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individuality of the whole phenomenon。







In the end we fall back on the hackneyed symbolism of a



mechanical equilibrium。  A mind is a system of ideas; each with



the excitement it arouses; and with tendencies impulsive and



inhibitive; which mutually check or reinforce one another。  The



collection of ideas alters by subtraction or by addition in the



course of experience; and the tendencies alter as the organism



gets more aged。  A mental system may be undermined or weakened by



this interstitial alteration just as a building is; and yet for a



time keep upright by dead habit。  But a new perception; a sudden



emotional shock; or an occasion which lays bare the organic



alteration; will make the whole fabric fall together; and then



the centre of gravity sinks into an attitude more stable; for the



new ideas that reach the centre in the rearrangement seem now to



be locked there; and the new structure remains permanent。







Formed associations of ideas and habits are usually factors of



retardation in such changes of equilibrium。  New information;



however acquired; plays an accelerating part in the changes; and



the slow mutation of our instincts and propensities; under the



〃unimaginable touch of time〃 has an enormous influence。 



Moreover; all these influences may work subconsciously or half



unconsciously。'99' And when you get a Subject in whom the



subconscious lifeof which I must speak more fully soonis



largely developed; and in whom motives habitually ripen in



silence; you get a case of which you can never give a full



account; and in which; both to the Subject and the onlookers;



there may appear an element of marvel。  Emotional occasions;



especially violent ones; are extremely potent in precipitating



mental rearrangements。  The sudden and explosive ways in which



love; jealousy; guilt; fear; remorse; or anger can seize upon one



are known to everybody。'100'  Hope; happiness; security; resolve;



emotions characteristic of conversion; can be equally explosive。 



And emotions that come in this explosive way seldom leave things



as they found them。







'99' Jouffroy is an example:  〃Down this slope it was that my



intelligence had glided; and little by little it had got far from



its first faith。  But this melancholy revolution had not taken



place in the broad daylight of my consciousness; too many



scruples; too many guides and sacred affections had made it



dreadful to me; so that I was far from avowing to myself the



progress it had made。  It had gone on in silence; by an



involuntary elaboration of which I was not the accomplice; and



although I had in reality long ceased to be a Christian; yet; in



the innocence of my intention; I should have shuddered to suspect



it; and thought it calumny had I been accused of such a falling



away。〃  Then follows Jouffroy's account of his



counter…conversion; quoted above on p。 173。







'100' One hardly needs examples; but for love; see p。 176; note;



for fear; p。 161 ; for remorse; see Othello after the murder;



for anger see Lear after Cordelia's first speech to him; for



resolve; see p。 175 (J。 Foster case)。  Here is a pathological



case in which GUILT was the feeling that suddenly exploded:  〃One



night I was seized on entering bed with a rigor; such as



Swedenborg describes as coming over him with a sense of holiness;



but over me with a sense of GUILT。 During that whole night I lay



under the influence of the rigor; and from its inception I felt



that I was under the curse of God。  I have never done one act of



duty in my lifesins against God and man beginning as far as my



memory goes backa wildcat in human shape。〃















In his recent work on the Psychology of Religion; Professor



Starbuck of California has shown by a statistical inquiry how



closely parallel in its manifestations the ordinary 〃conversion〃



which occurs in young people brought up in evangelical circles is



to that growth into a larger spiritual life which is a normal



phase of adolescence in every class of human beings。  The age is



the same; falling usually between fourteen and seventeen。  The



symptoms are the same;sense of incompleteness and imperfection;



brooding; depression; morbid introspection; and sense of sin;



anxiety about the hereafter; distress over doubts; and the like。 



And the result is the samea happy relief and objectivity; as



the confidence in self gets greater through the adjustment of the



faculties to the wider outlook。  In spontaneous religious



awakening; apart from revivalistic examples; and in the ordinary



storm and stress and moulting…time of adolescence; we also may



meet with mystical experiences; astonishing the subjects by their



suddenness; just as in revivalistic conversion。  The analogy; in



fact; is complete; and Starbuck's conclusion as to these ordinary



youthful conversions would seem to be the only sound one: 



Conversion is in its essence a normal adolescent phenomenon;



incidental to the passage from the child's small universe to the



wider intellectual and spiritual life of maturity。







〃Theology;〃 says Dr。 Starbuck; 〃takes the adolescent tendencies



and builds upon them; it sees that the essential thing in



adolescent growth is bringing the person out of childhood into



the new life of maturity and personal insight。  It accordingly



brings those means to bear which will intensify the normal



tendencies。  It shortens up the period of duration of storm and



stress。〃  The conversion phenomena of 〃conviction of sin〃 last;



by this investigator's statistics; about one fifth as long as the



periods of adolescent storm and stress phenomena of which he also



got statistics; but they are very much more intense。  Bodily



accompaniments; loss of sleep and appetite; for example; are much



more frequent in them。  〃The essential distinction appears to be



that conversion intensifies but shortens the period by bringing



the person to a definite crisis。〃'101'







'101' E。 D。 Starbuck:  The Psychology of Religion; pp。 224; 262。















The conversions which Dr。 Starbuck here has in mind are of course



mainly those of very commonplace persons; kept true to a



pre…appointed type by instruction; appeal; and example。 The



particular form which they affect is the result of suggestion and



imitation。'102' If they went through their growth…crisis in other



faiths and other countries; although the essence of the change



would be the same (since it is one in the main so inevitable);



its accidents would be different。 In Catholic lands; for example;



and in our own Episcopalian sects; no such anxiety and conviction



of sin is usual as in sects that encourage revivals。  The



sacraments being more relied on in these more strictly



ecclesiastical bodies; the individual's personal acceptance of



salvation needs less to be accentuated and led up to。







'102' No one understands this better than Jonathan Edwards



understood it already。  Conversion narratives of the more



commonplace sort must always be taken with the allowances which



he suggests:







〃A rule received and established by common consent has a very



great; though to many persons an insensible influence in forming



their notions of the process of their own experience。  I know



very well how they proceed as to this matter; for I have had



frequent opportunities of observing their conduct。  Very often



their experience at first appears like a confused chaos; but then



those parts are selected which bear the nearest resemblance to



such particular steps as are insisted on; and these are dwelt



upon in their thoughts; and spoken of from time to time; till



they grow more and more conspicuous in their view; and other



parts which are neglected grow more and more obscure。  Thus what



they have experienced is insensibly strained; so as to bring it



to an exact conformity to the scheme already established in their



minds。  And it becomes natural also for ministers; who have to



deal with those who insist upon distinctness and clearness of



method; to do so too。〃  Treatise on Religious Affections。















But every imitative phenomenon must once have had its original;



and I propose that for the future we keep as close as may be to



the more first…hand and original forms of experience。  These are



more likely to be found in sporadic adult cases。







Professor Leuba; in a valuable article on the psychology of



conversion;'103' subordinates the theologica

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