In concluding this chapter, I would especially caution young women, and older ones for that matter, against allowing men to be familiar with them in the direction of "holding hands," or similar practices. Not only does this "familiarity breed con-tempt" but there are good psychological reasons why the practice is to be condemned. You have seen what part the hands play in "magnetizing" as it is called, and is it not clearly discernible how one may use the hands in this "petting," and all that sort of thing, in order to psychologically affect another person? I am not speaking now of the caresses indulged in by honorable true lovers - for all the talk in the world would not change that sort of thing - hut I am alluding to the indiscriminate "pawing over" on the part of strange men that some young girls allow. There is a danger in this sort of thing, and I want you to know it. If you have daughters, or young female relatives, warn them against this thing, and tell them the reason why.

And the same thing is true of the man who is always patting other men on the shoulder, or resting his arm around them, or else "taking hold of them" in a friendly caressing way during a conversation. Such men may not know the psychology of the thing, but they have found out that this sort of "patting up" makes other men more impressible, and amenable to their influence, and so they practice it. Make them stop it, either by moving away, or by positive denial.

Now, once more, remember the power of this pos-itive denial as a disperser, and disintegrator of adverse influence. If this book taught you nothing else, it would still be "worth while" to you because of this one point of instruction. For this positive denial is a mentative armor that will protect you - a mentative sword that will defend you - a mentative lightning flash that will clear the mental atmosphere. Learn the secret of positive statement, and positive denial, and you are clad in an invulnerable armor and are armed with the weapon of power - and so you may, like the "Warrior Bold." go "gaily to the fray."

But, after all, the secret of influence in our dynamic individual lies in his mental states. The outer forms are but reflections of the inner. If you will cultivate the connection between your mind and the great Universal Will - the Universal Mind-Power - then your will becomes so strong that the outward expressions will come of themselves. But in mounting the first steps of attainment, it becomes iinpor-ant for the student to pay attention to the outward characteristics, because by so doing he makes a clearer mental path for the acquisition of the desired mental states. By the very laws of mental suggestion he is able to imitate these outward expressions, and thus induce in himself the mental states, which, in time, become habitual. I do not mean that one should allow the suggestion of the other's ap-pearance to move him in this way - this is not the idea. What I mean is that one may by auto-suggestion so reproduce the outward characteristics associated with a desired mental state or, quality, and by acting them out actually materialize into reality the mental states themselves. Remember the rule - mental states take form in action - and action reproduces their associated mental states I It is a rule that works both ways. The voice makes the phonographic record - and the latter reproduces the sound! Remember this illustration ,for it will help you to get the right conception of the psychological law underlying the phenomenon.

There is a certain point to which I would direct your attention at this stage. I refer to the well-known psychological fact that "mental states express themselves in physical action." Every mental state has its associated physical action. And these actions when perceived by another person, are apt to induce similar mental states in that person, along the lines of mental suggestion. But there is another law, less understood by the public, and that is that "the manifestation of physical action tends to induce in the mind of the person performing it, the mental states generally associated with the production of the action."

Let us take a common example, to illustrate the operation of these two related laws. Let us suppose that you are holding a mental state of anger, fight. combativeness, etc. In that case you will find that your brows will frown; your jaws will be fixed in a savage "bite," and slightly protruded; and your hands will be clenched - the mental state has taken form in physical action. Very well, then - you all recognize this fact.

But there is the law reversed. If you will frown deeply; clench your fists savagely; fix your jaws in a fighting trim, etc., and will maintain that physical attitude for five minutes, at the same time allowing it to manifest in your walk, etc. (as it surely will) without interference, you will find yourself growing into a mental state of annoyance, combativeness, etc., and if you keep it up long enough, you will be "mad in earnest." So true is this that if you carry the thing far enough, and run into someone else, you will be very apt to "get into a row" with him. And, still more remarkable is the fact, the person that you "run into" will be very apt to take up the mental suggestion of your manner, and will also "feel fighty." It would not take much to stir up trouble between the two of you.

And, still more remarkable, if you continue this physical attitude until it produces the mental state, you will find that you are inducing similar mental states in those around you, by the agency of menta-tive currents. So you see the close connection between physical action, mental states, suggestion, and telementation! They act, and re-act upon each other. What has been said of the mental state of anger applies equally to any intense feeling or mental state. Like begets like, along all the lines mentioned.

Now, all this means that the man who is possessed of a strong mental state will manifest, unconsciously, the physical actions which will affect others, along the lines of mental suggestion - he will not have to study the question of what suggestions to use, providing he "feels" sufficiently strong to automatically manifest the actions. But when a man does not "feel" sufficiently strong to manifest the suggestive actions, he may produce the same effect by "acting the part" (without being actually involved in it) by first reproducing the physical actions, which will thus induce a sufficiently strong mental state to manifest itself both along the line of suggestion, and also along the line of personal magnetism. Every good actor induces feeling in you in this way, along both these lines. And you may do the same if you Want to - many dynamic people are doing it every day.

On this subject, so far as I have gone, I have given you a most important secret of psychological infl-ence, in a plain, practical way - so simple in fact that there is a risk of many of you entirely overlooking its importance. Better go back over this part of the lesson again - many times - until you are able to catch its inner meaning, and are able to read between its lines. It's quite worth while, I assure you.

Of course, some of my kind critics will take me to task for teaching this "acting out" idea. They will call it "inculcating principles of deceit," etc., etc. - and will then go on their way admiring "magnetic" personalities, and regretting the absence of "tact" in other persons who have rubbed them the wrong way. I have noticed that these hyper-critical people are generally hypo-critical as well.

I have known many good men who were not "dynamic," and the world "turned them down," and often "jumped all over them." And I have known quite a number, not quite so good, who possessed quite a goodly degree of dynamic force, and the world received them with open arms, and showered its praises and rewards upon them. But this does not mean that one cannot be "good" and "dynamic" at the same time. There are plenty of "good" men who are highly "dynamic" - and there are plenty of "bad" men equally so. And there are plenty both good and bad, who lack "dynamic-force." But, note this fact, please - that the good men, and the bad men, who are highly "dynamic," generally manage to "get there," along their own line of life. And both the good and bad who lack "dynamic-force" are generally stranded along the wayside. Dynamic-force is neither good nor bad - it is a natural force - and is used by all. In this respect it is like any other natural force.

And, then again, this book is not for the purpose of teaching the "bad" use of "dynamic-force," rather than the "good." It states the principles and the law, as they are. It is true that the bad man may take advantage of the law and use it for bad purposes; but so may the good man take advantage of it and make himself a greater power for good.

"dynamic-force" is just as effective in the "preacher" as it is in the "confidence man" - and just as effective in the salesman and business man, and everyday person, as it is in either the preacher or the confidence man. It is a natural quality, and has nothing to do with "good and bad" - any more than has elocution, oratorical ability, or personal appearance.

If the good folk prefer to leave this important subject for the bad folk, that is their own concern, not mine. Personally, I feel like the old preacher, who was remonstrated with by some hide-bound old parishioner regarding certain musical innovations that had been introduced in the church service. The old preacher looked kindly at the old veteran " conservative" of the flock, and said: "Well, brother, it may strike you in a different way, but to me it seems wrong to allow the Devil to monopolize all the good music - I believe in giving the Lord his share of it." And I say "Amen!" to this idea.

If "dynamic mentation" was as much used to further the interests of right, as it has been to further the interests of wrong, the old world would get down to a little easier motion. If the preacher would make his talks as "dynamic" as the actor does his plays, and the lawyer does his appeals to the jury, there would surely be "something doing" in church work, and the prevailing emptiness of the pews would be cured. If "goodness" was made as attractive as "badness," the Devil would be placed on the retired list.