels. This is fact, and not fancy. ^^Get thee 
 behind me, Satan!'* is putting all things of an 
 unpleasant and doubtful nature behind us, as 
 well as temptation. It is rising above the worm- 
 eaten core, ascending to the heights where truth 
 alone makes itself manifest: It is MATERI- 
 ALIZED SPIRITUAL POWER. 
 
 ^* Beloved, let us love one another, for LOVE 
 is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of 
 GOD and KNOWETH GOD. He that loveth not, 
 knoweth not God, for GOD IS LOVE.'^ 
 
 One of the greatest virtues that man can 
 possess is to be loyal to a friend. It calls forth 
 the virtues of integrity. That is, to do as you 
 would be done by; not in part, but entire. Some 
 are our friends just as long as some other person 
 does not carry tales that bear fruit. It may be 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 33 
 
 for better, it may be for worse, but were the one 
 to whom these friends come living in the TEUE 
 SENSE of pure conscience, both friends could be 
 held without clashing one with the other or upon 
 the friend of both. To live in pure conscious is 
 to attract friends and hold them — if they are 
 worthy, deserving respect. Few, indeed, can keep 
 more than one confidential friend at a time. 
 Why? Because of LACK of truth. Where there 
 is a lack of truth, jealousy, envy and falsehood 
 creep in. This holds good in the church also. 
 Every member living in truth will be a friend of 
 the others in pure conscience when TRUTH is 
 the keynote, when WISDOM is sought in place of 
 censure. It is God's house, brother; to keep it 
 in harmony with God's kingdom is to hold har- 
 mony within OUR OWN SOULS. 
 
 God can do so much MORE for us if we are in 
 TUNE WITH HIM. Let us remember this al- 
 ways. To be in tune with Him is to be in tune 
 with our fellow man. This is unity in the highest 
 sense of expression. The problems so-called 
 of the Bible would be much more readily under- 
 stood if the WORD was transmitted through a 
 righteous receiver. We have no greater aim in 
 life than to reach the goal of perfection in ALL 
 MANIFESTATIONS of spiritual weKare. There 
 can be no more exalted life than the life lived 
 in pure conscience. 
 
 I know it seems strange sometimes to those 
 who do right (as near as they know right) that 
 they do not receive the reward that follows right 
 doing as soon as they think they should. The 
 
34 FACE TO FACE 
 
 power behind the throne is nevertheless working 
 to bring to the surface all just reward, when it 
 has materialized FULLY in the lives of those who 
 seek reward. Troubles oft, too oft, spring from 
 a wellspring of inharmony; somewhere those 
 seeking reward have refused to live in the high- 
 est expression of truth. 
 
 Keeping awake to truth is a great virtue. We 
 let our clocks run down now and then. We fail 
 to care for them as the NATUEE OF CLOCKS 
 demand they should be cared for ; by and by they 
 refuse to give us service. So with truth. It must 
 be tenderly cared for, eagerly watched, a lamp 
 unto our feet. Truth is something that must be 
 held to, and profited by. It will not give partial 
 service when it is properly cared for. 
 
 Sorrows are one grade in our school of learn- 
 ing; they are the strings on the harpsichord of 
 time and may be attuned to time as often as the 
 performer (predestiny) wishes to play. ^^Who- 
 soever doth not bear the cross and come after 
 me cannot be my Disciple.'' 
 
 We test gold to see whether it is pure gold; 
 we test the fruit of the tree to see whether it is 
 perfect in flavor, weight and color. If we find an 
 imperfection we set about cultivating the tree 
 until it does bear perfect fruit. We, however, 
 too oft end there — we do not look to the FIEST 
 GREAT CAUSE, nor do we attempt to cultivate 
 the truth within our own being; we succumb to 
 the ravages of time and tide, wandering about 
 like a lost chord. This is not true efficiency; it is 
 not holding ^Ho that which is good''; to the 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 35 
 
 golden chain in which there is no semblance of 
 tinkling brass. 
 
 The church is a place we go to give thanks 
 for the great PRINCIPLE for which the 
 church stands; and to give thanks for the PER- 
 SONAL PRESENCE of God, our Father, our 
 friend and our Creator ; the beginning and end of 
 all. And we also go to church to see how others 
 are growing the fruit of the Spirit, that we may 
 better the quality of our own. Knowledge will 
 never do the tree anv good, however, unless we 
 apply PRACTICAL APPLICATION. Practical 
 application is the best teacher. Adherent vim, the 
 GREATEST PRODUCER in it, is not only self 
 cultivation and preservation, but an example be- 
 fore the world. Hence we are following in His 
 footsteps. He whose fate is that of NORMAL in- 
 tellectuality accepts discrimination as a NAT- 
 URAL INSTRUCTOR between good and evil; 
 fate and predetermined inevitable and adequate 
 efficiency, as his natural BIRTHRIGHT. 
 
 Truth is within; all it needs is to be called 
 forth into expressive principles in works, by 
 faith, looking ever beyond the trials of mortal 
 man, keeping away from things that will not keep 
 us looking up. ^'The actual fervent prayers of 
 a righteous man availeth much.*' 
 
 ** Seeing you have purified your souls by obey- 
 ing the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned 
 love of the brethren, with a pure heart fervently; 
 BEING BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed, 
 but of incorruptible, by the word of God which 
 liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as 
 
36 FACE TO FACE 
 
 grass, the glory of man as the flower of grass. 
 Grass wither eth and the flower thereof fadeth 
 away, but the WORD OF THE LORD END [TE- 
 ETH FOREVER/' 
 
 Holding fast the guiding hand omnipotent in 
 its power, is the faith that leads to soul growth. 
 Some day we will have so grown in soul truth 
 we may go back and build our nests in safety 
 where once the shadows fell too thick. As we 
 grow in Spiritual truth our vision changes, things 
 have a different meaning to us; things we were 
 once afraid of make us laugh now; things we 
 have striven to the breaking point to possess, we 
 would not have at any price. For such is the 
 gift of the Spirit. ^* Every good gift and every 
 perfect gift comes from above, with Whom there 
 are no variations, neither shadow of turning. *' 
 
 **Pure religion and undefiled before God and the 
 Father is this: To visit the fatherless and wid- 
 ows in their affliction; and to keep SELF un- 
 spotted before the world.'' *^Not that we have 
 dominion of your faith, but we are helpless of 
 your joy, for BY FAITH YE STAND." 
 
 ^* What profiteth it, my brethren, if a man say he 
 hath faith and not works; can faith save him! If 
 a brother or sister be naked, destitute of food, 
 and one say be ye warmed and filled, notwith- 
 standing ye give them not those things needful to 
 the body, what doth it profit in FAITH if it hath 
 not works? Harken, brethren, hath not God 
 chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, heirs 
 to the kingdom which He hath prepared for those 
 that love Him!" 
 
IN THE GARDEN OP GOD 37 
 
 This is the point upon which the infidel dwells 
 so emphatically, saying: **GOD BRIBES YOU 
 TO LOVE HIM.'' Again the infidel loses the 
 thread of his argument, for does not God say 
 also, ^*T0 HIM THAT HATH, MORE SHALL 
 BE GIVEN''? We have something, when we 
 have faith. 
 
 Faith is not a theory, it is a LIVING PRES- 
 ENCE, something to HOLD TO, something that 
 CREATES DESTINIES, something given to us 
 in nature (just letting life live) ; not a happy-go- 
 lucky state, but the SINCERE DESIRE TO 
 LIVE in the FULLNESS OF FAITH with works 
 as a stimulant, as a cornerstone that is wrought 
 in nature's perfection. He who lives by faith 
 in works, inherits the kingdom through Divine 
 love ever expressing in good works; hence the 
 creating power of faith works miracles. Faith 
 held before our eyes to profit withal is, simply 
 speaking, God's way of calling US INTO OUR 
 OWN ; Love, Divine principle, in which all things 
 worketh for good. And this is not bribery, but as 
 the tender love of a father for his child, the love 
 that wants to see the child do its honest best; 
 ^* Keeping self unspotted before the world." 
 
 To obey the law of God is to advance in truth ; 
 to advance in truth is to inherit the kingdom; it 
 is but God's call to perfection. Where true value 
 IS, there is love, and THERE is God. God gives 
 to all men LIBERTY, and is no respecter of per- 
 sons. 
 
 **And besides all this, giving all diligence, add 
 to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and 
 
38 FACE TO FACE 
 
 to knowledge temperance, and to temperance 
 patience, and to patience Grodliness, and to God- 
 liness brotherly love, charity; for if these things 
 be IN YOU and AROUND YOU, they make ye 
 shall neither be barren or unfruitful IN THE 
 KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD JESUS 
 CHRIST. But he that lacketh these things is 
 blind and cannot see afar off; therefore rather, 
 brethren, GIVE DILIGENCE YOUR CALLING 
 and elation sure, for IF YE DO THINGS YE 
 SHALL NEVER FAIL. Have also more word 
 of prophecy. You do well to take heed as unto 
 the LIGHT THAT SHINETH IN DARK 
 PLACES, until the DAY STAR ARISE IN 
 YOUR HEARTS. '' 
 
 Faith is born of yearning; underlying all there 
 exists a continued seeking for the things of God 
 and for God. The striving for earthly gain may 
 seem to divert it for a time ; nevertheless it comes 
 back again and again, pleading for recognition. 
 The indefatigable cry of the Divine weighs heav- 
 ily in the balance until human Spirit quickens to 
 meet Divine. Love grows ; and in truth we know ; 
 and FAITH IS AFFIRMED. 
 
 Divine LOVE, is the sweetest music vibrating 
 throughout the world; those who keep in har- 
 mony with the strains will not be confused at the 
 Number of guide boards, but will rather give 
 thanks that the HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE is 
 made manifest in so many hearts; even though 
 it be not OUR WAY, or the way we BELIEVE 
 TO BE THE WAY, Divine Love rises above the 
 din of battle and unrest. It found its way to the 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 39 
 
 trenches where thousands called upon its protec- 
 tion. It was that love that lulled to sleep the 
 troubled hearts and minds of those left behind. 
 It was FAITH in that love that made Masters 
 over Kaiserism. NAY, we are NOT enslaved to 
 God, but at one with Him. 
 
 It is Divine Love that surges in the hearts of 
 our brave that makes them stand at ATTEN- 
 TION, garbed in a coat of olive green; watch- 
 ing, waiting, hoping, yearning, with their lamps 
 trimmed and burning. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^Give to me the storms and 
 tempest of thought rather than the dead calm 
 of ignorance and faith.'' 
 
 LOTUS : What then — faith expressed in works 
 most assuredly requires great concentrated in- 
 terest. There are plenty of material storms com- 
 ing our way to try our faith, I assure you. Ig- 
 norance is not found in the REAL, the EAR- 
 NEST. Think you it is ignorance to always seek 
 the best? To call forth the forces of intelligence 
 into ACTIVE PRINCIPLES AND HIGHER 
 MOTIVES? Is it ignorance to concentrate upon 
 the INNER meaning of faith and APPLY it to 
 daily life I Faith brings a wholeness, a complete- 
 ness. It does not give in part, when it is fully 
 developed in the soul of man finding expression 
 in works. 
 
 Thought, my friend, is the substance that 
 breeds the greatest unrest of our present day. It 
 is not properly LIBERATEOD ; it needs the attun- 
 ing of the Celestial. The dark brooding of uncer- 
 tainty and unrest has almost ^^ knocked the hot- 
 
40 FACE TO FACE 
 
 torn out of the bucket.'' There must be a lean- 
 ing towards the backward flight; man must re- 
 vert to the God who gave him life : ^ ' Thou shalt 
 have no others gods before Me.'' This is the key 
 that unlocks the door of ignorance. Oh, man! 
 how futile are thy ways ; thou art drifting a long 
 way from nature. Look over yonder — see the 
 trees — the birds — the mountains — and just be- 
 yond, the trickling stream? ^^What of it?" Man, 
 it is the NATUEAL PLAY OF NATURE where- 
 in there are no morbid broodings, no unrest: 
 JUST PEACE, just giving, and taking, in the 
 true sense of Divine right. RIGHT breeds 
 MIGHT; the mightiness of the hour, the day, the 
 chance. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ''Man has no ideas except 
 those suggested by his surroundings. He cannot 
 conceive of anything utterly unlike that he has 
 felt." 
 
 LOTUS: There is an active desire to further 
 the interest of some scheme (idea) that could 
 hardly be called feeling, but rather sensitiveness 
 Our surroundings may not inspire ideas, and 
 again they may. The truth is, that inspiration is 
 born of spirit — it is Angel breath. Perchance it 
 may only brush our cheek, yet we recognize it in 
 our ideals: It is not feehng, it is KNOWING. 
 When God has work for man, His Spirit descends 
 upon him as the breath of Spring upon the daffo- 
 dils; God's purpose is born within, taking the 
 form of an idea, an inspiration, reaching to- 
 wards the sunshine of materialization. Man's 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 41 
 
 part is sweet and savory; it is to develop the in- 
 spiration (idea) into the perfect star that shines 
 alike on all mankind without respect of persons. 
 Co-operation with God is the SUPREME QUAL- 
 ITY of Being. 
 
 The prompting Spirit is beyond the ordinary, 
 yet it seeks expression in the ordinary, that man 
 may become conscious of His Likeness and Image ; 
 that he may also live legitimately with his BET- 
 TER SELF, above the horizon of the LITTLE 
 man. If the dawning spiritual nature is to be 
 developed into the perfect DAY-STAR, man must 
 first learn to master self, consenting to abide by 
 the law of the spiritual man : It is in the Spirit- 
 ual that the highest inspiration is found. 
 
 There is a time and a place where all mankind 
 can be reached, and spiritual truth quickened 
 within. ** Wisdom is better than weapons of war, 
 but one sinner destroy eth much good.*' Verily 
 I say unto you, hold your heads above the waters 
 of treason, knowing that while one sinner de- 
 stroyeth much good, one God destroyeth sin in 
 one sinner; therefore, God and good prevail. 
 *^To everything a season, and a time to every 
 purpose under the heavens ; a time to keep silent 
 and a time to speak.'' 
 
 In ye olden days much stress was laid upon 
 time and place. In the present day and age it is 
 termed a superstition that should be abolished 
 to begin a journey in the new of the moon. It 
 is well to remember, however, that in ye olden 
 days they were obliged to conform somewhat to 
 
42 FACE TO FACE 
 
 the condition of the elements. They did not have 
 the modern conveniences of travel that we have 
 now. 
 
 Take, for example, '^at the time of the new and 
 full moon the tidal forces of the moon and sun 
 act in the same direction, while at the first and 
 last quarters they oppose each other. When they 
 unite their forces we have spring tides, charac- 
 terized by large ranges of the tide ; when they are 
 opposed, neap tides, having small ranges. The 
 spring and neap tides usually occur soon after 
 the corresponding phases of the moon. The in- 
 terval is called the Eetard, or Age of the Tide, 
 or Age of the Phase Inequality, and is usually 
 less than sixty hours. The limited intervals have 
 their mean values at the time of the spring and 
 neap tides, the tides occurring a fraction of an 
 hour earlier between spring and neap tides, and 
 later between neap tides and spring. Other 
 things being equal, the range tide is greater than 
 usual — about one-sixth part — when the moon is 
 near Perigee, and about as much less than usual 
 when near Apogee. An increase or a decrease of 
 about one-tenth part of the range occurs when 
 the moon is near the equator, near the point of 
 extreme declination, respectively; while the in- 
 equalities among the four tides of a day are due 
 to the presence of a diurnal wave, or partial tide, 
 whose period is approximately twenty-four 
 hours. The cause of this lies in the fact that 
 if the Moon is north or south of the equator, 
 its tidal forces are somewhat different when two 
 half lunar days apart are compared. 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 43 
 
 *^A11 particles of the earth (the sea included) 
 will continue to occupy positions fixed relative to 
 one another, if no other forces are impressed upon 
 them, as following: the earth's attraction, its cen- 
 trifugal force or axial rotation, and a force acting 
 upon all particles. For example, the centrifugal 
 force, due to the revolution of the earth about 
 the center of gravity, or earth and moon. If an 
 extraneous force does not work upon all particles 
 alike, the motions will set up the yielding parts. 
 The attraction of the Moon upon a given particle 
 (near the surface say) is along a line drawn (at 
 any given instant) from the particle to the 
 Moon's center. Its intensity, which is inversely 
 proportional to the square of the distance and its 
 local direction (that is, direction with respect 
 to the earth's surface) continually changes as the 
 earth rotates upon its axis. The attraction of the 
 Moon upon particles at the earth's center — or upon 
 the earth as a whole — is along the line drawn 
 from the earth's center. 
 
 **A consideration of this tendency will enable us 
 to answer the question why there should be two 
 high waters each lunar day instead of only one 
 high water. In a single instance, the reason is 
 that the Moon attracts the water on the hemi- 
 sphere facing the moon, more powerfully than 
 it does the water on the further side of the 
 earth; but attracts the earth in general, more 
 powerfully than it does the water on the further 
 side of the earth. The difference between the 
 action of the moon at any point of the ocean is 
 its tide producing force at a specified time." 
 
44 FACE TO FACE 
 
 You no doubt know this to the letter; and yet, 
 have you ever thought of it in this connection? 
 **But/' you say, ** there is the desert.'^ Yea, ver- 
 ily, there IS the desert, and the Moon has its effect 
 upon the desert. 0, the peace of the desert at 
 moontime ! 
 
 The people of old began a journey upon a given 
 time. Therein lieth wisdom, the wisdom that can- 
 not be destroyed by the one sinner. When Divine 
 wisdom is turned in quickening Spiritual intelli- 
 gence, it may be likened unto a silver stream 
 through which Divine light and substance flow; 
 soul truth, the day-star that knows no night. 
 These people were in unity with the forces gov- 
 erning the universe. That is a large part of soul 
 truth; it brings mankind so close to nature, to 
 the laws governing nature, to the Divine in 
 nature. 
 
 I want to take you to a little home in the far 
 northwest. This home was named TEIUMPH, 
 as it was in this home a great geological triumph 
 was completed, in which the Wasp (self termed) 
 was spending the happiest days of his life; the 
 world at large having lost sight of him. It is his 
 fondest wish to remain in his home of Triumph, 
 among the great pines, while he lives upon this 
 mundane plane, unmolested. As we sat talking 
 of the beauty of the surrounding country and its 
 value to man, the moon lifted its silvery sheen 
 above the tops of the wonderful trees. 
 
 I had not intended to refer to my host's profes- 
 sion in any way ; in fact, I had given my word not 
 to, would he grant an interview. But the glory 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 45 
 
 of the Harvest Moon brought to my lips spon- 
 taneously: **0, tell me, how do YOU see the 
 moonf The quiet, dreamy man at my side 
 looked up cheerfully ; was he glad I had asked ? I 
 hoped so. 
 
 **How do I see the moonT' came half joyfully, 
 half reverently, from his lips. **Why, it is a force 
 that attracts the subjects upon the earth plane ; it 
 has a peculiar magnetic force that compels. It 
 has magnitude that comprises vaporous ether 
 and a solid mass of mineral. It is fathoms deep. 
 The exterior is a phosphorous substance infusing 
 itself, its strength and power upon the earth 
 plane. It has no diameter, it has circumference. 
 It has a magnetic force that compels certain ex- 
 pressions upon land and sea.'* 
 
 Long we sat silent, painting dream pictures. I 
 was somewhat nonplussed that my host did not 
 remind me of my promise. Finally he said: ^*I 
 do not wonder at your spontaneous query; it is 
 one that could hardly be avoided, seeing the 
 moon from this point.'' 
 
 And then we drifted in days of old. We wan- 
 dered with Mary and Joseph through the night, 
 we looked at the star with the three wise men, 
 and then changed our course. I asked my host 
 what he thought of the so-caUed superstitions of 
 those days. 
 
 **It was more of an attuned Godliness, and a 
 knowledge of nature's forces than superstition, 
 that caused the people of old to take a journey 
 upon a given time. Have you ever wondered, 
 my friend, when your eyes have fallen upon this 
 
46 FACE TO FACE 
 
 little passage in the Bible: *^It is a good land 
 which the Lord our God hath given us,'* have 
 you? Yea verily, said I: '^ It IS a GOOD land, 
 which the LOED OUR GOD hath given us/* 
 
 A far away look came into the eyes of my 
 friend, a look of wonderful love for the Omnipo- 
 tent hand that had made it a good land. Silently 
 I sat waiting, the silent devotion of my host was 
 one in which I too could join. Finally he said: 
 **It has been two hours spent with a kindred 
 spirit, it almost makes me want to go back to city 
 life that I may meet more kindred spirits; and 
 yet, (with a sweep of his still beautiful hand) all 
 nature is kin. I have found great inspiration 
 here. I have found solace in the whisper of the 
 leaves, I fall asleep when the crickets sing their 
 lullaby; I find amusement in the croak of the 
 frogs, they inspired the slumbering little sunken 
 garden at your feet." 
 
 ^^But,** I cried, ^^do you not find it very lonely 
 and cold in the winter months?'* 
 
 **Cold! truly, it is cold; but have you never 
 thought of the frost on the window pane and 
 what it brings with it I" 
 
 Truly I have. I was delighted to think he had 
 fathomed the secret I had held so long; — the 
 beautiful frost, snow and ice crystal would tend to 
 strengthen the knowledge of spiritual things. I 
 was well launched, my studies would interest 
 him, and it would help my sailing, I thought. 
 But my host was asking what I had found in my 
 studies. I have found that things as small as 
 frost, snow and ice crystals hold countless wells 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 47 
 
 of beauty; years of study; they are FULL of 
 wonders. I can say without exaggeration that 
 these crystals are formed in the ethereal frag- 
 ments of the Divine ; that is, they are formed by 
 the co-mingling of the Divine and material. All 
 things that are perfected according to the laws of 
 nature spring from the Divine within their imme- 
 diate surroundings, or passage through air, as 
 the case may be; hence, we not only have the 
 beautiful formations of frost, snow and ice crys- 
 tals, but we have the formation of jewels rare 
 and beautiful. 
 
 Were mankind for one moment to watch the 
 formation of these wonderful and beautiful gems 
 they would cry out in amaze. When a jewel is 
 placed on the hand of a loved one, its beauty and 
 value only are thought of. Little they know what 
 wonderful formation they are in possession of — 
 the formation of Divine Light, Divine Substance 
 — that has first etherealized itself and then crys- 
 tallized itself !by underground chemical opera- 
 tions. 
 
 All the world, and all therein, was FIRST 
 etherealized and then materialized. This is none 
 other than the power of spirit, the Spirit that 
 moved upon the face of the waters. Every true 
 gem speaks of the Divine working of CRE- 
 ATIVE FORCES ; this would lead us to thought, 
 and its effect. If thoughts be of love, then are 
 they not pure spirit? What then must be the 
 crystals of thought (spirit) meeting spirit? Ma- 
 terial thought becomes purified by its passage 
 through air ; and yet, there is a fragment of what 
 
48 FACE TO FACE 
 
 has been, that tells the story of life and its deeds 
 upon this plane. These fragments are called 
 THINGS. Deeds (things) crystallized in the 
 ethereal, materialize power to do according to the 
 value of the thought and deed. 
 
 A pigeon cooed to its mate; the scent of the 
 pines almost intoxicated me, whilst we — with in- 
 terests in common — clasped hands and bade adieu 
 in silence; it could not have been otherwise. 
 There are moments when words availeth not, 
 when spirit meets spirit in the boundaries of the 
 Divine. 
 
 As I walked through the moonlight to my car 
 waiting in the distance, I thought how natural is 
 Spirit; it could not be forced; it was NATUEE, 
 and nature does not respond to force, but to 
 love. A time, thought I, to throw away some 
 things that would retard the flow of the silver 
 stream. 
 
 AH! it is the serene Spirit that rocks the 
 cradles of the great ; the serene mind that ^ ^ holds 
 fast that which is good. ' ' And so, in the days of 
 old, it was not considered superstition to plant po- 
 tatoes in the dark of the moon. ^^The moon has 
 not the power,'' they said, '^to draw the magnetic 
 food that compels growth in its dark stages." 
 Some say to plant potatoes in the new of the moon 
 is to give added life ; that is, the compelling force 
 of the new moon will cause almost instantaneous 
 growth. It is a matter of magnetic force. The 
 moon has greater power, in greater measure, in 
 different stages of its expression. It is not 
 really a superstition but the PAETLY DEVEL- 
 
tiST THE GARDEN OF GOD 49 
 
 OPED understanding of magnetic growth in var- 
 ious parts of the earth, or a matter of opinion; 
 in some cases, a matter of climate. It is a science 
 that has never been fully or satisfactorily ex- 
 plained, but put aside as a superstition that 
 should have been abolished. It is one of the 
 LITTLE THINGS that may some day evolve 
 into a great scientific principle. 
 
 We know the moon IS ; we know the earth IS ; 
 and yet do we know the relative value of TIME 
 and PLACE? We have good potatoes, **so why 
 worry?*' says the material man. Yes, we have 
 good potatoes — sometimes; but, we have better 
 potatoes in one part of the country than another, 
 and we have finer potatoes on one farm than on 
 another. WHY IS IT? Is it the care or care- 
 lessness of the farmer, better soil one place 
 than another, or time and place? It can be ANY 
 or ALL of these — farmer, soil, or time. The 
 thing that stands out clear and distinct IS that 
 we have NOT mastered the art of planting po- 
 tatoes. As simple as this may seem to you, it is 
 but the illustration of the whole. We have not 
 become masters of time and place. We have 
 thrown by an OPPORTUNITY at the value of a 
 superstition. 
 
 In olden days mankind strived to OBTAIN the 
 ** understanding that cometh with the morning." 
 They were to a great extent in tune with the 
 FORCES GOVERNING the universe, hence 
 THAT class of miracles. Today mankind is 
 more in tune with COMMERCE than with the 
 DIVINE IN NATURE, therefore that class of 
 
50 FACE TO FACE 
 
 miracles HAS MATEEIALLY CHANGED. 
 Ever since the world began there have been those 
 who have sought truth when they were com- 
 pletely OUT OF TUNE WITH TEUTH; hence 
 they are seeking something they NEVER WILL 
 ATTAIN, because it has NO existence. Truth is 
 attune-ment. A NEW THEORY is a butterfly 
 without wings; an OLD TRUTH is a perfect bit 
 of rejoicing. 
 
 *' There is a time and a place for every pur- 
 pose under the heavens.'' Purpose includes the 
 planting — of potatoes. Some day there will come 
 from our schools of agriculture a great soul who 
 will explain many of the miracles of time and 
 place; not alone seasons but the magnetic qual- 
 ities of earth, moon, sun and stars; and — the 
 planting of potatoes. It will not be a peasant alone 
 who through watching and working for years has 
 observed, but the scholar who has co-mingled his 
 experiences with his tuition, tactics and theories. 
 At any rate the one who concentrates upon a 
 GIVEN THING becomes more or less in TUNE 
 WITH IT, and the forces governing it. We are 
 rapidly passing through the dark stages of ignor- 
 ance into the wonderful morning of a better un- 
 derstanding. Then will NATURAL results of 
 THINGS be not so weird and unseemly but a 
 part of the GREAT ETERNAL WHOLE. 
 Things that seem to tinge of superstition now 
 will be understood and valued accordingly. Too 
 much thought has been directed towards abolish- 
 ing, when the causes should have been investi- 
 gated no matter how trifling they may seem 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 51 
 
 Somewhere within them there is SOMETHING 
 for US ; whether it be a lesson in which we learn 
 the law of efficiency, or the dry fact of incompe- 
 tence. True, there are many of these we may 
 wish to lay aside, but how are we to know the 
 value of the few if the WHOLE is not taken into 
 consideration? The apple is not tested by its 
 color alone; its flavor and weight are taken into 
 consideration. We must learn to look at things 
 FACE TO FACE without fearing contaminating 
 influences, if we ever expect to glean enough 
 truth to understand the NATUEE OF THINGS. 
 
 What woman, having ten pieces of silver, if 
 she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and 
 sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find 
 it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her 
 friends and her neighbors together, saying : * * Ee- 
 joice with me for I have found the piece which 
 I had lost!'' Likewise, I say unto you — there is 
 joy in the presence of the Angels of God over 
 one sinner that repenteth. 
 
 What is EEPENTANCE? It is HOLDING 
 FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD, COM- 
 PLETELY SEVEEING the tie that has made re- 
 pentance necessary, keeping in harmony with God 
 whom you have had so long a time with you. To 
 become in tune (harmony) with God is to come 
 into greater understanding of the things of God. 
 This is another scientific truth contained in the 
 Bible: **If you love me, you will keep my com- 
 mandments. ' ' 
 
 We know, or ought to know, that to become in 
 tune with the CEEATOE of our BEING, is to 
 
52 FACE TO FACE 
 
 come into power of good in that being, and that 
 leads ever upward. To SEEK the BEST faith- 
 fully, **with ALL CUE HEART, '» is to find the 
 best; when we find the best, we usually apply it. 
 This is a CREATIVE PRINCIPLE and IS a 
 TRUTH. It is Godly, hence is not found in any 
 other expression of life. This is why man must 
 necessarily be IN TUNE with the CONSTRUCT- 
 IVE PRINCIPLES OF BEING to apply them 
 to outward expressions. This shows plainly why 
 those seeking truth through a channel that 
 NEVER HAS HAD an existence cannot find 
 what they are seeking. They 'have left the SUB- 
 STANCE and are trying to CREATE A SUB- 
 STANCE THAT HAS NO CONSTRUCTIVE 
 PRINCIPLES. In other words, ''the body and 
 NOT the blood,'' hence he fails to create a LIV- 
 ING truth. 
 
 God is the SUBSTANCE OF TRUTH. WITH- 
 OUT Him there is naught but the MATERIAL 
 mind and its morbid wanderings; whereas, were 
 that mind to soar to the heights it would be trans- 
 figured, claiming its own DIVINE RIGHT:— 
 THAT OF DIVINE INTELLIGENCE. Then 
 would the old truth ^'GOD IS LOVE'' ILLU- 
 MINE man's intelligence into spiritual under- 
 standing. He has FOUND and is not seeking. 
 
 ^^No man having put his hand to the plow and 
 looking backward is fit for the kingdom of God. ' ' 
 No man having truth WITHIN need turn his 
 head to see HOW MUCH TRUTH is in the 
 * * other fellow. " To be in tune with God and the 
 higher forces is power, not only in one's own 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 53 
 
 being, but attracts a like power in the world 
 without. Being in tune embraces TERRIFIC 
 POSSIBILITIES; it also emphasizes *^SEEK 
 YE FIRST THE KINGDOM, AND ALL 
 THINGS NEEDFUL SHALL BE ADDED 
 UNTO YOU.'' Not only that: '*WHEN A 
 STRONG MAN, ARMED, KEEPETH HIS 
 PALACE, HIS GODS ARE AT PEACE.'' 
 
 We may build in spirit until it multiplies the 
 added power to produce THOUGHT SUB- 
 JECTS. What could not be produced by one 
 FREED FROM LIMITATIONS? God created 
 HIS IDEAL, — the spiritual man; if we do not 
 meet that ideal we are then the less THE DI- 
 VINE IDEA. GOD endowed us with spiritual- 
 ity. If the carnal man is uppermost, it is the 
 fault of self, or training, or both. 
 
 INGERSOLL: **Man in his ignorance sup- 
 posed that all phenomena was produced by some 
 intelligent power." 
 
 LOTUS: **God works in wondrous ways His 
 miracles to perform." God is spirit, spirit is in- 
 telligence. That which HAS BEEN IS NOW. 
 *^My son, be glad, and make my heart glad, that 
 I may answer him that reproacheth me." 
 
 ** Every word of God is pure." Who does not 
 love and reverence the pure? IN GOD'S WORD 
 only will the crystal stream flow on unclouded by 
 infidelism. It is not LIVING IN TRUTH to be 
 happy today and tomorrow die in soul truth. The 
 life of the DAY STAR is a constant PHENOM- 
 ENON to those who CLOSE THEIR EYES TO 
 THE TRUTH in it. There is a great Presence 
 
54 PACE TO FACE 
 
 with us all that seems phenomenal to those who 
 do not understand the working PEINCIPLES of 
 it. Ofttimes seemingly inanimate things are phe- 
 nomenal in their nature. 
 
 IN THE WORLD OF THINGS 
 
 Let us drift for a time in the world of THINGS, 
 and see what conclusions we can come to concern- 
 ing them. First; everything has a spiritual 
 worth, if we but recognized the true value of it. 
 To RECOGNIZE the true value of any place or 
 thing is to, in a measure spiritualize it. To give 
 thanks THROUGH HIS WORD is to complete 
 the spiritualization, for it is sanctified by the 
 WORD OF GOD AND PRAISE. ^^ Every crea- 
 ture of God is good, and nothing to be refused, 
 if it is received with thanksgiving and praise.'* 
 The heart singeth in accord, hence the HARMONY 
 OF PURPOSE IS SANCTIFIED. The sub- 
 stance of the Lord is given in HIS WORD — 
 
 ^^I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.'' 
 
 The value of the sacrament is intensified when 
 man REALIZES the full significance of the 
 POWER OF SPIRIT to PENETRATE sub- 
 stance, place or thing. 
 
 Mr. Morton's commission took him and his 
 beautiful young wife to the wilds of South Amer- 
 ica. After sojourning there for a period of three 
 and one-half years a little daughter was born to 
 them. The wife soon succumbed to the ravages 
 of fever. Mr. Morton put the babe in the hands 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 55 
 
 of a good old Christian soul whom they called 
 Granny. Old Granny infused in the child a won- 
 derful love and understanding of God, and the 
 things of God. 
 
 When Bertha became of age Mr. Morton was 
 suddenly called to New York. The child woman 
 begged to accompany him. Mr. Morton hesitated ; 
 he would be compelled to return to the wilds as 
 soon as he could hasten the business on hand. 
 What would be the outcome? Would his beau- 
 tiful daughter want to remain in the great city of 
 which she knew nothing? Or, would she keep 
 her sweet flower-like womanhood to grace his 
 home? He wanted her to marry by and by; but 
 were not those who were in the world working 
 for him far more suitable than the city chaps of 
 whom Bertha knew nothing? 
 
 Bertha did not take happily to the great city. 
 It was wild, she said, far more so than the nature 
 wilds she had just left. People did not seem to 
 live, they hurried so; every one seemed to try to 
 get ahead of the other. 
 
 One beautiful morning she stepped to the win- 
 dows in the great dining room of the hotel in 
 which they were stopping. It was with great 
 pleasure she turned to her father standing by her 
 side and said: **I want to go there, father, 
 where the great tower bears the cross.** The 
 father begged to be excused, he had so much to 
 do; but stepping aside he spoke to a lady who 
 seemed to be much interested in Bertha. 
 
 **Will you kindly take Bertha to the church 
 over there, Madam?*' 
 
56 FACE TO FACE 
 
 **I will, and gladly/' 
 
 Never before had Bertha been inside a church. 
 The altar she had known had been the soul of 
 nature ; the tapers the stars ; the song of the birds 
 the mass; the chanting of her own pure little 
 soul the vespers; yet, she had said: **I WILL 
 KNOW HIM WHEN I SEE HIM; did not 
 Granny say I would T' 
 
 The sun that she had known in the wilds 
 streamed through the windows of the church. A 
 crimson stream flowed from the side of Him who 
 was so wonderfully pictured there. Clasping her 
 hands in ecstasy she cried aloud: '*WHY, GOD 
 IS NATUEAL! it is NATURE TO SUFFER 
 FOR THOSE WE LOVE.'' The goblet was 
 pressed gently to her lips; for the first time she 
 drank. **I have seen HIS IMAGE; I have par- 
 taken of HIS SPIRIT ; and now I want to go back 
 to my nature's home and take what I have found 
 with me, that its memory may not be contam- 
 inated by material thought." 
 
 No one told her it was not customary to speak 
 aloud while in church. A chord in nature had 
 been struck in which vibrated the real, the true, 
 the pure. Those who saw seemed to know and 
 feel something they did not want to change. As 
 the little form found its way down the aisle, the 
 Priest raised his hands in blessing upon the pure 
 little soul who had drifted their way from the 
 wilds. 
 
 A few days later the train steamed away bear- 
 ing father and daughter. A strong young fellow 
 stood watching longingly after. '^I, too," he 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 57 
 
 murmured, '^will go to the wilds that she may- 
 find the God for me whom I have never found, 
 not even here where HE is pictured everywhere. 
 No, I have not been seeking Him naturally. I 
 have not loved, because I did not know. ' ' 
 
 The little flower of the wilds was growing, and 
 content TO GROW, as do the lilies of the field. 
 So, quickly, do the sweet and pure find response 
 in the INFINITE BEING who gave them birth. 
 
 A few years later there came to the great 
 wilderness a Sister of Mercy who beheld the 
 home of three. A little flower-like woman quiv- 
 ered between life and death, as her husband hov- 
 ered over her waiting the coming of the fourth. 
 Unquestioningly the Sister took charge. 
 
 The father with tear-stained eyes said: ** Sis- 
 ter, why here ? we are not Catholics. ' * 
 
 **Ye are of God's little children,'* said the Sis- 
 ter sweetly. ^^HE HATH SENT ME.'' 
 
 The next morning a beautiful babe lay in the 
 mother's arms. Heaven had blessed; love had 
 sanctified; in that far-off wild there smiled a 
 little child. 
 
 Birth is phenomenal in theory; in fact it is the 
 natural play of nature asserting itself in the 
 highest manifestation of truth. Death is no more 
 wonderful than birth; it is the fullness thereof, 
 the expression of the highest intelligence (spirit) 
 coming into its own. As we call to mind these 
 two great events in the life of each of us, we 
 secretly give thanks for the great steeples of 
 memory, from whose beams ring out the old and 
 ring in the new. 
 
58 FACE TO FACE 
 
 It matters but little to the sincere what others 
 are thinking; it is what WE AEE DOING that 
 counts. Yea, the church, to some, is a thing apart, 
 the sacrament forgotten. 
 
 **No greater gift hath any man than he lay 
 down his life for a friend.'' Hadst thought of 
 this in connection with those who have left this 
 world of material things and gone to work in the 
 field of Holy labor? Ought we not bless the day 
 they come our way? 
 
 Why do we look for error? Why not look at 
 the great sacrifice? What if they do make a mis- 
 take now and then? Can we look in the face of 
 all and say WE are free from error? 
 
 It IS a sacrifice to go into the field of labor; 
 a sacrifice on the altar of worldly criticism; a 
 sacrifice of nearly all that man holds dear upon 
 this mundane plane; and for WHAT? To save 
 you FEOM yourself. The selfishness of worldly 
 criticism is deplorable. The world expects the 
 BEST from those whom they criticise without 
 a hearing. They say, it is human nature to find 
 fault. If it is, it is a part of human nature man- 
 kind could well do without. 
 
 ^*Then Jesus answering said unto them: '^Go 
 your way and tell John what things ye have seen 
 and heard ; how that the blind see, the lame walk, 
 the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead 
 are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. ' ' 
 
 Out of fifty I have asked why they chose their 
 vocation, the answer has been practically the 
 same — ** Because we owe it to God and man, to 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD SSl 
 
 ourselves and our families. We would not go 
 from the field of labor in His vineyard for all 
 the worldly pleasures you could offer us. ' ' 
 
 **Have you then no regrets f I asked. 
 
 The answer of one I will give you; the one 
 sounds the chord of all. 
 
 **I was sitting in the study not long ago. The 
 secretary of the church came in saying: ^Pastor, 
 we have not one penny to our credit.' He said: 
 *We have God, He is worth more than a penny. 
 To him that hath, more shall be given. GOD 
 SAID SO. Let us try an extra night of labor 
 and see what that will do!' " 
 
 This great soul stood by the telephone for an 
 hour, coming in contact with the talented ones of 
 his congregation. At the end of that time he had 
 the promise of much talent. On the following 
 Wednesday evening there was an entertainment 
 given that put hundreds of pennies to the credit 
 of the church. This great soul did not stop there ; 
 he said: ^^We have received, PRAISE THE 
 LORD," and he kept on giving entertainments 
 that became so famous the people did not want 
 to give them up. They did not give them up, they 
 are going on, and with them a greater UNDER- 
 STANDING OF SPIRITUAL TRUTH. 
 
 There is a peculiar trait in mankind; their in- 
 terest and attention must be called forth and 
 centered on a given thing, before they absorb the 
 essence of the whole. 
 
 Man wants to be entertained. He is GOING to 
 be entertained somehow, and it is a great science 
 
60 FACE TO FACE 
 
 to know how to infuse ENOUGH truth into the 
 entertainment to QUICKEN spiritual growth; 
 for 
 
 ^^IF YE DO THINGS, YE SHALL 
 NEVEEFAIL/' 
 
 This is not to find fault, or half do. It means 
 DO — a powerful little word in the world of 
 things, that will cause phenomenal results, in- 
 telligent results. 
 
 Then there is the body, the vase that holds the 
 flower of the soul. How about it! We buy im- 
 ported vases to fit in some niche in our home that 
 especially requires harmony and beauty of ex- 
 pression; and we buy just useful vases, plain in 
 design, yet harmonizing with the purpose for 
 which they were intended. And then, there are 
 those ugly vases chance gave us which attract 
 attention by the inharmonious blending of colors. 
 Which vase holds the flower of YOUR SOUL? 
 Can any vase be too beautiful to hold the flower 
 of the soul being GLORIFIED BY HIS PRES- 
 ENCE? Should we not give the vase SPECIAL 
 SPIRITUAL CARE? And that does NOT RE- 
 FER TO VANITY, but purification, illumination, 
 harmony. 
 
 What sort of a HOME are we going to place 
 THAT VASE IN? HOME! WHAT A WIDE 
 BERTH for spiritual manifestation! This IS 
 GOD'S HOUSE, expressing the perfection of in- 
 terior wisdom, love, Divine principle, a sanctuary 
 in which His PRESENCE would find solace in 
 the KNOWLEDGE that His truths were mani- 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 61 
 
 fested in that home; that His presence was 
 KNOWN and felt. 
 
 **Be ye not slothful in business:'' and so on 
 down the list of innumerable things. However, 
 the theme is this : In the true sense of SPIRIT- 
 UAL QUALITY the glorified spirit of man is out 
 of harmony with the ordinary; the ordinary is 
 lost when we seek the spiritual quality in it. The 
 principle of being is an ever ready help in time 
 of material chaos. The I AM will, with its power 
 to RISE SUPREME TO MEET SUPREME, 
 obliterate the ordinary, bringing to the surface 
 the ILLUMINED PRESENCE OF GOD, with 
 whom there are no diversity of ways. When we 
 fully understand this guiding principle, we do not 
 see things in the ordinary light of material vis- 
 ion; the spiritual eye discerns the guiding prin- 
 ciple that has made everything possible, inas- 
 much as it has been spiritualized through the 
 spiritual vision to a higher plane ; hence, we have 
 the common phrase — EVOLUTION — ^which en- 
 folds the power of THINGS as well as spirit in 
 man. 
 
 Everything has its ethereal correspondent, the 
 mineral, the animal and the vegetable kingdom; 
 these are in themselves revelations. It is a glori- 
 fied thought that brings to our realization that 
 somewhere this thing (table, chair, etc.) first 
 found its being in the Garden of God ; that it was 
 first given to us in the spirit of truth, its value 
 recognized by man, and passed on. Spiritualized, 
 first by the truth in it, then by labor, appreciation 
 and intelligence. 
 
62 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Thus the seeming phenomenal birth of fruit- 
 age, vegetation, etc., are channels through which 
 God sends His word to man with profits. Again, 
 we have the co-mingling of the Divine and ma- 
 terial. So must we learn to use, and not abuse, 
 these things which have come to make their home 
 with us ; these final triumphs of God and man. 
 
 This chair has become a very happy expression 
 in my life, so many have blessed it. It is but a 
 chair, a thing, yet it came from the Garden of 
 God, worked into expressive principle by man, 
 and has power to give rest to the weary, for such 
 is the gift of the spirit. Spirit is the beginning 
 and the fullness thereof. THE SPIRIT OF 
 GOD moved upon the face of the waters BE- 
 FORE the world was created; Spirit is LIFE, 
 ETERNAL LIFE. 
 
 Blessed things, whatever you be. 
 Through triumph you have come to me! 
 
 And yet, things should not be the theme in 
 life, but respected in the true sense of spiritual 
 quality. More good can come to us when we 
 SEEK the truth in things. When we KNOW the 
 truth we can accept them in positive content- 
 ment. Everything has a beautiful side, a use- 
 ful side, or a side that can be purified. To purify, 
 enliven and quicken person, place or thing, is to 
 demonstrate the truth for it, thus expressing our 
 own spiritual quality of faith in works, or the 
 exercise of truth that dwelleth within. Not tak- 
 ing the form of worship, rather the form of 
 thought in pure conscience. 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 63 
 
 Man kills his development by the attitude he 
 WILLS towards things. He cannot sit down in 
 the gutter and develop, but if he will SEE HIS 
 ABILITY to rise, and WILL himself to do it, 
 he will soon see the beauty and pleasure it brings 
 as well as advantages. 
 
 **The continual whine of a dog brings evil,'' so 
 they say. Yet it is not a comparison to the 
 whine that springs from the soul filled with dis- 
 content. It broods evil, yea, not for the one, but 
 for many, for it yieldeth not grain or gain, but 
 thorns that prod the flesh and pierce the veil of 
 things debasing, leading down, down; the sink- 
 ing sands; seeking, ever seeking, never finding, 
 peace and happiness. 
 
 The sun is rising, look! Beyond the sand, 
 someone is calling. Who is it? It is the voice of 
 the Heavenly Father. His beautiful hand sweeps 
 upward, the bow of His promise flashes across 
 the sky; the debased one beholds it and smiles; 
 the chain of woe is broken. There can be no 
 misery when God smiles at man, and man smiles 
 back again, for something is born in the con- 
 science of man; BEHOLD! It is His likeness 
 and image reaching across the tide that calls all 
 men— home. It is God's call TO PERFECTION 
 answered. 
 
 While we are roving in the world of things, I 
 want to tell you of a little experience of mine. 
 Not long ago it was my province to stop for a 
 time in the home of Mr. Heckel, foreman of the 
 Obediah Silk Factory. Mr. Heckel, wife and two 
 daughters made up the household. The house 
 
64 FACE TO FACE 
 
 stood in the center of a beautiful lawn; the ten- 
 der care of trees and flowers made it a garden of 
 dreams. I could not help but wonder why there 
 seemed to be such great discontent. 
 
 Involuntarily I looked out over the north fence ; 
 a sign in red, black and white loomed in the sun 
 like a menace. '^LOOK OUT FOR THE CARS; 
 RAILROAD CROSSING.'' I smiled as I wended 
 my way back to the house. Can THAT BE 
 THE THING that Jiangs like a shadow over this 
 home? 
 
 Promptly at six- thirty a gloom would fall over 
 the household like a phantom; it haunted the 
 very recesses of the two souls left at home. The 
 father and elder daughter, * Lottie, usually re- 
 turned from their duties at the factory about this 
 time. Lottie had endowed herself with an ugly, 
 sulky temperament. The moment a whistle would 
 sound, heralding an approaching train, she would 
 whine, '^Oh, it is just dreadful; it is a shame the 
 way some people will insist on living in such a 
 place." On and on she would whine until the 
 father would join in: ^^I wish I could sell, but 
 that is out of the question ; who wants to buy this 
 house anyway. I wish I had never set eyes on 
 the place." 
 
 It would invariably end by Lottie putting on 
 her hat and storming out of the house, the father 
 following closely, while the other two were left 
 to look on, the dear little mother biting her lip 
 to keep back the tears. 
 
 The two wanderers' conversation was quite dis- 
 tinct to those left in the shadows. 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 65 
 
 *' Where are you going tonight, Lottie?'* 
 
 *^0h, to the park, I suppose; until some of the 
 girls come by, then we will probably go to some 
 show. Where are you going, father f 
 
 **Me? Oh, I'm going to Tom's place; where 
 else could a fellow go and have peace from these 
 trains ? ' ' 
 
 This was indeed laughable to those left in the 
 shadows, as Tom's place was much closer to the 
 track than his own home. We could hear the men 
 laugh as Mr. Heckel stumbled in the door of 
 Tom's place: ^'Hello, Heckel, fallin' in ag'in, 
 I see." 
 
 Heckel could not remember the little step by 
 the door in spite of his daily visits to Tom's. He 
 gathered himself together, grumbling at Tom for 
 not removing it, while Lottie wandered to the 
 park. It was damp and foggy, it depressed her, 
 she decided to return home. This was not a 
 pleasant thought to Lottie, but there was really 
 nothing else to do ; not any of the girls she knew 
 would venture out in this fog. Yes, she would go 
 home. 
 
 With an angry frown Lottie paused in the 
 shadow of a great tree that stood near the kitchen 
 window. She did dread so to go in, yet the chill 
 and damp were penetrating her very bones. 
 Leaning wearily against a tree, she watched her 
 mother and Grace perform the homely but neces- 
 sary task of washing the dinner dishes. A look 
 of concern came over her face as she listened : 
 
 **Well, dear, do not mind Lottie's whims, she 
 is just a little bit restless; her work is trying, 
 
66 FACE TO FACE 
 
 and the whistle sounds twice as loud to her. We 
 do not notice it so much because we do not get 
 as tired as Lottie does, and THINGS bother her 
 so/' 
 
 Lottie slipped down upon the soft turf, for- 
 getting the damp and fog, listening, it seemed for 
 hours, to the cheerful chatter of her mother and 
 Grace. AND THINGS BOTHEEED HER SO! 
 What was wrong with her? What was wrong 
 with everybody? Why were Grace and her 
 mother not in this cheerful frame of mind when 
 SHE was in the house? 
 
 But listen, what was mother saying: 
 
 *^You know, Grace, if father and Lottie would 
 only stay at home in the evenings for a while, 
 we could soon have a car and enjoy our evenings 
 in the open together. It is hard, I know, to stay 
 at home all the time. I have, for twenty-five 
 years, without practically any recreation. I wish 
 you would go with Lottie sometimes, Grace; why 
 don't you?'' 
 
 Grace caught her mother lovingly in her arms. 
 ''Not much, Muzzie; we are too happy here!" 
 
 Lottie laid her head on the damp grass, her 
 tears mingling with the dew. A car. Mother 
 had been a shut-in for twenty-five years ! Some- 
 thing was wrong, WRONG, and SHE was mak- 
 ing it so. 
 
 Lottie was a wonder in the world of the Obe- 
 diah Silk Factory; far more active and brilliant 
 was she than her sister Grace; and yet, what 
 would they do without the convenient, quiet, 
 home-loving Grace? 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 67 
 
 A scream from her mother's lips startled Lot- 
 tie to her feet. The mother was standing in the 
 doorway wringing her hands and crying hyster- 
 ically. By her side was Grace screaming: **0 
 save him, SAVE HIM!" 
 
 To take in a situation was to act with Lottie. 
 The light from a sign-board told them of an 
 approaching train; a shrill whistle affirmed it; 
 on the track, too bewildered to move, was the 
 father and husband. Lottie ran to him hastily, 
 pushing him to safety. 
 
 The approaching train thundered in Lottie's 
 ears. Making a hasty plunge forward, she was 
 horrified to find her shoe was caught. It was too 
 late, the train thundered by, severing the little 
 foot from the body. The father, horror stricken 
 and fully conscious now, gathered her tenderly in 
 his arms, the tears streaming down his face. 
 
 Months went by; not a complaint from Lottie; 
 not a night out for father. One morning Mr. 
 Heckel came home to consult Lottie about getting 
 a stenographer in her place, saying the new one 
 had made a mess of it. Lottie, without a word, 
 put on her hat, picked up her crutches and 
 started towards the door. 
 
 ** Where are you going, Lottie f asked Mrs 
 Heckel. 
 
 *^To the factory. Mother.'' 
 
 **I know, Lottie, you are well enough, but the 
 crutches, and things, bother you so. ' ' 
 
 ^*No, not now, mother. That whistle sounds 
 good. I have discovered something. Do not 
 allow things to play too great a part in your life 
 
68 FACE TO FACE 
 
 as THINGS only, or they will maim you for life. 
 The chance of getting back my position is my 
 opportunity; I shall make the most of it.'* 
 
 Mrs. Heckel looked lovingly after the little 
 lame retreating figure, then turning to Grace, 
 said: **0h, there is such a difference between 
 things material only and things spiritualized by 
 EIGHT THINKING. THINGS are wonderful 
 stumbling blocks when we permit them to dom- 
 inate our better self. They soon lose their domi- 
 nating power, however, when we recognize the 
 spiritual truth within them.'' 
 
 Things are strange, weird, seemly or unseemly; 
 to some, natural gifts of God and man in which 
 we take a reasonable amount of gratification or 
 disgust, as we sense them ; hence it is imperative 
 that we see things through the spiritual eye, that 
 we may ennoble our environment. We do not 
 want to place our vase in a frog pond, you know. 
 
 '^In that ye also walked sometimes WHEN YE 
 LIVED IN THEM, but now ye also put off all 
 these: anger, malice, wrath, blasphemy; lie not 
 to one another, seeing that ye have put off the 
 old man and his deeds, and put on the NEW 
 MAN, which is rendered in knowledge after the 
 IMAGE OF HIM WHO CREATED HIM. But 
 let the peace of God rule in your hearts in that 
 which ye are called in one body. Be ye thankful. 
 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all 
 wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in 
 HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS, singing with 
 grace in your hearts to the Lord." ** Whatsoever 
 ye do, do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus." 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 69 
 
 ** Rejoice evermore. Pray WITHOUT CEAS- 
 ING; in EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS. 
 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. Despise not pro- 
 phet-saying, prove all things, hold fast that which 
 is good, abstain from appearance of evil, and the 
 VERY GOD OF PEACE SANCTIFY YOU 
 WHOLLY. And I pray GOD your whole spirit 
 and soul and body be preserved HARMLESS 
 unto the coming of OUR LORD JP^SUS 
 CHRIST.'' 
 
 ^^But of the TIME and the SEASON ye have 
 no need that I write unto you, for you yourselves 
 know perfectly the DAY of the Lord cometh as a 
 thief in the night, and we have confidence in the 
 Lord TOUCHING YOU; that ye both DO and 
 WILL DO the things which we command you; 
 and the Lord direct your hearts unto the love of 
 God, and unto the patient waiting for Christ, 
 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appear- 
 ing of the GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR, 
 JESUS CHRIST, WHO GAVE HIMSELF for 
 us that He might redeem us from ALL iniquity 
 and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zeal- 
 ous of good works.'' 
 
 **But avoid foolish questions and contamina- 
 tions; strivings about law, for they are unprofit- 
 able and vain." '^And we have seen and do 
 testify that the Father sent the SON TO BE 
 SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD. Whosoever CON- 
 FESSES THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD 
 DWELLETH IN HIM, and he in God." 
 
 ^'And we have known and believed the love 
 GOD HATH to us." '^GOD IS LOVE, and he 
 
70 FACE TO FACE 
 
 that dwelleth in LOVE dwelleth in GOD and GOD 
 in him. Herein is our LOVE MADE PEEFECT : 
 that we may have boldness in the day of judg- 
 ment, because as He, so are WE, IN THIS 
 WOKLD.'' 
 
 *' There is no fear in love, but perfect love 
 casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. HE 
 THAT FEARETH IS NOT MADE PERFECT 
 IN LOVE.^' 
 
 The workings of truth are phenomenal in 
 nature, and yet so natural that phenomena holds 
 no place in the mind of one who works miracles. 
 ^^IN GOD WE TRUST, ^' the HOPE OF 
 GLORY, the BUILDER OF SPIRITUAL 
 THINGS. Phenomena is the demonstrating 
 power of the GODHEAD, unto our knowledge of 
 HIS miracles unto which we have access through 
 OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 It is not only a happy STATE OF MIND TO 
 BE IN to KNOW the phenomenal nature of 
 things through His love and truth, but it adds 
 materially to the value of things, eliminating the 
 coarser hold with which man sometimes grasps 
 things. 
 
 Things are dynamic by nature; real surprises 
 await us at times in them. By holding truth in 
 the sense of calm judgment, we accomplish mir- 
 acles; we illuminate them with truth; we pre- 
 serve them without chaotic effect. Never was 
 spirit set free concerning the reason, in reason, 
 of phenomenal power. Active in things like a 
 bird set free, does the mind grasp the cause; the 
 remedy comes spontaneously. 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 71 
 
 The Cross of Calvary is as good an illustration 
 as one could wish, demonstrating things spirit- 
 ualized. The world needed Christ at that time; 
 it still needs Christ, the REDEEMEE OF MEN. 
 What profit it withal if we have not opened the 
 door to spiritual things, when the Spirit stands 
 waiting to show us the GLORY WITHIN? Why 
 linger around the melting pot of worldly theories 
 when truth itself is the SUBSTANCE within? 
 
 The stirring of a soul proves its Maker. When 
 man ceases to strive with carnal things then will 
 he find his soul filled with holy light, by which 
 he may see the true worth of things that make 
 up the Garden of God. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ''Payne denied the inspiration 
 of the scriptures. That was his crime." 
 
 LOTUS : ''All the scripture IS given by the in- 
 spiration of God, and IS profitable for doctrine, 
 for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
 righteousness, that the man of God may be PER- 
 FECT, THOROUGHLY FURNISHED unto all 
 good works, in meekness instructing those who 
 oppose themselves. If God pervert we will give 
 them repentance to the acknowledgment of the 
 truth, and that they may recover themselves out 
 of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive 
 by him at his will." The works of God are all 
 electro evolution. 
 
 INGERSOLL: "What person with common 
 sense would attempt to settle any question by a 
 text from the Bible!" 
 
 LOTUS: Any reasonable person would. Are 
 they not given for INSTRUCTION in RIGHT- 
 
72 FACE TO FACE 
 
 EOUSNESS? The Bible is a liberator of free- 
 dom, of true spiritual worth, true moral worth, 
 and is an infallible principle by which we may 
 endorse our checks. It is the harp upon which 
 the touch of the Infinite harmonizes, the uni- 
 versal chord of immortal construction. 
 
 When people oppose us they are, in a measure, 
 our enemies. They use their gas tanks to deprive 
 us of our reason, and then demand an illumined 
 reply. God^s word brought to bear upon them 
 ejects the poisonous vapor and infuses the great- 
 est of all principles, TRUTH, upon which His 
 word is built. There is not a chord struck in the 
 human heart more subtle, more comforting, than 
 Infinite love. The Bible teaches it from cover to 
 cover. The Bible teaches truth; it teaches Chris- 
 tian Endeavor that has no selfish principles, no 
 morbid theories, but FACTS— just plain FACTS, 
 the very thing the infidel is crying for. 
 
 Funny, isn't it, that the infidel stands with one 
 foot in Heaven and the other in Hell and cries, 
 ^^Who am I? What am IT' while the fires of hell 
 consume him? Strong language you say, and you 
 do not believe in hell, and you think it is a sin to 
 preach hell. 
 
 Man carries within his own soul the fires of 
 hell when he manifests the LESSEE MAN. The 
 infidel does this because he refuses to see HIS 
 LIKENESS AND IMAGE. 
 
 Love and doubt are not sisters or brothers; 
 nay, not parent, but at cross purposes one with 
 the other. Love casteth out fear. ^^GOD IS 
 LOVE.'' When we place the WORD OF GOD 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 73 
 
 against doubt, we destroy the power of doubt 
 with our faith. 
 
 *'Thy faith hath made thee whole." 
 
 INGEESOLL: ^^ Payne contended that it is 
 contradiction in terms to call anything a revela- 
 tion that comes second handed." 
 
 LOTUS: To take this statement literally, our 
 lives are pretty generally spent under the juris- 
 diction of others, hence, second-handed from the 
 beginning unto the end. We live by the in- 
 struction and training of others until we are 
 grown; after that, we are more or less controlled 
 by the minds of those higher up ; and so we drift 
 with the tide until our individuality is lost, or 
 partially so, in the swirl of human welfare. 
 
 Our chief desire in life is to become indepen- 
 dent; to be a controlling force, in place of being 
 controlled; but the way out is not an easy one. 
 However, when we are sufficiently enlightened 
 to reason without malice, we DO become a con- 
 trolling force over the little self, and assert the 
 God man. This brings us into our own. In 
 place of a lost personality we have a strong will, 
 in tune with the best and highest, which demands 
 the best in return. 
 
 We are then sought, and not seeking; strong, 
 and not weak ; worthy, and not unworthy subjects 
 of the Kingdom. When we assert our true self 
 with God at the helm, we are enabled to see the 
 light of individuality; first, the individual self 
 that governs self to the exclusion of all; second, 
 the individual SPIRIT in self capable of meet- 
 ing the Divine, in which inspiration is found. 
 
74 FACE TO FACE 
 
 The word of God is never second-handed to those 
 at-one with God. 
 
 Though we find truth through the heart of the 
 rose it is sweet, it is fragrant, it is beautiful. It 
 has a power all its own, reminding us that with 
 the sweet we must take the bitter that ^^trieth 
 the heart,'' strengthening it in righteousness, 
 thereby giving sustenance. 
 
 Love is supremely Divine; it is tempestuous 
 argury; it is beautiful, and it sometimes comes 
 by proxy, because man is attuned to meet it in no 
 other way. 
 
 Were we not to receive ANYTHING second- 
 handed, we would glean but few of the comfort- 
 ing messages that come to us through thousands 
 of channels. We would be sealed in, away from 
 all but the little self. We would become narrow, 
 stale, brushed aside as the falling leaves of 
 Autumn. 
 
 The BIBLE IS THE REDEEMING FORCE 
 that sways mankind to the haven of rest. God 
 giveth to all men liberty, and truly the liberty 
 to think, but has commanded that we do ALL 
 IN THE NAME OF JESUS. This is the point 
 upon which so many err — DO ALL IN THE 
 NAME OF JESUS— WHY NOT? HE IS THE 
 RISEN CHRIST, THE SUPREME FORCE, 
 SPIRIT. It is going to the FOUNTAIN- 
 HEAD FOR OUR SUPPLY. Here is the mean- 
 ing fully demonstrated: '^Seek ye FIRST the 
 Kingdom and His RIGHTEOUSNESS, and ALL 
 ELSE shall be added unto you." Seeking the 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 75 
 
 Kingdom FIEST is the BECKONING LIGHT 
 OF EEASON. 
 
 The infidel is not in tune with the INFINITE, 
 hence he strikes a false note. To him a rose is 
 just a flower. He smiles at its color and fra- 
 grance, whips up his horse and canters on. He 
 does not see the sublime, the mother's care and 
 pruning that it may give pleasure daily to her 
 loved ones. He does not see the blushing bride 
 within its curling buds. He does not see the 
 soldiers' graves where the falling petals take 
 the place of the gentle touch of loved ones across 
 the sea. He does not see the light upon the face 
 of the dying; nor does he see the hand of God 
 pointing to the heart of gold within its tiny fra- 
 grant folds. The Divine to him is lost, hence the 
 substance of all. It is but a crude production to 
 his sense of seeing. 
 
 Infidelism is the worm in the heart of the 
 rose. It shatters, it does not build; it takes all 
 the beautiful, not to profit withal but to debase ; it 
 leaves the bush a prey for the wasp's nest. 
 
 Inspiration and revelation come FIRST- 
 HANDED to those who are ATTUNED to re- 
 ceive them, no matter how many channels they 
 have passed through. Being WILLING to re- 
 ceive is NOT ENOUGH. We must be willing 
 to GO THROUGH THE PURIFYING process- 
 that of being BORN AGAIN IN spiritual truth; 
 willing to enact that truth; willing to TAKE ON 
 THE NEW MAN and leave off the old MAN 
 and his deeds. 
 
76 FACE TO FACE 
 
 REASONING PRINCIPLES CAN BE OBLITERATED 
 THROUGH DOUBT 
 
 Inspiration does not descend upon the heads of 
 those who seek to SEVER THE TIE THAT 
 BINDS. 
 
 IMBIBING deep of His love, letting it reflect 
 in the world around you, is one of the FIRST 
 PRINCIPLES, a GREAT QUALITY, IN THE 
 PURIFYING PROCESS. Where DIVINE 
 LOVE dwelleth THERE is inspiration, TRUTH 
 made manifest in man. As a mirror reflects the 
 sunshine, so is the countenance filled with Holy 
 Light. You will see yourself coming around the 
 corner of life like a whirlwind of material things ; 
 or, you will drink the refreshing life-giving rain- 
 drops of spirituality ; just as you make it. 
 
 Second-hand inspiration is a peculiar find. It 
 may come in a flood of light, or it may descend as 
 a dove on the shoulders of time. The question is 
 this: Can your spiritual CONDITION TELL 
 YOU whether the TRUTH rests in it or not, in- 
 different to the number of channels it has to pass 
 through? Can you find a responding chord with- 
 in? A chord that finds its correspondent in an 
 Infinite Being, GOD, the Creator of man! Can 
 you look LONG and DEEP in the well of truth 
 and find your reflection there? 
 
 God's word cannot be consumed with the fires 
 of infidelism: It is INDESTRUCTIBLE. It 
 has a POWER that refuses to weaken, a LIGHT 
 that will never burn low. Divine Love IS the in- 
 exhaustible force from which mankind draws sus- 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 77 
 
 tenance. It is LIFE to those who believe in 
 HIM. Can the infidel give us a greater assur- 
 ance? 
 
 This assurance comes to us through the Scrip- 
 tures (if you will) but I like the word BIBLE. 
 It sounds so secure, so personal, so assuring. It 
 is NOT some remote thing, but a LIVING 
 PRESENCE. It is alluring, SOUL STIRRING. 
 *^But,'^ says the infidel, ^4t is so contradictory.*' 
 Nay, methinks not so, the SUBSTANCE remains 
 the same. 
 
 No two people ever gave an account of an in- 
 cident in the same exact terms. Send six men to 
 a ball game; ask them ALL about it. The only 
 account they will give you in the same terms, is 
 WHO WON; the rest will be original narratives. 
 
 ^^But,'' the infidel cries, ^Hhe Bible was in- 
 spired by ONE God, hence it should be EXACT 
 accounts. ' ' 
 
 God teaches in language, expression and 
 themes, that may be best understood by the re- 
 cipient individual, or individuals. THE POWER 
 OF THE INNER MAN, the capabilities of EX- 
 PRESSING the inner man, is not always attuned. 
 A GREAT SOUL may lack expression of that 
 soul in AUDIBLE or written terms, and yet that 
 great souPs power be felt. 
 
 Water does not always cover the banks. God 
 is consistent in all His ways ; he would hardly in- 
 spire a Hebrew to write Indian ; nor would he ad- 
 vise a Chinaman to build a tepee. He would tell 
 him in a language that he could understand, 
 
78 FACE TO FACE 
 
 though the substance be the same. **God works 
 in wondrous ways His miracles to perform, ' ' and 
 His ways are the ways of wisdom. 
 
 When man more fully realizes that GOD IS 
 FULL OF UNDERSTANDING, His work com- 
 ing to us through His transmitter (the Bible), we 
 will have ADDED COURAGE and inspiration, a 
 more ABUNDANT FAITH, and the SUPPLY of 
 love that mankind is NOW seeking. He will see 
 ILLUMINATED WORDS of God; not some re- 
 mote, so-called revengeful God, but a GOD FULL 
 OF LOVE and understanding. It is man that 
 errs and not God, not the inspiration of the 
 Bible. 
 
 We do not teach the child in the crib arith- 
 metic. It is not as yet capable of reasoning; it 
 has not the physical strength to hold slate and 
 pencil. We teach the child love by EXPRESS- 
 ING love. The child does not understand the 
 word love, but it responds quickly to the act of 
 love. So God infuses the substance of His word 
 into the fertile brain of those whom He has en- 
 dowed to receive it. God reaches ALL man- 
 kind. 
 
 It has often been said that no two people 
 can get the same meaning out of a passage in 
 the Bible. And this I doubt; not because it seems 
 unreasonable, but because man is not so dense 
 that he does not KNOW SOME of the TRUTH 
 when he finds it. In truth is God. When God is 
 found, understanding is complete. Understand- 
 ing has but one meaning— AT-ONE-MENT. This 
 cannot be of many hues, but the one great sun of 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 79 
 
 light. We have day and we have night. These 
 two blend into one another in perfect harmony, 
 as the soul attuned to the Infinite blends into 
 ONE— PERFECT— WHOLE'. The Divine sub- 
 stance of His presence is everywhere. 
 
 If those striving on this earth for a new truth 
 would only open the doors of their souls to the 
 Divine inflow, truth — both old and new — would 
 bring to the lives and hearts of man liberty; to 
 the world, PEACE. If we walk in the spirit of 
 truth, let us also live in the spirit of love. Wis- 
 dom is the undertone of spirit, manifesting spirit 
 in truth. 
 
 What is it then, ''1 will PRAY WITH THE 
 SPIRIT, and I will PRAY WITH THE UNDER- 
 STANDING ALSO, when the unlearned say 
 ^Amen' at the giving of thanks, seeing that they 
 understand not what thou sayest. It is written 
 the first man Adam was made a living soul. 
 The last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 
 How be it that was not first which is spiritual 
 but that which is natural, and afterward that 
 which is spiritual!'* 
 
 First: Natural — the wisdom found in nature; 
 then spiritual — ^wisdom causing the spiritual to 
 be glorified. Spirit is natural first, then spiritual- 
 ized, thus becoming a TUNEFUL MELODY in 
 DIVINE HARMONY, EMBRACING ALL 
 LAWS OF GOD AND NATURE; THE NAT- 
 URAL GOAL OF MAN; THE SUPREMACY 
 FOUND IN ATTUNED SPIRIT; THE COM- 
 PLETENESS, THE FULLNESS OF HEAVEN. 
 
 ** Beloved, think it NOT STRANGE concerning 
 
80 FACE TO FACE 
 
 the FIEEY TRIAL which is to try you, as though 
 some strange thing happened you." 
 
 All phenomena comes from intelligence, 
 whether the object causing the phenomena is 
 CONSCIOUS of it or not. In all things is the 
 breath (spirit) of God, the wonderful life ex- 
 pressed in all things, and yet, natural. Phenom- 
 ena is but the RESULT OF NATURAL FOR- 
 CES that man has not attuned himself to see as 
 natural. 
 
 ^'He that abideth in the secret places of the 
 most High shall abide under the shadow of the 
 ALMIGHTY." 
 
 "I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and 
 my strength; IN HIM WILL I TRUST." 
 
 ^'KEEP FAITH WITH WORKS THAT YE 
 MAY REPLENISH MANKIND WITH SPIR- 
 ITUAL TRUTHS." 
 
 '^How beautiful are the feet of them that 
 preach the gospel of peace and bring forth glad 
 tiding of good things." 
 
 INGERSOLL: ''Payne denied conclusively 
 the DIVINE ORIGIN OF CHRIST, and yet he 
 belieyed that Christ was a virtuous and amiable 
 man, that the morality He taught and practiced 
 was the most benevolent, and that He had not 
 been exceeded by any." 
 
 LOTUS: Payne, like many another, is willing 
 to take his fill of the half loaf and when his 
 appetite is appeased throw away the other half, 
 leaving nothing for the morrow. When the com- 
 ing day dawns, there is a gnawing hunger for the 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 81 
 
 half loaf he threw away. A partial truth is NO 
 TRUTH AT ALL. 
 
 The DIVINE ORIGIN OF CHRIST WAS A 
 REVELATION, an inspiration. It demonstrated 
 fully THE POWER OF SPIRIT OVER MAT- 
 TER. 
 
 Again and again, if I might, I would repeat, 
 GOD IS A SUPREME FORCE, PERSONAL 
 by nature, DIVINE in character, a DIVINE 
 WHOLE that embodies spirit. **GOD IS A 
 SPIRIT^' that took on the form of man to en- 
 noble and save mankind. HE IS THE RISEN 
 CHRIST! He came from a DIVINE PRIN- 
 CIPLE through which mankind evolutionizes 
 from sphere to sphere. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^The Christians now claim 
 that JESUS WAS GOD. If he was, of course 
 the devil knew that fact, and yet according to the 
 account, the devil took the omnipotent God and 
 placed Him upon the pinnacle of a temple and 
 tried to induce Him to dash Himself against the 
 earth. Failing this he took the Creator, owner 
 and governor of the world and placed Him upon 
 an exceedingly high mountain and offered Him 
 this earth, this grain of sand, if he would fall 
 down and worship Him. Poor devil, without 
 even a tax title to one foot of earth! Is it pos- 
 sible the devil was such an idiot?" 
 
 LOTUS: It takes no great master mind, no 
 great theologian, to answer IngersoU this. Again 
 does he look only in a material sense. Like 
 magic the answer springs from First Timothy: 
 
S25 FACE TO FACEl 
 
 ^^Not because we have not the power, but to make 
 ourselves an EXAMPLE unto YOU to follow.'' 
 God permitted the devil to take Him up in the 
 mountain that we might see the TRUTH IN 
 HIM; by so doing, he made an example before 
 the world that we might follow — that of over- 
 coming evil with good — hence, ^'Get thee behind 
 me, Satan.'' 
 
 Children are best taught by example, for *^Are 
 ye not children of your Father which is in 
 Heaven?" Jesus did not antagonize evil. HIS 
 WEAPON WAS LOVE; LOVE OVERCOMETH 
 THE WORLD. 
 
 The devil did not take Jesus up on the high 
 mountain in truth. He sought weakness, and 
 found to his astonishment the POWERFUL EX- 
 AMPLE of the ALMIGHTY GOD. The devil 
 pitted his conceit against the truth. THE KING- 
 DOM WAS SOUGHT FOR US when God per- 
 mitted himself to be led up on the mountain. 
 What are WE GOING TO DO TO OBTAIN IT? 
 
 ^^And the light shineth in darkness, and the 
 darkness comprehended it not." 
 
 ^^Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, 
 neither with leaven of malice and wickedness, but 
 with the unleavened bread of sincerity and 
 truth." 
 
 ^'But have removed the hidden things of dis- 
 honesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling 
 the word of God deceitfully, but by MANIFES- 
 TATION of the truth, commending ourselves to 
 EVERY MAN'S CONSCIENCE IN THE SPIR- 
 IT OF GOD." 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 83 
 
 **And they bend their tongues like the bows 
 for lay, for they are not VALIANT FOR THE 
 TRUTH UPON THE EARTH, for they proceed 
 from EVIL TO EVIL, for they know NOT ME, 
 SAITH THE LORD, WHO WOULD HAVE 
 ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come into 
 the KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH/ ^ 
 
 TRUTH is the Whippoorwill that sings spring 
 into the hearts of men. 
 
 A WEE PARABLE AND A GREAT TRUTH 
 
 A little child wandered over the grounds sur- 
 rounding a country mansion. Growing very 
 weary, she lay down near the dog kennel; laying 
 her head lovingly on old Towser's back, she soon 
 fell soundly asleep. Her little brother Norman 
 hunted long for her. Failing to find her, he sat 
 down under a tree trying to think where she 
 might be. ^* Whippoorwill, Whippoorwill,'' came 
 lustily from somewhere near by. Norman sprang 
 to his feet, running to the house as fast as his 
 little fat body would carry him. 
 
 ^^ Mother, Oh, mother! Bessie must be some 
 place she ought not to be, 'cause somepin in the 
 air told me to Whip-her-well ! " 
 
 The mother tried to explain. It was lost on 
 Norman, however, for he ran excitedly from the 
 house, bumping right into his Uncle Will. 
 
 **Have you seen Bessie?" was Norman's ex- 
 cited greeting. 
 
 ^*Well, no, why?" 
 
 **Well, she is some place she ought not to be, 
 'cause somepin told me." 
 
84 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Uncle Will asked him to tell him quietly what 
 had told him. Norman was almost too excited 
 to talk, but finally said: 
 
 **0h, somepin said, * Whip-her-well. ' " 
 Uncle Will laughed heartily, much to Nor- 
 man's disgust, and then asked Norman if he had 
 ever seen the WhippoorwilPs sister, the Chuck- 
 wills-widow, and their cousin, the Night-Gar? 
 
 * * Oh, oh, ' ' said Norman, * * are there more than 
 one of these things f 
 
 He hurried away, calling back over his shoul- 
 der: **If there are so many of those things I had 
 better go get her quick/' 
 
 He did not go far until he stopped short, for 
 there was Bessie peacefully sleeping on old 
 Towser's back. He tugged at her dress until she 
 awoke, then he took her to the house shouting : 
 
 ** Mother, moth-er, that fellow up in the tree 
 DID tell me the truth. Sister was some place 
 she ought not to be. She was a-takin' a nap on 
 old Towser's back." 
 
 But mother said, ^^You know, Norman, that 
 Towser would not hurt my little one.'' 
 
 * ^ I know, mother, but it was such a funny place 
 for her to go to sleep." 
 
 *^That is not an unnatural thing for her to 
 do, dear. The innocent see only the faithful dog; 
 not the barking, biting dog." 
 
 After a while the puzzled little Norman went 
 back to the tree and fell upon the grass, his little 
 arms folded under his head. He wanted to think 
 it all out. Tired of thinking he was soon in 
 dreamland. Three little birds with high silk hats 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 85 
 
 on and carrying canes under their wings, came 
 close to the slumbering Norman and doffed their 
 hats to him. 
 
 **How do you do, little boy. We come here 
 every day to see you, but you do not see us be- 
 cause you are too busy playing to notice us. We 
 will not blame you one bit for your discourtesy, 
 though. This, if you please, is Mr. Whippoor- 
 will; this is Mrs. Night-Gar; and this is my cou- 
 sin; Miss Chuckwills-widow. * * 
 
 ^'Can I do anything for youT^ said Miss 
 Chuckwills -widow. 
 
 **I don't know, maybe,'' said Norman. **Why 
 did my little sister go to sleep on old Towser's 
 back?" 
 
 The birdies whispered together a moment and 
 then chanted: 
 
 ** Little Norman,, do not fear; 
 
 It kills the truth in love, my dear." 
 
 Who does not love the simple stories of child- 
 hood? There is no greater song sung in the 
 heart of a little child than the pure trusting con- 
 fidence it shows towards those who incite its in- 
 terest, whatever the nature of that interest may 
 be. 
 
 We smile when we hear a child expressing 
 truth, though it be in fiction ; and yet, we pass by 
 the blush of the rose, which is expressing truth 
 as earnestly and beautifully as the child. 
 
 Truth is ever present. We have not as yet 
 learned how to meet it. We are too apt to 
 search for an onion in the orchid bed. One of the 
 
86 FACE TO FACE 
 
 most beautiful realities is TRUTH expressed in 
 LITTLE THINGS, whether it comes in parables 
 or whether it descends as the peace of night up- 
 on our heads. It is there, and it is beautiful. 
 No work of art can compare to the magnificent 
 grandeur of a life lived in truth. To live in truth 
 is to create a beautiful ethereal atmosphere 
 around us, painting pictures of which mortal man 
 cannot conceive. 
 
 God is a SUPREME FORCE; this includes 
 spirit; spirit is TRUTH. God is PERSONAL 
 by nature. '^God is Love.'' God is life. These 
 have substance. Truth, then, is LIFE; more, it 
 is EVERLASTING LIFE, when expressed in the 
 power of Divine love. 
 
 God is a spirit. Spirit never dies. To enact 
 truth, as well as to obtain it, should be our great- 
 est aim in life. If mankind will not accept aid 
 from on high, he will not acknowledge the truth 
 even within his OWN being. God trieth the 
 heart, but He refineth the gold. When truth 
 finds its proper setting, it can sparkle away, 
 KNOWING it IS pure gold; and others will 
 KNOW, and others will HEED, and others will 
 DO. 
 
 ^'Go your ways, I send you forth as lambs 
 among wolves. Carry neither purse or scrip, nor 
 shoes, and salute no man by the way. And into 
 whatsoever house ye enter FIRST SAY: 
 * PEACE BE UNTO THIS HOUSE,' and if the 
 Son of Peace be there, your peace shall rest 
 upon it; if NOT, it shall return to YOU AGAIN 
 and shall HEAL THE SICK and thev that are 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 87 
 
 therein, and say unto them the KINGDOM OF 
 GOD HAS COME UNTO YOU.'' 
 
 Again we find the law of attraction. As we 
 THINK, SO SHALL IT BE, nnto others as well 
 as self. When we go about our Father's busi- 
 ness our own power is quickened. As we give, 
 so shall we receive. O man, awake! Why sleep- 
 est thou in the ignorance of thy will ? 
 
 Again, truth is a great convenience. It oblit- 
 erates fear; it closes the door to chaos, thus en- 
 abling us to feel a certain amount of JOYFUL 
 INDEPENDENCE. It is inconvenient NOT to 
 live in truth. It is apt to bring a lot of pictures 
 on the wall we had rather not see. One little 
 untruth bites the heel of another little untruth 
 until a long chain of untruths is forged into 
 FACT, hence crimes are bred in very little cells. 
 
 On the other hand, when we live in truth, there 
 is the spirit of rest and peace singing away with- 
 in our soul; a JOY we would not TAKE 
 WORLDS FOR. It is a bit of the Cross mortal, 
 man carries, OVERCOMING THE SPIRIT OF 
 TEMPTATION. ^^HE WHO WILL NOT PICK 
 UP THE CROSS AND FOLLOW ME, CAN- 
 NOT BE MY DISCIPLE." It is worth trying 
 for, it is worth WORKING FOR, PRAISE BE! 
 
 Truth is the conveyance that carries us to the 
 heights, unmindful of the ruts and thorny ways. 
 It is a safe conveyance, for at the end of the 
 journey we shall find spirit IS TRUTH, and we 
 want to meet it fairly. 
 
 Another great comfort that leads into innum- 
 erable conveniences is this: When we KEEP 
 
88 FACE TO FACE 
 
 looking towards the heights we find love welling 
 in our hearts for all mankind, and we seek their 
 WELFARE AS WELL AS OUR OWN. LOVE 
 OVERCOMETH the world, though the whole 
 world seemingly be against thee. When we look 
 with love to the welfare of our fellow man, sooner 
 or later love is going to find response, and it is 
 indeed convenient to be loved; it is the FULL- 
 NESS OF ALL. 
 
 ^^No greater love hath any man than he lay 
 down his life for a friend." 
 
 Christ, in the fullness of His love, gave life 
 to ALL MANKIND. Can we give one-tenth as 
 much to our fellow man? 
 
 God said, ^'LET THERE BE LIGHT, and 
 there WAS light.'' The power of expressive 
 principles directed towards the object desired, 
 has been taught us FROM THE BEGINNING. 
 Why then tarry? ^'Go thou, and do likewise.'' 
 
 Anything of value must begin through the 
 power of expression, whether it be in thought or 
 the spoken word. The sword of unrest cannot 
 cleave the flesh until the mind is laid bare of 
 armor. The robin cannot sing until something 
 within calls forth the song. The instrument must 
 have the touch of expression before it can peal 
 forth its melody. Man must call forth the ex- 
 pressive principles would he conquer worlds. 
 MAN, thou knowest not thine own inborn power, 
 thine own DIVINE RIGHT to WILL into exist- 
 ence things needful unto thee. To WILL into 
 existence any given thing, is to FIRST SEEK 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 89 
 
 THE KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUS- 
 NESS, and ALL THINGS NEEDFUL SHALL 
 BE ADDED UNTO YOU. 
 
 Through DIVINE WILL the world was created. 
 
 **I, of myself, can do nothing.'^ 
 He who is victor must do the work of HIM 
 WHO HATH SENT HIM. '*Ye fools, did ye 
 not know that He that made that which is WITH- 
 OUT, made that which was WITHIN also?^' 
 
 ONE GREATER THAN I 
 
 No more beautiful truth exists in the Garden 
 of God than nature's dreams; the kind of dreams 
 that slumber in the hearts of the innocent. In- 
 spiration is born in the budding soul from which 
 countless well-springs of truth, love and mercy 
 are revealed in the character of a child from day 
 unto day. One of the greatest charms in the Gar- 
 den of God is the infallible truth that teaches the 
 child through nature's dreams that love DOES 
 NOT KILL. 
 
 Innocence plays like the wind with things man 
 fear to touch. 
 
 Innocence stood midst the Garden of God play- 
 ing with beasts, birds, flowers and creeping 
 things. These held the same theme for the inno- 
 cent one; they were all beautiful, all had the 
 secret call of attune-ment. A chubby hand caught 
 a golden butterfly, two blue eyes looked heaven- 
 ward ; had the butterfly lived so long in the sun- 
 shine that its wings had caught the gold? The 
 blue eyes dropped low with the wonder of it. 
 There at his feet grew buttercups in profusion; 
 
90 FACE TO FACE 
 
 **more gold/' breathed innocence; "harmony of 
 purpose/' whispered nature's dreams. 
 
 The tiny hand relaxed; the butterfly fluttered 
 unharmed from the dimpled hand that had held it 
 prisoner. "Fly away, fly away," cried the soul 
 of truth: "gather upon thy wings the freedom 
 that is born in the heart of the innocent." 
 
 Two blue eyes again searched the sky. "0, 
 where is my sun now I" Anguished tears flowed 
 o'er the buttercups. "But see," whispered na- 
 ture's dreams, "the buttercups keep the gold, 
 while the clouds turn into watering-pots. Canst 
 thou not see how it dips, dips; how tenderly the 
 drops fall, refreshing them?" 
 
 "And that is THY mission, dear — to refresh 
 humanity when material clouds gather; holding 
 the gold before their eyes that they may remem- 
 ber "God trieth the heart" to make them 
 stronger, sweeter, more pure, that they may in- 
 herit the Kingdom." 
 
 "Aye, that is good," cried innocence, "but my 
 butterfly will get its wings wet, and then it can- 
 not fly." 
 
 "Come," said nature's dreams. Step by step 
 he led innocence to a nearby tree. ' ^ Thinkest thou 
 God hast forgotten, fair one ? Thy beautiful but- 
 terfly is safe; see how snugly its leaf raincoat 
 fits? See the contentment peeping from his little 
 eyes?" 
 
 "It is true," cried innocence, "it is true. God 
 does NOT forget." 
 
 "Snap, snap, snap." Innocence, startled be- 
 yond words, turned to run away, stumbling over 
 
IN THE GARDEN OF GOD 9l 
 
 the very thing he was running from. Stooping, 
 he picked up the snapping turtle. **How funny 
 you are, you foolishest thing, to snap and snap 
 at me ; I would not harm thee. ' * 
 
 A long neck upon which sat a strange little 
 head, came popping out of its shell; two beady 
 eyes looked long and searchingly into a pair of 
 blue. Love shown, and confidence found a home. 
 * * 0, I see, ' ' said the innocent one ; * * THAT is the 
 way God has given thee to tell me not to take 
 too many liberties with thee, eh? Ah, 'tis good.'* 
 
 Blub-b-lu-b. Innocence placed friend turtle ten- 
 derly on the ground, and then bent low over the 
 little brook from whence the blubbering sound 
 had come. BEHOLD! he saw reflected there — 
 **His likeness and image.'' The shower had 
 passed ; as the sun burst forth, throwing a golden 
 halo o'er the water, the image grew more beauti- 
 ful. 
 
 Two tiny hands reached down to catch the sil- 
 ver fish blubbering and playing so happily in the 
 fresh cool water. A tiny foot slipped; Wisdom 
 came close, gathering the innocent one in his 
 great strong arms. Silently they stood watching 
 until the stars came out. ^^God is lighting His 
 lamps, dear, that the path may be made safe for 
 us." Two little arms stole around the neck of 
 Wisdom, a little head lay trustfully on his 
 shoulder, a soft little sigh breathed content. The 
 powerful form of Wisdom crunched the twigs be- 
 neath his feet as they passed on, through the 
 Garden of God. 
 
 The air grew sweet with the fragrance of san- 
 
92 FACE TO FACE 
 
 dalwood; voices came from afar off singing na- 
 ture's dreams. Two blue eyes closed in peaceful 
 slumber. Wisdom trod on carrying his precious 
 burden into the great open field; a soft form 
 brushed them by. **Ha, haP' cried Wisdom, **I 
 have no bow and arrow, why dost thou fear me, 
 wild thing! This is the Garden of God; in it 
 TRUTH abideth and thou art safe.'' The wild 
 thing paused ; love vibrating in the voice of Wis- 
 dom gave it confidence ; it came close, licking the 
 feet of Innocence. **Come," said Wisdom, *^we 
 are at the end of our journey and This is the 
 house of LOVE." So saying he threw wide the 
 portals; BEHOLD ONE GREATER than I! The 
 one greater than I, bared His hands and feet; 
 blood flowed freely o'er the path that Innocence 
 and Wisdom had trod. Innocence looked, shud- 
 dered, two blue eyes closed. Again Innocence 
 turned his head to behold the bleeding hands 
 and feet; and LO!— THEY WERE HEALED. 
 Two astonished eyes again wandered down the 
 path Wisdom had trod. Yea, 'twas true — ROSES 
 GREW where blood had flowed; BEHOLD THE 
 TRUTH— IN THE GARDEN OF GOD! 
 
 The sweet incense of peace stole o 'er them and 
 they slept — a soft voice whispered a lullaby — 
 '' 'Tis I— be not afraid." 
 
 Voices in the far off were singing nature's 
 dreams. The camels were contentedly chewing 
 the cud of Madrigal; stars peeped through fleet- 
 ing clouds, the trees whispered assurance, but 
 ^^NOT ANY TREES in the Garden of God were 
 like unto HIM IN BEAUTY." 
 
CHAPTEE II 
 WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 
 
 A WEE BIT OF HEAVEN 
 A wee bit of heaven fell from the clouds one day, 
 Slipped right into my soul — and then away. 
 
 I felt the warmth and sunshine of a brighter day, 
 I forgot the sting of death, it was far away. 
 
 There arose a Glory, the like I had ne'er seen 
 
 before 
 It was the '' burning bush,'' and, it was more. 
 
 There arose amidst it a form so wondrous bright, 
 It illumined all the world with its Holy light. 
 
 ^^Put off thine shoes from off thine feet, for this 
 Is Holy ground"; child I insist, do not resist. 
 
 I sang songs of yester years, and then do say, 
 I was lifted in a chariot, drawn by horses gay. 
 
 I sailed the Red Sea over, I saw the parting of 
 
 the way. 
 The sun set in its glory, in my heart it left a ray. 
 
 I wondered. Could I be an angel? to ride thus 
 
 o'er the sea, 
 I looked about, but not another angel, looked — 
 
 like me. 
 
94 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Softly, I slipped back to earth, glanced about, 
 
 and then — 
 Found angel blossoms growing in the hearts of 
 
 men! 
 
 EXAIiTED PRAYER 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^ Thousands ask God to be 
 protected from the devil; some, like David, pray 
 for revenge; and some implore God not to lead 
 them into temptation. All these prayers rest 
 upon, and are produced by, the idea that some 
 power not only can, but will, change the order of 
 the universe.'* 
 
 LOTUS : The power of love is the only thing 
 that will ever change the conditions of the uni- 
 verse. Until ^^Love thy neighbor as thyself is 
 put into practical application and is made a 
 statutory law in the land, so to speak, we cannot 
 hope for any great change. Unselfish love is the 
 foundation of peace. 
 
 When we seek aid from on high, we are not 
 satisfied to ask once and then TRUST for the 
 fulfillment; no, we keep on asking, much as the 
 child does for candy. 
 
 Nature does not ask; it LIVES in the boun- 
 teous supply of NOW. ^^ Consider the lilies of 
 the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do 
 they spin, yet I say unto you that even Solomon 
 in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these. '* 
 
 Nature meets nature in the Divine presence of 
 its Creator. When we learn to meet Him there, 
 our supply will be more apparent to us. In the 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 95 
 
 minds of the ignorant, the silver thread of the 
 Divine is ever spinning; it will eventually CON- 
 SUME IGNOEANCE, whether it be in genera- 
 tions to come or now. 
 
 ^*That at the name of Jesus every knee shall 
 bow of THINGS OF HEAVEN, and THINGS 
 OF EARTH, and THINGS UNDER THE 
 EARTH, and that every tongue shall confess that 
 Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father." 
 
 The trouble is that most prayers are sent forth 
 from hollow souls. Prayer is a tonic for the 
 soul, a beverage for the body, an adequate 
 FORCE in affairs; it is recreation from the 
 world of things; it is a God-given right to one 
 and all without respect of persons. There is not 
 one who has tasted the cup of HONEST prayer 
 that will not repeat it sometime in the course of 
 their lives. 
 
 When universal love is expressed in the FULL- 
 NESS of its beauty, temptations will be met and 
 conquered through the mighty unity of thought; 
 prayer universal will so uplift the human race 
 that God's purpose will be complete, for has He 
 not said: ''1 say unto you, LOVE YOUR 
 ENEMIES, bless them that curse you and them 
 that hate you, and pray for them that despite- 
 fully use you and persecute you''? This is an- 
 other scientific truth contained in the Bible; a 
 metaphysical law; the foundation of New 
 Thought, science, etc., and yet, just the old 
 truth after all. The Bible CANNOT be improved 
 on; it cannot be changed to meet the ideas of 
 
96 FACE TO FACE 
 
 man. Man must revert to the PLAIN TRUTH 
 IN THE BIBLE before he CAN MEET HIS 
 IDEALS. 
 
 **Be therefore not like unto them: for your 
 Father knoweth what things ye have need of, 
 BEFORE ye ask Him. After this manner 
 therefore pray ye, *Our Father which art in 
 heaven — ^ '' What solace, what joy rekindles 
 again and again in the hearts of those who ^*pray 
 with understanding also'M 
 
 *^Let the spirit of God dwell within you 
 richly.'* Here is the solution to the purpose of 
 prayer to the conditions of the universe. 
 
 It is the law of nature to be methodical as to 
 time and season, renewing the forces of growth 
 from time to time by going into the SILENCE, 
 housing its energy for greater service. Prayer 
 is like that, when it is HONEST prayer. It is 
 NATURAL growth that admits the inflow of the 
 Divine, from which we reap an abundant harvest. 
 
 We cannot uproot the worldly ideals man has 
 set, as the hands of a clock, pointing to what he 
 deems to call PERFECTION, but we CAN hold 
 the Cross of Calvary before his eyes until the 
 lights burn low in the Cathedral of a Godless 
 pulpit. We CAN plant seeds that will grow in 
 the desert of ignorance. 
 
 The cut-worm cannot destroy the ^'burning 
 bush" for: '^HERE AM I, HERE AM L** 
 
 THOUGHTS AND THEIR KIN 
 
 Previous to the transition of Ella Wheeler Wil- 
 cox, there came before the public a query, ^^Why 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 97 
 
 does this capable writer cling to the old idea of 
 a Godr* I folded the paper and answered within 
 my own soul, WHY? Because she was a 
 THINKER. Because she was one who came very 
 close to the heart of things. Because she was 
 clean, good and wholesome. Because she under- 
 stood the SOURCE of her OWN POWER to do. 
 
 DEAR SOUL, that has lived, still lives, 
 
 In the arms of the great Infinite God 
 
 Who hath made the way clear, 
 
 And holdeth dear the treasures trove she left 
 
 behind ; 
 That we might grow in beauty so, we could if we 
 
 would, 
 Rival the stars, and thus bring home to her, 
 The knowledge that she worked not in vain but 
 
 the 
 Same God in whom she believed, held us close in 
 
 His 
 Embrace that we too might find a place, where 
 
 she, 
 OUR LOVED ONE DWELLETH. 
 
 We are a part of the great eternal whole. We 
 cannot deny one member of the body, nor can we 
 deny the unity of purpose in connecting the many 
 members of the body; nor can we deny these 
 have a Divine purpose that embodies SPIRIT. 
 
 Life is a creative force that proclaims a CREA- 
 TOR. It is conscious, intelligent existence; a 
 VITAL PRINCIPLE; that which tends toward 
 progression and development; these proclaim 
 
98 FACE TO FACE 
 
 God. Intelligence is Omnipotent, Omnipetent, 
 Omnipresent Spirit. ^^God is a Spirit.'' 
 
 The inhabitants of India will not accept our 
 God because they cannot imagine spirit as WILL, 
 as a force that can ACT and CEEATE without 
 being united with matter. They do not under- 
 stand, or know, that electricity is directly con- 
 nected with Divinity; that spirit HAS power to 
 penetrate substance by its electric magnetic 
 force; that spirit IS will, conscious intelligence; 
 that it has power to quicken dormant negative 
 films as it were, into ACTIVE principles that 
 will co-operate with higher intelligences, and thus 
 enliven empires. 
 
 It may seem strange fancy, nevertheless the 
 Omnipotent presence of spirit CAN and WILL 
 co-operate with the VEEY VITALS OF THE 
 HUMAN EACE, until it has accomplished the 
 DIGNITY with which man was in the first place 
 endowed; made in His likeness and image. 
 
 The bare fact that Spirit is NATUEAL, puts 
 upon its face the power to send forth and quicken 
 the responsive chords of nature in man. It is 
 the God in man calling for the Divine in nature, 
 the headlight by which spirit finds its way to en- 
 liven, quicken and develop these powers. Man 
 may live for years without recognizing this great 
 force at work within; and then, without warning, 
 find the truth in it through some outward expres- 
 sion that will bring the fact home to him that he 
 HAS talents, powers, that MAY grow into great 
 achievements. 
 
WAVES THAT COMB TO SHORE 99 
 
 God is a supreme force, personal by nature. 
 **GOD IS A SPIEIT.'^ In ^^ Simplified Lessons 
 in the Science of Being'' by Fanny B. Harley, we 
 find the following: **I call your attention to the 
 fact that Jesus could not have said, *God is a 
 spirit,' but *God is spirit'; for John says: 'God 
 is love,' 'God is light.' " The author must have 
 overlooked a verse in which John also said: 
 **God is A spirit: and they that worship Him 
 must worship HIM in spirit and in truth." This 
 was taken from a Bible so old I was compelled to 
 use a microscope to see the words clearly, the 
 date being wholly effaced by time. 
 
 ''God is Love." We know that it takes 
 FORCE to send love into penetrating properties 
 and expressions. This is a personal quality. 
 "God is light." Spirit is light, the illuminating 
 presence of God. Love is the battery of soul ; no 
 light is visible without soul. In the recesses of 
 the soul the expressive principles are set to work, 
 from which emit the presence of the Eucharist. 
 It is easier when we know this, to understand 
 what power mind has over matter ; why the spirit 
 of God may dwell within us richly; why thought 
 has such wonderful force. 
 
 INGERSOLL: "Even Christ, the supposed 
 son of God, taught that persons were possessed 
 with evil spirits and frequently, according to the 
 accounts, gave proof of this Divine origin and 
 mission by frightening devils out of his own 
 countrymen. Chasing devils was his chief em- 
 ployment, and the devils thus vanquished gener- 
 
100 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ally took occasion to acknowledge him as the true 
 Messiah, which was not only kind of them, but 
 fortunate for him/' 
 
 LOTUS: The above statement is unusually 
 antagonistic to the laws of PURE SPIRIT, and 
 is a fair example of thought and its effect. 
 Thought forces do not cease as soon as forgotten 
 by us ; there is a record THERE. I wonder how 
 we will feel when we face our thought world? 
 Our air castles do not seem so vague after all; 
 they are but truth written in fiction. Let us 
 pray; prayer was never more needed than in the 
 construction of the thought world. 
 
 Thoughts are things. Consider what manner 
 of THINGr such a thought would create; things 
 that leave their imprint buried deep in the minds 
 of the many. These thoughts impress the indi- 
 vidual, or individuals, according to the power be- 
 hind the thought. If they are evil, falling upon 
 fertile ground, the consequences may become phe- 
 nomenal in nature in their course of construction 
 and destruction. Good thoughts likewise, build 
 according to the power from the positive to the 
 negative, infusing themselves in some fertile 
 brain, BECOMINd A DEFINITE ACTION, then 
 habit. Habit forms CHARACTER; character a 
 DESTINY. 
 
 To become a harboring negative, is to admit an 
 obsessing force that imprisons disease in mind 
 and body, which results in demonstrating a degen- 
 erate force. A degenerate force developing in 
 mind demonstrates evil, until it BECOMES an 
 obsessing force. Jesus drove out these obsessing 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 101 
 
 forces, devils, by the POWEE OF THE SPOKEN 
 WOED. 
 
 TEUTH CASTETH OUT ALL COEEUP- 
 TION. Man cleansed, purified by the WOED OF 
 GOD and praise recognizes not only JESUS AS 
 THE CHEIST, but recognizes the Divine prin- 
 ciple within HIS OWN BEING. These obsessed 
 ones did not know the truth for themselves ; Jesus 
 knew it for them; ^^but,'' the infidel says: 
 ^^ JESUS DEOVE THEM into swine.'' 
 
 They WEEE things, TEULY they were things. 
 No matter what FOEM they took, they WEEE 
 THE EESULT OF SIN, of evil THOUGHT, of 
 OBSESSING FOECE. They were MATEEIAL , 
 THOUGHT, and of SUCH constru^,tij(iil; is*, the \j 
 DEVIL HIMSELF. ... '. \ ' 1 ..^,,.. .., ... 
 
 COMMONPLACE THINGS AND THEIR 
 PLACE IN THE REALMS OF THE DIVINE 
 
 Boom! Boom! Boom-e-ty Boom! Halleluiah — 
 what a Saviour ! Meekly we follow to their hall 
 those who sing. We see them feed the hungry, 
 see the hot coffee and rolls grasped eagerly by 
 dirty, grimy hands. We hear the great army 
 singing all the while ^^COME, BEOTHEE, GOD 
 IS WAITING. '' Tears stream down furrowed 
 cheeks, the hungry are fed in SPIEIT AND IN 
 TEUTH. In this one little act there is so much 
 that is EEAL. It is through just such little 
 things that the spirit of God is ENABLED to 
 dwell within us richly. It is in the so-called com- 
 monjDlace things of life that we see the magnitude 
 of God's works. From the tiniest particle to the 
 
102 FACE TO FACE 
 
 highest mountain top, we find the Infinite wisdom 
 and workings of Divine purpose, running like a 
 thread of gold throughout the universe. 
 
 As I walked toward the morning-glory vines, 
 peeping over the fence at me, I looked out over 
 the alley, and paused to look closer at the bright 
 shiny row of garbage cans that dotted the alley 
 here and there. I could but wonder, as I noted 
 the tightly fitting lids, at the perfect system that 
 had made the garbage can possible. 
 
 It was first taken from the bowels of the earth 
 in the Garden of God, and then brought to the 
 light of usefulness by fhe intelligence and skill 
 of man. The routine of city system waylays dis- 
 '^ ea^e/ and -gives sustenance to the earth, by dis- 
 posing of the garbage as a fertilizer, and thus the 
 yl^W'Of producing is enlivened. 
 
 God may not have thought of the garbage can, 
 but He thought of the NEEDS of man; much as 
 the fond father places before his son tools and 
 material, knowing that the child will create some- 
 thing useful, pleasing. He knows also, the more 
 we express the Divine sense, the greater will be 
 our achievements. 
 
 Power groweth in a night when it is justified 
 by faith in works. 
 
 As I walked back to the house I paused by 
 the kitchen sink, when a question arose in my 
 mind — WHY do servants so dislike to wash 
 dishes? The wee small voice whispered: ^*Have 
 you ever thought what the dishpan and its con- 
 tents mean to us? The earth itself is a part of 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 103 
 
 their construction ; the beautiful decorations, the 
 mineral paint, is taken from the LITTLE 
 THINGS of earth. '» 
 
 What a wonderful amount of thought and skill, 
 romance and sentiment, that dishpan holds, I 
 cried! Why, there are the cups that were given 
 to mother on her wedding day, and they are the 
 old Roman blue that is so hard to obtain now. 
 The funny little windmills and the peasants 
 dotted here and there over them always bring a 
 SMILE WITH THEM. And there, look at that 
 little butter tray! Grandmother made such lovely 
 little pats of butter that just seemed to be grow- 
 ing among the gold and green decorations on the 
 tray. Never shall I forget how delicious were 
 the biscuit and butter, the honey and the cream; 
 was it because they were served so attractively! 
 Was it the effect of suggestion? Dishes DO sug- 
 gest to us. The WAY things are served repels 
 or compels. It is one of the little things that 
 assists nature to heal. 
 
 AND LOOK, HERE is Jimmie's little mug; 
 funny, isn't it, with its quaint coloring! But 
 Jimmie went away, last year, in apple blossom 
 time, and the mug holds flowers now. 
 
 And here are the modern plates, that we had 
 such a HAPPY time selecting when HIS HONOR 
 came to dine — what a WORLD of poetry that 
 dishpan holds! 
 
 I had a colored maid at that time of whom I 
 was very fond, but she did SO dislike to wash 
 dishes. A few days after my own experience 
 
104 PACE TO FACE 
 
 with the wee small voice, I went to the kitchen 
 at dish-washing time and asked Milly if she knew 
 what she was washing. 
 
 ^^Yas 'em, I does; dishes, and dey's dirty, too/' 
 
 I explained to her the origin of dishes and the 
 sentiment that was bubbling happily about in the 
 sparkling suds; what those dishes meant to me, 
 and to mankind in general. 
 
 ^^Now Missie, who'd evah thought of that but 
 jes' you!" she cried vehemently. 
 
 I never saw Milly washing dishes again that 
 she did not originate some song attuned to her 
 task. It brought harmony in our kitchen, and a 
 greater understanding in the heart of Milly for 
 THINGS, as seen through the spiritual eye. She 
 thought it a privilege to care for and cleanse the 
 things that God and man had brought to 
 perfection. 
 
 After that many beautiful thoughts were 
 brought to my room, crude, true; but they bared 
 the heart that was learning the value of things 
 made holy by the gift of the spirit. 
 
 One fogg>^, dreary day I was somewhat 
 depressed ; it almost seemed that God had disap- 
 peared in the sunshine of yesterday, when Milly 
 tiptoed to my side unannounced. '' Missie, look 
 a heah." From her apron she took an old 
 raspberry can. ''See that, Missie," pointing with 
 pride to a seed that had begun to sprout, even 
 though it had got wedged in the crevice of an old 
 tin can. "You-all said, Missie, you would jes' 
 give anything for one Scotch thistle like Missie 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 105 
 
 Julia haid. When Missie Julia's thistle died, she 
 done throw it in our ya'd, an' the seed done hid 
 for you, Missie." 
 
 **How do you know it is a Scotch thistle, 
 Milly?" 
 
 In answer, she held up a piece of down that had 
 somehow become fastened under the little seed. 
 Milly cared for the little seed as though it were 
 a diamond; and so it proved to be later, when 
 she proudly set a plant before me that bore one 
 of the most perfect thistles it has ever been my 
 pleasure to see. She had put on her new 
 STA'CHED gingham and stiff little white cap 
 in honor of the occasion. Silently she sat, her 
 head between her hands, watching me paint the 
 thistle that God had placed so mysteriously near 
 the hand that had tended it. 
 
 *^ Ain't it a BIG thistle, Missie?" 
 
 **Yes, it is, Milly, thanks to you." 
 
 The old raspberry can, dressed in a coat of 
 green paint, sits in state on Milly 's old slate 
 mantel today. 
 
 **No'em, you-all cain't have it, it's the biggest 
 thing in old Milly 's life; NO SUH, nor you cain't 
 put your cigah ashes in it either." 
 
 * ^ I have heard of peace pipes and dream pipes, 
 Milly," said my escort, ^'but I have never heard 
 of dream-cans." 
 
 ^ ' You-all hush you business, that aint no dream 
 can, that am EEALIZATION. " 
 
 Many a seeming trifle dwells on the mantel of 
 
106 PACE TO FACE 
 
 memory and sings in accord with the Infinite, 
 humble though they be. 
 
 Thinking among the little things, the plain 
 humble things, is a profound religious duty. 
 
 ^'Not as eye service, as men pleasers, but as 
 servants of God from the heart.'' 
 
 For He would have us be as little children, 
 that we may see the BEAUTIES of His power 
 in every leaf, tree and flower. Thinking among 
 LITTLE THINGS so develops the latent forces, 
 talents, that they spring up almost unnoticed 
 until we realize the working power in them and 
 aid their expression by lending to them the best 
 thought and training. This is the key to develop- 
 ing any talent or power; lending our best efforts 
 to it, unhampered by what would sometimes seem 
 to be but fancy. It is after all, the things we 
 take pleasure in, that enables us to find and hold 
 a latent power until we CAN give it the attention 
 its nature demands to bring out its worth in full 
 force. It is but the QUICKENING OF THE 
 DIVINE WITHIN, the possibilities of His 
 likeness and image, making themselves manifest 
 in outward expression. Thought, rightly directed, 
 is the science that is the agency of producing. It 
 is a sort of electric energy that meets spirited 
 action and the phenomena due to these actions. 
 Thus we find thought CAN BE SO DIRECTED 
 AS TO QUICKEN LIFE IN ACTION until it 
 becomes any one of the arts or professions our 
 being is capable of expressing. We find the 
 greatest food for thought in nature, for nature 
 brings to us at times the power of second sight, 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 107 
 
 as it were; that is, we are enabled to see beyond 
 the present condition of our possibilities at the 
 time, and through some unseen power working 
 in all nature our eyes are opened to the truth 
 within. Determination to get CLOSE TO GOD, 
 to the THINGS OF GOD; opening the door of 
 the soul to the inflow of truth in these, brings 
 peace, poise and power through which we are 
 enabled to understand in the fullest sense what 
 we are capable of; what talents are dormant, and 
 what particular faculty only needs the touch of 
 expression to call it forth into being. EEALLY 
 dormant talents may be brought forth by proper 
 adjustment to their needs. Too oft an inferior 
 instructor is thought good enough to BEGIN 
 with; this is a grave mistake, the best tutor 
 obtainable is not good enough to help us build 
 the foundation of a future. A poor instructor 
 may take mayhap years of expression from us, 
 months of worry and turmoil, discouragement, 
 and the end is not satisfactory. 
 
 Find the talent, find and obtain the best 
 instructor, then apply the BEST THAT IS IN 
 YOU to the theme in hand. YOU WILL WIN IF 
 YOU KEEP GOD IN IT. 
 
 First find, then apply the knowledge necessary 
 to carry these talents through the dark stages 
 of torpid dormancy into the bright light of 
 active reality ; the end will NOT be disappointing. 
 That is the secret of it all; when our thoughts 
 by God are led THEEE we find all we are 
 seeking, and more. Angels may be slumbering 
 near our door. Nature assists us to find and 
 
108 FACE TO FACE 
 
 apply our better self; our BIG self to reach out 
 into the night and draw within our care and 
 protection the innocent ones, that we may reap 
 all the beauty such as these give, and the greatest 
 of these is trusting love. Like Evangeline, we 
 seek our loves through the paths of nature bare- 
 foot and longing. IT is the AET created in the 
 heart, the blending of nature and the soul, that 
 gives hope, no matter the goal. Over our heads 
 the stars gleam forth brighter and still brighter 
 with each new night. AH! it is the kindling of 
 God's thoughts, shining through the mist of 
 years, to bring us laughter and dry our tears! 
 
 Nature is ever teaching its beautiful lessons to 
 man even though it be expressed in the hod he 
 carries on his back. The hod comes from the 
 Garden of God, and it holds more from the 
 garden; it is spiritualized by honest labor and 
 the creative substance it holds. The hod carrier 
 is an honest factor in the building of things 
 beautiful. 
 
 I knew a very rich man who was ill, ill from 
 lack of faith in his fellow man. It seemed to him 
 that no one could smile in his presence unless 
 they wanted some favor or financial aid. He 
 grew melancholy in consequence and moved to 
 the suburbs, where he sat moodily watching the 
 building going up near his own. One day a 
 workman passed as he sat there dreaming. The 
 man stopped, picked a little flower growing just 
 outside the gate ; turning he went up to the sick 
 man saying: 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 109 
 
 *^Are ye sick! and Howdy; here's a little 
 flower ; maybe it '11 make ye perk up a wee bit. ' ' 
 
 In astonishment the rich man grasped eagerly 
 the proffered flower. Daily after that Pat would 
 pass the rich man's house with a cheerful 
 ^^ Howdy; how be ye?" The rich man grew more 
 and more impatient for morning to come and 
 with it the cheerful face of Pat. One day Pat 
 failed to make an appearance. Discontentedly, the 
 rich man wended his way across the street and 
 asked the foreman what had become of Pat. 
 
 *^And sure," said the foreman, ^^his baby is 
 dead altogether." 
 
 The rich man asked Pat's address, ordered his 
 car and went to see the burial of all Pat held 
 dear. A fond, hearty hand-clasp lightened the 
 burdens of both men. There arose a friendship 
 that brought back to the rich man faith in his 
 fellow man, health to his body, and joy to his 
 spirit. 
 
 It is just one of the little things, the taking 
 time to say ^^ Howdy, How be ye?" that makes 
 life move more easily over the cobblestones. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ''Nature is without passion." 
 
 LOTUS: Nature covers a broad area. God is 
 a Supreme force, a Divine whole, that includes 
 passion. God is in all nature; where God is, 
 there is intelligence. There are two kinds of 
 passion; sensual and spiritual. The love of God 
 for the children of men is a passionate appeal 
 for all that is good and noble; hence it is 
 spiritual passion. Again, there is the Divine 
 
110 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Passion of the Cross, upon whicli is the imprint 
 of supreme sacrifice. 
 
 In times of material storms, God sends His 
 word through nature to man. His Love knows 
 no time it cannot heal; it knows no villainous 
 crimes; it knows no reason but the reason of 
 truth ; it is the only love that will play thee fair. 
 
 Nature's thrills are Holy communion to those 
 who are pure in spirit. 
 
 Let us walk and talk, the sun is setting. The 
 western prairie is beautiful at this time. The 
 buifalo-grass is curling fascinatingly; the wind 
 is singing a soft refrain through the windmill in 
 yonder pasture. Let us go there and walk; it is 
 to me Holy ground. Mother's feet have often 
 wandered there, her beautiful thoughts building 
 a destiny. Hark! I almost hear her step beside 
 me. She loved it well. 
 
 Ah, here we are, you dear wonderful little 
 sensitive plant. DID YOU KNOW it goes to 
 sleep at night! And, of course, you have noticed 
 the closing of its leaves upon coming in contact 
 with personal magnetism? While we are watch- 
 ing the glorious sunset, let us sit here on the 
 grass and I will carry you back to June 5, 
 1916', in this same spot. This plant is the product 
 of the plant I am about to tell you of. The sun 
 looked much the same, save a storm was brewing 
 in the far west, the copper colored clouds perhaps 
 a little more intense in their glory. 
 
 I was walking along thinking perhaps I had 
 better return to the house, when I heard a 
 rustling at my side. Fearing snakes, I looked 
 
WAVES THAT COMB TO SHORE 111 
 
 down, to find a meadow-lark and her little ones 
 cuddled quite close to the sensitive plant. The 
 blossoms were profuse, and I noticed — with not a 
 little astonishment — that the lattice-like leaves of 
 the plant did not close, as was customary when 
 man touched it, although the sweet scented yellow 
 powder was falling in profusion from the 
 blossoms. 
 
 I looked apprehensively at the sky, the 
 CLOUDS were fast scattering. I did not want 
 to frighten the birds by my prolonged visit, so 
 I sat down on the grass, right where we are 
 sitting now, to watch. The mother bird looked 
 at me inquiringly. Concluding I looked harmless 
 she flew away. I slid over to the plant, thinking 
 not to disturb the little ones. Touching the plant 
 tenderly every leaflet closed tight. I slipped 
 back to my former position and waited for the 
 mother bird to return. She did not keep me 
 waiting long; she soon returned with a great 
 ado, and a little food. To my continued astonish- 
 ment, she busied herself about the plant, feeding 
 the little ones and chattering away; the plant 
 apparently enjoying the conversation; not a leaf 
 closed. 
 
 The wind was rising; the tuneful melody of 
 the windmill had changed to a mournful sound, 
 and I wondered of the sins of Adam. Hastily I 
 walked homeward, to meet my cheerful little 
 foster mother in the doorway. She had been 
 watching and waiting for me. 
 
 ^^And what do you think you have been 
 doing f she said, as only she could say it; a soft 
 
112 FACE TO FACE 
 
 little croon, that dispelled every bit of fear and 
 ADAM'S SIN. 
 
 I told her, and she advised me to visit the 
 plant daily, as she also would be interested. I 
 went every evening after that to find pretty 
 much the same conditions, until one bright morn- 
 ing mother called me out to hear the birds 
 singing. 
 
 ^'DO YOU BLAME MB FOR LOVING IT 
 OUT HERE?'' she said. Indeed I could not; her 
 sweet nature was attuned to the song of the 
 birds; hers was a passionate love for the beauti- 
 ful, the sweet, the pure. 
 
 ^^I will go with you this morning, dear, if you 
 do not mind." 
 
 Would I have her! It was a privilege granted 
 few to enjoy her sweet presence. 
 
 We sauntered along until we came to the grave 
 of an Indian, probably fifty or one hundred 
 years old. I said I would like to dig it up and 
 see what it was like inside. She laughed and 
 said: 
 
 ^^You gruesome mischief, not while I am with 
 you at least." 
 
 So we sauntered on, talking lazily, pleasantly, 
 with no care in the world ; just happiness, content 
 and love. The glorious air and sunshine gave us 
 a new lease on life.' We felt very near God's 
 kingdom. 
 
 Presently I paused in astonishment. Two 
 strange looking things were sticking up over 
 my little sensitive plant. Could it be my plant 
 had grown horns overnight? Mother laughed 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 113 
 
 heartily and sat down on a wagon tongue wMle 
 I went to see what these strange things were. A 
 rabbit scurried away at my approach. I grieved 
 as I looked, for my little birds had flown. The 
 rabbit scurried back to the protection of the 
 sensitive plant; again the leaves did not move. 
 
 We chatted cheerfully on, discussing the 
 possibilities of plant paralysis. The day passed 
 pleasantly for us both ; we returned to our churn- 
 ing and bread making with new vigor; mother 
 and I were chums. 
 
 The next day I went again to see my plant. I 
 lay quietly down on the grass, right where you 
 are now sitting. A little calf grazed near; the 
 leaves closed when the calf brushed by. I lay 
 with my hands under my head watching, waiting 
 for something, I knew not what; content just to 
 live and dream, when I felt something moving 
 over my limbs. Although nearly paralyzed with 
 fear, I lay quite still while a big harmless bull- 
 snake trailed its length over my body. As it 
 swept along the prairie I forgot to be longer 
 frightened. I was eager to see what the little 
 plant would do when the reptile touched it. I was 
 not kept waiting; every leaf closed tight. The 
 seeming loathing of the plant aroused my own 
 loathing, and I sprang to my feet and away. 
 
 Not caring to tell mother of my unhappy 
 experience, I sat dreaming while she went out to 
 gather the eggs. When she returned she was 
 quite pale; sitting down beside me without a 
 word, resting her head in her hands. 
 
 By and by I said gently: **What is it, Muzzie?" 
 
114 FACE TO FACE 
 
 **Well, dear, I went to put my hand in a 
 chicken nest in the barn, and I almost touched a 
 big snake all curled up on the eggs.'* 
 
 I told her of my own experience, and with the 
 humor mother always displayed when one was 
 least expecting it, said: 
 
 **We must be poor metaphysicians. Professor 
 Hobson says: *You are not a metaphysician until 
 you can caress a snake without fear/ " 
 
 *^Not quite, Muzzie,'' I said. *^I admit I had a 
 good supply of fear.'' 
 
 Her little black eyes shone as she laughingly 
 looked up. 
 
 **And I, too; Bonnie can hunt the eggs after 
 this.'' 
 
 Mother picked up her Bible, the one from 
 which I now quote to you, and read aloud: 
 
 **Let the Heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice, 
 and let MAN SAY: THE LORD IS RISEN. 
 LET THE SEA ROAR, AND THE FULLNESS 
 THEREOF; let the field rejoice and all that is 
 THEREIN. THEN SHALL THE TREES OF 
 THE WOOD SING OUT AT THE PRESENCE 
 OF THE LORD BECAUSE HE COMES TO 
 JUDGE THE EARTH." Then her voice, quiv- 
 ering with truth in it, said: 
 
 ^^ALL THE WORLD LOVES LOVE." 
 
 The passionate protest of this little plant to 
 be free from personal contact, appeals to me as 
 nothing of the kind has ever done. Why, this 
 plant is a supersensitive! To be supersensitive, 
 I said, is to be passionately keen; this is truly 
 nature's passion. 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 115 
 
 Mother again quoted: ^^IT WAS A FOOL 
 THAT SAID THERE IS NO GOD/' and then, 
 **0h, can you not feel the heart-throb of God in 
 nature?'* 
 
 Mother was very happy in her nature studies ; 
 she was such a great part of nature herself; she 
 dared to think, and she dared to think IN THE 
 NAME OF JESUS. Now, dear one, the sun has 
 set, and I have lost to mortal eye my chum; and 
 yet, do we abide together still in the shadow of 
 the ALMIGHTY. 
 
 Her name was Lydia — To me it has the sound 
 of some ancient aeolian harp that tinkles its way 
 into the very recess of my soul, leaving its 
 harmony, and then away. 
 
 A SOFT AND SWEET REFRAIN 
 It was a glorified porch was mother's porch, 
 While we watched the sun go down. 
 Her love shone bright like a beacon torch. 
 While we watched the sun go down. 
 We sat in silence, too sweet for words. 
 While we watched the sun go down. 
 Just listening to the song of the birds, 
 While we watched the sun go down. 
 Her eyes were soft as she looked aloft. 
 While we watched the sun go down. 
 Her spirit slipped out one beautiful night, 
 While we watched the sun go down; 
 Just as the stars slip out of sight. 
 While we watched the sun go down. 
 TO RISE again in soft and sweet refrain, 
 BECKONING US TO HER PORCH AGAIN. 
 
116 FACE TO FACE 
 
 It is impossible for me not to reach the very 
 center of truth within my being when I behold 
 the glory of God^s harmony within all things 
 that He hath created. There is a whispering 
 accent returned to me, that speaks the God in 
 them; the great Divine; the love and trnth that 
 implies the VEEY SUBSTANCE OF HIS 
 WILL, the materialized power of the spoken 
 word. 
 
 Take, for instance, the emblem of our country 
 — our flag, with its stars and stripes. Take the 
 method by which it was made, and then the 
 great principle that stands behind it ; and, if you 
 will, declare its power. It is, after all, merely 
 following in His footsteps. Have we not created 
 a great principle and made an emblem we deem 
 fit to enthrall that principle? We think nothing 
 is as beautiful as our flag; we live for it, we die 
 for it, we love it. The Garden of God is His 
 flag. The great woods whisper His power. The 
 Heavens declare His promise. Man is glorified 
 in His likeness and image. Behold the Son of 
 everlasting life. 
 
 God gave to us a theme by which we might be 
 enabled to fathom the DEPTHS of beauty in 
 nature. Nature's beauty imbibed is LIFE. 
 When we learn to absorb the beautiful, we 
 consume, not only by inhaling the essence, but 
 absorb through every pore of our body the 
 beautiful life-giving qualities. The substance 
 meeting the required needs of the body, that 
 enabled pure spirit to *Hake hold'' and manifest 
 itself in body and soul to the edifying of man. 
 
WAVES THAT COMB TO SHORE 117 
 
 It is in fact none other than opening the soul to 
 the Divine inflow, love and truth, in which all 
 things beautiful exist. It seems to me were we 
 to take as patterns the flowers of the world, and 
 lay them before us, as we do any plan or chart 
 by which we hoped to accomplish something of 
 true worth and beauty, and apply the beautiful, 
 the natural, we would come nearer perfecting 
 that which God intended should be perfected 
 within man, giving the life forces a natural out- 
 let, and a natural intake. 
 
 Take for example, the various flowers and 
 plants; the delicate and beautiful; the more 
 sturdy, strong and coarse; it (takes them both 
 to complete a happy medium. We must have the 
 strong as well as the weak, the coarser as well 
 as the finer. Too much weakness dulls our 
 senses, too much fragrance sickens, too much 
 strength overcomes the finer senses. And so God 
 in His infinite wisdom has blended the whole 
 universe into one perfect whole. When man fails 
 to attune himself naturally, he has only the shell 
 and not the substance. A happy medium is 
 blending spirit with spirit. By so doing, the 
 weak are made strong, and the strong refined. • 
 
 We live in the heart of the city but we have a 
 beautiful lawn. The trees are calling. It has 
 rained, the flowers are waving in appreciation; 
 the soft raindrops have been absorbed by them, 
 and they are GLAD. A bee is humming happily 
 around them, drinking in the sweetness, sipping 
 the nectar, that by and by finds its way to our 
 tea table. 
 
118 FACE TO FACE 
 
 We have found the supreme law of giving and 
 taking, of wage and labor. We, too, taste the 
 sweetness that is not only sweetness, but the 
 great art and poetry of soul co-mingling with 
 the Divine. We have absorbed the GLOEY of 
 God, the beauty and fragrance of Heaven. We 
 go forth in the shadows of peace; we relax; 
 WHY? Because our being is FILLED WITH 
 THE WONDERFUL LIFE-GIVING GIFT OF 
 SPIRIT. We have been enabled to realize the 
 resting qualities in nature, of nature. Oh, it is 
 wonderful! this calm, peace and blaze of glory 
 that sweeps us from the arms of the carnal into 
 the great open fields of spirit. We stretch our 
 length upon the grass. Heaven smiles. We look 
 wonderingly at an aeroplane sweeping over our 
 heads, we marvel at the progression of man, and 
 then again, recall the flight of man to the realms 
 of nature for his pattern. 
 
 The dew is falling, still we linger. The angels 
 are studding the flowers with diamonds that will 
 glitter in the moonlight, beckoning again to man, 
 a pattern in nature, in art, in thought, a poem in 
 spirit, a grand reality. 
 
 We turn regretfully and enter our dwelling; 
 mechanically our hand falls upon the switch; the 
 light declares the comforts of HOME. We are 
 able to greet the members of our family with a 
 better understanding; for has not nature whis- 
 pered the truth, oh, ever so softly, while we lay 
 so close to its heart? The co-mingling of the 
 strong and the weak have taught us to harmonize. 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 119 
 
 The beauty has taught us the ecstasy of spirit; 
 the Peace has taught us exultation of soul. 
 
 The curfew woos us to our chambers; but 
 somehow tonight we do not care for artificial 
 light; we raise our blinds; the shadows of the 
 trees shut from our view the diamond studded 
 flowers; but we are content, we KNOW they are 
 there. A Bar of light shows us two, yea, lovers. 
 They, too, have caught the harmony. All nature 
 is singing love, the redeeming theme in life. We 
 fall upon our knees in thanksgiving. 
 
 The picture has passed, but the fragrance 
 remains that came through the lattice-work, 
 blending with the shadows on the wall. Again 
 was nature working in high lights and shadows; 
 Divine love that bedews our flowers with 
 diamonds and calls forth a responding chord in 
 the hearts of youth. 
 
 We wander once again to our window; our 
 prayers are said. Will we find the answer there, 
 in the heart of nature? 
 
 A stream of light floods across our vision from 
 a neighboring window. Behold! There were 
 other loves; two gray heads were bending close 
 over the form of their FIRST GRANDCHILD. 
 A stately young man held to his breast his love — 
 his pain-racked keepsake — as he murmured in her 
 ear words of endearment. The door on the 
 opposite side of the room closed softly. Some- 
 where beneath gay laughter came from the 
 servants' quarters: ^^A boy, ha, ha!** A car 
 whizzed by; a nurse crossed the room and gently 
 
120 FACE TO FACE 
 
 drew the blinds. But the light still shines, all is 
 well for GOD IS IN IT. 
 
 We look thankfully at the heavens, the stars 
 are gleaming, yea, there is one brighter than the 
 rest ; a soul is born in the world of things. 
 
 Our pillow feels so downy; we have absorbed 
 the beautiful, and more — the source of the 
 beautiful. With the rising sun we go forth in 
 greater understanding, for it is the dawning of 
 a greater day. This is absorbing life, as the 
 flowers of greater and lesser beauty do, as the 
 natural always does. 
 
 Flowers are like children, like kings and 
 queens, like maid and man, so royally do they 
 serve us. That flowers have feeling, is without 
 doubt. Environment has great effect upon their 
 sensitive natures. An indifferent tiller never 
 harvests enough to pay his thrashers. Again we 
 see there must be a co-mingling of the strong 
 and the weak, that the lesser may become strong, 
 and the strong filled with the essence of HIS 
 DIVINE LOVE; hence evolving all. 
 
 In the fathomless depths of Infinite wisdom we 
 find the substance that harbors the great. 
 
 Beyond the eaves there whispers a lullaby 
 that is sung by all nature. Its theme is LIFE. It 
 knows not death but resurrection. It harbors the 
 wee small voice, though man recognizes it not; 
 but God dwelleth in all. 
 
 Man looks to nature for health, for the 
 righting of things gone wrong, and yet he 
 neglects to seek the knowledge of what nature 
 REALLY IS; what its SUBSTANCE IS; what 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 121 
 
 it is BUILT ON. To reap full benefits from 
 anything is to understand the nature of it, the 
 source from whence it comes. 
 
 Nature heals, God reveals the knowledge and 
 the power. To work with nature is to bring 
 forth, not only the best results FROM NATURE; 
 but it develops in man a greater intelligence, a 
 greater understanding of himself. Constant 
 attunement with the forces governing the 
 universe quickens Divine will in man, bringing 
 forth that which man chooses to term miracles, 
 when in fact, it is but the NATURAL man, the 
 Divine in man expressing his inheritance. 
 
 The greatest characters I have ever known 
 were those who have attuned themselves to 
 nature and its wonderful play through the 
 Divine. When men call their flowers ** little 
 people''; when they speak of them, to them, in 
 flower language, it takes no psychic to see the 
 quick response in perfect growth. The little 
 flower intelligences have certain vibrations all 
 their own. They absorb love, returning it again 
 to man in the expression of beauty and fragrance. 
 
 To become attuned to FLOWER VIBRA- 
 TIONS is to create in our aura, as it were, a 
 wonderful spiritual sense by the extreme attune- 
 ment; or, I should say, by coming in tune with 
 the beautiful flower vibrations, man becomes as 
 the angels of heaven in the refinement of nature 's 
 melody, perfect harmony, or **in tune with the 
 Infinite." And God said: ^^Let there be Light,'' 
 the first note sung in the heart of nature. 
 
 We become soul reapers when we are attuned. 
 
122 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Longfellow was a soul reaper. He gathered 
 souls into the kingdom through his wonderful 
 understanding and love of nature. 
 
 A soul reaper has a twofold meaning: First, 
 we reap unto our own souls, the wealth and 
 beauty that enlivens the soul in pure spirit; and 
 then, reap unto the kingdom souls that might 
 never have been reached through any other 
 channel. It takes just such exquisite beauty of 
 soul to appreciate the Bible. Refinement of soul 
 lieth first in harmony within; like the petals of 
 a rose, falling within other souls so gently, so 
 sweetly, so naturally, they unconsciously follow 
 the sweet strains. 
 
 It is through soul harmony that God revealeth 
 Himself to man. Listen! The murmur of the 
 earth sounds far away and strange to thee? Why 
 so, hath God not said, ^^I AM with you always, 
 even unto the end of the earth''? This means I 
 AM with you always; in all things abideth the 
 Divine; the creation of His will; the reflection — 
 of the spoken word. 
 
 Is it strange, then, that the earth should mur- 
 mur in the ears of those attuned to hear the 
 truth in it, when the Divine compels wisdom, 
 knowledge and joy? 
 
 When we hear music we LIVE it for the time. 
 Its vibrating strains are too full of SOUL to 
 speak of lightly. A happy little rhythm may 
 send Joy bounding through our being until it 
 becomes a LIVING SONG; or perchance some 
 deep soulful strain has sounded within that 
 belongs to SELF ALONE. It is then, man meets 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 123 
 
 his SOUL in the great EEALMS OF UNDER- 
 STANDING. Flower vibrations are like that— 
 they awake within some sweet harmony that is 
 closest of kin to music of the spheres. When 
 these two meet in the realms of love, it would 
 seem for the time, that man has lost the ways of 
 the world, realizing only the BEAUTIFUL, the 
 SUBLIME. 
 
 It is necessary to CULTIVATE flower vibra- 
 tions as we study music, would we reap the 
 Divine sense of His presence in ALL THINGS; 
 to our edifying. There are moments when some 
 popular songs of the day appeal to our mood; 
 and there are days when we reach beyond these, 
 to the ripple and rhythm that overflows the 
 banks of earthly things; and we sail to realms 
 wherein we bare the SOUL to ITS CREATOR. 
 It is then we seek the WAYS of the Infinite. 
 When we find the real rejoicing we seek to 
 cultivate the finer. We thus infuse within the 
 soul the rythm that becomes a great symphony 
 of culture. It brings within the realms of 
 DAILY LIFE, the infallible principle so neces- 
 sary to culture; to refined ideals that eventually 
 swell to rhythmic waves of purpose; achieve- 
 ments that go far beyond the ordinary. Then 
 we begin to catch and hold flower vibrations as 
 we hold the strains of music. 
 
 SOME are filled with the beautiful waves of 
 reality, or, perhaps, I should say, ADJUST- 
 MENT, from birth; others have to cultivate the 
 real, the highest, the best, by a careful schooling 
 in the laws of attunement. The best tutor is co- 
 
124 FACE TO FACE 
 
 mingling with art, poetry and books of the world, 
 not forgetting that the SUBSTANCE of these 
 is the studied reflection of nature and the soul. 
 Flower vibrations embrace all of these, and 
 more. As time goes on, constant attunement 
 sends its vibrating force through the being of 
 man, on out into the world of men and things, 
 finding repose in nature. The rebounding effect 
 of supreme happiness upon this plane of life is 
 gratified purpose. Man thus finds His likeness 
 and image, finds how to express it, how to reap 
 the most from it, how to LIVE as man was 
 supposed to live. Hence we have a little bit of 
 heaven here — and now ; a little idea of what spirit 
 means to man, and WILL mean. It is getting in 
 tune with nature, and the soul. 
 
 Little flowers whisper to me of things : of love, 
 of peace, of war, of tragedy, in the world of men. 
 I stooped to pluck a little weed flower that grew 
 by the wayside; it was beautiful in its pastel 
 loveliness. I held it tight, while it told me the 
 story of its life. ^ * I am here, ' ' it said ; * * just how 
 I came I do not exactly know, but I am here, 
 and I have met YOU. Some folks pass me by, 
 they do not care for such as I, while others look 
 and find something to admire. ' ' 
 
 ^^NO WONDER !'' I cried, ^Hhou art the re- 
 flection of yon mountain — ^the gray green of thy 
 leaves, the purple like flower, the tiny little cen- 
 ter, just peeping like the sun o'er its top. Be 
 glad, little flower, be glad.'' 
 
 **Aye, verily," answered the little flower weed; 
 *'we, too, have our mission. Yesterday there was 
 
WAVES THAT COMB TO SHORE 125 
 
 a dreadful tragedy right here close to me; men 
 were hurt, and SOME died. We do not like 
 to see that, for we are the high lights in the 
 Garden of God. Though we see tragedies and 
 suffer from their vibrations, we must not take 
 the time to think of them, for we have such a 
 little time to live and so much to do, we have no 
 time to grieve.'' 
 
 The starry night covers the trail of tragedy; 
 the day dawns bright and clear ; so we must live 
 on till frost and time hide us from the world of 
 men. But WE really — or our substance — goes 
 on, for does not the Good Book say: **God giveth 
 to ALL life, eternal life''? It does not say to 
 men alone, but to ALL, and that is how I know 
 we have our ethereal correspondent. 
 
 The odor of weeds had always been repulsive 
 to me, but now I hold them tight, I do not notice 
 the scent as strong, but pleasing. New mown 
 hay reposing in the fields near by, blessed the 
 thought, and I was glad : I had been taught how 
 to cultivate a sense until it became a blessing. 
 So, my friend, let it be; let it be by the road 
 side that it may gladden passers by, and the 
 hearts of those who are attuned to meet it. Like 
 children, they must be made to obey. We can- 
 not let them play in our gardens, lest they 
 trample our lilies, you know. But, there is 
 a time and a PLACE FOR EVERYTHING 
 UNDER THE HEAVENS. 
 
 Weeds consume corruption in the air; the 
 stigma of the impure is absorbed by the sub- 
 
126 FACE TO FACE 
 
 stance that the weeds hold within their meshes; 
 this substance is the CAUSE of the strong odor, 
 and should be held sacred by mankind. The 
 little spider that weaves among its leaves im- 
 bibes microbes, and the way of man is made more 
 safe. Contrary to the belief that weeds are 
 dangerous, I affirm they are dangerous only when 
 coming in contact with the filth of earth in which 
 malaria breeds. The mosquito thrives on weeds 
 in marshes, because the power of substance in 
 marsh weeds is less powerful to absorb impurities ; 
 hence — malaria. 
 
 Not one thing is without some beauty; not one 
 thing absolutely useless, worthless. Cultivate 
 the little vibrations of love that abideth in them 
 until they call forth a perfume sweet and holy. 
 ^*And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection, 
 after the art of the apothecary, tempered to- 
 gether, pure and holy. And thou shalt beat 
 SOME of it very small, and put of it before the 
 testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
 where I WILL MEET WITH THEE: it shall 
 be unto you most holy." A perfume of nature 
 and the soul, thus sending before us the beautiful 
 rhythm of life, the incense of attunement. How 
 can man help but glean the fullness thereof? 
 
 little flower vibrations, we have caught your 
 secret ; we can meet you fair, and profit with all. 
 You have a place within our soul, within our 
 life, making more verdant, more fertile, the 
 earth, that the harvest may be plentiful. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^*In nature I seem to see good 
 and evil, intelligence and ignorance, goodness 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 127 
 
 and cruelty, care and carelessness, economy and 
 waste. I see means that do not accomplish their 
 ends, designs that seem to fail. To me it seems 
 infinitely cruel for life to feed on life, to create 
 animals to be devoured by others. The teeth 
 and fangs and claws that tear and rend fill me 
 with horror. What can be more frightful than 
 a world at war? Murder universal everywhere; 
 pain, disease and death that do not wait for bent 
 forms and gray hair. 
 
 *^I know that life is good. I remember the sun- 
 shine and rain; then I think of the earthquakes 
 and floods. I do not forget the harvest, home 
 and love; but what of the pestilence and famine! 
 I cannot harmonize all these contradictions, these 
 agonies, these blessings, with the existence of an 
 Infinite God. Will some orthodox Christian ex- 
 plain these things?'^ 
 
 LOTUS: Man was placed in the Garden of 
 Eden a perfect being; was driven from the gar- 
 den because of his sin; yet was he clothed in the 
 garments of care and love. The balance in the 
 scales of life must swing pound for pound. What 
 would life be upon this plane if we had no sor- 
 rows, no cares? It would be heaven. Man denied 
 heaven in the Garden of Eden; he wanted the 
 sins of the world, and he got them, and the con- 
 sequences of them. 
 
 Truth begets truth, and love begets mercy; 
 mercy begets the essential to the future of man 
 —HARMONY WITH INFINITE INTELLI- 
 GENCE — ^in it is no death at all. When man- 
 kind becomes in tune with the harmony of the 
 
128 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Divine, there will be a change which will illumi- 
 nate the carnal sense and obliterate the hold it 
 has on men. Then will Christ return to live in 
 the hearts of men. There is no horror equal to 
 an untethered carnal sense. This horror of hor- 
 rors weighs heavily in the scales of time, with 
 no profit to the consumer, and less to the pro- 
 ducer. 
 
 Man must change before he can hope to change 
 the lesser intelligences. Darwin caught the notes 
 but left the melody unsung. Man is kin to nature, 
 to all in nature, but NOT ITS OFFSPRING. 
 When we sing, we are as the birds; when we 
 whine, as a cat ; when we fear, as the hare ; when 
 we hate we devour, as do the wild beasts. When 
 we fondle our young, we are expressing what all 
 nature has expressed from the days when God 
 said: **Adam, Adam, where art thouT' When 
 we love, we are beginning where God began in 
 the Garden of Eden, to show the TRUE WORTH 
 OF LOVE. When we love, we are expressing 
 the Divine within that flows through all nature 
 alike; therein lieth the kinship. 
 
 But man was BORN OF GOD. Man is not 
 only the materialized spoken word, but God made 
 him in His likeness and Image, thus man is a 
 superior being. God expects more of man than 
 he does of beast. He expects him to be a LIV- 
 ING LIGHT ; a living, loving truth, before these 
 creatures, that the lesser intelligences may de- 
 velop to greater heights and more noble lives. 
 We ofttimes say. Wonderful lion, how noble, how 
 beautiful! True, he is noble in appearance. 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 129 
 
 Where there is appearance there is SOME- 
 THING back of it that proclaims a fact, whether 
 it be seemingly submerged in habit that would 
 declare the contrary or not. 
 
 Within the walls of greater intelligences, there 
 has been for countless ages a slumbering desire 
 to bring into our homes some animal that may 
 be of service, or domesticated pets. This in it- 
 self proclaims kinship, for God worketh in all 
 things. As the Divine dwelleth in all, there is 
 bound to be a bond that cannot be severed ; hence 
 from the beginning we have longed for that 
 which was our own. In this great Academy of 
 Fine Arts, as it were, we find were we to live 
 a thousand years we could get little farther than 
 the first grade, so immense is the subject which 
 God has set before us to solve in the lesser intel- 
 ligences. 
 
 Take for example music, and its effect on va- 
 rious animals. What is that but harmony attuned 
 to meet harmony? Again we find the Divine 
 seemingly slumbering, waiting to be called forth 
 in these lesser intelligences. A seal will balance 
 a ball on the end of its nose to the time of music, 
 seemingly much ** peeved" if the ball goes a bit 
 awry of the music. A horse will prance beauti- 
 fully, expressing grace, rhyme and rhythm, in 
 every move. Once I knew two plow horses, 
 heavy and large, that when hitched to a plow 
 and brought to mother's rose garden in which 
 she had placed a phonograph, danced as merrily, 
 as happily, as horses of finer build. The plow- 
 ing done, the horses looked regretfully at the 
 
130 FACE TO FACE 
 
 porch, where the turkeys gathered, flapping their 
 wings in appreciation of the music. And right 
 here, if you have never watched the effect of 
 band music on a turkey, just do ; it will give you 
 pleasure. Do not, however, let them know for 
 one moment that you are watching them; they 
 resent this. 
 
 Is it not a natural thought of mine to declare 
 Mother's porch a GLOKIFIED PORCH, where 
 we wandered arm in arm, heart to heart, in the 
 wonderful fields of lesser intelligences? Would 
 you not think it a GLORIFIED PORCH? 
 
 A bird will sing the louder when music is 
 played. All nature raises its voice and proclaims 
 its maker. Heaven smiles upon the creatures 
 that rend and tear just as it smiles on us ; the 
 stars gleam, and the wee small voice whispers 
 sweet things in their ears in a language they can 
 understand. 
 
 ^'But ask now the beasts, and they shall 
 teach thee ; and the fowls of the air, and they 
 shall tell thee. Or speak to the earth, and 
 it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea 
 shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not 
 in all these the hand of the Lord hath 
 wrought this? In whose hand IS THE 
 SOUL OF EVERY LIVING THING, and 
 the breath of all mankind.'' ^^For thou 
 shalt be in league with the stones of the field, 
 and the beasts of the field shall be at peace 
 with thee." 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 131 
 
 It is a great theme in which to work. It is 
 our own experiences that compel a greater under- 
 standing. Seeing is not enough; we must work 
 through that seeing, beyond that seeing, until 
 not only our vision is clear, but our understand- 
 ing of it. The unfathomable depths of cause and 
 effect was never more in evidence than in the 
 greater and lesser intelligences. 
 
 A throb of happiness springs in my breast, 
 When I see a man in his Sunday best 
 Stoop to caress a wounded one, 
 E'en though his frills be all undone. 
 
 Tender hearts will quicken and be glad when 
 man accepts the power given him from on high 
 to quicken into active principles the Divine de- 
 sire (Will) of God, who has given these lesser 
 intelligences to the world that the great may 
 work to the salvation of the many with unre- 
 stricted loyalty to His purpose; hence educating 
 spirit in man, ennobling it, that it may enter the 
 exalted state of pure spirit in spirit. Mankind 
 does not know what eloquent though silent com- 
 panionship hovers near, until he has frightened 
 away the bird that has been hovering about, ac- 
 cepting the crumbs wantonly thrown away. 
 
 Lesser intelligences are as capable of under- 
 standing love as is mankind. The fact is, they 
 apply it more naturally than does man. 
 
 Nature speaks to man in a primeval way, be- 
 cause man has not learned to meet it any other 
 way. There are many ways of speaking without 
 
132 FACE TO FACE 
 
 voicing. As mankind becomes in tune with crea- 
 tures of lesser intelligences, a greater under- 
 standing will spring up between them. As we 
 drift (I should say stumble) through the lesser 
 intelligences it becomes almost unbelievable, that 
 is, the AMOUNT of intelligence that meets us 
 more than half way in our attempt to fathom the 
 mysteries that enshroud their silent but potent 
 appeal to greater intelligences. The God of the 
 universe comprehends the limitations of all intel- 
 ligences and fathoms the SUBSTANCE in which 
 it is enacted. I have watched the workings of 
 intelligence from a scientific standpoint, and can 
 say that they all spring through the substance 
 of thought wells, or cells, into ACTIVE REAL- 
 ITY in the ether, from whence an abundance of 
 bodily shapes, through which the light or the 
 darkness (as the case may be) is translated to 
 spirit, as works translate the motives, the con- 
 struction of things upon THIS plane. 
 
 We hear a lot about new inventions, creative 
 works, on this plane, but nothing is said of what 
 is being done, accomplished or builded, by mortal 
 man in the ethereal ; or what these creative forces 
 sent into the ether mean to those already in the 
 ethereal. 
 
 It is beyond description to see the working 
 principles with which man endeavors to reach 
 an ideal. It is invariably the case that when one 
 is seeking an IDEAL, that one passes through 
 many changes, both in a material and spiritual 
 sense ; hence the ideal is bound to be first worked 
 
WAVES THAT COMB TO SHORE 133 
 
 out in spirit, or etherealized — if you will, and 
 then materialized. As these thought subjects 
 form in the ether, and are first etherealized, they 
 take various and varied forms, according to the 
 degree of thought of the one creating it. When 
 the ideal is completed in a spiritual sense — ethe- 
 realized as it were — and then materialized, the 
 ethereal will take on new ACTIVE principles in 
 the ether, and new light. 
 
 These thoughts are attached to the material 
 body, creating the aura (or gauze) around the 
 one enacting them. So, my friend, it stands to 
 reason that the more we build our ideals after 
 the principle of the Christ, after the perfecting 
 of His example, the more illumined our aura will 
 be, the nearer the kingdom we will come. As 
 God is not far from us at any time, our aura is 
 felt, seen and interpreted by Him. The ever 
 watchful eye that sees the sparrow's fall is hov- 
 ering ever near in the sense of at-one-ment. 
 
 The more beautiful our aura the closer we 
 come to our Saviour and our loved ones gone be- 
 fore. The higher forces are thus enabled to 
 penetrate a beautiful gauze, enliven, quicken, the 
 intelligence of mortal man, far more readily than 
 an aura built wholly or partly on carnal sense, 
 the ideal being of lower or material vibrations. 
 
 I hear so much about Divine Intelligence being 
 a compact fact, that it has set me to thinking 
 just how far reaching Divine Intelligence in all 
 things living, or in all life, reaches or may reach. 
 The outcome of my thoughts are that Divine In- 
 
134 FACE TO FACE 
 
 telligence is in all THINGS HAVING LIFE; 
 that is, that the thing holding life ENACTS the 
 Divine. For the world and all therein was 
 FIEST etherealized and then materialized, hence 
 the thing that retains life began in the Divine 
 co-operation of intelligence that flows from the 
 spoken word, THE WILL of God. All the inves- 
 tigations I may make only savor stronger and 
 stronger of the Divine; of the intelligence 
 (spirit) that penetrates and infuses itself into 
 substance, matter, enacting the Divine. Divinity, 
 the highest intelligence, is enabled to flow freely, 
 quicken and enact any expression it may choose. 
 However, the brighter the light of pure exalted 
 conditions within substance (matter) the more 
 POWEEFULLY can the Divine work within it. 
 I have watched so many times the mother bird 
 hovering over her little ones and cried in amaze 
 at the wisdom, understanding, love and exulta- 
 tion she expresses continually, that it brings to 
 my mind another thought — that of vibrations 
 that heal, care for, and protect all creatures who 
 are unable to care for and protect themselves 
 beyond a certain point. The omnipresent God 
 sends these vibrations into the creatures of 
 greater and lesser intelligences. WE SAY na- 
 ture heals. Even then do we affirm the power 
 of God, for God is personal by nature, a Divine 
 presence, the SUBSTANCE OF ALL. All crea- 
 tures have the Doctor — that is, the Divine Doctor 
 —LOVE. When we learn how to TAKE as well 
 as GIVE, we grow in soul power. When we 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 135 
 
 learn to take in meek and quiet spirit all that is 
 good for ns, we are better enabled to give, for 
 we have found the value of patience, forbear- 
 ance. The first law of success in anything is 
 OBEDIENCE to the wee small voice, the 
 prompting spirit. 
 
 In years to come perchance man may talk with 
 animals, the fowls of the air, the fishes of the 
 sea, the creeping things, insects. They may rea- 
 son with them, for it IS NOW. "We speak audi- 
 bly or by expression to our domestic animals, 
 and do so naturally, why not then those we have 
 NOT domesticated? Man's heart thrills at the 
 song of the bird, a chord has been struck that 
 sends a thrill from one to the other. Lo and 
 behold, God knoweth! 
 
 A little bird will sing a song, and then perk 
 its head on one side and the other, looking 
 around to see if we appreciate his song. When 
 we do, we do not speak, do not move, and thus 
 eliminate fear in the tiny heart, and in the great 
 silence the vibrations of love penetrate the intel- 
 ligence of the bird, and he knows his song is 
 appreciated. It will sing again, it will come close 
 and look trustingly in your eyes. This is the 
 secret understanding in how to meet the finer 
 senses: first, obliterating fear, and then, bird or 
 whatever it may be, understanding you, fears 
 not. 
 
 It is the nature of man, beast, fish and fowl to 
 be continually on the alert for danger. Do not 
 mistake this at all times for mistrust: it is not 
 
136 FACE TO FACE 
 
 always so. By and by when the great under- 
 standing Cometh that is builded on truth, there 
 will be less to fear, and less fear will be shown 
 for us. Universal love will then send its wonder- 
 ful vibrations throughout the world, and God 
 will appear to man. It is a heavenly condition 
 in which we can begin working, educating our- 
 selves and the lesser intelligences now. Oh, it 
 is wonderful, this coming in tune with God's 
 creatures ! 
 
 As I sit here writing, a little squirrel is sitting 
 up in front of me, evidently asking me whether 
 I intend to leave him entirely out of my theme 
 or not. I can assure you, squirrelie, that I DO 
 NOT, for the blinking of your bright eyes proves 
 your intelligence, and it is Divine, for God gave 
 it you; it is clean and wholesome. Every- 
 one who knows Chicago knows Lincoln Park; 
 to know Lincoln Park is to know the squirrels. 
 The world calls these squirrels tame. But to me 
 it is MORE. There is the sublime workings of 
 greater and lesser intelligences, the harmonizing 
 of the whole. **God is our refuge and our 
 strength. *' **God is love,'' the key to Divine 
 love that surges in the hearts of all God's crea- 
 tures. When fear is obliterated, it finds expres- 
 sion through Divine understanding, the Divine 
 in all. 
 
 Folk cry for facts with the doors of their 
 souls closed and padlocked. To meet facts FACE 
 TO FACE, requires ALL THAT IS IN MAN to 
 meet them fair. 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 137 
 
 Ah, here is the Tailor Bird, a great theme from 
 which to work ! While we watch them build their 
 nests it will be time well spent. First of all, they 
 select the finest leaves that have no worm or 
 loose holes in them; then they fold them to- 
 gether, carefully pulling edge to edge, sewing 
 them fast by a sort of cross-stitch wonderfully 
 exact as to distance between stitches. Then they 
 build up the inside just as carefully. They are 
 extremely careful in selecting the thread for the 
 sewing, picking only the strong, aad it must not 
 be wiry, but supple. To watch them select and 
 test the thread is amusing. It reminds me of 
 Granny, when she pulls bits of thread from a 
 spool, much to the clerk's disgust. To see them 
 perking their heads on one side and the other, 
 observing the efficiency of their work, is enlight- 
 ening. If the work is not satisfactory, they tear 
 it away with no little display of disgust. If it is 
 satisfactory, they hop about merrily. 
 
 The birds are not unlike the thrifty housewife 
 who secures the best to be had for the welfare 
 of the family. In a measure bird and housewife 
 are partakers in the great cause — that of edify- 
 ing their kind, bringing into the world whole- 
 someness and perfection. 
 
 **Go thou and do likewise.'' Herein is not 
 only the play of intelligence, but the art and har- 
 mony of attuned purpose as well as the power 
 to look ahead for the welfare of all concerned. 
 YOU say: **What manner of intelligence have 
 they? Is it habit or instinct!" 
 
138 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Stop here and think, my friend, what possible 
 good would habit or instinct be without a dynamo 
 to enliven it? It would be as a bubble blown 
 high. There must be a QUICKENING of Divine 
 existence before any habit or instinct CAN take 
 hold and enact; Divine intelligence the power, 
 the plan, the reason, to enact. 
 
 Bird life could not pass through the ages with 
 agility and not become weakened or totally ef- 
 faced, without intelligence to pilot its needs, 
 wants and habits; although Divine guidance does 
 play the greater part in all things having life. 
 God fills every living thing with the power of 
 action; think you He would neglect the necessary 
 requisite to motor, action — that of intelligence? 
 God's work is very complete. It would be a total 
 loss to bird life were it to depend wholly upon 
 habit to carry it through the ages. Habit grows 
 into wantonness when it is allowed to run its 
 course without the tether of intelligence. 
 
 Habit is a thing assumed; it is not any part 
 of Divine intelligence, though it may become in 
 a sense Divine through application of the intel- 
 ligent powers that be. 
 
 One of the greatest themes in the lives of the 
 fowls of the air and earth is that they invariably 
 seek shelter where silence will be the predomi- 
 nating note. It is a great part nature takes in 
 nature, to seek the silence. When God said, ^*Go 
 in thy closet and pray,'' He was demonstrating 
 the greatest law of efficiency. Silence is the 
 Divine within seeking its own. 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 139 
 
 Even alligators crawl away in the silence; ly- 
 ing there blinking in the sun, caring for naught 
 but the stillness of alligator dreams. I have 
 found alligators and turtles susceptible to active 
 suggestion. Hypnotism, practiced by Professor 
 Thornely, made these creatures drowsy, inactive; 
 while ACTIVE SUGGESTION enlivened them 
 to enact the gestures of head and eyes in exact 
 ratio to the Professor's. These demonstrations 
 brought to mind the query: Am I to go on in 
 my studies of lesser things and lesser intelli- 
 gences? A little bird sang a melody; a Locust 
 prinked its ukulele prink-ety, prink, prink, prink; 
 a rainbow appeared in the sky; I was enchanted 
 with the GIFT OF THE SPIRIT, and I cried 
 aloud that all might hear : ^ ^ I would give all my 
 life for these ! * ' A little child cooed in a near-by 
 cart, the mother answered with a sweet lullaby. 
 The omnipotent hand beckoned me on — ^I will 
 away. 
 
 In the school of progress we must remember 
 to EISE ABOVE our little selves and seek these 
 lesser intelligences in the spirit of truth, for they 
 are ABOVE US until we can understand them, 
 and they us. As long as lesser intelligences tear, 
 mangle and betray, as long as man turns from 
 the truth, the world will not know peace. When 
 love shall rule upon the face of the earth in its 
 great power of giving and taking, the way will 
 not seem so long, nor the days so dreary, for 
 they will be alight with the PRESENCE of 
 God's purpose fulfilled. 
 
140 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Two months later finds me in the jungles of 
 HUMAN ENDEAVOE, where man toils in any 
 way he may to secure his daily needs. There is 
 a great lack of intelligence of a greater nature, 
 because the WILL has been crushed by the grind 
 of things earthly. The DESIEE TO RISE is 
 there, but is inactive ; there is nothing to quicken, 
 nothing to incite the will to action. These peo- 
 ple are sometimes classed among the lower or 
 lesser intelligences, when, in fact, they hold the 
 same divine inheritance that the higher intelli- 
 gences do; it lacks cultivation however. These 
 tired souls in the grist of human endeavor lose, 
 for the time, the keen sight to — quicken and 
 awake the Divine within that leads beyond the 
 grist of material endeavor to spiritual triumph, 
 hence they lose sight of the SUBSTANCE in ac- 
 cepting in apathy their present conditions. 
 
 The old woman across the street rubbing on 
 her board with the thermometer at eighty-nine 
 in the shade, with a big ironing to do before she 
 can cook her dinner, is not apt to think of much 
 beyond it — still — she does. When evening comes 
 she has to tote a big basket of clothes to the top 
 floor of an apartment house before she can go 
 to market for supplies for the dinner. Hence 
 the cry of those who think — 
 
 **Mrs. McNary, can we go with you when you 
 take the washing home?" 
 
 **Sure, ye can, but for mercy's sake, what 
 forr* 
 
 We carefully evaded the question as we fol- 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 141 
 
 lowed Mrs. McNary up the long flight of stairs, 
 helping her with her basket, which we presently 
 set down in front of a pretentious looking door, 
 knocking gently. An elegantly gowned lady 
 answered the knock: 
 
 **So, you are here at last, are you, Mrs. Mc- 
 Nary? How much is it this timeT' 
 
 **Two seventy-five,*' answered Mrs. McNary. 
 
 **TWO SEVENTY-FIVE! Well, that is too 
 much. I will pay it this time. However, don't 
 ever ask that much again.'' 
 
 *^But — " said Mrs. McNary, ** there were — '* 
 but the door was shut. Mrs. McNary stood on 
 the outside while laughter came from behind 
 the closed door. 
 
 ^*Well, I saved about four dollars this time; 
 the laundry would have charged that anyway. ' ' 
 
 We followed Mrs. McNary indignantly down 
 the long flight of stairs. On her head was 
 another basket. 
 
 **This wan is a good lady," she said, as we 
 trudged along. We soon came to a modest little 
 cottage aglow with roses and mignonette. We 
 knocked on the half open door. A cheerful * ^ come 
 in" greeted us. 
 
 Standing over a preserving kettle was a plump, 
 tired little woman. To our surprise, Mrs. Mc- 
 Nary placed the basket on the floor, picked up 
 the crying baby with a ** There, there now, 
 honey"; walked with it in her arms to the sink, 
 picked up a pan, filled it with cool fresh water, 
 
142 FACE TO FACE 
 
 crossed to the stove, taking the preserving spoon 
 from the tired hand that held it. 
 
 * * Do wash yonr face, lady ; put plenty of water 
 on the hack of your neck, it helps.'' 
 
 Gratefully Mrs. McNary's lady complied with 
 the request. Then Mrs. McNary handed her a 
 cup of fresh tea she had found time to brew. 
 
 << 'Twill perk you up, like everything,'' she 
 said. 
 
 The preserving glasses were all filled, the 
 paraffine poured on top, when the silence was 
 again broken. 
 
 ^*How do you feel now, honey?" 
 
 ^^ Better, thank you, Mrs. McNary. I wonder, 
 have you ever had a black silk dress?" 
 
 ^*No-n-o, ma'am." 
 
 ^'I have been thinking for a long time what I 
 could do to make my mother more happy, Mrs. 
 McNary, than heaven has made her, and I think 
 I could if I would give you her black silk dress; 
 that is, if you don't mind." 
 
 Rising, she took from the hall closet a beauti- 
 ful black silk gown. Mrs. McNary put it on, and 
 it was I who carried the basket home ; for, it was 
 filled with human kindness; with a bit of human 
 endeavor, that was inspired in heaven. And we 
 saw as we walked along, an angel, beaming on 
 Mrs. McNary 's black silk gown. 
 
 Lesser intelligences and higher motives some- 
 how seem to blend into one great purpose, the 
 purpose God intended. So, in the course of 
 events, hopes, ambitions of all mankind, there 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 143 
 
 exists an almost equal division of give and take, 
 of greater and lesser intelligence, in man and 
 beast alike. The scheme of human endeavor tem- 
 pered with the inflow of Divine intelligence, like 
 a fount of perpetual increase, rises and falls in 
 the tide of greater aim, greater gain and higher 
 ideals. Man must become spiritual enough to 
 infuse spiritual qualities in the lesser intelli- 
 gences, thus bringing, in ATTUNED EEALITY, 
 a greater destiny upon this plane for man and 
 beast alike. 
 
 Few there are in this day and age who can 
 look in the wistful eyes of some pet animal and 
 enjoy a dinner off the animaPs kinsman. The 
 wonderful light of intelligence thrown in upon 
 the vaporous turn of tidal thought, brings forth 
 the substance of the real. In it is not only the 
 Divine principle of things made Holy by right 
 thinking, but elevates mankind to his proper 
 sphere — that of Infinite power. 
 
 We may think miracles beyond the power of 
 man, while in fact miracle is a part of man. Man 
 was created through the miraculous power of the 
 spoken word, spirit of Grod. Atom to Atom, 
 (dust) but the nature of dust was not — made 
 known. We many, many times hinder the inflow 
 of Divine power by eliminating the possibilities 
 of At-one-ness. There are no limitations to 
 Divine understanding. Man may reach the goal 
 of perfection here and now, if he will but *'hold 
 fast that which is good*' in the universe as well 
 as within himself. As the universe embraces the 
 
144 FACE TO FACE 
 
 whole, it is necessary for man to become attuned 
 to the universe and all therein. The march of 
 time brings forth the opportunity to attune him- 
 self ; will he grasp it? Opportunity faces man 
 on every hand ; the fault lies within the man that 
 will not see it. 
 
 I cannot say, as some do, that A GEEAT op- 
 portunity presents itself to man. Every law of 
 intelligence is broken by that assertion, to my 
 way of reasoning, for opportunity cannot come 
 single-handed, as GOD IS IN IT; it must hold 
 the Divine. Again, there are opportunities that 
 do not seem great at the time they are presented, 
 and yet when developed are among the greatest 
 and grandest. I am positive that were man to 
 work THEOUGH EVEEY LITTLE OPPOE- 
 TUNITY that presents itself to him, he would 
 find his greatest opportunity lying among them. 
 Great opportunities are found far more often by 
 the wayside than in cultured gardens. Nature 
 presents opportunities; so does man. It stands 
 then, to reason, that the greatest opportunity 
 comes from the God-head, Infinite intelligence, 
 Divine principle, will. For God so willed it to 
 be. 
 
 There are innumerable opportunities in the 
 jungles. Man is removed from them by circum- 
 stances, etc., but he does not stop to consider the 
 most terrible jungles are close at hand; that in 
 the pens, the slaughter houses, lies an oppor- 
 tunity that of attuning himself with the higher 
 order of Divine love and understanding; that 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 145 
 
 the schooling through which God intended man 
 to progress begins in the mercy shown to all 
 God^s creatures. Enacting the Divine will to- 
 wards all that suffer, thus bringing the suffer- 
 ing ones to a greater destiny than the slaughter 
 house, where man stands knee-deep in the blood 
 of his fellow creatures. 
 
 It matters but little where the subject for 
 thought comes from. Whether from sea or land, 
 it expresses more and more fully the power of 
 spirit. It is not at all strange that God should 
 place mankind in the great garden of constant 
 teaching, through demonstrating on every hand 
 the marvelous technical points in all things He 
 has created. When man becomes attuned he will 
 be enabled to see the workings of the Divine 
 constantly expressing its principles. As man 
 progresses in scientific knowledge of nature and 
 its principles, as he takes time to study the work- 
 ing principles of the Divine in all things, he will 
 grow into greater harmony with the universe, 
 thus winding the center of his being on the ego 
 spool of efficiency. The I AM will have a fuller 
 meaning in his plans of self-culture. It will en- 
 liven and quicken his being until it expands to 
 meet the CREATOR of that being in the fullness 
 of wisdom. That is none other than expressing 
 His DIVINE IDEA. 
 
 TO THE END God has created man; ** greater 
 things shall ye do than these.'' Heaven will 
 bless one who seeks wisdom in the Garden of 
 God, for He knoweth from what wellspring of 
 
146 FACE TO FACE 
 
 joy cometh the desire of mankind to seek in nat- 
 ural simplicity the wondrous workings of the 
 grist that grinds so slow but sure. 
 
 God says, ^'GET WISDOM, GET UNDER- 
 STANDING.'' These words alone should open 
 our eyes to the possibilities God hath set before 
 us. 
 
 Look at that little water beetle. It lives in 
 stagnant pools, it is a blessing in disguise; for 
 while it thrives on the vicious substance, it tends 
 greatly to lessen the danger of disease. It would 
 seem a certain amount of the carnivorous must 
 appear in certain animals, insects or fowls to 
 balance well with the necessity of protection. 
 The vulture is a rapacious bird, yet it is much 
 in the fields as the street sweeper in the city. 
 Evil showeth itself in many colors. To learn to 
 discriminate these colors is one of the little op- 
 portunities presented to mankind. God gives to 
 man the whole world, in which he may work out 
 his own salvation ; it seems preposterous that man 
 is as yet only upon the brink. 
 
 When the little weeds are taken from our 
 minds we will be better able to GROW, for they 
 will be supplanted by the TRUTH in little things. 
 
 PRIMEVAL THOUGHTS THAT FLOURISH 
 IN THE GARDEN OF TIME 
 
 Indians believe in carnate and de-carnate life. 
 Even THEY know the value of keeping in tune. 
 When I say *^even they" I speak literally; prej- 
 udice has made it so. And yet, know ye not, 
 that the Indian is closer to the SOUL OF NA- 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 147 
 
 TUEE than his white brother? I would rather 
 have the nature of an Indian than to try to ex- 
 pound the ways of men who dream of new relig- 
 ions, new gods, or none. 
 
 Underlying all nature is the continued seeking 
 after God. The embodiment of all the brave, the 
 beautiful, was the God of the Indian; the rivers, 
 the forest, the minne-wa-wa, all whispered to 
 the Indian's supersensitive ear. 
 
 One summer a party of us traveled overland 
 in a ear, through the Indian Eeservations of the 
 west and middle west. MY HEART SANG ALL 
 THE WAY. For the time, I was one of them. 
 I was happy ; I was living in nature, with nature. 
 The Shadow of His wings hovered over the tepees ; 
 and the more modern homes of the Indians all 
 belonged to Him. They had not found Christ 
 in the full sense of the word, but they had found 
 HIS nature ; and above it all, they know there is 
 something greater, grander. 
 
 One must smell the smoke of the wigwams to 
 realize fully that man has lost something by tak- 
 ing the gift of nature as a second consideration. 
 We do not spend enough time WITH nature. 
 
 So, straightway I builded me a fire of my own, 
 and sat there and gazed into the great heart of 
 nature, — a part of you, a part of me, — and lo 
 and behold, the stars glistened, the moon gleamed 
 forth, a prairie chicken scooted by, disturbed by 
 my fire ; the corn in the field near by sent a thrill 
 of hunger through me that I had not known for 
 years. I cuddled closer to the fire. Yea, verily, 
 
148 FACE TO FACE 
 
 man HAS lost something, and a great something. 
 Man has grown in refinement, he has taken a 
 firm grip upon conventionalities; and yet, does 
 not his VERY SOUL cry out above the din of 
 social and commercial life — **0h, could I but flee 
 into the night, hear the whir of wings, the bird 
 twittering its lullaby to its wee ones in their nest ; 
 could I but hear the barking of some watchful 
 dog, the braying of animals, great and small; 
 could I but smell the fire round the camp, and 
 lay my weary head on Nature's pillow, and rest, 
 dream and KNOW!'' 
 
 Man goes fishing; why? To catch fish? Or, 
 is it his primeval nature calling him back to the 
 SUBSTANCE OF THINGS, that great call from 
 within, that comes truly to every man? 
 
 Mankind seeks nature; he can go just so long 
 without responding to its beckoning call; he can- 
 not escape it, it is too deeply rooted for that; 
 not alone because of his primeval nature, but 
 because of the DIVINE within seeking its kin. 
 
 Look to the alleys, watch the child of the gut- 
 ter drag from its filth a blossom; look to the 
 lame on the street corner, see how tenderly he 
 arranges his flowers * * For Sale ' ' ; look within the 
 walls of commerce and see blossoms everywhere, 
 if not real, then pictures of them ; visions of 
 hunting and fishing camps haunt the walls. Look 
 within the modern home, see the good wife ten- 
 derly caring for the little plant on the window 
 ledge; look within our great mansions and see 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 149 
 
 them everywhere; they grace the altars of our 
 churches; they catch the tears of the mourners; 
 they put a halo of glory over the bride. In this 
 all mankind is kin ; it is nature asserting itself in 
 nature. 
 
 As I sat by my fire dreaming, a wolf howled 
 mournfully; a nightingale sang her song of won- 
 dering; a rabbit scurried by — sitting up so wise, 
 looking this way and that for enemies — and then 
 hurrying on. It was then I realized that above 
 the organ's peal in yon great city, there arises 
 a song sweeter by far; The Song of the Soul 
 attuned to nature, its God, and its Creator. 
 
 Kneeling at the great fount of nature, one feels 
 the PULSE of the great open. It throbs through 
 and through one's being; our hearts beat fast 
 and faster still, until all nature doth thrill within 
 the soul of peace. We stretch our arms to the 
 heavens above and KNOW it holds the great 
 Infinite Source of all. 
 
 THE GLOEIOUS ANTHEM OF THE BLEST, 
 GIVES US HOPE, AND PEACE, AND BEST. 
 
 We fall asleep; we do not dream; the song of 
 the bird is hushed, in respect to HIM WHO IS 
 SPEAKING TO US in the silence. The spirit 
 power within is quickened to meet the dawn of 
 a perfect day. We wonder no longer at the SOUL 
 in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poems. 
 
 While the corn is sizzling in the ashes, let us 
 read one of his poems, written in the spiritual 
 light that is so full of understanding, say: 
 
150 FACE TO FACE 
 
 HIAWATHA'S FASTING 
 
 You shall hear how Hiawatha 
 Prayed and fasted in the forest, 
 Not for greater skill in hunting, 
 Not for greater craft in fishing, 
 Not for triumphs in the battle, 
 And renown among the warriors. 
 But for profit of the people. 
 For advantage of the nations. 
 
 First he built a lodge for fasting, 
 Built a wigwam in the forest. 
 By the shining Big-Sea- Water, 
 In the blithe and pleasant Spring time. 
 In the Moon of Leaves he built it, 
 And, with dreams and visions many. 
 Seven whole days and nights he fasted. 
 
 On the first day of his fasting 
 Through the leafy woods he wandered; 
 Saw the deer start from the thicket, 
 Saw the rabbit in his burrow. 
 Heard the pheasant, Bena, drumming, 
 Heard the squirrel, Adjidaumo, 
 Battling in his hoard of acorns, 
 Saw the pigeon, the Omeme, 
 Building nests among the pine-trees, 
 And in flocks the wild-goose, Wawa, 
 Flying to the fen-lands northward, 
 Whirring, wailing far above him. 
 *' Master of Life!" he cried desponding, 
 "Must our lives depend on these things?" 
 
 On the next day of his fasting 
 By the river's brink he wandered, 
 Through the Muskoday, the meadow. 
 Saw the wild rice, Mahnomonee, 
 Saw the blueberry, Meenahga, 
 And the strawberry, Odahmin, 
 And the gooseberry, Shahbomin, 
 And the grape-vine, Bemahgut, 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 151 
 
 Trailing o'er the alder-branches, 
 Filling all the air with fragrance! 
 * ' Master of Life ! " he cried desponding, 
 ''Must our lives depend on these things?" 
 
 On the third day of his fasting 
 By the lake he sat and pondered, 
 By the still, transparent water; 
 Saw the sturgeon, Nahma, leaping, 
 Scattering drops like beads of wampum. 
 Saw the yellow perch, the Sahwa, 
 Like a sunbeam in the water. 
 Saw the pike, the Maskenozha, 
 And the herring, Okahahwis, 
 And the Shawgashee, the craw-fish! 
 ' * Master of Life I" he cried, desponding, 
 "Must our lives depend on these things?" 
 
 On the fourth day of his fasting 
 In his lodge he lay exhausted; 
 From his couch of leaves and branches 
 Gazing with half -open eyelids, 
 Full of shadowy dreams and visions. 
 On the dizzy, swimming landscape. 
 On the gleaming of the water, 
 On the splendor of the sunset. 
 
 And he saw a youth approaching, 
 Dressed in garments green and yellow. 
 Coming through the purple twilight. 
 Through the splendor of the sunset; 
 Plumes of green bent o'er his forehead. 
 And his hair was soft and golden. 
 
 Standing at the open doorway. 
 Long he looked at Hiawatha, 
 Looked with pity and compassion 
 On his wasted form and features. 
 And, in accents like the sighing 
 Of the South-Wind in the tree-tops. 
 Said he, "O my Hiawatha!" 
 All your prayers are heard in heaven, 
 For you pray not like the others; 
 
152 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Not for greater skill in hunting, 
 Not for greater craft in fishing, 
 Not for triumph in the battle. 
 Nor renown among the warriors. 
 But for profit of the people, 
 For advantage of the nations. 
 
 "From the Master of Life descending, 
 I, the friend of man, Mondamin, 
 Come to warn you and instruct you. 
 How by struggle and by labor 
 You shall gain what you have prayed for. 
 Eise up from thy bed of branches, 
 Eise, O youth, and wrestle with me!'' 
 
 Faint with famine, Hiawatha 
 Started from his bed of branches. 
 From the twilight of his wigwam 
 Forth into the flush of sunset 
 Came, and wrestled with Mondamin; 
 At his touch he felt new courage 
 Throbbing in his brain and bosom. 
 Felt new life and hope and vigor 
 Eun through every nerve and fibre. 
 
 So they wrestled there together 
 In the glory of the sunset, 
 And the more they strove and struggled, 
 Stronger still grew Hiawatha; 
 Till the darkness fell around them. 
 And the Heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 From her nest among the pine-trees. 
 Gave a cry of lamentation. 
 Gave a scream of pain and famine. 
 
 ' ' 'Tis enough ! ' ' then said Mondamin, 
 Smiling upon Hiawatha, 
 ''But tomorrow, when the sun sets, 
 I will come again to try you." 
 And he vanished, and was seen not; 
 Whether sinking as the rain sinks. 
 Whether rising as the mists rise, 
 Hiawatha saw not, knew not, 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 153 
 
 Only saw that he had vanished, 
 Leaving him alone and fainting, 
 With the misty lake below him, 
 And the reeling stars above him. 
 
 On the morrow and the next day, 
 When the sun through heaven descending. 
 Like a red and burning cinder 
 From the hearth of the Great Spirit, 
 Fell into the western waters, 
 Came Mondamin for the trial, 
 For the strife with Hiawatha; 
 Came as silent as the dew comes, 
 From the empty air appearing, 
 Into empty air returning. 
 Taking shape when earth it touches. 
 But invisible to all men 
 In its coming and its going, 
 
 Thrice they wrestled there together 
 In the glory of the sunset. 
 Till the darkness fell around them. 
 Till the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 From her nest among the pine-trees. 
 Uttered her loud cry of famine. 
 And Mondamin paused to listen. 
 
 Tall and beautiful he stood there. 
 In his garments green and yellow; 
 To and fro his plumes above him 
 Waved and nodded with his breathing. 
 And the sweat of the encounter 
 Stood like drops of dew upon him. 
 
 And he cried, *'0 Hiawatha! 
 Bravely have you wrestled with me. 
 Thrice have wrestled stoutly with me, 
 And the Master of Life, who sees us. 
 He will give to you the triumph ! ' ' 
 
 Then he smiled, and said: *' Tomorrow 
 Is the last day of thy conflict. 
 Is the last day of your fasting. 
 You will conquer and overcome me; 
 
154 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Make a bed for me to lie in, 
 Where the rain may fall upon me, 
 Where the sun may come and warm me; 
 Strip these garments, green and yellow, 
 Strip this nodding plumage from me, 
 Lay me in the earth, and make it 
 Soft and loose and light above me. 
 
 ' * Let no hand disturb my slumber, 
 Let no weed nor worm molest me, 
 Let not Kahgahgee, the raven, 
 Come to haunt me and molest me. 
 Only come thyself to watch me. 
 Till I wake, and start, and quicken, 
 Till I leap into the sunshine. ' ' 
 
 And thus saying, he departed; 
 Peacefully slept Hiawatha, 
 But he heard the Wawonaissa, 
 Heard the whippoorwill complaining, 
 Perched upon his lonely wigwam; 
 Heard the rushing Sebowisha, 
 Heard the rivulet rippling near him. 
 Talking to the darksome forest; 
 Heard the sighing of the branches. 
 As they lifted and subsided 
 At the passing of the night-wind. 
 Heard them, as one hears in slumber 
 Far-off murmurs, dreamy whispers: 
 Peacefully slept Hiawatha. 
 
 On the morrow came Nokomis, 
 On the seventh day of his fasting, 
 Came with food for Hiawatha, 
 Came imploring and bewailing. 
 Lest his hunger should overcome him, 
 Lest his fasting should be fatal. 
 
 But he tasted not, and touched not. 
 Only said to her, ** Nokomis, 
 Wait until the sun is setting. 
 Till the darkness falls around us. 
 Till the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 
WAVES THAT COME TO SHORE 155 
 
 Crying from the desolate marshes, 
 Tells us that the day is ended." 
 
 Homeward weeping went Nokomis, 
 Sorrowing for her Hiawatha, 
 Fearing lest his strength should fail him, 
 Lest his fasting should be fatal. 
 He meanwhile sat weary waiting 
 For the coming of Mondamin, 
 Till the shadows, pointing eastward, 
 Lengthened over field and forest. 
 Till the sun dropped from the heaven, 
 Floating on the waters westward. 
 As a red leaf in the Autumn 
 Falls and floats upon the water, 
 Falls and sinks into its bosom. 
 
 And behold! the young Mondamin, 
 With his soft and shining tresses. 
 With his garments green and yellow. 
 With his long and glossy plumage, 
 Stood and beckoned at the doorway. 
 And as one in. slumber walking, 
 Pale and haggard, but undaunted. 
 From the wigwam Hiawatha 
 Came, and wrestled with Mondamin. 
 
 Eound about him spun the landscape, 
 Sky and forest reeled together. 
 And his strong heart leaped within him, 
 As the sturgeon leaps and struggles 
 In a net to break its meshes. 
 Like a ring of fire around him 
 Blazed and flared the red horizon, 
 And a hundred suns seemed looking 
 At the combat of the wrestlers. 
 
 Suddenly upon the greensward 
 All alone stood Hiawatha, 
 Panting with his wild exertion, 
 Palpitating with the struggle; 
 And before him, breathless, lifeless, 
 Lay the youth, with hair dishevelled. 
 
156 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Plumage torn, and garments tattered, 
 Dead he lay there in the sunset. 
 
 And victorious Hiawatha 
 Made the gra,ve as he commanded, 
 Stripped the garments from Mondamin, 
 . Stripped his tattered plumage from him, 
 Laid him in the earth, and made it 
 Soft and loose and light above him; 
 And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 From the melancholy moorlands, 
 Gave a cry of lamentation. 
 Gave a cry of pain and anguish I 
 
 Homeward then went Hiawatha 
 To the lodge of old Nokomis, 
 And the seven days of his fasting 
 Were accomplished and completed. 
 But the place was not forgotten 
 Where he wrestled with Mondamin; 
 Nor forgotten nor neglected 
 Was the grave where lay Mondamin, 
 Sleeping in the rain and sunshine. 
 Where his scattered plumes and garments 
 Faded in the rain and sunshine. 
 
 Day by day did Hiawatha 
 Go to wait and watch beside it; 
 Keep the dark mould soft above it, 
 Keep it clean, from weeds and insects. 
 Drove away with scoffs and shoutings, 
 Kahgahgee, the king of ravens. 
 
 Till at length a small green feather 
 From the earth shot slowly upward, 
 Then another and another. 
 And before the summer ended 
 Stood the maize in all its beauty. 
 With its shining robes about it, 
 And its long, soft, yellow tresses; 
 And in rapture Hiawatha 
 Cried aloud, *^It is Mondamin! 
 Yes, the friend of man, Mondamin! '* 
 
WAVES THAT COMB TO SHORE 157 
 
 Then he called to old Nokomis 
 And lagoo, the great boaster, 
 Showed them where the maize was growing, 
 Told them of his wondrous vision, 
 Of his wrestling and his triumph. 
 Of this new gift to the nations, 
 Which should be their food forever. 
 
 And still later, when the Autumn 
 Changed the long green leaves to yellow, 
 And the soft and juicy kernels 
 Grew like wampum hard and yellow. 
 Then the ripened ears he gathered, 
 Stripped the withered husks from off them, 
 As he once had stripped the wrestler, 
 Gave the first Feast of Mondamin, 
 And made known unto the people 
 This new gift of the Great Spirit. 
 
 Our fire has burned low, the corn is still hot in 
 the embers, let ns strip the plumage and eat 
 thereof, for is it not one of the greatest gifts of 
 the spirit to mankind? 
 
 Our benefits come in visions, in dreams, until 
 we can materialize them sufficiently to be of bene- 
 fit to man. These visions and dreams that are of 
 REAL BENEFIT to the nations, to the people, 
 come to those who are seeking the Gift of the 
 spirit, like Hiawatha, by prayer and fasting. 
 By going into the great open IN THE SPLEN- 
 DOR OF SILENCE, with naught but the whis- 
 perings of nature, it is then we know and fully 
 appreciate the meaning of 
 **BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD/' 
 
 The rich blessing of the Maize is ever ready to 
 be multiplied when mankind seeks the KINGDOM 
 FIRST. 
 
158 FACE TO FACE 
 
 How is it that the white man is so far behind 
 his red skinned brother who forgets not to bury 
 his war clubs in harvest time, and blesses his 
 fields in time of planting? Had WE the spirit 
 of truth, OUE harvest might be more abundant. 
 ** Superstition, nonsense, '* says someone. Nay, 
 it is neither of these, my friend, but spirit seek- 
 ing spirit; where we reach towards the star at 
 the top of the tree; the symbol of spiritual birth; 
 the fullness of all. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 THE DEEP STILL WATERS 
 
 ^*Be still and KNOW that I am God'' 
 
 maERSOLL: *^The Infinite Bible has been 
 and is the greatest curse in Christendom, and 
 will be as long as it is held to be inspired.'' 
 
 LOTUS: When we glide our bark over the 
 deep still waters of inspirational things to the 
 broad sands where lieth the shells of past use- 
 fulness, we are quickened with the desire to en- 
 liven them with NEW EXPRESSIONS of use- 
 fulness; inspiration whispers ART in our souls, 
 and we barken. Just tiny shells cast up by the 
 sea, yet are they endowed with beauty and color- 
 ing of nature's reflected grandeur. The image 
 gladdens our heart, creating a NEW THOUGHT 
 of the beautiful; the reverie wanders on, to some 
 lone hut or palace grand, and there reposes in 
 the minds of others, creating a still newer 
 thought of beauty and worth. Other hearts are 
 made glad, other lives are made joyous. LITTLE 
 SHELLS hold the wonderful gift of spirit, the 
 power to awaken in man and call forth the ex- 
 pressive principles of HIS Divine purpose. 
 
 In the fathomless depths of soul a little song 
 has been sung, the song of the deep still waters ; 
 the ripple and rhythm of Infinite wisdom, in 
 which all things are made known. 
 
160 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Who can doubt the spirit of inspiration when 
 it is sung in the HEAET of man, the SOUL of 
 things, sung in nature's dreams, and sung in 
 EVERY EXPRESSION OF LIFE AND 
 DEATH. It is the song the Bible has sung from 
 the days of yore. 
 
 A chord has been sounded in the soul of man 
 in which rings the harmonious strains of heaven 
 here and now. Man may vibrate with ecstasy, he 
 may weep with joy, he may tremble with fear, 
 when he receives his first thrill of inspiration; 
 but he will never forget it, it becomes a part of 
 his VERY EXISTENCE from that moment, and 
 he knows it. He turns, beholding the Bible, and 
 he UNDERSTANDS the inspiration of it; it is 
 to him as the breath of life. He listens to the 
 promptings of the wee small voice, and is blessed. 
 
 God is a LIVING PRESENCE ; let us remem- 
 ber this always. A desire for a nearer insight 
 into the wonders, beauties and creative principles, 
 eventually overcomes the lust for carnal things. 
 ^*IT IS ENOUGH' '; we have tasted the vinegar 
 of sordid desire; we want HIS LOVE, we want 
 HIS CARE, WE WANT TO LIVE in pure con- 
 science. We want the sweet spirit of rest and 
 peace. This is a redeeming inspiration ascending 
 and descending — a Thalia — a muse of joy. It is 
 the illumined presence of God working in and 
 through our affairs. 
 
 It is the little pebble that holds around it the 
 fragments of earth and sand until it becomes 
 a great mountain. Herein we find the Divine 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 161 
 
 scheme of things working in unison with the pur- 
 pose for which God placed man in the Garden of 
 Eden. 
 
 **Ye men of Athens, I perceive that all things 
 are too superstitious, for as I passed by and 
 beheld your devotions I found altars with the in- 
 scription *To the unknown God,' whom there- 
 fore ye ignorantly worship. Him declare I unto 
 you; God that made the world and all things 
 therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and 
 earth, dwelling not in temples made with hands 
 as though He needed anything, seeing that He 
 giveth to all LIFE, breath and ALL things, and 
 hath made of one blood all nations of people to 
 dwell upon the face of the earth, and hath deter- 
 mined the things before appointed and within 
 the bonds of habitation, that they should seek the 
 Lord if happily they might find Him, though He 
 be not far from any of us, for in Him we have 
 our being; and certain of your own poets have 
 said, *For we are His offspring.' We ought not 
 to think the hand is like unto silver or gold, or 
 stone, or graven art and man's devices." 
 
 INGERSOLL: *^ Within the universe, the 
 supernatural does not exist." 
 
 LOTUS: The supernatural finds expression 
 in the various phases within the universe. Like 
 the laws of nature, it responds to sunshine, love 
 and harmony. It is ABOVE nature yet IN 
 nature. It is the supreme influence dwelling in 
 conscience. The quickened conscience perceives 
 
162 FACE TO FACE 
 
 it. It is then no longer a miracle, but the natural 
 results of QUICKENED SPIRIT. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^'If we admit that some in- 
 finite being has controlled the destiny of man, 
 persons and people, history becomes a blood- 
 curdling and thirsty farce. Age after age the 
 strong have trampled the weak, the heartless 
 have ensnared the innocent; and not in all the 
 dominion of mankind has God cured the 
 oppressed woman.'* 
 
 LOTUS: It is not hard to understand why 
 these conditions have existed, when we stop to 
 consider that man has not reached the deep 
 things of God in the FULL UNDERSTANDING 
 of the BOUNDARIES of the soul. That which 
 envelops and surrounds us is more or less in- 
 fluenced by us ; by the attitude we WILL towards 
 things and conditions. When we reach the truth 
 in the soul of things, we will not have such con- 
 ditions to WORK THROUGH. 
 
 Man has not come into the FULL realization 
 that all INTERIOR has an exterior. The in- 
 visible cord that binds the two is quickened into 
 INTELLIGENT EXPRESSION when man ELE- 
 VATES THEM to the standard GOD HAS SET 
 FOR MAN. 
 
 We are too apt to shut ourselves in the dark cell 
 that breeds unrest and disease, we want to open 
 the doors and let in the sunshine of spiritual truth. 
 **But whosoever drinketh of the waters that I 
 shall give him, shall be as a well of water spring- 
 ing up into everlasting life.*' 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 163 
 
 When we broaden in spiritual truth, we let the 
 bars of limitation down ; Divine love rides through 
 in the chariot of perfect understanding, without 
 respect of person or sex. 
 
 Man cries from the depths of his soul for a 
 PERFECT DAY with his eyes SHUT to TRUTH 
 and his ears closed to REASON. To develop the 
 perfect day calls for FAITH IN WORKS; for 
 the DIVINE expression of LOVE to be made a 
 PERPETUAL LAW. 
 
 0, Love Divine— the FRAGRANCE OF SOUL 
 entering the realms of the human heart, playing 
 upon the harmonica of man's BETTER nature, 
 sending forth the incense of ATTUNED GODLI- 
 NESS, in which all men are made JOYOUS. 
 
 Man will be able to bear the LIGHT of the per- 
 fect day when his soul is quickened in the 
 POWER of the great at-one-ness. Then will 
 wars be no more. The hungry masses CRY FOR 
 PEACE; the dying pray for it; God's little 
 children look into our eyes and ask us WHY 
 SUCH THINGS EXIST. Big sad eyes seek for 
 ONE RAY OF LIGHT by which the soul may be 
 fed. 
 
 OUR children are old before their time; old 
 beholding the sins of their fathers. Building 
 homes with back bent, one eye or none, one arm 
 or none; a bit of black bread with mouldy crust 
 is not heaven sent, it is man made. Blood be- 
 spattered doorsteps upon which little bare feet 
 leave their imprint, searching for the love light 
 that has disappeared behind sightless eyes, leave 
 
164 FACE TO PACE 
 
 in their wake the stamp of hatred buried deep 
 within the hearts and minds of these little ones, 
 who have been robbed of their childhood. 
 
 The MAN seeks revenge, perchance upon many, 
 for the stigma of crime that has hung, like a 
 shadow, over his life. Somewhere within his 
 being something snapped when he looked within 
 those sightless eyes, leaving a mute witness, a 
 lost chord. 0, man of sorrows, why linger around 
 the melting pot of HAS BEENS. Be a factor, 
 working in co-operation with the Divine in 
 LITTLE THINGS, where revenge is replaced by 
 LOVE, where the outgoing soul redeems, and 
 does not grow into degenerate desire. The re- 
 deemers of the world today are those who work 
 momentarily among the little things that con- 
 tinually confront man; thus they are building 
 greater destinies, greater souls. They may seem 
 to be living a peaceful life, without any effort on 
 their part. That's just it ; it is the quiet dale that 
 produces the fragrant and beautiful Lily of the 
 Valley, o 'er-shadowed by the mighty power of 
 peace. 
 
 Spirit soars; it covers a great area. It is in 
 the SOARING that man learns to overcome. It 
 takes just a LITTLE effort to further the great 
 principle of glorifying His likeness and image. 
 The perfect man stands before us today; all he 
 needs is awakening, quickening. Were all the 
 energy that is consumed by hatred and revenge 
 used to further the interests of the human race, 
 this world would be a Home of culture and re- 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 165 
 
 finement, wherein the soul- might find rest in the 
 spirit of progression. Spirit is so wonderfully 
 active in things, when it is met in honest purpose 
 and clean motives. 
 
 * * There is so much in this world to do, the little 
 I could accomplish would amount to little or 
 nothing,'* says someone. Every grain of sugar 
 added to the pound adds to its sparkle, its weight 
 and its value. Grain by grain the wheat grows 
 that feeds the nations. We are too apt to look 
 to the neighbors for our chickiens, when they are 
 peacefully clucking in our own back yard. 
 
 There is so much EIGHT AT HAND, would 
 we but take the time to count our blessings one 
 by one, so much through which we might work for 
 the good of all concerned, though it be in the 
 peaceful surroundings of just HOME. We need 
 not look to battle fields for a chance to soothe 
 the dying, the suffering; we need not look to the 
 slums for a chance to cultivate higher motives 
 and greater ideals. These come in our own back 
 doors unaided, unasked. We would see them 
 plainer would we give a little more thought to 
 the WELFARE of those who cross our threshold. 
 
 **I would rather not neighbor, it is better not," 
 say some. It is one of the GREATEST OPPOR- 
 TUNITIES presented to mankind. There is a 
 great DIFFERENCE between familiarity and 
 *^LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.'' 
 The distinction lies in the simple words, * * DO AS 
 YOU WOULD BE DONE BY." Not many will 
 take advantage of those who help them lift their 
 
166 FACE TO FACE 
 
 burdens. Time, example, and a gradual infusion 
 of Divine light, will help them see the value of a 
 friendship not over-ripe. 
 
 Man will eventually come into the FULL 
 REALIZATION that THE WAY has been made 
 clear from the days of Adam. He has been 
 blindly groping by the wayside when he might 
 have been a GREATER SOUL, gained greater 
 gain, had he sought the WORD IN THE SPIRIT 
 OF TRUTH. There is a great waste in the lives 
 of mankind ; that waste is INDIFFERENCE to 
 the things that are the NEAREST TO HIM. In 
 this one expression we will find the answer to 
 **Why do the insane treat those they love the 
 best with the greatest hatreds It is the IN- 
 DIFFERENCE OF MAN TO THE LITTLE 
 TREASURES EXPRESSING CONTINUALLY 
 IN HIS DAILY LIFE that has made an obses- 
 sing force TAKE HOLD of the sane and made 
 them insane. 
 
 Call it hereditary traits, if you like; I CALL 
 IT INDIFFERENCE to the IMMORTAL 
 SPIRIT IN MAN. CHRIST IS COMING! The 
 children's cry proclaims it. *^ Coming events cast 
 their shadows before. '^ There is no greater joy 
 than to find oneself attuned to meet them. It is 
 the co-mingling of the material and the Divine 
 in which God's purpose is glorified. It is the 
 substance of His likeness and image finding ex- 
 pression in WORKS BY FAITH. We may affirm 
 the body is all right; we may demand it BE all 
 right, but this does not sufficiently cover the law. 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 167 
 
 This is where faith in works has a chance to be 
 left out. The body IS, and it must be cared 
 for; true. We go to our granary and find the 
 bottom has fallen out of the bin, the grain scat- 
 tering to the four winds. We do not AFFIRM 
 the bottom back in the bin. We have faith in 
 our ability to place it back, but we know it takes 
 expression to accomplish the end. We remove 
 the cause by works, and then give thanks for the 
 perfecting of power that has made works pos- 
 sible. This is where faith plays its part, where 
 spirit plays a great part. To affirm the grinder 
 is all right when it is all wrong, is to spill the 
 grain: Just so, faith without works is dead. 
 
 We can picture before us a dear one, well 
 and strong, and hold the image there until it 
 becomes a part of our very existence; but we 
 must give them the PLEASURES, the NECES- 
 SITIES, to compel EXPRESSION in SPIRIT 
 and in TRUTH within their BEING. 
 
 Mind is a powerful factor; spirit is IN ALL, 
 ABOVE ALL, SURROUNDING ALL, but it 
 takes the expressive force of DIVINE LOVE 
 (which is attentive little pleasantries) to harmon- 
 ize the whole. It takes some power to quicken the 
 harmonious strains that meet spirit in its enliven- 
 ing principles, when it is meant to ENTER and 
 HEAL one filled with corruption, disease of mind 
 or body. And that force is LOVE. Holding the 
 thought of love, in a Divine sense, DOES HEAL; 
 but it must be met with ACTION to send its mag- 
 netic electric force through corruption. 
 
168 PACE TO FACE 
 
 An act of love calls forth in the mind of an 
 invalid, we will say, some sweet thought of the 
 one enacting love. It quickens a BRIGHT 
 thought, which is after all but the ILLUMINED 
 PEESENCE OF GOD. *^How sweet she was to 
 bring me this.'' Sweet thoughts of a friend are 
 the LITTLE ROSEBUDS in life that eventually 
 blossom in the fullness of their beauty on more 
 stems than one. It is none other than grafting 
 our loved ones to the GREAT SPIRIT of IN- 
 FINITE AWAKENING. The outcome oft pass- 
 eth all understanding. To me a friendly expres- 
 sion from a friend, or to a friend, enthralls me 
 with a Divine feeling of beauty that is not 
 equalled in any other expression in life in this 
 world of things, for it has taught me what a 
 GREAT AMOUNT of GOOD CAN be accom- 
 plished THROUGH THINGS, not alone upon 
 this plane, but in the KINGDOM OF HIS 
 RIGHTEOUSNESS. 
 
 **0, what in the world do you want to give her 
 THAT THING FOR?*' was asked of one who 
 was wrapping up neatly a little package of just 
 plain Castor Beans. 
 
 **Why, because I think she would like them; 
 anyway, I feel like giving them.'' 
 
 Later beneath the windows of an apartment 
 house there grew castor bean plants. They hid 
 from view a place that was not only an eyesore, 
 but a heartache. One day a girl, gayly attired 
 stopped and asked the lady who owned the plants 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 169 
 
 to permit her to linger a moment among them. 
 The lady hesitated only a moment — 
 
 **Come in, dear; why do you want to linger 
 under my castor beans f 
 
 ** Because we had them on the farm. OH, 
 WOULD I WERE AS I WAS THEN!'' 
 
 **And can't you be? WHY NOT BE LIKE 
 THE CASTOR PLANTS YOU LIKE; BE 
 HARDY, STRONG, and DETERMINED to 
 grow in wholesome ground?" 
 
 The girl smiled through her tears: **WHAT 
 A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT! I— I'M GOING 
 HOME! And I'm going to PLANT CASTOR 
 BEANS on MOTHER'S GRAVE; she'll under- 
 stand. And I'm going to be like them. I'm go- 
 ing to keep house for my old Dad and little Ger- 
 trude; she — she needs me." 
 
 When we do these LITTLE THINGS we do 
 not know HOW they are going to be spiritual- 
 ized, or how many souls it may appeal to, or what 
 kind of souls it may save. We do not know why, 
 but GOD DOES, for He has planted within us 
 the desire to DO. It is HAPPINESS to know 
 and see and feel the spirit working in and through 
 our affairs, our souls. It is then we come into 
 the great understanding of the spirit that moved 
 upon the face of the waters. In place of won- 
 derment, we see the NATURAL PRODUCTION 
 of the spoken word. 
 
 Were that word not spoken, what then? Does 
 this not exemplify the necessity of works through 
 
170 FACE TO FACE 
 
 faith? Does it not magnify the POWER of 
 spirit to penetrate and enliven even castor bean 
 plants, one of the least of these, one of the 
 coarser of these, and one of the MOST BEAU- 
 TIFUL in its STRENGTH? 
 
 The one who plants the more common-place 
 plants among the beautiful in his garden, will 
 find them expressing in a WAY man has not 
 dreamed of. In the veins of the coarser leaves, 
 the sturdy stocks, there runs the same Divine 
 purpose that threads its way through the more 
 delicate and frail. The harmony that abounds 
 when these two come in contact one with the other, 
 waylays the flash of color that is sometimes ex- 
 pressed in the coarser, and brings to the surface 
 the exquisite veining and coloring that STANDS 
 OUT SO CLEAR in its COMPARISON. It takes 
 these two to SHOCK our sense, as it were, into 
 the REALIZATION that BOTH of these are 
 beautiful, both harmonious, when we are enabled 
 to SEE THE TRUTH IN THEM. 
 
 What could be more beautiful than a plant of 
 castor beans hovering, like a protecting spirit, 
 above a tender little fern that could not live 
 without its shade? What more beautiful than a 
 field of waving corn surrounded by a beautiful 
 green hedge, no matter at what season it may 
 appear in the LIFE of the corn? One season 
 shows its delicate green, another its golden sheen ; 
 what then but the co-mingling of harvest and 
 spring, winter and fall. 
 
 And this is not all sentiment; it is WISDOM, 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 171 
 
 the Divine, showing us the way. **I AM THE 
 WAY.'* It is the WAY we harmonize these 
 things, by right thinking, that makes their value 
 apparent to us. 
 
 Works through faith is an ART in which God 
 will work with us, if we will open our souls to 
 the inflow of the DIVINE SUBSTANCE IN 
 THINGS. To spiritualize the material, is to 
 bring it into Divine harmony. The Bible teaches 
 us this. Faith in works unlocks the doors of 
 limitation, not alone for self, but for all things in 
 the earth, under the earth, and above the earth; 
 for there are some that, even now, do not know 
 the boundaries of the soul. 
 
 It is the nature of corruption to keep on affirm- 
 ing its destructive forces as long as there is the 
 least outlet for its escape, whether it be corrupt 
 mind, deed or disease. The antidote is pure con- 
 science, faith in works. Nature's Divine remedies, 
 nature's medicinal remedies. ** First Aid": — 
 Appreciation of our supply. 
 
 ^*And I will bring the blind by a way they 
 know not; I will lead them in paths THAT they 
 have not known: I will make darkness light be- 
 fore them, and crooked things straight. These 
 things will I do unto them, and not forsake 
 them. " * * I am the Lord ; that IS my name ; And 
 I will not give to another neither my praise nor 
 graven images." 
 
 **But this is a people robbed and spoiled; 
 THEY ARE all of them snared in holes, and they 
 are hid in prison houses; they are for a prey, 
 
172 FACE TO FACE 
 
 and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none say 
 EESTORK*' 
 
 *^Who among you will give ear to this? WHO 
 will harken and hear for the time to come? I, 
 EVEN I, AM the Lord; and beside me THERE 
 IS no Saviour.'* 
 
 The Bible is a work of SOUL ART; it is the 
 WORD of one who said: **I, EVEN I, am 
 LORD. '' In it is the redeeming quality of FAITH 
 by works. It is the substance of HIS WILL. It 
 is an inspired account of what was and is, and 
 will be, a prophecy, a truth, a book of love, a 
 book of commandments that would redeem the 
 world from sickness, sin and death, were these 
 commandments OBEYED. In its grandeur there 
 can be no imitation. It stands alone, the ONE 
 INSPIRED BOOK of soul culture, history and 
 Infinite wisdom. **The Lord my God seest me'' 
 is one of the thrills that descend through the 
 vaporous ether, an inspiration to those who seek 
 Him. In it is so much that is wonderful, THE 
 LORD, MY GOD, seest me. The profound fact 
 rings in every word that HE IS near; His per- 
 sonal presence is an inspiration to one and all 
 alike, whether it be in writing, works of a ma- 
 terial nature, art, literature, the GREAT things 
 or the LITTLE things, ^^THE LORD MY GOD 
 SEEST ME." 
 
 The scriptures are wholesome, and give joy 
 to those who will wade through material things 
 to reach it. The Bible is an inspired book with 
 BIG WINDOWS where we may look into the 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 173 
 
 great open fields of spirit, and therein become 
 happy, wholesome and strong. The truth has 
 ever been fought for, will be fought for, until 
 it is expressed fully in the lives of mankind. 
 
 The curse rests with him who carries his doubts 
 around the world in a pack, until they become 
 worm-eaten objects contaminating the peace and 
 happiness of countless souls. Such thoughts 
 breed discontent with self, with God and the uni- 
 verse. 
 
 The wholesome man^s house is a perpetual 
 inspiration, in which the most sacred moments 
 of his life are spent, the most restful, the most 
 wonderful. The Bible is the foundation of that 
 home. In it lies the destiny of man. 
 
 I have so many times been thankful for the 
 hours of prayer that have been spent in the 
 homes of those near and dear to me; there was 
 an atmosphere there whose fragrance will never 
 leave me. Home prayer is the most momentous 
 moment in the life of a family, though it may 
 seem not so at the time. Its influence is broad- 
 cast. The WORDS, so beautifully uttered by 
 the lips we love, never lose their influence. 
 
 We rise from our knees and look wonderingly 
 at last year's spray of mistletoe we had dreaded 
 to throw away, and somehow it teaches us again 
 and again, in its wondrous way, to hold together, 
 though the strand seems weak. It teaches us 
 unity of purpose; even though it be a parasite 
 living on others, still it brings in return a strange 
 fascinating chivalry with the Yule log; an artis- 
 
174 FACE TO FACE 
 
 tic stream of prose and poetry, love, romance 
 and dreams; a spirit that penetrates the hearts 
 of old and young alike with the joy of the first 
 kiss, and the sweet assurance abiding in the last. 
 Triumphantly it hangs its beautiful branches 
 upon our most sacred memories, never to be for- 
 gotten. 
 
 We feel His illumined presence as we walk to 
 the window, proclaiming the beauty of the morn- 
 ing, when we are attracted by a swarm of honey 
 bees happily humming around yonder tree. It is 
 one of the schemes in nature TO FILL THE 
 KNOT HOLES WITH HONEY. It is the supply 
 of God's kingdom descending for the use of man. 
 It is the song God sings in the heart of nature, 
 the song of truth, the inspiration of love. 
 ^^GO THOU AND DO LIKEWISE.'' 
 
 This proclaims His love. His goodness. His 
 wisdom. His mercy, in little things not made with 
 hands. PRAISE BE. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^Why should there be more 
 than one correct account of what happened? Why 
 were four gospels necessary? It seems to me 
 that one inspired gospel containing all that hap- 
 pened, was enough copies of one correct ac- 
 count. According to Dr. Davidson, it remains 
 a guess that there were four in number, because 
 there are four universal winds, four corners of 
 the globe. Others have said, * There are four sea- 
 sons,' and these gentlemen might have added, 
 * Because a donkey has four legs.' " 
 
 LOTUS : Let us go to the heart of things for 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 175 
 
 our answer. FOUR represents the generating 
 virtues whence come all combinations, is the most 
 perfect of numbers, the root of all things. It is 
 Holy in nature, since it constitutes the Divine 
 essence by recalling HIS UNITY, His power, 
 His goodness and His wisdom, **the four perfec- 
 tions which especially characterize God." 
 EVEEYTHING has a DIVINE SUBSTANCE, 
 exemplified through the DIVINE ESSENCE of 
 His power, unity, wisdom and love. 
 
 **You cannot improve on Me at all saith 
 the Lord." 
 
 INGEESOLL: ^^The object of the Old Testa- 
 ment is the cruelty said to have been commanded 
 by God. And all these cruelties caused death." 
 
 LOTUS : The CAUSE of sin is strongly pic- 
 tured in the Old Testament; how to overcome 
 sin is equally as strongly pictured in the NEW. 
 It is not because man does not understand the 
 commandments that they are not obeyed; it is 
 because he fears them, fears to let go the things 
 necessary to enact them. We are COMPELLED 
 to see the result of disobedience to the higher law 
 through sorrow and disappointments. 
 
 INGEESOLL: *^I do not want to be born 
 again." 
 
 LOTUS: God gives to EVEEY MAN LIB- 
 EETY. Just as long as man neglects the call of 
 His likeness and image, just that long will he 
 struggle in darkness. To adhere to the truth in 
 all things is to accept Christ; it is to have a new 
 heart; it is to be BOEN AGAIN, 
 
176 FACE TO FACE 
 
 The fruit of the spirit is like the paw-paw 
 tree; it hangs low, within the reach of man; the 
 secret is KNOWING how to receive it. Man 
 does not always see the road clear to obtain it, 
 because he refuses to let go the things that are 
 necessary to pure conscience, in which all things 
 pure are habitable: **the spirit and the fruit 
 thereof. ' ' 
 
 It is opportune here to mention some queries 
 presented by L. B. Benjamin some time back. 
 He remarked also that these queries had never 
 been answered. But he does not say they might 
 NEVER BE ANSWERED. 
 
 L. B. BENJAMIN: **Can you tell me why 
 the Christian priests destroyed nearly all the 
 Historical writings of PLOTINUSr* 
 
 LOTUS: To CONSERVE the moral conduct 
 of future generations, fearing they might be MIS- 
 UNDERSTOOD and MISUSED. 
 
 L. B. BENJAMIN: **Can you tell me why 
 POPE GEORGE VII destroyed the Library of 
 the PALATINE APOLLONIUS which contained 
 the whole of the writings of the school of ALEX- 
 ANDRIA, from days of POTAMON to the one 
 MAXIMUS?" 
 
 LOTUS: They did not conform to the 
 IDEALS of Pope George VII in that it would 
 affect the literature of the present day, against 
 Catholicism; that is, it held too many varying 
 statements to be at large, according to Pope 
 George's ideals. 
 
 He had another plan by which he HOPED to 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 177 
 
 gain the attentions of the universe. This hope 
 was never fulfilled. Had it been there would have 
 been an entirely different conception of religious 
 tactics, and would have very materially helped 
 the world. 
 
 The motives of Pope George VII were good; 
 his tactics severe. He was above the average 
 man in spiritual qualities; he held not only the 
 spiritual sacred but the material as well. He had 
 a gnawing fear that the world at large would 
 sooner or later be contaminated with what he 
 BELIEVED to be a wrong. 
 
 L. B. BENJAMIN: ^^Can you tell why the 
 ACTS OF THE APOSTLES have been handed 
 down as Acts of the Apostles of Christ, when it 
 was fully understood up to 323 A. D. that the 
 story related to the acts of the Apollonius of 
 Layana ? * ' 
 
 LOTUS: The ACTS were sincerely and Di- 
 vinely whole. The authors of them were no 
 doubt the reflection of the world-wide theopsy 
 of Layana, inasmuch as they were delivered at 
 the time of Christ. 
 
 Man must become attuned to receive Divine 
 Truth; it takes a great amount of patience, faith 
 and self sacrifice to reach the SOURCE of Di- 
 vine understanding. We must learn to watch, 
 wait and pray. Just because the voice says little 
 things, is no cause to turn aside from it. Obe- 
 dience to the first call leads to greater, grander 
 heights, until it develops into the great at-one- 
 ness, in which all things are made possible. When 
 
178 FACE TO FACi] 
 
 we ask questions of mortal man we want to take 
 God into our plans. The answer will come with- 
 out effort, and to us personally, in some unseen 
 way, by some unseen force, that will materialize 
 the truth for us. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^'According to the Bible, Je- 
 hovah made the world in five days, and the work 
 done each day is described. What did Jehovah 
 do on the second day? This is the record : *And 
 the Lord said, let there be a firmament in the 
 midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters 
 from the waters.^ ^And God made the firma- 
 ment and divided the waters which were above 
 the firmament, heaven, and the evening and the 
 morning were the second day.' 
 
 **The writer of this believed in a solid firma- 
 ment, the floor of Jehovah's house. He believed 
 that waters had been divided, and that the rain 
 came from above the firmament and did not un- 
 derstand the fact of evaporation; did not know 
 that the rain came down from the waters on the 
 earth. Now, we know there is no firmament, 
 and we know that waters are not divided by a 
 firmament; consequently we know that, accord- 
 ing to the Bible, Jehovah did nothing on the sec- 
 ond day. He must have rested on Tuesday. This 
 being so, we ought to have two Sundays." 
 
 LOTUS: It would seem that the second day 
 was the one in which He did the GREATEST 
 work. LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT. 
 The POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD. We 
 also know that above the earth there exist 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 179 
 
 realms of a higher intelligence than our own. 
 If you do not know this, you have never sought 
 the working power of higher intelligences. 
 
 **In the beginning God created the heavens 
 and the earth, and the earth was without form 
 and void, and darkness was upon the face of the 
 deep, and the SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED upon 
 the face of the water, and God said, *LET 
 THERE BE LIGHT and THERE WAS 
 LIGHT.' God saw that the light was good, and 
 God divided the light from darkness, and God 
 called the light DAY, and the darkness He called 
 NIGHT, and the evening and the morning were 
 the FIRST day. And God said. Let there be a 
 firmament in the midst of the waters, and let 
 it divide the waters from the waters, and God 
 made the firmament and DIVIDED the waters 
 which were above the firmament from the waters 
 which were under the firmament, and IT WAS 
 SO. And God called the firmament heaven, and 
 the evening and the morning were the second 
 day.'' 
 
 Spirit is a vital force, dynamic, electrical, mag- 
 netic, chemical, substance; Spirit is light, electric 
 energy. Light in air has a velocity of 299,828 
 kilometers per second. As spirit is LIGHT, in- 
 telligence, it must travel at the same rate. Its 
 dynamic nature would intensify this fact; hence 
 Spirit is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient 
 power that MOVED ON THE FACE OF THE 
 WATER. 
 
 THE SECOND DAY (TUESDAY) was a day 
 
180 FACE TO FACE 
 
 of SPIEITUAL TRIUMPH. We have a spirit, 
 spirit has a home; ether is a subtle medium fill- 
 ing space; there, we have a firmament. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^* There was issuing from the 
 garden a river that was parted into four heads; 
 the first of these, Pison, compassed the Holy 
 Land HAVILAH; and the second, GIHON, that 
 composed the whole land of ETHIOPIA; the 
 third, HEDDEAEL, that flowed towards the 
 east, ASSYRIA; and the fourth, EUPHRATES. 
 Where are THESE FOUR RIVERS NOW? The 
 brave prow of discovery has visited every sea, 
 the traveler has pressed with weary feet the soil 
 of every clime, and yet there have been found 
 no place from which four rivers sprang. The 
 EUPHRATES still journeys to the gulf, but 
 where are Pison and Gihon and the mighty 
 HEDDEAEL? The account of these four rivers 
 is what the Rev. David Swing would call a geo- 
 graphical poem. The Orthodox covers the whole 
 affair with the blanket of ALLEGORY.'' 
 
 LOTUS : Some few years ago it was my pleas- 
 ure to meet an old Egyptian named OL'AH. We 
 conversed at length upon this subject, as it had 
 always been of great interest to me. I will give 
 you OL'AH'S version of it. 
 
 **The formation of onyx and gold would tend 
 to point to the fact that these four heads, so to 
 speak, were formed underground; undoubtedly 
 an underground current, or after the manner of 
 an underground current. These are more power- 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 181 
 
 ful and natural than mankind usually imagines 
 them to be. 
 
 *^Eemarkable instances of erosive action are 
 almost everywhere to be observed; rivers have 
 hollowed out channels through great mountain 
 ranges. This would be called not only powerful, 
 but MIGHTY; yet, it is but the persistent push- 
 ing forward, brooking no stoppage, that accom- 
 plished it. This same expression could take place 
 underground. A hundred theories COULD be 
 supplied, but the resounding fact remains that 
 man has ever looked on the surface of things, 
 forgetting there is great food for thought, great 
 truths, great wonders, in the substance beneath 
 the surface. Wonderful wellsprings of wealth 
 and beauty lieth there. 
 
 **We would say in Egypt, Hhe camels bend 
 their knees because they find wisdom as well as 
 rest, chewing the cud of Madrigal.' So let the 
 rivers flow on, little friend, near kin thou art 
 to them." 
 
 We said good-by for the day, leaving me won- 
 dering. Why kin I, to rivers, great or small? 
 
 OL'AH will soon be speeding along in a bor- 
 rowed Pulkha, for it is the dream of his dear old 
 heart to live for a time with the Laplander, that 
 he may return again bringing more wisdom. He 
 is a man of many travels, a man that lives very 
 close to God, seeking wisdom in all things. Our 
 pumpkins in a pie were his greatest wonder, 
 and was enough, thought he, to wag his head in 
 friendly fashion to all pumpkin venders. 
 
182 FACE TO FACE 
 
 INGEESOLL : ' ^ Can any reason be given for 
 not allowing man to eat of the fruit of the tree 
 of knowledge? What kind of tree was it? If it 
 was all an ALLEGORY, what truth is sought to 
 be conveyed? Why should God object to the 
 fruit being eaten by man? Why did he put it in 
 the Garden of Eden? There was certainly plenty 
 of room outside. If he wanted to keep the tree 
 and man apart, why did he put them together? 
 And why, after he had eaten, did he thrust them 
 out?'' 
 LOTUS: 
 
 Oh tempter, serpent, from whence spring- 
 
 est thou? 
 Out of the fount of knowledge of sinful 
 
 things, I vow. 
 It was true with Adam, and it is true with 
 
 yon. 
 Awake, oh mortal man, to the pure, the true ! 
 
 Why did God plant the tree in the Garden of 
 Eden and place man therein? Because it is a 
 part of the great scheme of evolution. Adam and 
 Eve were spiritual beings, but not EXALTED 
 spiritual beings. The spirit, by EXPERIENCE 
 through the material, evolutionizes to its proper 
 sphere, as ^'old is refined by fire. Spirit is NOT 
 INFALLIBLE TO TEMPTATIONS until it IS 
 exalted by the power of overcoming trials and 
 temptations; until it has withdrawn into the 
 shelter of His truths, wherein there can be no 
 error; hence: 
 
 * * Get thee behind me, Satan, ' ' 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 183 
 
 The fall of Adam created a new condition in 
 Adam that did not harmonize with pure spirit in 
 the Garden of Eden, so he was transplanted to 
 an environment he had created for himself; 
 nevertheless, he wore the coat of God's eternal 
 care and protection. 
 
 We cannot pass through this world and not 
 leave pictures on the wall VISIBLE to spirit, 
 FELT by mortal, ENACTED by the susceptible, 
 ENFORCED by evil. To act criminally is to 
 incriminate. To enact the beautiful, is to come 
 in tune with the laws of the universe, the laws 
 of nature: hence the tuneful setting of vibrant 
 chords ^^In tune with the Infinite.'' The melody 
 of Divine knowledge is quickly attained; in fact, 
 it is already obtained. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^Why did God call to Adam 
 in the cool of the day?" 
 
 LOTUS : Because it is then the ether is purged 
 with purity. In the cool of the day, in this day 
 and age, commerce loses the fever of effort, birds 
 huddle closer to their brood, inciting sleep ; MAN 
 seeks the shelter of home, peace and rest. The 
 cool of the day is not only purged with ethereal 
 purity, but the earth takes on activities in growth, 
 LIFE. Vegetation is quickened and refreshed; 
 thus we experience the harmonious workings of 
 Divine purpose that embraces ALL. The fevered 
 brow, the parched fields, the tired animals relax 
 and become active in repose of souL 
 
 Again we find the sweetest LYRIC ever sung: 
 
 * * The pure in heart shall see God. ' ' 
 
184 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Earth is a dormant mass that holds the quali- 
 ties of LIFE. It has an abundance of healing 
 qualities that aside from life tend to complete 
 life. It holds a great creative principle that is 
 marvelous in constructive principles. THE LIT- 
 TLE HANDFUL OF EARTH we term city lots 
 may hold YOUR LIFE in its meshes. It has the 
 power to give strength and pleasure, so quietly, 
 so softly, that you do not realize it as one of the 
 POWERS THAT BE. We have not as yet fath- 
 omed the full value of magnetic qualities in earth. 
 These are free agents quietly waiting for the 
 intelligence of man to bring forth the facts and 
 expressive forces for the welfare of man. 
 
 It is wonderful to look in the face of a fellow 
 man and see the BEGINNING OF LIGHT, the 
 end of which is not seen by mortal eye: Light 
 may come e'en through the bewitching little 
 springs that we come across so unexpectedly on 
 our journeys o'er hill and dale. They give to 
 us not alone the refreshing water, but feed the 
 soul with a delightful charm and beauty. When 
 the soul is fed with the picturesque, it soothes 
 away the hard and rugged, and infuses a spirit- 
 ual loveliness. The esthetic nature is gratified, 
 and we return home with the blessings of bea- 
 tific vision surging within our souls. 
 
 As the earth was first etherealized, and then 
 materialized, and all that is therein, it is a Divine 
 GIFT, coming from a Divine SOURCE, and is 
 electrical in composition and power, proving con- 
 clusively that God created the world. 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 185 
 
 The subtle electrical force of spirit, the peculiar 
 properties of water brought together, may have a 
 greater tendency to create and enliven than man 
 may suppose. The power of the spoken word 
 etherealizes, and then materializes, thought ob- 
 jects. When we pause to drink at the fount of 
 spiritual knowledge we kiss the hem of His gar- 
 ment, wherein He reveals unto us new truths, 
 that we may rise and see Him face to face. 
 
 THE WAKE ROBIN'S SECEET THOUGHT 
 
 Thoughts that are good, where goest 
 thou? 
 
 * * On to the next impressionable Mind that 
 enacts me.*' 
 
 Thoughts that are evil, where goest thou? 
 
 **I find my kind, and seek to bury my 
 talons in them.'' 
 
 Christlike thoughts go home to God. Evil 
 thoughts, like Aaron's rod, a ser- 
 pent turneth into. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^*Why should God demand 
 praise ? ' ' 
 
 LOTUS : Until man becomes ATTUNED TO 
 GOD AND THE HIGHER FORCES, he CAN- 
 NOT SING PRAISES. Praise is an expression 
 of SOUL FILLED WITH LIGHT. When man 
 comes into the realization of his OWN INHER- 
 ENT POWERS, his soul will sing out at the 
 GLORY OF THE LORD; Praise with celestial 
 ardor, bounds to the God who beckons ; The Lord 
 is risen! Lord of Lords, and Host of Hosts I 
 
186 FACE TO FACE 
 
 To live in the highest expression of truth is to 
 praise the Lord continually. We praise the Lord 
 when we use our minds intelligently in PURE 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 The Wake Robin was calling. I was happy. 
 
 OL^AH had come again to see the country he 
 had so learned to love. We were quietly talking 
 away when he expressed a desire to go to Spook 
 Hollow, about seven and one-half miles from the 
 center of the city. Gladly I accepted, contempla- 
 ting a good story by the way. 
 
 We wandered near the ruins of an old fort, 
 coming to Spook Hollow about sunset. We soon 
 came to an old tower. It looked weird, seemingly 
 without top or bottom, toppling on its side in 
 such fantastic manner. I looked amazedly about ; 
 a glad cry came from my lips as I plucked a rose 
 from a bush on which there was not a leaf or bud 
 left, just that one lone rose. I raised the beauti- 
 ful flower to the lips of my friend: ^^Poor thing,*' 
 I said, *^it is so lonely!" 
 
 *^Nay, my child,'' said OPah with emotion, *4t 
 is shedding its fragrance in God's garden. Come, 
 child; let us mount our camels in fancy and go 
 to Egypt, to the Valley of the Nile. 
 
 *^It is about this time of the evening, we will 
 say; a beautiful Mohammedan lady stands in 
 front of SEPH, hanging her head in distress ; she 
 looks- up like a wounded deer at bay : ' OH WHY 
 does not the COMFORTER COME? When I 
 was in ABU HASHIM (Echo Hill) the spirit 
 CRIED WITHIN ME ; but over the sea I could 
 feel coming towards me the INFINITE GLORY 
 
The deep still waters ist 
 
 OF A NEW GOD, A GOD WHO SPOKE TO 
 MY HEART, A GOD SUCH AS I HAVE 
 NEVER SEEN; OH WHY does He not come? I 
 WILL AWAY— AWAY— until I HAVE FOUND 
 THIS strange new God who speaks to the hearts 
 of men!' 
 
 *^To Cairo she begged her father to take her. 
 After many months they arrived. ^On, on to 
 ELVANDRA!' she cried. Her heart was heavy 
 within her; she had not yet found her God. 
 
 ^ ^ One lovely Sabbath morning the beautiful one 
 sought a friend whom she asked to take her to a 
 place where she might find this God of her 
 dreams, whose voice she had heard in the silence 
 of soul. The friend saw her need, and took her 
 to COPPTA, where they taught the CHRISTIAN 
 RELIGION. Her eyes wandered dreamily over 
 those within; she murmured, *The GOD — I can- 
 not see; but HERE, HERE, I FEEL— I FEEL!' 
 striking her breast in ecstasv. ^THE CHRIS- 
 TIAN MAN, HE SPEAKS GOD, and I— I 
 KNOW!' 
 
 **And so,'* said OPah, **she kept her heart per- 
 fect unto the coming of the Lord. Happy the 
 heart of one who SPEAKS the WORD OF 
 GOD." 
 
 We wandered back home through the fast 
 gathering twilight; I held my rose TIGHT; the 
 heart of the Wake Robin throbbing happily 
 against my bosom. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^I believe in observation, 
 reason and experience, the blessed trinity of 
 
188 FACE TO FACE 
 
 LOTUS: Eeason is within the vale of JUS- 
 TICE, which is Godliness. Observation is not 
 dependable at ALL TIMES; too many see 
 through SMOKED GLASSES. Science is all 
 this, and more ; WAS, from the beginning. Some 
 experiences oppose the growth of the soul; man 
 puts on the Toga of ADVEESITY, making him- 
 self UNABLE to judge or reason. The science 
 of the Bible tells us HOW to HARMONIZE 
 EXPERIENCE, OBSERVATION and REA- 
 SON into one perfect EVER PRESENT PRIN- 
 CIPLE, KNOWLEDGE, UNITY WITH DI- 
 VINE. MAGNITUDE of THOUGHT depends 
 upon being in TUNE with Divine INTELLI- 
 GENCE, in which flow the crystal stream of 
 EXACTNESS, PERFECTNESS, which is 
 FOUR SQUARE, the generating virtues, the 
 ROOT OF ALL THINGS, UNITY, GOODNESS, 
 WISDOM. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^*The story of Lot^s wife be- 
 ing turned into a pillar of salt is extremely un- 
 scientific. ' ' 
 
 LOTUS: On the contrary, it IS Science, 
 through which the Divine worketh. STALKING 
 PARALYSIS is a PRIMEVAL DISEASE, and 
 is most often caused by fear or dread. When 
 Lot^s wife turned back, she may have been ter- 
 rorized by some thought of fear for herself or 
 Lot, thus paralyzing the nerve centers, causing 
 STALKING PARALYSIS. We must take also 
 into consideration that the body has much salt 
 or sodium in its composition. Just what chemi- 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 189 
 
 cal change would take place after the death of 
 the body, would depend upon the climatic and 
 ethereal conditions. 
 
 Salt and sodium enfold crystallized ether. 
 There being great beds of salt in that part of 
 the country, the ether or air would naturally be 
 permeated with it. It is not impossible that 
 Lot's wife was affected with stalking paralysis. 
 Lime eats the body when it is covered with its 
 biting substance; then why should not salt, with 
 its penetrating crystallizing effect, turn a body 
 into a pillar of salt, undergoing a chemical 
 change! 
 
 Aside from that, a lesson is taught by the inci- 
 dent, whether it be STALKING PARALYSIS, 
 the POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD, OR 
 BOTH. It is this : That those looking back find 
 the way undone. Time goes on, man goes on, 
 there is no backward tread to progression. The 
 skeleton lingers in the background, the soul 
 goes on. DUST TO DUST is but a phase of 
 what HAS been, not what IS. Lot's wife was 
 told to GO ON and NOT look back; also, she 
 was given the substance (body) to go on. 
 
 THERE IS A TIME WHEN A LAUGH is 
 not a laugh, but the echo of a SHRUNKEN 
 SOUL. 
 
 ONWARD 
 
 INGERSOLL: **FOR three hundred years 
 the Christian world endeavored to rescue from 
 the infidel the empty sepulcher of Christ. For 
 three hundred years the army of the cross was 
 
190 FACE TO FACE 
 
 baffled and beaten by the victorious beasts of an 
 impudent impostor. The people found that com- 
 merce made friends where religion made enemies. 
 For ages a deadly conflict has been waged be- 
 tween a few brave men and women of thought 
 and genius upon one side, and the great IGNO- 
 EANT EELIGIOUS MASS on the other. 
 
 LOTUS: Commerce makes friends just so 
 long as it profits the universal mind. Back of 
 the friendship of commerce rises a great desire 
 to build cities, clean cities, to inhabit them, with 
 churches, with art, culture, refinement; back of 
 the great commercial world lies the force that 
 DOES things. The great religious masses have 
 built churches for the ^^FEW LITTLE BEAVE 
 MEN'^ to play peek-a-boo around, while they 
 were BUSY BUILDING wonderful tabernacles 
 for the growth of the soul. This great mass 
 wanted to build institutions, wanted to grow, and 
 they DID grow. They wanted to provide homes 
 for those who could not provide homes for them- 
 selves when the frost of time comes on and they 
 find themselves homeless. 
 
 Had we no religious tactics, the few little brave 
 men would have to hide their women folk in the 
 cellar. We should have more respect UNTO 
 OUE OWN. We are liberators in one GEEAT 
 CAUSE — the betterment of humanity. This 
 state cannot be found until man shows more 
 respect for his fellow man; until he ceases to 
 lind fault, and lends a hand to BETTEE condi- 
 tions, through the perfecting of self 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 191 
 
 There is nothing worth having unless it is 
 ^orth working for. GOD IS AT THE HELM; 
 HE Wn.L HELP YOU OVER and OVER 
 AGAIN. We never fully appreciate anything 
 until someone tries to take it away from us. 
 Dost not know the difference between carnate 
 and decarnate life (Life expressing in a spirit- 
 ual sense, or life expressing in a material sense) I 
 
 Our needs will be supplied, whether it be then 
 or now, that immortal day when we find the way 
 to the seven or eight, or maybe more. But God 
 is in the firmament. 
 
 Life is not a fable, but fact, and must be met 
 AS FACT. Fact is the supreme knot that binds 
 man to reason. A life lived against the highest 
 principles of being leads on down, down, to the 
 gallows; for such is the soul in bondage, ever 
 hanging, never hung; eternal punishment, or the 
 agony of sin. 
 
 INGERSOLL: **The church says, * Believe 
 and obey.' If you reason, you will become a 
 non-believer; you will be lost. If you obey, you 
 will do so through vain curiosity, and that will, 
 like Adam and Eve, thrust you from the Garden 
 forever. ' ' 
 
 LOTUS: Obedience is the FIRST LAW OF 
 NATURE; it is the HIGHEST expression of 
 order. Spring uncovers her head from the win- 
 try snows; once uncovered she obeys the law 
 of EXISTING FORCES until the harvest comes 
 on, when it plays a GREATER part in the wel- 
 fare of man and beast. Nothing is lost in nat- 
 
192 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ural obedience. Obedience is a law ; without law, 
 chaos; we would flounder in the deep sea of 
 ignorance, a prey to the vultures of indifferent 
 society. OBEDIENCE IS DEMANDED BY 
 EVERY LAW OF NATURE. Obedience is 
 spontaneous response to mechanical construction, 
 to the laws of nature, to the laws of God and 
 man. The great universe is built on obedience. 
 The little chick, for instance, hardly out of its 
 shell, responds in obedience to the mother's ex- 
 cited cluck. Animal life responds in like man- 
 ner; in fact, we are obeying the call of higher 
 forces, and thus respond to the laws, as do the 
 flowers to the rain. 
 
 I believe in government, in righteous law; I 
 believe in helping those who are unable to help 
 themselves ; I believe in God, the creator of man ; 
 I believe in my fellowman. 
 
 There never was a sermon that did not IN 
 SOME WAY SHOW THE HAND OF GOD, 
 were we spiritual enough to see it. There is 
 ALWAYS SOMETHING we can take hold of 
 in ALL things, and make use of TO OUR GOOD, 
 WILL we do so. The human mind is not held 
 in bondage by any mortal mind, church, or body 
 of churches, where GOD IS AT THE HELM. 
 The most of us go to church, like a ship at sea 
 without a compass; we drift with the tide of 
 worldly minds, wondering what we are going 
 to hear next; WILL IT BE A DRY SERMON! 
 Hence the lack of interest. 
 
 Seek the soul within you, search it well; if 
 the SERMON does not appeal to you, then there 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 193 
 
 is the spirit of truth that will heal you, refresh 
 you, rest you. If you will but go in the silence 
 with God, learning to overcome obstacles what- 
 ever their nature may be, although the sermon 
 be EVER SO DRY, there is always something 
 that CAN and WILL help you. If you will seek 
 it in the house of God AS the house of God, then 
 there is something there for YOU, and a great 
 many SOMETHINGS. The minister is talking 
 about God, about the works of God, have re- 
 spect unto Him. When God is busy, respect 
 the silence. A real live interest must begin in 
 the heart for the word of God, wherever it 
 may be found. 
 
 If you understand fully the principle which 
 the man of God is trying to hold before your 
 eyes, if you understand the power working with- 
 in that man, if you understand that inspiration 
 MUST FIND A HOME SUITED TO ITS 
 TRUTHS, it will be easier for you to grasp the 
 word of God and apply it to your use. You can 
 be at HOME to the highest inspiration, if you 
 will but set the forces to work to attract it. 
 
 It is in the silence that the working principle 
 is set in motion for greater attainments. It is 
 there we learn to walk with the spirit, and sing 
 with the spirit, until our soul expands like some 
 wondrous flower, stirring with some strange, 
 enraptured power. The value of the silence is 
 THIS: That it enables man to develop on the 
 heights UNINTERRUPTED by the world. We 
 are then enabled to realize that we are spirit 
 NOW, and that we are enabled to dwell with 
 
194 FACE TO FACE 
 
 the spirit NOW. The more mankind dwelleth 
 upon the heights, the more he walks with the 
 spirit in understanding also. To walk with the 
 spirit is to imbibe the joys of life. 
 
 Heed not the fall of the cinder, it can do 
 naught but sting. 
 
 ^^If the world hate you, you know it hated 
 Me before it hated you. Howbeit then that the 
 spirit of truth is come? He will guide you in all 
 truth.'' 
 
 ^^But I know even now, that whatsoever thou 
 wouldst ask of God, God will give it you.'' 
 
 *^ Verily I say unto you, he that receiveth 
 whomsoever I send, receiveth Me." 
 
 This a poem, a reverie, a joy! 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^A poem is produced by the 
 forces of nature. You will seek in vain for a 
 thought in man's brain without efficient cause. 
 Every mental operation is the necessary re- 
 sult of certain facts and conditions. Mental phe- 
 nomena are considered more complicated than 
 those of matter, then consequently more mys- 
 terious. Being more mysterious they are con- 
 sidered better evidence of an existing God." 
 
 LOTUS : A poem is a soul song. It is inspired 
 by the promptings of one being in tune with the 
 FORCES SET TO WORK IN NATURE. As 
 we awaken in soul truth, a responding chord is 
 struck within the soul of man, finding expres- 
 sion in words, as it has reached a higher or 
 lower ideal. Poems are music of the soul, wheth- 
 er they be celestial, classical, ragtime or indif- 
 ferent. The chord that is touched sends forth to 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 195 
 
 the world a song, a soul thought. Matter, being 
 the manifestation of spirit, does away with fact, 
 and runs to fancy. Verse is made of things 
 seen, and things unseen; things that were, and 
 are to be; things heard, and things unheard. 
 Verse is a work of spontaneous soul thought. 
 It should be a free agent, written in the manner 
 in which it comes to the soul of man. As light- 
 ning finds its way to a near-by tree, so themes 
 take hold of man's nature, bringing forth in all 
 its thunders of intensity, the soul on paper. 
 
 A theme sometimes falls on the hearts and 
 minds of men as the Yuletide bells; a certain 
 Christ-like harmony stirs in the soul of him who 
 hears. It would be sacrilegious to tamper with 
 such vibrations. 
 
 Again inspiration may come to man as a flick- 
 ering shadow. He senses it at the time, but it 
 does not make an EXPEESSIVE expression un- 
 til later when the connecting link sends it thrill- 
 ing through his erstwhile labors. 
 
 Inspiration does not come to those who have, 
 ordinarily speaking a desire to be a hard-boiled 
 egg; life is extinct in a hard-boiled egg; therein 
 lieth the phenomenal mystery, matter, spirit. 
 The entire significance of inspiration and life of 
 man is, that man is a spiritual being, inamortal 
 by nature, progressive by development, made in 
 His likeness and image, corrupted by immorality, 
 redeemed by spirituality. 
 
 According to the AMOUNT of truth in the 
 subject, according to the tuning of the receiving 
 
196 FACE TO FACE 
 
 instrument, just so is inspiration able to express 
 through that instrument. 
 
 INGERSOLL: *^ Science is too slow for the 
 Christians; they want creeds.'' 
 
 LOTUS: We have had science ever since the 
 world began, and yet you say science claims all 
 things move in harmony. The law of truth is 
 the law of love; both are symbols of the science 
 of evolution. Without love and truth, there 
 would be no law, for these two embody the har- 
 mony that governs nature; without these, we 
 would be going AGAINST the laws of natural 
 efficiency. 
 
 HENCE A CREED WAS BORN 
 
 Down on an old farm in South Carolina an 
 old darkey was taking his noontime rest under 
 the shade of an old apple tree. He was drifting 
 near the spirit as he sat thinking of his work, 
 and how little he could accomplish in it. He 
 was somewhat rebellious when he would think of 
 his age. An old owl near by cried: 
 
 **Wo-hoo! Wo-hoo!'' 
 
 *^You-all don't need to hoot at oV Tom, 
 Lord, at all. Tom don't know what he ought to 
 do." 
 
 Again came the * * Wo-hoo ! ' ' 
 
 Old Tom sprang to his feet more nimbly than 
 he had done for years. Holding his head up he 
 said: 
 
 ^*Lord, I cain't see YOU, but I heahs you-all. 
 If you will jes' tell ol' Tom what to do, and 
 not * Wo-hoo,' I'll be much 'bleeged." 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 197 
 
 The tree was the resting place of Tom's mas- 
 ter as well. Taking advantage of the oppor- 
 tunity, knowing old Tom was far too near sighted 
 to see him reclining in the tree, the master 
 changed his voice and said: 
 
 * * Tom, if you wouldn 't forget to remember that 
 it isn't always HOW MUCH we do for the Mas- 
 ter, but HOW WELL we do it that counts, you 
 would last longer and do better work.*' 
 
 ** Thank you, Lord, thank you! I dun' know 
 you-all was tellin' me the truf. Dat am so; but 
 Lod, will you do me a favah?" 
 
 **What is it, Tom?" came from the tree. 
 
 '*I dun forgot to give Mastah Miss Julia's 
 letter and I hid it up yonda in the tree, and 
 Lord, will you please give it to Mastah. I dun 
 forgot to give it for two months — I's sca-ed to 
 give it." 
 
 **A11 right, Tom, I will see that he gets it." 
 
 Bowing and scraping, Tom thanked the Lord, 
 when an excited voice again came from the tree : 
 
 **Tom, you old fool, go and get your Master's 
 grip packed. He is going to Virginia to see Miss 
 Julia. Move lively — move lively!" 
 
 Tom looked up astonished, muttering as he 
 went along: 
 
 **The Lord am SUEE in a hurry— Yes, Lord, 
 I'll move on, I'll move on." 
 
 He did move on all the rest of his days. His 
 work improved, and his temper, too. One day 
 Master looked at Tom with a twinkle in his eye. 
 
 ' * Tom, you have improved so much, I am going 
 
198 FACE TO FACE 
 
 to let you be Master of Ceremonies at the 
 wedding. ' * 
 
 Tom threw back his shoulders : 
 
 **You-all didn't know the Lord do get in a 
 hurry sometimes, does you? And when He do 
 they's jes' one thing fob Tom to do, and that am 
 go on about his Fathah's business; but Mastah, 
 did the Lord gib you anything?** 
 
 **Sure, Tom, He gave me Miss Julia.*' 
 
 **But, Mastah, I know He dun gib you Miss 
 Julia but — but — didn't He gib you-all sometin* 
 else?" 
 
 **I see, Tom, what you mean," taking a much 
 torn and weather-beaten note from his pocket. 
 *^Yes, Tom, He gave me this, in a very strange 
 manner. But, Tom, you are trying the Lord. 
 Where is your faith?" 
 
 Tom was almost scared white. He fell on his 
 knees imploring God to forgive him. 
 
 **A11 right, Tom," said his Master, **I know 
 God will forgive you this time. But remember 
 after this, when you have any secrets with the 
 Lord, just trust Him to keep them." Hence — a 
 creed was born. 
 
 We sometimes find what we are seeking lin 
 strange places. Like master, we will take advan- 
 tage of the opportunity, and perch the infidel on 
 his own dry limb. 
 
 INGEESOLL : ^^I challenge the world to show 
 that Thomas Payne wrote a line or a word in 
 favor of tyranny or immorality; one line against 
 justice, charity and liberty; one line against the 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 199 
 
 interest of mankind ; and yet he has been pursued 
 as though he had been a fiend in Hell. ' ' 
 
 LOTUS: A partial truth is no truth at alL 
 You cannot be charitable, you cannot work for 
 the good of humanity, without the power of love. 
 To accept love is to accept the SUBSTANCE of 
 love, which is God. Payne was not condemned 
 as a fiend; his works were the works of the half- 
 loaf; we turn the reflection the other way, that 
 the whole loaf may be visible to mankind. Works 
 AGAINST the SUBSTANCE OF GOOD are 
 UNEEAL, and UNNATURAL, hence WORTH- 
 LESS. 
 
 Thoughts, words and expressions are electrical 
 in their effect. When sent with force THROUGH 
 EXPRESSIVE PRINCIPLES they penetrate 
 substance, compelling response. The nature of 
 the response depends largely upon the AMOUNT 
 of force sent from the positive, as well as the 
 negative condition of the recipient to enact, 
 absorb, and attract the electrical force from the 
 positive; whether the negative be substance con- 
 taining life, or simply substance containing the 
 requirements NECESSARY TO ENACT the 
 positive, or be affected by the positive. This 
 would answer Ingersoll: **Is it scientific to 
 imagine that a thrust of a spear through the 
 body of a woman ever stayed a plague?" 
 
 **The body is as grass; the soul, as the flower 
 of grass,'' says the Bible. In the days of which 
 Ingersoll speaks, the sacrifice of the body was 
 thought little of when a great principle was at 
 stake to the saving of many. One body was often 
 
200 FACE TO FACE 
 
 used to save or serve thousands. It IS today in 
 thousands of ways. Results from INACTIVE 
 suggestions are not as SURE, nor RESULTS as 
 QUICK, as when EXPRESSION is used with 
 SUGGESTION. A weak suggestive power is 
 not sent with sufficient FORCE to CREATE and 
 ENACT AT the same time. 
 
 While thoughts are things, harmful, ugly, or 
 whether they are beautiful, they are not as 
 GREAT as when sent with the ELECTRICAL 
 FORCE OF THE POSITIVE ENLIVENING 
 AND ENACTING the suggestion in PURE 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 The ether is filled with things created from 
 weakened will. We want GREAT THINGS, 
 beautiful things, in the ether around us, not 
 creeping things. 
 
 God is our supply here, there, and He produces 
 through NATURAL CHANNELS, not UN- 
 NATURAL THEORIES. The word of God is 
 SURE, QUICK and POWERFUL. 
 
 It is not impossible that plague was stopped 
 through the SACRIFICING POWER OF GIV- 
 ING, that OTHERS might LIVE. If you hav^ 
 had many prayers answered you will KNOW 
 this to be true. The word of God is in it, the 
 ethereal carries it onward; in the ethereal are 
 medicinal qualities, therapeutic in nature. In 
 woman is life, by taking life from the body, the 
 spirit ascends to perform its mission in the king- 
 dom of spirit — heaven, wherein is found the 
 SUBSTANCE OF ALL. 
 
 Heaven receives, God perceives. 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 201 
 
 God taketh away and returneth to us OUR 
 OWN in the FULLNESS OF PERFECTION. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ''Is it scientific to say a river 
 cut itself in two, and allowed the lower end to 
 run o&V 
 
 LOTUS: As water is super-vacile and super- 
 lative, it could not only be possible but probable. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^Is it scientific to assert that 
 seven priests blew seven ram's horns loud enough 
 to blow down the walls of a city?" 
 
 LOTUS: We are forbidden by law to drive 
 faster than a walk across bridges. To do other- 
 wise might cause a peculiar vibration that would 
 bring the bridges down, so scientists say. The 
 blowing of the seven, or one, ram's horn could — 
 if the vibrations were rightly directed — cause 
 responding chaotic results. The law governing 
 vibrations and their terrific force, is too lengthy 
 to go into at this time. However, vibrations 
 have been known to trouble mountains. 
 
 Let us take into consideration another law 
 that was brought into play in the above state- 
 ment; that is, that SEVEN is the gift of the 
 spirit. The gift in this case was twofold, 
 TWICE POWERFUL. It was then, I should 
 say, DIVINE VIBRATIONS. The priests were 
 the mediums of the Divine vibrating forces or 
 POWER. The gift of the spirit is the POWER 
 of the spirit. It is then not only scientific to 
 assert the ACTIVE principles and POSSIBILI- 
 TIES OF VIBRATION, but it also asserts the 
 DIVINE, the WORKING POWER OF SPIRIT. 
 
202 FACE TO FACE 
 
 INGERSOLL: *^Is it scientifically probable 
 that an angel of the Lord devoured unleavened 
 cakes with fire that came out of the end of a 
 stick, as he sat under the oak tree? That God 
 made known His will by letting the dew fall on 
 wool without wetting the ground around it? Or 
 that the angels of God appeared to Manoah in 
 the absence of her husband, and the angels after- 
 wards went up in a flame of fire, and as a result 
 of that visit a child was born whose strength was 
 in his hairT' 
 
 LOTUS: Spiritual light, or fire, is FILLED 
 with potent POWER to HEAL or QUICKEN, 
 and ENLIVEN the intelligences within the cells 
 of the body, causing a wholesome, healthy 
 growth; spirit penetrating SUBSTANCE. ^'GOD 
 IS A SPIRIT.^' Neither is it strange that Ma- 
 noah was visited by angels in the ABSENCE of 
 her husband. It will probably seem strange to 
 many who do not fully understand that SPIRIT 
 reaches mortal more powerful when no conflict- 
 ing force is around to detract. This is the 
 beauty of SILENCE again demonstrated; when 
 spirit meets spirit, completing a magnetic force 
 around us. ^ ^ GOD IS A SPIRIT. '' Spirit heals 
 those who are open to the influx of spiritual 
 truths. Again, the true VALUE of prayer is 
 demonstrated also. 
 
 It is a well known fact that there is power in 
 the hair, too well known to carry into detail. 
 All things are possible with God. 
 
 Dew so directed, proclaims the working power 
 of Spirit. Fire, or spirit light, in this case, may 
 
THE DEEP STILL WATERS 203 
 
 have been a reflected spiritual power or presence. 
 Spirit also imbibes. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^s it unscientific to deny 
 that water gushed from the hollow of a dry 
 boner' 
 
 LOTUS : A fount shall spring in the desert of 
 a turbulent soul. Spiritual waters shall flow 
 from the gold mines of understanding. 
 
 In insipid terms Ingersoll demands to know 
 whether a dry bone can contain water for an in- 
 definite period. God's eternal power springs up 
 in unexpected places; it abideth e'en UNTO 
 THE END. His compelling power can create, 
 withhold and uphold. 
 
 Through the power of spirit water could flow 
 through or from a dry bone as well as through 
 the little spring in yonder field. But, you say, 
 the spring is a part of nature; it is a play 
 through nature. So is Spirit a part of nature; 
 it IS nature; and its play goes beyond nature, 
 for it CREATES. 
 
 And thus we answer one of Ingersoll's most 
 POSITIVE DEMANDS— ^* show us something 
 beyond nature that CONTROLS nature, and we 
 will believe." And we have shown you some- 
 thing beyond nature that controls nature. The 
 power of the spirit is great; CREATIVE prin- 
 ciples enfold CONTROLLING principles. 
 *^God is a spirit." 
 I do believe, I NOW believe — " 
 
CHAPTEE IV 
 HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 
 
 EBENEZER UNIC GRAY. 
 
 Keep your rhythm and your laughter, happy little song, 
 It will grow greater, grander, as you move along. 
 
 Little children will caress you, older hearts will 
 
 bless you. 
 LOVE will make the song ring true. 
 
 The sun looked down in ruddy splendor on Ebenezer 
 
 Unic Gray, 
 As he fed old Sol his fodder and his hay. 
 
 Maw, she hollered out the winder, **Paw, you're nigh 
 
 on eighty-three. 
 Too old to be a laughin', makin' fun o' me." 
 
 *'I were jest a thinking Mandie; ain't too old to 
 
 think, be I?" 
 Maw she begun to snivel, then to cry. 
 
 That tickled Paw, and he said: ''Maw, your nose is 
 
 gittin' red." 
 Not carin' how old Sol was being overfed. 
 
 Maw looked up indignant like, *' That's jest the way 
 
 with men, 
 Thej^ never see the stitches in the mend. ' ' 
 
 **Well," sez Paw. "We kin be happy though our hair 
 
 is gray. 
 It's only a part of nature, anyway." 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 205 
 
 "Nope,'* sez Maw, " 'taint nuther; it's the song the 
 
 God in heaven made, 
 The rythm and the poetry that crowns old age." 
 
 Old Sol et up his fodder and then laid down and died, 
 Paw sat up in wonder, Maw — she cried. 
 
 Paw winked at me, ''That's jest the way with critters, 
 
 that it be. 
 Always, always,, always a gittin ' the best o ' me. ' ' 
 
 Two withered hands clung tighter, as when in youth 
 
 they bade 
 The sun to shine less bright, lest it fade. 
 
 Two old hearts grown fonder, as their hair turned 
 
 thin and gray. 
 As the snows of winter precede the spring alway. 
 
 It's the rhythm and the poetry, the happy little song. 
 That makes love grow greater as we move along. 
 
 It is the little jokes and teasings, the little hopes and 
 
 smiles. 
 That make the way so easy over the weary miles. 
 
 It's the sunshine and the shadows, the heartaches and 
 
 the joys. 
 That makes us love each other, like when we were boys. 
 
 INGERSOLL: '* Happiness; what is it? 
 Where does it come fromT' 
 
 LOTUS: True happiness is merging one^s 
 time, heart and mind in some occupation worth 
 while. It is forgetting self in one sense, and 
 replenishing self in another sense. He who longs 
 for happiness seldom finds it in material things 
 
206 FACE TO FACE 
 
 only; it must be met by spirit, enacted in truth. 
 No one is ever quite as happy in this world as 
 when he is honestly in love with his IDEAL, 
 whatever that may be; when he is DEVELOP- 
 ING that ideal he is unconsciously developing 
 HIMSELF. To perfect anything brings poise, 
 peace and power to the one who has perfected. 
 There is no evidence in the world that will, that 
 can, prove a sinful person perfectly happy. True 
 religion is happiness; it is RIGHT DOING, 
 RIGHT THINKING. Truth MUST PREVAIL 
 before happiness CAN; mankind must put 
 FORTH SOME EFFORT would he live in truth. 
 Anything worth as much to man as truth, is 
 worth NO END OF EFFORT. 
 
 ANCIENT HAPPINESS is the REAL happi- 
 ness. In ancient times interest was not lost in 
 happiness as soon as it was obtained. Man in 
 the present day and age will not embrace happi- 
 ness as a PERMANENT FACTOR when he 
 finds it, but casts aside the LITTLE HAPPY 
 MOMENTS to seek MORE happiness (as he 
 thinks) in some greater way. This is none 
 other than denying nature, for nature IS 
 happiness; and, it is lasting. It does not mean 
 corruption or casting aside the elements that 
 make possible growth, but LIFE in PURE CON- 
 SCIENCE, accepting NATURALLY the proper- 
 ties that strengthen in greater growth. Where 
 PURE CONSCIENCE abideth and striveth not 
 THERE is a wee bit of heaven in EXALTED 
 HAPPINESS; and, it BEGINS here. When we 
 refuse the LITTLE happinesses, we refuse all. 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT! 207 
 
 Happiness is a NATURAL GROWTH, not a 
 spasmodic whim. It COMES naturally and it 
 stays naturally, when it is accepted as it is, 
 NATURALLY. 
 
 Happiness is a redeeming force, when it is 
 sanctified through APPRECIATION of its 
 LESSER qualities, as well as its GREATER 
 POSSIBILITIES. 
 
 Happiness, like the vibrations of flowers, fills 
 our souls with a greater sense of beauty ; a great 
 DESIRE to be like unto them. There are certain 
 vibrations that come from flowers, which reach 
 our senses, our hearts, our souls. Like some 
 Divine essence of angel breath, the fragrance 
 reaches us, penetrating matter with its DIVINE 
 FORCE, leaving in its wake a healing life-giving 
 property we call beautiful. It is MORE than 
 that, however, it is PURIFYING. Anything that 
 can reach the senses through its beauty and 
 fragrance purifies and quickens something with- 
 in our being that awakens, not alone NEW ideals, 
 but reaches the realms of heaven, where our 
 loved ones dwelleth. It is then we KNOW there 
 is no death; it is then we KNOW God answers 
 prayer. 
 
 It is the Divine within these that brings us, 
 if only for a moment, into that at-one-ness, the 
 attuning of which *^ continues in our nexf as it 
 were, the next, bringing still greater at-one-ness, 
 and on, until the attuning of the celestial in man, 
 is completed with the Divine purity and holiness 
 of sanctification. 
 
208 FACE TO FACE 
 
 We are not sufficiently satisfied when we secure 
 flowers to place in some niche in our home; we 
 are not wholly contented when we buy them for 
 some artistic purpose. Why? Because we 
 KNOW within our souls that these were meant 
 for a GREATER PURPOSE than these. Do 
 not misunderstand me. I do not mean they 
 SHOULD NOT be used for such expressions of 
 art, etc.; they should, but we want to reach to- 
 wards the SOURCE of these, and then declare 
 HIS POWER IN THEM. 
 
 IS it not BLESSED to know the working of 
 things in our behalf? Is it not GLORIOUS to 
 feel the vibrations that spring from such a 
 SOURCE! God made the Lily immortal; we 
 have placed it upon the altar of worship; and 
 yet, have we felt sufficiently within our being, 
 the Divine gift of splendor, grandeur, that com- 
 pels the manifestations of truth around those 
 who gather them, presenting them to some 
 supreme force through which they hope to 
 GAIN FAVOR? IS it because we seek favors 
 that we give Lilies? Or, is it because we love 
 Him and them, for what they ARE to us and 
 to mankind? 
 
 Oh, beloved, know the pure purpose by which 
 they were placed in thy path. Love them, sing 
 to them; they will understand, and grow, 
 as nothing has ever grown in the HEART OF 
 YOU! Caress them, knowing they have their 
 ethereal correspondent, where they are made 
 still more pure to meet the spirit of those whom 
 we feel we cannot give up. 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 209 
 
 And, let me whisper softly, dear, you do not 
 HAVE to give them up; they are talking to 
 you through the lilies of the field, the woods, 
 the streams, the trees, the wild roses by the road- 
 side, the brambles near the fence. The meadows 
 vibrate with their love and tender watchfulness; 
 the streams flow more clear, the ripple sings 
 the song of nature's dreams; the lilies enshroud 
 you in perfume that lingers, like the gauze of 
 dreams, wherein we sense only the pure, the 
 beautiful, the sweet assurance that God is in it. 
 
 **But we are too busy, we cannot go to the 
 meadows for these things, my dear,'* said a 
 friend. 
 
 The greatest trip I have ever taken, the 
 happiest moments I have ever spent, were taken 
 in spirit in nature's dreams. It is inspiring; it 
 is health-giving. It is good to go in reality, but 
 if circumstances prevent, then seek the spirit of 
 truth, and wander to the wayside inn; have a 
 cozy little lunch in some shady place where the 
 honeysuckle vines are beckoning to you their 
 appreciation, from the ethereal realms of flowers. 
 It is refreshing, it is healing, it is enlightening; 
 it develops greater possibilities, and therein lies 
 the opportunity to build, so you CAN go to the 
 little Inn of your dreams. Once again is demon- 
 strated the fact that all things are FIRST 
 etherealized and then materialized; even dreams 
 come true in the realms of the real when we 
 imbibe the beautiful. It is a happiness that is 
 not held from ANY LIVING CREATURE, 
 MAN or BEAST. It is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, 
 
210 FACE TO FACE 
 
 THE DIVINE, working in and through our 
 affairs. When we pause to realize that these 
 ethereal beauties never leave us, no matter what 
 our environment, we stagger with the intoxica- 
 tion of pure JOY. To reach them, is to LIVE 
 WITH THEM; this is ascending to the heights, 
 where the power of the spoken word made the 
 world and all therein. 
 
 Again we find in this simple little truth another 
 theme or ideal; that is, the power to ATTEACT 
 and HOLD the EEDEEMING FORCES in 
 nature and APPLY them to our use. And this, 
 my friend, is none other than seeking the king- 
 dom first. These vibrations are coming your 
 way in profusion ; gather them while you may. 
 
 Even an animal dreams; it will sniff the air 
 and then wander away to seek that it has 
 dreamed of. My fluffy little white dog when told 
 to stay home and watch the house, looks about 
 insinuatingly at windows and doors, licks his 
 chops, and sits down without a word, to dream of 
 possible burglars and our return. He loves the 
 car, loves to ride, but not a whimper when I 
 take his head in my hands, look in his eyes, and 
 tell him to WATCH for MY SAKE. It would 
 seem to those who know him that he thought it 
 a great privilege so to do. 
 
 He, too, has his dreams. He will wander away 
 at times, only to return with a burr in his foot; 
 holding it up, knowing well it would be taken 
 out the moment he returned home. He has had 
 his dream — of home and kindness. This is none 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 211 
 
 other than intelligence, an intelligence that can 
 not only reason, but dream. 
 
 **I am no dreamer,'' says someone; *4t would 
 be impossible for practical me." These practical 
 ones are found wanting in the great plan of 
 life; fact is, that dreams are soul growth when 
 properly directed. We should have dream schools, 
 where we would be taught to seek the beautiful 
 in thought, hence dreams. 
 
 I might add that true happiness comes from 
 dreams more often than from any other source, 
 because these dream thoughts are, or have, 
 inspired some thought that compels happiness. 
 In fact, thought rightly directed, is not only pure 
 undefiled religion, but it is a great part of prac- 
 ticability. It is practical to THINK in right 
 channels; it is PEACTICAL to fathom the 
 depths of beauty that is PLACED around us for 
 the PURPOSE OF CREATING dreams. It is 
 happiness ascending upon the heads of all alike 
 without respect of persons. 
 
 Little children love flowers; they understand 
 the purity of them; it is nature meeting nature 
 in the pure presence of the Divine. 
 
 The old love flowers; they bring reminiscences 
 that carry back through the vale of youth with 
 its splendor, its giving and taking. It takes them 
 back to the days of LITTLE happinesses; the 
 days of LITTLE SORROWS, and great sorrows. 
 
 Would we be without these refining sorrows! 
 NAY, not for worlds; for in it is the sweet 
 thought, the sweet realization, that it has all 
 been a part of the attuning. 
 
212 FACE TO FACE 
 
 The violin would not send forth as sweet a 
 sound were it not first tuned. A string may 
 break that a better one may take its place. This 
 is the law of nature, the law of natural efficiency, 
 the law of reason and common sense. So if we 
 sometimes are compelled to make changes that 
 we fear will not terminate in happiness, we CAN 
 seek the LAW OF EFFICIENCY by going in 
 the SILENCE with God and telling HIM, and 
 then TEUSTING Him to bring before us the 
 LIGHT that will burn brighter for the change, 
 and through which we are enabled to see the 
 wisdom of change and the opportunities that 
 these changes bring. If a tree loses a leaf, it is 
 but to grow another, fresher, more beautiful, 
 than the old. If a bird loses its feathers, it is 
 only to replace them by new, more beautiful ones, 
 more SUITABLE ones ; the season that has com- 
 pelled the moulting also gives NEW vigor as 
 well as beauty. 
 
 The old we love; we have become used to it; 
 it is a very part of our being; and yet, there 
 are times when even that which we have had 
 always with us, must give way, that some other 
 expression may take place. 
 
 We oft-times wonder why such things must be, 
 and then in later years the understanding comes. 
 It is not always for OUR OWN good that we 
 are placed in an environment, but for the good 
 of ONE or MANY. We are just one grain of 
 sand running through God's hour glass. He 
 places us where the tide will run freely, when we 
 lend ourselves to it in NATURAL SIMPLICITY. 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 213 
 
 That is the secret of dreaming, of happiness that 
 is TRUE happiness — lending ourselves naturally 
 to the inflow of DIVINE INTELLIGENCE that 
 has made dreams possible, and the REAL a 
 permanent factor. Dreams are but the echo, the 
 whisper, of His presence. 
 
 Like a thunder clap on a still hot day, comes 
 the realization that we have been SELFISH with 
 these beautiful vibrations, asking favors, pray- 
 ing for MORE, when ALL WAS GIVEN. Think 
 of it, ALL is within the reach of man will he 
 but open the door to the Divine inflow, the 
 Divine vibrations, that throb beneath his feet, 
 that hum in the air, that brush the hem of his 
 garment, crying all the while, **0h, look at me, 
 love me and see what I WILL DO FOR THEE." 
 
 ItLiQay seem that electricity and happiness are 
 two o^istinct and separate forces. This is a 
 false^^bonception. Electricity is directly connected 
 with divinity, hence these vibrations are electri- 
 cal i I their effect; thus the VALUE of flower 
 vibrations IS INTENSIFIED, and this com- 
 plete^i the requisites to happiness. Happiness 
 is re^iping the beautiful, the pure, the love that 
 come^ through the healing forces of the Divine; 
 in it^lis no death at all, but resurrection, LIFE, 
 henc(j happiness. 
 
 The pure motives of Christ were like the vibra- 
 tions of flowers. He ate with thieves. He fed 
 them with the vibrations of pure spirit, and they 
 knew it not. Later they crucified Him and 
 STILL He feeds those following in their wake 
 through LITTLE things, great things; things 
 
214 FACE TO FACE 
 
 they love, and things they do not love at all. All 
 these hold something for us; think of it, dear 
 one, for US. The rose trembles with the ecstasy 
 of His love; the petals fall upon my head and 
 there make a comfy bed, in which to nestle the 
 thoughts I write to you; and will you, when I 
 am dead, caress them? for I love to give to 
 YOU thoughts that have been bred by angel 
 breath amid the petals in my hair. It may amend 
 for something I have left undone, and so — wound- 
 ed one who died for me. 
 
 And then rejoice, shed not a tear; these 
 thoughts were but your own, my '^— ^ sent 
 heavenward, and returned again that we . ight 
 learn to care for THINGS that do not SEEM 
 so fair. But God is in them, dear, every^yhere, 
 waiting for a chance to breathe upon these I etals 
 and their leaves, LIFE, LOVE AND TE§ TH; 
 happiness in your soul, forsooth — a frajerant 
 path you will tread when these have com- and 
 fled, to other lives to make them great, tot His 
 story to relate. So cherish them while you may, 
 it is the God in them alway. ^ 
 
 I- 
 
 POSSESSION OF GOOD 
 
 INGEESOLL: ^^He who thinks good thoi^ghts 
 is a laborer, one of the greatest. The mai? who 
 invented the reaper will be harvesting for thou- 
 sands of years. If labor is lowered in this 
 country, all that the laborers will have within 
 their power is to defend themselves. My sjm- 
 pathy is with the man who has nothing to sell 
 but his strength.'* 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 215 
 
 LOTUS: This is a noble sentiment of Inger- 
 soU, one grand enough to rest upon the pulpit 
 he has persecuted. However, the laborer has 
 not entirely the POWEE to defend himself. 
 He has to maintain a certain amount of caution 
 as to his movements; a radical move would 
 impoverish. The great uplift of the working 
 man does NOT come to him in BOUNDS, but bv 
 a SYSTEM OF TECHNICS that will enable 
 him to better his condition without open rebel- 
 lion. A rebellious spirit is BLIND TO TRUTH; 
 an ANTAGONISTIC TEMPERAMENT only 
 wears out its OWN VITALITY. Man belongs 
 to the plane where he is NOW until he outgrows 
 it. Labor is the HOME OF HAPPINESS, when 
 rightly applied. 
 
 **Till we all come in the unity of the faith, 
 and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a 
 perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of 
 the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no 
 more children, tossed to and fro, and carried 
 about by every kind of doctrine, by the sleight 
 of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie 
 in wait to deceive.'' 
 
 Progression can only walk in the paths of 
 restriction, a forward step meets thorns. If 
 there is no conquest over man, there is none over 
 matter, and the greatest science is a failure. 
 THOUGHT is the GENERATING FORCE that 
 CONTROLS DESTINY. Foolishness has little 
 place in a cultivated mind spiritually whole, for 
 nothing is foolishness unto him; everything has 
 a cause, that the man duly enlightened can 
 
216 FACE TO FACE 
 
 penetrate. Every problem on earth has some 
 hidden good. It is on the HEIGHTS that the 
 TRUE MEANING of EXISTING THINGS is 
 found; the CAUSE is exemplified in reason. 
 There is no one crime committed upon this plane 
 of life that has not a CAUSE behind it. The 
 cause may have existed GENERATIONS AGO, 
 or it may be JUST GENERATING; but it 
 is there. On the HEIGHTS there are no 
 PHANTOMS, but the REAL. It is becoming in 
 TUNE WITH THE REAL that enables us to see 
 things as they ARE, not as they seem to be. This 
 is the highest attainment man can reach in 
 righteous judgment, and it is TRUE HAPPI- 
 NESS, not only for himself, but ALL mankind; 
 for OTHERS SEE and OTHERS ENACT. Sin 
 is LESS HARD TO OVERCOME when the 
 CAUSE of sin is clearly defined and judged in 
 PURE CONSCIENCE. 
 
 Happiness comes from the well-springs within 
 the soul of man, attuned to the spirit of 
 HARMONY, RIGHTEOUSNESS and FAITH. 
 HAPPINESS is attunement to honest purpose 
 and demonstrated fact. Happiness drops from 
 heaven, as the rain descending within the reach 
 of man. How much man gathers unto himself 
 depends upon how quickly he perceives God in it. 
 
 UNSTUDIED GRACE 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^ ^Little is told of thp child- 
 hood or youth of Christ." 
 
 LOTUS : The youth and childhood of Christ 
 is being told today, every day, in one of the 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 217 
 
 EXPRESSIONS THAT GOES TO MAKE 
 HAPPINESS, and that is ART. The great 
 Masters hold the Christ child before us. Art has 
 been purified, exalted by it. Jesus has stamped 
 His likeness upon our temples. The words of 
 our best poets show a DISTINCT CHRISTIAN 
 COLORING. Our immortal songs, somewhere 
 within their depths breathe the Christ; from 
 birth to the cross — yea, and beyond the cross 
 to the Resurrection time — wherein we are made 
 t)erf ect 
 
 The youth of Christ is EVERYWHERE. If 
 man is spiritual enough to catch the vibration, 
 he will find it in the budding leaves, the flowers, 
 the morning hours, the twilight; in all things 
 pure, fresh and beautiful. He will feel, too, the 
 POWER OF YOUTH, and the POWER OF 
 LOVE, in the HIGHEST SENSE OF 
 EXPRESSION and DIVINE PASSION. When 
 we arouse a slumbering soul that has REFUSED 
 to see the light of His countenance, then are 
 WE EXPRESSING THE YOUTH OF CHRIST, 
 not only within the awakened soul, but within 
 our own soul ; for in it is budding conscience that 
 will eventually ripen into golden gain. 
 
 Spring vibrates with the youth of Christ, with 
 the resurrection of Christ, with the love of 
 Christ. The youth of Christ — is the spring time 
 of understanding, painting pictures that can never 
 be effaced. 
 
 We have many men also who have painted in 
 glowing colors PICTURES on the walls of our 
 hearts, GREAT DEEDS, GREAT ACHIEVE- 
 
218 FACE TO FACE 
 
 MENTS, GEEAT VICTORIES, such pictures as 
 would proclaim the setting of the stars in heaven. 
 ^*For each star differeth in its glory/' James 
 Whitcomb Riley painted pen pictures; Long- 
 fellow painted pen pictures; Francis Parkman 
 painted pen pictures ; THE BIBLE PAINTED 
 pen pictures, the like of which man CAN NEVER 
 IMITATE. Lincoln painted pictures on the 
 walls of the log cabin, and in the hearts of the 
 blacks. Theodore Roosevelt painted pictures on 
 the pages of history and in the hearts of men. 
 I would picture Roosevelt as a tiger mothering 
 a Iamb, for as such his GREAT nature appealed 
 to me. 
 
 P. T. Barnum painted pictures that took one 
 hundred railroad cars to transport. In 1879 he 
 said that 90,000,000 people had come to see those 
 pictures. General Tom Thumb and Jenny Lind 
 were a part of the beginning of Barnum 's world 
 pictures. James M. Barrie, Scotch novelist, 
 painted vividly upon memory's walls; and so 
 might we go on all day telling of those who have 
 painted pictures on the walls of memory that 
 have never known brush or pallet, but have 
 commingled ART, HAPPINESS, and NATURE 
 until the grandeur of its Infinite purpose illumined 
 the sky, and another star was set in the heavens 
 to light the way, making an ever present picture 
 by which to dream, love, caress, ennoble and save. 
 
 And yet, we are to be grateful for another 
 expression of art. Sir Henry Irving, Franz 
 Liszt, Du Maurier, have found their way into 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? Hi 
 
 our own laughing galleries, where dreary hours 
 have been made glad with PUNCH. 
 
 It has often been asserted that an author can- 
 not be a successful Evangelist, and vice versa. 
 This was proven an error when Henry Drummond 
 in the ^* DESCENT OF MAN'' made a picture 
 never to be forgotten. 
 
 OL'AH'S beautiful version of these inspira- 
 tions — whether they be pen, brush or life 
 pictures — is this: ^*A spider's thread becomes 
 firm upon coming in contact with ether; so the 
 slender thread of inspiration weaves itself into 
 the thought, heart, soul and mind of man; per- 
 chance to be torn down by some rough ungainly 
 hand, never to be replaced; or perchance 
 redeemed by some gentle hand, that will carry 
 it happily to some great temple to forever bless 
 mankind. ' ' 
 
 There are many expressions in the character 
 of pictures: Some that would be out of place in 
 the LIVING ROOM, find a place in the picture 
 galleries, because of the INTENSE EMOTION 
 pictured there; but people do not want to live 
 with them. They want to be happy, and they 
 want the art that will make them happy, or add 
 to happiness, for man himself is a part of 
 DIVINE ART, the soul of love, the soul of 
 harmony. Man is NOT expressing his Divine 
 RIGHT when he REFUSES these. 
 
 There is no death, my friend; there can be no 
 death, for every truth, science, and Divine 
 expression, proclaim LIFE, everlasting life! 
 And this is HAPPINESS IN COOPERATION 
 
220 FACE TO FACE 
 
 with art, for it is the NATURAL EXPRESSION 
 of both; the ART, the GRANDEUR of GOD'S 
 ATTUNED PURPOSE. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^Some may ask, are you try- 
 ing to take our religion away! I answer, super- 
 stition is not religion. Belief without evidence 
 is not religion. 
 
 **To love justice and right, to love mercy, 
 to pity the suffering, to assist the weak, to forget 
 the wrongs and remember benefits, to love truth, 
 to be sincere, to love liberty, to wage war 
 against slavery in all forms, to love wife 
 and child and friend, to make happy homes, to 
 love the beautiful in art, in nature, to cultivate 
 the mind, to be familiar with mighty thoughts 
 that genius has expressed, their noble deeds, 
 to cultivate courage and cheerfulness, to cultivate 
 hope, to see calm beyond the storm, the day 
 beyond the night, to do the best that can be done ; 
 that is the religion of reason, the creed of 
 science; that satisfies the brain and heart. 
 
 *^But says the prejudiced priest, malicious 
 minister, ^You take away the future life.' I am 
 not trying to destroy another world, but I am 
 endeavoring to prevent the theologians from 
 destroying this.'' 
 
 LOTUS: First of all, you are not consistent. 
 Consistency is order; order is the first law of 
 nature; without nature, there is nothing; we 
 have lost the chord of Infinite At-one-ness. When 
 we go against nature, we no longer revolve 
 with the universe, we break the natural course 
 of the Divine within; hence, we are no longer 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 221 
 
 boundless, but soundless, so to speak. The 
 Divine cannot play upon a stringless instrument ; 
 therefore, it is necessary to attune oneself to 
 nature and the laws governing nature, to reflect 
 nature from within or without. You say, Inger- 
 soll, **How malicious is mercy, how revengeful 
 is boundless love"; and yet, in the above account 
 you say: ^*To love mercy, to pity the suffering, 
 to love justice and right, to love truth, etc., is 
 the true religion. ' ' One moment, please. Are not 
 mercy, love and truth the QUALITIES of 
 PUEE CONSCIENCE? Are not mercy and truth 
 the ATTRIBUTES of BOUNDLESS LOVE? 
 Are not ALL of these virtues you have set down 
 the SUBSTANCE of the Godhead, exalted 
 happiness ? 
 
 Again in a previous chapter, Ingersoll says: 
 *'Give to me the storm and tempest of thought 
 rather than the dead calm of ignorance and 
 faith.'* In the above statement he says: ^^LOOK 
 BEYOND the storm and tempest of TODAY.'' 
 What is that but faith? What IS LOOKING 
 BEYOND the trials and storms of today, but 
 FAITH IN THE TOMORROW? What is that 
 but holding harmony in pure conscience? And 
 what is pure conscience but RELIGIOUS 
 consciousness ? 
 
 To exercise love, truth, mercy, justice; to seek 
 the beautiful, man must first liberate his own 
 intelligence in pure conscience, that he may recog- 
 nize these attributes as a part of his natural self, 
 the Divine within. To liberate intelligence 
 is to seek the kingdom FIRST. 
 
222 FACE TO FACE 
 
 To wage war against slavery, error of what- 
 ever nature, man must first know the truth 
 WITHIN; then will he be ENABLED to work 
 in the WITHOUT. Divine mind is pure 
 conscience, but it must be also liberated from 
 carnal mind before it CAN express itself in pure 
 conscience, or command obedience to the LAW 
 OF FEEEDOM in a material sense. 
 
 To make a happy home is the harmony of 
 thought motives — the law of nature. To love 
 the beautiful is to admit inspiration. To love 
 nature is to love God. Divine light, truth, does 
 away with midnight thoughts. There are no 
 blinds down in pure conscience. To cultivate 
 cheerfulness is to give FEEEDOM to the soul. 
 To make OTHEES HAPPY requires a lot of 
 sacrifice, a wee bit of wisdom, and a mighty 
 determination to forget self. 
 
 To fill life with the splendor of genius is to 
 call forth the FOECES OF INTELLIGENCE 
 INTO ACTIVE PEINCIPLES. To discard 
 error is to ACCEPT THE TEUTH, the Divine 
 principle that embodies spirit. To cultivate hope 
 is to throw out the life line between spirit and 
 mortal. 
 
 ^*Hark ye, man cannot push the sun from the 
 heavens, neither can he pull the moon from its 
 socket; the stars look down in scorn on him who 
 sayeth there is no God, there is no life beyond 
 the grave." 
 
 INGEESOLL: ^* People know now that the 
 love of a saint has no greater value than the love 
 of an animal.'* 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 223 
 
 LOTUS : The finer the instrument the sweeter 
 the music. The more exalted man becomes, the 
 more spiritual, the better is he enabled to 
 BESTOW LOVE in pure conscience. The love 
 of an animal is faithful; the love of the pure in 
 heart is not ONLY FAITHFUL, but FULL OF 
 UNDEESTANDING. Like attracts like ; if you 
 are susceptible to the vibrations of love, given in 
 pure conscience, you will receive abundantly. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^ People know now that a rag 
 from a wandering beggar is just as good as one 
 from a saint, and that hair from a horse will 
 cure disease just as quickly and surely as the 
 hair of a mitre. We know that all these relics 
 are religious rubbish, that those who use them 
 are, for the most part, idiots. 
 
 **Our ancestors did not regard these relics as 
 medicine having curative power; but the idea 
 was that evil spirits stood in dread of holy 
 things, that they fled ; and when Holy Water was 
 sprinkled on man, they immediately left the 
 premises. So these devils dreaded and hated 
 the sound of holy bells, the light of sacred 
 tapers, and above all, the ever blessed cross. 
 In those days the priests were fishers for money ; 
 they used these relics as bait.'* 
 
 LOTUS: Sacred relics suggest to mind the 
 POWER of things holy. ''As ye think, so shall 
 it be.*' 
 
 We call the grave of mother sacred. It is a 
 relic, an object of reverence; we know full well 
 it is NOT MOTHER that is THERE, but it is 
 the body of what WAS, the body of one we loved 
 
224 FACE TO FACE 
 
 above all else in this world. We kneel there and 
 say our prayers; we feel comforted, healed; 
 why? Because that SPOT is held sacred to the 
 memory of one who DID heal through LOVE, 
 the most wonderful love man has ever known. 
 We would punish any one to the full extent of 
 the law who would dare defile that sacred relic. 
 What then, are we less than these? 
 
 In Chicago there is a little church, a modest 
 little church in structure. Inside, the walls are 
 covered with crutches of those who have gone 
 forth HEALED, needing them no more. A great 
 HEALING FOECE is felt the moment one 
 enters here; the atmosphere is permeated with 
 it; this holy shrine has brought thousands relief; 
 it is impossible to kneel there and not feel the 
 POWER OF SPIRIT. It is not a trick of the 
 imagination to those who enter there seeking the 
 gift of the spirit. The POWER OF SPIRIT is 
 brought vividly before the thinking one, and 
 faith is perfected. 
 
 Is this, then, not like unto the supreme faith 
 of a little child? 
 
 ** Except ye become as little children, ye cannot 
 enter the kingdom of Heaven.'' AH, those who 
 entered there and were healed HAD the faith of 
 a little child. Life, happiness, TRUTH, THE 
 SUPREME, is found only in the secret of His 
 presence. I cry with the healed : HOLY, HOLY, 
 HOLY, Blessed God Almighty! Ah, it is but 
 the echo of HEAVEN'S ARTILLERY. 
 
 FAITH lights the taper of Divine love within 
 these soul-sick maimed bodies. Oh, blessed 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 
 
 RUBBISH HEAP; blessed, THRICE blessed, 
 is he who is privileged to kneel before it. 
 
 FOREVER RING, ye sacred bells; 
 Ring on FOREVER and for aye. 
 We hold no fear for future year, 
 The while your chimes are tolled. 
 
 And there are other relics that bring with 
 them the BIRTH OF THINGS MADE HOLY 
 by the WORD OF GOD AND PRAISE. Our 
 rubbish heaps are FILLED with mother's 
 prayers, father's hopes, with childhood croons, 
 wedding bells, and perchance the wreath that's 
 laid away; we cannot touch it, nay, not today; 
 it is Spring, and we want to be glad; but to- 
 morrow, when sorrow knocks, we hold it lovingly 
 in our arms; it trembles with the power of 
 spirit; we cry aloud: ^^OH, MOTHER, FATHER, 
 DO YOU NOT KNOW?" We rest our head 
 among the faded flowers, tears bedew them; 
 we feel at peace; the healing power of spirit 
 passeth by — we have held in our arms our relic, 
 in which is spirit breath. 
 
 *^ Great is the mystery of Godliness manifest 
 in the flesh, justified in spirit, seen of angels, 
 preached unto the gentiles, believed on in the 
 world, received up into glory." 
 
 ^'For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, 
 but of power, of love, and of sound mind." 
 
 *^ Again I say unto you, oh ye of LITTLE 
 faith, man hath an earthly body and a spiritual 
 body." 
 
226 FACE TO FACE 
 
 "Why should we marvel at the change called 
 death? Is it any more wonderful than birth? 
 The body is the substance of things earthly; the 
 SPIEIT EISES ABOVE DECAY. K the north 
 wind blows now, must we forget the Spring? 
 If the tree has lost its leaves, must we forget 
 the fruit it gave to us before it went into 
 the Silence for a season? All nature blends 
 with the harmony of silence; all nature retires 
 into the silence in due season, gathering NEW 
 FORCE, NEW POWER, to produce the unfold- 
 ment of spring, the emblem of happiness, life 
 and love, yea my friend, we may meet again in 
 the unfolding of spring, somewhere, some day. 
 When man loses the way of smiling, empty and 
 drear are the rooms of the heart. When the 
 tapers of love burn low, it is as the darkness of 
 night; it is then the soul sleepeth — forgetting. 
 
 AWAKE! Heaven's Artillery is sounding. 
 AWAKE! Ah, there is the sentinel at the door 
 watching; to sleep on duty is death; ^* Behold! 
 Who goeth in before? '^ Man, it is thy brother. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^'The meanest thing charged 
 against the devil is that he led the children of 
 men into temptation, and yet in the Lord's 
 Prayer God is insultingly asked not to invite 
 the king of fiends — lead us not into temptation." 
 
 LOTUS: ^^This particular phrase in the 
 Lord's Prayer," says Ol'ah, ** comes from a 
 wrong interpretation. It should read ^LEAD 
 US OUT OF TEMPTATION' in place of 
 ^INTO TEMPTATION.' If the world is not 
 satisfied upon this point let it investigate. It is 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 227 
 
 well worth the time and trouble, expense too, for 
 that matter.'' 
 
 I am at sea as to OPah's version; but it 
 could be possible, you know. However, were it 
 correct to the letter, I see no cause for 
 comment, for has not God said : ^ ^ The weak must 
 suffer to be made strong''? 
 
 A mother teaches her child through the 
 power of demonstration to resist temptation and 
 desire. The child's attention is called to things 
 detrimental to character and bodily comfort; the 
 mother forbidding the child to touch the fire, let 
 us say, telling him what the CONSEQUENCES 
 will be if he disobeys. She lets the child alone, 
 watching, waiting, to see whether he will obey 
 her — or desire. The child succumbs to desire; 
 the mother grieves, but comforts the child 
 saying: ^^WHY DID YOU NOT OBEY 
 MOTHER, SHE KNOWS BEST?" The child 
 has been taught the evil of coveting things 
 detrimental, and it has been taught the comfort 
 that parental love brings when things go wrong. 
 It is to me a beautiful and NATURAL phase of 
 our Heavenly Father's guidance. 
 
 Had man no temptations to overcome, he 
 would be a confirmed weakling, with no strength 
 of character or determination, a fearful object of 
 dependent charity. There would be no spirit of 
 valor in the world, no inventive spirit to continu- 
 ally surprise and make our progress upon this 
 plane more comfortable, more pleasurable; we 
 would, in fact, be little less than creeping things. 
 
228 FACE TO FACE 
 
 There would be no pulsating world events to 
 COMPEL the cooling drink at the fount of 
 reason. 
 
 The echo of Heaven's Artillery will yet 
 QUICKEN THE TRUTH WITHIN THE SOUL 
 OF MAN, and he will RISE from the grave of 
 ignorance. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ''How can we lessen crime? 
 In spite of all that has been said and done for 
 the reformation of the world; in spite of all the 
 forces of nature that are not the tireless slaves 
 of men; in spite of all improvements in agricul- 
 ture and mechanics; in every department of 
 human labor, the world is still cursed with 
 poverty and with crime. For many thousands of 
 years man has endeavored to reform his fellow 
 man by imprisonment, torture, mutilation and 
 death, and yet the history of the world shows 
 that there has been, and is, no reforming power 
 in punishment. It is impossible to make the 
 punishment great enough to lessen the crime. 
 
 *'The question is, whether reformation is 
 possible; whether a change can be produced in 
 the person by producing a change in conditions? 
 The criminal is dangerous, and society has a 
 right to protect itself. 
 
 ''The penitentiary should be a school; the con- 
 victs should be educated ; the best men should have 
 charge of the prisons; they should be philan- 
 thropists and philosophers; they should know 
 something of human nature. The prisoner having 
 been taught — we will say five years — the under- 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT! 229 
 
 lying principles of conduct, naturalness, har- 
 mony, virtue, the discord of crime, and having 
 been convinced that society has no hatred, that 
 nobody wishes to punish, to degrade or rob him; 
 and being paid a reasonable price for his labor; 
 being allowed by law to change his name, that 
 his identity will not be preserved; he would go 
 out of the prison a friend of the government and 
 would have the feeling that he has been made 
 a better man/' 
 
 MATERIAL POWER 
 
 LOTUS: Handing a check of deceit with the 
 pay roll would be a discredit to the man, a 
 disloyal act towards the government and society. 
 No man is a friend of the government who wears 
 a false face to the judgment seat. Deception is 
 not a stimulant to character building. All the 
 teaching that could be drilled into a man of that 
 caliber would lose its effect by permitting him 
 to LIVE A LIE. One deceit breeds another. It 
 would not be long until the man had a multitude 
 of errors added to his crime. 
 
 TEUTH is the substance of happiness. Why 
 send the man forth in UNTRUTH, thus shutting 
 the door to a better future? If he CAN forget, 
 let him; he has paid the price. Why send him 
 groping through the dark dungeon of deception? 
 ^^I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.'' 
 ^^LOVE THY ENEMIES.'' ^' Bless them that 
 curse and despitefully use you." This is not 
 written in the book of deception. 
 
230 FACE TO FACE 
 
 When we love, we protect; when we loyally 
 defend, it is through truth, not error. A crown 
 will topple and fall from a head that shakes 
 from confusion. Show not ^^one of these'* 
 diversity of ways, lest it crumble the little 
 happiness that MIGHT be the SALVATION OF 
 SOULS. If we are numbered among the influ- 
 ential, let us use that influence to scatter the 
 truth broadcast, until fields of great delight 
 spring up before us, showing faces alight with 
 His likeness and image. 
 
 Wavering truth must be replaced by a solid 
 foundation, or our castles will topple and fall. 
 Otherwise we hinder great forces in a cloud of 
 mistrust and doubt, for who believeth a cheerful 
 liar? His jocular hilarity brings confusion, and 
 our purpose is incomplete. 
 
 SINCERITY is the key that unlocks the door 
 that truth may enter; and keeps it unlocked. 
 When truth, expressed in pure conscience, is the 
 universal harmony of the world, prison doors 
 will hang unlocked, cells will moulder in decay. 
 
 Hath not God told us this and more, hundreds 
 of years ago? Man, why sleepest thou in the 
 ignorance of thy will? The story of one official 
 greatly appealed to me. He said: 
 
 ^^The day I was elected is one never-to-be-for- 
 gotten by me. I was riding along in my carriage, 
 tipping my hat to my fellow townsmen, when I 
 spied in the crowd a white faced man who, when 
 we were boys together, I had licked. He looked 
 up in my face, and between set teeth hissed, 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 231 
 
 *My turn will come some day.' This man had 
 proven himself a failure. He had done nothing 
 worth while for himself and everything against 
 himself; yet, I could have put my arms around 
 his neck (as I had done after I licked him) and 
 said, *I didn't want to hurt you, but you made 
 me so dum mad, I just had to, Buzzard.' 
 
 ** Later I was favored by helping Buzzard out 
 of a very awkward situation. One evening, some 
 time later, I was making a speech. I paused to 
 take a drink of water; as I did so, I spied 
 Buzzard in a box with several others whom I 
 recognized as boys of my school days. I could 
 not repress a smile that may have had a twinge 
 of sarcasm; I could not help having a little 
 repugnant feeling toward the fellow who had 
 had every advantage and taken none. From his 
 childhood days up Buzzard had been surrounded 
 by plenty — luxury, I might say — and the tender 
 love of a wonderful mother. A quiet unassuming 
 father had stood with tears in his eyes watching 
 his make-shift son do nothing. And yet Buzzard 
 brought to my mind some of the happiest days 
 of my life — my school days. 
 
 **I turned to face my audience with all the 
 fire of youth surging in my veins. The audience 
 rose to its feet; it shouted, it cheered, waved 
 hats; but above it all the voice of Buzzard — *I 
 GOT YEE.' Later, when the fight was over and I 
 was safely installed for another term, I said 
 I GOT YEE ! I shook the hand of Buzzard with 
 a grasp that no man ever mistakes. Buzzard 
 
232 FACE TO FACE 
 
 had worked hard in my behalf; some of the fire 
 of youth that I had felt seemed to spring into 
 his veins and make a MAN OF HIM. 
 
 **My second term was one of still greater 
 responsibility. I GOT YEE was my watchword, 
 my stimulant; it thrilled me; it was my inspira- 
 tion. I longed to go back to the football games 
 and kick Buzzard's shins, I grew so elated over 
 I GOT YER. I spent many sleepless nights 
 during my second term, but I would always cry 
 out with the dawn, I GOT YER! 
 
 **A friend returned to us through the valley 
 of hate is worth a multitude of THREE 
 CHEERS FOR KELLY! WE do not know how 
 many powers there be in the wake of our influ- 
 ence, but I would rather have one friend returned 
 with I GOT YER! than to have thousands won 
 by THREE CHEERS FOR KELLY. »» 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^By the homestead laws a 
 home of a certain value (to a certain extent) is 
 exempt from forced levy of sale, and these have 
 done great good; undoubtedly they have trebled 
 the homes of the nation. I wish to go a step 
 further: I want, if possible, to get the people 
 out of the tenements; out of the gutters of 
 degradation to homes where there can be privacy 
 and where these people can feel that they are in 
 partnership with nature; that they have an 
 interest in good government. 
 
 ^* Nothing is more important to America than 
 that the babies of America should be born around 
 the fireside of homes. I wish that this state- 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 233 
 
 ment would take root and grow, turning some of 
 the hundreds of acres of uncultivated land into 
 thrifty homes, whose tenants are men, women 
 and children.'* 
 
 LOTUS: No one who has not stepped from 
 the door of a prairie home into the wonderful 
 moonlight can fathom the depths of being at 
 HOME WITH NATUEE. 
 
 Go through fields of grain by foot and FEEL 
 THE THRILL IT BRINGS. Go through the 
 fields at sunset, BRING THE COWS HOME, 
 see what a pulsating feeling of Joy comes home 
 with you, just happy to be alive to the respond- 
 ing chords of nature. Turn as you go and look 
 towards the city where people pay from twenty- 
 five to one hundred for one, two, or three little 
 holes in the wall, where impatient feet resound 
 overhead, where the clash of discord comes from 
 all quarters in street and building. Compare 
 this with a home in the country or suburbs 
 where nature sings from morn till night, where 
 fragrant blossoms nod you welcome, where the 
 scent of fresh cut grass lulls you to slumber. 
 Listen to the locusts, the bees; how CLOSE TO 
 GOD WE COME WHEN WE ARE OUT IN 
 THE GREAT OPEN. 
 
 We burrow a little apartment, and then the 
 LACK of life itself until we learn to APPRE- 
 CIATE the little things we bring into these 
 little apartments; something from NATURE, 
 something from the GARDEN OP GOD. When 
 we DO learn the value of these and place them 
 
234 FACE TO FACE 
 
 within these little rooms, in peace and quietude 
 of soul harmony, and DREAM ourselves in 
 the open, we are better enabled to reap the good 
 in life. 
 
 We have to have these little holes in the wall 
 to accommodate those who toil and labor, and 
 those who do not. Every one of his kind must 
 have shelter in a place where he can live, or 
 exist, as the case may be. BUT, it is a lack of 
 knowledge of the things in the Garden of God 
 that makes these people exist only. Were they 
 to elevate their mind to the heights wherein is 
 found the REAL, they would not exist only, and 
 there would not be so many sweltering in the 
 tidal waves of material indifference to the 
 LAWS of God and Nature. These would seek 
 homes in nature, no longer finding happiness in 
 the humidity of sin and indifference. Some 
 homes hold the thrill of nature in their very 
 beams; and some never know aught but the 
 discord of ugliness within and without. 
 
 Homes are made by women, sought by men, 
 appreciated by children. Woman, thou hast a 
 NOBLE calling; let the following be in pure 
 conscience. 
 
 Children should be reared in an atmosphere of 
 flower vibrations flowing through the soul of 
 those who surround and care for them. The 
 exquisite refinement of harmonious love will 
 enliven and quicken a natural growth in children 
 that will be as an outlet for latent talents that 
 might otherwise lie dormant and useless. 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS I't? 23S 
 
 I want to add here a little story of a cabin 
 home among the colored race, which beckoned 
 harmony in all things until it became a 
 HAPPY REALITY. A theme of material 
 power. A home, though humble, in which those 
 of greater wealth might have found a bit of 
 truth over which to rejoice. We find our 
 examples in the little golf holes, where men have 
 enjoyed or been disappointed in the game of life. 
 
 Tom was a prosperous colored fellow, in his 
 humble way. I could but wonder why he was 
 always smiling, always singing. I remarked 
 this to a friend. **0h,'' she said, ^'it is the 
 nature of all darkies, they just don't seem to 
 care.'' I told her that I did not think so in 
 Tom's case; there must be some logic somewhere. 
 I strolled over to the neat little home; the yard 
 was bright with flowers; the house shone white 
 and clean. The happy wife asked me if I would 
 come in and have a cool drink of milk. I thanked 
 her and asked to see Tom. 
 
 **Yas-em, Missy, anything wrong?" 
 
 **No, and yes. I am all wrong inside, Mandy; 
 I want to see Tom." 
 
 Mandy, spick and span in her starched blue 
 print, rushed out to Tom, who was busy with his 
 chickens. 
 
 **Tom, oh, Tom, Missy Julia don come to see 
 you all, and she am wrong inside. Heah me, 
 Tom; you come on now!" 
 
 Tom came in, panting from his run! *^ Missy 
 Julia, Missy Julia, what am de mattah!" 
 
236 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ^^Tom, I want you to tell me how you became 
 such a prosperous business man.'^ 
 
 Tom sat down in a near-by chair, wiping the 
 perspiration from his face, looking quite dis- 
 gusted. 
 
 ^*Now, Missy Julia, I done to't youse all sick. 
 Howevah: ef you all had a dollah and a dime 
 and de Lo'd don come along and say, *Tom, you 
 gib me dat dollah, I needs it for de poah, you all 
 keep de dime.' '' 
 
 **Yes, Tom, go on.'' 
 
 ^^You all s'posin' I'se gwine keep dat dime 
 hangin' round till I done gits ti'ed lookin' at it? 
 NO, SAH, I AIN'T. I'se gwine to buy eggs an' 
 set ma ol' hen, an' profit, I is." 
 
 ^^But, Tom, you can't buy but two eggs for a 
 dime these days." 
 
 **I done know dat, but one of 'em is gwine 
 hatch, and dat chicken gwine bring a dollah an' 
 seventy-five cents, ain't it? I done got my sta't 
 dat way. Missy Julia. An' when de Lo'd comes 
 back, I'll gib Him TWO and have JES' SO 
 MUCH CEEDIT IN HEBEN— AN' JES' SO 
 MUCH IN MA BACK YA'D: SO I'SE SAVED 
 BOTH WAYS." 
 
 There was nothing wrong inside when I left 
 Tom, even though he did forget to mention that 
 he did hauling for a living. It was not the 
 hauling that paid for his little home and lot, and 
 the little garden plot on the side that Mandy 
 worked out her blue prints and starching in; 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 237 
 
 nor was it the hauling that put over seven hun- 
 dred chickens in his back yard. 
 
 Let us walk home through the meadow and 
 think WHAT IT WAS, while Tom's father, the 
 faithful old Tom, and his Massah, await us for 
 tea. Old Tom had not taught Tom, Jr., to be a 
 slacker in the Garden of God, even if he did not 
 fully trust the Lord to keep his secrets. 
 
 INGEESOLL ; ' ' Let every human being, within 
 the limits of the possible, be self-supporting; 
 let everyone take intelligent thought for the 
 morrow; and if a human being support himself 
 and has a surplus, let him use a part of the 
 surplus for the unfortunate; and let each one, 
 to the extent of his ability, help his fellow man. 
 Let him do what he can in the circle of his own 
 acquaintances to rescue the fallen, to help those 
 who are trying to help themselves, to give work 
 to the idle. 
 
 **Let him distribute his words of wisdom, of 
 cheerfulness and hope. In other words, let every 
 human being do all the good he can, and let him 
 bind up the wounds of his creatures; and at the 
 same time put forth every effort to hasten the 
 coming of a better day. This, in my judgment, 
 is real religion. To do all the good we can, is to 
 be a saint in the highest and noblest sense. This 
 is to be really and truly practical. To relieve 
 suffering; to put the star of hope in the midst 
 of despair; this is true holiness; this is the 
 religion of sense. The old creeds are too 
 narrow, they are not for the world in which we 
 
238 FACE TO FACE 
 
 live. The old dogmas lack breadth; they are too 
 cruel, too merciless, too savage. We are growing 
 grander, nobler. 
 
 * * The firmament inlaid with suns is the dome of 
 the real cathedral; the interpreters of nature 
 are the trees and holy priests. In the creeds are 
 all the truths that have been uttered, and the 
 real litany will be found in the ecstasies and 
 aspirations of the soul; all dreams of joy, all 
 hope of a nobler and fuller life. The real church, 
 the real edifice, is adorned and glorified by what 
 art has done. The real choir is all the thrilling 
 music of the world, and the star-lit isles have 
 been, and are, the grandest of every land and 
 clime. ' ' 
 
 LOTUS: There can be no stronger advocate 
 of nature's thrills, no one who more 
 THOROUGHLY enjoys the HIGHEST AND 
 BEST IN NATURE, than myself; and yet, it 
 is soundless to those who omit the substance of 
 God in it. It is the Divine that makes all the 
 music. 
 
 Light the seven lamps. IngersoU says so much 
 that is beautiful, it is almost a shame to wipe it 
 off the slate, nevertheless, we must see beneath 
 the varnish. All of the virtues that have been 
 pictured are but the reflection of the ten com- 
 mandments. Why varnish them? Thou wouldst 
 have us enter a cathedral of the world, and not 
 the TRUE CATHEDRAL that EMBRACES 
 BOTH NATURE and God? 
 
 Religion is not built, it is inspired. The hand 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 239 
 
 that plays upon the harp of inspiration is spirit. 
 We sometimes become imbued with exaltation 
 when man has accomplished some great feat, and 
 then relax into a stupor of wonderment. We 
 need not wonder when Grod is in it; it is His 
 power making itself manifest in His likeness 
 and image. It is this that places man on the 
 great plane of progression, enabling him TO DO 
 unto others as he would be done by. Ecstasy of 
 soul is the understone of spirit. 
 
 Happiness, my friend, comes from a Divine 
 source; it is the essence of His presence express- 
 ing in things that go to make the world. It is the 
 sublime knot that tethers the runaway conscience 
 to the spirit of truth. It is found more often 
 through some achievement that has required a 
 greater amount of struggle and sacrifice than we 
 THOUGHT we could have borne. The realiza- 
 tion that God places not one burden upon man*s 
 back that he is not able to carry GIVES JOY; 
 the fact that we have, of OUESELVES, learned 
 to overcome is bliss. The realization that when 
 we DO BELIEVE opens the way sometimes 
 before the request has left the lips that uttered 
 it, brings UNTOLD HAPPINESS, for in it is 
 the quiet but potent power that sent vibrating 
 through the world the mightiness of His will. 
 
 ** Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try 
 the spirits whether they are of God, because 
 many false prophets are ^one out into the world. 
 Hereby know ye the spirit of God. Every spirit 
 that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the 
 
240 FACE TO FACE 
 
 flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth 
 not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not 
 of God; and this is the spirit of anti-Christ 
 whereof ye have heard that it should come, and 
 EVEN NOW ALREADY IS IN THE WORLD. 
 
 *'Ye are of God, little children, and have over- 
 come them; because greater is He that is in you 
 than he that is in the world. They are of the 
 world, therefore speak they of the world, and 
 the world heareth them. 
 
 **We are of God; he that knoweth God heareth 
 us ; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby 
 know ye the spirit of truth and the spirit of 
 error. 
 
 *^ Beloved, let us love one another; for love is 
 of God, and every one that loveth is born of 
 God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, 
 knoweth not God, for GOD IS LOVE. 
 
 *^In this was manifested the love of God towards 
 us, because God sent His only begotten Son 
 into the world that we might live through Him. 
 
 ** Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that 
 HE LOVED US, and sent HIS SON to be the 
 propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so 
 loved us, we ought also to love one another. 
 
 **No man hath seen God at any time. If we 
 love one another God dwelleth in us, and His 
 love is perfected in us. Hereby know ye that 
 we dwell in Him, and He in us ; because He hath 
 given us of His spirit. And we have seen and 
 do testifv that the Father sent the Son TO BE 
 SAVIOUR of the world. 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 241 
 
 * * Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son 
 of God, God dwelloth in him and he in God. 
 And we have known and believed the love that 
 God hath for us. God is love, and he that 
 dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in 
 him. 
 
 ** Herein is our love made perfect, that we may 
 have boldness in the day of judgment, because 
 as He is, so are we. 
 
 *^ There is NO FEAE IN LOVE, but perfect 
 love CASTETH OUT FEAE, because fear hath 
 torment; HE THAT FEAEETH IS NOT MADE 
 PEEFECT IN LOVE. 
 
 ^^We love Him because He FIEST loved us. 
 If a man say, ^I love God' and hateth his brother, 
 he is a liar, for he that loveth not his brother 
 whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom 
 he hath not seen? 
 
 **And this commandment have we from Him; 
 That he who loveth God, loveth his brother also. ' ' 
 
 INGEESOLL: *^ Under the Mosaic dispen- 
 sation there was no remission for sin except 
 through the shedding of blood. The greater the 
 sin the greater the sacrifice. Every priest 
 became a butcher, every synagogue a slaughter 
 house. ' * 
 
 LOTUS: The greater the crime, the more 
 ASSUEEDLY do we have to work to redeem 
 ourselves, and others; not only that we may 
 receive the crown, but in respect before the 
 world. Sin demands blood; it is the law of cause 
 and effect. LOVE demands sacrifice; it absorbs 
 
242 FACE TO FACE 
 
 the ego of self-conscience, regret and fear, leav- 
 ing the limitless power in which and by which 
 we may work out the salvation of those for 
 whom we are sacrificing, bringing them into 
 their OWN; bringing OUESELVES into greater 
 power, greater understanding, through the 
 DEMONSTEATION OF TRUTH. 
 
 When man ceases to LIVE FOR THE 
 LITTLE SELF, he is demonstrating the power 
 of spirit; the Divine within. TRUTH demands 
 more TRUTH in return; hence the LIMITLESS 
 POWER of sacrifice is demonstrated. The 
 LITTLE self slays the lives, hopes and 
 ambitions of others ; it is a deplorable power that 
 EXTINGUISHES THE LIGHT OF SOUL. 
 
 Jesus came to redeem us from the LITTLE 
 self. He gave His life that He might, through 
 the power of spirit, make easy the way for His 
 loved ones. 
 
 Blood is the POWER of BIRTH, the POWER 
 OF LIFE, the GATES AJAR, the MATERIAL- 
 IZED EXPRESSION OF THE SPOKEN 
 WORD. ^^If ye WILL receive, ye MAY receive.'* 
 He who never sacrificed has never loved. 
 
 There is a beautiful memory that clings to 
 the most of us; that is, the tender loving care 
 and protection that was given us by father and 
 mother in our GROWING DAYS. The fortitude 
 with which they braved the storms of MATE- 
 RIAL things was, at that time, but natural to us. 
 Somehow we KNEW that they would tide us 
 over. We had such FAITH in their ability TO 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 243 
 
 DO that we LOOKED for the overcoming; we, 
 like old Tom, *'just naturally KNEW they could 
 do it. ' ' But when these same trials come to us in 
 more mature years, we WONDEEED at their 
 fortitude, their strength ; their faith in God ; their 
 faith in us; and their FAITH in themselves. 
 And we loved them then, more than ever, because 
 of the great understanding that had come to us 
 in the years that we too trod over the thorns of 
 material things. Why then strange that our 
 Heavenly Father should weep for what He had 
 HOPED we would be? ^^ Jesus wepf 
 
 **And this is love, that ye walk after the 
 commandments. This is the commandment: 
 That as ye have heard from the beginning, ye 
 should walk in it.'' 
 
 We have drifted far down the road in the ways 
 of man; we see before us, behind us, and ahead 
 of us, tenfold sacrifices ; one of the ten is sitting 
 under yonder tree. His eyes wander question- 
 less over every passer by; the world calls him 
 a TEAMP. Let us go back to the year 1896, 
 August 5th. He and his wife sat grieving; their 
 only son had killed his boyhood chum; the sen- 
 tence had been Life Imprisonment; the mother 
 wept. Jack had been the life of the home; ever 
 willing to lend a helping hand, he was sadly 
 missed. With love in his heart, the father had 
 offered to serve in his son's stead, by death or 
 penitude, but they told him — No, the son must 
 serve time for his own sin. 
 
244 FACE TO FACE 
 
 That night the son began his journey to the 
 state penitentiary. Part of the journey had to 
 be made from this small town by shay. A figure 
 moved in and out of the trees near the jail where 
 Jack had been confined; two eager eyes never 
 wavered from the door with its gruesome bars. 
 Presently the sheriff and Jack passed through. 
 The click of the lock told the tale of sorrow. 
 
 Jack was not handcuffed, as was the usual 
 custom. The sheriff had said jovially: **He is 
 such a slip of a boy; if he is bad, I will lay him 
 across my knee.'' The town folk laughed; but 
 deep within the sheriff's heart was a grief, kin 
 to that of the father; he regretted deeply that 
 he was the instrument to take this boy to a home 
 of living death. 
 
 Jack was a favorite among the young people 
 of the town; it was hard for them to believe him 
 guilty; the sheriff's daughter had her wedding 
 gown finished, the day was set; it was hard, far 
 harder than the sheriff cared to admit, even to 
 himself. 
 
 As the shay rumbled along to the little depot 
 a form crept close, running in the shadows of 
 the big poplars along the road. A tiny stone 
 found its way to the horses' thighs, they started 
 to run. 
 
 **WHOA, WHOA, THEEE BESS, WHAT 
 YOU TEYIN' TO DO? TOM, YOU STOP THAT 
 PEANCIN'; be you losin' your mind?" 
 
 The sheriff, taken, off guard, bent his efforts 
 trying to stop the horses; he did not see a hand 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 245 
 
 laid quickly on the form of Jack, hurling him to 
 the side of the road in the shadows; nor did he 
 see another form quickly take his place. 
 
 * ^ Are you all right, Jack ? ' ' 
 
 **Yes, sir,*' came the answer. 
 
 ** Wonder what made 'em do that; see any- 
 thing, Jackr' 
 
 **Yep, saw a shadder, sir, while back." 
 
 '* That's it, then, GET EP, BESS, GET 
 ALONG LIVELY, TOM, TEAIN'S COMINM" 
 
 A sprightly form stepped upon the platform 
 by the side of the sheriff, the east-bound steamed 
 away; a face youthful in its happiness beamed 
 in that of the sheriff; a shaggy head of black 
 hair fell over the forehead in youthful fashion. 
 The sheriff was puzzled, but he laid the look 
 of happiness at the door of EIGHTEOUS 
 penance, and promptly forgot it. The work had 
 been good; the wig man and the barber had 
 played their part well; Jack was safe. 
 
 Years rolled by, a Trusty stood at the prison 
 gate watching as the prisoners filed by one by 
 one; a face caught his eye and held it in amaze, 
 it was Jack! 
 
 What was he doing here? A father's heart 
 sank within him, a son's beat wild; a loving 
 glance passed between them; that was all. 
 
 A hand lay gently on Trusty's shoulder. 
 '*That was your son, Trusty; he has come to pay 
 the price that you may not suffer the penalty 
 allotted to those who deceive the law — imperson- 
 
246 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ating another. ' * A shot and then another, startled 
 the birds in flocks, who were anticipating crumbs 
 from Trusty's generous hand. 
 
 **WHAT WAS THAT, SIRr^ 
 
 ^^ That— Trusty, my man, was the PEICE; 
 your SON HAS PAID THE DEBT. Go, Trusty, 
 be free in a world you have not known for many 
 years; the Warden will give you your clothing. *' 
 
 Half crazed with grief, Trusty wended his 
 way to the old home, from which he had been 
 an exile so long. AN EXCITED KNOCK 
 returned only the echoing hollowness of what 
 might have been. WHERE WERE THEY, 
 HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTERS? A great sob 
 arose in his soul— WHERE WERE THEY—! 
 
 Seeing through the growing twilight and blind- 
 ing tears someone working near the fence of 
 what had been his own treasured garden, he 
 called: *^ STRANGER, DO YOU KNOW WHAT 
 HAS BECOME OF THE FAMILY THAT 
 LIVED HEREr' 
 
 ^*That house is empty,'' came like the bursting 
 asunder of countless years. 
 
 **Be they gone?" 
 
 **Yes, stranger. The old lady died two months 
 ago, the daughters have married and gone to 
 another city to live; the son is in prison for 
 life; the old man disappeared when the son was 
 sentenced; nobody KNOWS WHAT BECAME 
 OF HIM. I have in my possession a letter and 
 a box that was entrusted to me by a young man. 
 I was to give it to the man whom he described 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS ITt 247 
 
 to me; as you answer that description, I will 
 give them to you. Wait, I will go and get them. ' ' 
 
 Returning from the house, he handed them to 
 Trusty. **I don't know who you are, stranger, 
 but here is the box and the letter, and these 
 were my instructions." 
 
 Taking the box and letter with trembling 
 hands. Trusty cunningly ignored the query as 
 to his identity, and left with ^^MUCH BLEGED, 
 STRANGER. '' 
 
 He was tired, it was growing late; he drew 
 from his pocket the change the warden had given 
 him when he left the prison. Looking about he 
 saw a familiar word — TAVERN — he would go 
 there and rest until he could think what to do. 
 Tears would come, and the world — did not under- 
 stand. 
 
 Paying his two-bits, he followed the man to 
 the little room under the eaves. He could smell 
 the honeysuckle; it brought vividly before him 
 his Ruth; for it was here, in this little tavern, 
 they had spent their honeymoon. A wistful 
 smile playeJ about the features of Trusty as 
 he bade the clerk good night. 
 
 Trusty forgot he had had no dinner; he lay 
 down on the clean white bed; the honeysuckle 
 would surely lull him to sleep; but sleep and its 
 blessings refused. He sat up, leaning on one 
 elbow, and lit the candle by the little bed, draw- 
 ing the box and letter from under the pillow. 
 It was burning his very soul; he could resist it 
 no longer, though he dreaded to open it, fearing 
 
248 FACE TO FACE 
 
 its contents. His eyes fell upon the familiar 
 handwriting of Jack. ^^He always could write 
 good and plain,'' he murmured, and then: 
 
 Hollow Wood, May 18. 
 
 *^DBAE DAD: 
 
 The last letter I shall ever write from our old 
 Hollow Wood home; but mother no longer needs 
 me; you deserve freedom in your old davs; and 
 I am going TO PAY THE PEICE. 
 
 I sold the house and lot and made a good 
 bargain; you can live in comfort on the proceeds 
 the rest of your life. I knew you would not care 
 to live there now, and I also knew that they 
 wanted to buy it. Times have changed. The 
 girls have gone East. They married well, and 
 are ashamed of us, Dad. They do not want us 
 ever to come around them. It can't be helped; 
 we will just have to let them go. Don't grieve 
 for me. I am GLAD that I CAN make you happy 
 and comfortable in your old days. 
 
 It may be some comfort to you to know that 
 I killed Ted in self-defense. We were good pals, 
 but Ted had a temper, as you know, and it hurt 
 him to be called a Redhead. I was wrong in 
 teasing him. Out of just that ONE thoughtless 
 little remark we have all had to suffer; death, 
 penitude and disgrace! Strange, isn't it. Dad, 
 that out of such LITTLE things such horrors 
 sometimes grow? 
 
 After you threw me out of the sheriff's shay 
 I went to Thornton, Ted's brother, and con- 
 fessed all. He said: * Never mind. Jack; live 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 249 
 
 here with us; I'll get you a job/ But I told him 
 there was mother. He said : * Yes, I know. Make 
 up old, Jack, like her brother or something, and 
 I'll get you the job anyway.' 
 
 He did, in the mill, and one day I got a 
 chance to pay him back; he got caught in the 
 belt; but I was quick and caught him before it 
 turned him in; and he was mighty good to 
 mother and me after that. So it's all right. I 
 made a good bargain on the place. 
 
 SO LONG, DAD." 
 
 A great sob filled the little room. Someone 
 knocked on the door. **Are you sick, Sir?" 
 
 Trusty snuffed the candle and snored loud and 
 long. It seemed like years as he sat there in 
 the moonlight looking out beyond the honey- 
 suckle vine to the great BEYOND where his 
 loved ones dwelt; and then: ^^OH, I CANNOT 
 STAY HEEE! I WANT NO BED; I WANT 
 NO TAVERN; I want God's great NATURE. 
 I want the BIRDS, the TREES, the STARS, the 
 BEASTS, who love without questioning WHAT 
 YOU ARE, what you've BEEN." 
 
 He turned and again lit the candle, took an 
 old handkerchief, tied up the box, threw it over 
 his arm and slipped out into the night. Someone 
 said as he passed: ^*An early riser, Pard." 
 **Aye, Aye," murmured Trusty, half consciously, 
 and disappeared like a dream through the night. 
 
 Yes, Jack had made a good bargain. He would 
 not have to beg; a fortune lay snugly tucked 
 away in the little box ; no one would know. 
 
250 FACE TO FACE 
 
 As he wandered along he raised his eyes to 
 the great heavens above and silently offered a 
 prayer that he might DO as his Saviour had done, 
 — heal the sick, lead the blind, feed the hungry, 
 help those who, like himself, had suffered. 
 
 And thus we found him in various parts of 
 the earth, binding the wounds of man and beast, 
 fathering the young. The spirit of Christ dwelleth 
 in the heart of many a weary traveller the world 
 calls a tramp. 
 
 ^*I am just waiting to be towed along, standing 
 on the brink of — Happiness. ' ' 
 
 JUST WAITING 
 
 Ah! little bird, I have thee now, 
 
 I '11 hold thee tight, too, I vow, 
 
 No need to flutter, I knowest thou. 
 
 Thy heart beats fast, little bird, 
 
 By crumbs to my window lured. 
 
 Ah, fluttering thing, 'tis I that 's power now, 
 
 Dost think it not so safe as yon hay mow ? 
 
 Ah, I open my hand, poor fluttering thing. 
 
 Go to thy nestlings thy crumbs to bring. 
 
 I am no monster, seest thou ? 
 I would not harm thee, I vow ! 
 
 Go to thy wee ones in their nest, 
 
 Go, while I sit here and rest, 
 
 Go, bird, while I dream on — and on — 
 
 Of days that might have been as thy song. 
 
 Nay, when my loved ones needed care, 
 
 I was held prisoner over there ; 
 
 In the vulture's treacherous claws — 
 
 The unchangeable depths of effect and cause, 
 
 That o 'erwhelm man, reason and laws. 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? M 
 
 Little bird, on wings so fleet, 
 Would I could thy spirit meet. 
 
 Yea, bird, fly home to thy nest, lest some pest 
 
 Sweep down and destroy thy nest, 
 
 Go, bird, to thy wee ones, and be blessed. 
 
 By the peaceful winds caressed — 
 
 While I with wounded heart laid bare. 
 
 Stand on the brink of the river fair. 
 
 Just waiting — to be towed across, 
 
 That I may find what I have lost. 
 
 Held by His merciful hand 
 In that glorious heavenly land. 
 
 Sacrifice slumbers in the GREAT soul. We 
 know not in whom it may be slumbering, nor in 
 whom the great POWER is WORKING for the 
 salvation of ONE OR MANY. Sacrifice does 
 not harden the heart, but GLORIFIES love. 
 Wherever there is glorified love, there is the 
 presence of God ; there is the tenderness of mercy, 
 the strength of endurance that is the reflection 
 of the Christ life. As earthly blessings are tem- 
 poral, what matters it whether the reward be 
 now or then? 
 
 So many have said, still say, I had rather 
 take my chances here. This is one thing over 
 which man has no control. God holds in His 
 hand the chance ; there is nothing to fear. * * GOD 
 IS LOVE." It shows a good bit of COWARD- 
 ICE for man to say I had rather take my 
 chances here. A poor soldier, indeed, that stands 
 on what he thinks the safe side, taking his 
 chances there, while his brothers move on IN 
 
252 FACE TO FACE 
 
 GEEATER FAITH IN HIM WHO WATCHES, 
 
 quickening the power within, taking their 
 chances AS MEN. It stands to reason that those 
 who say I had rather take my chance here, FEEL 
 they have not fulfilled the law. 
 
 The LITTLE self is not a good principle 
 through which to work, nor a competent judge of 
 good. As it is electro-negative it comes in con- 
 tact with the chemical substance of evil, or the 
 substance of obsession, evil spirits, devils. To 
 become electro-positive — ^having the properties of 
 becoming positive — electrified by contact with 
 pure spirit, man is enabled to assist his greater 
 nature to develop perfection in truth ; hence good 
 and evil, God and devil. 
 
 The scientific truths in the Bible prove again 
 and again the fact that electricity is directly con- 
 nected with Divinity. It is the REFINEMENT 
 with which man MEETS the spirit of purpose in 
 the Bible that enables him to PENETRATE the 
 truth in the HIGHEST SENSE of HARMONY 
 and sweetness that can be FULLY REACHED 
 in DIVINE UNDERSTANDING. Thus we 
 become attuned, as breeze meeting breeze, as song 
 meeting song, as harmony meets harmony, as 
 sweetness meets sweetness. We CANNOT obtain 
 the whole truth unless we DO refine our senses to 
 meet the sublimity that goes beyond material 
 sense. 
 
 Spirit and truth embrace ALL, the substance, 
 the body and the blood. We have too long sought 
 truth without cultivating spirit. Spirit is the 
 truth in all things. There is a lot more in the 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 258 
 
 Bible than man has ever gotten out of it as yet. 
 The time is coming when the FEUITS of the 
 Bible will be harvested ; and then, what HAPPY 
 HARVESTEES ! How well man will sleep, rest- 
 ing from the hot sun of material labor, inhaling 
 the fragrance of the bountiful, resting in the 
 shadow of His wings. 
 
 The morning dawneth; wait, watch, hope and 
 pray. And this is the refinement of soul vibra- 
 tions in which worketh the power of the celestial, 
 enabling soul in man to feel a like vibration 
 springing towards him from the soul of things, in 
 which happiness abounds. 
 
 INGERSOLL: **Keep the devil out of 
 children. ' ' 
 
 HAPPINESS IN THE HEART OF A CHILD 
 
 LOTUS: Too much stress cannot be placed 
 upon the WAY of truth in teaching children right 
 and wrong. If the child has ideals, they are but 
 the truth within struggling for expression. Help 
 the child to express them; help the child to 
 ENNOBLE, EXALT these ideals, refining them 
 in PURE conscience. Quiet reserve does not al- 
 ways mean refinement; it sometimes covers a 
 secret motive, caressing as a cat's paw, as hissing 
 as a serpent trapped unawares. TRUE refine- 
 ment is that of PURE spirit ; the Divine express- 
 ing in man. In the Divine is harmony; when 
 harmony is permitted to express itself in the full- 
 est sense, there can be no discord in actions or 
 in motives, for like an attuned instrument, it 
 waits for the hand that sends it into expression. 
 
254 FACE TO FACE 
 
 The Divine hand is the hand that sends the music 
 through the soul of one into another, finding an 
 harmonious response in those who are alike at- 
 tuned. The Divine expressing in man knows no 
 affectedness ; on the contrary, it is NATURAL 
 simplicity, NATURAL sweetness. The hand that 
 grasps ours with whole-hearted honesty, is the 
 hand we may trust. The hand that lies passive 
 in our own, is the hand that FEARS THE 
 POWER of others. True refinement is WHOLE- 
 HEARTED LOYALTY EXPRESSED IN THE 
 BEAUTY OF SPIRIT, WHICH IS MUSIC OF 
 THE SOUL. 
 
 I am happy when I meet a friend face to face. 
 I am happy when, like finest lace, his PURPOSE 
 blends with the Divine. I am happy when he 
 takes my hand, for in it is a quiet command for 
 that that's in mine own. I am happy when I see 
 unaffected loyalty. I am happy when I see tender 
 grace that breathes of spirit, unaffected royalty. 
 I am happy when I see God SHINING- 
 THROUGH A SOUL unsullied by unreality. 
 
 Ideals are a current of Divine wisdom enlight- 
 ening a darkened mind, or a developing mind, 
 creating spiritual light. Children are all, or 
 nearly all, taught, directly or indirectly, to fear 
 the consequences of evil. That is not the point. 
 Children should be taught there IS NOTHING 
 TO FEAR WHEN GOD IS PRESENT; and to 
 strive in PURE SPIRIT to overcome evil with 
 good. A child should never be taught to fear, 
 but to hold calm uprightness of heart. There is 
 
HAPPINESS: WHAT IS IT? 255 
 
 no need to fear when we are living in pure con- 
 science. This should be explained to them, exem- 
 plified to them, in every way possible. I had 
 rather teach a child the beauty of life than to 
 fear life. The beauty of life lies in the expres- 
 sion of PURE CONSCIENCE. Fear is a won- 
 derfully chaotic power. 
 
 Old Tom says: **You all jes' say de debil am 
 in me today, and suah enough de debil am theah : 
 but you all say, * Debil, you all jes' go on behin' 
 me,' and he's boun' to 'spect you all fo' knowin' 
 he's 'roun' and won't hab nothin' to do wid him. 
 He ain't gwine take possession of me; NO SAH! 
 He ain't gwine to move in an' tell me to move 
 out, NO SAH! Dis habitation am foh God an' 
 nobody else!" 
 
 This is the logic of Ole Vir-gin-ie, and it might 
 grace a throne. 
 
 In happy hearts there is a continual singing, a 
 continual philosophy, defining Happiness. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 NATURE AND THE SOUL 
 
 NATURE in man cries out for the BEST IN 
 MAN ; it invariably sends forth the sweet strains 
 that NATURE HOLDS within its sacred realms. 
 In some sweet way it finds its OWN, and express- 
 es through the SOUL OF MAN the highest degree 
 of supreme excellence IN MAN. 
 
 Error or ignorance may, for a time, close the 
 portals to harmony of the soul, the VERY LIFE 
 of supremacy, but it will eventually find expres- 
 sion, an outlet through which to work. This in- 
 variably comes through the Divine vocation of 
 SOUL IN THINGS. There is an ever beckoning 
 call from the SOUL OF NATURE to the soul of 
 man. The response comes when man begins to 
 long for the BETTER side of life, the GREAT 
 side, where the supreme spirit dwells ABOVE the 
 storms of agitation in serene and tranquil spirit ; 
 the life that leads through optimism into fields 
 of affluence and luxuriance ; the life that does not 
 live for SELF ALONE, but for the edifying of 
 mankind. 
 
 It is a great part of human nature to long for 
 recognition when we accomplish something we 
 deem worthy of our BEST efforts. It is only just 
 attribute ; and yet, the ATTUNED heart sings on 
 if it finds NO response from the world, for it 
 KNOWS that in the realms of the REAL, where 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 257 
 
 angels dwell, it WILL be recognized and valued 
 accordingly. This is the expression of legitimate 
 nature in man, the KNOWING, the LIVING, as 
 the lilies of the field, in natural worthiness, the 
 VEEY archetype or prototype of DIVINE 
 EXAMPLE. 
 
 There is nothing to fear from the world; man 
 is bound to glean something from a life so lived, 
 whether the world recognizes his efforts or not. 
 It is what WE get out of things that counts, what 
 we are able to understand and apply to our use, 
 and the use of others, spiritually and materially. 
 It is indeed more than passingly strange what 
 LITTLE THINGS turn the tide in lives, both 
 great and small. The silent though potent call of 
 the Divine finds response in the heart, soul and 
 mind of man when it is enabled to penetrate the 
 FEELINGS OF MAN, and this is more often 
 found in the little EVERY DAY things that 
 appeal to the comfort and welfare of man ; things 
 we call necessities, pleasures, and things that 
 compel us to ask WHY they must exist. To bring 
 forth a query in mind of things we cannot account 
 for, is to call attention to God. When man is 
 puzzled he invariably asks WHY! This appeal 
 turns towards expression, and eventually some 
 elevated moral development, which is included in 
 self education, in the fullest and noblest sense. 
 The heart attuned grasps the PUEPOSE, and 
 no longer asks WHY, but turns to the great 
 PRINCIPLE, LIFE. He walks to a near-by tree, 
 mighty in its power of growth; what kind of 
 life? He murmurs: AH, IT IS DIVINE LIFE, 
 
258 FACE TO FACE 
 
 a SUPEEME FOECE, regenerate life. He ex- 
 claims in wonderment; this great LIVING 
 TEUTH expressing in such natural simplicity 
 from the Godhead, WHY THAT IS DIVINE 
 LIFE, and it is PEESONAL because it is sancti- 
 fied to ONE PUEPOSE. Divine life IS personal, 
 because it expresses in each INDIVIDUAL 
 THING and PEESON, according to the needs of 
 the person or thing. Thus we see Divine power, 
 life, is both UNIVEESAL AND PEESONAL, 
 because it is the SUBSTANCE OF ALL, IN 
 ALL, and because it quickens each individual or 
 thing that harmonizes with its CEEATIVE, 
 CONSTEUCTIVE, QUICKENING POWEE. It 
 is the SUBSTANCE OF LIFE; it is electro- 
 magnetic FOECE that calls forth a responding 
 expression in things animate. It is personal, 
 it is universal, is Divine, hence it embraces all. **I 
 in you and you in Me." And thus our purpose 
 is sanctified by seeking the SOUECE of the ideal. 
 Intent is made more profound by the enlivening, 
 quickening power that comes when honest purpose 
 is the center of motive. 
 
 I never look within the heart of one of the little 
 flower immortelles without harking back to the 
 time when in Lourdes there existed a prince who 
 sought the counsel of many wise men in the hope 
 of finding some method by which he might exalt 
 his name. Discouraged with the outcome, he 
 wended his way through the grotto, past the 
 shrine of OUE LADY OF LOUEDES, to his own 
 little garden where he wandered carelessly swing- 
 ing his walking stick from side to side, tearing 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 259 
 
 from the mother plants many beautiful blossoms. 
 Weary of people and the world at large, he sat 
 down upon a bench near which grew a Lotus tree. 
 *^Ah, tree; they say those who eat of thy fruit 
 wander in lands of dreamy f orgetf ulness. ' ' So 
 saying, he reached forward to obtain one of the 
 fruit that he too might wander in strange 
 lands, when he beheld, lying near his feet, a 
 little immortelle he had so ruthlessly struck 
 from the mother plant, seemingly mocking his 
 weakness, so bright, so full of life did it seem 
 to be, while other blossoms lay near bruised 
 and apparently dying. Time had lost all 
 interest for the prince, but the flower — the 
 flower had not. Long he sat dreaming, long he 
 marveled; as though charmed, he drew it lov- 
 ingly to him, and then crossed the path to the 
 side of the gardener, who had been working 
 near by. 
 
 ^^ Gardener, WHAT IS this flower T' 
 
 **That,'' said the gardener, *4s the prince of 
 flowers. It lives many moons without losing its 
 beauty, form or coloring.'' 
 
 *^WHY SOf cried the astonished prince. 
 
 **That, your Highness, I cannot answer; it 
 takes older heads than mine to answer. But 
 perhaps the old mother can answer thee.'' 
 
 The prince followed the gardener to the 
 little cottage where he and his old mother had 
 lived since he could remember. Seeing the 
 approach of the prince, the old dame attempted 
 to rise, but the prince gently placed her back 
 '>n her seat. 
 
260 FACE TO FACE 
 
 **I have come to ask favors, not to seek 
 salaams, madame. Pray tell, WHAT IS this 
 flower r' 
 
 **That,'' said the old dame, *4s an immor- 
 telle, as golden as your heart's fondest hope.'' 
 
 **And to think," said the prince, **it cared 
 not one whit that I had so ruthlessly abused 
 it!" 
 
 ^^Aye," sighed the old dame, **be seated, and 
 I will tell to thee the legend of the immor- 
 telles." 
 
 *^ Thank thee. Long hast thou served me, old 
 dame; I knowest well thou wilt not fail me 
 now. ' ' 
 
 **Aye, prince; many years ago I trotted thee 
 on my knee and told thee stories of yester- 
 years. 
 
 * * Once upon a time there lived a nobleman who 
 came from Ma'metz, was introduced to, and 
 fell in love with a beautiful princess. But when 
 he sought her hand in wedlock she cried out unto 
 him: *When thou canst fetch me a flower that 
 THOU HAST CULTIVATED WITH THINE 
 OWN HAND, one that will live for many moons 
 after it has been plucked from the mother plant, 
 I will give thee my hand in wedlock. ' 
 
 ** *But,' cried the lover, *such a plant could not 
 be.' 
 
 ** *Thou hast my answer,' cried the princess; 
 'GO.' 
 
 **The lover wended his way to the Lodge, 
 where he lay down upon the green. *I will lie 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 261 
 
 here,' cried he, *and look at the moon, the stars, 
 that watch between my love and me/ A fairy 
 touched him with her wand: *What sayest 
 thou, wan lover?' *I said the moon, the stars, 
 would watch between my love and me,' sighed 
 the lover. *NOT SO,' cried the fairy; ^et Miz- 
 pah be thy watchword, thy star by night, thy 
 moon, and thou wilt soon find that thou seekest.' 
 *Aye,' groaned the lover, *it does not exist, un- 
 less, perchance in some strange land. Ah, 
 little fairy, I will away. Au plaisir de vous 
 revoir.' *N' importe,' sighed the fairy, and 
 was lost in the shadows of night. With the 
 dawn the lover awoke, placed his pack upon his 
 back and journeyed to America. After a year 
 he stood at the entrance to MALVERN HILL. 
 
 *' 'Halt! Who goes there?' 
 
 * * Quiveringly the lover told the guard his tale 
 of love. 
 
 ** *It must be the immortelle you seek, 
 stranger; wait.' Calling a near-by private, he 
 ordered him to bring to the now wondering 
 lover a sprig of the little immortelles that grew 
 near. The private returned, bearing root, 
 branch, blossom and all. *Take it,' cried he, 
 *and may the Lord watch between thee and 
 me.' 
 
 ** *HALT! Who goes there?' rang in the still- 
 ness as though no heart throbs had told tales of 
 love. 
 
 ** *Me,' answered the lover, — *Me.' 
 
 * ' * ME — me ! Little you know of the ways OF 
 
262 PACE TO FACE 
 
 OUR GREAT AMERICA. Begone, I say. Me 
 —Me, 0, HA HA!' 
 
 ** Bewildered, little understanding the duty of 
 guards, or the pathos that hides the heart of 
 sympathy, the lover again wended his way to 
 the sea, where he and the little immortelle 
 found passage in the steerage. A few weeks 
 later he knelt at the feet of his love, holding 
 before her the little immortelle. 
 
 *^ 'And didst thou cultivate it?' asked the 
 princess. ^Nay, but I sought it in strange 
 lands, having to sail home to thee in a steerage, 
 so late was I in obtaining passage.' 
 
 ** *Pooh!' cried the princess; 'Look thou here'; 
 and she threw wide the gate to her own little 
 garden in which grew hundreds of little immor- 
 telles. 'Thou didst seek afar for that which my 
 own had tended, and lay upon my heart. Thou 
 art a fool, man; away, I will have none of 
 thee!' 
 
 "The lover drew the saber from his belt and 
 thrust it through his heart, crying the while 
 'Dieu vous garde.' But the Princess had fled to 
 her own little garden, where she died of a broken 
 heart. 
 
 "The flower thou boldest, your Highness, is 
 the reflection of jealousy. Pardon an old 
 woman, prince, but thou art restless. Seek not 
 afar off for peace and honor; it lieth here, in 
 thy OWN LOURDES." 
 
 In Lourdes there LIVES a prince who works 
 out his ideals for the welfare of those who 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 263 
 
 kindle their fires with the fagot of impatience. 
 Over the gate of the palace there is engraved : 
 ^^EnDIEUesttouf 
 
 It matters not through what channels 
 NATURE beckons to the SOUL of man, it is 
 the redeeming factor in which His Likeness and 
 Image is magnified. God's ways reach us 
 through LITTLE THINGS to configurate 
 greater. The child in the crib, noting the up- 
 rightness in nature, longs to walk erect also. 
 This yearning soon finds expression; the whole 
 soul cries out GO AND DO LIKEWISE, and 
 behold it is done. 
 
 The sweetest song ever sung is voiced by the 
 invisible force IN NATURE. The celestial 
 choir sends its sweet strains through the light- 
 ning strokes to the little cricket, who carries 
 its fiddle on its hind legs, rejoicing when loved, 
 playing harder when appreciated. It fiddles 
 away, never seeming to grow weary, while in- 
 sects dance, and man — entranced by the 
 romance — seeks his mate. 
 
 Our lives are much as the waves of the sea. 
 Flowing through them is song, beauty, har- 
 mony, love and poetry. These come close, lick- 
 ing our feet, and retreat again into the night, 
 only to return once more with the dawn of each 
 new day, in great billows of little opportunities 
 that make transactions possible, through which 
 man and the world are united in the great bond 
 of NATURAL PRODUCTION. When we learn 
 to grade the soul in the school of effort, when we 
 learn the VALUE of understanding the NA- 
 
264 FACE TO FACE 
 
 TUBE that harbors the soul, a certain dull grind 
 will be obliterated, and the harmony that is the 
 keynote in nature will find quick response in 
 the lives of men. Then will the world be a 
 HOME of culture that will infuse itself in the 
 NATURE OF THINGS and enliven them with 
 greater power of beauty and worth. 
 
 When true beauty is expressed around us, 
 it creates a desire to be like unto it, and thus 
 we lessen vibrations that grate and fill the 
 soul with contentment and better judgment, 
 and INDIVIDUALLY CEEATE OR BUILD 
 GREATER DESTINIES. 
 
 There never has been enough cooperation 
 between instructor and parents in the lives of 
 our little ones to BRING ABOUT the GRAND 
 RESULTS OF NATURE AND SOUL. We 
 begin in the home and end in the home, we 
 might say, but there is always the gentle in- 
 fusion of OUTSIDE CONDITIONS that take 
 GREAT PART in our lives and education, that 
 may be made great opportunities, or vice versa. 
 If we will but learn to meet the infusion of 
 outside influences, and teach our children how 
 to meet them, we will greatly lessen the 
 DANGERS of influences. The quiet demand 
 for right and justice is only nature asserting 
 itself in the power of recognition. There is a 
 certain light that shineth forth from the soul 
 of the spiritual man that DEFIES CHAOTIC 
 CONDITIONS. Therein lieth the SUPREME 
 FAITH that cannot be mown down bv the 
 HARDNESS OF THE BUSINESS WORLD. 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 265 
 
 PUEE conscience is bound to bring returns 
 that are satisfying. There is little need of 
 compulsion when the MOTIVE EINGS TEUE. 
 
 The little dramas that play themselves into 
 the affairs and lives of men with such disap- 
 pointing and confusing effect, would be 
 greatly lessened were man to admit the Divine 
 supply of higher vibrations, thus obliterating 
 the ** stronghold ' ' that things of a chaotic 
 nature have. To let the mercy of God demon- 
 strate its Divine invisible FOECE OF LOVE 
 that holds through ALL, into our affairs and 
 being, is to bring into our lives the GEEAT- 
 EST POWEE OF EFFICIENCY. This 
 deathless love and Divine power rejuvenates 
 the intelligence of man and reinstates the 
 spirit with HIGHEE forces; opening the door 
 to all that is GOOD FOE MAN; thus he opens 
 the portals of his heart to the EEAL. 
 
 There is limitless power in the real, limit- 
 less understanding of the real, which embraces 
 nature and the soul. When the real is sought 
 in ALL THINGS, there is unbounded joy in 
 the realization that it ever has taken the 
 greater part in our lives, having actual exist- 
 ence in the things nearest to us; the trees, the 
 flowers, the birds; in everything, in fact, that 
 is in our lives from the beginning unto the 
 end. The thing is to FIND it; to appreciate 
 it when found, and apply the truth in it to the 
 principles by which we live. 
 
 Things animate and inanimate are but the 
 substance of the real. Spirit is present in all 
 
266 FACE TO FACE 
 
 things, visible and invisible. Would we find 
 and apply the beauties of life IN life, mankind 
 would grow in spiritual triumph. When the 
 sensitive side in nature meets the impression- 
 able mind of man, there is a quickening, an 
 understanding OF nature, and the real in 
 nature, in which the notes of soul are sung in 
 harmony with the Spirit that moved upon the 
 face of the water. 
 
 It is a wee bit of heaven to realize the work- 
 ing power of spirit and its potent efficiency TO 
 penetrate substance. To adhere strictly IN 
 OBEDIENCE to the CALL of HIGHEE 
 INTELLIGENCE waylays the dramatic sug- 
 gestion of material minds and makes the way 
 clear. It is a certainty that when we seek the 
 right source (God) we can have no idle dreams, 
 but reality — ^the direct result of nature's 
 dreams— ^* THE IDEAL MADE EEAL.'' Idle 
 dreams are blasting in their effect; they throw 
 upon the surface things they do not create, and 
 obliterate the otherwise perfect dreams, dreams 
 that are a well-spring of GOOD EESULTS. We 
 ought to be just as careful HOW we dream as we 
 are how we live. 
 
 To dream the real is to build ideals; to live 
 in spirit, or to hold before us the beautiful, is 
 to enliven ideals that finally materialize. We 
 must be careful HOW we materialize, and WHAT 
 we materialize, or we may be greatly surprised 
 at the results. Build not idols and worship them, 
 but live in the spirit of truth; BUILD dreams 
 and let them come forth to glorify HIS NAME, 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 267 
 
 thy life, and the lives of those who seek wisdom 
 at thy hand. ^*Let the heavens be glad, and let 
 the earth rejoice; and let men say among the 
 nations, the LORD REIGNETH. Let the SEA 
 ROAR, and the fullness thereof; let the 
 fields rejoice and all that IS therein. Then 
 shall the trees of the wood sing out at the 
 presence of the Lord, for He cometh to judge 
 the earth. 0, give thanks unto the Lord, for 
 He is good; for His mercy ENDURETH for- 
 ever.*' 
 
 When we gather wheat we fill our bins with 
 the substance of life; therein is found the sweet 
 spirit of truth. Living in sweet accord with the 
 substance of all fills every need. We learn to 
 look at shallow things just as we look within 
 the depth of the low but clear little brook. Just 
 beneath the surface of the shallow waters is 
 the working principles of LIFE. We see the 
 little tadpole that by and by becomes a frog, 
 which we learn to look for and listen to with 
 so much pleasure. We cannot see the workings 
 of animated existence calling forth the new life, 
 or rather new form of expression in life, but 
 experience, time, science and observation have 
 taught us it IS there, and we are glad. We can- 
 not see the germ in the egg, but we know it is 
 there, and we look beyond to the little yellow 
 chick running about so happily in response to 
 the mother hen's cluck, cluck. We look beyond 
 THESE and see the wonderful unity of nature 
 and soul, see the chemical change called death, 
 and we know there is no death, but resurrec- 
 
268 FACE TO FACE 
 
 tion. NATURE AND SOUL, 0, YOU 
 WONDER WORKERS, in which abound the 
 substance of the real, the boundless JOY OF 
 ATTUNEMENT. 
 
 Think you it strange God said, '^GO TO 
 THE ANT, THOU SLUGGARD, AND CON- 
 SIDER HER WAYS''? Or that He called 
 ants LITTLE PEOPLE! These *4ittle 
 people'' build cities; they take into them the 
 necessities nature and habit require. The differ- 
 ence in size, coloring and custom is about the 
 same as that of the various nationalities of the 
 human race. First: we have the little Indian 
 ant that lives in the woods, builds its tepee 
 among the leaves and bark of old stumps, 
 gathering together the dry wild-flowers that 
 grow in such profusion among the pine-trees. 
 To dream here among these, is to recall the 
 REAL — nature and the soul. And these are 
 beautiful dreams, in tune with the HARMONY 
 OF GOD'S PURPOSE. Not idle dreams, theo- 
 retical or imaginary, but the genuine concrete 
 dreams in which spirit seeking spirit finds the 
 truth, the understanding, of which God spake: 
 ^^GET WISDOM, GET UNDERSTANDING, 
 and SEEK YE THE KINGDOM FIRST and all 
 things shall be added unto you." His kingdom 
 is so full of wonders, so enlivened with possibili- 
 ties, so quickened with truth, with life, that were 
 we to seek all our days we would not find the end 
 thereof. But the SUPPLY is given in these 
 words: ^^ALL THINGS NEEDFUL shall be 
 added unto you." 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 269 
 
 Then we have the little red ant, the true 
 Americans, who are sticklers for caste, and 
 very refined among their people. The little 
 loves are coy, hard to please, hard to win, and 
 socially inclined; while the lovers are mnch 
 as the Knights of old, gallant, persevering 
 and determined. Then, we have our little 
 tramps, who live on the grubbage of bees' 
 nests. The little foreigners that **come over*' 
 in sacks and boxes are not in love with 
 America, and do not live long. The little 
 Mexican ants do most of their work at 
 night. 
 
 As a whole, they are a most interesting lot 
 of ** little people," well worth considering in 
 our world of dreams, for in them is a certain 
 kinship attuned to the Divine whole. It cannot 
 help but make us very happy to know and see 
 the working principles of Divine will in all 
 God's creatures. In it we see so much that 
 points to something BEYOND nature that ex- 
 presses IN nature — controls nature. 
 
 We are, after all, much as a sheaf of wheat 
 reposing in the quiet beauty of nature, waiting 
 for the thrasher, not realizing to what great 
 destiny our soul is intended. Nor can we 
 bring ourselves to perfection until we submit 
 to the thrasher of greater destinies — the 
 SUBLIME SPIRITUAL FORCE that sepa- 
 rates the wheat from the chaff. It is a time of 
 up-to-date miracles. The power that produces 
 miracles is continually working in and through 
 our affairs, our body, soul and mind. It is a 
 
270 FACE TO FACE 
 
 part of the Divine whole, in which we are par- 
 takers in no small way. We must have more 
 faith in the power of the spoken word, if we 
 ever hope to materialize pleasing conditions, 
 and trustworthy things of import. We must 
 have more faith if we ever hope to reach the 
 perfection of the Divine ideal, the possibilities 
 of mind over matter; or until we fully accept 
 the fact that electricity IS directly connected 
 with Divinity. 
 
 Why not? Electricity is the penetrating 
 FORCE flowing freely from the DIVINE with 
 its magnetic thermal chemical effects. It is the 
 agency in which is the phenomena of life, hence 
 retires into Divine Science — Evolution. When 
 we DO fully understand, and have more faith 
 in the power of spirit, avenues will be opened 
 through which man may wander in the ways of 
 God, in greater and lesser intelligences, in the 
 power of things, in nature and the soul, and 
 fathom the possibilities of them and IN them. 
 
 To materialize an ACTIVE REALITY in 
 any hoped-for thing or expression of life, is 
 to QUIETLY affirm HIS POWER IN ALL 
 THINGS. We thus admit the spirit of truth to 
 dwell within us richly. This is none other than 
 reaching the Divine source where God is our 
 supply and the power to work through that 
 supply. There are those who rebel against the 
 light ; they do not know the WAYS 
 THEREOF. '^For the way of the Lord is 
 RIGHT and all His works are done IN 
 TRUTH,'' 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 271 
 
 We find in the law of electricity as directly 
 connected with Divinity, another law — that of 
 Vibrations. These have taken, and do take, a 
 great part in our lives. Take for example, the 
 DIAL OF AHAZ. Much that enables man to 
 attract enough Divine substance to himself in 
 spiritual truth, while passing through this 
 expression of life, lies in the simple little fact 
 VIBRATIONS, in which the great principle 
 *^I DO BELIEVE'^ resounds. These words 
 coming from the soul FILLED WITH LIGHT 
 open the door to healing, quickening forces in 
 nature. The inharmonious discord that rules 
 the world today is ONE of the results of intem- 
 perate temperament. It vanquishes the good, 
 hence man cries for the veil to be lifted; yet 
 we cannot speak of the SUPREMACY of 
 knowledge, until we have first sought the 
 SOURCE of supreme and practical under- 
 standing. 
 
 Again, let us note that electricity is directly 
 connected with Divinity and its POSSIBILI- 
 TIES LIMITLESS. Electricity is a means of 
 communication that enables us to fathom the 
 depths of understanding, getting close to the 
 soul of things, the soul of man, the soul of 
 the world. Electricity exhibits magnetic and 
 thermal effects, is active, spirited, the DYNAMO 
 BETWEEN MORTAL AND DIVINE, SOUL 
 AND NATURE. It is a play between electric 
 positive and magnetic negative. As science 
 claims that matter exists in space, it is easy to 
 recognize the power of spirit working in and 
 
272 FACE TO FACE 
 
 through substance; the co-mingling of material 
 and Divine vibrations. Vibrations from the 
 ALL MIGHTY could not only turn the dial of 
 Ahaz backwards ten degrees, but worlds. And 
 this answers one more of Ingersoll's positive 
 denials. To what LENGTH vibrations may- 
 carry us in time can only be imagined at this 
 time. Vibrations coming from the ALL MIGHTY 
 could remove or create worlds. What then 
 have we to fear by seeking the Kingdom first? 
 
 Vibrations, my friend, are the powerful mag- 
 netic force that compels SOUL WAVES to 
 respond to the MIGHTINESS OF HIS WILL. 
 Divine vibrations reach the earth and miracu- 
 lously turn the tide in affairs. New forces 
 are set to work, new deeds enacted, new 
 motives, new ideals inspired, materialized, and 
 thus the earth is replenished. *'I will replenish 
 the earth," saith the Lord. It is well, at this 
 point, to turn our attention a moment to the 
 Deluge. The question of its purpose comes 
 first in thought. This is soon answered by the 
 above quotation: '*I will replenish the earth," 
 saith the Lord. God, in His Infinite wisdom, 
 sought the relief of coming generations from 
 the EESULTS of sin, sickness and diseases 
 that were at that time so prevalent. **And 
 God saw that the wickedness of man WAS 
 great in the earth AND THAT EVERY 
 IMAGINATION OR THOUGHT OF HIS 
 HEART was only EVIL CONTINUALLY." 
 EVIL thoughts, like Aaron's rod, a serpent 
 turneth into. God said: **I will destroy MAN 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 273 
 
 from the face of the earth, '* but He did not say 
 SOUL. He sought also to cleanse nature, puri- 
 fy the contaminating conditions existing in the 
 world. 
 
 **Noah was a just man, and perfect in his 
 generations, AND NOAH walked with God.'* 
 
 Next we will deal with Inger soil's works and 
 queries as to the question of space. 
 
 **Eooms thou shalt make in the ark, and 
 pitch it within and without with pitch.'' As 
 the ark was 550 feet long, 91 feet, 8 inches 
 wide, and 55 feet high — the ark being divided 
 into three decks or stories — the question of 
 space is greatly lessened; there would be many 
 stowaways in such construction. 
 
 INGERSOLL: *^At the top, one window 22 
 inches square; ventilation must have been one 
 of Jehovah's chief hobbies." 
 
 LOTUS: This fact would proclaim the ani- 
 mals to be very young; the damp and chill of 
 the flood would seriously affect young animals. 
 It was rather a matter of protection than 
 ventilation. 
 
 INGERSOLL: **What had these animals to 
 eat on their journey? What did they drink? Of 
 course, when the rains came the rivers ran to seas 
 and the seas rose and finally covered the world 
 with water. The waters of the seas mingled with 
 those of the flood would make salt water. To find 
 out how salt the water of the flood would be, take 
 eight quarts of fresh water and add one quart 
 from the sea." 
 
274 FACE TO FACE 
 
 LOTUS : I will let a little child answer this : 
 '^Dere is oder ways of dittin' water when it yains 
 than dippin' it np ; it tood be tot in yittle buckets 
 from de yittle window at de top, toodn't it? Or 
 somtin' hnnged outside. Or it tood have a spout 
 wid a stopper on de inside/' The wisdom of 
 children often gives us surprising little movie 
 pictures that please. 
 
 Again, the very young could maintain life 
 many more days than Noah was in the ark, on 
 milk alone. The unclean are not usually classed 
 as milk-giving animals, but it may have some 
 weight in this case. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^'Noah had to take food for 
 all; how long was he in the ark? Three hundred 
 and seventy-seven days. Think of the food neces- 
 sary for those monsters of the anti-deluged 
 world. ' * 
 
 LOTUS: The stowaways in and about the 
 ark could hold enough food, but the FACT is, that 
 GOD HAD THE POWER TO APPEASE 
 THEIR APPETITES. 
 
 INGERSOLL: ^^How did they keep the ark 
 clean?'' 
 
 LOTUS: There was probably some outlet 
 drainage, as the little one says, **WITH 
 STOPPERS TO 'EM." However, we will leave 
 that to the imagination ; fact is, these details were 
 better attended to than our theories could ever 
 picture. 
 
 These queries bring before us the little fact 
 that man looks more to argument than he does to 
 the BOW OF HIS PROMISE, whose reflection 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 275 
 
 shines through all things, great and small. We 
 can never get to the soul of things through argu- 
 ment. SOUL IS THE INCORPOKEAL 
 NATURE OF MAN; in it is not debate, but 
 TRUTH real and active. IngersoU again turns 
 us in the paths of little insects by asking, *^Is it 
 possible that an Infinite being would resort to 
 such expenditures as to drive the Canaanites out 
 of the country with hornets?'* God sees the 
 END thereof. The little hornets, vibrating with 
 the WILL OF GOD, enacted it. Hornets are 
 little things, yet they vibrate with the powers 
 that be, ready to enact even for those who 
 believe in them and do not fear. There is a 
 certain little throbbing sense, whether it be 
 hearing or feeling, that dominates these little 
 insects we cannot fully comprehend, though we 
 see the working. The little throb takes place 
 in what Professor Hines would call **the truth 
 center in man,'* where the umbilical cord is 
 attached. The throbbing is plainly discerned 
 with the naked eye ; under microscopical test it is 
 likened to a living nerve, only fuller, and a more 
 tender mass of soft substance, which when 
 throbbing causes various expressions of action — 
 fear, revenge, or calm serenity — according to the 
 conduct or attitude in mind of the investigator; 
 proving them to be susceptible to suggestion, 
 sensitive to will. When these little hornets are 
 trained through kindness, they like it and will 
 perform unasked, untutored, time and again. The 
 female hornet seems to have a more docile 
 temperament than the male, rather flirtatious, 
 
276 FACE TO FACE 
 
 but manageable, after their confidence is won. 
 Both male and female have a certain devoted 
 delight in each other that speaks loudly of insect 
 wooing. The unbounded love that seeks its mate 
 in all expressions of life. Hence, the Divine 
 purpose of God working in and through **THE 
 LEAST OF THESE." 
 
 In my own little laboratory of thought and 
 investigation, I have found expressed love 
 between male and female plants, trees and vege- 
 tation generally. There is in these a commingling 
 of SUBSTANCE in which the power of love 
 generates, and brings great perfection in the 
 various expressions of plant life. I should not 
 like to plant a flower garden without its loves 
 any more than I would like to keep a bird that 
 could never find its mate because of closed bars, 
 and swings to elate their quiet hours with a 
 little bit of joy. NAY, I want all that is MINE 
 to abound in the FULLNESS OF NATURE AND 
 SOUL; I want no tethered loves, no hopeless 
 dwelling to be the portion of MINE; 1 want 
 them to LIVE in the FULLNESS thereof. 
 
 IngersoU says: **It would have been just as 
 well for God to have spoken the Canaanites out 
 of the country as to have spoken the hornets in. ^ ' 
 It is through suffering, through trials, ideal, that 
 we are made to see that ^^WE, OF OURSELVES, 
 CAN DO NOTHING." That is the greatest 
 truth in personal efficiency; it is the LAW of 
 life brought HOME. Attunement to conditions, 
 place or thing, may be made perfect through the 
 spirit of contentment, and will finally obliterate 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 277 
 
 the NEED of suffering, the truth made clear 
 simplifies understanding. The Bible would be 
 better understood and appreciated were we to 
 study the nature OF THINGS GOD TEACHES 
 THROUGH. In the course of time and events 
 truth always performs its duty. Injustice will 
 triumph as long as it is fed by greed. 
 
 THE EFFICIENCY OF GOD'S WORKS 
 
 When nature beams, there the omnipotent 
 finger points to the purpose. **And thou shalt 
 make a plate of gold and engrave upon it like 
 the engraving of a signet ^HOLINESS TO THE 
 LORD.' And thou shalt put on BLUE lace that 
 it may be upon the face of the mitre ; upon the 
 front of the mitre shall it be. ' ' 
 
 Colors have greater import than we sometimes 
 think. Color is the REFLECTED MAGNETISM 
 of nature. Again, natural things and spiritual 
 things are inseparable. Colors have a peculiar 
 FORCE radiating in and through substance. 
 They absorb and reflect heat, cold, light; soothe, 
 heal and compel, much as does spirit. It is well 
 to remember that every cell in the human body 
 is a well-spring of spiritual activity that makes 
 more and more evident the fact, that colors 
 HAVE varied and peculiar influences on the 
 body, mind — and I might say — SOUL, of man- 
 kind. For soul IS COLOR ; is light, essence. 
 
 Have you noticed the vapor rising above a 
 field like unto a little cloud or heavy mist, when 
 other near-by fields seemed clear and free? Did 
 you liken the little rising vaporous cloud to 
 
278 FACE TO FACE 
 
 thought pictures ascending to God for judgment, 
 or did you liken it to active intelligence, spirit 
 that takes on the spiritual body with ease and 
 enacts the DIVINE EVERLASTING LIFE in 
 which is the FULNESS of nature and the soul! 
 
 We have the X-ray, the violet ray that will 
 eventually teach man the UNITY of soul and 
 nature. 
 
 We are greatly endangered when we ^* score 
 one'' on a new invention when we do not accept 
 the DIVINE WORKING POWER OF spirit that 
 has made these things possible. They will 
 become a menace and not a blessing if we per- 
 sistently ignore this fact. 
 
 God is in all things. 
 
 ' * I, of myself, can do nothing. ' ' 
 
 **A11 good things come from above." All good 
 things, all great things, are DIRECTLY 
 CONNECTED WITH DIVINITY. To REFUSE 
 the DIVINE IN THEM is to refuse their 
 substance. 
 
 Colors have, and hold, a great part in things 
 Holy, in things man has made, and things God 
 has made; limitations in these, are past compre- 
 hension. If friction appears in color schemes, 
 it is due to the inharmonious construction with 
 which man places colors, or the inharmonious 
 condition existing between man and his associ- 
 ates, in which the reflected coloring of things 
 desired are unwholesome, untrustworthy or 
 disloyal. The various phases of development 
 shed their rays around us to quicken, heal, and 
 enliven. It matters not what we do, the reflection 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 279 
 
 is THEKE in the ether around us, felt by mortal, 
 seen by spirit. Much as the shadow lies upon 
 the rock, to warm, relieve, or chill; to quicken 
 or kill any life upon the rock; as we AKE so 
 shall it be. 
 
 Many have made light of the building of 
 temples, the patterns for coats, the sewing on 
 of buttons, patterns for the utensils used in the 
 temples, the color of robes, etc., the countless 
 little details the Bible goes into. It is the little 
 details that COUNT, my friend; in them is not 
 ridicule, but truth. The patterns given exem- 
 plify one of the greatest laws in nature — that of 
 order and efficiency, harmony of purpose and 
 attuned Godliness. These have been recom- 
 mended to our use, sanctified by the word of 
 God, and praise, hence made HOLY; the sym- 
 bolic meaning of spiritual triumph. Unity with 
 God; the expressive principle brought to bear by 
 praise, works and faith, by letting life live in the 
 FULNESS OF LAW AND OEDER; letting our 
 purpose blend with the Divine color scheme in 
 the realms of attunement. Just trusting the 
 Master to keep our secrets. Keeping our color 
 scheme within the bounds of the artistic and soul 
 expressed truth, is unconsciously blending soul 
 with nature, with the substance in nature, 
 wherein man draws sustenance. It is not alone the 
 man whose soul is filled with fear or tribulation 
 that compels him to turn to his Creator; it is 
 rather the natural response of spirit IN man 
 answering the call from the Godhead. 
 
 Color oft sends a sweet perfume o'er our 
 
280 PACE TO FACE 
 
 senses. It is symbolic of youth and beanty; it 
 harmonizes with some sense within our being 
 which leaves the imprint of exalted joy; reaching 
 some cell of spiritual activity, it flames forth in 
 attunement with nature and soul. Colors we do 
 not **take to'' sicken, repel, leaving a gloomy 
 feeling in their wake. These are out of harmony 
 with our aura, as it were, our reflected shadow. 
 Some perfumes create within us a great desire 
 to DO something, much as the bugler sends a 
 thrill of active desire to the youth who wants to 
 JOIN THE AEMY, or something that will reflect 
 in the world around him. As these run to art of 
 soul for art's sake, they enliven with statutory 
 effect, the color, life, existence, valor, honor, or 
 integrity, the shadow on the rock ; seen by spirit, 
 felt by man, passed on in greater deeds; and, 
 finally meeting its vibrate waves of truth, 
 ascends, as incense upon the altar of reason; we 
 become attuned to the BLENDING, and thus 
 things are made HOLY. The beautiful sym- 
 metry of all things natural, fairly breathe the 
 breath of perfume, light and color to those 
 equally endowed with the same reflection; hence 
 we understand more fully ^ ^ AND HE 
 BREATHED INTO THEM THE BREATH OF 
 LIFE." Somehow when we think of the taber- 
 nacles of old, the mitre, the doors of Shittim- 
 wood, the engraving ^^ HOLINESS UNTO THE 
 LORD," we expect to find the reflection in our 
 today. Unconsciously we sniff the air for the 
 sweet incense, of which ^^THOU SHALT NOT 
 BURN ANY STRANGE INCENSE," only the 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 281 
 
 spirit of truth; fall upon our knees, and behold, 
 the floor hath turned to gold, refined by the 
 presence of the spirit that moved upon the 
 face of the waters. We look and behold His 
 image in coloring and art supreme, the rays 
 of HIS SUN reflected through the substance of 
 which the thing was created. We look again, and 
 behold the door of Shittim-wood ; a ray of red 
 falls over the side — the reflection from Calvary; 
 and behold! We see the color THAT 
 REFLECTS upon the rock, the shadow of HOLY 
 SACRIFICE ; we bend and kiss the hem of His 
 garment and REJOICE IN THE COMING OF 
 THE LORD. Some well-spring within has burst 
 asunder and we behold HIS LIKENESS AND 
 IMAGE. The sweet perfume of HIS presence 
 overshadows all. 
 
 Thus ^^DO WE ABIDE IN THE SHADOW 
 OF THE ALMIGHTY.'' We plant in the heart 
 the symbol sanctified to our use, as the men of 
 old planted trees in the Desert of Sinai. It may 
 take us, perchance, the four years to know their 
 true worth. We cultivate every little expression 
 of life, of use, of purpose, until we DO reap 
 the reward of FOUR, which **is the most perfect 
 of numbers — four corner or square'' — the root 
 of all things representing the power of producing 
 and generating virtue. 
 
 If Adam had not fallen, and his shadow on 
 the rock not reflected sin, it is well to question 
 whether man would have been born in the 
 carnal sense or not. But as Adam DID sin, and 
 his reflection is still on the rock, and shame was 
 
282 FACE TO FACE 
 
 born, it stands to reason that, as man is born 
 in the carnal sense, he must be redeemed in the 
 spiritual sense. This would lead to another 
 thought. Man is not endowed with the sins of 
 Adam, but the INHERITANCE OF GOD. 
 Though man has suffered from the FIRST 
 CAUSE OF SIN, he is enabled, bv Divine intelli- 
 gence, to RISE ABOVE SIN. 
 
 So much has been said of the doves used for 
 purification that I want to add my mite. It is 
 not the dove or its feathers that purify, but 
 WHAT THE DOVE STANDS FOR, which is 
 PEACE. The blood of the dove is the life force; 
 it is the substance of things, seen and unseen; 
 it is the fount of life; hence we have the truth in 
 it; LIFE AND PEACE, or LIVE IN PEACE. 
 To live in peace is to sanctify not only the ONE, 
 but the thousandth and one. It means SAVED, 
 CLEANSED, it is the DIVINE PRINCIPLE 
 FOR WHICH THESE THINGS STAND, the 
 symbol of all that makes them HOLY, sanctified 
 to one purpose. 
 
 Little emblems of the Real come to us like 
 waves of inspiration. They bob up in our paths, 
 and with their Divine purpose ringing in them, 
 testify the power of nature and the soul. We 
 never grow tired of looking at them; never grow 
 weary of learning the simple but sweet lessons 
 they teach. There is wisdom in whatever these 
 little things teach us, whether they be animate 
 or inanimate. However, animate things call 
 forth an abundance of resources from which we 
 may draw sustenance. 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 2^^ 
 
 In expressions of the real we find an illumi- 
 nating presence. Take for example the reflected 
 color of soul, of being, of the physical. As we look 
 we behold one of the most beautiful expressions 
 of the real; it is the unbounded illuminating love 
 of GOD blending His purpose for man, as the 
 artist mixes his colors for some great master- 
 piece he HOPES will not be disappointmg in 
 effect. Little hopes, little fears, how many times 
 you cause little tears from BIG HEARTS; little 
 hopes from great souls; little smiles from lips 
 of love; little emblems of the real, how many, 
 many channels you pass through before you come 
 to us! 
 
 Nature is a REDEEMING FORCE, repro- 
 duced by the SANCTIFIED PRESENCE OF 
 GOD, in which HE PROVES THE CONTIN- 
 UITY OF LIFE, and the marvelous REPRO- 
 DUCTION OF SEEMINGLY INANIMATE 
 THINGS. Nothing is inanimate WHEN GOD IS 
 IN IT. God is life; God is light; God is love— 
 the SUBSTANCE OF ALL. 
 
 Spirit is TRUTH; perfection is found in it. 
 Nature, Oh, soul of Truth, what art thou but 
 GOD! 
 
 NATURE'S PEACE 
 
 Oh, what peace, what comfort you bring, 
 When nature breaks forth, and begins to sing 
 ALL ABOUT; whispers of God's holy love, 
 Whispers His promise in the clouds above. 
 It falls as gently as the milkweed's fleece. 
 Whispering— PEACE— SWEET PEACE. 
 
284 FACE TO FACE 
 
 NATURE'S PASSION 
 
 Flowers are crushed, while the rain drops sob, 
 It is for a purpose, it comes from God. 
 Love never blights, that it doesn't bring 
 Something for which we afterwards sing. 
 The lightning stabs the heart of the earth, 
 The stars gleam forth at each new birth. 
 God's will in Nature ever rings true, 
 COULD it do less in the SOUL OF YOU? 
 
 Down in our field is an emblem of the real. 
 It is strong, sturdy, and yet beautiful. It does 
 not know what else to do, so it just LIVES on. 
 We have the KEAL with us alwavs, but this 
 PAETICULAR EXPRESSION OF THE REAL 
 comes up every spring. One day a well-meaning 
 but hungry horse stepped on it. ^'Oooooo, but it 
 did HURT. It will hinder my growth,'' cried 
 the emblem of the real — a little dandelion. 
 ** Please go away." The foot moved; little dan- 
 delion tried to raise her crushed leaves, but they 
 were too weak, so she sensibly said : * ' Oh, well, it 
 can't be helped. I will just bide my time and try 
 again tomorrow." The sun was bright when 
 dandelion awoke the next morning. She uncon- 
 sciously stretched herself towards it. To her 
 dismay, she found that some of her finest leaves 
 had fallen off in the night, but as she was so 
 sensible, she just said: ^^I will have more 
 strength for the other leaves anyway." And so 
 little dandelion kept on growing just as fast as 
 she could. One day she was astonished to see a 
 lot of little green buttons on her coat of green, 
 when two ladies came along with a knife and a 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 285 
 
 bucket. Nearly all of the little dandelion neigh- 
 bors were dug up and put in the pail ; by and by 
 it was dandelion's turn. The lady stooped, 
 pulled her pail close to little dandelion, her knife 
 glistened. **0oooooooo," cried dandelion, shiv- 
 ering. *^I will not dig this one, Grace. It is 
 too strong; see, it has buttons on its coat; it 
 would spoil the flavor of the more tender ones." 
 So they left dandelion happily alone. **See," 
 cried dandelion, **all my little neighbors have 
 been taken to the cook's kitchen. It pays to have 
 experiences, if they DO hurt sometimes. It 
 was a near tragedy, I guess, but it was a 
 good one.'' Time grew and grew into weeks. 
 Dandelion looked at the buttons on her coat, 
 behold they were GOLDEN. **The reward of 
 patience, I guess," she murmured. And then 
 one day the golden buttons disappeared, and in 
 their place were great white pompons. ^*I am 
 spirit now," cried little dandelion, ^* that's the 
 way folks do. I am so lonely, I will just have 
 to blow away by myself, I guess." Pretty soon 
 another little spirit dandelion lit right in her 
 midst. **Come with me," it said; ^^ours is an 
 ideal trial." ^^Why, how is that?" said little 
 dandelion. ^'Come on," cried the spirit dande- 
 Hon, *4et go THE OLD STALK and we can 
 go on." So little dandelion blew away with the 
 other little spirit dandelion. ^*0h, isn't this 
 LOVELY ? ' ' cried little dandelion ; ^ * I feel so light, 
 and no old horse can step on me now, I can't 
 be still long enough; I am going to light right 
 on that old lady's hand." The old lady pulled 
 
286 FACE TO FACE 
 
 her glasses down over her eyes and exclaimed 
 in pleasurable surprise : ^ ^ The very finest speci- 
 men I have seen this year; I am going to take 
 it home with me this instant!** 
 
 Little dandelion was destined to sit in the 
 parlor under a big glass globe all the rest of her 
 life and listen to Susan play the organ. ^*0h 
 what an ideal trial/* cried little dandelion; *4f 
 the old horse hadn't stepped on me I would be — 
 goodness knows where. I had far rather hear 
 Susan play the old organ; her heart is in it, 
 anyway. ' * 
 
 By accepting the TKUTH in contentment, we 
 rise above carnal sense. Art must have its dash 
 of color to bring out the high lights and shadows. 
 So with nature in man; it must respond ONLY 
 to the harmonious that brings out the rich notes 
 of soul in expression, and vibrating HYMNS 
 in nature. 
 
 In nature there are no hard lines. Even the 
 rock is softened by some sweet plant, leaf or 
 shrub; the stones of the desert have the relief 
 of butterfly wings, the blossoming cactus, the 
 sparkling sands, reflect some note of color and 
 magnify beauty of purpose. Not one note in 
 nature is sung without its corresponding echo in 
 things. There is always the little laughter 
 beneath the still waters, the little thrill of happi- 
 ness waiting for some expression to call it forth 
 in song. The carnal attracts serpentine things — 
 not the little ripple of happiness that man's heart 
 longs for. 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 287 
 
 A LITTLE CALL TO ART 
 
 IN THE BEAUTY OF THE OLD 
 
 We look back through the dust of ages and 
 see one of the great masters of old sitting just 
 outside his door. His chair is tipped back 
 against the lattice work upon which grow count- 
 less roses of a climbing variety. A pipe with a 
 wonderful long stem rests in his hand; a merry 
 twinkle gleams from his eye as he sees at the well 
 near by HIS THEME. He bids it welcome; he 
 dreams on and on; he LIVES A PICTURE the 
 brush has not as yet touched. BY LIVING his 
 theme he has WON one of the greatest of tech- 
 nical points — that of FEELINGr; the rest is 
 easy. The little daubs of paint fairly spring to 
 life ; his heart, his soul is ON CANVAS, with no 
 thought of the morrow, or where this living thing 
 may find a price. His soul has LIVED and 
 expressed itself in the fullness of beauty, of being 
 created from the beautiful. MASTERS are 
 those who DARE TO LIVE IN THE FULL 
 NESS THEREOF. That is the secret. 
 
 It is not because it IS old that we value the 
 old. It is the vibrating spiritual understanding 
 that gives us light TO SEE the true VALUE in 
 it; in other words, it is spirit meeting spirit. 
 YESTERDAY will not return again. Let it 
 go, and take with it the errors of ignorance, of 
 self will. *^LET THERE BE LIGHT. ^' The 
 power of the spoken word penetrates the NEW 
 DAY with a new light by which we may** GET 
 KNOWLEDGE, GET WISDOM, GET UNDER- 
 STANDING.'' 
 
288 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Burn the atoms of regret upon the cinders of 
 forgetfulness. When the fire burns low, they 
 will have lost their power to consume our life 
 forces by their habit of depriving us of our 
 better judgment. LET THEM GO, AND LIVE 
 IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEW DAY. The 
 pictures of the old masters are still upon the 
 walls of memory; BUT IT IS THE LESSON 
 THEY TEACH we take with us into the dawn 
 of the new day. THIS IS THE ART OF 
 LIVING; the call of the soul in nature. Every 
 new day brings a new chance. Make the most 
 of it. 
 
 INGERSOLL: **It seems to me that the first 
 organized religious ceremonial was the worship 
 of the sun. The sun was the first sky father, 
 the all seeing, the source of life, the fireside of 
 the world; the sun was regarded as one who 
 fought darkness, the power of evil, the enemy 
 of man. There have been many sun gods, and 
 they seem to have been the chief deities in the 
 ancient religions. They have been worshiped in 
 many lands, by many nations, they have passed 
 to death and dust. Apollo was a sun god, and he 
 fought and conquered the serpent of night; 
 Buldur was a sun god, and he was in love with 
 the dawn; Hercules was a sun god, and so was 
 Sampson, whose strength was in his hair. All 
 of these gods had gods for fathers, and their 
 mothers were virgins. 
 
 **The birth of nearly all was announced by 
 stars, celebrated by celestial music, and voices de- 
 clared that blessings had come to the poor world. 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 289 
 
 All of these gods were born in humble places ; in 
 caves, under trees, in common inns, and tyrants 
 sought to kill them when they were babies. All 
 of these sun gods were born in the winter solstice, 
 on Christmas ; nearly all were worshiped by wise 
 men. All of them fasted forty days; all of them 
 taught in parables ; all of them wrought miracles ; 
 all of them met with a violent death, and all of 
 them rose from the dead. The history of these 
 gods is the exact history of our Christ. His is 
 not a coincident, an accident. Christ was a 
 sun god. Christ was a new name for an old 
 biography — a survival — the last of the sun gods. 
 Christ was not a man, but a myth ; not a life, but 
 a legend. 
 
 **I have found that we have not only borrowed 
 our Christ, but that all of our sacraments, 
 symbols and ceremonies, were legacies that we 
 received from the buried past. There is nothing 
 original in Christianity.'' 
 
 LOTUS : We came into the Aeroplane, but we 
 made kites first. There is always a beacon light 
 burning from the Infinite that ILLUMINES 
 THE EEASON OF MAN. It is not strange, nor 
 passingly strange, that man first sought Christ 
 in the SUBSTANCE OF THINGS BRIGHT, 
 LIGHT, PURE and POWERFUL. Man in the 
 dungeon of carnal sense gropes towards the first 
 ray of light penetrating the darkness. Christ 
 opened the door of carnal prison when He came 
 to ennoble and save mankind; hence the pro- 
 gression of man in spiritual truth. 
 
290 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Years before we had the automobile we had 
 carts, wheelbarrows, engines, and then, acme of 
 inspiration — then the EEAL, and now we ride 
 in THINGS we had never thought of possessing. 
 It is the same with men of old. They sought 
 Christ, yet they knew Him not. He made Him- 
 self felt ages before His coming. 
 
 Our greatest gifts of spirit do not come to us 
 in bounds, but by the building of temples. The 
 LAW must be made manifest; first the patterns 
 given, and then BEHOLD, the SPOKEN WORD. 
 
 In applied reason, in applied science, the 
 method of Christ was a scientific principle. He 
 sought to relieve mankind of the burdens of 
 ignorance; He sought to cast out devils of 
 unreality, and apply reality — the most sublime 
 theme ever materialized. The lifting of man 
 from carnal prison, from FALSE worship, 
 FALSE ideals, the placing before him the 
 FREEDOM OF SPIRIT, was what Jesus 
 worked for, died for. The scarlet memory left 
 on Calvary exemplifies sacrifice. 
 
 So-called death is the quickening of spirit; the 
 shedding of the old, the taking on of the new; 
 it is a step into the sunshine of Afterwhile. 
 Through sacrifice death is sanctified. Birth is 
 the link that binds the material and the spiritual. 
 
 It is not strange that the birth of the Holy 
 should come in the winter time, or that man and 
 spirit should select winter as an emblem of birth. 
 Frost and snow, falling as gently as the milk- 
 weed's fleece, penetrates EVERY ATOM OF 
 CORRUPTION, and makes way for the spirit 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 291 
 
 of spring. Life is dormant to nature's growth 
 in winter, but ALIVE to spiritual birth. Nature 
 sleepeth for a while, while the angels make 
 EEADY for the coming of the bride. 
 
 Christ compels obedience TO the law, whether 
 in the body, or out of the body. Though the 
 rosebush be stripped of its thorns the blossoms 
 return again and again in profusion and fragrant 
 beauty. The phenomena of growth without the 
 thorns, therein lieth the mystery. Never-the-less 
 God's PUEPOSE is reflected in the power TO 
 OVEECOME EEEOE, though it may seem but 
 a part of nature's growth. It IS THE LAW of 
 eternal hope sanctified through the beauty of 
 Spirit. Spirit and — nature are inseparable. What 
 then more befitting than the birth of the Holy in 
 winter time? Or that man FIEST sought Christ 
 in the pure, the beautiful and divine. 
 
 These respond to the call of the soul seeking 
 its own; this seems very simple when we realize 
 that Spirit is above all; in all; surrounding all; 
 regardless of time, place or thing. It is the nature 
 of spirit to develop its subjects. 
 
 Learn to meet FACE TO FACE the LITTLE 
 THINGS in the MELODY of UNITY; then— will 
 nature ring the vespers of attunement IN THY 
 SOUL. 
 
 It is in the hidden places, in caves, the old 
 inns, that we most often find PEICELESS 
 curios, rare flowers, hidden treasures, enshrouded 
 in the spirit of truth, in which there is no 
 mystery — but life. Oh, the wonderful, wonderful 
 silence in which we gather the forces together, 
 
292 FACE TO FACE 
 
 preparing the way for new and greater things! 
 The blossoms of spiritual uplift fall so gently 
 upon our heads, we do not know they are there, 
 until their fragrance arouses our senses to 
 greater harmony of purpose. The little fly that 
 buzzes around our blossoms carries on its wings 
 the expression of happiness; why look to its 
 sting f Bothersome things are sometimes our 
 greatest blessings; they distract us from the 
 error of thought, or enliven the conscience to 
 greater attainments. 
 
 THE OLD RAG DOLL 
 ON THE HEABTH 
 
 Our little blessings in disguise sometimes 
 wear their mask to more than one ball, that we 
 may hear repeatedly the music that quickens to 
 action. We wander to the little wayside inn 
 to find the sweet spirit of truth. It is there 
 we seek curios, rare and priceless. The old clock 
 ticking away in yon corner has beheld the 
 coming and going of countless years, numberless 
 souls, and yet it ticks on as happily, as surely, 
 as though it were just born into the world of 
 things. We wander closer, look long upon its 
 yellow wrinkled face. Smiling at us in the 
 still brilliant pendulum are faces that have long 
 gone to rest; the weighty pendulum swinging 
 to and fro on its chain, recalls the sweet assur- 
 ance that though gone, in a physical sense, they 
 are still with us; and lo, someone is calling — 
 someone is calling. 
 
 **Yes, grandmother; what is it?*' 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 293 
 
 **Dear, what were you thinking of, staring at 
 the old clock r' 
 
 ** Grandmother, I was counting the pages in 
 its diary." 
 
 **Were you, dear? Then let me add a page or 
 two. When I was only seventeen, your great- 
 grandmother and grandfather died, leaving me 
 alone in the old inn in which I had been born. 
 At first I was very much worried as to how I 
 should get on, and whether I should stop in the 
 old inn, alone or not. I was not financially fitted 
 to run the place without an occasional guest, and 
 I was afraid somewhat to take in strangers. It 
 worried me so, that I told the old clock about it 
 one night when it was striking the weird hour of 
 three. It seemed to say: *Go to the garret — 
 go to the garret — go to the — garret.' I could 
 hear no other sound save the crowing of the 
 cock in the back yard; it seemed, indeed, weird 
 and lonely. But I lit the candle, placed it care- 
 fully in the stick, gathered my nightrobe tighter 
 about my shivering form and wended my way 
 upstairs to the garret. I looked about, but could 
 see no reason for my coming, and was beginning 
 to feel somewhat disheartened when I spied, in 
 a far comer, my old rag doll. It had been SUCH 
 a comfort when I was a child; and motlier had 
 treasured it because I loved it so. Tenderly I 
 took it in my arms and, as when a child, sang 
 to it the lullaby I had lisped when baby days 
 grew long. Tears fell upon the little silk gown, 
 now so faded, that mother had so carefully 
 made. I examined every stitch. It seemed that 
 
294 FACE TO FACE 
 
 the love those dear fingers had wrought into 
 it was still there in all its magnetic power. 
 
 ^*A light hroke through the cobwebbed window 
 and it was no longer night. I snuffed my candle, 
 hugged my dolly tight and descended to the 
 dining-room, placing my treasure on the old 
 stone hearth. The clock chimed happily one — 
 two — three — four — FIVE. It was time to do the 
 milking. I told dolly to stay right there on the 
 hearth until I returned. It was a comfort to 
 have something to talk to. 
 
 ** After the milking was accomplished, I re- 
 turned to find a stranger on my hearth, a great 
 strong man, with black hair and eyes that seemed 
 to mock my loneliness. He eyed me sharply : 
 
 ** *How soon will breakfast be ready, lass? I 
 am hungry, and must be off.' 
 
 ^ * Not a little bewildered, I made breakfast — the 
 servants having left at the death of father and 
 mother — fearing to live, as most darkies do, in 
 a house where someone had died. As I brought 
 in the tray of breakfast, the stranger terrified 
 me by asking were I alone. I looked quickly at 
 the old rag doll on the hearth. 
 
 '' ^No— n— o, sir, I AM NOT,' burst from my 
 lips. 
 
 *^ *Good enough; hurry up breakfast, lass; 
 where is the coffee T 
 
 **A more silent breakfast was never partaken 
 of in the little inn. My uninvited guest arose, 
 walked to the hearth, gave the old rag doll a 
 vigorous kick, then caught me as I passed and 
 imprinted on my cheek a kiss. Horrified, I ran 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 295 
 
 screaming from the inn, to see the stranger 
 mount his horse and away. I stood for a moment 
 wonderng how I could remove the inn sign 
 that swung upon its rusty hinges, when some- 
 thing whispered in my ear, *Do not take it down, 
 dear; you might entertain an angel unawares.' 
 **Two weeks went by; my dolly was not again 
 kicked from the hearth ; she sat there in state, 
 listening to all the weird tales I told her. Oft- 
 times we would discuss the stranger and his 
 queer ways. One day I had a different tale to 
 tell dolly ; I looked at her with tears in my eyes — 
 
 * Dolly, if someone does not come to the inn real 
 soon we will want for bread; we only have Bess, 
 and she gives us milk, and the chickens they 
 give us eggs; but we just CAN'T LIVE ON 
 THEM, Dolly; someone MUST come and dine.' 
 The old clock chimed nine. 'NINE,' I CRIED, 
 
 * rhymes with DINE'; the clock was telling us 
 someone WOULD come to dine in the only 
 language it knew. *I wonder WHO is coming, 
 Dolly?' She looked wise, but thought best not 
 to answer. 
 
 **The knocker told of an approaching guest. I 
 almost ran to the door, meeting an old lady with 
 snow white curls peeping out from under a quaint 
 little bonnet. 
 
 ** *It is cold, dear child; brew me a cup of tea,' 
 she whispered as she drew close to the fire. 
 
 * * Her trembling hands took, almost impatiently, 
 the proffered cup of tea. 
 
 ** *You here alone, dear?' 
 
296 FACE TO FACE 
 
 "This time no horror filled my heart when I 
 answered, 'Yes, only — for dolly there.' 
 
 ** *I see,' said the quaint old soul, *only for 
 dolly there; and pray tell, why dolly, at your 
 age?' 
 
 **I told her the tale of the clock; she listened 
 attentively. Finally I told her of the stranger 
 and how he had frightened me. The light in the 
 dear old eyes seemed to kindle as she murmured. 
 
 ** *Tell me, quick, what did he look like!' 
 
 *'I told her. She said: 
 
 ** *I wonder, will he ever come to the inn again, 
 or is it a passing fancy?' 
 
 *'I hoped not, I told her; but she seemed not 
 to hear. The clock chimed out — ONE. 
 
 '' 'ONE,' cried the old soul; 'ONE, GOD' 
 GEANT IT MAY BE JUST ONE.' 
 
 ' ' She remained with me a month. At the end of 
 that time the good neighbors brought from the 
 post office a box neatly tied; in it was a NEW 
 EAG DOLL. A little note: 'The old one may 
 have lost her footing. Hope this one will do.' 
 Gleefully the dear old soul, who had become to 
 me both friend and mother, searched the box for 
 more missives, but found none. 
 
 " 'If you will allow me, my dear, I will stop 
 with you the winter through; I need you, and 
 evidently you need me. What do you say?' 
 
 ' ' Oh, how happy I was ! The long winter months 
 ripened into greater happiness as we grew fonder 
 and fonder of each other; sitting with the new 
 and the old rag dolls the long winter evenings 
 telling tales of wonder to them. 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 297 
 
 ** *I think your great-grandmother, dear, must 
 have sat up in heaven in astonishment at my 
 ingenuity in conjuring up fables.' 
 
 **Chistmas Eve we were planning dinner for 
 the following day. 
 
 ** *0h, let us have an old-time New England 
 dinner,' said my dear old friend! *You may 
 hitch up and go to town for some little luxuries, 
 if you like.' 
 
 **One — Two — Three — ^Four, chimed the old 
 clock. 
 
 ** * You should be home by seven, if you go now, 
 dear.' 
 
 **I hitched up old Tom, who was glad enough 
 for the exercise, and cantered away over the hills 
 to the merry sound of bells, returning at thirty 
 minutes past six; Tom unhitched, and the dain- 
 ties placed upon the kitchen table. Happily we 
 untied each little bundle; now and then a sage 
 wag of the dear old head told me of approval. The 
 clock again chimed One — Two — Three — Four. 
 
 ** *What in the world is the matter with that 
 clock; that is twice it has struck Four,' and she 
 sat down, putting her feet in the oven of the 
 kitchen stove, moodily wondering. 
 
 ** Hastily we both sprang to our feet; the smell 
 of burning cloth permeated the house. Hastily 
 I rushed to the dining-room to find the old rag 
 doll in flames. I took the tongs and placed her 
 on the burning logs. 
 
 ** *My poor dear child,' said the dear soul, tears 
 in her eyes; *How you will miss her I' 
 
298 FACE TO FACE 
 
 **I looked at the new rag doll sitting upon the 
 chair in all her splendor and — may God forgive 
 me — I BLUSHED. We retired to our room 
 early. We had long ago decided we could not be 
 separated, even at night, so both occupied the big 
 feathery four-poster. Sleep soon came — as it 
 always does to contented happy minds. Some- 
 time towards morning I was aroused by a 
 resounding knock on the inn door. The clock 
 chimed— ONE— Two—Three— Four. 
 
 << *For land's sake, what ails that clock T came 
 from beneath a deep feather bolster. *I will go 
 down stairs with you, dearie; you ought not go 
 alone. ' 
 
 ^*But I assured her that it would be all right, 
 and wended my way down the stairs with *Wait 
 a moment, stranger; I am coming.' The door 
 swung back to admit MY STKANGER. The 
 snow had almost covered his black hair; in his 
 arms were loads of bundles. Without question, 
 he imprinted a kiss upon my forehead, and com- 
 manded me to run back before I should catch 
 cold. I flew up the stairs, pulled the pillow 
 from the dear white head, and told her ALL. A 
 little chuckle startled me. 
 
 ** *0h, dearie, I hear him building a fire; isn't 
 that just REAL NICE, it is so cold; and, — 'em — 
 I smell coffee.' 
 
 **A cheery call ascended the stairway — *Come, 
 breakfast is on the table.' 
 
 **We went down together; the old clock struck 
 One— Two— Three— Four. The little withered 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 299 
 
 form slipped into two great outstretched arms: 
 MOTHEE— SON! 
 
 ** *How dear of you, mother, to treasure my 
 little love.' 
 
 ^* ^And I — I was so afraid it was just passing 
 fancy. Jack/ 
 
 ** *And I was afraid you would not stay here, 
 mother, until I could come/ 
 
 **A merry trio sat down to breakfast of great 
 doughnuts and coffee; an old set of blue china 
 graced the table; hot-house plants flourished 
 amidst branches of holly and mistletoe; as we 
 three planned the joys for the day. That night 
 came all too soon, while we danced to the music 
 of an old Jew 's-harp ; the clock chimed One — Two 
 —Three— Four. ^The HANDS HAVE CAUGHT.' 
 *WHEN!' cried Jack, as he put his two arms 
 around me, clasping his hands behind my back. 
 
 ** *In four weeks,' I cried, and looked insinuat- 
 ingly at the old clock. 
 
 *^ *My dear child, THAT was YOUE grand- 
 father, the best man that ever lived; but he 
 would KICK.' 
 
 **I had found my answer in the old rag doll on 
 the hearth. In my soul it had awakened an old 
 truth; that is, the love that always bubbles like 
 a well-spring of joy in the WINTEE TIME, AT 
 CHEISTMAS TIME; in the little things, humble 
 things, in which the Christ came to save and 
 ennoble mankind. The hour has not yet come to 
 you or to me; when it does, the striking of the 
 clock will sound the sweeter for the GIFT OF 
 
300 FACE TO FACE 
 
 LITTLE THINGS IN WHICH GOD WORK- 
 ETH THE SALVATION OF THE MANY/' 
 
 It is a wonderful thing to know that mankind 
 through ignorance and sin has still held, through 
 all, the PRINCIPLES that led to the Manger in 
 which truth abideth. In it was born the Son of 
 God; above it shone the Star of Hope; over all 
 poured the SUN of HIS countenance. 
 
 In the simple ways of old folk is the breath, 
 spirit, of the Christ child; in the way of youth 
 is the expression of love, found through ages of 
 ignorance to be that of the Christ child. 
 
 INGERSOLL: *'I lack the necessary humility 
 of spirit to satisfactorily harmonize Moses and 
 Haeckel, or to think that I am carried away by 
 pride, blinded by reason, given over to hardness 
 of heart, that I might be damned; but I can 
 never believe that the earth was covered with 
 leaves and buds and flowers and fruits before 
 the sun with its glittering sphere dawned, driv- 
 ing backward the hosts of night/' 
 
 LOTUS: We take a film into the darkest re- 
 cesses obtainable to develop the picture; we then 
 bring it forth to the light in perfection. Is it 
 strange that God should make a LIVING 
 PICTURE in the soft lights and shadows? The 
 law governing His work was the natural law of 
 FINAL development. Why then should it be 
 strange that He perfected His work before He 
 brought it to the light of evolution! Progres- 
 sion found birth through the WORD OF GOD, 
 developed through works was accepted, by the 
 highest in man as kin to his being, is perfected 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 301 
 
 from generation to generation. Development 
 begins in the soul of man ; it is not reflected with- 
 out until it is perfected within; it begins in 
 darkness, it ends in light. 
 
 The spiritual man keeps open house, so to 
 speak; his guests find repose of soul; the unseen 
 teaches them companionship with the great. When 
 man shuts himself IN, away from the THINGS 
 of the world and the TRUTH IN THEM, he 
 unconsciously turns from him the GREAT 
 UNITY OF GOD WITH THE HUMAN SOUL, 
 in which is imbedded intellectual action, moral 
 character and Divine expression. 
 
 Heaven bless the man that KEEPS HIS OWN 
 COUNSEL and woos sleep by the sweat of his 
 brow. A quiet intent is bound to bring satisfy- 
 ing results when undertaken in UNITY with God 
 and the higher forces, in assuredness and faith. 
 When man is about to work out some ideal, in- 
 spiration, or scientific expression, great waves of 
 INDIVIDUALITY and the agency of spirit 
 dominate his being. The intellectual INFLOW 
 would be greatly lessened — if not entirely elim- 
 inated — ^by the confusion of material minds; 
 hence the value of Unity with God though the 
 PURPOSE BE for man. ^^Go in thy closet and 
 pray.*' 
 
 Trust man less, my friend, and GOD MORE, 
 and thou wilt find not alone repose of soul, but 
 wealth of soul. To trust man less does not mean 
 to have no faith in fellow man; on the contrary, 
 it rather proclaims the FAITH IN HIS LIKE- 
 NESS AND IMAGE. We thus ILLUMINE 
 
302 FACE TO FACE 
 
 THE PRESENCE of the Divine within, and 
 unwittingly call forth FAITH IN MAN, until a 
 constant inflow of trust — the prevailing influence 
 of truth, the I AM — throbs into expressive prin- 
 ciples and awakens within the fact that he has 
 intelligence, invisible, incorporeal, created to 
 MEET the Divine in all things. This is the 
 TRUTH made manifest. Spirit is much as the 
 electric light, sending forth in calm and penetrat- 
 ing brightness the POWER TO OVERCOME 
 DARKNESS. 
 
 Man refused the light in the Garden of Eden, 
 hence the necessity of schooling, that man may 
 again find and behold the light; all he needs is 
 acceptance. Man despaireth in his ignorance until 
 he awakens to the truth that LIVES and lets 
 live in the fullest sense of BEAUTY and 
 POWER, here and hereafter, accepting NAT- 
 URALLY, NOT IN PART. We must create a 
 desire to make living a SCIENCE while upon 
 this plane that we may meet it in its FULL 
 EXPRESSION OF BEAUTY in the Afterwhile; 
 hence it is necessary to learn to discriminate 
 between vibrations that are DIVINE, natural, 
 and those of chaotic discord, that we may prop- 
 erly adjust ourselves to the world of things in 
 which we live. This is attunement of the higher 
 order, of things. 
 
 The so-called crime waves that come over the 
 world in spasmodic effect at times, compel won- 
 derment in the minds of all as to why such things 
 exist, coming as they do in seemingly convulsive 
 and transitory periods. To me, and to many 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 303 
 
 others, it is not at all strange, but the natural 
 result of CAUSE and EFFECT. We cannot 
 send into the ether thoughts of a derogatory 
 character and not EXPECT results; these fer- 
 ment, you know. There is upon this material 
 plane a gentle ebullition we will term sin. It 
 brews and brews until it runs over the brim of 
 conventionalities, reason and common sense. A 
 certain UNITY OF SIN FOECES compel a 
 wave of crime to drift over the world, finding 
 expression in whomsoever it CAN demonstrate 
 its EVIL POWER. 
 
 A little child went one day to call upon a 
 friend, taking her dolly's wardrobe for repairs. 
 The day was one of exceptional climatic perfec- 
 tion, so they picked up their chairs and wended 
 their way to the porch. Cheerfully they com- 
 pared the neatness of their stitches with the 
 fineness of a wonderful cobweb, when the child 
 threw up her hands as though to ward otf some 
 frightful object, finally falling prostrate and un- 
 conscious at the feet of the friend. Thinking to 
 assist the child, the friend placed her arms about 
 her, preparatory to lifting her upon the chair, 
 when she suddenly and naturally extricated her- 
 self from the embrace and slipped back into the 
 chair unaided. The friend wonderingly asked 
 what she had seen to so terrify her. In answer 
 the child shuddered and said : ' * I did not see 
 anything, but I felt something so awful ; it seemed 
 to be in the air; I never want to feel it again.'' 
 Upon questioning the parents we found this con- 
 dition had existed for eight years (the child was 
 
304 FACE TO FACE 
 
 then ten years of age). They could give no 
 cause for the condition, which they said returned 
 every seven days as regularly as clock-work, in 
 spite of the fact that they had spent almost a 
 fortune on eminent physicians, who could not ex- 
 plain. 
 
 There are many children who are obsessed 
 with the greatest of all miseries — FEAR — until 
 it becomes an obsessing force, a spasmodic 
 terror. ** There must be some cause for such a 
 condition existing in the child," says the world, 
 and then go about their duties forgetting, 
 blaming the parents, when in nine cases out of 
 ten the parents do not know the cause of such 
 conditions any better than they do ; in fact, would 
 give all they possess TO KNOW. It is an 
 obsession that has brought about a physical 
 weakness; unable to throw off the chaotic effect, 
 the subject becomes a harboring negative that 
 FEELS but cannot explain. This is one of the 
 times that the invisible forces of evil obsess and 
 claim the intelligence of the innocent, until 
 conscience is temporarily lost. In many cases it 
 is but a periodical mental impotent condition. 
 Again, our asylums are filled with those who 
 never have, never will regain their reason; nor 
 will this condition lessen until OBSESSION is 
 taken into greater consideration, its cause and 
 its effect, and the antidote perfected and added 
 to the ethics of practitioners. 
 
 NEVER GIVE UP. There is always a way to 
 help those who suffer and those who suffer with 
 them. If we are strong enough to STAND 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 305 
 
 FAST, we cannot fail to help them. When we 
 are fitted to meet them, we are among those 
 who live in pure conscience, those who are 
 enabled to shed the spirit of truth, like the sun- 
 beams, through the darkened recesses of soul 
 contaminated with lust and fear, until the pene- 
 trating rays fill the soul with light and they are 
 healed. When we seem weak let us remember 
 that while God trieth the heart, He also makes 
 strong those who TEUST IN HIM. If we take 
 God into our plans, we will not be made weak by 
 the inflow of chaotic conditions; we will not be 
 contaminated in bodv or soul; but we will EISE 
 SUPREME TO MEET SUPREME, therein are 
 WE made WHOLE. To be a child of God is to 
 mingle with the children of God. 
 
 **Your first duty is to self,'' says a kind friend. 
 Yea, verily it IS, but duty is a MORAL OBLIGA- 
 TION. There is a little well-spring in the human 
 breast that will bubble up every now and then 
 in rebellion towards those who try to tell us our 
 duty, though the INTENT be EVER SO KIND- 
 LY. ^^Duty is a moral obligation in DIRECT 
 LINE TO TRUTH and righteousness. RIGHT is 
 that which accords with the MORAL SYSTEM 
 OF THE UNIVERSE. Righteousness is incar- 
 nated in ACTION,'' thus we see we CANNOT shut 
 ourselves in away from people and things, though 
 our first duty be to ourselves. Our FIRST duty, 
 however, is to see to it that we are MORALLY 
 fitted to assume a duty; willing to be instructed 
 in the requirements the duty or duties demand; 
 
306 PACE TO FACE 
 
 co-operate with the cause sufficiently to bring 
 about intelligent and active results. 
 
 When we place others in God's hands we place 
 ourselves there also, and our faith. When we 
 use the word SELF, we must take into consider- 
 ation that self is a part of the WHOLE; body, 
 soul and mind. These are the reflection of His 
 Divine will, through which we are enabled to 
 EXPEESS the Divine within. Complete self- 
 abnegation EXPRESSES the God within; it is 
 through self-renunciation that we are taught the 
 greatest lesson by Christ. 
 
 When we waver from a purpose, we have not 
 learned to SANCTIFY THAT PURPOSE; when 
 we do, the truth will be made clear to us with- 
 out the exact operation of set opinions. We 
 ALWAYS receive more than we EVER give 
 from the hand that feeds the sparrows; that is 
 the law of heaven's righteousness, the Divine 
 law working through cause and effect. In express- 
 ing the I AM is joy untold, not weakness, but 
 righteousness in which is strength, power and 
 EXALTED FAITH. It is one of the least of 
 these to hand the perishing a cup of water. Are 
 we not fully repaid by the love light in the eye of 
 one who has suffered? We may carry the cup 
 e'en unto the cross, but are we not refreshed by 
 the spirit of truth that dwelleth therein? 
 
 I cannot falter by the wayside though my 
 strength be small. I cannot harbor thoughts that 
 would retard my growth; no, not at all. Though 
 I love you, love you, LOVE YOU, yet I cannot be 
 less strons:. You would love me less were I not 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 307 
 
 to illustrate my little song. It is the TILLING 
 and the COUNTING that gathers in the grain. 
 
 The pure ether around our afllicted ones has 
 been contaminated with the fermenting qualities 
 that grow into THINGS THAT TEERORIZE. 
 When we fear we usually commit some deed that 
 will sear the purest motives. When we shirk a 
 duty, we weaken our ability to rise supreme to 
 meet supreme, and the following duty is still 
 harder to perform. In performance of duty 
 we learn to accept it NATURALLY. What 
 would seem to some a great burden, to us is 
 but the following in His footsteps. It is recog- 
 nition of that at-one-ness, and pure joy commin- 
 gling with the fruits of honest purpose. A Duty 
 performed is the harvesting of soul power in 
 which the natural flow of the Divine finds ex- 
 pression, not to weary, but bless; where nature 
 and soul play the sweet relays of attunement. 
 
 It is not enough that we teach children the 
 rudimentary principles of arithmetic, grammar, 
 etc. We must live with children in the great 
 open, where the beauties of nature are, in which 
 the little soul may wander until some inspiration 
 is brought to bear in which character is built, and 
 talents quickened into active principles. Ferns 
 will not grow in the highlands nor cactus in the 
 vales; the child likewise must be placed and 
 taught according to its needs, if the best results 
 are expected or desired. 
 
 ** SAFETY FIRST'' should resound in the 
 minds of those handing a book to a child ; for in 
 
308 FACE TO FACE 
 
 it is danger or knowledge that will TELL in the 
 life of the child some wav, some da v. 
 
 ** SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME 
 UNTO ME, FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM 
 OF HEAVEN." 
 
 Where the kingdom reigneth THERE is pure 
 conscience, and it must find a HOME in the 
 mother; then will it take root and blossom forth 
 in the coming generation. Had I not been taught 
 by my mother, in the experiences of everyday 
 life, the beauties and wisdom in life, I would not 
 have found the richness of just living. Some- 
 times I think I had the best mother that ever 
 lived — Foster Mother though she be — so sweet, 
 so gentle, so loving and thoughtful was she. Not 
 once have I ever heard an angry word pass from 
 those dear lips. Not once did her hand ever 
 raise to strike, no, not once, in all her life. This 
 quiet refined soul met nature in the harmony of 
 attuned purpose, and though suffering and trials 
 came, there was Nature and the Soul, of which I 
 was a great partaker through her tireless efforts, 
 her first and last thought. 
 
 Angels stand at the open door waiting to hear 
 of thee and more; what thee wants, and what 
 thee needs, asking not thy life or creed; ever 
 willing to stoop and bless; ever ready to pray, 
 caress, the troubled brow of then and now. 
 
 When I was a little tot, I was digging most 
 earnestly in the earth with my little spoon, 
 when mother asked me what I thought I was 
 doing. I said I was digging down to China; 
 think I'll get there pretty soon! In my mind 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 309 
 
 was a beautiful picture of China. Mother had 
 been teaching me of China and the ways of 
 China, showing me many beautiful pictures the 
 meanwhile. After I grew tired of digging and 
 no China appeared, I went into the house and 
 laid my head on mother's shoulder saying: ^*But 
 it is such hard work to get to China. ' ' Tenderly 
 she took me upon her lap and said: **I know, 
 dear; but then, did you not try too hardf I said 
 I guessed I had tried pretty hard, but how was I 
 to get to China if I did not work hard? The 
 answer was one never to be forgotten by me: 
 
 ^^Dear, we should do OUR HONEST BEST 
 IN ALL THINGS worth while, but there are 
 some things not worth while— and it would not 
 have been worth while to strive so hard to see 
 China. I have taught you, dear, the beauties of 
 China, but I have kept from you the things that 
 were NOT beautiful. Had you dug down to 
 China with your little spoon, you would have seen 
 the ugly side of China, and that might have made 
 you very unhappy. When we strive TOO hard 
 for things, it is pretty certain that something is 
 going to give way, some hope, some ambition, 
 something we have not counted on in the reckon- 
 ing. It is better, my dear, to let things come to 
 us naturally. When little girls — and big ones too 
 — take a bigger piece of cake than is good 
 for them, they are bound to suffer; but if they 
 are satisfied with less, then the rest would come 
 NATURALLY, as all things do when we are 
 willing to WORK UP TO THEM. 
 
310 FACE TO FACE 
 
 ** Remember this, little girl, that though our 
 greatest desires are sometimes lost in the busy 
 routine of life, there is always a little bird sing- 
 ing somewhere in the quietude of conscience that 
 will make the way easy to forget things we cannot 
 possess. By and by we grow to not wanting 
 them; and that is the PEACE that comes of a 
 meek and quiet spirit. ' ' 
 
 My little soul was appeased; I had no longer 
 any desire to upheave China with my little 
 spoon. A little inspiration was born that has 
 carried me through the years, over rocks and 
 rills, to the quiet calm born of Spirit. 
 
 When we look through the veil of little things 
 and penetrate their existence from days of yore 
 up to the present time — such as matches, needles, 
 pins and paper — and note how long they have 
 been in coming to present perfection, and study 
 the steady climb of things worked through 
 nature and the soul, we can hardly marvel at the 
 building of temples, the giving of patterns, of the 
 miter, and the engraving ^^ HOLINESS TO THE 
 LORD." All these little things began in 
 primeval days; the inspiration came through 
 nature's gifts to the people who first found their 
 need. Like the little Mexican lady who first 
 found that the Spanish saber plant made good 
 pins, so was papyrus first inspired; and on and 
 on, until time and custom, man's intelligence, and 
 the power of spirit brought us paper, pins, needles 
 and matches. 
 
 Man has ever sought nature as the FULL- 
 NESS OF ALL. When all others failed him he 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 311 
 
 turned to nature for his answer. It raises us to 
 heights untold when we stop to consider these 
 things and set about investigating the working 
 power of spirit through them. **WILL WON- 
 DEES NEVER CEASE?" springs to our lips; 
 we fall upon our knees in thanksgiving ; the supply- 
 has been perfect, nothing wanting. And yet the 
 infidel cries, **Does anyone know there is a GodT' 
 Oh, man of sorrows, hast thou not felt the work- 
 ing power of something beyond nature that 
 surges in thy being? Hast thou not seen with 
 thine own eyes works not made with man's 
 hands ? Hast thine own soul not cried out in an- 
 guish to the GOD OF LIGHT, LOVE AND 
 TRUTH ? And thou hast looked about and behold 
 these were THERE, expressing before thee, 
 around thee, about thee! And thou callest unto 
 them and they HEARD and answered within 
 thine own soul. And thou hast cried out in the 
 night of ignorance and light broke, and it was 
 day, and LIFE in all its perfect way was express- 
 ing, and didst thou say it was nature ? Then thou 
 didst proclaim thy God, for it was nature and 
 the soul that answered thee. 
 
 I want to call your attention to the fact that 
 every miracle God worked He was over or near 
 water at the time. 
 
 Every one knows what a bolt can be shot into 
 substance by the commingling of water and 
 electricity. 
 
 If such a bolt were to be shot into the ether, 
 what effect would it have, chemical development 
 or PHYSICAL PHENOMENA! 
 
812 FACE TO FACE 
 
 Every one has a THOUGHT atmosphere ; what 
 effect has electricity upon thought atmosphere? 
 
 What is thought atmosphere? 
 
 Atoms, substance, peace, poise or power. 
 
 Then electricity WOULD cause a shock of 
 greater or lesser character in the midst of these. 
 
 What effect has shock on substance? 
 
 It quickens or kills, according to the nature of 
 the shock or the nature of the substance. 
 
 Supposing it were to QUICKEN substance, 
 what would be the result? 
 
 LIFE! 
 
 Every man has a thought atmosphere that has 
 a definiite character to formulate matter, sub- 
 stance according to the ABILITY of the one who 
 thinks. Thought atmosphere is SUBSTANTIAL 
 — is felt keenly by man, interpreted by spirit. The 
 power of spirit over matter is limitless ; it abounds 
 in the GLOEY OF THE REAL. Hence we see 
 that electricity IS directly connected with Divinity. 
 
 Is it hard then to Understand the Immaculate 
 Conception; the creation of man; the creation of 
 life, when vibrations coming from the fountain 
 head the ALL MIGHTY SPIRIT THAT MOVED 
 UPON THE FACE OF THE WATER, IS SO 
 FAR REACHING in chemical, electrical, mag- 
 netic, effect? 
 
 Is it hard to understand the POWER of the 
 spoken word, to CREATE substance, worlds ? 
 
 Is it hard to have faith in the vibrating working 
 power of SPIRIT when we KNOW how Spirit 
 REACHES MANKIND and quickens within- 
 life? 
 
NATURE AND THE SOUL 313 
 
 No, my friend, it is simply NATURE AND 
 THE SOUL, Face to Face with their Creator. 
 
 The beauty of life in life is manifold when we 
 learn to MEET IT IN TRUTH; wavering not; 
 seeking the Kingdom FIRST; keeping sweet in 
 the harmony that purifies, brings perfect under- 
 standing in ALL THINGS. Keep sweet, my 
 friend, for **God is in it.'' 
 
 Keep sweet; for it is the SOUL OF HAR- 
 MONY in which the LITTLE PEASANT GIRL 
 conceived the GREAT, the PURE, the HOLY. 
 
 Keep sweet; it is SPIRITUAL TRIUMPH! 
 
 The concord of NATURE and the SOUL, Face 
 to Face with the INTELLIGENCE OF MAN. 
 
 What is intelligence but GOD? The Divine 
 working in and through all things; the FORCE 
 that governs the universe and all therein. 
 
 THE END. 
 
831905 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
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