But, it may be asked, why do I wish to inform the public about a force, unknown to many, which is capable of evil as well as of good use and results. The answer is simple. Ignorance is no protection against anything, for the knowledge is always possessed of the few who may use it on the ignorant many without suspicion; the greater publicity is given to a thing, and the better it is understood, the better may its good effects be obtained and the less the danger of its improper use - forewarned is forearmed. If a thing is good, the greater publicity given it the greater the good - if it is evil, the brighter the searchlight turned upon it, the less danger is there attendant upon it.

The danger of all evils lies in the darkness of concealment, not in the daylight of publicity. "Turn on the Light" has always been the watchword of progress and civilization. And more particularly is this so at this, the first decade of the Twentieth Century, when the interest in occultism and kindred subjects has made a number of people acquainted with Mind-Power, and has acquainted them with its uses, under various names and theories. And in many cases it is being practiced upon people who are unfamiliar with the subject, and therefore it is time that some one should "turn on the light," that it may be seen by all men and known for what it is - capable of the highest and the lowest uses, but a great force of Nature.

And with this exposition of it, goes the remedy and protection against improper use, as well as the knowledge of its wonderful proper uses. If it be a bane - here is the antidote. But it is not necessarily a bane, any more than steam, electricity, and explosives are a bane to mankind. What would be thought of people who would suppress knowledge of all natural laws, because of the possibility of improper use? Ignorance is no protection. Truth and fact must be followed to the end, and it will be discovered that, in Nature, every force that may be possible of hurtful use, may be guarded against by natural means.

So much for the unpleasant side. But there is a very pleasant side to this subject of Mind-Power. This force has come to man just when he most needs it. He has used the so-called mechanical forces to clear away the obstacles that Nature put into his way in order to develop him into a Man, and now he turns to higher forms of energy and work - he is crying for new worlds to conquer. And these new worlds will be conquered by the mind, rather than by the muscle. Great tilings are before the race, and one of the greatest forces in Nature in the work of the building up of the Super-Man, will be this force called Mind-Power. By it man will be enabled to fight off the forces of ignorance and materialism, and to draw to himself knowledge from the Universal Mind that will enable him to accomplish the heretofore Impossible.

In this book I shall treat Mind-Power as I would any other great force or energy of Nature, i. e., in a scientific manner, stating the principles plainly and without concealment, and also giving in full what I and other experimenters along the lines of this subject have learned of the methods beneficial, and the reverse, concerning the applications of these principles. In the case of the beneficial application-full directions will be given that the student may avail himself of the force to the fullest extent. In the cases where the subject of the harmful use of the force alluded to. the student will be instructed how the same may be prevented, obviated, and neutralized, so that full protection is assured. This is what I should do in lessons upon electricity, steam, or explosives - and that is the course I purpose following in this work.

It is possible that this course may bring upon me the adverse criticism of those who believe "that the public is not ready for such knowledge," and that "such things should be reserved for the few." To such people, and all others, I would say that I have no sympathy with such an attitude, and I believe that the race is ready for all the Truth, and that that which is proper for the few is proper for the many. I believe that the greater the degree of knowledge the greater the degree of power and advancement. I believe that ignorance is not happiness; and that to keep a man ignorant of a natural fact, in order that he may escape its effect, is like allowing him to smoke when seated on a keg of powder rather than to acquaint him with a knowledge of explosives - or, to use another figure, to advise him to bury his bead in the sand like an ostrich, rather than to look upon the approach of a possible danger. I do not believe in such sophistry! I do not believe in Ignorance I I do not believe in Darkness! Therefore, I purpose to "turn on the light!"