,
the part is expressive of the whole, for this seed was a part of the tree,
but therein potentially was the whole tree. So each one of us may become
expressive or representative of all the bounties of life to mankind. This
is the unity of the world of humanity. This is the bestowal of God. This
is the felicity of the human world, and this is the manifestation of the
divine favor.

15 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mountfort Mills
327 West End Avenue, New York

Compiled from Stenographic Notes by Howard MacNutt

A few days ago I arrived in New York, coming direct from Alexandria. On a
former trip I traveled to Europe, visiting Paris and London. Paris is most
beautiful in outward appearance. The evidences of material civilization
there are very great, but the spiritual civilization is far behind. I
found the people of that city submerged and drowning in a sea of
materialism. Their conversations and discussions were limited to natural
and physical phenomena, without mention of God. I was greatly astonished.
Most of the scholars, professors and learned men proved to be
materialists. I said to them, "I am surprised and astonished that men of
such perceptive caliber and evident knowledge should still be captives of
nature, not recognizing the self-evident Reality."

The phenomenal world is entirely subject to the rule and control of
natural law. These myriad suns, satellites and heavenly bodies throughout
endless space are all captives of nature. They cannot transgress in a
single point or particular the fixed laws which govern the physical
universe. The sun in its immensity, the ocean in its vastness are
incapable of violating these universal laws. All phenomenal beings--the
plants in their kingdom, even the animals with their intelligence--are
nature's subjects and captives. All live within the bounds of natural law,
and nature is the ruler of all except man. Man is not the captive of
nature, for although according to natural law he is a being of the earth,
yet he guides ships over the ocean, flies through the air in airplanes,
descends in submarines; therefore, he has overcome natural law and made it
subservient to his wishes. For instance, he imprisons in an incandescent
lamp the illimitable natural energy called electricity--a material force
which can cleave mountains--and bids it give him light. He takes the human
voice and confines it in the phonograph for his benefit and amusement.
According to his natural p