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beliefs are dropped as the child grave older. It can be observed in young children, howeverp and can often be recovered la adults under suitable conditions. Due tc the uasyrapathatic and brutal nature of his father we may suppose that thera u s HI added incentive In rejecting him as hie real father and postulating some other origin to himself, Tbs problem la not Important In itself at the uorant except insofar as it may help to throw some light on the origins of Hitler's conviction in hid mission and his belief that he is guided by some extra-natural power which comaiinicatefl to him what he should and should not do under varying circum- stancea. This hypotheBia is tenable in view of the fact that during hie stay in Vienna, nhen ^till in his early treaties, he grew a board and again directly after the. war nuflii h« again grew a Ghristr-llfcfl beard* Then, too, when he waa a frtudont ^t the Benedictine school his ambition waa to Join the Church and become an abbot or prie&t. All of these give some indication of A Ueaaiah coapleqc long before he had started on his meteoric career and become an opep competitor of Christ for the affections of the German people. Fear of death and desira for 1 ™^ ^ ! , ^ Although bellflf s of thifl kind are coraawn during childhood the? ar* usually dropped or are jnodified ae th» individual become Bolder and oora flxperi-ancod. In Hitler's case, howwer^ the reverse has taken place- the conviction REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES