Part 26

WORDS

Man’s thoughts are made up of the association of the different nerve-end stimulation of the senses. His comprehension is to the extent of his correlated experiences, and all that is possible for him to do is to compare. (See Indian story, p. 179). His fund of experiences with which to compare is to the degree of the fineness of his nerve-ends to receive all variable impressions so affecting them. To try to convey to you my thought, I will use general terms and expressions, thus: to say to you what you call “thinking” is nothing but comparing. (Thinking is the transformation of energy and afterward realizing the transformation.)

Words of themselves force no action; they are meaningless. A word is supposed to be a symbol to arouse a sense-memory. To understand the use and application of words it is necessary for us to comprehend the action of words in arousing sense-memories. Psychology—as yet a meaningless word—has been the cause of many well-intending non-thinking people writing books that are termed psychologies, which name conveys the thought of irrational, incomprehensive theorists, never holding to a premise, massing a myriad of words, explaining (?) something that they themselves do not understand, and, consequently, cannot explain, fully demonstrating Talleyrand’s expression, “Words were given to hide thoughts.” I believe—and, dear reader, it is only a belief—that I possess an average amount of so-called human intelligence, and I have yet to read a psychology that I can comprehend the least portion of.

Writing words, after stating that words of themselves mean nothing, I will be paradoxical, and with words try to say something, a thing that few people succeed in doing. If the people in their business and social pursuits would always say something—making affirmations,—there would be fewer lawsuits, much less misunderstanding; in fact, no misunderstanding whatever; but man utters words, and, intuitively comprehending that words are meaningless, makes his own deduction; if he deduces correctly we call him clever, bright; if incorrectly, a fool.

Those of you who have had experience with employés can readily comprehend how hard it is to say something, or to have the employés comprehend that you have said something.

One season there was with me as treasurer a college graduate. When he was engaged, I said, “You have not been hired to do the thinking, but to do as I say.” In the first city we visited, I told him to take a package of school tickets to the public schools and give them to the children. He was back in ten minutes.

“Where have you been?”

“To the school.”

“Did you give out the tickets to the pupils as I told you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Truly, you can work fast. Now tell me what you actually did?”

“Oh, I handed the tickets to the teacher, and she said she would give them out to the pupils.”

“Then you did not give the tickets to the pupils, as I told you?”

“Well, I did the same thing.”

At another time, I told him that every evening after the performance he should write to the manager of the company, who was ahead, stating the receipts, and to put the letter in the postoffice. A few evenings later, he was in my room when one of my subjects was sent out to get some refreshments.

The treasurer turned to the boy and said, “Harry, post this letter for me, will you?”

Harry said, “All right.”

I interfered and said, “No”; turning to the treasurer, I continued, “Is this what I told you to do?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What did I tell you to do?”

“To send a letter to the agent every night.”

“Is that all?”

“Oh, you said for me to put it in the postoffice, but Harry can do it just as well.”

“No, not just as well; because if the letter fails to reach its destination, it is impossible to place the blame. You failed to do as I told you; Harry is in no way responsible; he may do by you as you have done by me, fail to post it.”

Another season I had a treasurer with me who did as he was told. One evening the manager of the theater in which we were playing, turned to my treasurer and said, “Here is your share of the money; no need to count the tickets.”

The treasurer had been at the door, seen the tickets sold and was thoroughly convinced that all was right, yet had been told to always count the tickets. He began doing so, and the manager of the theater said, “What is the use? It is just a waste of time. I do not care to rob you; here’s your share of the money.”

The treasurer answered, “Mr. Santanelli told me to always count the tickets, and I shall do so.”

At the conclusion of the count, my treasurer remarked to the manager of the house that his tickets called for thirty dollars more.