The New York herald., 1921-02-06


An alluring title this-naming the
deep desire of all the world, claiming
it as a secret, and presumably offer
ing to discover it. The great appeal of
what is called the new thought in
religion (probably because Plato is new
to most of It's students) is that it
makes the same offer. But most of
the literature put forth under the pro-
lection of the new thinkers is either
Of the saccharine type Ca kind of
lollypop with which to divert the
pangs of intellectual nunger) or so
openly panders to the great god
Worldly Success as to lead one to sus-
pect that its worshippers are not only
trying to serve both God and Mammon,
but that they are actually designing
to make God serve Mammon.
OF no such calibre is this new book
be Emerson's eternal antithesis: truth
or repose-take which you will, you
cannot have both 1t is "the history
of the human soul and its relation to
divinity--the only history worth any
mans pursuit" to quote Hugh Walpole
I'm a recent novel. The conclusions OF
the author. may be summed up in three
words. Happiness is growth" but ii
would be manifestly unfair both to
the argument and the author to let
! il go at that for in his eXplication
of his thesis lies much that is stimu-
lating. provocative of thought and en-
ri 70 fc
the less true. despite the fact that in
spinning out the essential threads
which go to make up the fabric of
human happiness the author finds in
their final tenuity a paradox before
which he confesses himself defeated.
On the last of his $50 pages he sums
up his endeavors thus: II have been
trying to discover the secret of happi-
ness. I have assumed that happiness
is definable as a sense of well being.
My meditations have convinced me
that the way to well being is the way
of soul growth that the way of soul
growth is the way of full surrender.
! since In the court OF growth self has
again and again been outgrown and
left behind: that complete loss of self
Is therefore the perfection OF well
being. and that the sense Of such well
being is perfect happiness.
But" he asks himself, when one has
reached a spiritual well being which
reaches to oneness with the infinite
has not well being been carried so far
that IL has transcribed itself? When
man has lost himself in love of God
will not the ideas of well being and
happiness have retired Of their own
account into the background"
This final agnosticism would be
hopelessly depressing were the author
himself no wiser than his conclusions.
But he Is of that gallant company TO
whom life is perpetual challenge. who
prefer intellectually to tourney hope
fully" rather than TO arrive. 'Tn the
sphere of belief" he says. "the cult
of finality is the chief cause OF ar
rested mental and moral growth.
No lesson is so hard 10 learn
as that OF renouncing the desire for
finality No lesson. when learned, so
richly rewards the learner. For II gives
him the greatest OF all rewards. of
allowing him to approach truth eter-
nAllN without ever TtdtnHE ~. III
doing this II keeps in constant motion
the current Of intuitional activity
which Is ever setting from the dark
recess Of his buried self toward his
more conscious life. The
truth of things. which is another name
for the inner reality of things Is In
each Of us, and it will gradually In
wade us and enfold us and possess us
II we will but give up our vain dream
of possessing IL. A great faith
can coexist with this seemingly agnos-
tic attitude. A great faith and great
faith alone can make IL possible
i had but little faith says
he whose optimism binds him TO ST.
Ience, IL / could say what believe
and why I believed IT,"
There Is something spiritually forti-
fying even in this uncertain attitude Of
the thinker who finds himself con-
tinually through his own honest men
tai efforts confronted by a paradox
which seems for the time TO oppose a
barrier to his thoughts which they
can neither face nor turn. They must
therefore be content 10 accept defeat"