________________
preliminary work is done, what is the best way of teaching the boy to think correctly from premises. For the logical reason cannot proceed without premises. It either infers from facts to a conclusion, or from previously formed conclusions to a fresh one, or from one fact to another. It either induces, deduces or simply infers. I see the sun. rise day after day, I conclude or induce that it rises as a law daily after a varying interval of darkness. I have already ascertained that wherever there is smoke, there is fire. I have induced that general rule from an observation of facts. I deduce that in a particular case of smoke, there is a fire behind. I infer that a man must have let it froin the improbability of any other cause under the particular circumstances. I cannot deduce it because fire is not always created by human kindling; it may be volcanic or caused by a stroke of lighting or the sparks from some kind of friction in the neighbourhood.
There are three elements necessary to correct reasoning, first, the correctness of the facts or conclusious I start froin, secondly, the completeness as well as accuracy of the data I start from. thirdly, the elimination of other possible or imposible conclusions from the same facts. The fallibility of the logical reason is due partly to avoidable negligence and looseness in securing these conditions, partly to the difficulty of getting all the facts correct, still more to the difficulty of getting all the facts complete, most of all, to the extreme difficulty of eliminating all possible conclusions except the one which happens to be right. No fact is supposed to be more perfectly established than the universality of the law of gravitation as an imperative rule, yet a single new fact inconsistent with it would upset this supposed universality. And such facts exist. Nevertheless, by care and keenness the fallibility may be reduced to its
minimu.
The usual practice is to train the logical reason by teaching the Seience of Logic. This is an instance of the prevalent error which book knowledge of a thing is minde the object of study instead of the thing itself. The experience of reasoning and its errors should be given to the mind and it should be taught to observe how these work for itself;
KARMAYOGIN.
it should proceed from the example to the rule and from the accumulating harmony of rules to the formal science of the subject, not from the formal science to the rule, and from the rule to the example.
The first step is to make the young mind interest itself in drawing inferences from the facts, tracing cause and effect. It should then be led on to notice its successes and its failures and the reason of the success and of the failure; the incorrectness of the fact started froin, the haste in drawing conclusions from insufficient facts, the care
lessness in accepting a conclusion which is improbable, little supported by the data or open to doubt, the indolence or prejudice which does not wish to cosider other possible explanations or conclusions. In this way the mind can be trained to reason as correctly as the fallibility of human logic will allow, minimising the chance of error. The study of formal logic should be postponed to a late period when it can easily be mastered in a very brief period, since it will be only the systematising of the art perfectly well known to the student.
CONVERSATIONS OF THE DEAD.
30
Guru and Chelas in Pitrilok.
Guru; Pralaya is come! Pralaya is come! Upon the darkened earth. draws down the cloud of confusion and doom. It is the twilight of that gods, the meeting-point of ages, into which is cast the past, out of which shall emerge the future. How strange that to the common world, seeing nothing but the objects of the senses, the present is as yesterday and to-morrow but an added day! Is there, in all the universe, another mingling of vision and blindness like that of man? Chorus of Chelan:
"Power Thou art, give us power! Thou art strong, give us strength! Energy art. Thou,give us energy!" Guru. Here, amidst the psychic realities of Swarga, how impossible. is it to darken the eyes: Almost one must weigh and measure the opposing forces. How hardly can one refuse to number and estimate the chances of victory. But the spiritual battle must be recognised. How sharp and burning blew the desert wind, but a moment ago, in the passage to earth of those ruthless spirits, whose lust of pride and
3
power, at any cost to man, makes them like lights sombre of hue, burning in sulphurous atmos pheres! How cool and sweet is the breath of this army of young souls, whose chanted prayers even now break in upon my reverie! Chorus of Chelas
"Energy art Thou, give us
energy! Oh make us strong, even as the thunder-bolt,
"
To keep our vow, of purity for life: " Guru: Standing here on the inner side of the doors of birth, and watching the souls pass through into the world, it is given to me to read each man's destiny in the great Pralaya. As the eyes of my own turn towards me, at the last. Ere he lifts the curtain and vanishes into earth-life, I see whether failure or success awaits him, on the battle-field of the spirit, and I give the ashirbul that will be his star of life. Failure or success! Ah, speed into the dusk of time, ye souls so bravely destined! And blessed be ye who shall be defented! For ye also are mine Ye above all need comforting! Yea, and ye shall yet conquer, in another age!
One amongst the chelas; Hush! Let us cease our praying and keep silence for a while! Surely the Guru called' I heard his voice! Listen! It comes Let us arise and go forth! again. The time is come! We come, Oh Lord! We come!
Gurn to the first soul; Thou ardent soul, the first to hear my voice. thou goest forth into the night of life and time. Be strong. Keep ever this thy love. To thee will come the new. Test it. And when thou seest, think not it was thine. Make vision into deeds. Be farth ful and endure.
To the second: Thou strong and steadfast sentinel! To thee I give the light within the heart. Let it shine far, in quiet faith, and light thy path with eonfidence serene. Men, it may be, will call thee great. Let not thine ears hear these, the vores of the crowd.lest thine hand slacken on the lamp it boats. These are the dreams of the sense-life alone. Look thou straight on, and be not. drawn aside.
To the thirl: My playful child. Unspoilt thou dancest through thy days. Laughter and song an ent on thy lips. Par is not n •
