By this term is mental self-suggestion, or suggestions given by one to his own mind. This is a most interesting and important phase of the subject, and will be dealt with fully in the chapters on Mental Architecture, etc., under which head it falls. It is by auto-suggestions that so many people have "made themselves over," mentally, and have become that which they willed to be. Its principles are precisely the same as in the other forms of suggestion, except that the treatment is given by one's self instead of by another person.

The vehicles of suggestion, i. e., the voice, the manner, etc., have been alluded to in other chapters as we proceeded.

An eminent teacher of the use of suggestion in commercial pursuits, in speaking of the effect of suggestion in inducing mental states, says: "You can make a man think with you if you work on his feelings or higher nature, even though you run counter to his ordinary judgment. If in this way you can dazzle his reason sufficiently, you can spur him to almost any action of which man is capable.' And this teacher is perfectly right in bis statement although he follows the old "subjective mind" idea and identifies "feeling" with the "higher nature,' instead of treating it as belonging to the emotive pole of mentation. And, if I may be pardoned, I would suggest that the above statement would be a little nearer the true state of affairs if he had said "You can make a man feel with you if you work on his emotive mentality," etc.

The teachers of Business Psychology very ably instruct their pupils in the art of suggestion in the process of making sales. They instruct the sales men to first gain the prospective customer's "at-tention," then "arouse his interest," then awaken "desire," and then - close the sale. These steps in the psychology of salesmanship apply equally well to the science of advertising, or any other appeal to the minds of people, and are logically correct. The attention once gained, the mind becomes more on less receptive; the mind once receptive, interest is aroused and a greater degree of receptivity is in duced; interest is gradually led to desire, induced by the subtle suggestion of words and the exhibition of the article to be sold; and at last, when the proper psychological state is aroused, the trained salesman gently but firmly gives the positive suggestion of authority, or demand, pointing to the place where the customer must sign his Dame, thus using suggestion along both the lines of acquiescence and imitation - and the order is taken. Did you ever subscribe to a book at the solicitation of a good book agent? Well, if you did, and will let your mind run backward over the proceeding, you will see how the above rule works in practice. (1) Attention, (2) Interest, (3) Desire, (4) Sale - these are the steps of salesmanship by suggestion; and advertising sales as well. Great is suggestion in business!

I have known salesmen to gently suggest the closing of a sale by handing the customer a fountain pen, placed at the "suggestive slant," at the same time pointing to the space on the order blank, with the "take-it-for-granted" tone and utterance: "Sign right here, please!" - and it was signed.

The largest employers of agents have regular training schools, in which the new agents are given the benefit of the experience of the old hands at the business - and some of these old hands could give a professional suggestionist points on his own science. The agent is told how the different classes of people act, the objections they will be likely to raise, and how the trained agent may overcome these obstacles by clever work, including, of course, an intelligent use of suggestion. The average person would be surprised at the ideas advanced and the knowledge of suggestion possessed by some of these men.

One of these agents once told me that one of the first things he learned when starting to work was that the agent should never permit the customer to take his "prospectus," or sample pages, in his own hands. He said to me: "I always keep the prospectus in my own hands, for if I let it get away from me I will have lost the power of controlling the attention and interest of the customer. He will then have the matter in his own hands, and will have gotten away from me - he will then do the leading, instead of my doing it. I always keep the upper hand of my man or woman. I do the leading, guiding, directing and influencing myself - I keep the controlling gear in my own hands, always." And, in the science of advertising, also, there is a constant use of suggestion - usually conscious and premeditated. This is taught in the "courses" and "schools" of advertising, and the "ad. men" are well grounded on the subject. The use of the " direct command," as the "ad. men" call it, is very common. People are positively told to do certain things in these advertisements. They are told to "Take home a cake of Hinky-dink's Soap tonight; your wife needs it!" And they do it. Or they see a mammoth hand pointing down at them from a sign, and almost hear the corresponding mammoth voice, as it says (in painted words) : " Say, you! Smoke Honey-Dope Cigars; they're the best ever!!!" And, if you manage to reject the command the first time, you will probably yield at the repeated suggestion of the same thing being hurled at you at every corner and high fence, and "Honey-Dope" will be your favorite brand until some other suggestion catches you. Suggestion by authority and repetition, remember; that's what does the business for you! They call this "the Direct Command" in the advertising schools.