Essays on Life 



convert the turtles I mean I had no money 

 in my pocket. No missionary enterprise can 

 be carried on without any money at all, but 

 even so small a sum as half-a-crown would, I 

 suppose, have enabled me to bring the turtle 

 partly round, and with many half-crowns I 

 could in time no doubt convert the lot, for the 

 turtle needs must go where the money drives. 

 If, as is alleged, the world stands on a turtle, 

 the turtle stands on money. No money no 

 turtle. As for money, that stands on opinion, 

 credit, trust, faith things that, though highly 

 material in connection with money, are still 

 of immaterial essence. 



The steps are perfectly plain. The men 

 who caught the turtles brought a fairly strong 

 and definite opinion to bear upon them, that 

 passed into action, and later on into money. 

 They thought the turtles would come that 

 way, and verified their opinion ; on this, will 

 and action were generated, with the result that 

 the men turned the turtles on their backs and 

 carried them off. Mr. Sweeting touched these 

 men with money, which is the outward and 

 visible sign of verified opinion. The customer 



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