“In the life of the world I never knew happiness. Behind a cynical and reserved exterior I masked a restless, suffering spirit. Creation appeared a grim tragedy. This was because my inner eyes were closed, and I took the distorted shadow for the reality. I was looking at a fantastic mirror and saw only its exaggerated reflections. I ridiculed the idea of any one’s being happy in such a world. Now I know that man is destined to be happy, but his happiness is of the spirit, and can only come with spiritual development, when he knows that he is spirit, lives the life of the spirit, and so becomes free from the bonds of ignorance. This is what is meant by the truth making us free. Ignorance is the only evil there is--mere blindness to the light, though the light is always shining. When you know the truth, you become the truth, and are out of the darkness of ignorance, therefore free. This is, I am told, the ultimate destiny of the whole human race. “Remember that God never punishes any one. He only teaches. This, the children of the world have to learn. They, too, must eliminate punishment from their methods of dealing with the wrongdoers, otherwise the ignorant. “A wise friend told me to cease my self-questioning and striving, and let knowledge find me. He said we have only to _let_ good come to us and it will fill us. To do this we must make ourselves receptive--negative--and the spirit, the one spirit, which includes all wisdom, all love, all life, being positive, will flow into us. He said our continual striving and struggling made us positive, and therefore unreceptive. This enabled me to see a new meaning in the question, ‘Who, by searching can find out God?’ “The law is to be still--ready to receive--and let him enter. “When I did this I emerged from suffering and darkness, and for the first time in the memory of my conscious existence felt my spirit at rest.” CHAPTER XVII. UPROOTING A HUMAN TREE. A man said unto his angel: “My spirits are fallen through, And I cannot carry this battle: O Brother, what shall I do?” * * * * * Then said to the man his angel: “Thou wavering, foolish soul, Back to the ranks! What matter To win or lose the whole.” --_Louise Imogen Guiney._ The Joys, otherwise the Hanleys, fell into financial trouble. Burton Hanley was forced to make an assignment for the benefit of his creditors. He had enough to pay every dollar he owed, and he turned it all over with an out-of-date honesty that scandalized the community. The envious found a certain sweetness in this news. Nodding their heads knowingly, they said they guessed the Joys were about done with Joy. But this did not seem to be the case. On the evening following the assignment they were at an entertainment in the house of a friend and were the blithest guests, as they generally were.