Ages ago when England was a part of the main land; when there was no North Sea nor English Channel; we are told that there lived in the forest tracts there about many large and ferocious animals; such as the elephant, the lion, and the tiger. There lived also in the region a _smaller_ and apparently a _weaker_ animal. This creature had no tusks to hook with, no great jaws to crunch with, and no claws to tear with; and an eye witness would have said “Such a weakling has no possible chance against these enemies of his; he and his descendants will succumb and the species will become extinct.” The region was tropical; but, of a sudden, a cataclysmic twist changed the temperature from a torrid to a frigid state. What happened? The large and ferocious animals either migrated to the south or froze to death; _but this weakling put on furs, built fires, and remained in the jungle as its king_. His name was man, and though he had no horns to hook with, he possessed a _brain to think with_; this gave him supremacy over the forces of nature. From the beginning the adaptation of the lower animals has been physical; whereas man’s has been more or less intellectual. By means of deliberative thought man made the bow and arrow which could kill at a distance of 200 yards; then he invented the repeating rifle which may kill a mile away. _Thought_ has taught man to harness the forces of nature in the form of all kinds of invention. _Thought_ has given man the power to build bridges and palaces, to paint pictures, to chisel angels. _Thought_ has pierced the fog of ignorance and brought light to the dark spots of the globe. _Thought_ has build nations and established the spirit of good will on earth. Through the long years, _thought_ has been the _one tool of conquest_ which has enabled man to build for himself, out of the furnishings of nature, _a heaven on earth_. Can you recall a department of life which thought has not embellished? Can you recall a single factor that has been raised to the nth power of efficiency without thought? Steam and electricity _plus thought_ lights the world, unites the world, feeds and clothes the world. To-day, as in the olden time, men who think are ever at a premium. This holds true from the Shopkeeper to the Magnate of Wall Street; from Basil, the Blacksmith, to Edison, the King Inventor; from Reuben, the Farmer, to Burbank, the Wizard. =3. IMPORTANCE OF PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT.=