River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-02-13

did not present my account until some
weeks after finishing my course of
instruction. 1 was then given letter
to one of the college trustees-the
president of bank on Dearborn
street.
When l handed him the letter he
said: 1.-THE college is short of funds,
but they have a half million dollars
due them in a few months. | have
paid a number of bills for them, but
1 have just made up my mind to pay
no more as 1 think the creditors
should bide their time; besides, Mr..
Warman, there are many claims prior
to yours that should, by rights, be paid
first if | paid any. Therefore, can
not, or, rather, l will not pay any
more of the accounts"
No one who reads this will ever
have harder proposition upon which
to try these six principles. The man
was no Weakling. He was of unusual
physical strength with mentality N
proportions; therefore, when he saiN
he had made up his mind" / kneSf
he had made up great deal. Alsf,
when he said he could not and
would not" l knew that no amount
of "compulsion" could move him, and
any argument might offer would be
of no avail. / said but little, merely
expressing my disappointment in haf-
ing to wait so long, but not holding
the thought for a moment that wonld
wait at all. l realized that it was the
psychological moment.
| then began with confidence" a.
that | would succeed, and l immediate
that direction, yet remaining perfectly
passive" 90 to note any change OF
heart that he might experience. AS
had allowed him to unload (4 / now
became positive" (5) to his negative
condition. l did not stare at him as
if to compel him but stood as if in
doubt (but with no doubt in me) and
impelled" co him to compromise.
said nothing but thought very intently
for him Gmpulsion).
This is the thought l held on him.
over him, for him: well, you come
in at one o'clock" Chat little word
well" is a great compromiser). All
of this probably occurred in the space
of minute, but it seemed many Of
them to me. Finally | looked up and
said well q thought the rest of the
| sentence for him, but spoke not
world. Instantly he took the cue from
the spoken word and voiced my I'M
| expressed thought, Well, you
come in at one o'clock"
Mark you, he had not committed
| himself, had not promised payment.
Again | commanded passivity on my
part as | thanked him and babe him
| good morning. l did SO because
wanted to get his mental attitude and
catch any stray thought. l caught it.
1t came to me at once that he was
''stickler' on time. He had said zone
| o'clock" With him, one o'clock meant
| one o'clock, not five minutes after.
| That would let him out.
When in the vestibule of the bank
| | set my watch with the bank clock
| [ went to my office and related my eX.
perience to my publisher. He smiled.
He was doubling Thomas" He
said: yes, that's very good, but"
| shut him off by saying-"but" moth.
ing He then said-"Yes, yes, that's
all right, if" again shut him
off wfch-"if" nothing; you cannot load
me up with any of your doubts. am
going down there at one o'clock and
get that money. (The reader will
please recall what said, in a previous
article, about butts" and "ifs.") j
On the way to the bank held this
thought-on and for the banker
We'll, I've decided to pay you" I
held it so hard, so tenaciously and
with such confidence" and "concen-
tration" and so exclusively of all other
thoughts that had spoken to any one
on the way l fear l would have given
utterance to my one and only thought
well, I've decided to pay you"
| arrived at the bank a few minutes
early of the appointed time, but waited
in the vestibule. At precisely one
o'clock l presented myself at his desk.
He looked up at the clock (thus con-
firming my impression of the morn
ing) and, as he did so, said: Il see
you're on time to the minute"
[ was almost afraid to speak lest
might lost my grip on the thought
| was holding on and for him; but
at once assured him that being ION
time" was one of my cardinal princi-
pies.
No sooner did get my hold on that
which | desired him to say than stimuli
taneous with my thought he voiced
it-"Well, I've decided to pay you"
may have seemed somewhat
prolix in the presentation of this case
but it has been for the purpose OF
thoroughness in order that the student
of psychology might follow me in the
application of the six fundamental
principles Some one may say
That is all right for you, but would
a pupil, a beginner have met with the
same success"
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)