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112 in him a joy in his own power which will amply repay him for all his struggles.

This process may take months, or it may take years. The Hindus have a saying that he who seeks a Borderland spouse must have known no women for seven years. But whether the process be long or short whether the partner be sought by Borderland or on the earthly plane it must be perfected before the first degree can be entered upon. For those who would like to have at hand some text-book to help in passing this preliminary training, I would recommend a little pamphlet entitled, "Practical Methods to Insure Success," published by the Estoric Publishing Co., Applegate, Placer Co., California. It will be sent free on receipt of postage. It is written from such a standpoint that it can be placed in the hands of young people, and it is suggestive rather than exhaustive of the subject under consideration. But it has nothing to do with Borderland wedlock, and, so far as I can tell, it seems to make this training—which I call preliminary—almost the ultimatum. It also advocates incidentally one or two ideas, such as astrology, and the necessity for occasional fasting, the truth of which it seems to me, remain to be proven. But, apart from these things, it is so admirably written that it will furnish a safe ground-work for any neophyte to build up his ideal sex life upon, and therefore I earnestly recommend its perusal. The first degree, should not be entered upon, as I have said, until the neophyte is proficient in this preliminary training.

The first degree embodies the teaching of what is known as Alpha-ism. Its principle is: "No sex union except for the distinct purpose of begetting a child." The bearings of this principle will be discussed in my forthcoming treatise on "Psychic Wedlock." Suffice it to say here that the staunch adherence to this principle has uplifted and brightened the lives of many husbands and wives who had begun to find the marriage state a hell on earth. But it is a mistake to consider this the most advanced teaching regarding the marital relation. It is beautiful,