The Investment of Influence | Page 2

pomegranates and spices crowd the house with sweet odors. Man
also has his atmosphere. He is a force-bearer and a force-producer. He
journeys forward, exhaling influences. Scientists speak of the magnetic
circle. Artists express the same idea by the halo of light emanating
from the divine head. Business men understand this principle, those
skilled in promoting great enterprises bring the men to be impressed
into a room and create an atmosphere around them. In measuring
Kossuth's influence over the multitudes that thronged and pressed upon
him the historian said: "We must first reckon with the orator's physical
bulk and then carry the measuring-line about his atmosphere."
Thinking of the evil emanating from a bad man, Bunyan made
Apollyon's nostrils emit flames. Edward Everett insists that Daniel
Webster's eyes during his greatest speech literally emitted sparks. Had
we tests fine enough we would doubtless find each man's personality
the center of outreaching influences. He himself may be utterly
unconscious of this exhalation of moral forces, as he is of the contagion
of disease from his body. But if light is in him he shines; if darkness
rules he shades, if his heart glows with love he warms; if frozen with
selfishness he chills; if corrupt he poisons; if pure-hearted he cleanses.
We watch with wonder the apparent flight of the sun through space,

glowing upon dead planets, shortening winter and bringing summer,
with birds, leaves and fruits. But that is not half so wonderful as the
passage of a human heart, glowing and sparkling with ten thousand
effects, as it moves through life. The soul, like the sun, has its
atmosphere, and is over against its fellows, for light, warmth and
transformation.
All great writers have had their incident of the atmosphere their hero
carried. Centuries ago King Saul sent his officers to arrest a seer who
had publicly indicted the tyrant for outbreaking sins. When the soldier
entered the prophet's presence he was so profoundly affected by the
majesty of his character that he forgot the commission and his lord's
command, asking rather to become the good man's protector. Likewise
with the second group of soldiers--coming to arrest, they remained to
befriend. Then the King's anger was exceedingly hot against him who
had become a conscience for the throne. Rushing forth from his palace,
like an angry lion from his lair, the King sought the place where this
man of God was teaching the people. But, lo! when the King entered
the brave man's presence his courage, fidelity and integrity overcame
Saul and conquered him unto confession of his wickedness. Just here
we may remember that stout-hearted Pilate, with a legion of mailed
soldiers to protect him, trembled and quaked before his silent prisoner.
And King Agrippa on his throne was afraid, when Paul lifting his
chains, fronted him with words of righteousness and judgment. Carlyle
says that in 1848, during the riot in Paris, the mob swept down a street
blazing with cannon, killed the soldiers, spiked the guns, only to be
stopped a few blocks beyond by an old, white-haired man who
uncovered and signaled for silence. Then the leader of the mob said:
"Citizens, it is De la Eure. Sixty years of pure life is about to address
you!" A true man's presence transformed a mob that cannon could not
conquer.
Montaigne's illustration of atmosphere was Julius Caesar. When the
great Roman was still a youth, he was captured by pirates and chained
to the oars as a galley-slave; but Caesar told stories, sang songs,
declaimed with endless good humor. Chains bound Caesar to the oars,
and his words bound the pirates to himself. That night he supped with

the captain. The second day his knowledge of currents, coasts and the
route of treasure-ships made him first mate; then he won the sailors
over, put the captain in irons, and ruled the ship like a king; soon after,
he sailed the ship as a prize into a Roman port. If this incident is
credible, a youth who in four days can talk the chains off his wrists,
talk himself into the captaincy, talk a pirate ship into his own hands as
booty, is not to be accounted for by his eloquent words. His speech was
but a tithe of his power, and wrought its spell only when personality
had first created a sympathetic atmosphere. Only a fraction of a great
man's character can manifest itself in speech; for the character is
inexpressibly finer and larger than his words. The narrative of
Washington's exploits is the smallest part of his work. Sheer weight of
personality alone can account for him. Happy the man of moral energy
all compact, whose mere presence, like that of Samuel, the seer,
restrains others, softens and transforms them. This is a thing to be
written