INTRODUCTION

The world is changing its thought; in the past, those who believed in the perpetuation of youth were among the isolated few, and were looked upon with suspicion by the many; in the present, the great majority desire to perpetuate their youth, and most of these believe it is possible.

This change of thought is due to two great causes first, we are fast eliminating the term "impossible" from our vocabulary, and second, we have made several important discoveries in the chemical life - both physical and metaphysical - of the human system.

We are living in an age of wonders, and have come to the conclusion that almost anything is possible, especially if it can add to the welfare, the beauty, the joy and the advancement of human existence.

We are convinced that life is not made for sorrow; we now believe that sorrow is but a temporary creation of man gone astray. We do not believe that this world is a "vale of tears," nor that we must suffer in the present in order that we may gain bliss in the future. We do not gather figs from thistles; neither can a life of pain be the direct cause of a life of pleasure. It is an immutable law that like causes produce like effects, and we are beginning to intelligently use this law in shaping our life and destiny.

The thinking world today is convinced that life is intended by the creator of life to be "a thing of beauty and a joy forever"; we therefore conclude that anything that can add to the joy and the beauty of life must be possible.

That the perpetuation of youth can add to the joy and the beauty of human life is a self-evident fact; and to be consistent in our thinking we must conclude that the perpetuation of youth is possible. An ideal life - the life we picture as the real life - is unthinkable in a world where the age-producing process is constantly at work. To live life, as we believe the Creator of life intended life to be lived, this process, therefore, must be removed.

To live as he should live, man must learn to stay young; this is becoming a worldwide conviction, and in consequence thereof, many minds of many modes of research are diligently at work trying to find the great secret of eternal youth.

Many of these are working in the belief that the secret is to be found in the world of material elements, while a constantly growing number are working in the belief that the power of mind alone can perpetuate the youth of the body.

The great facts in nature, however, are never one-sided; they are invariably both physical and metaphysical; they have soul as well as form, spirit as well as substance, and act through physical as well as mental laws.

The secret of eternal youth cannot be found through a study of the body alone, nor the mind alone; it does not have its sole existence in the elements of the earth, nor does it exercise its power exclusively through those forces of nature that can not be seen.

That something that produces youth, can, under natural conditions, perpetuate youth; and as this something is an inseparable part of life itself, it can be found only through a study of the process of life as expressed through the whole man. For the same reason, the law through which the perpetuation of youth may be promoted, can be applied only through the living of life as life is intended to be lived.

That something that produces youth, and perpetuates youth, has been discovered; and like all great facts in nature, it is not only very simple, but abides at our very feet. We did not see it, however, because there is a tendency in man to look afar off whenever he is in search of the great and the wonderful. The wonders at his own feet and in his own immediate world are therefore overlooked, at least for a time; but for that something that produces youth the time of enforced seclusion is at an end; it has been found, and is being incorporated as a part of exact science.

When we learn to perpetuate youth, we shall add immeasurably to the joy of living, and since man is made for happiness, everything that can increase his happiness should be made a part of his life.

The consciousness of youth will not only deepen and enlarge the consciousness of joy, but the perpetuation of the consciousness of youth will eliminate completely all those ills that come directly from old age conditions. These ills are almost too numerous to mention, but we can realize at a single moment's thought what a burden will be lifted from the life of the race when complete emancipation from these ills has been secured.

Man would also gain freedom from all these adverse conditions that come indirectly from the aging process; and as these are likewise too numerous to mention, we have another most powerful reason why everybody should learn to stay young.

When great minds come to a place where they have sufficient knowledge and experience to turn their talents to some use that is really worthwhile, they usually take their departure. But if they knew how to perpetuate their youth, they would not leave this planet just when we needed them the most, and when they could serve us to the greatest advantage.

The great majority of the great minds leave their work upon earth unfinished - not because they have to, but because it is a habit they have inherited from the race; and the loss that the race must annually sustain through the perpetuation of this habit is almost incomprehensible.

The gain that the world will realize when great minds learn to stay young until they have finished their work will be extraordinary, to say the least.

It requires great ideas and great deeds to advance the world; but great ideas spring only from great minds, therefore, great minds should remain upon earth as long as they have something great to do.

It is a self-evident fact that no great mind can be just to himself, to the race, or to the great gifts in his possession, unless he continues to serve the race as long as the race may need him; but to this end he must learn to stay young, and this alone is sufficient reason why he should stay young.

The same is true of lesser minds; when they begin to know enough to live a life worthwhile on this planet they pass away. While they are mere amateurs on the stage of life they are with us; when they begin to become artists they are with us no more. But it is not right; it means a great loss every day, both to the race in general, and to each individual in particular.

The perpetuation of youth would prevent this loss, and herein we find another conclusive reason why everybody should learn to stay young.

When the average person has gained sufficient knowledge and experience to appreciate the real value of those things that give quality, worth and real joy to life he is too old, too weak or too tired to enjoy them. When his mind is sufficiently developed to partake of the rich feast that the art of man is placing before him, he is too infirm to partake of anything. When he has gained sufficient insight to understand the marvels of nature his senses are dimmed, and the gorgeous splendour of the universe can charm him no more. His loss is great, but if he knew how to stay young his gain could hardly be measured.

If youth could be retained and life prolonged, we should find more time to Live, and every moment would be one of contentment and joy. The nervous rush of the strenuous life would cease, because we would realize that there was sufficient time to do everything we wanted to do, and that we could take time to give quality, worth and superiority to every product that was shaped by our hands.

We would not only work for quantity, but also for quality; everything in life would consequently become far richer, and we should also have the time to enjoy this greater richness.

The habit of passing through life in a nervous rush comes originally from the belief that life is so short; we wish to accomplish as much as possible before age and infirmity begin, and rush becomes the order of the day. It is a habit, however, that produces nothing but loss. More mistakes, troubles and ills come from nervous rush than from all other adverse causes combined. The same habit is responsible for a great deal of inferior work, as well as for broken down human systems.

It is the verdict of exact science that work can harm no one; that it is the nervous rush so frequently associated with work that wrecks the mind and body of man. But this habit will immediately cease when we learn to stay young.

When we realize that youth can be retained for an indefinite period, we shall undertake more, and consequently accomplish more. We shall never fear failure because there will be sufficient time to try again and again until the goal in view has been reached. We shall not, however, become negligent or indifferent, because the life and the vigour of youth will give us ambitions without bounds.

The majority of those who fail, fail because they fear failure, and they fear failure principally because they subconsciously believe the time of action to be limited.

There are very few who undertake as much as they are competent to carry through; and the reason is, they think life is too short in which to complete the greater undertaking.

It is therefore evident that everybody would proceed to do what they were fully competent to do if they knew that they could stay young until their work was finished.

To be just to himself, man must be and do all that he can be and do; but before he will naturally undertake everything that he feels competent to carry through, he must be convinced that he will have sufficient time to complete his work; and this conviction he will gain when he learns to stay young.

To those who desire to develop the greater possibilities that are latent within them, the perpetuation of youth becomes actually indispensable.

To unfold the greatness of mind and soul, the personality must become a more and more perfect instrument of expression; but that personality that is growing older every year is becoming less and less efficient as an instrument of mind and soul. Therefore, those who desire to promote their higher development must learn to stay young.

The most important reason why man should learn to stay young is found in the fact that the perpetuation of youth is in perfect harmony with the purpose of life.

Continuous advancement is the purpose of life; but only those elements in life that stay young can advance. The age-producing process is a deteriorating process, directly opposed to the advancing process. The two, therefore, cannot abide in the same person. If the age-producing process continues, advancement will cease, retrogression will begin, and it has been conclusively demonstrated that retrogression, or retarded progress, is the original cause of all the ills in the world.

To promote continuous advancement is to emancipate the individual from the ills that may exist in his system; but to promote continuous advancement it is necessary also to promote the perpetuation of youth; therefore, to secure complete emancipation, man must learn to stay young.

The further development of the faculties and talents of the mind, as well as the functions of the personality, demand the perpetuation of youth. It is not possible to improve that which is growing old, because the age-producing process ossifies, deadens, weakens and deteriorates everything in which it has gained a foothold.

The power of genius demands a young, vigorous personality if it is to give full expression to the highest order of mental brilliancy. It is only a fine instrument that can respond to a fine mind, but to be fine, the instrument must contain the qualities of youth.

The greatest obstacle to extraordinary talent and rare genius is the tendency of the brain to ossify with the passing of the years; and the cause of this tendency is found wholly in the age-producing process. This process, however, will disappear when we learn to stay young.

When we learn to stay young the passing of the years will not decrease the brilliancy of the mind, nor cause the power of genius to wane; instead, every active faculty will become greater and greater the longer we may continue to live.

Chapter 1

According To Exact Science Man Can Do
Whatever He Learns To Do, And He Can Learn Anything

The nature of man is metaphysical as well as physical; and these two natures are so intertwined that it is not possible to understand the one without understanding the other.

What transpires in the mind will also transpire in the body; and every physical action is both preceded and succeeded by a metaphysical action.

What affects the body affects the mind; what affects the mind affects the body; therefore no final conclusion can be gained concerning any force, action, element or condition in human life unless the factor under consideration is analyzed from the metaphysical as well as the physical point of view.

The facts gained from this mode of analysis constitute exact science, and it is evident, even at a casual glance, that no other mode of analysis can evolve exact science.

Those who have studied only the body do not understand man; and the same is true of those who aim to study only the mind; their conclusions are not scientific, because incomplete; therefore those who act upon such conclusions will fail to secure the desired results.

The principal reason why the secret of eternal youth was not hitherto discovered, is found in the fact that the law through which youth may be perpetuated is metaphysical as well as physical; therefore, neither physical research alone, nor mental research alone could find it.

Another reason is found in the fact that physical science proclaims the limitations of man, and that mental science, by ignoring the true nature of the body, produces limitations in man.

The old thought, whether it be wholly physical or wholly mental, is incapable of giving man the power to do what has not been generally done before; and as the perpetuation of youth is not, as yet, a general accomplishment, a new mode of thought becomes necessary before man can learn to stay young.

This new mode of thought is otherwise termed exact science, and through this science man can learn to stay young, because according to exact science, he can learn anything.

Exact science not only proclaims this as a demonstrated fact, but presents the principles and the laws through which the demonstration becomes possible, no matter by whom these principles and laws may be employed.

The statement that man can do whatever he learns to do, need not be confined to the narrow interpretation of mere objective knowledge coupled with tangible action; it is a statement that will hold true in every form of interpretation, even when considered in connection with the possibility of realizing in the real everything that can be idealized in the ideal.

What man can learn to idealize in the ideal he can learn to realize in the real; this is the conclusion of exact science, and since any desired attainment can be idealized in the ideal, any desired achievement can be realized in the real, because attainments and achievements follow each other invariably as causes and effects.

The fact that the perpetuation of youth can be thought of as an ideal proves that it can be worked out in the real; according to exact science it is not possible to have an ideal until we have the power to make that ideal real.

The reason, however, why the majority who have ideals fail to make them real, is found in the fact that they do not employ the principles of exact science; they depend either solely upon physical laws or solely upon mental laws, not knowing that the nature of man is both physical and metaphysical, and that no change or advancement can be made in human life unless both physical laws and metaphysical laws are employed cooperatively and simultaneously.

The statement that man can learn anything is the logical conclusion of that analysis in exact science that explores the metaphysical as well as the physical. To analyze the mind in its relation to the external world is to find that no limit to the powers of discernment, perception, conception, insight, understanding or comprehension can be found.

A study of the fundamental actions of mind reveal the fact that the more the mind proceeds to learn, the greater becomes its capacity to learn; and as the mind may proceed to learn more and more indefinitely, it may continue to increase its capacity to learn during the same indefinite, or rather, endless period.

To be logical, we must therefore conclude that the mind may learn anything that it proceeds to learn, and that that mind that proceeds to learn everything will constantly be learning everything.

This mode of reasoning, not only proves conclusively that man can learn to stay young, but also that while he is staying young, he can learn everything that may be necessary to make his life as large, as beautiful and as ideal as his soul-inspired heart may desire.

To learn to stay young, and to enjoy in greater and greater measure all the privileges of youth, are therefore possibilities according to exact scientific thinking; but these things are more than possibilities.

A clear understanding of mind reveals the fact that man can learn to do what he has never done before, thus eliminating completely the term "impossibility" from the human domain; the perpetuation of youth, however, has already been done; for that reason it is more than a possibility.

That which has been done once, can be done again, and done better. Every human being has been young, and has stayed young for a time; the law that perpetuates youth is therefore inherent in human nature. What is inherent in human nature can be aroused and employed at any time, and for any length of time; this is natural law, and it proves conclusively that any person, no matter how long he may have lived upon earth, or what his physical condition may be now, can become young now, and can stay young as long as he may desire.

This statement may appear to be too strong, too sweeping, and even unfounded, but no person can analyze the whole nature of man without coming to the same conclusion. It is therefore an indisputable fact, and the truth must be accepted, no matter how much stranger than fiction it may appear to be.

The necessity of proper mental attitudes in the perpetuation of youth is clearly evinced by the fact that the personal man is the tangible expression of the mind's subconscious thought, and that subconscious thinking is determined fundamentally by the attitudes of mind.

The personal man is the direct, or indirect result of subconscious thought; subconscious thought is determined by mental attitudes; and man can enter into any mental attitude desired; therefore, any change, modification or condition decided upon may be produced in the personality.

In the last analysis, subconscious thought is fundamental cause of everything that exists or transpires in the personal nature of man; and as man may subconsciously think whatever he desires to think, the nature, the life and the destiny of his personality are in his own hands. That man has the power to perpetuate his youth is therefore a foregone conclusion.

All thinking, however, to produce the desired results, must be consistent with natural law, and must act in harmony with the expression of this law, both in mind and body. To comply with natural law in its physical actions and ignore its metaphysical actions or vice-versa is to neutralize results. The necessity of exact science - the science of the whole man, is therefore evident.

To be consistent with natural law, man must aim to do only that which the laws of his nature make possible now; though all things are possible, still it is the proper application of specific laws that makes them possible.

It would not be possible for man to perpetuate his youth for an indefinite period, if natural law made old age inevitable; nor could man learn to stay young through the application of any other law than the one that produces youth in the domains of nature herself.

Natural law, however, makes no personal condition inevitable; the personality is an instrument, not a final product, and can be changed, modified or perfected to suit the advancing requirements of man.

It is the purpose of natural law to supply man with those essentials that he may require to promote the object of his existence; and as this object is advancement, nature is prepared to supply everything that may be necessary to promote advancement.

The perpetuation of youth is one of these necessities; continuous advancement without continuous youth is unthinkable, a contradiction to every law in human life; nature must therefore have made provisions for the perpetuation of youth. The pages that follow will prove that she has.

To examine man through the principles of exact science is to find that law in his being that can, will and does perpetuate youth; and since this law is a permanent part of human nature, the finer consciousness of man instinctively feels that youth can be retained.

In every mind where this finer consciousness is recognized and developed, a desire for the perpetuation of youth will arise; whatever we inwardly feel that we can do, we will begin to desire to do, and the more keenly we feel what we can do, the stronger will this desire sire become.

To discover the purpose of life will also produce a strong desire for the perpetuation of youth, because - the finer consciousness in man discerns most clearly that continuous advancement and continuous youth are inseparable factors on the path to the greater life. It is therefore evident that if man is to do what he is here to do, he must perpetuate his youth; to be true to himself and the life he is here to live, he must learn to stay young.

The coming of man upon earth is not an accident; he is here to fulfill a certain definite purpose, and since continuous advancement in the great eternal now is necessary to promote that purpose, nothing must be permitted in his life that retards advancement.

The age-producing process, however does retard advancement; to grow old is to go down, to deteriorate, to fail; therefore it is a violation of the laws of life, an obstacle to the purpose of life that must be removed if man is to do what he is created to do.

To be just to himself, man must be now all that he can be now; he must attain and accomplish all that his present capacity will permit; he must secure from life now all that life can give now; his nature must manifest the highest worth of his conscious being; his world must be filled with the richness of his present sphere of existence; his joy must be complete, and he must live.

However, before he can live such a life he must learn to stay young, and exact science declares that he can.