The Washington times., 1920-06-12
SILENCE INSPIRES
MYSTERY STUDENT
Aged Librarian Finds His Hap
piness by Meditating on "Un-
conscious" Life.

NEW YORK. June i2.-Amid the
raucous rhythms OF New York It's
changing street cars, grinding sub
ways. droning trucks and nerve
netting horns and sirens. a man has
studied for forty years, oblivious to
all material disturbances. calmly do
ing his daily work. for. he has a
recipe for tranquility and happiness
to be found in living in the present.
He is Carl IL. A. Bjerregaard, as
Public Library. who recently cele-
brated his seventy NTH birthday,
forty years OF life having been spent
in the service OF the city.
A student OF mystic since his
sixteenth year. soldier. statesman and
Bjerregaard believes we must look to
ourselves alone for the solution Of
the world difficulties weighing down
upon us now.
Were all afire from this war" he
said today. "lf we were restless be-
fore. we are now inhamed and burn
ing.
We've come out OF the battle bad
ly scorched mentally and morally. 1t
would be blessing IL our nation
could come to rest on mystic lines
Mr.. Bjerregaard pronounced Be-
yerra-gard) explained that mysticism
as he understands II and practices IT,.
has no connection with so-called cults
or Oriental religions
Mysticism Not Cult.
Mysticism is not a cult, religion or
philosophy. 1t is a method OF life by
which we live In accord with our own
identity. 1t encourages spiritual
growth. 1T deals with all that cannot
do with all things that are beyond
time. space and motion.
LAS for the so-called mystic let
us put him at rest The idea that
animates him is only troublesome. 1t
Is vague, meaningless.
Real mysticism is purely personal.
1t reaches the very bottom OF ones
existence. 1t makes ii possible to find
out who one really is.
1T is the deepest. unconscious life
Center yourself on that instead Of
business and you're a mystic. Center
all your thoughts on God. Talk to no
one Silence will become a habit and
will gradually kill earthly desires.
This leads to self-knowledge.
1.-THE intentness on ones own iden.
tity, thus produced. 4 must not be
thought of in an egotistic way. 1t is
all for the purposes OF the Kingdom,
Of God"
Isn't this meditation similar to the
~ Hindu Rh =, ~ n q
was asked.
well, the Brahmin has all the Yogi
practices, but that is a religion. and
the mysticism, as l understand it, is
a broader thing.
How few people we know who
could sit and look at tree for an
hour! The average person would
think how many cords OF wood the
tree contained, how much it would
cost, and what its botanical name
was.
Let's contemplate the serene
beauty of a tree, the life of the tree,
and then think of your own life.
I'VE aim too much at objective
things, things outside Of ourselves.
instead of exploring the beauties of
our inner consciousness.
Urges Meditation.
Most people are interested IN a
thousand things and don't know
much Of any one of them. Meditation
for time each day would encourage
the growth Of the spiritual side.
II regret to have seen the recent
wave of spiritism and similar isms'
that became a national craze. We
must put all such nonsense out Of
our thoughts.
Remember, a mystic doesn't need
to flee life. l have worked right
here in this library-not this build
ing-forty years.
Il deal with people. I am not shy
or a recluse. l believe each man
must learn to be human, first of all.
AS for my work, while ] am sew
enty-five today. / still expect to
work twenty years longer"
One can easily believe Carl Bjerre-
gard is not a shy or retiring man
after reading his history. A Dane. he
comes of Viking stock and was a
scout in the Schleswig- Holstein war
in 1854. Later he graduated as Of
ficer from the Military Academy OF
Copenhagen in 1865. He served two
years with the Danish legation to
the court Of Russia and for political
reasons came to the United States in
1873 He is a celebrated author on