POWER AND AUTHORITY 
375 
elected a cobbler, as it could, it would not empower the New 
Fellow to perform a boiling-point determination, or read a 
Vernier. 
In our own case, though Our authority is at least as 
absolute as that of the Pope and the Church of Rome, it does 
not confer upon me any power transferable to others by any 
act of Our will. Our own authority came to Us because it was 
earned, and when We confer grades upon other people Our 
gift is entirely nugatory unless the beneficiary has won his 
spurs. 
To put it in a slightly different form of words: Any given 
degree is, as it were, a seal upon a precise attainment; and 
although it may please Us to explain the secret or secrets of 
any given degree or degrees to any particular person or 
persons, it is not of the slightest effect unless he prove in his 
own person the ability to perform those functions which all 
We have done is to give him the right to perform and the 
knowledge how to perform. 
The further you advance in the Order the more will you 
fmd yourself pestered by people who have simply failed to 
understand this point of Magical theory. 
Another thing is that the business of teaching itself is a 
very tricky one; even such simple matters as travelling on the 
astral plane are not to be attained by any amount of teaching 
unless the pupil has both the capacity and the energy as well 
as the theoretical and intellectual ability to carry out 
successfully the practices. 
I have thought it most important that you should impress 
upon everybody these points. It is absolutely pitiful to watch 
the vain struggle of the incompetent; they are so earnest, so 
sincere, so worthy in every way of every possible reward and 
yet they seem unable to advance a single step. 
There is another side to this matter which is really 
approximating to the criminal. There are any number of 
teachers and masters and bishops and goodness knows what