The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-11-25

grow and develop anly from such Inn
mediate self-Iearning activity. As Der
trand Russell expresses it in his ''Mys-
ticism and Logic: The scientific at
titude of mind involves sweeping
away of all other desires in the inter
est of the DESIRE TO KNOW-it IN
wolves suppression Of hopes and fears,
loves and hates, and the whole subjec-
tive emotional life. until we become
subdued to the material. able to see it
frankly, without preconceptions. with
out bias, without any wish except to
see it as it is. and without any belief
that what it is must be determined by
some relation. positive or negative, to
what we should like it to be. or to
what we can easily imagine it to be-
And in Edman's Human Traits we
read:
THE satisfaction which disinterest-
ed science gives the Investigator is in
the first place one of Qualification.
Science, by enabling US to see the wide
general laws Of which all phenomena
are particular instances. emancipates
the imagination. 1t frees us from be-
ing bound by the accidental sugges-
tons wrich come to us from mere per-
sonal caprice, habit. and environment,
and enables us to observe facts uncol-
ored bv passions and hope, and to dis
cover those laws of the universe which.
in the words of Karl Pearson, hold
for ell normally constituted minds. In
ord'nary experience. our impressions
end beliefs are the result of inaccurate
sense observation colored by hone and
fear, aversion and revulsicn, and limit
ed by accidental circumstance. Thru
science we are enabled to detach our
selves from the personal and the per-
ticular and to see the world as. undis-
torted. it must appear to any man any
where.
And this is the attitude. desire. and
spirit of truth that will lead us into
all truth. This truth or knowledge will
be gradual accretion of facts learn
ed by the normal exercise Of the learn
ing aptitude of the individual. When
mind devotes itself to the considera-
ton of speculative conceptions instead
of attending strictly to concrete facts
and independent relations and gains
an understanding of them, it is very
apt to go astray. Quite frequently,
what is imagined to be knowledge is
only egotistical assumption and vagar-
ious speculation. devoid Of practical
usefulness. and only calculated to di-
vert the mind from Immediate pressing
problems that should be attended to.
Much of so-called new thought and
science. on psychological subjects is
mere Juggling with words, verbal de-
f;nitions and entanglements, lspecua-
tive explanations that have no connec-
ton with the actual. everyday. con-
crete experiences of life and convey no
apprehensible meaning, nor furnish
practicable information to be of use.
Temporary beneficial emotions may be
aroused: but accurate, dependable
knowledge. needed for guidance, is not
gained.
Mental science consists Of the knowl-
edge of the learning process; of how
knowledge is gained. permanently re-
tanned, and how the emotions are en-
listed in carrying the knowledge gain
ed into useful execution. Scientific
discovery is more that mere tabula-
ton of facts. 1t is also work of the
imagination, and gives to the worker IN
the scientific field precisely the same
sense of satisfaction as that experience
ed by the creative artist. Of Kelvin,
his bicgrapher writes:
Like Faraday and the other great
masters in science. he was accustomed
to let his thoughts become so hlled
with the facts on which his attention
was concentrated that the relations
subsisting between the various phen-
omena gradually dawned upon him,
and he saw them. as if by some process
Of instructive vision denied to others
= His imagination was vivid; IN
his intense enthusiasm. he seemed TO
be driven rather than TO drive him
self. The man was lost in his sub
ject. becoming as truly inspired as IS
the artist in his subject.
According 10 Jesus, you cannot save
yourself at all. except only by saving
others. Those who seek to save them
selves. needless as TO what befalIs their