NOTES FROM THE FIELD

JENNIE H. CROFT

The class which Mrs. Sophia Van Marter has been teaching in Seattle, Wash., has met with such success that she has been prevailed upon to teach another at once. The meetings are held and the lessons given at the Metaphysical Library, Room 8 Madison block, 3d and Madison Sts., Sunday evenings. There are so many New Thought societies holding meetings Sunday morning that it is deemed best to hold the Unity Society meetings in the evening. Mrs. Estella E. Gillham, who conducts the Metaphysical Library, is one of our Unity Branch Librarians, and we congratulate her upon this larger work which is now established at her Center.

The Minneapolis Fellowship announce that the Sunday Services are resumed for the season, meetings at 10:45 a. m., at 811 Nicollet Ave. Mrs. Ruth B. Ridges is pastor.

Prof. LeRoy Moore is teaching a good sized and interested class in Buffalo, N. Y. As a result an organization of Truth students is formed with Mrs. W. K. Knight as leader, and our Buffalo subscribers are invited to call at 585 Prospect Ave., and help on the good work. A call has come from Indianapolis, Ind., for Prof. Moore, and he will doubtless go there next.

Graduating exercises were held at the Mental Science College Bryn Mawr, Wash., August 20, 21, and 22. Prof. M. F. Knox graduated a large class with appropriate ceremonies.

From our Branch Library in Niagara Falls, N. Y., comes the following good report which gives in part (we were obliged to con dense for lack of space) something of the history of the Center. Mrs. Mary Steele Stone is Librarian and the meetings are held at her home, 14 C Street. "Mrs. Marjorie Golden Eastman, oi Niagara Falls Centre, Ont., gave some introductory talks on Practical Christianity early in the Spring and from this beginning regular meetings and classes were organized under Mrs. Eastman's leadership, and a broad foundation for future work was laid. That Mrs. Eastman might be recompensed and the "Worth While" library stocked with good books, some of the ladies contributed the work of their hands, lace making, water color painting, china decorating, etc., and the proceeds from the sale of the articles

will be appropriated for this purpose. This is to be a strong spiritual Center for it is established on true principles.”

Mr and Mrs. Benham, Dayton, Tenn., send a letter of acknowledgement for the many responses to their call for volunteers in organizing a Center on their farm upon an island in the Tennessee river. As soon as the work develops the various correspondents will be notified.

Mrs. R. O. Bates, Cliff Way. Santa Cruz, Cal.. has decided to devote ber bome and grounds to New Thought work, and would correspond with bealers, teachers, and those who would help with labor or money. Anyone interested in this line of work can have the "Hopes, Aims and Plans by writing Mrs. Bates at the above address.

A new magazine, "The Philosopher, a Journal of FearlessDess, has come to our desk. This monthly periodical is edited and pablished by W. Dudley Pelley, Fulton, N. Y., for the "propagation of New Thought principles and the advocation of a higher freer mental efficiency in social and religious life." The editor is only twenty years old, and for so young a man he certainly has an outlook on life which is rather unusual and withal radical, but his desire to serve humanity will lead him aright, Price $1.00 a

year.

The following Unity Branch Libraries and Centers have been established in the last month. Mrs. Edith L. Moore, 145 Griffith Ave., San Mateo, Cal.; Mrs. D. E. Arnold, 252 Chelsea St, Sistersville. W. Va.; Mrs. Anna M. Richards, Greystone Park, N. ] ; Mrs. W. K. Knight, 585 Prospect Ave.. Buffalo, N. Y.; Alice O• Kelley, 1721 Berkeley Way, Berkeley Cal. Success to them all.

The Illustrated Times, Buffalo, N. Y., Sunday Sept. 26th. contains the following in the notes from the International Progressive Thought League: "Our reading rooms at 305 Ellicott Square await your pleasure. There you will find much to interest you in the current Progressive Literature of the day. After this we hope to have UNITY on our reading table. Prof. Moore of the Unity Society of Kansas City, Mo., has given us a copy for September, and we already have their delightful child's Magazine, WEE WISDOM.

Hannah More Kohaus has returned to London, England, to resume her work there which has been so greatly blessed. as been spending the summer with friends in Illinois.

She

This department is in fulfillment of the promise of Jesus Christ, "These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."-Mark 16:17-18.

"A CONVENIENT SEASON"

Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for thee.

Spiritual consciousness is the same in all people, for there is but one Man. And mortal consciousness is the same in all. It may manifest differently in different people, but this is only because one individual gives emphasis to one phase of mortal expression, while another individual, in his expression, emphasizes some other phase.

Viewed in this light, it is seen that there is no room for condemnation, and the experiences of others become lessons for our study. If the mind is busy seeking the meaning of an experience, it cannot be busy in condemning.

When Paul preached to Felix, "Felix trembled and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for thee."

The personal, natural consciousness in Felix felt and feared the power of the words of Truth which would have dethroned it if Felix had listened to and accepted the teaching of Paul.

Instead of blaming Felix for putting off his day of salvation, let us consider whether a like tendency may not be working in us, for all have this same mortal

consciousness until it is overcome by the Christ Mind, which establishes the spiritual consciousness.

The golden opportunity for discerning and overcoming the inclination to reject the Spirit is to watch the mental attitude concerning prayer. By daily communion with the Father a new state of consciousness is formed, and it cannot be established in any other way. The mortal knows that its overthrow will come through this communion, and it is always ready with excuses for neglect or postponement of prayer.

A little set formal prayer night and morning does not fulfill the requirement, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door pray to thy Father which seeth in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." All who are quickened in spiritua! understanding know that the Father and the kingdom of God are in man, and that there must be a changing or a turning of the mind from the without to the within before we can find and pray to God. The mind of man has been set on externals; even his God has been external. After understanding comes, that God is in man and that man's seat of power is within, it takes steadfastness and persistence to train and discipline the mind, that it may change its center and work from within instead of from without. Prayer gives this training of the mind. Jesus warned, “Watch.” When excuses keep coming up for putting off the hour of communion with the Father, be on guard. There are always such good excuses, and they seem so imperative. God can wait. things right at hand must be fice of those privileges which salvation.

God must wait. These done even at the sacrimake for health, life,

The man who could not come to the feast because he had bought a piece of ground and must needs go and see it, seems very foolish when we read about him in the Bible, and yet this man is in all of us. The great

supper is always ready; the table is always spread and whenever we will, we may go within, enter into consciousness with the Father, commune with him, partake of his Substance and his Life and be renewed unto life eternal.

Man's continuance in life and health and all good depends upon this daily communion with God. Let us not then say, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for thee." Those who wait for this convenient season find they never come to it. They must sometime begin to make convenient seasons.

After one does drop everything in the external and go apart for prayer, the thoughts at first keep going out. One thing after another will come up demanding immediate attention, and often these things are very trivial. The impulse will be to go first and attend to one thing or another, but all this must be silenced with the word spoken with authority. Say to the thoughts that disturb the hour of prayer, "Be still." If you speak, expecting obedience, every thought will come into harmony and the confusion they have been making will be done away with. Then the still, small voice of the Spirit can be heard.

In this discipline the members of the body also have a part. One who tries for the first time to control himself and become poised in Spirit is surprised at the number of involuntary movements he will make. The hands and the feet must move even if there is no

reason whatever for any movement. The same word, "Be still" will give conscious control of every member of the body.

There are people who can enter the Secret Place of the Most High in a street car, walking along the street, or in any surroundings. But the power to do this has come by daily practice. It was not easy at first; the mind had to be drilled, trained, to go within until it could center there as easily as in the without. Regular time and place for daily prayers helps much to establish in mind that attitude which Paul describes as prayer without ceasing."-E. L. C.