Evening star., 1923-01-10
BY EMILE COUE.
Article W.

Leaving for while the subject of
physical health cures effected by
autosuggestion, let US discuss the
moral well being. Train up a child
in the way he should go, and when he
is old he will not depart from it," said
the Man of Wisdom thousands of
years ago; and His words are as true
now as they were then. And what
is such training" If not the art of
implanting a mass of suggestions in
the young, receptive mind? Those
suggestions may be good or bad, and
upon them depend the child's whole
destiny.
subject of the rational and scientihc
education of children later on, but
for the moment / should like to insist
upon the Importance of suggestion
and autosuggeStion for the society;
Moral health is essential to physlcal
health and it is to the interest of the
community at large to improve the
moral health of its feebler elements
Granted the efficacy of autosugges-
tion in the accomplishment of tins
new method opens up magnlncent
vista of possibilities in the direction
of social progress.
Curb to- Evil
1t furnishes US the means of com
batting victoriousIy the bad streaks In
our nature, whether inherited or ac-
quired and of developing our intelll-
gence; of curbing a wayward i'm
agination; of adding ponderation 10
! our judgment, modifying our men
tality, correcting our moral weak
nesses. while curing our bodily his
Its generalizataion must conduce 70
individual and social reform. and the
time. may come when, freed of the
evil suggest ions which are so many
poisons debilitating humanity botn
spiritually and physically, the Worlo
will have purged itself of all its NOR
bid eIements-the criminal classes
and embark upon new and glorious
phase of fullest harmony.
We all recognize the value of physt-
cal culture. 1t is not too much TO
saw that to its renaScence in my own
country and the consequent building
up of a generation of robust, strong
limbed men, full of stamina and re-
sistance, is due in considerable
measure our victory in the great war.
Well, psychic culture is equally nee
essary. 1t will teach us to think sim
ply, sanely. 1t will teach US 10
realize that we can be. and shouts be,
the masters of events, and not thelr
playthings. Psychic culture. through
suggestion, corrects our moral de-
formities just as physical culture cor
reCts our bodily defects. We cannot
all become champions. but we can all
develop our personality in the splr-
itual or moral domain, as we can all
increase our muscular force by ap-
propriate exercises.
Proves Check on Crime.
Autosuggestion, then, I am per-
suaded. is destined to be applied more
and more generally in the worlds
efforts to stamp out crime. I have
had occasion to try my method at
Nancy upon a few boys of bad char
acter, whose precociouS criminal IN
stfncts had led them to the reform
atory. 1 believe good results were
attained, but, unfortunately, I was
unable to pursue the experiments
over a long period, as the poor
youths, sent in patches, remained
only a few weeks before being trans
ferred to the central establishment IN
another town. However, the French
authorities are quite in favor of
prolongeF trial of my method being
made. and l hope to devote myself to
this task when ! return to Europe.
I may say, too, that | find great IN
terest manifested here in America IN
this question of autosuggestion as
remedy against the growth of crime.
1t is a well known fact that crime
is contagious. From time to time
epid emics to record, simply because
the mind is Influenced by suggestions,
from no matter what source, in q
more or less degree, according to the
de gree of senSitiveneSS or strength OF
character of the individual. In France