The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-01-21

or the European visitor. But I can
not help thinking of the princes of
/ intellect and vitality who direct the
huge organizations of industry whose
tentacles stretch to every corner of
the globe. They and their forbears
have written the history of Amer
lea. As an apostle of suggestion and
auto suggestion I realize the immense
influence they have had and will con-
tinue to have in shaping the destinies
tof their contemporaries. Uncon-
sciously, perhaps. the latter, in in
icalculable numbers, respond to their
suggestion, and initiate them with
varying degrees of success Indeed,
RI consider that present-day America
is an amazing, living example of the
force of suggestion. Every American
is stimulated by the irresistible cur
rent of energy generated by the ma
TONS master minds. And no one can
fix the limits to which their creative
force will carry them. We French
have an expression ito arrive" mean
ing to reach success. I think no
American ought to fail to arrive"
for not only does he inherit ideas of
energy and labor which people his
subconscious mind. but he is also. sub
jected to formidable bombardment
of good suggestions from his very
infancy. He knows he is going to
Aucceed, and will let no obstacle
check his march forward.
Although, what 1 have seen so far
of America convinces me that Amer
leans have practiced auto-suggestion
to a certain extent for a long time
past Borne on that national cur
rent of energy of which 1 have
spoken. each individual automatieal-
iy seeks to wrest the maximum of
what life has to offer. Doubt of his
own powers is unknown to him (of
course, / am speaking of the aver
age man; there must naturally be
number of weaklings in every ma
ticn). He shares and at the. same
time feeds the dynamic force and
adio-activity which drives the whole
nation in the pursuit of progress.
Makes Interesting Discovery
The other day 1 called on a friend
who was staying in one of the big
eest hotels in New York, nay, in the
world. While waiting in the hall l
made most interesting discovery
| saw man put his hand into an
aperture in the wall beside one of
the comfortable arm chairs, turn a
sort of pipe, and take from it a little
white goblet which he filled at the
drinking water fountain adjoining
After he had drunk, to my astonish-
ment, he casually threw the goblet
into another hole in the wall Then
/ inquired, and was told that it was
cardboard goblet and that this
automatic system is quite common
Well, 1 have never seen anything of
the like, and 1 think it very won
derful illustration of American pro-
gress and love of thoroughness in
everything. Above all, l admired the
lesson of hygiene. Splendid as such
a system appears as convenience
to visitors in the hotel how much
more valuable is the influence it must
carry, by suggestion, to the minds
of all who use it, The notions of
hygiene are necessarily spread with
a thousand times more effect than by
means of the most eloQuently ex-
pressed pamphlets or even lectures
l suppose l shall find things to
criticize, nevertheless, during my stay
in America, though 1 confess that SO
far | see little which 1 cannot adj
mire. may, perhaps, talk of the
movies" one day at greater length.
But u want to- say right now that
in the cinema new art has been
born in America Paris and London are
left far behind by the masters of the
mise n-scene here.
that causes me regret 1t is to see
in the streets too many people-men,
women and children-wearing glasses.
Maybe 1t is due to proper care for
sight. But, until l am given a bet
ter explanation, L am inclined to at
tribute it to the strain of reading the
newspapers. 1t seems to me, indeed,
that the terribly small print in the
papers, so unnecessary, one would
think in such leviathan productions,
must use up the best and most per-
feet eyesight with deplorable rapid
ity. Curiously enough l have not yet
been asked to aid anyone with faulty
sight. Reason makes me believe that
one day a strong newspaper editor
or owner will work a, revolution and
make American newspapers readable
lin sense other than the one
which at present they attribute to the
word.