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originates anything。  All his thoughts; all his impulses; come

FROM THE OUTSIDE。



Y。M。  It's an exasperating subject。  The FIRST man had

original thoughts; anyway; there was nobody to draw from。



O。M。  It is a mistake。  Adam's thoughts came to him from the

outside。  YOU have a fear of death。  You did not invent thatyou

got it from outside; from talking and teaching。  Adam had no fear

of deathnone in the world。



Y。M。  Yes; he had。



O。M。  When he was created?



Y。M。  No。



O。M。  When; then?



Y。M。  When he was threatened with it。



O。M。  Then it came from OUTSIDE。  Adam is quite big enough;

let us not try to make a god of him。  NONE BUT GODS HAVE EVER HAD

A THOUGHT WHICH DID NOT COME FROM THE OUTSIDE。  Adam probably had

a good head; but it was of no sort of use to him until it was

filled up FROM THE OUTSIDE。  He was not able to invent the

triflingest little thing with it。  He had not a shadow of a

notion of the difference between good and evilhe had to get the

idea FROM THE OUTSIDE。  Neither he nor Eve was able to originate

the idea that it was immodest to go naked; the knowledge came in

with the apple FROM THE OUTSIDE。  A man's brain is so constructed

that IT CAN ORIGINATE NOTHING WHATSOEVER。  It can only use

material obtained OUTSIDE。  It is merely a machine; and it works

automatically; not by will…power。  IT HAS NO COMMAND OVER ITSELF;

ITS OWNER HAS NO COMMAND OVER IT。



Y。M。  Well; never mind Adam:  but certainly Shakespeare's

creations



O。M。  No; you mean Shakespeare's IMITATIONS。  Shakespeare

created nothing。  He correctly observed; and he marvelously

painted。  He exactly portrayed people whom GOD had created; but

he created none himself。  Let us spare him the slander of

charging him with trying。  Shakespeare could not create。  HE WAS

A MACHINE; AND MACHINES DO NOT CREATE。



Y。M。  Where WAS his excellence; then?



O。M。  In this。  He was not a sewing…machine; like you and

me; he was a Gobelin loom。  The threads and the colors came into

him FROM THE OUTSIDE; outside influences; suggestions;

EXPERIENCES (reading; seeing plays; playing plays; borrowing

ideas; and so on); framed the patterns in his mind and started up

his complex and admirable machinery; and IT AUTOMATICALLY turned

out that pictured and gorgeous fabric which still compels the

astonishment of the world。  If Shakespeare had been born and bred

on a barren and unvisited rock in the ocean his mighty intellect

would have had no OUTSIDE MATERIAL to work with; and could have

invented none; and NO OUTSIDE INFLUENCES; teachings; moldings;

persuasions; inspirations; of a valuable sort; and could have

invented none; and so Shakespeare would have produced nothing。

In Turkey he would have produced somethingsomething up to the

highest limit of Turkish influences; associations; and training。

In France he would have produced something bettersomething up

to the highest limit of the French influences and training。  In

England he rose to the highest limit attainable through the

OUTSIDE HELPS AFFORDED BY THAT LAND'S IDEALS; INFLUENCES; AND

TRAINING。  You and I are but sewing…machines。  We must turn out

what we can; we must do our endeavor and care nothing at all when

the unthinking reproach us for not turning out Gobelins。



Y。M。  And so we are mere machines!  And machines may not

boast; nor feel proud of their performance; nor claim personal

merit for it; nor applause and praise。  It is an infamous

doctrine。



O。M。  It isn't a doctrine; it is merely a fact。



Y。M。  I suppose; then; there is no more merit in being brave

than in being a coward?



O。M。  PERSONAL merit?  No。  A brave man does not CREATE his

bravery。  He is entitled to no personal credit for possessing it。

It is born to him。  A baby born with a billion dollarswhere is

the personal merit in that?  A baby born with nothingwhere is

the personal demerit in that?  The one is fawned upon; admired;

worshiped; by sycophants; the other is neglected and despised

where is the sense in it?



Y。M。  Sometimes a timid man sets himself the task of

conquering his cowardice and becoming braveand succeeds。  What

do you say to that?



O。M。  That it shows the value of TRAINING IN RIGHT

DIRECTIONS OVER TRAINING IN WRONG ONES。  Inestimably valuable is

training; influence; education; in right directionsTRAINING

ONE'S SELF…APPROBATION TO ELEVATE ITS IDEALS。



Y。M。  But as to meritthe personal merit of the victorious

coward's project and achievement?



O。M。  There isn't any。  In the world's view he is a worthier

man than he was before; but HE didn't achieve the changethe

merit of it is not his。



Y。M。  Whose; then?



O。M。  His MAKE; and the influences which wrought upon it

from the outside。



Y。M。  His make?



O。M。  To start with; he was NOT utterly and completely a

coward; or the influences would have had nothing to work upon。

He was not afraid of a cow; though perhaps of a bull:  not afraid

of a woman; but afraid of a man。  There was something to build

upon。  There was a SEED。  No seed; no plant。  Did he make that

seed himself; or was it born in him?  It was no merit of HIS that

the seed was there。



Y。M。  Well; anyway; the idea of CULTIVATING it; the

resolution to cultivate it; was meritorious; and he originated

that。



O。M。  He did nothing of the kind。  It came whence ALL

impulses; good or bad; comefrom OUTSIDE。  If that timid man had

lived all his life in a community of human rabbits; had never

read of brave deeds; had never heard speak of them; had never

heard any one praise them nor express envy of the heroes that had

done them; he would have had no more idea of bravery than Adam

had of modesty; and it could never by any possibility have

occurred to him to RESOLVE to become brave。  He COULD NOT

ORIGINATE THE IDEAit had to come to him from the OUTSIDE。  And

so; when he heard bravery extolled and cowardice derided; it woke

him up。  He was ashamed。  Perhaps his sweetheart turned up her

nose and said; 〃I am told that you are a coward!〃  It was not HE

that turned over the new leafshe did it for him。  HE must not

strut around in the merit of itit is not his。



Y。M。  But; anyway; he reared the plant after she watered the

seed。



O。M。  No。  OUTSIDE INFLUENCES reared it。  At the command

and tremblinghe marched out into the fieldwith other soldiers

and in the daytime; not alone and in the dark。  He had the

INFLUENCE OF EXAMPLE; he drew courage from his comrades' courage;

he was afraid; and wanted to run; but he did not dare; he was

AFRAID to run; with all those soldiers looking on。  He was

progressing; you seethe moral fear of shame had risen superior

to the physical fear of harm。  By the end of the campaign

experience will have taught him that not ALL who go into battle

get hurtan outside influence which will be helpful to him; and

he will also have learned how sweet it is to be praised for

courage and be huzza'd at with tear…choked voices as the war…worn

regiment marches past the worshiping multitude with flags flying

and the drums beating。  After that he will be as securely brave

as any veteran in the armyand there will not be a shade nor

suggestion of PERSONAL MERIT in it anywhere; it will all have

come from the OUTSIDE。  The Victoria Cross breeds more heroes

than



Y。M。  Hang it; where is the sense in his becoming brave if

he is to get no credit for it?



O。M。  Your question will answer itself presently。  It

involves an important detail of man's make which we have not yet

touched upon。



Y。M。  What detail is that?



O。M。  The impulse which moves a person to do thingsthe

only impulse that ever moves a person to do a thing。



Y。M。  The ONLY one!  Is there but one?



O。M。  That is all。  There is only one。



Y。M。  Well; certainly that is a strange enough doctrine。

What is the sole impulse that ever moves a person to do a thing?



O。M。  The impulse to CO

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