CO-OPERATION is the Beginning of All Organized Effort.

 

As was stated in the second lesson of this course, Andrew Carnegie accumulated a gigantic fortune through the co-operative efforts of a small group of men numbering not more than a score. You, too, can learn how to use this principle.

 

There are two forms of Co-operation to which your attention will be directed in this lesson; namely:

1. First, the Co-operation between people who group themselves together or form alliances for the purpose of attaining a given end, under the principles known as the Law of the Master Mind.

2. Second, the Co-operation between the conscious and the subconscious minds, which forms a reasonable hypothesis of man's ability to contact, communicate with and draw upon infinite intelligence.

 

To one who has not given serious thought to this subject, the foregoing hypothesis may seem unreasonable; but follow the evidence of its soundness, and study the facts upon which the hypothesis is based, and then draw your own conclusions.

 

Let us begin with a brief review of the physical construction of the body: We know that the whole body is traversed by a network of nerves which serve as the channels of communication between the indwelling spiritual ego, which we call mind, and the functions of the external organism.

 

This nervous system is dual.

One system, known as the Sympathetic, is the channel for all those activities which are not consciously directed by our volition, such as the operation of the digestive organs, the repair of the daily wear and tear of the tissues, and the like.

The other system, known as the Voluntary or Cerebro-spinal system, is the channel through which we receive conscious perception from the physical senses and exercise control over the movements of the body. This system has its center in the brain, while the other has its center in the ganglionic mass at the back of the stomach known as the solar plexus, and sometimes spoken of as the abdominal brain.

 

The cerebro-spinal system is the channel of our volitional or conscious mental action, and the sympathetic system is the channel of that mental action which unconsciously supports the vital functions of the body.

 

Thus the cerebro-spinal system is the organ of the conscious mind and the sympathetic is that of the subconscious mind. But the interaction of conscious and subconscious minds requires a similar interaction between the corresponding systems of nerves, and one conspicuous connection by which this is provided is the vagus nerve.

 

This nerve passes out of the cerebral region as a portion of the voluntary system, and through it we control the vocal organs; then it passes onward to the thorax, sending out branches to the heart and lungs; and finally, passing through the diaphragm, it loses the outer coating which distinguishes the nerves of the voluntary system and becomes identified with those of the sympathetic system, so forming a connecting link between the two and making the man physically a single entity.

 

Similarly different areas of the brain indicate their connection with the objective and subjective activities of the mind respectively, and, speaking in a general way, we may assign the frontal portion of the brain to the former, and the posterior portion to the latter, while the intermediate portion partakes of the character of both.

 

The intuitional faculty has its correspondence in the upper area of the brain, situated between the frontal and the posterior portions, and, physiologically speaking, it is here that intuitive ideas find entrance. These, at first, are more or less unformed and generalized in character, but are, nevertheless, perceived by the conscious mind; otherwise, we should not be aware of them at all. Then the effort of Nature is to bring these ideas into more definite and usable shape, so the conscious mind lays hold on them and induces a corresponding vibratory current in the voluntary system of nerves, and this in turn induces a similar current in the involuntary system, thus handing the idea over to the subjective mind. The vibratory current which had first descended - 7 - from the apex of the brain to the frontal brain and thus through the voluntary system to the solar plexus is now reversed and ascends from the solar plexus through the sympathetic system to the posterior brain, this return current indicating the action of the subjective mind." If we were to remove the surface portion of the apex of the brain we should find immediately below it the shining belt of brain substance called the "corpus callous." This is the point of union between the subjective and objective, and, as the current returns from the solar plexus to this point, it is restored to the objective portion of the brain in a fresh form which it has acquired by the silent alchemy of the subjective mind. Thus the conception which was at first only vaguely recognized is restored to the objective mind in a definite and workable form, and then the objective mind, acting through the frontal brain - the area of comparison and analysis - proceeds to work upon a clearly perceived idea and to bring out the potentialities that are latent in it.* The term "subjective mind" is the same as the term "sub-conscious mind," and the term "objective mind" is the same as the term "conscious mind." Please understand these different terms. By studying this dual system through which the body transmits energy, we discover the exact points at which the two systems are connected, and the manner in which we may transmit a thought from the conscious to the subconscious mind. This Co-operative dual nervous system is the *Judge T. Toward, in The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science. - 8 - most important form of co-operation known to man; for it is through the aid of this system that the principle of evolution carries on its work of developing accurate thought, as described in Lesson Eleven. When you impress any idea on your sub-conscious mind, through the principle of Auto-suggestion, you do so with the aid of this dual nervous system: and when your sub-conscious mind works out a definite plan of any desire with which you impress it, the plan is delivered back to your conscious mind through this same dual nervous system. This Co-operative system of nerves literally constitutes a direct line of communication between your ordinary conscious mind and infinite intelligence. Knowing, from my own previous experience as a beginner in the study of this subject, how difficult it is to accept the hypothesis here described, I will illustrate the soundness of the hypothesis in a simple way that you can both understand and demonstrate for yourself. Before going to sleep at night impress upon your mind the desire to arise the next morning at a given hour, say at four A.M., and if your impression is accompanied by a positive determination to arise at that hour, your sub-conscious mind will register the impression and awaken you at precisely that time. Now the question might well be asked: "If I ran impress my sub-conscious mind with the desire to arise at a specified time and it will awaken me at that time, why do I not form the habit of impressing it with other and more important desires?" If you will ask yourself this question, and insist upon an answer, you will find yourself very near, if not on the pathway that leads to the secret door to knowledge, as described in Lesson Eleven. · · · · · · · · We will now take up the subject of Co-operation between men who unite, or group themselves together for the purpose of attaining a given end. In the second lesson of this course we referred to this sort of cooperation as organized effort. This course touches some phase of co-operation in practically every lesson. This result was inevitable for the reason that the object of the course is to help the student develop power, and power is developed only through organized effort. We are living in an age of co-operative effort. Nearly all successful businesses are conducted under some form of co-operation. The same is true in the field of industry and finance, as well as in the professional field. Doctors and lawyers have their alliances for mutual aid and protection in the form of Bar Associations and Medical Associations. The bankers have both local and national Associations for their mutual aid and advancement. The retail merchants have their Associations for the same purpose. The automobile owners have grouped themselves into Clubs and Associations. The Printers have their Associations; the plumbers have theirs and the coal dealers have theirs. Co-operation is the object of all these Associations. The laboring men have their unions and those who supply the working capital and superintend the - 11 - efforts of laboring men have their alliances, under various names. Nations have their co-operative alliances, although they do not appear to have yet discovered the full meaning of “co-operation.” The attempt of the late President Wilson to perfect the League of Nations, followed by the efforts of the late President Harding to perfect the same idea under the name of the World Court, indicates the trend of the times in the direction of co-operation. It is slowly becoming obvious to man that those who most efficiently apply the principle of cooperative effort survive longest, and, that this principle applies from the lowest form of animal life to the highest form of human endeavor. Mr. Carnegie, and Mr. Rockefeller, and Mr. Ford have taught the business man the value of co-operative effort; that is, they have taught all who cared to observe, the principle through which they accumulated vast fortunes. Co-operation is the very foundation of all successful leadership. Henry Ford’s most tangible asset is the well organized agency force that he has established. This organization not only provides him with an outlet for all the automobiles he can manufacture, but, of greater importance still, it provides him with financial power sufficient to meet any emergency that may arise, a fact which he has already demonstrated on at least one occasion. As a result of his understanding of the value of the co-operative principle Ford has removed himself from the usual position of dependence upon financial institutions and at the same time provided himself - 12 - with more commercial power than he can possibly use. The Federal Reserve Bank System is another example of co-operative effort which practically insures the United States against a money panic. The chain-store systems constitute another form of commercial co-operation that provides advantage through both the purchasing and the distributing end of the business. The modern department store, which is the equivalent of a group of small stores operating under one roof, one management and one overhead expense, is another illustration of the advantage of co-operative effort in the commercial field. In Lesson Fifteen you will observe the possibilities of co-operative effort in its highest form and at the same time you will see the important part that it plays in the development of power. As you have already learned, power is organized effort. The three most important factors that enter into the process of organizing effort are: Concentration, Co-operation and Co-ordination. HOW POWER IS DEVELOPED THROUGH CO-OPERATION As we have already seen, power is organized effort or energy. Personal power is developed by developing, organizing and co-ordinating the faculties of the mind. This may be accomplished by mastering and applying the fifteen major principles upon which this course is founded. The necessary procedure - 13 - through which these principles may be mastered is thoroughly described in the sixteenth lesson. The development of personal power is but the first step to be taken in the development of the potential power that is available through the medium of allied effort, or co-operation, which may be called group power. It is a well known fact that all men who have amassed large fortunes have been known as able “organizers.” By this is meant that they possessed the ability to enlist the co-operative efforts of other men who supplied talent and ability which they, themselves, did not possess. The chief object of this course is so to unfold the principles of organized and co-operative or allied effort that the student will comprehend their significance and make them the basis of his philosophy. Take, as an example, any business or profession that you choose and you will observe, by analysis, that it is limited only by lack of application of organized and co-operative effort. As an illustration, consider the legal profession. If a law firm consists of but one type of mind it will be greatly handicapped, even though it may be made up of a dozen able men of this particular type. The complicated legal system calls for a greater variety of talent than any one man could possibly provide. It is evident, therefore, that mere organized effort is not sufficient to insure outstanding success; the organization must consist of individuals each of whom supplies some specialized talent which the other members of the organization do not possess. A well organized law firm would include talent - 14 - that was specialized in the preparation of cases; men of vision and imagination who understood how to harmonize the law and the evidence of a case under a sound plan. Men who have such ability are not always possessed of the ability to try a case in court; therefore, men who are proficient in court procedure must be available. Carrying the analysis a step further, it will be seen that there are many different classes of cases which call for men of various types of specialized ability in both the preparation and the trial of these cases. A lawyer who had prepared himself as a specialist in corporation law might be wholly unprepared to handle a case in criminal procedure. In forming a law partnership, the man who understood the principles of organized, co-operative effort, would surround himself with talent that was specialized in every branch of law and legal procedure in which he intended to practice. The man who had no conception of the potential power of these principles would probably select his associates by the usual “hit or miss” method, basing his selections more upon personality or acquaintanceship than consideration of the particular type of legal talent that each possessed. The subject of organized effort has been covered in the preceding lessons of this course, but it is again brought up in connection with this lesson for the purpose of indicating the necessity of forming alliances or organizations consisting of individuals who supply all of the necessary talent that may be needed for the attainment of the object in mind. In nearly all commercial undertakings, there is a need for at least three classes of talent; namely, buyers, salesmen and those who are familiar with - finance. It will be readily seen that when these three classes of men organize and co-ordinate their efforts they avail themselves, through this form of cooperation, of power which no single individual of the group possesses. Many a business fails because all of the men back of it are salesmen, or financial men or buyers. By nature, the most able salesmen are optimistic, enthusiastic and emotional; while able financial men, as a rule, are unemotional, deliberate and conservative. Both classes are essential to the success of a commercial enterprise; but either class will prove too much of a load for any business, without the modifying influence of the other class. It is generally conceded that James J. Hill was the most efficient railroad builder that America ever produced; but it is equally well known that he was not a civil engineer, nor a bridge builder, nor a locomotive engineer, nor a mechanical engineer, nor a chemist, although these highly specialized classes of talent are essential in railroad building. Mr. Hill understood the principles of organized effort and cooperation; therefore, he surrounded himself with men who possessed all this necessary ability which he lacked. The modern department store is a splendid example of organized, co-operative effort. Each merchandising department is under the management of one who understands the purchasing and marketing of the goods carried in that department. Back of all these department managers is a general staff consisting of specialists in buying, selling, financing, and the management of units, or groups, of people. This form of organized effort places back of each department both buying and - 17 - selling power such as that department could not afford if it were separated from the group and had to be operated under its own overhead, in a separate location. The United States of America is one of the richest and most powerful nations of the world. Upon analysis, it will be seen that this enormous power has grown out of the co-operative efforts of the states of the Union. It was for the purpose of saving this power that the immortal Lincoln made up his mind to erase the Mason and Dixon line. The saving of the Union was of far greater concern to him than was the freedom of the slaves of the South. Had this not been so, the present status of the United States as a power among the nations of the world would be far different from what it is. It was this same principle of co-operative effort that Woodrow Wilson had in mind when he created his plan for a League of Nations. He foresaw the need of such a plan as a medium for preventing war between nations; just as Lincoln foresaw it as a medium for harmonizing the efforts of the people of the United States, thereby preserving the Union. Thus it is seen that the principle of organized, cooperative effort through the aid of which the individual may develop personal power, is the selfsame principle that must be employed in developing group power. Andrew Carnegie easily dominated the steel business during his active connection with that industry, for the reason that he took advantage of the principle of organized, co-operative effort by surrounding himself with highly specialized financial men, chemists, sales managers, buyers of raw - 18 - materials, transportation experts and others whose services were essential to that industry. He organized this group of “co-operators” into what he called a "Master Mind." Any great university affords an excellent example of the necessity of organized, co-operative effort. The professorate is made up of men and women of highly specialized, though vastly different, ability. One department is presided over by experts in literature; another department by expert mathematicians; another department by experts in chemistry; another department by experts in economic philosophy; another department by experts in medicine; another, by experts in law, etc. The university, as a whole, is the equivalent of a group of colleges each of which is directed by experts in its own line, whose efficiency is greatly increased through allied or co-operative effort that is directed by a single head. Analyze power, no matter where, or in what form, it may be found, and you will find organization and co-operation as the chief factors back of it. You will find these two principles in evidence in the lowest form of vegetation no less than in the highest form of animal, which is man. · · · · · · · · Off the coast of Norway is the most famous and irresistible maelstrom in the world. This great whirlpool of ceaseless motion has never been known to give UP any victim who was caught in its circling embrace of foaming water. No less sure of destruction are those unfortunate souls who are caught in the great maelstrom of life toward which all who do not understand the principle - 19 - of organized, co-operative effort are traveling. We are living in a world in which the law of the survival of the fittest is everywhere in evidence. Those who are “fit” are those who have power, and power is organized effort. Unfortunate is the person who either through ignorance, or because of egotism, imagines that he can sail this sea of life in the frail bark of independence. Such a person will discover that there are maelstroms more dangerous than any mere whirlpool of unfriendly waters. All natural laws and all of Nature's plans are based upon harmonious, co-operative effort, as all who have attained high places in the world have discovered. Wherever people are engaged in unfriendly combat, no matter what may be its nature, or its cause, one may observe the nearness of one of these maelstroms that awaits the combatants. Success in life cannot be attained except through peaceful, harmonious, co-operative effort. Nor can success be attained single-handed or independently. Even though a man live as a hermit in the wilderness, far from all signs of civilization, he is, nevertheless, dependent upon forces outside of himself for an existence. The more he becomes a part of civilization the more dependent upon co-operative effort he becomes. Whether a man earns his living by days' work or from the interest on the fortune he has amassed, bee will earn it with less opposition through friendly cooperation with others. Moreover, the man whose philosophy is based upon co-operation instead of competition will not only acquire the necessities and the luxuries of life with less effort, but he will enjoy - 20 - an extra reward in happiness such as others will never feel. Fortunes that are acquired through co-operative effort inflict no scars upon the hearts of their owners, which is more than can be said of fortunes that are acquired through conflict and competitive methods that border on extortion. The accumulation of material wealth, whether the object is that of bare existence or luxury, consumes most of the time that we put into this earthly struggle. If we cannot change this materialistic tendency of human nature, we can, at least, change the method of pursuing it by adopting co-operation as the basis of the pursuit. Co-operation offers the two-fold reward of providing one with both the necessities and the luxuries of life and the peace of mind which the covetous never know. The avaricious and covetous person may amass a great fortune in material wealth; there is no denying this fact; but he will have sold his soul for a mess of pottage in the bargain. Let us keep in mind the fact that all success is based upon power, and power grows out of knowledge, that has been organized and expressed in terms of ACTION. The world pays for but one kind of knowledge, and that is the kind which is expressed in terms of constructive service. In addressing the graduating class of a business college one of the best known bankers in America said: "You ought to feel proud of your diplomas, because they are evidence that you have been preparing yourselves for action in the great field of business. “One of the advantages of a business college training is that it prepares you for action! Not to belittle other methods of education, but to exalt the modern business college method, I am reminded to say that there are some colleges in which the majority of the students are preparing for practically everything else except action. “You came to this business college with but one object in view, and that object is to learn to render service and earn a living. The latest style of clothing has been of little interest to you because you have been preparing yourself for work in which clothes of the latest style will play no important part. You did not come here to learn how to pour tea at an afternoon party nor to become masters at affecting friendliness while inwardly feeling envy for those who wear finer gowns and drive costly motor cars - you came here to learn how to work!” In the graduating class before which this man spoke were thirteen boys, all of whom were so poor that they had barely enough money with which to pay their way. Some of them were paying their own way by working before and after school hours. That was twenty-five years ago. Last summer, I met the president of the business college which these boys attended and he gave me the history of each one of them, from the time that they graduated until the time when I talked to him. One of them is the president of one of the big wholesale drug companies, and a wealthy man; one is a successful lawyer; two own large business colleges of their own; one is a professor in the department of economics in one of the largest universities in America; one is the president of - 23 - one of the large automobile manufacturing companies; two are presidents of banks, and wealthy men; one is the owner of a large department store; one is the vicepresident of one of the great railway systems of the country; one is a well established Certified Public Accountant; one is dead; and the thirteenth is compiling this Reading Course on the Law of Success. Eleven successes out of a class of thirteen boys is not a bad record, thanks to the spirit of action developed by that business college training. It is not the schooling you have had that counts; it is the extent to which you express that which you learned from your schooling through well organized and intelligently directed action. By no means would I belittle higher education, but I would offer hope and encouragement to those who have had no such education, provided they express that which they know, be it ever so little, in intensive action, along constructive lines. One of the greatest Presidents who ever occupied the White House had but little schooling, but he did such a good job of expressing what knowledge he acquired by that little schooling, through properly directed action, that his name has been inseparably woven into the history of the United States. Every city, town and hamlet has its population of those well known characters called “ne'er-do-wells,” and if you will analyze these unfortunate people, you will observe that one of their outstanding features is procrastination. Lack of action has caused them to slip backward until they got into a “rut,” where they will remain - 24 - unless, through accident, they are forced out into the open road of struggle where unusual action will become necessary. Don't let yourself get into such a condition. Every office, and every shop, and every bank, and every store, and every other place of employment has its outstanding victims of procrastination who are doing the goose-step down the dusty road of failure because they have not developed the habit of expressing themselves in action. You can pick out these unfortunates all about you if you will begin to analyze those with whom you come in contact each day. If you will talk to them you will observe that they have built up a false philosophy somewhat of this nature: “I am doing all I am paid to do, and I am getting by.” Yes, they are “getting by” - but that is all they are getting. Some years ago, at a time when labor was scarce and wages unusually high, I observed scores of ablebodied men lying about in the parks of Chicago, doing nothing. I became curious to know what sort of an alibi they would offer for their conduct, so I went out one afternoon and interviewed seven of them. With the aid of a generous supply of cigars and cigarettes and a little loose change I bought myself into the confidence of those whom I interviewed and thereby gained a rather intimate view of their philosophy. All gave exactly the same reason for being there, without employment. They said: “The world will not give me a chance!!!” The exclamation points are my own. - 25 - Think of it - the world would not “give them a chance.” Of course the world wouldn't give them a chance. It never gives anyone a chance. A man who wants a chance may create it through action, but if he waits for someone to hand it to him on a silver platter he will meet with disappointment. I fear that this excuse that the world does not give a man a chance is quite prevalent, and I strongly suspect that it is one of the commonest causes of poverty and failure. The seventh man that I interviewed on that wellspent afternoon was an unusually fine looking specimen, physically. He was lying on the ground asleep, with a newspaper over his face. When I lifted the paper from his face, he reached up, took it out of my hands, put it back over his face and went right on sleeping. Then I used a little strategy by removing the paper from his face and placing it behind me, where he could not get it. He then sat up on the ground and I interviewed him. That fellow was a graduate from two of the great universities of the east, with a master's degree from one, and a Ph.D. from the other. His story was pathetic. He had held job after job, but always his employer or his fellow employee “had it in for him.” He hadn't been able to make them see the value of his college training. They wouldn't “give him a chance.” Here was a man who might have been at the head of some great business, or the outstanding figure in one of the professions had he not built his house upon the sands of procrastination and held to the false be- - 26 - lief that the world should pay him for what he knew! Luckily, most college graduates do not build upon such flimsy foundations, because no college on earth can crown with success the man who tries to collect for that which he knows instead of that which he can do with what he knows. The man to whom I have referred was from one of the best known families of Virginia. He traced his ancestry back to the landing of the Mayflower. He threw back his shoulders, pounded himself on the breast with his fist and said: “Just think of it, sir! I am a son of one of the first families of old Virginia!” My observations lead me to believe that being the son of a “first family” is not always fortunate for either the son or the family. Too often these sons of “first families” try to slide home from third base on their family names. This may be only a peculiar notion of mine, but I have observed that the men and women who are doing the world's work have but little time, and less inclination, to brag about their ancestry. Not long ago I took a trip back to southwest Virginia, where I was born. It was the first time I had been there in over twenty years. It was a sad sight to compare the sons of some of those who were known as "first families" twenty years ago, with the sons of those who were but plain men who made it their business to express themselves in action of the most intensive nature. The comparison reflected no credit upon the “first family” boys! It is with no feeling of exaltation that I express my gratitude for not having been brought into the world by parents who belonged to the “first family” class. That, of course, was not a matter of