The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1908. THE SUPERMAN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 427, 22 August 1908, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1908. THE SUPERMAN.

A very interesting article, under the above heading, appeared in a recent issue of the Masterton Times, and is worthy of serious consideration. The writer says : —The Superman has been defined as a philosophical conception of the human will. He is the man who nobly resolves to do great things ; and the other fellow is the man who does not do them. The will is the Superman ; the lower man is his master or slave, as the case may be. The Superman represents moral law ; the other man brute passion. Freedom of the will is a divine gift that cannot be set aside. The Superman has been evolved from the brute man, and is still in process of evolution with the gradual development of will power. With the Superman, we get human energy at its highest and noblest point. The capacity of the lower man is enhanced by the exercise of will power. Still, the ideal Superman, the highest type of humanity, is perhaps only one man in a million. In military science he may be represented by a Napoleon, in naval science by a Nelson, and in

spiritual prowess by a General Booth. Though there be in every human being a Superman, the highly-developed Superman, who becomes a leader of men, is not often to be found. The difficulty in developing the Superman often lies with the lower man, who, by selfindulgence, weakens the will power of the Superman. We see men who, in former years, have held high and responsible positions, who hove gradually undermined with alcohol the Superman. It is said that alcohol is a more deadly enemy of the Superman than any other. This does not necessarily refer to the times when the lower man is overcome by alcohol, but to the periods when he is comparatively sober. The Superman, in his dual personality, is still capable of turning towards the light, of seeking that which is pure and good, but any promise which the Superman makes to “forswear sack,’’ he has but little power to keep. In most cases the Superman, upon whose fellow-man alcohol has a strong grip, is doomed. There are many other indulgences besides alcohol, which handicap the Superman. Excess in food, a craving for tobacco, or passions such as pride, anger, and jealousy, are all hostile to the growth of the Superman. Gambling, too, is another serious drawback. All these hindrances limit the power of the Superman to put forth effort and to sustain the effort which is made. The lower man fails to respond to the call of the Superman. The psychical power is blocked by the physical deterioration. At some future time a race of human beings may dwell upon this earth possessing enormous powers, by being untrammelled by the vices which accompany our present civilisation. The Superman can develop much more rapidly in a young person than in an old one. Age is ever a handicap, and after a certain time the Superman knows that he has passed the period in his career when he can carry out a great undertaking. With the young man the opposite is the case. He has only to will to be something great, and to bring his body into subjection to the Superman, to attain any position which he desires. But the young man often lacks judgment, and is careless about the future. When his powers are at their strongest, he fritters away his opportunities of achieving distinction. He thinks less of the Superman and more of the other fellow having a good time. Eater on in life, when he looks at his past career, he sees the extent to which he has trifled with his chances, and murmurs, “ Give me back but yesterday.” The Supermen of the world are ever more or less in touch with a universal will, a mystic ocean of magnetic power, from which any or all of them may recruit their strength. Will is an atmosphere in which they live and move and have their being. The Superman can assimilate as much, or as little, of it as he chooses. He is an individual ego, with a power of initiative ; and, at the same time, he comes from the universal will, and is part and parcel of it. The why and the wherefore may be obscure ; but many of the great Supermen of the world have seen or felt that they were destined for great things, and invisible helpers have responded to their call for assistance in the day of battle. In one sense the Superman stands alone ; in another, he is a scout in a great silent army, who can, he knows not how, claim irresistible powers to speed him with his work.