delopement, and immediately there are many others of the

same kind. Crimes repeat themselves in the same way, even to

details. Suicides are suggested in many cases by reading public
prints. This fact is recognized by psychologists, and an effort
is being made to prohibit the rehearsal in the newspapers of
objectionable occurrences. The cheap moving picture shows
have come under the supervision of the authorities, because
of this fact of Suggestion of Imitation. Young people seeing
crimes and other immoralities exhibited in the pictures, display
a tendency to imitate them. The stage has a marked effect
upon the morals of the people, not in the way of instruction
as many assume, but in the way of Suggestion by Imitation. This
form of Suggestion is attracting much notice from students
of sociology and civic progress, and is bound to come to the
front during the next ten years. The public has the tendency
to follow the suggestions of the things presented to its notice.
The remedy is suggested in the evil itself. If undesirable things
are imitated, then counteract the evil by prohibiting the same
as far as is possible, and neutralize it by presenting the desirable
things to the attention in an attractive way.
The phase of Suggestion of Imitation, connected with the
health of the people, is also receiving marked attention from
the authorities and moulders of public opinion of late. It
is recognized that the printing of the advertisements and
literature of certain patent medicines and other remedies
is calculated to react upon the health of the public. These
advertisements with their recital of symptoms, including
every possible known physical and mental feeling, sensation,
ache or pain, undoubtedly impress many people with fear
and imaginary complaints. This would be bad enough in itself,
but is rendered doubly evil by the fact that these imaginary
complaints have a tendency to materialize into actual physical
troubles, by the effect of Therapeutic Suggestion. Thought
tends to take form in action; and Mental Pictures tend to
become real in the physical realm. Fear in itself is a powerful
Suggestion of Imitation.
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depressant, bound to react upon the physical functions and
to impair the physical well-being of the person manifesting
it. A community may enjoy a very good health record; but
flood it with objectionable advertisements and printed matter
containing a recital of symptoms, illustrated with pictures of
diseased organs, and in a short time there will be more cases of
sickness in the place than ever before in its history. These are
proven scientific facts, known to every student of the subject.
The moral is obvious.
You will find that the instances of Suggestion of Imitation
are far more common, and far greater in number, than those of
any of the other forms of Suggestion. This is because the causes
operating along these lines are far more common and numerous.
There is ever present a great supply of the raw material for
Suggestion of this kind. The tendency of the race to get into
line; to follow my leader; to act like human sheep or geese
makes it easy for them to fall into the habit of accepting these
suggestions. You have heard of the custom of sheep to follow
the actions of the leader. It is said that if the leader jumps over
a rail of a fence, the rest of the flock will follow; and if the rail be
removed, the rest of the flock will continue jumping over the
place where the rail had been.
In this phase of Suggestion,as well as the others previously
mentioned, there is of course the reverse side of the question
to be considered. We have shown you how easily people are
affected to their detriment, and to the advantage of others who
influence them. But it is equally true, and much more worthy
of the race, that people may also be influenced for good in the
same way. The Suggestion of Authority has its advantageous
side, for in this way a worthy strong person or body of people
may impose the knowledge of good upon those not so well
informedthe crowd will accept it by reason of authority,
before their reasons can grasp the why of it. In the same way
Suggestion by Association may operate for good, providing
the associations are desirable. And Suggestion of Habit, and
Suggestion and Auto-Suggestion
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