San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-11-07


/ power Of the CAB. George was mis-
taken. The greatest power of all is
that of the imagination. The faculty
| by which we receive suggestions and
act upon them, imagining them to
be real things, this is the most potent
of all. BY constant suggestion you
can influence almost any mind TO any
desired course. The child that is in
terror Of the dark, coward among his
playmates, a drone at his books, a lag
gard at his play, is almost always
made so by the power of suggestion
and if not he can be cured by that
| power. The history of mind in its ac-
ton upon mind clearly indicates this.
What else would be possible save that
| the child should be confirmed in any
natural bias to fear, or cowardice, or
| laziness by the continual suggestions
that are poured into his mind. He is
reminded of these a thousand times
and his habit confirmed, whereas if the
reminder was wanting and the sugges-
ton of the opposite the cure would be
speedy and lasting. Suggest to that
boy afraid of the dark and there is
nothing to be afraid of, then
that he is not afraid, in
sist on it that he is not, keep
suggesting to him in all your reference
to the subject that he is growing out of
that fear, that you notice that he is
less affected by it than formerly, that
he is growing more manly and cOur-
ageous and your suggestions will soon
be accepted.
There is not a father or mother or
teacher or instructor of any kind who
does not know that world of remedy
lies in this habit of suggestion. The
boy porting over a knOtty problem, has
it suggested to him that ne has mast
cred just as difficult ones, and he ap-
plies himself to this one with new cOur- |
age. How many real headaches and |
heartaches too have been cured by the |
suggestions of friend. 1t is the eter- |
nal cry of don't" that prevents pro-
gress, saddles disability upon youth and |
middle age. Substitute a suggestive |
do for that old disabling word and |
to a large extent the disability dies. |
All the power of the hypnotist lies in
his ability to suggest, that is to force
what he suggests to you as a fact up
on you until you accept it as one.
1t is not necessary for you to be rem
dered unconscious in order to be thus
influenced. There is a power for good |
or evil in these suggestions that has not
yet been considered, and when it is |
there will be a change in the manner
of considering crime and judging of it,
as we'll as of attempting its correction.
Make this power of suggestion, a sug-
gestion for good, a real thing in the
home, in the school, in the factory, in
all business, in public life and you
greatly increase the efficiency of the |
scholar, the artisan, the merchant and |
the man of government affairs. Put |
it into practice in criminal govern
ment. Instead of leaving all the sug-
gestions in the prison pen to the vile !
and hardened, make them effective |
from the other end of the line.
1t is matter of common remark
among those interested in prison re-
form that the average man or boy
comes out of prison a worse character
than he enters. This is because of the
suggestive work of evil that is done
there. Evil suggestions are thrust up
on him continually, and there is little
or nothing to cpunteract it's influence.
There are no counter suggestions. The
devils incarnate who debauch girls and
lead boys to destruction do it by the
power of their suggestions. The vile
literature of the day saps the founda-
tions of purity and awakens all pru-
rient desire by it's foul suggestions.
The thief is made so by the suggestions
of other thieves and their pictures of
what he can accomplish in that line
if he tries.
ThiS c1,hiant int
than ordinary notice of late, through
the efforts to utilize this power of sug-
gestion in medical and hospital prac-
tice. Here it is brought into play as
an anesthetic, to deaden pain and
soothe irritated nerves, lessen the con-
vulsions of disease or quiet the disor-
dered pulses of fevered patients. This
work is yet in its infancy, but there Is
enough in it already accepted by the
science Of today to raise ii above the
charge of quackery and clothe it with
the merciful garments of the true phil
anthropists. To those whose mission
on earth it is to bind up broken heads
and hearts there is nothing in all the
wide domain of remedial agents that
presents so much promise for the flu
ture as this.
The field of it's operations is infinite.
The fruit that will come in after years
will prove harvest of human good.
The use that you can make of it in
your business and in your homes, in
your pulpits and in your classes, on
your farms and upon these streets
great congregation of the Light, must
| be personally determined and studied
out. You know that largely as a man
or a woman thinketh in the heart, so
they are. What you really think that
you can do is largely what you really
are able to accomplish. What you
thing is the real thing, for it is to the
measure of that you eventually come.
Suggesting to yourself mean things,o
| bittert hings, or melancholy things
makes you bitter, or mean, or melan-
cholly. You naturally grow that way.
This power of suggestion lies not
alone in words spoken, or thoughts
portrayed by sign or pen or picture.
There is nothing around us that is not
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