Chapter II
The Nature of Mind-Power

AT THIS point I am confronted with the question that naturally arises when one begins to consider an unfamiliar object, subject, or principle—the question of:"What is it?""Whatis Mind-Power" is a difficult question to answer, for it implies a knowledge of the thing"in-itself," apart from its activities and manifestations. And this"thing-it-selfness" is something that the candid, scientific thinker admits is beyond the range of his thought and knowledge. Any attempt to answer such a question must involve one in a maze of metaphysical and philosophical speculation regarding something which is by nature unknowable. And so I may as well frankly state here that I do not purpose"guessing" at the"thing-in-itselfness" of Mind-Power. For, at the best, any attempt at an answer would be merely a guess—for I do notknow, neither do I know anyone else whoknows!

I am acquainted with the numerous speculations of the ancient and modern philosophers and metaphysicians on the subject—I have read and studied them, and have rejected them as mere theories unsupported by facts. And I have made and rejected a dozen or more theories of my own on the subject—all vague, foolish speculations. I have studied the best of what has been written and thought regarding this"thing-in-itselfness" of mind and Mind-Power, so you see my ignorance is not the ignorance that comes from lack of thought, or lack of acquaintance with the thoughts of others—but is rather the ignorance that comes as the result of much thought, and much study of the thoughts of others—the ignorance that is only realized through knowledge. Regarding these ultimate questions, the best thinkers freely confess their ignorance knowing that, as Nordau has said, they"have plucked that supremest fruit of the Tree of Knowledge—the consciousness of our ignorance." Like Pyrrhon, some twenty-five centuries ago, they say"Uden horizo"—"I do not decide."

We do not know"things-in-themselves"—wecannot know them. If we knew the ultimate truths regarding the tiniest and most insignificant thing in the universe, we would knoweverything that is—for that tiniest thing is connected with, and related to everything in the universe, and that which underlies the universe—and to know the"thing-in-itself" ofanything would be to know the great"Thing-in-Itself" of The All. All that we can do is to know and consider things by what they do; and how they act; and through their manifestations and activities; and the results and effects of the same—rather than by what they are in the abstract, or apart from their activities, manifestations, and the phenomena proceeding from them. Apart from their activities, manifestations and phenomena, things are but abstract no-things so far as our understanding is concerned—airy"words" coined by the metaphysicians and philosophers in order to provide food for speculation, argument, and dispute without end. And we may as well admit the fact that all consideration of ultimate things— things-in-themselves—inevitably leads us to the conclusion that the only real Thing-in-Itself is a Something, underlying all things and yet a No-Thing, and which transcends all of our experience, knowledge, reason, thought,and eve