ed
in the bewildering glitter the outlines of the
Gates of Gold.

Those Gates admit us to the sanctuary of
man's own nature, to the place whence his
life-power comes, and where he is priest of the
shrine of life. That it is possible to enter here,
to pass through those Gates, some one or two
have shown us. Plato, Shakespeare, and a few
other strong ones have gone through and
spoken to us in veiled language on the near
side of the Gates. When the strong man has
crossed the threshold he speaks no more to
those at the other side. And even the words
he utters when he is outside are so full of
mystery, so veiled and profound, that only
those who follow in his steps can see the light
within them.

IV

What men desire is to ascertain how to
exchange pain for pleasure; that is, to find out
in what way consciousness may be regulated
in order that the sensation which is most
agreeable is the one that is experienced.
Whether this can be discovered by dint of
human thought is at least a question worth
considering.

If the mind of man is turned upon any
given subject with a sufficient concentration,
he obtains illumination with regard to it sooner
or later. The particular individual in whom
the final illumination appears is called a genius,
an inventor, one inspired; but he is only the
crown of a great mental work created by
unknown men about him, and receding back
from him through long vistas of distance.
Without them he would not have had his material
to deal with. Even the poet requires
innumerable poetasters to feed upon. He is the
essence of the poetic power of his time, and
of the times before him. It is impossible to
separate an individual of any species from
his kin.

If, therefore, instead of accepting the
unknown as unknowable, men were _with one
accord_ to turn their thoughts towards it, those
Golden Gates would not remain so inexorably
shut. It does but need a strong hand to push
them open. The courage to enter them is the
courage to search the recesses of one's own
nature without fear and without shame. In
the fine part, the essence, the flavor of the
man, is found the key which unlocks those
great Gates. And when they open, what is it
that is found?

Voices here and there in the long silence
of the ages speak to answer that question.
Those who have passed through have left
words behind them as legacies to others of
their kin. In these words we can find definite
indications of what i