Self Help

Nitrogen is one of the chief necessities of plant life and oxygen one of the mainstays of animal life. Near the top of very high mountains the air becomes very light, because it contains but little nitrogen, which is the reason why plant life cannot exist there.

On the other hand, the "light" air found in high altitudes consists largely of oxygen, which is the chief reason why tubercular patients are sent to high altitudes.

Render more service than that for which you are paid and you will soon be paid for more than you render. The law of "Increasing Returns" takes care of this. Even this brief statement concerning molecules, atoms, electrons, air, ether and the like, may be heavy reading to the student, but, as will be seen shortly, this introduction plays an essential part as the foundation of this lesson. Do not become discouraged if the description of this foundation appears to have none of the thrilling effects of a modern tale of fiction.

You are seriously engaged in finding out what are your available powers and how to organize and apply these powers. To complete this discovery successfully you must combine determination, persistency and a well-defined DESIRE to gather and organize knowledge.

The late Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the long distance telephone and one of the accepted authorities on the subject of vibration, is here introduced in support of this author's theories concerning the subject of vibration: Suppose you have the power to make an iron rod vibrate with any desired frequency in a dark room.

At first, when vibrating slowly, its movement will be indicated by only one sense, that of touch. As soon as the vibrations increase, a low sound will emanate from it and it will appeal to two senses.

At about 32,000 vibrations to the second the sound will be loud and shrill, but at 40,000 vibrations it will be silent and the movements of the rod will not be perceived by touch. Its movements will be perceived by no ordinary human sense. From this point up to about 1,500,000 vibrations per second, we have no sense that can appreciate any effect of the intervening vibrations.

After that stage is reached, movement is indicated first by the sense of temperature and then, when the rod becomes red hot, by the sense of sight. At 3,000,000 it sheds violet light. Above that it sheds ultra-violet rays and other invisible radiations, some of which can be perceived by instruments and employed by us.