"Begin by studying your eyes in a mirror. You will see that in the center of the eye-ball there is a black spot; this is called the "pupil" of the eye. The larger circle surrounding the pupil is called the "iris." The white of the eye surrounds the iris. The upper eyelid moving over the eyeball produces a variety of expressions, each giving to the face a totally different appearance, or expression of suggestive meaning. All recognize the meaning of these different expressions, but very few of us understand the mechanism producing the impression. Standing before your mirror, study these various expressions. The following exercises may help you.

"1, Hold the upper lid in such a position that its edge rests half-way between the pupil and top of the iris. This gives an expression of Calmness.

"2. Rest the edge of the upper eyelid at the top of the pupil. This gives an expression of Indifference.

"3. The edge of the eyelid resting at the top of the iris gives an expression of Strong Interest.

"4. The edge of the eyelid resting half-way over the pupil gives an expression of Deep Thought.

"5. The edge of the eyelid resting just above the edge of the iris, and thus showing a narrow strip of white between the edge of the lid and the edge of the iris, gives an expression of Emotional Activity.

"6. The above position, exaggerated so as to show as much of the white as possible between the edge of the iris and the edge of the lid, will give an expression of Emotional Excitement.

"Practice the above expressions and positions. With a little practice nearly every one may easily acquire the art of expression in the first four exercises, but the last two are more difficult of ac-quirement. The last exercise - Emotional Excitement - especially, is found to be quite difficult of attainment, and but a small percentage are able to produce the expression without considerable practice. Practice these movements until you can reproduce them without the aid of the mirror, just as a man may learn to shave without a mirror, by constant practice before one. The exercises will not only enable you to express the different mental states easily and freely, but will also tend to strengthen the muscles and nerves of the eyes themselves, providing that you proceed gradually and do not overtask the eyes at the beginning. Do not scowl, or contract the brows in the practices. A few minutes at a time is all that you should use in practicing.

"When you have mastered the above exercises, especially Nos. 5 and 6, you may try the following, which is the most difficult of all:

"7. Rest the eyelid in the position of Strong Interest (No. 3), and then at the same time lift the edge of the under lid to the lower edge of the pupil. This position gives the expression of Close Scrutiny.

"You will be surprised at the added power of expression that the careful practice of the above exercises will give you. You will be able to manifest more suggestive feeling, and will induce emotional states of feeling in others. A little practice will give you such convincing proof of this that you will not need urging to further perfect yourself in them. The expressions of Emotional Activity and Emotional Excitement especially will produce a startling result if used on appropriate occasions when you wish to exhibit the appearance of the deepest emotional excitement and force."

Development Exercises

The following Development Exercises are highly recommended by the same teacher who has devoted years to study and experiment along these lines:

"1. Open the eyes quite widely, but not so widely as to strain them, and hold them in that position for a few seconds, gazing into your mirror, which must be directly in front of you on a level with your eyes. "While gazing open them a trifle wider still, without straining, and throw an intense expression into them. Do not move the eyebrows, but allow them to remain normal.

"2. Resume the above position, and then change to the expression of Strong Interest (see previous exercises), looking at yourself in the glass just as you would in looking at another person with that expression.

"3. Resume position 1, and then gradually change to the expression of Emotional Activity (see previous exercises), gazing at yourself in the mirror.

"4. Resume position 1, and then gradually change to the expression of Emotional Excitement (see previous exercises), gazing at yourself in the mirror.

"5. Resume position 1, and then gradually change to the expression of Close Scrutiny (see previous exercises), gazing at yourself in the mirror.

"In the above exercises you must act as if the reflection of yourself in the mirror were in reality another person whom you wished to influence. The better you act this out, the better will your results be.

"6. Practice the expression of Strong Interest on persons to whom you are listening, until you feel that you have awakened a response in them, I may add that the expression of Deep Interest consists of but the same expression heightened by more feeling behind it; and the expression of Loving Interest is the same, "only more so." This "more feeling" may be either real or assumed, as in the case of the good actor.

"7. Practice the expression of Close Scrutiny upon other persons upon appropriate occasions in which you desire to appear as taking a deep, critical interest in some proposition, undertaking, theory, etc. Many persons have built up a reputation for being 'good listeners* and 'keen observers' by this practice. I mention it for what it may be worth to you. I am merely giving you the 'rules of the game,' not necessarily advising you to play it."

And now I have reached that part of my subject in which I must speak of the power of the eye to convey mentative force. Owing to some law of nervous mechanism not fully understood as yet, the eye is one of the most effective mediums for the passage of mentative currents from one person to another.

I shall not attempt to indulge in any special theory on the subject but shall proceed to the description of the facts of the case. I may add, however, that advanced occultists inform us that portions of the human brain, during a manifestation of strong emotional effort, or exercise of will, resembles an incandescent surface, glowing and phosphorescent. And that also there are seen great beams of this incandescent energy streaming out from the eyes of the person, and reaching the mind of other persons. And more than this, these "beams" of energy transmit mental states, thoughts, etc., of the person, just as scientists have found that "beams of light" will carry waves of electricity, and have thus been able to send telegraphic, and even telephonic messages over such beams of light.