resent moment we can hear the
rumble of a wagon, the chirp of a cricket, the chatter of distant
voices, and a hundred other sounds besides. At the same time the eye is
appealed to by an infinite variety of stimuli in light, color, and
objects; the skin responds to many contacts and temperatures; and every
other type of end-organ of the body is acting as a "sender" to telegraph
a message in to the brain. Add to these the powerful currents which are
constantly being sent to the cortex from the visceral organs--those of
respiration, of circulation, of digestion and assimilation. And then
finally add the central processes which accompany the flight of images
through our minds--our meditations, memories, and imaginations, our
cogitations and volitions.

Thus we see what a complex our feelings must be, and how impossible to
have any moment in which some feeling is not present as a part of our
mental stream. It is this complex, now made up chiefly on the basis of
the sensory currents coming in from the end-organs or the visceral
organs, and now on the basis of those in the cortex connected with our
thought life, which constitutes the entire feeling tone, or _mood_.

MOOD COLORS ALL OUR THINKING.--Mood depends on the character of the
aggregate of nerve currents entering the cortex, and changes as the
character of the current varies. If the currents run on much the same
from hour to hour, then our mood is correspondingly constant; if the
currents are variable, our mood also will be variable. Not only is mood
dependent on our sensations and thoughts for its quality, but it in turn
colors our entire mental life. It serves as a background or setting
whose hue is reflected over all our thinking. Let the mood be somber and
dark, and all the world looks gloomy; on the other hand, let the mood be
bright and cheerful, and the world puts on a smile.

It is told of one of the early circuit riders among the New England
ministry, that he made the following entries in his diary, thus well
illustrating the point: "Wed. Eve. Arrived at the home of Bro. Brown
late this evening, hungry and tired after a long day in the saddle. Had
a bountiful supper of cold pork and beans, warm bread, bacon and eggs,
coffee, and rich pastry. I go to rest feeling that my witness is clear;
the future is bright; I feel called to a great and glorious work in this
place. Bro. Brown's family are godly people." The next entry was as
follows: "Thur. Morn. Awakened lat