But, asks one, what is the bearing of this on our study and on our singing. It has been plain to me as a teacher, and it grows stronger every year, that all success in singing arises from a comprehension of the ego within us, and the cultivation of these attributes bearing directly upon singing and music. Three only of those attributes may be considered now.
First,—ambition. What would you become? Yes, a musician and singer. Consult one who knows your body better than you and enough of your mind to judge well, and if he says you may become one, plan your life work to making your ambition gratified. Aim high. But few persons lack the capacity of singing well. The goal of most is that, to sing well. At home only, it may be. For friends, and for self-pleasure. Others would become professional artists. Aim at the highest and best. No ambition is too high and, provided we will cultivate the ego, no ambition will remain ungratified. Do not be modest in expectancy. Nothing is too good or too high, too great or too noble for the God within us. Therefore plan large things.
Second—thought. Having planned a broad campaign and having resolved on faithfulness, bend the thought toward the result. Now, thought is not the subtle nonentity we let ourselves consider it. The text of a book recently examined is, "Thoughts are things." Thought is an emanation of the ego; a messenger of the mind. We shoot thoughts out by the thousands and millions. Generally we fly them at random. If they strike a mark we gain a result. Stop shooting them at random, aim correctly, hit the mark each time and each thought brings a result. Pure thought, the thought from the ambitious ego, is upward, and when centered, concentrated on the plan which ambition has prompted, it carries that plan onward—upward—to the end, success. Concentration of thought, say you? Do we not have it? Let me ask you to fix the thought on one object five seconds. Tear this paper slowly from end to end and think of nothing else while doing it. Probably the thought during the five seconds will embrace a dozen things besides the act of tearing. Of what paper is made, how far apart the lines are, be the texture fine, how much does it cost, some other paper bought last week, where you bought it, the salesman who served you, what a frightful rainy day that was, how you caught cold and what a scolding you got at home for being out—a long way from the act of tearing. The first thought is lost. Concentrate. Acquire the habit of concentration. In nothing more than in thinking should we say, "Do one thing at a time." Concentration of thought makes steady growth of the plan of ambition's suggestion and moves it on to success.
Third—expression. Every growth produces another. Emerson says in substance that the end of every act is but the beginning of another. It used to be said that if a man made $5,000 he was sure to become rich—meaning that the money invested and reinvested, and added to by constant earning, would surely bring wealth. Every growth of attribute of mind, be it of those mentioned or of others, develops possibilities of further growth. Love, a powerful attribute of the ego, first circles in the home, then expands into the circle of friends, then reaches the business, society, the world. One begins by caring for the want of a hurt bird or other pet. He ends by raising and healing mankind. One quietly slips a few pennies into the hand of an unfortunate. He ends by being a philanthropist. One speaks a kind word. He ends by raising the fallen. These, you see, touch upon sympathy, helpfulness. Each attribute expands. Have you followed? Isn't this true? How, then, about desire for refinement? If the others expand, will not that? A noble thought, an association with the pure in art, and beauty in poem, story, song, sky, flower, but leads us to another even more beautiful. Each touch of beauty, of docility, of refinement, expands that line of our ego, and we feel ourselves raised, drawing nearer and nearer that great Mind, and keeping us more and more in that grace which passeth all understanding. The end must be success in our plan. Mental growth means more power to grasp and wrest from circumstances and the world itself, successful prosecution of the plan which ambition framed. Successful prosecution means ultimate success.
In mind I hear some one say, this is good theory and a beautiful picture. What of it is practical enough for my mind. Let us turn for a few minutes to a darker side and then again to the brighter, and see if a practical word does not exist for each. What prevents success, and is there false success?
A few minutes ago I spoke of the bodies which the ego inhabits. Those bodies possess attributes and faculties. St. Paul said once that he would be out of the body and be in the spirit; meaning, as I believe, that he would rather live in the ego, and not be hindered by the body. The body must be fed and clothed. It has appetites. Appetite grows, requiring more delicacies, higher spiced and richer food, and perhaps more food. Clothing takes much attention, and develops pride and vanity. Has not each said many a time, "If I but had time to attend to study and did not have to attend to my clothes, my food, and take the time to earn money for them, I could do so much"? True, but the body is here and if these things are not done, the ego would have no home in which to stay. The care of the body is necessary. Cannot, however, even these necessary demands be somewhat reduced for the sake of attending to the ego within, more fully? If not, cannot the appetite and the pride, which, after all, give no satisfaction when all is done, be so held in check by care and reasonableness that the demands of body will not grow upon us? After all, those necessary demands of body, grown abnormal, or into the unnecessary, are not so bad as other attributes of body. Laziness! Light gossip! Fretting! Uncleanness! Disease! These things can't be part of the ego, for the real man is the "breath of life"—God. They must be of body. They are the things which play havoc with our time, our energy, our thought. It is a commonly accepted belief that man must be now and then on the sick bed. That commonly-accepted belief is slowly but surely disappearing before the fact that the body only becomes diseased as it is neglected, overfed or attacked by bacillæ. If a plant dies we look for the worm at its root, or the insect on the leaf. If it has had good soil, earth and sun, we expect it to flourish. The body is the same material—dust. Attend it, not abuse it, and except from contagion it will serve us without disease. Solomon said, "Know thyself." Maybe he meant know to care for the body. When this is done the ego is allowed its chance to go to success. Without it, the body, full of appetite, pride, hatred, laziness, envy, fretfulness and disease, weighs with compelling force, the ego down to earth. Instead of success follows failure. Emancipate the ego from the body before even planning. This body and this alone can cause failure. A success arising from a pretty face, a good figure, graceful dancing, agile singing and trifling speech is false success and is worse than failure. How about circumstances and their influences? Surroundings. They surely effect us. Yes, but just so surely as the ego throws off the lower self, within the body, and resolves to rise, just so quick will the circumstances and surroundings begin to change. Just so fast as the ego develops its attributes just so fast will appropriate circumstances and surroundings for its further growth open. Like begets like. Water seeks its level. Seek low things on bodily planes and low friends will surround you. Like is with like. Raise yourself a peg and you will find those with whom you can follow. Your old associates will not go with you, and some will call you mean and cry, "Come back," and try to pull you back. Bid them adieu and go higher. New surroundings are there and will make a place for you in them. The past becomes a stepping stone and if you have cleared the ego of your own body, you will rise again. Like draws like. The new friends, the new town, the new music, the new activity will lend you their aid to go higher. Clear yourself at each step of the weight brought on by body and circumstances will seem different. "God helps him who helps himself." Those who would pull back are by our very inertia cast off. We rise to success.
The thousand things which might be well said in connection with the subject must be left. Recapitulation and application to the individual singing student show these:
1st. Plan, and concentrate thought on its execution.
2d. Cultivate the real self and not permit the shell or body to dominate.
3d. By that command of the self, win friends and compel success. That which conduces most toward success is even disposition and geniality. These grow into kindly independence which develops for us experience.