[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

and that's what I want. I want something to work on, so I can see whether I
get any results. Elsie just said I don't understand anything about anything.
What's the sense of all this stalling around? It's nonsense to tell me I ought
to develop this function and bring that function up and un-repress the other
function, if nobody tells me how. You tell me how, then, and I'll try."
There was a stunned silence, in which everyone looked expectantly at Tim.
"I don't think I ever thought of it exactly that way," said Tim, and he took a
large bite of apple and chewed reflectively.
'There must be some specific things you can do," agreed Max.
"If we could think of them," Elsie consented.
"Well, think, then," said Fred.
"We can't produce a whole program in five minutes," said Jay, "but I should
think we could each make a couple of suggestions within a day or two. Will
that do, Fred?"
"I'd appreciate that," said Fred. "But I'm right here, in case anybody thinks
of anything now. I wouldn't expect a whole program; just what you might call a
Page 91
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
few simple exercises to try."
Tim nodded.
"I get it," he said. "Like, if a person's blood count is down, it's no use
just to say he's anemic, and ought to be strengthened up, or dither around
waiting to find out how he got that way, but it might be some use to tell him
to eat an egg every day. That might not do a lot of good, but it would be some
small specific help right away."
"Eggs again?" said Elsie, a little too loudly. Then she hastened to add, "It
might do the rest of us some good, too. We could work on our own deficiencies
the same way."
"And test the suggestions," said Jay, looking very much interested. "Can't
anybody think of even one? Let's all stop chattering and think!"
"Well," said Tim, "I've remembered something. Will you do anything we say,
Fred? And try it out honestly, and take time to do it right?"
"Sure," said Fred, "if you really mean it. Anything reasonable."
"Since it is your intellect that is over-developed, it isn't likely you need
anything reasonable," Stella pointed out.
"Anything within reason anything possible anything I can do," said Fred
impatiently. "You all know what I mean. Tim, what was your idea?"
"I read a story about Agassiz," said Tim slowly, "and a student of his.
Agassiz gave the student a fish in a bowl and told him not to use any
reference books or anything, but just to sit and look at that fish until he
had learned everything he could from it, and he'd come back when he thought
the student would be done. So the student worked on it for a couple of hours,
and thought he was done, but Agassiz didn't come back, so he tore up his notes
and started over, and really did look at that fish. He worked a week and then
Agassiz came and when he had read the notes he said they wouldn't do. So the
student spent another two weeks at it, and by then he had done a really good
job." Tim paused, and bit into his apple again.
"I suppose that develops the use of the senses," said Max.
"It could," said Tim. "But in one of Gerald Vann's books he said that mystics
of all faiths all over the world, in all times, have developed intuition in
their disciples by having them take some little thing, like a leaf, or a
flower, or a pebble, and hold it in their hands and stare at it by the hour
until they had really learned to see it and to know its significance."
"'Flower in the crannied wall,'" quoted Beth.
"That's right. So " Tim carefully took a small bite and spat something into
his hand "For your first exercise, Fred, you take this apple-seed in your hand
and look at it carefully and steadily until you understand how long before it
will grow into a tree, bearing fruit."
There was a tremendous roar of laughter, and Fred jumped to his feet, his
fists clenched.
"I mean it," said Tim. "Are you going to try it?"
"You promised," shouted all the others in chorus.
"You mean it? Just hold that seed, and stare at it, and think ?"
"Until you understand some things a little better. Yes," said Tim.
Fred walked over to Tim and stretched out his hand.
"Quiet, everybody, please," he said. "I could go away and get some quiet, but
I want you all to see me doing this. I'm a man of my word."
While Fred sat grimly staring at the seed in the palm of his hand, the others
exchanged glances. Some of them began to scribble on bits of paper, and
occasionally passed these to someone else, or signed to have them circulated.
Some of the group went on with what they had been doing, glancing at Fred from [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]