LIFE IN THE HUMAN BODY on the animal side is physical, nervous and mental; not meaning that animals are mentally endowed, but that man is born in the animal kingdom with these divisions of his being. We have discussed in the preceding lesson the losses that occur by Leakage in physical activities. We now pass on to nervous wastefulness. A fidgety person may or may not be nervous. Nearly all nervous persons lack the fidgety faults. They may be very calm and self-contained until some little thing happens to startle them. In fact they force themselves to be calm as much as possible, knowing the likelihood of flying off their nerves, as they term it, at almost nothing.

Some men and most women scream at the sight of a mouse, spider or snake. The calm judgment of the mind would show the folly of such giving way to this nervous weakness; for a person of high intelligence would not find anything to cause fright in any of these objects of creation. One such experience drives out more vital energy than can be stored in three days.

Sudden Starts.—These are trifles in themselves, but they work havoc with the nerves, and what lowers the tone of the nerves will always lessen the magnetism.

Sudden Stops.—These may apply to the whole body or to any part of it. They are quite frequent as we will see a little later on in this work.

Trembling.—This is not the shaking of fright, so much as the unsteadiness of hand which many persons allow to fall into habits of senile weakness early in life.

Sighing.—This is due to a low state of respiration. It denotes that the nervous system is out of order. Like gaping, it will disappear as the affirmative lessons of this course of training are put into practice.

Short Breathing.—This is a habit distinct in itself, and grows if left to itself. It invites the open mouth breathing which is injurious to the health. All usual respirations should occur through the nostrils. Magnetic people breathe deeply and never pant.

Halting Speech.—Strange as the assertion may seem, it is nevertheless a fact that not one person in two hundred talks or speaks without halting. The usual expression when the halt comes is uh as a little observation will prove. In speaking formally at meetings, or even in business conversations, the habit is very prevalent. The cure of it is to speak smoothly by direction of the will.

Rapid Talk.—Vehement and earnest delivery in speaking, or in conversation, is one thing; but the habit of rapid talking is quite another. Vehemence generally helps to increase magnetism, if the body is tensed and free from the enemies to which we have referred; but rapidity of talk is one of the quickest methods of destroying vitality. Nervous prostration is the penalty of the man or woman who talks much and talks fast.

We know of many cases where persons are all tired out after an afternoon of gossipy talk. Recently our attention was called to a woman of great wealth who said that she would give a liberal reward for some treatment that would check her nervousness and loss of vitality. In looking into her habits, we found that she was an incessant and rapid talker. Not wishing to offend her, we outlined a course of conduct that required four weeks of silence. She was told that she must use pencil and paper for all her communications she wished to make; and to appease her curiosity we showed her a letter from Patti, the English prima donna, in which the latter spoke of her habit of always refraining from conversation, and using paper and pencil, during the days preceding her engagement, to sing at night When Patti adopted this plan for the purpose of saving her voice, she found that it saved her vitality as well. The four weeks of silence resulted in a complete cure of nervousness and low vitality. We do not recommend silence in ordinary cases; but we do suggest that those who talk much cannot become magnetic.

The orator of greatest powers is always a man of few words when not engaged in speaking. The same is true of the actor,

There are many reasons, mostly of policy, why a person should be addicted to few words. Total silence may seem like shyness but a moderate degree of this quality is helpful to any man or woman. As a rule the less you talk, provided you talk some and talk sensibly, the more you are respected; and the person who is able to command respect has easy sway over others in the use of magnetism.

A person sits in a hall or church; some one drops a book; the former gives a general start of the whole body, sighs, leans back and suffers from the weakness engendered. In that one motion of the body a great volume of magnetic vitality leaped forth.

A person is walking upon the street; a friend comes up from behind and slaps him on the back; he jumps, catches his breath, turns pale, and is soon himself again, but weaker.

A woman thinks she sees a mouse in the room. With one involuntary recoil she shrinks backward. The magnetism so lost will not easily return in a week.

Something occurs to attract the attention. A jump is made from the chair to the feet. Vitality is lost.

A touch of the finger against something hot causes a sudden movement of the arm and upper body backward. Life is thrown off in such action.

We might cite thousands of cases, all of which depend upon the element of suddenness resulting from whatever may startle. Is it possible to conquer such tendencies? Yes, there is no person of a reasonable degree of intelligence who will not become supreme monarch of himself if he sets out to do so and has a system of training to guide him to success. Who is more nervous than a very nervous woman?

A Mrs. Brown was walking in her home one evening, having got into her night attire ready for bed. A lady relative of about her age was in another room similarly attired; she followed after Mrs. Brown, making no sound whatever, came up to her and laid her hand upon her cousin's shoulder. Mrs. Brown gave a start that took her a half rod before she stopped. She collapsed weakness. A year later the tame thing occurred again, except that her husband was the offender. He came up behind with noiseless steps and laid his hand upon hers, thinking that she knew he was there. She was more startled than before became weaker.

Under the advice of her physician, who was a student of our system of magnetism, Mrs. Brown took up the study of self-mastery. In three months she conquered her great fault. One night after twelve she arose from her bed in the dark and proceeded to get a drink of water in an adjoining room. Her hushand was awakened, got up, followed her noiselessly and they met in the dark. Mrs. Brown writes as follows: "I did not know he was awake. I had no idea that he was coming into the room. His hand was outstretched as if feeling his way along in the dark. It was a cold hand and laid itself on my face. I was as much surprised as if I had been touched by a corpse fresh from the grave. A year before I would have screamed, jumped and no doubt fallen into a dead faint. Since I began the study of magnetism I have learned to hold my nervous system as solid as a rock. I have schooled myself against everything." Her case is cited as one of a large number of persons who have acquired the much-coveted one of self-mastery.

The very same movements that demagnetize when made involuntary, will develop magnetism if done under the control of the will or if accompanied by internal energy.

A very good illustration of the losses that occur from sudden starts and sudden stops, may be seen from the action of water on an object; if the latter is made to stop with a quick action, the water will be thrown off; and the same is true if it is made to start suddenly. A quick stop of a train may throw a person forward off the seat. A quick start of a carriage may throw a person backward.

Magnetism is a force that is likewise thrown off by sudden starts, stops and jerky motions. To overcome this, unless you think off the fault by mental attention, it is a good habit to be acquired by utilizing the motions of each day's activities in the practice of starting and stopping all movements easily and smoothly. In so doing, your general carelessness, and perhaps awkwardness will wholly disappear, and so add to your power of attraction.