and women hang upon his words and remould their characters,
and, sunlike, he becomes the fixed and luminous centre round which
innumerable destinies revolve. He has realized the Vision of his
youth. He has become one with his Ideal.
And you, too, youthful reader, will realize the Vision (not the idle
wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both,
for you will always gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most
love. Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own
thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less.
Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or
rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as
small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant
aspiration: in the beautiful words of Stanton Kirkham Davis, "You
may be keeping accounts, and presently you shall walk out of the
door that for so long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals,
and shall find yourself before an audience--the pen still behind
your ear, the ink stains on your fingers and then and there shall
pour out the torrent of your inspiration. You may be driving sheep,
and you shall wander to the city-bucolic and open-mouthed; shall
wander under the intrepid guidance of the spirit into the studio of
the master, and after a time he shall say, 'I have nothing more to
teach you.' And now you have become the master, who did so recently
dream of great things while driving sheep. You shall lay down the
saw and the plane to take upon yourself the regeneration of the
world."
The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the
apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of
luck, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, "How
lucky he is!" Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim,
"How highly favoured he is!" And noting the saintly character and
wide influence of another, they remark, "How chance aids him at
every turn!" They do not see the trials and failures and struggles
which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their
experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of
the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have
exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable,
and realize the Vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness
and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it
"luck". They do not see the long and arduous journey, but only
behold the pleasant goal, and call it "good fortune," do not
understand the process, but only perceive the result, and call it
chance.
In all human affairs there are _efforts,_ and there are _results,_
and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance
is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual
possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed,
objects accomplished, visions realized.
The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you
enthrone in your heart--this you will build your life by, this you
will become.
SERENITY
CALMNESS of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the
result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is
an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary
knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.
A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a
thought evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the
understanding of others as the result of thought, and as he develops
a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal
relations of things by the action of cause and effect he ceases to
fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast,
serene.
The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to
adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual
strength, and feel that they can learn of him and rely upon him. The
more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his
influence, his power for good. Even the ordinary trader will find
his business prosperity increase as he develops a greater
self-control and equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal
with a man whose demeanour is strongly equable.
The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a
shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a
storm. "Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered,
balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or
what changes come to those possessing these blessings, for they are
always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character,
which we call serenity is the last lesson of culture, the fruitage
of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, more to be desired
than gold--yea, than even fine gold. How insignificant mere money
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