This Desire-Force is a primitive, elemental thing. It is found in the animal kingdom, and among the lower races of men, perhaps more clearly than among the higher types of men, but only because in such instances it is seen stripped of the covering, sheaths, disguises and masks that surround the more civilized forms and planes of life.
But remember this well, the same principle is manifested under and beneath the polished veneer of civilized life -- the Desire-Force of the cultured leader of men is as elemental as that animating the fierce and shaggy caveman or the wild Berserker who, naked and half-mad, rushed upon overwhelming hordes of his enemy, brushing them aside like flies -- that is, if you will but look beneath the polished surface. In the old wild days Desire manifested its force on the physical plane -- now it manifests on the Mental Plane -- that is the only difference, the Force is the same in both cases.
While we write, there has just been produced on stage a new play that illustrates this principle. The heroine, the daughter of an old New York family of high social standing and wealth, has a dream of her life in a former incarnation, in which she sees herself torn from the arms of her cave-dweller father by the mighty arms of a fierce savage chief, whose desire is manifested through the physical. She awakens from her dream, and to her horror soon discovers the face of her dream-captor on a man who comes into her father's life in New York.
This man comes from the West, forceful, resourceful and desirous, beating down all before him in the game of finance. As of old, he places his foot not on the neck of his enemies -- but on the mental-plane, this time, instead of the physical. The same old Desire for power is strong within him -- the same old masterfulness manifests itself. This man says: ``I have never quit; I have never been afraid.''
The same old Desire then flamed up in the savage now manifests in the Master of Wall Street, and between the force of its Attraction and the coupled and allied force of his Will, he repeats the performances of his previous incarnation -- but on the plane of mental forces and achievement this time -- mind, not muscle, being the instrument through which the Desire manifests.
We give the above example merely as an illustration of the fact that Desire is the motivating force that moves the Will into action, and which cause the varied activity of life, men and things.
Desire-Force is a real power in life, and influences not only tracts, but influences and compels other persons and things to swing in toward the center of the Desire sending forth the currents. In the Secret of Success, Desire plays a prominent part. Without a Desire for Success, there is no Success, none. The Law of Attraction is set into motion by Desire.
The majority of the principles advanced in this book have been in the nature of Positive injunctions -- that is, you have been urged to do certain things rather than to not do the opposite or contrary. But here we come to a place in which the advice must be given along the negative lines -- we must urge you not to do a certain thing. We allude to that great poison of the mind and Will known as Fear.
We do not allude to physical fear -- important though physical courage may be, and as regrettable as physical cowardice may be considered, still it is not a part of the purpose of this book to preach against the latter and advise a cultivation of the former quality -- you will find much of that elsewhere.
Our purpose here is to combat that subtle, insidious enemy of true Self-Expression which appears in the shape and guise of mental fear, forebodings which may be considered as Negative Thought just as the other principles mentioned in this work may be considered as Positive Thought.
