Mental suggestion produces its effect upon the minds of people along one or more of four general lines or paths of action. All the phenomena coming under this head may be placed in one or more of the four classes. These four paths, or lines of action, along which Mental Suggestion operates, are as follows:

1. Obedience

2. Imitation;

3. Association;

4. Repetition.

I shall now proceed to consider these four paths, or lines of action, separately, in order, and in detail. Beginning with the first mentioned line of action, let us consider:

Suggestion Through Obedience - Suggestion operating along this line consists of the induction of mental states, etc., by the agency of a positive statement, assertion, assumption, authoritative attitude, etc., which so impresses itself upon the mind of the person suggested to that he sets up no opposition or resistance, but acquiesces quietly to the suggestion made to him.

The most common form of this first method of Suggestion is seen in the very general acquiescence to real or pretended "authority" on the part of the majority of people. When such people hear a statement made, positively and in a tone of conviction, by some person in authority, they accept the statement, and the feelings arising from the accepted statement, without resistance, and without any attempt to submit the matter to the exercise of their reason. And this is true not only when the person speaking has really a right to speak authoritatively, by virtue of his knowledge, experience, wisdom, etc., hut also when some pretender sets up an appearance of authority, and speaking in a positive style, assuming the "Thus saith the Lord" manner, impresses his hearers with the idea he wishes to suggest to them. And then the good folk meekly acquiesce without question and allow their feelings to be aroused accordingly, for the feelings are generally followed by actions in accord therewith.

It is astonishing, from one point of view, to see how obedient to this form of suggestion the masses of people are. They will allow their mental states, feelings and emotion to be induced by the impudent statements, and claims of cunning, shrewd and designing men, as well as by ignorant self-deluded fanatics, who thus influence and sway them. These self-constituted authorities utter their oracular statements and opinions in a tone of absolute certainty, and the crowd takes them at their own valuation. It seems to be only necessary for some positive man to attract the attention of the people and then make some bold claim or statement, in the proper manner and tone, and with their appearance of authority, and lo! some of the people, at least, fall into line.

Did you ever think that people as a rule are " obedient animals?" Well, they are, providing you can manage to impress them with your authority. It is much easier for them to acquiesce than to refuse to do so. They find it easier to say and think "Yes" rather than "No." Their will is not often called into action by their reason and judgment, it being too often entirely under the control of the feeling and emotional side of them.

There is a fundamental law under this phase of suggestive action, and in order to find it we must go back to the beginning of the race, perhaps farther. In the earlier days among animals and men, there were natural leaders, who ruled by force of might of body or mind. These natural leaders were implicitly obeyed by the masses, who had learned by experience that it was better for the tribe, or herd, as a whole, to be governed by their strongest and sharpest-witted members. And so gradually this dominant idea of acquiescence and obedience to authority developed and became a fixture in the race-mind. And it is firmly planted in the mind of the race today, so much so that only the strongest minds are able to free themselves from it to any great extent. It is authority here, and authority there, in law, letters, religion, politics, and every other field of human endeavor. People do not begin by asking themselves: "What do I think about this matter!" but instead start off by saying: " What does So-and-So think of it?" Their "So-and-So" is their authority, who does their thinking for them, and they take their keynote from him or her. The authority induces their mental states for them.

If these leaders and authorities were really the wisest of the race, it would not matter so very much, although even then it might prevent the development of individuality in the masses. But the worst feature is that the majority of these "authorities" don't know, and know that they don't know, but the people haven't found them out. They assume the manners, air, appearance, etc., of "the real thing," and the people being accustomed to these symbols of authority, and mistaking the imitation article for the real, are impressed by the authoritative utterance and accept the suggestion.

This fact is well known to the classes that prey upon the public. The "confidence men" (in and out of the criminal class) assume this air of authority, and their suggestions are accepted by the people. They are good actors - that is one of the requisites of the suggestionist, and these people understand the law. They proceed upon the theory accredited to Aaron Burr - that remark, you may remember, was that "the law is that which is boldly asserted and plausibly maintained." And so these folk keep on "boldly asserting," and "plausibly maintaining," and find that "it generally goes."

To see a principle in its naked simplicity one should look for its operation in extreme instances. And the extreme instance in this ease is the hypnotic "subject" who has surrendered bis judgment entirely to the mind of the operator. The "subject" will acquiesce in the most absurd suggestions from the operator and proceed to carry them into effect. And suggestion, you know, is the active factor in hypnotism, the hypnotic condition being only a psychological condition in which the effect of suggestion is heightened.