742 THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-CREATION
with our own and producing something entirely different from the
original elements?
There is no known method for proving this to be true, but I have
given it many years of serious thought and I always come to the con-
clusion that it is at least a sound hypothesis.
You need no proof, however, that the presence of some people
inspires you, while the presence of others depresses you. So it stands
to reason that the person who inspires you and arouses your mind to
a state of greater activity gives you more power to achieve, while the
person whose presence depresses you and lowers your vitality has just
the opposite effect on you. You can understand this much without the
aid of a hypothesis and without further proof than what you have
experienced time after time.
Come back now to the original statement: "When two or more
people ally themselves, in a spirit oj perfect harmony, for the purpose
of attaining a definite end, if that alliance is faithfully observed by all
oj whom it is composed, the alliance brings, to each of them, power that
is superhuman and seemingly irresistible in nature:'
Study closely the emphasized parts of the foregoing statement,
for there you will find the "mental formula" which, if not faithfully
observed, destroys the effect of the whole.
One atom of hydrogen combined with one atom of oxygen will
not produce water, and nor will an alliance in name only-that is not
accompanied by "a spirit of perfect harmony" between those forming
the alliance-produce "power that is superhuman and seemingly irre-
sistible in nature:'
Plant a tiny apple seed in the right sort of soil, at the right time
of the year, and gradually it will burst forth into a tiny sprig, then in
time it will expand and grow into an apple tree. That tree does not
come from the seed alone, or from the soil, or from the elements of
the air, but from all of these sources working together.
When two or more people ally themselves, "in a spirit of perfect
harmony, for the purpose of attaining a definite end;' the end itself,