THE THEOSOPHIST:

M O N T H L Y JO U R N A L D E V O T E D TO O R IE N T A L P H IL O S O P H Y ,

A R T , L IT E R A T U R E A N D O C C U L T IS M .

C O ND UCTE D BY

H. P. BLAVATSKY.

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

V O L U M E V — 1 8 83-84.

M A D R A S :

P U B L IS H E D B Y T H E T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y , A D Y A R .
 f¥ l a to r a g :
r i J T K T K D A T T J I E S C O T T I S H I’K E S S ,

JiV < i« .\\'K S , COOKSON AND Co.

188-k
 TO

THE THEOSOPHIST.
• V O J L / t T IM IIE ] ‘V -

(O G TO B ER 1883 TO SEPTEM B ER 1 8 8 4 .)

P age. P aqb. F a q e ,’

A. B. C h e la s, n re th e y M e d iu m s ? .., ... 2 1 0
,, a n d M a h a tm a s ... ... 233
A c k n o w le d g m e n t... ••• 6 7 ,2 0 4 , 272 B a b u K e s h u b C h a n d e r Sen, T r a n s la ­ C h e la s h ip ... ... ... ... 2
A d e p ta 'in A m erica in 1776 ... 16 tio n o f ... ... ... ... 1 1 9 C h e la sh ip , Q u a lific a tio n s fo r ... 281
„ F e m a le ... ... 2 3 ,2 6 3 ,2 6 4 B a ld w in , P ro f., a n d S p ir itu a lis m ... 93 C h e m ic a l D isc o v e ry ... ... ... 198
„ In q u ire r ab o u t ... ... 97 B a tta h M irro rs ... ... ... 72 C h in ese L ite r a tu r e , G em s of ... 101
,, a n d M a g ic ia n s ... ... 261 B e n g a l P o e sy a n d llo v . H a s tie ... 51 C h o h a n , D h y a n ............ ... 246,269
,, a n d P o litic s ............. 7 9 ,2 2 3 B e n g a li E p h e m e ris, C h ro n o lo g y of.. 48 C h ris t, A v a ta r o f ... ... ... 51
A d i B ralim o S a m a j ... . . . 25 B e s t F o o d fo r M an ...5 7 ,1 0 8 ,1 3 4 ,1 7 1 ,2 6 9 C h r is tia n ity , E so te ric ... ... 143
A f te r D e a th ... ... ... 191 B h a g a v a t G ita a n d “ E so te ric B u d ­ E x o te ric , in A m e ric a 135
A g e n t of T . S ., n ew , in P a r is ... 303 d h is m ” ... ... ... ... 1 2 2 in C b o ta N a g p o re ... 122
A lc h e m ists, J a s . P ric e , F .R .S . ... 213 B ish o p o n th e C h u rc h , A ... ... 123 a n d T h e o so p h y ... 121,
A lc h e m ists, L a s t of th e ... ... 2 1 1 B ism a rc k , P rin c e , m y s te rio u s v isi 166,225,243
A lle g e d d e a th of D e B o u rb o n , F .T .S . 107 to r of ... ... ... ... 186 C h ris tia n T o le ra tio n in A u s tr a lia 247
A lm o ra S w am i, D e a th of . . . ... 123 B la c k M a g ic , D a n g e rs o f ... ... 283 C h ro n o lo g y of B e n g a li E p h e m e ris . 48
B ra h m a , A sp e c ts of .. ... ... 27 C h u rc h , A B ish o p on th e ... ... 123
A lp h a b e t, O rig in a u d D e v e lo p m e n t
of ... ... ... ... ... 275 B ra h m a n s , R a in s to p p in g ... ... 99 C ita tio n s fro m D h a m m a p a d a of
A lp h a , T h e ... ... ... 147 B ra h m in , C aste ... ... ... 54 B uddha ... ... ... ...
284
A m e ric a , A d e p ts in , in 1776 ... 16 B ra h m o S am aj, A d i... ... ... 25 C o n te m p la tio n ... 112,170,265,267
A m e ric a n B ro ck en S p e c tre ... 24 B ra n c h T . S. in G e rm a n y ... .. 294 C o n v ic t re fo rm e d ... ... ... 120
„ U n iv e rs ity a t B o sto n ... 2 2 0 B re a th , S cien ce of ... ... ••• 175 C o sm ic P o sitio n of M an 123
A n c ie n t a n d M odern S ib y l... ... 117 B r itis h T h in k e r o u th e T heosophist. 133
C osm ic P sy c h o lo g ic a l a n d S p ir itu a l
„ F a b ric s, D isco v ery o f ...... 155 B ro c k e n S p e c tre ... 24
S c ie n c e ... ... ... ...
232
„ H is to ry of In d ia ... ...
... 178 B ru n o , G io rd a n o , L ifo of .. 12
C o sm o g o n y o f O ld T e s ta m e n t ... 182
„ „ _ of J a v a ... 160,195 B uddha ... ... 7 9 ,2 6 9
B u d d h a a n d E a r ly B u d d h is m ...
... 125 C o u n t S t. G erm ain ; (lte m iu isc e n c e s
A n c ie n t O ccultism in C a le d o n ia ... 285
A n im a l M a g n e tis m ... _ ... ... 97 B u d d h a ’s D e a th -D a te o f ... ...
... 43 °f) .............................................. 288
B u d d h a ’s T e ach in g s, C ita tio n s fro m 2 8 4 C ritics, L a w n -tc n n is S ch o o l o f ... 30
A n E n q u ir e r a b o u t A d e p ts ... 97
A n g lo S a n s k rit Schools ... 301 B u d d h a s, T h e fu tu r e ... .•• 268 C ry s ta ls n n d M a g ic al sto n e s in
A n sw ers to C o rre s p o n d e n ts. 53 8 9 ,1 2 0 , B u d d h ism b efo re B u d d h a ... 95 C a le d o n ia ... ... ...
285
141,1 6 9 ,2 0 4 ,2 2 1 ,2 4 5 „ Is it P e ssim istic ? . . . 155 C u sto m of k e e p in g F ire in P a r s i
, a n d T a n tr a s ... ... 96 T e m p le s . . . ... ... 247
A nusuya ... ... ... ... 264
„ Y e d a n tism a n d ... ... 270
A p p a ritio n s a n d G h o sts,N o tes on 9 5 ,2 6 3
B u d d h is ts , C ol. O lc o tt’e M issio n fo r 261, D.
303
A r a b ia n S to r y ... ... ... 197
B u d d h is t H ea v en , t h e ............. ... 288 D a n g e rs o f B la c k M a g ic ... ... 2 8 3
A rchaeo logical D ifficulties ... ... 121
,, Q u estio n s ... . .. 23 D a s J a n u s -G e s ic h t des M e n sc h e n ... 1 2 3
A re C h e la s M ed iu m s ? ... . .. 210 c. D a tta t r a y a ... ... ... 2 6 4
A re T h e o so p h ists A th e is ts ? ,.. 198 44 D a y a n a n d S a ra s w a ti, O b itu a ry o f... 1 0 5
C a b a lla li, T h o ... ... . . .

A rn e S a k n u ss e m m ... ... . .. 25 C ale d o n ia , A n c ie n t O cc u ltism in . . . 285 D e a th of S w a m i of A lm o r a ... . ... 1 2 3

A r t of B ein g H a p p y ... ,.. 277 C a lifo rn ia on T h e o so p h y . . . l ■ ... . 10 D e B o u rb o n , F .T .S .— A lle g e d D e a th
A r y a n W isd o m a n d Solar C o lo r 53,239 C an F e m a le s b eco m e A d e p ts ? ... 23 of .............................................. 1 0 7
A s h to tta r a S a to p a n is h a d ... . . . 254 C an th e D o u b le be M u rd e re d ? ... 220 D eccan A sso c ia tio n f o r p ro m o tin g
A S in g u la r C ase ... ... ... 203 C an th e M a h a tm a s bo selfish ? ... 266 E d u c a tio n ... ... ... 169
A sp e c ts of B ra h m a .. ... ... 27 C a sh m e re V a lle y , V oice fro m t h e ... 17 D e fin itio n n e e d ed ... ... ... 1 4 2
A s p ir a n t’s P e rp le x itie s ... ... 271 C e re m o n ia l O b se rv a n c e s .. .. 2 3 ,2 4 D h a m m a p a d a , C ita tio n s fro m ... 2 8 4
A s tro lo g y ... ... ... ... 213 C eylon, W h a t S cio n tific R u s s ia D hyan C hohan ... ... 246,2 6 9
D o. S h o rt C o m p en d iu m of ... 206 k n o w s of i t ... ... . . . no D ie W o lts te llu n g d es M e n sc h e n 123
A tla n tis , Is la n d of (n o te )... ... 3 C h a n d ra ... ... ... ... 264 D isc o v e ry of A n c ie n t F a b ric s ... 1 5 5
A tte m p ts a t M e sm erism ... ... 95 C h a n g a d e v a ... ... ... 2 5 6 ,2 7 8 D is c rim in a tio n of S p ir it a n d n o n - ■
A u s tr a lia n Q ueries ... ... ... 98 C h a rm in g W a r t s ......... ... 1 0 0 ,1 5 1 S p ir it ............................................... 70
A u tu m n R e v e rie ... ... . . . 114 C h a s tity ... ... ... . . . 161 Disintegration of Matter, When ... 22
A v a ta r of C h rist ... ... ... 51 C h e a p a n d G ood F o o d ... ... 197 Dnyanesliwar ... ... ... 256
 P age. P aak. P ag *.
D o u b le , M u rd e rin g of th e ... ... 220 H in d u is m , E so te ric B u d d h is m , a n d 223 M .
,, P ro je c tio n of th e ... ... 1 H in d u L o y a lis t of P o n d ic h e r ry ... 21
„ sav es life ... ... ... 263 H is to ric a l D ifficu lty in E so te ric M ag ician s, a n d A d e p ts ... ... 261.
D ra m a of th e la tte r d ay s ... ... 149 B u d d h is m ... ... ... ... 3 M ag ic, D a n g e rs of B la c k ... 283
D u rv a s a ... ... ... ... 204 H isto ric a l R e se a rc h e s in M ag ic ... 218 M ag ic, H is to ric a l R e se a rc h e s o n 218,297
H is to ry , E s o te ric ... ... ... 6 M ag ic M irro rs ... ... ... 188
E. H ollow G lobe ... ... 251 M ag ical sto n es o r C ry sta ls in A n ­
H o m o eo p ath y ... ... ... 300 c ie n t C aledonia ... ... ... 286
E d u c a tio n , D cccan A sso c ia tio n fo r :, an d M a g n e tism ... 100 M ag ico n , a s e c re t s y s te m , 162,193,216,
p ro m o tin g ... ... ... ... 169 H o w to sleep ... ... ... 91 233,
E fficacy of F u n e ra l C orem o n ies ... 23 H u m a n and A n im al M a g n e tism ... 97 M a g n e tic F ie ld , L u m in o s ity of ... 45
E g g re g o rc s , Th© .. ... ... 136 H u m a n ity , P la n e ta ry C ycles of ... 105 M a g n e tic Q u a c k e ry ... ... ... 184
E n g lis h P a d ris , F re n c h id ea s of ... 104 H u m a n ity , P o sth u m o u s ...2 2 9 ,2 4 7 ,2 7 2 M a g n e tism , M ed ical 49,87,139,199
“ E s o te ric B u d d h is m ,” R e p lies (to ,, H u m a n .. ... ... 97
nn E n g lis h F . T. S .) ... ...3 , 35 ,, a n d H o m o e o p a th y ... 100
,, „ a n d S t. Ja m e s ’ M a h a tm a s a n d C helas ... ... 233
G a z e tte ... 46 Id o l W o rs h ip ... ... ... 143
,, can th ey be selfish ? ... 266
,, and B h agavat Im m a c u la te C o n c e p tio n ... ... 204
,, In te rv ie w w ith a ... 270
G ita . ... 122 Im m o rta lity , U n c o m m o n th o u g h ts „ H im alayanO 1,80,83,98,171,206
its M e ta p h y si­ on ... ... ... ... ... 187
M an , T w o le c tu re s mi ... ... 208
cal Baei.s ... 179 In d ia , A n c ie n t H is to ry o f... ... 178
,, H e r e d ita r y fac u ltie s in ... 206 *
„ „ nud H in d u is m 223 In d ia , w h a t it can te a c h u s ... 172
„ th e H ig h e st A n im al ... 152
E s o te ric C h ris tia n ity ..................143 In fin ite , Im p re ss io n s fro m th e ••• 27
,, P h ilo so p h y o f... ... ... 278
E u ro p e a n I ’ress on T h eo so p h ica l “ In fin ite P e rs o n a lity ” ... ... 179
M a r a th i T h e o so p h ist ...2 3 2 ,2 5 5 ,2 7 8
M ission ... ... ... 2 5 8,294 I n h a b ita n ts of ih e P la n e ts .. ... 173
M a rria g e of R ish is ..................204
E v il S p ir itu a lity ... ... ... 246 I n q u i r e r a b o u t A d e p ts ... . . . 97
M a tte r, D is in te g ra tio n of, w h e n ... 22
E x iste n c e of H im a la y a n lla lm tm a s I n te r e s tin g A d v e n tu re ... ... 263
M ed ica l M ag n e tism a n d H e a le r ■
61,80,83,98,171,266 In te rv ie w w ith a M a h a tm a ... ... 270
M a g n e tic ... ... 4 9 ,8 7 ,139,199
E x o te ric C h ris tia n ity in A m e ric a ... 135 In tro v o rs io n of M e n ta l V isio n ... 107 M ed icin e, W h a t sy ste m b e st 203
E x p la n a tio n of K id d le In c id e n t (M . Ire n a n is a n d T h e o so p h ists ... ... 129 210
M e d iu m s a n d C h elas ' ...
A . O x o n ) ... ... ... ... 287 Is B u d d h ism P e ssim istic ? ... ... 155
M e d iu m , T h ie f o r ... ... 209
E x p o s e r of S p iritu a lism exposed . . . 92 Is M an th e H ig h e s t A n im al ? ... 152
M e n ta l V isio n , In tro v e rs io n of 107
I s th e D e sire to liv e Selfish ? ... 242
M esm e rism , A tte m p ts a t ... .. 95
„ O rie n ta l ... ... 17
F a k ir s a n d Y ogis, P o w ers of . . . 91
J. M e ta p h y sic a l b asis of E s o te ric B u d ­
F e m a le A d e p ts ... ... 2 3 ,2 0 3 ,2 0 4 d h ism ... ... ... ... 179
J a m e s P ric e ; M . D . F . R . S ., a n d M in d re a d in g , T h o u g h ts o n ... 185
F e w W o rd s , A ... ... ... 25
A lc h e m ists ... ... ... 2 13 M ira c u lo u s B ea rd a u d th o m o n k s of
F o o d , B e s t, fo r M an 57,108,134,171,209
J a v a , S c ra p s of its A n c ie n t H is to ry 1 0 0 , S t. S te p lia n o ... ... ... 6t>
F re n c h id e a s of E n g lish P a d ris ... 104
195 M irro rs, B a tta h ... .. ... J2
F u n d a m e n ta l T e n e ts of C h ris tia n ity
J e s u its ... ... ... 51 ,, M ag ic ... ... ... 887
a n d T h e o so p h y ... ... ... 243
J u d g e , M a n a g e r, S e c re t D o c tr 303 M issin g L in k ... ... ... 10
F u n e ra l C erem o n ies, E fficacy of ... 23
J u d g m e n ts , M ista k e n ... 02 M ission o f T h e o so p h ists in E u ro p e 258,
F u tu r e B u d d h a s ... ... ... 208
F u tu r e O c c u ltis t, T h e ... ... 203 293,294
K. M ista k e n J u d g m e n ts ... ... 62
M o d ern L ite r a tu r e , O ccultism in ... 257
G-. M o d e rn P h ilo so p h y , I l ig h w ato r
K a lp a , Y o g a an d . . . ... ... 77
G e m s of C h in ese L ite r a tu r e ... 101 K a rm a ... ... ... ... 223 m a r k of ... ... ... ... 131
G e rm a in .C o u n t S t., R em in isc e n c e s of 288 ,, a n d R e b irth ... ... 301 M o d ern S p iritu a lis m a n d M agic
G e rm a n y , B ra n c h T. S . in 294 K a r m a of R ev . H a s tie ... ... 51 M irro rs ... ... ... ... 188
G h o sts a n d A p p a ritio n s, N o te s o n ... 95 K a v y a D o sh a V iv e c h a n a ... ... 29 M o n a S in g h ... ... ... ... 276
G h o st S to rie s, G alo re ... ... 167 K e s h u b C h e n d e r S en , T ra n s la tio n of 1 19 M o n cu re, L). C o n w ay ’s T o u r ... 221
G lad sto n e, M r., a n d T h o u g h t R e a d ­ K id d le ’s D isc o v e ry — H a p p y Mr.-—■ M o ral E d u c a tio n ... ... ... 101
in g ... ... ... ... ... 2G0 a n d th e O ccult W orld ... ... 86 M o ra lity a n d P a n th e is m ... 33,142
G oa, R o m an C ath o lic S a in t a t ... 222 K id d le I n c id e n t (M . A ., O x o n ) ... 287 M o ry as a n d K o o th o o m i, P u r a n a s
G o d id e a ... ... ... ... 75 K o la ria n T rib e s , S h a m a ism a m o n g 8 f on ... . ... 99
G o d p e rso n al, P le a fo r ... ... 28 K o o th o o m i a n d M o ry as, P u r a n a s on 99 M u r d e rin g th e D ouble ... 2 2 0
G o d , W h a t is ... ... ... 247 K s h e tr a , M e a n in g of (n o te ) ... 127 M ystic L o r e ... ... 89,153
G o v e rn m e n t a n d th e B u d d h is ts in
C eylon ... ... ... ... 303
L. N.
G re a t R id d le S o lv e d ... ... 01,171
G ro w th s, P r e m a tu r e a n d P h e n o m e n a l 00 N a m e , W h a t is in i t p .. ... 244
L a L in g u is tiq u e D e v o ile e l4 4 ,2 0 4 ,2 2 6 ,2 7 9
G u ja r a t a n d G u ja ra tis ... ... 255 L a m p of L ife ... ... ... 15 N e w D isc o v e ry in C h e m is try .. 198
G y a , P in d a m s a t ... ... ...2 3 ,2 4 N ew T ro y (A ) ...........................137
L a s t of th o A lc h e m ists ... . . . 211
L aw n T e n n is S chool of C ritic s ... 30 N ilg iri S a n n a y a s is ... ... ... 153
H. L e c o n te ’s C ycles of H u m a n ity ... 105 N ir v a n a ... ... ... ... 246
H a s tie , R ev . .................. 5 ],2 2 3 L e c tu re s on M a n , T w o ... . . . 208 N o i^ s a n d Q u eries on G hosts a n d •
H a tc h e t, T h e silv e r .. .. ... 235 L e tte r s to th e E d ito r, 5 3 ,9 5 — 1 0 0 ,1 2 0 , a p p a ritio n s ... ... ... 95
H a v o w e to low er th e flag of T ru c e ? 69 1 2 3 ,1 4 2 ,1 4 3 ,1 0 9 — 170,201, N o te s b y th e w ay e x p la n a tio n of
H e a le r, M ag n etic ... 4 9 ,8 7 ,1 3 9 ,1 9 9 2 0 4 ,2 2 2 ,2 2 5,2 45 ,2 4 7 , K id d le In c id e n t [M . A. (O x o n )].., 287
H e a v e n , th e B u d d h is t ... ... 288 208,271,299,300,301 N o te s on B e s t Food fo r M an ... 209
H e b re w L e tte r N u n ... ... 150 L ife fo f G io rd a n o B ru n o ... ... 12 N o tic e s ...1 6 6 ,2 3 2 ,3 0 3
H e re d ita ry F a c u lty in M an ... 200 L ife, L a m p of ... ... ... 15
H ig h W a te r M a rk of M o d e rn P h i ­ L in g u is tic s U n v e ile d . 14 4 ,2 0 4 ,2 2 0 ,2 7 9
lo so p h y ... ... ... ... 13] L iv in g V a m p ire s in o u r S o c ia l I n ­
H im a la y a n B r o th e r s ’ E x iste n c e 6 1 ,^ 0 ,8 3 s titu tio n s ... ... ... 1 48,158 O b itu a ry of S w a m i D a y a n a n d S a r-
■ • •• - .................... 9 8 ,1 7 1 ,2 0 0 L o y a lis t, H in d u , of P o n d ic h e r ry ... 21 a sw a ti ... ... ... ... 105
H im a la y a n an d o th e r M a h a tm a s ... 80 , L u m in o s ity of M a g n e tic F ie ld ... 45 O c c u ltist of th e F u tu r e ... ... 263
 P aqk . P a ce . P ag*.
P h ilo so p h y a n d S cicn ce of V e d a n tic
O c c u ltism , A n c ie n t in C a le d o n ia ... 285 P sy c h o -p h y sio lo g ic a l N o te s ... 81
ll a j Y o g a (S. C. V a s u ) 146
O c c u ltism , T ra n s c e n d e n ta l..................lf>9 P y th o n , S e r p e n t, in a ll ag e s ... 11
P la to n ist, T h e ... ... _ ... 176
. in M odern L ite r a tu r e ... 257 P o s th u m o u s H u m a n ity ( D ’A ssier)
, P r a c tic a l In s tru c tio n s in 189 Q- 229,247,272
’ 2 1 4 ,2 1 0 ,2 6 4 ,2 9 1 Q u ack ery , M a g n e tic ... 181 P sy c h o m e lry ( B u c h a n a n ) ... 147
O c c u lt P h e n o m e n a ... ... ••• 165 Q u a lifica tio n s fo r C h e la sh ip ... 281 R e m a rk s an d T h o u g h ts on B u d d h a
„ S cienco of B re a th ... ... 175 Q u e ries fro m A u s tr a lia ... ... 98 a n d B u d d h ism (L illie ) ... 127
;; s m d y ...................................1 3 1 Q u e stio n V I I by “ A n E n g lis h F . T . S c h o la rs’ G uide to A lg e b r a ... 145
„ W o rd , T h e ..................................256 S .” ( 43 T h eo so p h ic a l M iscellan ies N o . 2, .
’. W o r ld , “ K id d ie ’s D isc o v e ry ” 86 Q u estio n s by a T ru th s e e k e r ... 300 U n p u b lis h e d w ritin g s of E lip h aa
O lc o tt,C o l..B ra h m in ic a l th r e a d to (n o te ) ,, V a rio u s ... ... ... 245 L evi ... ... ••• 67
2 T w o L e c tu re s on M an ( J . C. D a ji). 208
M issio n f o r B u d d h is ts 2 6 1 ,303 It. V e d a n tis m (B a b u 1). D a tta ) ... 175
O ld T e s ta m e n t C osm ogony ... 182 V iv is e c tio n (M rs. K in g s fo rd ) ... 103
i. O rie n ta lis t, T h e ••• ••• R a c es, 5 th a n d Gth (n o te) ...
176 ... 3 R iild le , A g re a t, so lv ed ... 61,171
O rie n ta l J u g g lin g in S ia m ..................114 ,, G eo lo g ical (n o te ) ... ... 7 R ish is, M a rria g e of ... ... 264
^ O rie n ta l M esm erism ... R a in sto p p in g B ra h m in s
.. 17 ... ... 99 R o m an C ath o lic S a in t a t G o a . . . 222
R e d e m p tio n o f P a ria h s
O rig in a n d D ev elo p m e n t of th o A lp h a b e t ... ... 26 R u ssia n K n o w le d g e of C ey lo n 110
° 275
R e b irth a n d K a rm a ... ... 301
O rig in of N a tu re a n d Science R e in c a rn a tio n
... 268 ... ... ... 209 S.
O u r n e x t Volumo R e m a rk a b le D isc o v e ry
• •• 303 ... ... 31 S a in t a t G o a ... ... ••• 222-
O u r S ix th Y e a r R e m a rk s on B u d d h a a n d B u d - ...
................................ 279 S a k n u sse m m , A r n e ... ... ... 25
d h is m ... ... ... ... 125 S a lv a tio n is ts -J e s u its ... ... 51
P. R e m in isc e n c e s of C t. S t. G e rm a in 288 S am u j, A di B ra h m o ... ... 25
R e p ly to a N a tiv e T h in k e r ... ... 201 S a n u y a sis of N ilg iris ... ... 153
P a n c h a d a s i ... ... <•• ••• 277 R ep lie s to q u e stio n s su g g e s te d by S a n s k rit, A n g lo , S c h o o ls ... 301
P a n d a v a s , (n o te ) ... ... ••• 20 “ E so te ric B u d d h ism .” ... ... 35 S a v in g a H in d u S o u l ... ... 25
P a n in i, W a s w ritin g k n o w n before ? 18 R e se a rc h e s iu M ag ic, H is to ric a l, S c h o la rs’ G n id e to A lg e b ra ... 147
P a n th e is m a n d M o ra lity ... 33,142 D u p o te t ... ... ... 2 18,297 S c ien ce of B re a th ... ... ... 175
P a r ia h s , R e d e m p tio n of ... ... 26 ,, O rig in of N a tu re a n d ... 268
,, a n d P in d a m s ... ••• 54 R eview s :— „ nnd S p ir itu a l P h ilo so p h y ... 232
P a r is A g e n t, N ew ••• ••• 303 A lp h a , T h e ................................ 147 ,, U ses o f ... ... ... 245
,, T h e o s o p h is ts ’ W elc o m e to .. 260 A n c ie n t H is to ry of I n d ia (A , C up- S cie n tific V e rific a tio n of S p iritu a l
P a r s i T e m p le s, C u sto m of k e e p in g p ia h ) ... ... ... ... 176 P henom ena ... ... ... 267
. fire in • ••• ••• ••• ^47 A r t of B e in g H a p p y ( I I . N . „ Q u e stio n s a n sw e re d ... 22
P e a rls of th e F a ith , or Is la m ’s R o s a ry 254 Som nay) ... ... ... 277 S crap s of A n c ie n t H is to ry of J a v a 160,195
, P e o p le ’s M a g a z in e ... ... ••• 278 A s lito tta ra s n t O p a n ish a d a h ... 25-1 S o e re t D o c trin e o f U p a n ish a d s
P e r p e tu a l A lm a n a c ... ... ••• 147 C h ris tia n C ollege M ag a zin e on (n o te ) ... .. ••• ••• 18
P e rp le x itie s , A n A s p ir a n t’s ... 271 T h e o so p h y ... ... ... 129 S e c re t S y ste m o f U n k n o w n P h i ­
P e rs o n a l G od, P le a fo r ... ••• 28 C osm ic P sy c h o lo g ic a l S p ir itu a l lo so p h ers ... . . . 1 62,193,210,233
P e rs o n a lity , In fin ite .■• ••• 179 P h ilo so p h y a n d S cien ce ... 232 S elfish, C an M a h a tm a s be P ... ... 2G6
P h e n o m e n a , O c c u lt... ... ••• 165 D as J a n u s G e sic h t d es M en sch en , ,, I.s th e d e sire to liv e ? ... 242
,, of S p iritu a lism s c ie n tifi­ “ T h e J a n u s -F a c c d n e s s of M a n ” S e rp e n t P y th o n in all a g e s .., ... 11
cally verifie d ... ... 267 (d u P r e l) ............................ 123 S ex iu A d ep tsh ip ... ... 23,26 3 ,264
P h ilo s o p h y of M an ... •. ... 278 D ie W e lts te llu n g des M en sc h e n — S h a m a ism , &o., a m o n g K o la ria n s 89
,, a n d Science of V e d a n tic “ Cosm ic P o sitio n of M an” S h o r t C o m p en d iu m of A stro lo g y ... 206
R a j Y oga ... ••• 140 (d u P re l) ... ... ... 123 Siam J u g g le r s ... ... ... 114
P h o to g r a p h ic P ic tu r e of a M u r d e re r 185 G em s of C h in ese L ite r a tu r e (H . S ib y l, A n c ie n t a n d M o d e rn . ... 117
P h y sio lo g ic a l C ru e lty o r “ F a c t a n d A . G ile s )............... ... ... 101 S ilv e r H a tc h e t. ... ... ... 235
Fancy” ... ... ••• 145 G o v e rn m e n t a n d th e B u d d h is ts in S in g u la r C ase. ... ... ... 203
P ic tu r e in a n O ak ... ... .•• 32 C eylon ... ... .:. ... 303 S ix th Y e a r, O u r ................................ 279
. P in d a m s a t G ya ... ... ...2 3 ,2 4 G u ja ra t a n d G u ja ra tis (M a la b a ri) 255 S ociety, T h e o so p h ic a l, of a ll C reed s. 96
,, a n d P a r ia h s .. ... 54 H e r e d ita r y F a c u lty iu M an S o la r C o lo r nnd A ry a n W isd o m 53,239
P la n e ta ry C ycles of H u m a n ity ... 1G5 (G a lto n ) ... ... ... 206 S o la r S p o ts a g a in ... ... 53,239
P la n e ts , I n h a b ita n ts of ... ... 173 H o llo w G lo b e (S h e rm a n ) ... 251 Som o U n c o m m o n T h o u g h ts on I m ­
P la to n is t, T h e ... ••• ... 176 In d ia , w h a t i t can te a c h iis m o r ta lity ... ... ... ... 187
P le a f o r a P erso n al G od ... ... 28 (M u lle r) .............................172 S o u l, T h e .............................................. 186
P o litic s a n d A d ep ts ... 79,223 I n h a b ita n ts of th o P la n e ts ,, S tr a y T h o u g h ts ou ... ... 210
P o n d ic h e r ry , a H in d u L o y a lis t o f... 21 (d u P r e l) ...........................173 S o u th In d ia n Y o g in i ... ... 153
P o s th u m o u s H u m a n ity ... 229,24 7 ,2 7 2 K a v i/a D osha V ivechana ... ... 29 S p ecim en s, F o ssil, to E x c h a n g e ... 25
P o sth u m o u s V isito r, A ... ... 2 9 3 K o o th o o m i U n v e ile d (L illie) ... 301 S p e c tre , B ro ck en ... ... ... 24
P o s t-m o r te m R ise of T e m p e ra tu re L a L in g u is tiq u e D ev o ilee (L ev y - S p ir it a n d N o n -sp irit, D isc rim in a ­
7 6 ,110,138 B in g ) — ... ... 1 4 4 ,2 0 4 ,2 2 6 tio n of ... ... ... ... 70
„ v is ito rs ... ... ' ... 64 M a g n e tism an d H o m o eo p ath y ... 100 S p irits a n d E le m e n ta rie s ... ... 203
P o w e rs of Y o g is a n d F a k ir s ... 91 M a r a th i T heosophist ... 2 3 2 ,2 5 5 ,2 7 8 S p ir itu a l H elp , w hen to e x p e c t ... 299
P ra c tic a l I n s tr u c tio n s fo r s tu d e n ts M o n a S in g h (D . M. S ) .........27G S p ir itu a lis m ... ... ••• ... 301
of O c c u ltis m ... 189,214,240,264,291 M o ral E d u c a tio n (B u c h a n a n ) ... 101 S p iritu a lis m , E x p o se r of, ex p o se d ... 92
P ra y e r ... ... ... 9 5,142 O c c u lt S c ie n ce of B re a th (II. P . ,, a n d P ro f. B a ld w in ,.. 93
P re c ip ita tio n ... ... ... 64 K n sy a p a ) ... ... ... 1 75 i S p iritu a l P h ilo so p h y a n d S c ie n c e ... 232
P re m a tu re a n d P h e n o m e n a l G ro w th s 60 O ccult W onl, T h e ... ... 256 S p ir itu a lity , E v il ... ... ... 246
P rice J a m e s , M . D ., F , R . S., a n d O rien ta list, T h e ... ... ... 176 S p irit V isit ... ... ... ... 189
A lc h e m ists ... ... ... 213 O rig in a n d D e v e lo p m e n t of th e S t. G e rm a in , R e m in iscen ces of tho
P rin c e B is m a ro k ’s m y ste rio u s V is ito r J86 A lp h a b e t (T a ilo r) ... ... 275 C ount ... ... ... 288
P rin c e ’s H a ll, T . S . M e e tin g iu P a n c h a d a s i (N . D h o le) ... ... 277 S t- J a m e s ’ G a z e tte a n d E so te ric •
Loudon ... ... ... 294 P e a rls o f th e F a ith o r Is la m ’s B u d d h is m ... ... ,.. ... 46
P ro v id e n c e , W a y s of ... ... 158 R o sa ry ... ... ... ... 254 S tr a y T h o u g h ts on S o u l ... ... 210
P sy ch o lo g ical P h e n o m e n o n ... ... 88 P eo p le’s M a g a zin e ... ... 278 S t. S te p h a n o o f V ie n n a , M iracu lo u s
P sy e h o m c try ... ... ... H 7 P h ilo s o p h y of M au (D av id so n ) ... 278 B e a rd , a n d th e M o n k s of ... 66
 • P age. P age. PAor.
Swami of Almor&, Death of ... 123 T h o u g h tR e a d in g a n d M r. G la d sto n e . 266 w .
Syilnpdthy ... ... '.............. 271 T h o u g h ts on M in d R e a d in g ... 185
T ig o r C h a rm in g .. ... ... 122 W a r t C h a rm in g ... ... 100,151
T. T ra n s c e n d e n ta l O cc u ltism ... ... 169 W a y s of P ro v id e n c e ... ... ... 158
T ra n s la tio n of B n b u K . C. S e n ... 119 W h a t E u ro p e a n p a p e rs say of
T a ritrn s a n d Buddhism ... ... 96 T ra n s lite ra tio n , M e th o d o f... ... 28 T h e o so p h y ... ... 2 58,294
T aro ti... ... ... ... ... 202 T r u th S eek er, q u e stio n s by ... 300 W h a t is G o d ? ... ... ... 217
T e m p o ra ta ro , P o s t-m o rte m riso of. 76, W h i t is T h eo so p h y ? ... . . . 143
110,138 u . W h a t’s in a nam e r ... ... ... 241
Tho Alpha ... ... ... ... 147 W h a t S cien tific R u ssia k n o w s of
“ T ho O ccu lt W o rd ” ................. 256 U n co m m o n T h o u g h ts on Im m o r­ C ey lo n ... ... ... ... 110
i'H elem om otre, w ill M easu rer ... 299 ta lity ... ... ... ... 187 W h a t S y ste m of M edicine b e st ... 203
1'heoSophical fira n c h in G e rm a n y ... 294 U p a n is h a d s , T h o 108. ... ... 254 W h e n to e x p e c t S p ir itu a l H e lp ... 299
,j ■ M iscellan ies N o. 2 . . . 67 ,, a S e c re t D o c trin c (n o te ) 18 W ill M easu rer, T h e lem o m e tro ... 299
S o c ie ty of all C reeds. 96 U se s o f S cie n c e ... ... ... 245 W o rd s , V ictim s of ... ... ... 117
T h e o s o p h is t,'B ritis h T h in k e r on ... 133 W o rs h ip of Id o ls ... ... ... 143
,, M a r a th i ... 232,255,278 V. W ritin g , w as i t k n o w n boforo
T h e o so p h ists, are th e y A th e is ts ? ... 198 P a n in i ? ... ... ... ... 18
„ an d Irana?us ... 129 V a m p ire s n n d V a m p irism ,..14:8,158
,, M ission o f,to E u ro p e 2 5 8 ,294 V a rio u s Q u estio n s ... ... ... 245 Y .
,, w elcom e to P a ris ... 260 V e d a n tis m ... ... ... 175
T h eo so p h y A C h ris tia n ity 121,106,225,243 ,, a n d B u d d h is m ... ... 270 Y oga an d K a lp a ... ... ... 77
„ in C a lifo rn ia ... ... 10 V ic tim s of W o rd s ... ... ... 117 Y o g a -V id y a ... ... ... ... 271
w h a titis ... ... ... 143 V iv isec tio n ... ... ... ... 103 Y o g in i of S o u th I n d ia ... ... 153
T h ie f o r M e d i u m ? .., ... ... 2G9 V oice from th o C a sh m e re V a lle y ... 17 Y ogis a n d F a k irs , P o w e rs of ... 91

\
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
A ttrib u tio n -N o n C o m m e rc ia l-S h a re A lik e 3 . 0 U n p o r te d

Y o u are free:

to S h a r e — l o c o p y , d is trib u t e a n d t r a n s m it t h e w o r k

to R e m ix — to ad ap t th e w o rk

U n d e r th e fo llo w in g c o n d itio n s:

CD
A t t rib u t io n — Y o u m u s t a ttrib u te t h e w o r k in t h e m a n n e r s p e c if ie d b y t h e a u t h o r
o r l i c e n s o r ( b u t n o t in a n y w a y t h a t s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e y e n d o r s e y o u o r y o u r u s e o f
th e w o r k ) .

N o n c o m m e r c ia l — Y o u m a y n o t u s e t h is w o r k f o r c o m m e r c i a l p u r p o s e s .

©
S h a r e A lik e — I f y o u alter, t r a n s f o r m , o r b u ild u p o n t h is w o r k , y o u m a y d istrib u te
th e r e s u lt in g w o r k o n l y u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s im ila r l i c e n s e t o t h is o n e .

W ith th e u n d e rs t a n d in g that:

W a i v e r — A n y o f th e a b o v e c o n d it io n s c a n b e w a i v e d if y o u g e t p e r m i s s i o n f r o m th e c o p y r ig h t
h o ld e r.

P u b lic D o m a in — W h e r e t h e w o r k o r a n y o f its e le m e n t s is in t h e p u b l i c d o m a i n u n d e r
a p p lic a b le law , t h a t s t a t u s is in n o w a y a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se .

O th e r R ig h t s — I n n o w a y a r e a n y o f t h e f o llo w in g r ig h t s a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se :

• Y o u r fa ir d e a lin g o r f a i r u s e rig h ts , o r o t h e r a p p lic a b le c o p y r i g h t e x c e p t i o n s a n d

lim itations;

• T h e a u t h o r 's m o r a l rig h ts;

• R i g h t s o t h e r p e r s o n s m a y h a v e e ith e r in t h e w o r k its e lf o r in h o w t h e w o r k is u s e d , s u c h
a s p u b l i c i t y o r p r i v a c y rig h ts.

N o t ic o — F o r a n y r e u s e o r d istrib u tio n , y o u m u s t m a k e c le a r to o t h e r s th e l i c e n s e t e r m s o f
th is w o r k . T h e b e s t w a y t o d o t h is is w it h a lin k t o t h is w e b p a g e .
 ' ' ' • ' '
A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
. .EMBRACING MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
C W ig ^ iR c T T O I
T H E R E IS N O R E L IG IO N H IG H E R T H A N T R U T H .
. . [Jfamily inotto oj the M aharajahs oj in u r e s ,]
P R O JE CT IO N OF TH E DOUBLE,
In one of tlie daily issues of tlio N. Y. World— an in ­
fluential journal of tlie great American metropolis— for
the year 1878, appeared a description of the events of an
evening at the then Head-quarters of our Society, in the
city of New Y ork. The w riter was one of the Editorial
Staff, and among other wonders related was the follow­
ing : Some lady or gentleman among the visitors had
doubted the possibility of an Adept to leave his physical
body in a torpid state in the Him alayas, and como in liis
astral body (Mayavi-rupa) across land and seas to the
other side of the world. Three or four of the company
sat so as to face the .two large, windows of the room wliich
gave upon, the Avenue— then b rilliantly lighted with the
gas of the shops and street-lamps. The doubting surmise
was barely uttered when these persons simultaneously
started in snrprise and pointed towards the left-hand
window. A ll looking there, saw deliberately and slowly
passing on the outside, from left to right, first one, then
another figure of A siatic men, with fehtas on their heads
and clad in one of the long white garments of the East.
Passing by the window and out of sight, they presently
returned, and repassing the window, were seen no more.
Two of the witnesses (Col. Olcott and the E d ito r of this
journal) recognized them, from personal acquaintance,
as a certain Mahatma and one of his pupils. The window
was nearly twenty feet from the ground and, there being
no verandah or other roof for a crow to walk upon— tho
figures had been moving through the air. Thus, upon
the instant and most unexpectedly,, the doubter had
been silenced and jiji.e j;rutl^ of A ryan Esoteric Science
vindicated. Since we came to In d ia a number of per­
fectly crediblo witnesses, N ative and European, have
been favoured with a sight of sim ilar apparitions of the
Blessed Ones, and usually under the most convincing
circumstances. Only a few weeks ago at our Madras
Head-quarters, one appeared suddenly in full light, in
au upstair room and approached w ithin two feet of cerT
tain H indu members of onr society, retained the per­
fectly visible and solid form for about oue minute, and
then receding half a dozen paces— disappeared upon
tho spot. A t Bombay, the astral sarira of Mahatma K . I I.
uas seen repeatedly two years ago— by over twenty
members in all— some of whom had been very sceptical
os to such a possibility before, proclaiming it after tho
occurrence as “ the most glorious, solemn of sights.”
'Three times, during ono evening the “ form,” perfectly
recognizable, and seemingly solid to a hair of the mous­
tache and beard— glided through the air from a cluster
of bushes to the verandah, in b rillian t moon-light...and
then faded out. A gain, the case of M r. Ramaswamier,
H. A ., affords proof of the most cumulative kind ever re­
corded iu the history of this branch of Esoteric Science ;
J. ; 1' . :
,; ,
lie first saw a Mahatma’s p o rtrait; then saw him in the
“ double and finally met him in the flesh in a lonely
pass in S ikkim , conversed with him for above two
hours in, his (M r. E .’s) own vernacular—-a foreign
tongue to' the Mahatma—r-had explained to him many
facts relating to ; the Theosophical : Society, and
was charged with messages to Colonel Olcott about cer­
tain confidential matters which none but , him self and
this particular Mahatma knew about. The existence of
the Mahatmas, their power to •travel in the inner, or
astral body at w ill, to preserve fu ll command of all their
intelligence, and to condense their “ phantom” form into
v isib ility or dissolve it into in visib ility at their own
pleasure, are now facts too well established to permit
us to regard it as an open question.
Objectors to the above propositions are found only
among the inexperienced, as objectors to every other
new thing have been. There must be a particular mo­
ment in every case when doubt and disbelief, vanish, to
give place to knowledge and certainty. Pew, compara­
tively, of any generation have ever or in the nature of
things could ever see the splendid phenonienon of a
Mahatma’s astral apparition ; for merely the magneto-
psychic law of attraction and repulsion keeps Adepts
and the reeking stew of social corruption far apart.
Sometimes, under very favourable couditions they
may approach an individual dovoted to occult re­
search, but this happens rarely ; for even lie, pure
though he be, is wallowing in the world’s corrupt
akasa or magnetic aura and contaminated by it.
To his inner self it is as stifling and deadly as tho
heavy vapour of carbonic oxido to ; his physical lungs.
A nd, remember, it is by the inner, not the outer, S6lf
that we come into relations with Adepts ^nd tlieir ad­
vanced Chelas. One would not expect to hold improv­
ing conversation with a besotted, inebriate, lyin g in a
state of swine-like stupefaction after a debauch ; yet it is
quito as impracticable for the spiritualised Mahatma to
exchange thoughts with a man of society, livin g daily iu
a state of psychic intoxication among tlie magnetic
fumes of its carnality, materialism, and spiritual atrophy.
But other living- persous than tlie Eastern Adepts can
project their doubles so as to appear at a distance from
tlieir bodies. The literature of Western mysticism— not
to mention the voluminous records of tho Orient— con­
tain many instances of tho k in d ; notably the works of
G lanvil, Ennemoser, Crowe, Ovveu, H owitt, Des Mous-
seaux and many other Roman Catholic writers, and a
host beside. Sometimes the figures talk, but usually
not ; sometimes they wauder while the subject’s outer
body sleeps, sometimes while awake ; often the apparition
is the forerunner of death, but occasionally it seems to
have come from its distant body for the mere pleasure
of seeing- a friend, or because the desire to reach a
fam iliar place outran the physical power of the body to
hurry there soon enough. Mias C. Crowe tells (Night
Side of Nature) of a German Professor whose case was of
the latter kind. Returning-to his house one day, he saw
tlie double of him self puss there before him, knock at
the door, and enter when the servant maid opened it.
H e hastened his pace, knocked in his turn, and when the
maid came and saw him, she started back in terror saying
“ W h y , Sir, I have just let you in !” (dr words to that
effect.) M ounting the stairs to his lib rary, he saw
him self seated in his own arm -chair as was his custom.
A s he approached, the phantom melted away into air.
Another example of a sim ilar nature is the following, of
which the circumstances are as satisfactorily established,
as could be desired.*
T he story is told of ono—Em ilie Sag&e, g o v e rn e ss in a lad ies’
school, a t R iga, in Livonia. H ere th e body and its d ouble w eie
observed sim u ltan eo u sly , in broad day, a n d by m any persons.
“ One day all th e school, forty-tw o in n u m b er, w ere in a room on
thfe eround-floor, glass doors leadiug in to th e g a rd en . T hey
Baw E m iiie g a th e rin g flowers in th e g ard en , w hen su d d en ly h e r
figure appeared on a vacan t sofa. L oo k in g in s ta n tly in to th e
g a rd e n , th ey still saw Einilio th e re ; b u t th e y observed th a t she
m oved lariguidly and as if ex h au sted o r drow sy. Two of the
b o ld er approached th e d o u b le , and offered to touch it j th e y felt
a slig h t resistance, w hich they com pared to th a t of m uslin or
crape. O ne of thom passed th ro u g h p a rt of th o fig u re ; th e
ap p arition rem ain ed some m om ents lo n g er, th e n disap p eared ,
b'.iD gradually* T his phenom enou occurred, in differe&t Ways, as
long as E m ilie ; rem ained a t th e school, fo r ab o u t a y ear and
a-half in 1845 an d 1846, w ith in te rm itte n t periods from one to
several weeks. I t was rem ark ed th a t th e m ore d is tin c t atid
m aterial th e double appeared, th e m ore uneasy, lan g u id , and
suffering was th o real person ; w hen, on th e c o n tra ry , th e double
becam e feeble, th e p atien t recovered s tre n g th , E m ilie had uo
consciousness of h e r double, n o r did sho ev er see it.”
Much remains to be said upon this most important theme,
but.it is reserved for another occasion. Al. d ’A ssier’s
work (see Foot-note) w ill be reviewed separately.
— ■♦ ■■■ ■ divine wisdom, but repel those bad specimens who do not
. TWO W ORDS ABO U T G IlE LA SH IP. . . .
[ A n O pen L e t t e r to t h e P r e s id e n t .]
M y dear Brother and President.
“ H in ts 011 Esoteric Theosophy” No. 2 is worthy of the
author of H ints No. 1 and of the Society under whose aus­
pices it is published. The conditions of regular chelaship
have been found so onerous by the Brahmans that very
few are now recommended to go to the length of giving
np the care of children and relatives except when death
is very near. The Masters have given them enough of
sacred, i. e., occult literature, aud enough of rites and fasts
and practical directions by which the inner eye is opened.
Attention to these with certairi duties of hospitality and
philanthropy are enjoined upon a Brahman. Not one in a
thousand families at present observe what is enjoined.
The Brahman you know, by hereditary abstinence from
moat and drink, and by reason of his mother having to
cultivate habits of celibacy if she became a widow, is a
mystic by his physical organisation. I f you know how
days of the week, phases of the moon, star9, and holy days
intervene between him and the nuptial bed, you w ill
see that an old-school Brahman was practically trained
to chastity.
Those were days when all had belief in esoteric theo­
sophy and honored the Brahman’s life and culture. Indeed
Adepts moved amongst them, commanded kings, and
through the Brahmans gave laws to the multitude. They
have been to the Hindus iu short what regular Chelas
are now to the Theosophical Society. A s there are nomi­
nal deriding Theosophists, so there have been always
soulless Hindus. A Brahman was one, only by attention
to the culture and duties already mentioned, aud not by
Aryan descent or political ascendancy. Second grade
Brahmans or Kshatriyas were the rulers and soldiers of
the nation, and the third grade or Vysias were landlords
and traders subject to payments to support the superior
grades. These three classes were tho D w ija or the reborn
or initiatod, and members were degraded if they
neglected the culture and duties enjoined. Neither
abstinence from meat and drink and lust, nor atten­
tion to . the culture and duties was imposed upon
*A condensed version is given by tho Hon. R. D. Owen in liis
"Footfalls on tho Boundary of another world,” and nil the parti­
culars as to time, place, and witnesses will bo fonnd in the recent
F ren ch work of M. d’Assier “ Essai snr L’ Hnmanit£ Posthume, etc.”
A translation is in Light for Angnst 18, 1882 (q. v.).
the mass of the H indus called tha Sudras (Suchdd
dravayate, free from restraiht). Of course any Sudra
acquiring the physical organization and submitting to
the restraints could be taken into the higher sections.
A nd it is said that only a century ago the Maharajah of
Travancore, and still more recently the late Maharajah
of Tanjore, wore so taken. Buddha, acknowledged in
Sanscrit Sacred literature to be an A vatar of Vishnu
higher even than tho preceding eight Avatars, wanted to
purify the community of nominal Brahmans and ambi­
tious Sudras and instituted simpler forms and duties.
Jesus contented him self with briefer hints at Esoteric
Theosophy, because the people whom he addressed had
first to regulate their external lives to the command­
ments. H in d u Ram anujachariar who founded tho
Vaishnava Sect insisted only on having belief in
the im mortality of the soul and in the existence
of Adepts. The Old-school, i. e., the' orthodox H in ­
dus, have no jealousy or grudge towards the other
religionists E t n d schismatics, but wish them success ami
contentment in their adopted system of culture and duty.
U nhappily these,' instead of making self-progress by
livin g the lives they have appreciated, indulge in bigoted
hostility towards their brethren of the earlier and more
elaborate systems. To become a H indu or a Brahman
is not a matter of mere willingness or profession, but a
matter of qualification duly tested and form ally approved
by a Brahman council. I respect a good Christian, a good
Mohametan, a. good Buddhist, a good Parsee, and any
good man who acts up tp his views of truth, justice aud
so act up and yet would drag and deceive others iuto their
views. : .
The degeneration of the orthodox H indus hais been,
owing to the unscrupulous hostilities and deceptions of
the converts and schismatics, supported by the non-
H indu and often anti-H indu races which have for over
ten centuries governed the country. The proverbial
cause of degeneration is the well-known phrase “ Yatha
R aja tatha prajah.” In the name of humanity and
neutrality, aud even of discoveries in H indu Sashtras .and
Vedas, Governments and Officers have interfered with the
religious belief and practices and social rules and per­
sonal rights of the H indus. Hum anity and neutrality are
the root virtues of Hinduism , ar.d the Brahmans can
know their Sashtras and Vedas as well as any other
ordinary man. Brahmans blessed with direct inter­
course with Adepts and their Divine Self, have from
timo to time Corrected erroneous beliefs and practices.
Those who wish for the regeneration of the Hindus w ill
afford facilities for such intercourse to the qualified mem­
bers and not impose upon the nation their own views— the
resultperhapsoftheir own degeneration. Chelas like Subba
Row and others can, by proving their chelaship, win over or
guide any orthodox Brahman Council of Pandits and
P riests; but ordinary Pandits and Priests lik e — , and— ,
and again— will not even be listened to. You, as a regular
Chela, have been allowed to plant a tree in the Temple of
Tinnevelly, but ordinary Mlechas w ill not be so allowed.
A s I have again and again said, if you or Mr. . . .
or Mr. . . . study the exoteric and technical systeni
of Hinduism so well as you have studied the Buddhistic! t
system, you will be admitted to all the privileges of the
Brahman caste.* In my understanding, caste is not in
origin and principle a baneful barrier, but classification by
previous Karm a and present aptitude, and I have sent a
line to this Effect to the Theosophist.
I offer you my Brahmanical respects as to a holy
Brahman, and remain yours ever fraternally,
. A . S a n k a r i a h , F . T. S.,
President Fd under, Hindu S abb ah.
T r i c h o o b , Aug. 15thi_______ . . . ' , .________
# O n r b ro th e r ia n o t aware> it seem s, t h a t th e sa cre d B rah m an ical
t h r e a d h a s beon twicfe g iv e n to Col. O lcott— a s th e h ig h e s t m a rk of
e s te e m , of course, an d Hot a s an a c tu a l ad m issio n in to ca ste . T he la s t
tim e , th o d onor w as ono of th o m o s t c e le b ra te d S a n sc rit p a n d its of
I n d ia , a n d h e m ade th o c o m p lim e n t co m p lete b y [th eo retically takiD g
h im in to h is ow n Q oira,— E d , . 1
 . (Continued from, the last Number.)
R E P LIE S TO IN Q U IR IE S SU G G E STED B Y
“ ESOTERIC B U D D H ISM .”
QUESTION VI.
" H is t o r i c a l D if f ic u l t y ”— W h y ? Such are the criticism s passed, such— the “ historical
I t is asked whether there may not be ‘ some confusion’
in tlie letter quoted on p: @2 of Esoteric Buddhism
regarding; “ old Greeks and Homajls said to have been
Atlanteans.” The answer is— none whatever. The word
“ Atlantean” was a generic name. The objection to have
it applied to the old Greeks and Romans on the ground
thnt they wero Aryans, ‘l their language being interme­
diate between Sanskrit and modern European dialects,"
is worthless. W ith equal reason, might' a future 6th
Race scholar, who had never heard of the (possible) snb-
mergeuce of a portion of European Turkey, object to
T urks from the Bosphorus being referred to as a remnant
of the Europeans. “ The Turks, are surely Sem ites;” he
might say 12,000 years hence, aud— “ their language is
intermediate between Arubic and our modern 6th Race
dialects."* . ,
Tha “ historical difficulty” arises from a certain
authoritative statement made by Orientalists on philolo­
gical grounds. Prof. Max M uller has b rilliantly demon­
strated that Sanskrit was the “ elder sister” — by no
means tho mother— of all the modern languages. A s to
that “ mother,” it is conjectured by himself and col­
leagues to be a “ now extinct tongue, spoken 'probably by
the nascent Aryan race.” W hen asked what was this
language, the Western voice answers, “ W ho can tell
W hen, “ during what geological periods did this nascent
race flourish ?” The same impressive voice replies :— “ In
prehistoric ages, the duration of which no one can now
determine.” Yet it must have been Sanskrit, however
barbarous and unpolished, since “ the ancestors of the
Greeks, the Italians, Slavonians, Germans and K e lts”
were living within “ the same precincts” with that
nascent race, and the testimony borne by language has
enabled the philologist to trace the "lang uage of tho
gods” iu the speech of every A ryan nation. Meanwhile
it is affirmed by these same Orientalists that classical
Sanskrit has its origin at the very threshold of the Chris­
tian e ra ; while Vedic Sanskrit is allowed an antiquity of
hardly 3,000 years (if so much,) before that time.
Now, Atlantis, on the statement of the “ A d e p ts ,s a n k
over 9,000 years before the Christian e ra .f How then
can one maintain that the “ old Greeks and Romans” were
Atlauteans ! How can that be, since both nations are
* T h is is n o t to be c o n stru e d to m ean th a t 12,000 y e a rs h e n c e th e re
w ill b e y e t any m an of th e 6 th R ace, o r t h a t th e 5 th w ill be sub*
m e rg e d . Th* figures a re g iv en sim p ly fo r th e sak e of a b e tte r
com parison w ith th e p re se n t o b je c tio n in th e ca se of th e G reek s a n d
A tla n tis .
+ T he p o sitio n re c e n tly ta k e n u p by M r. G erald M assey in L ig h t th a t
th e sto ry of A tla n tis is not a geological e v e n t b u t an a n c ie n t a s tro n o m i­
cal m y th , is r a t h e r im p ru d e n t. M r. M assey, n o tw ith sta n d in g h is ra re
in tu itio n a l fa c u ltie s a n d g re a t le a rn in g , is one of th o se w r ite rs in w hom
th e in te n s ity of re se a rc h b e n t into one d irectio n h a s biassed h is other*
w ise clear u n d e rsta n d in g . B ecause H ercu les is now a co n stella tio n it
does n o t follow th a t th e r e n e v e r w as a hero of th is n a m e . B ecanse th e
N oachian U niversal D eluge is now proved a fiction b ased upon geologi­
cal an d g eo g rap h ical ig n o ran ce, it does not, th e re fo re , a p p e a r th a t th ero
w ere n o t m an y local d elu g es in p re h isto ric ages* T h e a n c ie n ts c o n n e c t­
ed e v e ry te r re s tria l e v e n t w ith th e ce le stia l bodies. T h ey tr a c e d tho
h isto ry of th e ir g r e a t deified h ero es an d m em o rialized it in s te lla r con­
figuratio n s a s o fte n a s th e y personified p u r e m y th s, anth ro p o m o rp h ic
sing o b je c ts in n a tu r e . O no h a s to le a rn th e differen ce b etw een th e tw o
m odes b efo re a tte m p tin g to classify th e m n n d e r one n o m e n c la tu re . A n
e a rth q u a k e has j u s t en g u lfed o v er SO,000 p eo p le (&7,903) in S u n d a
S tra its. T h ese w ere m o stly M alays, savages w ith w hom b u t few h a d
relatio n s, a n d th e d ire e v e n t w ill be soon fo rg o tte n . H a d a portion of
G re a t B rita in b een th u s sw e p t aw ay in ste a d , th e w h o le w orld wonld
h av o b een in com m otion, a n d y e t, a fow th o u sa n d y e a rs hence, even
such a n e v e n t w ould h a v e p asse d o u t oif m a n ’s m e m o ry ; an d a
f n tu ro G erald M assey m ig h t b e found sp e c u la tin g n p o n th o astronom i*
eal c h a ra c te r an d signification of th e Is le s o f W ig h t, Je rs e y ; o r M an,
a rg u in g , p e rh a p s, th a t th is l a t t e r Js la n d h a d n o t co n tain ed a r c a lliy in g
A ryans, and the genesis of their languages is Sanskrit ?
Moreover, the W estern scholars know that the Greek and
Latin languages were formed within historical periods, the
Greeks and Latins themselves having no existence as
nations 11,000 13.C. Surely they who advance such a
proposition do not realize how very unscientific is their
statement 1
difficulty.” The culprits arraigned are fu lly alive to
their perilous situation ; nevertheless, they maintain the
statement. The only thing which may perhaps here be
objected to is, that the names of the two nations are
incorrectly used. I t may be argued that to refer to the
remote ancestors and their descendants equally ns
“ Greeks and Romans,” is an anachronism as marked as
would be the calling of the ancient Keltio Gauls or the
Insubres— Frenchmen. A s a matter of fact this is true.
But, besides the very plausible excuse that the names
used were embodied in a private letter, written as usual
in great haste, and which was hardly worthy of . the
honour of being quoted verbatim with all its imperfec­
tions, there may perhaps exist still weightier objections
to calling the said people by any other name. One
misnomer is as good ns another; and, to refer to old
Greeks and Romans iu a private letter as the old
Hellenes from Hellas or Magna Grcccia, and the Latini
as from Latium, would have been, besides looking pe­
dantic, just as incorrect as the use of the appellation noted,
though it may have sounded, perchance, more; “ histori­
cal.” The truth is that, like the ancestors of nearly all
the Indo-Ettropeans (or shall we say Indo-Germanic
Japetidca ?), the Greek and Roman sub-races mentioned,
have to be traced much farther back. Tlieir origin must be
carried far into the mists of that “ prehistoric” period,
that mythical age which iuspires the modern historian
with such a feeling of squeamishness that anything creep­
ing out of its abyssmal depths is sure to be instantly dis­
missed as a deceptive phantom, the myihos of an idle tale,
or a later fable unworthy of serious notice. The Atlantean
“ old Greeks” could not be designated even as the
Autochtones— a convenient term used to dispose of the
origin of any people whose ancestry cannot be traced,
and which, at any rate with the Hellenes, meant certainly
more than simply “ soil-born,” or prim itive aborigenes ;
nnd yet the so-called fable of Deukalion and Pyrrha ia
surely no more incredible or murvellous than that of
Adam and E ve,— a fable that hardly an hundred years
ago, no one would have dared or even thought to question.
And in its esoteric significance the Greek tradition is
possibly more truly historical than many a so-called
historical event during the period of the Olympiades—
though both Hesiod und Homer may have failed to record
the former in their epics. N or could the Romans be re­
ferred to as the Umbro-Sabbellians, nor even as the Itali.
Peradventure, liad thehistorianslearntsomethingmorethan
they have of the Italian ‘‘ Autochtones” — the Iapygians,
one might h ave . given the “ old Romans” the latter
name. But then there would bo again that other diffi­
culty : history knows that the Latin invaders drove
before them, and finally cooped up this mysterious and
miserable race among the clefts of the Calabrian rocks,
thus shewing the absence of any race affinity between tho
two. Moreover, Western archaeologists keep to their own
counsel, and w ill accept of no other but their own conjec­
tures. A nd since they have failed to make anything out
of the undecipherable inscriptions in an unknown tongue
and mysterious characters on the Iap yg ian monuments—
and so for years have pronounced them unguessable, he
who would presume to meddle where the doctors muddle
raco of m en b n t " belonged to a stro n o m ic a l m y th o lo g y ” w as a “ M an ” .
“ su b m e rg ed in ce le stia l w a te r s .” I f lhe legend of th e lo st A tla n tis
ia o n ly “ liko th o so of A iry an a-V aejo a n d Ja m b n -d v ip a ,” it is te r r e s ­
t r ia l enough, a n d th e re fo re , “ th e m y th o lo g ical origin o f th e D eluge
leg e n d ” is bo f a r a n open q u e stio n . W o clnim t h a t i t is not
“ in d u b ita b ly demonstrated,” however clever tlie theoretical d ejro n -
Btratioa,
 would be likely to be reminded of the Arab proverb about
proffered advice.Thus, itseems hardly possible to designate
“ the old Greeks and Romans” by their legitimate, true
name so as to at once satisfy the “ historians” und keep
ou the fair side of truth and fact. However, since in tbe
Replies that precede Science had to be repeatedly shocked
by most unscientific propositions, and that before this
series is closed, mauy a difficulty, philological and archa3-
logical as well as historical, w ill have to be unavoidably
created— it may be ju st as wise to uncover tho occult
batteries at onco and havo it over with.
W oll then, the “ Adepts” deny most emphatically to
W estern science any knowledge whatever of the growth
and development of the Indo-Aryan race which, “ at the
very dawn of H istory,” they have espied in its “ patri­
archal sim plicity” on the banks of the Oxus. Before our
proposition concerning “ the old Greeks and Koinans” can
be repudiated or even controverted, W estern Orientalists
w ill have to know more than they do about the antiquity
of that race aud the Aryan language ; aud they will have
to account for those numberless gaps in H istory which
110 hypotheses of theirs seem able to fill up. Notwith­
standing thoir present profound ignorance with regard
to the early ancestry of tho Indo-Europeannations ; aud
though no historian has yet ventured to assign even a
remotely approximate date to the separation of the Aryan
nations and the origines of the Sanskrit language— they
hardly show the m o d e s ty that might, under these circum­
stances, be expected from them. P lacing as they do
that great separation of tho races at the first “ dawn of
traditional history,” with the Vedic age as “ the back­
ground of the whole In d ian w orld” [of which confess­
edly they know nothing] they will, nevertheless, calmly
assign a modern date to any of the Rik-vedic oldest
songs— on its “ internal evidence ;” and io doing this,
.they show as little hesitation as Mr. Fergusson when as­
cribing a post-Christian age to the most ancient rockcut
temple in India, merely on its— “ external form,” A s for
tlieir unseemly quarrels, mutual recrim inations and per­
sonalities over questions of scholarship, tho less said the
better.
“ The evidence of language is irrefragable,” as the
great Oxford Sauskritist says. To which ho is
answered— “ provided it does n o t clash with historical
facts and— ethnology.” It may b e — no doubt it is, as
far as his knowledge goes, “ the only evidence worth
listening to with regard to ante-historical periods ;” but
when something of these alleged “ pre-historical periods”
comes to be known, and when what we think ive know of
certain supposed pre-historic nations is found diame­
trically opposed to his “ evidence of language,” the
“ Adepts” may be, perhaps, permitted to keep to tlieir
own views and opinions, even though they differ with
those of the greatest livin g philologist. The study of
language is but a part— though, we admit, a fun­
damental part— of true philology. To be complete, the
latter has, as correctly argued by Bockt,— to bo
almost synonymous with history. We gludly concede
the right to the Western philologist wlio has to work
iu the total absence of any historical data, to rely upon
comparative grammar, and take tho identification of
roots lying at tlio foundation of words of those languages
he is fam iliar with, or may know of, aud put it forward
as the results of his study, and tho only available evidence.
But we would like to see the same right conceded by
him to the student of other races; even thongh theso
he inferior to the Indo-European races— in the opinion
of the paramount W est: for it is barely possible that pro­
ceeding on other lines, nnd having reduced his know­
ledge to a systom which precludes hypothesis and
.simple affirmation, the Eastern student has. preserved
a perfectly authentic record (for him) of those periods
■which his opponent regards as ante-historical. The
bare fact that, while Western men of scienco are referred
to as “ scholars” and scholiasts—native S anskritists and
archaeologists are often spoken of aa “ Calcutta” and
“ Ind ian sciolists” — affords no proof of their real inferi­
ority, but rather of the wisdom of the Chinese proverb
that “ self-conceit is rarely companion to politeness.”
The “ Adept” therefore, has little, i f anything, to do
with difficulties presented by W estern History. To
his knowledge— based on documentary records from
which, as said, hypothesis is excluded, and as regards
which even psychology is called to p in y a very
secondary part— the history of his and other nations
extends im measurably beyond that hardly discernible
point that stands on the fiir-away horizon of the W estern
world as a land-mark of the commencement of its history.
Records, made throughout a series of ages based on
astronomical chronology ar:d zodiacal calculations
cannot err. [T h is new “ difficulty” — palfcographical,
this time— that may be possibly suggested by tho men­
tion of the Zodiac in In d ia and Central Asia before
the Christian era is disposed of in a subsequent article.]
Hence, the main question at issue is to decide which
•— the Orientalist or the “ Oriental” — is most likely to
err. The “ E ng lish P. T. S .” Las clioico of two sources
of information, two groups of teachers. One group is
composed of W estern historians with their suite of
learned Ethnologists, Philologists, Anthropologists, A rcli-
ajologists and Orientalists in general, 'lhe other consists
of unknown Asiatics belonging to a race which, not­
withstanding M r. Max M uller’s assertion that the same
“ blood is running in the veins (of the English soldier) and
in the veins of the dark Bengalese” — is generally regard­
ed by many a cultured W estern as “ inferior.” A handful
of men— whose history, religion, language, origin and
sciences, having been seized upon by the conqueror, are
now disfigured and mutilated beyond recognition ; and
who having lived to see tho Western scholar claim a
monopoly beyond appeal or protest of deciding the cor­
rect meaning, chronological date, and historical value,
of tho monumental and palaeographic relics of his mother­
land— can hardly hope to bo listened to. I t has little, if
ever, entered tho mind of the Western public that their
scholars hove, until very lately, worked in a narrow path­
way obstructed with the ruins of an ecclesiastical, dog­
matic P ast; that thoy have been cramped on all sides
by limitations of “ revealed” events coming from God
“ with whom a thousand yearsarebut asoue day,” and who
have thus felt bound to cram milleniums into centuries
and hundreds into units, g iving at the utmost an age of
1,000 to what is 10,000 years old. A ll this to save the threat­
ened authority of tlieir religion and their own respect­
ability and good name in cultured society. And even
that, when free themselves from preconceptions,they have
had to protect the honour of the Jewish diviue chronology
assailed by stubborn facts; and thus, have become (often
unconsciously) the slaves of an artificial history mado to
fit into the narrow frame of a dogmatic religion. No
proper thought has been given to this purely psychologi­
cal but very significant trifle. Y et we all know how,
rather than admit any relation between Sanskrit and the
Gothic, Keltic, Greek, Latin and Old Persian, facts have
been tampered with, old texts purloinedfrom libraries, and
philological discoveries vehemently deuied. And we have
also heal’d from our retreats, how Dugald Stewart and liis
colleagues, upon seeing that the discovery would also
involve ethnological affinities, and damage the prestige
of thoso sires of the world races,— Slietn, Ham and Japhet
1— denied in tho face of fact that “ Sanskrit had ever been
a living, spoken lauguago,” supporting the thoory that
“ it was an invention of the Brahmins, who had con­
structed their Sanskrit on the model of the Greek and
Latin.’ ' And again we know, holding the proof of tho
same, how tlier majority of Orientalists are prone to go
out of their way to prevent any Indian antiquity,
(whether M SS. or inscribed monument, whether art or
science,) from being . declared pre-Christian: A s the
origin and history of the Gentile world is made to
move in the narrow circuit of a few centuries “ B. C. ;”
^yithiu that fecund epoch when mother earth, recuperated
from her arduous labours of the stone-age, begat, it seems,
without transition so many highly civilized nations and
— false pretences, so tho enchanted circle of Indian
archaDology lies between the (to them unknown) year of
the Samvat era, and the 10th century of the YVestern
chronology.
H a v in g to dispose of an u historical difficulty” of
such a serious character, the defendants charged with
it can but repeat what they have already stated :
all depends upon the past history and antiquity
allowed to the Indo-A ryan nation. The first step to
take is to ascertain how much H istory herself knows
of that almost prehistoric period when the soil of Europe
had not been trodden yet by the primitive Aryan tribes.
From the latest Encyclopaedia, down to Prof. M ax M iiller
and other Orientalists, we gather what follows : they
acknowledge that at some immensely remote period,
before the A ryan nations got divided from the parent
stock (with the germs of Indo-Germ anic languages in
them) ; and before they rushed asunder to scatter over
Europe and Asia in search of new homes, there stood
a “ single barbaric ( ? ) people as physical and political
representative of the nascent A ryan race.'1'’ This people
spoke “ a now extinct Aryan language,’' from which, by
a series of modifications (surely requiring more thousands
of years than our difficulty-makers are w illin g to
concede?) there arose gradually— all tho subsequent
languages now spoken b y the Caucasian races.
That is about all Western H istory knows of its—
genesis. L iko Ravana’s brother, Kum bhakarna,— the
Hindu Rip Van W in kle — it slept for a long series of ages
a dreamless, heavy sleep. And when, at last it awoke
to consciousness, it was but to find the “ nascent Aryan
race” grown into scores of nations, peoples and races,
most of them effete and crippled with age, many irretrie­
vably extinct., while the true origin of the younger ones
it was utterly unable to account for. So much for the
‘•'youngest brother.” A s for “ the eldest brother, the
H in d u /' who, Professor Max M uller tells us— “ was the
last to leave the central home of the A ryan fa m ily /’
and whose history, this eminent^ philologist has now
kind ly undertaken to impart to hiw ,— lie, the H indu,
claims that while his Indo-European relative was soundly
sleeping under the protecting shadow of Noah’s ark, ho
kept watch and did not miss seeing one event from his
high Him alayan fastnesses ; and that he has recorded
the history thereof iu a language which, though as incom­
prehensible as the Iapygian inscriptions to the Indo-E uro­
pean immigrant, is quite clear to the writers. F o r this
crime he now stands condemned os a falsifier of the re­
cords of his forefathers. A place has been hitherto pur­
posely left open for India “ to be filled up when the pure
metal of history should havo been extracted from the ore
of Bralimanic exaggeration and superstition.” Unable,
however, to meet this programme, the Orientalist has
since persuaded himself that there was nothing in that
“ ore,” bnt, droaa. H e did more. H e applied himself to
contrast Brahm inic “ superstition” and "exaggeration”
with Mosaic revelatiou and it3 chronology. The Veda
was confronted with Genesis. Its absurd claims to
antiquity were forthwith dwarfed to their proper dimen­
sions by the 4,004 years B. C., measure of the world’s
age ; and the Bralimanic “ superstition and fables” about
the longevity of tho A ryan Risliis, were belittled aud
exposed by the sober historical evidence furnished in
" The genealogy and age of the Patriarchs from Adam to
Noah” — whose respective days were 930 aud 950 years;
without mentioning Methuselah, who died at the prema­
ture age of nine hundred and sixty-nine.
. In view of such experience, the H indu has a certain
righ£ to decline the offers made to correct his annals by
Western history and chronology. On tho contrary, he
would respectfully advise the Western scholar, before he
denies point-blank any statement made by the Asiatics
with referenee to what is prehistoric ages to Europeans,
to show that thp latter have themselves anything like
trustworthy data as regards their own racial history. And
that settled, he may have the leisure and capacity to
help his ethnic neighbours to prune their genealogical
trees. Our Rajputs among others, have perfectly trust­
worthy fam ily records of an unbroken lineal descent
through 2,000 years “ B. C.” and more, as proved by
Colonel Tod ; records which are accepted by the British
Government in its official dealings with them. I t is not
enough to have studied stray fragments of Sanskrit liter­
ature— even thongh their number should amount to
10,000 texts, as boasted of— allowed to fall into their
hands, to speak so confidently of the “ A ryan first set*
tiers in In d ia ,” and assert that, “ left to themselves, in a
world of their own, without ap a st and without a future (!)
before them, they had nothing but themselves to ponder
upon,” — and therefore could know absolutely nothing of
other nations. To comprelieud correctly and make out
the inner meaning of most of them, one has to read these
texts with the help of the esoteric light, and after having
mastered the language o f the Bralimanic Secret Code—
branded generally as “ theological twaddle.” N or is it
sufficient— if one would judge correctly of what the
archaic Aryans did or did not know; whether or not they
cultivated the social and political virtu es; cared or not
for history— to claim proficiency in both Vedic and
classical Sanskrit, as well as in P rakrit and A rya
Bhashyd. To comprehend the esoteric meaning of an­
cient Brahm anical literature, one has, as ju st remarked,
to be in possession of the key to the Brahmanical Code.
To master the conventional terms used in the Puranas,
the A ranyakas and Upanishads is a science in itself, and
one far more difficult than even the study of the 3,99G
aphoristical rules of l ’anini, or his algebraical symbols.
V e ry true, most of the Brahmans themselves have now
forgotten the correct interpretatious of their sacred texts.
Yet they know enough of the dual meaning in their
scriptures to be justified in feeling amused at the strenu­
ous efforts of the European Orientalist to protect the
supremacy of his own national records and the dignity
of his science by interpreting the H indu hieratic text
after a peremptory fashion quite unique. Disrespect­
ful though it may seem, wo call ou the philo­
logist to prove in some more convincing manner
than usual, that he is better qualified than even the aver­
age H indu Sanskrit pundit to judgo of the antiquity of
the “ language of the gods that he has been really in
a position to trace unerringly along the lines of count­
less generations, the course of tho “ now extinct A ryau
tongue” in its many and various transformations in the
W est, and its prim itive evolution into first the Vedic,
and then tlio classical Sanskrit in the East, and that from,
the moment when the mother-stream began deviating
into its new ethnographical beds, he has followed it up.
F in a lly that, while he, the Orientalist, can, owing to spe­
culative interpretations of what he thinks he has learnt
from fragments of Sanskrit literature, judge of tho
nature of all that he knows nothing about, i. e., to specu­
late upon the past history of a great nation he has lost
sight of from its “ nascent state,” and caught up again
but at the period of its last degeneration— tho n;ativo
student never knew, nor can ever know anything of that
history. U n til the Orientalist lias proved all this, ha
can be accorded but small justification for assuming that
air of authority and supreme contempt which is found
in almost every work upon India and its Past. Having
no knowledge him self whatever of those incalculable
ages that lie between the Aryan Brahman in Central Asia,
and tho Brahman at the threshold of Buddhism, he
has no right to maintain that the initiated Indo-A ryan
can never know as much of them as the foreigner. Thoso
periods being an utter blank to him, ho is little qualified
to declare that the A ryan having had no political history
“ of his ow n...” his only sphere was “ religion and philoso­
p h y...in solitude and contemplation.” A happy thought
suggested, no doubt, by the active life, incessant wars,
triumphs, and defeats portrayed in the oldest songs of
the Rik-V eda, N or c a n he, w ith the smallest show o f
logic affirm tliat el In d ia had no place in the political
history of the world,” or that " there aro no synchronisms
between the history of the Brahmans and that of other
nations before the date of the origin of Buddhism in
In d ia ,” for— he knows no more of the prehistoric his­
tory of those “ other nations” than of that ofthe Brah­
man. A ll his inferences, conjectures and systematic
arrangements of hypothesis begin very little earlier than
200 “ B . C.,” if even so much, on anything like really
historical grounds. He has to prove all this before he
would command our attention. Otherwise, however
“ irrefragable the evidence of language,” the presence
of Sanskrit roots in all the European languages w ill be
insufficient to prove,, either that (a) before the A ryan
invaders descended toward tbe seven rivers they had never
left their northern regions; or (h) why the “ eldest bro­
ther, the H indi!,” should have been “ the last to leave
the central home of the A ryan fam ily.,J To the philo­
logist such a supposition may seetn “ quite natural.’’
Y et the Brahman is no less justified in his ever-growing
suspicion that thero may be at the bottom some
occult reason for such a programme. That in the
interest of his theory the Orientalist was forced to make
“ tho eldest brother” tarry so suspiciously long on the
Oxus, or wherever “ the youngest” may have placed
liim in his ft nascent state” after the latter “ saw his
brothers all depart towards the setting sun.” W o find
reasons to believe that the chief motive for alleging such
:i procrastination is tho necessity to bring tho race closer
to the Christian era. To show the “ Brother1’ inactive
and unconcerned, “ with nothing but himself to ponder
on,” lest his antiquity aud “ fables of empty idolatry”
iiud, perhaps, his traditions of other people’s doings,should
interfere with the chronology by which it is determined to
try him. The suspicion is strengthened when one finds
iu tho book from which we have been so largely quoting— ■
a work of a purely scientific and philological character—
such frequent remarks and even prophecies a s :— ■
“ H istory seems to teach that tlie whole human race
required a gradual education before, in the fullness of
fiuie, it could be admitted to the truths of Christianity.”
Or, again,— 1“ The ancient religions of tho world wero
but the m ilk of nature, which was in due time to be
succeeded by the bread of lifo and such broad senti­
ments expressed as that” there is some, truth in Buddhism,
as thero is iu every one of tlio false religions of tho
world, but...” *
The atmosphere of Cambridge and Oxford seems
decidedly unpropitious to the recognition of either
Indian antiquity, or tho merit of tho philosophies sprung
from its soil ! f
L eaflets from E so t e r ic H ist o r y .
The foregoing— a long, yet necessary digression— will
show that the Asiatic scholar is justified in generally w ith­
holding what he may know. That it is not merely 011
historical facts that hangs the “ historical difficulty” at
* Max M u lle r’s H istory o f A n cicn t S a n sk rit L ite ra tu r e ,
t A n d how onc-^ided .'ind b iassed m o st of tlio A V estern O rie n ta lists
nro uiay b ) seen b y re a d in g carefn lly The H isto ry o f In d ia n L itera tu re,
h y A lb reo h t • AYeber— a S a n sk rit scholiast classed w ith th e h ig h est
n a th o riti s. T ho in c e s sa n t h a rp in g n p o n th e oue spocial s tr in g of
C h ristia n ity , an d th e ill-co n cealed efforts to p a ss i t off a s th e k e y -n o te
f)f all o th e r religions, is p a in fu lly p re -e m in e n t in h is w ork. C h ristia n in ­
fluen ces aro show n to h a v e affe cted n o t only th e g ro w th of B uddhism ,
a n d K rishna*w orship, b u t oven th a t of th e S iv a-eu lt a n d its legonds ;
i t is op en ly s ta te d th a t “ it is n ot a t a ll a fa r-fe tc h e d h y p o th e s is th a t
th e y h av e re fe re n c e to s c a tte re d C h ristia n m issio n aries !” T ho em i.
n e n t. O rie n ta list ev id en tly fo rg e ts th a t n o tw ith sta n d in g his efforts,
310110 of tho V ed ic, S u tra or B u d d h ist p o rio d s can be p o ssib ly cram m ed
in to th is C h ris 6ian p e rio d — th e ir u n iv e rsa l ta n k of a ll a n c io n t creed s, and
o f w h ich som e O rie n ta lists w ould fa in m ako a p o o r-h o u se fo r all decayod
n rc h a ic relig io n s an d philosophy. E ven T ibet, in h is o p in io n , h as n o t
e sc a p o d “ W e ste rn influence;” L o t us hope to th e c o n tra ry , Ifc can bo
p r o v e d - t h a t B u d d h ist m issio n aries woro as n u m e ro u s in P alestine,
A le x a n d ria , Versia, an d ovon G reece, tw o c e n tu rie s before th e C h ristia n
era, a s th e P ad ris aro no>V in A sia. T lia t th e G nostic d o c trin e s (as he
is obligod to confess) a re p e rm o a te d -tfith B u d d h ism . B asilidos,
Ara le n tin ia n , B a rd esan es, au d esp ecially M an es w ere sim p ly heretical
B u d d h ists, “ th e fo rm u la of a b jn ra tio n of theso' d o c trin e s i a th e C&SQ of
the la tte r, sp e cify in g ex p ressly Buddha {B odda) b y name*”
issue ; but rather on its degree of interference with time-
honored, long established conjectures, often raised to
the eminenco of an unapproachable historical axiom.
That no statement coming from our quarters can ever
hope to be given consideration so long as it has to be
supported 011 the ruins of reigning hobbies, whether of
au alleged historical or religious character. Yet pleasant
it is, after the brainless assaults to which occult sciences
bave hitherto been subjected, assaults in which abuse has
beeu substituted for argument, and flat denial for calm
inquiry, to find that there remain in the W est some men
who will come into the field like philosophers, and sober­
ly and fairly discuss the claims of our hoary doctrines to
the respect due to a truth and the dignity •demanded for
a science. Those alone whose sole desire is to ascertain
the truth, not to maintain foregone conclusions, have a
right to expect undisguised facts, Reverting to our
subject, so far as allowable, we w ill now, for tho sake of
that minority, give them.
The records of tho Occultists make no difforence be­
tween the “ Atlantean" ancestors of the old Greeks and
Homans. Partially corroborated and in turn contradict­
ed by licensed, or recognised H istory, their records teach
that of the ancient Latin i of classic legend called I tali ;
of that people, in short which, crossing the Appennines
(as their Indo-A ryan brothers— let this be known— had
crossed before them the Hindoo-lvoosh) entered from the
north the. peninsula— there survived at a period long
before the days of Romulus but ihe name and— a nascent
language. Profane H istory informs us that the Latins of
the “ mythical era,” got so Hellenised amidst the rich
colonies of Mngna-Grcecia that there remained nothing iu
them of their prim itive Latin nationality. I t is the Latins
proper, it says, those pre-Roman Italians who, by settling
iu Latium had from the first kept themselves free from
the Greek influence, who were the ancestors of the
Romans. . Contradicting exoteric H istory, the occult
Records affirm that if, owing to circumstances too long
and complicated to be related here, the settlers of Latium
preserved tlieir prim itive nationality a little longer than
their brothers who had first entered the peninsula with
them after leaving1 the East (which was not thoir original
home), they lost it very soon, for other reasons. Free from
the Samnites during the first period, they did not remain
free from other invaders. W h ile the W estern historian
puts together the mutilated, incomplete records of
various nations and people, and makes them into
a clever mosaic according to the best and most probable
plan and rejects entirely traditional fables, the
occultist pays not the slightest attention to the vain
self-glorification of alleged, conquerors or their litliic
inscriptions. Nor does he follow the stray bits of so
called historical information, oft concocted by interested
parties and found scattered hither and thither, in tho
fragments of classical writers, whose original texts them­
selves have often been tampered with. The Occultist
follows the ethnological affinities and their divergences
in the various nationalities, races and sub-races, in a
more easy way ; and he is guidod in this as surely as the
student who examines a geographical map. As the latter
can easily trace by their differently coloured outlines the
boundaries of the many countries aud their possessions ;
their geographical superficies and their separations by
seas, rivers and mountains ; so the Occultist can by follow­
ing the (to him) well distinguishable and defined auric
shades and gradations of colour in the inner-vian uner­
rin g ly pronounce to which of the several distinct human
families, as also, to what particular respective group, and
even small sub-group of the latter belongs such or
another people, tribe, or man. This w ill appear hazy and
incomprehensible to the many who know nothing of
ethnic varieties of nerve-aura and disbelieve in any^'inner-
man” theory, scientific but to the few. The whole ques­
tion hangs upon the reality or unreality of the existence
of this inner-man whom clairvoyance has discovered,
and whose odyle or nerve emanations von ReichenbacU
■proves, I f one admits such a presence and realizea in’-
tuitionally that, being closer related to tlie one invisible
Reality, the inner type must be still more pronounced
than the outer physical type, then it w ill be a matter
of little, if any difficulty, to conceive onr meaning.
For, indeed, if even tho respective physical idiosyncracies
nnd’ special characteristics of any given person make Ins
nationality usually distinguishable by the physical eye of
tlie ordinary observer— let alone the experienced ethno­
logist : the Englishman being commonly recognizable at
n °glance from the Frenchman, tho German from the
Italian, not to speak of the typical differences between
human root-families* in their anthropological division
•— there seems littlo difficulty in conceiving that the same,
though far more pronounced difference of typo and
characteristics should exist 'between the inner races that
inhabit these “ fleshly tabernacles.” Besides this easily
discernible psychological and astral differentiation, there
are the documentary records in tlieir unbroken series of
chronological tables, and the history of the gradual
brancbiug off of raoes and sub-races from tho three
geological, primeval Races, the work of the Initiates of
all the archaic and ancient temples lip to date, collected
in our “ Book of Numbers,” and other volumes.
Hence, and on this double testimony (which th°
W esterns are quite welcome to reject if so pleased), it is
affirmed that, owing to the great amalgamation of v a ri­
ous sub-races, such as the Iapygian, Etruscan, Pelasgic,
and later— the strpng admixture pf the Hellenic aucj
Kolto-Gaulic, element in tlie veins of the primitive I tali
of Latium — there remained in the tribes gathered by
Romulus on the banks of the Tiber about as much
Latinism as there is now in the Romanic people of
Walluchia. Of course if the historical foundation of the
fable of Lhe twins of the Vestal Silvia is entirely reject­
ed, together with that oE tho foundation of Alba Longa
by the son of ^Eueas, then it stands to reason that the
whole of the statements made must be likewise a modcrq
invention built upon the utterly worthless fables of the
“ legendary mythical age.” F o r those who now give
these statements, however, there is more of actual truth
in such fables than there is in the alleged historical
lle g al period of the earliest Romans. It is to be deplored,
that tbe prespnt statement should clash with the authori­
tative conclusions of Mommsen and others. Yet, stating
but that which to the “ Adepts” is fact, it must'be under­
stood at once that all (but the fanciful chronological
date for the foundation of Rome— A p ril 753 “ B .C . ” )
that is given in old traditions in relation to the P earner ium,
and the triple alliance of tho Ramnians, Luceres and
Tities, of the so-called Romuleian legend, is iudeed far
nearer truth than what external H istory accepts as
facts during the Punic and Macedonian wars up to,
through, and down tho Roman Em pire to its F a ll. Tho
Founders of Rome were decidedly a mongrel poople,
made up of various scraps and remnants of the many p ri­
mitive tribes— only a few really Latin families, the de­
scendants of the distinct sub-race that came along with
tho Umbro-Sabellians from the East remaining. And,
while tho latter preserved their distinct colour down to
the Middle Ages through the Sabine element, left unm ix­
ed in its mountainous regions— the blood of the true
Roman was Hellenic blood from its beginni ng. The
famous Latin league is 110 fable but history. The suc­
cession of kings descended from the Trojan 2Eueas
is a fa c t; and, the idea that Romulus is to be regarded
as simply the symbolical representative of a people,
* l ’ro p e rlv sp e ak in g , th e s e o u g h t to be called “ G eological K aees,” so
a s to b e easily d istin g u is h e d fro m t h e i r s u b s e q u e n t ev o lu tio n s— tho
root-races. The O ccu lt D o ctrjno h as n a u g h t to do w ith tho B iblical
division pf Shorn, 11am an d Ja p lio t, an d a d m ire s, w ith o u t a c c e p tin g it,
tho la te s t llu x le y a n , p h y siological division of tho h n m a n ra c e s in to th e ir
q n in tip le g ro up of A ustrolioids, N ogroids, M ongoloids, X an th o ch ro ics, an d
tho 5 th v a rie ty of M elanocliroics. Y e t i t sa y s t h a t th e triple division
o f th e b lu n d e rin g Je w s is clo ser to th e tr u th . I t k n o w s b u t of th re e
e n tire ly 'd i.stin c t p rim ev al ra c e s w hose evolution, fo rm a tio n an d d e v e ­
lo p m en t w o n t p a ri pass it an d 011 p a ra lle l lin e s w ith tho evolution,
fo rm a tio n , a n d d ev elo p m en t of th r e e geological s t r a t a ; n am ely , th a
U la c e , th o IU -d -Y e llo w , au d th e IiuowJi-W mTis R a c e s,
as iE o lu s, Dorius, and Io n were once, instead of a living
nian, is as unwarranted as it is arbitrary. I t could only
have been entertained by a class of historiographers bent-
upon condoning their sin iu supporting the dogma tbat
Sliem, Ham, and Japhet were the historical, once living
ancestors of mankind,— by making a burnt offering of
every really historical but so 11-Jewish tradition, legend,-
or record which might presume to a place ou the sama
level with these three privileged archaic mariners, in ­
stead of humbly grovelling at their feet as “ absurd!
m yths” and old wives’ tales and superstitions. .
- I t will thus appear that the objectionable statements
on pp. 56 and 62 of Esoteric Buddhism, which are alleged
to create a “ historical difficulty,” wero not made by M r,
Sinnett’ s correspondent lo bolster a W estern theory, but
in loyalty to historical facts. W hether they can or can­
not be accepted in those particular localities, where critii
cism seems based upon rnero conjecture (though honour­
ed with the name of scientific hypoth’e sis), is something,
which concerns the present writers as little as any casual
traveller’s unfavorable comments upon the time-scarred
visage of the Sphinx can affect the designer of that sub­
lime symbol. The sentences, “ the Groeka and Romans
wore small sub-races of our own Caucasian stock” (p.
56), and they were “ the remnants of the Atlanteans (the
modern belong to the fifth race)” (p. 62), show the real
meaning on their face. B y the old Greeks “ remnants of
the Atlanteans” the eponymous ancestors (as they are
called by Europeans) of the .ZEolians, Dorians and
Ionians, aro meant. B y the connection together of tha
old Greeks and Romans without distinction, was meant
that the prim itive Latins were swallowed by Magna
Graacia. And by “ the modern” belonging “ to the fiftlr
race” — both these small branclilets from whose veins
had been strained out the last drop of the Atlanteaii
blood— it was im plied that the Mongoloid 4th race bloodt
had already been eliminated. Occultists make a distinc­
tion between the - races intermediate between nny two
Root-races: the Westerns do not. The “ old Romans’*
were Hellenes in a new ethnological disguise ; the .still
older Greeks— tlie real blood ancestors of the future
Romans. An iu a direct relation to this, attention is drawrr
to the followiug fact— one of the many in its close h is­
torical bearing upon the “ mythical” age to which A tlan ­
tis belongs, it is a fable and may be charged to tha
account of historical difficulties. It is well calculated,
however, to throw all the old ethnological and genealogi.
cal divisions into confusion.
A sking the reader to bear in mind that Atlantis, lika
modern Europe, comprised many nations and many
dialects (issues from the three primeval root-languages;
of the 1st, 2nd and - 3rd Races), we may return to
Poseidonis— its last surviving link 12,000 ago. A s tha
chief element in the languages of the 5th race is the:
A ryan-Sanscrit of tlie “ Brown-white” geological stock
or race, so tho predominating element in Atlantis was a
language which has now survived but in the dialects of
somo American Red-Indian tribes, and in the Chinese
speech of the inland Chinamen, the mountainous tribes of
Kivang-ze— a language which was an admixture of tha
agglutinate and tho monosyllabic as it would be called b y
modern philologists. I t was, in short, the language of
the “ Red-yellow” second or middle geological stock
[we maintain the term “ geological” ]. A strong per­
centage of the Mongoloid or 4th Root-race was, of course,
to be found in the Aryans of the 5th. B ut this did not
prevent iu tlie least the presence at the same time of un­
alloyed, pure A ryan races in it. A number of small
islands scattered around Poseidonis had been vacated, iu
consequence of earthquakes long before the final catas­
trophe, which has alone remained in the memory of men—•
thanks to some written records. Tradition says that ona
of the small tribes (the JEolians) who hadjbecome islanders
after emigrating from far Northern countries had to leave
their home again for fear of a deluge. If , in spite of the
Orientalists and the conjecture of M. F , Lenormand,—
" who invented a name for a people whose shadowy outline
he dim ly perceived in the far away Past as preceding tlie
Babylonians— we say that this Aryan race that came from
Central Asia, the cradle of the 5th race Humanity,
belonged to the “ Akkadian” tribes, there w ill be a new
historico-ethnological difficulty created. Yet, it is
maintained, that these “ A kkads” were no more a
“ Turanian” race than auy oE tho modern British people
aro the mythical ten tribes of Israel, so conspicuously
present in the Bible and— absent from history. W ith
tiuch rem arkablejmcia conventa between modern exact (?)
nnd ancient occult sciences, we mny proceed with the
fable. Belonging virtually through their original con­
nection with the Aryan, Central Asian stock, to the 5th
race, the old ./Eolians yet were Atlauteans, not only in
virtu e of their long residence iu the now submerged
continent, covering some thousands of years, but by the
free interm ingling of blood, by interm arriage with them.
Porhaps in this connection, M r, H u xley’ s disposition to
account for his Melanochroi (the Greeks being included
under this classification or type)— as themselves “ the
result of crossing between tho Xanthochroi and the Aus-
fcralioids” — among whom he places the Southern Iudia
lower classes and the Egyptians to a degree— is not
far off from fact. Anyhow the iEolians of A tlantis wero
A ryans on tho whole, as much as the Basques— Dr. Prit­
chard’s Allophylians— are now southern Europeans,
although originally belonging to the Dravidian S. I., stock
[their progenitors having never been the aborigenes of
Europe prior to the first A ryan immigration, as suppos­
e d ]. Frightened by the frequonfc earthquakes and the
visible approach of the cataclysm, tbis tribe is said to have
filled a flotilla of arks, to have sailed from beyond the
pillars of Hercules, and to have landed, sailing along the
coasts aftor several years of travel, on the shores of the
/Egean Soa in the land of Pyrrha (now Thessaly) to which
they gave the name of ^ o lia . Thence they proceeded
on business with the gods to Mount Olympus. It may
)>e stated here at the risk of creating a “ geographical
difficulty,” that in that m ythical age Greece, Crete,
Sicily, Sardinia, aud many other islands of tho Mediter­
ranean were simply the far av.«y possessions, or colonies
of Atlantis. Hence, the “ fable” proceeds to state that
s.11 along the coasts of Spain, France, and Ita ly the
/Eolians often halted, and the memory of their " magi­
cal feats” still survives among the descendants of the old
Massilians, of the tribes of the later Carthago-Nova, and
the seaports of E tru ria and Syracuse. A nd here again
it would not be a bad idea, perchance, even at this late
hour, for the archtoologi&ts to trace with the permission
of the anthropological societies the origin of the various
nutochtones through their folklore and fables, as they
may prove both more suggestive and reliable than their
“ undecipherable” monuments. H istory catches a misty
glimpse of these particular autoclitoncs thousands of
years only after they had been settled in old Greece ;
namely, nt the moment when the Epireans cross the
P in dus bent on expelling the black magicinns from
their home to Boeotia. But, history never listened to
the popular legends which speak of the "accursed sorce­
rers” who departed but after leaving as an inheritance
behind them more than one secret of their infernal arts
tho fame of which crossing the ages has now passed into
history— or, classical Greek and Roman fable, if so pre­
ferred. To this day, a popular tradition narrates how
the ancient forefathers of the Thessalonians, so re­
nowned for their magicians, had come from behind the
Pillars, asking for help and refuge from the great Zeus,
and im ploring tho father of the gods to save them from
the Deluge. But the " F a t h e r” expelled them from the
Olympus allowing their tribe to settle only at the foot of
the mountain, in the valleys and by tho shores of tho
./Egean Sea.
fsuch is the oldest fable of the ancient Thessalonians. A nd
now, what was the language spoken by the Atlantean ^Eoli-
»ns ? H istory cannot answer us. Nevertheless, the reader
has to be only reminded of somo of the accepted and a
few as yet unknown facis^ to cause the light to enter any
intuitional brain. I t is now proved that man iu the
antiquity was universally conceived as born of the earth.
Such is now the profane explanation of the term autoch-
tones. In nearly every vulgarized, popular fable, from the
Sauskrit Arya “ born of tho earth,” or Lord of the Soil
in one sense ; the Erechteus of the archaic Greeks,
worshipped iu the earliest days of tho A kropolis and
shown by Homer as “ he whom the earth bore” (IL . I I .
549) ; down to Adam fashioned oE “ red earth,” the
genetical story has a deep occult meaning, and an in ­
direct connection with tho origin of man and of the sub­
sequent races. Thus, tho fables of H ellen, the son of
P yrrha the red — the oldest name of Thessally ; and of
Mannus, the reputed ancestor of the Germans, himselE
the sou of Tuiscc, “ the red son of the earth,” have not
onlv a direct bearing upon our Atlantic fable, but they
explain moreover the division of mankind into geological
groups as made by the Occultists. I t is only this, their
division, tliat is able to explain to W estern teachers the
apparently strange, if not absurd, coincidencc of the
Semitic Adam — a divinely revealed personage— being
connected with red earth, in company with the Aryan
Pyrrlia,Tuisco,etc— themythicalheroes of ‘ ‘foolish” fables.
Nor w ill that division made by the Eastern Occultists—
who call the 5th race people— “ the Brown-white,” and the
4th race, the “ Red-yellow” , Root-races— connecting them
with geological strata— appear at all fantastic to those who
understand verse I I I . 34— 9 of the Veda and its occult
meaning, and another verse in which the Dasyus are
called “ Y ellow ,” Hatvi Dasyun p rd aryamvaraam avat
— is said of In d ra who, by k illin g the Dasyus, protected
the colour of the Aryans ; and again In d ra “ unveiled the
light for the A ryas and the Dasya was left on the left
hand” ( I I . I I , 18.). Let the student of Occultism bear
in mind thai the Greek Noah, Deukalion, the husband of
Pyrrha, was tho reputed sou of Prometheus who
robbed Heaven of its fire (i. e., of secret Wisdom
“ oE the right hand” or occult knowledge); that Prome­
theus is tho brother of Atlas ; that he is also the son
of A sia and of the Titan Iapetus— the antitype from
which tho Jews borrowed their Japhet for the exigencies
of their own popular legend to mask its kabalis'.ic, Chal­
dean, m eaning; and that he is also the antitype of
Deukalion. Promotheus is the creator of man out of
earth and water,# who after stealing fire from Olympus—
a mountain in Greece— is chained on a mount in the far off
Caucasus■From Olympus to Mount Kazbek there is a con­
siderable distance. The occultists say that while the 4th
race was generated and developed on the Atlantean con­
tinent— our Antipodes in a certain sense— the 5th was
generated and developed in Asia. [Tho anciont Greek
geographer Strabo, for one,— calls by the name of
Ariana, the land of the Aryas, tho whole country between
tho Indian ocean in tho south, tho H indu Kush and Para-
pamisis in the north, the Indus on tho east, and the
Caspian gates, Karam ania and the mouth of the Persian
gulf, on the west.] The fnblo of Prometheus relates to
the extiuction of the civilized portions of the 4th race,
whom Zeus, in order to create anew race, would destroy
entirely, aud Prometheus (who had the sacred fire of
knowledge) saved partially “ for future seed.” B ut the
origin of the fuble antecedes the destruction of Poseidonis
by more than seventy thousand years— however incredi­
ble it may seem. The seven great continents of the
world, spoken of in the Vishnu Purana (B. I I , Cap. 2.)
include A tlantis, though, of course, under another name.
Ila and Ira aro synonymous Sanskrit terms (see
Amaralcosha), and both mean earth or native s o i l ; and
Ila v rita is a portion of Ila the central point of
In d ia (Jambudvipa), the latter being itself the centre of
the seven great continents before the submersion of the
great continent of Atlantis, of which Poseidonis
was but an insignificant z’emnant. A nd now, while
•B ehold Moses saying th a t it requires earth and water to make ft
liying man,
 every Brahmin w ill understand the meaning, we may
help tlie Europeans witli a few moro explanations.
If, in that generally tabooed work, Isis Unveiled, the
“ E n g lish F . T. S .” turns to page 589, Vol. I. lio may
find therein narrated another old Eastern legend. A n
island...(where now the Gobi desert lies) was inhabited
by the last remnants of the race that preceded ours : a
handful of “ Adepts” — the “ sons of G o d /’ now referred
to as the Brahman P itr is ; called by another, yet syno­
nymous name in the Chaldean Kabula. Isis Unveiled may
appear very puzzling and contradictory to those who
kuow nothing of Occult Sciences. To tlie Occultist it is
correct, and, while perhaps, left purposely sinning (for
it was the first cautious attempt to let into the W est a
faint streak of Eastern esoteric light), it reveals more
facts than wero ever given before its appearance. Let
any oue read these pages and he may comprehend. The
“ six sucli races” in Manu refer to the sub-races of the
fourth race, (p. 590). Tu addition to this tho reader
must turn to the J u ly number of the Theosophist, and
acquainting himself w ith the article “ Tlie Septenary
Principles in Esotericism,” study the list of the “ Manus”
of our fourth Round (p. 251). And between this and
Isis light may, perchance, be focussed. On pages
590— 6, he will find that A tlantis is mentioned in the
;t Secret Books of tlie East” (as yet virgin of W estern
spoliating hand) under auother name in the sacred
hieratic or sacerdotal language. And then it w ill be
shown to him that Atlantis was not merely the name of
one island but that of a whole continent, of whose isles
and islets many have to this day survived. The remo­
test, ancestors of some of the inhabitants of the now mis­
erable fisherman’s hovel “ A clo” (once Atlan), near the
gulf of Uralia, were allied at one time as closely with the
old G r e e k s and Romans as they were with the “ true in ­
land Chinaman,” mentioned on page 57 of lisoteria
Buddhism. U n til the appearanco of a map published
at litlsle in 1522, wherein the name of America appears
for the lirst time, the latter ivas believed lo Ie part of
In d ia ; and strange to him who does not follow the mys­
terious working of the human mind and its uuconscious
approximations to hidden truths— even the aborigines of
the new continent, the Red-skinned tribes, the “ Mongo­
loids” of Mr Huxley, were named Indians. Names now
attributed to chance : elastic word that ! Strange coinci-
deuce, indeed, to him, who does not kno;v— science
refusing yet to sanction the wild hypothesis— that thero
was a timo when the Indian peninsula was at one end of
the line, and South America at the other, connected by a
belt of islands and continents. The India of the prehis­
toric ages was not only within the region at the sources of
the Oxus and Jaxartes, but there was even in the days of
history and within its memory, an upper, a lower, and a
western India : and still, earlier, it was doubly connected
with the two Americas. The lands of the ancestors of those
whom Ammiauus Marcelinus calls the “ Brahmans of
Upper In d ia ” stretched from Kashm ir far iato the (now)
deserts of Schamo. A pedestrian from the north might
then have reached— hardly wetting his feet— the Alaskan
Peninsula, through Manchooria, across the future gulf of
Titrtary, the Ktirile and Aleutian Isla n d s; while another
travel U r furnished with a canoe and starting from tho
soil th, could have walked over from Siam, crossed the
Polynesian Islands and trudg'ed into any part of the con­
tinent of South America. On pages 592,3 of Isis, Vol. I, the
Thevetatas—-the evil, mischievous gods that have surviv­
ed in the Etruscan Pantheon— are mentioned, along with
tho “ sons of god” or Brahm a Pitris. The Involute,
the Lidden or shrouded gods, the Consentes, Complices,
and Novensiles, are all disguised relics of tho Atlan-
teans; while the Etruscan arts of' soothsaying their
Disciplina revealed by Tages comes direct, and in
undisguised form from the Atlantean K in g Thevetat, the
“ invisible” Dragon, whoso name survives to this day
amoug the Siamese and Burmese, as also, in the Jataka
allegorical stories of the Buddhists as the opposing power
under the name of Devadat. And Tages was the son of
Thevetat, before he became the grandson of the E tru s­
can Jupiter-T im a. Have the W estern Orientalists
tried to find out the connection between all these Dra­
gons and Serpents ; between the “ powers of E v il” in the
cycles of epic legends, the jPersian and the Indian, the
Greek and the Jewish ; betvfeen the contests of In d ra and
the g ia n t; the A ryan Nagas and the Iran ian A ji Dahaka;
the Guatem alan Dragon and the Serpent of Genesis— etc.
etc. etc. ? Professor M ax Muller discredits the connection.
So be it. B u t— the fourth race of men, “ men” whose
sight was unlimited and who knew all things at once, the
hidden as the unrevealed, is mentioned in the Popol-Vuh}
the sacred books of the Guatemalians ; and the Baby­
lonian X isuthrus, the far later Jewish Noah, the Hindu
Vaivaswata, and the Greek Deukalion, are all identical
with the great Father of the Tlilinkitliians, of Popol-Vuh
who, like the rest of these allegorical (not mythical)
Patriarchs, escaped in his turn and iu his days, in a large
boat, at the time of the last great Delnge— the submersion
of Atlantis. .
To liave been an Indo-A ryan, Vaivaswata had not, of
necessity, to meet with his Saviour (Vishnu, under the
form of a fish) w ithin the precincts of the present Ind ia,
Or even anywhere on the Asian continent; nor is it neces­
sary to concede that he was the seventh great Manu him ­
self (see catalogue of the Manus, Theos : for Ju ly ), but
sim ply that the Hindu Noah belonged to the clan of Vai­
vaswata and typifies the fifth race. Now the last of the
Atlantean islands perished some 11,000 years ago,-and the
fifth race headed by the Aryans began its evolution, to
the certain knowledge of the “ adepts” nearer one million
than 900,000 years ago. B ut the historian and the an­
thropologist with their utmost stretch of liberality are
unable to give more than from twenty to one hundred
thousand years for all our human evolution. Hence we
put it to them as a fair question : at what point during
their own conjectural lakh of years do they fix the root-
germ of tho ancestral line of the “ old Greeks and Ro­
mans ?” W ho were they ? W hat is known, or even “ con­
jectured” about their territorial habitat after the division
of the Aryan nations ? And where were the ancestorsof the
Somitic aud Turanian races ? I t is not enough for p ur­
poses of refutation of other peoples’ statements to say
that the latter lived separate from the former, and theu
come to a fu ll stop— a fresh hiatus in the ethnological
history of mankind. Since Asia is sometimes called the
Cradle of Hum anity, and it is an ascertained fact that
Central Asia was likewise the cradle of the Semitic and
Turanian races (for thus it is taught in Genesis), and we
find the Turans agreeably to the theory evolved by the
Assyriologists preceding the Babylonian Semitists, where,
at what spot of the globe, did these Semito-Turanian
nations break away from tho Parent stock, and what has
become of the latter? I t cannot be the small Jowish
tribe of P a tria rch s; and unless it can be shown that the
garden of Eden wa.s also on the Oxus or the Euphrates,
fenced off from tho soil inhabited by the children of
Cain, philologists who undertake to fill in tho gaps in
U niversal H istory with their made-up conjectures, may
be regarded as ignorant of this detail as thoso they
wonld enlighten.
■Logically if the ancestors of these various groups had
been at that remoto period massed together, then tho
self-samo roots of a parent common stock would havo
been equally traceable in their perfected languages as
they are in those of the Indo-Europoans. A nd so, sinco
whichever way ono turns, he is met with the same
troubled sea of speculation, margined by the treacherous
quicksands of hypothesis, and every horizon bounded by
inferential landmarks insciibed with imaginary dates,
again tho “ Adepts” ask why should any ono be awed
into accepting as his final criterion that which pusses for
sciouce of high authority in Europe? F o r all this is
known to the Asiatic scholar— in every case save the
purely mathematical, and physical sciences— as littlo
 better than a secret league for mutual support, and, per*
haps, admiration. He bows with profound respect before
the Royal Societies of Physicists, Chemists, and to a
degree— even of Naturalists. H e refuses to pay the
slightest attention to the merely speculative and conjec­
tural so-called “ sciences” of the modern Physiologist,
Ethnologist, Philologist, &c., and the mob of self-styling
(Edips, to whom it is not given to unriddle the Sphynx
of nature, and who, therefore, throttle her.
W ith an eye to the above, as also with a certain pre­
vision of the future, the defendants in the cases under
examination believe that the “ historical difficulty” with
reference to tho non-historical statement, necessitated
more than a simple reaffirmation of the fact. They
knew that with no better claims to a henring
than may be accorded by the confidence of a few,
and in view of the decided antagonism of the
many, it would never do for them to say “ we maintain”
while W estern professors maintain to the contrary.
F o r a body of, so to say, unlicensed preachers and
students of unauthorized and unrecognized sciences to
ofler to fight an august body of universally recognized
oracles, would be an unprecedented piece of impertinence.
Hence their respective claims had to be examined
on however small a scalo to begin with (in this as in all
other cases) on other than psychological grounds. The
"A d e p ts ” in Occult A rts had better keep silence when
confronted with the “ A. C. S ’s” — Adepts in Conjectural
Sciences, unless they could show, partially at least, how
weak is the authority of the latter and oa what foundations
of shifting sands their scientific dicta are often built.
They may thus make it a thinkable conjecture that the
former maybe right after all. Absolute silence, moreover,
as at present advised, would have been fatal. Besides risk ­
ing to be constrned into inability to answer, it might
have given rise to new complaints among the faithful few,
and lead to fresh charges of selfishness against the writers.
Therefore, have the “ Adepts’ ' agreed to satisfy tbe Eng­
lish members of the London Lodge, as far as permissible,
by smoothing in part at least, a few of the most glaring
difficulties and showing a high way to avoid them in
future by studying the jwui-historical but actual, instead
of the historical but mythical portions of Universal
H istory. A nd this they have achieved, they believe
(at any rate with a few of their querists), by simply
showing, or rather remiudingthem, that siuceno historical
fact can stand as such against the “ assumption” of the
“ Adepts” — historians being confessedly ignorant of
pre-Roman and Greek origines beyond the ghostly
shadows of the Etruscans and Pelasgians— no real histori­
cal difficulty can be possibly involved in their statement.
From objectors outside the Society, the writers neither
demand nor do they expect mercy. The Adept has no
favours to ask at the hands of conjectural sciences, nor
does he exact from any member of the “ London Lodge”
blind faith: it being his cardinal maxim that faith should
only follow enquiry. The “ Adept” is more than content
to be allowed to remain silent, keeping what he may
know to himself, unless worthy seekers wish to share it.
He has so clone for ages, and can do so for a little longer.
Moreover, he would rather not “ arrest attention” or
“ command respect” at present. Thus he leaves his
audience to first verify his statements in every case by
the brilliant though rather wavering light of modern
science: after which his facts may be either accepted or
rejected, at the option of the w ilting stud ^it. In short,
the “ Adept” — if one indeed— hhs to remain utterly ' •
unconcerned with, and unmoved by, the issue. H e ”
imparts that which it is lawful for him to give out, and
deals but with facts.
The philological and archaeological "difficulties” next
demand attention.
{To be continued.)
N o t e . — T he co n tin u atio n of M r. S ubba Row*s re p lie s to th e 7 th an d 8 th
<juestions w ill a p p e a r in th e n e x t issu e of th o Theosophist. A s h e finds
it n b cessary to ex am in e c a re fu lly th e n ew in sc rip tio n s on th e s tr e n g th
of w hich M ajor G en eral C u n n in g h am an d th e O rie n ta lists -who follow ed
h im h a v e th o u g h t i t fit to r e je c t th e d a te assig n ed by B u d d h ists a n d
H in d u s to B u d d h a ’s d e a th , a n d as th e ro p ly to question V I, lias becom e
v ery le n g th y , we h av e th o u g h t ifc p ro p e r to publish th e an sw e rs to tho
tw o su c c e e d in g q u e s tio n s in th e N o v em b er issu e of ou r jo u rn a l.— E d.
----- ♦--------
TH E M IS SIN G L I N K — A T LAST.
U nder tho heading of an “ Extraordinary T»lo”
(T ail ?) the papers give out tho following, and thus havo
to be held responsible for its authenticity. “ A n interest­
ing discovery has, it is announced, been made in
Paraguay of a tribe of Indians with tails. A n A rg e n ­
tine domiciled in the Argentine Missions has a yerba.
establishment in the Paraguayan Missions, in a district
called Tacura-Tuyu. W hile collecting the yerba iu the
yerba woods the other day, his mules were attacked by
some Guayacuyos Indians, who fled after k illin g several
mules. The muleteers pursued, firing on the Indians,
one of whom, a boy about eight years old, was captured.
This boy was brought to Posedas, where Don Francesco
Golcochoa, the A rgentine referred to, lives, and excited
much curiosity, owing to his having a tail six to eight
inches long. The boy, who has been photographed by
some Germans, is, it is stated, very u g ly ; but his body
is not covered with hair. A brother of the boy, at
present in the possession of Colonel Rudeciudo Roca, has
also a t a il; and all the tribe are said to be sim ilarly
adorned.” •
-------»■■■ -
{Continued from the last Number.)
C AL IF O R N IA ON TIIEOSOPIIY.
T H E O S O P H Y A N D O C C U L T IS M IN IN D IA .
S ome A ccount of a N ew and R emarkable M ovem ent.
Bv Geouge F red eric Parsons, F , T . S.*
E x Oricnte lux.
I t ia idle to sp ecu late upon th e a n tiq u ity of Yoga V idya, b u t at
least we know th n t traces of th is occult know ledge are to be
found in tbo R ig -V ed n ; th a t d u rin g th is suprem acy of B rahm an­
ism it was cu ltiv ated with ardor ; th a t th ro u g h o u t the B u d d h is­
tic period it continued to flo u rish ; nnd th a t th o revival of
H i n d u i s m did no t affect or d istu rb it appreciably. I t can show
an u n broken line of descent, stre tc h in g away into th e regions of
p u re m y th o lo g y , and th ro u g h o u t th is enorm ous period it has
claim ed a m astery over n a tu ra l law s and n a tu ra l forces w hich
p u ts to sham e all th e discoveries of W estern science, and w hich at
tb e sam e tim e is alleged to solve tho central problem s of hum an
existen ce; nam ely, th e w hence and th e w h ith er of M an........
The practice of w ritin g all scientific w orks in sym bolic language,
w hich th e M ystics followed in th e ir tim e, so perplexed th e first
S an sk rit scholars th a t they th o u g h t th e V ed an tic w ritings and
com m entaries to bo little b e tte r th a n m asses of g ib b erish . A t
last, how ever, it has begun to daw n upon them th a t th e re may
be “ th a t w ithin w hich passeth show,” an d P rofessor Max M ailer
has w ith c h aracteristic candor ad m itted th is already. I t is
extrem ely difficult fo r th e W estern m ind to p u t itself into a
receptive a ttitu d e in reg a rd to O riental science, because th e two
system s are so rad ically different, an d th e civilizations so incom ­
patible. W ith lis Science is resp ected chiefly for its bearing
upon w hat we call m aterial p ro g ress. B u t it has no conncction
w hatever w ith ethics, and it has d elib erately cu t itself off from
th e stu d y of tru e psychology. B n t in th e O rien t it is n o t even
ad m itted th a t W estern civilization is th e best. On th e c o n trary ,
i t is a sk e d : “ Does y o u r Science m ake m en h a p p ie r? ” A nd
w hat can be th e answ er to such a question ? Philosophors c e r­
tain ly striv e to p ersuade th em selv es th n t in some large g en eral
av erage th e balance will bo found on th e side of real pro g ress in
h appiness, b u t m eantim e it is on of th e perplexities of th e
th in k e r th a t h u m an m isery seem s to keep step w ith hum an
m aterial p ro g ress. As S tep h en M ontague says Y ou accum u­
late m a c h in e ry ; you in crease th e to tal of w e a lth ; b n t w hat
becomes of th e labor you displace ? Ono g en eratio n is sacrificed
to the next. Y ou diffuse know ledge—and th e world seem s to
grow b r ig h te r ; b u t D isco n ten t and P o v erty replace Ig n o ran ce,
happy w ith its creed. E v e ry im provem ent, every advancem ent;
in civilization, in ju re s some to benefit others, and e ith er
cherishes th o w an t of to-day, or p re p a re s th e rev o lu tion of
to-m orrow .'’
Now th e In d ia n S cien tist does n o t recognise tb e_superiority of
th is form of civilization. On th e co n tra ry , he m ain tain s th a t it
involves a d istin c t d eg rad atio n of th e race, despite its brilliant;
extern al m anifestations. And tb is assertion is th e inev itab le result
of tho A siatic theory of th e universe. F o r if th is life is but a
single link in th e long chain of existences w hich every s p irit
m u st p ass th ro u g h ; an d if P a st, P re se n t an d F u tu re aro^ d e te r­
m ined, aa re g a rd s th e d estin y an d fu tu re of m an, by his own
 m erit and d em erit alone; and if th e upw ard course of th e sp irit
can only be assured by au in te llig e n t and p e rsiste n t discipline j
it follows th a t th e entirely m aterial an d -earth -ab so rb ed life w hich
W estern civilization entails a n d com pels is n o t iu the liue of real
p ro g ress, b u t th a t this civilization is, n o tw ith sta n d in g its a p p a ­
re n tly m arvellous advancem ents, a m istak e of tho m ost d isastro u s
c h a racter. N o doubt it is very difficult for th e averago W estern
in te llig en ce to apprehend th e O rien tal view , and y et some effort
. to do t-11 i m u s t bo made by alt who desiro to u n d erstan d tho
situ atio n we are describing. A g re a t h elp to com prehension is
th e clearin g of our m inds from can t. L e t it bo realized, as a
p relim in ary to candid inquiry, th a t th e W estern world has no
m onopoly of know ledge ; th a t iu fact it has, w ith all its cleverness
and all its p ro fu n d ity , th u s fa r failed to discover any theory of
th e universe which is satisfactory to its b est m inds ; and th a t it is
q u ite possible for a people of high in tellectu al capacity, who have
devoted th eir stro n g est m inds to research and reflection for
m any ages, to h av e'ex co g ilated , or even to have discovered by
experim ental research , a loftier, a nobler, a more co nsistent,
congruous, and alto g eth er deep er explanation of the Cosmos and
of Man’s place iu it, thau has h ith e rto been know n beyond tho
O rient.
R eligion in In d ia, as everyw here else, has been su b je c t to
m utation aud decay. No creed has ever y e t escaped th e ir.ju ry
which arises from en c ru s tin g tu p e rstitio n , and officious, u n in ­
te llig e n t in te rp re ta tio n . T ho religion of G autam a B uddha is 110
exception to tho rule. T here can lie no question th a t B uddhism
has exercised a m ost pow erful influence for good upon the peo­
ple of India, not only d u rin g its hold upon th e c o u n try , w hich
lasted a thousand years, b u t since th e riso of H in d u ism also.
F o r a p a rt from th a t m ystic d octrine of N irv an a, w hich has so
perplexed W ostern scholars, and not a p a rt from th a t d o ctrin e so
far as tho initiates are concerned, B uddhism is a religion of Lovo
and Peace and P u rity . And w hat is m ost rem ark ab le ab o u t the
teligion is th a t its votaries have followed th e ir F o u n d er’s d octrine
in tho main fuithfully. T oleration is th e essence of B uddhism .
I t has been violeutly persecuted a t various tim es, and has n ever
so ught revenge. As Jo h n so n o b serv es: “ I t has been faith fu l
to its principle th a t tr u th is not to be im pressed by violence; th a t
opinion m ust be free. Its rejection of bloodshed has been absolute.
Beside th e h isto ry of its peaceful progress, th e records of Islam
and C hristianity are black w ith ty ra n n y and h ate.” W estern
com m entators, for the m ost p a rt m issionaries,'have been re p e a t­
edly com pelled to bear testim o n y to th e n o b ility of th e creed of
B uddha. T hus Bishop B igam let, a Roman C atholic prelate who
has w ritte n a “ L ife of B u d d h a ,” fra n k ly declares th a t th e re is
no t a single moral precept to be found in C h ristian ity which has
not its co u n terp art in th e religion of S akya Muni. T ho lifo of
th e founder, and even some of th e principal ten ets of his faith ,
havo been made fam iliar to th e E n g lish and A m erican public
th ro u gh Mr. E dw in A rnold’s beautiful poem, “ The L ig h t of Asia.”
I t may iu fact be said th a t th e lofty m oral tone of pure B uddhism
is incontestable, and th a t it yields to no religion in th is respect.
The stum bling-block in the way of its acceptance by th e W estern
mind has alw ays been th e doctrin e of N irv an a, w hich has been
reg arded as im plying an n ih ilatio n ........
W estern opinion on such a question is,how ever, not tru stw o rth y .
. . . I t is evident from the language of tho M i l i n d a P r a s n a , how­
ever, th a t early B uddhism did riot reg a rd N irv an a as identical
with A nnihilation. I t involved no d o u b t th e absolute e x tin c­
tion of all earth ly desires and p ro p e rtie s and tendencies ; b u t
whoever takes th e tro u b le to th in k o u t th e problem of a fu tu re
life, will find th a t no tenable theo ry of com plete happiness can
be fram ed which does not necessita te th e exclusion of every
m u n dane and physical em otion an d desire. N irv a n a in fact is
th e logical ultim atum of a schem e of reasoning carried fa r be­
yond the common lim its of such speculation, an d p erh ap s tho
best possible answer to the assertio n of its N ih ilistic m ean in g
consists in the fact th a t it is a consum m ation w hich has been
sou g ht w ith th e most p ersiste n t effort by th o m ost pow erful
m inds of Asia, for ages. •
I t has been necessary thus to dw ell upon B u d d h ism , because
)t 13 closely connected w ith th a t system of occu lt sciqjico which
is so interw oven w ith A siatic faiths. A nd th a t it includes a com ­
plete harm ony w ith m uch th a t th e B rah m an s ta u g h t before tho
tim e of G autam a. B u t th e read er m ay a s k : H ow has any co n ­
nection arisen betw een E uro pean s aud A siatics in re g a rd to an
O riental relig io n ? How can m en educated to W e ste rn science
and philosophy have come to seek in th e m ystic a b stra c tio n s of
a visionary race th e clues to secrets of N atu re w hich th e in te l­
lect of E urope has 111 vaiu striv en to pierce P W h a t' en co u rag e­
m en t can have been given to such an experim ent, and to w hat
can so stra n g e and ap p aren tly im p ractical an en te rp rise tend P
Ih e se q uestions shall all be answ ered; b u t n o t in th is p ap er. F o r
tho preseut it m ust suffice to say th n t th e d a rk veil which has so
long concealed th e E a st from th e W e st w as a sh o rt tim o a<ro
p a rtially removed- T h a t th e sm all b u t e a rn e st band of W estern
th in k e rs who refused to accept th e p a raly zin g lim itatio n s of
A gnosticism , who recoiled from N ihilism , and w ho could not be
convinced of the tr u th of S p iritu alism , wero g iv en reason to b e ­
lieve th a t in those far regions th o Sacred F ire was still k ep t
b u rn in g ; th a t an O ccult B rotherhood existed in In d ia o r tho
n eig h b o rin g te rrito rie s ; th a t th is m ysterious F ra te rn ity had m as­
tered tho g re a t a rc a n a ; th a t it held th e key s of a system of
N a tu ra l Science su rp assin g in ex ten t, g ra n d e u r and value a n y ­
th in g th e W est p o ssesses; and th a t it alone had th e pow er to
solve those b u rn in g questions w ith which th e age is occupied, and
to save society a t o n ce.fro m th e d eg rad atio n of a M aterialism
w hich tra n sfo rm s th e universe into a g h a stly m ockery, and
th e sensuous fan tasies of a su p erstitio n w hich is only fitted to
riv e t anew th e broken shackles oE false a n d exploded fa ith s.
-------»------
( Continued from last Number)
OF T H E SERPEN T PYTHO N AND T H E
PYTH O N ESSES THRO UGH O UT TH E AGES.
R e search es of P ra c tic a l S c ie n c e to fo rm P y th ia s .
B y D r . F o r t i n , F . T. S . P e e s : S . S. 0 . F .
(Sodetd Scientifque des Occultistea de France.)
The scientific progress and evolution of ancicnfc
E gypt wore arrested by such celesto-planetary disturb­
ances and her incessant wars against invaders.
But her great and immortal soul conjured up by
Greece proved sufficient to instruct her future priests
and inspire her seers.
The classification of objects destined to play a part in
occult phenomena teaches us that there onco existed
in Greece a veritable science under the rules of which
were governed her numerous temples. Two varieties of
subjects demand our special attention : thoy arc the
Pythoness aud the Sibyl.
Tho first named is derived from a species of serpent,
whose strango physiological peculiarities produced on cer­
tain abnormal human organisms, and in them stirred up
into activity other functions and faculties stranger still.
The name of Python, and its derivatives, is found ap­
plied from tho highest antiquity to deities and localities, as
well as to names of things aud beings. There was in tho
year 12G3, B. 0., a festival instituted by tho Grand
Council of tho A m f u i c t y o n s at Delphos, in honor of tho
victory gained by Apollo over a python. But Delphos
having been called before this event P y t u o s , this chango
of name can only be attributed to servility towards tho
daughter of Delphius. Poetry lias played a great parti
in the history of the anciont Greeks; and we have a
convincing proof of this in the abovementioned groat
national event of tho death of the famous Ophidian.
E verything tends to show in this direction that that
species of serpent had already become very rare, and
that it must havo possessed occult and precious proper­
ties indeed, that a whole people should institute, to per­
petuate its remembrance, a series of yearly national
festivities. A s to the successful conqueror, it is but
natural that ho should have been raised to the rank of a
domi-god who, in good timo, became quite legendary.
The national Pythoness sat enthroned in her Pythiuvi
(Temple) governed by her Pythomantes (Priests of
Python). H e r tripod was composed of seven magical
metals corresponding to the seven Planets*—----
Saturn to lead— Jupiter to tin— Mars to iron— Sun to
gold— Venus to brass— M ercury to mercury— Moon,
to silver. T h is tripod thus composed was covered
moreover with a python’s skin. Spring was the sea­
son chosen as the most favorable to the develop­
ment of tho Pythoness. H aving bathed in tho
fountain of Castalia and fasted for three days, whila
chewing laurel-rose leaves, the Pythonessa, bare-footed,
ascended her tripod. The latter was placed over an
opening in tho soil, whence ascended a vapour pro­
duced by tho assemblage of numerous serpents which
excited thereby to fury foamed, hissed and bit each other.
This noise and tho exhalations cxcited the Seeress
who added her cries and Pythian fury to this scene of
horror. Such was the Grecian Pythonessa.
Rome had them too ; but the Ctosars fearing criticism ,
persecuted not only tho Pythias but every occult prac-
* H ero Blionkl follow tlio c o m p a ra tiv e ta b le s b etw een th o m o tals an d
tlio p lan o ts. H a v in g uo ty p o fo r it, we r e g r e t being u n ab le to rep ro d a c«
th e m ag ical sig n s ,—
tico— fclion was tlio timo wlien it wa.s sufficient to wear
tho cloak of tho Gi’C3 k philosopher, to be condemned to
death.
Tho Cresars claimed tho right alone to consult the
occult powers. Ono instance w ill bo sufficient to explain
the dangers to which the representatives of this oldest
science, hallowed by antiquity, and whose course even
then, already, was running by 110 means smooth— were
exposed. Nero, during his voyage to Greece, visited tlio
Templo of Delphos, partly to satisfy a time-honored
custom, and partly through curiosity, when tho Pytho­
ness amidst her fits of fury exclaimed— “ Avaunt m atri­
cide,” “ thy presence outrages the god whom thou
wouldst interrogate !... No. 73 w ill m ark the hour
of thy pnnishriicnt.” Nero understood but one thing
in this, I10 would dio at the ago of 73 ; bnt the reproach
of liis crime flung into his face throw him into a frenzy,
during which time his ferocity know no bounds. Ho was
well aware that the Pythoness, once 011 her tripod, was
absolutely forced to render tlie oracle, and that the
priests wore helpless in their translation of i t : ho know
it and still ordered tho hands and feet of the priests to
be cut off, and the Pythoness of the temple to be buried
alive among their mutilated corpses. Tho No. 73 indicat­
ed the age of Nero’s successor— Galba. T h is scene from
Roman history shows that tho occult sciences formed
part and parcel of their political organisation.
In 17G6, D ’H arcarville published a drawing from an
Etruscan vase of tho highest antiquity, belonging to
the Ham ilton collection. This draw ing represents two
distinct scenes :— first, two enormous serpents coiled
around a tree, of form and naturo unknown to us— threo
cgg-sliaped fruits, liang from it. Is this the tree of the
fruits of science ? A man of tho Mercurian type— and a
woman seeming to belong to a lower condition, completo
the scene ; tlieir expression and attitude show that they
aro consulting the two monsters. Tbe head of the ser­
pent consulted by tho woman, by its size, expression, and
form, exhibits a now unknown variety, quite distinct
from that of all othor serpents. The top head is rounded,
tho eyes big and prominent— placed under two vory
salient eyebrows, the jaws opened, of which the lower ono
is strongly recoding-, making- the head look half human,
half canine. The other drawing represents a power­
fully built man— it is tho truo terrian* in all the power­
ful development of his physical forces, with one knee
beut under him to the ground, he seems to stagger under
the weight of a sphero supported 011 his robust shoulders
covered with a lion’s skin whose head covers his own liko
a hood. On tho sphere aro drawn the crescent moon in
her first quarter, and two stars whose central point
is represented by a circle— a woman draped in a rich
tunic, and whose eye by its size and form, shows her to
be an inspired seeress,... fixes the stars drawn 011 tho
sphere before her.
The above description of the drawings shows the reader
that in both cases practical Occultism is meant. On ono
hand are the magical operations of Ophiomancy, which can
give the operators nothing higher than the fruits of the
scienceof the terrians(Earthbound,-— livingm en included),
of elementals and— perhaps— elementaries. O11 the other
hand the scene shows with certainty that we arc in the
presence of a phenomenon of tho highest seership. The
inspired clairvoyant evokes the astral iniluences to study
astronomy and astrology,— its vivifying spirit.
She is the " Seeross” — tho ‘ S ib yl.’ Thusare explained
the two varieties of subjects (mediums), the destructive
characteristics of which give us on the one hand the irres­
ponsible Pythia (Medium), 011 tlie other, the high Sceress
the S ib y lf and tlie Prophetess. In Japan tho image of
tho creation is accompanied by those of a serpent coiling
* T y p e of th e J n p ite re a n o ver th e E le m e n ta rie s .— D r. F ortin.
A n in h a b ita n t of th o p la n e t, E a rth ; a te c h n ic a l ex p ressio n of
tho W estern K ab b alists and O ccu ltists.— E d.
f T h e Sibyl will be th e su b je ct of a special a n d s e p a ra te stu d y .
around a tree and of personages who seem to consult the
reptile.
'l’hus the scene of the garden of Eden, as given in the
Bible, is simply the disfigured narration of a once quasi
universal scono of magic enacted in all tho temples
of old. Everywhere a serpent— (the universal symbol of
L ife aud Oracular wisdom) coiling around a tree (symbol
of science of good and evil), a woman interrogating tho
serpent, and a man who remains passive, owing to the
danger of such evocations. Then, tho operators having
stirred up against themselves too many of the powers of
tlic invisible nether worlds, they were forced to quit Eden
— henceforth a haunted locality.
In Mexico at Xaltucan, there was livin g for centuries, tho
legend tells us, an enormous sorpont with a woman’s head.
The Goddess C iliua— Cohualt, a.woman-snake, was mado
a mother while remaining immaculate ef a strange crea­
ture Acpaxopo. A goddess was also honored at Xaltucan.
But degeneration, the final law which no nation escapes,
having culminated iu people forgetting the spirit of
magic, the phenomena fell lower and lower. In those
days of tho many daily prodigies, only ono took place
regularly every n ig h t; dreadful howlings and moanings
wore hoard, and a voice crying, “ 0 Xaltucanes, what
is to become of you?” K arnac in Bretagne (France) is
scattered all over with D ruidical stones. Garn-ac means
in old Persian “ the serpent’s heap,” while the meaning of
“ Maen-ac” (a locality near Carnac) is the “ serpent’s
stones.” In E g y p t— Thebes— the same name of K arnac is
again found.
Iu modern days, and notwithstanding the changes
produced on men and things by the succession (and
progress ?) of tho ages, are there not any individualities
left in existence for the production of phenomena of the
occult order? Pacts answer everywhere— Y es ; and
how can it bo otherwise, since it is a law of universal
usefulness ? To rediscover real subjects by their charac­
ters, and tho real science by its practice, to classify and
protoct both amidst social exigencies, necessitates an
order of research and investigation quite indispensable, if
one would utilizo modern seership. The absence of all
method, tho indifference of scientific bodies, have hither­
to abandoned the manifestation of occult phenomena to
that ignorance which finds in the interpretation of facts,
110 better than a doctrinaire spirit unable to stand the
slightest scientific examination. Professional somnam­
bulism is represented by porturbated subjects, most of whom
belong to the species (or varieties) called p y tliia s; a
fact that explains the intermittency that governs fatally
their lucidity and the deceptions of the magnetisers.
1 11 “ Isis U nveiled” at tho end of Vol. I is found the des­
cription of a magical seance* which w ill give a perception
of wliat can be yet achieved with a “ subject” trained ac­
cording to law and method either as a Pythoness or as a
Sibyl. W e w ill continue this study in a future number
of the Theosophist.
------ *-------
L IF E OF GIORDANO BRUNO.
[Itis suggestive that in these Numbers which close the
4th and begin tho 5th year of our Magazine, several scien­
tific and philosophical articles should bo brought to­
gether,— through no predetermination, but owing simply
to chance— showing how sooner or later, universal truths
will break through the clouds of ignorance and vindicate
themselves in this world of routine and prejudice. M r.
Gilbert E llio t’s fine article is one instance,— the one that
follows— another.
AVo owe this chapter from tlio “ Life of Bruno” to the
kindness of M r. N. Triibner, who, as appears, is the trans­
lator of it. W e regret— space forbidding-— to be unablo
to reproduce it not only more fully, but to give in each
instance chapter and verso from the A ryan philosophies of
which Giordano Bruno could know nothing, and in which
* L e tte r from th o H o n ’b le J o h n O’S u lliv an to th e A u th o r— V o l, I.
p a g e 608. T h e D o c to r th e re in m en tio n ed is D r, F o r tin h im self.— E d ,
 the reader would find a complete identity of thought and
conclusion. But we shall not refrain from tho tempta­
tion of republishing, at least those parts which show the
extraordinary similarity of thought regarding the most
puzzling mysteries of nature and man, between most of
the great minds that lived during our poriod of history—
beginning with Pythagoras and ending with the German
metaphysician Schopenhauer. In the speculations that
follow, the martyred philosopher, Giordano Bruno,
seems to have come to the same conclusions as Lessing,
Germany’s great author, and both to have taken them
bodily from our Occult Doctrines. A s every new dis­
covery in the world of science vindicates one or another
of the esoteric tenets, so every time that a hitherto un­
known page of the history of a great thinker is pub­
lished, it brings out to light some philosophical thought
that has its very source in the teachings of Occult
Science. Content with drawing the readers’ attention to
the fact, we w ill say no more and leave our occultists to
judge whether the notion is too exaggerated.— Ed.~\
The prim eval enigm a of th e continuance of onr in d iv id u al soul
occupies B runo’s m ind a good deal, b a t, as m ust be expected, in
a m anner Widely d iv erg in g from tho C h ristia n ’s answ er to tho
question. B runo does not believe in personal im m o rta lity in th e
sense of th e continuance of our present self-consciousness, b u t is
on tho o th er hand deeply convinced of th e in d e stru c tib ility of
th e C en tral M onad, c o n stitu tin g our in n erm o st being. “ We are
th erefore, ivhat we are, solely by th e one su b stan ce of th e soul,
round which, like ronnd a cen tre, th e atom s develop and cluster.
H ence th e building sp irit expands th ro u g h b irth an d gro w th to
th a t body, by w hich we exist, and is p oured fo rth by th e h eart,
into w hich it may finally retire , w rap p in g itself u p —like in to th e
w arp of the w eb—in o rd er to recede and go o n t again by the
sam e way on which it had come an d had en tered life. F o r birth
is the expansion of th e cen tre, life th e cousistence (stab ility ) of
th e sphere, death th e contraction in to th e cen tre.”*
“ B ut a m ost p o te n t arg u m e n t for o ur im m o rtality may be
derived from the point of view, th a t th e one su b stan ce which
b uilds up, clu sters (agglom erates) and develops, reg u lates,
vivifies, moves, interw eaves, and liko a m arvellous a rtis t presides
over such considerable w ork, can n o t a ssu red ly bo of a m eaner
.quality thau the bodies w hich are by it ag g lo m erated , developed,
re g u lated , moved, and in to whose service that is ta k e n , th e
substance of which is, in tr u th , e te rn a l.” f
The belief in the in d estru c tib ility of th e substance leads us
com pulsorily to the doctrino of th e tra n sm ig ra tio n of th e souls.
IF, according to B runo, tho All is n o th in g b u t th e developm ent-
process o fth e innu m erab le individual souls, flowing off in th a
in fiu ity o f space and tim e, th e in n erm o st k ernel of w hich is
indeed again b u t the one' and in divisible substance, o r ra th e r
the one self-conscious w orld -su b ject, and if th is developm ent-
process, passing th rough n u m b erless degrees, bas th e divine
perfection of th e individual souls for its last an d h ig h e st aim,
then it follows w ith logical necessity th a t th is g rad atio n of
developm ent will have to ta k e for its p o in t of egress th e
im aginably low est g rad e of prim o rd ial predisposition. If
moreover th e hum an soul re p re sen ts a d ev elopm ent-stage,
com pared w ith which we already see low er-placed organism s
developing them selves under o ur eyes, then again th e conclusion
is irresistib le—viz., th a t th e hum an soul, in o rd er to occupy th e
d eg ree of human existence a t all, m u st have passed th ro u g h an
infinitely long series of predev elo p m en t-stag es, th e rea lity of
w hich loses nothin g w hatever o f i ts c e rta in ty on account of o ur
not b eing conscious of it, T he post-existence p o stu la te s th e
pre-existence of the soul. The self-perfecting process of th e
in n um erable individual beings is an a b su rd h y p othesis w ith o u t
th e presupposition of num berless d ev elopm ent-stages, w hich the
soul has to pass th ro u g h , b u t which in th e infinitely sh o rt space
of its te rre stria l existence it cannot possibly pass th ro u g h -
How sm all is th e lim it of duratio n assigned to th e liv in g o rg an ,
ism s of our plan et-earth , as com pared with th e term of expiration
allowed to th e life-proeess of th e plan et itself 1 B u t howinfiin-
teBimally sm all is then first th a life-period of tb e p la n e t-e a rth ,
as com pared w ith th e infin ity of th e universal w orld-process,
m oving in num berless J E o n s ! T h is reflection leads to th e
following fu rth e r conclusion : As th e self-p erfectin g process of
th e hum an soul, w hich can spin itself off only in th e infiuity of
space an d of tim e, can n eith er have b a d its b e g in n in g on tho
planet-earth, nor, on it, will be able to find its end, th e A ll alone,
as the complex of all developm ent-stages, can io rm an arona
w orthy of th e self-perfecting process of th e soul.
T ru e th is notion is only h in te d a t in B runo, b u t th e h in t
suffices to furnish th e proof, th a t B runo indeed had, in his m ind,
figured to him self th e infinite A ll an d n o t m erely th e p lan et e a rth
# De Triplice Miflimo, p. 13.
t Ibid., p. 13,
as tho space in w hich th e tra n sm ig ra tio n of th e souls is to tako
place. “ I h e d w elling—placos of th e Blessed are th e stars. Tho
dw elling-place of the gods is th e e th e r or b e a te n : for I call th e
stars, w ith good reason, gods. B u t th e dw elling-place of God is
th e A ll, ex ten d in g everyw here, th e en tire im m easu rab le heaven
th e em pty space, th e p len itu d e of w hich H e is, th e fa th e r of the
lig h t, w hich com prehends th e d ark n ess, th o Ineffable.”^ I n
callin g th e sta rs tho dw elling-places of th e Blessed, B runo is
evidently influenced by th o prim itive notion of an a d ju stm e n t
betw een v irtu e and rew ard, vice and pun ish m en t, accom plishing
itself, a lth o u g h n o t observable h ere below, in tb e in fin ity , “ l u
proportion as th e soul has conducted itself in a body, it d e te r­
m ines itself to tra n sitio n in to an o th er body, says P y th ag o ras, say
th e S adducees, says O rigines, an d many others of th e P la to n is ts.
T h u s th a t chan g e of dw ellings is not by any m eans as accid en tal
as th a t of tho p articles out of w hich th e corporeal substance is
composed. T h erefo re somo m ake th eir developm ent-progresa
th ro u g h hum an bodies, o th ers pass into th e bodies of dem igods,
w hilst o th ers again are thro w n back into v iler bodies. Such ac
least is th e view of those who consider th e A ll to be engaged in
an eternal revolution, w ith th o exception of one,-)- w ho does not
share th is view .” J T his question is m ore m in u tely discussed by
■Bruno in h is “ Spaccio de la B estia T rio n fan te.”
“ T his prin cip le is th e D iv in ity , th e H ero , th e D em on, tho
Iu d iv id u al God, tho In te llig e n c e [S p irit] in w hich, from w hich
th ro u g h w hich are form ed an d form ing th e d ifferen t organisa
tio n s [te m p e ra m e n ts] an d bodies, w hich have to pass th ro u g h
differen t k inds of existence, nam es and destinies. T his principle,
which is tho one w hich as to rational acts and desires, moves and
governs th e body, is su p erio r to th e la tte r an d cannot be annoyed
and^ constrained by it. B u t th is superior p rin cip le is itself
su b je ct to th e H igh Ju stic e , which presides o v er all th in g s, and
w hich may cause th a t in consequence of its wild passions tho
sp irit m ay be releg ated back in to its own o r into a n o th e r body
for p u n ish m en t an d deg rad atio n , and m u st n o t expect to bo
e n tru ste d w ith th e g o v ern m en t and ad m in istra tio n of a b e tte r
dw elling, if it h as conducted itself badly in th e conduct of a
previous one. If , for instance, I have here below led a b ru tish
life [lite ra lly ; an equine or sw inish life], th e ju stic e of th e fato
w ill—as m any of th e m ost d istin g u ish ed philosophers have
ta u g h t and w h at I m yself consider deserv in g th e g re a te st con­
sideration, if n o t credence—assig n to th e body a prison a p p ro ­
p riate to such an offence and crim e, an d o rg an s and in s tru m e n ts
fit for such a w orkm an or artificer. A nd in th is wise, an d
p assing onw ards co n stan tly in accordance w ith th e law of
eternal change, it will be conducted iuto b e tte r or w orse condi­
tions of life an d fo rtu n e, in keeping w ith the b e tte r o r w orse
m an ag e m en t of its previous condition and fo rtu n e.”1T
“ If thereforo a soul which happens to be fu rn ish ed w ith th e
in stru m e n ts of an equine (to be im prisoned a t p resen t in a
ho rse’s body) knew th a t th ere wero w aiting for it,—in.
re g u la r g rad atio n or in au undefined o rder,—th e in s tru m e n ts of
th e hum an fram e an d of tho bodies of all o th e r [still h ig h er]
organism s, and th a t th e d eath [or decay] of th e in stru m e n ts a t
firesent assigned to it h ad n o th in g a t all to do w ith th e fu tu re
ife [passing, as it w ill have to do, th ro u g h in n u m erab le k iu d s of
post-existence], it w ould n o t grieve. In d eed , a wise soul does not
fear death, nay som etim es longs for it, even seeks it. A ll su b ­
stance has in store th erefo re etern ity, ns fa r as du ratio n [tim e] is
concerned; im m ensity, as far as space is concerned; and om-ni-
fo r m ity [via., th e to ta lity of th e fo rm s of existence], as far as
existence is concerned.” ||
T hese are th e outlines of a belief d eliberately shared b y B runo
w ith th e priest-p h ilo so p h ers of th e an cie n t E a st and W est, w ith
th e B rah m an s an d M agi, th e C haldees and E g y p tian s, the
P y th a g o re a n s and D ru id s ; of a belief m oreover w hich even now
determ in es aud ru le s th e life of th re e -fo u rth s of m a n k in d —viz.,
th e B rahm anic an d B u d d h istic world; and the day will come when
it will seize also w ith an elem en tary force th e E uropean m em bers
of Indo-G erm anic h u m a n ity —of course in a form , first to be p u ri­
fied by th e D arw in of th e psychology of th e future. B runo’s
C hristian and Jew ish successors in Deo et N a tu ra have certainly
taken good care n o t to notice th is view, acco rd isg to which every
soul has tb e m ission and cap ab ility of brin g in g itself to perfec­
tion th ro u g h infinite stages of d e v e lo p m e n t; nor have th e y d ared
openly to confess th e sam e. O nly L eibnitz, g en erally so very
diplom atic as a m etap h y sician , and whose first aim alw ays isnofc
to give u m b rag e on h ig h , com m its him self once, b u t only once,
aud th en only p artially , to m etem psychosis ; th is to be sure only
in a le tte r, w hich rerfiained unknow n d u rin g his lifetim e. In a
le tte r w ritte n from H an o v er on th e 30th of A p ril, 1709, to th e
F a th e r D es B osses h e s a y s : “ I verily believe th a t th e idea of God
c re a tin g new M onads, is defensible ; b u t p erh aps th e c o n trary is
m ore probable still, nay even tb e pre-existence of M onads.” §
* D e Im m e n so , Lib. IV ., cap . 1-1, p. '1-2.
t A risto tle ? C h rist ?
J Do Tripl. Min., j>, 13,
IT S paceio do la B e stia T rio rifa n tc (O rig in al E d itio n , P a ris , 1 5 6 1 ,1 -8 )
|[ Do Im m euso, Lib. I., cap. I., page 151
§ Leibnitz, philos, (cd, E ribnanu) LXYI1I., page 457,
L eib n itz never dream ed of m aking th is his paradox know n. A nd
th u s B rn u o ’s doctrine died out, u n til L essing revived it in 1780,
a y ear bofore his d eath , in his “ E d u c a tio n of tho H u m a n R ace,”
in tho follow ing profound w ords : —
“ B u t w hy should not overy in d iv id u al man have existed moro
th a n once upon this world p Is th is h y p othesis so laughable
m erely becauso it is tbe oldest P B ecause th e hum an u n d erstanding,
b efore th e sophistries of tb e Schools had d issip ated and debi-
litato d it, lighted upon it a t once P W hy may n o t even 1 havo
a lread y perform ed thoso step s of my p erfectin g which b rin g to
m an only tem poral p u u ish m en ts and rew ard s P A n d w hy not
a n o th o r tim e all those step s, in fj he perform ance of w hich th e
p ro sp ects of eternal rew ards so pow erfully assist us P W hy should
I no t come back as often as I am capable of a cq u irin g fresh
know ledge, fresh ex pertness p Do I b rin g aw ay so much a t once,
th a t th ere is n o th in g to rep ay th o tro u b le of com ing back P Is
th is a reason ag ain st it P O r because I fo rg e t th a t I have been here
alread y P H appy is it for me th a t 1 do fo rg et. T he recollection of
m y form er condition would p e rm it me to m ake o n ly a bad uso
of th e present. A nd th a t which even I m u st fo rg et now, is th a t
necessarily forgotten for over P O r is it a reason a g a in st th e
hyp o th esis th a t so m uch tim e w ould have been lost to me P
L o st P And how much then sh o ald I m iss P Is n o t a wholo e te r­
n ity mino P” _ C haldees an d P ersian s, in fine all sages of th e E a st, have held.
C om pare herew ith w hat L essin g says a t th e en d of his treatise:
“ T hat th ere m ay bo m ore thau five senses for m a n ” w hich may
p erh ap s be ow ing to tho influence of B r u n o :— (E d , L achm auu-
M altzahn, vol. xi, p a rt i. p p . 64 to 67). _ it d irectly .
1. T he soul is a sim ple being, capable o f infinite ideas.
2. As it is a finite being, it is n o t capnble of fo rm in g theso
in finite ideas all nt once, b u t a tta in s th e m littlo by little in an
inG uite course of tim e.
3. I f it a tta in s its ideas littlo by little , th e re m u st be au order
i n w hich, and a m easure by which, it a tta in s them .
4. T h is order and th is m easure are th e senses.
5. O f such senses it has a t p re se n t five. B u t n o th in g will
induce us to believe th a t it has com m enced fo rth w ith to form
id eas w ith these fivo senses.
6. I f N a tu re nowhere tak es a leap, th e soul m u st no doubt
havo passed th ro u g h all the low er stag es before it has reached
th e ono in which it is a t p re se n t. I t will first have had each of
th e se five senses singly, then all ten billions, n ex t all ten ternions,
a n d lastly all five qu atern io n s of them , before all tho fivo to g eth er
h ave fallen to its share.
7. T his is the w ay w hich it has alread y m ade, and th e re can
liavo been only very few of its statio n s on it, if it be tru e th n t
th e way w hich it has still to m ake is so m onotonous in th e soul’s
p resen t sta te , In o th er words, if it be tru e, th n t besides theso five
senses no o th er senses aro possible, th a t in all e te rn ity it keeps
only these five sensos, and th n t the richness of its ideas au g m e n t
only th rough th e perfecting of th em .
S. T h at which p u ts boundaries, is called m atter.
9. T he senses determ in e tho boundaries of th e ideas of the
soul [vide 4 ]; tho senses are th erefo re m atter.
10. W hen th e soul began to form ideas, it had one sense,
th e refo re was com bined w ith m atter.
11. B u t not, forthw ith, w ith an organic body. F o r an organic
body is th e com bination of several senses.
12. E vory atom of m a tte r m ay serve as a sense to th e soul,
I n o th er w ords, tho whole m aterial world is anim ated in its
m in u test particles.
13. A tom s w hich sorve to tho soul as ono and th e sam e sense
m ako hom ogeneous, prim ordial substances,
14. If one could know how m any hom ogeneous m asses tho
m aterial w orld contained, one could also know how m any senses
w ero possible.
15. B ut w hy and w herefore P Suffice it th a t wo know positive­
ly th a t more th an five such hom ogeneous m asses exist, w ith
w hich o u r p resen t five senses corresp o n d .
16. F o r, ju s t as the sense of s ig h t co rresp o n ds w ith tho
h om ogeneous m ass [th e lig h t] th ro u g h w hich th e bodies become
visible, p a rtic u la r senses can, and no d o u b t do, correspond, for
Instance, w ith electric m a tte r or w ith m ag n etic m a tte r, by which
wo im m ediately recognize w h eth er th e bodies a re in th e sta te of
electricity or in tho sta te of m agnetism ; a circum stance which,
as m atters stand a t p resen t, we can only learn by experim ents.
A ll th a t we now know of elec tricity and m ag n etism , or can know
in th is hum an condition, is n o t more th a n w hat Saunderson knew
of optics ; b u t we shall hardly, ourselves, have th e senso of elec­
tric ity , or tho sense of m agnetism ; th u s it will fare w ith us, as
i t w ould have fared with S an n derso n , if he had all a t onco g o t
th e sonse of sig h t. A n entirely new w orld will a t once arise for
u s, a w orld full of the m ost g lorious ph en o m en a of which we
can a t p reso n t form as little a conception as he could form for
h im self of lig h t and colours.
17. A nd ju s t as we now feel sure of th e m ag n etic an d electric
force, or of th e hom ogeneous p rim ordial su b stan ce (mRsses) in
w hich these forces are active,—although once upon a tim e ono
k n e w little or n o th in g of them ,—-we can sim ilarly be assu red of
a hundred, a thousand o th e r forces in th e ir m asses, a lth o u g h wo
know as y e t nothing of them , n o r w hat p a rtic u la r sense corres­
p onds w ith them all.
18. N o th in g can be said of th e n u m b er of these senses, still
unknow n to us. I t can n o t be infinite, b u t m ust ho determined,
alth o u g h undeterm inable by ourselves.
19. F o r if it w ere infinite, th e soul w ould, in all etern ity ,
nover have g o t in to possession of even tw o senses, sim u lta n e ­
ously.
20. N o th in g need th erefo re be said of th e phenom ena, u n d er
w hich tho soul ap p e a rs possessed of every sin g le sense.
21. I f we h ad only fo u r senses and were deficient of the
sense of s ig h t, we should a s little be able to form a conception
of th e sam e as of a sixth sense. A n d th e possibility of a sixth and
of several senses noed th e refo re be as little doubted, as little as
in tho form er sta te we should h a v e had cause to doubt the possi­
b ility of th e fifth. T he sonse of s ig h t serves to m ake th e m a tte r
oE lig h t p erceptiblo to ris, and all th e sam e conditions tow ards
o th e r bodies. H ow m uch m ore m ay th ere n o t still bo of like
m a tte r d is trib u te d th ro u g h o u t cre atio n g en erally !
T he follow ing is w ritte n on th e la s t page of th is MS. fra g ­
m e n t :—
“ T his, m y system , is unq u estio n ab ly th e oldest of all philoso­
phical systom s, for it is essen tially n o th in g more th a n a system
of th e soul’s pre-existence and m etem psychosis, w hich not only
P y th a g o ra s an d P lato , b u t even before them E g y p tia n s and
“ A nd th is alone m u st create for it a favourable p rejudice. The
first and o ld est opinion in sp ecu lativ e m a tte r is alw ays the m ost
probable one, because th e sound com m on-sense of m an h its upon
.
“ T his oldest, an d in m y belief only probable, system , is
m erely h am pered by two th in g s, F ir s t—
[ I l e r e tho m a n u s c rip t b re a k s off a b r u p tly .]
(S im e’s “ L e s s in g ,” vol. ii. p p. 322 to 324.)
N ote of t iie T r a n s l a t o r . — I t would be in te re stin g to
trace G iordano B ru n o ’s influence on E n g lish co n tem p o rary
th o u g h t. H o lived several y ears in E n g la n d , moved in
th e best society, enjoyed th e frien d sh ip of S ir P hillip
Sidney and o th er m en of m ark, an d , according to his own
statem en t, defended certain theses before an audience of learned
m en a t th e U n iv ersity of O xford. A s shown above, he revived
in th e “ Spaccio de la B estia T rio n fan te ” (p rin ted in 1584,
d u rin g his stay in E n g lan d ), tho ancien t idea of tho m ig ration of
th e soul, w hich, th o u g h lin g e rin g still in p opular trad itio n ,
had been d o rm an t d u rin g th e M iddle A ges. T h a t tho sam e
idea occupied th e m ind of a t least somo of B runo’s E n g lish
co n tem p o raries will be show n by tho follow ing quotations. In
C h risto p h er M arlow e’s “ T rag ed y of D octor F a u stu s’’ (Act Y ,
scene 2, verse 184 and f.), wo find, for in stan ce, th e following
lines :
“ All, P y th a g o r a s ’ m etem p sy c h o sis, w ero th n t Lrne
T h is soul sh o u ld fly from m e, a n d I be ch an g ed
U n to somo b ru tis h b e a s t.”
F ro m W eb ster’s tra g e d y of “ A pp iu s and V irg in ia ’’ (Dyce,
p. 172 b), wo q uote :
“ Oh th y opinion, old P y th a g o r a s !
W h ith e r, O w h ith e r shonld th y b lack sonl fly ? •
I n to w h a t rav en o u s b ird or beast m o st vilo ?
O nly in to a w eep in g crocodile ?”
And in S h ak esp eare’s ‘‘A ntony and C leo p atra” (A c t ii, sccne 7)
we find :
“ L e p id n s. W h a t m a n n e r o’th in g is y o n r crocodile ?
“ A n th o n y . I t is sh ap ed , sir, lik e itself, an d it is a s broad a s it h a th
b ro a d th ; it is ju s t so h ig h a s it is, an d m oves w ith its ow n o rg an s ; it
lives by th a t w hich n o n rish e th i t ; a n d th e ele m e n ts once o ut of it, it
tr a n s m ig r a te s .”
A gain, N o tte r, a G erm an c ritic of somo m ark, th in k s he has
discovered in th e Saxon A nti-P ope B runo of M arlow e’s trag ed y
of “ D octor F au stu s, ” an allusion to G iordano B runo. Marlowe,
of course, w ho died in 1583, could not have know n of, or alluded
to, G iordano B rn n o ’s tra g ic death, w hich took place a t Rome
early in th e y e ar 1G00. B n t both scenes in w hich B runo appears
havo beon show n to be la te r in terp o latio n s ; an d we find in
H enslow o’s “ D iary ,” not m uch m ore th an a tw elvem onth after
B ru n o ’s u n tim ely d eath , an e n try th n t "W m . B irde and Sam-
woll R ow ley" were paid for "adicyones in Docler Fostes." Theso
ad ditions, m ost probably, nre th e tw o scenes in w hich B runo
appears. B runo’s d eath no d o u b t created a profound sensation
in th is co u n try , whoso ch u rch was in those d ay s en g aged in
con tin u o u s w arfare w ith th e Pope of Rome, an d th e P ro te sta n t
p a rty may som etim es hnve alluded to it as a heavy reproach of
its ad v e rsa ry ’s in ju stice and religious fanaticism . T h at probably
caused B irde and Rowley to introduce a reference to it, in th e
play th ey wore rem odelling, as one of th o g re a t events of the
day. T he tw o first q u arto s (1604 an d 1609) aro m ost likely
nearly accurato 're p rin ts of M arlow e’s original play. F o r the
“ L ord A d m iral’s S erv an ts” w ould n o t give np th e stago copy­
rig h t of th e add itio n s th ey h ad paid for as long as th ey were
fresh on th e stag e. T hey th erefo re first ap p ear in th e quarto
of 1616,
W h a t precedes disposes also of Prof. W a rd ’s objection in his
edition of th o play (O xford, 1878), p. I l l :
“ It is hardly possible th at there can bo any allnsion, as Notter
suggests, to Giordano Bruno, who-wns burnt for heresy at Rome in
1G00 (F a n a tn s, iu th e editio n of 1616, proposes th a t B rn n o sh a ll suffer
tho sa m e f a te fo r th e sa m e re a so n ).”
I u conclusion, it does nob by any m eans follow tlia t tho abovo
passages w ere inspired by G iordano B run o ; still th ey are c u ri­
ous coincidences, well w orth th e a tte n tio n of all stu d e n ts of
B runo. ’ in g s a n d s a id t h a t tw o c h ild re n , o n e a d a u g h te r a n d a n o th e r
A d d itio n a l Note o f ihe Translator.—M r. B enno T schischw itz
in his Sliakspere-F orschungen, I., S h a k sp ere’s H am let, vorzug-
sw eise nach historischen G esichts punctenerliiuterb, H alle.
1S68,” h as endeavoured to show th a t S h ak sp ere iu w ritin g his
H a m le t was to a certain e x te n t u n d er th e influence o£ B ru n o ’s
philosophy. H e quotes parallel passages from H am let and from
B ru n o ’s w orks (in particular from “ Spaccio de la bestia trio n fa n te ”
and “ II C andelajo” ), which c ertain ly ex h ib it a strik in g likeness,
and he even goes b o far, as to a ssert (pago 118) th a t H am let,
when he en ters reading (A ct I I , scene 2), is stu d y in g B ru n o ’s
“ Spaccio de In bestia trio n fan te.” —K lein, in liis “ S eschichte
des D ram a,” L eipzig 1865—76, (V ol. IV , page 476) re m a rk s :
“ P erh ap s S hnkspere’s H am let h eard Giordano B ru n o ’s lectu re on
philosophy a t W itte n b e rg .” A nd even if th is be going to o fa r; it
is evident th a t th ree E n g lish m e n —F y n e s Morison of Lincolnshire,
A n to n E v erstild of Sussex, and M artin T u rn e r of Y o rk —wero
e n tered as stu d en ts in to the U n iv ersity -R eg ister a t W itte n b e rg
on th e 12th of Ju n e 1592, s h o rtly a fte r B runo had left (1588).
M orison bocame th e a u th o r of several im p o rta n t w orks, and his
“ Itin e ra ry ” was m ost probab ly known to S h akspere; even if he
was not personally acquainted w ith th e poet.
------ —
T H E L A M P O F L IF E .
B y E k io i> 6 l e s , F . T . S.
L u c r e tiu s ,th e g r e a t p h ilo so p h e r p o e t of a n c ie n t R o m e,
in o ne of th o se lo fty flig h ts of g e n iu s w h ic h d is tin g u is h h is
fa m o u s w o rk , D e reru m n a tu rd , a p o em , b y th e w ay , w h ic h
is th e m o st e ru d ite a n d in te r e s tin g e x p o n e n t o f th e M a te r ia l­
istic p h ilo so p h y of h is m a s te r E p ic u ru s , D e m o c ritu s a n d
o th e r F r e e - th in k e rs of a n c ie n t G re ec e — c o m p a re s th e L ife
of m an to a lam p in th e fo llo w in g v e rse w h e n h e sp e ak s of
th o p e rp e tu a tio n of life -p h e n o m e n a fro m g e n e ra tio n to
g e n e ra tio n :—
E t qu a si cursores v ita i la m p a d a tr a d u n t*
L ife -p h e n o m e n a b e in g p e rh a p s th e g ra n d e s t a n d m ost
m y s te rio u s, h av e n o t th u s failed to e n g a g e th e a tte n tio n of
h u m a n ity fro m th e re m o te s t ag es, a n d th e s tu d e n t of p h ilo ­
so p h y a n d lite r a tu r e in th e i r v a rio u s p h a se s of d e v e lo p m e n t
c a n n o t be ig n o r a n t of th is b e a u tifu l c o m p a riso n of h u m a n
life w ith th e b u rn in g flam e of a lam p . N u m e ro u s in s ta n c e s
m ay th e re fo re be cite d fro m th e lite r a tu r e s of a ll a g e s an il
c o u n trie s w h e re th e p h ilo so p h e r a n d th e m o ra lis t fo r th o
p u rp o ses of illu s tra tio n , a n d th e p o e t w ith h is ey es “ in a fine
fre n zy r o llin g ,” h a v e u sed th is lu c id sim ile. B u t is it sim p ly a
sim ile, a m ere rh e to ric a l flo u rish a d o p te d fo r th e p u rp o se s of
illu s tra tio n a n d in s tru c tio n ? T h e fo llo w in g in c id e n ts in th e
life -h isto ry of a p a r tic u la r fa m ily w hom I k n o w — (a n d th e re
a re h u n d re d s w ho w ill v o u c h fo r its t r u t h a t th e p lace I w rite
th is fro m )— w ill c le a rly show to e v e n th e m o s t c u rs o ry re a d e r
of th is jo u r n a l th a t th e re is o r th e re m u s t be s o m e th in g m o re
p ro fo u n d a n d m y stical iu th is sim ile of th e L a m p of L ife.
F o r obvious re aso n s it w o u ld n o t be a d v is a b le to g iv e in fu ll
th e n am es of th e p a rtie s m e n tio n e d below . A t th e sam e tim e
le t m e assu re th e re a d e r t h a t th e in c id e n ts a re w ell a u th e n ­
tic a te d , a n d th e re is n o t th e s lig h te s t d o u b t in m y m in d as to
th e v e ra c ity of all th e a c tu a l w itn e sse s w h o se ev id en c e I
h av e ta k e n g r e a t care to sift, a n d c o llate , a n d h a v e a t le n g th
fo u n d u n im p e a c h a b le .
S om e fifty y e a rs ago th e re c a m e to th is c ity in C luzcrat
(w h ich I s h a ll call B — ) a g re a t Y o g i n a m e d C h ita n a n d sw a m y ,
w ho w as k n o w n fo r h is e x tre m e p u r ity of life, h is p ie ty a n d
g re a t o c c u lt pow ers w h e re v e r lie u se d to m a k e his te m p o ra ry
re sid en ce m ore suo. O f th e in n u m e ra b le d ev o te e s w ho
g a th e r e d ro u n d th e e x tr a o rd in a ry m a n , th e r e w ere tw o , a
h ig h -c a ste B ra h m in a n d h is w ife, w ho di.sting'uished th e m ­
selves abo v e a ll o th e rs fo r th e i r g r e a te r d e v o tio n to h im a n d
f a ith in h is m y s te rio u s pow ers. I s h a ll d e sig n a te th e m as N —
a n d M rs. N . T h e y tw o w e re in w ell-to -d o c irc u m sta n c e s,
a n d w ere k n o w n fo r tlie ir h o sp ita lity , p ie ty a n d g o od n a tu r e ,
b u t w ere n n f o r tu n a te in one p a r tic u la r — th e ir c h ild re n u se d
to die in in fan cy . M rs. N — th e re fo re , to rem o v e th is m is ­
fo r tu n e , a sk e d th e S w a m y to h e lp h e r o u t of h e r difficulties.
T h e re u p o n th e S w a m y , w ho, I h a v e b een in fo rm e d b y peoplo
t A.lul. aB tl10 ra c o rs do, h a n d in g over to ono a n o th e r th e lam p s of
lifo. [vitai) old form fo r vitce.)
T h is re fe rs to, as th e co m m e n ta to rs say, a ra c e called by th e G reoka
rgon lam padouchos a g am e w h ich m a y h ay e h a d both a d eep o c c u lt
weaning aud ongiu as it seems to me, ’ a rro g a te s to o n e ’s self th e rote of a u e x p e rjja e n ta lis t on him
w h o h a d k n o w n h im p e rs o n a lly , w as n o t ono of th o s e h a r d ­
h e a rte d a n d d is g u s tin g ly ru d o Y ogis one v e ry o fte n m eets
w ith in th e s tre e ts in I n d ia , in th e fu ln e ss of h ia h e a rt,
e v e r re a d y to h e lp d e se rv in g d ev o te e s, p ro m ise d h is b le s s­
a so n , w o u ld b e b o rn a t a n in te rv a l of te n y e a r s ; b u t
h e a sk e d th e la d y to k e e p alw ay s a n o il-la in p b u r n in g iu
a recess in th e w a ll o f h e r ro o m fro m th e d a y h e p ro m ise d
th e m th e c h ild re n , a n d f u r th e r o rd e re d h e r to k e e p a G hi
(c la rifie d b u tt e r ) la m p in th e sam e m a n n e r a f t e r th e b ir th
o f th e son. W ith in a y o a r a f t e r th e S w a m y ’s p ro m ise a
d a u g h te r , w h o m I s h a ll call I I — , w a s born, i. o., in S a m v a t
1883, th e in ju n c tio n s as re g a r d s th e oil-lam p b e in g s t r ic tly
fo llo w ed , fo r, as th e S w a m y h a d d ire c te d , h e r life w a s to
d e p e n d u p o n th e flam e o f th e o il-lam p . T h e S w am y w ho
r e tu r n e d to B — in th e c o u rse of h is p e re g rin a tio n s n in e yeara
a f te r re m in d e d th e p a ir of h is p ro m ise, a n d a g a in insistcil
t h a t a Cr/u’-la m p be p re p a re d fo r th e b ir th o f th e son w ho
w as to b e b o rn th e n e x t y e a r 1893. T h is w as th e la s t tim e
th e S w a m y v is ite d th is p lace , a n d som e y e a rs la te r ho
d ie d a t J a m n a g a r in K a th ia w a r , w h e re I h e a r a tem p lo
h a s b een e re c te d o n th e s p o t w h e re h e w as a s a S a n y a si
b u rie d b y h is d e v o te d fo llo w ers. I n d u e tim e th e son w aa
b o rn a n d th e p a ir w e re h a p p y . H is n a m e w as G — , a n d I
k n e w h im v e ry w ell, fo r h e w as a frie n d of m in e. N — a n d
h is w ife, a f te r th e ir c h ild re n w e re m a r rie d a n d s e ttle d in
life, d ie d a p e a c e fu l d e a th som e y e a rs a fte rw a rd s . I I — w aa
m a rrie d to o n e w h o is n o w a n o ld m a n a n d is one of thoso
in te llig e n t a d m in is tra to rs of a N a tiv e S ta te , fo r w h ich
G u z e ra t is so c e le b ra te d ; sh e h a d fo u r o r five c h ild re n , of
w h o m tw o so n s a n d o n e d a u g h te r a rc alive. T h e tw o la m p s
w e re k e p t w ith re lig io u s c a re by M rs. G — p e rp e tu a lly b u r n in g
in h e r ro o m a f t e r th e d e a th of th e o ld p a ir. T h e la m p s w ero
sim p le b a ttis, su c h a s a re u se d in th is c o u n tr y — a p la in sm a ll
d ish of c o p p e r, r a t h e r d e e p w ith a sim p le w ic k of c o tto n , a
sm a ll p o rtio n of th is w ick ly in g o v e r th e ed g e fo r fe e d in g
th e flam e w ith th e oil o r G h i b y its c a p illa rity . T h e y w ero
th u s of a n e x tre m e ly sim p le c o n stru c tio n , n o t lik e th e m y stic
la m p fo u n d in th e su p p o sed to m b of T u llio la , C icero ’s
d a u g h te r o r o th e rs m e n tio n e d in h is to ry a n d ro m a n c e (V id o
Is is U nveiled, V o l. I, pp. 2 2 4 — 228, a n d A d d is o n s Spectator,
N o. 37 9 .)
N o w in S a m v a t 1920 H — d ied a t G — , a p lace 12 m iles
fro m th is p la c e , B — , i. e., f a r fro m th e p la ce w h e re h e r oil-
lam p of life w as k e p t. T h e flam e a t B — w a s flick e rin g fo r
som e tim e d u r in g h e r la s t illn ess, as w as o b serv e d by m a n y a t
t h a t tim e , n o tw ith s ta n d in g a ll th e s c ru p u lo u s c a re a n d p r e ­
c a u tio n w h ic h h e r b ro th e r, h is w ife a n d o th e r re la tio n s a n d
frie n d s to o k to feed th e flam e w ith n ew w ic k s a n d n ew oil.
T h e flam e a t le n g th w as e x tin g u is h e d as if su d d e n ly b y a.
g u s t of w in d — it is to b e re m e m b e re d t h a t th e n ic h e in th e
w a ll w as sc ru p u lo u sly g u a rd e d a g a in s t a n y su c h u n to w a rd
a c c id e n ts b y its p o sitio n in th e in te rio r of th e room . A t
t h a t v e ry m o m e n t sh e w as a c o rp se a t G —■aa w as fo u n d
fro m th e n ew s o f h e r d e a th t h a t re a c h e d th is p lace B —
tw o h o u rs a n d a h a lf a fte r.
T h e v e ry sam e p h e n o m e n o n o c c u rre d a t th e tim e of h e r
b ro th e r, m y frie n d , G — ’s d e a th , w ho d ie d a t B — in a room
in h is h o u se n o t f a r fro m th e ro o m in w h ic h h is lam p of life
w as k e p t, th e c a re s a n d a n x ie tie s o f h is w ife, w h o is still alive,
to feed th e lam p n o tw ith s ta n d in g . H e d ie d a t th e age of
42 y e a rs (m a rk th e n u m b e r, w h ic h is six tim e s th e m y stic
n u m b e r se v e n ) a n d lias also le ft one d a u g h te r an d one sou.
I t is also a s tr a n g e fa c t t h a t th e son w ho is a frie n d of m in e
h a s ( a t le a s t fo r th e p re s e n t) one son a n d one d a u g h te r.
T h e e v id e n c e as re g a r d s th e a c c u ra c y of th e s ta te m e n ts
m a d e ab o v e is to m e o v e rw h e lm in g , as th e re a rc in th is
to w n h u n d re d s w h o a re re a d y to c e rtify to th e se s ta te m e n ts
a s facts.
T h e re a rc also o th e r in c id e n ts co n n ec te d w ith th ese life-
liis to rie s w h ic h a re w o rth y of note a n d w h ic h 1 g iv e below ,
in th e h o p e th a t th e y w ill g iv e a c e rta in c lu e to th e k iu d of
o c c u lt p o w ers w h ich th e S w am y w ield ed .
S o m e y e a rs a f t e r th e b ir th of G — a n d h is siste r, a u
a u n t o f G .’s, i. e., his f a th e r ’s b r o th e r ’s w ife, w ho h a d been
c h ild le ss, im ita te d th e e x a m p le of G — ’s m o th e r by p la c in g a
g h i-la m p in a n ich e in h e r ro o m , th e re b y p u ttin g th e Y ogi’s
p o w e r to a te s t, u n co n sc io u s of th e d a n g e r sho in c u r re d
th e re fro m . I tr u s t t h a t th e b re th re n of o u r S o c ie ty a re now
a liv e to th e fa c t of th e g r e a t d a n g e r one in c u rs w h en one
d a re s to s it in ju d g m e n t o n th e p o w ers of a h ig h Y ogi, an d
a s a corpus vile. W ell, a few d ay s a fte r tliis te n ta tiv e e x p e ri­
m e n t, one n ig h t th e w oo d -w o rk o f h e r n iello c a u g h t fire.
T h is tim e th e “ d o u b le-ed g ed s w o rd ” of o c c u ltism fla sh e d
s tr a n g e ly a n d om inously, a n d a g e n e ra l c o n fla g ra tio n e n su in g ,
lie r h o u se w as b u r n t dow n. S h e h e rs e lf su b s e q u e n tly a n d a ll
h e r frie n d s a n d rela tio n s a tt r i b u te d th is h e r m is fo rtu n e to h e r
m e d d lin g w ith occult p o w e rs sh e h a d no b u sin e ss to , w ith o u t
th e g u id a n c e o r p ro te c tio n o f one w h o k n e w h o w to m a n i­
p u la te th em .
I n co n n ectio n w ith su ch a n in c id e n t I m u s t n o t o m it (o
m e n tio n tw o p a rtly s im ila r in c id e n ts t h a t h a p p e n e d e v e n in
G — ’s house its e lf on d ifferen t occasions. G —-’s m o th e r oue
n ig h t saw in a d re a m t h a t th e w o o d -w o rk o f th e n ich e in
w h ic h h e r tw o lam p s w ere k e p t w as b u r n in g a n d a g e n e ra l
c o n fla g ra tio n w as im m in e n t; th e S w a m y , sh e u sed to s w e a r
a f te r w a r d s , a p p e a re d a t th a t tim e to h e r in t h a t d re a m a n d
o rd e r e d h e r im m ed iately to g e t u p a n d g o to th e n ic h e , not to
a tt e m p t e x tin g u is h in g th e fire w ith w a te r b u t to sin g to i t a
c e r ta in so n g — a c e rta in C hand ip d th -g a rb i— t h a t she k n o w in
G u z e ra ti.* S h e d id as sh e w as o rd e re d a n d th e fire w as p u t o u t
in a m o st m y ste rio u s m a n n e r. E x a c tly a s im ila r in c id e n t h a p ­
p e n e d to G — ’s w ife y e a rs a f te r w a r d s u n d e r s im ila r c irc u m ­
s ta n c e s, a n d a g r e a t p e rs o n a l m is fo rtu n e w a s th u s a v e rte d in
th e sam e m y s te rio u s m a n n e r. S h e is s till a liv e a n d sw e a rs
to th e t r u t h of lie r sta te m e n ts. I t is in fa c t im p o ssib le to
co nceive h o w th e s e tw o la d ie s c o u ld d a re to c o n co c t su ch
sto rie s , fo r, d e v o te d a n d g r a te f u l a s th e y w e re to th a t g r e a t
S w a m y , th e y w o u ld n e v e r h a v e a tte m p te d o u t o f re v e re n c e
a n d aw e, n a y , o u t of s h e e r f r ig h t, to te ll false h o o d s w ith
re fe re n c e to th e g r o a t p o w e rs of th e i r v e n e ra b le g u ru — a c o n ­
s id e ra tio n a n d a concession w c, as s tu d e n ts of O c c u ltism , h a v e
e v e ry r i g h t to d e m a n d a n d to e x p e c t fro m o u r scep tics
a n d scoffers w h o d o u b t th e tr u t h of, o r w h o la u g h a t, o u r
a s s e rtio n s r e g a r d in g th e p o w ers o f o u r I llu s tr io u s M a sters.
I h o a r t h a t th e tw o la m p s a re s till k e p t b u r n in g b y G — ’s
w ife a n d son w ith re lig io u s c are.
I h a v e d u r in g »ny in q u irie s r e g a r d in g th e p o w ers of th o
Y ogi com e across a s ta te m e n t w h ic h I w ill h e ro n o te dow n,
h u t th e tr u t h of w h ich I c a n n o t v o u c h fo r as th e ev id en c e
before m e is m e a g re . T h e S w a m i is sa id to h a v e b een p re ­
s e n t in S u r a t w hen tlie g r e a t fire o f A . D . 1837 to o k place,
w h ich d e stro y e d n e a rly th e w h o le of t h a t fa r-fa m e d city .
W h e n th e lire w as a p p ro a c h in g th e h o u se in w h ieh lie w as
liv in g a t th e tim e , c o n su m in g e v e ry th in g b e fo re i t w ith its
“ ••el'nitless to n g u e s ,” h is d iseip lcs a s k e d h im to leav e it a n d
b e ta k e h im se lf to a sa fe r spot. Pie “ n o th in g d a u n te d ” stood
m o tio n less w ith a lota (b r a s s -ju g ) of w a te r, m u tte r e d som e
-mantras a n d th e n w e n t ro u n d th e h o u se once, s p r in k lin g th e
w a te r. T o th e u tte r a m a z e m e n t of h is C helas tlie h o u se w as
q u ite safe, a lth o u g h th o fire a tta c k e d a ll th e h o u se s in th e
im m e d ia te v ic in ity .
A s f a r as th eso in c id e n ts a re c o n c e rn e d w h ic h I h av o
n a r r a te d iu th is n o te, we can c le a rly see th o n a tu r e of th e
o c cu lt p o w ers t h a t th e Y ogi c o u ld so su c c e ssfu lly w ie ld — he
h a d an. e x tr a o rd in a ry p o w e r o v e r th e s p irits o r e le m e n ta ls of
fire ; he eo u k l n o t o n ly c o n tro l th e ir, so to sp e a k , v a g a b o n d
p ro p en sities, b u t c o u ld m a n ip u la te th e m fo r h is o w n p u rp o se s.
To th e s tu d e n ts of M cdircval lo re th e s e F ie r y e le m e n ta ls a re
k n o w n as S a la m a n d e rs ,f a n d a c c o rd in g to th e n o tio n s p re ­
v alen t. in th o se ag es th e y n o t o n ly liv e d in fires b u t m a n i­
fe s te d th e m se lv e s in th e W ill-o ’-th e -w isp s, in v olcanoes, in
S t. E lm o ’s fires on th e m a s ts of sh ip s, in m e te o rs a n d in
c o u n te r fe it s u n s a n d m o o n s (V id e B u rto n 's A n a to m ic of
M e la n c h o lic ,J p. 122.)
T his, th e n , is a su g g e stiv e and- in s tru c tiv e in s ta n c e of an
a d v a n c e d Y ogi n o t o n ly c u rb in g th e e le m e n ta ls a n d th e elo-
m e n ta ric s , b u t p u tt in g th e m to use a s so m a n y in s tru m e n ts
fo r th e benefit of m a n k in d a n d ev en e s ta b lis h in g a m y s te rio u s
c o n n e c tio n or a llia n c e b e tw e e n th e m a n d th e so u ls of m e n ,
th e re b y re n d e rin g th o “ L a m p of L ife ” in th e cases cited
a b o v e n o t morel}' a m y th , a p o e tic a l o r fa n c ifu l c o n ceit, b n t
a p a lp a b le re a lity u n d r e a m t of in o u r m o d e rn so -calle d
p h ilo so p h ies.
* I >ra to ld tlia t th is song is a n in v o catio n to a g o d d ess w hoso aid is
rn n g h t by th o so w ho w ish t h a t a com ing d a n g e r be a v e rte d .
+ V ario u s ety m o lo g ies a re g iven of th is w o rd ; b u t th e m ore plansiblo
one is fro m th o G reek “ Salam Le,” a p e rtu re , c h im n e y nnd nner m a n —
th e ch im n ey -m an , i. c., th e se m i-in te llig e n t s p irit of th e chim n ey -fire.
J A chrious old book published by an erndite scholar in the beginning
nf tho seventeenth ceutnry to whom, as students of the history of Eng­
lish Literature know, Milton owed much of his inspiration, when ho
composed his L’Allegro nnd 11 renseroso,
TIIE A D E P T S I N AMERICA I N 1776.
(B y a n e x - A s i a t i c .)
T h e fo llo w in g s u g g e s tio n s a n d s t a te m e n ts a r e m a d e
e n ti r e l y u p o n tlie p e r s o n a l r e s p o n s ib i li ty of t h e w r i t e r ,
a n d w i t h o u t tlio k n o w le d g e o r c o n s e n t— a s f a r a s lie
k n o w s — o f t h e a d e p t s w h o a r e in g e n e r a l t e r m s th e r e i n
r e f e r r e d to .
Tlie reflecting mind is filled with astonishment upon
reviewing the history of the rise of tho United States of
N . Am erica, when it perceives that dogmatic theology
lias no foundation in any part of tbe Declaration of Ind e­
pendence or Constitution for the structure which it fain
would raise and has so often since tried to erect within
aud upon tlie government. W e aro astonished because
tliose documents were formulated and that government
established at a timo when dogmatism of one kind or
another had supreme sway. A lthough the Puritans and
others had come to America for religious freedom, they
were still very dogmatic and tenacious of their own
peculiar theories and creed ; so that if we found in this
fundamental law much about religion and religious estab­
lishments, wo would not bo surprised. B ut in vain do
we look for it, in vain did the supporters of the iron
church attempt to lay tho needed corner stone, and
to-day America rejoices-at it, and has thereby found it pos­
sible to grow with the marvellous growth that has been
the wonder of Europe.
The nullification of tliose efforts made by bigotry in
1776 was duo to the adepts who now look over and give
the countenance of their great name to the Theosophi­
cal Society.
They oversaw the drafting of the Declaration and the
drawing of the Constitution, and that is why no foothold
is to be found for these blatant Christians who desire to
inject God into tlie constitution. ■
In tho declaration, from which freedom sprang, “nature
and nature's god” are referred to. Tn tho 2nd and 3rd
paragraphs the natural rights of man aro specified, such
as life, liberty and the pursuit, of happiness. The king is
spoken of as being unworthy to be “ the head of a civi­
lized nation,” nothing being said as to whether he was
the head, or worthy to be, of a Christian one.
In appealing to their B ritish brethren, the declaration
says the appeal is “ mado to their native justice and
m agnanimity.” A ll reference to religion and Christia­
nity or God’s commands are left out. This was for the
very good reason that for 1700 years religion had battled
against progross, against justice, against magnanimity,
against the rights of man. A nd in tho concluding sen­
tence the signers m utually pledge each other to its sup­
port ignoring all appeals to God..
In the constitution of 1787 the preamble declares that
the instrument was made for union, for justice, for
tranquillity and defence, the general good and liberty.
A rt. V I says no religious test as a qualification for office
shall ever be required, and tlie 1st Amendment prohibits
an establishment of religion or restraint of its free ex­
ercise.
The great Theosophical Adopts in looking around the
world for a mind through which they could produce in
Am erica the reaction which was then needed, found in
England, Thomas Paine. In 1774 they influenced him,
through the help of that worthy Brother Benjamin
F ra n klin , to come to America. H e came here and was
the main instigator of tho separation of the Colonies
from the B ritish Crown. A t the suggestion of W ashing­
ton; F ra n klin , Jefferson and other Freemasons, whose
minds through the teachings of the symbolic degrees of
masonry wero fitted to reason correctly, and to reject
theological conservation, he wrote “ Common Sense,”
which was the torch to the pile whose blaze burned away
the bonds between E ngland and America. F o r “ Common
Sense” he was oftenpublicly thanked. GeorgeWashington
wrote September 10th, 1783, to Paine : " I shall be ex­
ceedingly happy to see you. Y our presence may remind
Congress of your past services to this country, and if ib
is in iny power to impress them, command my best exer­
tion with freedom, as they w ill be rendered cheerfully by
one who entertains a lively sense of the importance of
your works .” And again in June 1784, in a letter to M adi­
s o n , W ashington says Cannothingbedone in our assem­
b ly for poor Paine ? Must the merits and services of ‘ Com­
mon Sense’ continue to glide down tho stream of time un­
rewarded by this country ? H is w ritings certainly have
had a powerful effect upon the public mind. Ought they
not then to meet an adequate return ?” * _ _ [E x tr a c ts fr o m th e “ S a tty a Traliasli?'~\
Iu “ the Age of Reason” which he wrote in Paris several
years after, Paine says : “ I saw, or at least I thought I
saw, a v a s t scene opening its e lf to the ivorld in the affairs
of America ; and it appeared to me that unless the A m eri­
cans changed tho plan thoy were then pursuing and
declared themselves independent, they would not only
involve themselves in a m u ltiplicity of new difficulties,
but shut out the prospect that was then offering its e lf to
m a n k in d through th eir m ean s.” Further on he says :
“ There are two distinct classes of thoughts ; tliose_ pro­
duced by reflection, and those th a t bolt in to the m in d o f
th eir own accord. I have always made it a rule to treat
t h e s e voluntary visitors with civility, and it is fro m them
I have acquired a ll the knowledge th a t I have.”
These “ voluntary visitors” were injected into his brain
by the Adepts, Theosophists. Seeing that a new order
of ages was about to commence and that there was a
new chance for freedom and the brotherhood of man,
they laid before the eye of Thomas Paine— who they
know could be trusted to stand almost alone with tho
lamp of truth in his hand amidst others who in “ times
that tried men’ s souls” quaked with fear,— a “ vast scone
opening itself to M ankind in the affairs of A m erica.” The
result was the Declaration, the Constitution for America.
And as if to give point to these words and to his decla­
ration that he saw this vast scene opening itself, this
new order of ages, the design of the reverse side of the
U . S. great seal is a pyramid whose capstone is removed
with the blazing eye in a trianglo over it dazzling the
sight, above it aro the words “ the heavens approve,”
while underneath apj3ear the startling sentence “ a now
order of ages.”
That ho had in his mind’s eyo a new order of ages we
cannot doubt upon reading in his “ R ights of Man,’’ Part 2,
Chaj}. 2, “ no beginning could bo made in Asia, A frica or
Europo, to reform the political condition of man. Sho
(America) made a stand not for horself alone, bnt for the
world, and looked beyond the advantage sho could re­
ceive.” In Chap. 4, “ The case and circumstances of
America present themselves as in the beginning of a
world * * * thero is a waning of reason risin g upon
men in the subject of Government that has not appeared
before.”
The design ‘ of the seal’ was not an accident, but was
actually intended to symbolize tho building and firm
founding of a new order of ages. I t was putting into
form the idea which by means of a “ voluntary visitor”
was presented to tho mind of Thomas Paine, of a vast
scene opening itself, the beginning in Am erica of “ a
now order of ages.” That side of the seal has never boen
cut or used, and at this day tho side iu use has not tho
sanction of law. Iu the spring of 1841, when Daul
W ebster was Secretary of State, a new seal was cut, and
instead of the eagle holding in his sinister claw 13
arrows as intended, he holds only six. Not only was this
change unauthorized, but the cause for it is unknown, (t)
W hen the other sido is cut and used, w ill not the new
order of ages have actually been established ?
More then is claimed for the Theosophical Adepts than
tho changing of baser metal into gold, or the possession
of such a merely material thing as the e lixir of life. They
watch the progress of man and help him on in his halting
flight up the steep plane of progress. They hovered over
* 9 S p ark s, 49.
t Seo U. S. State Dept, archives.
W ashington, Jefferson, and all the other brave freemasons
who dared to found a free Government in the W est,
which could be pure from the dross of dogmatism, they
cleared their minds, inspired their pens aud left upon
the great seal of this m ighty nation the memorial of
their presence.
N ew Y ork, ")
Ju ne 25 th , 1 8 8 3 .J
A V O IC E F R O M T I I E C A S H M E R E V A L L E Y .
P o o r , p o o r I n d ia ! fe w of th y le th a rg ic sons k n o w a u g h t
of th y m is e ra b le s ta te . F e w e r s till tuoidd do th e ir c\uty to
th e e . B u t w h o cannot if th e y o n ly w ill P S h a m e in a m a n
to be b o rn a m id s t su c h d ro n e s , a n d tr ip ly so w h e n th e y do
n o t fo llo w th e le a d of th y G r e a t R e p re se n ta tiv e s. S a d fa te !
E n o u g h to b le e d a n y h e a r t. R o ll o n s te r n cycles. F a te , spin
th y w eb, t u r n th y n e v e r-c e a s in g w h e e l j u s t to p ro v e th e
W isd o m a n d fa r-se e in g ' g re a tn e s s o f th e u n d y in g R ish is !
N o u g h t on E a r th , e a r th y , c a n b e e te rn a l. T h e d a y s of th y
g lo ry , d e a r I n d ia , w e re lo n g , lo n g o v er. D ec a y a n d d e a th h a d
fa s t b e g u n to s tr a n g le th e e . B u t, th e y s h a ll n o t, d a re n o t
g ra p p le th e e — n o t a t le a s t u n til th e la s t d ro p o f blo o d in th e
v e in s of a ll h e r fe w lin g e rin g p a tr io ts is g o n e .............................
T h e s to rm of R e fo rm a tio n is b e g in n in g to b lo w off th e
c h a if of th e p re s e n t g e n e ra tio n a n d c o n sig n i t to th e h a n d s
o f ju s tic e a n d h e r b a la n c e . I n th e f u t u r e m u s t b e fo u n d
so lid g ra in s . W h e th e r a p a r t of In d ia v o lu n ta rily com es
f o r th n o w to a id in th is R e fo rm a tio n o r n e t— b e fo re th e n e x t
21 y e a rs s h a ll p a ss a w a y , a ll in te llig e n t m en in I n d ia fro m
th e H im a la y a s to C ap e C o m o rin a re sure to be en v elo p e d so o n er
o r la te r in th e a tm o s p h e re of T h eo so p h y . T h e d a y sh a ll
com e w h e n a ll y e u n w o rth y a n d b u m p tio u s c re a tu re s w ill be
a rr a ig n e d a n d m a d e to s ta n d a t th e g r e a t T rib u n a l to
a n s w e r fo r y o u r p re s e n t in d iffe re n c e —y o n r d e g ra d e d s ta te lo
w h ic h y o n h a v e re d u c e d y o u rse lv e s, a n d th e n i t w ill b e too
la te cv e u to re p e n t. T h e sin s o f y o u r selfish n ess s h a ll n o t
b e v is ite d u p o n y o u r sons. R e m e m b e r m y la s t a p p e a l—
“ N o w o r N e v e r.”
W ith re m o rse , sh a m e a n d in d ig n a tio n I t u r n fro m th e e ,
p o o r h a p le s s c o u n try (th o u g h once th y N a m e was a m ag ic
sp ell) n e v e r ev e n to c a s t a p ity in g g la n c e b e h in d , u p o n th e e .
I tu r n to m oro w elco m e c lim e s— m o re in te llig e n t trib e s a n d
ra c e s— q u a r te r s w h e re th e r e is still a re m n a n t d ro p of th e
b lo o d of a n c ie n t R ish is. B u t v a in , a h , v a in in d e e d a re
w o rd s ! V a in , th e te a r s of a tr u e p a trio t.
O R IE N T A L M E S M E R IS M .
(B y R amam rit S agara B a w a .)
I t m a y b e in te r e s tin g to y o u r re a d e rs to e s tim a te a p p ro x i­
m a te ly th e a d v a n ta g e s o f o n e ’s b e in g a b le to ex ercise a
m e sm e ric in flu e n c e u p o n th e sen ses of all p re s e n t. T h is is
v u lg a r ly c a llc d “ J o g a M a y a .” I f o u r p o sitiv e sc ie n tists ob­
je c t to th e p o ss ib ility of sn c li o c c u rre n c e s, w e c a n o n ly a llo w
A s h b u ru e r E sd a ile a n d o th e r m e sm e rists to p le a d fo r us.
I k n o w o f a B ra h m a n a sc e tic w h o h a s so m eh o w ta s te d of
som e c ru m b s o f R a ja J o g a , a d e q u a te to c o m m a n d th e v e n e ­
r a tio n o f th e p u b lic. W h e re v e r th e r e is re a l m e rit, th e r e w ill
bo a rr a y e d a g a in s t it b ase c a lu m n y a n d je a lo u sy . B u t o u r
h e ro is of to o s tr o n g a m e ta l to y ie ld to th e m .
W ith in c re a s in g fa m e , s to rm s o f d a n g e r w ere g ath erin g -
th ic k a ro u n d h im . A t la s t h is en em ies b rib ed tw o “ d a n c in g
g ir ls ” (p ro fe ssio n a l p ro s titu te s ), a n d in d u c e d th e m to b e g of
h im p e rm issio n to se rv o h im fo r o u e n ig h t. H e g r a n te d
th e i r re q u e s t, th o u g h w ith som e h e sita tio n . T h e y s a n g a n d
p la y e d u p o n th e m u s ic fo r a w h ile. T h ey th e n v e n tu r e d to
sh a m p o o h im . H e c o n se n te d b u t n o t b efo re d ism issin g a ll
h is a tte n d a n ts a n d a d m ire rs , a n d h a v in g h is ro o m lo ck ed u p
o u tsid e . In s id e h e la y o n a couch w ith th e tw o la d ie s s ittin g
o n th e g r o u n d a t h is feet. N o so o n er d id th e y to u c h h is b o d y ,
th e n lo ! th e y sa w a m o n stro u s c o b ra o n th e c o u c h h is sin g
a g a in s t th e m . I n v a in th e y s o u g h t fo r th e p io u s m a n .
W h e re w a s h e P T h e y w e re c h a s e d fro m o n e c o rn e r o f tho
ro o m to a n o th e r. T h o y c rie d a lo u d , “ sav e u s fro m th is in-
e x h o ra b le v e n g e fu l b e a s t.” T h o se w h o w e re o u tsid e h a d no
id e a of w h a t h a p p e n e d , a n d th r e w open th e d o o r, w h e n th e
l-eptilo h a d c h a n g e d in to th e S a n n y a s i. T h is h a p p e n e d
a b o u t five y e a rs ago.
A s im ila r e v e n t o c c u rre d in a d iffe re n t p a r t o f th e c o u n try .
A n O rth o d o x B ra h m a n h a d g iv e n u p th e c a ste a n d h is only
 son. H o w as in a w ell-to -d o p o sitio n . T h e n c e fo rth ho h a d
to b e g fo r alm s a t th o doors of M a h o n ie d a n s a n d low c aste
m e n ; fo r th e h ig h e r classes of H in d u s re g a r d e d h im a s a
“ b h r a s lith a ” (re n e g a d e ). A s ho w as a g o o d m u sic ia n , he
v ras, liko G o ld sm ith ’s p o c t- c rra n t, o b lig e d to liv e u p o n h is
flu te . H e becam e th e fa v o rite g u e s t o f a N a w a b ’s h a re m
in th o n e ig h b o u rh o o d . F o r a m a n to e n te r u n d e r a n y p r e te x t
th e h a ra m of a M u ssu lm a n fa m ily is to c o u rt th e to r tu r e s of
a lin g e r in g d e a th on th e sp o t. O ne d a y th e N a w a b h a p p e n e d
to ta k e th e in m a te s of th e h a re m a n d th o m a n w ith th e flu te
b y su rp ris e . T h e h o r r o r a n d d ism a y o f th e p o o r la d ie s is
in d e s c rib a b le . T h e y fell p o s tra te a t th e c h ic f ta in ’s fe e t, a n d
f r a n k ly co n fe ssin g t h a t th e y w ere th e m s e lv e s th e c a u se of
ih i s in tru s io n , a n d t h a t th e m u s ic ia n w as in n o c e n t, th e y
o ffe re d to d ie in p riso n , if o n ly th e a s c e tic ’s life could be
s p a r e d . U p w e n t th o N a w a b ’s sw o rd . A w a y r a n th e t e r r i ­
fied la d ie s to conceal th e ir sh a m e a n d re m o rse . A lo n e , u n ­
m o v ed , s a t still th e v e n e ra b le m a n . A 3 if m o c k in g th e ste e l
a n d to sh ield h im se lf fro m th e N a w a b ’s w ra th , h e o n ly
th r e w h is c lo th o v e r h is h e a d a n d s h ro u d e d h im se lf iu it.
W ith th o tip of th o sw o rd , th e C h ie f th r e w off th e c lo th —
•why, b u t to find th e r e in s te a d of th e m a n , a h n g e “ A d i-
filiesha” ( V is h n u ’s V a h a n , th e sn a k e A n a n d a ) s ittin g in pom p
on h is coils. T h e n , fo r once, ig n o ra n c e , w e a lth a n d p o w e r,
]iaid a t w isd o m ’s s h rin e th e h o m a g e d u e .
• » — ■»
W A S W R IT IN G K N O W N B E F O R E P A N I N I ?
B y a C hela.
I AM e n tr u s te d w ith th e ta s k of p u tt in g to g e th e r som e fa c ts
■which w o u ld s u p p o r t th e v iew t h a t th e a r t o f w r itin g w as
k n o w n in I n d ia b efo re th e tim e of o n r g r a m m a r ia n — th e S iv a -
ta u g h t P a n in i. P ro fe sso r M ax . M u lle r p u ts fo rw a rd a n d m a in ­
ta in s th e c o n tr a ry opin io n e v e r sin ce 1856, a n d h a s th e a p ­
p ro b a tio n of o th e r illu s trio u s W e s te rn sch o la rs. S ta te d
b riefly , th e i r p o sitio n is t h a t th e e n tire ab se n c e of a n y m e n tio n
o f “ w ritin g , re a d in g , p a p e r, o r p e n ,” in th e V e d a s, o r d u r in g
th o w h o le of th e B ra h m a n a p e rio d , a n d th e a lm o st if n o t
q u ite as c o m p le te silence as to th e m th r o u g h o u t th e S u tr a
p e rio d , “ le a d u s to su p p o se t h a t ev en th e n [th e S u tr a
p e rio d ], th o u g h th e a r t of w r itin g b e g a n to be k n o w n ,
th e w hole li te r a tu r e of I n d ia w as p re s e rv e d b y o ra l tr a d itio n
o n ly . [H is t. S an s. L it., p. 5C 1].” To s u p p o r t th is th e o ry , h e
e x p a n d s th e m n em o n ic fa c u lty of o u r re s p e c ta b le a n c e sto rs
to su ch a p h e n o m e n a l d e g re e , t h a t lik e tlic b u ll’s h id e ol' Q u een
D ido, i t is m a d e to e m b rac e th e w h o le g ro u n d n e e d e d fo r th e
p ro p o sed C ity of R e fu g e , to w h ic h d isco m fite d sa v a n ts m a y
flee w h en h a r d p ressed . C o n sid e rin g t h a t P ro fe sso r W e b e i— •
a g e n tle m a n w ho, w e o b serv e, lik e s to d is til th e essence of
A ry a n teons dow n in to a n a t t a r of 110 g r e a t e r v o lu m e th a n
th e c a p a c ity of th e B ib lic a l p e rio d — a d m its t h a t E u ro p e no w
p ossesses 10,000 of o n r S a n s c r it te x ts : a n d c o n s id e rin g t h a t
w e h a v e , o r h a v o h a d , m a n y o th e r te n s of th o u s a n d s w h ich
th e p a rsim o n y o f K a rm a h a s h ith e r to w ith h e ld fro m th e M u ­
seu m s a n d L ib ra r ie s of E u ro p e , w h a t a m e m o ry m u s t h a v e
b e e n th e irs !
U n d e r c o rre c tio n , I v e n tu r e to a ss u m e t h a t P a n in i w as
th e g re a te s t k n o w n g ra m m a r ia n in I n d ia , r a n k e d a m o n g th e
R ish is nnd th a n w hom th e r e is no h ig h e r in h is to ry , w h e th e r
a n c ie n t or m o d e rn : f u r th e r , t h a t c o n te m p o ra ry sc h o la rs
a g re e t h a t th e S a n s c r it is th o m o st p e rfe c t of la n g u a g e s .
T h e re fo re , w h en P ro f. M u lle r affirm s t h a t “ th e r e is n o t a
sin g le w o rd in P a n in i’s te rm in o lo g y w h ic h p re su p p o se s th e
ex isten ce of w ritin g [O p. cit. 50V], w e b eco m e a little s h a k e n
in o u r lo y al d efe re n c e to W e s te rn o p in io n . F o r it is v e ry
h a rd to con ceive how one so p re -e m in e n tly g r e a t as
P a n in i sh o u ld h a v e been in c ap a b le of in d e n tin g c h a ra c te rs to
p re s e rv e h is g ra m m a tic a l sy ste m — su p p o s in g t h a t n o n e h a d
p re v io u sly o xisted— if h is g e n iu s w as e q u a l to th e in v e n tio n
o f classical S a n sc rit. T h e m e n tio n of th e w o rd G ra n th a , th e
e q u iv a le n t fo r a w ritte n o r b o u n d book in th e la te r lite r a tu r e
o f I n d ia — th o u g h ap p lied by P a n in i (in I. 3, 75) to th e V e d a ;
(in I V . 3, 87) to an y w o rk ; (in I V . 3, 116) to th e w o rk of
a n y in d iv id u a l a u th o r, a n d (in V I. 3, 79) to a n y w o rk t h a t is
s tu d ie d , do n o t s ta g g e r P ro f. M u lle r a t a ll : G ra n th a h e ta k e s
to m e a n sim p ly a com positio n , a n d th is m a y be h a n d e d d o w n
to p o ste rity by o ra l co m m u n icatio n . H e n c e , w e m u s t believ e
t h a t P a n in i w as illite r a te ; b u t y e t co m p o sed th e m o st e la b o ra te
a n d scientific sy stem of g ra m m a r e v e r k n o w n ; re c o rd e d
its 3,996 R u le s o n ly u p o n th e m o le c u la r q u ic k s a n d s of h is
“ c e re b ra l c in e ritio u s m a tte r ,” a n d h a n d e d th e m o v e r to h is
d iscip les by a tm o sp h e ric v ib ra tio n , i. e. o ra l te a c h in g ! O f
course, nothing could bo clearer : it commends itself to th®
sim p le st in te lle c t a s a th in g m o st p ro b a b le . A n d in th e p r e ­
sence of su c h a p e rfe c t h y p o th e sis, i t seem s a p ity th a t its
a u th o r sh o u ld [ O p .c it.5 2 3 ] c o n fe s s th a t “ i t is po ssib le” t h a t he
“ m a y h a v e o v e rlo o k e d som e w o rd s in th e B ra h m a n a s a n d
S u tr a s , w h ic h w o u ld p ro v e th e ex iste n c e of w ritte n books
p re v io u s to P a n in i.” T h a t looks lik e th e m ilita r y s tra te g y
of o u r old w a rrio rs , w ho d e liv e re d th e ir a tta c k b o ld ly b u t
n e v e rth e le s s tr ie d to k e e p th e i r r e a r open fo r r e t r e a t if com ­
p e lle d . T h e p re c a u tio n w as n e c e ssa ry : w r itte n books d id
e x is t m a n y c c n tu r ie s b efo re th e a g e in w h ic h th is r a d ia n t
su n o f A ry a n th o u g h t ro se to sh in e u p o n h is a g e. T h e y
e x isted , b u t th e O rie n ta lis t m a y se a rc h in v a in fo r th e p ro o f
a m id th e exoteric w o rd s in o u r e a rlie r lite r a tu re . A s th e
E g y p tia n h ie o ro p h a n ts h a d th e i r p riv a te code o f h ie ra tic sy m T
bols, a n d even th e fo u n d e r of C h ris tia n ity sp o k e to th e v u lg a r
in p a ra b le s w h o se m y stic a l m e a n in g was- k n o w n o n ly to th e
c h o sen few , so th e B ra h m a n s h a d fro m th e firs t (a n d s till
h a v e ) a m y stic a l te rm in o lo g y co u ch ed b e h in d o rd in a ry e x ­
p ressio n s, a rr a n g e d in c e rta in se q u en ces a n d m u tu a l re la ­
tio n s, w h ic h n o n e b u t th e in itia te w o u ld o b se rv e. T h a t few
liv in g B ra h m a n s possess th is k ey b u t p ro v es th a t, as in o th e r
a rc h a ic re lig io u s a n d p h ilo so p h ic a l sy ste m s, th e so u l of H in ­
d u ism h a s fled (to its p rim a l im p a rte rs — th e in itia te s ,) a n d
o n ly th o d e c re p it b o d y re m a in s w ith a s p iritu a lly d e g e n e ­
r a t e p o ste rity .* I fu lly p erce iv e th e d ifficulty of sa tisfy in g
E u ro p e a n p h ilo lo g ists o f a fa c t w h ic h , u p o n m y o w n s ta te ­
m e n t, th e y a rc d e b a rr e d fro m v e rify in g . W e k n o w th a t
fro m th e p re s e n t m e n ta l co n d itio n of o u r B ra h m a n s . B u t I
h o p e to be a b le to g ro u p to g e th e r a few a d m itte d c irc u m ­
sta n c e s w h ic h , w ill a id , a t le a st to show th e W e s te rn th e o ry
u n te n a b le , if n o t to m a k e a b a se u p o n w h ic h to s ta n d o n r
claim fo r th e a n tiq u ity of w ritin g . T h re e good re a so n s m ay
be p o s tu la te d fo r th e c o rre c tn e ss of th e c la im — th o u g h th e y
w ill b e re g a r d e d as c ir c u m s ta n tia l ev id e n c e b y o u r opponents-.
I-— I t c a n be sh o w n t h a t P h o en icia w as a c q u a in te d w ith
w r itin g fro m th e d a te o f th e a c q u a in ta n c e of W e s te rn h is to ry
w ith h e r first se ttle m e n ts : a n d th is m a y bo d a te d , a c c o rd in g
to E u ro p e a n fig u re s— 2760 B . C ., th e ag e of th e T y ria n s e t­
tle m e n t.
I I . — O u r o p p o n e n ts co n fess to k n o w in g n o th in g w hence
tlie P h o e n ic ian s th e m se lv e s g o t tlie ir a lp h a b e t.
I I I . — I t c a n be p ro v e d t h a t b efo re th e final d iv isio n an d
classificatio n o f th e la n g u a g e s, th e r e e x isted tw o la n g u a g e s in
ev o ry n a tio n : (a ) th e p ro fa n e o r p o p u la r la n g u a g e of tho
tn asses ; (&) th e sa c e rd o ta l o r s e c re t la n g u a g e of th e In itia te s
of th e te m p le s a n d m y s te rie s — th e la tte r being one a nd u n iver­
sal. O r, in o th e r, w o rd s, e v e ry g r e a t peo p le h a d , lik e tho
E g y p tia n s , its D em o tic a n d its H ie ra tic w ritin g a n d
la n g u a g e , w h ic h h a d re s u lte d first in a p ic to ria l w ritin g o r th e
h ie ro g ly p h ic s , a n d la te r 011 in a p h o n e tic a lp h a b e t. N ow it
re q u ire s a s tre tc h of p re ju d ic e , in d e e d , to a s s e rt upon 110
ev id e n c e w h a te v e r t h a t th e B r a h m a n A ry a n s — m y stics a n d
m e ta p h y sic ia n s ab o v e e v e r y th in g — w ere th e o n ly o nes w ho
h a d n e v e r h a d a n y k n o w le d g e of e ith e r th e sa c e rd o ta l la n ­
g u a g e o r th e c h a ra c te rs iu w h ic h it w as re p ro d u c e d . To c o n ­
tr a d ic t th is g r a tu ito u s a s s u m p tio n , w c c a n fu rn ish a w hole
a r r a y of p ro o fs. I t can b e d e m o n s tra te d t h a t th e A ry a n s
b o rro w e d no m o re th e i r w r itin g fro m th e H e lle n e s o r from
th e P h o en ician s, th a n th e y w e re in d e b te d to th e influence of
th e fo rm e r fo r a ll th e i r a r ts a n d scionccs.. [E v e n if we accep t
M r. C u n n in g h a m ’s “ In d o -G re c ia n P e rio d ,” fo r it la s te d
o n ly fro m 250 to 57 B . C ., a s he s ta te s it.] T h e d ire c t p ro ­
g e n ito r of th o V e d ic S a n s k r it w as th e sa c e rd o ta l la n g u a g e
(w h ic h h a s its d is tin c t n a m e b u t c a n n o t be g iv e n ). T he
VAch— its a lte r ego o r th e “ m y stic se lf,” th e sacerd o tiri
sp eech o f th e in itia te d B ra h m in , b ecam e in tim e th o m y s te ry
la n g u a g e of th e in n e r te m p le , stu d ie d b y th e I n itia te s of
E g y p t a n d C h a ld e a ; of th e P hoenicians a n d th e E tru s c a n s ;
of th e P e la s g i a n d P a la n q u a n s ; in s h o rt, of th e w hole
g lob e. T h e a p p e lla tio n Dkvanagari is th e sy n o n y m of,
a n d id e n tic a l w ith , tlic H e rm e tic a n d H ie ra tic N e t f . r -
K h a r i (d iv in e sp eech ) o f th e E g y p tia n s .
A s th e d isc u ssio n d iv id e s n a tu r a lly in to tw o p a rts as to
tr e a tm e n t— th o u g h a g e n e ra l sy n th e sis m u s t be th e final
r e s u lt— w e w ill p ro c e ed to e x a m in e th e first p a r t, n a m e ly ,
th o c h a rg o t h a t th e S a n s k r it a lp h a b e t is d e riv e d fro m th e
P hoenicians. W h e n a W e s te r n p h ilo lo g c r a ss e rts th a t w ritin g
d id n o t e x is t b efo re a c e rta in p e rio d , w e a ssu m e th a t h e h as
som e a p p ro x im a te c e rtitu d e a s to its re a l in v e n tio n . B u t so
# N o t o n ly a re tho U p an ish ad s a s e c re t d o c trin e , b u t in dozens of
o th e r w o rk s as, fo r in stan c o , in th e A ita r iy a A ranyaha, it is p la in ly
e x p ressed t h a t th e y p o n tain secret doctrinest t h a t a re n o t to b© im ­
p a r te d to a n y one b a t a V w ija B ra h m a n ,
f a r is th is fro m tr u e , it is co n ced ed t h a t n o one k n o w s w h en c e
th e P h o en ician s le a rn e d th e c h a ra c te rs, n o w a lle g e d (b y
G esen iu s first) to be th e so u rce fro m w h ic h m o d e rn a lp h a b e ts
-were d ire c tly d eriv ed . D e R o u g e ’s in v e s tig a tio n s m a k e it e x ­
tre m e ly p ro b a b le t h a t 11 th e y w e re b o rro w e d , o r r a t h e r a d ­
a p te d fro m c e rta in a rc h a ic h ie ro g ly p h ic s of E g y p t a th e o ry
w h ic h th e P rtsse P a p yru s, “ th e o ld e st in e x is te n c e ,” s tro n g ly
s u p p o rts b y its “ s trik in g sim ila ritie s w ith th e P h o en ician
c h a ra c te rs .” B u t th e sam e a u th o r ity tra c e s i t b a c k one ste p
fa r th e r. H e .s a y s th a t tlic a sc rip tio n (b y th e m y th -m a k e rs)
of th e a r t of w ritin g to T h o tli, o r to K a d m u s, “ o n ly d en o tes
th e ir b elief in its b e in g b r o u g h t fro m th e E a s t (K e d e m ), o r
being p e rh a p s p r im e v a l.” T h e re is n o t ev en a c e rta in ty
w h e th e r, p rim e v a lly o r a rc h a ic a lly , “ th e r e w ere se v e ra l o ri­
g in a l a lp h a b e tic a l sy stem s, o r w h e th e r one is to be assu m e d
a s h a v in g g iv en ris e to th e v a rio u s m o d es of w r itin g in u se .”
So, if co n je c tu re h as th e field, it is no g r e a t d islo y a lty to d e ­
c la re on e’s reb ellio n a g a in s t th e e m in e n t W e s te rn g e n tle m e n
w h o a re le a rn e d ly g u e ss in g a t th e o rig in of th in g s . S o m e
ailirm t h a t th e P hoenicians d e riv e d th e ir so-called .K ad m ea n
o r P hoenician w ritin g -c h a ra c te r s fro m th e P e la s g ia n s h eld
also to h av e been th e in v e n to rs o r a t le a st th e im p ro v e rs of
th e so-called K a d m e a n c h a ra c te rs . B u t a t th e sam e tim e , th is
is not proven, th e y confess, a n d th e y o n ly k n o w t h a t th e la t t e r
w e re in possession of th e a r t of w r itin g “ b efo re th e d a w n of
h is to ry .” L e t u s see w h a t is k n o w n of b o th P h o e n ic ian s a n d
P e la s g ia n s.
I f w e e n q u ire w ho w ere th e P h o en ician s, w e le a rn as fo l­
lo w s :— F ro m h a v in g been re g a r d e d as H a m ite s o n B ib le
te stim o n y , th e y s u d d e n ly becam e S e m ite s— on g e o g ra p h ic a l a n d
p h ilo lo g ical evid en ce (?) T h e ir o rig in b e g in s, i t is sa id , on th e
sh o res of th e E r y th r ia n s e a ; a n d t h a t sea e x te n d e d fro m
th e E a s te r n sh o res of E g y p t to th e W e s te rn sh o re s o f In d ia .
T h e P hoenicians w ere th e m o st m a r itim e n a tio n in th e w o rld .
T h a t th ey k n e w p e rfe c tly th e a r t of w ritin g no one w o u ld
d en y . T h e h is to ric a l p e rio d of S id o n b e g in s 1500 B. 0 .
A n d , it is w ell a s c e rta in e d t h a t in 1250 S a n c lio n ia to n h a d
a lre a d y com piled fro m a n n a ls a n d S ta te d o c u m e n ts, w h ic h
filled th e arch iv es of e v ery P h o e n ic ia n c ity , th e fu ll re c o rd s
o f th e i r re lig io n . H e w ro te in tlie P h o e n ic ia n la n g u a g e , a n d
w as m is tra n s la te d la te r on in to G re e k , b y P h ilo , o f B y b lu s,
a n d a n n ih ila te d b o d ily — as to h is w o rk s— e x c e p t one sm a ll
fr a g m e n t in E u se b iu s , th e lite r a r y S iv a , th e D estro yer o f all
heathen d o c u m e n ts th a t fe ll in h is w ay. To see th e d ire c t
b e a rin g of th e a lle g e d su p e rio r k n o w le d g o of tlie P licen iciau s
u p o n th e alle g e d ig n o ra n c e of th e A ry a n B ra h m in s , one h a s
b u t to tu r n to E u ro p e a n U n iv e rs a l H is to ry ; m e a g re th o u g h
its d e ta ils a n d possible k n o w le d g e , y e t I su p p o se no one
w o u ld c o n tr a d ic t th e h is to ric a l fa c ts g iv e n . S o m e fr a g m e n ts
of D iu s, th e Phoenician, w h o w ro te th e h is to ry of T y re , a re
p reserv ed in Jo s e p h u s ; a n d T y r e ’s a c tiv ity b e g in s 1100 B .C .
in th e e a rlie r p a r t o f th o th i r d p e rio d of P h o en ician h is to ry ,
so called. A n d in t h a t p erio d , as we a re to ld , th e y h a d a lre a d y
reached th e h e ig h t of th e ir p o w e r : th e i r sh ip s c o v ered all
seas, th e ir co m m erce e m b ra c e d th e w h o le e a rth , a n d th e ir
co lonies flourished f a r a n d n e a r. E v e n on B ib lic a l te stim o n y
th e y a rc know n to have come to th e In d ie s by the R ed S e a ,
w h ile tr a d in g ou S olom on’s a c c o u n t a b o u t a m ille n iu m b efo re
th e W e s te rn era. T h ese d a ta , no m a n of science can d en y .
L e a v in g e n tire ly aside th e th o u s a n d a n d one d o c u m e n ta ry
proofs t h a t c o u ld be g iv e n o n th e ev id e n c e of our m o st
a n c ie n t te x ts on O ccult S cien ce s, o f in s c rib e d ta b le ts , &o.,
those h is to ric a l ev en ts th a t a re a c ce p te d b y th e W e s te rn
w o rld aro o n ly h e re g iv en . T u r n in g to. th e M a h a b lia ra t,
th e d a te of w h ie h — on th e sole a u th o r ity o f th e fa n c y lo re
d ra w n fro m th e in n e r consciousness of G e rm a n sc h o la rs, w ho
p erceive in. th e g r e a t epic p oem p ro o fs of its m o d e rn fa b ric a ­
tio n in th e w o rd s “ Y a v a n a ” a n d o th e rs— h a s b e e n c h a n g e d
fro m 3300 y e a rs to th e firs t c e n tu rie s a f te r C h r is t (! !)— we
find : (1 ) am p le ev id en ce th a t th e a n c ie n t H in d u s h a d
n a v ig a te d (b efo re th e e s ta b lis h m e n t of th e c a ste sy ste m ) th e
open seas to th o re g io n s of th e A rc tic O cean a n d h e ld com ­
m u n ic a tio n w ith E u ro p e ; a n d (2 ) t h a t th e P a n d u s h a d a c ­
q u ired u n iv e rsa l d o m in io n a n d ta u g h t th e sa crificial m y ste rie s
to other races (see M a h a b lia ra t, B o o k 1 4 ). W ith su ch p ro o fs
of in te rn a tio n a l c o m m u n ic a tio n , a n d m o re th a n p ro v ed re la ­
tio n s botw een th e In d ia n A ry a n s a n d tlie P h o en ic ia n s, E g y p ­
tia n s a n d o th e r lite r a te p eo p le, it is r a t h e r s ta r tlin g to b e
told t h a t o u r fo re fa th e rs o f th e B ra h m a n ic p e rio d kneio
no thing o f w ritin g .
A d m ittin g fo r th e a rg u m e n t o n ly t h a t th e P h o e n ic ian s
were the sole custodians of the glorious art of w riting;. aud,
t h a t a s m e rc h a n ts th e y tr a d e d w ith I n d i a ; w h a t co m m odity,
I a sk , c o u ld th e y h a v e o ffered to a p eop le le d b y £he B r a h ­
m a n s so p re c io u s a n d m a rk e ta b le as th is a r t of a rts , b y w h o se
h e lp th e p ric e le ss lo re of th e Ilis h is m ig h t be p re s e rv e d
a g a in s t th e a c c id e n ts of im p e rfe c t o ra l tra n sm issio n ? A n d
e v e n if th e A ry a n s le a rn e d from P h o en icia h o w to w rite — to
e v e ry e d u c a te d H in d u a n a b s u rd ity — th e y m u s t h a v e possess­
e d th e a r t 2 ,0 0 0 o r a t le a s t 1,000 y e a rs e a rlie r th a n th e
p e rio d su p p o se d b y W e s te rn c ritic s. N e g a tiv e p ro o f, p e r ­
h a p s ? G ra n te d : y e t n o m o re so th a n th e ir o w n , a n d m o st
su g g e s tiv e .
A n d n o w w e m a y t u r n to th e P e la s g ia n s. N o tw ith s ta n d ­
in g N ie b u h r ’s re b u k e w h o ,s p e a k in g o f th e h is to ria n in g e n e ra l,
sh o w s h im as h a tin g “ th e sp u rio u s p h ilo lo g y , o u t of w h ic h
th e p re te n c e s to k n o w le d g e on the subject o f such extin ct people
a ris e ,” th e o rig in of th e P e la s g ia n s is sp e c u la te d u pon to
h a v e b e e n e ith e r t h a t of (a ) s w a rth y A s ia tic s (P e ll-a sic i)
o r fro m som e m a r in e r s — fro m th e G re e k P ela g o s, th e sea ;
o r a g a in to be s o u g h t f o r in th e B ib lic a l P eleg ! T h e only
d iv in ity of th e i r P a n th e o n k n o w n w ell to W e s te rn H is to ry ia
O rp h e u s, also th e “ s w a rth y ,” th e “ d a rk -s k in n e d re p r e s e n t­
ed fo r th e P e la s g ia n s b y X o a n o n , th e i r “ D iv in e Im a g e .”
N o w if th e P e la s g ia n s w e re A sia tic s, th e y m u s t h a v e been
e ith e r T u ra n ia n s o r S e m ite s, o r— A ry a n s. T h a t th e y c o u ld n o t
be th e fo rm e r, a n d m u st h a v e b e e n th e la s t-n a m e d , is show n
o n H e ro d o tu s ’ te s tim o n y , w h o d e c la re d th e m th e fo re fa th e rs
o f th e G re e k s — th o u g h th e y sp o k e, as h e say s, “ a m o st b a r ­
b a ro u s la n g u a g e .” F u r t h e r , u n errin g p h ilo lo g y sh o w s t h a t
th o v a s t n u m b e r of ro o ts com m on b o th to G re e k a n d L a tin ,
a re easily e x p la in e d b y th e assu m p tio n of a co m m o n P e la s-
g ic lin g u is tic a n d e th n ic a l sto c k in b o th n a tio n a litie s .
B u t th e n h o w a b o u t th e S a n s k r it ro o ts tra e e d in th e G re e k
a n d L a tin la n g u a g e s ? T h e sam e ro o ts m u s t h a v e b e e n p ro ­
s e n t in th e P e la s g ia n to n g u e s ? W e w h o p lace th e o rig in of
th e P e la s g i f a r b ey o n d th e B ib lic a l d itc h of h is to ric c h ro n o ­
lo g y , h a v e re a s o n s to b e lie v e t h a t th e “ b a rb a ro u s la n g u a g e
m e n tio n e d b y H e ro d o tu s w as sim p ly “ th e p rim itiv e a n d
n ow e x tin c t A ry a n to n g u e ” t h a t p re c e d e d th e Y e d ic S a n s ­
k r it. W h o c o u ld th e y be, th e s e P e la s g ia n s ? T h e y a re d e ­
sc rib e d g 'e n e ra lly on th e m eagT e d a ta in h a n d as a h ig h ly in ­
te lle c tu a l, re c e p tiv e , a c tiv e a n d sim p le p eo p le, ch iefly o ccu ­
p ie d w ith a g r ic u ltu r e ; w a rlik e w h e n n e c e ssa ry , th o u g h p re ­
f e r r in g p eace. W e a re to ld tlia t th e y b u il t c a n a ls, s u b te r r a ­
n e a n w a te r-w o rk s , d a m s, a n d w a lls of a s to u n d in g s tr e n g th
a n d m o st e x c e lle n t c o n stru c tio n . A n d th e ir re lig io n a n d w o r­
sh ip o rig in a lly c o n siste d in a m y stic serv ico of th o se n a tu r a l
p o w e rs— th e su n , w in d , w a te r, a u d a ir (o u r S o o r y a r Harriets,
V a ru n a a n d V a y u ), w h o se in flu en ce is v isib le in th e g ro w th
of th e fr u its of th e e a r th , m o re o v e r, some o f th e ir tribes were
r u le d by p rie sts , iv h ile others stood u n d e r the p a tr ia rc h a l ru le
o f t h e h ead o f the clan or f a m i l y . A ll th is re m in d s one of
th e n o m a d s, th e B ra h m a n ic A ry a s of o ld u n d e r th e sw ay of
t h e ir R ish is, to w h o m w e re s u b je c t e v e ry d is tin c t fa m ily o r
c la n . W h ile th e P e la s g ia n s w e re a c q u a in te d w ith th e a r t of
w ritin g , a n d h a d th u s “ a vast e lem en t o f cu ltu re in th eir pos­
session before the d aw n o f h is to ry ,” we a re to ld (b y th e sam e
p h ilo lo g ists) t h a t our a n c e sto rs k n e w of no w ritin g , u n til th e
d aw n of C h ris tia n ity !
T h u s th e P e la s g ia n ic la n g u a g e , t h a t “ m o st b a rb a ro u s
la n g u a g e ” sp o k e n b y th i s m y s te rio u s peo p le, w h a t w as it
b u t A ry a n : o r r a t h e r , w h ic h of th e A ry a n la n g u a g e s could it
h a v e b een ? C e rta in ly it m u s t h a v e b een a la n g u a g e w ith th e
sam e a n d e v e n s tro n g e r S a n s k r it ro o ts in it th a n th e G reek .
L e t u s b e a r in m in d t h a t th e ^E o lic w as n e ith e r th e la n g u a g e
of ./E seh y les, n o r th e A ttic , n o r ev en th e old sp eech of
H o m e r. A s th e O scan o f th e “ b a rb a ro u s ” S a b in e s w as n o t
q u ite th o I ta lia n of D a n te n o r ev en th e L a tin of V irg il. O r
h a s th e Iiid 'o -A ry a n to com e to th e sad co n clu sio n t h a t th e
a v e ra g e W e s te rn O rie n ta lis t w ill r a th e r in c u r th e b la m e of
ig n o ra n c e w h e n d e te c te d th a n a d m it tlie a n tiq u ity of th o
V e d ic S a n s k r it, a n d th e im m ense p e rio d t h a t m u s t h a v e
e la p se d b e tw e e n th is c o m p a ra tiv e ly ro u g h a n d u n p o lish e d
to n g u e — w h e n c o m p a re d w ith th e c la ssic a l S a n s k r it— a n d th e
p a lm y d a y s o f th e “ e x tin c t A r y a n to n g u e ? ” T h e L a tiu m
A n tiq u u m of P lin y , a n d th e ^E o lic of th o A u to c h to n e s of
G reece p re s e n t th e g r e a te s t k in s h ip , w e a re to ld . T h e y h a d
a co m m o n a n c e s to r ; th e P e la s g ia n . W h a t th e n , th e p a r e n t
to n g u e of th e la t t e r u n le ss i t w as th e la n g u a g e “ sp o k en a t
one tim e b y a ll th e n a tio n s o f E u ro p e — b e fo re th e ir se p a ra ­
tio n ? ” I n th e ab se n ce o f a ll p ro o fs to th e c o n tra ry , i t m ig h t
h a v e b een e x p e c te d t h a t th o R ik -B ra h m a n a s , th e M a h a b h a ­
r a ta a n d e v e ry N i r u k t i sh o u ld n o t b e tr e a te d a s flip p a n tly as
they now are. It ia admitted that ho^uver inferior to tho
c la s sic a l S a n s k r it of P a n in i— th o la n g u a g e o f tlio o ld e st
p o rtio n s . of R ig -V e d a , n o tw ith s ta n d in g th e a n tiq u ity of its
g ra m m a tic a l fo rm s, is th e sam o as t h a t of tlie la te s t tex ts.
E v e r y one sees— c a n n o t fa il to sec a n d to k n o w — th a t fo r a
la n g u a g e so old a n d so p e rf e c t as th e S a n s k r it to h a v e s u r ­
v iv e d alone, am o n g all la n g u a g e s , i t m u s t h a v e h a d its cycles
o f p e rfe c tio n a n d its cy cles of d e g e n e ra tio n . A n d , if one h a d
a n y in tu itio n , he m ig h t h a v e seen t h a t w h a t th e y c a ll a
“ d e a d la n g u a g e ” b e in g a n a n o m aly , a u se le ss th in g in n a tu re ,
i t w o u ld n o t h a v e su rv iv e d , ev en as a “ d e a d ” to n g u e , h a d
i t n o t its special p u rp o se iu th e R e ig n of im m u ta b le C yclic
L a w s ; a u d t h a t S a n s k r it w h ic h cam e to b e n e a rly lo st to th e
w o rld is n o w slow ly sp re a d in g in E u ro p e , a n d w ill one day
h a v e th e e x te n sio n it h a d th o u s a n d u p o n th o u s a n d of y e a rs
b a c k — t h a t of a universa l language.. T h e sam e as to th e G ree k
a n d th e L a tin : th e r e w ill b e a tim e w h en th e G re e k of
-/E sch y lu s (a n d m o re p e rfe c t s till in its f u tu r e fo rm ) w ill be
sp o k en by all in S o u th e rn E u ro p e w h ile S a n s k r it w ill be
r e s tin g in its p e rio d ic a l p r a l a y a ; a n d th e A ttic w ill lie
fo llo w ed la te r by th e L a tin of V irg il. S o m e th in g o u g h t to
h a v e w h isp e re d to u s t h a t th e re w as also a tim e — before
th e o rig in a l A ry a n s e ttle rs m a r r e d th e p u r ity of th e
Bacred S a n s k r ita B h a s h y a a m o n g D r a v id ia n a n d o th e r
a b o rig e n c s a d m itte d w ith in th e fold of B ra h m a n ie a l in itia tio n
— w h e n S a n s k r it w a s sp o k e n in all its u n a llo y e d s u b s e q u e n t
p u r ity a n d th e re fo re m u s t h a v e h a d m o re th a n once its rises
a n d its fa lls. T h e reaso n fo r i t is sim p ly th is : c lassica l S a n s ­
k r i t w as only restored, if in som e th in g s p e rfe c te d h y P a n in i.
N e ith e r P a n in i, K a ty a y a n a o r P a ta n ja li c re a te d i t ; it h a s
e x is te d th r o u g h o u t cy cles a n d w ill p a ss th r o u g h o th e r cycles
s till. _ _ _
P ro fe s s o r M a x M iille r is w illin g to a d m it t h a t a tr ib e of
S c m itic n o m ad s, fo u rte e n c e n tu rie s b e fo re th e y e a r 1 of
th e W e s te rn s — k n e w w ell th e a r t of w ritin g , a n d h a d th e ir
h isto ric a lly a n d sc ien tific a lly p ro v e n “ b o o k of th e c o v e n a n t
a n d th e ta b le s 1iv ith the w ritin g o f God u p o n th e m ’.” Y e t
t h e sam e a u th o r ity te lls u s t h a t th o A ry a n s c o u ld n e ith e r
ro a d n o r w r ite u n til th e v e ry elose of th e B ra h m a n ic p erio d .
“ N o tr a c c of w ritin g c a n be d isc o v e re d (b y th e p h ilo lo g ists)
in th e B ra h m a n ie a l litc r a tn r c b e fo re th o d a y s of P a n in i.”
V e ry w ell, a n d now w h a t w as th e p e rio d d u r in g w h ic h th is
S iv a - ta u g h t sag e is allo w ed to h a v e flo u rish e d ? O n e O ri­
e n ta lis t (B o h tlin g k ) re f e rs u s to 350 B. C ., w h ile less le n ie n t
o n es lik e P ro fe sso r W e b e r, la n d th e g ra m m a r ia n r i g h t iu
th e m id d le of th e seco n d c e n tu r y of th e C h ris tia n e ra ! O nly
a f t e r fix in g P a n in i’s p e rio d w ith su c h a re m a rk a b le a g re e ­
m e n t of ch ro n o lo g y (o th e r c a lc u la tio n s r a n g in g v a rio u sly
b e tw e e n 400 B . C. a n d 4G0 A . I).), th e O rie n ta lis ts p lace
th e m s e lv e s in e x tric a b ly b e tw e e n th e h o rn s of a d ilem m a.
F o r w h e th e r P a n in i flo u rish e d 350 B. C. o r 180 A . D ., he
c o u ld n o t h a v e b e e n illite r a te ; fo r, f i r s t l y , in th e L a lita
V ista ra , a c a n o n ic al b o o k rcc o g n ized b y th e S a n s k ritis ts ,
a tt r i b u te d by M ax M iillc r to th e th ir d B m ld h is t c o u n c il (a n d
tr a n s la te d in to T ib e ta n ) o u r L o rd B u d d h a is sh o w n a s s tu d y ­
in g , besides D c v a n a g a ri, 03 o th e r a lp h a b e ts specified in i t as
b e in g u sed in v a rio u s p a r ts of I n d ia ; a n d secondly, th o u g h
M cg a sth c n c s a n d N c a rc h u s do say t h a t in th e i r tim e th e
law s of M a n u w ere n o t (p o p u la rly ) re d u c e d to w ritin g ,—■
( S tra b o X V , G6 a n d 73) y e t N c a rc h u s d e sc rib e s th e In d ia n
a r t of m a k in g p a p e r fro m c o tto n . H e a d d s t h a t th e In d ia n s
w ro te le tte r s on co tto n tw is te d to g e th e r ( Strabo X V , 53 a n d
G7). T h is w o u ld be la te in th e S u t r a p e rio d , n o d o u b t, a c ­
c o rd in g to P ro fe sso r M iille r’s re a s o n in g . C an th e le a rn e d
g e n tle m a n c ite any re c o rd w ith in t h a t c o m p a ra tiv e ly re c c n t
p e rio d sh o w in g th e n am e o f th e in v e n to r of t h a t co tto n -
p a p c r a n d th e d a te of h is d isc o v e ry ? S u re ly so im p o rta n t
a fa c t as th a t, a n o v e lty so tr a n s c c n d c n tly m e m o rab le , sh o u ld
n o t h av e p assed w ith o u t re m a rk . O n e w o u ld seem c o m p e l­
le d , in th e absence of a n y su c h c h ro n ic le , to a c c e p t th e a lte r ­
n a tiv e th e o ry — k n o w n to u s A r y a n s tu d e n ts a s fa c t— t h a t
■writing a n d w ritin g -m a te r ia ls w ere, a s ab o v e re m a rk e d ,
k n o w n to th e B ra h m a n s in a n a n tiq u ity in c o n c e iv a b ly re m o te
— m an y c e n tu rie s b efo re th e e p o ch m a d e illu s trio u s b y
P a n in i.
A tte n tio n h a s b ee n a sk e d a b o v e to th e in te r e s tin g fa c t
t h a t th e G od O rp licu s, of “ T h ra c ia ,” (P) is c a lle d th e “ d a r k ­
s k in n e d ” . H a s it escap cd n o tice t h a t he is “ supposed to be
th e V edic R ib lm or A rb h u , a n e p ith e t both o f In d r a a n d th e
S u n .” * A n d if h e w as “ th e in v e n to r o f le tte r s ,” a n d is
“ p la c c d a n te r io r to b o th H o m e r a n d H e s io d ,” th e n w h a t ?
T h a t I n d r a ta u g h t w ritin g to th e T h ra c ia n P e la s g ia n s u n d e r
* C ham iers’ E ncyc. Y I I , 127)
th e g u is e o f O rp h e u s, * b u t lo ft h is ow n sp o k esm en a n d
v eh ic le s, th e B ra h m a n s , illite r a te u n til “ th e d a w n of C h r is ­
tia n ity ” ? O r t h a t th e g e n tle m e n o f th e W e s t a re b e tte r
a t in tu itio n a l ch ro n o lo g y th a n co n sp icu o u s fo r im p a r tia l 1
re s e a rc h P O rp h e u s w a s — in G rcccc— th e son of A pollo
o r H e lio s — th e su n -g o d , a c c o rd in g to c o rre c te d m ytholog-y,
a n d fro m h im re c e iv e d th e p h o rm in x o r ly re of seven,
strin g s , i. e.,— a c c o rd in g to o c c u lt p h ra se o lo g y — th e se v e n ­
fo ld m y s te ry of th e In itia tio n . N o w I n d r a is th e r u le r
of th e b r i g h t firm a m e n t, th e d is p e rsc r of clo u d s, “ th e
r e s to r e r of th e su n to th e sk y .” l i e is id e n tifie d w ith
A r ju n a in th e S a m h ita a n d S a tta p a tth a B ra m a n a (a lth o u g h
P ro f. W e b e r d e n ie s th e e x iste n c e of a n y su c h p e rs o n as
A r ju n a , y e t th e r e w a s in d e e d o n e ), a n d A r ju n a w as th e
C h ie f o f th e P a n d a v a s ;f a n d th o u g h P a n d u th e w h ite passes
fo r h is f a th e r , h e is y e t c o n sid e re d th e son of In d r a . A s
th r o u g h o u t I n d ia a ll a n c ie n t cy clo p e an s tr u c tu r e s a re even
n o w a ttr ib u te d to th e P a n d a v a s , so a ll sim ila r s tru c tu r e s a t
th e W e s t wrere a n c ie n tly a sc rib e d to th e P e la s g ia n s . M ore­
o v er, a s sh o w n w e ll b y P o c o c k e — la u g h e d a t because too
in tin fio n a l a n d too f a ir th o n g h , p e rc h a n c e less, p liilo lo g ically
le a r n e d — th e P a n d a v a s w e re in G reece, w h e re m a n y tra c e s of
th e m c a n b e sh o w n . I n th e M ah ab h & rata, A r ju n a is ta u g h t
th e o c c u lt p h ilo so p h y b y K r is h n a (p erso n ificatio n o f th e U n i­
v e rs a l D iv in e P rin c ip le ) ; a n d tlie less m y th o lo g ic a l view of
O rp h e u s p re s e n ts h im to u s as “ a d iv in e b a rd o r p rie s t in th e
se rv ice of Z a g re u s . . . fo u n d e r of th e M y s te rie s” . . . .
th e in v e n to r “ of e v e ry th in g , iu fa c t, t h a t w a s supposed to
h a v e c o n tr ib u te d to th e c iv ilisa tio n a n d in itia tio n in to a
m o re h u m a n e w o rsh ip of th e d e ity * * * A re n o t th ese
s tr ik in g p a ra lle ls ; a n d is it n o t s ig n ific a n t t h a t in th e cases
of b o th A r ju n a a n d O rp h e u s th e s u b lim e r a sp e c ts of re lig io n
sh o u ld h a v e been im p a rte d a lo n g w ith th e o c c u lt m e th o d s of
a tta in in g i t b y m a s te rs of th e m y s te rie s ? R e a l D e v a n a g a ri—
n o n -p h o n e tic c h a r a c te r s — m e a n t fo rm e rly th e o u tw a rd sig ­
n a ls , so to say, the signs used in the in terco m m u n ica tio n be­
tw een gods a n d in itia te d m o rta ls. H e n c e th e i r g r e a t sacred-
n c ss a n d th e silen c e m a in ta in e d th r o u g h o u t th e V ed ic a n d
th e B ra h m a n ie a l p e rio d s a b o u t a n y o b je ct c o n c c rn e d w ith , o r
r e f e r r in g to , re a d in g a n d w ritin g . I t w as the la n g u a g e of
th e G ods. I f o u r W e s te rn C ritic s c a n on ly u n d e rs ta n d w liat
th e A n c ie n t H in d u w rite rs m e a n t b y B h u ta lip i, so o ften
m e n tio n e d in th e ir m y s tic a l w ritin g s, th e y w ill be in a posi­
tio n to a s c e r ta in th e so u rc e fro m w h ic h th e H in d o o s first
d e riv e d th e i r k n o w le d g e of w ritin g .
A s c c rc t la n g u a g e , co m m o n to a ll schools o f o c c u lt science
once p re v a ile d th r o u g h o u t th e w o rld , li e n e e — O rp h eu s
le a r n t “ le tte r s ” in th e c o u rse of h is in itia tio n . H e is
id e n tifie d w ith I n d r a ; a c c o rd in g to H e ro d o tu s h e b ro u g h t
th e a r t of w ritin g fro m I n d i a ; h is s w a rth ie r com plexion
th a n t h a t of th e T h ra c ia n s p o in ts to h is In d o -A ry a n
n a tio n a lity — su p p o sin g h im to h av o b e en “ a b a rd an d
p r ie s t” a n d n o t a g o d ; th e P e la s g ia n s n re sa id to h a v e been
b o rn in T h r a c ia ; th e y a rc b e lie v e d ( a t th e W e s t) to h a v e first
p o ssessed th e a r t o f w ritin g , a n d ta u g h t th e P h o en ician s ;
fro m th e la tte r a ll m o d e rn a lp h a b e ts d eriv e . I su b m it, th e n ,
wTit,h a ll th e s e c o in c id c n cc s a n d sequences, w h e th e r tlio
b a la n c c of p ro o f is o n th e sid e of th e th e o ry t h a t th e A ry a n s
tr a n s m itte d th e a r t of w r itin g to th o p eople of th e W e s t; o r
o n th e o p p o site, a n d w h o lly u n su p p o rte d , one t h a t th e y ,
w ith th e i r c a ste of s c h o la rly B ra h m a n s , th e ir n oble se c re t
sa c e rd o ta l a n d “ b a r b a r o u s ” p o p u la r v e r n a c u la r — in th e h ig h
a n tiq u ity , t h e i r r e d u n d a n t, h ig h - c la s s lite r a tu re , th e ir
a c q u a in ta n c e w ith th e m o s t w o n d e rfu l a n d re c o n d ite p o te n ­
tia litie s of th e h u m a n s p ir it— w e re illite r a te u n til g e n e ra tio n s
u p o n g e n e ra tio n s b e fo re th e e r a of P a n in i th e g ra m m a ria n
a u d la s t of R ish is. W h e n th e fam ous th e o ris ts of th e W e s t­
e rn co lle g es c a n sh o w u s a r iv e r ru n n in g fro m its m o u th
b a c k to its s p rin g so u rc es in th e m o u n ta in n u lla h s , th e n
* A ccording to H e ro d o tu s th e M ysteries w e re a c tu a lly b ro u g h t from
In d ia b y O rp h eu s.
^ A n o th e r p ro o f of th e f a c t that, th e P a n d a v a s w ere, th o n g h A ry an s
n o t B rah m an s, a n d belonged to an In d ia n tr ib e t h a t precedod th o B rah ­
m in s an d , w o re l a t e r on B rahm anizcd, an d th e n ou tcasted an d called Mee-
shas, Y avanas (i. e., fo reig n to th o B ra h m in s) is afforded in th e follow ­
in g : P a n d a h as two w ives : a n d “ i t is n o t K u n ti h is law fu l w ife, b u t
M ad ri h is m o st beloved w ife,” w ho ie b u r n t w ith tho old k in g w h en dead,
as well re m a rk e d by P ro f. M ax M uU or,w ho seem s asto n ish ed a t it w ith o u t
co m p reh en d in g th e tr u e reaso n w h y th is is. As s ta te d by H ero d o tu s (V .
6 ), it w as a cu sto m a m o n g st th e T h racian s to allow th e m o st beloved of a
m a n 's w iv es to be sacrificed u p o n h is tom b; “ a n d ” H ero d o tu s ( I V . 17)
“ a s s e r ts a sim ila r fa c t o f th e S cy th ian s a,nd P a u sa n ia s ( I V . 2) of tho
G re e k .” (H is t. S ans. L it. p . 48). T he P a n d a v a s a n d th e K ura vns are called
e so te ric a lly cousins in th e E p ic poem , b ecause th e y w ere tw o d istin ct
y e t A ry a n trib e s a n d re p re s e n t tw o nations—n o t sim p ly tw o fam ilies.
 m ay w e be a sk e d to believ e tlie ir th e o ry of A ry a n illite ra c y .
T h e h is to ry of h u m a n in te lle c tu a l d e v e lo p m e n t sh o w s t h a t
h u m a n ity a lw a y s passes th r o u g h tlio s ta g e of id e o g ra p h y o r
p ic to g ra p h y b efo re a tta in in g t h a t of c u rs iv e w ritin g . I t
th e re fo re re m a in s w ith th e W e s te rn c ritic s w h o oppose th e
a n tiq u ity of A ry a n S c rip tu re s to sh o w u s th e p ic to g ra p h ic
p roofs w h ich su p p o rt th e ir p o sitio n . As th e se a re n o to rio u sly
a b s e n t, it a p p e a rs th e y w o u ld h a v e u s b e lie v e t h a t o u r an ces-
to rs passed im m e d ia te ly fro m illite r a c y to th e D e v a n a g a ri
c h a ra c te rs of P a n in i’s tim e.
L e t th e O rie n ta lis ts b e a r in m in d th e co n clu sio n s d ra w n fro m
a c a re fu l s tu d y of th e M a h a b h a ra ta b y M u ir in h is S a n s k r it
T ex ts (V o l. I. pp. 390, 480 a n d 48 2 ). I t m a y be c o n c lu siv e ly
p ro v en on ■th e a u th o r ity o f th e M a h a b h a r a ta t h a t th e
Y avan as (of w hom In d ia as a lle g e d k n e w n o th in g b efo re th e
days of A le x a n d e r! ) b elo n g to th o se trib e s of K s h a tr iy a s w h o
in co n seq u en ce of th e irn o n -c o in m u n ic a tio n w ith , a n d in som e
cases re je c tio n by th e B ra h m in s, h a d becom e from tw ice-born—•
‘‘V ris h a la s ,” i. e. m a d e outcastes (M a h a b h a ra ta A n u sa sa n a p a r-
vam v.v. 2103 I 1.) “ S a k a h y a v a n a -K a m b o ja s ta sta h k s h a ttr iy a
ja la y a h V rish a la tva m p a r ig a ta h b ra h m a n a n a m a darsana
( D ravidas cha K a lin d a s cha P u lin d a s chapy u sin a ra h )ka lisa rp a
M ahishakas tas ta h k s h a ttr iy a -ja ta y a h ity a d i.” T h e sam e
re fe re n c e m ay be fo u n d in v erses 2158-9. T h e M a h a b h a ra ta
sh ow s th o Y a va n a s d esc en d e d fro m T u rv a s u — once u p o n
a tim e K s h a triy a s , s u b s e q u e n tly d e g ra d e d in to V rish a la s.
H a riv a m s a sh o w s w hen a n d h o w th e Y a v a n a s w e re e x c o m ­
m u n ic a te d . I t m ay bo in f e rre d fro m th e a c c o u n t th e re in
c o n ta in e d of th e ex p ed itio n a g a in s t A y o d h y a b y th e Y a v a n a s
a n d th e s u b s e q u e n t p ro c e e d in g s of S a g a ra t h a t th e Y av a n a s
w ere, p rev io u s to th e d e a th of th e sa id ex p e d itio n , K s h a tr iy a s
s u b je c t to tlie G o v e rn m e n t o f th e p o w e rfu l m o n a rc h s w ho
re ig n e d a t A y o d h y a. B u t on a c c o u n t o f tlie ir h a v in g re b e l­
led a g a in s t th e ir so v e re ig n a n d a tta c k e d liis C a p ita l, th e y
w ere ex co m m u n icated by S a g a ra w ho su c ce ssfu lly d ro v e thom
o u t of A y o d h y a , a t th e su g g e s tio n of V a s is h th a w h o w as th e
C h ief m in is te r a n d G u ru o f S a g n ra ’s f a th e r . T h o o n ly
(ro u b le in c o n n e c tin g th e P e la s g ia n s w ith , a n d tracing-
tlie ir o rig in to th e K s h a triy a s o f lt a jp u t a n a , is c re a te d by th e
O rie n ta lis t w ho c o n s tru c ts a fa n c ifu l ch ro n o lo g y , b ased on
no p ro o f, a n d sh o w in g o n ly u n fa m ilia rity w ith th e w o rld ’s
re a l h isto ry , a u d w ith In d ia n H is to ry w ith in h is to ric a l
p eriods.
T he v a lu e of th a t c h ro n o lo g y — w h ich p la ;e s v ir tu a lly th e
“ p rim itiv e In d o -ffm H U jtic-p erio d ” b efo re th e a n cien t V ed ic
p erio d ( ! ) — m ay, in clo sin g th is a rtic le be illu s tra te d w ith a
final e x am p le. H o u g h as m a y be th e c a lc u la tio n s o ffered , it
is im possible to go d e e p e r in to a n y s u b je c t o f th is cla ss w ith in
th e p re s c rib e d a n d n a rro w lim its of a m a g a z in e a rtic le , a n d
w ith o u t re c o u rse to d a ta n o t g e n e ra lly accessible. In th o
w ords of P ro f. M ax M u lle r :— “ T h e C ode of M an u is a lm o st th e
o n ly w o rk in S a n s k r it lite r a tu r e w iic h , as y e t, h a s n o t been
a ssailed by th o se w ho d o u b t th e a n tiq u ity of e v e ry th in g
In d ia n . N o h is to ria n has d is p u te d its claim to t h a t e a rly
d a te w hich h a d fro m th e first been a ss ig n e d to i t by S ir
W illia m Jo n e s .” (p. 61, IL ist. S ans. L i t .) A n d now , p ra y ,
w h a t is th is e x tre m e ly “ e a rly d a te . P” “ F ro m 880 to 1280
li. G \,”— we are told. W e w ill th e n , fo r th e p re s e n t p u rp o se ,
ac c ep t th is a u th o rita tiv e c o n clu sio n . S e v e ra l fa cts, easily
verifiable, h avo to be lirs t of a ll n o tic e d : (1 st) M a n u
in h is m a n y en u m e ra tio n s of In d ia n rac e s, k in g d o m s a n d
places, never once m entions B e n g a l: th e A ry a n B ra h m in s h a d
n o t y e t re a c h e d in th e days w h e n h is Oode w as c o m p ile d th e
b an k s of th e G an g es n o r th o p la in s of B e n g al. I t w as.
A rju n a w ho w e n t first to lla n ija (B e n g a l) w ith liis sacrific ial
horse. [Y n u a u a s a re m e n tio n e d in lia jd h a n tia A n a sa sa n ik a
1 ‘itrva as p a r t of th e trib e s p eo p lin g it.] (2 ) I n th e A y u n
a list of th e H in d u k in g s of B e n g a l is g iv e n . T h o u g h th e
d ate of th e lir s t k in g w ho re ig n e d o v e r B a n g a c a n n o t be
a sc e rta in e d , o w in g to th e g r e a t g a p s betw eo n th e v ario u s
d y n asties ; it is y e t k n o w n th a t B e n g a l ceased to bo a n in ­
d e p e n d e n t H in d u k in g d o m fro m 1230 a f te r C h ris t. N o w if,
d is re g a rd in g th ese g ap s, w hich a ro w id e a n d m a n y , we m a k e
u p th e sum of o n ly th o se ch ro n o lo g ica l p e rio d s of th o re ig n of
th e sev eral d y n a stie s t h a t a re p re s e rv e d by h is to ry , w e find
th e follow in g :—
21. K sh atriy a fam ilies of K ings re ig n e d fo r a p eriod of 2,418 y e a rs.
0. K aista K ings „ „ „ ... 250 „
11. O f th e A d isu r fam ilies „ „ „ ... 7 1 *1, „ gold and silver bullets.
](>. Of tho llhopal fa m ily „ ,, ....... 089 ,,
10 . Of th e I’ala d y n asty (from 855 to J040, A . D .) ... 185
JO. T he Yftidyiv K ajahn ,,, ,,, ... 137 ,,
. Yew'S,,, 4'3t>3
I f w e d e d u c t fro m tb is su m 1230, w e h a v e 3163 y e a rs B .C .
of su ccessiv e re ig n s. I f i t c a n be sh o w n on th e u n im p e a c h -
a b le ev id e n c e of th e S a n s k r it te x ts t h a t som e of th e se re ig n s
h a p p e n e d sim u lta n e o u sly , a n d th e lin e c a n n o t th e r e fo re b a
sh o w n as su ccessiv e (as w as a lr e a d y trie d ) w ell a n d g o o d ,
A g a in s t a n a r b i tr a r y c h ro n o lo g y se t u p w ith a p re d e te rm in e d
p u rp o se a n d th e o ry in v iew , th e re w ill re m a in b u t little to b a
said . H u t if th is a tte m p t a t re c o n c ilia tio n of fig u re s ia
sh o w n sim p ly a s in e v e ry o th e r case c la im e d u p o n “ c ritic a l,
in te r n a l e v id e n c e ,” th e n , in th e presence of th eso 3 ,1 63 y e a ra
of a n u n b ro k e n H in d u lin e of p o w e rfu l a n d m ig h ty k in g s th o
O rie n ta lis ts w ill h a v e to sh o w , a v o ry good reaso n w h y th e
a u th o r s o f th e C ode o f M a n u seem e n tire ly ig n o ra n t e v e n of
th e ex iste n c e of B e n g a l if its d a te h a s to be accep ted aa
n ° t e a rlie r th a n 1280 B. C. ! A scien tific ru le , w h ich is g o o d
e n o u g h to a p p ly to th e ca se of P a n in i, o u g h t to be valid in
o th e r c h ro n o lo g ic a l s p e c u la tio n s . O r, p e rh a p s , th is is one o£
th o se p o o r ru le s w h ich w ill not “ w o rk b o th w ay s '( j
-------♦-------
A H IN D U L O Y A L I S T OF P O N D IC H E R R Y .
The following is translated from a French Colonial
monthly. The event was montioned by several European
oliicials of the little French colony; and as usual never
seemed to have reached the right oars.
“ There lives, at Pondicherry, a H indu, known by tha
name of Sundira Poulle, who exists with liis numerous
fam ily upon a modest annual pension of 3,000 francs, (op
something- like ltupees 100 per month). H is grand­
father has spent 12,000,000 of francs (18 lucks of Rupees)
for France ; and Sundira Poulle waits, iu great want,
that France should kind ly remember that one of tho
richest families of India ruined itself for the honour of
lier banner.
“ This is history.
“ In 17 93 the E n g lish were besieging Pondicherry
from tiodaloor and the sea. This unfortunate city so
famous for its tried loyalty to France, kept defending
herself with the energy of despair. She liad no help to
expect from her mother-land, for France was herself
struggling against foreign coalition.
“ One day the defenders of Pondicherry found them­
selves unable to repell the E n g lish attack. They had
powder but had no projectiles left. E very bit of iron
available in the town lwd been sent to the red-coats :
iron railings around public monuments, the spires aud
crosses of the churches, all had been melted for cauou
balls.
“ A counsel of war had assembled. The Governor and
the old soldiers assembled were weeping in powerless
rage at the thought of surrendering. There were present
at the counsel old chums of L a lly Tollendal, of D up leir,
and of Malie de la Bourdannais. I t was a hard thing
for thoso brave warriors to abandon old Pondy, the city
of Palaces, as it is called on the coast of Coromandel.
“ Suddenly a H ind u sends word to ask admission.
He has something- to say to tho members of council.
He is introduced. I t is the headman of the caste of tha
V el lala of Pondicherry, the richest man of all tha
French territory. I t was Sundira Poulle's grandsire.
------ “ Gentlemen,” ho simply says,— learning that
you wero short of ammunitions, and that a surrender
had thereby become imminent, I ordered 50 boxes fu ll
of coined money in rupees to be transported to the forti­
fications. Don’ t you think it may make excellent
grape shot V ’
“ A t these words the whole Council room burst into thun­
dering applause. I t was decreed that the headman of tho
V ellalas had well deserved the thanks of the nation.
E very one returns to his post at the fortifications, and.
the defence is pursued w itli renowed enthusiasm. F o r
twenty consecutive days tho E n g lish were pelted w itli
“ Tho convention, moved by such an act of patriotic
devotion, ordered as a national reward that the sums
thus used for the French canon should bo restituted to
tlio Ilin d u who liad offered them. The M inister of tliQ
G
Finances, Roland, liquidated by transaction tlie sum to be
returned at 10 millions of francs. But tlio payment
was never ordered. The great cliief of the Vellalas, too
proud to claim the debt due to him, died in comparativo
poverty, and liis grandson Sundira Poulle, is now living
in a condition neighbouring destitution, and in a town
in which his family fell off from the highest ranks oaly
fo r having too well loved and too well served France.
“ I t is true that Sundira Poulle’s grandsire has received
fo r himself and his heirs to the end of times tho rem ark­
able privilege of carrying the cane with a golden knob
on it.
“ I t is sad to confess; but tlie E n g lish would have
mado the reward equal to such groat devotion.
“ I t is not that we arc less generous than our neigh­
bours. But, for the last sixty years we have no politics
cither exterior or colonial, we havo not even a Govern­
ment :_we are an administrative system— and all know
that in good administration, all the science consists in
forcing- the payment of the contributions and in raising
the salary of the functionaries— those of ten to fifteen,
thoso of fifteen to twenty ; as to acts of devotion and
heroism, they are figured by sum of francs fifty of grati­
fication.”
(Bulletin de la Societe Francaise pour la protection des
Indigenes des colonies, No. 1 Mars 1882,— Paris.
E d i t o r ’ s N o t k . — W c a r e h a p p y an d p ro u d to say tlm t th e T hcosophical
S o cio ty now co u n ts M r. S u n d ira P oulle, th e g ra n d so n of tho g e n e ro u s
p a tr io t as ono of its m em bers. l i e is tho P re s id e n t of th e “ S o c ie t e
T ii e o s o p u i q u e d e P o n d i c h e r r y * ”
*------ ♦-------
' SOME SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
[A le tte r w ns r e c e n tly receiv ed by th e E d ito r fro m one of onr m ost
r n iin e n t A u s tra la s ia n Follow s, a s k in g som o q u e stio n s in scienco of
touch im p o rta n c e th a t th o rep lies a re , w ith p erm issio n , copied for tho
edification of o a r re a d e rs. T he w r ite r is a C h e la who has a c e rta in
fa m ilia rity w ith th e te rm in o lo g y of W e ste rn science. I f w e m ista k e
n o t, th is is th e first tim e th a t tho ra tio n a le of th e control ex ercisc d by
tin A d ep t O ccu ltist o ver tho re la tio n s of ato m s, an d of th o p h en o m en a
of th o “ p assa g e of m a tte r th ro u g h m a tte r ,” h as b een so su c cin ctly
find y e t c learly ex p lain ed .—Ed.']
E k t l i e s t o I ’ k o f . - - - - - - ’ s Q u e s t i o n s
(1) The phenomenon of “ osmosing” (extracting. Ed,)
your noto from tho sealed envelope in which it was
sewn with thread, and substituting for it his own reply,
without breaking either seal or thread, is to be consider­
ed first. I t is ono of thoso completo proofs of tlio
superior fam iliarity with and control over atomic rela­
tions among our Eastern Adepts as compared with modern
W estern men of science, to which custom has made me
fam iliar. It was tho samo power as that employed in
the formation of tho letter in tho air of your room at
------ ; in tho case of many other air-born le tters; of
showers of roses; of the gold rin g which leaped from tho
heart of a moss-rose while held i n ------ ’s hand; of a
sapphire ring doubled for a lady of high position hero,
a short time ago, and of other examples. The solution
is found in the fact that the ''attractio n of cohesion” is a
manifestation of tho Universal Divine Force, and can be
intorrupted and again set up as regards any given group
of atoms in tho relation of substance by tho same Divino
power as that localised in tho human monad. Atma, tlio
eternal spiritual principle in man, has tho same quality
of powor over brute force as has tho U niversal Principle
6f which it is a part. Adeptship is but tho crown of
spiritual self-evolution, and the powers of spirit develope
themselves successively in tho ratio of the aspirant’ s
progross upward, morally and spiritually. This you seo
is to place our modern Evolution Theory upon a truly
noble basis, and to give it tho character of a lofty sp iri­
tual, instead of a debasing materialistic, philosophy. I
havo always felt sure of the warm approval of tho most
intuitional of your W estern men of scienco when they
should como to take this view of our A ryan A rhat Science.
Y ou should not find much difficulty in drawing the
line between the “ Spook” and the “ Adept.” Tho latter
is a liv in g man often fit to stand as the grandest ideal
of human perfectibility; the former is but undissolved
congeries of atoms recently associated in a livin g person
as his lower— or better, liis coarser, and more materialistic
■— corporeal envelopes; which during life were confined in
the outermost shell, tho body, and after death released
to linger for a while in tho astral (Etheric or Akasic)
strata nearest tho earth's surface. The law of magneto-
vital affinities explains the attraction of these “ shells”
to places and persons; and if you can postulato to your­
self a scale of psychic specific, gravity, you may realiso
how the greater density of a “ soul” weighted with tho
matter of baso (or even unspiritual, yet not animal)
feelings would tend to impede its rising to the clear
realm of spiritual existence. Though I am conscious of
the imperfection of my scientific exigesis, I feel that
your superior capacity for apprehending natural laws,
when a hint has been given, w ill fill all lacunas.
Noto that no Adept even can disintegrate and reform
any organism above the stage of vegetable : the U n iver­
sal Manns has in tho animal begun and in man complet­
ed its differentiation into individual entities: in the vege­
table it is still an undifferentiated universal spirit,
inform ing the whole mass of atoms which have progress­
ed beyond the inert mineral stage, and are preparing to
differentiate. Thero is movement even in the mineral,
but it is rather the imperceptible quiver of that L ife of
life, than its active manifestation in the production of
form— a ramification which attains its maximum not, as
you may suppose, in the stage of physical man, but in
the higher one of the D liyau Cliohaus, or Planetary
Spirits, i. e., once human beings who have run through
tho scale of evolution, but are not yet re-united, or
coalesced with Parabrahma, the Universal Principle.
Before closing, a word more about the “ passage of
matter through matter.” Matter may be defined as
condensed A kasa (Ether) ; aud in atomizing, differenti­
ates, as the watery particles differentiate from super­
heated steam when condensed. Restore tlie differen­
tiated matter to the state ante of undifferentiated matter,
. aud there is no difficulty in seeing how it can pass
through the interstices of a substance in the differen­
tiated state, as we easily conceive of the travel of electri­
city and other forces through their conductors. Tlie
profound art is to be able to interrupt at will and again
restore the atomic relations in a given substance : to pull
the atoms so far apart as to mako them invisible, and
yet hold them in polaric suspense, or within the attrac­
tive radius, so as to mako them rush back into their
former cohesive affinities, and re-compose the substance.
A nd since we havo had a thousand proofs that this
knowledge and power is possessed by our Adept Occul­
tists, who can blame us for regarding as we do those
Adepts as tho proper masters in science of the cleverest
of our modern authorities ? A nd then, as I above
remarked, the outcome of this Philosophy of tho
Ary;iti Sages is to enable humanity to refresh tho moral
find awaken tho spiritual naturo of man, and to erect
standards of happiness higher aud better than those by
which we now govern ourselves.
------ ♦— ».
The Manager has received from Am erica a number of
copies of a new edition of Col. Olcott’s People from the
Other World, which can be had, postago free, for Rs, v.
This is one of tho most interesting and remarkable books
ever published, and npon its original appearance caused
so great an excitement that, as the N. Y • Herald observ­
ed, it divided public attention with the election for
President. I t is an account of the A uthor’s three
months’ observations and scientific tests of about 500
bhutas (“ materialised sp irits,” so called) at a country
village in Verm ant State. A large number of pictures
of tho bhutas give additional value to the w o rk .. P u r­
chasers should bear in mind that at tho timo of w riting
Col. Olcott was ignorant of A ryan Philosophy,
 f e l l e r s tor ijjt (£bitor.
CAN FEM A LES BECOM E A D E PT S ?
W ill you. k i n d l y l e t m e k n o w w h e t h e r f e m a l e s c a n a t t a i n ,
to a d e p ts h ip , a n d w h e t h e r f e m a le a d e p ts e x is t a t all ?
“ A n In q u ire r.”
N o te .— Itj.fi-d iilic u lt to gee tn iy g o o d re a s o n w h y fe m a le s J
s h o u ld n o t b e c o m e A d ep ts. N o n e of u s, C h elas, a re a w a re o f i
a u y p h y sic a l o r o th e r d e fe c t w h ic h m ig lit e n tire ly in c a p a ­
c ita te th e m fr o m u n d ertak in g - .th e d re a r y o rd e a l. I t m a y be
m o re d iffic u lt, m o re d a n g e ro u s fo r th e m th a n i t is fo r m e n ,
s till n o t im p o ssib le . T h e H in d u s a c re d b o oks a n d tr a d itio n s
m e n tio n su ch cases, a n d sin ce th e law s o f N a tu r e a re im m u ­
ta b le , w h a t w a s possible som e th o u s a n d y e a rs ag o m u s t be
p o ssible now . I f o u r c o rre s p o n d e n t h a d re f e rre d to th e
E d ito ria l N o te s , p a g e 148, V o l. I l l , (A rtic le , Ile -In c a rn a tio n s
in T h ib e t), h e w o u ld h a v e fo u n d th e ex isten ce of a fe m a le
A d e p t h in te d a t — th e pio u s C h in ese P rin c e ss w h o , a f te r liv in g
fo r te n y e a rs a m a r rie d life, re n o u n c e d i t w ith h e r h u s b a n d ’s
c o n se n t a n d b ecam e a Q elu u g -m a , o r A n i, i. e., a n u n . S h e
is b e liev ed to b e s till re - in c a rn a tin g lie rse lf “ in a sziccession
o f fe m a le L a m a s .” T h e la te T d e-sh o o L a m a ’s s is te r is sa id
to be ono of s u c h re -in c a rn a tio n s . F ro m th is la d y -A d e p t, th e
S u p e rio r of th e N u n n e ry on th e P a lte -L a k e — a T ib e ta n p e d la r
o f D a rje e lin g a c k n o w led g e d to som o B e n g a l T h e o so p h ists,
w h o v is ite d t h a t place la s t y e a r, to h a v e re c eiv ed a ta lis m a n .
T h a t p e d la r is now sup p o sed to be d e a d ; b u t th o s e T h e o so ­
p h is ts w ho h e a r d re p e a te d ly h is s ta te m e n t c a n te s tify to th e
fact. I n N e p a u l, we a ll k n o w , th e r e is a h ig h fein alo A d e p t.
A n d in S o u th e r n In d ia , flo u rish e d a t a re c e n t d a te , a n o th e r
g r e a t fem ale I n itia te n a m e d O u v a iy a r. H e r m y s te rio u s w o rk
in T a m il on O c c u ltism is still e x ta n t. I t is s ty le d K u ra l, a n d
is sa id to be v e ry e n ig m a tic a lly w r itte n , a n d c o n se q u e n tly
in e x p lic a b le . In B e n a re s too lives a c e r ta in la d y , u n s u s ­
p e c te d a u d u n k n o w n , b u t to th e v e ry few to w h o m re fe re n c e
h a s b een m ad e in th e T h eo so p h ist in th e a rtic le “ S w a n ii
D a y a u a n d ’s V iew s a b o u t Yoga” (p a g e 47, V o l. I I ) . F u r t h e r
in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th ese few a lre a d y m e n tio n e d o r a n y o th e r
fe m a le A d e p ts w e m ay k n o w of, w e do n o t feel a t lib e rty to
g iv e. I f o u r n u m e ro u s c o rre sp o n d e n ts w o u ld c a re fu lly go
o v e r th e b ack N u m b e rs of th is jo u rn a l, th e y w o u ld fin d m a n y
of tlie ir q u e stio n s a lre a d y a n tic ip a te d a n d a n sw e re d ; a n d
th u s , th e y w o u ld save us a n u n n e c e ss a ry tr a v e llin g o v e r
th e ta m e lin e.
D. K. M.
S O M E Q U E S T IO N S O N A R C H A E O L O G Y .
I a m e x tre m e ly th a n k f u l f o r th e k in d a d v ic e y o u h a v e
g iv en m e in c u ltiv a tin g p sy e h o m e try , a c c o rd in g to th e d ire c ­
tio n s g iv en iu P ro fe sso r D e n to n s S o u l of T h in g s, of w h ich
I sh all tr y to av a il m y self iu m y n e x t aroliceological tour.^ I n
th e m e a n tim e , w ill you be k in d e n o u g h to rem o v e som e of m y
d o u b ts w hich h a v e a rise n fro m a p e ru s a l of b o o k s a n d
re p o r ts 011 a n tiq u a ria n su b je c ts ?
(1 .) T h e a g e of B u d d h a I n w h a t y e a r w a s lie b o r n ?
W h a t w as th e era th e n in v o g u e ? A n d w h e n d id h e die ?
S o m e sa y t h a t h e w as b o rn (? ) in 4 7 7 B . C. ; a n d o th e rs h o ld ,
in 513 B. C. ; w h ile, on a p e ru s a l of B a b u Ila je n d r o L a l
M itte r’s “ B u d d h a G ya,” w e fin d t h a t th e C h in e se , C ey lo n ese
a n d B u rm e se a u th o r itie s a sc rib e d iffe re n t a n d e a rlie r a g e s to
th e e v e n t. W e , T h eo so p h ists, sh o u ld h a v e d e fin ite g ro u n d s
w ith r e g a r d to th is a n d o th e r im p o r ta n t a g es. W h y sh o u ld
we b eliev e th e m w h en w e h a v e h ig h e r a u th o r itie s ?
(2 ,) T h e lo cality a n d B u d d h a ’s life. W h e re w as K a p ila -
v a s tu ? W a s i t in th e B a s ti d is tric t a m o n g th o ru in s a n d
m o u n d s of B h o v illa T a la a b o u t 15 m iles n o rth rw e s t of A y o r
d liy a ? T h ese m o u n d s h a v e b een id e n titie d w ith th e re m a in s
of th e b u ild in g s of B u d d h a ’s p a re n ts b y G e n e ra l C u n n in g ­
h a m ’s A ssista n t. B u t th is id e n tific a tio n looks so h a z y a n d
fa r-fe tc h e d , t h a t n a tu r a lly som o d o u b ts a rise in o u r m in d .
I f B h o v illa ’T a la is n o t th e re m a in s of K a p ila v a s tu , is th e ro
n o eluo to find th e tr u e cme p
W h e re d id B u d d h a d ie ? D id h is fin a l N ir v a n a ta k e p la c e
a t K u s ia o r K a sia p o re — n e a r S u lfa n p o re in O u d h ? W a s
S ia b a d s itu a te d a t th e p la ce , n o w k n o w n a s L a h e te lla h e t
o n th e l t a p t i in N o rth e r n O u d h ? _ < r 0 d s a n d g o d d e s s e s — 110 m o r e t h a n t
(3 .) A re th e re a d in g s a n d fin d in g s of G e n e ra l C u n n in g ­
h a m , th e A rchaeologist to th e Government of I n d ia , g en g -
tally correct j*
(4 .) A re th e r e no o th e r fo re ig n tr a v e ls b esid es th o se of
F a -H ia n a n d H io u e n T h s a n g to h e lp u s in th e tr a c in g a n d
d isco v ery of o ld site s n o w lo s t a n d fo rg o tte n ?
, (5 .) A re th e r e 110 a n c ie n t A r y a n b u ild in g s in existencC j
a n te r io r to th e a g e of A so k a , as th e a n tiq u a r ia n s a s s e rt ?
I t w ill be a h ig h fa v o r to m e, if a n sw e rs 01* c lu es be g iy ^ 4
^
m e t h a t I m a y c o n d u c t m y re s e a rc h e s on n e w lin e s.
'
P . C. M u k e e ji , f . t . s .’
N a i n i - T a l , J u ly 1 8 8 3 .
Ed. Note .— O u r c o r r e s p o n d e n t m a y r e c e iv e su ffic ien t i n f o r m a t i o n n p o ii
t h is s u b j e c t b y t u r n i n g t o t h o Replies t o t h o Q u e r i e s 7 a n d 8 o f ‘ ‘ A l J
E n g l i s h F . T . S . 1’ — i n t h e l a s t , t h e c u r r e n t , a n d n e i t n u m b e r .
P IN D A M S A T G Y A .
R e f e r r i n gto N . D . K .’s q u e ry a n d y o u r re p ly in th e Theo*
so p h ist fo r J u n e 1883, 011 th e efficacy of f u n e r a l cerem onies,
m a y I be p e rm itte d to a s k fo r th e e x p la n a tio n on th e follow ing.
I t is g e n e ra lly b e lie v e d t h a t a f t e r d e a th th e souls of
som e m e n , o w in g e ith e r to th e i r ow n m isd e e d s o r th e in flu ­
ence of evil s ta r s , c lin g to th is e a r th a n d w a n d e r on it,
a s s u m in g a t tim e s v a rio u s sh a p e s a n d re m a in in g in a sta to o f
c o n tin u e d u n r e s t ; a n d t h a t th e o n ly w a y b y w h ic h th e y can
bo d e liv e re d fro m th is u n h a p p y c o n d itio n , is th r o u g h th o
o ffe rin g b y som e one r e la te d to th e m of w h a t is com m only
c a lle d P in d a m la id a t th o fe e t of Q odadhara, th e p re s id in g
D e ity of G y a. P eo p le, w h o se v e ra c ity c an h a rd ly b e d o u b ted ,
sa y t h a t th e g h o s ts v e ry o ften n a r r a te th r o u g h th e persona
obsessed b y th e m th e ta le of th e ir su ffe rin g s, a n d ex p ress th o
d e sire t h a t th e i r frie n d s a n d re la tiv e s sh o u ld offer th e P in d a v i
w ith a v ie w to th e i r sp e e d y d eliv eran c e.
I f th e r e is a n y t r u t h iii th e se sto rie s, w h a t is th e r e in th o
slirin o a t G y a t h a t e m a n c ip a te s th e g h o sts w h e n th e ir p r e v i­
o u s k a rm a s re q u ire t h a t th e y sh o u ld still lio v c r o v e r tlio
e a r t h ; w h y sh o u ld th e reliquiae of th e d e p a rte d w h ic h , u n d e r
o rd in a ry c irc u m sta n c e s, n a tu r a lly lo n g s to p ro lo n g its a rtifi­
cial ex iste n c e co v et its final d isso lu tio n ? Is it th e s tro n g w ill of
th e p e rso n t h a t offers th e P in d a m , o r is th e r e a b o u t th e p laco
its e lf a n y la te n t m a g n e tic p o w e r th a t d e stro y s th e relicjuiai ?
I t is o fte n r e la te d t h a t p ilg rim s on th e i r w a y to th e sa c re d
p lace see th e sh a d o w s of th e i r d e p a rte d re la tiv e s im p lo rin g
th e m to o ile r P in d a m s fo r th e i r benefit.. I t is also affirm ed
t h a t in o rd e r to co n v in ce th e ir re la tiv e s t h a t th e i r o fferin g of
P in d a m h a d p ro d u c e d th e d e sire d effect,th e g h o sts so m etim es
p ro m ise to b re a k th e b ra n c h e s off som e tr e e s o r a piece of
co rn ic e fro m som e old b u ild in g s w h ic h th e y h a d h a u n te d
a n d in w h ic h th e y h a d re s id e d iu to k e n of th e i r d e liv e ra n c e ;
a n d t h a t th e y h a d a c tu a lly fu lfille d th e ir p ro m ise as soon as
th e P in d a m w as p la c e d a t tlie fe e t of G odadhara, th e tim e of
b o th th e e v e n ts b e in g in d u e tim e fo u n d to c o rre sp o n d
e x a c tly to g e th e r. I t is f u r th e r b eliev e d b y m a n y , t h a t if b y
som e a c c id e n t th e slirin e a t G y a w e re su ffe re d to re m a in
w ith o u t a n y o ffe rin g s b e in g m a d e to it, ev e n fo r o n e sin g lo
d a y , th e presiding* A su ra of th e p la c e w o u ld rise fro m Liy
re s tin g p la c e a n d s h a k e th e v e ry w o rld to its fo u n d a tio n .
F o r a n y re a s o n in g p e rs o n w ho does n o t b lin d ly fo llow th o
S h a stra s i t is a p u zz le w h ic h h e finds d ifficult to solve, w hilo
a t th e sa m e tim o h e c a n h a rd ly h e lp b e lie v in g th e sto ries
w h e n re la te d b y p e rso n s w h o se tr u th f u ln e s s is beyond
q u e stio n . '
I f th e o fferin g s h e lp re a lly in a n y w a y to d e stro y th o
H in d u B h u ts , c an th e y also p ro d u c e th e sam e re s u lt u p o n
g h o s ts w h ic h , w h ile th e y liv e d o n e a rth h a d n e ith e r a n y -r e ­
g a r d fo r th e H in d u re lig io n , n o r h a d th e y ev e r h e a rd of G y a
a n d its P in d a m '! .
A s h o r t e x p la n a tio n fro m y o u w o u ld be of a n lp im e n sa
v a lu e to y o u r H in d u re a d e r s as th ro w in g lig h t 011 one of th e
m o s t m y s te rio u s c e re m o n ie s d a ily p e rfo rm e d b y h u n d re d s of
H in d u s c o m in g to G y a fro m th o d ifferen t p a r ts ot I n d ia a n d
a t a g r e a t c o st o f m o n ey a n d convenience.
A. H i n d u ,
S im la ,
J u n e 2‘tth , 1883
Editor's Note .— T l i o a n s w e r w o u l d be- m o r o s a t is f a c t o r y , w e t h i n k ,
w e r e it t o c o m o f r o m s o m e i n it ia t e d B r a h m i n o r Y o g i . It w e b e l io v o
in Ihoots or “ s h e lls ” w h o h a v o t o w a i t in t h e e a r t h ’s a t m o s p h e r e f o r tlio
s l o w d i s s o l u t i o n o f t h e i r reliquias,w e c a n n o t s a y t h e s a m e o f O o d a -
d l m r a . W e b e l io v o t h o l a t t e r — u s w e b e l i e v e all t h e o t h e r m m o l - H i n d u
h e g c n e r i c n a m o a s s u m e d b y a h o s t
o f e l o m o n t a r i o s w h o p l a y t h e i r t r i c k s u p o n E a s t e r n c r e d u l it y a s s o m o
s p o o k s p l a y t h e ir s u p o n W e s t e r n i m a g i n a t i o n . B u t t h is is om p e i s o u u l
Jjglicf, f o r w h i c h w o c l a i m n o d e g r e e o f in fa llib ility . W h i l e d n s b c lio Y jn t ;
t h o o m n i p o t e n c e o f G o d a d h u r a a n d h e r t h r e a t s t h e r e s e e m s n o r e a s o n th e cere m o n ies, b u t a s a ru le he p e rfo rm s, as he w ill ta k e th o
■ w h y w e s h o u l d d o u b t , a t t h e s a m e t i m e t h e w o r d o f h o n e s t a n d t r n t h f u l g r e a te s t in te r e s t in th e w e lfa re of th e d e p a rte d : a p u p il
p i l g r i m s w h e n t h e y tell u s t h a t t h e y s a w “ t h e s h a d o w s o f t h e i r d e ­ a n d ev e n a s t r a n g e r m ig h t p e rfo rm th e m w ith efficacy. 2 n d .
p a r t e d r e l a t iv e s .” T h e a ir is t h r o n g e d w i t h shells — t h e p a l e r e f l e c t io n s T h a t th e k a r m a of th e d e p a rte d m ig h t be su c h t h a t a tr u e
o f m o n a n d w o m e n w h o l iv e d a n d w h o s e reliquiae a r e m a g n e t i c a l l y
p r ie s t o r A d e p t is w illin g to b e p re s e n t a t th e f u n e r a l cere­
d r a w n t o t h o s e w h o m t h e y h a d l o v e d o n e a r t h . _
A s t o t h e e ilic a c y o f Pindam Shrdddha o r w o d e n y it m o s t c m p h a t i - m o n ies a n d th u s le n g th e n th e life of th e d e p a rte d m D ev a
t a l l y . T h o c u s t o m o f su c li post-mortem o f f e r i n g s h a v i n g b e e n in e x i s ­ L o k a . I n fa c t, I c o u ld fin d no g r e a te r o p p o sitio n to th e law
t e n c e fo r l o n g c e n t u r ie s a n d f o r m i n g p a r t a n d p a r c e l o f t h e H i n d u r e li­ of K a r m a th a n w h e n a n A d e p t ta k e s c are of th e m o ra l a n d
g i o n , t h e y p r o d u c o e f f e c t s ,o n l y o w i n g t o ^ h o s t r o n g b e l io f in t h e m o f t h e s p iritu a l w e lfa re of a C h e la in th is life.
o f f e f c r s , o r t h o pijarees. It is t h e la tt er w h o c a u s o u n c o n s c i o u s l y t h o
T h e e x a m p le s o f B u d d h a , Z o ro a ste r a n d M oses, a re , in m y
p r o d u c t i o n o f s u c h p h e n o m e n a . L e t t h e r e o n l y b e a s t r o n g m e d i u m in
t h o m i d s t o f p i l g r i m s ( s o m e t h i n g t h a t h a p p e n s i n v a r i a b l y in a c o u n t r y h u m b le o p in io n , ir r e le v a n t, as th e y w e re p e rso n s w ho h ad
S O fu ll o f s e n s it iv e s a s I n d i a is), a n d t h e i n t e n s i t y a u d s a m e n e s s o f t h e ir c o n q u e re d th e ir lo w e r p rin c ip le s d u r in g life a n d so re q u ire
t h o u g h t s b e n t c o n s t a n t l y a n d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y u p o n t h e o b j e c t o f t h e ir no fu n e r a l c e re m o n ie s. A s a re m a rk a b le co in cid en ce, 110
p il g r i in a g o , w ill a ffe c t t h e t h r o n g o f t h e e l e m s n t a r i o s a r o u n d t h e m . T h e y fu n e r a l c e re m o n ie s p ro p e r a re p e rfo rm e d 011 th e d e a th of a
w il l r e p e a t tliat w h i c h t h o y fin d in t h e ir f r i e n d s ’ b r a i n s a n d c l a m o u r t o r
Tindam. A f t e r w h i c h , f o l l o w i n g t h e s a i n o i d e a w h i e h d e v e l o p e d in t h o
S a n n y a s i, a n d 110 p o llu tio n is o b se rv e d e v e n by h is n e a re s t
p i l g r i m ’s t h o u g h t , i- e., t h a t t h e o f f e r i n g w ill b r i n g o n d e l i v e r a n c e re la tio n s , as a tr u e S a n n y a s i w ill, a t th e m o m e n t of d e a th , be
t h e y , “ t h o g h o s t s ,” w ill p r o m i s e a s i g n o f it, a n d p e r f o r m t h e p r o m i s e c o n te m p la tin g th e D iv in e S p ir it a n d n o t le ttin g h is low er
m e c h a n i c a l l y a n d u n c o n s c i o u s l y a s a p a r r o t w o u l d r e p e a t a w o r d , o r n a tu r e to be th in k in g a b o u t h is n e a re s t re la tio n s.
a n y t r a i n e d a n i m a l p e r f o r m a n a c t , l e d o n b y t h e s u p e r i o r i n t o l l ig e n c o T h e p e rfo rm e r of fu n e r a l cerem onies,, sh o u ld n o t w e a r a n y
o f t h o m a s k e r m i n d , t h a t h a d t r a i n e d it t o t h is .
W h a t is it t h a t p u t s a n e n d t o t h o u n r e s t f u l u e s s o f t h e “ G h o s t ? ”
c a ste -m a rk s. N o m u tila tio n s o r sh e d d in g s of blood a re
N o t h i n g p a r t ic u l a r , m o s t p r o b a b l y : n e i t h e r t h e m a g n e t i s m o f tlie p l a c o a llo w ed , n o t ev en th e c le a n in g of te e th b y v e ry h a r d r u b b in g .
d e v o t e d t o t h e I’indam, n o r t h e s t r o n g w il l o f t h o p e r s o n w h o o ffo r s i t ; T h e p rie s t w ho officiates sh o u ld fa s t u n til th e n e x t m o rn in g
b u t s i m p l y t h e a b s c n c o o f a n y i d e a c o n n e c t e d w i t h t h o r e a p p e a r a n c e o f a n d p u rify h im se lf. .
i h e 11 g h o s t ; ” t h o f i r m a s s u r a n c e , t h e i m p l i c i t c o n f i d e n c e o f t h e m o d i m u P ra c tic a lly n o w -a -d a y s, th e p e rfo rm a n c e of fu n e ra l c e re ­
t h a t t h e “ g h o s t ” h a v i n g b e e n c o m f o r t e d b y t h e o f f e r i n g o f t h e Findam m o n ies does m o re h a rm th a n g o o d , as tru e p rie s ts a re v e ry
c a n n o l o n g e r r o t u r n , o r fo c i u n r e s t f u l . T h a t ’s a ll. I t is t h o m e d i u m ’s
b r a i n , h is o w n c r e a t i v e p o w o r o f i m a g i n a t i o n t h a t c a lls f o r t h o u t o f t h e ra r e a n d s h a m -p rie sts .abound. B u t in p rin c ip le , I su b m it
n o r m a l s u b j e c t i v i t y in t o abnormal objectivity t h e g h o s t s t h a t a pp e a l- , t h a t th e p e rfo rm a n c e of f u n e r a l c e re m o n ie s w ith th e a id of a
real spirits
e x c e p t in t h o c a s e s o f t h o a p p a r i t i o n s o f a t tlie m o m e n t s p io u s a n d le a rn e d p rie s t does g o o d to th e d e p a rte d . I th e r e ­
i m m e d i a t e l y f o l l o w i n g t h e ir d e a t h . N o l iv in g b e i n g , n o g o d o r g o d d e s s fo re in v ite th e o p in io n s of le a rn e d B r o th e r H in d u s a n d
h a a t h e p o w e r o f i m p e d i n g t h e i m m u t a b l e l a w o f n a t u r e c a l l e d karma,
e s p e c i a l l y a f t e r t h o d e a t h o f t h e p e r s o n t h a t e v o l v e d it. _
P a rs e e s on th e su b je c t.
W e - w o u ld b e p l e a s e d t o s o o a n i n f u r i a t e d asura s h a k i n g i n its w r a t h T . S athasiya I y e r , B . A ., B. L .,
“ t h o w o r l d t o its f o u n d a t i o n .” M a n y a d a y , d u r i n g t h e i n v a s i o n s o f
F . T, S..
a n d a t t a c k s u p o n c it ie s b y t h o a r m i e s o f ail e n e m y , h a v e t h e s h r in e s
r e m a i n o d w i t h o u t a n y o f f e r i n g a s t h e y h a v e o f t e n b e e n d e s t r o y e d , a n d
[T o th is w e a n s w e r b y p r i n ti n g th e fo llo w in g le tte r ju s t
y e t t h o w o r l d i n o v e t h n o t . I t is t h e p r e s i d i n g a n d h u n g r y , w h e n n o t
greedy,
s i m p l y g e n i u s e s o f t h e s h r in e s , t h e l ir a l im i n s , w h o n e e d t h e re c e iv e d .— JjJd.~\ (
I ’indam, w o s h o u l d s a y , m o r e t h a u t h o G o d a d h a r a s a n d t h o omnia N o w t h a t tlic q u e s t i o n o f f u n e r a l c e r o m o n i e s h a s b e c o m e s o i m p o r t ­
gatherum o f s u c h . T h o m a s s e s c l a i m e d f o r t h e q u i e t i n g o f t h o s o u l s o f a n t , m a y I v e n t u r o t o p l a c e b e f o r e tlic r e a d e r s o f t h e Theosophist
C h r i s t i a n g h o s t s p a i d i n h a i d c a s h i n s t e a d o f b e i n g r e w a r d e d m o s t l y in t h e ’ v i e w s o f A g a s t y a R i s h i (c h o c h i e f o f S o u t h I n d i a n Y o g i s ) e m b o d i e d
n a t u r o a r o o f t h e s a m e k i u d a u d o llic a c y . A n d if w e a r e a s k e d t o g i v e 111 a T a m i l w o r k c a l l e d " A g a s t y a l ’ o o j a V i d h i . ” I t p u r p o r t s t o b e e n Upadeta
o u r h o n e s t o p i n i o n u p o n b o t h t h e m o d e s a d o p t o d b y t h e p r ie s t s o f t o r u l a s t y a , o n e o f tlie Svpta Rishis, It c o n s is t s o f s e v e n s t a n z a s o f
e v e r y r e l ig io n t o m a k e t h e l iv in g s p e n d t h o ir m o n e y in u s e l e s s c e r e m o ­ e i g h t l in e s e a c h , w h e r e h e u n e q u i v o c a l l y d e n o u n c e s t h e pindam, tarpa-
n i e s u p o n , t h e ir d e a d , w e s a y , tliat b o t h m e a n s a r e in o n r s i g h t n o b e t t e r vi tjn, a n d amauasi c e r e m o n i e s , a s s e r t i n g t h a t all t h e s e t e r m s s ig n if y
t h a n a le g a l a n d a u t h o r i z e d o x t o r t i o n , t h e t r i b u t o p a i d b y c r e d u l i t y t o Yogam ; a n d g i v e s t h e e s o t e r ic m e a n i n g o f Amavasi.
H e F p lits tlio
c u n n i n g . C h a n g e t h e n a m o a n d t h o s t o r y is t o ld o f c iv il iz e d C h r i s t i a n s w o r d in t o t h e w e l l - k n o w n m y s t i c s y l l a b l e s o f a k a r a — m a k a r a — v a k u r a —
n s it is o f h a l f - c iv il iz e d H i n d u s . —Mundits vult decipi
B u t — a n d w h o s i k n r a m . H e a d d s t h a t “ In it i a t e s a l o n e c a n i n t e r p r e t t h e V e d a s , a n d
c a n p r e v e n t a w i l l i n g m a n f r o m h a n g i n g h i m s e l f ! t h e y k n o w w h a t Inrpana,
& e . , r e a l l y a r e j 110 w i s e m a n s h u l l t h e r e f o r e d o
a s t h e p r ie s t - r id d e n m o b d o e s .” *
T h e Vidhi o p e n s w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g s t a n z a :
T H E E F F IC A C Y O F F U N E R A L C E R E M O N I E S . “ 2_<5mt_rrasr wirgir&jLD i9p<teiiu>nsttri_tr
I n tlie e d ito ria l n o te on p a g e 2 2 1 of th e J u n e N o. of tlio c p i cut Gsuetnaiejo: QerrmjQaQaiijQfinih
Theosophist, th e fo llo w in g re m a rk s o ccu r. “ B u t rite s a n d uakri—ircw*sftsmpQujiT® Sifiem ajsQe^eoirih
c erem o n ies as p re s c rib e d b y o u r re s p e c tiv e C h u rc h e s a n d /S&OTSunG’e'J <£ifl6 ta p ^^id
T h e o lo g ia n s a re a n a f te r - th o u g h t of th e p rie s t, a n o u t­ Q s i t j s b i # p p u c m tiie sir Q^iuQsuirOm^n’^31
g r o w th of th e o lo g ical a n d c le ric a l a m b itio n , s e e k in g to im ­ Q jtg u -ir lju it QcusnQertrr® p e m e s£ ife u itijlj l / t it
p re s s upon th e la ity a s u p e rs titio n , a w e ll-p a y in g aw e a n d Q p em i— asfi® surra Q arreSpQ -/rfjpitbQasirs»
d r e a d of a p u n is h m e n t of w h ic h th e p rie s t h im se lf k n o w s
GpqifLDp Q pe/H eSioecrr^ieowvn'uut ”
n o th in g b ey o n d m ere sp e c u la tiv e a n d o fte n v e ry illo g ic a l
h y p o th e s e s.” F u r t h e r o n i t i s s a i d th a t “ N o w h e re w ill one find T R A N S L A T I O N .

in th e o ld e st books th e in ju n c tio n of th e c e re m o n ies in u se .” ( " 0 Vitama ! I f t h e f a t h e r a n d m o t h e r , w h o w e r e b n t b o r n , d ie , w h y

P e rh a p s n o t in th e oldest, books on Z o ro a s tria n is m , b u t c e r­ s h o u l d w e p e r f o r m c e r e m o n i e s ? I t is t h e b l i n d w h o , r e l y i r i g 011 t h e i r
ta i n ly th e s e fu n e ra l rite s a re m e n tio n e d a n d m e n tio n e d p ro m i­ f e e b l e m e m o r y s o - c a ll e d a n d b o a s t i n g o f t h o tarpanas t h e y p e r f o r m ,
p o u r w a t e r a n d g i n g e l y s e e d w i t h all t h e t i m e - h o n o r e d shraddha a n d
n e n tly as one of th e five d u tie s of a G r ih a s ta in e v e ry book, w a n d e r f r o m t c m p l o t o t e m p l e , b u t w i t h a l b e c o m e n o t a w h i t w i s e r fo r
in th o v e ry o ld est w o rk s on H in d u is m , n o t e x c e p tin g tlie it.” ) S . M , C u i N ’E s i K G n , F . T . S..
V e d a s, O f course th e ru in o u s e x p e n d itu re o n fu n e r a l c e re m o ­
n ie s la m e n te d b y th e le a rn e d c o rre s p o n d e n t (a s th e ru in o u s
e x p e n d itu re on occasions of m a rria g e , <Scc. a m o n g th e H in d u s ) A N A M E R IC A N BRO CK EN SPECTRE.
is d u e to th e v icio u s m o tiv e o f a p p e a rin g re s p e c ta b le in th n I f i n d th e f o l lo w in g 'in T ha T im es o f In d ia of th e 25fli
eyes of th e ir n e ig h b o u rs, a n d p e rh a p s also to th e fo lly of com ­ u ltim o , p. 17. C an y o u p le a s e ex p lain it ? “ T h e s tra n g o
p ly in g w ith th o e x to rtio n s o f sh a m -p rie s ts , a n d th e re fo re a p p a ritio n of th e B ro c k e n , so fre q u e n tly seen in th e H a r ty
c a n n o t b e too s tro n g ly d e p re c a te d . M a n u say s “ A s m a n y m o u n ta in s , seem s to h a v e p a id a v is it to th e U n ite d S ta te s.
b a lls of rice as a B ra h m a n u n le a r n e d in th o V e d a s c a ts in a A t le a s t M r. R . A . M a rr, of tlie C o ast a n d G eo d etic S u rv e y ,
fu n e ra l'c e re m o n y , so m a n y re d -lio tb a lls do th e P itr is sw allo w re p o r ts th a t h e h a s w itn essed ' th is atm o sp h eric- p h e n o m en o n
in th e n e x t w o rld .” B n t if it is a p io u s a n d le a rn e d B ra h m a n in th e T o u ja b e R a n g e , in N ev a d a . I n d e sc rib in g its a p p e a r­
w ho,-in th e fu n e ra l cerem o n ies, p la c e s h im se lf en rapport w ith an ce h e say s :— ‘ S u d d e n ly ns I sto o d lo o k in g o v er th e va;-t
th e s p irits of th e d e p a rte d , th e s a id sp irits a re sa id to live lo n g e x p a n se b e n e a th m e, I saw m y self c o n fro n te d b y a m o n s te r
a n d h a p p ily in th e D ev a L o k a. N o w h e re is it sa id t h a t th e fig u re of a m a n s ta n d in g iu th e m id -a ir b efo re m e, u p o n th e
P itris by f u n e r a l cerem o n ies a tta in B r a lu n a L o k a ( t h a t is, to p of a c le a rly dofined m o u n ta in p e a k , w h ich h a d b e a t th e
M o k s h a o r N irv a n a ) . H en c e it seems- p ro b a b le t h a t A d e p ts o r th in a ir of th e v alley below fo r a r e s tin g place. T h e fig u re
tr u e -p rie s ts c a n p ro lo n g th o life of th e p rin c ip le s re s id in g w as o n ly a s h o r t d ista n c e fro m m e. A ro u n d it w e re tw o
in D e v a c h a n a n d p e rh a p s m a k e su c h lifo h a p p ie r. circ le s of ra in b o w li g h t a n d c o lo u r, th e o u te r one fa in tly d e ­
A s to th e o b jectio n s t h a t “ th e c o rre c t c o m p re h e n sio n of fin ed as c o m p a re d w ith th e in n e r one, w h ich w a s b r i g h t an d
th e law of K a rm a is e n tire ly op p o sed to th e id e a , a n d t h a t th o c le a r a n d d is tin c tly irid e sc e n t. A ro u n d th e h e a d of th e fig u re
n e x t of k in c a n n o t in te rfe re w ith th e K a rm a of th e d e p a rte d w a s a b e a u tifu l h alo of lig h t, a n d fro m th e fig u re its e lf s h o t
o n e,” I re s p e c tfu lly su b m it th e fo llo w in g e x p la n a tio n s : 1st. ra y s of c o lo u r n o rm a l to th e b o dy . T h e s ig h t s ta r tle d m e
J h » t it is n o t necessary th a t th e n e a r e s t of k iu sh o u ld p e rfo rm wore th a n I could now tell, X threw up m y hands in as<to« -
 n is h m e n t, a n d p e rh a p s som e little fe a r, a n d a t th is m o m e n t
th e sp e c tre seem ed to m ove to w a rd s m e. I n a fe w m in u te s I
g o t o v e r m y f r ig h t, a n d th e n a f te r th e fig u re h a d fa d e d a w a y ,
I re c o g n ise d th o fa c t th a t I h a d e n jo y e d o n e of th e m o s t
w o n d e rfu l p h e n o m e n a of n a tu r e . S in c e th e n w e h a v e seen
i t once o r tw ic e fro m Jeff. D a v is P e a k , b u t i t n e v e r c re a tc d
su ch a n im p re ss io n u p o n m e a s i t d id t h a t e v e n in g w h e n I
w as d o in g se rv ic e a s a h e lio tro p e o n th e to p o f A rc D o m e .”
P . T. S r i n i v a s i e n g a r , B . A ., F . T. S .
W h a t is th e r e to ex p lain iu th is ? A m o s t in te re s tin g , y e t
v ery n a tu ra l p h en o m en o n e x p la in e d o n th e aam e p rin c ip le as
th a t of B ro k e n .— E d .
S P E C IM E N S TO E X C H A N G E .
I HAVE fo u n d th e fossil h e a d of tlie e x tin c t m a rs u p ia l L ion
T h y lo caleo C a rn ife x , a u n iq u e a n d v e ry in te re s tin g sp ecim en ;
I am a n x io u s to e x c h a n g e th e “ c a s ts ” w ith a n y cla ss of
m u se u m sp ecim en s fo r m y fre e m u s e u m o pen e v e ry d a y in
th e y e a r. I h av e also a la r g e n u m b e r of o th e r F o ssil B o n es,
F e r n Im p re ssio n s, S h e lls, &c. to e x c h a n g e fo r B ird s , S h e lls,
F o ssils, In se c ts, &c. ; also P h a n e ro g a m ia sp ecim en s. I f one of
o u r b ro th e rs w o u ld k in d ly u n d e rta k e to re ce iv e sp e c im e n s
a n d m y e x c h a n g e s a n d to k e e p th e m in h is c h a rg e u n til th e y
w o u ld be s e n t off in lo ts to th e i r re s p e c tiv e a d d re s se s, t h a t
w o u ld fa c ilita te th e w o rk , a n d sa v e expense.
R a n g e N u rse r y , C. H . H a r t m a n n , F . T . S .
T oowoomba, Q ueensland,
A u str a lia .
A RN E SAKNUSSEM M .
H a v i n g ju s t re c e iv e d th e T h eosophist f o r J u n e , I find on
p a g e 234 a le tte r fro m o ne s ig n in g h im s e lf “ A J u n i o r S t u ­
d e n t,” a n d h e a d e d — “ A n e x p la n a tio n w a n te d .” I n o w b e g y o u
w ill allo w m e a few r e m a r k s u p o n t h e su b je c t, w h ic h m a y ,
p e rh a p s , p ro v e of a c e rta in im p o rta n c e . S e v e n o r e ig h t y e a rs
ago, in o ne of J u le s V e rn e ’s w o rk s ( I fo rg e t th e title ), I re a d
th e fo llo w in g : A savant finds in a n o ld book v e rse s in R u n ic
c h a ra c te rs t h a t h is n e p h e w alo n e c a n d e c ip h e r. T h ese v e rses
c o n ta in th e p roof t h a t a n o ld a lc h e m is t A rn e S a k n u sse m m ,
b u r n t aliv e b y th e H o ly In q u is itio n , h a d p e rfo rm e d a v o y a g e
in to th e in te rio r of th e e a r th v ia th e c r a te r of a v o lcan o in
G re e n la n d , &c. & c ; a v oy ag e u n d e r ta k e n la te r o n b y th e
u n cle a n d n ep h ew . T h is o ld a lc h e m is t, a m o n g o ilie r e x tr a ­
o rd in a ry fe a ts, w a s th e in v e n to r o f th e d o u b le “ M .” w ritte n
in R u n ic c h a ra c te rs in a p e c u lia r w a y . I t w ill be e a sy to
v e rify th e sta te m e n ts , a n d in case th e y a re fo u n d c o rre c t, to
p u t d o w n “ A J u n i o r S tu d e n t” as h e d e se rv e s— fo r h is
im p e rtin e n c e . ■
P ek alo n o o n . F . de T e n g n e g e l l , F. T. S .
I . of J a v a , 1th J u ly .
E ditor's X ote.— W e th a n k o u r J a v a b r o th e r fo r th e in fo rm a tio n . Wo
have read th is w o rk of J n le s V e rn e alo n g w ith a ll h is o th e r w o rk s of
scientific fiction as th e y h av e a p p e a re d ; b n t since one re a d s c e rta in ly
n o t a rom ance fo r th e sak e of its actio n , d escrip tio n s, a n d a n a ly sis of
h n m an n atu re, th e n am es of th e fictitio u s p e rso n a g e s need a s c ry sta lliz in g
po in ts, or “ m o to r-cen tres,” b y th e a u th o r a r e soon fo rg o tte n . W e did
o n r b e s t to give “ J u n io r S tu d e n t” f a c ts w e p re su m e d he a c tu a lly
w a n te d ; an d wo hope o u r E d ito ria l ‘ N o te ’ edified him . B n t if tho
p a r ty iu q n estio n got h is a lch em ist o ut of J u le s V e rn e ’s rom ance, a n d
p u t h is q u e ry in a sp irit of quizzing, i t w o u ld only show th a t h e is y e t
a v e r y ju n io r stu d e n t, indeed, w ho h as, m o reo v er, a v e ry p u e rile n o tion
of a jo k e ; an d w hen ho bloom s in to a ‘ S e n io r ,1 or a g ra d u a te , he will
disco v er w h a t a sim p leto n h e m ade of h im se lf. T lie p ro v e rb te lls us to
“ A n sw e r a fool acco rd in g to his f o l ly ,” b u t in th is in sta n c e onr sober
an sw er p ro fited o th e rs p erch ance, if n o t him . B ut, p erh ap s, w e do th e
lad in ju stice. H e m a y h av e se n t his q u estio n s iu good fa ith .
T H E A D I B R A H M A S A M A J.
I All g la d t h a t B a b u R a j N a ra in B ose lias com e to th e
fro n t. Theosophy b e in g the S cience at the bottom o f a ll T heolo­
gies, h is ad v ic e to k e e p th e m a p a r t b eco m es u n m e a n in g .
B ig o ted a d h e re n c e to on e’s b e lie fs is b a d a s p re c lu d in g th e
a c c e p tan ce of p o ssib ly t r u e r b e lie fs th a n one h o ld s. B u t a n y
one c an sp e a k o u t a n d p u b lis h h is o p in io n s as his h a vin g
them open to correction ; a n d so f a r i t m a y be a d u ty of
th e b ro th e rh o o d of m an . B n t b ig o te d p ro s e ly tism is a
D isease o r else— a D eceit. T h e H in d u s b e lie v e in a n I m ­
p e rs o n a l In fin ite , b u t w o rk to re a c h it th r o u g h th e P e rs o n a l
F in ite , b e g in n in g w ith fin ite o b jec ts in n a tu r e a n d p a ssin g
th r o u g h im ag es in s p ire d b y G u ru s a n d H ie ro p h a n ts to se lf­
illu m in a tio n . B ra h m a n is m classes m e n a c c o rd in g to th e ir
in h e r ite d a p titu d e s in to V a rn a m , a n d e a c h m a n a c c o rd in g to
h is c u ltu re a n d p ro g re ss in to A sra m a m , T h e V a rn a m c la ssi­
fication. is a p p lie d also to th e fo rm atio n , a n d q u a lity of th e
p re c io u s sto n e s a n d of h o rses, s e rp e n ts , &c.&c. T h e B h u d d h ists,
w h ile g r a n t in g t h a t a m a n ’s b ir th is a c c o rd in g to h is p re v io u s
K a rm a , h a v e n e g le c te d th e cla ssific atio n of V a rn a m , a n d
B ra h m a n is m is th e re fo re a n d so f a r o n ly o p p o sed to B liu d -
a ln s m , T o s t a r t a C en su s o f B irtli-c lia i'a c te ristic s fo r th o
first tim e in a p o p u lo u s a n d scep tical c o m m u n ity , is no d o u b t
im p ra c tic a b le n o w ; b u t th e M a h a tm a s classified th e H in d u s
a n d h a v e g iv e n in f a llib le ru le s fo r ju d g in g n o t o n ly m e n b u t
a n im a ls a n d m in e ra ls a s e v e ry tr a d e r a n d s n a k e -c h a rm e r
k n o w s.
A . S a n kariah.
A FE W W O RD S.
F rom a V eteran P h il o so ph er .
I tr u l y in c lin e d to c o p y o u t a v e ry s h o r t C h a p te r iu
w a s
P ro fe s s o r F l i n t ’s b o o k “ A n ti- T h e is tic T h e o rie s” o n ‘ H in d u
M a te ria lis m ,’ q u o tin g b o o k s a n d a u th o r itie s to sh o w t h a t w e
a re n o t so ig n o r a n t of H in d u P h ilo so p h y a s th e le a rn e d E d ito r
im a g in e s,* b u t w e h a v e also in th is m o st le a rn e d w o rk fro m
th e P ro fe sso r o f D iv in ity in th e U n iv e rs ity o f E d in b u rg h .
C h a p te rs o n ‘ C h in ese M a te ria lis m ’, E a rly G re e k , E p ic u re a n ,
of th e S e v e n te e n th a n d E ig h te e n th C e n tu rie s, of th o first
h a lf of th e N in e te e n th C e n tu ry , R e c e n t M a te ria lis m , Ac. &c.
N o d o u b t P ro fe sso r T y n d a ll’s M a te ria lis m is no n o v e lty e x ­
c e p t in h is b o ld u tte ra n c e of its im m o rta l p rin c ip le a s P r e s i­
d e n t o f th o B ritis h A sso c ia tio n fo r th e A d v a n c e m e n t of
Science in tlic m e e tin g of B e l f a s t ; b u t in m y le tte r s to M iss
M a rtin e a u I h a d in s iste d o n th e sam e 20 y e a rs b e fo re , ta k in g
m y s ta n d o n B a c o n ’s p rin c ip le s a n d h is ‘ N o v u m O rg an u m ?’
I a m so rry to h a v e m is a p p re h e n d e d so m u c h c o n c e rn in g
‘ T h e o so p h ism ,’ th e w o rd I find in m a n y m o u th s, b u t th o
m e a n in g in n o o n e ’s th o u g h ts . A s to w h a t is th e d e fin ite
a im a n d th e m a tte r s s o u g h t fo r, o r as to th e in v e s tig a tio n
g o in g on, o r m e a n s a n d m e th o d im p lied , I re a d a s fa c t t h a t
th e P r e s id e n t h a s seen a v a s t n u m b e r of s p irits o r g h o sts o r
a p p a ritio n s o r d o u b le s o r w h a t n o t, a n d t h a t h e is p ra c tis in g
th e h ealin g - a r t b y m e a n s of m esm e rism w ith remarkable s u c ­
cess, b u t b e y o n d w h ic h w h a t th e s u b tle m e a n s n o w so u g h t to
a c q u ire o c c u lt m e a n in g s a n d p ra c tic a l scicn ce is, I c a n n o t see,
b u t, on all, w h ic h re m a in , a f t e r a ll th e say , in q u ite o c c u lt
d a rk n e s s. W ith all a p o lo g ies fo r m y o b tu se n e ss,
E v e r, S ir E d ito r,
Y o u r h u m b le se rv a n t,
' H e n r y G. A t k i n s o n .’
T H E “ S A V IN G O F A N O T H E R H I N D U S O U L .’'
I k n o w y o u r tim e is p re c io u s, a n d a n y u seless e n c ro a c h ­
m e n t u p o n it is n o th in g s h o r t of p o sitiv e sin . I k n o w th is,
n a y re a lise it, b u t I a m j u s t im p lo rin g y o u r a tte n tio n to a
m a tte r o f n o sm a ll im p o rta n c e , n o in s ig n ific a n t s p iritu a l
m e r it— th e s a v in g of a soul.
I t is a slia m e n o w in th is c o n d itio n of m y s p iritu a l know -'
le d g e to c la im d e sc e n t fro m th e I lis h is of h o a ry a n tiq u ity .
I a m a B ra h m in , a N a g a r. I t is n o little jo y to k n o w t h a t
th e so u rce of a k n o w le d g e lo n g n e g le c te d , fo rg o tte n , d isc re ­
d ite d , w h o se p la c e h a s b e e n u s u rp e d b y self-su fficien t m a te ri­
alism a n d c u n n in g scep ticism a ssiste d — s h o c k in g to a d m it—
b y h e r (k n o w le d g e ’s) v e ry c h ild re n a n d d e sc e n d a n ts— th a
so u rce I sa y o f su c h s p iritu a l k n o w le d g e is w ith in reach o£
e v e ry s e e k e r of tr u th . A s h o r t h is to ry of m y relig io n (as I
w o u ld c a ll th e p h ilo so p h ic a l d e v e lo p m e n t of m y in te llig e n c e )
w ill fo rm a fit p re lu d e to w h a t follow s. I n m y in fa n c y I
w as w ell c o n te n t to w o rsh ip th e h o u se h o ld g ods w ith foncl
e x p e c ta tio n s of th e d a y in m y ex istence, w h en th e y w ill
fa v o u r m e w ith th e ir p re se n c e a n d bestow th e ir b o o n s on m o
w ith a fre e h a n d . G ra d u a lly th e ro u tin e o f w o rsh ip b e g a n
to y ie ld u n d e r its o w n w e ig h t. E v e r y th in g o f th e g o d s
v a n ish e d , b u t tlic piece of m e ta l o r sto n e b efo re m y p h y sic a l
eyes. A t a b o u t 18 I id e n tifie d relig io n w ith a m o ra l codo
o f la w s, w a v in g a ll b e lie f in a n y th in g b e y o n d m o r a lity a n d
m a tte r . A t th is s ta g e co m m en ced w h a t w e c a ll m y “ C ol­
* T hey m a y know , 110 doubt, so m e th in g of H indoo philosop h y , if th o
p e ru sa l of a few litira l tra n s la tio n s of H in d u m e ta p h y sic a l w o rk s c a n
bo oonsidoi'ed as know ledge of H in d u philosophy. B u t w e v e n tu re to
affirm th a t E u ro p e a n s know a lso lu te ly n o th in g of th e re a l n a tu r e of
H in d u religious philosophy in its re latio n to m y ste rie s and p ra c tic a l R aj
Y og. O ur re sp e c to d c o rre sp o n d e n t is a M a te ria list an d a F re e th in k e r,
w hile w e a re O c c u ltists a n d M e ta p h y sic ia n s. W o c a n h a rd ly u n d e r­
sta n d ea c h o th e r.— T . S u b b a R o w , Jo in t E ditor.
le g e life .” N ew scenes of life a n d th o u g h t o p en ed u p to
:my b e w ild e re d im a g in a tio n in B o m b a y . I h a d becom e a.
c o lle g ia n ! M y frie n d s ex p ected m e to be ft n o v el c re a tu re .
T h o se o f th e m w ho hav e h a d n o a d v a n ta g e of E n g lis h e d u ­
c a tio n a lr e a d y saw one in m e. I m u s t lo o k u p o n th e S h a s-
tr a s a s ta le s of su p e rstitio n , n o t w o rth ev en th e c u rio sity of
a p a s s in g co n sid eratio n , g o t u p fo r th e g u id a n c e of th e ig n o ­
r a n t a u d th e cred u lo u s w h o d o n o t re a liz e th e im p o rta n c e of
so c ia l m o ra lity o r .H y g ie n e fo r its o w n sak e. I am su re ly
a b o v e a ll su ch d ro ss, w ith m y k n o w le d g e of M ill, S p e n c e r,
D a rw in a n d a h o a rd of o t h e r s ; a n d m u s t so a r h ig h e r in
science a n d m e th o d . I m u s t im ita te E n g lis h m a n n e rs,
E n g lish d re ss, E n g lis h m o d es of life a n d th o u g h t, a n d g o o d ­
n ess o n ly k n o w s w h a t n o t E n g lis h . I am h a p p y I c a n r e ­
flect u p o n th e p a s t w ith o u t a sin g le p a n g of re m o rse fo r w h a t
I sh o u ld h av e done u n d e r th e in flu e n c e o f C o lle g ia te in f a tu a ­
tio n . I to o k m y d eg ree. L a u n c h e d u p o n th e w o rld w ith a
h e a d fu ll of a d m ira tio n a n d v e n e ra tio n f o r W e s te r n su b je c tiv e
sp e c u la tio n s, I m ad e u p m y m in d to firs t g o th r o u g h e v e ry
E n g lis h w o rk on H is to ry o r P h ilo s o p h y I c o u ld la y m y
h a n d s on. I n ac c o m p lish in g th is la b o u r of love, I m a d e no
in c o n sid e ra b le sacrifice, g a v e u p m y c o u rse of L a w -stu d ie s
fo r L . L . B ., th e g oal of e v e ry I n d ia n g r a d u a t e ’s a m b itio n .
M y m in d soon g re w d is a p p o in te d w ith th e sp e c u la tio n s of th e
W e s t n o t u n o fte n d ia m e tric a lly o p p o sed to th e te a c h in g s of
m y S h a s tra s . F a ilin g to solve a s P ro f. T y n d a ll a c k n o w ­
le d g e s “ th e u ltim a te m y s te ry ,” I tu r n e d to th e stu d y of
m y S h a s tra s . T h a n k s to m y S a n s k r it k n o w le d g e , I w as able
in a b rie f sp ace of tim e to m a s te r th e p rin c ip le s of th e six
p rin c ip a l schools of S a n s k r it P h ilo s o p h y ( t h e tw o N y a y a s,
t h e tw o S a n k h y a s, th e tw o M im n a n sa s.) T h e te a c h in g s of
S h a n k a r a C h a ry a w e n t ho m e to m y m in d , a n d I a d o p te d th e
V e d a n ta as m y fu tu re re lig io n . I w as th e n a b le to u n d e rs ta n d
to som e e x te n t th e te a c h in g s of P la to a n d e sp ecially th e A le x ­
a n d r ia n N e o p la to n ists. B e rk le y also a m o n g m o d e rn p h ilo ­
s o p h e rs b e g a n to a p p e a r 'in b e tte r li g h t th a n h ith e rto , fo r
[ h a d s till h a d no b elief in a n y o c c u lt p h e n o m e n a , th o u g h
I h a d lo n g since h e a rd of y o u r S o c ie ty a n d y o u r w o rk , w h en
som e a c c id e n t in tro d u c e d m e in to th e s e c re t of m esm e rism . I
p ra c tis e d it m y self w ith a p p lic a tio n , b u t in a W e s te rn s p irit.
T h e re s u lts , c o n v in c in g a n d s u r p ris in g as th e y w e re , soon
cam e to a s ta n d -s till a n d h a d to be r e p o r te d to C ol. O lc o tt
f o r ad v ice . (T h e se a re p u b lish e d o n p a g e 2 8 0 of th e
Theosophist" fo r A u g u s t la s t) . T h o se “ ra s h a n d ill-co n si­
d e re d e x p e rim e n ts ,” a s th o C ol. chooscs to c all th e m ,
th o u g h e n d in g in p a rtia l fa ilu re (sin c c w h ic h tim e I h avo
g iv e n u p th e in v e s tig a tio n ) f o r w a n t of c o m p e te n t g u id a n c e ,
havfe n o t, I am g la d to say , re s u lte d in a n y of th e consequonoos
w hich h e ex p ressed h is u n w illin g n e s s “ to fo re c a s t.” M y
e x p e rie n c e , h o w ev er, c o n v in ce d m e of th e e x iste n c e of s p ir it ;
a n d of th e alcas of th e B ra h m a S u tr a s a n d th e U p a n is h a d s
w h ic h a p p e a re d to be a p o te n t, im p re ssib le r e a lity d eified by
O r. B o w y D odds in his essays. T h e M a y a , A v id y a , a n d the
B rahm a of th e cre e d I h a d been c h e ris h in g w ith fo n d n e ss,
becam e, th o u g h a p p a re n tly c o n tra d ic to ry , a t once in te llig ib le ;
a n d th o S th u la , S u k sh m a a n d K a ra n a IJeha of m e n to g e th e r
w ith th e five K oshas a ss u m e d fo r th e firs t tim e som e p h ilo so ­
p h ic a l m e a n in g . D u rin g th e se six m o n th s I le a r n t m o re th a n
J h a d le a r n t in y e a rs p a st. I to o k a re v ie w of Yoga, S a n k h y a
sind V edanta, a n d becam e th o ro u g h ly re c o n c ile d to th e te a c h ­
in g s of th e first a n d th e la s t ch icfly by th e h e lp of sev eral
a rtic le s in th e N os. of th e “ T h eo so p h ist,” th o w h o le of w h ich
[ n o w m a d e a su b je c t of c o n s ta n t s tu d y . A s f a r as I h a v o
b e e n a b le to u n d e rs ta n d P a ta n ja li a n d S h a n k a ra , b o th te a c h
th e sa m e th e o r y of M oksha, th e fo rm e r la y in g m u c h stre ss on
H a th a Yoga a s a m ean s to it, a n d th e la t te r on B a ja Yoga.
T h e e x p la n a tio n s of N irv a n a c o n ta in e d in y o u r “ Is is U n ­
v e ile d ” e n a b le d m e to ^reconcile B u d d h is m w ith its a n ta g o n ­
is t B ra h m a n ism ; th e e ss e n tia l d ifferen co b e tw e e n th o tw o
c o n sistin g m erely in n o n -b e lie f o r b elief in V e d ic rite s a n d
c erem o n ies. T h e s p a r k fo r th is tr u e k n o w le d g e th u s k in d le d
in m e b lew in to a b lazo o n re a d in g B u lw e r L y tto n ’s
“ Z a n o n i” a u d M r. S in n e tt’s “ O c c u lt W o rld .”
T h e h is to ry of m y re lig io n is to ld . I h a v e com e to sy m ­
p a th is e fu lly w ith th e T h e o so p h ic a l m o v e m e n t a n d its w o rk .
I f th e a ss u ra n c e of a s p e c ta to r b e y o n d th e p a le o f y o u r
' S o ciety c a n e n su re tho co n scio u sn ess of p io u s m e rit, y o u a re
a c c u m m u la tin g b y sa v in g in n u m e ra b le c h ild re n of th is once
illu s trio u s la n d fro m w re c k in g th e s h ip o f th e i r s p iritu a l
w e lfa re u p o n th e s tu b b o rn ro c k s of M a te ria lis m a n d H y p o -
c ry c y , h e re I s ta n d to th r o w t h a t a s s u ra n c e in th e te e th of
in c r e d u lity a n d ig n o ra n c e . M . N . D y iy edi ,
A N A P P E A L F O R T H E R E D E M P T IO N O F T H E
F O O R P A R IA H S .
[A n o b l e m o v em en t, o n e of a m o st red e e m in g a n d h ig h
c h a ra c te r, is s e t on fo o t by sev e ra l n a tiv e g e n tlem en of
S o u th e r n In d ia , n a m ely , a S o c ie ty fo r th e R e g e n eratio n of th e
P a ria h c lasse s. H ith e r to , th e se h ap less o u tc a s te s, o r r a th e r
c re a tu re s o f n o -caste, re je c te d by a ll th e ir fellow -m en, th o u g h t
t h a t th e ir o n ly w ay to sooial a n d p o litic a l r a th e r th a n relig io u s
sa lv a tio n , w as by Lending a w illin g e a r to th e lib e ra l prom ises
m ad e to th e m by th e M issio n arie s) a n d th u s — th e y fell an
e asy p re y to th e se u n iv e rsa l w ay-layers. H a d th e P a d ris
w h ile b a p tiz in g (w h ic h does n o t alw ay s m e a n c o n v e rtin g )
th e m , d o n e a n y th in g in th e w ay o f m o ra l re g e n e ra tio n for
th is u n f o r tu n a te c la ss, we w ould be th e first to a p p la u d th e ir
e ffo rts. A s i t is, e v ery E u ro p e a n h a v in g th e m isfo rtu n e to deal
w ith n a tiv e c o n v e rts (of a n y caste, n o t o n ly th e P a ria h s)
w h e th e r a s s e rv a n ts or a n y th in g else, w ill h e a r o u t o u r
te s tim o n y w hen sa y in g t h a t M issio n a ry p ro se ly tism h as done
a th o u s a n d tim es m o re h a rm to tb o so n a tiv e s w ho have su c ­
c u m b ed t o i t t h a n a n y k in d o f id o la try o rfe tic h is m .U s e le s s to go
o v er a too w ell b e a te n g ro u n d an d re p e a t t h a t w h ic h h a s been
sa id a n d b e tte r said ev en by a few h o n e st C h ris tia n m issio n aries
th e m se lv e s. T h e re fo re we a p p la u d m o st sin cerely to th a noble
u n d e rta k in g . O nce t h a t th e P a ria h s , a m o n g w hom th e re aro
as m an y in te llig e n t y o u n g m e n a s am o n g a n y o th e r class,
a re m ad e to e n jo y th e b en efits of nn e d u c a tio n t h a t w ill
e n ab le th e m to th in k fo r th e m se lv e s, th e a b u ses o f p ro sely tism
m u s t ce ase. W e feel h a p p y to give su c h a specim en of tho
g ro w th of p h ila n th ro p y in th e r i g h t d ire c tio n in I n d ia as
th is “ A p p e a l to th e N a tiv e P rin ces, Z e m in d a rs, M erchants,
G ra d u a tes o f the U n iv e rsity o f M a d ra s, a n d a ll other educated
g en tle m e n o f S o u th e r n I n d i a ” — E d .]
G e n t l e m e n ,
A t a m eetin g of som e ed u cated and benevolent H indoos of
B angalore, held a t th e residence of Rai B ahadur A .R . S a b a p a u t u t
M o o d e l i a r , Civil and M ilitary S tatio n , on th e 10th S eptem ber
1882, it was u nanim ously resolved a fte r a lo n g discussion th a t
th e form ation of a N ativ e P h ilan th ro p ic A ssociation for tho
R eg en eratio n of ou tcastes, com m only called P ariah s, is one ot the
m ost u rg e n t w ants of S o u th e rn In d ia , and tb a t it should th ere­
fore be form ed as early as p racticable a fte r ascertain in g the
views of th e public.
B efore we proceed to explain th e aim s and ob jects of tho
A ssociation, we have g re a t p leasure in placing before you a brief
resume of tho sen tim e n ts an d ideas expressed a t th e m eeting
w ith a san g u in e hope th a t wo shall en list y o u r sy m p ath y and
secure yo u r h earty co-operation, w ith o u t w hich it is alm ost
im possible to su rm o u n t th e difficulties connected w ith such a
g ig a n tic u n d e rta k in g .
We havo to recoguise th e sad fact th a t th e low p o sitio n of our
co u n try in th e scale of civilization is p a rtly ow ing to th e igno­
rance in w hich th e m asses are a t p resen t steeped, and p artly to
th e division of th e H indoos into castes and sub-castes of exclu­
sive n a tu re w ith a tendency to lim it o u r sy m p ath ies and sphere
of u sefu ln ess. T he caste B y stem and its concom itant religious
intolorance, when in th e ir fu ll vigour, nob only made th e higher
o rd ers to tally neg lect th e w elfare and ad v ancem ent of th e lower
classes, b u t assigned to th e m a d e g rad in g social position—a state
of th in g s n o t o t all conducive to th e continuance of friendly
feelings betw eeu both. B u t while it is a source of gratification
th a t th e p ro g ress of h ig h e r education d u rin g th e Last 30 or 40
y ears has to some e x ten t m itig ated the evils of th e sp irit of cold
indifference an d jealousy above alluded to, we can n o t m ince
m a tte rs an d ignore th e absolute tr u th th a t a g re a t deal m ore
rem ains undone. W e can no longer afford to be unconcerned
a b o u t th e sad a n d d istresse d condition of th e low er orders
a m o n g st us, snch as th e Tam il sp eak in g P ariahs, w ho as a body
are ig n o ran t, ill-fed, and given up to th e pernicious vice of
d rin k in g which consum es th e m ajo r portion of w h at little they
e arn . A n a n cie n t religion is fa st losing its hold on them :
several of them have shew n a readiness to em brace faiths foreign
to th em w ith o u t e n q u iry .
T h e ir adopted religion (C hristianity) h as in no way helped
th e m in sh ak in g off th e ir vices, such as d rin k in g , &c. T heir
children are despised in schools w hich are opened for boys. In
Bpite of th e d e te rio ra tio n they have been u n d erg o in g of late, as
a class th o y are stro n g , in te llig e n t and in d u strio n s. Above all
th e y are noted as th e tru ly g ra te fu l race as Y as-B edurs of this
Province, a v irtu e , w hich is ra re ly found in th e o th e r low er
o rd ers. As household serv an ts of E uropeans, th ey have acquired
a re p u ta tio n by displaying special pow ers of ad ap ta b ility , shew­
in g th a t thoy possess la te n t powers for h ig h e r th in g s, which, if
only developed u n d e r th e fo sterin g care of th e in te llig e n t and
hum ano public, can be d irected into several u seful channels.
Such a consum m ation will n o t only prom ote th e ir own happiness,
b u t also th a t of th e c o u n try indirectly. T h ey h a v e no ab h o r­
rence for in d u strial professions. If th ey only rise to position
t h e y w o u l d h a v e n o scruples of relig io u s n a t u r e to reap t h e
 benefits of travel in civilized cou n tries. T h ey h av e a language
aud a h isto ry which, if they co m prehend, w ould m ake th em
jproud. W e have only to re fer to th e a n tiq u ity o f th e T am il
L a n g u ag e w hich has au orig in al lite ra tu ro of its ow n. A m ongst
th e ancestors of the present T a m il-sp eak in g P a ria h s, th e re w ere
several d istin g u ish ed G ram m arian s, P oets, and R eligious Preaoh-
ors, who could be spoken of iu th e sam e b re a th as th a t of th e ir
w orld-know n A ryan b reth ro n . I t w ould p u t th e p re se n t
d e g rad ed P ariahs to sham e if th e y w ould only th in k of th e
p ro m in en t position assigned to th e rep rese n ta tio n of oqe of
th e ir ancestors in th e celebrated T em ple of Sreeranga'm in
recognition of his triod religio u s zeal. T he g re a t sage R a m a n u ja -
chartar devised and carried o u t m easures to raise th e condition
of even the low est am ongst us, In re co g n itio n of th e help th e
P ariahs rendered him on an occasion when th e ir services were
needed, ho allowed them th e privilege of w orshipping Uod in
th e celebrated tem ple of M elkote on special occasions. S im ilar
instances of privilego are to th is day observed in th e fam ous
T em ple of Tcroovauloor in T an jo re . Is it then ju st, proper,
or expedient to look down npon P a ria h s who have a noble and
elevating history, or allow them to pine away in th e ir m ise r­
able condition ? W hen we enjoy lib e rty of speech and action
u n der th e benign ru le of tho B ritish , and when we find in
E u rope and o th e r civilized countries, tlio rich and th e learned
consider it an u nsw erving prinoiple of action to ra ise th e
sta tu s of th e m asses by all possiblo m e a n s—Is it not tim e to
do som ething for th e am elioration of th e low er classes of
S o u th ern In d ia ?
Now to th e objects and aim s of th e A ssociation. T hey are
(a .) To estab lish C h arity Schools in all th e larg e tow ns of
S outhern T ndiafor th e education of th o low er orders,
(i.) To em ploy learned men to go a b o u t the co u n try preach­
ing religion and m orality a m o n g st them au d to train
up ih eir own preachers,
(c.) To give scholarships to p rom ising and in tellig en t lads
to enable them to prosecute th e ir stu d ies in E n g lish
Schools.
(Signed) A. N a h a s i m m a I y e n g a r , A ssista n t C om m issioner
in W aiting on H . H , th e M aha R ajah of M ysore;
A, S r e e n i v a s a C i i a i u a k , Advocate, and V ice-P resid en t, B an­
galore Town M unicipality ;
• l i o n : S ecretaries to the N ativ e P h ila n th ro p ic A ssociation for
tho R egeneration of P ariah s of S o u th e rn In d ia, on behalf
of the Provisional C om m ittee. ■’
B a n g a l o u k , \2 ih M ay 1883,
— » --- -
TH E TH R EE A S P E C T S OF BRAHM A.
B y K ris h n a s h a n k a r L a l S h an k ar.
A l l o w me to inform you tliat it was witli tlie greatest
pleasure that I I'ead M r. T . Subba How’s very able ex­
position of the natnre of tbe F irst Principle in the great
universe (3‘U I^') iu hia article headed “ P ra k riti and
Purusha” in the Ju ly Theosophist, written in answer to
the rather vague and confused questions raised by tho
venerable Swami of Almora, for whom, however, not­
withstanding the great distance between him and me,
and notwithstanding the fact of my having never seen
him, I entertain the same high respect as I do for all
real Yogis, with ono at least of whom— a genuine Adwaiti
— I have the good fortune to be personally acquainted.
L et me assure M r. Subba Row that his exposition is not
only so clear and able as every thing that has proceeded
from his pen has always been, but that it is exactly in
accordance with what the real Adwaiti yogis on this side
of the country conceive of the Swarupa of the F irst
Principle 01 * Parabrahma. Tho three great schools of
Adwaitis, Dwaitis and Vashishtadwaitis, when shorn of
the phraseological technicalities and war of word8, would
seem to amount to nothing more than so many different
opinions as to the way in which this aspect of the p aia -
brahma should be described, because I think that all the
three in that case would have to agree that the Para­
brahma, or by whatever other name they might prefer to
call tho F irs t Principle, is, in its nature, dual, or rather
triple, if space which must also be admitted
to be co-existent, eternal, and interwoven with Mula­
prakriti and Chaitanya, 'is taken into consideration.
They should all agree, I imagine, as to the substance
( I beg pardon for having to use this word for lack
of a better one), although they might disagree as to ita
name, in view of the different ingredienta of which ifc
vae composed. Take, for instance, the m ixture of m ilk,
water and sugar. One m ight choose to call it m ilk j
another, water ; a third, neither of the two ; a fourth, the
m ixture of m ilk and water ; and a fifth, some other
name ; and yet, a ll along, all these might agree that tha
snbstance in dispute was m ilk (ind wat^r and sugar
without any one of which it could not be what it was.
The dispute as to the name, or the mode of description
for the matter of that, is Mithyavad (fte ^ T R K ). T h u
substance is the thing. The same is the case almost,
in my humble opinion, with the different schools as to
the Swarupa of the F ii’st Principle, and I hope, that in.
this spirit, the venerable hermit of Alm ora would see hiy
way k) agree with the major premises and the final de­
duction of M r. Subba Row, although he m ight disagreo
from his stand-point— with tlie manner of M r. Subba
Row’s proceeding with his argument. The idea of tlia
dual nature of the F irst Principle is so well known on
this side— to those “ who know, you know” — that even au
uninitiated nobody like myself expressed it in the follow­
ing stanza (in Guzarati) which was composed soma
months ago almost impromptu, when I was asked to say
something about the reason why the features of the new­
born child of one my friends— whose snrname was K a ka
— were so much liko liis father’s, and yet also so much
like his mother’s.
ftpT-STfccf *K*T-3TW*T3T ;
T I m i srof? ■
^ p fira r s j> r # I # # sro ff- \
T r a n s l a t io n .
E ith er call it Purusha-Prakriti, or call it Karan-Karya ;
Or call it Shiua-Shakti, or call it S atya-A satya;
Or call it Jada-Chaitanya, or call it Ishwar-Maya ;
Call it Brahma-Avidya, or call it A tma-Kaya ;
The Universe is the impression ( 01 * shadow or emana­
tion) of this corporate indivisible (Ardhanarishwari)
half male, half female principle or entity ;
Iu like manner, the boy born of Kaki is the impression
(or bears the stamp) of the combination (both physical
and mental) of K aka and Kaki.
B r o a c ii, 1
21 at July 1883. j
“ I M P R E S S IO N S FROM THE INFINITE."
F o r some time past, M. C. W . Rohner, M.D., of
Benalla, was busy translating from the Spanish of Balmea
trance-ntterances of the name that heads this note.
W hether the “ Impressions from the Infin ite” is a name
given to the series by the Spanish recorder (or compiler,)
or by tlie able A ustralian translator, we are unable to
tell. However it may be, the work is finished, and after
the word F i n i s , Dr. Rohner lias tho follow ing:—
Epilogue by the Translator.
Readers of the Theosophist, and of the Theosophical
writings generally, will have perceived that the “ Im pres­
sions from the Infinite,” as published iu the Harbinger
of Light for the last eight or ten months, bear a certain
resemblance to some of tho more advanced teachings of
Eastern Occultism, which circumstance appears to me to
illustrate the fact, still doubted in certain quarters, that
the “ Brothers” exert a silent aud world-wide influence
on receptive minds, and that the spiritual press in both
hemispheres is gradually getting impregnated with
theosophical doctrines and the spirit of Occult science.
 Of Balmes, the inspired writer of the “ Im pressions/’ I V ow els.

know personally nothing more than he, or she, is a

Mexican medium of great refinement and spiritual com­ 3T a, 3Tr a, ? i, f i, u, 3T u, ^ ri, ^ r!,
prehension.
5$ b’i, Iri, e, <r ai, o, 3ft au.
B e n a lla , April 1883.
C o n so n a n ts.

[The conjecture is more than possible as far as tho G u ttu r a ls . ka, <3 k h a , *T g a , ^ g lia, ii.'
general tenor of mediumistie utterances and so called
“ S p irit” teachings is concerned. But, although we have P a la ta ls . ^ c h a, ^ c h h a , *T ja , 3T jlia, ii.
not had the time to read as carefully as it may desorvo C e re b ra ls. ? to, S ' th a , ^ da, (J* d h a, Uf n a.
the able translation given by M. Roliner, yet from what
one is being able to’ gather from the concluding portion D e n ta ls . cf ta , th a , d a, qr d h a, *T n a.
of it, thero seems to be a wide difference between one of L a b ia ls . 5 Pa> pha, ^ ba, bha, IT m a,
the essential or, so to say, cardinal tenets of Eastern
Occultism and tho said “ Im pressions.” Too much is L iq u id s. y a, ^ ra , 55 la, ^ va.
assumed hypothetically with regard to God— as a
S ib ila n ts . 5T sa , , ^ sh a , sa.
“ Creator” and a Being distinct from the universe— an
extra-cosmic deity, in fin e ; and too little attention is A s p ira te . 5 ha. V is a r g a : h
bestowed upon tho only concrete symbol of the latter—
A n u s v a ra . ' m
inner man. W hile tho personal deity has and ever will
eludo scientific proof of its existence, man, its hitliorto
Solitary synthesis as manifested on this earth is allowing
himself, in the case under notice, to be mastered and A PLEA FOR A P E R S O N A L GOD.
guidod by invisible powers perchance as blind as him ­
self— instead of seeking to obtain mastery over them,
and thus solve the mysteries of tho Infinite and the C an the E ditor please enlighten mo as to the follow,
In visib le R e a l i t i e s . Preconceived Impressions, accepted in g
on blind faith, and along the old theological grtJoves, can
never yield us the wholo truth ; at best they w ill be liazy 1. I t is said that the solar system is the evolution of
and distorted images of tho Infinite as reflected in tho Mulaprakriti according to the latent design, inherent in
astral and deceptive lig ht of tlie Kama loka. Y et tho Chidakasam. Now two things (if thoy may bo so called)
style of the “ Im pressions” is beautiful— perchance owing are evolved— man and the external cosmos.
/
more to the translation than the original.— EdJ] v
(a.) The duty of man is to choose between good and
e vil— to seek tho means of m aking an involution in­
to the state of Nirvana or to seek the means of his
' METHOD OF TR A N SL IT E R A T IO N ..
total destruction. W hat is this destruction ? Matter
A Fellow of our Socioty, a good Philologist, M r. J. N. is eternal.*
Unwala, who was a short time ago at the Head-quarters,
on a visit to us, and who is personally acquainted with W hat is now man— was in an imperfectly deve­
t.ho difficulties we very often experience in deciphering loped state somo ages back or in the previous
tho contributions we receive from our numerous corres­ “ rounds,” not so fu lly responsible for his acts as ho
pondents, suggests, among other things, that the is now. Let us go back to tho most imperfectly
contributors would do well, were they to adopt a developed state of what is now man. Whence did
uniform system of transliteration in transcribing words this state come ? I f there is only one Life, and if the
and phrases belonging to Sanskrit and other Oriental progress of humanity is to make a series of evolu­
languages. This uniformity, we doubt not, w ill not tions or rather involution from this most imperfectly
only greatly lighten tho already increasing work of developed state through the state of the present
tho editorial staff and the printers, whose difficulties man to the N irvana state, there must havo been a
and responsibilities contributors are apt to neglect, contrary series from the N irvana state through the
but w ill, as our Brother assures us, render tho words and state of the present man to have arrived at the most
expressions much moro intelligible to the reader in his im perfectly developed state. Is it so ?f
efforts to decipher them. W e fu lly endorse his remarks
■and request that our kind contributors w ill adhere as (c.) A re there any such “ rounds” in the lifo of
external cosmos
much as possible to the system he proposes, which
lie tells ns is based upon what is known among Oriental­ 2. M r. T. Subba Row concurs with J , S. M ill’s con­
ists as the “ Jonesian* system of transliteration.” Our clusion that matter has no noumenal existence but is a
readers c a n , havo an idea of our difficulties in this permanent possibility of sensation.§ Do the Theosophists
particular when we tell them that not unfrequently wo
receive contributions even fnll of long Sanskrit quotations * M atter is c e rta in ly ocornal ; find no one h as fever sa id th a t m an
was d e stro y e d o r a n n ih ila ted in h is atom s, b nt o n ly in h is p erso n a lity. _
written not in Devanagari characters (which wo can
manage), but in the lekhana Hpi or current w riting
characters of that part of the country to which the writers . f B eforo onr c o rro s p o n d o n t’s q u ery can bo an sw ere d , h e o n g h t to
o b ta in a snfficiont m a s te ry over his ideae to m a k e h im self intellig ib le.
belong. They thus attribute to us the linguistic powers W e a re a fra id t h a t h is “ ev o lu tio n s” an d “ in volutions” a re ra th e r
of such a Polyglott as Cardiual Mezzofanti— an honor in v o lv ed in d a rk n o ss a n d o b sc u rity . W e b eg h is p a rd o n ; b n t th e re
.which wo cannot lay any claim to, at least, in this life. h a rd ly seem s to be a n y senso in his q n o stion. W h e n w as it ever stator!
.th at th e re w as only ono lifo fo r m a n ? O ur co rre sp o n d en t has
O ur brother ^dds that the systems mentioned are e v id e n tly m ix ed up p o rso n al h u m an life w ith th e O n e L i f e or T ara-
virtu ally the same as those adopted by the Editor and b ra h m ? P e rh a p s h e w ill k in d ly le t us know th e sh o rt m ean in g of th is
contributors of the “ Indian A ntiquary,” by M ax Muller, v e ry lo n g se n te n c e ?—E d.
W eber, B iihler and others; and contain the method of $ W e nre n o t aw are of h a v in g e v e r discussod a b o n t th e “ ro u n d s” of
transliteration for Sanskrit and its derivatives and for a n y b u t tho “ e x te rn a l cosm os” a n d its m any h a b ita ts of th e se p te n a ry
the Dravidian languages, including the Singalese. c h a in . W h a t ca n th o w rite r m e a n ?— E d.
§ T ho p r e s e n t re fe ro n c e to M r. S n b b a Row ’s " P e rso n a l an d Im p e r­
sonal G od,” an d to h is re m a rk s u p o n J . S. Mill h a s n o t th o slig h te s t
* F ro m S ir W illiam Jo n e s, t h e g r e a t O rie n ta list nnd S a n s k rit S cholar, b e a rin g upon whafc is said in t h a t articlo . W o offer a p rem iu m to him
,&t one ti>ne a Jn d g o a t C a lc u tta , aa n jo st of o n r re a d e rs jn n a t know . w ho w ill find an y co n n ectio n b e tw e e n th e tw o,—E d .
hold that there is no substratum* underlying all exter­
nal phenomena ?
3. A “ chapter of accidents” is, it seems, allowed hy
the Theosophist in the course of life, and this idea is
pushed to such an extent as to say that nature will not
be cheated out of its course by accidents, although acci­
dents may intervene and prevent the immediate reward­
ing of good or punishing of evil by nature. This state­
ment is extraordinary. Whence these accidents +?
4. Some western philosophers of now-a-days, recog­
nizing the fact that there are fixed laws governing the
universe as pointed out by m aterialists, do still hold that
a personal God is the author of those laws. G ranting
the validity of M r. Subba Row ’ s argument that a con­
scious Isw a r’s ego must itself be the effect of a previous
cause, we meet with a difficulty presenting itself to our
mind, when preparing to receive the doctrine of an
unconscious God as truth. There are many events happen­
in g in the course of life, referred ordinarily to “ chance”
as their cause. Now, believers in a personal God account
for what is called “ chance” as the conscious exercise of
the w ill of God for the good of his creatures— arrange­
ments done by him for their happiness. I shall illustrate
what I mean by a fact. G ------ was one day sleeping in
liis room. I t is his custom always to sleep with a lantern
and a staff by. A t about midnight he awoke (but
nothing had roused him) mechanically, felt for the lantern,
lighted it, leaped out of his bed staff in hand, and looked
up. A ll this without any motive whatever— quite uncon­
sciously ; and wlienhelookedup, heperceivedasnakeright
above the place where his head had lain. The snake
then di'opped down on the floor and he soon despatched
it. This extraordinary phenomenon,J as well as sim ilar
ones, which have come under my notice (but a few days
back, my infant nephew was found one day with a snake
wound round his waist) can be easily explained away on
the theory of a personal God watching over men (and as
G ------ believes, appointing angels to watch over them).
How would the Theosophists explain these ?|| True it is
there are fixed laws of nature reigning in this universe,
but these gaps called accidents, must be filled before the
theory of an impersonal God can become tenable.
You w ill oblige me very much if you can publish thig
and remove my difficulties. - ‘
N egapatam , ■) . . . . . .
July l Lth, 1883. J : .
E d i t o r ’ s N o t e , —To th e ra th e r im p e rtin e n t (No. 5 ) q uestion o £
o ur N eg ap atam in q u isitiv e correspondent, we answ er : T he
“ moral sta n d a rd of tlie Theosophists'’ is —T itu m —and th is covers
all. W h e th e r those who believe in a personal, or a n th ro p om orphic
d e ity , or those who call them selves A gnostics, o r A th e ists, o r
B u d d h ists or even M aterialists, once th a t they have jo ined th e
Theosophical S ociety, they a re bound to p resen t to th e w orjd a
fa r h ig h e r “ sta n d ard of m o ra lity ” th a n -th a t which is developed
m erely th ro u g h fear of h ell o r any o th e r fu tu re p u n ish n je n t.
T h e love of v irtu e for its own sake does not seem to en ter ip, o r
ag ita te tho c e n tre s of o n r co rresp o n d en t’s reflective faculties. I f
ho would know m ore of theosophy an d its eth ic si we would re.-
fe r him to th e R ules o f the Theosophical Society, its Objects and
P rinciples. '
a.
K A V Y A D O SH A V IV E C H A N A *
W e h a v k to th a n k M r. S im eo n B e n ja m in , th e a u th o r , foi’ a
co p y of liis K a v y a D osha V ivechana. T h is is a n essay re a d
b y h im b efo re a m e e tin g of th e A r y a S a m a j, a n d s u b s e q u e n tly
re p u b lis h e d b y h im a t th e re q u e s t of its le a d e rs. T h o w o rk
b efo re 11 s p u r p o r ts to p o in t o u t th e f a u lts in M a r a th i p o em s
ta u g h t in G o v e rn m e n t V e rn a c u la r a n d A n g lo -V e rn a c u la r
schools. T h e s u b je c t b e in g o f som o im p o rtan c e , w e s h a ll’ w ith
th e a u th o r ’s p e rm issio n , e x a m in e m in u te ly h is a n a ly s is of
th e poem s. H is m a in c o n te n tio n is th a t som o of th ese v ersu s
b e in g u n fit to b e ta u g h t to c h ild re n , sh o u ld b e e lim in a te d
fro m th e G o v e rn m e n t school te x t-b o o k s. I t is therefore!
n e ce ssary to e x a m in e c a re fu lly liis re a so n in s u p p o r t of tlie
c o n te n tio n . T h e first v e rse h e ta k e s o b je c tio n to, is in th;i
M ii.a th i p rim e r, w h ic h r e a d s : —
5 ^ a rf a S y qkTss- s r r f a ll
3 T 5 T ? rR £ 5 fe r t f r a - * rr§ ll
s T c t a t a s t a r s c tc f te n
srr® C r s 11

5. W hat is tho moral .standard of the Theosophists? T h is h e tr a n s la te s as m e a n in g t h a t if w e w e re to la u g h a {

Is it utility ? W hat sanction of morality do they acknow­ th e d u m b , th e b lin d a n d th e c rip p le , w e w o u ld o u rs e lv e s
ledge ? These can be easily found out on the theory of becom e lik e th e m , &c., &c. T h e re u p o n h e a rg u e s th e fa ls ity
a personal God. o f th is te a c h in g a n d sh o w s h o w i t f r u s tr a te s th e c h ie f aim o£
b rin g in g c h ild re n to a c o rre c t m o d e o f a c tio n a n d th o u g h t.
# Tho T h co so p h ists are m an y a n d of v ario u s an d m a u y creeds* W h e n th e c h ild re n , h e te lls u s, do a c tu a lly la u g h a t su c h u n ­
E ach of th em b eliev es in w h a te v e r he likes, a n d th e r e is no o n e to
f o r tu n a te c re a tu re s a n d fin d n o su c h th r e a te n e d re ta lia tio n ;
in terfero w ith h is p riv a te b eliefs. T h e T heosophical S ocicty ib no
school of sectarian ism an d holds to no sp ccial dogm as. B u t if, by th e ft th e y n a tu r a lly lose a ll f a ith in , a n d r e g a r d fo r, su c h a
“ T h eo so p h ists,” o u r c o rre sp o n d e n t m ean s th e F o u n d ers, th e n a ll th q y te a c h in g ; a n d th e p rin c ip a l o b je c t of g iv in g th e m so u n d
can te ll him is, t h a t “ th e s u b s tra tu m u n d e rlj'in g a ll e x te rn a l m a tte r ,” in s tru c tio n is fo iled . T h e re w o u ld be a good d e a l o f tr u t h iu
they believe in, wonld r a th e r clash w ith th a t on w h a t th e q u e ris t soem s th is re a s o n in g , w ero th e v erse s to re a lly m e a n w h a t th e a b o v a
to h an g his f a ith — if th e tw o w ero co m p ared .— E d.
tr a n s la tio n in d ic a te s . W ith e v e ry d eferen ce, h o w ev er, to th a
+• F ro m previous* cau ses, wo should say , as e v e ry o th e r re s u lt is p ro fo u u d le a r n in g a n d sc h o la rsh ip w h ich th e a u th o r seem s ta
supposed to be.— Ed.
p sssess, we s u b m it t h a t th e v erse y ie ld s q u ite a d iffe re n t m e a n ­
J N o th in g “ ex trao rd in ary *’ in th is a t all, c o n sid e rin g w e live in
in g , o r, a t le a st, a n o th e r m e a n in g m ig h t m o re a p p ro p ria te ly b e
In d ia, a c o u n try full of sn ak es, an d th a t poople aw ak e unconsciontjly
v ery o ften a t th e s lig h te s t noise. To call th e o c c u rre n c e a n “ e x tr a ­ a tta c h e d to th e v e rse th a n th e o n e g iv e n b y th e c ru d ity
o rd in ary p h en o m en o n ” a n d seo in it th e p ro te c tin g h a n d of G od,” * a u th o r. M a y w e n o t tr a n s la te th e poem in q u e stio n to m e a n
iy po sitiv ely ch ild ish . I t would be f a r m ore e x tra o rd in a ry , if, th a t w e sh o u ld a s s ist th e in v a lid s th e re in m en tio n ed , n o t
g ra n tin g fo r th e sa k e of arg u m en t, th e ex iste n c e of a p erso n al , b ec a u se su c h a n a c t w o u ld reco il 011 u s by m a k in g u s lik o
Ood, we should bo a ttr ib u tin g to him no b e tto r o c c u p a tio n th a n th a t of th e m , b u t b e c a u se w e w o u ld in th e en d be th e su fferers : a n d
a b o dy-guard fo r ev e ry m an , w om an au d child, th re a te n e d wit h d an g er,
w hen he m ig h t by a sim ple oxercise of h is w ill, e ith e r h av e k e p t th e sn a k e fo r th e seco n d c o n sid e ra tio n th a t, sh o u ld such a m ise ry b e fa ll
awny w ith o n t d istu rb in g th e poor m a n ’s r e s t, or, w h a t w ould h a v e been u s, w e m a y find no s y m p a th ise rs. O r m ay i t n o t also m e a n
still b e tte r, n o t to havo cro ated sn a k es a t a ll. I f S t. P a tr ic k , a m o rta l t h a t in case w e sh o u ld b e th e su fferers in t h a t w ay, th e r o
m an, had th e p o w er to b an ish a ll tho sn ak es fro m I re la n d , su rely th is w o u ld be no one to look u p to , we h a v in g e s tra n g e d th a
iw not too m u ch to ex p ect of a p ersonal p ro te c tin g God th a t a s im ila r a c t s y m p a th ie s of g o o d p e o p le b y la u g h in g a n d scoffing a t t h a
should b e p erfo rm ed fo r India*— E d. *
p o o r u n fo r tu n a te s w h e n w e w ere in g o o d c irc u m sta n c e s.
|| S im p ly th a t th e sn ak e w as not inclined to b ite . W hy does n o t om*
co rre sp o n d en t l’e fe r to cases w hero poor in n o c c u t c h ild re n were b itte n T h is is riot, of c o u rse, th e lite ra l tr a n s la tio n : b u t n e ith e r 13
and died ? W h a t h ad they done n ot to havo b een eq u ally p ro te c te d ? t h a t of M r. B e n ja m in . In o u r h u m b le o p in io n , h o w e v e r, th i s
I s he p re p a re d to m a in ta in th a t th e th o u sa n d s t h a t a rc y e a rly b itte n in te rp re ta tio n is m o re w a rra n te d b y th e w o rd s of th e poem:
an d k illed b y sn a k es in In d ia h a v e offondod th e d e ity lik e L aaeoon, th a n th e o th e r. O u r first r e n d e r in g w o u ld te a c h th e d o c trin e
whoso in n o cen t c h ild re n sh ared h is fa to ? S im p le a ssu m p tio n s will of K a rm a , a scien tific a n d a x io m a tic t r u th . T h e la t te r c o n ­
n ev er do in a th eosophical a rg n m o n t. W o a re n o t in th e le a s t in clin ed to
In te rfe re w ith o u r co rro sp o n d o n t’s belief, a n d w elcom e an d in v ite h im to s tru c tio n w o u ld be a c h e c k u p o n u n tr a in e d m in d s fro m d o in g
beliove in a n y th in g h e p leases. O nly if he w o u ld re m a in u n d is tu rb e d
in his f a ith w e w ould ad v ise h im n o t to m ed d le w ith th e th c o so p h ic a l * A n exposition of fa u lts in th e M a ra th i poem s ta u g h t in G o v ern m en t
lite ra tu re . T h a t h e h as n o t g ro w n up to its in te lle c tu a l s ta n d a rd — ia Sohoola. B y Sim eon B e n ja m in . P ric e sevon a n n a s . Can ho liftd fro c i
quite e v id e n t, “ B. A.” though he may bo, a n d thus sign h im se lf.— E d t th o A u th o r j H ouse N o; 2 6, P ayadlidbni, B om bay,
a n y t h i n g w ro n g . W h e re th e n lies th e h a r m ? T h e n e x t verso
to w h ic h o b je c tio n is ta k e n , i s :—
t% r ^ j s w ^ r f T ii ( H r c f a a ? ^ r l 'r n
s iw src r rc< w 3 n ^q\ n a re g e n e ra lly a b u se d b y “ le a r n e d ” c ritic s w ith o u t a p ro p e r
T h is is in te rp re te d in tw o d iffe re n t w a y s b y th e a u th o r.
T h e first m ean in g , h o w ev er, h e se ts asid e. A s to th e second,
h e says, it is n o t fit to b e ta u g h t to c h ild re n , its m e a n in g
b e i n g :— “ O ne w h o h a s no V id y a (k n o w le d g e ) a n d is n e ith e r
c o n sid e ra te n o r m o ra l (in th e b ro a d e s t sen se of th e te r m ),
s h o u ld n o t be sty le d as A h o (y o u ) b u t a s A m y (th o u ) a n d
re o k o n e d a m o n g b e a sts.” W c th in k , h o w e v e r, th a t th e w o rd
A h o is n o t c o rre c tly re n d e re d . I t does n o t r e f e r to th o m a n
w ith o u t le a r n in g ,” &c., Ac., sin ce th e r e is n o su ch w o rd as
A r a y (® l^ ) in th e verse to p o in t th e d is tin c tio n as sho w n
b y th e tr a n s la to r, a n d th a t it r a t h e r re f e rs to th e re a d e r, o r
th o p e rso n to w hom th e lin e s a ro m ad o to re fe r. W h a t th e
y o c t says is :— “ O h ! Y o u (a d d r e s s in g h is re a d e rs ) ! W h a t
e h a ll w o c a ll a m a n w ith o u t le a r n in g , m o ra ls a n d c o n sid e r­
a tio n ! S u re ly h e o u g h t to be c la sse d w ith th e b r u te s ,”
T h a ex cep tio n ta k e n by th o c ritic th u s fa lls to th e g ro u n d , fo r
th o r e is no d ir e c t in s u lt im p lie d in th e ab o v e a p p lic a tio n ,
T h o s tu d e n t is n o t a d v is e d to in s u lt th e m a n b y c a llin g h im
t h o u b u t to av o id h im ra th o r, a s one b elow tlio r a n k of
a v e ra g o h u m a n ity . A n d w e le av e i t to o u r re a d e r s to
d e c id e w h e th e r th e advioe to a v o id a m a n w ith o u t le a rn in g ,
m o ra ls and consideration (m a rk th e ita lic iz e d p o rtio n ) is ju s ti­
fiable o r n o t. T ho th ir d v e rse , fo u n d f a u lt w ith , is fro m th o
t h i r d b o o k .-—
•T R JI* 3T I!
C\ NO vo *3
a w n ^ srifsrcft *rr*T ll
I n th is poem , in ta lk in g of w h a t is loosely te rm e d G od, th o
■pojt says :— “ T h o u w ho h a s t n o b e g in n in g , 110 en d , tit .1 no
m id d le.” O n r a u th o r is sh o c k e d a t su c h a c o n cep tio n . T ho
w o rd m id d le h a s u p s e t h is id e a s ! W e w o u ld h o w e v e r h u m b ly
e n q u iro if a n in fin ite s o m e th in g (a n d i t must, be in fin ite if it
h a s no b e g in n in g a n d 110 e n d ), a c c o rd in g to G e o m e try , is
d iv isib le ? I f it is in d ivisib le , it can lia v c no m id d le . W c beg
i 0 su g g e s t to o n r le a rn e d a u th o r t h a t if th e M a r a th i
p o em s u n d e r re v ie w a re n o t m e a n t to be ta u g h t o n ly in
s e c ta ria n , a n d p u re ly th e is tic sch o o ls b u t a re u se d in co lleg es
w h e re th e r e m ay be a s m a n y V e d a n tin s a s H in d u s of o th e r
-d e n o m in a tio n s, a n d th o te rm b e in g p e rfe c tly a p p lic a b le to
P a ra b r a h m , i t h as n o th in g e ith e r d is re sp e c tfu l o r offensive in
i t ; hen ce t h a t i t is q n ite fit to be ta n g h t to c h ild re n , W e
m ig h t go on in th is w ise, a n d ta k e e x c e p tio n to n e a rly e v ery
o b je c tio n of th e c ritic of th e p a m p h le t b efo re us ; b u t we r e g r e t
h a v in g n e ith o r th e space n o r tim e f o r it. T h e in sta n c e s,
h o w e v e r, h e re g iv e n a re , w e b e lie v e , su fficien t to p ro v e to th e
im p a rtia l rc a d o r t h a t th e f a u l t lies m o re w ith th e in to le ra n c e
o f th o te a c h e r, th a n th e p o em s u n d e r h is re v ie w . M r.
B e n ja m in te lls u s t h a t th e s e difficu lties w e re n o t o n ly ex?
p e rie n c e d by him self, w hile a te a c h e r in a G o v e rn m e n t S chool,
b u t t h a t th e y a re co m p la in ed o f s till, b y m a n y of h is c o l­
le a g u e s . If t h a t bo re a lly th e caso, w e a re a t ono w ith h im
in a d v o c a tin g th e elim in a tio n o f a ll su c h v e rse s fro m G overn?
jn e n t tex t-b o o k s, r a t h e r th a n seo a fa lse in te r p r e ta tio n p lac e d
n p o n th e m . I f no ono can be fo u n d to e n te r in to th e trn o
s p i r i t of th e p o e t’s m e a n in g a n d e x p o u n d th e re a l sig n ifican eo
o f h is e th ic a l sta n z a s fo r th e in s tru c tio n of th e s tu d e n ts , it is
f a r b e tte r fo r a ll p a rtie s to b e w ith o u t th e m th a n to h a v e
e rro n e o u s id e a s in c u lc a te d , a n d im p re sse d u p o n y o n n g m in d s
in c a p a b lo of fo r m in g a n in d e p e n d e n t ju d g m e n t. T h e w o rk
b eforo us h a s a t th e sam o tim e its o b je c tio n a b le fe a tn re in
o th e r poom s le ft u n m e n tio n e d b y th e c ritic . S o m e of th e m
n r e p o sitiv ely in d e c e n t; suoh, fo r in s ta n c e , as th e d e sc rip tio n
o f D a m a y a n ti, a c o n v e rsa tio n b e tw e e n R a m a a n d S ita w h e n
m e e tin g alo n e in a fo re st, a n d g o in g o v e r th e ir p a s t d a y s of
b liss. S u c h d e sc rip tio n s of m a r ita l re la tio n s a re ’ n o t p r e ­
c is e ly th e scenes to be im p re sse d u p o n p la s tic a n d u n d ev e lo p e d
jn in d s . N o la n g u a g e is too s tro n g to c o n d c m n th e d is g ra c e ­
f u l c a relessn ess of th o tu to rs w h o h a v e p e rm itte d fo r y e a rs
p u c h re a d in g to be le ft in th e h a n d s of th e ir p u p ils w ith o u t
a p ro te s t. I n th is in s ta n c e th e M a r a th i-re a d in g c o m m u n ity
is co rta in ly u n d e r a g ra te fu l o b lig a tio n to M r. B o n ja m in fo r
in itia tin g th is m o v e m e n t a n d la y in g a ju s t c o m p la in t b efo re
th e e d u c a tio n a l a u th o ritie s . W e also o o n c u r in h is o p in io n th a t
jthe p o em s r e la tin g to th e s tru g g le b e tw e e n B h e e m a a n d
D u ry o d h a n a o u g h t to b e e x p u n g e d fro m th e sch o o l-tex ts,
a lth o u g h m y re a s o n s aro q u ite d iffe re n t from th o se a d v a n c e d
b y th o c ritic . T a k in g ex cep tio n b u t to th e d e a d -le tte r sense,
he o n ly d e p re c a te s a n e x h ib itio n of c ru e l a n d b r u ta l fe e lin g s
b e tw e e n tw o co u sin s. U n fo rtu n a te ly , h o w ev er, o u r P u ra n a s
u n d e r s ta n d in g of th e in n e r sense a n d th e m o ra lity to be con­
v ey ed . I f o u r re a d e rs w ill tu r n to th e b ack p a g e s of th is M a g a ­
zine, th e y w ill find th e re a l m e a n in g of th e a lle g o ry of tho
w a r b e tw e e n th e P a n d a va s a n d th e K a u ra v a s. I f th e fo rm e r
r e p r e s e n t th e h ig h e r (o r s p iritu a l) p a r t of m an a n d th e la tte r
th e e a r th ly (s e n s u a l), a n d if K r is h n a (th e on ly m a n ife ste d
d e ity , th e L ogos in each m a n ’s h e a rt) is sp o k en of a s b ein g
th e a d v is e r of th e fo rm e r iu c o n q u e rin g a n d k illin g th e Latter,
w h e re th e n , w e a sk , is th e “ d is g u s tin g b r u t a li ty ” fa th e re d
u p o n t h a t m o s t su b lim e of p o em s, th e B h a g a va t G ita P W e a re
n o t, h o w e v e r, a t p re s e n t c o n c e rn ed w ith m e ta p h y sic s o r p h ilo ­
so p h y . A n d , as w e a re a g re e d th a t th e poem s co m p lain ed
of sh o u ld n o t be ta u g h t to c h ild re n p ro m iscu o u sly , since 011
th e one h a n d th e te a c h e rs th e m se lv e s a re as y e t u n a b le to r e a l­
ize th e p ro fo u n d sig n ifican ce a n d th e p h ilo so p h ic a l s p ir it of
som e of th e m , a n d th a t, on th e o th e r, th e r e a re som e re a lly in ­
d e c e n t sta n z a s a m o n g th e m , wo c o n clu d e o u r s o m e w h a t le n g th y
re v iew o f M r. B e n ja m in ’s c ritic ism w ith a h o p e t h a t th e p ro p e r
a u th o r itie s w ill le n d an e a r to h is j u s t c o m p la in t. W e b eg a t
th e sa m e tim e o u r le a rn e d a u th o r ’s p a rd o n fo r d w e llin g a t
le n g th u p o n th e p o in ts of d is a g re e m e n t b e tw ee n h im a n d o u r­
self, sin ce th e n ece ssitie s of th e case d e m a n d e d th e p re s e n t
a c tio n , O n th e w h o le, th e book su p p lie s a deficien cy w hich
w as lo n g b e in g f e l t ; a n d e v ery c re d it is d u e to M r. B e n ja m in
f o r in te re s tin g h im se lf in th e w e lfa re of a peo p le w h o a re n o t
of h is ra c e . We w o u ld re c o m m e n d it to e v e ry p e rso n w ho h as
a re a l a n d a n e a rn e s t d e sire to im p ro v e th e e d u c a tio n a l
s ta n d a rd of M a r a th i c h ild re n , A s a M a r a th a w e sin cerely
th a n k th o e ru d ite a u th o r fo r h is a d v o cacy in b e h a lf of o u r
c h ild re n , •
D , K . M.
T H E L A W N -T E N .^ IS SU IIO O L O F C R IT IC S .
Those in tellectu al prodigies of th e L aw u-T ennis clubs —
A nakim am ong critien —-who swallow tb e sto ry of B alaam 's
sp eak in g “ she-ass” b u t can n o t believe in th e R eincarnation of
h er ,c soul” ag reeably to P y th ag o ras nor even to Allan K ardeo’s
doctrine, may be made less incredulous by read in g fu rth e r on the
choice bitH in th e “ Ooty Chronicle” of tho M adras Tim es of
S eptem ber 7th. O ne m ig h t suspect from its d elicate w it th at
Sydney S m ith is reborn an d lu rk s som ew here am ong the E u-
calyptic Sholas of th e “ Blue H ills.” Of course, the num erous
lapsus lingua el calam i of th e chronicler and liis airy conceits
m u st be caused by a too long sojourn on th e m ountain tops.
On some ill-balanced n a tu re s a rarefied atm osphere, while ex­
p an d in g th e ir lungs, has th e effect of co n tractin g th e ir brains.
To such m eteorological phenom enon, have we probably to attri->
b u te th e co rresp o n d en t’s assertion th a t Colonel O lcott “ b itte rly ”
com plained of tho g y m k h an a sp o rts which made him change the
date of his lectu re ; as also tho ch arm in g rem arks w ith reg ard
to a m ade-up story of “ broken c h in a ”, “ G eneral B lank’’, “ spirits
from th e vasty deep” , and possible “ K leptom aniacs” in tho
T heosophical Society. “ W e do not know —’’ q u eries th is new s­
p aper pro d ig y —“ w hat fees are c h arg ed ...fo r such su rp risin g
skill in th e a r t of rep a irin g C hina w are.” N one a t all, we
h asten to assure him . W h eth e r a so u p -tu reen or an entire
d in n e r service m akes no difference, aud we would not charge
even th e m iserable price in pice an d an n as paid for overy lino
of Mtch w itty gossip as his. M oreover th e “ Ooty C hronicler”
may be glad to hear, th a t besides U hina w are, th e Theosophical
Society u n d ertak es som etim es to mend cracked aud dam aged
b rain s, by in jectin g th em th o ro u g h ly w ith a sa tu ra te d solu­
tion of comm on sense, clean sin g th em of d u sty and stalo
notions of bigotry an d preju d ice and by th o ro u g h ly v en tilat­
in g the muBty prem ises. N o r need he feel alarm ed or take
th e tro u b le of su g g e stin g new am endm ents in our Rule?,
nam ely, “ a reg u latio n excluding pirk-pockets from m em bership.”
The genial w it of th e N ilg iris should know th a t o u r Society does
no t re c ru it its m em bers in th e favourite re so rts of th e Salva-*
tio n ists— th e d en s an d ditches of th e outscum of th e g reat
oities.” A nd, since it refuses adm ission to waifs rescued from
th e “ C itadels of A pollyon,” and does not employ Theosophical
cau tc h es in th s persons of “ tam bourine lasses”—even though
prom oted to be golden harp lasses” -—th ere is 110 cause to fear
th a t a pickpoclcct w h eth er “ converted” or unregerierate, will bo
ta u g h t how to im prove th e resources of his a rt by acq u irin g pro­
ficiency iu O ccult Sciences. ■
H ow ever m eagre th e production of th e “ O otv” chronicler,
still, as it is.an o riginal one, and as good as could nave been ex­
pected from th a t source, and th a t it oxhibits no ^ re a t malice we
reproduce it with p le a su re — to show the “ in ferio r race” Tyhat
 passes w i t h t h e “ s u p e r i o r ” o n e a s w i t t y c r itic is m u p o n A r y a n
p h i l o s o p h y a n d so i e n c e . A n o r i g i n a l p r o d u c t i o n ia a l w a y s m o r e
respeotable th a n borrow ed b la c k g u a rd is m , su ch as an article j u s t
co p ied i n t o t h e Bombay Gazette f r o m a s e n s a t i o n a l t h i r d c l a s s
N e w Y o r k d a i l y . I n t h e l a t t e r t h e E d i t o r o f t h e Theosophist is
d e s c r i b e d a s “ o n e 01 ? t h e m o s t i g n o r a n t a n d b l a s p u e m o u s c u a r t
l a t a n s o r t h e a g e — v iz .,M m e . B la v a ts k y ” an d th e T heosophical
S o ciety a s t h e b i g ^ e a t f r a u d o f i t s k i n d e v e r g o t t e n u p . , ’ A s o n e
of P u n c h ’s “ s e l f - m a d e ” m i l l i o n a i r e s is m a d e t o s a y w h e n h i s
fa th e r's a b s e n c e fro m his e v e n in g p a r t y w a s r e m a r k e d , “ W e
niuso d r a w t h e l i n e s o m e w h e r e , ” — w e h a v e a n i m p r e s s i o n t h a t
t h i s w o u l d b e a s g o o d a p l a c e t o d r a w o u r l i n e a s w e b h all
ev er have. A t first it was h a r d to r e a liz e t h a t su c h a b l a c k g u a r d ­
ly a n d u n c a l l e d f o r a t t a c k s h o u l d fin d i t s w a y in a r e s p e c t a b l e
j o u r n a l . B u t s i n c e w e l e a r n e d t h a t t h e E d i t o r of t h e Bom bay
Gazette w h o m wp h a v e a l w a y s k n o w n a n d r e g a r d e d a s a t h o r o u g h
g e n t l e m a n w a s a t S i m l a , w e w o n d e r e d n o m o r e . N o t e v e r y sub a n d
a c t i n g E d i t o r is a g e n t l e m a n ; a n d w e k n o w o f m o r e t h a n o n e in
I n d i a q u i t e r e a d y t o t r e a t h i s s u b s c r i b e r s t o s u c h w itticism s
( w h e th e r o r ig in a l o r b o r ro w e d ) iu t h e s t y l e of th o se d i r e c t f ro m
H u n g e r f o r d fish m a r k e t .
. A n o t h e r p h i l o s o p h e r of t h e L a w n T e n n i s ’" c a l i b r e f u r n i s h e s
a p a r a g r a p h t o t h e Poona Observer o f t h e l l t h S e p t e m b e r a b o u t
t h o r e c o v e r y of s o m e s t o l e n p r o p e r t y b y a n a t i v e s h o p k e e p e r
t h r o u g h a s i m p l e f o r m of c e r e m o n i a l m a g i c . H e " s u g g e s t s t h a t
th e G o v e r n m e n t of I n d ia m i g h t d o w o rse t h a n e n g a g e C olonel
O lco tt to i n s t r u c t t h e P o lic e in h is p a r t i c u l a r ‘ i s m ’ o r ‘ d o x y .’
-The f o r c e w o u l d t h e n b e t h e t e r r o r o f t h i e v e s . I t w o u ld — u n
d o u b t e d l y , a n d o f p e r s o n s l i k e h i m s e l f a l s o : f o r C o l o n e l O l c o t t ’s
m e th o d w h e n w ell s tu d ie d d e te c ts a n in n y a t s ig h t. B u t ta k e
t h i s p a r a f u l l o f s u c h h a p p y repartees — o u t of i t s h a r m o n i o u s
j o u r n a l i s t i c f r a m e a n d p u t i t i n t o a n o t h e r a n d o n e s e e s ab o n c e
tlie m i g h t y m e n ta lity a n d c u l t u r e d ta s te r e q u i r e d to c u t a n d s e t
no r a r e a l i t e r a r y g e u i . T h i s is t h e A r t i c l e : —
O O l ’Y C H R O N I C L E .
. W ednesday, September 5, 1883.
C o lo n e l O lc o tt d u ly d e liv e re d his le c tu re s on W e d n e s d a y
a n d F r i d a y l a s t a t t h e h o u r a n o t i f i e d , to a l a r g e a n d d i s t i n g u i s h ­
ed a u d i e n c e i n t h e B r e e k s ’ M e m o r i a l S c h o o l . M uch disap­
p o in tm e n t was felt a t th e e n te r ta in m e n t, as p eople w ere c r e d u ­
lous e u o u g h to im a g in e t h a t th e Colonel w o u ld illu s tr a te a n d
e m p h a s i s e h i s d i s c o u r s e w i t h s o m e s u p e r n a t u r a l f e a t s , i n s t e a d of
c o n f i n i n g h i m s e l f t o v a g u e a s s e r t i o n s of t h o o c c u l t p o w e r o f T h e o
s o p h i s t s a n d t h e i r u b i l i t y t o see, h e a r , a n d d o t h i n g s d e n i e d t o
o rd in a ry m o rta ls . P e o p le w ould re q u ire to be e n d o w e d w ith a
very la r g e a m o u n t of c r e d u lity — ind eed to a c c e p t w ith o u t re se rv e
t h e a s s u r a n c e s of t h e le c tu r e r o n th is h e a d . L o o lc ir g t h r o u g h a
s to n e wall a n d d is c o v e r in g w h a t w a s g o in g on in th e n e x t ro o m
w a s a m e r e bagatelle to t h e g a l l a n t C o l o n e l ; so h e a s s u r e d h i s
audience. H e kn ew in tim ately , he declared, th e e x act c o n te n ts
of t h o w a r d r o b e s a n d d r e s s i n g c a s e s of a l l p r e s e u t , a t w h i c h w e
o b s e rv e d so m e e la b o r a te ly g o t- u p ladies of a c e r ta in a g o s h u d d e r
violently. H e could tell a t t h a t m o m e n t w h a t w as g o in g o n a t
'I 'i m b u c t o o o r e v e n H a d e s , t h e C o l o n e l c o n t i n u e d , a n d a n y o n e
p r e s e u t w h o d i d n ’t b e l i e v e t h a t h e h a d t h e p o w e r of k n o w i n g e v e r y
t h i n g t h a t o c c u rre d on t h e e a r t h , or u n d e r it e ith e r , w as a u u n m i t i ­
g a t e d fo ol. T h i s l a s t d i c t u m h a d i t s d u e e f f e c t o n t h e a u d i e n c e , fo r,
a s no o n e l i k e s t o b e t a k e n f o r a fool, e v e r y o n e p r e s e n t , o u r s e l v e s
i n c l u d e d , t r i e d t o lo o k a s if t h e y b e l i e v e d i m p l i c i t i y e v e r y w o r d
t h o le c tu r e r u tt e r r q d . T h e Colonel r e p e lle d t h e in s in u a tio n w h ich
h e alleged h a d been m a d e a g a i n s t h im to th e effect t h a t h e w a s
h o s tile to th e C h r is tia n relig io n , a n d m a g n a n i m o u s l y o b s e rv e d
t h a t he th o u g h t C h ristian s had as good a c h an ce of b ein g saved
as ho h im self, w h e re u p o n w e n o ticed a clerica l-lo o k in g g e n t l e ­
m a n in th e aud ien ce g iv e ex p re ss io n to his h o r r o r b y a n e j a c u l a ­
tion. T h e lectu rer b itte rly c o m m e n te d on th e fact th a t, o w in g
t o t h e G y m k h a n a sporLs b e i n g a n n o u n c e d f o r S a t u r d a y , h o h a a
c h a n g e d t h e d a t e of his l e c t u r o f r o m t h a t d a y t o F r i d a y , a n d t r e a t e d
w ith sile n t c o n t e m p t a q u e ry from a n irre s p o n sib le in d iv id u a l
w h o h a d t h e t e m e r i t y to e n q u i r e h o w i t w a s t h a t , w i t h h i s m a r v e l ­
lo u s o c c u l t p o w e r s , t h e C o l o n e l d i d n o t p o s t p o n e t h e s p o r t s w illy .
nilly t o a d a y t h a t w o u l d b e l i e r s u i t h i s c o n v e n i e n c e . H a v i n g e x ­
p r e s s e d h i s c o n v i c t i o n t h a t t h e i n a n o i d i o t s w h o c o u l d fix or
e v e n t h i n k of G y m k h a n a s p o r t s o n t h e s a m e d a y a s h i s l e c t u r e
w a s t o c o m e off,1 w e r e u n s p e a k a b l y b e n e a t h c o n t e m p t , t h e leo-
t u r e c o n c l u d e d h is d i s c o u r s e b y p a s s i n g r o u n d a b o o k in w h i c h
h ie ro g ly p h ic s a n d m a rv e llo u s fig u res w ith h o rn s a n d ta ils w ore
depicted, a n d d a r k ly h in te d t h a t h e k n ew m ore a b o u t th e s e th a n
b e w o u ld caro to tell.
A c o r r e s p o n d e n t w riteB t o k n o w if w e a r e t o a t t r i b u t e t h e
fact of o u r lib ra ry b e in g d e lu g e d w ith T h eo so p h ical w o rk s to
th e c i r c u m s t a n c e t h a t a l l t h e m e m b o r s o f t h e l i b r a r y c o m m i t t e e
a p p e a r b e a t e n w i t h t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l m a n i a ? Apropos o f t h i s ,
h e r e i s t h e l a t e s t l o c a l c a n a r d r e g a r d i n g t h e p o w e r s of t h e T h e o -
e o p h is ts . A lady had t h e m i s f o r tu n e to b r e a k a r a re o r n a m e n te d
p l a t e o f Sevres C h i n a , w h i c h w a s p r i z e d t h e m o r e o w i n g t o i t s
b e i n g a u h e i r l o o m . W h i l e s h e w a s p i c k i n g u p t h e p i e c e s an d
b e m o a n i n g h e r Jos?, G e n e r a l B l a n k e n t e r e d a n d b a d e h e r b e o f
g o o d c h e e r , f o r , s a i d h e , I w ill l a y t h e m a t t e r b e f o r e t h e T h e o -
so p h is ts, a n d t h e y will m a k e y o u r m u c h - p r i z e d p la to w h o le
again. P ay in g no a tte n tio n to th is aasurunOe, tho lady locked
u p th e b ro k en pieces in h e r cab in et w hich adjoined h e r bed.
D a rin g th e n ig h t m y sterio u s noises issued from th e cab in et, and
th e pieces of severed Sevres ap peared to be holding h ig h revel,
ju d g in g from th e jin g lin g , clashing sound w hich was h e ard
issu in g from th e receptacle in w hich th e y had been locked.
F ille d w ith curiosity, th e lady opened th e case on the follow ing
m orning, aud lo ! th e re w as his Sevres p late w ith o u t a craok o r
flaw, and as sound as if it had n ever beeu broken ! W h e th e r
G eneral B lank and Co. had introduced them selves th ro u g h th e
key-bole of th e cab in e t or not, or had sum m oned a fam jliap
sp irit from th e “ vasty d eep ” to th e ir assistance, does not ap p ear;
b u t the fact rem ain s th a t th e job wus well done, a n d a new
branch of in d u s try h as been sdarted by tho T h o eso p h ists id
w hich th e usual appliances of tra d e are n o t needed. People w ith
b roken C hiua need no t tro u b le to send th e ir dam aged w are u p
here. T hey have only to acq u a in t th e Theosophists of th e
b reak ag e, and an in v isib le em issary will be at once d esp atch ­
ed to p u t th in g s to rig h ts . W e do not know w hat fees a re
ch arg ed , or if it is n ecessary to be a believer in o rd e r to benefit
by th e services of th e o b lig in g sp irits who m an ifest such
sn prising skill in th e a rt of rep airin g C hina w are b u t we u n d er­
stan d th a t carnivorous bipeds who e a t m eat are au abomi*
n atio n in th e s ig h t of T heosophists, and only vege­
ta ria n s are looked on w ith favour. U n d er th ese circum ­
stan ces, it is n o t su rp risin g th a t th e prices of v egetables have
risen in th e m a rk e t since th e a rriv a l of Colonel O lcott and Com ­
pany. F ro m th e above episode th e serious reflection arises th a t,
as it appears such a triflin g m a tte r for a T h eo so p h ist to in d u c t
him self th ro u g h a key-hole, o r sen d his fam iliar sp irit to achieve
th e feat, a re we not en tire ly a t th e m ercy of an y m em ber of th^J
creed who m ay develop an n ex in g proclivities P W e th erefo re beg
to su g g est th a t th e Society am end its rules in th e in te re sts of th a
gen eral co m u n ity . and pass a reg u latio n exclu d in g pick-pocketa
from m em bership. .
On its p re se n t broad an d liberal basis, we believe th a t any one
can join T h eo so p h ist o rganisation, provided he can m u s te r ,u p
a g u in ea as e n tra n c e fee, and it is positively appalling to conte m -
p late th e loss th e g en eral p ublic would suffer if a k lep to m an iac
w ere in a d v e rte n tly ad m itted in to th e gu ild........ ”
- ■
A R E M A R K A B L E D IS C O V E R Y .
A N ew I s l a n d A p p e a r s i n t h e A t l a n t i c — C u r i o u s R e m a i n s .
Y e ste rd a y th e B r itis h ste a m sh ip Jesm ond, C a p ta in R o b so n ,
a r r iv e d a t th is p o r t fro m M e ssin a w itli a c a rg o of f r u it. H o
sa y s th a t w h e n a b o u t tw o h u n d r e d m ile s to th e w e s tw a rd of
M a d e a ri h is a tte n tio n w as c a lle d to tlio ir r e g u la r a p p e a ra n c e
of th e sea. T h e w a te r h a d a d a rk , m u d d y look, a n d w a s
c o v e re d w ith d e a d fisli a s f a r a s th e eye c o u ld re a c h . T h e y
w e re of se v e ra l sp ecies, a m o n g th e m b e in g n o tic e d m u lle t,
cod a n d bass. S o o n a f te r e n te r in g th is field of d e a d fish h e
o b se rv e d a f a i n t sm o k e o n th e h o riz o n n e a rly a h e a d , o n tlie
c o u rse of th e v essel. E a r ly n e x t m o rn in g th e C a p ta in w a3
a w a k e n e d b y th o seco n d officer, a n d in fo rm e d t h a t la n d h a d
b e e n s ig h te d in th e c o u rse of th e ste a m e r. H e w as g r e a tly
s u r p ris e d a t th is in fo rm a tio n , k n o w in g t h a t th e r e w as n o
la n d in th is p a r t of th e A tla n tic . U p o n g o in g o n d e c k ,
h o w ev e r, h e fo u n d t h a t th e re p o r t w as c o rre c t. T h e d im
o u tlin e s of a n isla n d , b ro k e n b y m o u n ta in p ea k s, w e re v isib le
e v e n w ith o u t u se o f th e g la ss. A b o v e it h u n g a c lo u d o£
sm o k e. T h o w a te r w a s m o re tu r b id th a n on th e p re v io u s
d a y , a n d th e sh o al of d e a d fish th ic k e r. C a p ta in R o b so n
d eem e d it a d v is a b le to ta k e so u n d in g s, n o t e x p e c tin g , h o w ­
e v e r, to g e t b o tto m , a s th e c h a r ts sh o w a d e p th of fro m 2,000
to 3,000 fa th o m s in t h a t p o rtio n of th e A tla n tic . F o r som a
tim e th e s o u n d in g w as w ith o u t re s u lt, b u t su d d e n ly th e lin e
b r o u g h t b o tto m a t fifty fa th o m s. W h e n a b o u t fo u r
le a g u e s d is ta n t fro m th e is la n d th o Jesm ond cam e to an.
a n c h o r in se v e n fa th o m s of w a te r. T h e is la n d w as located 28
d e g re e s 40 m in u te s w est, 25 d e g re e s n o rth . C ap tain Robson,
d e te rm in e d to m a k e a n o b se rv a tio n o f th e s tra n g e , a n d t h e
y a w l w as lo w e re d , a n d th e c a p ta in a n d one of h is officers
w e re ro w e d to tlie is la n d . A la n d in g w as effected o n th e
low c o a st o f th o w e ste rn b o rd e r, w h e re a c o n v e n ie n t h a r b o r
w a s fo u n d fo r th o y a w l. T h e c a p ta in a n d s e v e ra l o f th a
c re w , w ith som o difficu lty , a sc e n d e d tho d e cliv ity .
T h e p ro m o n to ry seem ed se v era l m iles in le n g th , a n d jo in e d
a n e x te n s iv e ta b le a u , w h ic h slo p ed g e n tly b a c k to a c h a in of
m o u n ta in s a t g r e a t d is ta n c e off, fro m w h ic h ro se li g h t
c o lu m n s of sm o k e. T h e su rfa c e o f th e g r o u n d w as c o v e re d
w ith p u m ic e sto n e a n d ro lc a n ic d e b ris, a n d e n tire ly d e v o id
o f v e g e ta tio n . I t w as a d e so la te scen e, w h ero n o t a sin g le
liv in g th in g w as to bo p e rc e iv e d . T h e c a p ta in a n d h is com ­
p a n io n s s t a r te d o n a to u r in la n d , b u t soon fo u n d th e i r p ro ­
g re s s im p e d e d b y y a w n in g c h a sm s. I t w as th e r e fo re d e te r-
p a in e d to r e t u r n to th e b e a c h a n d in s p e c t th e is la n d fro m t h a t
Bide. W h ile e x a m in in g th e baso of th e cliif w h e re th e ro c k w a s
f r a c tu r e d a n d tw is te d , a s if b y som e tre m e n d o u s c o n v u ls iM ,
a n d d isc lo se d a b e d of b re c c ia , a s u r p ris in g d isc o v e ry w as m a d e
lay o ne of th e sailors. O n th r u s tin g a p ro n g of a b o a t-h o o k in to The E d ito rs d iscla im responsibility fo r opinions expressed by
th e lo o sen ed m ass of g ra v e l, h e d isclo sed a sto n e a rro w -h e a d . contributors in their articles, w ith some o f which they agree, w ith
E x c itc d b y th is in c id e n t, th o se a rc h w as c o n tin u e d , a n d o th e r others not. Great la titu d e is allowed to correspondents, and
a r tic le s of stone w ere d isco v ered . A la r g e e x c av a tio n w as th ey alone are accountable fo r w hat they write. T he jo u r n a l is
m a d e , a n d it w as a sc e rta in e d t h a t th e o p e n in g led b e tw e e n offered as a vehicle fo r the tvide dissem ination o f fa c ts a n d
t h e c ru m b lin g re m a in s of w h a t m u s t h a v e been m assiv e w alls. opinions connected w ith the A sia tic religions, philosophies and
A n u m b e r of artic le s w ere e x h u m e d , su ch as b ro n z e sw o rd s, sciences. A ll who have a n yth in g worth telling are made welcome
r i n g s , h am m ers, c a rv in g s of h e a d s a n d fig u re s of b ird s a n d and not interfered, w ith. Rejected M S S . are not returned.
a n im a ls , a n d tw o vases o r ja r s w ith fra g m e n ts of b o n e, a n d
o n e cra n iu m alm o st e n tire . T h e m o st s in g u la r th in g b r o u g h t S P E C IA L N O T IC E S .
i o view w as w h a t a p p e a re d to be a m u m iriy , c o n ta in e d in a I t is now e v id e n t th n t th e T h e o s o f i i i s t offers to a d v e rtise rs nnnsunl
Btone case. I t w as in c r u s te d w ith v o lc an ic d e p o sits so as to a d v a n ta g e s in c irc u la tio n . W e h av e a lre a d y su b scrib ers in ev ery p a rt
jbe scarcely d is tin g u is h e d fro m th o ro c k itse lf. M u c h diffi­ o f In d ia , in C eylon, B n rm ah , C hina anti on th e P ersian Gulf. O nr p a p e r
c u lty w as e x p e rie n c e d in d islo d g in g th e sa rc o p h a g u s, w hich also goes to G re a t B ritain and Ire la n d , F ra n co , S pain, H olland, G er­
m an y , N o rw ay , H u n g a ry , G reece, R ussia, A u stra la sia , Sonth A frica,
w a s fin ally ta k e n o u t w hole and,- w ith th e fo ssils, tr a n s p o rte d th e W e st In d ie s, an d N o rth and S outh A m erica. T h e follow ing very
t o th e ste a m e r. m o d e ra te ra te s have b een adopted.
C a p ta in R obson w ould h a v o c o n tin u e d th is in v e s tig a tio n , A p v e r t is in h R a te s.
b u t as th e a sp e c t of th e w e a th e r b e cam e less fa v o ra b le , a n d he F ir s t in s e rtio n ............1G lin es an d n n d e r .............1 R upee
c o u ld n o t affo rd to sp e n d m o re tim e a t th e is la n d , h e sailed F o r each a d d itio n a l lin e ............................................ 3 A n n a
f o r th is p o rt. H e c o n sid ers th a t th e n e w is la n d w as ra ise d S pace is ch arg ed for a t th e ra te of ] 2 lin es to th e inch. Special a rra n g e ­
fr o m th e sea by volcanic a c tio n , a n d t h a t th e fish w e re k ille d m e n ts can be m ado fo r larg e a d v e rtise m e n ts, an d for lo n g er an d fixed
h y th e poisonous g ases fro m th e v o lcan o . T h e c a p ta in th in k s p eriods. F o r fu rth e r in fo rm atio n an d c o n tra c ts for ad v ertisin g , apply to
t h a t th e new la n d is a sectio n of th e im m e n se rid g e k n o w n to M a n a g e r, T H E O S O P H IS T , A d t a r , M a d r a s .
e x is t in th e A tla n tic , a n d of w h ic h th e A zo res a n d th e C an a- M e ssrs. GRAVlSS, COOKSON AND Co., M a d r a s .
I’ies a re a p a r t. H e to o k p le a s u re in e x h ib itin g th e fossils P ro p r i e t o r , IN D U S T R IA L n t E S S , 3 , H u m m u m S t r e e t , F o r t , R o m day,
a n d c u rio u s a rtic le s of w h ic h h e w as th e f o r tu n a te fin d er. M e s s r s . C O O PE R & Co., M e a d o w S t r e e t , F o r t , B o m b a y ;
T h e c a rv e d h e a d s a re in th e E g y p tia n sty le of s c u lp tu rin g ,
T o S U B S C R IB E R S .
b e in g d is tin g u is h e d by th e v e il o r h o o d w h ic h c h a ra c te riz e s
E g y p tia n fig u res. T h e u rn s a n d v a ses a re sp h e ric a l, w ith Tho S u b sc rip tio n p ric c a t w hich th e T H F .o s o r n is T is p u b lish ed barely
co v ers co st— th o d esig n in e stab lish in g th e jo u rn a l h a v in g b een ra th e r
la r g e m o u th s, a n d upon th e m m a y b e d is c e rn e d in s c rip tio n s to roach a v ery w ide circle of re a d e rs, th a n to m a k e a profit. We c a n ­
in h ie ro g ly p h ic s. T h e ed g e s of th e ax e s a n d a rro w o r s p e a r­ n o t afford, th e re fo re , to sen d specim en copies free , n o r to su p p ly lib ra rie s,
h e a d s a re b lu n te d a n d ja g g e d . T h e sw o rd is a s t r a ig h t w ea­ societies, o r in d iv id u als g ra tu ito u sly . F o r th e sam o reaso n we are
p o n of b ro n z e , w ith a cross h ilt. o bliged to adopt the p lan , now u n iv ersal in A m erica, of re q u irin g su b ­
“ T h is is th e m u m m y ,” re m a rk e d th e c a p ta in , p o in tin g to sc rib e rs to p ay in ad v an ce , an d of sto p p in g tho p a p e r a t th e end of th e
te rm p a id for. M any y e a rs of p ra c tic a l ex p erien ce h av e convinced
w h a t th e r e p o r te r h a d ta k e n to be a lo n g b lo c k of stone. W e ste rn p n b lish e rs th a t th is sy ste m of cash p a y m e n t is tjie b e st an d
S c r u tin iz in g c lo sely th e lid less case, th e o u tlin e s of a h u m a n m o st sa tisfa c to ry to both p a rtie s ; an d all resp cc ta b lo jo u rn a ls aro now
fig u re c o u ld be tra c e d th r o u g h th e c o a tin g of seorioe a n d co n d u cted on th is p lan .
pum ice.- I t w ill re q u ire c a re fu l h a n d lin g to re m o v e th e c o a t­ T he T h e o s o p h i s t will a p p e a r each m o n th . T h e ra te s, fo r tw elve
in g . C a p ta in H obson p rop o ses to p r e s e n t th e re lic s to th e n u m b e rs of n o t less th a n 48 colum ns Royal 4to each of re a d in g m a tte r,
B r itis h M u seu m a t L o n d o n , u p o n h is r e t u r n to L iv e rp o o l.—- or 576 co lu m n s in all, a re as follow s :— To S u b scrib ers in an y p a r t of
N . 0 . P ic a y u n e . In d ia , C eylon, S tra its S e ttle m e n ts, China, J a p a n , a n d A u stralia, Rs. 8 ;
in A frica , E nropo, an d th a U n ited S ta te s, £ 1. H a lf-y e a r (In d ia , Ac.,)
I m p o r ta n t, c e r ta in ly — if tr a e (? ),— E d Rs. 5 ; S in g le copies Rnpeo I . R e m itta n c e s in p o sta l sta m p s m u st be a t
th e ra te of an n a s 17 to th e R upee to co v er d isc o u n t. Tho above ra te s
—— «------- inclndo postago. No nam e w ill be entered in the books or p a p e r sent
u n til the m oney is rem itted ; and in va ria b ly the pa p er w ill be discontinued,
; A : P IC T U R E I N T H E H E A R T O F A N OAK. a t the expiration of the. term subscribed for. R e m itta n c e s should be m ade
A c o rr e s p o n d e n t of th e W a te r b n r y (C o n n .) A m e rica n , in M oney-orders, H undis, Bill, C heques, (o rT re n sn ry bills if in re g istered
w r it in g fro m W a te r T o w n , sa y s t h a t M r. B e n ja m in M a rk in , le tte r s ) , an d m a d e payable only to the P r o p r i e t o r s o f t i i e T t i e o s o i ’ h i s t ,
o f t h a t to w n , in s p littin g a lo g of b la c k o a k , o b serv ed a A d y a r 1 \ O., ( M a d r a s , J ln d in . •
S u b sc rib e rs w ish in g a p rin te d re c e ip t for th e ir re m itta n c e s m u st send
p ic tu re on th e sm o o th g r a in in th e h e a r t of th e tre e . I t is a
sta m p s for re tu rn postage.
la n d s c a p e , o r r a th e r a c lu m p of tre e s , w ith t r u n k a n d SS^T O nly t h r e e N u m b e r s o f V o l . I h e i n g a v a i l a b l e , t h e crunRE f o r
b ra n c h e s a n d tw ig s a s c le a rly d efin ed a s th o u g h d ra w n w ith th e m w ill be Rs. 1-8. S u b scrib ers for th e Second Volumo (O ct. 1880 to
in k o r p h o to g ra p h e d by th e s u n ’s ra y s . T h e tre e s fo rm a S e p te m b e r 1881) p a y Rs. 6 only in I n d ia ; R s. 7 iu C e y lo n ; Rs. 8 in
p ic tu r e a b o u t fo u r in c h e s s q u a re , sh o w in g lik e th e open le af th e S tra its S e ttle m e n ts,C h in a , Ja p a n , a n d A u s tr a lia ; and £ 1 in A frica ,
o f a book, a n d th e sam e on th e o p p o site p a g e . M r. M a rv in E u ro p e an d th e U n ited S ta te s.
A g e n t s : L ondon, E ng., M essrs. T riib n e r a n d Com pany, 57 a n d 59’
Bays it is a p r e tty good p o r tr a itu r e of th e c lu m p of tre e s
L u d g a te H i l l ; B e rn a rd Q n a ritc h , 15 P iccad illy , W .; P a ris ; F ra n c e , P . G-
w h ic h he felled , th e p ic tu re a p p e a rin g in th e h e a r t o f th e L ey m arie, 5, R ue N enve d es P e tits C h a m p s; N ew Y ork, F ow ler
la r g e s t o n e .— The S cien tific A m e ric a n . a n d W ells, 753, B ro a d w a y ; B oston, M ass, Colby an d R ich, !), M ontgo­
m e ry P la c e ; Chicago, 111. J . C. B undy, La Sallo S t. A m erican su b sc ri­
b e rs m ay also o rd er th o ir p a p e rs th ro u g h W. Q. Ju d g e , E sq., Box 8 , P. O.
TABLE OF CO N TEN TS. B rooklyn, N ew Y ork ; M elbourne, A u stra lia W .H . T e rry , P u b . H arbinger
o f L ight ; S t. T hom as ; W ost In d ies, C.E. T aylor ; C a lc u tta, In d ia : T h ack er
Paqe. Page. S p in k and C om pany, B ooksellers, B abu N o re n d ro N a th Sen, In d ia n
P ro je c tio n of tho D ouble ... 2 T h e E fficacies o f F u n e ra l M irror Office, 24 M ott’s L ane, P h n rru m to lla h S tre e t ; M adras, M essrs.
T w o .words ab o n t C h e la sh ip ... 2 C e rem o n ies ... ... 24 Jo h n so n an d Co., 26 P o p h a m ’s B roadw ay, V e n k a ta V a ra d a ra ju ln
R e p lie s to In q u irie s su g g esto d A n A m e ric a n B roken S p ec­ N aidn, R a y a p e tta , H igh Road ; B angalore, W . A. L eo n ard , Bangalore
by “ E so te ric B u d d h ism ” ... 3 tre.* ............... ................. 24 Spectator Oflico, 10, S o u th P a ra d e ; Colom bo, Ceylon : G reg. E d erew ero ,
T ho M issing L in k —a t L a st ... 1 0 S p ecim en s to E x ch an g e ... 25 G alle, Jo h n R o b e rt do Silva, S u rv e y o r G e n e ra l’s Office ; K an d y , D on
C a lifo rn ia on T heosophy ... 1 0 A rn o S aknussem m ... ... 25 T im o th y K a rn n a ra tn e ; S h a n g h a i, C h in a : K elly an d W alsh .
O f tho S e rp e n t P y th o n an d tho T he A di B ra h m a S am aj ... 25
P y th o n e sse s th ro u g h o u t the A F e w W ords ... ... 25
n g o s... ... ... ... 1 1 T h e “ Saving of a n o th e r |j g f * T h e M a n a g e r c a ll s p a r t ic u la r N o t i c e t o t h e f a c t
L ife of G iordano B runo ... 1 2 H in d u Sonl.” ... 25
T h e L am p of Life ... ... 15 A h A p p e a l fo r th e R e d em p ­ th a t a ll M o n e y -o rd er s m u st now be sen t
T ho A d e p ts in A m erica in tio n of P o o r P a ria h s ... 26
i t Vg ........................................... 16 The T h re e A sp e c ts of
p a y a b l e a t A dyar P . 0 . (not M a d r a s), I n d ia .
A Voice from the C ash m ere B ra h m a ... ... 27
V alley .............................. 17 G r e a t in c o n v e n ie n c e is c a u s e d b y m a k in g th e m
“ Im p re ssio n s from tho I n ­
O rie n ta l M esm erism ... ... 17 finite ... ... ... 27 p a y a b le t o C o l. O lc o t t o r M m e . B la v a t s k y , n e ith e r
W as W ritin g K now n beforo M eth o d of T ra n s lite ra tio n ... 28
P a n in i ... ... ... 18 A P le a fo r a P e rso n a l God.,. 28
of w hom have to do w ith fin a n c ia l m a tte r s, and
A ' H in d u L o y alist o f P ondi- R e v ie w s— b o th of w hom are o ften fo r m o n th s a b s e n t fro m
. ch o rry ... ... 2 1 K a v y a DoBha V iv e c h a n a ... 29
S o m o S cien tific Q u estio n s A n ­ T h e L a w n -T e n n is School of H e a d -q u a r te r s.
sw ered ... ... ... 2 2 C ritic s ... ... 30
L e tte rs to th o E d ito r— ‘ O oty C h ro n icle ... ...
Can F o m ale becom e A d e p ts P. 23 A R e m a rk a b le D isc o v ery ... 3 i P r i n t e d a t th e S c o ttis h , P r e s s b y G r a v e s , C o o k s o n a n d C o.,
* S om e Q u estio n s on Archao- A P ic tn ro i a tlio H e a r t of ' a n d p u b lis h e d b y th o T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y a t A d y a e >
. ology .............................. 23 a n Oak >M 33
F in d a m s a t Gya 23 ( M a d ra s ) I n d i a , ; ■ 1 ' • . •
 SUPPLEMENT
THE THEOSOPHIST.
V o l. 5. N o. 1. M A D R A S ,
P A Y IN G T H E W A Y .
T h e late A rtem u sW ard , a fam ous A m erican hu m o rist, w ishing
to prove his eUusive p atrio tism d u rin g th e late Civil YVar, said
th a t he w as ready to send all his w ife’s rela tiv e s to th e arm y !
Some of th e liberal advisers aud critics of the T heosophical
S ociety seem moved by a like lib eral se n tim e n t. E v er since th o
Society had its c u rren t expenses to pay and fixed an e n tran ce
lee of Ks. 10 to defray them , these sensitive n a tu re s have felt
too, too keenly, the false position iu w hich th is step was p la ­
cing it! They were w illin g —q u ite too m uch so —th a t tho in-
lucky Founders should pay its charges, to th e sacrifice of th e ir
last g arm en t, if th ey could not do it> by M agic ; b u t an entranco
ieo—fie ! T hough every o th er Society in tho world does th e
ta m e —unless endow ed w ith an in te re st b earin g P e rm an e n t
Fund, or receiving v o lu n tary su b scrip tio n s to th e e x te n t of its
needs—th a t does not a lte r th e case. N or does it, if th e
objector him self is proved to be p ay in g w ith o u t m u rm u r
his Re. 75 per annum in th e Bom buy, o r h is “ e n tran ce d ona­
tion’' of Its. 10 and “ annual su b scrip tio n ” of Its. 40 in tho
M adras, B ranch of the Royal Asiatic S o c ie ty ; or hi* Rs. 28
per annum in the M adras A gricu ltu ra l an d H o rticu ltu ra l So­
c ie ty ; or his life m em bership fee of te n g uineas in e ith e r
uf the Bible, T ract, R eligious K now ledge, M issions, S. P . G„ or
Temperance societies; or his entran ce and larg e ann u al fees in a
lodge of free m asons ; or in any o th er body for th e c a rry in g on of
organised w ork of a philanthropic ch aracter th e world over. Thoy
are, of course, expected to pay th e ir reck o n in g s ou t of th e ir a n n u ­
al income, b u t w ith th e Ish m aels of T heosophy it is q u ite a d if­
ferent affair. If th ey chose to dig th e ir Society out of th e A ryan
iiunidus for the good of hum anity, certain ly they o u g h t to pay
for tho privilege. T hey pretend to be p h ila n th ro p ists ; le t them
purchase th e lu x u ry , and not for a m om ent th in k of th e ir poor
relations, th e ir personal w ants, or th e books, in stru m e n ts, furni-
tu ie , or clothing th a t the m oney m ig h t buy; fo r p h ila n th r o p is ts
have no occasion for such lu x u rie s : th e ir rew ard is in th e satis­
faction of conscience, th e doing of d u ty ! H ow serene th e brow s
of some of our own T heosophists in tim es past, when th ey have
told th eir humble servants, th e F o u n d ers, th a t really it w ould be
b e tte r not to charge any E n tra n c e F e e ! Moro th a n once
(and our latest experience d ates b u t from a fo rtn ig h t back)
this has been said by persons who w ere fa r rich er th a n th e
culprits addressed, yet had never offered to g ive oue rupee
tow ards th e Society’s expenses. T hoy w ere very lib eral w ith
advice b u t very parsim onious w ith th e ir cash. If it had been a
question of paying salaries to the F o u n d e rs, or even to su b o rd i­
nate officers, it m ig h t have been differen t. B u t, since th ere has
never been a rupee paid to any one of th e se cretaries, m o st o f
whom have sacrificed and renounced for over all w orldly goods and
yet have to bo fed and clothed, nor to any one connected w ith
the m anagem ent, from the begin n in g , for his or h er services, nor
any expectation of its ever b eing d o n e—it has seem ed th a t th e
rem ark, under the circumstances o f the advisers' pecuniary relation,
10 the Society, was a superfluous d onation ! If a com p u tatio n
were made of th e ag g re g a te w ealth of o u r m em bers, tho sum
total of th eir incom es alone w ould m o u n t into th e m illions of
pounds Bterling. Au infiuitessim al p e rc e n ta g e upon th a t by
way of a voluntary tax would, in a single y ear, create an endow*
m eat whose in te re st w ould m ake th e Society in d ep en d en t of all
K ntranco fees, and th ey m ig h t be dispensed w ith. T h at tax,
voluntary or involuntary, tbe F o u n d e rs will n ever call for ; if it
is to be done at all, it m ust be by o th e rs. F o r so long as th ey
have a rupee of income, if th e Society, th e child of th e ir souls,
needs it for its c u rren t expenses it shall have it and th ric e w el­
come. P robably a day m ay come w hen su ch sacrifices
will no longer be dem anded. I t s incom e ay be ap p ro ach ­
ing th e point of self-support ; b u t a t p resen t, it is not so.
A m o v em e n t w as in a u g u ra te d by som e of tb e b r e th r e n of M a d ra s
T O
O C T O B E R , 1 8 8 3. No. 49.
to pay for th o A dyar H ea d -q u a rters, m ake th e needed rep airs,
erec t some ashrum s to accom m odate caste visitors, pay for
fu rn itu re , etc. etc. T h e F o u n d ers headed tho list w ith a cash
donation of Its . 500, hig h ly ap p ro v in g of th e p ro je c t—allh o u g li
th ey expect to have to advance above R s. 5,000 th is y ear besides.
W ell, o u t of R s. 8,500 (all necessary rep airs excluded) h ith e rto ,
only Rs, 3,200 are paid. T h e sacred fire of devotion and enthusi-;
asm th a t b u rn ed so b rig h tly a t th e b eg in n in g has flickered aw ay,
aud th o probable consequences are t b i t we will have to pay th e
re s t ourselves. W h en th e Society is placed in ft hom e of its ow n—
like every othor respectable body, of w hatsoever k in d —and re n t-
p aying is stopped, th e re will be one d rain th e lefes upon o u r
p riv ate resources. I f th e day of relief were a little nearer, wa
should not have said one w ord upou th e su b ject. A n d ,b u t for th a
g ra tu ito u s re m a rk s h ereto fo re m ade by colleagues inside th a
Society w ho o u g h t to have had th e delicacy to w ithhold th em
u nless th ey knew of som e o th e r m eans of p aying th e hones'*
expenses, we should not havo noticed c ertain m alicious slu rs in
A n g lo -In d ian jo u ru a ls a b o u t th e poor little in itiatio n fee w hich, ia
c o n tra st w ith th e like ch arg es in o th er o rg an isatio n s, especially
w ith th e ir often heavy ann u al du es, to which th e re is no p arallel
iu our Society —is sm all en ough in all conscience. N or are wa
ever likely to claim m erit for th e p ractice, from th e first followed
by us, of p ay in g o u t of o ur own pockets th e fees of P a n d its and
o th er poor scholars, who havo loved o ur cause, b u t been u nable
to give th a t p ractical proof of th eir in te re st in its w ork.
TH E GOVERNM ENT AND TH EOSOPHY.
From
CO LO N EL HEN RY S . OLCOTT,
P resident o f the Theosophical Socictu,
To
T H E HONORABLE E . F . W EBSTER,
C h ie f Secretary to the Quvernment o f M adras.
S i r , — I h ave th e h o n o r to a d d re s s you on b e h a lf of th e T heo so ­
p h ic a l S ociety, of w hieh I a m P re s id e n t, au d th e o b je c ts o f w hosa
o rg a n iz a tio n a re as f o llo w :—■
I. (a ) T j p ro m o te th e fe e lin g of m u tu a l to leran ce a n d kindnosa
betw een people of d iffe ro n t lu c e s a n d relig io n s ;
(!j) T o en co u rag e tho s tu d y o f th e p h ilo so p h ies, re lig io n s an d scienco
of th e a n c ie n ts, p a r tic u la rly of th e A ry a n s ;
(fi) To aid scientific re se a rc h in to th o h ig h e r n a tu r e an d pow ers of
m an. .
I I . T hose a r e ou r only co rp o ra te a s p ira tio n s and, sin c e the y e a r
1875—w hen t h e S o ciety w as fo u n d ed a t N ew Y o rk —th o y h a re b een
o p en ly d eclared a n d p u b licly d e fe n d e d . W ith th em we have exclusive­
ly o ccupied ourselves, an d h av e m o st s tre n u o u s ly refu sed to m e d d le
w ith P o litic s or to a d v o c a te an y c re e d to th e exclusion of o th e rs.
I I I . T ho p rin c ip a l s c a t of th e S o ciety ’s operations w as tr a n s f e r re d
fro m N ew Y ork to In d ia in F e b r u a ry 1879 fo r th e g r e a te r conveniencor
of our p u re ly O rie n ta l re se a rc h e s ; a n d in D ecem ber 1882, w as m ovod
from B om bay to M a d ras fo r a lik e roason.
I V . Tho S o ciety w as, iu th e first in sta n c e , a n o p en b o d y ; b u t i t
w as found in p r a c tic e t h a t th e successful p ro se c u tio n o f p sy c h ical
e x p e rim e n ts, in tho p ro g re s s of w hich tlie m ost p riv a te th o u g h ts a n d
a s p ira tio n s of o u r com m on n a tu r e h ad to he e x p re sse d , dem an d ed a
m ore confidential re la tio n b etw een m em b ers. T h e p riu c ip le o f se c re c y ,
id e n tic a l w ith th a t of F re e M asonry a n d O dd B 'ellow ship, a n d w ith
th e sa m e la u d a b le m o tiv e, w as th e re fo re a d o p te d a s early as th a
seco n d j c a r of th e S o c ie ty ’s ex iste n ce.
V. O u r w ork b e in g th u s c a t off fro m p u b lic view , m a n y lad ies an d
g e n tle m e n of good position socially, jo in ed n s, b o th in A m erica an d
E u ro p e —w h e re b ra n c h e s a f te r aw h ile s p ra n g n p. B u t co in o id en tly
w ith o u r com ing to In d ia th is p riv a to re la tio n b e tw e e n o u rse lv e s, and
th e g r e a t fav o u r w hich o u r e n d eav o u rs to rev iv e A ry an le a rn in g e x c it­
ed am o n g H in d u s, c a u s e d a sn spicion— to th e la s t d eg re e u n ju s t a n d
u n fo u n d e d — th a t w e m ig h t havo u n d e r tho m a s k of p h ilo so p h ical stu d y
som e p o litical d e sig n . A cco rd in g ly , th o G o v e rn m e n t o f In d ia, a t th o
in sta n c e of H e r M a je sty ’s H om e G o v e rn m e n t, c a u sed ns to be w a tc h e d
b o th a t B o m b ay , o u r resid en ce , au d w hile tra v e llin g o v er Iu tlia .
 T h e ro b e in g n o th in g w h a te v e r to d isc o v er of th o n a tu r e a p p re h e n d e d ,
th o ex p en so an d tro ab lo lav ished upon us, o n ly o ndcd in pro v in g
o u r b lam elessn ess o f m o tiv e nn d c o n d u c t. F o r su llicio n t p ro o f
o f w h ich I w ould re sp e c tfu lly in v ito a tte n tio n to th o onclosed
l e t t e r [N o . 1025 E. G., d a te d Sim la, tlio 2 n d O cto b er 1880] from tho
S e c r e ta r y to G ov ern m en t in th o F o re ig n D e p a rtm e n t to m y s e lf—
w h ic h I tr a n s m it in th o original, w ith re q u e s t fo r its re tu rn . I t is
th o re in rem arkod th a t " th e G o v e rn m e n t of Iu d ia h a s no dcsiro to
s u b je c t y ou (onrsolvea) to a n y inconvenionco d u rin g y o u r (o u r) stay
in th e co u n try , ” and 11 so lo n g ns th e M einbors of th o S o ciety coniine
th e m se lv e s to th e p ro se c u tio n of p h ilo so p h ical a n d sc ie n tific stu d ies,
w h o lly u n co n n ected w ith p o litic s * * * tb o y neod a p p re h e n d no a n ­
n oyan ce, &c. & c.”
V I. T he ab o v e decision is iu s t r i c t a c c o rd a n c e w ith th o o f t.d o . th o w hile suffering from fover of a very v iolent n atu re d iscuss­
claro d p o lic y of H o r M ost G racio u s M a jo sty ’s A s ia tic re la tio n s w ith
B ubjugatod p e o p le s, to m a in ta in s t r io t n e u tr a lity in a ll m a tte rs
in v o lv in g relig io u s e n q u iry o r belio f. A n d , h a v in g o v er fa ith fu lly
o b se rv e d th e law s and re s p o c te d th o e s ta b lis h e d r e g u la tio n s of
O o v e rn m o n t, in I n d ia a s o v o ry w h e re elso th r o u g h o u t tlio w orld
w h o re o u r S o ciety h a s B ra n c h e s — w e a re e n title d to p ro te c tio n an d
d e m a n d i t as o u r r ig h t.
V I I. E n tire freedom from an n o y an ce nn d m o le sta tio n wo havo
n o t en joyed in th o M ad ias P ro s id o n o y . I n v ario u s q u a r te rs a c e rta in
p re ssu ro , nono th o lo ss m en acin g b o cau so unofficial, h a s been p u t
upon H in d u su b o rd in a te s to p r e v e n t th e i r ta k in g a c tiv e in te re s t in
o u r w o rk . T hough th o v in d ic a tio n o f th o w isd o m , v irtu e s an d s p iritu a l
ach ie v e m e n ts of th e ir a n c e s to rs w as in v o lv o d , th e y lm vo beon mado
to feel t h a t th ey could no bo T h e o so p h is ts w ith o u t losing th e good
w ill of th e ir su p e rio rs, poBsibly th e ir ch an co s of p ro m o tio n . T im id
b y n a tu r e , th o su b o rd in a te s h av e in m a n y — th o n g h , to th e hon o u r of
t r u e m an h o o d , b e i t said n o t a l l—in s ta n c e s , sao rificed th e ir foolings
to th is p e tty ty r a n n y . B u t d e s p ite a ll o p position, w h e th e r of se c ta ria n
big o try o r o th e r k in d s, th e S o ciety lias so rap id ly in c re a se d t h a t i t
h a s a lre a d y fo u n d ed tw o u ty B ra n c h e s w ith in th o M a d ras P re sid e n c y .
A u im p a rtia l in q n iry a m o n g o n r m e m b e rs will show t h a t tho inflneuco
u p o n th o n a tiv e s is e x c e lle n t: im p ro v in g th e ir m o ral tono, m ak in g
th e m m oro relig io n s, m o ro so lf-ro lian t, a n d m o ro tr a c ta b le a s su b je c ts.
S h o u ld th o G o v ern m o n t of M a d ras oaro to to s t th e t r u th of th is
a sse rtio n , I sh a ll m ost g la d ly fu rn is h o v ery n e e d e d fa c ility .
V I I I . I n view o f t li o a b o v e fa c ts, w h a t I ro sp c c tfu lly ask is th a t
th o G o v e rn m e n t will m ako i t u n d e rsto o d th a t, so long as tho Theoso­
p h ical S o o iety sh a ll k eep to i ts d eclaro d field of a c tiv ity , a n a b s o lu te
n e u tr a lity sh all b e o b se rv ed to w a rd s i t b y officials th r o u g h o u t tho
I ’resid e n c y . A n d esp e c ia lly fo rb id t h a t th o f a o to f m em b ersh ip Or non-
tn o m b o rsh ip sh a ll even bo co n sid o re d in d e te rm in in g th e claim s
o f an y eipployd, E n g lish o r N ativ e, to official fa v o u r.
I h av e th o h o n o u r 10 bo, . o r tw o local doctors in th e a r t of healing by touch. H e selected
Sir,
Y o u r m o st o b e d ie n t S e rv a n t,
H. S . O L C O T T , N o tw ith sta n d in g his exhaustion nt th e tim e, some w ere im ­
P r e s id e n t Theosophical Society.
P U B L IC D E P A R T M E N T .
. P r o c e e d in g s o f t f ik M adras G overn m en t.
R e a d th a fo llo w in g l e t t e r fro m C olonol II. S. O l c o t t , P re sid e n t,
T hoosophical S o eiety , d a te d 7 th S ep tem b o r, 1883 ; (1) s ta tin g th e ob jecls
o f th o S o ciety : (2 ) tr a n s m ittin g a le ttc v a d d re s s e d to h im b y th o G ov­
e r n m e n t o f In d ia, F o re ig n D o p artm o n t, of 2n d O c to b e r 1880, pro m isin g
t h e m em b ers o f th e S ociety fro cdom from all a n n o y a n c e so long as th e y
confine th e m se lv e s to th o p ro secu tio n o f ph ilo so p h ical a n d scientific
Btudios, w ho lly u n co n n ected w ith p o litic s : (3) co m p lain in g th a t in
v ario u s q u a rte rs of th o M a d ra s P re s id e n c y som e n a tiv e su b o rd in a te s
havo been m a d e to feel th a t tlio y c a n n o t jo in th e S ocicty w ith o u t losing
th o good-w ill of th e ir official su p e rio rs.
ORDER.
13f/i Septem ber 1883, No. 1798.
C olonel O lco tt m ay bo assn ro d t h a t th is G o v ern m en t w ill strictly follow
ih e lin e s th a t have been la id dow n by the G overnm ent o f In d ia in th e ir
l e t te r to h is ad d ress. In re g a rd to tho c o m p la in t he h a s p re fe rre d , th e y
o b se rv e t h a t i t is o f a g e n e ra l n a tu ro o n ly , no specific in sta n c e s being
m o ntio n ed , an d H is E x cellen cy th e G o v ern o r in C ouncil n eed only say
t h a t he would hitjhly disapprove a n y interference v:ith the religious or
p hilo so p h ica l ideas of a n y sectio n of th e p o p u la tio n .
[T m e E x tr a c t.]
(Signed) F o r s t e r W e b s t e r ,
A g. C hief Secretary.
T o C o l o n e l H . S. O l c o t t ,
P resident, Theosophical Society,
T H E TW O F O U N D E R S A T C O IM B A T O R E .
who was invited to v isit th is tow n on liis way
C o lo n e l O lc o tt,
from O oty to P ondichcry, arrived a t th e C oim batore R ailw ay
S tatio n on tho 10t,h In s ta n t at 2-30 p. m ,. w ith th e m ail train
fro m M ettapoliam .
I t was a peculiar blessing to C oim batore th a t th e a u th o r of
th a t adm irable work “ Isia U n v eiled ” accom panied him to sp en d
a few days w ith ns,
. I t boiug Sunday, all th e leading g en tlem en of th e tow n w ere i
on th e R ailw ay p latfo rm to do ho n o r to th e ir a d o p ted b ro th er
aiid siste r, . jn o a tr ie d in t u r n to in te r p r e t in to T am il, b u t b o th failed . F in ally , as n
T h e d istin g u ish e d T heosopliists drove to th e bnngalow p re ­
pared for th e ir recep tio n , followed by a long a rra y of carriages.
A u E n g lish nddress was read th ere, an d Tamil poem s compos­
ed for th e oocasion w ere recited. B eautiful and m agnificent
g a rla n d s m ade of th e ru b y like seeds of pom egranates, tho like
of w hich th e y had n o t seen before, as it ap p eared from th eir
ad m iratio n of th em , w ere th en th ro w n round th eir necks. T he
d a y ’s p ro ceed in g s wero th en b rought to a close by an eloquent
and to u ch in g th o u g h sh o rt speech from Colonel O lcott, th an k in g
th e n ativ e com m unity for th e k indness aud b ro th erly love shown
to him an d to liis colleague.
I t was a lovely scene to behold Madame B lavatsky, though all
in g from a b o u t 3-30 r. M . to 10 P . M., Theosophical questions
w ith Y ogis th a t cam e from F a lg h a n t only to pay th e ir respects
to h e r an d to g e t th e ir doubtB cleared, and w ith ffauscrit
P u n d its. W h en some frien d s w ho w ere very anxious about
h e r h e alth req u ested her to go in to h e r a p a rtm e n t an d tako
ro st, she rep lied in a tru e O riental fashion, “ I m u st be m aster
ev er my body and n o t my body over me.”
O n th e evening of the 17th Colonel O lcott delivered a lecture
on T heosophy to a very large and ap p reciativ e audience. The
learned ie c tu re r d w elt a t len g th on th e im portance of a know­
led g e of m esm erism to th e rig h t u n d e rsta n d in g of th e religions
of th e p ast. H e exhorted tb e H indus to dive deep into the re ­
ligious tr u th s enunciatod by th e ir glorious forefathers, and to
m ake th e to rch of In d ia n Philosophy shine, by u n ited efforts, as
b rig h t iu th is an cien t land of In d ia , ns in days of yore, aud not
to bo h a n k erin g a fte r W estern p ositivistic philosophers.
Collego y o u th s idolize them sim ply bocause no H in d u , now-a-
days, is found to unravel satisfactorily th e g ran d tr u th s of lifo
aud d e ath ly in g hidden in th e a p p a re n tly silly and absurd alle­
gories in w hich it was th e custom of all O rien tals to clothe
theso tru th s , (it being im possible to p o pularise occult tr u th s
forcibly o therw ise).
T he n ex t m orn in g Le delivered a n o th er lecture to th e Tamil
sp eak in g population, w hich w as very happily tran slated by
M. li. R y. Y en g u A y er A vergal, a pleader of C alicut, A fter
th e lecture was over, he re tu rn e d to his bungalow , w here the
sick were aw aiting his arriv al to bo cured by touch.
T he P re s id e n t F o u n d e r felt th a t he would n o t be able to treat
successfully, as be was very m uch exhausted from his h ard work
on th e S o u th e rn Circnifc. H e th erefore w anted to in stru c t one
some cases and showed to tw o dressers of th is place how to
proceed w ith p a rtic u la r diseases.
m ed iately cu red nnd others, who wero suffering from chronic
diseases th a t could only be cured by rep eated sittin g s, o b tain ­
ed su ch tem p o rary relief as to show th a t they m ig h t be cured
by m esm erism .
Some ig n o ra n t people who were u n d e r th e ab su rd im pres­
sion tb a t th e Colonel was some d eity or ono g ifte d w ith divino
pow ers, and w ho th erefore th o u g h t th a t tlieir disease would
vanish in a tric e a t a sin g le glanco of Col. O lcott, w ere sadly
disappointed. T hey ran m ad, aud of course a re circulating
false re p o rts ab o u t tho T heosophists. B u t tim e will correct
th e ir m istakes.
On tho 19th b y th e mail tra in Col. O lcott and M adame
B lav atsk y sta rte d for P o n d ich ery , w herefrom tbey had roceiv
ed an invitation.
T. M. p U N D A B A M T i l l a t B, A,
C o i m b a t o r e , 25th September 1883.
T H E F O U N D E R S A T rO N D I C H E R Y .
O n tho 2 0 th S o p to m b er, a f te r tra v e llin g day and n ig h t w ith o u t sto p ­
ping, th e F o u n d e rs reach ed th e c h a rm in g F re n c h sta tio n of P ondichery.
M r. C h a n em o u g a V olayouda M odcliar, a M em ber of the P rovincial
C ouncil ( C onseiller G eneral), an d som e o th o r g en tlem en of resp ec ta b ility ,
m e t th e m a t V illipooram , som e 23 m iles up th e railw ay, a n d esco rted
th e m to th e ir place of d estin a tio n . A t th o P o n d ich cry p la tfo rm a g re a t
crow d h a d assem b led to g re e t th e g n e s ts. N o sooner h a d th e train
sto p p e d th a n tho v isito rs w ere g re e te d w ith th e N ational B ritish an th em .
T h e fino M ilita ry b an d of th e G overnor played th em firs t to th e ir c a r ­
ria g e , an d th e n th ro u g h th e s tr e e t to th e house, w hen th e H y m n of “ God
S avo th e Queen*” w as follow ed by th e W ar-liko “ M arseillaise” of th e
F re n c h R epnblic. A r e g u la r procession w as o rg a n ise d of tho carriag es
of th e n a tiv e g e n try , an d m oved slow ly th ro u g h th o tow n to a spacious
m ansion by th o sea-shoro w hich had b een fitte d np fo r th e ir occn-
p an cy . T h e C ouncillor G en eral here placod g a rla n d s ubout th e ir necks,
a n d road an a d d re ss in F re n ch , to w hich Col. O lco tt, fo r him self an d his
collcagno, rep lied in th e sarno lan g u ag e. T ho nsnal p re se n ta tio n s w ere
th e n m ade, an d th e honso wa6 full of v isito rs u n til a la te h o u r of tlio
ev en in g . On th e follow ing day th o P re s id e n t-F o u n d e r paid cerem o n ial
v isits to II. E . th o G overnor, H is H o n o r th e M a y o r; an d o th e r p rin ­
cip al officials; b ein g receiv ed by cach a n d all w ith tho s u a v ity which is
s q n a tu ra l to ed u c a te d F ro n c h g e n tle m o n . A t 5 r. m . ho lectured ou
“ T h eo so p h y a s a su p p o rt to tr u e R eligion.” T he H o norable M. G u erre,
th e M ayor, h ad k in d ly ag re e d to se rv e as I n te r p r e te r fo r tho occasion,
b n t Gnally f e lt obliged to d eclin e a s ho doubted liis cap a c ity to re n d e r so
h ig h a n d th o u g h tfu l a discourse, as th is seem ed lik ely to be, from
E n g lish in to F re n c h . A n o th e r F re n c h g e n tle m a n th e n underto o k tfl\8
d u ty , b u t b ro k e d ow n a f te r a few a tte m p ts . T h en tw o n a tiv e g e n tle ,
la s t d e s p e ra te reso u rce, au d a t th e u r g e n t r e q u e s t of h is au d ien ce, Col.
O lc o tt co n tin u ed his le c tu re in F re n c h , s p e a k in g for a n h o u r an d
g o in g over th e whole scientific au d religiouB g ro u n d . T h is w as c e r ta in ly
a rem ax-kable in sta n c e of av ailable m em ory, fo r a lth o u g h v e ry fa m ilia r
•with th o la n g u a g e as p rin te d or w r itte n , h e h ad n e v e r before a tte m p te d
such a b old e x p e rim e n t as to le c tu re in a fo reig n to n g u e, w ith o u t tho
sm a lle s t p re v io u s p re p a ra tio n a n d ev en e x te m p o re . T ho P re sid e n t
r e p o rts th e cario u a fa c t th a t th e v e ry m o m e n t a f t e r ho h a d decided to
go on in F re n c h , a n d had th o u g h t how tho i n te r e s ts of th e S ocicty w ere
involv ed , ho felt th e “ psy ch ic c u r r e n t’* of h is G u ru a n d th e n c e fo rw a rd
w as n o t in th e sm a lle s t d eg ree em b a rra sse d , b u t w e n t on as th o u g h ho
h a d sp o k e n F re n c h all his life.
On th o 22nd u ltim o ho m esm e rically tr e a te d som e p a tie n ts, an d in
th e ev en in g a new B ran ch e n title d “ L a S o cietie T heosophique do Pondi-
e h e ry ” w as o rg an ised . M. T a u d a r S an d irap o u llo w as chosen P re sid e n t,
M. M o ro n g ap p a M odeliar S e c re ta ry .
On S n n d ay th e F o u n d e rs lo ft th e p le a s a n t tow n, an d tho sa m e e v e n ­
ing a rriv e d a t M adras. A tra n sla tio n of th e w elcom e a d d re ss of th e
C o u n cillo r G en eral is a s follow s :—
“ M a d a m a n d S i r , — “ W elcom e in th is, o u r d e a r c ity . Y ou s ta n d now
iu th o p resen c e of a n in te llig e n t people w ho realize th o ro u g h ly w ell all
tho g ra n d e u r of th o su blim e m ission e n tr u s te d to you by P ro v id e n c e — a
m ission in th e a n c ie n t d a y s of o u r -fo re fa th e rs, w hich w as t h a t of ou r
v e n e ra te d saintB—th e M a h arish is. In d eed , as m an y of us a lre a d y know ,
T heosophy is a scicnce th a t can alo n e e n lig h te n m an w ith re g a r d to th e
tr u e co n d itio n of hiB ex iste n ce h e re , an d h e re a fte r, a n d g iv e him an
cxuct id ea of h u m an n a tu re a n d its su p e rio rity o v er th a t of all o th e r
living c re a tu re s , by p lacin g it in d ire c t co m m u n icatio n w ith th e oue
over-soul—D ivino s p irit.
T h is holy m ission you h av e now com e to accom plish, in th e fu ln e ss of
y o u r g en ero u s p liila n th ro p y , in a p a rt of I n d ia w h ere you could count
even b efo re y o u r a rriv a l n u m ero u s u d h c rc n ts. IuB pired w ith a sense of
th e b en efits p ro d u ced by yo u r S ociety in o th e r p a r ts of th e m o th e r co u n ­
tr y , a n d th e g r e a t serv ices re n d e re d by you to th e cau se of h u m a n ity ,
th o y all a r d e n tly desire to place th e m se lv e s u n d e r th e civ ilizin g b a n n e r
of th o T h cosophical S ocicty.
F e e l assu red , M adam a n d S ir, t h a t o n r f a ith fu l an d filial a tta c h m e n t
ia pledged to you h e n cefo rw ard f o r e v e r ; an d th a t h e n c e fo rth w c w ill
striv e to th e b est of o u r ab ility to ju s tif y th e confidcnce you h av e placed
in us by try in g to d eserv e w ell of th e S o ciety .
M eanw hile, w c beg you to a c c e p t ouco m ore th e a ssu ra n c e of ou r res*
pcctfu l devo tio n an d g ratitu d e .'*
T H E B R IT IS H T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
[W e r e g re t th a t tho fo llow ing acco u n t of o u r London B ranch, w h ich
ap p e a re d in L ig h t of J u ly 28, w as till now cro w d ed off, fo r w a n t of
wpaco, alth o u g h , a s o u r re a d e rs aro aw a re , wo h a v e been g iv in g m oro
pag es th a n p ro m ised .— M anager Theos.]
NOTES BY T H E W AY.
C o n trib u ted by “ M. A . (O x o n ). ”
Ou T h u rs d a y , th e 17th, th e L ondon T heosophistB h e ld a co n v e r­
sazione a t P rin c e 's H a ll, P ic c a d illy . I n v ita tio n s w ere issu ed to m e e t
Mr. S in n e tt. Somo 270 assem b led , and a m o n g th e m w ere m a n y fa c c s
w ell k n o w n in so c iety , an d n o t a few m en o f le tte r s a n d science w h o se
ju d g m e n t an d o p in io n th e w orld is a c c u s to m e d to tr e a t w ith d eferen ce.
Tbe c c m p a u y w o uld bo d e sc rib e d in th e la n g u a g e of th e o rd in a ry re.
p o rte r as alt Ouco fa sh io n a b le a n d in flu e n tia l- D u rin g th e e v e n in g th e
P re sid e n t of th e L oudon L odge d eliv e re d a n in tro d u c to ry a d d re ss
w h ich d e a lt g en erally w ith th o p re te n s io n s of T h eosophy, a n d its a t t i ­
tu d e to w ard s th e relig io n s of th e day. I t w as fo rc ib ly p o in te d o u t
th a t as a re lig io n T heo so p hy fo u u d n o th in g in th e theologies
o f th e hour th a t b a rre d its a c c e p ta n c e . T ho sp e ak er, a C atholic
C h ristian , was in in tim a te accord w ith th e a u th o r o f E so teric B u d d h ism ,
th o u g h th ey had d raw n t h e i r in s p ira tio n fro m tw o such a p p a re n tly
d iv e rg e n t sources.
B u t th e fe a tu re of th e ev e n in g was a n ad d re ss fro m M r. S in u o tt, in
tho co u rse o f which h e statfed w ith h is usual forco au d c le a rn e s s th e
p ositio n of th o T h eo so p h ical S o ciety . B e fo re a tte m p tin g an o u tlin e
of w h a t h e p u t fo rw ard , I m ay re m a rk t h a t th o p u b lic a tio n o f his
book, au d , in no les.* degiee, th e larg e g a th e rin g t h a t he a d d r e s s e d ,
as w ell a s th e s p c a o h w h ich he th en d eliv ered , m a rk a n ew d e p a r tu re
iu th e h isto ry o f T heosophy in L ondon. So lo n g as th e S o ciety was.
o n e of s tu d e n ts , a t t r a c te d by a com m on ta s te , a n d p e rh a p s bou n d
to g eth er by a co m m o n h o p e th a t som e lig h t w o u ld e v e n tu a lly daw n on
tho fa ith fu l fro m th o so u rc e of lig h t and t r u t h — th e E a st, th e w orld
had little o r n o th in g to do w ith th e T h eo so p h ists. E v en S p iritu a lis ts
had no n ccessary co n cern w ith th e m ex cep t in so f a r as it w as n ecessa ry
to v in d ic a te th e ir own b elief fro m a s sa u lt, or desirab le to c o m p reh en d
a philo so p h y w h ich 60 n e a rly to u c h e d th e ir own in te r e s ts . B u t now
th a t th e veil of secresy has been to a co n sid erab le e x te n t e a s t aside
th e w orld an d th o S p iritu a lis ts are b o und to co u sid cr tho claim s
m ade ou b e h a lf of T heosophy.
W h at m ay be th o an sw er of th e v a rio u s ty p e s of m in d to w hich M r.
S in n ett ad d ressed himBelf on T h u rsd a y last, 1 d id n ot know . P ossibly
I should n o t b e f a r w rong if I w ere to sa y t h a t m any w ould go aw ay
bew ild ered w ith a feelin g th a t th e re aro a n te c e d e n t p o in ts of difficulty1
to bo se ttle d , beforo e x a m in in g th e s u p e r s tr u c tu r e so s k ilfu lly ra ise d
on a b asis th a t h as not y e t b een s u b m itte d to a sufficient exam in atio n .
A n d ifc req u ires a m o re e x h a u stiv e stu d y o f th e sc h em e of th o u g h t
ex p o u n d ed in M r. S in n e tt’s v o lu m e, an d s ta te d m oro p o p u la rly iu his
re c e n t ad d resses a t tho P rin c e ’s H all, au d a t v ario u s fasljipxiablc assem ­
blies in L o n d o n d raw in g -ro o m s, b e fo re I , fo r one, sh o u ld lik e to c o m ­
m it m y se lf to a s ta te m e n t of w h a t u n q u e s tio n a b ly a p p e a rs on th e
su rface to b e th e irre c o n c ila b ility of T h eo so p h ic a l a n d S p iritu a lis tic
belief. I d o n o t k n o w w h e th e r th e d o c trin e s t h a t a n ta g o n is e each
^fcher tiro, iu th e lan g u ag e of th eo lo g y , c a rd in a l a n d to b e h c ld d e fid e .
I hope n o t : fo r if it b e so th e n th e k n o w le d g e of th e S p iritu a lis t is a t
v a ria n c e w ith th o t r u th a s p ro p o u n d e d b y th e T h e o so p h ist. No
idoubt i t is ou th e g r e a t q u e stio n s of s p ir it co m m union th a t th e b a ttle
w ill rag o m o st fierce ly . I t is t h a t w hioh seem s to m e to bo so u tte r ly
boyond acco m m o d atio n . B u t th is iB a q u e s tio n f a r too w ide a n d im ­
p e ria l in its im p o rt to b e disc u sse d w ith im p e rfe c t know ledge a n d
w ith th e in su fficien t sp a c e a t m y d isp o sal. I t is oue to w h ich i t w ill
be in c u m b e n t on m e to re c u r. M ean tim e I r e tu r n to Mr. S in n e tt'n
a d d re ss, of w h ich I p re s e n t a b rie f epitom e '
H e com m enced w jth som o w ords in ex p lan atio n o f th e a ttitu d e in
w h ich th e T h eo so p h ical S o ciety sto o d tow ards tho w o rk in w hich it ia
engaged, a u d th e a d e p tB in In d ia w ith w h ich it is c o n n e c te d . T o m ako
th e s e re la tio n s in te llig ib le h e e n te re d , in th e first in sta n c e , in to a u
a c c o n n t of th e o b je c ts w ith w h ich o c c u lt dev o tees in th e E a s t p u rsu e d
a d e p ts h ip , an d th o n a tu r e of t h e i r ach ie v e m e n t if th ey a tta in e d i t .
T h e p a rp o s e th e y s o u g h t arose o u t o f th e ir com prehension, in th e firBfc
place, o f th a t g r e a t sc h em e of h u m a n e v o lu tio n se t f o rth re c e n tly in
Mr* S in n e tt’s book on “ E so te ric B u d d h ism .11 F o r all m a n k in d a t th ia
p r e s e n t s ta g e o f tho e v o lu tio n a ry process, o r fo r th e v a s t m ajo rity ,
th e e x c e p tio n s so f a r h a r d ly re q u irin g to be ta k e n in to acco u n t in a
b ro ad , g e n e ra l sk o to h th e p o sitio n , th e r e w as a c e rta in s o r t of sp iri­
tu a l f u tu re aw a itin g each E go a t d e a th . A n d th is s p iritu a l f u tu re
m ig h t easily be ono of g r e a t a n d e le v a te d e n jo y m e n t. B u t th e p u r s u e r
of a d e p ts h ip aim ed a t so m e th in g m ore th a n e lv ato d e n jo y m e n t in th e
sp ir itu a l s t a te ; he aim od a t g r e a t d e v elo p m en ts of k now ledg e c o n .
c e rn in g N a tu re , au d a t p e r p e tu ity of e x iste n c e , even beyond t h a t v e r y
re m o te p erio d in f u tp r e ev o lu tio n up to w hich th e m a jo r ity o f m an k in d
m ig h t g ra d u a lly d r ift.
N a tu re w ould n o t g r a n t p e r p e tu ity o f ex iste n ce w hich itse lf w as on ly
co m p atib le w ith v ery ad v an ce d an d e n la rg e d know ledgo, to an y E go,
h o w ev er good a n d v irtu o n s, as a re w a rd for m ere goodness. T he n a tu ­
r a l re w a rd of goo d n ess w as h a p p in e ss in th e s p ir itu a l s ta te ,— a h a p p i­
ness, th e d u ra tio n of w hich m ig h t en o rm o u sly tr a n s c c n d th e b rie f p erio d s
of o b je c tiv e ex iste n ce in w h ic h it m ig h t h av e been e a rn e d , b n t w h ich
in th e p ro g ress of ages w ould com e to a n en d by th e ex h au stio n of th o
ca u se s w hich had p ro d u c e d it, T he o n ly way to g et on in th e ovolu-
tio u a ry p ro cess boyond th e sta g e to w hich goodness could c a r r y th o
E g o w as to develope sn p rcm e sp iritu a l wisdom or know ledge, a n d t h a t
w as th e o b je c t a t w hich tho effo rts of A d e p ts w ero d irected . Now,
above all th in g s, th o A d e p ts in p u rsu in g th is o b je c t w ere e a g e r to
u u ito th e ir ow n p ro g re ss w ith t h a t of th o hu m an race g e n e ra lly to th o
u tm o st e x te n t of t h e ir p o w er to a c c o m p lish th is . F a r fro m bein g Bel*
fish in th e ir stru g g lo fo r dev elo p m en t, th ey w ero in su c h a p o sitio n as to
k n o w th a t a po licy of solfishncss w ould be f a ta l to th e ir ow n a d v a n c e ­
m en t, an d le a rn e d to seek th is in th o to ta l a b a n d o n m e n t o f th ciu
ow n p e rso n a l w e lfa re a s co m p ared w ith th e effort to b en efit o th e rs.
T h ey w cro c o n s ta n tly en g ag ed in in te rv e n tio n , by ono m ean s o r a u -
o th e r, in th o affairs of th e w o rld , even th o u g h th o c o n d itio n s of thcii?
e x iste n ce fo rb ad e th e m fro m in te rm in g lin g w ith th o w orld. T h e ir
a c tio n w as c a rrio d on by m e a n s of th o se h ig h e r se n se s a n d fa c u ltie s
w ith w h ich th o ir o c c u lt t r a in in g in v e s te d th e m . In reforence to th e s o
p o w ers, i t w as d e s ira b le t h a t peo p le who p a id a tte n tio n to tho subject;
should u n d e r s ta n d t h a t th e a d e p t did n o t seek occult konw lcdgc fo r th o
sa k e of th e p ow ers it in c id e n ta lly in v este d him w ith an y m ore th a n a
p a r tr io tic so ld ie r w ould s e e k a m ilita ry c a rc c r for th o sa k e o f w e a r­
in g a re d c o a t. T h e p o w ers of a d e p ts h ip w ero a v ery e m b a rra ss in g
f a c t c o n n e c te d w ith th a t s ta te of k n o w led g e, fo r th e s e p o w ers w ere
th e ex p la n a tio n of th e a p p a r e n tly tim id a n d se e m in g ly u n re a so n a b le
p olicy of silen c e und re se rv a tio n in re g a rd to th e ir know ledgo w h ich
th e A d e p ts p e rs is te d in follow ing. To te a c h people in g en eral th e men*
p h ilo so p h y of O c c u ltism , if t h a t w ere d o n e free ly and carclessly ,
w ould be to p u t th e m w ith in th e reach of sc c rc ts th e possessio n of
w hich w ould e n a b le th e m , if w illing to do e v il to o th e rs, to w o rk th o
m o st d isa stro u s con fu sio n a ll th ro u g h h u m an so c ic ty an d co m m it a l ­
m o st an y crim es u n d e te c te d .
O n th o o th e r h a n d , it w as couceivcd by th e A dopts tlia t th e tim e
h a d now como w hen i t w as n e c e ssa ry to lling in to tho c u rre n t of
h u m an th o u g h t so m e k n o w led g o of tru e sp irtu a l science, th a t m an k in d
m ig h t bo a rm e d , in ad v an ce w ith a h ig h e r relig io n to ta k e th e p lace
of s u p e rs titio u s crc e d s a n d d o g m as by th e tim e th eso should cru m b le
aw a y . I t w as o u t o f th is co n v ictio n , on th e ir p a rt, t h a t th e Theoso­
phical S o ciety h ad arise n . T h a t S ociety, au d th e te a c h in g s conveyed
to tbo w orld th ro u g h its in te rm e d ia tio n , c o n s titu te d an offer of en lig h ten •
m e n t to th e civ ilised w orld in re g a rd to trn e s p ir itu a l scicnce, th o
im p o rta n c e of w hich could n ot be o v e rra te d . I t rem ained to be se en
how far th e ad v an ce d th in k e r s of L o n d o n would resp o n d to th a t offer,
how f a r th e y w ould re a lise tlio co h eren ce, b e a u ty , and tr u th of th e te a c h ­
ings so f a r p u t fo rw a rd , an d u n ite in a s s e rtin g an in te llig e n t d e m a n d
fo r m ore. T h a t d em an d , to be su ccessfu l, w ould now havo to b e m ado
b y a T heosophical S ociety w h ich sh o u ld ta k e a som ew hat new d e p a r ­
t u r e . H ith e r to t h a t so c ie ty h a d been r a th e r a body o f secluded t h in k ­
e rs a u d s tu d e n ts , a s f a r a s tho B ritish bran ch w as co n cern ed a t alf
ev en ts, th a n a body of p erso n s se e k in g to m ake c o n v e rts. N ow th u
tim e had com o w h en th e S o ciety h a d done all ifc could do along its old
lin es of effo rt. In o rd er t h a t its beneficent w o rk m ig h t bo ca rrie d oil
in th e f u tu re on th e la rg e r sc ale ro w c o u to m p la te d au d to tho g ra n d e r
r e s u lts now hop ed fo r, it w as necessary t h a t it should ta k e lip a p o si­
tio n of d ig n ity an d influence, th a t it shpuld be re in fo rc e d by qualified
re p re s e n ta tiv e s of th e c u ltu re an d in te lle c tu a l effort of th e tim e, an d
th a t its h an d s sh o u ld be stre n g th e n e d fo r th e ta s k now ly in g beforo
i t. T heso c o n sid eratio n s h ad su g g e ste d tho d e m o n stra tio n o f th a t
e v en in g , w hich w as th e first effort of an y k in d w hich th e London
S ociety h a d m ado to m ako itse lf know n beyojid th o n arrow lim its
of its o rig in al o rg an isatio n . C o m p arativ ely sm a ll a n d insig n ifican t to
a p p e a ra n c e as th e S ociety m ig h t be a t p re se n t, th e faptB of tho -whole
p o sjtio n w ere su c h ns to lead th o se w ho h ad stu d ie d th e m m oat closely
to th e conclusion th a t th is little S ociety w as in possession of th e first
g leam s o f th e s p ir itu a l science w hich m u st u ltim a te ly becom c th o
relig io n o f a ll th e w o rld .
 I n th o c o u rse of hid speech, and 'in f a r th e r e x p la n a tio n o f th e p o in t
o f v ie w fro m w hich th e A dopts th em se lv e s reg ard ed tho effo rts
e m b o d ie d in th o T h eo so p h ical S ociety, M r, S in n e tt re a d th e follow ing
p a s sa g e s fro m a le tte r w ritto n b y ono of tho- groatosb am ong th e m .
T h e lo tte r h a d b een sp e cially a im e d a t re p re ssin g th e cra v in g for
sc ien tific ex p lan atio n s of a b n o rm al p h e n o m e n a w hich h a d b een fre e ly
e x p re ss e d in th e beginning by E u ro p e a n s in I n d ia con n o cto d w ith th e
S o c ic ty . . m a n is ho w ho is bound to g e th e r , in w hom h e a rt an d h ead h av e eq u al
“ I t ia n o t t h e individual a n d d eto rm in o d p u rp o se o f o b ta in in g for
o n e se lf N lrv a u a (th o cu lm in atio n of a ll know ledge a n d a b s o lu te w isd o m ),
w h ic h is, a f t e r all, on ly a n e x a lte d a n d g lo rio u s selfishness, b u t th e
se lf-sac rificin g p u rsu it of th o b e s t m ean s to lead, on tho r ig h t p a th , our
n e ig h b o u r ,— to causo as m an y o f o n r follow c ro a tu re s as wo p o ssib ly
c a n to b e n e fit b y i t ,— w h ich c o u s titu tc s tlie tr u e T h eo so p h ist.
“ T he in te lle c tu a l p o rtio n s of m ankind seem to bo fast d iv id in g in to
tw o classoB, th e ono unconsciously p re p a rin g fo r itso lf loug p erio d s of
te m p o ra ry a n n ih ila tio n o r s la 'e s o f non -co n scio u sn ess, o w in g to th e
d e lib e r a te su rre n d e r o f th e ir in te lle c t, an d its im p ris o n m e n t in tho
n a rro w g roo v es of h ig o try and su p e rs titio n — a p ro cess w hich c a n n o t fail
to lead to th e u tte r d efo rm atio n of th o in te lle c tu a l p rin c ip le ; tlie
o th e r u n re stra in e d ly in d u lg in g its an im al p ro p e n sitie s w ith tlie d e lib e r­
a t e in te n tio n of su b m ittin g to a n n ih ila tio n p u re a n d sim plo, or, in case^
of fa ilu re , to m illen n iu m s of d e g ra d a tio n a f t e r p h y sic al d isso lu tio n .
T h o se in te lle c tu a l classes, r e a c tin g upon tlie ig n o ra n t m asses w hich
th e y a ttr a c t, a n d w hich look up to th e m as n o b lo a n d fit e x a m p le s to
follow , d e g ra d o an d m o rally ru in th o se th e y o u g h t to p r o te c t a n d
g u id e .
I n v iew o f th o ev ero n creasing triu m p h , a n d a t tlie sa m e tim e th e
m isu se o f frco th o u g h t, it is tim e t h a t T h eo so p h y sh o u ld e n te r th e
a re n a . O nco d eliv ero d fro m th e d e a d w e ig h t of d o g m atic in te r p re ­
ta tio n s an d an th ro p o m o rp h ic co n cep tio n s, th o fu n d a m e n ta l d o c trin e s
o f a ll re lig io n s will b e found id e n tic a l in th e ir eso te ric m eaning.
O siris, C h rish n a, B u d d h a , C h rist, w ill be sh e w n as d ifferen t m eans
to r ono and th o sam e h ig h w ay to final bliss, N irv a n a . M y stical C h ris­
tia n ity , t h a t is to say, t h a t C h ristia n ity w hich te a c h e s se//*rcdcm ption
th ro u g h ono’s ow n se v e n th p rin c ip le — th o lib e ra te d P a r a - a tm a or
A ugoeidcs, called b y th e ono, C h rist, b y th o o th e r B ad d h a, an d
e q u iv a le n t to re g e n e ra tio n o r re -b irth in s p i r i t —w ill bo j u s t th e Fame
t r u t h a s th e N irv an a of B uddhism . A ll of n s havo to got rid of
o u r ow n E go, th o illu so ry , a p p a r e n t self, to reco g n ise o u r tru e se lf in a
tra n sc e n d e n ta l D ivine life. B u t if wo w ould n o t bo selfish, w e m ust
s triv e to m ak e o th e r peoplo Bee th a t tr u th , to reco g n ise th e re a lity of
th a t tra n sc o n d e n ta l se lf . . . S hall wo devoto o u rselv es to te a c h in g a
few E u ro p ean s, m a n y of th o m loaded w ith th e g 'f ts o f b lin d fo rtu n e ,
t ho ratio n ale of th o sp iritu a l telep h o n e a n d a s t r a l b o d y fo rm atio n , an d
le a v e th e te e m in g m illions of tfie ig n o ra n t, th o poor, a n d th e d esp ised
to ta k e caro of them solvos an d th e ir h e r e a f te r th o b e s t th e y k n o w how?
N ev er. P e rish r a th e r th o T heosophical S o ciety w ith b o th its h ap less
fo u n d ers, th a n th a t w et th o d o v o ted follow ers of t h a t s p ir it in c a rn a to
of abso lu to self-sacrifice, of p h ila n th ro p y , d iv in e k in d n e s s , as of a ll tho
h ig h est v irtu o s a tta in a b le on th is e a r th of sorrow , th e m an of m en,
G a u ta m a B u d h a, should o ver allow th o T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty to r e p re ­
s e n t th o e m b o d im e n t of selfishness, th e ref ag e o f th e few , w ith no
th o u g h t in th o m fo r th e m a n y .”
T b e a d d re ss o f th e P re s id e n t o f th o T h co so p h ical S o ciety , M rs. A .
K in g sfo rd , M, D , w as aa fo llow s:— ^ be u n d e rsto o d , it will be im possible to c o m p reh en d th e doctrino of
“ No d o u b t, o u r g u e s ts w ill e x p e c t mo to e x p la in w h a t is m e a n t by
th o w o rd ‘ T h e o so p h y ,’ an d w h a t a ro tlio aim s a n d o b je c ts of tho
S o c ie ty o v er w hich I p re sid e . I will a tte m p t, iu a s few w ords ns
p o ssib le, to give a rep ly to b o th th e s e q u e stio n s.
“ T h eo so p h y is th o scienco of th e D ivine. I n th is ag o th e w ord
S cien ce is re a d ily u n d e rsto o d ; n o t so th e w o rd D ivine. We T h eo so ­
p h ists u n d e r s ta n d by tho w ord D ivine, tho h id d e n , in te rio r an d p rim a l
q u a lity o f ex iste n ce ; th o noum enal a s o p p o sed to tho p h e n o m e n a l.
O u r re la tio n s to th e D ivine wc hold to bo re la tio n s n o t to th e ex terio r,
b u t to th e w ith in , n o t to t h a t w h ich is a f a r off, b u t to t h a t w hich is
a t th o h e a r t o f all being, tlio v e ry c o re a n d v ita l p o in t o f o u r own
tru o self. T o k n o w ourselves, is, we hold, to k n e w th o D ivine. And,
re n o u n c in g u tte r ly th e v n lg ar ex o teric, an th ro p o m o rp h ic co n cep tio n of
D e ity , wo ren o u n ce also th o e x o to ric a c c e p ta tio n of all m y th s an d
leg e n d s asso ciated th erew ith , r e p la c irg th e shadow by th e su b sta n c e
th e sym bol by th e significance, tho g r e a t h isto ric a l by th e tr u e ideal.
Wo h o ld t h a t th o science of th o D ivine is n e c e ssa rily a scienco of
Buoh s a b tle m o an in g s and tra n s c e n d a n t v e ritie s t h a t com m on la n g u a g e
too p o orly co n v ey s th em , a n d th e y h ave th u s , b y u n iv e rsa l co n aen t
th r o u g h o u t th o w orld , found th e ir o n ly p o ssib le e x p ressio n by th e
m ed iu m o f ty p e s a n d m o tap h o rs. F o r m e ta p h o r is th o la n g u a g e of
th e p o et, o r se e r, a n d to biin alono is it g iv en to k now ond to u n d e r ,
b tan d tho D ivine. I n th e p ic tu re -w o rld in w h ich he liv es an d m oves all
iu tc rio r an d p rim al v eritie s a r e fo rm u la te d in visions r a th e r th a n in
w o rd s. B u t th e m u ltitu d e f o r w hom h e Y e c o rd s b is visions ta k e s th e
m e ta p h o r fo r th e re a lity , an d e x a lts th e eid o lo n in th e place of th e
G od.
“ T h e o b je c t o f th e T h eo so p h ical S o ciety is th e re fo ro to rem o v e th is
m isa p p re h e n s io n ; to unvoil Is is j to rc sto ro th o M y ste rie s. Som o of
n s h a v e d o u b to d w h o th er su c h a c t of u n v eilin g a n d of r e s to r a tio n is
a lto g e th e r p ru d e n t, a r g u in g th a t th e q u a lity o f m ind n eed ed f o r th e
co m p reh en sio n o f pu ro t r u t h is r a re , a n d t h a t to m o st s o p e rn a tu -
ralism a n d ev en su p e rs titio n are n ecessities. T h e a n s w e r to sn c h o b ­
je ctio n is t h a t th e p re s e n t sy ste m of th eo lo g ical te a c h in g h as long
been an d still is an im p assable b arrio r in th o w ay of r ig h t th o u g h t an d
actio n , an d of scientific p r o g r e s s ; a f rn itf u l s p rin g of opprossion,
f ra n d an d fan aticism , a n d a d ire c t in c e n tiv e to m a te ria listic , ag n o stic ,
an d p o ssim istic d o c trin e s. I n tho in te re s t of science, of philosophy,
and of Aharity th erefo re, th o T heosophical S o c ie ty h a s reso lv ed to
in v ito all e a r n e s t th in k e rs, s tu d e n ts , an d lo v ers of th e ir ' k in d to e x ­
am in o the sy s te m a n d m e th o d i t p re s e n ts , an d to sa tisfy th e m se lv e s
t h a t th e fu lle st claim s of scien ce a ro c o m p a tib le w ith, an d its la te s t reye*
lationg n e c e s sa ry to , th o true c o m p reh en sio n esoteric religion*
“ I havo naed th e w ord relig io n . I t i s a w ord w hioh h a s u n h a p p ily
becom o divorcod fro m ita tru o m ean in g , au d asso ciated w ith m u ch
t h a t is in h e re n tly re p n g n a n t th e re to . O ne of th e e ffo rts of th is
S ocioty w ill bo to re s to re to aacrcd th in g s sacred m ean in g s. R eligion
is th e scien ce of in te rp re ta tio n , th o science of b in d in g to g e th e r e a r th
an d H e a v e n , th o sc ien ce o f corresp o n d en ces, of S a c ra m e n ts, o r a s
th o y w ero c a lle d in a ll old tim e s, th e M y steries. A nd th e relig io n s
sw ay, in w hom I n te lle c t an d C onscience w o rk to g e th e r and in h arm o n y ,
w ho is a t u n ity w ith hiniBolf a n d a t one w ith th e w hole w orld of
B eing. I n th is sense we a r e a re lig io u s society, for ono o f o u r avow ed
aim s is th e p ro m o tio n o f u n iv e rsa l b ro th erh o o d . Wo p ro ffer an
E rio n ico n to a ll c h u rc h e s, claim in g th a t, once th e veil o f sy m ­
bolism is lifte d from th o d iv in e faco of T ru th , all c h u rc h e s a re a k in ,
an d th e basic d o ctrin o o f a ll is id e n tic a l. T h e g u e s t of th e evening,
w ho s ta n d s besido m e , is a B u d d h is t: I , th e P re s id e n t of th e E n g lish
L o d g e, am a C a th o lic C h ristia n . Y o t wo are ono a t h e a r t, fo r h e has
b een ta u g h t b y h is O rie n ta l gnrus th e sam e e s o te ric d o ctrin es
w h ic h I havo fo n n d n n d e r th e ad o p te d p ag an sy m b o ls of th e
B om an C h u rch , a n d whioh eso teric C h ristia n ity y o a w ill find em bodied
iu ‘ T ho P c rfc c t W a y .’ G re e k , H erm etic, B u d d h ist, V e d a n tia t, C h ristia n
— all th eso L odges of th e M y s te rie s nre fu n d am en tally one a n d id e n ­
tic a l in d o c trin e . A nd th a t d o c trin e is th e in te r p re ta tio n of N a tu re ’s
h io ro g ly p h s, w r itte n for us in s k y an d sea a n d la n d , p ic tu re d fo r us
in th e g lo rio u s p a g e a n try of n ig h t an d d ay , o f s u n s e t an d d a w n , an d
w oven in to th e m any coloured w a rp and w oof o f flower, a n d seed,
an d ro ck , of veg etab le a n d an im al colls, of c ry s ta l and dow drops, au d of
all th e m ig h ty p h e n o m e n a o f p la n e ta r y cy cles, so ln r sy ste m s, and,
s ta r r y rev o lu tio n s. .
*' W e hold th a t no sin g le ecclc sia stic a l crced is co m p reh en sib lo by.
i t ’elf alone, n n in to rp rc te d by i t s p re d e c e sso rs an d its c o n te m p o ra rie s ..
S tu d e n ts , for ex am p le, of C h ristia n theology, will only learn to u n d e r­
sta n d and to a p p re c ia te th e tru e v a la o an d sig n ifican ce of th e sym bols
fa m ilia r to th e m by th e stu d y of E a ste rn p h ilosophy an d p ag a n id eal­
ism . F o r C h ris tia n ity is th o h e ir o f th ese, an d sh e d ra w s h e r b e st
blood fro m th e ir v eins. A n d foraB m uch as all h e r g r e a t an c e sto rs
hid b o n cath th e ir e x o te ric fo rm u las a n d r i te s —-them selves m e re h u sks
a u d shells to am uso th e sim p lo -m in d ed —th e eso teric or concealed v e ri­
tie s re se rv e d f o r th o in itia te , so also sh e re se rv e s fo r e a r n e s t seekera
a n d d eep th in k e rs th o tr u e in te r io r M y steries w hich aro on e an d e te r ­
nal in all cre e d s an d c h u rc h e s fro m th e foundation of tho w orld. T his
tr u e , in te rio r, tra n s c e n d c u ta l m e a n in g ifl th e B eal P re sen ce veiled in
th o ele m e n ts of tho D iv in e S a c r a m e n t: th e m ystical B ubstance a n d t h '3
t r u th figured b e n e a th th e b re a d an d th e w ine of th e a n o ie u t B acch ic
o rg ies, an d *now of o n r ow n C atholic C h u rc h . To th o unw ise, th e
u n th in k in g , th e 6 n p 3 rstitio u s, th e g ro ss e le m e n ts a r e th e f o b je c ts of
tho r ito ; to th o in itia te , th e seer, th o son o f H erm es, th e y a r e b u t th e
o u tw a rd a n d v isib le sig u s of t h a t w b ich is e v e r a n d of n e c e ssity ,
in w ard , sp iritu a l, a n d o c c n lt.
“ B ut, n o t o n ly is it n e c e ssa ry to th e T h eosophist to stu d y th e m y th s
a n d sy m bology of fo rm e r tim e s an d c o n te m p o ra ry c u lts ; it iB also
n ecessa ry t h a t he sheiflci bo a s tu d e n t of n a tn re. T h e scicn ce of th e
M y steries ca n be 'u n d ersto o d only by one who is a c q u a in te d , in som e
in easu ro a t least, w ith th e physical scienccs ; b ecau se T h eo so p h y repre*
se n ts th e clim ax a n d e sse n tia l m o tiv e-m ea n in g of all those, a n d m u st bo
learn ed in and by and th ro u g h th em . F o r u n less th o physical scien ccs
Vehicles, w h ich is th e b asic d o c trin e of o c c u lt science. * Ify o u u n d e r­
s ta n d n o t e a r th ly 'th i n g s ,’ said th e h ie ra rc h of th e C h ristia n M y ste rie s,
‘how sh all you u n d e rsta n d h eav en ly th in g s ?’ T heosophy is th e royal
science. To th o u n le a rn e d 110 t r u th can be d em o n strated , for th e y
h av e no fa c u lty w h ereb y to c o g n is e tru th , o r to te s t tho so u n d n e ss
of th e o re m s. O nrs m ay bo in d e e d th o relig io n of th e poor, b u t i t
c a n n o t bo th a t o f th o ig n o ra n t. F o r w e disclaim aliko a u th o r ity and
d o g m a ; wo a p p e a l to th e reason o f h u m a n ity > an d to e d u c a te d an d
c u ltiv a te d th o u g h t. O ur s y s te m of d o ctrin e does n ot re st upon a re m o te
past, it is b u ilt upon no se rie s o f h isto ric a l ev en ts a ssa ila b le by m o ­
d ern critic ism , it d e a ls n o t w ith ex tran eo n s p erso n alities o r w ith a r b i ­
tr a ry s ta te m e n ts of d a te s , fa c ts, an d evidence ; b n t it re la te s, in ste a d ,
to th e liv in g to -d ay , an d to th o e v e r-p re s e n t te s tim o n y of n a tu re,
o f sc ien cc, o f th o u g h t, an d of in tu itio n . T h a t w h ic h is exoteric a n d
e x tra n e o u s is th e ev a n e sc e n t type, th e h isto ric a l ideal, tho sym bol, th o
form ; a n d th e s e a re all in all to tho u n le a rn e d , B u t th a t w h ic h is
eso te ric an d in te rio r is’th e p e rm a n e n t v e rity , tlie essen tial m ean in g ,
tho th in g signified 3 a n d to a p p re h e n d th is, th e iniud m ast be re a so n ­
ab le an d p h ilosophic, and its m eth o d m u s t be scientific an d ecloctic.
“ In th e M a h a -P a rin ib b a n a -S u tta , ono of tho B u ddhist th eo so p h ic al
books, is a p a s sa g e reco rd in g c e r ta in w ords of G au tam a B u d d h a w hich
ex p ress to som e e x te n t th e id e a I w ish to b rin g befo ro y o u . I t id
t h i s :—
c1 ‘ A n d w hosoever, e ith e r now o r a f te r I am dead, shall b e a lam p o n to
h im self, an d a re fu g e n n to him self, b eta k in g him solf to no ex to rn a!
re fu g e , b u t h o ld in g f a s t to th e t r u th as his lam p a n d to tho t r u th ns bin
re fu g e , looking n o t to a n y o n e besides him solf as ^a refu g e, even he
am ong m y d isc ip le s s h a ll reach th e very to p m o st h e ig h t. B ut ho m u s t .
be anxious to le a rn .’
‘‘ I t m ay, a t th e O ntset, a p p e a r s tr a n g e th a t th e re should o f la te ,
hav e se t in am o n g us of th e W est so s tro n g a c u r re n t of B uddh ism , a n d
m any, do u b tless, w onder how it com os a b o u t t h a t th e lite ra ry a n d th in k ­
ing w orld of th is c o u n try h as re c e n tly bogun b y co m m on c o n s e n t to
m i t e a n d ta lk a n d h e a r so m uch of tho sa crc d books of th o E a st, and
o f its relig io u s te a c h e rs . T he T heosophical S ociety its e lf has its o rigin
iu In d ia , an d th e m o tto a d o p te d by its F ello w s d e c la re s th a t lig h t is
fro m th e E a s t — Ex O riente L u x . t
“ I n all th is is tho finger of L aw , in e v ita b ly a n d o rd e rly fulfilling th e
p la n e ta r y cyclo o f h u m a n evolntion, w ith th o se lf-sam e p recisio n an d
certit.ude w h ich re g u la te s th e r o ta t io n of tho globe in th e in v erse d ir e c ­
tio n ,:o r th e a p p a re n t co u rse of th e solar lig h t. • ,
“ H u m a n ev o lu tio n h a s alw ay s follow ed tlio conree. of th e Bun, from
th e e a s t to th e w e s t / IL o p p o sitio n to th e d irectio n of th e p la n e t’*
motion around its axis. If at times this evolution has appeared to
return upon ita stops, it has beou ouly the better to gather power for
h o tne new effort. It has never deviated from itg course in the main,
pave to the right or left-, south or north, iu its orderly march westward.
And slowly, bnt surely, this great wave of human progress has cover­
ed the earth in the wake of the light, rising eastward with the dawn,
and culminating mid-heayeu with the Catholic Church. Iu India first,
at tlie beginning of the cycle, rose the earliest glory of the coining day ;
thence it broke on Syria and on Egypt, where it gave birth to (he
Kabbalistic Hermetic gnosis. Passing thence to Qrecian shores, the
mysteries of the gods arose among the myrtle and olive groves of
Thebes and Athouu; and these mysteries, imported into Romo in their
tarn, became merged in the symbols and doctrines of the ('hristian
Church. And as the cyolic day of human development draws on towards
its close in the western hemisphere, the light fudes from the
Orient, aud twilight gradually obscures that eastern half of the globe
which was erst the spring of dawn and sunshiny. What then ?
When tho round of the terrestrial globe is thus accomplished, when
the tidal wave of evolution has swept tho whole expanse from Iudiu
to America, iL arrives once more at its point of departure. Scarce
has d a y dipt beneath the horj&on of the O c c id e n t , then lo, again
the oast begins to glow anew with the faint dawn of another oycle,
and tho old race, whose round has now been accomplished, is about
to be succeeded by a race more perfect, more developed, wise aud
reasonable. . ever tho Editor may wish trustworthy data about Ceylon Buddhism or
“ There ate indications that our epoch has spbn the termination of
such a planetary cycle as that described, and that a new dawn, the dawn
of a better and a clearer day, is about once more to rise in the sacred
East. Already thoso who stand on the hills have caught tho first
gray rays reflected from the breaking sky. Who can sny what splen­
dours will burst from among the mists of tho valley westward, when
oncc the sun shall rise again ?
“ Some of us have dreamed that our English Branch of the Theoso-
phical Society is destined to become the ford across the stream which
so long has separated the East from the W est, religion from science,
heart from mind, and love from leurning. We have dreamed that
this little Lodge of the Mysteries set here in the core of matter-of.fact
agnostic London, may become an oasis in the wilderness for thirsty
souls,—a ladder between earth and Heaven, on which, as once long
since in earlier and purer days, the Gods again may ‘ Come and go
twixt mortal men and high Olympus.’ . (b). T h e union of th e individual M onad w ith th e Infinite
“ Such a dream as this has been mine ; may Pallas Athena grant mo,
1 he humblest of her votaries, length of dayu ouough to see it, in some
monsuro at least, fulfilled! ”
Mr* Siunett then addressed the meeting, spaaking for upwards of
an hour and a-half. It was nearly midnight before the meeting
closed. * since th e dawn of th e hum an race, and th e y ore coeval with reli­
G. W., M. D.’s ASSERTIONS.
In the course of his numerous and certainly more vituperative than
14 satirical” (as he calls them) denunciations of onr Mahatmas and
their doctrines—“ G. W., M. D ” has lately indulged rather too often in
persoual (lings at Mine. Blavatsky and her supposed Atheism. “ G. W.
M. D.”—who is Dr, G. Wyld, ex-member of the London Theosophical
Society—cannot get reconciled to the idoa that there should be &ny one
allowed to think otherwise than he does himsolf. Now thore is not a
particle of ovidonce to show that because tho editor of the Theosophist
docs not believe in a personal extra-cosmic God—a being that every
man croatos in his own image—and shows openly contempt for bigotry,
therefore she is necessarily au Atheiut. Nevertheless Dr. Wyld misses
uo opportunity to impress upon the publio mind the grand truth of
which ho is the happy discoverer :—namoly, that one who, discarding all
anthropomorphic conceptions, believes in an Infinite, Universal, Eternal,
withal impersonal P r i n c i p l e which undorlios the visible and invisible
Universe—is an Atheist and a Materialist. Mmo. Blavatsky is de­
nounced.as having published in the Theosophist theso words—“ there
is no God, personal or impersonal.” Therefore— “ No ono using such
language could logically be a Theosophist.” If we pass over that little
difficulty, that Mmo. Blavatsky has nover used such words over her own
signature, sinco the said individual does beliovo and very firmly— in an
impersonal diviue Principle for evor unknowable except iu its identifi­
cation with, and manifestation within,its highest tabernacle on this earth
— namely man,—we may comprehend bettor how Dr. Wyld is led to con­
found true Theosophy with membership in tho Society of this namo. A nd
we say that no man using the language he does, i. e., one who regards
every other form of religious bolief than his own as tho most stupid
form of ignorance and superstition, “ can bo logically a thoosophist.”
A t best ho will be a member of the Theosophical Society, never a trno
Theosophist. Thus we aro led to suspect that Dr. Wyld, who calls him­
self an “ Esoteric Christian,” is, begging his pardon, no better than
an exoteric bigot. His bigotry presenting, moreover, the worst features,
these of self couceit, and of that bumptious presumption which allows no
ono the privilogo of thinking in any other way but the one delineated
by one’s opponont. In the words of “M. A . (Oxon” ) who quotes “ a power­
ful writer,” ho is “ a groteuquo exponent of Esotoric Christianity.” Ono
rather of tho Salvationist than Theosophical kind. So much so, indeed,
that in his dosiro to fling an additional insult in the teeth of thoso
whom in his narrow-mindedness ho will nover be capable of understand*
ing) he missos the mark ai}d hits—his own God.
“ In that criticism,” he writes, moaning his indelicate and vulgar
review of Esoteric Buddhism “ from a European standpoint,” “ I did
not utter one word in disparagement of Mr. Sinnett, my satiro (?)
referring to tho teachings of an iuvisiblo, and to all of us, including Mi%
Sinnett, unknowable Asiatic” ........... the author “ ... of a series of com­
plex subtleties and nnsubstautial pagoantries—a production of the S7nall
Oriental brain.” The italics are ours. The “ small Oriental brain” is
vory,very good. And who was, in Dr. Wyld’s learned opinion, his own
ideal—Jesus Christ if not “ an—Orieutal”P Shall wo thon call Chris­
tian revelation also, “ a production of the small Oriental brain”? Indeed
after so nmuy intellectual showers,—tho production of his own large
Caledouian brain,—we would hardly wonder in learning that Dr. VVyld’a
Christian Esotoricism had led him to fancy that Christ was a Scotch­
man 1
THE BUDDHISTS AND GOVERNMENT.
T h estatem ent is circulating through the Indian Press, that “ con­
siderable indignation is felt in Ceylon at the attempts*which the Bud­
dhists ai*o making to pose before the world as the favorites of Govern­
m ent.” Thiq false and malicious rumour is based upon the fact that in
one of tho temples the simple-minded priests, anxious to show their
loyalty, have emblazoned the Royal Arms upon the wall! The simple
fact that tho fiction was started by that truculent sheet— tho Ceyloa
Obsei-ver—is quite sufficient to satisfy any one who knows anything of
Ceylon affairs not only of itsgroundlessuess, and also its malicious inteut.
Tho Editor never loses an opportunity to inllict pain and harm upon
the peaceable Buddhists of that island. He is a scctariun Protestant,
with a nature ati bitter as gall, and is seldom without a libel suit to
defend. The poor Singhalese Buddhists aro so far from even dreaming
that they could “ pose before the world as the favorites of Government,”
that they arc now appealing to the Home Authorities for simple jnstico
—denied them after the murder and maiming of their people by the
Roman Catholic mob in tho late riots. We aro sorry to see our res­
pectable contemporary, the Christian College Magazine
, misled by so
transparent a humbug as the Observer’s
paragraph in question. When­
Buddhists, he should apply to some other quarter.
d ffu h l Seprts.
C IR C U L A R F R O M T H E H IM A L A Y A N E S O T E R IC T. S.
O u je c t s a n d C o n st it u t io n o f t u b T iie o so p h ic a l S o c ie t y .
1. T heosophy teac h es aa unselfish love fo r nil c reatu res ami
p a rtic u la rly fellow m en, an d th e en tire devotion of the m ind to
its h ig h est conceptions of wisdom, goodness and love, H ence
Theosophy aim s a t :—■
(a). T he form ation of a U niversal B rotherhood ;
and th e A bsolute ;
(c). T h e su b ju g atio n of th e passions;
(d ). T he stu d y of th e hidden m ysteries of n atu re, and tho
developm ent of th e psychical powers laten t in m an.
2. T hese o b jects are not new : they have been recognized ever
gion which is th e lien u n itin g th e sp irit of man w ith th e U niver­
sal S p irit.
8. The Theosophical Society does not give preference to any
form of religion. I t a d m its 011 a common platform , and w ithout
distinction, m em bers of all religious creeds, of all races and
castes, and of both sexes.
4. I t is u n d er th e special care of one G eneral Council, and
of th e P resident, its founder.
5. As th e Society extended th ro u g h w idely sep arated coun­
trie s and cities, it becam e necessary, for ad m in istrativ e p u r­
poses, to divide it in to local b ra n c h e s; b u t no branch has the
l ig h t to o p erate outside its c h a rte re d lim its, except w hen so
req u ested by th e P a re n t Society.
6. W ith iu such lim its, th o d ifferen t b ra n ch es select one or
more of th e abovem entioned o bjects for th eir special stu d y .
7. S im la possesses tw o branch Societies, one of which is
th e “ E lectric B ran ch ” an d th e o th e r th e “ H im alayan E soteric
B ranch.”
G en eb a l R ules apper ta in in g to tiie H im a layan
E s o t e r ic B iia n c ii.
. 1. T he H im alay an E sotoric B ran ch is form ed w ith tlio
special o b ject of p ro m o tin g th e stu d y of O riental philosophy
an d sciences, as a m eans to th e in v estig atio n of th e occult laws
of n a tu re and to th e d evelopm ent of th e psychical powers
la te n t in m an.
2 . P ersons of every race an d crced, an d of eith e r sex, are
eligible as m em bers.
3. T he necessary conditions for adm ission aro :—
a. T h at th e can d id ate is already a Fellow of th e T heo sophi­
cal Society ;
b. T h at ho is im bned w ith an e a rn e st d esire to be in
acLive sy m p a th j’ w ith the object of th is b ranch ; aud
c. T h a t he b ears a good moral character.
4. A pplications lor adm ission should be m ade in form A, and
m u s t be su p p o rted by a t.le a st two fellows.
5. In view to th e specific object of th is B ranch no one w ill he
a d m itted w h o :—
a. Is a c tu a te d by m otives of idle cu rio sity ; '
b. H as n o t received a fair am o u n t of education an d is cot
fairly in te llig e n t;
c. Is lacking in m ental en erg y ; o r—
d. Is known to bo w an tin g iu stab ility ot ch aracter and
m ental reserve.
6 . A s th e p rim e o bject of th e Society is U niversal B ro th e r­
hood which can only be secured hy absolute p u rity of life, tho
m em bers pled g e th em selv es, as far as is co m p atib le w ith th t ir
respective sta te s or cond itio n s in life :—
a, T o lead p u re, c h a s te a n d m o ra l lives ;
 1). To ab stain from th e h ab itu a l u se of in to x ican t li
quors and narcotics ; a n d — _ •
c- To bo abstem ious in th e use of anim al food.
7. M em bership will te rm in a te :—- _ ch ara c ter. P rizes will be given in form of books on m orals and
a. On cessation of active sym p ath y w ith th e object of
th is B ranch ; . . . .
b. On tho desire to sever connection being signified by
w ritin g ; an d —• . . . .
c. By conviction of any crim e involving m oral tu rp i­
tude or by any scandalous irre g u la rity of life.
S p e c i a l R u i - es f o r t h e I n t e r n a l E c o n o m y o f t i i e B r a n c h .
1. T h e H im alayan E soteric B ranch consists of a P resid en t.
V ice-P resid en t, w ith two Councillors, a S e cretary and M embers.
2 . T he P resident, 'Vice-President, C ouncillors and Secretary
are elected annually by votes from am ong th e m em bers.
3. T h e P re s id e n t:—
( a ) will preside a t m e e tin g s ; _ tions of th e Theosophical tra c ts in V ernacular.
(b) will receive applications, and w ill in stitn to enquiries
personally o r- b y d ep u tatio n , in to th e qualifications
of candidates for admission ;
(r,J will correspond w ith H e a d -Q u a rte rs;
(d) will be responsible for th e p ro p e r w orking of th e
Society.
4. In th e absence of th e P resid en t, th e V io e-P resid en t
replaces him .
5. The C ouncillors will consult w ith nnd advise th e P resi­
d e n t or V ice-P resident in m a tte rs re la tin g to th e in tern al
■working of th e B ranch. , siste n t w ith th e rules, o b jects and d ig n ity of th e Society, will
6- Tlie d u ties of th e S ecretary are to keep a record of th e be a t first w arned and if he still p ersists in his course his
P roceedings of the M eetings ; to keep a list of m e m b e rs; to
c a rry on correspondence o th er th a n w ith H e n d -Q n a rte rs; to
convene extrao rd in ary m eetin g s, an d to keep accounts.
7. • M eetings will be held once every fo rtn ig h t; and one-
th ird of th e total n u m b er of m em bers, b u t n o t less th an th re e
■members, will form a quorum .
8. E x trao rd in ary m eetings m ay be convened by a re q u i­
sition m ade on the S ecretary by th e P resid en t, or by a t least
th re e m em bers, w ith th e know ledge and consent of the P re s i­
d en t.
9. T he subject for consideration a t each m eetin g will be one
of tho branches of occult science to be nam ed by th e P re sid e n t
at, the m eeting provious.
10. On the opening of a m eeting, th e S e c re ta ry will p re se n t
th e Proceedings of th e previous m eetin g , and will m ention any
fact connected w ith the w orking of the branch which m ay need
a tte n tio n . T he P resid en t will th e n introduce th e special su b ject
for considoration.
1 1. A lib rary will bo established co n tain in g books a p p e rtain in g
to tho subject of th e Theosophical Society, and it will, for the
p resent, be in charge of the S e cretary .
]2, A m onthly subscription of Re. 1 will be payable by each
m em ber to d efray exponses connected w ith th e w orkiug of the
B ranch, and w ith th e L ibrary .
N . B .— The above is subject to the approval o f the P arent Socicty.
W . D. T i ld e n ,
A p proved ns c o rre c te d :— P res. H im . Esoteric. T. S .
H . S. O l c o t t .
7 -9 -8 3 . P . T . S.
T h is B ranch has proposed to give m onthly prizes to such of
th e boys of th e Local city-aided school as may bo reported by the
H ead M aster of th a t school to be tr u th epeaking and of good
religion in H in d i and E nglish.
B y e - L aw s of t h e B h r ig u K s h e t r a ' T h e o so ph ic a l
S o c i e t y ( . r u n i s u L P o a E .)
I. T he branch of th e Theosophical Society form ed at Ju b b u l­
pore will be called “ T he Bhrigu K sh e tra Theosophical Socie­
ty , Ju b b u lp o re -”
I I . T h e o b jects of th is Society will b e : —
а. To prom ote by all leg itim ate m eans th e cause of tho
T heosophical Society by cu ltiv atin g bro th erly feelings amonrr
th e various Theosophical Societies and m ankind a t large.
б. To a d o p t m eans to d issem inate th e principles of the "
Society am ong all classes of people by discourses aud tran sla­
I I I . T he Officers of th e S ociety shall be a P resid en t, a V ice­
P re sid e n t, and a S ecretary an d T reasu rer.
IV . Tho Officers of th e Society shall be elected annually
from am ong tho m em bers. .
V T h e Society is open to all persons of good ch aracter
w ith o u t an y d istinction of race or creed.
V I. T he can d id a tes m u st, before being p e rm itte d , pledge
them selves to endeavour to th e best of th e ir pow er to live a
life of tom peranoe, m orality and brotherly love.
VIT. A ny m em ber w ho m ay be found to lead a lifo incon­
case shall be rep o rted to th e P a re n t Society, whoso decision will
be final.
V I I I . F ive m em bers, in clu d in g th e P resid e n t and S ecretary,
to form a quorum . .
IX . T h e o rd in ary m eeting s of th e Society shall b e h eld on
every S unday a t such convenient hour as th e Society from tim e
to tim e m ay d ire c t,
X . The S ecretary is em pow ered to sum m on a special m eeting
w h enever iu th e opinion of th e P re sid e n t th e necessity for
i t may arise.
X I. I t will be o ptional on tho p a rt of tho m em bers to pay
a su b scrip tio n of any am o u n t from four annas upw ards per
m ensem .
X I I . S u b scription shall be taken one m onth in advance.
X I I I . S hould an y m em ber be too poor to pay th e su b ­
scription, th e Society may a t discretion e ith er reduce it or
exem pt him a lto g e th e r from th e p aym ent on th e reccom m enda-
tion of a b ro th e r T heosophist.
X IV . Tho collection of subscription shall bo ap p ro p riated
for tho purpose of estab lish in g a Theosophical L ib rary and
for p ay m en t of p rin tin g and co n tin g en t charges.
X V . Theso bye-laws may be revised w henever any necessity
for so doing will arise.
N . B. N a k h k e ,
Secretary,
A pprovod issu e C h arter,
II. S. O l c o t t , P - T . S.
C amp., Ooty, 29-8-83.
T H E M A D R A S T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .

T H E B H R IG U K S IIE T R A T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y . On tho 7th of S ep tem b er 1883, a Theosophical S an scrit School

(Jubhulpore).
A m eeting of N ativ e gentlem en auxious to join th e Theoso­
phical Society was held a t Ju b b tilp o re on th e 11th of A ug u st
w ith a viow to form a b ran ch of th e P a re n t S o o iety . Babil
N iv aran C handra M ukerji was proposed C hairm an on th e oc­
casion. Tho candidates, whose applications fo r adm ission were
alro ad y approved of by tho P re sid e n t F o u n d er, proposed an d
carried tbo follow ing resolutions : —
I. T h at n branch of th e Theosophical S ociety ho form ed at b er, th e S an scrit School, which was established a t P ed d u N a ik ’s,
.rubbnlpore hy tho nam e of th o “ B h rig u K sh e tra Theosophical
Eociety, Jubbulpore. . G aru, F.T* S., was rccognised as th e Theosophical S an scrit School.
IT. T h a t th e object of tho Society wonld bo sim ilar to those
profossed and carried o u t by tho P a re n t Society.
I I I . T h at tho follow ing gentlem en bo appointed office-bearers
to c a rty out th e business of tho Socioty.
B abu K alicharan Bose, P re sid e n t, M. R. Ry. B. G hantaya
N aidu G arn. V ice-President, Mr. N . B, N a k h re, S e c retary and
T rensnror, M r. G. M. Page, L ib rarian .
IV .' T h at Bye-lawo for th e proper m an ag em en t of th e Society
ba draw n o u t and adopted a t an early d ate.
V. T h a t a copy of th e proceedings of th e m eetin g bo sen t
to th e P re s id e n t F o u n d e r for his inform ation a n d p u blication H a ll was crow ded to suffocation, notw ith stan d in g tho fa ct th a t
in tho Theosdphist.
T he m ooting dissolved -with a voto of th a n k s to th e C h air­
m an. ■ N , B, N a k h r e .
Sccrctary,
A pprovod.
H . S. O lcoxx, P . T . S .
w as opened a t M ylapore w ith g re a t eclat. A larg e n u m b er of tho
H in d u g en try of tho place w ere p re se n t to w itness th e in te re s t­
in g coremony, A m ong them wore seen M ossrs. B. Bnphynm
Iy e n g a r, A vergal B. A,, B. L „ and P . C hensaul Ilow G aru, R.
R agoonath Row G aru, Dewan B ahadur, P . Sreenevasa Row
G aru, R. R am ach en d ra Row G aru, T. Subba Row G aru. B. A.,
B. L., and o th ers. T he School, w hich opened with 15 stu d e n ts,
has been daily in creasin g in stre n g th , and on tho 23rd Septem~
bor, we noticed 51 boys receiving in stru ctio n .
A t a general m eeting of th e Society held on th o 19th S ep tem ­
p e tt on th e Gth Sepom bor by M. It. Ry. P a rth a sa ra th y C hetty
16 boys are now reading in th a t school, and the num ber is likely
to double itself before th e closo of O ctober.
Ou tho 2 le t S eptem ber, a Theosophical S an scrit School was
opened a t T rip lican e. T h ere wero only 9 stu d e n ts to commenco
w ith , b u t w ith in thoso fow days th e s tre n g th of the school has
treb led aud 27 stu d en ts (am ong whom is a B rahm in girl) do now
a tte n d tho school reg u la rly in th e m ornings to receive in s tru c ­
tio n .
Tho first A n n iv ersary of tho B ranch was cele b rated at
P atch ea p p a’s H all on T uesday, the 25th S eptem ber, a t 6 r .M . Tho
in v ita tio n s to ba p re se n t for th e cerem ony w ere confined to
T heosophists, and to a few select H indu g entlem en who wero
know n to be sy m p ath isers in th e progress and success of tho
T heosophical m ovem ent. B esides tho T heosophists, th e re were
p reso n t M ossrs. S n n d rain S astree A vergal, K aliy an a S u n d ru m
C h e tty G aru, R am iah G aru and o th e rs. M adam e H . P . B lavatsky,
 M adam e 15 Coulomb, Ool. H . S. Olcotfc, also honoured tb e occa­
sion w ith th eir presence. On D ew an B ah ad u r R . R agoonath R ao
G aru ta k in g tbe Chair as P resid e n t of th e B ranch, tb e S ecretary,
M r. T . Subba Uao G aru, read his re p o rt on th e w o rk in g of th e
Society for the past year. T he re p o rt d w elt in th e m ain on th e
following points :— '
(1) The establishm ent, u n d er th e co n tro l and m anagem ent
of th e B ranch of Theosophical S a n sk rit schools in the
suburban cen tres of M adras, m entio n ed above,
(2) T he publication of th e collection of Col. O lco tt’s L ectures
and tb e Tam il translatio n of th e 1st U p anishad by Mr.
T b ey ag arajier, th e A ssistan t S ecretary of tlio B ranch.
(3) T h e m esm eric cu res b eing effected a t tb e prem ises of
th e Society by M essrs. T b ey a g a ra jie r, F .T .S ., and R ajam
Iy en g ar, F .T .S ., pup ils of th e President-E ’ounder.
A fter th e re ad in g of the rep o rt, th e S ecretary explained in a
sh o rt speech th e necessity fo r, and th e value of, tb o revival of
S anscrit learn in g in In d ia to b rin g about a p ro p e r ap preciation
of ancient A ryan philosophy and sciences. T h e P re sid e n t th e n
delivered an eloquent and im pressive address on th e aim s and
objects of th e T heosophical Society, w hose u n ceasin g labors, he
said, has b egun to boar fr u it by th e fa ct of its h av in g b ro u g h t
to g e th e r as now in one comm on p la tfo rm in tb e research a fte r
tr u th us brothers, persons of all castes w ith o u t d istin ctio n of race
or creed. The proceedings term in a te d w ith a sh o rt and sw eet
speech, delivered in his usual a ttra c tiv e sty le, by Col. O lcott, on
th e superiority of th e A ryan philosophy an d science over th e
m odern m aterialistic school of th o u g h t, and on tho necessity
th a t exists everyw here in India, for H in d u p aren ts to g ive th e ir
children a sound education in S an sc rit, w ith o u t a thoro u g h
know ledge of w hich, he taid , no one could hope to g e t a t
th e tru e m eaning of th e philosophical w ritin g s of our g re a t
Rishis and M ahatm as. T he address provoked freq u en t o u tb u rsts
of applause, an d tbe m eeting closed w ith th e usu al d istrib u tio n
of garlands, altar, and p in .
T . S obba Row,
Secretary.
T H E N E L L O R E T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
W e nro glad to h e a r th a t th e S a n sc rit c la s se s a lre a d y s ta rte d by onr
B ro th ers o f N elloro in th a t tow n aro g o in g on w ell. In sp ite of all
dillicultios, th o B ra n c h is Bilently c o n trib u tin g its m ito to th e rev iv al of
S a n sc rit. I t p ay s a m o n th ly c o n trib u tio n of R u p e es five to a p u re ly
S a n sc rit School a t V e n k a ta g iri. I t co n sists of 4 clussos, in tho g u id an ce
nnd m a n a g e m e n t of w h ich o u r Fellow s ta k o a v e ry activ o in te re s t.
T hey a re m ak in g p re p a ra tio n s to have a p u re S a n sc rit School a t N elloro,
w here tw o good p a n d its on R s. 20 an d 10 re sp e c tiv e ly w ill te a c h V edus
and S b ab tras. A bove all, it is c o n te m p la te d th a t a S a n sc rit p rim a ry
class bo a tta c h e d to each L ocal F u n d School in ea c h of tho T uluqs of
th e D istric t. T hose classes aro to be m a in ta in e d by local su b sc rip tio n s
as w ell as by c o n trib u tio n s from th o B ran ch . A rra n g e m e n ts a ro a lre a d y
being m ade in 3 T a lu q s. I t is d esirable th a t o u r M ofussil B ran ch es
a t T an jo re, T richinopoly, M adura, &c., sh o u ld b eg in to w ork iu th e
sam e lino. W e e a rn e s tly hope t h a t our B ro th e r P u tta h K o d an d aran m
R e d d y G aru w ill soon s ta r t a re g u la r S a n sc rit School a t B utcliiroddi-
pollicm , w hero wo are g iv en to u n d e rsta n d th o re a ro p e c u lia r fa c ilitie s
fo r so doin g . . M a n a g in g C o m m itte e.
NORTH K A N A R A T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y
( K A R W A R .)
I n fo rw a rd in g , th o u g h w ith u n u s u a l d e la y , th e a c c o m p a n y ­
in g copy of th o R u le s of o u r B ra n c h S o c ie ty , fo rm e d a t th is
sta tio n ill D e c e m b e r la s t th r o u g h th o in s tr u m e n ta lity of
o u r k in d , e n th u s ia s tic a n d w o rth y b r o th e r T h e o so p h is t
M r. J a n a k i N a th G h o sal, I c o n sid e r it n e c e ss a ry to c o n ­
clu d e th is le t te r w ith a n e x p re ssio n o f th e d e e p sen se of
g ra titu d e of m y b ro th e r T h e o so p liists lie re fo r tlie a c tiv e
p a rt ta k e n b y t h a t e n e rg e tic g e n tle m a n iu th e fo rm a tio n of
ih e B ra n c h , p a r tic u la r ly a t a sta tio n lik e K a r w a r , w h e re o n ly
a few p erso n s d e siro u s of a c q u irin g a k n o w le d g e , le a d in g
lo th e d isco v ery of h id d e n m y s te rie s of n a tu r e , a re to be
fo u n d.
R am hao M angeshaya B uatkal , F . T . S .,
Secretary.
(R u le s an d B y e -L a w s.)
1. T h e S o ciety s h a ll be c a lle d a n d k n o w n b y th e n am o of
“ T h e N o rth K a n a v a B ra n c h of th e T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty .”
2. A M a n a g in g C o m m itte e ,c o n sistin g of 5 m e m b e rs, s h a ll
be ap p o in ted fo r th e d is c h a rg e of th e o rd in a ry w o rk c o n n e c t'
od w ith th e B ra n c h .
3. T h e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e s h a ll m e e t once a m o n th oi;
o ftener if n e c e ssa ry .
4. A g e n e ra l m e e tin g of a ll th e m e m b e rs s h a ll b e c o n ­
vened oneo e v e ry m o n th fo r tlie p u rp o s e of fo rm a lly s a n c ­
tioning th e w o rk dono by th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e d u r in g
the period, a s also fo r tlie g e n e ra l p u rp o s e s o f tho B ra n c h .'
5. A t the General Meetings of the Branch Society, seven
members shall form a quorum.
6. T h e G e n e ra l M e e tin g to bo h e ld e v e ry th i r d S u n d a y
o f e v e ry m o n th . S h o u ld a n y th in g p re v e n t th e m eeting-
ta k in g p lace o n t h a t d a te in a n y m o n th , som e o th e r d a y s h a ll
be fixed fo r th is p u rp o s e b y th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e w ith
th e c o n se n t o f th e m a jo rity of th e r e s t of th e m em b ers.
7. D u e n o tice s h a ll b e g iv e n b y th e S e c re ta ry to a ll
th e m e m b e rs o f th e B ra n c h of su c h a lte re d d a te a n d plaqe
of th e m e e tin g , a t le a s t th r e e d a y s befo re th e d a te fixed, a n d
also n o t less th a n a w eek o f tlie th ir d S u n d a y of th e m o n th .
8. T h e S e c re ta ry s h a ll be a t lib e rty to co n v en e w e e k ly o r
f o r tn ig h tly m e e tin g s a t th e re q u e s t o f a n y 3 o r 4 m e m b e rs,
fo r th e p u rp o s e of d is c u s s in g a n y u se fu l to p ic of social,
m o ra l, in te lle c tu a l o r s p ir itu a l im p o rta n c e . ’
9. A n y m e m b e r u n a b le to a tte n d a t m e e tin g s u n d e r p a ra ,
4, o w in g to sic k n e ss o r o th e rw ise , s h a ll s ig n ify h is in a b ility
to do so in w r it in g to th e S e c re ta ry .
10. A ll re s o lu tio n s p assed a t th e r e g u la r m e e tin g s s h a ll
be b in d in g a lik e o n a ll m e m b e rs p re s e n t o r a b s e n t a t su c h
m e e tin g s.
11. S u c h R e so lu tio n s o r A m e n d m e n ts a s a re v o te d fo r by
th o m a jo rity p re s e n t a t th e m e e tin g s sh a ll be c o n sid e re d aa
re s o lu tio n s d u ly a d o p te d .
12. W h e n v o te s a re e q u a l th e C h a irm a n s h a ll h a v e th o
c a s tin g v o te.
13. N o n e b u t T h e o so p h is ts to be a llo w e d a t th e m e e tin g s
o f th e S o ciety . B u t p e rs o n s le a rn e d o r p ro fic ie n t in a n c ie n t
scien ces o r p h ilo so p h y , s u c h as ‘ Y o g a ,’ th o u g h n o t T h eo so ­
p liists, m a y b e a llo w e d to a tte n d , p ro v id e d th e y a re re c o m ­
m e n d e d b y a t le a s t tw o m e m b e rs o f th e S o ciety , a n d p re v io u s
in tim a tio n g iv e n of th e sam e to a ll th e m e m b e rs th r o u g h th o
S e c re ta ry .
14. E v e ry y e a r d u r in g th e D iv a li h o lid a y s tlie a n n u a l
m e e tin g s of th e B ra n c h S o c ic ty s h a ll bo h e ld , w h e n tlio
a n n u a l re p o rts s h a ll be s u b m itte d b y th e M a n a g in g C o m m it­
te e a n d th e o ffice-b earers fo r th e n e x t y e a r e lec te d , th o
acc o u n ts p assed , a n d a n y a lte ra tio n s , a d d itio n s , &c. to th e
R u le s fo r th e g u id a n c e of th e S o c ie ty be m a d e . A lso, if
fe asib le , a su m m a y b e s p e n t in o b je cts of c h a r ity in c o n n e c ­
tio n w ith th e c e le b ra tio n of th e a n n iv e rs a ry .
15. E v e ry m e m b e r s h a ll p a y a m o n th ly su b s c rip tio n of
n o t less th a n f o u r A n n a s to w a rd s th e fo rm a tio n o f a G e n e ra l
I ’u n d to m e e t th o g e n e ra l e x p en ses of th o S o ciety .
1G. A ll p a y m e n ts on b e h a lf o f th e B ra n c h S o ciety
s h a ll be m a d e to th e T r e a s u r e r to be a p p o in te d b y th o
g e n e ra l m e e tin g .
17. T h e T r e a s u r e r s h a ll k e e p a r e g u la r a c c o u n t o f m o n ey
re c e iv e d a n d d is b u rse d on b e h a lf of th e S o ciety , a n d sh a ll
s u b m it th e sam e e v e ry m o n th fo r th e in sp e c tio n o f th o
18. T h e T r e a s u r e r s h a ll n o t b e a t lib e rty to sp e n d a n y
a m o u n t w ith o u t p re v io u sly o b ta in in g th e p e rm issio n in w r it­
in g of th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e . •<
19. A L ib ra r y , c o n sistin g ‘ of u se fu l w o rk s b e a rin g on
T h eo so p h y , a n c ie n t A ry a n lite r a tu r e a n d science, a n d su c h
o th e r w o rk s, s h o u ld bo fo rm e d fo r th e u se of th o m e m b e rs of
th o S o ciety .
20. S u c h L ib r a r y s h a ll be in c h a rg e of a L ib ra r ia n to bo
a p p o in te d b y th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e , su b je c t to th e s a n c ­
tio n of th e g e n e ra l m e e tin g .
21. ■ E v e ry m e m b e r s h a ll h a v e a r i g h t to use th e books
of th e L ib ra r y , b u t n o m e m b e r s h a ll k eep th e book o r booka
issu e d to h im fo r m o re th a n sev en d ay s, w ith o u t s u b je c tin g
h im se lf to a fine o f one A n n a fo r e v e ry d a y in excess o f th e
tim e p re sc rib e d .
22. T h e L ib r a r y F u n d sh o u ld a lw a y s be k e p t se p a ra lo
fro m a n y o th e r o r a ll o th e r fu n d s of th e S o ciety , a n d sh o u ld
a lw a y s be e x p e n d e d fo r th o p u rp o se s of th o L ib ra ry .
23. T h e b o o k s of th e L ib ra r y s h a ll be c o n sid e re d to bo
th e p ro p e rty of th o S o c icty .
24. A n y p e rs o n n o t b e in g a m e m b e r of th e S o c ie ty m ay
bo allo w e d th e u se of th e b o oks of th e L ib r a r y fo r n o t m o ro
th a n th r e e d a y s, p ro v id e d th e L ib r a r ia n is p e rfe c tly sa tisfied
t h a t su ch p e rso n is a n ea r n e s t se e k e r o r e n q u ir e r a f te r T r u th .
T h e L ib ra ria n , h o w e v e r, s h a ll bo h e ld resp o n sib le a n d w ould
m a k e good th e loss sh o u ld a n y b o o k o r b o oks so le n t b y h im
aro lo st.
25. T h e L ib r a r ia n o r a n y m e m b e r s h a ll be a t lib e rty to
pro p o se th e p u rc h a s e of a n y books, b u t n o b o oks s h a ll bo
b o u g h t w ith o u t th e e x p re s s s a n c tio n of th o M a n a g in g
C o m m ittee.
 2 6 . A n y p ro p o sal w liic h a n y m e m b e r m ay L ave to m a k e
r e g a r d in g th e w o rk of th e S o c ie ty s h a ll be c o m m u n ic a te d
in w ritin g by su ch m e m b e r to th e S e c re ta ry , w h o sh a ll lay
i t b efo re th e G e n e ra l M e e tin g of th e m e m b e rs, a n d it sh a ll
th e n be d ecid e d b y a m a jo rity w h e th e r su c h p ro p o sa l o r
s u g g e s tio n sh o u ld be a d o p te d o r re je c te d .
27. S h o u ld a n y Of th e office-b earers v a c a te b is p lace
d u r i n g th e y e a r b y re a s o n of tr a n s fe r fro m th e D is tr ic t o r
S ta tio n ot- a n y o th e r cau se, th e M e m b e rs in G e n e ra l M e e tin g
a ss e m b le d s h a ll h av e th e r i g h t to e le c t a n o th e r m e m b e r fo r
th e v a c a n t place.
28. S h o u ld a n y m em b e r b y a n y im p ro p e r o r im m o ra l
c o n d u c t becom e an annoyan ce to th e re s t of th e m e m b e rs o r a
d is g ra c e to th e B ra n c h , a n d th e e ffo rts a n d p e rs o n a l in flu ­
en ce of o th e r m em bers fail to b r in g h im b a c k to th e r i g h t
p a th , h is c o n d u c t sh o u ld be b r o u g h t to th e n o tice o f tlio
C o u n c il of th e P a r e n t S o cie ty , w ith a v ie w to o b ta in in s tr u c ­
tio n s re g a r d in g th e m a n n e r in w h ich h e sh o u ld b e d e a lt w ith
in fu tu re .
29. I t w ill be c o m p e te n t fo r th e m e m b e rs a ss e m b le d a t a
r e g u la r m e e tin g , sh o u ld th e s ta te of th e fu n d s o f th e S o ciety
allo w it, to v o te o u t of th e sam e a n y su m o r su m s of
m o n ey fo r a n y c h a rita b le p u rp o se , b e i t fo r h e lp in g a n y in d i­
v id u a l o r n n y local o r fo re ig n c h a rity .
30. T h e S e c re ta ry of th e S o c ie ty sh a ll k e e p a book fo r
e n te r in g th e re in th e p ro c e e d in g s of a ll th e g e n e ra l m e e t­
in g s a n d th e re s o lu tio n s a d o p te d a t su c h m e e tin g s . T t i s
b o ok w ill be open to in sp e c tio n to a n y m e m b e r a t a n y tim e.
3 1 .. T h e S e c re ta ry of th e S o c ie ty s h a ll be th e ex-officio
S e c r e ta r y to th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e .
32. A b o o k sh all be k e p t fo r re c o r d in g th e p ro c e e d in g s
of th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e m e e tin g s, a n d su ch of tlie ir p ro ­
c e e d in g s s h a ll find e n trie s th e r e in as a re to be b r o u g h t to th e
n o tic e of th e g e n e ra l b o d y of th e m e m b e rs, a s also a n y o th e r
p ro c e e d in g s w h ich th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e d e cid e to re c o rd
th e r e in . T h is book w ill also be o p en to th e in sp e c tio n of all
th e m e m b e rs o f tb e S ociety .
33. T h e m e m b e rs of th e M a n a g in g C o m m itte e sh a ll d ra w
a se t of ru le s fo r th e c o n d u c t of th e i r b u sin e ss a n d th e ir
g u id a n c e , w h ic h th e y s h a ll g e t p re v io u sly a p p ro v e d o f b y th o
g e n e ra l body of tlie m em b e rs asse m b le d a t a r e g u la r m e e tin g .
31. S h o u ld a n y p e rso n w h e n jo in in g th e S o c ie ty s tip u la te
t h a t h is n a m e sh o u ld be k e p t a se c re t, th e sam e s h a ll be done
a n d th e P a r e n t S o ciety sh a ll be re q u e s te d to do th e sam e.
35. T h e g e n e ra l m e e tin g sh a ll h a v e p o w e r to a d d to o r
n ite r, m o d ify o r a n n u l th e above ru le s a s m a y b e fo u n d n eces­
s a ry . . T his w eek wc have rcecived a copy of the “ F ull R eport” of tlie
G. Y . B h a n ap ,
P resid e n t.
N . K anaka B r a n c h O f f i c e , -)
K a r w a r , 2 4 th J u ly 1883. )
A p p ro v e d :— . India. T h e anniversary w as celebrated in Bom bay on the 7th of
H . S. O l c o t t ,
P . T. S .
A D E L E G A T E FRO M A M E R IC A C O M IN G .
I w ish to in fo rm yon, th a t I haVe receiv ed p a p e rs from th e T h eo so ­
p h ical S o cieties a t N ew Y ork, S t. L onis Mo., an d R o c h ester, N. Y., e m ­
p o w erin g m e to a c t ns th e ir d e le g a te a t o n r a n n iv e rs a ry , to bo h eld in
M a d ras n e x t D ecem ber.
I e x p e c t to leav e S an F ra n c isc o on O cto b er 2 4 th , a n d go by w ay of
Y ald ah am a.
F . H a r tm a n n , F. T. S.
T H E R O C H E S T E R T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
I b eg to s u b m it th e follow ing r e p o rt in re g a rd to th o B ra n c h of th e
S ociety a t R o c h e ste r, N. Y. T he city of K ochcB ter is tw elv e h o u rs'
(ex p re ss spoed) railw ay tra v e llin g aw ay from N ew Y ork C ity . J t in a
la rg e c ity , nnd cele b ra te d am o n g s p iritu a lis ts a s th o place w h ere tho
firs t rap p in g s w ero h e a rd m an y y e a rs ago.
A t th o special in v itatio n of th e B ranch, I v isited th e m on th e ir a n n i­
v e rsa ry 1. ' T hey h av e 36 m em bers a ll v e ry e a r n e s t T h eo so p h ists, and
b o th as a so ciety and individually, th o y are d oing a ll in th e ir pow er to
sp read a k now ledge of tru e Theosophy*
T h ey m e e t once in each w eek a t th e houBC of th e S e c re ta ry an d
upen d one h o u r of th o m e e tin g in co n tem p latio n ; th e y th e n dev o te
th e m se lv e s to discu ssio n and com parison of view s,
T h e y h a r e sp read a know ledge of th eo so p h y am o n g a la rg e n u m b e r
of persons, an d as occasion p erm its, u se tho preBS fo r d iss e m in a tin g
th e ir view s. E v e ry ono of th e m firm ly bclioves iu th o ex iste n c e of
th o G reat Souls w h o h av o re tire d from th e w orld, t h a t th e y m a y th e
m ore effectu ally h e lp th e w orld, a n d asp ire to im ita te th e m in th e ir
v irtu e . A b a so cio ty an d in d iv id u ally , th e y fu lly realize th e n eed for a
tr u e B roth erh o o d of m an, an d a re d oing all th e y ca n to fo rw ard th a t
o b jc c t. V ery soon th o y in te n d to g e t o u t a p a m p h le t npon th e doc­
tr in e s in c u lc a te d by E so te ric B uddhism , in w hich th e y firm ly believe.
Som e o p p o sitio n h a s b e e n e n c o u n te re d am ong S p iritu a lis ts , b e t th a t is
in e v ita b le . O no in c id e n t d e se rv e s m e n tio n . I n 1870 or 1880 before
th e y o rganized, th e P reR idcnt M r. W . B. Shelley called on mo in N. Y.
w ith tho S e c re ta ry M r. J . H . C ables, and in q u ire d a b o u t T heosophy.
I h a n d e d him th e 2nd No. of th o T heosophist w hich he to o k hom e, and
a f te r r e a d in g it su b scrib ed for th e M agazine and a s k e d th a t nil back
n u m b ers be s e n t h im . T h e In d ian Office se n t all th o back n n m b ers
w ith one ex cep tio n , an d in fo rm ed him th a t th a t n u m b e r w as o u t of
p rin t. U p o n looking over th o se se n t ho fouad th a t th o m issin g
n u m b e r w as of tho issu e of w hich I havo given him a copy, ro th a t
his w holo s e t w as co m p lete. . W h en one considers th e in te n se e a rn e st ­
n ess of M r. S h elley and M r. C a b le s in th is m a tte r , th is little coinei-
d cn c e is r a th e r re m a rk a b le .
I f a n y b ra n c h d e se rv e s esp ecial reco g n itio n , tho R o c h e ste r ono d o rs
b n t th e y ask no su ch th in g , sa tisfie d as th e y are to w ork fo r th o good
of h u m a n ity a n d th e sp read of tr u th .
W ilmam Q. J udge,
Recording Secretary, N . Y.
OUR ARYAN F O R E F A T H E R ’S S O C IE T Y (T rN N E V E L L Y .)
Proceedings of the E xtra o rd in a ry M eeting held on T hursday the 2 3rd
A u g u st 1883, corresponding to 8th A u d u 1059.
PRESHNT.
M . R. B y . S . R am asw am y I y e r A vergal (M em b er L ib rary C o m m ittee)
providing.
,, S. S u n d ern m I y e r A vergal, M em ber of do.
,, A. A n a n th a C h arin r, P re s id e n t of tho S ociety.
,, T. S. K iindnsw am i P illa y , S e c re ta ry of do.
S. P e ria sw a m y P illay , T re a s u re r of do.
„ C. Shanm oognH nnderam P illay , j M em bcr„.
,, V. V eern rag av io r, I
I. R esolved, th a t R ules re g a rd in g tho m a n a g e m e n t of th e L ib ra ry
be d r a fte d by tho M em bers of tho S ociety, an d su b m itte d
to th e L ib ra ry C om m ittee for approval,
I I . R eso lv ed th a t th o S o ciety H all be h e n ccfo rth ch an g ed from
th o C e n tral School H all to th e new b u ild in g No. I in th e
N o rth C ar S tro c t.
I I I . P ro p o sed , by M. It. R y. S r e ria s w a m y P illa y an d u n an im o u sly
c a rrie d in to effect, th a t tho o p en in g of th e L ib ra ry lie in ­
tim ated to Col. II. S. O lco tt, w ho s ta rte d a su b scrip tio n lint
fo r th e sam e a t th o close of h is lc c to re in th is tow n.
IV . P ro p o se d by M. R. R y. S. P e ria sw a m y l’illay and c a rrie d u n ­
an im o u sly , th n t a vote of th a n k s be given to M adam e
I I. P . Jttla v a tsk y an d Col O lcott for th e ir kin d p a tio n a
* an d good w ishes to o u r S ociety.
V. T h e L ib ra ry w as th e u fo rm ally declared open b y tho p re sid in g
g e n tle m a n an d th e m e e tin g dispersed.
S. P eriaswamy P i i .lav,
TiNNF,vrcr.T,Y, ) according Secretary and Treasurer.
29th A u g u st 1883. J
T H E S E V E N T H A N N IV E R S A R Y R E P O R T O F T IIE
T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
S even th Anniversnr}' of th e *1 heosophical S ociety, published in n
nice pam p hlet nf b8 pageB . I t s perusal sh ow s how m uch pro
g ress the S o ciety has m ade du rin g the last seven jra ra of its ex­
istence, and how very su ccessfu l it has been in spreading the idea
of U n iversal lirotherh ood all over the w orld— particularly in
P eoefnb er 1882, and from the report before us it is ev id en t that
there are very few Utsavas (celeb rations) of the liko nature held
now -a-days in B harata Varsha. T h is celebration was a realization,
one m igh t say, of th e grand and rtfcl object which our an ces­
to rs had in view in en jo in in g oil n s the Tirtbn Y atra (p ilgrim age )
The hearty gath erin g of th e g r e a t en terp risin g men of far and
d istan t parts of th e country in order to givo their atten tion to
the spiritual, m ental and moral w elfare of mankind to create
lovely d ea lin g s for m utual benefit, and thus fo be firm in tr y ­
in g to lcolc upon th e w orld as one whole (i. c , S a m a bhuva) —
to be resolu te in e x er tin g to achieve these ob jects th is c e le ­
bration (of tho T heosop hical S ociety) was n very good exam ­
ple, and in our opinion there wero no better or moro occu lt
o b jects than th e se in th e large gath erin gs and pom p ons c e le ­
brations a t tho different Tirthas (sacred p la ces’. In addition
to th e w ell-know n Mr. S in n ett, M adam e B lavatsk y and Colonel
O lcott, there wero present on th is dignified occasion delegates
from Berham pur (in Bengal), P rayuga (Allahabad), C alcutta,
Ilarielly (R ohailklm nd), liaroda, M adras, Lahore, Bom bay, Hewah,
T in n ev elly , Bhngnlpore, Cawnpur, N n d d eah , G alle (in C eylon),
Saorashtra (K athiaw ar) and I’oonn— and w hat one nnd nil of
them said (ns regards the T heosop hie m ovem ent) is published
in the R eport un der review , in extenso. The next celebration
of tho S o ciety ’s ann iversary w ill be held in M adras, w here
d e leg a te s from E u rop e and A m erica are also expected on the
occasion . If, se ttin g aside th e u seless accusations m ade a g a in st
th e T irth a s— where so m any thousands and hundreds of th o u ­
san ds of peoplo assem b lo regularly from far and different
countries on such auspiciou s occasions—the reform ers and r e ­
generators of our country would but try to esta b lish a sso ci­
ation s or hold m e etin g s w ith the ob jects abovo explained, i. e.,
U n iversal B rotherhood—tho d egrad in g state of tho country
w ill be e ooti rem edied and rooted ou t at once. W e w ish every suc­
c ess to such m o v e m e n ts:— (M ittb a Y ila b a , L a h o r e , 20 th
Atiguet 1883.)
 AN O PEN L ET T E R
. TO THE
R IG H T R E V E R E N D , T H E B IS H O P O P M A D R A S .
R ight R everend S ir ,
A s tb e F o u n d e rs of th e T h eo so p h ica l S o c ie ty a re le a v ­
ing O o ta c a m u n d to m o rro w , th e o ccasio n re q u ire s t h a t
I sh o u ld a d d re s s a p a rtin g w o rd to y o u rs e lf a n d th o se
who sh a re — o r seem to s h a re — y o u r v ie w s a b o u t th e T h e o ­
sophical S o ciety . I c a n n o t b eliev e t h e s u b je c t u n in te re s t­
ing to y o u . Y o u r R e v e re n c e d id u s th e g r e a t h o n o u r
to allow th e S o ciety to be d isc u sse d a t th e M a d ra s D io ­
cesan C le ric a l C o n feren ce on th e 4 th J u l y 1882, a n d to
c irc u late as “ F ro m th e B ish o p of M a d r a s ” a p a m p h le t
a g a in st u s by th e R e v d . A r th u r T h e o p h ilu s, p rin te d a t y o u r
own p ress a t V e p e ry (m y p en h a d a lm o s t w r itte n i t v ip e ry ).
You h a v e m o re o v e r, u n less we a re m isin fo rm e d , u se d , a n d
suffered to b e u se d in y o u r p re s e n c e a n d a t y o u r v e ry ta b le ,
la n g u ag e a b o u t u s v e ry u n p a r l ia m e n ta r y ; in fa c t, so s tro n g
an d u n c h a rita b le as to com e u n d e r th e p ro v isio n s of th e P e n a l
Code of M a tt. v. 21, 22. T h is a ttitu d e of y o u r C h u rc h a n d
y o ur re v e re n d self to w a rd s T h e o so p h y is th e r e s u lt o f m is­
u n d e rs ta n d in g of b o th T h e o so p h y a n d — u n d e r fa v o u r— C h ris ­
tia n ity as w ell. I t is a lik e a p le a s u re a n d a d u ty to u n d e c e iv e
y o u r R e v e re n c e . I f n o th in g else co m es o f it, a t le a s t th e
excuse of ig n o ra n c e w ill be re m o v e d ; a n d if I c a n re fre s h th e
m em ories of som e of y o u r le a s t C h ris tia n a n d m o st v itu p e r a ­
tiv e fo llo w ers [Y o u r R e v e re n c e d e se rv es s y m p a th y u n d e r th e
affliction !] as to th e s p ir it of th e i r p ro fe sse d f a ith a n d of R e ­
lig ion in th e a b stra c t, w e m a y h o p e fo r a b e tte r show of
“ peace on e a rth a n d g ood-w ill a m o n g m e n .”
T hese b lu s te re rs , w ho w o u ld d ra g o o n good peo p le in to
c o n d em n in g o u t of h a n d th e S o c ie ty a n d its F o u n d e rs, b y
sw in g in g th e knout of o rth o d o x re s p e c ta b ility , little su sp e c t
w h a t th e y a re d o in g . T h e ir c la m o u r m a k e s in d e e d a d a y ’s
R eign of T e rro r in th e ir little coterie, b u t th e N ic o d em u se s of
y o u r A n g lo -In d ia n gra n d m onde com e to us b y n ig h t
o r by s te a lth to w h isp e r th e ta le of th e ir so cial sla v e ry
an d th e ir relig io u s scepticism in to o u r s y m p a th e tic ears. A
te m p o ra ry desp o tism chokes free re lig io u s e n q u iry , as th e
iro n ru le of th e B ru m m a g e m F re n c h C tesar stifled th e
n a tio n a l a s p ira tio n s ; b u t th e im m u ta b le la w of e q u ilib riu m ,
th e c o rre sp o n d e n tia l re la tio n of a c tio n a n d re a c tio n , is th u s
p re p a rin g fo r y o u r R e v e re n c e ’s c h u rc h in India, a n ec clesias­
tical S e d a n ev en m o re d ecisiv e in c h a ra c te r th a n w as its
m ilitary p ro to ty p e . T h e re is a d o g g e d love of fa ir-p la y in
th e h u m a n , p a rtic u la rly th e B ritis h , b r e a s t ; a n d , th o u g h y o u r
R everence h as n o t y e t le a r n t th e fa c t, p e rso n s of re sp e c ta b le
con nection a t O o ta c a m u n d h a v e jo in e d th e T h eo so p h ica l
Society, solely because of its b e in g so b itte r ly a n d u n fa irly
tra d u c e d in th e social circle of w h ich y o u a re a t once th e
A th a n a siu s a n d th e T e rtu llia n . O th e rs h a v e th e w ill w ith o u t
th e co u rag e to follow th e ex am p le ; a n d if th is s o r t of tilin g
goes on, it m ay a c tu a lly h a p p e n t h a t th e po o r, m a lig n e d
T h eosophists w ill be cite d to th e I n d ia n C h ris tia n c o m m u ­
n ity , irre sp e c tiv e of c u ta n e o u s d is c o lo ra tio n , a s p a tte r n s of
th e o ld-fashioned “ C h ris tia n V ir tu e s .” “ M ay h a p p e n ” d id
I sa y ? I t h a s h a p p e n e d a lre a d y , fo r I find th is in th e
h ig h ly resp ectab le o rg a n of th e S c o ttis h F re e C h u rc h M ission
a t M a d ra s, The C h ristia n C ollege M ag a zin e, S e p t., N o. 3,
p. 183. . a c tiv ity , a n d e sc h e w in g p o litic s, tr a d e , a n d o th e r p u re ly se c u ­
11 I n th o r e c e n tly p u b lish ed volum e of le c tu re s an d a d d re ss e s by
Colonel O lco tt, th e r e a re m any th in g s w h ich cluim m o st c a re fu l a t t e n ­
tion. W e sh all n o t be accused of nnduo p a r tia lity fo r C olonel O lc o tt’s
ways o f th in k in g nnd sp eak in g, b u t we hope w e are not b lin d to
evident good. T hore ia a n ad d ress to lady T h eo so p h ists in th e v o lu m e,
not fro m th o C olonel’s pen, w hich is b o th b e a u tifu l a n d s trik in g . Those
of ns who are fa m ilia r w ith good C h ristia n se rm o n s will reco g n ize n o t
only th o a rg u m e n ts adduced, b u t th e v e ry fo rm s of ex p ressio n in w hich
they aro se t fo rth . B u t people w ho will n o t liste n to se rm o n s w ill
listen to th e Colonel an d his frie n d s . L et th e m read t h i s : —
‘T he first g r e a t t r u th th e n th a t each m u st ta k e to h e a r t is th a t th is
life here is b n t one d a y ’s sail in th e v a s t voyage th a t all m u st m ake,
who escap in g u t t e r sh ip w reck a n d d e s tru c tio n w ould fain sa fe ly cro ss
th e sto rm y se as of m a te ria l e x iste n c e to t h a t tr a n q u il h av e n w h e re all
is peace— th e ir b irth -p la c e an d th e ir h om e. T h e seco n d an d even
m ore vital t r u th is th a t th ro u g h o u t th is e n tir e p ilg rim a g e o u r f a te s a re a n d th e ir sin s should be fo rg iv e n th em .'
in ou r own h an d s. W e sh a ll p e rish m ise ra b ly by th e w ay : w e sh a ll
win onw ards, slow er o r fa st, in sto rm o r su n sh in e , ju s t a s d u rin g each
fresh d e p a rtu re w e a c t, sp e ak or th in k .’
“ Is th is stern moral doctrine [that w hich is attracting his disciples to
the Colonel ? W ould th a t i t were, fo r it is a b itte r tonic like th is th a t
the p u blic conscience needs.” ■ e v id e n t t h a t e so te ric m e th o d s a re p e rfe c tly C h ris tia n a s
B u t y o u r R e v e re n c e w ill d o u b tle ss r e t o r t t h a t th e s e a r e th e
words of a b ra n c h of D iss e n te rs , a n d y o u r t r u n k of C h r is t’s
C h u rc h is n o t re sp o n sib le . I m a y b e h u s tle d o u t of C o u rt w ith
t h a t b a c k n u m b e r o f th e S . P . G . M ag azin e flu n g a fte r m e w h ic h
c o n ta in s th e r e p r in t of a n in fa m o u sly in d e c e n t a n d in s u ltin g
s la n d e r u p o n u s, fro m a n A m e ric an p a p er,' e n title d “ T h eo so ­
p h ic a l D e a d h e a d s a n d to ld to ta k e th a t a s th e o p in io n o f
T h e o so p h y o f th e E s ta b lis h m e n t. I c a n m e e t even th is . F o r
see th e fo llo w in g fro m th e first n u m b e r o f “ T h e E p ip h a n y ,”
th e n ew M issio n a ry E d itio n of T h e In d ia n C h u rchm an,
of C a l c u t t a :—
“ I f w e w ere a p p e a lin g to a n E n g lish audience in E n g la n d , w e sh o u ld
e x p e c t to be tr e a te d by m o st w ith c o n te m p t. I n E n g la n d m o st p eo p le
p ro fess to bolieve t h a t C h ristia n ity m ay be tru e j few p eo p le c a re to
fa c e th e q u estio n h o n estly . A n d there are a large num ber who, owing
to its com m anding social p o sitio n , a d m it its tr u th theoretically. F o r
th is v e ry reaso n snch people w ould be th e m ost b itte rly c o n te m p tu o u s,
if we w ere, in th e co u rse of som e special M ission, to p re ss upon th e m
its tr n th , to u rg e th e m to com e to C hurch, or to r e p e n t of th e ir sin s.
T h e effort of w ill w hich stifles th eir conscience cannot leave them ca lm ly
nexUral."
T h e S e c re ta ry o f S ta te fo r I n d ia — if a r a t h e r re te n tiv e
m e m o ry h a s n o t d eceiv ed m e— h e ld a lik e o p in io n of A n g lo -
I n d ia n re lig io u s fe r v o u r, sin ce h e s e n t a d e sp a tc h to H .E . th a
V ice ro y a n d G o v e rn o r-G e n e ra l, to w a rn th e p a r a m o u n t class
in I n d ia t h a t if th e y d id n o t m a k e g r e a te r u se of th e p a id
c h a p la in s a n d c h u rc h e s , th e H o m e G o v e rn m e n t w o u ld e n te r ­
ta in th e id e a o f re lie v in g th e I n d ia n ta x -p a y e rs of th e b u rd e n
of th e ir su p p o rt. T h a t th e h ig h ly e d u c a te d p rie s ts of th e
O x fo rd M issio n h a v e a m o re C h ris tia n k in d lin e s s of fe e lin g
to w a rd s th e T h e o so p h ists, a n d b eliev e th e m to b e a t le a s t
sin c e re , h o w e v e r m isg u id e d , a p p e a rs fro m th e f a c t t h a t th e
E p ip h a n y P rospectus, t h a t of th e p a p e r in q u e stio n , b o re th e
w r itte n re q u e s t fro m th e E d ito r t h a t I w o u ld “ c o n d escen d
o u t of m y g r e a t k in d n e s s ” to w rite a n a rtic le u p o n th e r e la ­
tio n s of T h e o so p h y to C h ris tia n ity . F o r, as h e d e c la r e s :—
“ E ven T heosophy, w h ich , acco rd in g to its p u b lish ed R ules, m u s t in
its m eetin g s r e s p e c t th e p a r tic u la r relig io u s co n v ictio n s of its m e m ­
b e rs by sile n c e (V id e R u le V I) con d escen d s to a tta c k — not indeed
the H u m a n n a tu re o f C h rist, no r an y tru e C h ristian s, b a t —b ad C h ris ­
tia n s, an d C h ristia n T h e o lo g y — in its m ag azin e a n d its unofficial p u b ­
lic a tio n s.” —
T h e ita lic s a re m in e . W h a t I w ro te in resp o n se to th is
re q u e s t, y o u r R e v e re n c e w ill b e en a b le d to re a d in th e j o u r ­
n a l itse lf, b u t I w ill p e rm it m y se lf a v e ry c o n d e n se d su m ­
m a ry in a d v a n c e w ith a d d e n d a . B riefly th e n : R e lig io n is
one, b u t th e o lo g ie s a re m a n y . O n e m ay be tr u ly re lig io u s
a n d y e t p ro fess no one th e o lo g y . J e s u s ta u g h t th is ;
in fa c t, h is m issio n w as f o r “ th e a w a k e n in g of th e n a tio n s ”
in to tr u e re lig io u s life , o u t of th e d u ll s lu m b e r of m e re
s e c ta ria n P h a ris a ic a l fo rm a lism . R e lig io u s fe e lin g a p p e r ­
ta in s n o t to th e o u te r , p h y sic a l self, as th e o lo g y do es, b u t to
th e in n e r, p sy c h ica l se lf— th e “ so u l,” o r “ s p ir it,” as y o u r
R e v e re n c e p re fe rs. R e lig io u s a s p ira tio n is im p o ssib le w ith ­
o u t a n in n e r , o r p sy ch ic, a w a k e n in g ; a n d w ith o u t th a t, r e l i­
g io u s k n o w le d g e (a s d is tin g u is h e d fro m th e o lo g ic a l k n o w ­
led g e, o r re lig io u s f a i t h ) is as im p o ssib le as p h y sic a l s ig h t
w ith o u t eyes, h e a rin g w ith o u t e a rs. T h e o so p h y is th e m e a n s
fo r th is a w a k e n in g ; a T h e o so p h is t one w h o p ra c tise s som e
one of s e v e ra l p re s c rib e d m e th o d s. A T h e o so p h is t m u s t,
ex n ecessitate reru m , b e a re lig io u s m a n , th o u g h h e n e v e r
e n te r e d te m p le o r c h u rc h ; a m o ral, te m p e ra te , h o n e st, u p ­
r i g h t m a n . A so c ie ty of T h e o so p h ists c o n sc ie n tio u sly a n d
a b ly m a n a g e d , c o n fin in g its e lf w h o lly to its d e c la re d a re a of
la r e x te rria lism s, w as n e v e r, c o u ld n e v e r be, a u g h t save a
so u rc e of b e n e fit to its d a y a n d g e n e ra tio n .
A m y s te ry h a s a lw a y s a tta c h e d to th e o so p h ic a l schools a n d
a sso ciatio n s fo r th e v a lid re a s o n t h a t th e relig io u s fe e lin g is
su ch t h a t o n e can o n ly expose to co n g e n ia l so u ls; it is c a v ia re
to th e g e n e ra l p u b lic a d e lic a te p la n t w h ich is a t once n ip p e d
by th e fr o s t of a selfish w o rld ’s a to m sp h e re . U n to y o u ,” sa id
th e F o u n d e r of th e C h u rc h from w hom y o u r R e v e re n c e claim s
a p o sto lic su c c e ssio n — “ it is g iv e n to k n o w th e m y s te ry
(th e o so p h y ?) of th e k in g d o m of God : b u t u n to th e m t h a t a re
w ith o u t, a ll th e s e th in g s a re done in p a ra b le s. T h a t seein g
th e y m a y see, a n d n o t p e rc e iv e ; a n d h e a rin g th e y m a y h e a r,
a n d n o t u n d e rs ta n d ; lest at a n y tim e they sh o u ld be converted
I am so ” poor
a th e o lo g ia n t h a t in th is g e o g ra p h ic a l I n d ia n “ S w a rg a
o f O o ty , a w a y fro m m y lib ra ry , I c a n n o t p ay m y re sp e cts to
th e B ib le re v ise rs if, h a p p ily , th e y h a v e o m itte d th e la s t
se n te n c e o r a n in te rp o la tio n , fo r it is m o st u n th e o so p h ic a l.
H o w e v e r, th e m a in p o sitio n s ta n d s u n s h a k e n , a n d i t is q u ite
e n d o rsed b y C h r is t h im se lf. T h o se w h o , lik e a c e rta in local
“ m e d ic in e m a n ,” o b je c t to th e fe a tu re of secresy a tta c h e d to
. u
 o u r S o c ie ty ’s p ro g ra m m e , I le av e to se ttlo w ith th e i r S c rip ­
tu r e a n d t h e i r consciences. T h o d ile m m a is a w k w a rd , y e t
re a l. I f th e y do n o t w ish to s u b je c t th e m se lv e s to re p ro a c h
n p o n tlie b asis of th e E p ip h a n y 's te s t, th o y sh o u ld
s tr a ig h tw a y cease fro m th e i r sla n d e ro u s g o ssip a b o u t tlie
o b scu re, y e t h o n e st, F o u n d e rs o f th e T h e o so p h ic a l S o ciety .
Y o u r R ev eren ce h a s sa id to su c h a t th e C o m m u n io n a
th o u s a n d tim es, in th e c o u rse of y o u r lo n g m in is try : “ A m e n d
y o u r lives, an d be in p e rfe c t c h a r ity w ith a ll m en ; so sh a ll
y e be m eet p a rta k e rs of th o se h o ly m y s te rie s .” W c o n ly a sk
t h a t theso w icked C h ris tia n s , th e se lip -p re te n d e rs to re lig io u s
fe e lin g , s h a ll h e e d th is sa g e c o u n se l a n d a c t a c c o rd in g ly .
Y o u r R e v e re n c e k n o w s t h a t in th is sam e s a c r a m e n t th e co m ­
m u n ic a n t is to ld “ if ye sh all p e rc e iv e y o u r offences to be
su c h a s a r e n o t o n ly a g a in s t G o d , b u t also a g a in s t y o n r
n e ig h b o u r s ; th e n ye sh a ll re co n c ilo y o u rse lv e s u n to th e m ;
b e in g r e a d y to m a k e r e s titu tio n a n d s a tisfa c tio n , a c c o rd in g
to th o u tte rm o s t of y o u r p o w e rs, f o r a ll in ju rie s a n d w ro n g s
d o n e by y o u to an y o th e r .” W o a re y o u r n e ig h b o u rs ; you
h a v e g rie v o u sly w ro n g e d u s b y c a tc h in g u p false a n d m a li­
c io u s re p o rts a g a in s t o u r p r iv a te c h a ra c te rs a n d w ith o u t
su fficient e n q u iry g iv in g th e m c u rre n c y . Y ou have c irc u la te d
m isle a d in g p a m p h le ts a n d w ic k e d ly false s to rie s a b o u t u s ;
h a v e trie d to m a k e e v e ry tim id C h ris tia n s h u n o u r com ­
p a n y ; to in flu en ce officials m o re b ig o te d th a n p ru d e n t to use
p re s s u re n p o n th e i r n a tiv e s u b o r d in a te s to k e e p th e m o u t
of o u r S o c ie ty ; to b a r us fro m h ig h official fa v o u r, o r r a t h e r
th e p ro te c tio n g u a ra n te e d to all u n d e r B ritis h law s. A ll th is,
a n d w o rse, th e C h ris tia n p a r ty in I n d i a h a v e d one to th e ir
o v e rm a tc h e d T h eo so p h ica l b re th re n . Y e t we su rv iv e . A n d
su r v iv e w c s h a ll— do w h a t o u r e n em ie s m ay . T h a t e q u a l
ju stice w h ich M o fu ssil c o lle cto rs a n d o th e r w h ite officials
w ith h e ld , tho n o n -th e o to g ic a l G o v e rn m e n t o f M a d ra s, a t th e
C ouncil m e e tin g of th e 12th in s ta n t, h a s u n a n im o u sly d is p e n s­
ed to us. W e sh all ta k e ca re to c o n tin u e to d e se rv e th e boon.
A nd, as tru s te e s of th e h o n o u r of o u r S o c ie ty a n d of th e se lf­
resp ect of its th o u s a n d s of fello w s, th o w o rld o v e r, w e sh all
a r r a ig n in a C o u rt of ju s tic e w h o m so e v e r— be h e p rie s t o r
laic— sh a ll falsely a n d m a lic io u sly im p u te to u s offcncos d e ­
g r a d in g to o u r re p u ta tio n s a n d s e c o n d a rily in ju rio u s to o u r
S o ciety . Y o u r R e v e re n c e is im p lo re d to g iv e y o u r p ro fe s­
sio n a l s u b o rd in a te s tim e ly w a rn in g . W o a rc peo p le of
a c tio n as w ell as w ords.
A n d fo r sneli a c t of C h ris tia n j u s t i c e ,! s h a ll, tis in d u ty
b o u n d , e v e r p ra y ,
H . S. O L C O T T ,
P re sid e n t o f lhe T h eosophical S o c ie ty .
O o t a c a m u n d , found tim e to w rite to ns.
T h c \ b t h S eptem ber, 1883.
TU E O S O F 'K Y A N D C H R IS T IA N IT Y .
TO THE EDITOR OF TH E INDIAN C nU K C H M A N .
Cam p, Ootacamund, Sep. 17, 1883.
S in ,— A t y o n r requeFt, I do m y self the p le a su re of sa y in g a few
w o rd s u a s to th e re la tio n s of T hoosophv to C h r is tia n ity ,” I can,
u n fo rtu n a te ly , m ake th e m b u t few, since m y m om en ta a re so occu p ied
officially as to leave me sc arc ely an y le isn re f o r lite r a r y w o rk . I do
a s s u re yon tlia t th is is stric tly tru e, and th a t fro m y e a r ’s end to y e a r’s
en d X h a rd ly k n o w w hat i t is to h ave a h o lid ay h o n r ; an d t h a t b u t
fo r m y personal re g a rd fo r a G en tlem an of y o u r M ission, I w onld have
io lt co m p elled to decline an in v ita tio n , th e m o tiv e b e n e a th w hich X
q u ito u n d e rsta n d .
I t is q n ito conceivablo to m e th a t m in is te rs o f c e rta in of th e m ore
n n e p iritn a l d issen tin g se cts of C h ristia n s sh o u ld p ro p o u n d th e q u ery
w h a t re la tio n th ero is betw een C h ristia n ity a n d T h e o so p h y ; ‘ re lig io n ’
b ein g to th e m a t b est an E th ic a l sy stem of r e s tr a in t d u rin g th is life,
an d th e c ru d e s t possible dream of a f u tu re to bo enjoyed am id snr-
ro u n d in g s of b a rb a ric sp le n d o u r. B u t f o r m in d s of y o u r class, and
sc h o lars of y o u r acco m p lish m e n ts, I h a d th o u g h t no such exegesis w as
called fo r. Y our id e a of R elig ion is m uch h ig h er, y o u r co n c e p ts m uch
xoore sp iritu al. As H ig h C h u rch m en , you h a v e c a rrie d y o n r idealism
to th a t d egree th a t you fool tho “ S p irit of G od,” received from tho
im posed han d s of y o u r sen io rs, e v e r v erify in g y o u r b e in g an d th r illin g
th ro u g h tho avenues of y o u r corporeal lifo. A n d y o n su sp e c t— p erh ap s
oven a s s e rt : I am n o t a C h ristian , and so havo n o t been w ell inform ed
ra y e e lf—th o Real P re sen ce in th e co n seerato d w a te r an d cup of s a c ra ­
m e n t. W h y th e n , should y ou d o u b t, n o t m erely a re la tio n w ith
yOnr relig io n , b u t an union as close w ith it, a'n d a ll o th e r religions, as
th o t of y o u r soul w ith y o n r body. T heosophia, is “ d iv in e ” wisdom ,
I believe ; a n d a T h eo so p h ist one en g ag ed in it s re se a rc h . A n d w h a t
is divino w isdom b u t th e cssenco of R eligion ; R eligion as such . I
m a in ta in , n o t th e R eligious ideas of C ath o lics o r P r o te s ta n ts , B rah m an s
o r B u d d h ists, P a r s is o r J a in s F N o ith er C h rist n o r an y o th e r relig ious
toaohor, w h e th e r claim ed to be su p e rh u m a n o r h u m an , cam o b u t to tell
m a n k in d to w e a r c e rtain fash io n s of clothes, o r e a t c e r ta in k in d s of food
or o b serv e som e one o r o th e r s e t of e x te rn a l fo rm s. T h a t waa n o t 7£eft-
<?\cn to th e m , b u t th e pritcheB o f its clo ak ; an d a so rry th in g it is fo r
th e w orld t h a t th is clo a k , like th e poisoned fihirt o f N ossus, h as been
e a tin g in to th e vitals of each of th o good religions o f arc h a ic tim es !
I f you O xford G r a d u a te s th in k y o u c a n re sto re th a t escap ed sp iritu al
life, a n d in fu se in to th is age of iron a n d h u m b u g a tr u ly sin c ere love for
relig io n by y o u r m eth o d s, do so, by all m e a n s . N o t only I , b u t every
lo v e r o f h is k in d will re jo ic e over y o u r every success. I f you havo com e
to I n d ia w ith th e n ecessa ry p ro o f a to con v in ce Our B rahm ans, a n d BhiU-
k u s, and M obods, a n d S adhus, th a t you have th e ono and only tru e re li­
gion, a n d th a t their* are false from circum ferenco to core, then do so :
o u r ap p lau se w ill follow you alw ay s. T h a t I do n o t beliove you cap ab le
of d o in g t h i s ; t h a t I p erso n ally b e lie v e th a t in every religion over ev o lv ­
ed by m a n th o ro w as, an d is, an d m u st bo, ex necessitate rei a p o rtio n
o f th e one t r u th ; th a t I believe th n t no m an, w hatfcoerer his Religion,
can ever or could e v er have a religious asp iratio n , or a g lim p se of re li­
gious lig h t, w ith o u t a w a k e n in g w ithin h im self th e n a tu ra l, b u t usually
Ja to n t, p sy ch ic faculties, and t h a t I disapprove, upon principle, of every
M issionary or non-m issionary a tte m p t to in v cig le p e rso n s— especially c h il­
d ren of u n rip e in te llig e n c e — from th e ir a n c e stra l fa ith s to som e o th e r form
of se c t w ith o u t g iv in g th em all th e evidence pro and con —all th isd o e s
n o t co n cern y o u . "Vou follow th e call o f c o n s c ie n c e ; so do I. You
p u rsu e y o u r m e th o d s ; I, m ine. You beliove one c a n n o t “ know
(xod or a c q u ire d iv in e w isdom e x c e p t th ro u g h th e enlarged p ?rcep -
tio n s of tho I n n e r S e i f ; I, also. I t is only w hon we leav e th ese
u n iv e rsa ls an d d e sc e n d to ‘ p a r tic u la r s ’ t h a t ou r p a th s d iv erg e. Y onr
fe e t tre a d th e w ay to w a rd s C a lv a ry , m lno t h a t to w ard s B uddha-G aya
a n d th o n c e to w a rd s th e H im alay an r e tr e a ts , w here m y T e a c h e rs—
th e s u c c e s s o r s of th e old A ry a n I n itia te s — s till hold the to r c h o f divine
w irdom to lig h t th e w ay of t h e . tru th -s e e k e r. B u t still we are
b r e th re n you an d wo T h e o so p h is ts— tho u g h you deny it evorsj> m uch,
fo r all, w h e th e r C h ristia n o r *' H e a th e n ,” w h ite or d a r k , bond or free,
are c h ild re n of one Cause, p a r ta k e r s of one d e s tin y . L e t th e re be
no s tr if e . I p ray th eo , b etw een rae a n d th e e * * * ; fo r w e bo
b r e th re n .” M issionaries w ho w a n t w ar w ith n s ca n h av e it ; fo r we
th e n know th a t th e y belie th e pro fessio n s o f th e ir m a s te r, an d havo
no relig io n of an y k in d w ith in th em . B u t wo havo no s tr if e to m ako
w ith a n y M issio n ary o r o th e r C h ristia n , w ho w ill p e rm it thoso ho
■would c o n v e rt to re a d and know all t h a t can bo said a g a in s t both
C h r is tia n ity an d h is ‘ Ilo a th o n ’ fa ith , w h a te v e r it m ay be.
K e sp e c tfu lly yo u rs,
H . S. O L CO TT,
P re sid e n t Theosophical Society.
' r . S* I d o u b t m y a b ility to givo an y m ore tim o to th is question
in th e E pip h a n y, an d fo m u st leave to o th e r m em b ers of onr Society
to rep ly to a n y c ritic ism th a t mr.y be prov o k ed by m y p re se n t
le tte r .
H . S. 0 .
TIJE INDIAN CHURCHMAN ON THE ABOVE.
W b p u b lish to -d a y w ith p le a s u re , or r a t h e r w ith g r a titu d e , a le tte r
from th o P ro s id c n t-F o u n d e r o f th e T heosophical S oeioty. W ith p le a ­
su re , becanse i t en ab les us to claim a frie n d ly h e a rin g from Thooso-
p h ists , a lth o u g h w e a d v o c a te v iew s o f T heosophy th o rev erse) in m any
ways, of th o se ta u g h t by th e ir a d e p ts . W ith g ra titu d e , becau se w«
know from m any sources th e im m en se a m o u n t of w ork done by Col.
O lco tt, a n d can a p p re c ia te th e se lf-d e n y in g k in d n e s s w ith w hich he has
T h is le tte r will f o rm —esp ecially th ro u g h its postciipfc— a m edium of
co m u u n icatio n w ith T h eo so p h ists, w hich wo e a rn e s tly desire.
I t is to us an a u g u ry uf good th a t ono who differs so w idely from ns
as Col. O lco tt, ono w hose life w o rk it is to d estro y tho C hristian
Ih eo lo g y , w hich it is o u rs f o d efen d , should y e t recognise ns a s kindred
sp irits. We aro so accu sto m ed to be denounced as tho in te re ste d
u p h o ld ers of a sy stem begun, co n tin u ed , and en d e d in fo rg e ry , t h a t we
are g r a te fu l to be recognised a s fellow -seekers a f te r tr u th . W e can
only a ssu ro Col. O lco tt, th a t we reg ard him p erso n ally w ith th e
d e e p e st re s p e c t an d re g a rd as ono w ho h o n estly re je c ts C h ristian
T heology, b eliev in g i t to be m an m ade.
L e t us re p ly to Col. O lco tt as d irectly as he sp e a k s to us.
\ ou are kind en o u g h , S ir, to a ttr ib u te to us som e su ch Fpiritual
conception of religion as to en ab le us to seo ou r re la tio n to Theosophy.
"Von w o n d er a t o u r even ask in g th e question. T h e re is one sense in
w hich th e q u estion is n eed less, as you say. Tlie essence of all relig io n is
n o t in its le tte r , b u t in its s p irit. W e p e rfo rm c e rta in physical acts,
us yon go th ro u g h c e rtain process of Yogi, sim p ly as a m eans to a tts in -
ing th e d e v e lo p m e n t of certain la te n t p o w ers of hum an n a tu re , such
as h u m ility , love, com m union w ith th e personal A Il-F ath o r holiness,
im m o rta lity , an d , if God w ill, even in th is life, d o m inio n over
physical n a tu re , th o u g h th is la s t is a m a tte r of com parative indifference
to u s • w e aim p rim a rily a t m oral an d sp iritu a l p e rfe c tio n , n o t a t
e x tra o rd in a ry powTers. .
You a h o a d m it t h a t th e dev elo p m en t of our n a tu r e m u st be so u g h t
for no selfish ends, an d t h a t its tirst step is—as in y o u r own case—th e
s tru g g le w ith selfish n ess. .
I n so fa r th e n , as y o u r T heosophy is a cru sad o a g a in st th e low er
se lf in m a n , i t is id e n tic a l w ith C h ristia n T h eo so p h y . T h a t is, wo
g r a n t you, th o com m on elem en t of t r u th , th e seal of th e b ro th e rh o o d
of all h u m an c re e d s .
B u t yo u will n o t fo rg e t t h a t wc C h ristia n s ap p eal to h is to ry a g a in st
y o u r view of C h ris t and e a rly C h ristia n ity . Y ou say t h a t C h ristia n
T h eology h a s b een an ex crescence upon an e a rlie r d o ctrin e w hich ta u g h t
a T heology lik e y o u r ow n—nam ely, tho d ev elo p m en t of th e h ig h e r self
in m an by his own efforts. W e ap p eal to h isto ry to prove th a t from
its b e g in n in g C h ristia n ity h as b een th e rev erse of all th is , a p ro clam a­
tio n of th e p o w erlcssn ess o f th e hu m an w ill, u n til vivified by th e com­
m u n ic a te d love o fa p erso n al God. W e a d m it fra n k ly th e ex trem e h eig h ts
of raira c n lo u s pow er an d m o ral g ran d eu r a tta in a b le — as b y G au tam a
B u d d h a —a p a r t from C h r is tia n ity ; b u t w e see no reason to believe th a t
b u m an jn atu re can reach p e rfe c t h u m ility an d love a p a rt fro m th e Cross of
C h ris t and th e ^ s u p e r n a tu r a l G race of B ib S a c ra m e n ts.
 I t is n o th e o r y w lu ch w e p reach , b u t a n e x p e rie n c e . W h a te v e r th e
E a st m ay h a v e felt o r o b ta in e d , i t h a s b een th e ex p e rie n c e o f th e W est
th a t all effo rts to becom e h o ly en d e ith e r in selfish a b s tra c tio n , or
iso latio n o r m y sticism , or in fa ilu re , a n d t h a t o n ly by th e fa ith of
C h rist can a c tiv e love a n d s u s ta in e d p u rity b e m a in ta in e d in o a r
crow d ed c itie s , w h e re w o rk ia n e e d e d for th o S alv atio n of m an k in d .
W e o f th e W est m ay be w ro n g . B u t y o n a t le a s t, S ir, are r ig h t when
you a t t r ib u t e to u s a n id ealism bold enough to a s s e r t th e possession of
s p iritu a l fo rc e th ro u g h m a te ria l m edia. I t is, in d eed , tru o th a t, w ith
all o u r p erso n a l failin g s, we claim to p o ssess by im position of
han d s th o S p irit o f G od, w hich J e s u s once con v o y ed by b r e a th in g upon.
H is A p o stles. W e do in d e e d , a s s e r t, n o t m e re ly su s p e c t, th e Keal
P re se n c e of th o C rucified O ne in tho S a c ra m e n t, w hen w ith o u t dofinm g
th e m o d e p f th a t p resen c e, wo believe th a t we aro m ad e p a r ta k e r s of
H is B ody, a n d . Blood, o f th e G lorified H u m an N a tu re o f tho
G od.M aui A n d , S ir, wo know th a t th e n w e a r e blessed, t h a t
th en wo re c e iv e th o p o w er w hich o n ly G od ca n g iv e to o u r fra il n a tu re s,
th e p o w er to lo v e a n d to suffer m oro a n d m oro, a s w e com e clo ser to
him . A n d so y o u tr u ly im p ly th a t we too aro T h e o so p h is ts . W e are
bo, and wo d iffer fro m you o n ly as to th e m ode in w hich th e ‘ 4 Lovo of
God” is to bo a tta in e d . T h ero a re e a rn e s t C h ristia n s w ho w ould glad*
1y jo in y o u r S o ciety , if th e y m ig h t n rg e th e claim s of C h ristia n ity as
tho tr u e key to th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f o u r l a te n t pow ers. B a t th a t w ould
be fo rb id d en b y R u le V I. of y o u r S ociety, e x c e p tin g in m eetin g s of o u r
eo*religionists only* A n d th is is th o c h ie f re a so n w h ich k e e p s ua
aloof from you in y o u r in n e r ciroles, th o u g h wo d e s ire y o u r frie n d sh ip ,
aa fa r as w e can w in it, in o rd in a ry in te rc o u rs e .
A nd so you will p erceiv e t h a t wo sy m p a th is e w ith y o u r so rro w for
th e w ay in w hich m a n k in d h av e b u rie d th e S p irit b en eath th e fo rm s of
religion. B u t w e a re c h ild ish enough to bolieve th a t in th e I n c a r n a ­
tion wo h av e th e t r u o m e e tin g placo o f th e D iv/no S p irit nnd M a tte r,-
and t h a t th e ce re m o n ie s w hich are th e o u tc o m e o f th a t I n c a r n a tio n ,
are still in th e h a n d s of th e B ro th erh o o d o f th e C h u rch o f C h rist, th e
tr u o s t c h a n n e l of co m m u n icatio n b e tw e e n m an an d God, A n d we re ­
g ard th is o u r faith , th e re s u lt of c e n tu rie s of d ev elo p m en t b efo re C h rist
cam e, a s of u n iv ersal significance, n o t to be confined to th e Je w s fro m
whom i t came* T h a t w hich has done so m u ch fo r ns, w e b elieve can
do ns m nch fo r th e “ ag e of iro n an d h u m b u g ” in w hich we live. B ut
we b rin g no p ro o f th a t o th e r fa ith s a re r o tte n to th o core, because wo
believe each h u m an f a ith to co n tain D iv in e T ru th , su llied by hum an
erro r, w hich has n o t sp a re d its a s s a u lts upon C h ris tia n ity also.
To y o u r noble ap p eal fo r fairn ess in c o n tro v e rsy w e m u s t m a k e one
exception. A s it is im possible fo r m o st m en to p ro v e th o ro u g h ly th e
intellectu al basis of th e ir irreligiou, a s you co n fess to h a v in g n o t fully
exam in ed C h ristia n ity , n o r we H in d u ism o r T h eo so p h y , o r indeed
C h ristian ity itse lf, so so m e th in g m u st b e allow ed to in te rn a l or
esotoric o r e x p e rim e n ta l proof.
W e do n o t v ery carefu lly en q n ire in to th e evidence for th e
existen ce of C h rist, b ecau se we find i t ns a ru le a d m itte d as
telly by th e m o st learn ed en em ies a s by th e frie n d s of
C hristian T heology. I t is only w hen wo find it stra n g e ly d o u b te d
th a t w e glanoo m o re m in u te ly a t th e evid en ce w hicb has
convinced frie n d s an d foes. As a ru le th e fa ith of tho C h ris­
tian, aa o f th e T h eo so p h ist, r e s ts u p o n ex p erien ce, on the
consciousness cf th e g ro w in g d ev elo p m en t of liis tru o self.
A nd so w h cu any y o u n g h e a rt has alm o st of its ow n accord
recognized th e t r u t h of C h rist, w h e n w e see i t h o ld in g p a r e
co n v erse , lik e o u r ow n, w ith H im , a n d by H im re d e e m e d from
selfishness, d aily glow ing m ore b r ig h tly in new g e n tle n e s s a n d
love, and c e rta in of H is P re sen ce , we hold it to bo no p a rt of o u rs to
rofuse to b ap tise , b ecau se th e boy docs n o t know as m uch a s wo do, n o r
we a s m n ch aa V o lta ire on one side an d C anon L id d o n on th o
other. F org iv e u s ; th e boy believes j and w e believe th a t th e boy
is right* O ur co n scien ce calls us one w ay, y o u rs a n o th e r . A nd
y e t we hold it a siu to te a r a child, y e t a m inor, from th o hom e and
fam ily w hich ab h o r th e v e ry n a m e of C h ris tia n , a n d disow n th o
b ap tised .
B u t in d ealin g w ith m en an d o p p o n e n ts , w e do indeed d esire th e
fu lle st k now ledge and lig h t. W e seek th o tr u th , s tr o n g e r th a n all
religio n . A n d if yon can convince us th a t C h rist w as n o t tlie W ay,
the T ru th , an d th e Life, w e w ill fo rs a k e H im , and follow tlio tr u th .
Or convince u s t h a t we h av e m isu n d e rs to o d H is te a c h in g , an d wo
w iileeaee to w o rsh ip Him a s God, a n d follow H im sim ply a s th e
B uddha of th e W est. Only w e ask of yon to bo ex p licit. Ono
iu stan ce only. W e do n o t ask you to su p p re s s infidel w oks. You
bave in th e A u g u st n u m b e r of th e T heosophist g iv e n y o u r “ P i n a l
A nsw er” to any su ch re q u e st. B u t w hen, a s in th e n o te to
tho le tte r of V era, in th e J u ly n u m b er o f th e sa m e m agazine,
ou th o “ S fa tu s of J e s u s ,” it is said th a t th o M a h a tm a s hold
Jesus t o be a g r e a t and p u re m an w ho lived over a c e n tu r y b e fo re th o
y ear of o u r v u lg a r, so-called, C h ristia n o ra, we a s k you to be m ore
explicit. Tho M ah atm as w ou ld n o t spoak w ith o u t re a so n , b u t tlie y can
hardly ex p ect pooplo of o rd iu a ry e d u c a tio n to p u t asid e o rd in a ry h is­
to ric al ev id en ce w ith o u t f u r th e r e x p la n a tio n . H ow can a m au who
reads in th e h e a th e n H isto ria n , th e Ilom an T a c itn s, h im self born b e fo re
A .D . 61, n o to rio u s fo r hia c a re fu l h isto ric a l a c c u r a c y ,th e re c o rd , in
connexion w ilh p o litical e v e n ts of h is ow n d ay , o f t h e crucifixion of
C h riB t, th e fo u n d e r o f th e C h ristia n s, by P o n tiu s P ila te , in th e re ig n
of T ib e ria s, p a t th is a sid e w ith o u t e x p la n a tio n . W e aak y o u to be
piore explicit* A n d wc a re s u r e of y o a r s y m p a th y w hen wo a s k you
to d iv o rce y o u rself o p en ly fro m all m e re abuso o f o u r sa c re d
beliefs. A lth o u g h tb e Theosophist is a d v e rtise d in th o Ja n u a ry
1883 n u m b er of th e A n ti-C h ris tia n , w e a ro su ro t h a t yon
fo r one w o u ld n o t approve of th e p h ra se m ado u se of in p. 14, w hich
we fo rce o u rselv es to q u o te, of th o H oly G h o st “ se d u c in g th e in n o ­
cent confiding M a ry .” W hen th e v ery Je w s w ho cru cified J e s u s on ly
pared to fifty t h a t H e w as th e son of Jo sep h , w hy s h o u ld calm c ritic s
o f th e n in e te e n th c e n tu r y cea se to ro sp o ct th e p u r ity of a le g e n d eveTi
w h ile d e n y in g its tr u th s ? W hy s h o u ld th e y Stain th o p u r ity of th e ir
ow n p ages, w an to n ly w ound e v e ry C h ristia n h e a r t, a ttr ib u te to th e
p u r e s t s p ir it a n a o t only possible in th e s p h e re of tb e g ro s s e s t m a tte r^
a n d by a ttr ib u ti n g to th e m ost H oly a n a o t only possible to t h e m o s t
vile, a lm o st, th o u g h p erh ap s w ith o u t fu ll in te n tio n , b la sp h em e th o
H oly G h o s t.
N o r do we th i n k t h a t you would ap p ro v e of tlio vision o f th e
T rin ity on p a g e 3 o f th e sa m e p u b lic a tio n , w horo t h e w r ite r b e h o ld s
a t r e e on w h ic h w as n a ile d one w ho stole a d o n k e y . I t is of c o m ­
p a r a tiv e ly l it tle im p o rta n c e t h a t th e fa c t its e lf is o th e rw ise , t h a t
b o th S. M a rk a n d S . M a th ew re c o rd th e d ire c tio n s g iv e n b y o u r
L o rd fo r o b ta in in g th o c o n s e n t of th o s e co n cern ed fo r o b ta in in g th e
loan of th e a n im al, o r t h a t S. L u k e re c o rd s th e a c tu a l c o n s e n t o b ­
ta in e d from th e o w n ers. L e t us oven im a g in e th a t , in ac c o rd a n c e w ith
O rie n ta l cu sto m , a b e a s t o f b n r d e n w as, as wo should say n o w -a -d a y s,
re q u isitio n e d fo r nso on a p u b lic oceasion, s till wo co n fid en tly a s s e r t
t h a t an y rig h t-m in d e d m an w ould co n d em n th o f ra m e of m ind w b ic h
could fix on s u c h a m in u te d e ta il f o r sa rc a sm a m id all th e lovely a n d
sublim o f e a tu re s o f th e life of C h rist, an d could c a rry t h a t sa rc a sm
u p to th e v ery th r o n e of G od in H eav e n .
L a s t o f all, S ir, wo n o te w ith som e d e g re e o f sa d n e ss th e w o rd s in
w hich you sa y t h a t o u r ro ad lies to C a lv a ry an d y o u rs to B o d h 'G a y a ,
th o h o ly lau d of th o B u d d h is ts, a n d th e n c e to t h e h e i g h t s of th e
H im a la y a s w h e re dw ell th e s a c re d b r o th e r s . I f in d e e d i t bo so,
t h a t o u r p a th s irtu st d iv e rg e so w idely, wo ca n o n ly sa y t h a t w h en
yon shall h a v e o b ta in e d th o se lo f ty m o u n ta in h e ig h ts a n d sh a ll look
dow n upon us, on th e little m ou n d of C a lv a ry , we do n o t t h i n k wo
shall o n v y y o u y o u r h e ig h t, b n t sh a ll be c o n te n t to re m a iu w h e re
w e are, p r o s tr a te a t th e fo o t of th e C ross, b elie v in g t h a t th e r e wo
s h a ll o b ta in th o d e e p e s t a n d tr n e b t v ie w of th e p o ssib ilitie s a n d th e
id e a l of h u m an n a tu r e .
A la s ! w o u ld t h a t a ll C h ristia n s , an d e s p e c ia lly C h ris tia n c le rg y ­
m en, w ere m oved by th e s a m e s p irit of k in d n e s s a n d fa irn e s s th a t
bo ev id en tly m oved th o w rito r o f th e ab o v e. In d eed , w o u ld th e ro bo n o
n eed th e n fo r w r itin g “ a n O pen L e tte r to tho B ishop of M ad ras’'
w h ich p le a se see in a n o th e r co lu m n an d com pare th e s p ir it co m p lain ed
of w hich n e c e s s ita te d its p u b lic a tio n w ith th o above r e m a rk s .—
Ed. T heos.
C O L O N E L OLCOTT’S L E C T U R E S .*
{From the M adras M a il).
L o n g beforo th e lig h t of C olonel O lco tt’s co n n te n a n c e h ad daw n ed
upon O o tacam u n d , a n d b efo re th e b e a u ty an d fash io n of th e clondy
c a p ita l h ad b een so t a flu tte r in g by th e m a rv e ls of M adam e B la v a ts k y ,
it w as e v id e n t to all th a t k e p t to u ch w ith th e n a tiv e m in d th a t a r e ­
m a rk a b le m o v e m e n t w as in p ro g re s s in a n d around M adras. I t is n o t
too m u c h to sa y t h a t tho n a m e of C olonel O lc o tt (or A ll-c a u g h t a s tin*
N a tiv e s c all h im , o r A ll-ta lk a s som e E u ro p e a n s d u b him ) h a s for m any
m o n th s p a s t been p ro m in e n tly befo re th e H indu co m m u n ity . E u ro p ean s
g e n e ra lly aro so co m p letely ig n o ra n t of w h a t is g oing on in th e d u sk y
w orld a ro n n d th e m th a t th e y seldom realize th e significance of p u rely
n a tiv e m o v e m e n ts till th e y h a v e becom e m a tte r of h isto ry . T h ey a re
aw a re in a dim s o rt of w ay t h a t so m e th in g e x c itin g is to th e fro n t, b u t
th e y p ay little a tte n tio n to it. T h u s th e T heosophical e x c ite m e n t wan
re g a rd e d as sim p ly a n o th e r illu s tra tio n of tho n a tiv e fo n d n ess fo r
tam o sh a s, an d Colonel O lc o tt’s triu m p h a l p ro g resses a s so m u ch t e m ­
p o ra ry effervescence. I t -was sup p o sed th a t h e w as b u t a n o th e r m eteo r-
blaze acro ss th e In d ia n sk y , dazzling an d ala rm in g th e w e a k -
m in d ed , b u t d estin e d to s in k below th e horizon w hen his day w as
done, leaving n o t a tr a c e b eh in d . I t is too early in th e day io
p ronounce th is view a co m p le te m ista k e , b u t a t all e v e n ts th e
C olonel is doing a ll in h is p o w er to p ro v e th a t it is. H e k n o w s w ell
t h a t m ere e x c ite m e n t of w h a te v e r k in d is in its v e ry n a tu r e e v a n e s­
c e n t, an d th a t a ll p o p u lar m o v e m e n ts w hich are to sta n d th e t e s t of
tim e m u s t be su p p lie d w ith a n o rg an izatio n , a body fo r th e s p ir it to
in h a b it and u se as its o rg an . A ccordingly, we find him ev e ry w h e re ,
n o t only le c tu rin g , a n d e x h ib itin g h is p o w ers and co llectin g crow ds of
a d m irin g n a tiv e s , b u t also e s tab lish in g b ra n c h e s of his S o ciety , each
w ith its e x e c u tiv e officers an d o th e r g u a ra n te e s of p erm an en cy . I t is
p e rfe c tly possible th a t th e T heosophical S o ciety an d its bran ch es m ay
be one of th e m an y s tra n g e item s w h ich m n st, in fu tu re , be ta k e n in to
acc o u n t by th o se w ho h av e to deal w ith H in d u society. A u A sso cia­
tio n w ith such e n th u s ia sm , snch w ide-spread ram ificatious, and sn c h an
e v id e n t pow er of se lf-p ro p a g a tio n , is w ell w o rth study, even if O otaoa-
m u n d had n e v e r d ev elo p ed a local b ra n c h . A volume of le c tu re s
from th o pen of th e P re s id c n t-F o u n d c r will be eagerly w elcom ed by th o se
who, like o n rselv es, h av e re g a rd e d w ith w onder th e re c e n t d e v e lo p m e n ts
of th e S ociety. W o n a tu r a lly e x p e c t th a t w e sh a ll o b tain som e in sig h t
in to th e se cre t of its p o w er ovor th e n a tiv e m ind, ev en if w e a re as fa r
as before from b eco m in g c o n v e rts to T heosophy. W e m n st, how ev er,
confess o n r d isa p p o in tm e n t. I f wc feol puaajed to a c c o u n t f o r th e
e v id e n t pow er of C olonel O lc o tt o v er th e n a tiv e m in d befo re th e
re a d in g of th e le c tu re s , w e m arv el still m oro a f te r it. I h c y a re clev er,
b n t su re ly n o t th e c le v e re s t th a t th e peo p le o f th is c o u n try e v e r h e a rd .
T h ey a re in som o p laces as obscure a s S w ed en b o rg o r th e Q u ran , b u t
o b sc u rity is n o t p o p u lar. T h ey a re p lain -sp o k en to a d egree. Tho
p ic tu re s w h ich th e y d ra w of n a tiv e ly in g , d isunion, selfishness, a n d
g e n eral w o rth le ssn e ss, a re su ch a s w ould co n v u lse H in d u S ociety w ith
rig h te o u s rag e, if th e y w ere d ra w n by a n E n g lish jo u rn a lis t or a
* A collection of L e c tn re s on T beosophy an d A rch aic R eligions, deli*
v e re d in In d ia an d C eylon, by Colonel H . S. O icptt, P re s id e n t of tb e
T heosophical S o ciety , p u b lish e d b y A. T h e y a g a R a jier, i \ t . p., A ssist­
a n t S e c re ta ry , M adras T h eo so p h ical Society, M adias, 1883,
C h ris tia n m issio n ary . B n t p lain -sp eak in g c a n n o t b e th e reaso n of
e a c h o v erw h elm in g p o p u la rity . N e ith e r is it th e C olonel’s wisdom , fo r
m a n y w ise a n d b e a u tifu l p assag es a r e sa n d w ich ed b etw een fa tu o u s
n o n se n se a n d o u tra g e o u s ab ase of o pponents. T h e re is a co n sid erab le
show of le a rn in g in th e book, b u t th e a u th o r does n o t p ro te n d to th e
e ru d itio n of th e p ro p h etess of th e m o v em en t, w hoso ‘4 Is is Unveiled” he
re g a rd s w ith am u sin g aw e. H is own p re te n sio n s in th is lin e m a y bo
m e a su re d b y his confident a s se rtio n t h a t Iroeneus is th e a u th o r of th e
F o u r t h G ospel, w hich m u st b e a m a tte r of sp e cial re v e la tio n , for th e
o n ly th in g th a t th e ad v an ced c ritic s sa y a b o u t th is G ospel's a u th o r is
t h a t h e w as some porson u n k n o w n . B u t th e fa c t of th e T heosophical
S o ciety rem ain s. I t is a pow er, a n d a t p re s e n t a g ro w in g pow er in
S o u th e rn In d ia . I f th o ex p lan ation is n o t in C olonel O lcott, it m u s t bo
iu so m e th in g else. W e a re su re t h a t he h im se lf w ould be th e firs t to
disclaim th e ho n o u r of b ein g th e cause of th e m o v em en t, th o u g h we
fa n c y h e w ould claim to be so m eth in g m ore th a n th e m ere occasion*
O ne of t h e s e c re ts of his personal influence is e v id e n tly a c h a rm in g
sim p lic ity , a p ro fo u n d belief in h im self a n d in h is w ork, lead in g him in
som e of th e a n n iv e rsa ry speeches to n se lan g u ag o re m in d in g u s of th e
F ly a n d th e W h eel. W e shall see im m e d ia te ly t h a t th e Colonel n o t
o n ly e x a g g e ra te s his own p ersonal im p o rta n c e to th e m ovem ent, b u t
t h a t h e o v e re stim a te s tho im p o rtan c e of th e m o v e m e n t itse lf. B u t a t
p r e s e n t w c a re en q u irin g th o s e c re t of th e p o w er of T h eo so p h y — w h a t
it is th a t m ak es people ru n a f te r it.
P a r t of th e a n sw er a t least is to bo fo u n d in th e u n d o u b ted fa c t th a t
of lato y e a rs th e re h as b een a d ecid ed re v iv a l of n a tio n a l In d ia n
fe e lin g . I n sp ite of th e d is in te g r a tin g pow er of c a s te , w hich sp lits
th e H in d u peoples in to so m an y fra g m o n ts a t c o n s ta n t fe u d w ith each
o th e r, th e now g en eratio n h a s re a liz e d to som e e x te n t th o tr u th
t h a t In d ia n s o u g h t to be one. T h e old apologetic to n e w hich
c h a ra c te riz e d th o u tte ra n c e s o f n a tiv e s re g a r d in g e v e ry th in g In d ia n
a sh o rt tim e ago, h as g iv en place to a to n e o f se lf-a sse rtio n , n ot
q n ite so p le a s a n t to th e ru lin g class p e rh a p s, b u t c e rta in ly v ery
m uch m ore n a tu ra l a n d h e a lth y . I t is im possible to conceive for
ex a m p le th a t te n y e a rs ag o th e I lb e r t Bill w ould havo b een
receiv ed w ith su ch a te m p e s t of ju b ila tio n , o r t h a t th e ill-considered
in v ectiv es of som o C a lc u tta o ra to rs w ould h a v e p ro v o k ed such a
fu ry of open re se n tm e n t. Tho old school H in d u co n sid ered it his d n ty
to ta k e m eekly th e re b a k e s of E u ro p ean s, a n d ev en to este e m th e m as
precio u s oil. T h e new sch o o l h a s no su c h am ia b le w eak n e ss. E u ro p e a n
sc h o la rs h av e ta u g h t th e m , n o t c e rta in ly to know th e ir ow n classics, for
th a t is w h a t few can b o ast of, b u t to b elieve in th e m . T h e only diffi­
c u lty a b o u t th e m w as t h a t a n e n lig h te n e d n a tiv e could n o t be supposed
to believe w h a t th e y te a c h . I f o n ce it sh o u ld becom e p o ssib le to
re g a rd H iu d u lite ra tu r e , science, an d relig io n as ahead c f th e tim es,
no th in g m ore would be w an tin g to e n a b le th o H in d u to boast h im self
not only as th e eq u al, b u t as th e su p o rio r of th e E u ro p e a n . T h e h o u r
b ro u g h t fo rth th e m an, and th e m an w as C olonel O lcott. B elonging
to th e sam e race an d th e sam e civ ilizatio n as th e m a s te rs of In d ia ,
he p ro fessed h im self n o t th e te a c h e r, b u t th e disciple of th e g e n u in e
H in d a, an d H in d u s a rc show ing th e ir a p p re c ia tio n of his c o n d a c t by
Hocking to th e s ta n d a rd h e has se t up a m o n g th e m . H ith e rto all
th e effo rts of people w ho believe in th e su p e rio rity o f w e s te rn o v er
e a s te rn scienec an d civilization h av e b een in v ain to ch eck th e risin g
tid e of T h eo so p h y . W h ile th e y could only d en y , C olonel O lc o tt could
affirm , an d a f te r all, p eople p re fe r to b eliev e r a t h e r th a n to dis-«
believe. F o r m any yearn th e te n d e n c y of th e g r e a te r p a r t of th e
h ig h er ed u catio n g iv en in th is c o u n tr y h as r a n in a m a te ria lis tic d ire c ­
tion. A t le a s t so Colonel O lco tt says, an d he m a y b e p re su m e d to know
so m e th in g ab o u t ed u cated n a tiv e s. M aterialism ig n o re s c e rta in facts
of h u m an consciousness, and im ag in es a b lan k w h e re th e re is re a lly a
crow d of m o st difficult p h en o m en a to be n o te d an d explained. T he
w hole su b je c t of tlie re la tio n s betw een m in d o r s p ir it a n d body is one
o f g r e a t difficulty, an d th e t r u th se em s to bo t h a t science h ith e r to has
been ab le to say v ery little a b o u t it. W h a t o rthodox Bcicnce h as failed
to do, th a t heterodox science, as re p re s e n te d by S w ed eu b o rg ian s, spiri*
tn a lis ts , an d now b y th e T h e o so p h is ts , p ro fe s se s to be able to do.
E ith e r finding or im ag in in g th e m se lv e s to find a p o in t of c o n ta c t b e ­
tw een h eterodox w estern science a n d th e w isdom of th e O rie n ta l re li­
giou s d ev o tees, Colonel O lco tt a n d M adam e B la v a ts k y havo com c f o r­
w a rd to m e d ia te betw een th em . M any e d u c a te d H in d u s, ten a c io u s of
th e ir n a tu ra l tra d itio n s an d seek in g fo r r e lie f from th e a tta c k s of
m a to ria lia tic scicn ce, h av e hailed th e m a s d e liv e re rs . T he A ssociations
o f w h ich we h av e spoken h av e s p ru n g up all a ro u n d ns fo r th e p u r ­
pose o f c u ltiv a tin g th o m y ste rio u s p ow ers of m an, an d rescu in g
from fa s t-a p p ro a c h in g oblivion w h a t th e y b eliev e to be a valuable
h e rita g e .
Of th e w on d ers w hich Colonel O lco tt re la te s, w e shall n o t sa y m uch,
b ecau se we c a n n o t b eliev e in th e m , a n d wo c a n n o t b u t believe th a t
th e C olonel d o es. S p iritu a lis m h as b e e n lo n g e n o u g h befo re th e w orld
now to p re v e n t p eo p le fro m sim p ly re je c tin g it s s to r ie s ns lies. T h ere
m u s t bo so m e th in g in it, fo r m a n y of th o p h en o m en a a re w ell a tte s te d .
A t th o sam e tim e i t sho u ld b e re m e m b e re d t h a t th e re m ay be a g re a t
d e a l in sp iritu a lism , a n d y e t sp iritu a lis m m a y be a v ery b ad th in g
Colonel O lco tt openly p ro claim s th a t th e s ta te of m ed iu m sh ip is a very
p erilo u s ono m o rally , in o th e r w ords th a t a la rg e p ro p o rtio n of th e
m ed iu m s are roguos. Tho n o to rio u sly s tu p id c h a ra c te r of m a n y of
th e p h en o m en a m ig h t ju s tify th e a sse rtio n th a t if th e m edium s aro
ro g u e s, th e sp irits are fools. A s fa r a s w e ca n m a k e o u t, n e ith e r are
d esirab le acq u ain tan ces, au d th e re is co n sid erab le re a so n fo r th e re m a rk
th a t h as o fte n b een m ade th a t sp iritn a lis tic p h e n o m e n a a re a good
a r g u m e n t fo r th e ex isto n c c of d ev ils in a n e x tre m e ly a c tiv e 6tate.
W ith re g a rd to w h at th e Colonel co n sid ers th o g r e a te s t triu m p h of
m ind o v er m a tte r in th is p re se n t lifo— th e p o w er o f p ro je c tin g tho
doub le, w e p ro fess o u rselv es iu th o sa m e s ta te of m ystification as
th e m a jo rity of T h eo so p h ists. W e w ould p o in t o u t o n e v ery in stru c tiv e
s e n te n c e how ever, w hich seem s to th ro w som e l i g h t upon th e
m y ste rio u s s ta te m e n ts b ro u g h t befo re u s. M ed iu m sh ip is said to be
generally concom itant a scrofulous or phthisical taint ia t o blood.
T ru ly th is in d ic a te s th a t th e whole class of phenom ena are p h en o m en a
n o t of h e a lth , b u t of disease. M ay n o t th e ascetic a u s te ritie s w hich
T h eo so p h y an d H in d u ism , an d som e fo rm s of C h ristia n ity , d eclare
to be th o o n ly w ay to th e h ig h e r life o f ecstao y , be ju s t w h a t wo should
n a tu ra lly qfcpect th e m to be, a m eans o f re d u c in g th e h e a lth y h u m an
c o n stitu tio n , to th e s ta te o f d ise ase n ecessa ry for th e e x p e rie n c e of
th e s e n b u o rm al feelin g s ?
T h e a ttitu d e of T h eo so p h y to w a rd s h isto ric a l C h ristian ity se em s to
be o n e of th o ro u g h -g o in g a n ta g o n ism . In e v e ry le c tu re in th e
v o lu m e b e fo re u s, th is is a s c le a r as th e noon day* So b lin d in g a
th in g is p re ju d ic e th a t C olonel O lcott, s h u n tin g his eyed to th e p lnineat
facts, d e c la re s th a t a lm o st th o o n ly p laces w here w h a t th e age
n e e d s su rv iv es, ‘ are a m o n g th e L am aists of T ibet, th e Copts
of E g y p t, th e Sufis a n d D erv ish es of A ra b ia a n d o th e r
M ahom edan c o u n trie s.’ I t seem s a p ity t h a t th e s e po ssesso rs
of th e lig h t sh o u ld n o t h a v e le t i t shine a little m o re in
th e ir ow n im m e d ia te n eighbourhood, fo r if e v e r th e re w ere d ark
p la c e s in th e e a rth , i t is juBt w hero th e s e lig h ts of th e w o rld live.
E v en C olonel O lc o tt can n o t p u t b ack th e h an d s on th e g re a t clock
of tim e , an d th e r e w ould bo m o re ch ance of his re c e iv in g a p a ­
t ie n t h e a rin g re g a rd in g th o th in g s w hich he says h e know s, if he did not
so o fte n c o n tr a d ic t w h a t ev ery in te llig e n t m a n know s to be th e tr u th .
C h ris tia n ity has in th e p a s t b e e n able to g iv e a p r e tty good account
of its e lf to it s a d v e rsa rie s , a n d w e do n ot a tte m p t to d efe n d it h ere.
A r e p o rt h a s re a c h e d us from O o tacam u n d t h a t Colonol O lco tt th e re
disavow ed all in te n tio n of o p p o sin g C h ris tia n ity . B u t it is to be
o b se rv ed t h a t d u rin g h is r e c e n t to u r he p osed b e fo re th o u sa n d s of
n a tiv e s ns an en e m y o f C h ris tia n ity , a n d th e T h eo so p h ists a d v e rtise
th e m se lv e s ns a n a g e n c y fo r th e sale of “ U n a n sw e ra b le an ti-C h ris­
tia n p u b lic a tio n s.”
A N O T H E R L E T T E R F R O M T H E M A H R A TTA L A D Y
T H E O S O P H IS T N O W IN A M ERICA .
[W e ta k e from tb e In d ia n M irror th e le tte r tb a t follows. I t
Comes from o u r poor little vo lu n tary exile, now in tbo A ntipodes,
th e w illing m a rty r to her noble th ir s t for R eform and Science
W e have rarely read a n y th in g m ore touching and g en u ine than
t!iis sim ple and u n p rete n tio u s n arra tiv e of w b at she m u st have
suffered on her long jo u rn ey to A m erica. , T he m ental to rtu re in
consequence of h er sep aratio n from home and all those she loved,
and th e physical su fferin g she was su b jected to on her way she
m ig h t have an ticip ated , and th erefore had heen prepared for such
u n p leasantness, th o u g h we see no m ortal reason w hy th e S. S.
Co. should have any m ore the monopoly or rig h t of starving its
p assengers, than th a t of drow ning th em , w h eth er they he H indu or
E u ro p ean . B ut th e un m erited iu su lt of seeing herself m ade fun
of, and especially the hum iliation she received a t the bands of one,
calling herself a lady Mid probably a C hristian, is too d isg u stin g
and rev o ltin g to tnake us ap p reciate the discretion of w hether
a u th o r or ed ito r which caused e ith e r of them to su p p ress th e name
of th e h u m an fem ale obelisk of E uropean h a u g h tin ess tb a t was
cruel enough to in su lt such a helpless lonely young cre a tu re as poor
M rs. Jo sh i m ust have felt herself on th e steam er. On th e c o n tra ry ,
she o u g h t to havo been nam ed as a sa lu tary lessor* to herself ancl
a w arning to all of us E uro p ean s who may believe ourselves the
only “ chosen” ones, the elcctedof a ‘‘su p erio r” race. W ere it worth
tb e trouble, a com parative genealogical tree m ig h t be profitably
draw n, showing th e respective lineage and th e lis to f ancestors of
th e B rahm inee In d ian lady and of both those a rro g a n t E uropean
fem ales who used to “ m ake fu n ” of h er “ in w h i s p e r s , a n d the
one who se n t h er off on deck. I t is to be feared th a t while th e fore­
fath ers of A nanda Bai would bo found stre tc h in g back in to the
n ig h t of th a t p re-h isto ric age when the A ryans first crossed the
H im alayas in th eir m ig ratio n from the ito rth , th e ancestors of
m any of th e form er would be soon traced to some p a ltry shop in
one of th e bank lanes of Oxford street. I t is rev o ltin g to read
of such snobbery in women. The kisses “ over and over again”
in the presence of re p o rters and o th e r w itnesses could o bliterate
bu t little , and atone still less for th e su fferin g s caused in the
early p a rt of th e voyage. We sincerely hope th a t Mrs. Joshi
will find tru e r and b e tte r friends in dem ocratic A m erica th a n she
has found on th e aristo cratic B ritish steam er, whose Com pany
tak es ap p aren tly people’s money b u t to starve them w henever
it can do so with probable im p u n ity .—Ed.~\
T he following is M r s . A n a n d a . B a i J o s h i ’s le tte r :—
R o s e l l e , N , J . , the 25th Ju n e 1 8 8 3 .
“ I received your le tte rs from P una, K aly an , and Sholapore.
My joy, a t seeing th em , m ay be b etter im agined th a n d escrib­
ed. ................................ .
God has given me a stro n g , nay, hard h ea rt, w hich stood, and
I hope, w ill continue to stan d , any trial or difficulty in tbo w orld.
H ow m any m isfo rtu n es m u st have befallen m e in th e space of 59
days, w hile tra v e llin g in rem ote foreign lan d s, I leave it to you
to im agine. I will now give you th e p a rtic u la rs of my voyage ;
b u t, I am afraid, I will no t be able to describe th e scene as
they o u g h t to be ; y et I will try my best to do so.
W hen I first entered into the land of w aters, I earn estly hoped
th a t I would enjoy th e sea w ith o u t satiety , b u t I soon g o t w eary
of seeing w hat I saw once. I have had m y repose d istu rb ed a
hu n d red tim es by tb e feeling of painful sep aratio n from home.
Soon after I left S augor, I felt sea-sick. Som etim es my com pa­
nions pressed me to p arta k e of m eat, and w hen I refused to
have it, th e y used to make fun q£ me in whispers. T o r about
a : fo rtn ig h t I had bedn a source of1am u sem en t to all. T hey
djd not tnke any in te re st in me. T hey th o u g h t no b e tte r o£
m e th a n of a N ativ e a y a h ! O nce it so h ap p en ed th a t I was
seated oil a sofa in th e saloon w hen M rs.------ cam e a n d told m e to
go an d g et on th e deck, o r any o th e r seat ^ could fiqd. I g o t j D ay b y d ay th e pain becam e severer. I t m ade my head ache- My
up w ith o u t saying a word, an d w en t to th e stew ard ess, for she
called m e in, w hen she saw m e g o in g u p sta irs . “ I t is very
cold upstairs- Y ou are n o t used to th is clim ate, I am supe it
will Jtill you. Do you like to go to th e h o sp ital in ' L ondon,
where, I am q u ite sure, you w ill n o t like to sto p a m in u te ? ”
Baid she to me. “ W hy don’t you go a n d s it on th e sofa. I am
afraid you w ill suffer from cold. Y ou m u st be very c a re fu l,”
she added. To th is I made no rep ly . N e x t day b ein g S u n d ay
Mrs.'----- asked m e to go to th e service. I said “ I w ould ra th e r
sit w ith th e ayahs th a u w ith those w ho th in k less of m e th a n
even th e ayahs. I am not asham ed to sit w ith ayahs, becauso I
apa sure th ey w ill n o t th in k less of m e th a n th em selv es.”
W e le ft C a lc u tta on ,the 7 th , as you know , and sto p p ed in th e
m idst of th e riv e r a fter a slow voyage of tw en ty four hours.
W e again com m enced sailing. I have a lread y to ld you th a t we
did not stop a t M adras. O n th e 12th A p ril, I once h eard th a t
w'e w ere going to stbp a t Colom bo, b u t I soon found th a t we
were going fu rth er. W e saw fro m a d istan ce of a b o u t one-and-a
half-m ile th e rocks and m o u n tain s an d hills of Ceylon. Now it
was th e close of th e day . T he sky w as p erfectly clear ; th e
sea w as q u ite serene ; th e sun had sp read h is b eau tifu l g a rm e n ts
over th e lovely s e a ; th e beau tifu l golden ray s of th e su n peeped
into th e dense cocoanut trees, w hich enhanced th e b eau ty of
Ceylon, T h o u g h I have no t seen it m yself, I v e n tu re to say
th a t Ceylon m u st be a handsom e place. So h ap p ily we passed
Ceylon, and a rriv ed a t Aden on th e 20 th A p ril a t ab o u t 7 p - m .
Some of th e passengers (b o th ladies a n d g e n tle m e n ) w ent
ashore and came back before 10 p. m . I t w as th e first tim e th a t I
saw A fricans. T he physiognom y of th e N e g ro is so p ecu liar
th a t it is im possible not to recogniso it a t th e first glan ce. H is
thick, p ro tru d in g lips, h is low forehead, h is p ro je c tin g te e th
which peep put betw een his lips, h is woolly and half-frizzled
h air (it is said th a t he applies chunum to his h a ir w hich gives
it a peouliar brow n color) his beard, h is sh o rt flat nose, h is re­
tre a tin g chin, and his round eyes, give him a peculiar look am o n g st
nil o th e r hum an races. T h e bones of th e slcnll apd th o se of th e
body a re th ic k e r and h a rd e r th a n th o se of th e o th er races.
Several a re bow -legged ; alm ost all have b u t little calves, half
b en t knees, th e body stooped fo rw ard and a tire d g ait. Snch is
th e appearance of tb e A fricans. On th e sam e day we left A den.
On th e 25th we arrived a t Suez a t a b o u t 5 p. M. I saw an o th e r
new ty p e of th e hum an race. 1 m ean th e E g y p tia n s. W e did
not go on shore, b u t I saw p le n ty of th e m on board th e
steam er w ith fru its , shells, n eck le ts, bracelets, corals, larg e
beads, photos, silk and golden clo th es, pots, &c. T he E g y p ­
tians are fair and w ell-m ade. T h e c h a ra c te ristic s of th e A rab
race are a long face, a high forehead, a re tre a tin g , sm all m outh,
even teeth, eyes not a t all deepset in sp ite of th e w an t of
prom inence of th e brow, a g racefu l figure form ed by th e sm all
volume of fatty m a tte r and cellular tissu e, and by th e presence of
ow erful b u t not largely developed m usoles, a keen w it and
rig h t in telligence, and a deep and p e rsev e rin g m ould of c h a ra c­
te r. Y ou see, therefore) th a t th e A ra b ty p e is really an a d m i­
rable one.
I am sorry I have fo rg o tten to inform you of som e th in g
about my food on board th e ship. I rem em b er you told me to
w rite to you all about my sorrow o r joy. A s to joy, I had
n o n e ; nor did I expect an y.................b u t as to m y troubles
I bad plenty of them , p len ty for one like me. You m ig h t have
th o u g h t th a t I was in abundance. Y es, I w as in abundance
indeed, b u t not in what you would, p erh ap s, im agine. B u t let
me th an k God before I say an y th in g fo r H is kindness in
giving m e stre n g th to p u t u p with all th a t befel me. I su p ­
pose, you know, I am rath er a receiver th a n a g iv er of tro u b les
or inconveniences, and, according to my n a tu re , I did b e a r,a n d
will ever p atien tly b ear, w hatever may come to m e. I had k ept
no connection w ith any lady (even w ith M rs.--------- ). I had chosen
un excellent com panion th a t helped me to p ass tim e q u ie tly and
pleasantly— I m ean a book, I never felt lonely w hile read in g . I
read seven books on board th e steam er City o f C alcutta. Now in
regard to m y food, you m ig h t have th o u g h t th a t I could g e t w h at­
ever I likod, 1 could g et a good m any dishes, th o u g h I would not.
Indeed I was well nigh on th e p o in t of starv atio n . I w as n early
starving for about seven w eeks. W h a t w ere dried fishes to m e?
W hat should I do w ith th e soup they w ould serve me, a n d how
could I sit am ong them , and see th em swallow dish after dish P
H ow could I stand th e sig h t of lo n g — long bones, &c., &c, P How
could I eat th in g s composed of old v eg eta b les, stalk s, an d half
ro tten potatoes P I t req u ired a stro n g e r stom ach th a n mine
to retain an appetite fo r such ' k in d s of food. I trie d to be
stro n g er, arid after ad m irin g th e tw o b e a u tifu l c a rp e ts on eith er
side of of tho table (which soon disap p eared ) an d th e silk en c u r ­
tains h a n g in g over the doors, I v e n tu red to hope t h a t honesty
would prove one of those ex h ib its an d th a t I w ould g e t my
money’s w orth. B u t alas ! I m et n o th in g b u t disap p o in tm en t,
My only food was two or th ree potatoes (for I could cat no m ore,)
I scarcely h ad rice, f o r it was too coarse and h ard to be eaten.
T h ere w ere only cakes t h a t I lik e d . m ost a t first., b u t I grew
w eary of th em , and to m ake m y condition worse, my gum beg an t
sw ell. I t h u rt m e to eat, to speak, lau g h , or, to do a n y th in g elso
sto m ach w as s t i i r w orse. T h is sta te of th in g s lasted fo r n e a rly
th re e w eeks, w hen I th o u g h t I had b e tte r co n su lt a doctor. A week
elap sed before I fo u n d th e d o c to r; for I could n o t catch his
tim e. I saw him ev ery d ay a t table, b u t he w ent aw ay beforo I
left th e tab le. So tw o d ay s before our arriv al in L ondon, I con-
su ite d him . A fte r _h e a rin g all particu lars, he said th a t m y
w isd o m -teeth w ere ju s t grow ing, and it was these te e th w hich
w ere tro u b lin g m e. F o r th re e days I could not stand, n o r s it, nor
sleep. T h u s you see I have g o t two w isdom -teeth since 1 left
you. M y com panions d id no t know of my pain o r of th e coining
of my new te e th till we w ere in L ondon. . . . , . 1 leave
i t to you to im ag in e w h a t m u s t liayo been m y condition on
th is occasion. Js it no w onder th a t m y frien d s or com panions
should know n o th in g of m y p ain , or of th e h alf starv atio n I was
suffering from ? I have n o th in g to say a g a in st an y one. F o r
th ey w ere all very k in d to m e a fte r th e ir own fashion. I had to
suffer all so rts of inconveniences for th e first fo u r w eeks o r so.
A fte r th a t, th e y all becam e so fond of me th a t th e y w ere q u ite
u n w illin g to p a rt com pany w ith me. T h ey seem ed very m uch
in te re ste d in me, So a few days before o u r arriv al in N ew Y o rk .
M rs. r— said to m e, “ M rs. Jo sh i, y o u r h u sb an d h as given you
iq m y ch arg e, and M rs. C a rp e n te r can n o t claim you from m e ;
b iit you a re m arrie d , an d if you are n o t w illing. I can n ot keep
you.” In N ew Y o rk when th e y bid m e good-bye, th e y kissed
m e over a n d over a g a in .”
A D W A IT A A N D S ID D IIA T A N T R A .
( B eing lhe substance of two lectures delivered by M ahadeva S a stria l,
F. T . S . P u n d it o f the “ N egapatam Theosophical S o c ie ty " )
T he Vedas, th e P u ra v a s an d m a n y o th e r w o rk s a p p e a r in tlie ir
ex o tericism fu ll of se lf-c o n tra d ic tio n s a n d ab su rd ities. B n t no so oner
a r e th e y d iv e ste d o f th e ir e x o te ric g arb , an d re a d in th e ir e s o te ric
in te r p re ta tio n , th a u th e y will be found t,o em body th e g ra n d e st a n d
th e m o st sp le n d id t r u th s . A t th e sam e tim e th e S id d h a T a n tra s,
w r itte n b y Sad d h a s, re v e a l tlie t r n th w ith o n t a n y d isg u ise ; an d , i t
is th e s e T a n tra s th a t estab lish th e A d w a ita P h ilosophy.
B efore p ro c e e d in g f u r th e r , w e sh all tr y to u n d e r s ta n d th e fu n d a ­
m e n ta l p o in t o f d ifferen ce b etw e e n D w aitism , V isish ta d w a itism a n d
A d w a itis m . D w aitism sa y s t h a t P a ra m a tm a (G od) a n d J iv a tm a (th e
S p irit) a re e s se n tia lly d iffe re n t, w h e th e r th e y sta n d in th e re la tio n s of
th e c re a to r a n d th e c re a te d , o r w h e th e r th e y a re q u ite in d e p e n d e n t of
e a c h o th e r. V isis h ta d w a itism sa y s t h a t th e y a re d ifferen t, y e t one-
T hey a re d iffe re n t i t is tr u e , b u t ono ow ing to th e re la tio n s of
Sevya S evaka ( m a s te r a n d s e rv a n t) . T h ey sta n d to each o th e r
a s a sp a rk of fire e m a n a tin g from a h u g e m ass of fire, y e t th o
sp a rk k e e p in g its in d iv id u a lity d istin c t. A d w aitism incu lcates th o
d o c trin e th a t th e y a re one a n d th e sam e th in g , b u t ow ing to ig n o ran ce,
w e im a g in e t h a t th e y a re d ifferen t. T he excellence of th e A d w aita
d o c trin e co n sists in th is :— F ro m th e ir own sta n d -p o in ts, w hile th o fo l­
low ers of o th e r creed s s triv e a f t e r S a ru p y a m ( g e ttin g th e fo rm o f G od),
S a m ip y a m ( g e ttin g n e a r G od) a n d S alokyam (liv in g in th e w orld o f
God) th e a d h e r e n ts of A d w aitism t r y to a tta in S nju jjya m (becom ing
one w ith God, n a y becom ing God th em se lv e s and a tta in god-like p o w e r).
M oreover, th e A dw aitee is n o t in to le ra n t ;for he allow s t h a t tho n in d a -
vh a kti (blind d evotion) of th e follow ers of th e o th e r creeds, c re a te s o n ly
a K arm a of good in te n tio n (in o th e r w ords, th a t it secu res fo r him a
se a t in th e h ig h e r lokas, such a s In d ra Loka, B ram ha Loka, V aikunta.
Loka.) T he g e n u in e A d w a itee is he w ho n o t o n ly know s t h a t h e ia
B ram h am , b u t becom es th a t B ram h am him self. N ow le t n s see w h a t
is th e A d w a itee id ea of G od. H e sa y s th a t God is S a tty a m , N irg u n a m ,
A d w a ita m , N irvika ra m , N ira n ja n a m , a n d A m rita m .
1. S a tty a m is in d e s tru c tib ility . I n a.ll ev olution an d involution!
n o t a u a to m of h im is d e stro y e d . Illu s tra tio n .— A sin g le seed evolvea
in to a tr e e a n d th e tr e e p ro d n ces th e seed, b n t s till th e seed h a s lo st
n o th in g d u rin g th e p ro cess o f tra n sfo rm a tio n .
2. N irg u n a m is h a v in g n o q u a lity . God is im p erso n al an d p o ssesses
110 a ttr ib u te s . Illu s tr a tio n .— T h e seed does n o t possess th e a ttr ib u te s
o f th e tr e e , su ch os size, &c.
3. A d w a ita m is o n en ess. T his f a c t can be understood n o t b y w o rd s
o r d e scrip tio n s, b u t by A bhedabavan o r A ik k y a m • I t is said in th e V ed as
t h a t K a m ( Su ka m or p le a s u re ) is B ram ham and K h a m ( A ka sa m ) ia
B ra h m a m . .T his does n o t m ean th a t e ith e r of th ese by its e lf is God, b u t
t h a t God is A ka sa m in S u ka ru b a m (th e form of p le a su re ), or S u k a m in
A kasarw pam (th e fo rm of A ka sa m .) Illu stra tio n .— I f yon ta k e tw o h a lf
m e a s u re s of s a lt a n d one m e a su re of w a te r, an d m ix th e m , tlie re s u lt is
fitill one m ea su re o f s a lt w a te r . B u t d istil th is a n d you w ill g e t o n e
m e a s u re of w a te r a n d o n e of sa lt. *
4. ffir v ik a r a m is iia v in g no change. P a ra m a tm a n e v e r c h a n g e s .
Illu s tr a tio n .— T h e seed in its seed s ta te n e v e r ch an g es.
5. N ira n ja n a h is b e in g devoid o f d e fe c t. God is fre e th e M a la s
su c h an a vanalam belo n g in g to th e sthoola S a rira m w hich is m ade of
anus o r ato m s, K a ram kam alam b e lo n g in g to th e K arana sariram an d
M a yika M cdam p ro d u c e d by M a ya • . ■ ,
6. A m r ita m is th e n n io n of S a k ti a n d S ira . I n re a lity S ia a a n d
S a k ti a r e n o t d iffe re n t th in g s, b n t S iv a is S a k tiru p u m an d S a k ti is Siva~
riip a m . Illu stra tio n .— F ir e a n d w a te r h av e M itrabhavam (frien d lin ess),
fo r w a te r ca m e o u t of fire a n d la y s in i t ; a n d fire does n o t b a rn ash ea
w h ich a re e n tire ly w ith o u t w a te r, b u t docs b u m wood w hich co n tain s a
litt le w ater.
 F o u r t h i n g s o re n eccesary for a m an to becom e a p ro p er A dw aitee,
(1.) S tu d y in g th e A d w a ita S a stra s,
(2*) M a n tras.
(3 .) Y oga.
(4 .) S id d h a Tanlrftff*
( 1 ) T h is will m ake yon u n d e r s ta n d th a t m an an d God a re n o t tw o
d iffe re n t th in g s, b n t on e. E v e n if one c a n n o t becom e a proper A dw ai­
t a in th is b irth , th is stu d y w ill fa c ilita te his w ork in th e n e x t one.
(2 .) M a n tra s m u st n o t be Blighted sim p ly b ecause th e y a re a n a r ­
ra n g e m e n t of le tte rs. T he d e g reo of ono’s f a ith iu th e m d e te rm in e s
th o ir efficacy. B u t th ey a r c u se le ss w ith o u t. . B abu S y a m a C h a ra n M u k e rje e , F . T . S., w ill leav e A lla h a b a d
(3 .) Yoga is to u n ite w ith th e owe, (F ro m Y og, Yoke, &c.) K ris h ­
n a by his Y ogam w as ab le to a p p e a r a t fcho sam e tim e in th e sam e
p la c e in d iffe re n t fo rm s to d ifferen t p erso n s. B a t all th e s e a re little
d e tte r th a n u se le ss w ith o n t. ' of g a th e r in g in fo rm a tio n c o n c e rn in g th e ir th e o so p h ic a l w o rk
(4.) T he S id d h a T a n tra s w hich g iv e th e ru le s of th in k in g , a c tin g ,
m e d ita tin g , &c.> &c.f by follow ing w hich one g e ts th e S id d h is , snch aa
a n im a , & c., 8 k in d s of Siddhis.
A few of th e teach in g s of tlie S id d h a T a n tra s w ill now bo given
th o u g h n o o rd in a ry m an can u n d e rsta n d a ll th e S id d h a T a n tra s.
T h is u n iv e rse , w hich is seen by m an, w hich gives rise to so u in ch d is ­
p u ta tio n an d w hich is com posed of 14 lokas, is th o bedy of God w ho is
C h a ita n ya m a s v a m p i. T he m a n ife ste d u n iv e rse is to God w h a t physical
body is to m a n . H e who re a lise s th is a n d tr a n s f e r s th e love w h ich he
lias fo r his body to th is , g e ts V isvarupa S id d h i, i. e.f th e pow er of b e ­
co m in g I s w a ra or of m a k in g h is m icrocosm one w ith th e m acrocosm .
B u t th is is Bcldom done* M a n u sa y s “ I possess la n d s” w hile th e ro
is no connection b etw een him an d e a r t h ; if tho e a rth is c u t, he does n ot
feel p a in . H e say s u I am le a n ” , w hilo the A tm a h a s no size. H e saya
“ I a m frie n d ly ,” a n d tlin s a p p ro p ria te s to h im se lf th e dharm a of A p -
ia tw a (tho p rin cip le of w a te r). H e sa y s “ I am b a p p y ” , w hilo h ap p in ess
b elongs to th e B u d d h i Tatiua (tlie p rin c ip le of In te llig e n c e ). H o saya
I am liv in g ,” w hilo p ra n is svasa (b re a th ) an d th is belongs to F aya.
H e sa y s “ I am S u n ya (n o th in g )” w hile S u n y a m is th e dh a rm a of A k asa.
T h n s egoism fu lly sw ay s th e A tm a an d m a k e s i t lean to w a rd s tho
V ish n ya of sarisa, In d r iy a , B u d d h i, a n d P r a n a . I f th is be g o t rid of,
tf yo u a c t up to th e ru le “ A tm a ra t sarva B h u ta m ” (R e g a rd a ll lifo
a s yon w ould y o u r A tm a), an d if yon feel a s nincli love fo r th e wholo
m a n ife ste d u n iv e rse as you do fo r y o u r body, th e n you g e t V ixvadehath•
v a m (m acro co sm ic bod y ). T h en if yon im agine yon a re th o tab le, you
w ill becom e th e ta b le . I f yon th in k tlm t th e ta b le should w alk, it will
w a lk . M any p erso n s havo a tta in e d th is root-B isthi, such a s Soka,
V a m a d e v a , K rish n a , &c.
P . T . S r in iv a s a iy a r , b. a.,
N eg ap a ta m , ) F. T. S .
31 th S e p t. 188 3 .(
| t r fi o n a I J t c m s.
P E R S O N A L IT E M S .
C olonel H . S. O lco tt, P r e s id e n t F o u n d e r o f tlie Theoso*
p liical S ociety, le ft O o ta c a m u n d o n th o 1 0 th o f S e p te m b e r to
v is it C oim b atore an d P o n d ic h e rry , w h ere tw o new B ra n c h
S ocieties have sin ce been fo rm e d . T h n s d u rin g th e la s t th r e e
m o n th s h e h as e sta b lish e d in tlie M a d ra s P re s id e n c y te n new
B ra n c h e s, a n d v isite d five old o n es. H e r e tu rn e d to H e a d
Q u a rte rs on th o ev en in g o f t h e 2 3 rd . O n e im p o r ta n t re s u lt of
liis to n r has been th e o b ta in in g of a G o v e rn m e n t O rd e r w hile
a t O o tacam u n d ,w h ich prom ises to observe to w a rd s o u r S o ciety
th o sam e n e u tr a lity w hich H e r M a je sty th e Q ueen E m p re s s
h a s been g ra c io u sly pleased to g r a n t to a ll n o n -p o litic a l bodies*
w h e th e r relig io u s, so cial or p h ilo so p h ic al. N o th in g can be
m o re desirable th a n th e a ss u ra n c e of H is E x c e lle n c y th o
G o v e rn o r in C ouncil t h a t “ h e w o u ld h ig h ly d is ap p ro v e a n y
in te rfe re n c e w ith th e relig io u s o r p h ilo so p h ic a l id eas of a n y
se c tio n of th e p o p u la tio n .”
T h is is a sufficient g u a ra n te e to a l l o u r m e m b e rs, e sp ecially
th o s e in th e M ofussil, t h a t th e y n e e d fe a r no f u r th e r an n o y -
an co o r official ty ra n n y fro m a n y of th e i r s u p e rio rs tb ■which
som e of them , h a d u n fo rtn n a te ly been su b je c te d .
Colonel O lc o tt w as p re s e n t ou th e e v e n in g of th o 2 5 th a t
th e celeb ratio n o f th e B ra n c h S o ciety ’s A n n iv e rs a ry , a fu ll
r e p o r t of w hich will be fo u n d in a n o th e r co lu m n . O n th e
ev e n in g of th e 2 7 th he a g a in le ft M adras on a n o th e r lo n g
to u r , alread y referred to in th e p re v io u s issu e s of th is J o u r n a l.
I t w ill p robably ta k e h im no le ss th a n te n w eeks, so t h a t he
■will r e t u r n to th e H e a d -Q n a rte rs b a re ly in tim e to p re p a re
fo r o n r S o ciety ’s E ig h th A nnivfJrsary ce le b ra tio n . L a s t y e a r
th e F ra m jo e C ow asjee H a ll a t B o m b a y w as d e c o ra te d w ith
4 0 sh ield s re p re s e n tin g o u r b ra n c h e s o n ly in I n d ia a n d C eylon.
B u t th is y e a r, th r o u g h o u r in d e fa tig a b le P r e s id e n t’s a rd u o u s
la b o u rs, w e e x p ect th e n u m b e r w ill b e m oro th a n d o u b le.
M ad am H . P . B la v a tsk y , C o rre sp o n d in g S e c re ta ry to th e
T h e o so p h ic a l S ociety, acco m p an ied C ol. O lc o tt fro m O o taca­
m u n d to M ad ras. A t th e fo r m e r placo C ol. O lc o tt’s su c ce ss
a lre a d y n o tic e d w as la rg e ly d u e to h e r p re v io u s w o rk .
B a b u M o h in i M o h a n C h a tte rje a , m. a ., b. l . , S e c re ta ry to
th e B o n g a l T h eo so p h ica l S ociety a t C a lc u tta , in te n d s ta k in g
a d v a n ta g e of th e D u rz a P o o ja h h o lid ay s to v is it th e H e a d ­
q u a r t e r s . H e is e x p e c te d to a rriv e h e re a b o u t th e m id d le of
th is m o n th a n d to p a ss w ith us a b o u t tw o w eeks. .
D r. A v in a s h C h a n d e r B an erjee, S e c re tary to th e P ra y a g
P sy c h ic T h e o so p h ic a l S o ciety a t A llah a b a d , w rite s to ns th a t
e a rly th is m o n th fo r th e H e a d -q u a rte rs . H e p u rp o ses to
v is it a few o f o u r B ran ch S o c ie tie s on th e w ay, w ith th e p u rp o se
a n d u tilis in g th e k n o w led g e fo r th e b en efit of h is B ra n c h . W e
n e e d o n ly re m a rk t h a t if som e of o u r b e st m em b e rs w e re to
use tlie ir h o lid a y s in th is w ay th e cauBe o f o u r S ociety w ill bo
im m en se ly p ro m o te d .
W e a re f u r th e r in fo rm e d t h a t B a b a A p ro c a sh C h an d er
M u rk e rje e m ay a cc o m p a n y S y am B ab u .
M rs. S a rra h P a rk e r , F . T . S ., w ho h a s le c tu re d fo r several
y e a rs in th e U n ite d S ta te s a n d w ho le ft L iv e rp o o l on th e 23rd
o f A u g u s t fo r In d ia , b y S. S . C la n M akentosh, is ex p ected to
a rriv e h e re v e ry s h o rtly . S h e in te n d s to d e v o te h e rse lf to tho
se rv ice o f th e c a u se of th e T heosophical S o ciety .
M r. W . T . B ro w n , F . T. S., B ach elo r L cq is, o f th e “ L o n d o n
L o d g e T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty ,” com es o u t in th e sam e steam er,
w ith th e in te n tio n , a s w e u n d e rs ta n d , o f s tu d y in g E a s te rn
lite r a tu re . B o th a re e x p e c te d to w a rd s th e 1 st of O etober.
I t is a p le a s u re to see o u r ra n k s sw o llen w ith h ig h ly e d u c a te d
E u ro p e a n s as w e ll as N a tiv e s .
P u n d it S h y am jee K ris h n a v a rm a , F . T . S., o f B iilliol C ollege,
O x ford , who re p re s e n te d In d ia n t th e I n te rn a tio n a l C ongress
of O rie n ta lists a t B erlin in 1881, h a s been a p p o in te d b y th e
S e c re ta ry of S ta te o f In d ia to a c t in a sim ila r c ap acity a t
th e C o n g ress, w h ich assem bles a t L e y d e n n e x t m o n th . T h is
y o u n g a n d g ifte d m a n has a p ro m isin g c a re e r b efo re h im .
B ab u D a k sh in a M ohan R o y , F . T. S., of th o B en g al T heoso­
p h ic a l S o cie ty , cam e dow n h e re fro m C a lc u tta a few d ay s ago
fo r c h a n g c o f c lim a te, as h e w as su fferin g fro m p ain in th e
c h e st. H is esteem ed fa th e r also accotnpaniod h im . T h e n e x t
day of th e ir a rr iv a l h ere we e x ceed in g ly r e g r e t to say , th e y
m e t w ith a se rio u s c a rria g e a c c id e n t b u t h a p p ily w ith o u t an y
g ra v o r re s u lts th a n th e in ju rie s to th e rib s of D a k sh in a B ab u
a n d th e f r a c tu r in g of h is fa th e r’s a rm . As soon as th e new s
was c o m m u n ic a te d to th e H e a d -q u a rte rs , b o th th e F o u n d e rs
of th e S o cie ty in s ta n tly w e n t to th e L ip p e r t’s H o te l, w here
th e in v a lid s a re still ly in g . W e e a rn e s tly h o p e a n d w ish
th a t o u r frie n d s w ill soon rec o v e r a n d p ass w ith u s a few
d ay s a t th e H e a d -q u a rte rs .
W . D. T ild en , E sq., P re s id e n t of th e H im alay an E so teric T heo so p h i­
cal S o ciety , S im la, g iv es th e follow ing in te re s tin g a c c o n n t:—
“ A cn™,aB phen o m en o n has h ap p en ed in S im la, a t th e resid en ce of
c e rta in high n a tiv e officials, w hose ap p licatio n s h a v e jn s t b een s e n t to
H e a d -q u a rte rs th ro u g h m o. My frie n d h as b een v isite d on tw o su cces­
sive m o rn in g s by fo rm s a n s w e rin g th o d e s c rip tio n of M a h atm as w ho
a p p e a re d d istin c tly to h im , an d one of th e m laid h is hand upon him .
T he only se n te n c e one spoke w as to th e effoct t h a t som e k e y w as
m issing. .M y frie n d say fi he w as w ido aw ak e, h a v in g arise n o u t of bed
fro m a sound a n d re fre s h in g sleep, a n d w as overjo y ed w ith th e sig h t,
F u rth o r, he sa y s he f e lt liim solf in v ig o ra te d w ith th e fre sh atm o sp h e re
th e y b ro u g h t w ith th em in to th e room , an d th e y d isa p p eare d a s su d d en ly
as th e y cam e.
OBITUARY.
W itit sorrow w c h a v e to re c o rd th e d e a th of o u r b ro th e r P . Teroo-
m al Row, F . T. S ., la te S u b o rd in a te Ju d g e of T in n e v e lly . Ilo joined
our S ociety la s t y e a r w h en th e F o n n d e rs v isite d M adras. A bont
th ro e m o n th s ago he cam o dow n h e re fo r m edical tr e a tm e n t, ns he
w as snfforing fro m oongh an d g e n e ra l d e b ility . D u rin g th o tim e h e
w as in tow n he called tw ico o r th ric e a t th e H e a d -q u a rte rs o f th o
S ociety, a n d a lth o u g h he looked sickly, no one could e v e r e x p e c t h e
would die so soon. Tho illn e ss w hich h ad , how ever, poisoned h is sy stem ,
w e n t on in c re a sin g a f te r h is r e tu r n to T in n e v elly . H o th o u g h t a t
la s t of g oing dow n to R o y a p u ram fo r ch an g e of a ir a u d in te n d e d to
leav e T in n e v e lly on th e 21st. B u t u n fo rtu n a te ly , he becam e, m ean ­
w hile, so d an g ero u sly ill th a t h e could n o t g e t aw ay . O n th e 22nd,
in th e a fte rn o o n , he b re a th e d h is la s t. H e w as th e b ro th e r of
M. R. R y . P . S re e n e v a s Row G aru, F , T . S ., Ju d g e of th e M adras
Sm all C ause C o u rt, to Whom th e F o n n d e rs now bog to offer, on b e h a lf
of th e m se lv e s a n d th e S o ciety , th e ir sin c e re s t fe e lin g 'o f sy m p a th y in
th is sad fa m ily b e ro a v e m e n t.
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
A ttrib u tio n -N o n C o m m e rc ia l-S h a re A lik e 3 . 0 U n p o r te d

Y o u are free:

to S h a r e — l o c o p y , d is trib u t e a n d t r a n s m it t h e w o r k

to R e m ix — to ad ap t th e w o rk

U n d e r th e fo llo w in g c o n d itio n s:

CD
A t t rib u t io n — Y o u m u s t a ttrib u te t h e w o r k in t h e m a n n e r s p e c if ie d b y t h e a u t h o r
o r l i c e n s o r ( b u t n o t in a n y w a y t h a t s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e y e n d o r s e y o u o r y o u r u s e o f
th e w o r k ) .

N o n c o m m e r c ia l — Y o u m a y n o t u s e t h is w o r k f o r c o m m e r c i a l p u r p o s e s .

©
S h a r e A lik e — I f y o u alter, t r a n s f o r m , o r b u ild u p o n t h is w o r k , y o u m a y d istrib u te
th e r e s u lt in g w o r k o n l y u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s im ila r l i c e n s e t o t h is o n e .

W ith th e u n d e rs t a n d in g that:

W a i v e r — A n y o f th e a b o v e c o n d it io n s c a n b e w a i v e d if y o u g e t p e r m i s s i o n f r o m th e c o p y r ig h t
h o ld e r.

P u b lic D o m a in — W h e r e t h e w o r k o r a n y o f its e le m e n t s is in t h e p u b l i c d o m a i n u n d e r
a p p lic a b le law , t h a t s t a t u s is in n o w a y a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se .

O th e r R ig h t s — I n n o w a y a r e a n y o f t h e f o llo w in g r ig h t s a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se :

• Y o u r fa ir d e a lin g o r f a i r u s e rig h ts , o r o t h e r a p p lic a b le c o p y r i g h t e x c e p t i o n s a n d

lim itations;

• T h e a u t h o r 's m o r a l rig h ts;

• R i g h t s o t h e r p e r s o n s m a y h a v e e ith e r in t h e w o r k its e lf o r in h o w t h e w o r k is u s e d , s u c h
a s p u b l i c i t y o r p r i v a c y rig h ts.

N o t ic o — F o r a n y r e u s e o r d istrib u tio n , y o u m u s t m a k e c le a r to o t h e r s th e l i c e n s e t e r m s o f
th is w o r k . T h e b e s t w a y t o d o t h is is w it h a lin k t o t h is w e b p a g e .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
EMBRACING MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
T H E R E IS N O R E L IG IO N H IG H E R T H A N T R U T H .
[ F am ily motto o f the M aharajahs o f iJc n a rc s.]
M O R A L I T Y A N D PA N TH E ISM .
Q u e s t i o n s havo been raised in several quarters as to tlie
inefficiency of Pantheism, (which term is intended to in­
clude Usotorie Buddhism, Adwaitee Vedantism , and
other sim ilar religious systems,) to supply a sound basis of
morality.
The philosophical assimilation of meiuii and teum, it
is urged, must of necessity be followed by their practical
confusion, resulting in the sanction of theft, robbery, &c.
This lino of argument points, however, most unmistaka­
bly to the co-existence of the objection with an all but
utter ignorance of the systems objected to, in the critic,
as we shall show by and bye. The ultimate sanction
of morality, as is well-known, is derived from a desire for
the attainment of happiness and escape from misery. But
schools differ in their estimate of happiness. Exoteric re­
ligious base their morality, on the hope of reward and fear
of punishment at the hands of an Omnipotent R uler of the
Universe by following-the rules he has at his pleasure laid
down for the obedience of his helpless subjects ; in some
cases, however, religions of later growth havo made mora­
lity to depend on the sentiment of gratitude to that R uler
for benefits received. The worthlessness, not to speak of
tho miscliievousuess, of such systems of morality, is almost
self-evident. A s a type of morality founded on hope and
fear, we shall take an instance from the Christian Bible.
“ Lie that giveth to the poor lendetli to tho L o rd .” The
duty of supporting the poor is here mado to depend upon
prudential motives of laying by for a time when the “ giver
to tho poor” will be incapable of taking care of himself. But
the Mahabharata says that, “ Lie that desireth a return
for his good deeds loscth all m erit; he is liko a m er­
chant bartering his goods.” Tho true springs of morality
lose tlieir elasticity under the pressure of such criminal
selfishness, all pure and unselfish natures w ill fly away
from it iu disgust.
To avoid such consequences attempts havo been
made by some recent reformers of religion to establish
morality upon the sentiment of gratitude to the Lord.
But it requires no deep consideration to find that in
tlieir endeavours to shift the ' basis of morality, these
reformers have rendered morality entirely baseless. A
man has to do what is represented to bo a thing Mear
unto tho Lord' out of gratitude for the many blessings he
has heaped upon him. But as a matter of fact he finds
that the Lord has heaped upon liim curses as well as
blessings. A helpless orphan is expected to be grateful
to him for having removed the props of his life, his
parents, because lie is told iu consolation that such a
calamity is but apparently an evil, but in reality the A ll-
Merciful has underneath it hidden tho greatest possible
good. AVith equal reason might a preacher of the Avenging
Ahrim an exhort men to believe tliat under the apparent.
blessings of the “ M erciful” Father there lurks the serpent
of evil. But this gospel has yet to be preached.
The modern U tilitarians, thongh tho range of tlieir
vision is so narro\v, have sterner logic in their teachings.
That which tends to a man’s happiness is good, and
must be followed, and tho contrary to bo shunned a.s
evil. So far so good. But the practical application of
tho doctrine is fraught with mischief. Cribbed, cab-
bined and confined, by rank materialism, within tlio
short space between birth and death, tho U tilitarian s1
scheme of happiness is merely a deformed torso, which
cannot certainly be considered as the fair goddess of
our devotion.
The only scientific basis of morality is to be sought
for in the soul-consoling doctrines of Lord Buddha or
S ri Sankaracharya. The starting point of the “ panthe­
istic” (we use the word for want of a bettor one) system
of morality is a clear perception of the unity of the one
energy operating in tho manifested Cosmos, the grand
ultimate result which it is incessantly strivin g to p ro ­
duce, and the affinity of the immortal human sp irit and
its latent powers with that energy, and its capacity to
co-operate with the one life in achieving its mighty
object.
Now knowledge or j nan am is divided into two
classes by Adwaitee philosophers,—-Parolenka and
Aparoksha. Tho former kind of knowledge con­
sists in intellectual assent to a stated proposition,
the latter in the actual realization of it. The object
which a Buddhist or Adwaitee Y ogi sets before himself
is the realization of tho oneness of existence and the
practice of M orality is the most powerful means to that
end, as we proceed to show. The principal obstacle to
tho realization of this oneness is the inborn habit of
man of always placinghim seli’atthecentreoftheUniverse.
W hatever a man might act, think or feel, tho irrepres­
sible “ I ” is sure to be the central figure. This, as
will appear, on the slightest consideration, is that which
prevents evory individual from filling his proper sphere in
existence, where he only is exactly in place and no
other individual is. The realization of this harmony is
tho practidal or objective aspect of the G r a n d P r o b l e m ,
Practice of morality is tho effort to find out this
sphere; and morality indeed is the Ariadne’s clue in the
Cretan labyrinth in which man is placed. From the study
of tho sacred philosophy preached by Lord B u d ­
dha or Sri Sankara paroksha knowledge (or shall
we say belief?) in the unity of existence is derived, but
without the practice of morality that knowledge cannot
be converted inte the highest kind of knowledge or
aparaksha jndnam, and thus lead to the attainment of:
mukti. I t availoth naught to intellectually grasp tlio
notion of your being everything and Bralima, if it is not
r e a liz e d in p r a c tic a l a c t s of life. To co n fu se m eum a n d
t e a m in t h o v u l g a r se n se is b u t to d e s t r o y tlio h a r m o n y
o f o x is te n c e b y a fa lse a s s e r tio n of “ I , ” a n d is as
f o o l i s h as th o a n x i e ty to n o u r is h t h e le g s a t t h e e x p e n s e
of t h e .arms. Y o u c a n n o t b e o n e w ith A L L , unless all
y o n r a c ts , t h o u g h t s a n d f e e lin g s s y n c h r o n is e w ith th o
o n w a r d m a r c h of n a t u r e . W h a t is inoan.t b y t h e B r a h -
m a j n a n i b e i n g b e y o n d t h e r e a c h of K a r m a , ca n bo
f u lly rea lize d only b y a m a n w h o h a s f o u u d o u t his
e x a c t po sition in h a r m o n y w ith t h e O n e L if e in n a t u r e ;
t h a t ' m a n sees h o w a B r a h r n d jn a n i ca n a c t only in
u n iso n w ith n a t u r e a n d n e v e r in d is c o rd w ith i t : to
u s e t h e p l n a s e o l o g y of o u r a n c ie n t w r i t e r s on O cc ultism
a B r a h m a j n a n i is a real “ c o - w o r k e r w ith n a t u r e . ”
N o t o n ly E u r o p e a n S a n s k r i t i s t s b u t also exoteric-
Y o g i s , fall in to th e g r ie v o u s m i s t a k e of s u p p o s i n g t h a t ,
in t h e o p in io n of o u r s a c r e d w r i t e r s , a h u m a n b e i n g can
e s c a p e t h e op era tio n of t h e law of K a r m a b y a d o p t i n g a
c o n d i tio n of m a s te r ly in a c ti v ity , e n t i r e l y lo s in g s i g h t of
t h e f a c t t h a t even a r i g i d a b s t i n e n c e fro m p h y sic a l ac ts
d o e s n o t p r o d u c e in a c t i v i t y o u th o h i g h e r a s tr a l a n d
s p ir itu a l pianos. S r i S a n k a r a lias v e r y c o n c lu siv e ly
p r o v e d , in his C o m m e n t a r ie s on t h e B h a g a v a t G ita, such
a su ppositio n i.s n o t h i n g s h o r t of a d elu sio n . T h e g r e a t
t e a c h e r show s t h e r e t h a t fo rc ib ly r e p r e s s i n g t h e p h y s i ­
cal b o d y fro m w o r k i n g do es n o t f re e 0 1 1 0 from vd s a n a or
v r i t t i — t h e i n h e r e n t in c lin a tio n of t h e m in d to w o rk .
T h e r e is a te n d e n c y , in e v e ry d e p a r t m e n t of n a t u r e , of a n
a c t to r e p e a t i t s e l f ; so th o K a r in a a c q u ir e d in t h e la st
p r e c e d i n g b i r t h is a lw a y s t r y i n g to f o r g e f r e s h lin k s in
t h e chain a n d t h e r e b y le ad to c o n t in u e d m a te r ia l e x i s t­
e n c e ; a n d t h a t th is te n d e n c y ca n o n ly b e c o u n t e r a c te d
b y u n se lfish ly p e r f o r m i n g all t h e d u tie s a p p e r t a i n i n g to
t h e s p h e r e iu w h ich a p e r s o n is b o r n — t h a t alo n e can
p r o d u c e c h itta s u d d h i, w ith o u t w h ic h t h e c a p a c ity of
p e r c e iv in g sp ir itu a l t r u t h s c a n n e v e r b e a c q u ir e d .
A few w o rd s m u s t h e r e b e s a id a b o u t t h e p h y sic al in ­
a c tiv i ty of t h e Y o g i o r t h e M a h a t m a . I n a c t i v i t y of th e
p h y s ic a l b o d y (sth id a xarira) does n o t in d ic a te a c o n d i­
tio n of in a c ti v ity e i th e r on t h e a s t r a l or t h e sp iritu a l
p la n e of ac tio n . T h e h u m a n s p ir it is in its h i g h e s t s ta te
of a c tiv i ty iu sainddhi, a n d n o t, a s is g e n e r a lly s u p p o se d ,
in a d o r m a n t q u ie s c e n t c o n d itio n . A n d , m o re o v e r, it will
b e easily seen b y a n y 0 1 1 0 w h o e x a m in e s t h e n a t u r e of
o c c u lt d y n a m ic s , t h a t a g i v e n a m o u n t of e n e r g y e x p e n d e d
011 t h e sp iritu a l or a s tra l p la n e is p r o d u c ti v e of f a r g r e a t e r
r e s u lt s t h a n t h e s a m e a m o u n t e x p e n d e d 011 t h e p h ysic al
ob je ctiv e p la n e oE o x isten c e. W I 1011 a n a d e p t lias p la ce d
h im s e lf en ra p p o r t w ith t h e u n iv e rsa l m i n d I10 b e c o m e s
a real p o w e r in n a t u r e . E v e n 011 t h e o b je c tiv e p la n e of
e x iste n c e th o difference b e t w e e n b r a i n a n d m u s c u la r
e n e r g y , in t h e i r c a p a c ity of p r o d u c i n g w id e - s p r e a d a n d
la v -r e a c h in g vesults, c a n be vevy ea sily p e r c e iv e d . T lie
a m o u n t of p h y sic al e n e r g y e x p e n d e d b y t h e d is c o v e r e r
of t h e s te a m e n g i n e m i g h t n o t h a v e b e e n move th a n t h a t
e x p e n d e d b y a h a r d - w o r k i n g d a y - la b o u r e r . B u t th e
p r a c tic a l r e su lts of t h e coo ly ’s w o r k can n e v e r b e c o m p a r e d
w i t h th o re s u lts a c h ie v e d b y t h e d is c o v e r y of t h e s te a m
e n g i n e . S im ila r ly t h e u lti m a t e effects of s p ir itu a l e n e r g y
a r c in f in ite ly g r e a t e r th a n th o s e of in te lle c t u a l e n e r g y .
F r o m t h e a b o v e c o n s id e r a tio n s it is a b u n d a n t l y clea r
t h a t t h e i n i t i a t o r y t r a i n i n g of a t r u e V e d a n t i n .Uaj Y o g i
m u s t be th o n o u r i s h i n g of a sle ep less a n d a r d e n t d e s ire
oi: d o in g all in his p o w e r f o r t h e g o o d of m a n k i n d on th e
o r d in a r y p hysic al p la n e , h is a c t i v i t y b e i n g t r a n s f e r r e d ,
h o w e v e r, to th e h i g h e r a s t r a l a n d s p ir itu a l p la n e s as his
d e v e lo p m e n t p ro c e e d s . I n c o u r s e of tim e as t h e T r u t h
b e c o m e s realized, t h e s itu a tio n is r e n d e r e d q u ite c le a r to
t h e Y o g i a n d ho is p la c e d b e y o n d t h e c r itic is m of a n y
o r d i n a r y m a n . T h e M a h a n ir v a n T a n t r a says :—
C h a r a n t i trig u n a tite ko v i d h i r ho nishedliava.
“ F o r one, w a l k i n g b e y o n d th o th r e o g u n a s — S a tv a ,
R a j a s a n d T a m a s — w h a t d u ty or w h a t r e s tr ic tio n is
t h e r e ? ” — in t h e c o n s id e r a tio n of m e n , w a ll e d in o n all
•sides b y t h e o b je c tiv e p la n e of e x is te n c e . T his does no
m e a n t h a t a M a h a t m a can o r will e v e r n e g l e c t t h e laws
of m o r a l ity , b u t t h a t lie, h a v i n g unified h is individual
n a t u r e w ith G r e a t N a t u r e h e r se lf , is c o n s titu tio n a lly in­
c a p a b l e of v i o l a t i n g a n y on e of t h e laws of n a t u r e , and
110 m a n can c o n s t i t u t e h im s e lf a j u d g e of t h e c o n d u c t of
t h e G r e a t o n e w i t h o u t k n o w in g t h e laws of all t h e planes
of N a t u r e ’s a c tiv ity . A s h o n e s t m e n a r e h o n e s t w ith o u t
th o le a s t c o n s id e r a t o n of th e crim in al la w , so a M a h a t m a
is m o r a l w i t h o u t r e f e r e n c e to t h e laws of m o rality.
T h e s e are , h o w e v e r, s u b lim e to p ic s : w e shall before
co nclusion n o tic e som e o t h e r c o n s id e r a t io n s w h ich lead
t h o “ p a n t h e i s t ” to t h e s a m e c onc lusions w ith r e s p e c t to
m o r a l ity . H a p p i n e s s h a s b e e n d efin e d b y J o h n S t u a r t
Mill a s t h e s t a t e of a b s e n c e of o p p o sitio n . M a n u gives
th o d e f in itio n in m o r e fo rcible t e r m s :—
Sarv n.m p a r a v a s a m d n h k h n m
fi a r v a v i d t m a v a m m sulcham
I d a m j n n y o sa m a se n a
L a k s h a n a m su l'h a d n h k h a y o .
“ E v e r y k i n d of s u b j u g a t i o n to a n o t h e r is pain and
s u b j u g a t i o n to o n e ’s self is h a p p in e s s : in b rief, th is is to
b e k n o w n as t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c m a r k s of th o t w o . ” N ow
it is u n iv e rs a lly a d m i t t e d t h a t t h e w hole sy stem of N a t u r e
is m o v i n g in a p a r t i c u l a r d ire c tio n , a n d t h is direc tio n ,
w e !>re t a u g h t , is d e t e r m in e d b y t h e c o m p o sitio n of two
forces, n a m e ly , t h e one a c t i n g fro m t h a t pole of e x i s t­
en c e o r d in a r ily ca lle d “ m a t t e r ” t o w a r d s t h e o th e r
pole ca lle d “ s p i r i t , ” a n d t h e o t h e r in th o o p p o site d ir e c ­
tio n . T h e v e r y f a c t t h a t N a t u r e is m o v in g show s t h a t
t h e s e tw o forces aro n o t eq u a l in m a g n itu d e . T h e pla n e on
w hich t h e a c tiv i ty of th o first force p r e d o m i n a te s is
ca lle d in o c c u lt t r e a tis e s t h e “ a s c e n d i n g a r c , ” a n d the
c o r r e s p o n d i n g p l a n e of t h e a c tiv i ty of th e o th e r force
is s ty l e d t h e “ d e s c e n d i n g a r c . ” A little reflection
w ill s h o w t h a t th o w o rk of e v o lu tio n b e g i n s 011 th e
d e s c e n d i n g a r c a u d w o rk s its w ay u p w a r d s t h r o u g h th e
a s c e n d i n g arc. F r o m th is it follow s t h a t t h e fo rc e d ir e c t­
ed t o w a r d s s p i r i t is t h e o n e w h ic h m u s t , t h o u g h n o t w ith ­
o u t h a r d s t r u g g l e , u lti m a t e ly p r e v a il. T h is is t h e g r e a t
d i r e c t i n g e n e r g y of N a t u r e , a n d a l th o u g h d i s t u r b e d b y th e
o p e r a tio n of t h e a n t a g o n i s t i c force, i t is th is t h a t g iv e s t h e
law to h e r ; t h e o t h e r is m e re ly its n e g a t i v e a s p e c t, for con­
v e n ie n c e r e g a r d e d as a s e p a r a t e a g e n t . I f a u in d ividual
a t t e m p t s to m o v e in a d ir e c tio n o t h e r th a n t h a t in w h ich
N a t u r e is m o v in g , t h a t in d iv id u a l is s u r e to b e c ru sh e d ,
so o n e r o r l a t e r , b y t h e e n o r m o u s p r e s s u r e of t h e o p p o sin g
force. W c n e e d n o t sa y t h a t suc h a r e s u l t would b e th e
v e r y r e v e rs e of p le a s u r a b le . T h e only w ay th e r e f o r e , in
w h ic h h a p p i n e s s m i g h t b e a t t a i n e d , is b y m e r g i n g one’s
n a t u r e in g r e a t M o t h e r N a t u r e , a n d f o ll o w i n g th o d ire c tio n
in w h ich sho h e r s e lf is m o v in g : th is a g a i n , ca n only
be a c c o m p lis h e d b y a s s im il a ti n g m e n ’s in d iv i d u a l con duct
w ith t h e t r i u m p h a n t f o rc e of N a t u r e , t h e o t h e r force
b e i n g a lw a y s o v erc o m e w ith terrific, c a t a s t r o p h e s . T he
effort to a s s im il a te t h e in d iv id u a l w i t h t h e u n ive rsa l law
is p o p u la rly k n o w n as t h e p r a c tic e of m o r a lity . O b ed ie n ce
to th is u n iv e rs a l law, a f t e r a s c e r t a i n i n g it, is tr u e relig ion,
w h ich h a s b e e n d e fin e d b y L o r d B u d d h a " as t h e re a li­
z a tio n o f t h e T r u e . ”
A 11 e x a m p le will se rv o to illu m ine th e p o sitio n . Gan
a p r a c tic a l s t u d e n t of p a n t h e is m , or, in o t h e r w o rd s, an
o c c u ltis t u t t e r a f a ls e h o o d ? N ow , i t will be re a d ily
a d m i t t e d t h a t li f e 'm a n i f e s t s itself b y t h e p o w e r of a c ­
q u i r i n g s e n s a ti o n , t e m p o r a r y d o r m a n c y of t h a t po w er
b e i n g s u s p e n d e d a n im a tio n . I f a m a n rec eive s a p a r t i ­
c u la r s e rie s of sensation's a n d p r e t e n d s t h e y a r e o th e r
t h a n t h e y r e a lly a r e , tho r e s u lt is t h a t h e e x e rcise s his
w ill-p o w e r in o p p o sitio n to a la w of n a t u r e o n w h ich , as
we h a v e s h o w n , life d e p e n d s a n d t h e r e b y b ecom es
su icide on a m in o r scale. S p a c e p r e v e n t us to p u rsu e
t h e s u b j e c t a n y f u r th e r , b u t if all t h e t e n d e a d ly sins
m e n tio n e d b y M a n u a n d B u d d h a a r e e x a m in e d in th e
l i g h t s o u g h t to b e f o c u sse d h ere , w e d a r e sa y th e r e s u l t
will b e q u ite s a tis f a c to r y .
 (C o n tin u ed from , the last N um ber.J
R E P L IE S TO I N Q U I R I E S S U G G E S T E D B Y
“ E S O T E R I C B U D D H I S M .”
Q U E S T IO N V I I .
P A “ D
h il o l o g ic a l a n d r c h e o l o g ic a l i f f i c u l t i e s
Tw o q u e s tio n s are b le n d e d in to o n e. H a v i n g sh o w n
tb e re a s o n s w hy t h e A sia tic s t u d e n t is p r o m p te d to
decline t h e g u id a n c e of W e s t e r n H i s t o r y , it re m a in s to
explain liis c o n tu m ac io u s o b s ti n a c y in t h e sa m e d ire c tio n
w ith r e g a r d to p hilology a n d archaeology. W h i l e e x ­
p r e s s i n g th e s iu c e re s t a d m ir a tio n for th e c le v e r m o d e r n
m e th o d s of r e a d i n g t h e p a s t h is t o r ie s of n a tio n s now
m ostly e x t in c t , a n d follo w in g t h e p r o g re s s a n d e v o l u ­
tion of th e ir respective la n g u u g e s , n ow d e a d , t h e s t u d e n t
of E a s t e r n o cc u ltism a n d ev e n t h e p r o fa n e H i n d u s c h o la r
a c q u a in te d w ith his n a tio n a l lit e r a tu r e , c a n h a r d l y b e
m a d e to s h a r e t h e confid ence felt by W e s t e r n p h ilo lo g is ts
in th e se c o n g lu tin a tiv e m e th o d s , w h e n prac tica lly a p p l ie d
to his own c o u n t r y a n d S a n s k r it li t e r a t u r e . T h r e e facts,
at. least, o u t of m a n y a r e woli c a lc u la te d to u n d e r m i n e
his fa ith in t h e s e W e s t e r n m e th o d s :—
1. O f som e dozens of e m i n e n t O rien ta lists, no tw o
ag re e , eve u in th e ir verbatim tr a n s l a ti o n of S a n s k r it
te x ts. N o r is th e r e m o re h a r m o n y s h o w n in th e ir i n t e r ­
p r e ta tio n of t h e possible m e a n in g of d o u b tfu l pas sag e s.
2. T h o u g h N u m is m a ti c s is a less c o n j e c tu r a l b ra n c h
of science, a u d w h e n s t a r t i n g from w e ll -e sta b lish e d basic
d ates, so to say, a n e x a c t one (since it ca n h a r d l y fail to
yield c o r r e c t ch ro n o lo g ic a l d a ta , in o u r case, n am e ly ,
I n d i a n a n tiq u itie s ) archaeologists liave h i t h e r t o failed to
o b ta in a n y suc h r e su lt. O n tlie ir ow n con fession th e y a r e
h a r d ly ju stified in a c c e p tin g tlie S a m v a t a n d Sa lio a h a n a
era s as th e ir g u i d i n g lig h ts, tho real in itia l p o in ts of b o t h
b e in g b e y o n d th e p o w e r of t h e E u r o p e a n O r i e n t a l ­
ists to v e r i f y ; y e t all t h e sam e, t h e r e s p e c t i v e d a t e s “ of 57
IS. C. a n d 78 A . 1).” a re a c c e p te d im p lic itly , a n d fanciful
ag e s th e re u p o n a s c r ib e d to archaaological r e m a in s.
3. T h e g r e a t e s t a u th o r i tie s u p o n I n d i a n archasology
a n d a r c h ite c tu r e — G e n e ra l C u n n i n g h a m a n d M r, F e r g u s -
son— r e p r e s e n t in tlie ir c o n c lu sio n s t h e tw o o p p o s ite poles.
T he p r o v in c e of archajology is to p r o v id e t r u s t w o r t h y
ca n o n s of criticis m and n o t, it sh o u ld seem , to p e r p le x or
puzzle. T h e W e s t e r n critic is in v it e d to p o in t to one
single re lic of t h e p a s t in I n d i a , w h e t h e r w r i tte n r e c o rd
or in sc rib e d or u n in sc rib ed m o n u m e n t , t h e a g e of w h ich
is n o t d is p u te d . N o so o n e r h a s o n e archaeologist d e t e r ­
m in e d a d a t e — say t h e 1st c e n t u r y — t h a n a n o t h e r trie s to
pull it fo rw ard to tlie 10th o r p e r h a p s t h e 14 th c e n tu r y of
the C h r is tia n era.. W h i le G e n e ra l C u n n i n g h a m ascribes tho
c o n s tr u c tio n of t h e p r e s e n t B u d d h u G a y a te m p le to tlie
1st c e n tu r y a f te r C h r i s t — th e opinion of M r. F e r g u s s o n id
tlm t its external fo r m b e lo n g s to t h e 1 4 th c e n t u r y ; a n d
so th e u n f o r t u n a t e o utsider is as w ise a s ev er. N o tic in g
tliis d is c r e p a n c j’ in a Report on tha Archceological S u rvey
of In d ia (p. tiO, V ol. V I I I . ) t h e c o nscie ntiou s a n d ca p a b le
B u d d h a - G a y a C h ief E n g iu e e r , M r. J . D. B e g la r , o b se rv e s
th a t “ n o tw it h s t a n d i n g h is ( F e r g n s s o n ’s) h i g h a u t h o r i t y ,
th is opinion m u s t be u n h e s i ta tin g ly s e t a s id e ,” a n d — f o r t h ­
with a ssigns t h e b u i l d i n g u n d e r notice to t h e Gth c e n tu r y .
W h ile th e c o n je c tu re s of one archaeologist a r e t e r m e d by
a n o t h e r “ h o p elessly w r o n g , ” t h e id e n tifica tio n s of
B u d d h i s t relics by th is o th e r a r e in th e ir t u r n d e n o u n c e d
as “ q u ite u n t e n a b l e . ” A n d so in th e case of e v e r y r e lic
of w h a te v e r a g e .
W h e n t h e “ rec o gnize d’’ a u t h o r i tie s a g r e e — a m o n g
them selves a t le a s t,— t h e n will i t b e tim e to sh o w th e m
collectively in t h e w ro n g . U n til t h e n , sin c e t h e i r r e s ­
p e c tiv e c o n je c tu re s can la y n o claim to t h e c h a r a c t e r of
h isto ry , th e “ A d e p t s ” h a v e n e i t h e r t h e le is u r e n o r t h e
disposition to leave w e ig h t ie r b u s i n e s s to c o m b a t e m p ty
sp e c u la tio n s , in n u m b e r as m a n y a s t h e r e are p r e t e n d e d
a u t h o r i tie s . L e t th e b l i n d le a d t h e b lin d , if th e y w ill
n o t a c c e p t t h e lig h t.*
A s in th e “ h is t o r ic a l ,” so in th is new “ archaeological
difficu lty ,” n a m e ly , t h e a p p a r e n t a u a c liro n is m as to t h e
d a t e of o u r L o r d ’s b i r t h , t h e p o in t a t iss u e is a g a in c o n ­
c e r n e d w ith t h e “ old G r e e k s a n d R o m a n s . ” Less a n c ie n t
th a n o u r A tl a n t e a n f rie n d s , th e y seem m o r e d a n g e r o u s in
.”
as m uch a s t h e y h a v e b e c o m e t h e d i r e c t allies of p h ilo lo g ists
in o u r d is p u t e o v e r B u d d h i s t ann als. W e a r e notified b y
P ro f. M a x M uller, by s y m p a t h y th e m o st fair of S a n s-
k r itis t s a s well as t h e m o s t le a r n e d , — and w ith w h o m ,
fo r a w o n d e r , m o s t of his r iv a l s a r e fo u n d s id in g in t h i s
particu lar q u e s tio n — t h a t “ e v e r y t h i n g in In d ian
c h r o n o lo g y d e p e n d s o n t h e d a t e of C h a n d r a g n p t a , ” — t h e
G r e e k S a n d r a c o ttu s . “ E i t h e r of th e s e d a te s (in t h e
C h in e se a n d C e y lo n e se c h ro n o lo g y ) is im possib le, b ec a u s e
it d oes n o t a g r e e w ith t h e c h r o n o lo g y of G re e c e .” (HiBt.
of t h e S a n s . L it., p. 27 5 ). I t i s th e n , by t h e c le a r l i g h t of
th is n ew A le x a n d r ia n P h a r o s sh e d u p o n a few s y n c h r o ­
n is m s ca sua lly f u r n i s h e d b y th e G r e e k a n d R o m a n
classical w r i te r s , tlia t t h e “ e x t r a o r d i n a r y ” s t a t e m e n t s of
th e “ A d e p t s ” h u ve n o w to be c a u tio u s ly e x a m in e d .
F o r W e s t e r n O r i e n ta lis t s t h e h is to ric a l e x is te n c e of
B u d d h i s m b e g i n s w ith A s o k a , th o u g h e v e n w ith th e help
of G re e k s p e cta cle s-th ey a re u n a b l e to see b e y o n d C h a n d r a -
g u p t a . T h e r e f o r e , “ before t h a t tim e B u d d h i s t c h r o ­
n o lo g y is tra d itio n a l and full of a b s u r d i t i e s . ” F u rth er­
m ore, n o th i n g is said in t h e B ra h m a n a s of t h e B a u d d h a s
— ergo, t h e r e w e re n o n e b e f o r e “ S a n d r a c o t t u s ” n o r h a v e
t h e B u d d h i s ts o r B r a h m a n s a n y r i g h t to a h is t o r y of.
t h e i r ow n, sa v e t h e o n e e v o l u te d by t h e W e s t e r n m i n d .
A s t h o u g h t h e M u se of H i s t o r y h a d tu r n e d h e r b a c k
w hile e v e n ts w e r e g l id i n g by, t h e “ h is t o r ia n ” co n fe sses
his in a b ility to close t h e im m e n se lacinue b e tw e e n th e
I n d o - A r y a n s u p p o s e d i m m i g r a t i o n en masse across t h e
H i n d o o k u s h , a n d th o r e ig n of A s o k a . H a v i n g n o th in g
m o r e solid, h e uses c o n t r a d i c t o r y in ferenc es a n d sp e cu la­
tions. B u t t h e A s ia tic occultists, w hose f o re fa th e r s
h a d h e r t a b le t s in t h e i r k e e p i n g , a n d ev e n so m e learned,
n a tiv e P u n d i t s — beliove th e y ca n . Tho claim , h o w e v e r,
is p r o n o u n c e d u n w o r t h y of a t te n t io n . O f la te t h e S m r iti
( tr a d iti o n a l h isto ry ) w h ich , f o r th o s e w ho k n o w h o w to
i n t e r p r e t its allegories, is full of u n im p e a c h a b le historical
r e c o rd s , a u A r i a d n e ’s t h r e a d t h r o u g h t h e t o r t u o u s l a b y ­
r i n t h of th e P a s t — h a s co m e to b e u n a n i m o u s ly r e g a r d e d
as a tis su e of e x a g g e r a t io n s , m o n s t ro u s fubles, “ c l u m s y
fo rg e rie s of t h e first c e n tu r ie s A . D .” I t is n o w o penly
d e c la r e d as w o rth le s s n o t on ly for e x a c t c h r o n o lo g ical
h u t even for g e n e r a l h isto ric a l pu rp o ses. T h u s by d i n t of
a r b i t r a r y c o n d e m n a tio n s , b a s e d on a b s u r d i n t e r p r e t a ­
tions (too o f te n t h e d ire c t o u tc om e of s e cta rian p re ju d ic e ),
th e O r i e n ta lis t has ra is e d h im s e lf to t h e e m in e n c e of a
philological m a n tic . H i s l e a r n e d v a g a r ie s a r e fast,
s u p e r s e d in g , eve n in t h e m in d s of m a n y a E u ro p e a n ise d
H in d u , t h e i m p o r t a n t h isto ric a l fac ts t h a t lie concealed
u n d e r th e e x o te ric p h r a s e o lo g y of th e P u ra n a s an d o th e r
S m r itic l i t e r a t u r e . A t t h e o u ts e t, th e re fo r e , t h e E a s t e r n
I n itia te d e c la re s th e evid ence of th o s e O rie n ta lists who,
a b u s in g t h e i r u n m e r i t e d a u t h o r i t y , play d r a k e s and d u c k s
w ith his m o s t sa c re d relics, r u le d o u t of c o u r t ; and befo re
g i v i n g his f a c ts h e w o n ld s u g g e s t to th e le a r n e d
E u r o p e a n S a n s k r i t i s t a n d arc lu eo lo g ist th a t , in th o
m a t t e r of c h r o n o lo g y , t h e d ifference in th e su m of tlie ir
series of c o n je c tu ra l h isto ric a l ev ents, p ro v e s t h e m to be
m i s t a k e n fro m A . to Z . T h e y know t h a t one sin g le
w r o n g figure in a n a r it h m e ti c a l p r o g re s s io n will often
th ro w t h e w h o le c a lc u latio n into in e x tr ic a b le confnsion :
t h e m u lt ip lic a tio n y ie ld in g , g e n e r a lly , in such a case,
i n s t e a d of th e c o r r e c t su m s o m e th in g e n t i r e l y - u n e x ­
p e c te d . A f a ir p ro o f of this m a y , p e r h a p s , b e fo u n d in
s o m e th in g a lre a d y a llu d e d to, n a m e ly , t h e a d o p tio n of
t h e d a t e s of ce rta in H i n d u eras as t h e b asis of t h e i r
* H o w e v e r , i t w ill b e B lio w n elsew h ere tlia t G e n era l C u n n in g h a m 's
l a t e s t c o n c l u s i o n s a b o u t t h o d a t e o f B u d d h a ’s d e a t h a r e n o t a t all s u p ­
p o rted b y th e in s c rip tio n s n e w ly d isco v ered .— T . S u b b a K o w , A c t : E d .-
ch ro n o lo g ic a l Assumptions. I n a s s i g n i n g a d a te to t e x t
o r m o n u m e n t th e y hav e , of course, to be g u id e d by one of
tli e p r e - C h r is tia n I n d i a n e r a s , w h e t h e r in fe re n lia lly , or
otliorw ise. A n d y e t — iu o n e case, nt le a s t— th e y c o m ­
pla in re p e a te d ly tlm t th e y a re u t t e r l y i g n o r a n t as to tlie
c o r r e c t s t a r t i n g p o in t of t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t of th e se. T h e
p o s itiv e d a t e of V ik r a m a d ity a , f o r in s t a n c e ,'w h o s e re ig n
( o n u s t h e s t a r t i n g p o in t of t h e S a m v a t e r a , is in r e a lity
u n k n o w n to them . W i t h some, V i k r a m a d i t y a flourished
“ 13. C .” 5 6 ; w ith o th e r s , 8 0 ; w ith o th e rs ngain, in tho
6 th c e n tu r y of tlie C h r is tia n era ; w h ile Mr. F e r g u s s o n will
n o t allow tho S a m v a t era a n y b e g i n n i n g b e f o r e th e “ 10th
c e n t u r y A. D . ” I n s h o r t, a n d in t h e w o rd s of Dr. W e b e r ,
th e y “ h a v e a b s o lu te ly no a u t h e n t i c e v id e n c e to show
w h e t h e r t h e e ra of V i k r a m a d i t y a d a t e s fro m t b e y e a r of
h i s b i r t h , from some a c h ie v e m e n t, o r fro m t h e y e a r
o f h is d e a th , or w h e th e r , in fine, it m a y n o t h a v e beon
sim p ly in tro d u c ed by h im f o r a s tro n o m ic a l r e a s o n s .” *
T h e r e w ere se v eral V ik r a m a d i t y a s a n d V ik r a m a s in
I n d i a n h is t o r y , for it is n o t a n a m e b u t a n h o n o r a r y
title, as th e O r i e n ta lis t s have now com e to learn. I lo w
th e n can a n y c h ro n o lo g ic a l d e d u c tio n fro m su c h a s h i f t ­
i n g p r e m i s e b e a n y t h i n g b u t u n t r u s t w o r t h y , espec i­
ally w hen, as in t h e in s t a n c e of t h e S a m v a t , t h e basic d a t e
is m a d e to tra v e l a lo n g , a t t h e p e r s o n a l fancy of O r i e n t a ­
lists, b e tw e e n t h e 1st a n d t h e 10th c e n tu r y ?
T h u s it a p p e a r s to be p r e t t y w ell proved t h a t in a s ­
c r i b i n g c h ro nological d a t e s to I n d i a n a n tiq u itie s , A n ^ lo -
l n d i n n a s well as E u r o p e a n archaeologists a r e often g u ilt y
of th e m ost rid ic u lo u s a n a c h r o n is m s . T h a t , in fine, th e y
h a v e b een h ith e r to f u r n is h in g H i s t o r y w ith a n a r i l h m e tic a l
m e a n , w hile ig n o ra n t in n e a r ly every case, o f i t s fir s t
t e r m ! N e v e r t h e le s s , t h e A sia tic s t u d e n t is inv ited to
v e r if y a n d c o r r e c t his d a te s b j ’ t h e flic k e rin g light, oE
t h is c h ro n o lo g ic a l w ill-o’-the-w isp. N a y , n ay . S u r e ly “ A n
E n g l i s h F , T . S . ” w ould n e v e r e x p e c t us in m a t t e r s
d e m a n d i n g t h e m in u t e s t e x a c t n e s s , to t r u s t to such
W e s t e r n b e a c o n s ! A n d he will, p e r h a p s , p e r m i t u s to
h o ld to o n r ow n views, since wo k n o w t h a t o u r d a t e s a re
n e i t h e r co n jec tu ra l n o r liable to m o dification s. W h e r e even
s u c h v e t e r a n archaeologists as G e n e ra l C u n n i n g h a m do
:nnt seem a b o v e s u sp ic io n a n d a re op en ly d e n o u n c e d by
t h e i r co llea g u es, p a l te o g r a p h y se em s to h a r d ly d es erv e
tlie n a m e of e x a c t science. T h i s b u s y a n t iq u a r ia n
hns bee n r e p e a te d ly d e n o u n c e d b y P ro f. W e b e r n nd
o t h e r s for his in d is c r im in a te a c c e p ta n c e of t h e S a m v a t era.
N o r h a v e t h e o t h e r O rie n ta lis ts been m o r e le n ie n t :
('specially th o se who, p e r c h a n c e u n d e r t h e in sp ira tio n oE
e a rly s y m p a th ie s fo r bib lica l c h r o n o lo g y , p r e f e r in m a t ­
te r s c o n n e cted w ith I n d i a n d a t e s to g iv e h e e d to th e ir
ow n e m o tio n a l b u t u n sc ien tific in tu itio n s . S o m e w o u ld
h a v e us b e lie v e t h a t t h e S a m v a t e r a “ is u o t d e m o n s t r a b l e
f o r tim e s a n te c o d in g t h e C h r is tia n e r a a t a l 1.” K ern mak< s
efforts to prove t h a t th e I n d i a n a s tr o n o m e r s b eg u n to e m ­
p lo y th is e r a “ only a f t e r th e y e a r o f grace 1 0 0 0 .” P ro f.
W e b e r r e f e r r i n g sa rc a stic a lly to G e n e r a l C u n n i n g h a m ,
o b se rv e s t h a t “ o th e rs , on t h e c o n t ra ry , h a v e no h es ita tio n
in a t onco r e f e r r i n g w h e re v e r p o s s ib le e v e r y S a m v a t o r
S a m v a t s a r e - d a te d in s c ri p tio n to t h e S a m v a t e r a . ” T h u s,
e. g., C u n n i n g h a m (in his A r c h . S u r v e y o f I n d i a , — iii.
31, 39) d ir e c tly assig ns a u in s c rip tio n d a t e d S a m v a t 5 to
t h e y e a r “ B. C. 5 2 ; ” &c., and w in d s u p t h e s t a t e m e n t
w ith t h e follow in g p la in t. “ F o r t h e p r e s e n t , th e re fo r e ,
u n f o r t u n a t e l y , w h e r e t h e r e is n o t h i n g else ( b n t th a t
u n k n o w n era) to g u i d e us, ifc m u s t generally r e m a in a n
ojren question, w hich era, we have to do with- in a p a r t i -
cn la r in sc rip tio n , a n d w h a t date consequently the in s c r ip ­
tio n bears.” f
T h e confession is significant. Ifc is p le a s a n t to find
s u c h a r i n g of s in c e rity in a E u r o p e a n O rie n ta lis t, th o u g h
i t does seem q u i t e om inous f o r I n d i a n a r c h e o l o g y . T h e
i n it ia t e d B r a h m a n s k n o w t h e p o s it iv e d a t e s of th e ir era s
a n d r e m a in th e re fo r e u n c o n c e rn e d . W h a t t h e “ A d e p t s ”
* T h e H i s t o r y o f I n d i a n L it e r a t u r e , T r u b : S e r i e s , 1 8 8 2 . p . 2 0 2 ,
t I b id ,p , 2 0 3 ,
h a v e o n c e said, t h e y m a in ta in ; a n d no new discoveries
o r m o d ifie d c o n j e c tu re s of n c c ep ted a u th o ritie s ca n e x e r t
a n y p r e s s u r e upon t h e i r data. liv e n if W e s t e r n archajo-
l o g is ts o r n u m is m a t is ts too k it in to t h e i r heads to c h a n g e
th e d a t e of o u r L o r d an d Glorified D e liv e r e r from th e 7th
c e n t u r y “ 13. C .” to t h e 7 th c e n tu r y “ A. D ,,” we w ould
b u t t h e m o r e a d m ire sn c h a r e m a r k a b l e g if t for k n o c k i u g
a b o u t d a t e s a n d eras, as t h o u g h t h e y w ere so m an y law n-
tetinis balls.
M e a n w h ile to nil s in c e r e a n d e n q u i r i n g T h e o so p h ists,
w e will say plainly, it is u seless for nny on e to s p e c u la te
a b o u t t h e d a t e of o n r L o r d S a n g g y a s ’s b i r t h , w hile r e ­
je c t i n g a p r i o r i all th e B m lim a n ic a l, Ceylonese, Chinese,
a n d T ib e ta n dates. T h o p r e t e x t t h a t th e s e do n o t a g r e e
w ith t h e c h r o n o lo g y of a h a n d f u l of G r e e k s who visited
th o c o u n t r y 300 y e a r s a f te r tb e e v e n t in q u e s tio n , is too
f a lla c io u s a n d bo ld . G re e c e w as n e v e r c o n c e r n e d w ith
B u d d h i s m , and b e s id e s th e fact t h a t t h e classics fu rn ish
th e ir few s y n c h ro n is tic d a t e s sim p ly u p o n t h e he irsay of
th e ir r e s p e c ti v e a u t h o r s — a few G re e k s , w h o them selves
lived c e n t i m e s b e f o r e tbe. w rite r s q u o te d — t h e i r ch ro n o ­
logy is itself too d efe c tiv e , an d tlieir h istorical record-,
w h e n it w;is a q u e s tio n oE notional t r iu m p h s , to o b o m b a s ­
tic a n d o f te n too d ia m e t ric a l ly o p p o s e d to fa c t, to in­
spire, w ith confid e n ce a n y one less p r e ju d ic e d th a n th e
a v e r a g e E u r o p e a n O rie n ta list. To seek to establish
t h e t r u e d a te s in I n d i a n h is t o r y by c o n n e c tin g its e v e n ts
w ith t h e m y th ic a l “ in v a sio n ,” w hile co nfessing t h a t
“ o n e w ould look in vain in th e l i t e r a t u r e of th e
B r a h m a n s o r B u d d h is ts fo r any allusion to A le x a n d e r 's
c in q u e s t, a n d a l t h o u g h it is im p o s sib le to id e n tify
a n y of t h e h is to ric a l e v e n ts r e la te d by A l e x a n d e r ’s
c o m p a n io n s w ith t h e historical t r a d i tio n of I n d i a , ”
a m o u n t s to s o m e th in g m o r e th a n a m e re e x h ib itio n
of in c o m p e te n c e in th is d ir e c tio n : w ere n o t Prof. Max
M iiller t h e p a r t y c o n c e r n e d — we m i g h t sny t h a t it
a p p e a r s a l m o s t like p r e d e te r m in e d d is h o n e s ty .
T h e s e a r e h a r s h w o rd s to sa y , a n d c a lc u la te d no d o u b t
to s h o c k m a n y a E u r o p e a n n,in d t i a i n e d to look up to
w h a t is te r m e d “ scientific a u t h o r i ty ” with a feeling
ak in to t h a t of t h e sa v a g e for h is fam ily fetich . T h e y
a re well d e s e r v e d n e v e r th e le s s , as a fe w e x a m p le s will
show . T o such in te lle c t s as P r o f . W e b e r ’s — w hom we
ta k e ns tlie le a d e r of th e G e r m a n O rie n ta lists of th e
ty p e of C h r i s t o p h i l e s — c e r ta in l y t h e w o rd “ o b tu s e n e s s ”
c a n n o t be a p p lie d . U p o n s e e in g how c h r o n o lo g y is
d e l ib e r a t e ly a n d m a lic io u s ly p e r v e r t e d in fa v o u r of
“ G re e k influence,” C h r is t ia n in te r e sts a n d his o w n
p r e d e te r m in e d th e o r i e s — a n o t h e r , a n d even a s t r o n ­
g e r t e r m should be a p p lie d . W h a t exp re ssio n is too
s e v e ie to s ig n ify o n e ’s feelings upon r e a d in g su c h a n u n ­
w i t t i n g confession of d is in g e n u o u s scholarship as W e b e r
r e p e a te d ly m a k e s (7lis t. I n d . L it.) w hen u r g i n g the
necessity of a d m i t t i n g t h a t a p a s s a g e “ h a s b e e n to u c h e d
u p by later in te r p o la tio n ,” o r f o rc in g fanciful c h r o n o ­
logical p la c e s fo r te x ts a d m itte d ly v e ry a n c ie n t— as
“ o th e rw is e th e d a te s w ould be b r o u g h t dow n too far o r too
n e a r !” A n d th is is t h e k e y - n o te of liis e n tir e policy : f l a t
hypothesis, m a t coclum ! O n t h e o th e r h a n d l'ro f. .Max
M uller, e n t h u s ia s tic I n d o p h ile , as lie seems, c r a m s c e n ­
tu r ie s in to his c h ro n o lo g ic a l th im b le w ith o u t th e sm a lle st
ap p aren t co m p u n ctio ^ ..y , .
T h e so tw o O r i e n t a l i s t s a r e instanc es, b e c a u s e th e y are
a c c e p te d b e a c o n s of p h ilo lo g y a n d I n d i a n p alae o g ra p h y .
O u r n a t io n a l m o n u m e n t s a r e d a t e d a u d o u r a n c e s tra l
h is t o r y p e r v e r t e d to s u it t h e i r o p i n i o n s ; a n d th e m o s t
p e r n ic io u s r e s u lt e n s u e s, th n t H is t o r y is n o w r e c o r d i n g
f o r t h e m i s g u id a n c e of p o s te r i ty t h e false a n n a ls a n d
d is t o r t e d fa c ts w h ich , upon th e ir e v id en c e, is to b e a c c e p t ­
e d w ith o u t a p p e a l as th e o u tc o m e of t h e f a ir e s t a u d
a b l e s t c r itic a l a n a ly sis. W h i l e P r o f . M a x M iiller will h e a r
of n o o t h e r t h a n a G r e e k c r ite r io n f o r I n d i a n c h ron ology,
P r o f . W e b e r (op, cit.) finds G re e k in flu e n ce— his u nive rsa l
s o lv e n t— in t h e d e v e lo p m e n t of ‘I n d i a ’s r elig io n , p h ilo ­
so p h y , lite r a tu r e ; a s tr o n o m y , m e d ic in e , a r c h ite c tu r e , e tc .
To s u p p o r t th is fallacy th o m o s t t o r t u o u s so p h is try ,
the m o st a b s u r d ety m o lo g ic a l d e d u c tio n s a r e r e s o r t e d to.
If one f a c t m o r e t h a n a n o t h e r h a s b e e n s e t a t r e s t b y
c o m p arativ e m y th o lo g y , i t is t h a t t h e i r f u n d a m e n t a l r e li­
gious id e a s, a n d m ost of t h e i r g o d s w e re d e r iv e d b y th o
G re ek s f r o m r e lig io n s f lo u ris h in g in t h e n o r th - w e s t
of In dia, t h e cra d le of t h e m a in H e ll e n ic sto c k . T h is
is now e n t ir e ly d i s r e g a r d e d : b e c a u s e a d i s t u r b i n g
elem en t in t h e h a r m o n y of t h e c r itic a l sp h e re s. A n d
th o u g h n o t h i n g is m o re r e a s o n a b l e t h a n t h e i n ­
ference t h a t t h e G re c i a n a s tr o n o m ic a l t e r m s w e re
in h e rite d e q u a lly fro m t h e P a r e n t s to c k , P r o f .
W e b e r w o u ld h a v e us b eliev e t h a t “ i t w as G r e e k
influence t h a t j u s t i n f u s e d a r e a l lifo in to I n d i a n
a s tro n o m y ” (p. 251). I n fine, t h e h o a r y a n c e s to r s
of t h e H i n d u s b o r r o w e d t h e i r a s tr o n o m ic a l t e r m i ­
nology a n d l e a r n e d th e a r t of s t a r g a z i n g a n d even
their zodiac fr o m t h e H e ll e n ic i n f a n t 1 T h is p ro o f
eu g e u d e rs a n o t h e r : t h e r e la tiv e a n t i q u i t y of t h e
astronom ica l t e x t s sh all b e h e n c e f o r t h d e t e r m i n e d u p o n
the p r e s e n c e o r a b s e n c e in t h e m of a s te r is m s a n d zo d ia ­
cal sig n s : t h e f o r m e r b e i n g u n d is g u i s e d ly G r e e k in t h e i r
names, t h e l a t t e r a r e “ d e s i g n a t e d b y t h e i r S a n s k r i t n a m e s
which a r e t r a n s l a t e d fro m t h e G r e e k ” (p. 255). T h u s
“ M a n u ’s la w b e i n g u n a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e p l a n e t s ” —•
is co n s id e re d a s m o re a n c ie n t t h a n Y a j n a v a l k y a ’s
Code, w h ich “ in c u lc a te s th e ir w o r s h ip ,” a n d so on. B u t
th e re is still a n o t h e r a n d a b e t t e r t e s t f o u n d o u t b y t h e
S a u s k r itis ts fo r d e t e r m i n i n g w ith “ in fa llib le a c c u r a c y ”
the a g e of t h e te x t s , a p a r t fro m a s te r is m s a u d z o d ia ­
cal s ig n s : a n y casual m e n t i o n in t h e m of t h e n a m e
“ Y a v a n a ,” — t a k e n in e v e r y in s t a n c e to d e s i g n a t e t h e
“ G r e e k s .” T h is, a p a r t “ fro m a n in te rn a l c h r o n o lo g y b a s ­
ed on th e c h a r a c t e r of t h e w o rk s t h e m s e lv e s , a n d on t h e
q u otations, etc., t h e r e i n c o n ta in e d , is t h e on ly o n e p o ssi­
ble,” we a r e told . A s a r e s u l t —-the a b s u r d s t a t e m e n t t h a t
“ t h e I n d i a n a s tr o n o m e r s r e g u l a r l y s p e a k of t h e Y a v a n a s
as t h e i r t e a c h e r s ” (p. 252). E rgo— th e ir teachers w ere
G re ek s. F o r w ith W e b e r a n d o t h e r s “ Y a v a n a ” a n d
“ G r e e k ” a r e c o n v e r tib le te r m s .
B a t it so h a p p e n s t h a t Y a v a n a c h a ry a w a s t h e I n d i a n
title of a sin g le G r e e k — P y t h a g o r a s ; as S a n k a r a c h a r y a
was th o tit le of a sin g le H i n d u p h i l o s o p h e r ; a n d tlie
a n c ie n t A r y a n a s tro n o m ic a l w r i te r s c ite d his o p in io n s to
criticize a n d c o m p a r e t h e m w i t h t h e t e a c h i n g s of
th e ir o w n a s tr o n o m ic a l sc ienc e, l o n g b e f o r e h im p e r f e c t ­
ed a n d d e r iv e d f r o m t h e i r a n c e s to rs . T h e honorific t it le
of A c h a r y a (m aster) w as a p p l ie d to h im a s to e v e r y o t h e r
le a r n e d a s tr o n o m e r o r m y s t ic ; a n d it c e r ta in l y d id n o t
m e a n t h a t P y t h a g o r a s o r a n y o t h e r G r e e k “ M a s t e r ” w as
necessarily the m a s te r of t h e B r a h m a n s . T h e w o rd
“ Y a v a n a ” was a g e n e r ic t e r m e m p lo y e d a g e s b e fo re t h e
“ G re e k s of A l e x a n d e r ” p r o j e c t e d “ t h e i r in flu e n ce” u p o n
J a m b u d v i p a — to d e s ig n a te p e o p l e of a y o u n g e r race,
th e w o rd m e a n i n g Yuvan “ y o u n g , ” o r younger. T h e y
knew of Y a v a n a s of t h e n o r t h , w e s t, s o u t h a n d e a s t ;
aud th e G r e e k s t r a n g e r s r e c e iv e d th is a p p e lla tio n a s t h e
P ersian s, I n d o - S c y t h i a n s a n d o th e r s h a d b e f o r e t h e m .
A n e x a c t p a r a lle l is afforded in o u r p r e s e n t d a y . To
the T i b e t a n s e v e r y f o r e ig n e r w h a ts o e v e r ia k n o w n as
a P e lin g ; t h e C h in e se d e s i g n a t e E u r o p e a n s a s “ r e d ­
haired d e v i l s ;” a n d t h e M u s s a lm a n s call e v e r y one
outside of I s l a m a K affir. T h e W e b e r s of t h e f u tu r e
following t h e e x a m p le n o w s e t t h e m , m a y p e r h a p s , a f t e r
10,000 y e a r s , affirm u p o n t h e a u t h o r i t y of s c ra p s of
Moslem l i t e r a tu r e t h e n e x t a n t t h a t t h e Biblo w a s w r i t ­
ten, a n d t h e E n g l i s h , F r e n c h , R u s s ia n s a n d G e r m a n s
who p o sse sse d a n d t r a n s l a t e d o r “ i n v e n t e d ” it, lived,
in K affiristan s h o r tly b e f o r e t h e i r era, u n d e r “ M oslem
influence.” B e c a u s e t h e Y uga P u r a n a of t h e G a r g i
S a n h ita s p e a k s of a n e x p e d itio n of t h e Y a v a n a s “ a s f a r
as P a t a l i p u t r a , ” th e r e f o r e , e i t h e r t h e M a c e d o n ia n s or th e
Seleucidce h a d c o n q u e r e d all I n d i a ! B u t o u r W e s t e r n
critic is i g n o r a n t , of co u rse , of t h e f a c t t h a t A y o d h y a o r
Saketa of R a m a w a s fo r tw o m ille n iu m s r e p e llin g
inroads of v a r io u s M o n g o li a a a n d o t h e r T u r a n i a n tr ib e s ,
b e s id e s th o I n d o - S c y t h i a n s — fro m beyond N epaul
a u d th e H im a la y a s . P r o f . W e b e r seem s finally h im s e lf
f r i g h t e n e d a t t h e Y a v a n a s p e c tr e h e h a s raise d , f o r ho
q u e r i e s :— “ W h e t h e r b y t h e Y a v a n a s i t is r e a lly t h e
G r e e k s w h o a r e m e a n t ........ or p o ssib ly m e r e ly t h e i r I n d o -
S c y t h i a n o r o t h e r successors, to w h o m t h e n a m e w aa
a f t e r w a r d s t r a n s f e r r e d . ” T h is w holesom e d o u b t o u g h t
to h a v e m odified h is d o g m a t i c to n e in m a n y o t h e r s u c h
cases.
B u t — d r iv e o u t p r e j u d i c e w ith a p itc h - fo r k i t w ill
e v e r r e t u r n . T h e e m i n e n t s c h o la r t h o u g h s t a g g e r e d
b y h is o w n g lim p s e of t h e t r u t h , r e t u r n s to t h e c h a r g e
w i t h n e w v ig o u r . W e a re s t a r t l e d b y tho f re s h d isc o v ery
t h a t :— A s u r a m a y a , * t h e e a r lie s t a s tr o n o m e r , m e n tio n e d
r e p e a te d ly in th e I n d i a n epics, “ is id e n tic a l w ith
‘ P to lem a'io s’ of t h e G r e e k s . ” T h e r e a s o n f o r it g iv e n
is, t h a t “ t h is l a t t e r n a m e , as we see, fr o m the
inscriptions o f P iy a d a si, became in In d ia n ‘ T ura m a ya ,'
out o f w hich the nam e ‘ A su ra m a ya ’ m ig h t very easily
grow ; and since, by the later tradition, this ‘ M aya’ is
d istin c tly assigned to R ornaka-pura in t h e W e s t . ” H a d
t h e “ P iy a d a s i in s c r i p t i o n ” b e e n f o u n d on t h e site of
a n c ie n t B a b y lo n ia , o n e m i g h t s u s p e c t t h e w o rd “ T u r a -
m a y a ” a s d e r iv e d fro m “ T u r a n o m a y a , ” o r r a t h e r m ania.
S in c e ,h o w e v e r , t h e P iy a d a s i in s c rip tio n s b e l o n g d is t in c t ly
to I n d i a a n d t h e t it le w as b o r n e b u t b y tw o k i n g s — C h a n -
d r a g u p t a a n d D h a r m a s o k a , — w h a t h a s “ ‘ P to lem a'io s’
of t h e G r e e k s ” to do w i t h “ T u r a m a y a ” o r t h e l a t t e r w ith
“ A suram aya e x c e p t , i n d e e d , to use it as a f r e s h p r e ­
t e x t to d r a g t h e I n d i a n a s t r o n o m e r u n d e r t h e stu p e fy in g '
“ G r e e k in flu e n c e ” of t h e U p a s T r e e of W e s t e r n P h i l o ­
lo g y ? T h e n w e le a r n t h a t , b e c a u s e “ P a n i n i once m e n ­
tio n s t h e Y a v a n a s , i.e ... . G r e e k s , a n d e x p la in s t h e f o r m a ­
tio n of t h e w o r d ‘ Y a v a n d n i’— to w h ic h , a c c o r d in g to t h e
V a rttik a , t h e w o rd lip i, ‘ w r i t i n g , ’ m u s t b e s u p p li e d ” —
th e r e f o r e , t h e w o rd signifies ‘ t h e w r i t i n g of th o Y a v a n a s , ’
of t h e Greeks a n d n o n e o th e r . W o u l d t h e G e r m a n p h ilo ­
lo g is ts (who h a v e so l o n g a n d so f ru itle s s ly a t t e m p t e d t o
e x p la in th is w o rd ) b e v e r y m u c h s u r p ris e d , if to ld t h a t
t h e y aro y e t a s f a r as p o ssib le fro m t h e t r u t h ? T h a t —
Y a v a n d n i do es n o t m e a n “ G r e e k w r i t i n g ” a t all b u t a n y
f o r e ig n w r i t i n g w h a ts o e v e r ? T h a t t h e a b s e n c e of tlio
w o rd ‘ w r i t i n g ’ in t h e o ld t e x ts , e x c e p t in c o n n e c tio n w i t h
t h e n a m e s of f o r e ig n e r s , d o es n o t in th o le a s t im p l y t h a t
n o n e b u t G r e e k w r i t i n g w as k n o w n to t h e m , or, t h a t
t h e y h a d n o n e of t h e i r ow n, b e i n g i g n o r a n t of t h e a r t of
r e a d i n g a n d w r i t i n g u n til t h e d a y s of P a n in i. . . . (th e o r y of
P ro f . M a x M u ller) ? F o r D e v a n a g a r i is as old as t h e V e d a s ,
a n d h e ld so s a c r e d t h a t t h e B r a h m a n s , first u n d e r p e n a l ­
t y of d e a th , a n d l a t e r o n — of e t e r n a l o s tr a c is m , w ero
not ev e n a llo w e d to m e n t i o n it to p r o fa n e e a r s ;
m u c h loss to m a k e k n o w n th o e x is te n c e of t h e i r s e c r e t
te in p le -lib ra rio s. So t h a t , b y t h e w o rd Y a va n d n i,
“ to w h ic h , a c c o r d i n g to t h e V a rttika , t h e w o rd lipi,
‘ w r i t i n g ’ m u s t b e s u p p l i e d , ” t h e w r i t i n g of f o re ig n e r s
in g e n e r a l, w h e t h e r P hoenician, R o m a n , o r G re e k , is a lw a y s
m e a n t. A s to t h e p r e p o s t e r o u s h y p o th e s is of P r o f .
M a x M u lle r t h a t w r i t i n g “ w a s n o t u se d fo r lite r a r y p u r ­
p o se s in I n d i a ” b e f o r e P a n i u i ’s tim e ( a g a in upon G r e e k
a u t h o r i ty ) t h a t m a t t e r h a s b e e n d is p o s e d of b y a C h e la
in t h e l a s t n u m b e r of t h i s J o u r n a l .
E q u a l l y u n k n o w n a r e th o s e c e r ta in o th e r, a n d m o s t
i m p o r t a n t f a c ts [ fa b le t h o u g h t h e y s e e m ]. F ir s t, t h a t
th e A ry a n “ G re at W a r , ” the M aha-B harata, an d the
T r o j a n W a r of H o m e r — b o t h m y th ic a l a s to p e r s o n a l
b i o g r a p h i e s a n d fa b u lo u s s u p e rn u m e r a r ie s , y e t p e r f e c tly
h isto ric a l in t h e m a in — b e l o n g to t h e sa m e cycle of e v e n ts .
F o r , t h e o c c u r re n c e s of m a n y c e n tu r ie s , [ a m o n g t h e m t h e
s e p a r a ti o n of s u n d r y p eo p les a n d r a c e s , e r r o n e o u s l y
t r a c e d to C e n t r a l A s i a a lo n e ] w e r e in th e s e im m o r t a l
ep ics c o m p re s s e d w ith in t h e sc ope of sin g le D r a m a s m a d e
* D r . W e b e r is n o t p r o b a b l y a w a r e o f tlie f a c t t h a t th is d istin g u ish ed
a s t r o n o m e r ’s n a m e w a s M a y a m e r e l y ; t h e p r e f i x “ A s u r a ’* w a s o f t e n
a d d e d to it by an o ien t H in d u w rite 1'3 t o s h o w t h a t h e w a s a R akshasa*
In th e o p in io n of th e B rahm ans he w as an “ A tlan tea n " and one of
th e g re a te s t a s tro n o m e rs a n d o cc u ltists of th e lost A tlan tis.— T; S. K .j
A c tin g E d ito r t
 t o o c c u p y b u t a few y ea rs. Secondly tlia t in tb is im m e n se edifices th e p r e s e n c e of G r e e k influence is u n m is ta k a b le
a n t i q u i t y t b e f o re fa th e r s of t b e A r y a n G r e e k s a n d th e (p. 274). W e ll m ny D r . R a j e n d r a l a l a M i t r a “ ho ld o u t
A r y a n B r a h m a n s wero as closely u n i t e d a n d in te r m ix e d , p a r t i c u l a r l y a g a i n s t t h e id e a of a n y G re e k influence
a s a r e now th o A r y a n s a n d t h e so-called D ra v id ia n s . w h a t e v e r on t h e d e v e lo p m e n t of I n d ia n a r c h i t e c t u r e . ”
T h ird ly , t h a t , b e fo re t h e d a y s of t h e h istorical K a m a I f his a n c e s t r a l li t e r a t u r e m u s t bo a t t r i b u t e d to
f r o m w hom in u n b r o k e n g e n e a l o g ic a l d e s c e n t th e “ G r e e k inll)ionce,” th e te m p le s, a t le a s t, m i g h t bav e
O o d c y p o r e so v e re ig n s tr a c e tlieir lin e a g e , R a j p o o t a n a b e e n s p a r e d . O ne ca n u n d e r s t a n d h o w t h e E g y p t i a n
w a s as full of d ir e c t p o s t - A t l a n t e a n “ G r e e k s , ” a s th e H a l l in L o n d o n reflec ts t h e influence of t h e r u in e d
p o s t- T r o j a n , s u b ja c e n t Cumaea a n d o t h e r s e t t l e m e n t s of t e m p l e s on t h e N ile : b u t it is a m o r e difficult f e a t — even
pre-M agna Graicia w ere of t h e f a s t lie lle n iz in g sires of fo r a G o r m a n p r o fe s s o r — to p r o v e th e a r c h a ic s t r u c t u r e
t h e m o d e r n R a jp o o t. O ne a c q u a i n t e d w ith th o real of old A r y a v a r t a a f o r e s h a d o w in g of t h e g e n i u s of th e
m e a n i n g of th e a n c ie n t epics c a n n o t r e f r a in f r o m a s k i n g l a te la m e n t e d S ir C h r i s t o p h e r W r e n ! T h e o u tc o m e of
h im s e lf w h e t h e r th e so i n tu i tio n a l O r i e n ta lis t s p r e f e r th is p a l e o g r a p h i c sp o lia tio n is t h a t t h e r e is n o t a t i t t l e le ft
b e i n g c a lle d deceivers o r d e c e iv e d , a n d in c h a r i t y g iv e for I n d i a to call h e r ow n. E v e n m e d ic in e is d u e to th e
t h e m tb o ben e fit of t h e d o u b t . * W h a t c a n be t h o u g h t sa m e H e l l e n i c in fluence. W e a r e t o l d — th is on ce b y
of P r o f . W e b e r ’s e n d e a v o u r w h e n “ to d e t e r m in e m o re R o t h — t h a t “ o nly a c o m p a r is o n of t h e p r in c ip le s of
a c c u r a t e ly th e p o sitio n of I l a m a y a n a (called b y h im I n d i a n w ith those o f Greek m e d ic in e c a n e n a b le us to
t h o ‘ artificial e p ic ’) in l i t e r a r y h i s t o r y — ” h e e n d s w ith a n j u d g e of t h e o rig in , a g o a n d v a lu e of t h e f o r m e r . . . ” a n d
a s s u m p tio n t h a t “ it r e s t s u p o n a n a c q u a i n ta n c e w ith “ a propos of C h a r a k a rs in ju n c t i o n s a s to t h e d u tie s of
t h e T r o j a n cycle of l e g e n d . . . t h e co n c lu sio n t h e r e a r r iv e d t h e p h y s ic ia n to liis p a t i e n t , ” s d d s D r. W e b e r — “ he
a t , is t h a t t h e d a t e of its c o m p o s itio n is to b e p la c e d c ite s some rem arkably coincident expressions fr o m the
a t th o c o m m e n c e m e n t of t h e C h r is t ia n e r a , . . . i n a n e p o c h oath o f the A sk lep ia d s.” I t is t h e n s e ttle d . I n d i a is i
w h e n th o o p e r a tio n of th e G r e e k in flu e n ce u p o n I n d i a hellenizsd fro m h e a d to foot, a n d ev e n h a d n o p h y s ic u n til
h a d a l r e a d y s e t in !” (p. 194.) T h e c a se is h o p e le ss. I f th e G r e e k d o c t o r s c a m e .
t h e “ i n t e r n a l ch ro n o lo g y — ’’a n d e x t e r n a l fitness of th in g s ,
wo m a y a d d — p r e s e n te d in t h e tr ip le I n d i a n epic, d id S akya M u n i ’s P lace in H isto ry .

n o t o p e n th e ey e s of th o h y p e r c r it ic a l p r o fe s s o r s to t h e N o O r i e n t a l i s t — sa v e p e r h a p s , t h e s a m e wise, n o t to
m a n y h is to ric a l f a c ts e n s h r i n e d in t h e i r s t r i k i n g a l ­ sa y d e e p , P r o f . W e b e r — opposes m o re v e h e m e n tly t h a n
l e g o r i e s ; if th o sig n ific a n t m e n t i o n of “ b l a c k Y a v a n a s , ” P r o f . M a x M u ll e r H i n d u a n d B u d d h i s t ch ro n o lo g y .
a n d “ w h ite Y a v a n a s ” in d i c a t i n g to ta lly d iffe re n t p eo p les E v i d e n t l y — if a n I n d o p h i l e h e is n o t a B u d d h o p h i le , an d
co u ld so c o m p le te ly e s c a p e t h e i r n o tic e ; t a n d t h e e n u m e ­ G e n e ra l C u n n i n g h a m — h o w e v e r i n d e p e n d e n t o th e rw ise in
r a t i o n of a h o s t of tr ib e s , n a tio n s , r a c e s , c lan s, u n d e r his archaeological r e s e a r c h e s — a g r e e s w ith h im m o re
t h e i r s e p a r a t e S a n s k r i t d e s ig n a t io n s , in t h e M a l i b h a r a t a t h a n w o u ld se em s t r i c t l y p r u d e n t in view of p o s s i b l e
h a d n o t s t i m u l a t e d t h e m to t r y to t r a c e t h e i r e th n ic f u t u r e d is c o v e r ie s .* W o h a v e t h e n to r e f u te in our
e v o lu tio n a n d i d e n tif y th e m w i t h tlie ir n o w liv in g t u r n th is g r e a t O x f o r d p r o f e s s o r ’s s p e c u la tio n s.
E u r o p e a n d e s c e n d a n t s , — th o r e is little to h o p e fro m t h e i r
s c h o l a r s h i p e x c e p t a m o sa ic of l e a r n e d g u e s s w o r k . T o th o e v id e n c e f u r n is h e d b y t h e P u r a n a s a n d t h e M a h a -
T h e l a t t e r scientific m o d e of c r itic a l a n a ly s is m a y y e t e n d v a n s a — w h ic h h e also finds h o p e le ssly e n t a n g l e d a n d c o n ­
s o m e d a y in a c o n c e n s u s of o p in io n t h a t B u d d h i s m is tr a d i c t o r y ( t h o u g h t h e p e r f e c t a c c u r a c y of t h a t S iulialese
d u e w h o le s a le to th o “ Life of JJa rlaa m a n d J o s a p h a t , ” h is t o r y is m o s t w a r m ly a c k n o w le d g e d b y S ir E m e r s o n
w r i t t e n b y S t. J o h n of D a m a s c u s ; o r t h a t o u r r elig io n T e n n a n t , t h e h isto ria n ) h e o p p o se s t h e G r e e k classics an d
w as p la g ia r iz e d fro m t h a t f a m o u s R o m a n C a th o lic le g e n d t h e i r c h r o n o lo g y . W i t h h im , it is a lw a y s “ A l e x a n d e r ’s
of t h e 8 tli c e n t u r y in w h ic h o u r L o r d G a u t a m a is m a d e to iu v a s io n ” a n d “ C o n q u e s t” , a n d “ t h e a m b a s s a d o r of
fig u re as a C h r is t ia n S a in t, b e t t e r still, t h a t t h e V e d a s S e l e u c u s N i c a t o r — M e g a s t h e n e s ” — w hile ev e n t h e f a in t e s t
w ore w r i t t e n a t A t h e n s u n d e r t h e a u s p ic e s of S t . G e o rg e , r e c o r d of s u c h “ c o n q u e s t ” is co n s p ic u o u sly a b s e n t f r o m
t h e t u t e l a r y su c c e s s o r of T h e se u s. F o r f e a r t h a t a n y ­ B r a l im a n ic r e c o r d ; a n d , a l t h o u g h in a n in s c rip tio n of
t h i n g m i g h t b e l a c k i n g t o p r o v e th o c o m p le t e obsession P i y a d a s i a r e m e n t i o n e d th o n a m e s of A n tio c h u s , P to le m y ,
of J a m b u d v i p a b y t h e d e m o n of “ G r e e k in flu e n c e ,” M a g u s , A n t i g o n u s , an d even o f the great A lexander
D r . W e b e r v in d ic tiv e ly c a s ts a l a s t i n s u l t in to th o faco h im s e lf , as vassals of t h e l u E g P iy a d a s i, t h e M a c e d o n ia n
of I n d i a b y r e m a r k i n g t h a t i f “ E u r o p e a n W e s t e r n s t e e ­ is y e t ca llo d t h e “ Conqueror of I n d i a . ” I n o t h e r w o rd s,
p le s owe t h e i r o r ig in to a n im i ta t io n of t h e B u d d h i s t w h ile a n y ca su a l m e n t i o n of I n d i a n affairs b y a G r e e k
t o p e s J . . . o n th o o t h e r h a n d in t h e m ost ancient H in d u w r i t e r of n o g r e a t n o te m u s t be a c c e p te d u n c h a lle n g e d , no
r e c o r d of th o I n d i a n s , l i t e r a r y o r m o n u m e n ta l, is e n t itle d
* F u r th e r on, P ro f. W e b e r in d n lg es in th e fo llo w in g p iec e o f ch ro n o lo . to t h e s m a lle s t c o n s id e r a tio n . U n t i l r u b b e d a g a i n s t t h e
g ical sleig h t of haud. In his a rd u o n s endeavour “ to d e te rm in e accu ­ to u c h - s t o n e of H e ll e n ic in f a llib ility it m u s t b e set d o w n
r a t e l y ” tb o p la c e in h is to r y o f “ t h e R o m a n t ic L e g e n d o f S a k y a B u d d h a ”
(tra n sla tio n by B eale), h e th in k s, “ th e sp ec ia l p o in ts o f re la tio n h e re
in t h e w o r d s of P ro f . W e b e r — a s “ of c o u rse m e re e m p t y
fou n d to C h ristia n legends are vory strik in g . The q u estio n w h ich b o a s t i n g . ” O h , r a r e W e s t e r n se n s e of j u s t i c e ! +
p arty wag th o borrow er B eale p ro p erly leaves u n d e te rm in e d . Y e t in
all l i k e l i h o o d (!!) w e havo here sim p ly a sim ilar ca se to th a t o f th o O c c u lt r e c o rd s sh o w d iffe re n tly . T h e y sa y — c h a l­
ap p ro p riatio n of C h ristia n legend by th e w o rsh ip p ers of K r is h n a ” (p. l e n g i n g p r o o f to th o c o n t r a r y — t h a t A l e x a n d e r n e v e r
300). N ow it is th is th at every H in d u and B u d d h ist has th e
p e n e t r a t e d in to I n d i a f a r t h e r t h a n T axila ; w h ic h is n o t
y i"h t to brand aa “ d ish o n esty ,” w h e th e r co n sc io u s or uucon.
tsoious. Legends o rig in ate ea rlier th an h isto ry and d ie out upon e v e n q u ite t h e m o d e r n A t t o e k . T h e m u r m u r i n g of th e
b ein g sifted. N e ith e r of th e fa b u lo u s e v e n ts in c o n n e c tio n w ith B ud. M a c e d o n ia n ’s t r o o p s b e g a n a t t h e same p la c e a n d n o t
d h a ’s b irth , tak e n ex o terically , n e c e ssita te d a g re a t g en iu a to n a rra te
th em , n o r w as th e in telleo tu al c a p a c ity o f t h e H in d u s e v o r p r o v e d so
in fe rio r to th a t of th e Je w ish an d G reek m ob th a t th e y sh o u ld b o rro w * N o tw ith sta n d in g P ro f. M . M u lle r 's r e g r e tta b le effo rts to in v a lid a te

from th e m ev e n fa b le s in s p ire d b y re lig io n . H ow th e i r fa b le s, e v o lv e d e v e ry B u d d h ist evidence, h e see m s to h a v e ill-su cce ed ed in p ro v in g h is

b etw e en th e 2nd and 3rd c e n t u r i e s a f t e r B u d d h a ’s d eath , w h e n th o case, if w e can ju d g e from th o o p en ly e x p re sse d o p in io n of his ow n
fever of p ro se ly tism and th e ad o ratio n of h is m e m o ry w e re a t th eir G erm an c o n fr e r e s . In th o portio n h ea d ed T r a d itio n a s to B u d d h a ’s a g e
h e ig h t, co u ld b o b o r ro w e d and th en ap p ro p riated from th o C h ristia n (p p. 283-288) in his H is t, o f In d . L it. P r o f . W e b e r v e r y a p t l y r e t n a r k f ,
legends w r itte n d u r i n g th e first c e n t u r y o f t h e W e s te r n era, can on ly be “ N o th in g lik e p o sitiv e c e rta in ty , th e re fo re , is for th e p resen t attain ­

e x p la in e d b y a — G e rm a n O rie n ta list. M r. T. W . R h y s D a v id s (J a ta k a able. N or have th e subseq u en t d iscussions o f th is to p ie b y M a x M u lle r

B ook) sh o w s th e o o n trary to have b een tru e. It m ay be rem arked (1 8 5 9 ) H i s t . A . S . L . p . 2 6 1 f f ), b y W e s t e r g a a r d ( I 8 G 0 ) U eb er B u d d h a ’s

in th is co n n e ctio n th at, w h ile th e first “ m irac le s” of b oth K rish n a T o d e s ja h r , a n d b y K e r n O v e r d e J a a r t e l l i n g d e r Z u i d e l B u d d h i s t e n — s o
and C h ris t a re said to h av e h a p p e n e d a t a M a th u ra , t h e la tte r city ex ists fa r y ield ed a n y d e f in i t e r e s u l t s . ” N o r a r e t h e y l i k e l y to .
to th is day in In d ia — th e an tiq n ity of its n a m e b e in g fu lly p ro v e d —
f No P h ila r y a n w o u l d p r e t e n d f o r a m o m e n t o n t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h e
w h ile th e M ath u ra, o r M atu re a in E g y p t, of th e G o sp e l o f I n f a n c y , w h e r e P iy a d a si in scrip tio n s th a t A lex a n d er of M aced o n ia or e ith e r of th e o th e r
Jesus is alleg ed to havo p r o d u c e d h is first m ira c le , w as so u g h t to be
B o v erelg u s m e n tio n e d , w a s c la im e d a s a n ac tu al ‘‘ v assa l” o f C handra-
id en tified , cc n tu ries ago, by th e stu m p of an old tree in th e d esert,
g u p ta. T hey did not even pay trib u te , b u t on ly a k ind of q u it-re n t
|m d is r e p r e s e n te d b y — a n e m p t y s p o t ! a n n u a lly for la n d s c e d e d in th e n o rth : as th e g ra n t- ta b ie ts co u ld fh o w .
\ S e e T w e l f t h B o o k o f M a h a b h a r a t a , K r i s h n a ’s f i g h t w i t h K a l a - y a v a n a ; B u t th e inscription, ho w ev er m isin terp rete d , show s m o s t cle arly th at

J OF H i n d i : T /.n tja m s . r a t h e r — £< ?. A lex an d er was never th e conqueror of In d ia,

 as g iv e n ' out, a t H y p h a s i s . F o r h a v i n g n e v e r g o n e to
Hydaspes or J h e l u m he could n o t h a v e b e e n a t S u t l e d g e .
N or d id A l e x a n d e r e v e r f o u n d s a t r a p i e s o r p l a n t a n y
G reek colonies iu th e P u n j a b . T h e o n ly colonies he le ft
behind h i m t h a t th e B r a h m a n s e v e r k n e w of, a m o u n t e d
to a few d o z e n s of d is a b le d soldiers, s c a t t e r e d h i t h e r a n d
th ith e r on t h e f r o n ti e r s ; w ho , w ith t h e i r n a tiv e r a p e d
wives s e ttle d a r o u n d t h e d e s e r t s o£ K a r n i a n i a a n d D r a n -
gariu — t h e t h e n n a t u r a l b o u n d a r ie s of I n d i a . And,
unless H i s t o r y r e g a r d s as c o lo n is ts t h e m a n y t h o u s a n d s
of d e a d m e n a n d th o se who settled f o r e v e r u n d e r t h e h o t
sands of G e d r o s ia , t h e r e w e re n o o th e r , sa v e in th e f e rtile
im a g in a tio n of t h e G r e e k historians. T h e b o a s te d “ i n ­
vasion of I n d i a ” w as c o u fin e d to t h e r e g io n s b e t w e e n
K a r m a n i a a n d A t t o c k — E a s t a u d W e s t , a n d B e lo o e h is ta n
an d t h e H i n d u k u s h — S o u t h a n d N o r t h : c o u n trie s w h ic h
were all I n d i a f o r t h e G r e e k of th o s e days. I l i s b u i l d i n g
a Jleet a t H y d a s p e s is a fiction ; a n d h is “ v ic to r io u s
inarch t h r o u g h t h o f i g h t i n g a r m i e s of I n d i a ” — a n o t h e r .
H o w e v e r , it is n o t w ith t h e “ w o rld c o n q u e r o r ” t h a t we
have now to deal, b u t r a t h e r w ith t h e s u p p o se d a c c u r a c y
an d e v e n ca su a l v e r a c i t y of his c a p ta in s a u d c o u n t r y m e n ,
whose h a z y r e m in is c e n c e s o n t h e t e s tim o n y of t h e c l a s s i­
cal w r i te r s h a v e now b e e n r a is e d to u n i m p e a c h a b l e e v i­
d enc e in e v e r y t h i n g t h a t m a y affect t h e c h r o n o lo g y of
early B u d d h i s m a u d I n d i a .
F o r e m o s t a m o n g t h e e v id e n c e of classical w r i te r s ,
t h a t of F la v iu s A r r i a n u s , is b r o u g h t f o r w a r d a g a i n s t
th e B u d d h i s t a u d C h i n e s e c h r o n o lo g ie s . N o one
should im p e a c h t h e personaI t e s tim o n y of t h i s c o n ­
scien tio us a u t h o r h a d h e b e e n h im s e lf a n e y e -w itn e ss
instea d of M e g a s th e n e s . B u t w h e n a m a n co m es to
k no w t h a t h e w ro te his a c c o u n t s u p o n t h e n o w lo st
w o rk s of A r i s to b o lu s a n d P t o l e m y ; a n d t h a t t h e l a t t e r
d e s c r ib e d tlie ir d a t a fro m t e x t s p r e p a r e d b y a u t h o r s
w ho h a d n e v e r s e t t h e i r eyes upon one line ‘w ritten by
either M egasthenes or Nearchtis him self-, a n d t h a t k n o w ­
i n g so m u c h one is in fo rm e d b y w e s t e r n h is t o r ia n s t h a t
a m o n g t h e w o r k s of A r r i a n , B o o k V I I of t h e A nabasis o f
Alexander, is “ th o chief a u t h o r i t y on t h e s u b j e c t of t h e
I n d ia n in v a s io n — a b o o k u n f o r t u n a t e l y w ith a gap iu its
J 2 th c h a p t e r , ” — one m a y well con c eiv e u p o n w h a t a b r o k e n
r e e d W e s t e r n a u t h o r i t y le an s f o r its I n d i a n c h ro n o lo g y .
A r r i a u liv ed o v e r 600 y e a r s a f t e r B u d d h a ’s d e a t h ; S tr a b o
— 500 (55 “ B. C .” ) ; D io d o r u s S ic u lu s — q u ite n t r u s t ­
w o r t h y c o m p ile r !— a b o u t t h e 1 s t cefctury ; P l u t a r c h ov er
700 A nno Buddhce a n d Q u in tu s C u r tin s o v e r 1000 y e a r s !
A n d w h e n , to crow n th is a r m y of w itn e s s e s a g a i n s t t h e
B u d d h i s t a n n a ls , t h e r e a d e r is i n f o r m e d b y o u r O ly m p ia n
c r itic s t h a t t h e w o rk s of t h e la s t n a m e d a u t h o r — t h a n
w h o m no m ore b lu n d e r i n g , ( g e o g r a p h ic a lly , c h r o n o lo g i­
cally a n d h istoric ally) w r i t e r e v e r liv e d — fo rm a l o n g
w ith t h e G re e k H is to r y of A r r i a n the most valuable source
o f in fo rm a tio n r e s p e c ti n g th o m il ita r y c a r e e r of A l e x ­
a n d e r t h e G r e a t , ” — th e n t h e only w o n d e r is t h a t t h e g r e a t
c o n q u e r o r w a s n o t m a d e b y his b i o g r a p h e r s to h a v o —■
L e o n id a s - lik e — d e f e n d e d th o T h e r m o p y l e a n p a s se s in
t h e H i n d u - K u s l i a g a i n s t th o in v a sio n of t h e first V ed io
B r a h m a n s “ f ro m t h e O x u s.” W i t h a l t h e B u d d h i s t d a te s
are e i t h e r r e j e c t e d or— a c c e p te d pro tempore. W e l l m a y
t h e H i n d u r e s e n t th e p r e f e r e n c e sh o w n to th e te s tim o n y of
G r e e k s — of w hom som e a t le ast, are b e t t e r r e m e m b e r e d
in I n d i a n H i s t o r y as t h e i m p o r te r s in to J a m b u d v i p a of
e v e ry G r e e k a n d R o m a n v ic e k n o w n a u d u n k n o w n to
th e ir d a y — a g a i n s t his ow n n a t io n a l r e c o rd s a n d h i s t o r y .
“ G r e e k in flu e n ce” w as f e lt in d e e d , iu I n d i a , in th is ,
a n d only in th is one p a r ti c u la r . G r e e k d a m se ls m e n tio n e d
as a n artic le of g r e a t traffic f o r India,--—P e r s i a n a n d G r e e k
Yavanis — w ere t h e fo re -m o tlie rs of t h e m o d e r n nautch-,
girls, who h a d till t h e n r e m a in e d p u r e v ir g in s of t h e in n e r
te m p le s. A llia n c e s w ith t h e A n tio c lru ses a n d t h e S ele u cu s
N ic a to r s b o re no b e t t e r f r u i t tlia p t h e r o t t e n a p p l e of
S odom . P a t a l i p u t r a as p r o p h e s ie d b y G a u t a m a B u d d h a
fo u n d i t s f a t e in t h e w a te r s of t h e G a n g e s , h a v i n g b e e n
tw ic e b e f o r e n e a r l y d e s tro y e d ; a g a i n lik e S o d o m , b y tlio
flre of h e a v e n ,
R e v e r t i n g to t h e m a in s u b je c t, t h e “ c o n tr a d ic t io n s ”
b e t w e e n t h e C e ylone se a n d C h i n o - T ib e ta n ch ro n o lo g ie s
a c tu a lly p r o v e n o t h i n g . I f t h e C h in e se A n n a ls of S o u i
iu a c c e p t i n g t h e p r o p h e c y of o u r L o r d t h a t “ a th o u s a n d
y e a r s a f t e r he h a d r e a c h e d N ir v a n a , h is d o c t r i n e s w o u ld
r e a c h t h e n o r t h ” fall in to t h e m is ta k e of a p p l y i n g it to
C hina, w h e r e a s T i b e t w a s m e a n t, th e e r r o r w as c o r r e c t e d
a f t e r t h e X I c e n tu r y of t l i e T z i n E r a in m o s t of t h e t e m p l e
ch ro n o lo g ie s. B e s id e s w h ich , i t m a y now r e f e r to o t h e r
e v e n ts r e l a t i n g to B u d d h i s m of w hich E u r o p e k n o w s
n o t h i n g , C h i n a o r T zin a d a t e s its p r e s e n t n a m e o n ly
f ro m th e y e a r 296 of t h e B u d d h i s t era * ( v u lg a r c h ro n o lo ­
g y h a v i n g a s s u m e d i t f r o m t h e first H oang of th e T z i n
d y n a s ty ) : th e r e f o r e t h e T a t l i a g a t a c o u ld n o t h a v e in d i­
c a te d it b y th is n a m e iu h is w e ll-k n o w n p r o p h e c y . I f
m is u n d e r s t o o d e v e n b y s e v e r a l of t h e B u d d h i s t c o m m e n ­
ta to r s , it is y e t p r e s e r v e d in its t r u e se n se b y h is ow n
im m e d ia te A r h a t s . T h e G lorified O ne m e a n t th e c o u n t r y
t h a t s t r e t c h e s f a r off f r o m t h e L a k e M a n s o r o w a r a ; f a r
b e y o n d t h a t r e g i o n of t h e H im av& t, w h e r e d w e l t f r o m
t im e im m e m o r ia l t h e g r e a t “ te a c h e r s of t h e S n o w y
R a n g e . ” T h e s e w ere t h o g r e a t S r a m a u a c h a r y a s w h o
p r e c e d e d H im , a u d w e re H i s t e a c h e r s , t h e i r h u m b lo
su c c e sso rs t r y i n g to th is d a y to p e r p e t u a t e t h e i r a n d H i a
d o c trin e s . T h e p r o p h e c y c a m e o u t t r u e to th o v e r y d ay ,
a n d it is c o r r o b o r a t e d b o t h b y t h e m a t h e m a t i c a l a n d
h isto ric a l c h r o n o lo g y of T i b e t — q u ite as a c c u r a t e as t h a t
of t h e C h in ese . A r l i a t K a s y a p a , of t h e d y n a s t y ot'
JVIoryas, f o u n d e d b y o n e of t h e C h a n d r a g u p t a s n e a r
P a t a l i p u t r a , le f t t h e c o n v e n t of P a n c l i - K u k k u t a r a m a , iu
c o n s e q u e n c e of a vision of o u r L o rd , f o r m is sio n a ry p u r ­
p o se iu t h e y e a r 6 8 :i of t h e T z i n e r a (436, W e s t : era)
a n d h a d r e a c h e d t h e g r e a t L a k e of B o d - Y u l in t h e sa m o
y e a r . I t is a t t h a t p e r io d t h a t e x p i r e d t h e m illennium ,
p r o p h e s ie d . T h o A r h a t c a r r y i n g w ith h im t h e 5 th s t a t u o
of S a k y a M u n i o u t of t h e seven g o ld s t a t u e s m a d e a f t e r
his b o d ily d e a t h b y o r d e r e f t h e first C ouncil, p l a n t e d i t
in t h e soil on t h a t v e r y s p o t w h e r e se ven y e a r s l a t e r w as
b u i l t t h e first g u n i - a ( m o n a s t e r y ) , w h e r e t h e e a r lie s t
B u d d h i s t la m a s d w e lt. A n d t h o u g h t h e c o n v e r s io n of
t h e w h o le c o u n t r y d id n o t t a k e p la ce b e f o r e t h o
b e g i n n i n g of t h e 7 th c e n t u r y ( W e s t e r n era ), t h e g o o d
L a w h a d , n e v e r th e le s s , reached t h e N o r t h a t t h e tim o
p r o p h e s ie d , a n d no ea rlier. F o r , t h e first of t h e g o ld e n
s ta tu e s h a d b e e n p l u n d e r e d f ro m B h i k s liu S a li S u k a b y
t h e H i o n g - m i r o b b e r s a n d m e l t e d , during- t h e d a y s of
D lia rm a so k a , w h o h a d s e n t m is sio n a rie s b e y o n d N e p a u l.
T h e second h a d a lik e f a te , a t G har-zlia, even b e f o r e iti
h a d r e a c h e d t h e b o u n d a r ie s of B o d - Y u l. T h e th ird w a s
r e s c u e d fro m a b a r b a r o u s t r i b e of B h o n s b y a C h in e se
m il ita r y eliief w h o h a d p u r s u e d th e m in to t h e d e s e r ts of
S e h a m o a b o u t 42 3 B u d : e r a (120 “ B. C .” ). T h e fo u r th
w as s u n k in th o 3 r d c e n t u r y of t h e C h r i s t i a n e r a t o g e t h e r
w ith th o sh ip t h a t c a r rie d it fro m M a g a d h a to w a r d th o
hills of G lia n g s -c h lie n -d z o - n g a ( C liita g o n g ) . T h e fifth
a r r i v i n g in t h e n ic k of tim e r e a c h e d its d e s tin a tio n w itli
A r h a t I v asy a p a. S o d i d t h e l a s t t w o t .........
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e S o u t h e r n B u d d h is ts , h e a d e d b y
t h e C eylonese, o p e n t h e i r a n n a ls w ith t h e follow ing e v e n t ;
* T l i e r e f e r e n c e t o C h in a h u n a h ( C h i n e s e a n d H u n s ) i n t l i e V ish m a
P a rv a o f t h e M a h a b h a r a t a ia e v i d e n t l y a l a t e r i n t e r p o l a t i o n , a a i t d o e a
n o t o cc u r in th e o ld M S S , e x is tin g in S o u th e rn In d ia .
f N o d o u b t s i n c e t h e h i s t o r y o f t h o s e s e v e n s t a t n e s is n o t in t h e h an d ’s o f
th o O rie n ta lis ts , it w ill bo trea ted as a “ g ro u n d less fa b le .” N ev erth e­
le s s s u c h is t h e i r o r ig in and h isto ry . Thoy d ate from th e 1st Synod,
t h a t o f lla ja g r ih a , h e ld in th o se a so n o f w ar fo llo w in g th e d e a th of B u d d h a,
i.e ., o n e y e a r a f t o r h i s d e a t h . W e r e t h i s R a j a g r i h a C o u u c i l h e l d 1 0 0 y e a r s
a f te r, a s m a in ta in e d b y so m e, it co u ld n o t h a v e been p re sid e d over by
M & hakasyapa, th o frie n d and b ro th er a rh a t of S ak y am u n i, us he w o u ld
h a v e b e e n 2 0 0 y e a r s o ld. T h e 2 n d C ouncil o r S y n o d , th a t o f V a isa li, waa
h eld 1 2 0 n o t 1 0 0 o r 1 1 0 y e a r s fts s o m e w o u l d h a v e i t , a f t e r t h e n ir v a n a ,
fo r th o la tte r took p lace a t a tim e , a little o v e r g p y ea rs b efo re th e p h y sical
d e a t h o f T a t h f t g a t a * I t w a s h e l d n t t h e g r e a t S a p t a p a r n a c a v c ( M a h a v a n s a ’n
S a tta p a m ii), n e a r t h e M o u n t B a i b h a r ( t h e W e b h & r a of t h o 1 ‘i i l i M anu­
sc rip ts), th a t w a s in R a ja g r ih a , th e old ca p ita l of M agadha. M em o irs
e x ist, c o n ta in in g t h e r e c o r d o f h is d a ily life, m a d e b y t h e n e p h e w o f
k in g A ja ta sa tru , a fa v o u rite B ik sh u of th e M ah ach ftry a. T hese tex ts
h a v e ever* b e e n i n th e po ssessio n of th e su p erio rs of th e first L a m a s e ry
k u i l t b y A jrhtit K u s y a p a i n l i v d - Y u ^ m v s t g f w hose I'h o h a iis w ero ib g
 T h e y claim according to their n a tive chronology t h a t n n ts b e i n g of a m o r e d ir e c t d e s c e n t t h a n t h e ftajp u t.
Y ija y a , tlie son of S in h a b a h u , t h e S o v e r e ig n of L a la , a G a u t a m a s , t h e C hiefs of N a g a r a — t h e v illa g e i d e n t i ­
s m a ll k in g d o m or R a j on t h e G a n d a k i r iv e r in M a g a d h a , fied w i t h K a p i l a v a s t u — a r e t h e b e s t e n t itle d of all to
w a s exiled b y h is f a t h e r f o r a c t s of t u r b u l e n c e a n d im ­ t h e i r p o sse ssio n . A n d w e k n o w t h e y a r e h isto ric a l
m o r a l i t y . S e n t a d r i f t ou t h e o c e a n w ith his co m p a n io n s to a w ord. F o r t h e E s o te r i c B u d d h i s t th e y y e t v ib r a t e
sifter h a v i n g h a d t h e i r h e a d s s h a v e d , B u d d h i s t- B lii k s lm in s p a c e ; a n d t h e s e p r o p h e ti c w o rd s t o g e t h e r w ith
f a s h io n , as a sig n of p e n i t e n c e — ho waa c a r r ie d to t h e t h e t r u e p i c t u r e of t h e S u g a t a w ho p ro n o u n c e d t h e m ,
s h o r e s of L a n k a . O nce la n d e d , h e a n d h is c o m p a n io n s are p r e s e n t in t h e a u r a of e v e r y a to m of H is relics. T h is,
c o n q u e r e d a n d easily to o k possession of a n is la n d i n h a b i t ­ wo h a s t e n to sa y , is no p ro o f b u t for t h e p sy c h o lo g is t.
e d b y uncivilized t r i b e s g e n e r ic a lly c a lle d t h e Y a k s h n s . B u t t h e r e is o t h e r a n d h is to ric a l eviden ce : t h e c u m u la ­
T h i s — a t w h a te v e r epoch a n d y e a r it m a y h a v e h a p p e n e d tiv e te s t i m o n y of o u r r e lig io u s c h ro n ic le s . T h e p h ilo ­
— is a n historical fa c t, a n d t h e C e y lo n e se r e c o rd s in d e p e n ­ lo g is t h a s n o t seen tjliese ; b u t th is is n o p ro o f of t h e i r n o n ­
d e n t of B u d d h i s t ch ro n o lo g y , g iv e i t o n t as h a v i n g t a k e n e x iste n c e .
p la c e 3 82 y e a r s before D u s h t a g a m a n i (i. e, in 543, beforo T h e m i s t a k e of th e S o u t h e r n B u d d h i s t s lies in d a t i n g
t h e C h r is tia n era). N ow , t h o B u d d h i s t S a c r e d A n n a ls t h e N irv a n a of S a u g g y a s P a n - c h li e n fro m t h e a c t u a l
r e c o r d c e r ta in w ords of o u r L o r d p r o n o u n c e d b y h im d a y of h is d e a t h , w hereas, as above sta te d , H e
s h o r t l y befo re his d e a th . I n M a h a v a n s a H e is m a d e to h a v e h a d r e a c h e d it o v e r tw e n t y y e a r s p rev io u s to H is
a d d r e s s e d th e m to S a k r a , in t h e m i d s t of a g r e a t a s s e m b ly d is i n c a r n a tio n . C h ro n o lo g ic a lly , t h e S o u t h e r n e r s a r e
o f D e v a ta s (D h y a n C h o h a n s ) , a u d w hilo a l r e a d y “ in r i g h t , b o t h iu d a t i n g H i s d e a t h in 543 “ B . C-,” a n d on e of
t h e e x a lte d u n c h a n g e a b le N i r v a n a , s e a t e d on t h e tlirono t h e g r e a t C ouncils a t 100 y e a r s a f t e r t h e l a t t e r ev e n t. B u t
o n w h ic h N i r v a n a is a c h ie v e d .” I u o u r t e x t s T a .th a g a ta t h e T i b e t a n C h o h a n s w ho posse ss all t h e d o c u m e n ts
a d d r e s s e s t h e m to his a s s e m b l e d A r h a t s a u d B h i k k h u s r e l a t i n g to t h e l a s t 24 y e a r s of H i s external a n d in tern a l
n few d a y s b e f o r e his final lib e r a tio n :— “ O ne Y ija y a , th e life ,— of w h ic h n o p h i lo l o g is t k n o w s a n y t h i n g — can show
s o n of S in h a b a h u , K i n g of t h e l a n d of L a la , t o g e t h e r t h a t t h e r e is n o rea l d is c r e p a n c y b e t w e e n t h e T i b e t a n
w ith 700 a t t e n d a n t s , h a s j u s t l a n d e d o n L a n k a . L o r d of a n d t h e C e y lo n e se c h ro n o lo g ie s as s t a t e d b y t h e W e s t e r n
D h y a n B u d d h a s (D evas) ! m y d o c t r i n e w ill b e e s ta b l is h ­ O rie n ta lis ts . * F o r t h e p r o fa n e , t h e E x a l t e d O n e Was b o r n
e d o n L a n k a . P r o t e c t h im a n d L a n k a !” T h is ia t h e in t h e G8th y e a r of t h e B u r m e s e E eatzana era , e s t a b ­
s e n te n c e p r o n o u n c e d w h ic h , a s p r o v e d la te r , w as a p r o ­ lis h e d b y E e a t z a n a (A n ja n a ) K i n g of D e w a h a j for
p h e c y . T h e n o w fa m ilia r p h e n o m e n o n of c la ir v o y a n t th e in itia te d — in t h e 4 8 t h y e a r of t h a t e r a , on a F r i d a y
p re v is io n , a m p ly f u r n i s h i n g a n a t u r a l e x p l a n a tio n of th o of t h e w a x i n g m o o n , of M a y . A n d , it w as in 5G3 b e fo re
p r o p h e t i c u t t e r a n c e w ith o n t a n y u n sc ien tific t h e o r y of t h e C h r is t ia n c h r o n o lo g y t h a t T a t h a g a t a r e a c h e d his
m ira cle , t h e la u g h of c e r ta in O r i e n ta lis t s s e e m s u n c a lle d full N i r v a n a , d y i n g , as c o r r e c tly s t a t e d b y M a h ftv a n a—
for. S u c h p a ra lle ls of p o e tic o - r e lig io u s e m b e ll is h m e n ts in 513, on t h e v e r y d a y w h e n V i ja y a la n d e d w ith his
ns f o u n d in M a h a v a n s a e x i s t in th o w r i t t e n r e c o rd s of c o m p a n io n s in C e y lo n — as p r o p h e s ie d b y L o k a - r a t h a , o u r
e v e r y re lig io n — as m u c h in C h r is t ia n i ty as a n y w h e r e Buddha.
else. A n n n b ia s s e d m in d w o uld first e n d e a v o u r to re a c h P r o f e s s o r M a x M iiller s e e m s to g r e a t l y scoff a t this
t h e c o r r e c t a n d v e ry superficially h id d e n m e a n i n g b e f o r e p r o p h e c y . I n h is c h a p t e r (7'list. S . L .) u p o n B u d d h i s m ,
t h r o w i n g rid ic u le a u d c o n t e m p t u o u s d is c r e d i t u p o n th e m . ( th e " f a ls e ” r elig io n ,) t h e e m i n e n t s c h o la r s p e a k s as
M o r e o v e r , th e T ib e ta n s posse ss a m o r e s o b e r r e c o r d of th is t h o u g h h e r e s e n t e d su c h a n vnjireceden ted c laim . “ t i e
p r o p h e c y in t h e N otes, a l r e a d y a l lu d e d to, r e v e r e n tia lly a r e a s k e d to b e lie v e ” — he w r ite s — “ t h a t t h e C e ylone se
t a k e n d o w n b y K i n g A j f i t a s a t r u ’s n e p h e w . T h e y a r e , as h i s t o r ia n s p la c e d t h e f o u n d e r of t h e Y ija y a n d y n a s ty
s a id a b o v e , in t h e po sse ssio n of t h e L a m a s of t h e c o n v e n t of Ceylon iu th o y e a r 543 in a c c o r d a n c e w ith t h e i r s a c r e d
b u ilt by A rliat K asy a p a— th e M oryas an d th e ir descend- c h r o n o l o g y ” ! (i. e., B u d d h a ’s p r o p h e c y ) , “ w hile we
(th e p h ilo lo g ists) a r e n o t to ld , h o w e v e r, through what
ilesco m ln n ts of tlio d y n a s t y o f tlio M o r y a s , t h e r e b e i n g up to th is day
channel t h e C eyloueso c o uld h a v e re c e iv e d t h e i r i n f o r ­
t h r e e o f th e m e m b e r s o f th is o n c o ro y a l fa m ily liv in g in I n d ia , T h e o ld m a tio n a s to t h e e x a c t d a t e of B u d d h a ’s d e a t h . ” T w o
t e x t in q u e s tio n is a d o c u m e n t w r it t e n in A n u d r u ta M n g n d h a ch aracters- p o in ts m a y b e n o tic e d in t h e s e s a r c a s t ic p h ra se s : (a) th e
J W c deny th a t tlio se or nny oth er ch a rac ters— w h e th e r D e v an n g ari,
P a l i , oi' D r a v i d i a n — e v e r u s e d i n I n d i n , nre v a ria tio n s of, o r d e riv e d
im p lic a tio n of a false p r o p h c c y b y o n r L o r d ; a n d (b)
from , th o P h o e n ic ia n .] T o r e v e r t to th e te x ts i t is t h c r o i n s t a t e d t h a t a d is h o n e s t t a m p e r i n g w i t h c h r o n o lo g ical r e c o r d s , r e ­
th o S a ttn p a n n i cave, th en c a lle d “ S a r a s w a ti” and “ B a m b o o -c a v e ,” m i n d i n g o n e of th o s e of E u s e b iu s , t h e f a m o u s B ish o p
g o t its la tte r n a m e in th is w ise. W hen o u r L ord first sat in it fo r
of Caesarea, w h o s t a n d s ac c u s e d in H i s t o r y of “ p e r v e r t ­
V h y a n a , it w n s a la rg e s ix - c h a m b e r e d n a tn r.il c a v e , 5 0 to 6 0 fe e t w ide
by 33 deep. O ne day, w h ilo tea ch in g th e m en d ica n ts o u tsid e , onr i n g e v e r y E g y p t i a n c h ro n o lo g ic a l t a b l e f o r t h e s a k e
lio rd c o m p a re d m a n to a S a p ta p a r n a (seven le a v e d ) p lan t, sh o w in g of s y n c h r o n i s m s . ” W i t h re f e r e n c e to c h a r g e one he
th em h o w a f te r t h e loss of its first lea f every o th e r co n ld be e a sily
m a y b e a s k e d w h y o u r S a k y a s i n h a ’s p r o p h e c ie s s h o u ld
d eta ch ed , bn t th o s e v e n th lea f,— d ire c tly co n n ccted w ith th e stem .
*' M e n d i c a n t s , ” H e said , “ th e r e a ro seven B u d d h a s in e v e r y Buddha, n o t b e as m u c h e n t i t l e d to his r e s p e c t , as th o se of his
n n d th ere aro s ix B i k s h n s a n d b u t o n e B u d d h a i n e a c h m en d ican t. S a v io u r w o n ld b e to o u rs— w e re w e to e v e r w rite t h e
I V h a t a r e t h o Seven ? T h o s e v e n b r a n c h e s o f c o m p l e t e k n o w l o d g o . W h a t
t r n e h is t o r y of t h e “ G a lile a n ” A r h a t . W i t h r e g a r d to
sire th o six ? T h e six o r g a n s o f s e n s o . W h a t a r o t h e F iv e ? T h e five
e l e m e n t s o f illu siv e b e in g . A n d th o one w h i c h is a l s o t o n ? l i e is a t r n e
c h a r g e two t h e d i s t i n g u i s h e d p h ilo lo g is t is r j m i n d e d o f t h e
B u d d h a w h o d ev e lo p cs in h im th e ten form s of h o lin ess and su b jects g la ss h o u se h e a n d all C h r is t ia n c h ro n o lo g ists a r e t h e m ­
th em all to th e o n e— “ th e sile n t v o ice” (m ean in g A v o lo k itcsw n ra ). se lv es liv in g in. T h e i r in a b ilit y to v in d ic a te t h e a d o p ­
A f te r th a t, ca u sin g th o rock to be m o v e d a t H is com m and th o T ath a-
p a t a m a d o it div id e itse lf in to a s e v e n th a d d itio n al c h a m b e r, re m a rk in g
tio n of D e c e m b e r 2 5 t h a s t h e a c tu a l d a y of t h e N a t i v i t y ,
th a t a ro ck too w a s s e p te n a ry , and had seven stag es of d ev e lo p m en t. a n d h e n c e to d e t e r m i n e t h e a g e a n d t h e y e a r of th e ir
F ro m t h a t tim o it w a s c a lle d tlie S a tta p a n n i o r t h e S ap tap arn a cave. A v a t a r ’s d e a t h — e v e n b e f o r e t h e i r ow n p e o p le — is f a r
A fte r th e first S y n o d w a s h e ld s e v e n g o ld s t a t u e s o f th e B h a g a v a t w e r e
c a s t b y o rd e r of th o k in g , a n d e a c h o f th e m w as p laced in ono of th e
g r e a t e r t h a n is o u r s t o d e m o n s t r a t e t h e y e a r of B u d d h a
B evon c o m p a rtm e n ts.” T h o s o in a f te r tim e s , w h e n t h e g o o d la w h a d to to o t h e r n a t i o n s . T h e i r u t t e r f a ilu re t o e s ta b l is h on
m a k o ro o m to m oro co n g en ial b ec au se m o re sen su al creeds, w ere tak en any other but tra d itio n a l evidence th e , to th e m , h i s t o r i ­
in charge by v ario u s v ih a ra s a n d th e n d isp o se d o f as ex p la in e d . Thus
ca lly unproved, if p r o b a b le , f a c t of h is e x i s te n c e a t a l l -
w h en M r. T u m o u r sta te s on th o au th o rity of th e sacred trad itio n s of
S o u th e r n B u d d h ists th a t th e ca v e re c e iv e d its n a m e fro m th e S a ttn p a n n i o u g h t to e n g e n d e r a fa ir e r sp ir it. W h e n C h r i s t i a n h i s ­
p l a n t , h e S ta te s w h a t is c o r r e c t. In th e A r c h a e o lo g ic a l S u r v e y o f I n d i a , to r i a n s c a n , u p o n u n d e n i a b le historical a u t h o r i t y , ju s t if y
yre fin d t h a t G e n l. C u n n in g h a m id en tifies w ith th is cave one not far
biblical a n d ecclesia stical c h r o n o lo g y , t h e n , p erc h a n c e ,
aw ay from it an d in th e sam o B aibhar ra n g o , b n t w h ic h is m o s t d e c i­
d ed ly n o t on r S ap tap arn a cave. A t th e saino tim e th e C h io f E n g i­
th e y m ay b e b e tte r equipped th a n a t p re s e n t for th e con­
n e e r of B u d d h a G a y a , M r. B eg ln r, d e s c rib in g t h e O h e tu e n v o , m e n t i o n e d g e n ia l w o rk of r e n d i n g h e a t h e n c h ro n o lo g ie s in to sh re d s.
by F a-liian, th in k s it is th o S ap tap a rn a cave— and he is rig h t,
i or t h a t a s w e ll as th o P ip p a l and th e o th er caves, m en tio n ed in * B ish o p P ig a n d e t, a fte r e x a m in in g all th e B urm ese au th o rities
o u r te x ts, a re too s a c re d in th e ir asso c ia tio n s— b o th h a v in g been used accessib le to h im , f r a n k ly c o n fesses th a t “ th o h is to ry of B u d d h a offers
fo r ce n tu ries b y g en eratio n s of B h ik k h u s, n n to th e very tim e of th eir an alm o st co m p lete b lan k as to w h a t re g a rd s his do in g s and preach­
J e a v iu g ^ In d ia — to h a v e th e ir site s so ea sily fo r g o tte n , in g s d u rin g a p e rio d of n e a rly tw o n ty -th re e y e a rs ,” — V o l. I p . 2 G 0 .— E d ,
 T h e “ c h a n n e l ” t h e C e ylo ne se r e c e iv e d tlie ir in f o rm a ­
tion t h r o u g h , w as tw o B ik sliu s w h o h a d le f t M a g a d h a to
follow t h e i r d is g r a c e d b r e t h r e n iu to e x ile. T h e c a p a c ity
of S i d d h a r t h a B u d d h a ’s A r h a t s fo r t r a n s m i t t i n g in te lli­
g en c e b y p sy c h ic c u r r e n t s m a y , p e r h a p s , b e c o n c e d e d
w i t h o u t a n y g r e a t s tr e t c h of im a g in a tio n to h a v e b e e n e q u a l
to, if n o t g r e a t e r tlia n t h a t of t h e p r o p h e t E l i j a h , w h o ia
c r e d ite d w ith th o p o w e r of h a v i n g k n o w n fro m a n y d i s ­
ta n c e all t h a t h a p p e n e d in t h e k i n g ’s b e d - c h a m b e r .
N o O r i e n ta lis t h a s t h e r i g h t to r e j e c t t h e te s tim o n y of
o th e r p e o p le ’s S c r i p t u r e s , w hile p r o f e s s iu g b elief in t h e
far m o r e c o n t r a d i c t o r y a n d e n t a n g l e d e v id e n c e of liis ow n,
upon t h e se lf-sa m e t h e o r y of p ro o f. I f P r o f . M iiller is a
scep tic a t h e a r t , th e n le t h im fea rle s s ly d e c la r e h i m s e l f :
only a sc e p tic w ho im p a r tia lly a c t s t h e ic onocla st, h a s t h e
r i g h t to as su m e su c h a to n e of c o n t e m p t to w a r d a n y n o n -
C h r is tia n r e lig io n . A n d fo r t h e in s t r u c t i o n of t h e im p a ir
tia l e n q u i r e r on ly , shall it b e t h o u g h t w o r t h while to col­
la te t h e e v id en c e affo rd e d b y h i s t o r i c a l — n o t p s y c h o lo g i­
cal— d a t a s . M e a n w h ile , b y a n a l y s i n g so m e o b je c tio n s a n d
e x p o s in g t h e d a n g e r o u s lo g ic of o u r critic, we m a y g iv e t h e
th e o s o p h is ts a few m o r e f a c t s c o n n e c t e d w ith t h e s u b je c t
u n d e r disc u ssio n .
N o w t h a t wo h a v e seen P r o f . M a x M iille r’s o p in io n s in
g e n e r a l a b o u t th i s , so to say, t h e P r o lo g u e to th e B u d d ­
h is t D r a m a w i t h V ija y a as th e h e r o — w h a t lias lie to
say as to t h e d e ta ils of ita p lo t ? W h a t w e a p o n d oes lie use
to w e a k e n th is f o u n d a tio n s to n e of a c h r o n o lo g y upo n w h ich
a re b u ilt, a n d on w hich d e p e n d all o t h e r B u d d h i s t d a t e s ?
W h a t is t h e f u lc r u m for t h e c ritica l le v e r h e uses a g a i n s t
th e A s ia tic re c o rd s? T h r e e of his m a in p o in ts m a y b e
s t a t e d s e r ia tim w i t h a n s w e rs a p p e n d e d . H e b e g i n s b y
p r e m i s i n g t h a t :—
l i'i— “ I f t h e s t a r t i n g p o in t of th o N o r t h e r n B u d d h i s t
c h ro n o lo g y t u r n s o u t to be m e r e ly h y p o t h e t i c a l , b a s e d
a s it is on a p r o p h e c y of B u d d h a , it w ill bo difficult to
a v o id t h e sa m e conclusion w ith r e g a r d to t h e d a t e a s s i g n ­
e d to B u d d h a ’s d e a t h b y t h e B u d d h i s t s of C e y lo n a n d
of B u r m a h ” (266). “ T lie M a h a v a n s a b e g i n s w ith r e ­
l a t i n g t h r e e m ira c u lo u s v isits w h ic h B u d d h a p a id to
C e y lo n .” V ija y a , t h e f o u n d e r of t h e first d y n a s t y (in
C eylon) m e a n s conquest, “ a n d , th e r e f o r e , su c h a p e r s o n
m ost likely n e v e r e x i s te d . ” (p. 2.68.) T h is h e believe s
in v a lid a te s t h e w hole B u d d h i s t c h r o n o lo g y .
T o w h ic h t h e fo llo w in g p e n d a n t m a y b e offered :—
W illia m I , K i n g of E n g l a n d , is c o m m o n ly ca lle d th e
Conqueror ; he w as, m o r e o v e r, t h e i l l e g i t i m a t e son of
R o b e r t , D u k e of N o r m a n d y , s u r n a i n e d le D iahle. A u
o pera , w e h e a r , w as in v e n te d 011 t h is s u b je c t , a n d
full of m ira c u lo u s e v e n ts , called “ R o b e r t th o D e v il,”
s h o w in g its tr a d i tio n a l c h a r a c t e r . T h e r e f o r e shall we bo
also ju stified in s a y in g t h a t E d w a r d t h e C onfessor,
S a x o n s a n d all, u p to tlje tin>e of tjie u n io n of t h e h o u se s
of Y o r k a n d L a n c a s t e r u n d e r H e n r y V I I — tlie n e w h i s ­
to ric a l p e r io d in E n g l i s h h i s t o r y — a r e all “ f a b u lo u s t r a d i ­
t i o n ” aiid “ su c h a p e rso n as W i l l i a m t h e Concjueror m ost
lik ely never e x iste d ?”
2 n d — I n t h e C h in e se C h r o n o lo g y — c o n t in u e s th o d i s ­
s e c t i n g c r i t i c — “ t h e lis t of t h e t h i r t y - t h r e e B u d d h i s t
p a t r i a r c h s .... is of a d o u b tf u l c h a r a c t e r . F o r W e s t e r n H i s ­
to r y th o e x a c t C e y lo n e se c h r o n o lo g y b e g i n s w ith 1G1
B- C .” E x t e n d i n g b e y o n d t h a t d a t e t h e r e e x i s ts b u t
“ a tr a d i tio n a l n a tiv e c h r o n o lo g y , T h e r e f o r e , . . , w h a t
g o es b e f o r e . . . . js b u t f a b u lo u s t r a d i t i o n . ”
T h e c h r o n o lo g y o f t h e A p o s tle s a n d tlie ir e x i s te n c e
h a s n e v e r b e e n p r o v e d h is t o r ic a l ly . T h e h i s t o r y of t h e
P a p a c y is c o n f e sse d ly “ o b s c u r e ." E n n o d i u s of P a v i a ( 5 th
c e n tu r y ) w as t h e first one to a d d r e s s t h e R o m a n B is h o p
(Sym m oclius)— w h o co m es fifty-first in t h e A p o s t o l i c
successio n, as “ P o p e , ,? T h u s , if w e w e r e to w r i te t h e
H is to r y of C h r is t ia n i ty , a n d in d u l g e in r e m a r k s u p o n its
ch ro n o lo g y , w e m i g h t sa y t h a t sin c e t h e r o w e r e n o a n ­
te c e d e n t P o p e s ; a n d sin c e t h e A p o s to lic lin e b e g a n w ith
Symmoclius (493 “ A. D.”) ) all Cluistiaii records begin­
n i n g w ith th e N a t i v i t y a n d n p t o t h e s i x t h c e n tu r y a r e
therefore— “ f a b u lo u s t r a d i t i o n s , ” a n d all C h r is tia n c h r o ­
n o lo g y is “ p u r e ly h y p o t h e t i c a l . ”
3 r d .— T w o d is c r e p a n t d a t e s in B u d d h i s t c h r o n o lo g y a r a
s c o ru f u lly p o i n t e d o u t b y t h e O x f o r d P ro f e s s o r. I f t h e
la n d i n g o f V ija y a , in L a n k a — ho s a y s — on t h e s a m e d a y
t h a t B u d d h a r e a c h e d N i r v a n a (died) is in f u lfilm e n t of
B u d d h a ’s p r o p h e c y , t h e n “ if B u d d h a was a tru e p ro p h e t,
t h e C e y lo n e se a r g u e q u i t e r i g h t l y t h a t he m u s t have d ie d
in the year o f the Conquest, or 543 B . C .” (p. 270). O u
th o o t h e r h a n d t h e C h in e se h a v e a B u d d h i s t c h r o n o l o g y
of t h e i r o w n ; a n d — it d o e s n o t a g r e e w ith t h e C e y lo n e se .
“ T h e life -tim e of B u d d h a fro m 1029 to 950 r e s ts on h ia
ow n p ro p h e c y t h a t a m ille n n iu m w o u ld elapse f ro m hia
d e a t h to t h e co n v e rsio n of C h in a. I f, th e re fo r e , B u d d h a
was a true p ro p h e t, he m u s t have lived about 1000 1?. G.”
(206). B u t t h e d a t e d o e s u o t a g r e e w ith t h e C e ylone se
c h r o n o lo g y ; ergo— B u d d h a was a fa l s e p ro phet. A s to
t h a t o t h e r “ t h e first a n d m o s t i m p o r t a n t lin k ” in t h e
C e ylone se as well as in t h e C h in e se c h r o n o lo g y , “ i t is
e x t r e m e l y w e a k . ” . . . I n t h e C e ylo ne se “ a m ira c u lo u s
genealogy h a d to be p ro v id e d f o r V i j a y a , ” a n d , “ a p r o ­
p h e c y ‘w as, therefore, in v e n te d ” (p. 2(59).
O n t h e s e sa m e lines of a r g u m e n t i t m a y b e a r g u e d
t h a t ;—
S in c e n o g e n e a l o g y of J e s u s , “ e x a c t o r i n e x a c t , ” is
f o u n d in a n y of th o w o rld ’s r e c o rd s save t h o s e e n t i t l e d
— t h e G o s p e ls of S S . M a t t h e w ( i. 1 to 17), a n d L u k o
iii. 2 3 — 38); a n d , since t h e s e r a d ic a lly d i s a g r e e — a l t h o u g h
th is p e r s o n a g e is t h e m o s t co nsp icuou s in W e s t e r n h i s ­
to r y , a n d th e n ic e s t a c c u r a c y m i g h t h a v e b e e n e x p e c t e d
in his case ; th e r e f o r e , a g r e e a b l y w ith P ro f . M ax M ii lle r ’s
sa r c a s t ic logic, if J e s u s “ ivas a true prophet, he m u s t have,
d e s c e n d e d fro m D a v id t h r o u g h J o s e p h (M a t t . ’s Gospel) ;
a n d “ if lie w as a tru e p r o p h e t” a g a in , th e n t h e C h r is ­
tia n s “ a r g u e q u ite r i g h t l y t h a t h e m u s t h a v e ” d e s c e n d e d
from D a v id t h r o u g h M a r y ( L u k e ’s G osptl.) F u rth e r­
m o re, sin ce t h e tw o g e n e a l o g i e s a re o b v iously d is c r e p a n t
a n d p r o p h e c ie s w e r e t r u l y “ i n v e n t e d ” b y t h e p o si-
ap o s to lie th e o lo g ia n s [o r, if p r e f e r r e d , old p r o p h e c ie s oi:
I s a i a h a n d o t h e r 0 . T . p r o p h e t s , ir r e l e v a n t to .Jesns,
w e re a d a p te d to s u it his c a s e — as r e c e n t E n g l i s h c o m ­
m e n t a t o r s (in H o l y O r d e r s ) , t h e B ib le re v is e r s , no'v
c o n c e d e ] a n d sin c e m o r e o v e r — alw ays f o llo w in g tlio
P r o f e s s o r ’s a r g u m e n t , in t h e cases of B u d d h i s t a n d B r a h -
lna n ica l c h r o n o lo g ie s — “ t r a d i tio n a l a n d full of a b s u r d i ­
t i e s . . . e v e r y a t t e m p t to b r i n g th e m in to h a r m o n y h a v i n g
p r o v e d a f a ilu re (p. 26(3)” a r e B ib le c h r o n o lo g y a n d
g e n e a l o g ie s less so ? H a v e we, or h a v e we n o t a cer­
ta in r i g h t to r e t o r t , t h a t if G a u t a m a B u d d h a is sho w n o n
th e so linos a f a l s e p ro p h e t, th e n J e s u s m u s t be lik e w ise
“ a false p r o p h e t ?” A n d if J e s n s was a t r u e proph ou
d e s p ite e x i s t i n g c o n fu sio n of a u th o ritie s , w h y ou th o
sa m e lines m a y n o t B u d d h a h a v e b e e n o n e ? D is c r e d it
t h e B u d d h i s t p r o p h e c ie s a n d t h e C h r is tia n ones m u s t g o
along- w i t h t h e m .
T h e u t t e r a n c e s of tlie a n c i e n t p y th o n e s s now b n t
p r o v o k e t h e scien tific sm ile : b u t no tr ip o d over mount.etl
b y t h e p r o p h e t e s s of old w as so s h a k y as th e c h r o n o lo ­
g ic a l tr i n i t y of p o i n t s u p o n w h ic h t h is O rie n ta list s t a n d s
to d e liv e r h is o rac les. M o r e o v e r his a r g u m e n t s a r o
d o u b le - e d g e d , a s sh o w n . I f th e citadel of B u d d h i s m c a n
b e u n d e r m i n e d b y P r o f . M a x M u ll e r ’s critical e n g i n e e r i n g ,
t h e n p a r i p a s s u t h a t of C h r is t ia n i ty m u s t c r u m b l e iu t h e
sa m e ru in s. O r h a v e t h e C h r is tia n s alo n e t h e m o n o p o ly
of absurd re lig io u s “ in v e n tio n s ” a n d t h e r i g h t o f b e i n g
je a lo u s of a n y in f r i n g e m e n t of t h e i r p a t e n t r i g h t s ?
T o c o n c lu d e , w e say, t h a t th o y e a r of B n d d h a ’s d e a t h
is c o r r o c tly s t a t e d b y M r. S i n n e t t , E so te ric B u d d h ism ,
h a v i n g to g iv e its c h r o n o lo g ic a l d a t e s a c c o r d in g to cso~
teric r e c k o n in g . A n d t h i s r e c k o n i n g w o u ld alo ne, if
e x p l a in e d , m a k e a w a y w i t h e v e ry o b je c tio n u r g e d , f r o m
P r o f . M . M u l l e r ’s S a n s k r i t L i t e r a t u r e d o w n t o t h e l a t e s t
“ e v id e n c e ” — the p roofs in t h e R e p o rts o f the Archceological,
Survey o f India, The Ceylonese era, as given in Mah^
J
 v a n s a , is c o r r e c t in everything', w i t h h o l d i n g b u t t h e above
g i v e n f a c t of N ir v a n a , th e g r e a t m y s t e r y of S a m m n - S a m -
b u d d h a a n d A b h i d j n a r e m a i n i n g to th is d a y u n k n o w n to
t h o o u t s i d e r ; a n d t h o u g h c e r t a i n l y k n o w n to B i k s h u
M a h a n i l m a — K i u g D h a t u s e u a ’s u n c l e — it c ou ld n o t
b e e x p la in e d in a w ork lik e t h e M a h a v a n s a . M o r e o v e r th e
S i n g h a l e s e c h r o n o lo g y a g r e e s in e v e r y p a r t i c u l a r w ith
t h e B u rm e so c h r o n o lo g y . I n d e p e n d e n t of th o r e li­
g i o u s e r a d a t i n g f r o m B u d d h a ’s d e a t h , c a lle d “ N i r v a -
n i c E r a , ” th e r e e x is te d , as no w sh o w n b y B ish o p
B i g a n d e t (L ife o f G a u d a m a ), tw o h is to ric a l eras.
O n e la ste d 1362 y e a r s , its la st y e a r c o r r e s p o n d i n g w ith
1 1 5 6 of th o C h r is tia n e r a : t h e o t h e r , b r o k e n in tw o small
e ra s, th o la s t su c c e e d in g im m e d ia te ly t h e o th e r , e x ists
t o th o p r e s e n t day. T h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e first, w hich
.lasted 562 y ea rs, coincides w ith th o y e a r 79 A . J). a n d
tli e I n d i a n S a k a era. C o n s e q u e n t ly tlie l e a r n e d B ish o p ,
w h o s u r e ly can n e v e r bo s u s p e c t e d of p a r t i a l i t y to B u d ­
d h is m , a c c e p ts tho y e a r 5 l o of B u d d h a ’s N ir v a n a . (So do
M r . T u m o u r , P ro f e s s o r L a ss e n , a n d o th e r s .
T ho a lle g e d d isc re p a n c ie s b e t w e e n th o 14 v a r io u s d a te s
c i‘ N i r v a n a co lle c te d b y C s o m a Corosi, d o n o t r e l a t e to
t h e N y r - h Tijang in th o least. T h o y a r c c a lc u la tio n s con­
c e r n i n g th e N i r v a n a of tlio p r e c u rs o r s , t h e B o d d h i s a t-
tvns a n d p re v io u s i n c a r n a ti o n s of S a n g g y a s , t h a t tho
. H u n g a ria n found in various w o r k s a n d w r o n g l y a p p lie d
lo tlio la st B u d d h a . E u r o p e a n s m u s t n o t f o r g e t t h a t this
e n t h u s i a s t a c te d u n d e r p r o t e s t of th o L a m a s d u r i n g the
t i m e of his s ta y w ith t h e m ; a n d t h a t, m o re o v e r, he had
l e a r n e d m o re a b o u t t h e d o c t r i n e s of th o h e r e tic a l D u g -
p a s t h a n of th o o r th o d o x G e lu g p a s . T h e s t a t e m e n t of this
“ Q-rotit a u th o r ity (!) on T ib e ta n B u d d h i s m ,” as lie is called,
t o th o effect t h a t G a u t a m a h a d three, w ives w hom lie
n a m e s — a n d then c o n t r a d i c t s h im s e lf b y s h o w in g (Til/e­
la n G r a m m a r , p. 162, soo note) t h a t t h e first tw o wives
“ a r c one a n d th e sa m o ,” sh o w s how l it tle lie can be r e ­
g a r d e d as nu “ a u t h o r i t y . ” .11 o h a d n o t ev e n le a r n e d
t h a t “ G opa, Y a s o d h a r a .and U t p a l a V a n i n , ” aro th e th r e e
:nanios for th r e e m y stica l p o w e rs. S o w ith th e “ d i s c r e ­
p a n c i e s ” of th o d a t e s . O u t of th o 64 m e n t i o n e d by him
b u t tw o r e la te to S a k y a M u n i : n a m e ly , tlie y e a r s 576
a n d 5 1 6 — a n d th e s e tw o e r r in th o ir tr a n s c r i p t i o n ; for
w h e n c o r r e c tc d t h e y m u s t s t a n d 564 a n d 5 43. A s l'or
Ihe r e s t th e y co n c ern th o s e v e n k u - s n m , o r t r i p l e form
<>[■ th e N ir v a n ic s t a t e an d tlieir r e s p e c ti v e d u r a t i o n , a n d
r e l a t e to d o c trin e s of w hich O r i e n ta lis t s k n o w a b s o lu te ly
n o th in g.
C o n s e q u e n tly from t h c N o r t h c r n B u d d h i s ts ,w h o , as co n ­
fesse d by P ro fess o r W e b e r , “ alo n e p o sse ss th e s e ( B u d d h i s t)
{Scriptures complete,” a n d h a v e “ p re s e rv e d m oro a u t h e n t i c
i n f o r m a ti o n r e g a r d i n g th o c i r c u m s ta n c e s of t h e i r r e d a c ­
t i o n ” — t h e O rie n ta lis ts h a v e u p to th is tim e le a r n e d n e x t
t o n o th in g . T h o T ib e ta n s sny t h n t T a t h a g a t a b e c a m e a
full B u d d h a , i.e ., r e a c h e d absolute N i r v a n a in 2 5 4 4 of
t h e K a li era, ( a c c o r d in g to S o u ra n im a ) a n d th u s lived
in d e e d b u t eig h ty y e a r s , as no N ir v a n e e of the seventh
degree c a n be r e c k o n e d a m o n g t h e living (i . e, e x is tin g )
m e n . I t is no b etter t h a n loose c o n j e c tu r e to
a r g u e t h a t it w o u ld h av e e n t e r e d as little in to tho
t h o u g h t s of t h e B r a h m a n s of n o t i n g th o d a y of B u d d h a ’s
b ir th “ as th o R o m a n s o r even t h e J e w s (would have)
t h o u g h t of p r e s e r v i n g t h e d a t e of t h e b i r t h of J e s u s
b e f o r e h e h a d b e c o m e t h e f o u n d e r of a r e li g io n .” (M.
M u l l e r ’s ] I is l. 8 . L.) F o r , w hile th e J e w s h a d b e e n
f r o m t h e first r e j e c t i n g th o claim of M e s s ia h s h ip s e t up
.by th o C helas of th e J e w i s h p r o p h e t , a n d w e re n o t e x ­
p e c t i n g t h e i r M e ssia h a t t h a t tim e , t h e B r a h m a n s (the
i n it ia t e s , a t a n y rate) k n e w of t h e c o m in g of h im w hom
t h e y r e g a r d e d as an i n c a r n a ti o n of d i v in e w isd o m a n d
t h e r e f o r e w e re well a w a re of t h e a s tr o l o g ic a l d a t e of his
b irth . I f , in a f t e r tim es in t h e i r i m p o t e n t r a g e , th e y
d e s t r o y e d e v e r y acccssiblo v e s tig e of tlio b i r t h , lifo a u d
d e a t h of H im , w ho in his b o u n d le ss m e r c y to all c r e a t u r e s
h a d r e v e a le d t h e i r c a refu lly co n c e a le d m y s t e r ie s a n d
d o c t r i n e s in o r d e r to c h e c k th o e c c le sia stic a l t o r r e n t of
Qver-growiug superstitions, there Had been a time when ha
w as m et b y th em as an A v ata r. A n d , thoug h they de­
stroyed, o thers preserved.
T h e t h o u s a n d a n d o n e s p e c u la tio n s a n d t h e t o r t u r i n g
of e x o te r ic te x ts b y A rc h ae o lo g ist o r P a la e o g r a p h e r will
ill r e p a y t h e tim e lo st in t h e i r s tu d y .
T h e I n d i a n A n n a l s sp e cify K i n g A j a t a s a t r u as a c o n ­
te m p o r a r y of B u d d h a , a n d a n o t h e r A j a t a s a t r u h elp ed
to p r e p a r e t h e coun c il 100 y e a r s a f t e r his d e a th . T h e se
p r in c e s w e re s o v e r e ig n s of M a g a d h a a n d h a v e n a u g h t to
do w i t h A j a t a s a t r u of t h e B r i h a d - A r a n y a k a a n d t h e
K a u s h ita k i - I J p a n i s h a l, w ho was a s o v e re ig n of th o K asis ;
t h o u g h B h a d r a s e n a , “ t h e son of A j a t a s a t r u ” c u r s e d by
A r u n i — m a y h a v e m o r e to do w ith his n a m e s a k e th e
“ h e i r of C h a n d r n g u p t a ” t h a n is g e n e r a l l y k now n,
P r o f e s s o r M a x M u ll e r o b je c ts to tw o A s o k a s . l i e r e ­
j e c ts K a l a s o k a a n d a c c e p ts b u t D h a r m a s o k a — in a c c o r d ­
a n c e w ith “ G r e e k ” a n d iu u t t e r conflict w ith B u d d h i s t
c h r o n o lo g y . l i e k n o w s n o t — o r p e r c h a n c e p r e f e r s i g n o r ­
i n g — t h a t b e s id e s th o two A s o k a s th e r e w ero sov cral p e r ­
so n a g e s n a m e d C h a n d r n g u p t a a n d C h a n d r a m a s a . 'Plu­
t a r c h is s e t a s id e as co n flic tin g w ith t h e m o re w elcom e
th e o r y , a n d th e e v id e n c e of J u s t i n alono is a c c e p te d . T h ero
w as K a la s o k a , ca lle d b y so m e C h a n d r a m a s a a n d b y o th e rs
C h a n d r a g u p t a , w hose son N a u d a was su c c e e d e d by his
cousin t h e C h a n d r n g u p t a of S elc u cu s, a n d u n d e r w hom
th e C ouncil of V aisali to o k p la c e “ s u p p o r t e d by
K i u g N a n d a ” as c o r r e c tly s t a t e d b y T a r a n a t h a . [N one
of th e m w o re S u d r n s , a n d th is is a p u r e in v e n tio n
o ftlie B rahm ans]. T h e n th e ro w as t h e la s t of the
C h a n d r a g u p t a s w ho a s s u m e d t h e n a m e of Vilcrama ;
h e c o m m e n c e d t h e now e r a called th e V i k r a m a d i t j a o r
S a m v a t a n d b e g a n t h e now d y n a s t y a t Patalipufcrs),
3 !S (13. C .)— according to some E u ro p ea n “ authorities
after h im his son B indusara o r B h a d r a s e n a —-
also C h a n d r n g u p t a , w h o was followed b y D h a r m a s o k a
C h a n d r a g u p t a . A n d t h e r e w ere tw o P i y a d a s i s — the
“ S a n d r a ,c o ttu s ” C h a n d r a g u p t a a n d A s o k a . A n d if
c o n t r o v e r t e d — t h e O r i e n ta lis t s w ill h a v e to a c c o u n t for
th is s t r a n g e in c o n siste n c y . I f A s o k a w as t h e only
“ P iy a d a s i” n n d tlio b u ild e r of t h e m o n u m e n ts , a n d
m a k e r of t h e r o c k - in s c rip tio n s of th is n a m e ; a u d if his
i n a u g u r a t i o n o c c u r r e d as c o n j e c tu r e d b y P r o f e s s o r M ax
M u ll e r a b o u t 25') B .C ., in o th e r w o rd s , if ho r e ig n e d 6!) or
70 y e a r s l a t e r t h a n a n y of t h e G r e e k k i n g s n a m e d on th e
P i y a d a s ia n m o n u m e n t s , w h a t h a d h e to do w ith t h e i r
v a s s a la g e o r n o n -v a s s a la g c , o r h o w was ho c o n c e r n ­
ed w ith th e m a t all ? T h e i r d e a lin g s h a d b een w ith
his g ran d fath er som o 70 years e a r l i e r — if lie
b e c a m e a B u d d h i s t o n ly a f t e r ton y e a r s o c c u p a n c y
of th e t h r o n e . A n d finally t h r e e w e ll - k n o w n B h a d r a s e -
n a s ca n b e p r o v e d , w h o se n a m e s s p e lt loosely a n d p h o ­
n e t ic a lly ,a c c o rd i n g to e a c h w r i t e r ’s dia lec t a n d n a tio n a lity ,
now y ie ld a v a r ie ty of n a m e s , from B in d u s a r a , B im b is a ra ,
a n d V in d u sn ra , d o w n to B h a d r a s e n a a n d B h a d r a s a r a ,
a s h e is ca lle d in t h e V a y u P a r a n a . T h e se a rc all
sy n o n y m o u s . H o w e v e r easy, a t first s i g h t , it m ay seem
to b e to b r u s h o u t of h is t o r y a real p e r s o n a g e , it b ecom es
m o re difficult to p r o v e t h e n o n - e x is te n c e of K a l a s o k a b y
c a lli n g h im “ f a ls e ,” w h ile th o se c o n d A s o k a is t e r m e d
“ th o r e a l , ” in th e fac e of t h e e v id en c e of t h e P u r a n a s ,
w r i t t e n b y th o b i t t e r e s t en e m ie s of t h e B u d d h i s ts , th e
B r a h m a n s of th e p e rio d . T h e F w i/itand M a ts y a P u r a n a s
m e n tio n b o t h in t h e i r lists of th e r e i g n i n g S o v e r e ig n s
of th e N a n d a a n d t h e M o r y a d y n a s tie s. A n d , t h o u g h
th e y c o n n e c t C h a n d r a g u p t a w ith a S u d r a N a n d a ,
th e y do n o t d e n y e x i s te n c e to K a l a s o k a — fo r th o
s a k e of i n v a l i d a t i n g B u d d h i s t c h r o n o lo g y . H o w e v e r
falsified t h e n o w e x t a n t te x ts of b o th th o V a y u a n d
M a t s y a P u r a n a s , e v e n a c c e p te d as t h e y a t p r e s e n t s t a n d
“ in t h e i r t r u e m e a n i n g , ” w h ic h P r o f . M a x M .u llc r ( n o t w i t h ­
s t a n d i n g his confidence) fails to soize, t h e y a r e n o t “ a t
v a r ia n c e w ith B u d d h i s t c h r o n o lo g y b e f o r e C h a n d r a g u p t a . ”
N o t , a t a u y r a te , w h e n t h e real C h a n d r a g u p t a i n s t e a d of
t h e false S a n d r o c o t t u s of t h e G r e e k s is in tr o d u c e d a n d
a u t h e n t i c a t e d . Q uito in d e p e n d e n t l y of t h e B u d d h i s t
version, there exists the h is t o r ic a l fact recorded ia tha
 B r a h m a n ic a l a s w ell as in t h e B u r m e s e a n d T i b e t a n
versions, t h a t in t h e y e a r 63 of B u d d h a , S u s in a g o of
B e n a re s was ch o s e n k i n g b y t h e p e o p le of P a t a l i p u t r a ,
who m a d e a w a y w ith A j a t a s a t r u ’s d y n a s t y . S u s in a g o
rem o v e d th e c a p ita l of M a g a d h a fro m R a j a g r i h a to
V aisali, w hile his su c c e sso r K a l a s o k a r e m o v e d it iu
his t u r n to P a t a l i p u t r a . I t w as d u r i n g t h e r e i g n of
th e l a t t e r t h a t th e p r o p h e c y of B u d d h a c o n c e r n i n g P a ta li-
b a t o r P a t a l i p u t r a — a sm a ll v illa g e d u r i n g H i s t i m e —
was r ea lize d . (S e e M a h a p a rin lb b d ru i S u t t a ) .
I t w ill b e ea sy e n o u g h , w h e n t h e tim e co m es, to
a n s w e r all d e n y i n g O rie n ta lists a n d face th e m w ith p ro o f
and d o c u m e n t in h a n d . T h e y s p e a k of t h e e x t r a v a g a n t ,
wild e x a g g e r a t i o n s of t h e B u d d h i s t s a n d B r a h m a n s . T h e
l a t t e r a n s w e r : “ T h e w ild e st t h e o r i s t s o f nil a r e t h e y
who, to e v a d e a se lf- e v id e n t fa c t, a s s u m e m o r a l, a n t i ­
n a tio n a l im p o s sib ilitie s, e n t ir e ly o p p o s e d to t h e m ost
co n spicuous t r a i t s of th o B r a h m a n i c a l I n d i a n c h a r a c t e r —
nam ely, b o r r o w i n g from , o r i m i t a t i n g in a n y t h i n g , o t h e r
nations. P r o m th o ir c o m m e n t s 011 R i g V e d a , dow n to th o
a n n a ls of Ceylon, from P a n i n i to M a to u a n - lin , e v e r y
p a g e of t h e i r l e a r n e d sc h o lia a p p e a r s , to one a c q u a i n t e d
w ith th e s u b je c t, like a m o n s t r o u s j u m b l e of u n w a r r a n t e d ,
an d in sa n e sp e c u la tio n s . T herefore, n o tw ith s ta n d in g
G re e k c h r o n o lo g y a n d C l i a n d r a g u p t a — w ho so d a t e is
r e p r e s e n t e d as " t h e s h e e t- a n c h o r of I n d i a n c h r o n o l o g y ”
t h a t “ n o t h i n g will e v e r s h a k e ” — it is to bo f e a r e d t h a t
as r e g a r d s I n d ia , th e ch ro n o lo g ic a l s h ip of th o S a n s k r i -
tists h as a lre a d y b r o k e n fro m h e r m o o r in g s a n d g o n e
a d r if t w ith all h e r p r e c io u s f r e i g h t of c o u j e c tu r o s a n d
h y p o th e sis. S h e is d r i f t i n g in to d a n g e r . W e a r o a t
Hie e n d of a cy c le— g e o lo g ic a l a n d o t h e r — a n d a t th o
b e g i n n in g of a n o t h e r . C a ta c ly s m is to follow c a ta c ly sm .
T he p e n t - u p forces a r e b u r s t i n g o u t in m a n y q u a r t e r s ;
a n d n o t o n ly will m en b e sw allo w ed u p o r slain b y
th o u sa n d s, “ n e w ” la n d a p p e a r a n d “ o ld ” su b sid e ,
volcanic e r u p ti o n s a n d tid a l w aves a p p a l ; b u t se c r e ts
of a n u n s u s p e c te d P a s t w ill b e u n c o v e r e d to tho
d ism ay of W e s t e r n th e o ris ts , a n d t h e h u m ilia tio n of
an im p e rio u s science. T h is d r i f t i n g s h ip , if w a tc h e d
m ay be scon to g r o u n d u p o n th e u p h e a v e d v e s tig e s of
a n c ie n t civilizations, a n d fall to p ie ce s. W o a r e not,
em ulous of th e p r o p h e t ’s h o n o u r s ’: b u t still, le t th is
s ta n d as a p ro p h e c y .
.------* —
Q U E S T IO N V II.
iNiCIUI’TIONS DISCOVERED BY GENERAL A . CUNNINGIIAM,
B r T . S u b b a R ow , e. a., b l , P . T . S.
W fi h a v e carefu lly e x a m in e d th e n e w in s c rip tio n d i s ­
c o v e re d b y G e n e ra l A. C u n n i n g h a m on t h e s t r e n g t h of
w h ich t h e .date a s s ig n e d to B u d d h a ’s d e a t h b y B u d d h i s t
w r i te r s has b e e n decl'u-ed to bo i n c o r r e c t ; a n d wo a r e of
opinion t h a t th e said in s c rip tio n c o n firm s t h e t r u t h of
th o B u d d h i s t tr a d i tio n s in s t e a d of p r o v i n g t h e m to bo e r ­
roneous. T h e a b o v e m e n tio n e d a rc h a e o lo g ist w r ite s as
follows r e g a r d i n g t h e in sc rip tio n u n d e r c o n s id e r a t io n in
th e first volu m e of liis r e p o r ts :— “ T h e m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g
in sc rip tio n ( a t G aya) is a lo n g a n d p e r f e c t on e d a t e d in
the e r a of t h e N i r v a n a or d e a t h of B u d d h a . I r o a d th e
uato as follow s:— lih a y a v a t i B a r i n i r v r i t t e S a m v a t 1819
K u r ttik ii' b udi 1 B i t d h i — t h a t is “ in th e y e a r 1819 of th e
“ E m a n c ip a tio n of B h a g a v a t a 011 W e d n e s d a y , t h e first d a y
“ of tho w a n in g m oon of K a r t i b . ” I f th o e r a h e ro u s e d
is tho sa m e as t h a t of th e B u d d h i s t s of C eylon a n d B u r ­
mah, _ w h ic h b e g a n i n 51 J b. c. th e d a t e of th is
in s c rip tio n will b e 18 19— 513 = A . D. 1276. The
s , yle_ of th o l e tte r s is in k e e p in g w ith t h i s d a t e ,
b u t is q u ite in c o m p a t ib le w ith t h a t d e r iv a b le fro m the
C h in ese d a t e of t h e era. T h e C h in e se p la ce th e d e a th
o t B u d d h a u p w a r d s of 1000 y e a r s b e f o r o C h r is t , so t h a t
a c c o r d in g to th e m , t h e d a t e of th is in s c r i p t i o n w o u ld bo
a b o u t A . D . 800, a p e r io d m u c h too e a r ly f o r th o sty le
of c h a r a c t e r u s e d iu t h e in s c r i p tio n . B u t a s t h o d a y
of the week ia here fortunately added, the date caa be
verifie d b y c a lc u la t io n . A c c o r d i n g to m y c a lc u lation
t h e d a t e of t h e in s c r i p tio n c o r r e s p o n d s w i t h W e d n e s d a y ,
th o 17th S e p t e m b e r A . D . 1342. T h is w ould p la c e t h e
N i r v a n a of B u d d h a in 477 B . C., w h ic h is t h e v e r y y e a r
t h a t w as first p r o p o s e d b y in y se lf as t h e m o s t probabi©
d a t e of t h a t e v e n t . T h is c o r r e c te d d a t e h a s sin c e b e e u
a d o p t e d b y P r o f e s s o r M a x -M iille r.”
T h e r e a s o n s a s s i g n e d b y som e O r i e n ta lis t s f o r c o n ­
s i d e r i n g t h is so -c a lle d “ c o r r e c te d d a t e ” as t h e r e a l
d a t e of B u d d h a ’s d e a t h h a v e a lre a d y b e e n n o tic e d a n d
c r itic iz e d in t h e p r e c e d i n g a r tic le ; and now wo h a v e
only to c o n s id e r w h e t h e r th o in sc rip tion in q u e s tio n
d is p r o v e s th o o ld dato .
M a j o r G e n e ra l C u n n i n g h a m e v i d e n tl y seem s to - t a k o
it f o r g r a n t e d , as f a r as his p r e s e n t c a lc u la tio n is c o n ­
c e r n e d , t h a t t h e n u m b e r of d a y s in a y e a r is c o u n te d
in t h e M a g a d h a c o u n t r y a n d b y B u d d h i s t w r i te r s in
g e n e r a l on tlio s a m j b a s i s 011 w h ic h t h e n u m b e r of
d a y s in a c u r r e n t E n g l i s h y e a r is c o u n t e d ; a n d th is
w r o n g a s s u m p t i o n h a s v i t i a t e d his c a lc u la tio n a n d le a d
h im to a w r o n g c o n c lu sio n , T h r o e d if fe r e n t m e th o d s
of c a lc u la tio n w e r e in use in I n d i a a t t h e tim e w h e n
B u d d h a liv e d , a u d t h e y a r e still in use in d if fe r e n t p a r t s
of t h e c o u n t r y . T h e s e m e t h o d s a re k n o w n as S o u r a ­
m a n a m , G h u n d r a m a im m a n d B a r h a s p a t y a m a n a m . A c ­
c o r d i n g to t h e H i n d u w o r k s 011 A s t r o n o m y a S o u r a ­
m a n a m y e a r co n s ists of 3(55 d a y s 15 g lia d ia s a n d 31
v i g h a d i a s ; a C h a n d r a m a n u i u y e a r h a s 3(j0 d a y s , a n d a
y e a r 011 th e b a s is of B a r h a s p a t y a m a n a m h a s 361 d a y s
a n d 11 g lia d ia s n e a r ly . S ucli b e i n g t h e case, G e n e ra l
C u n n i n g h a m o u g h t to h a v e t a k e n t h e tr o u b l e of a s c e r ­
taining- b e f o r e h e m a d e h is ca lc u lation t h e p a r t i ­
c u l a r M a n a m e m p lo y e d b y th o w rite r s of M a g a d h a a n d
C e y lo n in g i v i n g t h e d a t e of B u d d h a ’s d e a t h a n d th o
M a n a m u s e d in c a lc u la t in g t h e y e a r s of t h e B u d d h i s t
e r a m e n tio n e d in t h e in s c r i p tio n a b o v e q u o te d . I n s t e a d
of p la c in g h im s e lf in t h e p o sitio n of t h e w r i t e r of th o
said in s c rip tio n a n d m a k i n g th o r e q u ir e d c a lc u latio n
fro m t h a t s t a n d p o i n t , h e m a d e tlio c a lc u la tio n 011 t h e
sa m e b a s is ou w h ic h a n E n g l i s h g e n t l e m a n of t h e 1 9 th
c e n t u r y w o u ld c a lc u la te tim e a c c o r d i n g to his ow n
c a le n d a r .
I f t h e c a lc u la tio n w ero c o r r e c tly m a d e , it w ou ld h a v o
sh o w n h im t h a t t h e in sc rip tio n in q u e s tio n is p e r f e c tly
c o n s is te n t w ith t h e s t a t e m e n t t h a t B u d d h a d ie d in t h e
y e a r 543 13. 0 . a c c o r d i n g to B a r h a s p a t y a m a n a m (th e
o n ly m a n a m u s e d in M a g a d h a a n d b y P a li .writers in
g e n e r a l) . T h e c o r r e c t n e s s of th is a s s e r tio n will be clca rly
se en ou e x a m i n i n g t h e f o llo w in g c a lc u la tio n .
543 y e a r s a c c o r d i n g to B a r h a s p a t y a m a n a m a r e e q u i v a ­
l e n t to 536 y e a r s a n d 8 m o n t h s (nearly ) a c c o r d in g to
S o u r a m a n a in .
S im ila r ly 1819 y e a r s a c c o r d i n g to t h e f o r m e r m a n a m
a r e e q u i v a le n t to 1798 y e a r s n e a r ly a c c o r d i n g to t h e
la tte r m anam . .
A s t h e C h r is t ia n e r a c o m m e n c e d 011 t h e 3 1 0 2 n d y e a r
of K a l i y u g a ( a c c o r d i n g t o S o u r a m a n a m ) B u d d h a die d
in t h e y e a r 2o 65 of K a l i y u g a a n d t h e in s c ri p tio n waa
w r i t t e n in tlie y e a r 4362 of K a l i y u g a (ac c o rd in g t o
S o u r a m a n a m ) ; A n d n o w th o q u e s tio n is w h e t h e r a c c o r d ­
ing- to th e H i n d u A lm a n a c , t h e first d a y of th o w a n i n g
m o o n of K a r t i k c o in c id e d w ith a W e d n e s d a y .
A c c o r d i n g to S u r y a s i d d h a n t a t h e n u m b e r of d a y s
f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g of K a l i y u g a u p to m i d n i g h t 011 t h o
1 5 th d a y of i n c r e a s i n g m o o n of A sw in a is 1 ,5 9 3 ,0 7 2 ( th o
n u m b e r of A d h i k a m a s a u s a s ( e x tr a m o n th s ) d u r i n g th o
i n t e r v a l b e i n g 1608 a n d th o n u m b e r of iv s l ia y a th ith i s
2 5 ,3 2 3 .
I f w e d iv id e th is n u m b e r b y 7 th e r e m a i n d e r w o u ld b e
5. A s K a l i y u g a c o m m e n c e d w ith F r i d a y , th o p e r io d of
tim o a b o v e d e fin e d c lo se d w i t h T u e s d a y , as a c c o r d in g to
S u r y a s i d d h a n t a a w e e k - d a y is c o u n t e d f r o m m i d n i g h t
to m i d n i g h t .
I t is to b e n o tic e d t h a t in p la co s w h e r e B a r h a s p a t} ’-
a m a n a m is iu use K r i s h n a p a k s h a m (or t h e d a r k half)
commences first aud is followed b y Suklapaksham,
 C o n s e q u e n t ly t h e n e x t d a y a f t e r t h e 1 5 th d a y of t h e
w a x i n g m o o n of A sw in a will be t h e 1st d a y of t h e w a n in g
m o o n of K a r t i k a to th o s e w ho a r e g u id e d b y th e B a rlias-
p a t y a m a n a m ca le n d a r. A n d t h e r e f o r e t h e l a t t e r d a t e ,
■which is t h e d a t e m e n t i o n e d in t h e in s c r i p tio n , w a s
W e d n e s d a y in th e y e a r 4 i 6 2 of K a l i y u g a .
T h e g e o c e n t ric l o n g i t u d e of t h e s u n a t t h e tim e of hia
m e r i d ia n p a s s a g e o n t h e s a id d a t e b e i n g 174°— 2 0 ' — 10"
a n d th e m o o n ’s l o n g it u d e b e i n g 7°— 5 1 ' — 4 2 ' (a c c o r d in g
t o S u r y a s id d h a n t a ) it ca n bo ea sily se en t h a t a t G a y a
t h e r e w as P a d y a m i t h i t h i ( I s t d a y of w a n i n g moon) for
n e a r l y 7 g h a d i a s a n d 50 v ig h a d ia s fro m t h e tim e of s u n ­
rise .
I t is c l e a r from t h e f o r e g o in g c a lc u la tio n t h a t “ K a r t i k
1 B a d i ” coincided w ith W e d n e s d a y in t h e y e a r 4 3 6 2 of
K a l i y u g a or t h e y e a r 1261 of t h e C h r is t ia n era, a n d t h a t
f r o m t h e s t a n d - p o i n t of t h e p e r s o n w ho w ro te th o in s c rip ­
ti o n t h e said y e a r w as t h e 1819th y e a r of t h e B u d d h i s t
e r a . A n d c o n s e q u e n tly th is new in s c ri p tio n confirm s th e
c o r r e c tn e s s of t h e d a t e a s s ig n e d to B u d d h a ’s d e a t h b y
B u d d h i s t w rite r s . I t w o u ld h av o b e e n b e t t e r if M a jo r
G e n e ra l C u n n i n g h a m h a d c a refully e x a m i n e d th o b as is of
h i s c a lc ulation b e f o r e p r o c la im in g to t h e w orld a t la rg e
t h a t t h e B u d d h i s t a c c o u n ts w e r e u n t r u s t w o r t h y .
-■ » ■
TH E C A B B A L L ATT.
B y J . D . B uck , M . D . , P . T . S.
^ O f la te , n u m e r o u s a r ti c le s in t h e Theosophist r e f e r ’
c i t h e r d ir e c tly or in d ir e c tly , to t h e a n t h r o p o m o r p h i c idea>
w h i c h h a s lo n g b e e n h e ld to b e th e S h i b b o l e t h , n o t only
o f o r th o d o x y , b u t of Ijfe o r d e a t h to t h e souls of 111011.
“ T h e n a t io n s w ith o u t G o d ” a ro still t h e “ h e a t h e n ” to
t h e C h r is tia n . T h e g r o w t h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t of th p G od-
id e a a m o n g t h e r e lig io n is ts of I n d i a , a s a m p l y sh o w n b y
t h e r e c e n t u t t e r a n c e s of so e m i n e n t a S a n s k r i t i s t as
M a x M iiller, to u c h in g , b u t o n e sid e of th o q u e s tio n ,
w ill h avo b n t little w e i g h t w ith t h e o r th o d o x C h r is ­
t i a n , w ho a p p e a ls to t h e J e w i s h a n d C h r is t ia n s c rip t u r e s ,
a n d is u n a b l e o r u n w illin g to m a k e d is t in c t io n b e tw e e n
t h e s c r ip t u r e s th e m s e lv e s , a n d tr a d i t i o n a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n
of t h e s a m e . T h e r e a r e , h o w e v e r, ev e n a m o n g C h r is ­
tia n s , th o s e w ho hold t h a t , “ There is no religion higher
th a n T i t i m i , ” a n d to t h e s e a c tu a l k n o w l e d g e \yill b e m o ro
w elcom e t h a n false tr a d i tio n s . T h o s t r o n g h o l d of a n ­
t h r o p o m o r p h is m jn its p r e s e n t fo rm is t h e J c h o v i s t i c
id e a , d r a w n from t h e P e n t a t e u c h , b u t w hile of d ir e c t
J e w i s h lin e ag e , t h e c h ild h a s r e c e iv e d m u c h fro m ita
m o d e r n m o th e r , H u m a n i t y , h e r s e lf t h e h e i r of m o d e rn
civ ilisation, • as jt w as in th e m in d of th o s e who first iu d i t e d it ;
“ I , t h e L o rd am a je a lo u s G o d , ” &c., h a s b e e n c o n v e r t ­
e d in to “ t h e f a th e r h o o d of G o d , a n d t h e b r o t h e r h o o d
of mi}n.”
T h e r e is, m o re o v e r, a t r i n i t y of ideas, g o i n g to m a k e
n p t h e a n t h r o p o m o r p h i c a s n o w r e c e iv e d , viz., th o J e h o -
v istic , E lo h is tic , a n d M e ssia n ic, a n d in t h e a p p l ic a tio n of
t h e s e m e a s u r e s , t h e r e is a g r e a t lack of u n a n i m ity a m o n g
C h r i s t i a n s , u nle ss it ca n b e f o u n d in th is , t h a t a l a r g e
p r o p o r t i o n of t]ie in d iv id u als of C h r is t ia n n a tio n s , are
M e s s ia n ic on S u n d a y , a n d e v e r y w h e r e in theory, b u t
e s se n tia lly J e h o v i s t i c in p ra c tic e .
A lm o s t e v e r y on e n o w -a -d a y s h a s h e a r d t h e n a m e
" C a b b a l la h .” A v e r y few h a v e r e a d f a r e n o u g h to l e a r n
a s to w h a t t h e n a m e r e f e r s to, a n d n o t o n e oven a m o n g
t h e R a b b is th e m s e lv e s s e e m s to k n o w w h a t it r e a lly is.
N a t u r a l a b ility a n d h u m a n a t t a i n m e n t h a v e n e v e r b e e n
e q u a l. T h e r e is, a u d h a s e v e r b e e n , jn alj g r e a t re li­
g io n s , a n exotcric for th o i g n o r a n t m a sse s , “ an x io u s
a b o u t m a n y t h i n g s , ” a n d a n “ e s o te r ic ” f o r t h e few w h o
h a v e “ c h o s e n t h e g o o d part-.’? T h e i n ju n c tio n C ast not
y o u r p e a r ls b e f o r e sw in e ,” h a s b e e n f o u n d in all th e so
r e li g io n s , a s t h e sw ine w ou ld n o t b e b e n e f itte d , a n d t h e
p e a r l a n d its p o s s e s s o r w o u ld o n ly b e t r a m p l e d in t h e
m ir e . H i s t o r y h a s p r o v e d t h e w is d o m of t h e in ju n c tio n ,
jpabbaliah refers to tliis secret wisdom as underlying the
t e x t of th o J e w i s h s c r i p t u r e s , a n d s u p p o se d to b e l o n g a t
t h e s a m e tim e to t h e J e w i s h h ie r a r c h y , H o b r e w r e c o rd s
a r e f u l l of h in ts t h a t t h i s s e c r c t w isd o m ex iste d . T r a d iti o n s
w e r e g a t h o r e d a n d c o m p ile d , c o m m e n ta r ie s w e re w r i t t e n
u p o n t r a d i tio n s , a n d c o m m e n t a r ie s u p o n c o m m e n t a r ie s ,
e v e r y w h e r e t h o s e c r e t w isd o m w as h in to d a t , till iu
m o d e r n tim e s oven a m o n g R a b b is th is t r a d i t i o n b e c a m e
a m y t h , a n d J u d a i s m l it tle m o ro th a n a close c o r p o r a ­
tio n fo r c o m m e r c ia l s p e c u la tio n s a n d m u tu a l p r o te c tio n ,
a b o d y fro m w h ic h th o soul h a d d e p a r t e d , ritu a lism
r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e lo s t re lig io n . A ll effo rts a t revival,
o r a t r e W i l d i n g t h e old J e r u s a l e m , h a v e failed, a n d why?
— s i m p l y 'b e c a u s e t h e i n n e r t e m p l e h a s b e e n d e s e c ra te d
a n d t h e “ race o f the prophets ” is no m ore.
I t m i g h t b e i n t e r e s t i n g to m a n y of y o u r r e a d e r s
to p o i n t o u t t h e g e n e r a l c h a r a c t e r of th o h in ts found
a b u n d a n t l y a m o n g R a b b in ic a l .and o t h e r so u rce s, which
lik e fin g e r - p o s ts in d ic a t e t h e o u t e r fo rm of C a b b a lla h ,
b u t w h ic h n o w h e r e g iv e th e K e y , a u d w h ic h show c o n ­
clu siv e ly , in n e a r ly e v e r y in s t a n c e a t le a s t, t h a t tho w r ite r
d id n o t possess it, b u t f u r t h e r p u r s u i t of t h e s u b je c t uot
on ly tim e a n d s p a c e fo rb id , b u t t h e r e a r e o th e r s m ore
c o m p e t e n t to t h e t a s k t h a n I a m . I sh all c o n t e n t m yself
w i t h sim p ly c a llin g a t t e n t i o n to t h e w o r k of a b le r
h a n d s , lir ie fly , t h e n , le t us c o m p a r e th e H e b r e w
s c r ip t u r e s , a n d espec ially t h e “ b o o k s of M o se s” to a series
of w h e e ls, “ w heels wjtliin w h e e ls ,” O f th e s e th e sim ple
H e b r e w t e x t w ith its literal i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , is t h e o u te r or
e x o te r ic , T h is t e x t w as r e a d in tlie s y n a g o g u e s , as to -day
b y C h r is t ia n s , a n d o ccasionally p o r tio n s of t h e n e x t in n e r
w heel w ore allow ed to g lim m e r t h r o u g h , as n o w -a -d a y s b y
S w e d e n b o r g ’s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s , law of c o r r e s p o n d e n c e s ,
&c. T h o s e g l i i n m e r i n g s - t h r o u g h h a v e g e n e r a lly bee n
b u t v a g u e m y s t ic i s m s , moro o r less a p p r e h e u s ib l e to the
s p ir itu a lly m in d e d , b u t e v a n e s c e n t. T r a d i t i o n teaches
t h a t th e s e i n n e r t r u t h s w e re u n f o ld e d to t h e n e o p h y te s
in tlie r a b b in i c a l schools, a c c o r d in g to t h e i r a p p r e h e n s io n ,
a n d to a fe w a fin a l in itia tio n in to d e e p e r m y s te r ie s was
v o u c h s a f e d . IMow it is a m u r k of th e s ig n s of th e tim es
t h a t a k e y h a s l)oon f o u n d f ittin g t h e lock of th e o u te r
w h ee l, a n d w h ic h b y e x a c t r e la tio n s to t h e o u te r te x t,
giv e s t h e “ signs and m easures” of tho n e x t in n e r wheel.
T h e o u t e r c o v e r in g b e i n g sho w n to b e r a t h e r a m a s k of
t h e in n e r, t h e i n n e r b e i n g “ embodied” o r e lo th e d -u p o n ,
h e n c e c o n c ea le d . A n d all t-liis n o t b y s p e cu la tio n a n d
m y s tific a tio n , b u t b y exact m athefiialical dem onstra­
tion e v e r y s t e p p r o v in g itself. T h is k e y h as a t h r e e ­
fold r o o t of i n te r p r e ta t io n . F i r s t , it g iv e s t h e
real m e a n i n g of tl|e ' t e x t of th e H e b r e w Bible,
se co n d , it g iv e s thp o r ig in a l c o n c e p t, jil^n a u d p u r ­
p o se of su c h a n c ie n t m o n u m e n ts as t h e P y r a m i d s , a n d
th e r e m a in s of th o “ M o u n d - B u il d e r s ” f o u n d h e r e in
A m e r ic a ; a u d th i r d l y , c o n n e c ts th e s e b y a n " e t e r n a l fit­
n e s s of t h i n g s ” w ith m e a su re s , m o tio n s , tim e s , a n d sp a ce s
of t h e h e a v e n l y bodies, th r o u g h i n h e r e n t rela tio n s, b y a
p r i m a r y p o s tu l a te , o r u n i t of m e a s u r e , a n d law of r e l a ­
tio n . T h is d isc o v e ry js so s im p le as to b e called a k e y ;
b u t t h e m y s t e r ie s w h ic h i t u n fo ld s a n d ex p la in s a r e s t a r t ,
lin g a n d o v e r w h e l m in g . T h is k e y is a n e w v a lu e of t
in w h ich a n a p p a r e n t l y in sig n ific a n t c o r r e c tio n of th e
r e c e iv e d or L e g e n d r a v a lu e is m ade, t h e v a lu e of th e
a n c i e n t E g y p t i a n c u b i t r e s to r e d , a n d f o u n d to b e a
m n lt ip le of t h e E n g l i s h in c h as a r e also all t h e o th e r
m e a s u r e s as 4 e t e r m in e d , rp]ie c o m m o n ly r e c e iv e d value
of tt w hile as a “ w o r k i n g h y p o t h e s i s ” m a y b e well
e n o u g h , js fq,lse in fa c t, a n d false in p h ilo s o p h y , a u d its
w a r r a n t is “ a u t h o r i t y ” b u t n o t t r u t h . H o w e v e r all th is
m u s t r e s t o o its m e r i t s — ' ‘ fig u re s will n o t lie” if allow ed
to te ll th e ir ow n s to ry . O n e m o r e p o i n t , a n d I h a v e
d o n e . I t is well k n o w n t h a t in H e b r e w t h e r e a r e no
n u m e r a l s a s such, b u t e a c h of t h e tw e n t y - t w o le tte rs of
t h e a l p h a b e t h a y e a n u m e ric a l valu e, a n d a re h e n c e to be
u s e d a n d r e a d , e i t h e r a s l e t t e r s of a w o rd , o r n u m b e r s
a c c o r d i n g to i n t e n t . A p a g e of H e b r e w te x t , th e re fo r e ,
jvbile to one person reading in plain words, would appear
 to another like a p a g e . of logarithms, and while num erous attem p ts have been m ade by com petent observers
this fact is well known to Hebrew scholars, it has to see this luminous sm oke; but these attem pts have general­
however remained a dead letter. A very learned llabbi ly resulted in failure ;* and amid the few cases of success th a t
recently told me (one who has the courage of his convic­ are recorded (such as by th e late Professor Gregory a n d by
tions) that since this fact had been pointed out to him, l-)r. A shb uruer) I ean find no evidence th a t proper p rec au­
tions were taken to avoid the effects of imagination, of de­
and the key to its value and interpretatiou furnished
ception, or of chance. I t is not surprising therefore th a t tho
him, the scriptures had become a new revelation. discovery claim ed by Reichenbach has been very generally
To return now to our starting point, viz., anthropomor­ discredited am ong scientific men in all countries. I t has,
phism, the Jehovistic idea, &c., it will be found that however, always seemed to me very difficult to explain aw ay
when such words as Jehovah, Elohim, Adam, Abraham, the a b u n d a n t, and in some cases weighty, testim ony which
&c.&c.are read by their numerals—not hap-liaaard—but by Reichenbach adduces—such as the evidence of Professor
the true key, according to which they were first set forth, Endlicher, and others in high social position, who in their
tliat in this old text resides a knowledge so vast, a normal healthy condition describe these appearances in m in u te
science so profound, mathematics so exact, and a revela­ detail, the luminosity they assert springing into existence
tion so wonderful, as to startle the reader, and enable whenever the m agnet was excited, as if a phosphorescent
him to see therein a Divine revelation which though cloud had suddenly been created over the magnetic poles.
obscured, and lost through superstition and worldliness, Affirmative statem ents of this kind, however foreign to our
present knowledgo, are surely worthy of respectful inquiry ;
lias riot been permitted to be destroyed, and the origin
nnd th o u g h my own a tte m p ts to see the glare have been
and intent of tho word Jehovah, will receive a new intar- entirely unsuccessful, I p refer to think some of tlie necessary
pretation. The God-idea will 110 longer rest for honest conditions of the e xp e rim ent— such as extreme sensitiveness
and intelligent Christians, barely 011 the authority of a of tlie retin a— have been absent in my case, ra th e r than con­
text so long misinterpreted, but will be found related to clude from m y w a n t of success th a t the phenomenon lias no
the evolution of the God-idea in all time, and all reli­ existence.
gions. It will be observed that but two of the “ wheels” Considerations such as these led the recently formed Society
have been herein referred to. That still deeper meanings for Psychical Research to appoint a Committee to repeat
lie concealed in this much-abused, and much-misused R eichenbach’s experim ents w ith th e object of testing their
old book is by no means unlikely ; and that these inner accuracy, when a wide range of individuals were examined.
mysteries may be revealed, as the ground now reclaimed A s a m ember of t h a t committee I have lately been present at>
is more and more comprehended, who shall deny ? Surely a course of experiments, where a remarkable verification wan
the conscientious and intelligent study into the founda­ afforded of th e fact th at, to certain eyes, a faint luminosity
tions of ancient religions, is bringing forth a rich harvest. accompanies tlie creation of a powerful magnetic field. The
evidence, so f a r as it goes, seems to me so absolutely u nex ­
“ Ever the Truth comes uppermost, ceptionable thr.t I venture to ask you to place on record a
“ Ever is Justice done.” brief sta te m en t of the facts so far obtained. The positive
Tho author of the work above referred to is J. Ralston evidence afforded by the experiments now to be described
Skinner of Cincinnati 0., a man of profound learning, cannot be annulled by the fact th a t on subsequent occasions
(one of the first of mathematicians) and of profound the trials were, as I am informed, less successful. I t is, I
loyalty to truth. Hitherto he has published, aside from think, not unreasonable to conclude th a t conditions, not yet
some pamphlets, but one volume, viz., a “ System of understood, wcro sometimes favourable, sometimes th o
reverse.
Measures” as related to the Pyramids, which work can The experiments were made in the rooms of th e Society,'
be had by those interested of Robt. Clarke & Co. of No. 14 Dean's Yard, W estm inster ; one of these rooms was so
Cincinnati. Mathematicians ought to be among the arranged th a t it could a t pleasure be made into a perfectly
first to examine these works, but those who are satisfied d a rk chamber, no glim m er of light being perceived even after
>vith present methods, will be the first to scout and nn hour’s immersion in the darkness. A powerful electro­
sneer and the last to examine, and the same might be magnet was m ounted on a heavy wooden stand, and stood by
said of both Christians and Jewish Rabbis. There are itself in the centre of the room; wires led from the m a g n et
certainly among the many readers of the T heosophist to a com m utator in an other room, and thence to a large
those who will thank me for pointing out, though so Smee’s b attery outside. Three observers (Mr. W a lte r H .
yery imperfectly, the value of Mr. Skinner’s discovery, Coffin, the H onorary Secretary of this Committee, Mr. E d ­
and who will eventually benefit themselves by aiding in m und Gurney, and Mr. E. R. Pease) were in charge of the
com mutator, m aking aud breaking the c u rre n t a t their owu
the publication of these rare and valuable works, or iu
pleasure and notin g down the exclamations, made by tb e
creating a demand that they shall see the light.
observers in the adjoining darkened room, the voice being
136 W e ;t, 8 th S t . )
easily heard th ro u g h the in tervening curtains. In tbe d a r k
C in c in n a t i, O h io , U. S. A. J chamber were Mr. P. W. H . Myers, Dr. A. T . Myers, Mr.
— -+ ----- H . N. Ridley, and myself, and in addition, on a subsequent
L U M IN O S IT Y OF T H E M A G N E T IC F IE L D . occasion, Mr. W . R. Browne, together with two persons who
Communicated by E u stac e J. L o pez , F. T. S. on a preliminary trial a day or two before, had declared they
Assoc. Soc. Tel. E n g r s . and Electricians, Sub-Assist­ saw a luminous glare over the poles of a perm anent steel
ant, Superintendent Indian Government Telegraphs. magnet. These were Mr. G. A. Smith and a boy, Fred. Wells,
who is an assistant in a b a k e r ’s shop ; both of them wero
Note on the Alleyed Lum inosity of tlie Magnetic Field. entire strangers to these experim ents up to the time of o n r
Ltj W . F . B a r r e t t , Professor of Experim ental Physics in preliminary trials, and disclaimed any knowledge of Keichen-
the Royal Collcye of Science, D ublin* b a c h ’s work. I n the first instance they were not told w h a t
I t is well k n o w n t h a t t h e late B aron vo n R o iclien ba ch to look for, h u t merely to note if they pcrceivcd a n y th in g
claim ed to hav e d iscovered a p e c u lia r lu m in o u s e m a n a ­ amid th e darkness, nnd if so, w h a t and where.
t i o n a ri s in g from th e polos o f a m a g n e t, roaom bling a f a i n t F o r some tim e after en terin g the dark cham b er n o th in g
clectric d is e h a rg o in rarefied air. T h i s p e c u lia r lu m in o s ity was seen, though during this time the electro-magnet was fre­
waa only to be seen in a p e rf e c tly d a r k e n e d room , a n d e v e n quently excited. A fte r about, half an h o ur had elapsed, W ells
th e n w as only visib le to certain persons. S in c e th e p u b li c a ­ aud subsequently Mr. Smith declared they saw a faintly
tion of R e ic h e n b a c h ’s e la b o ra te in v e s ti g a ti o n s o n th is s u b je c t, visible smoke in the room ; being asked where, each in tu r n
led me directly up to the magnetic poles as the seat of tho
* C o m m u n i c a t e d b y t h e A n t h o r t o t l i e L o n d o n , E d in b u r g h a n d D u b lin
P h i lo s o p h ic a l M a g a z in e a n d J o u r n a l o f S c i e n c e , ( b e i n ' ; a c o n t i n u a t i o n
luminosity. One pole (the north-seeking pole) they said waa
o f T i l l o c h ’9 ‘P h i l o s o p h i c a l M a g a z i n e , ’ N i c h o l s o n ' s ‘ J o n r n a l ’ a n d T h o m - brighter th a n the other. The luminosity was described as
p o n ’a ‘A n n a l s o f P h i l o s o p h y ’) c o n d u c t e d by like two waving cones of light, w ith the apex of each cone on
S ir R o b e r t K ane, l l. d ., f. I t. s . , m. r, i. a ., f. c. s th e m agnetic poles; the brea th was able to deflect b n t not to
S ir W illia m T hom son, K n t., L. d.,
l. f. r. s., &c. '
AND * See, for e x a m p le , D r. W . I I . S t o n e ’s very earefnl and ex cellen t
W illiam F rances, P h. D. F. i , s ., F. i i . a . s . . f . C s e x p e r i m e n t s d e s c r i b e d La t h e £ l i T h o m a s ’ H o s p ita l R e p o rts (1680), vol.
& th S e r i e s — V o l. 15— No. 94, A p r il 1 8 8 3 , ' ‘ S ., p . 100 •
e x t i n g u i s h th o glow.* I t w as n o t in t e r c e p t e d , th e y said, b y
a b lac k v e lv e t cloth n or by a deal b o a r d laid flat o ver th e poles,
b u t th ey d eclared it wns a t once o b sc u re d w h en theso b o d ies
■were held b e tw e e n the ey es of th e o b s e r v e r s a n d th e m a g n e t -
th e a b so lu te d a rk n e s s b e in g of cou rse p re serv ed c o n tin u o u sly .
W h e n t h e c u r r e n t was c u t off, b o th t h e o b se rv ers s i m u l t a ­
n e ou sly exclaim ed t h a t th o l i g h t h ad d is a p p e a re d .
T h e c u rr e n t was n o w a t ir r e g u l a r in t e r v a l s m o do a n d
"broken, by m ea n s of th o c o m m u t a t o r in t h e n e x t room , an d
th o e x c la m atio n s of tho o bserv ers in th e d a r k c h a m b e r n o te d
d o w n by th ose w h o h a d c h a r g e of tho c o m m u t a t o r . T h o c o m ­
m u t a t o r w o rk e d no iselessly ; n nd no in d i c a ti o n w h a te v e r was
g iv e n of th e m o v e m e n t when th e c u r r e n t w ns to be p u t on or
t a k e n off. D u r i n g tho e x p e rim e n ts M r . S m i t h stoo d n e a r th e
m a g n e t , to u c h i n g ono of us, a n d reinoto fr o m th o c u rt a in s
w h ic h s e p a r a te d tho d a r k f r o m th e l i g h t e r room b eyo nd .
A f t e r a few p re lim in a ry t rials to t e s t t h e a r r a n g e m e n t s , a
c o n se c u tiv e series of o b s e r v a tio n s e x te n d i n g o v e r a n h o u r w as
t h e n m a d e by M r. S m i t h . F r o m tim e to tim e d u r i n g th is
p e rio d th e o bserv ers in t h e n e x t ro o m s ilen tly a n d u n e x p e c t­
e d ly closed or in t e r r u p t e d tho c u r r e n t , tho in te rv a ls b eing
p u rp o s e ly varied from a few scconds to se v e ra l m i n u te s . I n
t h is way fo u r te e n c on se cutive tr ia l s w ere m a d e ; a n d in every
case ex c e p t one tho e x cla m atio n s m a do by M r. S m i th , such as
“ N ow I sco it,” “ Now its g o n e ,” wero a b so lu te ly s i m u l ta n e ­
o us w ith th o m o v e m e n t of th e c o m m u t a t o r — a c c o rd in g to t h e
•unanimous re p o r t of tho w itnesses in tho a d jo i n in g room . I n
th o one e x cep tion re f e rre d to, a de lay of live seco nd s o c c u r­
r e d b etw ee n th e b r e a k i n g of th e c u r r e n t a n d th e e x c la m a tio n :
th i s , ho w ev er, m ay easily h a v e b e e n du o to a m o m e n ta r y
r e la x a tio n of a t t e n ti o n on th e p a r t of Mr. S m i th . T h e s t r a i n
ou th e a t t e n t i o n w as indeed so severe, t h a t a f t e r th e fo u r te e n t h
o b se r v a tio n M r. S m i th c o m p la in e d of co n sid e ra b le pain in his
eyes a n d h e a d a n d w as ob viously m u c h e x h a u s t e d . D u r i n g a
su c c e e d in g h a l f h o u r tw o o r t h r e e f u r t h e r e x p e r i m e n t s w ere
m a d e ; b u t th e re s u lts wero u n c e rta in , a n d m ay, I th i n k , bo
f a i r ly ex clud ed. I t m a y be n o te d t h a t M r. S m i t h a n d W e lls
d id n o t a t a n y timo a p p e a r to h a v e u n u s u a l p o w ers o f vision
f o r th e objects in the d a r k e n e d room .
I t is obvious t h a t a series of a c c id e n ta l coin cid ences
b e tw e e n tho a c t of closing o r o p e n in g of th e c i r c u i t a n d th e
ex c la m a tio n of th e o b se rv e r c a n n o t o x p la in t h e facts hero
n o te d . As thero aro 3,600 seconds in an h o u r, to b it olf an y
ono r i g h t m o m e n t by p u ro c h a n c e w o uld be very im p ro b a b le ;
b u t th o c h a n c e s a g a in s t success increase in g e o m etric p r o ­
gressio n w h en 14 r i g h t m o m e n ts are successively h i t off. T h e
p ro b a b ilitie s a g a i n s t m ere co inc ide nce as a n e x p la n a tio n a ro
th e r e fo re m a n y millions to one.
Moro i m p o r t a n t w a s th e p ossib ility of in d ic a tio n s b e in g
afforded by th o a c t of m a g n e tiz a tio n a n d d e m a g n e tiz a t io n ,
■which m i g h t g ive n o tice to th e ob serv er a n d s u g g e s t to th e
i m a g i n a t i o n th e c o n v e rs io n of a n illu s io n in to a fan cie d
r e a l it y .
O f th ese in d ication s th o so-called “ m a g n e t ic t i c k ” a t onco
s u g g e s te d itself. K n o w in g precisoly w lm t to listen for, an d
th c ro fo re m ore k een ly alive to t h e s o u n d t h a n M r. S m i th , w ho
p r e s u m a b ly k n e w n o t h i n g of t h i s m o le c u la r c r e p i ta t io n , I
fa ile d to d e te c t th e f a i n te s t so u n d on th o “ m a k i n g ” of th o
c i r c u i t ; a n d a b arely au d ib le t i c k o n “ b r e a k i n g ” c o n ta c t
w a s h e a r d only w h e n m y e a r w as in close c o n ta c t w i t h tlio
m a g n e t o r its su p p o r t. T h is w as d u e to t h e m a s siv e c h a r a c t e r
o f t h e m a g n e t a u d s t a n d , w h ic h als o p re v e n te d a n y o th e r
d is c e rn ib le m o v e m e n t w h en tho m a g n e t was e xcited. F u r t h e r
I satisfied m y s e lf t h a t , a t th o d is ta n c e a t w h ich M r . S m i th
sto o d from th e m a g n e t , it was im possible to disco v e r when tho
c i r c u it w as c o m p lete d or i n t e r r u p t e d by tlie a tt r a c t io n of
a n y m a g n e t ic su b s ta n c e a b o u t o n e ’s body ; as a precau tion ,
how ever, Mr. S m i t h e m p t ie d his p o c k e ts b efo re han d. At
th e sam e tim e it is q u it o possible a skilfu l o perator, b e n t
u p o n d eceivin g us, m i g h t bo ablo to d e te c t th e m o m e n t of
m a g n etizatio n and d e m a g n e tiz n tio n by feeling tho m o v e m e n t
o f a concealed com p a ss-n e ed lo . A g a in s t th i s h y p o th e s is
m u s t bo placed tho f a c t t h a t no in f o rm a tio n w as given
to M r. S m i th b eforehand of th o n a t u r o of th e e x p e r i m e n t ; a n d
lie h a d no o b ject to servo by p ro fe ssin g to seo w h a t h e really
d id n o t see. U lti m a t e ly all scientific o b se r v a tio n re s ts u p o n
* S o fa r aa I co n ld ju d g e , tlio appcaraneo m ust havo re s e m b le d th o
lo n g ascen d in g s tre a m of fa in tly lam b en t aqueous vapour w h ic h is to
bo see n fa r ab o v e th o flam e of p n ro h y d ro g e n , w h e n v ie w e d in n w e ll-
darkened ro o m . I havo referred to th is lu m in o s ity in m y paper on
“ S o m o P h y sic a l E ffects p ro d u c e d b y a H ydrogen flamo,” P h il. M ac,
N o v e m b e r 1865.
th e g o o d fa i th of t h e o bservers ; a n d th e r e w as n o t h i n g to
arouso th e s m a ll e s t suspicio n of th e good fa i th of th e observer
in th e p r e s e n t in stance.
S im il a r e x p e r i m e n t s wero m ade on a n o t h e r e v e n in g w ith
tlio boy W ells, w ith fairly s a tis f a c to r y results. I n th e case
of W e l l s t h e lu m in o s ity , from his descrip tion , m u s t have
a p p e a r e d to be b r i g h t e r an d l a r g e r ; a n d on tho in t e r i u p t i o n
of th o c i r c u i t it was n o t i n s ta n t ly e x ti n g u is h e d , b u t rap id ly
died a w a y ;* his f r e q u e n t e x cla m atio n on b r e a k i n g th o c u r ­
r e n t wns “ Oh, y ou a r e spoiling it . ”
W e lls was also tried in th e d a r k c h a m b e r with tw o p e rm a n e n t
h o r s e s h c e m a g n e ts, a n d saw th e lu m in o s ity clea rly on both.
U n k n o w n to Wells, I silen tly c h a n g e d th e positio n of th e tw o
m a g n e t s ; ho a t once d e te c te d wliero th e y were placed. H o l d i n g
one of t h e m a g n e t s in m y h an d , W ells to ld me c o rrec tly
w h e t h o r I m oved th e m a g n e t u p o r down o r held i t st a ti o n a r y ;
t h i s w as rep e a te d ly tr ie d w ith success. In th is case the poles
of th e ho rsesho e were very clo 3e to g e t h e r, so t h a t t h e r e was a
sm all in te n s e m a g n e t ic field ; fr o m th e ju x t a p o s i ti o n of the
poles no effect could be p r o d u c e d on a sm all com pass-needlo
a t o n e - t e n th of th e d is ta n c e a t w h ich I a sc e r ta in e d W e lls a c ­
tu a l ly s t o o d — s u p p o s in g , w h ic h is h ig h ly im p ro b ab le, th a t
th e lad h a d the in t e n t i o n to deceive a n d k n ew how to a t t e m p t
it.
N u m e r o u s q u e s t io n s of i n t e r e s t s u g g e s t th e m se lv e s, su ch
ns th e p h o t o g r a p h ic a n d p ris m a tic e x a m i n a ti o n of tb e lu m i­
n o s ity and w h e t h e r th e l i g h t is polarized or cap ab le of being
p o larized , o r w h e th e r t h e r a r e fa c tio n a u d rem o v a l of th e air
a r o u n d th e poles affects th e lu m in osity . T h e an s w e r to theso
a n d c o g n a te q u e stio n s, t o g e t h e r w ith th e e x a m in a tio n of some
re m a rk a b l o c o lla te ra l p h e n o m e n a t h a t p re s e n te d th em selves
— su c h as t h e v a ria tio n of th e in te n s ity of th o li g h t when
view ed in d if fe re n t a z im u th s , or along or across t h e m a g n e tic
ax is, a n d t h e effoct of c e r t a in bodies on th e l i g h t — will become
th e s u b j e c t of i n v e s ti g a li o n b y th e C o m m itte e w he n e v e r th o
te s tim o n y to th o sim p le f a c t itself h as been sufficiently well
e s ta b lis h e d b y vario us observers. T h e o b je c t of th e p re s e n t
n o te is m erely to d e m o n s t r a t e t h a t th o ro is a s t r o n g prinut
facie case iu fa v o u r of th e ex istence of somo p e c u lia r and
u n e x p la i n e d lu m in o s ity , re s e m b lin g phosph orescen ce, excited
in t h e region of t h e a tm o s p h e r e im m e d i a te l y a r o u n d th e
m a g n e t ic poles, a n d w hich ca n only be seen by c e rt a in in d i­
v id u a ls.
♦ ■
T H E ST. JA M E S’ G AZETTE
A N D “ E S O T E R IC B U D D H IS M .”
“ L e a r n i n g is l i g h t , ig n o r a n c e is d a r k n e s s , ” s a y s a p r o ­
v e r b . I t is g o o d to b e le a r n e d , w h e n o n e ’s k n o w le d g e
r e s t s o n f a c t s ; ifc is w ise to r e m a i n m o d e s t w h e n o u r
s p e c u la tio n s g o n o f a r t h e r t h a n h a z y h y p o th e s e s . I t is
p r e t t y w ell k n o w n , w ith r e g a r d to B u d d h i s m , t h a t i t is th o
l a t t e r k i n d of superficial k n o w l e d g e t h a t th e m o s t l e a r n ­
e d of o u r O r i e n ta lis t s c a n c la im — a n d no m o re. F r o m
B i s h o p B i g a n d e t d o w n t o C hilders, a n d fro m W e b e r to
l< h y s-D av id s, in s u m m i n g u p t h e r e s u lts of t h e i r k n o w ­
le d g e , t h e y h a v e all co n fe sse d a t o n e tim e o r a n o t h e r t h a t
“ d e s p i t e all t h a t h a s b e e n w r i t t e n a b o u t ifc, B u d d h i s m
still c o n t a in s m a n y m y s t e r ie s r e l a t i n g t o its h is t o r y a n d
d o c t r i n e s t h a t r e q u ir e c l e a r i n g u p ; a n d o th e r s of w h ic h
w e (O r ie n ta lists) k n o w so f a r n o t h i n g . ” N e v e r t h e le s s ,
e a c h of t h e m is r e a d y to c la im p a p a l a u t h o r i t y : h e is th o
in fallible i n t e r p r e t e r of B u d d h i s t d o g m a s — chiefly evolufc-
e d t h r o u g h h im self. T h i s c o n c e it h a s b e e n a m p ly s h o w n
n o w in t h e R ep lies t o “ A n E n g l i s h F . T . S . ” in o u r
co lu m n s. T h e re c ip e f o r m a k i n g a g r e a t “ a u t h o r i t y ”
o n O r i e n ta l r e lig io n s, esp ec ially on B u d d h i s m — th o ono
le a s t u n d e r s t o o d — is e a s y e n o u g h . T a k e a to le r a b ly
g o o d w r i te r . [ H e m a y be a s ig n o r a n t a s a c a r p as to
t h e tru e f a c ts, b u t m u s t h avo a r e te n tiv e m e m o r y a n d bo
a c q u a i n t e d w ith all th o s p e c u la tio n s t h a t p r e c e d e d liis
ow n u p o n tlie s u b j e c t ] . L e t h im s p in o u t a n e x t r a h y p o ­
th e s is o r t w o — of a n a t u r e g i v i n g p r e c e d e n c e to, and
i n t e r f e r i n g in n o w a y w ith , o t h o r d iv iu e ly r e v e a le d
h y p o th e s e s a n d cra zes in f a v o u r w ith p u b lic p r e j u d i c e ;
m a k e o t h e r O r i e n ta lis t s of less i m a g i n a t i v e t e m p e r a m e n t
t a s t e a n d a p p r o v e of ifc; s h a k o w ell t h e m ix t u r e , b o ttlo
a n d la b e l i t :— T i i e l a s t w o r d o p S c i e n c e u p o n t h e
* T h ere w a s co n sid erab le a m o u n t of re sid u a l m a g n e tism iu th e d e c -
tro -m a g u et.
S a c r e d • R e l i g i o n s o p T h e E a s t . T lio au th o rity 13
ready, a n d i g n o r a n t M r s . G r u n d y
“ S o ft on w h oso lap, h e r la u re a te eons reclin e” —
will c r o w n t h e n e w P o p e , a n d f o rc e liim u p o n th o
a c c e p ta n c e of t h e i g n o r a n t pub lic . T r u t h a n d f a c t will
be le ft o u t in th e cold, to go a - b e g g i n g f r o m d o o r to d oor.
I n d e e d n e p o tism in scien c e c a n b e a s r e m a r k a b l e as
a n y w h e r e else, w e see !
T h e a b o v e reflec tio n s w e r e s u g g e s t e d to u s b y a
sa tirica l a r t i c l e in tho S t . J a m e s ’ G azette, w h o s e p a r t i ­
a lity f o r I n d i a a n d e v e r y t h i n g c o n n e c t e d w i t h it, is too
well k n o w n to r e q u ir e m e n tio n . I n i t s issu e of A u g u s t
24, it in t r o d u c e d to th e c u l tu r e d p u b lic a s q u ib as a rev iew
of E soteric B u d d h i s m , a n d c a lle d “ T h o C o s m o g o n y of
an A rtific ia l F i f t h R o u n d e r . ” W h e t h e r a n ed ito r ia l
p la y in g flu n k ey to w e s t e r n O r i e n ta lis m , o r a c o n t r i ­
b u tio n f r o m t h e pen of a n O r i e n ta lis t , w hose f e a t h e r s
w ere too m u c h ruffled, i t is a n e x c e l le n t i ll u s tr a ti o n of
w h a t w e h a v e said . I t is e v i d e n tl y t h e p r o d u c ti o n of
one w ho h a s e i t h e r to d e f e n d his ow n p e t h y p o th e s e s , or
feels it h is s a c r e d d u t y to f ig h t u n d e r t h e b a n n e r of
re c o g n iz e d a u th o r itie s “ in c o n j e c tu r a l sc ie n c e s,” as o u r
M a s t e r s so h a p p i l y call th e m . I t is n o review a t all,
b u t r a t h e r a m e a n in g l e s s , e x -cathe dra chaff. A m o n g th o
m a n y g l o a t i n g c ritic is m s of E so te ric B u d d h i s m , t h is
“ re v ie w ” is t h e m o s t c oo ly i m p e r t i n e n t , t h e m o s t
c h a r m i n g l y c o n c e ite d . S o m e of i t s r e m a r k s a r e s im p ly
d e lig h tf u l. “ M o s t a m u s i n g l y b u m p t i o u s a n d c o n c e i t­
e d ” iu its to n e itself, it a p p l ie s t h e s e e p i t h e t s w i t h v e r y
q u e s tio n a b le g o o d t a s t e to t h e a u t h o r of a w o r k ,
w hich it is u n a b l e to a n a ly z e o r e v e n to r e m o t e l y
c o m p re h e n d . T h e r e f o r e — w e aro to ld , t h a t “ t h e t r u t h
of tho m a t t e r is t h e a u t h o r k n o w s n o t h i n g a b o u t B u d ­
d h is m .” T h a t g e n t le m a n , h o w e v e r, h a v i n g p l e a d e d g u i l ­
ty to th o c h a r g e in h is w o r k , f r o m t h e first, a n d
b e i n g — as f a r as t h e s u b j e c t - m a t t e r g o e s — o n ly a n
a m a n u e n s is , w e h a v e h o p e s of f i n d in g h im s u r v i v i n g t h e
t e r r i b l e b low . “ S im p le , M r . S i n n e t t , ” m a y y e t l a u g h a t
110 d i s t a n t a d a y at' h is to o w ise r e v ie w e r , w h o se u n ­
b lu s h i n g b u m p ti o u s n e s s a s s e r t s its e lf m o s t b r i l l i a n t l y in
vario us w ays. F i r s t , w e a r e to ld , t h a t “ it w o u ld be a
serious t a s k to u n d e r t a k e to g iv e in a few w o r d s (as
it w o u ld , in d e e d ) a n y s k e t c h of t h i s t r u l y v a s t a n d c o m ­
p lic a te d s y s t e m which, is n o t B u d d h i s m , eso teric or
exoteric.” T h e s e n te n c e t h a t w e h a v e ita lic is e d , finds a
p r o m in e n t p la c e a m o n g t h e ipse d i x i t of t h e “ S ir
O ra cles” of O rie n ta l re lig io n s . N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g , th o
in c e s s a n t confession s of t h e O r i e n ta lis t s t h a t b e y o n d
t h e m e re o x o te ric r ite s a n d d e a d l e t t e r o f B u d d h i s m ,
t h e y k n o w n e x t to n o t h i n g a b o u t th is s y s t e m of re lig io u s
p h ilo s o p h y , t h e r e v ie w e r h a s th o i m p u d e n t h a r d i h o o d
of r u s h i n g to t h e a s s e r tio n of his e q u a l f a m i lia r it y w ith
esoteric a n d exoteric B u d d h i s m . W i tty criticaster r e ­
m in d s us of t h a t naive w itne ss, a t a ilo r , w h o c la im e d b e t t o r
a c q u a i n ta n c e w ith t h e d e f e n d a n t ’s m u r d e r e d f a t h e r t h a n
his son, on t h e g r o u n d t h a t t h e old c o a t a n d h a t of tlio
v ic tim h a d b e e n m a d e a n d b o u g h t a t his e s t a b l i s h m e n t .
O n t h is p r in c ip le t h e O rie n ta lists m u s t s u r e ly k n o w m o ro
of g e n u i n e B u d d h i s m t h a n th o B u d d h i s t s t h e m s e l v e s ;
a n d t h a t is n o t v e r y s u r p ris in g , -since i t is th e y , in d e e d ,
w h o h a v e th e m s e lv e s f a b r i c a t e d “ W e s t e r n ” B u d d h i s m or
tlio “ old c o a t a n d h a t ” w h ic h B u d d h i s m w e a rs in
E u ro p e . A s ia tic sc h o la r s w h o k n o w only of t h e B u d d h i s t
philo so p h y of • G a u t a m a B u d d h a fail to r e c o g n iz e it in
th e fan ciful th e o rie s of M e s s r s . W e b e r , R h y s - D a v i d s ,
M a x M iiller a n d o th e r s . B u t b e f o r e t h e O r i e n ta lis t s a ro
able to p r o v e t h a t th o d o c t r i n e s a s t a u g h t in M r.
S i u n e t t ’s e x p o s itio n aro “ n o t B u d d h i s m , e s o te r ic o r
e x o te ric ,” t h e y will h a v e to m a k e a w a y w ith t h e t h o u s a n d s
of B r a h m a n ie a l A d w a ite e a n d o t h e r V e d a n t i n w r i t i n g s —•
t h e w o rk s of S a n k a r a c h a r y a in p a r t i c u l a r , — f r o m w h ich ,
it c a n bo p r o v e d t h a t p r e c ise ly , tlio s a m e d o c t r i n e s a r e
t a u g h t in th o s e w o rk s , e s o te ric a lly . T h i s c r it ic is m is m a d o
t h e m o r e lu d ic ro u sly a b s u r d b y its a llu s io n s to th o p o ssi­
b ility of f in d in g “ in pla ce of one O r i e n ta l s a g o (M r. S in -
n e t t ’s g u r u ) , tw o O c c id e n t a l h u m o u r i s t s . ” F r o m th is r a t h e r
c o n v e n i e n t , if o t h e r w i s e a b s u r d p r e m i s e ( c h e ris h e d
chiefly b y t h e s p i r i t u a l i s t s ) , t h e r e v ie w e r d r a w s h is c o n ­
clusions ; h e a s s e r t s m o s t c o n f id e n tly , t h a t h e is “ b o u n d
iu c h a r i t y to c o n c lu d e t h a t t h e • A d e p t g u r u kn ow s n o
m ore t h a n h is in g e n io u s disc ip le a b o u t B u d d h i s m . ”
(!!) O t h e r w i s e h e c o m p la c e n t ly a d d s — “ t h e m is u s e of
f a m i lia r t e r m s — A r h a t , K a r m a , N i r v a n a , a n d t h e l i k e ,
— w o u ld d e s e r v e to b e q u a lifie d b y a w o r d to o s e v e r e t o
a p p l y ................ ” &c.
W e b e g t o m a k e a r e m a r k . I f “ s e v e r e ” a n d i r r e l e v a n t iu
its a p p l ic a tio n to t h e “ c a n d i d if n o t overw ise d isc ip le ” of
th o d o u b t e d “ g u r u , ” n o a d j e c t i v e w o u ld bo f o u n d strong*
e n o u g h if u s e d in r e f e r e n c e to t h e f lip p a n t rev ie w er. T h o
l a t t e r w o u ld , if p e r m i t t e d , n o t on ly d e n y a n y knowledges
of t h e m e a n i n g of t h e c o m m o n e s t w o rd s in u se in B u d d -
liism to its m o s t le a r n e d p ro fe sso rs, b u t w o u ld d r a g d o w n
to h is ow n m a t e r i a l le v el th o lo f tie s t t r u t h s of t h a t r e ­
ligion, sim p ly b e c a u s e ho is u n a b l e — o r sh a ll w e s a y u n ­
w illin g , f o r v e r y g o o d r e a s o n s — to c o m p r e h e n d t h e t o o
p r o f o u n d t e n e t s of t h is g r a n d e s t of t h e w o r l d ’s r e li g io u s
p h ilo s o p h ie s . T h o loss is c e r t a i n l y h i s — n o t ours.
S o m u c h f o r t h e “ ta ll t a l k ” of th o S t. J a m e s ’ G azetta
re v ie w e r . W e a r e h a r d l y s u r p r i s e d t o find i t r e c e iv in g a
r e a d y h o s p i t a l i t y in t h e c o lu m n s of o u r f r i e n d l y c o n t e m ­
p o r a r y of L ig h t. A n d it is on ly as it s h o u ld bo w h e n w o
seo “ M . A . O x o n , ” g r e e t i n g it w ith o p e n a r m s . A m o n g
other th in g s h e says t h a t —
“ ••It is alm ost p ardonable to guess th a t Mr. R b ys-D av id a
himself has relieved his o vercharged feelings in th a t review
by w arning Mr. S iu n e tt o£ his own private reserves of B u d d ­
h is m .”
B e i n g s u c h a r e m a r k a b l e m e d iu m , “ M , A ., O x o n / *
o u g h t to k n o w i n s t e a d of m e r e ly “ g u e s s i n g . ” I n liia
ca se w e m i g h t h a v e , p e r h a p s , b e e n ju s t ifi e d in r e p l a c i n g
t h e m o d e s t w o r d — “ g u e s s ” b y a m o ro p r o p e r one, a n d
called it a f a c t , a r e v e la ti o n , on a p a r w ith th o s e in h ia
“ S p i r i t T e a c h i n g s , ” b u t f o r a c e r t a i n s c r u p le . W e d o
n o t t h i n k it f a ir to h a n g t h e r e p u t a t i o n of a n O r i e n t a l i s t / *
— h o w e v e r m i s t a k e n in s o m e of his v ie w s— on tho*
i n s p i r e d u t t e r a n c e s of a n y m e d iu m . W e h e s i t a t e to atti%-
b u t e s u c h a s p it e f u l a n d p r o fitle s s cr itic is m to t h e p e n
of t h e f a m o u s P a l i s c h o la r. W e Ipvo to t h i n k t h a t a m i d
h is a r d u o u s , a n d n o t a lw a y s profitless, la b o u r s , M r . R h y s -
D a v id s w o u ld h a r d l y lose h is tim e a n d r e p u t a t i o n t o
v e n t i l a t e h is f e e lin g s in a n o n y m o u s e d ito r ia ls , e s p e c ia lly
w h e n t h e s e s e n t i m e n t s a r e of a c h a r a c t e r t h a t h e w o u ld
m o s t l ik e ly r e f r a i n f r o m e x p r e s s i n g o v e r h is o w n s i g ­
n a t u r e . B u t if “ M . A ., O x o n ,” is a f t e r all r i g h t , t h e n w a
w elcom e th o t h r e a t h e l d o u t b y h im on b e h a lf of M r. R h y s -
D a v id s , of b r i n g i n g f o r w a r d “ h is ow n p r i v a t e r e s e r v e s of
B u d d h i s m . ” T h a t a c c o m p lis h e d P a l i sc h o la r h a s s t u d i e d
h is S o u t h e r n B u d d h i s m in C e y lo n , w e believe , u n d e r t h a
s a m e m a s t e r s of B u d d h i s t r e lig io n , w h o h a v e s a n c ­
t i o n e d C olon el O l c o t t ’s B u d d h i s t Catechism . T h a t t h a
“ B u d d h i s m ” of M r . R h y s -D a v id s , is i n s p i r i t q u ite a t
v a r ia n c e w ith t h e t e a c h i n g s of t h e C a techism is e v id e n t.
L e t t h o B u d d h i s t s “ ch o o s e th is d a y w h o m th e y w ill
s e r v e , ” w h e t h e r t h e e s o te r ic o r t h e e x o t e r ic d o c trin e ,
t h e te n e t s of t h e S o u t h e r n , S iam e se , o r of th e S o u t h e r n
A m a r a p u r a se c t, a s e x p l a in e d a n d am plified b y t h a
esoteric t e n e t s of t h e A r h a t s w h ic h a re u tte r ly u n know n,
to the B u d d h i s t O rie n ta lists. T h o f a c t alone, t h a t M r . R h y s -
D a v id s , in his B u d d h i s m , defines “ A v a lo k i te s w a r a ”
(p. 203) a s “ tlio L o r d w h o looks do w n f r o m o n h i g h , ”
is sufficient to sh o w to a n y s t u d e n t of E a s t e r n l a n g u a g e s ,
n o t to s p e a k of o c c u ltis m , h o w d e p l o r a b l y i g n o r a n t of t h a
m e t a p h y s i c a l m e a n i n g of w o rd s a n d n a m e s m a y b e tlio
g r e a t e s t of P a l i s c h o la r s in t h e W e s t . W o u l d M r . K h y s-
D a v id s r e s e n t th o r e s p e c tf u l c o n t r a d ic t io n w e r e I10 to ld
t h a t h is d e f in itio n is e n t ir e ly a n d d i a m e t r ic a l ly o p p o s e d
to t h e r e a l m e a n i n g of t h e t e r m ? T h a t A v a lo k i te s w a r a , „
is so f a r f ro m b e i n g “ t h o L o r d who looks d o w n ,” is a c ­
t u a lly “ t h e o b je c t of p e r c e p t i o n ” h im self. G ra m m a tic a ll y
t h e w o rd m e a n s e i t h e r t h e “ lo r d w h o is s e e n ” o r tlio
(< s t a t e in w h ic h t h e l o r d is s e e n .” E a o te r ic a lly “ A y a l o ;
 ¥
k i t e s w a r a ” is “ t h e L o r d , ” o r o u r s e v e n t h d iv in e p r i n ­
ciple, th o L o g o s , p e rc eiv e d o r s e n s e d d u r i n g t h e h o u r s
of e x t a ti c t r a n c e b y t h e s ix t h p r in c i p le o r o u r s p ir itu a l
s o u l. V e rily , t h e g r e a t e s t , t h e p r o f o u n d e s t m y s t e r y
is c o n t a in e d in t h e s a c r e d n a m e — a m y s t e r y w h ich it
is g i v e n to k n o w b u t to t h e f a i t h f u l fo llo w e rs of t h e A ll-
m e r c if u l M a s te r , o r to th o s e of S r i S a n k a r a c h a r y a ,
n e v e r to th e p o s itiv is ts of t h e e x o t e r i c s o u t h e r n school of
.B udd hism . W e a r e r e a d y , a n d sh a ll w a i t i m p a t i e n t l y ,
f o r t h e c o m in g “ r e s e r v e s of B u d d h i s m . ”
M e a n w h ile , w e m a y b e p e r m i t t e d to g iv e “ M . A . ,
O x o n , ” a w o rd o r tw o of f r ie n d ly a d v ic e . H e , w ho p r e ­
s e n t s th o w o rld w ith th e “ S p i r i t T e a c h i n g s , ” — a r e v e la ­
tio n w r i t t e n t h r o u g h h is m e d iu m b y a n a lle g e d d is e m ­
b o d i e d “ s p i r i t ” — a n d w h o r e s e n t s so b i t t e r l y a n y d o u b t
n s to t h e i d e n tity of “ I m p e r a t o r , ” o u g h t to bo m o r e
c a r e f u l t h a n a n y o t h e r as to h o w h e t h r o w s d o u b t a n d
s a r c a s t i c s lu r u p o n t h e liv in g t e a c h e r s of o t h e r people.
% th e w o rld a t la r g e , a n d t h e a v e r a g e sc e p tic , " i t is
b e t t e r t o b e a Jiving d o g t h a n a d e a d l i o n , ” “ a liv in g s la v e
t h a n a d e a d m a s t e r . ” ' U n l e s s t h e b o d y of t h e m a s t e r
is sho w n, t h e p r o f a n e will a lw a y s d o u b t r a t h e r t h e e x i s ­
te n c e of t h e d e a d m a s t e r t h a n t h a t of t h e liv i n g slave-
H e w ho h a s to t a x so h e a v ily t h e c r e d u l i t y of all
b u t t h e s p ir itu a lis ts , o u g h t , in c h a r i t y to h im self, to
n b s t a i n fro m jo in i n g th o se w h o s e e k to t h r o w a d o u b t
iip o n t h e e x i s te n c e a n d k n o w l e d g e of a n O c c u ltis t, w ho,
n v o id in g tlie w o rld , h a s r e l u c t a n t l y c o n s e n t e d to i m p a r t
:i few of t h e d o c t r i n e s ho a n d h is f r a t e r n i t y b e liev e in,
n n d w ho, in s t e a d of f o r c i n g t h e m u p o n , w o u ld r a t h e r
w i t h h o ld th o s e s a c r e d t e n e t s fro m a n in d if f e r e n t p u b lic .
T h e r e f o r e , w h e n w e a r e c-haffingly to ld t h a t t h e w r i te r
i n t h e S t . J a m e s ’ G azette “ s h a r e s an op in io n w id ely
h e l d t h a t - K o o t H u m i ’s existence a n d i d e n t i t y a r e n o t
su fficiently p r o v e n to lift h im o u t of t h e r e g io n of m y t h
i n t o tli a t of s o b e r f a c t , ” wo w o u ld e n q u i re of “ M. A .,
O x o n ,” w h at w o u ld b e t h e s a m e w r i t e r ’s o p in io n ,
o f “ I m p e r a t o r ? ” H a s h e r e v ie w e d t h e “ S p i r i t T e a c h ­
i n g s ? ” W e t h i n k n o t,— lu c k ily f o r “ M . A ., O x o n .”
H a d h e dono so, a u d f o u n d h im s e lf f o r c e d to cliooso
b e t w e e n a n a l le g e d liv in g , a n d an a l le g e d d efu n ct,
m a s t e r — a m a n a n d a S p i r i t — we f e a r e v e n t h e sa rc astio
r e v ie w e r of t h e S t . Ja m e s’ G azette w o u ld h a v e to confess,
t h a t , h o w e v e r unsufficiently p r o v e n “ K o o t - H u m i ’s e x i s t ­
e n c e a n d i d e n t i t y , ” y e t ho b e l o n g s f a r m o r e to t h e
“ r e g i o n s of s o b e r f a c t ” t h a n a “ r e t u r n i n g S p i r i t . ” T h e
G azette w ith all its sta ff of S a d d u c e e s le d on b y tho
" r e v i e w e r , ” w o uld n o t h e s i t a t e f o r one m o m e n t to dism iss
‘ I m p e r a t o r ” to th o lim b o of m y t h a n d s u p e r s t i t i o r ,
a n d w ith a f a r m o re h id e o u s g r i n of s c e p tic ism on t h e i r
fa c e s. L iv in g , as h e does, in su c h a f r a g ile g la s s h o u se
h im s e lf , o u r frie n d “ M . A ., O x o n ,” m i g h t h a v e b e e n e x ­
p e c t e d to show a lit tle m o r e p r u d e n c e , if n o t a c tu a lly
o f c h a r ity , t h a n ho g e n e r a l l y do es w ith r o g a r d to u s, a n d
n b s t a i n fro m t r y i n g to b r e a k th o w in d o w s of t h e T h e o s o ­
p h i c a l a b o d e s . I t is r a t h e r s t a r t l i n g to find h im s id in g
w i t h s c e p ti c s a n d b i g o t t e d C h r i s t i a n s a n d q u o t i n g w ith
s u c h e v i d e n t r e lish t h e s a r c a s m s of b o t h . I t is q u i t e p o s ­
s ib l e t h a t t h e u n i n i t i a t e d r e a d e r s l i o u l d d is c b v e r (to h is own
s a t i s f a c t i o n o n ly ) “ t h a t t h e D e v a c h a n of K o o t - I I u i n i no
jn o re r e s e m b le s t h e B u d d h i s t D e v a c h a n o r P a r a d i s e t h a n
d o t h e “ p e r io d s of s u s p e n d e d a n i m a t i o n ...... t h e id e a l n i r ­
v a n a of B u d d h i s t s . ” B u t , u n le s s t h e y a r e in c u r a b l e f a n a ­
tic s a n d i g n o r a m u s e s ) t h e y w ill b e a s p r o m p t to find o u t
t h a t C h r is tia n p a r a d is e a n d p u r g a t o r y — if t h e r e b e a n y , on
tlio o r t h o d o x m o d e ls— no m o r e r e s e m b le t h e c o n c e p tio n s
o f C h r i s t u p o n th o se s u b je c t s , e v e n in h is p a r a b l e s , t h a n
t h e m e rito rio u s p r e a c h in g s of t h e m e m b e r s of T e m p e r a n c e
S o c ie tie s a r e ono in s p ir it w i t h B i b le t e a c h in g s .
m ir a c le of t h e c h a n g i n g of w a t e r in to w in e ; N o a h ’s lit tle
s o l i t a r y p ic n ic o n M o u n t A r a r a t , a n d t h e d i s t i n c t affirm a­
t i o n of t h e t a l k a t i v e v in e (Ju d g e s ix. 13), t h a t h e r “ w ine
c h e e r e t h G od a n d m a n ” — a r e as o p p o s e d to t e m p e r a n c e ,
a s t h e a r m l e s s c h e r u b s p la y i n g u p o n th e g o ld e n h a r p s of
o r th o d o x y c la s h w ith t h e “ m a n y m a n s io n s in m y F a t h e r ’s
h o u s e ,” a n d t h e “ S u m m e r l a n d ” of t h e S p ir i tu a l is ts ,
w h o s e n o t i o n s a r e a s m u c h , if n o t m o r e , l a u g h e d a t a s
t h e t e a c h i n g s o f E soteric B u d d h i s m . Y e t, b e tw een
t h e r e s p e c t i v e a n d so d i a m e t r i c a l l y o p p o s e d v ie w s of
M r . L i l l i e ’s “ B u d d h a a n d E a r l y B u d d h ism ,” and
M r. R h y s - D a v id s ’ B u d d h ism “ M . A ., O x o n ,” show s
no preference. B o th are go o d as w eapons a g a in st
th e T h eo so p h ists. H o m a d e a le n g th y a n d a loving
r e v i e w o f t h e f o r m e r w o r k (w h ic h , b y t h e b y e , c o n t a i n s
a s m a n y m i s t r a n s l a t i o n s a n d e r r o r s in it, a s i t h a s p a g e s )
a n d a c c e p t e d i t a s a n a u t h o r i t a t i v e d o c u m e n t t o brep.lt
o u r h e a d s w ith . I t s v ie w s.c o rro b o ra te d th o se of th e S p ir i­
t u a l i s t s b y s h o w i n g belief i n s p i r i t s a n d a p e r s o n a l G q d a t
“ t h e v e r y r o o t o f B u d d h i s m ” (!?) h e n c e , M r . L il l i e is
accep ted as an au th o rity . M r . R h y s - D a v i d s ’ B u d d h is m ,
la u g h in g a t such G o d a n d sp irits, a n d sh e w in g B u d d h a
a s a n u n c o m p r o m i s i n g p o s i t i v i s t fin d m a t e r i a l i s t , c a n n o t
b e o f a n y se rv ic e to s p iritu a lis m , b u t m a y b e u s e d a g a in s t
esoteric B u d d h i s t s ; a n d f o r t h w i t h w e f i n d t h e n a m e o f t h e
P a l i s c h o l a r , w i t h q u o t a t i o n s f r o m h is s u p p o s e d e ff u sio n s
i n t h o S t . J a m e s ’ G azette, g r a c i n g t h e c o l u m n s o f L ig h t.
I t is p r e c i s e l y t o t h i s p o l i c y o f i n i m i c a l p a r t i s a n s h i p ,
l o s i n g n o o p p o r t u n i t y t o i n s u l t i t s o p p o n e n t s , t h a t we
e x p re s s o u r o b je c tio n . V e r y few of t h e T h e o s o p h is ts a re
sp iritu a lis ts , m o s t a r e a g a in s t v u lg a r sp iritu alism ,
m o r e s t i l l , d e c i d e d l y a n ti-sp iritu a listic i n t h e i r v iew s.
N e v e r t h e l e s s , n o n e o f t h e l a t t e r h a v e b e e n so i n d e l i ­
c a t e , a n d if w e m a y s a y so , b r u t a l , a s t o u s e t h e c o l u m n s
o f t h e i r m a g a z i n e t o t r y t o p r o v e qnand mcrne t h a t
t h o t e a c h i n g s o f “ I m p e r a t o r ” a r e d u e t o t h e b r a i n o f h is
alleg ed m e d i u m ; o r th a t h e h a s no in d e p e n d e n t e x is t­
e n ce fro m “ M . A ., O x o n .” M o reo v er, w e w o u ld re m in d
t h a t g e n t l e m a n t h a t , w h i l e t h e a u t h o r b e h i n d t h e veil of
“ S p i r i t T e a c h i n g s ” is k n o w n personally b u t t o o n e m a n
on e a rth , n a m e ly , his a m an u e n sis, “ M . A ., O x o n ,”
M a h a t m a K o o t - H o o m i is personally k n o w n t o m a n y . He
is a living n o t a dead m a n . Y e t , h o w e v e r d o u b t e d
a n d e v e n l a u g h e d a t b y m o r e t h a n o n o s c e p t i c w e k n o w of,
th e v e ra c ity a n d g o o d f a ith of “ M . A ., O x o n ,” w o u ld
n e v e r bo a l l o w e d b y t h e e d i t o r s o f t h e Theosophist t o b e
p u b l i c l y (o r e v e n p r i v a t e l y , f o r t h e m a t t e r o f t h a t ) d i s ­
c u s s e d , a n d h e h i m s e l f t r a d u c e d in t h e p a g e s of t h i s
jo u rn al. “ D o a s y o n w o u l d b e d o n e b y ” is n o t , we
se e , t h e m o t t o o f t h o S p i r i t u a l i s t s . S o m u c h t h e w o r s e
for th e m . I n t h i s l i g h t t h e y c o m m e n d t h e m s e l v e s still
I q s s to t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e T h e o s o p h i s t s .
» ■♦ ' —
CHRONOLOGY OF TH E C U RRENT B E N G A LI
E P H IM E R IS,
By D iia rn id iiar S a k h a K autum hi, F. T. S.
T h e p r e s e n t K a l p a is k n o w n as t h e Sve ta v a r d h a (whito
boar) K a lp a . I t s d u r a t i o n is 4 ,3 2 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 y e a r s , of w hich
1,9 2 9 /1 8 1 ,7 6 4 y e a r s h a v e ela p se d . S in c e th o b i r t h of
E a r t h 19 ,5 5 8 ,8 8 4 y e a r s h a v e ro lle d o v e r it.* T h is K a l p a
h a s a l r e a d y w itn e s s e d se v eral M a n v a n ta r a s , th e c u r r e n t
o n e b e i n g k n o w n as t h a t of V a iv a s v a ta . 27 g r e a t Y n g a s
h a v e p a s s e d a n d th r e e m in o r Y u g a s of t h e 28th, n am ely ,
S a t y a , T r e td a n d D v d p a r a , h a v e a l r e a d y been o o m p le te d .
T h e p r e s e n t m in o r Y u g a is k n o w n as Kali.
T h e S a ty a Y uga com m enced on a Sunday, th e 3rd day
on t h e l i g h t s i d e o f t h e m o o n in t h e m o n t h o f V a i s a k h a
(A p ril-M ay). T h e r e w e r e fo,ur a v a t a r s i n t h i s Y u g a ,
n a m e l y , F is h , T o rto is e , B o a r a n d N ris iu lia (half m an
h a l f U o n ) , t N o w v i r t u e p r e v a i l e d e v e r y w h e r e a n d n o sin
ex iste d . K u r u k s h o t r a w a s t h e o n l y s a c r e d p la c e . B r a h ­
m a n s w e re p o rtio n s o f s ta r s (a s tra l), p r a n a in h e r e d in
* M o ro c o r r e c t l y , p e r h a p s , s i n c e t h o com m encem ent of tb o present
The
round.
. + Cf. th e f o u r jyoological a g e g — *
J. T h e ag e o f F ish e s.
2. T h e n g e of R ep tile s (w h ic h T o rto ise ty p ifies.) _ —
3. Tho a g e of M n in m n lia , d u r i n g w h ic h stran g e an im als of th e boftr
sp ee ie s p re d o m in a te d , in I n d ia sp ec ia lly (S e e B l a n d f o r d a n d M e d l i c o t t ’s
G e o lo g ic a l S u r v e y o f I n d i a , V o l . I . ) I t
4. The age of M an, w ho at th e b eg in n in g h a d m a n y p o in ts of co n .
ta c t w ith th e lo w er k in g d o m .
th e m a r r o w , d e a t h s u b je c t to will, t h e h u m a n f o r m m e a s u r ­
ed 21 c u b its , n a t u r a l t e r m of life e x t e n d e d to a lac of
y e a r s , a u d m e n a t e o u t of g o l d e u d ish e s.
T h e T re ta , w h ic h b e g a n o n a M o n d a y , t h e 9 t h d a y of t h e
l i g h t sid e of th e m oon in t h e m o n t h of K d r t i k a ( O c to b e r-
N o v e m b e r ) saw t h r e e a v a t a r s , viz., V & h am an a , P a r a s u r a -
m a a n d K am a . I u th is Y u g a t h e r e w e r e t h r e e p a r t s of
v ir tu e a n d oue of sin. P u s h k a r a w a s t h e s a c r e d pla ce .
B r a h m a n s u s e d to p r e s e rv e t h e s a c r e d fire, p r a n a d w e lt in
in t h e b ones, a u d h u m a n fo rm m e a s u r e d 14 c u b its , n a ­
t u r a l te r m of life e x t e n d e d to t e n t h o u s a n d y e a r s , a n d
do m e stic u te n s ils w e re m a d e of silver.
T h e D v d p a r a - Y u g a se t in on a T h u r s d a y , t h e 1 3 th d a y
of t h e d a r k sid e of t h e m oon in t h e m o u t h of B h a d r a
( A u g u s t - S e p t e m b e r ) . K r i s h n a a n d B u d d h a * w ere t h e
a v a t a r s ; v i r t u e a n d vice p r e v a ile d in eq u a l p r o p o r ti o n ;
N a i m i s a r a n y a w as t h e s a c r e d p la c e , p r a n a p e r m e a t e d t h e
blood, h u m a n fo rm m e a s u r e d 7 c u b i ts , n a t u r a l t e r m of lif e
e x t e n d e d to a t h o u s a n d y e a r s , a n d c o p p e r u te n s ils w e re in
u se .f
T h e p r e s e n t Y u g a — K a l i — d a t e s fro m a F r i d a y , t h e d a y
of t h e full m oon in t h e m o n t h of M&glia ( J a n u a r y - F e b -
ru a ry .) T h e r e w ill b e one a v a t a r n a m e d K a lk i. I n t h is
Y u g a t h e r e a r e t h r e e p a r t s of sin a n d one of v ir tu e ,
s a n c ti ty a t t a c h e s on ly to th e G a n g e s , B r a h m a n s a r e w i t h ­
o u t f i r e ,| p r a n a d e p e n d s on food, t h e h u m a n fo rm
m easures on ly t h r e e c u b i ts a n d a h a lf, n a t u r a l t e r m of
life h a s d w in d l e d d o w n to 120 y e a r s , n o fixed m a te r ia l
for d o m e stic uten sils. T h is Y u g a h a s a l r e a d y l a s t e d for
4,984- y e a r s a n d 4 2 7 ,0 1 6 y e a r s y e t r e m a in to rim . T h e
tw ilig h t a n d da\vn|| will e x t e n d to 7 2 0 ,0 0 J y e a r s .
------ » ......
('Continued f r o m the M a y N u m b e r o f the Theosophist.)
M E D IC A L M A G N E T IS M A N D THE HEALER
M A G N E T IC .
By S e e t a N a t h G h o s e .
. A f t e r th e p u b lic a t io n of th e s e e x p l a n a tio n s in th e
T a ttv a - b o d h in i P a tr ik a , I b e c a m e v e r y nnxious to k n o w
positively w h e t h e r t h e y w e r e m e r e c o n j e c tu r e s of m iue or
capable of u n d e r g o i n g th e o rd ea l of a c tu a l scientific e x ­
p e r im e n ts . F r o m t h a t tim e f o r w a r d I alw a y s t h o u g h t
t h a t if t h e e x p la n a tio n s g iv e n a n d p u b lis h e d w e re f o u n d
e x p e r im e n ta lly tr u e , au i n s t r u m e n t m a d e w ith a m e c h a n ­
ism c a p a b le of m a g n e t i s i n g t h e w h o le h u m a n b o d y a r t i ­
ficially, m ig h t b e q u ite c o m p e t e n t to c r e a te as well as
cure diseases of a lm o st e v e ry d e s c r ip tio n . A fterw ards,
w h e n in c o u r se of tim e I cam e in p o sse ssio n of g a l v a n ic
i n s t r u m e n t s fo r p r a c tis in g t h e E u r o p e a n sy s te m of ele c ­
tr ic t r e a t m e n t , I found it c o n v e n ie n t to c o n s t r u c t of iu-
su U te d w ire a coil a f te r th e fashion of a n a tiv e t u r b a n .
T h is coil o r elec tric tu r b n n ha<J t h e ends of th e in su la te d
wire c o m p o sin g it p r o je c te d o u t f o r c o n n e c tio n w ith th e
tw o poles of a g a l v a n ic - b a tte r y .
T h e m a g n e t i s i n g p o w e r of this coil was, as I t e s te d ,
very lim ited. I t w as first e x p e r im e n t e d u p o n B ab u B a n i
K a n ta M ozoom dar, a n a s s is ta n t of m ine w ho is n o w w o r k ­
in g w ith m e. T h e coil w as loo sely placed on his h e a d ,
aro u n d his eyes, a n d ears, a n d t h e e n d s of t h e in su la te d
wire p r o j e c te d o u t w ere c o n n e c te d w ith t h e poles of a
^ ' " --------------------------------------------- —
# T h is is clearly a m istak e. A cco rd in g to all
B nddha w ns n o t born in D vdpara Y u g n . K r i s h n a , is u n i v e r s a l l y a d m i t t e d
to hay e lived b efo re B u d d h a , a n d K rish n a , th e M a h a b h a r a t a aayH,
du rin g a portio n of K a li* Y u g a . In th e P uranas, e.
JJhagyiita, B uddha is d istin c tly B ta L ed to have been
Y uga: {
t W ith re fe re n c e , 1 s u p p o se , to th e o rd e r in w h ich
d iscovered a n d b ro u g h t ^ t o use.
X k e., w i t h o u t d e v e l o p e d a s t r a l b o d i e s .
H A s ex p la in e d in th e F ra g m e n ts ,
g a l v a n i c - b a t t e r y ia s u c h a m a n n e r t h a t n o r t h p o la rity
was i n d u c e d in h is h ead an d s o u th p o la ri ty in his fe e t.
T h e s u b j e c t , B a b u B a n i K a n t a , h a d an a m o u n t of h e a v i­
n ess in his h e a d a n d ears w i t h p a r t i a l d ea fn ess f ro m hi3
infancy, a n d w as u n d e r my t r e a t m e n t fo r t h a t c o m p la i n t.
A ft e r half a n h o u r ’s ap p lica tio n of t h e coil he, on b e i n g
q u es tio n e d , said t h a t h e felt a s e n sib le d i m i n u t i o n of t h a
heuviness, a n d t h a t th o deficiency of his h e a r i n g was m u c h
rem o v e d , I im m e d ia te ly c h a n g e d t h e poles of t h e b a t t e r y
a n d c o n n e cted t h e m w ith t h e en d s of t h e in s u l a t e d w ira
iu such a m a n n e r t h a t th e h e a d received s o u th e rn p o l a r i t y
an d t h e fee t n o r t h e r n polarity. A f t e r a u o t h e r h a l f a n
h o u r ’s s ta y he, w ith o u t b e in g a s k e d , said t h a t his h e a d
a n d ea rs w ere a g a in b e c o m in g h e a v y a n d in c o n s eq u e n ca
h e felt u n easy . W i t h o u t d is c lo s in g to h im th e m y s t e r y
of t h e affair, I a g a i n c h a n g e d t h e poles a n d m a d e t h a
co n n e ctio n s in t h e m a n n e r th e y h a d beon m a d e a t first*
A b o u t half an h o u r a f t e r th is , I , on e u q u iry , was to ld
t h a t h e was a g a in f e e lin g b e t t e r . A f t e r t h e lap se of a a
h o a r h e said h e fe lt all r i g h t . T h is e x p e r i m e n t s e rv in g
to p r o v e clea rly t h e t r u t h of t h e Slokits cited b efo re,
e la te d me so m u c h t h a t I k n e w not h o w to e x p r e s s m y
feelings. I was t h e n in t h a t s ta to of m in d w h ich le d
A r c h im i d e s to r u n n ak ed t h r o u g h t h e s t r e e t , e x c la im in g
‘‘ E u r e k a ! E u r e k a ! E u r e k a ! ” a n d t h a n k e d G o d fo r h a v i n g
d isclosed such a g r a n d t h i n g to t h e m in d of one liko
m yself.
F r o m t h e n e x t d a y I b eg a n to use t h a t t u r b a n ill
v a rio u s c o m p la in ts of o t h e r p atien ts. B u t u n f o rtu n a te ly
t h e d ia m e t e r of th e t u r b a n b e i n g much less th a n t h a t of
m y h ea d , I could n o t u se it to ex p e rien c e its effects o a
myself. H o w e v e r , th o se u p o n w h o m I tried i t in v a ri­
ab ly e x p e r ie n c e d relief of t h e i r com p lain ts. I n som e cases
p e r m a n e n t c u r e s w e r e effected by it.
W h i le I w as e n g a g e d in e x p e r i m e n t i n g u p o n th e effects
of t h e t u r b a n i n q u e s t i o n , o n e d a y I h a p p e n e d to co m e h o m e
fro m th e N a r a i l su b -d iv isio n in a b o a t in c o m p a n y w i t h a
cousin of m iu e n a m e d B a b u H r i d a y n a t h G hose. A pieca
of h o rs e -s h o e m a g n e t wns w ith us. H a v i n g 110 b u s in e s s
in h a n d in th e b o at, I sh o w ed him t h e p o w ers of a t t r a c ­
tio n a n d rep u ls io n e x e r c is e d by th e m a g n e t on n ails ,
keys, n ee d le s an d o th e r articles of iro n , f o u n d iu th u
b o a t ; w hile we w ere th u s a m u s i n g o u rselv es w ith t h a
m a g n e t , h e said t h a t h e h a d g o t a s h a r p h e a d a c h e , g i v i n g
h im h o p e s of i n s t a n t a n e o u s relief I ap p lie d 0 1 1 0 of th o
poles of th e h o r s e -s h o e m a g n e t to t h e t o p of his h e a d ,
a n d a s k e d h im to p e r c e iv e t h e effects. A f t e r tw o
m i n u t e s ’ ap p lic a tio n he said t h a t t h e h e a d a c h e b ec am e
w orse t h a n before. I im m e d ia te ly ch a n g e d t h e p o le
of th e m a g n e t a n d p u t t h e o t h e r oue on t h e v e rte x
of his h e a d . A f t e r a b o u t five m in u t e s ’ a p p l i c a t i o n
h e s a id t h a t he fe lt m u c h b e t te r . I th e re fo re c o n ­
tin u e d th e a p p lica tio n , a n d iu a b o u t te n m in u t e s I s u c ­
ce e d e d iu r e m o v i n g his h e a d a c h e p e r f e c tly . As th a
poles of t h e m a g u e t w ero n o t m a rk e d , I c o u ld not a s c e r ­
tain w h ic h po le a g g r a v a t e d t h e d isease a n d which c u r e d
it. H o w e v e r , 011 r e a c h i n g h o m e I d e t e r m in e d by m e a n s
of a m a g n e t i c n ee d le s u s p e n d e d freely, th a t tlie polo
w h ich a g g r a v a t e d t h e d ise ase was th e n o r th pole a n d
t h a t w h ich cu re d it w as th e s o u th pole of th e m a g n e t.
T h is fac t h u v ln g c o r r o b o ra te d th e validity of the experi^-
m e n t m ado b y t h e t u r b a n , c o n v in ce d me of th e t r u t h of
th e th e o ry e n u n c ia te d «t t h e b e g i n n in g , a u d in c o n s e ­
q u e n c e g a v e me e n h a n c e d pleasure.
A f t e r th is , t h e q u es tio n t h a t rose iu m y m in d was
— w h a t a r e th e two poles of th e h u m a n b o d y , c o n s i d e r e d
JTincln a u th o rU ie n
as a m a g n e t : iny first conclusion was t h a t if th e head bo
lived a pole, tho tw o fee t co n s id ered as o n e ,r e s u lt bo t h e o t h e r
g ., S k n n d a a n d pole b u t th e re la tio n which th e h a n d s b ea r to th e h e a d
born in K a li*
co n s id ered as a pole, was n o t d e t e r m i n e d easily. I w as
th e m etals w ere
m u c h p e rp le x e d fro m t h e fo llo w in g c o n s id eratio n s. I f
th e h a n d s b e raised u p , t h e p a lm s are seen to assum e a
p o la rity o p p o site to t h a t of t h e feet. W h ile , if th o
lian d a b e h u n g d o w n p ara llel to t h e t v n n k , t h e p a l m
a s s u m e a p o la rity o p p o site to t l m t of t h e h e a d , of 1380, w h e n I o p e n e d t h e E le c tr o -M e d ic a l T r e a t m e n t
in s t e a d of t h a t of th e feet. U n d e r t h e s e circ u m sta n c e s R o o m s a t 64, M a c h u a B azar S tr e e t , C a lc u tta , I g o t from
I could n o t easily d e te r m in e t h e pola rity of t h e p a l m s of L o n d o n 6 ,0 0 0 f e e t of in su la te d c o p p e r wire, an d in O c to ­
th o h a n d s w hen tlio h ead o r t h e f e e t w ere m a g n e tis e d b y b e r of t h a t y e a r, I ,w i t h th e h e l p o f my assista n ts, c o n s tr u c t,
t h e n o r t h o r the sou th pole of a m a g n e t . S o m e c i r c u m ­ e d w ith t h a t w ire t h e la rg e coil w hich is now iu daily
s t a n c e s led me to su p p o s e t h a t t h e p o la rity of ono use. T h i s coil h <s b e e n f o n d ly t e r m e d th e “ M a g n e tic
p a l m m a y be o p pose d to t h a t of t h e o th e r in ste a d of b e i n g H ea ler.”
t h e sam e. T h is i n s t r u m e n t h as b e e n b u ilt u p o n an o b lo n g wood> n
H o w e v e r th e s e q u e s tio n s I s e ttle d b y th e follo w in g f r a m e ; hollow w ith in like a s q u a r e spool. A r o u n d th is
exp erim en ts. w ooden f ra m e t h e in s u la te d c o p p e r w ire, w hich is 9/1 6 of
an in c h iu d ia m e t e r a n d n b o u t 600 f e e t in le n g t h , has
O ne d a y , I p laced th e tw o n o r th po les of tw o h o r s e ­ b e e n ca refu lly w o u n d from one e n d of t h e f r a m e to th e
sh o e m a g n e t s u n d e r my feet, a n d w ith in a n h o u r p e r c e i v ­ o t h e r in f o u r la y e r s , o n e s u p e r p o s e d a b o v e th e o th e r.*
ed a ta n g i b l e im p r o v e m e n t of a p p e tit e , ,a n irre s is tib le t e n ­ T h e tw o e n d s of t h a t w ire h a v o b een c o n n e c te d w ith
d e n c y to sleep, n n d a d im i n u tio n o f t h a t p ec ulia r s o r t of tw o b r a s s - s c re w s fixed to on e e n d of th e fra m e.
n n e n s in e s s wliich is c o n s ta n t ly p r e s e n t in my h e a d . On T l e in sid e of t h e f ra m e has b e e n lin e d w ith p r r it (a
a n o t h e r d ay I c a u g h t h o ld of the tw o n o r t h pole nf th e k i n d of I n d i a n m a t ) , an d t h e o u tside h a s beeu covered
sam o p a ir of h o r s e - s h o e n a g n e t s w ith m y h a n d s ; a n d w ith g u n n y clo th , oil cloth a n d v a r n is h e d le a th e r . T he
w ith in less th a u half an h o u r I p e r c e iv e d t h e v ery snmo in s t r u m e n t is 24 inch es in l e n g th a n d 10 a n d 14 inches
offects. T h e s e two e x p e r i m e n t s led ine to c o n c lu d e t h a t in its tw o d i a m e t e r s . t W h e n t h e tw o b r a s s screws a r c
t h e p alm of t h e h a n d s a r e of t.he sm n e p o la r i ty w ith th e c o n n e c te d w ith t h e tw o poles of a g a l v a n ic b a t te r y , th e
f e e t. A g a in , on n n o th e r occasion I c a u g h t h o ld o f t h e i n s t r u m e n t a c q u i r e s a g r e a t m a g n e ti s in g pow er.
n o r t h pole of a horse-shoe m a g n e t w ith t h e le f t h a n d , an d
th e so u th pole of a n o t h e r h o r s e - s h o e m a g n e t w ith th e F o r t h e c o n v e n ie n c e of a p p lic a tio n , I place t h e i n s t r u ­
r i g h t h a n d . T h o effects I p e r c e iv e d wei e v e ry s t r i k i n g . m e n t in s u c h a position t h a t its sc re w -e n d m ay look
B e f o r e a n h o u r elapsed I felt a c o n s t a n t s h a r p a c h i n g in to w a r d s th e s o u th pole a n d th e o t h e r e n d to w a r d s n o r th
5ny r i g h t te m p le a n d my r i g h t eye b e c a m e c o n g e s te d pole of t h e e a r t h . N ow v ie w in g it fro m an y place so u th
of t h e s c r e w - e n d , I m a r k t h e screw ly in g on th e le ft side
s o m e w h a t painful a n d c o n s tr i c te d in a p p e a r a n c e . T he
le ft te m p le a n d left eye r e m a in e d as so u n d as th e y h ad w ith t h e l e t t e r (A ), a n d t h a t ly in g on t h e r i g h t side
b e e n before c a t c h i n g th e m a g n e t. A f t e r w a r d s I c a u g h t w ith t h e le tte r (C) ; t h e in su la te d w ire iu its
c o u r s e r o u n d t h e w oo den f r a m e r u n s f r o m t h e
h o ld of th e tw o n o r t h poles of t h e sa m e m a g n e ts w ith
screw (A) to w a r d s tb e screw ((_’) in such a n a u n e r t h a t
b o th th e h a n d s , n nd w ith in n v e ry s h o r t tim e, th e re r e ­
t h e sc ro w - e n d of th--* instrum ent, lies alw ays o n the
m a in e d n o t tho le ast tr a c e of u n e a sin e ss in m y r i g h t
t e m p l e o r affccti, n of t h e r i g h t eye. I n o t h e r w o rd s, r i g h t h . m d side of t h e c u r r e n t. Now, if th o anode pole
of a g a l v a n ic b a t te r y be c o n n e c te d w ith t h e sc re w (A)
e v e r y p n r t of m y h e a d rmd eyes b ec an e all r i g h t . T h is
e x p e r i m e n t clearly p r o v e d t h a t in s t e a d of t h e p o la r i ty of a n d th e cathode pole w ith th e screw (C), t h e in s t r u m e n t
o n e palm b e i n g o p p o se d to t h a t of t h e o th e r , t h e p o la ­ will m a g n e ti s e t h e m an ly in g d o w n w ith in it w ith hi*
h e a d p la ce d to w a r d s t h e s c re w - e n d , in suc h a m a n n e r
r itie s oi bot.li th e p alm s a r e t h e som e. N o w , b y th e
th. it h is h e a d w o u ld be r e n d e r e d th e n o r t h pole an d feet
r e s u l t s of th e f o re g o in g e x p e r im e n t s , t h e poles of th e
h u m a n body co n s id e re d as a m a g n e t , w ere d e t e r m in e d th o s o u t h pole. A g a in , if th e p o sitio n s ef t h e tw o poles
ns follows .•— T h e h e a d is th e n o i t h polo a n d th e fe e t a n d of t h e b a t t e r y b e e x c h a n g e d w ith each o t h e r , t h a t is, it
t h e anode b e c o n n e c t e d w ith t h e sc re w (C) a n d cathode
t h e p a lm s a r e th e f o u r b r u n c h e s o£ t h e so u th poles.
w ith th e S‘' r e w (A ), th e m a n w ho lies do w n w ith in the
A f t e r d e t e r m i n i n g th e n a t u r a l poles of t h e b o d y , I i n s t r u m e n t w ith l r s h e a d p la ce d to w a r d s t h e sc re w -e n d
b e g a n to t r e a t various d is o r d e r s b y a p p l y i n g h o r s e - s h o e shall b e m g n e t is e d in suc h a m a n n e r t h a t his h e a d
a n d b a r m a g n s t s to th e soles of th e fe e t, th e p a lm s of t h e w o u ld b e r e n d e r e d tlio so u th pole a u d fe e t t h e n o r th pole.
h a n d s , an d the h e a d s of th e p a t ie n t s . T h e r e has sc arce ly
b e e n a m e d ica l case iu m y p r a c tic e b u t h as d e riv e d somo (T o be co n tin u e d .)
b e n e f it fro m such ap p lic a tio n s w h en p e r s is te d f o r suffi­
c i e n t l e n g t h of tim e. A g ood n u m b e r of cases ef F e v e r , * O nr c o n trib u to r w as a n t i c i p a t e d b y ab l e n s t tw en ty years b y D r.
John A sh b u rn er, th e c e le b ra te d London m esm eric p ra c titio n e r. In
D y s p e p s ia , D iarrhoea, H a b i t u a l C o s tiv en e ss, C a ta r r h ,
h is tran sla te d E d itio n (L o n d o n 1857) of B aron Von R e i c h e n b a c h ’s
B r o n c h i tis , I le a d - a c h e , N e u n d g i c p a in s , A scitis, a n d grand w ork on O d ic F o rc o (p, 13, F o o t-n o te ), h e d escrib es an “ appara­
m a n y o t h e r affections h a v e b e e n t r e a t e d suc ce ssfully b y tu s th irty -th ree in ch es h ig h , m ade of iron w ire a q u a rte r of au in ch
in d ia m e te r, co iled fifty-six tim e s in a circu m feren ce of eig h t fe et.” A
a p p l y i n g th o n o r th poles of m a g n e t s to th e feet a n d
fu ller d esc rip tio n of w h ich appeared in th e Z o is t, v o l . iv , p. 137.
p a l m s , a n d th e so u th poles t o t h e bea d. S o m e s u rg ic a l i( T h i s c o i l w a s o f a n o v a l f o r m , s o co n stru cted in o rd e r to en a b le m e
c a se s h a v e also im p ro v e d , th o u g h in d ir e c tly a n d i m p e r ­ to p la c e it w ith ease over any in d iv id u a l sea te d in a n a r m c h a i i v. By
in o au s o f o n e , t w o , t h r e e , o r f o u r o f S m e o ’a elem en ts, each ten in ch es
f ec tly .
b y five, a m o r e o r le s s p o w e r f u l c u r r e n t w a s e s t a b l i s h e d , e n a b l i n g m e t o

I a p p lie d t h e m a g n e ts n o t only to c u r e diseases, b a t in nso n m a g n e tic force a d a p te d to d ifferen t su sce p tib ilities.” D r. A sh-
bnrner efie o te d so m e n o ta b le c u r e s w ith his ap p aratu s, o ne th a t of an
s o m e in s t a n c e s a n d aa a scientific e x p e r i m e n t to c re a te n n u n ited fractu re of th e rig h t leg, w h ic h h a d k e p t th a p atien t, “ a
t h e m in a p p a r e n tly h e a lth y p e rso n s, t h e dise ase s w h ich nervous, h ig h ly sen sitiv e, and stru m o u s y o ung in a n o f 1 7 , ” l a m e fo r
h a d a la te n t te n d e n c y to b r e a k o u t w ero v e ry easily ab o u t tw elv e y e a rs. S ix m o n t h s d a ily tre a tm e n t w ith t h e coil c a u s e d
th e bones to re u n ite . D r. A s h b u r n e r also passed electrical currents
dev e lo p e d by such a p p lic a tio n s of m a g n e t s on th e ir h e a d s, th ro u g h b ath s, and asc erta in e d th a t when th e cu rren ts w ere passed
p alm s or feet ns te n d to u p s e t t h e n a t u r a l m a g n e ti c from th e head to w a rd s tb e fe et, th e bath was to n ic and ex h ilaratin g ;
p o la rity of t h e b o d y . T h o s e diseases w e re a g a i n e n r e d b u t b ein g in d u c e d o u o n e o ccasio n , w h en he w as h im self in th e bath,
to try th e cu rren t in th e in v e rse d irec tio n , h e h a d a m ost in ten se
by such app lica tio n s of m a g n e ts on t h e i r h e a d s, palm s or
headache. T h e electric and m a g n e to -eleo tric, b ath aro now in w o rld ­
f e e t as have a te n d e n c y to r e s to r e t h e n a t u r a l m a g n e ti c w id e use ; a n d t h o o n l y s p e c i a l f e a t u r e i n S e e t a N a t h B a b u ’s r o s e a r c h e s i s
p o la r i ty . I m u st h ero a d m i t t h a t in so m e cases I h a d to th a t he reco n cilo s th is supposed m odern d iscovery of e le ctiic ai

e n c o u n te r some sad f a ilu re s b o t h in c u r i n g a n d c r e a tin g th e ra p e u tic s w ith th e A ryan S h astras. H is co n clu sio n s w ith ro tp ect
to th e p ro p e r d ire c tio n in w h ich sen sitiv es sh o u ld lie to sleep a re
diseases b y t h e ap p lic a tio n s of m a g n e ts , b u t I a t t r i b u t e d opposed to th o se of t h e lea d in g W e s te rn au th o rities. If h o is rig h t,
t h e m all to t h e w a n t of sufficient p o w e r in t h e m a g n e t s th ey are w rong. A n d v i c e v e r s a .— E d .
in m y possession o r of prac tica l e x p e r ie n c e in m yself. f A s a larg er in stru m e n t an sw ers th e purpose b etter, th e second
H o w ev er, b e i n g sufficiently e m b o ld e n e d b y t h e r e s u lts of in stru m en t w h ich h as been co n stru cted here on th e sam e p rin cip le
m e a s u r e s 4 fe e t in len g th a n d 21 a n d 41 in c h e s in its tw o d iam eters.
t h e e x p e r im e n t s a b o u t a y e a r , I d e t e r m i n e d to m a g n e ti s e
A b o u t 1 0 ,0 0 0 fe e t of in su la te d copper w ire o f 1/1 6 of a n in ch ia dia­
t h e h u m a n b o d y in a b e t t e r an d ea sie r w ay b y m e a n s of m eter has been w ound rou n d it in 4 lay ers.
a la rg e coil of in s u la te d w ire of c o n s id e r a b le l e n g t h p u t into
a c t i v i t y b y a s u it a b le g a lv a n ic b a t t e r y . I n t h e m id d le
 A N A V A T A R OF C H R IST .
T h e N e w D isp e n sa tio n of C a lc u tta c a r rie s its jo k e s a
little too far, as i t w o u ld seem . W e w o n d e r w h e t h e r th e
C h r is t ia n s are p r e p a r e d to s u p p o r t K e s h u b C h u n d e r S e n ’s
p re te n sio n s so f a r as to even c o u n t e n a n c e his a t t e m p t s a t
p ro v in g t h a t J e s u s a n d K e s h u b B a b u a r e on e a n d tb e
sam e p e r s o n a g e ! I t sa y s :—
“ R a t h e r se nsational h e a d i n g ! Y e t s tu m b le n o t,
reader, b u t read on. J e s u s C h r is t c a m e to t h e w o r l d to
s;ive s in n e rs , H e had 110 o t h e r o b j e c t in view. K e s h u b
C h u u d e r S e n is also an x io u s t h a t t h e w orld s h o u ld be
freed from e r r o r a n d sin an d r e g e n e r a t e d in r ig h te o u s n e s s .
C h r is t p re a c h e d t h e K in g d o m of H e a v e n as t h e ideal of
p r o g re s s iv e h u m a n i t y . K e s h u b too is t r y i n g h u m b ly
a n d p r a y e r f u lly t o e s ta b lis h t h e holy K in g d o m of
H e a v e n iu I n d i a . C h r i s t d e m a n d e d a b s o lu te se lf-a b n e­
gation a u d a s c e tic ism . K e s h u b too tr ie s to m a k e uien
giv e u p all woi ldliness a n d c a r n a lit y , and t a k e uo t h o u g h t
w h a te v e r fo r t h e m o rrow . C h r i s t laid g r e a t s tr e s s on
t h e v ir tu e of fo rg iv e n e s s a n d p r e a c h e d t h e h i g h e s t d o c­
tr in e of love, th e love of en e m ie s. 'T h a t m o s t e x a lte d of
eth ics K e s h u b also p r e a c h e s to h is c o u n t r y m e n . I n
w a te r -b a p tis m , said C h r is t , is t h e ty p e of s p ir itu a l p u rifi­
cation a u d in b r e a d - e a t i n g t h e t y p e of s p ir itu a l a s s im il a ­
tion of g o d ly life. S o sa y s K e s h u b to t h e H in d u s .
C h rist h a d n o o t h e r cre e d t h a n t h i s , — L o v e G od a u d
love t h y nt-ighbo ur. K e s h u b too r e c o g n iz e s n o o th a r
cre e d , an d alw ays p r e a c h e s t h a t s im p le a n d sw ee t g o sp e l.
C h r is t d id n o t p ro cla im t h e w ho le t r u t h , but, left it too
th e H o ly G h o s t to lead m en to all t r u t h K e s h u b also
magnifies t h e H o ly s p ir it as th e L i v in g G uru t h a t te ac hes
all t r u t h , a u d s u p p le m e n ts arid p e r f e c t s th e te a c h in g s of
C h rist. S a lv a tio n a c c o i d in g to C h r i s t is n o t m e r e em a n c i­
pation from th e b o n d a g e of sin b u t p a r t a k i n g of the
divine n a tu re . A n d w h a t else do es K e s h u b p re a c h as
th e h i g h e s t m u k ti b u t t h e e t e r n a l y o g a of th e h u m a n
an d th e div in e ? C h r is t said, B e pe rfe c t even as G od
w hich is in h e a v e n is pe rfe c t, a n d h e w o u ld h a v e m en
a c k n o w le d g e no low er a im of life. K e s h u b ’s th e o lo g y
too ig n o res all lo w er s ta n d a r d s of e a r th ly ex c ellence a u d
co n d e m n s all m a n n e r of c o m p ro m is e a n d h a lf-re fo rm .
C h rist a n n o u n c e d his mission to be n o t to d e s tro y b u t to
fulfil th e o t h e r d isp e n sa tio n a u d p e r f e c t it. So is K e s h u b
not an e n e m y o r d e s tr o y e r of t h e prev io u s d is p e n s a tio n s
of G od, b u t a f r i e n d wLo se e k s to fulfil th e m a u d c a r r y
th e m o u t to th e ir u lti m a t e lo g ic a l seq u en c e. C h r i s t
p re a c h e d faith and h ope a u d h e a v e n to t h e v ile st s in n e r
in th e para b le of tho P r o d i g a l S o n . K e s h u b h a d no
o th e r g o spel to p r e a c h t h a n th is p a r a b le , w h ich is th e
essence of all S c r ip tu r e . C h r is t s p o k e of him self as th e
S on of God, a n d d e c la re d him self as th e u n iv e isa l an d
e t e r n a l a t o n e m e n t of sin ful h u m a n i t y w i t h th e holy
F a t h e r . K e s h u b also believes th o r o u g h ly iu C h r i s t ’s son-
sh ip a u d reconciliation, a n d b e a r s w itu e s s u n to this t r u t h .
C h r is t s a id , I a m th e w ay. So a r t t h o u g h , O J e s u s , s a y s
K e sh u b . I a m th e bre id of life a n d shall be e a te n by
my disciples, t h a t I m ay b e c o m e flesh of h is flesh a u d
blood of his b lood, sa y s C h rist. A n d K e s h u b , t h e loyal
disciple of t h e L o r d J e s u s , lives in C h r is t J e s u s , g r o w s
in his s t r e n g t h , a n d ’rejoices in his jo y , a n d v e r il y K e s h u b ’s
flesh is C h r i s t ’s jle s h th r o u g h j a i t h , a n d his blood tha
blood o f C h r is t.’’
T o th is t h e I n d i a n O p in io n r e m a r k s : — “ W e a r e now
fully satisfied w ith t h e i d e n tity . W e h ope t h e C h r is t ia n s
will lose no tim e in falling 011 t h e i r k n e e s a n d p r a y i n g
t o th is new a v a t a r N o m o r e c o m m e n t s a r e su re ly
n e c e s sa r y ,
------ ♦■■■ ■
S A L VA T IO N I S T S — J E S U IT S.
W e copy t h e fo llo w in g fro m t h e I n d i a n C h u r c h m a n of
Calcutta.-—
“ L a s t l y we find a m o s t a b le a r ti c le o n t h e S e c r e t
B o o k s of t h e S a lv a tio n A r m y , t h a c o n s t r a i n e d p u b lic a tio n
of w hich t h r o w s n e w a n d s t a r t l i n g l i g h t b o t h on its c h a ­
r a c te r , a u d o n t b a t of i t s le a d e r. T h e S o c ie ty is a ‘ w o u ld -
be J e s u i t - S o c i e t y / a n d c e r ta in l y t h e a m b itio n of G e n e ra l
B o o t h is a g o o d p a r o d y of t h e m a g n if ic e n t schem es of
H ild e b ra n d .
“ T h e b o o k s w e re only p u b lis h e d in a n s w e r t o t h a
r e v e la tio n s of t h e R ev. J . C h a r l e s w o r th , in h i s le tte r s to
t h e T i m e s ; a n d it is sa id t h a t t h e r e a r e five o th e rs still
w ith h e ld fro m t h e p u b lic .
“ T h e y w ere g iv e n w ith d ire c tio n s for se c r e c y to t r u s t ­
ed officers, a n d t h e y a r e fo u n d , we aro told, to te a c h t h a
follo w in g p r in c ip le s .
“ 1. T h e re lig io u s w o rld is in all b u t to ta l d a r k n e s s .
“ 2. T h e S a c r a m e n t s of B a p tis m and t h e L o r d ’s S u p ­
p e r a r e n o t of o b lig a tio n , t h o u g h a llo w a b le — (we su p p o s e
a s a c o n c essio n to t h e d ir e c t c o m m a n d of o u r L ord.)
“ 3. T h e field officer is a t l ib e r ty to g iv e to th a
people, as f r o m God, w h a t e v e r h e feels b o u n d to tell th e m .
“ 4. N o o p p o r t u n i t y f o r v o tin g o p p o s itio n to th e
C o m m a n d i n g officer is to bo g ive n.
“ 5. T h e B ib le is o v e r - e s tim a te d ; ( S e c tio n 25,) a n d
G o d still rai s-es u p p r o p h e ts .
“ 0. B a p tis m is a f o r m by w h i c h p a r e n t s of c h ild r e n
m a y c o n s e c r a te a n d s e t t h e m a p a r t , a n d d e c la re t h e i r i n ­
te n tio n of tr a i n i n g th e m up, fo r ‘G o d a n d t h e A r m y . ’
“ 7. A ll o r d i n a r y r e lig io u s b o o k s e s c h e w e d , on ly
th o se ‘ p u b lis h e d a t o u r ow n sto r e s ,’ b e i n g a llo w e d .
“ 8. N o c o u r t i n g a llo w e d fo r first tw e lv e m o n th s of
se rv ic e ; all m a tr i m o n i a l e n g a g e m e n ts s u b je c t to th o c o n ­
s e n t of t h e G e n e ra l.
“ 9. T h e special f r u i t s of e n t i r e sa n c tific a tio n a r e th e
g i v i n g up to b a c c o a n d w o rd ly a rtic le s of d r e s s , an d th o
w e a rin g of th e A r m y b a d g e , w ith o b e d ie n c e to all A rin y
r e g u la tio n s .
“ 10. ‘ A n officer (of e i th e r sex) on th is d u t y h a s no
b u s in e s s w ith b a s h f u ln e s s o r p r o p r i e t y . ’ T h is r e f e r s t.o
th e se llin g of S t l v a t i o n i s t books, &c. C o m m e n t s a r e n o t
n ee d e d , a n d w e m a k e n o n e .”
------
T IIE IlE V . W. U A S T I E 'S K A R M A
AND
T H E P R O G R E SS OF POESY IN BENGAL.
A c c o r d i n g to some contem poraries :—“ A copy of th e p am ­
p h let co ntain in g a full account of t h e trial of Pi^ ot vs. H a stie,
h a s been presented by the plaintiff to the Revd. defend ant, -with
the following lines w ritten 011 th e fly-leaf :—
“ To th e Revd, Mr. Ilasrie, w ith inexpressible a d m ira tio n
and g r a titu d e for hia hasty condemnation an d relentless
Christian persecution of t h e donor.
“ O false P r i e s t ! in your hours of case,
I ’m w anton—vile—w hatever you please,
A n d deadly aa th e baleful shade
By the poisonous Upaa made.
W h e n pain was yours, crookodest of men !
W a s n ’t I am a inin’s t ’rin g augel th en ?”
R e v . M r. H a s t i e h a s in d u l g e d in d e f a m in g a n d slan d e rin g ’,
in a p s e u d o - C h r is t ia n p a m p h l e t 200 m illio n s of liv in g H i n d u s
collectively, t h e m i ll ia r d s of tlie ir d e a d a n ce sto rs re t r o s p e c ­
tively , tl ie i r go d s, la r e s a n d p e n a te s ; an d b esm ea re d g e n e ­
ro u s ly w ith th e o lo g ic o - m is s io n a ry m u d t h e i r wives, m o t h e r s
a n d sisters. H e h a d s e t off C h r i s t i a n m o ra lity a n d v i r t u e s
a g a i n s t h e a t h e n “ im m o r a l i t y a n d vice,” a n d p ro c la im e d i n
b i t t e r to nes h is r e g r e t t h a t he, th e “ r e v e r e n d ” w r it e r , a m i
his c o lle a g u e s of t h e m issio n s in g e n e ra l, a n d t h e S c o t c h
Mission in p a r t i c u l a r , s h o u l d n o t be a c c ep ted b y th e u n r e d e e ­
m ed g e n ti le of I n d i a a s e x e m p l a r s of C h r i s t i a n r i g h te o u s n e s s .
A n d n ow he h a s fa lle n th e lirst v ic tim to karma — a h e a t h e n
d o c tr in e a c c e p te d u n r e s e r v e d l y by th e T h e o s o p h is t, w h o m , i n
his d a y , h e s p a r e d a s little as t h e i r p a g a n b r e t h r e n th a
n a tiv e s. M iss P ig o t, as t h e a v e n g i n g ( n o t “ m i n i s t e r i n g ”)
a n g e l h a s left t h e “ R e v e r e n d ” H a s t i e to p o in t a m o r a l a n d
a d o r n a tale, s h e w i n g a t t h e sa m e tim e th e d a n g e r of— te l l­
in g talcs. W e , th e “ u n r e d e e m e d ” a n d m u c h s la n d e r e d
T h e o s o p h is ts of t h e U n i v e r s a l B r o t h e r h o o d , c a n o n ly
a d m i r i n g l y cxcla im :— “ S e e h o w th e s e C h r is ti a n s love each
o th e r , a n d h o w m o r a l i t y is p ra c tis e d by some of th e m !’’
J - ' » ■■ ■
 A C H R I S T I A N M I N I S T E R O N T H E O SO P H Y.
the Indian Mirror, t l i e R e v . C . H . A D a li s a y s :—
W r i t i n g to
“ Skeptomai is Greek for “ I enquire.” l a t h e radical sense I
nm a sceptic rega rd in g Theosophy. I do not u n d e rs ta n d it
b u t am try in g my best to find out w hat it is. I have carefully
re a d the green pamphlet yon g av e me. I mean th a t “ Full
R e p o rt of the Proceedings of the Seventh A nniversary Meeting
of the Theosophical Society, held a t the F ra m ji Cowasji I n s t i ­
tu t e , Bombay, on the 26th of N e vem b er 1382;’' (the “ se v e n th ”
in clu din g four New Y o rk A nniversaries ?) You may well believe
t h a t it held my atten tio n to the e n d ; as a q a a r t e r p a rt of it
fell from your lips, and from tho pen of my cousin Tilden of
S im la in the Him alayas. Y e s : I see good in it. I t is clear
t h a t Theosophy j u s t now means freedom. I t means self-trust
an d self-control. I t means, to-day, courage and independence.
W h a t I fear is its narrowness, as a plan of life. N o th in g is
clea rer th a n the fact th a t old H in d u is m strikes for one good
t h i n g ; an d th a t is ivorship. I t says God is all, and all is God,
an d no th in g exists, or should exist b u t God. So far, so good.
H i n d u i s m and Buddhism would kill feeling, kill enquiry, kill
en terp rise to secure Union with God—Nirvana, th e perfection,
a t once, of H induism a nd B u dd hism , means R e s t ; re s t in the
'Infinite from work, from study, an d from society. I do not
w a n t th a t self-centred r e s t ; here or hereafter. I w ant r e s t ;
Eternal, sacred, s u r e ; rest in God, for ever. B u t not a rest
t h a t denies me association with H im and w ith kindred spirits,
in beneficent power. I seek rest in th e fellowship with the
In fin ite and E tern al Worker, T h in k e r, Lover, Life-giver. I
flo not wish my son to lose himself iu me. A n d I th in k H i n ­
du ism and B uddhism err, in b id d in g me lose myself in God.
T h e patriarchal D eben dron ath T ago re one day said to me “ I
lik e your definition of Nirvana, ‘L o st in God you have it
exactly.” H in du ism and B u ddhism , p ure and simple, forbid
t h o u g h t ; which Life and God command. Men will t h i n k ; so
th e r e are several schools of Nirvana, or modes of defining it.
A n d one em inent H in d u has assured me th a t his Nirvana
p e rm its th e recognition of friends in lioaven. To me all r e ­
ligion is Life, and all Life is g ro w th ; out of tho old sto c k ;
an d all grow th is new. If Theosophy would tu r n back the
sun, an d invert tho Divine law of p rog ress an d evolution, I
ta k e issue with it, aud deny it, I need not do th is more
openly th a n is done by some of yonr a nniversary speakers at
Bombay. Y e t some of th e m speak otherwise. F o r example,
T heosophy, on page 77, “ is ancient Aryan Philosophy,” and no
juore. T h e speaker is an “ uncom prom ising T heosophist” on this
line. W h e th e r he accepts th e Ishwara or th e Nlrishwara
S an k h y a, the theistic, or th e agnostic, he does not say. H e
cann ot accept both. Manifestly ho has a very definite creed,
which, as he says, defies comproiniso H e w ants old H induism
and no th in g else, this M aster of A rts delegate from Robil-
kh un d. B u t Mr. S in n e tt takes d irect issue with him. H e says,
p. 6., Theosophy “ embraces all seekers for tr u th , w hatever
tlieir creed.” H e bids “ th e Ind ian philosopher realize (p. 7)
by working with the E uropean, how much his philosophy has
to gain by contact with th e clear practical methods of th o u g h t
which Europon science teaches.” “ T h a t qu ality in th e Euro-
p e a u m ind renders it th e needed com plem ent” of th e H in d u
( A ry a n ). Colonel Olcott endorses his friend, Mr. S inn ett.
A n d the E ditor of the Indian Mirror says (p. 19) —“ I am
concerned more with tlie practical work of ou r Society.” ‘‘1 do
n o t condemn E nglish education in toto. W h a t I condemn is
a u exclusive E nglish education, leaving o u t o ur national litera­
t u r e and science- I do not w ant to convert th e d istant past
into tho im mediate fu tu re of o u r country. Such a th in g would
bo th e very h eigh t of absurdity. W h a t I wish to impress upon
jn y countrym en is to catch our national spirit (‘ quere, of
^Reverence and God-consciousness ? ) “ from a study of the
p ast, and to be guided by its light in our fu tu re onw ard p ro­
g re s s.” Who, I ask, can object to this ? No sane man.
Again, the delegate of th e P u n a Theosophical Society, tho one
H ebrew speak er, values T heosophy as th e “ key to a correct in ­
terpretatio n of the Jew ish s c r ip tu r e s :” (not Aryan, b ut Semitic.)
T h ere is nothing mystic about him. He says, (p, 49) “ N o t even
p. tenth p a rt of the m em bers of the Theosophical Society believe
in !lnv abnorm al phenomena, as a m a tte r of blind faith. They
only D6lieve when th e y know a th in g to be true, . . N o t re­
je c tin g well-authenticated phenomena, th ey desire to e n q u ir e
in to the m atter without prejudice. Theosophy affords a broad
platform for inquiry into every branch of knowledge without
prejudice or dogmatism of a n y sort. I t looks upon religion as a
p a r t of science: and one of its objects is to inquire deep into the
religious system s of old, to find ou t w h ether these system s rest
on fancies, or on a solid foundation of scientific facts.” This is
Baconian, and no mistake. I t is th e very business of th e Asiatic
S o c iety ; from th e days of Sir W illiam Jones. My fear is
t h a t Theosophy will u nd ertak e so much as to accomplish very
little. “ Do a little, and do it well," is a good motto. Was he
a good Theosophist, who, in th o u g h t and hope, tw enty centuries
ago, gathered “ all nations,” , and said to roligions “ of the E a s t
aod of th e west,” “ I was h u n g ry and you fed me, I was naked
a n d you clothed me?” And wheu some of th e nations said “ how
could wq feed you when we n ever saw y o u ? ” J e s u s replied,
“ In doing it to y o u r own poor, my brothers,— You did it to
m e .” T h is sounds like hum an brotherhood. So with other
sayings of this child of A b rah am , and son of David
(Theosophist?) such as “ call no one your father on th e e a rth ;
tor one is your father, even G od; and all ye (all m e n ) —are
b ro the rs.” And a leading pupil of his said, “ Prove all things,
and hold fast th a t which is good an d true.” “ Glory, honor,
nnd pence (Nirvana ) to every man th a t worketh good.”
A n d another of his pupils said, " In overy n itio n he tha t
feareth God, (hath the Aryan reverence ?) and does right, is
accepted of God” as a tru e man.
I f this is Theosophy, th e more of it the better. T h is, I take
it, made Ram Moliun Roy the tru e eclectic, who never, so far
ns I see, called himself a “ C h ris tia n ,” —repeatedly declared
himself “ a follower of Christ.” See, in Ram Mohun Roy’s
“Precepts of Jesus, the Guide to Pcaae,” his latest and largest work
(an octavo of 640 pages) how clearly he proclaims himself a follow­
e r of J e s u s C hrist, after being born a Hindu}- and stud yin g
many religions. F a ir play’s a jewel. All I ask is reason and
lig ht an d fair play. Colonel Olcott has emphatically declared at
U tacam u n d th a t he is a friend of radical Christianity, an d of
radical and essential tru th . P ast an d Present, and in all direc­
tions, So far, I agree with him, and Mr. S in n e tt.
W e ex tra ct th is l e t t e r "from t h e p e n of t h e R e v d . M r. D ali
— t h e co u sin of o ne of o u r good m e m b e r s a t S im la , of th e
“ H i m a l a y a n T h eo so p h ica l S o c ie ty ”— fo r tw o reaso ns. F ir s t, to
t l i a n k h i m f o r th e f a irn e s s of opinions e x p re s s e d ; secondly,
— to c o r r e c t a fe w e rr o n e o u s im p ress io n s h e se em s to he
lab o u rin g under.
Y e s ; T h e o s o p h y is t h e scicnce of all t h a t is div in e in
m a n a n d n a t u r e . I t is th e s t u d y a n d th e an aly sis, w i t h i n th e
k n o w n a n d t h e k n o w a b le , of t b e u n k n o w n , a n d th e o t h e r ­
w ise U n k n o w a b l e .
“ I n its p r a c t ic a l a p p li c a ti o n i t c e r t a in l y m e a n s — free do m
(of t h o u g h t ) , s e l f - t r u s t a n d self-co ntrol, c o u ra g e a n d in d e p e n ­
d e n c e .” A n d if, all th is, h o w c a n o n r rev d . w e ll- w ish e r
“ fea r, its n a r r o w n e s s , as a p la n of life” ? N o r , is it easy to
c o m p r e h e n d h o w c a n “ N i r v a n a ” w h ic h , in o u r b e n e v o le n t
c r i t i c ’s e s tim a tio n , m e a n s “ L o s t in G o d ,” “ R e s t in God, re s t
in t h e I n f in it e ,” s u g g e s t to h im a t t h e s a m e t i m e , t h e p ic tu re
of “ ass o c iatio n w i t h H i m a n d w ith k i n d r e d s p i r i t s . . . t h e fellow ­
sh ip w i t h t h e In f in it e a n d E t e r n a l W o r k e r , T h i n k e r , L ov er,
L ife g i v e r ?” C o u ld w e, fo r one m o m e n t, a n th r o p o m o r p h i z e th e
In f in ite ; im a g in e a t h i n k i n g b r a i n in A b s o l u t e t h o u g h t ; etc.
w e w o u ld y e t e x p re s s o u r id e a o th erw ise. W e w o u ld n o t say
“ fe llo w sh ip ” a n d “ asso ciation ,” ( w h ic h w o r d s m e a n in every
la n g u a g e m u t u a l association or re l a ti o n s h ip of persons on
e q u a l te r m s ) ; b u t r a t h e r a s s im ila tio n or i d e n t i t y w ith , an d
a b s o r p tio n in , t h e A b s o l u t e . W h e r e th e r e is a b so lu te a n d
final b l e n d i n g a n d id e n t i t y of a p a r t w i t h th e w h o le —-there
c a n b e no fellowship. T h e r e is a v a s t d ifferen ce b e tw e e n a
s e p a r a te d r o p of w a t e r t h r o w n b a c k o r a t t r a c t e d in to th e
ocean, a n d tw o d ro p s of oil a n d w a te r . T h e f o r m e r is a d ro p
“ lost i n ” , a b s o r b e d by a n d a s s im ila te d w i t h t h e P a r e n t S o u rc e :
t h e r e r e s u l t s no “ fe llo w s h ip ” o r “ assoc iatio n” b u t a c tu a l
identity in th i s case. W h i l e t h e d r o p of oil an d th e d r o p of
w a t e r a r e tw o d i s t i n c t c o m p o u n d s , a n d t h o u g h m a d e to
associate, iu t h e i r finiteness, th e y can n e v e r be s a id to be lost
in ea c h o th e r . T h e r e f o r e , w e m u s t t a k e e x c e p tio n to th is
d efin itio n of N i r v a n a , lo w e ri n g b o th m a n a n d “ G o d ,” by
m u t u a l d w a rfin g . I f th e definition of N i r v a n a is “ lost in
G o d ” — a n d we a c c e p t it, only r e p l a c i n g t h e l a t t e r n a m e by
P a r a b r a h m — tlie U n iv e r s a l D iv in e E s s e n c e — t h e n M r. D a l i ’s
f u r t h e r a d d it io n to p r o g r a m m e of N i r v a n a , i. e., p erson al
fello w sh ip a n d association w ith “ k i n d r e d s p irits ,” is u n p h ilo -
sophical. I t is in d e e d difficult to u n d e r s t a n d w h a t h e m e a n s
w h e n we find h i m s a y in g , “ I t h i n k H i n d u is m a n d B u d ­
d h is m err in b i d d i n g m e lose myself in G o d ; ” a n d t h e n in ­
f o r m i n g u s in t h e s a m e b r e a t h t h a t t h e “ p a t r i a r c h a l D e b e n d ro
N a t h T a g o r e ” lik e d his, t h e re v d . D a l i ’s definition, sa y in g :—
“ L o s t in G o d ; y o u h a v e it e x a c tly .”
W h a t e v e r m a y b e t h e o ccult m e a n i n g of t h i s e v id e n t co n ­
tr a d ic t io n , in e v e r y t h i n g else o u r c ritic c o m p r e h e n d s
th eo s o p h y r i g h t l y in his letters, “ R a d ic a l” C h r is ti a n it y is as
w elco m e in its r a n k s as ra d ic a l B u d d h i s m , J u d a i s m , or
H i n d u is m . F o r , a ll religio ns d iv e s te d of t h e i r m a n - m a d e
th eolog ies a n d s u p e r la ti v e ly h u m a n ecclesiasticism r e s t on
one a n d t h e sa m e f o u n d a tio n , c o n v e rg e t o w a r d s one focus :
a n i r ra d ic a b le , c o n g e n ita l belief in a n i n n e r N a t u r e reflected in
th o inner m a n , its m ic roc osm | on th is o u r e a r t h , w e can Itnow of
b u t one L i g h t — th e one we see. T h e D iv in e P rin ciple, th e
w h o l e ca n be m a n i f e s t e d to o n r con sciou sn ess, b u t t h r o u g h
N a t u r e a n d its h i g h e s t t a b e r n a c l e — m a n , in t h e w o rd s of
J e s u s , t h e o n ly “ te m p le of G o d .” H e n c e , t h e t r u e tlieoso-
pliist, of w h a t e v e r re lig io n , r e j e c t i n g a c c ep tan ce of, a n d belief
 in, a n extra-cosm ic God, y e t a ccep ts th is a c t u a l ex istenc e of a
Logos, w h e t h e r in th e B u d d h is t , A d w a i te e , C h r i s t i a n G n ostic
or N e w P la t o n ic eso teric sense, b u t w ill b ow to 110 ecclesias­
tical, o r t h o d o x a n d d o g m a tic i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . T h e o s o p h y
fights e v e ry a n th r o p o m o r p h i c c o n cep tio n of th e g r e a t U n k n o w ­
a b l e , a n d w o u ld im p re ss u p o n t h e g r o w i n g w o rld , t h a t its
days of b a b y h o o d a n d ev en a do lescen ce a r e o v e r a n d go ne
by to r e t u r n n o m ore. T heo so p h y w o u ld te a c h its a d h e r e n t s
th a t animal m a n , th e finite, h a v i n g b e e n s t u d ie d fo r ag e s
and f o u n d w a n t i n g in e v e r y t h i n g b u t a n im a li s m — he b ein g
the m o r a l as well as p h y sical s y n th e s is of all th e fo r m s a n d
beings t h r o u g h w h ie h h e h a s e v o lu ted , h en ce b ey o n d c o r r e c ­
tion a n d s o m e th i n g t h a t m u s t be left to ti m e a n d th e
work of e v o lu tio n — it is m o re p ro fitab le to t u r n o u r a tt e n ti o n
to th e s p i r it u a l o r i n n e r m a n , th o infinite a n d th e im m o r ta l.
In its h i g h e r asp ect, T h e o so p h y p itie s a n d w ou ld h elp e v ery
liv in g s e n t i e n t c r e a t u r e , n o t m a n alone. H e is a “ good
T h eo so p h ist,” a n d so f a r as e x o te r ie ism goes, a (fraud T h e o ­
so p h ist w h o said, a n d says, to “ a ll n a t i o n s ” a u d to “ all
relig io n s” “ I w as h u n g r y a n d y o u fe d me, I w a s n a k e d a n d
you c lo t h e d 111c,” m e a n i n g b y “ I , ” t h e h u m a n L o g o s —■
s p i r it u a l m a n k i n d collectively, t h e s p i rit u a l w hole m a n ife s te d
in its p a r t s a n d a to m s o r — if so p re f e rre d , “ God m a n i fe s t e d in
H u m a n i t y . ” H e is a b e t t e r one w h o r e a l i s i n g d eeply th e
p ro f o u n d esoteric m e a n i n g of th is ex oteric p a ra b le , feeds aud
clothes all n a tio n s a n d all relig io n s u n c o n d it io n a l ly : on e e v e r
r e a d y to tr a c e b a c k th e personified p r o n o u n “ I ” n o t to J e s u s
only, or e v en to a n y of t h e re s p e c tiv e C h r i s t s a n d G o d s
m a n i fe s t e d a t d if fe re n t age s a n d to v a r i o u s n a tio n s , b u t to
th e u n iv e r s a l Logos o r d iv in e E g o ; one, in fine, w h o feeds
th e h u n g r y a n d clo th es th e n a k e d ir re s p e c tiv e of t h e i r c ree d
o r n a t i o n a l i t y — as ev en t h e g oo d k i n g A s o k a did.
A “ p e rs o n a l G o d ” say s th e true T h e o so p h is t, is t h e c re a tio n
of the e p h e m e ra l a n d a n im a l, t h o u g h in t e ll e c tu a l m a n . T h e r e ­
fore, th o R ev. g e n t l e m a n is w r o n g in q u e r y i n g w h e t h e r
D a v id c o u ld be a T h e o so p h is t. A m a n w h o m u r d e r s
a n o t h e r to d e p ri v e h im of h is w ife a n d t h u s sa tisfy
his l u s t m a y be t h e “ f r i e n d ” of a n a n t h r o p o m o r p h i c
God ; h e c a n n o t be a T h e o s o p h is t. H e is r i g h t , w h e n
a s k i n g w h e t h e r J e s u s w a s a T h e o s o p h is t f o r “ t h e S o n
of M a n ” a n d t h e “ M a n of S o r r o w ” w a s o n e in th e full
ac c e p ta tio n of th o te r m , a n d th is, p e rc h a n c e , is th e v e ry
reaso n w h y so few h a v e u n d e r s to o d a n d a p p r e c i a te d h im
a n d w h y h e w as crucified. l i e w as a lo v e r of T r u t h D iv ine.
N o T heo soph ist, w h e t h e r H e a t h e n or C h r is ti a n , J e w o r G e n tile
w o u ld e v e r t h i n k of r e j e c t i n g t h e id e a l J e s u s , o r r e f u s i n g r e ­
v eren ce to ono w h o d u r i n g lifo w a s on e of t h e n o b le s t a n d
g r a n d e s t of m e n , only to suffer t h e post-mortem d e g r a d a t i o n
of b e in g n ic h e d w i t h th e p e tt ie s t a n d s m a ll e s t of gods
in th e w o r l d ’s p a n t h e o n of deities. T h e T h e o s o p h is t o nly
re fu ses to a c c e p t th e J e s u s C h r i s t of t h e m i s i n te r p r e te d
a n d gro ssly d is fig u r e d , ecclesiastical go spels. T r u e to th e
colours of U n iv e r s a l B r o th e r h o o d , t h e T h e o s o p h is t is a lw a y s
r e a d y to a c c e p t u n d is g u is e d t r u t h ; to b o w b efo re t h e m a n of
w h a t e v e r ra c e o r c re e d , w ho, being but mortal lias s t r u g g l e d
o n w a r d , a n d a c h ie v in g p u rific a tio n through his own exertions,
risen to t h e e m in e n c e of th o im a g i n a r y p e r s o n a l God. B u t
h e will o v e r refu se w o rsh ip o r ev e n re c o g n itio n , to t h e vir-
t n e a n d r i g h t c o u s n e s s o f t h a t e x t r a cosm ic d e ity . F o r if lie is
all t h a t th o T h e i s t a n d C h r i s t i a n m a i n t a i n h i m to be, I 10 h a s
110 p e rs o n a l m e r i t w h a te v e r . I f he is, th o “ g o d ” fr o m , a n d in,
e te r n it y , th e c u l m in a t io n of e v e ry p e r f e c ti o n in h e a v e n a n d 011
e a r t h , p e rf e c tio n th e r e f o r e is liis i n h e r e n t a t t r i b u t e : a n d w h a t
p e rs o n a l m e r i t c a n t h e r e be in a B e i n g t h a t c a n n e i t h e r bo
te m p te d n o r c o m m it sin ? I n s t e a d of o ffe rin g to s u c h go d
worship, t h e t r u e T h e o so p h is t, w h o r e j e c ts s u p e r n a t u r a l i s m
a n d m ira c le w o u ld feci in c lin e d 011 t h e c o n tr a r y , to t a k e su c h a
deity, to t a s k a n d a s k h i m w h y — E s s e n c e of B liss a n d P e r ­
fection as he is, ho y e t m a d e m a n , “ n o m i n a l l y ” in his ow n
im a g e ” y e t so h e lp le s s a n d so m i s e r a b l e , so s i n f u l a n d so i m ­
p e r f e c t. A s B u c h a n a n sa y s :—
“ A lm ig h ty F ie n d ! w h o w ill judges T h e e 011 T h y jndgmcnt d a y ?”
This, of co u rsc, w ill be s e t d o w n a s ‘ b l a s p h e m y ’. B u t it
seem s to u s t h a t t h e r e c a n be 110 m o ro b le s p lie m y in a n a ly z in g
a p e rs o n a l God, w h ie h , w e m a i n t a i n to be t h e c r e a t io n of m a n ’s
m i n d alo no , t h a n , in d is s e c tin g m o r a l l y a n d p h y s i c a ll y th e
c r c a t u r c o f G od,— m a n , m a d e b y h i m in his o w n physical
im ago f o r w o t r u s t t h a t th o lik e n e s s c a n a p p l y still less
to tho spiritual “ im a g o ” w h e n ono t h i n k s of t h e a v e r a g o
sin fu l m a n of th i s , o u r h u m a n i t y P
T h u s, a T h e o s o p h is t w ill a lw a y s r e s p e c t a n d a d m i r e , if n o t
follow a t r u e “ s e r v a n t of C h r is t.” Anel h e w ill a lw a y s op en ly
despise a p ro f e s s in g C h r is ti a n , w i t h n o t one of th e C h ris t-lik e
v i r t u e s ; su c h , fo r in s ta n c e as we find m irro r e d ,re tro s p e c tiv e ly
in t h e g r e a t l i g h t t h r o w n u p o n so m e soi-disant C h r is ti a n t e a ­
ch ers , b y t h e r e c e n t trial of “ P i g o t is. J I a s t i e ” . S h a l l w e,
T h co so p h ists, feel a n y t h i n g b u t sco rn fo r the Christians, b i g
a n d s m a ll fishes, w h o fig u red in th is m o s t d i s g ra c e fu l , lego!
t r a g i- c o m e d y P A v a u n t , such C h ris tia n s. T h e y m a y bo fit
fo r th o f r o n t r a n k s of tlio p seu d o -c h ris tia n b u t not, we ho pe,
ev en fo r th e b a c k g r o u n d of t h e T h eosophical Socicty.
________ J U s l u e r s fa f e r c s p i t i i c i i t s . ■
M r s . E . K n o w l k s , F . T . S. (W o o d b r id g e , S u ff o lk ,E n g la n d )
Y es, th e A r ti c le s 011 “ T r a n s m i g r a t i o n of th e L i f e - a t o m s ’
in t h i s j o u r n a l f o r J u l y a n d A u g u s t las t, p u r s u e a d ifferent
p h a se of th e d o c tr in e , p a r t i a l l y u n f o l d e d in P a t a n j a l i . B. IV.
pp. 197 to 199 ( T u k a r a m T a t y a ’s E d n .) Tlie tw o sh o u ld bo
r e a d t o g e t h e r to be p r o p e r ly ap p re c ia te d .
A T iieosoluust ( U nin itia ted ) . — T lic s u b j e c t of p rev isio n h a s
b een so o fte n a n d so e x h a u s t iv e l y tr e a t e d in th e s e c o lu m n s,
t h a t we a re s o r r y w e c a n n o t n o tice y o u r case a t l e n g t h . .
M a g n e t ic h a r m o n y b e tw e e n p e rs o n s o ften s e r v e to lift th o
veil w h ic h e n s h r o u d s o u r senses. T h e l e t t e r c o m m u n i c a t i n g
th e n ew s of y o u r b r o t h e r - i n - l a w ’s illness p u t yon in to m a g ­
n etic s y m p a t h y w ith th e w r i t e r a n d his s u r r o u n d i n g s , an d
y ou looked in to th e a s t r a l e t h e r in w h ic h Ihe whole f u n e r a l
procession w a s reflected.
S. V. K ., B. A. ( T a n j o r e ) . — T h o t h r e a t c o n ta in e d in y o u r
l e t t e r — w o r th l e s s as a lite r a r y p ro d u c t io n — r e n d e r it im p o ssi­
ble ev en to c o n s i d e r its fitness fo r pu blicatio n.
P . T. S. ( N c g a p a t a m ) — T h e s u b j e c t is too in d e c e n t fo
c la im a n y l e n g t h y discussion. T h e v e r y f a c t t h a t i t is a d ­
m i tt e d b y y o u to bo u n la w f u l p ro v e s it im m o ra l.
P r e s s u r e on o u r space ob liges 11s to h o ld o v er, a m o n g
o th e r s , th o fo llo w in g a rticles, a l r e a d y in typ e :—
(1.) “ G o d - i d e a , ” by B a lm B a j n a r a i n Bose.
(2.) “ O n C h o le r a , ” b y D r. L. S alzer, F. T. S.
(3.) “ S h a m a n i s m a m o n g s t tho K o l a r i a n t r i b e ,” by 51 K
K . H ., F . T. S. ’
(4 .) “ Notes and Queries 011 G h o s ts a n d A p p a r i t i o n s , ” by
II . G. A tk in s o n .
S eders tor fjje d eb ito r.
S O L A R S P O T S A G A IN ;— A B L U E R A Y L E S S S U N
A N D A R Y A N W IS D O M .
I t will be in th e recollection of your readers th a t in tlie J u n e
(1882) issuo of tlie Theosophist I have quoted e xtracts from
Varalia Mihira B rih atsa n ih ita to show th a t solar spots fore­
bode fam ine in the lan d—au instance of A ryan wisdom which,
was exemplified by the famine of 1S76— 77, when spots of con­
siderable dim ensions were observed in the s u n ’s disc. Now
du rin g the last three days not only the n atu ral color of th o su n
appears to have qu itted it, b u t th e re is a big spot about 2 minute.-!
in d iam eter in tiie lower rig h t q u a rt e r of the su n ’s diso a little
below th e central line when I made tho observation in the
morning th r o u g h iny telescope. The Spot is also visible to tlio
n ak ed eye.
Varalia Misira describes as follow a few terrestrial ohenomena
at the time ot the appearance of the spots. C hap ter I I I , Slokas
9 & 10.
VO ''S' C, •
ll ■!
(9.) “ W hen spots ap pear on the diso oE tho sun th e following
phenomena will be witnessed 011 earth : The w aters will get d is ­
tu rb ed ; the sky will be filled with d u st ; h igh winds capable oE
tu r n in g down the tops of mountains and trees will carry pebbles
and sand along th eir course.”
(10.) “ The trees will fail toyicld in their appropriate seasons ;
birds and animals will begin to bowl ; there will be appearance
of false fire all r o u n d ; and Ivjhtnhuj and earthquake will afllicb
m an kind ,”
H ere follows a description of famine, vide page 235, J u n e 1662,
issuo of tho Theosophist.
A s regards the p re s e n t color oE the sun some th in k it to bo
blue ; somo green ; some th a t of copper ; while a few
th in k it to be th a t of peacocks’ pbune. The true color
ti
of the sun appears to bn that of the paper on which P o s tc r ip t:— Just a.s described in sloka 10, Chapter II
t.he title page of the Theosnpldst is printed. It is not improba­ of his work on Samliitu, by Varalia Mihira, you will hav°
ble that like the chameleon the color of tho sun i.s different ab learned that shocks of earthquake wero felt in severa^
different times. I havo therefore deemed it advisable to quote parts of India, and that there were also volcanic erup­
here nearly all that Varaha Mihirar has written about solar
tions in Java of a serious kind. You will also soo that
color and its effect on earth,— Chap. Ill, Slokas 21 & 22.
all this took place ■within a fortnight after tho appearanco
rt | of tho spots on the solar disc, ju s t as stated in sloka 1 ,
Chapter 97. Nothing more is required to shew the depth of
Aryan researches in matters about which men of modern
science as yot know little or nothing.
( 22 ) I Now as regards tho change in the solar hue, a writer in
the M adras Tim es, who appears to bo no less important a
personage than the Government Astronomer himself, ex­
* * * * * plains tho change by attributing it, according to his belief,
“ to the passage across Indra of tlie tremendous amount of
(55) ^ ^ r f tq 'R W F r : l sulphurous vapors emanating from the grand volcanic
disturbances which occurred in the south-east extremity of
Java.” In support of this view the writer says that tlio
■■>
■ * * * * “ Moon and brighter stars were all similarly affected with the
Sun.”
(2C>) <prfafaer: 11
1. Now as regards tho Moon the change in her appear­
ance need not necessarily support the ■writer’s view; for,
* * * * * independently of any atmospherical affection by volcanic
smoke as supposed, the Moon must necessarily undergo a
(27) ^rfa R ^jR R r% 11 change of color along with the Sun, for this simple reason
that sho receives all her light from tho Sun.
(3 3 ) *rerft5TCfa$s'rr»r: 1 2. As regards the brighter stars, it is doubtful whether
they lost any of their lustre; on the other hand it is certain
^tr^K ^T r^r R 11
that stars of even tho sixth magnitude continued to be visible,
which could never havo been the ease if the atmosphere had
(2 9 ) ^ ?^ ? 2 ’> T * W IT been charged with a “ tremendous amount of sulphurous
* * * * * vapors” capable of depriving even the Sun of much of its
ustre.
(30) | 3. Nobody in India found that the atmosphere ever smelt
sulphur as ought to have been tho case under the conditions
supposed.
(21.) “ If when the rays are turned away from earth the color 4. It is exceedingly unlikely that the smoke from Java,
of the sun be that of copper, the commander-in-chief dies ; if it be situated on the other side of the Equator (Latitude 8 ° S., and
green or yellow the king’s son dies ; if it bo white the high Longitude 110° E.,) could ever travel so far west and
priest dies.” - north, a distance of over 3,000 miles, as to reach tlie west
(22.) “ If the sun be variegated in color, or of the color o coast of Sunda, and who knows that the phenomenon was
smoke thero will either bo immediate rain or mankind will suffe not witnessed further west.
from robbers and from weapons.” 5. It is exceedingly improbable that tho smoke could so
Tlio author fclieu doscribos tlio offoct of solar color iu much mix with the atmosphere as not to expose the Snn at
the various seasons. intervals, for over a week.
# * * ■* * 6 . The change in tho solar and lunar color continued
(25.) “ IF in Varasha, (Rains, August and Septem her) wh°£ only for about a week ; for a week moro the luminaries
ths rays aro sharp, tho color be white then the Brahmins, if resumed their former lustre, and again they changed color !
blood color then tho Kshatrisya if yellow or green then the
Surely thero was no repetition of the volcanic eruptions on
Vaisyas, and i[ black then the Sudras and othors will bo afflicted
with miseries.” an equally large scalc.
* # * * * 7. Again, how came the spot to appear, and how came
(26.) “ If in Varasha tho color be black thero will be no rain.’ they to appear at the very time a change of color took place?
* * * * * 8 . Now if the Sun and Moon should have presented tho
(27.) “ I£ in Varasha the disc be clear thero will be immediate same appearance to our antipodes as to us here, it would go to
rain.” shew that the Government Astronomer’s theory is untena-
(28.) “ If in Varasha the solar color be that at the flower of able, unless he goes to the length of also believing that Java
Siroosha (Mimosa flexuosa) there will be good rain ; if, on tlio smoko could circumnavigate the globe.
other hand, tho color bo that at peacock’s plume, there will be no Now tho Aryans speak as well of solar color as of solar
raiu. for 1 2 years to come.” spots without assigning any reason for the phenomena as
(20.) “ If in Varasha tho color bo bluo mankind will suffer
far as we could gather from the books now in existence.
from worms and reptiles; if the color be ashy pale (whicli happily
is not tho case) the reigning sovereign will be dethroned and an­ Considering that tho appearance of the spots in the solar
other will tako hia place.” disc is accompanied by earthquakes and the like terrestrial
* * * * * disturbances, we are of opinion that the spots as well as tho
(30.) “ If the color bo that of the blood of a haro, thero will bo change in tho solar aspect may not probably be due to the
war in the land; if the sun should appear liko the moon tho circumstance that erratic comets and crippled planets, pro­
sovereign will bo killed and ho will be succeeded by a foreign bably belonging to the Asteroid group, whose courso may
prince.” have been run, meet with their final doom by suddenly
In chap. 97, sloka. 1, tho author says. wheeling round and precipitating themselves in the Sun, and
there consumed, as by this means the equilibrium of the system
TOr*nTT%: (<TR>:) is disturbed, and the system itself feels a sudden jerk which
“ In the case of solar symptoms tho effects described will on earth results in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions— the
begin to bo felt within a fortnight after the appearanco of such spots being no other than the dark mass of the burning orbs,
symptoms. ” tlio color being the result of the enveloping fume. It also
It is probable that thoso that have no respect for Aryan follows that along with earthquakes, there are, probably,
wisdom will considor the presont symptoms as foreboding
nothing, or, in the language of Emilia, “ it is neither here nor more or less of Mercuryquakes, Venusquakes, Marsquakes,
thero” But we shall wait and see whab happens. and Jupiter,-Saturn,-Uranus,-and even Neptunequakes; and
Yours obediently, who can affirm that such is not actually the case ?
N, Chidambaram Iyer, F. T. S,,
T H E B R A H M A N CASTE, P A R IA H A N D P IN D A M .
AND
SUNDARESVARA S r O U T IIY ,
I nA V E a right to be heard when questions affecting the
TRIVADT, ■) H in d u Astronomer, Hindu social and religious polity are raised in the columns
JOTISTANTRA SABHA, [■ of the Theosophist. _ The Hindus are indebted to the Found­
September 9th, 1883, J ers of the Theosophical Society for spreading the Gospel of
Living Himalayan Brothers, willing' to assist theoretically
and practically men of character who caro to study and to
advance in Divine Wisdom. Tho much neglected and even
condemned Yoga and Vedanta Sastras have been vindicated
hy their explanations and phenomenal proofs. M y alliance
with the President of the Theosophical Society has served all
its purposes, inasmuch as educated Hindus have joined the
Society, and intelligent theosophists of all races havo ap­
preciated Hindu saered literature and favored the revival of
Sanscrit learning.
I havo now to exhort fellow-Hindns to examine and
repair the structure of the Hindu nationality in the light of
the solemn truths of universal Theosophy. l!ut theosophie
generalisations arc as dangerous in the hands of revolution­
ists as political principles of Liberty and Equality have beeii
among Frenchmen, and as Malthusian principles and Dar­
winian survival of the fittest arc among Materialists. Just
as styles of architecture and arrangements of rooms arc
different while the building materials may be the same, just
as individuals differ in size and complexion while partaking
of the same humanity : so national civilisations may vary
on the same theosophie grounds. Every nation has its own
history and genius, and every country its climate and sce­
nery.
Nay, more may be said of the B rah m an caste. I have
propounded in the October Theosophist the fact that caste per­
vades the universe, and that the Hindus preserve the classi­
fication as the immutable result of previous Karma and
test of capacity for present culture. Neither in the Mahat­
mas, nor in Chelas, nor in formal theosophists, nor in men, arc
Karma and culture tlie same. Caste may be defined among
men as the distance fr o m A d e p tsh ip . The Adept or true priest
is casteless or has transcended the castcs. Indeed lie sees
himself even in the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms.
He is a perfect celebate. The B ra hm a n caste is the body of
men in the world qualifying themselves to be Chelas, or iu
tho language of the Mahabharata, “ Bodliyamonas,” ou the
road to “ Buddliaship.” To save Brother Subba Row the
trouble of showing that Buddhism as theosophy is not opposed
to Brahmanism, I shall transcribe two lines from that sacred
book, which is the fifth Veda, being' the Key to the occult
meaning of the Four: —
“ Ycna sarvam idam B u dd h am
Pralcritir Vikritiscliaya
Gatijnas sarvabliutanam
Tam Deva B rah in an avi viduh.
Yetad budliva bliavet B u dd h as
Yetad vai janma samarthyam
B ra h m an a sya viseshatali.”
The caste-B rahm an is the qualified student and the caste-
transcending B rahman is the B u ddh a. There arc astrologers
who will tell the caste of a person from an examination of the
lioroseopc. IIow is this possible if caste were not a natural
institution ? If Prakriti has three Gunas, and the Vedas are
“ Tri-gunya-visliyah,” as defined in the Bhagavadgita, till ono
becomes a “ Nis-Trigunya he is a composition of the quali­
ties, arid that is the touchstone of caste. Ramasaniy kicks and
robs Kristnasamy with the lip-theosophy that thoy are botli
ono and Brabm and that separate body, property, &c. are
unreal ! Such is the conduct of some who confound easte
under cover of platitudes, and want withal a caste status,
while breaking from its restraints culture and duties.
Now from the above hints if it is recognised that caste is a
theosophie classification open to all, ascertainable at birth,
and modified by culture ; and if further it is pcrccived that
in tho Brahman caste tho hnsband is the mesmeriser and tho
wife the sensitivo, the rationale of child-marriage and widow­
hood will bo clear to the readers. If the Brahmans of the day
havo not the yog'ic culture to livo long and control their
wives, let such by all means call themselves Sudras, but they
are not justified iu quarrelling with the Brahman caste as it
ought to be. There is no objection to rc-marriage, 01*free-lovo,
or beef-eating, or drinking (what will our objection avail
against tho law of Karma and habit P),but the parties cannot
be of th at caste in which restraints and sacrifices of bodily
desires are enjoined.
I know many aro calling mo inconsistent and unpatriotic,
because I do not fall in with their views, which seem to me
to be inconsistent and unpatriotic— as coveting a caste-rank
while behaving as out of the cast6 , and parading a theoso­
phie independence without allegiance to theosophie priests.
A slip in tho dark and in haste iu such matters cannot bo
retrie v ed , easily. W h ile I lo o k u p o n th e F o u n d e rs o f th e T h e-
osophical Society as gifted fellow-workers to evoke good-will
and sympathy amongst all races and churches, some of my
brothers look upon the Adyar residence as a New Church and
the Theosophists as a new race. The Theosophical Socioty
as such has only the three external objects mentioned
in the Rules, and in Colonel Olcott’s letter to the Gov­
ernments of India and of Madras. A church of priests
exists to minister to believers, but the Theosophical
Society does not excludc those who do not believe in
an inner man. The H ig h est P r ie s t is within- each mat 1
to whom all bow, whether Himalayan Brothers, or Siva,
Vishnu, Brahma, Buddha, Christ, &c. and in whom all theso
live, as indeed the whole phenomenal world. Yet to throw
off veil after veil which hides Him, or, in the language of
Vyasa, to cross tho ocean of Births and Desires, men want tho
aid of men, having life-boats, ships and steamers according to
their resources of virtue and knowledge. Every church of
priests is useful so long as there are laymen deriving conso­
lation from their aid and teaching', and no man need kick off
the ladder by which he has risen, while he can climb higher
heights by the ladders always ready for him thero. Many
others will want the particluar ladder which I10 has no
occasion for.
The Brahman caste is divided into G o tr a s ; the Maha­
bharata says :—
“ Utpadya putran Munayo
Nripate yatra tatra ha,
Svenaiva tapasa tesliam
Rishitvam pradaduh punali.”
“ Mulagotrani chatvari,
Samutpannani Partliiva,
Angirah Kashyapascliaiva,
Vasishtho Bhrigur eva cha” .
“ Karmato anyani g-otrani
Samutpannani Parthiva,
Namadheyani tapasa
Tani cha grahanam satam” .
Tho substance of the above is that the Adepts founded
■the G o tr a s by initiating pupils or soiis from any place they
chose, and that there wero originally four gotras after tho
four Rishis, and others wore instituted gradually. Dead-
lett.er scholars should remember that a p u p il is often called
a son and even a wife. Even the Christians call their church
as married to Christ and Christ as the Son of God.
The P a r ia h is not castcless as the Adept, but an Outcast-e
or so distant from Adeptship by his previons Karma and
present life, as to contaminate the castes by his foul magne­
tism. That is tho definition, but many so-called Pariahs now
may have transcended and can transcend that stage. If lovo
of solitude in Satviya gnnam is the feature of the Brahman
caste, if philanthropy in Rajasa Guuam of tlie Kslmtriya,
caste, if material and commercial blessings in Rajasa spirit
of the Vysia caste, and if appreciation of the above ranks in
Tamasa Gunam of the Sudras ; ignorant isolation from tho
caste is the feature of the Mleecha and positive and recklcess
dereliction that of the Pariah.
By all means let Pariahs rise iu status, but if they rise and
especially have “ their o-wn preachers of religion and morality,’
it will be a misnomerto call them Pariahs ever afterwards.
Tho philanthropic movement started at Bang-aloro is in my
theosophy calculated to give the Pariahs such duties and
education as to g-ive thom a caste status. Many a born Brah­
man, Kshatriya, Vysia and Sudra, arc virtual Pariahs now.
One object of the Hindu Sabha is to promote and degrade men
from one caste into another. Tiruvalluvar, whom wo rank
amongst Adepts and whose Tamil works are prescribed for
the University examination was a Pariah by birth ; but roso
silently through tho caste dcfinitionsabovetheBrahmanstatus.
With reference to the above premises, I am glad to note that
my poor friend Venkatarania Sastry of Coimbatore has by
his discourses amongst tho lower orders done an immense
deal singlehanded to preservo the Hindu faith amongst them
and to refute missionary Christianity. The second object of
tho association will strengthen the efforts of such men as tho
Sastry, and as my support, save as regards the objeetionablo
phrase “ their own preachers” for I should be ashamed to
call competent preachers Pariahs. The first and third ob­
jects are needless, for those who want moro than tho preachers
can do had better join the schools open to all classes instead
of keeping themselves aloof.
I had rather that all business of this nature wore assigned
to committees of the Theosophical Society than that separato
funds and organizations should bo instituted by numberles.3
 by-bhoridcrs. While the Founders of the T. S. with ever T A B L E OF C O N T E N T S .
increasing branches spend their private resources for tho
propagation of Hindu ancestral philosophy, I consider it
almost culpable that those who have read a leaf of that litera­ rage. Page.
ture should imagine that they know the whole and are supe­ M o ra lity n n d P an th eism ... 33 A n A v a ta r of C h rist... . .. .. 61.
rior to the Brahmans of hereditary training and accumulated R e p lie s to In q u irie s s u g g e s te d S alv atio n ists— Jesu its ... 51
b y “ E so tcric B u d d h ism ” ... 35
oxporience. After thirty minutes’ talk I was able to put Q u e stio n V I I .. ......................... 4.3
rl h e R ev. W. lln sties K arm a
and th e F ro g rcss of Poesy
into the Malabar branch most respectable Yogis and Dikshi- T lie C a b b a lla h ... ... ... 44 in B e n g a l ... ... ... 51
tas. And if only the hobby-riders keep quiet’, the Mutlia- L u m in o sity of th o M a g n e tic A n s w e rs to C o rre s p o n d e n ts ..., 53
dh jpa tidh is and Achariars of southern India will own and F ie l d ... ... .. ... 45 L e tte r s to th e E d ito r—
endow the Adyar Head-quarters as Theosophists. Missionaries T lie S t. J a m e s ’ G a zette and S o la r S p o ts ag a in — A B lu e

may be content with the lower orders, but Thcosophists “ E so tcric B u d d h ism ” ... 4G R ay lcss Sunand A iy n n
C h ro n o lo g y of th o C urrent W isd o m ... ... ...
ought to reach the clergy and not simply the discontented B e n g n l i E p l i i m e r i s .......................... 48
53
The B rahm an C aste, P ariah
laity. I had rather that the Padre changed tho Pariah into M ed ica l M a g n e tism and th e and 1’ i n d a m ... 51
the Christian and that the Theosophist stepped in then to H e a le r M ag n e tic ... ... 40
redeem tho Christian, and that the clergy then conferred
npon the Theosophist a right to Vedic K r i y a s than that
Pariahs and Sudras, however educated and pious, s h o u l d S P E C IA L N O T IC E S. '
Fou e v e r remain Pariahs and Sudras.
I t is n o w ev id e n t th a t t lie T h eo soi' h ist offers to ad v ertisers unusual
I pass now to tho question of I ’indam or Vedic Kriyas, a d v a n tag es in circu latio n . W e h av e alread y s u b s c r ib e r s in e v e r y part
to divest the sonl of lingering and ungratificd earthly atiacli- ot I n d i a , ill C e y l o n , B u r m a h , C h i n a a n d o n t h e P e r s i a n G u l f . O ur paper

jncnts' To learn to do tlie Kriyas objectively is the sine also g o es to G r e a t B rita in and Irelan d , F ran c ir, S p ain , H o llan d , G er­
m any, N orw ay, H ungary, G reece, R u ssin , A u stra la sia , S o u th A frica,
qua, non of ability to do the same subjectively. This is th e W e s t In d ies, a n d N o r th an d S o u th A m e ric a . T lie follo w in g very
Y o g a m and that is Vedam. This is Uttara Mimamsa and m o d era te ra te s h av e b een ad o p ted . °
that is Purva Mimamsa. The Tamil quotation in the Octo­
ber Theosophist and many similar Sanskrit teachings I can A d v e r tisin g R ates.

«|Uotc, are deluding many who do not seo that there is a F i r s t i n s e r t i o n ................. 1 C l i n e s a n d u n d e r .................. 1 R u p e e
graduated series of lessons in every branch of knowledgo and F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e .............................................................. 1 A n n a

art, and that higher propositions are grasped only by S p a c e is c h a r g e d f o r a t t h e r a t e o f 1 2 l i n e s t o t h o i n c h . S p e c i a l a r r a n g e ­

those who have learnt the lower. There is 110 leaping at m e n t s c a n b o m a d e f o r l a r g e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , n n d f o r l o n g e r n n d fixed
a bound into Nirvanam, and in ovcry page of sacred p erio d s, l'o r fu r th e r in fo rm a tio n a n d c o n t r a c t s fo r a d v e r tis in g , a p p ly to

literature the higher meaning of a lesson is reserved for the M anager, THEOSOPHIST, A dyar, M adras,
obedient pupil and prohibited to the more inquisitive scholar.
M essrs. GRAVES, C O O K S O N A N D C o., M adras.
Whatever may be the im m ediate value to the dead or tho
P r o p r ie t o r , IN D U S T R IA L P ltfiS S , 3, I I umm um S t r e e t , F o r t , B ombay.
living of the external Kriya at the geographical Gaya, the
M e s s r s . C O O P E R & C o . , M ea d o w S t r e e t , F o r t , B ombay ;
internal Yoga at the psychological Gaya, is the merit
of the adept. I should not deny the immediate value To S U B S C R IB E R S .

of ceremonies, which llama and Pandu observed, and all Tho S u b scrip tio n p rice a t w h ich th e T n n o s o rn is T is p u b lis h e d b n re ly
Brahmans at all times perform. Cunning, cheating and priest­ c o v e rs c o s t— th e d e sig n in e s ta b lis h in g th e jo u rn a l h av in g been ra th e r
craft arc out of place when Brahmans do things amongst to reach a very w id e circle of renders, th a n to m a k e a p ro fit. W e can­
themselves, and I beg to complain of such charges as un- n o t afford, th e re fo re , to s e n d s p e c im e n co p ie s fre e , n o r to s u p p ly lib ra rie s,

thcosophie and worthy only of dogmatic missionaries. I societies, or in d iv id u a ls g ra tu ito u sly . For tho snm c reason w c aro
o b lig e d to n d o p t th o p ln n , n o w n n iv ers.n l in A m e r ie n , of re q u irin g s u b ­
have said that the prospective value of the rite to the student s c rib e rs to p a y in n d v a n c e , a n d of s to p p in g th e p a p e r a t tho en d of th e
of occultism is great. Thorite may be even of 110 immediate term paid for. Jin n y yenrs of p ractical ex p e rien e o have co n vinced
use and yet important to tlie student, just as tho letters of W e ste rn p u b lish e rs th a t th is s y ste m of eash paym ent is th e best and
the alphabet arc which boys have to learn to prononnco and m o s t s a tis f a c to r y to b o th p a r t i e s ; a n d all r e s p e c ta b le jo u rn a ls are now
c o n d u c t e d 011 t h i s p l a n .
write before knowing thoir combination into words having a
meaning-. Esoterieally tho three Pindams are the three T he T iiE o s o rm s T w ill appear each m o n th . The ra te s, fo r tw elv e
Karmas of Word, Thought, and Body, and they arc consumed n u m b e r s o f n o t less th a n 4 8 c o lu m n s lio y a l 4to e a c h of re ad in g m atter,

in Gaya by the Fire of Knowledge. Tho Yiiganis, where o r 5/G co lu m n s in all, a r e as f o l l o w s :— T o S u b s c r i b e r s in a n y p a r t of

In d ia , C o y lo n . S tr a its S e ttle m e n ts , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A u stra lia , R s. 8 •
sheep, cows and horses arc offered, are similar exoteric lessons in A frica, E urope, a n d th e U n ited S ta te s, £ 1. H a lf - y e a r (I n d ia , A c..)
to students who will ultimately see that tho animals arc R s . 5 ; S i n g l e c o p i e s R u p e e 1. R e m i t t a n c e s i l l p o s t a l s t a m p s m u s t b o at.
technical names of parts of tho human organisation. t h e r a t e of a n n a s 17 to th e R u p e e to c o v e r d isco u n t. The above ra te s
In philosophy all but The All is a shadow— the creation of in clu d e p o stag o . N o n a m e , v n l l be e n t e r e d i n th e b o n ks o r p a p e r s e n t
the Manas. But till the Pralayam everything exists as real, u n t i l th e in o n c g is r e m i t t e d ; a n d i n v a r i a b l y th e p a p e r w i l l b e d i s c o n t i n v v d
a t th e e x p i r a t i o n o f th e t e r m su b sc rib e d - f o r . R em itta n ces sh o u ld be m a d e
and the blunder of lieforniers is f.o feel and act as if tbe in M o n e y - o r d e r s , I l n n d i s , B ill, C h e q u e s , (o r T r e a s u r y b ills if iu r e g is t e r e d
universe or the “ Jag'rata” stage Wi :-c real, and yet to plead le tte rs ) , a n d m a d e p a y a b le o n ly to th e P r o p r i e t o r s o f t h e T iiE osorm sT
for objectionable feelings and acts, the philosophy of the A d y a h I ’. (.)., ( M a d r a s , ) I n d i a . ’
“ Samadhi’’ stage. “ Kuru Karma Tyagctaeha,” or, do aud
S u b sc rib e rs w ish in g a p rin te d re c e ip t fo r th o ir re m itta n c e s m u s t send
give up, is the Guru’s advice to all honest pupils. sta m p s fo r re tu rn p o stag e.
If Pindam and Gaya involve so much sacrifice of time,
® 3 ? 'O nly O ne N umber of V o r.. I b e in g a v a il a b l e , t iie cha rg e for
comfort and money, ehcerfnlly and intelligently doing it,
th e m w ill b o A n n a s 12. S u b s c r ib e r s fo r th e S e c o n d V o lu n ie |(0 c t.|1 8 8 0 to
will 011 that very account make a good Chela. The benefits S ep tem b er 1 8 8 1 ) p a y R s . G o n ly in I n d i a ; R s . 7 in C cy io n ; R s . 8 in
reaped by good pilgrims are never trumpeted forth by them, th e S tr a its S e ttle m e n ts , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A u stra lia; and £ 1 in A frica
while the disappointments of bad pilgrims and tho scepticism E urope and th e U n ited S ta te s.

nf 110 pilgrims arc paraded to undermine the faith wliich A or; N T s : L o n d o n , E n g ., M essrs. T riib n cr an d C om pany, 57 and 50,
leads to knowledge. Most pilgrimages aro tho trials insti­ L n d g a t e l l i l l ; B e r n a r d Q u a r i t c h , 1 5 P ic c a d il l y , W . ; P a r i s ; F r a n c e , I ’.'G .
tuted by the Gurus to purify the would-be Chela, and most L ey m arie, 5, R uo iN o u v o des P e tits C ham ps; N ew Y ork, F o w ler

ceremonies are illustrative representations to the outer man and W e lls, 7 5 3 , B r o a d w a y ; B o sto n , M ass, C o lb y a n d R ic h , 9, M o n t g o ­
m ery I ’l a c c ; C h i c a g o , I I I . J. C . B u n d v , L a S a lic S t. A m e r ic a n s u b s c r i­
of the organisation of the inner man. Every man who will b e rs m a y also o rd e r th e ir p a p e rs th ro u g h W . Q . J u d g e , E sq ., B ox 8, P . ().
be saved must go through some trial and ceremony, and the B ro o k ly n , N e w Y o r k ; M e lb o u rn e , A u s t r a li a W .I1 . T e r r y , P u b . H a r b in g e r
.same trial and ccrcmony will not suit all. And the paradox o f L ig h t . ; S t . T h o m a s ; W e s t T n d i c s , C . E . T a y l o r ; C a l c u t t a , I n d i a : T h a c k e r
is that all trials and ccremonies arc one in esoteric truth. If S p in k a n d C o m p a n y , B o o k sellers, B a b u N o r e n d r o N a t h S e n , In d ia n

a man has bathed in tho truo Ganges, ho has at the timo M ir r o r O i l i c e , 2 4 M o t t ' s L a n e , D h u r r n m t o l l a l i S tre e t ; M adras, M essrs.
Johnson and C o ., 2G P o p h a m ’s B roadw ay, V en k ata V a rn d arajn lu
bathed at the true Ramosaram. If a man has truly made his N a id u , R a y a p e tta , H ig h R ond ; B an g alo re, W . A . L e o n a r d , B a n g a lo re
pindam at Gaya, he has made Soma Yajnam and Brahma S p e c ta to r O f f i c e , 1 0 , S o u t h P a r a d e ; C o l o m b o , C e y l o n : G r e g . E d e r e w e r e ,
yajnam. G a lle , John R obert dc S i l v a , S u r v e y o r G e n e r a l ’s O ffico ; K a n d y , D on
T im o th y K n ru n n ra tn e ; S h an g h ai, C h in a : K e lly a n d W alsh .
My advicc to all is let the body steadily fulfil mysterious
injunctions, and the mind rcflect upon the mysteries and fho
budhi and the truths.
P r i n t e d at tlio S c o ttis h J?ress by G r a v e s , C o o k so n a n d C o.,
A , S ankariait, F. T. S., a n d p u b lis h e d b y th o T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e t y a t A d y a k ,
■ President-Fonnder Jlindu Sabha . (M adras) I n d ia ,
 SUPPLEMENT
THE TH EO SO PH IST.
V ol. 5. N o. 2. MADRAS, N O V E M B E R ,
COL. O L C O T T ’S H E A L I N G STOPPED.
A f t e r the above P ro g ram m e was issued, the O rder alluded
to in th e subjoined Notice was most unexpectedly received.
W h a t makes th e faet th e more strik in g is th a t Madame
Blavatsky received a t Madras from tho “ P a r a m a g u r u ” the
message an d an order to deliver it w ith certain o th e r in stru c­
tions to Colonel Olcott in person a t Bombay, and a t th a t very
time the identical communication w as m ade to the Presidcnt-
F ounder a t Bom bay th r o u g h an o th er chela. T he reason
alleged is th a t any f u rth e r continuance of his mesmeric t r e a t ­
ments a t the rate at which lie has been m a k in g there, will
break down the P re sid en t’s health, besides absorbing too large
a share of time w hich the Society needs to be devoted to its
interests.
T H E P R E S I D E N T - F O U N D E R ’S C IR C U L A R .
S ince the printed p ro gram m e of his to u r was despatched
on the 18th, the President-Found er has received perem ptory
O u i > R i t s from his S u p e r i o r s not to take a single case for t r e a t­
m ent until f u rth e r advised. For fear, therefore, th a t this
prohibition m ay not be removed before his rea ch in g y o ur
Station, the P re sid en t-F o u n d er requests you to notify tlio
faet of the O r d e r to parties w ho have been promised or may
be expecting his help. This, however, will not interfere w ith
his giving full instructions in th e Science or lecturing upon
tho same.
D a m o d a u K. M a v a l a n k a r ,
' Jvint-Itecording Secretary.
C a m p B o m b a y , ?
20 th October 1883. J
. COL. O L C O T T AT N A G A R C O IL .
O n liis way to T re v a n d ru m , Colonel Olcott h a lte d for re f re s h ­
m e n t in the Travellers’ Bungalow a t Nagarcoil on th e 20th J u l y
at 1 r. m. H e was tho g u est th ere of o u r w orthy Ju d g e ,
Mr. A ry a n ay ag a m Pillay. Before th e Colonel sta rte d from
th a t station to the capital of the “ L and of C h arity ,” Mr.
Sreeneovasa Iy e r, a graduate of our U niversity , accom panied by
some other influential gentlemen of th a t place, paid a visit to
th e P re s id en t-F o u n d e r, and warmly req uested him to spen d a
day with th e m aud to address the public on Hinduism, which
they said had suffered so much unm erited ealumny at the
h an d s of the selfish Padris. They told th e Colonel th a t th ey
wore in the m id st of th e meeK Christians, who n ever left a
stone u n tu r n e d to add more of the unwary y o u th to th e flock
(ended by R everend a n d R ig h t R everend B h e p h e r d s . The
Colonel w a s’ pleased w ith th e ir invitation, and informed thom
th a t he would B av e tim e on his re t u r n aud s p e n d a few hours
profitably in le cturing to the public at large, and in conversing
with the people. A ccordingly a note was d ro pt by m e on th e
22nd u n d e r the direction of o ur P re s id e n t to in tim ate to Mr.
Sreeneevasa Iyor, B. A., A ssistant Master, C o ttar High.School, to
Rive notice to the publio th a t a lecture would be delivered at
3 p. m. on th e 25th J u l y 1883. The A ssista nt M aster informed
th e gentry, th e nobility and the officials, Ac. of the station, as
well as th e adjacent su b u rb s to a tte n d to the lecture. T hen
the leader of th e Theosophical Society arrived a t Nagarcoil
at 2 p - M. on th e day promised. A few g e n tlem en waited a t
the bungalow to conduct th e Colonel to th e place se t a p a rt
for the delivery of th e loeture. T h e place selected for th e p u r ­
p o s e wag the local Malayalam School* The arrival of a white
TO
1 8 8 3. No . 50
man from tho o th er side of the Globe to uphold th e cause o£
the Aryans, amazed th e en th usiastic people to a g re a t extonfc,
and th e hall was crowded to suii'ocation. The lecturer was receiv­
ed with every m ark of rcspect and honor duo to his position,
and to th e noble un d ertak in g for which he has sacrificed hia
health and wealth. M. R. Ry. K ulanthivelu Moodaliar Averga!,
B. C. E „ A ssista n t Engineer, was voted to tho Chair, and tho
m eetin g was respectfully atten ded by th e Tahsildar, Munsiff,
District Court V akils and Chockars, &c. &c. M. R. Ry. Sasha
Iy e n g a r Avergal, S a d r C o u rt Vakil, tho gentlem an who first
boldly led the van g u ard of th e Widow M arriage Reform by
m arrying bis daughtor, a child widow, to a Brahmin of his ow n
caste, opened th e m eeting in Tamil, by explaining the object oE
tlio Colonel’s coming from the o th er side of the world to our nativ a
shores. The Colonel th e n lectured on tho all-important question;
of T ram sm ig ration , and adduced scientific reasons for the su p ­
p ort of it. H e im pressed on th e minds of the bearers tbe bad logics
of lhe d octrin e of tran slatin g tho hu m an soul to the ever­
bu rn ing Hell for do ing the forbidden deeds mentioned in th a
so-called sacred and self-contradicting Bible d u rin g so abort a
span of life as three score and ten years in this world, H ia
explanation of e ternity convinced every ono of th e audienca
ab ou t the fallacy of tlio Jesuitical doctrines of th e West. In tha
concluding portion of his lecture ho dwelt on th e historical
fame of the place as a repository of Sa n sk rit literature. A n d
as an historical a u th o r ity to the said fact he referred to t h a
works of somo F re n c h Orientalists. Tho lecture was
atten d ed by some of the E urasians and tho nativo r e ­
presentatives of Pa dristical C hristianity. Now an d th en hia
Bpeech was in te rru p te d by loud and deafening shouts. W h e n tha
Colonel camo back to his tem p orary residence, th e Engitioer, th a
Tahsildar, some D is tric t C ourt Vakils, Choclcars an d oth ers
camo to th e placo to say good-bye to him. To the Tahsildai’
and some V ak ils he g av e some mesmerised oil before he do-
parted.
T in n ev e lly , ) S. P e r i a s w a m y P i l l a y ,
21 at September 1883.) Ag. Private Secretary
to the Prest-Founder T. St
COLONEL OLCOTT AT BELLARY.
B ellary , Iii October 1883.
T i i e P re sid en t-F o u n d er arrived here w ith his Private Secre­
ta ry on th e m o rning of the 28th Septem ber aud was m et a t
the platform of the R a ilw a y S ta tio n by the members of th a
Local B ran c h an d Messrs. V encata Gopaul Row P un tulu, th e
S u b -Ju d g e ; T. R u n g a sa w m y Moodr., Court S h erista d ar ;
A. S a b a p a th y M oodr.; Vassoodevooloo N a id u ; P. N. Daiva-
naigam Moodr.; A. P. S adasivam P illay ; M. A b ra h a m ; D odu
B h e em a R o w ; L n tc lim a na Moodr. ; Vencoba Row, B. A.;
P . R a m a Row, B. A., a n d numerous other native gentlem eu
of the station.
H e was th e n d riven to th e bungalow provided for his accom­
modation, whero tho accompanying address was rea d to him
by Mr. A. S a b ap a th y Moodr, President. A fte r replying iu
suitable term s, Colonel Olcott th a n k e d those present for tho
k in d reception they had given h im an d explained the object
of his visit.
3. I n the evening he delivered a most interesting L ecture
to an appreciative and very num erous audience, principally
composed of Hindoos, w ith a fair sprinklin g of E uropeans and
E urasians. Tho nu m erous interruptio ns occasioned by clap­
pings of lianda a u d cries of “ hear, hear,” showed how h e a r ­
 tily tlic words of the venerable le ctu rer w ere appreciated ; the
le c tu re lasted over nn hour and em braced a v ariety of subjects
connected w ith Theosophy. A fte r w hich the C hairm an, Mr.
V en c ata Gopaul ilow P u n tu lu rose a n d in sh o rt b u t pointed
speech th a n k e d the L ec turer an d drew th e a tten tio n of the
h e a r e r s to some of the Colonel’s most rem a rka ble utterances.
T h e m eeting then dissolved w ith loud cheers.
4. The following morning, th e Colonel again delivered a
m o st elaborate lecture a t H. R. II. the Prin ce of W ales’
choultry, at which no less th a n 200 people were present. I t
w as ably in te rp re ted by M. R. Ry. K ris tn a m a Cliarriar,
sifter which the C ha irm an M. R. Ry. A S a b a p a th y Moodaliar
nddressed the audience on the importance of the advice given
by the L ectu rer and u rged upon them the necessity of leading
m oral and virtuou s lives.
5. Photo graphs of the assembly were th e n taken, after
w h ic h the Colonel with the members of th e Society an d many
o th e rs retu rn ed to the bungalow, where some experiments
in mesmerism were made.
G. A t 3 o’clock in the afternoon, ph otograph s of the m em ­
bers, w ith the P re sid ent aud his S ecre tary w ere taken.
7. A t 6 o’clock 15 new m em bers were initiated by the
P resid ent-F ound er, after which he lectured on various in te r ­
estin g subjects u n til 9 p. m., w hen all departed , highly
pleased with all th a t tliey had seen and heard.
8. On Sunday the 30th, the Colonel left by the 6 a. ni. train
fo r Adoni, accompanied by some of the B ellary members and
ca rry in g away w ith him the h e a rty and good wishes of all.
C. >S. R u n g a n a d i i a m M o o d r ,
Secretary.
B u m .a ry , 28th Septem ber 1883.
TO C O L O N E L II. S. O L CO TT.,
P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r o k it t e
T h e o r o i ’iu c a i
D e a r S ir a n d m o s t w o r t h y B r o t h h r , b e r who joined the Society loses his religion an d caste, and
We, th e members of the Bellary branch of the Thcosophi-
cal Society, desire to accord you a most h e a rty welcome on
th is your lirst visit to Bellary.
W e deem ourselves singularly fo rtu na te in being favored
•with a visit from you so soon after the establishm ent of this
branch. W e anticipate the g r a n d e st results from this visit
ns o u r townsmen will have the opportunity of hearing from
tho lips of the F o u n d er the aims and objects of the Society
n n d the w ork it has accomplished. Many, we have no doubt,
will be convinced of th eir past ajiathy in not a ttem p tin g a
search after the t r u t h as inculcated in th e an cien t philosophy
find sciences by the H in d u sages a n d resolve th a t such a state
of thing s shall no longer exist. Y o u r own an d Madame
B lavatsky ’s disinterestedness, self abnegation a n d labour of
love on behalf of the people of this co untry a re too well-
k now n to need repetition.
I n conclusion, we beg you will accept o u r welcome, given
in tho spirit of friendship and brotherly love.
A. S a b a p a t h y M u d a l t a k ,
JPresident.
C O L O N E L O L C O T T A T A D O N I.
A t the earnest request of the Theosophists of tb e place, Colo­
nel H. S. Olcott, Presiden t-F ou nd er of the Theosophical S o ciety,
arrived here on the m orning of the 30th S epte m b er. He was
received by a large n u m b er of native gen tlem en at th e Railway
p la tfo rm , an d conducted to a suitable bungalow close bo Mr.
A. T e rn v e n g a d u m Mudajiar's house. The whole of th e day was
epe nt in receiving visitors, and in tho evening th e Colonel d e li­
v ered ex tempore sn in tere sting and in s tru c tiv e le c tu re to a
large and nppeciative audience, consisting of the local Pu nd its,
officials and m erchants. The venerable Colonel mado a strong
im pression on all of the inportance of stu d y in g th e A ryan
Philosophy and Religion.
Tho next morning, between 7 and 11 a. m., Colonel Olcott
cu red a n u m b e r of patients by mesmerism ; tho m ost im por­
t a n t cure was of a paralytic of m any y ea rs’ stan din g, who was
tillable to move his paralysed h and except with th e assistance of
th e other. The sufferer is so far c ured t h a t th ere is v e ry little
r e m a in in g to restore him to p erfect h ealth .
I n the oftornoon th e Colonel gave in structions to ou r fellows
o n Mesmerism. A t C o’clock in the evening he initiated new
m em b e rs into the Society, A B ranch was then organized h ere
u n d e r the name of “ The Adoni Theosophical Society.’’
On th e m o rn in g of the in d in s ta n t th e P re s id e n t-F o u n d e r
curod a woman of severe chronic pains in tho abdomen. A fter
b reakfast he left for H yd erab ad by the Mail Train.
A d o n i T h e o s o p h ic a l S o o ib iy , ) Q, MUNISAMI
5th October, 1883, J,
CO LO N EL OLCOTT IN THE HYDERABAD STATE.
I n compliance w ith an invitation to visit Secunderabad
given by th e M embers of th e S ccu n d e rab ad Branch, Colonel
Olcott, o u r P re sid en t-F o u n d er, accompanied by his P riv a te
S ecre tary, L. V e n k a ta v u r a d a ra ju lu Naidu, arrived a t the
H y d e r a b a d R ailw ay station on the m o rning of the 3 rd
O ctobcr from Adoni. H e was m e t hy th e Members of the
B o la ru m , S ecu n d e rab ad , and H y d e r a b a d Branches, o u r
P r e s id e n t Mr. E th e ra ju lu N aidu and o u r b roth er Mr. Iyalu
N a id u h a v in g gone down to th e W a d i Ju n c tio n to meet
o u r Colonel w ith his staff. H e was conducted to the late
Mr. N ursim loo C h e tty ’s Bungalow a t C liudderghat. A long
line of carriages of m embers came behind the Colonel’s.
S ev era l educated men wero also p rese n t a t th e B un ­
galow. A sh o r t address of welcome was rea d to him on
behalf of o u r 3 branches. H is reply was as usual, very
impressive a u d touching. In the evening he showed some
practical experim ents in M esmerism to the mem bers of tho
3 branches.
O n th e .4 th October the P re sid e n t-F o u n d e r delivered an
elaborate le ctu re on “ Theosophy,” in Mr. Sliapoorjee’s
B ungalow a t the H ussain S augor T an k Bund. T here were
more th a n 600 persons present on the occasion inc lu d in g all
hig h N ative an d E urop e an Officials. H e said th a t Theosophy
was no new religion or creed an d t h a t he was not a propa­
g a to r of an y p a r tic u la r religion. H e was a hu m b le follower
of the dictates of th e M a h a t m a s whose desiro it is th a t the
deg e n erate sons of A ry a v a r b a should be enlightened in
A ry a n philosophy, and clearly explained w h a t Theosophy is,
who are real Theosophists, anil how the Theosophical Society
of which he is the P resident, has been progressing d u r in g the
past 7 years of its existence. By this able le cture which
lasted a n hour, several gentlem en, who were u n d e r th e im ­
, S o c ie t v . pression t h a t Theosophists a re atheists a n d t h a t an y M em ­
some others who were also la boring u n d er various miscon­
ceptions a b o u t o u r Society, were convinced th a t th e y were
all m isinform ed an d h a d m any of th e ir doubts rem oved.
On the Gth, th e Colonel delivered a very in te restin g and
instru c tiv e extempore lecture on “ Does m a n live after
D e a th ?” A fte r a few p relim inary discussions as to how the
soul survives the shock of dea th an d also g iving several
proofs t h a t soul n e v e r dies as supposed by the m aterialist,
he dw elt a t length oil th e philosophy of the Rishis. H e show­
ed by examples how hum a n being’ can a tta in Divinity by
a thorough stu d y an d practice of yoga . H e described some
experiments iu mesmerism which go to prove w h a t w onder­
ful phenom ena eould be manifested by “ will pow er” th ro u g h
th e agency of Sensitives or M ediums and Psycbometers. H e
quoted a passage from the A th a r v a n a V eda an d proved th a t
i t teaches the same as th e theory of Dr. Reichenbaeli on.
“ Odyle.” The Colonel tran slate d it thus :—■ “No two per­
sons, eith er of w hom is diseased, shall approach each other
to w ithin a space of 2 cubits between them, be they tho
f a th e r a n d th e son of his own loins.” H e concluded his
w o rth y lecture w ith a n exhortation to those prese nt (espe­
cially H in d u s ) to infuse life into the old m o th e r In d ia and
revive h er p as t glories. The last portion of tlie lecture was
very p a th etic an d touching.
On S u n d a y about 25 candidates were initiated, 2 of whom
are g r e a t Pandits. Col. Oleott w ith his usual kindness u n d e r ­
took some mesmeric cures, of which 2 eases are most im p o r­
tant.
No. I. A gentlem an, who has been suffering for th e past
3 years from certain nervous disorders caused by th e practice
of Ila th a Yoga so m uch discountenanced by our Society, was
publicly tre a te d u n d e r th e ti lanipiilation of the Colonel’s
fingers : the Colonel assu red him th a t he may not be curcd of
this long-standin g d iso rd er in one or two days b u t m u s t be
tre a te d for a n u m b e r of days. The p a tie n t himself tells me
he feels far better.
Case No. 2. A n o th e r of our own b rothers, by n am e Syed
M ahomed, clerk of the C a n to n m e n t Court, was for a long
tim e suffering from r h eu m a tism on th e r i g h t elbow. H o
could n o t use th e h a n d w itho ut difficulty. H e w as com­
pletely cured of th e doseaso in less t h a n 5 minutes.
N ow to o u r b ra n c h Society. The P re s id e n t-F o u n d e r seems
to be m u c h pleased w ith th e progress w hich some of the m em ­
bers havo been m a k in g in the stu d y of different sciences, an d
su ggested t h a t th e y should form different committees, each
N ay u d tt, t a k in g u p one for sub ject its stu d y a n d r e p o r t its e x pe ri­
(Secretary, ments to the whole committee during their meetings. Some
of the members of our b ra n c h have a lre ad y ta k e n n p (lie
study of mesmerism and anim al m agnetism . T he Colonel
explained to th e members th e mode of t r e a t i n g th e different
kinds of diseases.
In conclusion it m ust be stated t h a t this B r a n c h Socicty,
formed in D ecem ber last tho ugh the indefatigable exertion
of B ro th e r S. llamasaiui A iyar, continues to progress fairly
nnder the m a nage m ent and unselfish exertions of o u r P re si­
dent, Mr. E th e ra ju lu N aid u G aru, an d by th e g r e a t help of
our energetic an d liberal-m inded V ice-President., Mr.
lla n g a n a y a k u lu N aidu G aru.
C. K u p p u s w a m i A i y a e ,
Secretary, Secunderabad Theosophical Society.
15-10-83.
Col. Olcott, accompanied by Mr. Brow n, F . T. S., Messrs.
Narayensaniy an d D orasaw m y an d a Theosophist of the
Sholapore B ranch arriv ed a t P oona a t 4-40 a . m., on F rid a y
the 12th Inst. A lthoug h it was a v ery early h o u r several of
the members of th e branch w ere presen t an d received the
party a t the Railway S tation ; whence th e y were ta k en to the
bungalow of b ro th er A. D. Ezekiel who h ad offered them his
hospitality. Several visitors dropped in d u rin g the day and
at 6 p. m. there was a “ conversation” held a t the residence
of a Parsee g en tlem an of this station w h ere a n u m b e r of
educated and influential persons m et tho Colonel who gave
a short an d im pressive account of the progress of Theoso­
phy. T his was received with applause, an d he was followed
by two other speakers, after which tbe m eetin g separated at
about 8 p. m. T he next day Mr. D a m o d a r K. M a v a la n k a r
arrived and in th e evening a t 5 P. m. a lecture was delivered
at the Poona Town H all w hen the H o norable S ir Jam setjee
Jecjeebhoy, Bart, presided. T he subject of the lecture was
“ I s there a fu tu r e life," and th e le ctu rer delivered a very
eloquent and well reasoned address, in the course of which
he pointed out th a t th e evidence offered by spiritualism,
mesmerism, the apparitions a t the tim e of death and the
l i n y a virupas of the M ahatm as was most im p o rta n t an d its
bearing on th e subject of a f u tu re life hnd carefully been
considered. • T here was an appreciative audience of over 300
persons, and the tr e a tm e n t of the subject from th e above
mentioned point of view, arrested tho a ttention of the
hearers.
On the m ornings of the 13tli and 14tli Inst, from about
8 to 11 A. m., Col. Olcott tried the effect of mesmerism upon
somo persons suffering from various complaints. A large
number of such unfortunates had been collecting every day,
but before tr y in g his power tho Colonel used to question all
one by one and keep for tr e a tm e n t only those whom in bis
opinion mesmerism m ig h t do some good. H e explained a t
once th a t diseases arising from syphilis or the like causes,
or in those eases in which there is some lesion or destruc­
tion of some organ or where there are defects from jbirtli,
mesmerism' is not efficacious. H e also said th a t he was a
traveller, and his s t a y ' in all placcs being very short, ho
expected perfoct cure in only those cases w here the p atient
was intensely sensitive to his magnetism. A b o u t 20 or 25
persons were treated magnetically, b u t there was scarcely
one patient th a t was sensitive in any m arked degree. W e
were not therefore fortunate enough to see perfect cure
effected. Two or three persons having pain in some p arts
of the body were relieved of th a t pain, and in the case of
two paralytics a little more ease of motion of the paralysed _ in short the w ork of the Socicty and its progress, he callcd
parts was induced. Mesmerized w ate r and oil w ere also
given to some of these persons. I t is tr u ly astonishing' to see
the President-F oun der p a t i e n t l y 'a n d perscveringly mesme­ tioned some em in ent names to show w h a t sort of persons h a d
rizing a n u m b e r of sufferers for hours to gether. T he d rain
upon his vital powers m ust be immense, and all our Follows
here are of opinion t h a t he should as soon as possible give
up this practice which is sure to be injurious to his health.
The energy and health of Col. Olcott are all req uired for
other and h ig h e r purposes in connection with our Society for
which he has so unselfishly been working, an d as he has in
various places encouragcd several of o u r Fellows to try mes­
merism and has given them practical instructions, he should
now leave the practice of this subject for w hich he could ill-
afford time and health. N um erous patients, not a t all know ­
ing tho tr u th about mesmerism an d the ex ten t to w hich it
could afford relief, go aw ay dissatisfied, and w here some
cure is effected the report of th a t cure a lth o u g h thoroughly
trustw orthy iu itself is liable to mislead, as th e readers in
euch cases are apt to draw a great deal upon, their ;magi«
nation. O u r P re sid e n t has acquired th ro u g h the report of
his cures a reputation th a t m ay bo said to be “ dangerous”
to himself an d to the Socicty, for, people expect too m uch
and disappointm ent is sure to cause dissatisfaction. Taking'
all these thin g s into consideration it is best t h a t our w o rth y
Colonel should now give u p curative mesmerism and leavo
it to bo practised by oui- Members who have tim e an d h ealth
to spare, an d are tr u ly desirous of doing’ good. Col. Olcott
left for B om bay on tho n ig h t of the 14th. Inst.
N a v r o ji D o k a b ji K iia n d a lv a la ,
President of lhe Poona Theosophical Sociely.
T H E P R E S I D E N T - F O U N D E R A T BOMBAY.
Col. H . S. Olcott an d staff left Poona, on tour, by 10-30
p. m. train, on S u n d a y th e 14th in sta n t and arrived a t the
Boree B u n d e r Station (Bombay) a t G-30 a. m., th e ivjx£
morning. Tho M embers of tho local B ra n c h Society m e t him
on the platform and escorted him to the camp of tents p r :p a r e d
for him on the E splanade. Two days were devoted to seeing
the M embers an d giv ing th e m advice an d instruction, a t
th e samo tim e explaining to the outside sympathisers the a.m
a n d objects of the w o rk of th e Society.
Ou the evening of the 17th the P re sid en t-F o u n d cr gave <1
public ex tempore speech a t the F ra m ji Cowasji In stitu te H all,
on the “ P rogress of Theosophy.” T he chairm an, Dr. P a n d u ­
r a n g Gopal F. T. S., opened the M eeting by referrin g to tho
rapid g ro w th of th e Society an d to the w onderful mesmeric
cures of Col. Olcott, which h ad a special scientific value. H o
d ilated a little upon this b ranch of tlie subject and then for­
mally introduced the le ctu rer to the audience.Col. Olcott spoke
a t g re a t leng th, showing the progress of Theosophy. W hilo
in D ecember last, a t the timo of the celebration of the S ev en th
A nniversary of the Society in t h a t very Hall from which ho
first addressed the In d ian Public and made Theosophy know n
to them, while th ere were b u t thirty-nine shields representing
the B ranch Societies in In d ia and Ceylon, the num be r of B r a n ­
ches np to tho day of the lecture was in I n d ia alone 83 an d
nine in Ceylon. W h ile only tw enty-tw o Delegates were p r e ­
sent last y e a r as representatives of different Branch Societies,
this y e a r ’s celebration a t M a dra s would bo attended by no
less th a n one h u n d re d an d fifty Delegates. One of th e m
would be Dr. F. H a r tm a n n to represent four of the A m erican
Branches— a fact giving the lie to tlie false an d malicious
para, circulated here to the effect th a t Theosophy was a t an end
in America. Delegates from Franco and G erm any were also
expected, while the one from E n g la nd, Mr. W . P. Brow n, b . l . ,
was there w ith him on the platform. This g en tlem an h a d
como to India, n o t as a stra n g e r who despises all th a t is native,
b u t as a friend, a sym pathiser and a s tn de nt of the ancient p h i­
losophies of the land. Like th e lecturer himself, Mr. B ro w n
had determ ined to devote himself to the cause of the Theoso­
phical Society. Col. Oluott th e n referred to his Bengal w ork,
the assistance th a t he rendered to the Sinhalese in th e ir lata
troubles, a n d his labonrs in S o u thern India. The order of
the Govt, of Madras, mentioned in the Circular “ G overnm ent
ami Theosophy,” had a very beneficent influence upon th e
cause of th e Society. H e th e n referred to the various S ans­
k r it and other schools started u n d er the auspices of some of
the Branch; Societies an d suggested th a tai though there wero
a few such Institutions in Bombay they should be supported,
as they were d yin g for w a n t of m aintenance. A fter reviewing
upon Mr. Brow n to m a k e a few rem arks. This g e n tle ­
man made a s h o rt b u t a very impressive speech. H e m e n ­
joined the Society in London, and added th a t theTheosophical
Society was a n In stitu tio n for the good and benefit of th e
whole world. W ith a vote of th a n k s to Col. Olcott an d M r.
Brown, th e M eeting adjourned.
On tho 18th., candidates desirous of joining th e Society
w ere initiated by the P re sid en t-F o u n d er at a Meeting of
th e Branch held a t its H all in the Elphinstone Circle, Today
some patients will be treated mesmerically, a n d on the 21sfc
CoL Olcott an d p a r ty leave Bom bay for Jubbulpore.
B a l N ila ji P it a le ,
Secretary, Bombay Theosophical Society,
Bombay, 7
1 9th October 1883, j
 A TADRE E D IT O R !
a a - s [ W h g iv e b e l o w copy of a l e t t e r b y Observer to tho
< Oh Oh E d i t o r of th o Madras M ail. I n c o n n ectio n w ith th is we
M © ca ll a t t e n t i o n to th e a rt ic l e li A P a d r e E d i t o r ” in o u r p r e s e n t

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"E Q* T h cu T2 i i
U a) E 0) U o N . ” ( B e l l a r y ) to th e E d i t o r o f th e l a t t e r p a p e r . — -Ed.]
PI < ;p
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-ti
I n d i a (?) a n d on e ‘ san s p e n r e t sa n s r e p r o c h e ’.” I f B ishop
o o O f ,t'0 N0 ® G ell w o re a L o r d B ish o p , as his f r ie n d s a n d a d m i r e r s a re so
o
w COCO lO H nO l’t ^ ,
fo n d of c a ll in g h im , a n d w h ic h h e p e r m it s t h e m to do, wo
w s h o u l d s a y t h a t “ O n r P e c k s n i f f ” * d e a r l y lov ed a L ord , or
-S3 P5
P w h a t is t h e n e x t b e s t t h i n g to it, a m u c h b e l a u d e d Bishop,
© © © » —1«—1»—I ^ H r H i-^ »—I *-i
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f-^ *“H »-H f-^ t—i f-H rH ^ rH w h o w o u ld be a L o rd .
O H 'i ^ W 4 <£> l > O ^ « ,(5 I'*
cu “ O u r P e c k s n iff” decla res, 11 n o r do t h e B ish o p or the
w C le rg y n e ed a n y in s tr u c t io n S u r e l y h e is n o t well up in
a his Gospels o r is ho a R o m a n t h a t he c o n sid ers t h e B ishop
o Q * * * >*
fa i >* < K , a n d his U le rg y in f a llib le ? P e c k s n i ll is “ d e l i g h t e d t h a t the
2 : <a “ 5 <d 2 «
cd fi 2 5 S d S B ish o p a n d C le r g y h a v e i n c u r r e d Colonel O lc o tt’s h o stility
3 ®C « “ B5 £ t-1 K ij i t a s s u re s h i m t h a t t h e y a r e d o in g t h e i r d u t y , t h e said
o 3 fa £ fa c o H
P5 d u t y c o n s i s ti n g in, a c c o r d i n g to Pecksniff, a b u s i n g thoso
O 'V
O a? £ ejf w h o d o n o t .agree w i t h t h e m — th is m u s t be h is id ea of th e
PS « w nd X C h r i s t p rin cip le. N o w - a - d a y s e v e ry s i n n e r d u b s him self
Oh w o . d
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:
tt < r£3 a C h r is ti a n , w i t h o u t h a v i n g a particle of th e C h r i s t principlo
H ►J W
cs Ph 0‘ in h im . S t. A u g u s t i n e , w h o m p e r h a p s e v e n Pecksniff
o fe : ‘S • : -2 a c k n o w le d g e s , h a s w r i t t e n , “ T h e s a m e t h i n g w h ic h is now
k; o p
£ t3 . Ol c a lled C h r i s t i a n R e lig io n e x is te d a m o n g th e ancients,
CO co
w ^k> 2D-,Q®* u fc , 25 ^ -§
d -d - th e y have b e g u n to call Christian t h e true R eligio n
£h «fl ^ sJ 9 * 9 o
H £3 Srfl .s- c | w h ic h e x is te d before." I t is to be r e g r e t t e d t h a t those
O aS * fi £ §
S>5 QJ rj
o Y\ d «3 © w h o call th e m s e lv e s C h r is ti a n s do n o t a c t up t o t h e s t a n d ­
pq « E
o a r d t h a t J e s u s pre a c h e d . T h e r e a ro C h r is ti a n s a n d C hris­
s H S « S « = s r e s ”. tia n s , a n d Colonel O lco tt is th o la s t p e rs o n in tlie w o rld
w Oo ^ O iH C O o ^ ^ j!^ to b la m e th ose w ho profess th o C h r i s t p rin cip lo . A s for
lOr* CQi CQ
i r*i eoi ,-ti «T.Jj<^ ^_i t h e lives of Colonel O lc o tt a n d M a d a m e B la v a t s k y , a n y one
w ii
0>t«» 03 oocnro H r l O H Oi
vi can k n o w t h e i r lives fo r t h e la s t five y e a r s in In d i a , a n d it is
o
o m mpj pj »
tj vj l i ^*
■l i iz . t r u l y P ee k sn iffia n to w r it e “ th e r e come a c c o u n ts w h ic h arc
SoOOOQOOOoO0 ? 0? 0? 0? '. .
|> O O O h H H H - H H H H n o t r e a s s u r i n g to C h r i s t i a n s ; a n d C h r is ti a n te a c h e rs p u t
s frlt^ -^ M T itC O O O O irH C O lrt'* ) th e s e fa c ts be fo re tlieir flocks.” T o d is s e m in a te gross c a lu m ­
P3 oj c-i ________ ’m
~l r~l. —’rH_ nies w i t h o u t d u e in q u i r y is P eeksniffian C h ris tia n ity , a n d
it w a s o p en to th e C h r is ti a n (?^ to a ch e rs to le a r n w h a t were
t h e lives of th e F o u n d e r s . T h e w r i t e r a g a in tr i e s — h y g iv i n g
ia a g a r b l e d a c c o u n t of C olonel O lc o tt’s v a ri o u s q u o ta t io n s from
;«
i& 5 i^? W rffl C h r i s t i a n M a g a z in e s — to do a w a y w ith th e im p ress io n they
«
m u s t h a v e m a d e a m o n g s t re a s o n a b le people, b u t — he hns s i g ­
n a ll y f a ile d in his a t t e m p t . F u r t h e r on P eck sn iff finds it
M E M O R A N D U M .
c o n v e n ie n t to ig n o re thoso lig h ts of t h e C h r is ti a n C h u rc h , the
B is h o p s T e r t u l l i a n a n d A t h a n a s i u s — a n d tr e a ts us to ideas of
T h e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r e x tr e m e l y r e g r e t s t l i a t t h e e n o r ­ liis o w n on t h e s u b j e c t of T h e o lo g y , a n d w h ic h look v e ry like
m o u s g r o w t h of th e S ociety a n d t h e h e a v y w o r k w h ich it e n ­ as if h e w as in t h e p u lp i t h o l d i n g f o r t h to his u n f o r tu n a te
ta i ls on him , p r e v e n t s h is g i v i n g m o r e t h a n a d a y a n d a h a lf h e a re r s. H e sh o u ld r e m e m b e r t h a t th e revision of th e N e w
t o ea c h place in s te a d of a t le a s t th r e e , as h e w a s v e ry an x io u s T e s t a m e n t h a s b e en fa t a l to its a u th o r it y , as once revised, no
to do. l i e , th e r e fo re , hopes t h a t t h e B r a n c h e s will utilize o ne c a n te ll w h e r e rev isio n will sto p — a n d t h e n w h y quote
e v e r y av a ila b le m o m e n t a n d a r r a n g e th o tim e s of pu b lic S c r i p tu r e ? I t is v e r y d a n g e r o u s to w rite “ N o m a n h a s seen
m e e t i n g s a n d p r i v a t e ones fo r ad m issio n of c a n d id a te s , in G od a t a n y t i m e .” I t is som ew h ere m e n t io n e d in th e B ib le th a t
ouch a w a y t h a t all th e w o r k m a y bo g o t t h r o u g h in one d a y . s e v e r a l p e rs o n s h a d seen G o d (E x o d u s xxxiii, 1 1 . ) A n d
T h e n e x t m o r n i n g m a y be d e v o te d to t h e t r e a t i n g of p a ti e n ts t h e L o r d “ s p a k e u n t o Moses face to face as a man sp c a k e th
b y M e s m e rism . E v e n w i t h a ll t h i s s h o r t n e s s of visits, ho u n to his fi’i e n d .” ........
f e a r s v e r y m u c h t h a t he m a y n o t r e a c h t h e H e a d - Q u a r t e r s F o r in s ta n c e P e c k s n iff c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d Colonel O le o tt’s
In tim e to p re p a r e fo r t h e c e le b ra tio n of t h e S o c ie ty ’s E i g h t h esoteric d o c tr in e ; he r e a d s h is B ib le a n d u n d e r s t a n d s o n ly its
A n n iv ersary . ex o teric m e a n in g .
I t is g e n e r a l l y a d m i t t e d t h a t t h e D iv in e p r in c ip le is in
Col. O lc o tt ia a c c o m p a n ie d , on t o u r , b y (1) M r. W . T* m a n , if so, t h e a n c ie n t s a y i n g “ nosce te ip s u m ,” Know thy­
B r o w n , Bachelor Legis of G la sg o w U n iv e r s ity , F. T. S. of self , m e a n t n o t h i n g m o r e o r less t h a n k n o w le d g e of th o
the London B ranch; (2) D a m o d a r K . M a v a l a n k a r , Joint- D iv in e. W h a t is t h e go od of a n open B ib le in w h ic h “ all his
Recording Secretary o f the T. S . ; (3) M r. L . V e n k a t a te a c h in g is e x h ib i te d ,” if y o u ca n n o t u n d e r s t a n d h is te a c h in g ?
V a r a d a r a j u l u N a i d u , Honorary Secretary to the Head Quarters I s P e c k s n iff s u r e t h a t he is n o t one of th e b lin d , a n d to quote
Fund Committee ; (4) M r. T o k o N a r a i n a s a w m y N a id u , his o w n w o rd s, “ th o s e w h o p re t e n d t h a t t h e y seo a n d a r e
F. T. S., of Madras Branch ; a n d b y one M a h o m e d a n s e r v a n t. b li n d a ro th o m o s t h opelessly b lin d .” T h o j a u n t y m a n ­
T h i s P r o g r a m m e will b e a s s t r ic t ly a d h e r e d to as possible. n e r in w h ic h w i t h a “ li g h t h e a r t ” h e v iew s t h e p oo r B ishop
A n y ch a n g e , n e c e s s ita te d b y u n fo r e s e e n c o n tin g e n c ie s , will w i t h o u t a s a l a ry , m u s t be v e r y c o m f o rti n g to B ish o p Gell. L ik o
b e signified b y te le g ra m . B r a n c h e s w i s h i n g Col. O lc o tt to A r t e m u s W a r d h e too “ w o u ld n o t m i n d s e n d i n g all his wife’s
le c t u r e , . m u s t n o t w a it to c o n s u l t h i m a s to ti m e o r s u b j e c t : r e l a ti v e s to th e w a r s . ” W e p re s u m e t h e E d i t o r , t h e R e v . J .
t h e y m a y chooac t h e i r own. F . S p c u c e r, does n o t receive a s a l a r y fr o m th e G o v e rn m e n t , b u t
D amodar K . M avalankab, . is s u p p o r te d e n ti r e l y b y th e Madras Times ? P o ss ib ly h e m a y
Joint-Recording Secretdry, m a k e m o ro o u t of i t t h a n Colonel O lc o tt does of th e Thcoso-
p h ic a l Society, w hose g a in s a r e r e p r e s e n t e d b y a M inu s
C amp of tiie P resid ent - F ounder of thh ee ) r a t h e r t h a n a P lu s . W e su s p e c t B ish o p G ell w o n ’t a g re e w i t h
THEOsornicAL S ociety ,
E s p l a n a d e , B o m b a y , 1 7th October 1883.
*3.>, * “ O n r P e c k sn iff.” S ee th e c o rre s p o n d e n c e o f M r. H o w a rd w ith th a
ftta d r a s T im a s a d d r e s s e d t o i t s E d i t o r t h e K e y * J, F, S p e n c e r — “ TiiO
C h a r g e n g a i n s t t h e A th e n a e u m C l i c t t i c s , ’’
tlie R everend Spencer in liis co ngratulation r e g a r d in g Colo­
nel O lcott’s letter. His R e v erenc e’s abuse of tlie M adras Go­
vernment is charm ing. A re the grapes sour, because he r e ­
ceives no salary from the vineyard ? O r is it on account of
curtain m issing documents, the p ro perty of Governm ent,
which wore traced to the Madras Tim es ? Does the Rev.
Spencer not k now th a t the G overnm ent has to ignore R eli­
gion ? T h a t it cares neither for th e Bishop nor Pecksniff ?
That the d u ty of the G overnm ent is to m ete o u t even-handed
justice to all ? I t is not only in th e H ig h C o u rt of Madras
that Justice is to be found. T h e M adras G overnm ent, a t all
events, is desirous of r en d e rin g justice to all— and to the
Theosophists, am ong the rest.
H . R. M., F. T. S.
To t h e E d ito r , “ M a d r a s M a il.”
S ir , - point by th ro w in g on the Colonel and Madame Blavatsky the
Y our correspondent of th e 8tli October “ Ooty Notes,”
writes :— “ the gre a te r p a r t of society here th in k it wbuld be
as well if the good gentlem an had not so openly expressed
his ‘ V ipery’ (to use his own w ords) intentions w ith rega rd
to our m uch beloved and honored Bishop.” T he “ g re a te r
part of Society” m u st consist of y o u r own correspondent.
The fact is th a t society is too intent upon its own pleasures
to care a n y th in g abo u t Col. Olcott or th e Bishop an d leaves
them to settle th e ir own quarrels. As for his final quotation—
“ ’ tis p i t i f u l ! very pitiful.” I m u s t agree w ith him so far, th a t
if the Bishop will introduce controversial subjects a t his own
dinner table in a company composed of m a n y different
think ers— it is pitiful. E v ery m an h as a r i g h t to have his
own opinion, b u t this freedom of th o u g h t is exactly w h a t
your correspondent condemns— if we a re all to set to and
abuse each o th e r’s religious opinions, it m u st end in a free
tight all round, an d lie who, like the I ris h m an in the fair,
drags his coat along the g ro u n d en tre a tin g passers by to
tread upon it— m u st expect to have his coat trod upon and
be taken a t his word.
I t is not the Theosophist, a seeker of Divine W isdom, who
seeks quarrels, he m u s t be the exact opposite— and here I
would re m a rk t h a t th e crass ignorance r e g a rd in g Theosophy
th a t seems to provail, is, in this age of inquiry, marvellous.
One man says tbe Society is political, a n o th e r th a t it means
the study of Black m agic— a th ir d t h a t it m eans Atheism.
I t is lamentable to h ea r people of “ position and c u ltu r e ”
discoursing on m a tte rs they do not even care to comprehend.
The Theosophist journal, published monthly, is open to all
for the small subscription of Rupees 8 per annu m . The
motto of the jou rn al is “ T here is no Religion h ighe r than
T ru th .” If the w rite r of Ooty Notes can improve upon the
above, let him do so.
Amongst so m any diverse Religions— th e re can be b u t
one true one— an d th a t is T ruth. I n this materialistic age,
every m an is his own P a d r e and Bishop, w h e th e r he call
himself Gnostic or Agnostic, and P rie stc ra ft is as d ea d as
Ju liu s Cicsar. If A abuses B and his opinions in a mixed
company, bo sure B will h ea r of it, an d ta k e his own m e a ­
sures for clearing himself. I t would have been well if the
w riter of “ Ooty Notes” had' let Col. O lcott’s le tte r alone.
“ Let sleeping dogs lie” is a saying th a t he has apparen tly
forgotten— b u t one he may have reason to remember.
Yours faithfully,
1 Ith October 1883. O b s e rv e r .
To t i i k E d i t o r o f t h e “ T h e o s o p h i s t . ”
T he Madras M ail once famous for le ttin g both sides be
heard, now closes its columns in tlie most u n fair manner, and
only inserts one side ; “ Audi alterem p a r te m ” only was its
motto w hen the paper was first started. T he E d ito r now
thinks he can do w ithout “ Ju stice.” Let us st e.
Y ours,
O b s e r v e r
C O L O N E L O L C O T T A N D T H E “ M A D R A S T IM E S .”
To t h e E d i t o r o f t h e “ M a d r a s T im e s.”
— I n your issue of th e 12tli in stan t you have taken to
S ir,
tusk Colonel Olcott for his “ open” an d (in yo u r opinion)
insolent le tter to the Bishop of Madras: I assure you t h a t
1 am not a m em ber of th e Society of w hich Colonel Olcott
and Madame Blavatsky are the Founders, a n d t h a t it is only
in justice to fair play th a t I u n d e rta k e to po int out some
erroneous impressions contained in th e said article. I
therefore hope, w ith y our usual kindness, you w ill allow
some space for this le tte r in y o u r columns. W ith grea*;
diffidence I say erroneous impressions, because for a long
tim e you have been discussing questions, political as well
as religious, w ith g re a t im partiality, as the public are well
aware.
Doubtless, you know, soon after tlieir arriv al in India,
Colonel Olcott and M adam e Blavatsky laid before the public
the records of th e ir antecedents. Colonel Olcott is careful
in re m a rk in g in his le tte r to the Bishop “ you havo
grievously w ronged us # * * * an d without sufficient inquiry,
giv ing them (reports) c u rre n c y ”— yon say th a t C h ristian
teachers place before th e ir flocks accounts not reassuring to
Christians which come from places w here Colonel Olcott an d
Madame B lavatsky have been before. G ra n tin g this to be
the case, ColonelOleott contends th a t currency is given to tho
reports “ w ithout sufficient inquiry.” A n d you meet this
burden of refuting the calumnies th e y complain of. A care­
ful consideration of the stories from tim e to time set up against
the F ounders of the Theosophical Society will convince tho
public t h a t the sta te m en t of Colonel Olcott is not false. A very
strik in g instance of this can be found in th e action of tho
missionaries w ith r e g a rd to the eoeoanut tree, w hich was
planted by Colonel Olcott in the Tinnevelly Pagoda. This was
in o u r own Presidency, an d now w h a t w eight could be given
to the stories coining (from missionary sources certainly!),
from places w here Colonel Olcott and M adam e Blavatsky havo
been before ? T he law of evidence does not allow the bu rd en
of proof being thro w n on th e defending p a r ty u n til tho
prosecution has made o u t a p rim d facie case, an d consider­
in g th e official records of Colonel Olcott’s and M adam o
B lav a tsk y ’s antecedents, th e ir closely watched m ovem ents
an d operations in I n d ia a n d the false stories spread
ag a in st them so far as are k now n to the I n d ia n public, I
leave i t to them to ju d g e if you have no t throw n the b u rd e n
of proof on th e wrong party.
A nd w ith r e g a rd to the action of the M adras Government,
while you ca rry it too far, t h a t G overnm ent an d Colonel
Olcott are as candid as can bo expected, the former, if m y
memory is correct, prom ising only to follow the lines laid
down by th e G overnm ent of India, and the la tte r assuring
us “ we shall take care to continue to deserve the boon.” I t
is thercforo very lam entable th a t you, who criticised tho
actions you refer to, of th e M adras Government, to the g r e a t
satisfaction of the public, should make of them an a r g u m e m t
for the Colonel en joying “ any special ii id and protection.” No
one who is acquainted w ith th e w ritings an d doings of the
Colonel an d Madamo Blavatsky would ever th in k of laying
such a charge a t their door.
As for any miscarriage of justice which you seem to appre­
hend, experience has shown t h a t for num erous an d various
reasons, if miscarriage of justice there be in religious m a tte rs
in any country, it will not be in favour of any other religion
th a n th a t of the State. B u t fo rtuna te ly, such cases are, it
m u s t be adm itted, of r a r e r occurrence in British rule th a n iu
any other.
T h a t ultim ately “ justice will bo found in the H ig h C ourt
of M adras”— a well-known fact— is undoubtedly the greatest
of blessings which people of this Presidency, irrespective of
color or creed, arc now enjoying.
O. Y. N.
B e l l a r y , )
Octobcr 1Gth. J
E S O T E R I C B U D D H IS M .
[W e subjoin copy of a le tte r from Mr. W . T. Brown, B. L.,
P. T. S., to the E d ito r of “ L i g h t ” on the subject of Esoteric
B uddhism a n d M ahatm as.— W e add another from the same
gentlem an on different subjects to the E d ito r of o u r local
. “ M adras Times” .—
To t h e E d ito r o f tiie “ M a d r a s T im e s.”
Sir,— I beg to call your attentio n to a p arag ra p h in y o u r issue
of the 4th in stan t entitled “ The E n d of Theosophy iu America.”
I t is very su rp rising to me, who am a Fellow of tho London
Society and who have como recently to India, to g et experience
in this philanthropic work, to find an article such as this re p r in t­
ed iu your paper.
In all who know th e leading m em bers of the Theosophical
Society and their nobility of character, th e article referred to
raises feelings of righ teo us indignation, and it is to be reg re tted
th a t th e article complained of should have been perm itted to be
p u t in type, T he association of on r Madam e B la ra ts k y ’s nam e
■with th a t of base and immoral spiritualists is disagreeable, b u t cal men. B ut as tim e goes on it will be recognised (though we
t b e using in reference to h er of such e p ith e ts a s “ ign o ra n t and say it, perhaps, we should not) th a t an explanation such as this
b la s p h e m o u s ch arlatan ” is revolting. is g ood-natured ; for the absence of knowledge ou Lhe part of
T h e s ta te m e n t referred to is from first to last a lie, and has Mr. K iddle is assuredly his loss—not ours.
been concocted by sotne malicious person. 1 am, Sir,
O u r President-Fonnder, Colonel H. S. Olcott, had occasion to
Yours truly,
notice this article some timo ago on its appearance in another
In d ia n paper, and was a t the trouble to call the proper atten tion W . T. D r o w n , F. T. S.,
to it. Yon will th u s un derstan d, Sir, how disagreeable it is to Bachelor Leg is.
Theosophists of all countries to find this scurrilou s production A d y a r, (M ad ras); 7
t u r n in g up again. . . . 8th October 1883.
33. J
So far from Theosophy being at an end in America it is grow ­
ing (from, no doubt, its own in herent goodness) and four respec­
tiv e Societies in th a t country have appointed Ur. H a rtim an , W e a r e r e q u e s te d to m a k e ro o m f o r th e fo llo w in g :— V
F . T. S., to be their delogate and to re p r e se n t th em hore at the A P R O T E S T OF T H E O SO PH IST S.
S o c ie ty ’s A nnual meeting- As for E n g la n d , 1 may say th a t the
S o ciety ’s influence among m etaph ysician s and religious th ink ers To the E d ito r of “ L ig h t .”
is becom ing g reater day by day, as is exemplified by th e large S i r ,— T h e u n d e r s ig n e d H i n d u T h eo so p h is ts, h a v i n g been
aud ien c e which assembled recently in Picadilly to listen to a d ­ m a d e a c q u a i n t e d w ith th e exp ression s u se d by “ Gr. W ., W. D."
d re s se s frotn our London P re s id en t and Mr. A. P. Sinnett, in y o u r jo u r n a l , w i t h resp ect to A r y a n E so teric Philoso­
Now, Sir, I make no th re ats in this l e t te r , which I ask you to p h y a n d o u r r e v e r e d M a h a t m a s , do in d i g n a n t l y protest.
b e bo good as to publish bnt need hardly say th a t I expect you S u c h l a n g u a g e a s th e g e n tl e m a n h a s in d u l g e d 'in , every
as a Christian gentlem an, to notice the m a t t e r editorially and to
H i n d u , w h e t h e r e d u c a t e d o r not, w ou ld r e g a r d a s s h o c k in g
ex p ress reg re t iu regard to the offensive p aarag ra ph referred to.
a n d b la s p h e m o u s , e v in c i n g in its a u t h o r a b a d h e a r t , bigot-
I am, Sir,
te d p r e j u d ic e , a n d t h e g ro s s e s t ig n o r a n c e a b o u t o u r a n c ie n t
Y o u r obedient Servant, P h ilo s o p h y a n d E s o te r ic Science.
W. T. IShown, F. T. S.
(B. L. Glasgow.) W e a re , Sir,
A dyatc, M a d r a s ; } Y o u r obedient Servants,
9 th October 1883. j M a d r a s T h e o s o p h ic a l S o e i e t y .
1, D ew an B ahadur R . R ag u n ath 6 . P . R a tn a v e lu M n d aliar,
To T ub E d i t o r o f “ L n n i . " Row. 7. C. V . C u n n ia h C h e tty .
2- P . S ree n iv a sa R ao. 8. P . P a rth a s a ra th y C h etty .
S i r , —May I bo allowed to say some words once more upon the 3. T . S u b b a R a o , n .A ., b . l . 9. D. M ooui S in g h , an d 27 o th er
subject of Esoteric Buddhism ? H av in g left E n g lan d for I n d i a on 4. A . T h ey a g a R ajier. F o llo w s.
A u g u s t 25th, I have been unable to keep “ en r a p p o r t” with 6, P . M n ru g e s a M n d aliar, E d ito r,
tb e discussion, while it lasted, and to co m m u nicate with you “ P h i l o s o p h i c I n q u i r e r .”
a t a tim e perhaps more suitable th a n th e present.
I ara enabled to writo in answ er to yo ur spiritualistic correspon­ N e l lo r e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e ty .
dents,because I am in sympathy with all honest spiritualists and am 37. C. V e n k a t a J a g a R a o , b ,a ., A g . 41. S a m u e l Jo h n so n , S aD itary In s ­
a coresponding member of the C entral Association in London. N a ti v e H e a d A s s t. C o lle o to r. pecto r.
W hile acknowledging, however, th e phenom ena of Spiritualism 38. T oko Jay aram N a id u , H uzur 42. B. R am asw am i N a id u , P o lic e
to be scientific, I have been enabled by some study to see th eir S h eristad ar. In sp ecto r.
rationale and to rise to Esoteric T r u th , which m a s t e r s of Occul­ 3.9. I. S arab h alin g am N a i d u , b .a . 43. R C a s a v a P illay , do.

tis m and Theosophists can understand. 40. S . W . S ith a m b a ra m P illa y , 44. V . S esh a Iyer, B.A., D istrict
A ssistan t S urgoon. R e g i s t r a r , a n d 11 o th e rs -
W ell th en, I proceed now to offer some resist.nnco to the attack s
of y o u r contributors and of the jo u rn a lists of London generally. M a dura T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e ty .
I re fe r first to an opinion expressed in regard to the erudition 56. V. S u b ram an ia Iyer, H ig h 61. P . S. Q u ru m u rti Iy er, B.A.,
b .l.,
of Mr. Rhys-Davids as opposed to th a t of our President-Fonnder. C o u rt P le a d e r. D is tr ic t M unsiff.
I t would not be real modesty to rofrain from asserting t h a t no 57. V. C uppuBw am i Iyer, M. A . d o , 62. N . R ag h u n ath a C hariar, b .a .,
one with so-called norm al powers can know nearly so much of 68. P . N a r a y a n a I y e r , b .a .,b .l., d o . H o a d M aster.
B ud dh ism as the prom inent m em bers of th e Theosophical Society. .5 9 . A . N arayanasw am i Iyer, b .a ., 63. S . G o p a l a k r i s h n a I y e r , B.c E.,
b .l., H i g h C o u rt P le ad e r. A sst. E n g in eer, an d 13 oth ers.
I now proceed, Sir, to deal with some con trib utors to the paper
6C. M . T i l l a n a y a g a m P illay , b .a .,
u n d er your editorial direction. In^answer to th e m generally, it may D e p u ty C o lle cto r.
b e said th a t we expect, and are prepared for, th e Scepticism, of
■which we have recently had a sample. It would be vain to expect T a n jo r e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e ty .
o th e r th in gs from those, who having eyes y et do not see, The 77. N . S u b ra m a n ia ie r, B. a ., 79. V. R ajag o p a la ch a ry ar, b .a .,
do ub ting of the existence of tho Occult B rothers is a m atter, which P le ad e r. b .l., D i s tr ic t R e g i s t r a r .
in th e real Theosophist, provokes a quiet laugh. T h e speaking 78. C. R. P a tta b h ira m a ie r, b .a ., 80. N . S o ra n a th P u n t, M irasidar,
disparagingly of them raises feelings of indignation and of p ity . b .l., P le a d e r , H i g h C o u rt. and 2 oth ers.
Accepted Chelas, of whom thoro are many iu this E m p ire and
four of whom I have tho honor of knowing personally, are in con­ T i n n e v e l l y T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e t y .
s t a n t communication with th eir M a s t e r s , have seen them frequen­ 83- S. V. P. C h in n a ta m b ia r, 85. S. R am asw a m ic r, B. A .,
tly in both ordinary and to ns extraordinary circumstances, and Z am in d ar. D istrict R eg istrar.
knew thorn as they know th eir own solves. T h e statem en t th a t 84. T. V ed ad risa D asa M n d aliar, 86. S . S undaram Iyer, and 9
" th e B ro th e r s” are not seen is indeed absurd and u ntrue. P en sio n ed , S a d r.Ju d g e C o u rt. oth ers.
A n d now I proceed to notice p articu larly the le tter of one of
yo ur correspondents, Mr. H e n ry Kiddle. Mr. K iddle's le t te r is J fla y a v e r a m T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e ty .
■written conscientiously and in a good s p i r it ; and th ere is no 96 T . K rish n a R ao. I 98. II. S treo n iv asa R ao.
d o u b t b u t that, from au ordinary stand point, th ere is fair reason 97. B. R a m a s w a m y ^ N a i d n . | 99. A . G. H o ri Rao, a n d 4 o thers.
for th e pro test with which we have been favoured. A d o n i T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty .
Mr. K iddle, “ no t to p u t too fine a poin t upon it,” accuses one 104. B. V eerasam iah , D t. M um ^ff. I 105. C. M u n isw am y N a id u , H ead
of ou r respected M a s t e r s of noth in g sho rt of plagiarism. Mr. | C l e r k , M f f . ’s C o u r t a n d 3 o t h e r s .
K idd le will not, I am sure, m aintain th a t the ideaB contained in
bis excerpts are original and are placed by him for the first timo C u d d a lo r e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e t y .
before an attentive world. O ur M a s t e r p u ts th e same ideas 109. P. S am a R ao, D istrict C ourt 114. M. M annarsw am i N a id u ,
before us (in p retty much th e same words, it is true) b u t refers, P le a d e r. P o lic e In sp e c to r.
beforehand, to a gentleman of th e nam e of P lato . The sentences, 110. A. R am a Rao, do. 115- S. D evanayagam M n d aliar,
to which Mr. Kiddle lays claim, are found am ong a n u m b e r of 111. M . N a ta ra jie r, D t. R eg istrar. P resid en t, D ev astn n am Com.
o th ers bearing on tho subject, b ut th e la t te r are not, so far as we 112. C . S u ria I y e r, M u n siff. m itte e an d M u n icip al C o m m is­
h eard, t o be found in any disoourse delivered a t M o un t P leasant 113. T. R a ja g o p a la ie n g a r, B. A ., sio n er, a n d 7 oth ers.
o r elsewhere. Whenoe como they P is the q u ery whioh arises. H ead M aster.

W e will not answer Mr. K iddle by saying, in th e words of N a t c h i a r ( S r i v i l l i p u t h u r ) T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e ty -

Solomon, th a t there is no th in g new u n d e r th e sun ; b u t will tell
123. P . A n a n ta ra m a ie r, T ah sild ar. I 124. R. N arayanasw am i N a id n ,
h im , instead, th a t th e explanation is occult, a n d deals with an I P o lic e In sp e c to r, a n d 4 oth ers.
essence know as “ astral lig ht” . O ur M aster has, no doubt, seen
th e idea, and, being tired, as indicated at th e close of th e p a ra ­ T r ic h in o p o ly T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e t y . '
g ra p h referred to, haB [written or im pressed it h urrie d ly and 129. D . R e tn a M u d aliar, S o w c a r. 133. T . P a t h a b h i m a P illa y , H u z u r
■without re g a r d to the feeling of Mr. K idd le on th e one hand or 130. L. K rish n ie n g a r P le ad e r, S h eristad ar.
of P lato on the other. D is tric t C o u rt. 133, N . S am in ad aier, A g. D iet.
To u s , w h o a r e w i t h i n t h e p a l e , i t is u n p l e a s a n t to w r i t e l e t t e r s 331. P. S ubba Iyer, do. do. Munsiff, and 13 o th e rs.
of a nature B u c h as t h i s in noBwer to u n sy m p ath etic and e c e p t i - 132, S, K riB h n am a ch ary ar,B .A ,, do.
 Hyderabad Theosophical Society. (Deccan)*
M7. P. Ranganayukulu Naidu, P ri­ 149. Moorty Etliirajolu
Naidu,
vate Secretary to Rajah Murli Pleader.
Mander Bahadoor. 150. Dorabjee Dosabhy, Talnqdar
] IS. P. Iyaloo Naidu, Retired Dy. of Castoms,and 2 others. T H E I O N I A N T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
' Collector. [T h e necessity of th e organisation of com m ittees by our m em ­
Secunderabad Theosophic&l Society. b ers for th e in vestigation of psyehom etry and th e cognate
J53 C. Knppuswamier, Hydrabad 151. I. M. Raghoonoyukulu Naidu, Boiencea has been reiterated in these colum ns over nnd over
P. \V. A. Examiner’s Office. Otfg. Manager, H. H. Nizam's again and also by tho P resid ent-F ou nd er iu his public and p r i ­
P.W . Secretariat; and Gothers. vate discourses. K n o w in g th e splonded resu lts achieved by th e
Bolarum Thesophical Society. Society for Psyschic Researches in England, it is a wonder that
101. V. BalakrishnaMudaliur,IIead I 162. 0 . Comaraswamy Pillay, Re* ou r advice has not been followed to the extent desired. I t is
Acott., P. W. D. | gistrar, and 5 othes. with a real pleasure th a t we make room for the following le tte r
from tho Psychic Research Seciety to C ount Gonemys, F.T.S., of
Bombay Theosophical Society, our Corfu B ranch. W e hope o u r o t h e r branches will not bo slow to
168. Tukaram Tatya. 171. Jauardau D. Kolatkar, Suptt., profit by tb e example set by th e Ionian Society. In each brunch
169. Dr. Pandurang Gopal, G. G., P. W. D. according to their numerical stre n g th , connnittoes should be
M.c., Surgeon Occulist* 172. Dr. Janinadas Premchand, formed for the stu dy of th e various elem entary brunches of Occul -
170. Dr. Vitholrao Pandtiraug L.U.S. tisin. It is ra th e r stra n g e th a t those who profess to t h i r s t after
Mhatre, L. m. s. 173. Sheoklal Kursandas, and 14
others. knowledge should y e t n eglect the food placed before them . Ed.']
Combaconum Theosophical Society. C am u rjd g e, 2nd September 188 3.
S ir ,
1K8. V. Krishnaier, b. a , B. l.. 190. 8. Krishnaswamier, B. A. .
High Court Pleader. 191. T. Suudram Iyer. Pleader, W e have read with tbe g re a te st in te re st your communication
169. S, Venkat&rauia Shastri, u.a , le t Grade, aud 6 others. which is exactly w ithin th e circle of our inv estigations and we
shall make use of it with g re a t pleasure by p rin tin g it in full or
Negapatam Theosophical Society. by tr a n s la tin g it sum m arily. I re g r e t very m uch not to be more
108. S. A. Samiuadaior, Pleader, 202. P. N. Hatnasabapati Pillay, in th e h ab it of w riting in F re n c h . The difficulty of expressing
1st. Grade* b. a. , Pleader, 1st Grade. myself in th is foreigu lan gu age h a m p ers me so t h a t I cannot
199. T. K. Annasamier, do. 203. C. V. ^uyambhu Iyer, do. express to you as I would my g ra t it u d e for a le t te r which is
200. N. P. Subramauiaier, b. a., do. und 14 others. certainly th e m ost im p o rta n t we have h ith erto received.
201. R. Sreenivaeier, b.a. do. I hope you will continue to comm unicate to ou r Society your
- Parent Theosophical Society. experiences and reflexions ; th ey will certainly m eet with our
218- Damodar K. Mavalankar. I 222. D. Nath, Bfc. u tm o s t a tten tion .
219- Bhawaniahaukar GaueBh.| 223. 8. T. K. * * * Chary. A t th e n ext m eeting of th e council of the Society, w hich will
2^0. Bholn Deva ttarina. 224. * * * Tara Nath * * * # ta ke place in the m onth of October, I Bhall have th e honor of pro­
221. Gurgya Deva. | and 2 others. posing you aB a m em ber.
Trevandrum Theosophical Society. Heceive, Sir, th e assurance of my best respect and believe me,
227. 11. Ragouath Row, b.a., Zilla j 228. It. Padmanabhaohariar, De Y o ur moat obliged servant,
Judge. | wau’s Office, aud 7 others. (Signed) F kedeiiic W. H . M yers.
Poona Theosophical Society
230. Rao Saheb Lakshman N.Joshi, 340. M. B. Natnjoshi, Manager of T H E S A T Y A M A R G A T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y .
Peusionod Sub.Judge. the “ M ahratta” Newspaper. A t a m e e t in g of t h e “ S a t y a M a r g a ” T h e o so p h ic a l S ociety,
237. Gangaram Bhau, Pleader. 241. Chintamanrao V. Natu, Sardar
238. Rajanna Lingu, do. of the Dewan* L u c k n o w , h e ld o n t h e 3 r d O c to b e r 1883 for t h e election of
239. Dr. Ganesh K. Garde, l , m.s. Officers f o r t h e c u r r e n t y e a r , t h e fo llo w in g g e n tl e m e n w ere
Baroda 7'heosophical Society. n o m i n a te d :—
President ..................................... P a n d i t P r a n N a t h .
242. Uao Baliadur Janardan S. 216. Anna Bhivrao Tamhna, Asst.
Gadgil, Judge, Varishtha Court. Military Secy., Baroda State Vice-President.............. •.......... H o y D ev i P r a s a d .
2^3. * Rao Bahadur VinayakraoJ. 247. Pestonjee D Khandalevala, Secretary ................................... J w a l a P r a s a d S a n k h a d h a r a .
Kirteno,Naib Dewan. L. C. e., District Engineer, Joint Secretary ........................P a n d i t ' S h e o N a r a i n U p a d h e a .
244. Dr. Bhalchandra K. Bhatav- 218. TJargovind Dwarkadas Ken. J wala P rasad S a n k h a d h a r a ,
dekar, Chief Medl. Officer. Lawala, Educational Inspector,
245. T. Madhav Row, b. a., l . l . b . , , Secretary,
aud 4 others. A pproved.
Secretary, Dewan’a Office and
D istrict Judge. H . S. O lcott , P . F . T. S,
Jubbulpore Theosophical Society.
253. Girish Chandra Mukerjee, j 264. Nivaran Chandra Mukerjee T H E N E G A P A T A M T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y .
E xtra Asst. Con.misioner. | Merchant, aitd 13 others. T h e fo llo w in g Officers w e r e elec ted f o r t h e c u r r e n t y e a r hy
Bengal ( Calcutta) Theosophical Society. t h e “ N e g a p a t a m T h e o so p h ic a l S o ciety ,” a n d a p p ro v e d by the
268. Norendro N ath Sen, Editor I 270. Dr. Leopold Sailer, M. d. P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r ;—
“ Indian Mirror.** I 271. Eric David Ewen. President ................................ N . P . S u b r a m a n i a Iy er.
269. Mohiui Mohan Chatterjee, 272. William Rowland Smith, and
m. a., b. l., Attorney-at-Law. all the other members who Vice-President.....................P. R a t n a s a b h a p a t l i y P illa y , B. A.
were prosent Secretary ................................ S. A. S a m in a d ie r .
Prayag ( Allahabad) Theosophical Society. Treasurer.,, ........................... T. K . A nn asam L Iy e r .
Dr. Abinaah Chaudra Banerjee, Shyam Churn Mukerjee, High Eony. P a n d it ....................... M a h a d e v a S astrial.
l . M, s Court Pleader, aud others.
T H E A D O N I T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
Kathiawar Theosophical Society.
J. N. Unwalla, m. a., Head Master, High School, (Parsi) and others A t a m eeting of m em bers of th e Theosophical Society, held
this day, th e P resid ent-F o un der in t h e c h a i r . i t was unanim ously
Bara-Banki Theosophical Society. resolved th a t a B ranch of th e Society be formed with the title of
Pandit Far.neshri DaBs, High Court Pleader, and others. the “ Adoni Theosophical Society,”
Fari'uckabad Theosophists. Upon motion of M. Veerasam iah Garu, seconded by C. Munu-
Sander Narain Pandit and others. eamy N ayndu, it was unanim ously resolved to adopt th e bye-laws
Adhi Bhoutic Bhratrit Theosophical Society ( Berhampore, Bengal) of the P a re n t Society te m p o ra r ily ; and tho following gentlemen
Nobin Krishna Banerjee, Deputy Collector and M agistrate. were appointed a co m m ittee to d raft bye-laws and re p o rt to the
nex tjm eeting : B. Veerasam iah Garu, A. T heruv en gad a Mudaliar,
Jyotirm oya Banerjee and others.
A, Akelanda Mudaliar, C. S. Vasudevaiah Garu, A. M u th v a Row
Krishna ( Quntur) Theosophical Society. Garu.
J . P nrniya Pantaln, and all members present at the station. An election being held for officers, th e following gentlem en
Rajshye Harmony Theosophical Society, were chosen for the en suin g year:—
Siris Chandra Roy, Head Master and others.
President................................. B. Veerasamiah Garu.
Vice-President........................ A. T h eru ve ng ada Mudaliar,
Ladies’ Theosophical Society, Secretary and Treasurer ... C> M unusaw m y Nayudu.
Sreemati Swarna Knmari Devi, and others, T here being no f u r th e r business, th e Society adjourned to
m e e t on S atu rd ay , th e 6th I n s ta n t, a t 3 p. m ,
Ed. Note, Thus, oyer 400 Hindu Thooaophista are fonnd to vehe­ A d o n i, ) L . V e n k ata V a r a d a r a ju l u N a id u ,
mently protest against Dr. Wyld’s uncalled for satire and sneors. I t is October 1st, 1883.5 Ag, Secretary to P. F, T, S.
well,we think,that the ei-Prest. of the London Lodge T. S. has resigned A p p ro v e d . L e t C h a r t e r issue.
hia connection with onr Society. I t remains to be seen whether Light H . S. O lcott,
v jll hays the fairnesa t 9 publish the above protest. P. T. S.
 T H E C O IM B A T O R E T ^ E O S Q P H I O .A L S O C I E T Y .
At a m eeting of Fellows of the Thepspphicai i3ociety> the P re-
flident-Founder in th e Chair, it was moved by Mr. T, M. Sundrano
P illai and seconded by M r . A. P eriasaw m y Moodaliar, th a t a
b ran ch of the Society be organized iinderr th e ham^ of *' The Coim­
batore Theosophical Society.” Carried unanimously. ]
U pon motion the Bye- L aw s of the P a re n t Society wero te m po­
r a r ily adopted. T h e following g entlem en were selected as a
Committee on B y e -L a w s :— 1 / T . M. S u n d ra m Pillai, 2. M. K.
Soobba Bow, 3, N. A n nasaw m y Row, 4. A. Periasawmy
Moodaliar, and 5, N o tt Sreenevassa Row. The following g e n tle ­
m en were th en elected as office bearers for th e ensuing year:—-
President, Mr. N . A n n a s a w m y R ow ; Vice Presidents, Messrs.
A , P e r i a s a w m y M o o d a l i a r and M . K . S o o b b a R o w j Secretary
nnd Treasurer, M r . T . M . S u n d r a m P i l l a i ; Assistant Secretary,
Mr. R. C h e n g u l v a r a y a N a i d o o G a r u ; CounceUors, Messrs. A.
P o n n o o r u n g a M o o d a l i a r , N o tt S t r e e n e v a s a R o w , R. C o o n j u p p a
P i l l a i , C, V e n c a t a r a m a N a i d o o , A, P o n o o s a w m y P i l l a i , and
T. R am ac iik n d ra Row.
The President F ounder then gave some in stru ctio ns of a private
.nature to the mem bers, and there being no f u r th e r business, the
Socioty adjourned, su b ject to the call of th e President.
T, S e b t i i a h a s i S i n g .
Acting Secretary,
C oim batore ,
1 8th September 1883.
Approved. L et C h arter issue.
. H , S. O LCOTT, P . T. S.
T H E P O N D I C H E R R Y T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
T he first meeting of our Society was in an isolated special c h a m '
ber belonging to our B ro th er T andou S un dira Poulle, a t which
seven members were present. .
Mr. Tandou Su nd ira Poulle was unnnim ously elected.as P res i­
dent, an d M. M u ru g ap p a Modeliar as Secretary.
M. M u r u u g a p p a M o d e l i a b ,
„ „, , „ „ Secretary.
P o n d i c h e r r y , 2 Hh September 1883. ' been opened at G o rak hp ur for im pa rtin g an elem entary in stru c­
1 'H E M Y L A P O R E T H E O S O P H I C A L S A N S K R I T S C H O O L .
As announced in th e handbills, the cercm ony of opening “ The
Mylapore Theosophical Sanscrit School” took place a t 6 a . m. on
the 7th Sep tem b er 1883, at K ristn avilass (the resideuce of Dewan
Bahadoor II. R ago ou ath Row), Mylapore.
T h ere were amongst thoso p r e s e n t :— M. R. Ry. P. Strinivnsa
Row P a n tu lu G a ru ; M. R. Ry. T, V encasami R o w ji; M. R. Ry.
1'. Chenshal Row P an tu lu Garu ; M. R. Ry V. Bhashiam Iy e n g a r
A v e r g u l ; M. R. R y.S. Strinivasa R ag h av a Iy e n g a r A v e r g a l; M. R.
R y . R araanadha Iyer A v e rg u l; M. R. Ry. S. G opalaehariar Aver-
e u l ; M. R. Ry. M, Seshageri S a stry a r Avergul ; M. R, Ry. T.
Subba Row P antulu Garu ; M. R. Ry. R. Ragoonath Row, Dewan
B a h a d u r; M. R. Ry. A. R amuchcndra R o w ji; M. R. Ry. Rajam
l y e u g a r ; M. R. Ry. V, D e s ik a c h a r ia r; M. R. Ry. G. Soobbiah
C hetty Garu ; M. R. R y. J a y a r a ja R ow ; M. R. Ry. R. R anga
R o w ; M. R. Ry. P a rth a sa ra th y Iyengar A v e r g u l; M. R. Ry. N.
K ristu asam i Iy er ; M. R. Ry. L. C. K ris tn a sa m i I y e r ; and others.
T h e ceremony began by Dewan B ahad ur R. R agoouath Row,'
P re siden t of the Local Committee for th e m a n ag e m en t of “ Tho
Mylapore Sanscrit Theosophical Society,” explaining to thoso
present the objects and aims of the Society in the establishm ent
of snch Sanscrit'schools, He said it was one of the chief objects of
th e Theosophical Society to create a desire in, and a th i rs t after,
th e study of the Sansciit literature. In order to give practical
effect to it, th e Society, in one of its meetings resolved to s ta rt Sans
orit In stitu tio n s of this description in which will bo taught
Tamil
and T elu gu besides Sanscrit. The moral principles, os inculcated
in th e ancient H indu Shastras will bo im pressed on th e mind of
the students. , w h o m he will a c c o m p a n y in his N o r t h e r n T o u r.
T h a t a series of readers will be printed in the aforesaid lan­
guages, con tainin g Moral precepts, extracts from the Vedas, the
Smritics, the B hagavat, the M ahabharata and th e im p o rtan t
Puranas, and dissertations on su bjects concerning Occultism , Mes­
merism, Psychology, &c., for the use of those schools. IJe hoped
th e Socioty will be able to achieve its ends sooner or la ter in
course of time. The school was th e n declared open.
The ceremonies term inated by d is trib u tio n of flowers, sandal,
an d pan supari to those who had honored the occasion' with their
presence, and of sugarcandy to the st u den ts, n u m b erin g a b o u t 20,
and alm s to in d ig e n t persons. ’ “ W ith feelings of deep regret, I have to announce th e death
R . R agoonatu R ow,
President.
In th e la s t line but oue of pa go 6, co lu m n 2, of th e
Supplement to fhe Theosophist fo r S e p t e m b e r 1883 T. Krishna
Bow's n a m o is by m i s t a k e g iv e n as a V i c e - P r e s i d e n t of the
“ N a c h i y a r ” T h e o so p h ic a l Society, S r i v i l l j p u t t u r , in s te a d of
T. Narasimhacharyar.
.... r U 4 id § t[ it it t ft c s .
THE A D O N I T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY .
A B r a n c h S o c ie ty h a s b ee n f o r m e d b y Colonel O lc o tt a t
A d o n i. I t is to so m e e x t e n t d u e to th e e x e rtio n s of o u r i n d e ­
f a t ig a b l e b r o t h e r , S. R a m a s w a m i e r , B. A ., of T in n e v e lly ,
T IIE PIO N E E R T H E O S O P H IC A L SOCIETY
O F S A IN T L O U IS .
I h a v e th e honor to repo rt to you, th a t on the 17th Ju ly a
Branch of the Theosophical Society was organized in this city,
n n d e r tho provisions of a ch a rte r gran ted 5 th J u n e to Elliott B.
Page, F ra n k K raft, Thom as M. Jo hn son and E dw ard H. Gorsc,
the m em bers who took p art in th e organization having been duly
initiated by F ra n k K ra ft, who acted by a u th o r ity of a special
resolution passed by the Council a t New York.
A t th e meeting mentioned above, th e following officers were
elected to serve for the ensuing y e a r ; —
E l l i o t t B. P a g - e , President,
F rank K ha ft, Secretary and Treasurer.
The full report of our proceedings which should have been sent
to H ea d -q u a rte rs before this time, has been delayed by the
unavoidable absence uf our Secretary, who is now absent under
orders from th e P. O. D e p a rtm e n t w ith which he is connected.
This notification is only to ap prise you th a t we have made a
com m encem ent here : details will be fo r w a rd e d 'a s soon as Mr.
K r a f t re t u r n s .
S t . L o u i s , Mo. U. S. A . ) E l l i o t t B. P a g e .
August \7th 1883. ) .
§) £ r f m n t 1 J 1 1 m 55.
I t affords us much p le a s u re to notice th a t by th e exertions of
the “ Sarn H itk a ri” Theosophical Society, six n ig h t schools have
tion in H indi reading, w riting and oral arith m e tic to persons
actually earning their livelihood by manual labour. There are
above 250 persons who are tak in g a d v a n ta g e of the schools, Ono
S u n d a y School has also been sta rte d with a stre n g th of about 50;
and in this lectures on moral subjects are delivered for the benefit
of the young men of the town. In this connection, our brother,
P a n d it Saligram , deserves p rom inent mention.
Babn P arm esh ri Sahaie, F. T. S., of Moradabad, read a ve ry
in terestin g lectu re on Theosophy, at a public meeting at Fyzabad,
in which Mr. Kncoo Mai presided.
Babu J wala P rasad a S an k h a d h ar, Secretary of the “ Satya
M a rg a” Theosophical Society, L ucknow, g ave a lecture a t Rae
P.areli on the “aims and and objects of the Theosophical Society.”
I l is H ig h n ess th e P rin ce Shadeo Siu gh Bahadoor took the
chair.
T H E E IG H T H A N N IV E R S A R Y O F T H E TH EO SO - T
P H IC A L SO CIETY .
T h o c o in in g A n n iv e r s a r y of th e P a r e n t T h eo so p h ica l
S o c ie ty w ill be c e le b r a te d a t th e H e a d q u a r t e r s o n th e 2 7th
D e c e m b e r 1883 a n d th e follow in g d a y s. D e le g a te s will
m a k e t h e i r a r r a n g e m e n t s a c c o rd in g ly . F u r t h e r p a rtic u l a r s
will follow.
D a m o d a r K . M a v a l a n k a r , J o i n t R e c o r d i n g S e c r e t a r y of
th e T h e o so p h ic a l S o ciety, le ft A d y a r on t h e ev en in g of t h e
l l t h O c to b e r a n d jo in e d a t P o o n a th e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r
O BITUARY.
W ithdeep re g re t we have to announce the death of Mr.
C T. Winfred, b . A., a Fellow of the Trichinopoly T heo­
sophical Society, which occurred a few weeks ago.
O u r friend and B ro ther, Mr. G. C A. Ju yasek ara, P re s id e n t’
Galle Buddhist Theosophical Society, th u s rep o rts;—•
of Mr. E m an is de Silva Gunasekara, a very useful and earnest
m em ber ot our Society and ono of the T ru steos of th e Southern
Province Fund- l i e W ns ailing for some tim e, and was re ­
moved to th e residence of his son Mr. IX D. S, Gunasekara,
K. T . S., Colombo, for obtaining medical aid, where he died on
the 7 t Septem ber. H is rem ains were removed to his native
village^here and buried in g reat pomp aiid Btyle. O u r Society
was we 11 represented a t the funeral.”
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
A ttr ib u tio n - N o n C o m m e r c ia l- S h a r e A lik e 3 .0 U n p o r te d

Y o u are free:

to S h a r e — l o c o p y , d is trib u t e a n d t r a n s m it t h e w o r k

to R e m ix — to ad ap t th e w o rk

U n d e r th e f o llo w in g c o n d it io n s :

A t t rib u t io n — Y o u m u s t a ttrib u te t h e w o r k in t h e m a n n e r s p e c if ie d b y t h e a u t h o r

CD o r l i c e n s o r ( b u t n o t in a n y w a y t h a t s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e y e n d o r s e y o u o r y o u r u s e o f
th e w o r k ) .

N o n c o m m e r c ia l — Y o u m a y n o t u s e t h is w o r k f o r c o m m e r c i a l p u r p o s e s .

S h a r e A lik e — I f y o u alter, t r a n s f o r m , o r b u ild u p o n t h is w o r k , y o u m a y d istrib u te

© th e r e s u lt in g w o r k o n l y u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s im ila r l i c e n s e t o t h is o n e .

W ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in g that:

W a i v e r — A n y o f th e a b o v e c o n d it io n s c a n b e w a i v e d if y o u g e t p e r m i s s i o n f r o m th e c o p y r ig h t
h o ld e r.

P u b lic D o m a in — W h e r e t h e w o r k o r a n y o f its e le m e n t s is in t h e p u b l i c d o m a i n u n d e r
a p p lic a b le law , t h a t s t a t u s is in n o w a y a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se .

O th e r R ig h t s — I n n o w a y a r e a n y o f t h e f o llo w in g r ig h t s a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se :

• Y o u r fa ir d e a lin g o r f a i r u s e rig h ts , o r o t h e r a p p lic a b le c o p y r i g h t e x c e p t i o n s a n d

lim itations;

• T h e a u t h o r 's m o r a l rig h ts;

• R i g h t s o t h e r p e r s o n s m a y h a v e e ith e r in t h e w o r k its e lf o r in h o w t h e w o r k is u s e d , s u c h
a s p u b l i c i t y o r p r i v a c y rig h ts.

N o t ic o — F o r a n y r e u s e o r d istrib u tio n , y o u m u s t m a k e c le a r to o t h e r s th e l i c e n s e t e r m s o f
th is w o r k . T h e b e s t w a y t o d o t h is is w it h a lin k t o t h is w e b p a g e .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
EMBRACING MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
TO I Colonel O lc o t t a n d M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y ; or, t h e y a r e th e
T H E R E IS N O R E L I G I O N H I G H E R T H A N T R U T H .
[P am iiy m o tto o f th e M a h a r a j a h s o j B e n a r e s . ]
H A V E W E TO L O W E R T H E F L A G O F T R U C E ?
T h e s p ir itu a lis tic jo u r n a ls , w i t h tlie h o n o u r a b l e a n d
so litary e x c e p t io n of t h e B a n n e r o f L i g h t , lose no
o p p o r tu n ity for effec tin g Q u ix o tic t h r u s t s in t h e d i r e c ­
tion of T h e o s o p h y . T h a t th ey a re m ad e generally a t
raudoin, a n d t h u s fall as h a r m l e s s a s t h e b lo w s of t h e
K u i g h t of t h e R u e fu l c o u n t e n a n c e — is n o t fro m a n y
>vant of b e n e v o le n t in te n t i o n in o u r g e n e r o u s f rie n d s .
F or se v eral y e a r s we h a v e b o r u e t h e i r ill - n a t u r e d r e m a r k s
with th e o s o p h ic f o r b e a r a n c e a u d h a v e n e v e r a t t a c k e d
eith er S p ir i tu a l is m a s a belief, o r its a d h e r e n t s , w ith
thoso few e x c e p t io n a l ca se s w h e n we h a d t o d e f e n d
ourselves. N o r h a v e wa, t h o u g h o u r s e lv e s d isb e lie v e r s
in th o ir o r th o d o x t e u e ts , b e e n e v e r t e m p t e d to c a r r y t h e
war in to t h e e n e m y ’s c o u n t r y . I n silence w e p u r s u e d
our w o rk , e x p e c t i n g e v e r y e a r n e s t s e e k e r of T r u t h to do
tlio sa m e. T o l e r a n t of tlieir b e lie f we h o p e d fo r t h e
same to le r a n c e on t h e i r p a r t. B u t we w e r e d o o m e d to
d isa p p o in tm e n t. T h o a c h ie v e m e n ts of t h e d o u g h t y
cham p ions of r e t u r n i n g “ S p i r i t s ” in t h e i r l a t e s t s k i r ­
mishes a g a i n s t th o “ B r o t h e r s " a n d t h e i r h u m b l e .agents—
Colonel O lc o tt a n d H . P . B l a v a t s k y , t h o u g h a m u s i n g l y
ab s u rd to o u r F e llo w s, a r e y e t so c a lc u la te d to h u r t tlie
feelings of th e H in d u M e m b e r s of o u r S o c ie ty t h a t we
cau no lo n g e r ig n o r e t h e c h a r g e s p r e f e r r e d . A fter
receiving a n u m b e r of l e t t e r s fro m c e r ta in r e g u l a r Chelas
whom we h a v e p e r s o n a lly p e r s u a d e d to c o - o p e ra te w ith
us, we a r e o b lig e d , in d u e d i s c h a r g e of o u r d u t y , to
e u te r t h e a r e n a of c o n t r o v e r s y , u n d e r th o p e n a l ­
ty of h a v i n g o u r silen c e c o n s tr u e d in to t a c i t c o n s e n t.
In th e p r e s e n t in sta n c e we a r e m o v e d to t h i s c o u r se b y
sundry r e m a r k s iu L ig h t iu c o n n e c tio n w ith M r. K i d d l e ’s
fancied expose of M r. S i n n e t t ’s “ G u r u ” — w h o s t a n d s
accused of h a v i n g " a p p r o p r i a t e d ” som o s t r a y s e n te n c e s
from a le c tu r e b y t h a t new c o n v e r t to S p ir i tu a l is m ! !
I t isrnoto to - d e f e n d t h e M a h a t m a h o w e v e r, o r to e x p la in
the “ m y s t e r y ” of t h e p a ra lle l p a s s a g e s t h a t w e now
euter th e lists. T o u n d e r t a k e tlie f o r m e r w o u ld b e i r r e ­
verent p r e s u m p t io n o n o u r p a r t , w hile t h e l a t t e r w ou ld
require a full a n d e n t i r e e x p l a n a t i o n of “ a d e e p ly i n t e r ­
esting p sy c h o lo g ic al p r o b l e m ” as “ A S t u d e n t ” litly p u ts
it in L i g h t , — a t a s k w ith w h ic h w e a r e n o t so f a r e n ­
trusted. [ W e a r e g la d , h o w e v e r, t h a t o th e r s , in t h e p r e ­
sent n u m b e r , lift t h e veil c o n s id e r a b l y a n d d isclose
the m y stery , a s f a r a s p e r m i t t e d — G e n e ra l M o r g a n for
one.] A s to o u r ow n in te n t i o n it is s im p ly to show
the u tte r a b s u r d i t y of t h e w hole a c c u s a tio n , in w h a t e v e r
way au d from w h a ts o e v e r s t a n d - p o i n t o n e m a y lo o k a t it.
Tbe whole q u e s tio n reso lv e s its e lf in to th is :— ■
T he le tte r s to M r . S i n n e t t w e r e w r i t t e n e i t h e r b y a
real living Mahatm ci, a p e r s o n a l i t y c^uite d i s t i n c t fro m
p r o d u c ti o n of t h e “ tw o O c c id e n t a l h u m o u r i s t s ” (a very
m ild w a y of p u t t i n g it, b y t h e bye) as s u g g e s t e d b y th e
S t . J a m e s ’ Gazette. O n e i t h e r s u p p o sitio n t h e c h a r g e of
p l a g i a r i s m is t h e v e r y h e i g h t of t h e rid ic u lo u s, is “ p e r ­
f e c t n o n s e n s e ,” a s M r. S i n n e t t j u s t l y r e m a r k s . T o s u s ­
p e c t t h e w r i t e r of su c h l e t t e r s , t h e T e a c h e r of su c h a
g r a n d s y s t e m of p h ilo s o p h y (even in its sim p le o u tlin es,
so far) of p l a g i a r i z i n g a few s t r a y s e n te n c e s f r o m a v e r y
in d if f e r e n t le c tu r e , r e m a r k a b l e f o r n o t h i n g b u t its c o r r e c t
E n g l i s h , is a n in sa n e ly a b s u r d im p r o b a b ility . U p o n th o
o th er h y p o th e s is , e v e n if g r o u n d b e g r a n t e d to it
sufficiently firm t o e n a b le i t to raise its h e a d , t h e c h a r g e
b e c o m e s, if p o ssib le , m o r e u n te n a b le still. I f t h e “ tw o
O c c id e n ta l h u m o u r i s t s ” w e r e c a p a b le of e v o l u t i u g from
t h e i r in n e r c o n s c io u sn e ss tlie g r a n d d o c t r i n e s , now o u t ­
lin e d in Esoteric B u d d h i s m —-a s y s te m of p h ilo s o p h y w h ic h
is r e c e iv in g ( t h a n k s to t h e in te n s e a c tiv i ty c r e a te d a m o n g
all r e lig io n s t h i n k e r s in t h e B a s t b y th o r e v e la tio n s of
o u r M a h a t m a s t h r o u g h M r. S i n n e t t ) d a ily c o r r o b o r a tio n
fr o m t h e e s o te r ic d o c t r i n e s of H in d u is m , Z o ro a s tr ia n is m
a n d even of J u d a i s m — as so m e H e b r e w K a b a l i s t s aro
p r e p a r i n g to p r o v e — s u r e ly s u c h c le v e r p h ilo s o p h e r s a m i
sc h o la r s o u g h t to b e c r e d i t e d w ith so m e g r a i n s a t le ast
of c o m m o n sense. B u t w h e r e , w e a s k , w as t h a t c o m m o n
se n se a t t h e tim e of f o r g i n g ( f o r s u c h is t h e p r o p e r te rm )
th o se “ b o g u s l e t t e r s , ” if a n y of t h e s a i d “ t w o h u m o u r i s t s ”
t u r n e d f o r a fe w s t r a y s e n te n c e s to t h e B a n n e r o f L i g h t ,
— t h e m o s t w id e ly k n o w n s p ir itu a lis tic o r g a n in A m e r ic a ,
r e a d , p e r h a p s , b y 100 t h o u s a n d s of b e lie v e rs ! O n e noed
h a v e b e e n n o g r e a t g e n i u s o r p r o p h e t to h a v e fe lt su r e
tlm t d e te c tio n w o u ld follow im m e d ia te ly u p o u a n y suc h
p la g ia r is m ; t h a t t h e c h a n c e s w ere a h u n d r e d to o n e t h a t
t h e “ p a ra lle l p a s s a g e s ” w o u ld a t on ce be d e t e c t e d , th o
m o r e e s p e c ia lly a s so m e of M r. S i n n e t t ’s f rie n d s w h o h a d
ac c e ss to t h e l e t t e r s w ero s p ir itu a lis ts a n d p r o b a b l e r e a ­
d e r s of t h e B a n n e r o f L i g h t . I t is p r e p o s te r o u s , th e re fo r e ,
to c o n n e c t sncli in sa n e a c tio n s w ith a n y one o u ts id e a
lu n a tic a s y lu m . T h n s it b ec o m e s e v i d e n t t h a t our g e n e r o u s
o p p o n e n t s a r e n o t v e r y p a r t i c u l a r as to tlie n a t u r e of tho
w e a p o n s w h e r e w it h a n n u s y m p a t h e t i c rival is a t ta c k e d ,
a n d still m o r e c l e a r t h a t n o n e of t h e i r o lie r e d th e o rie s cau
e v e r be m a d e to fit t h e p r e s e n t case.
W h a t e v e r t h e final r e s u lt of t h e ad o c r e a te d , m e a n ­
w h ile w e a r e f o r c e d to p e r f o r m a v ery d is a g re e a b le t a s k .
I t is n o t t h e p e r s o n a liti e s in w h ich o u r o p p o n e n ts hav e so
f re e ly i n d u l g e d of l a t e t h a t in d u c e s us to low er t h e flag
of tr u c e w h ich wo h a v e h i t h e r t o p r e s e n t e d to th e s p i r i t u a l ­
ists, b u t s im p ly t h e im p o s s ib ility to refu se to i n s e r t a
n u m b e r of l e t t e r s 011 t h is s u b je c t w hich a rc pouring* iu u p o n
us from all sides. S p a c e does n o t p e r m i t o u r p u b l i s h i n g
t h e m all, b n t t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t on es a r e g iv e n e ls e ­
w h e r e . W e h a v e s o u g h t to h e lp th o w o rld to c o m p r e ­
h e n d so m e i m p o r t a n t p sy c h o lo g ic a l p r o b le m s , b u t in s t e a d
of d o i n g g o o d , w e h a v e , it a p p e a r s , c o m m itt e d a sin. W o
find we h a v e g o n e too fa r, a n d a r e n o w r e a p i n g t h e ju s t
r e w a r d of g i v i n g to th o w o rld w h a t it is n o t p r e p a r e d to
rec eiv e . W a r n i n g to t h i s effect w a s offered t h o u g h n e v e r
a c c e p te d , as t h e a u t h o r of E soteric B u d d h i s m is well
a w a r e o f ; a n d th e r e s u l t is, t h a t w e n o w find ourselves A . T h e five c h a n n e l s of k n o w l e d g e ( J n a n e n d r iy a s ) ,
in t h e m id s t of tw o fires. I t will b e se e n f r o m th e t h e five organs o f action, t h e five v i t a l airs, b e g i n n i n g w ith
l e t t e r s we h a v e m e n tio n e d h o w w e a r e t r a d u c e d a n d p r d n a , a u d m a n a s a n d b u d d h i.
r e p r o a c h e d b y b o th f rie n d s a n d e n e m ie s. W e ll, we m u s t Q. W h a t are th e Jn a n en d riya s ?
t r y a n d su rv iv e th e s to r m . Y e t , w h ile t h e m o s t low a n d A. [ S p i r i t u a l ] B a r , s k in , eye, to n g u e a n d nose,
v u l g a r p erso n a l jo k e s , t h e m o s t sc u rr ilo u s a n d u n m e r i te d Q. W h a t is t h e ear ?
a b u s e a n d s la n d e r f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s r u n n i n g in t h e " h i g h A . T h a t c h a n n e l of k n o w le d g e w h ic h t r a n s c e n d s tho
t o n e d ” A n g lo - I n d ia n a n d E n g l i s h jo u r n a l s h a v e l e f t us [ p h y s ic a l] ea r, is l i m ite d b y t h e a u r ic u la r orifice, on
a l i v e ; a n d th e pio u s fibs a n d i n c e s s a n tly r e p e a t e d w h ic h t h e d k a s d e p e n d s , a n d w h ic h is c a p a b le of t a k i n g
ca lu m n ie s,— th e o u tc o m e of o d iu m th e o lo yicu m — in th o c o g n i s a n c e of so u n d .
m is sio n a ry o r g a n s h a v o failed to a n n i h ila te u s ; a n d (j. Tlie s k i n ? .
e v e n th e c o n s t a n t in n u e n d o e s a n d v e n o m o u s r e m a r k s A . T h a t w h ic h t r a n s c c n d s t h e s k in , o n w h ic h t h e
.scattered a g a i n s t t h e th e o s o p h is ts in t h e f r i e n d l y s p i r i t ­ s k in d e p e n d s , a n d w h ic h e x t e n d s fro m h e a d to fo o t a n d
u alistic jo u r n a l s , h a v e d o n e no m o r e t h a n d e s tr o y fo r a h a s th o p o w e r of p e r c e iv in g h e a t a n d cold.
few b r ie f m in u te s o u r n a t u r a l p la c id i ty , t h e r e p r o a c h e s Q. T h e eye ?
w e a r e n o w re c e iv in g a r e of a f a r m o r e serio us n a t u r e . A . T h a t w h ich t r a n s c e n d s th o o c u l a r o r b , o n w h ic h
S o l o n g as th e t h o u s a n d a n d one false c h a r g e s , one m oro t h e o r b d e p e n d s , w h ic h is c e n t r e d in t h e b la c k iris a n d
a b s u r d t h a n th e o th e r , w e re b r o u g h t a g a i n s t u s, we h a s t h e p o w e r of c o g n i s in g fo rm s.
c o u ld afford to d e s p is e a n d ev e n la u g h a t t h e m . B u t Q. T lie tongue ?
since we feel t h a t t h e re p r o o fs p o u r e d on us b y b r o t h e r - A . T h a t w h ic h t r a n s c e n d s t h e t o n g u e a n d ca n per­
c h e la s a r e n e i t h e r u n j u s t n o r u n m e r i t e d , w e h a v o b u t to ceive t a s t e .
b o w d o w n o u r h e a d a u d re c e iv e th o c a s ti g a tio n w ith Q. T h e nose ?
u n f e ig n e d h u m ility . M en c u l p a ! is w h a t we sliall h a v e A . T h a t w h ic h t r a n s c e n d s t h e nose, a n d h a s th e
iu r e p e a t , we fe a r, to t h e e n d of o u r lif e -jo u r n e y . W e p o w e r of s m e llin g .
h a v e s in n e d h ea v ily , a n d we now r e a p t h e f r u its of o u r Q. W h a t a r e th e organs o f action ?
w e ll-m e a n t a n d k in d l y - i n t e n t i o n e d b u t still a g r ie v o u s A , T h e o r g a n of s p e e c h (v ac h ), h a n d s , f e e t, etc.
in d is c r e tio n . S o m e of our th e o s o p h is ts , t h e m o s t p r o m i­ Q. W h a t is vach ?
n e n t , will h a v e to s h a re w i t h u s t h e j u s t r e p r o a c h e s . A . T h a t w h ic h t r a n s c e n d s s p e e c h , in w h ich speech
Afay th e y feel as m u c h a n d a s sin c e r e ly as w e do t h a t r e sid e s, a n d w h ic h is lo c a te d in eig ht d ifferent centres*
( h e y d e s e rv e t h e m , a n d t h a t t h e y w e r e t h e first to h a v e a n d h a s t h e p o w e r of sp e ec h .
a h a n d in, a n d to p ro fit b y , t h e d e s e c r a tio n w e n ow s ta n d Q. W h a t a r e t h e eight centres ?
a c c u s e d of ! A . B r e a s t , t h r o a t , h e a d , u p p e r a n d n e t h e r lips, p a la te
■ » - • l i g a t u r e (fr e n u m ), b i n d i n g t h e t o n g u e to t h e lo w er ja w
a n d to n g u e .
D IS C R IM IN A T IO N OF S P IR I T A N D NOT- Q. W h a t is t h e organ o f the h a n d s ?
S P IR IT * A . T h a t w h ic h tr a n s c e n d s t h e h a n d s , on w h ic h th e
( T r a n s l a t e d f r o m the o r ig in a l S a n s k r i t o f S a n k a r a p a lm s d e p e n d a n d w h ich lias t h e p o w e r of g i v i n g a n d
A c h a n j a .J t a k i n g . * * * ( T h e o th e r o r g a n s a r e sim ila rly d e s c r ib e d ) .
Q. W h a t is t h e a n ta h k a r a n a ? f
B y M o fiini M oiia n C h a t te r ji, m .a ., b .l., F . T . S.
A. M a n a s, b u d d h i, c h i tla a n d a h a n k a r a fo rm it.
Q. W h a t is S p i r i t ? T lie s e a t of t h e m a n a s is t h e r o o t of t h e th r o a t , of
A . I t is t h a t p r in c i p le w liich e n t e r s in to t h e c o m p o ­ b u d d h i t h e face, of c h i tta t h e u m bilicus, a n d of a h a n k a r a
sition of m a n besides t h e three bodies, a n d w h ic h is d is­ the breast. T h e f u n c ti o n s of th e s e f o u r c o m p o n e n ts of
ti n c t f ro m t h e fivo slie a th s (K o s h a n ), b e i n g sal (ex ist­ a n t a h k a r a n a a r e r e s p e c tiv e ly d o u b t, c e r ta in t y , r e te n tio n
ence) , t c h it (co n sc io u sn e ss),J a n d a n a n d a (bliss) and a n d e g o tis m .
w itn e ss of th e three slates. Q. H o w a r e t h e five vital a i r s , J b e g i n n i n g w ith
Q. W h a t aro t h e t h r e e b o d ie s ? prana, nam ed ?
A . T h e g r o s s ( s t h u l a j , t h e s u b ti le fs n k s h m a ) a n d t h e A . P ra n a , apana, vydna, u d d n a an d sam dna. T h eir
ca u sa l (k d r a n a ). lo c a tio n s a r e said to b e :— of p r a n a t h e b r e a s t, of a pa n a
Q. W h a t is th o gross body ? t h e f u n d a m e n t u m , of s a m a n a t h e u m b ilicu s , of u d a n a
A . T h a t w h ic h is th e effect of th e M a h a b h u ta s (pri­ th o t h r o a t , a n d v y a n a is s p r e a d all o v er t h e b o d y .
m o r d ia l su b tile elem e n ts) d if f e r e n tia te d in to t h e fivo F u n c t i o n s of th e s e aro :— p r a n a go es o u t, a p a n a desce n d s,
g r o s s on es ( P a n c h ik r iia ) ,\\ is b o r n of K a r m a and. s u b je c t u d a n a a s c e n d s , s a m a n a re d u c e s th e fo o d e a t e n into an
to t h e six c h a n g e s b e g i n n i n g w ith b i r t h . § I t is s a i d : — u n d is t in g u is li a b le s ta te , a n d v y a n a c i r c u l a t e s all over
W h a t is p ro d u c e d b y t h e (su b tile ) e l e m e n ts differ­ th e b o d y . O f th e s e fivo v ita l a irs t h e r e aro fivo sub-airs,
e n t i a t e d in to th o five g r o s s ones, is a c q u ir e d b y K a r m a , n a m e ly , n a g a, k u r m a , krikara,, d e v a d a tta a n d d h a u a n -
a u d is t h e m e a s u r e of p le a s u r e a n d p a i n , is ca lle d t h e j a y a . F u n c t i o n s of th e se a r e :— e r r u c t a t i o n s p ro d u c e d
b o d y (s a r i r a ) p a r excellence. b y nag a, k u r m a o p en s th o eye, d h a n a n j a y a assim ilate s
food, d e v a d a tta ca use s y a w n i n g , a n d k r ik a r a p ro d u c e s
Q. W h a t is th e subtile body ?
a p p e t i t e — t h is is sa id b y th o s e v e r s e d in Yoga.
A . I t is th o effect of t h e e l e m e n ts n o t d if fe r e n tia te d
into five a n d h a v i n g 17 c h a r a c t e r s t i c m a r k s (lin g as J . * T h e sccrcfc c o m m e n ta r ie s say seven ; for it doos n o t sep a rate th e
lip s in to th e “ u p p er* ' a n d “ n e t h e r ” lip s. A nd, it a d d s to th e seven
Q. W h a t a r e t h e s e v e n te e n ?
ce n tre s th e s e v c ii p a s s a g e s i n t h e h e a d c o n n e c t e d w i t h , a n d a f f e c t e d b y ,
vach ; n a m e l y — t h e m o u t h , t h e t w o e y e s , t h e tiv o n o s t r i l s a n d t h e t w o
* C o n tin u e d fro m th e N o v e m b e r T h e o s o p h is t, 1 8 8 2 .
ears- “ T h e l e f t e a r , e y e a n d n o s t r i l b e i n g t h o m e s s e n g e r s o f th e r ig h t
t T h is s ta n d s fo r P u r u s h a .— T r. s i d e o f th e h e a d ; t h o r i g h t e a r , e y e a n d n o s t r i l — t h o s e o f t h e l e f t s i d e . ”
J T h is sta n d s fo r P r a k r iti, c o s m i c m a t t o r , i r r e s p e c t i v e o f t b o s t a t e w e N ow t h i s is p u r e l y s c ie n tif ic . T h e la te st d iscoveries a n d co n clu sio n s of
p o r c e i v e i t t o b o i n . — T r. m o d e rn p h y sio lo g y h a v o sh o w n th a t tho p o w e r o r th e fa c u lty o f h u m a n
B li s s isM d jd o r S a k ti, i t i s t h o c r e a t i v e e n e r g y p r o d u c i n g c h a n g e s s p e e c h i s l o c a t e d i n t h e t h i r d f r o n t a l c a v i t y o f t h o l e f t h e m i s p h e r e o£
nl s ta te iu P r a k r i t i . S a y s t h e S r u t i ( T a i t t i r i y a D p a n i s h a t ) :— “ V o r i l y th e b ra in . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i t is a w e ll k n o w n f a c t t h a t t h e n e r v e
f r o m H l i s s a r e a l l t h o s o b h u ta s b o r n , a n d b e in g b o rn b y it th e y liv e , tissu es in te r- c ro s s e a c h o th e r (d e c u s s a te ) in th e b r a in in Buch a w ay
n n d t h e y r o t n r n a n d e n t e r i n t o B l i s s . ” — T r. th a t th o m o tio n s of o u r lo ft ex trem eties aro g o v ern ed by th e right
h e m isp h e re , w h ile th e m o tio n s of our rig h t h an d lim b s a r e s u b je c t to
i| T h e five s n b tilo elem en ts th u s produce th o g r o s s o n e s :— e a c h o f
th o le ft h e m is p h e re o f th e b ra in .— Ed.
I h e five is d iv i d e d in to e i g h t p a r t s , f o u r o f th o se p a r ts a n d ouo p a rt of
each of th o o th e rs o n te r in to co m b in atio n , and th o r e s u lt is t h e g r o s s f A flo o d o f l i g h t w ill b e t h r o w n on th e tex t by an e d ito ria l n o te in
elem en t c o rre sp o n d in g w ith th e su b tilo e lo m o n t, w h o se p a r ts p re d o m i­ T h e o s o p h is t, v o l . I V , 1 1 , 2 G 9 : — “ A n t a h k a r a n a i s t h e p a t h o f c o m m u n i ­
n a te in th o c o m p o s itio n .— T r. c a tio n b e tw e e n soul and body, en tire ly d isco n n ected w ith th e form er,
e x is tin g w ith , b e lo n g in g to , a n d dy in g w ith th e b o d y .” T h i s p a t h is
§ These six changes a r e :— b i r t h , d eath , b ein g in tim e , g ro w th ,
w e ll tra c e d in tlie te x t.— T r,
decay, nnd u n d erg o in g ch an g o of B u b stn n c o (p a r in d m ) as m ilk is
c h a n g e d i n t o w h e y . — T r, J T h e s e v italB a irs a n d s u b - a ir s n r e m a g n e t i c c u rre n ts.— TV,
 Tlie p r e s i d i n g p o w e r s of tlie five c h a n n e l s of k n o w l e d g e A n n a m a y a is t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n of an n a * (food), P r a -
and t b e o th e r s a r e d l k (akas) a n d . t h e r e s t. D i k , v a ta n a m a y a of p r a n a (life),M a n o m a y a of m a n a s, V ijn a n a m a y a
(air), arlca (sun), p r a c h e td ( w a te r), A s w in i, b a h n i (fire), of v i j n a n (finite p e r c e p t i o n ) , A n a n d a m a y a of a n a n d a
I n d r a , U p o n d r a , M r i t y u ( d e a th ), C h a n d r a (m o o n ) , B r a h m a , (illusive b lis s).
R u ilr a , a n d K s h e t r a j n e s v a r a * w h ic h is t h e g r e a t C r e a to r Q. W h a t is t h e A n n a m a y a s h e a t h ?
an d c a u s e of e v e r y t h i n g . T h e s e a r e t h e p r e s i d i n g p o w e r s A . T h e gross body.
of ea r, a n d t h e o th e rs in t h e o r d e r in w h i c h t h e y occ u r. Q. W h y ?
A ll t h e s e t a k e n t o g e t h e r fo rm t h e l i n g a s a r i r a . t I t is A . T h e fo o d e a te n b y f a t h e r a n d m o t h e r is tr a n s f o r m e d
also s a id in t h e S h a s tr a s :— in to s e m e n a n d b lo o d , t h e c o m b in a tio n of w h ic h is t r a n s ­
T h e five v ita l airs, m a n a s , b u d d h i, a n d t h e t e n o r g a n s f o r m e d in to tlie s h a p e of a b o d y . I t w r a p s u p lik e a
form t h e s u b ti le b o d y , w h ic h a r ise s f r o m t h e s u b ti le e le ­ s h e a t h a n d h e n c e so ca lle d . I t is th e tr a n s f o r m a t io n of
m e n ts, u n d i f f e r e n t i a t e d in to t h e five g r o s s on es, a n d w h ich food a n d w r a p s u p t h e s p i r i t lik e a s h e a th — i t show s th o
is t h e in e a u s of t h e p e r c e p tio n of p le a s u r e a n d p a in . s p ir it w liic h is in finite a s finite, wliich is w ith o u t t h e six
Q. W h a t is t h e K u r a n a s a r ir a ?J c h a n g e s b e g i n n i n g w ith b i r t h as s u b je c t to th o s e c h a n g e s
w h ic h is w i t h o u t t h e t h r e e k iu d s of p a i n t a s liable to t h e m .
A . I t is ig n o r a n c e (avidijd), w h ic h is t h e ca u se of th e
I t co n c e a ls t h e s p ir it as t h e s h e a t h co n c e a ls t h e sw ord,
o th e r tw o b o d ie s, a n d w hich is w i t h o n t b e g i n n i n g , ‘If i n ­
th e h u s k t h e g r a i n , o r t h e w o m b t h e fcetus.
effable, reflection [o f B r a h m a ] a n d p r o d u c t i v e of t h e
Q. W h a t is t h e n e x t s h e a t h ?
co n c e p t of n o n - id e n t ity b e tw e e n se lf a n d B r a h m a . I t is
A . T h e c o m b in a t io n of t h e five o r g a n s of actioD, a n d
also sa id :—
t h e five v ita l a i rs fo rm t h e P r a n a m a y a s h e a th .
“ W i t h o u t a b e g i n n i n g , ine ffab le avidijd is ca lle d t h e
u p d d h i ( v eh ic le)— h d ra n a (ca use). K n o w t h e S p i r i t to B y t h e m a n if e s ta tio n o f p r a n a , t h e s p i r i t w h ic h is
b e tr u ly d iffe re n t fro m t h e t h r e e u p a d h i s , i. e., bodies. sp e ec h less a p p e a r s as if t h e s p e a k e r , w h ic h n e v e r g iv e s a s
t h e g iv e r , w h ic h n e v e r m o v e s as if in m o tio n , w h ic h is
Q . W h a t is N o t - S p i r i t ?
d e v o id of h u n g e r a n d t h i r s t as if h u n g r y a n d t h i r s t y .
A . I t is t h e t h r e e b o d ie s [ d e s c r i b e d a b o v e ] , w h ic h
Q. W h a t is t h e t h i r d s h e a t h ?
a re im p e r m a n e n t , i n a n im a te ( ja d a ), e s s e n ti a ll y p a in fu l a n d
A , I t is th o five (subtile) o r g a n s of.sense ( j n d n e n d r i y a )
su b je c t to c o n g r e g a t i o n a n d s e g r e g a ti o n .
a n d m a n a s.
Q. W h a t is im p e r m a n e n t ? B y th o m a n if e s ta tio n of t h is s h e a t h (v i k d r a ) t h e s p i r i t
A . T h a t w h ic h does n o t e x is t in o n e a n d t h e sa m e w liich is d e v o id of d o u b t a p p e a r s a s d o u b t i n g , dev o id of
s ta te in t h e t h r e e d ivision s of tim e [ n a m e ly , p r e s e n t, p a s t g r i e f a n d d e lu sio n a s if g r i e v e d a n d d e l u d e d , d e v o id
and fu tu re .] • of s i g h t as if s e e in g .
Q. W h u t is in a n i m a t e (jada) ? Q. W h a t is tlie V i j n a n m a y a slieatli ?
A . T h a t w h ic h c a n n o t d i s t i n g u i s h b e t w e e n t h e o b ­ A . [ T h e e s se n c e of] t h e five o r g a n s of se n se fo rm t h is
je cts of its o w n c o g n itio n a n d t h e o b j e c t s of tlio c o g n itio n s h e a t h in c o m b in a t io n w i t h bu d d h i.
of o th e r s . * * * Q. W h y is t h is s h e a t h c a lle d t h e j i v a (p erso n al e g o ),
Q . W h a t a r e th o t h r e e s t a t e s [ m e n t i o n e d a b o v e as w h ic h b y r e a s o n of its t h i n k i n g itself t h e a c to r , en jo y c r,
those of w hich t h e S p i r i t is w itn e s s ] ? &c., g o e s to th o o t h e r loka a n d com es b a c k to th is ?f
A . W a k e f u l n e s s ( jd g r a ta ) , d r e a m i n g ( s u a / m a ) , a u d th e A . I t w r a p s u p a n d sh o w s t h e s p ir it w h ic h n e v e r a c t s
s ta te of d r e a m le s s s lu m b e r , (sushupt-i). as t h e a c to r , w hicli n e v e r c o g n is e s as conscious w h ich h a s
Q . W h a t is t h e s t a t e of w a k e fu ln e ss ? n o c o n c e p t of c e r t a i n t y as b e i n g c e r ta in , w h ich is as n e v e r
A. T h a t iu w h ic h o b je c ts a r e k n o w n t h r o u g h t h e evil o r in a n im a te as b e i n g b o th .
av e n u e of [ p h y s ic a l] senses. Q. W h a t is t h e A n a n d a m a y a s h e a t h ?
Q. Of d re a m in g ? A . I t is t h e a n t a h k a r a n a , w h e r e in i g n o r a n c e p r e ­
A . T h a t in w h ic h o b je c ts a r e p e r c e iv e d b y r e a s o n of d o m in a te s , a n d w liich p r o d u c e s g r a ti fic a t io n , e n j o y m e n t
desires r e s u l t i n g fro m im p r e s s io n s p r o d u c e d d u r i n g etc.
w ake fulness. I t w r a p s u p a n d sh o w s t h e s p ir it, w hicli is v o id of
Q. W l i a t is t h e s t a t e of dre am less slu m b e r ? de s ire , e n j o y m e n t a n d f ru it io n as h a v i n g t h e m , w h ic h h a s
A . T h a t in w h ic h t h e r e is a n u t t e r a b s e n c e of th o p e r ­ no c o n d itio n e d h a p p i n e s s a s b e i n g p o sse sse d th e re o f.
ce p tio n of o b je c ts . Q. W h y is t h o s p i r i t s a id to be d if fe re n t f r o m t h e
T h e in - d w e ll in g of t h e n o tio n of “ I ” in t h e g r o s s t h r e e b o d ie s ?
b o d y d u r i n g w a k e fu ln e s s is v i s v a (w orld o f o b je c ts ) ||, in A . T h a t w h ic h is t r u t h c a n n o t b e u n t r u t h , con scio u s­
su b tle b o d y d u r i n g d r e a m i n g is ta ij a s ( m a g n e tic fire), n e s s i n a n im a te , bliss m is e ry , o r vice versa.
a u d in t h e c a u sa l b o d y d u r i n g d r e a m le s s s l u m b e r is Q. W h y is it c a lle d t h e w itn e s s of t h e t h r e e s t a t e s ?
p r a j n d (O ne L ifo .) • A . B e i n g t h e m a s t e r of t h e t h r e e s ta te s, it is t h e k n o w ­
Q. W h a t a r e t h e five s h e a t h s ? le d g e of th e t h r e e s ta te s , as e x i s t i n g in t h e p r e s e n t , p a s t
A. A n n a m a y a , Prdnam aya, M anom aya, V ijn a n m a y a , a n d future.^!
and A nand a m a ya § . Q. H o w is t h e s p ir it d if fe r e n t fro m t h e five s h e a th s ?
A . T h is is b e i n g il l u s t r a t e d b y a n e x a m p l e : —
* F or an ex p lan atio n o f th is te rm Seo S a n k a r a ’s com m en taries on “ T h is is m y co w ,” “ th is is m y c a lf ,” “ th is is m y son
tho B r a h m a S u tr a s . — T r.
o r d a u g h t e r , ” “ t h is is m y w if e ,” “ th is is m y a n a n d a ­
t L iii g ti m e a n s t h a t w h i c h c o n v e y s m e a n i n g , c h a r a c t e r i s t i c m n r k .
J M r. S u b b a How u n d e rsta n d s it in ex actly th o sam e w ay. Seo
m a y a s h e a t h , ” a n d so o u ||— th e s p ir it ca n n e v e r bo c o n ­
T h e o s o p h is t, V o l . I V , 1 0 , 2 4 9 . Seo also in th is c o n n e c tio n a n ed ito rial n e c t e d w ith t h e s e c o n c e p t s ; it is d iffe ren t fro m a n d w it­
no te in th e s a m o n u m b e r o f th a t jo u rn a l, p . 255, ru n n in g t l m s :—
n e s s of t h e m all. F o r it is s a id in t b e U p a n i s h a t :—
“ lh is K a i'a u a s a r i r a i s o f t e n m i s t a k e n b y t h e u n i n i t i a t e d f o r L i n g a
t a r i r a (<;. <j. S r i d l i a r a S w a m i i u h i s c o m m e n t a r i e s o n t h e B h a g a v a t g i t a — [ T h e s p ir it is] “ n a u g h t of so u u d , of to uch, of f o rm , o r
!Ir.), a n d s i n c e it is d o s c r ib e d a s t h e i n n e r ru d im en tary or laten t em ­ colour, of t a s t e , o r of s m e l l ; i t is e v e r la s tin g , h a v i n g n o
bryo of th e b o d y — co n fo u n d ed w ith it.” b e g i n n i n g o r e n d , s u p e r io r [ in o r d e r of iu v o lu tio n ] to
I a m u n d e r th e im p ro ssio n th a t I fo llo w tlie b e s t a u th o r itie s in r e ­
g a r d i n g K d i- a n a s a r i r a a s s u r v i v i n g i n d e v a c h a n , a n d w h e n th e p ro p e r * T h is w o r d also m e a n s th e e a r th iu S a n s k r it.— T r.
tim o co m es, fu r n is h in g th e m o n a d w ith th o o th o r tw o bodies, of w h ich
+ T h e t h r e e k i n d s o f p a i n a r e :—
I t t i m b o d i o s t h o c a n s a l g e r m s * — T r.
A d h i b h a u t i k a , t . e ., f r o m ex tern al o b jec ts, e. g ., from th ie v e s, w ild
f It m ust not bo supposed t h a t a v id ijd i s h e r o c o n f o u n d e d w i t h a n im a ls , & c.
p r a k r iti. W h a t is m e a n t b y a v id y a b e i n g w i t h o u t b e g i n n i n g , is t h a t it
fo r m s n o lin k in t h e K a r m ic c h a i n le a d in g to successio n o f b irth s a u d A d h i d a i v i k a , i . e f r o m e l e m e n t s , e. y , t t h u n d e r , & c.
d e a th s, it is e v o lv o d b y a la w e m b o d ie d in p r a k r iti i t s e l f . — T r. A d h y a t m i k a , i . e .f f r o m w i t h i n o n e ' s s e l f , e. < 7., h e a d - a r h e , <£e. S e e
H T h a t is to sa y , b y m i s t a k in g th o g ro s s b o d y f o r so lf, t h o c o n s c io u s ­ S a n k h y a K a r i k a , G a u d a p a d a ’a c o m m e n t a r y t o t l i e o p e n i n g S l o k a . — T r .
n e s s o f e x t e r n a l o b j e c t s is p r o d u c e d . — T r. J T h a t is t o s a y , flits f r o m b irth to b irth .— T r.
§ T h is s u b je c t is a lso tr o a te d of b y t h e a u t h o r in th o A tn ia b o d h a and .IT I t is th o stab lo b aais u p o n w h ich tho th ree ata tc a a ria e and
baa beon a d m ira b ly e x p o u n d e d in th is jo u rn al fo r Ju ly last, p. 255. d i s a p p e a r . — T r,
q. v.—Tr,
11 T h e “ h e r o s y of in d iv id u a lity ” o r a tta v a d a o t th e B u d d h ists.—
 P r a k r i t i , * w h o e v e r c o rre c tly u n d e r s t a n d s it a s su c h a t ­
t a i n s m u k t i ( lib e ra tio n .) ”
T h e s p ir it h a s also b e e n c a lle d [ a b o v e ] sat, chit a n d
ananda.
Q. W h a t is m e a n t b y its b e i n g s a t (e x iste n c e )?
A . E x i s t i n g u n c h a n g e d in t h e t h r e e d ivision s of tim e
a u d uninfluenced b y a n y t h i n g else.
Q. W l i a t by b e i n g c h it (co n sc io u sn e ss)?
A . M a n if e s ti n g itself w i t h o u t d e p e n d i n g u p o n a n y ­
t h i n g else a u d c o n t a i n i n g th o g e r m of e v e r y t h i n g in
itself.
Q. W h a t b y b e i n g a n a n d a (bliss)?
A . T h e ne 'plus u ltr a of bliss.
W h o e v e r k n o w s w ith o u t d o u b t a u d a p p r e h e n s i o n of its
b e i n g o th e rw ise , liis self a s o n e w i t h B r a h m a , w h ic h is
e t e r n a l , n o n - d u a l a n d u n c o n d i tio n e d , a t t a i n s m o ksha.
A PP E N D IX .
I.
I n t h e o p e n i n g S lo k a all d r i s y a is d e s c r ib e d as a n a tm a
(u o t s p ir it) a n d t h e s p i r i t of on e p o s s e s s e d of r i g h t d i s ­
c r im in a tio n is ca llc d d r ik . T h e s e tw o S a n s k r i t w o rd s
a r e t h u s d e s c r ib e d in t h e a u t h o r ’s B r a h m a n d m d v a l i m d l d
o r t h e S t r i n g of n a m e s of B r a h m a , S lo k a 18 :— “ D r is y a
a n d d r i k e x ist, d if fe r e n t fro m eacli o t h e r ; t h e f o r m e r is
m a y a a n d t h e l a t t e r B r a h m a — th is is c e l e b r a t e d in all
V ed a n tic w orks.”
II.
S a r i r a (body) is d e riv e d f r o m tlie r o o t sri, to s h r i n k ,
n u d is so called b ec a u s e it s h r i n k s w ith a g e o r w h e n th e
k n o w le d g e of id e n t i t y of self w i t h B r a h m a is r e a lise d .
B e h a (body) is f r o m th o r o o t d a h , to b u r n , so c a lle d on
a c c o u n t of its b e i n g b u r n t u p a f t e r d e a t h o r a t all e v e n ts
b y th e th r e e - f o ld p a in in life (vide su p ra .)
■ » ■■
- T IIE BU A T T A ll M IR R O R S.
T ra n s c r ib e d f r o m Colonel S t e p h e n F r a s e r ’s
“ Twelve Y e a rs i n I n d i a . ”
“ W e jo yfully, g la dly, w e n t — five of us, H e r M a j e s t y ’s
officers, on a to n r of m il ita r y in s p e c t io n , t h e to ils of
w h ic h w e r e lik e ly to bo r e w a r d e d b y a n o p p o r t u n i t y of
w itn e s s in g t h e D a n c e of I l l u m i n a t i o n , of th e M u n tr a
W a lla h s , or M a g ic - w o r k i n g B r a h m a n s , w h o se s t r a n g e
m h ’acles, w o rk e d a p p a r e n t l y b y t h e t r i p l e a g e n c y of
B a t t a s a h s (rice), G oolal (re d p o w d e r ) , a n d s t r a n g e s t of
all, b y m e a n s of oval gla sse s o r cry sta ls, b u t b la c k as
n i g h t , in w hich it is r e p o r t e d som e v e r y s t r a n g e t h in g s
w e r e to b e seen. W e w e r e all p r e p a r e d to w itn e s s
sk ilfu l ju g g le r y , fo r w h ic h t h e r e s id e n ts o f M u t t r a (in
A g r a on t h e w est b a n k of t h e J u m n a , a p la c e fam o u s
l o r t h e m a n u f a c tu r e of m a g ic a l a p p a r a t u s , a n d o n e of
t h e on ly tw o places on e a r th w h e r e t h e P a r a p li ta li n e
g u m is p r e p a r e d , w h e r e w ith t h e a d e p t s s m e a r t h e b a c k s
of th o s e e x t r a o r d i n a r y m irro rs, so c e le b r a te d b y th e
v a rio u s a u t h o r i tie s n a m e d in t h e t e x t ) a re re n o w n e d , b u t
f u lly reso lv e d to a s c e rta in , if possib le, h o w it w as all
d o n e, r e je c ti n g , of conrse, e v e r y t h i n g c la im e d to be
e i t h e r s u p e r - m o r ta l o r h y p e r - n a t u r a l , so f a r as t h e u n ­
d e r l y i n g p r in c ip le s w ere c o n c e r n e d * * * I t w as sh e e r
skill, b u t s u c h a s no E u r o p e a n could p r e t e n d to equal,
y e t how t h e sle e p in g g ir l c o u ld te ll o u r n a m e s , ages,
p la c e s of b i r t h , a n d fifty o t h e r t r u e fa c ts , she n e v e r
h a v i n g seen e i t h e r of us b e f o r e — bec au se t h e d u s t o f J u b a l -
p o r e w as still u p o n o u r clo th es, w e h a v i n g b e e n one
d a y in M u t t r a — was a p ro b le m n o t easily solved. T h ey
call it t h e sleep of S ia la m , a n d slie p a s s e d in to i t by
g a z i n g into a d a r k glass. A f t e r r e a d i n g L a n e ’s s to ry
a b o u t t h e M a g ic M ir r o r, in h is ‘M o d e r n E g y p t i a n s , ’ w h a t
D e S a c y says in his fam ous, ‘E x p o s itio n d e la R e lig i o n des
D r u s e s ,’ M a k r is is ’ a c c o u n t i n his ‘ H i s t o r y of th e
M a m e l u k e s / J . C a ta fa g o and D e f re m e n y in t h e ‘J o u r n a l
A s ia tiq u e ,’ w h a t P o t t e r affirms a s t r u t h in h is ‘ T ra v e ls in
S y r i a / V ictor L ’A n g lo is in “ R e v u e D ’ O r i e n t” , C a rl R i tte r ,
# Diftoreutiated. matter.
D r . E- S m ith , V o n H a m m e r in his ‘ H i s t , d e s Sasseins /
t h e ‘ G e s t a M a g i c a : of L e s p a u d l a : L e t t r e s E d if ia n te s
e t C u rie u se s, Y o u a t t s ’ ‘ R e se a rc h e s in to M a g ic A r t s
a n d i n n u m e r a b l e o t h e r u n q u e s tio n a b le a u t h o r i t i e s , it was
f a r less difficult to believe in th e e x i s t e n c e of some
oc c u lt v isu a l p o w e r p o ssessed b y th o se m irro r- g a z e r s ,
of b o t h sexes, nil a g e s , a n d d iv e rs ity of c u ltu r e , t h a n to
a t t r i b u t e it all to c h ic a n e r y a n d lu c k y g u e s s w o r k * * *
‘ S a h ib , it is t r u e / said o u r W a l l a h , n e x t m o r n in g , w h en ,
s p e a k i n g of t h e e x h i b itio n of t h e p r e v io u s d a y ; ‘an d
now I s’p se y o u g o t o seo S ebeiy eli d a n c e ( th e M irro r-
b r i d a l - F e t e of a r e n o w n e d l i r o th e r h o o d of M y stic s,
P h ilo s o p h e r s n n d M a g ic ia n s no d o u b t.) W e ll, w e all
d e t e r m i n e d to go, a n d a t h r e e h o u r s ’ r id e b r o u g h t us to
a p l a t e a u in a m o u n ta in g o r g e of t h e C ho cki-H ills.
W e w e r e n o t too la te , a n d w e re k in d ly offered v a n ta g e
g r o u n d of view, b y t h e S h e i k h — a m a n of a t least 135
y e a r s of a g e , j u d g i n g fro m t h e f a c t t h a t his g r a n d ­
c h ild r e n w e r e w h ite w ith s n o w y lo c k s, a n d b ea rd s waist
lo n g . * * * T h e tw o b r id e s e n t e r e d t h e circle follow ed
by t h e tw o g r o o m s , all fo u r b e a r i n g l a r g e e a r th e n pots
full of a b l a c k , s m e a r y , ta r l ik e s u b s ta u c e , w hich on
e n q u iry of t h e S h e i k h , w e le a r n e d w as t h e p r o d u c t of
t h e v o lc anic s p r i n g s of t h e M a h a d e o H ills , in the. far-
off p r o v in c e of G o n d w a n a , in t h e D eccan ; t h a t it only
flows in t h e m o n t h of J u n e , is collec te d b y g ir ls an d
b o y s w ho a r e v ir g in a l, t h a t is, b e f o r e p u b e r t y ; an d
m u s t b e p r e p a r e d fo r use w ith in t h e e n s u in g fo rty -n in e
( 7 x 7 ?) d a y s , by s im ila r p e rs o n s on t h e eve of ac tu a l
m a r r ia g e , as it is s u p p o s e d c e r ta in p r o p e r t i e s of a m a g i­
cal n a t u r e a t t a c h e d to i t w hen h-.ndled b y su c h p erson s
u n d e r such c irc u m sta n ce s. O f c o u r se I, w ith m y W e s te r n
h a b i t s of t h o u g h t a n d E u ro p e a n e d u c a tio n , c ould b u t
l a u g h a t this, w h ic h se e m e d so v ery p a l p a b l e a n d g r o s s
a s u p e r s t itio n (!) ; a n d y e t, s t r a n g e to r e la te , w h e n I e x ­
p r e s s e d m y s c ep tical views to th e o ld S h e ik h , h e laughed,
s h o o k his h e a d , h a n d e d m e tw o p a r ts of t h e shell of a
l a r g e n u t, a n d r e q u e s te d me to fill one w ith th o cru d e
m a te r ia l, a n d th e o th e r w ith t h e sa m e a f te r it h a d been
p r e p a r e d . I d id t h e first, a n d r e s e r v e d t h e e m p t y shell
for t h e o th e r , t a k i n g care to h o ld b o th iu m y h a n d well
w r a p p e d u p in a b ro w n b a n d a n a * * * * T h e circle
h a d a pile of s to n e s in t h e c e n tr e , upon w h ic h coals wero
b r i g h t l y b u r n i n g , a n d eve n t h e fire— w h ic h b y tlie way is
t h e e t e r n a l, s a c r e d fire of th e G a r o o n a h s , w hich is
n e v e r allo w ed to g o o u t fro m o n e y e a r ’s e n d to tho
o th e r — w a s su sp e n d e d fro m a tr i p o d of betel rods, a
co a rse e a r t h e n vessol, into w h ich t h e f o u r e x p e c t a n t m a r ­
r ia g e s p o u r e d a b o u t o n e - f o u r t h of tlie c o n t e n ts of the
S im la g o u r d s a l r e a d y m e n tio n e d ; a m id th e d in of an
h u n d r e d to m -tom s o r n a t iv e d ru m s, th e c l a s h i n g of
r u d e c y m b a ls , a u d w ild, clario n-lik e b u r s t s of the
s t r a n g e s t , a n d , shall I, a sta id B r ito n , confess it ? m ost
s o u l- s ti r r in g a u d w eird music t h a t ever fell u p o u m y ears,
or m o v e d t h e m a n w ith in m e ! A f t e r t h is w as d one, th e
S h e i k h ’s se rv ito rs e r e c te d a pole n e a r t h e fire, a r o u n d
w h ich pole w as coiled t h e stu f f e d s k in s of t h e d re a d fu l
h o i d e d s n a k e oE I n d ia , — t h e t e r r i b l e N a g a or C o b ra ;
w hile on to p w a s a n in v e r t e d cocoa-shell a n d two
o th e rs a t its b a s e — u n d e r s t o o d by t h e initiated a s s y m ­
b o lis in g th e L in g u ,— t h e m ale em blem , or cre?.tive
p r in c i p le of D eity ; w h ile th e su sp e n d e d vessel o v e r th e
fire r e p r e s e n t e d t h e yo n i, o r fem ale prin cip le ; tlie tr ip o d
e m b le m a ti s in g t h e t r i p l e p o w ers or qualitie s of B r a h m —
C reation, P r e s e r v a t io n , P e r p e tu a tio n :— T h e fire, below
c o r r e s p o n d i n g to L o v e , o r t h e infinite fire w h ic h is th e
L if e of all. * * * * A n d now b e g a n a s t r a n g e , w eird
d an c e, to t h e w ild m ellow of five h u n d r e d s i n g i n g d e v o ­
tees of t h a t w o n d e r fu l Phallic, o r s e x u a l religion ;
m in g l e d w ith t h e m ellow b r e a th of c y th ic flutes, t h e b e a tin g
of ta m b o u r s , t h e th r u m m i n g of v ariou s s t r i n g e d i n s t r u ­
m e n ts , a n d a n occasional Z ir a le e t, o r t a p t u r e - s h r i e k
f r o m th e lips of w om en a n d y o u n g g irls, w h o se e n th u sia sm
w as u n r e s tr a in a b le , a n d who g a v e v e n t to i t in wild
m o v e m e n t s of t h e i r g ra c e f u l a n d s u p p le bodies, an d in
sh rill crie s t h a t m i g h t be h e a r d lo n g m iles aw a y , like
voices from h e a v e n a w a k e n in g t h e echoes of sp a c e I * * *
* * * A d v a n c in g w ith a slow, v o lu p tu o u s , r h y t h m i c
m o v e m e n t , n o t of t h e fee t alon e, b u t of t h e w h o le fo rm
fro m c r o w n to toe, t h e g irls— a g e d a b o v e fifteen, b r o w n
as b e r r ie s , agile as a n telo p e s, g r a c e f u l us g azelles ; lovely
w ith b a r b a ric s p le n d o u r, ns a n A r a b ’s ideal h o r s e ; th e y
sw a y e d , b u t, a d v a n c e d by tw is ts a n d c u r v e s , b y nam eless
w r i t h i n g s , b y sw ee p in g g en u fle x io n s, b y m o v e m e n t s th e
v e r y p o e t r y of p assion, b u t p assio n of S o u l f a r m ore th a n
t h a t of bo dy, w ith suffused faces a n d m o is tly g le a m i n g
ey e s, to w a r d t h e fallen em b le m , r o u n d w h ic h th e y slowly
w h ir le d a n d d au c ed , e v e r a n d a n o n s t i r r i n g w ith
a s ilv e r s p a tu la t h e d a r k s u b s t a n c e c o n t a iu e d in
th o vessel th e y b o re. T h is b y tu r n s . W h i le th e
tw o y o u th s , b e a r i n g sim ila r vessels, p e r f o rm e d c o r r e s p o n d ­
in g m o v e m e n ts a b o u t th o vessel, w h ich sy m b o lised
N a tu r e in h e r p r o d u c ti v e a s p e c t— u n til we five E u ro p e a n s
w e re lost in a m aze of a s to n is h m e n t a t t h e c a p a c ity of
th o h u m a n fra m e to e x p r e s s m u te ly , b u t w ith m o r e
m e a n in g a n d elo quenc e th a n a th o u s a n d t o n g u e s could
co nvey , tlie a m a z in g h e ig h ts , d e p t h s , a n d s h a d e s of
p as sio n , b u t a passion to ta lly f r e e from v u lg a r i ty or
in d e c e n c y ; a n d as p u re as t h a t of t h e ocean billows
w hen they k iss e a c h o th e r o v e r t h e g r a v e of a d e a d
cyclone * * * *
O b s e r v in g m y s u r p ris e , t h e old S h e i k h t o u c h e d m y
a r m , a n d in p u r e s t B e n g a li, w h is p e r e d — ‘ S a h ib , A rd o m
b e g a t t h e u n ive rse 1 T h e r e is no p o w e r on e a r t h e i th e r
for good o r ill, b u t p as sio n u n d e rlie s it. T h a t alo n e
is t h e s p r i n g of all h u m a n ac tio n , a n d t h e f a t h e r a n d
m o th e r alike of all th e good and evil on t h e E a r t h ! I t
is th e g o ld e n k e y of M y s te r y , t h e fo u n ta in of W e a k n e s s
a n d of S t r e n g t h , an d t h r o u g h its halo alone ca n m a n sense
tlio ineffable essence of th o G odhead ! T h e m a te r ia ls in
t h e vessels ure c h a r g e d w ith life— w ith t h e v e r y e ssen c e
of th e h u m a n soul, h en c e w ith ce le stia l a n d d iv in e m-igic
pow er, f o r oh S a h ib , it is only lu s t a n d h a t r e d t h a t k e e p
closed th e eyes of t h e soul, an d in t h e c r y s ta ls w h o se
b a c k s wo c o v e r w ith th o c o n t e n ts of t h e s e five vessels,
tho e a r n e s t s e e k e r m a y b e h o ld , n o t o n ly w h a t t a k e s p la ce
on e a r th , b u t also w h a t t r a n s p i r e s on o t h e r g lo b e s, a n d in
t h e S a k w a l a s of t h e S a c r e d G o d s !— a n d t h is is t h e o nly
t r u e Bab (door). ‘ B u t ’, I rejoined , ‘we of th o W e s t m a g ­
n e tis e p eople, w ho in t h a t m y s t e r iu u s s lu m b e r , te ll us
a m a z i n g ’— 'L ie n ' l h e said, i n t e r r a p t i n g t h e s e n te n c e , —
‘ fo r no tw o of t h e m te ll t h e s a m e ta le , o r b eh o ld th e
s a m e th in g s . W h y ? B e c a u se t h e y e x p lo re t h e k i n g ­
d o m of F a n c y , n o t of F a c t , a n d g iv o y o u ta le s of
i m a g in a tio n a n d d i s t o r te d in v e n tio n , in s t e a d of r e c ita ls
of w h a t a c tu a lly e x is ts b e y o n d ! B u t w a it’ ! I
a c q u ie sc e d , .and t u r n e d once m o r e to th e d a n c e of t h e
A le w e h e h , w h o b y t h is tim o w e r e m o v in g in a
m o ro r a p id m a n n e r to t h e q u ic k e n e d s t r a i n s of
th e m ore th a n e v e r w ild a n d f a n ta s tic m u sic. * * *
T h re e of th e m b eg a u s t i r r i n g th e c o n t e n ts of t h e c a u ld r o n ,
in to w hich all tlio m a teria l from t h e g o u r d s h a d now
b e e n p o u r e d , m u r m u r i n g s tr a n g e , w ild b u r s t s of P hallic
s o n g t h e while ; a n d tire f o u rth , t h e ta lle r m a id e n of t h e
tw o, s tr ip p e d h e rse lf en tire ly n u d e a b o v e t h e w a is t a n d
b elo w th e k n e e ; h e r lo n g ra v e n h a i r s t r e a m i n g a r o u n d
Lor m a tc h le s s fo rm — a form of su c h s u p e r la tiv e c o n t o u r
p r o p o r ti o n s , lively p ea ch -b lo w t i n t , a n d r o u n d e d b e a u ty ,
as m ade mo b lu s h for t h e im p e rfe c tio n s of t h e r a c e t h a t
m o th e r e d m e ! T h e r e wero 110 v io le n t e x e r tio n s of legs
a n d a r m s ; n o t th e s li g h te s t effort a t e f f e c t ; n o n e of t h e
g r o s s m otions in use iu th e W e s t , on t h e s ta g e o r off i t —
w h ose p a lp a b le o b je c t is th e firing of t h e s l u g g i s h blood
of h alf-bla s6 s p e c t a t o r s ; b u t a g r a c e f u l m o v e m e n t, a
delicious tr e m b lin g , h alf fea r, half in v ita tio n :— a q u i v e r ­
in g , se m i-lo n g in g , s e m i- re lu c ta n t u n d u la tio n of arm s;
bosom, form , eyes even— r ip p l i n g s tr e a m s of m o s t v o lu p ­
tuo u s m o t i o n ; billow y h e a v in g s a n d s o b b in g s of soul
t h r o u g h b o d y , so w o nderful, so g lo w in g , t h a t 0 1 1 0 w ish e d
to die im m ediately t h a t h e m i g h t receive th e rew ard of
centuries of toil in th e r a v is h in g arm s of th e h o u r is of t h e
s eventh a g e ,- ^ e v c n th o f i r s t P a r a d is e of t h e G h illh n , a n d
t h e r e s p l e n d e n t Q u ee n s of t h e B r a h m in ic a l V a lh a lla .
A n d y e t th e re was n o t h i n g a b s o lu te ly s u g g e s tiv e of coarse,
gross, a n i m a l p a s sio n in all this tr a n s c e n d e n t a l m e lo d y
of h y p e r - s e n s u o u s m o tio n ; on th e c o n t ra ry , one fe lt lik a
seizin g h e r b y t h e w aist, d r a w i n g his sw o rd a n d c h a l­
l e n g i n g all e a r tb , and h e ll to boot., to ta k e h e r aw ay, o r
d is t u r b h e r t r a n q u i llity of ce le stia l— w h a t s h a ll I call it ?
I am lo s t for a n a m e !
P r e s e n t l y b o th t h e g ir ls jo in e d the m y stic se n su o u s-
m a g ic d a n c e ; a n d one of t h e m seized m e su d d e n ly b y
t h e a r m a n d d r a g g e d m e to th e c e n tr a l vessel, sa y in g ,
f L ook , S ah ib , Look !’ I did so, b u t in ste a d of a black
m a ss of s e e th in g , b o ilin g g u m , I b e h e ld a c a u ld ro n b u b ­
b lin g o v e r w ith t h e m o s t g o rg e o u sly p i n k - t i n t e d f ro th
t h a t t h e im a g in a tio n e v e r d r e a m e d o f ; a n d while I sto o d
th e r e m a rv e llin g a t t h e s in g u l a r p h e n o m e n o n ,— fo r e v e r y
b u b b le too k t h e form o f a flow er— lotus, a m a r a n t h , violet,
lily — R ose ! t h e old S h e ik h d r e w n ig h a n d said, 1 S a h ib ,
n o w ’s t h e t i m e , ’ p o in ti n g to t h e bu n d lo c o n t a in i n g th e
e m p ty sh ell, a n d th e one a lre ad y lialf-Slled. A c ti n g ou
t h e s u g g e s tio n , I h e ld f o r th th e em p ty s h e l l ; in to w h ich
th e g ir l lad led a b o u t a g ill of tho c o n te n ts of t h e s w i n g ­
i n g v e s s e l ; a n d t h e S h e ik h p r o d u c e d tw o p e r f e c tly c le a n
o v o id -g la ss p la te s over w hich I10 p o u r e d r esp e ctiv ely th o
c o u t e n ts of th e tw o she lls, a n d held b o th over t h e fire for a
m in u te , till d r y , a n d t h e n h a n d i n g t h e m to m e, said,
‘ L o o k , a u d wish, a u d ivill, to see w h a te v e r is n e a r e st a n d
d e a r e s t to y o u r h e a r t . ’ I n t e r n a l l y I l a u g h e d , b u t he to o k
t h e tw o shells, a n d w hile h e h e ld th e m I lo o k e d into th o
hollow f ac e of t h e g la ss w hich was c o v e r e d w ith th o
s in g u l a r s u b s t a n c e first lia n d o d to m e, a n d g a z i n g
s te a d ily a b o u t lia lf-a -m iu u te , th e m y stic d a n c e g o i n g on
m e a n w h ile — I w illed to see iny h o m e a n d p e o p le in fa r-
off A lb io n , b u t n o t h i n g a p p e a r e d . T h e o ld m a n sm iled .
‘ N ow , lo o k a t th e o t h e r ono w h ic h is a t r u e B h a t t e y e l i —
full of div in e lig h t a n d im p e rial p o w er, a n d y o u w ill’—.
B e fo r e h e finishe d, I g l a n c e d into th e o t h e r a n d — scarce,
h o p i n g t h a t t h e w e s t e r n r e a d e r will c r e d i t m e w ith a n y
t h i n g lo f tie r t h a n a vivid im a g in a tio n , fired a lm o s t b e ­
y o n d e n d u r a n c e b y t h e lascivious s u r r o u n d i n g s in th e
m id s t of w h ic h I w as, I n e v e r th e le s s clea rly an d d is ­
tin c t l y affirm, on t h e h i t h e r t o u n su llied h o u o r of a n
E n g l i s h g e n tle m a n , a n d a colonel in H e r M a je s t y ’s service,
t b a t I sa w a wave of pale, w h ite l ig h t , flit like a cloud-
s h a d o w o v e r t h e face of th e m y s t e r io u s disc, a n d in t h e
c e n t r e of t h a t l i g h t a l a n d s c a p e com p o sed of tr e e s , h o u se s,
la n d s, lo w in g c a ttl e , a n d f o r m s of h u m a n b e i n g s ; e a c h
a n d e v e ry ite m of w h ic h I re c o g n is e d as th e old f a m ilia r
t h i n g s of my b oy hood a n d y o u th , lo n g e r e th e fires of
a m b itio n h a d t u r n e d m y face to w a r d d i s t a p t India. I
b e h e ld t h e s im u la c ru m of a d e a r sister, w hom I h a d le ft
in p e r f e c t h e a lth , I saw h e r to all a p p e a r a n c e very, v e r y
sic k ,— t h e p h y s ic ia n s , n u r s e s , tr o o p s o f friend s, a n d
f a ith fu l se rv ito rs , g a t h e r e d r o u n d h e r ; she w a s d y i n g ;
d ea d ! I saw t h e f u n e r a l cortege s e t o u t for th e c e m e te r y ,
a n d I m a rv e lle d g r e a t l y t h a t t h e y b u r ie d h e r b y t h e ir o n
r ib s of a r a ilw a y ; b e c a u s e , w h e n I le ft, n o road of t h a t
k i n d r a n t h r o u g h m y n a t iv e tow n. I saw th e silver p la te
. on t h e coffin, a n d m o s t c le a rly a n d d is t in c t ly r e a d tho
in sc rip tio n th e re o n ; b u t the s u r n a m e w a s one I h a d
never hea rd o f ! I lo o k e d u p a t t h e S h e ik h , w ho waa
e y e in g m e w ith s t r a n g e i n t e r e s t a n d in te n sity , as if to
a s k a n e x p l a n a tio n , b u t h e o n ly sm iled an d r e p e a t e d
t h e one w o rd ‘ S ee.’ I n s t a n t l y I r iv e t te d m y eyes to t h o
ovoid ag a in , as lik e w ise d id t h r e e of m y E u r o p e a n
f rie n d s, a n d to m y , a n d t h e i r u t t e r a s to n is h m e n t, behelcl
a sh a d o w , a n e x a c t im a g e of m yself, s t a n d i n g n e a r t h o
w e ll-c u rb of m y n a tiv e n ja n se, w e e p in g as if its h e a r t
w o u ld b r e a k , o v e r t h e p r o s tr a te fo rm of m y e l d e r b r o t h e r ,
w ho lay t h e r e d y i n g fro m a riflo-bulh-t t h r o u g h th o
g r o i n — tho r e s u l t of a n a c c i d e n t t h a t lnid j u s t b e f a lle n
h im w h ile in t h e a c t of d r i n k i n g fro m t h e s w in g in g
pail, or b u c k e t 1 N o w c a m e th o m o s t a s to n is h in g p h e n o ­
m e n a of all,— fo r e a c h of t h o t h r o e f rie n d s who w e re
lo o k in g w ith m e, s t a r t e d in su r p ris e , a n d u tte r e d e x c la ­
m a tio n s of u n d i s g u i s e d a s t o n is h m e n t, fo r e a c h h a d seen
 tilin g s b e y o n d t h e r a n g e o r p a l e of t r ic k e r y , o r tlie pla y h e a r d o r r e a d or. T h e loss h o w e v e r w as n o t ir re p a ra b le ,
of c x c itc d fancy. Ono b e h e ld t h e t h r e e f o rm s of Ins fo r I h a v e since fo iin d tlm t t h e s t r a n g e M u n t r a - W a l l a h s
d e a d f a th e r, sister a n d u n c l e , — tlio l a t t e r p o i n t i n g to a as th e y a re c o n t e m p t u o u s ly called b y th e ir Is la m ic foes
s c a le d p a c k e t, on w h ic h w as in s c rib e d th o w o r d s j in t h e C a rn a tic ( b u t tr u e M a g i in th e opinion of b e t t e r
‘D e a d — W ill— H e ir — O c to b e r 11 t h — Go h o m e .’ T h o other' in fo rm o d people) h avo b r e t h r e n a n d c o r r e s p o n d e n ts in
b e h e ld th o d r a w i n g - r o o m a n d t h e o c c u p a n t s of th o old n e a r ly o v ery c o u n t r y of th o g lo b e , Brazil, C h in a , J a p a n ,
house a t h o m e ; a n d on th e ta b le lay a la r g o p ile of g o ld V i e n n a , a n d oven in o u r L o n d o n ; whilo th e y h a v e a
coin, a c ross w h ic h lay a le g e n d th u s ; " J o in a n d D a v id s ; r e g u l a r L o d g e in P a ris, of some c f w hom th e in it ia t e d ,
w i n n i n g s ; L o t t e r y ; P a r is ; J u n e 18tli, 10,000 P o u n d s ! ” a n d fa v o r e d ig n o r a n t s even, ca n a n d do o b ta in occa­
T h o t h i r d m a n saw a b a t tle o r s k ir m is h w a g i n g in t h e sionally, n o t only w e ll - c h a r g e d n nd polished B h a tte y e h ,
P u n j a u b , a n d his senior oflicer s t r u c k d o w n b y a s h o t in b u t a c tu a lly , n o w a n d th e n , a g o u rd full of M on lv e h__
t h e sid e , t h u s o p e n in g t h e r o a d to h is ow n p ro m o tio n . B h a t t a h — t h e s t r a n g e l y m y ste rio u s su b sta n c e w h ich c o n ­
M u c h m o ro wo saw a n d n o te d in t h a t w o n d e r f u l scono s ti tu te s th e s e e in g s u rfa c e , as m e r c u r y does in th e o r d i ­
of diablerie, p o rtio n s of w h ich I s h a ll d e t a il h e r e a f t e r ; n a r y lo o k in g -g la ss, an d th e tw o a re alike in all save t h a t
b u t i t b e c am e n ec es sary to a t t e n d to o t h e r m a t t e r s . I t h e l a t t e r reflects m a t t e r an d th e liv in g , w hile tho f o rm e r
d id so (as will be h e r e in a f te r c ite d ) , an d t h e n a c c o m p a n ie d s o m e tim e s — b u t n o t a t nil tim es, o r to all peoplo o r to
th o S h e ik h to liis te n t, w h e re th o m a r r i a g e w a s c e l e b r a t ­ t h e su c ce ssfu l se ers on all occasions— rev e als on ly s p ir it
ed ; a n d he to ld mo t h e n c e r ta in w o n d e r fu l s e c r e ts in a n d t h e d e a d — aye, a n d t h in g s t h a t never d i e l I le a v o n
r e f e re n c e to th e f u r t h e r p r e p a r a t i o n of th o s t r a n g e h e lp all w hom a M u n t r a - W a l l a h h a te s ; o r loves e ith e r ,
m a te r ia l c o m p o sin g t h e reflec tiv e su rfa c e s of th o cu rio u s for th a t m a t t e r , u nle ss t h a t love b e r e t u r n e d fo r th e
IJhats, w h ich , whilo e x c e e d in g ly m y s t ic a u d effective, a t m a g ic ia n in ono case will b r i n g up t h e h a t e d o n e ’s shadow,
th o h a n d s a n d offices of th o n o w ly - m a r r ie d p e o p le , is y e t n n d th e s tr a n g o h o r ro r s will seize h im o r h e r ; nnd in th e
of so s i n g u l a r a u d d e lic a te a n a t u r e as n o t to b e a d m i s ­ la t t e r case— well, s tr a n g e r t h in g s h a p p en , t h a t is all !”
sible to th e s e p a g e s ; f o r while re a lly o f the m ost holy
a n d sacred n atu re , yet the m is-e d u c a tio n i n certain
E d i t o r 's N o te .— T h is c u rio u s passage fo n m l in th e M e m o ir s o f C o l.
v i t a l respects a n d knowledges— o f the civilised T eutonic S. F ra s e r, a n d tra n s c rib e d fo r o n r jo u rn a l b y o u r b ro th e r, M r. P . D nvid-
(?) A n g lo - S a x o n , a n d L a t i n races, w o u ld render the son (B anchory, S co tlan d ) is re p u b lish e d for good ren so n .q . F ir s t, to
m a tte r s to w h ich I allud e subjects o f either well-based show tlia t but abont tw o dozens of years ago, (n am ely , before th e
M u tin y ) no E n g lish g e n tle m a n w a s afraid of b e in g la n g h e d a t fo r tel!,
blushes, or in fin ite m ir t h . * * * * *
in g th e tru th — h ow ever w onderful a n d , a s in th is ea se, in c r e d ib le nnd

Soven lon g m o n th s a f t e r th e s e m e m o r a b le e x p e rien c es, U n s c ie n tific i n t h o c y o s of th o profano. S o co n d ly , w itli nn e y e to th e

co n sid erab le n u m b e r of o v erw iso (in th e ir co n c e it, of course) E uropean
I p a r t e d w ith t h r e e of my th e n c o m ra d e s a n d a c c o m p a n ie d critics (m a n y of th e m S p iritu a lists w ith a firm b elief in th e ir m a te r ia l­
b y no o th e rs , e m b a r k e d on on e of t h e ste a m e r s of th e i z i n g g r a n d d a m e s a n d r e l a t i v e s ) o f I s i s a n d t h e T h e o s o p h is t, w o s h a l l
n o t m iss th is good o p p o rtn n ity of tn m in g th e tab les n p o n th em . To do
Messageries Tviperi.ales from B o m b a y , h o m e w a r d b o u n d .
i t w o h a v e b u t to o p p o se to som e narrativ es of e y e - w i t n e s s e s g i v e n in
B efore I left, on e of m y f r ie n d s h a d sold h is com m ission Is is , a n d s o v e h o m o n t l y c r i e d d o w n o n t h o g r o u n d “ o f t h e i r i n a c c n r a o y ”
in consequonco of h a v in g fallen h e i r to a n u n c l e ’s e s ta te , t h o s e o f C o l. F r a s e r , a n a u t h o r w h o “ c l e a r l y a n d d i s t i n c t l y a ffir m s , o n
w h o th e le tte r s of re-call s ta te d h a d died iu E n g l a n d , on th o h ith o rto u n su llie d h o n o r of a n E n g lish g e n tle m a n , a n d a C o lo n e l in
H e r M a j o s t y ’s s c r v i c o ” th at he w as an e y e - w itn e s s t o a l l t h e w o n d e r s
O c to b e r 1 0th, an d not on th e 1 l tli as th e ovoid h a d sta te d . ho re la te s above.
I t h a d a c tu a lly ta k e n t h e difference of L a titu d e , a n d was
Indeed, th o stran g o e o n fn sio n in tlie abovo ac co u n ts b etw een n
correct to a n hour ! T h e second m a n on a r r iv a l in E n g l a n d “ S lie ik ” (w h o can bo but a M ahom edan) and a B r a h m a n , is b y itself
p r o v e d th o t r u t h of th o m irro r, fo r J a n o , n o t ‘J e m , ’ as th e h ig h ly in stru c tiv e . I t sh o w s th a t e v e n a c o m p a ra tiv e ly lo n g re sid e n ce
g la ss s ta te d , a n d D a v id s o n , n o t ‘ D a v id s — cousins of h is — ( tw e lv e y e a r s ) i n In d ia, an d a C o l o n e l ’s co m m issio n in I I . M . ’s A r m y
does not procure im m u n ity fro m b ln n d c r s in c o n n c c tio n w ith th e m y s-
h a d fallon 011 n L o tte ry - f o rtu n o of o v er a lac of r u p e e s in tio sid o of In d ia. N ev erth eless, C o l. F raser, w hose v eracity ns to
I n d i a m oney ! T h e o t h e r oflicer w as p r o m o te d in c o n s e ­ m ag ician s a n d t h e i r p s y c h o l o g i c a l p h e n o m e n a s e e n b y h i m s e l f is a s n n -
q u e n c e of th e d e a th of his L i e u t e n a n t Colonel, in a sk ir m is h im p e a c h a b lo as his b lu n d e rin g w ith re g a rd to m y s tic n ain o s a n d th in g s
is se lf e v id e n t— w a s n e v e r , to o u r k n o w le d g e c i t h e r d o n b te d o r p n b lic ly
in th e P u n j a u b , w h ic h e v e n t w as th o r e s u lt of a s h o t in
tr a d u c e d a s a (iai-p E v o n tlio u n d e n i a b le in a c c n r a c i c s of a C o lo n e l iu
th o loins, n o t tho side. A rr iv e d a t h o m e I f o u n d m y “ I l c r M a j e s t y ’s A r m y ” b e c o m e “ p r o b a b l e f a c t s , ” w h i l o plain and ac-
peoplo in d e e p m o u r n i n g fo r m y y o u n g e r sister, t h e w id ow en rato s ta te m e n ts of re alitie s n n d tru th w h e n giv en ont by a fo reig n er

— nltor a w ife-hood of less t h a n a y e a r— of C a p tn . I I — of — h av o to b e n o t o n ly d o u b te d but p n b licly set d o w n w ith o u t in v esti­

g atio n ns d o lib e ra to fa ls e /m o d s . W liat can th e au th o r m ean, w hen
l l o r M a je s ty ’s N a v y , w hom s h e h a d n ie t for t h e first tim o s p e a k in g o f tho “ S c b e iy o h ” d a n c e , th e B rahm an “ S h eik ” th e fire of
only a few m o n th s before th e ir m a r r ia g e . I h a d le ft for the G a r o o n a h s (P !) o r t h e ■' A r d o m w h o b e g a t t h o U n i v e r s e ? ” A ll o f
I n d i a five y e a r s before, nnd t h o u g h I h ad often h e a r d of th e s o w o r d s a r o u n k n o w n a n d un B ra h m a n ic a l. Y et from th e su b stan ce
of tho n a rra tiv o h o w e v e r m u d d le d np, w e k n o w w h o a r e tlio m e m b e r s o f
m y b r o th e r - in - l a w ’s family, y e t we h a d n e v e r m e t. l i e th at “ renow ned H ro th o rh o o d o f M y stic s, P h ilo so p h e rs a n d M ag icia n s.”
w o n t dow n in ono of t h e n ew c r a c k iron clad s on h e r tr ia l- T hoy aro a F ra te rn ity of tru o m ag ician s, n ow d is b a n d e d a n d so w id ely
tr i p . T h o aw fu l new s occasioned p r e m a t u r e m o th e r h o o d ; s c a tte re d a b o n t th o c o n n tr y a s to bo v irtu a lly e x tin c t. T liey a re “ left-
hand” ad ep ts, M ah o n ied an s b elo n g in g n o m in ally to th o sect of th e
s h e died, a n d h o r r e m a in s w e re d e p o s ite d in t h e h illsid e
W ahabces, w ho learn ed th ro ughout co n tn rics th eir m ag ical a rt, (or
v a u l t, s k i r t i n g w hich was a r a il w a y j u s t e q u i p p e d a n d ra th e r added to th o k n o w le d g o b ro u g h t by th e ir ancesto rs fro m A rab ia
oponod fo r traffic a m o n t h o r tw o p r io r to t h e m a r i n e d i s ­ a n d C e n tra l A sia) fro m th o T a n trik a s of E astern B engal an d A ssam .
T hat p a rt of th e co u n try has b een fam o u s for its m ag io a n d sorcery
a s t e r ! L a s t ly , w ith in e i g h t m o n th s a f t e r m y r e t u r n , 1
fro m a v o ry ro m o to p e rio d of a n tiq n ity . In th o M a h a b h n ra ta , w e re a d
b e c a m e solo m a le h eir to o u r f a i n i ly - p r o p e r ty , in c o n s e ­ o f a fight b e tw e e n S ri K r is h n a a n d th e k in g of th e M ag ician s, A n n s a lv a
q u e n c e of th e d e a t h of m y b r o t h e r b y a c h a r g e of shot, to th e u tte r disco m fitu re of th o la tte r. T ho p ro x im ity of th e Dngpas

n o t a b u l l e t in t h e gro in as th e m ir r o r s h e w e d :— b u t full o f B h o o ta n a n d th o n eig h b o u rin g h ill-trib es, fa m o u s for th e ir sorcery

n n d m a g ic a l p ra c tic e s , h a s h a d a good s h a re in th o g ro w th of th e black
in th e a b d o m e n w hile c l im b in g a fen c e fo r a d r i n k a t t h e a r ts in th o s o p a r ts o f th o c o u n tr y . T o th is d a y t h e i r fa m e s u r v i v e s in
b r o o k s id e , a n d n o t a t a well. E v e r y fa c t s h o w n so B engal ; K am arnpa in A s s a m is still an en c h an ted city to th e m a n y .
m y ste r io u sly w a s p r o v e d s t r a n g e l y tr u e , t h o u g h n o t B n t th e m a n u fa c tu re rs of th o “ B h a tta M irro rs” a re not re g u la r prao-
titio n o rs of B la ck m ag ic. The k n o w led g o th e y h av e acq n ired by the
literally so. I j n s t prev io u s to m y d e p a r t u r e f r o m t h e “ left h a n d ” p a th is used for good or bad p u rp o s e s a c c o rd in g to th e
s t r a n g e b rid a l, a s k e d t h e old S h e ik so m e q u e s tio n s ; a n d in clin atio n of th e p ra c titio n e r. It is a c u rio u s fc atn ro in the m y stic
l e a r n e d t b a t t h e m a te r ia l o n t h e c r y s ta l s u r f a c e w h e r e o n sec ts of In d ia n M u s s u lm a n s th a t th e y alw a y s m ak o a ju m b le of M ah o -
m cd a n ism aud H in d n ism in th o ir rite s a n d c c re m o n ic s . T h eir m ag ica l
w e saw t h e s t r a n g e m ir a c le s w as b u t p a r ti a lly p r e p a r e d : fo r m u la e w e k n o w a r o p a r t l y in A rab ic or rn th cr its d ialects in In d ia
— as m y r e a d e rs will also r e c o l l o c t ; b u t som e w hich he a n d in S a n s k r it, o r o n o o f its liv in g r e p r e s e n ta tiv e s ; th o l l in d n G o d s a n d
p la c e d on a g la ss j u s t b e f o r e I le ft h a d bee n f u l l y p r e ­ G oddossos aro also fre e ly in v o k ed th ere in . The w h o lo a c c o n n t o f C o l.
F raso r, w ith th e o x ce p tio n of in ac cu ra cies abovo a d v o r te d to, is s u b ­
p a r e d , th o fin ishin g process b e i n g a s e c r e t one a n d c o n ­
sta n tia lly co rrect. B u t a t t h o s a m e t i m e it is b u t p r o p e r t h a t a t t e n t i o n
d u c t e d b y th o n ew ly w ed d e d couples b y a p e c u lia r p r o ­ B h o n ld bo c a llc d to h is b lu n d ers, for o th erw ise th o s ta te m e n ts of nn y
ce s s — a n d n a m e le s s — n e v e r m a d e a m is ta k e w h ile in m y w e ll-in fo rm e d w r i t o r — e s p e c ia lly a fo r e ig n e r, if c l a s h i n g w ith th o se of

possession,for I confess I lost it fro m a silly s e r v a n t h a v i n g a n y of th o n u m e ro u s a u th o rs of th e stam p o f C o l. F ra s e r, w ill render

th o form er liab le to be set d o w n as “ a n im p o s to r o r c h a rla ta n ” — tho
show n it b o n s tin g ly to a gip sy, w ho stole it t h a t sa m e n i g h t l a tte r e p ith e ts h a v in g n o w b e c o m e th o m o s t a ro m a tic flo w ers of rh o to rio
th r o u g h t h e m o s t a d r o it b it of scientific b u r g l a r y I evei’ of th o le a d in g ro p ro sen tativ es of th e E n g lish P ress,
 T H E G O D -ID E A . much the life of the sou] or spirit as of the physical world.
B y B a u d R a j N a r a in B o s e . H e is tho life of life an d th e soul of the soul and is im m anent
to all things. H e is the S p irit of Spirit, tho P erfe ct S pirit
I deem it n e ce ssa ry to r e p l y to s o m e o f y o u r r e m a r k s o n
011 whom this im perfect spirit of ours always depends for ita
my le tte r p u b lish e d in t h e Theosophist f o r th e c u rre n t
existence. T h a t the imperfect depends always ou the perfect
m o n th .
is an axiomatic tru th .
You say, “ Since few of us have identical beliefs an d every You say t h a t Theosophy is th e in-forcing life of every reli­
religionist of w hate ver faith is firmly impressed w ith tho gion. H ow can it bo so when its principal article of belief
t r u th and superiority of his own cre e d ........, th e resu lt is sec­ is th a t God is impersonal an d has 110 gunas or attributes ?•
tarianism is ever k ep t alive.” To this m y reply is : L et every The belief in one P ersonal God or Theism is the inforcing
religionist preach liis own religion, and t h a t which is the soul of every religion. E v ery religion recognizes a Personal
tru est religion is sure to prevail. If relig'ion be preached D ivinity— I observe t h a t men, who do not believe in God,
according to my plan, there would be different sects b u t no are led as it were by a curse of N a tu re to substitute infinitely
sectarian animosity. As different m en have got different less w orthy objects of reverence or adoration in His place sucli
countenances, so there m ust always be different religious sects as H u m a n i ty — as is the ease with Positivists, departed Spirits
in this world. T h a t cannot be helped. — as is th e case with some Spiritualists, or H u m a n Reason or
You say : “ W ould o u r Atheists be welcome in the B rah m a L o g o sf— as is tlie ease w ith you, Theosophists.
M andirs I say 110 , because Atheism is 110 religion. I t is You say t h a t tlio Adi B rahm o Samaj m ovem ent has not
tlie negation of belief. A ny religionist who w ould discourse succeeded, becauso the principal members of the Sam aj have
upon general religion would certainly be weleoinc. not the Yoga power. I need tell you t h a t these m e m ­
You say t h a t you do not propagate y our religious opinions, bers believe t h a t the highest Yoga is the concentration of mind
and th a t yon give out y o u r views 011 the subject of religion upon God even am idst th e transaction of worldly affairs.
only when challenged to do so. G ranted. B u t do you not This Yoga has been illustrated by a sloka given in my “ S upe­
endeavour to prevail upon people to believe in Occultism and riority of H in d u ism ,” containing the beautiful comparison
the existence of S p irit ? If you do not do so, w h a t is the use of tlie real yogi to a female dancer with a pitcher full of w ater
of theso Theosophical Societies ? Is n o t this a k in d of religious upon her head, singing a n d dancing according to tin?
propagation ?* Does it not lead sometimes to an g ry discus­ strictest rules of music, b u t still p reventing tho pitcher
sion liko other kinds of religious propagation p from falling down. This best of all yogas, tho real R aj
I have not the roturna of th e last census of Bom bay at yoga, is to be attain ed by long practice requiring’ constant.-
hand, nor is it easy to lay hold of them in this out-of-the-way and trem endous exorcise of will-power as was done by R ajah
place. Will you therefore kindly inform me of the n u m b e r Jan ak a . B u t do not th in k , therefore, t h a t I do not believe in
only of Theists in th a t city whom, poor men ! you have p u t theosophic yoga a p a rt from its, w h a t 1 think, u n n a tu ra l
in tlic same category with Christians, a n d tlic percentage of alliance with Agnosticism or Buddhism. Theosophic yoga
crime committed by them as com pared w ith orthodox has its usc.J I t enables us to show th a t the people of Asia
Hindus. _ aro possessed of scientific knowledgo to w hich E uropean
You believe in a “ living God in man himself,” a “ divino science is as nothing. I cannot disbelieve in the marvellous
indwellor,” a “ divine Presence” an d not a God outside of man effects of such yoga. I cannot discredit the testimony 011
himself. This, as far as I understand, means t h a t you believe this point of such honest an d intelligent individuals 3 .S y o u r­
in the E tern al an d All-pervading Principle manifesting itself self, Messrs. H u m e, S in n ett an d Olcott, Captain Osborne and
in a personal an d therefore a worshipable form in the h u m an Col. W ade who lived in the Court of R u n jeet Sing and my
soul. You charge us, Theists, w ith believing in Existence personal friend, Babu A k sh ay a K u m a r Datta, form er E d ito r
and not Presence, an d represent th a t you, believers in tho of tho Tatvabodhini JPatrika, who collected with so m uch
hum an soul as God, are real believers in the Presence. To this care tho evidence abo u t the Sun d erb u n yogi. I ad m it the
I answer t h a t wo go f u rth e r th a n you in believing in P r e ­ importance of theosophic yoga, b u t it would prove a calamity
sence. Wo believe in a soul of tho soul, iu a being in whom to In d ia if it lead to a general exodus of most of o u r best
the soul or spirit lives, moves and has its b ein g ,f in a Sarva- men to th e jungles. I t would bo adding an other serious evil
IhutantanUma, or I n n e r Soul of all things as preached by to those u n d e r which In d ia is already groaning. I th in k the
our venerable U panishads.J This we call God. H o is as h ighest yoga is best practised a t home.
W ith reference to y our allusion to the supposed fu tu re of
* W e jo in issuo w ith our resp ected frie n d h e ro ; fo llo w ers of all
re lig io n s cun bo and liavo alw a y s co u n te d am ong th eir num bers
tho Adi B rahm o S am ajlf movement, allow me to inform you
s t u d e n t s o f t h e s u b j e c t in q u e s t i o n , n a m e l y :— O c c u l t i s m . — Ed. th a t tlie Adi' B rahm o S am aj is 110 organized church like the
+ W e aro forced to re p ly to o u r v e n e ra b le frie n d t h a t if t h e T h o ists
Brahm o Samaj of In d ia or the S ad h aran B rahm o Samaj and
c la im to g o “ f u r th e r ,” th e T h e o s o p h is ts (o f t h a t sch o o l, a t a n y r a te , to has 110 m u ster roll of members. All educated men, who
w h i c h t h o w r i t e r b e l o n g s ) c l a i m t o g o d ee p er. R e j e c t i n g u l l E x te r n a ls belivc in a formless God, b u t y et do not th in k it p roper to
as tru e guides, th o y u e c o p tb u t th e In te r n a l, t h o i n v i s i b l e , t l i c n e v e r to w ound th e feelings of parents a n d oth er d ear relatives by
be d esc rib ed b y a n y a d je c tiv o o r h u m a n q u alifica tio n . A n d g o in g d e e p e r
t h e y r e je c t th o id e a o f “ tlie so n l of th o s o u l” — a n im a ; f r o m w h i c h t h o
diverging widely from prevailing customs and usages, aro
w ord a n im a l i s d e r i v e d . F o r u s t h e r e i s n o o v e r-so u l o r u n d e r - s o u l ; b u t members of tlie Adi B rah m o Samaj.|| They form a very
o n l y On e — s u b sta n c e : t h e l a s t w o r d b e i n g u s e d i n t h e s e n s e S p i n o z a a t ­ considerable section of the community. The orthodox l l a r i
t a c h e s t o i t ; c a l l i n g i t t h e O n e E x is te n c e , w e c a n n o t l i m i t i t s s i g n i f i c a n c e Sabhas of Bengal have been evidently affectcd by the influence
a n d d w a r f it to th e q u alifica tio n “ o v e r b u t w o a p p ly it to th o u n iv e r­ of the Adi B rahm o Samaj. T h eir proceedings are now-a-
s a l , u b i q u i t o u s l ’r e s e u c o , r e j e c t i n g t h e w o r d ‘ B e i n g , ’ and re p la c in g it
w ith “ ^ « -1 3 e in g .” O u r D e ity as th e “ G o d ” of S p in o z a a n d of th o tru o
A d w a ite e — n eith er th i n k s , n o r c r e a te s , f o r i t i s A ll-th o u g h t a n d A ll-c r e a . * W o m ay bo allo w ed to p o in t out th at w c do n o t m ain tain th at
ti o n . W e say w i t h S p in o z a — w h o r e p e a t e d in a n o t h e r k o y b u t w h a t th o P arabrahm a n y g u n a , f o r P resenco i t s e l f i s a g u n a
ia a b s o l u t e l y w i t h o u t
E so teric do ctrin o of th e U p a n ish a d s teach es : ‘ E x ten sio n is v isib lo b u t t h a t i t i s b e y o n d t h e t h r e e g u n a s — S a t v a , R a j a s a n d I 'a m a s .— E d .
T h o u g h t; T hought is in v isib lo E xten sio n ’ For T heo so p h ists of our
f W hen th e term Logos, V e rb u m , V ach, th o m y stic d i v i n e v o ic e o f
s c h o o l t h o D e i t y is a U n ity in w h ich all o th e r u n its iu th e i r iu fin ito
e v e ry uatio n and p h ilo so p h y conies to b e b e t t e r u n d o rs to o d , tlic u o nly
v a rie ty m erg e an d fro m w h ich th e y a re in d istin g u ish ab le e x c o p t in th o
w ill c o m e th e lirst g lim m p rin g of th o D aw n of ono U n iv ersal lte lig io n .
p r i s m o f t h e i s t i c M a ija . T h o i n d i v i d u a l d r o p s o f t h o c u r l i n g w a v e s o f t h e
Logos w a s n e v e r h u m a n r e a s o n w i t h u s . Ed.
univ ersal O c ean h av o no in d e p e n d e n t e x isten c e. I n s h o r t , ^ w h ilo tlio
T h e ist p ro c la im s his G o d a g ig a n tic u n iv e rs a l B k in o , tho T h eo so p h ist t W e are afraid so m o m isa p p re h en sio n e x is ts in ou,r c o r r e s p o n d e n t ' s
d eclares w ilh H e ra c litu s, as q u o te d b y a m o d e rn au th o r th at th o O ne m in d a s to w h a t “ T lieo so p liic Y o g a ” is. liajah J a n a k i w a s a T h e o so p h ic
A b s o l u t e is n o t Lfcing— b u t b e c o m in g : t l i o o v e r - d e v e l o p i n g , cy c lic e v o ­ Y o g i. See iu th is 'c o n n e c tio n S a n k a r a ’s C o m m e n ta ries ou Bhagauat
lu tio n , th e P e rp e tu a l M o tio n of N u t u r e v isib lo a n d in v isib le — m o v in g , G ita .— E d .
aud breath in g even d u r i n g i t s l o n g P r a l a y i c S l e e p — .Ed. 1[ O u r e s t e e m e d co rrespondent m isu n d e rstan d s us. W c n ev er spoke
J I t is e a s y to p r o v e t h a t tlic U p a n is h a d s do not tea ch b elief in a o f t h e “ A d i 13 r a h m o S a m a j , ” o f w h i c l i w o k n o w next to n o th in g , b u t of
personal G od— w ith h u m an ly co ncoived a ttrib u te s , etc. Isw a r is n o t t h e s p u r i o u s B r a h r n o S a m a j c a l l i n g i t s e l f N ew D is p e n s a t i o n w h e r e a l l
m e n tio n e d iu th o U p a n is h a d s a s a p erso n a l n o u n . O n th o o th o r h a u d w e is to b o t a k e n o n f a i t h a n d t h e U n i v e r s a l I n f a l l ib i l i ty is c l a im e d to h a v o
see G u h ya A d esa , th o strictest p re serv a tio n of tin; s e c re s y o f th o d o c ­ t a k e n its I l e a d - q u u r t o r e in th o p e r s o n o f B a b u K e s h u b U i e m l o r b e n w ho
trin es, c o n s ta n tly u rg ed , the U p a n is h a d s , s h o w i n g i n th eir very nam o h a s now co m e to c o m p a rin g h im se lf p u b i i e l y - n a y w ith id e n t.ty .n g
th at th e d o ctrin es tan g lit w ere n e v e r r e v e a le d b u t to t h e Initiates. A t h im s e lf— w ith J e s u s C h rist. A g a i n - t h e S a d h a r a n B ra h m o S a m a j, a b o d y
th e very o u tset th e so e k e r afto r k n o w led g e of lirah m a ise n jo in o d tp w h o s o m e m b e r s — all th o so w o h a v e m e t, a t a n y r a te scoff a t t h e id e a o t
rep air to a g u r u (f<nl v ijijn u s u r th a m su j u r u m e v d v i y a c h c h e t) , w h i c h is yoga p o w e r s a n d l a u g h a t t h e w o r d p h e n o m e n o n .-i'd .
s i m p l y u n m e a n i n g if a l i t e r a l in terp retatio n of tho te x t w as ca p ab le of II A re we to u n d e rsta n d th at w hen th e “ p aren ts aud o th er
con voying th e in ten d ed sense- T h is q u o tatio n fro m th e U p a n ish a d , w o d(»ar r e l a t i o n s ” of th o present g e n e r a t i o n w i l l d r o p off th e bcene th o
m a y a d d , is a d o p t e d b y t h e B r a h m o s o f t h e A d i S a m a j and linds a p lac e MU B rahm o Sanm j w ill itse lf d ro p off L he sphere of a c tm ty as an
iu thoir B r a h m a D h a rm a Q ra n lh a , c o m p i l e d b y t h e P r u d l m u a c h a r y a , — effete a n a c h ro n is m i — Ed.
d a y s h e ld ac c o rd in g to its m odel, a n d tlie discou rses d e liv e re d
in t h e m a ro g ra d u a l ly b e c o m in g m o r e a n d m o r e tho istic t h a n
before.
M y h e a lth does n o t u n f o r t u n a t e l y p e r m i t m e to c o n ti n u e
i h i s v e ry in t e r e s t in g discussion f u r t h e r . I t h e r e f o r e co n clu d e
i t on m y p a r t w ith t h i s le tte r .
D eoghar, ) s t a n d , t h e t e m p e r a t u r e “ h a s u n d e r g o n e an e x t r e m e
A ugust 10th, 1883. J
------ ♦------
P O S T M ORTEM R IS E OF T E M P E R A TU R E .
B y D r . L e o p o l d S a i - z e r , M. D ., F . T. S .
T h e r e is a p e c u lia ri ty c o n n e c te d w i t h t h e v a r i a ­
tio n of te m p e r a t u r e in c h o lera—'th e r a p i d rise of
b o d y - h e a t soon a f te r d e a th , a n d o fte n ev e n a s h o r t tim e
b e f o r e d e a th ta k e s place. T b e p o s t m o r te m r ise of t e m ­
p e r a t u r e in cholera is n o t only e x t e r n a l a n d r e la tiv e ;
th e r e is a roal increase of h e a t p r o d u c t i o n s h o r t l y before,
o r soon a f t e r d e a t h — a u in c re a s e w h ic h m i g h t a rn o n n t
to a b o u t 3 or 4 d e g r e e s , a n d s o m e tim e s even to m ore
t h a n th a t. T h e q u e s tio n a rise s th e n , w h e n c e com es th is
in c re aso of caloric p ro d u c tio n in a. d e a d or a d y i n g b ody .
— T h is is a q u estio n w h ic h in te r e s ts t h e P a th o lo g i s t, t h e
P h y s io lo g is t a n d t h e m edical J u r i s t in a l i k e m a n n e r ,
a n d I shall t r y to lay b efo re y o u t h e i r r e s p e c tiv e
o p in io n s on t h e s u b je c t.
“ I t is n o t a lit tle r e m a r k a b l e , ” sa y s D r. C a r p e n te r , *
' ' t h a t th o t e m p e r a t u r e of th e b o d y s h o u ld f r e q u e n tl y
rise c o n s id e r a b ly a fte r d e a t h ; a n d t h i s not. m e re ly iu
Bucli cases as c h o lera, iu w h ich it h a s u n d e r g o n e a u
e x t r e m o d e pre ssion d u r i n g t h e l a t t e r p a r t of l i f e ; b u t
oven in t h e case of feb rile d is o r d e r s , in w h ic h t h e t e m p e ­
r a t u r e d u r i n g lifo lins b o en a b o v e t h e u s u a l s t a n d a r d .
T h i s h as b e e n a s c e rta in e d by D r. B e n n e t D o w le r of N ew
O rle a n s , o u t h e b o d ie s of th o s e y ello w f e v e r s u b je c t s
■which m a y be espec ially re f e r re d to a s e x h i b i t i n g a
r e m a r k a b l e d e g r e e of m olceula r life a f t e r s o m a tic d e a th .
I n one case for e x a m p le t h e h i g h e s t t e m p e r a t u r e d u r i n g
lifo w as in t h e nxilla 10 4° ; t e u m in u te s lifter d e a t h it
h a d arise n to 1 0 9 ° in t h e n x i l l a ; 15 m i n u t e s a f t e r w a r d s ,
f t w a s 113° in a n incision iu th e t h i g h ; in t w e n t y
m i n u t e s th e liver g a v e 112° : in nn h o u r a n d f o r t y m i­
n u t e s th e h e w t g a v e 109° ond t h e t h i g h in t h e f o rm e r
in c isio n 109° ; a n d io t h r e e h o u r s a f t e r t h e ro m o v a l of
all th o viscera, a now in cisio n in t h i g h g a v e 1 1 0 °. I t is
c u r io u s t h a t t h e m a x im u m h e a t a f te r d e a t h s h o u ld h a v e
b e e n in th e t h i g h , a n d th e m in in u m in t h e b r a in . 'I h e
p o sc -m o rte m rise in t e m p e r a t u r e a p p e a r s to be essu n tia lly
d u e to th e p a s s a g e of t h e m u sc le s of t h e b o d y in to t h e
s t a t e of rig o r m ortis, a c h a n g e t h a t is a s so c ia te d w ith c h e ­
m ical actio n a n a lo g o u s to t h a t o c c u r r in g d n r i n g c o n t r a c ­
tio n , a n d a c c o m p an ie d b y a c o r r e s p o n d i n g e le v a tio n of
t e m p e r a t u r e . A c k e r m a n n has p o in te d o u t t h a t t h e p o s t ­
m o r t e m rise m a y , in p a r t , be d u e to t h e p e r s is te n c e
of t h e h e a t - p r o d u c in g c h e m ic al c h a n g e s in t h e d e e p e r
p a r t s of tho b o d y , w h ilst t h e r a d i a t i o n a n d loss of h e a t
from t h e su rfa ce b y e v a p o r a tio n is r e d u c e d b y t h e c o n ­
tr a c tio n of t h e cutane ous vessels a n d t h e c e ssa tio n of t h e
circ u la tio n ; a u d W u n d e r l i c h s u g g e s ts t h a t it m a y bo
also in somo m e a su re o w in g to t h e p a r a ly s is of t h a t p a r t
o f t h e n e r v o u s s y s t e m w h ic h in h ib its o r r e g u l a t e s tho
g e n e r a tio n of h ? a t , s u p p o s i n g su c h c e n tr o to e x i s t . ”
T h e a b o v e ciuotatiou c o n t a in s a fa ir re su m e of w h a t
p h y s io lo g is ts h a v o to sa y in e x p l a n a tio n of t h e p o s t- m o r ­
te m rise in te m p e r a t u r e . Y o n w ill have o b s e r v e d h o w
vng uo o nd u n s a tis f a c to r y each a n d all of th o s e e x p l a n a ­
tio n s are. I f th e rise in t e m p e r a t u r e b e d u e to “ th e
p a s s a g e of tho m uscles of . th e b o d y in to a s ta te of rigor
m o r tis ” — th e n how a r e we to a c c o u n t fo r t h e p o s t - m o r ­
t e m riso in t e m p e r a t u r e of c h o lera und t e ta n u s - s u b j e c t * ?
— I n L oth of th e se s u b j e c t s t h e r e h o v e b e e n excessive
m u s c u l a r s p a sm s d u r i n g life ; in t e t a n u s t h e y a r e a c c o m ­
p a n i e d by a rise in te m p e r a t u r e of 3 ° to 4 °, w hile in
c h o l e r a t h e t e m p e r a t u r e is o r d in a r ily so m u c h lo w er, a n d
o f t e n low or still. H o w is it th e n t h a t t h e s p a s m o d ic
* H a in a n P h y sio lo g y , p, 505,
m u s c u la r c o n t r a c ti o n s d u r i n g life c ould n o t ra ise th e
t e m p e r a t u r e , w hile t h e m e re p a s sa g e of t h e m uscles of
t h e b o d y in to a s t a t e of rigor m o rtis is sufficient, s h o r tly
before d e a t h , or, soon a f te r d e a th , a n d before rigor m ortis
could actuiilly hf.ve s e t in, to ra ise tho t e m p e r a t u r e to a
c o n s id e r a b le h e i g h t ? I n ch olera, w e tire g iv e n to u n d e r ­
d e p r e s s io n d u r i n g th e l a t t e r p a r t of life a n d th is is t r u e
e n o u g h , t h e r e h a v i n g bee n , o w in g to causes m e n t i o n e d
b efo re , a r e d u c tio n in t h e p ro ce ss of tissue o x i d a t i o n ,
nnd, c o n s e q u e n tly , a s te a d y d ec rease in th e pro d u ctio n of
h e a t. B u t th is is no rea son w hy such a d ep re ssio n of
h e a t d u r i n g lifo m u s t r e s u lt in an elevation of t e m p e ­
r a t u r e nftor d e a t h .
P r o f e s s o r W u n d e r l i c h ’s s u g g e stio n , I am afraid , d o e s
n o t m a k e m a tte r s cle a re r. T h e r e is g o o d reason to believ e
t h a t a caloric c e n tr e d ocs e x i i t in all w a r m - b lo o d e d
an im als w h ich r e g u l a t e s e i th e r t h e p r o d u c ti o n of h e a t, or
i ts e x p e n d i t u r e b y m e a n s of ra d ia tio n , c o n d u c tio n a n d
ev a p o ratio n , or, w h a t is m o re lik e ly, t h e b a la n c e of ciiloric
p r o d u c ti o n and e x p e n d i t u r e . I n d e p e n d e n t l y of c e r ta in
ph y sio lo g ica l e x p e r i m e n t s w h ich p o in t to th e ex iste n c e of
su c h a h e a t - c e n t r e , w e h a v e th e f a c t b efo re us, t h a t w a r m ­
b lo o d e d a n i m a l s m a in ta in t h e sa m e b o d y - t o m p e r a t u r e u n ­
d e r e x t r e m e v a r ie tie s of t h e i r a tm o s p h e ric s u r r o u n d i n g s
— a p h e n o m e n o n w h ic h ca n only be e x p la in e d by somo
su c h r e g u l a t i n g a g e n c y a s s u g g e s te d .
N o w P r o f e s s o r W u n d e r lic h giv e s u s t h e choice be^
tw e e n tw o h y p o th e s e s , acco rd in g , I s u p p o se , aB t h e c ir­
c u m s ta n c e s of th e c a se m ay be. I n feb rile d ise ase s it is
likely t h a t th e a u g m e n t e d te m p e r a t u r e is d u e to ex cessive
p r o d u c tio n of h e a t ; (a lth o u g h th is is still an o pen q u e s ­
tion, f o r t h e a u g m e n t e d t e m p e r a t u r e m a y bo d u e to
d im in is h e d e l im in a tio n of h e a t) . A s s u m i n g , how ever,
th is to be t h e case, it w ould a p p e a r , t h a t d u r i n g life t h e
caloric c e n tr e s e x e r t a n in h ib ito r y action u p o n t h e m o r b id
o v e r - p ro d u c tio n of t h e fev e r h e a t j a n d as w ith tb o
a p p r o a c h of d e a th , o r soon a f te r, th e in h ib ito r y actio n of
tho so c e n tr e s ceases, o v e r - p r o d u c tio n of h o at t a k e s its
u n r e s tr a in e d course , w i t h t h e c o n s e q u e n t p o s t- m o r te m
r is e in te m p e r a t u r e . T h is , I m u s t confess, a p p e a r s to
m e to b e a s o r t of exp lan a tio n w h ich as su m es to t a k e for
g r a n t e d t h e v e ry s u b j e c t of e x p l a n a tio n . W h a t w e w a n t
to k n o w is t h is : w h e r e does th e in c re a se of h o a t com e
fro m a f te r d e a t h , sin ce b o t h c irc ulation a n d r e s p ir a tio n
h a v e ceased, c o n s e q u e n tly t h e v ery h e a r th of c o m b u s tio n
has b e e n e x t i n g u i s h e d f o r w a n t of o x y g e n ? I n a n s w e r
to th is w e a r e to ld , t h a t w ith t h e cessation of life t h e r e
is no m o re a n y in h ib itio n in th e p ro d u c tio n of h e a t__a n
a n s w e r w h ic h , in o r d e r to bo sa tisfac to ry , m u s t neces-
snrily su p p o se t h a t n e i t h e r tb e im p u lse to w a r d s h e a t
p r o d u c tio n , n o r t h e m a te r ia ls of o o m b u stio n h a v e e x p e r i ­
e nc ed t h e s l i g h t e s t d im in u tio n for so m o tim e a f t e r th e
cessation of lifo. I need n o t te ll y o u t h a t this is j u s t
w h a t we w ish to h a v e e x p la in e d .
A s to n o n -fe b rile diseases, w h e r e t h e in h ib ito r y th e o r y
is o u t of p la c e a l t o g e t h e r , f o r t h e sim p le r e a so n , t h a t
th e r e is n o th i n g to in h i b i t , w e could only fall b a c k u p o n
t h e su p p o s itio n t h a t w ith th o a p p r o a c h of d e a t h t h o m j u -
la ti n g influence of th o caloric c e n tr e ceases. A m o m e n t ’s
reflection on t h e su b ject will h o w e v e r sh o w yo u , t h a t in
su c h cases, W u n d e r l i c h ’s e x p l a n a tio n fares e v e n w orse
th a n in t h e p re v io u s, febrile case.
A s f a r as I k n o w , I h a r d l y t h i n k t h a t p a th o lo g is ts
h a v e t h r o w n nny m o re l i g h t u p o n t h e su b je c t. D r . R a d -
clilf says : “ th e body h a s bee n f o u n d to becom e very h o t
before d e a t h a n d to r e m a i n very h o t a f te r d e a t h in c h o ­
lera, in yellow f e v e r n ud in se v eral o t h e r cases in w h ich
in sta n c e s a r e g iv e n b y D r. E r b nn d by se v e ra l o th e r
w rite r s in G e r m a n y , n n d b y D rs . R in g er, W e b e r , M u r c h i­
son, S a n d e r s o n a n d m a n y o th e rs. T h e causo of d e a t h in
th o m a jo r ity of th e se cases b e i n g some s u d d e n affection
of th e b rn in , c o m a in o th e rs . T h e t e m p e r a t u r e rise s as
t h e tim e of d e a t h a p p r o a c h e s , w h en t h e s ta te of th e c i r c u ­
la tio n m u s t e v e r y m o m e n t bo bec o m in g m o r e a n d m o r e
th o r e v e rs e of in c re a s e d ac tiv ity ; t h e t e m p e r a t u r e conti-
"nues to r ise evert a f t e r a c tu a l d e a th , w h en t h e blood has
come to a s ta n d still . . . . I t is n o t e a sy to co n n e c t
tho in cro ased h e a t of te ta n u s w ith t h e s p a sm s. A p n r t
of the in c re a se d h ea t m a y b e a c c o u n t e d for in th is m a n n er,
b u t o n ly a sm a ll p a r t. I n d e e d th e s im p le f a c t t h a t in
one of t h e c ises w hich has b e e n in s t a n c e d a m a r k e d a b a t e ­
m e n t in t h e se v e r ity of th e s p a s m s w as a c c o m p a n ie d by
an actual r i« i iu the colum n of m e r c u r y , un J t h a t t h e
co lu m n c o n t i n u e d to rise a f te r d e a th , w h e n all sp a sm is
ut an e u d , is in itself a sufficient p r o o f t h a t i t is n o t in
m u sc u la r a c tio n tlm t th e e x p l a n a tio n of t h e in c re a se d
te m p e r a t u r e of te t a n u s is to be fo u n d . M o r e o v e r th e fact
t h a t t h e t e m p e r a t u r e rises iu th e s a m e w a y b e f o r e a n d
afte r d e a t h in cases w here n e ith e r c o nv ulsion n o r spustn
was a m o n g s t th e s y m p t o m s d u r i n g life, m u s t lead to th e
sam e conclusion . . . . I t seem s us if one c o n d itio n o f
this ch inge in t e m p e r a t u r e was t h e p a r a l y z i n g of a r e g u ­
la tin g c e r e b r a l influence ; a u d b e y o n d th is it is difficult
to see f u r t h e r , e x c e p t i t be tli a t th is p a ra ly s is r e a c h in g
to t h e v a s o -m o to r n e rv e s, ullows t h e m in u te vessels to
d ila te a n d rec civ e m o r e b lood, a n d t h a t th e in c re a se d
(jn an tity of b lood, even t h o n g h this blood m a y bo s t a g ­
n a n t, m a y lead to in c r e a s e d m o le c u la r c h a n g e s , of w hich
in creased h e a t is a n effec t.”
N o w o n d e r a f t e r th is , t h a t P r o f e s s o r T a ilo r* sum s up
his c o n s id e ra tio n s o n tho s u b je c t w ith t h e follo w ing
w o rd s of h a lf d e s p a ir : “ T h e focts c o n n e c t e d w ith t h e p r o ­
d u c tio n of he.'it in th e dea d b u d y h a v e n o t rec eiv e d m u c h
a t te n t io n from p h y s i o l o g i s t s / ’
Jn fac t a little m o r e a t te n t io n to t h e s u b j e c t could
havo s p a r e d th o a u t h o r s q u o te d a g r e a t d e a l of p e r ­
p le x ity in ex p la in in g , or r a t h e r in a t t e m p t i n g to e x p la in
t h e p h e n o m e n o n so often m e n tio n e d , r e g a r d i n g th o b o d y -
te u ip e r a tu ro before, a n d soon a f te r d e a th . T h e y have, it
a p p e a r s to me, e n tire ly Left o u t of c o n s id e r a t io n t h e fact
t h a t th e re m u s t be sto re d u p in t h e liv i n g tissu es of a n
an im al a c o n s id e r a b l e a m o u n t of p o te n tia l e n e r g y in t h e
s h a p e of i r r i ta b i lity .
( T o be c o n t in u e d .)
------ ♦—
YOGA A N D K A L F A .
[ W e fully a p p r e c i a t e t h e k i n d l y f e e l i n g in w h ic h we
a r e r e f e r r e d t o in t h e f o llo w in g a r tic le . B u t t h e r e
sh ould bo a lim it e v e n to s in c e r e ly -f e lt e x p r e s s io n s . W e
h a v e no d e s ire of f o llo w in g in t h e s te p s of B a b u K e s h u b
C. S e n a u d n e v e r h avo o r will la y c la im s to b e i n g
classe d w ith S a d h u s o r G u ru s, “ w h o h a v e a t t a i n e d t h e
w h ole t r u t h , ” le a s t of all w ith “ g o d s . ” W e w arn our
k i n d B r o t h e r : too m u c h of e u t h u s i a s m d e g e n e r a t e s
g e n e r a lly in to f a n a tic i s m . — Bd.~\
A u p a n is h a d a y a n a m a .
T atv agnan av id am sak shat
B r a h m i b h u ta tin a n a in s a ta m
B l a v a ts k y a l k a n m u k h a n a m c h a
S a k a s a y eyam ir ita
N a b o d d h a h a m riav a k tah a ra
Y a tl ia deve y at!:a g n r u n
T a tlia b h r a t r u s h n y u s h m a s u
V i g n a p t i m k alaye t.atha.
“ To M a d a m e B la v a ts k y , Colonel O lc o tt a n d o th e r
Siulhns w ho have a t ta i n e d tho t r u t h a n d a re J iv a n Mulctas
th is l e tte r is a d d r e s s e d . I co m e n e i t h e r to te a c h n o r to
e x p o u n d , b u t a p p e a l to you, iny g o o d b r o th e r s , as ono
w o u ld to on e’s g u r u o r th e g o d s / ’
I n m y f o u r t e e n t h y e a r I m e t a L a m b ik a Y o g i, who,
th o n g h n o t an a d e p t of th e first o r d e r a t t h a t tim e , w as
sufficiently a d v a n c e d to instil iu to me f a ith in t h e e x i s t ­
en c e of t h e M a h a tm a s, a n d to te a c h m e t h e e l e m e n ta r y
princip les of th e s e c r e t p a t h . F o llo w i n g c e r ta in d ir e c ­
tions lie gave m e, I b e g a n m y r e s e a r c h e s an d h a v e sinco
c o n tin u e d th e m w ith v a rie d success till t h e p r e s e n t tim e.
D u r i n g th is p e rio d of a b o u t 30 y e a r s I h a v e s tu d ie d
several b o o k s a n d com e in c o n t a c t w ith m a n y g r e a t m en,
som e of w h o m h a v e h a d t h e r a r e g o o d f o r t u n e of b e i n g
* P r i n c i p l e s a n d P r a c t ic e o f M e d i c a l J u r i s p r u d e n c e .
p e r s o n a l a c q u a i n ta n c e s of t h e M a h a tm a s . I t is now m y
s e t t l e d c o n v ictio n t h a t th e Y o g a M a r g a is t h e only way
to a b s o rp tio n in B r a h m a a n d t h e p e r f e c t c u lm in a tio n of
bliss. T h e s tu d y a n d p r a c tic e of t h e e a r lie r stages of
Y o g a h a v e occu p ie d th e m a jo r p a r t of my tim e, a n d I
h a v e also b een t a u g h t to believe in th e efficacy of K a l p a s .
W i t h th o l a t t e r I h a v e successfully m ade c e r ta in e x p e r i­
m e n ts , b u t for w a n t of s y m p a th y an d c o -ope ra tion, h a v e
b e e n o b l i g e d to s u s p e n d th e m . By th e g o o d g r a c e s
of iny G u ru , I was able to d isc o v e r “ th e base u nd s u m m i t
of th e m i d d l e , ” u n d so m e o t h e r secrets of Y oga V id y a .
S o m e tim e b e f o r e t h e s e p a r a tio n of his soul from h is b ody,
w hich to o k p la ce a b o u t t h r e e y e a rs ago, ho k i n d l y
p e r m i tte d mo to se ek in s t ru c tio n a n d a id from o th e r
q u a r te r s . E v e r sin c e I h a v e been s e e k in g for g u id a n ce ,
p r a c t i s i n g m e a n w h ile t h e lit tle a lre a d y l e a r n t b y rno
b efo re.
P r a y a s o r u d l i a m n la n a m
C h in tv a m u b h a y i g a t i h
S i d d h i r a r t h a s y a m it r e s h u
S a n k r a m a h k e v a lo th a v a .
“ All lo n g -clierish o d a n d d e e p - ro o te d d e s ire s m u s t
find v e n t in on e of tw o w ay s, viz., t h e a c c o m p lis h m e n t
of t h e i r o b je c t, o r t h e i r c o m p le t e d isc losu re to f rie n d s,”
a n d unless t h e G 0 1 1 D IA N k n o t of t h e h e a r t k n o w n a s
t h e “ A v i d y a g r a n ti n '* is u n tie d , t h e r e is little h ope fo r
a m a u of e v e r b e c o m i n g a B r a h m a J n a n i .
. Y a d a s a rv e p r a b h id a y a n ti
H r i d a y a s y c h a g r a n d hay:ih
A t h a m a r t y a ’ in rito b h a v a ti
E t av a d a n usasu n am — 1<a t h a
A t r a B r a h m a e a m a s n n ti— K a t h a .
I n t h e C h l ia n d o g y a U p a n i s h a d U d d a l a k a sa y s to S v e t a -
k c t u . “ A c lu lry a v a n p u r u s lio v e d a ’’— none ca n know b u t
th r o u g h a n A cha ry a ( te a c h e r) . I t h e r e f o r e feel myself
ca lle d u p o n to c o m m u n ic a te to you t h e s ta te of m y m in d
iu t h e e x p e c t a ti o n of b e in g fa v o re d w ith s p ir itu a l advice.
I t will bo a d m i t t e d on all h a n d s t h a t th is o u r b o d y is
t h e p r in c ip a l m e d iu m in t h e a c c o m p lis h m e n t of o u r ends,
n a m e ly — t h e a t t a i n m e n t of th o S id d h is ; a n d t h a t t h e
p r e v e n tio n of d e a th is an essential c o n d itio n of success
th e re in . V a r io u s a r e t h e w ays p o in te d o u t fo r s e c u r in g
th is i m m u n ity f r o m d e a t h — un im m u n ity w hich is u n i ­
versa lly c o n s id e r e d b y t h e u n in it ia t e d to be im p o s sib le
to obtain. S o m e hold t h a t b y a ca refu l a n d s y s te m a tic
r e g u la tio n of t h e o r g a n s of r e s p ir a tio n a n d t h e a d o p t i o n
of p a r ti c u la r k i n d s of d ie t d e a t h m ay be avo id ed fo r a lo n g
tim e. O th e r s believ e t h a t tlie a d m in is tra tio n of c e r ta in K a l-
p a s o r of p a r ti c u la r p r e p a r a tio n 0 1 *c o m p o u n d s of th e m will
g iv e o n e t h e p o w e r to s u s t a i n his body, t h r o u g h all
e t e r n i t y , w i t h o u t d e s tr u c tio n o r d ec ay .* T h e s e m e t h o d s
h a v e se v e ra l m in o r sub-divisio ns, e v e r y one of t h e m d if ­
f e r in g in d e ta il fro m t h e r e s t. R e s p ir a t io n a n d d ie t, h o w ­
e v e r well r e g u l a t e d , c a n n o t, t h o u g h ca p a b le of p r o lo n g in g
life to w o n d e r f u l ly lo n g p e rio d s, g iv e b o d y t h a t e t e r n a l
im m o r t a l i t y w h ic h , I b e lie v e , is a n e s sen tial r e q u isite of
Y o g ic success, a n d w h ic h , A g a s t y a B h a g a v a n says, can
b e se c u r e d o nly b y R a l p a a d m in is t r a tio n ac co m p an ie d by
l l a j a Yoga. I n his usual inystidal l a n g u a g e h e says:—
f f i t t r s M T & u L-irijjL-®Di£(&) u Q u g s i tG lc e o G io r r s ih
Q ib ifls iF lu ^ ^ j (g ip siiT L D iC L L a tr i— is u e ir G iD s ir G u jiT a m
^ e s r i D ( § a j L£l(irj<ducV)Gi£> a e o & ^ G u i r j p
&LDeOLn&)ir s u ^ s s t G l d i t (S lfS i(S )L D L S m 2 o ir
jgjeuftpfrtiBr L9mdstttiSiss)Qeok)eotr Qpcmt~iT la
iiJ6BT‘uutr&LCiirtUjg£clifhLfii> G ^ i—^GfiirGir
ldforesraui t Lnisieasiuii itg io zlili£nGsGsfT.
“ T h e m a n ’s lovo is d ir e c te d t o w a r d t h e w o m an : th e
w o m a n ’s love is to w a r d s th e m a n : W h e n t h e s e tw o join
to g e t h e r , t h e issue is a lo tu s -fac ed child. T h is sw e e t
c h ild will g'ive e v e r y th in g . T h e w a y to a d e p ts h i p will
* T hin, th o "M ah a tm as deny m o st, e m p h a tic a lly . To m ake one nnd
th e sam e body last etern ally , i. e ., t o p r e v e n t t h o t i s s u e s f r o m w e a r i n g
out is us im p o ssib le as tlio c o m m u n ic a tio n oi p erp etu al m o tio n
lo any finite o b ject in n atu re. Though p e r se p e r p e t u a l m o tio n in
a fact, th e etern al d u ra tio u of tlie m a te r ia ls to w h ic h it m ay b e im ­
1883, p a r t e d i s i m t h i n k u b l e . — i i ’tZ,
lie iu tliis wine. 0 , p r e te n d e r s wlio roam about, th e ju n g l e s , Q&rr^ieoirp Quirq^ostrtuir iSlsrinzpuih ,
h e a r tho a g e s of th e m an a n d t h e w o m a n . ” * Q & ir z o e o tn n s iT L m m p s ^ tr n a ~ s n & s ; p n S iir Q p m

T h e r e can be no difficulty in u n d e r s t a n d i n g w h a t th e QaiTGoeoiTLDp Qsira>gfies>LDiuir Quu&fle&i—rrG<$

c h i ld h e r e s ta n d s for, w h e n it is b o r n e in m in d t h n t th e Q & ir s m g u jit r g r n r s m ffir ilG e o &i4Qi—itG@
m a n a n d th e w om an a r e i n te n d e d to s ig n i f y re sp e c tiv e ly O u ir ^ o & iir ^ Q u t T Q r , m j z i £ g> & & Q & i r s m i — / t i l / it ( G i y a )

Y o g a a u d K aipa. B y th e r e c ip r o c ity of affection, A g a s t y a L js s v r S iu iS h n D e S ltS I s s s u r S u G u i r ^ i b .

se em s to rao to d e c la re th o in d is p e n s a b le n e 3 s n ud union Q tV G U s v iT L D a ) Q s u e o s p u n ti/g $ £ e e > 3 i$ ,& G m i— tr a )

of b o th for tho p r o d u c ti o n of t h e d es ire d r e s u l t — n a m e ly , Q s u tw jG x ir ip - d U jg e m .g Q tu e o ir ir> /n _ e \)/r (? L D .

t h o S id d h is. T h e sa m e viow is e x p r e s s e d in a n o t h e r " B r a h m a G a r b h a is a t h i n g w hich c a n n o t be pub lish ed .

s t a n z a of this s a g e :—
uiuruutr ra9<rsra,ip-/u0 QLntr(rr,QuiflLL(Bl
utriy-tssjCrijWtsiiTeriru uirsiDi_ujirC'G)
^vtnruutr itir/gsSijsi aiip'&sv&QwGurr
LDUjtoSTQl-DSirp &ISuGuJtT(£ G M T U £& G lf> & l_/ff
^ tru u ir cSes)$Q\u'3p Jgr&Geo Q&ireueoirir
<$ j e S ) f i Q t u ' S f i ^ l ^ l p L j a i l . ^ U J J flw ir Q w G tlT L J IT tT
ek-rruutr m rpeSigi Qpiy.pjzGuit* 0 jgurjpsemi— U t T L D ( G S ) Q f I T .
£n..&#LC>ibp <ejfrswOtneoreguin Quir(rF,i—iresnsiiiTiiLiiQ)ii>.
“ Y 011 will see t h a t h e g iv e s th o sam o n a m e to b o th
a n d sin g s in a lle g o r y . N a d a H i n d u s t a n d s for V aJalai
a s well as S i v a Yoga. W h o is t h e r e to a p p e n d th e la t t e r
t o th e fo rm e r, or e x p lain th e co n n e ctio n b e tw e e n th e m a n d
*ny t h a t th e tw o a r e id e n tic al. D e p e n d upon it, t h e p e r ­
fec tio n of k n o w le d g e will b e th e r e w a r d of tho so w ho
a c co m p lish N a d a H i n d u . ” A c c o r d i n g to th is R ish i, it is
t h e com bin atio n of Y o g a a n d K a l p a t h a t c o n s titu t e s th e
s u r e s t m e th o d of o b ta i n i n i n g B r a h m a jn a n n . T h e d e s i g ­
n a t io n a d o p t e d by h im to d e n o t e t h is c o m b in a tio n is
“ ll r a h m a G a r b h a ,” a te r m w h ich s e e m s to con v e y th e
d o u b le m e a n in g in te n d e d a n d to fit in e q u a lly well w ith
t h e o b je c ts of b o th d e p a r t m e n t s . I t is d e s c r ib e d u n d e r
T h e S id d h a s hav e k e p t th e m con c ea le d . S e e m in g n o t
t o kill, it will kill, d isclose it not. G e t n o t e n t a n g l e d in
t h e love of fem ales. I t is a d a n g e r o u s s u b s t a n c e a n d
if s e c u r e d will a v e r t B r a h m a . L i p i itself. T h i s course,
w h ich w hile s e e m i n g n o t to su c c e e d , will succeed , will, if
fo u n d o u t, e n a b le on e to p r a c tis e cro re s of a r t s . ”
ua-ihQuireisrQesr iDtrppfsl& wiremFlu$ev$eO
“ I t is g o ld of s u c h h i g h q u a l ity t h a t it is b e y o n d th e
c a p a c ity of a to u c h s to n e to t e s t it. B y i m b i b in g i t you
m a y bec o m e P r a l a y a -w itn e s s in g P a r a m a . ”
I t will be seen fro m th e se stanzas t h a t A g a s t y a , while
e x t o llin g “ B r a lim a G a r b h a ’' a s » th e m o s t efficacious
m e a n s of s e c u r in g t h e S id d h is, seem s also to p o in t
out in u n m i s t a k a b l e la n g u a g e , t h a t Y o g a a n d K a l p a go
h a n d in h a n d , n u d , w i t h o u t e ith e r , t r u e Y o g ic suc ce ss is
im po ssib le. W h a t B r a h m a G a r b h a is, is d e s c r ib e d b y
h im in a series of s ta n z a s of w h ic h t h e follow ing are
a m o n g t h e forem ost. T b e la n g u a g e u s e d is, »s a rule,
a l le g o r ic a l, a n d th o id e a s a b s tr u s e , and c e r ta in l y a b o v e
t h e com p r e h e n s io n of th e u n in itia te d . H e s a y s ;
U 5 6 s k e o a f l3 6 \ ) ( T ^ iS lp u u tT Q ^ u ) i S / r w ^ p u t b

4 00 an d o d d d is t i n c t d e n o m in a t io n s , e v e r y o n e of th e m a j i r (? z j r r a S l t ! . G i T & L $ p iE )(3 ju > s p ^ e m te « S )tb i_ jil>

a p p l y i n g to a d is t in c t s t a g e in its f o rm a tio n or ch e m ic al cSemra^riMirdQ Ln^ii^iresr ^irsmiruuirihLjib

c o m b in a tio n . A m o n g t h e s e d e n o m in a t io n s a r e N a d a (o l'd / c ifl. ii? s \j Q e u G tfltu ir m s u n & G & o S ? \ i b & r ^ frCp o ff.
.Hindu, V a la la i , I sa n llpptt, V a m a m , K a l O h n n n a m b n ,
“ T h e seven tim e s b o r n B r a i n n a G a r b h a , tho stone-
S a m i P a m h u , P a s tm .p o n and Alcana., o c c u r rin g in (ho
ch n n n m t h a t descend-? from th e sk y , and th e S a r a i s e rp e n t
sta n z a s q u o te d in th is le tte r. T h e a d v a n t a g e s nf r e s o r t i n g
w h ich i.s th e e lix ir of th e g o d s , can b e d iscovered o nly by
to B r a h m a G arb h a a re th u s d e s c r ib e d by th is M a h atm u
thoso w ho h a v e seen t h e l i g h t of lig h t s . ” T h e “ seven
$l(n}4aevirii> Gia’SueuQ^Liu b i r t h s ” o r tr a n s f o r m a t io n s r e f e r r e d to are th e n e x p la in e d
@.i/o/sU0 ixia/Q/s\ ) 0 Qm-ssrjpiLhQuirppu b u t in w o rd s as o b s c u r e as a n e n i g m a . *
Ou:njaseoirih ce>sited gin uirjsib
Q up'fli—eviTiii i_sh Gu&QOrrQLD eSIj r r , s / j ( ? L D iutrfglu§Geo Qujiretfhyix>ir&Gff
Q d u ,i m jp i S p u t - j M e o m tr ^ /a -
Qxjpis sQpjry miruSltTji Q^LLi—G»tri_ii aihsKLQ
p &pn9&i,iigj uSp uiSlpuy S^cvuLjLDirdsh
i t i r r a s o ^ Q ® tr a m ® tu jftiiS tp u i.j G \< Z K s n a 6 n iu n & &
Qp^iQaevir L$&§si>ut_j Qp(i^iiGatue\’ey>iT&i
QpigiGmppojuiSleir (ipif-U-HT'jiiirGp. ^idrreiftiu^I iSlsiriSlpUL-j iD(Sf/pstr 4 a- it

G ^ t r s tfl g L D 'jS & s flp L r > tr ff& w ^ t - S p u t S ^

“ O ne m a y live on, e x a c tin g s e r v i t u d e from Y a m a E _ O T O T 'L / Z £ - .! F 6 » ( _ Q Q UJQplSIptl/iSlp Qijgytii
h im self : m a y g ro w b i g so as to be au o b j e c t of w o n d e r to S -H J ir G s tr y i} Q p L L e a i — i ? pu> u i y ^ i S j i T & G 'f.
t h i s world a n d th e n e x t : may o b ta in th o fee t of t h e God
w h o lives in K a i l a s a : m a y ho ld co m m u n io n w ith th e “ I n th o b e g i n n i n g i t w a s lig h t. I n its fiery n e x t b ir th
S id d h n s : m ay go r o u n d t h e w hole co s m o s of 1008 w orlds i t b e c a m e blu e. I u its m y ste rio u s t h ir d , it b e c a m e l^ed.
in an in s ta n t. B u t all th e se p o w e rs r e s u l t only from I 11 th e f o u rth it g o t h e a te d a n d becam e w h ite . S p rin g ­
l-'ttii U p p u a u d 110 o th e r . ” in g t h e n , it b e c a m e yellow. In i t s n e x t b i r t h its color
w as t h a t of th e f e a t h e r y peacock. I 11 its s e v e n th a n d
Gurr&ffuuir iSlputSlpuLj mirem(!!tGutr(^ib
la st, it b ec am e, in d e e d , an e g g - c o lo re d c r y s t a l . ” f
Lja(LpsBL-iu ajir&evrihuireir GLDgafliutrQiji
GiitTsu&a-j&iunrr suir&tugj tP&vpjzuGutTQtis * W hen M r . S i n n e t t ’s E s o te r i c B u d d h i s m , a n d F r a g m e n ts a f O e c n l t T r u t h
LDap/Sireor amuLDgi Q ue^^^juG uir^ib are read and com prehended, it w ill be easy to u n d e rs ta n d t h a t tlie
“ seven seven
b i r t h s ’' o r t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s r e f e r t o t h e s e v e n b i r t h s i n t h e
&L-&&(LpGp jp'ii ■£06?OT/; p (&/CmfoJ4<>niT(QiL ro o t r a c e s . l O v e r y s u c h b i r t h b e i n g t h e k e y - n o t e s t r u c k f o r o t h e r a n d s u b ­
evr Gairig-iLi&w sviryjSViT^ih s e q u e n t b i r t h s in s u b - r a c e s , each k ey -n o te r e s o u n d i n g in a h i g h e r k e y
,-'y,p3j5iLjinr GtuiraunT^tb t h a n t h e p r e c e d i n g o n o o n t.h e s e a le o f to n e s ; or, in o t h e r w o r d s , o v e r y n e w
?*nof-birth c a r r y i n g t h e in d iv id u a lity h ig h e r an d h ig h e r u n til it. r e a c h e s
^emsisujiir/i! Qturrsii jpL&tieo •ririumuirGy>. th e s e v e n t h r o o t- r a c e , w h i c h w i l l b r i n g m a n f i n a l l y t o t h e h i g h e s t , e t e r n a l
“ T h e r e will be an en d of b i r t h s a u d d e a t h s : th e b o d y B ud d h ash ip o r “ JS rn h m a G a r b h a ” in a d e g r e e c o r r e s p o n d in g to th a t he
w ill h a v e a c q u ire d h y h is e n l i g h t e n m e n t d u r in g h is liv es 011 e a r t h . — E d .
will look like th e m o st p r e c io u s of m e ta l s : r e s p ir a tio n will t 'l h e m e a n i n g o f t h i s i s s i m p l e e n o u g h to h im who h a s stu d ie d tho
s t a n d still : t h e b o d y will a c q u ir e v e r y g r e a t s t r e n g t h : th e th eo ry of re b irth s iu th e E so teric do ctrin e. T h is grad atio n and
all b ad n a t u r e will be t u r n e d in to good : a n d one may change of c o lo n r re fe rs to o u r p h y sic a l a n d m o ral c o n s titu tio n 011 ( « ) l h o
v ario u s se v e n p la n e ts a n d (!>) i n t h e s e v e n r o o t r a c e s . J ’l a n e t A , corros.
th u s live crores of Y n g a s . f M ind t h a t Y o g a com es of p o n d s to p u re l i g h t — t h e e s s c n c e o f m a n ’s p r i m e v a l b o d j ' w h e n h e i s a l l
fram a, and w ith o u t th e se t h e r e can b e n o t h i n g a n d th e s p iritu a l; on p lan e t B m an becom es m oro o b je c tiv e — a s s n m e s d e fin ite
body its e lf is useless.” c o lo r jon 0 , lie b e c o m e s s till m o r e p h y sical— h e n c e red , th e re d -e a rth or
A d a m k n d m o n ,b e i n g th e m a te r ia l a c q u ire d b y th e m o n a d in th e p r e c e d in g
w o rld p rio r to b ein g d ev elo p ed as m a n — on th is E a rth ; 011 p l a n e t
* W lm t A g u sty a lih ag n v an m e a n t w a s n o t th o e te rn a l d u ra tio n ot U , w h ile, th e colo u r c o n ta in in g a n eq u al p ro p o rtio n o f sp irit a n d m a tte r ;
any p h y sical body, h u t of th e in n e r , d i v i n e m a n i n h i s i n d i v id u a l ity ; on 10, h e i s y e l l o w — ( r e l a t i n g t o t h e Y o g i ’s r o b e ) m o r e sp iritu al; on F,
n n d tluiB b y a v o i d i n g r e i n c a r n a t i o n s in o t h e r p e r s o n a l i t i e s , l h e u n b r o k e n h e is f a s t a p p r o a c h i n g “ th e peacock” co lo n r, t h a t b ird b ein g th e e m ­
p r e s e r v a t i o n o f o n e ’s o w n h i g h e r p e r s o n a l i t y . T h i s m a y b e r e a c h e d o n l y
b lem o n d ru /m iia of S arasw ati, th e g o d d ess of u n iv e rsa l o ccu lt w isdom ;
h y s u c h g r e a t a d e p t s a s h e w a s h i m s e l f . — jl<l.
w h ile in th e s e v e n th a n d la s t b irth m a n ’s a u r a is com pared to th at of
t Not quite no. “ Crores of Yugas” in one’s sclf-conscious " inner se lf, fin e g g - c o l o u r e d c r y s t a l — p u r e c r y s t a l l i n e , p n r i t y b e i n g t h e attrib u te of
nol in one nud the same physical body.—Jid, Q o d -M a n ,— l i d .
 ui^-aQmsiTp iShnaspurii
u t r i r e i i t & i t ^uiSljrLD&Sli^i.
“ I t i3 th is c ry sta l g l o b s t h a t is k n o w n as B r a h m a
G arb h am , t h e seed of th o A k a s a B r a h m a . ” N o t A g a s t y a
alone, b u t nil th e S id d h a s s p e a k of t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y
pow ers of th is B i n d u . T h e sa m e i d e a is e x p r e s s e d in
th e O h h a n d o g y a U p a n is h a t b y Ja iv id i, w h e n in a n s w e r
to S ahiv u ty a he sa id t h a t “ A k a s a ” * is t h e u ltim a te
course of t h is w o rld .
“ A s y a lo k a s y a k a g a t i r i t i ?
A kasa iti h e v a c h a .” '
I am t h e r e f o r e in e a r n e s t se a rc h o f in s t r u c tio n r e g a r d ­
i n g A g a s t y a ’s m y s te r io u s te a c h in g s a b o u t t h e B r a h m a
Garbha, a n d aa it h as pleased P a r a m a t m a to place th e
k e y to t h e s e c r e t w a y in t h e h a n d s of w o rth y p e o ­
p le lik e y on, M am n lcsh us, w ho h a v e r e n o u n c e d e v e r y ­
t h i n g w o rld ly fo r t h e s a k e of T r u t h , I hav e d e e m e d it
m y d u t y to a p p e a l to y o u fo r t h a t in s t r u c t i o n w hich,
I hope, y ou will, u fter c o n s u lta tio n w ith t h e M a h a t m a s ,
if n ec es sary , b e g r a c io u s e n o u g h to give me, t o g e t h e r
w ith any f u r t h e r a d v ice yo u m a y c o n s id e r n e c e s s a r y for
tpy g u id a n c e . I a m s a n g u in e t h a t y o u will n o t d i s r e ­
g a r d iny h u m b l e solicitations, b n t will c o u n t m e as one
of ' y o u r o w n / a n d t h a t , w ith y o u r aid , I sh a ll o n e d a y
be b r o u g h t face to fac e w ith t h e M a h a t m a s th e m se lv e s.
emruur iSliiiaeu
• ( S a m a r P u n g a v a S a s t r i )
[ E n i T O u ’a N o t e . — T h i s d o c s n o t d e p e n d o n u s , b u t o n tlie
self. W e c a n h elp h im in th e eso teric in terp retatio n of th a t
s e e m s to u n d e r s ta n d qu itee .c o te r ic a ily a s f a r a s w o o u r s e l v e s k n o w . B u t
>ve c a n g i v o n o p r o m i s e o u b e h a l f o f o u r M a h a t m a a . — Ed."]
— - ♦ -- ■
B U D D A II
T h e following poem, signed “ A. C. B enson,” appeared in
the London Spectator :—
W h o e ’er hath wept one tear, or b orne one pain
(The M aster said, and en tered into rest),
N ot fearing w ra th, nor m e an in g to be blest,
S im ply for love, how beit w r o u g h t in vain,
Of one poor soul, his brother, being old,
O r sick, or lost th ro u g h satisfied desire,
S tan d s in G od’s vestibule, an d hears liis Choir
Make merry jnusie on their harp s of gold.
W h a t is it but the deed of V e r y Love,
To teach sad eyes to smile, m u te lips to move ?
A n d he th a t for a seore of centuries
H a t h lived, an d calls a co n tinen t his own,
G iving world-weary souls H e a v e n ’s best snrpriso,
H a lts only a t the threshold of th e Throne.
R e fe rrin g to the above, Truth says :— The Spectator, last
week, published a s h o rt and r a t h e r n ea t poem on " B u d d h a ,”
signed “ A. C. Benson, A d d in g to n Park, C roydon.” Of
course, a fath e r is no t to be held responsible for his son’s
opinions ; b u t it will certainly be tak en as a sign of the times
t hat a son of the Archbishop of C a n te rb u ry should publish
some verses in vindication of a “ h ea th e n ” religion and declare
t h a t B udd ha himself—
“ H alts only at the threshold of th e th ro n e .”— Tim es of
India.
■ » ■
A D E P T S A N D P O L IT IC S.
BV C l I H A B I G R A M D o i . A T R A M ( D i k x h itu .)
'I'llE p e r u s a l of a n a r tic le lieado d “ T h e A d o p t s in
A m e r ic a in 1 7 7 6 ,” p u b lis h e d in t h e O c t o b e r n u m b e r of
th e T heosophist, h a s s u g g e s t e d t h e f o llo w in g d o u b ts ,
which, o i l a c c o u n t of th o e x t r a o r d i n a r y felicities of
p ersona l c o m m u n ic a tio n , w h ic h y ou seem to claim wiLli
Lhe A d e p ts , y ou a re s p e cia lly fitte d to solve. T h e
ar tic le is no d o u b t w r i tte n on h is ow n r e s p o n s ib ility by
the w rite r, w ho is p a r ti c u la r l y c a r e f u l to in f o rm his
rea d ers t h a t his s t a t e m e n t s h a v e b e e n m a d e “ w ith o u t
th e k n o w le d g e a n d c o n s e n t — as f a r as h e k n o w s — of t h e
A d ep ts.” T h e views a d v a n c e d , h o w e v e r, falls in,
en tirely w ith th o se h e ld in g e n e r a l b y t h e T h e o s o p h ic a l
S ociety, a u d t h e E d i t o r of t h e T heosophist is th e sole
a u t h o r i ty on a s u b je c t of th is sort.
* “ W h a t ia t h e u l t i m a t e e n d o f t h is Luka ( c o s m o s ) ? — i t is A k u s . ” —
T h e g i s t of t h e a r ti c le r e f e r r e d to a b o v e is c o n ta in e d
in t h e c o n c lu d in g p a r a g r a p h . I t seem s to c r e a te th o
im p re ssio n t h a t th e A d e p ts , as a n a t u r a l co n se q u e n c e of
th e ir u n iv e rsa l s y m p a t h y fo r t h e w e ll-b e in g of th e h u m a u
rac e, p a r t i c i p a t e d in t h e g r e a t A m e r ic a n R e v o lu tio n a n d
b r o u g h t a b o u t its h a p p y r e s u lt s t h r o u g h , as it w ere, t h e
m e d iu m of W a s h i n g t o n a n d o th e rs . I n s h o rt, it is
i n t e n d e d to say t h a t T h o m a s P a in e , B r o t h e r (?) B e n ja m in
( b y e t h e b y , h is t o r y h a s k e p t ns e n t ir e ly iu t h e d a r k
a b o u t h is c o n n e c t io n w ith T h eo so p h y ) a n d a h o s t of
o t h e r le a d e r s of th is R e v o lu tio n w o rk e d in t h e p a r t i ­
c u la r m a n n e r , t h e y a r e sa id to hav e done, s im p ly b e ­
ca u se t h e y w e r e m o v in g u n d e r t h e g u id in g in s p i r a tio n
of t h e A d e p t s . I n f a c t t h e a r ti c le m e a n s t h a t t h e n e c e s ­
s it y of a R e v o lu tio n in A m e r ic a , a n d , fo r th e m a t t e r of
t h a t , a r o u g h p la n of all t h e s u b s q u e n t o p era tio n s, w ero
p r e c o n c e iv e d in t h e m i n d s of th e s e M a h a t m a s lo n g
b e fo re t h e so-ca lle d F r e e m a s o n b r o t h e r s h a d a n e a r t h l y
e x iste n c e . T h e p r i n c i p l e inv o lv e d , e v id e n tly , seem s
to be t h a t t h e lir s t c o n c e p t io n of all su c h R e v o lu tio n s ,
as are, in t h e o pinion of t h e w rite r , in t h e i r u ltim a te
r e s u lts , beneficial to h u m a n i t y , a n d t h e s u b s e q u e n t se lec­
tion of h u m a n a g e n c y f o r w o r k i n g th e m o u t, h a v e i n ­
v a ria b ly h a d t h e i r first o r i g i n in t h e l a u d a b le so lic itu d e
of th e A d o p t s fo r t h e p r o g r e s s of h u m a n ity .
W i l l t h e w r i te r , th e re fo r e , o r t h e E d i t o r , u n d e r g o a
little tr o u b l e to sa tisfy o u r c u rio sity , w h ic h a p e r u s a l
w rite r h im ­
of t h e a r ti c le v e r y n a t u r a l l y r a is e d as to t h e p a r t w hich
w h ich he t h e A d e p t s to o k iu t h e E n g l i s h R e v o lu tio n of 16-1-9 V
W a s P r e s i d e n t B r a d s h a w , w ho, in a s e lf - c o n s titu te d
C o u r t of J u s t i c e , t r i e d and. c o n d e m m e d to d e a th , his
law ful s o v e re ig n C h a rle s I . , u n d e r th e ce le stia l influence
of th e M a h a tm a s , as C itiz en P a i n e s u b s e q u e n tl y w as ?
W a s C ro m w ell th e n no m o re th a n a m e re p u p p e t d a n ­
c i n g to t h e p n lls of t h e s t r i n g , w hich t h e A d e p ts , of
c o u rse , k e p t in t h e i r o w n h a n d s ? W h y w ore th e y , p o o r
souls, w ho d id e v e r y t h i n g b u t in s t r i c t o b e d ie n c e to tho
in w a r d d i e t a t e s o f s u p e r io r s p i r i t s , a l l o w e d , t h e n , b y th e a ll­
p o w erfu l A d e p t s to snlVer t h e in d ig n i ty of h a v i n g th e ir
d e a d r e m a in s (m ay th e y r e s t in pea ce !) d i s i n t e r r e d a n d
h a n g e d b y t h e p u b lic e x e c u t i o n e r ?
T h e F r e n c h ({evolution of 1789, too, w hioh h as bee n
f ru itfu l of suc h v a s t co n s e q u e n c e s , could, b y no m eans,
b e c o n c eiv ed to h a v e t a k e n p la ce w ith o u t t h e A d e p t s
h a v i n g l e n t a p o w e r fu l h e l p i n g h a n d to it. C itiz en
P a in e Jiad no d o u b t lo n g since b e e n p r e p a r e d for th e
w o rk ; b u t it wns to D anfon, R o b e s p ie re a n d M a ra t,
w ho h a v e a c q u ir e d so w o rld -w id o a n o t o r ie ty b y th e ir
d e e d s, a n d to w hose inllueuc e t h e F r e n c h R e v o lu tio n
is cliielly i n d e b t e d fo r t h e t u r n it s u b s e q u e n tl y took,
t h a t th e M a h a t m a s m u s t h a v e t u r n e d w ith a p e c u lia r
fe e lin g of g r a t i lic a tio n as a, s e t of i n s t r u m e n t s incom-
pauably s u p e r io r to P ain e , W a s h i n g t o n a n d all th e o th e r
A m e r ic a n R e v o lu tio n is ts . W i l l y ou, t h e n , e n l ig h te n us
how m u c h of th is r a r e in s p ira tio n , u n d e r w h ich th e y
a c te d , t h e y o w ed to t h e M a h a t m a s ?
W e r e V ic t o r E m m a n u e l am i G a r ib a ld i, w hile w o rk in g
o u t th e re v o lu tio n in I t a l y , d o i n g no m o r e th a n c a r r y in g
o u t th e w ishes of t h e T i b e t a n B r o t h e r s ? J t caunot, L
th in k , a d o p t i n g t h e line of a r g u m e n t s th e w r i te r
has a d o p t e d , b e d e n ie d t h a t all th e se revolu tions h a v e
be e n b r o u g h t a b o u t b y , a n d th e a g e n ts e m p lo y e d in
th e m h a v e b e e n m e r e i n s t r u m e n t s in the h a n d s ol,
t h e s o M a h a tm a s . It is said, o f c o u r s e a s a p ro o f of tlie
a c tu a l s h a r e t h e M a h a t m a s h a d in th e w o rk , t h a t
T h o m a s P a in e saw o r a t le a s t t b o u g h t h e saw “ a v a s t
sc en e o p e n i n g b e f o r e h i m , ” anti iu a n o t h e r p la c e t h a t
“ som e t h o u g h t s b o l t into Lhe m in d of t h e i r o w n a c c o r d . ”
I f th e s e sim p le t h i n g s a r e sullicient to e n t itle P a in e to a
claim to s u p e r n a t u r a l visitatio n s, is it u n r e a s o n a b le to a r g u e
t h a t L o r d B y r o n was also a c t u a t e d b y th e sa m e b e n i g n
influence w h e n h e , w ith a s e lf - a b a n d o n m e n t of w o rld ly
c o m fo r ts a n d c o n v e n ie n c e s, a n d a v o lu n ta r y subm ission
to p h y sic al h a r d s h i p s a n d p r iv a t io n s w hich m e r i t t h e h i g h ­
e s t p raise , re p a ire d fo (! recce to ta k e an a c tiv e p a r t iu th e
of M is s o lo n g h i ? H o w f a r th is is c o r r c c t you alo n e aro
m a p o sitio n to say, as yo u alone e n j o y a f a m ilia r in tim a c y
■with th o M ahatm as.
T o p r e v e n t m is a p p r e h e n s io n , I s h o u ld c o n c lu d e w ith
t h e r e m a r k t h a t as a n o r t h o d o x H i n d u I do b eliev e in
t h e e x iste n c e of M a h a t m a s , t h o u g h I m u s t c a n d id ly
confess t h a t such a r g u m e n t s as h a v e fro m tim e to tim e,
a p p e a r e d in y o u r v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g jo u r n a l in p r o o f of
t h e e x iste n ce of the M a h a tm a s , h a v e failed to b r i n g c o n ­
v ictio ns h o m e to m e.
B r o a c t t , ")
2 7 th October 1883. J
E d i t o h ’s N o t e . —Our Jou rn al is open to th e personal views of
overy Theosophist “ in good s t a n d i n g ” , provided lie is a toler­
ably good w riter,and forcing his opinions upon no one, holds him ­
self alone responsible for liis utte ran ces. This is clearly shown
in tho policy, hitherto pursued by tho Magazine. B ut why should
o ur correspondent make so sure th a t “ the views advanced
falls in entirely with those held in general by the Theosophical
Society ?” The E d ito r of this periodical for ono disagrees entirely
with the said views, as understood by our critic. N eith er the
Tibetan nor the modern H in du M ahatmas for th e m a tte r of that,
o ver meddle with politics, th ou gh they may brin g their influence
to b ear upon more t,linn one mom entous quest ion in the history
of a nation—their m other country especially. If any Adepts have
influenced W ashington or b ro u g h t about the g reat A meiicau
llevolution, it was not the “ '1 ibelan M ah atm as” at any rate ; for
these have never shown much sy m p ath y with the l ’elings of
w h atever W estern race, except as lorm ing a part of H umanity
in general. Y et it is as certain though this conviction is
merely a personal one, th a t several Brothers of the Bosie i ross
— or “ liosicrucians,” so called—did take a prominent part in the
American s tru g g le for independence, as much as in the French
Revolution du rin g tho whole of the past century. We have docu­
m en ts to th a t effect, and th e proofs of it are in our possession,
l i n t these Kosicrucians were E u ropeans and American settlers,
who acted quite independently of tiie Indian or Tibotan Initiates.
A n d the “ Ex-asiatic” who premises by saying th a t his s ta te ­
ments aro made entirely upon his own personal responsibility—
sottles this question from th e first. He refers to Adepts in
i/cncral and not to Tibetan or H indu M ahatm as necessarily, as
o ur correspondent seems to think.
No Occult theosophist has ever th o u g h t of connocting
Benjamin Franklin, or “ B roth er B enjam in” as he is called in
A merica, with theosophy; with tb is exception, however, t h a t tho
g re a t philosopher and electrician seems to be one more proof of
t.he mysterious influence of num bers and figures connected wilh
t h e d a t e s of the birth, death and other events in the l i f e of1 cer­
tain rem arkable individuals. F ra n k lin was born on the 17th of
tho m o n th .(Jan u ary , 1700) died on the 17fch (April, 1700) nnd was
the youngest of th e 17 children of his parents. Beyond t h i s ,
thero is certainly nothing to connect him with modern theosophy
or even with the theosophists of th e 18th century — as the great
body of alchemists and Kosicrucians called themselves.
Again n either the editor nor any m em b er of the Society
acquainted even superficially with the rules of tho A d e p ts —[the
former individual named, disclaiming emphatically the ra th e r
sarcastic charge of the w riter to her being “ alone to enjoy or
claim the extraordinary felecity of personal communication wit Ii
th e A depts” ] —would believe for one m o m e n tt h a t any of the oruel,
blood-thirsty heroes —the rogicides and others of 1'Jnglish and
French history—could have ever been inspired by any A d e p t—■
let alone a H indu or Buddhist M ahatma. The inferences drawn
from th e article “ Tho A d epts in America in 1770,’’ a r e a little
too far-fetched by our im aginative correspondent. President
Bradshaw — if such a cold, hard and impassivo man can be sus-
pecLed of h avin g ever been influenced by any power outside of,
and foreign to, his own soulless e n tity — must havo been inspired by
the •* lower J e h o v a h ” oftlio old T e s ta m e n t—the Mahatma and
P aram atm a, or the personal’’ god of Calvin and those Puritans
who b u rn t to the g re a te r glory of their d e ity —“ ever ready f o r a
bribe of blood to aid th e foulest cause” *—alleged witches aud
heretics by h u nd red of thousands. Surely it is not the living
Jla h a tm a s b ut “ tho Biblical one living God,” he who, thousand
of years ago, had inspired J e p th a h to m u rd er his daughter, and
th e weak David to hang th e seven sons and grandsons of Said
“ in the hill before the L o rd ;” and who again in our own age hud
moved Guiteau to shoot P residen t Garfield—th a t must have also
inspired Danton and Kobespire, M arat ar.d the Kussian Nihilists
to open eras of Terror and tu r n Uhurches iuto slaughter-houses.
Nevertheless, it is our firm conviction based on historical evi­
dence and direct inferences from m any of th e Memoirs of those
days that the French Revolution is du e to ono A dept, I t is th a t
mysterious personage, now conveniently classed with other his­
torical charlatans'’ (i. e. g reat men whose occult knowledge and
powers shoot over tho heads of the imbecile majority), namely, the
* Sco T h e k e y s o f th e C r e e d s , b y a l l o m a n C a t h o l i c I ’r i e s t ,
C ount de S t. Germ ain —who b ro u g h t about th e ju s t outbreak
among the paupers, aud pu t an end to tlio selfish tyranny of the
F ren ch k in g s —the “ elect, and the L ord’s anointed.” And we
know also th a t am ong tho Carbonari—the precursors and pioneers
of Garibaldi there was more th an one Freemason deeply versed in
occult sciences and Kosicrucianism. To infer from the article
th a t a claim is laid down for Paine “ to supernatural visitors” is io
m isconstrue tho entire meaning of its a u t h o r ; and it shows very
little knowledge of theosophy itself. There may bo Theosophists
who are also Spiritualists, iu England and America who firmly be­
lieve in disembodied visitors; b ut neither they nor we, Eastern
Theosophists, have ever believed in the existence of supernatural
visitors. W e leave this to the orthodox followers of their respective
religions. It, is quite possiblo th a t certain a rg u m e n ts adduced in
this journal in proof of the existence of our Mahatmas, “ havo
failed to bring conviction home” to ou r c o rr e s p o n d e n t; nor does
it much m a tte r if th ey have not. B u t w hether we refer to the
M ahatm as he believes in, or to thoso whom we personally know_
once th a t a man has raised himself to the eminence of one, unless
ho be a sorcerer, or a Dugpa, he can never be an inspirer of sinful
acts. To the H ebrew s a y in g ," I, the Lord create evil,” the Mahat­
ma” a n sw ers— “ I, tho In itiate try to counteract and destroy it.”
-------*------
T IIM A L A Y A N A N D O T H E R M A JIA T M A S.
( A n O pen letter to M a il a m e 'B l a v a t s h j .)
By II a m a S o u r i n d r o G a r g y a D e v a .
B e f o r e I co m e to th o s u b j e c t - m a t t c r of t h e p r e s e n t
c o m m u n ic a tio n , n a m e ly , t h e e x is te n c e of t h e I lim a ly a n
M a h a t m a s as liv i n g p e r s o n s , I b e g to b e i n d u l g e d w ith
a few r e m a r k s s u g g e s t e d b y t h e i r p r e s e n t p o sitio n w ith
r e g a r d to tlio w o rld a t l a r g e — a p o sitio n in to w hich
th e y h a v e b eon b r o u g h t chiefly t h r o u g h th o i n s t r u m e n ­
t a l i t y of y ou, M a d : ISlavatsky, Colonel O lco tt, M r. S in n e t t
a n d a few o th e r s , a n d oue w h ich , w ith t h e la te s t d e v e lo p ­
m e n t s in L o n d o n , is b e i n g b i t t e r l y r e s e n t e d by all H i n d u
s t u d e n t s of O c c u ltis m .
A s tim e rolls on, I h o p e th o a b o v e n a m e d T h eo so p h ica l
le a d e r s will see ho w u n j u s t a n d u n ju s tifia b le w ere th e ir
r e p r o a c h e s on th o H i n d u s , f o r lo o k in g fro m th e b e g i n n ­
in g on t h e F o u n d e r s a n d t h e i r m is sio n w ith a ce rta in
a m o u n t of d i s t r u s t a n d w a n t of c o r d ia lity . T h o s e w ho did
n o t b e lie v e iu th o sc ienc e of O cc u ltism a u d its g r e a t M a s ­
te r s n a t u r a l l y o p p o se d t h e m ; th o s e w ho b elie v e d in b o th
o r w ere s t u d e n t s of o ccultism th e m se lv e s o p p o s e d th e m
still m o r e s tr o n g l y . T h e y s h r u n k fro m t h e m a s d esec ra -
to r s of t h e H o l y N a m e of Risliis a n d o u r m o d e rn
M a h a t m a s . T h e y h a v o ta lk e d of t h e M a s t e r s befo re an
ir r e v e r e n t a n d im s y m p a t h is in g w o rld , a n d t h e r e b y
r e n d e r e d o u r L a r e s a n d P e n a t e s t h e p l a y t h i n g of tho
sc ep tical m o b of n o m in a l C h r is t ia n s , S p ir i tu a l is ts a n d
M a te r ia lis ts . I n t h e i r d e fe n c e t h e F o u n d e r s m i g h t n r g e
t h a t t h e i r e n d e a v o u r s h a v e n o t b e e n u n p r o d u c t i v e of
g o o d to o u r c o u n try , a n d h a v e b r o u g h t o v e r a few
I'htropeans to t h e r i g h t p a t h . B u t s u r e ly t h e y d o u o t
b e lie v e t h a t t h e gain of a few E u r o p e a n s is a t all c o u n t e r ­
b a l a n c e d b y su c h ac ts, as f o r e x a m p le , t h e p r o f a n in g
th e n a m e of m y m o s t beloved a n d v e n e r a t e d C hoh a n. !
T o find how sa d ly e v e r y id e a of rea l r e s p e c t is m is u n d e r ­
sto o d by th e O c c id e n ta l, oue h a s b n t to t u r n to M r,
S i n u e t t ’s Occult W orld a n d g la n c e a t th e d e d ic a tio n
d is f ig u r e d b y g r o t e s q u e a d d i t i o n s to m y M a s t e r ’s one
n a m e — h o w e v e r i l a t t e r i n g t h e y m i g h t soem to t h e p r o ­
f a n e eye. '
A d d r e s s i n g m y g r i e v a n c e to th e tw o chief T h e o s o p h i s ts
p e r so n a lly , 1 m a y b e p e r m i t t e d to s ta te th e fo llo w in g :—
I f yo u h a d a n y g o o d h o p e s as to tho issue a t t h e b e g i n ­
n in g , I su p p o s e y o u h a v e le a r n e d b e t t e r f r o m w h a t we
p a in fu lly look u p o n as t h e g ro ss b la s p h e m y of th e S p i r i ­
tu a lis t s in E n g l a n d a n d A m e r ic a . T h e y k n o w u o t w h a t
th e y do, b u t y o u k n e w on ly too well h o w m u c h it w ould
g r ie v e us all t h e sam e. I s u p p o se y ou will r e a d ily a d m it
t h a t t h e b la m e is m o r e on y o u t h a n on t h e i g n o r a n t S p i r i ­
tu a lis t s . F o r t h e y can p le a d th e ir i g n o r a n c e w h ic h you
ca n n o t, a n d y ou k n o w t h a t it is no d e fe n c e t h a t y o u r acts
a r e s a n c ti o n e d by t h e M a h a tm a s . T h e G r e a t Ones who
h a v e c o n q u e r e d th e h id e o u s m o n s t e r of A h a n k a r a will
lo o k w i t h a n equ a l eye on a b u s e o r a d u l a ti o n . B u t we
H i n d u s , w h o r e c k o n it a sin to help a B r a l im a u in his
 acts of s e lf - a b a s e m e n t a n d sacrifice, h o w e v e r m e r i t o ­
rious tli e ir o b je c t, ca n l ia r d ly be m a d e to f o r g e t y o u r
in d is c re tio n s.
So l o n g a s t h e e x is te n c e of t h e M a h a t m a s f o r m e d one
b r a n c h of a dile m m a , w ith y o u r a l l e g e d “ t r i c k e r y ” fo r
th e o t h e r b r a n c h , wo w e re q u ite c o n t e n t t o l e t y o u f ig h t
y o u r o w n b a t t l e in th o b e s t w a y y o u c o u ld . B u t w h e n
th e g e n u i n e n e s s of t h e p h e n o m e n a is a d m i t t e d , a n d o u r
v e n e r a te d M a ste rs, t h o M a h a t m a s , w h o p r o d u c e th e m ,
are s o u g h t to b e d r a g g e d d o w n to t h e le v el of t h e b h u ta s
a n d p isa c h a s of t h e S p iri tu a l is ts , i t b e c o m e s o u r u n p le a ­
s a n t y e t s a c r e d d u t y t o do w h a t w e c a n to la y fa c ts
before t h e p u b lic , suc h as m i g h t in s p ire f a ir a n d u n p r e ­
ju d ic e d p e r s o n s a t a n y r a te , w ith a n a s s u r a n c e iu th e
ex iste n ce of t h e B L E S S E D O N E S — h o w e v e r lu d ic r o u s in
o u r s i g h t su c h a n a t t e m p t m i g h t a p p e a r .
T h a t th e r o aro m e n iu t h is c o u n t r y w h o c o n s t a n t l y
e x e rcise p o w e rs r e s e m b l i n g th o so of o u r G u r u devus, u n d e r
c i rc u m sta n c e s to r e n d e r t h e s u sp ic io n of m e d iu m s h i p p e r ­
fec tly im p o ssible , h a s b e e n w ell e s t a b l i s h e d b y t h e t e s t i ­
m o n y of w itn e sse s , w h o s e j u d g m e n t a n d v e r a c i t y a r e b e y o n d
qu estion, b e i n g n a tiv e s a n d E u r o p e a n s of e d u c a t io n a n d
-sliigh p o sition. T h e lim ite d tim e a t m y d isp o s al r e n d e r s
it im p o s sib le t o b r i n g to a focus all t h e a v a ila b le e v i­
d e n c e ; it will b e q u i t e e n o u g h f o r m y p r e s e n t p u r p o s e to
cite H u r r y D a s s S a d h u , w ho v is i te d t h e C o u r t of l t u n j i t
S i n g h of t h e P u n j a b (seo G am p a n d C o u rt o f R u n j i t
S i n g h ) , a n d th o B h u K a ila s Y o g i w h o w as se e n b y all
C a lc u tta of t h e .la s t g e n e r a tio n , a u d a m o n g o th e r s , b y
th e e m in e n t sc h o la r D r. l i a j e n d r a L a l a M it r a , l . l . d . ,
c . 1. e . L e t y o u r s p ir itu a lis tic f rie n d s , b e f o r e th o y
sit in t h e c r it ic ’s c h a i r a g a i n , a c q u a i n t th e m s e lv e s w ith
th e s e fa c ts a n d e x a m in e t h e i r th e o r i e s a n d h y p o t h e s e s
in t h e l i g h t we f u rn is h t h e m w ith .
U n le s s t h e y first q u a lify t h e m s e lv e s f o r t h e i r self­
c o n s t i t u t e d c e n s o r s h ip , t h e i r o p in io n s w ill n o t b e e n t itle d
to m u c h c o n s id e ra tio n ; so l o n g a s t h o y do n o t
first i n v e s tig a te t h e ca p a c itie s of th o liv in g m a n ,
t h e i r e x p l a n a tio n s of, a n d bolief in, th o p o w ers
of t h e dead in t h e p r o d u c ti o n of t h e i r pheno­
m e n a c a n n o t by a n y m e a n s g o t b e y o n d h a l f t r u t h s .
W e h a v e no o b je c tio n if t h e y f o n d ly h u g - t h e h a lf as
e x c e e d in g th o w hole. B u t w h e n , in to x i c a t e d w ith tlieir
y o u n g d isc o v ery , t h e y se ek t o c o n f o r m e v e r y t h i n g to
th e ir p r o c r u s te a n b ed , th e w hole affa ir p u t s on a n a m u s i n g
b u t m isch ie v o u s a s p e c t. I t h a s b e e n a d m i t t e d b y som e
of tlie a d v a n c e d t h i n k e r s of t h e s p ir itu a lis t p a r t y t h a t
t h e r e is no A p r i o r i im p o s sib ility f o r liv in g m en to e x e rcise
th e p o w e rs t h e y claim f o r d e p a r t e d “ s p i r i t s ; ” t h e n does
it n o t s t r i k e t h e m t h a t it is tlie r e v e r s e of w isd o m to
ig n o r e th is b r a n c h of t h e e n q u i r y a l t o g e t h e r , a n d b e n d
e v e r y t h i n g to t h e i r h a s ty h y p o th e s e s , w h ic h h a v e
re m a in e d s t a g n a n t all t h e s e y e a r s ? S u re ly C irc e lias
c a s t h e r spells o v e r th o s p ir itu a lis tic w ise m e n ! I sh all
t a k e a n in s ta n c e . M r. H a r r i s o n , 011 t h e s t r e n g t h of a n
a lle g e d “ p la g ia r is m ,” in t h e M e d i u m a n d D a y - b r e a k
com es to th o conclusion t h a t M a d a m o B l a v a t s k y m u s t
bo a s t r o n g p h y s i c a l m e d iu m ; t h a t , th e re fo r e , sh e m u s t
bo liv in g a lu x u rio u s life, a n d th e r e f o r e , a g a i n , s h e is
g u ilt y of a f fe c ta tio n in d ir e c t i n g a s p i r a n t s f o r o c c u lt
k n o w le d g e to lead a n asce tic l i f e . . . T h e w h o le thing- has
b e e n th u s c r a m m e d in to t h e n u ts h e ll of a n h y p o th e s is .
T h i s lino of a r g u m e n t r e m i n d s one of th o s o le m n w ise ­
ac res w ho l a u n c h e d in to t h e o ce an of s p e c u la tio n w i t h ­
o u t w a it in g to see if th o fish w as rea lly h e a v ie r w h e n
d e a d t h a n w h e n alive. T h e e l a b o r a t e s t r u c t u r e ovolut-
ed fro m M r. H a r r i s o n ’s b r a i n will m e l t in to t h i n a i r if
s u b m i t t e d to a sin g le r a y of f a c t. T h o s o w h o k n o w
M a d a m o B l a v a ts k y , knoio w h a t a s t r i c t l y sim p le life
sh e h a s a lw a y s liv ed w hile h e re , in I n d i a , a n d is n o w
liv in g th e sa m e lifo to th e k n o w le d g o of all. I fo r on e
will u n h e s ita tin g ly p u t m y s to n e in tlio c a i r n of p ro o f
t h a t m a y easily b e r a is e d in r e g a l’d to t h a t f a c t in
an s w e r t o M r. H a r r i s o n ’s f u n n y sy llo g ism . I will d e s t r o y
i t w ith a n o t h e r ono, b u ilt o n i m p r e g n a b l e p r e m is e s .
M a d am o B l a v a ts k y , I e m p h a ti c a lly a s s e r t ia nob
liv i n g a lu x u r io u s life. S h e lives t h e m o s t is o la te d
a n d h a r d w o r k i n g , a s w ell as t h e s im p le s t of lives ; t h e r e ­
fo re sh e c a n n o t be a p h y s ic a l m e d iu m ; h e n c e all th e
a r g u m e n t s of M r. H a r r i s o n a r e c o m p le te ly d e m o lish e d .
T h o k e y s t o n e of th o a r c h b e i n g g o n e , th e w hole f a b r ic
n e c e s s a r ily c r u m b l e s d o w n in h id e o u s ru in . H a v i n g
t h u s r e p u l s e d t h e c h a r g e of S p i r i t u a l M r. H a r r i s o n
I com e to th o c o n s id e r a tio n of p o sitiv e p ro o fs r e q u ir e d
b y th o S p i r i t u a l i s t s f r o m us to d e m o n s t r a t e to t h e m t h e
a c tu a l e x i s te n c e of o u r M a s te r s . W o c a n offer th e m
n o b e t t e r o n e t h a n t h e f a c t of some of us ( t h e w r i t e r
in c lu d e d ) h a v in g lived long ye a rs w ith them.
T h o d is in c lin a tio n of t h e M a h a t m a s to c o n v in c e th o
w o rld of t h e i r e x is te n c e , a u d t h e re a s o n s for su c h d is i n ­
c l in a tio n h a v e b e e n sufficiently e x p l a in e d b y M r. S i n n e t t
in his Occult W o r ld a n d E so teric B u d d h i s m . H e n c e , all
t h a t Chelas, w h o k n o w t h e i r M a s te r s , a n d o th e rs , w h o
k n o w — b u t a r e f o r b id d e n to t a k e th o p u b lic in to t h e i r
co nfid e n ce— ca n b e e x p e c t e d to do is to d e c la re w h a t th e y
k n o w . I n cases on t h e r i g h t d ec ision of w h ic h h u m a n
lives a r e a t s t a k e , n o b e t t e r e v id e n c e is e v e r o b ta in e d
o r r e q u ir e d . B u t f a c ts, t h o u g h s t u b b o r n th i n g s , a re also
d o u b le - e d g e d , a n d I s h a ll n o t b e s u r p r i s e d if s o m e w ise
m a n of t h e W e s t , e a g e r to e m u la t e t h e m e m o r a b le f e a t of
t h a t F r e n c h A b b e w ho c o n c lu siv e ly d is p r o v e d t h e h i s ­
to ric a l e x i s te n c e of N a p o le o n I . a n d sh o w e d h is h is t o r y
to b e o n ly a so la r m y th , s h o u ld com o f o r w a r d a u d ,
s h a k i n g t h e i r lo g ic a l k a le id o s c o p e , r e a r r a n g e t h e e n t ir e
t h i n g . B u t it is n o t to s u c h s u p e r b g e n iu s e s t h a t I
a d d r e s s m y se lf. T h e t e s tim o n y 1 now p u t f o r w a r d is
i n t e n d e d f o r th o s o w hoso s p ir itu a l faculties a r e suffi­
c i e n tl y d e v e lo p e d to allow t h e i r t a k i n g a d v a n t a g e of
tlie w e ll-p r o v e n e x i s te n c e of t h e M a h a tm a s . Y e s ; 1
m o s t e m p h a ti c a lly d e c la r e t h a t th o holy S a g e s of t h e
s n o w y r a n g e — t h e B le s s e d H i m a la y a n M a h a t m a s — do
ex is t a n d G u r u deva K . H . , h a s th is one p o i n t in com m on
w ith liis p r e s u m p t u o u s c ritic s of t h e W e s t , t h a t
I 10 is as m u c h a liv i n g m a n as t h e y . I h a v o liv e d w ith
H i m a n d so m e of us, Chelas, w h o se n a m e s f r o m tim e to
tim e h avo a p p e a r e d iu y o u r jo u r n a l, still live u n d e r th e ir
p r o te c tio n a n d in t h e i r a b o d e s . I , t h e w rite r , a m 0 1 1 0
of tho p r iv ile g e d . B u t w h e n t h e tim o com es f o r m o to
h a v e t h e r i g h t of i m p a r t i n g f o r t h e b e n e f it of t h e w o rld ,
a p o r tio n of w h a t I sh a ll h a v e le a r n e d , I sh a ll n o t f o r g e t
th e t r e a t m e n t of m y b e lo v e d M a s te r a t t h e h a n d s of
of y o u r O c c id e n t a l w o u ld -b e B r a h m a n s , th o w ise -a cres
w ho t h i n k th e y k n o w so m u c h w h e n t h e y k n o w so little .
N o r a r e t h e p r e s e n t e v e n ts c a lc u la te d to m a k e a n y H i n d u
Chela a n x i o u s to s h a r e liis k n o w le d g e w i t h E u r o p e a n s .
O n e w o r d m o re . W e , H i n d u s , w h o k n o w w h y th o
in ju n c tio n h a s b o e n la id d o w n in th o B a g a v a t g ita a g a i n s t
u n s e t t l i n g t h e f a it h of t h e m u l t i t u d e , h a v e n e v e r t h e ­
less b e e n d r a g g e d in to a d e c la ra tio n , b e f o r e a n u n ­
b e l ie v i n g a n d u n s y m p a t h e t i c w orld, of t h a t w h ic h has
h i t h e r t o b e e n k n o w n o n ly t o a f e w u n p r e t e n d i n g B r a l n n a n s :
a n d I, f o r o n e, f e l t c o m p e lle d to p u b lis h t h i s p r o te s t .
B u t 1 c a n n o t le t th is l e t t e r g o w i t h o u t e x p r e s s in g m y
sin c e re p a i n in h a v i n g to a d d r e s s it to you, fo r w hom
p e r s o n a lly m y f e e l i n g s a r e to o w e ll-k n o w n .
D a r j i l i n g , N o v em b e r 1883.
.. . » ------
P S Y C H O - P H Y S I O L O G IC A L N O T E S.
B y A l e x a n d e r W i l d e r , F . T. S .*
O n e of o u r b e s t w r i t e r s on P s y c h o lo g y , if w e c a n b u t
r e a d h im in te lli g e n tl y , is S h a k e s p e a r e . H e s e e m s to
h a v e b e e n a n a d e p t in p sy c hologic science ; a n e x p e r t ,
rea lly , w ho s u r p a s s e s e v e r y one t h a t w e o b s e r v e to b e
c a lle d o u t in g r e a t tr ia ls a n d c e le b ra te d cases. H e h a d
110 m ic ro sc o p e to lo o k up m ole cules w i t h a n d g u e s s
w h e t h e r t h e y b e t r a y e d in te lle c t u a l h e a l t h or m oral
w e a k n e s s ; so h e c o u ld h a r d l y p a s s in t h e m e c h a n ic shop
o f a m o d e r n sc ie n tist. T h e g r e a t w o rld , h o w e v e r, h a s
p a s s e d its J u d g m e n t m o r e in te lli g e n tl y .
* D r A lex a n d er W ild er, M . D ,, F. A. S ., F. T. S ., P rofessor of
F a y ch o lo g ica l S cicnco in th o U . S. M e d ic a l C o lle g o o f N e w Y o r k , V ico
P resid en t an d C o u n s e llo r o f tlie P a r e n t T h co so p h ic a l S o cicty .
 I liave o f te n w o n d e r e d w h o S h a k e s p e a r e w a s— w h e t h e r
P l a t o , Z o ro a ste r, or K a p il a ; I n e v e r c o n s id e r e d h im th e
d is c ip le of F r a n c is B a c o n , l i e p a s s e d n o t in to tlie
i n t e l l e c t from t h e w orld of se nse, b u t w r o u g h t in t h e
r e g i o n of m in d w liat h e h a s p e r s o n a t e d a n d r e p r e s e n te d
so g lo riously. O ne c ould i m a g in e t h a t h e h a d r e a d t h e
in s c rip tio n s on A p o llo ’s T e m p le a t D e lp h i, “ e i , ” t h o u
a r t , and “ k n o w t i i y s e l f . ” H e g a v e G od his f a it h ; a n d
t h u s o u tfitted , h e b e g a n t h e s t u d y of m a n . A m ore
a c c u r a t e a n d p r o f o u n d k n o w le d g e t h e n h e e x h ib its , a
b e t t e r c o n c e p tio n of h u m a n n a t u r e , a m o r e t h o r o u g h
a p p r e h e n s io n of w h a t c o n s titu t e s d is o r d e r — all t h a t c o n ­
ce r n s th e p h y sic ia n , t h e s t u d e n t in m e n t a l science, th o
r e a l p s y c h o lo g is t, wo find s e t forth. H e t h a t h a t h ears
t o h e a r , c a n h e a r it ; h e t h a t h a t h e y e s to see, c a n see it
in h is p a g e s . E v e r y p h a s e of t h e s n b j e c t is r e p r e s e n t e d
a s n o w h e r e else.
A n o t h e r m o s t v a lu a b le a u x i lia r y to sncli s t u d y is
D o c t o r W i l k i n s o n ’s tr e a tis e o n “ T h e H u m a n B o d y a n d
its C o n n e c tio n w ith m a n . ” F e w w r i te r s h a n d l e th e s e
m a t t e r s so a b l y a n d e l a b o r a te ly as t h is m o s t d e s e r v in g
m a n a n d a u t h o r . B u t fo r t h e f a c t t h a t in c e r ta in of his
view s, h e does n o t a c c o r d w ith t h e p r e s c r i b e d d o g m a s ,
h e w ou ld r a n k n o w a m o n g t h e first.. I a d m ir e t h e v e ry
t i t l e of h is b o o k ; i t re c o g n iz e s p s y c h o lo g ic scien c e as
i h e t r u e h u m a n science, t h e g e n u i n e A n th r o p o l o g y .
H e r b e r t S p e n c e r says : “ T h o u g h wo c o m m o n ly r e g a r d
m e n t a l a n d b o d ily life as d is t in c t , it n e e d s o n ly to a s c e n d
so m e w h a t a b o v e t h e o r d i n a r y p o i n t of view to see t h a t
th e y a re s u b d iv isio n s of life in g e n e r a l , a n d t h a t n o line
o f d e m a r c a tio n c a n b e d r a w n b e t w e e n t h e m o th e rw is e
t h a n a r b i t r a r i l y . ” I f w e a c c o r d w ith th is p ro p o s itio n ,
w e m u s t of n e c e s sity look n p o n t h e h i g h e r m a n if e s ta tio n
as h a v i n g m o ro in t i m a t e r e la tio n s w ith t h e p sy c h ic
e n t i t y . T h e bodily life, t h e n , i s fo r t h e s a k e of t h e o th e r ,
t o a l to r d it a m e d iu m f o r b e c o m in g o b je c tiv e a n d in v e s t ­
e d w ith p hysic al c o n d itio n s. T h e m in d is t h e e n e r g y or
fo rc e t h a t p e r v a d e s t h e b o d y , k e e p i n g i t t o g e t h e r a u d in
a c tiv i ty . W h e n it d issolves t h e c o n n e c tio n , t h e b o d y
falls u n d e r th e ac tio n of o t h e r laws, a n d d issolves into
i t s m o le c u la r c o n s titu e n ts .
W h e n t h e p h y s ic ia n is ca lle d u p o n to a d v is e w ith t h e
p a t i e n t , h e c o n s id e rs w h e t h e r t h e d ise ase , o r r a t h e r th e
m a n if e s ta tio n w hich t h e m o r b i d c o n d itio n m a k e s , is
o r g a n ic o r f u n c tio n a l. I n t h e f o r m e r case, t h e r e will be
a c t u a l lesion, w h a t is te c h n ic a lly d e n o m i n a t e d a loss of
c o n t i n u i t y in a p a r t of t h e b o d y . I n t h e o t h e r in stan c e,
t h e r e is o n ly t h e d i s t u r b e d a c tio n of o r g a n i c s tr u c t u re .
T h i s d is t u r b a n c e is on ly t h e effect of a ca u se w h ic h is
in t e r i o r a n d h id d e n f r o m s ig h t . T h e e v e r y - d a y p r a c t i ­
ti o n e r will b e c o n t e n t w ith a f f o r d i n g relief to t h e s y m p ­
to m s w h ic h h a v e b e e n a s c e r ta in e d . W e w o u ld s u g g e s t
a f u r t h e r in q u iry . I t is o u r p la c e a n d d u t y to s e a r c h
f o r t h e causes, e x a m in i n g t h e m a t t e r as p s y c h o lo g is ts ,
a n d , th e r e f o r e , as p h i lo s o p h e r s — p e r h a p s as s e e r s a n d
prophets.
D o c t o r J a l i r in his tr e a t i s e o n H o m o e o p a th y , h a s
u t t e r e d t h e sa m e t h i n g . H e sa y s : " W e a r e to r e g a r d
e v e r y g i v e n case of dise ase less as a local affec tio n of
t h i s o r t h a t o r g a n , c a u s in g a g e n e r a l d e r a n g e m e n t in
t h e o r g a n is m , t h a n as a c o n s e q u e n c e of o r d i s t u r b a n c e in
t h e p r in c i p le w h ic h g o v e r n s a n d p r e s e r v e s in h a r m o n y
all t h e v ita l f u n c ti o n s of t h e b o d y . F r o m th is i t re su lts
t h a t , in p r a c tic e , i t is less i m p o r t a n t to r e m o v e t h e affec­
t i o n of a n o r g a n t h a n to r e g u l a t e t h e n o r m a l s t a t e of th e
p r in c i p le of h e a lth iu t h e o r g a n is m ; c o n v in c e d t h a t t h e
n o r m a l s ta te of th is p r in c ip le b e i n g r e - e s t a b lis h e d , all
th o c o n seq u e n ces a r i s i n g f r o m its d i s t u r b a n c e s w ould
also n a t u r a l l y cease, a n d in a m u c h m o r e c e r ta in a n d
p e r m a n e n t m a n n e r t h a n if t h e y h a d o n ly b e e n tr a n s f e r r e d
f ro m o u e p a r t to a n o t h e r b y d e r iv a tiv e s , o r m o m e n ta r il y
s u p p r e s s e d b y p a llia tiv e s.”
P h y sio lo g ic a l science, as i t n o w c o n s ists, h a s n o t
s e ttle d tho f a c t in r e g a r d to w h a t t h e e s s e n tia l p r in c ip le
of h e a l t h r e a lly is. W e m a y be p r e t t y c e r t a i n t h a t
c h e m ic a l p r e p a r a t i o n s a n d p h a r m a c e u tic a l c o m p o u n d s
w ill n o t r e a c h to it. l h e b o d y is only a n in c id e n t of
o u r in d iv i d u a li ty , a n d w h a te v e r d i s t u r b a n c e m ay be
g o i n g 011 in a n d a b o u t it, is s u p e rin d u c e d fro m t h a t which
p e r m e a t e s it, a n d a t t h e s a m e tim e e x t e n d s infinitely
b e y o n d . I t is t h e life itself, th o v e r y life, w ith w h ich
w e h a v e to do. T h is life is a o n e — a n ocean so to sp e ak ,
e x t e n d i n g e v e r y w h e re , a s t h e o ce an of w a te r e x t e n d s
o y e r a l a r g e p a r t of t h e e a r t h , a n d t h e n o b le r o ce an of
a i r all o v e r it, to m a n y m iles a b o v e o u r h e a d s . T h a t
o c e a n of life su b s is ts e v e r y liv in g c r e a tu r e s ; i t m a in ta in s
o u r b o d ily o r g a n i s m a n d all its tissues. I t a d d s no
w e i g h t to o u r b odie s, no b u l k , or a n y t h i n g of d im e n sio n ;
b u t i t k e e p s th e m alive. I t i s n o t ju s t , th e r e f o r e , to
c o n s id e r t h a t t h e s t u d e n t of t h e h e a lin g a r t is g o in g a t
all o u t of place, in t h e e n d e a v o u r to le a r n w h a t he cau of
th is a l l - p e r v a d i n g p rin cip le.
A b o u t th o tim e of th e C h r is t ia n era, th is d o c t r i n e was
r e v iv e d iu t h e w o rld of scientific le a r n in g . A th e n a io s
a p h y s ic ia n b o r n in P a m p h y li a , seem s to h a v e bee n
in s t r u m e n t a l in t h is m a t t e r . H e t a u g h t M a t e r i a M edica
as d i s t i n c t f r o m T h e r a p e u tic s , a n d also w ro te u p o n F o o d
a n d D ie t . H e w e n t a f te r w a r d to Home, w h ere ho
a c q u ir e d d is tin c tio n . H e m a in ta in e d t h a t t h e r e was a n
im m a te r i a l, a c tiv e p r in c ip le in t h e b o d y , w h ic h lie
d e n o m i n a t e d p n e u m a , o r s p i r i t ; a n d lie c o n s id e r e d th e
s t a t e w h ic h it w as in a s th o so urce of h e a l t h o r disease
H i p p o c r a t e s , f o u r h n n d r e d y e a r s b efo re , h a d t a u g h t
s o m e t h i n g of a v e r y s im ila r c h a r a c t e r . H e n a m e d th e
p r in c i p le w h ic h r e g u l a t e d t h e b o d ily f u n c tio n s p h u n s
o r n a t u r e . F r o m t h is w ord, th o s e w h o p r a c tic e th e
h e a lin g a r t a r e n o w called p h y s ic i a n s , o r s e r v a n ts of
n a t u r e . W h a t H ip p o c r a te s m e a n t w as a n all-pervadincr
p r in c i p le in t h e b o d y . I t is n o w ca lle d th e v is m e d ic a tr i r
naturec, tlie h e a l i n g forco of n a t u r e . I t i8 a n e n e S v
e s s e n ti a ll y s u p e r io r to m a te r ia l s u b s t a n c e . A th e n a io s
v e ry p r o p e r ly d e s i g n a t e d it as sp ir itu a l. I t i8 ‘ a u
h is to ric a l f a c t t h a t a school of m e d ic in e s p r a n g u p h v
t h e tit le of r n e u m a t i s h , o r S p iri tis ts , a u d p re v a ile d m ore
o r less 111 A s i a M in o r a n d S y ria , t h r o u g h t h e A p osto lic
a g e a n d lo n g a f t e r w a r d . I t w as p r e d o m i n a n t in P e r
g a m o s, t h e c ity w h e r e G a le n was b o r n a n d e d u c a t e d "
A n o t h e r th e o r y g r e w o u t of t h is ; t h a t th e r e is an
a n i m a l s p i r i t g e n e r a t e d in t h e blood. M a n y belive it
n o w ; a n d it se e m s to b e t h e d o c t r i n e of t h e B o o k s nf
M oses. “ T h e life of t h e flesh is iu t h e b lo o d ,” we a re
to ld iu t h e E n g l i s h v e rsio n of L e v itic u s .* ’ ‘
U u t z e r a n d P r o c lia s k a g iv e th is a n im a l s p ir it th e
n a m e of v i s nervosa, o r n e r v o u s force ; a n d p r o p o u n d e d
th o h y p o t h e s i s t h a t it lias its orig in in t h e b r a in . W e
a r e f u r t h e r to ld t h a t th is o r g a n is m is th e m o s t i m p o r t a n t
of all in t h e b o d y ; t h a t it is t h e s e a t of th e r a t i o n a l soul
o r i n t e r i o r m i n d ; a n d f u r th e r , t h a t it is t h e lin k b y w hich
t h e soul a n d b o d y a ro u n ite d , a n d t h e i n s t r u m e n t b y
w h ic h t h e soul, so lo n g as ifc is u n i t e d to t h e b o d y
p e r f o r m s its uses. B y it, in s h o rt, t h e m in d a c ts on th e
b o d y , a n d t h e b o d y , in tu r n , a c ts u p o n a n d influences
t h e m in d .
_ I c a n n o t a c c e p t th is d o g m a w i t h o u t c e r ta in qualifica­
tio n s . I t is tr u o in a g r e a t d e g r e e , b u t th e c u r r e n t ideas
u p o n t h e s u b j e c t a r e m o r e o r less a t fault. T h e r e is
s o m e w h a t of e x a g g e r a t i o n in t h e s ta te m e n t, so f r e q u e n t ­
ly m a d e , t h a t tlie soul, t h r o u g h t h e in s t r u m e n t a l i t y of
t h e c e re b r o -s p in a l a x is, h a s t h e p o w e r of e x c i t i n g in th e
b o d y v a rio u s m o v e m e n t s t h a t a r e in v o lu n ta r y , b u t w h ic h
a r e e s s e n tia l to i t : a s d ig e s tio n , assim ilatio n, se cretio n
a n d t h e o t h e r p h y sio lo g ic a l processes. T h e so f u n c tio n s
a r e as c o r r e c tly p e r f o rm e d b y in d iv id u als w i t h a d eficient
q u a lity of b r a in , a s b y th o se w ho a r e m o ro n o b ly e n d o w
ed . T h e h o r s e a n d t h e ox d ig o s t a n d a r e n o u r is h e d
a n d g o t h r o u g h w ith all th e p h y sio lo g ica l p ro c e s s e s as
w ell a s t h e c l e a r e s t- h e a d e d m an. T h e fishes, re p tile s
in s e c ts a n d o t h e r c r e a tu r e s te ll a lik e s to r y . I n a very
. .* t h e o r y nn{^beH ef~aB in echo from th o ~ S an cto o riefl~ o f~ th e
in itia te d h ie ro p h a n ts . _ I t .s n o t “an an im al s p i r i t g e n e ra te d i n t h e
b lo o d b n t b lo o d it s e l f is o n e o f t h e m a m e ra b le s ta te s of th a t S p irit or
ota,' and A n a l l y S w S S . L ^ " ' Tai’OUr’ ° ZOne' ftnimal Cle^ricity
 s tr ic t a n a lo g y , t h e g r a s s , tr e e s , a n d all tlie v e g e t a b l e
k in g d o m fee d , d ig e s t, a s sim ila te , s e c r e te , e x c r e t e a n d
p e r f o r m o tlie r fu n ctio n s. I see n o w a y to e s c a p e fro m
t h e c o nc lusion t h a t t h e b r a in a n d its d e p e n d e n c ie s ,
im p o r t a n t as t h e y a r e , do n o t e l im in a te t h e v ita l or
n e r v o u s f o rc e w h ic h c o n tro ls in t h e s e m a t t e r s . I f th e y
could b e r e m o v e d w ith o u t sh o c k , c le a r d o w n to t h e
m e d u lla o b l o n g a t a a n d its a s s o c ia te g a n g lia , t h e r e m i g h t
b e n o h i n d r a n c e w h a t e v e r to all t h e s e p h y sio lo g ic a l a c ts .
P r o f e s s o r G e o r g e E r n e s t S t a h l , of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of
H a ll e , a p p e a r s to h a v e a p p r o x i m a t e d m o r e closely to tlie
p h ilo s o p h ic a l fo u n d a tio n s .' H e p r o p o u n d e d t h e h y p o t h e ­
sis t h a t h e a l t h d e p e n d e d u p o n t h e i n t e g r i t y of t h e fluids
of t h e b o d y . H e h a s g o o d r e a s o n f o r his d o g m a , f o r all
t h a t is m o s t e s se n tia l to o u r e x i s te n c e is fluid. F iv e -
s e v e n th s o f t h e b o d y a r e c o n s t i t u t e d fro m w a te r . T h e
p a r t s w h ic h w e d e n o m in a t e solids a r e chiefly fro m t h a t
orig in . T h e n e r v o u s s y s t e m is fluid, o r n e a r l y so ; t h e
f a ts in th o b o d y a r e fluid, a n d so to a g r e a t e x t e n t a r e t h e
m uscles. T h e c i rc u la tio n of t h e b lo o d s u s t a in s e v e r y
p a r t of t h e s tr u c t u r e . W h e n a n y p a r t fails to g e t its
d u e a l lo tm e n t, i t s s t r e n g t h e b b s a w a y , a n d it b ec o m e s
inert. T h e b r a i n s to p s w o r k w h e n t h e b lo o d b e c o m e s
^deficient in im t r i tiv e m a te r ia l a n d v i ta l force.
P r o f e s s o r S t a h l h a d b e e n c o u r t p h y s ic ia n a t W e i m a r ,
t h e m e tr o p o lis of t h e in te lle c tu a l w o r l d of G e r m a n y .
H e d id n o t r e ly u p o n b o o k s fo r h is i n s t r u c t i o n so m u c h
a s u p o n h is o b s e rv a tio n a n d c o n t e m p l a ti o n . T h is is b y
u o m e a n s a n u n r e a s o n a b le m e th o d . T h ere is a p resc ien c o
in t h e h u m a n in te lle c t w h ic h u s u a lly a n t i c i p a t e s tlie
d isc o v ery of t r u t h , a criticis m w h ic h c o n c e r n s its e lf w ith
t h e p r o f o u n d sig n ific an c e of t h i n g s , ev e n b e y o n d th e o r y
o r c a lc ulus ; a n d all p h e n o m e n a e v e n tu a lly r e so lv e t h e m ­
selves in a c c o r d a n c e w ith it. R e a s o n its e lf is b u t r a d i a ­
tio n , a s a y in g of t h e A b s o l u t e V e r ity . S t a h l relied
u p o n his i n tu i tiv e p e r c e p t i o n a s t h e m e a n s of k n o w i n g
t h e t r u t h . H e a t t e m p t e d a r e v o lt a g a i n s t t h e p h y s ic o ­
c h e m ic a l d o g m a s w h ic h h a d s w e p t o v e r t h e m e d ica l
w o rld lik e a sirocco, d e b i l i t a t i n g e v e ry h e a r t a n d in te lle c t
w h e r e it blew. T h e b o d y is p as siv e, h e t a u g h t , r e c e iv ­
in g influences from t h e soul ; a n d i t is n e c e s s a r y to t h e
soul, in o r d e r to e s ta b lis h con scio u s re la tio n s w ith t h e
e x t e r n a l w orld. N o m u s c le of t h e b o d y is a force, b u t
on ly t h e i n s t r u m e n t of a force. A ll m o t i o n im p lies a n d
r e q u ir e s t h e o p e r a tio n of a s p ir itu a l m o v i n g a g e n c y .
H e affirm ed t h a t e v e r y p a t h o lo g ic a l affec tio n w a s t h e
r e s u l t of t h e r e a c tio n of t h e soul a g a i n s t th e m ortific
a g e n t , a n d t h a t tlie to t a l i t y of t h e s y m p t o m s of a n y
g i v e n case o f d ise ase on ly r e p r e s e n t s a n d i n d ic a t e s
t h e succession of v ita l m o v e m e n t s . Sam uel T hom son
a n d t h e m o r e p h ilo s o p h ica l E c l e c t ic s t a u g h t t h e sam e
d o c trin e . I h a v e r e p e a te d ly h e a r d it u t t e r e d b y b r o a d -
b r o w e d , s u n - b u r n t m e n . T lie lo g ic al o u tc o m e o f th is
d o c t r i n e is, t h a t t h e p h y s ic ia n ’s d u t y is e i t h e r to r e m a in
a s t h e in a c tiv e w itn e ss of t h e s t r u g g l e , or t o a id t h e soul
in te l l i g e n t l y in h e r e n d e a v o r s to r e s t o r e t h e b o d y to a
s ta te in w h ic h it will b e h e r u n o b s t r u c t e d a n d p a s s iv e
i n s t r u m e n t . A s p h e n o m e n a , t h e t h i n g s w h ich a p p e a r
a b o u t us, a r e n o t t h e g e n u i n e rea litie s , so s y m p t o m s a r e
n o t dise ase . I t r e q u ir e s in te llig e n c e , s p ir itu a l in s i g h t,
to d ea l w ith s y m p t o m s . W e a r e lia b le o th e rw is e , w i t h
o u r b u n g l i n g a n d c r u d e r e m e d ie s , to d e r a n g e t h e w ise
c o m b in a tio n s of t h e soul, t h e s u p r e m e r e g u l a t o r of t h e
e c o n o m y ; to im p e d e a n d h i n d e r its efforts to s e t its e lf
r i g h t w ith t h e p h y s ic a l o r g a n is m .
T lie le a r n d a n d w ise G e r m a n , h o w e v e r, seem s n o t to
h a v e b e e n c l e a r in r e g a r d to t h e m o d o of c o m m u n ic a ti o n
b e tw e e n tlio tw o . B a r t h e z m e n t i o n s t h e v i t a l p rin c ip le ,
b u t c u rio u sly d e c la r e s t h a t it is n e i t h e r a s u b ti le e n t i t y
i n t e r m e d i a t e b e t w e e n soul a n d b o d y , n o r a m o d e of
o r g a n iz e d m a t t e r . I t is m o r e c o m m o n a t t h e p r e s e n t
tim e to n a m e it t h e vis vitcc o r vires v i t u l e s ; b u t even
w ith t h i s it se em s to b e r e g a r d e d as so m e b l i n d p r in c ip lo
a b o u t us w h ic h p h y s ic ia n s t a l k a b o u t — a k i n d of s a lt
to k e e p t h e b o d y f r o m d e c a y . “ I m a r v e l , ” says t h e
D ru id ic p o e t T aliesia, " t h a t in t h e i r b o o k s t h e y d o n o t
k n o w w ith c e r t a i n t y w h a t a r e t h e p r o p e r tie s of t h e soul,
of w h a t f o r m a r e its m e m b e r s , w h a t r e g io n is its abod e,
w h a t s p ir it, w h a t in flo w in g s u s t a in s i t . ” T h is is p e r ­
h a p s as j u s t a c r itic is m n o w as tw e lv e c e n tu r ie s a n d
m ore ago.
V a n H e l m o n t , t h e f a t h e r of m o d e r n m e d ic in e , was
cle a re r in h is c o n c e p tio n s. H e d e c la r e d t h a t t h e soul
w as n o t f e t t e r e d to a n y one o r g a n of t h e b o d y , b u t
diffused its e lf t h r o u g h all. H e v e n t u r e d to e x p e r i m e n t
on h im s e lf w i t h a c o n ite , a n d fo u n d his v e r y se n se a n d
co n s cio u sn e ss t r a n s p o s e d . H e no lo n g e r t h o u g h t a n d
felt w i t h t h e h e a d , b u t w i t h t h e o rg a n ism in t h e r e g io n
of th e s t o m a c h . H is p o w e r of p e r c e p tio n w as c l e a r e r
t h a n ever. H e n e i t h e r s le p t n o r d r e a m e d , b u t t h o u g h t
w ith t h e c o n s c io u sn e ss a t th o e p i g a s t r ic ce n tre. H e
d e n o m in a t e s t h e [nervous s t r u c t u r e a t t h a t p o in t th e sun-
tissue, f ro m t h e a n c i e n t d e s ig n a t io n . “ T h e su n-tissue
is th o c h ie f s e a t a n d e s s e n ti a l o r g a n of t h e sou l,” he
d ec la re s ; “ t h e g e n u i n e s e a t a n d se n s a tio n is th e r e , as
t h a t of m e m o r y is in t h e h e a d . R e flec tion , t h e c o m ­
p a n io n of t h e p a s t a n d f u t u r e , in q u ir y in to c irc u m s ta n c e s ,
a r e t h e f u n c ti o n s of t h e h e a d ; b u t t h e r a y s a r e s e n t b y
t h e soul f ro m t h e c e n tr e , f r o m t h e r e g io n of t h e s to m a c h .
T h e iso la te d c o g n i tio n s of t h e f u tu r e , a n d t h a t w h ic h is
in d e p e n d e n t of tim e a n d p la c e , b e l o n g so le ly a n d alone
to t h e c e n tr a l h e a r t h of t h is ej^igastric r e g io n . N o t ­
w i t h s t a n d i n g t h is , h o w e v e r, t h e f e e l i n g soul is n o t e n ­
clo sed in t h e s to m a c h a s in a b a g ; s h e o n ly h a s h e r
ch ie f s e a t t h e r e . F r o m t h a t p o in t p r o c e e d t h e l i g h t a n d
w a r m t h w h ic h diffuse th e m s e lv e s t h r o u g h t h e w hole
b o d y ; fro m t h e n c e is t h e p o w e r of lifo w h ic h p r e v a ils in
all t h e o r g a n s . ”
T h e m e d iu m f o r t h e diffusion c f life o v er t h e b o d y , it
will b e se en , is t h e g a n g l io n ic n e rv o u s sy sten i, w hich
r a d ia te s f r o m t h e s o la r g a n g l i o n as s u n b e a m s from t h e
g r e a t orb of d a y . I n it, s u b s t a n tia lly , “ we live a n d
m o v e a n d h a v e o u r b e i n g . ’’ I t is th e o ld e r p a r t of t h e
n e r v o u s o r g a n is m , t h e first fo rm a tio n in tlie e m b ry o .
I t s fu n c tio n s a r e p e r f e c t b e f o r e b i r t h ; it is t h e fo u n d a ­
tio n of t h e w h o le p h y s ic a l b e i n g . I t c o n n e c ts each
o r g a n of t h e b o d y w ith e v e ry o th e r, a n d t h e w hole p h y ­
sical s t r u c t u r e w ith t h e i n f o r m in g soul. A ll a s th e n ia
h a s its o r ig in f r o m t h is fo u n ta in , a n d t h e e n e r g y w h ic h
re s to r e s to h e a l t h m u s t e m a n a t e fro m t h is source. I t
is t h e se a t, also , of th e m o r a l faculties, to w h ic h we
in stin c tiv e ly r e f e r o u r affec tio n s a n d em otions.
** T h e r e i s a n i n m o s t c e n t r e i n n s a l i ,
W h ere tru th a b id e s in fu ln e ss ; a n d a ro u n d ,
‘W a l l u p o n w a l l , t h o g ro e t llesh h o rn s it in ,—
T h is p e rfe c t, c le ar co n cep tio n , w h ich is T r u t h .
A b attlin g a n d p e r v e rtin g c a rn a l in esh
B l i n d s it a n d in-ak o s a ll e r r o r : a n d to k n o w
le a th e r c o n sists iu o p e n in g o u t a w a y
W h e n co th e im p riso n o d sp len d o r m a y cscapo,
T h a n in e f fe c tin g e n t r y f o r a lig h t
S u p p o s e to b e w ith o u t.”
B r a i n a n d m e n t a l c u l t u r e d e s e r v e h i g h e r h o n o r t h a n is
p a id th e m , y e t i t is th o h i g h e r nigral n a t u r e a t tho
f o u n d a ti o n of life w h ic h is n e a r e s t to a c c o r d w ith the
t r u t h of t h i n g s . “ T h is,” says D r . B u r k e , “ is w h y we
r a n k a m a n of g e n i u s ( t h a t is, w h o se g r e a tn e s s essentially
co n sists in m o ra l e leva tion ) a b o v e a m a n of ta l e n t ( t b a t
is, a m a n w h o is g r e a t b y hi-; in te lle c t alone, o r b y his
in te lle c t c h ie f ly ) .” — M ed ic a l T r ib u n e . N ew Y o rk .
• ♦ ■
T IIE H I M A L A Y A N B IIO T IIE R S — DO T H E Y
E X IS T ? *
B y M o h i n i M o h a n C h a t t e k j i , m . a . , b . l . , JE'. T . S .
“ A s k a n d it w ill b e g iv e n y ou ; k n o c k a n d i t will
o p e n ” — t h i s is a n a c c u r a t e r e p r e s e n ta t io n of t h e p o sitio n
of t h e e a r n e s t e n q u i r e r a s to t h e e x is te n c e of t h e M a h a t ­
m a s. I k n o w of n o n e w ho to o k up th is e n q u i r y in r i g h t
e a r n e s t a n d w as n o t r e w a r d e d fo r h is l a b o u r s w i t h k n o w ­
l e d g e — c e r ta in t y . I n s p it e of all th is t h e r e a r e p l e n t y of
p eo ple w ho cavil a n d cavil b u t w o uld n o t t a k e t h e tr o u b le
of p r o v in g t h e t h i n g f o r th e m s e lv e s . B o t h b y E u r o p e a n s
a n d a s e c tio n of o u r o w n c o u n t r y m e n — t h e too E u r o p e a n -
# Soo in this oonncotiou editorial note to u letter published olsp.
where, — E d .
 izerl g r a d u a t e s of U n i v e r s i t i e s — t h e e x i s te n c e of t h e
M a h a t m a s is lo o k e d u p o n w ith i n c r e d u lity a n d d is t r u s t ,
t o g iv e t h e t h i n g no h a r d e r n a m o . T h e p o sition of t h e
f o r m e r is easily in te llig ib le , f o r th o s e tilin g s aro so f a r
r e m o v e d fro m t h e i r in te lle c t u a l h o riz o n , a n d t h e i r s e lf ­
sufficiency is so g r e a t , t h a t t h e y a r e a lm o s t im p e rv io u s to
th e s o n e w ideas. B u t it is m u c h m o r e difficult to c o n ­
ceive w h y p eo p le of th is c o u n t r y , w ho aro b o r n a n d
b r o u g h t ii]) in a n a t m o s p h e r e r e d o le n t w ith t h e t r a d i tio n s
of th e s e th in g s , s h o u ld affect s u c h sc e p tic ism . I t w ou ld
h a v o beon m o ro n a t u r a l fo r t h e m on t h e o t h e r h a n d , to
hail suc h proofs, a s th o se I a m now l a y in g b e fo re tho
p u b lic w ith t h e s a m e s a tis f a c tio n as a n a s t r o n o m e r feels
w h e n a n e w s ta r, w hose e l e m e n ts h e h a s c a lc u la te d , sw im s
w ith in his k e n . I m y se lf w as a th o r o u g h - g o i n g d is b e ­
lie v e r o n ly tw o y e a r s b a c k . I n t h e first p la c e I h a d
n e v e r w itn e s s e d a n y occ n lt p h e n o m e n a m yself, n o r d id I
find a n y one w ho h a d d o n e so in t h a t sm a ll r i u g of o u r
c o u n t r y m e n , fo r w h o m o n ly I w as t a u g h t to h a v o a n y
r e s p e c t — tlie “ e d u c a t e d cla sse s.” I t w as only in t h e
m o n t h of O c to b e r 1882 t h a t I r e a lly d e v o t e d a n y tim e
a n d a t te n t io n to t h is m a t t e r , a n d t h e r e s u lt is t h a t I havo
as lit tle d o u b t w ith r e s p e c t to t h e e x i s te n c e of th o M a h a t ­
m a s as of m in e own. I n o w kn ow t h a t t h e y e x is t. B u t
f o r a lo n g tim e t h e pro ofs t h a t I h a d re c e iv e d w ere n o t
all of a n o b je ctiv e c h a r a c t e r . M a n y t h i n g s w hich a re
v o ry s a tis f a c to r y pro o fs to m e w o u ld n o t b e so to t h e r e a ­
d e r . O n th e o th e r h a n d I h a v o n o r i g h t to s p e a k of th e
u n im p e a c h a b le e v id e n c e I now h a v e . T h e r e f o r e I m u s t
do th e b e s t I can w ith t h e l it tle I a m p e r m i t t e d to g iv e .
I n t h e p r e s e n t p a p e r I h a v e b r o u g h t f o r w a r d sn c h
e v id en c e as w ou ld be p e r f e c tly s a tis f a c to r y to all, a t all
c a p a b le of m e a s u r i n g its p r o b a ti v e force.
T h e e v id en c e n ow laid b e f o r e t h e p u b l i c w a s collected b y
m e d u r i n g th o m o n th s o f O c to b e r a n d N o v e m b e r 1882, a n d
w as a t t h o tim e p la c e d b e f o r e so m e of t h e l e a d in g m e m ­
b e r s of th o T h e o so p h ic a l Socioty, M r. S i n n e t t , a m o n g
o th e r s . T h e a c c o u n t of Bro- lia m a s w a m ie r ’s in te r v ie w
w ith his “ g u r u ” in S i k k i m b e i n g t h e n r e a d y fo r p u b li­
c a tio n , t h e r e was no nec essity, in th e ir o p inio n, fo r th o
p r e s e n t p a p e r b e i n g b r o u g h t to lig h t . B u t since an
a t t e m p t h a s b e e n m a d o in so m e q u a r t e r s to m in im iz e th o
effect of M r. R a m a s w a m i e r ’s e v id e n c e b y c a lli n g it m o st
a b s u r d ly " th o h a llu c i n a ti o n s of a h a l f fro z en s tr o lli n g
l l e g i s t r a r , ” I t h i n k s o m e t h i n g m i g h t bo g a i n e d b y th e
p u b lic a t io n of p e r f e c tly i n d e p e n d e n t te s tim o n ie s of, p e r ­
h a p s , eq u a l, if n o t g r e a t e r , v a lu e , t h o u g h of a q u ite
d iffe re n t c h a r a c t e r . W i t h t h e s e w o r d s of e x p la n a tio n as
to th o d e la y in its p u b lic a t io n , I r e s i g n t h i s p a p e r to t h e
c r itic is m of o u r s c e p tic a l f rie n d s . L e t t h e m e a h n ly c o n ­
s id e r a n d p r o n o u n c e u p o n t h e e v i d e n c e of t h e T ib e ta n
p e d l a r a t D a r jil in g , s u p p o r t e d a n d s t r e n g t h e n e d b y tho
in d e p e n d e n t te s tim o n y of t h e y o u n g B r a h m a c h a r i a t
D e h r a d u n . T h o p e rs o n s w ho w ore p r e s e n t w h e n th o
s t a t e m e n t s of th e so p e rs o n s w e re t a k e n , all o c c u p y v e ry
r e s p e c ta b lo p o sitions in lifo— som e in f a c t b e l o n g i n g to
t h o f r o n t r a n k s of H i n d u S o cie ty , a n d s e v e r a l in n o w ay
c o n n e c t e d w ith tho T h e o so p h ic a l M o v e m e n t, b u t on tho
c o n t r a r y q u i t e u n f r ie n d ly to it. I n th o s e d a y s I a g a i n sa y
I w as r a t h e r sc ep tical m yself. I t is only sinco I collected
the. f o llo w in g evid en c e a n d rec e iv e d m o ro t h a n one p roof
of th e a c tu a l e x i s te n c e of m y v e n e r a t e d m a s t e r — M a h a t ­
m a K o o th o o m i, w h o se p r e s e n c e — qu ito i n d e p e n d e n tly
of M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y , C olonel O lc o tt o r a n y “ a l le g e d ”
C h e la — was m a d o e v i d e n t to m e in a v a r i e t y of w ays, t h a t
I h a v e g iv e n n p t h e folly of d o u b t i n g a n y lo n g e r. N o w
I b eliev e no m o r e — I k n o w ; a n d k n o w in g I w o u ld h e lp
o t h e r s o b ta in th o s a m e k n o w le d g e .
M . M . C.
D u r i n g m y v is it to D a r j i l i n g I liv e d in t h e sa m e house
w i t h so v e ra l T h e o s o p h i s ts , all a s a r d e n t c a n d id a te s as
m y s e l f f o r c h e la s h ip , a n d m o s t of tlie iu as d o u b tf u l w ith
r e g a r d to t h e H i m a l a y a n M a h a t m a s a s I w as m y s e lf a t
t h a t tim e . I m o t a t D a r j i l i n g p e r s o n s w h o c l a im e d to
b e c h e la s of th o H i m a l a y a n B r o t h e r s a n d t o h a v o
seen n u d l i v e d w ith th e m fo r y e a r s . T h e y laugher!
a t o u r p e r p l e x i t y . O ne of t h e m sh o w e d us a n a d m ir a b ly
e x e c u t e d p o r t r a i t of a m a n w ho a p p e a r e d to be a n em i­
n e n t l y holy p e r s o n , a n d w ho, I w as told, w as th e M a ­
h a t m a K o o th o o m i, (now m y r e v e r e d m a ste r) to w h o m Mr.
S i n n e t t 's “ O c c u lt W o r l d ” is d e d ic a te d . A few days
a f t e r m y a r r iv a l, a T i b e t a n p e d l a r of t h e n a m e of Sun-
d o o k a c c i d e n ta lly c a m e to o n r house to sell his th in g s .
S u n d o o k w a s fo r y e a r s w e ll-k n o w n in D a r jil in g a n d
t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d as a n i t i n e r a n t t r a d e r in T ib e ta n
k n i c k - k n a c k s , w h o v is ite d t h e c o u n t r y o v ery y e a r in the
e x e r c is e of liis p ro fe ssio n . H o c a m e to t h e h o u se several
tim e s d u r i n g o u r s ta y th e r e , aTid s e e m e d to us, f r o m his
sim p lic ity , d i g n i t y of b e a r i n g a u d p le a s a n t m a n n e r s , to
b e ono of N a t u r e ’s own g e n t l e m e n . N o m a n could d is­
c o v e r in h im a n y t r a i t of c h a r a c t e r , even r e m o t e ly allied
to t h e u n civ iliz ed s a v a g e s, as t h e T i b e t a u s a r e h e ld in
t h e e s tim a tio n of E u r o p e a n s . H e m i g h t v e r y well havo
p a s s e d f o r a t r a i n e d c o u rtie r, on ly t h a t he was to o good
to b e one. H e c a m e to t h e h o u se w hile I was th o r e . On
th o first occasion ho was a c c o m p a n ie d b y a G oo rk lia
y o u t h , n a m e d S u n d a r L all, a n employe in t h e D a r jilin g
Neios office, w h o a c t e d a s i n te r p r e te r . B u t we soon
f o u n d o u t t h a t t h e p e c u lia r d ia le c t of H i n d i , w h ic h ho
s p o k e , w as in te lli g ib le to so m e of us w i t h o u t a n y in te r ­
p r e t e r , a n d so t h e r e Was n o u o n e e d e d on s u b s e q u e n t
o ccasions. O n th o first d a y w e p u t h im so m e g e n e r a l
q u e s tio n s a b o u t T i b e t a n d th o G e l u g p a se ct, to w h ich h e
said he b e l o n g e d , a n d his a n s w e r s c o r r o b o r a t e d t h e s t a t e ­
m e n t s of B o gle, T u r n o u r , a n d o th e r tr a v e lle rs . O n th e
s e c o n d d a y we a s k e d h im if h e h a d h e a r d of a n y p erso n s
iu T i b e t w ho p o sse sse d e x t r a o r d i n a r y p o w e rs besides
t h e g r e a t la m a s . H e said th e r e w e re su c h m e n . T h a t
th e y w e re n o t r e g u l a r la m as b u t f a r h i g h e r t h a n th e y , a n d
g e n e r a l l y liv e d iu t h e m o u n ta in s b e y o n d T c liig a tz o a n d
also n e a r t h e c ity of L liassa. T h e s e m en, h e said,
p ro d u c e m a n y a n d v e r y w o n d e r fu l p h e n o m e n a o r “ m i r a ­
c l e s ” a n d som e of tlieir chelas or “ lo to o s ,” as t h e y are
ca lle d in T ib e t, cu re th o sick b y g i v i n g t h e m to e a t th e
rice w h ic h t h e y c r u s h o u t of t h e p a d d y w ith th e ir
h a n d s &c., T h e n , 0 1 1 0 of us h a d a g lo rio u s idea. W i t h ­
o u t s a y i n g one w o rd , tlie a b o v e m e n tio n e d p o r t r a i t
of t h e M a h a t m a K . H . was sh o w n to h im . H e look ed
a t it f o r a few seco nds, a n d th e n , as t h o u g h s u d d e n ly r e ­
c o g n i z in g it, h e m a d e a p r o fo u n d re v e re n c e to t h e p o r tr a it,
a n d s a id it w as th o lik e n ess of a C h o h a n (M aha tm a )
w h o m h e h a d seen. T h e n h e b e g a n r a p i d l y to d es crib e
t h e M a h a t m a ’s d re ss, a n d n a k e d a r m s ; th e n s u it in g th e
a c tio n to t h e w o rd , he to o k off h is o u te rc lo a k , a n d b a r i n g
liis a r m s to t h e sh o u ld e r, m a d e th o n e a r e s t a p p r o a c h to tho
figure in t h e p o r t r a i t , in th o a d j u s t m e n t of his dross.
H o s a id I10 h a d se en t h e M a h a t m a in q u e s tio n a c c o m ­
p a n i e d b y a n u m e ro u s b o d y of g y lu n g s , a b o u t t h a t tim e
of t h e p r e v io u s y e a r ( b e g in n i n g of O c to b e r 1881) a t a place
ca lle d G iansi, tw o d a y s ’ jo u r n e y s o u t h w a r d of T c h ig a tz e ,
a u d w h i t h e r t h e n a r r a t o r h a d g o n e to m a k e p u rc h a s e s for
his tr a d e . O 11 b e i n g a s k e d tho n a m e of t h e M a h a tm a , ho
sa id to o u r u n b o u n d e d s u r p r i s e — “ T h e y are called
K o o t h n m - p a . ” lin in g c r o s s - e x a m in e d a n d a s k e d w h a t I10
m e a n t b y “ t h e y , ” a n d w h e t h e r h e w as n a m i n g ono
m a n o r m a n y , lie r e p lie d t h a t th o ICoothum -pas w ere
m a n y , b u t t h e r e w as only on e m a n or chief o v e r th e m
of t h a t n a m e ; th o d isc ip le s b e i n g alw ays callod a f te r
t h e n a m e s of t h e i r g u r u . H e n c e th o n a m e of t h e l a t t e r
b o i n g K o o t- h u m , t h a t of h is disciples was “ K o o t- liiim -p a ”
L i g h t w as s h e d u p o n t h is e x p la n a tio n b y a T i b e t a n d ic ­
t io n a r y , w h e r e w e foiind t h a t th o w o rd “ p a ” m e a n s
“ man ‘ B o d - p a ’ is a ‘ m a n of B o d o r T h i b e t , ’ &e.
S im ila r ly K o o t h u m - p a m e an s m an or disc ip le of K o o t-
h o o m o r K o o th o o m i. A t G iansi, t h e p e d l a r sa id , th e
r i c h e s t m e r c h a n t of t h e p la c e w o n t to t h e M a h a t m a , w ho
h a d s t o p p e d to r e s t in t h e m i d s t of a n e x t e n s i v e field,
a n d a s k e d h im t o b less h im b y c o m in g to his house.
T h o M a h a t m a r e p lie d he w as b e t t e r w h e r e he was,
as h e h a d to b le ss t h e w h o le w o r l d a n d n o t a n y p a r ti c u la r
man. T h e people, a n d a m o n g t h e m our f r ie n d S u n ­
d o o k , t o o k t h e i r o ffe rin g s to t h e M a h a t m a , b u t h e o r d e r e d
t h e m to b e d i s t r i b u t e d a m o n g t h e p o o r . Sundook
was e x h o r t e d b y tlie M a lia tm a to p u r s u e his t r a d e in
such a w ay as to in ju r e n o one, a n d w a r n e d t h a t
such w a s t h e only r i g h t w ay to p r o s p e r i t y . On
being to ld t h a t p e o p le in I n d i a r e f u s e d to believ e
t h a t t h e r e w e re suc h m e n as t h e “ B r o t h e r s ” in T ib e t,
isnndook offered t o t a k e a n y v o lu n ta r y w itn e s s to t h a t c o u n -
t r y a n d con v in ce 11s th r o u g h h im as to t h e g e n u i n e n e s s of
th e ir e x is te n c e , a n d r e m a r k e d t h a t if t h e r e w ere no su c h m e n
in T ib e t, h e would l i k e t o k n o w w h e r e t h e y w e r e to b e fo u n d .
I t b e i n g s u g g e s t e d to h im t h a t som e p e o p le re f u s e d to
believe t h a t su c h m en e x is te d a t all, h e g o t v e r y a n g r y .
T u c k i n g up t h e sleeve of his c o a t a n d s h i r t , a n d d isc lo s­
i n g a s t r o n g m u s c u l a r a rm , h e d e c la re d t h a t he w ould
f i g l i t a n y m a n w h o w o u ld s u g g e s t t h a t h e h a d sa id a n y t h i n g
b u t the tru th .
On b e in g sho w n a p e c u lia r r o s a r y of b e a d s b e l o n g in g
to M a d am e B la v a ts k y , t h e p e d l a r sa id t h a t suc h th i n g s
c ou ld o n ly be g o t b y th o se to w h o m t h e T e s s h u la m a
p r e s e n t e d t h e m , as t h e y c ou ld b e g o t f o r 110 a m o u n t of
m o n e y elsew here. W h e n t h e c h e la w h o w as w ith us
p u t on h is sleeveless c o a t a n d a s k e d h im w h e t h e r
h e r e c o g n iz e d th e l a t t e r ’s p ro fe ssio n b y his d re ss, t h e p e d -
} a r a n s w e r e d t h a t h e w a s a “ G y l u n g ” a n d t h e n b o w i n g dow n
to h im to o k t h e w hole t h i n g as a m a t t e r of course. T h e
w itn e sses in th is c a se w e re B a b u I j o b i n K r i s h n a B a n n e r ji,
D e p u ty M a g i s t r a t e , B e r h a m p o r e , M. R. I ly . R a in a -
sw a m iy e r A v e r g a l , D is tr ic t R e g i s t r a r , M a d u r a ( M a d r a s) ,
t h e G o o rk lia g e n t le m a n s p o k e n of b e f o r e , all t h e fa m ily
of t h e first n a m e d g e n t l e m a n , a n d t h e w r i te r .
N o w fo r t h e o th e r piece of c o r r o b o r a tiv e evidence.
T h is tim e it c a m e m o s t a c c i d e n ta lly in to m y p o sse ssio n .
A y o u n g B e n g a l i B r a h m a c h a r i, w h o h a d on ly a s h o r t
tim e p re v io u s to o u r m e e t i n g r e t u r n e d fro m T i b e t a n d
who was r e s id i n g t h e n a t t h e h o u s e of m y g r a n d f a t h e r - i n -
law, t h e v e n e r a b le B a b u D e v e n d r a N a t h T a g o r e of tho
B rah m o S a m a j, g a v e m o s t u n e x p e c t e d ly in t h e p r e ­
sence of a n u m b e r of r e s p e c ta b le w itn e sse s , t h e follow ing
a c c o u n t :—
Ou t h e 15tli of t h e B e n g a l i m o n th of A s a r la s t (1882),
b e in g th e 12th d a y of t h e w a x i n g m o o n , he m e t som e
T ib e ta n s called th e K ooth o u m p a s a n d t h e i r g u r u in a
field n e a r T a k l a k h a r , a p la c e a b o u t a d a y ’s jo u r n e y from
t h e L a k e of M a n a s a ra w a r a . T h e g u r u a n d m ost of his
disciples w ho w e re called g y lu n g s , w ore sleeveless
co ats o v er u n d e r - g a r m e n t s of re d . T h e co m p lex io n of
th e g u r u w as v e r y fair, a n d his h a ir, w h ic h w as u o t
p a r t e d b u t c o m b e d b a c k , s tr e a m e d d o w n h is shoulders.
W h e n t h e B r a h m a c h a r i first saw t h e M a h a tm a he w as
r e a d i n g in a b o o k , w h ich th e B rahm aolnivi w as in fo rm e d
b y on e of t h e g y lu n g s , w as th e R i g V e d a .
T h e g u r u s a lu te d h im a n d a s k e d h im w h e r e h e w as
c o m in g f r o m . On fin d ing t h e l a t t e r h a d n o t h a d a n y t h i n g to
e a t, t h e g u ru c o m m a n d e d t h a t he s h o u ld be g iv e n som e
g r o u n d g r a m (Sattoo) a n d te a . A s t h e B r a h m a c h a r i could
n o t g-et a n y fire to cook his food w ith , t h e g u r u a s k e d for,
a n d k in d le d a cake of d r y c o w - d u n g , t h e fuel used in t h a t
c o u n t r y as well as in th is, b y sim p ly b lo w in g u p o n it a u d
ga v e it to o u r B r a h m a c h a r i. T h e l a t t e r a s s u r e d us t h a t
ho h a d often w itn e s s e d th e sa m e p h e n o m e n o n , p r o d u c e d
by a n o t h e r g u r u o r c h o h a n , as th e y a r e c a lle d in T ib e t,
a t G auri, a p la c e a b o u t a d a y ’s jo u r n e y fro m t h e ca v e of
T areliin, on t h e n o r t h e r n side of M o u n t K a ila s. T h e
k e e p e r of a flock, w h o was suffe ring from r h e u m a tic fevo r
ca m e to th e g u r u , w h o g-a v e h im a few g r a i n s of rice,
c r u s h e d o u t of p a d d y , w hich t h e g u r u L ad in h is h a n d
a u d t h e sick m a n was c u r e d t h e n a n d th e re .
Before lie p a r t e d c o m p a n y w ith t h e Kootlioom pas
a u d t h e i r g u r u , t h e B r a h m a c h a r i f o u n d t h a t t h e y w e re
g o in g to a t t e n d a festiv al h eld 011 t h e b a n k s of t h e L a k e of
M a n a s a r a w a r a , a n d t li a t th e n c e t h e y i n t e n d e d to p r o c e e d
to t h e K a ila s m o u n ta in s.
T h e a b o v e s t a t e m e n t was on s e v e r a l occasions
re p e a te d b y t h e B r a h m a c h a r i in t h e p r e s e n c e ( a m o n g
others) of B a b u D w ije n d e r N a t h T a g o r e of J o r a s a n k o ,
C a lc u tta ; B a b u C ally M o h a n Gliose o f t h e T r i g o n o m e t r i ­
cal S u r v e y of I n d i a , D e h r a d h u n ; B a b u Cally C u m a r
C h a t t e r j i of t h e sa m e p la c e ; B a b u G opi M o h a n G ho sh
of D a c c a ; B a b u P r i y a N a t h S a s tr i, C lerk to B a b u
D e v e n d e r n a t h T a g o r e , a n d t h e w rite r . C o m m e n ts w ould
h e r e seem a l m o s t superfluous, a n d t h e fac ts m i g h t v e r y
well h a v e b e e n le ft to s p e a k f o r th e m s e lv e s to a f a ir a n d
i n t e l l i g e n t ju r y , l i u t t h e a v e rse n e ss of p eo p le to e n l a r g e
t h e i r field of e x p e r ie n c e a n d th e wilful m isre p re sen tatio n ,
of d e s i g n i n g p e r s o n s kno w 110 b o u n d s. T h e n a t u r e of
t h e evid en c e h e r e a d d u c e d is of a n u n e x c e p tio n a l c h a r a c ­
te r . B o t h w itn e sse s w ere m e t q u ite ac cidenta lly. E v e n if it
b e g r a n t e d , w h ic h we c e r ta in l y do n o t for a m o m e n t g r a n t ,
t h a t th e T i b e t a n p e d la r , S u n d o o k , h a d bee n in te r v ie w e d
b y som e i n te r e s te d p e rso n , a n d in d u c e d to tell an n u t r u t h ,
w h a t can b e c o n c e iv e d t o h a v e tlie m otive of t h e
B r a h m n c h a ri, one b e l o u g i n g to a re ligious b o d y n o te d
fo r t h e i r t r u t h f u l n e s s , a n d h a v i n g no id e a as to t h e i n ­
t e r e s t t h e w r i t e r to o k in su c h th in g s , in i n v e n t i n g a r o ­
m a n c e , a n d t h e n h o w c o uld h e m a k e it fit e x a c t ly w ith
t h e s t a t e m e n t s of t h e T i b e t a n p e d l a r a t t h e o t h e r e n d of
t h e c o u n t r y ? U n e d u c a t e d p e r s o n s a r e no d o u b t liable
tp deceive th e m s e lv e s in m a n y m a tte r s , b u t t h e s e s t a t e ­
m e n ts d e a lt o nly w ith su c h d is u n i te d fa c ts a s fell w ith in
th e r a n g e of th e n a r r a t o r ’s eyes a n d ea rs a n d h a d n o t h i n g
to do w ith t h e i r j u d g m e n t o r opinion. T h u s, w h en tlie
p e d l a r ’s s t a t e m e n t is c o u p le d w ith t h a t of t h e D e h r a d u n
B r a h m a c h a r i , t h e r e is, i n d e e d , 110 room le ft for a n y d o u b t
as to th e tr u t h f u l n e s s of e ith e r . I t m a y h e r e b e m e n tio n e d
t h a t t h e s t a t e m e n t of t h e B r a h m a c h a r i w as u o t t h e r e s u lt
of a series of l e a d in g q u e s tio n s, b u t f o rm e d p a r t of th e
a c c o u n t h e v o lu n ta r ily g a v e of his tra v e ls d u r i n g t h e y e a r
a u d t h a t he is a l m o s t e n t ir e ly i g n o r a n t of t h e E n g l i s h
la n g u a g e a n d h u d , to t h e b e s t of m y k n o w le d g e , in f o r ­
m a tio n a n d b elief nev e r, even so m u c h as, h o ard of t h e
n a m e of T h e o s o p h y . No\y, if a n y one re fu se s to
a c c e p t t h e m u t u a lly c o r r o b o r a tiv e b u t in d e p e n d e n t t e s t i ­
m o n ie s of t h e T i b e t a n p e d l a r of D a r jil in g a n d t h e B r a h -
m a c h a ri of D e h r a d u n on t h e g r o u n d t h a t t h e y s u p p o r t
tlie genuineness of f a c ts n o t o r d in a r ily fa llin g
w ith in t h e d o m a in of o n e ’s e x p e rie n c e , all I ca n
sa y is t h a t it is t h e v e r y m ira cle of folly. It
is, on t h e o t h e r h a n d , m o s t u n s h a k a b l y e s ta b l is h e d
upo n t h e e v id e n c e of se v eral of h is chelas, t h a t t h e
M a h a t m a K o o tlio o m i is a liv i n g p erso n like a n y of us,
a u d t h a t m o r e o v e r h e w as s e e n b y tw o p e r s o n s on tw o
d iffe re n t occasions. T h is will, it is to b e h o p e d , s e ttle fo r
e v e r t h e d o u b ts of th o so w ho believe in t h e g e n u i n e n e s s
of occult p h e n o m e n a , b u t p u t t h e m d ow n to tlie a g e n c y
of “ s p ir its .” M ark one circ u m s ta n c e . I t m ay be a r g u e d
t h a t d u r i n g t h e p e d l a r ’s s t a y a t D a rjilin g , Mine. B la v a ts k y
w as also th e r o , a n d w ho k n o w s, she m i g h t h a v e b r ib e d
h im (!!) iuto s a y i n g w h a t h e said. B u t 110 such t h i n g can
bo u r g e d in t h e case of t h e D e h r a d u n B r a h m a c h a r i. l i e
k n e w n e i t h e r t h e p e d l a r 1101 * M a d am e B la v a tsk y , h ad
n e v e r h e a r d of Colonel O lco tt, h a v i n g j u s t r e tu r n e d from
his p r o lo n g e d jo u r n e y , a n d h a d 110 idea t h a t 1 w as a fellow
of t h e S ocie ty. I l i s te s tim o n y w as e n tir e ly vo lu n ta ry .
S o m e o th e r s w ho a d m i t t h a t M a h a tm a s exist, b u t t h a t
t h e r e is 110 p ro o f of t h e i r c o n n e c tio n w ith t h e T heosoph i-
cal S ocie ty, will b e p le ase d to sec now , t h a t th e re is 110
a 'priori im p o s sib ility in th o s e g r e a t souls t a k i n g a n
in te r e s t in such a b e n e v o le n t S o c ie ty as ours.
I p u r p o s e ly le a v e a s id e all pro o fs whicli a r e a l r e a d y
b e f o r e t h e pub lic . E a c h s e t of pro o fs is conclusive in i t ­
self, a n d t h e c u m u la tiv e effect of all is sim p ly irre sistib le .
*
E d it o r ’ s N o te , — S e c o n d a r y e v i d e n c e is n o l o n g e r n e c e s s a r y . On No-
v e u i b e r t h e 2 0 t h a t 10 a . m . tw o teleg ram s w ere receiv e d b y us, d ate d
L ahore, one from C o lo n e l O lc o tt, w h o notified us t h a t h e h a d b e e n v is it­
ed i n "parson b y M a h a tm a “ K. II.” on th e p reced in g n ig h t; a n d the
o th e r— from M r * W . T . B r o w n , I<\ T , S . o f t h e “ L o n d o n L o d g e . ” T h e o s o ­
p h ic a l S o c ie ty iu t h e s e w o r d s : “ V iB ited early th is m o rn in g b y M a h a tm a
K . II. w h o left m e a silk h a n d k e r c h i e f a s a m e m o r i a l , « i c 1” a n d t o d a y
22nd h a v in g te le g ra p h e d to b o th th o se g e n tle m e n fo r p e rm is s io n to a n .
u o u n c e tlie lo n g e x p e c t e d e v e n t in t h e T k c o s o p h -U ty w e r e c e i v e d a n
a n sw e r th a t n o t o n ly c o u l d “ M a s t e r ’s v i s i t b o m e n t i o n e d , ” b u t t h a t o u r
P resid en t, M r. B ro w n , an d M r. D a m o d a r “ h ad an o th er call last u ig h l
near th eir te n t, th e M aster b ein g a c c o m p a n ie d in tlesh and bod y by
b r o th e r D jn al K h o o l.” U n less M r. W . rJ \ B ro w n , to c o m p le te th e trio ,
b e classed by our S p iritu a listic frie n d s also am ong th e “ O c cidental
H u m o u ris ts ,” th e q u e s tio n as to th e real ex isten ce of th e M ah a tm a , i*
 p r e tt y w e ll s e ttle d n o w . O ne w itn ess m ay he m istak en aa to facts, U n d e r su c h c i rc u m s ta n c e s a n y th i n g like a r g u m e n t w ith
and even a doubt m ay bo cast npon th e ev id en ce of tw o w itn esses. t h e S p ir i tu a l is ts is w o rs e th a n useless. M ere p h e n o m e n a
B ut w hen it co m e s to th e testim o n y of th reo o r m oro w itn esses s p e a k ­
ing to ji fact th at occurrcd in th eir presence doubt w o u ld beco m e
h o w e v e r w o n d e rfu l can n e v e r prove to t h e i r satisfaction
a b s u r d e v e n iu a C o u rt of Ju stic e. W e h av e n o t y o trc c o iv e d the p a rti­ e i t h e r t h e a c tu a l e x i s te n c e of A d e p t s or t h e n a t u r e of
c u la rs , b u t s iu c e w e h a v o b e e n n o tified t h a t M n h a t n i a K . H . o n Ins w a y to t r u e A d e p ts h ip . A n y p h e n o m e n a t h a t you m ay show th e m
S ia m w o u ld m o s t lik ely p ass v v t M a d r a s in a w e e k o r so, w e h a v e e v e r y
w ill a t once b e a t t r i b u t e d to t h e a g e n c y of sp ir its (as th e y
reaso n to su p p o se th at our P resid en t and M r* B r o w n saw th e real,
liv in g b o d y n o t m ere ly as b e fo re — th e a s tra l form o f t'n o M a s t e r . — Ed. a r e c a lle d by th e m ) o r e l e m e n ta ls as w e call th e m , a n d
------ »------ classed w ith tlieir o w n scance ro o m m a n if e s ta tio n s . E v e n
if we w ere to effect a n im possib ility an d in d u c e one of o u r
OCCULT W ORLD — E a s t e r n A d e p t s to a p p e a r in L o n d o n a n d p r o v e his
H A P P Y M r. H E N R Y K I D D L E ’S D I S C O V E R Y . e x iste n c e a n d k n o w le d g e b e f o r e th e ir eyes, th e se ph en o -
m e n a - liu n te r s w ou ld pro cla im h im by way of com pli­
B y T . S urba R ow , 13. A . B., L ., F . T . S. m e n t a n e x c e lle n t m ed iu m a n d n o th in g m ore. H en c e,
i t is n o t difficult to foresee t h a t so lo n g as tho g en e ral
I h a v e b e e n w a tc h in g w itli c o n s id e r a b le in te r e s t th o
b o d y of S p ir i tu a l is ts o r t h e i r le a d e rs a re satisfied
effect p ro d u c e d on t h e w estern P u b lic by Mr. S i n n e t t ’s book
w ith t h e i r own illogical a n d fa n c ifu l h y p o th e s e s and m a k e
o n ." E s o to r ic B u d d h i s m ; ” a n d I h a v e n o t bee n d i s a p p o in t­
no a t t e m p t to in v e s tig a te scientifically th e ir p h e n o m e n a
e d in iny e x p e ctatio n s. T h e r e is n o t h i n g s u r p r i s i n g in th e
a n d t h e i r causes in connection w ith th e a n c ie n t sy s te m s of
a t t i t u d e of t h e S p ir i tu a l is ts to w a r d s T h e o s o p h y a n d its
re lig io n s p h ilo s o p h y a n d o ccu ltism , it is im possible to
T e a c h e r s . S t a r t l e d b y t h e s t r a n g e p h e n o m e n a —-erro­
e x p e c t th e m to g iv e a p a t i e n t h e a r i n g to t h e te a c h in g s
neo u sly called s p ir it m a n if e s ta tio n s , w h ich have been w i t ­
of o u r M a h a tm a s . T o a real scientific in v e s tig a to r who
nessed d u r i n g t h e la st few y e a rs, th e m a jo r ity of th e sq
is a t t e m p t i n g to as c e rta in t h e g en e ral law g o v e r n i n g a
called S p iritu a lists h a v e firm ly p e r s u a d e d th e m s e lv e s into
p a r ti c u lu r class of p h e n o m e n a , even t h e su g g e s tio n of a
th e bolief t h a t th o se m a n if e s ta tio n s in d ic a t e a t u r u i n g p o i n t
p la u s ib le h y p o th e s is i’b of c o n s id e ra b le v a lu e . T h e
iu t h e h isto ry of m a n k i n d , t h a t th e y a r e d e s t i n e d to i n ­
M a h a tm a s hav e n e v e r d ec la re d t h a t th e y w o uld give
tr o d u c e into ih e w o rld a s u b li m e s y s t e m of r e lig io u s p h i ­
a s y s te m a tic a n d e x h a u s ti v e ex position of t h e O ccult
lo so p h y w hich will s u p p l a n t e v e r y o t h e r e x i s t i n g sy s te m
S c ie n c e , b u t o n ly t h a t t h e y i n t e n d e d to p la ce before th e
w h e t h e r in th e E a s t o r in th o W e s t , a n d t b a t fo r th e first
g e n e r a l pu b lic a few g e n e r a l d o c t r i n e s w hich m i g h t s u g ­
tim e in t h e ann a ls of th is g l o b o m a n is b e in g p e r m i tte d
g e s t so m e re a so n a b le h y p o th e s e s b y w hich t h e e x ­
t h r o u g h th e i n s t r u m e n ta lity of th e m a n if e s ta tio u s to hav e
p e r ie n c e of a n c ie n t m y stic s a n d t h e so-ca lle d S p iritu a l­
a g lim p s e into t h e m y s te r io u s in n e r w orld- T h e y a r e n o t
istic p h e n o m e n a of m o d e rn tim es m a y b e k n i t t o g e th e r ,
p r o b a b ly a w a re of tlie fa c t, o r t h e y a re e x t r e m e l y u n ­
a n d b r o u g h t u n d e r one g e n e r a l law, and w h ic h m a y also
w illin g to believe, t h a t th e se p h e n o m e n a w ere k n o w n in
sh o w to som e e x t e n t t h e scientific basis of all a n c ie n t
th e E a s t fo r lo n g a g e s a n d t h a t t h e i r m y s t e r io u s causes
re lig io n s w h o se t e a c h i n g s a r e g e n e r a lly s u p p o s e d to be
w e re carefully s tu d i e d b y e s o te r ic m y stics. T hey are
d ia m e t r ic a l ly o p p o s e d to th o se of m o d e rn Science. T o
e v id e n tly offended nt b ein g told t h a t th e s e p h e n o m e n a a re
e v e r y g e u u i n e O c c u ltis t a n d e v e r y s t u d e n t of science these
r a t h e r sta le to t h e E a s t e r n n a t i o n s ; t h a t t h e r e is n o th in g
d o c trin e s aro of im m e n se i m p o r t a n c e ; espec ially at th e
v e ry p ro fo u n d e ith o r in tlieir m a n if e s ta tio n s or in t h e i r i m -
p r e s e n t tim e , w hen old religious s y s te m s are d y in g o u t
m e d ia te causes, t h a t th e y c a n n e v e r u n ra v o l t h e real
from w a n t of real vital s tr e n g t h , w h e n science h a s as y e t
m y s t e r y of th e m a n ife ste d C osm os or of tho h u m a n S p irit
f o u n d no m e a n s of p e n e t r a t i n g in to th e in n e r w orld of
(7th principlo); an d t h a t all t h a t then can te a c h whs lo n g
nonm etia, a n d w h en t h e s t r a n g e m a n ife sta tio n s t a k i n g
a g o k n o w n to t h e E a s t e r n O cc u ltists. A n d p r o b a b ly th e r e
p la ce iu .v/w/ce-rooms a r e r e je c te d by t h e m a j o r i t y of tho
is a n o t h e r renson w h y th e S p ir i tu a l is ts a n d t h e T h e o s o ­
m en of science a s a b s u r d su p e rs titio n s , while th e y are r e ­
p h ists of t h e W e s t do n o t t r e a t th e t e a c h i n g s e m b o d ie d
g a r d e d by t h e S p ir i tu a l is ts as in d ic a tiv e of t h e existe n ce
in Mr. S i n n e t t ’s “ O cc ult W o r l d ” a n d “ E so te ric B u d ­
of d ise m b o d ie d S p irits !
d h is m ” w ith t h e serious a t t e n t i o n t h a t th e y deserv e.
O n r E a s t e r n d o c trin e s h a v i n g b e e n pro cla im e d b y th e
W e s t e r n n atio n s a r e a c c u s to m e d to look u p o n t h e E a s t e r n s
g e n e r a l body of S p ir itu a lis ts a s i m p e r t i n e n t in tr u d e rs ,
as th e ir inferiors in ever;/ respect. I n tlie ir opinion, as
leaders of t h a t body se em to h a v o d iscovered nt la -t a v ery
it seonip, m u sc u la r s t r e n g t h is alw a y s c o - e x is te n t w ith
sim ple m e a n s for g e t t i n g rid of th e m . Mr. H e n r y K i d d le
intellectu al pow ers an d s p ir itu a l in s i g h t ; a n d E u r o p e a n
h a s fo u u d o u t t h a t t h e M a h a tm a w hose in s t r u c tio n s are
political asce n d en cy m eans a n d in c lu d e s in te lle c tu a l
e m b o d ie d in M r. S i n n e t t ’s p u b lic a tio n s has c o m m i t e d
a n d sp iritu a l s u p e rio rity . H e n c e th e y a r e too p ro u d
au a c t of p la g ia r is m in b o r r o w in g c e r ta in s e n te n c e s fro m
to a d m it th a t t h s r o aro m y s tic s in t h e E a s t w h o know
one of his l e c tu r e s w ith o u t a d m itti n g h is o b lig a tio n . H e
a g ood d ea l more a b o u t n a t u r e an d h e r laws th a n
tells us, h e w r o t e to M r. S i n n e t t a b o u t h is d is ­
a ll th e ir sc ie n tists, p h ilo s o p h e rs, S p ir itu a lis ts and
c o v e ry m o r e th a n a y e a r a g o ; a n d t h o u g h M r. S in n e t t
re lig io n s te ac hers p u t t o g e th e r . T h e d isc o v ery of
d is t in c t ly s ta te s t h a t he n e v e r h e a r d from him,
M a h a t m a s in th e E a s t is a l m o s t a n i g h t m a r e to th e m ;
th is A m e r ic a n d is c o v e r e r h a s b e e n very p e rsis te n tly
an d t h e y w o u ld feel v ery h a p p y to g e t r id of it as soon as
c o m p la in in g to th e p u b lic of t h e g r e a t in ju r y d o ne to
possible. T h e r e f o r e in stea d of c a re fu lly e x a m in i u g th e
him . T h is is c o n s id e re d as a v ery “ g r a v e c h a r g e ” by th e
th e o ries p r o p o u n d e d in Mr. S i n n e t t ’s b ook, th e y a r e
S p iritu a lis ts , who su p p o s e t h a t it “ strik e s at the v e ry root,
tr y i n g t h e i r b e s t to f e r r e t o u t a few fa c ts a n d in c id e n ts
of th e p rete n tio n s of th e A d e p t s . ” B u t if th e se s p ir itu a lis ts
w hich will e n a b le theru to d isp ro v e t h e e x iste n c e of o u r
— “ P erp le x e d R e a d e r s ” a n d “ S t u d e n t s ” who a re m a k in g
M a h a tm a s , o r r e n d e r it e x tre m e ly d o u b t f u l ; o r if b o th
such a t e r r i b l e fuss a b o u t t h e m a t t e r w ere to e x a m in e th e
th e se courses b e fo und im p r a c tic a b le , to sh o w t h e S a d h u s
p a s s a g e iu q u e s tio n ca refu lly , th e y will, p e r c h a n c e , be
ex tre m e ly inferio r to th e m so lve s. S e v e ra l p r o m in e n t S p iri­
ab le to p e r c e iv e t h a t t h e r e is evidently so m e c o n fu sio n
tu a lis ts have a lre ad y b e e n g iv in g a b s n r d , superficial a n d
a n d m is ta k e in t h e w h o le m a tte r, and th a t t h e p ro b a b ilitie s
one-sid e d accou nts o f t h e d o c t r i n e s c o n ta in e d in M r .S i n -
ot t h e case a r e a g a i n s t tho t r u t h of M r. K id d l e ’s c o m ­
netfc’s book a p p a r e n tly w ith a vievv to allay t h e fears of o r­
p la i n t . U p o n a closer e x a m in a tio n of it I find t h a t —
th o d o x S p iritu a lists, to s o o th e t h e i r o w n fee lin g s a n d to
I. So f a r as t h e le a d in g idea in th e p a s s a g e is c o n ­
v in d ic a te th e im p o r ta n c e a n d i n c o m p a r a b l e g r a n d e u r of
c e r n e d , if a n y b o d y has c o m m itted lite r a r y t h e f t it is th e
t h e “ New D is p e n s a ti o n ” u s h e r e d in to t h e civilized a n d
c o m p la in a n t him s elf a n d n o t tlio accused. I find no
e n l i g h t e n e d W e s t by s p i r i t - r a p p i n g a n d t a b l e - t u r n i n g ;
refe re n c e to P lato in th e p as sag e s q u o te d from M r. K id d le ’s
whilo som e o th e r S p iritu a lis ts are* p r o b a b l y con soling
le c tu re in his le t t e r p u b lis h e d iu “ L i g h t , ” * a n d th e c o m ­
th e m s e lv e s w ith th e id e a t h a t e v e n if t h e M a h a tm a s
p la i n a n t h as v e ry p r u d e n t l y o m it te d t h e referen c e
should b e proved to hav e an ac tu a l e x i s te n c e (ou tsid e of
M a d : B la v a tsk y ) th e y c a n n o t b e a n y t h i n g m o re t h a n s p i­
* N o r is t h e r e in hig now fam o u s le c tu re a t L a k e P le asan t, fo r w e
rits ( P is a c h a s !), or, a t b e s t — str o D g p h y s ic a l m e d iu m s. havo pro cu red a n d c a re fu lly re a d it.— Ed.
 to th e G r e e k pliilosplier t h a t p re c e d e s t h e p a s sa g e s w h ich
lie rep ro d u c e s from th e M ahatm &’s le tte r.
I I . T h e r e seem s to b e n o th in g very s u b lim e in th e
la n g u a g e u se d by Mr. K id d le in th e p a s s a g e u n d e r c o n ­
sideration ; a n d it m a y b e easily seen f r o m th o o th e r
letters w ritte n to M r. S i n n e t t b y th e M a h a t m a c o n c e r n e d ,
t h a t th e sa id M a h a t m a ’s E n g l i s h v o c a b u la ry is n o t m o re
limited t h a n his own an d t h a t he is n o t w a n t i n g iu p o w e r
of ex p re ssio n . I t is, th e re fo r e , v ery difficult to seo w hy
the M aster should have borrow ed M r. K id d le ’s la n g u a g e ,
u nle ss so m e g o o d r ea so n can b o s h o w n f o r it.
I I I . T h e r e a re c e r ta in e x p re ssio n s a n d ce rta in a l te r a ­
tions of Mr. K id d le ’s la n g u a g e in th e p a s sa g e in question
which show t h a t t h e M a h a tm a n e v e r in te n d e d to borrow
Mr. K id d le ’s id e as a n d p h r a s e s b u t t h a t h e r a t h e r i n t e n d ­
ed to say s o m e th in g a g a in s t th e m . W h e r e th e S p i r i ­
tualistic l e c tu r e r s a y s t h a t “ t h e w o rld a d v a n c e s ,’’ th e
M a h a tm a says t h a t “ tb e w o rld w i ll a d v a n c o ” for tb o
p urpose of sh o w in g t h a t th is c h a n g e in ideas m u s t
in e v ita b ly t a k e place b y r e a s o n of t h e g r e a t cyclie
L aw to w h ich th e U n iv e r s e is su b je c t. W h e r e th e
le ctu rer sa y s t h a t “ t h e a g e n c y called S p i r i t u a l ­
ism is b r in g in g a n ew s e t of id e a s into t h e w orld/*
the 1 M a h a tm a e m p h a tic a lly affirms t h a t “ it is n o t
physical p h e n o m e n a ” t h a t ho an d his b r o t h e r O c c u ltis ts
study, b u t “ th e s e u nive rsa l id e a s” w h ich a r e as i t w e re
the n o n m e n a u n d e r ly i n g all p h y sic al m a n ifesta tio n s.
T he c o n tru s t b e tw e e n th e M a h a tm a ’s view of t h e r e la tio n ­
ship b e tw e e n th ese ideas a n d p h y sic al p h e n o m e n a a n d
M r. K id d le ’s view is s tr ik in g . T h e l a t t e r t h in k s t h a t
new ideas a re b ein g in tr o d u c e d i n t o t h e w orld b y p h y ­
sical p h e n o m e n a , while th e fo rm e r t h i n k s t h a t new p h y ­
sical p h e n o m e n a have b e g u n to m a n i f e s t th e m se lv e s
by reason of a c h a n g e in th e se g e n e r a l id e as (n o u m e n a )
which g o v e r n all ph ysical p h e n o m e n a in t h e o b ­
jective w orld. I t seem s to m e t h a t eve n t h e w ord
‘ idea’ has b e e n u se d in two d ifferent se n ses b y t h e M a h a t ­
ma and Mr. K i d d le respectively. T h e f o r m e r menus b y
the w ord ‘ ideu’ th e orig inal form or t y p e a c c o r d in g to
which the o b je ctive m a n if e s ta tio n t a k e s place. A n d
this is P la to ’s m e a n in g wliich t h e S p iritu a l is tic le c tu r e r
has not p r o p e r ly u n d e rsto o d . M r. K id d le , o n t h e o th e r
Laud, uses th e sam e w o rd in t h e se n s e it is o rd in a r ily
used by E n g lis h w rite r s . A n d a g a in , w h e r e th e lo c turer
sp e ak s of “ t h e univ ersal r e ig n of law as th e e x p r e s s io n
of th e d iv in e will,” th e M a h a tm a p o s tu l a te s th e ex iste n ce
of “ ail im m u ta b le L a w ” n o t d e p e n d i n g on an y div ine
will.
B u t “ A P e r p le x e d R e a d e r ” w r i tin g to L i g h t sa y s t h a t
tbe M a h a tm a “ has o m itte d in c o n v e n ie n t w o rd s a n d has
so d isto rte d t h e ideas he h as b o r r o w e d as to d i v e r t th e m
from t h e i r orig in a l in te n tio n to s u it his ow n v ery differ­
en t p u rp o se .” I f th e r e is a difference of w o rd s a n d ideas
where is t h e offence ? O r is it a law o-f p la g ia r is m t h a t t h e
person w ho borrow s from a n o t h e r ’s w r itin g s s h o u ld do
so w ith o u t m a k in g th e slig h est a lte r a tio n in th e p a s s a g e
e x t r a c t e d ? If th is “ P e r p le x e d H e a d e r ” w e r e n o t also a
perplexed th i n k e r , lie would hav e se en t h a t th e s e very
alteratio n s in th e p as sa g e in q u estio n go v e r y f a r to sh ow
th a t th e re w as no in te n tio n on th e M a h a t m a ’s p a r t to
borrow Mr. K i d d ie ’s in a c c u ra te la n g u a g e a n d e r r o n e o u s
ideas and t h a t t h e r e is some m is c o n c e p tio n — so m e m is ta k o
in all this.
I V . I t is q u ite e v id e n t from tlie w o r d i n g of t h e p a s s a g e
u n d er e x a m in a tio n th;.t th e re is “ s o m e th in g w ro n g
som ew here.” M a to is in tro d u c e d into it r a t h e r a b r u p t l y
au d th e g r a m m a tic a l c o n s tru c tio n of t h e la st s e n te n c e is b y
no m eans clear. A p p a r e n t ly t h e r e is no p r e d ic a te w hich
refers to “ ideas la r g e r , &c.”
A p a r t of t h e s e n te n c e is th u s e v id e n tly lost . . . . F r o m
the fo re g o in g co n s id e ra tio n s it will be clearly seen t h a t
it could no t hav e been th e M a h a tm a ’s in te n tio n to borrow
an y th in g fro m Mr. K i d d l e ’s le c tu re . O n th e o th e r
hand, t h e M a h a tm a ’s e m p h a ti c d e c la ra tio n im m e d i­
ately p r e c e d in g th e p a s s a g e in q u estion t h a t A d e p t s of
the “ Good L a w ” do n o t believo in a n y o t h e r b u t
planetary sp irits, his r e m a r k s r e g a r d i n g t h e insufficiency
a n d w o rth le s s n e s s of m e r e p h y sic al p h e n o m e n a in u n ra v e l­
i n g t h e m y s te r ie s of t h e n o u m e n a ! w orld, a n d his e n u n ­
ciatio n of t h e e x is te n c e of au i m m u ta b l e law in no way
s u b je c t to t h e d iv in e will, th e e x is te n c e of w hich is a s s u m e d
b y th e le c tu r e r , all t e n d to show t h a t t h e M a h a t m a ’s
real in te n tion w as r a t h e r to criticise th a u a d o p t t h e v iew 3
of t h e S p ir itu a lis ts as em b o d ied in Mr. K i d d le ’s r e m a r k s .
T h e r e f o r e , fro m a c a r e f u l p erusa l of th e p a s s a g e a n d its
c o n t e n ts , any u n b ia s s e d r e a d e r will come to t h e conclusion
t h a t s o m e b o d y m u s t hav e g r e a t l y b lu n d e re d o v er t h e said
p a s s a g e a n d will n o t b e s u r p r i r e d to h e a r t h a t it w as u n ­
consciously a l te r e d t h r o u g h t h e carelesness aud i g n o r a n c e
of t h e C h e l a b y w hose in s t r u m e n ta lity i t w a s“ p r e c ip ita te d .”
S u c h a lte r a t io n s , o m is sio n s a n d m is ta k e s som etim es o c c u r
in t h e process of p r e c i p i t a t i o n ; a u d I now assert, 1 k n o w
it for c e r ta in f r o m a n in sp e ctio n o f the o r ig in a l p r e c ip i ta ­
tion p r o o f, t h a t s u c h was tlie case w ith r e g a r d to th e p a s ­
s a g e u n d e r discussion. I can as su re th e “ S t u d e n t ” w ho
t h r o w s o u t a s u g g e s tio n in his l e t t e r to L i g h t t h a t th e r e
m i g h t b e some d e e p p sy c h o lo g ic a l p r o b l u n involv ed in th e
m a t t e r iu d i s p u t e , t h a t th e r e is one, a n d t h a t one is no
o t h e r psy c h o lo g ic al m y s t e r y t h a n t h e is a b o v e i n d ic a t e d .
Tlio M a h a tm a a g a i n s t w hom t h e accu satio n h as b e e n
b r o u g h t , will, of co urse , t h in k it b e n e a t h his d ig n it y to
offer any e x p l a n a tio n in his o'wn d e fe n c e to M r. K i d d l e
o r his fo llow ers a u d s u p p o r te r s . B u t I hope Mr. S i n n e t t
will be g o o d e n o u g h to pla ce b efo re t h e p u b lic as soon a s
po ssible such e x p l a n a tio n o r in f o rm a tio n as he m a y b e
p e r m i tte d b y t h e M a h a tm a c o n c e rn e d , w itli r e g a r d to t h a
“ M y s t e r y ” of t h e p a s s a g e in q u e s tio n a n d t h e m a n n e r iri
w h ich th o le t t e r w h ic h c o n tain s th e said p a s s a g e w as
rec eiv e d by him.
I n conclusion I c a n n o t b u t r e g r e t t h a t som e w r i te r s
in t h e S p ir itu a lis tic o r g a n s a n d o th e r E n g lis h jo u r n a l s
have t h o u g h t it fit to d r a g o u r M a h atm a’s n a m e into p u b lic
p r i n t w ith o u t a n y n ec essity for d o in g so, using, m o re o v e r,
such r e m a rk s a n d in sin u a tio n s as a r e fully c a lc u la te d t o
b e h ig h ly offensive to th o se w ho h a v e th e good f o r t u n a
to be perso n a lly k n o w n to, an d n c qua iu tc d w ith, th e
M a h a tm a in q u e s tio n . T h e r e p r o a c h c o n tain e d in t h e
P rotest of 5 00 H i n d u th e o s o p h is ts — j u s t p u b lis h e d in
J n g h t— m a y b e fa ir ly a p p l ie d to m a n y a S p ir i tu a l is t
b es id es " G . W . M. ] ) . ”
------ • ------
( C o n tin u ed f r o m tlie N ov em be r N u m b e r o f tho T h e o so p h is t.)
M E D IC A L M A G N E T IS M A N D T IIE H E A L E R
M A G N E T IC .
B y S eeta N atu G hose.
N o w , a s t h e p r e s e r v a t i o n of t h e n a t u r a l m a g n e ti c
p o la r i ty of t h e b o d y in d u c e d b y t h e e a r th , se rv e s to a d ­
j u s t all its n a t u r a l f u n c ti o n s p r o p e r ly a n d th e r e b y m a i n ­
ta in h e a lth , a n d , ou t h e o t h e r h a n d , as t h e re v e rs io n of
t h e m a g n e ti c p o la r i ty , n a t u r a l to th e body, serves
to o b s tr u c t , o r d e r a n g e t h e n a t u r a l fu n c tio n s a n d
t h e r e b y ca use ill h e a lth , tlie t r e a t m e n t of diseases b y
this i n s t r u m e n t is effected sim p ly by c o n n e c t in g tlio anode
pole of t h e b a t t e r y w ith t h e sc re w (A) a n d t h e cathode
pole w ith t h e s c re w (C) and m a k i n g t h e d ise a se d
p erso n lie d o w n w ith in t h e i n s t r u m e n t in such a m a n ­
n er, t h a t h is h e a d m a y b e p r o je c te d o u t from th o
sc re w -e nd, a n d h is fe e t p r o je c te d o u t from th e o th e r e n d
of th e sam e. T h e i n t e n s i t y of t h e c u r r e n t of e l e c tr i c it y
a p p l ie d to t h e i n s t r u m e n t b y t h e poles of a g a l v a n ic
b a t t e r y , a n d t h e l e n g t h of tim e for w hich a p a t i e n t is
k e p t w ith in t h e in s t r u m e n t , a r e r e g u l a t e d a c c o r d in g to
his t e m p e r a m e n t w h ic h is d e t e r m i n e d b y fe e lin g his pulso
in a p e c u lia r way. I n s t e a d of u sin g th is i n s t r u m e n t
a c c o r d in g to t h e p a t h o lo g y o r t h e s y m p t o m a t o lo g y of
d iseases, it is sim p ly u se d a c c o r d i n g to th e t e m p e r a m e n t
of t h e p a t ie n t s . W h e n t h e q u a n t i t y of t h e elec tric c u r ­
r e n t a p p lie d a n d t h e l e n g t h of tim o f o r w hich a p a t i e n t
is k e p t w ith in th e in s t r u m e n t , a r e p r o p e r ly r e g u l a t e d
a c c o r d in g to his p u lse , e v e r y fu n c tio n of his b o d y , do-
r a n g e d , o b s t r u c t e d o r r e n d e r e d in a c tiv e b y a n y cause, 13
 c o r r e c t e d a n d s e t to p r o p e r o r d e r . I n c o n s e q u e n c e of
th o correc tio n of f u n c tio n s t h n s effected e v e r y d e s c r ip ­
tion of in d isposition, k n o w n o r u n k n o w n , fe lt or s l i g h t e d
b y tho p a tie n t, is p a r ti a lly o r e n t i r e l y rem o v e d as it is
s l i g h t o r serious.
T o create disease by t h is i n s t r u m e n t is lik e w is e a
v ery sim ple th in g . I f a m a n b e m a d e to lie dow n
w ith in th e i n s t r u m e n t w ith h is h e a d p r o je c te d o u t fro m
its screw -end, u n d his f e e t p r o je c te d o u t fro m t h e o th e r
en d , an d if the anode pole of a pow erful G alvan ic b a t t e r y
b e c o n n e cted w ith th e screw (C), an d t h o cathode pole
o f t h e Bame w ith t h e sc re w ( A ) , h e is su re to full a
vic tim to such disease o r d iseases w h ic h m ay h a v e a
l a t e n t t e n d e n c y to b r e a k o u t in h im . O n c o n n e c t in g
t h e G a lv a n ic b a tte r y w ith th is i n s t r u m e n t in t h e m a n n e r
aforesaid, t h e c u r r e n t of e le c tri c it y r u n s from th e screw
( 0 ) to w a r d s tlie screw (A ), k e e p i n g t h e h e a d of t h e man
ly i n g w ithin, on th e le ft side of th e c u r r e n t. I n conse-
q n e n c e th e man l y in g w ith in t h e i n s t r u m e n t becomes
m a g n e ti s e d in such a m a n n e r t h a t his head is r e u d e r e d
t h e s o u th pole an d h is f e e t t h e D orth pole. T h e
m a g n e ti c p o la rity , in d u c e d b y t h e in s t r u m e n t, b e i n g
o p p o se d to th e n atu ra l m a g n etic p o la rity of his b o d y ,
t h e p o te n c y of t h e h itte r m u s t b e r e d u c e d to som e e x ­
t e n t. T h e re d u c tio n of t h e p o te n c y of t h e n a t u r a l m a g ­
n e t ic p o la rity of his body b e i n g t h u s effected, very soon
d ev e lope s th e disease o r diseases l a t e n t in his body.
A c c o rd in g to th e ir re sp e c tiv e p hysiological actions,
t h e d r u g s e m b o d ie d in o n r M a teria M e d ic a linve been
ju d ic io u sly classed iu to a s t r i n g e n t , to nic, stim u la n t,
s e d a ti v e , a l t e r a t i v e , e m etic, e x p e c t o r a n t , p u r g a ti v e ,
d c o b s tr u e n t, d e m u lc e n t, a n t is e p tic , a n d an tiz y m o tic
o r d e r s. I n t r e a t i n g dise ase s we a d m i n i s t e r d ifferent
d r u g s of th e d iffe re n t o r d e r s w ith t h e i n te n tio n of p r o ­
d u c i n g d iffe re n t h e a lth y a c tio n s in t b e sy ste m , b u t in
t r e a t i n g dise ase s w ith o u r M a g n e t i c - H e a l e r , w e have
n o t h i n g m ore to do thrrn t o p u t t h e p a t i e n t s w ith in it
f o r a c e rta in l e n g th of tim e. By s im p ly d o in g th is w e
aro in a p o sitio n tc p r o d u c e a n y actio n in t h e sy stem
w hich m a y be d e e m e d nec essary fo r t h e rem oval of a
d isease. F r o m w h a t h a s b e e n j u s t now said it sh o u ld
n o t b e i n f e r r e d a t on ce t h a t w e a r e q u ite av e rse to use
a n y m a te ria l d i n g for th e rem oval of a d ise ase , W e are
r a t h e r in f a v o u r o f ju d ic io u s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of t h e m ost
in n o c e n t d r u g s of o u r M a te r ia Medica in tim e s of u r g e n t
n e e d , 'lh o s e d r u g s w h ich w h e n m is a p p lie d t h r o u g h
m i s t a k e or ig n o r a n c e , m a y p r o d u c e se rio u s evil effects,
a r e now b ein g c a r e f u lly a v o id e d b y us.
W e h a v e a lre ad y m e n tio n e d t h a t t h e l e n g t h of tim e
f o r w h ic h a p a t ie n t is k e p t w ith in t h e i n s t r u m e n t an d
t h e d e g r e e of b a tte r y po w er o rd e r e d for a p a tie n t, a r e r e ­
g u l a t e d a c c o r d in g to his t e m p e r a m e n t, w hich is a s c e r t a i n ­
e d b y sim ply feeling his pulse. T h e r e a re s e v en v arieties
of te m p e r a m e n t s usually Inot w ith in p a t ie n t s on e x a m i n ­
i n g th e ir p u ls e ; viz., nervous, bilious, p h le g m a tic , nervo-
In lio u s, nervo-phlegm atir, bilio-phlegmatic, an d nervo-
b ih o - p l d c g m a t i c ; of these seven v arieties, t h e first three
nre p tu e , a n d th e last fo u r a r e m ix e d . O f th e t h r e e p u r e
te m p e r a m e n t s the p h le g m a t ic r e q u ir e s m ore tim e a n d
b a t t e r y - p o w e r th a n th e bilious, a n d t h e bilious r e q u ir e s
m o re tim e a n d b a t t e r y - p o w e r t h a n t h e n e r v o u s in b e in g
tr e a te d by th e M a g n e tic H e a le r . I n o th e r w o rd s th e
p h le g m a t ic a n d th e n e r v o u s t e m p e r a m e n t s t a n d on m a x i­
m u m an d m in im u m p o in ts of tim e a n d b a t t e r y - p o w e r
r esp e ctively, and th e bilious is n e a r ly in te r m e d ia te b e ­
tw e e n them re g a rd in g t h e sam e. F r o m t h e d a t u m th u s
o b ta in e d i t becomes v e ry easy to d e c id e how m u c h tim e
a n d b a t te r y - p o w e r are r e q u ir e d b y t h e f o u r m ix e d v a r i e ­
tie s of t e m p e r a m e n ts m e n tio n e d a b o v e in b e i n g tr e a te d
b y th e M a g n e tic Ile a le r . H o w t h e p u ls e is e x a m in e d
w i t h a view to d e te r m in e t h e te m p e r a m e n t , is a s u b je c t
o f vital im p o r ta n c e m m y _ e s tim a tio n . T h e m o d e w hich
I h a v e a d o p te d in e x a m i n i n g t h e pulse, differs, in m a n y
r e s p e c ts , fro m w h a t is in v o g u e a m o n g s t t h e A llo p a t h ic
a n d I l o m a o p a t h i c p ra c titio n e r s . A s t h a t m o d e of exam ine
i n g t h e p u ls e is also of v e ry g r e a t se rv ic e in d ia g n o sin g
diseases p a t h o lo g ic a lly and s e le c tin g a p p r o p r i a t e rem edies
for t h e i r tr e a t m e n t , i t w ould b e b e t t e r to dwell u p o n it
a t la rg e on a f u t u r e occasion t h a n to d e s c r ib e it s h o rtly
in this. I t is so e x q u isite ly nice t h a t a s h o r t d e s c r ip ­
tion is m o r e lik e ly to m u r d e r t h a n to elu cidate it.
( T o be c o n tin u ed .)
A P SY C H O L O G IC A L PH EN O M ENO N .
W e h a v e m u c h p l e a s u r e to b e a b le to lay befo re th o
p u b lic a r e m a r k a b l e p s y c h o lo g ic a l p h e n o m e n o n , as i n t e r ­
e s t i n g as it is well a u t h e n t i c a t e d . O n N o v e m b e r 10th,
a E u r o p e a n g e n t le m a n a t t a c h e d to t h e T h eo so p h ica l H e a d
Q u a r t e r s w as e n g a g e d in som e w o rk in a room a d j o in ­
i n g t h a t of M a d a m e B l a v a ts k y , w h e n h e h e a r d a voice,
w h ic h h e b eliev e d was t h a t of M r. D — K — M , a n officer
of t h e P a r e n t S o c ie ty , s p e a k in g to M a d a m e B l a v a ts k y in
h e r ro om . A s th is y o u n g m an h ad , to t h a t g e n t l e m a n ’s
k n o w le d g e , le f t t h e H e a d Q u a r te rs t o m e w e e k s prev io u sly
to jo in Col- O lc o tt a t P o o n a , ho n a tu riilly t h o u g h t a t tlie
t im e t h a t ho h a d com e b a c k a u d so e n t e r e d M a d a m o
B l a v a t s k y ’s ro o m to g r e e t tlie officer in q u e s tio n on liis
r e t u r n . B u t f a n c y liis s u r p ris e w h e n o n e n t e r i n g t h e
ro o m h e f o u n d t h a t D — K — M was n o w h e r e to b e seen ;
a n d his s u r p ris e p o sitiv e ly g r e w u p to a m a z e m e n t w h en
o n e n q u i r i n g h e f o u n d t h a t , th o u g h th is y o u n g B r a h m a n
w as a t th e m o m e n t a t M o r a d a b a d , N . W . P ., y e t M a d a m e
B l a v a t s k y w ho w as th e n s t a n d i n g lo o k in g v e ry m u c h
p e r p le x e d , b e fo re t h e s h r in e s e t t i n g it in o r d e r , h a d also
n o t only h o a r d t h a t c h e la ’s voice, b u t a s su re d t h e g e n t l e ­
m a n t h a t she h a d a m e s s a g e fro m D — K — M . w h ic h was of
g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e — t h e w o rd s of w h ic h she w as a s k e d to
r e p e a t b y te le g r a m . S h e im m e d ia te ly p r o c e e d e d to hav e
t h e m w ir e d to M o r a d a b a d a n d th e m e s s a g e was s e n t. I n
t h e e v e n in g , G e n e ra l a n d M rs. M o r g a n f r o m O oty, Miss
F l y n n f r o m B o m b a y , Mr. M o hini M o h a n C h a t t e r j i from
C a lc u tta , a n d o th e r s t h e n on a v isit a t A d y a r , ta lk e d th e
m a t t e r o v e r a^ g o o d d ea l, all e x p r e s s in g s u r p r i s e a n d
in te n s e c u rio sity as to how f a r t h e p h e n o m e n o n w ou ld be
verified.
W i t h th e s e p r e f a t o r y r e m a r k s we m a y safely leave th e
f o llo w in g d o c u m e n ts to s p e a k fo r th e m s e lv e s a n d in v ite
o u r S p ir i tu a l is tic frie n d s to e x p l a in a w a y t h e occ u rre n ce
on t h e i r o r t h o d o x th e o rie s. T h e s e d o c u m e n ts w ere re c e iv ­
ed fro m M o r a d a b a d five d a y s la te r :—
“ O n t h e e v e n i n g of N o v e m b e r 10, Mr. D — K -*-M —-
h a v i n g a t t h e r e q u e s t of Mr. S h a n k a r S in g h of M o r a d a b a d
p r o m is e d to a s k t h e M a h a tm a s w h e th e r Col. O lc o tt would
be p e r m i t t e d to t r e a t m esinerically tw o c h i ld r e n , in w hom
S h a n k a r S i n g w as in te r e ste d , a n d h a v i n g a t his re q u e s t
g o n e to t h e A d y a r H e a d - q u a r t e r s in t h e Shu lc sh m a sarira
( a stra l b o d y ) to ld us t h a t he h a d rec e iv e d a m e ssa g e a t
t h e Adyj>r “ S h r i n e ; ” a t t h e sa m e tim e ho also said t h a t
lie h a d a s k e d M a d a m e B l a v a ts k y to give Col. O lc o tt a
co nfirm ation of his visit as well as of t h e o r d e r received
th r o u g h t h e s h r in e fro m Col. O lc o t t’s g u r u b y s e n d in g a
te le g r a m to him , D — K — M. or S h a n k a r S in g ; a f t e r w hich
h e r e p o r t e d (4-50 p . m . , ) its s u b s ta n c e in th e s e w o rd s : —
“H e n r y can tr y the p a r t i e s once, leaving str o n g ly mes­
merised C a j a p u t t i oil to rub three tim e s d a ily to relieve
sufferers. K a r m a ca n n o t be interfered.
(S ig n ed ) S h a n k a r S in g . (S ig n ed ) N a ro tta m D ass.
( ,, ) P u n d it B. S an k ar. ( „ ) L. V en k ata V a rad o raju ltt
N a id n .
( ,, ) W . T. B row n, ( j, ) T oke N a r a in a s a m y N a id n .
( », ) P urm cshri D ass. ( ,, ) C h ira n jc e L all.
^ ) F arslio th atn D ass. ( ,, ) II. S . O lcofcti
( ,, ) Ishri P rasad. ( ) P ran N a th P an d it.
T h e t e l e g r a m m e n tio n e d b y D — K — M. b a s j u s t been
r e c e iv e d (8-45 a. m., N o v e m b e r 1 1 th ) as a d e f e r r e d or
n i g h t m e s s a g e of 34 w ords, in w h ic h t h e above e x a c t
w o rd s a r e r e p e a te d . M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y R a y s a “ voice from
t h e S h r i n e ” s p o k e t h e w o rd s, a n d a d d s t h a t D — K — M.
h e a r d t h e voice, a n d t h e t e l e g r a m i s s e n t a t his reque st.
 ;C u p y of tlio te le g r a m r e c e iv e d from M a d am e
iB Iuva tsky b y , M r . D — IC— M , . . .
(Class D t ) •
•/i!o M o r a d a b a d , -.From A d y a r (M ad ras)
W ords. D ays. H ours, M in u te s .
49 JO .1 7 ' 15
" T o i D — K — M.
’ F rom
. c a r e of Col. O lc o tt, P r e s i d e n t
I I . P . B l a v a ts k y .
Tlieosopliical S ociety,
“ Voice f r o m S h r i n e s a y s ‘H e n r y ca n tr y p a r ti e s once,
A eaving strong ly m esm erized C a j a p u t t i oil, ru b three times
d a ily to relieve suffering. K a r m a ca nnot be inte rfe red
U'itli. tD —‘■heard . v o ic e ; telegram sent at h is request
N o te d t h a t t h e t e l e g r a m is d a t e d A d y a r , .5-15 or but
,25 m in u te s l a t e r th a n th e tim e w h e n D —:K — M .’s p sy c h ic
Message \yas r e p o r t e d a t 'M o r a d a b a d . T b e tw o pla ce s
are. 2,.2$ 1 miles' a p a r t.
( - i g n e d ) I s h r i P r a s a d ( S i g n e d .) P u ra slio th a an Dass,
.„ ,W \ T , Jiip.wri. ,, C h e n d r a S e k h a r a . . . d ra w n a t tim es to c u s t o m s d if fe rin g a good deal.jt} somo
„ I I . S. O lco tt. ,, T o k o N .arainasuw m y N a id u .
,, P u n d it Sankar. ,, . J j . V e n k a t a V a r a d a r a j u l u
, . ' N aid u /’
; K d i t u r ' s N o t e . — U r . D — K — M. ia a c l i e l a . o f h a r d l y 4 y e a r s ’ s t a n d i n g ,
. his r e m a r k a b l e p s y c h i c p o w e r s . p a v i n g r e c e i v e d t l i e i r d e v e l o p m e n t b u t to tho K olaria n trib es, as I am (awarevboth , O raojis ( D ra v i d i-
la te ly.' l i e is o f a v e r y d e l i c a t o J i e a l t h . a n d lives, tli e life of a r e y u l ( i r
a s c e t i c . W h e n e v e r t h e p h e n o m e n o n of t h e s e p a r a t i o n of t h o a s t r a l f r o m
t h e p h y s i c a l bo dy t a k e s p la c e , w e a r e to l d , lie f a l l a i n v a r i a b l y a sle o p
o r i n t o a trau. eo a f e w m i n u t e s b e f o r e .
—* —
N O T I C E .
■ Com plaints „haie reaijied u s fr(>pi . c u r subscribers
in E uro pe a n d A m e r ic a rega rd in g the state iu w h ic h the
Theosophist f o r S e p te m b e r la st h a s reached them. A
f r i e n d w r ite s to us f r o m H a r t f o r d on the subject :— “ M g
Theosophist f o r Septem ber has j u s t come in, such a m u t i ­ . t h o u g h .practised by people who aro often e n tire ly i g n o r a n t
lated condition th a t 1 m upt a s k i f yo u w i l l not send me
another, a i 1 cun neither have it bo u n d w ith the others,
nor read it w i th a n y com fort. Soiree one h a s taken, some
.sharp i n s t r u m e n t u n d stabbed i t thro u g h a n d th r o u g h —■
fro m cover to cover, 1(5 tim es ; each sta b un. i n c h long ; J o u r
i n a r o w , a n d f o u r rows o f th e m , m ullin g six te e n , a ud p r e t t y
tvell covering the page. E v e ry page, or leaf-in the book is t h u s
m u tila te d ; a n d the m a r g in s han g in tatters. W h a t possible
object could a n y one have in doing- th>s ? I t wus done a jter
. the 'wrapper w as on, for t^he slabs go th ro u g h the w r a p p e r .”
Our subscribers are not p e r h a p s uw are th u t d u r in g the
prevalence o f cholera in E g y p t a ll letters a n d p a p e r s f r o m
I n d i a were held in q u a r a n ti n e a t l i r i n d i s i by the I t a l i a n
G overnm ent ..and h a d to undergo the c u s to m a r y stubbing
a nd sm o king before being fo r w u r d e d . W e hereby i n f o r m
all subscribers whose copies have suffered J r o m the quar-
r a n ti n e to a p p ly f o r f r e s h copies, which we have a lre a d y f o r ­
w arded to those whose c o m p la in ts have reached us u p to
date.— M a n u g ir .
g i b b e r s to ( £ o r . r c s p n b t n t s .
P. C. MuKEftJi.— (O u d li). T h e s u b je c t is a d e b a ta b le one,
an d you yi.ve. b u t y o u r o w n view s, w i t h o u t re f e r e n c e to
those of e m i n e n t a u th o r itie s .
A n I n d i a n G r a d u a t e F. T . S . — T h e le a s t s a id a b o u t
tlio in to leran t, b ig o try , of ignorant s e c t a r i a n s th o best. A
ISralnno m issio n a ry w ho sp e ak s .of o th e r s as .“ s w in e s ” (sic)
is ce rta in ly a f o e m a n u n w o r t h y of y o u r steel.
K u n j a V i u Alii li ii a t t a c h a ity a . — T h e c o n c lu s io n s of D rs.
S alzer a n d D oda c}o n o t to u c h each o th e r . D r . S a lz e r s p e a k s of
tho p ro to p la s m of d if fe re n t species of a n i m a l o r g a n i s m h a v i n g
different o d o r a n t p ro p e r tie s. W h a t D r . D o d a say s a b o u t
c e rta in cau ses p r e v e n t i n g c h il d r e n f r o m r e s e m b l i n g tl ie ir
jiarents,-refers to th e ex cep tio nal su spe nsion , w i t h i n th e li m its
of th e species, of fh e g e n e r a l law e x p o u n d e d b y 'Dr. S u k e r.
In tlie absence of th e w r i t e r of th e a rtic le o u “ L a m p of
Life,” we aro so r ry wo c a n n o t f u r n i s h y o u w ith a n y f r e s h
p articu lars r e l a t i n g to C h i d a n a n d a S w a m y ’s life, A p u r e
11. P. ■physical b o dy is a b s o l u te l y n e c e s s a r y f o r succcss in o ccult­
. . iani, a n d s t u d e n t s of t h a t sa c r e d science lnyve n o t seldom to
(jdisincarnato th e m se lv e s to find bodies b e t t e r s u ite d fo r th o
p u rp o s e . .
N . S. G .— O n reflection, y o u w ill find t h a t y o u r “ City, a n d
C o u n t r y Lifo of P a r s e e s ” ia u n s u i f e d to o u r c o lu m n s.
P . D. K . — Y o u r “ P r o b l e m of th e E x iste n c e o f th e B o d y ” is
o u t of o u r p ro v in ce.
A . B .— W e n e v e r n o tice a n o n y m o u s c o rr e s p o n d e n ts .
$ 1 1) s .t.i c f . - O i r E-.
. S H A M A N IS M A N D W IT C H C R A F T A M O N G ST
T H E KO L A R I A N T R IB E S.
B y M i a d K o y o k a K o u i a H o n , F , T. S.
H av in g resid ed fo r som e y ears a m o n g s t th e l l u n d a a an^l
H o s of S in gb lio om a n d . O h u t i a N a g p u r , m y a t t e n t i o n wa.s
ways, b u t h a v i n g ail e v id e n t affinity, to, th o se r e l a te d of tho
N.ilghiri “ K u r u m b e i s ” in S irs. M o r g a n ’s a rtic le in tho
S e p t e m b e r n u m b e r of tlie 'Theosophist. I d o n ’t mean, to say
t h a t th e pra ctice s I a m a b o u t to m e n tio n are confined sim p ly
an, trib es) a n d th e d if fe re n t H i n d u castes li v in g side by sido
w i t h th e Kols c o u n t m a n y u o ted w izard s a m o n g t h e i r n u m b e r ;
" b u t . w h a t little I h av e come to k n o w of th ese c u rio u s cu sto m s,
I havo le a r n t . a m o n g th e M tindas an d H o s, whose, l a n g u a g e I
-
.sp eak , sopie of the most celebrated practitioners among them
being Christian converts. T h o people them selves say ( h a t
theso p rac tice s a r e peculiar, to th e i r race and not. l e a r n t f r c m
t h e , H i n d u in v a d e r s o f tl ieir p la te a u , b u t fro m w h a t ■I - h a v o
road a t tim e s in tho Theosophist -ol the T a n t r i c cerem onies, I
a m in clined to t h i n k t h a t s o m e 'a t least of th e operation s havo
a s t r o n g sa v o u r of th e T a n t r i c B lack Magic about, th em ,
of a n y H in d u lan gu age .
T hose r e m a rk s m u s t be f u r t h e r p rem ised by a s h o i t s k e tc h
of th e Kol ideas of w orship. T h e y have n o t h i n g t h a t I havo
e ith e r seen or h eard of in tho s h a f o of an im age, b u t th e ir
periodical offerings aro m ado to a n u m b e r of e le m e n tal spisils,
a n d th e y assig n a gen ie to e v e ry tree o r roc k in th o c o u n t r y
w h o m th ey do no t c o n sid e r a l t o g e t h e r m a lig n a n t, b u t who, if
n o t d u ly “ fe d ” or p ro p i ti a te d , m ay become so.
T h o S i n g b o n g a (lit. S a n o r li g h t s p irit) is tlic c h i e f ; - B u m
B o n g a ( S p i r i t of th e lulls) a n d th e Ik liir B o n g a ( S p i r i t of tho
d e e p ) eomo n ex t. A f te r th e s e c om e th e D a rh a , of w hich e a c h
fam ily has its own, a n d t h e y m a y bo considered in th e samo
l ig h t as L ares a n d P e n a te s . B u t e v e ry t h r e s h in g , flour a n d
oil mill h as its s p irit, w ho m u s t bo du ly fed, elso evil r e s u lt
m a y be ex pe cted . '
T lieir g r e a t fsstivn l ( t h e K iira m ) is in h o n o r of S in g b o n g a
a n d his a s s is ta n ts ; tho o p e n in g w ords of the p r i e s i’s speech on
t h a t occasion sufficiently in d ic a te s t h a t th ey c o n s i d e r S in g -
bonga, the c r e a t o r of m en a n d th in g s. Muuu re Singbonga
manokoa luekidkoa f i n th e b e g in n i n g S i n g b o n g a m a d e m e n ) .
E a c h village has ila S a r n a o c sacred g ro v e w h ere th e hcri>
d i t a r y p r i e s t fro m tim e to tim e p e rfo rm s sacrifices to keep
th i n g s pro s p e ro u s ; b u t th is o n ly relates to s p i r it s actu a lly
c o n n e cted w i t h th e village, th e th ree g r e a t e r s p i r it s m entio ned
b e in g considered g e n e ra l, uro only fed a t in tervals of th reo or
m o re years, an d a lw a y s on a pub lic road o r o t h e r public place,
a n d onco ev ery 10 ( t e n ) y ears a h u m a n being was (a n d a.-;
som e will tell j'ou is) sacrificed to keep th e whole c o m m u n it y
of sp irits in good t r a i n . T h o I 1aha us o r village p rie s ts a n ;
r e g u l a r s e r v a n ts of th o s p i r it s a n d tho ndjo, d'ova* a n d
lihagals f a r e people who in som e way aro su pp osed to ob tain
an in fluence o r c o m m a n d o v e r them . T h e first a n d low est
g ra d e of th eso a d e p t s called najos (w h ich m ay bo t r a n s la t e d ns
p r a c t it io n e r s of w i t c h c r a f t p u re an d sim ple) a rc fr e q u e n tl y
wom en. . T h e y a r e accused like tho “ M ula K u r u m b e r s ” of
d e m a n d i n g q u a n ti ti e s of g ra i n o r loans o f m oney, &c., fr o m
people, a n d w hen thes3 d e m a n d s a re re fu sed , th e y go a w a y
w ith a r e m a r k to tho effect “ t h a t y e u h avo lots of c a ttle aiid
g r a i n j u s t now , b u t w e’ll see w h a t th e y a rc like a f t e r a m o n t h
or tw o .” T h e n p ro b a b ly th e c a tt le of th e b cw itch od p erson
will g e t som e disease a n d se v e ra l of th e m die, or to ino person
* C f. S a n s k r i t D<ih ini , a w i t c h .
-J* Cf. {Sanskrit J J h a k t a , a d e v o t e e ,
of his family will become ill or get h u r t in some unaccountable
way. Till a t last, thoroughly frig htened, the afflicted person
tak es a little oil and a littlte uncooked rice a n d goes to a deona
o r 7n&ti (as ho is called in the different vernaculars of the
province)—the grade immediately above a nd jo tn knowledge
— a n d promising him a) reward iE he will assist him, requests hrs
a id ; if the deona accedes to the req ue st, the proceedings are as
follows. The deona takin g the oil brought lights a small lamp
and seats himself beside it with the rice in a snrpa (wiiinowei*)
iu his hands. A fter looking intently a t tfve lamp flame for a
few minutes, he begins to sing a sort of c h a u n t of invocation
in which all the spirits are named, and n i t h e name of eatch
spirit a few grains of rice are1thrown into ihe lamp. W hen
the flame a t an y particular name gives a ju m p and flares np
high', the spirit conccrned in the mischief is indicated. Then
th e deona takes a small portion of th e rice wrapjwd o p in a>Sal
(Shorea r'obusta) leaf nod proceeds (sc the nearest new white-
a n t n est from which he cuts the top off an d lays, the littlo
b und le, half in and half out of the cavity. Havin'g retired, he
r e tu r n s in about an hour to see if the rice is eonsamedv and
according to tho ralpidity with w hich it is eaten he predicts
th o sacrifice which will appease the spirit. T h is ranges from
a fowl to a buffalo, b n t w hatever it may include, the pouring
o u t of blood is an essential. I t must be noted, however, th at
t h e m a ti never tells who tbe ndjo is, who has excited the
malignity of th e spirit.
B u t the m ost im p o rta n t an d lucrative p a r t of a deona't
tmsiness is tho casting out of evil spirits, whioh operation ia
known variously as dshdb and langhan. The sign of obsession
is generally some m e ntal alienation accompanied ( in bad
cases) by a combined trenjbiing and restlessness of limbs, or
au unaccountable swelling wp of the body. W h atever the
symptoms may be, the mode of enre appears to be much
the same. On such symptoms declaring themselves, tho
deona is bro u g h t to the bouge an d is in the presence of the
sick man and his friends provided w ith some lice in a snrpa,
some oil, a littlo vermillion, and the deona produces from his
own person a little powdered su lp h u r an d an iron tube
fibout four inches long and two tik lis.* Before tho p ro ­
ceedings begin all tho things mentioned afe touched w ith
%'crmillion, a small quantity of which is also mixed with the
rice. Three or fotir grains of rice and one of the tiklis
being p u t into the tube, a lamp is then lighted beside the
sick man and the deona begins his chaunt, th row ing grains of
rice at each name, and when the ilame flares up, a little of the
powdered snlp hnr is thrown in to tho lam p and a little on the
fuck man, who thereupon becomes convulsed, ia shaken all over
and talks deliriously, the deona's cha u nt grow ing louder all
tho while. Suddenly the convulsions and the c h a u n t cease,
an d the deona carefully takes u p a littlo of the sulp hur off
tho m a n ’s body and puts into tho tub®, which lie then seals
with the second tikli. T h e deona a n d one of the man's
friends then leavo tho hut, taking tho iron tube an d rice with
them , tho spirit being now supposed out of the man and
liottled up in the iron tubo. They h u r ry across country
u n til they leave th e h n t some miles behind. T hen they go
to tho edge of somo tank or river, to some place they know
to be frequented by people for the purposes of bathing, &c.,
where, after soino fu rth e r ceremony, the iron ts stuck into the
g r o u n d and left there. This is done w ith the benevolent
intention th a t the spirit may transfer its attentions to tho
unfo rtu n a te person who may happen to touch it while bathing.
I am told the spirit in this caso usually chooses a young
and healthy person. Should the deona think the sp irit has
n o t been able to sn it itself with a new receptacle, he repairs
to where a bazaar ia taking place and there (after somo cere­
mony) he mixes with the crowd, and taking a grain of the
reddened rice jerks it w ith his forefinger and th u m b in such
a way th a t w ithout a ttr a c tin g attention it falls on the person
or clothes of some. T h is is done several times to make
certain. Then the deona declares he has dene his work, and
is usually treated to the best dinner the sick m a n ’s friends can
afford. I t is said th a t tho person to w hom th e sp irit by
cither of theso methods is transferred may not be affected
for weeks or even months. But some fine day while ho is at
his work, he will suddenly stop, wheel round two or threa
tim es on his heels and fall down more or less convulsed, from
t h a t timo forward he will begin to be troubled in the same
w ay as his dis-obsessed predecessor was.
---------------------------------- ------------ ------ ---- ---- ------------------ ------— .
* Tikli—is a circular piece of gilt paper which is stbek on b e t w e e n
tho eyebrows of the women of tho Province as ornament-
H a v in g th u s given some account of the deona, wo now come
to the Bhagat called by the H in d u s Sohha and Sivnatli. This
is tho highest grade of all, and as I ought to have mentioned
before the 'ilm (knowledge) of both the deona and Bhagat
grades is only to bo learned by becoming ai regular chela of
a practitioner ; b u t I am given to understand (h a t tho final
initiation is much hastened by a seasonable liberality on the
p a r t of the chela. D uring the initiation of tho Sokha cer­
tain ceremonies are perform ed at night by aid of a human
corpse, this is one of the things which has led m e to think-
t h a t this p a r t a t least of theso practices is connected with
T a n tric black-magic'.
The Bhagat perforins two d istin ct functions : (1st), r> kirn I
of divination called Bluto* (tb e snme in H indi), and (2nd)\ a
kind of S h am anism called Barasla in Hindi, and Bharoian in
Horokaji, which, however, ia resorted to only ou very grave
occasions— as, for instance, when several families thinfe they
are bewitched a t o n e time and by the same Nnjo’.
Th«B h a o is performed as follows :— The person having some
query to propound, makes a Bmall dish out of a sal loaf and
p u ts in it a little uncooked rice and a few pice ; he- tl en pro­
ceeds to the B haga t a’nd lays before him the leaf and its con­
tents, pro p o u n d in g a t the same time his query. The Bhagat
then directs him to go-out and gather two golaichi.(varieties of
Pos i»»'a)flowers(such practitioners usually having a golaichi treo
close to their abodes); after the flowers are b rought the Bhagat
scats birnself w ith th e rice close to the inquirer, and after-
some consideration selects one of the flowers and holding it
by the sta lk a t « distance of about a foot from his eyes in his
left hand twirls it between his t h u m b a n d fingers, occasionally
with his r ig h t hand dropping on it a grain or two of rice.f
In a few m inutes his eyes closo and he begins to talk__
usually ab o u t things having n oth ing to do with the question
in b a n d — b n t after a few minutes of this he suddenly yells
out an answer to th® question’, a n d w ithout another word
retires. The inquirer takes his meaning as he can from the
answer, w hich, 1 believe, is always ambiguons.
The Bharotan as I have above r e m a r k t d is-only resorted to
when a m a tte r of grave im port has to be inquired a bout; the
Bhagat makes a high charge for a seance of this description.
W e will fancy th a t tbree or four families in a village consider
themselves l>ewiteh,ed by a certain witch, and they resolve to
liavo recourse to a Bhagat to find ou t who tho witch is ; with
this view a day is fixed on, aud two delegmfes are procured
from each of five neighbouring villages, who accompany the
afflicted people to the house of the Bhagat, taking with them
a ddli or offering consisting of vegetables, which on arrival is'
formally presented to him. Two delegates are posted at ench of
the four points of th e compass and the other two seat them ­
selves with tbe afflicted parties to th e right of the Bhagat, who
occupies the centro of the a p a r tm e n t with four or fivo chelas,
a clear space being reserved on the left. One chela then
brings a small earthenw are-pot full of lighted charcoal, which
is set before the Bhagat w ith a pile of mange wood chips
and a ball composed of dhunia (resin of Shorea robusta), ijur
(treacle) and ghee, (clarified b utter),and possibly other ingredi­
ents. T he Bhagat’s sole attire consists of a scanty lenguti
(waist cloth), a necklace of the large wooden beads such as
are usually worn by fakeers, and several garlands of golaichi
flowers round his neck, his hair being unusually long an d
m a tte d. Beside him stuck in the ground is his staff. One chela
s ta n d s over the firepot w ith a bamboo-m at fan in his hand
another takes charge of the pile of chips, and a third of the
ball of composition, find one or two others seat themselves
behind th e Bhagat, with dru m s and other musical in strum e nts
in their hands. All being in readiness, tho afflicted ones are
requested to state their grievance. This they do, and pray
the Bhagat to call before him the najo, who has stirred np th e
spirits to afflict them, in order that he may be punished. The
B hagat then gives a sign to his chelas, those behind him
raise a furious din w ith their instruments, the firo is fed
w ith chips, a n d a bit of the composition is p u t on it from tim e
to time, produ cing a volume of thick greyish blue smoke-
this is carefully fanned over, and towards the Bhagat, who’
when well w rapped in smoke, closes his eyes and qnietly swayl
ing his body begins a low chaunt. Tho c h a a n t gradually
becomes louder and the sway of his body more prononneed
until he works himself into a state of complete frenzy. Then
with his body actually quivering, an d his head rapidly work-
* Cf. Sanskrit Bhava. technically applied to tho ecstatic trance ot
mystic sects of Valshnavas iu Bengal,
B O tn e
f This is the process by which the Bhdgat mesmerizes himself, -
 iDg about from side to side, he sings in a loud voice how a
certain najo (whom ho- names) had asked money of those
people and was refused, and how he stirred up certain spirits
(whom he also names) to h u r t them , how th e y killed so and
so’s bullocks some one else’s sheep and caused an o th e r’s child
to fall ill. Then he begins to call on the najo to come aud
answer for his doings and in doing so rises to his feet—
still com m anding tho najo to appear ; meanwhile he reels
a b o u t ; then falls on the ground and is q uite still except for
an occasional whine and a m uttered I 6ee him 1" “ He is
coming !” This state may last for an h onr or more till at
last the Bhagat sits up and announces the najo has come ; as
he says so a man apparently m ad with d rin k rushes in and
falls with his liead towards the B hagat moaning and making
a sort of snorting as if half stitied.* In this person the be­
witched parties often recognize a neighbour an d sometimes
even a relation, b a t w hoever lie may be th e y haye bound
themselves to punish him. T he Bhagat then speaks to him
and tells him to confess, at the same timo threatening him, in
case of refusal, with his staff. H e th e n confesses in a half
stupified manner and his confession tallies wiLh w h a t the
Bhagat has told in his frenzy. T he najo is th e n dismissed and
runs out of the house in the same h u rry as he came in.
T he delegates th en hold a council a t which the najo usually
is sentenced to a fine— often heavy enough to ruin him—and
expulled from his village. Before the British Itaj th e con­
victed najo seldom escaped with his life and d uring the
mutiny time, when no saldbs were about, the Singbhoom Hoa
paid off a large number of old scores of th is sort. For
record of which, see, Statistical A ccount of Bengal, vol. xvii,
p. 5 2 . _ _
Iu conclusion I have merely to add th a t I have derived
this information from people who have been actually con­
cerned in these occurrences and am ong others a m an belong­
ing to a village of my own, who was convicted and expelled
from the village with the loss of all his moveable p r o p e r ty
and one of his victims, a relation of his, had sat by me when
the above was being written.
------ ♦------
P H E N O M E N A L P O W E R S OF L I V I N G Y O G IS
AN D F A K IR S.
B y U sia C uakan M u k e r j i .
I have been for some time p ast a constant rea der of the
Theosophist an d have procured a n d read several works
upon Mesmerism, Spiritualism, &c. These created in me a
strong desire to verify personally the t r u t h of w h a t is
narrate d in o u r sacred books. B eing a G o vernm e n t servant,
I had very little time at m y disposal, b u t devoted the whole
vacation every y ea r to travel far an d w ide in search of
F akirs an d Yogees said to possess phenom enal powers, I am
happy to be able to place before the rea d ers of the Theoso­
phist some of th e sta rtlin g facts t h a t fell u n d e r m y obser­
vation.
T he banks of the N erb ad a R iv e r are the h a b itu a l dwell­
ing place of some of these people. I have m e t a large
n u m b e r of them and have seen them perform various pheno­
mena. I shall, however, here mention only three or four
striking cases, w hich no theory of deception or juggle ry can
explain away. I first went to A m a r a k a n ta k , a place about
ninety miles from here, where tlie sacred riv er of the H in ­
dus takes its source. T here I w en t to a rep u te d H in d u
Yogi, a perfect stra n g e r to me. No sooner did I p u t my foot
into his cottage th a n he called me by my nam e, w hich was
entirely unknow n to an y one in the town, t h a t being my
first visit there. H e th e n told me whence I came, w h a t
my fa th e r’s nam e was, a n d w liat was then passing in my
mind. This th o u g h t-rea d in g completely stu,nne4 me. A fte r
conversing w ith him for a short tim e an d being satisfied of
his power, I left him an d proceeded] qn m y travels. I n a
jungle about a mile from th a t place, I hear.d a voice which
a ttracted my attention to a big banian tree on the K aroka-
m andala Hills. On approaching the spot, I perceived an em a­
ciated H in d u Yogi sitting qn a small wooden plank h a n g in g
in the air without any rope or support I saluted a n d addressed
him. B u t h a v in g net response find being afraid of the
tigers an d oth e r wild beasts, so num ero us in th a t jungle,
and it being n e a r evening, I w ent on w ith my journey.
The n ex t y ea r I w ent to M undla, a b o u t sixty miles to the
* pf. The account of S h am an ism in a paper of th rillin g in tere st
Cftllsd M C a v e o i E o h o s n , ” p u b l i s h e d io ' t l u s j o u r n a l f o r A f i i l l o s t .
east of Jnbbulpore. T he forest is dense an d the habitation
of tigers an d o th e r wild beasts. T he town is situated on
the rocky b a n k of the N e r b a d a River. I was at the tim e
employed th e re as a Police H e a d Clerk. W hile there, I
h ea rd of a Mahornedan F akir, k now n by th e nam e of Data-
sliali. Before going to him, I went to B a b u ji Ojlia, tho
late H o n o ra ry M ag istrate of th a t town, to enquire about tho
age of the F a k ir , an d how long he was there. T he Babu,
who was th e n n inety years old, told mo th a t his g r a n d f a th e r
had seen the F a k ir in his early years appearing as I myself th e n
saw him. I t is for the readers to judge how old this w on der­
ful man m ay be. My curiosity was so much exoited t h a t
I im mediately w ent up to see him, The most m arvellous
th in g th a t I noticed was w hen he was b ath in g in the river.
M any had been the lives lost in the jaw s o f t h e crocodiles
whieh infest t h a t stream; b u t no alligator approached th e m an .
I, in company w ith various oth e r people, have actually seen
ferocious saurians pass quite close to his body w ithout touch­
in g him. N e a r his cave is the hole of a trem endous
snake, abo u t th ir ty cubits long, b u t the m an has never
yet been h u r t. On an o th e r occasion, the F a k ir, who hardly
ever talks to one, suddenly came up to pie and when I
h ad rosigned m y service an d was th in k in g of ta k in g up
a u o th er employment. H e told me not to be sorry b u t to
go to Jubb ulpore, w here I would g e t a suitable p e rm a ­
n e n t post. I did so, and his prophecy has been fulfilled.
I have also seen him ouro various diseases, by giving
V ib h u ti .(holy ashes) and sometimes even w hen using
abusive language. A f t e r coming here, I m e t a Efibu,
the b ro th er of a D ep uty Collector in Bengal. Twice ou
three times I have seen him seat himself in a large vessel
of w a te r afte r the E u ro pe an fashion of a hip-bath, and by
some rem arkable p u m p in g or siphonie action of the intestines
described in the w orks on Yoga, distend himself w ith w ater,
w hich he would th e n suddenly expel in a torrent. Oncc I
saw him ca rry in g on for some two hours a certain process
of contraction a n d expansion o f the abdominal and thoracic
muscles, an d for abo u t half an h o u r suspending the b re a th —
which la tte r process isknow n as K u m b h ak a . H e th e n levitated*
an d sat in the air, abo u t half a foot from tlie gro u n d w ithou t
the slighest mechanical support, for over fifteen minutes.
H e then reeommcnced the previous m usoular proecss, a n d
he g rad u a lly descended to the g round. Theso are some of
the facts to w hich I b ea r witness. All these men are still
living in the places mentioned by me. L e t tho men of scienco
investigate th e facts if they would have earnest H in d u s
believe in th e ir desire to promote knowledge, and explain to
us, if possible, ijiore clearly th a n do our sacred books, tho
laws governing these occult manifestations of n a tu ra l law.
J u b b u lp o r e , 1
24th October 1883. J
-------»------
“ H O W S H A L L W E S L E E P ?”
(The Opinion pf a European.)
B y G dstavk ZoitN; F. T. S.
I n the S ep te m b er N u m b e r of this J o u rn a l, the above ques­
tion has been raised by a w rite r who finds the opinions of Mr.
Seeta N a th Ghose an d of Baron V on Reichenbach sorely
clashing on this point ; th e la tte r recom m ending th e head of
the sleeper to be n o rth w a rd , th e form er entirely disapproving
it.
J t is my h u m b le opinion t h a t both w riters are right, each
front his own stand point, as I shall tr y to show. W h a t is
the reason th a t our position in sleep should be of any conse­
quence ? Because o u r body m u st be in a position at harm o n y
with th e m ain m agnetic cu rren ts of the earth ; b n t as theso
cu rrents are not the same in all parts of the world, the posi­
tions of th e sleeper jnust, therefore, vary.
Thero are three m ain m agnetic currents on our ea rth , viz.,
in th e n o rth e rn hem isp here from north pole to th e e q u a t o r ;
in th e so uthern hem isphere from south pole to the equator
these two cu rren ts m eetin g in the torrid zone continue th e ir
combined course from east to west. So the position of tho
sleeper m u st vary according as he finds him self to th e n o r th
or south of the torrid zone or w ithin it.
I n the n o r th frigid or te m perate zone, he hag to lio
w ith his head n o rthw ard,
I n th e so u th e rn ,, „ „ „ south w ard,
„ to rrid zpne „ „ ,, ,, eastw ard,
* The phenom enon of lev itatio n is <lno t o t h e c h a n g e of m a g n e tic
p o larity of t l i ,e m a n w i t h regard to th o spot su p p o rtin g UiJXL It
' fully explained in Isis Unveiled) vol. i.-~-Mamyzr*
 in o r d e r t h a t th e m a g n e t ic c u r r e n t m a y p ass t h r o u g h h im
fro m h e a d to foot w ith o u t d is tu r b a n c e , as th i s is t h e n a t u r a l
p o sitio n fo r m a g n e t is a ti o n .
T h e follo w ing d i a g r a m m a y g iv e a s till m o r e c le a r view
of th e case, a n d th u s h e lp u s to a n s w e r th e seco nd p a r t of
t h e qu estio n, w h e th e r a n d w h e n wc o u g h t to lie on tho
r i g h t o r th e le ft side, on t h e s t o m a c h o r 011 the back.
- f P o sitiv e
T h e able w r i t e r - o f “ H o w sh all we sleep ?” show s, in his
cross 'd ia g r a m , t h a t 'he th i n k s th e h e a d to bo e n ti r e l y posi­
tiv e a n d b o th fe e t n e g a tiv e . I t h i n k t h a t th is is n o t t h e
ease, b u t t h a t th e r i g h t side of th e h e a d .a n d the. le f t fo ot
a r c positive, a n d th e left side of t h e - h e a d a n d t h e r i g h t foot
n e g a tiv e , a n d s i m i la r l y th e r i g h t ' h a n d is n e g a t i v e a n d th e
left h a n d is positive.
A s th e n o r t h pole is po sitiv e a n d the le f t side of th e head
n e g a tiv e , tho n a t u r a l po sitio n in sleep fo r th o s e liv in g
w ith in th e n o r t h e r n zones w o u ld bo on th e r i g h t side,
h ead n o r t h w a r d a n d , it is o bvious, t h a t in lh o s o u t h e r n
7,ones the position m u s t be e x a c tly th e r e v e r s e ; as to th ose
w ho live u n d e r tlio tro pics, ly i n g on tlie s to m a c h see m s to
me to be th e m o s t n a t u r a l position, sin cc th e left, o r n e g a ­
tiv e side of th o h ea d , -is t u r n e d to th e n o r t h o r p o sitiv e
c u r r e n t , a n d vice versa.
F o r l n i ' n y years, I a n d m y fam ily, h a v e b e e n s le e p in g
w ith o u r heads c i t h e r to th e n o rth , o r tho w e st ( t h o r i g h t ■posi­
t i o n in o u r h e m isp h e re in m y o p in io n ), a n d we h a d no
occasion to r e g r e t it, fo r fr o m t h a t tim e f o r w a r d th e p h y s i­
c ia n has become a r a r e g u e s t iu o u r house.
M r. S e e ta N a t h G hose says in his i n t e r e s t i n g a rt ic l e on
“ M edical M a g u e t is m ” t h a t Mantitdies (m etallic cclls) a r e w o rn
to g r e a t a d v a n t a g e in I n d i a on diseased p a r t s of th e body. T h e
c u r a t i v e p r o p e r tie s of these cells I h a v o seen verified in
a u t h e n t i c in stanc es. W h e n , y e a r s ag o ( I believe a b o u t 1852),
c h o le ra w a s d e v a s t a t i n g some p a r t s of E u r o p e , it was
r e m a r k e d a t M u n i c h ( B a v a ria ) t h a t a m o n g ’ th e th o u s a n d s of
its victim s, th e r o w a s n o t a sin g le c o p p e rs m ith . H e n c e , it
was r e c o m m e n d e d by th e m e d ical a u th o r it ie s of t h a t to w n to
w e a r disks of th i n c o p p e rp la te (of a b o u t 2 | i n c h d ia m e te r )
bn a s trin g , on th e h o llo w of tho sto m a c h , a n d th e y p ro v e d to
b e a p o w erfu l p re v e n t iv e of ch olera. .'A g a in , in 1867, c h o le ra
v isited Odessa. I a n d m y w holo fa m ily woro th es e c op per
d is k s ; a n d w hile all a r o u n d , t h e r o w e re n u m e r o u s , cases of
c h o le r a a n d d y se n te ry , n e i t h e r of us w as a t t a c k e d b y eith e r.
I propose t h a t serious e x p e rim e n ts s h o u l d be m a d e in th is
d irectio n , a n d specially in th ose c o u n tr ie s w h ic h a ro p e ri o d i­
cally d e v a s t a te d by t h a t disease ; as I n d i a , f o r instan ce. Ifc
is m y c onviction t h a t one disk of co p p er on t h e sto m a c h , arid
a n o t h e r one of zinc on tho spine, opposite tho fo r m e r, will be
of still b e tt e r service ; t h e m o re so, if b o th d is k s a r e joined
by a t h i n c o p p e r c h a in .
' Crjsss'A, September 22 ( 0 , S.) October i t h (N, S.) 1883,
H O W SHALL WE S L E E P '
(T he opinion of an O riental.)
:B y Nobin K . I’aneh je e , .
P r e s t . o f A. B. B . Theo. Socy o f Berhampore.
I beg now to say a few w ords a b o u t th e position iu sleep
w h ic h was o rigin ally m o o ted by th e e h c t r o p a t h B abu S ita
N a t h G hose, a n d th e n .n oticed in th o S e p te m b e r n u in b o r of
t h e Theosophist by c o r r e s p o n d e n t * * ■* .10 * * *.
In th e first place it is necessary, I th i n k , to s a y ; t h a t th o
ru les of G argn , M n r k a n d c y a ,& c . &c.,refer to th e in hab itan ts o f
th e plain s only a n d n o t to persons oil th e m o u n t a ir s ; (2) ou
r e t i r i n g tho ru le is t h a t a. man. sh o uld first lie on his r i g h t for
th e period of?lu b re a th in g s , t h e n : t u r n on bis left fo r double
t h a t tim e, a n d a f t e r t h a t he c a n sleep in a n y position • (3)
t h a t a m a n m u s t >not sleep on th e g r o u n d , on. silken
or woollen clo tb, u n d e r a solitary tree , on .c ro ss roads,
« n m o u n t a in s , o r on th e sky ( w h a t e v e r t h a t m a y m ean).
Nor i s he to sleep w ith d a m p clothes, v Y t t feet, or in a
n ak ed s ta te . U n le ss he be an in itia te one sh o u ld n o t sleep on
' K u s t r a gras s or its varieties. Th.ere a re m a n y more su c h rules.
I may h e re notico t h a t in S a n s k r i t tho r i g h t h a n d . o r
side an d s o u t h a re d e n o te d .by sam e term . -86 also the fro n t or
eaBt is one..and tho sa m e th in g . T h e s u n is th e g r e a t an d chief
so u rce of lifo a n d m a g n e t is m in th e solar sy stem . H e n c e to
th e world, th o east is po sitiv e as t h e source of .L i g h t an d
■Magnetism. F o r th tjs a m o reaso n, to tiie .N e rth e rn H e m is p h e ie
t h e s o u t h ( t h e e q u a to r a nd no t th e n o r t h ) is positive. .U n d e r
■tlie ; la w s of d y n a m ic s tho r e s u l t a n t of th es e two /orces
.will be. a c u r r e n t in th e d irectio n of from S. E , to N. \V.
This,. I th i n k , is one of t h e real causes of th e p re v a ilin g s o u t h ­
e a s t w ind. . A t .an y ra te , I .do not t h i n k th e n o rt h i polo
to be positive, as th e r e w o u ld be no snow, itu a u c h Case. ,Thc
a u r o r a c a n n o t ta k e p laceJat . tho -source o f th e c u rr e n ts , b a t
w h ere t h e c u r r e n ts com e to .a close. H e n c e th e source m u s t
! be to w a rd s the e q u a to r ot s o u th .. T h e course of life, civ ili.
zation, li g h t a n d alm o st e v e r y t h in g seem s, to be from E.-fo
W . o r S. E. to S. W . .T he p e nalty for sleep ing w ith head to
th e w e st is said to bo a n x ie ty of m in d , w hile t h a t of . th e
. n o r t h is eaid fo be d e a th . • I will here beg lo in v ite th e a lte n -
tio n of th e H i n d u s to a sim ila r p e n a lty of d e a th in tho case of
a n y b u t a u in itia te ( B r a h m a n ) p r o n o u n c in g th e sacred
P r a n a v a . 'l'his does riot prove t h a t 1’ia n a v a is really a mi.--
ch iev o u s bad word, bu t, t h a t w ith in c o m p e te n t m e n , it is
f r a u g h t w ith im m en se d an gers. So a h o in th e case of. the
o rd in a ry m e n of th e plains th ere m a y be u n k n o w n .dangers
w h ic h i t w ould n o t be p r u d e n t for t h e m to. ra ise so lo ng as
th e y do n o t k n o w how to m e e t them , or so lo n g as th e y aro
n o t u n d e r th e g u id a n c e of m e n who can p r o t e c t th e m fioin
th e ir influence. In sh o rt, o rd in a ry m e n sh o u ld move on. in
t h e i r l u k e w a r m oourse w ith o u t d e v ia t in g fro m th e c u r r e n t of
tho tide, a n d these rules are for s u c h m en only.
A s an in s ta n c e of . th e in f r in g e m e n t of th e ru le th e follow ­
in g a n e cd o te is g iven :— . .
A f te r G a n c s h a ( S i v a ’s son) was born, th e v a rio u s Devas
cam e lo c o n g ra t u la t e th e fam ily a n d bless th o child. S a n i, Or ^
S a tu r n w as th e last to come, an d even th e n he cam e a ft e r he h ad
been several tim es en q u ire d a fte r. W h e i i h e w e n t to see tho
in f a n t, it a p p e a re d h e a d l e s s ! T h is a t once created a
sen s a tio n , an d all th e D evas w ere a t th e ir w its’ end. A t la s t
S a t u r n h im s e lf a p p ro a c h e d M a h a d e v a w ith folded h a n d s an d
re m in d e d h im t h a t it w as duo to his presence, a n d t h e c h ild
h a v in g been k e p t on bed w ith head to th e n o rth ! F o r su ch
was tho law. T h e n th e D ev as c o n s u l te d to g e th e r a n d s e n t
o u t m essengers to find o u t w ho else was slee p in g w ith h ead
to tho n o rth . A t last th e y d isco ve red a u e le p h a n t in th a t
p osition . I t s h e a d was im m e d i a te l y c u t off a n d affixed on tho
t r u n k of G a n c sh a . I t needs n o t to bo to ld t h a t G a n e sh a
w as a f t e rw a rd s so le a r n e d a n d wiso t h a t if he h a d n ot an
e le p h a n t’s bead, a h u m a n head would never hav e been Sufficient
to hold all h e k n e w . T h is a d v an ta g e he owed to th e c i r c u m ­
stan ce of h is s le e p i n g w ith head to th e n o r t h , a n d th e .b le ssin g o f
tho D ev as, To t h e b ea st th e e le p h a n t th e sam e p o sitio n , b u t
m inus th e blessing of th e D evas, p ro v e d a b so lu te .d e a th , ,1
n e e d n o t s a y m ore. ’ ; .
t -
..tA N “ E X P O S E R ” O F S P I R I T U A L I S M E X P O S E D .
B y L. S alzeh, M. D.-, F . T. S . . ■ -
. I bag to enclose herein .a correspondence which has passed
between Professor B aldwin and myself in th e columns of t h e ’
Statesman. ■Professor Baldwin, it may be stated, is one of thoee
CQWrers who, like Jo h n N evil H askelyne, of the .Egyptian H a l) ,
London, professes to be an “ exposer” of spiritualistic) or medium-
istio phenomona, and advertises accordingly. This in trod uc­
tory rem ark of mine will suffice to mako th e read er under*
stand the correspondence whioh follows. T h e same opened with
tho letter, which I designate as|I, I n reply to this thero appeared
Professor Baldwin’s letter I I , This was responded to by a corres­
pondent signing himself “ F a ith ,” (I II) a nd by g. le tte r of mine
IV ) signed L. S. Professor Baldwin’s reply is num b ered V, to
which 1 replied by letter marked V I . a nd soon a fterw ard by a
fu rth er letter ( V I 1).
I have only to rem ark t h a t w hat tho Professor calla
“ E dgerton ’s seances," is something which he ohooses to call so',
The whole affair consisLed in this, th a t while Mrs. Baldwin waa
tied in the cabinet, three different faces appeared at th e littlo
window of the cabinet, aud then the doors of the cabinet wero
thrown opon and she herself appeared, while th e lig h ts were
lowered, on tho stage, dressed in white, A fter she return ed to
the cabinet, she was found tied there, as before, the rope around
her neck aud fixod at tbe outsido of the walls of tho cabinet. Tho
whole phenomenon resolves itself into the performance of the
rope-tying triok of th e D avenport Brothers, A n y one who can
perform th a t trick, (and Professor Baldwin him self had shown
beforo th a t he can untie himself, however tig h tly tied), will havo
no difficulty in m aking some faces (Jtlrs. Baldwin’s own face in
different masquerades) appear at the little window, nor will it bo
difficult for him, to mako her go in, and o ut of, tho cabinet,
Profossor Baldwin’s thought-reading and Mr*. Baldwin’s
clairvoyant feats are, as far as I oat) see, genuine, beyond any
farther doubt. Thero are men who kick the la dder by which they
have risen ; Professor Baldwin, it appears, kicks th e ladder upon
which ho stands, and by which be tries to rise in publio favor,
-■ ♦ S i r , —ProfossorBaldwin's le tter in your issue of Saturday last
P R O F E S S O R ISA I D W I N 4 N D S P I R I T U A L I S M ,
I.
S ir ,—I cannot refrain from trespassing on your valuable spq.ee
regarding a m a tte r which concerns a n um b er of people who will
shortly be asked to witness, as the adyertiser says, results a tt a in ­
ed th ro u g h the medium of Spiritualism, w ith ou t resorting to
lhis grand, but u nfortunately undeveloped, philosophy.
I refer to Prof, Baldwin and his wife who announce their
appearunco at the T heatre Koyal on S a tu r d a y ne*t, and have
tndoavoured to secure a large attendance by a, display of beau?
tifully printed designs, supposed tp rep re se n t t h e ' fac-siinile
of their so-called exposures of Spiritualism, and circulated with
a view of leading the public to believe th a t th ey aro really
capable of producing materializations (as mediums do) of those
who havo long since departod this life, and entered into a higher
spliero of existenco j communicating -syith deceased friends, and
obtaining correct ouuwers to questions from those who were once
dear to us.
Too much space would be occupied to fully describe th e u tt e r
impossibility of his being able to fulfil one single th in g which
he claims to do, iu th e direction referred to, aud I should very
much like to have au opportunity of proving to him, tho absolute
difference between the results he obtains, an d th ose th a t ar.a
obtained by spiritualists through mediums. He is very wrong
in thu s endeavouring to trifle with one of the m ost sacroa
beliefs of this eulightoned era, in try in g to couviupe people th a t
Spiritualism is trickery, wiLh the g re a te st im pudence flatly
contradicting some of tho most em inent men of the day. He
also asserts th a t Spiritualism is a myth. W h a t I w ant to kno\y
is th is—Has Prof. Baldwin attended any seancfis given by really
first class and well-kuowu mediunjs ; if bo , does he m aintain th a t
tiui marvellous aud absolutely inexplicable results, cau be
obtained without tho aid of ‘ spiritual agency,’ and if he can
prove to me th a t the su pernatural achievements of the mediums
are the results ’of mere trickery or of h um an ag.euoy, I shoul4
almost feel disposed to resign jny belief, were it n ot th a t I am
pretty well acquainted with conjurors’ tactics, and candidly
confess th a t I do not believe ho can do any one th in g he adver.-'
tises iu connection with Spiritualism,
The mere fact of Prof, Baldwin’.-* haying a p p e a r e d before the
l’rinco of Wales, and possessing references from em inent clergy?
men, does not prove him any less the humbug, I do not wish
tliu Baldwins any ill luck, bnt consider tliat it would be wise oil
their p art to withdraw the exposure of Spiritualism from th eir pro ­
gramme.
A B k l i k y k k i n .Sp i r i t u a l i s m .
Octobcr 2!jth, 1883.
II .
S ir ,—I do not often notice anonymous w riters of letters tjiat
may doubt my skill aud proficiency iu my peculiar business.
All over tho world my advent has been heralded by foolish peoplo
>vriting iudiguant letters to the local pross, calling into question
my ability to produce the manifestations (?) I advertiso.
The Calcutta public, who may know no th in g of me or m y
previous career, may be misled by the lette r in your paper, ejgu.-
cd A B e l i e v e r i n S p i r i t u a l i s m , and I desire briefly to say th a t
I have visited the seance of every prominent Spiritual medium
in the world, and I have y et to fceo any so-called spirituul maiii*
festation th a t I cannot duplicate, and explain and show to bo
produced by trickery or by hum an agency, and in nine-tenths o£'
all cases purely by trickery. .
I h o only exceptions are in somo cases of clairvoianco an d
thought-reading, and nearly all so oalled thought-reading is buo
the cultivation of a little known physical force—especially muoh
of the work done by W., Ir v in g Bishop recoutly iu London. I n
my performances, I duplicate th e performances of the Davenport;
Brothers, of Anna IJva Fay, Dr. Slade, Foster, and the celebrat­
ed Eddy B rothers so highly praised by Col- Olcott. Besides
►duplicating their performances, I really and fully explain how
they aro done. The explanations ara bond fide, and really show
how the most puzzling manifestations are produced.
I havo letters of reference from more than one thousand
clergymen in .England, America, and Australia, among th em
th e most eminent doctors of divinity, all testifying to tbe good I
have done by my full aud thorough exposuroa. Mon of th is
olass do not readily endorse a mere charlatan, and a m ou nte ban k.
In conclusion, allow rae to say I really do all I advertise, and
I challenge any spiritual medium for £500, to produce any
manifestation I cannot duplicate, or oxplaiu, after seeing it three
times,
I believe Spiritualism (as it is generally nndersood) to bo a
h um b ug , and I have never seen or hoard of any physical m an i­
festation which was not a swindle and a fraud. Somo em inent
men are em inent fools, and especially thoso who take much
stock and faith in modern physical Spiritualism.
S. S, B a l d w i n ,
' Spiritual Expoter.
I II .
has really astounded me, Professors K ellar and Cooke e n te r­
tained the vporld \yith t h e representations of Spiritualistic m ani­
festations. B u t th ey oould uot shake our faith in spiritualism,
I u th e spirit-rnauifestations th e media can perform th eir feats
in any place and nuder any m a n n e r of circumstancos. Professor
Baldvyin aud others of bis crow may probably im itate them u n der
tho favorable environm ents of stage and apparatus, If Professor
Baldwin cat) im itate tha manifestations, outside th e stage and
under auy circumstances, I shall bo highly obliged to him, for
ho will th en shake my firm belief iu the power and existence oE
spirits.
The cabinet manifestations of the D avenport Brothers havo
been successfully performed by many a magician both here and
jn the West, I firmly beliove th a t if we ore allowed to tie the
hands of Professor Baldwin or any other magician with our own.
ropes, ho cannot (at least iu the short tim e he is wont to do) untia
them . I cau fairly an d with all propriety challenge the Professor
011 this count. I theroforo hope th a t Professor Baldwin will
kjudly select a day for c ur experiment.
' F a ith ,
IV .
Hir,— I n h ls letter appearing in your issue of October 27tli>
Professor Baldwin states th a t ‘f besides duplicating their perfor­
mances (of th e D avenport Brothers, of Anna E v a Fay, of D r.
Slq.de,Foster, and the celebrated Eddy Brothers, so highly praised
by Colonel pic ott), I really and fully explain how they are done.
Tho explanations are bon.il fide, and really show how the most
puzzling m anifestations are produced.” F u r t h e r on he says,
“ In conclusion, aljpw me to say, I really do all I advertise.” —•
This was w ritten and published a day before his first p erform ­
ance in Calcutta. A rep o rt of his performance has appeared iu
the three dailies of this city, b u t I see it nowhere mentioned t h a t
Professor Baldwin has explained an yth in g of his doings. H e ha«
even failed to explain why ho o m itted to explain, I t is th en too
m uch to upon Professor Baldwin to be kind and sincere
pnough to yyithdraw his s tatem e n t to th e effect th a t ho really
does all ho professes to do in h ‘a advertisement P Ho
asserts he bps lotters pf reference from more thau ono
thousand clergymen in England, America, aud Australia,
am ong the m the most em inent doctors of divinity, all
testifying to th e good he has done by his full and th oro ugh
exposures. E xposures of w hat ? Exposures of sorcalled spiritual
mediums, as he tells us a few lines afterwards. And how has he
exposed thepi P How hps he shown that the manifestations
brought about by spiritual modiums are nothing b u t swindle und
frau d ? He challenges %ny spiritual medium for £500 to pro­
duce any manifestation I cannot duplicate, or explain, a fte r
seeing it three times.” He wpuld then either dup licate it, or
explain it. ' If he duplicates it, he has by no means yet exposed
spiritual mediums, for he m ight, for all we know, bo himself a
spiritual medium, who, for th e sako of money-making, finds it to
Jiis advantage not to acknowledge himself as such. H is whole
assertions reBt, then, u p o n his willingness to explain them, to
phow them off' as paere trickeries. H a s he given any proofs c£
th is p—All he clajms is, t h a t such manifestations can bo effected
py means other th an modiumistic. Are'we then not to believe
t h a t electricity can drive a car, because tho Professor has shown
t h a t it can ju s t as well be driven by steam or horse-power P
L e t o ur Professor form ulate his challenge iu the following
(straightforward way :—I challenge any spiritual medium for P . S.— I do not wish to take up more oF your spaco to-day to
£600 to produce any manifestation. I cannot duplicate and answer a communication signed F a i t h ; bu t to-morrow 1 will,
explain as of non-mediumistic origin, aftei* seeing it three titnes; with your permission, write a short reply and give F a i t h all the
■—and I doubt not he will find his match in Calcutta. chance he desires to test his powers of rope-tying with “ his own
As Professor Baldwin is guarded With regard to explanations, ropes.”
however freo he is with regard to “ exposures,” 1 believe it is not ' ■ . S. S. B.
o ut of place to close this lette r with a l i t t l e " explanation.” So C alcu tta , October 31, 188 3 .. . ,
called spiritualists have spoiled their cause by a gratu ito u s
hypothetical assumption. They hod no business to attribu te
certain phenomena to Spiritual manifestations. Crookes called YI.
Biich phenomena ‘psychic phenomena’ in order to express th a t
S in ,—1 bog to re tu rn to my charge concerning Professor
th ey are not physical in their nature. The late Professor 2ollnor
Baldwin’s “ spiritualistic exposures,” regarding which you wero
(Professor of Physical Astronomy a t th e U n iversity of Leipsic)
kin d enough to publish a lette r of mine in your issue of the 31st
classed them as belonging to ‘ transcen den tal physics.’ Tho
instunt. Professor Baldwin h as since come forward, in a letter
genuineness of theso manifestations u n d e r certain conditions is
scientifically established. • published in tho Statesman of th is day, p urp ortin g to refuLe
“ Some eminent men," says Professor Baldwin, “ are eminent m y rem arks previously made. Before all, lie takes objection to
fools.”— Well, I have yet to learn th a t 1 am an em inent man, m y having assumed a nom -de plume , while he himself comes out
with his reul name. 1 really th o u g h t the name of the writer had
L. S.
nothing to do with tho subject under <1iscussion ; bu t since
C alcu tta , Octobcr 30, 1883.
Professor Baldwin thinks otherwise, 1 have no objection to giving
him my namo. : I t is not “ Low Sn eak ” as he suggested, but
_ Y. Leopold Sftlzer. .
Sjk,—A correspondent in y ou r papor, Bigning himself H aving th u s far satisfied the legitimate claims of lhe Profes­
“ L. S.’’ makes a num ber of absolutely false statem ents, as can sor, 1 am fu rth e r expected to apologise for alleged false s tate­
be proved by any one who cares to investigate. He says “ a m ents made, or to stand convicted as a falsifier of truth. 1
re p o rt of his performance has appeared, in the throe dailies of believe thero is no reason for doing cither the one or the other.
th e city, b u t I seo it nowhere mentioned th a t Professor Baldwin W h a t I said was this, “ I n his letter appearing in your issue
Las explained anything of his doings.” (The italics are mine.) of October 27th, Professor Baldwin states that, besides duplicat
This statem ent is simply un true, and “ L. S .” m u s t apologize or ing their performances (tho performances of the Davenport
Btalid convicted, as I will show below. F o rtu n ately , like many Brothers, of Anna Eva Fay, of Ur. Slade, Foster, and the cele­
sneaking individuals, he can attack me personally by name, and brated Eddy Brothers; bo highly praised by Colonel Olcott)
coward-like hide his own identity u n der the nom-de-plume of ‘ I really and fully explain how they are dono ; the explanations
•' Jj. S.” (probably m e a n in g 'L o w Sneak). Now to prove L im a ore bond fide, and really sllow how the most puzzling manifesta­
falsifier. • • : ‘ tions are produced ; f u r th e r on h e . s a y s , I n conclusion allow me
- Tbe Englishman of Monday, October 29th, in its first1 notice to say, I really do all I advertise.’ ‘ This was written and p u b ­
of my opening e n tertain m en t said as' below— I BhiiU itftlicise a lished a day before his first performance in Calcutta. A report
few lines to call especial attention to thom :• of his pei-formance has appeared in the threo daijies of this city,
b u t I nee it nowhere mentioned th at Professor Baldwin has ex.
“ The first portion of the program m e consisted of su n d ry tricks-
plained a n y thin g of his doings. Ho hits even failed to explain
*t» which the delusions were explained io have been produced, by
why he has omitted to explain.” As a proof th a t this Statement
ehemieal agency- A fter these, the well known cabinet porfor- of mine is false, Professor Baldwin quotes the reports from the
jnanco was gone through, in which Mr. Baldwin aud Mr. Lingard,
Englishman, ot which ho italicises such sentences lis are, accord­
sifter being securely fastened within th e cabinet by a corhmitteo ing to his view, calculated to show th e falsehood of my statement.
selected from amongst th e audience, w ent th r o u g h all the usual T he report runs as follows : —“ The first portion of tlie prog ram m e
m anifestations iu tho way of ringing bolls, striking tam borinea,
consisted of sundry tricks in which the delusions were explained
w aving spirit hands, and the reBt of the phenomena well-kriown
in connection with tho late D avenport B ro thers’ performances.
to have been produced by chemical agency- A fter these, th e well-
known cabinet perform ance was gone th ro u g h , in which Mr.
These were eventually showti to be due purely to the agency of Baldwin and Mr. Lingard, after being securely fastened within
ihe performers themselves ; nnd the dexterity exhibited, by them in th e cabinet by a cominitee selected from am ongst the audience,
releasing themselves from and returning into their fastenings wai w en t through all tho usual m anifestations in the way of ringing
quite wonderful." bells, strik in g tambourines, waving spirit hands, and the rest of
If tho, nbovo quotation does not prove “ L. S.” to be guilty of th e phenomena well-known iu connection with the late Daven­
deliberate falsehood, th e n “ 1 miss m y reckoning,” The Daily p o rt B rothers’ performances. These were eventually shown to he
News said: “ He caused paper to burn app arently spontaneously, due purely to ihe agency of the performers themselves ; and the
and then showed how it was done.” dexterity exhibited by them in releasing themselves from and re­
On my first evening 1 stated to my audience th a t I should turning into their fastenings was quite wonderful.”
oach night change my performance somewhat, m ak in g different Professor Baldwin continues th en as follows “ If the above
exposures and explanations each evening. On my first evening quotation doos not prove L. S. to be guilty of deliberate falsehood,
I did carefully explain moro th an one-half of the trick s T gave. then “ I miss my reckoning.” The Daily News said : “ lie caused
I explained the burning paper as produced beforo me by William paper to burn ap paren tly spontaneously and then showed how it
Eddy. I oxplained fully the D avenport cabinet business. 1 ex­ was done.’’
plained Jennie H olm es’ transm utation test. 1 explained C u tler’s T he first portion of tho pro gram m e then is described by the
handcuff test. L ast n ig h t (Tuesday) besides the above tests, I Englishman’s reporter as having consisted of “ sundry trick s,”
also explained the ring test of Monk, and which is also given an d they have been explained to have been produced by chemical
by dozens of mediums. And d u rin g my stay here 1 do really agency. Surely Professor Ualdwiu does not mean to say th a t the
and fully expose all the most p rom inent tests of the best-known performance of such tricks touches in any way the question of so-
professional mediums. L ike ull o ther professional performers, called spiritualistic manifestations. Many professional conjurers
I advertise my full repertoire, b ut no one except some antiquated have done such th in g s before him, and do it every day, without
ass, would expect it all iu ono night. The Opera Company a d ­ ever th ink ing of proving or disproving thereby t.he claps of
vertise a long list of operas to bo produced by them, b u t no ono manifestations j u s t mentioned- The reporter himself understood
expects all these operas to be given in oue performance. this so well, th a t he designated th a t part of tho performance as
“ sundry tricks.”
Now as to tbe absurd idea th at I am a medium in disguise, and
I see, how ever, in re a d in g o v e r P r o f e s s o r B a l d w i n 's l o t te r , t h a t lie
t h a t my challenge is peculiarly worded, I mean what I say. d o es th in k o th erw ise . H o says, “ O n m y first o v en in g 1 did ca re fu lly
Spiritualism in tho generally understood sense is a humbug, and e x p la in m oro th an h alf th o trick s I gave. I e x p la in e d th o b u rn in g
all professional mediums are swindlers, and 1 can duplicate and p a p e r as p ro d u ced before m e by W illiam E d d y .” In to far I am open
explain tho performances of any 1 have ever seen, I said “ d u p li­ to co n v ic tio n an d am ready an d w illin g to offer m y ap o lo g y to th e P r o ­
cate or explain” in my challenge; because 1 m ig ht find a medium fessor, I wan n o t aw aro th at W illiam E ddy had ever produced such
who, from some physical peculiarity or gift, m ig h t produce somo & p h e n o m e n a in h is q u a lity as a m ed iu m ; th e im p ressio n left u p o n m y
manifestation (?) which 1 might, th ro ug h physical weakness or m in d by tlie report of th e E n g lis h m a n ; w a s t h a t th e p a p o r.b u rn in g
ill-health, bo unablo to duplicate ; bu t I will back myself to expose w a s s im p ly d o n e to a m u so th e pub lic, beforo in tro d u c in g th o m to th e
and explain anything done before me by any.m edium anywhere in tru e bu sin o ss of th o ev e n in g , w h ic h w a s to d ea l w ith a class of p e r fo r­
C alcutta or in the wholo world. If “ L- S.” will p u t his money up, m an c es re p u te d to b e o f a m o re o r less s p iritu a listic or m ed iu m istie
I will mako my challenge so plain and comprehensive th a t 1 will n atu ro .

win hiB money a t any rate. To conclude : The genuineness of tho W h ilo th e n 1 am so fa r fu lly p re p a re d to apolo g ise to H ie P ro fe is o r .
I w ish to b e as fu lly u n d ersto o d th at I do n o t lo o k u p o n t l m t p a r t o f
manifestations before Zollner and Crooke (Sic.) .have not been
b is perform ance as an ex p o su re of rn ed in m istio phenom ena. I say
established ; very few of the sensible th in k in g people of th e
ag ain , “ A re w o n o t to b eliev e t h a t ele ctricity ca n d riv e a ca r, b ec au se
^vorld havo any faith in thom, and I myself do and explain the th e P rofessor h as show n th at it can ju st as w e ll bo d riv en by steam
tseances th a t Crooke endorsed as genuine. 1 can easily believe or horse powor ?” — P r o f . B a l d w i n says ho has l e t t e r s of reference
“ L. S.” when he says he has yet to lea rn th a t he is an eminent from m oro than one th o u san d cle rg y m en and d o c to rs o f d iv in ity , all
scientific man, b u t if he will sign his own name, probably thero te s tify ip g to th e good h o h a s d o n o b y ,liis fu ll a n d th ro u g h exposures.
are dozens of people in Calcutta who would testify t h a t he haB I w onder if one o f th o se th o u san d clo rg y m e n has over read
nil (he necessary qualities to m ake a a em inent ass. tho follo w in g passagos (E xodus vii. 8-12)— “ A nd th e L ord spake
S, S. B aldtjn , u n to M oses a n d u n to A aron, saying, w hen P haraoh sh all speak ftn ts
yon, sa y in g s h e w a m irac lo fo r y o u ; th a n th o a eh jilt s a y u n to A aron : A T T E M P T S A T M E SM E R ISIN G .
'fa k e t h y r o d a n d c a s t it b e f o r e P h a r a o h , a u d it sh a ll b e c o m e a s e r p e n t.
And M oses and A aron w en t iu u nto P haraoh, and th e y did so aa th e I j u s t c o m p le te d th e s t u d y o f me.-mei-ism b y C a p ta in
L ord h a d com m anded, an d A aron cast down hit* rod before P haraoh, Ja m e s , an d t h o u g h 1 e n d e a v o u re d irjy u tm o s t to m esm erise
aud b e fo re h ia s e rv a n ts , a n d it b e c a m e a s e rp e n t. T hen P h a ra o h also persona b y w ill-pow er in stea d of b y passes, I r e g r e t I d i d
called t h e w i s e m e n a n d th e so rc ere rs a n d th e m a g ic ia n s o f E g y p t, a n d
n o t succeed.
they also d id in liko m anner w ith th eir e n c h a n tm e n t; for th e y cast
dow n e v e ry m a n h is rod, a n d th e y becam e se rp e n ts/'
M y choice in t r y i n g to m esm erise b y w ill-p o w e r is b a se d
I re tu rn now to th e second p o rtio n of th e E n g lis h m a n s r e p o r t , on th e a s s u m p ti o n t h a t perso ns who fail, a f t e r rep en ted efforts,
italicized b y P r o f e s s o r B ald w iu , aa in ten d ed to p ro v e th a t 1 w as g u ilty to p ro d u c e m e sm eric sleep by pow er of will, will succeed
of fa lse re p rese n ta tio n . T h is p art of th e perform ance refers to w h a t b e tt o r in p ro d u c in g th e d e s i r e d elfect by h a v in g re c o u r s e to
ia k n o w n a s th e D a v en p o rt B ro th ers’ perform ance, a n d th o n ia n ife sta -
passes, and I shall t h a n k y o u o r any of y ou r n u m e r o u s r e a ­
lions of rin g iu g b ells, w a v in g sp irit-h an d s, & c. “T hese ,',f s a y s th e
rep o rter, “ w ero ev en tu ally show n to bo d u e p u re ly to tlio agoney of
d e rs to k in d l y c o rr e c t me if I a m w rong iu th i n k in g so.
tlie p e r f o r m e r s th o u ia c lv e s.” Now no read er w ill t a k e th is statem en t A n o t h e r d e fe c t t h a t 1 fo u u d in th e course of practic e is,
uf th e re p o rte r to cu n v e y th e m o a n in g o f a “ fu ll e x p la n a tio n h o w it ia t h a t in stea d of p r o d u c i n g sleep on a person , I myself feel
or was done " if i t is t o b e m e a n t a s a n e x p l a n a t i o n a t all, it c a n ou ly d ro w sy a n d inclined to sleep. Will you o r an y of y o u r re a ­
ho m e a n t so iu t h o n e g a tiv e seuso. It w as eliuw n not to be d u e to a n y
d e rs k in d l y en lig h te n me as to w h y th is is so, a n d w hether b y
k n o w n p h y sic a l o r c h e m ic a l a g e n c y , so t h a t th e r e re m a in e d n o th in g else
but p u re ly h u m a n a g e n c y to a c c o u n t fo r th e p h e n o m e n o n . T h is is j u s t
p ersev erance, m y efforts a re likely to be c ro w n e d w ith success t
w hat m ed iu m s assert lo be th e case w ith regard to all so-called
C. V . Loganadax, F. T. S .
sp iritu a-liatic p h e n o m e n a . rl'he&*c p h e n o m e n a , t h e y t e l l us, are produced,
nut by ph y sical or ch e m ic al ag en cies, b u t b y so m e ag e n cy d w e llin g iu
27— 7— 83.
m an, iu fuct by “ tlie a g e n c y of th o perform ers th e m se lv e s.” N o t k :— T h e g e n t l e m a n d i d n o t s u c c e e d , h e c a u s o l i o d i d n o t e i c r c i s o
In ceu elu sio n , 1 b e " to say th a t 1 a m n n m e d iu m , n o sp iritu a list, a n d Buflicient w i l l - p o w e r , l i e o n l y s u c c e e d e d in d e a d e n i n g h i s o w n i n ­
ce rtain ly no pro fessio n al m ed iu m or sp iritu alist. The l a tte r m a y all t e l l e c t b y t lic m o n o t o n y o f liiH s t a r e . H e d i d n o t f o r c e t h e e n t r e a t
be sw in d lers? 1 have not a w ord to say in th eir defence. P ro fesso r of liis w i l l - p o w e r i n t o his s u b j e c t e d n e r v o u s s y s t e m . I t is v e r y u n w i s e
B rU dw in h im self ad m its in his letter, th u t “ 1 m i g h t find a m e d i u m , e s p e c i a l l y f o r b e g i n n e r s t o a b s t a i n f r o m a v a i l i n g of t h e a s s i s t a n c e
w ho, from so m e p h y sical p e c u lia rity o f g ift, m ig h t p ro d u c e so m e m a n i­ of t h e h a n d s w h i c h a r c n a t u r e ' s m a g n e t i c p o le s in tli e b o d y . — E d .
fe sta tio n w h ich 1 m ig h t, th ro u g h p h y sical w eakuess or ill.h e alth , be
u n ab le to d u p lic a te ," lie a c k n o w le d g e s th en th e ex isten c e of m edium -
sh ip and th e dependence of su ch m e d iu m sh ip , an d th e m a n ife sta tio n s
B U D D H IS M B E F O R E B U D D H A .
o cc u rrin g u n d e r its in flu en c e, n o t ou g o m e tric k e ry s u rp a s s in g his o w n ' W ii .l y ou k i n d l y tell m e w h a t it was t h a t d ro v e B n d d h i s m
clev ern ess in leg erd em ain , but on som e p h y sical p ec u lia rity of g ift.
o u t of I n d i a a n d led to t h e p e rs e c u tio n of the a d e p ts w h ich
A ud th is is all 1 w ant to establish by th e present and ih e p re v io u s
letter o f m ine. T h e g e n u in e n e ss of th e m a n ife sta tio n beforo “ Z o lln er
forecd th e m to liy b ey o n d th e m o u n t a in s W e re these tw o
O ro o k u ,” says P rofessor B ald w in , “ lias not beeu esta b lish e d .” I ev en ts s im u l ta n e o u s ?
wonder who has ever d is-esiab lish ed it p The P rofessor con tin u e* , You say B u d d h is m ex isted in lu tlia even before th e a d v e n t
“ V ery few o f th e sen sib le th iu k in g p eo p le of t h e w o rld h a v e a n y fa in of U a u t a m a B u d d h a . I h av e m e t w ith words an d a llu s io n s
in th em , au d I m y self do and ex p la in th e s ta n c e s t h a t C r o o k e e u d o r s e d
in o u r books w hich te n d to confirm tlio f a c t y ou assert, unless
as g e n u in e ." P rofessor B ald w in h a s b e e n in E n g lan d ; h e h is t e s t i ­
m onials from E n g lish cle rg y u ieu : w h a t a p ity he h as n o t su b m itted
w c sub scribe im plic itly to tlie c h ro no lo gy s e t up by tb e E u r o ­
hid sdaiici;* t o M r. C rookes. Ono w ord of th e in v en to r of t h e ra d io ­ p ean O rie n t a li s ts .f B u t if liu ijd h is m existed in I n d i a a n t e r i o r
m eter a ml th e d isco v erer of ra d ia n t m a ite r, w o u ld h a v e h a d at least to G a u t a m a an d w as in all like liho od to lerated, if n o t p r a c ­
as m u c h w e ig h ia s th e o p iniou of a n y d o c to r o f d iv in ity . tised, by th e R is h is of old, wliak was it t h a t m a d e it in to le r­
L. S ab le to th e people of th e c o u n tr y after th e co m in g of liautiiziia
a n d , as y o u say, of S a n k a r a c h a r y a ? J
V] I.
S i r ,— H u v i n g b e e n r u t h l e s s l y a t t a c k e d b y P r o f e s s o r B a l d w i n in tire 1 know ot' no books w h e re 1 can find th e in f o rm a tio n 1
c o l u m n s of y o u r v a l u a b l e j o u r n a l , o n a c c o u n t o f c e r t a i n s t a t e m e n t s I re qu ire. T he p e rs e c u tio n of th e ad o p ts is a s u b je c t w hich no
m a d e r e g a r d i n g h is a l l e g e d e x p l a n a t i o n s o f s o » ea ll e d s p i r i t u a l i s t i c m a ­ h u m a n b ein g ev er t h o u g h t of before, m u c h less w ro te u p o n ,—
n i f e s t a t i o n s a n d h is p r e t e n d e d e x p o s u r e , of i n e d i u n i i s t i e p e r f o r m a n c e s , cf cou rse by su c h a h u m a n being I m ean one n o t inside
1 w e n t to see th e P r o f c s - ' o i ’s p e rlo rm a n c u o n S a ta rd a y n ig h t. It was
to b e a u ex cep ti m ally grand perform ance, if we w ere to b e l i e v e liis
“ a d e p t circle,” for th ose who a re w ith in thx,t circle m ay k n o w
a ivei tis e n ii'iit. T o -n ig h t, to -n ig h t,” ran th e ad v e i tise m c n t, “ The m u c h a b o u t it, w ith o u t a n y profit to us ou tsid ers. T h is , 1
^re u t ro p e ty in g — ex p la in e d (so all c a n d o it a t hom e) ; th e handcuff believe, a c c o u n t s fo r t h e n on -ex isten ce (so la:- as I k n o w ) oE
trie .;— e x p la in e d (so any one can free h i m s e l f ) ........................... T h e d a r k any books on th e s u b j e c t.§
scunces a n d circles of E g lin to n , th e C a lc u tta m e d iu m — e x p la in e d . A ll
ex p la n a tio n s g iv en in th e b rig h t lig h t on th e open stag e. • . . The S atich m ia, B k n 'C j a l , '} A .n O u t s i d e r .
atten tio n of sp iritu alists is e s |> e c i u l l y c a l l e d to th is g r a n d n ig h t o f full 'iiiul tSi-ptcuibvr lbS3. j
exposures and e x p la n a tio n s of ih o m o s t m a r v e l l o u s m e d i u m i s t i e tests.**
As an e y e -w itn e s s , I .state uow tlia t P ro fesso r B ald w in n e ith e r ox-
N O T E S A N D Q U E R I E S O N C -IIO ST S A N D
p la iu e d , n o r ex p o se d , n o r did h e e v e n a t t e m p t to e x p la in o r e x p o se a n y
th e ab o v e-m en tio n ed feats. If he exposed an y th in g , it w a d h i m s e l f A l ’i ’A R I T l O N S .
ho exposed to a s e v e re and w e ll-d e serv e d censure. If th is a ta ic m e n t I woui.l) se n d y ou “ N otes a n d Q u e rie s ’1 of th is w eek, A u g u s t
m in e co n ta in s a n y th in g u n tru e , th e n 1 urn prepared to s ta n d p u b lic ­
ly c o n v ic te d of fa lse h o o d .
2 5 th , b u t it is n o t to be had here, an d the one 1 have seen is le nt
P r o f e s s o r B a l d w i n ia o n e o f t h e c l e v e r e s t c o n j u r o r s 1 h av e ev er seen, me by the fam ed Philologist D r. C liam oek. T h e r e is a long
and I have seen som e of th em w h ilo laiely iu P aris. Jlis th o u g h t* a rtic le on G hosts, aud i lie a u t h o r says, “ 1f 1 m istake not, h a u n ti n g
iv alin g M h d b an k -n o te test are alo n e w o rth L lie m oney anti th e tim e s p i r i t s a re no t u n k n o w n to In d ia , a nd In d ia, 1 sup po se, has
b p u n i in g O ' U g to s »h j th em , not to say an y th in g of th e e a b i n e i per*
1nsl i o u s n i g h t s too.” T h e w rite r sny.--', “ T h e m o s t d elig h t­
jorm ancO . M rs. B a l d w i n ’s feats o f cla irv o y an ce are m ost attractiv e
and ch arm in g . rl h e n (here are a n u m b er uf trick s th e P rofessor per-
fully q u a in t in v o n ti.m fo r a c c o u n tin g for a p p a ii ti o n s an d
lu rm s aud ex plains* in th e n ea test m anner p o ssib le . B ut a^ to h is g h o s t stories is to be found in (ialt'a rel’s Unhc.ard-uf Curiosities.
alleg ed e x p l a n a t i o n s and exposures of m ed iu m istie phenom ena, he l i e first tells th e rale t h a t , if th e ashes of certain plants, e. y.
inu?t s u b m it to w h a t I h a v e said, a u d to w h a t o t h e r s h a v e said b esid es roses a n d n ettles, a ' o p u t in a glass and held over a la m p ,
m y self. .
th ey will rise up a n d re s u m e th e i r orig in a l form :
l. a.
1 , 1883. “ S i ’c r c t , i l u n t o n c o i n p r c n d , q u e , ( j u u i q u c lc c o r p s ln c u i'e ,

L cs K orm es lo u t p o u rta n t a u x c c u d rc s Jour d e m c m -e .”

an d hence lie p ro c e e d s to d r a w th e conclusion t h a t g h o s ts of

‘S e l l e r s lo I jjf b a ilo r. de.ul m en, w h ich he says a i e often seen to a n p e a r in c h u r c h
* T h e d iv u lg in g to th e l o w e r n o n - l J r n m a n i c a l c u a o u t n i< l t o th e w o rld
in g e n e ra l, b y th e l.o rd liu d d h ti, of sec rets know n u n to hia d a y o n ly
ON P R A Y E R . to th o in itia te d lin ih m a n s.— Ed.
t C e rta in ly no H in d u — least of all an In itiate or even a C h e la —■
W hy a r c som e p eo p le a v e r s e to p r a y e r ? W o so lv e it in
w o u ld ever accept th eir arb itrary und l'u n c ifu l c h ro n o lo g y .— Ed.
t h i s w a y :—
J S im p le t r u t h — w h ich can never hope to w in th e day w hen in
Jivatm a and B ra h m a tm a are the same. A tm a in reference eontlicL w i t h t h e o l o g y — Lhe sellish concocuon of p riests in tere ste d in
to lirahmdndu. is called I sw a ra ; an d w ith reference to th e p re se rv a tio n of su p e rstitio n aud ig n o ran c e am ong th e m asses.
deha called Jiva. N ow were th e la tte r to pray to tlie for­ S a n k a ra c h a ry a w as m ore p ru d e n t th a n G a u ta m u L iuddha, but preached
mer, it would be self-applause— one of the w orst faults. Wo in s u b s ta n c e , t h e sam e tru th s, a s did all t h e o th e r Ilish is a u d A lah at-

should therefore, 1 thin k, and r ig h tly too— never p ray ; b u t u ias.— Ed.
§ Q u ite so. H u t h e w h o jo in s th o “ a d e p t c irc le ” a n d w ill s h r in k b e fo ro
most assiduously identify ourselves w ith th e “ G reat-S elf” by
n o s a c ritic e , n m y le a r n all tliis a n d a s c e r ta in th e t r u t h e a sily e n o u g h w ith
Samadhi. If any one were to say t h a t A tm a witli refereueo re g a rd to A sia. D u rin g th e m id d le ages down to h a rd ly 100 y eai-i
to body becomes somewhat lowered, we wish him long life, ago th e p ersecu tio n am i o y c ii liiu h u r n iiu j o f A d e p t s iu iSurope, ij) a
V . K . It AJ WADE, fa U i a H i s t o r y , — E d .
yards, nro natural effects, being only the forms of tlio bodies
■which aro buried in thoso places, and not the souls of those
men, nor any such liko apparitions caused by oyil spirits.” *
This idea is clearly founded ou Plato's theory of abstract
fornis as efficient causes of tho actnal forms. Bacon says tliat
“ JPIntp supposed forms (Laws) wero the trne objccts of know^
ledge, but lost the real fru it of his opinions by cousideiing th a t
form s as absolutely abstracted from matter, and not confined
and determined by matter, and so, turning his opinions
npon Theology, whorewith all his natural philosophy is
irifeitcd,” & c . Now supposing we conld ontertain any such
like ab stract notions, it would not account for the clothes and
nrraour, wliich are artificial prodnctions, and their ashes scat­
tered to the four winds ; b u t we arc not bound to have our one
theory cover the whole question.f H ow ever tho m atter is open
to cxperimont if any Theosophist cares to give tlie m atter a trial.
Rcichonbach mado some curious experiments in cliurcli-yards
■with his ‘ sensitives,’ or those persons haying finer perceptions;
than others— experiments which, as far as I know, havo not
been repeated or verified. But Thoosophists may possibly open a
•way to the investigation of such matters and to which animal
magnetism opens tho door.
H e n k -? G. A t k i n s o n , F. G. S.
B oulogne, F rance,
T I I E T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y I S O F
. ALL CREEDS.
A PiSTiNc.uiSHEP E uropean gen tlem an explains, to m e thus,
tvliy he and Christians cannot join the Theosophical Socicty :—
“ Wo believe th a t we have g o t in tb e compass of t h a t por­
tion of our Bible, which we call the N ew Testament, all
possible Theosophy. Best of all we have got a Person whom
-we arc to lovo and worship first as our Peacc-maker w ith God,
n ex t as onr L ig h t through this d a rk world. You may exhaust
a book b n t you can ncvei' exhaust a person.”
I havo replied to him as follows, and shall be th a n k fu l for
nny observations which the E ditor and P resident-F ounder'
may .append in o rder to remove the hesitation of Christians
ami Mohammedans. I t is strange th a t the Missions should
consider it honorable to convert those heathens who arc mostly
fools, knaves or beggars, in and behind heathen houses and
streets and should fear tho Sooiety of the Thcosophists, most
of whom are grad uates of the Universities and ofiicera of
G overnment with a sincere r eg a rd for Jesus au d M ahomet
and tlieir e s o t e r i o philosophy. ,
My reply ;— “ I believe a Christian’s beliefs are as m uch
respected as a H in d u ’s, for tho Theosophical Society is no,t of
any one creed. I t is a Society which freely b u t -vyithont
offence and bigotry studios tho sacred records and consults
th e em inent men of every creed, Such study an d consultftr
lion would add to knowledge and work to confirm F aith .”
“ I believe too in a Person who is tho Peacem aker and
L ig ljio f this d a rk world, who is to be loved an d worshipped
and who is in the Universe from and in, the E te rn ty
(and not shut up in a book). H e is the W ord, the Man-
God, t.ho Son of Woman, tho K sh ctrajna, &c. Thoso terms
as well as the terms God, Soul, a nd H eaven, and Apostolit
succesjsion are differently understood not only by different
creeds but by different men in the same Christian or H in d u
creed. Hence combined stndy an d consultation are most
necessary." - show a strange contrast with that of their M aster, wrote the
“ A nd fn rth e r, as the Christian an d th e M ohammedan owo
to their Person tho d uty of proclaim ing H im and bringing
other souls to acknowledge Him, I hum bly th in k th a t they
must either justify or improve th eir belief and convince or bo
convinced on the Theosophic P latform from w h ich 'no ono of
ch aracter and education is excluded by reason of his color or.
creed.”
* T h i s is p r e c is o ly t h a t w h i c h i s ; h o ld b y tl\e T h e o so p h ia ta
B tich c a s e s o f a p p a r i t i o n s l o n g a f (;e r d e a t h . — E d .
t A nd w hy not ? A n y th in g , of w h a te v er n iateri.il,
o rg a n ic o r in o rg a n ic tiss u e , o n ce it h a s im b ib e d 't h o m a g n e tiB in
body ifc w a s i n c a n t n c t w i t h , b e c o m e s , s o t o / s f t y , p a r t a n d
la tte r. B u r n a b o d y c la d in a n n if'> r m , a n d t h e u n ifo rm
th o a n r a o f th ese ashes, to g eth er w ith th e form of th e dead m an.
{/hosts o f t h e H i n d u s w h o n r o b n r n t c j n i t e n a k e d ^ y i j l never
— n n lcsa in th e im a g in a tio n o f th o S eer. T h e ta lo to ld b y O a ffa rel.iB n o t
n fic tio n . T h o e x p e rim e n t w a s m a d e aiid th e a sse rtio n
— Ed,
: “ W e havo a r ig h t to our own beliefs and practices w h a t­
ever may be those of M adame B, or of Colonel Olcott, or of
R a g h o o n ath a Itow or of any P re sid en t of any Branch.”
A. S a n k a r i a h , F. T. S .
En. N ote .— Q u i t o T heoso p h ical th is. N a one w ill o v e r in to rfe ro
■w ith y o n r b e l i e f o r c r e e d .
T H E T A N T R A S AND BU D D H ISM .
. A t page 227 of. tho Theosophist for Ju ly last, it is said th a t
thero are a n u m b e r of Tantras which inculcate teachings oil
the principles of the Vedanta. Maha Nirvan is one of those.
T be chief or earliest of the series, appears to bo the Mula
Tantra, and its very nam e signifies th a t it is the root or basis
of all the rest. T he educated votaries of the Tantras admit
this, but, they say t h a t it is not easily procurable. P erhaps
most of them are not aw are th a t it was originally a Tibetan
Book. Its Tibetan nam e is R tsa-rgyud, I t was compiled by
C ha n d ra B h a d ra (according to some Soma Bliadra) called in
T ibetan D avaaangpo (commonly Dazang), a kin g of Sliam-
bliala,— a fabulous city according to the Europeans, but ac­
cording to H in d u s the oity, whence the K alk i or the last
A v a ta r (incarnation) of Yislinu is to come.*
This k in g visited Nilachala (literally tlic Neilgheris,
b u t is m eant to. signify P u r i (or Ja g e r n a n th ) and K a ta k (in
T ibetan— D kaLldan hbras-spung, m eaniug the city of ac­
cum ulated rioe) to h ea r tlio teachings of Lord B udha, and
ou his retu rn compiled the book in accordance with w hat ho
1 had h ea rd from the M a s te r . Such was the noble origin of
this Tantra. Soon after L ord B nddha's departure from this
life, m uch of liis pure teachings was corrupted and gave rise
to tHte sect now known as the ])ugpa Bouddhas in
B hotan and S ikkim . Corresponding Tantras soon made their
appearance, and these inculcate all sorts of abominations:
n n d er the guise of Shatikarm a M antra or Yoga, fyc. fyc.,
which are strictly prohibited in Manu. T he fact is th a t men
w ith mediumistic tendencies and selfish motives— a cha-
Taeterstie Rigii of weakness and ignorance—take to these
D u g p a or Black T an tra s in preference to th e Whito
Tantras. Tlieir weakness and selfishness render them
easy dupes, an d in tlieir tu rn they try to dupe others.
They are not averse to consulting w h a t Rishis like
Manu, V asishtha, and V yasa h;yve said, b u t like all mediums
they fail to see any difference in the teachings. They have, in
general, a great h an k e rin g after phenomena, owing to their
senses and feelings having got the better of their reason, and
th u s they are easily Jed away by phenomena alone. What,
is stran g e in .these men is th a t thoy generally adm it
V asish th a to havo been their chief and original teacher, and
th a t V asishtha was a B uddhist by faith, B u t they do not
like to stop to inquire w h a t his tenets were, and w hether
theso tenets plash w ith their modern practices or not ! Of
coursc there aro few who aro exceptions to this rule, bnt
these few pass for Vedantins.
I t wonld not, I think, be inopportune to mention in this
place th a t not only Sdktaism (or Taiitricism) has degenerated
butalso Vaislinavism has fared 110 better in Bengal. Vaishnavism
(although the nam e suggests devotees of V ishnu) was essenti­
ally a revival of Vcdantism according to tho schools of S a n k a ­
racharya, M adhw acharya and R am anujacharya. In Bengal
and a portion of Orissa, C haitanya was the last tcachcr of the
Vaishnavas, and he is believed by them to have been an incarna­
tion of Bhagavana. H e was a g rea t pundit, b u t did not w ritcan y
books. His associates (disciples), whose lives in m any respects
books after bis death. Of course, in these books sanction is
accorded to all t h a t they did, and therefore th e teachings
inculcated have in many respects to be accepted with caution.
A t any rate it is .now widely known th a t the modern votaries
of the school seldom hesitate to su rround themselves each
w ith a n u m b e r of dovoteos of the other sex, while Chaitanya
had refused tq see or havo an ything to do with even his
mother and ox-wifo, who had travelled from N uddea to
^agornauth sim ply to meet him.
jn all
:
Vaislinavism predom inates am ong the lower classes and
especially am ong tlip sellers of spirit®, and tho women about
nnd ho it an town. Of course it is no fault of the system t h a t it has such
of th o persons am on g its votaries, b u t at tho same tinie it is not
parcel of th e
preditable tp the claqs which supplies Gurus to such persons,
w ill appoar as
T he
while actually c a rrying on their immor.al vocations and paying
appear riafj
the .(?«)■«« o n t of th e ir sinful earnings !
found co rrec t. •■ A nd ii lo ca lity k n o w n to e v e ry T ib e ta n to e x is t; a u o asis w ith in thp
■■-■"'■ ................ i.. . . . . ■■■
E l h a m o ( G o b i ) R e s o r t — w h e n c e i t s f i r ^ t s y l l a b l e ,— E d
 After the above, I don’t th in k you will be shocked to hear e s o te r ic H i n d a s , e s o te r ic B u d d h is t a , a n d in f a c t m y s ti c s o f all re lig io n s,
that the very low and selfish am ong th e Vaishnavas have have arriv ed at th e sam e T ru th , th ro u g h a d eep stu d y of th eir resp ec­
tiv e R elig io n s a n d h a v e co n seq u en tly been ad m itted in to th e ra n k s of
degraded some of its noble teachings by interpretations
th e H im alay an B ro th erh o o d of A d e p ts , is o n r c o r r e s p o n d e n t a w a re of
which very few outside its pale can even imagine or guess at. any p artic u la r reason w hy th e Jain s should alone b e ex clu d ed ? A t
For instance the phrase “ Sadhu Bang a h ” signifying (as it lea st, to tho k n o w led g e of o cc u ltists, th d ro ex ist no such reason.
literally does) in their secret, disfigured code, “ S adhu ,” a H a v in g said th at th o K sotoric D o c trin e is th o sam e, in w h a te v e r
Vaishnava, and “ Sanga," cohabitation with. This (would-be) re lig io n it m ay be fo u n d , i t is n e e d l e s s to e n t e r h e r o in to t h e e x t e r n a l
d iffe ren c es betw een B u d d h ism and Jain ism , for E so teric Theosophy
esoteric m eaning is revealed secretly to th e ear of un w ary
has n o th in g to do w ith ex o tericism , ex ccp t in so fa r a s to stu d y th e
young women only. T he prelude to its being the significa­ s y m b o ls to find o u t th e m e a n in g u n d e r ly in g th e m .
tion (esoteric of course, in their sense) of the phrase Sat-Chit- Tho dangers of H a th a Yoga w i l l b e q u i t e a p p a r e n t t o o n e w h o k n o w s
ananda. In Bengali “ S at,” means “ B eing” or to be, Chit— w hat m e d in m sh ip is. Its p ractices o n ly induce som e p h y sio lo g ic al
or, on one’s back (this according to v ulga r slang only) and changes and ten d to d ev elo p e in to m e d iu m sh ip . It docs not h e lp in
A nan da= happiness. I need not proceed further. T he above any w ay p sychic d ev elo p m en t. T his w ill be apparent from th e fa ct

is sufficient to show how the noblest teachings can be th at H a th a Y o g is c a n produce o n ly th at p a rtic u la r phenom enon for
w h ich th e y u n d erg o , b y sp e c ia l p re p a r a tio n , a g y m n a s tic tra in in g . A n d
degraded by cunning, low and selfish persons to subserve it m ust be so in th o c a s e o f p h y sical pow ers. O n ly p sy ch ica l pow era
their purposes. These pious padres explain esoterically and are perm anent and can be ca rrie d
to b irth . T h e H a th a
fro m birth
show by practice th a t all males are K rish n a ( P u r u s h a = s p i r i t ) Yogi d ie s w i t h n o a c q u i s i t i o n t o h e l p h i m i n h i s n e x t r e - b i r t h , e x c e p t a
and all females are R a d h a ( P r a k r i t i = m a t t e r ) , an d Yoga strong a n d sin cere d esire for a d v a n c e m e n t. H is gy m n astic p erfo rm ­
ances end w ith th e d eath of h is body. Tho co n tro l o v e r th e m in d
(union) consists in b ringing as m any as possible of the one
m ust be o b tain ed by stro n g w ill, a dogged d e te rm in a tio n , an d hig h
to the other in the position of husband and wife. This is the m oral and spiritual asp ira tio n s. It cannot bo obtained by sto p p in g
at-one-ment, the only way to happiness, prescribed for the th o b reath or in -an d * o u tlettin g a q u an tity of w a te r, curds, or m ilk .
effacement of th e heresy of individuality ! ! ! O ar correspondent seem s to confound Sam adhi w ith th o h ig h er
T. S , p ercep tio n s of a I i a j a Y o g i. W h e n h e stu d ie s th e difference ca refu lly

3— 10—83. Berhampore. betw een H a th a a n d R a j a Y o g a , h e w i l l f i n d t h e t e a c h i n g s i n F r a g m e n ts

is in e n tire c o n so n a n ce w ith th o so of th o A r y a n A d e p ts . N o M ahatma
o r e v e n a H ig h C h e la w ill pose h im se lf b efo re th o p u b lic. A t th o sam o
t i m e t h e r e is n o t one tru e asp iran t w ith a firm w ill th a t h a s n o t fo u n d
A N IN Q U IR E R ABOUT A D EPTS.
out th e cu sto d ian s of th e A ry a n treasure. I t is th e r e f o r e im p r o p e r to

A r e there any Ja in Rishis am ong the H im a lay a n Brothers ? eu q u ire w h ere th e A de pts live, sin ce, a s in a n c ie n t tim e s , th o C h e la h a s
to find o u t h is G u r u b y se lf-e v o lu tio n a n d self-e x e rtio n .
Is the Y oga M a rg a of the Jains and the B uddhists the same ?
A s to th e o th e r q u estio n s, m o st o f th e m a r e n o t a fit s u b j e c t t o t r e a t
This much is certain t h a t Jainism and B udd hism go side by upon in th e co lu m n s of o u r jo u rn al. W h e th er “ a title o r p a r t o f his
side to a certain extent. In w hat chief points then do they n a m e ,” th e n a m e of o u r r e v e r e d M a s te r K o o t- H u m i h a s b e e n su ffic ie n tly
differ so aa to give rise to two distinct religions ? d e s e c ra te d in th e p a g e s o f s p iritu a lis tic p a p e rs , a n d e v e n in th is m a g a z in e
How is the practice of H a th a Y oga dan gerous ? Is it o w in g to th e in d isc re tio n o f h is m o s t a r d e n t follow ers to p e r m it o f a n y

not the most certain way of tam ing th e rnind ? I think m ore discu ssio n of th at to p ic th an can bo strictly help ed .

some persons are suited to Raj Yoga, but th ere are others '' B . S. D.

who cannot subdue their mind so as to keep it fixed on • • . ( A C h e la .)

one object for a time. H ave such any o th e r means of learn ­
ing Yoga Vidya except H a th a Yoga. ? H U M A N A N D A N IM A L M A G N E T IS M .
Somewhere in th e 3 rd volume of the Theosophist there
is a foot-note to tlie effect th a t the spirit liberated in Sama- a student of A nim al Magnetism, and h aving some
B e in g

dhi can go only as far as the lowest Deva-loka. This does experience in the same, I for myself and m any more like mo
not agree with w hat is given in the H in d u Shastras, where take the liberty of offering the following questions in The
the assertion is t h a t the spirit th u s liberated has no Theosophist.
check and can go anywhere it chooses. H ow is th a t ? Dr. Dod, in his able lecture, says th a t it is the nervo-vital
Can Yogis of a lower grade th a n the H im alayan Brothers, fluids when introduced into the brain of a subject th a t places
ehango their body a t will, i. e., leave th e ir own body lifeless the latter in th e m ag n e tic state. T he chief source of the fluid ia
and enter one dead so as to make it alive ? I s Koot H u m i electricity. Is the fluid electricity alone or something in
a title and not a p art of the nam e of our revered Brother ? combination w ith electricity ? I f it were alone, can we with a
Are there any Mahatm as in In dia equal in r a n k (of battery as is used in other electrical experiments brin g a
adeptship) to the H im alayan Brothers ? I f th e re are, where subject to the magnetic sleep P I f th a t fluid be in combination
do they chiefly live ? A re there any such in lla jp u ta n a ? w ith something else, is th a t something else known ? I f so,
If any, in w h a t p a r t of the country and by w h a t names w h a t is it ? The questions mentioned above being of g rea t
are they known to the world ? importance to all students of the divine science, will plead for
H ave these any communication w ith the Brothers ? my ta kin g up valuable space in the Journal.
J aqannath.
Yours truly,
J ey p o ri;, 1
H . H a rd y ,
19-10-1883. {
A nsw er. — It is very pain fu l to observe th a t ev en o n r pro fessed
Vice-President, Aryan Legends
f r i e n d s a n d s y m p a t h i s e r s s h o u l d b e bo i n a t t e n t i v e i n r e a d i n g t h e T heoso­ Investigating Society.
p h is t a n d o th e r p u b licatio n s of ou r e s te e m e d m em bers. An o rd in a rily
B o m b a y , )
ea rn est stu d e n t of th eo so p h ie lite ratu re is aw are of th e oft-repeated
fact th a t th e eso teric trn th u n d e rly in g all r e li g i o n s is th e sam e* Tho 10th August. J
d ifferent ritu alism s and fo rm a lities of v ario u s re lig io n s resem b le th e
d ifferen t co stu m es a m an w ears to su it h im solf to th e su rro u n d in g A nsw er — Tho M ag n e tic forco iu m an is not th e s a m e force as
a tm o sp h eric co n d itio n s a n d th o se of tho c o u n try h e te m p o ra rily ocou- tlio e le c tr ic ity o f m o d e r n sc ie n c e , alth o u g h h av in g a great sim ila rity
p ies. A keen observer p ierces th ro u g h tho m ask, and re co g n isin g in ita o p e r a tio n s to t h a t su b tle ag e n t. The seco n d p rin cip le of m an—
tho h idden in d iv id u a lity cares but little fo r th e ex tern al fo rm . In p ra n a o r v i t a l i t y — is t h e o n e c o n c e rn o d in th e p ro d u c tio n o f m e s m e r ic
all a g e s th o m a s s e s o f all r e li g i o n s have b u t c lu n g b lin d ly to th e sh ell, p h e n o m e n a , a n d a ca re fu l c o n s id e ra tio n o f w h a t h as b ee n said a b o u t t h a t
w hile th o p h ilo so p h er, p e n e tra tin g to th e in n e rm o st kern el, h as m et, p rin c ip le in th e s o e o lu m n s m a y bo s tu d ie d w ith p ro lit in th is c o n n e c tio n .
on th e p rinciple of M u tu al T oleration and M u tu al In tellec tu al S yrn. T h e m o s m e r i o flu id o r v i t a l i t y is m a t t e r in a s u b t l e s u p o r s e n s u o u s s t a t o
p a th y , h is co-w orker in th e scarch a fte r tru th , w h a te v o r m ay bo his and p e rm e a te s th e w hole of th e o u te r m an , from the co n stitu en ts of
c a ste , creed or colour, ex te rn ally . T h is B ro th erh o o d of tru e P h ilo ­ w h ich i t is g e n e r a t o d b y t h e a c t i o n o f th e spleen— an org an q u ite u n ­
sophers or A d e p ts, carin g but little for ex o teric re lig io n s, havo k n o w n in its fu n c tio n s to s c ic n c e . O no of th o arg u m en ts advanced by
u u ited th em selv es in to a com pact b o d y to lay th is T ru th before the th e G erm an ath e ist S tru th c rs ag a in st th e ex isten c e of an in tellig e n t
fo llo w ers o f R elig io n s, o f w h ich they are th e resp ectiv e re p re se n ta ­ G o d is t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h i s “ u s e l e s s o r g a n , ” a s h e co n sid ers it, in t h e
tiv es. A n d it w a s w ith th is v iew t h a t th e T h eo so p h ical S o cio ty a d o p t­ hum an body. T h is p o in t no th eistic m an of S cien co co u ld d isp ro v e.
ed a s its first ob ject th e fo rm a tio n of th e n u cleu s of a U n iv ersal B ut irresp ectiv e of a “ p e r s o n a l g o d ,” a s all o cc u ltists know , th ere is
B roth erh o o d of H u m an ity . L ik e th o trav e lle rs fo llo w in g d ifferen t n o th in g u s e le s s in N a tu r e . T ho spleen is th o reserv o ir of an im al
p ath s b u t m ee tin g a t th e sam e m o u n tain su m m it, th e m y stic s of all m a g n e tism an d th e o rig in al ee n tro of th o force w h ich ev o lv es th o
tim es a n d all re lig io n s, go in g d ee p in to a stu d y of th o fa ith of th eir
astral m an. C o n sid e rin g th e lo n g a g e s fo r w h ich all k n o w le d g e o f th o so
fo refa th e rs, h a v e m e t a t t h e sam o a lta r o f T ru th — E so to rie P h ilo so p h y .
th in g s th e o re tic a l o r p ra ctical, h a s d isap p eared fro m E u r o p e , i t is n o
T h e r e a d e r s o f C o l . O l c o t t ’s le c tu re s w ill rem em ber his co n stan t re­
w o n d e r th a t in th e W e s te rn w o rld , u n d e r th o w e ll-k n o w n p h y sio lo g ic a l
m ark th a t th o T h eo so p h ical S o ciety does n o t ask any one to leav e
law , th e s p le e n sh o u ld h a v e fa lle n in to a sta te of atro p h y -
his relig io n , b u t to fin d o u t all o f T r u th t h a t m a y b e in th at R elig io n
D. D uar K.
an d to try to live u p to th at T ru th . The o b serv atio n s now m ado
w ill m ake clear C o l . O l c o t t ’s m e a n in g . It is therefore d iffic u lt to { A C h e la .)
see w h a t is m e a n t b y th e e n q u i r y w h e th e r th e r o a r e ,J a in M a h a tm a s ? I f
 Q U E R IE S F R O M A U S T R A L IA .
A l l o w me to addross you on a subject of vital impor­
tance to me in connection with Spiritualism and S p iri­
tualistic phenomena, which havo occurred to me during
the last 15 years. I consider you above all persons
with whom 1 have any acquaintance through the litera­
ture of Spiritualism competent to give me a final expla­
nation of the phenomena which I am now going to sub­
mit to your critical judgment. I have of late got tired
of tho unsatisfactory and unprogressive state of what is
termed Spiritualism, and seciug in Theosophy and Occult­
ism a stop in advauce of our old movement, 1 wish you.
to bo kind enough to tell me what the interpretation of
my experiences is from an Occult or Theosophical point
of view.
F o r this purpose I have enclosed au old lecture of
mine, delivered in 1874, which you w ill find contains a
passage or portiou marked with brackets A — A ; this is
the F irst Query put to you, and in your kiud answer you
w ill point out to me where I have erred in my own at­
tempts at explanation.
Second Query refers to a painful subject— an accident
in my family— which I shall detail as briefly as possi­
ble. On 17th March, 1870, a boy of mine was acciden­
tally thrown out of my buggy and he sustained fracture
of tho skull. W hen I picked up the child (4 years old)
I found him bleeding from a branch of the temporal
artery, and whilst I was dressing the wound on the road
and in the dark, my mind involuntarily was turned home­
ward where my wife was lying ill and in a very weak
state from loss of blood after her confinement. I thought
that the news of tho fatal injury of ou.r child would also
prove fatal to herself in consequence of the shock pro­
duced by the news. Fancy, then, my astonislimeut
when I came home to find that at about the same
time that this accident happened, I appoared to my wife
spiritually or phantasmically (?) with the child in my
arms, which fact she mentioned to her nurse, who, how­
ever, could uot see me or my apparition. Now wliat
do you make of this phenomenon and what is your
explanation of it ?
T h ird Query is connected with what I would consider
a case oE clair-audience which happened to me somo
S or 9 years ngo. I had scarcely turned into bed at 11
o’clock on a certain night (date I cannot at present
ascertain), when I found myself all night up to half-past
4 A . M . disturbed from sloop by the constant crying out
of ‘ doctor !’ ‘ doctor !’ in a distinctly plaintive tone, the
voico being that of a female. A t 6-30 the same morn­
ing I was called to attend a woman at a distance of 15
miles from my residence, a perfect stranger to mo and
to my astonishment her voice was identical with the one
of my nocturnal disturber ! The woman, having been
in labour all night and crying out for the doctor— for
me— her husband cruelly paying no attention to her
lamentation until it was almost too late to send for
medical aid. Now, I would ask you, how could I hear
the voice of this woman a distance of 15 miles ?
F o u rth Query concerns a mesmeric subject or experi­
ence of mine which took place 14 years ago. A friend
of mine, named Mr. Crone, who is a powerful mesmeriser,
brought a boy to my surgery one night at 8 o’clock ; and
this boy told me the time on my watch to a minute
correctly four times in succession, althoug'h his eves were
bandaged and he himself in a stato of mesmeric coma.
Threo time:-; the boy indicated the time on my watch cor­
rectly, even after 1 had turned the hands round with my
key until I did not know myself to what figures they
pointed.
Now these may very possibly be all simple questions
to you to solve, but I baye never in all my reading and
studying on the subject found an explanation which
satisfied my scientific or philosophical demands, really
furnishing a tangible and reliable exposition of the
different m odi operandi by which tho four above men­
tioned phenomena or facts were produced.
H oping you will kind ly answer my four queries in one
of the numbers of the Theosophist. I am, etc.
0 . R o h n e r , M. D.
B e NALLA, ■)
V ic t o r ia (A u s t r a l ia ). J
E d i t o r ’s—We aro extremely sorry to be unable to answer
N o t e .
Query No- 1, owing to the lecture in question having been either
lost in transit or mislaid here du rin g our prolonged absence from
homo.
Query No. 2 is easy enough to answer from the standpoint of
occultism. I t is a case of th o u g h t objeotifying itself by its
intensity to the person on whom it is centred. The 3 ad occur­
rence was rellected in the sym pathetic au ra of the suffering
(hence more than ever spiritually receptive) lady and she saw
it in her m in d ’s eye. Wo have amply discussed in previous
nu m b ers the phenomenal effects of thought intensified to the last
degree, whether consciously through will-power or unconsciously
th r o u g h tho streng th of desire, produced by fear, joy or any
o ther feeling. The ordinary phenomenon of th e thou gh ts of the
mesmeriser appearing to the subject as objective reality belongs to
the same class though different in degree. The present case affords
some linht for the examination of th e spiritualistic speculations
of Mr W . H. Harrison, editor of the defunct S p iritu a list in a
recent n u m b er of th e M edium and Daybreak. After a free uso
of his diss^^^ng knife on Theosophy and Colonel Olcott,
Madame Blavatsky and the Himalayan Brothers, Mr. Harrison
comes to the conclusion th a t the worthy President of th e Thooso­
phists, Colonel Olcott, is “ u seeing medium and 5 physical
medium too, "but not very powerful in the latter capacity,”
and seeks to prove his case by rem inding the reader th a t since
“ once he (Colonel Olcott) saw a H im alayan Brother and two
well-known Anglo-Indian Theosophists, were unable to see the
distinguished visitor”— ergo th a t visitor must have been some
“ lower intelligence acting on physical mediums.” On this
ra th e r one-sided and not over-logical theory, th e apparition
which Mrs. llohner saw must have been made up by some
“ lower intelligence,” since the nurse did not 9 e e the eidolon.
The consequences in the present case having been beneficent,how-
ever, th e “ lower intelligence” will have to be raised a few degrees
in th e estimation of the Spiritualists and regarded as some “ dear
departed angel” m asquerading before th e sensitive to save her
from the effects of a too sudden shock. B ut whatever their theory
■—even if it be gran ted th a t in Dr, Kohner’s case the double
was projected from the gross body by th e force generated by in­
tense anxiety—the obnoxious Thoosophists, will never be allowed
to take advanta ge of it in support of th eir case. Y et whatever
their opinion, we affirm, th a t in our correspondent’s case there
was nothing spiritualistic at all, I t was simply and purely a
psycho physiological phenomenon.
Query No. 3 will be sufficiently elucidated by what has been
said above. O ur respected correspondent seems to be some­
what of a clairaudient sensitive himself; the agonised cries were
directed towards him, and as the Doctor’s thought made
itself objectively perceptible to Mrs. B ohner’s astral sense of
sight, similarly tho poor woman’s cries affected his sense of
hearing. The one was a case of clairvoyance, the oth er of
clairaudience.
Query No. 4.—This a common case of clairvoyance induced by
mesmerism . The physical man when rendered comatose by
the influence of mesmeric currents, leaves the inner m a n free
to act and acquire knowledge without the mediation of sense.
A caretul study of what has been said in these columns about
the septenary constitution of man will throw considerable light
on the whole subject. These ahnorm al developments of sense
may be effected hy conscious efforts of the will, by disease or
by mesmeric influence.
E X IS T E N C E O F T H E H IM A L A Y A N M A H A TM A S.
I n M a y or J u n e la s t, a y o u n g B e n g a li B ra m a c h a r i h a p p e n e d
to pass t h r o u g h th is s t a ti o n on his w ay to A lm o r a h . D u r in g
his sta y h e r e he p u t u p in th e house of a n u p -co u n ti v g e n ­
t l e m a n w h e re I m e t h i m to h e a r his discourses on V e d a n tic
P h ilo so p h y a n d H i n d u i s m in gen eral. H e k i n d l y called on
m e a n d t h e n a t o u r re q u e s t n a r r a t e d c e rt a in in c id e n ts of his
tra v e ls to M a n s a r o v a r a a n d back. O n e of t h e m w a s v e ry
re m a r k a b l e . H e sa id t h a t on h is w a y b a c k fro m K a ila s he
m e t a p a r t y of S a d h u s . T h e y w e re r e s t i n g in a sm a ll t e n t
w h ic h th e y h a d p itc h e d fo r th e i r acco m m od ation . H e w e n t
a m o n g s t th e m to be g fo r some food, as he h a d t a k e n none
since tw o o r th r e o day s e xc epting leaves of tree s a n d grass.
H e sa w a n eld erly S a d h u e n g a g e d in r e a d i n g th e V ed as
w h o m he to o k to be th e chief. O n e n q u i r i n g t h e n a m e of
th is S a d h u he w a s to ld b y some t h a t liis n a m e w as K a u th u m -
p a, a n d by o th e r s as K a u t h u m i .* H e w a ite d till th is g e n ­
* Our Mahatma docs not look “ elderly” whatever his age may be.
 tleman h a d finished h is r e a d i n g a n d a f t e r tlie e x c h a n g e of Col. T o d c onsiders M o ry a, o r M a u r y a , a c o rr u p tio n of Mori,
the c u s to m a ry g re e t in g s t h e s a d h u o rd e r e d h is cholas to t h e n a m e of a R a j p u t tr ib e . T h e T i k a on th e M a h a v a n s a
give some food to o u r B r a m a c h a r i. A c h e la b r o u g h t a piece t h i n k s t h a t th e p rin c es of t h e to w n M o ri w ere th e n c c c allcd
of d rie d c o w -d u n g a n d placed i t be fo re h is g u r u w ho M a u r y a s . V a c h a s p a tt y a , a S a n s k r i t Eijcyclopcedia, placcs th e
breathed on i t a n d i t w as lig h te d . T h e B r a m a c h a r i w a ite d village of K a t a p a on th e n o r t h e r n side of th e H im a l a y a s —
there for a n h o u r o r tw o a n d d u r i n g t h i s i n t e r v a l h e saw h en c e in T ibet. T h e sam e is sta te d in C h a p t e r 12 (S k a n d a )
one o r tw o p ersons su ife rin g fr o m som e d isea se o r o th e r of B h a g a v a t p. 325, Vol. I I I . T h e Vayu P u r a n seem s to
coming th e r e f o r t r e a tm e n t. T h e chief g a v e t h e m some declare t h a t M o ru w ill re-estab lish th e K s h a tr iy a s in t h e 1 9 th
rice a f t e r b re a t h in g u p o n i t ; th e y a te o f i t a n d w a lk e d c o m in g Y u g a . I n C h a p t e r V I, Book I I I . of V ish n u P u r a n , a
away c u red . I fo r g o t to tell y o u t h a t th o B r a m a c h a r i h a d a R is h i called K o o t h u m i is m entioned. W il l a n y of o u r
been to M a n s a ro v a ra in 1882. A r e w e to u n d e r s t a n d t h a t b r o t h e r s tell us h o w o u r M a h a t m a s stan d to th ese r e v e r e d
the K a u t h u m i or K a u t h u m p a w h o m th i s B r a m a c h a r i saw p ers o n a g e s ?
som ewhere n e a r K a ila s is t h e sa m e p e rs o n a g e w h o is n ow Y o u r s o bediently,
know n as K o o th u jn i, one of th e H i m a l a y a n B r o th e r s P I f
R. R a g o o n a t ii R ow,
this be so, t h e n we h a v e th e te s tim o n y of a n u n in t e r e s t e d
person w ho saw h im in his liv in g body. I m a y m e n tio n to (D eivan B ahadoor) B rest. M adras
you t h a t th is B r a m a c h a r i told u s h e n e v e r h e a r d of T h eo so p b y Theosophical'_Society.
or of £he H i m a l a y a n B r o th e r s till h e r e t u r n e d to th e plains.
He is a y o u n g m a n a b o u t 24 y e a r s old a n d k n o w s E n g li s h b u t E d i t o r ’s N o t e . — I n th e B u d d h ist M ahavanso, C h a n d a g a tto or
im perfectly. H e is a C h e la of t h e A lm o r a li S w a in i w ith w h o m C h an d rag u p ta, A so k a ’s g ra n d fa th e r, is called a p rin ce of th e M oriyan
he is n ow s t u d y in g S a n s k r it a n d we saw h im a g a in a t A lm o- d y n a sty as he c e rta in ly w as— or r a t h e r —as th ey w ere, for th e re w ere
ra h a t t h e end of O c to b e r last. H e is n o t a T h eo so ph ist a n d so v eral C h a n d ra g u p ta s. T h is d y u a s ty , a s said in th e sam e book, b eg an
w ith c e rta in K sh a triy a s (w a rrio rs) of th e Silkya line closely r e la te d
in fa c t his views a n d th o se of his g u r u w h o a re p ro n o u n c e d to G au tam a B uddha, w ho cro ssin g th e H im av an to ('H im alayas) “ d is ­
V ed an tists do n o t a g re e w i t h tho se of t h e T heosophists. covered a d e lig h tfu l location, w ell w atered, a n d s itu a te d in th e m id st
So, in all respects, h e is a n u n in t e r e s t e d w itn ess. H e is p u b ­ of a fo re st o f lo fty bo and o th e r tre e s. T h e re th e y founded a tow n,
lish ing a n acc o u n t of his tr a v e ls in a B e n g a li M a g azin e c alle d w hich w as called by its S ak y a lords— M oriya-N agara.” P ro f. M ax.
the “ B h a r a t i , ” p u b lis h e d a t C a lc u t ta a n d e d ite d b y B ab u M iiller would see in th is legend a nm de-up-story fo r tw o reaso n s : (1.)
A desire on th e p a r t of B u d d h ists to co n n ect th o ir k in g A soka, ‘‘ th e
D ije n d r a N a t h T a g o re . I believe h o w ill givo d etails of beloved of g o d s” w ith B uddha, an d th u s nullify th e sla n d e rs Bet u p
his in te rv ie w w ith th is S a d h u , w h o m h e h e a r d called as K a u - by th e B rah m an ieal o p p o n e n ts to B uddhism of th e effect th a t A soka
th u n ip a , in t h a t M agazine. and C h a n d rag u p ta w ere Sudras ; an d (2) because th is d o c u m en t do es
H e told ns t h a t h e saw se v e ra l p e rs o n s a t, a n d n e a r Man- n o t dovotail w ith h is ow n th eo ries and chronology based on th e cock-
a arov ara (t h e r e b e in g a g r e a t g a t h e r i n g th e r e t h a t y o a r on an d -b u ll sto ries of th e G reek M eg asth en es and others. I t is n o t th e
prin ces of M oriya-N agara who own th e ir nam e to th e R a jp u t trib e of
account of th e K u m b h u k M ela) w h o co uld li g h t fu el by M ori, b u t th e la tte r th a t becam e so w ell know n as being com posed of th e
b re a th in g u p o n it. A t M ansarovara he m et a C hohan d e sc e n d a n ts of th e first sovereign of M oriya N agari-M drya. T ho su b ­
L a m a b u t th e r e w e re se v e ra l of th is n a m e . Y o u r N o te on seq u en t d e stin y of th a t d y n a s ty is m ore th a n hinted a t, on pag es 3 9
th e above is k in d l y solicited. an d 40 (foot n ote) in th e N ovem ber n u m b er of th e Theosophist .
P r e o N a t i i B a n e r j e e , F . T . S., P age 43 of th e sam o m agazine gives full d etails. T he n am e of R ishi
V a k il, H ig h Court.
K oo th u m i is m entioned in m ore th a n ono Purana, an d his Code is
am o n g th e 18 Codes w r itte n by various R ishis a n d p re se rv e d a t
B a reily , 1 C a lc u tta in th e lib ra ry of th e A siatic S ociety. B u t we h a v e n o t been
15th N ovem ber 1883. J told w h e th e r th e re is an y connection b etw een ou r M ahatm a of th a t
E d i t o r ’ s N o t e . — T h is new a n d u n ex p ected te s tim o n y com es tliis
nam e, an d th e Itish i, an d w e do n o t feel jnstified in sp e cu latin g upon
m om eu t, aa we a re c o rre c tin g the proofs of B ro th er M ohini M. C h a tte rji’s th e subject. A ll we know is, th a t b o th a re N orthern B rahm ans, w hile th o
evidence a b o u t th e sam e B rah m achari. We h a d it fro m him 14 m onths M dryas a re K sh atriy as. I f any of o n r B ro th e rs know m oro o r ca n
ago, but, a t th e ad v ice of Mr. S iim ett, w ith h e ld i t from publication a t d iscover a n y th in g r e la tin g to tho su b je c t in th e S acred books, wo
the tim e. E vidently o u r B areilly B ro th ers have n o t heard, a s w e have, will h ear of it w ith p leasu re. T h e w ords : “ tho M oryas will possess tho
of th is first acco u n t now p u b lish ed by us ou p ag es 83 et seq. If th is is e a rth for K a u tily a will place C h a n d ra g u p ta on th e th ro n e ,” h av e in o n r
occult philosophy and in te rp re ta tio n s a dual m eaning. In one se n so
not au in d ep en d en t and stro n g te s tim o n y in o u r fav o u r, then w e do
not know w h a t any m ore proofs can be given. W h e th e r th e “ e ld e rly ” th e y re la te to th e days of e arly B uddhism , w hen a C h a n d ra g u p ta
looking “ K au th u m p a” as th e B rah m ach ari calls th e S addhu seen (M orya) w as th e K ing “ o f all theearth,” i. e.. o f B rahm ans w ho believ ed
by him is o u r M ah atm a K oothum i o r n o t (we d o u b t th is, fo r he is not them selves th e h ig h e s t and o n ly re p re se n ta tiv e s of h u m a n ity for w ho m
“ eld erly ” looking) it is show n a t auy r a te th a t th e re a re m en kuow n E a rth w as evolved. T h e second m oaning is purely esoteric. E v e ry
b y th e nam e of Kauthumpa (o r tho disciples, lit. men, of K oothum i) adopt or genuine M ahatm a is sa id to “ possess th e e a rth ,” by th e pow o r
iu T ibet, w hose m a s te r’s n am e m ust, th e re fo re , be Koothumi, and th a t of liis occu lt know ledge. H enco—a series of 10 M oryas,
a ll in itia te d a d e p ts, would be re g a rd e d by th e o ccu ltists, an d re fe rre d to,
we have n o t in v en ted th e nam e. M ost p ro b ab ly th e perso n seen
by th e B rah m ach ari w as T en -d u b U ghien, th e la m a n ex t to onr ns “ possessing all th e e a rth ” o r all its know ledge. T he n am es o f
M ah atm a—and th e ch ief an d g u id e of his cholas on th e ir tra v e ls . H e “ C h a n d ra g u p ta ” a n d ‘‘ K a u tily a ” hnve also an esoteric significance. L et
is an elderly man* and a g r e a t book-w orm . T he p olem ics th a t have onr B rother ponder o v er th e ir S a n s k rit m oaning, an d he will p e rh a p s
ta k e n place on th ese p ag es som e m o n th s back b etw e e n th e ven erab le see w h a t b e arin g th e p h ra se — “for K a u tily a will pluco C h a n d ra g u p ta
4 1 m o ra Swami and o n r B ro th e r T. S ubba Row d u rin g w liich th e upon thethrone” — h as upon th e M oryas possessing th e e a rth . W e w onld
S w am i cam e dow n in hia w ra th upon th e in n o c e n t e d ito r—are a also rem iu d o u r B ro th e r th a t th o w ord Itihdsa, o rd in a rily tr a n s la te d
good w a rra n t th a t n e ith e r th e re sp e c te d Sadhu of th e A lm ora H illa a s 1 h isto ry ,’ is defined by S a n s k r it a u th o ritie s to he tho n a rra tiv e of
nr.r his p u p il would be likely to co rro b o rate us, unless th e y could not th e lives of som e a u g u s t personages, conveying a t th e sam e tim e
help it. S till, tho B rah m ach ari m ay h ave seen q u ite a d iffe re n t person. m ean in g s of th e h ig h e s t m oral an d occu lt im p o rtan c e.
T here are in T ib e t m an y se cts— and one of th e s e is th e se c t of th e
K ah -d am -p a—a nam e bearing a close resem b lan ce to t h a t o fK au th u m p a.
T here are am o n g th e fo rm er m any learned lam as a u d ad ep ts, b u t th ey R A IN -S T O P P IN G BRAHM ANS.
a rc n ot our M ah atm as, w ho belong to no sect. I s h a l l be h ig h l y obliged if yo u k in d l y allow m e to relate
th r o u g h th e c o lu m n s of y o u r cele b ra te d J o u r n a l, a n event,
T H E P U R A N A S ON T H E D Y N A S T IE S O P T H E w hose see m in g ly re c o n d ite c h a r a c t e r m a y excite th e c u rio ­
M O RYAS A N D T H E K O O TH O O M I. sity a n d d eserv e th e a tt e n ti o n of a la r g e m a jo rity of re a d e rs.
I t is s ta te d in M a tsy a P u r a n , C h a p te r 272, t h a t t e n M o ry as T h e ro lived in th e in te rio r of th e d is tric t of Ilug-li, a p erson
w o u ld reign o ve r In d ia , a n d w o u ld be succeeded b y S hoongas, n a m e d R am K a n y G hosh , b y religio n a Vaisnava, w h o w a s
a n d t h a t S h a t a D lia n v a will be th e first of th es e ten k n o w n to h av e a t t a i n e d a c e rta in dev elo pm ent of th e h i g h e r
M a u r e y a s (o r M o ry as). fac ulties b y a r e g u l a r a n d c o n s t a n t practice of c o n c e n t r a ­
I n V is h n u P u r a n (Book I V C h a p te r 4 ) i t is sta te d t h a t th e r o tio n in a n enclosed room t h r e e hours a day. O n a c e rt a in
was in th e S oo rya D y n a s ty a k i n g called M o ru , w ho t h r o u g h occasion h e in v ite d a n u m b e r of B ra h m in s , w ho w e re
th e p o w er of devotion, Y oga, is said to be still liv in g in tho seated to d in e on t h e open y a rd of his ho m ely v illa g e
village called K a ta p a , in th e H im a la y a s, ( Vide p. 197, Vol. I l l , m an sio n . T h e d a y w a s clo u d y a n d i t b e g a n to ra in . T h e
b y W ilso n ) a n d w h o in a f u t u r e age, w ill be th e re s to r e r of m a n a la r m e d a t t h e s i g h t of B ra h m i n s r i s in g fro m t h e i r
th e K s h a tr iy a race, in th e S o la r d y n a sty , t h a t is, m a n y un fin ished m eal, h a s t e n e d to th e place, g azed on t h e sk y,
th o u s an d s of y ears h ence. I n a n o th e r p a r t of th o sam o a n d lo u dly cxclaim ed, “ Sir ! s to p a little .” To th e a s t o n ­
P u r a n , Book IV ., C h a p t e r 21, it is s t a te d t h a t “ u p o n th e is h m e n t of th e b eh old ers th e t h r e a t e n i n g s k y m a i n ta i n e d a,
cessation of th e race of N a n d a , t h e M o ry as* w ill possess tho su d d e n a n d su llen silence till t h e fe a s t w as completed.
earth , fo r K a u t i l y a w ill place C h a n d r a g u p t a on th e t h r o n e .” A sim ila r e v e n t occ urred , a few y e a rs ago, a t S a tp o k u r ,
* “ Of th e d y n a s ty o f M oriyan S overeigns,” a s said in th e M ahslvanso
w h e r e d u r i n g a lo n g a n d sev ere d r a u g h t , a s an n y as i p r o ­
—tho p a rtic u la rs of th is leg en d aro reco rd ed in th a A tth a ta k a tM of th e n o u n c e d a successful p re d ic tio n of a sh o w er at tw o o’clock
U ttaravih& ro p rie sts.— Ed. t h e n e s t day.

N o w , is i t possible to d e te r m i n e ,w h e t h e r th e e v e n t s shou ld
b e a t t r i b u te d to th e g ift of m ira c le s o r to th e k n o w le d g e
of f u t u r i t y of t h e ad v an ced s t u d e n t s of O c c u lt P h ilo so p h y ?
A solution of this difficulty w o u ld p r o b a b ly be d eem e d as a
v a lu a b le c o n trib u tio n to th e k n o w le d g e of u n in i ti a te d s t u ­
dents.
I re m a in , M a d a m ,
Y o u r s m o s t obed iently ,
H. M ukhopadtata.
B iiowanipore, )
N ovem ber, 83. )
E d i t o r ’ s N o t e . — W c h av e m uch hoard of, b u t little believed !n,
“ g ifts of m ira cles.” Wo m ny go f a r th e r nnd say a t onoe th a t w e
dony m o st em p h atically tlie possibility of prod u cin g “ m i r a c l e s , ” y e t
w c bolievo ns firm ly in tlie possession by g re a t S ad h u s and I n itia te s of
th o pow er of sto p p in g or r a th o r of d elay in g and m a g n e tic a lly p a ra ly z ­
ing th e vain cloud. Wo say th a t th e fa c ts of th e sto ry given are
possible, tho n g h by no m eans probable. S ad h n s w ho possess snch
pow ers are n o t usu ally grihasthas, passin g th e ir lives in sm all villages ;
an d c e rtain ly it req u ires m ore th a n th re e hours n d ay of “ c o n s ta n t
c o n c e n tra tio n ” to produce such a phenom enon, h o w erer m u ch it m ay
bo based on th e know ledgo of natu ral law s.
W A R T -C H A R M IN G .
W i t h referen ce to th e fo llo w in g c o rre sp o n d e n c e w h ic h a p ­
p e a re d in K now ledge, d a te d 26 th O c to b c r 1883, a w ell-k n o w n
w e e k ly p a p e r c o n d u cte d by M r. R . A . P r o c t o r , it w ould be
in te re stin g if y ou w o uld k in d l y e x p la in th e ra tio n ale of th e
tr a n s f e r of th e w a r t from t h e b o d y of one in d iv id u a l to t h a t
of a n o th e r, an d also say w h e t h e r t h e c h a r m re f e r r e d to b y
th e co rre sp o n d e n t in th e c o n c lu d in g p o rtio n of his le t te r
lias a n y real effcct.
Y o u rs obed iently ,
_ K . C. M.
“ A llo w m e to tell yo u m y o w n e x p e rie n c e of w a rts .
W h e n I w as a little boy I h a d a w a r t on the tip of m y nose.
T h e y called m e Cicero. M y f a t h e r ’s aesthetic ta s te w as a n ­
n o y e d a t th is n on-essential to th e b e a u tifu l. H e h a d recou rse
to tlie kn ife, a n d t h e n s t a n c h e d t h e blood w ith caustic. T h is
process w as equ ally u n p le a s a n t a n d u n a v a ilin g . T h e c a u t e r ­
is in g w as c o n sta n tly re n e w ed , b u t th e b la c k e n e d excrescence
s t u b b o r n ly re m a in e d ro o te d to m y in flam ed nose. Mr.
T h o m a s, a S u p e ri o r in th e E xcise, to ok special d e l i g h t in teas-
i D g m e w h e n e v e r we m e t. “ M a s te r F r e d e r ic k , ” ho w ould
say, “ I t h i n k you h av e a fly o n y o u r nose o r “ th e r e is a
s p o t of d i r t , ” Ac. &c. “ A llow m e to rem o v e it .” I n th e course
of tim e I left homo fo r a b o ard ing -scho ol, w h e re th e m e ­
dical a t t e n d a n t g av e m e a p o w d e r w ith w h ieh to r u b m y
w a r t. H e also tie d a piece of silk r o u n d a n o th e r w h ich
g ro w on m y eyelid. B o th w e re gone in a few w eeks. T h e
ho lid ay s came, a n d one of m y first vis its w as to m y old t o r ­
m en to r, Mr. T h om as. H e was o u t, b u t on m y sh o w in g his
wife t h a t th e w a rt was n o lo n g e r to be seen, “ B less m e !”
said she, “ W h y m y h u s b a n d has i t ! &e.” A n d su re en o u g h ,
w h e n he cam e in a few m in u te s la te r, t h e r e w as t h e w a r t
on th e tip of his nose. I told him h o w th e d o cto r a t school
h a d c u re d th e one on m y eyelid, a n d h e allow ed m e to tie a
piece of fine s tr o n g c a t g u t r o u n d his, in d o in g w h ic h I paid
h im oil by g iv in g su c h a s h a r p pull a t t h e tw o ends, t h a t his
eyes w ate re d a g ain as he h ow led a n d d a n c e d a b o u t the room.
F r o m tim e to tim e fo r some y e ars t h e wra r t r e t u r n e d a n d
d is a p p e a re d . I alw ays fancied t h a t old T h o m a s h a d it,
w h e n I lost it, a n d vice-versd. W h e t h e r it w a s so I c a n n o t
t e l l ; a ll I c a n say is t h a t his w e n t a n d c a m e a t in te rv a ls in
a s i m i la r w ay . This 1 h e a r d fro m M r. T h o m a s some y ea rs
lateK I h a v e m e t a n d k n o w several successful w a r t c h a r m ­
ers. O n e to ld me t h a t h e h a d “ c h a r m e d e n o u g h a w a y to
fill a b u s h e l-b a s k e t.” A v e ry fa v o u r ite c h a r m in m a n y p a r t s
of E n g la n d was to b u ry a piece of m e a t secretly a ft e r t o u c h ­
in g th e w a r t or w a r t s w ith it. A s th e m e a t r o t te d in the
g r o u n d so th e w a r t died aw ay . Y e a rs ago, I tr ie d c h a r m in g
c h ild re n ’s w arts myself, a n d f o u n d t h a t th e y v a n is h e d w ith in
th e tim e I prom ised.”
(Signed.) F r e d e r i c k H e l m o n e .
E d it o r 's N o te .—I t m ay seem rid ic u lo u s to those w ho have n ev er
trie d th e la tte r sympatheticrem edy, w hile to th e m who did an d succeed­
e d ,it seem s q u ite n a tu ral. I n R ussia th e y c h a rm aw ay w a rts b o th w ith
m eat and raw p o ta to e s. H av in g rubbed th e w a r t w ith one h alf of th e
p o ta to e c u t in tw o, th n t half w hich h as b een ru b b ed is buried in th e
♦ e lla rin th e san d an d th e o th er h alf p la n te d n e a r by. As th e fo rm er
d e c a y s, th e la tte r sp ro u ts an d ev ery one of th e y o ung shoots is covered
with excrescences ; a n d ns th is process is g oing on th e w art on th e p e r­ m a g n e tis m , believes t h e n t h a t c u re s b y m a g n e tis m are
so n th in s aw ay , and soon d isa p p ears e n tire ly . T h en th e p o tato e
leaves a re upro o ted w ith th o h alf d ecay e d v eg etab le an d b u rn t over
se v en stic k s of wood. U n less th is concluding cerem o n y is gone
th r o u g h ,— say ou r “ m ed icin e m en ” —th e w a tt is liab le to reap p ear,
a n d disfigure th e p a tie n t, onoe m ore.
W e feel in c o m p e te n t to explain tho rationale of t h e above and sim ­
p ly s ta te a.fact. N o t only h av e w e seen th e e x p e rim e n t su c c e ss fu lly
ap p lied in on r own c a s e —b ig w a rta on th e n e c k —w hen a b o u t 1 2 or
13 y e a rs old, b n t w e h av e k n o w n a n u m b er of p erso n s delivered in th is
sim ple m an n e r of d isa g reo ab le excrescences. I t is a rem edy know n
to e v e ry housew ife in R u ssia and, F ra n c e too w e believe.
$ 4 » i 4 VO J5.
M A G N ETISM A N D II O M C E O P A T H Y .
In the L aw C o u r t s of D enm ark, bt a H omieopath.
T little p a m p h l e t tells us of t h e sufferings a n d persecu ­
h is
tio n a theo sop hical b r o t h e r of ours, M r. C. E. T aylor, F. T . S.,
h a d to go t h r o u g h , fo r h a v in g p ra c tis e d H om oeopathy and
M a g n e t is m in a little Is la n d of t h e D anish W e s t Indies,
M r. T a y lo r is a n E n g l i s h m a n by b ir th , b u t w a rm ly a tta c h e d
to th e c o u n tr y in w h ich h e has resid ed fo r over tw e n ty
years, w h e r e h e h a s b een n o te d d u r i n g his residence for his
devotion to stu d y , h is p h ila n th r o p y a n d deep love of scientific
p u rs u its , b u t m o r e especially for an im a l m a g n e tis m an d
homoeopathy, of w h ic h h e h a s b een a s t u r d y d e fe n d e r on
e v e ry occasion. T h o g e n tl e m a n is no s t r a n g e r to o u r readers.
I n tlie T heosophist fo r A p ril 1882 we re p r in te d e x tr a c ts from
a n artic le of his, w h ic h o rig in a lly a p p e a re d in th e S t. Thom as’
T im es, e n title d “ A n im a l M a g n e tis m a n d H o m oeo path y in
t h e C u re of T ro p ica l F e v e rs .” M r. T a y lo r h a d been for
y e a rs o. d ev o te d p a r t is a n of H o m oeo pathy , a n d a n in d e fa ti­
g a b le s t u d e n t of Medicine, a n d h a d fo u n d in his researches
u p o n t h e c u r a t iv e v alu e of a n im a l m a g n e tis m , w h a t he
t h o u g h t to be a n in v a lu a b le ad d itio n to homoeopathic t h e r a ­
p eutics in t h e t r e a t m e n t of tr opical diseases. H e is a b oo k­
seller a n d disp ensed h is homoeopathic m edicin es a n d his
advise w ith o u t a n y c h a r g e w h a te v e r. H e h a d , h ow ev er, one
g rie v o u s s i n ; he c u re d , w h e re th e r e g u l a r a llo p a th ic p h y ­
sicians failed to cu re. T h is m a y a p p e a r q u ite pardo nab le
to a n y s im p le-m in d ed m a n ; it d id n o t a p p e a r so to the
allo pathic doctors of th e little island ; a n d th e y b r o u g h t a
c h a r g e a g a in s t h im b efore th e St. T h o m a s ’ Police C o u r t fo r
illeg al sale of m ed icin e a n d qu ack ery .
T h o u g h M r. T a y lo r s t ric tly d en ied a n y t h i n g t h a t could
be qualified as a bond fid e sale ; t h o u g h t all t h e witnesses
b r o u g h t u p a g a i n s t h im testified to th is f a c t it was of
no use. I t w as q u ite e n o u g h t h a t h e h e a le d b y th e lyin g
on of h a n d s ; t h a t h e s to u tly defen d ed t h e H om oeopathic sys­
te m ; t h a t he d id n o t b u y his m e d icin e a t th e a p o th e c a ry
shop, a n d t h a t h e d a r e d to t a k e a s ta n d a g a in s t th e sy s tem of
o rth o d o x m edicine. H e w as c h a r g e d w ith h av in g in f rin g e d
a n old law of th e y e a r one t h o u s a n d six h u n d r e d a n d sev en ty
tw o (1G72) a n d c o n d e m n e d to p a y a fine of 70 d o lla rs o r to
u n d e rg o im p r i s o n m e n t fo r a fo r tn ig h t. M r. T a y lo r refu se d
to p a y t h e fine on p rin c ip le ; was a c tu a lly p u t in to prison ;
a n d w as o n ly released a ft e r the p u b lic h a d in s iste d u po n
p a y in g t h e fine, alm o st a g a io s t Mr. T a y lo r ’s o w n will.
Mr. T a y lo r h a s o u r full sy m p a th y , a n d t h e s y m p a th y of
his B r o th e r s of th e Theosophical So ciety all o ver the w orld.
E x a m p le s of m edical in to le ra n c e a n d trad es-u n io n ism a re
n o t w a n tin g , we a re s o r ry to say, even in such a d v a n c e d
co u n tr ie s as E n g la n d . M a j o r V a u g h a n M org an re c e n tly
offered £ 5 ,0 0 0 to St. G e o r g e ’s ho spital, on cond itio n t h a t
t h e m o n e y be d e v o te d to a f a i r tr ia l of homoeopathy ; b u t t h e
(allo pathic) m ed ical a u th o r it ie s declined the offer w ith o u t
th a n k s . The L ancet t r i u m p h a n t l y proclaims, on th e s t r e n g th
of this fact, t h a t H o m o e o p a th y is go ing a-b egg ing .
Before dis m issin g t h i s subject, we th r o w one g la n c e more
on t h e u n d e r rev iew , a n d w e find th ere, on t h e title p age,
th e follow in g q u o ta t io n fro m H a h n e m a n n ’s O r g a n o n : “ I
a g a in find i t necessary , in this place, to sa y a fe w w o rd s on
th e s u b je c t of a n im a l m ag netism , th e n a t u r e of w hich differs
so g r e a t l y fro m t h a t of all o th e r rem edies. T h is c u ra tiv e
pow er, of w hose efficacy none b u t m a d m e n c a n e n t e r ta i n
d o u b t w h ic h t h r o u g h th e p o w e rfu l will of a w ell-in te n tio n ed
in d iv id u a l, influences the body of t h e p a t i e n t b y th e touch,
ac ts homoeopathieally by ex citin g sy m p to m s an alo g o u s to the
m a l a d y .” T h is is a m ost re m a r k a b l e a n d in s tru c tiv e passage.
H a h n e m a n n , fro m w hose w ritin g s we k n o w t h a t he p ractise d
homoeopathic cures. I n fact, w h e n wc c o m p a re th e effects of
m a g n e tis m o n t h e h e a lth y , w ith its c u ra tiv e sph ere in disease,
 g e n e ra lly s p e a k i n g we find, t h a t it p a r a l y z e s t h e s e n s o r iu m
a n d th e m o t o r n e rv o u s sy s te m in t h e h e a lt h y , a n d c u r e s p a r a ­
lysis in t h e sick. M r. T a y l o r m a k e s a s i m i la r s t a t e m e n t w ith
r e g a r d to fev ers. H e q u o tes D u p o t e t w h o say s in h is T h e ra ­
p e u tic M a g n etiq u e : “ I t is s u re, as f a r a s w e k n o w , t h a t m a g ­
n e tis m p ro vo kes, in a n u m b e r of cases, a fe b r ile m o v e m e n t in
s u b je c ts of so u n d h e a l t h . ” Mr. T a y l o r t h e n c o n tin u e s “ T h is
1 h a v e o fte n f o u n d to be th e case m y s e lf : a co n sid e ra b le
q u ic k e v in g of t h e pulse, so m etim es r e a c h i n g 1 2 0 , a n d a d r y ­
ness of t h e sk in m a n i f e s t in g itself in su s c e p tib le p e rs o n s.”—
L. S a l z e r , m . d ., F. T S .
M O R A L E D U C A T IO N BY P R O F E S S O R
B U C H A N A N .*
I t affords u s r e a l p le a s u r e to g iv e a n o ld a n d re s p ected
f r ie n d a g r e e t i n g t h r o u g h t h e n e w e d itio n of h is v a lu a b l e
w o r k — P ro f e s s o r B u c h a n a n ’s l a t e s t t h o u g h t s on a com p lete
s ch em e of ed uc atio n. T h is le a r n e d g e n tl e m a n , as o u r re a d e r s
m a y recollect, is t h e d is c o v e re r in t h e w e s t e r n w o r ld of t h a t
m y s te rio u s p o w e r l a t e n t in m a n , w h ic h h a s b e en f u r t h e r e n ­
larg e d u p o n b y P ro f . D e n t o n in h is “ S o u l of T h i n g s . ” I t is
P ro fe sso r B u c h a n a n w h o is t h e r e a l f o u n d e r of th e
S cience of P s y c h o m e tr y . T h e p r e s e n t w o r k sh o w s m o re
t h a n e v e r t h a t lik e a fe w o t h e r s p i r it u a ll y w ise m e n , tlie
P ro f e sso r does n o t feel h im s e lf a t ease in th e b ro a d se a t of
m o d e r n c iv ilizatio n ; h e seems to h a v e lost h is w a y in th e
ju n g l e of w e s te r n m a te ria lis m , b u t his b r a v e s p i r i t is s t r u g ­
g li n g h a r d f o r th e w e lfa r e of liis raec, w h o seem to be e ven
u n co n scio u s of tlieir d e g ra d a t io n . H e h a s h i t u p o n th e r e a l
sou rce of d a n g e r w h ic h is so g-loomily o v e r h a n g i n g th e
W e s t e r n w o r ld a n d t h r e a t e n i n g it w ith m o r a l a n d s p i r it u a l
ru in . T h e c u lt iv a t io n of m e r e in telle ct,as th e m e a n s of m a t e r i a l
a d v a n c e m e n t, le a v in g o u t th e h i g h e r n a t u r e of m a n to g ro w
to seed, u t t e r l y u n t e n d e d a n d u n c a r e d for. T h e w h o le sy s tem
of m o d e r n e d u c a tio n is e n ti r e l y a t f a u l t a n d th e r e s u l t is th e
p ro d u c tio n of ill-sliapcn m on stro sitie s. E d u c a t i o n is th e
a tt e m p t to realize th e h a r m o n y b e tw e e n n a t u r e a n d m a n . I t
is to find o u t the r e a l a im a n d o b ject of life a n d w h e n fo u n d
to re n d e r t h e m an u n s w e r v i n g a n d life-lo ng d ev o tio n . E d u c a ­
tion is th e a c q u ir e m e n t of the c a p a c ity of e n jo y i n g life to its
fu lle st ex te n t, its w a n t is suicide, p a r t i a l o r complete.
P ro fesso r B u e h a n a u ’s id eal lies in th e sa m e d irection as o u r
ow n. “ A s a tisfac to ry k n o w le d g e ” says t h e a u t h o r , “ of th e
psyehic a n d p hy solo gic al f u n c tio n s of life a n d tl ie i r definite
association w ith t h e b r a i n a n d b o d y a n d la w s of in te r a c t io n
w ould n ec ess arily in d ic a te t h e law s of t h e i r d ev e lo p m e n t.
T h a t d e v e lo p m e n t is e d u c a t io n .”
In this p r e s e n t ju n c t u r e w h e n a co m m is sio n is e m b a r k e d on
a perilo us v o y a g e f o r t h e discovery of a n e w a n d s o u n d e r
basis fo r e d u c a tio n in t h i s c o u n tr y , P ro f . B u c h a n a n ’s w o r k
possesses a p e c u li a r v a lu e a n d in te re s t. B e fo re th e m o u ld
d is p re p a re d u p o n th e w e s te r n m o d e l f o r easting' tlie m in d s
of o u r f u t u r e m e n a n d w o m en it is p rofitab le to c o n sid e r
w h a t c o m p e te n t e x p e rts d e c la re as to th e v a lu e of t h a t model.
P ro f . B u c h a n a n a f t e r h a lf a c e n t u r y ’s e x p e rie n c e d e liv e rs
his opinion t h u s :—
“ T lioro soom s to be n o th in g in ex iste n ce a t p re s e n t on ft la rg e acale
in t.he le a d in g in stitu tio n s w h ich can be p ro p e rly called a liberal educa­
tio n, fo r t h a t w hich m a te s th o m ost im posing c la im s to be reco g n ised
as liberal ed u catio n in th o u n iv e rsitie s a p p ears, w h en view ed from th e
atand p o in t of an th ro p o lo g y , n o t only lam e, feeble, a n d d efectv io in th e
moat essen tial e le m e n ts of a liberal ed u catio n , b o t p o sitiv ely liberal
iu its c o n tra c tile in flu en ce npon tho in te lle c t a n d soul, aa w ell as its
d eg en erativ e in flu en ce u p o n th e body.
T h e e m i n e n t I t a l i a n Professo r, S i g n o r A n g e lo de G u b e r -
iiut.is b ears hia te s tim o n y to tlie sa m e e f f e c t :—
“ U n d e r th o p re s e n t s y s te m th e u n iv e rs ity ia too w idely e stra n g e d
from ev ery d a y life, an d to o in d iffe re n t to it. W h ere v ita l force
should be m ost fe lt i t ia w holly lack in g . S tu d e n ts e n te r th e u n iv e rsitie s
mid issue th e re fro m in m u ch th o sa m e m a n n e r a s did th e p ro p h e t
Jo n a h e n te r and com e f o rth from th e gloom y recesses of th e w halo.
T hey go th e re to learn th o m y s te rie s of i.cience, b u t of tho science of life,
by fa r th e m o at im p o rta n t of all, th e y com e aw ay ig n o ran t. O ne stm lo n t
stu d ies fo u r y e a rs, a n o th e r Jive, a n o th e r aix ; b u t th e y a re all eq u ally
ig n o ran t of th e a r t of liv in g . T ho u n iv e rs ity should p ro p e rly be th e
mother o f genius a n d of character ; it ia in ste a d m e re ly tho cen so r
for a ce rta in n u m b e r of y e a rs of a crow d of boys, w ho a re fo rce d to c h e a t
a t tho ex am in atio n s in o rd e r to rise from g ra d e to g ra d e till th e d esired
* M oral E ducation’ : J t s law s an d m eth o d s. G o v e rn m e n ts, C hurches
find Colleges fo r m an y th o u sa n d y e a rs have s triv e n in vuin to c o n q u e r
crim e, disease und m is e r y —A now m eth o d m u st th o ro fo ro l>e ad o p ted
— if th a t m eth o d can bo fo o u d 'in th is volum e, does i t n o t in d icate a
h o tter fu tu re fo r h u m a n ity ? by Jo sep h K hodes B u c h an an , M, D ., New
York.
d o cto r’s vote is o b tained. T h en th e y a re all obliged to feed to g e th e r
lik e sh e ep in a p a s tu re ; th e e x a m in a tio n s a re th e sam o fo r all ; votes
a r e c a s t w ith th e sam e ju d g in o n t, or r a t h e r la c k of ju d g m e n t, since
the le s t p a n 'o t of the class can p ass th e m o st b rillia n t e x a m in a tio n , nud
c o n se q u e n tly g ain th e voto, w hile th e g re a te s t g e n in s m a y p e rh a p s lose
th e c o n te s t, d is h e a rte n e d by th e tr y in g fo rm a litie s of th© p roceed in g s.
I t is n e v e r ta k e n in to acco u n t th a t ono s tu d e n t m ig h t p e rh a p s m e rit
th e title of d o c to r a f t e r only a m o n th of tria l, w hile a n o th e r m ig h t
fail to d e s e rv e it even a t th e exp iratio n of tw e n ty y e a rs. S h o u ld
th e re be a few in te lle c ts m ore activ o th a n th o se a ro u n d th em , tlii 3
disc ip lin e sp e ed ily b rin g s th e m to th e com m on le v e l.” * * * * A t
p re s e n t th e re is a lm o st no in te rc o u rs e betw een th e u n iv e r s ity aud tho
w orld w ith o u t, ar.d w hile fro m w ith in i t ap p e a rs to bo a g r e a t i n s t i ­
tu tio n , o u tsid e its w alla its influence is u n f e lt.”
I t is n eedle ss to m u l ti p ly instances. E v e ry t h o u g h t f u l
o b se r v e r h a s f o u n d t h a t t h e p r e s e n t pernicious sy s te m of
p a m p e r i n g t h e in t e ll e c t to t h e u t t e r s t a r v a ti o n of th e o t h e r
fa c u ltie s c a n le a d to no g o o d r e s u l t — n o t ev en lead th o
m u c h f a v o u r e d one to th e h i g h e s t p itch of d e v e lo p m e n t it ia
cap ab le of a tt a in i n g . P ro f e s s o r B u c h a n a n , a s t u d e n t of t h e
t r u e science of m a n h a s p u t f o r w a r d a systen i of e d uc atio n
w h ic h is as scientific as beneficial. E d u c a t i o n n a t u r a l l y
a d m its of div ision in to five classes, in acc o rd a n c e w ith th e
d if fe re n t classes of f a c u l ti e s to be d e a lt w ith . ( 1 ) P h y s i o ­
logical d e v e lo p m e n t, a i m i n g t h e f o r m a tio n of tlie m a n ly ,
h e a l t h y c o n s t it u ti o n c a p a b le of la s t i n g a h u n d r e d y e a r s a n d
c o m p e t e n t to e n jo y life a n d m a k e it a so u rce of b enefit to
h u m a n i t y . (2) I n d u s t r i a l E d u c a ti o n , w hich a lo n e can lead
to th e d i s a p p e a ra n c e of th oso u n p r o d u c t iv e classes, n ow
p r e y i n g u p o n t h e life-blood of society lik e vam p ire s. (3)
M e d ical E d u c a ti o n , s u p p l y in g t h e people w i t h m e a n s to
s t a m p o u t diseases a t t h e i r first a p p r o a c h a n d e ra d i c a te o u r
sp le n d id h e r i t a g e of diseases. (4 ) M o ra l o r R e lig io u s E d u c a ­
tion , w h e r e b y t h e life s e c u r e d b y t h e o t h e r t h r e e k i n d s of
ed u c a tio n , is m a d e w o r t h living . (5) a n d la s tly conies in t e l­
lectu a l ed u c a tio n , w h ic h n o w h o ld s its rev els on th e vuin
a n d d e g v a d a tio n of m a n . T h e sch em e is com plete b u t it ifi
lik ely to pvovoke a sneei'ing sm ile on th e self-satisfie d d o g ­
m a t ic lip, as b e in g q u it e u to p ia n . L ife is n o t lo n g e n o u g h ,
it m a y be uv ged , f o r su c h e la b o rate t r a i n i n g . Bu,t t h e
u t t e r silliness of s u c h o bje ctio n has b een co nclu siv ely sh o w n
by t h e le a r n e d P ro fesso r. T h e first e ig h te e n y e a r s of life
aftev th e fivst d a w n of in t e llig e n c e is q u ite e n o u g h fo r t h e
wholo c u r r i c u l u m b e in g g'one t h r o u g h . W e h e a r t i l y com-
m o ne d th is a b le a n d o r i g i n a l w o r k to o u r read ers. L e t it
n o t be t a k e n as u n fo r g iv e a b l e sin t h a t th e bo ok h a s come
in to th e w o rld a little too soon. I t w ill be a t all ev en ts one
of t h e n e c e s s a r y ' m is s i n g - l in k s in th e ovolulion of h u m a n
t h o u g h t a n d in s titu tio n s .
G E M S OP C H IN E S E L IT E R A T U R E .
B y H e r b e r t A . G i l e s , II. B.M. , Vice-Consul, Shanghai.
Author o f 1 Chinese Sketches’ ‘ Strange Stories from a
Chinese Studio,’ ‘ Historic China,’ §-c. ( L o n d o n :
B e rn a rd Q u a ritc h , 15, P i c c a d i l l y . S h a n g h a i,
K e l l y a n d W a l s i i , 1884.)
A l i t t l e yellow volume, neatly gotten up in true Chinese
fiishion, with a Chinese preface in cursive schrift on tho
cover, “ as an actual specimen of the best style of modern
composition,” written for the author ‘‘ by a rising young
graduate of Fooehon, named Nieu Y iin-F in g, through
the medium of.. .M r. K an IIoug-B eng (M.A., Edinburgh.)
The volume is worth not only a hasty perusal, but also
careful preservation in cue’s library for useful reference.
I t is full of original matter, of sentences 2,000 years'old, as
highly philosophical and profound, as any of our century,
and goes to acquaint the reader with at least a small
fraction of those “ untold treasures” that “ lie hidden in
the rich lodes of Chinese literature,'” in the opinion of
Professor G. Von dev Gabelentz, as quoted by tbo trans­
lator. As the latter justly remarks, liis elfort in tbis
direction “'w ill at any rate advance some English readers
a step towards more intimate knowledgo and warmer
appreciation of an ancient and wonderful people." The
text is preceded by a “ Note on Chinese Dynasties,
beginning with the Chou and C h ’in Dynasties (550—
200 B. C.) up to the Yuan and M ing Dynasties (1200—■
1650 A. D.). The volume being so full of precious frag ­
ments, and real gems of thought, selected from the
w ritings of philosophers and sages who had lived at
various epochs embraced within the long period of 2200
years, wo can select b u t a very few for our special notice.
fSotne of the o ld e s t—such as maxims from the Discourses
ot Confucius (the latinised form of K ’u ng l('u-Tzii, who
flourished in the Goh century B. C.) are more than sugges-
tivo. Thoy will, no doubt, m ake many E uropean readers
painfully conscious of the fact th a t their respective
m other-races, so proud a n d vain of their imagined sup e­
riority (in their own perceptions only, of course) over the
less civilized races*, owe in sober tr u th nearly all to the
A sia tic s —Turanian Mongols included. T h e ir arts and
sciences, tlieir philosophy and religions, are all aud one
copins (perchance iu somo cases im proved —still only
copies) of old Asiatic originals. As tho tra n sla to r truly
confesses, even “ most W estern proverbs, maxims, house­
ho ld words, &c., are to bo found im bedded iu the prover­
bia l philosophy of the Chinese .sometimes expiessed
in strictly identical terms, at o th e r times differing only
in p oint of local col >r.” IIo shows th a t this philosophy
“ is on a scale commensurate, in evory way, with other
b ra n c h e s of the voluminous literature of tho C hinese.'’
To prove it, Mr. H e rb e rt A. Giles quotes th e following
pop ular sayings :— ' I n connection w ith these words we are told by the
“ One actor doos not make a play.”
“ Out of tiio wolf’s lair into tho tiger’s mouth.”
“ Prevention 13 bettor then euro.”
Better a living dog than n dead lion.
“ When the cat’s away, tlie rats play.”
‘‘ It is tlie unexpected which alw ay s happens. M
“ Beos make honey and men steal it,” otc., etc.
To crowu all, the Celestials show th eir mental s u p e ­
riorly over W estern “ B a rb a ria n s” in the following
aphorism th at would h a rd ly do for a m otto iu a “ Book
of H e ra ld ry ” —
“ Only imbccilos want credit for the achievements of tlieir ances­
tors.”
T he namo of tliese aphorism s “ is legion,’’ their t r a n s ­
la to r tells ns. A full collection of such proverbs and
Hayings wonld probably em brace till th a t is contained
in the corresponding literature of th e W est and h a v e
a m argin to th e “ credit of C hina.”
Some of these sayings are highly moral a n d philoso­
phical, and probably, ju d g in g on general personal e x ­
perience, more pu t in to practice in b arb aro u s China, than
sn civilized E urope. “ D e a l w i t h t i i e f a u l t s o f o t h e r s
a s g e n t l y a s w i t h y o u r o w n ” — is one of them .
are as highly satirical, as for instance— “ More trees are
u p rig h t, than m e n .”— “ W ith money you can move the
gods ; without it, you can’t move a man ;” or a g a in —■ he came. T he ancients r e g a rd e d death as a return to,
“ No im age-m aker worships the gods, l i e knows what
lh e y are made of ;” or, th a t o th e r which would be still
m o re at home in a E u ro pean salon : — “ W e lovo our own
compositions, b n t oth e r m en’s wives.”
B u t it is not so much with the p ro v e rb s — the collective
production of popular wisdom— th a t we are so concerned
as with the sayings a n d maxims of such g r e a t sages as
M encius nnd Tso-ch’iu Ming, and especially with those
of Confucius— the ‘'S o cra te s of China,” who “ became
tho idol of the people and flew in songs t h r o u g h tlieir
m o uths.” H is m axim s— as shown by D r. L eg g e , “ occupy
much the same extra-literary position as the Bible does
with o u rs e lv e s ;” while “ iu philosophy, tho su btle specu­
lations of Chuang Tzii” and Lieli Tzii, exponents of the
doctrines enunciated by Lao Tzii, would, beyond all
d o u b t, have com m anded a h e a r in g in the contemporary
Schools of Greece.” The maxims, however, have done
m o re than t h a t ; they have s tr u c k loud tbe very key-note
of Christianity six c en tim es beforo the alleged, purely
C h ristia n (?) maxims were pronounced, a n d eig ht before
th e y were recorded a n d reverentially re p e ate d as the
a u th e n tic and original th o u g h ts u tte r e d b y the F o u n d e r
of the W estern Creeds. I n th e “ E x tr a c ts from the
Discourses,” the “ M aster” gives expression to such
fa m ilia r sentences as the following :—
“ L o v e o n e a n o t h e r ” wqb tbe M aster’s answ er to a
d iscip le w ho asked for a d efinition o f ch a rity ,— a rule
in life, thu s an ticip a tin g Christ, , T ru ly—
“ Some one ask ed Confucius, saying, M aster, w hat
th in k you concerning the principle tha t good should be
returned for evil ?” T he Master replied " W hat
then will you re tu rn for good ? N o : R e t u r n g o o d f o r
GOOD ; FOR EVII,— JUSTICE.”
T his is the apotheosis of practical good sense as of
the highest charity ; aud it is iu perfect accordance w ith
K arm a, and those o th e r words, “ with what measure
ye mete, it shall bo m easured to you a g a > n .” A n d if
Confucius, who “ ta u g h t virtue for its own sake, u n s u p ­
po rted by reference to the su p e r n a tu r a l,” has never pro ­
nounced such words as “ whosoever shall sm ite thee on
th e r ig h t cheek, tu rn to him the other also” -—a u in ju n c ­
tion as im practicable as it is sublime ; and ta u g h t not his
disciples to p:actically encourage covetousness, theft and
extortion by giving to him who takes away one’s coat,
one’s “ cloak also,” — ou the oth er hand he inculcated
th a t R e c h ’kocity was “ the rule of life, iu a w ord.”
A n d , I10 added :—■
“ W hat y ou w o u l d not others sh o u ld do u n t o you ,
DO NOT UNTO THEM !”
author and tra n sla to r tha t “ an a tte m p t has been made to
show th a t this is after all only a negative (and therefore
com paratively worthless) enunciation of the Golden llule
as expressed positively by C h rist,” — and lie very justly
retorts upon the cavillers by saying, “ the worthlessness,
if any, lies in the term s of such an argum ent. For in ­
stance, you would not th a t others should abstain from
helping you in trouble. Therefore you do n o t abstain
from helping them in trouble. Consequently, you help
them ; thus doing unto others what you would they should
do unto you,” '
I n F ra g m e n ts from Lieh-Tzii ( ith and 5th centuries B.
C.) we find some admirable thoughts . . . “ How wonderful
is death !” rejoined Tzii Kung, “ T he wise mail rests, the
worldly m-in is engulfed therein.”
“ My son,” said Confucius, , . . “ O the r men know life
only as a b o o n ; they do not perceive th a t it is a bane.
They know old age as a sta te of w eakness; they do nob
perceive th a t it is u s ta te of ease. They know d eath only
as an abomination : they do not perceive th a t it is a state
of re s t.”
O thers “ How g r a n d , ” cried Yen Tzii, “ is the old conception
of death ! T he virtuous iind rest, th e wicked aro en­
gulfed therein. In death each reverts to th a t from whioh
an d life as an absence from, home. . ,'J
Chuang-Tzii (4th cen tu ry B. C.) treating of Life, Death
and Im m o rta lity , asks (p. 23)
“ Life is a sta te which follows upon Death, Death is a
state which precedes life. Which of us u n d e rs ta n d s the
laws th a t govern their succession ?
“ T he life of man is th e re su ltan t of forces. The
a g g re g a tio n of those forct-s is life ; their dispersion,
death. If, then, 1;fo and death are b u t consecutive
states of existence, w hat cause for sorrow have i ?”
W h a t Christian physiologist and philosopher of tli^
year 400 and even 800 A. D. spoke as scientifically upon
the subject as this Chinese barbarian— of 400 B.C.,? A nd
who of th e great, religious philosophers of the 18th and
17tli ccnturies of ou r ora of civilization said a n y th in g
b e tte r or m ore profound th a n the same Chinese Spinoza
who, in his disquisitions upon Life and D eath, declares
th a t ;
“ All th in g s are but phases o f U nity. W h a t men d e ­
light in is th e spiritual essence of life. W h a t men loathe
in is the material c o rruption of death. B u t this state of
corruption gives place to th a t state of spirituality, a n d
t h a t state of spirituality gives place in tu rn to this state
of corruption. Therefore, we m ay say th a t all in the
universe is com prised in unity ; an d therefore, tho
i n s p i r e d am ong u s (the initiates ?) have adopted unity aH
t h e i r c riterion.”
 “ F o r those who accept the p henom enon of birth a n d
death in this sense,* lam entation and sorrow have no
place. D eath is b u t the severance of a thread by which
a man h a n g s suspended in life. F u el can be consumed ;
but the fire endureth for ever” !
W h e n treating of “ T h e P e r f e c t M a n ’ ' (or initiated
adopt) ChuangTzii describes him thus :—•
“ T h e perfect m an is like a s p i r i t ; were th e ocean to bo
scorched up, he would not bo hot. W e re the Milky W ay
to bo fast frozen, ho would not foel cold. Of th u n d e r which
ruins mountains, of wind which lashes the sen, he is not
afraid ; and thu s, charioted on the clouds of heaven, or
riding on tlie sun and moon, he journeys beyond th e
limit-; of mortality. E x e m p t from the changes of life
aud death, how m uch more is ho b eyond the reach of
physical injury. Tho P e r f e c t M a n can walk u n de r w ater
without difficulty ; he can touch fire w ithout being
bu rn t.”
Two more charm in g fra g m e n ts out of the w ritings of
Cliuang Tzii— “ au advanced exponent of the doctrines of
Llio Tziiand a most original t h in k e r ” — an d we have done.
One is on C a u s a l i t y , the oth er on D k e a m a n d I I k a l i t y .
1. T he P e nu m bra said to theU m b ra, " A t one moment purpose to state in the following brief paper the reasons
you move : at a n o th e r you are a t rest. A t one moment
you sit down ; a t an o th e r you get up. W hy this in s ta ­
bility of purpose
“ I d epend ,” replied tho U m b ra, “ upon something
which causes me to do a 9 I do ; and th a t som ething
depends npon som ething else which causes it to do as it
dm-s. My dependence is like th a t of a sn a k e 's scales or
a cicada's w i n g s ............... H ow can I tell why I do one
thin g or do not do a n o th e r ?”
'J. O u c e upon a time I dream t I was a butterfly, flut­
tering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a
butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies
(as a butterfly), aud was unconscious of my individuality
as a man. S ud den ly I waked ; and th e re I lav,
myself a g tin . I do n ot know w hether I was then drea m ­
ing I was a butterfly, or w hether I am now a butterfly
dream ing th a t he is a man. Betw een a man and a
butterfly th ere is necessarily a b a r r i e r ; a n d the tra n s i­
tion is called M u te m p n y c h o s is .
T h ere are many very pointed sntires in the littlo v o­
lume, on A n t i q u e s by IIsu Hsich (16th century) : on d i v i ­
n a t i o n , by Lin Chi, (I4 tli ceutury), and some very poetical
ideas in the bits of poetry given, m uch too numerous
to be noticed even iu part. The tra n sla to r has done
bis best to supply the world with " a small H andb oo k of
Chinese Literature;,” and h e h a s fully succeeded in bringing
out an in teresting and useful volnme. W o regret,
however, th a t out of “ due re g a rd to a g eneral public
im p a tie n t of unprononuceable n a m e s / ' iu elim inating
some of these, the translator should have also su b stitu te d
ior other familiar nnd quite pronounceable Eng lish nouns
a term Confucius had never used or pronounced, namely,
“ (Iod” as a personal Being. As M r. H e r b e r t A. Giles
himself declares K un g Fu Tnii condemned steadily any
reliance upon the supernatural, a lthough, “ he seem s...
to have believed in a power h igher th a n m a n ; but
^ whether as a force physical, or a force moral, o r both,
it is quite i ^possible to decide.” (p. 1 .) A gain, on
page 2 , we are told t h a t this “ indefinable pow er” is
“ explained by tlie most famous of all com m entators as
abstract R ig h t.” W h y then tra n sla te the aphorism of
the great sago, “ H e who offends (this) power (of abstract
R ig h t” has n ought ou which ho can d e p e n d ” — by— “ H e
who offends against God, has none to whom he can p r a y ? ”
Confucius and “ God” — Confucius a n d p ray e r ! Surely
the couples can hardly go together. N evertheless, it is
the Only instance in the whole book when we find the able
translator w ronging tlie spirit of a sentence to su b stitu te
for it the dead letter husk, because, it would otherw ise
* " Tlie M aster o am e, b ecau se it waa hia tim e to be born ; lie w o n t expressions of censure und disg ust in the columns of a
Ijccuobc i t w as hia tim e to die-” On “ Tha D eath of L ao-T zii.”
remain “ shorn of h11 m ea n in g and po int” fo r tho
general public. T h e auth o r, however, in explaining the
difficulties u n d e r which he had to labour, honestly con­
fesses th a t he has also been “ compelled sometim es to
expand and sometimes to compress ; ” an d very wittily
concludes by rem ind in g the reader th a t it m u st always
be borne in m ind t h a t “ translators are b u t tra ito r s at
the best, an d th a t translations may be m oonlight a n d
w a te r while the originals a re sunlight an d wine.”
May all other readers derive the same pleasure as we
have from “ Gems of Chinese Literature
V IV IS E C T IO N .
B y M b s . A n n a K i n g s f o k d , M . D .,
P re sid e n t o f the “ L ondon L odge T iieosopbical S ociety.”
Y e a r after year Parliam en t is called on to consider the
question w hether th e practice of torture an d the licensing
of professional to rtu re rs are or are not consistent w ith
civilization.
Now, 1 am am ong those who say thoy are n o t ; and I
I have for this conclusion.
By the term civilization we intend to represen t a con­
dition of h um anity more or leas superior to th a t of tho
b ru te , and we deem th e level a tta ine d more o r less ele­
vated in proportion to the prominence given to thoso
characteristics which we regard as distinctly human.
A n d here comes th e first difficulty, for on th e th resh o ld
of the question tw o parties join issue, the M aterialistic
Scientists, who maintain th a t intellectual acquirem ent is
all and m orality n o th in g in the definition of hum an
development, and th e Spiritualistic Scientists, who, with
myself, maintain th a t th e tru e crown ar d glory of man is
not his superior brain capacity, but his su perior potency
for goodness.
Man is man, in our view, chiefly because he can discern
good from evil, not because he is a cleverer kind of
monkey than other m onkeys, or beacnse he can recollect
more facts and p u t th e m to b e tte r practical use th an
creatures in a lowor stage of development. H u m a n ity
is, therefore, a word of which wo fully accept tho p o p u ­
lar definition, and for us a man is hum an in pro po rtion
as he is humane. W e do not adm it a to r tu r e r to be a
m a n ; he is simply au individual of the g enu s Sim ia— an
intelligent individual if you liko, b u t he has nothing
hum an abo ut him. A n d w hen one of these animals says
th a t “ cruelty is necessary,” it sounds in our ears p r e ­
cisely as if he had said, “'ro b b e r y is necessary,” or
“ deceit is necessary,” or any other hab it of th e lower
gra d e s which hu m anity has outgrow n.
W e have ju st witnessed in Paris an unparalleled sp e c ­
tacle, th e incon gru ity of which would be ridiculous if it
did not also furnish melancholy evidence of the Jack of
un dersta n d in g and th o u g h t prevalent in a nation whicli
claims to rank am ong the most civilized in Europe. I
refer to th e part taken by M. Paul Bert, the most noto­
rious vivisector of th e day, in the discussion upon M,
F e r r y 's Bill. W h a t can be said of a state of manners
which perm its such a man as M. Paul Bert to pose as a
m o r a lis t. before th e public,— a n . a u whose whole career
has beeu one long course of cruelties so varied a n d
appalling that even here, u n d e r the shadow of th e Ecole
de Medicine itself, they havo attracted special com m ent
au d associated the name of their perpetrator with all the
worst of the barbarities of a fallen science ? This P a u l
.Bert, who app ears now before Paris as the cham pion of
morals, is the 3 nne who, a t the E xposition last year,
exhibited pictures of dogs u nd ergo in g the agonies of
tetanus induced by the adm inistration of various poisons
a t his hands, pictures the public display of which excited
well-known Parisian journal. This is th e aarne, too.
 w hose laboratory is tlio scene of such awful horrors, that
persons living near tbo waste g ro u n d s su rro u n d in g it have
inoro than once complained to th e authorities of the
shrieks and groans issuing from its walls, and even now,
while I write these lines, tho Parisian law courts are
occupied with an action b ro u g h t a g ain st this tuan by the
p ro p rie to r of a neighb ou rin g hotel for loss of clientele
and other grievances, caused by t'no continual howling
and cries of th e dogs “ used” in his experim ents.
W h a t bettor te rm s can be found to characterize the
work of Paul B e r t ’s own life than the words he himself
used in tho C h am b er of Deputies on S aturday last :—•
S u ch th in g s as th ese, an d sn ch a m eth o d of te a c h in g a s th is, in sp ire
in d ig n a tio n a n d d is g u s t; tliey arc liko a bog in w hich one troada in
m ire !
P a u l B ert ia himself one of the m ost distinguished of
J e su its, for he adopts in theory and carries into practice
daily their distinctive ductrino. “ The end justifies the
means,” and, in common with all vivisectors, he argues
t h a t “ cruelty is necessary,” th a t good may be obtained
b y evil, and th a t private a n d professional motives sanc­
tify tho perpetration of deeds which, if com m itted by the
v u lg a r outside the profession, would be highly reprehen­
sible, an d punishable by law. I n the view of these
priests of materialism, public opinion has no r ig h t to
se t moral limits to th e pursuit of material scienco; kn ow ­
ledge, no m a tte r how attained, is th e ono positive and
good thing, a n d morality, being a m ere question of
national habit, is entitled to secondary consideration only,
if, indeed, to any consideration t.t all.
By common consent, how ever, m a n k in d , moro tru ly
inspired, recognizes as its h ig h e st ideal of development
One whoso g reatness was not owing to scholastic learn­
in g or to retentive memory, but to those very a ttrib u te s
which materialistic experts (I will n ot call th e m “ philo­
sop hers” ) regard as derog ato ry and unbecom ing in an
a g e of e n lig h te n m e n t; attribu tes such as mercy, g e n tle ­
ness, love, patience, sym p athy with suffering and th e
liko ; in fact, to the identical qualities which they label in a
b un dle as “ sentim en t,” a n d t h r u s t aside with co ntem p t.
A re we to go back to onr m onkey ancestors then, a n d
relinquish all the a d v a n ta g e s we have gained, an d for
which we have toiled so hard and endured so much since
tho antliropolithic days of Ila e c k el ? God forbid ! Tho
manhood in this E n g lis h nation pro tests, and will not
p ro te st in vniit, again st the a t t e m p t which is now b e in g
irmde upon national morality by form ulatin g into a legal
principle the axiom th a t m ig h t is rig h t. F o r man is
man, not bccauso lie is a stron g b t a s t or a supremely
sagacious beast, b u t because he has it in him to know
a n d to love justice and to refrain from doing evil. A nd
to such an ono th e plea th a t a m ethod involving the
to r tu r e of others is a r ig h t method, because it has proved
useful in the a ttain m ent of knowledge, carries 110 w e ight
w hatever. Is there any class of crime or any depth of
baseness for which the same plea m ay not be urged ?
D oes not falsehood sometimes ap p e a r useful to liars, an d
m ay not violence, fraud, theft, or even m urde r find
apologists 011 the same grounds ? True, th e policy of the
liar, thief, or coward generally fails in the long run, aud
so also do e 3 th a t of tho professional to rturer. I t is no
secret th a t tho practice oE Vivisection has given rise
am ong scientists to dissensions, difficulties, aud errors
■which aro incessantly accum ulating, and which have
sown tho p aths of physiology with a fruitful crop of falso
deductions and b e w ildering contradictions. A nd if
am ong the millions upon millions of crael experim ents
on living animals, by means of which science has been
well-nigh arrested, and tru e progress h indered so disas­
trously, some few have accidentally proved of service
iu tho elucidation of a nascent discovery, no proof exists
th a t such discovery would n o t have been vouchsafed
by more legitim ate means, nor do such isolated cases
a tone iu the smallest degree for all th e agony, lieart-
harclening, and degradation of manhood which they
entailed on the m iserable victims an d their more miser­
able torm entors.
Vivisection nseful? Cowardice useful? Deliberate devilry
nseful? Sir, we who are men will n o t buy knowledge a t
the co^t of our manhood, we will not sell for so pitiful a
mess of p o tta g e the divine b i r th r ig h t of humanity. As to
our physical health t h a t is.n o t called in question for no
one who has been medically educated will seriously assert
th a t the science of healing is in any way related or
indebted to the practice of physiological to rtu re .
I have received my own medical education a t the
F a c u lte of Medicine in Paris. A t the Ecole, Professors
B eclard, Vulpian, a n d others vivisect almost daily. I t
is no ex ag geration to say th a t the walls of th a t Inferno
re-echo from m orn to sunset w ith shrieks and cries and
moans, th e suprem e pathos of which 110 pen can render.
W hen first I h e a rd them , now long ago, I took them for
the cries o f children un d e r operation, e o terribly hum an
were they in expression aud appeal. And now, whenever
I go there, know ing w hat they are, these cries strike and
tea r my h e a rt an d move me to a passion of indignation
which is all the m o r e terrible to en du re because ic is so
im p o te n t.
I ask myself and you, Sir, by w hat rig h t do vivisectors
thus outrage me and other men, a n d why are they permitted
to m ake life intolerable to their superiors? I t is not only
a question of to rtu rin g horses and dogs and rabbits, it is
a question of to rtu rin g men and women. I am tortured,
a n d thousands of hu m a n beings are to rtu re d with me
every day by th e knowledge th a t this infamous practice
is being carried on in our midst with im punity. F o r my
own p a r t— and I know b u t too well th a t I express the
feeling of u large nu m b e r of my c o un trym e n — it is lite r­
ally tru e th a t tho whole of my life is e m b itte re d by the
existence of this awful w rong. Since I have known w hat
Vivisection is, a n d how it is practised, I have moved and
slept and eaten and studied u n d e r tho shadow of it, and
its effluvium has poisoned for me the very air of heaven.
1 appeal in my own name and tho names of all those
men and women whom the vivisectors are to rtu rin g with
m e,— I appeal to th e E nglish Parliam ent for personal
relief and for exam ple to the world, and I most earnestly
press upon th e m e m b e rs of bo th Houses not to regard
this question as one h aving a merely technical or limited
interest, T he day on which England finally sweeps this
curse of to rtu r e from her schools au d affirms the
principle th a t civilized man may not seek advantage for
himself by means of the agony and tears of any creature
whom God has made d e p e n d e n t on him, will be a day
of m ig h tie r im port to the advance of civilization than
any which has dawned since she, first of all nations,
spoke the word which made free mon of Elaves th rough
overy land in Christendom.
T here were vested interests then, there are vested
interests now. B u t she made no sordid compromises
then, she stooped to no half-measures. She faced the
o utcry of opposition fearlessly, and sho led tho world.
But now tlie old spirit seems wanting, an d the only legis-
latiou sho has d ared to m ake on this new question of
I lig h t or W r o n g ia at onco untenable and impotent.
H ero is an evil so base an d so hideous th a t it has excited
a national a g ita tio n , and the law, in order to satisfy the
conscience of the country, restricts th e pe rp e tra tio n of
the offence to certain licensees ! W h y not tr e a t burglary,
arson, fraud, &c., in a similar m anner ? E ith e r the p rac­
tice is r ig h t or it is wrong. I f rig h t, interference is
worse than im p e r tin e n t; if wrong, it is as w rong for A
as it is for B, and to license and pro te c t the crime in A
while co ndem ning and p un ishing it in B is an insult to
common sense, and an outrago 011 th e most elementary
principles of morals, of law, and of civilization.—
The Record, J u ly , 1879.
 F R E N C H I D E A S O F E N Q L 1 S H P A D H I S.
A M r. A u rc lie n Scholl of S tr a s b u r g , c o m m e n t i n g iipon t h e
R ev. S h a w ’s case in th e F r e n c h p apers, s u m s u p his “ psycho-
m e tric a l d e lin e a tio n ” of these “ good an d sim p le m e n ” in th is
wise >—
“ T h e E n g lis h m issionary is a boing a p a r t in creatio n . O ne of a larg e
and pope fa m ily , his childhood is p a tte d in th e e n fo rc ed a u s tp p ty qf
d e s titu tio n . . . . Oue m o rn in g he om barks, fierce a n d .fa m ish e d , to seek
hia' fo rtn u o so piew here beyond, th e seas. . . * T he m issio n ary proceeds
to regions w h ere locks and k ey s a re unknow n, T h erefo re in stea d
ofv p ro v id in g him so lf w ith th e im p lem en t of th o b u rg la r, he
ta k e s a s his sto c k in trad e a lo ng coat jmd a Bible... The. E nglish inia-
moutivy p a r ta k e s of tho n a tu re of th e ecclesiastica l s tu d e n t and of th a t
of th e pickpocket* H e w an d ers about a t random , b e a tin g up for a f r u it­
ful shore, a n d w h en h e h as se ttle d any w here, yoti see h im airin g hia hnn-
utv co v eto u sn ess in e v e ry h u t a n d |co n n tin g iio u se . H e gnaw s like a ra t,
h e craw ls ,Uke a sn a k e, h e has sixty-four t^ e th , long an d sh a rp as lance
points, and u n d er each his little pouch of" venom . ‘ W hen o p p o rtu n ity
offers th e E n g lish m issio n ary becom es a k in d of p o litical decoy. L ike
P ritc h a rd a t T ah iti, like Shaw a t M adagascar, f o r c u n n in g , hypocrisy
an d baBoneBs, he has b u t o n e riv al in th e w o rld —th e P ru s sia n s p y ” ,
' O h p o o r P a d r i ! a n d to t h i n k t h a t t h e w r i t e r of th e abo ve
ia n o t even a T h e o s o p h i s t !
th e death o r a great m a n .
P U N D IT D A Y A N A N D A SA R A S W A T I.
A M a ster S p irit h a s p assed aw ay from In d ia . P u n d it D ayananda
Sarasw ati, th e F o u n d e r an d ^Supreme C hief o f th o .A r y a Som aj I
of” A ryavarta* is gone. T he irre p re s sib le , e n e rg e tic R eform er,
whoso m ig h ty voice and p assio n ate eloqueuce f o r th e Ijaat few _years
raised th o u s a n d s of people in In d ia fro m le th a rg ic im lifle re n c e and
stu p o r in to activ e p a trio tis m , is no m ore. , H o h as pasBed out of
th is p lan e of s t r i f e an d su ffering, in to a h ig h e r an d m o re p e rfe c t
s ta te of b e in g ................ A special te le g ra m from A jm ere bro u g h t
to th o m any S om ajes th e m elancholy n ew s th a t th e ir m a s te r Swam i-
jeo D ay an an d a S a ra sw a ti b re a th e d h is last a t 6/p. m ., bn O ctober
30th-
T)e m ortuis n il n isi bonum .........
All o a r differences h a v e b een b u r n t w ith th e body an d w ith its
now sacred ash es th ey aro fo r ever sc a tte re d to th e f o u r w in d s. We
rem em b er only th e g ran d v irtp e s an d noble q u a litie s of o u r fo rm er
colleague, te a c h e r an d la te a n ta g o n is t. AVe b o ar in m ind b ut
hia life-long dev o tio n to th e cau se o f’ A ry an re g e n e ra tio n j h is a rd e n t
love fo r 'th e g ra n d p h ilosophy of his f o r e f a th e r s ,; h is re le n tle ss,
p n tirin g , Zeal in th o w o rk o f' th e p ro je c te d Bocial an d religious
re fo rm s j a n t r i t i s w,ith u n feigned sorrow t h a t we now h a s te n to
join th e ra n k s of h is m an y m o u rn ers. In h im In d ia has lo st one
of h e r n o b lest sons. A p a trio t in th e tru e Bense of th e w ord,
Sw am ijee H ayananda. la b o u re d fro m his e a rlie st y e a rs for tho
reco v ery of th e lo s t tr e a s u r e s o f In d ia n in te lle c t. H is zeal for th e
refo rm atio n o f h is m o th er-lan d w as exceeded only by h is u n b o u n d ­
ed learn in g . W h a te v e r m ig h t bo said a s to h is in te rp re ta tio n of
th e sacred w ritin g s, th e re can be b u t one opinion as to hia know ledge
of 9 a n s k rit, and tlie im p e ta s to th e stu d y of both received a t his
haods. T h e re a r e few* to w ns an d b u t one p rovince w e believe,—
n am ely M a d ra s— t h a t P u n d it D ayananda did u o t viBit in fu rth e ra n c e
of his m issio n ary w o rk , an d few er s till w h ere he h as n o t le ft th e
im press of his re m a rk a b le m ind b eh in d him . H e th re w , as it w ere,
a bom b-shell in th e m id st of tho s ta g n a n t m asse s of d eg en erated
H in d u ism , an d fired w ith love fo r th e toaohings of tho ttishis and
Yedio learn in g th e h e a r ts of all w ho w ero draw n w ith in tho influence
of hia elo q u en t o ra to ry . C e rtain ly , th e re w as no b e tte r or
g ran d er o rato r in H in d i an d S an sk rit th a n S w am ijee D ay an an d a
th ro u g h o u t th o le n g th an d b read th of th is lau d . A n d , if ho did n ot
alw ay s b e a r w ith noble fo rtitu d e se c ta ria n p ersecu tio n a n d contra* _
dictious, it is only becau se in him , as in all o th e r m o rta l m en, th e
m axim crrare h a m a n u m eat had to be exem plified in th is w orld of
Im p erfectio n s.
As soon a s th o $ad ru m our w as confirm ed, Colonel O lco tt, who
was th e n a t C aw upore, paid a p ublic t r ib u te to tho S w am i’s
m em ory. H e said th a t w h atever m ig h t h ave b een o u r rig h ts or
w rongs in th e co n to v ersy , and w h a te v e r o th e r P u n d its or O rie n ta l­
ists equld say a g a in s t S w am ijee’s sc holarship, th e re w as room for
h o ’tw o opin io n s as to his e n e rg e tic p a trio tis m o r of tho n a tio n a lis­
ing influence he e x e rte d upon his follow ers. I n P u n d it l)«iyanund
S arasw ati th e re w as a to ta l ab sen ce of e v e ry th in g like d eg rad in g
sycophancy a n d to ad y ism tow ards fm’eiguora from in te re ste d
m otives. A t Bara-M anki, L neknow , o u r P re sid e n t re p e a te d th e
sam e ideas to an im m en se audience in th e G ard en -P a lace (K aiser-
jja^) o f th e ex-king of Oude, a n d th e s e n tim e n t w as w arm ly
acknow ledged.
T ru ly , how ever h e re tic a l and blasphem ous m ig h t h ave app eared
his relig io a s rad icalism in th e sig h t of old o rth o d o x B ralu n in ism ,
still h is tea c h iu g s and th e Y edic d octrines p ro p a g a te d by him w ere
a th o u sa n d tim ee m ore co n so n an t w ith S ritii a n d even Smr i t i th a n
th e d o ctrin es ta u g h t by all o th er n ativ e Sam ajoa p u t to g eth er. If
he m erg ed th e old idols in to O N E living B eing, Isw a ra , as being
only th e a ttr ib u te s an d pow ers of th e la tte r, he y e t had n ev er
a tte m p te d th e folly of fo rcing dow n th e th ro a ts of his follow ers
th e hideous com pound of a D urga-M osos, C hist^and-K oran, and-
Jtu d d h a .C h aitau y a m ix tu re of th e m odern R e fo rm ers. T he “ A ry a
S o m aj” rite s m ake c e rta in ly tlie n e a ro st ap p ro ach to th e real
V edic n atio n al relig io n . A nd now, on tho d e a th ot‘ S w am ijee, th ere
18 no one wo know of in In d ia cap a b le of ta k in g hie placo. T he
A ry a S om ajes, as f a r a s wo could a s c e rta in , are a ll co n d u cted by
m en who can a s little fill th o v a c a n t placo a s a card-board tre e
of u d ra m atical sta g e can becom e a s u b s titu te fo r th e stro n g ced ar, > ,
th e king of th e H im alay an f o r c e s . L oviqg o ld f A ry av artaj- a i ''we '•
dp, fo r its own sake, it is w ith sincero sadness an d fe a r au d w ith a - .
d eep s e n s e - o f sy m p a th y for b e r e a v e d /I n d ia th a t we say once; '■
m ore.:— tho d e a th of P a n d it D ayauaud S arusw ati is a n irre p a ra b le ,
loss to th e w hole co u n try : A t . t h e p r e s e n t c h a o tic : sta g o of -U s
re fo rm a to ry p ro g ress, it is sim ply ri 'n atio n al ca la m ity I 1 *
I n connection with' the above sad event, we m ay take^ r
this op po rtun ity to m ake a few remarks in answer to a s ­
certain surprise expressed by several c o rre sp o n d e n ts.'
T h ey are a t a loss to realize, they state, tha t & Y o g i '
credited with some psychological powers, such as Sw^mij j -
D yananaa, was unable to foresee, |h e great loss his d e a th -’
would cause to I n d i a ; was he then np Yq^v,v n o
“ Brahtna-Rishi,” “ as tliq organ of the L ah ore TSamaj'
called him; th a t be knew it n o t ? ‘ /
To this we answ er t h a t we can swear th a t hp haft
foreseen his death, and so far back as two years ago. :
Two copies of his will se n t b y him a t th e time to Col.
Olcott and to th e editor of this Magazine respectively—-- "
both of which are preserve^ by us as a memorial of h is
by-gone friend ship—are a g o ad proof of it. Tie t<Md
us repeatedly a t Meerut he would never spe 188-i. B n t
eyen h a d 1 h o ’ n ot fore se e n h is 4eath We fio n o t see
bearing it can have upon the Yogi powers of th e
d e fu n c t? The g rea te s t adepfe living a re b u t m ortal
men, utter all, .and sooner or later have to die.;
No adept is proof .against accident, unless he uses
selfishly his acquired powers. For, milesfc ' h e * is
constantly w atching over .his own .personality, an d cares
little for lhe rest of m ankind, he is as liable to falj a
victim to disease and d e a th a s any other man. T he child­
ish, not to say absurd, ideas about Yogis, and th e ir
supernatural powers— whereas they are a t best b u t sup'er~
hum an,— we ofteu find cu rre n t among our own •
Theosophists, and th e superstitious and grotesque tales ■
n a rra te d of these holy personages am ong t h a t class q£
H indus, which b e in g more orthodox tlinn educated,
derives all its ideas from the dead-letter trad itions of
the P uranas and S h a stra s, have very little to do w ith
so bertru t.h . An a de p t, or R aj Yogi (we npw sp e a k
of th e real not the fictitious ones of idle rum our) is
simply tlie custodian of the secrets of t h 6 hidden
possibilities of n a t u r e ; th e m aster and guide of h er
undiscovered potentialities, one who awakens and arouses _
them into activity by abnorm al yet natural powers, and.
by fu rnishing them w i t h th e requisite group of co nd i­
tions which lie d o rm a n t apd can, rarely, if ever,' h a
b r o u g h t to g e th e r if left alone. The A ry a and the A ry a -
Samajists combat our views and criticize th e m ’ w hen­
ever they can. W e would seriously and in a spirit
of earnest aud sincere sympathy for The A rya , now left
tq float without r u d d e r or compass, advise it to tu rn its
attention rath er to the wants and imperfections of poor
In d ia than the possible failings of th e Theosophical
Society. The la tte r does its duty in th e best 'w a y it
can, and would hardly lose its time in criticizing its
colleagues or the work of th e A rya Samajes, wifh which
it has noth in g to do whatever, since the separation o£
the two Societies. “ The bravo dog watches its premises '
in silence, the cowardly barks outside its domain,” says
an old proverb. W h y lose one's energy in useless 1
wrangle ? I t will be time for The A rya to lift its voice
iu legitim ate defence when attacked. But so' fa r it
rem inds us of the nervous wny-faror, who travelling by
nig h t shouts a t the top of his voice calling out to im agin­
ary attendfmts to frighten away as imaginary assailants.
L et it rest in peace. Less than over the Theosophists
feel inclined to a tta c k the Saniajes, the labour of love of
their departed and once revered ally and teacher. Nor
will they ever feel scared by a whole army of phantoms,
least of all likely to be appalled by the attack* of oat#-
i'autho.uii. " •
 TABLE OP C O N TEN TS. S P E C IA L N O TIC ES.
Page. rage.
H a v e w e to lo w er th e Fl&g of P ro fesso r Baldw in an d S p irit­
T ru c e ? ... ... ... u a lism ... ... 9 3 I t is now e v id o n t th a t th e T h e o s o p h i s t offors to ad v e rtise rs u n u su al
D isc rim in atio n of S p irit an d L e tte rs to th e E d ito r— n d v an tag o s in circn latio u . W o h a v e a lre a d y su b scrib ers in ev ery p a r t
N o t- 8 p irit ... ... On P ra y e r ... ... 9 5 of In d ia , in C eylon, B urm ah, C h in a an d on tlio P e rsia n Gulf. O ur p a p e r
T h e D hattnh M irrors ... A tte m p ts a t M e sm orising... 9 6
B nddhisin befo re B uddha ... 9 5 also goes to G roat B ritain a n d Ire la n d , F ra n c e , S pain, H olland , G e r­
T h e d o d -Id e a ... ...
P o st-m o rte m rise of T e m p e ra ­ N otes and Q ueries on G hosts m any, N orw ay, H u n g ary , G reoce, R ussia, A u stralasia, S outh A frica ,
tu r e ... ... ... an d A p p aritio n s . • 95 th e W e s t In d ie s, an d N o rth an d S outh A m erica. T h e follow ing v e ry
T o g a an d K ai p a ... ... The T heosophical S ociety is m o d erate r a te s h ave been adopted.
B u d d h a ... ... ... of all C reeds ... ... 9 0
A d e p ts an d P o litics ... T he T a n tra s a n d B uddhism . 9 6
H im a la y a n and o th e r M a h a t­ A n I n q u ire r a b o u t A depts... 9 7 A d v e r t is in g R a tes.

m as ... ... ... H n m an a n d A nim al M ag­

P sy c h o -P h y sio lo g ic a l N otes ... n e tism ... ••• 9 7
T he H im a la y a n B ro th ers— Do Q ueries fro m A u s tr a lia ... 9 8 F ir s t in s e rtio n ............ 10 lin es a n d u n d e r ............ 1 R upee.
.th e y E x is t? ... ... E x iste n c e of th e H im alay an
O ccu lt W o rld — H ap p y M r. M a h atm as ... ... 9 8 F o r each a d d itio n al lin e ............................................1 A nna.
H e n ry K id d le ’s D iscovery... T h e P u ra n a s on th e D y n a s­
M ed ical M a g n etism a n d th e tie s of th o M oryas a n d th e S pace is charged for a t th e r a te of 12 lin es to th e inch. S pecial a r ra n g e ­
H eftier M n g n e tic ... ... K oothoom i ... ... 9 9 m en ts cau be m ade fo r largo ad v e rtise m e n ts, a n d fo r lo n g er a n d fixed
A P sy ch o lo g ical Phenom enon. R a in -S to p p in g B rah m an s ... 9 9
p eriods. F o r fu rth e r in fo rm atio n an d co n tracts for ad v ertisin g , ap p ly to
N o tic e ... ... ... W a rt-C h a rm in g ... . . 10 0
A n sw e rs to C o rresp o n d en ts ... R eview s—
M y stic L o re— M a g n etism an d H om oeopathy 100 M anager , T H E O S O P H IS T , A dtar , M a d r a s.

Sh& m anism a n d W itch craft M oral E d u catio n , by P ro fe s ­

ftm o n g st th e K olarian sor B uchanon ... ... 1 0 1 M essrs. G R A V ES, COOKSON AND Co., M a d ra s.

T rib e s ... ... 89 G em s of C h in ese L ite ra tu re . 1 0 1

P h e n o m e n a l P ow ers of liv ­ V iv ise ctio n ... 103 P r o p r ie t o r , I N D U S T R IA L P R E S S , 3, H ommdm S treet , F ort , B o m b a y ..
in g Yogis an d F a k irs ... 91 F ro n c h I d e a s o f E n g lish
H o w sh all we Sleep ? ... 91 P a d ris ... 104
M esses . C O O PE R & Co., M eadow S treet , F ort , B om bay ;
A il E x p o ser o f S p lritn alism O b itu a ry —
E xposed ... ... 92 T ho d e a th of a G re a t M an... 105
To S U B S C R IB E R S .

T he S u b scrip tio n p rice a t w hich th e T h e o s o p h i s t is p u b lish ed b aroly

S P E C IA L N O T IC E TO C O R R E S P O N D E N T S .
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 SUPPLEMENT
TO
THE THEOSOPHIST.
V o l. 5. N o . 3. M ADRAS, D E C E M B E R ,
IM P O R T A N T N O T IC E ,
T o O ub SutisciunERs and F ellows.
T h e Supplement to th o Theosophist h ns h it h e r t o b een th e
■only c h a n n e l of co m m u n ic a tio n b e tw e e n ou rselves un d o u r
'n um ero us B ran ches and u n a t t a c h e d Fellow s, s c a tte r e d fa r a n d
w id e alll ov er th e g lob e. T he Supplement w as first ad d e d for
t h e benefit a n d c on ven ience o f the l a t t e r alo ne, n on-tbeoso-
[p'hical su b scrib ers, in g e n e r a l , c a r i n g v e ry little to g e t
acq u a in te d w ith o u r S o c ie ty ’s business, its p ro g r e ss, th e
v a rio u s d is cu ssio n s a n d — to o u r g r e a t r e g r e t — dis a g re e a b le
po lem ics p u b lished fro m ti m e to tim e in i t s c o lu m n s. T h e r e ­
fore, if su bsc ribe rs, w h eth er .connected o r un con n ecte d -w ith th e
T heosophica l 'Society, have reg u larly recei ved t e x t an d Supple-
.inent, it is on ly b ec au se th e tw o w ere b o u n d up to g e th e r. As
some of th e la s t n a m e d .class of s u b s c r ib e r s h av e la tte r ly
•objected to th is a r r a n g e m e n t , a n d ex p res se d a desire to h ave
t h e S u p p le m e n t re p la c e d by more .in terestin g m a t te r , we aro
forced t o ad d re ss to thom th e .follow ing re s p e c tfu l .rem ark.
T h e y ev ide ntly f o r g e t t h a t th ey received ih e S u p p 'le m e n t gratis,
and above th e pro m ised n u m b e r of pages in t b e te x t, w hich ,
;again, w ith very few e x c e p b io n s /h ts always exceeded th e lim its
o rig in a lly .proposed t. e., “ no less t h a n 48 colum ns or
24 pages.” T h e i r com plain ts, t h o u g h u n re a s o n a b le ,—isince it
w as easy f o r t h e m to leave th e s u p p l e m e n t m a t t e r u n re a d a u d
•even to d etac h it from t h e main b o d y — h av e Jed us to a d o p t
a n o th e r an d a b e t t e r course t h a t wiil, we hope, s a tis f y
all parties. S in c e it is pe rfec tly im p ra c tic a b le fo r ns to p e r ­
sonally co rresp on d w ith all th e B ran c h e s, a n d a n s w e r th e
in q u iries w hich p o u r in upon us from all q u a r t e r s of th e globe,
■a•“ •Journal of th e Theosophioal S o c ie t y ” is a b so lu te ly n eces­
s a r y to enable us to hold co m m u n ic a tio n .with o n r n u m e r o u s
M e m b e rs a u d Fellows. O u r re ad ers a n d su b s c rib e r s all over
t h e w o rld are the re fo re notified t h a t from J a u n a r y 1884., th e
Supplement will issue a s a s e p a r a t e p u b licatio n u n d e r th e
n a m e of t h e “ J o u r n a l of th e T heo sop hica l S o c ie ty .” F o r
those w h o do n o t su bscribe for th e Theosophist, its a n n u a l
cost will be Its. 2. I t will oontain all th e d iscussions a n d
in f o r m a t io n c o n n ec ted w ith o u r Society, aud its wouk, w h ich
m a y not be in t e r e s t in g to th e g en eral public, a l t h o u g h of
su prem e im p o rta n c e to o u r F e llo w s and w ell-w ishers. E a c h
n u m b e r will c o ntain ino less th a n 8 pages an d m ay c o n ta in f a r
m ore aa occasion m ay require. W e h ave, since th e co m m e n c e ­
m e n t of th e Supplement, sp e n t, o n a n a v e ra g e ,R s. 700 a n n u a ll y
fo r t h a t ad d itio n a l p ublication. A s th e e xpenses of the H e a d
’Q u a rte r s a re c o n sta n tly on th e in c re ase in con seq uen ce of th e
rap id a n d ste a d y g r o w th of th e Socicty., some new a r r a n g e ­
m e n ts are re n d e r e d a b so lu te ly necessary. T o relieve us, th e r e ­
fore, of d o u b le p o sta g e a n d all o t h o r u n n e c e ss a ry expenses,
t h o s e of o u r su b s c rib e r s w ho nre .not T he osop hists, unless they
apply to us form ally fo r i t before -January next, will no lo n g e r
receive tho Supplement b e g in n in g w ith t h a t m o n t h ; f o r o u r
foreign su b sc rib ers, h ow e v e r, tlie ru le will n o t come in to
operation before F e b r u a r y 1884. T h e m a in body a lo n e will
he sent to th em . I\To need of s t a t i n g t h a t every Fellow of th e
Society who sub scribes to th e Theosophist will of course re-
iceive th e J o u r n a l as heretofore w ith i t s Suppleiii-ent, without
■any extra charge-, w hile th oso of o u r F e llo w s w h o a ro now
1883, No . 51,
u n a b le or n n w illing to su b s c rib e to th e w hole M ag azin e, will
•thus be enabled to g e t th e Supplement, — a J o u r n a l in itself—
s e p a r a te l y a t th e n om inal cost of Its. 2 a n n u a ll y . I t m a y
as well be b r o u g h t b ack to th e recollection of th e re a d e r t h a t
th e Supplement h as boon, a n d will ever be, q u it e a d is tin c t
p o rtio n from th e m ain J o u r n a l . F ro m th e b e g in n in g of n e x t
y ear, m oreover, th e Supplement will c on tain t h e m i n u te s a n d
re p o r ts of p erson al p h e n o m e n a l experiences of o u r F e ll o w s —
th o s e o b se rv atio ns a n d in v e s ti g a ti o n s iu occu ltism , m e s m e rism ,
m a g n e t is m a n d p sy ch o-ph ysiolug y in co nn ection w ith th e
p r i v a t e re searche s a n d w o r k of th e Society, m ost of w h ic h
w ere h it h e r t o w ith h e l d to av oid rid icule and i d l e r e m a r k s
p a in f u l to th e Chelas a n d F o llo w e r s o f o u r M a h a tm a s .
TH E SARACENS OF THEOSOPHY
AND
T H E M A D JtA S C R U S A D E R S .
S o m e of t h e D ailies a n d W e e k l ie s — E n g lis h as w ell as V e r ­
n a c u l a r — of t h i s bem igh ted (P re side ncy feel v e r y u n h a p p y o v e r
th e T he osop hists. T h e i r e d ito ria l p lu m a g e is p a in f u ll y ruffled,
a n d sta n d s on e n d w i t h d is g u st. T h e few p e a c o c k ’s fe a th e rs,
w h ich a re m a d e to clu m sily c o v e r th e u g ly b ird b e n e a th , ca n
no lo n g e r h id e t h e r a v e n o u s cro w , w h o se c r o a k i n g Taetrays ita
v u l g a r genus a n d p o u rs its d aily p la i n t a g a in s t T heo soph y.
T h e Madras M ail a n d th e Madras Times a r e tr y i n g to o u tv ie
each o t h e r in libello us in n u e n d o e s a u d o u tr a g e o u s fibs. [ W e
feel s o r ry to p lace th e f o r m e r on t h e sam e f o o tin g as th e
l a t t e r ; b u t since in th e m a t t e r of false d e n u n c ia tio n s of, a n j
tr u m p e d - u p l y i n g c h a r g e s a g a in s t, T h eoso ph y, one h as to
h e sita te in p r o n o u n c i n g w h ich of th e tw o shou ld now h a v e t h e
p a l m — t h e tw o M a d r a s dailies sh o u ld h e n c e f o r th be r e g a r d ­
e d as c h u m s .] B e h o ld th e l i t e r a r y M o n t a g u e s a n d 'C a p u le t s of
S o u th e r n I n d i a jo in t h e i r h a n d s in t h e co m m o n cause
of h a tr e d of e v e r y t h i n g c o n c e r n i n g T h e o s o p h y a n d fo rm th e ir
u n h o ly a llian ce, offensive a u d defensiv e, a g a i n s t th e S a r a ­
cens of A d y a r ! P r o c e e d i n g f r a t e r n a l l y on th e sam e w a r-p a th ,
th e a r i s to c r a ti c v a n g u a r d is follo w ed by th e w a tc h -c u r of tho
H i l l s — The South of India Observer— b a r k i n g iu its r e a r .
Bon voyage to the b r a v e tr io !
T h is c ru s a d e of th e tw o M a d r a s p a p e rs an d th e i r O o ty
'flunkey a g a i n s t th e A d y a r H e a d - Q u a r t e r s r e m in d s u s of
D r a p e r ’s g r a p h i c d e s c r ip tio n in h is Intellectual Development
of Europe of th e r a g g e d , ra b b l e said to have co m p o sed th a
a r m y of P e t e r th e H e r m i t , a n d which, w hile cr o s s in g E u r o p e ,
w as b ein g p re c e d e d a n d l e d by a g a n d e r , a g o a t a n d a c u r,
t h e first n a m e d le a d e r b e in g firmly believed b y t h e c ru s a d e rs
to h a v e been th e H o ly G h o s t him self. .
I n d e e d th e g r i e v a n c e s of th e said local jo u r n a l s a g a i n s t o u r
S o c iety a n d its p r e s e n t lead e rs a r e q u it e u n p a r a l le l e d in tho
h is to ry of In d ia . I n s t e a d of h a v i n g a special C o m m itte e
of T o r t u r e o rg a n is e d a g a i n s t th e T h eo so p h ica l “ I n n o c e n t s ”—.
a k i n d of “ a S e a r a b e u s on t h e n a v e l ” or th e “ K i t t e e ” of old
M a d r a s - T a n j o r e m e m o r y — th e s e “ godless infidels a n d h ere­
tics, who, p a ra d o x ic a lly e n o u g h d u b th em selv es Theosophisti ’
h a v e s u d d e n l y becom e th e p e ts o f t h e L e g i s l a t i v e C ouncil,
a n d “ M r. G i a n t D uff a n d liis G o v e r n m e n t a r e so w e a k as to
b e d r a w n b y Colonel O lc o tt.” T h e l a t t e r , m o r e o v e r, is c h a r g e d
-with h a v in g “ a tt a c k e d th e B ish o p ” a n d s o u g h t th o p ro te c tio n
of G o v e rn m e n t fro m th e h i t h e r t o o n ly too w e ll-felt p re s su re
o f tlic M issionary bo dy u p o n t.heir civ ilia n fr ie n d s.
N o w , th e t r u t h is ,th a t Colonel O lco tt sim p ly w ro te a v e ry r e s ­
p e c tf u l, t h o u g h “ O p e n l e t t e r ” to M r. Gell, r e m i n d i n g th is too-
zealous D o c to r of D iv i n i t y t h a t C h ris tia n c h a r i t y a n d malicio us
s l a n d e r i n g of in n o c e n t p eo p le w e r e n e v e r k n o w n to go h a n d -
i n - h a n d w ith th o t r u e re lig io n of C h ris t, h o w e v e r m u c h t h e y
lia v e be com e s y n o n y m o u s in th e op inio n of som e B ish op s
a n d t h e i r c le rg y . A n d , it is not, as th e Madras M ail asserts,
“ f u r i o u s h a tr e d of th e C h u r c h a n d th e c le r g y ” t h a t we feel,
b u t r a t h e r a bou nd less c o n te m p t a n d d is g u s t for th o hyi>ocrisy
a n d c a n t f o u n d iu too m a n y of h e r u n w o r t h y sons. Of
c o u rs e , t h i s is m o re th a n a n y “ w o u ld - b e ” re s p e c ta b le a n d
p io u s p a p e r is p r e p a r e d to sta n d . I t m a t t e r s n o t w h e t h e r a n
e d i t o r is a scoffing m a teria list, n o t c a r i n g a fig f o r a ll tlie
B ish o p s th o w o rld over ; or a c a n t i n g “ R e v e r e n d ” r e a d y
t o p la y flunkey ' a n d second fiddle to e v e r y in d iv id u a l
o n e in ch h i g h e r in t h e h ie r a r c h y of th e o r d e r t h a n
h i m s e l f ; o r a g a in one, m o r e e x p o rt in prom issory
n o te s t h a n g alley-proofs,— all a r e e q u a ll y s h o c k e d a t th e
p re p o s te ro u s i m p u d e n c e ” of th e tw o fo re ig n ers. O n ly fan cy
th o u n h e a r d of insolence “ of a n A m e r i c a n ” w h o d a re s d e ­
f e n d his assailed h o n o u r a n d to g iv e tho lie to th o se w h o co n ­
coct falsehoods a b o u t his “ a n te c e d e n ts , ” o r t h a t of a R u s s ia n
•who h a v in g p ro v e d h e r w e ll- m e a n i n g a n d .loyal i n t e n ti o n s
t o th e c o u n tr y of h e r ad o p tio n , a n d h a v i n g f a i th in t h e i m ­
p a r t ia l it y of B rit is h J u s t i c e c laim s fr o m it th e c o m m o n p ro te c ­
ti o n of a p eacefu l citizen. To th eso c h a rg e s , Colonel O lcott
a u d M a d a m e B la v a t s k y p le a d g u il ty . H a v i n g lived fo r a few
v e a rs in I n d i a a n d n n d e r tlie w a tc h f u l eyes of t h e law,
h a v i n g n e v e r tr a n s g r e s s e d it, a n d b e in g p r e p a r e d to p ro ve
th o sam e, t h e y d e fy t h e te e m in g m illio n s of t h e I n d i a n a n d
A n o-lo -In d ian p o p u la tio n s , H i g h C o u rts , a n d P o lie e M a g i s ­
tr a te s , L a ie ty a n d C le rg y , S o c ie ty a n d th e hoi pollui to b r i n g
f o r w a r d t h e s l ig h t e s t c h a r g e a g a i n s t th e m , w h ic h , for a
m o m e n t, c o u ld s t a n d g r o u n d in a C o u r t of ju stice . Tim s,
wince n e it h e r of t h e m h a d e v e r p u r l o in e d G o v e r n m e n t d o c u ­
m e n t s , ( t h o u g h m i s t a k e n for, a n d closely w a tc h e d as,
R u s s i a n spies fo r o ve r tw o y e a r s ) ; o r c o m m itte d fo r g e ry ,
o r c o n tr a c te d d eb ts a n d re f u s e d to p a y t h e m w h e n
c la im e d , o r c h e a t e d ono sin g le t r a d e s m a n , or e v e r b een
f o u n d g u il ty of d i r t y libels a n d d e fa m a ti o n s of t h e c h a r a c t e r
of in n o c e n t p e rs o n s to s u i t th e ta s te of t h e i r pious re a d e rs,
o r obtain ed m on ey u n d e r false p r e t e n c e s ; a u d , a g a in t h a t
t h e y a rc n e i t h e r r e t u r n e d con victs— lik e som e of t h e i r d e tr a c t
to r s , since th e y h a v e n e v e r sto le n a n y t h i n g , 110 , no t
e v e n a sa d d le — a n d th a t , in fine, t h e y a r e q u ie t, la w -a b id in g
people, w ho d e fy th e closest s c r u t i n y in to t h e i r p riv a te
c h a r a c t e r s ,— wdiy sh o u ld th e y bo re f u s e d e q u a l p ro te c tio n
w i t h tho ro s t of th e po p u la tio n s, m a n y a m o n g w hom a r e f a r
less im m a c n la te t h a n t h e y ? M o s t of th e A n g lo - I n d ia n
e d it o rs have tried t h e i r h a n d to i n j u r e t h e T h eo so p h is ts and
h a v e sign ally failed in th e i r a tt e m p t . Q u ite th o re v e rse ; for,
e v e r y fresh libel, w h e th e r follow ed b y forced ap o lo g y a n d
r e t r a c t a tio n of th e calu m n y , or p ass e d o v e r in s ile n t c o n te m p t
lias o n ly b r o u g h t m o r e b r a n c h e s to t h e P a r e n t Society.
T h u s , w h ile in 1881, a t th e tim e w h e n th e s c u r rilo u s a rtic le m
t h e Saturday Review d e n o u n c e d us as “ u n s c r u p u lo u s a d v e n ­
t u r e r s ” w'as e a g e rly c a u g h t u p a n d r e p u b l is h e d by some
A n g l o - I n d i a n p ap o rs (tho Statesman o o m in g to g r i e f t h e r e ­
b y ) wo h a d h a r d l y 25 B r a n c h Societies ( E u r o p e a n d
A m e r i c a i n c l u d e d ) , n ow , a t th e e n d of 1883, w e h a v e 87
B r a n c h e s in I n d i a alone. A t th is r a t e , specially as o u r frien d ,
th o h it h e r t o h ig h - to n e d a n d dign ified Madras Mail, h as
c o n de sc end ed to o r n a m e n t its c o lu m n s w ith a silly a n d ly in g
libel in verse, we m a y h o p e to m u l t i p l y o u r B r a n c h e s to 200
m o r e by th e en d of 1884. T h is, c o n s i d e r in g tho f a c t t h a t
-wc aro b u t tw o to w o r k a t t h e h e a d of s u c h a tr e m e n d o u s
b o d y , is very u n d e sira b le . W o b eg, th e r e fo re , o u r u n k in d l y
d isp o sed a n d b u t occasionally g e n t l e m a n l y c o n te m p o ra r ie s
-who re f u s e to t a k e p i t y a n d s h o w m e r c y to th e tw o o v e r­
w o r k e d a n d h apless fo u n d e r s , to cease f o r a tim e lib ellin g
11 s, w e r e i t sim p ly o u t of r e g a r d to t h e i r g o o d “ L o r d ” th o
B ish o p , w h o m th e c o u rte o u s e d it o rs d e f e n d t o o t h and
n a il. F o r v erily a n d in deed , th o i r a b u s e of th e o s o p h y
p ro v e s itself m o r e d a n g e r o u s to m e e k D r . G e ll t h a n to a n y
0 1 us. N o t only is it c a lc u la te d to th i n t h e r a n k s of h is c o n ­
v e rts, but ifc im p a ir s h is ow n p r o p h e t ic p re v is io n s i a the
Indian G hurchman. H a v i n g h a d su c h success a fte r,
and^ fo r , h a v i n g b e e n at v a r i o u s t i m e s called in th e A nglo-
I n d i a n p a p e r s “ u n s c r u p u lo u s a d v e n t u r e r s , ” “ ig n o r a n t a n d
b la s p h e m o u s c h a r l a t a n s , ” “ im p o s to rs a n d R u s s i a n sp ies,”
“ u n m i t i g a t e d f r a u d s a n d b la c k -le g s ,” now t h a t tho Mculms
M ail comes o u t w i t h a n a n o n y m o u s poem (I 1) w h e re , u n d e r
th e v e r y c lov er a n a g r a m of “'M a d a m e B l a h e t t a , ” the’ e d it o r
of th is _ m a g a z in e i s a l l u d e d to as a t h i e f in th e h a b i t
of spiriting away p re c io u s rin g s ,* it is only n a t u r a l to
sup po se th a t th is delicately f r a m e d libel th reaten s
to c o n v e r t all I n d i a t o th e o s o p h y a n d send millions on p il g r i m ­
ag e s to t h e A d y a r s a n c t u m ! S u c h libels, as th is o n e __in
th i s case t h e poetical p ro d u c t io n of som e Ooty C iv ilia n, or
som e b ra v o “ C olonel,” a s s u m in g u n d e r th e g a s e o u s i n s p ir a ­
tio n of c h a m p a g n e a n d th e tr a d itio n a l “ p ic k -m c -u p ,” th o guiso
of M rs. G r a n d y ’s “ A v e n g i n g A n g e l ”— a r e v e ry , v e r y d a n g e r ­
ous to th e w o r k of th e m ission aries. T h e y a r e c a lc u la te d , as
s h o w n abo ve, to b r i n g u s m oro t h a n on e C h r i s t i a n , w h o ’his
“ L o r d s h i p ” h im se lf a p p r e h e n d s in th e e x tr a c ts t h a t follows,
a n d t h a t we s h a lla n a ly z o w ith his p e r m is s io n — are r e a d y to
pass o v e r to th o e n e m y ’s cam p. N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e p ro g n o s ti­
ca tio n of th o c r u s a d i n g trio to tho c o n tr a r y , we find t h a t D r.
Gell does a f t e r all t a k e no ticc of Colonel O lc o tt’s “ O p en le t te r .’’
A s h is e n ti r e a n d w elcom e confession fr o m t h e Indian Church­
man is q u o te d v e r b a t i m f u r t h e r on, in a le t t e r s i g n e d “ H . R.
M . ” (see p. ‘2 6 of this S u p p le m e n t), w e n o w g iv e b u t a few
choicc a n d s u g g e s tiv e s e n te n c e s fr o m tho sa id e x tr a c t. “ H .
It. M .” , a h ig h M i l i t a r y Officer, a n E n g l i s h m a n a n d a
T h e o so p h is t, r e v ie w s i t too a b ly to r e q u i r e a n y a d d itio n s
to it.
“ A t o u r M a d r a s C le ric al C o n fere n c e la s t w e e k w e c on ­
s id e re d whether it was desirable to take any special steps at the
present time for counteracting Colonel Olcott's teaching , tho
s u b j e c t h a v i n g b e e n a p p o in t e d b efore th o “ O p e n l e t t e r ” a p ­
p e a re d . T h o E u r o p e a n a n d n a ti v e c le r g y w h o a ro m o s t con ­
v e r s a n t w i t h e d u c a t e d n a tiv e s a n d w ho w e re p re s e n t, s t a te d
that many Hindus here ivere attracted by the teachings of
Theosophists, and that the minds of even some Ghirstians ivere
shaken by it, a n d u r g e d th e d e s ira b ility of e n d e a v o u r i n g to
expose its errors......... W e g e n e r a l l y a g r e e d that it was unde­
sirable to take any notice of Colonel Olcott, or to adopt any
special measures at the present tim e __ F a t h e r B la c k was p r e ­
s e n t a t o u r C o n fe re n c e ; he mentioned that in Bombay Colonel
Oliott had been let alone, and his Mission there had fa ile d ...
I h a v e o rd e ro d a oopy of th e R ev . T h e o p h ilu s ’s a d d re s s on
T h e o so p h y to be s e n t to you.
Y e r y sin cerely yo u rs,
F . M a d r a s .”
' T h e italics a r e o urs. T h o above, besides fa i li n g to
c o r r o b o r a te th e S . I. Observer's so o th say in g , to th o effect
t h a t “ it w o re a lm o s t a n in s u l t to o u r B ishop to a t t e m p t
a n y d e feno e,” g ives us a n in s ig h t into th e r e a l feelings
a n d p r e s e n t policy of tb e clergy. U n a b lo to c r u s h tho
T h e o so p h ic a l v in e y a r d , th e y console th e m se lv e s w ith th e idea
t h a t its g ra p e s a r e sour. If “ F a t h e r B l a c k ” (a correctly
s u g g e s tiv e a p p e lla tio n , 110 d o u b t, of t h e inner p ers o n a g e )
a v e r t e d t h a t “ in B o m b a y Colonel O lc o tt’s m issio n h a d fa ile d ,”
h e a s s e r te d t h a t w h ie h is a n e v id e n t u n t r u t h . H o w e v e r th is is
o n ly a trifle. B u t now, h a v i n g r e a d his L o r d s h i p ’s ” re m a r k s
w e feel a t li b e r t y to f a t h o m th e m . W e c rave f u r t h e r
e x p la n a tio n w h a t m a y be t h e “ special st ep s fo r c o u n te r a c ti n g
* In th is p 'ece o f silly p o e try , w h ich c e rta in ly d isg ra c e s only th a
e d ito r w ho allow ed i t to a p p e a r an d no one else, a legend a b o u t a
c e rta in c re d u lo n s lad y of h ig h ran k , a S p iritu a lis t, and a M ad am e
“ B la h e tta ,” a m edium , ra isin g the dead ( ! ! ) a t O " t y is giv en . Those
anxious to to s t th e v e ra c ity of th e M adras M a il’s p o e ta s te r have
b n t to a p p ly to a c e rta in lady an d h e r h u sb a n d , m oving h e re in tho
h ig h est ra n k of society, fo r p a rtic u la rs . W e h av e too m uch re g a rd
an d re sp e c t f o r b o th to d ra g th e ir nam es into p u b lic ity ; y et, since
th a t n am e is a n open s e c re t to every one a t O o tacam u n d an d M adras,
we do n o t epe w hy w e should n o t avail o u rse lv e s of th e ir p riv ate
e v id e n c e . '
Tho fa c ts a r e th e s e :— A sap p h ir# ( n o t e m erald ) r in g w as ta k e n
fro m th o finger of th e lad y an d a lm o st im m e d ia te ly — tw o m in n tes
a f t e r —re sto re d to h e r w ith a n o th e r, th e d n p lic a te of the fo rm er, only a
g r e a t deal la rg e r, n o t of “ brass an d b ru m u ja g en -m ak e,” b u t se t w ith a
s a p p h ire of g r o a te r valne th a n th e o rig in a l. T h e m iserab le versifier,
w hoever he m ay be,— fo r one, cap ab le of in v e n tin g a lie to slander
a w om an u n d e r th e v eil of a n o n im ity can c e rta in ly be no g e n tle ­
m an b u t sim ply a c o n te m p tib le cow ard, is ch allen g ed to give h is name.
L e t him do so, a n d h is fa lse h o o d w ill be a t once p ro v e d ,—befuie
a m agistrate,— Ed,
Colonel O lc o tt’s te a c h in g ? ” T h e p a lm y d a y s of tliu m b -se r e w s,
and of g r i l l i n g liv in g w itch es h a v i n g v a n is h e d f o r e ver, a n d
H e r M a j e s t y ’s I m p e r ia l G o v e r n m e n t h a v i n g v o u c h s a f e d
religious e q u a li ty a n d r i g h t s to all its heathen s u b je c ts of
every p e rs u a sio n , we w o u ld h a v e b e e n a t a loss to realize
th e t r u e m e aning ' of th e im p lie d t h r e a t b u t fo r th e
co n clud in g w o rd s of his R e v e r e n c e “ F. M a d r a s .” “ I
h a v e o r d e r e d a copy of the ll e v . T h e o p li il u s ’s a d d re s s on
T heo so ph y to be s e n t to y o u ,” h e a d d s. T h is t h r o w s a
flood of l i g h t u p o n th e h id d e n m e a n i n g . T h e said a d d re s s
(a p a m p h l e t) t h o u g h in 110 w a y lib ellou s, is y e t fu ll of m i s ­
s ta te m e n ts f r o m t h e first p a g e to th o last. ( W e r e f e r tho
re a d e r fo r v e rific a tio n to the S e p t e m b e r Theos. 1882, p. 315.)
I n a d d it io n to th is , a c e rta in m alicio us a n d false s t a te m e n t,
proved a n d re c o g n iz e d as su ch fo r o v e r a y e a r b ack, was,
n o t w it h s t a n d in g r e p e a t e d re f u ta tio n s , in s iste d upon and
reiterated b y m a n y missionaries. I t re f e r s to t h e old a n d
clum sily g o tt e n u p sto ry a t T in n e v e lly , a b o u t C olonel
O lco tt a n d th e k in g - c o c o a n u t in c id e n t. A l t h o u g h n o t h i n g of
th e k i n d h a d e v e r h a p p e n e d , a n d t h a t th e c o c o a n u t tree flour­
ishes an d is b e in g well t a k e n c a r e of since t h e d a y th e P r e s i ­
dent- F o u n d e r p la n t e d i t in t h e s i g h t of 5,000 H i n d u s in th e
tem ple of T in n e v e lly ; a n d t h a t a g a i n ho v isited a n d saw it
in th e te m p le y a r d h a r d l y five m o n t h s ago w h e n revisiting-
th e T in n e v e lly Theos. S o c ie ty ; a n d t h a t th e sto ry in v e n t e d by
th e m issionaries tw o y e a r s ag o to t h e effect t h a t t h e y o u n g
tre e h a d been u p ro o te d a n d th e Colonel d e n o u n c e d lay th e
B r a h m a n s as a n im p o s t e r a n d a n u n c le a n M lecha as soon aa
I10 h a d le ft t h a t c ity — was once m o re r e f u t e d a n d p ro v e d a
m alicious in v e n t io n in t h e T h e o so p h ist; still a n d n o t w i t h ­
s t a n d i n g all this, th e u n d ig n ifie d a n d false r e p o r t is c i r c u l a t e d !
G iv e n o u t as a fa c t a n d u n d e r th e a u t h o r i t y , a n d o v e r th e
s i g n a tu re of B ish op S a r g e n t , w ho w a s th e first to s e t it g o in g
in a M a d r a s p ap ei— (th is B ish op , a t a n y ra t e , b e in g h a r d l y
able to p lead ig n o r a n c e since h e b e lo n g e d to t h e p lace a n d
h a d t h e m e a n s of v e ri fy in g t h e s t a t e m e n t a t le i s u r e ) — it was
allowed to ta k e ro ot, a n d h a s n e v e r b e e n c o n tr a d ic t e d or
even modified by B ish o p G ell, so f a r as w e k n o w . W e
refer o u r F e llo w s a n d a n y r e a d e r w h o m a y see t h i s to th e
b ack n u m b e r of t h e Theosophist, t h e S u p p le m e n t for Dec.
1881, p. 7 ; F e b ., 1883, p. 3. etc., to t h e B r a h m a n s of
T in n e v e lly a n d — to t h e co co a-n u t tre e itself, o u r best
liv in g w itn ess. A n d now w e ask : is, o r is not, th is s a n c ­
tio n in g a n d s p r e a d in g of a f l a g r a n t u n t r u t h , a n d o t h e r m a ­
licious in n u e n d o e s , to be r e g a r d e d as a r e p r e h e n s ib le a n d
dishonest ac tio n ? “ D o n o t b e a r false w itn e s s ” is a n ex press
c o m m a n d m e n t in b o th th e T e s ta m e n ts . Y e t we h a v e b u t
to t u r n to a p a m p h l e t is su ed tw o y e a r s ag o b y th e m issio n a ry
P re s s of B o m b a y u n d e r th e d ir e c t su p e r v isio n of th e re n o w n ed
Mr. S q u ires, also a “ m a n of G od,”— e n ti tl e d “ T h e T r u t h a b o u t
T h eo so p h y ,” to find h ow th e c le r g y h e a d e d b y t h e i r B ish op s
deal w ith t r u t h a n d facts. W i t h t h e m issio n arie s th e coarse
a n d v u l g a r chaff of e v e ry A m e r i c a n r e p o r t e r a g a i n s t
th eoso ph y, e v ery falseh o o d p a s s in g f o r fu n a n d jo ke, is a c c e p t­
ed as gospel t r u t h a n d c ir c u la t e d a s a n unden ia b le fa c t.
This, th e y h a v e th e im p n de uce to p ass off as th e “ a n te c e ­
d e n ts ” of Colonel O lc o tt a n d M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y !!
I t is th is t h a t show s to us m ore c le a rly t h a n d a y w h a t will
be th e n a t u r e of th e “ special slops for- c o u n t e r - a c t i n g
Colonel O lc o tt’s in fluence” m e n t io n e d in t h e noble
B ish o p ’s l e t t e r : t h e cle rical a n d je snitical policy is to
be c a r r i e d b y th o m to t h e b i t t e r en d. A s ele ctio n of
false r u m o u r s , m alicious b a c k b itin g , w ic k e d a n d s tu p id cock-
an d -b u ll stories, w ill be dissem inate d 111 th e f u t u r e , a.s th e y h av e
been in th e p ast, f a r an d wide, b y p a id cate ch ists, cle v e r
zena na-m ission aries a n d p a d ris a n d b y all t h e b roo d of ig n o ­
r a n t , h a lf ed u c a te d , as well a.s le a r n e d society people u n d e r
th e sa n c tio n a n d w ith th o blessing's of t h e i r r e s p e c ti v e B i s h o p s .
W e h a v e a pro of of it a lr e a d y . T h e B ish o p of M a d r a s ; who
knows, w h o c a n n o t h e lp k n o w i n g t h a t s uc h p a m p h l e t s a r e full
of u n t r u t h a n d ca lu m n y , goes to th e tro u b le of s e n d i n g th e m
10 va rio us ‘M rs. A n d r e w s ’ a n d ‘ J o n e s ,’ “ w i t h th e co m p lim e n ts
of t h e B ish o p of M a d r a s ” in liis o w n h a n d - w r i t i n g
on th e cov ers ! H e places t h e m p e rs o n a lly u p o n th o
L i b r a r y T a b le a t O o ta c a m u n d , a n d a llo w s t h e m to reirja in
th e r e in t h e t e e t h of e v e ry r e f u ta t io n . T h is is tlie line of clerical
policy w c p r o t e s t a g a i n s t a n d d e n o u n c e as u n c h ristia n , un-
y en tlem a n ly a n d w ic k e d ; a n d th o s e a r e t h e m e n t h a t pu blic
hypocrisy a n d c a n t w o u ld force us to r e s p e c t ! \Ve a r e c h a r g e d
w ith a n ti-C liristism , w h ile we a re g u il ty b n t of a n ti-c le ric a lism ;
with a “ fierce h a t r e d of th e C h u r c h ” w h e n we confess b u t to
a ferocious c o n te m p t f o r th e ecclesiastical s y s t e n i ; t h e sy s te m
th a t crucifies its Christ daily for 15 centuries, _tramplea H is
c o m m a n d s in tho d u s t u n d e r its feet, a n d disfigures H ia
n o b le s t a n d m o s t d iv in e t e a c h in g s !*
H o w m u c h th e d e f e n d e r s of B ishop G ell c a re th em selv es
f o r t r u t h a n d f a c t m a y be s u r m is e d b y r e a d i n g a c e rta in
idiotic a rtic le h ead ed “ C h a r l a t a n s a n d D u p e s ” (O c to b e r 20th,
1883.) in th e S . o f I. Observer. I n th is ti ssu e of g r a n d i l o q u e n t
m i s re p r e s e n t a tio n s , falsehoods, a n d i m p e r t i n e n t r e m a r k s ,
th e w r i t e r sp e a k s of “ t h e im becile c r e d u l i t y ” of w om e n,
a n d a sserts t h a t “ ih e fu n d a m e n ta l a xio m o f Theosophy is th i s
p r e p o s te ro u s b elief,” i. e. “ th e p o w e r of m o rtals to raise the dead
a n d p la ce the sp irits a t th e ir beck and ca ll to m in is te r to th e ir
tr iv ia l d a ily w a n ts.” T h is, as S lu ik s p e a re says, “ is aZ -iewith
a c i r c u m s t a n c e ”— n u m b e r one. N o, 2 is sho w n in t h e c o m ­
p a r i n g of T h e o so p h y a n d th o T h eo so p h is ts to M o rm o n is m a n d
tlie ir “ s c o u n d r e l P r o p h e t s . ” A s to th e r e s t it is too i n d e c e n t
to be e v en m e n t io n e d in th e s e co lu m n s. T h e re a rc ed ito ra
a n d editors. T h e r e a re su c h w hose o pinion one m a y ca re for,
a n d o th e r s w h o se a b u s e is p ra is e . A n d wo h a v e h e a r d of
th o s e jo u r n a li s ts w h o , h a v i n g j u s t escaped con v ic tio n a n d
sen ten ce (fo r p l a y i n g a t T a r q u i n i u s w i t h u n d e r - a g e d L u cre-
tia s ,)o n ly b e cau se p a r e n t s w ou ld n o t d is h o n o u r th e i r c h il d re n ,
w e n t hom e, a n d w ro to a f u l m i n a t i n g a rtic le full of v ir tu e
a n d m o r a l g u s h i n g u p o n “ t h e beso tted s u p e r s ti ti o n ’’ of th o
th e o s o p h is t s in g e n e ra l, a n d “ th e a d u l t e r o u s v illa in y of th o
a g e ” in p a r t i c u l a r , A s to th o w r i t e r of th i s special e d ito ria l,
h e expi'csscs r e g r e t a t t h e ab o litio n of t h e H o ly In q u is itio n .
“ I n t h e M id d le A g e s,” h e says, “ the lu st o f no a d ulterous
v illa in w ould have been p a n d ered to, in th e n a m e of relig io n.
W e r e it t h u s in t h e p r e s e n t age, w e f e a r th is d e li g h tf u l
article. 011 “ C h a r l a t a n s a n d D u p e s ” w o u ld have never
b e e n w ritte n . A s to t h e v ir tu o u s i n d i g n a ti o n of the
w rit e r, w ho su b m its “ t h a t t h o n g h su c h rem ed ies w e re b a r ­
b a ro u s , th e y effectually p u r g e d a n d purified Society fr o m tlw
ch a rla ta n s a n d im p u re w retches th a t d isjra c e and polhite^ it.
in our d a y ”— w e s h a r e it e n ti r e l y w i t h 'h i m . Y e t we r e m i n d
h im t h a t t h e r e t u r n of n o t o n ly th e obsolete a n d fiendish law s
of th e M id d le A g e s, b u t cveji of th e law s of M e r r y old liiig la n d
t h a t w e re en fo r c e d h a r d l y a fifty y e a r s ago, w ould bo^ very,
very d a n g e r o u s f o r som e v ir t u o u s p e n n y -a - lin e rs, l o r in
those d a y s w h e n people w ere h u n g ' f o r ste a lin g a p e n n y loal,
th e th e f t of a w e ig h tie r o b je c t w o u ld n e v e r havo b een lim ite d
to th r e e m o n t h s ’ im p ris o n m e n t. T h u s m o re t h a n one c a n ti n g
c h u r c h - g o in g h y p o c r i te a n d thief, w o u ld h a v e p a id th e i r little
la r c e n y w ith th e n ' lives,
T h e r e m a r k s of o u r O o ty G r a n d is o n a n d m o r a lis e r c o n c e r n ­
in g th e v a r i e ty a n d t h e d e g r e e of re s p e c ta b ility of “ fa ith
a r e m o s t c h a r m i n g l y n a iv e a n d silly, “ T h e fa ith t h a t ou g en -
* It is also proved to us by tho following facts, Having- presented tlie
lady referred to in tlio previous foot-note with 11 sapphire l ing' as above
explained, and finding ourselves, in consequence, slandered and onr
character defamed in silly libellous verses intended to be funny, we ap­
pealed to the editor of the Madrus Mail. Ho being a gem-leman, wo
thought, once thut tho full particulars are laid before him, he could not
refuse to publish the truth and thus repair the mischief. The editor
promised, assuring tho gentleman who called 011 him on the subject,
that as soon as we could show him a statem ent of tho facts ovur tlio
signature of the lady who had tho ring, he would himself write a
“ serious editorial” giving the truo version. The lady in question,
extremely shocked at tho insulting lie invented by her “ Christian’'
friends, gave us a statement bearing her signature to tho effect (1) that
her own ring had ‘never beti'tt “ spirited away,” as alleged, as sho has it
to this day 011 her linger and “ knows it by two marks on it which I
(she) can swear to;” (2) that in addition toiler own ring “ sho was
presented with a blue sapphire ring far more valuable than my (her)
own ring.” The statement iu tho lady’s own hand-writing was taken
to tho editor of tho Madras Mail by General and Mrs. Morgan—both
Follows of our Society, and at whoso house aiOotacninund the ring was
given to our mutual friend. Tho editor thereupon expressed himseli
satisfied, and remarked that such verses accusing a person of a “ gipsy
trick.” ought never to have appeared in his paper, and have uo appeared
only because lie, the real editor, was absent at the time. The outcome ot
all these fine words, however, was only a short editorial neither an
apology nor rectification but simply chaff iu equivocal goud taste, giving
the mangled statement of the lady in question with uiore -jiersijlaije
and quizes iu udditiou. Why '( Because the majority of the readers oL
that paper aro Europeans (the Madras Mail haying lost some hundreds
of its Hindu subscribers in 0110 day) who bitterly oppose our Society and
would applaud every imaginable falsehood against us and have it cir­
culated instead of truth. This, in its turn, is domoniUated by another
fact quite as suggestive. Mrs.------------ , the lady concerned, has, since
tho publication of the statement received, as sho says, somo fifty letters
finding fault with her for having told tho honest truth about tlie matter.
Thus, the high-minded Christian Society of Madras would subscribe
joyfully to any lie and calumny to please their owu prejudices, the
Bishop and public opinion —even io calling a person a thief rather
than speak the truth and thereby vindicate a hated body of men who
dare lift the staudwil cf X i ' u t U flgaijist every thaw, whether sociul oc
religious,—A’cJi ■
 tie re d a n im p lic it b elief in m ira cles, t h a t i n a u g u r a t e d th e
s t u p e n d o u s spectacle of th e C r u s a d e s ” he “ can u n d e r s t a n d
a n d rcvLTcnee,” B u t faith in th e p s y ch o lo g ic al p ow ers of
m a n , — which, unable to u n d e r s t a n d o u r te n e ts, h e calls belief
in re v e r s in g “ th e law s of n a t u r e , ” (p re c ise ly t h a t w hich we
L av e been fig hting a g a i n s t fo r y e a r s ) — a n d sets it do w n as
“ r a n k b lasph em y to th e A l m i g h t y . ” O u r p u n y foe o u g h t to
t a k e h eed an d r e m e m b e r t h e fa te t h a t befell th e C r u s a d e s —
t h e offspring of the fa i th lie re veren ces. B e g i n n i n g w ith th e
t a g - r a g a n d bob-tail, tb e riffraff a n n y of l ’e te r th e H e r m i t ,
■who d e s e r te d tlie fools w h o b a d tr u s t e d h im , a n d t h u s left
h is ta t t e r d e m a l i o n cro w d to be c h o p p e d n p as m in c e pie, each
of th e e i g h t C ru s a d e s e n d in g w ith t b a t of E d w a r d I I , h a d
s t a r t e d w ith th e c~y of “ God wi Ils i t ! ” “ G od wills i t ! ” Y e t,
if we r e m e m b e r rig h tly , th e D e ity , g a v e flatly th e lie to one
a n d all b y a llo w in g th e m to be d e c im a te d in B u lg a ria , d e s­
t r o y e d b y th e H u n g a r ia n s , a n d finally a n n i h i l a t e d b y th e
S a ra c e n s , w ho sold into sla v e ry th ose w h o m t h e y did n o t
m u r d e r . W i t h all th e ir fa i th the C h ris ti a n s h a v e n o t been
a b le a f t e r all to w re s t th e “ H o ly L a n d ” fr o m th e h a n d s of
t h e infidels.
W e close o u r r e m a r k s a n d b id a d ie u to th e r i g h t e o u s trio
o f o u r c o n te m p o ra r ie s by a d v is in g eacli of t h e m to a t t e n d
a little m ore to th e b eam in h is ow n orb, before h e sets o u t ou
th e fool’s e r r a n d of dis co v e rin g (o r r a t h e r — in v e n tin g ) n o n ­
e x i s t i n g motes in th e th eoso ph ical eye, t h o u g h it is n ot
c e r t a i n l y free of motes of o t h e r d e s c r ip tio n . A s to t.he
in c e s s a n t p erso n al a b u se s h o w e re d u p o n u s b y t h e M a d r a s
a n d o t h e r dailies, lu ck ily f o r us, we find t h a t o t h e r
p e r s o n s — nobler, b e t t e r a n d f a r h i g h e r in social position t h a n
th e h u m b le T heo sop hists, a r e no b e t t e r p ro t e c te d a g a i n s t
sc u r rilo u s a b u se in th e I n d i a n E m p i r e . W e T h e o so p h is ts
h ave t h e co nso latio n of fi n d in g o u rs e lv e s s t a n d i n g o n q u it e
p a ra l le l lines w ith I I is E x c e lle n c y th e V icero y in th e e sti­
m a t i o n of som e A n g l o - I n d i a n s w h o pass fo r refin ed a n d
e d u c a t e d g e n tl e m e n . In a c i r c u l a r a g a i n s t th e I l b e r t Bill
w h ic h , we a r c told, is n ow b e i n g w id e ly c i r c u la t e d iu th e
K . W . P ro vin ces, a n d w hose a u t h o r is said to be a l a w y e r
(o n e w ho onijht to k no w th e v a lu e of w o rd s a n d e p ith e ts ), we
Iind Ihe noble M a r q u is of l t i p o n r e f e r r e d to in th e fo llow ing
e l e g a n t te r m s :—
“ T h e V icero y fo rced 011 us is dish o n est a n d t r i c k y a n d is
“ d e te r m i n e d to s t i r u p s trif e b e tw e e n u s a n d th e n a tiv e s of
“ In d ia fo r h is p erso n a l a dva n cem en t,” Ac.
A n d if t h e “ f r e e - b o r n ” B r i t o n sp e a k s t h u s of h is own
V icero y, th e r e p r e s e n ta t iv e of H e r M a je s ty t h e Q u een , c a llin g
h im “ dishonest a n d t r i c k y ” ( ! !) w h a t c a n we e x p e c t a t th e
b a n d s of suc h w.sthetics ? I n d e e d we r a t h e r feel h o n o u r e d
t h a n o th erw ise in b e in g p u b lic ly c alled n a m e s fr o m th e c a b ­
m a n ’s v o c ab u la ry , a lo n g s id e w i t h a g o o d a n d noble m a n ;
o n e w h o m even his po sition — t h e h ig h e s t in th e l a n d — is
u n a b l e to p ro te c t fr o m th e v ilification of fo u l - m o u t h e d
bullies.
A N A N G L O -IN D IA N T H E O S O P H IS T ON T H E
B IS H O P O P MADRAS.
O n O c to b e r 2 7 th , t h e B ish o p of M a d r a s w rite s in the
I n d ia n C hurchm an as follows :— “ A t o u r M a d r a s clerical c o n ­
fe r e n c e la s t w eek we c o n sid e re d ■whether i t wns d e s i ra b le to
ta k e a n y special steps a t th e p r e s e n t tim e, f o r c o u n t e r a c t i n g
Col. O lc o tt’s te a c h in g , th e s u b j e c t h a v i n g been ap p o in te d
b efo re th e “ O p en le t te r” a p p e a re d . The E uropean and
N a t i v e c l e r g y presen t wdio w ere m o s t c o n v e r s a n t w ith e d u ­
c a te d N a tiv e s , a n d w h o were p re se n t, (s ic ) s t a te d t h a t m a n y
H in d o o s, h e r e w e re a t t r a c t e d by th e t e a c h in g o f T heo sop hists,
a n d t h a t th e m in d s of even som e C h r i s t i a n s w ere s h a k e n by
i t — a n d u rg e d th e d e s ira b ility of e n d e a v o u r i n g to expose
its erro rs, w hile r e c o g n i s in g t h e i m p o r t a n c e of t h e w o rk
i n w h ic h E v a n g e lis ts a n d L e c tu r e r s a r e e n g a g e d of r e f u t i n g
e r r o r s a n d m a i n ta i n in g t h a t in C h r i s t a lo n e — is L i g h t a n d
S a lv a t io n . W e g e n e ra lly a g r e e d t h a t i t wa.s u n d e s i r a b le to t a k e scientific re lig io n t h a n th e B ish op possesses. T h e p u r i ty
a n y n otice of Colonel O lcott, o r to a d o p t a n y special m easures*
a t th e p r e s e n t tim e : I m ay a d d t h a t F a t h e r B la c k was p r e s e n t
a t o u r co n fe re n c e, h e m e n t io n e d t h a t in B o m b a y Col. O lc o tt
h a d b e e n le t alon e a n d his m ission t h e r e h a d failed , a n d
a d v i s e d o u r a d o p ti n g a s i m i la r course. I h a v e o r d e r e d a copy
* T he ita lic s nro m in e. T hey a re m e a n t to rlraw a tte n tio n to tlio
ep isco p al sty lo ns woll as to th e occult m e a n in g u n d e rly in g tho
V hule.—-1£, K. At.
of th e R e v e r e n d T h e o p h il u s ’ a d d r e s s on T h e o so p h y to be s e n t
to you.
V e r y sincerely y o u rs ,
F. M a dras. ”
H e r o I, an E n g l i s h m a n , find th e B ish o p of M a d ra s, a
paid s e r v a n t of G o v e r n m e n t , in a m ixed S o ciety of E u r o p e a n
a n d N a tiv e c le rg y , p lu s a F a t h e r B la c k , w h o e v e r he m a y be,
c a lm ly d is c u ssin g w h e th e r he s h a ll t a k e steps in c o n ju n c tio n
w ith bi-co lou re d a n d M a z a g o n m issio naries to repress or
counteract Col. O lc o tt’s te a c h i n g . F i r s t I w ould h e r e p r o m i­
n e n tl y notice w h a t are th e te a c h in g s w h ic h th e B ish o p a n d his
c o -a d ju to r s c o n sid e r r e q u i r e sp ecia l m easures fo r rep re ssio n .
I use th e w o rd rep re ssio n advisedly.
T h e s h o r t e s t w ay of- d o in g th is is to q u o te som e of the
ch ief objects of t h e Society, as p r i n t e d in its R ules. 1st, th e
m o tto of th e S o ciety is, “ T h e r e is no re lig io n h i g h e r th a n
T r u t h . ” Does th e B ish o p w ish to p u t th is d o w n a n d su b ­
s t i t u t e s o m e t h i n g b e t t e r P O r, p e r h a p s , b e in g a C h ris tia n
B ish o p he w ould p r e f e r to a n n ih i la t e R u l e I, w h ic h states
t h a t th e Theo sop hica l S o ciety is f o u n d e d u p o n th e basis of a u n i ­
v ersal b ro th e rh o o d of H u m a n i t y P O r, p e r h a p s ,a g a in , h e w ould
lik e to p u t d o w n R u l e VI, viz., “ no officer of th e Society, in
his ca p acity of a n officer, n o r a n y m e m b e r, h a s t h e r i g h t to
p re a c h liis ow n s e c t a ri a n view s a n d beliefs, o r d e p r e c a t e th e
re lig io n o r r e lig io n s of o t h e r m e m b e r s to o t h e r F ello w s
ass e m b le d , ex cep t, w h e n t h e m e e t in g consists solely of his
o w n co -relig io n is ts ?” T h e a b o v e r u l e s fo rm th e basis of tho
T h eo so p h ic a l S o ciety.
I t i.s s o m e th i n g n e w to find t h a t a B isho p, t h o u g h re ce iv in g
from th e G o v e r n m e n t a sa la ry of R s. 24,000 a y e a r, only fo r
lo o k in g a f t e r his t w e n t y - f o u r M i li ta r y C h a p la in s, sh o u ld ta k e
u p o n h im s e lf th e office of a M issio n ary. D isgu ise it h ow
th e y m ay, th e B ishop’s action in th is m a t t e r is n o t h i n g m ore
o r less t h a n a t r a d i n g in r e l i g i o n ; a n d to u n d e r t a k e to co n­
v e r t th e n ativ e s a n d m a k e use of h is official position for so
do ing , is a d ir e c t v io latio n of th e o rd e r s of G o v e r n m e n t , an d
c o n tr a v e n e s th e s p i r it of G o v e r n m e n t o r d e r s q u it e as
m u c h as w h e n a Civil s e r v a n t ta k e s to tr a d i n g . I ask
th e B ish o p if lie is p a id to look a f t e r his t w e n t y - f o u r M ilita ry
C h a p la in s o r to t u r n M issio n ary a n d c o n v e r t th e H e a t h e n ?
S u re ly h is R e v e re n c e does n o t c o n sid e r t h a t he is n o m i n a t ­
ed in p a r tib u s iiifideU um ? I w o u ld f u r t h e r a sk h im if this
M issio n a ry e n t e r p r i s e of his does n o t co m prom ise th e
G o v e r n m e n t in its a sp e c t of relig io u s n e u t r a l i t y to w a r d s t h e
n a t i v e s . T h a t a n officer, w ho in t h e ta b le of p re c e d e n c e
r a n k s ab o v e M e m b e rs of C ouncil, sh o u ld use h is position for
f u r t h e r i n g th e s p r e a d of his so-called C h ris tia n ity , is a th i n g
t h a t w as n e v e r c o n te m p la t e d by t h e G o v e r n m e n t t h a t a p p o in t­
ed h im . W h a t th e B ish o p meatus b y a d o p ti n g “ a n y special
m easures a t t h e p r e s e n t ti m e ,” is n o t exactly u n d e rs to o d b u t
m a y be g u e ss e d at. T h a t is, th e B ishop will use his o fficial
p o sitio n w h e n th e p r o p e r tim e comes fo r p u t t i n g p re s su re
upon tho se w ho choose to differ fro m h im . I t w o n ld h ave
b een well if th e B is h o p h a d followed F a t h e r B l a c k ’s advice
“ ev en b efore h e rec eiv ed th e “ O p en le t te r ,” a n d let Colonel
O lcott alone. T h e B ish op , d e te r m i n e d n o t to be accused of
slo th in his c r u s a d e a g a i n s t T h e o so p h y ,ta k e s th e o p p o rtu n ity to
s e n d to t h e In d in n C h u rch m a n a cop y of t h e R e v . Theo-
p h il n s ’ A d d re ss on Theosophy w hich is fu ll of m isstatem en ts.
T h e l a t t e r t h o u g h o rig in a lly t h e y m a y h a v e been a t t r i b u t e d to
m is ta k e s ,h a v e no w beco m e full a n d d elib e ra te f a lsehoods,as we
can prove. B u t as th e Tiishop felt h is h a n d s tied a t t h e p r e s e n t
tim e n o t to be a l t o g e t h e r idle, a n d in o r d e r to e a rn his pay of
Rs. 2,W 0 a m o n t h , he seizes th e occasion to d is se m in a te a
few m ore slanders, w illin g ly a n d d e lib era tely , th is once, since
th e y h a v e b een r e p e a t e d l y o o ntradic ted . O n lo o k in g o v e r
th e A lm a n a c , w e find th e B ishop is p a tr o n o f som e half
a dozen re lig io u s Societies c o n n ected w ith th e co n v ers io n of
th e H e a th e n , a.s t h e y p la y f u lly d u b the p o o r H i n d u s — who,
i t m a y be o b serv e d , f a r p a ra n th esi, h a v e a f a r m ore
o f it m a y h a v e bec om e d u lled as C h r i s t i a n i t y has been
w h e n s u b j e c te d to th e in fluence of th e P r i e s t h o o d ; n e v e r t h e ­
less, free fr o m P r i e s ts a n d books, I q u e s tio n , if t h e t r u t h s
of C h r is ti a n it y w e r e n o t p re ceed ed by th o se o f th e A r y a n
R eligio n. To r e t u r n to o u r tlierae : it is h i g h tim e t h a t this
( i o v e r n m e n t w h ic h professes ab so lu te R e lig io n s n e u t r a li ty
s h o u l d oonfinc “ ow r m i ld a u d h a r m le s s B ish o p 1’ to t h e p e r f o r ­
m a n c e o f his p r o p e r fu n c tio n s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y f o r tiie M adras
M a il th e n a ti v e s do n o t s h a r e its o p in io n s ; f o r th e y consider
 tlia t w h e n a h i g h officer of G o v e r n m e n t is a llo w ed to lend
as to s m o t h e r o u r Society. T h e re fo re , a g a in I a sk , w h o i a
h im self in h is official p o sitio n to t h e i r c o n versio n, he ia
ho t h a t lie sh o u ld a t t e m p t i t so lo n g as th e T h e o s o p h ic a l
in d i r e c t ly s u p p o r te d b y G o v e r n m e n t in h is acts. W e k n o w
b o c ie ty h a s a n u m b e r o f E u r o p e a n a n d E n g lis h m e m b e r s w h o
v e ry w ell in m o d e r n H i s t o r y t h a t m is s io n a rie s a r e p e r f e c t fire­
m a y r e v e r e n c e th e C h r i s t P r i n c i p l e b u t w h o d e sp ise P r ie s t■*
b ra n d s . T h e y h a v e b een c r e d i t e d w ith b e i n g t h e a u t h o r s c r a ft— p a s t a n d p re s e n t.
of one o r tw o b ig w a r s — C h i n a f o r in s ta n c e a n d t h e C a p e ,
besides se v e ra l m i n o r ones. T h e policy of t h e G o v e r n m e n t has
h it h e rt o , fr o m th e tim e of th e C o u r t of D i r e c t o r s u p to no w , A H I N D I H Y M N TO A M A H A T M A .
b een g u i d e d b y w ise n e u tr a li ty . B u t “ o u r m ild a n d in offen­
sive B is h o p ,” b y h is p r e s e n t actio n, is e v i d e n t ly p r e p a r in g , as B r T i i a k u u H u k r i s i n g j i R o o p s in g j i F . T . B.'t
p rop hesied , f o r “ a n E cclesiastical S e d a n . ” M r. G la d s t o n e w ill
h a v e one m o re e x c e l le n t reaso n fo r d is e s t a b l i s h i n g e v en o u r
M ili ta r y B is h o p a n d som e of his C h u r c h m i l i t a n t .
I w a r n t h e B is h o p t h a t if h e does n o t a t o n ce d is c o n n e c t
him self w ith all re l ig i o u s Societies w h a ts o e v e r a n d r e s t r i c t
h im s e lf to h is l e g i t i m a t e sp he re , a p e t i t i o n m a y be p r e p a r e d
a n d s e n t H o m e to t h e S e c r e t a r y of S ta te , a s n o t only T h e o s o ­
p h is ts b u t a n u m b e r of e d u c a te d H i n d u s a r e c o m p l a in i n g of
th e B is h o p ’s in t e r f e r e n c e w ith t h e i r r e lig io u s m a t te r s . A s fo r his
si g n in g h im s e lf “ F . M a d r a s , ” I s h o u l d lik e to k n o w w ho g a v e
h im t h e r i g h t to a s s u m e th is t e r r i t o r i a l title ? I s he B ish o p ^ \ n
of all t h e heathen p o p u la tio n of M a d r a s , o r of w h o m , as I am
u n d e r th e im p re ss io n t h a t suc h t i tl e s b e lo n g only to S p i r it u a l a i r ? qrqr f r ^ arsrsfr,
L o r d s a n d n o t to C olonial B ish o p s ? I t w as on ly tlio o th e r d a y
t h a t th e title of “ L o r d B ish o p ” w a s f o u n d to h a v e c re p t in to th e \3 S3
G o v e r n m e n t G azette ; th is h a s n o w b e en co rre c te d , a n d his p r j -
p e r title th e “ R i g h t R e v e r e n d ” b een i n s e r te d in s te a d . I t is s u r ­ I a r m f t a r c :ic*rrcl,
p ass in g ly s t r a n g e t h a t e v en a “ m ild a n d m o d e s tB is h o p ” s h o u l d
u s u r p a ti tl e t h a t does n o t p r o p e r ly b e lo n g to h i m a n d y e t call tc m - srar. ^ 11
o t h e r p e rs o n s “ p r e t e n d e r s ?” B u t t h e p ri e s th o o d h a d e v e r
b een a n e n c r o a c h i n g o r d e r , g iv e n to p r i d e a n d a rr o g a n c c . ^ T C f r sT ^K .
T h i s is w h a t th e y call h u m ility . W h e t h e r o r n o t h e B ishop
W 3Tfc,
ad o p ts a t a n y f u t u r e tim e a n y sp ec ia l m easttres to c o u n t e r a c t
a n d re p r e s s T h e o so p h y , m a t t e r s l i tt le to th e T h eosop hists, as
th e w o r k of f o r m i n g f r e s h B r a n c h e s go es on m e r r i l y all th e
sam e. A l r e a d y t h e y n u m b e r a g r e a t m a n y in th i s c o u n t r y n o t ­
r*T2fT r ^ ' T - <r*rr. ^ ll
w ith s t a n d i n g F a t h e r B la c k a n d tlie B ish o p , a n d q u it e c o n t r a r y
to th e v e ra c io u s s t a t e m e n t of t h e fo r m e r , w h o r e p o r te d t h a t
ar* ^ ^ q c fr s r jt
T h e o so p h y h a d b een a f a i lu r e in B o m b a y . T h a t m issio n a rie s
sh o u ld b o a s t of th e co n v e rs io n of u n e d u c a t e d n ativ e s h u r t s 3? AT ^ ^ r f r f^ R l c T ,
no t T h eosophy, fo r it is to th e e d u e a t e d onli) t h a t th e l a t t e r
appeals. W e ll m a y Col. O lc o tt bo p r o u d of h is 87 S o cieties
s c a t te r e d o v e r I n d i a besides a n u m b e r of o th e r s in A m e ric ,
C ey lo n a n d E uro p e . f5F T 3 - erqr. y u
I h a d a lm o st o v erlo ok ed t h e P o s t c r i p t in th e In d ia n
C hurchm an a d v e r t i n g to tlie' f a c t t h a t in Col. O lc o tt’s 3 tpt arc,
le t te r “ th e c h a r g e s of libel w e re n o t b r o u g h t a g a i n s t
a n y p e rs o n in p a r t ic u l a r , n o r in t h e c h a r g e s a g a i n s t
officials u s i n g u n d u e influence,” w h icli p r o c u r e d th e G o v e r n ­
m e n t o r d e r w ere a n y na m e s b r o u g h t f o r w a r d , &c. I t m u s t 's r w w ^r^rcrsT sr*%,
be a relief to t h e In d ia n C h u rch m a n to find t h a t n o t o n ly
a specific c h a r g e is m a d e in th e p r e s e n t case, b u t B ish o p G ell’s
n a m e is g iv e n in full. L e t t h e R i g h t R e v e r e n d g e n t l e m a n
re f u te it, if h e c a n ; o r lie is a t li b e rt y to a d o p t t h e R e v e ­
re n d E d i t o r ’s advice in th e M a d ra s T im e s , a n d d is e sta b lis h
T R A N SL A T IO N OF TH E ABOVE.
h im se lf a n d t u r n M issio n ary ; b u t let h i m n o t use th e clo ak
of G o v e r n m e n t a u t h o r i t y a n d th e m e a n s of G o v e r n m e n t p ay, H avo compassion, 0 Guru, on me : I would th e n l'Ci
to counteract, as he p h ra s e s it, T h e o so p h y . L e t th e B ish o p ceive th e h ig h e s t happiness.
u n d e r s t a n d once fo r all, t h a t he is n o t h e r e to p ro m o te w h a t
lie calls C h ris tia n ity , a n d w h a t we call P r i e s t c r a f t , b u t to
A n d m y h e a rt shall n o t elsewhere go.
look a f t e r his M ilitary C h aplain s. Colonel O lc o tt’s l e t t e r is W it h o u t T h y fav ou r u n fortu nate am 1,
called “ i n s o l e n t ” by th e p a p e r s ; w lia t t h e n is to be said of A w a re of this, m e n ta l peace have I none.
th e c o n d u c t of a B ish o p w ho o v ers tep s h is official possitiou
0 G uru h a ste n to save me.
lo a d o p t “ special m e a s u re s ” a g a in s t th e T h e o s o p h is ts p I f he
is a n x io u s fo r th is c ru s a d e , w h y does h e n o t g iv e u p th e p a y 1 worship T hee iu song.
he receives fr o m t h e c o u n t r y a n d like P a u l w o r k w i t h his Thou a r t pu re au d w o rth y of worship.
ow n h a n d s ? F i r m on t h a t wide in d e p e n d e n t p la t f o r m lie W h ith e r shall I go, if n o t to Thee ?
w ou ld, a t all even ts, d e se rv e t h e c r e d i t of h o n e sty f o r his
in te n tio n s ; b u t in his p r e s e n t position to r u n a ti lt a g a i n s t Tho world holds me in its chains, still T h y c o u n te ­
T h eoso ph y, looks n o t as if t h e C h u r c h w a s in d a n g e r , b u t nance
t h a t his pocket w as th r e a te n e d . B y r e c e i v in g t h e p a y of N ig h t a n d day, in th e m ind I m editate npon.
th e S ta te , B ish op G ell h as c le a rly p u t h im s e lf o u t of C o u rt, a n d
u n til lie lias d iv e s te d him self of th is e n c u m b r a n c e , le t h im n o t
T r u t h it is— iny g u a rd ia n Thou a rt.
a t t e m p t to m e d d le w ith T h e o s o p h y 011 a p le a of relig io u s T a k e me b y the h a n d and hap py me shall I deem :
zeal. S u c h is t h e advice a n d w a r n i n g of 0 Rislii Raj, T h y feet I approach
H . R . M., f . t . s. A s a pupil, m y head I bow.
P. S .—A s th e B ish o p h a s g iv e n m o s t d e cide d o p in io n s W ith o u t se e in g Tliee no tra n q u illity c au I enjoy,'
a g a in s t T h e o so p h y a n d in t h e m o s t p u b li c m a n n e r , it r e ­
mains fo r T he osop hists, to c o u n t e r a c t a n y m o v e lie m a y H o w can I soothe iny iniud ?
m a k e a g a in s t th e m . I f o r one a m n o t in c lin e d to s u b m i t H e a r me, Oh, h e a r me, V e n e r a b le R i s h i !
to s u c h t r e a t m e n t a n d re s e n t it a cc o rd in g ly . T h e B ish o p H e a r m e all wliat I, T h y s e rv a n t sing.
m i g h t as w ell a t t e m p t to p u t d o w n t h e A r y a n R elig io n
 E IG H T H A N N IV E R S A R Y O F T H E T H E O S O P H IC A L
SO CIETY .
[O f f ic ia l C ir c u l a r .]
I. T h e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r in C ou ncil a n n o u n c e s t h a t th e
q u e s t io n of fixing a d a te f o r t h e a n n u a l c e le b r a ti o n of th e
S o c ie t y ’s fo u n d a tio n h a v i n g b een s u b m i t t e d to th e B r a n c h e s
in I n d i a a n d Ceylon, a m a j o r i ty h a v e n a m e d th o las t w ee k in
D e c e m b e r as th e m o s t c o n v e n ie n t. H e th e r e f o r e giv es notice
t h a t h en ceforth th e 2 7 th a n d 2 8 th d a y s of D e c e m b e r sh a ll be
d e v o te d to th e said p u rp o s e, a n d t h e f a c t s h a ll be r e g u l a r l y
a d v e rt is e d in eaoli y e a r ’s ed itio n of th o R u le s . S h o u ld a n y
u n fo r e s e e n c o n tin g e n c y p r e v e n t th e ce le b ra tio n in one y e ar,
t h e B r a n c h e s will be tim e ly ad v ised fr o m H e a d - q u a r t e r s .
I I . T h e p ro ceed in g s a t each A n n i v e r s a r y s h a ll be as
follow :—
('<!)•— U p o n a r r i v a l each D e le g a te sh a ll r e g i s t e r his n a m e , a n d
rc c e iv c a tick et to secu re h im a s e a t w ith in t h e space
a l l o t t e d to D elegates, u p o n t h e p la tfo rm , o r elsew here,
i n t h e place o r places w h e re t h e m e e tin g s , p u b lic a n d
p r i v a t e , a r e to ta k e place.
( b) . — T h e P re s id e n t- F o u n d e r s h a ll efceupy th e C h a i r a n d
o pen th e m eeting , e x cep t w h e n h e m a y d e p u te som e
o t h e r p erson as a s u b s tit u te ; th e S e c r e t a r y ’s n4id T r e a ­
s u r e r 's A n n u a l R e p o r ts shall t h e n be r e a d , a n d o th e r
i m p o r t a n t d o c u m e n ts t h a t m a y h a v e b een received.
(r ).— T h e r e s t of th e d a y shall be d e v o te d to t h e t r a n s a c t io n
of th e Society’s b usiness, in c l u d in g a d d re s s e s b y select­
ed D eleg ates fr o m th e v a r i o u s c o u n tr ie s , p ro v in ces,
<tc., re p r e se n te d in t h e C o n v e n tio n , O n t h e second
d ay, a n d su c c e e d in g on es— if t h e m e e t in g be p r o ­
lo n g e d — u n fin ish ed b u sin e ss sh all be a t t e n d e d to, a n d
t h e A n n iv e r s a r y p ro c e e d in g s s h a ll a lw a y s te r m i n a te
w ith a p u b lic m e e tin g , a t w h ic h s h a l l be d e liv e re d th e
a n n u a l a d d re s s of th e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r . E a c h e v e n ­
i n g t h e r e s h a ll be a m e e t i n g of t h e G e n e r a l C o un cil
f o r th e re v isio n of th e R I , in s tr u c t io n in a n d d is­
u o r
cussion of T h eo so ph ica l s u b jec ts, Ac. B y g e n e ra l
con sen t, t h e p r e s e n t a n n i v e r s a r y will be c o n ti n u e d
lo n g e r th a n th e tw o d a y s specified e n d i n g p r o p a b ly
on D e c e m b e r 31.
I I I . To p r e v e n t w aste of tim e a n d u n f a i r adv.Vntage to
a n y one B r a n c h o r D e le g a te , it >s r e q u i r e d t h a t a ll addresses
rha.ll be in w r itin g , and in no case re q u ire m ore th a n f i f t e e n
m i n u t e s fo r d elivery, A n d , t h a t th e o r d e r of busin ess m a y
be s y s tem atic ally a r r a n g e d , on e m o n t h ’s p re v io u s n o t i e o m u s t
be g iv e n of a n y a d d re s s i n t e n d e d f o r delivery, A like notice
will b e h e n c e fo r th r e q u i r e d — as in P a r l i a m e n t a r y p ra c tic e —
of pro posed i m p o r t a n t a m e n d m e n t s to t h e R u le s, o r p la n s
for a u g m e n t i n g th e u sefuln ess of t h e S o ciety, im p ro v e m e n ts
in th e m a n a g e m e n t of B ra n c h e s , t h e ereatio*i of a p e r m a n e n t
M a in te n a n c e F u n d , in c r e a se of p u b lic a tio n s , ,s election a n d
s u p p o r t of lec turers, &e., &c. A s th i s C irc u la r h a s b een
is sn ed late, th e tim e by w h ic h th es e p a p e r s s h o u l d r e a c h
H e a d - q u a r t e r s , is e x te n d e d o nly th is ye a r to t h e 9 th of
D e c e m b e r. Tlie Socicty lias n o w be com e so la r g e t h a t un less
th is m e th o d ic a l sy stem be a d o p te d a n d s tr ic tly enforced, it
w ill b e im possible to g e t t h r o u g h th e w o r k w ith i n a n y
re a s o n a b le tim e. J u d g i n g fr o m p r e s e n t in d icatio n s, t h e r e
is som e rea so n to believe t h a t n e a rly o r q u it e on e h u n d r e d
D eleg ates will a tt e n d th is y ea r.
I V . T h e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r iritends to s u b m i t to t h e C o n ­
ven tio n fo r ad vice his proposal f o r th e f o r m a ti o n of “ Tiro
A r y a n L e a g u e of H o n o u r , ” to co n sist of school-boys a n d
u n d e r g r a d u a t e s , b e tw e e n th e ag es of 1 0 o r 1 2 a n d 2 1 , a n d to
be g o v e r n e d by officers ch osen fr o m a m o n g them selv es. T h e
o b ject b e in g to fo s ter in t h e y o u t h of I n d i a loy alty, love
for t r u t h a n d especially a n c e stra l v ir tu e s, a n d fo r th e A r y a n
Sciences a n d P h ilo so p h ies. T h e full sc h e m e w ill bo laid
b efore th e D elegates a n d t h e P u b li c in t h e P r e s id e n ti a l
a d d re s s. M e a n w h ile , e v e r y B r a n c h is r e q u e s te d to f o r w a r d
opinions a u d su g g e s tio n s u p o n t h e sch em e, so as to r e a c h
th e H e a d q u a r t e r s n o t l a t e r t h a n t h e 9 t h of D e c e m b e r,
V . M r. T. S u b b a R ow , B. a ., b . l ., S e c r e t a r y to th e M a d ­
r a s T heosophical Society, h a d s u g g e s te d t h a t b e g i n n i n g w ith
n e x t y e a r th e occasion of th e p u b lic c e le b ra tio n of t h e A n n i­
v e r s a r y sh o u ld be t a k e n a d v a n t a g e of, to g iv e it, a m o n g
o t h e r th i n g s , th e f e a t u re of a Scicntific C o n g ress . E a c h
B r a n c h to select a t th i s y e a r ’s m e e t in g a p a r t i c u l a r su b je c t
fo r in v e s tig a tio n d u r i n g t h e e n s u i n g y e a r , a n d la y b efore th e
n e x t C o n v e n tio n , in t h e fo rm of a n E ssa y , t h r o u g h its D e le ­
g a te , th e r e s u lts of its w o r k fo r one y e a r in t h a t p a r t i c u l a r
b r a n c h of S cien ce, I f th e sch em e be a p p ro v e d , th e B ra n c h e s
a r e r e q u e s te d to se n d in t h e i r opinio n s a n d ad v ic e fo r its per-
ie c tio n b y th e 9 t h of D e c e m b e r.
/ n ,c ? ? c lu s !o n ’ som e r e m a r k s as to th e a cco m m oda tion
a n d food o f D e le g a te s a r e n ecess ary . T h e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d -
c r r e g i e t s h is ab sen ce in tlie N o r t h p r e v e n t s his c o m p le tin g
th e a r r a n g e m e n t s in tim e to be em b o d ie d in th is C ir c u l a r
H e h as, h o w e v e r, o rd e r s to r e a c h th e H e a d - q u a r t e r s by
t h e 7 th of D e c e m b e r fo r t h a t pu rp ose, a n d h e hopes to
h a v e all r e a d y b y th e tim e t h e D e leg ate s a r r i v e in M a d r a s .
V i l . A ll official c o rr e s p o n d e n c e r e l a t i n g to t h e A n n i ­
v e r s a r y m u s t be i n v a r ia b l y a d d re s s e d to th e “ R e c o r d in g
o c c r e t a r y , T h eo so p h ic a l S ociety, A d y a r , M a d r a s ”— w ithout
a n y in d iv id u a l nam e.
■ B y O rd e r,
D a j k v a r K . M avalankar,
. J o in t R ecording S e creta ry.
C a m t o f tith P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r ^
O F T I I E TlinoSOPHICAL S O C I E T T , '
L aiiork : |
1 9 th N ovem ber 1883. J
[ W e p u b li s h belo w C olonel O lc o tt’s artic le in a n s w e r to
“ M. A . (O x o n ’s ) ” c ritic ism s of o u r M a h a t m a , in L ig h t. W h e ­
t h e r th is l e t t e r a p p e a rs o r n o t in th e said L o n d o n W eek ly ,
i t is b u t f a i r t h a t o u r H i n d u T h e o so p h is ts s h o u l d h a v e it
r e p r i n t e d f o r t h e i r ben efit.— E d .] .
A D E P T S A N D M E D IU M S .
T o t h e E d it o r o f “ L i g i i t .”
S i r ,— I f t h e r e is a m a n w h o m I lik e to call frie n d , an d
w h o m I h a v e so r e g a r d e d fo r y e a rs , it is “ M . A. (O x o n ) .”
B u t still I m u s t sa y w h a t is to be said as t h o u g h o n r f r ie n d ­
sh ip d id n o t exist. I n his “ N o te s ” in y o u r issue o f 8 th
S e p t e m b e r h e p e r m it s h im s e lf c e rt a in ex p res sio n s a b o u t th e
M a h a t m a K . H . — sn e ers a n d in n u e n d o e s m o r e n a t u r a l to a
S a tu r d a y w r i t e r t h a n to so p ra c t is e d a m e d i u m a n d S p ir i­
tu a l i s t as him self. S u r e l y m y fr ie n d fo rg e ts h im se lf a n d
th e rco o rd of th e S p ir it u a li s ti c m o v e m e n t, w h e n he finds in
t h e a p p e a r a n c e of a fe w u n q u o te d a n d u n i m p o r t a n t s e n ­
ten ces fro m M r. K i d d l e in th e “ O c c u lt W o r l d ” a n y w a r r a n t
f o r such je a lo u s n a g g i n g . H a s he lost s i g h t of th e sev eral i n ­
s ta n c e s of s i m i la r r e - a p p ro p ri a ti o n of id eas w ith o u t c r e d i t in
m e d iu m is tie li te r a tu r e , w h e n th e bond fid e s Of th e seribo
w a s u n d o u b t e d ? A m I w r o n g in th e recollection t h a t the
p r i n t i n g of M r. D ug ue id \s7 /a/« i!, P rin c e o f P e rsia , a n “ in s p ir a ­
ti o n a l” w o rk w r it te n u n d e r tes t c onditions, as a l l e g e d , h a d to be
stop ped , b ecause a v e r y e x te n d e d p la g i a r i s m w a s discovered
a n d th e p u b li s h e rs of th e w o r k affected su e d fo r i n f r i n g e ­
m e n t of c o p y r i g h t F A n d t h a t n o n e w e re so s u r p r is e d a t tho
p l a g i a r i s m as t h e w itn esses to M r. D u g u c i d ’s litera ry la b o u r ?
H o w m a n y s u c h e x a m p l e s of th is d u p le x — even c o in c id e n t—•
w r i t i n g m i g h t be d is co v ere d in l i te r a tu r e p e r h a p s t h e E n c y ­
c lo p e d i c b o o k w o rm s of L o n d o n m ay tell i j s . O u ts i d e r s
i g n o r a n t of t h e v e ry r u d i m e n t s of sp iritu a l p h e n o m e n a a n d
p h iloso ph y, m a y be ex ercised for s e e k in g in c r a f t a n d d is­
h o n e s ty th e sole e x p la n a tio n of su c h facts : b u t wc w hoso
stu d ie s a r c o f th i n g s n o u in e n a l h a v e so m a n y u n e x p la in e d
m y s te rie s, t h a t it seem s in w re tc h e d ta s te to a d o p t the to ne
of tho c h c a p -ja c k s of t h e W e e k l y p re s s w h e n a q u e stio n of
th is s o r t is to be dis cussed. I f “ M . A. ( O x o n ) ” t h i n k s it so
v e ry f u n n y t h a t a v e r y sm a ll p a tc h fr o m M i1. K i d d l e ’s robe
s h o u l d h a v e b een st it c h e d in to th e g a r m e n t of K . H , ’s t h o u g h t ,
I c a n ,— since h e b elieves m y w o r d — g iv e h im a m u c h
t o u g h e r n u t to c ra c k . I n th e l a s t n u m b e r of th e N in e te e n th
C e n tu ry , in th o v e ry t h o u g h t f u l a rtic le “ A f t e r D e a t h , ” o ccu rs
a p assag e of a b o u t a dozen lines, w h ic h is w o rd f o r w o rd
id e n tic a l w ith w h a t w a s w r i t t e n by th is sam e K o o t H o o m i
tw o yeai*s ag o in a p r i v a t e l e t te r to m yself. Y e t no t h i r d
p a r t y h a s seen th e le tte r , n o r h a v e I copied o r p l i n t e d th e
p assag e in q u e s tio n . A g a in , w h e n t h e r e p o r t of o ne of Mrs.
H a r d i n g c B r i t t e n ’s A m e r i c a n le c tu re s a p p e a r e d i n — if I
m is ta k e n o t— th e S p ir itu a l S c ie n tist, M a d a m e B la v a t s k y fo u n d
in it a p a s s a g e v e rb a tim , fro m th e as y e t u n p u b li s h e d Is is '
U nveiled, w h ic h Mrs. B r i t t e n h a d n o t seen. A n d t h e M. S. S.
w ere a c tu a lly a lt e r e d so as to avo id i h e a p p e a r a n c e of p l a ­
g ia r is m . I do n o t u n d e r t a k e to e x p la in t h e K id d le m y s te ry
a t all, n o r do I t h i n k it of m u c h c o n sequ ence. I t is h ig h ly
a b s u r d to t h i n k t h a t a m i n d c a p a b le of r e d u c i n g to e x p re s­
sion in a f o r e ig n t o n g u e so Ipfty a sch em e of e v o lu tio n
 as t h a t in E so teric B u d d h ism , w o u l d b e d r i y e n to fisli for
ideas in M r. K i d d l e ’s jo u r n a l. W h e n m y f r i e n d of L o n d o n
h as e x p la in e d a w a y th e m y s t e r y of his ow n m e d i u m s h ip , it
will be in o r d e r fo r h im to t h r o w sto n e s in to his n e i g h b o u r ’s
g a rd e n . T h e E a s t e r n P h il o s o p h y te a c h e s u s t h a t n a t u r e
c a rrie s h e r econ om ical system e v e n into t h e s p h e r e of Id eas,
a n d t h a t n o t on ly is no a to m of m a t t e r lo st b u t also n o t
even a t h o u g h t . A s the E t h e r is t h e m a t r i x of visible
n a t u r e a n d its p h e n o m e n a , so, th e A s ia t ic says, I d e a s s u r v iv e
in th e A k a sa ( t h e i r w o r d fo r o u r W e s t e r n E t h e r ) , a n d a re
carried fr o m m i n d to m in d t h r o u g h o u t t h e ages. You will
lind in o u r F o lk l o r e ev en com m o n p r o v e r b s w h ic h em b o d y
this t h o u g h t ; a n d m o s t a s s u re d ly i t b e to k e n s u n r i p e n e s s of
ex perience in p s y c h o l o g y to raise t h e h u e a n d c ry a t a n y
seem in g “ p l a g i a r i s m . ” “ M. A . ( O x o n ) ” is a c le r g y m a n :
suppose h e sn e e rs f o r a w h ile a t th e i d e n t i t y of 2 K in g s
xx. a n d Is sia h . x x x v iii in la n g u a g e a n d id ea s ! W a s
th i s also a case of p la g ia ris m o r of d u p l e x in s p ir a t io n ?
H o w e v e r , le t all t h i s pass as fit o n ly f o r c h il d re n , a n d
scientists of a c e r t a in ty p e w h o g r i n a t t h e i r “ s o u l” t h r o u g h
th e h o rs e -c o lla r of m a t t e r . T h e s u g g e s tio n t h a t M r.
R h y s -D a v id s o r a n y one else in t h e W e s t k n o w s m o re
a b o u t B u d d h i s m t h a n th e m o s t l e a r n e d liv in g B u d d h i s t
p h ilo s o p h e r is to t h e la s t d e g r e e a b s u r d , b u t still o n ly one
m o re m a n i fe s t a ti o n of t h e v a n i t y w liic h h a s m a d e a c o n ­
sp irac y of o u r s a v a n ts to p u t d o w n t h e A sia tic p a n d i t a n d
B h i k k u as p erso n s of no a c c o u n t, so to say. W h e n o ne sees
Prof. W e b e r f a n c y i n g h e c a n c r u s h o u t I n d i a n a n t i q u i t y
by s i tt in g u p o n its l i t e r a r y r e m a in s , lik e t h e p it y i n g she-
e le p h a n t u p o n t h e d e s e r te d b ro o d o f y o u n g p a r t r id g e s , a n d
th e S a n s c r i t c h a ir s of I n d i a n Colleges filled, n o t b y n a ti v e
b u t, by E u r o p e a n professors, w h o h a v e it n o t in t h e i r blood
to c o m p r e h e n d t h e e soteric ism of I n d i a — w h a t w o n d e r t h a t
B u d d h is ts sh o u ld be c alled w ith i n t h e e n c h a n t e d circle of
B ow -B ells to h o a r th e t r u t h a b o u t t h e i r a n c e s t r a l philoso­
p h y ! E v e n I, y o u r h u m b l e o o r r c s p o n d e n t, w h o a m a t h o u ­
sand le a g u e s a w a y fr o m b e in g a n A d e p t , claim to k n o w
s o m e th in g a b o u t B u d d h i s m in s p i r i t a n d l e t t e r — ns i h e
H i g h P r i e s t H i k k a d u m e S u m a n g a l a ’s certificate to m y B u d ­
d h ist C atechism also proves. I a m j u s t t o d a y s t a r t i n g on a
jou rn ey to U p p e r I n d i a a n d K a s h m i r , w h e r e I s h a ll see K o o t
H o om i a n d o n e o r m o re of h is T ib e t a n c h e la s ( p u p ils : ) — a n d ,
by t h e w a y , m a n y of th e K . H . le tte rs a r e w r i t t e n by th e m
as his s e c retaries, h e m e r e ly g i v i n g t h e g e n e r a l ideas, a n d
they e l a b o r a ti n g th e m , a n d even “ p r e c i p i t a t i n g ” th e m in
p ro p er h a n d w r i t i n g . T h e e x a m p le of t h e p re c ip ita tio n of
the p o r t r a i t of th e F a k i r b y M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y a t N e w
Y o r k w ill i l l u s t r a t e t h i s seientifico-psycliic p h e n o m e n o n .
I shall be t e m p te d to ask h im to h a v e a g l a n c e a t w h a t “ M.
A. ( O x o n ) ” t h i n k s so v e r y a m u s i n g a ‘ s k i t ’ a t h im .
I a m , S ir,
A dyar, ) ( S i g n e d ) H . S. O l c o t t ,
27th S ep tem b er 1883. / F re sid e n t, T h eo so p h ica l S o c ie ty.
T H E C E N T R A L A SSO C IA T IO N O F S P IR IT U A L IS T S .
[ W e are requested by M r. W . T. B ro w n , F . T. S ., to p u b ­
lish th e fo llo w in g correspo nd ence.— Ed.']
C uuR cn E n d , F in c h l e y , N .
10/A October 1883.
W . T. B row n, E sq ., B , L.
D ear S i r ,—
I h a v e th e p leas u re to i n f o r m y o u t h a t a t a
"r m e e tin g o f o u r Council y e s t e r d a y evening, w h e n y o u r le t te r s
of A u g u s t 1 Gth a n d 1 8 th las t w ere read, y ou w ere t r a n s f e r r e d
from th e li s t of s u b s c r ib i n g m e m b e rs to th e class of H o n .
C o rre spo nd ing m e m b e rs h i p . I t was t h o u g h t t h a t d n r i u g
your sojon rn in I n d i a yo u m ny have o p p o r t u n i t y fo r c o n tr i­
b u tin g v alu a b le in f o rm a tio n , an d I t r n s t y o u will e n d e a v o u r
to co m m un icate to th e A ssociation an y in c id e n t whicU are
likely- to p ro v e o f i n t e r e s t to y o u r fellow m e m b e rs, am)
co nd uce to a moro t h o r o u g h u n d e r s t a n d i n g of th e law s and
princ iple s involved in o u r psychological s tu d ie s . W i t h k ind
reg ard s an d best w ishes fo r y o u r w elfare.
I am,
D e a r Sir,
Yours fa ith fu lly ,
T homas B la y ton ,
, . . H o n . S u e . P ro -te m ,
M o r a d a b a i ), I n d ia , N . W . P .
10/A N ovem ber 1883.
T homas B lyton, E sq .,
H o n . S ccy , C e n tra l A sso cia tio n o f S p ir itu a lis ts ,
London.
D ear Srrt,
Y o u r fa v o u r of tho 10 th u ltim o h a s been fo r w a rd e d to m o
h e re .
T h e k i n d feelin g e x te n d e d to w a r d s me m akes it n e c e ss a ry
to define m y positiou, in o r d e r t h a t th e r e m ay bp no e q u iv o ­
catio n.
I a m a F ello w of th e T heo so ph ical Society and a s t u d e n t of
O ccu ltism , a n d in t h e l a t t e r c a p acity h ave views very differe nt
fro m th ose of S p i r i t u a l i s t s in re g a rd to so called “ S p ir it s .’'
T h e g r o u n d of a g r e e m e n t b e tw e e n us m u s t th erefo re be t h a t
of m u t u a l h o n e s t y of p u rp o s e in th e search fo r t r u t h .
P lease convoy to y o u r Council m y d u e ap p re c ia tio n o f th a
h o n o r c o n fe rre d u p o n me, w hilo I r e m a in , D ear Sir,
Y o u r s faithfully,
W . T. B r o w n , b . l ., f . t . s .
M b . W . U . H A R R IS O N ’S D E L U S IO N S .
I n the M edium and D a jb rc a k, October 5th, 1883, under the heading
of the “ Himalayan Brothers,'' M r, W . H. Harrison, Author of “ Spirits
before onr E y e s,” has written an article tliat is manifestly unfair, so far
as its reasoning powers go, and is so wanting in knowledgo of Madamo
Blavatsky, (Jol. Olcott and tho B r o t h e r s , that it only seems right that
such an article should not be allowed to go forth unchallenged.
H e com m en ces b y sa y in g “ thoso w ho had given laborious s tu d y
“ f o r y e a rs fcp th e M edial P h e n o m e n a , in th e e n d e a v o u r to diso o v er
“ th e ir so u rce, n e c e ssa rily fo u n d it w ith in th e ir p rovinco to ex a m in e
“ th e s e new c la im s .” N ow w h at I com p lain of in M r. H arrisA n is, n o t
t h a t he ex am in ed th o se new claimB,— b u t th a t he proceeded to p ro n o u n co
npon th e m . H ad ho r e s tric te d h im self to tho form or, no one could h a v o
o b je e to d ; b n t w hen he, a m e re in q u ire r in to O ccult Seieueo, p o ssessin g
no previous know ledgo o r tr a in in g , ta k e s npon h im self to d e liv e r a
v e rd ic t of ‘ n o t p ro v en ,’ ho o v e rste p s th e b o u n d aries of w h a t is f a ir a n d
o n ly show s h im se lf to be a superficial e x a m in e r a t best.
H a d M r. H a rris o n re a d in th e “ O ccu lt W o rld ,” th e co m m u n icatio n s
of M ah atm a K oot H oom i a little m ore c a re fu lly , he m ig h t h a v e seen a t
p ag e 100 (2nd e d itio n ), “ th a t O c c u lt S cience h as its own m eth o d s o£
re se a rc h a s fixed an d a r b itra r y as th o m eth o d s of its a n tith e s is , p h y sic al
science, a r e in t h e ir w ay.” N ow I w onld a s k w h a t q u alific atio n s
h a s Mr. H a rriso n b ro u g h t to enablo him to decide on th e p ow ers o f
th o B ro th e rs, M adam e lila v a ts k y an d Col. O lco tt ? I t a p p e a r s
th a t for som e y e a rs h e w as occupied in p ro b in g S p iritu a lis m a n d ia
te s tin g M edium s, a n d th a t he th u s co n sid ers th a t th e n u m ero u s in q u i­
rie s and to sts in s titu te d q u a lify him also to pronounce ex cathedra o n
th o above p erso n s’ q u alific atio n s. H ad ho e v e r been in In d ia a n d se en
th o w onders p e rfo rm e d by ju g g le rs, in th e cpen air, w ith o u t d a rk ro o m s,
sealin g of ta p e s a n d tho h u n d re d a n d ono w ays of te s tin g M ediu m s, h o
m ig h t havo a s c e rta in e d t h a t th e ro a re som e se cre ts w hich he h ad y e t to
le a rn , anil th a t h is moflo of ex am in atio n could n o t q u a lify h im to p ro ­
no u n ce npon oven th e sim p le s t w o n d er p erfo rm ed by a poor n ak ed n a tiv a
ju g g le r. T hese se c re ts h a v e b een m o stly acq u ired by se v e re s tu d y ,
an d th o 1m odus operandV h a s b een h an d ed d ow n fo r th o u sa n d s of y e a r s .
A ud if th ese p o o r m in o r s tu d e n ts of O ccu lt K now ledge h ave ach iev ed s a
m uch, w h a t m u st th o le a d e rs in tho sam e science have accom plished ? D oes
M r. lla r ris u n suppoeo fo r a m o m en t t h a t th e s e m edium s of y e s te rd a y
are to be co m pared to th o se O ccu lt stu d e n ts w ho a re th e r e c ip ie n ts
of a w isdom th o u sa n d s of y e a rs old, a n d th o re s u lt of w hich is th e m a s te ry
of N a tu re ’s se c re ts ? T h a t som e w o n d erfu l th in g s h a v e been done in t h a
niance room , fow w ho know a n y th in g of th e s u b je c t w ill d en y , b u t
th a t sim ply proves, t h a t th e p ow ers w o rk in g in th e stance room p o ssess
som o of th o se c re ts of n a tn re . M a h atm a K oot H oom i’s sa y in g (p a g a
144, 2nd Ed): th a t th e W e ste rn m in d w as, as a ru le, incapable of a p p re c ia t­
ing O ccult S cicnce is c learly verified by M r. H arriso n , w ho ig n o res s tu d y ,
tho p e c u lia r m odes of life an d th e g u id in g h a n d of th e A d ep t. In d e e d
one can h ard ly conceivo him to bo a n y th in g b n t a sc e p tic w ho h a s
n e v e r fa irly in q u ire d . L e t us exam ine a few of th e so-called fa c ts
th a t ho ad v an ce s in su p p o rt of his v e rd ic t. “ l« t, M adam e B lav atsk y is
“ a s tro n g s p iritu a l M edium ; 2nd, th a t sho could n o t co n tro l th e m a n i-
“ fo statio n s ; 3rd , t h a t M r. S in n e tt’s c o n clu sio n s w ere m ostly erro rs,
“ d u e to ab sen ce of a n te c e d e n t know ledge, an d experience of m ed iu m s
‘‘ an d p h y sic al p h e n o m e n a ; and 4-th, th a t he, a s a novice, b e lie v e d
“ an d p rin te d w liat tho c o m m u n ic a tin g in tellig en ces said of th e m se lv e s.1'
N ow to opposo to a ll th is I h a v e th e follow ing facts.
On th e ono hand fo r o v er five y e a rs I havo had p erso n al k n o w ­
led g e a n d ex p erien ce of M edium s a n d physical phen o m en a. A
largo L ib ra ry of S p iritu a l w o rk s is on m y shclveB,—an d th e stu d y of
S p iritu a lis m w as a t one tim o m y spocial occupation. M oreover I
know m uch m oro th a n m o st peoplo about m edium ship—b ecan se m y
m ed iu m s w cro n o t open to tric k e ry , busing am ong m y ow n c h ild re n ,
and th u s m y know ledge w as n o t acquired by h a u n tin g stance room s,
b u t by unim peacliablo te s tim o n y in m y own fa m ily . On th e other
h a n d m y k n o w led g e of M adam e B lavatslcy’s pow ers w as a c q u ir e d
in th e sum o w ay, n a m e ly , in m y Own hooso, w h ere sho rem ain ed fo r
o v er tw o m o n th s. M y m esm e ric a c q u a in ta n c e w ith Col. O lcott, wafi
d eriv ed in tho sam e w ay, an d w h n t I know of th e B ro th e rs is fro m
p erso n a l experience, n o t fro m h e a rsa y . F irs t, I know fo r a fa c t t h a t
M adam e B la v a ts k y can p ro d u ce ra p s w h en alio likes, also th e A s tra l
bells ; th a t h e r com m unication w ith th o B ro th e rs d ep en d s m ore on h e r
tra in e d m a g n e tism (n o t m ed iu m sh ip ) th a n on a n y th in g elso ; th a t s h a
ia a v e g e ta ria u ; Miat sho h a s a w o n d e rfu l know ledge of th e O ccu lt
S cien ces, b a t th a t h e r p rin cip al w o rk s a r e p erfo rm ed by th e pow er M r. S in n e tt, its ’p re c ip ita tio n fro m th e original d ic ta tio n to th e chela.
of th e B ro th e rs ; th a t h e r life h a s a lw a y s b een a p u re one, all vile W o u ld o u r g r e a t M aster b u t p e rm it us, h is h u m b le follow ers, to p h o to ­
c a lu m n ie s to th e c o n tra ry n o tw ith s ta n d in g ; tlia t sh e 1ms devoted g ra p h an d p u b lish in th e Theosophist th e scrap* show n to us, scraps*
h e rs e lf to th e can sc w liich th e B ro th e rs are co n cern ed about. in w hich w hole se n ten ces, p a re n th e tic a l, and q u o tatio n m a rk s are
H e n c e it is n o t su rp risin g th a t sh e shonld be ab le to p erfo rm wonder* d e fa c e d an d o b lite ra te d , a n d c o n s e q u e n tly o m itted in th o c h ela's
f n l fe a ts, w hich c e rta in ly n o m cdinm t h a t 1 e v e r h e a rd o r read of clum py tr a n s c r ip tio n — tho p u b lic w ould be tr e a te d to a ra re sig h t,
cpuld p erfo rm , and if h e r m a g n e tism m ny fail h e r som etim es, th ro u g h s o m e th in g e n tir e ly u n k n o w n to m o d ern sc ie n c e —n am ely , an akasic
ill h e a lth , th is does n o t p ro v e t h a t sh e h as n o t th e p h o n o m en a im p re ssio n a s good a s a p h o to g ra p h o f m e n ta lly expressed thought*
n n d e r control. T h a t M r. H a rriso n “ h a s h eld all along th a t h e r d icta ted fr o m a distance. M oreover t h e w orld of sc ep tics an d scoffers
p ow ers are b a t tlie usual Jo h n an d K a tie K in g ” w hoever th ey m ay be, w ould bo show n w h e th e r m en possessed o f such w o n d erfu l know lodgo
p ro v es nothing, for he 1ms n e v e r seen h e r n o r in v e s tig a te d h e r p o w e r s ; h a v e a n y occasion to re s o rt to p la g ia rism fro m u n k n o w n an d v e ry in .
n o r do 06 h e know th e B ro th e rs w ith w hom sh e com m nnicates, d iffe re n t le c tu re rs . I t se em s in c re d ib le t h a t M r. H a rris o n could w rite
nn d fo r whom she h a s g iv e n up e v e ry th in g an d com 9 to In d ia . h is flip p a n t a c c u s a tio n s ! A s fo r M r.K iddle, it is to be hopod he read s tho
W b a t w as done in A m e ric a h as no co n n ectio n w ith w h a t she does hero Theoftophist, a n d m ay see th e s e Lines, w h en p e rh a p s he w ill find it was
w ith th e aid of th e B ro th e rs. T h at M adam e B. should h ave in v e s tig a t­ h is g u id in g s p irit th a t in d u ced him to palm oft on his audien ce iu-
ed th e m a te ria lisa tio n of th e E d d y B ro th e rs su re ly c a n n o t be c o n ­ in d iffe re n tly c o n s tru c te d se n te n c e s of P la to ’s ideas, for h is ow n. I t
s t roo d in to h e r b ein g a sp iritu a list, an d b e lie v in g all th a t h as b een a d . a p p e a rs M r. S in n e tt (so w rite s M r. H arriso n ) could n o t a c c o u n t for tho
v an c e d re g a rd in g S p irits. I f Air. H a rris o n h ad re a d “ I s is U n v eiled ” p la g ia rism ex c e p t by sup p o sin g th a t th e H im a la y a n B ro th e rs w rote
c a re fu lly a n d im p a rtia lly , ho n ev er could hnve s ta te d t h a t J o h n K ing th u s to to s t th e f a ith of th e ir fo llo w ers.” T h is re a d s v e ry lik e a
‘•w as a r e g u la r a tte n d a n t of k o r’s ;” for I r a th e r th in k (in Col. O.’s book g r a tu ito u s su p p o sitio n on tho p a r t of M r. S in n e tt, and I leav e h im self
“ P e o p le fro m th e o th c rW o rld ” ) i t is sta te d th a t M adam e B .------ on one to a n s w e r. M r. II. seem s a t one tim e to h a v e h eld th is th eo ry
o ccasio n ordered Jo h n K in g to p re p a re a c e r ta in m a te ria lisa tio n . N ot re g a rd in g p h y sical m edium s, b u t had to g iv e it up. I t is to be hoped th a t
h a v in g th o book by me, I can n o t q u o te c h a p te r an d v e rse , b u t m y im ­ h is m in d is now s e t a t r e s t on th is head, an d th a t th e re p u ta tio n of th o
p re ss io n is very stro n g , th a t th e fa c t w as as above s ta te d * So th o r e ­ B ro th e rs h as b e e n too tr iu m p h a n tly e s ta b lis h e d to rn n th e
g u la r a tte n d a n t S p irit” vanish in to th in air, an d th e a u th o rity for r is k o f b ein g n p se t by his c r itic is m . T ru ly m ay M a h atm a K. 11.
th is u n fo u n d e d a s se rtio n is sim p ly t h a t of M r. H a rriso n . “ Jo h n K in g ” w rite (page 1 ii,O c c u lt W orld) “ S uch is u n fo rtu n a te ly th e in h erite d and
i s a g en eric nam e, as sho o ften to ld h e r frie n d s, an d no one oxcopt hcr- ** se lf ac q u ire d g ro ssn c ss of th e W estern m ind, a n d so g re a tly h av e tho
t e l f an d th e Colonel know w h a t is th e e n tity h id in g u n d e r th is name* “ v ery p h ra se s e x p ressiv e of m odern th o u g h t been dev elo p ed in th e lin e of
A g ain it is sta te d th a t a t tho E d d y stances se v era l of th o m a n ife sta tio n s v p ra c tic a l m a te ria lism , t h a t it is now n e x t to im p o ssib le e ith e r for
w e re d n e to Madame B------ . T h is s u re ly is a double-edged s ta te m e n t. “ th e m to c o m p reh en d o r fo r ns to ex p ress in th e ir ow n la n g u a g e s any-
F o r , in such case, i t re m a in s to be s e ttle d w h e th e r th e s e m a n ife sta tio n s “ th in g of th a t d elicate, se em in g ly ideal m achinery of th e O ccult
to o k place in d ep e n d e n tly of h e r w ill a n d w ish, or th a t th e y w ero p ro ­ “ K osm os.” T h ese w ords a p p ly m o st esp ecially toM r. H a rris o n ’s re m a rk
d u c e d a t h e r com m and— th o la tt e r b ein g a c le a r c ase of O ccultism . — b u t original d o c u m e n t from a h ig h e r sp h e re do n o t receiv e tho re s.
O n ly as com ing from M r. H a rris o n , th o a sse rtio n h as v e ry littlo p e c t one would d e si:e .
fo u n d atio n , since it is d irectly c o n tra d io te d b y th a t o th e r sta te m e n t
Mr. S in n c tt’s w o rk on Esoteric B u d d h ism d istin c tly p o in ts o u t th a t the
o f Colonel O lcott, w ho s ta te s v e ry d is tin c tly t h a t se v era l h u n d red
tim e h a d com o fo r im p a r tin g som e know ledge of th e f u tu re to th o se
m an ifestatio n s w ere p ro d u c e d w hen M adam e B------ w as n o t p re s e n t. I
w hose m in d s w ere re c e p tiv e b u t h is book is too s tr o n g fo r th e m u ltitu d e
ca n give an in sta n c e of a m arv el m yself, an d shall do so a t tb e en d of
a m o n g st w hom w e m ay n n m b e r Mr. H a rris o n . I f M oses “ h ad k e p t
th is p ap er, sh o w in g w h a t th e B ro th e rs arc c a p a b le of doing. As n e ith e r
th e te x t of tho “ te n co m m an d m en ts to h im se lf” — tho w orld would
Colonel O lco tt n o r M adam e B------w as p re se n t, som e o th e r h y p o th esis
n o t h ave lo st m nch. T he cap tio n s m a n n e r of d e sc rib in g “ som e of tho
th a n th eir m ed iu m sh ip m u s t be had rc c o n rse to , in o rd e r to ex p lain th e
th in g s reco rd ed a s o c c u rrin g in th e presen c e of M adam e B .------ as testified
phen o m en o n . M r. H a rriso n q u o te s fro m C olonel O le o tt's book, w ho a t
by se e in g m ed iu m s,” is a n o th e r proof of th e w rite r’s u n fa irn e ss, fo r how
t h a t tim e w as n o t a T h eo so p h ist, b u t w ho w ould now r e p e a t w h a t he
a b o u t th o se w onders d escrib ed by thoso w itn esses who a rc n o t seein g
th e n w ro te, nam ely :—T h a t she (M adam e B ------) “ differs from all o th e r
m ed iu m s ? Of le tte r s com ing in fu ll d a y -lig h t th ro u g h ceilin g s iu closed
m ed iu m s ho e v e r m et jMfo r in ste a d of being c o n tro lle d b y , she c o n tro ls,
room s in th e p resen c e of se v e ra l w itn esses, not seeing m edium s ? T his
th e “ S p irits ” h erself. h a s b een seon se v era l tim e s in m y ow n fa m ily an d houso. w h ere no
T h e above was w r itte n in 1875. A n d if Colonel O lc o tt w as rig h t
m odium w as p re se n t u n le ss M adam o B — could be callcd one. I t is cor­
re c t to say th a t if th e m a g n e tism is good, it can bo used for p erfo rm in g
a t th a t tim e, th e n su rely a t th is d a te (1883) M r. H a rriso n has no r ig h t or
w h a t m ay a p p e a r m a g ic a l fe a ts, b u t is in f a c t n o th in g m ore th an
re a so n to assu m e th a t Colonel O lco tt w as m ista k e n , fo r w e k now a s a
a k n o w led g e of th e se c re ts , of n a tu re . H o w ever, M r.S in n e tt h as e v id e n t­
fa c t t h a t sh e docs co n tro l th o e le m e n ta ls an d e le m e n ta ric s— w ith o u r
g r e a t Brothers* p e rm issio n — as she alw ays explains. W ith re g a rd to tho
ly w ritte n th e Occult W orld in vain for M r. H arriso n , who cries a g a in —
T atter q u o ta tio n , p ag e 453, Colonel O lco tt w ould p ro b ab ly , by tho lig h t
i t is tho s p irits or lm m bng, n e v e r a h u m an being ... a n d Colonel O lcott
of n e a rly o ig h t y e a rs’ ex p erience, bo in clin ed to m odify his opinion
i s a m e d iu m ” t h a t is, hia m a jn e tism is m ado use of by th e B rothers,
on th is head, viz., “ th a t th is very o u tb re a k of Spritualist-ic Phenomena,
a s M r, H arriso n m ig h t h ave le a rn t in tho Occult W orld on pago
u is n n d e r th e c o n tro l of an o rder, w hich, w hile d ep en d in g for its re su lts
1 8 A, 2 n d E d itio n . “ T h e m a g n e tism th u s b ro u g h t to th e house
“ upon u n seen a g e n ts , h as its ex iste n c e npon e a r th am o n g m e n .” In
44 e s ta b lis h e d c o n d itio n s w hich for a sh o rt tim e ren d ero d somo
“ m a n ife sta tio n s p o ssib le.” A gain, p ag e 190, K. II. w r ite s — 44 to force
th o se d ays, Colonel O lcott h ad only j u s t m e t w ith M adam e B ------ j hence
his m istak en co n clu sio n . I t is not fo r a m o m e n t supposed th a t th o se
p h enom onn in th e p re se n c e of difficulties m a g n o tic an d o th e r is
w ho critic ise o u r belief in th e B ro th e rs do it th ro u g h “ m alice.” A t
44 forb id d en as s tr ic tly , as f o r a b a n k c a s h ie r to d isb u rse m o n ey w hich
th e sam o tim e, w hen, to su p p o rt an u n te n a b le p o sition, fa c ts a r c d is­
“ is only o n tr u s te d to h im .” C olonel O lco tt is a s t r i c t v e g e ta ria n , ho
to r te d and q u o tatio n s aro in tro d u ced , w hich to ex p erien ced oyes do n ot
obeys all th e ru le s laid dow n for a n a d e p t’s p u p il, h e n c e —his ex cellen t
m a g n e tism . C learly M r. H. is all a b ro a d on th is head ; his m ind is so
su it, b n t arc sim p ly u sed fo r th e p u rp o se of th ro w in g d u s t in th e eyes of
s a tu ra te d w ith Si{a nces, M ediums an d S p irits ,th a t no room is left fo r belief
th e unw ary, w h a t can bo said of th o se w ho re s o rt to such s h ifts to
in th e A rc a n a of N a tn ro . W h a t h a v e tra n c e m edium s to do w ith th e
pro v e th e ir case ? I t can on ly be assu m ed th a t M r. H arriso n h a s d o n e so ,
th ro u g h a profound ig n o ran ce of th o su b je c t h e is d e a lin g w ith . T h ere
su b je c t ? H as he re a d in th e “ O ecult W o rld ” on pago 147, 2 n d Ed. th a t
is no q u estio n h ere of “ S p irit id e n tity ,” for th e B ro th e rs arc n ot
“ T he tr n th s and m y ste rie s of O ccultism c o n s titu te indeed a body of th e
S p irits . In th e Occult W orld, M a h a tm a Koot H oom i d istin c tly
“ h ig h e s t sp iritu a l im p o rtan c e a t onco p rofound an d p ra c tic a l for the
“ w orld a t la rg e ?” A s for his q u e stio n re m a in in g unan sw ered , viz.,
s ta te s (p ag e 148, 2nd E d .) *' t h a t tho o n ly s p ir its wo know of arc tlio
“ T hoosophists w ho w ish to com o in te com m unication w ith th e B ro th ers
h ig h e r p la n e ta ry S p irits .” Onco m o re h e re , M r. H a rris o n h as, for
p u rp o ses of his ow n, m isq u o ted K o o t H oom i. H e w rite s th a t
“ an d to e n te r th e ir fr a te r n ity , a re told th e y m u st liv e a p u re life,
Mr* K id d le’s ideas h av e b een p u rlo in e d by K . H ., an d q u o te s w h at
“ a b s ta in from w ine, sp irits, m e a t an d tobacco * * * H ow th e n is it
M r. K iddle said on A n g a s t 1 5 th 1880, viz., “ M y frie n d s , ideas ru le
“ t h a t M adam e B — w ho is n ot a u a s c e tic h a s boen snccessfu l, w hen
“ th o w orld, a n d as m e n ’s m inds re c e iv e new ideas la y in g asid e tho old
“ th o se who c a r r y o u t tho in s tru c tio n s sho does n ot follow m ay fail ?
a n d effete, th e w orld a d v a n c e s,” an d M r. H a rris o n th e n p laces opposite
I t m ay he an sw ere d now. F irs t of all as P oeta n a scitu r non j i t ,
th e id e n tic a l w o rd s of K . H . a le tte r to M r. S in n e tt in th e Occult
“ th e A d e p t becom es an d is n o t m ad e.” H e is th e efflorescence of
“ World** b u t w ith w a lien propense c a re fu lly o m its th e f a c t th a t
h is ag e , and c o m p a ritiv c ly few ev e r ap p e a r in a single c e n tu ry . ( Occult
“ K . H .” p reced ed th e said se n te n c e s w ith th o r e m a rk —“ P lato was
iro rl(/,p a g c 134). S econdly, M adam e B — is n o t a n A d ep t, th u o g h she has
r ig h t. Id e a s ru le th e w orld,” &c., g iv in g th o re b y a n oblique n a rra tio n
gono th ro u g h se v era l s ta g e s of in itia tio n . T h ird ly , those who p ractise
o f w h a t w as said a t L ak e P le a sa n t, ev id en tly on th e s tr e n g th of Pla-
a p u re lifo an d p ra c tise asc e tic ism m ay y e t fail of A deptship in th is
to n icrem iu isccn 6 c8 . A n d w h e n th e ideas,if n ot th e v ery sen ten ces, can bo
b irth , b n t succeed in it in th e n e x t. W h a t Mr. H .’s ex p erien ces w ith
p ro v e d P la to ’s, th o n who is th e g r e a te r ‘‘ p la g ia r is t” of th e tw o, M r. S in ­
p h y sic a l M edium s in E n g la n d m ay h ave been, it is c e rta in t h a t th e y
n e t t ’s co rre sp o n d en t, o r M r. K iddle? T he fo rm e r,w h o shew s th e se n te n c e s
b e a r no relatio n to th o p o w ers of th e in itia te s in In d ia, an d Mr. H.
to be if n o t q u o ta tio n s a t le a s t not his own id eas,o r th e la t te r w ho throw s
is clearly v ery ig n o ra n t of th e su b je ct if he can say t h a t “ asceticism
a would p robably re d u c e th e ir M edium ship (Powei-s ?) to Z ero ”
th e m o u t into th e cars of his a u d ie n c e w ith o u t tra c in g th e m by ono
w o rd to th e ir o rig in a l so u rc e ? T h e m o st t h a t could be said is, t h a t the
“ in ste a d of s tr e n g th e n in g th e ir pow ers.” A g a in he w rite s th a t
M adam e B------ is “ in a c c u ra te .” To th is m ay be rep lied 44h u m a n u m est
M a h a tm a a ttr ib u te d to P l a t o t h a t w hich b elonged to K i d d l e , doing
th e re b y th e la s t n am o d in d iv id u a l an h o n o r t h a t he c e rta in ly de­
errare,” th o m oroso, a s som e of th e first w ho accu sed h e r of it are
se rv e s v ery little , In sp e c to r o r D ire c to r of P u b lic I n s tr u c tio n th o u g h he
know n to be still m oro 4‘ in a c c u ra te ” th o m selv es. No ono h as ev er
claim od in fa llib ility fo r M adam o B.
be. T h e significant fact th a t both Mr* K id d le in L ig h t a n d M r, H arriso n .
5ti M edium a n d D aybreak c a re fu lly o m it th o in tro d u c to ry w ords —
A n d now I com e to th e 4‘ T oda” ch arg es. H e re I can s p e a k w ith full
“ P la to is r ig h t” — is m ore th a n su sp icio u s : i t show s d e lib e ra te m alico
a u th o rity , fo r if an accu rato know ledge of th e p la te a u a n d slopes of
on its v ery fa c e . • th e N cilgherrios e n title s one to a n opinion, th e n m y fo rty y e a rs of ex p lo r­
H a p p ily , wo h av e been p e rm itte d , m a n y of u s, to look b eh in d th e
in g th e s e H ills should co u n t fo r so m e th in g . To begin with, it
v e il of th e u p arallel p assag es” m y ste ry , a n d tho w hole affair is very
d oes not “ so h ap p e n th a t th e T oda c o u n try h a s been w ell
“ explored fro m end to en d .” T h e v a s t fo re s ts on th e so u th e rn
s a tis fa c to rily ex p lain ed to ns ; b n t all th a t w e a re p e r m itte d to say is,
“ slo p e s of th e N e ilg h e rry H ills to u c h in g tho sile n t v alley ”
t h a t m an y a passag e w as e n tire ly o m itte d fro m tho le tte r received by
h a v e n e v e r been ex p lo red ; one o r tw o sp o rtsm e n in th e last
* Ou consulting Col, Olcott’s book I find my memory Las not decciyed fifty y o a rs h ave j u s t s k ir te d th e valley, p rin c ip a lly to s ta lk th o bison
mo. Soo p. 414, aud Bumbur iu the opeu, I may oay irithgut beuig doubted tliat fo r
 fo rty y e a rs I h a v e k n o w n "p ersonally a ll tho g r e a t e le p h a n t shots,
and I n o v o r k n e w one who had ex p lo red th o s o u th e rn slopes. In
fact in m a n y p la c e s th o v ast fo re s ts a r e im p e n e tra b le , an d u u less
follow ing a f te r e le p h a n t it would be sim p ly im p o ssib le to ex p lo re
thorn. Au fo r th e g ra n d tem p les, th e y m a y h a v e b een in ex iste n c e
yoars ago (see Isis U nveiled, p a g e 61 Vol. 2) in p la c e s th a t are
surrou u d o d b y im p an etrab lo fo rests, nay, th e y m ay ovon be in ex istonco
still, w ho kn ow s, an d ru m o u rs to th o ir effect a r e m an y . W ho tho
T odas still, no ono know s. I t is tru o th a t th e p r e s e n t visib le m u n d s
a re en tero d on all f o u rs —b u t th a t p ro v es n o th in g a g a in s t th o ex iste n c e
of o th o r te m p le s. I t m ay n o t bo easy fo r a n y one n o t an a d e p t to
a s c e rta in th o t r u t h a b o n t th e se te m p le s. O ne th in g is c e rta in : tho
T odas aro th e m o st m y sterio u s, as th e le a s t know n, of all th e trib e s iu
In d ia w h o h a v e m a n y a se c re t u n k n o w n b n t th e few .
In his final p a r a g r a p h M r. 11. co n ten d s t h a t i t is a g a in s t all exporienco
th a t “ ab n o rm al p u rific a tio n ” increases th e p o w er to p ro d u ce p h y sical
phenom ona. I t m a y bo ask ed w h at ovid cn ce to th is does ho p ro d u c e ?
I)oc9 M r. H a rriso n su p p o se th a t tho w isdom of accu m u lated g e n e ra ­
tions of a d o p ts, is n o t su p e rio r to h is ephouxeral ex p erien ce ? A ll th e
a n c ie n t w ritin g s of In d ia te n d to show th a t c e rta in pow ers h ave b een
alw ays p o ssessed b y R ishis an d th e A d o p ts a n d fo r c o n n tle ss g e n e ra ­
tions, y e t, M r. H a rriso n would p u t hia p ig m y ex periences, fo rso o th ,
ag ain st su ch ev id en ce ! I t m u s t bo co n fessed t h a t th o m a n w ho does
uot know how little * ho k n o w s is v o ry h a r d to deal w ith ; a rg u m e n ts
are w asted on him , assu ro d fa c ts becom e iu h is oyes no fa c ts a t all,
aud fo r suoh m e n “ T ho O ccu lt W o rld ,” I sa y ag a in , h as boon w ritte n
in vain. T h ey havo a th eo ry in to w hich a ll th in g s m u st fit, be th e y
ev e r so c o n tra d ic to ry . H oro is a sp ecim en , tho a ttr ib u te s of th o
— H im alay an B ro th e rs aro “ n o t v e ry h ig h o nes" in M r. H .’s estim atio n .
How on o arth does ho k now w h a t th e ir a t tr ib u te s a re ?
As to h is coolly q u a lify iu g th e ir pow ors, “ n ot v e ry high
ones," th is sty lo of b e g g in g th e q u ostiou is n o t one th a t com m ouda
itsolf to th o honoat e n q u ir e r. N or ca n th e re be a n y th in g “ la b o rio u s”
ab o u t it ; it is sim p ly h a s tily ju m p in g to a conclusion on a s u b je c t th a t
n o t only has n o t been c a re fu lly in v e stig a te d , b u t one, of w h ich tho
w rite r is p o sitiv ely ig n o ra n t. L ot a few of th o a d e p t pow ers th a t aro
k u o w n , bo e n u m e ra te d , an d it w ill bo seen, th a t if th e y possess tho
pow ers we know of, th ese p o w ers m u s t in c lu d e a n u m b e r of th e so c ret
fo rco so f n atu re, u n k n o w n to th e g r e a te s t s c ie n tis ts of th is g e n e ra tio n .
T h o first aud fo rem o st is th e pow or of d e a lin g w ith e th e r o r A k asa—*
a pow or w hich in clu d es alone a v a st n u m b e r of m in o r w o n d ers, such
as causing w ritin g to a p p e a r in closed le tte r s — w hero none w as before j
th e d isin teg ratio n an d re fo rm a tio n of su b sta n c e s,— th u s en ab lin g
m atter to puss th ro u g h solid w alls ; th o d u p licatio n of rin g s, brooches,
etc., au d o th o r pow ers too n u m ero u s to m en tio n . A g a in th o A d e p t can
send fo rth h is A s tr a l body to th e P la n e ts an d a c c u ra te ly o b serv e w h at
tak es p ’ace th o re, u n lik e th e c la irv o y a n t, w h o can re ta il b u t a v ery
im p erfect id ea of w h a t ho h a s seen. H e, th e A d ep t, ca n iu a few
seconds tr a n s p o r t his A s tr a l body a n y w h e re ho pleases. I u fa c t th ero
“ ii no lim it to h is p o w ers.” A ll th is , acco rd in g to M r. H, aro n ot
“ very h igh a t t r ib u t e s .” I t w ould bo re fre s h in g to k n o w w hat ho
considers “ as a h igh a ttr ib u te . A g a in in t h a t d e te r m in e d — “ no t-to -
se e ” m an n er, ho d eclares “ th e alleg ed (?) B ro th e rs aro se clu d ed
“ persons seek in g th e ir ow u ad v an ce m e n t, in ste a d o f liv in g th e h ig h e r
“ life of self sacrifice in th e w orld fo r th o g e n e ra l good of o th e rs.”
W ithout b e in g p ro fan e , it m ig h t as w ell be sa id th a t th e H ig h est P ow er
should co n so rt w ith m en fo r th e ir g e n e ra l good. I f th e c reu tiv o
S p irit, or th e D e ity ia ev ery w h ere, c a n n o t M r. H . p erceiv e t h a t
iu a m inor d eg ree th e A s tr a l body of th e A d o p t m a y bo w o rk in g in tho
6amo way in v ario u s p laces fo r th o good of m an k in d , b u t th a t b eing still
hum an, th o u g h a h ighly p e rfe c te d h u m a n ity — th e y c a n n o t boar tho
coarse m ag n etism of th o crow d au d th u s do n o t m ix w ith th e la tte r ? I f
a delicate se n sitiv e w ere th r u s t into, sa y , a g in sh o p re e k in g w ith
bad tobacco, s p irits an d foul elothos, w ould th e se n sitiv e feel p leased or
happy ? Tho A d ep t h a s long ago lived “ th e h ig h e r lifo” an d busied
him self, fo r a tim e fa r beyond th e sp a n of m an ’s lifo, in w o rk in g for
m ankind. W h a t m ore does M r. H arriso n re q u ire ? S u re ly liis ideus of
w orking for th e b enefit of m a n k in d can n o t e q u a l th o se of th o A d e p t.
H e should know th a t hia k n o w led g e com p ared w ith t h a t of th e I u itia te s
is as th a t of th o A u s tra lia n sa v ag e co m p ared w ith tho m o st h ig h ly
ed u cated E u ro p ean .
I h av e w r itto n th is a rtic le fo r tw o re a s o n s ; ono is to a s s u re tho
Bceptioul n a tiv e s of Iu d ia th a t so f a r as I know , th e d e sc e n d a n ts of
th eir an c ie n t R ish is still ex ist, an d th e o th e r to show to W estern m iuda
th at w hat th o y do n o t kno w , w ould am o u n t to a v ery la rg e su m , iu d ecd .
H . It. M o u g a n , F . T. S .
(M ujor •General.')
O o ta c a m u n d , ) M a d a m k , — Will
, 2nd November 1883. |
P. S.— A d v e rtin g to M r. K id d le’s o ratio n , in w hich ho s ta tc s ld e a s ru le
tho w orld, ho c e rta in ly g o t th is idoa from P lato, for in th e D ialogues
( W bewell, Vol. h i., p. 291, Ac.) wo ro ad of th o P rim o rd ial essen ces being
tho P lutonic “ d o c trin e of Id eas,” a g ain , “ Id e a s, th e only o b je c ts of real
know ledge” 4‘ Real P h ilo so p h ers a r e thoso w ho em ploy tlie ir m in d s upon
absolute “ id eas” a n d ** P h ilo so p h ers are th e g e n u in e ru le rs of tlie w o rld ”
—hero wo soo tho co n n ectio n w ith ideas ru lin g th e w o rld , and for th o ir
application we havo only to go to th e F re n c h R ev o lu tio n of 1788 to see
how ideas rulod th o w orld. L ib e rty , o q u ality au d f r a te r n i ty — how creed s
aud even p o w ers cru m b led b efo re th o ir o nw ard m a rc h , c ra s h e d by
their irre sistib le fo rce—an d so on # * * L ouis N apolccu iu m ak in g w ar
ou Ita ly d eclared it w as o u ly F ra n c e th a t w e u t to w u r fo r a n “ idoa.”
Probably ho also p lag iu rised fro m P lato . D oes M r. K id d le th in k , ho
alone is to have a m onopoly of “ ideas P” I t is too a b su rd I
# S ocratos su p p o sed th a t th o O racle d e c la re d h im w ise b ecau se ho
knew n o thing, an d kneio th a t ho k n ew n o th in g , w h ile o th e r peoplo k n e w
as little aB ho, an d th o u g h t th e y k now a g r e a t d eal, (V ol. 1> p a g o 7,
Pluto's dialogues.)
A nd M r. H a r ris o n —does h e k now w h a t a B a k h t is or e v e r re a d of a
B u k lit’s doings ? W hat does ho th in k of a B u k h t disem bow elling h im self
coram -publico, a n s w e rin g q u e s tio n s p u t to him w h ilst ly in g on th o
g ro u n d b le e d in g — tho q u e stio n s an sw o red , ta k in g up som o o f th o
blood (h is ow n), w av in g it in tho e th e r , re p la c in g his bow els, a p p ly in g
th o blood th a t h a s been su b je c te d to t h e / e t h e r o r A k a sa to th o
v ast w ound, ju m p in g up an d sh ow ing sc a rc e ly a m ark w hero befo ro
th e re w as a h u g e g a p in g w ound ? T hese fu c ts havo been vouched fo r b y
se v e ra l u n im p e a c h a b le E u ro p e a n w itn esses. D oes Mr. H a rris o n k now
of an y m edium w ho can do th is ?
T E S T IM O N Y TO PHEN OM ENA.
In th e m o n th of A u g u st la s t h a v in g occasion to com e to M a d ra s in
th e ab sen ce of Col. O lco tt an d M adam e B lavatsky, I v isite d th o H e a d
Q u a rte rs of tho T h eo so p h ical S o ciety to seo a w onderful p a in tin g
of th e M a h atm a K. II. k e p t th e r e in a shrino aud daily a tte n d e d to
by th e ch elas. On a rriv a l a t th e ho u se I w as told th a t the lady, M adam o
C— , who had ch arg e of th e k e y s ofjtho sh rin e, w as ab sen t, so I aw a ite d
h e r r e tu rn . She cam e hom o in a b o u t a n h o u r, au d w e proceoded u p sta irs
to open th o sh rin e a n d in s p e c t th o p ic tu re . M adam e C—adv an ced
q u ick ly to unlock tho double doors of th e h a n g in g cup b o ard , a n d h u rrie d ly
th re w th em open, Iu so d oing sh e h ad failed to observe th a t a ch in a tra y
inside was on tho ed g e of th o sh rin o a n d le a n in g a g a iu s t one of th e doors,
an d w hen th o y w ero o p en ed , dow n fe ll th o C hina tra y , sm a sh ed to pieces
on th e h a rd ch u n am floor. W hilst M adam o C —w as w rin g in g h e r han d s au d
la m e n tin g th is u n fo rtu n a te a c c id e n t to a v alu ab le a rtic le of M adam o
B— ’s, and h e r h u sb a n d w as on h is knoos co llectin g th e debris, I re m a rk e d
it would be n e c e ssa ry to o b ta in som e C hina ce m e n t an d th u s tr y to resto ro
th e fra g m e n ts . T h e re u p o n M o n sieu r C. w as d e s p a tc h e d for th e sa m e .
T h e bro k en pieces w ere ca re fu lly c o lle c te d au d p laced , tied in a clo th ,
w ith in th e sh rin e , a n d th o doors locked. M r. D a m o d a r K . M a v a la n k a r,
th o J o in t R e co rd in g S e c re ta ry of th o S ociety, w as o p p o site th o sh rin e,
s e a te d on a ch a ir, a b o u t te n fe e t aw ay from it, w h eu a f te r som o c o n v e r­
s a tio n an id ea o ccu rred to m e to w hich I im m e d ia te ly gave e x p ressio n .
I re m a rk e d th a t if tho B ro th e rs co n sid e re d it of su llicien t im p o rtan c e,
th e y would easily re sto ro th o broken artic le , if n o t, th e y would leav e it to
tho c u lp rits to do so, tho b e s t way th e y could. F ive m in u te s h ad sc arc ely
e la p se d a f t e r th is re m a rk w hen D am o d ar, who d u rin g th is tim e seem ed
w ra p p e d in a re v e re ie — ex claim ed , “ I th in k th e ro is an a u e w e r.” Thu
d oors w ere opened, an d su re en o u g h , a sm a ll note w as found on thet* h clf
of th e s h rin e — on o p e n in g w h ich w e read ‘‘ To th e sm a ll aridieueo
p r e s e n t. M adam o C— h a s occasion to a s su re h erself th a t th e D evil ia
n e ith e r so b lack n o r so w ickcd a s he is g e n e ra lly re p re se n te d ; th o
m isch ief is easily r e p a ire d .” —
Ou o pening th e c lo th th e C h in a tra y w as fo a n d to bo w hole an d p e r ­
fe c t ; n o t a tra c e of th o b re a k a g e to bo fo u n d on it ! I a t onco w ro to
a c ro ss tho note, s ta tin g th a t 1 w as p r e s e n t w hen tho tr a y w as broken
an d im m ed iately re sto re d , d a te d and sig n e d it, so th e re sh o u ld bo uo
m ista k e in th e m a tto r. I t m ay be h ero observ ed th a t M adam e C — b e ­
liev es th a t tho m a n y th in g s of a w o n d e rfu l n a tu re th a t o c c u r a t th o
llc a d - Q u a r te rs , m ay bo th e w ork of th e D e v il—hen ce th e play fu l re m a rk
of th e M a h atm a w ho cam e to h e r re sc u e . T h e m a tte r took place in th o
m id d le of tho d ay in tho p re se n c e o f fo u rp c o p le . I m a y h ere r e m a rk th a t
a few d ay s beforo I eam o in to th e room in m y house ju s t as M adam o B—•
h ad d u p lic a te d a rin g o f a lad y in a h ig h p o sitio n , in th e p re se n c e of
m y w ife and d a u g h te r in broad d a y -lig h t. T ho rin g w as a sa p p h ire an ti
a valuable one—an d tho lady h a s p re se rv e d it. On a n o th e r occasio n a
n o te cam e from th e above lady to m y w ife a n d was h an d ed in to th o
draw ing-room in th e p resen c e of se v e ra l people. On o p en in g it a
mesBago was fonud w ritte n acro ss th o n o te in tho well kuow n c h a ra c te r*
of th o A d e p t. Tho q u estio n is how tho m essage g o t in to th o n o te ? T ho
lad y who w ro te it w as p e r fe c tly a sto u n d e d w hen sho saw i t — an d could
only im agine it w as done a t h e r ow n ta b le w ith h e r own b lu e p en cil.
W h ilst ou th o s a b je e t of th e s h rin e I m ay m en tio n t h a t it is a sm a ll
c a b in e t a tta c h e d to th e w all w ith sh e lv es an d double d o o rs. T h e p ic tu re
o f th e M ahatm a th a t I cam e to see, la te ly g iv en to th e F o u n d e rs of tho
S o ciety , is a m o st m arvelleoua w o rk of a r t. N o t all th o 11. A .’s put;
to g e th e r could eq u a l su ch a p ro d u ctio n . T h e coloring is sim p ly iu d e-
scribablo. W h e th e r it h a s b een p ro d u ced by a b ru sh or p h o to g rap h o d ,
e n tir e ly p a s se s uiy co m p reh en sio n . I t is sim p ly su p e rb .
II. R . M okgan , F. T. S.,
O o ta c a m u n d , ) Major-General,
2/itZ Novem ber 1883. J
To th e E d ito r o f the Theosophist.
you, with y ou r usual kindness, enlighten m e
on tlio following points, somo of them being not satisfactorily
understood, even by the perusal of “ F ra g m e n ts of Occult T r u t h ”
and “ Elixir of Life.” Tbo q u e stio n sa re raised, as they occurred
to me while rending tho said articles in your valuable journal.
They aro asked in tho spirit of au inquirer a lter tr u th and
uo t in tlio spirit of a biassed sceptic. I hope, therefore, you will
kindly publish the following questions with replio.s thereto, in ono
of your ensuing nuinixirs, of course, as soon as it may please you.
1. lb is usually atlinned, w hat is a fact, Mint the ad ep ts livo
very much longer th an ordinary mortals. W liat is the maxim um
n u m b e r of years for which they live or can live before they die
their physical death like men iu general, who livo or caa livo for
nob inoro than 20 0 years at the most ?
2 . l)o all adepts of any particular age, live the same or alm ost
tho sauio n u m b er of years P Do adopts of ail ages livo for about
th e sumo n u m b er of years P
3. In tho article “ Elixir of Lifo” (Vol I I I , No. 7, p. 171), we
read “ By or about tho time when tho Death-limib of his race is
passed, he ia actually d e a d .. .. ....................................gone to join tho
g o d s.” W liat is the exact state of an adopt by or about th e time,
w h en tho Deat.h-limit of liis race is passed? If ho die a physical
d e a th at such a time, though without th e agonies of dying, where
is th e difference with respect, to longevity betw een him and an
o rdin ary man who dies at about 100 or 150 or 200 at th e m ost ?
4. An adept, after lie is dead in th e sense in which it is used
in th e said article, is not reborn, hav ing no will to live or T a n h a
ns they call it. Whero is ho not reborn ? Ou this earth as well
n i on any other sphere ? W h a t th en becomes of his body, the
seven principles of wliieh'he is formed ?
5. When can it be said t h a t an adep t has attained N irvan a or
M o k s h a as the H in d u s call it ? W h a t is the exact state of his
body, i. e., the seven principles of which he is composed, when he
a tt a in s N irvana ?
6 . The ancient Ilishis of India, such as V asistha , V alm iki,
V isw a m itra , Agastya, nml other historical ad epts do not exist in
flesh an d blood. Then, how, i. e., in what form do th ey exist, if
t h e y still exist, a t all in any other form ? W h a t has th en become
of the sep ten ary men of which th ey were formed ?
7. “ A very high adept, un dertakin g to reform th e world, would
necessarily have to once moro subm it to In carna tion .” (Vol. I l l ,
p a g e 171, No. 7) Ilow, where, and when does he subm it to
In carn ation ? Does ho become incarnate in th e sense in whicli
V ish nu is said to have been in carnate by the Hindus.
H. Patanjali, in liis Yoga S u tra s, sfiys th a t a perfect Yogi,
becomes perfectly strong. Does he mean, by th a t, th a t he
becomes physically stronger than th e s tro n g e s t a th lete or
g y m n ast, who is generally physically stro n g er th a n an ordinary
m a n not tak in g exercise ? And, if so, what m akes him s o v e y
Btrong, since he eats very scanty or no food at all ? W h o is
physically stro n g er—a vegetarian or a flesh eating man, not to
B a y of the psychic powers he, the vegetarian, acquires ?
9. W here is a man, an ordinary man, having T a n h a , reborn
im m ediately after his physical death, is it on this te rrestrial globe
or on any oth er planet of our system ?
10. W h a t becomes of an E lem en tary in the long run ? Does or
can it again become a h u m an b e in g ? If it d o e s, or can again
become a h um an being, when is it a n d where, on this e arth again
or on auy o ther planet of our system ?
By throw ing some lig h t on the above questions, in an in telli­
gible manner, you would highly oblige
Y o urs faithfully,
D in a n a t ii P a n d u r a n g D u u m m e
B o m b a y , )
21 si September, 1883. 1
jVoffl.— I t is to b e r e g r e t t e d th a t th e c o r re s p o n d e n ts to th is J o u rn a l,
d o no tsecm to re a liz e fu lly th s im p o rtan ce of th e fo llo w in g fo u r co n .
s id e ra tio n s iu p u ttin g fo rth tb eir q u estio n s and d i f f i c u l t i e s .—
(1.*/) T he F ra g m en ts a re b u t m e re cru m b s, a n d n ecessarily inconi-
p le te . M oreover, n o t b ein g in te n d e d f o r se ria l p u b lic a tio n , as th ey
su b s e q u e n tly w ere, th e y c a n n o t b u t be u n sy s te m a tic in t h e i r a r ra n g e ­
m e n t. T h ey w ero m e a n t r a t h e r a s food fo r th o u g h t lo r su c h as h a d
tlio cap n eity to develop th o e ru d o id e a s p r e s e n te d th e re in , th a n as
a co m p lete e x p o sitio n of th e E so te ric D o ctrin o .
(2)«i) M ost of th ese c ru d e ideas h ave b een su fficien tly e x p a tia te d upon
iu w o rk s like th e Occult W o rld, Esotcric B u d d h is m an d o th e r s u b s e ­
q u e n t a rtie le s in th is m ag azim e. T hese su b s e q u e n t e x p o sitio n s m u s t
b e c a re fu lly stu d ied b e fo re fra m in g a n y q u e stio n s.
(3rd) T hero aro c e rta in fa c ts wliich ca n bo d iv u lg ed only to su c h of
Ih o F ellow s of the. T h eo so p h ical S o ciety as h a v e p ro v ed th e ir w o r th i­
n e s s to rccoive th em ; o th e r s ca n bo t a u g h t only to chelas as th o y
p ro g re s s ; w hilo tho re st u n fo ld th e m se lv e s to I n i t i a t e s in th e ir onw ard
in a r c h tw a rd s liunniiAHoon.
(4 th) F o r a co m p reh en sio n of m any of th e s e t r u th s th e d e v e lo p m e n t
o f th e “ six th se n se ” to w h ich re fe re n c e h a s a lre a d y been m a d e in
t h e rep lies to “ An E n g lish F . T . S .” —is an e s s e n tia l q u a lific a tio n .
I f th o se fo u r fa c ts co u ld b u t be realised by th o w e ll-m e a n in g a n d
e a r n e s t c o rre sp o n d e n ts of tho Theosophist, m u ch u n n e c e s sa ry w ritin g
w o u ld bo sa v e d . B eing b o u n d e d by th e s e lines, th e q u e s tio n s o f Ml*.
D . P. D . m ay now be a n sw ere d to a c e r ta in e x to n t.
E soteric B u d d h ism sufficiently d eals w ith t h e firs t q u e s tio n . T h e
p h y sic a l life o f th e A d e p t is d e te rm in e d m ore o r less by th e c o n d itio n s
o f th e ra c e in w h ieh ho is b o rn , by th o e n e rg y of h is W ill an d by v a ri­
ous o th o r c irc u m s ta n c e s . I t w ill bo a d m itte d th a t ea c h su b s e q u e n t
ra c e a f te r th o m id d le p o in t is once p a s s e d , m u s t be m ore an d m oro
sp iritu a l. So one A d e p t h av in g to c o n te n d w ith a lessor a m o u n t of
in a to ria lity th a n his pred eeossors, has h is w ay m uch sm o o th er.
T h e ex a c t n u m b e r o f y e a rs w h ich a n A d e p t of a p a rtic u la r ra c e m ay
live is a p e rfe c tly im m ateria l q u estio n an d ca n be se t dow n m ore to
u n scien tific c u rio sity th a n to a n y p h ilo so p h ic a l e n q u iry . I t m u st bo at
t h o sam e tim e rem em b ered t h a t w hen a c o rta in sta g e is rea c h e d , th e
co n d itio n s w h ich su rro u n d tho A d e p t s o f d iffe re n t ra c e s b e in g n e a rly
id en tical, th e ir p erio d s of ex iste n ce m u s t b e a lm o st th e sa m e . I n th is
A n s w e r , q u estio n n u m b e r 2 is a n tic ip a te d . F o r a f u r t h e r e x p la n a tio n ,
E soteric B u d d h ism may be s tu d ie d w ith a d v a n ta g o .
Q u estio n th reo w onld n e v e r h ave b e e n p u t b y ono w ho h a d p ro p e rly
studied- th e a r tic le on E lix ir o f Jdfe nnd u n d e rsto o d th e s p ir it i t c o n ­
v ey s. Suffice it to say th a t tho p assa g e in t h a t n rtic lc w hieh te lls us
t h a t th e h ig h e r bo d ies bocom e accu sto m ed to th o a tm o sp h e ric co n d itio n s
of th e e a r th b efo re tho g ro ss e st ones a rc c a s t off, is a broad h in t fo r a
s tu d e n t of o eo ultism w ho h as begun to livo th o lifo. Q u e stio n fonr is
p a r tly a n sw e re d in th e above rep ly an d p a r tly in Esoteric B u d d h is m ,
T h e a d e p t a tta in s N irvana o r M oksha w hen th o id e n tife s him self w ith
th e O n e L i f e or r a th e r p u t h im self en rapport, w ith it. H is s ta te thcB
is so m e th in g like th a t of th e D h y a n Chohans o i th e B u d d h ists o r th e
P r a ja p a tis of th e H in d u s. D. P . D. w ould do w ell to s t n d j th e U pani­
sh a d s.
T h e fo u r R ish is m entioned in th e a rtic le livo now as D h ya n Chohans.
T h is o f co u rse does n o t m ean th a t all th e an cien t sagos h a v e re a c h e d
t h a t s ta g e .
T h e in c a rn a tio n of A depts is to be u n d e rsto o d in th e sam e se n se in
w h ich O c c u ltis ts in te r p r e t th e in c a rn a tio n s of V ish n u .
W h at P a ta n ja li m eans is t h a t th e Yogi becom es s tro n g ow ing to tho
d e v e lo p m e n t of his W ill P o w e r to a n enorm ous ex te n t. U p o n w h a t h e
lives, is sufficiently an sw e re d in tho a rtic le on th e E lix ir o f L ife. A k a sa
is th o m o th e r of all p h o n o m en a a n d th e source o f n o u ris h m e n t of him
w ho know s how to u se it. V o g e ta b le s h av e p ro p e rtie s w h ich are n o t
fu lly k n o w n , an d if c e rta in und isco v ered (to th e g e n e ra l w orld) v eg etab les
w ere pr.*parod an d eaten in a c e rta in w ay, th e re is no re a so n w h y th e y
sh o u ld n o t givo even m oro s tr e n g th th an an im al food. M e a t-e a tin g is
full of d a n g e rs, n o t only psychological b u t even p h y sic al j a n d th e law
w hich te a c h e s th e sp read of contagion o u g h t to havo m ad e th is fa c t
e v id e n t. H ow m any d ise ases a re in h e re n t in an o rg an ised bod y an d y e t
rem ain n n su s p e c te d ? V eg e ta b le d ie t is n o t a tte n d e d w ith so maDy
d an g e ro u s re su lts .
T he q u e stio n of r e b irth is e x te n siv e ly tr e a te d npon in th e Fragm ents
an d in E soteric B u d d h is m a n d it wonld be m o re w a s te of sp a c e to
go o v er th e sa m e g ro u n d . T h e te n th q u e stio n also is p r e tty fully
d isc u sse d th e ro .
D . K . M.
(Chela.)
S A T Y A M A R G A T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C I E T Y (L U C K N O W )
A N D SW A M I DAYANAND.
To The E d ito r o f the Theosophist, Madras.
M a d a m e , —I am directed to forward to you a copy of tho pro­
ceedings of an extraordinary m eeting of ou r B ranch Society
held today to express the deep sorrow with which th e Branch
has beard of the death of P a n d it D a y a n a n d S arasw ati Swami.
I t r u s t you would allot to th e said proceedings a corner in
yo ur valuable Jo urn al.
Y o urs faithfully,
J w a l a t r a s a d S a n k h a d i i a r a , F . T. S.
Secretary Satya Marga Theosophical Society, L ucknow ,
. L t j c k n o w , N ovem ber 2 , 1883.
( C o p y .)
Proceedings o f an extraordinary m eeting o f the S a tya M arga
Theosophical Society, convened on the 2nd ot November 1883.
R esolved, 1 st, t h a t th e Lucknow S aty a M arg a Theosophical
Society express its h eartfelt re g r e t at tho untim ely death of
P a n d it D ayanand Saraswati S w am i—a circum stance t h a t has
deprived the Arya S am aj of its beloved founder, and the In d ia n
people generally of a tru ste d guide and benefactor.
Resolved fu rther, th a t a copy of the proceedings of th is m eet­
ing bo th en forwarded to tho Secretary to the local A ry a Samnj,
and to th e E ditors of the A ry a , the Theosophist, th e In d ia n
M irro r and the Oude A khbar for publication.
(T rue copy.)
J walapkasad S ankuadiiara,
Secretary, S . M, T . S., Lucknow ,
T i i e following is an ex tract from th e Toona Observer and
C iv il and M ilita ry Gazette of October 2 4 : —
“ Mr. G erald Massey, the poet, has become a T heosophist.—
‘ M assey’ on us! Who nex t ? ”
E d ito r’s A n s w e r :— N ot Mr. Gerald Massey, ns far as we a re
aware, for he is no t on the lists. P erchan ce the poet may be
some day the “ n ex t,” bu t the E d ito r of the Poona Observer
Was th e “ n e x t ” preceding one, a n d no great acquisition for
the Society eit her.
A. F. S. of Tinnevelly writes to us :—“ The Padre Prin­
cipal of our well known local Missionary College has been
anxiously watching the progress of Theosophy, and from
time to time expounding questions therewith connected
in a complacent manner evidently to the great edification
of his Hindu students. The latest development of his ex-
egetic genius consisted in representing to the boys in open
class tha t the recent Government Order published in the
S u p p le m e n t to the T heosophist for the last m onth m arked the
d isa p p ro b a tio n bordering on contem pt o f T heo so p h ical subjects
on th e p a r t o f the G overnm ent, that, on the whole, the
order was if anything damaging to the cause, and that
any other interpretation thereof necessarily argued a sad
ignorance of the English language ! ! !”
Oil, Loyola, a rt thou not content to find so many Protes­
tants among thy faithful followers and disciples. ?— E d .
 A H I N D U ’S A P P E A L T O T H E IIIN D H M EM BERS
OF THE
T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY .
A C. I . ANCE a t th e p a s t b r i g h t H i s t o r y o f o u r A r y a n a n cesto rs
is sufficient to b r i n g h o m e t h e sa d t r u t h t h a t o u r fall f r o m th e
p in n a c le of A r y a n g lo r y is l a m e n t a b l y h e a v y a n d h e a v i e r still
e n o u g h to b le e d th e h e a r t of a t r u e p a tr io t. To w h a t ca n th is
fall b e d u e ? I t is o w in g to t h e d e c a d e n c e of t h e a n c ie n t
A r y a n F a i t h . W i l l this s ta te of c ir c u m s t a n c e s c o n ti n u e e v e r
l o n g ? D e a r B r o th e r s , o u g h t wo to r e m a i n s ile n t a t th is
critical p e rio d w h e n th e a v e ra g e H i n d u h a s lo s t a ll his f a i t h
in a n y t h i n g s p i r i t u a l u n d e r th e d e a d w e i g h t o f M a t e r ia lis m ?
A r e wc n o t re s p o n s ib le fo r th is cu lp ab le n e g l e c t ? D o we n o t
feel o u rs e lv e s a s h a m e d w h e n wc see t h e m issio n a rie s of
o t h e r f a i th s e re c t b u il d in g s for t h e s p r e a d of t h e i r o w n r e l i ­
g ion s in c o u n tr ie s fo r e ig n to th eir ow n, w h e r e w e t u r n o u r b a c k
a n d le t th e r i c h e s t of o u r possessions slip a w a y o u t of o u r
h a n d s ? A h ! S a d fa t e in d e e d f o r o u r sa c r e d M o t h e r
la n d , tlie c r a d l e o f H u m a n i t y ! I s i t possible to a v e r t
th is fa te y o u m a y a s k ? Y es, i t is, if w e o n ly w i l l
th e r e is a w a y fo r it, a n d t h a t is to re v iv e t h e S a n s k r i t
li te r a tu r e "by e s t a b li s h in g S a n s k r i t schools. W h e n once a
tas te is c re a t e d f o r t h e S a n s k r i t la n g u a g o , t h e r i s i n g g e n e r a ­
tion, t r a i n e d in t h e W e s t e r n m o d e s of th o u g h t , w ill cease to
be sceptic ; fo r t h e i r s ce p ticism is b a se d on ig n o r a n c e , w h ic h
is d u e to p a r e n t a l n e g le c t. T h e o t h e r a d v a n t a g e of th e
s t u d y of S a n s k r i t is t h a t it p re s e rv e s o n e ’s o w n N a tio n a l it y ,
fo r it is a t r u i s m t h a t a n a tio n c a n rise in its g r e a t n e s s o nly
w h e n t h e l i t e r a t u r e of its m o t h e r l a n d is w ell s tu d ie d . W h e n
th e n a ti o n a li ty is p re s erv e d , a nec essary c o n se q u e n c e w h ic h
w ill follow i t is U n io n . W h e n t h a t U n i o n — th e m o s t sa c re d
o f a ll— is e sta b lish e d , D e a r B r o th e r s , h o w m u c h of o u r
miseries, b o th p h y sica l a n d s p i r it u a l, w ill be re m o v e d ,
im m en se go od will be do ne to H u m a n i t y a n d g r e a t p ro s p e rit y
will follow. T h e t h i r d p o in t w h y i t s h o u l d be re v i v e d is t h a t it
fu r n is h e s th e K e y to th e Scicnce of S cien ces w h ic h exp lain s
th e m y s te rie s of L ife a n d D e a t h ; f o r its t r u t h s a r e re co rd e d
in o ur A n c i e n t S h a s tra s , P u r a n a s a n d P h il o s o p h i e s a c a r e f u l
a u d d il ig e n t s t u d y of w h ic h will p u t o n t h e h a n d s of a n
e a r n e s t se e k e r t h e g e m of g e m s w h ic h n o n e c a n s n a t c h aw ay .
W h e n g lim p s es of th e s e p recio u s scientific t r u t h s co n ta in e d
in t h e a n c ie n t l i t e r a t u r e a re g iv e n to t h e W e s t e r n W o r l d , its
m a s t e r m in d s w ill g iv e a s y m p a t h e t i c e a r to us a n d th o
W e s t will jo in t h e E a s t in h a p p y b o n d s of B r o th e r h o o d .
H e n ce , D e a r B ro th e r s , we a p p e a l to y o u r lib e ra lity a n d
p atr io tic in s tin c ts to estab lish S a n s k r i t schools wliich will
m a r k a n e r a in th e S a c re d H i s t o r y of H i n d u s t a n w h en ce
A r y a n G lo ry s p r e a d t h r o u g h o u t th e w h o le W o r l d .
B akeilly, )
8 th N ov. 1883. j
A W A R N I N G TO T H E O S O P H I S T S .
W e have of lute come to know th a t c ertain p ersons havo
been try ing to make die Theosophical Society a m eans o£ self­
aggrandisem ent, hy professing to be a rd e n t T heosophists, when
in reality th ey have not th e least idea of what tho Society seeks
to accomplish. These persons, w herever th ey go, are ready to
introduce them selves as Theosophists, as if th a t nanio wero a
passport for g ettin g into influential and fashionable society.
They ra ttle away a g reat deal o£ nonsense a b o u t occultism
and such matters, and are ready to testify to th i n g s they know
n othing about. Such persons may perhaps have honest inten tions,
b u t ever 3'th in g th a t is overdone causes mischief, and, as it is
-our solemn du ty to watch carefully over th e in te rests of the
Society, every true T heosophist is requested to take noto of
such persons and rep o rt the m to H e a d -q u a rte rs and suggest
if possible the best m eans for p u tt in g a stop to such vagaries.
There are E o m e outside the Society who show a like mad en ­
thusiasm, and we th ink t h a t such persons o u g h t not to be
allowed to join the Society. A selfish motive evidently lies
at the bottom of all this sham love and enthusiasrni and p e r­
sons of th is description should in o ur opinion bo deb arred from
taking part in th e w orking of th e P a r e n t Society or of any
Branch Society. This is a sub ject th a t will have to be consi­
dered by the General Council before w hom we in te n d to lay it
at the eusuing a nniversary g ath e rin g .
N . D. K i i a n d a l w a l a ,
President, P oona Theosophical S ociety.
qnt-U£lqi['ji
C O L O N E L O L C O T T AT J U B B U L P O R E .
^ /
Col. H. S. Olcott, P resid ent-Fo uu der, ,and party arrived here
on th e evening of th e 2 '2 nd In s ta n t. ;
The M embers of the local Branch, including Babu Girish
C hunderM ookerjee, E x tra Assistant Commissioner, Babu N ivarau
C hn n d er Mookerjee, M erchant, Babu Kali Cbaran Bose, H e ad
Master, City School &c., &c., were present at the Railway p latfo rm
to welcome th eir Presid en t and escort him and suito to th a
house of Babu C hu nd er N. Bose, who was kind enough to ofior
the m hospitality d u rin g th e i r stay at Jubbulpore. Tho next d a y
their bungalow was thronged by visitors eager to lmve a s i g h t
of tho “ American H ind oo ” and to talk to him npun scientific
an d philosiphical subjects. On the evening of the 2-ltli a r r a n g e ­
m en ts were made for a p op ular lecture, the subject bein g
‘ T i i e o s o p i i y , i t s A i m s a n d O b j e c t s .” The Sliivarain I’an dit's
Hall was crowded to suffocation, and many had to re tu rn dis­
appointed for w a n t ot' oven s ta n d in g room a t tho door. Tho
entrance of Col. O lcott into th e Hall was the signal for a loud
and enthusiastic cheering. M r. Balvantrao V. Gokliale, Supt. of
th e Normal School, in a sh ort speech introduced the lec tu rer to the
audience and interp re te d his rem ark s into tho vernacular for
th e sake of no n -E nglish-know ing hearers. Co!. Olcott, who
rose am idst loud cheers, explained to th e public the im portance
and philosophical significance of tho first object of ou r Society,
viz., the formation of the nucleus of a U niversal B rotherhood
of H u m a n ity w ith ou t distinction of race, creed or colour, This
was not to be intrep reted to menu th a t the society interfered
with casto or o th e r social relations of its members. I t only
m ean t tb e in culcation of th e principle of m u tu al tolerance
and mutual intellectual sy m pathy. H a rd ly two persons could bo
found with exactly the same id e a s ; and yet man was arrayed
against man for dilferonces of opinion in regard to questions
which philosophers and scientists havo spent their lives in s t u d y ­
ing, C aste ag ain st caste, sect against sect, nation against nation,
race ag ainst race, each took up arm s against the other for not ac­
knowledging belief in its own m an ner, in problems which havo
bafllod the keenest intellect for ages upon ages. If people could
be ta u g h t t h a t their best in te rest lay in brotherly and kindly
feelings towards their neighbours and extending to th e ir fellow­
men, the same r i g h t s which thoy dem anded lor themselves, tho
sum of h um an happiness would increase. This it was th a t the
Theosophical Society atte m p te d to do, and had done with success
far beyond its own expectations. The second object, as p u b ­
lished iu our p rinted Rules was of p a rtic u lar in terest to the E ast,
especially, India, the “ Motherland of N ations.” Col. Olcott very
feelingly showed tho past intellectual glories of this once blessed
land of A ryavarta. N ot only were some of the physical sciences,
in all th eir d e p a rtm e n ts, carried to a far g re a te r perfection,
thau those of the presen t day, b ut the Psychological science,of
which the W e s t bus n ever y et had n proper glimpse, was fully
developed iu the ancie nt times when the Rishis, M ahatm as and
Yogis mixed with the innocent, pious and devoted sons-of the soil.
These treasures they had handed dow n to us in our sacred Books,
th e knowledge of which was unfo rtunately lost with the neglect of
the Sanskrit language. If wo would have a glimpse, a faint
glim m er of th e knowledge and philosophy attained by the giant
intellect of our g re a t ancestors, we m u s t encourage a stud y of
Sanskrit. The p re sen t generation was too old lo u nd ertake to
learn the lunguage. B u t if th e y realized the im portance of the
movement, th ey o u g h t to s t a r t at once Sa n sk rit schools to bring
up tbe yo u n g er generation in the proper mode of th o u g h t The
hope of the Nation lies in h er children,whose minds could be tu r n ­
ed into any channel. The th ird object of the Society was in ter­
mingled with th e second and did not need any fu rth e r explanation ;
it was, however, desirable for the audience to be impressed with
th e fact th a t the Theo, Socy. promised no g u ru nor did it undertake
to teach every one who had a curiosity to know something of
occultism. Tho Oupla V idya, as in ancient times, m ust be
lea rued by the aspirant, by cu ltivatin g within one’s self Lhe h ig h ­
est and noblest aspirations, a feeling of unselfish philanthrophy,
and thu s bringing abo ut a h ig h er and higher self-evolution.
T h e Laws of N a tu re are immutable, and the samo conditions th at
were necessary in olden times for self-development aro neces­
sary now. Colonel Olcott finally urged more tho necessity of
S a n s t r i t schools. The substance of the lecture was th e n giveu
in H in d u sta n i by Mr. N arayan B. N akhre, F . T. S. T h e desire
to have th e su gg estion of Colonel. Olcott for S an sk rit schools,
given a practical tu rn being expressed, a cominitee was at once
appointed to collect subscriptions for the purpose nud repo rt the
re s u lt th e next evening. On the 25th Colonel O lco tt’s second
leoture came oft'. I t being of a scientific an d philosophical
n ature, was limited only to educated people of whom some hu n­
dreds, however, were present. T h e subject was “ O n r Relation
to u fu ture Life,” Tho lecturer took the phenom ena of Occult­
ism, Mesmerism and Spiritualism as the basis upon which to
erect th e s tru ctu re of future existence. These at any rate proved
th e existence of so m eth ing in mun besides his gross body, and
its survival after w hat we call doath. All tho discoveries of
m o d ern science ten ded to confirm the s t a te m e n ts of the ancient
P h ilo soph ers, th e students of Psychology. D arw in ’s theory of
E v olution, grand and startling as it unquestionably is, began no­
w h e r e aud ended nowhero. B u t the M ahatm as of old A ry avarta
h a d p ostulated tho theory of Evolution in its completeness, and
i t was within the means of every e arn est s t u d e n t to te s t its tr u th
by experimentation. Tho lecturer begged bis audience r.ofc to
ta k e anything on faith, but at tlie Ratne time not to express ail
opinion in regard to matters they had not carefully and properly
investigated. The speech was th r o u g h o u t very warmly ap p lau d ­
ed . Colonel Olcott then made a few rem arks in reg ard to
Theosophy for the benefit of those wishing to join it. The noblo
action of tho stu den ts and teachers of tho H ig h School was then
communicated by Colonel O lcott to the audieuco. P oo r boys
g e tt in g a scholarship of five rupees or th e re a b o u ts had expressed
th e ir willingness to forego a m o n th ’s allowance to contribute
th e ir in i t e t o the promotion of the N ational object of the e s t a b ­
lish m e n t of a Ju bbulpore S anskrit School. The teachers, d ra w ­
ing a salary of twenty rupees or so, bad offered a m o n th ’s pay
for the sam e purpose. Tho audience gave vehement cheers wiion
they heard of this noble patriotic feeling of the s tu d e n ts and
m a s te rs of the High School. A subscription list was then pu t
on th e table, and about fifteen h u n d re d rupees were subscribed
ou tbo spot by the audience, mostly in small sums. W e hope
soon to bo able to collect sufficient funds to s t a r t the institution
very shortly. Babu Nivaran C. Mookerjee was elected Treasurer
p ro te m . of tho fund. Ou th e 26th candidates desirous of ad­
mission into the Society were initiated by the P resid ent. And
in the ovening he and his party left J u b b u lp o re for Allahabad ou
th eir N orthern tour.
N , B. N a k i i k k ,
JoBnuLPOKR, ( ' becretary.
27th O d. 1883. i
AN A DD RESS
O n b eh a lf op the H indu S tudents op tiie G o v t . ITigii S c h o o l ,
J C B B U L F O R K , TO T H E T R U K 1’ a TUON OP A kya N PH ILO SO PH Y",
C o l o n e l H. 3 . O l c o t t or A m iu u c a ,
TUB BROTHER OF T U B IIlNDUS.
Kir ,
W e bog to offer you this brief address which wo expect you
will condescend to accept.
The loctnres you delivered on the previous two days have pro­
duced tho desired effect on tho minds of those upon whom Cod
h a s bestowed tho capacity of th in k in g for theinselveR, and, this
deep imprespion will, we hope, never be erased. Y our lectures havo
depicted a durable picture on our hearts and distressed us to
contem plate the fallen condition of tho H indus.
We were on the point of drow ning ourselves in th e deep ocean
of wretchedness, whon all of a sudden the voice of tr n e sup po rt
ia heard by us. We w ill reach tho shoro now. The personage
who is going to guido us, th e blind au d bew ildered H indus,
who even when convinced of our miserable condition, would uot
still strive to procure the remedy. Wo said we were falling
into the woll, still we did not check ourselves, showed 110 courage,
prudence or activity, but took to the foolish task of bemoaning
our lot. We were iu the dark way, and never even showed an y
a tte m p t to open our eyes to look at tho brilliant world-illnmi.
n atin g light, the holy in structions laid down by on r Mahatmas,
b u t th ey have now come down to us th rou gh you, the foreign
appreciator of the now derided H in d u Philosophy.
Now, we think, almost all of ns have awaken from tho sleep
of unconscientiousness and non-appreciation. I t is the greatest,
m isfortune of thoso who have not taken a d v a n ta g e of your tr a ­
velling th rou gh ou t tho country, for the benefit of all who aro
connected with you may be by a very feeblo th read now, b u t
yo ur exortions will mako it ere long as stro n g as ail ad am an ­
tine chain.
Indeed, In d ia had never tho good fortune of g e ttin g a E u r o ­
pean man of science with your abilities, to tak e such burnin g
in te re st ill the noblo cause cf H indu Religion and Philosophy.
A nd it is an d certain Buro to us all th a t the tido of our good
luck has begun to ilow und will safely bring us to shore if wo
follow your lootsteps. We, High School boys, ore very glad
to hear Irom you th a t Sir. N ivaran C h and ra M u k e rji has been
appointed Secretary of y ur Theosophical Socicty here, may it
bo ever prosperous, nud hope to join it after we have como to
proper age !
Mnnv pupils will support tho S a n sk rit S c I iq o I about to bo
founded in accordance with y o u r proposal. We hope
for its vapid progress. I t it c|iiito in disputable th a t unless we
know tho languago of o ur religion, we can no t bo acquainted
■with tho bearded up treasures of our veiioratod ancestors. Wo
hope to bo worthy of any inheritance and call on tho whole world
to share it with us.
Wo hum bly beg of you to favour us with a few d ay s’ visit on
yo ur way back from tho N. W. P. to your H ead-quarters.
We an; highly indebted to you for favours already shown, and
solicit yonr continued favour of in s tru c tin g us every now and
th en, when o p p ortun ity offers, and we shall alw ays tr y to act
up to y o u r instru ction s with our h e art a n d soul.
Wo, H in d u s, can certainly never repay you for the manifold
obligations you have rendered us in any other way than by
o beying y ou r god-like and holy orders.
W e pra y to the S up rem e Being and the Divine M ahatmas
for y ou r lor.g life a n d for the pro sperity of your Society. W e
conclude this by offering o nr best th an k s for your endeavours
for ou r good, and beg to say th a t your generosity and g r e a t ­
n e s s baffles all description.
T h ank s, th ank s, our good an d m an y th a n k s ! May you enjoy
th e divir.e favours for e ver !
W e bog to remain,
Yours most obediently,
P u r o s iio t t a m L al .
On behalf or th e H ig h School S tu den ts, Ju bb ulpo re, Contral
Provinces.
J U H B U L P O R K , )
The 26th Oct. 1883. j
C O L O N E L O L C O T T AT A L L A H A B A D .
N ev er was Allahabad so much excited as it was du rin g lhe re­
cen t vist of Colonel Olcott. He reached here on th e morning of
th e 27th October. H e was received a t the Railway station not
only by tho mem bers of th e P ra y a g Branch, b ut also by many of
the g e n tr y and nobility of this station. In fact the station p lat­
form was crowded, and th ose p resent were eagerly looking for
the arrival of t h e train which arrived nearly one hour late.
F rom th e Railway station th e party drove down to th e National
Club Bungalow, which was intended for their accommodation.
The whole day Col. Olcott and party, consisting of Mr. W. T.
Brown, F. T . S., B . L , (Glasgow), Mr. Damodar K. Mavalankar,
F . T. S., Recording Secretary Theosophical Society, and two
Madras Fellows, Messrs. L. V enkata Y arad arajulu N aidu and
T. N arainsw am y N aidu, received visitors till 5 p . m . In the even­
ing several gentlemon were initiated. I t was indeed an intellec­
tual treat to hear Col. O lcott’s address to the would-bo Thooso­
phists, After tho initation was over th e Colonel was literally
drowned with intricate questions ou philosophy an d science by
the follows present. T h e learned Colonel’s answers satisfied one
nnd all.
T h e next day (28th) waa th e day of tho lecture. Tho subject
of the lecture was “ Theosophy, its History, Progress and Aims.”
The lecture was delivered a t the Kay ns tha Path sala Hall. The
spacious larpre hall was crowded to suffocation. Many persons
went away d isappointed for w ant of space. T h e lecture began a t
4 p. m . and ended at 7 P . M . I n ever found Colonel Olcott so
eloquent, fiuent and en thu siastic as on th a t occasion. Tho
lecture was so im pressive an d well ap preciated by largo
audience, th a t for three mortal hours perfect silence was main­
tained. The audionce was as respectable as could be. Mr. H.
C. N ib le t t was in the chair ; among those present, Dr.
and Mrs. Hall, Babu Oprocash C handra Mukerji, Vakil,
P a n d it N and Lal, Vakil, Pandits R a jnath, Bansidhar, Inder-
narain, Muusiffs, Moulvie Zaka-ulla,Professor of Arabic, Muir
College, P a n d i t Adityaram lihattacharyya, M. A., Professor
of Sanscrit, Muir College, Babu A b hay Charan Sanyal, M. A.,
A ssistant P ro fessor of Physical Scienco, Muir College, Moonshi,
B howani oaliai, Deputy Magistrate, L alla Ram Persaud, G overn­
m e nt Pleader, Lalla Ram Charan, bho richest banker, llabu
Jo g in d ro N a th Chowdry, M. A. B. L., Lalla Jag atnn rain, B anker
and Z emindar, P an dit Lachm inarain Vyasa, the leading K a b iraj,
Babus G yanendranuth Chakravarti, M, A., Sashi Bhu.san Chat-,
terji, B. A., Mohendro N a th C hakravarti, B. A., Jo g en d ro n ath
Gossain of Serampore, Drs. B rajen dranath Banerji and Avinas-
ch and ra Banerji and a host of other respectable and influential
gentlemen, too numerous to mention. The audience was so much
carried away by th e Colonel’s enthusiasm , th a t when Colonel
Olcott, after the lecture was over, proposed the establishm ent of
a S ansk rit School, subsoiptions began to pour in like torrents, and
even Mahornedan gentlemen presen t freely subscribid. This
is indeed truo Brotherhood. W hat cau be b etter proof of the.
success of the Theosophical Society aud personal efforts of its
indefatigable President, tho self-denying good Colonel? More
thau Rs. 2,000 were subseribed on tho spot.
N ext day th ere was a private lecture on Mesmerism with
experim ents to the m em bers of the Branch Society. I t iH n e ed ­
less to say th a t tho lecturo was edifying and very in structive
and interesting to th e m em bers present. On tho morning of the
30th there was another public lecture at the Allahabad In s titu te,
when an address was presen ted to Colonel O lcott by the s t u ­
dents of tho M uir College. In the evening there was a private
lecture a m ong the fellows on “ Life after d eath ,” besidos several
questions from fellows on “ Life before birth,” were answered by
the learned Colonel lo th e entire satisfaction of th e m all. Tho
p arty left th e place for Gluizipore on th e m orning of tho 31st,
when thero were p resent many fellows a t th e Railway platform,
to bid farewell to the party.
Colonel Olcott’s words were not utte red in vain. Since his
d e p a rtu re fresh subscriptions have been coming iu, and many
Vakils, M ahajnns and others have promised their influential
sup p o rt in th e cause of tho S a n sk rit School. I learn frotn ro-
liablo source th a t several V akils have promised to realizo dona­
tions f r o m their clienta f o r this noblo and patriotic purpose.
 On S a tu r d a y next a public m eetin g of P a n d its, PragwaMah’s
and P riests of tbis city will tak e place to consider tlie a m ou n t
of s u p p o rt these men will be uble to give to the cause ot' Suns-
kric le a rn in g —more especially to the proposed S a n sk r it School to
be established by the Prayag Psychic Theosophical Society.
A m .a i i .vuad , i
BnAjiiNDLiA. N a t u B a n e r j i , P. T. S.
5th November 1883. j
ADDRESS TO COL. O L C O T T B Y T H E S T U D E N T S O F
A L L A H A B A D H I G H SC H O O L .
I t is with the deepest respect and the liveliest pleasure th a t
we beg to welcome you iu our inidst. Wo d o so ou t of the ful­
ness of our heart. We are olive to yo ur aelf-sacrificmg devo­
tion to th e cause of our m o th er land, and we, her children, aro
but doing our duty by honoring him, who honors he r and works
for her.
As members of society we feel in common with oth er m em ­
bers of tho h u m an family iu the first and third objects of a
«reat society of which you aro the President-founder. B u t as
In d ian stu d e n ts and m em bers of th e Literary Institu te, we hail
your services coming u nd er tho second of the th ree grand objects
of the Theosophical Society. Y o u r eloquent appeals to our
countrymen to feel respect for th e ancient national literature of
the land, and your practical work in prom oting tho establishm ent
of Sanscrit Schools, demand our gratefu l acknow ledgm ent. We
sincerely wish th a t y ou r labors will be directed with greater
. ardour to this arduous work. A t the same tim e we will venturo
to mako an observation, that, wo fear, would look presumptuous,
b u t which nevertheless may be set forth before you in all candour.
I t is this. A too exclusive study of ancient Ind ian literature will,
we tear, not an sw er the requirem ents of th e time, nor co ntrib ute
to the development of the material resources of the c o u n tr y ; and
hcnco we fear any harmful reaction ag ainst th e bracing education
of W estern literature aud Bcience. We could only wish th a t
instead of th e too exclusive dovotion of Indian s tu d e n ts to foreign
literature—modern or aneient— the national educational systems
wero such as to combine tho adv anta ges of both tho ancient
literatu re of the country and of th e modern lite ra ture and science
of tho West, together with the provision an d en cou ragem ent for
higher studies in Sanscrit literatu re for such as have a taste to
make Sanscrit their speciality. _ revivo tho former scientific glory of this poor an d hapless
We have ventured to udvert briefly to this subject in our
address recognizing ihe defectiveness, as we do, of the prosent)
system of education both as im parted in S tate Colleges and
Schools and in indegenous national Schools. Tho too Anglicised
graduato of the Universities, as well as the old fashioned Pundit,
both of them are outcomes of wrongly directed educational systems,
and we pray th a t your endeavours will be directed to correct theso
opposite extremes.
In conclusion we pray for your u n ab ate d s tre n g th and energy
und a long life.
T H E P R E S ID E N T -F O U N D E R AR G H A ZIPU R .
Col.. H. S. Olcott, P resident-Founder of the Theosnphical
Society, arrived al T a rig h a t on the 31st O ctober 1883 at 2-35 l’. si.
where he was m et by some of the leading gentlem en of Ghazipur.
Ou crossing the river, he was received at Chitti Nath Ghat
by a large n um b er of Native gentlemen who were in waiting for
the purpose. From the g h a t ho drove, accompanied by tho
gentlemen in waiting, to the house of Babu Shew N ath Sing,
where an address of welcomd, a copy of which is annexed, was
given him. In reply, tho P resid ent-Fo un der delivered a short
speech,, in which he thanked tho g entlem en p resen t for tlie h earty
welcome given him, and pointed out iu a few words how im pera­
tive it was for every Hindu to try and know som ething of the
old Aryan theology und science. This closed the proceedings of
the day.
On the following morning, private conversational' m e e tin g s
were held from 8 A . &l. till 1’2 noon, and then again from 2 to fi­
- r. M . In these meetings most of tb s educated g entlem en of the
^-jLdtion attended aud heard the Colonel with intense interest.
At r. St. Messrs. Browu and L. V. V. N aidu left for
G o rak h p u r hy mail cart.
At 0-15 p . »i. tho President proceeded to tho Victoria School and
delivered a lecture ou " the Invisible World.” The hall was
crowded' to suffocation,, and all denominations of the people, both
European and native, attended. The subject was treated both
scientifically and philosophically, and the effect the lecture p ro ­
duced was somewhat marvellous. Some of the staunch materialists
and sceptics were heard to say th a t after what th ey had heard
from tliQ learned lecturer th eir g ro un ds were c erta inly untenable.
On the morning of the next day, the following gentlem en ware
initiated'iu.to tho Society,
B a b u S h a n k a r D'yal P iin d a y .
,, G-ng-an C h a iu l e r Rai.
„ I l a m s a n u i Lall.
„ H i r a Lall.
„ Jugodishwar Chatterjee,
As th e Colonel had to leave for C aw npnr by the 9-35 a . m . train
the tim e under his disposal iu the morning was very short, o th e r ­
wise there are reasons to believe a few more geutlem en would have
been initiated Llie same day. They will, however, join the Society
alm ost immediately.
The Presideu t-F ou ud er left G hazipur by 8-15 . . train* a m
G lJ A Z lP U K , i '
2nd November 1883. } J a g a d is h w a k U iia t t k iij k e .
A D D R E S S TO C O L O N E L O LC O TT B Y T H E
T H E O SO PH IST S OF G U A ZIPU R .
To
C o l . H. S. O l c o t t ,'
P resident-F ounder o f the Theosoyho'al Society,
In d ia , Ghazipur.
Sir,
Wo, the u nd ersig ned , residen ts of G hazipur, beg to offer you
a h earty welcome on yo ur arrival in ou r city.
It, is hardly necessary for us to say th a t yo u r philanthropic
zeal and disin te rested lab ou rs have ju s tly excited the admiration
of th e thin k in g portion of tho Indian public, an d have aroused
an intense interest iu th e movem ent to which you h ave devoted
yourself. No H in d u , who feels in any way concerned iu the wel­
fare of his co un try , could have failed to notice, without some iu-
terost, tho steady progress which tho cause of theosophy has
been m aking iu the southern and the o th er parts of India d u rin g
the last few y ears th ro u g h th e generous endeavours of yourBelE
and th a t noblo and highly cultivated lady, Madame Blavatsky.
W h a t In d ia really was a few centu ries before, is well known
to you. Y ou have devoted alm o st a lifetim e in try u ig to u n ­
ravel the mysteries of the Ind ian pkilosoph, andy you fully u n d e r­
stand how g re a t is the g ra n d e u r of those occult sciences in
which India aloue of all oth er countries of tho world, m o s t excel­
led. The glorious tr u th s of religion, life aud death, enunciated by
tho veaerablo Saints, M uni aud R ishi of Indio, wero now
fast dying away, and had it not been for your generous e nd ea­
vours, all traces of tho p ast g re a t n e s s of Aryan philosophy would
havo beon o bliterated from, tlie face of Hindustan. B u t so g re a b
a treasure is not destined to be lost to the Aryans, and the m ys­
terious dispensation of Providcnce has, iu fulness of time, eeut
you to India, from a far d is ta n t land, to open o u r oyes and to
country. Y our labours have already borne fruit in many p a rts
of Indin, and wo therefore liopo th a t your advent to this city
will confer a lasting boon ou us and lead us to realize tho tr u th s
of old Indian theology an d sciences, and th us enable us to
form some idea of what our glorious forefathers were in ages past.
In conclusion, wo bug to offer you, Sir, ou r most cordial than ks
for y o u r condescension in visiting Ghazipur, and to express a
hope th a t your visit will uot bo without its usual salutary effect^,
hero.
W e are,
Sir,.
Y o u r most obedienb servants,.
SIIANKAR DYAL PANDAY. JUGODISlIWAIt CIIATTHRJEE.
shewnath s i ncj . 11INODI LALL MOOKEUJEK.
NILMADIIUl! RAI. K li DARNATII C11ATT ERJ Eii .
GUNl'UT SAMAI.. DAilRT RAI.
HIIO LAN A'L'II UA1. dOIMNATlf. ;■
TAltlNY GILA It AN MIADURY. 11ARNAitAIN RAl..
BKIJltATTON DOSS. IURA LALL.
SI Dll HSHWAB CH'ATTEltJEE RAMSARAN LALG.
I)A111 DIAL PAN DAY. .lOUUNDItONATH HAI"..
GUGAN CHANDER It Al.. DUUENDltONATII RAI.
T H E P R E S I D E N T - F O U N D E R AT C A W N P O R E .
A fter tr avelling by rail from 9 A . M „ . till a fte r m idnight of
tho 2nd instant,, the President’s p arty,—except Mr. Brown, an d
i l r . Uora.swamy, who; had been, detailed to visit G orakhpur from
Ghazipore as Colonel O lco tt’a D eputies—reached Cawnporo
safely.
Tho M aharajah of Burdw an, being, blessed with a s u p erab u n ­
dance of wealth, has the rich m a n ’s caprice of owning bungalows
and palaces in different places. He has a handsome one here,
ami upon, being asked by tho Local Committee for th e loan
of it telegraphed, to th eir surprise,, t hat tlie larger of his two
houses should be placed a t Colorel Oleott’s disposal and
every attention shown him. As he has alm ost in variably refused
similar applications before, his most obliging courtesy in this
instanco seems a. proof of the sincere respect be feels for tho
President-Founder, and which was shown wheu the Colonel was
his guest at Burdwan.
Upon ap proaching the “ K o ti” wo found the place in a blaze of
light. The Cawnporo B ranch had lit up tho g rou nd s with
Chinese coloured lanterns, nnd lumps on posts, and the whole
fn 9 ade of the building was illu m in a te d by oue thousand chirajs
(native cloy lamps), while tha a p artm en ts were lig h ted up as.
brightly aa d u j.
 A n u m b e r of our Fellows, resident in Town, escorted the P re s i­
d ent from tho Station to the “A’o/f,” a ltho ug h tho h o ur of arrival
t h e r e was late, the trnin being due nt Cawnpore at 12-30 in tho
nig ht- A t tho gate a tall arch bearing the inscription " Welcome
T boosophists,” was erected. T he next m ornin g tho Cawnpore
B ro th ers had long, in teresting and instructive conversation with
Colonel Olcott oil Mesmerism and oth er scientific and m etaph y ­
sical subjects, in which our H in d u Fellows, all over India, are
generally interested. The whole day wns passed in such pleasant
an d attractive discussion's t h n t most of the mem bers rem ained
w ith th e President F o u n d er alm ost all day. The evening was
fixed for a public lecture which was as usual delivered by
Colonel Olcott., ex tempore, in th e Public B uildings close to Ilia
H ighness’ Koti. The subject wns “ Theosophy nnd the future
life.” The lecturcr dwelt upon tho importance, tho
g ro w th and developm ent of the Theosophical Society, its
good work in tho moral and spiritual regeneration of Ind ia and
of th e world, nnd its significance as th e possessor of th e key
which unlocks tbe treasures of esoteric knowledge— tho
com m on foundation of nil religions. H e th en showed how
M esm erism proved the in d ep en d e n t action of mind, op art form
tb e braiti, t h u s striking a blow a t th e Positivistic theory of tho
cessation of m en tal phenomenn with the death of th e brain,
'l’h is la t to r hypothesis was the keynote upon which rested the
whole harm ony of Positivistic science. Prove its falsity, and
tb e whole fabric tumbles down : there is nothing b u t discord.
Mesmerism performed this im p ortan t function and was ns Mich
a valuable scionce, He would have nothing to say if the men of
science retained practicnlly their professed agnostic position.
B u t if while declaring themselves open to conviction, th ey would
not undertake the investgation in the m anner pointed out nnd
still not scruple to ridicule what th ey practically were ign orant
of, then be, as nn honest searcher a fte r tr u th , had to com bat
this dogmatism of science, as much as he does th e big otry of
Theology. The Theosophical Society was not the enemy, eith er
of Science or of Religion, b u t th e companion of one nnd the
liaudmnid of th e other. In sh ort it was an a tt e m p t—and
a very successful one too —to apply scientific methods tor
the investigation of tho hidden tr u th s u n d e rly in g th e so-called
religious m yths and traditions, and th u s to pave tlie way for the
prom otion of Scientific Religion which underlies all tbe faiths
of tb e world, and the mystical meaning of which being forg o tteu
and misnnderstood, had led tbo ign oran t to stick to th e outw ard
meaningless crust, while the so-callcd educated to laugb a t it ns
an exploded superstition. T he office of tru e Theosophy was t h e r e ­
fore to reconcilo Science with Religion, not to prom ote a conflict.
This had been its im po rta ntfu nc tion in old tim es: this it tried to
do now and Mesmerism furnished th e key to the situation. I t
stood ns the guide post to lend th e wenried scientific traveller
beyond his protoplasm into the nbode of R eligion, th e world of
force. From the phenomenal it took th e s tu d e n t to tho
noumeiml. The phenomena of modern spiritualism carried the
s tu d e n t a few steps fu rther, ami those phenom ena as well as
those of mesmerism were perfectly com prehensible to the stud ent
of Esoteric Science. W hen the in ve stiga tor crosses th cte two
steps and comes over to tb e threshold of A ryau Psychology then
lie not only obtains theoretical knowledge bu t is in a position
to have, if he earnestly aud zealously works for it—nn
experimental demonstration of what he is ta u g h t, li e can then
postulate to himself the existence of his in ner self a p a r t from
“ the mortal coil,” its rebirths and the laws gu id in g his ro
incarnations. Qoloncl Olcott did not w ant any of his audienco
to believo what' he said upon blind faith. F o r himself, his
investigations had b rou g ht him to a thorough conviction of tho
tr u t h of what he was then stating, and it was open to any of tho
audience to u n de rta ke the same method of research, if they
enred to learn tho tru th . Tho lecture was highly scientific, nnd
alth o u g h a large portion of the audience could not u nderstand
Colonel Olcott, owing to their limited knowledge of th e E nglish
language, and of th e subjects he was then so learnedly expound­
in g ,— still hardly any one from the Hall left the place, until
after th e lecture was over. So much a ttracted they apparently
were by the le c tu re r’s erudition. The soeech lasted for over an
hour. In the evening new candidates wishing to join,the Society
were initiated by the President-Foundcr. The next morning ho
gave practical instructions to mem bers in th e theory and practice
of healing by mesmerism. A few moro candidates were th en
a d m itte d ; nnd in tbo evening, Colonel Olcott and party left for
Lucknow. Before closing, we m ust express our groat reg re t
th a t llai Kishen Lall, P re s id e n t of the Branch, was prevented by
ssevero illness from sharing th e pleasure of these two clays.
M auhnduanatii G anguli ,
, Secretary Chohan Theot. Socy.
CAWNroitE, ilh November 1683.
COL. O LC O TT A T L U C K N O W .
I t will n o t bo possible for m e to s e n d fo r p u b lic atio n in tho
Theosophist all th e c ir c u m sta n c e s a t t e n d i n g th e v is it of the
P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r to th is eity, n or to convey in p r i n t a n idoa
of th e im m e n s e good d on e to th e cause by h im in O u d h . A t
th o sa m e tim e it is n ec ess ary t h a t I sh o u ld se nd a brief, b u t
by no m e a n s u n i n t e r e s t i n g , r e p o r t of tb e p ro c e e d in g s w hich
to ok place sinco Col. O l c o t t ’s a r r iv a l at L u c k n o w 011 tbe 4 th
i n s t a n t a t 8-30 in tb e e v e n in g . T h e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d c r
w a s received a t th e R a i l w a y s t a t i o n by th e m em b ers of tb e
local b ra n c h of o u r Society a n d by t h e e lite of tho c ity , a n d
th e n c e lie was esco rted to t h e t e m p o r a r y residence p r e p a r e d
fo r h im , by a la r g e n u m b e r of s y m p a th is e rs , T heo so ph ists a n d
n o n -T h e o s o p h is ts . A rriv e d a t th e residence, Col. O lc o tt waa
w e lc o m e d by th e P r e s i d e n t of th is b ra n c h , a n d soon a f t e r by
a d e p u t a t i o n from th e J a lsa i-T a h je e b or th e R e f o r m Club,
w hich p re s e n te d him with an A ddress. I u re p ly , Col. O lco tt
d w e lt u p o n tb e good r e s u lts t h a t m i g h t follow an u n io n w ith
the T h eo so p h ica l S o c ie ty of a ll I n d i a n associations w h ich a t ­
t e m p te d to re m e d y tb e ovils of In d i a n Socicty, social, r e lig io u s
a n d m o r a l. I 11 t.he co urse of th e fo llow ing day n u m e r o u s visi­
to rs w aited upon Col, O lcott, m a n y o f w ho m r e g r e tte d t h e fact
of t h e i r h a v i n g been oflercd no o p p o r t u n it y to w itness a n y of
his m a r v e llo u s cures, b u t fo nd ly e x p re s s in g th e hope t h a t th ey
s h o u l d ba m o r e f o r t u n a t e a n o t h e r tim e. T h e a f te rn o o n wns
d evo ted to tho p ri v a te b u sin e ss of th e b r a n c h . In t h e e v e n ­
in g th o la r g e T o w n H a l l in K aisn r Hugh w as o v e rw h e lm in g ly
cro w d e d lo ng bofore t b e h o u r a n n o u n ce d for Col. O lc o tt's address.
H u n d r e d s wero c o n t e n t w ith s t a n d in g r o o m only, w hile m a n y
m o re b a d to go a w a y . T h e occasion was t a k e n a d v a n t a g e of
b y o u r b ra n c h to c e le b r a te its first a n n iv e r s a ry . T h e P re s i-
d e n t - F o n n d c r to o k th e c h a i r a t six o ’clock a n d called up on
t h e S e c re ta ry to read t h e re p o r t of th e w o rk in g of th e b r a n c h
fo r th e p a s t y e a r . A m o n g o t h e r th i n g s tho r e p o r t w e n t on
to show t h a t efforts to e s ta b lis h A n g lo - S a n s k r it schools were
res p o n d e d to by s u b s c r ip t io n s up to d a te to th e a m o u n t of
ov er R s. 6,000, an d t h a t th e b r a n c h ex p e cted to roiae a lu nch
l a r g e r s u m to e n ab le i t to place th e u n d e r t a k i n g 011 sound
financial basis. Col. O lc o tt th e n h a v in g expressed his
satisfa ctio n , d elivered his p re s id e n tia l a d d re s s 011 A ry a n
“ P h ilo s o p h y a n d its c la i m s ,” au d it was liste n e d to w ith r a p t
a t t e n t i o n , a n d w as g r e e t e d w ith loud n nd f r e q u e n t b u rs ts of
a p pla use . T h e le o t n re was . in te rp re te d to th e n o n - E n g li s h
s p e a k i n g p a r t o f th e a u d ie n c e by P a n d i t P r a n n a t h , th e P r e ­
s id e n t of o u r b ra n c h , w h o nlso p r e s e n te d th e P re s id e n t- F o u n -
d e r w ith p o r t r a i t in oils, e x e c u t e d by Fnzl A li K h a n
B ehzad l l a k a m , a n o te d n a tiv e p a in t e r of L u c k n o w . T h e p r o ­
ceedings t e r m i n a t e d a m i d s t g r e a t a n d u n iv ersal e n th u s ia s m .
L a t e r in t h e e v e n in g a t a special m e e t in g of th e b ran ch,
Col. O lc o tt in i ti a te d several new c a n d id a te s i n t o th e Society,
and a f t e r t h a t lie d is c o u r s e d 011 m e s m erism , il lu s t r a t i n g his
r e m a r k s by h ig h l y i n t e r e s t i n g e x p e r i m e n t s , a n d giving p r a c t i ­
cal h in ts for th e t r e a t m e n t of variou s diseases. E a r l y n e x t
m o r n in g be left fo r B u r a b a n k i , ac c o m p a n ie d by Messrs.
B ro w n a n d M a v a l a n k a r , a n d several ojther T h eo so p h is ts. I t
is u n iv e r s a lly a c k n o w le d g e d h e re t h a t th e P r e s i d e n t - 1 0 1111 -
d c r ’s v is it has p u t n e w lifo in t o t h e lovers a n d w o rk e rs of
th o N atio n al C au se, th o R e g e n e r a t io n of I n d i a .
J wala P rasad Sankhadhar,
S ecy. S a iy a M eiu ju Theo. Socy,
Colonel O lcott, d e liv e re d an ad d ress to a largo a u d ic n c e n t L u ck n o w
011 M onday ovening la s t. .At tho closo of th o m ooting th e local
T h eo so p h ies! Sociely p rc se n to d him w ith a n a d d re ss , to g e th e r w ith a
pT i-trait in oil, h andsom ely fram ed, w hich, it is said, a p p e a r to affoid
him g ro a t s a tis fa c tio n . Colonel O lc o tt an n o u n ced th a t real “ S u n d a y ”
S chools w ere to hr, e s ta b lish e d in o rd e r to ca tc h th e y o n n g idea b etim es-
Tlio C olonel w as accom panied by M r, B row n, whom he intro d u ced to th e
m e e tin g as a g ra d u a te o f th e G lasgow U n iv e rsity , an d an a rd e n t
a d m ire r of G erm an m e ta p h y s ic s, b n t w ho hnd given in liis adh esio n to
T heosophy and in te n d s to p re a c h a n d p ra c tic e its prin cip les and te a c h - .
in g s— ( h ulim i M irro r.) ‘
T h e S a h a s of A l l a h a b a d w rite s:—
“ C olonel JI, S. O lco tt, P re s id e n t-F o n n d e r of th e T hoosophical Society,
w ith H r. D a m o d a r K. M a v a la n k a r, J o in t R ecording S e c re ta ry , and i l r .
N arainsw am y N aidu, F . T . S., passed th ro u g h A llah ab ad , rr,ufc to
C aw npore, on F rid a y ovening la s t. T h ero was a g a th e rin g of tho
focal F ellow s a t th e R ailw ay S ta tio n . T h e p a r ty w as re in fo rc e d h ere
by Mr. A p ro k a sh C h u n d e r, M ookerji, V ic e -P re sid e n t, an d Mr. C h aru
C h u n d e r M itte r of th e P ra y a g P sychic T h eo so p h ical S ociety, an d Mr.
J . N . G hosal, V ice-P re sid en t of tho B engal T h eo so p h ical S o c ie ty , who
accom pany th e C olonel to Caw npore. T h e S e c r o ta ry o f th e C aw nporo
C h o h a n T hoosophical S o cio ty cam o np to th o M ah ar S ta tio n to receiv e
th e C olonel, a n d p a r ty . M r. VV. T . Drown, B. L ., F . T. S., of th e
L o n d o n B ran ch , an d M r. L . V . V a r a d a r a ju lu N aidu, F . T - S., H o n o ­
ra ry S o c re ta ry to th e H ead Q u a rte r F u n d C o m m itte e , have gone to
G orakporo (w h ere tho C olonel w as in v ite d ) to p ay a v isit to th e B ranch
th e re . On th e ir w ay to L uck n o w th e y sto p f o r a d ay a t F y z a b a d ,
w h e re th e r e is ev ery p ro b a b ility of fo rm in g a B ra n c h .”
 S a y s t h e u p - c o u n t r y c o rr e s p o n d e n t of a contem p orary!-*-
“ Tlie lonsi-expected v isit of Colonel O lcott, th o P re s id e n t- F o n n d e r of
tlie In d ia n 'f heosopliical Society, is tlio a ll-a b so rb in g to p ic o f c o n v e r­
sation in tliis sta tio n . Tlie sp le n d id M ansion of l i i s H ig h n e ss th e
M ah arajah o f.U u rd w an a n d th e g a rd e n a tta c h e d to i t a re b ein g ta s te fu lly
d eco rated w ith ev erg reen s au d festo o n s fo r som e d a y s p a s t t su ch »
m easu re, no d o u b t, will e n ta il somo e x p en d itu re, w h ic h , o th e rw ise , w ould
b e tte r h av e b een d istrib u te d to th e p o o r in h onor of th e a d v e n t of th is
religious te a c h e r of th o T h eo so p h ists of th is sta tio n . I f I m istak e n o t
t!io DY an k e e Colonel lias ren o u n ced e v e ry th in g secular. F o r th e life of
m e th e n I am u n ab le to u n d e rsta n d w h y h e allow s s u c h r a n k p a g e a n try
in liis h o n o r. S uch h o n o rs aro given to K ings a m i P rin c e s, aud u o t
to relig io u s d ev o tees. W h a te v e r i t b e , Colonel O lc o tt sh o u ld se t au
e x am p le of se lf-a b u c g a tio n . 1 a m 'to ld by a c o rre sp o n d e n t a t A lla h a ­
bad th a t th o g a lla n t Y an k e e Colonel, d u rin g h is so jo u rn th ero , was one
day th e g n o st of a leading n ativ e, a n d dinod w ith a n u m b er of n a tiv e
g u e s ts w ith all th e o b se rv an c es of n a tiv e rlto a an d co stu m e s. I t is
said C olouel O lco tt k e p t h is shoes o u tsid e th e d in in g room w ith th e o th e r
g u e sts, as it is c u sto m a ry w ith n ativ es to d in e s ittin g 011 a c a rp e t.
A las ! a Y an k ee C olonel co n v erted a t last into a H in d u in th is fag -en d of
th e n in e te e n th c e n tu ry , when th e re lig io u s boliefs of th e w hole world aro
tu rn in g to w ard s th o b lessed tr u th s o f C h ris tia n ity — P e rh a p s it p ay s.”
T h e ab ove is c e r t a in l y in s p ire d b y th e “ g r e e r - i y e d tw in
m o n s te r” — e n v y a n d je a lo u sy of som e C h r i s t i a n w e ll- w ish e r.
W o u ld o u r C h r is ti a n B r e t h r e n o b je ct to a n y su c h h o n o u r s
p a id to th e i r Pope o r B ish o p p T b e l a t t e r a r e also “ re lig io u s
d evo tee s,” we su p p o se ?— E d .
C o l o n e l I I, S. O l c o t t , th e P res id en t-F o u n d er of the_ T heo so­
phical Society in India, is now in our midst. He arrived here
last Saturday m orning by down mail train, from Jab balp ore,
and was received at th e Railway Station by a n u m b er of hi 3
disciples nnd adm irers. H e is stop pin g at the N ational Club
houso, as a g uest of tho Native co m m u n ity of th is station. H is
presence here has created a g re a t sensation a m on g th e educuted
portion of th e Native comm unity. W h a t w ith th e warm recep­
tion he has received, what with th e filial regard, if 1 may be
perm itted to use the expression, w ith which he is looked upou,
what with the attention paid to all his w ants and requirem ents,
it is manifest th a t the good old Colonel has made a great im ­
pression on th e hearts of th e educated natives. E v e n men who
have not initiated them selves into the m ysteries of Theosophy,
actually esteem him, and bear grateful feelings tow ards h im —■
at least such 1 find to be th e case at tho station. Lust Sunday
evening, th e Colonel gave a public lecture, at. the K y a sth a
-PatshuTa, on “ Theosophy, its History, Progress and Aim.” There
was a great rush of people to hear the lecture. The g re a t hall
of tho Putshala, th e adjoining rooms and the openings in th e
verandah, wero filled to suffocation. The Colonel spoke for about
an hour and a-half, and vehement waa th e applause from the
audience when the Colonel touched upon th e glory of th e Aryan
literature, Aryan science and philosophy, au d Aryan civilization.
Among oth er th ings, he spoke at some len g th 011 the usefulness
of the stu dy of S an scrit literature, aud exh orted th e audience
to establish a Sanscrit school at this station, and he so far
succeeded in this a ttem p t, th a t he was able to raise Rs. 2,000 on
the spot for the purpose. This morning, he gave an o th e r short
address at tho Allahabad In s tit u te to as enthusiastic an audience
as on last Sunday evening. L a st S atu rd ay evening, he had tho
pleasure of initiating some ten new members as Fellows of the
Theosophical Society. Last Monday evening, tiabu A procash
Chunder M ukerji, one of the leading members of th e local Bar,
and himself a Theosophist, entertained the Colonel and a few of his
disciples at supper at his own residence. B u t one t h i n g we have
been very sorely disappointed with. Wo had expected th a t tho
Colonel, d urin g his stay here, would prove the efficacy of Mes­
merism in curing human diseases; b n t 011 his arrival h ere we
were told th at, sinco the 2 0 th instant, ho has been forbidden by
liis Guru to try his skill in this respect un til fu r th e r orders.
Thus, we had th e misfortune of losing a very good o p po rtu nity
to show to the sceptics the tr u th of th e reports of tho in n u m e r­
able cures mado by th e Colonel, and published in your paper
from time to time,— In d ia n M irror's Correspondent.
(1) 11 r gf 4 iu ^ i[nncIt e«.
C olonel O lc o tt fo rm ed a B r a n c h T h e o so p h ic a l Society a t
G h a z ip u r, 011 the 1 st N o v e m b e r 1883.
T h r o u g h th e e x ertio n s of one of o u r w o r t h y B r o th e r s in
th e N o r th a n d of B a b u R a m P ra s a d , F. T. S., a n o t h e r B r a n c h
T h co so ph ica l S ociety w a s fo r m e d a t R a e B a r e li n n d e r t h e
n a m e of tlie “ G y a n v a r d h a n i T h e o so p h ic a l S o ciety ,” 011 th e
2 ‘2 nd O cto b e r last. P a r t i c u l a r s a r e g iv e n els ew h e re .
A B r a n c h T h e o so p h ic a l S o c iety w a s o r g a n i s e d on th e 4 t h
N o v e m b e r la s t a t F y z a b a d b y M r. W . T . B r o w n , B. L . ( G l a s g o w )
F . T. S., a n d M r. L. V e n k a t a V a r a d a r a j u l u N a i d u , F . T. S,,
special d e le g a te s fr o m th e P r e s id e n t- F o u n d e r ,
(SDffirhl Keprts.
P a n d i t S a l i g R a m has been elected President of the Sarw
I l itk a ri Theosophical Society, vice B ab u / Ganga Saran, B, A.,
tr a n s fe r re d to Suharanpore as Munsif.
A t a m e e t i n g of tlie F y z a b a d T h eo so p h ica l So c iety h e l d 011 th e
4 tli N o v e m b e r, i t wa.s re s o lv e d t h a t th e fo llo w in g M e m b e r s
be elected office-bearers f o r th e e n s u i n g y e a r :—
B a b u G o k u l C h a n d , P resid e n t.
„ C h a n d r a M o h a n M u k e r j i , V ice-P resident.
,, B ip i n B i h a r i B a n e r j i , M . . , S ecretary.
a
I t w as f u r t h e r re s o lv e d t h a t t h e R u le s a n d B y e -law s of t h e
P a r e n t S o c ie ty be a d o p te d p ro -tem .
B i p i n B i h a r i B a n e r j i ,
S ecretary.
T H E G Y A N V A R D I I A N I T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
A t a m eeting of the m em bers of th e Theosophical Society
held on th e 22nd in stan t inpresence of the D elegate from tho
H ead-quarters, it was proposed th a t a branch be formed by th a
nam e of Gy an V a rd h a n i Theosophical Society, to give local s u p ­
port at Rai Bareli to the P a re n t Theosophical Society, whose p re ­
sent Head Q u arters aro at Adyar, Madras.
2. The object of this Society would be similar to th ose declar­
ed and carried out by the P a re n t Theosophical Society.
3. The following gentlem en be appointed as office-bearers to
carry out tbe business of this Society.
P resident... B a u o o S a m P e b s i i a d .
V ic e - d o ............ D 11 . M u n n a L a l l .
Secretary and Treasurer . . . B a uoo S a u a d a P h a s a d M u k e r j i .
4. T h e Bye-laws of th e P a re n t Theosophical Society be ado pt­
ed for the present.
S a u a d a P i i a s a d a M u k e r j i , F . T. S .
23rd October 1883. ' Secretary, pro-tem.
R EPO R T OF T H E DURBHA NG A T H E O SO PH IC A L
S O C I E T Y , 1883.
T h e Society in its infancy has done very little w o r k : b u t
th e members are try in g to improve themselves. Some of th e
them are practisin g mesmerism or try in g to cultivate healing
powers. T h e Society’s time has been mainly devoted to the stu d y
of hooka recom mended by the P a re n t Society.
The Society held its m eetings reg u larly every fo r tn ig h t ; in
addition to th a t it held tw o Public m e e tin g s ; one to welcome
B rother K aliprasan na M nkhopadhyay, F . T. S., when he visited
our Branch. A t th a t meeting he discoursed on some Theoso­
phical subjects, nam ely K a rm a and transm igration of souls,
and another m eeting w here our Brother N ab in chan dra D u tt,
F . T. S., delivered a le c tu re ou “ T he Universal Religion of tho
World and th e B ro th e rh o o d of H u m a n ity ,” These two pub lic
m eetings wero well atte nd ed, and the public, it appears, a p p r e ­
ciate th e teachings of Theosophy.
Tho Society applied to H - H - t h e M aharaja B ah adu r of D u r ­
b h u n g a ou th e 1 st of May last for some g r a n t from him to
establish a L ib ra ry of Theosophical Books and Magazines, a
S a n sk rit school, and a Sunday school to teach moral lessons to
boys. In reply to th a t memorial, H is H ighness has been
pleased to g ra n t ns a set of Books and Magazines to form th e
nucleus of the L ib rary of on r Society. T he books tho Society
expects to g et soon, and it intends to draw the attention of H . H .
th e Maharaja B ah a d u r to the other clauses of tho Memorial
presented to him on the 1st of May last.
The best th a n k s of the Society are duo to H. II, the Maharaja
B ah adu r of D u rb h an g a for tak in g a lively in terest in tho welfare
of th e Society-
By order,
K a l i p a d a B a n d y o i ’a d i i y a y ,
Secy. Dhurbanga, T. 8,
D oiibhanga T i i E o s o r m c A L
The 18th October, 1883.
S o c i e t y ’s O f f i c e ,
T H E N E L L O R E T H E O S O P H IC A L SOCIETY .
In pursuance of a notice issued by the Theosophical Society, a
P ublic Meeting was held a t 4 r. m ., on th e “ V ijiad asam i” day
(11th October 1883) to open a pure S a n sk r it school in Nellore
Town. Such an In s titu tio n unconnected with th e existing E n g ­
lish schools, where also S an sk rit education is provided, has lo ng
been considered a desideratum. M. R. R y. R. V e n k a ta k ristn a
Row P a n tu lu Garu, late H uztir S heristad ar, was iu the chair,
m any native gentlem en and P a n d its of the place besides th e
m em bers of th e Society were present.
T he Proceedings commenced hy Mr. A ravam ud u Iy en g ar,
F . T. S., reciting some S a n sk rit verses in praise of “ Saraswati”
(goddess of knowledge,). T he object of th e m eetin g was then
explained by him to th e assembly ia T elugu, after which a dis-
 eussion followed thereon nmong tho gen tle m en and Pandits
presen t. The general opinion wag in favour of the opening of
th e school. The Chairman th en addressed the m eeting, wnrmiy
sy m pathizing with the movement nnd declared th e school open.
A Pandit (Vednra Aswaddha N arayan Sasfcry,) who had been
previously engaged by the Society, im m ediately commenced his
work with seven boys. ' th e a d v a n c e m e n t of th c ob jccts of th c Society.
Flowers and pan having been distribu ted , the m eeting dis-
parsed. ° sh all s u b m i t a r e p o r t of th e financial -condition of th e Society
_ I t is the intention of the Society to engage two more P andits
in course of time, and the school is already 10 “ s t r o n g (on the
13th). ° g e n e r a l m e e t in g . T h e S e c r e t a r y sh a ll also be th e cu sto d ia n
V . SiSIilAYEH, v. p.
Nellore, T. S.
T H K M A Y A V E R A M T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY .
R ules and B ye - laws .
I. T h e ob jccts of tlic S o c ic ty a r e :—
(i.) T o c u lt iv a t e a fee lin g of U n iv e r s a l B ro th e r h o o d ,
(ii.) To en c o u ra g e th e s t u d y of S a n s k r i t L i t e r a t u r e a n d
A r y a n P h ilosophy.
(iii.) To p ro m o te tho m o r a l w e ll- b e in g a n d t h e s p i r i­
tu a l in t e r e s t of t h e m e m b e r s especially a n d of o u r
c o u n tr y m e n as f a r as it lies in t h e p o w e r of th e
Society.
(iv .) To c u ltiv a te a n d p ro m o te as f a r a.s p r a c tic a b le a
k n o w le d g e of tho h i d d e n law s of n a t u r e a n d
p sychical p o w e rs l a t e n t in m an.
2’. A n y fellow of th e P a r e n t S o cio ty o r o n e of its b r a n c h e s
m a y be a d m i tt e d as a fellow b y t h e P r e s i d e n t a n d in his
ab sen ce by th e V i c e - P r e s id e n t a n d n o t less t h a n five m e m ­
bers.
,3. E v e r y c a n d id a te (w h o is n o t a lr e a d y a m e m b e r e it h e r
of th e P a r e n t S ociety o r of a n y of its b r a n c h e s ) for a dm issio n,
Khali be re c o m m e n d e d by tw o of th e fellow s of th is Society.
A d m is sio n sh all bo m a d e a t a g e n e r a l m e e t in g a t t e n d e d by
n ot less t h a n f r d s of its s t r e n g t h . C a n d id a t e s s e c u r in g fjrds of
t h e votes of th e m e m b e rs ..present, sh all be d e c la re d d u ly a d ­
m i tt e d . E v e r y c a n d id a te so a d m i t t e d sh all p a y a n in itia tio n
fee o f 10 R u p e e s to th e P a r e n t Society, u n le s s e x e m p t e d from
p a y m e n t a t tlie r e c o m m e n d a t io n of the Society, a n d h e s h a ll
bo d u ly in itia te d by th e P r e s id e n t o r by a fellow e m p o w e re d
liy th e P r e s i d e n t on t h a t behalf.
4. Kvery m e m b e r sh a ll p a y o r d i n a r il y in a d v a n c e a
m o n t h l y su b s c rip tio n of n o t less t h a n tw o a n n a s ; b u t tho
P r e s i d e n t f o r special re a s o n s is e m p o w e re d to e x e m p t a n y
m e m b e r from su c h p a y m e n t. ’
5. M e m b e rs will bo a t lib e rty to p r e s e n t th e Society
w i t h a n y d o n a ti o n of cash, b ook s o r a n y o t h e r a rt ic l e as
p r o p e r t y ; no m e m b e r shall bo co m pelled to p a y su c h
d o n a tio n s .
G. T h e affairs of th e Society sh all bo co n d u c te d by a
m a n a g i n g co m m itte e co n sistin g of a P r c s i d e n t ,t w o V i c e - P r e ­
sid en ts, a S e c re ta ry w ho is also th e T r e a s u r e r fo r th e p r e s e n t
a u d th r e e m e m b e rs all to be elec ted by b a ll o t a n n u a ll y . T h e
electio n will be on th e 1st d a y in S e p t e m b e r e v e ry y e a r. R e ­
t i r i n g officers a r e eligible for re-election ; a n d if a n y va can cy
o c c u rs in tho m ean tim e it will be felled u p b y electio n a t a
special g e n e r a l m eeting .
7 T h e o r d i n a r y m e e tin g s of t h e S o c ic ty s h a l l be lield
f o r t n i g h t l y on su n d n y s a t 3 i‘. m .
8. O no of th e V ic e - P r e s id e n t s sh all p re s id e a t a m e e tin g
if t h e P r e s i d e n t be a b s e n t ; th e m eeting, shall elect a
c h a i r m a n f r o m a m o n g th e m e m b e r s p r e s e n t if th e V i c e - P r e s i ­
d e n t be also a b se n t.
9. I t th e P r e s i d e n t o r one of t h e V ic e - P r e s id e n t s , o r a t
least 4 m e m b e r s desire, th e S e c re ta ry sh all c o n v e n e e x t r a o r ­
d i n a r y m e e t in g s on a n y d a y . N o tice of su c h e x t r a o r d i n a r y
m e e t in g s shall be g iv e n by th e S e c r e t a r y t o all t h e m e m b e rs
on th e d a y p re v io u s to o r on th e d a y of th e m e e tin g . S u c h
no tice shall c o n ta in a list of s u b je c ts t o .b e c o n sid ered a t th e
m e e tin g .
10. A ll q u estio n s a t t h e m e e t i n g s h a ll be decided, a c c o r ­
d i n g to th e op in io n of th e m a j o r i t y of t h e m e m b e r s p re s e n t,
th o c h a i r m a n h a v i n g a c a s t i n g v ote.
11. A n y th r e e m e m b e r s s h a ll f o r m a q u o r n m a t a
m e e tin g .
• 12. A ll th e reso lu tio n p a p e rs , all q u e s t io n s d is c u sse d a n d
d e t e r m i n e d s h a ll bo re c o r d e d by t h e S e c r e t a r y .
13. A n y m e m b e r is en title d to d e l i v e r a l e c t u r e w r i t t e n J a y a w i e k r a m e ; D o n H e n d r i c k M a d a n a y a k e ; C o lam b a,
o r o ral a t a m e e t i n g on a n y s u b j e c t p e r t a i n i n g to Theo'sopliy,
a n d i n t e n d i n g l e c t u r e r s h a l l n a m e t h e s u b j e c t a t t h e im m e ­ p o o h a n n y ; D on H e n d r i c k d e S il v a G o o n e r a t n e ; a n d A k m e -
d iate p r e v i o u s mooting.
B r a n c h I Soc!et5!dCr SliaH ^ a d m ! tt e d to tllC m c c t i n « s of thc
15 L e c tu r e s in S a n s k r i t o r T a m i l m a y be allo w ed by tho
J re s id e n t, to bo d e liv e re d if th e s u b j e c t is su c h as to te n d to
10. T h e S e c r e t a r y sh all k e e p a n a c c o u n t of f u n d s a n d
q u a r t e r l y to th e m a n a g i n g c o m m itte e a n d a n n u a l l y to th e
o t tlie books a n d o t h e r p ro p e r tie s o f t h e Society a n d th e
c ir c u la r s of th c p a r e n t Socicty.
17 S u c h of t h e T h c o so p h ic a l b oo ks a n d p erio d icals as
m a y be se lected b y a m a j o r i t y of m e m b e rs , sh all be s e n t for
by tlic o c c r e t a r y .
18c m e m h c r w i s h i n g to s e v e r his co nn ectio n w ith
t h e Society m a y do so by a w r i t t e n notice to thc P re s id e n t,
b u t su c h s e v e r a n c e sh all in n o w a y relie v e h i m fro m tho
s o le m n e n g a g e m e n t s in to w h ic h he h a s e n t e r e d to m a in ta in
a b s o lu te se c re c y as to all m a t t e r s co n n e c te d w i t h th c socicty
w h ic h h a v e b een c o m m u n ic a t e d to h i m w i t h t h c in te n tio n
t l ia t tliey m a y n o t be rev ea led .
19. A n y m e m b e r c o n d u c ti n g h im s e l f in a m a n n e r inco n­
s i s te n t w i t h t h e r u l e s , ob jccts a n d d ig n i t y of th c Society
s h a ll in t h e first i n s ta n c e be w a r n e d b y t b e S o c ie ty a n d if
s u c h w a r n i n g bo u n h e e d e d s u c h c o n d u c t will be p u n i s h e d b y
e xp ulsio n, o r o t h e r w i s e a s to th e B r a n c h m a y seem fit. I f
h o w e v e r t h e P r e s i d e n t - P o u n d e r sh o u ld r e v e r s e t h e decision
on ap p eal, it sh all be b i n d i n g o n th e B r a n c h .
20. T h e a b o v e B y e - L a w s m a y be modified a n d a d d itio n a l
la w s m a y be f r a m e d f r o m ti m e to tim e as occasion arises,,
w ith t h e c o n s e n t of t h c m a j o r i t y of t h c m e m b e r s .
m e m h e r w h o a b s e n t s h im s e lf fr o m 4 c o n secu tiv e
m e e t in g s w i t h o u t a w r i t t e n v alid exousc, s h a l l be d e a l t w ith
in su c h a w a y as t h e B r a n c h m a y see fit.
A. G. H a r i Rao,.
S e c re ta ry ;
8 Hi October 1883.
A p p r o v e d as c o rr e c te d 1.
H . S. O lcott,
P . T. S .
G alle, 17th S e p te m b e r 1S83.
D amodau K . M avalankar, E squire, F. T. S.,
M a n a g e r o f ihe “ T h eo so p h ist"
M r d ea r S m and B rother,
T h e first y e a r sin ce t h e c re a t io n of th c “ B u d d h i s t N a t i o n a l
F u n d ” h a v i n g e x p ir e d on tho 2 n d instant,, a G e n e r a l M e e t in g
w as c o n v e n e d on th c 3 r d id e m , a u d th e a n n e x e d r e p o r t of th e
S e c r e t a r y w a s r e a d a n d a d o p te d , a n d M e m b e r s fo r th c B o a rd
of M a n a g e r s fo r th e c u r r e n t y e a r w ere ele c ted, a list of w hose
n a m e s is h e r e t o a p p e n d e d . I t w as also re s o lv e d a n d u n a n i ­
m o u s ly c a r r i e d t h a t M r . O re g o n 's E d r e w e r e , th e S e c r e t a r y
of th e B o a r d of M a n a g e r s a n d of t h e S o ciety , be as a m a r k of
o u r sense of g r a t i t u d e a n d e ste e m fo r his i n d e f a ti g a b le a n d
e a r n e s t d is c h a r g e of d u tie s , p r e s e n t e d w i t h a G old Medal
s t u d d e d w i t h p re c io u s sto n e s w ith a su ita b le in s c rip tio n , a t tho
e x p e n s e of Ihe S ociety.
Y ours fraternally,
G. C. A. J a v a s e k a k a ,
P re sid e n t, G a lle B ranch.
L i s t of th e B o a r d of M a n a g e r s of th e S o u t h e r n P r o v i n c e
N a t i o n a l B n d d h i s t i c F u n d , for th c 2n d y e a r , f r o m 3 r d S e p ­
t e m b e r 1883, t o 2 n d S e p te m b e r 1884 :— M essrs. G. C. A.. Jtiya*
s e k a r a ; D. O. I). S. G o o n e s e k a ra ; Greg.. E d r e w e r e ; S i n n o t -
ehy P e r e r a A b e y w a r d a n e ; S. S. J a y a w i e k r a m e ; P . E . De
S ilv a P o n n a m p a r u m a . ; D o n D in n a s S u b a s in g lie ; Don. A. A.
W . G o o n e s e k a r a ; T h o m a s P e r e r a A b e y w a r d a n e ; C. F. S.
M u h a i d i r a n i g e A rn olis. d e S i l v a ; K a l a h e P a t i r a n a g e B ab ap-
m a u a A c lia r ig c 'William-,
 i i iS •
A t ft m e e ti n g oE ’t h e B e ll a r y M u n ic ip a l C o m m is s io n h e ld o n
t h e 1 8 th i n s t a n t , M r. A. S a b a p a t h y M o o d e llia r A v e r g a l,' P r e s i ­
SM O ii
-H O d e n t o f t h e B e ll a r y T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty , m a d e a f r e e g i f t o f a
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b u n g a lo w a n d la n d i h e a s u r in g a b o u t 27 a c re s , w o r t h R u p e e s
20 ,0 0 0 , to t h e M u n ic ip a lit y fo r t h e u s e o f t h e C iv il D is p e n s a r y .
w - M r . G o o d ric h ,' t h e C o lle c to r , w h o p r e s i d e d / o v e r t h e m e e t i n g ,
0-
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W -S
<u a n d e n lig h t e n e d l i b e r a lity o u b e h a lf of h im i e l f a n d t h e M u n ic i­
dw ba.
p a l i ty . -------------- j
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: pq S a S a y s t h e I n d i a n M ir r o r of 2 8 th S e p te m b e r 1 8 8 3 :—
A n a ti v e of J o r a g r a m i n f o r m s u s t h a t B a b u L o lit M o h u n
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R o y , P . T . S ., Z e m in d a r of 0 h u k d i> > h i, h a s d i s t in g u i s h e d h i m ­
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.9 h .
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n
0 0) e S s u p e r v is io n . S o m e f ifty p o o r s t u d e n t s of th o s a id I n s t i t u t i o n
<u . a r e b e in g s u p p o r te d a t h is o w n e x p e u s e . N o t lo n g a g o , “ b y
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.£ ' io "3 <4-1 ® * t h e s u d d e n a n d p r e m a t u r e d e a t h of a g e n tl e m a n o f J o r a g r a m ,
U M o_ ° ^3
a fl +j a m a v illa g e , tw o m ile s d i s t a n t f ro m C h u c k d ig h i , t h e fa m ily of
S o ^ I t h e d e c e a s e d p e r s o n w a s r e d u c e d to s u c h la m e n t a b l e e x tr e m i­
tt o3
; geg “g 5® s.M t ie s t h a t h is o ld m o t h e r a u d h is w id o w w e r e a b o u t to h a v e
r e c o u r s e to b e g g i n g f r o m d o o r to d o o r. B a b u T<olifc M o h u n
• Zi • -+
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rt o h a s m a g n a n im o u s ly u n d e rta k e n c h a rg e of s u p p o rtin g th e
OJ 'O ffl • w h o le f a m ily .’' — -----------
M r. T. C. G opal S in g h , A s s is ta n t S e cre tary , T o d a b e tta
00 52 a « o o o. T h e o so p h ic a l Society, w r i t e s : —
ortl /-v
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5;
- S “ I succeeded in m e s m e risin g a w om an w h o was very se v e re­
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ly su fferin g fro m a t u m o u r in h e r neck. S he w as u n ab le to
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o l> O I'* o
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e a t o r d r i n k w ater, I only m e s m e rise d h e r for ten m in u te s
3o a n d she fell asleep, a n d a f t e r fifteen m in u te s I dem osm erised
CO • COo CO " io (OO'lfllUNO
> HH CO M 5 lier. She g o t up a t once ; and th e t u m o u r d is a p p e a r e d !” ,
•: oo
rHo(Ow • < • rH t> CQ
W e a re g la d to l e a r n t h a t t h r o u g h th e e x ertio n s p r o b a b l y
of o u r fr ie n d a n d one of th e o ld e s t ofiicers of th e TJieosophica,!
Society, P r o f e s s o r A lex ..W ild er, M. D. of N e w Y o r k so m e th in g
&■ like a sister A ssociation to o u r So cie ty h as been e s t a b li s h e d in
ft* Ph O oo
00 tlia t city. W e s u b jo in tw o of th e articles of C o n stitu tio n of
t h e A m e r i c a n A k a d e m e , as tlie n e w Society is called, a n d
d
bo W &S w ish it e v e ry success :— x
£ P
£ < ■ o4 A r t i c l e I I . — O b j e c t s . — T h e p u rp o s e of th is A ssociation i«
«<-! § m to p ro m o te t h e k n o w le d g e of P h ilo so p h ic T r u t h a n d to co­
: : o
’ * M SS w ^ o p e ra te in t h e d is se m in a tio n of su c h kn ow led ge, w ith a view
I a
^ s ' *:- to th e elev a tio n of th e m i n d fr o m th e sp h e re of th e sensuou,s
0)
.S s life in to t h a t of v ir tu e a n d justice, a p d into c o m m u n io n w ith
5 lg ^ th e d iv i n e r id eas a n d n a t u r e s .
5 ~ - M J ® .2 o
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A r t i c l e I I I . — M e m b e r s h i p . — A n y perso n in s y m p a th y w ith
5O M• *§ a o
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“ SO 3 th e p u rp o s e of th is A sso ciation m ay become a m e m b e r b y
A § . a 9 e-9
§ 9 n o m in a tio n of th e E x e c u tiv e C o m m ittee , th e u n a n im o u s co n ­
-a a J -2 .a- •r”2 *-+
2j o« p f s e n t e xp resse d by b allot pf those p re s e n t a t a r e g u l a r m e e t in g
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< 6 s titu tio n . ----------
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0 fl gtS-a « S d D r. F. H a r t m a n n , m . p., F . T. S. of C olorado, U. S. A, tjiu
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bo of-i uo 3 k » ® .
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is e x p e c te d h ero b y th e n e x t Mail. .
Op O>
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» 8 s .& o < T h e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r w ith th e b r o t h e r s w ith h im w ill
t< 3 -if8 R PPJo £ s ■ s h o rtly com plete his N o r t h - W e s t e r n t o u r a n d is ex pected b a c k
CD li - .5
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w__f i m o H d rt ij d ° a t th e H e a d - q u a r t e r s to w a r d s th e m id d le of th e m o n th .
_0 ^ c/5 Q
M r .D a i u o d a r K . M a v a l a n k a r comes b a c k d ir e c t f ro m L a h o r e .
J c r H o i n i l J t u m f i . ANANDA B A I J O S H I ’S R E C E P T I O N . '
G r e e t i n g i o t u e B i u u m in L a d y w u o w i l l u e c o m e 4. - -
Colonel H . S. O lc o tt d eliv ere d a le c tu re 011 “ T h o Evils of
P h ila d e lp h ia S tu d e n t. '
th e p r e s e n t d a y a n d h o w to rem o v e t h e m ” in th o I n s t i t u t e
H all, a t 6 P. m., on M on day , th e 12 th N o v e m b e r a t A l i g a r h ; a n d ( P h ila d e lp h ia P ress.) \
a lec tu re on “ T h e o s o p h y a n d M e s m e ris m ” a t th e p re m ises of T h e p a r lo r s o f D r . R a c h e l L . B o d le y , D e a n o f th o W o m a n ’.!
L a la S a h ib S in g h H u l a s R ai, R a is of S u d d e r B a z a a r M e e r u t M e d ic a l C o lle g e , a t 1400 N o r t h T w e n t y - f i r s t S t r e e t , w e re c ro w d e d
y e s t e r d a y a f te r n o o n w i t h la d ie s a n d g e n tle m e n , a s s e m b le d to
C a n to n m e n t, 011 th e 16th N o v e m b e r 1883. H e also le c tu re d
m e e t M r s . A n a n d a B a l J o s h i, a B r u h m in la d y , of S e r a m p o r e ,
th e 1 9th a n d 2 0 t h N o v e m b e r a t 6-30 i>. m. a t his own H i n d u s t a n , w h o h a s c o m e t o t h i s c o u n tr y to s tu d y m e d ic in e , i u
t i u i p , P a r a d e g r o u n d , opposite F o r t , L a h o re . o r d e r t h a t t h e w o m e n of h e r N a tiv e la n d m a y bo a t t t e n d e d b y
s k ille d a n d e d u c a te d p h y s ic ia n s o f t h e i r o w n c a s te .
M r. W . T. B ro w n , F. T. S., n. r,., d e p u te d by th e P re s id c n t- M rs. J o s h i , a p lu m p l i t t l e w o m a n b u t e ig h te e n y e a r s o f a g o
F o u n d e r, d e liv e re d a le c tu re o u “ T h e o s o p h y , its A im s a n d a n d of a d e c id e d ly b r o w n c o m p le x io n , s to o d in th o c e n t r o of t h o
Objects,” a t R a w a l p in d i 011 th e 18th N o v em b e r. d r a w in g -r o o m , a n d s h o o k b a u d s w ith th e g u e s ts a s t h e y w e ro
p re s e n te d . S h e w as d re sse d iu h e r fu ll N a ti v e c o s tu m o
W e ha v e m u c h p le a s u re to a n n o u n c e t h a t a w ee k ly pice w i t h t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t ic s a r i, o r a s ilk s c a r f o f P o m p e ia n r e d ,
p ap er in H in d i lias b een established a t B h a g u lp o r o u n d e r th o b o r d e r e d w ith g o ld t h r e a d , f o r m in g th e o v e r d r e s s , c o v e r in g th o
c o n d u c t of o u r B r o th e r , B a b u L a d li M o h a n G h o sh , to d is­ s h o u ld e r s a n d b u s t , a n d if n e c e s s a ry , th o h e a d . T h is g a r m e n t
sem in a te a co rre e t in t e r p r e t a t i o n of th o P u r a n a s . is a b o u t t e n y a r d s lo n g , a n d h a s no f a s t e n i n g . T lie la d y t a k e s
o n e t u r n a b o u t h e r w a is t, a n d th e n le ts p l e a t a f t e r p le a t d r o p
to h e r fe e t, t u c k i n g it iu ea c h tim e a t h e r w a is t, t h e m a s s o f
M. R. R y . A. T h e a g a r a j a Iyer, A s s i s ta n t S e c r e t a r y of the
fo ld s t h u s fo rm in g a s k i r t . T h e e n d is b r o u g h t a r o u n d th o
Madras T he osophical Society, is p ra c t is i n g m e s m e rism vvitli s h o u ld e r s , le u v in g th e le f t a r m b a r e , a n d in h e r n a tiv e la n d in
some success. " Thoso in te re ste d a re r e f e r r e d to th e notice c a r r ie d o v e r t h e h e a d , a n d c o v e r s t h e sa fe . U n d e rn e a th th a
a p p e arin g iu th e A d v e rti s e m e n t colum ns. s a r i a n d v is ib le on th o le f t s h o u ld e r w a s a b la c k s ilk w a is t w ith
a V - s h a p e d c o r s a g e . T h o s a r i w as f a s te n e d a t t h e b r e a s t b y a
Wo aro h ap p y to an n o u n ce th o aafo r e tu r n from E uropo of our b e a u tif u l b ro o c h s e t w i th la r g e p e a r lij. I n h e r e a r s w ero o r u a -
B rother H. Ii, I»ujiraj, T h a k u r S ahib of W adhw an. r n e u ts of g o ld li ll ig r e e , s a t w if h p e a r la , a n d a t h e r t h r o a t w e ia
 nccklaoes of gold lilligroo and pearls. H e r bracelets were of
jade, a sacred green stone, carved into rings. A wreath of
PARADOXESOFTHEHIGHEST
SCIENCE.
..jessamine >was w ovon.iu with her hair, which Was j e t black
,and ipnrtcd a little on one side- H e r hands were encased in
k id gloves, so that ■she could touch Lhe hands of a strang er
■without being oontaminated. Between her eyes was a peculiar
■mark in purple and red pain t which denoted the caste of this
lady to too a Brahmin.
Mrs. Joshi's husband is a pro m in ent mem ber of the Brahmo
Samaj or Progressive.Hindu Society, of which Kam Mohun Roy B E IN G T H E U N P U B L IS H E D W R IT IN G S
waB the founder, and K eshub C hu nd er Sen is tho present leaden
T h is society has about 1,500,000 membors, and is striving to O F E L I P H A S L E V I,
lift the H indu raoo from its present religious condition, The
idea of 3,000 gods is one of the many th in g s th a t th e society is
tr y in g to overthrow. In consequence of belonging to tb e Brahmo T r a n s la te d in to E n g lis h
Samaj, Mrs. Joshi is enabled to do many th ing s th a t she would
o therw ise bo unable to do, bnt she m ust still, even in this
co un try , respect certain customs, in order not to loose her castoi (T H E O S O P H IC A L M I S C E L L A N I E S , N o . I I .)
S h e m u s t livo in a room by herself, and must prepare her own food
un til a H indu woman comos to serve h e n The little woman P rice O N E R upee.
is quite intellectual, being able to speuk seven lan g u a g e s—H in ­
d ustani, Sanskrit, Bengali, M a h ra ttit Canarese* G uearati, and In c lu d in g P o s ta g e .
E nglish, Sho talks E nglish with ease( and expressed herself as
being greatly touched at the kindness shown by her hew friends
Among those present were Miss Maty Jean, Mrs. Mumfordi A p p ly to t h i s O ffic e .
Rev, G. D. Boardman, D. D. , Jud ge, W. S. Peirce, Dr, Atkin'
son, Rev. B. M. L uther, Secretary of the American Baptist
Missionary Union, Mrs. J . P. Lean, W. W. Kean* M. D. and
m an y graduates of aud instructors ia tho W o m a n’s Medical P R E V E N T IV E A N D SP E C IF IC FOR
College.
E d i t o r ’s N o t e . — I t affords u s sin c e re p le a s u re to find h o n ­ CHOLERA.
o u rs so deservedly sho w ered on t h a t e x c e llen t y o u n g lady,
PRO TEC TED BY LETTER S PA TE N T .
Mrs. A n a n d a Bai Josh i, a n o r n a m e n t of t h e C a lc u tta
“ Ladies Theosophical S ocicty .” A t t h e sam e tim e, w ith an
eye to th e dism al fate t h a t befell poor P a n d i t a R a m a Bai, in
IN D R A D Y N E
E n g l a n d , we ca n n o t help s h u d d e r i n g w h e n we find th e lon g
s t r in g of R everends a m o n g th e citizens w ho g re e t e d o u r little
CU RthEisS faCtaholera a t an y sta g e, a v e rts th a d roadfnl sequela; p ecu liar to
l disease, an d effectually ch eck s C holeraic D iarrhoea. I t
h as also pow erful p ro p h y la c tic p ro p e rtie s w hich p re v e n t in fectio n from
fr ie n d in th e Q d a k e r city. W h a t a r u s h of c a n d id a te s th e r e C holera. .
■will be to save a “ h e a th e n s o n l” fr o m e te r n a l p erd itio n !
"What sw eet p ersuasio ns an d e lo q u e n t o ra to ry a re in sto re for ® S 'F u l l i n s t r u c t i o n s fo r u se accom pany each b o ttle , to ­
th o p oo r u n w a ry victim ! I n th e m e a n w h il e we m a y as well g e th e r w ith n u m ero u s t e s t i m o n i a l s , w h i c h , b e s id e s g iv in g
n o te a few g la r in g — inaccuracies t h a t h a v e c re p t in to th e d e t a i l s o f a l m o s t m i r a c u l o u s c u r e s , a ls o d e c l a r e I N D R A D Y N E
nbovo extracted report. W e are n o t to ld w h e th e r it is Mrs. t o b e t h e b e s t a n d t h e o n l y n e v e r - f a i l i n g r e m e d y f o r C h o le r a .
Jo s h i who inform ed th o re p o r te r t h a t sh e be longed to th e A ll genuine labels a n d w rappers bear the P a te n te e s in itia ls in red in k.
“ B rah m o S am aj ; w ho se “ lead er is K e s h u b C h n n d e r S en ?”
W e h av e reasons to d o u b t it, f o r we n e v e r k n e w h e r a d d ic te d R s . 2 a n d 3 -8 p e r b o t t l e . P a c k i n g A s- 8 e x t r a , f o r o n e ,
to false s t a te m e n ts an d t h a t we find several such in th e la t te r A s . 12 f o r t w o , a n d A s . 2 f o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l b o t t l e .
r e p o r t. I n th e fir s t place a n d so f a r as we knew, n e it h e r
M rs. J o s h i n o r h e r h u s b a n d e v er b elon g to th e B r a h m o N- B .— I f cash does n o t accom pany orders, b o ttles w ill bo s e n t b y
V- P . P o st. A re d u c tio n of 4 As. p e r b o ttle to p u rc h a se rs of m ore th a n
S am aj, certain ly n o t to th e N ew D ispensation of K e s h u b Babn. five big b o ttle s, w hich c o n ta in 12-onnces each, or tw ico as m a c h a s th e
Secondly, th e p ro p h e t of t h e Lily C ottago is w ro n g ly styled sm all onos. Cash in advance w ill secure cheaper tra n s it.
th o leade r of th e B ra h m o s who all d e c lin e th e h o n o u r w ith
th e exception of a h a n d f u l of e n th u s ia s t s . T hird ly , he EVANS AND CO., C h em ists a n d D ru g g is ts .
lias n ot 1,500,000 followers, since all t h e th r e e divisions 144, D hw rrum iollah Street,
of the B rahm o S a m a j p u t to gether, i. e., th e A d i, th e Saddlia ra n CALCUTTA.
a n d th e N ew D ispensation Samajes c a n n o t sho w on t h e i r m u s te r
ro lls even a h u n d r e t h p a r t o f t h e n u m b e r giv en above. W e
■wore told in C a lcu tta by a near relative of th e B a b a — t h a t th e S E ii@ & !i w m m m © m m m -m *
d ir e c t followers, or t h e apostles of B a b u K e s h u b could be L A T E ( B R A H M O P U B L IC O P IN IO N .)
c o u n te d on th e te n fingure— they do n o t exceed fifty men. W e CE S T A B L I S H E D 1 8 7 8 . 1
w o n d e r w hich of th e R e v e re n d s p r e s e n t g a v e th e information.
M r. Jo shi is a sta u n c h T h e o so p h is t,a n d so is Mrs. Jo s h i we hope. A Weekly Journal of Politics.
SIXTEEN TAGES FOOLSCAP.
O B IT U A R Y .
ONKmore usefu l a n d beloved B rothor»w orker h as dropped o u t of our P U B L IS H E D E V E R Y T H U R S D A Y .
S ooiety. W e r e g re t ex trem ely to h ave to announco th e d e a th of our
valued colleague, BABU P E A R Y C IIA N D M IT T R A , la te P re sid e n t P len se ASK f o r a SPECIMEN COPY.
of th e B e n g a l T heosophical S ociety, C a lc u tta. T he m elancholy A n d it w ill be sent G ra tis to a n y address, P ost F b e e .
e v e n t to o k place on F rid a y , th e 23rd N ovem ber la st. H e w as a I t is supplied post fre e upon th e follow ing term s, p e r an n u m
m em ber o f o u r S o cicty ev o r since its fo u n d atio n in N ew Y ork, and
w as one of o u r first su p p o rte rs in Bengal. I n him In d ia has lobt a Rs. As. P .
w o rth y son a n d P sychology a devoted stu d e n t an d cham pion. In d ia ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 0 0
M any a n d v ario u s w o re h is co n trib u tio n s to T heosophical and E n g lan d , F ra n co , A m erica, (U .S .,) ... ... 10 11 0
S p iritu alistic lite ra tu re . An dxcollont. sincero and learn ed Ceylon ................. ... ... ................ 9 0 0
w rite r, durin g h is long an d useful care e r his ex ertio n s wero H a v in g a n e x te n s iv e circu latio n tho Bengal P u b lic O pinion offors
in defatig ab le in th e cau se of every refo rm w hose tr n th and necessity ex cep tio n al a d v a n ta g e s to a d v e rtise rs.
w ore c arrie d hom o to h is m ind. H e also laboured h ard for tho F or casual A d v e rtiso m tn ts 4 A nnas per line. C o n tra c t ra te s su p ­
p rev en tio n of c ru e lty to w ard s th e b ru te creatio n , as no one can be plied on ap p licatio n .
a tru e psychologist w ith o n t having oom pussion for an d feelin g h im ­
se lf bound to p ro tect th e in fe rio r creation, w hich, as he know s, have A ll co m m u n icatio n to be ad d ressed to th e M anager.
sonis ju s t as we have, th o u g h r.ot so developed. T h u s, ho w as all 10-3, C ornw allis Street, )
alo n g a p rom inent m em ber of th e C a lc u tta S o ciety f<>r th o P re v e n ­ • CALCUTTA. J
tion of C ru elty to A nim als, an d w as la tte rly th e H on o rary S ecretary
o f th a t h u m an e body. H e laboured zealously for th e sp read of fem ale
education, and has, as a w riter, loft h is m ark on th e lite ra tu re of
B engal. M etaphysical stu d ies also to a ce rta in e x te n t aro indebted to
his able publicatio n s. T he nows of his d e a th w ill be recoived by P U N D I T H E E R A N U N D ’S A L M A N A C FO R 1 8 8 3 .
h is n um erous body of frien d s an d adm irers, h ere and abroad, m ore
w ith sorrow th a n surp riso , for h is d e a th w as long ago expected,
ho h av in g a tta in e d th o p a tria rc h a l ago of th re o score y e a rs and ten
P R EADstro
IC T IO N S of th o w e a th e r, voice of th e s ta rs and E phem eris for
lo g ical fo re c a sts , w ith n u m ero u s u se fu l inform ations. P rice,
an n as f o u r ; postago an d o th e r ch arg es, a n n a ono. A pply to tho
and b een in failin g h ealth for som e tim e. M anager of th e T h e o s o p iu s t . -
 4 o (d fii a a H
O
FTHE

T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IE T Y
m L —J A N U A R Y 1 , 1 8 8 4 .

S U B S C R IP T IO N T O T H E J O U R N A L :-
India. Foreign}
R e g u la r M e m b e r s o f th e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty .................... R s. 2. 6 s.

T o a i l o t h e r S u b s c r i b e r s ..................................................................................... ,, 5. 1 2s.

SU B SC B IP T IO N S DUE FBOM JA N U A B Y TO D E C E M B E B .

N . B .— S u b s c r ib e r s to T he T h e o s o p h i s t , w jio a r e F e l l o w s o f t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y , w ill r e c e iv e

t h is Journal as a “ S u p p lem en t” gratis.

■ TABLE OF CO NTEN TS.

. Page. Page.

Explanatory ... ... ... ... 1 Observations by Colonel Olcott... 7.7 ... 9
Tbe W ork of the Branches ... ............ 1 A Generous G ift from London ... ........... 10
Colonel Olcott at Moradabad ... . . ... 2 Our E ig h th A nniversary Program m e; Presidential
Do. do. A ligarh ... ... ............ 2 A ddress and Speeches of the Delegates; Tele-
Do. do. Meerut ... .. . ... 3 gratrs and Letters from prominent Theosophists ;
Do. do. Lahore ... ... ............ 3 A nnual A ccounts; Celebration at Patcheappah’s
Do. do. The Court of K ash m ir ... 5 H a ll; e tc : etc. ... ... ... 24
Do. do. Je yp o re... ... ............ 5 Opinions of the local Press. Speech of Babu Norendro
Do. do. Kurnool ... .. , ... 5 Nath Sen, P. T .S ., Editor of the Indian Mirror
Official Reports ... ... ............ t> of Calcutta ... ... ... .......... . 25
Oxford M ission Shots at Occultism .. . ... 8 Obituary ... ... ... ... 27
Theosophy (Madras Times) ... ........... 9 i

M ADRAS, ADYAB.

1884. ■
(Price, Single Number, Eight Annas.J
 F rom Tnp, P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r o f t h e
N a ib D ew an of C o c h in , C o u n c illo r
M y D i-.ar B rethren , '
T h e C a r d in a l p r in c i p le o f in y m o v e m e n t in tlie
H i n d u S a b lia is t lia t H i n d u s o c ia l c i v ilis a t io n a n d
r e li g io u s i n s t i t u t i o n s a r e or sh o u l d b e c o n f o r m a b le
t o t h o o s o p h ic a l t r u t h s , a n d t h a t t h e Clef-g.y s h o u ld
bo first r e c o n s t i t u t e d a n d h o n o r e d s o a s t d . i m p i o ^ c
t h e b e lie f s a n d p r a c t ic e s o f t h e L a i t y . I recom ­
m e n d t h a t t h e H i n d u S a b h a .and G e n e r a l C o u n c il
a n d a P a n d i t P r ie s t C o n v o c a t io n s h o u l d a lso m e e t
a t t h e A n n iv e r s a r y o f t h e I h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y ,
a n d I sha ll a r r a n g e f o r a c c o m m o d a t i o n and f o o d
o f t h e P u n d i t s , in c o n s u l t a t i o n w it h t h e P r e s id e n t -
F o u n d e r o f t h a t S o c ic t y . K i n d l y r e p ly a t o n c e w h a t
h e lp you w ill g i v e fo r t h is p u r p o s e a n d f o r h o n o r ­
in g the P a n d it P riests. I th in k th a t A s tr o lo g e r s ,
w lio s c a s s is t a n c e is s o n c c c s s a r y to d e to i’m itie
h o u r , h o r o s c o p lc a g r e e m e n t , K a r m a p l t a l a , &c.»
&c.j m a y h a v e five p r iz e s o f R s . 3 0 , 2 5 , 2 0 , 15 a n d
3 0, a n d t h a t o t h e r c la s s e s o f P a n d i t s as L o g i c i a n s ,
G r a m m a r i a n s , P a u r a n ik a s w i t h G h a n a p a t i s a n d
P u r o h i t s t h r e e fn’izes eaoh o f H s , 1 5 , 1 0 a n d 5.
■ fA, A s nkaut u .A ,
^Presidcnt-Founder, H in d u Sabha.
------ *-------
T h e C o n s t it u t io n a n d P r o g r e s s ,o f th e
H in d u S a b h a r e v is e d a n d re p u b -
■ l i s h e d b y t h e P r e s id e n t - F o u n d e r ,
De ce vl bb r 1 8 8 3 .
TH E) H I N D U S A B I I A .
' Inaugurated I\ali E r a 4802.
A l l i e d to the T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y .
G e n e r a l O b j ec t .— H i n d u n a t io n a l u n i t y a n d p r o ­
gress.
Specific Obj ect .— i. T o a d j u s t t h e b e lie f s , prac-
' t i c e s an d in s t i t u t i o n s o f th e H i n d u s w it li t h e
l e t t e r an d s p ir it o f tlio V y n s i y a m o i 1t h e AvS-
lia m (i. c., t e a c h i n g s o f th e R is h i e s ) .
ii. T o p r o m o t e so cia l a n d r e li g i o u s r e f o r m s w it h
the su p p ort of P a n d its an d p riests of sta n d in g .
. iii. T o p r o m o t e g o o d w ill a m p n g s t t h e Sects
an d c a s tc s o f Indiq,.
C a n o ns o f the P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r . — i. A n y olie a p ­
p a r e n t ly c o n f o r m i n g t o t h e V y a s iy a m or
A i'sh a m o f a n y c la n o r c a s t e , is a H in d u ,
ii. E n g lisln ed iica ted H in d u s p r o m o tin g the
a f o r e s a id o b j e c t s an d nil H i n d u T h e o s o p l i i s t s , a re
fit to be m e m b e l’S o f t lie P a r e n t S a b h a, a n d a V i c e ­
P r e s i d e n t r e p r e s e n t s at le a s t f o u r m e m b e r s .
’ iii. T b leratiC li o f e x i s t i n g a n d n e w l y r i s i n g
p r in c ip le s a n d o b s e r v a n c e s , w h e t h e r L o u k i k a o r
V a i d i k a u n d e r tlic d e n o m i n a t i o n o f c la n s .
iv . A l l H i n d u s , w h e t h e r e d u c a t e d in E n g l i s h
or n o t , mfly a s s o c ia t e in lp c a l b r a n c h e s fo r o b j e c t s ,
c o n s i s t e n t w it h t h o s e o f t h e S a b h a : T lie SeCreta*
r ie s o f t h e L o c a l B r a n c h e s w ill b e ex-officio, c o u n ­
c illo r s o f t h e S a b h a .
v. The u n i t y a n d p r o g r e s s o f t h e , JliliSu;.
n a t i o n a l i t y is c o n s i s t e n t w i t h f r a t e r n a l r e g a r d s
f o r all r a c e s a n d c r e e d s . , . . . - • • ' lliu'dd AusociaUqufl,
H IN D U S A B I I A , A . S ankauiaii , F . T . S . ,
of to e T i i e o s o i ’i i ic a I ) S o c i k t y .
T h e G e n e r a l C o u n c il o f th e S a b h a
c o n s is t s o f V ic e - P r e s id e n t s a n d
S e c r e t a r ie s .
■ • ■
M . It. R y . V ice-P resid en t,
1. S . ‘ f t a m n s a w m y I y e r , B, A., D i s t r i c t R e g is t r a r ,
M adura.
2. A . C u p ia li, P l e a d e r , C u d d n p a h .
3. II. S u b b a r a y a I y e r , S u b - J u d g e , C o chin.
4 . V . R a m e n M e n o n , G o v e r n m e n t P le a d e r , C a l ic u t .
5. K . P . S a n k a r a M e n o n , 13. a ., b. i ,., H i g h C o u r t
V a k i l , M y la p o r e .
6 . M . N n t a r a j a I y e r , D i s t r i c t R e g i s t r a r , C u d d a lo r e ;
7. A. S. J u g g a R ow , D ab a G ardens, V iza g a p a ta m .
8. T . V . S e s l i a g i r i I y e r , b. a ., T r ip lic a n e , M a d r a s.
9. S a t h u S e s h a y y a , b . a ., P r o v i n c i a l C o lle g e ,
C om ba'cotium . ' .
10. 0 . S rira n g a C h a r ia r , D istrict M u n s if,
O o d u m u lp et.
11. C. V . G u r u s a m y C h e t t ia r ,B la c k T o w n , M a d r a s .
] 2 . K u p p u s a in y N a id u ,D u b a s h ,T o n d ia r p e t ,M a d r a p »
1 3 . D li a r m a l i i i g a C h e t t ia r , R a i l w a y S tn . M a ste r ,
fealem . *
1 4 . N a r a y a n a s a w m y I y e r , T a lu k S lie r is t a d a r , Erode*
1 5 - K. R a m a R o w , l i d . b l a s t e r H i g h S c h o o l, K u r n o o h
1 6 . J . N n r a s im h u lu N a i d u , V a k i l , C h itto o r .
J 7. C. L a k s h m i p a t h y N aid u , B a r r is t e r - a t -la w ,
S r ir a iig u m .
1 8 . K r is h n a Iy e n g a r , D istrict C o u r t V a k il,
T r ich in o p cly .
19. C. S u n d r a m S a s t r y , B. A., S u b - R e g i s t r a r ,
, T i'ip a to r e .
2 0 . V. D o r a s a m y I y e r , D y . C o lle c t o r , B e ll a r y .
21- P . S n b r a m a n y a I y e r , S u b - R e g i s t r a r , M a d u r a
D is tr ic t-
22 . T . R a m n c h a n d r a R o w , b . a ., b . l . , D i s t r i c t
M u n s i f , T r i v e l lo r e ,
^3. A . R . V e n k a t a r a m a I y e r , B. a . , b. l . , H i g h
C o u r t V a k il, N e g a p a t a in .
2 4 . M . N a r a y a n a s q ,m y I y e r , b . A., P r o v . C o lle g e ,
C om baconum ,
25. V . P ic b o o Iyer, H e a d M aster, P a lg h a t.
2 0 . G. S H r a m a n n a , P e d d a p o r e , G o d a y e r y D is t r ic t .
2 7 . S . V e n k a t e s a I y e r >S t .a n e s a n d C o., C o im b a t o r e .
2 8 . T i r u v e n k a t a s a m y M u d a lia r , O o t a c a m u n d .
2 9 . R . P a d m a n a lj lia CJiarier, b . a ., D e w a n ’s Office,
Trevandrum .
3 0 . R a n g a s a m y I y e n g a r , b . a., S u b - J u d g e , M y s o r e .
A • C uddapa B ranch.
(1) N .G . Gopalior,D.A., D istrict Court P le a d e r (Secy.)
(2) M. V a ra d a ra ja Pillay (Asst. (Secretary.)
B , Qur A ry a n F ore-F ather's Society B ra n ch , T innevelly,
(1) S. Periasawiny l ’jllay (Secretary.)
(2) A. K . K rislm a I y e n g a r (Asst. Secretary.)
C■ The K a ra la D harm a Vichara B ranch, 1'rjchoor,
(1) A . Vein M anu a4y Nuir, F , T . S., T richo or
(Secretary.)
D. The P eddapore T plvgu tfrrtifch.
(I) G. Si'irainanna, I ’eddapore (Secretary.)
E . The R em arriage F rien d s, M adras.
(1) P. (Jhentsal Row, Mylapore (Secretary.)
P . The “ N o -R em arriage” Sabha, M adras.
0 ) p . Gooroomoorthy Iyer, H ig h C o urt Vakil
(Secretary.)
£?. H in d u N a tiq n a l 4.ssQciation} Saidapet.
(1)
N . l i .— Tlio P a re n t H in d u Sabha, which I havo the honor of having
foumled, just registers and reconcilcs and focuaea the activities of All
 .S P E C IA L N O T IC E .

O wing 16 a h e a v y p r e s s u r e o n o u r s p a c e b y t h e a p u b lic a t io n , li k e l y t o fa ll i n t o t h e h a n d s o f pro-<

p r o c e e d in g s o f on r E i g h t h A n n i v e r s a r y , w e r e g r e t f a n e r e a d e, r s , a c c o u ni t •s o f'w h
c; •
at t o s. o m e o' f t h e■ m
we c o u l d ' n o t g i v e , th is m o n t h , s o m e v e r y i n t e r e s t ­ are m o s t s a c r e d o c c u r r e n c e s . The change in o u r
in g a c c o u n t s o f p h e n o m e n a l o c c u r r e n c e s a n d f a c t s , p r o g r a m m e in r e g a r d t o ^lie S u p p l e m e n t h a s , h o w ­
w hich it is o u r in t e n t i o n to p la c e e v e r y m o n t h b e ­ e v e r , s u c c e e d e d in b r e a k i n g a d e a l o f t h e ir r e s e r v e ,
fore th e r e a d e r s o f t h is J o u r n a l. A s t h is J o u r n a l anc| w e m a y n o w h o p e a n d g i v e th e assurance to
is in te n d e d m a in ly fo r th e b e n e fit o f o u r m e m b e r s , ou r r e a d e r s t h a t t h e f u t u r e n u m b e r s o f t h i s ' J o u r ­
who ca n obtuii} it m u c h m o r e c h e a p ly t h a n out­ n al w ill form ' a n i n t e r e s t i n g a n d i n s t r u c t i v e c o n t r i ­
siders, it w i ll c o n t a i n e v e r y m o n t h , a t le a st one b u t io n t o T h e o s o p h ic a l lit e r a t u r e ; a n d t h e r e p o r t a
or t w o s t o r i e s b a s e d u p o n p s y c h o l o g i c a l t r u t h s , an d o f th e w o r k o f th e P a r e n t S o c i e t y a n d t h e B r a n c h e s
also c o n t r ib u t io n s f r o m t h e p e n o f e y e - w i t n e s s e s w il l as h e r e t o f o r e k e e p o u r F e l l o w s in f o r m e d o l
to t h e w onderful, p h e n o m e n a n o w brought to t h e p r a c t ic a l r e s u l t s a c h i e v e d by t h e S o c i e t y . In
public n o t ic e t h r o u g h th e i n s t r u m e n t a l i t y o f the sh o r t , it w ill a l w a y s b e o u r a i m to m a k e th is J o u r ­
T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c i e t y . M a n y o f ou r b r o t h e r s a n d nal as in te r e stin g a n d u s e f u l as p o s s ib le to b o t h
friends h a v e till n o w been relu cta n t to put ia e x o t e r ic and e so te r ic ' T h e o s o p l i i s t s . — E d , i
 T H E S E C R E T D O C T R IN E .
A NEW V E R S IO N OF “ IS IS U N V E IL E D .”

P U B L I S H E R ’S N O T IC E .

t N um erous a u d u r g e n t req u e sts h a v e come from all of the h ith e r to m isu nd ersto od te a c hing s found iu the said
parts, of In d ia , to ad op t some plan for b rin g in g th e m a tte r works. A com p lete I n d e x a n d a Table of C ontents
c on tain ed iu (<Isis U nveiled,” w ithin th e reach of thoso will be compiled. I t is in te n d e d th a t each P a r t shall
■who could not afford to p urch ase so expensive a work comprise seventy-seven pnges in Royal 8 vo. (o r tw e n ty -
a t oue time. On the o th e r h a n d , m any, finding the o u t­ fiVe pages more t h a n every 24th p a r t of the origiua
lines of th e doctrino giv en too liazy, clam oured for w ork,) to be p r in te d on good p a p e r a n d in clear type, and
more lig h t,” a n d necessarily m is u n d e rsta n d in g tho be c om pleted in ab o u t two years. T h e ra te s of subscrip­
tea c h in g , havo erroneously supposed it to be Contradictory tion to b e as follow
to la te r revelations, which in n o t a few cases, have Foreign
b e e n e ntirely misconceived. T h e a u th o r, therefore, u n ­ In d ia n , countries.
d e r tlie advice of friends, proposes to issue the w ork in If paid M o n th ly ... Rs. 1 4 0 3 shillings,’
t i b e t te r a n d cloarer form, iu m on th ly p a r ts . All, th a t is „ „ Q u a rterly „ 3 0 0 8 „
im p o rta n t iu “ Isis” for a th o r o u g h com prehension of tho „ „ Half y e a r l y ... , , 6 0 0 10 „
occult a n d other philosophical su bje c ts tr e a te d of, will bo ' „ „ Y e a rly ... „ 10 0 0 27 „
r e ta in e d , b u t w ith such a r e a r r a n g e m e n t of tho te x t as Subscrip tion s p a y a b le invariably iu advance, a n d no
to g ro up to g e th e r as closely as possible th e m aterials nam e e n te r e d on tho list nor P a r t forw arded until tho
r e la tin g to a u y givon subject. T h u s will be avoided money is in h a n d . All applications to be m ade and sums
needless re p etitious, a n d th e s c a tte r in g of m aterials of a re m itte d to tho " M a n a g er, T heosophist Office, A dy a r
c o g u a te c h a ra c ter th ro u g h o u t th e two volumes. M uch (M adras), I n d i a a t w hich office money, orders m u st be
a d dition al inform ation upon occult su b je c ts, which it made payable a n d always in his favour. Iu m ak in g
was not desirablo to p u t before tho public a t tho first re m itta n c e s it should bo n o te d t h a t no other am ount
nppoaranco of tho w ork, b u t for which the w ay h a s been should on a n y account be inctuded in th e d ra fts or money
p ro p a re d by th e in te rv e n in g e ig h t y ears, a n d especially o rd ers, ex cep t th a t in te n d e d for this work. Should
by the publication of " T h e O ccult W o r l d ” a n d “ E soteric n o th in g unforeseen happen, a n d should a sufficient n u m ­
B u d d h is m ” a u d o th e r Theosophical works, will now b e b e r of subscrib ers be registered , th e first P a r t will bo
given. H in ts will also b e fou nd th ro w in g lig h t on m any issued M a rc h 15th,
 . { S U P P L E M E N T TO . T H E
JOURNAL OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
EXPLANATORY.
W i t h t h e p r e s e n t n u m b e r b e g in s th e “ J o u r n a l of T i i e
T h eo so i'IH C A l S o c i e t y , ” h ith e rto k n o w n as t h e S u p p le m e n t
to the Theosophist. A s i n t i m a t e d in th e D e c e m b e r issue of
tlie m a g a z in e , it is to be p u b li s h e d so lely f o r t h e b enefit of
o u r m e m b e rs, p a r t i c u l a r l y f o r t h e p o o r e r ones w h o c a n n o t
subscribe fo r th e m a i n jo u rn a l. I t w ill e n a b le t h e m to le a r n ,
for tho sm a ll s u m of Its. 2 a n n u a ll y , e v e r y t h i n g t h a t ta k e s
place in t h e S ociety, to h e lp on its p ro g r e ss a n d to u n d e r s t a n d
so m e th in g of t h e p h ilo so p h y it teach es. P r o m t h i s in itia l
n u m b e r , a good id ea m a y be h a d of w h a t c a n be m a d e of th e
la te S u p p lem en t.
A s s t a t e d la s t m o n th , it w ill n o t be s e n t a n y lo n g e r g ra tis
a* a S u p p le m e n t to all t h e su b s c rib e r s , b u t o n ly to s u c h of
th e m as a r e o u r m e m b e rs. E x c e p ti o n to th is g e n e r a l r u l e as
to ttcm-theosophists will be m a d e in th e cases of old s u b s c r i­
bers, if th e y a sk f o r it befo re t h e first d a y of F e b r u a r y .
O t h e r T h e o so p h is ts th a n t h e r e g u l a r s u b s c r ib e r s w ill be
c h a r g e d R s. 2, ( I n d i a a n d C ey lo n ) in a d v a n c e f o r t h e 12
n u m b e r s , p o sta g e in c lu d e d , w hile, to w on-theosophists t h e
ch a rg e will be Its. 5 ( I n d i a a n d C e y lo n ). F o r f o r e ig n s u b ­
scrib e rs to th e S u p p lem en t only, t h e c h a r g e w ill be 6 s. fo r
m e m b ers, a n d 12 for non-theosophists. F r a n k l y s p e a k in g , we
w ou ld p r e f e r t h a t no rton-theosophist s h o u l d a p p ly , as w e do
n ot c a r e to h a v e the re c o rd of o u r S o c ie ty ’s affairs t h r o w n
b ro a d c a s t u p o n th e w o rld. B u t, a ll o w i n g p ri v il e g e to a few,
we h ave to give a cliancc to th e oth ers.
I t is e vid ent, a t a g lanc e , t h a t w e c o u ld n o t go on g iv i n g
y e a r a ft e r year, tw elv q s u c h b u l k y S u p p le m e n ts , fre e of
c h a rg e to every su b s c rib e r . A u d th e e x p e n d i t u r e w a s useless
in th e cases of th e la r g e m a j o r i ty w ho, n o t b e in g as y e t
re g is te r e d m e m b e rs , h a d a p e rs o n a l i n t e r e s t o n ly in th e
g en e ra l qu estion s, in v o lv ed in tho A sia tic p h ilo so p h ie s a n d
sciences. T h e price to th e F e llo w s h a s b e e n p u t so low ( 2 f
a n n a s p e r m o n th ) as to b r i n g it w i t h i n t h e m e a n s of th e
p o o r e s t ; a n d if h e r e a f t e r o u r li b e r a l it y is n o t a v a il e d of v e ry
la r g e ly , it w ill be on ly too e v id e n t w h a t ca sh v a lu e th e
S o ciety ’s w o r k h a s in th e eyes of its m e m b e rs .
THE W ORK OF THE BRANCHES.
M emorandum.
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g th e re p e a te d p ro t e s ts of th e P a r e n t
T heosophical Society, th e r e does y e t seem to l i n g e r in th e
m inds of in d iv id u a l m e m b e r s a n d of som e B ra n c h e s , a t e n ­
dency to look u p o n t h e w h ole m o v e m e n t as a school w h e re
Yotja V id y a a n d O cc u ltism m a y be l e a r n t in a m u c h m o r e e x ­
peditious a n d easy w a y t h a n h ereto fo re. T h is a rises o u t of
an ig n o r a n c e of the law s of O c c u lt I n s t i t u t i o n s a n d th o se
g o v e r n i n g psych olog ical d e v elo p m en t. S ince t h e C o m m e n c e ­
m en t, t h e T h e o so p h ic a l Society lias tr ie d to im p re s s th o f a e t
t h a t th e L a w s of N a t u r e a r e i m m u t a b l e ; a n d no li v in g b ein g ,
h o w e v e r h i g h a n d p o w e rfu l, ca n e v e r a l t e r t h e m to s u it
th e co nv enien ce of s tu d e n ts . T h y a t t e m p t , th erefo re, w h ich is
now b e in g m a d e is n o t to c a r r y on th e v a in a n d profitless ta s k
of finding a s h o r t c u t to B ra h m a V id ya , sin ce th is is a n i m ­
possibility, b u t to rev iv e once m ore its k n o w le d g e , a n d t h u s to
stim u la te a t r u e a s p i r a n t to a d a p t h is life a n d t h o u g h t s to
t h a t s t a n d a r d w h ic h will b e t t e r h im a n d le a d h i m g r a d u a l l y
to such w ays as r u n tlieir co urses to t h e D iv in o W is d o m . I t
will th u s b e seen t h a t th o T h e o so p h ic a l S o ciety p ro m ise s no
T eachers, no G u r u s , to ta k e e v e r y m e m b e r, u p o n jo i n in g , u n ­
d er t h e i r speeial c h a r g e . M r. S i n n e t t w as d i s t i n c tl y w a r n e d
on th is p o in t w h e n ha a s k e d f o r , t h e a s s is ta n c e of somo a d e p t
as th e g u i d i n g g e n iu s of th e S im la E c le c tic T h eo. Socy., as
will be seen on re f e re n c e to h is O ccult W o rld . N o d o u b t tlicro
are in d iv id u a l m e m b e r s w h o h a v e b e e n f o r t u n a t e e n o u g h to
he accepted as C helas, b u t t h e i r a c c e p ta n c e w as d u e n o t
to tho f a c t of t h e i r b e in g F ello w s, b u t b ec a u se th e y
have b een liv in g t h e life a n d h a v e v o lu n t a r i ly p ass ed t h r o u g h
TH EO SO P H IST.]
th e t r a i n i n g a n d tests, en jo in e d u p o n a s p i r a n t s f o r occult
k n o w le d g e of e v e r y a g e a n d n a tio n a lity . I n t h e i r case th e
T h e o so p h ic a l Society w a s o n ly th e m e a n s of g i v i n g t h e m th o
c o n v ictio n of t h e i r in t u it iv e beliefs, a n d t h u s u r g i n g t h e m
to follow t h e p r o m p ti n g s of t h e i r in n e r consciousness. F o r
t h e c o m p a r a ti v e ly easy m o d e t h e y t h u s h a d of g a i n i n g t h e
conviction, t h e y h a v e to m a k e u p b y h e lp i n g th e b u i l d i n g u p
of th e T h eo so p h ic a l S o c iety a n d p u t t i n g it on a secu re basis.
T h is e x p la n a tio n o u g h t to m a k e it d e a r t h a t w h a t th e S o ciety
exp ects fro m all its B r a n c h e s a n d i n d i v id u a l m e m b e rs, is co­
o p e ra tio n a n d h e lp in its g r a n d t a s k of u n i t i n g th e E a s t a n d
t h e W e st, t h e N o r t h a n d th e S o u th , in a Scientific B ro th e r h o o d
a r m e d a g a i n s t dis sen sion a n d c o n s e q u e n t f a i lu r e by th e p rin ci­
ple of m u t u a l T o le r a tio n a n d m u t u a l I n t e l l e c t u a l S y m p a th y .
I t is a n u n t h i n k a b l e p ro p o s itio n t h a t a n y m a n w i t h a v e r a g e
in te llig e n c e c a n n o t c o n t r i b u t e his q u o t a t o w a r d s t h e r e a l iz a ­
tio n of th is n o b le sch em e. I f e a c h m a n w e re b u t to do his
d u t y to s e a r c h , to in v e s t i g a t e , to s t u d y , to d ig e s t, a n d jo in
w ith h is fe llo w -m e n , a c t u a t e d b y t h e s a m e noble asp ira tio n s,
in g i v i n g to m a n k i n d t h e benefits of t h e i r lab o u r, th e d a y
w o u ld n o t be v e r y f a r off w h e n th e M a s te rs of O c c u ltis m
m i g h t find t h e n e c e s s a ry c o n d itio n s to e n a b le th o m to onco
m o re live in tho w o rld a s o p e n ly a n d fr e e ly as d id t h e i r
p red ec es so rs of tim e s lo n g , lo n g g o n e b y, a n d g iv e to s u c h a
p r e p a r e d peo ple t h e ben efits of T h e i r k n o w le d g e . U n t i l t h a t
b lessed d a y comes, a d u t y is be fo re us : w e h a v e to
h a s t e n its a p p r o a c h . A n d t h i s c a n n o t be dono b y
m e r e ly jo i n in g t h e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty a n d w i t h o u t p r e p a ­
r a t io n , t r a i n i n g or q ualificatio ns, e x p e c t in g tlie A d e p ts to
p lace w i t h i n o u r r e a c h t r e m e n d o u s w e a p o n s of P o w e r , F o u
K n o w l e d g e i s P o w e r , w h i c h in t h e h a n d s of t h e i g n o r a n t
a n d t h e w i c k e d is f r a u g h t w i t h d a n g e r s to t h e i r h o ld e r s an d
to H u m a n i t y a t la rg e . E n o u g h h a s a l r e a d y b een givcii p u t to
b r i n g h o m e to a n y ono, e n d o w e d w ith o r d i n a r y in tellig en ce,
fairness, a n d d esire f o r k n o w l e d g e — con v ic tio n of th e t r u t h
of th is S cience a n d th o P o w e r s i t c o n fe rs u po n its devotee s.
W h e n once all th is is c le a r l y u n d e rs to o d , th e o n ly q u e s tio n
f o r solu tion is h o w b e s t to p ro m o te th e C ause, a n d t h u s b y a n
unselfish effo rt f o r th e g o o d of o u r fello w -m e n a n d t h e i r r e ­
g e n e ra tio n , to fit o urselv es f o r th e h i g h e r life of a t r u e co­
w o r k e r w ith th o s e w h o h a v e d e v o te d th e m se lv e s to t h e a m e ­
l io ra tio n of t h e m o r a l a n d s p i r it u a l c o n d itio n of H u m a n i t y .
T h e r e a r e v a r i o u s w a y s of a c c o m p lis h in g th i s re s u lt, b u t as
o ue m a n ’s m e a t is a n o t h e r m a n ’s poison, th e P a r e n t T h e o s o ­
p h ic a l S o c ie ty h a s a lw a y s e n d e a v o u r e d to leave t h e p r a c t ic a l
w o r k i n g of its B r a n c h e s to th e i r m e m b e rs , w h o a re , o r sh o u ld
be, th o b e s t j u d g e s of t h e c ir c u m s t a n c e s th e y h a v e to w o r k
u n d e r , a n d t h e m a t e r i a l t h a t c a n bo utilized. P s y c h o lo g y is
a v a s t field w h e r e in m a n y w o r k e r s m a y em p loy th e m se lv e s
w ith a d v a n ta g e . T h e ta s te s of in d iv id u a ls m u s t differ, b u t
s u r e ly t h e r e c a n b e f o u n d tw o o r t h r e e in e v e ry B r a n c h i n t e r ­
e ste d in th e s a m e s u b j e c t. I f a B r a n c h div id es itself into
v a rio u s C o m m itte e s f o r t h e i n v e s ti g a ti o n of v a ri o u s su b jec ts
of Science, a n d c o m m u n ic a t e s its r e s u l t s a t g e n e ra l m ee ting s,
m u c h good will en su e . V a r i o u s a rtic le s in th e T heosophist
a n d o t h e r p u b li c a ti o n s of t h e lik e n a t u r e m i g h t bo t a k e n up
b y d if fe re n t m e m b e rs , a n d t h e S o c ie ty g iv e n th e ben efit of
e v e r y in d i v id u a l e x e rtio n . K n o t t y q uestions a r i s i n g o u t of
s u c h s tu d ie s m i g h t be r e f e r r e d to th e H e a d q u a r t e r s in t h e
fo r m of a n a rtic le , or in a n y o t h e r s h a p e w h ic h m a y be fo u n d
b e s t u n d e r th e c ir c u m s t a n c e s . E v e r y le g itim a te d e m a n d f o r
h e lp a n d ass ista n c e h a s been, a n d will a lw a y s bo, g r a n t e d
by t h e F o u n d e r s to t h e i r co -w o rk e rs in t h i s c au se of
H u m a n i t y . S e v e r a l o t h e r m a t t e r s of R e f o r m m i g h t bo
u n d e r t a k e n b y o t h e r C o m m itte e s , w ith o u t , of course, i n ­
f r i n g i n g u p o n a n y in d i v i d u a l ’s o r peo p le ’s re lig io u s o r social
r i g h ts . F o r th o s e w h o a r e c a p a b le of a n unselfish im pulse to
w o r k fo r th e m o r a l a n d s p i r i t u a l r e g e n e r a ti o n of H u m a n i t y ,
t h e r e is p le n t y to do. A n d i t is m e n of th is s t a m p t h a t a r e th o
p il la r s of su c h a g r a n d m o v e m e n t, w h ic h m u s t n e c e ss a rily
d e p e n d u p o n t h e i r c o -o p c r a tio n a n d zeal for its snccess.
 T h e se ftrc tlie lines n p o n w h ic h B r a n c h e s a r c exp ec ted to
be o rg anise d a n d w o rk e d ,
B y order.
A d tar (M adras), ) D a m o d a r K. M a v a l a n k a r ,
\b t h D ecem ber 18815.) J o in t R eco rd in g S e c re ta ry ,
'Theosophical S o ciety.
C O LO N EL OLCOTT A T M O R A D A B A D .
Coi.. II. S. O lc o t t w ith seven o t h e r g e n tl e m e n , all F e l ­
lo w s of t h e T hco sop hical S ociety , a r r i v e d a t C h a n d a u s i on
h is w a y to M o r a d a b a d on t h e e v e n in g of t h e 9 th N o v e m b e r
la s t, a n d w as received a t th e R a i l w a y S t a t i o n by th e V ic e ­
P r e s i d e n t of o u r B r a n c h , w h o h a d g o n e t h e r e to a r r a n g e for
tlie e n t e r t a i n m e n t of t h e p a r t y , w h i c h to o k p la c e i n th e
g a r d e n of Ch. B e n a r s i D a ss, also a F e llo w of t h e Society.
A f t e r th e p a r t y h a d re s te d , th o C o lo n e l w a s p r e s e n te d w ith
th e fo llo w ing a d d r e s s of w elcom e by th e m e m b e r s a n d citizens
of C h a n d a u s i w ho h a d c o llc cted th e r e f o r t h e occasion.
“ I, on b e h a lf of t h e m e m b e r s of t h e “ A t m a b o d h T h e o so ­
phical S o c ie ty ” a n d t h e citizens of th i s s ta tio n , h a v e t h e
g r e a t e s t p le a s u r e iu a d d r e s s in g yo u w i t h t h e o b je c t of t e n d e r ­
i n g o u r b e s t t h a n k s to y o u r s e lf a n d y o u r p a r t y f o r a c c e p tin g
o u r lm m b lo e n t e r t a i n m e n t a n d u n d e r g o i n g so m u c h in c o n ­
venienc e in p a y in g us a v is it w h ic h we h a d lo n g h o p e d for.
A l t h o u g h we h a d lo n g since h e a r d m u c h of y o u , we h a v e
h a d n o o p p o r t u n i t y of p a y i n g o u r p e rs o n a l re s p e c ts to you.
W o a re , th e r e fo re , v e ry g l a d to see o u r lo n g - c h e ris h c d desires
fulfilled a t t h e m o m e n t w h ic h w e r e g a r d as th o b e s t in o u r
lifo a n d w h ic h is d ev o te d to its b e s t a n d h i g h e s t p u rp o s e .
“ B u t w e a r e s o r ry to feel t h a t th e au sp ic io u s a n d jo y f u l
occasion is v e r y t r a n s i t o r y , a n d th e t i m e to g iv e f u l l v e n t to
o n r feolings is v e r y lim ite d . W e feel g r e a t l y in d e b t e d to
y o u f o r y o u r ceaseless a n d u n t i r i n g la b o u r in p r o m o t i n g th e
cau se of h u m a n h a p p in e s s a n d so w in g t h e seeds of u n iv e r s a l
b ro th e rh o o d of h u m a n i t y so sa d ly n e e d e d in t h e s e p a r t s of
o u r d e g e n e r a t e d A r y a v a r t a , once a c o u n t r y of w h ic h fine
c u l t u r e as c o u ld h a v e p u t to s h a m e all th e disco veries a n d
p hilo sop hie s of th e W e s t, b u t, alas, t h r o u g h successive a g e s of
d is t u r b e d peace, to t a ll y r u i n e d a n d d e p r i v e d of its g r a n d e u r !
“ I t is, th e re fo re , to o u r g r e a t p le a s u r e t l i a t w e h a v e n ow
been il l u m i n a t e d w ith th i s li g h t of T h e o s o p h y w h ic h m a k e s
u s believe w ith fu ll confidence t h a t t h e r e a ro y e t h i d d e n t r e a ­
su res of k n o w le d g e in th is c o u n t r y w h ic h c a n be g a in e d , if we
h u t tr y to se arch a f t e r t h e m w i t h h o n e s t la b o r a n d p e r s e v e r ­
in g m i n d .”
To this Colonel O lc o tt rep lie d in a s h o r t, t o u c h i n g sp eec h
w h ich w a s tr a n s l a t e d in to U r d u to t h e a u d ie n c e , a n d w as
a p p re c ia te d b y all p r e s e n t on th e occasion. A f t e r th e 's p e e c h
w as over, Colonel O lc o tt a n d p a r t y left f o r M o r a d a b a d , an d
re a c h e d th e r o a t 11-20 p.m. T h e r e t h e y w o re e n t h u s i a s t i ­
cally re c e iv e d a t tho R o llw a y S t a t i o n b y tho m e m b e r s of o u r
B r a n c h a n d a few o t h e r g e n tl e m e n of t h e city , a n d j u s t a f t e r
a l i g h t i n g f r o m t h e R a il w a y c a r r i a g e w e r e p r e s e n te d w ith
th e a d d re s s g iv e n below :—
“ W e , t h e m e m b e r s of th e A t m a b o d h T h e o so p h ic a l S o c iety
a n d th e citizens of M o r a d a b a d a n d its v icin ity , t a k e i t a g r e a t
p ri d e to w elcom e a n d re c e iv e y o u r s e lf a n d c o m p a n y in
o n r m id st. O u r t o n g u e is n o t e lo q u e n t e n o u g h to sin g
y o u r p ra ise f o r stead in ess of p u rp o s e , c o n ti n u o u s e x e rt io n s to
im p ro v e h u m a n i t y , a n d s t r i c t o b se r v a n c e of t r u t h a n d ju s tic e
w h ic h a d o r n y o u r c h a r a c t e r . B n t w e feel o u rs e lv e s u n d e r
h e a v y o b lig a tio n to y o u w h e n we t h i n k of t h e tr o u b l e y o u
h a v e t a k e n in p a y i n g us a v isit, w h ic h t h o u g h t h e first will
n o t be t h e la s t, as w e hopo to see y o u m o r e a u d m o r e , n o w
t h a t tho b o n d s of u n io n a n d f r a t e r n i t y h a v e b e e n closcly
fa s te n e d b e tw e e n y o u a n d us.
“ L a s tl y — w o rds a r e n o t sufficient to e x p re s s o u r fe elin g s
of joy a n d g r a t e fu l n e s s in t a k i n g th i s a u sp icio u s occasion as
a g r e a t boon c o n fe r re d u p o n us, f o r w h ie h we c a n n o t b u t offer
o u r co rd ial a n d u n i t e d t h a n k s . ”
F r o m th e s ta tio n th e p a r t y d ro v e in c a r r i a g e s to th o K otlii
of Q u a z i T a j a m m u l H u s s a i n , a reis of th o s ta tio n , w h o h a d
espec ially d e c o r a t e d an d il lu m in a t e d t h e b u i l d i n g fo r t h e i r
rec eption . O n t h e m o r n i n g of th e 1 0 th N o v e m b e r t h e g e n t r y
of th e d i s t r i c t c a m e to p a y t h e Colonel a v is it (as we h a d
p rev io u sly notified h is c o m in g a n d tim e of m e e t in g ) . I n th e
aftern o o n h e called t h e boys of t h e S a n s k r i t , school, e s t a b ­
lished by o u r S o c iety a n d was m u c h p leased to h o a r th o y o u n g
c h il d r e n r e a d S a n s k r i t Verses. H e d i s t r i b u t e d b oo ks a n d
f r n i t to all t h e boys w h o w e n t a w a y m e r rily re c e iv in g tho
I n a m fr o m th o S a h ib . I n t h e e v e n in g h e p roceed ed to the
h o u se of R a j a R a i K is h e n K u m a r B a h a d u r , a g r e a t Z e m i n d a r
a n d reis of th e place, w h e r e he was re c e iv e d w ith expressions
of joy b y a la r g e a n d e n th u s ia s t ic a u d ie n c e who, lo n g before
t h e tim e notified, h a d a sse m b led t h e r e in a c ro w d to see a n d
to h e a r C olonel O lc o tt. W e h a d a lr e a d y d i s t r i b u t e d copies
of t r a n s la t io n in U r d u of t h e aim s a n d o bjects of th e T h e o ­
sop hical S o c ie ty to all p r e s e n t on th e occasion. O n t a k i n g
his s e a t C olonel O lc o tt w a s in t r o d u c e d to th e a u d ie n c e by
B a b u B a ij N a t h , a le a d i n g p le a d e r of th e station. H e th e n
ro se a n d d e li v e r e d a n a d m i r a b l e le c tu re in his u su al e lo q u e n t
a n d m a s t e r l y sty le. H e s t r o n g l y d w e lt on th e im p o rta n c e of
th e s t u d y of A r y a n l i t e r a t u r e a n d science, p ro v in g b y th e
disc ov erie s o f t h e g r e a t e s t p h ilo so p h e rs of t h e W e s t t h e i r
in f e r io r it y to o u r a n c i e n t scientific discoveries. H e also sin-
cercley r e g r e t t e d th e u n t i m e l y d e a t h of S w a m i D a y a n a n d
S a r a s w a t i, th e fo u n d e r of th e A r y a S a m a j, th e g r e a t r e f o r m e r
a n d the m o s t e m i n e n t S a n s k r i t sch olar, fo r w h a t e v e r m i g h t
h a v e been th e d ifferences b e tw e e n th e T h e o so p h ic a l Socicty
a n d th e A r y a S a m a j , a n d w h a t e v e r t h e opin ion s o f th e
o r t h o d o x P a n d i t s in r e g a r d to his in t e r p r e t a t i o n s of th e
V e d a s , no t w o o pin io n s c o u ld e x is t c o n c e rn in g th e fa c t
t h a t th e S w a m i w a s a th o r o u g h - g o i n g A r y a n a n d a t r u e
p a tr io t. T h e l e c t u r e r f e lt m u c h a g g r i e v e d in l e a r n i n g t h a t
o t h e r g r e a t m e n w h o h a d t h e r e f o rm a tio n a n d w e lfa re of
A r y a v a r t a a t h e a r t , sucli as t h e le a d e rs of v a rio u s .other
association s, w e re p r e v e n t e d fro m d o in g a n y s u b s ta n ti a l good
to th e c o u n t r y by o ne c a u sc o r a n o th e r . H e e n d e d b y r e m i n d ­
i n g h is a n d ie n c c t h a t th ose w e re m a t te r s o v e r w h i c h ono
b a d no co ntrol, a n d t h e r e b y we sh o u ld n o t be d is c o u ra g e d ,
b u t s h o u l d t r y o u r b e s t to p ro m o te a n d f u r t h e r th e c a u s e of
S a n s k r i t l i t e r a t u r e a n d science. A f t e r t h e sp eech w as over,
i t w a s t r a n s l a t e d i n t o U r d u fo r t h e b en efit of th o se u n a c ­
q u a i n t e d w ith E n g l i s h b y o u r w o r t h y a n d le a r n e d B r o th e r ,
P a n d i t P r a n N a t h , t h e P r e s i d e n t of th e S a t y a M a r g a T h e o ­
so p h ica l S o c ic ty of L u c k n o w , an d g r e a t l y ap p re c ia te d . W h e n
th e U r d u sp e ech w as over, R a j a R a i K is h e n K u m a r B a h a d u r
offered a d o n a ti o n of R s. 100 fo r th e f u r t h e r a n c e of t h e causo
of S a n s k r i t e d u c a tio n ; m a n y o t h e r g e n tl e m e n also c a m e f o r ­
w a r d , a n d a b o u t Rs. 400 w e re su b s c rib e d on t h e spo t. A f t e r
a few m i n u t e s th e au d ie n c o w ere dism isse d, a n d th e Colonel
w i t h h is p a r t y c a m e b a c k to h is K o tlii, w h e r e c a n d id a te s w ere
fo r m a lly a d m i t t e d in to t h e Society. O n t h e 1 1 th h e receiv ed
visits fr o m se v e ra l s y m p a th i s in g g e n tl e m e n , a n d in t h e e v e n in g
he le f t f o r A l i g a r h . H e w a s ac c o m p a n ie d to th e R a i l w a y
S ta t io n b y th e F e llo w s of o u r B r a n c h , w h o h a d all a lo n g b een
c o n v e rs in g w i t h h im a n d w ho e x tr e m e ly r e g r e t t e d t h a t his sta y
w a s n e c e s s a rily so s h o r t. I n d e e d , h e le ft m a n y lo v in g h e a r t s
b e h in d . O n t h e w hole, his v is it to us p ro v e d a g r e a t success,
as it ha s t h o r o u g h l y c o n v in c e d th e people of th e im p o rt a n c e of
th e ob jects of t h e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o ciety. I n sh ort, fo r tw o
daj'S T h e o s o p h y w a s t h e o n ly s u b j e c t of c o n v e rs a tio n in th o
city.
E s iin i P e r s i ia d , F . T . S . ,
P re sid e n t, A tm a B o d h Theos. S o cy.
COLO NEL O LCO TT AT A L IG A R H .
I n co m p lia n c e w i t h a n e a r n e s t r e q u e s t fr o m th e T h e o s o ­
p h is ts of tho p la c e , C olonel H . S. O lc o tt, t h e P r e s i d e n t -
F o u n d e r o f th e T h e o s o p h ic a l So ciety , a c c o m p a n ie d b y M r.
W . T. B r o w n , B. L. (G la s g o w ) , F. T. S . of t h e L o n d o n
L o d g e T . S., M r. D a m o d a r K . M a v a l a n k a r , J o i n t R e c o r d in g
S e c r e t a r y of th e T h e o so p h ic a l Society, M r. L. V e n k a t a V a-
r a d a r a j u l u N a i d u , H o n o r a r y S e c r e t a r y to t h e H e a d Q u a r t e r s
F u n d C o m m itte e , a n d M r. T o k e N a r a i n a s w a m y N a i d u , F .T .S . ,
of t h e M a d r a s B r a n c h , a r r i v e d h e r e on S u n d a y , t h e 1 1 th
N o v o m b e r, a t 11-55 P. m. O n t h e R a i l w a y p l a t f o r m the p a r t y
w a s re c e iv e d b y t h e m e m b e r s of t h e B r a n c h , a n d a n u m b e r
of resp cctablo a n d e d u c a t e d g e n t l e m e n of th e station . T h e y
w e re th c n c o co nd uctcd _to a s u ita b le b u n g a lo w , w ell-fu rn islied
f o r t h e i r a cc o m m o d a tio n .
T h e w h ole of th e fo llo w in g d a y w as s p e n t by th o Colonel
in r e c e i v in g v isits fr o m a la r g e n u m b e r of g e n t l e m e n —
b o th of th e to w n a n d th e o u t l y i n g d is tr i c t— w h o h a d lon g
b een a n x io u s to h e a r fr o m th e lips of th e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r
t h e a im s a n d o b jec ts of th e Society, a n d th e w o r k i t has a c ­
com plished . I n th e e v e n in g , a t 7 o’c lo c k , somo o f t h e in flu­
e n ti a l H i n d u g e n t l e m e n acc o m p a n ie d th e C olo nel a n d his
p a r t y to tho I n s t i t u t e H a ll, w h e re a larg o a n d a p p re c ia tiv e
a u d ienc c, p r in c ip a lly com po sed of H i n d u s a n d M ussalm an gj
 w ith a f a i r s p r i n k l i n g of E u r o p e a n la d ie s a n d g e n tl e m e n ,
w ere w a i t i n g e a g e rly to h e a r th o C olonel le c t u r e on “ T h e
E v il s of tho d a y a n d t h e i r R e m e d y . ” T h e C h ia r m a n , B a b u
J o g e n d r o N a t h C h e tt a rji , V a k i l of t h e H i g h C o u rt, oponed
th e m e e t i n g b y r e f e r r i n g to th o th r e e - f o l d ob jects of tho
S o c iety , a n d t h e in d e f a tig a b le a n d e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y self-
sacrifioing la b o u rs of t h e v e n e r a b l e C o lo n el fo r t h o i r a t t a i n ­
m e n t . A m i d lou d a n d e n th u s ia s t ic ch o e rs o f t h e a ssem bly,
th o P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r rose a n d d o liv e re d extem pore a n
e l o q u e n t and w e ll- re a so n e d a d d re s s w h i c h la s te d fo r a b o u t
tw o h o u r s . I n t h e co u rse of h is spoech t h e l e c t u r e r p o in te d
o u t t h a t th e in n u m e r a b l e evils, s u c h as d r u n k e n n e s s ,
li cen tio usne ss a n d th e like, w i t h w h i c h t h e o r i g in a l ly sim ple
a n d so ber peo ple of I n d i a a r e s a d l y in fecte d , h a v e re s u lte d ,
ono a n d all, fro m tho b a n e fu l in flu en ce of m o d e m civ ili­
zation, t h e o u t g r o w t h of t h e p o sitiv istic te n d e n c ie s of t h e age,
w h ic h d o om s t h e f a t e of t h e S p i r i t u a l E g o b y d e n y i n g f u t u r e
ex isten ce, w h e r e t h e i m m u t a b l e L a w of N a t u r e m o tes o u t
to ev ery in d i v i d u a l t h e r e s u lts of h is K a r m a on t h i s e a rth .
T h e n , a f t e r g i v i n g som e u n d e n ia b l e scientific fa c ts to
p ro v e t h e s u r v iv a l of t h e i n n e r m a n a f t e r t h e d e a t h of th e
o u t e r sh ell, a n d t h e in d e p e n d e n t a c tio n of t h e m e n t a l a n d
s p i r it u a l p rinc iple s in m a n , a p a r t fr o m t h e m e c h a n is m of th e
b r a i n , th e le c t u r e r d w e lt a t l e n g t h on t h e p h ilo so p h y of th e
a n c ie n t A r y a n Itisliis. H e p o in t e d o u t h o w h u m a n b e in g s
a tt a i n e d d iv in ity b y a th o r o u g h s t u d y a n d p ra c tic e of Yoga.
H o d e sc r ib e d so m e e x p e r i m e n t s in m e s m e r i s m w h ic h go
to p ro v e w h a t w o n d e r f u l p h e n o m e n a c o u ld be m a n i f e s t e d
b y “ w ill-p o w e r” , t h r o u g h th e a g e n c y of S e n sitiv e s a n d P s y c h o ­
m eters. A n d t h e n in t h e m o s t e lo q u e n t a n d p a t h e t i c w o r d s
ho s t i r r e d t h e sleep in g souls of t h e d e g e n e r a t e d son s of th e
m i g h t y A r y a n s , b y a p p e a lin g to t h e i r sonse of h u m a n i t y , a n d
b y d r a w i n g t h e i r a tt e n t i o n to t h e f a c t t h a t t h o i r p r e s e n t
d e p lo r a b le c o n d itio n w a s t h e f r u i t of t h e i r d e v i a t i n g fr o m
t h e p a t h of w isd o m a n d v ir tu e , m a r k e d o u t b y tlie ho ly R ish is
of t h e a n c i e n t A r y a v a r t a . H e p o in te d o u t a t t h e sa m e tim e
t h a t t h e i r o n ly ch a n c e of g e t t i n g o u t of t h e m i r e a n d r e ­
co v e rin g t h e i r lost g r o u n d a n d f o r m e r p o sitio n lay in tlie ir
s t r e n u o u s efforts to re v iv e a n d c u l t i v a t e th e s a c r e d li t e r a ­
t u r e a n d m a t c h le s s p h ilo so p h y of t h e i r n o b le an cesto rs, t h e
p r o g e n ito rs of all t h e d iv e rse rac es of t h e e a r t h , a n d te a c h e rs
of th e d ee p e st p h ilo so p h e rs of E g y p t , G re e c e a n d R o m e . T h e
ablo l a c t u r e r r e s u m e d his s e a t a m i d a lo u d a n d p ro lo n g e d
c h e e rin g . H e w a s follo w ed b y M r. W . T . U ro w n , b . l . w h o
like Colonel O lc o tt h a d f o r s a k e n his h o m e a n d all, a n d come
to I n d i a a s a f r i e n d a n d s y m p a t h i s e r of th o n a tiv e s , a n d a
s t u d e n t of t h e a n c ie n t p hilo sop hie s of t h e land . S w e e tly a n d
p o in te d ly h e a d d re s s e d t h e a u d ie n c e f o r so m e tim e, im p r e s s ­
in g u p o n t h e m t h e u sefu ln e ss of t h e toilso m o w o r k w h ic h
th e F o u n d e r s h a v e so n o b ly t a k e n u p o n th e m s e l v e s to acco m ­
plish. T h e a t t e n t i v e h e a r e r s h a v i n g sh o w n b y c o n s t a n t
c h e e ri n g t h e i r h ig h a p p re c i a ti o n of M r. B r o w n ’s c h a r m i n g
speech, th e C h a i r m a n a d d r e s s e d th e m e e t i n g on t h e i m p o r ­
tance of th e a d v ic e g iv e n b y th e le c tu re r s , a n d h a v i n g u r g e d
upon t h e m t h e necessity of f o llo w in g it, he, on b e h a lf of th e
assembly, offered, in su ita b le te r m s , li e a r t - f c l t t h a n k s to the
Colonel a n d his p a r t y fo r a ff o rd in g t h e a u d ie n c e a n o p p o r ­
tu n i ty of seein g a n d h e a r i n g su c h g o o d a n d sin c e re f r ie n d s
of In d ia . ■ C o l o n e l II. S. O
A f t e r t h e m e e t in g w a s dissolved , t h e p a r t y , t o g e t h e r w i t h
th e local Fellow s, r e t u r n e d to th o b u n g a lo w , w h e r o some
e x p erim e n ts in m e s m e ri s m w e re tried.
T h e n e x t d a y , a t 9-30 A. m ., Colonel O lc o tt a n d M r. B ro w n
paid a v is it to t h e S a n s k r i t P a t a s h a l a a t S o n p a l’s M a n d i r . H e
was receiv ed a t th e e n t r a n c e b y M r. D lii r a j L a l, B a b u T o t a
Ram, B a b u M o h a n L a l, L a id S ri L a l, L a la C h i r a n j i L a l a n d
somo o t h e r g e n tl e m o n , a n d t h e n c o n d u c te d to t h e g a r d e n
house o r K o t h i a t t a c h e d to t h e M a n d i r . T h e h a ll of th e
K othi w as f a i r l y filled b y a n u m b e r of re sp e etab lo H i n d u s ,
who h a d a s s e m b le d t h e r e to do h o n o u r to t h e occasion. M r.
Browu ex a m in o d a few of t h e s t u d e n t s a n d w a s m u c h ploased
to find t h a t t h e y h a d a t t a i n e d a f a i r k n o w le d g e of L og ic a n d
Philosophy. _ w h e re a c a m p of six te n ts a n d f o u r sh a m ia n a s h a d been
By th e e v e n in g t r a i n th e Colonel a n d his s u i te le f t fo r
Delhi. H i s b ro th e r - T h e o s o p h i s t s a n d m o s t of t h e r e s p e c t ­
able n ativ e g e n tl e m e n of t h e to w n a s s e m b le d a t th e R a i l w a y
Station to bid h im a h a p p y jo u r n e y .
B a khtaw ar L al,
S ecreta ry,
A lig a r h Theosophical Society.
18f/i Novamler 1883.
C O LO N EL OLCOTT AT M E E R U T .
C o l. O lcott, P r e s i d c n t - F o u n d e r of t h e T h eo so p h ic a l S o ­
ciety, a c c o m p a n ie d b y M r. D a m o d a r K . M a v a l a n k a r a n d M r.
N aid o o , a r r i v e d h e ro b y 11-30 P. m . t r a i n on t h e 15th in s t a n t ,
a n d w a s re c e iv e d on t h e p la t f o r m of th e C ity R a i l w a y S t a ­
tion b y B a b u J w a l a P r a s a d a , th o P r e s i d e n t of o u r B r a n c h ,
a n d a fe w o t h e r m e m b e r s . F r o m t h e s ta tio n t h e P r e s i d e n t -
F o u n d e r a u d his c o m p a n io n s d ro v e to th e ho use w h ic h w as
f u r n i s h e d f o r t h e m in th e city.
O n th e m o r n i n g of the 1 6 th , th o Colonel g a v e in s t r u c ­
ti on s on M e s m e ris m to B a b u J w a l a P r a s a d a a n d some o t h e r
m e m b e rs. I n th e e v e n in g of th e s a m e d a y a t 6-30, he g av e a
le c t u re on t h e re l a ti o n b e tw e e n T h e o s o p h y a n d M e sm erism ,
a t t h e pre m ise s of L a ll a s S a h e b S i n g a n d H o la s R ai,
B ankers. T h e l e c t u re w a s a t t e n d e d by a lm o s t all th e
E n g l i s h - k n o w i n g re s id e n ts of th e city a n d t h e c a n to n m e n ts , a n d
also by a few E u ro p e a n s. R a i B u k h t a w u r S i n h a B a h a d u r ,
t h e S u b - J u d g e of M e e r u t, w a s v o ted to tho c h a ir. T h e P r e s i ­
d e n t of t h e m e e t i n g in a s h o r t speech in t r o d u c e d Col. O lc o tt
to th e au d ie n c e . T h e le a r n e d Colonel first g a v e a s h o r t
h is t o r y of M e s m e ris m . I n his l e c t u re he c le a rly sh o w e d
h o w b y th e p ra c tic e of M e s m e ris m th e existen ce of th e soul
co u ld b e e s ta b lis h e d . U n d e r th e in fluence of M esm erism ,
w h ile th e b o d y is d o r m a n t , t h e l a t e n t p o w e rs of th e soul are
a w a k e n e d . T h e p a t i e n t does n o t feel if h is b o d y is c u t to
pieces. H e c a n r e a d th e c o n te n t s of closed envelopes, describe
t h i n g s h u n d r e d s of m iles a w a y fr o m him . A ll th is h e c a n n o t do
w h ile in his n o r m a l sta te . T h is sho w s th a t , p ro p e r ly sp e a k in g ,
m a n is s o m e t h i n g o t h e r t h a n th e gro s s m a te ria l body. Y o g a w as
defined to be th o m e s m e r i s i n g of o neself by oneself. A fter
d w e lli n g a t som e l e n g t h o n t h e t h r e e o bjects of t h e
T h eosop hica l Society, a n d o n th e p ro g re ss it h a s m ad o in th e
s h o r t space of th ese e i g h t years, b y s p r e a d in g itself all o v e r
th e w o rld , a n d p ro v i n g t h e u se fu ln e ss of t h e S ociety by
s h o w in g h o w h u n d r e d s of siek people a r e b e in g d aily c u r e d
by m e s m e rism , a n d ho w th e d iv in e S a n s k r i t la n g u a g o w as
r e v i v in g by th e r a p i d g r o w t h a u d m u ltip lic a tio n of S a n s k r i t
schools in t h e c o u n tr y , u n d e r t h e ausp ices of t h e T heo so p h i-
cal Society, th e e lo q u e n t Colonel re s u m e d his seat. T h e lectu re
las ted fo r m o r e t h a n a n h o u r. A t the close of th e lectu re,
th e able C olonel w a s t h a n k e d b y th e C h a i r m a n on b e h a lf of
t h e aud ien c e, a n d by th o S e c r e t a r y of th e M e e r u t B r a n c h of
t h e I n d i a n A ssociatio n on b e h a lf of his A ssociation.
F r o m t h e L e c t u r e H a l l tlie in d e f a tig a b le P r e s i d c n t - F o u n d e r
d ro v e to t h e n e w M e d ic a l H a ll, w h ere som e n e w m e m b e rs
w e re in itia te d . H e r e t u r n e d to his q u a r t e r s a t a b o u t 11 P. M.
O n th e m o r n i n g of t h e 17th, a n o ra l a d d r e s s on b e h a lf
of th o M e e r u t T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty w a s g iv e n to th o P r e ­
s i d e n t - F o u n d e r b y B a b u B a ij N a t h , B. A., th e M unsiff of
M e e r u t ; a n d th e C olonel m a d e a sh o rt, t o u c h i n g re p ly . Tho
P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r a n d h is c o m p a n io n s w e re esco rted to tho
C a n t o n m e n t R a il w a y S t a t i o n by t h e m e m b e r s of o u r B r a n c h ,
a n d th e y loft f o r L a h o r e by th e M a il t r a i n of th e 17th.
M e e iiu t , ) B uagwan C hand,
T h e 19 th N ovr. 1883. ) S e c re ta ry , M eerut Theosophical
S o ciety.
COLONEL OLCOTT AT LAHORE.
l c o t t , P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d c r of tlie T h e o s o p h i­
cal S ociety, w i t h liis staff, re a c h e d L a h o r e on th e m o r n i n g of
1 8 th N o v e m b e r. A t t h e s t a ti o n h e w a s well re c e iv e d b y
m a n y frie n d s, in c l u d in g P a n d i t s ®f good r e p u t e a n d le a r n in g .
H . H . R a j a H a r b a n s S i n g h a n d o t h e r S i r d a r s s e n t th e i r c o n ­
v e y a n c e s to b r i n g t h e p a r t y to t h e i r q u a r t e r s . P a n d i t
G o v in d s a h a y a , F . T . S., in t r o d u c e d all th e g e n tl e m e n p re s e n t
to tho Colonel, a n d all w e ro well p leased w ith his g ra c io u s
m a n n e r a n d good advice. A f t e r w a iti n g fo r a few m in u te s ,
fo r t h e a r r i v a l of t h e d o w n m ail f r o m P e s h a w a r to receive M r.
W . T. B r o w n a n d M r. L . V e n k a t a v a r a d a r a j u l u N a i d u , wlio
h a d b een d e p u t e d to o r g a n i s e t h e R a w a l p in d i B r a n c h , a t
t h e re q u e s t of tlio m e m b e r s th e r e , Colonel O lc o tt w a s c o n ­
v e y e d to t h e P a r a d e G r o u n d ( m a id a n ) o pposite t h e fo rt,
p it c h e d fo r t h e p a rty .
B esides p o s tin g l a r g e no tices on b o a rd s , w alls a n d g a te s , l e t­
te r s of in v ita tio n h a d been s e n t b e f o r e h a n d to all th e in flu e n ­
tia l g e n tl e m e n of L a h o r e , in te re s te d in t h e su bject. A m o n g
th o s e w h o ca m e to m e e t C olonel O lc o tt a n d h a d a t a l k on
T h e o so p h y a n d c o g n a t e s u b jects, m a y bo m e n tio n e d tlie
follo w in g g e n tl e m e n :—
H. H . I t a ja f l a r b a n s S i n g h ( of S h c p h u r a ) ; D e w a n M a t h u ­
r a D a s of K a p u r t l i a l a S t a t e ( w h o h a d spocially com e fro m
h is S t a t e fo r th e p u rp o s e ); L a l a H a r i c h a n d , J u d i c ia l C o m m is ­
sio ner, K a p u r t h a l a ; D e w a n N a r e n d r a N a t h , 7?-eis ; B a b u
N a v i n C h a n d r a B ai, S u p e r i n t e n d e n t , O r ie n t ia l College ;
P a n d i t R is h i K esh , H o n o r a r y M a g i s t r a t e ('g rand son of
P a n d i t M a d h u s u d a n , C h ie f P r i e s t of th e la te M a h a r a j a R a n j i t
S in g h , “ tlic L ion of th e P a n j a b ” ); L a l a S e w a r a m ; R ai H u k u r a
C h u n d B a h a d u r , m . a . ; S i r d a r D a y a l S i n g h M ajetliia, ( Reis
a n d J a g i r d a r of A m r i t s a r ) ; M u n s h i H a r s u k h r a i , P r o p r i e t o r
of th e K o h in o n r; H a k i m B a z u r g S h a h ; P a n d i t J a n a r d u n ,
H o n o r a r y M a g i s t r a t e a n d P r o f e s s o r of H i n d i M e d ic in e in tho
O r i e n t a l C o l l e g e ; N a w a b F a t e h J a n g K h a n of J a g g a r ;
P a n d i t G a w i S h a n k a r G o sw ain y ; L a l a R a t t a n C h a n d B a ry ,
E d i t o r of the Ari/a M a g a z i n e ; M i a n S a la l -u d d i n , R eis of
B a g h b a n p u r a ; Bliai G u r u m u k h S in g h , P r e s i d e n t , “ G u r u
S in g h S a b b a ” ( of th e S ik h s ) ; S o d h i H u k e n S i n g h , M ir M u n ­
sh i to th e P a n j a b G o v e r n m e n t ; M a u l v i M a h a m m a d H u s a i n
Azftd, P ro fe sso r of A ra b ic , G o v e r n m e n t C ollege, L a h o r e ;
S h e ik h W a h a b u d d i n , C o m m iss io n e r, d e p u t e d by H . H . th e
M a h a r a j a of K a s h m i r ; S ri N e p a li S w a m i j i M a h a r a j, an
O ccu ltist, &c. <fec.,
O n th e I 9 t h , t h e Colonel d e li v e re d a m o s t im p ress iv e le c tu ro
to a n u n p re c c d e n t e d ly la r g e au d ie n c e , D e w a n M a t h u r a D a s
of K a p u r t h a l a , o c c u p y in g t h e c h a i r to th o e n t i r e satisfactio n
of th e m e e tin g . T h is was th e first tim e in t h e h is to ry of
L a h o r e t h a t a p u b lic le c tu re w a s d e liv e re d o n th e P a r a d e
G r o u n d u n d e r sha m ia n a s ; in fa c t no H a l l h e r e co uld h av e
c o n ta in e d su c h a la r g e c on cou rse of peoplo. T h e s u b j e c t of
t h e lectu ro w a s th e “ A r y a n P h il o s o p h y . ” E v e n t h e m o s t
d o g m a t ic perso n s h a d n o t h i n g to say a g a in s t th e a r g u m e n t s
of th e le a r n e d le c t u re r . Col. O lc o tt p r o v e d ho w b o th in
t h e o r y a n d p ra c tic a l e x p e ri m e n t s th o A r y a n P h ilo s o p h y w as
s u p e r io r to t h a t of th e W e s t — th e l a t t e r ig n o r in g th e ex isten ce
of th e in n e r m an. H i s c o m p a r i n g th o A r y a n P h ilo so p h y
■with th e old la m p of A la d d in , in t h e A r a b i a n N ig h ts , m a d e a
v e r y deep im pression. H e a d v is e d t h e people to r u b th e
l a m p a n d asc e r ta in its p o te n tia litie s ; o th e r w i s e th e c u n n i n g
m a g ic ia n s of th e W e s t m i g h t offer t h e i r s m a r t- lo o k i n g a n d
po lished b u t p ra c tic a lly in f e r io r la m p s, a n d ta k e a w a y in e x ­
c h a n g e t h e o rig in a l la m p to e n r i c h th o U n iv e r s iti e s of E u ro p o
a n d A m e ric a .
Col. O lc o tt I h e n e x p res se d h is p e rs o n a l g rio f a t t h e d e a th
of S w a m i D a y a n a n d S a ra s w a t i, a n d d e c la r e d h im to be a
p a tr io t ic H in d o o to th e b a c k b o n e ; one w h o loved his c o u n tr y
d evo ted ly. *>A l t h o u g h th e d o c tr in e h e p re a c h e d m i g h t n o t
c o m m e n d itse lf to o rth o d o x o r E u r o p e a n P a n d i t s , y e t his
energies w ere de v o ted to th e c au se of n a ti o n a l r e f o rm a tio n ,
a n d t h u s d e se r v e d a d m i r i n g reco g n itio n . T h e b re a c h of th e
allia n ce w i t h th e T he oso ph ica l Society w a s du o to h is b e in g
m is in fo rm e d 011 th e m a t te r , p e r h a p s fr o m th e v e r y b e g in n in g ,
a n d he h a d , as t h e F o u n d e r s t h o u g h t , d o n e t h e m w r o n g ; y e t
lie o u g h t to be resp ected as a b o ld a n d p a tr io t ic son of In d ia ,
a n d he, Col. O lco tt, d id n o t k n o w w h e re liis successor could
be fo un d.
T h e l e c t u r e r a f t e r w a r d s i n t r o d u c e d M r. W . T. B r o w n ,
B. L., F . T. S., of t h e L o n d o n T h e o s o p h ic a l Society, w ho in
the v e ry p ri m e of his life h a d left all his pro fessio nal p ro s ­
pects in E n g l a n d a n d , lik e h im se lf a n d M a d a m e B la v a t s k y ,
had como to I n d i a to live a n d die a m o n g t h e n a tiv e s. F o r
th e benefit of th ose w ho c o u ld n o t u n d e r s t a n d E n g l i s h a n d
whoso n u m b e r was n o t few , P a n d i t G o p in a tli, F . T. S.,
( E d i t o r M ittra V ilasa ) tr a n s l a t e d th o le c t u r e in to H i n d u s t a n i .
T h e n e x t day, th e 2 0 th , a t th e s a m e h o u r ((5-30 p . m . , ) Col.
O lc o tt a d d re s s e d th e au d ie n c e o n “ T h e o s o p h y .” T h e
a t t e n d a n c e w as la r g e r still t h a n th e d a y befo re, a n d tho
m a n a g e m e n t m o s t sa tisfac to ry, M r. W . B u ll, F. T. S., o ccu p y ­
in g tlic c h a ir . T h e m e a n i n g of T heosophy w as w ell defined
a n d its ob jects sa tisf a c to r ily ex p la in e d . A f t e r c o n c lu d i n g his
le c tu re a m i d s t lo ud cheers, Col. O l c o t t g a v e M r. W . T. B r o w n
t h e o p p o r t u n it y of a d d r e s s in g th e p u b lic o n h is b e h a lf . T h is
p ro m is in g y o u n g g e n t l e m a n e x p re s s e d his id eas so c le a rly
a n d boldly as to w in t h e re s p e c t of e v e ry on e p re s e n t.
P a n d it G o p i N a t i i ., F. T. S.
' THE SAME.
L a i i o r p ; , 21s< N ovem ber.
The top ic an d sen sation of t h e m o m e n t is th e visit of
Colonel H . S. O lcott, P re s id e n t- f o u n d e r of th o T h e o so p h ic a l
Softiety, to th is a n c ie n t c it y . T h e w o r th y Colonel a r r i v e d in
L a h o re 011 S u n d a y l a s t a t 8 -3 0 a. M., a n d d r o v e fr o m tho
R a ilw a y sta tio n , iu c o m p a n y w i t h h is p a r t y a n d sev eral n a tiv e
g e n tl e m e n , T h e o s o p h is ts an d A r y a n s , to t h e p a r a d e g r o u n d in
f r o n t of t h e F o r t , w here sev eral larg e te n t s a n d a spacious
sh a m ia n a h a d b een p itc h e d for his recep tio n and accom ­
m o d a tio n . I n c o u rse of th e d ay a n d ev e n in g he received visits
from m a n y of th e lead ing Raises a n d g e n tl e m e n of th e eity. The
Colonel lo o k ed fresh a n d s tr o n g in s p ite of th e a rd u o u s and
u n r e m i t t i n g lab o r h e h a s h a d to u n d e r g o of late. H e talked
w ith th e visitors, an d a n sw e re d every qu estio n a b o u t th e aims,
cre e d a n d objects of th e T heo sop hica l Society, arid th o se re la­
tin g to A r y a n p h ilo s o p h y a n d science, &c., as gaily as a cricket,
and to th o th o r o n g h satisfac tion of th o s e who p u t th e m . T he
n e x t d a y ( M o n d a y ) a lso th e r e was no l a c k of v isito rs from
m o r n in g u p till 4 o’clo ck in th o a fte rn o o n , D ewan M u t h r u
D a ss of K a p u r t h a l a a n d o t h e r officials of t h a t S t a t e , in c om ­
p an y w ith m a n y learn ed P a n d i t s a n d S a d h u s b ein g present,
nnd co n v e rs e d , in t h e m o rn in g , w ith tbo A m e ric o -A ry a n Yotji
on m a n y i n t r i c a t e s u b je c ts in connection w ith t h e h u m a n
soul a n d A r y a n relig ion a n d p h ilo s o p h y . T h e P u n d it s a n d th e
w o r th y D e w a n w ere m i g h ti ly pleased w ith th e a c q u i r e ­
m e n ts of th o Colonel, a n d expressed tlieir u n feig ne d
d e l i g h t in finding iu h im such a le a r n e d ch a m p io n of all
t h a t is n ow le ft of the m o s t a n c ie n t a n d gloriou s A ry a v a rta .
M r. B r o w n of t h e L o nd o n T h eosop hica l Socicty a rriv e d th e
s a m e m o r n in g fr o m R a w u l P in d i, w h ith e r he h a d been
d e p u te d by h is chief in a n s w e r to th e r e q u e s t of tho
T h o oso ph ists of t h a t place. T h e re w as a n o th e r g e n tle m a n
w ith th e Colonel, M r. D a m o d a r K . M a v a la n k a r, tho J o i n t
R e c o r d in g S e c r e t a r y of th e S o c ie ty — a y o u n g m an of r e m a r k ­
able in te llig e n c e a n d decidedly g r e a t A n g lo -A ry a n sc h o la r­
s h i p — an in d e f a tig a b le w o rk e r for tho cause of th e r e g e n e r a ­
tion of I n d i a , a n d last, t h o u g h n o t least, an o c c u ltis t of g re at
prom ise. I n tho e v e n in g a t 6-30 o ’clo ck ., th e Colonel deli­
v ered a le c t u r e in his sh a m ia n a on “ T h e A r y a n P h ilo s o p h y .”
S h o r t ly befo re t h a t tim e, people b eg an p o u r i n g in, and a t
tho tim e of th o Colonel’s ta k i n g u p his sta n d , th e r e were
g a th e r e d in a n d a ro u n d th e sh a m ia n a a crow d n u m b e r in g
th o u s a n d s , some s i tt in g in ch airs, somo s q u a t ti n g down upon
t h e c a r p e t on th e floor, o th e r s s ta n d in g . T h ere was also a
s p r in k li n g of E u ro p e a n s. O n th e Colonel e n t e r i n g h is a p ­
p earan ce, the e n ti r e a u d ie n c e g ree ted w ith lou d and en-
th u s ia t ic cheors. I n course of his lectu res also he was sim ilarly
ch eered ev ery now a u d th en . A f te r a few p r e f a to ry telling
r e m a r k s th e Colonel e xplained th e o b jects of his Society at
som e le n g th . H e th e n sp ok o of the A r y a n Philo so ph y, and
in v i n d i c a ti n g its su p e r io rity by c o m p a r in g it w ith thoso
of t h e W e s t , he p aid m a n y a rich tr i b u t e of p raise to
tho so w ho had c on ceiv ed it. H o th e n ex p res se d his re g r e t
a t th e n e g le c t w hich th e S a n s k r it l a n g u a g e a t p r e s e n t suffers
a t th o h a n d s of t h e m o d ern A r y a n s — th e l a n g u a g e in w hich
A ry a n Science a n d P h ilosophy a r e c lo t h e d — t h e con se­
q u e n c e b e in g t h a t even t h e P u n d i t s do n o t receive so
m u c h ed u c a tio n as to en ablo th e m to c o m p r e h e n d th e exact,
m e a n i n g of tlio p r e g n a n t slohas th e y recite a u d c h a n t,
n o t to s p e a k of t h e y o u n g H i n d u s w ho are bein g d riv e n
to scep ticism . H e m a d e an e lo q u e n t ap peal to th ose p re s e n t
fu r t h e re v iv a l o f S a n s k r i t lea rn ing , a n d a d v is e d th e m
n o t to be so fo olish as th o wife of A lla d in , w h o e x ­
c h a n g e d th e old w o n d e rfu l lam p for a new one by
a d o p ti n g now m e t h o d s of t h o u g h t in p re f e re n c e to old
ones. H o also sa id t h a t t h e T h e o s o p h ic a l So cicty has
a lr e a d y beon su ccessful in estab lish in g , a n d ra is in g sub-
se r ip ions for e s ta b lis h in g , fifteen schools for t h e te a c h in g of
S a n s k r i t . B efore t a k i n g his seat tho C o lon el e x p res sed his
deep sorrow a n d r e g r e t a t tho d e a th of his d i s t i n g u i s h e d co­
w o rk er, S w a m iji D a y a n a n d a S a ras w ati w h o, he said, w as a
p a t r i o t to t h e v ery b ackb on e, a bold a n d s tr o n g re f o rm e r su ch
as he se ld o m m e t w ith a m o n g th e m o d ern H in d u s . T h e breach
w hich to o k place la tte r ly b e tw e e n th e A iy a Somaj a n d th e
T h eosophical Society w as ow in g to some m i s u n d e r s ta n d i n g
b e tw e e n h im an d th e S w a m i, fo s te re d by some evil-disposed
p e rs o n s. B u t now t h a t h e w as d ead h e c o u ld not b u t express
h is sincere so rro w f o r his loss. T h e n e x t d a y (T u e sd a y ) ,
th e m o r n i n g a n d afte rn o o n wero passed by the Colonel in
r e c eiv in g visitors a n d d is c u s s in g a b o u t ijnany religious and
p hilosop hical m a t te r s . I n th e e v e n in g a t the sam e h o u r as
t h e p re v io u s d a y , th o Colonel deliv ered a n o t h e r of his
e l o q u e n t a n d im p re ss iv e lectu res , th e su b je c t th i s tim o b e in g
“ T h e o s o p h y .” T ho a u d ie n c e w as la r g e r t h a n t h a t of th e
previo us e v e n in g , a n d show ed th e ir ap p re c ia tio n of th©
C olo nel’s u t t e r a n c e s by e n t h u s ia s t ic a n d re p e a te d cheers.
H e said t h a t “ T h e o s o p h y ” h a d 110 religio n of its ow n.
T h o o b je c ts of t h e i n s ti tu t io n w ere to se arch a fte r the
e te r n a l T r u t h , w h e re v e r t h a t w a s to bo fo u n d , to form
th e n u c le u s of an u n iv e r sa l b r o t h e r h o o d by a d v is in g
all re lig io n ists to rise above th e b ig o t r y a n d p re ju d ic e
of se c ta ria n is m , a n d to c o - o p e r a te w ith one a n o t h e r in
a b r o t h e r ly w ay to d isco v er t h e d iv in e T r u t h h i d d e n b e n e a th
th e fo u n d a tio n of every e sta b lish e d f o r m of religion, to v in d i­
c a te tho cau se of all a u c ie n t ph ilo so p h y , science, a u d religion,
w h e re in lay th e p a th to t h a t g lo r io u s T r n t h , a u d la s tly to
d is c o v e r the h id d e n m y s te rie s in n a t u r e a n d th o psych ical
p o w ers la t e n t iu m a n . H e th e n m a d e a v e ry e lo q u e n t a p p eal
f o r t h e s y m p a th i e s o f all r i g h t - m i n d e d m e n w ith th o s e o b ­
je c ts, an d a ss u re d th e H i n d u s t h a t th o u g h he w a s differe nt in
c o m plexion, he w as a t h e a r t b u t lik e o ne of th em . O n th e
Colonel ta k i n g his se a t a m i d lo u d cheers, M r. Brown rose
a n d dolivered a sh o r t b u t e lo q u e n t sp c ech , te l li n g th e a u d ie n c e
how h e found th e scien ce a u d p h ilo so p h y of A r y a v a r t a to be
s u p e rio r to th o se of h is o w n c o u n tr y , a n d h ow th e y were now
a t t r a c t i n g th e a t t e n t i o n of all le a rn e d m e n of th e W e s t . H e
r e f e rre d to t h e e s t a b li s h m e n t of a B r a n c h T h eo so p h ic a l So­
c ie ty in L o u d o n , of w hich some of th o m o s t e m i n e n t m en,
w h e t h e r in p o i n t of r a n k o r le a rn in g , w ere m e m b e rs . H e
t h e n to ld t h e au d ie n c e t h a t he also, l i k e Colonel O lc o tt a n d
M a d a m e B lav a tsk y , h ad com e to I n d i a to livo in it, to w o r k
fo r it, a n d dje in it . T h o a u d ie n c e w as g r e a t ly to u c h e d t y
Air. B r o w n ’s w ord s, an d they e x p res se d th e m s e lv e s by e n ­
th u s ia s t ic ch eers. A t tho e n d of M r. B r o w n ’s speooh th e
p ro c e e d in g s closed w ith a few r e m a r k s from P u n d i t G opi
N a t h , E d i t o r of t h o M itra Vilas. T h e n e x t day t h e Colonel
left th e s t a ti o n in tho e v e n in g fo r J u m m u , w h ith o r h e haa
been in v ite d to go by th e M a h a r a ja h of K a s h in e r e . — Punjab
Times. ■ C o m m it te e to w a rd s th o p u rc h a s e of th e A d y a r P r o p e r ty , a n d
C O L O N E L OLCOTT AT T H E COU RT O F K A S H M IR .
A t L a h o re , Col. O lc o tt w as m e t hy a C ouncillor of H ia
H i g h n e s s th e M a h a R a j a S a h e b of K a s h m i r a n d J a m m u ,
w h o h a d l>oen specially d e p u te d for t h e p u rp o s o of e s c o r tin g
th e P r e s id e n t an d his p a r t y to J a m m u . H i s H i g h n e s s h a d
s e n t a spceial r e q u e s t t h a t before p ro c e e d in g fro m L a h o r e
to J a m m u , Col. O lcott s h o u l d c o n s e n t to a c c e p t th e
khilal * w h ic h it is cu s to m a ry fo r t h e C o u rt to offer to its m o s t
h o n o u re d g u e s t s , as a refu sal w ould b e d e r o g a t o r y to hia
d ig n ity . T ho P re s id e n t a c c e p ted t h e k i n d offer on t h e
d is ti n c t u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h a t th e p r e s e n ts w ould be received
not for his personal benefit, b u t ou b e h a lf of, a n d for tho
benefit of th o Society. T h e nec essary p re lim in a rie s h a v in g
been a rr a n g e d , t h e p a r t y , ac com pa nied by P a n d i t G o pi N a th ,
P. T. S., E d i t o r of th e M ittra Vilasa, t h e o r g a n of t h e
orth odo x P a n d i t s of L ahore, a n d b y H is H i g h n e s s ' C o un cillo r,
left L a h o r e b y t h e ev en in g mail of t h e 2 1 st N o v em b o r. a n d
proceeded from tho W a z ira b a d H ailw ay s t a t i o n in c a rr ia g e s
d irect to Sialkot, w h o re th e y re sted for t h e n ig h t . T h e M a h a ­
rajah h a d so nt his S ta te c a rr ia g e s to t h a t p lace to t a k e t h e
p a rt y to J a m m u w hich, a f t e r a b o u t f o u r h o u r s ’ drive, t h e y
reachcd in th e e v e n in g of th e 2 2 n d . O u th is sid e of tho R a v i
river, tw o S t a t e e le p h a n ts wero in w a iti n g to t a k e t h e p a r t y
to tho city. O n e of th ese w as fitted u p w ith a silv e r
Howdah in K a s h m i r i repoussde w ork , with d r a g o n s u p p o r t ­
ers a n d v elv et c u sh io n s for th o P r e s id e n t. A n h o u r ’s ride
b r o u g h t th e p arty to th o b a rr a c k s, w h e re th e b u n g a lo w se t
a p a r t fo r t h e B r it is h R e s id e n t a n d o t h e r d is ti n g u is h e d
E u ro p e a n g u e s t s h a d been fitted up for t h e i r a cc o m m o d a tio n .
T h e n e x t m o rn in g , e le p h a n ts were s e n t w ith a n officer a n d a
g u a rd of h on or, a n d upon a r r iv a l a t t h e P alace , th o w ho le
g u a rd presen ted a rm s, a u d H ia H i g h n e s s g a v e au d ie n c e in
full C o u rt. T h e M a h a Rajah Saheb was v e ry well pleased
with Col. O l c o t t ’a exposition of T h e o so p h y , a n d e x p re s s e d
g reat s y m p a th y w ith th e objects of th e T h e o so p h ic a l Society,
especially its efforts for th o rev iv al of th o a n c i e n t in te lle c ­
tual au d sp iritu a l glories o f In d ia . T h e ir R o y a l H ig h -
nosseB P r i n c e K a m a S in g h , C a m m a n d e r-in -C h ie f, a n d P r i n c e
A m a ra Singh, t h e j u n i o r P rin c e , also se e m e d v ory m u c h
interested in t h e su bje ct. T h e sa m e e v e n in g , Col. O lc o tt
received th e R oy al p re s e n ts . A c o o rd in g to t h e a n c ie n t
custom of tb e C o u rt, first-class g u e s t s receiv e tw e n ty -
one pots of sw eetm eats, th o s e of th e seco nd class, f o u r ­
teen, th e th ird -class se v e D , w hile t h e f o u r th -c l a s s a re
given none. T h e P r e s id e n t w as t r e a t e d aa a first-cla ss
guest— a d is tin c tio n sho w n to P rin c e s a n d to t h e B r i t i s h Ro-
* Khilat ia a ro y al g ift p e c u lia r to A s ia tic C o u rts : ita ric h n o ss aqd
vnluo b eing p ro p o rtio n a te to th e m upificence of tlie S o v ereig n an d
tho ran k of tlie v isito r,—E d , ' P ash m ir i fabrics,
s i d e n t a n d o t h e r h ig h E u r o p e a n s , a n d was t h u s p r e s e n te d
w i t h tw e n ty - o n e p o ts of sw e e t-m e a ts an d a p u rs e o f five h u n ­
d re d ru p ees as Daioat, f o r w h ic h he im m e d ia te ly re c e ip te d i a
his official c a p ac ity a n d on b e h a lf of the Society. E v e r y d a y
t h e M a h a R a j a h S a h e b a c c o rd e d him a n interv iew of a b o u t
tw o hou rs, a n d on som e d a y s e v e n tw o. O n each occasion, afc
th e Palace, a g u a r d of h o n o u r old t u r n e d o u t w h o p re r
se n te d a rm s, b o th a t th e tim e of his e n te r in g au d le a v in g th e
R oy al m a n s io n . T w o e le p h a n ts a n d fo u r saddled h o rses
w e re a ll th o tim e a t th e d is p o s a l of th e p a rt y a t th e b a r r a c k s —-
besides a rm e d chuprasis a n d o t h e r s e r v a n ts . Col. Olcotfc
h a d lo n g discussions on m a t te r s of A r y a n P h ilo so p h y a n d
R e lig io n with H is H ig h n e s s , w ho m a n ife ste d a m o s t th o r o u g h
k n o w le d g e of the s u b jects, a n d seem ed e x tr e m e ly g ra tifie d to
find t h a t t h e A m erican Chela h a d deriv ed his k n o w le d g e fro n t
th e sam e school to w hich his own G u r d a p p a r e n t l y belonged.
T h e M a h a R a ja h S a h e b n o t o n ly believed in th e e xisten co
o f th e H i m a l a y a n M a h a t m a s , b u t seem ed to be s u r e o f t h a
f a c t fro m perso n al k n o w le d g e . H e e x pressed his e n tire a p p r o ­
ba tio n of Col. O lc o tt’s w o r k fo r t h e re s u sc ita tio n of S a n ­
s k r i t in w hich d ir e c tio n h e h im se lf was w o rk in g h a r d iu hia
o w n S ta t e . T h e p a r t y re m a in e d a t J a m m u f o r a week. On t h e
l a s t d ay, t h e y w ere p ro s e n te d w ith tho ih ila t, w h ich c o n s is t­
ed of an offoring to C o l. O lc o tt of seven “ c l o t h s ” — te c h n i­
cally so c alled,* a n d th r e e to each of t h e r e s t — as also a n
a d d it io n a l p u rs o of tw o th o u s a n d rupees, w h ic h th e P r e s id e n t
re c eip ted for, a s before, o n b e h a lf of th o S ocicty . B efo ro
q u i t t i n g J a m m u , th e Colonel m ade over fifteon h u n d r e d rn p e e a
to t h e H o n o r a r y S e c r e t a r y of th o H e a d -q u a rto rs H o u s e F u n d
th e r e m a in in g ru p e e s o n e th o u s a n d of th e M a h a r a ja h 's c a s h
p re s e n t, to th e T r e a s u r e r of t h e Society, fo r th e Society’s
g eneral expenses. Col. O lco tt had special in te rv ie w s w ith H i s
R oy al H ig h n e s s P r i n c e A m a r a S in gh , th e y o u n g e s t son of
H is H i g h n e s s t h e M a h a R a j a h S aheb , w ith H i s E xcellen cy
th e D iw a n , a n d o t h e r h ig h officials of th e S ta t e , w h o were a ll
m o r e or loss in te re s te d iu w h a t t h e P r e s i d e n t h ad to say,
an d professed th e m se lv e s p leased w ith his a dvocacy of A r y a n
P h ilo s o p h y . F r o m J a m m u to S ia lk o t th e p a r t y w as p r o ­
v id ed w ith S t a t o c a rr ia g e s . T h e n c e th e y proceeded f u r t h e r
On th e i r jo u r n e y . Col. O l c o t t ’s v is it to th e S ta to of K a p n r -
th ala, w h e re he w as in v i te d by th o D iw an , w ho h ad specially
g o n e d o w n to L a h o re for t h e p u rp o s e , will be found d esc rib ed
elsewhere.
D amodar K. M avalankar,
J o in t R ecordiny Secretary,
COLO N EL OLCOTT AT JE Y PO R E .
[ F r o m t h e In d ia n M ir r o r s o w n C o r r e s p o n d e n t . ] J.
Jeypore, 8th December, 1883.
C o l o n e l H . S. O l c o t t , t h e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r of t h e
'J'heosophical Society, w ith t h e H o n o r a r y S e c r e t a r y , H e a d ­
q u a r t e r s F u n d , M r. L . V e n k a t a V a r a d a r a j u l u N a id u , a n d
M r. B ro w n , a r r i v e d h e r e fr o m K a p u r t h a l a on tho 5 th i n s t a n t , ’
a t 6 p. m. T h e r o w a s a g a t h e r i n g of th e m e m b e rs of t h e local.
B r a n c h S o c iety a n d o f o t h e r N a tiv o g e n tl e m e n of th e c ity a t
t h e R a il w a y S t a t i o n to receiv e th e Colonel. H e p u t u p afc
t b e D a k B u n g a l o w , a n d s t a y e d o n ly f o r 24 h o u rs , d u rin g ,
w h ic h tim e h e h a d v a r i o u s e n g a g e m e n ts . H o d e liv e red a.
lec tu ro on “ T h e T r u e A r t or H e a l i n g ” in th e College
prem ises, w h e r e tho elite of th is p lace th r o n g e d to h e a r h im .
E v e r y one w a s h i g h l y p le a s e d w i t h his e x c e lle n t lecture, a n d
p ra ise d th e Colonel f o r his noble efforts to rev iv e t h e A r y a n
s p i r it a m o n g t h e people. F r e s h s t r e n g t h h a s been a d d e d to
t h e So cie ty b y tw o n e w m e n jo i n in g it. H o s t a r t e d f o r
B o m b a y , via B a r o d a , o n t h e 6 th D e c e m b e r 1883, b y t h o
e v e n in g m ail,
COLO N EL OLCOTT A T K U RN O O L.
O n his a r r i v a l a t K u rn o o l, Colonel O lc o tt w as p r e s e n te d
w j t h th e fo llo w in g a d d re s s b y t h e local g e n t r y :
“ W e, th e u n d ersig n ed in h a b ita n ts an d re s id e n ts of K nrnool, b eg to
acco rd yon a m o st h e a r ty w elcom e on th is y o u r first v isit to K n rn o o l.
2. W e deem ou rselv es sin g u la rly fo rtu n a te in h a r in g b een fav o u red
w ith y o u r long-expocted v is it an d th u s allow ed th e o p p o rtu n ity ,
th ro u g h y o u r a s sista n c e a n d advice, of g e ttin g au in sig h t in to O rie n ta l
philosophy a n d sc ien ces an d of in v e s tig a tin g th e law s of n a tu r e in
re g a rd to occu ltism , a n d th e p sy c h ic a l p o w ers la te n t in m an.
* I n p o in t of f a c t th e y co m p rised an em b ro id ered co a t ( choga re d )
“ p a sh m in a h ," silk -lin e d , a K a sh m iri sq u a re shaw l (ra m d i) em b ro id ered
to th e c e n tre , a ta rb n n , a a e m b ro id e re d scarf, and th re e p ieces o f
 3. D eeply convinced rs w e are of th e n e c e ssity of being in
pym p ath y w ith th e aim s and o b jccts of th e T heosophical S ocicty, to
estab lish b ran ch es of w hich, in v ario u s p a r ts of Indin, you a n d M adam e
U lav atsk y h av e tra v e lle d an d dono n ot a little , a t tho ris k of m uch
perflonnl co m fo rt, im b u ed w ith tho desire of r e s u s c ita tin g a n d p ro m o t­
in g a stu d y of o u r A ry a n philosophies an d religion and o f co n v in cin g
th e people of th e n ecessity of in v e s tig a tin g and follow ing th em fo r
t h e ir own f u tu re g o o d —wo are now assn red in th e belief th a t your
Btay a m o n g st us, how over sh o rt it m ay be, w ould bo p ro d u ctiv e of
m uch good am o n g th e pcoplo, who as y e t from w a n t of a s y s te m a tic
fctudy of th e philo so p h y of th o ir own relig io n , and from v arious o th e r
c a u s e s a re ofton led a s tra y , and n ot n n fro q u o n tly show ft v a st am o u n t
c f in d ifferen ce to w ard s it nnd th e causo of T h eosophy.
4. W e now , how ever, hope th n t such a s ta te of thingR will cense
io ex ist, nud tr u s t th n t b efo re long our e n d e a v o u rs to e sta b lish h ere a
b ra n c h S ociety th ro u g h w hich w c dcBirc to c re a te a fe e lin g of b ro th e r­
hood am o n g th o people an d to be ennblcd to follow o n r tim e*honored
c u sto m s ceteris pa rib u s shall bo crow ned w ith success.
6. I n conclusion, wc beg t h a t you w ill riccopt o u r w elcom e, givon in
th e sp irit of frie n d sh ip an d b ro th e rly lovo.
W o beg to rem ain ,
Sir,
Y o u r m o s t o b e d ie n t so rv an ts,
K . R a n g a m a n n a r Iy e n g a r, A. L u k sh m n n d o ss, V. V en k atasesh ay y n ,
Jj. C hondulnln, T. K u m arasam i A ch ari, C. M nnusam i N ay u d n , S. N a ra ­
y a n a How, V. V n rad n rn ju ln , P. K am an jn lu N aidu, S heroff U m m a jiR o w ,
V. V isw an ad h am , V. P a rd a sa ra d h y , N. V arad arn ju ln N aidu, D. S am b iah
.Dcvnrn, V. Abboy, Ch. R a n g a y y a N aidu, a n d Ila n u m a n ta H ow .”
Affinal Reports.
T H K D E L E G A T E F R O M A M ERICA .
[ T h o follow ing c r e d e n tia ls were h a n d e d o ver to th e
R e c o rd in g S e c re ta ry of th e P a r e n t T h e o so p h ic a l Society by
D r. Fran'/ H a rtin :in n , F . T. iS., late of C o lorado , U . S. A .,
w h o la n d ed in M a d ra s on 4 t h D e c e m b e r l a s t ]
F rom the T d k o s o p iiic a l S o c ie t y of N . Y ., J u ly 3 0 th, 1883.
G r e e ti n g to all to w ho m shall com e th e s e p re s e n ts , k n o w
ye, th n t D r. F r a n z H a r t m a n n , F . T. S., is h e re b y a u th o r iz e d
n n d em p ow e red to r e p r e s e n t th is Societ}- as its D elegate, a t
th e A n n iv e r s a r y eelo bration , in In d i a . W i t n e s s o u r h a n d s
a n d th e S o ciety ’s g r e a t seal, a t N ew Y o rk , U. S., th e d ay a n d
y e a r ab ov e w ritte n .
( S d .) A bner D oubleday, [M
P resid en t p ro -te m .
( „ ) W il l ia m Q. J udge,
R ecording S ecreta ry.
F bom t h e R o chester B ranch o f t h e T h e o s o p h ic a l
R ochester, N. Y., A u g u st 9th, 1883.
K now all ye to w h o m th es e m a y come :
T h a t tho R o c h e s te r B r a n c h of th e T h o o so p h ic al Society,
havo au th o riz ed , a n d by these presen ts, do a u th o r iz e an d
empower
D r. F ra n z H a r t m a n n of th e U n i t e d S t a t e s of A m e ric a ,
to re p resen t th is B r a n c h nt tbe n e x t A n n iv e r s a r y m e e tin g of
t h e Society w h ic h he shall a t t e n d a t A d y a r , o r o t h e r place
ill t h a t c o u n tr y .
W i t n e s s th e h a n d s of th e P r e s id e n t a n d th e C o rre s p o n d in g
S e c re ta ry of th e saiil R o c h e s te r B r a n c h , a t R o ch este r, N. Y,,
th i s 9 th d ay of A u g u s t 1883.
(S d.) AV, B, S h e l l y ,
P re sid e n t.
( „ ) J. H . Cables,
Cor. S ecy.
F rom t i i e P io n e e r T iiE o s o r n ic A L S o c ie t y .
. Know all men by th ese p rese n ts ; That. D r . F r a n z H a r t m a n n ,
F . T. S., is h ereb y a u th o r iz e d a n d ernpow ored to re p r e s e n t
t h e P io n e e r T h e o so p h ic a l Society of S a i n t L o u is as its
D ele g a te , a t th e n e x t A n n iv e rs a ry ce le b ratio n of t h e T h e o ­
sop hical So ciety in In d ia .
D a t e d ut S t . L o u is, M issouri, U . S. A ., th is n i n t h d a y of
A u g u s t, 1883.
( S d . ) E l l io t B. P a g e ,
P resident.
( „ ) F kank K ra ft,
. Secretary,
T H E P IO N E E R T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY .
S t . L o u i s , U. S. A.
A t a m e e t i n g of th e M e m b e r s of tlie T h e o so p h ic a l Socicty,
h e ld on the 1 7 th of J u l y 1883, a t th e re s id en ce of Mr. E llio t
B. P a g e , No. 2714,IScot A venue, St. L ouis, Ma., U . S. A ., th e
c h a r t e r g r a n t e d liy th o P a r e n t S o ciety in resp o n se to th e
a p p lic a tio n of t h e local T h e o s o p h is ts — was u n a n im o u s ly
a d o p ted .
T h e fo llo w in g office-bearers w ere t h e n clected for th e e n ­
s u i n g y e a r :—
P re sid e n t, E l l io t B. P a g e ; S ecreta ry a n d Treasurer, F rank
K r a f t ; a n d E d w a r d 11. G o r s e , M e m b e r of th e G e n e ra l
C ouncil.
T h o a b o v e officers w e re c o n s t it u te d a .C om m ittee for th e
p u rp o s e of p r e p a r i n g a codc of B y e -L a w s a n d s u b m i t t i n g it,
fo r a d o p tio n , a t tho n e x t M e e t in g of th e B r a n c h .
T H E LONDON LODGE
OF
T H E T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y .
T h e T h o o so p h ic a l S o ciety, of w h ich th e L o n d o n L o d g e is
a B r a n c h , is p e r m a n e n t l y e sta b lish e d in In d i a , w h e r e its
ob jects a rc (1) to p ro m o te t h e p rin c ip le of a U n iv e rs a l
B r o th e r h o o d of H u m a n i t y , w i t h o u t d is tin c tio n s of ra c e or
c re e d ; (2 ) to e n c o u r a g e t h e s t u d y of E a s t e r n P h ilo so p h y ,
fro m w h ic h t h e S o cio ty believes t h a t i m p o r t a n t t r u t h s aro to
be l e a r n e d ; a n d (3 ) to in v e s tig a te th e psych ic p o w e rs la te n t
in m a n .
T h e special o b je c ts of t h e L o n d o n L o d g e a r e :—
(1). T h e in v e s ti g a ti o n of th o n a t u r e of ex isten ce, w ith a
view to t h e c o m p r e h e n s i o n a n d rea lisa tio n of th e h ig h e r
p o te n tia litie s of m a n .
(2 ). T h e r e v i v a l of r e s e a r c h c o n n e c te d w ith o ccult science
a n d eso teric p h ilo so p h y .
(3 ). T h o e x a m i n a ti o n of religious s y s te m s fr o m a n u n ­
s e c t a ri a n s t a n d p o in t , f o r th e p u rp o s e of d e m o n s t r a t i n g tho
s u b s t a n t i a l id e n t i t y s u b s is t in g b e n e a t h t h e i r a p p a r e n t d i v e r ­
sity.
(4 ). T h e re c o n s tr u c t io n of re lig io n on a scientific a n d of
science o n a relig io u s basis *, a n d t h e ela b o r a tio n of a p e rfe c t
a j. G e n .] sy s te m of t h o u g h t a n d r u l e of life.
R ules.
(1). T h e officers of t h e So c iety s h a l l be a P r e s id e n t, two
V ic e -P r e s id e n ts , a n H o n o r a r y S e c re ta ry a n d a n H o n o r a r y
T r e a s u r e r . T h e offices of S e c r e t a r y a n d T r e a s u r e r m a y a t
a n y tim e b e h e ld by t h e s a m e p erso n , a n d t h e V ic e -P r e s i­
S o c ie t y . d e n ts aro elig ib le to th e m .
( 2 ). T h e C o u n c il s h a l l c o n sist of th e officers, a n d of n o t
less t h a n five n o r m o r e t h a n s ev en o t h e r Fellows, t h r e e to be
a q u o r u m fo r tho tr a n s a c t io n of all business, sa v e as p r o v i d e d
in R u le s 7 a n d 14.
( 3 ). T h e officers a n d o t h e r m e m b e rs of C o un cil sh all be
cho sen a t g e n e r a l m e e t in g s of th e Society, to bo h e ld a n n u a ll y
on a d a y in J a n u a r y , of w h ic h t h e S e c r e t a r y s h a ll g iv e n o t
less t h a n tw e n ty - o n e d a y s ’ n otice to th e F e llo w s ( o t h e r t h a n
h o n o r a r y F ello w s), b y p o s tin g th e sam e to th e a d d re s se s
e n te r e d a g a i n s t t h e i r n a m e s in tho list to b e k e p t by him .
A n y tw o F e llo w s c an pro po se officers o r o t h e r m e m b e r s of
C ouncil. W r i t t e n no ticc of s u c h n o m i n a ti o n s m u s t be in th e
h a n d s of th e S e c r e t a r y f o u r t e e n d a y s b eforo t h e m e e tin g ,
a n d h e s h a ll t h e n t r a n s m i t tho n a m e s of th e p ro po sed an d
p ro p o s ers to all F e ll o w s e n ti tl e d to vote, on e c le a r w eek a t
least b efo re tho m e e t in g . F e llo w s n o t a t t e n d i n g th e m e e tin g
m a y sig n ify t h e i r choice b y l e t t e r to t h e S e c re ta ry w h ic h
s h a ll bo c o u n te d as votes. T h e v o te of th ose p r e s e n t sh all
be t a k e n openly, unless a n y tw o m e m b e rs d e m a n d a b allot,
in w h ic h case th o elec tion s s h a l l be b y b allo t a n d b y the
le tte r s of tlio a b s e n t F ello w s. .
(4). T h e C o u n c il s h a l l h a v e p o w e r to fill u p v acancies
th e r e in , a t a n y tim e b e tw e e n th o g e n e r a l m e e t in g s , by a
m a j o r i ty of t w o - t h ir d s , a t a n y of its m e e tin g s a t w h ic h n o t
less t h a n six s h a ll bo p re s e n t.
(5 ). T h e e le c tio n of F e llo w s shall be b y a m a jo rity of
tw o - t h i r d s of th e C o u n c il p r e s e n t a t a n y of its m ee tin g s ,
e v e r y c a n d id a te b e i n g p ro p o s ed a n d s e co n d ed by F ollow s of
t h e Society.
( 6 ). P e r s o n s of c i t h e r sex a r e e lig ible to th e Society, to
t h e Council, a n d to a n y office. ,
 (7). T h e in i ti a ti o n fee is £ 1, a n d t h e a n n u a l s u b ­
s crip tio n ia 10s. e x c e p t in th e case of h o n o r a r y F e llo w s w ho
m a y be e lec ted by th e Council free fr o m all p e c u n ia r y
.liability, a n d in the case of a n y o r d i n a r y F e llo w w ho m , fo r
special reaso ns, tho C ou ucil d ecid e to e x e m p t.
( 8 ). S u b s c r ip tio n s a r e d u e on election, a n d on th o first
of J a n u a r y in e v e ry y e a r, e x c e p t in t h e case of F e llo w s
ele c te d d u r i n g t h e la s t t h r e e m o n t h s of a n y y e a r, w hose
su b s c rip tio n sh all c o v er th e s u c c e e d i n g y ea r.
(9). H o n o r a r y F ello w s sh all be e n t i t l e d to all p riv ile g e s
of m e m b e rs h ip e x cep t th e r i g h t of v o t i n g a n d e lig ib ility to
oHiccs or to th e Council.
(10). N otice, in w r it in g , of r e s ig n a ti o n of F e ll o w s h ip
m u s t b e g iv e n to th e S e c r e t a r y befo ro t h e 3 1 st of D e c e m b e r ,
or liab ility to th e s u b s c r ip t io n f o r t h e s u c c e e d i n g y e a r w ill
be in c u r r e d .
(11). F ellow s ca n be ex p elled b y a v o te of tw o - t h ir d s of a
C ouncil m e e t in g , a t w h ic h n o t less t h a n th r e e of t h e officers
a n d th r e e o t h e r m e m b e rs a r e p re s e n t.
(1 ii). P o w e r to t r a n s a c t all b u sin e ss c o n n e c t e d w i t h th e
Society , ex c e p t th o a lt e r a t io n of its c o n s t it u ti o n o r r u l e s , is
v e ste d in th e Council.
(1 3 ). E v e r y a lt e r a t io n of, o r a d d it io n to, t h e c o n s t it u ti o n
a n d r u l e s s h a ll be m a d e e it h e r a t th e A n n u a l G e n e ra l M e e t ­
iu g o r a t a S p ec ial G e n e ra l M e e t in g of th e Society.
(14). S p ecial G e n e ra l M e e t in g s m a y b e ca lle d f o r a n y p u r -
poso by th e P r e s i d e n t o r b y t h e tw o V ic e - P r e s id e n t s , f o u r te e n
d a y s ’ notice b e in g g iv e n to t h e F e llo w s b y t h e S e c r e t a r y .
(1 5). A ll q u e s tio n s ( o t h e r t h a n th e elec tio n of officers a n d
C o un cil) b r o u g h t befo re th e A n n u a l G o n e ra l M e e t in g , o r a
S p ecial G e n e ra l M e e tin g , s h a l l be d e t e r m i n e d b y a m a j o r i t y
of those p re s e n t.
T H E T O D A B E T T A T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY .
B ye- L aw s .
1. A n y F e llo w of th e P a r e n t S ociety o r ono of its
b r a n c h e s m ay be a d m i t t e d as a m e m b e r b y t h e P r e s i d e n t .
2. E v e r y c a n d id a te fo r ad m issio n to th o S o c ie ty m u s t be
r e c o m m e n d e d b y tw o Fellows.
3. T h e P r e s id e n t, t h e S e c r e t a r y , a n d th e A s s i s t a n t
S e c r e t a r y sh a ll be e lec ted f o r a te r m of one y e a r , c o m m e n c ­
in g fro m 1884 by a m a j o r i ty of the F ellow s. T h u P r e s i d e n t
m a y be re-elec ted w ith th e san ctio n of t h e G e n e r a l C o un cil
o b ta in e d be fo re th o e x p ir a ti o n of t h e y e a r.
4. T h e P r e s i d e n t a n d tw o F ellow s, o r th o S e c r e t a r y a n d
tw o o t h e r F e llo w s o r a n y five F ellow s, s h a ll c o n s t it u te a
q u o r u m in all cases.
5. E v e r y m e m b e r s h a ll pay in a d v a n c e a m o n t h l y s u b ­
scr ip tio n of n o t less t h a n e i g h t a n n a s , t o w a r d s th e ex p en ses
of th e Society. T h e S o c iety m a y e x e m p t a m e m b e r wlio is
u n a b le to pay.
6 . T h e S e c r e t a r y s h a ll k e e p a reco rd of t h e p ro c e e d in g s
of t h e S ociety a n d a n a c c o u n t of its fu n d s . H e s h a l l also
c o rre sp o n d on b e h a lf of t h e S o ciety.
7. T h e m e m b e rs shall m e e t a t le a s t once a m o n t h on s u e h
day a n d in su c h p lace as m a y be f o u n d c o n v e n i e n t a n d n o t i ­
fied b y th e S e c r e t a r y .
8 . A sm all lib ra ry , to b e g in w ith , of t h e b o o k s r e c o m ­
m e n d e d by th o P a r e n t T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie t y s h a ll b e f o r m e d
o u t of v o lu n t a r y c o n tr ib u t io n s b y t h e m e m b e rs , whilo som e
periodicals, t h e T heosophist a m o n g th e m , s h a l l be s e n t fo r
o u t of th e m o n t h ly sub scrip tio n s.
!). E a c h m o m b c r s h all select a n d s t u d y o ne of t h e boo ks
th u s g o t out, a n d a t th e m e e t in g c o m m u n ic a t e to o th e r s th e
po rtio n h e lias stu died , a n s w e r i n g t h e q u e s t io n p u t b y th e m
iu view to th e p ro p e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e su b je c t.
10. A n e x t r a o r d i n a r y m e e t in g m a y be c alled by t h e S e c r e ­
tary w ith t h e c o n s e n t of tlie P r e s id e n t.
11. N o re s o lu tio n sh a ll be p assed unless t h e r o be a m a j o ­
r i ty of v otes for it.
12. T hu P r e s i d e n t in case of a tie, s h a l l h a v e a c a s t in g
vote.
13. W h o e v e r i n f r in g e s a n y of thet,e B y e -la w s or th e R u le s
of th e P a r e n t S ociety, s h a ll b e c alled u p o n by th e P r e s i d e n t to
explain a n d d e fe n d him self. S h o u ld t h e P r e s id e n t - i n - C o u n c i l
with tho F ello w s t h i n k t h a t his c o n d u c t is b la m a b le , i t s h a ll
be re p o r te d to th e P a r e n t S o ciety fo r su c h a c tio n in th e m a t ­
ter as t h e F o u n d e r s m a y d eem fit.
14. T h e abo ve B y e - L a w s m a y b e modified, fr o m ti m e to
time as occasion arises, w ith t h e c o n s e n t of t h e m a j o r i ty of
the m em b ers, ' '
15. A co py o f t h e l i y e - L a w s o r a n y a lte r a t io n s th e r e i n
sh a ll be s e n t to t h e P a r e n t S oc icty .
(M ajo r G e n e ra l) H . R . M o r g a n , F, T. S. _
F re sid e n t.
A p p r o v e d :— H . S . O l o o t t ,
P . T. S .
17-12-83.
R O H IL K H U N D T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY .
A t a g e n e r a l m e e t i n g of t h e a b o v e B r a n c h , h e ld on th a
2 5 th N o v e m b e r 1883, t h e fo llo w in g office-bearers w e ro
ele c tcd :—
P re sid e n t, B a b u N i l M a d h u b B a n e i u e e ; V ice-P re sid en t,
P a n d i t C i i e d a L a l ; S ecreta ry, B a b u P r e o N a t i i B a n e r j e e ;
A ssista n t S ecreta ry, L a l l a D h u u m N a r a y a n ; L ib r a r ia n , R a i
P e a r i L a l ; T rea su rer, L a l l a B a l d e o S a h a y ; C ouncillor,
P u n d it C hundra S ek iiar ; R a ja h M adho Ilao V in a y ak ,
P a tro n o f the S o c iety (B ranch.)
P reo N ath B a n er jee,
S ecre ta ry.
S A N SK R IT SCHO OLS AT MORADABAD.
A m e e t i n g w a s h e ld on t h e 4 t h i n s t a n t in w h ic h t h e p ro ­
posal t h a t b o t h th e schools (one is s t a r t e d exc lusiv ely by th o
T h c o s o p h is ts a n d t h e o t h e r b y t h e citizen s) s h o u l d be a m a l ­
g a m a t e d , w a s c a r r i e d ou t. T h e school, t h u s estab lish ed , will
be e n ti r e l y U n s e c t a r i a n . T h e P u n j a b sch em e h a s b een
a d o p te d f o r t h e g u i d a n c e of th e P a n d i t s . T h e a c tiv o
m a n a g e m e n t of t h e school h a s b een placed in th e h a n d s of
t h e T h eo so p h is ts, t h o u g h som e o u ts id e rs a r e selected as t h a
m e m b e r s of t h e E x e c u ti v e C o m m itte e . I t is h o p ed t h a t th o
ste p t h u s t a k e n will e n d in p r o d u c i n g i m p o r t a n t re s u lts , as
t h e c itizen s h a v e b e g u n to feel t h a t Union is S tre n g th .
T H E JE Y P O R E T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y .
A t a m e e t i n g of th o J e y p o r e T h e o so p h ica l Society, held on
th e 6 th D e c e m b e r 1883, th e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r in th e C h a ir,
th e fo llo w in g office-bearers w ero elec ted fo r one y e a r :—
B a b u O p e n d r a N a t h S en, P resid e n t.
■ ,, P u r n a C h a n d r a S e n , Secreta ry and T reasurer.
L a l l a D u r g a S a h a ie , A ssista n t S ecreta ry.
T H E JA M A LPO RE TH E O SO P H IC A L SOCIETY.
T h e first a u n iv e r s a ry of th e J a m a lp o r e B r a n c h T h e o s o p h i­
cal S ociety was held o u S u n d a y , t h e 18th N ovem ber la s t .
T h e re were p r e s e n t o n t h e occasion Baboo P a r b u t t y C h u r n
M o ok erjee and P u n d i t N ity a N a n d a M isra of th e B h ag u lp o re
B r a n c h Society a n d tho elite of th e n a tiv e c o m m u n it y of thia
station .
T h o cerom o ny co m m en c ed a t 7 a . m . wiih a hym n. Baboo
P a r b u t t y C h u rn Mookerjee, P r e s i d e n t of th e B h a g u lp o ro
B ra n c h , b e in g req ueste d by th e m em bers, presid ed a t tlio
m e e tin g . T h e S e c re ta ry th e n re a d his an n u a l rep o rt, g iv iu g
a b rief sk e tc h of t h e rise a n d p ro gress of t h i s B ran ch Sooiety,
its list of m e m b e r s a n d a deta iled a c c o u n t of its receipts a n d
d is b u rs e m e n ts d u r i n g th e y e a r u n d e r review. T h e re p o r t also
d w e lt on th e im p o rt a n c e of tho s t u d y of A r y a n philosophy,
science a n d lite r a tu re , a n d clearly stated th e object which th e
T h e o so p h ic a l Society has in view by q uo tin g its three f u n d a ­
m e n t a l ru les in s u p p o r t thereof.
T h e P r e s id e n t said t h a t th is So ciety has a high an d n o b le
mission to fulfil in so fa r as it seeks to form th e n u c le u s of a
u n iv e rsa l b ro t h e rh o o d , a n d aim s a t tb e revival of o rie n ta l
science a n d li te r a tu re ; a n d a s s u c h , it ca n n o t fail to ex cite tho
s y m p a t h y of e v e ry tr u e I n d i a n who has th e A r y a u blood still
r u n n i n g in his veins. T h is m a y be a lofty idea; b u t its co n ­
s u m m a t io n is possible. Me also d ila ted a t somo l e n g t h on
t h e s u b j e c t of c o n c e n tra tio n of tho m in d , whicli, he said,
g re a t ly d e p e n d s on th e d iscip line o f t h e gro s s or m atorial body,
a n d e ited several slokas from o u r sh a stra s iu su p p o r t, w h ich
he explained in su c h lu cid an d a p p r o p r i a t e te r m s as to m a k e
th e m intelligible to all p rese nt.
B aboo T a r in i C h u r n Roy, F . T . S ., a m em b e r of this B ra n c h ,'
th e n rose, a u d in a s h o r t b u t e l o q u e n t speech e x h o rt e d
t h e au dio n ce w ith a view to e n list th e i r s y m p a th y on b e h a lf
of th e m ov em en t. H e said t h a t if we w ish to k n o w a n y ­
th i n g a b o u t God a n d th e h u m a n soul, wo m u s t t u r n th e page*
of o ur shastras fo r a u e x p la n a tio n ; as i t cau b e f o u u d n o w here
 else. T h e so-called o n lig h te n e d W e s t w h ic h h a s m a d e s n c h
v a s t progl-css in all d ire c tio n s re ln tin g to t.he m n to ria l p ro s p e ­
r i ty of m an is silent on th is p o i n \ a n d we must, e ith e r lo ok b ack
to o u r A ryan R is h i s fo r a solution of t h i s p r o b l e m t>r d esp air
to k n o w . W e s t e r n c u l t u t o 1ms m ade us grossly m a t e r i a l i s ­
tic a n d th o r o u g h ly u n m i n d f u l of ou r religion nnd science, a n d
T h eo so p h y has o pen ed om- eyes. H e nlso d w e l t a t some
le n g th on th e scientific basis of t h e A r y a n re lig io n s, an d
i l ln s tr a t e d it b y examples. T his lasted till 10 A. m. T h e n alm s
w e re d is tr i b u te d to th e po or from 10 to 11 A. M.
F r o m 11 to 2 P. m. e n te r ta i n m e n t of g n e s t s a n d rest.
F r o m 2 to 4 P. M. h y m n s a n d relig io u s d isco urse.
F r o m 4-30 to 6 p. m. P u n d it N ity a N a n d a M isra rep lie d to
q u e s tio n s p u t by an o n ts id e r r e g a r d i n g T h e o so p h y a n d its
ob jec ts, in nn able an d sa tisfa c to ry m a n n e r . T h e g a th e r in g
w a s v e ry larg e on th e occasion, a n d all seem ed pleased to h e a r
h im . T h e cerem o n y th e n ended :—
T h e re-electio n of offico-bearers to o k place th e n e x t day.
W i t h Ihe u n a n im o u s conaont of all th e m e m b e r s ,t h e old office­
b earers h ave been re ta in e d in office :—
B ab o o R a m C h u n d e r C h a tte rje e , P re s id e n t.
,, D eno N a u t h Roy, S ecretary.
„ R a j Coomar R oy , A sst, do.
I n conclusion, I beg to a d d t h a t th is B rn n c h S o c ie ty , a l ­
t h o u g h it hns n o t been able as y e t to do m u o h t o w a r d s f u r ­
t h e r i n g tho cause of T h e o so p h y , hns a t le a s t su cceeded in
d r a w i n g pn b lic a t t e n t i o n lo th e movement., as h as been
c le a rly ev id sn ce d by th e la r g e g a t h e r i n g t h a t assem b le d at
o u r a n n iv e r s a r y m e e tin g . T h eo so p h y hns bec om e th e c u r r e n t
top ic of th e day , a n d is b e iu g w idely d isenssed in all circles.
T h is Society ha s n n d e r c o n te m p la tio n t h e e s t a b li s h m e n t of
a S a n s k r i t school for child ren a t t h i s s t a ti o n , a n d o n d eav ou rs
a re b ein g m a d e in th is direction;
D eno N a u t ii R ot,
Secretary.
T H E K U R N O O L T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y .
A t a m e e t in g of t h e m e m b e rs of th c T h e o so p h ic a l Society,
h e ld a t K n r n o o l (M a d r a s P r e s i d e n c y ) on th e 1 2 th d a y of
D e c e m b e r 1883— t h e P r c s i d e n t - F o u n d c r in th o c h a ir ,— it
w as u p o n m o tio n u n a n im o u s l y re s o lv e d t h a t a b r a n c h bo
fo rm e d u n d e r th e ti tl e of “ T h e K u r n o o l T h eo so p h ica l
S o ciety .” , th r o p y . I t w ill t h u s becom e a p p a r e n t to a m i n d free
U p o n m o tio n t h e b y e-law s of t h e P a r e n t S o c ie ty w ere
te m p o ra r ily a d o p te d , a n d M. R. R y. L u k s h m a n d a s G a r u ,
V , V e n k a t a s a s h i a C h e tty G a r u a n d K o m a r a s w a m i A c h a r i
Ciaru w ere a p p o in ted a c o m m itte e f o r f r a m i n g n e w R u le s fo r
th e g u id a n c e of th e B ra n c h .
T h c fo llo w in g g e n tl e m e n w e re e lec ted office-bearers for
th e e n s u i n g y e a r :—
P re sid e n t, M. R . R y. V . V e n r a t a s a s i i i a C h e t t y G a ru ;
V ice-P resident, S. V . V a r a d a r a ju lu N a id u G a ru ; S e cre ta ry ,
(3. K om arasw am y A c iia r i F a r u ; T rea su rer, A. L u k siim an d as
G aru ,
T H E GOOTY T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IE T Y .
A t a m e e t in g of t h e T h e o so p h ic a l Society, h e ld a t G ooty
On th o 14 th d a y of D e o e m b e r 1883, M r. W . T. B r o w n p re s i­
d i n g — i t w a s u n a n im o u s l y reso lv ed to fo r m a B r a n c h Society
in t h a t to w n . I t w as reso lved t h a t t h e B r a n c h bo k n o w n as
“ th e G o o ty T h e o s o p h ic a l S o ciety ,” a n d t h a t th e fo llo w in g
g e n tle m e n be elected office-bearers fo r th e e n s u i n g y e a r :—
P resid en t, I. S reneivasa R ow G aru ; V ic e-P re sid en t, P attu
K ebava P illai A veroal ; Secreta ry, B angalore P appu N ara -
sim iah G aru , p . a. . c o m p r e h e n d e d t h a t A v id y a in e v e r y s h a p e is to be g o t ri d of,
T h e B r a n c h Society t h e n a d o p te d t h e B y e -la w s o f th e P a ­
r e n t S o ciety fo r” th e tim e b ein g , a n d t h e m e m b e r s fo rm o d
th e m s e lv e s in to a c o m m itte e fo r t h e p u r p o s e of f r a m i n g
by c-law a f o r th e B r a n c h itpelf. T h e p r o c e e d i n g s t h e n t e r .
m i n a te d .
* W . T . B rown ,
C h a irm a n .
A p p ro v e d ,
L e t c h a r t e r issue,
H . S . O lcott,
T . T, S,
. O X F O R D M IS S IO N S H O T S A T O C C U LT ISM .
1 O u t of th o c le a r sk y of a c o r r e s p o n d e n t’s r e m a r k s on the
c o m p a r a ti v e m e r it s of B u d d h a a n d C h ris t, th e t h u n d e r ­
b o lt h a s b een h u r l e d a g a i n s t O ccultism by th e I n d r a of th e
E p ip h a n y . T h e s t a r t l e d T h e o s o p h is t b u t m eek ly e n q u ir e s
h o w liis h u m b l e self c o n ld be susp ected of in tr u s i o n in su c h
s u b lim e r e g io n s as t h e a r e n a of discussion of o u r c o n te m ­
p o r a r y ’s c o r r e s p o n d e n t — “ A. B. C.” In th e m e a n t im e , h o w ­
ev er, as G r e a t I n d r a t h r e a t e n s to b r i n g his M eg h d stra in to
p la y , it is n e c e ss a ry to a v e r t th e im p e n d in g d o w n p o n r by
p o in t in g o u t its u n se as o n ab len ess . I t is b u t p r o p e r t h a t th e
m isco n c ep tio n s, so u n m i s t a k a b l y g la r in g , sh o u ld be, if po ssi­
ble, re m o v e d . T h e E p ip h a n y tlm s b e g in s w h a t is m e a n t
t o be a re p ly to i t s c o r r e s p o n d e n t's r e m a r k s :—
“ I n e v e r g r u m b l e w h e n T he osop hists tell m e t h a t in o r d e r
“ to e x p e rie n c e t h e p o w e r of t h e invisible w o rld s v o u ch safed
“ to t h e m I m n s t first p ra c tic e Y o g i* I t is q u it e c le a r to me
“ t h a t t h e r e is a p o w e r w o r k i n g in th e m , to be a t t a in e d o nly
“ by c e rt a in processes. T h e on ly questio ns w i t h m e are (1) is
“ th e p o w e r of a k i n d w o r t h a t t a i n i n g ? ( 2 ) w h a t is tho
“ n a t u r e a n d so u rc e of t h e p o w e r ? (3 ) w h a t is th c tr u s t -
“ w o rth i n e s s of its r e s u l t ? T o th es e q u e s tio n s I a n s w e r some-
“ t h i n g as follows. 1. T lie’p o w e r of s u p r e m e w isdom or of
“ w o r k i n g w h a t m e n call m ira c le s is to m y m i n d w o rth le s s
“ c o m p a r e d w ith t h e p o w e r of love. I m u s t le a r n to love,
“ to la b o u r f o r o th e r s , to d esire t h e i r g o o d m o re t h a n m y
“ o w n , b efore I can be fit to be t r u s t e d w ith o c c u lt pow ers,
“ w h ic h a t p r e s e n t w o n ld on ly t e m p t me to p rid e , a n d bo
“ i l l - u s e d .................. ”
T h e eriidito critic is m a n i f e s t ly u n a w a r e of t h e f a c t t h a t
t h e t r u e Y o g i docs n o t s t u d y O c c u ltism fo r th e p u rp o s e nf
a c q u i r i n g p o w ers. I n h is o n w a r d s p i r it u a l p ro g re ss t o w a r d
d e li v e r a n c e fr o m t h e s h a c k l e s of M a y a , t h e S id d h is com e to
h im of th e m se lv e s. T h e r e c a n be no p sy ch o lo g ic al perfection
so lon g as t h e E g o is in t h e le a s t afEected b y t h e tr a m m e ls of
A v id y a , a n d th e s e S id d h i s , h o w e v e r h ig h t h e y m a y be, a r e
y e t w ith i n th e d o m a in of illusion. E v e r y s t u d e n t , even a
ty ro , of o ccu ltis m k n o w s t h a t th e ac q u isitio n of B ra h m a -
V id y a is d e p e n d e n t e n tire ly up on t h e d e v e lo p m e n t of a fee lin g
of u n iv e r s a l lovo in t h e m i n d of th e a s p ira n t. F o r his final
goal, th o a t t a i n m e n t of M u k ti, is th e v e ry id entificatio n of th e
J iv a tm a w i t h P a r a m a tm a , th c U n iv e r s a l S p ir it , w h ich
m a n ife s ts itself in a l l — w h ic h c an n e v e r be ac com plish ed
e x ce p t by o n e ’s p u t t i n g o n e ’e-self en ra p p o rt w i t h N a t u r o
t h r o u g h a c u ltiv a t io n of th c fe e lin g of unselfish P h i l a n ­
fr o m p rec o n c e p tio n t h a t th o Y o g a S id d h is a re only tho
accessories of B r a h m a v id y a , i. e., E s o te r ic T h e osop hy ,
th e ac q u is itio n of w h ic h is g u i d e d o nly by unselfish
p h ilan th ro p y and u n i v e r s a l love. T h e m isconception
in t h e a bo ve e x t r a c t is e v id e n tly d u e to the R e v e re n d
w r i t e r ’s c o n f o u n d i n g th c p a th , p u r s u e d b y a re a l Yogi,
w i t h t h a t of o r d i n a r y j u g g l e r s a n d sorcerers. W h il e
ih e p o w ers of t h e f o r m e r aro psychologicnl, th o s e of thc
la t t e r aro p h y sical, p u r e a n d simple. I f th e w r i t e r h a d ca re ­
f u l ly s t u d ie d t h e i m p o r t a n t a rtic le s in th e T heosophist on
th is s u b j e c t a n d v a rio u s o th e r p u b lic atio n s on R o s ic r u -
c ia n ism a n d E s o te r ic T h e o so p h y , b efore h a stily p e n n i n g his
r e m a r k s , t h e p r e s e n t c o n tr o v e r s y w o u ld h av e been saved. H e
gays t h a t ho m u s t “ la b o u r fo r o th e rs a n d desiro t h e i r g o o d ”
m o re t h a n his own. T h e tru e Y o g i replies:— “ W e p o s t u la t e
t h a t th e g o o d of o th e r s is o n r own, since w c a r e a p a r t of
t h e i n t e g r a l w ho le, nnd th e r e fo re it is n o t lo gical or wise to
t h i n k of m e r e re l a ti v e go od to o t h e r s .” “ W h e n t h e s t u d e n t
h a s once re a lise d th is i m p o r t a n t f a c t — a n d u n ti l ho has, he
is n o t a fit s t u d e n t — w hore t h e n is t h e r e roo m le f t fo r
“ p r i d e ” fr o m w h ic h th e R e v e r e n d w r i t e r s h r i n k s w ith such
p io u s h o r r o r ? S e lf -c o n q u e s t is t h e first stop on th e la d d e r of
B ra h m a v id y a le a d in g to N ir v a n a or M u kti. I f i t is th o r o u g h ly
a n d if th e w a y to a c h ie v e t h a t o b ject is fo u n d to be as s ta te d
in th e p r e c e d i n g r e m n rk s , th e basis on w h ic h th e R e v e r e n d
g e n tl e m a n h a s ra i s e d a s t r u c t u r e of fears c o n c e rn in g Yoga
is n ece ss arily re m o v e d , a n d th e w h ole edifice tliu a m u s t
tu m b le do w n . O n e o r tw o m o re points m a y also be n oticed ,
w i t h a d v a n t a g e . H o say s :—
“ T h e t r a n c e co nsciousness in me m a y bo th e g a t e w a y to i m ­
p e rf e c t a n d d is to r t e d visions, t h e c reatio n s of b r a i n in a n
u n n a t u r a l ten s io n , a n d n o t free fr o m its o w n p reco ncep -
“ tio n s.”
* T h e le a rn e d E d ito r of the E p ip h a n y p ro b ab ly m oans Yoga. Yogi
IB th e p erso n w ho p ra c tise s Yoga,
 P re c is e ly so : th is is j u s t w h a t t h e o c c u ltis t g u a r d s h im se lf
a g a i n s t by first p a ss in g t h r o u g h th e p ro cess of u n l e a r n i n g b e ­
fore b e g i n n i n g to learn. H e re s ts n e i t h e r u p o n th e d e d u c t i v e
n o r th e in d u c tiv e m e t h o d solely, b u t e m p lo y s b o t h b efore a c ­
c e p ti n g a n y fact. M ore t h a n t h i s : he p ra c t ic a l ly a n d e x p e ­
r i m e n t a l l y d e m o n s tra t e s to h im s e l f t h e t r u t h of t h e c o n ­
clu sio n he a rr iv e s a t, befo re t a k i n g t h e m as final. H um an
w ill is m e r e ly th e m a n i f e s t a ti o n of t h e Divine W ill o r r a t h e r
Paramatma. B u t its ac tio n o r e x p re s s io n d e p e n d s u p o n its
association s a n d th e m e d i u m t h r o u g h w h ic h i t h a s to act. I t
is all th ese d is tu r b a n c e s o r t h e veils of Maya, t h a t th e o c cu l­
tist g u a r d s h im self a g a in s t in his stud ies, a n d i t will bo a d m i t ­
te d t h a t th is m ode of p r o c e d u r o is a p u r e r so u rce of k n o w le d g e
t h a n a n y o t h e r w h e re th e c o u n t e r a c t i n g influences a r e allo w ­
ed t h e i r full sw ay. I n c o nclu sio n, t h e R e v e r e n d g e n tl e m a n
a d d s :—
“ ............... H i s ( B u d d h a ’s) n o b le s t m e r i t is t h a t h e n e v e r
“ cla im e d to be God. I f C h r i s t d id so claim to be w i t h o u t
“ b e i n g so in re a lity , H e m u s t h a v e b e e n one of t h e w o r l d ’s
“ le a s t souls, its m o s t d e lu d e d P r o p h e t s . D o y o u b eliev e
this ?”
B efo re a n s w e r i n g th is q u e r y , it is e ss e n tia l to e n q u ir o
w h e t h e r C h r i s t ’s D iv in i ty is to ba a s s u m e d on b l i n d fa ith , o r
is th o re a s o n of t h e r e a d e r a p p e a l e d to a b o v e F I n th e f o r m e r
case, silence is g o ld , b u t in t h e l a t t e r , t h e q u e s t io n b ec o m e s
serious. In th e first place, we d efy t h e C h r i s t i a n s to p o i n t o u t
to us one s e n ten ce , one w o rd , in t h e Four Gospels p r o v i n g in
p la i n a n d u n a m b i g u o u s l a n g u a g e t h a t C h r i s t e v e r c la i m e d o r
de c la re d h im s e l f to b e God. O n t h e c o n t r a r y — “ W h y ca lle st
t h o u me good P T h e r e is n o n e g o o d b u t one, t h a t is, G o d ”
( M a tt, xix G)— is a r e b u k e s h o w in g p la i n ly t h a t C h ris t, f a r
f r o m c o n s id e rin g h im s e lf God, loo ked u p o n a n y a t t e m p t to
a t t r i b u t e D iv in i ty to h i m as b l a s p h e m y ; 110 a m o u n t of eccle­
siastica l s o p h is tr y ca n su cc es sfu lly d i s t o r t th e m e a n i n g . “ I
a n d m y F a t h e r a r e o n e , ” is e n ti r e l y w e a k e n e d b y “ I a s c e n d
to m y F a t h e r a n d y o u r F a t h e r , to m y G od a n d y o u r
G o d .” M oreo v er, t h e p r e s e n t w r i t e r v e r y m u c h d o u b ts
w h e t h e r C h ris t, e v e n if he d id c la im to be G od, cou ld
e v e r h a v e cla im e d d iv in ity , as generally understood, if he
w as, as h e is r e p r e s e n te d . W h a t w a s th e r e m ore, in deed , in
C h ris t, n o t possessed by B u d d h a ? N a y , t h e im partial s t u ­
d e n t, w h e t h e r O c c id e n ta l o r O rie n t a l, m u s t a d m i t t h a t iu
m o r a l g r a n d e u r a n d unselfish p h i l a n t h r o p y , B u d d h a is
u n e q u alled , a t all e v e n ts n o t in f e r io r to Jesu s. T h e w holo
q u e stio n of d iv in ity m u s t, th e re fo re , r e s t e it h e r u p o n th e i r
p e rs o n a l claim s a n d pow ers, o r th oso of tlie ir l a t e r followers,
n a m e l y th u i r resp ective clergy . P r i d e is in c o n s is t e n t w ith
g e n u i n e g r e a t n e s s , a n d h u m i li ty is th e e s s e n tia l q u alficatiou
of a t r u o ph ilosopher. I 11 th is re s p e c t too, B u d d h a show s
liis s u p e r io rity in n o t c la i m i n g d iv i n i t y w h ic h m i g h t m ore
a p p r o p r ia t e ly be a t t r i b u t e d to h im b y his uupliilo so p hical
fo llow ers t h a n to tho G a lile a n P r o p h e t b y his. A s re g a r d s
t h e i r respectiv e p o w ers, o r (so-called) “ s u p e r n a t u r a l ” gifts,
th e q ue stio n can v e r y w ell bo d e c id e d b y th ose possessed
by t h e i r res p ectiv e fo llo w ers a t t h e p r e s e n t day . T h e re a d e r s
of Esoteric Buddhism a n d th e Occult World n eed, of co urse, no
f u r t h e r d ila tio n o n th i s point.
B eforo cq n c lu d in g , a n in stanco of th o w o n d e r f u l a r g u ­
m e n ta tiv e po w ers of the le a r n e d w r i t e r in th e Epiphany m a y
as well be no ticed. W h il e a d m i t t i n g tlie p h ilo so p h ic a l force
of th e defence of V e d ic P a n t h e i s m a n d I d o l a t r y b y B a b u
I s h a n C h a n d r a Ghose, h e r o m a r k s :—
“ . . . I t m a y be v e ry t r u e t h a t a m i n d c a p a b le of g r a s p i n g
“ onlv on e m illion o u t of th e t h i r t y - t h r e e m illio n s of idol
“ personifications w o uld h a v e a v e ry co m p le x id e a of God.
“ B u t we w o u ld a s k fo r a n h o n e s t a n d c a n d id a n s w e r as to
“ w h e t h e r th e u n e d u c a t e d masses do n o t r a t h e r w o r s h i p one
“ or a few of th e s e personifications. T h e R is h i s m a d e tho
■■an alysis: w h a t id o l-w o rsliip per, e x c e p t a n e d u c a t e d ono like
“ y o urse lf, e v e r m a k e s th e c o r r e s p o n d in g s y n t h e s i s ? ” ...
T h e fa llacy of this a r g u m e n t is s e lf-e v id e n t a n d n eeds 110
c o m m ent. T h e B a b u m a y well r e t o r t by a s k i n g in his t u r n h ow
m a n y C h ris tia n s , e v e n of e d u c a t io n a n d c u lt u r e , u n d e r s t a n d
the te a c h in g s of t h e i r relig io n in t h a t h i g h sense, p u t u p o n
the m by th e ph iloso ph ical few ? T h e p e rv e r s io n s a n d m i s ­
conceptions t h a t a relig io n suffers a t t h e liiinds of its i g n o r a n t
followers a re no a r g u m e n t a g a in s t t h e re lig io n itself. The
vices a n d su p e r stitio n s of t h e low er o r d e r of t h e I l i n d u g do
not in ju re t h e i r p hilosop hical fa i th a n y m o r e t h a n th e
follow ing in c id e n t d e g r a d e s th o h ig h m o r a l w o r t h of th e
teachings of C h ris t. O n ly th o o th e r d a y tho p a p e rs p u b ­
lished th e a c c o u n t of a n E n g li s h C h r i s t u m h u s b a n d h a v in g
Sold his wife fo r a quart o f beer ! ! A n d t h e p a r t ie s to th e
c o n trao t, w itn e s s e s a n d all, w ere so s tr o n g in a sense of t h e i r
in no cen c e , t h a t e a c h a n d e v e ry ono ack n o w led g ed tlio f a c t
freely in o pen c o u rt. T h e excellence of a religion d e p e n d s
u p o n its in t r i n s ic p h ilo s o p h ic a l v a lu e a n d its m oral influen co
u p o n its fo llow ers. I t is o n ly S ta tis tic s a n d H i s t o r y t h a t
ca n sh o w w h i c h F a i t h h a s a c q u i t t e d itself m o s t h o n o ra b ly of
its ta s k .
D. K. M.
F. T. S.
THEOSOPHY. ,
“ A Native T h in k e r” w rites :—
O 11 tbe subject which heads this, a few observations from a
disinterested spectato r may not be unacceptable to the publio,
especially as m uch misapprehension has prevailed. I t seems now
boyond d o u b t th a t the Theosophical movement in a u g u ra te d ia
In dia by Colonel Olcott, assisted by Madume Blavatsky, is a
reality. I t can no lo nger be treated as a m yth or a chim era. I t s
popularity an d in creasing success are visible, and even strik ing .
T h e movem ent has a sound a nd solid, though necessarily a general,
principle to su p p o rt it. The object is to inculcate the fath er­
hood of God and tho b rotherhood of man. In this, there ia
no thing of th e n a tu r e of a new revelation. W h a t is new is t h a t
th e object is so u g h t to be gained wiLh an earnestness, w ith a
perseverance, with a a intelligence, and with an organization, for
superior to any heretofore employed. Tho credit of th is is
certainly due to Col. Olcott.
This Theosophical movem ent is the outcome of circumstances,
I mean th a t it is not a mere accident. Education has mada
considerable progress, and has created a dem and for some such
general religion as would commend itself to the vast aud hetoro-
geueous population of In d ia w ithout a direct and destructiv e
conflict with the existing beliefs. T heosophy is acceptable to
the educated natives on account of its broad national basis. To
th e vast m ass ot' the people, it is acceptable, because it disavow*
hositility to prevailing creeds—because it even professes to have
been distilled from thoso very creeds- Tlio theological necessity
above mentioned could not be satisfied by the Christian religion
which E uropean and A m erican missionaries sought to introduce
aud diffuse in In dia in a m anner r e p u g n a n t to th e In dian
conservative spirit, and highly agg ressive towards th e in d ig e ­
nous religious system s of im measurable au tiqu ity . Keasonirig
and experience have equally shown th a t Ind ia will not accept
C hristian ity in supersession of H induism . In these c ir c u m ­
stances, th e B ram h a Samaj made its appearance ia Bengal
and was eagerly welcomed. F or a course of years it spread
w ith rap id ity u n d er th e guidance of able and earnest men.
I t is now giving place to Theosophy as expounded aud p ro pa­
gate d by Colonel Olcott. T he Theosophical movement possesses
a vitality and an energy superior to th a t of its predecessor, aud
com m ensurate with the knowledge, onthusiasin and perseverance
of its founder. I t already covers a vast area an d embraces th e
representatives of many creeds. There is much reason to
conclude th a t Theosophy will do good and will do no harm
iu India. I t will serve to promote union and concord, aud
knowledge aud enligh ten m en t, tho ug h not to the extent of tho
sanguine expectations of th e good Colonel Olcott. The ends ha
has iu view will tak e g en eration s to reach.
As m a tte r s stan d a t presen t, Colonel Olcott is tho life and
soul of the movement. W h e th e r th e movement will long s u r ­
vive him is a fair question. E ven iu his own time, it may
suffer the m om ent he quits his lofty and cloudy sphere of
generalities, aud descends to auy details, for, it is in regard
to details th a t wide au d innum erable differences prevail among
the Indian populations. Nevertheless, Col. Olcott is doing good
work with good motives. On this account he deserves respocb.
As for M adam e Blavatsky, she appears to be a woman of
extraordinary learning, ability an d tact. She cordially coo-per-
ates with Col. Olcott. B ut she claims to be in direct co m m u­
nication with “ th e M ah atm as of th e Himalayan Mountains,”
an d claims to be in possession of " occult powers." Mauy
native g entlem en of intelligence, too readily I fear, admit', this
claim: They had better, I think, at least suspend their j u d g ­
m e n t until they have some conclusive evidence, For iustauco
Jot her ask the M ahatmas for some efficacious ready for cho­
lera or snabe-bite, obtain it, and use it all over India, and
ttave tho immense loss of life which takes place y ear after year !
The recognition of the powers claimed by the lady in question
is not, however, essential to Theosophy as proclaimed by its foun­
der. On the whole, this Theosophical movem ent is a remarkable
phenomenon of o u r times. I t is too much of a reality to bo
despised. I t deserves to bo watched with interest. (M adras
Tim es, Ja n , 3.
0 USERVATLON DV COL. OLCOTT:
T h e “ N a t i v e T h i n k e r ”— w hose i d e n t it y as ono of tlie
m o s t, if n o t tlio m o st, e m i n e n t a m o n g I n d i a n s ta te s m e n
his a lia s v e ry t h i n l y veils— h a v i n g so u n re s e rv e d ly qualified
___ ______ ________________________________ a_________________
m e ak a w itn e s s as r e g a r d s t h e th e o s o p h ic a l m o v em en t)
1 p ro cced to te s tify as f o l l o w s :—
1. I am not th e sole b u t t h e jo i n t F o u n d e r of th e T h e o ­
sophical S ociety . . disco v ery th a t th e W e s te rn m ind is show ing sig n s of a new Spi-
2. N e i t h e r I n o r m y colleagu e is e n ti tl e d to th e c re d it
of o r i g i n a t i n g t h e m o v e m e n t : th e im p u ls e ca m c fr o m o n r
M a s te rs , T e a c h e r s , a n d E x e m p l a rs , th e li v in g M a h a t m a s of
t h e H i m a l a y a n r a n g e . M o reo v er, t h e f a c t t h a t w e h a d been
b r o u g h t to g e t h e r , t h a t we w ere in re l a ti o n s w i t h th e m , a n d
t h a t w e w o u ld come fro m A m e r i c a to I n d i a to e x te n d o u r
S o c ie t y ’s op eration s, was d e c la re d b y t h e m to sev eral liv in g
H i n d u w itnesses, who a r e accessible n o w a t J e y p o r e , B e n a re s ,
a n d elsew here. • s a r y of th e T h eo so p h ica l S o c ie ty w as c e le b ra ted on t h e 2 7 th
3. To M a d a m e B la v a t s k y d ire c tly , fis t h e visible a g e n t of
t h e M a s t e k s , s e n t to m e in A m e r i c a f o r t h e p u rp o s e , do I
owe all m y in itia l i n s tr u c t io n in A s ia tic P h ilo s o p h y a n d
science. H e r l e a r n i n g is f a r g r e a t e r t h a n m in e , h e r zeal h a s
e v e r w a r m e d m y ow n e n th u s ia s m , a n d I ow e h e r t h e g r e a t e s t
d e b t I co uld owe a n y one in h e r h a v i n g sho ton m 6 th e p a t h
to w isd om , a n d b r o u g h t m e to t h e f e e t of t h e Blesfeed O n es.
4. T h e m o v e m e n t w a s fo r a tim e d e p e n d e n t la r g e l y u p o n
t h e lives of th e F o u n d e r s , b u t t h a t s t a g e iB passed. W e h a v e
p ro c la im e d o u r m essage, a n d th e jo y o u s t i d in g s of w h icli
w e w e ro t h e h e ra ld s, h a v e n o w b e e n re c e iv e d so w id e ly a n d
th a n k f u ll y , t h a t if we w ere to w i t h d r a w to m o rro w , th e q u iv e r
of th is n e w life w o u ld c o n ti n u e to t h r il l t h e h e a r t of o u r
g e n e ra t ib n . F o r those' w h o s t a n d b e h i n d a n d t o w e r above
us w ill n o t su ffer it to d ie o ut.
5. F o r a n a n s w e r as to t h e p r a c t i c a b i l i t y of r e c o n c ilin g
“ d e ta ils ” u n d e r th e o s o p h ic a l influence, I n e e d n o t p o in t
to th e spectacle, w itn e s s e d by o u r d i s ti n g u is e d c litic h im s e l f
a t th e la te a n n iv e r s a r y , w h e n h e sa w m e n of m a n y ra ces a n d
c re e d s s i tt in g a n d w o r k i n g of good-w ill.
6 .- T h e e n d s we h a v e in view a r e im m e d i a te a n d r e m o te ;
o u r p la n s co ver t h e p r e s e n t a n d th e f u t u r e . W e a r e u n ti l
n o w w o r k i n g a g a i n s t n o t only t h e positive obstacles ra i s e d
b y h a t r e d a n d B tupidity, b u t a ls o t h e v e r y serio u s ono of
la c k of m o n e y . I f we w e re s u p p o r te d b y th o li b e r a l it y of
o u r s y m p a th i z e rs as anti-th eo so p liical, a n d n o n - p h i la n t h r o -
pliic Societies a r c b y t h e i r s , w e w o u ld h a v e m a d e th e “ p h e ­
n o m e n o n ” of o u r success still m o r e s t a g g e r i n g to t h a t g r e a t
b o d y of superficial s t u d e n t s of t h e i r k i n d w h o , h a v i n g e v e r
d e a lt w ith t h e selfish a n d w o r ld l y s h e ll of h u m a n n a t u r e ,
h a v e n o t s u s p e cted w h a t lies b e n eath .
7. I t h a n k o u r critic f o r n o t h a v i n g d e sc e n d e d , w h ile
definin g his c ru c i a l te s t, to t h e s t u p i d v u l g a r i t y of somo
L a w n T e n n is ph ilo so p h ers, w h o h a v e a s k e d t h a t th e
M a h a t m a s s h o u l d p ro v e t h e i r c o n tro l o v e r th e la w s of
m a t t e r b y b r i n g i n g t h e m b o o ts or c lo t h i n g fr o m L o n d o n
t h r o u g h t h e A kasa a h e a d of th e P a r c e l P o s t . D o u b tle s s,
i t w o u ld bo a good t h i n g to “ sa v e t h e im m e n s e loss of
life ” w h ic h ta k e s p lace in I n d i a y e a r l y fr o m c h o le r a a n d
sn a k e - b ite , if— special in te rfe re n c e s w i t h th o o p e r a t io n of
g en ere l la w a r e e v e r desirab le. I n s u c h case, h o w e v e r,
w h y m a k o tw o b ite s of t h e c h e r r y ? W h y n o t v a n q u is h
d e a th e n tire ly , a n d e a r n t h e p ra is e of “ A N a t i v e T h i n k e r ”
by k e e p in g t h e successive g e n e r a t io n s of m a n k i n d alive
indefinitely, to c o n ti n u e M r. D a r w i n ’s S t r u g g l e f o r L ife a n d
p ro v e his th e o r y of th e S u r v i v a l of t h e F i t t e s t ? L e t o u r
critic b e n d th e p o w ers of his sp le n d id ly p r a c t ic a l m i n d to
g a in as m u c h e xp erien ce w i t h t h e r e a l m of h is in n e r , as h e
h a s w i t h t h e — in c o m p a r iso n — b e g g a r l y on e of h is o u te r
self, a n d he w o u ld come to k n o w t h a t e v e n t e n t h o u s a n d
proofs o r “ te s ts ” do n o t suffice of themselveB to b r i n g co n ­
victio n. A s r e s e a r c h in to t h e p h e n o m e n a of s e n t i e n t c o r ­
p o re a l life h a s its m e th o d s, so e q u a lly h a s P s y c h ic R e s e a rc h
its im p e r a t iv e m e t h o d s . O n e c a n n o t e x t r a c t t h e “ S o u l ”
w i t h a co rk s c re w , n o r c a r v e i t w i t h a b is to u ry .
A dy a k , 3 rd J a n u a ry 1884. H . S. O L C O T T ,
A sp le n d id p h o t o g r a p h lias b een m a d e of a g r o u p co m ­
p r i s i n g e ig h t y - t h r e e D e le g a te s a t t e n d i n g t h e eig h t h A n n i v e r ­
s a r y c e le b ra tio n of tlie T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty , t o g e t h e r w i t h
a v ie w of th e p o rtico of th e A d y a r H e a d - q u a r t e r s M a nsio n.
E v e r y p o r t r a i t is excellent. Copies m a y bo h a d a t R s. 2-8-0,
in clu siv e of p o s t a g e a n d p a c k in g . A p p l y to t h e M a n a g e r
of t h e T heosophist. ■ „
A G E N E R O U S G IF T F R O M LO N D O N .
O n b e h a lf of th e T h eosophical S ociety w e h av e to r e n d e r ou r b e s t
Ihnnka to th o u n k n o w n b e n e fn e to r w ho haa c o n trib u te d a sum of £ 50
to th e fn p d s Of th e S ociety, T h e h an d so m e d o n atio n w as acco m p an ied
b y th e fo llo w in g n o to :— “ A c o n trib u tio n to w ard s ‘ p a y in g th e w ay ’
a n d in g rn te fn l a c k n o w le d g m e n t of lig h t fro m th e E a st, fro m F . T .
S., L o n d o n L odge, 3 0 th N o v em b er 1883.” T h e c ircu m stan ce is n o t so
g r a tif y in g to os fo r th e ad d itio n m ade to th e S o c ie ty ’s fn n d s as fo r th o
ritn a l a w a k e n in g . M ay th e day be n o t d is ta n t w hen th o E a s t a n d th e
W est w ill be k n it to g e th e r in th e bonds of a real I n te lle c tu a l B ro th e r­
hood-
(Ditr (ftigltHt itr%
T h e u n p re c e d e n t e d success w ith w hich th e e i g h t h A n n i v e r ­
D e c e m b e r 1883, a n d th e fo llo w in g d ays, m o s t c le a rly sho w s t h a t
t h e M ission of o u r g r e a t A sso cia tion is f a r fr o m b e in g c h im e ­
rical. A t th o th e e a r l y p a r t of th e la s t m o n t h D r. F . H a r t ­
m a n n of C o lo r a d o ,U . S . A ., la n d e d in M a d r a s a n d was received
a t th e H e a d - Q u a r t e r s as th e d e leg a te of t h r e e A m e ric a n
B r a n c h Societies. M r . B r o w n of th e L o n d o n L o d g e T. S.
h a d a r r i v e d f r o m E n g l a n d som e tw o m o n t h s p re vio usly .
T h e r e is n o o t h e r p h il a n th r o p ic S o ciety in a n y p a r t of t h e
w o r l d w h ic h ca n p o in t to so m u c h self-d evo tio n on t h e p a r t
of its m e m b e r s as to le a d t h e m to tr a v e l o v e r v a s t stre tc h e s
of seas a n d c o n ti n e n ts to giv e t h e i r fe l lo w -w o rk e rs in so u n ­
p o p u la r a cfluso tiie g r i p of t r u e b r o t h e r h o o d . A l t h o u g h tho
27tli u ltim o w a s a n n o u n c e d as th e d a y of th e c e le b ra tio n , I n d i a n
d e le g a te s fr o m all p a r t s of th e P e n in s u la b e g a n to d r o p in as
e a r l y as t h e 2 3 rd . I n a few d a y s t h e T h eosophical
H o m e b e c a m e so full t h a t e v e r y no ok a n d c o r n e r of th e m a in
b u il d in g a n d s e v e r a l o u t-h o u se s w e r e occupied, a n d te n ts h a d
to be p itc h e d on th e c o m p o u n d f o r th e ac c o m m o d a tio n of o u r
•welcome g u e s t s a n d th e la r g e g a t h e r i n g of d e le g a te s a n d
F ello w s , g a v o to t h e place tlie c h a r a c t e r of a n epitom e
of I n d i a , b y t h e i r v a r i e t y of dress, m a n n e r , sp eech a n d
re ligion . T h e r e is n o o t h e r S o ciety in t h e w o rld c a p a b le
of b r i n g i n g t o g e t h e r on sncli f r a t e r n a l fo o tin g m e n of so
m a n y f a i t h s a n d n a tio n a litie s ; a n d w ho sh all say th e cause
is n o t w o r t h y of su c h d e v o tio n ?
A t 9 | o ’clock on th e m o r n i n g of t h e 27 th u lt im o , n e a r l y
500 m e m b e r s a n d d e le g a te s , d c e o ra te d w i t h t h e i r a p p ro p r ia te
b a d g e s of p r e t t y b lu e r i b b o n w i t h t h e w o r d “ D e le g a t e ” o r
t h e letters “ F . T. S.,” p r i n t e d th e r e o n in g o ld e n lace, a ss em ­
b led b efore t h e g r a n d pav ilio n, erected in f r o n t of t h e H e a d ­
q u a r t e r s , a n d t h e n w i t h a s o lem n ity b e fittin g th e i r cause
p r o c e e d e d to th e p a n d a l (p av ilio n ) e r e c te d f o r t h e occasion.
A l t h o u g h t h e p av ilio n was c o n s tru c te d in tlie g r e a t e s t h u r r y ,
a f t e r t h e S y n d ic a t e of tho M a d r a s U n iv e r s ity , to t h e i r g r e a t
s h a m e , h a d re f u s e d us t h e use of th e S e n a te H o u s e H a ll, i t w as
a v a s t a n d m a g n ific e n t s t r u c t u r e , ta s te f u l ly a d o r n e d w ith
flags a n d festoo ns, a n d m a t t e d w i t h ric h c a rp e ts. T he
p a v ilio n c o n ta i n e d a c c o m m o d a tio n fo r a b o u t tw o th o u s a n d
p e rs o n s. T h e d ais u p o n w hicli w ere placed th e p re s id e n tia l
c h a ir s w as o v e r h u n g w i t h a ric h cano py , a n e x q u is ite s p eci­
m e n of n a ti v e w o r k m a n s h i p , a n d s u p p o r te d b y f o u r m assiv o
Silver posts. A s w e close th e p r e s e n t a c c o u n t w i t h a p a r a ­
g r a p h fr o m th e M a d ra s T im es, d e s c r ib in g th e e v e n in g fe te , wo
sh all sa y n o m o r e of it. T h e p r o g r a m m e of t h e t h r e e d a y s ’
festiv a l r a n as follow s :—
“ T H E T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY ,
EIGHTH ANNI VERSARY.
PROGRAMME.
T h u rsd a y , 27th December 1883.
A T T H E P A R E N T S O C I E T Y ’S H E A D - Q U A R T E R S .
ADYAR— (MADRAS.)
F ro m 9-30 A. m . to 10 a . m .
. ( 1 ) —D istribution of badges to D elegates a n d Members,
( 2 ,— Band playing.
(3)— Assembling of Delegates and Members.
(4)—Procession to th e Pavilion.
„ 10 a . m . t o 10-30 a . m .
( 1 )—Addressee of welcome to tlie Delegates by the
officers of the P a r e n t Theos. Socy and the
M adras Branch.
„ 10-30 a . m . t o 11 a . m :—
T h e ap p o in tm en t of Committees and distribution of work.
„ 1 1 a . m . to 1 r . m . Consultation by th e Committees on
the su b jec ts before them,
„ 1 P- M. to 2 r. M. Refreshments.
2 p. M. to 4 p. M. Discussion on th e proposals sub­
m u t e d by th e Committees.
„ 5 r . m to 8 30 p. m.. P ublic reception, with addresses
b j D elegates, Illnminations, Music, &c., <t c.
• F rid a y 28th December 1883.
F ro m 9-30 a . m . to 1 0 a , m . Music b y t b e band.
u 10 a . m, to 1 r . w. Unfinished nnd new business.
 F ro m 4-30 P. m. to 5-30 p. m. Assembling of th e D eleg ate s and
Members a t P atc hea pp a’s Hall for the Public M eeting,
„ 6-30 P. M. to 7-30 p. M. Public M e e t in g :— Address by 1
Col- O lcott and presentation of th e A mcricau, E nglish,
F rench, and oth er Delegates.
S a tu rd a y, 29th December 1883,
F ro m 9-30 a . m . t o 10 a . m . Music.
„ 10 a . m . to 2 p. m - F u r t h e r discussions on th e su b jects
selected. A d jo u rn m en t of th e Convention.
N ote—T he s u b j e c t s f o r d i s c u s s i o n w i l l b e t h e f o l l o w i n g :—
( 1 ) T h e desirability of im pa rtin g to f u t u r e Conventions of
D elegates and Theosophists on the occasion of A nniversaries of
th e P a re n t Society, as far as possible, the c h a ra c te r of a lite ra ry
and scientific Congress. . Convocation will not have been atta in e d if these friendships
( 2 ) T he necessity of in s ti tu t in g an A ryan League of H onour
os proposed by the P r e s i d e n t- F o u n d e r ; ll e p o r t of H e ad -q u arters
F u n d Com m ittee; aud the reading of the na m es of the S ubscri­
bers.
(3) A p po intm en t of T rustees for th e A d y a r p rop erty , a nd tbe
fram in g of Rules for th e due adm inistration of th e T ru st.
(4) O u th e adoption of necessary measures for raising a
p e rm a n e n t fund for the su p p o rt of th e Theosophical Association.
(5) Discussion on the proposal of tb e London L o dg e to call
B ranch Societies by the names of “ Lodges.”
lO) Discussiou on the necessity of appo inting inspectors for
periodical examination an d supervision of th e work of the
Branches.
(7) Revision of R ules and Bye-Laws.
B y order of th e Presid ent-Fo un der,
D A M O D A R K. M A V A L A N ^ A R ,
J o in t Recording Secretary.
2oth December 1883.
P R E S ID E N T IA L S P E E C H .
At 10 a . m . tbe Presid en t-F o u u d er iu welcoming th e Fellows
and D elegates p rese n t spoke as follows :—
I welcome yon, gentlemen delegates, in tho name of th e P a re n t
Theosophical Society, whiclj looks upou yo ur respective B ranches
with a fath er’s solicitude an d ca re to the new home, our
home, where un der the same roof-tree we, th o u g h of diverse
faith and nationality, may live in peace and harm ony like children
of the same fath er and mother. I t is a m a tte r of rejoicing, gen-
tlemeu, th a t the Society has found a home at last and has no
longer to wander about, a stranger, unhoused and uncared for.
Tho Boul-cousoliog spectacle of Brotherhood and U nity, now pre­
sented to us, is perfectly unique iu its ch aracte r an d could not
have owed its parentage to any th in g b u t 1 Theosophy, th e U n i­
versal solvent of hearts. Tem pests of hatred may blow with
all their fury, and waves of bitterness raise th eir foamy crests.
Theosophy has found a safe harbour, and the power of wave and
wind can n a u g h t avail against her security. The m ovem ent is now
too strong to bo stopped : it m ust run o u t its career and exhaust
its momentum. Ideas p enetrate th e carcases in which error
reincarnates itself as a rifle bullet does tlie hody of an oinhus-
cading assassin. The an tagonism s and antipathies of m an k in d
all l i e u p o n the surface of being ; the inner m an of each of us is
kiu to all humanity- The surface stream may ru n m uddy, b u t
th e w ater th a t trickles th ro u g h the gravel bed ben eath the clay
is limpid. The surface stream brawls and mingles its tide with
the offal of life’s selfish industries, b u t the vapor of th e clouds
which afterw ards drains from the glaciers of th e mountain peak,
to sink out of sight until it reappears and refreshes the valley,
is crystal-pure. This is tb e secret of Theosophy. This the key
to its success. J u s t iu proportion as T heosophists keep this ia
view, will th ey enjoy peace and happiness, and spread th em
around.
O u r Society is yo un g as yet : it has all before it. I t has
gained its foothold and done much. But in comparison with
■what there is to do, it is nothing. B u t never despair. L astin g
reforms grow slowly. W e have no compulsion here. We are
winning men by persuasion: d raw in g them o u t of th eir baser
selves to a hig he r ideal of life and conduct. I t is a slow process,
because the odds are tremendously against us.
W e are met, gentlem en and brothers, for a very lofty purpose :
it behoves us to rise to th e dign ity of the occasion. N o political
question will trouble our harm ony, no sectarian differences breed
disunion of counsel, no worldly objects appeal to th a t base
spirit of slfishness which is the bane of m ankind. F ro m homes
thousands of miles opart, we have g athered to g e th e r as seekers
after spiritual tr u th , as lovers of mankind. T he word has como
to us th a t in th e ancie nt days our forefathers had solved tho
mystery of hu m an existence an d the riddles of na tu ra l
phenomena. W e have been convinced th a t they had evolved
out of th eir h ig h ly refined moral perceptions a codo of ethics
tha t leaves n oth in g to desire. These facts have been ’ loiig
forgotten. F o r lack of them human socioty h a s been m ak in g to
itself false creeds and low ideals. Man hos gone so far down
tho scale that o u r best moralists plead th e a rg u m e n t of u tility as
the beat provocative to cleaa living aud good tbinkiDg. T hings
could have never come to this, if there had survived an experi­
m ental metaphysics with th e full realisation of the limitless p o te n ­
tialities th a t ennoble h um an nature. W e are groping on the level
of a physical hum an ity , a sort of higher autorn’a tio existence, a
single span of life, bounded a t one end by the cradle; a t tho
other by th e funeral py re or th e grave. Hindu, Buddhistic,
and Parsi philosophy alike pro test again st so imperfect a concep­
tion. Ours is th e task to show its scientific and moral fallacy,
and to point o u t't h e safe and - sure p a th s t o perfect knowledgo
which our progenitors discovered, and upon which we are e n te r­
in g with firm purpose, even if with faltering feet.
You came here, for t h e most part, as stran gers, g e n tl e m e n ;
you will leave os so many brothers. B u t the object of this
which you are cem enting do uot lead to concerted action, all
over Iudia, for th e promotion of the objects which ou r Society
has iu view. You have made yourselves, in point of fact,
the volunteer champions of th e moral and spiritual in terests
of your M otherlond. H e r hopes are in you, h e r honour ia
iu your keeping. If tbe glory of tbe A ryan nam e shall onco
more fill th e earth, to your labors will be due the triu m p h a n t
result. T h e names of the F ounders of Asiatic religions have
grown tarn ish e d with th e lapse of tbe centuries, and the d u st of
neglect obscures the pages of their immortal works. S u p e rs ti­
tion is ra m pan t, and ignorance has filled the world with grotesque
distortions of religious tr u th . M any—nay, I m ig h t say most —
branches of science are, by the confession of th eir best exponents,
full of gups, of half glim pses of first principles, of misconcep­
tions of n atu ral law. T h e hum an body is a m y s te ry to ou r
doctors, alm ost as puzzling as th e h um an mind. £o there is a
wide enough field aw aiting th e seed of Aryan th o u g h t if you ore
ready to sow it. You may answer me th a t tb is has already been
done to a considerable extent. You may point to th e intellectual
quiver th a t is ru n nin g th r o u g h o u t In dia and th e W estern w orld,
as ample proof th a t Theosophy is already a powerful factor in tho
social problem of our day. -T ru e, we can see these signs. T heo ­
sophy is in every m a n ’s m o u th au d has crep t into thousands of
hearts. To many it hus come like a beam of golden sunlight, a
rift in th e black cloud of doubt. I t has been a blessed com­
forter to many, who were in despair for the present, and in per­
plexity as to tho futu re. Blessings, a thousand blessings, upou
those Masters who saw our necessities and helped us to en ter tho
safe path 1 T h e woes of hu m anity are m yriad, b u t Tbeosophy
giving W isdom reduces th e i r stin g to th e m in im um ; and sucti
as it cannot remove it teaches us to bear with courage and hope.
I f an ideal of hum an perfectibility, and of the tr u e st manhood was
ever held up to view, it has been by Theosophy, tb e wisdom of tha
ages, the priceless heirloom left us by tb e P itr is . H e a rt to heart an d
h and in hand, come, b ro th ers of many nations, tongues aud
fuiths, let us pledge tbe best efforts of our lives to th e cause of
Universal Brotherhood, and of the propagation of tr u th , whenccso-
over we may bo able to derive it. For,
“ T he T ru th is perilous never to the True.
N or knowledge to the W is e : b u t to the fool.
A n d to th e false, erro r aud t r u th alik e,”
[ Bailey’s Fesius, p. 41.]
N EW BRANCHES FOUNDED IN 1883,
I n no o th e r way can th e progress of our Society be so clearly
shown as by a sim p le, n um eration of th e statistics of our new
branch organisations. At tho time of the celebration of ou r S e ­
venth Aniversary, on th e 7th of December 1882, at Bombay, th ere
were in existence b u t th irty -n in e B ranches in Asia, All of th ese
had been formed since the arrival in In d ia of the F o un ders, ou
th e 17th of F eb ru ary 1879. But, w hether as the re s u lt of last
year’s Convention o r no t I cannot say—th e g reatest interetC
was soon manifested iu our cause th ro u g h o u t India, and invita­
tions to visit d is ta n t places a nd form Branches came crowding iu
a t H ead -q uarters, and m y tim e has been continuously occupied
since then in answ ering the calls. On the 17th of last December,
the Head-ciuarters staff left Bombay for Madras ; on the 19tU
we all safely reached onr new and beautiful homo a t Adyar,
and took up our residence in it. Ou th e 17th of J a n u a r y I
took steam er for C alcu tta where, on the 20th, I began a to ur
which led me 2,000 miles of a journey through Bengal and Behai*
within 92 days. Ou th e 27tb of J u n e I sailed from M adras for
Colombo, w h ith er I had been u rg e n tly called by th e leading
Sinhalese B u d d h ists to advise them ab ou t the recen t religious
riots. I stopped th ere a fo rtn igh t and then crossed over to T u ti-
corin, where a S outh Ind ian tour arran g ed for me began. By tbe
23rd of S ep tem b er I wus back ogain a t th e lle a d -q u a r te rs ,
after having visited almost, if not quite, every im p o rta n t station
in S ou thern India, an d spent some th ree weeks at Ootacamund,
in th e N ilgiris, to have tho relations between the Madras
G overnm ent and our Society properly defined. A fter four
day s of rest a t home, I b egan m y th ird and last to ur of the
y ear—a to u r of over 7,000 miles, tak in g me to tbe extrem a
no rth ern limits of B ritish Ind ia, an d enabling m e to found
new B ranches iu N o rth e r n Madras, th e N izam’s, H y d erab ad, the
N o rth -W e ste rn Provinces, the Pu n jab , and Rujputano. T h u s I
have made since th e last Session of this Convention in D ecember
last, jou rn ey s iu the ag g re g a te to tho extent of 16,500 miles on
Society's business, Aud by th e gracious fttvor of our M asters, tho
M ahatm as, not only I b u t th e brother-Theosophists who have
kindly accompanied met lending me their in valuable services,
have enjoyed th r o u g h o u t excellent health, and m e t with not a
single accident. , :
The fruits of all th is work are to be seen in th e n u m b e r of
ljranches, in scribed in our R egister. Since the last Anniversary
th e r e have been organized the following , .
N ew B ranched of tub T i i e o s o p i i i c a l S o c i e t y :—
Iu I n d i a .....................................................................
„ F ra n c e .....................................................................
„ U. S. of America ............................................
. Queensland (Australasia) ............................
„ Kussia.................... ... ... .............................
Total New Branches formed in 1883... 62 ^
AVe have now iu India 77 Branches, in Ceylon 8 , or 85 in all
aa against 39 in December 1882—an increase of 120J per
cent. I have also been fortu nate enough to raise subscriptions
a t Tinnevelly and Combaconam for th e purchase of libraries for
th e sole use aud benefit of Il in d u school-boys and u n d e r­
graduates, _ . 9. A Collection of Lectnres, by the President Founder, edited
While the th an k s of th e P a r e n t Society and General Council
are due to our brothers and well-wishers at all the stations I have
visited du rin g th e year for th eir exertions to make my tours
successful and to arouse an in terest in Thoosophical ideas, I
have personally to express my grateful recognition to the g e n tle ­
m en who havo shared the fatigues of my journeys and aided me
;n the capacity of Private Secretaries. Messrs Cooppooswamy
I y e r and Soondararn Iy e r of the Madura Branch, Babu Nivaran
Chandra M ukerji of the Calcutta Branch, and Mr. L. V . V.
Naidu, H onorary S ecretary of the H ead -q u arters F u n d Com­
mittee and Fellow of tho M adras Branch, have severally laid me
u n d e r deep personal obligations in this manner ; and very warm
th a n k s are also dno to Babu N o ren d ro n ath Sen, of Calcutta,
M. K. Ry, S. Ramaswamier, of Tinnevelly, L; Y. Y. Naidu,
of Madras, Babu A vinash Chandra B annerji , of Allahabad,
an d P an d it Gopinath of Lahore, for special services in
th e a rran g em en t of tours and m anage m ent of correspondence.
B u t when I glance back in memory to the thousand and one acts
of brotherly kindness, shown me by our friends th roughout tho
four quartors of this dear land of B h arat V arsha, my h e a rt ia so
full of thankfulness th a t I do not find words to give it expres­
sion, If thero was ever a man who has felt the kindly beating
oE tho Aryan heart, surely it is I ; and why, thon, should it bs ex-
pectod th a t I could over despair of “ forming tho nucleus for a
B ro th erhood of H u m a n ity ” which is w h at our Thoosophical
Society aspires to ? And now, dear brothers of many races, relig i­
ons, and complexions, behold us gath ered to gether from the very
ends of tho o aith into our common home, to pledge onco more
our allogiance to the sacrod cause of hum anity, and to the
M a s t e r s who whispered into our willing ears th a t noble watch­
word !
. S A N S K R I T A N D O T H E R SC HO OLS,
I am happy to say th a t the past y ear has furnished many
practical proofs of the in terest which tho m em bers of our Society
take in the revival of San sk rit learning and tho education g e n e ­
rally of tho natives. T here are now in existotice the following
schools which wo have founded—mainly sinco tho last an n iv er­
sary:— _ upon my vitality could not be kept up indefinitely, and so upon
A t and noar G untur, 3 schools for boys and two for girls.
At B hagajp ur, 1 Anglo -vernacular school for boys (tho Tej
Narain City School), w ith above 300 scholars.
A t Calcutta, 1 Religious (Sunday) school for boys, where the
B hagvad Gita is expounded.
A t Naldauga, 1 Anglo -Sanskrit and 1 Sunday B c h o o l .
A t Moradabad, 1 Sanskrit school, established by our local
B ranch, and 1 (now one) by public subscription after my recent
lecture there, which is now to be amalgam ated with the older one;
A t Madras, 4 S anskrit schools established by our local Branch,
and two receiving aid from the latter. Also 1 religious school.
A t Nellore, 2 schools.
A t Gorakpur, 6 n ig h t schools for im p a rtin g elem entary in­
struction in H in d i reading, writing and arithmotic, to persona
'who aro actually earning th eir livelihood by manual labour.
There are above 250 persons iu these schools. Besides these
there is 1 Sunday school for in struction iu the Hindu religion,
with about 50 scholars.
A t Gooty, 1 Sau sk rit school recently established and in a
flourishing state. • and scientific method which I have shown you all when visiting
A t Srivilliputtur, 1 elementary H in d u school.
In addition to these there are to be a t oiico b eg u n schools for
S a n sk r it and English at Jubbulptir, w h e r e a b o u t Rs. 1,700 wns
subscribed after my lecture ; a t Allahabad, where Rs, 2,700 was
subscribed a t my lecturo, and Ils. 2,500 more plodged on the next
day ; a t Ghnzipur, where a self-imposed cowrie tax upon each hox
oE sugar aiid package of goods passing th rough the bazaar was
voted by tho morchants, for the upkeep of a S a n sk rit school. The
revenue from this source is estim ated at Rs. 50 per month, and
additional sums are counted Upon,
A t Lucknow, where our Branch has already raised a popular
subscription of 1 1 s. 7,000 aud expects to make it more than one
lakh, aud thus found not merely a Bchool but a S a n sk r it collego.
So here we have a total iu India alone of 27 schools in actual
operation, and 3 schools and 1 college for S anskrit teaching to
be opened.
T H E O SO PH IC A L W ORKS P U B L IS H E D .
The year has also been fruitful in useful books and pamphlets
upon subjects cognate to Theosophy. Among th em aro—
1. An excellent S a n sk rit Prim er, by Pandit N ity a Nanda
Misra, F . T. S., of B h ag alp u r;
46 2 , 3. An E lem entary and a more advanced Prim er for Sanskrit,-
2 T elugu and Tamil s tu d en ts, by Dewan B ahadur R. R a g h u n a th
2 Row, F, T. S-, P resident of our Madras I3ranch.
1 4. H in ts ou Esoterio Theosophy, No. 2, by A. O. H ume, Esq.,
I F . T. S. . , .
5. Paradoxes of th e H ig h est Scienco ; a resume of unpublished
w rit in gs of Eliphas Levi, the g re a t F re n c h Occultist. .
6 . The Occult World, 3rd Edition, by A. P. S in nett, Esq., Vice­
Presid ent of the P a r e n t Theosophical Society.
7. Esoteric Buddhism, 2 Editions, by tho same Author.
8 . T h o u g h ts on the Motaphysics of Theosophy, by a fellow
of Tinnovolly.
by M. A. Theyagarajie r, A ssistan t Secretary of th e Madras
Branch.
10. A F rench Translation of my B u d d h is t Catechism, by M,
D . A. C —F. T. S., of the Paris Branch.
11. Theosophy, a highly praised pamphlet, by M. P. Sreenivas
Row, Vice-Presid ent of the Madras Branch,
12. L a Q uadruple Constitution, by the Dowager Countess of
Caithness and Duchess of Pomar, Presid ent of th e Paris Sociele
T h e o s o p h iq u e d ’Oriont et d ’Occident, oue of our new Branches.
13.- A Tamil translation of the 1st U panishad, hy M. T heyaga­
rajier, F. T. S. . . .
14. A t Poona a M arath i Editio n of the Tlieosophiet is being
issued monthly . A n d to crown all, th e entire contents nf
Madame B lav atsk y ’s Isis Unveiled have been tr anslated into
French, and the MSS. are now on th eir way hither for revision by
the A uthor.
■ The above facts will show how rapidly n new lite ratu re of
Theosophy is grow in g both in Asia nnd Europe, and how things
a re te nding towards a collobaration of our students in these
Several quarters of th e globe for occult research. Tho taste for
this, ns for every oth er branch of knowledge, grows with tho
supply furnished, and wo see every promise of an enormous
development of anciont ideas upon tho subjects of Philosophy,
Scienco and Religion.
' M E SM E R IC CURES. .
Many of you will recollect th a t I began last yoar in Southern
Ceylon to give somo practical illustrations of the curativ e power
of vital m agnetism , by restoring to health about sixty persons
afflicted with partial or complete paralysis. The rum our of
these enres preceded mo to Bengal, and I was so stro n g ly press­
ed to afford similar examples in th a t country, th a t I finally,
with the permission of iny blessed Guru, yielded, I was fortu-
nato enough to effect many very strik ing cureB, and, first and
last, gave relief to a greater or less extent to above 2 ,0 0 0 pa­
tients during th a t tour. In Southern India, I treated in one way
or an o th e r about 5,000 moro ; and at stations between Madras
and Bombay porhaps an o th er 1,000. B nt such an enormous drain
reaching Bombay a peremptory order came from th e revered
M ahatmas to discontinue healing, and reserve my s tre n g th for
my legitimate presidential dutios. Tho relief was most timely,
for it was only when I had actually stopped tho work th a t 1
could realiso how near 1 had come to complete exhaustion of
my vital power. Even now, after a rest of some weeks, I have
not fully recovered my normal nervous tone. I have mentioned
th ese facts for two reasons. 1 st, to enforce upon y o u r minds the
fact th a t tho power of a healthy person to heal the sick of
a wide range of diseases by the impartatiOn of his vital aura
has been absolutely proved by a large numbor of examples; nnd
2 nd, th a t it is most unwise to overdo the th ing. T here is a ju s t
limit within which one benevolently inclined can safely exerciso
the healing poivor, and th a t differs greatly with different in­
dividuals Oue may without injury to himsolf tr e a t ten or a
dozen parties of a morning, while another o u g h t not to venture
upon moro than half or fourth of th a t num ber. The morning
is the best time to choose, and the sonsitiveness of each patient to
th e mesmeric cu rren t should be invariably testod by the simple
your several stations. 1 am glad to seo before rao a n um ber
Of brothers a m ong the delegates whom I have cured of various
afflictions, and who will doubtless be quite ready to givo you the
particulars of thoir respective cases. Among oth ers, Babu Ladli
Mohan Ghose of our B h a g a lp u r Branch, can certify io tbe res­
toration of sight to one of his eyes after he had been blind from
childhood.
F IN A N C IA L .
Our Society has, for the first time sinco its organisation,
receivod enough from various sources to defray its ordinary and
extraordinary expenses. In fact, b u t for tha very heavy cost of
removing the H e a d -q u a rte rs ’ installation in the new promises,
erection of now chambers, repairs, purchase of furniture, &c„ tho
T re a su re r’s account would have shown a handsom e surplus. This
fact is most gratifying, and we may all hope th a t before long our
pecuniary condition will be as satisfactory as could be desired.
You will have laid before you th e R eport of th e H ead-quarters’
F u n d Committee aud certain suggestions by the Poona and other
Brunches aa to the fu ture up-keep of th e organisation. Tbe
F ou nd ers feel th a t they should leave all these m atters to be
settled by the Convention according to its best ju d g m e n t, and
co nten t themselves with th e promise to co-operato in carry ing
out any und every wise plan th a t may be agreed upon by th eir
colleagues. F o r my own part, as th e p a rty most interested, I
would wish th a t a limit should be fixed to th e expenditure to be
incurred by local Societies for th e e n tertain m en t of visiting
officers from Head-quarters. I fully appreciate th e desire of our
brothers to testify their affection by lavish hospitalities, but at
the same time I think it would be bettor to keep the same within
such moderate limits as Lo prevent th e visit from becoming at
all burdensome to young Branches, not yet supplied with the
necessary theosophical libraries. W ith these few words, I leave
tlie m a tle r to be disposed of by the appropriate committee.
FU TU RE WORK.
The Theosophical Society has two parajlel and distinct lines
of work laid out before it, I wish this to be very clearly u n d er­
stood, so that, all un ju s t suspicions and misconceptions may be
avoided, alike by friend and foe. T h e s e a r e —(1) T h e reform a­
tion and re-habitit<»tion of pure B uddhism in Ceylon and other
B uddhistic countries, where it has become degraded by ad m ix ­
ture with superstitions of various k in d s ; and (2) T he revival
of the Aryau and other non-B uddhistic philosophies, religi­
ons aud sciences throughout India, and the vindication of
th eir merits. These fields of labour do not clash w ith each
other, and both a re alike im p ortan t to tho world’s moral
and spiritual well-being. The F ounders of th e Society were
long ngo ta u g h t the essential identity of basis un der nil
these ancient faiths. Accepting, as they do, the fact th a t
all rest upon tlie archaic secret doctrine, of B rahm a jnana<n‘
it seems to the Founders equally im p ortant th a t all should be
studied, and expounded by the common key which th a t esoteric
doctrine provides. If, then, we a re seen a t one time doing our
best to help H indus to u nd erstan d th e H in d u Shastras, at
another th e Parsis to catch th e glorious hidden light of Z o ro as­
trianism, and anon the B uddhists o ft h e Southern and N o rth ern
Schools to confound th e ir differences aud m u tually compare
id e a s .it m u s t n o t be inferred th a t our own belief is bu t an
intellectual phantasm agoria. F a r from i t ; we have very
distnict and pronounced convictions upon religious subjects.
B ut our Masters have ever fa u g h t us th a t man never did and
never will think alike, and th a t this diversity is b u t the necessary
corollary of the universal harm ony of n a tu r e —a symphony
composed of ap p a ren t discords. The corner-stone of pu r Society
is, as you all know, Toleranco and Reciprocity of Good-will. So
atiu n ed is th e hum an mind to this sense of essential religious
harm ony, th a t you can find the more spiritual thinkers of even tho
most bigoted exolerio crudal groups ag reeing upon a common
esoteric basis. There is an esoteric C hristianity un der the
bigotry of its externalisim which is alm ost identical with our own
Eastern Qupla Vidya. ^Vnd some of our w armest friends in
Europe and America are such, because th e y hope we an d th ey
cau agree to bring out this tr u th before the world. Then again,
as to Moham medanism. 'There'is a b itte r hatred between the
orthodox follower^ of Islam and the orthodox H ind us of all our
sects. Y e t what can come n earer to o u r h igh est Ind ian philosophy
th a n th e Mohammedanism of the Sufis—of which class we now
have a n um ber of the most intelligent in o u r Sooiety P These
SuSs say th a t there are four stages of spiritual development,
corresponding wilh the Hiudu Dliyana :
1 . Shriyat, or Ceremonial worship, dogmas, and civil obser­
vances.
2 . T arikat, simpler ceremonials, with a preponderance
of spiritual training. This includes secrect teaching as to
methods of practice, given by the M urshid (G u ru) to the M u rid
(Chela,)
3. H a kika t, attainm ent of tru e knowledge of th e Divine
Being (Allah) who seems to correspond with Jehovah, B rahm a,
Ac. &c. in attributes.
4. M arafat. Tbe merging of self into the Divine Principle.
W hen th a t splendid Arubiau philosopher of t b e X l l t h C entury,
Averroes, had evolved out. of crude Mahainmedanism, the quintes­
sence of his philosophical Islainism —as D raper calls i t —and had
penetrated the th o u g h t of Europe, the fanatical aud ignorant
masses of his co-religionists were allowed to spit in his face and
beat bira with th eir shoes, while, by a brutal decree, he was
forced to sit iu th e mosque to receive these indignities. T he
same spirit wars at this mom ent iu the breast of every rabid
sectarian of whatsoever creed; and from thern Theosophy
expects no mercy, nor asks auy favors. P erh aps the day will
never dawn wheu th e world will be more tolerant, yet I am
sure th a t none of us who call ourselves Theosophists and aspire
to be worthy of the name, would on th a t account relax a single
effort to tr y to hasten its coming. W e.m a y never realise a
noble ideal, yet i l i s always profitable to make th e a tt e m p t . The
world is never the worse for the proclamation of a tr u th , b ut
always tho sufferer by its suppression,
T H E ARYAN LEA G UE OF HONOUR. ,
I n th e progress of m y work I have been, of course, compelled
to keep, if possible, the fu tu re outcome always in view; W e ara
b uilding for all time and nob for a day, and unless we are content
to have theosophy w ritte n by th e fu tu re historian in th e list of
social ephemera, we m u s t lay ou r foundations deep and strong. O u r
successors in Society work are now in the cradles or sittin g on
school-benches. To th eir hands must we comm it the p erp etu a ­
tion of reforms by us in a u g u ra te d . The question of the hour
w ith us is to a rr e st th e tendency to Aryan denationalization; to
save th e t o t te r in g tem ple of ancestral wisdom from a f a l l ; theirs
will be th a t of rebuilding and restoring it to its pristine perfec­
tion. On the 7 th of J u n e 1882, du rin g th e first visit to Madras of
th e F o unders of o ur Society, I g a v e asp e o ial lecture to U niversity
graduates. I th on showed to th em th a t in*the Ind ian g radu ates
and matriculates was slowly d ifferentiating itself what was p ra c ­
tically a new caste—a sociological evolution alm ost identical
with th a t which in th e early morning of Aryan civilization d eve­
loped the B rahm an caste, is now accreting a social group which
may very well be the d om inant social and moral force of the
fuiure. A m ong th e potential agencies th a t can be employed by
th e well-wishers of In d ia to mould the aspirations aud furnish L h e '
motives of this gro up , none can be compared wilh Theosophy.
W e are all aware th a t it is th e dream of th e F ou nd ers of our
In d ia n Missionary colleges, schools and societies th a t the social
destinies of our co u n try shall be controlled by them . B u t w ith ­
out laying myself open to th e charge of prejudice. I feel th a t the
experience of th e past makes it b ut too plain th a t this dream can
never be realised. No one can doubt th a t a powerful influence
has been and may be exercised by th e Christians npon our ed ucat­
ed y o u t h ; nor th a t this influence is most u nfortunate in its
effect upon th e Asiatic mind. I t s tendency is to ■sub vert
all religious belief ra th e r than to make the stu d en t accept
Christianity. Passing out of th e reach of ancestral religious influ­
ence a t a tend er age, the youth is b ro u g h t into contact with
religious ideas, for which he has no sym pathy, and with one-sided
free-think in g companions and books which soon make him
irreligious. I t is clear, therefore, un|ess I sadly mistake the
signs of the times, th a t the fu tu re g rad uate caste, whatever it
may be, will not be C hristian. Now, we Theosophists, pretend to
a tho ro ug h devotion to Indian moral aud spiritual interests,
aud o ur chief desire is to b rin g about th e resuscitation of the
ancient Aryan Wisdom and V irtues. We may do th is in p art by
reform in g our own conduct according to th e ancient model .
b ut th e full fruition of our hopes lies in th e womb of the future;
I n th e Madras Address to graduates, referred to, I ard en tly be­
sou gh t them to prom ote Sanskrit lea rn ing ; to m ake them selves
familiar with its contents, at least a t second h a n d ; to learu afe
least theoretically th e secret doctrines of the H in d u Shastras ; to
agree upon a h ig h er stan dard in' their corps which a new
public opinion am ong tbe m should compel every g ra d u a te
to live up t o ; and to form a G raduates’ U nion in each
Presidency, with such .of th eir illustrious colleagues as S ir T.
M adhava Row and o thers at their head. The two years and a
half which have come and gone since th a t A dd ress was delivered,
have seen me travelling in every p a r t of In d ia within th e
extrem e limits of th e Peninsula. A n d now, after having
come into personal contact with alm ost all our educated men,
I have reached th e conclusion th a t our purpose can never be
fully accom plished w itho ut the concurrence and co operation of
In d ian youtn. I n th is conviction, I, in th e month of N ovember,
a dd ressed a cir cular to our Branches, asking for suggestions aa to
th e best way of fo rm ing what I am inclined to call th e “ Aryan
L eagu e of Honour.” The tim e has been too short to elicit any ­
th in g like a general expression of opinion, b u t some minutes
have been handed in which are under consideration. W ith o u t
v e n tu rin g upon an exact scheme, I may state m y views gene­
rally as follow
(a). T h e L eagu e to be composed of school boys and u nd er­
g rad u ates between the age of 1 0 and 2 1 .
(b) M em bership should be confined to youths, whose ancestral
religions have th e same foundation of esoteric philosophy, viz.,
Hindus, Parsis, Buddhists, and Jains.
(c) Upon atta ining th e maximum age of 21, a m em ber’s active
relation with the Society shall terminate.
(d) T h e L eagu e should be organised ind ependently of the
Theosophioal Society, b ut neverthe less be under its fatherly
care and protection. O ur local Branches to be, as it were, up-
pollate and advisory bodies, to which th e boys m ay have the
rig h t to appeal for advice in case of necessity,
(e) E ach mem ber should have th e r i g h t to w ear a distinc­
tive b a d g e —a medal, ring, pin, or K eyura ( a r m le t)—upou
complying with certain very rigid conditions aa to morality,
&c. This medal to be worn a fter a strict prelim inary p rob a­
tion of six months, to be forfeited upon a breach of either of
rules of conduct, and to be redeemable after a su bsequent
additional probation. No espionage whatever to be practised ,
but every boy to be p u t on his own honour to decide as to his fit­
ness or unfitness to wear the badge ; b u t with the d istinc t u n d e r ­
standing th a t if any misconduct not voluntarily confessed shall
be brou gh t home to him, his badge shall be forfeited, he shall be
expelled from tbe L eag u e,an d for ev«r disqualified from readinis-
Sion.
a
 ( / ) , T hat no a tt e m p t should be m ade to compel boys to hold
stato d meetings of th e ir several Lodges, or to make any o rg an i­
sa t io n likely to be burdensome to them selves or to be supervis­
ing Brauohes of ou r Society : the object being only to create a
h e a l t h y moral tone am on g the risin g g ene ratio n, and a deep
sens e of obligation to be worthy of th e nucestry from which
they 6 pring.
T ho virtues which adorned the c haracter of the m ig h ty dead
o f A ry av a rta are exhaustively en u m e ra te d in S rim ad Bhagvat
( S kanda vii, ch. X I . v. 9 & 10). They ore, tr u th , generosity,
h aim lessness, command over passions, charity, study, honeBty,
0 quanim ity, a spirit of enquiry, love, piety, kindness, courage,
s y m p a th y , straightforwardness, and others.
I t is to be expected tliat th e rising generation of In dia should
try to live up to the high idoal of moral g reatn e ss here delineated,
and munt always g u a rd them selves ag ain st th e ten cardinal
sins mentioned and depreoated alike by Lord D uddha and
Bhngavan Manu. P u rity of life , will always follow a sleepless
watch against the sins of body, mind and speech. The sins of
body, say the ShaBtras, are :—
, (1) U nchastity,
(2 ) Theft,
(3) Taking life ;
Of mind, (4) Disbelief in a fu tu re life,
(5) H a rb o u rin g tho u g h ts of inju rin g others,
(6 ) Grieving a t the prosperity of o th e rs;
Of Speech, (7) L ying, > M r.
( 8 ) Slander, . address you a few words on behalf of the Madras Braneh
(9) Abuse,
(10) E m p ty talk.
T h rre are pessimiats in plenty who will declare th a t such a
Lengue as this is im practicable. I n view of the prevalent loose
notions of tru th fu ln ess, they will smile at th e idea of expecting
school-boys to c o m e . forward, declare th eir breast too polluted to
wear tho A ryan Medal, and give it to th eir officers to be held iu
tr u s t until th ey can win it back. W ith such gloomy natures,
1 do not sympathize. I have, and have always had, a perfect
conviction of the inh eren t nobleness of h u m an nature. BoyB, 1
love and have th e u tm o st confidence in. L e t 10 boys pledge to
w o th eir word of honor in supp ort of some high and noble cause,
and I should expect a t least 8 of them to keep it loyally. W hy,
ou r own Theosophical Society is based upon o u r mutual pledge of
tho simple Word of Honour; and a lthough our membership has in
creased to thousands, and embraces alm ost every nationality,
those who have actually broken their pledge of secrecy may be
counted upon the fingers of a single hand. W h a t, then, if men,
all more or le s B tain ted with the bad influences of Society, and
who were never p u t un der so noble a self-restraiut as tbis League
of H onor cdiitemplates, c an keep their pledges, why should n ot
th e dear boys, who are still “ un sp otted of th e world” and in the
state to receive the best as readily as the worst influences—he
t r u B t e d . A t any rate, I do tr u s t them , and have th e greatest] hopes
of th e fu ture th ro u g h their enthusiastic and loyal co-operation.
D u rin g my recent to urs I have by special req uest lectured to
the boys of nearly all tho Colleges and U niversities, and I can
assure you th a t uot one of us feels so stro ng a love for th e cause
of Aryan moral regeneration as hos been shown by th e m . Seeing
this, th e idea of this Boys’ Loague g rad ua lly developed itself
in my mind. I then begau broaching tho subject to the parties
in te rested in the several Presidencies,and am in a position to say
th a t tbe L eg u e can be formed with very little trouble sim u ltan e­
ously in all parts of India. W h a t I aim at is to make th e medal
or K eytira which indicates m em bership in the L eag ue of H onor
nB highly prized and valiantly s t r u g g l e d for as th e Victoria
Cross of G reat Britain, tlio Iro u Cross of Prussia, and the CroBS of
St. George o f Hussia, are by t h e soldiers and sailors of those
g reat empires. Breed up a boy to base ideals, and you make him
a human scourge ; give him a w o rth y one, and the heroic character
evolves out of th e slime of physical grossness, as th e B p o t le s s
lotus iu yonder tan k has u n d e r the s tim u lu s of sunlig ht draw n
t h e vital essences which make itB beauty and its fragranee out
nf the m uddy bottom. So, tr u s t tb e l a d s ; m ake th em feel th a t
th e houor of Aryavart, the reform ation of religion, the revival
of th e ancestral wisdom, is a d u ty th ey m u s t perform , and, my
•word for it, you will not be disappointed. W h e n we have, passed
behind th e veil, they will carry on ou r work, em ulate and b ette r
our example, and crown tbe edifice of the house whose foundation
stones we are now laying. . religion and philosophical mysteries, which is only to be
NECROLOGY OP TH E YEAR.
I n a widespread association like ourp, whoso m em bersh ip
includes persons^ of various ages, nationalities and possessional
occupations, the inroads of doath are h-lways noticeable. I t has
been our m isfortune to lose d u rin g th e past twelve months
Yorious colleagues of m ark ed m erit in th e Theosophical sense,
and some whose loss is felt by a wider circle than ours. The
rep orted deaths of Theosophists are in n um ber n in e : D. M.
B e n n e tt , of New Y ork, th e fearless and indefatigable Editor*
of the T ru th seeker; G. N arasim hulu Chetty, a higher official
in H. H. th e N iz a m ’s service; Jo gendronath Basu Sarbadhicary,
th e touching story of whose death, recently told in the
Theosophist, shows th a t it m ig h t better be te rm ed a translation
or spiritual r e b i r th ; 0 . T. Winfred, of T ric hin op oly ; Peary
Chand M ittra, of C alcutta, gentlest of spirits, purest of minds,
o u r dear b r o t h e r ; P. Terootnal Rao, S tib-Judgo of Tinnevelly,
whose eyes had been bu t too recently opened to th e glim m er
of th e divine light, and who would have been, I am sure, as
devoted and unselfish a holper as his brother, of M a d ra s; Gre-
goris Edrewere, a m em b er and officer of th e the Galle branch,
whose equal in u n tiring zeal, in sweet tolerance of disposition,
in p erfect loyalty to th e cause nnd affectionate regard for m y­
self, I can hardly name ; E m anis DeSilva Gunasekore, of Ceylon ;
and Baldeo P ra s a d , an officer of the Educational D epartm ent
of the N. W. P., whose in te g rity and efficiency had ju s t been
rewarded by deserved promotion, and whose interest ir. our
Society had never (lagged since we first m et him at Meerut iu
the year 1879. W h e n the roll of our early colleagues in tho
In d ian field comes to be compiled by th e historian of this
moveinont, let these names be w ritten am ong these whose
mem ories deserve to be preserved.
D e w a n B a h a d o o r R . R ag o o n a th R o w , President of thc
Madras Theosophical Socicty, then rose, and having addressed a
few words of welcome to tho Delegates assembled, on behalf
of his Branch, delivered the following address :—
P re s id e n t, D e le g a te s and G e n t l e m e n , —I rise to
which I have the honour to represent. Since the celebration
of tho last anniversary of the Parent Society, the Theoso­
phical Society has made considerable progress in this
Presidency. The number of new Branches established in
various parts of this Presidency, the books and pamphlets
published to explain tho aims and objects of our Association
and to promote its causo, the schools opened for reviving tho
study of Sanskrit literature and philosophy, and the intorest
evinced by the public in our work, unmistakably show that
tbe Society has acquired no small amount of additional
Btrength and vigour. And even those who do not sympathize
with us, are obliged to admit the power and influence which
our Association is gradually acquiring in the nativecommnnity.
However Utopian the idea of a Universal Brotherhood may
be in the opinion of some people, the Society is doing all
that ifc can, and decidely more than any other institution
has as yet done, or attempted to do in this country, to
strengthen the ties of friendship and intellectual sympathy
betweeu the intelligent sections of tho various races of this
country and induce them to work together on a common
platform to accomplish the mighty work undertaken by it.
This very assembly, which I am now addressing, consisting
of delegates who came here from places a t an enormous
distance from the Head-quarters of the Society for the pur­
pose of exchanging thoughts with their jbrethren and co­
operating with each other for achieving a common object and
promoting a common cause, proves the truth of my assertion.
But, gentlemen, a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity can
only bo practically realised in this country to some appre­
ciable extent at least, when the other two objects of the
Society aro gained. I t is absolutely necessary that a vigor­
ous effort should be mado in every part of India for revi­
ving the study of ancient Aryan literature and philosophy
and recovering the grand trnths regarding the mysteries
of nature and the “ psychical powers latent in man,”
disclosed therein. Divergent crceds, customs and usages
are very often traced to a common source, and are
professedly derived from a common authority in this
country. That common source is Sanskrit science, philo­
sophy and literature, and the ancient Rishis of India
constitute tha t common authority. I t may appear strange
that such marked differences in religions opinions, ceremo­
nies and usages should have been brought into existence
by different teachers relying upon the same books and upon
the same authority. But when the real key to onr ancient
found in tlio “ psychical powers latent in man” is lost sight
of, later interpreters of thc writings of our Rishis have failed
to realize the intellectual and spiritual stand-point of their
authors, and have, ip consequence, constructed to the best
of .their ability various dogmatical systems of religious faith,
each of which claims a monopoly of the philosophical truths,
revealed by the ancient Mahatmas. And until the original
 Bourees of o n r t r u e religio n a re t h o r o u g h l y in v e s ti g a te d w ith
sn c h h elp aa is derived fr o m psy chological science o f th e
a n c ie n t A ry an m ysteries a n d th e p ra c tic a l k n o w le d g e of living
A d e p ts , it will n o t be possible to ' te s t scientifically th e
claim s of those various religious sy s te m s , a n d reco ver in all
its p u r i ty , sim plic ity a n d scientific co m p le te n e s s th e an cient
w isd o m -relig io n , professed a n d p re a c h c d by t h e A r y a n Rishis.
I n o r d e r to acco m p lish this object, i t is h i g h l y essential,
as I h ave a lr e a d y sta te d , t h a t e v ery possible effort sh o u ld bo
m a d e to rev iv e th e s t u d y o f S a n s k r i t l i t e r a t u r e a n d science.
T h e fo u n d a tio n of a few p r i m a r y S a n s k r i t schools fo r ch il­
d r e n will n o t serve th o p u rp o s e above in d ica ted . A n d ,
m oreover, practical e x p e rie n c e h a s sh o w n t h e u t t e r uselessness
of g o t t i n g th e V ed a s by h e a r t , or c r a m m i n g for a certain
n u m b e r of y e ars w o rk s on g r a m m a r or logic. I t is h a r d l y
n ec ess ary fo r m e to p o in t o u t to y o u how v e ry insufficient
is tlie k n o w le d g e of S a n s k r i t a c q u ir e d in E n g l i s h colleges
a n d schools for th e o b jec t above m e n tio n e d . F o r n a tio n a l
pro g ress a n d fo r th e im p ro v e m e n t a n d s y s te m atic exposi­
tion of o u r relig ion a n d scicnce, we r e q u i re a class of P a n d i t s
w h o h a v e a d d ed to th e p u re ly lite r a ry a c q u ir e m e n t s of th e
best of o u r m o d e r n P a n d it s , a n a c c u ra t e scientifio k n o w led g e
of th e su b je c ts i n v e s ti g a te d by o u r a n c ie n t R ish is, a good
k n o w le d g e of m o d e rn science, a n a p t i t u d e f o r scientific
in v e s tig a tio n a n d an u n p r e j u d ic e d m i n d . S u c h a re th e
te a c h e rs t h a t a re n eeded fo r th e p u rp o s e we h a v e in view,
a u d fo r a s s is t in g th e T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty in its w ork.
I t is n o t m y p u r p o s e h e re , g e n tl e m e n , to lay before you,
a n y definite plan fo r se c u r in g t h e a fo re sa id object, a n d it is
im p o ssib le for m e to do a n y t h i n g m o re th a n m a k e a few
su g g e s tio n s f o r y o u r co n sid e ra tio n w i t h i n t h e lim ite d tim e
a llo te d to t h i s a d d re s s. B e fo re a n y decid e d a d v a n c e can be
m a d e o n th o e x is ti n g sy s tem of i m p a r t i n g in s tru c t io n in
S a n s k r i t lite r a tu r e an d scienco, t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t w o rk s on
t h e v arious bran ch es of m o d e rn science m a y be tr a n sla te d
in to S a n s k r it, an d t h e sciences a lr e a d y e x is ti n g in t h a t
lan g u ag e in a fo rm , m o re o r less dev elo pe d, m u s t be im p r o v ­
e d by th e h a lf of m o d e r n scientific discoveries, in s te a d of
b e in g a lt o g e th e r su p ersed ed o r re p la c e d b y sy s te m s of
foreign g r o w th . A n d i t is m y b u m b l e opinion t h a t a b e g in ­
n in g sho uld be m a d o in th is d irec tio n as soon as possible.
I t is also n ecess ary t h a t t h e Society sh o u ld , a s f a r aa p ra c ­
ticab le, co llect fu nd s' a n d o rg an ize p r i n t i n g e sta b lish ­
m e n t s a t a few p r o m in e n t c e n tr e s in t h i s c o u n tr y fo r th e
p u b lic a tio n of i m p o r t a n t S a n s k r i t w o r k s on p hilosophy,
science a n d relig io n . A n d t h e m e m b e r s of t h e T h e o so p h i­
cal S o c ie ty a n d o th ers w ho h ave som e s y m p a th y fo r th e
proposed object, s h o u l d be in v ite d as soon as p ossible to
s u g g e s t sn ch schem es o f i m p a r t i n g S a n s k r i t ed u c a tio n as
a re calc ulate d to secure th e d e sire d re s u lt. B efo re co n c lu d in g
th is s h o r t a d d re s s , I c a n n o t h elp i n v i ti n g y o u r a t t e n ti o n to a
very i m p o r t a n t su b ject in th is connection. O ne of th e
g re a t e s t philosophical w riters of E n g l a n d , J o h n S t u a r t Mill,
e n u in o r a t 6 s in his essay *011 B e n th a n i a u d C oleridge, th ro e
i m p o r t a n t cond ition s re q u ire d for t h e f o r m a tio n of a na tio n ,
v iz., ( 1 ) th e absence of g r e a t physical b a r r ie r s b e tw een th e
different p a r t s of th e c o u n tr y , in h a b i te d b y t h e people
c o m p risin g th o natio n iu q uestio n a n d t h e presen ce of well-
defined g eo g ra p h ic al b o u n d a rie s s e p a r a t i n g tho said c o u n ­
t r y fro m its n e ig h b o u rs ; ( 2 ) s im ila rity of po litica l a n d social
i n s t i tu t io n s th r o u g h o u t t h e lo u g th a u d b r e a d t h of t h e c o u n ­
t r y ; an d (3) a c o m m on la n g u a g e . I n th e case of o u r c o u u try ,
th e first co n d itio n is supplied by n a tu r e , a n d t h e req u isites
for th e second condition a re beiug r a p i d ly b ro u g h t in to exist-
enoo by t h e political pow er w hich re ig n s in th e c o u n tr y . I
sin cerely hope t h a t , th r o u g h tb e ag e n c y of o u r A ssociation,
th e lust und th e m o s t im p o r t a n t co n d itio n of n a ti o n a l u n it y
a n d s t r e n g t h will be b r o u g h t into existen ce.
T e le g r a m s w ere r e a d fr o m v a rio u s B r a n c h e s e x p re s s in g
c o n g r a t u la t io n a n d good w ish e s— som e of w h ic h a r e g iv e n
b e l o w :—
F r o m A l la h a b a d <■“ Some follows h e r e a r e d is tr i b u ti n g
b lan k ets to th e n e e d y in h o n o r of A n n i v e r s a r y c e le b ra tio n .”
F r o m A v in a s C h a n d r a B a n e r ji , P. t . s ., A ll a h a b a d :— “ I
am so rry I a m u n a b le to a t t e n d t h e A n n i v e r s a r y . M y b estj
wishes fo r its success.”
F ro m a C h e la to Colonel H . S. O l c o t t ■“ C o n g r a tu l a ti o n s
to B ro the rs, T h eoso ph ists a n d C helas. H u m b l e p r m a m to
most v e n e ra te d G u r u d e v a .’’
' F r o m J . G hosal, f . t . s., C a l c u t t a :— “ O n th is au spicio us d a y
m y c o n g r a t u la t io n s to y o u all, a n d h u m b le p ra m a n to m o s t
venerated G u ru d e v a .”
F r o m S a l i g r a m ( G o r a k h p u r ) , to T h a k u r G an esh S in g h ,
D y . Collector, G o r a k h p u r , ca re of S ec retary , T heo sop hical
S o c ie ty :— “ I c o n g r a t u l a t e t h e F o u n d e r s a n d B ro th e r s , a ss e m ­
bled, 011 b e h a lf of o u r B r a n c h a n d m y s e lf on th e occasion of
t h e A n n i v e r s a r y ."
F r o m K . M. S hroff, V ic e - P r e s id e n t , B o m b a y T h e o so p h i­
c a l Society :— “ A b se n c e u n a v o id a b le . B o m b a y B r a n c h offers
sin cere c o n g r a t u la t io n s to t h e C o n g re ss .”
F r o m G o v in d p ro s a d , ( A l i g a r h , N . W . P ., P r e s i d e n t A. B.)
T h e o so p h ica l S o ciety :— “ I n t h e absen ce of d e le g a te w e h e re b y
c o n g r a t u la t e B r o t h e r s p re s e n t. M a y P a r a b r a h m bless t h a
d ay .”
F r o m S r i s c h a n d r a B a s u , F. T. s., C a lc u t ta , “ S a l u t a t i o n s to
M a h a t m a s . C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s to B ro th e r s . Succoss to A n n i ­
v ersary .”
F r o m N. B. N a k h r e , ( P a n c l i m a r h i ) :— “ C irc u m sta n c e s
p r e v e n t m y p re s e n c e ; t h o u g h a b s e n t in body, y e t p r e s e n t in
spirit. P a c h m a r h i b r o t h e r s se n d g r e e t i n g to t h e d eleg ates
a ss e m b le d .”
F r o m G . H . C ric h to n , f . t . s ., (B o m b a y ), “ A n n iv e r s a r y
c o n g r a t u la t io n s ; P h il in d i a n is m g r e a t as ever. T h e o so p h ic a l
g r e e t in g s . ” - .
F r o m M rs. G e b h a r d t ( F . T. S.) E lb e rf e ld , G e r m a n y , v ia
T u r k e y , to C olonel O lco tt, A d y a r :— “ O u r b e s t w ish es a n d
c o ng ratu latio ns,”
E tc . E t c . E tc ., all in t h e sam e b r o t h e r l y spirit.
A f t e r th e P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d e r h a d a p p o in t e d v a rio u s com ­
m itte e s f o r t h e c o n s id e ra tio n of th o se v e ra l prop osition s beforo
th e C o n v e n tio n , th e m e e t i n g w a s a d jo u r n e d .
A t 5 P. m . to o k p la ce th e P u b li c R e c e p tio n , d u r i n g w h ich
m a n y a d d re s s e s w e r e d e liv e re d .
D r . F . H a r t m a n n , D e le g a t e of th e A m e r i c a n Societies, h a v ­
i n g b een i n t r o d u c e d to th o a u d ien c e , r e a d t h e fo llow in g
p a p e r :—
Mb. P r e s id e n t , B rethren of the T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie t t .
L a d ie s a n d G H a v i n g been deleg a ted b y some
e n t l e m e n ,—
of t h e T h e o so p h ica l Societies of t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s of
A m e ric a to re p r e s e n t th e m a t th is o u r E i g h t h A n n iv e rs a ry ,
I feel it m y d u t y to say a few w o rd s a n d to p re s e n t th e i r
c o n g r a t u la t io n s a n d s y m p a th i e s to y ou , a n d especially to o ur
esteem ed P r e s id e n t a n d F o u n d e r s , Colonel O lc o tt a n d Mme,
B la v a ts k y .
T h e T h e o so p h is ts of t h e U n ite d S ta t e s see w ith a s t o n is h ­
m e n t a n d 1 a d m i i a t i o n ( n o t to say e n v y ) the ra p id p ro g re ss
w hich y o u h av e been m a k i n g , a n d if th e y have n o t p ro g r e s s e d
as f a s t as you, it is b ecau se t h e r e is no Colonel O lc o tt to lead
th em . T h e y h av e to look to t h e E a s t, to t h i s far-off la n d of
In d i a , f o r li g h t a n d th e lo n g -lo st w o rd.
T h is is a f a c t too l i tt le t a k e n into a c c o u n t by som e who
h a v e been w r i t i n g upon th e sp re a d of T h e o so p h y . Im ag ine
only w h a t w o u ld h a v e beon the n u m e r ic a l s t r e n g t h of th e
T h eoso ph ical So cie ty in I n d i a a n d Ceylon, if th e two F o u n d e rs
h a d p assed o n t of A s ia in t o E u r o p e w ith in a y e a r or tw o
after t h e i r first a p p e a ra n c e a t B o m b ay in th e y e a r 1879, a n d
le ft the m o v e m e n t to t a k e c a re of itself ? I m a g in e th is, I say,
a n d no lo n g er w o n d e r th a t, while n early o n e -h u n d r e d B ra n c h e s
of th e P a r e n t Society h ave s p r u n g up in th is y o u r sa e re d
c o u n tr y , O n ly a h a n d fu l of s ta r s hav e been a d d e d to o n r
b r i g h t g a la x y in A m e ric a , th e b irth -p la c e a n d crad le of th is
w o n d e rfu l m o v em en t o f o u r times. I f Colonel O lc o tt h a d
e x p o u n d e d T h eo so p h y a n d A r y a n P h ilo s o p h y t h r o u g h o u t
h is n a tiv e c o u n tr y as vigourously a n d p ersuasively as be has
in his new m o th e r l a n d — as he likes to call I n d i a — we w o uld
u n d o u b te d l y now be ab le to c o u n t a t leas t tw o Or th r e e
h u n d r e d American B r a n c h Societies, a n d th e pub lic m i n d
w o uld h ave e n th u s ia s tic a lly a c c e p ted th e A ry a n eso teric
ideas, so in c o m p a ra b ly g r a n d a n d in s p iri ti n g aro they. A n d
t h e sp re a d of th e s e id eas w o uld h a v e been d o u b tless g re a tly
h a ste n e d by t h e w id e a n d n a tio n a l re p u ta tio n fo r s in ce rity
a n d ho n esty of p u rp o s e w h ich Colonel H . S, O lco tt g a in e d by
h is services to t h e c o u n t r y d u r i n g th e late civil w ar, as an
officer of th e W a r D e p a r tm e n t.
 I am g la d to be a s k e d to give o u r I n d i a n fr ie n d s th is
person al assuran ce of th e h o n o ra b le esteem in w h ic h o u r
ve nerable P re& id en t-F o u n d er is h eld by liis c o n n tr y m e n , a n d
i t is w i t h no litt le in d ig n a tio n t h a t I h a v e re a d fr o m tim e to
ti m e t h e c a lu m n io u s aspersions upon h is p riv a to c h a r a c t e r
a n d tlia t of his equ ally respccted colleague, Mme. B lav a tsk y ,
w h ic h in te re s te d p a rtie s hAve p u t in cir c u la tio n . B u t still
t h e T h e o s o p h is ts of America are n e ith e r dead n o r asleep.
O n r r e g u l a r S ocieties in New Y ork , St. L ou is, R o c h e ster a n d
C hicag o a r e in a flourishing condition, c o u n t i n g a m o n g th e i r
m e m b e r s men of g re a t ta le n t a n d h ig h social s t a n d i n g ; new
S o cieties are in the process of fo rm a tio n , a n d isolated T h e o so ­
p h is ts can be fo un d all ov er th e c o u n t r y , in cities ns well as
a m o n g tlio rural d is tric ts of th e w est, t h e p la n t a ti o n s of tho
Bontli, an d in th e s o lita ry cabin of t h e miner.
T h re e m o n t h s ago, I left m y h o m e a m o n g s t t h e snow y
peaks of th e U ocky M o u n ta in s in Colorado, som e 15,000 miles
from here ; crossed th o blue w aters of t h e Pacific Ocean, a n d
1 am bow sta n d irig in y o u r m id st, as a liv in g re p r e s e n ta t io n
o f th e f a c t t h a t T h e o so p h y is n o t d y i n g o u t in A m erica.
N o, th o w ork h a s j n s t begnn. T h e tre e p la n te d e ig h t yetirs
ag o iu N e w Y o rk , h a s sp re a d its ro o ts all ov er th e A m e ric a n
c o n tin e n t. New trees a re s p r i n g i n g n p ev ery w h e re, a n d
o n ly r e q n ire sufficient s u n s h in e a n d r a i n , a n d th e h a n d of an
e x pe rien ced g a r d e n e r to keep th e m fr o m g r o w in g in th e
w r o n g d ire c tio n . A m e ric a is a la n d , of r a p i d pro gress.
W h o r e y e s te rd a y you beheld o n ly a w ild ern ess, t h e r e t o ­
m o rro w y o u will see a city a p p e a r i n g as if by magic, pro v id ed
'with stea m engines, elec tric lights, telephones, p r i n t i n g presses
a n d all m o d ern im p ro v e m e n ts. T h o u s a n d s of ra ilro a d s aro
s t r e t c h i n g tlieir iron a r m s o vo r im m e n s e t r a c t s of te r rito ry ,
a n d a jo u rn e y w hich fo rm erly o ccup ied m a n y m o n t h s of toil, ' table, an im al a n d h u m a n k in g d o m s u p to th e s p i rit u a l k i n g ­
can now be m ade in a few h o u rs in flying p i l a c e cars. W a ste
t r a c t s of la n d a r e rap id ly s e t tl in g u p b y th o u s a n d s of emi-
griuits fro m E u r o p e , escap ing fro m p o v e rty to c o m p a ra tiv e
affluence. W e h ave free schools, free la n d s , free elections,
free t h o u g h t and a free g o v e rn m e n t. T h e re is no d is tin c tio n
on a c c o u n t o f race, o r color o r religions. A m e r i c a is n p t a
C h ris tia n co un try. O u r G o v e r n m e n t f o r tu n a te ly does no t in t e r ­
m e d d le in a n y m a n n o r w h a te v e r w ith religio ns m a t te r s , an d
to th is o n r p ro g ress is p rincipally d ue. As y e t we h av e
n e it h e r P o p e n o r .King, an d i t is to be h o p e d t h a t we n ev er
will have e ith e r. T h e prev ailin g to ne of t h o u g h t i n A m erica
is agnosticism , o r an a ss u m e d indifference to th i n g s whicli
a r e con sidered u n k n o w a b le . B u t t h i s in differen ce is on ly
a p p a r e n t . T h e in te n s e e n th u s ia s m , w hich th e f r e e - th o u g h t
lectu res of R o b e r t E. In g erso ll havo aw a k e n e d all o ver t h e
co u n tr y , p rov e t h a t th e m a te ria l cares of th i s world d o n o t
m a k e m e n in different to s p i r i t u a l p ro g r e s s . N o , we a re only
in d iffe r e n t to th e un pro fitable a n d useless w ra n g lin g s of a
h u n d r e d d iffere n t Beets, w ho a r e Gghting each o th e r, a n d
w hose c o n tr a d ic to ry d o c trin es do n o t in t e r e s t ns. I n s te a d of
m ere ass u m p tio n s a n d a r r o g a u t d o g m a tis m s, we w a n t facts.
Let, it once be k n o w n t h a t some of th e s e su ppo sed u n k n o w ­
able th in g s can be k n o w n , a n d th e r e will be, t h o u s a n d s e a g e r
to lenrn. T be proof of th is lies in th e r a p i d s p r e a d of S p ir i­
tu a lism , so fa r th e only sy s te m in A m erica, w h ic h , in s te a d of
theological assertions, furnishes m en w ith solid, a lt h o u g h o ft e n
w ro n g ly -ex p lain ed , facts, upon which th e S p i r i t u a l i s t can build
liiH little paradise, u n ti l th e lig h t of T h e o so p h y a w a k e n s h im
to th e ap p reciatio n of th e g r a n d a u d m a je stic t r u t h , w hich i9
o p en before him.
I f th e a n c ie n t esoteric philosop hy w ere p ro p e r ly p r o m u l ­
g a te d in A m erica, th o u s a n d s would fly to its b a n n e r ; because,
as I u n d e r s t a n d it, i t e x acts no b lin d c r e d u l it y fr o m th is
th o ro u g h ly p ra c tic a l age, is re a d y to s u b m i t its preto nsio ns
to severe s cru tin y , a n d is in acc ord w ith th e l a t e s t discoveries
of science. A lre a d y th ose discov eries to u c h u p o n o c c u lt
g ro u n d . The now a n d i n t e r e s t i n g w o rk of, P ro fe sso r W m s .
A. H a m m o n d on I n s a n ity , in w hich he sp e a k s of t h e re la tio n
of m in d a n d in s ti u c t to th e b r a i n and sp in a l c o r d , c o n ta in s
op in io ns, in m a n y resp ects id en tical With th o s e p r i n t e d
s e v e n y e a r s ag o in Is is U n v e ile d ; h o sa y s t h a t “ t h r e e
h u n d r e d y e a r s fr o m now, th o se w h o came, a f t e r us m ay
be a s h a m e d o f th e i r a n c e sto rs fo r d o u b ti n g t h a t a m a n
cau be in tw o. p laces re m o te fro m each o t h e r a t t h e sam e
tim e ,” — even th e m e re f a c t of his ex p res sin g s u c h a p r o ­
p h e tic ( ? ) se n te n c e is a sig n of t h e tim e s . Of course, if I
sh o u ld tell him , t h a t I havo in d is p u ta b le proof t h a t a p erson
cau be consciously in on e place, while his p h y sic a l b o d y lies
s l u m b e r i n g in a n o th e r , a h u n d r e d m iles aw a y , I w o u ld c e r ­
tain ly in c u r th e d is p le a s u r e o f th e P ro fe sso r, a n d he w ou ld
classify me as a l u n a t i c , affected w ith intellectu al m on am an ia,
yiith e x u l t a t i o n , , b ec au se in sp ite of his le a rn in g , he know s
n o t h i n g y e t of th e se c r e t science.
We m u s t n o t j u d g e t h e s e sc ien tists too severely. I k n o w
from personal e x p e ri e n c e how p a in f u l it. is to h a v e y o u r
a c q n ir e d scientific c o n v ic tio n s slap p ed in the face by occult
fa c ts, to have th e basis upon w hich y o u r opinions r e s t shak en
by a m e n ta l e a r t h q u a k e , a n d to see all y o u r d e a r little a u t h o ­
ritie s tu m b l i n g dow n i n t o t h e d u st, a t th e m ag ic tou ch of a
M a h a tm a .
L e t m od ern s c ie n tis ts once g r a s p th e id ea o f th e seven-fold
c o n s t it u ti o n of m a n ; le t th e m c o m p r e h e n d t h a t th is physical
bo dy w ith all its p e r p l e x in g n e rv e -c e n tre s is n o th i n g b u t a
te m p o r a r y c o n d e n s a tio n of m a t te r , a necessary sh ell for the
d e v e lo p m e n t of th e h i g h e r p rin c ip le s of m an , w h ic h in th e i r
t u r n a r e o nly m a t t e r in a h i g h e r s t a te of evolution ; an d th ey
will find t h a t t h e i r scientific bibles aro full of su p erstitio n s
a n d need to be revised, an d th e i r infallible d o g m a s requ ire
modification. T h e y find t h a t tho existe nce of t h e soul is ns
m u c h a m e n a b le to p ro o f an d e x p e r i m e n t as th e existence of
e le c tric ity o r m a g n e t is m o r an y o t h e r so-called force, w hose
e x is ten ce h a s boon r id ic u le d in th e n o t f a r d is t a n t p ast.
I t seem s to me, t h a t if S cientists, T h eolo gian s a n d S p i r i t u a l ­
ists w ould d ir e c t t h e i r a t t e n t i o n to T h e o so p h y an d O c c u ltism ,
a n d c a re fn lly re a d th e T h e o so p h ic a l J o u r n a l, th e y m i g h t
save an im m e n s e Am ount of u seless la b o r a n d to ns of waste
fiaper, an d th ey w ou ld n o t need to p u z z le th e i r b ra in s ov er
q u e stio n s w hich liave been s a tisfa cto rily a n s w e r e d th o u s a n d s
of y e a rs ago. ' ■
T h o S c ien tists w o u ld find th a t th e e xisten ce of elem entals,
ele m e n ta rie s a n d s p i r it s is as n ecess ary in t h e c h a in o f ev o ­
lutio n of m a t t o r fro m tho m in eral k in g d o m , t h r o u g h th e v eg e­
d om , as th e m is s in g lin k for w h ich th e y a r e s e e k in g is n e ces­
s a r y to c o m p le te th e c h a in of t h e evolution of m an. T h e y w ould
find t h a t m a n is n o t a m e r e a n to m a ti o m achine, w h ose e x is t­
ence is d e p e n d e n t on t h e possession of a p h y sic a l body ;
t h e y w o u ld find, th is sp ec k o f m ud , w h ich we call th e planet-
Carth, h a s been i n h a b i te d a n d civilized in su c h rem oto ages,
t h a t th e n n m b o r Of t h e i r y ea rs m u s t be c o u n te d by h u n d r e d s
of th o u s a n d s , a n d t h a t tliore aro y e t a n infinite n u m b e r of
t h i n g s in t h e un iv erse, of w h o se e x is ten ce th ey k n o w a b s o ­
l u te ly n o th i n g .
T h e T heologians .w ou ld learn t h a t t h e God to w h ic h th e y
p ra y th e y c a r r y a r o u n d w ith i n the m selve s ; t h a t it is in th e ir
p w n p o w e r t o g r a n t t h e i r o w n p ra y e r s ; tl ia t th e i r fig h tin g
a n d w r a n g li n g a b o u t t h e m e r it s of t h e i r d if fe re n t theological
sy s te m s is profitless ; because th e co m m o n fo u n d a tio n of all
religions, w h ic h is t h e o nly t r u e religion, is in all sy s tem s ono
a n d th e sam e, and t h a t th e i r so-called holy books a re often
full of e rr o rs ; t h a t th e y do n o t need in spiratio n fro m w i t h ­
o u t, if th e y will o n ly liste n to th e d iv in e voice w ith in t h e m ­
selves ; an d t h a t no m a n can be savod by vica rio u s a t o n e ­
m e n t o r in a n y o t h e r w ay, unless he m ak es an effort to save
himself. F u r t h e r m o r e , it w o u ld help th e m to ^ .u n d e rs ta n d
t h e sym bolical a n d alle go rica l la n g u a g e in w h ich t h e i r books
a r e w ritte n , a n d w h ic h a s y e t n o t one in a th o u s a n d from th e
P o p e d o w n to th o y o u n g e s t M issionary seems to u n d e rs ta n d .
T h e S p ir itu a lis ts w o u ld learn t h a t th e i r m a t e r i a l c o n ­
cep tion s of th e s p i r i t u a l u niverse a re e n ti r e l y too little to
explain th e su b lim e g r a n d e u r u p o n w h ich th e cosmic con ­
s tr u c ti v e e n e rg y h as evolved t h e u n iv e r s e ; th e y w ould learn
t h a t t h e i r “ angol g u i d e s ” a n d “ cele stial v i s i t a n t s ” are no t
a lw a y s th e i n n o c e n t c r e a t n r o s w h ic h th e y snpposo the m to be,
a n d t h a t th e y m ay be serio u sly in j n r e d by th e m , o r in ju re
th e m in th e i r tu r n . T h e y m a y learn t h a t m a n y of the i n ­
c o n g ru itie s of m essag es a n d tom fo oleries a re only th e in n o ­
c e n t effusions of th e i r Own m i n d s ; th e y m a y learn t h a t a
c o n tin u a n c e of th e i r fa m ily re la tio n s in th e post-m ortem c o n ­
d itio n w o u ld lead to in te rm in a b le q u a rr e ls an d difficulties, a n d
t h a t th e y may h ave to ta k e u p th e th r e a d of life a g a in w h ere
th e y left it, a fte r shuffling off th is m o rta l coil, a n d r e t u r n to a
w o rld th o y de sp ise.
A s to w h a t th e so -called M a teria lists cou ld learn, I will say
n o th i n g . T h e y c a n le arn n o th in g n n d e r a n y c ircu m stan ces,
b ecause t h e y aro b li n d ; a n d , besides, th e r e are a t p re s e n t very
few o u t s p o k e n m a t e r i a li s ts in A m e ric a — o u ts id e t h e lun atic
fcsylums.
So far even th e m e a n in g of th e w o rd T h e o so p h y is a puzzle
to th e m . L e t me, th e r e fo re , tell th e m , t h a t “ T h e o so p h y ” or
d iv in e w isdo m is th e in t u it io n a l p e rc e p tio n of th e t r u t h , I t
p ro v e s t h a t every m a n is a “ sou of G o d ,” or a p a rt of the
d iv in e essence, o u t of w h ich the universe is form ed, a n d t h a t
lie possesses e x tr a o r d i n a r y p ow ers, w h ic h c a u b e d e v e lo p e d
by a course of p ro p e r p h y sica l a n d m e n t a l tr a in i n g .
A T h e o s o p h is t is one who h a s learned to su b d u e his passions
a n d to keep his desires w ith in d u e b o u n d s, who is a p e rf e c t
m a s t e r of him self a n d a c ts up to his h i g h e s t in tu itio n s ,
especially in acc o rd a n c e w ith th e p rin c ip le s of ju s t i c e a n d
t r u t h . H e h as purified h im s e lf a n d his s p irit, a n d b e in g fr ee
fro m th e a tt r a c t io n s of m a t t e r , is a b le to s o a r to h ig h e r
s p h e re s a n d perceive v erities, w hich a r e y e t a m y s te r y to th e
o r d i n a r y ru n of m a n k in d . A s h e a d v a n c e s , he g ro w s s tr o n g e r ,
u n t i l he becomes a g od himself.
S o fa r th e blind have been le a d in g t h e b lin d , a n d vice a n d
social c o rr u p tio n have followed ; b u t let it once be u n d e rs to o d
t h a t a fte r th e d issolu tio n of t h e ph y sical body, th e r e is a f a r
h ig h e r existence, w hich we m ay o b ta in b y will a u d d e t e r m i ­
natio n , an d t h a t in th e b e a u tifu l la n g u a g e of E d w i n A rn o ld .—
" B efore b eg in n in g au d w ith o u t a n end,
As sp a ce e te rn a l an d a s s u re ty su re ,
I s fixed a p o w er d ivine w hich m oves to good,
O nly ts law s e n d u re .”
I f th is id e a is g ra s p e d a n d realized, th e n m a n becom es a
responsible being, and his will becomes free. I t will th e n
a p p e a r foolisb an d u nprofitable to d o w r o n g ; th ero will be no
m ore in d u c e m e n t to be selfish ; w a r a n d blo odshed will ccase ;
a n d tbo ang el of peace step in tlieir place. T h e dev il will be
k i l l e d ; his professional c o m b a t a n t s will find tlieir o ccu p a­
tion gone ; h a r m o n y will p revail ; a n d we a ll will t a k e o u r
re fu g e iu th e law of goo d, w hose c o n c re te e m b o d i m e n t is to
be found in th e eso teric p hilosophy, evolved a n d p e rfected
by th e old A r y a n R is h is a n d M unis.
M r . T . W . B r o w n of t h e L o n d o n L o d g e T h e o so p h ic a l
S o c iety , r e a d t h e fo llo w in g a d d res s, s e n t by its P r e s i d e n t :—
F rom M r s . A . K i n g s s f o h d , M . D ., P re sid e n t o f the B r itis h
London Lodge ( B ranch) Theosophical S o c ie ty .
T o t h k P r e s i d e n t o f t h e T h k o s o i ’Mic a l S o c ie t y .
D e a r S iu a n d B r o t h e r , — I t g iv es m e g r e a t p leasu re to
a d d re s s you officially, for t h e first tim e, a s P r e s i d e n t of th e
B rit is h T h e o so p h ic a l Society. T h i s l e t t e r m u s t do d u t y as a
d e le g a te from o u r Lodge to y o u r A n n iv e r s a r y M e e t i n g of
D ec em ber, it being im p ra c tic a b le to s e n d y ou a n y one of o u r
b r e t h r e n as ^ rep resen tativ e.
1 ven ture, the refore , to a s k t h a t you will p e r m it me, as
ch ief of y o u r B ritis h Fellows, to lay first b efore you , in y o u r
official capacity , and su b s e q u e n tly be fo re th e r e a d e r s of th e
Theosophist, a b rief resum e of w h a t I b elieve to b e t h e r i g h t
a im s a u d m e t h o d of o u r w o r k in f u t u r e , a n d th e w isest policy
possible to o u r Society.
1 h a v e read w ith in te re st, an d h ail w ith joy, t h e ev iden ces
p u b lis h e d in th e O ctober n u m b e r of y o u r J o u r n a l , (pag es 10
a u d 11 of S u p p le m e n t) of a ra pprochem ent b e tw e e n t b e T h e o ­
sophical Society of I n d i a a n d a C h r is ti a n Mission e s t a b li s h ­
ed iu t h a t c o u n tr y .
To me personally, i t has a lw ay s b een a m a t t e r of regrot
t h a t in a t t a c k in g th e o rth o d o x p r e s e n ta t io n of C h r is ti a n it y ,
y o u r Society has h i t h e r t o been h a r d l y c a re f u l to g u a r d itself
a g a in s t th e im p u ta t io n of a n ta g o n i s m to t h e essen tial
m y s teries of t h a t religio n. .
I n m y in a u g u r a l address, d eliv ere d a t th o soiree, h eld by
th e L oudon L o dg e las t J u l y , — an a c c o u n t of w h ich is g iven
in p. 4 of th e S u p p le m e n t to th o O c to b e r T heosophist,— I
e n d ea v o u re d to p u t before o u r Fellow s a u d o u r g u e s t s w h a t I
hold to be th e t r u e a t t i t u d e of T h e o so p h y to w a rd s all th e
g re a t p o p u la r creods of p a s t an d p r e s e n t ; a n d I w as g ratified
to h a v e read, q u it e u nex pectedly , in th e c o u rs e of M r. S i n n e t t ’s
s u b s e q u e n t discou rse, a l e t te r fro m o ne of t h e I n d i a n a d e p ts ,
in w h ich m y ow n view was e m p h a t ic a l ly e n d o rs e d a n d ra tifi­
ed. T h e w rite r s a i d :—
“ Once delivered from the dead w eight of do gm atic in te rp re ta ­
tions and anth ropom orphic conceptions, the fundam ental doc­
trines of all religions will be found to be identical in th e ir esoteric
meaning, Osiris, Christina, Buddliu. Christ, will be shown as
different m eans for one and th e same highw ay to final bliss.
Mystical (Christianity, th a t is to say, th a t C h ristia nity which
teaches self-redemption th ro ug h one’s own seventh principle,—
the liberated P a ra m a tm a or Augoeides, called.by the one, C hrist,
by the other, B uddha, and equivalent to regen eratio n or re-birth
in sp irit— will bo ju s t th e same t r u th as the N irv a n a of
Buddhism .”
T h e s e a re w ise a n d fa r -se e in g w o rd s, a n d o u g h t to so u n d
for u s t h e k e y -n o te of o u r policy a n d aim s, espec ially in
r e g a r d to th e w o r k of th o Socioty i n C h r is ti a n l a n d s like
E n g l a n d a n d F ra n c e . I t ia n o t by w h o lly s e t t i n g aside a n d
r e j e c t i n g n a m e s a n d sym bo ls, ha llo w ed by fa m ilia r use a m o n g
o u r p eo p le f r o m t h e i r b i r t h a s a natio n , t h a t we sh all c r e a t e
for o u rs e lv e s t h e la r g e s t s p h e r e of usefulness. I t is n o t so
m u c h t h e re v e l a ti o n o f a new relig io u s systom t h a t is n eed ed
hero, as a t r u e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of t h e religion now ex is tin g .
I n t h e c o u n tr y in w h ic h y o u r la b o u r s a r a co n d u cte d , you.
a r e u n d o u b te d l y r i g h t iu a d o p t i n g as y o u r p latfo rm th e ex ­
po sitio n of t h a t f o r m a n d sy s te m of d o c tr in e which is i n d i ­
g en o u s to t h e ra c e a n d soil of In d i a . T h e te r m s you em ploy,
t h e n a m e s of t h e v a rio u s deities, principles a n d conditions,
etc., to w h ic h c o n ti n u a l a llu sio n is m ade, w h e th e r in th o
p a g e s of t h e T h eosophist o r iu y o u r o w n o ra l add resses, a ra
f a m il ia r to t h e m as s of y o u r O r i e n t a l r e a d e r s an d hearers.
B u t in th i s q u a r t e r of t h e w o rld , t h e y a r e m e a n in g le s s a n d
u n in te llig ib le sa v e to a fe w — a v ery few — s t u d e n t s of A siatic
li te r a tu re . M o s t of us, i a re a d i n g su c h ex p o sitio n s, s k i p th a
te r m s au d n a m e s u n f a m i l i a r to us, a n d lose, of course, n tte rly ,
th e force of t h e i r i n t e r p r e ta ti o n . N o t k now ing th e ir exo teric
a c c e p ta tio n , it is im possib le fo r us to a p p re c ia te th e d e m o n ­
s t r a ti o n of th e i r e so te ric value. A u d if t h i s -be th e case w ith
F e llo w s of t h e S ociety , i t is easy to j u d g e of th e in s u p e ra b le
difficulties w h ic h su ch re a d i n g m u s t p r e s e n t to th ose w ho aro
a l t o g e t h e r s t r a n g e r s to o u r sy s te m a n d design . I t is too
m u c h to a sk E n g li s h - s p e a k i n g people, w ith b u t little leisure,
to d e v o te tho necessary tim e , toil a n d tr o u b le to th e s t u d y
of a foreig n la n g u a g e a n d the olo gy , a s a p r e l im in a r y to th a
e x p la n a tio n of p ro b le m s w h ich a re rela ted to t h a t theology,
a n d w h ich d o n o t im m e d ia te ly involve o r co n c ern th e i r o w n ,
so f a r as th e y can see. M uch more, t h e m y s te rie s of ex is te n c e
w hich u n d e rlie all religious s tru c tu r e s , o u g h t to be e x p o u n d e d
in f a m ilia r te rm s, as well to O c cide nta l as to E a s te r n e n q u ir e rs ,
w i t h o u t need of re c o u r se to fo reig n e p it h e ts o r reference t a
processes w h ich , to th e W e s t e r n m in d , m u s t n e cess arily be sa
o b sc u r e a n d difficult of c o m p r e h e n s io n as to repel it fro m t h a
seriou s c o n sid e ra tio n s u c h m a t te r s d e m a n d . '
O r th o d o x C h r is ti a n it y , b o th in C a th o lic a n d in P r o t e s t a n t
co u n trie s, is l a n g u i s h i n g on a c c o u n t of a ra d ic a l d efect in it s
m e t h o d ,— to w it, th e e x o te ric an d histo ric al sense in w hich ,
exclu siv ely , i t s d o g m a s arO t a u g h t a n d enfo rced . It
Bliould be t h e t a s k of T h e o so p h y in th ese c o u n tries, t a
c o n v e r t t h e m a t e r i a li s ti c a u d , th erefore, id o la tro u s in t e r p r e ta ­
tio n of th o a n c e s t r a l f a i th a n d d o c tr in e in to a sp iritu a l on e,—■
to lift th e p lane of th e C h r is ti a n creed fro m th e ex o te ric to t h a
esoteric level, a n d t h u s , w i t h o u t to u c h i n g a sto n e o r dis­
p la c in g a b e a m of t h e holy city, to c a rr y it all u p in ta c t
from e a r t h to h eav en . S u c h a tr a n s m u t a ti o n , s u c h a tr a n s l a ­
tio n as th is, w o u ld a t once silence th e ob jections an d a c c u s a ­
tio n s now le g i ti m a t e ly a n d re a s o n a b ly b r o u g h t by t h i n k e r s ,
sch o lars a n d scie n tists a g a in s t ecclesiastical te a c h in g . F o r
it w o u ld li f t R elig io n in to its only p ro p e r sp h e re ; it w ou ld
e n f r a n c h is e th e c o n c e rn s a n d in t e re s t s of t h e soul from th a
b o n d a g e of t h e L e t t e r a n d t h e F o r m , of T im e a u d of C r i t i ­
cism , a n d t h u s fr o m t h e h a ra s s in g a n d alw ay s ineffectual e n ­
d e a v o u r to k e e p pace w ith th e flux a u d reflux o f m a te ria l
sp e cu latio n an d scientific discovery.
N o r is t h e task, t h u s pro posed, by a u y m e a n s a h a r d one.'
I t needs b u t to be d e m o n s tr a t e d , first, t h a t th e d o g m a s au d
c e n tra l figu res of C h r is ti a n it y a re id entical w ith th ose of all
o t h e r p a s t a n d p r e s e n t re ligiou s s y s te m s ,— a d e m o n s tr a t io n
alread y la r g e ly b e fo re th e w o rld ; n ex t, t h a t th ese d o g m as
b ein g m a n i fe s t ly u n t r u e a n d u n te n a b le in a m a te ria l sense,
a n d th es e fig u res clearly u u b is to ric a l, th e it tr u e plane is to ba
s o u g h t n o t w h e re h it h e r t o it h a s been th e e n d ea v o u r of t h a
C h u r c h to find t h e m — in th e se p u lc h re of tra dition , a m o n g
th e d r y bones of th o past, b u t r a t h e r in the liv in g a n d
i m m u t a b l e H e a v e n to w h ic h we, who t r u l y desire to find
‘ th e L o r d , ’ m u s t in h e a r t a n d m in d ascend.
11 W hy seek ye th e L iv in g am ong th e d ead ?
l i e is n o t here, H e is rise n ."
L a s tly , it sh o u ld be d e m o n s tr a t e d t h a t th e s e e v e n ts a n d
personages, h i t h e r t o w ro n g ly supposed to be pu re ly h isto rical,
a c c u ra te ly r e p r e s e n t tho processes a n d p rin cip les c o n c e rn e d
in in terio r developm ent, a n d re s p o n d p e rfectly to th e definite
a n d e te r n a l n ee d s of th e h u m a n ego. T h a t t h u s the In i ti a te
h a s no q u a r r e l w ith t h e t r u e C h ris tia n religion or w ith its
sy m b o lism , b u t o nly w i t h t h e c u r r e n t ortho do x in t e r p r e ta ­
tion of t h a t religio n a n d sym bo lism F o r he k no w s t h a t ifc
is in t h e n o u m e n a l a n d n o t in th e p h en om en a l w o rld , on th e
s p i r it u a l, n o t on th e m a t e r i a l p lan e t h a t he m u s t lo o k for
t h e w hole process of t h e F a ll, th e Exile, t h e Im m a c u la to
Conception, th e I n c a r n a ti o n , th e Pa ssio n , th e Crucifixion,
t h e R e s u r r e c ti o n , t h e A scension, a n d lh e Com ing of tha
H o ly S p i r i t A nd a n y m o de oE i n t e r p r e ta ti o n w h ic h im plies Now when he had ceased to spenk, he said to Simon : Launch
o th e r th a n this, is n o t celestial b u t te rren e, a n d du e to t h a t o ut into tho deep, and let down y o u r nets for a drau gh t.
in tru sio n of e a rt h ly e lem en ts in to th i n g s divine, tl ia t c o n v e r ­ And Simon answ ering, said to him : Master, we have laboured
sion of tho in n e r in to th e o u te r, t h a t m ate ria lisa tio n of tho all th e n ig ht, and have taken n o th in g : b ut at thy W ord I will
sp iritu a l, w hich c o n stitu te s id olatry. let down tho net. And when tbey had done this, they enclosed
a very g re a t m u ltitu d e of fishes, and their n e t broke. And
F o r, such of 11 s as k n o w a n d live th e i n n e r life, a r e saved, tliey beckoned to th eir partners thn t were in th e o th e r ship,
n o t by an y C ross on C a lv a ry eig h teen h u n d r e d y e a r s ago, n o t th a t th ey should come and help them . And they came aud filled
b y a n y physical blood-shedding, n o t by a n y vica rio u s passion both the ships, so t h a t th ey were alm ost sinking.
of te a r s a n d sc o u rg e a n d sp ea r ; b u t by th o Christ.-Josus, the W hich, when Simon P e te r saw, he fell down nt Jeetis’ knees,
G o d w ith in u s, th e Im m a n u e l of th e h e a rt, born nn d w o rk in g saying : D ep art from me, for I am il sinful man, O Lord.
m i g h t y w o rk s, an d offering oblation in o n r ow n lives, in o u r F o r he was wholly astonished, and all th nt were with him, nt
o w n perso ns, red eem in g ns fro m th e world a n d m a k i n g us the d ra u g h t of the fishes which they had taken.
son s of God, and heirs of e v e r l a s t in g life.* A nd so were also J a m e s and Joh n, th e sons of Zebedee, who
I t is because I e a rn e s tly d esire to re s c u e th e d iv i n e a n d were S im on’s partners.
lovely teaching s of C h ris ti a n it y fro m th e a b y ss of a n t h r o ­ . And Jes n s sait.h to Simon : F enr not : from henceforth thou
po m o rph ism , id o la tr y a n d c o n te m p t, t h a t I h av e d e p re c a te d shalt catch men.”— St. L uke, ch. v. (Doiiay Version) .
w ith fervo ur th e a p p a r e n t e n d o r s e m e n t g iv e n by t h t Theoso­
I n th is p a rab le, t h e C h r i s t s t a n d in g b y tho w ater-side is
p h is t to th e coarse a n d ig n o r a n t r i b a ld r y w ith w h ic h theso
t h c L ogos, th e W o r d of God, an d tlic lnko by w hich ho
teach ing s aro befouled b y snch w rit e rs ns th e a u t h o r s of
s t a n d s is th e P s y c h ic elem en t, tho s o u l of fhe Mncrocosrn
c e rt a in A n tie h r is t ia n li te r a tu r e . T h e se m e n are m a te ria lis ts of
a n d M icrocosm . ( G e n e s n r o t h ,— th e g a r d e n of G o d .) BeBidc
tho g ro s s e s t typ e, and th e i r in d e c e n t o n s l a u g h ts on C h ris tian
these s p i r i t u a l w a te r s t h e r e are tw o sh ip s, b n t they are
fa i th a n d d o c tr in e are w holly devoid of in te llig e n c e an d
e m p ty ; tlie ir o w n e rs h av e gone o nt of th e m a n d a re w ash ­
le a rn in g . T h ey a re i g n o r a n t o f th e very alphabet, of th e
ing t h e i r nets. T h e se e m p t y sh ip s aro the tw o a n c ie n t
sacred to n g u e in w hich aro w r it te n th o m y s te r i e s th ey per-
P a r e n t C h u rc h e s of E a s t n nd W e s t , th e A siatic nnd th e
sn m e to criticise a n d vilify. I t is no love fo r o rth o d o x y n o r
P a g a n . A t th e tim e of th e re - b irth of th e m y s te rie s u n d e r
desiro to sp a re i t t h a t calls f o r th fr o m m o th is p ro test.
th e C h ristian d isp e n satio n , both th eso C h u rc h e s w ere barren
B ig o try a u d religious exclusivism a re in to le ra b le to m e ; such
a n d v acated , th e life an d v ital p o w e r w hich once th u n d e r e d
m o v e m e n ts a n d d e m o n s tra tio n s as t h a t afforded by the S a lv a ­
from th o i r S in a is a n d O ly m p u s e s w ere d e a d a n d go ne o n t
tion A r m y , aro to me th e v e ry type of th o a b o m i n a ti o n t h a t
of th e m , tho g lo r y of th e i r a n c ie n t oracles and h ie r a rc h ie s
n ia k e th desolato. B u t i t is in c o n s is t e n t w ith th e w hole en d
was 110 m ore, th e n e ts w ith w hich th e y once h ad c a u g h t th e
a n d a im of T h e o so p h y — th e science of th c D iv in e — t h a t it
O nosis an d s p i r it u a l g ra ces needed c lea nsin g and re n o v a tio n ;
sh o u ld lend its c o u n te n a n c e to t h e d e se c ra tio n of D ivine
th e v iv ify in g s p i r it s o r a n g e ls w h ic h had a n im a te d th ese
th i n g s , a nd to th e d isse m in atio n of s h a llo w w ittic is m s a n d
tw o C h u rc h e s h a d fo rsa k e n th e i r sh rin e s.
flip p an t s u g g e s tio n s b o rd e r in g on th e obscene. M a n y of tho
moil who p e rp e t ra t e these a t t a c k s on th e C h ris tia n m y s ­ A n d t h c C h r is t, th e W o r d , entered in to o ne of th e m ,
teries, a re u p h o ld e r s of th e worst c ru e ltie s of m a t e r i a li s m ; w hich w a s T e t c r ’s, a n d d e s ire d him to t h r u s t o u t a little from
tho special o rg an of th e i r school a d v o c a te s v ivisec tion nnd tho land. T h e sh ip in to w hich th e C h r is ti a n L ogos t h u s
‘ M a lth u s ia n is m ,’ a n d p leads th e low est u tilitie s a n d th e e n te r e d a t its o u t s e t was u n d o u b te d l y th e l ’a g a n C lin rc h
m o s t sen su al o n jo y m e n ts ns a sufficient v in dic ation of p ra c tic e s w h ic h h a d its h o a d - q u a r tc r s a t R o m e . I t can be proved
a lik e r e p u g n a n t to ju s tic e , to m o r a li ty an d to t h e h ig h e s t fr o m m o n u m e n t a l e vid enc o an d from t h e w r it in g s of th e
in t e r e s t s of th e race. Burely o u r S o c ie ty w o u ld wish its fair F a t h e r s — {seo ,in ter a lia , M o nw m entalG hristianitij, by P r e s b y t e r
fam e oleared of th e suspicion of a p p r o v i n g su c h view s of L u n d y ,) t h a t th e new f a i t h , whose e p ip h a n y m u s t have been
M a n ’s destin y a n d place in N a t u r e as these te a c h in g s im ply . a t A le x a n d ria , a d o p te d from it s e a rlie s t ngo t h e sym bols,
t h e rite s nnd th c cerem onials of tb e e x p ir in g F n g a n systeni,
C onfident as I a m t h a t th e id ea, I have t h u s v e n tu r e d
in c o r p o ra tin g th o m in to i t s own m y s te rie s , en d o w in g th em
to p u t forw ard, of tho a t t i t u d e w h ic h o n r Society
w ith n e w v it a li ty , nnd t h u s p e r p e t u a t i n g a n d p re s e rv in g
o u g h t to t a k e in resp ec t of C h r is ti a n d o c tr in e , will th e m a lm o s t i n t a c t to o u r ow n tim es.
m o ot w ith th e a p p r o b a t io n of th o s e h ig h e s t in a u th o r ity
a m o n g you, I v e n tu r e to add a few w o rd s on a k in d r e d P e t e r is t h e u n iv e r s a lly acc epted re p r e s e n ta t iv e of thc
s u b j e c t affec ting th e d ire ctio n to be ta k e n , in th is c o u n tr y G e n iu s of R o m e . P e t e r ’s S h ip is th e li o m a n C h u rc h of
a b o v e nil, in reg ard to w h a t I m ay fa irly call th e T h e o so p h i­ t h i s day, even as t h e s h i p of J a n u s w as in p r e - C h r is t ia n
cal creed. T h a t creed shou ld be essen tially sp ir itu a l, a n d all tim es th e a p p r o p r ia t e sy m b o l of P a g a n Rome. P e t e r is th e
its a rtic le s sh o u ld relate to in t e r i o r condition's, p rinc iple s op en er a n d s h u t t e r of th e g a te s of th o C h u rc h , even as J a n u s
a n d processes. I t sh o u ld bo based n p o n e x p e r i m e n t a l k n o w ­ w as of t h e p o rta ls of henven. I t is, th e r e fo re , in fo th i s
ledge, n o t on a u t h o r i t y , and its c e n tr a l figures sh o u ld be P n g a n C h u r c h of H om e t h n t th e L ogos en te rs, a n d p r a y s
a t t r i b u t e s , q u a litie s a nd sa c r a m e n ts , ( m y s te r ie s ) — n o t p erson s its g e n i u s to t h r u s t Out a lit.tlc fr o m th e land . N o w in
n o r ev en ts, how ever g r e a t o r r e m a r k a b l e . F o r persons n nd sacred a lle g o ry , fhe 1 l a n d ’ or e a rt h is alw ays a figure for
e v e n ts belong to T im e a n d to th e p h e n o m e n a l, w hile p rin c i­ t h e bodily elem en t, as o p p o sed to w ater, o r t h e soul. I t
ples a n d processes a re e te r n a l a n d n o u m e n a l . T h c h istorical r e p r e s e n ts m a t t e r , a n d m a te ria l plan e a n d affinities.
m e t h o d has been th e bane of th e C h u ru h es. L e t T heoso ph y W e see th e n t h a t th e W o rd , or ‘ C h rist/ d e m a n d e d in th is
a n d T h e o so p h is ts r e m e m b e r t h n t h is to ry a n d in d iv id u a l e n ­ f i r s t age of th c C h r i s t i a n d ispen satio n th e p a r t i a l sp iritu a li-
tities m u s t bo ev er re g a r d e d by th e m as c o n s t i t u t i n g th o sntion of tho e x is tin g C h u r c h , — d e m a n d e d th c basis of
a c c id c n ta l a n d n o t th e essential e le m e n t in a sy s te m w hich doctr ine and d o g m a to be shifted fro m t h c m e r e d r y e a r t h y
a im s a t re p a i r i n g th e e rro rs of th e th e o lo g ia n s by r e c o n s t i t u t ­ b o tto m of m a te ria lis m a n d h e ro - w o rs h ip on w h ic h i t had
ing th e m y s te rie s o n a scientific a n d i n t e l l i g e n t basis. becomo s t r a n d e d , to th o m o re a p p r o p r i a t e e le m e n t of eth ical
Suffer m e, in c on clusio n, to e x p o u n d fo r y o u r r e a d e r s ’ relig ion , th c pro v in c e of so u l,— n o t y e t h o w e v e r fa r rem oved
m e d ita tio n a c e rta in p a s s a g e in th e C h r is ti a n E v a n g e l which fro m tho s h a llo w s of li te r a lis m nnd dogm a. T h i s done, the
h a s h it h e r t o been s u p p o s ed to bear a m e a n i n g pu rely c i r c u m ­ w o rd a b id e s o n th c r e n o v a t e d C h u rc h a n d , for a time,
s t a n ti a l, but. w hich, in th o light of ih e i n t e r p r e t a t i v e m eth o d , tc a c h e s th e peo ple fro m its m id st.
a p p e a r s to enrry a signification closely r e l a te d to th e w o rk T h e n comcs th e a g e w h ic h is now np on us, th c age in w hich
w h ic h I t r u s t to sec in a u g u r a te d , u n d e r th e auspices of a tr u ly
th o L ogos ceases to s p eak i;i the C hristian C h u rc h ; a n d fhe
C a th o lic T b eosop hy :—
in j u n c ti o n is g iv e n to t h e A n gel of th e C h u r c h ;— L a u n c h
“ A nd it cnme to pass th a t ns th e m ultitudes pressed upon him Out into t h e d e e p a n d le t down y o u r n et for a d r a u g h t .
to henr th e Word of God, be stood by the lake of G enesareth. Q u it Hie v e ry sh o r e s a n d consts of m a te ria lism , g iv e n p th e
A nd eaw two ships stand ing by fhe lake : b ut the fishermen accessories a t h u m a n tr a d it io n w hich, in this e r a of science,
were gone out of them , and wero washing th eir nets. a r e b o th a p t to offend, a n d so to n a r r o w y o n r ho riz o n as to
And going into one of tho ships, th a t was Sim on’s, he desired • p re v e n t y o u fr o m re a p i n g y o u r d uo h a r v e s t o f t r u t h ;
him to draw back a little from the land. And s i tt in g ,h e ta u g h t
a b a n d o n all ap p eals to m ere historical exegesis, a n d lau n c h
tho m u ltitu d es o ut of the ship. .
o u t into , th e d eep of a p u re ly sp iritu a l an d m e ta p h y sic a l
e le m e n t. R e c o g n ise this, a n d th is alon e h e n c e f o r w a r d , as th e
* See The Perfect Way, p. 117, ' Tho Atonement.’ t r u e n nd p r o p e r s p h e r e of th o C liurcli,
 A n d tho A p o stle of th e C h u r c h a n s w e rs , “ M a s te r , nil T h e a t t e m p t to r e p l a c e H i n d u i s m by C h r i s t i a n i t y t h e r o
t h r o n g h th e d a r k ages, tho mediucval tim e s in w h ic h s u p e r ­ h a s failed. S i m il a r l y , a n a t t e m p t to re p lace C h r i s t i a n i t y by
s t i t i o n und s a c e r d o ta lism r e ig n e d s u p r e m e a n d u n q u e s tio n e d , B u d d h i s m h e ro m u s t fail also.
— t h o n i g h t o f C h r is te n d o m ,— we toiled in v ain ; th e C h u rc h F o r tho T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty to succeed h ere, th e r e fo re ,
a c q u ir e d 110 real lig h t, sh e g a in e d n o solid t r u t h o r liv in g it m u s t r e c o g n is e tho C h r i s t i a n fo r m s of T h eosophy, a n d
k n o w le d g e . B u t n o w , a t last, a t t h y w o rd , s h e s h a ll e n c o u r a g e t h e s t u d y of th ese , as w ell as th ose of th e O r i e n t
la u n c h o u t into tho D ee p of T h o u g h t , a n d le t d o w n h e r n e t — a n d to t h i s e n d , all a p p e a r a n c e of r i v a l r y a n d a n ta g o n i s m
tor a d r a u g h t . ” • 1 m u s t be c a r e f u l l y e x c lu d e d fr o m th e S o c ie ty ’s p u b lic a tio n s
a n d p r o g r a m m e s g e n e r a l ly .
A u d a m i g h t y success is p r o p h e s i e d to follow th i s chn ng e
in th e m e th o d and sy s tem o f relig io u s d o c tr in e . T h e n e t o f tho I n o r d e r fo r T h e o s o p h y to su ccced in F r a n c e its m e m b e r s
C h u r c h encloses a v a s t m u l t i t u d e of m y stio t r u t h a n d m u s t b e fr e e b o th to se e k f o r t r u t h in all q u e stio n s, a n d to
k n o w l e d g e , —m o re oven th a n a sin g le C h u r c h is c o m p e t e n t to s u b m i t it to th o te s t of in t e l l i g e n t c ritic ism . W o c a n n o t
ileal with ; th e i r n u m b e r a n d im p o r t a n c e are su c h t h a t tho a c c e p t a n y t h i n g on “ a u t h o r i t y . ”
A postles or H ie r a r c h s of th e C h ris tia n C h u r c h find t h e m ­ A l r e a d y lias one go od r e s u l t of y o u r w o r k b e e n to r e h a b i ­
selves well n i g h o v e rw h e lm e d by t h e w ea lth of th e t r e a s u r y lita te B u d d h i s m in t h e e steem of th e W e s t e r n w o rld . T h is is
th e y h ave laid o p e n .T h e y call in th e aid of th e a n c i e n t o rie n ta l b eca n se y o u h a v e sh o w n t h a t b e n e a t h th o a p p a r e n t l y m a t e ­
C h u r c h , w ith its A ngels, to b e a r a n e q u al h a n d in th e la b o u rs rial fo r m s, t h e r e lies a sa c r c d sy s tem of t h o u g h t . T h o
of s p i r i t u a li s a t io n , th e diffusion of t r u t h , t h e p ro p a g a n d a of a p p lic a tio n of th e s a m e m e t h o d of a n a ly s is a n d i n t e r p r e t a ­
th e divino Gnosis and th e t r i u m p h s of e so te ric R e lig io n . tion to C h r i s t i a n fo r m s w ill h a v e th e saino r e s u l t in r e g a r d
H e n c e f o r t h th e toilers in tho tw o C h u rc h e s of E a s t an d W e s t to C h r is ti a n it y . W h e n lik e y o u in tlic E a s t wo s h a ll g e t
a re p a rtn e rs ; tho V e d a s a n d th e T r i p c t i k a find t h e i r i n t e r p r e ­ rid of all i n c r u s ta t io n s a n d p e rv e rsio n s , a n d so shall bo in a
tatio n in th e same la n g u a g e , a^ d by t h e s a m e m e t h o d as th e p o sition to c o m p a r e a n d p ro v e th e s u b s ta n ti a l i d e n t it y of
C hristian E v a n g e l, C h ris h n a, B u d d h a a n d C h r is t a r e united, th e tw o sy s tem s , a co u rs e m o re t h a n a n y o th e r c a lc u la te d
an d a t r u e B ro th e r h o o d — a t r u e E irenicon is p r e a c h e d to m en. to p ro c r e a te a firm b o n d of B r o th e r h o o d .
F r o m t h a t day forth , ‘ th e C h u rch C a th o lic and C h ris tia n
need have no fear, fo r she shall in deed , c a t c h m e n . ’ B y t h u s a c t i n g w c sh o u ld r e a p th e success d e n ie d to th e
A n d so, suffer me to re m a in , . “ M issio n arie s.” F o r w e s h o u ld be w o r k i n g o n a m e t h o d
infinitely s u r p a s s i n g th e i r s , in c h a r i ty , in in te llig e n c e a n d
F r a t e r n a l l y yo u rs, in k n o w le d g e . .
A T oiler in the S h ip o f P eter,
I f on ly y o u c a n acq uiesce in, a n d a c t oil th ese su g g e s tio n s ,
and ' w h ic h a f t e r all a r e in s t r i c t acc o rd a n c e w ith , a n d c o n fo r m ity
P resid en t o f the B ritis h Theosophical S o c ie ty . to, y o u r P r o g r a m m e , y o u w o u ld en a b le us to p r e s e n t o ur
S o ciety to t h e w o rld as b e n t n o t on d e s t r o y in g a n y p a r t i ­
L ondon L od u k , } c u la r fo r m of re lig io n , b u t as i n t e r p r e t i n g all relig ion s, I
October 31 1683. J believe we m a y a n t i c ip a t e r e s u l t s of inca lcu lable m a g n i tu d e .
If, on t h e c o n t r a r y , w e r e m a i n fixed to a n a rr o w a n d exclusive
p r o g r a m m e , w e s h a ll n o t o n ly fail o u rs e lv e s, b u t m i n is te r
M a j o r - G e n e r a l H . R . M o r g a n , P r e s i d e n t of t h e T o d a b e t t a to t h e success of o th e r s .
T h eosop hica l S o ciety, O o ta c a m u n d , th e n k i n d l y u n d e r t o o k 1 h a v e t h e h o n o u r to re m a in , D e a r M a d a m e ,
to re a d th e a d d r e s s of one of o u r P aris Societies :
S i n c c r e ly y o u rs ,
F rom t h e C ountess M arie C a ithness, :
' M arie C a ithness,
P r e s , o f the S ocitte T heosophique d' O rient at d ’O c c id e n t;
D uchesse de P o m ar.
T o H . P . B lavatsky,
, Corr. S ecreta ry o f the P a re n t T heosophical Society.
A f t e r w h ic h M a j o r G e n e r a l M o r g a n d e liv ere d , on b e h a lf
51, H ue de l ’U n i v e r s e t e ,
of h im s e lf a n d h is B r a n c h a t O o ta c a m u n d , t h e follo w in g
P a r is , 1 9 ^ / i N o vem b er 1883.
a d d r e s s :—
B eau M adame and S ister, Aa th o D eleg ate of th e T o d a b e tta T heosophical S o ciety , i t ia
m y p leasin g duty to c o n g ra tu la te th e F o u n d e rs of th e P a r e n t
L i view of th e c o m in g co n fe re n c e of t h e T h co so p h ica l S ociety on th o g re u t accession to th e ir n um bers th e y h av e la te ly
S ociety a t M a d r a s , I d esire to p lace befo re i t s le a d e rs somo rccuived, und o u r B ra n c h t i u s t s th a t th e re is a m agnificent f u tu re in
t h o u g h t s w h ic h h a v e b een forcibly im p re s s e d on m y m i n d s to r e fo r th e S ociety. Tho m o tto of th e S ociety being, “ T h e re is no
ri-L'avdino- th e position a n d actio n of o u r S o c ie ty in th is p a r t ltuligion h ig h e r th a n T r u th ,” I would e a rn e s tly com m end i t to th o
a tte n tio n of all T h eo so p h ists an d to thoso in q u irin g re g a rd in g T heosophy.
of th e w o r l d ; a n d w h ie h , I find a r e s h a r e d by m y f r ie n d s I h ave w a tc h e d fo r a n u m b e r of yeurs th e sp re a d of T r u th in In d ia ,
a n d colleagues, M rs. K i n g s f o r d a n d M r . M a i tl a n d , t h e P r e s i ­ an d I re g re t to say, so f a r as I ca u learu , it is in lin ite ssiin a l. A n im a t
d e n t a n d V i c e - P r e s id e n t of t h e L o n d o n L o d g e T h c o so p h ic a l a d d re ss e s h av o beon d eliv e re d by th o lead in g m em b ers of so ciety
both a t th e S e n a te H o u se a u d P a tc h e a p p a h ’s H all, an d th ese, tho u g h
Society. voluminouH, do n o t dw ell upon Truth,—w hich should be th e beg in n in g ,
In all th e jo i n t id eas a n d view s of th es e o u r B r e t h r e n i a middle a n d end of ev ery e x h o r ta tio n —au d tho m o lto o i'o u r Society,
E n g l a n d I fu lly co ncu r, k n o w in g , as I h a v e d o n e fr o m th e fu lly b e a rs me o ut iu th is.
tirst th e n a t u r e a n d source of t h e i r Mission, a n d it is b e c a u se
1 know t h a t tlieir w o r k will be c a r r ie d to co m pletion,
w h e t h e r alon e o r iu con jun ct ion w i t h th e T h c o so p h ic a l M r . S o u n b r a P o u l l k , D e le g a te from , a n d P r e s i d e n t of tho
Society a n d t h a t it is e ss e n tia lly on e w ith t h a t of th e P o n d i c h e r r y B r a n c h , d e liv e re d iu F r e n c h a n a d d re s s w h ic h
T heo sop hica l Society. E s p ecia lly as f o r m u la t e d m tho will be t r a n s l a t e d a n d g iv e n in the se p a ra te p a m p h l e t of th e
rev ised ru les of t h e L o n d o n L od ge, t l i a t 1 d e sire to c om b in e A n n u a l R e p o r t. T h is g e n t l e m a n w a s co v ere d w i t h g o ld
the a im s a n d fo rces of b o th m o v e m e n ts , t h e i r special one ill m e d a ls of h o n o u r, a n d h e ld in h is h a n d the g o ld e n c an e, g iv e n
w liich 1 ta k e a perso n a l in te re s t, a n d t h a t of th e T h e o s o p h i­ to h im a n d h is f a m il y b y tho F r e n c h G o v e r n m e n t f o r v a r i ­
cal Society. ou s services r e n d e r e d by t h e m to tlic S ta t e . I h o b i o g r a p h y
W ith union b oth m a y succeed. W ith antagon ism one of th is, o u r B r o t h e r , is g iv e n in t h e O c to b e r N o. 1883.
m u s t fail. T h e acceptance of tlie idea in m y m ind, w ill a t
least p rev e n t th e rise of w h a t m ig h t b eco m e an opposition t o
P u n d i t P r a n N a t h , D e le g a t e a n d P r e s i d e n t of t h e S a ty a
the T heosophical S ociety , a n d th a t a form idable one.
M a r g a L u c k n o w T h eo so p h ic a l Society, n e x t r e a d th e fo llo w in g
In d e e d , it is essen tial to t h e success of th e T h c o so p h ic a l a d d re s s :—
m o v e m e n t in a p a r t of t h e w o rld , a l r e a d y p re-o eeu p ied w ith ,
M b . C iia iiim a n a n d G e n t l k m k n , — W e, th e M em bers of th e L uckuow
an d c o m m itte d to C h r is ti a n id eas, t h a t t h e p la t f o r m a d o p te d S a ty a M a rg a T h eo so p h ical S o ciety , h av e s e n t I’u n d it P r a u N a th — onr
he h a rm o n io u s to th o s e ideas. Y o u r o w n c xp erien co m P re s id e n t— to r e p re s e n t us a t th o c e le b ra tio n of tho E ig h th A im iv e rta ry
In d ia -will h a v e sh o w n _ y o u . tjie im p o ssib ility of effacing of th e P a r e n t S o ciety . I t is tho cu sto m on a ll such occasions
tr a d itio n a l a n d i n d i g e n o u s id eas, a u d r e p l a c i n g t h e m by nc\T for each H ran ch to say w h a t it has effected d a r in g th e y cu r, w h a t it is
o ccu p ied w ith a t p re se n t, a u d w h a t it hopes to do in th e fu tu re . T h is
au d fo reig n Dues,- -■■ ■ -
 courBe 1*8 useful, au d p e rh a p s n e c e ssa ry , in bo f a r aa i t en a b le s each T h e T r e a s u r e r ' s A n n u a l R e p o r t w aa th e n r e a d by
B ran ch to co m p are u o tes w ith th e o th e r B ran ch es of th e S o ciety , nnd M r . D . K . M a v a l a n k a r , R e c o r d in g S e c r e t a r y , a n d re fo rrc d
afc th e sam e tim o to p re se rv e a k in d of re c o rd w h ich is also a to B ab u N o r e n d r o N a t h S e n a n d M r . R a m a s w a in i e r for
pro m ise. •
a u d i t :—
In o n r S aty a M arg a B ra n c h , w c a r e h a p p y to s ta te , e v e ry ono of u s
w ishes to bo good, an d to do good. How f a r in each caso th e w ish loads COCOO O tD OO ©O
to th o deed wo m ay n o t y e t d e te rm in e . W e a re aw are th a t th e w ay “ Tf Tfi“o—
to a c e rta in su lp h u ro u s abode is p aved w ith good in te n tio n s. B u t
th o u g h we a re conscious of h a v in g failed to so a r to tho h e ig h ts w here 00 N » f t'
l>COW O <X>»
o n r good in te n tio n s w ould h ave fain led ns, still w e c a n n o t say t h a t wo O Pi a
Ph r-TCO lO < Z
h av e failed pignally. T h a t failu re, how ever p arad o x ical it m ay Beem,
M^
lias com o to us alm o st like a su ccess. W e w ish e d to tr y , an d wo
o5 «8
w e re d e te rm in e d to try , to be a c tiv e ly good, an d n o t m e re p assiv ely <1
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v irtu o u s . In a w ord, wc w ere resolved to h e lp o u r fellow -m en in the c 3
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c o u rse o f life, p ointed out by the le a d e rs of th e T heosophical S ociety. (X >
W e n eed n o t detail all our p lane h ere. M a n y of th e m , p erh ap p , w ero es «$ <
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ch im erical; and a few m ore w ero found u n w o rk a b le .
I f wo had lost h e a rt, th e n , w e sh o u ld n e v e r h a v e e x tra c te d o u t of our M
f a ilu re s th a t snccoss to w h ich w e h av e a lre a d y allu d ed . We, a t la s t, a^ .P5
uu d erto o k to do th o se th in g s o n ly , w hich wo could do w ell. W e in a u g u ­ : p ps H <*
ra te d a sy stem of le c tu rin g in d iffe re n t p a r ts o f L u ck n o w , le c tu rin g • £ P-* .Q
both in tlie U rd u and E n g lish languagcB. S om e of ub w ro te o rig in a l ° Bjt CO
artic le s on T heosophy, o r tr a n s la te d sn ch a rtic lo s fro m T heosophical O<U
w o rk s a s would re a d ily recom m oud th e m s e lv e s to th e p o p u la r m ind. Q
T hese artic le s ap p eared iu one o r m ore v e rn a c u la r journalB . T h e re s u lt W
w as th a t T heo so p h y b eg a n to be ta lk e d a b o u t an d in q u ire d in to . T h is 0) n.
m
w as ati im p o rta n t an d a fru itfu l ste p , a s w e su b s e q u e n tly fo n n d to ou r
in te n se g ra tific a tio n . A n d t h a t wo had reaso n f o r s e lf-c o n g ra tn la tio n «
will be e v id e n t w hen we say th a t m oro th a n tw elv e th o u sa n d ru p e e s 0 3 S » :
liavo been su b scrib ed , w ith in a few m o n th s, fo r a n A n g lo -S an p k rit H
hH
C o llege. B a t w e a re n o t g o ing to r e s t on o n r o ars h e re , fo r w e believe P « * i j Jj
we sh a ll be ab le to o b tain a lac m oro. T h is is b u t tho b eg in n in g . Wo JZ5 • feO to
W • R P O
tru s t, iu a few m o n th s, to e s ta b lis h S n n d ay S chools. W e h av e a lre a d y , Pu sa %
th a n k s to th e g e n e ro sity o f o u r P resident* se cu re d a v e rn a c u la r M Jw
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jo u rn a l to bo alm o st ex clu siv ely d e v o te d to T h eo so p h ical p u rp o ses. «
t ^ .2
A ud we h av e a few o th e r th in g s in h and, w h ich we n eed n o t nam e till we *3 : o b i CD *
h av e ca rrie d th o m o a t w ell. W e confesB w e h ave n o t done m u ch ; bub ov. • 2 "5 *o
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wo will n o t p u t fo rth a n y ex cu ses e x c e p t th a t wo a re now to o n r w ork. ■ri C< ^
B u t wo can n o t fo rg o t, an d , in d eed , are p roud to ow n, th a t in a ll th a t wo bo o . $ » PS . T3
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h a v e dono, wo h av e found in onr P re s id e n t an d S e o rc ta ry th e fo rem o st ■S. 8 5
a n d b e s t w o rk ers. We th in k it would n o t be c u t of p la c e fo r us to s ta te ■-0 O -S 3 3 -g ‘
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here, th a t we h av e d iv id ed th e w o rk am o n g onrselveB , so th a t a t each *x' I
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m e e tin g e v e ry m e m b e r h a s to r e p o rt to th e B ra n c h w h a t he h as d o n e in S ■“ o. oS « 'C ®
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I. T he e s ta b lish m e n t of an A n g lo -S a n sk rit C ollege. O OTH J H
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II. L e c tu rin g to th o L ucknow public on T h eosophy. •
III. T ra n s la tin g T heosophical p u b licatio n s in to U rd u .
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IV . W ritin g o rig in a l artic le s on T heosophy. (M *0
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V. T ourin g (in tlie n e ig h b o u rin g d is tric ts) on T h eo so p h ical w o rk 1 m g
V I. T ho p rn ctico of c u ra tiv e M esm erism . H O
V II. S tu d y of S a n sk rit. w «
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honored an d beloved M adam e B lav a tsk y , w e t u r n , an d beg y o u r blosBings. t,
You, Colotiol O lco tt, w hen you, a few m o n th s ago, h o n o red L ucknow w ith
y o u r proRcuco, filled th e S a ty a M arga B ra n c h w ith h e a rt an d hope for rt « ’"O ; n a
fre s h w ork. Y ou m ay d ep en d upon it t h a t a ll y o u r v alu ab le su g g estio n s : «f3 £tnA
h av e been d eep ly considered, in w ard ly d ig e s te d , an d will be acted upou. ce d
It. has o ften been said th a t th e o b jects of tho T heosophical S ociety a re a - ^
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shade too v ag u e, d re a m y a u d im p ra c tic a b le . T h at m ay be so to thoso : cs d i - u
who only ex am in e th in g s on th e su rfa c e . B u t to us, on whom tho :
p a M -
lig h t is b e g in n in g to d aw n, T heosophy is so m e th in g in te n se ly , alm o st bD
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p ain fu lly , re a listic . F o r ex am p le, to bo good is easy cnongh, and th e re ’5 ^_
a re m ore good m en, in th e o rd in a ry sonse of th e w ord, in th e w orld . a> -S
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th a n tho w orld ca re s to ow n. B u t to be a c tiv e ly good, to s e t th e a • a g a?
in te re s ts of one’s se lf aside, in o rd er to esp o u se th o se of poor, afilicted he 91 t>
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a n d ig n o ra n t h u m a n ity th a t, in re a lity , is the t e s t in T h eo so p h y , an d
w e h av e b u t j u s t begun to fa in tly realise it. H ith e r to , tho q uestion E : mo
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w ith u s w as, “ W h at sh all I g ain by jo in in g y o u r B o rth erh o o d ?
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sh a ll I becom o an a d e p t like thoso you d e s c rib e P” M ay those ffl ®^? o
G ro a t O nes p ard o n th e p ro fa n ity , fo r wo now see o u r e rro r ! And th is ot
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is w hy, wo boliovo, it is d ifficult to m ak e th e m a jo rity of m a n k in d real P* « »D H. 5C. • ■-*» iS ^
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n fam ous t y r a n t who w as o rd ere d by a n oracle to th ro w th o th in g he o ® 05 w •° 0 - tn «4_. ©
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m o st valu ed in to th o soa, if ho w ishod to save hiniBolf. W e m ay w ell H o bn” - a ■.ti p M
a Q. c5
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fo tre a d th e “ p a th ” b e tte r th a n we havo tro d it before, an d th a t w e m ay •s io ra e3 Z.' E •w %>
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only, m re tu rn , givo th e m o u r w orship. To q u o te th e lines o f S helley
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 M ' \ II. C. N ib le tt, D e le g a to a n d P r e s i d o n t of th e P r a y a g
P.sychio T h e o so p h ic a l Society, a d d r e s s e d as follow s :—
.Mu. P hksidknt and 11k eth ren ,— I co n sid er it th o h ig h e s t honor to
r e p re s e n t tho P ra y a g P sy ch ic T h eo so p h ical S ociety as its d e le g a te ,
an h onor tho m oro p le a su ra b le in th a t it fu lly show s th e b ro th e rly
fe e lin g of tho H indus to w ard s tho fo re ig n e rs now resid in g in th o ir
m id st— a b ro th e rly feelin g w h ich, I am so rry to say, is n o t show n by
C h r is tia n s to w ard s one a n o th e r. W ith th is little ad d itio u I sh a ll
now r e a d tho addreaa w ith w hich I h av e b e e n e n tr u s te d :—
This* B ran ch S o ciety w as o rig in a lly fo rm ed on th e Gth N o v em b er
1881 u n d e r th e d esig n atio n of tho P ra y a g T hoosophujal Socioty, b ut
th is d e s ig n a tio n w as changed into th e nam e, u n d e r w hich it now goes,
on th e 8t'h of N ovem ber 1882.
Thin B ranch S o ciety wan o p en ed w ith only e ig h t F ellow s, an d now in
th is sh o rt period of tw o y e a rs it hns v a s tly a u g m e n te d in n u m b er.
S ince its e sta b lis h m e n t it Las b een tw ieo v isited by th o P rc sid o n t-F o u n -
d er, an d once by o u r re sp e c te d M adam o B la v a ts k y .
A t th c la s t a n n iv o rsa ry m e e tin g it w as said tlm t th is B ran ch ‘ havo
b een tr y in g m esm e ric h e« lin g e x p e rim e n t w ith su ccess beyond o u r e x ­
p e c ta tio n / b u t d u rin g th e last y e a r g r e a te r su c cess h as a tte n d e d m e s­
m eric c u re s. A n old g e n tle m a n w ho h a d th e p a ra ly sis of tho le ft
h an d has been w o n d erfu lly b en efited , so th a t w h o re he could n o t use
tlia t luiud he has now th e free use of it. M any o th e r cases h av e b e e n
c u red hy m esm e rism , am i, am o n g theso, m a n y cases of fe v e r h av e g iven
w ay, sim p ly by ty in g round th e neck of th o p a tie n t m esm erised
charm s, g iv en by one of o n r F ellow s.
A t th o la s t v isit of th c P re a id c n t-F o u n d e r a m p le e x p la n a tio n a n d
in stru c tio n in re g a rd to m esm e ric cu re s w ore g iv en . A special S u b ­
c o m m itte e has now been fo rm ed , w here t h e g re a te r p a r t of o n r F ellow s
a rc p ra c tic a lly lo u rn iu g tlie science, an d th c B ran ch hopes t h a t in tim e
tlie Follow s w ill becom e a real b lessin g to o n r c ity . Soioe of our
m ore ex p erien ced F ello w s in m esm e rism lm ve ta k e n up ch ro n ic cases
of lits, rh e u m a tism , d y sp e p sia w ith p a in fu l tits, d eafn ess and
o th e r d iseases of a liko n a tu re . Som o of th e s e havo b een c u re d ; o th e rs
a r e in a fa ir w ay to w ard s euro. Mesmeri&ed oil a n d w a te r h av e also
done som a good, an d in a ea*o of u sth m a , m esm e rised w a te r used
for 14 d ay s lias dono ft d e a l of good, an d it is ex peeled an d hoped
th u t in a n o th o r f o rtn ig h t’* tim e it will effect a p e rfe c t cu re.
Somo of th c Follow s who havo been su c cessfu l w ith m e sm e ric c u ro a
a re on th o e^o of op in in g a M esm eric H o s p ita l as soon aw a c o n v e n ie n t
and c e n tra l place is o b tain ed . A n in s titu tio n of th is kind is m ncli
needed.
A su b scrip tio n list w as o p ened a t th c la s t v is it of o n r P rc sid c u t-
F o n n d cr for th e e sta b lis h m e n t of a S a n s k rit school. A large su b s c rip ­
tion was o b tain ed tlie sa m e ev en in g , an d th o a m o u n t is d a ily b e in g
a u g m e n te d . I t is hoped th a t th e re q u ire d a m o u n t will bo soon m ade
up.
T he P re sid e n t of th is B ra n c h h ad beon en g ag ed som e lim o
iu tra n s la tin g fo r p u b licatio n , in a book form , an a b s tra c t of tlio
O ccult T each in g s, aa given o u t by th e P a r o n t S o ciety iu th e d iffe re n t
p u b lieatio u s. T he tra n sla tio n is now co m p lete. I t is iu th e vernacu-
lu r of th e N . W. P ro v in c e s— th e U rd u lan g u ag e.
T hc P re sid e n t of th is B ranch h as also p re p a re d a p a m p h le t in H in d i
c h a ra c te rs fo r fice d is trib u tio n a m o n g 'th e M agh M ela b ro th e rs , w hich
M ela w ill la k e place a b o u t th o m iddle of Ja n u a ry n o x t. T his p a m ­
p h let co n tain s a sh o rt ad d re ss callin g upon th e re n d e rs to stu d y t h e ir
relig io n s philosophy* n o t to read th e ir religious w o rk s acco rd in g to th o
Literal m ean in g .of th e w ords, but to se a rc h for th o ir h id d en or s p iri.
tu a l m ean in g , fo r in th em will bo found th e tr u e so u rce of life, an d also
tellin*' th em th a t th o s ta te m e n t of in te re s te d p r ie s ts t h a t th o M ah atm as
do not e x ist in th is K aliy u g a is n o t tr u e — L int th e M a h atm as do e x is t—
th a t it is only th e bad K arm a of th e people th a t keeps th em aw ay acro ss
th e H im a v a t; and th a t onr P re sid e n t-F o u n d e r an d M adam o B lav a tsk y aro
w o rk in g u n d e r th e o rd e rs of tho M a h atm as fo r th o good of th e n atio n ,
and of all m an k in d . I t is to be hoped th a t th is sm all p u b lic a tio n ,
w h ich will bo c a rrie d to all p a rts of In d ia , will do a g ro a t d eal of good.
Tho g e n eral public of A lla h a b a d a r e now c o m in g to know th a t th e
S ociety is n o t sectarian , b u t th a t it is based upon th e p la tfo rm of U n i­
v ersal b ro th erh o o d , and th e false rn m o u r th a t th e T h eo so p h ical S ociety
w as a n a p o s ta tiz in g body p re a c h in g a s tra n g o d o c trin e , is f a s t losing
g ro u n d . T he la s t lectu re, d eliv ered by o u r P re sid e n t-F o u n d e r, has boon
th e m ean s of o p en in g th e eyes of trn th -lo v in g people, an d if th e y b u t
leurn how to b rin g th e ir in tu itiv o pow ers in to play, th e re g e n e ra tio n of
In d ia will be co m p lete, an d th e old h appy A ry a n d a y s will once m ore
be seen tloiirLshing in th is lan d.
B re th re n , it is w ith c x irem o p leasnro and h e a r t-f o lt g ratitp d 'o t h a t
wo look back to th a t p erio d w hen th o F o u n d e rs tirs t lan d ed in In d ia .
May tlwjy lo n g rcn id e w ith u s an d see th e i r u it of th e ir unselfish d e ­
votion to o n r c a u s o !
Aa it is to p u b li s h in t h c S u p p le m e n t
fcpcechcB, deliv ered b y all i h e d ele g a te s, wo g iv e b u t t 1 *i0
more. T h e c o m pi etc a c c p u n t of t h c A n n i v e r s a r y -will
{guild in a s e p a r a te p a m p h l e t — M a n a g er%
T h e C ey lo n D e le g a t e of th e Colombo T h eo so ph ica l Socioty,
Mi*. W i l l i a m d e A b r e w , F . T , S., was n e x t in o r d e r . H o
spo ke as follow s :—
Mu, C n ai itMAN, B r o t h e r s o k t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i k t y , L a d i e s
and G e n t l e m a n , — W ith in tho sh o rt space of tim e allow ed to a
sp e ak er, it is n ot p ra c tic a b le to ta l k v ery long. M oreover, it ia
needless fo r m e to e x p a tia te u p o n tho b eau ties of T heosophy, as it h as
been o fte n dono by a b le r p erso n s. I shall, th erefo re, contiuo m y se lf
to th e w ork of tlio T heosophical S ociety in Ceylon, which islund I havo
th e h onor to re p re s e n t along w ith m y th re e colleagues ou th is m o st
au sp icio u s occassion. .
T he roadora of tho Theosophist a ro aw a re th a t tho respccted F o u n ­
d e rs cam e to o u r islaiad in th o y e a r 1880, accom panied by a d eleg atio n
of H in d u aud P arsi T h eo so p h ists from B om bay. N o tw ith sta n d in g th o
opposition w hich a p h ila n th ro p is e body m u s t p ass th ro u g h a t th e
h a n d s o f d o g m atism , b ig o try , u n c h a rita b le n c ss and ig n o ra n t s u p e r­
stitio n , th o F o u n d e rs m e t w ith a success u n p aralleled in o u r sm all
island. By d eg rees th o m isu n d e rs ta n d in g a b o u t th em in tho m iu d s
of som o of o u r peoplo w ho look u p o n ev ery fo re ig n e r— n o t q u ito u n ­
r e a s o n a b ly — w ith su sp icio n , faded aw ay. A nd now ev ery B u d d h is t,
of w h atev er sect, h as so m u ch confidence in tho F o u n d e rs o f o n r
Society, t h a t w hen ju s tic e w as u ot p ro p erly done to th e m iu tb e
re c e n t rio ts a t C olom bo, of w hich evory one of you w ho read s n e w s­
p ap ers is a w a re —a t such a critic a l lim e th e eyes of all Ceylon w ero
tu rn e d to C olonel O lc o tt as th e only person w ho could have th e ir
g riev an ces r e d re s s e d . W e, th e re fo re , a t once te le g ra p h e d to him fo r
a s sista n c e , a n d ho k in d ly cam e o v e r im m ed iately , il i s labor iu out*
b e h a lf a t snch a try in g tim e has been im m ensoly beneficial to u s.
I lis g r e a te s t se rv ice to o u r c o u n try ia th e raiaiu g by him of a N a­
tional F u n d fo r th e re v iv a l of o u r religion au d tho e d u c a tio n of o u r
c h ild re n iu th e a n c e s tra l F a ith . We havo a lre a d y been ab le to s ta r t
several sch o o ls, a w eekly v e rn a c u la r p a p e r, an d se v era l p u b licatio n s
fo r tho ben efit of th o se of o u r co -religionists, who, w ith o u t th e p ro p er
m oans of k n o w in g th e tr u th s a b o u t th e ir F a ith , aro led aw ay from it.
C olonel O lc o tt’a B u d d h ist C atechism , of w hich alm o st evory one of
you, I p resu m e, is aw a re , h as dono a n im m ense se rv ice to o u r cau se.
I t h as c re a te d a n in te r e s t in o n r re lig io n n o t oply in our islan d , b u t
alm o st a ll o v er th c w o rld . I t s E n g lish ed itio n an d tr a n s la tio n in to
t h e F re n c h aro pro o fs of tho a d m ira tio n it has excited in th e W e s te rn
w orld in o u r L ord’s te a c h in g s . I t has also b e e n tho m ean s of h e a lin g
se c ta ria n d ifferen ces am o n g ou rselv es, an d wo c a n n o t sufficien tly
th a n k th e a u th o r for th is m o st im p o rta n t w ork.
Aud wc a re p ro u d to say o u r efforts h av e been crow ned w ith su c cess
b ey o n d o u r e x p e c ta tio n s. A n o th er good we h ave d eriv ed is, t h a t h av in g
b een led to a d e e p e r s tu d y of o u r relig io n th ro u g h th o in s tru m e n ta lity
of th c T h eo so p h ical S ociety, we lm ve le a rn t tlic m o st im p o rta n t fact th a t
all se c ta ria n d ifferen ces a r e b u t m a tte r s of d e ta il, and iu m an y cases a
m ere w ar ot‘ w ords. T h e re h a s th u s b een a frie n d ly an d b ro th e rly
feelin g am ong th o v a rio u s s e c ts ; a n d w ho w ill d is p u te tho f a c t th a t
u n io n is s tr e n g th ? N o t only th is : wo h ave discovered t h a t in e s s e n ­
tia ls th o d o c trin e ta u g h t by o u r w orld-over-honorcd Lord B uddha id
id e n tic a l w ith w hat th e Illu m in a te d S ages havo been ex p o u n d in g to
o ur b io th e rs in th is c o u n try . F o rg e ttin g , th e re fo re , tho disputes*
b etw eeu o u r f a th e rs a n d th o se of our In d ia n b re th re n , we h av e been
in sp ire d w ith a sincere a d m ira tio n and love fo r o u r com m on a n c e s to rs ,
th e a n c ie n t A ry a n s. T ho p ra c tic a l p ro o f o f th is will be fouu d .in th o
fact of a c o m m itte e of o u r Colom bo B u d d h ist B ran ch co m in g hero
and p la n tin g a c o c o a n u t tr e o in a H in d u T em plo iu th is P re sid e n c y —
a fa c t so g ro ssly m is re p re s e n te d by somo n arro w -m in d ed b ig o ts au d
fa n a tic s, an d iu o u r s ta n d in g on th is p latfo rm in th e com pany of
H in d u s of all se c ts an d e x te n d in g to them th e r ig h t h an d of fellow ship.
W e havo now o n ly to ta k e ad v a n ta g o of th is o p p o rtu n ity to p u b licly
ex p ress o n r a p p re c ia tio n o f tho k in d tr e a tm e n t an d b ro th e rly hos­
p ita lity wo h a v e receiv ed in th is o o u n try a t tho h an d s of ou r b ro th e r-
T h e o so p h is ts fro m T u tic o rin to M adras.
T h e n ca m e th e P a r s e e d e le g a te of th e B o m b a y B r a n c h ,
M r. S o r a b j i D a v a r , w h o r e a d t h e fo llo w in g a d d rc s a o n
b e h a lf of his B r a n c h :— ■
I t is now n e a rly five y e a rs since T heosophy firs t a p p e a re d in th o
c ity of B om bay. T ho ditlicu ltie s au d o b sta c le s th e S ociety had to
fight its w ay th ro u g h seem ed in su rm o u n tab le, and tho p ro sp e c t gloom y.
A f t e r all th e re v e rse s th a t h av e boeu suffered, it is a source of th e
g re a te s t joy to w itn o ss h e r triu m p h w hich th is occasion of th e 8 th A uni-
v e r s a r y fu lly te stifie s.
So long ns th o lle a d - q u a rte r s w ere in Bombfty, th e Bombay B ran ch
had o n ly a nom inal p e rso n a lity . I t w as d ep en d en t on th e gcuero u s p ro ­
te ctio n of th o P a r e n t S o cicty . B u t th e tim e camo, as it com es in
e v e ry th in g m u n d a n e , w hen th o resp o n sib ilities of a m a tu re m anhood
h ad to bo u n d e rta k e n . S ince th e d e p a rtu re of tho F o u n d ers o u r B ran ch
h a s o b ta in e d its ow n local h a b ita tio n w hero our m e e tin g s nre re g u la rly
hpld, H cce n tly wo h av e p n rch aso d a n u m b er of books w hich form
th o n u cleu s o f u L ib ra ry . Ono of our m om bers h a s re c e n tly p u b ­
lish ed D r. B a lla n ty n o ’s tra n sla tio n of th o Y o g a S u tra s of P n ta n ja li,
w ith C om m en taries. T he w ork lias gono a b ro ad , an d th e ideas it
em bodies a r e euro to a ttr a c t sy m p a th e tic souls, w a itin g fo r m oro
lig h t o t \ T h eo so p h ical su b je cts. T h e re is a w ork in M a ra th i by
D n an o sh w ar, called “ A m b rtit A nnbhavp,” w h ich , to tr a n s la te freely ,
m e a n s tho “ T a ste of A m b ro sia," co n tain in g iu ap h o rism s the A dw ai-
to e P h ilo so p h y in all its p u rity , fre e fro m th e stra n g o in co n g ru ities
w hich disfigure som o re c e n t tre a tis e s on V ed au tisn i. T his w ork is vory
difficult to u n d e rsta n d , p a r tly on acco u n t of th e ab stru se c h a ra c te r of
tho su b je c t tre a te d , aud p a rtly on a c c o u n t of its being w ritte n in arch aic
M a ra th i. I t haa r e c e n tly b een c o m m e n te d on and e d ite d w ith n o te s
in M a rath i by a c o m p e te n t a u th o r ity who h a s fu lly seized th e sp irit
in w hich D n a n o sh w a r h a s w ritte n th e w ork. A rra n g e m e n ts a re b ein g
m ad e w ith ita ta le n te d a u th o r for its p u b lic a tio n . T h e w o rk will be
G
o f tl )0 g re a te s t se rv ice to thoso e n g a g e d in th o stu d y o f A d w aitco
T h ilo so p b y . A s re g a rd s p rao tical w ork th e ro in n o t m nch to
eay. B u t it m u st be sta te d th a t to m e of tlio m em b ers w ho h ave
u n d e rsto o d tlio aim s an d o b je c ts of th o P a r e n t S ociety, are tr y in g to
sh a p e tlieir lifo n cco rd in g to th o h ig h sta n d a rd , placed befo re th e m
b y T heosophy ; nnd a lth o u g h bound h a n d a n d fo o t by th e inoxorn 1>1e
law of “ K arm a, ” th e y fail to ndvanco now, y e t th e y look h o pefully
fo rw ard to a b r ig h te r fu tu ro . A t p re s e n t one of on r m em b ers is engaged
in p ra c tis in g c u rativ o m esm erism w ith co n sid erab le snccess. We again
h av o th is co n so latio n th n t Bom bay lias g iven to T h eo so p h y tw o
m e m b e rs, w ho, b y th e ir unselfish devotion to th e cau se, h a v e a tt r a r t-
c d u n iv e rsa l a tte n tio n . T h e psychological d e v e lo p m e n t of ono or
th e m reco rd ed in tlie last No. of tho 7'heosophist is a so u rce of tho
g r e a to s t e n c o u ra g e m e n t to ns all in th e n n se llish lu x u ry of d oing good.
A ll th e rid icu lo au d m isre p re se n ta tio n s w hich th e p re ss of W e st­
e r n I n d ia ind u lg ed in, are being rep la c e d by a m oro g u a rd e d tono
to w a rd s T heosophy. Peoplo h av e beg u n to in q u ire about T hco-
ao p h y , and show it a s p irit of to le ra n c e . T h e re is a M a rath i m ag azin e
p u b lish ed ev ery m o n th a t Poona, c o n ta in in g tra n s la tio n s of somo of th e
Bolectod articles fro m th e Theosophist. T h is p erio d ical is d o in g a g re a t
Bcrvice in fa m ilia risin g th e peoplo of W o stcrn In d ia w ith T h eo ­
sophical loro a n d se c u rin g tlie ir sy m p a th y . I n th o b io g rap h y , ro e e n tly
jiublishod u n d e f th o p a tro n ag e of th e lJu k sc h n n a P rizo C om m it­
te e in M a rath i of E k n a th , ono of th e g a la x y o f s a in ts , p h ilo so p h ers an d
po ets of W e ste rn In d in , whilo d isc u ssin g th e c re d ib ility to be a tta c h o d
to th e so-called m ira c le s, p e rfo rm e d by th e sa in t, th e a u th o rs m ako
m o n tio n of o n r F o u n d e rs a n d tho Theosophist. Ilo a s k s if Col- O lcott
and Mmo. B la v a ts k y b y p u rely scientific m e a n s p e rfo rm som e sp iritu a l
p h en o m en a, w h y th e so-called m irnoles p e rfo rm e d by tho g r e a t sa in t
could n o t be believ ed in ?
T h ese fa c ts show th a t th o T heosophical m o v em en t is n o t ig n o re d in
W e s te rn In d ia, b u t th a t it o ccupies th e a tte n tio n of d isc e rn in g persons.
T h e re is, th e re fo re , e v e ry e n c o u ra g o m e u t fo r us to w o rk h ard in tbo
ca u se of tr u th .
T h e la s t a n d m o s t s t i r r i n g a d d r e s s b y a D e le g a t e w a s t h a t
d e liv e re d b y B a b u N o r e n d r a N a t h S e n , th e P r e s i d e n t of th e
C a lc u tta T. S., a n d th e e m i n e n t E d i t o r of t h e In d ia n M irror.
l i e w as re c e iv e d w i t h e v e ry possible m a r k of n p p reciatio 1 by
h is b r o t h e r - D e le g a t e s , a n d t h e M a d r a s n a t i v e p u b lic in
a tt e n d a n c e . H e sp o k e as follow s w i t h liis u s u a l v ig o r a n d
im p rjs s iv c n c s s :—
F r i e n d s a n d B r o t h e r s o f M a d r a s , — I Lave come from
Calcutta to offer you my friendly a n d fraternal greetings
ou tho occasion of this e ig h th A nniversary of the
Theosophical Society. You, my countrym eu of Madras,
form an im po rtan t branch of the g re a t Jnd ian family ;
nnd I come from the oth e r side of In d ia , historic Bengal,
as a b ro th e r from th e E a s t, to e x te n d tlie rig h t-h a n d of
fellowship to my brothers of the South, assem bled here to ­
n ig h t to celebrate this jubilee of Universal Brotherhood ;
aud I hope to find a warm response a n d to be g re e te d as an
In d ia n , as one of you, and not, simply as a Bengali. My
bro th e rs, I hate to see ourselves called Bengalis ; an d
vni'.i f olves, Madrassees. I hope th e day is not d ista n t
vhen we all, the peoplo of this c ountry, will be welded
into a homogeneous whole, and fo rg e t to call ourselves
b y any o th e r nam e than Indian s o r A ryans. L et us
drow n all our s e c io n a l prejudices, a n d loolc upon each
other, as, in fact, we are, nnd as is intend ed by our G reat
M a k e r— as units of th e O n e L i f e perv a d in g this universe,
aud as members of one g r e a t family. O ur first du ty should
be to form a Universal B rotherhood am ong ourselves,
and, u n le s 3 we do so, it is of no u s e e x pectin g to form
a Universal Brotherhood w ith th e o th e r branches of tlio
h u m a n race. L et us in o u r ow n small family in this
hom e of th e ancient civilization of tho world, set an
example, so th a t we may a tt r a c t o th e r nations to our
fold. L e t us try onr best to realise in ourselves in every
shapo nnd form the ch aracter of the A ryan s of old. T he
num ber of religions in tho world, m y b ro th e rs, ia endless.
T he first object of every religion should be to bind
to g e th er men of all races nnd of all classes by ties of
Universal Brotherhood. I f any religion fails to fulfil
this cardinal principle, it is wholly useless. B n t T h e o ­
sophy m akes Universal B ro th e rh o o d its first object.
A n d w hether it be a religion or no t, it is the best reli­
g io n tliat can be preached to th e w orld. Let each of
us, Theo sop hists, then by his own co nd uct in lifo, show
t h a t U niversal Brotherhood is not a m y th , b u t a reality,
and, thus, go on a d d in g to our n u m b e rs considerably from
year to year. E x a m p le teaches b e tte r th a n p re c e p t j
and the days of p reach in g, my friends, are passed. W e
liave lmd e nough of p reaching. T he day of action haa
a r r iv e d ; le t us now p ractisa whafc we have hitherto
p re ac h e d . G entlem en, it so happens, that, while we are
ce le b ra tin g this annual commemoration of on r Society,
the Christians are celebrating th e ir g r e a t religious festi­
val. They consider this to be th e peculiur season for
th e cultivation oE peace and good-will a m ong mankind.
I t is r a th e r a s tra n g e coincidence th a t we should, at
exactly the same time, be preaching and, 1 hope, also
practising, the principle of Universal Brotherhood. We,
are n o t C h r istia n s — we are r e g a rd ed as heathens. Wo
a re tra d u c e d as a debased race. W e are calumniated, I
am so rry to say, in unm e a sure d term s. B u t let us bo
traduced a n d calumniated as much as possible. W e havo
fo u n d a haven iu Theosophy. W e had hitherto been
w ayw ard s tra n g e rs in our own home. B ut, th a n k s to the
H i g h Pow ers, the voice of Theosophy, which contains the
germ s of our ancient religion, philosophy and science,
has a t last mnde itself heard throu gh foreign tongues in
o u r d e a r la u d of A ry a v a rta , and called us back fioin our
wnyward course. Let us now act up strictly to th e teachings
of Theosophy, and by our own personal lives give the lie
to all th e calum nies t h a t may be heaped upon us, as a
nation ; an d th o u g h we may not be Christians, let us
yield th e palm to none in love of H u m a n ity and in fear
of God. T h a t should be th e g re a t aim of life am ong us
all. T he to n g u e of calumny will then be effectually
silenced and, in spite of ourselves, we shall raise o u r­
selves in th e estim ation of the whole world, if we sham e
even the Christians them selves by o u r own practical
lives and examples. O u r duties and responsibilities as
the descendants of the gre n t A ryans, as the inheritors of
a g re a t name, and th e possessors of glorious traditions are
v a st a n d manifold. W e are a fallen nation ; it is now
our tu rn to retrieve ou r ancient reputation and, if posible,
tr y even to excel t h e glory of our g r e a t ancestors. W h en
we consider th e d egrad atio n of our mother-land, we are
overpow ered by ou r sensa of responsibility. W e,
Indians, must not consider our duties in life fulfilled, if
we only faithfully perform all th a t we owe in our p e r ­
sonal relations in the world. Every native of India
is a g u ardian of liis c o u n tr y ’s interests ; the more so,
every educated native. H e is in his own person the re­
presentative, as well as the guide of his less educated and
his u nedu cated countrym en. T he responsibilities of e d u ­
cation caun ot bo over-estimated. W e are all answ erable
for our own deods. I f an educated native t be w anting13
• • •
in his d u ty to his country, he proves unfaithful to the
sacred trust, impliedly vested in him by liis education.
A n d when his w orld’s career is over, he will be answer­
able for this, as well as for all o th e r failures in life. O ur
time is too valuable to be lost in frivolous am usem ents ;
for every moment w asted we shall be called to a strict
account. Life in all cases is a continued stru ggle. B u t
it is th e more so iu our case, as we have to rebuild the
ancient fabric of o u r national greatness. W h e n we g e t
a glimpse into the fu tu re of human existence, it will be
found th a t o u r s tru g g le does not end h ere below, b u t
t h a t it b e g in s anew iu another world, and th a t there
is almost a n endless succession of lives till N irv a n a is
attain ed. So we m ust not allow ourselves to be idle for
a m om ent and to complain of w an t of rest. As we go
ou w ork in g for tho good of our c ountry, we shall find
ineffable pleasure in th e w o rk th a t we do. The dignity
of labor is always great, b u t it is particularly so, when
labor is directed to tho furtheran ce of th e cause of one’s
fallen country. B ro th ers and fellow-workers of Madras,
last y ear I had tho pleasure of a d dressin g a Bombay
audience, and e x p a tia te d on the good th a t T heosophy is
likely to do to Iud ia. This year I have the pleasure of
appearing, before yon, as a laborer in the same vineyard.
Bom bay is too commercial ; b ut still for all t h a t she in
her own way is c o n trib u tin g to the progress of India.
If Bom bay is commercial, Madras, I should think,
is spiritual a n d , Bengal, as some people say, is intellectual.
M a d ra s is proverbially th e land of conservatism.
Theosophy has found its proper . hom e am ong you, and
should find a more congenial soil here th a n anyw here
e lse . W h ile in B e n g a l the teachings of T heosophy may
 sound new to m any E uropeanised H i n d u s ; to you,
peoplo of Madras, they are n o th in g new. W estern
education lias not done the sam e w ork of destructio n
am ong your ancient usages and traditions, as in other parts
of India. 1 th in k you and the Cingalese still approach
more nearly th e ancient A ryans th a n any o th e r race in
Iudia.
] t is a pleasure to bo in your m i d s t ; for you remind
me, however remotely, of tlie m arked ch aracteristics of
our common ancestors. As, therefore, one of y o u r hum ble
bro th e rs, I g re e t you with as much w arm th as m y
fe tb le toDgue can express. A t all events, it is a plea­
sure, oven for a time, to come away from Calcutta,
nmid the ja r rin g elements th a t are now dividing society
in ou r city, to cultivate b ro th erly feeling am ong you.
Gentlemen, since tho celebration of the last A n n i­
versary a t Bombay, Theosophy has m ade a dee p e r im pres­
sion upon me th au ever. I consider it a g r e a t piece of
good fortune tliat I have had the o pp ortu nity of learn­
ing its esoteric doctrines. I have found a now world
opened to me. I n fact, I have suddenly discovered a
mine of gold in my desultory researches in life. I feel
a happier and stro n g e r man. I now know w h a t I am ,
a n d w hat I am likely to be, if I only try to be w h a t I
should be. I re g re t t h a t this new l'g lit did n ot dawn
upou me a t au earlier sta g e of my e a rth ly career. I t
pains me to th in k th a t so much tim e of m y life h a s
been wasted. I hope only th a t by th e blessings of th e
H ig h Powers ru lin g the destinies of th is world, I may
y e t acquire a la rg e r knowledge of the m ysteries of na­
tu r e and be enabled to a ttain th a t sta n d a rd of excellence,
of whioh, I am grieved to say, I feel very far short.
E v e ry event in life possesses a deep significance aud
interest for me now, and I feel peculiar joy in w a tc h in g
an d analysing the events of th e world, as controlled by
the h igher Providence. My belief in tho existence of
the g re a t Him alayan B ro th ers ha s been even more
strengthened this y ear than in the l a s t ; nnd however an
incredulous and u n th in k in g public may disbelieve th e ir
existence, considerinsr all th e eveuts th a t are tra n spiring
around '!■> ‘ind watchful >'l t.ii.<>i<>v*of t h e times aud th e ir
gradual < f »i ;at a p re se n tim e n t th a t
:hoday is not far distant, when th e existence of th e B ro th e rs
will m ake itself moro perceptibly felt aud the world will bq
astounded and stand a g h ast a t its own scepticism and
unbelief! B u t I believe it is in our power to accelerate
tho approach of th a t day, if we only show ourselves
worthy of their favors. W e are now a t th e dawn of a
new e ra ; nnd the appronchiiig lig h t will g radually dis­
perse the gloom of ignorance and unbelief iu which wa
liave hitherto been enveloped. T h e g r e a t theory of evo­
lution will apply to t i m e ; and it will always bo an in te r ­
esting study from this time forw ard to watch tho g r a ­
dual developm ent of events which promise to bring us to
th a t happy day, on which all th e races,, peopling this
world, will form one Universal Brotherhood, and we shall
revel in peace in the simplicity of old. I look upon T h e ­
osophy as a priceless g ift to tho children of India,
vouchsafed in tho mercy of those G re a t Beings, who are
the custodians of a knowledgo of the deepest secrets of
naturo. W e should feel deeply thank fu l to th e m for the
more than fatherly interest th e y have displayed towards
us by spontaneously affording us a chance of sharing
that knowledge with them. This fuct in itself o u g h t to
bo sufficiently hopeful and enco urag in g to induce us
to meet th e ir efforts to give us an in sigh t into th a t
knowledge in a corresponding spirit, an d to show
ourselves deserving of what they havo already done, and
are prepared to do for us. I t rests with us alonp.
to reach the goal, which they have pointed o u t to ua
Remember th a t we are likely to lose au inestim able
prize, if by our neglect we prove ourselves in the least
undeserving of th e ir efforts to p rom ote our weal. W h e n
we know th a t th e Theosophical Society is u n d e r t h e i r
special protectio n and care, we cannot b u t be led to
r e d o u b le o u r e n e r g i e s to w o r k f o r t h e f u r t h e r a n c e
g re a t cause. T h e lig h t o f t h e W est wns derived from the
E ast, and th e e x tin c t lig h t in the E ast is being rokiudlcd
to diffuse itself far a n d wide again. H isto ry always r e ­
peats itself, and we shall have a repetition of it in ouiv
own native land. W e are now only receiving o u r first
lesson in th a t re p e a te d histo ry , and many a page h a s
y e t to unfold itself. W ith patience and perseverance you
will reap your rew ard in time. The world in its learned
ignorance m ay laugh a t the Theosophists now, b u t wo
pity it in tho present, an d a day will come when we shall,
be able to rem in d th e w orld th a t “ he laughs b e st who-
laughs la st.” W e can afford to be lang hed at, b u t
we cannot certainly afford to allow th e w orld to w ilfully’
s h u t its eyes to the tr u th s of Theosophy an d to refrain-
from e n q u irin g into them .
Tho circum stances of In d ia have com e exactly to
th a t stage in which Theosophy more than a n y th in g else
is needed to elevate ns as a nation, and to m ake o u r
foreign rulers in terested in ou r country, m ore for its
moral and intellectual treasures thau fo r its material-
\yealtli, and to pe rsu a d e them not to scorn us b u t to
cherish a moro kindly feeling for us. T o me tho futuro
of In d ia is an open book.T ake courage, my friends. Always
act, as T heosophists should act. Cast away b ase selfish­
ness in y o u r efforts to serve y o u r country. Bo liouesb
an d tr u t h f u l , as th e old A ry a n s were, not in w ord only,
b u t in deed also. F e a r no m a n ; for we are ull equal.
Always speak out, especially w hen the interests of th e
c ou ntry are concerned. I f you w a nt to win your own
respect and th e respect of others, be not hypocrites,
toadies or time-servers. W e can only correct ourselves
a u d correct others, and remove all the abuses aud evils
in this world by h aving th e courage of ou r convictions
iu sp eak in g th e t r u t h . W e bad ly w an t some m en o f
tru e m etal am o n g u s — men, whom no difficulties will
daunt, who will not sacrifice tr u th on any account,
whom 110 worldly inducem ents, however h ig h or dazzling,
will lead astray frotn the s tra ig h t p a th of d u ty . A nd
th en, an d then only, w e c j u ex pect to bo a g re a t natiou,
b u t not before.
I f a ll o t h e r a d d re s s e s h a d b een a p p l a u d e d , th is o ne w as th e
m o s t vociferously so. A f t e r th is s e v e r a l le tte r s w e re read ,
of w hich tw o a r e g iv e n below, one o f th e R ev. S u m a n g a l a , .
B u d d h i s t H i g h P r i e s t , t h e o t h e r fr o m o u r re s p e c te d fr ie n d .
a n d B r o t h e r , l y a l o o N a id o o , of H y d e r a b a d ;—
From, Rkv. S um an gala, B u ddhist H ig h Priest at Colomlo ;
To C o l . If. S. O l c o t t , P resident T, S .
D eau S m and B uothek ,— I have much pleasure to inform
you th a t Ur. H a rtm a n paid me a visit ou his way to Madras
aa a delegate re p resen tin g the American Societies at your
l'u ren t Society's A n n u al Meeting, whieh is to lie held <m
th e 27-'28th Inst., and I am doubly happy to see t h a t
Theosophy so f a r from being nt nn end in America, as
falsoly reported in somo local papers, is growing daily stro ng er,
and th a t its m em bers take so much trouble in com ing over to
In d ia on its work. I would have been also glad to be present at
y ou r meeting, hu t old age and my much im paired health do not
p erm it me to leave the Island. I, therefore, have much pleasure
in introducing b ro th er W , de Abrew a n d C. P. Gunawardana, our
able and m uch beloved Secretary, of the Colombo Society, as
delegates tq represent the B ud dh ist members in Oeylon to tho
Annual Meeting. T h ey carry with them my best trishes and
fraternal g re e tin g s to all good Thcosophists who meet ou t h a t
auspicious occasion.
As to tbe Colombo branch, ifc ia not altog ethe r w hat it onght-
to be, and considering the responsibilities which lie on it, should
carry on th e work more boldly, more vigorously and with a
stronger hand, since it is surrounded by powerful and implacable
enemies—it is very weak indeed. T he cause of this backward
state may be traced in th e w ant of a c o m p eten t leader to ta k e
care and to work it properly. W e a d m it th a t you. Sir, of
course, are cjuito unable to devote the whole of y on r time to this
work iu the I s la n d ; for it is certain th a t In d ia with its crores of
in hab itants will deeply feel th e loss of y ou r beneficial acts an d
philauthropio work. Still, if you are in a position to Bpend-
more time i a Oeylon for th e benefit of tho Buddhists, who look'
to you as the only fit person to bring on the revival of th oir
religion to its ancie nt glory, th ey would no d o u b t prefer youjf
of its pceseuQQ to th a t of any body else.
_ B ut, ns tho case stands now, we shall bo relieved of much anxiety
iE you could make arrang em ents to send somo co m peten t person
to remain here, nt least for some time, even until the g re a t work
ou have begun in raising the B u d d h ist National F u n d could bo
ro ug ht to a successful issue and the Society placed on a sound
footing.
_ Thero is every indication of success in this m atter, iE tho work
is properly carried on. So far as I can g a th e r from tho local
press, the policy, of our now Governor in reg ard to th e e d u ­
cation question, seems to me quite a diJIorent one from tlm t of
his predecessor. S o l could see that you would find m uch good
and substantial work in th at direction before long, if you could
only im press on their minds tho usefulness and tho im mense
good th a t could be done to B uddhists if th ey would see to th e
question in its proper light, specially a t tlie present time.
Tho only reason in bringing these facts a t this time to your
notice, is that I see delay or procrastination is d angerous in this
instanco ns in many others. L a st year, within th ree months you
were able to raiso somo 6,000 Rs, in the Southern Province for
ih e Fund, and in th e year before last you collected some
4,000 Rs. in the W estern Provinco within a very limited t i m e ;
b u t this year noth ing has been done, as you h ad no time to
dovoto to it. So you can judgo th a t the B u d d h ists are willing to
give you a larg er m easure of help and sy m pathy if you only
come among them.
Therefore, it seem 9 to me th a t had you been able to engago in
t h i s work w ithout any in terruption d u rin g the last three years,
1 am ccrtain Us. 30,000 could have been collected without much
difficulty, and a practical effect would havo been given to so be­
neficent a work. You will agree with me that im mediate steps
ought to be taken in c a rry in g on this much neglected and m ost
im po rta nt work. I have full confidence thac with your continual
and earnest efforts th e im provem ent of education am ong Bud­
dhists will be a f a i t accompli.
I l f P I C Tl A B A D , O l l U D D E R G I! A T I T ,
' 2 ith Dcccnibcr 1883.
D eau a\ d R espected S ister and B hotiieii ,—My dcsiro to
be present ab tho ceremony of tho A n niv ersary which is to
tftko place on the 27th I n s t a n t cannot, 1 am very sorry,
bo accomplished owing to domestic difficulties, some of which
you are, I suppose, awaro of. T h is A n niv ersary is a very
im po rta nt one and an historical event, as it is th e first to be held at
Madras, tho capital of tho Southern cou n try , where the existence
of M ahatm as and Siddhas is known to man, woman nnd child,
and where psychical phonomena aro performed by some Adepts
th rou gh tlieir chelas daily in ono pnrt or tho other. Delegates
Irom different parts of the world will a tten d tho g ra n d meeting, :
nnd somo of them aro no doubt approved chelas of our Ifoly and
Illu strio us Masters. The mere act of my paying them my res­
pects will be a happy occurrence in my life.
Somo of the venerable’brothers and A depts will bless tlio m e e t­
ing with their presence in spirit if not in physical body, so my
desire has been srrent to bo present at tho occasion ; b u t un fortu­
nately family affairs prevent my leaving H y d erab ad at tho p r e ­
sent juncture.
Bur, although I may not be with you at the A nniversary in body,
y e t I beg to assure you th a t my spirit will be thero lo th an k yon
both gratefully and sincerely for the grout and earnest work you
have at such great sacrifice u n dertak en for the spiritual welfare
of Aryavarta,
May 1 ask you to cause th is le t te r to be road to tho delegates,
and to ten der them iny heartfelt th ank s for tbe real devotion and
admiration thoy evinco for Theosophy or U niversal Brotherhood
bound tog eth er to develope Psychical powers la ten t in man.
Y o u rs fraternally and obediently,
P. Iy a l o o NArnu, F. T. S,,
Yicc-Trrsidrnt M adras Branch and a
Councillor o f ihe P arent Theos. Sociely,
To
M adame TT. P. Br.AVATSKy and
C ol. II. S. O lcott,
■ Founders o f Theosophical Society,
W c copy fr o m som e in d e p e n d e n t a n d h i t h e r t o n o t v e ry
fr ie n d ly te s tim o n y — t h e M a d r a s p a p e rs .
T H E T IIE O S O P ItlC A L A N N IV E R S A R Y .
Tho e ig h th a n n iv e rsa ry of th o founding o f th o T heosophical
S ocicty w as celeb rated , on T h u rsd a y ev en in g , by tlio m em b ers of
th o lo cal b ran ch and th e In d ia n and fo re ig n d e leg ates, u n d e r tho
p re sid c n c e y of Colonel O lc o tt an d M adam o B la v a ts k y . Tho oc-
rn sio n seem s to havo been one of m oro th a n o rd in a ry in te re st,
as a d d re ss e s w ero to bo d eliv ered nob only by d eleg ates from
L o n d o n , A m erica, F ra n ce and G erm any, b u t by a b o u t se v en ty
o th e rs, in clu d in g th o se fro m C alcutta, Bom bay, L n ck n o w , Ceylon and
oven P o n d ic h e rry , C a lc u tta wns re p re se n te d by M r. N o re n d ra N ath
kJen, th e ta le n te d E d ito r of th o In d ia n M h ro r, w hose ad d ress w as th e
yiece-de resistance o f th o e v e n in g , l h e g a th e rin g , w h ic h included 4
good m an y n o ta b ilitie s, w as in a spacious a u d m agnificont sham iana
p rc c te d before C olonel O lc o tt’s resid en ce . A th o u sa n d c h a irs, wo aro
fo ld , w ere p ro v id ed (all of w liich w ere occu p ied ) besides benches,
and sta n d in g room 5 and so crow ded w as th e place t h a t it Is estim ated
th a t n o t Joss than <1 thousand a n d six hu n d red p erso n s w ero p re se n t.
A m ong tlie m ore n o ticeab le wero R a ja h S ir T. M ahdava Knn, K. C, S I.
R a ja h (t. N. G a ja p a th i Uno, JJowau B a h ad u r R agoonalh Kao,
Mr. S eshagiri ltao , M r. Mrconivasa R ao, Mr. M nttnsaw m y C h o tty
(Jam , M r. C. V . Cunniah C botty, M a jo r G eneral an d M rs. M organ
njul tho m a jo rity of tho V akils of tho High C ourt. T h e carp eted dai* on
w hich tho p resid en tial c h a irs w ere placed, was su rro n u d c d by a can o p y
su p p o rte d by m assive silv e r post?, th e canopy itse lf being an ex q u isite
w ork of a r t, of cloth of gold. Beside tlio dai.s was suspen d ed th e
b a n n e r of th o T hoosophical Society, upon w h ich w ere tlie le tte rs
T. S. a n d th e m o tto of tlio S ociety in M a h ra tti. T he ahatniana wan
b r illia n tly illu m in e d by shades an d e h a n d c lie rs, M adame B lav a tsk y
w ore th e g litte r in g b ad g e of th e S ociety, c o n sistin g of th e dotiblo
tria n g le in precious nicfcal. T he m e e tin g seem ed v ery en th n sia sti'-,
an d th e sp e a k e rs w ere f re q u e n tly in te rru p te d by vociferous ch eerin g .
T h e re w ero a b o n t s e v e n ty d e le g a te s p re se n t, all of whom w ero p r e ­
p a re d to s p e a k ; b ut as so m any sp eech es would m o st probably hnve
le n g th e n e d o u t tho m e e tin g till d a y -lig h t, only th e m o st p ro m in e n t of
th e d e le g a te s d e liv e re d a d d re sse s, th e P re s id e n t an n o u n cin g th a t all
th o a d d re ss e s w ould be p u b lish ed , in th e ir e n tire ty , in th e S o ciety ’s
jo u rn a l, t b e T heosophitf. A fter th e m eetin g , a g ra n d recep tio n was
held in th e sp a cio u s v eran d ah and hall of tho T h co so p h isls’ resid en ce ,
w hich w as b rillia n tly illum ined and fu rn ish ed . A band w as in a tte n d -
anoo to en liv en tlie o'*casii>n, nnd th e g a th e rin g d isp e rsed , to tlie
s tr a in s of th e N atio n al A n th e m , a t a b o u t half p a s t 8 o 'clo ck .—
{M adras T im es),
O n D e c e m b e r 28fch, th e C o n v e n ti o n d ev o te d t h e m o r n i n g
to business a n d a d j o u r n e d A t 1 P. si. a t 5, th e D eleg ate s mot
n t P a t c h e a p p a ’s H a ll. D cw an B a h a d o o r II. R a g n n a t h Row,
iii c h a r g e of t h e a r r a n g e m e n t s , h a d ca u se d th e b u i l d i n g fo
b e d e c o ra te d in sid e a n d o u t w ith flags a n d e v e r g r e e n s
a r o u n d . I n th o H a l l w e re su s p e n d e d 85 sh ield s, in s c rib e d
w ith th e n a m e a n d d a te of f o r m a ti o n of e a c h of o u r I n d i a n
a n d C ey lo n B ran ch es. A b r i l l i a n t i l lu m in a t io n w as m a d e by a
r a n g e of h a n d s o m e l u s tr e s k i n d l y le n t by o u r V ice-P rcsi-
d c n t C. V. C u n n i a h C lie tty G a r o o ; a n d on th e p la tfo rm
o u ts id e th e b u i l d i n g w e re a g r e a t q u a n t i f y of lig h ts , a m o n g
t h e m m a n y elec tric lam ps. T h e co lu m n s s u p p o r tin g
t h e p o r t a ls w ore .w re ath ed w ith co lou red s t r e a m s arid g r e i n -
a r y ; t h e stair-easo w as lin ed w ith p o tte d p la n t s a n d o v e r
t h e a r c h d o o r w a y le a d i n g fro m th e s t r e e t w as a t r a n s p a ­
r e n c y w ith rod a n d g-old in s c rib e d
“ T ruth , T heosophy , U niversal B ro the rho od .”
A b an d of n a tiv e m u s ic ia n s p l a y i n g u po n E u r o p e a n i n s t r u ­
m e n t s d is c o u rse d n a ti v e a u d fo r e ig n airs. W o h a v e alw a y s
b e e n a c c u s t o m e d to c ro w d s a t o u r sev eral m e e tin g s a t tlie
H a ll, b u t th e b u i l d i n g a n d its a p p ro a c h e s w ere n e v e r so
hi o c k c d u p as on t h i s occasion. JOvcn th e roofs of tlio
a d j a c e n t b u i l d i n g s wore b la c k w i t h sp ec tato rs. W h e n th e
h o u r fo r c o m m e n c e m e n t a r r iv e d , tlio P r e s i d e n t - F o u n d c r
p re c e d e d by t h e s t a n d a r d - b e a r e r c a r r y i n g t h e sp le n d id
B a n n e r of t h e P a r e n t S o ciety , h a d g r e a t difficulty in fo rcing 1
his w a y in to t h e b u ild in g . T h e e n tr a n c e of tho B a n n e r wns
g re e te d w ith d e a f e n i n g a p p la u s e . A n d th is e n th u s ia s m w as
th e k e y -n o t e to t h e w h o le affair. F i r s t c a m e t h e d e leg a tes,
of w ho m o n ly o ne h a lf h a d ti m e to sa y a few w o rd s,— a n d
t h e y w e re a p p l a u d e d w ith e n th u s ia s m ,— most of all thoso,
f r o m A m e ri c a , K u ro p e , C eylon a n d F r e n c h hlast-Indics. Of
th e I n d i a n o r a t o r s B a b u N o r e n d r a N a t h S e n re c e iv e d th e
g r e a t e s t o v atio n. A s wc w ere o u rse lves too a c tiv ely o ccup ied
to m a k e a n y notes, wc a r c g la d to be ab le to copy th e Report-
of t h e M a d ra s M a il, w h io h — t h a n k s to som e m i ra c u l o u s
c h a n g e of t e m p e r — see m s to h a v e tr ie d to m a k e a m e n d s for
its rc c o n t s c u r v y t r e a t m e n t of T heo sop hy . I t is as follow s :—
T H E T I I E O S O r / n C A h S O C IE T Y -
M E E T IN G O F T JIR M A D R A S B R A N 0IT .
C olonel O lcott, M adam e B la v a tsk y , an d o th e r le n d e rs of th e T h eo so ­
ph ical m o v e m e n t a rc now in M adras. L ast n ig h t P a tc h e n p p a ’s Hall
w as crow ded to h e a r a n u m b e r of d e le g a te s fro m varions p a rts of
lu d in , C eylon, ono from E n g la n d , an d ono fro m A m erica r e p o rt ns to
tho w o rk of tlio b ra n c h e s of tho S ociety. A m ong th o se p resen t on
tlie T h eo so p h ical sid e of th o p la tfo rm , w ere K ajah th e Hon. G ajap ath i
B ow , th e R a ja h of P itta p n r , M a jo r G en eral M organ, C. V. C unniah
C lietty , B a b a N u re n d ra N a th S en (e d ito r of th e In d ia n Mirror, a
d aily C a lc u tta p ap er), M r. K zokiel (a m em b er of th e Sassoon fnm iiy),
M r, N ib le tt (of A lla h a b a d ), Mr. J u g g a Row (N ello re), Ilewal Khree
H oopsingji I ta r r is in g ji (cousin of th o T im koro of n iiow nuggur),- M. R.
R y S o o b ra m a n y a I y e r (M a d u ra ), M r. de A brew and th rc o otherR
from C oylon. On th o sid e of th o p la tfo rm d ev o ted to non-'l hcosopliists
w ere R a ja h Sir T, M adava Row, M r. W illie G rant, M r. A n a n d a C harlu,
Mr. A lex an d er, a n d o th e rs.
T he P re s id e n t-F o u n d c r, Colonel O lcott, callcd upon som e of th e d e le ,
g a te s to briefly a d d re ss th e m e e tin g w hen th e ir n am es w ero m en tio n ed
by th e g e c ro ta ry . A larg e n u m b e r responded, (am ong w hom w ero tlie
follow ing : —
D r. F ra n z H a r tm a n n , r e p re s e n tin g th e T heosophical S ocieties of
A m erica.
Mr- W . T. B row n, B. L. of th e London T h eo so p h ical S ociety , said
th a t “ th e g lorious t r u th s of an cio n t science a ro b ein g a p p re c ia te d in
th e W est, an d t h a t tho s p ir it of b ro th e rly love is h av in g its due nppre-
 ointion nlso.” I t was e x tra o rd in a ry t h a t those? in th e W ent oould-.now
look th ro u g h th o ir holy so rip tu ro s and tlie O rie n ta ls c o u ld look in to th e
E a s te rn sacred books an d both find th e sa m e g lo rio u s tr o th s . In s te a d
of com ing a n d a s k in g th e H in d u s to ‘loave tlie ir c a s te , th e ir m an n e rs
and cu sto m s, an d th e ir fam ily circ le , th e T h e o so p h ists sim p ly
a s k e d th e m to se arc h th e ir own s c rip tu re s , an d live up to tliu
g ra n d p rin cip les found th e re in . l i e g re e te d th e K a ste rn T h eo so ­
p h ists w ith tlie very b est w ishes of th o se of th e W est, and r e ­
m ark ed th n t thoro w as a m ost g lo rio u s f u tu re befo ro th e m . M ajor-
G en eral M organ, of O o tacam u nd, re p re s e n tin g th e th re e P aris Societios
as w ell as tho D uchess do P o m a r (P re s id e n t of th o O ccid en tal aii£
O rie n ta l Socioty), said th a t th e S o cieties lie re p re se n te d s tu d ie d ' th©
A r y a n religion and lito ra tn re , and w ere in acco rd w ith ' th e P a ro n t
Society now* assem bled. M r. E zekiel, fro m P oona, m ad e a fey? re m a rk s
an to th o co -o p eratio n of Jew a w ith th e T h eo so p h ists. M r. \Vm .
d ’A b rew , of Colom bo, allu d ed to th o ‘w o n d e rfu l p ro g ress of T heosophy.
Mr. S oondrum P o u lle of P o n d ic h e rry , - g re e te d tire T h eo so p h ists
p re se n t on beh alf of tlieir b r o th e rs in tho F re n c h K ast In d ie s, Mr.
N o re n d ra N a th Sen, of C a lc u tta , m e t w ith an ovation. Ho
enid th a t T h e o so p h y w as m a k in g co n sid erab le p ro g ress in th e JJontfal
P re sid e n c y . B ra n d ie s w ere sp rin g in g up a? f a s t a* th o so o f th e
Hrahm o Som aj did som o y e a r s ago. T ho B engal H ranch h a d tho
la rg e s t n u m b er of T hoosophists, e x c e p tin g tho S in h a le se b ran ch . A
P u n d it font L u ck n o w re m a rk e d th a t ho fe lt q u ite h a p p y a n d “ a t
hom o” a m o n g so .many T hooaophi>ts in M adras., A n o th e r P u n d it
an d Mr. N ib le tt of A llahabad, h a v in g sp o k e n , M r. J u ^ a Uow, of
N ello re, said one good re.suIt of tho w o rk in g of tho T h e o so p h ic a l
S ociety had been th o fo rm a tio n o f S a n sk rit schools.
Tim S ecretary of th o M adras b ran ch th en w elcom ed th e d e le g a te s ,
on b e h a lfo f th e local T h eo so p h ists. A Bom bay d e le g a te sp o k e o f the
im p ro v e m e n t in th o m oral c h a r a c te r o f T h eo so p h ists in th e w estern
city . T he C a\vnpore d elo g ate sa id th e S ocioty was w o rk in g w onders
in th a t p a rt of tho c o u n try , u r.u in g th e people in bonds of frie n d sh ip
aud b ro th erh o o d .
Colonel O lco tt (C h airm an ) claim ed to havo fulfilled tho p rom ises
he an d h is co lle a g u e h ad g iv en w hen th e S o c ie ty w a s first B tarted.
H e a sk e d w h e th e r th e S o ciety hu d n o t b e e n tr u e to tho sp iritu a l
an d m oral w elfare of In d ia , l i e re fu te d tlie id ea th a t th e fo u n d e rs of
th o S ociety had done th e ir w ork w ith a p erso n al, selfish, o b je c t iu
view . W liat th o y w ere now try in g to do w as to re v iv e tho stu d y .o f
S a u s k irt, so th a t it m ight be m ade fa m ilia r th r o u g h o u t th o le n g th an d
b re a d th of th e lan d . f| ’he influence o f th e S ocioty had m ado m any
perso n s g e t to g e th e r, au d found S a n sk rit schools and colleges, and ho
hoped th a t a t th e close o f th e ir labours, w hich would bo tlie closo of
tlie ir liv es, In d ia would be d o ite d ali o v e r w ith S a n s k rit colleges and
b d n o la , an d th e old b lessed m o th e r-to n g u e spoken a s i t sh o u ld bo
(a p p 'a u s o ). T he old re c o rd s w ere w ritte n in th o m o st p e rfe c t
of all languages, S a n sk rit. T he ob ject of th o S o ciety w as n ot
to fill th o c o u n try fu ll of poor b o g g in g p u n d its \ th e y wantecj
to raise a class o f men well up in th e p h y sical science of th e
d a y . T hoy w a n te d th o m ean s of com p.iris> u. T h ey ha<J reason to
beliove th a t w h a t w as acc e ssa ry fo r e v e ry ago w as to ta k e a d v a n ta g e
of th a t w hich th e ir fo re -fa th e rs had d isco v ered , an d a d d to it all wliich
had been disco v ered in la tte r days. T h e re w as a one-sided d ev elo p ,
m e u t g o in g on now . P eo p le said th a t a g r e a te r k n o w led g e of agrj?
e u llu ro w as n ecessa ry . J\lr S ab ap ath y M u d a liy a r.h ad told him th a t
he had u sed "K u ro p ean p lo ughs a n d doubled hia crops th e re b y . In d ia
did w an t b e tte r a g ric u ltu re , b u t th ey could n o t live on ploughs an d
a.ied co rn fo r over- T hey had so m e th in g tp iritu a iis tie w ith in , and
m u st a tte n d to th a t. T hey - w ere all in w a n t of so m e th in g m ore
th an p h y sical noeds w hich w ould clo th e an d su p p o rt an d w arm tho
body. Tho oblivion of chat fa c t wa.s due to tho neg lig en ce of S a n s k rit,
All i hose cu n n in g m en who had learnt to m ake ch eap c lo th and r a il ­
w ays and telep h o n es were u n d e r th e d elu sio n tlia t th e y w e re th e apex
of hu m an d ev elo p m en t, and th a t a f te r th e m w ould com e th e d elu g e.
T he A ry a n f a th e rs lu i^ h t not h ave had lino P u llm an c a rs a u d r a il­
w ays, b u t th e y hud w h at w as m ore, a p e rfe c t p h ilo so p h y , an d w ith ­
o u t th a t we are ail a t sea in m ak in g c u r p la n s f o r life* No one could
g u id e us u n less ho had a tta in e d to the knov ledge h im se lf so as to
lit h im t o 's p e a k w ith a u th o rity on th e s u b je c t of th e su rv iv a l of
th e m an a f te r th e d eath of th e body ; th e y would n o t tind a psychology
w o rth y of Lhe nam e. T he p h y sio lo g ists did n ot even k n o w tho f u n c ­
tion of ono of tho m o st im p -a ia n t o rg an s in th e body, th e sp leen ,
T hoy supiiuned it to be so a n d so. Thoy d id n o t k now tho re a so n of
th e co n v o lu tio n in iho brain, and m any o th e r th in g s . T hero w as a
large am o u n t of c o n je c tu re still in w hat w as ca lle d tho scienco of
physio lo g y . I f thoy had n o t g o t a, p e rfe c t p h y siology, how could
th o y have a p e rfe c t sy stem of m edicine/* N o th in g could be done u n til
th e y had c le a re d aw ay th e idea tlmt. a f te r th is life m an is to b e o b lite ­
ra te d . O ne ot th e c a rd in a l p rinciples of T h eo so p h y w as to v indicate tho
im p o rla u e e of th e s tu d y of th e a n c ie n t of A ry a n p h ilo so p h y an d
science, T h ey had sim p ly to p rove by an a b u n d a u c u of c ita tio n s tlia t
th e re did e* ist ia m an th o se ra re peculiar psychological pow ers, an d
ihcy could prove it. T h a i w as tho beauty of th e a n c ie n t A ry a n s y s ­
tem , th a t th e p h ysiology w as draw n from o b served facta. W e of
m o d ern d ay s had not h a d Linn- y e t to evolve a th o ro u g h ly s p iritu a lis tic
sy stem of p h ilosophy ; it w ould la k e ag es. T he ev o lu tio n of lan g u ag e
required thousand.-, of y ears. i t took th a t tim o to evolve SanB krit,
aud w ith it Lhe phijos. phy c o m a m e d in it. W e ste rn peo p le b;id n ot
nrrivod a t th e ti.n o w hoa th ey could p re s e n t a p e rfe c t p h ilo so p h y .
W hat th p S o ciety w as Lryin^ to do h ere i 11 In d ia, w as to im p re ss u p o n
m inds of th e In d ian y u u ih iho fact lh a t if th e y would only ta k o th e
tro u b le to lead Lhe n a tio n a l reco rd s ih e y w ould tind th a t M ill, liaiii,
S pencer au d o th e rs had evolve*! n o th in g w h ieh was n ol to be found
in tho~ H in d u S h a stra s , and n o th in g h a lf bo good a s w hat could be
found th e re (A p p lau se) T h e sp e ak er th e n r e fe rre d to Lhe rap id
groWlh ol th e S oeiely, n o tw ith s ta n d in g th a t th e y h ad Laet w ith m any
diflieu ltlesr H o u rg e d h is 'h e a r e r s to p u rg e thou.solves of lh e u ‘ WCuk-
a u d u c c a au d Lv t i a - i p l e w iu th e y o u th a ru u u d Uicm,
• , 'I ho f o o t i n g tjip n tp rm in a tq d A band of. nativjo nm siciapa w as sU*
ticmed on th e ^uppqf v e ra n d ^ li, . jr ^
f " ‘
F a i r as .this r e p o r t is, i t cqnveya b u t a n im p e rfe c t icjoa of
t h e t e m p e r of tjie a n d i e n c e )fw |u c h was pyiflejftly in ^Iie m o o d
to a p p la u d ev p ry g o o d p o in t in th e various ts peec|i^s. j T h is
w as espec ially th e case j as :r e g a r d s C o l . . O lcott’s £*j;em pora
a d d re s s, his p o p u l a r i t y w ith t h e M a d r a s pu blic h a v in g b e e n
agCUJl pi’flYiid b y j ’o u n d Jil^er r o u n d of ap p la u se a n d a r o a r of
' a u g h t e r a t ea c h of T ii s T il ts a t tlie fe rtile effort’s’ of^ouij1
enemies to p u t d o w n t h e th e o s o p h ic a l m o vem ent. T h o
presence of D r.. IV H a r t m a n n , t h e re p r e s e n ta t iv e of 0115
A.inerican b ra n c h e s , w h o h a d p i a d e a j o u r n e y of 1 5 , 0 0 0 m i l e i
:rom liis hom o in C o lo ra d o to a t t e m j ' t h e a n n i v e r s a r y / a ti(|
;he e a rn e s tn e s s of J l r . W . T. B ro w n , u .'l., th e c ho sen Dele?
jate of th e L o n d o n Jjo dg e T h c o s o p h ic a l { S o c ie t y m a d e a p r o ­
found im p re ss io n . f ! j
T h e re b e in g 110. ro o m fit th e A d y a r hoad-qm u*ters l a r g a
m o u g h fo r th e s ittin g s of th e c o n v e n tio n , a pandnl, o r tempo;
a r y s t r u c t u r e ( t e c h n i c a ll y called a tvit/ivam iu A m e r i c a )
0 0 X 5 0 feet in size, lined insjitlp t h r o u g h o u t w ith w h ite clotli
, m d d e c o r a t e d w i t h a g r e a t n u m b e r of Hags a n d pen no nsj
c h a n d e l ie r s a n d globes, h a d b een erected u n d e r th e sup erjn r
te n d a n c e of o n r ex c e lle n t b r o t h e r J u d g e P. S tr e e n e v a s RowJ
V ic e - P r e s id e n t pf t h e M a d r a s Br/inch. O v e r a ra ised daiq
c a r p e t e d w ith co stly P e r s ia n r u g s , w a s erec ted t h e g o rg e o u s
(janopy of e m b r o id e r e d clo th of go ld s u p p o r te d b y . p illa rs of
olid silver, m e n tio n e d in th e Madras Times. ■ U n d e r t h i s th o
;
ate so v e re ig n P r i n c e of A r c o t w a j 'a c c u s to m e d to sit . ou
occasions of state. P e r q , w e re p lace d th e ch airs of th e ;t w 6
J
'ou nd ers. E a c h e v e n i n g a f t e r n ig h t f a l l th e . ground**., were
b rillia n tly illu m in a te d , a n d th e m a in a p p r o a c h to th e h o n a 6
w as lin ed on b o th sid es, w i t h g a y '1 flags a l t e r n a t i n g • wifclj
^re ^s e ts a n d tort;)i , lig h ts '.1 ii^ e d in b am b o o staves. A t, tlitj
p rin c ip a l g a t e stood tw o h u g e colored e le p h a n ts o v e r b am b oo
f r a m e s , - w i t h t h e i r t r u n k s e le v a te d as if g i v i n g th e s a ) u t e to
t h e a r r i v i n g g u e sts. T h e S oc iety 's Hag s t r e a m e d fro m ikj
fjtaffupon th o ro of of th o m a in b u n g a lo w , a n d t h a t of th e P re *
|i d e u t F o u n d e r in f r o n t ’ of his q u a r t e r s . T h e a p p e a ra n c e of tluj
p lace w h e n t h e to w e r s a n d b u il d in g s w hen covered w ith au
I n d i a n c ro w n in t h e i r p ic t u r e s q u e costum es,, a n d th e illu ­
m i n a t i o n m a d o it a lm o s t a.3_Jight .as..djiy, was really ii .niosfi
Unliving’ scene. T h e w ho le A n n iv e r s a r y , in fact, from begin-,
n i n g ' to close w a s a g r a n d success w itljo u t an i n c i d e n t ,t<{
m a r its, co m p leten ess. T h e w hole d a y of tlje ^Qfc]} was d ev oted fo
J'h eoso ph ieal b usiness, a n d a b rie f cession of a couple of lio.urn
911 S u n d a y , th e 3 0 t h u ltim o, sufficed to dispose of all th e unliiw
ish ed work; a t 3 - 2 7 i\ m. t h e a n n u a l co nvocation of th e ( j e n e r a j
p o u n e i l was b r o u g h t to a close, a n d lh e body a d jo u r n e d '
die.. T h e little speech pf th e P re s id e n t- F o u rn ie r , b i d d i n g
fa re w ell to th e D e le g a te s a u d in v o k in g upon th e m the hlcs.-dmr
gf th e M a h a t m a s , w h o se p h il a n th r o p ic w o rk th e y w ere assists
in g to c a r r y f o r w a r d , w as d elivered * w ith visible emotion'
and. b r o u g h t s y m p a th e t ic tears to m a n y an eye.', im m e d i a te l y 1
a f t e r th e a d j o u r n m e n t a l a r g e _p h o to g r a p h ic p ic tu re
t a k e n of t h e m e m b e rs of th e C o n v e n ti o n -—-11 g r o u p of per}
qons iii a ll— in w h ic h th e crim so n a n d g o ld b n u n e r - o f -the
Society h a d a ■co nspicuous place. T a k i n g it'- ‘all iu all, th e
C o n v e n tio n o f 1 8 8 3 w a s ' a m o s t im p ress iv e p ra ctical p ro o f of
th e p o te n t ia l u n it y of m e n of e v e ry race, colour, a u d ereetl
\ipon a c o m m o n p l a t f o r m of U n i v u u s a l BitcmiKttuoou. . .j
| - - ................... ■ --------- — - . - • j
| d . A. ( O x o n ) w rite s in L u jh t :— J
S ociety j o u r n a l s reflect, 111 ^ c u rt a in w a y ” th e floating o pi­
n io n of w l i a t ’in L o n d o n passes fo r fasYiidna'ble'life! “ I t is so
f a r in t e r e s t in g , th e r e fo re , to find th e - World c o n c e rn in g itself
w i t h w h a t it calls “ T h e N e w R e li g io n .” “ y E sthe tieism is
b e c o m i n g obsolete, a n d t h e n ew gospel of B u d d h is m is r a p i d ­
ly s u p p l e m e n t i n g it in d r a w i n g room s an d b o u d o irs.” “ T h o
m o d e r n L en co n o e,” it seem s “ read s 1 Isis U n v e ile d ’, a n d f e r ­
v e n t l y acc ep ts th e n e w pevejatiou aecorc|iu»r jo Mr. ‘S iiin ctt
a n d M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y ...... ...: F ew ‘m a l e ’ w o rs h ip p e rs ’a r e
ass o c iate d w ith h e r in th e n e w ’ religion^ a n d th e s e fe w a ro
of th e w e a k - k n e e d ra c e . . . . T h e n e w re lig io n is e s s e n ti­
ally fe m in in e . . . . T h e a j r is h e a v y w ith a sp iru tio ji (fjic),
g h o s t ly fornjs sw eep r o u n d th e th r e s h o ld , a n d ' th e a s t r a l
b o d y o | M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y s ta n d s - w it h in before " th e vision'
of t h e sa cred L o t u s . ” ' A ikI 'so 'f o rth. T h e stuiF ' is j)OOf
e n o u g h , a n d th e w r i t e r is i g n o r a n t of 'w h a t lie ( o r ni
i t she ? ) d e a ls ' w ith . T h e f a c t is tl ia t som e v e ry ■ p o w e r f u l
a m i r o b u s t jntelleq tS jha vo .b een ; a n d tyro; ifjllueneed b y th is
n e w relig io n. T h e d e a ] i n g a t all' witli tlie -subject iu a
s o c ie ty j o u r n a l is t h e only, p o in t w o rth n o tin g , unless £
ftcccpb t l i 3" adiiiL^sioa t h a t ‘‘'Tituratu'ro a n d ; cojiyersatiuu
 ■itfitridSs dn all sid e s'to it decdy in the' g e n e r a l eo ritic tio h of
i m m o r t a l i t y / ' TJiis n o te of t h e a £ 6 iff begfoAifig t '6 S trik e
cVe'ti 6 bsferverB feo snperfidiklly fH^pa'nfc aS th e # r i t f e f ifcf th e
TV p ttd . W h a t h e c alls ttie pi'epost^rotts ifrip o stu re,” 'frhidft
fa ils to urid er& tind o r a p j ^ e c i A t ^ is tiot t h * oftly AhriWef'
to' tills fcntviiig fo r n e ^ s p i r i t u a l fc 6 d . . -
O BITUARY.
A n o t h e r of m y e a rlie s t f e l ld f r - w d r k e tt Baft b een
s t r i c k e n d o w n b y d e a th . I a m e x t r e m e l y g r i e v e d to
h e a r , o f th e d e a th of o u r B r o t h e r G r e g o r i s EdiriVrera,
S e c r e t a r y o t th e G alle T h eo so p h icn l Society, C ey lo n, k t
th o e a r l y a £ e of 31 y ears. H i s d e a t h hrtd p r o d u c e d ft g a p
w h i c h w ill n o t b e v e ry easily filled. T h e p a r t i c u l a r s of
thifl m elaridholy o c c u rr e n c e w ill ftpp ear f r o m t h e follow ­
i n g le t t e r i—i
' H . S. O l c o t t .
ti tJALLE, 10th Deceihtcr lB&f.
My DaAn S ir and BrotnBR, -
O ne of th e g re a te s t calam ities t h a t o v er couUt haVe befallen
ohi1 B ociety to o k place on th e 3rd In sta n t, in thte d e a th of
M r. G ro g o ris K diriw dra, th o in d e fa tig a b le S e c re ta ry of th is Branch*
l i e w a s a tta c k e d w ith dyfeentery a b o u t te n d&yB p re v io u s to his
d e a th , find wA3 n n d o r n a tiv e tr e a tm e n t fo r se v en days ; a n d w hen
th o caso w as hopeless, hiq re la tiv e s re so rte d to finglibli p ractice,
wh&ti i t w ad too U t4 . H e w as dgrtBible u p to th e lasb m ortieilt;
an d a b o u t tiVelv6 hourri b efo re his d e a th he frequ^feted b is ^ i f e an d
c h ild re n n o t to d is tu rb liim b d t allow liim th e s h o rt tim e he w as
to liv e to c o n to in p U te ab o n t th e .v a rio u s a c ts of b e n ev o len ce a n d
c h a rity h e h a d d o n e d u rin g th e 81 y e a rs lie w as in th e w orld, aud
to en jo y t h e h o p o of fu tu rd b liss, l ie d e c lin e d th e b ra n d y a n d
watfet* prbfecribed b y th e Doctofc, aB hd skid hb sh o u ld h&Ve his
prdfeenco of h iin d w h en d y in g .
H U p lace in o a r S ociety is tiob filled u p a s y e t, an d I 4m su re w e
ca n u o v d r Jjet b is b k e in Coylon to Btlcooed him .
I rotn&in, d e a r sir,
Y o u rs o b e d ie n tly ,
G.
T o C o l , H . 8 . O l c o It , P resident, G alle Thioaophical Sjociety*
A d y a r , M adras.
I t h as b een o u r sad fa te th is y e a r to c h ro n ic le th e p a ssin g aw ay
of o u r e a r n e s t a n d d o v o ted fello w * w o rk ers m o n th a f te r trionth.
T h is fcitno it is o u r d e a r frie n d an d b r o th e r P a n d it B aldeo Pr&shd
S an k h d lm r, fo r so m etim o 8 o o re ta ry to o n r M eo rn t B ra n c h , w ho
d e p a rte d th is lifo on th e 1 4 th D ooom ber la s t a t L a litp u r, N . VV. P*
I t is o u r m elan ch o ly ta s k to p a y th e la s t t r ib u te to him , w ho w a s
ono of th o m o st In d e fa tig a b le la b o u re rs in th e field of T heosophy
an d one of I t s s ta u n c h o st hdvocatos, tt p o rso n al, an d a d o ro te d
frie n d , lio leaves a la rg e fam ily to m o u rn h is u n tim e ly en d . Wo
a ll k n o w D e a th is n o t a re a p e c to r of p o rso n s a n d —
S ooing t h a t D o ath , a n e c e s sa ry en d ,
W ill com e w hou i t will^com o,
— we h a r e all of u s to p re p a re , sooner or la te r , to fa ll in to h e r fatal
em b race. Y e t th o u g h “ g re a t p ro p rie to r Of a ll” sh e b*, w h«n im plac*
ab le D e a th c a rrie s aw ay m en b o fu ll o f life a t its p rim e aiid b o
n e o o ssa rv to th e ir fam ilies, one h as a r i g h t indeed to m u rm u r a g a in s t
h e r b lin d an d b ru ta l d o o rees. I t is Buch d a ily a n d h ourly o v c n ts
th a t stre n g th e n th e h a n d s of tho m a te r ia lis t a n d w idon th c g u lf
betw eon th e p h ilo so p M lcal P a n th e is t an d th o p ro fo u n d ly unphiloso
phical bolievor in a co n scio u s in to l lig e tit P ro v id e n c e , c a r in g fo r its
c re a tu re s . W ore it all t h a t , Buch id io tio blow s oould OBC&pn cen su re
fro m on ly th o c re d u lo u s v ictim of t h a t Sophism o f a g o s w h ic h teach es
t h a t its d ecrees a u d m y s te rie s a le in s c ru ta b le an d m n s t n o t b6
q u e s tio n e d .
S P E C IA L N O T IC E TO C O R R E S P O N D E N T S .
♦
t f No anonymous documents ivill le accepted for insertion,
even though they may be signed “ A Theosophist."
( II.) Any contributor not desiring his name to be made pub­
lic, should t/ive the necessary intimation to the Editor when fo t-
warding his contribution.
( III.) Contributors are requested to forward their articles
in the early part of the month, so as to allow the Editor plenty
o f time fo r correction and disposal in the pages o f the TnEoso-
P H IS T .
( I F .) All correspondence to be written on one side of the
paper onty, leaving clcar spaces betweeu lines and a wide margin.
Proper names and foreign Words should be written with
the greatest care.
Adverting lo articles and correspondence
destined f o r the pages of the T h e o s o p h i s t , we
itoiild call ihe attention o f intending contri­
butors to t/ie following instructions —
The Editors disclaim, responsibility fo r opinions expressed by
Contributors in their articles, with some of which they agree, with
others not. Great latitude is allowed to correspondents, a.nd
they alone are accountable for what they write. The journal is
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Opinions connected with the Asiatic religions, philosophies and
sciences. A ll ivho have anything worth telling are made welcome
and not interfered with. Rejected M SS. are not returned.
8 § ^ T h e M a n a g e r c a lls p a r tic u la r N o t i c e to t h e fa ct
t h a t a ll M o n e y - o r d e r s m u s t n o w b e s e n t
p a y a b le a t A d y a r [ no t M a d r a s ), P . 0 . I n d i a .
G r e a t i n c o n v e n i e n c e is c a u s e d b y m a k in g t h e m
p a y a b le t o C o l. O l c o t t o r M in e . B l a v a t s k y , n e it h e r
o f w h o m h a s t o d o w it h fin a n c ia l m a t t e r s , and
b o t h o f w h o m a r e o f t e n fo r m o n t h s a b s e n t fro m
H eftd-quarters.
.------f-------
S P E C IA L N O T IC E S.
I t is now evidont, t h a t th e T iik o so p iiist offers to a d v e rtise rs nnnsnftl
a d v a n ta g e s in c irc u la tio n . W e have a lre a d y su b sc rib e rs in e v e rv p a rt
of In d ia , in (Joylou, B u rn in h , C h in a a n d 011 tlie P e rs ia n (Itilf. O nr pnper
also goes to G re a t Itrita in an d Ire la n d , F ra n c e , S p ain , H ollan d , (ier-
hifiny, N o rw ay , H u n g a ry , Cirecco, Husain, A u s tra la s ia , S outh A frica,
th e Wofit In d ies, a n d N o rth a n d S outh A m erica. T ho follow ing v ery
tiio d o tate r a te s h av e been adopted.
A d v e r t is in g R ates.
F ir s t in s e rtio n ...........1 6 lin e s an d u n d e r ............. 1 R upee.
F o r each a d d itio n a l lin o ............................................ 1 A nna.
S pace is c h a rg e d fo r a t th e r a te of 12 lin es to th a inch. S p ecial arran g e*
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fjGriodfl. F o r f n r th e r in fo rm a tio n an d c o n tra c ts for a d v e rtisin g , ap p ly t 0
M a n a g e r , T H E O S O P H IS T , A d y a r , M a d r a s .
M e s s r s . G R A V ES, COOKSON A N D Co., M a d r a s .
F ro fr ie to r , INDUSTRIAL PRESS, 3, H cm m um S tr e e t, F o rt, B o m b a t.
M essrb. C OC.
O PA* E R JAa taCo., a r eAa ,d o w S t r e e t , F o r t , B o m b a y •
sk kM
T o S U B S C R IB E R S . ’
T h e S ub scH p tio n p ric e a t w hich tho T nEosopnisT is p u b lish ed baroly
coverB co st— th o d esig n in e s ta b lis h in g tho jo u rn a l h a v in g b een r a th e r
to re a c h A v e ry w ide circle of ro a d e rs, th a n to m a k e a profit. W c c a n ­
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Societies, Or in d iv id u als g rn tn ito n s ly . F o r tho sam e roason w e are
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s c rib e rs to p a y in a d v an ce , an d of sto p p in g tho p a p e r n t th e en d of tho
te r m p a id for. M any y e a rs of p ra c tic a l ex p erien ce h av e convinced
W e s te rn p u b lish e rs t h a t th is sy s te m of cash p a y m e n t ! b th e b est nnd
b io st s a tis fa c to ry to b o th p n rtio s ; an d all resp e c ta b le jo u rn a ls are now
c o n d u c te d on th is p l a i .
T h e TiiEOsorm sT will n p p car each m o n th . Tlio ra te s , fo r tw elv e
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A d y a r P . 0 ., ( M a d r a s , ) In d ia. ’
S u b sc rib e rs w ish in g a p rin to d rocoipt fo r th e ir re m itta n c e s m u st soud
s ta m p s for r e tn r n p o stag e.
&S5”0 n i ,y O ne N umber op V o l . I nsiNO available , Tn* cnAnnr, for
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A g e n ts : L ondon, E n g ., M essrs. T riib n c r an d C om pany, 57 nnd 59,
L u d g n to H i l l ; B e rn a rd Q u n ritch , 15 P iccn d illy , W .; I’n ris ; F rnncc, P. G.
L ey m ario , 5, Rue N euvo des P e tits C h n m p s; N ow Y ork, Fow ler
a n a W ells, 753, B ro a d w a y ; B oston, M uss, Colby an d Rich, !), M o ntgo­
m e ry I ’lnce ; C hicago, III. J . C. B a n d y , L a Snllc S t. A m erican su b s c ri­
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 Tlie tw elv e pages of th is N um ber PRECEDE those of th e la st issu e, h a v in g been then in a d v erten tly o m itted
A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY. ART. LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
EMBRACING MESMERISM. SPIRITUALISM , AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
V o l. 5. N o s . 3 & 4 . M A D R A S,
TO | as th e most p r o p e r and suitable. I n order to arrive afc
T H E R E IS NO R E L I G I O N H I G H E R T H A N T R U T H .
[F a m ily motto o f the M aharajahs o f B en a res.]
. T H E B E S T FO O D F O B M A N .
B y M rs . A. K ik g s i'o k d , M. D , P . T. S.*
B kfoke we can form any correct and valuable idea aa
to wlmt is ‘ b e st’ in food, in morals or in a n y th in g else,
we must learn to reason and to th in k for ourselves, in­
depen dently of respect for prevailing- h a b its a n d beliefs.
Tlio lir.st and th e chief quality necessary to th e man who
seeks to a tta in excellence iu any p ractice or vocation is
<-uuraije, aud if lie has plenty of it an d uses it in th e r ig h t
direction, he will, in due time, become a k in g of men, in
the truest and w o rth iest sense, th a t is by virtue, not of
physical, b u t of moral force.
Now 1 preach a doctrine which it requires some
courage to put into practice. I t i<, however, a doctrine
based on reason a n d on science, a n d ihere need be no
fear th a t its adoption can lay open to tlio cha rg e of
fanaticism. Courage, su pp o rte d by sound know ledge
a n d d irected by high aims, is th e c haracteristic virtue
of saints, heroes a n d redeem ers of men ; b u t when b a c k ­
ed by ignorance a n d prejudice it d egenerates into mere
bravado aud fool-liardiness. 1 ask my renders, therefore,
to be courageous in seeking for th e tr u t h , and, regardless
of common opinions aud popular beliefs, to follow w ith
unbiassed reason tlie exposition I am a b o u t to m ake.
W e aro goin g to consider w h a t is th e best food for
man. B y t h a t ph rase wo mean tho k in d of diet upon
which the hum an being- 'will be enabled to develope
himself m ost fully a n d evenly in his physical, in tellec­
tual, moral a n d spiritual a ttrib u te s.
M an is a twofold being. H e has a physical n a tu r e
related to tho world and to th e necessities pf social and
political life, aud lie lias a spiritual or moral n ature
related to th e Id e a l an d to th e necessities of intellectual
a n d religious life. T h a t mode of living which is b e st
for man m u st therefore be best for him on b o th planes,
and m ust prove its claims by tlie triple appeal to Science,
Social E conom y a n d Morals.
In presenting' th e substance of tlie re q u ire m e n ts e x a c t­
ed by these th re e factors of hum an developm ent, I shall
have to go over g r o u n d th a t is very trite a n d fam iliar
to students of dietetics, and if th e re be an y such am ong
the readers th ey m u st p ardo n me th e lack of o rig in ality
inevitable to my subject.
To begin w ith the lower and physical ch aracteristics
of m aukind, we m ust first enquire w h a t th e n a tu ra l
anatomy or stru c tu re of tho h u m a n b e in g is, and w hat
kind of food is indicated by tho form ation of liis organs,
* P re s id e n t of lh e “ L o udon L od g o ” T h eo so p h ical S ocicty,
DEC.—JANY. 18 8 3 -8 4 . N o s . 51 & 52,
a conclusion in this m a tte r , we m ust compare his b odily
stru c tu re w ith th a t of oth e r anim als, and if we should
find a n y of these r e sem b lin g him in org anisation, wo
m ust th en enquire w h a t k in d of food is hab itual to
them . N o w tliere is a w hole class of animals so exactly
like m an in s tru c tu re th at^scipntilie observers havo all
ag re e d in placing him , ^.physically, on th e samo fo oting
w ith them , and inc lu d in g lu m in the nom enclature given tn
their order. T hese anim als a re Apes, aud in gen eral all tho
monkey tribe. T he te e th , intestines, stomach, brain and
general conform ation of this O rder nre liko thofce of Man-
F o r scientilic men, tliereforo, m an is simply a large, deve­
loped, and adv an ced A pe. N o o ther k in d of animal,
presents so typical a n d so g r e a t a sim ilarity to our raco.
T h e internal o rga ns a n d te e th of most othfsr animals, aiul
especially those of beasts of prey, dilfor widely from ours,
b oth in form a n d in stru c tu re . T he A pe alone has hands
like ours, feet like ours, limbs a u d face like ours, brain,
digestive organ s an d te e th like ours. I do liot say this,
only because I havo been t a u g h t it, or have , read it iu
books. I have myself cut u p m any bodies of dead men
and ha,vg comparod them with the dead bodies of apes. I
have m inutely exam ined, counted an d measured tho jaws
of m en aud of various o th e r animals, and havo th u s
become convinced of tlie perfect resem blance ex istin g
betw een hum a n beings a n d the m onkey tribe on the om*
hand, an d of th e g r e a t dissimilarities which, ou the
other h a n d , separate him from all o th e r orders of
creatures. Now, w hat is th e food of th e A pe trib e ,— of
this order which includes man ? I t is vegetable food ;
tho frn it and n u ts of tre e s for tho most part, sometimes
grain a n d roots, te n d e r herbs, and more rarely birds, e g g s
a n d honey. N o monkey, e x c 3p t under very g r e a t p re s­
sure of h u n g e r, will touch Hesli. I havo been told by
a n em inent p hysician a n d professor of com parative a n a ­
tomy, th a t a lth o u g h he h a d often tried , he could never
g e t a m onk ey to eat flesh-meat. M onkeys are often
fierce an d mischievous, an d will kill small animal$ .out of
vindictiveness or wantonuess, b u t not for food. Afc the
Zoological G ardens of London, aud in all menageries,
m onkeys are considered as vegetarians by nature, and
are fed on such th in g s as app les, rice, potatoes, n u ts,
salad, and so on. F le s h is never given to them. W o
m ust thou consider th a t au anatomy, or s tru ctu re , such as
th eirs is, is n a tu ra lly suited to vegetarian habits. A n d
yet, we, who have exactly th e same anato m y , feed, as a
rule, like dogs, wolves and tig ers ! H ow is this ? E ith e r
th e m onkeys are in the w rong, or wo. B u t th e m onkey
acts b y instinct a n d never tra n s g re ss e s th e law of his b e ­
ing, because ho is incap ab le of v olunta ry d e p a r tu r e
from th a t law. I t is th e re fo re w e'w ho have tra n s g re ss­
ed th a t law, a n d who are in th e w rong. A n d it
it is our kn ow ledge of tlie uses of fire as applied to
cookery t h a t has m ade this traug ressiou possible. No
man could eat a n d relish ra w flesh a n d blood.; Firo
• alone makci? th e m p a la ta b le to him, Y e t th e a r t of
cookery wns probably tho first ste p m ade b y m an
tow ards a h i g h e r condition th a n t h a t of th e a p e ; and
if w ith the acquisition of th is a r t came th a t of a d a p tin g
flesh to culinary purposes, it m ay be a r g u e d t h a t the
new m ode of d ie t was an advance and not a re tr o g r e s ­
sion. N ow Pro fe sso r N ew m an has h a n d le d th is objec­
tion, a n d has done it so well t h a t I can n o t do b e tte r
th a n quo te w h a t lie has to say on th e subject. H e
w rite s t h u s :
“ T1\g tr u e t e s t of a n y th in g being n a tu ra l to m n n in his m ore m a tu re ,
n o t h is im m a tu re , era. I to is a p ro g ressiv e b e in g . F le sh -m o a t helped
liim th ro u g h his loss developed s t a te ; b u t to a tte m p t to k e e p tip in th e
l a t t e r an d m o re developed stage, th e h a b its of th e e a rlie r an d ruder,
5s p ern icio u s . . . T ho d ie t of flesh - i u c a t belongs to th e tim e bf b a r­
b a rism ,— th o tim e of low c u ltiv a tio n nnd th in p o p u la tio n ; nnd it
n a tu r a lly d ecreases w ith h ig h e r c u ltiv a tio n .”
The t r u t h is, as P ro fessor N ew m an seems hero
to indicate, th a t the system atic a n d im m utable Law of
N a tu ro is one of circles, n ecessitatin g a descen ding and
ascending arc. IVhenever there is to be a rise, there is a
fa ll first. I t is an axiom w ith scientific w riters 0 1 1 evolu­
tion, or the doctrino of developm ent of form s,— th a t all
tra n sitio n or in term e d iary types are weak, unstable, and
destined to p.ass away. N a tu r e feels h e r way as it were,
J3I 1 0 proceeds by slow an d im perfect gro w ths, essays on
which sho ‘ tries h e r ’prentice h a n d ’ ; beforo h e r new Id ea
is fully realised. M an in a stato of barb arism , im m edi­
ately a fte r e m e rg in g from th e p urely n a tu ra l condition
controlled by u n e rrin g i n s t i n c t ;— m a n ju s t b eg in n in g to
g ra s p th e m astery of m echanical forces,— is in some
respects lower th a n tho iunocont anim al whose na tu ra l
b ro th e r he is. H e is swayed b y ap petites which in stinct
has ceased to control, and as yet his h ig h e r reason is
un aw akened . H e has broken the na tu ra l law, a n d has
n o t yet appre h e n d e d th e moral law. I n such a condition
ho represents th e descending curve of th e Law of D eve­
lopment. H e is in a tra n sition state, he has passed into'
an in term ediary sta g e of evolution, a n d is under-,
g o ing tho fall p rep arato ry to th e rise. T h e re are, in tho
divine order of things, threo qualities o r d eg rees of p ro ­
gress, threo stops as it were, 0 11 th e l ad d e r re ach in g from
e a rth to lieaveil. T hese degrees are, in order of develop­
m e n t, th e ph ysica l, th e intellectual, and th e m oral. A nd
th e motive pow er of th e ir evolution, or m anifestation, is
th e sp iritu a l force of the universe. N ow tho first of
those degrees is developed in instinctive n ature, in tho
races, w h e th e r veg etable or animal, which are governed
b y involuntary obedience, to spiritual im pulse or Law,
•and whose consciousness is not reflective, or as it is
commonly called,— reasoning. I n this d e p a rtm e n t of
Lifo, N a tu r e is supreme, a n d the developm ent of races is
conducted by n a tu ra l processes to th e h ig h e st p o in t
indicated by th e spiritual force in h e re n t in th e universe.
This h ig h e s t po int is th a t occupied by th e orde r of
P rim a te s or F ru g iv o ra ;— a-word m e a ning eaters of fruit.
Those are th e A p e family, which, as I have said, includes
M an by physical stru c tu re a n d conform ation. But,
h a v in g reached this point, N a tu r e has a tta in e d h e r u lti­
m a tu m of objective development. A s suprem e arb itress
phe can g o u o fu rth e r, for she has touched the bou rn e of
tho n e x t de g re e — reasoning intellect— an d this belongs
to the domain of Self-consciousness a n d Free-will,
T h e imm ediate p ro d u c t of this new quality is Man. A t
th e outset, he too is a fru it-eater, b u t before lon g he
discovers, by m eans of the newly evoked faculty of m ind,
■— tho uses of fire, and the possibility of satisfy in g his
a p p e tite with food, which his ancestors, ta u g h t by
N a tu r e , abhorred. T hereupon he d e p a rts from the
na tu ra l law of his being, and en ters on a course of a r ti­
ficial h abit. T h e n there begins, on a new plane, to wit,
tlio p lane of hum an and interior- evolution, a process
closely resem bling t h a t which has already b e e n w orked
c u t on the n a tu ra l and exterior plane. Scientific w riters
of the M iddle A g e s h a d two expressive words, b y which
th ey design ated a n d explained these two planes. T hey
called th e n a tu ra l a n d objective plane, th e Macrocosm,
{ind tlie hu m a n a n d subjective plane, t h e Microcosm!
T hese words are com pounded from G reek term s, and
they m ean respectively the G reat and th e Little World.
Now you do n o t need to be told th a t it is the same
Spiritual Fo rce which w orks both in N aturo, as seen in
th e G reat W o r ld or Macrocosm, and in tlie L ittle W o rld ,
or Microcosm, Man.
B u t whereas in th e g r e a t world, this force works
a rb itra rily a n d b y instinct, prod ucing tho best nnd
h ig h e st by m eans of n atu ra l development, it works in
tho .microcosm, or in M an, self-consciously and su b je c ­
tively, and produces th e best and highest by means oi
reasoning processes. I n sim pler la n gu age, th e hum an
bein g reasons his way to tho distinction between good
a n d evil,— th e lion-human beings a ttain to good by in­
stinctive guidanco.
Now, observe w hat takes place as soon as the self­
conscious or intellectiud plane is reached. The op era­
tion of th e spiritual force, h ith e rto instinctive, becomes
reasoning, an d it has therefore to work its way by
moans of the new function. T h ere is b u t one hue
th ro u g h o u t th e universe, th o n g h th ere are diverse modes
of its m a n if e s ta tio n s ; becauso there is b u t one Force,
a n d law is th e condition of its being. The Microcosm
sta rts, therefore, exactly as did th e Macrocosm, and
dovelops itself from low to h ig h , from ru d im e n ta ry to
perfect, precisely in the same maunor, only with this
difference, th a t th e law of evolution is transferred from
the domain of tho simple consciousness of N a tu re , to
th a t of th e complex or se//-consciousness of H u m a n ity .
U n d e r this new mode of conditions, spiritual force has
to w ork its way anew 011 the h ig h e r hum an plane from
the beginn in g, as it has already done on th e lower
n a tu ra l plane. In n a tu re it b e g a n with the m an ifesta­
tion of physical form, and ended with th a t of intelligence ;
in man it b eg in s w ith tho m anifestation of intelligence,
a u d will e n d with th a t of morality. M an has to bring
him self, by free-will, th a t is, by intellectual a u d moral
progress, to th e self-same point to which N ature had
b r o u g h t him physically, by instinct. Thus yon see
w hat I m e an t w hen 1 said th a t th e divine o rde r is
represen ted by a circle, a n d th a t before there is a rise,
there must be a fall. B u t th e h e ig h t to which M an
will ultim ately a tta in b y th c exercise of his free-will
and self-knowledge, is vastly g r e a te r th an th a t from
which ho originally fell,— tho condition of innocent p e r ­
fection to which N a t u r e had b ro u g h t his ancestors the
P rim ates ; becauso th e new circle upon which he entered
by th a t fall is 011 a h ig h e r plane, an d does uot merely
moot again a t th e s ta r tin g point, like a serpent swallow­
in g his tail. ,
I t is a spiral circle, a n d th e a sc e n d in g curve of
it will lift the hum an bein g above th e mere N a ­
tu r e -ta u g h t animal.
T he first sta te of m an, th e n , a fte r voluntary d e p a rtu re
from the n a tu ra l law, is a s ta te of barbarism . H is in ­
telligence is a w aken ed , b n t his moral functions aro still
late n t and nuevoked. T he b a rb a ria n ’s conceptions of
honor a n d of his n e ig h b o u r’s r ig h t are consequently
almost n il. H e is a m arauder, a creature living b y spoil,
b y d epredation a n d by violence. Savages are hun te rs,
n ot gardeners. They do not cultivate th e soil, nor p la n t
o rc h a rd s ; first, because thoy lack th e w it a n d the skill
n e c e s s a ry ; secondly, because n o t b e in g moralists, they
would rob one an o th e r by violence, an d so th e p roperty
acquired by the labour of the w e a ke r would pass into th e
hands of th e stro n g e r, to th e injury of the former ;
thirdly, because m ost savage trib e s are wanderers, m oving
a b o n t c onstantly from place to place ; fourthly, because
th e ir n um b e rs aro n o t g re a t, and gam e is plentiful in all
wild countries, so t h a t th e re is snjiply in excess of the
n e e d ; au d la stly > because savages are always idle and
mischievous, a n d to kill gam e is easier and m ore exciting
th a n to till th e gro u n d an d raise corn-crops.
Snch is th e tra n sitio n sta te of th e h um a n race, tho
interm e dia ry unstable ty pe b e tw een tho m ere animal
&ud th e pe rfec ted m an, A n d w herever its traces
survive, there, in proportion to tlie d e g re e in w hich th e y
shew themselves, survive tlie features a u d characteristics
of th e ru dim entary man.
I n enu m erating tlie five causes of flesh-eating- habits
a m o n g barbarians, I have indicated by correlation some
of the opposite advantages of a r e tu r n to n a tu ra l law in
the m a t te r of food. -
T h e ve ge ta ria n dietary, for which alone we are a n a ­
tomically designed, is one affording healthful an d innocent
occupation to both men and women. Tilling, ploughing,
sosviug, planting, reaping, th re sh in g , sta c k in g , p ru n in g ,
g lean in g, mowing, d ig g in g , and so on, are employm ents
in them selves inv ig oratin g and s tre n g th e n in g to th e
body, while they supply th e m eans of utilising a g re a t
n u m b e r of labourers, ancl thus of s u p p o rtin g a far la rg e r
population of peasan try than can find rem unerative w ork
where land is uncultivated. I t is therefore a p re-em i­
nently civilised dietary, because th e exercise of h u s ­
b a n d r y a n d the cultivation of edible crops assum es tho
existence of Peace and O rder, a fa the rla n d, a n d respect
for personal righ ts of pro perty. N o r is it only
because land un d e r tillage a u d fru ita g e affords occu­
pation to a g r e a te r proportion of w orkers, t h a t it
is to be re g a rd e d as of moro economical a n d political valuo
than wasto or p asture lands. Scientific calculations
have proved th a t a a area of land which un d e r corn, root or
fruit crops, is capable of affording food e no ug h for a
h und red persons, would, if devoted to re a r in g cattle, be
capable of su sta in in g only th irty - th r e e persons. I n a
pa p e r e ntitled “ Food-T lirift,” c o n trib u ted to lite ra ­
tu re by D r. R ichardson, he speaks a t le n g th of th o
in tim a te relation which exists b e tw een th e n a tu re of tho
national food supply and th e num bers of th e p opulation
aud says :
11 I t is th e fittest fo r w o rk an d fo r e a rn in g wlio leave o n r shores
ns e m ig ra n ts ; th e u n fitte s t fo r w ork an d tho le a s t pow erful re m a in .
T hu s th e d ra in on th o first p ro cesses of n a tio n a l p e rm a n e n t p ro sp e rity
ia th a t w hich is opened by em ig ratio n , ancl ia t h a t w h ich is e x h a u s t­
ing th o h e a rt of th o C o m m o n w ealth . . . Wo o u g h t ro n lly to co n sid er
tho q u estio n of u tilisin g , on a larg e scalo, a ll v e g e ta b le s, w h ich in
n u tr ie n t valuo, sta n d above an im al p ro d u c ts. W e h ave to learn , aa a
first tr u th , th a t th o o ftc n e r wo go to tho v eg e ta b le w orld for o u r food,
tlie o fte n e r w e go to th o first, au d th e re fo re , to tho c h e a p e s t so u rce of
su p p ly . The com m only acco p ted notion th a t w h en wo e a t an im al fiesh
we nro e a tin g food a t its p rim e so u rc e ,c a n n o t bo too sp eed ily d is s ip a te d ;
or too soon re p la c e d b y th e kuow lodgo t h a t th e ro is no p rim itiv e form
of food, alb u m in o u s, sta rc h y , osseous, in tlio an im al w o rld itsolf, an d
th a t all th e p ro cess of c a tc h in g au a n im a l, o r o f b ro o d in g it, re a rin g
it, k eep in g it, d ressin g it and sellin g it, m ean no m ore n o r less th a n
e n tire ly a n a d d itio n a l e x p e n d itu re th ro u g h o u t, for b ein g in to w liut wo
h av e been ta u g h t to co n sid er ac c e p ta b le form of food, th o v e rita b le
food w h ich tho an im a l itso lf found, w ith o u t a n y su ch p re p a ra tio n , iu
th e v eg etab le w orld .”
Now, a vegetarian d ie ta ry is n o t only politically and
nationally the most economical, b u t it is also enorm ous­
ly cheaper than a diet composed of or in cluding flesh-
B u tc h c r ’s m eat, poultry and ga m e are tlie m ost expen­
sive and wasteful forms of food known. I t is chiefly
due to tlie fact th a t our lower, o r la b ou ring classes, spend
a g r e a t deal of their h a rd -e a rn ed wages in b u y in g flcsh-
food, t h a t th e y are so much less prosperous a n d well to
do as a rule, th a n th e F r e n c h p easan try. I have
passed a good deal of time in hospitals b o th in E n g la n d
aud in F rance, a n d have often questioned th e poor
p a tie n ts who came fo r out-door advice, a b o u t th e ir mode
of living. 1 find th a t in towns a t homo v ery often th e
bulk of th e w eek ’s housekeeping m oney goes to pay for
the S u n d a y ’s joint, an d all th e oth e r six days’ meals are
eked out of poor a n d unwholesome m aterials iu orde r
th a t this e x trav agance may be m et. Som etim es on
week days tripe is eaten, o r a sheep’s head, or liver, or
black p ud dings, or some oth er horrible offal, th e little
children of th e family p a r ta k in g w ith tho elders. N o t
ouly is such food, in itself, m ost indigestible a n d unfit
for hum an beings, b u t it is ex trem ely liable to bo infest­
ed with worms a n d fluke. All anim als which aro a r ti­
ficially b red a u d stall-fed are peculiarly liable to dis­
eases. Tho diseases a re chiefly parasitical or worm-dis-
eases, of which tliero are m any k in d s ; tubercule, or
pearl-diseasc, analogous to consum ption iu h u m a n
beings, splenic fever, or a n th ra x , and o th e r epidemics.
A n d th e anim als which chiefly suffer from these maladies
are tho pig, th e sheep, th e ox an d cow, an d th e domestic
rabbit. Now, a lth o u g h all th e flesh of snch diseased
animals is d an gero us, th e ir internal organs a n d in ­
testines are by far tho most dangerous. An enormous
perc e n ta g e of sheep killed for th e m a rk e t have fluke in
tho liver, th o u g h not elsewhere, and th e g re a te r n u m b e r
of old w orn out milch cows, slau gh tered for economy’s
sake, have tuberculous lungs, and, consequently, disease
th ro u g h o u t all th e ir bodies.
Dr. C reigh to n, sp ea k in g before the Medical Congress
of 1831, said I sent a tru stw o rth y person to somo
slaughter-houses in London, oue day, w ith instructio ns
to b r in g me specimens of pearl nodules, (tub ercular
deposits). H o b r o u g h t specimens from four old cows
which wero sla u g h te re d in his presence. T h e lu n g s
were riddled w ith p u ru le n t cavities ; th e flesh would bo
sold a t abo ut four pence a pound to be m ade into sau ­
sages and saveloys. . . T h e inferior p arts of the carcase,
snch as the d ia p h r a g m or ‘ s k ir t,’ are especially liable to
havo th e actual tu b e rc u la r nodules a d h e rin g to them ,
and more or less intim ately blended w ith the m e a t.
These p a rts are sold a t a cheap r a te to th e poor.’ I n
the discussion which followed Dr. C re ig h to n ’s paper,
D r. A. C a rp e n te r observed th a t ‘ it had been shewn b y
evidence given in a C ourt of law, t h a t n in e ty p e r cent,
of the anim als which were slau gh tered for tlie M e tro ­
politan M ea t M a rk et, were more or less affected w ith
tubercule. I t was shewn too th a t this was alm ost uni­
versally th e case w ith cows which h a d becomo b a rre n .’
Dr. T ra il of New Y o rk , w ritin g on th e samo subject,
says :— ‘ All fa tte n e d animals nro diseased, nearly nil
havo measly livers, m an y have measly lungs, a n d some
are measly all th ro u g h . A n d w h a t are these ‘ measles V
In sects, worms, a n d parasitic animals, a n d n o th in g else.
T hese c reatu res a n d th e ir eggs may pervado all th e t is­
sues, a n d burrow in a n y of th e organs. F re q u e n tly they
w ork th e ir way into th e brain and spinal m arrow of
slieop, in d u cin g th e disease know n as stag g e rs. W h e n
th ey ta k e up th e ir abode in tho cells au d canals a n d
cavities of th e body, th e y developo in size or shape
according to th e ir dwelling-places. I n th e intestine, th e y
elongate into various species of worms. Thoy aro very
h ard indeed to destroy, a n d are tra n s fe rre d alone from
tho carcase of th e dead anim al affected, to tho person who
eats of it. (Sometimes the egg s only are so tra n sfe rre d ,
a n d theso h a tc h and develope in th e h um a n intestine,
an d become worms of five or seven feet long-. This is
tho origin of th e tape-worm.) The ord in ary process
of salting does not kill th e m , no r does cooking de ­
stroy th e m , except a t a very h ig h degree of h e a t .’
T he m any horrible a n d contagious maladies to w hich
cattle artificially reared, are liable, a n d tho sho ck ­
in g disasters to h u m a n lifo a n d he a lth which tliu
h a b it of flesh-eating has en g e n d e re d aro so numerous,
t h a t in o rd e r to tell you all a b o u t them , it would bo
necessary to w rite a book on th e subject. A s my timo
is very lim ited now, I will co ntent myself with quoting
only one moro a u th o rity on th e question ,—a very im por­
ta n t a u th o rity ,— M r. Bruce, who a t tho timo of the P a r ­
liam en tary discussion of th e ‘ C attle Diseases Prev entio n
B ill’ (1864) was U n d e r- S e c r e ta r y for th e H om e D e p a r t­
m ent.
‘ T h e a g g r e g a t e an n u al value of tho cattle lost b y
diseases in tho U n ite d K ingdom , w as,’ h e said, ‘ a b o u t
£6,120,000. T h e most fatal of th ese diseasos was p leuro­
pneum onia (inflammation of th e lung s a n d lu n g cavity)
from which a t least half th e cattle d i e d ...............W ith r e ­
spect to th e cause of this disease, doctors differed am ong
them selves, some said it was contagious, others, th a t ifc
was e p i d e m i c ...............I t was, however, undoubtedly p r o ­
p a g a te d by transm ission of cattle by ship from foreigu
countries. They were often d riv en a considerable way
to th e p o rt of e m b a rk a tio n , h u d d le d into ships, ta k e n
across tho seas, exposed to g r e a t h e a t, th irst, a n d suf­
ferin gs on board ship ; ta k e n ashore, p u t into tru c k s in
which infected cattle had recently travelled, an d thus, on
phip-board, ill the trucks, a t fairs a n d oth e r places of sale,
disease was necessarily p ro pag ated. O the r diseases,—
th e foot and m onth disease, the scab in sheep, and
measles in pigs, m ust also bo considered . . . I n London,
tho seizures of diseased m eat were very la rge , r e p r e s e n t ­
in g p ro b a b ly b u t a small p a rt of th e anim als killed in a
diseased s ta te .’ H e would read to tho H ouse an e x tra c t
from l ’rof. G am g e e ’s report. H e says,— 1In London, I
havo seen butchers dress extrem ely diseased carcases,
nnd ‘ polish’ tlio meat. This filthy practice consists in
k illin g a fat ox a t the same time th a t a diseased animal
is killed. Boiling w ater is a t h a n d , a n d w hen the d is­
eased anim als have been skinned, tlieir flesh is ru b b e d
over witli fa t from the h ealthy ox, a n d h o t cloths are
used to keep the fat w arm a n d to d istrib u te it over the
carcase, th a t it may acqniro an artificial gloss, a n d an
nppearanco of not being deprived of fat. I n E d in b u rg h ,
I have seen sickly lambs, w ith out a particle of fa t upon
th e m , dressed up with th e fa t of healthy sheep in much
tho same way. F rom tho private slaugh ter-ho uses in
London I have know n the diseased organs themselves
sen t to the sausage maker. I n com pany w ith an o th e r
m e m b e r of my profession, I have seen a carcase dressed,
and portions of it p repared for sale as sausage m eat and
otherwise, a lth o u g h thoracic disease h a d gone to such an
e x te n t th a t gallons of fetid fluid were rem oved from the
pleural sacs (the chest), and th a t la rg e abscesses existed
in the lungs. . however, necessitates a small preface.
A nd this is the kind of food to buy which, th e poor
a u d labouring classes of E n g la n d frequ ently s tin t th e m ­
selves both in nourishmcvut an d iu clothing, and sacrifice
th e ir health a n d tlieir lives! Is it any wonder, th a t
feed in g on such diseased a n d loathsome offal as this,
th e y and, still more often, th e ir babies, aro scrofulous^
riek ctty , consumptive, feeble, often afflicted w ith h o rri­
ble skin eruptions and disfiguring sores? A n d is it
no t s ta rtlin g to th in k th a t for abo ut a th ird of the
money they spend ou th is vile stuff, they m ig h t buy
meal an d peas an d lentils a n d potatoes a n d onions enough
to keep the whole household well a n d deliciously fed
e v e ry day of th e week ?
(To be continued.)
------•------
T H E M ATURE AND PH EN O M EN AL GROW THS,
A R ussian Theosophist in a le tte r d ated N ovem ber
1883, w rites as follows :—-
T h e P e t e r s b u r g a n d M o s c o w p a p e r s a r e srren tly c o n c e r n e d w i t h
t l i e m i r a c u l o u s g r o w t h of a c h i l d , w liich h a s b e e n s c i e n t i f i c a l l y
l-ocord ed b y M e d i c a l p a p e r s . O n t h e o u t s k i r t s of S i b e r i a , i n a s m a l l
T i l l a g e i u t h e f a m i l y of a p e a s a n t n a m e d S a v e l i e f f , a d a u g h t e r w a s
b o m in O c t o b e r 1881. T b e c h i l d , t h o u g h v e r y l a r g e no i t s b i r t h ,
b e g a n e x h i b i t i n g a p h e n o m e n a l d e v e l o p m e n t o n l j ’ a t t h e a g e of
t h r e o m o n t h s w h e n s h e b e g a n t e e t h i n g . A t five m o n t h s s h e h a d
all h e r te e th ; a t seven sh e b eg an to w a lk , a n d a t e ig h t
w a l k e d a s w ell a s a n y of u s , p r o n o u n c e d w o r d s a s m i g h t o n ly a
c h i l d t w o y e a r s old, a n d m e a s u r e d — n e a r l y a y a r d in tior h e i g h t !
W h e n e i g h t e e n m o n t h s ol d s h e s p o k e f l u e n t l y , s t o o d o n e a r s h e n e
n n d a h a l f ( o v e r f o u r feet) in h e r s t o c k i n g s , w a s p r o p o r t i o n ­
a t e l y l a r g e ; a n d w i t h h e r v e r y d a r k face, a n d l o n g h a i r s t r e a m i n g
d o w n h e r b a c k , t a l k i n g a s o n l y a c h i l d 1 2 y e a r s o l d c o u l d t a l k , sho
e x h i b i t e d m o r e o v e r a b u s t a n d b o s o m as d e v e l o p e d a s t h o s e of a
p i r l of s e v e n t e e n ! S h e is a m a r v e l t o all w h o k n o w h e r f r o m h e r
b i r t h . T h e local b o a r d o f p h y s i c i a n s f r o m t h o n e i g h b o u r i n g t o w n
t o o k c h a r g e of h e r fo r s c i e n t i f i c p u r p o s e s . ”
W e find th e fact co rroborated in th e Moscow Gazette,
t h e paper g iving us, moreover, a second instance ju s t come
u n d e r the notice of science, of a n o th e r such phenom enal
grow th .
A I l e r r S c n r o m e y e r of H a m b u r g , h a s a s o n , b o r n i n 1 8 6 9 — n o w
a h o y of 13, a n d h i s t e n t h c h i l d . F r o m h i s b i r t h h e a r r e s t e d
t fv ery o n e ' s a t t e n t i o n b y h i s sup e rn a h ira lly r a p i d d e v e l o p m e n t . I n ­
s t e a d of d a m a g i n g , i t s e e m e d b u t t o . i m p r o v e h is h e a l t h ,
■which h a s b e o n a l w a y s e x c e l l e n t . A few m o n t h s a f t e r h i s b i r t h
l iis m u s c u l a r s j ' s t e m i n c r e a s e d so m u c h , t h a t w h e n o n e y e a r ol d
v oico b e g a n t o lose i t s c h i l d i s h t o n e s a n d c h a n g e d . I t s d e e p
b a s s o a t t r a c t e d v e r y s o o n t h e a t t e n t i o n of s o m e p h y s i c i a n s . S o o n
a f t e r , h is b e a r d g r e w , and i t became so t h i c k ' as t o c o m p e l l h i a
p a r e n t s t o s h a v e i t e v e r y t w o o r t h r e e d a j ’s. H i s i n f a n t i n e f e a t u r e s ,
very dark, w e r e g r a d u a l l y r e p l a c e d by t h e face of a u a d u l t , a n d n t
five h o w a s m i s t a k e n b y e v e r y s t r a n g e r f o r a y o u n g m a n of
t w e n ty . I l i s lim b s aro n o rm a l, s tric tly p r o p o rtio n a te an d v e ry
fine. A t six ho w a s a f u l l g r o w n a n d p e r f e c t l y d e v e l o p e d y o u n g
m an . P ro fesso r V irchoff, th e c e leb rated p hysiologist, acco m p an ied
by several le a rn e d a u th o r itie s , e x a m in e d th e boy several tim es,
a n d is r e p o r t e d , w h e n d o u b t a s t o t h e a g e of t h e b o y h a d b e c o m e
n o l o n g e r p o s s i b l e — t o h a v e g i v e n h i s c e r t i f i c a t e to t h o e f f e c t t h a t
th e y o u n g boy was e n tir e ly a n d fully d e v e lo p e d .”
A similar case took placo in a Georgian family of
Asiatics, at Tiflis in the y ea r 1865. A boy of four was
found to have become a full adult. He was ta k e n to tlio
hospital nnd lived th e re und er the eye of the G overn m ent
physicians, who subjected him to tbe most e x tra o rd in a ry
ex perim ents,— of which, most likely, he died at th e «ge
of seven. H is p a re n ts— superstitions and ig n o r a n t p e o ­
ple— had made several a tte m p ts to kill him, under the
impression he was the devil incarnate. There remains
to this day a p h o to g ra p h of this bearded baby in the
w rite r’s family. Two o th e r cases— nearly similar— th e
consequences of which were that two cousins in a villfige
of S o uthe rn F ran ce, becam e respectively fa th e r and
mother a t tho age of e ig h t nnd seven, aro on record in
th e A nnals of Medicine. Such cases are rare ,• yet we
know of moro than a dozen well authenticated instances
of th e same from the b e g in ning of this century alone.
W e nre naked to explain and give thereupon our “ oc­
cult views.” W e will try an explanation. W e ask no oue
to believe; we simply give our personal opinion identical
w ith th a t of oth er occultists, The la tte r statem ent,
Every race and peoplo has its old legends and p ro p h e ­
cies concerning an unavoidable “ End of th e world,” tlie
pious portions of civilised Christian nations having,
moreover, evolnfced in ndvanco a whole program m e for the
destruction of our planet. Thus the Millenarinns of
America and E u ro p e exp ect an instan tan eo us d is in te g r a ­
tion of our ea rth, followed by a sudden disappearance of
the wicked and the survival of th e few elect. A fte r this
catastrophe, wo aro assured, tho la t te r will remain in the
service of “ Christ, who upon his now advent will p e r ­
sonally reign on e a rth a thousand ye a rs” — (on its nstral
skeleton, of course, sinco its physical body will have
disappeared.) Tho Mohnmedans give out an other t»le.
T he w orld’s destruction will be preceded by the advent
of an I m a m , whose presence nlone will cause th e Midden
death of tho whole unclean brood of Kaffirs) the pro m is­
ed “ H e a v e n ” of Mohamed will then shift down its
head quarters, and the paradisaical Houris will jonm
about at the service of every faithful son of the P r o p h e t.
H in du s and B u d d h ists have again a different version ;
the form er believe in the K a l k i A v a ta r and the la tte r in
the advent of Mai trey ii B uddha. The true Occultist
however-—w heth er Asiatic or E u ro p e a n (the latte r still to
be found, rara avis th ou gh he be) has a doctrine to this
eifect, wliich he has hith erto k ept to liimself. I t is a
theory, based on tlio correct know ledge of the P a s t and
tho never failing analogy in N aturo to guide the In itiate
in his prevision of fu tu re events— were even his psychic
gifts to be denied a n d refused to be tak en into account.
Now, wliat th e Occultists say, is this : hum anity is
on the d escending p a th w a y of its cycle. T h e rear-gnard
of the 5th race is crossing slowly th e a p e x of its evolu­
tion a n d will soon find itself h a v in g passed th e tu rn in g
point. And, as the descent is always more rapid than th e
ascent, men of the new com ing (the Gtli) race are be g in ­
nin g to drop in occasionally. Such children r e g a rd e d in
our days by official science as exceptional monstrosities,
are simply th e pioneers of th a t race. Thore is a p r o ­
phesy in certain Asiatic old books couched in th e follow­
ing terms, th e sense of which we may make clearer by
a dding to it a fow w ords in brackets.
. A n d as t h e f o u r t h ( r a c e ) w a s c o m p o s e d o f R e d - y e l l o w w h i c h
f a d e d i n t o B r o w n - w h i t e ( b o d i e s ) , so t h e fi ft h will f a d e o u t i n t o
w hite-brow n (th e w hite races b ecom ing g radually d a rk e r), T ho
s i x t h a n d s e v e n t h M a n u s h i ( m e n P) will bo b o r n a d u l t s ; a u d will
k n o w of n o o l d a g e , t h o u g h t h e i r y e a r s w ill b e m a n y . A s t h e
K rita, T ro ta, I )v a p a ra an d K ali (ag es) have been each d ec re a sin g avow th e opinion t h a t th e se letters, w h e th e r t h e y a re or are not
in e x c e l l e n c e ( p h y s i c a l as w ell a s m o r a l ) bo t h o a s c e n d i n g — t h e ip s is s im a v erb a o f a n y a d e p t , w e r e a t a l l e r e n t s p e n n e d b y
D v a p a r n , 'i’refca, a n d K r o t a w ill b e i n c r e a s i n g i n e v e r y e x c e l l e n c e . M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y , o r b y o t h e r a c c e p t e d ch ela s. A t least I
A s t h e life of m a n l a ‘l t d 400 ( y e a r s i n t h e f i r s t , o r K r i t a Y u g a ) . 300 sh o u ld th in k t h a t sh e w as a m ed iu m for th e ir p ro d u ctio n , and
( y e a r s i n T r o t a ) , 200 ( y e a r s i n D v a p a r a ) a n d 100 (in t h e p r e s e n t n o t m erely for th e ir tra n sm issio n . T h e fact th a t th ro u g h the
K a l i a g e ) ; so i n t h e n e x t ( t h e Ctli R a c e ) ( t h e n a t u r a l a g e of m a n ) k in d n e s s of M r. S in n e tt I h ave been m ade .fam iliar w ith th e
w i l l b e ( g r a d u a l l y i n c r e a s e d ) 200, t h e n 3 0 0 a n d 400 ( i n t h e t w o h a n d w r itin g of th e le tte rs, an d t h a t it b ears not th e r e m o te s t
last y u g as.” r e s e m b l a n c e to M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y ’s, w o u l d n o t i n f l u e n c e m e
Thus we find* from the above t h a t th e characteristics a g a in s t t h a t opinion, fo r reaso n s w hich ev ery one ac q u a in te d
of th e raco th a t will follow ours a re — a d a r k e r skin, w ith tho p h e n o m e n a of w r i t in g u n d e r psychical con ditio ns
sho rten ed period of infancy and old age, or in other w ill a p p r e c i a t e . B u t J a m b o u n d to a d m i t th a t th ere a re c ir c u m ­
s ta n c e s co n n ected w i t h th e re c e ip t b y M r . S i n n e t t o f o th e r le tte rs
w ords a grow th and developm ent t h a t in the present age sig n e d , ' K . H . ’ w h ic h a re a s r e g a rd s those, a p p a r e n tly in c o n ­
(to th e profane) appear quite miraculous. s is te n t w it h a n y i n s t r u m e n t a l i t y o f M a d a m e B la v a ts k y h e rse lf,
I t is not the sacred legends of the E a s t a lo u e th a t throw w h e th e r a s m e d iu m o r o th e r w ise a n d the h a n d w r itin g is i n both
out hints on th e future physiology ot man. The Jewish cases th e s a m e .” '
Bible (See Genesis, Chap. vi. verse 4) implies as much, B e a rin g well iu mind th e italicized portion in the
when speaking of antediluvian races (the 3rd race) it tells above quotation, I would respectfully invite the S p iritu ­
us, “ There were gian ts in the earth, in those days,” and alists to explain the fact of not only myself, b u t Col. Olcott,
m akes a distinct difference between “ the sons of G o d / ’ Mr. B row n, and other gentlem en having on this tou r
and “ tho d a u g h te rs of man.” Therefore, to us, Occul­ received severally and on various occasions letters iu
tists, believers in th e knowledge of old, such isolated in­ reply to conversations and questions on the same day or
stances of p rem atu re developm ent, aro b u t so many more the same hour, sometimes when alone and sometimes in
proofs of the end of one cycle a u d — th e beg in ning of company with others, when Mine. B lavatsky was th ou ­
another. sands of miles a w a y ; th e ha n d w ritin g in all cases being
------♦------ th e same a n d identical w ith th a t of the communications
A G REAT R ID D L E SOLVED. in M r. S in n e tt ’s possession.
B ^ D a m o d a r K . M a v a l a n k a r , F . T. S., C i i e l a . W h ile on my to ur with Col. Olcott, several phenom ena
O n my re tu rn to th e H e a d -q u a rte rs from the N orth, occurred,— in his presence as well as in his a b s e n c e -
w here I had accompanied Gol. Olcott on his Presidential such as immediate answ ers to questions in my Master’s
Tour, I le a ru t with re g r e t and sorrow of f u r th e r an d h a n d w ritin g a n d over his signature, p u t by a nu m b er of
still moro m a lign a nt strictures by certain Spiritualists on our Fellows, and some of which are referred to in th e last
th e claims of the Founders of th e Theosophical Society nu m b er of th e Theosophist, while others need n o t be
to be in personal relations with th e M ah a tm a s of the mentioned in a docum ent going into tho hands of the
sacred H im avat. F o r me, personally, th e problem is of profane reader. These occurrences took place before we
course now solved. I t bein g impossible, I shall not even reached Lahore, w here we expected to meet in body my
undertako to prove iny case to those who, ow ing to much doubted M a s t e r . There I was visited by him in
prejudice aud misconception, have d e te rm in e d to sh u t body, f o r three n igh ts consecutively f o r about three hours
th eir eyes before the most g la rin g facts, for none are so every time while I ‘m y s e lf retained f u l l consciousness, nnd
blind as those who will not see, as the saying has it. I in one case, even w ent to m eet him outside the house. To
should a t the same time consider to have ill-performed my know ledge th e re is no case on the Spiritualistic ro-
my du ty were I not to p u t my facts before those earnest cords of a medium remaining perfectly conscious, and
seekers after tru th , who by sincere aspiration and devoted meeting, by previous a rrangem ent, his Spirit-visitor in
study, hiive been b rin g in g themselpes closer and closer to th e com pound,re-entering th e house with him, offering him
the Occult World. T he best way, I believe, to carry con­ a seat a n d then holding a long converse with th e “ dis­
viction to an in te llig e n t mind ia to na rra te the facts iu embodied sp irit” in a way to give him th e impression
as plain aud simple a way as possible, leaving specula­ th a t he is in personal c ontact w ith an embodied
tions entirely out of consideration. entity ! Moroover H i m whom I saw in person a t Lahore
A t the outset I must state w h at is known to m any of was th e same I had seen in astral form a t the H e a d ­
my friends and b rothers of the Theosophical Society, viz., q u a rte rs of the Theosophical Society, and th e same
th a t for th e last four years I have been the C h e l a of again whom I, iu m y visions and trances, had seen at
]\Jr. S in n e tt’s correspondent. Now and th e n I have had H is house, th o u sa n d s of miles off, to reach which in my
oeeasiou to refer publicly to this fact, aud to the oth e r astral Ego I was perm itted, owing, of course, to H i s direct
one of my having seen some o f t l i e other V e n e r a t e d help and protection. I n those instances with my psychic
M a h a t m a s o f t h e H i m a l a y a s , both iu their astral and powers h a rd ly developed yet, I had always seen H im
physical bodies. However all th a t I could u rge in as a ra th e r hazy form, a ltho ug h H is features were perfectly
favour of my point, viz., th at these G r e a t M a s t e r s are distinct and th e ir rem em b rance was profoundly graven
not disembodie I spirits but living m e n — would fail to on my soul’s eye and m emory ; while now at Lahore,
curry conviction to a Spiritualistic mind blinded by its Jum m oo, a n d elsewhere, th e impression was utterly
pre judices and preconceptions. I t has been suggested th a t different. I u th e form e r cases, when m a k in g P ra nd m
either or both of the F o un ders may be mediums in whose (salutation) my hands passed th ro u g h his form, while on
presenco forms could be seen, which are by them th e la tte r occasions they met solid ga rm e n ts and flesh.
mistaken for real living entities. And when I asse rte d th a t H e re I saw a living m a n before me, th e same in features,
I had these appearances even when alone, it was argued th o u g h fur m ore im posing in H is general appearance and
th a t 1 too was developing into a, medium, b ea rin g than H im I had so often looked upon in the
Ju this connection a certain rem ark by Mr. C. C. portrait in Mme. B la v a tsk y ’s possession and in the one
Massey in a \e t lc v to L iy h t of N ov em b er 17, is very sugges­ with Mr. Sinnett. I shall uot here dwell upon th e fact
tive, inasmuch as t h a t gentlem an is n o t only far from of His ha ving been corporeally seen by both Col. Olcott
being inimical to us b u t is a Theosophist of long s tand in g, and Mr. Brow n separately, for two n igh ts a t Lahore, as
Lent solely on discovering tru th a u d — n o thing b u t the th e y cau do so b e tte r, each for himself, if they so choose.
truth. T he following e x tr a c t from the said letter will show A t Jum m oo again, where we proceeded from Lahore,
liovv g re a t are the misconceptions even of some of our own Mr. Brown saw H im on th e e vening of th e third day of
fellow-members :— our arrival there, a n d from Him received a letter in His
“N e v e r th e le s s , w ero it[an open q u e stio n , free fro m a u th o r ita tiv e familiar handw riting, not to speak of His visits to mo
s t a t e m e n t , so t h a t s u c h a s u g g e s t i o n c o u l d b e m a d e w i t h o u t almost every day. And w hat happened the n ext m o rn ­
otl'enoo b y o n e w h o w o u l d , if p o s s i b l e , a v o i d o f fe n c e , I s h o u l d
in g almost every one in Ju m m o o is aware of. T h e fact
* T lio s e v e n l i n u n d s d e c r e a s e a n d i n c r e a s e i n t l i e i r r e s p e c t i v e d u r a - is, th a t I had th e good fortu ne of being sent for, au d
ti oii 3, a s w e l l a a t h e t o v e n r a c c s i n e a c h . T h u s th e 4 th R o n n d s a s w ell
as o v ery 4 th ra c e a re ih e s h o rte s t, w hile th o 1 st a u d 7 th K o u n d as th e
pe rm itte d to visit a S acred A sh rum where I r e ­
1st aud 7 th ro o t ra g e s a re th e longest. mained for a few days in th e blessed copm any of several
of the much doubted M a h a t m a s of H im a v a t aud Their
disciples. There I m et not only my beloved G u rudeva
au d Col. O lcott’s M aster, b u t several others of tho F r a ­
ternity, including Oue of the H ig h e st. I r e g r e t th e e x ­
tremely personal n a tu re of my visit to those thrice
blessed regions p re v e n ts my saying more of it. Suffice
it th a t the plnce I was pe rm itte d to visit is in ihe H i m a ­
l a y a s , not in any fanciful S um m er L a i d nnd t h a t I
saw H im in my owu s?/m/asaWra(physical body) and found
my M a s te r identical with tho form I h a d seen in the
I'arlier duys of my Chelaship. Thus, I saw my beloved
G u ru not only ns a living m a n ,b u t actually as a y o u n g ono
in com parisou with some other Sadhus of the blessed
company, only far kinder, a n d not above a m erry rem ark
and conversation »t times. T h u s on th c second day of my
arrival, after the meal hou r I was perm itted to hold au
intercourse for over au hour w ith my Master. A sked
by H im smilingly, w h at it was th a t made mo look a t H im
so perplexed, I asked in my tu rn :— u H ow is it M a s t e r
that some of the members of our Society havo ta k e n into
their heads a notion th a t you wore ‘ a n elderly m an ,’ and
th a t they have even seen you clairvoyantly looking an
old man p iss e d sixty ?” To which he pleasantly smiled
und snid, th a t this latest misconception was du e to the
reports of a certain Brahm achari, a pupil of a V e d a n tic
Swami in Ihe N. W . P.*— who had m et last y e n - in Tibet
the chief of a sect, an elderly L a m a , who was liis (my
M a s te r’s) travelling companion a t th a t time. T he
said Brtthmachari h aving spoken of the en c o u n te r in
India, had led several persons to m istake th e L .in a
for himself. As to his being perceived clairvoyantly
as nn “ elderly m an,” th a t could nover be, he add e d , as
real clairvoyance could lead no one iuto such m istaken
n o t i o n s a n d th en he kindly re p rim a n d e d me for giving
any im portance to th e nge of a Guru, a d d in g th a t a p p e a r­
ances were often false, &c. and exp lain in g other points.
These are all stern facts and no third course is open
to the reader. W h a t I assert is either true or false. In
th e fun ner case, no Spiritualistic hypothesis can hold
good, and it will havo to bo a d m itte d th a t the H im alay an
B ro th e rs are living m en and neith er disembodied spirits
nor th e c reatures of th e over-heated im agination of
fanatics. Of course I am fully aw are tiiat m any will
discredit my account, b u t 1 w rite only for th e benefit of
those few who know m e well enough to see in me n e ith e r
a hallucinated m edium no r a ttr i b u te to me any bad
motive, and who have ever been true and loyal to
tlieir convictions and to the cause th e y have so nobly
espoused. As for tho m ajority who la u g h at, and ridicule,
w hat they have neither the inclination nor th e capacity to
u nd erstand, I hold them in very small account. If
theso few lines will help to stim ulate oveu one of my
brother-Fellows in the Society or one r ig h t th in king
man outside of it to prom ote th e cause th e G r e a t
M a s t e r s have imposed upon the devoted heads of the
Fo un ders of the Theosophical Society, I shall consider
th a t I have properly perform ed my duty.
A d y a r (M ad ra s) ")
7(h December, 18c'3. j
------ *------
M IS T A K E N JU D G M ENTS.
B y W il l ia m H it c h h a n , m . d .
I n dealing with, science, as revised by philosophy, it
may sometimes be well to rem e m b e r th e K antian theory
of universal tru th s so largely, if uot completely, accepted
in the past, and scarcely less at present. T be chief,
real and im p ortant question proposed by th e Critical
Philosophy is this : “ Are there any p ro perties of objects
in g en eral w hich are really due to me, and to th e way in
which I perceive them and ivhich do not belong to the
things them selves?” J u d g m e n t s of this k in d m a y very
* T he n a r r a t i v e o f this B r a h m a c h a r i is given a u d r e p e a t e d twice
over iu onr las t n n m b e r , Bee p p . 83-6, ftnd 98-9 Theosophist f o r D ec.—
Jany.
ofteii h e m istak ui. If a mau, for example, had a pair
of green spectacles on, he would see everything green —
th a t is to say, 'ill objects of sig ht to him are thus re­
presented. Ind e e d , if the colour should vary som ew hat
fo r different tilings, thero would always bp greenness in
it. A ssuredly, he m ig h t bo mistaken in positively declar­
ing th it he “ knew ” t i n t e v e ry th in g mid everybody was
given. If, in th e subjective method of philosophical
inquiry, we are convinced of universality and necessity,
we m ust equally w e ig h the facts of chemistry and
physics, as iu the physiological method, we must study
the phen om en a th a t accompany sensation, in obedience
to the molecular properties of the brain and nervous sys­
tem. Of course, the proper th in g to do, either iu the
case of the B isho p of Madras, or religious m ythologists
of other denominations, would be to take him to a m irror
in th e Tem ple of T r u th , aud show him, demonstrably,
th a t th e g re e n spectacles are only upon hisotun. nose, l i e
has accepted a deduction, as if it were a verification, his
eyes being only affected by lig h t which lies within the
verd an t sp h e re of an im m ature, raw, unseasoned
grassy plain, a veritable plot of weeds, not em eralds—
tho ran ge of the visible, or in d iv id u a l spectrum , and as
a m a tte r of observation an d experience, it is universally
found th a t religious niythologists are all actually w ear­
ing th e sam e g re e u spectacles from ag e to age. A ml
what is worse sti.'l, perhaps, in despite of Theosophy and
Theosophists, om ittin g out this property of tlie spectacles,
the Bishop of M adras aud others are absolutely “ certain”
tliat w hether th e spectacles mislead or not, everything
th ey see, w ithout exception, beyond or outside th e ir
own exclusive greeu house, p artak es inexorably, and for
ever, of rawness or unripeness, ill fitted, withal, for the
n atu re of body aud soul, or poisonous alike for spiritual
and material substance. The Rev. Dr. Brown, f*>r instance,
in p ro te stin g th a t his dark colour is not a m ix tu re of
red, black, and yellow, adm irably represents the Bishops
of London, Oxford, Manchester, Liverpool, Durham and
Carlisle in th eir sophistical, time-serving addresses at
the British Association for the A d v a n c e m e n t of Science,
as well as those at th e recent Church Congress, when
they declared ex-cathedra, like th e Lord ecclesiastical, or
mythological of Madras, in effect, “ W e shall g e t over
th e scare of Biology and Anthropology, as easily as we
did the craze of Geology a u d Astronomy.” I t is the most
facile of processes. Before teach in g an y doctriue in
Theology, you m u s t not wait until the n a tu re of the
evidence for it can be understood. Bishops, priests,
and deacons, of a Church of Mythology, as by law o r man
established, do not care so much as tlie ninth le tter of
th e G reek alp h ab e t w hether the Evolution theory be
true or false. Besides the nebular hypothesis, th e re are
oth e r aud more theological doctrines, ab ou t the origin
of the universe, which it is still desirable for king craft
and priestcraft to bave ta u g h t to all children.
F i c t i o n i s t r n t h , t r o t h f i c t i o n , t h a t is a l l
W e k n o w , as p r ie s ts , a n d a ll ye n e e d to k n o w .
I t m atters not in religious mythology, now, as formerly,
th a t clerical stories are quite different an d absolutely
contradictory. I t is a know n “ fa c t” in dogmatic theolo­
gy, th a t tho evidence which connects the stories with
Moses, a n d w hich proves conclusively th a t the son of
Am ram and Iochebed, of th e T ribe of Levi, could not
have known a n y th in g a b o u t th e origin of earth, plauts,
animals and men, are both of them invincible not only
in a maritime city of B ritish Ind ia, on territorial acqui­
sitions in th e E ast, of questionable equity, b u t for
chaplains, churches, aud creeds, ubiviset ubiqioe. D eu ­
kalion, P y r r h a , th e Chaldee God Bel, and tho rest, are
fu rth e r eclipsed b y a now revision of the Old Testam ent,
which sets forth th a t m an was really made from tho du st
of the g r o u n d by a deity, like unto himself, who walked
a n d talkod, a n d h a d diabolical associates, jealous of the
new creature for sharing his privilege of knowing,
r ig h t from w rong, a n d fearful exceedingly lest, perad-
 venture, he should gain th a t of im m o rtality , also. This
deity, however, we ure now assured, did uot take a
“ r ib '’ out of the man, aud make a woman of i t ; on
tho contrary, the p a rt selected, we are a t p re s e n t asked
to believe, was a long, flexible, term inal appendage,
which formerly term inated the bo Jy of th e lm rm n animal,
behind. L e t it not be supposed, for a moment, th a t
herein is exhibited by the w rite r an undue a m o u u t of
levity in regard to “ M istaken J u d g m e n t ' / ' o r th e use
of spectacles. Daily new spapers in Britain, from J o h n
o ’ Groats to L aud ’s E nd, have been inform ing Mr. Public,
of late, t h a t th e old traditional fashion of church-going
is not only v ery decisively unfashionable, b u t th a t thero
is a still f u r th e r probability of “ a u increasing dim i­
n u tio n ” (tho la tte r in Ire la n d , presum ably) in the n u m ­
b e r an d quality of believers. I t is n o t ex p e d ie n t to
use an optical instru m ent, in churches, to assist or
correct defects of vision. P lutus i i not winged. A re
th e books of tho Bible once dweined infallible now
erroneous? Certainly nut, by those m oney-m aking casuists,
of different theological sects, b u t h aving th e same str o n g
feelings of class interests, a n d loving one an o th e r in
green spectacles, privately, th o u g h iu a position of most
hostile dem onstration, publicly. Those religious my-
thologists who hold by the doctrino of tho verbal in­
spiration of Scripture, mean precisely th e same th in g
when thoy s p e ik in Coward’s Castle of the un brok en
tradition of the church, or theology, Ju d a ism , and
Ohristianism, as those who consider th a t th e Religion of
H u m anity is naturally evolved, and spiritually progressive
iu the whole history of m ankind. T h e new Vice-Chm-
cellor of th e U niversity of Oxford, for instance, iu a
recent sm iio n preached before the dons a t St. M ary’s
there, spoke favourably of wh <t is called Darwinism,
popularly, b u t scientific illy, th e theory of origin of
species by natural selection, and so far as H e b re w or
Christian m y th logy is concerned, therein, he m igh t,
with equal regard for tho principles of Biology, curious
novel facts, new and astonishing views o f t h e origin, or
continuity of life, excellent reasoning, acute criticisms,
and scientific researches, have spoken justly of th e nam e­
less an tiquity of man’s remains in t h e D e lta of the
Mississippi, or elsewhere, amid the bold cypress of the
Sou th ern Staten, buried forests, in fact, one over the
other, with interspaces of sand, ton distin c t grow th s, for
a distance of 300 miles, of this deposit, some of th e trees
beiu g more th a n twenty-five feet iu diam eter, and
con taining 5,700 annu al rings. N o t m ore advorse could
Professor J o w e tt be to H e b re w and C hristian m yths,
wero we to conclude his next U n iversity Oration, th u s :
“ There is, dearly beloved breth reu , K n ig h ts Theological,
of the Holy O rder of “ Loaves and Fish e s,” one o th e r
essential point, to which I wish to draw y o u r serious
attention, namely, the experim ental demonstvation— again
andagain proved th a t now, as " i n th e b e g in u in g ,” living
organisms are evolved from non-living m a tte r, after being
subject to tem pe ra tu re of over 300° F a h r., a heat so des­
tructive of all know n p la n ts a n d animals, t h a t even
P a ste u r himself must fully adm it th a t life is born of death
in the laboratory of nature, w h e th e r called vegetable,
animal, hum an, or angelic, a n d as scienco has shown from
inorganii! chemical forces, or physical combinations, alone,
in the case of those minute m oving organism s, or mere
specks of n aked protoplasm, developed as Bacteria, w ith ­
out a passing atm ospheric bubble, to indicate th e p r e ­
sence of air, o r priu r germ s, in the more than boiling
w ater of flasks hermetically sealed. As for Science and
Theology, it is absolutely out of tho questiou in this our
day, th a t any ag reem ent shall ever be arrived at betw een
them, since th e d isp ute Buiongst com petent scholars is
no longer, as it once was, about th e ortho do x in te r p re ta ­
tion of the dogm atic tenets of religious m ythology, b n t
about the very n atu re of religion itself, as v irtu e in
daily life, founded upon reverence of W isdom and Good­
ness, ra th e r than a system of a ncien t faith, a n d blind
worship o£ m en-like Gods or expectation of fu tu re re ­
w a rd s a nd punishm ents. T h e plain truth is that m en
do not use the sam e words, G o d , Christ, H e a v e n , Hell,
Ch u rch , or Christianity, in the sam e sense. A n d w hat
is more, the p r o fa n u m vulgus iu the year 1 8 8 4 , will
hn-dly be im m ersed in the Slougii op S t o l i d i t y to so
great a depth, as not to perceive that the n e w aud revised
text of the Bible, us it is again chaug ed thousands of
times by fresh theologians, or a recent batch of transla­
tors, is the precise w o rd of c o m m a n d w hich Om nipotence
first signified. I n the last University Serm on of the
M aster of Balliol College, it w as enunciated clearly, that
“ W e Doctors of tho B r o a d C h u rch in E n g la n d (whatever
oue of the head order of Ind ia n Clergy m ay say) use the
current terms of theology in an esoteric sense, as
designed for a n d understood by the initiated, alone,”
Esoterics is virtually the synonym of T h e o s o p h y , or that
divine w isd om of occult a n d mysterious k n o w le d g e taught
by Eastern philosophers long anterior to M oses and
Christ ; iu fact, before the birth of Jesus of N azareth, there
w ere Buddhist missionaries teaching T h eo s o p h y to their
disciples, but concealing it from the people of Palestine
generally. H u m a n progress has not been forced on by
such ethical teaching as passive obedience to the m a x i­
m u m of physical distress, a n d m ental or social disturb­
ance, unpleasantly akin to m ere dead formalism, and
narrow sectarian particularism. W it h a l, d o g m a npon
d o g m a , contradictions unintelligible a nd doctrines incom ­
prehensible, heterogeneous, a n d absurd— even a dying
G o d atone for the sins of A d a m , ostensibly ; but de facto
to satisfy the supposed d e m a n d of the Jew ish law. L o n g
ages prior to Christ’ s borrow ing from Eastern mysteries,
or Eg y p tia n symbols, a n d articles of religious faith, such
as the doctrines of T h eo s o p h y und the Theosophists c o m ­
prise, nam ely, L o v e , Forgiveness, H u m ility , Self-Sacri­
fice a n d c o m m o n Brotherhood of H u m a n i t y «f every
colour a n d every clime, the Spirit of Holiness had come
as a beautiful ideal conception of true Divinity, if not as
a natural sequence of m a n ’ s history, grow th, a nd p ro ­
gressive moral developm ent. I n short, w h e n Christianity
becam e the ruling faith of the R o m a n E m p i r e , it had no
Christ-like individuality at all, bein g m a d e up mainly of
the F a th e r ’s commentaries ou the alleged teachings of
Jesus, Paul, J o h n , a n d others, interspersed with forgeries,
or the writings of G r e e k philosophers. O u r duty, here a nd
n o w , is to a p prehe nd facts, correctly study tho sequences
of the Universal O r d e r , as observation a n d experim ent
m ay reveal spiritual a n d material p h e n o m e n a to us.
Surely, the life of Christ m a y have be en truly divine,
wiiliout his being a ck n o w le d g e d as Deity or a Personal
G o d . E v e n so, m ay w e , let us hope and w o r k , bind
ourselves together in a c o m m o n b o n d or spiritual centre
of religious sweetness, light a u d culture, against all at­
tacks of Christian despots, the Bishop of M a d r a s ,
notwithstanding. W h o is G o d , aud wliat is N a tu re ?
If the only instruments to be em p loyed b y the Theo lo ­
gians in the attainment of divine w isd o m b e the Church,
Christianity, a n d the Bible, then I , for one, see no reigu
am ongst m a n k iu d of G o d , Christ, or the H o l y Ghost, no
“ supernatural” rising from b o n d a g e a n d trauscience
with the lower life of mortals, to victory a n d perm anence
w ith the higher life of angels. Quito the contrary, alas !
J u d g e d of by a u y theosophic standard, either G o d is
N ature, or N a tu re is G o d . ( Q u ifa c itp e r alium, a liam , aut
aliud, f a c i t pe r se.) Falsehood a nd WroDg, are absolutely
opposed to H u m a u H a p p in e s s , a n d to T ru t h a n d
R ig h t is for evor linked the very possibility or
potentiality of the blessed life ! I f N a tu re be G o d , as
Spinoza affirms, then Deity is simply a m onster that
deserves neither reverence nor praise. T h ere is no
crime that good m e n abhor, or b a d m e n perpetrate, that
G o d has not committed in the past, a n d still commits at .
present. H e k n o w s no sense of Justice or M er c y , a n d
unless the test of H a p p in e s s is to retain Im m orality,
h o w cau it be a holy, a noble, or moral act, to study the •
w y a s, emulate tho conduct of Yaliveh ? O r , shall
Theosophists forsake their T h e o s o p h y at the bidding of
th e Bishop of M adras, nnd Iny i t down aa an nxiom,
irrefragable, t h a t personal intimacy with a personal
crim inal yclept Johovah of the Jews, will m ak e all m or­
tals tho ha p p ie st of ete rn a l angels ? F o r m yself, I
believe th a t T r u th an d R ig h t are th e most sacred and
hiillowed of th in g s ou e a rth or in heaven, and th a t
th e ir sure possession will never m ilitate a g ain st th e
high est h appiness of which soul, body, or spirit is
capable.
L iv e liUo t h e rose. So bnd, so bloom,
I n g ro w in g b e a u ty liv e;
S o s w e o t e n l i f e w ith th o p e r f u m e
T h a t g e n t l e a c tio n s g ive.
D i e l i k e t h e r o s o , t h a t w h e n t h o u ’r t g o n e
S w eet happy thoughts of theo
L ike f r a g r a n t rose leaves, m a y bo s t r e w n n p o n t h y mem ory.
■■
" P R E C IP IT A T IO N .”
O f all p hen om ena p roduced by occult agency in c o n ­
nection with our Society, none h a v e been witnessed
by a more e x te nd e d circle of sp ectators or m ore widely
known a n d com m ented on th r o u g h r e ce n t T heosophi­
cal publications th a n th e mysterious pro du ctio n of letters.
T h e phenom enon itself h a s been so well described in
th e Occult World and elsewhere, t h a t it would be useless
to r e p e a t the description here. O ur p re s e n t purpose is
more connected with the process th a n th e phenom enon
of tlie m ysterious form ation of letters. Mr. S inn e tt
so ug ht for an ex planation of th e process a n d elicited
the following reply from th e revered M a h a tm a , who
corresponds w ith him :—
“ ...............Bear in m in d these letters are not written
but impressed, or precipitated, and then all mistakes
corrected..................... I have to t h in k it over, to photo­
graph every word and sentence carefully in m y brain
before it can be repeated by precipitation. A s the fixin g
on chemically prepared surfaces o f the images fo rm e d
by the camera requires a previous arrangement ivithin
the focus o f the object to be represented, fo r , otherwise—
as often fo u n d in bad photographs— the legs o f the sitter
m igh t appear out o f all proportion with the head, and so
on— some have to first arrange our sentences and impress
every letter lo appear on p a p e r in our m ind s before it
becomes fi t lo be read. For the present, it is all I can tell
yon.” ' ta te d letters. I t o u g h t to satisfy all ea rn e st a n d sincere
Since the above was w ritten, th e M asters have been
pleased to p erm it th e veil to be draw n aside a little
more, and the modus operandi can th u s be explained
now more fully to the outsider.
Thoso h a v in g even a superficial know led ge of the
scienco of m esm erism know how th e th o u g h ts of the
mesineriser, th o u g h silently form ulated in his m ind are
instantly transferred to th a t of th e subject. I t is not
necessary for the operator, if he is sufficiently powerful,
to bo p rese n t n e ar th e sub ject to p rod uce th e above
result. Somo celebrated practition ers in this Science are
known to have been able to p u t th e ir subje c ts to sleep
oven from a distance of several days’ journey. This
k no w n fact will serve us as a guide in com prehending
th e comparatively unknown sub je c t now n n d e r discus­
sion. The w ork of w riting the letters in question is
carried on by a sort of psychological te le g ra p h y ; th e
M ahatm as very rarely write their le tte rs in th e ordinary
way. A n electro-m agnetic connection, so to say, exists
on the psychological plane betw een a M a h a tm a and
his chelas, ono of whom acts as his amanuensis. W h e n
the M aster wants a le tte r to be w ritten in this way, he
draws tho a tte n tio n of the chela, whom he selects for
th e task, b y causing an astral bell (heard by so many
of our Fellows and others) to be r u n g n ea r him, ju st
as th e d e sp a tc h in g telegraph office signals to th e receiv­
ing office before w iring the message. T he th o u g h ts
arising in th e m iud of the M ahatm a are th e n clothed
in word, pronounced mentally, a n d forced along the
astral cu rren ts he sends towards th e pupil to im pinge
on the b rain of the latter. Thence they are b orne by
tho n e rv e-cu rrents to tho palms of his h an d and lho
tips of his fingor, which re st 0 1 1 a piece of m a g ­
netically p re p a re d p ap er. A s the thought-w avcs are
th u s im pressed on the tissue, materials are drawn to it
from th e ocean of dlcas, (perm eating every atom of
th e sensuons universe) by an occult process, out of place
here to describe, a n d p e rm a n e n t m arks are left. . .
F ro m this it is a b u n d a n tly clear th a t the success of
such w ritin g as above described depends chiefly upon
th e se th in g s :— (1) T h e force an d the clearness with
which th e th o u g h ts aro propelled and (2) the freedom of
th e receiving brain from disturbance of every d escrip ­
tion. T h e case w ith th e o rdinary electric te le g ra p h is
exactly th e same. If , fo r some reason or other the b a tte r y
supplying th e electric power falls below th e requisite
s tr e n g th on any te le g ra p h lino or th e re is some d e r a n g e ­
m e n t in th e receiving app a ra tu s, th e message tra n sm itte d
becomes e ith er m u tila te d o r otherw ise im perfectly le g i­
ble. T h e te le g ram sont to E n g la n d by R e u te r’s a g e n t
a t Sim la on th e classification of the opinions of Local
G overn m en ts on th e Criminal Procedure A m endm en t
Bill, w hich excited so m u c h discussion, gives us a h in t
as to how inaccuracies m ig h t a,riso in the proccss of
precipitation. S u c h inaccuracies, in fa c t do very often
arise as may be g a th e r e d from w hat th e M a h a tm a says
in th e above ex tra c t. “ B e a r in m ind ,” says H e, “ th a t
these le tte rs are not w ritte n , b u t impressed, or p recipi­
ta te d , an d then all m istakes corrected.” To tu r n to the
sources of e rro r in th e precipitation. R em e m b e rin g the
circum stances u n d e r which b lu nd ers arise in telegrams,
we see t h a t if a M a h a tm a somehow becomes exhausted
or allows his t l o u g h t s to w and er of£ d u rin g the process,
or fails to com m and th e requisite intensity in th e astral
c u rre n ts alo ng which his th o u g h ts .are projected, or the
d istra c te d a tte n tio n of the pupil produces d isturbances
in his b rain a n d nerve-centres, the success of the process
is very m uch in te rfe re d w ith.
I t is to be very m uch re g re tte d th a t the illustrations
of th e abovo g en e ra l principles are n o t p erm itte d to bo
published. Otherwise, the p re se n t w rite r is confident
t h a t facts in his possession alone would have m ade this
p a p e r f a r more in te r e s tin g a n d instructive. E n o u g h ,
however, has been disclosed above to give th e public a
clue as to m an y a p p a re n t mysteries in re g a rd to precipi­
inquirers a n d d raw th e m m ost stro ngly to the p a th of
S piritual pro gress, w hich alone can lead to th e kn ow ­
ledge of occult phenom ena, b u t it is to be feared th a t the
craving for gro ss m a te ria l life is so stro n g in the western
Society of the prosent d a y th a t n o thing will come to them
amiss so lon g as it will shade off their eyes from unwel­
come tru th . T h e y are like Circe’s swine
W ho n o t o n co t h o ir fo u l d e fo rm ity porcoivo,
b u t would tram p le down Ulysses for se e k in g to restore
th e m th eir lost m anhood.
------♦------
PO STH U M O U S V ISIT O R .
{A Story o f Second S ig h t.)
B y G u s t a v e Z o r n , F , T. S.
H a v i n g re a d in the Theosophist for S e p te m b e r last,
“ A sto ry of th ir ty years a g o ,” I am te m p te d to lay
beforo the re a d e r th e account of a somew hat strange
occurrence- I t was re la te d to me sometime ago by the
d a u g h te r of tho lady who w itnessed tho facts when fifteen
years of age, an d whom for tho purpose of this narrativo
I shall call Mrs. A — . Second sig h t a n d oth e r psycholo­
gical pfeculiarities seem to be ru n n in g in the family, but,
I must abstain from g iv in g real names, as th e n e a r re la ­
tives of the parties concerned are still alive and in high
social stand in g.
Mrs. A — , th e n a girl of fifteen, had ju s t come home
d u rin g a vacation of h e r school. Opposite her p a re n ts’
house was the mansion of her m o th e r’s relatives, an old
historical family, th e n rep resented in the direct line by
two u n m a rried bro th e rs, th e elder p ast forty a n d the
y o u n g er a b o u t tw enty years of age. F o r sometime
previous to the events abo ut to be n a r ra te d , th e eld er
b r o th e r had noticed th a t considerable sums of monoy
frequ ently d isappeared from his cash-box in a m ysterious
way, wliich led to his successively dism issing several of
]iis servants on suspicion a n d w itho ut telling an y one
o f h i s losses. These measures, however, proved of no
avail, a n d the money k e p t on d isa p p e a rin g ju s t as before.
T he y o u n g e r of the two b rothers led a ra th e r d issip a te d
lifo, sowing his wild oats, as th e sa y in g goes, as fast as he
could; b u t as his senior furnished him w ith all th e money
ho asked for or needed, th e re was 1 1 0 reason to sus­
pect th e y o u n g man of sp e n ding moro th an he acknow ­
ledged to, least of all, of re so rtin g to dishonorable means
to m eet his ex travagance.
The p a re n ts of Mrs. A — , leading a quiet, patriarchs^
life, were e ith er completely ig n o ra n t of th e dissipations
of their yo u n g relative or unwilling to co m m ent upon
th e m . D u r in g Mrs. A .’s stay a t homo, it so h a p pe ne d
t h a t th e y o u n g e r b r o th e r was killed in a duel a n d was
for several days laid out according to custom, in th e
family state-room , covered for th e mournful occasion
from ceiling to floor w ith sable h a n g in g s. As Mrs. A.—-’s
m other was tho only female relative of tho two b ro th e rs
then resident iu th e towu, it fell to h e r d u ty to visit daily
th e house of mourning. Mrs. A — liuviug expressed th e
desire to bid a last farewell to h e r deceased cousin,
was tak e n th e re on tho day previous to th e funeral cere­
mony. T he m other h a v in g had to sp e a k to th e surviv­
ing bro th er abou t some a rra n g e m e n ts fo r th e following
day, the girl was left for a sh o rt time alone in the m or­
tuary chamber. S ta n d in g a t tho head of the dead man,
she was soon lost in a train of m elancholy th o u g h ts.
All ot' a sudden she saw the d ra p e ry h a n g i n g over the
door, opening into the p rivate room of the deceased, lifted
up an d a n old g entlem an whom, she m e t for th e first
time, em erge out of it with a book u n d e r his arm . M o v ­
in g abon t in a deliberate and steady m an n e r, as if I1 0
was th e m a ste r of the house, tho figure wont s tr a ig h t to
the catafalque and stood a t tho foot of the coflin. H e
‘gazed earnestly a t th e dead m an, and casting 0 1 1 him a
long look of m ingled reproach and co nte m pt, said in a
calm and loud voice: “ May th y offenco bo forgiven
thee for the sake of th y m o th er !” T h e n m oving round
the head of th e bier—ju st opposite th e girl,— a m ute
witness of all his doings, th e old gen tlem a n b e n t down
an d kissed th e forehead of tho deceased. A f te r th is — and
ta k in g all the while as little notice of the bewildered
spectator as if she were n ot the re , he bru sh e d h e r past,
and crossing over the room to the opposite wall— th e lower
half of wliich (as it is still tho custom in many a mansion
of th e Germ an aristocracy) was w ainsc o tte d— he prossed
a knob hidden am o n g th e carved wood-work a n d two
pannels sliding audibly a p a r t in th e w ainscot discovered
a recess full of books an d docum ents. T a k in g a pencil,
tho old g entlem an wrote for sometime on a p a g e , torn out
of the book he had b ro u g h t with him, h o lding it with liis
left hand under the pap er while w ritin g with tho r i g h t ;
then placed b o th book aud p a p e r in th e recess an d
pressed th e knob again which m a d e th e two pannels
slide back iuto th e ir previous position, leav in g 1 1 0 trace
behind them of the existence of any such hidden recess
in the wall. A fte r this, he went out as firmly as he had
entered, by th e samo door th r o u g h which I1 0 had mado
his appearance, lifting np an d lotting down th e dra pe ry
agaiu. .•
D urin g th e whole scene th e y o un g girl stood spell­
bound, unable to rnovo or u tte r a single cry. A f te r th e
old man had left th e room, sho ru sh ed out of it into the
arms of her frig h te n e d m other, who h ad ju st re tu rn e d
to see why h e r d a u g h te r was lin g e rin g so lo n g iu tho
mortuary cham ber. U nable to speak a n d explain w hat
had happened, sho was carried homo. W h e r e , a t last,
her parents h a v in g succeeded in q u ie tin g h e r , she d e ­
scribed m inutely the old gentlem an, rep e a ted the words
pronounced by him, a n d related all th a t he had done.
“ Good H ea v e n s ! th a t is T heodore,” exclaimed her
astonished fa th e r ; b u t quickly checking himself for fear
of d is tu r b in g his frig h te n e d d au g h te r still more, he tried
to soothe h e r into th e belief th a t it was all a dream or
a hallucination, n o r did he ever speak to h e r afte r th a t
of th e occurrence, J t was not until several years later,
a fte r she h ad been m arried, th a t h e r m other could be
iuduced to relate to lior the event th a t had followed h e r
vision. “ Theodoro” was th e fa th e r of the two brothers,
long dead, a n d whom tho girl had never known. The old
gentlem an, an old friend, h a d been in sta n tly recognized
from h e r description by h e r father, who a t once p roceed­
ed to tho surviving b ro th e r a n d told him w h a t had
happ ened. N e ith e r of them had any know ledge of any
secret recess hidden in the wainscot of t h a t room, b u t
gu ided b y tho y o u n g g ir l’s faithful description, th e y suc­
ceeded in finding th e kn ob concealed a m o n g tho carving.
I n th e recess, they found th e book as well as th e pa p e r
ou which th e fa th e r, so long dead, had penned somo
lines on t h a t m em orable day.
T he m em oran du m contained the sta r tlin g discovery
th a t th e real thief of the a b s tra c te d sums was the
deceased b r o th e r h iu is e l f ; th a t he h a d m oreover given
le tte rs of e x c h a n g e for a la rg e sum to a person in ano th er
town, whose ex act address was given as well as the
a m o u n t of th e d e b t a n d th e duo tim e for th e pay m en t
thereof. T he whole en ding with au earn est injunction
th a t th e surviving b ro th e r should pay the bill and thus
save th e h on o u r of th e ir ancient a n d h ith e rto unsullied
name. '
T he book which th e old gentlem an had b r o u g h t u n d e 1'
his arm , prov ed to bo th e private account book of th e
y o u n g m an killed, contain in g proofs of the s ta te m e n t3
m ade in th e n ote by tho apparition. T h e address of th e
holder of th e bills prov ed to be quite correct as well as
the am o unt an d d ate of which nobody h a d th e rem otest
suspicion. I 11 th e sam e recess were found several family
docum ents which had been considered as lost since th e
d eath of tho old m a ste r of th e m ansion. Tho elder
b ro th e r m a rrie d som etim e a fte r this occurrence. The
above-m entioned po sthum ous le tte r in £ho old g e n tle ­
m a n ’s h a n d -w ritin g is still in the possession of his
d a u g h te r, now m arried in h e r tu rn to a m an of very
h ig h social sta n d in g . T he nam e of th e lady who told
m e the above facts as well as thoso of th e tw o brothers,
a n d th e m arried namo of th e d a u g h te r of tho elder, are
given to th e re sp e c te d e d ito r of this journal.
E d it o r 's N o t e .— W e h a v e th c p le a s u re of p e rs o n a l c o rre s p o n d e n c e
w i t h t h e ' h u s b a n d o f t h e “ y o u n g l a d y ’s ” d a u g h t e r , a g e n t l e m a n o f
O d e s s a , p e r s o n a l l y k n o w n t o , a n d h i g h l y r e s p e c t e d b y , t h e w r i t e r ’s
f r i e n d s a n d n e a r r e l a t i v e s . T h e f a c t s , a s a b o v e g i v e n , n n d c o m i n g , an
t h e y do, f r o m a t h o r o u g h l y t r u s t w o r t h y s o u r c e , w o u l d s e e m to c h e c k m a t o
th o k in g on th e T h e o so p h ic a l sid e, an d p u t th e d o c trin e s of th o T h e o so ­
p h i s t s in a n a w k w a r d p r e d i c a m e n t . N o th i n g of th e k in d , h o w e v e r,
n e e d b e c o n fe s s e d to b y o n e ca p a b le of loo k in g b e n e a t h th o su rface,
a l t h o u g h th e f a c t s d isc lo se d in t h e a b o v e n a r r a t i v e a r e u o t q u it e su fficient
to a llo w us to c o m o t o a d e fiu ite co n c lu s io n . T b is p le a o f insufficient
d a t a m a y a p p e a r r a t h e r s t r a n g e a t first s i g h t , b n t t h e 6 tr a n g o n e s s on
c lose r e x a m in a tio n w ill d is a p p e a r e n tire ly . N o i n f o r m a t i o n is g i v e n
a b o v o a s t o t h o a g e o f t h e y o u n g e r b r o t h e r a t t h o t i m e o f t h e f a t h e r ’s
d e a t h ; n o r a s t o t h e l a t t e r ’s f e e l i n g s n n d a n x i e t i e s a t t h o t i m e o f
d e a th w ith r e g a r d to his m o t h e r le s s boy. W e a r e , in c o n s e q u e n c e ,
o b lig o d to m a k e s o m e a s s u m p ti o n s , w h ic h all th e s u r r o u n d in g c i r c u m ­
s t a n c e s m o s t c l e a r l y B u g g e s t ; if, h o w e v e r , t l i e y a r e u n w a r r a n t e d b y
facts, w e b e g f u r t h e r p a r t ic u l a r s w ill b e fo rw a rd e d to ns. I t ia b u t
n a t u r a l t h a t t h e f a t h e r s h o u ld h a v o fe l t u n u s u a lly s t r o n g s o lic itu d e for
t h e f u t u r e o f h is y o u n g son, d e p r iv e d , a t a t e n d e r a g e , of b o th hia
p a r e n t s ; a n d t h e m o r o s o i f li is a p p r e h e n s i o u s f o r t h e c o n t i n u e d
h o n o u r o f th o f a m i l y , of w h ic h , lik e all G e r m a n a r i s t o c r a t s , h e
h a v e b e e n e x tre m e ly je alous, w ero ro u sed , b y e a rly in d icatio n s
o f t h o v i c i o u s h a b i t s w h i c h s u b s e q u e n t l y d e v o l o p e d i n h i s s o n bo
stro n g ly . A f te r this, th o e x p la n a tio n b ec o m es e a sy e n o u g h . T ho
d y in g t h o u g h t of th e f a t h e r , w o r k e d u p to ita h ig h e s t p it c h , u n d e r th o
c ir c u m s ta n c e s d escrib ed , e s ta b lis h e d n m a g n e tic lin k b e tw e e n th o son
a n d t h o a s t r u l s h e l l o f t h e f a t h e r i n Kc D ii al ok u, I t i s a w e l l k n o w n f a c t
t h a t f e a r or g r e a t a n x ie ty for e v e ry th in g le ft b e h in d on e a rth
is c a p a b l e o f r e t a i n i n g a s h e l l , w h i c h m u s t h a v o o t h e r w i s e d i s s o l v e d * f o r
a l o u g e r p e r i o d i n t h o e a r t h ’s a t m o s p h e r e t h a n i t w o u l d t h e e v e n t
of a q u ie t d e a th . A l t h o u g h t h e s h e ll w h e n l e f t to it se lf is in e a p a b lo
o f a c q u ir in g a n y f r e s h im p re s sio n , y e t , w h e n g a lv an ised , so to say , b y
r a p p o rt w ith a m e d iu m , it is q u ite c a p a b le of liv in g fo r y e a r s a v icaji-
 o n s lifo a n d r e c e i v i n g all t h s i m p r e s s i o n s o f t h e r a e d i n m . A n o t h e r f a c t
m u s t a l w a y s b o b o r n e i n m i n d i n s e e k i n g f o r a n e x p l a n a t i o n o f tl i o
p h e n o m e n a of m e d i u m s h i p - n a m e l y , t l i a t t h e a v e r a g e B tay of s h e l l s
i n K a m a l o k a b e f o r e f i n a l d i s i n t e g r a t i o n 19 s o m e t i m e s o f v e r y l o n g
d u r a t io n , 25 to 3 0 y e a rs w o u ld n o t be too lo n g , w i t h a m e d in m to
piese iv c its v it a li ty . W ith tlieeo p r e l i m i n a r y o b s e r v a t io n s , th e
p r e s e n t p ro b le m b e c o m e s ea sy of eolation. The young m an who m et
w ith s n c h a t r a g ic e n d w a s p r o b a b l y a m e d i u m to h is f a t h e r 's shell,
a n d th o r e b y g a v e it a k n o w le d g e o f all th o i n c i d e n t s of hie w ild a n d
s i n f u l c a r e e r , ' i h e i n u t o w i t n e s s o f t h o s h e U ’p m a t e r i a l i s a t i o n i n t h o
m o r t u a r y c h a m b e r m u s t also h a v o bee n a m e d in m h e rs e lf, a n d th u s
h e l p e d t h a t p h e n o m e n o n t o t a k o p l a c e . T h e d y i n g y o u n g m a n ’s c o n ­
t r i t i o n f o r h i s v i c i o u s li f o a n d a n x i e t y t o s a v e t h o h o n o u r o f t h e f a m i l y ,
w e r e r e l l e c t o d n p o n t h o f a t h e r ’s a s t r a l s h e l l w i t h a l l t h o i n t e n s i t y o f
•ly in g eu o rg y , a n d g a v e rise to all t h a t fo llo w e d .
------•------
T IIE M IR A C U LO U S B E A R D
AND
T I I E M O N K S O F S T . S T E P I I A N O O F VIE N N A -.
B y V eka de J e l i h o v s k y ,
...T h e Church of St. Stephauo in Vienna is more strik in g
externally than in its interior arra n g e m en t, I t s style of
architecture is very sim ilar to th a t of th e grout S tm sb o u rg
Cathedral. A l l i s carved and chiselled out on it Its
s h irp -p o in ted cupolas seem to be bordered w ith finely
w orked lace ; the walls aro covered w ith fine stooe-carving
re p resentin g sacred pictures, statues of saints, im ages en
re lie f of animals, reptiles and monsters. Ono is positively
oppressod upon e n te rin g it, with its h e ig h t and size. N u m ­
berless details disappear in the general impression of its
gran deur. Gigantic stained and p a in te d glass-panes in in­
accessibly Gothic windows representing Biblical pictures,
lend nn additional mystery to those deep, au d »t the same
time, graceful vaults, to those old walls, darkened with
age, whence ono is stared at, from everywhere, by h uge
figures of k n ig h ts iu full arm our, by m itred divines in.
canonicals, priests w ith baro and tonsu red hoods, in
humblo pastures, prayerful attitudes a n d h a n g in g beads •
by tho huge frame of bearded barons a n d shaven mag­
nates with tlieii; ladies in mediaeval costumos— according
to, who sleeps his last dreamless sleep undor ono or tho
oth e r slab, an d whose decaying bones are hidden under
th e marblo representation over th e m ,— m onum ents des­
tined to survive all thoso crowds of p r a y in g pilgrims
around us, and in all probability many, many generations
of th e ir unborn p o ste rity ...O n the chief altar, over the
th rone, soars a gigantic g roup of angels, figures of pure
silv e r; on each side a smaller c h a n try , .tn tho rig h t
oue, tho tu m u la r m onum ent to F re d e ric I I I , mado of
dark marble, covered with tho sta tu a ry of skulls, snakes,
dragons, toads and every k in d of nn clean creatures. Of
such, however, thero is g r e a t v a r io ty ; in tho contro of
tho Church, on ono of tho pillars, stands the pulpit, tlio
bannisters of whose stairs are completely covered with
carved frogs, turtles ond lizards, creeping up w ard s— as
thou gh tlieir object were the p a d r i poised upon it, and
who, with furious gestures and inspired with his own elo­
quence shouts unmercifully his sermon dow nw ard-..w alls
portals, pillars, an d columns are all covered with wooden
stone and stucco curving. A t present, the St. Sfcephano
is nil encum bered with interior scaffolding. Tho su perb
work of tho masonic fraternity who built this tem ple-work
venerable and d a rk e n e d with age, is now being covered—
or ra th e r disfigured, w ith som ething looking suspi­
ciously like lime, c h a lk ...I s it possiblo th a t these fanatics
— those double vaudals— who raise tlieir hand again st tho
sanctity of tho old bu ilding and against art, should have
imagined to whitewash these v enerable walls ?...The bnro
id e a of it is dreadful !W e wero re-assured, how ­
ever, th a t it was not so. T h a t th e w hite colour was
only temporary, and simply in te n de d to clear th e
vaults a u d walls from soot and mould, and th a t
au hour a fte r the operation th e wood, stone, alabaster
an d mosaic w ork would reassume tho dark hue
im parted to them by age. L e t us hopo it m ay be so ;
otherwise it would bo simply an u n h e a rd of profanation.
All depends, how ever, on personal opinion an d view s,
How m any worship at the altar of th a t which seems to
o th er persons h o rrid nnd fills them w ith indignation.
W e wore already p r e p a r in g to leave tho place, when we
were invited by our guide to visit the two side chantries
th a t nre facing the altar. W e e n te re d th e one on our left,
ond for a fow seconds found ourselves in relative d a r k ­
ness. I t too'c us a few minutes before we could discern
a num erous crowd of people on their knees w o rshipping
in silence beforo som ething th a t we mistook at th e first
sig h t f o r a giga n tic silver jug . I t was only w hen tw o
pious ladies had lighted t w j th ic k tapers a t the foot
of th e som ething th a t wo perceived was neither more
nor less than the sta.tue of the Virgin, placed upon a
pedestal in a corner, nnd clad in a n enormous crinoline of
■silver cloth. T ruly, every B a ro n is sure to have his own
funcy ! ...L e a v iu g the chapel, we crossed into the n ex t one
: — tb e one to our right. There it was lighter. And there,
fts elsewhere, we fouud n dense crowd of devotees com­
fortably seated iu th e ir pews aud r e a d in g out of
th e ir p ra y e r books* opposite a hngo stone crucfix
w ith a life-size Christ h a n g in g on it. The sermon
of^ the p a d r i had eviden tly produced its effect an d
driven them all to seek refuge in this cool little corner.
W e a ry and tire d , wo followed th e ir example and placed
ourselves in th e ir neighbourhood, to rest, try in g to collect
our scattered thoughts, perplexed and dazzled as we
w ere by such a v ariety of im pressions... While sitting in the
parish pews, involuntarily some of us lifted th e ir heads
and gazed at the stone figure of the Crucified before us ..
" B u t w hat is th is ? ! ” W ith this exclamation some of
us started from our seats and approached the figure
closer, while the re st ru b b e d th e ir eyes in m ute astonish­
m ent hardly b e lie v in g th a tth e ir senses, were not deceiving
them in w hat they saw ..T h e figure of tho Saviour, H is
face, how beautiful 1 The head surrounded w ith the
th o r n y crown reclinos on Ilfs rig h t shoulder, an d a d a rk
shadow— too dense a n d darfc—seems to fall from it . Good
God ! it is 1 1 0 shadow nt all, but a bushy black beard 1...A
beard ? . . A white marblo statue of th e crucified with a
board? !...Yoa ; a real beard o f hair? ! .,W h ::t can bo the
moaning of this blasphemous joko ? ..W h y was it done ? ..
we kept^ e n q u irin g —-‘‘ N o one has done i t ” was the cool
and decided reply of tlio monk who served us as a guide.
“ The hairs o f the beard have grown themselves, during tlie
last hour and while every one was •praying...T h e miracle
is of a daily occurrence, a u d every one knows it.”
W h a t could we say to this ?
Verily : glory, to T h y long suffering, Oh L o rd J e s u s
C hrist !...
E d i t o r ' s N o t e . — T l i o a b o v e is o n l y a s h o r t c x t r a c t f r o m a v e r y i n ­
t e r e s t i n g n a r r a t i v e , w r i t t e n b y a n e a r r o l a t i v e a n d l a t e l y p u b l i s h e d in a
R u ssia n periodical, M e a culp a ! W c h av o t r a n s l a te d it w ith tw o o b je c ts :
( a ) t o s h o w t h o d i s g r a c e f u l t r i c k s r e s o r t e d to , e v e n in o u r o w n c e n t u r y
b y th o p r i e s t c r a f t to s e c u re in c o m o to th e ir c h u rc h e s a n d k e e p fa ith
a l i v e i n t h e h e a r t s o f t h e t o o c r e d u l o u s a n d f a n a t i c a l ; a n d ( 6; t o r e ­
m i n d o u r r e a d e r s t h a t i t i s p r e c i s e l y t h i s c l a s s o f m e n w h o gr oi u b e a r d s
o f h a i r on th e c h in o f m a r b l e J c su s e s , m a k e t h e b lo o d o f t h e i r s a i n t s , d e a d
c c n t n r i e s a g o , boil in c r y s t a l flasks, a n d p r o d u c e th o m a t e r i a l i z e d f o r m
o f tho V irgin M a ry in m ira c u lo u s g ro tto s — w h o poso a s o n r b it te r e s t
e n e m i e s , a n d d e n o u n c e tlie T h e o s o p h i s t s a n d O c c u l t i s t s r i g h t a u d le f t a s
“ im p o sto rs,” “ f ra u d s ” a n d “ c h a rla ta n s.” A s now n p p sars, the cap
w o u l d fit o n r t o n s u r e d t r a d u c e r s f a r b e t t e r t h a n t h e h e a d o f n n y o c c u l t ­
is t liv in g o r d ea d . F o r, th o n a r r a t iv o is no a n e c d o to g o t t e n u p f o r th e
occasion, b u t th o so b er s t a t e m e n t of a fa c t w itn e ssed , to th e ir
g r e a t d i s g u s t , b y a p a r t y o f C h r i s t i a n l a d i e s a n d g e n t l e m v n in
full d a y lig h t, a n d no f a rth o r back th a n in S e p te m b e r last. It
m a y h e n n c h n r i ta b l e , n o d o u b t ; y e t , i t is n o t n n j u s t t h a t w e s h o u ld
ex p o so in o n r t u r n b e f o r e o u r r e a d e r s , a n d w ith a f a r b e t t e r r e a s o n
t h i s c l a s s o f m e n w h o t r a d e in , a n d p r o f a n o t h e m o s t s a c r e d f e e l i n g s o f
th o b e lie v in g m u ltitu d e s . T h e y h a v e d o n o so fo r lo n g c e n t u r i e s ; b e g ­
g ing, and living and p r o s p e r in g upo n th o hard * en rn e d c o p p e rs of th e
p o o r t h e y s o s h a m e l e s s l y d e c e i v e , a n d y e t t h o y w i l l l o s e 110 o p p o r t u n i t y
of d e n o u n c in g t h e i r o p p o n e n t s a s t h e g r e a t e s t infid els a n d b la s p h e m e r s
liv in g , b e lie v in g w ith so m e g o o d ren so n p e r h a p s , tlia t h e w h o cries
“ t h i e f ” w h i l e i n t h e aofc o f r o b b i n g , h a s m o r o c h a n c e s o f o s c a p o t h a n t h e
in n o c e n t m a u w ho goes o u t of th e ir w ay a n d k ee p s sile n t.
* T h e R u s sia n s of th o G re ek C h u rc h h av e n e ith e r p r a y e r books, n or
a r e t h e y a l l o w o d t o sit d a r i n g service, n o r a t a n y t i m e in sid e a C h u r c h ;
kenco tbo remark,—Ed,
 A GKNO W L E D G M E N T .
W a b e g to acknowledge, w ith th a n k s , re c e ip t of a
copy of the “ N atural Genesis,” b y Mr. G erald Massey.
T h e book is indeed very valuable ; b u t th e issues raised
in it b e in g of gra v e im portance, a n d th e opinions e x ­
presse d in direct conflict witli tliose of th e A ryau ists,
we have h a nd e d over tlie w ork to a com p e te n t A ry a n
scholar for a review, wliich will a p p e a r in a subsequent
issue.
T M i s c e l l a n i e s — N o. 2, Unpublished writings of
u k o s o i ’H ica l
Eliphas Levi. The Paradoxes of the Highest Science
Translated from the French M.S.S. by a Student of
Occultism. Calcutta, 1 8 8 3 . ■ always have before you the unknown, which you must recog­
T h e t r a n s l a t o r of tlie a b o v e w o r k d e s e rv e s t h e b e s t t h a n k s
o f m a n y of liis f e l l o w s t u d e n t s f o r h a v i n g r e n d e r e d w r i t i n g s
of s u c h m e r i t a n d i m p o r ta n c e , m o r e a c c e s s ib le to t h e m t h r o u g h
t h e m e d iu m of his tr a n s la tio n . A b b e C o n s ta n t, m o ro w id e ly
k n o w n u n d e r the p se u d o n y m of E lip h a s L ev i, w as a F re n c h
O c c u l t i s t o f 110 m e a n r a n k a s .a t h e o r e t i c a l s t u d e n t o f t h e
sa c re d science. T h e tr a n s la to r in h is a b le p r e fa c e ju d g e s
liim v ery c o rre c tly . F u lly a g r e e in g w ith h im in h is e s tim a tp
o f t h e v a l u e o f E l i p h a s L e v i ’s w r i t i n g s , I q u o t e f r o m t h e
p r e f a c e :— ■
“ Eliphas Levi was a theorist, nnd if we may judge from the
nonsense given in great detail iu his Rituel de la Haute Magie,
profoundly ignorant of its practice. Of the physics of occultism
nothing of any great vuluo can be gathered by tho uninitiated
from his pages, though reproducing, without by any means fully
comprehending them, phrases aud ideas from the older Hermetic
works, secrets even pertaining to this branch, lie buried like
mutilated torsos, in his writings. B u t whero the metaphysics of
Occultism are concerned, liis works are often encrusted with
jowels that would shino out far more clearly into the soul of the
uninitiated, but for his persistent habit of laying 011 everywhere
coats of Roman Catholic and orthodox whitewash, partly in his
earlier days to avert the antagonism of the Church, partly to avoid
shocking the religious prejudices of his readers, and partly,
I suspect, because to the last some flavour of those prejudices
clung even to his own mind.
. T o t h o s e then who desiro to acquiro proficiency in Practical ' insist that tlio conceptions of intelligences (I give him in tho
Occultism, who crave longlife, gift, and powers, aud a knowledge
of the hidden things and laws of the universe, a study of
Eliphus Levi’s books would be almost timo wasted. Let them
seek elsewhere for what they want, and if they seek in earnest
they will surely find it.”
T h e v a l u e of tliia l i t t l e w o r k is e n l i a n c c d b y so m o n o te s
a p p e n d e d to i t b y a n a u g u s t p e r s o n a g e , w h o m t h e t r a n s l a t o r
in d icates as “ E . 0 . ” T h ese, th e tra n s la to r says, “ m e rit th e
m o st c a re fu l a tte n tio n ,” b u t h e m o d e stly a d d s, “ I do n o t
a l w a y s a g r e e w i t h “ E . (). a n d th o u g h p e rfe c tly a w a re th a t
m y o p i n i o n s a r e a s n o t h i n g w h e n o p p o s e d to liis, I d i d n o t
t h in k it h o n e s t to re p ro d u c e r e m a r k s , w h ic h I c o u ld n o t
c o n c u r in, w ith o u t r e c o r d in g d is s e n t.” T h e a b l e t r a n s l a t o r ’s
c o n s c ie n tio u sn e s s does h im in fin ite h o n o u r , b u t of h is m o d e s ty
I s h a ll h a v e o ccasio n to s p e a k h e r e a f te r . T h e p rin cip al
p o i n t u p o n w h i c h t h e “ S t u d e n t o f O c c u l t i s m ” d i l ’f o r s w i t h
t l i e e m i n e n t o c c u l t i s t , w h o m I10 c a l l s “ E , 0 . ” i s t h e e x i s t e n c e
of a p e rso n a l e x tra -c o sm ic d eity.
In a note g iv e n on p a g e 6, “ E . O .” r e m a r k s : “ W o m a n ta k e n
co llectively w as th e m o th e r of G o d -H u n ia n ity , b u t h as
E l i p h a s 110 o t h e r G o d ? N o . . . . ”
T o t h i s t h e t r a n s l a t o r d e m u r s a s f o l l o w s :— • the infinite to all conditioned existences is yet not a l l , and
“ It is very questionable whether “ K. L.” was an atheist : indeed
it seems to me certain that he was not. His position was not, that
there wus 110 God, (an assertion involving an assumption of
omniscience,) but simply that to the narrow and dim cognizance
of man and oven to that of far higher but still conditioned intel­
ligences, God only manifests himself in Nature and. Humanity.
To say that tlie Infinite and Absolute is entirely outside the
highest plane to which any limited and conditioned intellect
can attuin, and that hence wo must content ourselves with dealing
wilh the laws and manifestations of tho conditioned Universe,
which aro more or less within our grasp or that of our perfected
predecessors, is one thing, to assert that thero is no power and
intelligence outside tho sphere of our possible cognizance, the
sourco of these laws and manifestations, no God in fact, another.”
W h e th e r E liphas Levi was an atheist or not cannot be
decided until a snceossful a tte m p t has been made to bind
that P rote an word to some definite shape a n d form, b u t one’s
notions of modesty are certainly uo t soothed w hen tlie “ S t u ­
d e n t of O c c u ltis m ” m a k e s b o ld to oppose th e s ta te m e n t of a
f a c t • within the knowledge o f t h e “ E m i n e n t O ccu ltist”
w i t h h i s o w n inferences d e r i v e d f r o m a s t u d y , h o w e v e r c a r e ­
fu l, of w r itin g s a d m itte d ly o b sc u rc a n d o ra c u la r. To m y
m in d s u c h a n a c t se e m s to in d ic a te a n u t t e r i g n o r a n c e of
o c c u lt p h y sic s, w h ic h h e ta lk s of g lib ly e n o u g h , a n d finds
w a n t i n g in t h e F r e n c h a u t h o r , o r of t h e c h a r a c t e r of h i m
a g a in s t w h o m h e ra ise s h is p u n y h a n d . A t h i r d su p p o sitio n
i n d e e d s u g g e s ts itself, w h ic h w ill n o t, p e r h a p s , a c t q u ite a s
a n a n o d y n e o n t h e f e e l i n g s o f t h e t r a n s l a t o r — se lf-su ffic ie n cy
an d jself-co n ceit. T h e “ S tu d e n t of O ecultism ” u n d e rta k e s
to e n lig h te n u s as to w h a t se e m s to h im c e rta in to h a v e
b e e n t h e p o s itio n of E li p h a s L e v i w i t h r e g a r d to th e q u e s tio n .
B u t w e a p p e a l f r o m t h e c o u n s e l to th e c lie n t T h e la tte r
s a y s :— '
“ Develop scienco (by which, as will appear from the context,
occult science is certainly not meant) as you will, mark its first;
step with Alpha and its last with Omega, and you will stilL
nize, . ................ all that wo learn is wound off that unknown,
which is never wholly unwound, it is this which produces all
things; not knowing what it is, we personify it and c‘dl it God.’'
I f w o r d s h a v e a u y m e a n i n g , i t is p e r f e c t ly p la in t h a t t h e
G od spoken of h e re , u n k n o w n a n d u n k n o w a b le b y t h e so-
c a lle d e x a c t s c io n c e s , is q u i t e d i f f e r e n t fro m t h e G o d , to
w h o m o u r c r i t ic b e n d s t h e k n e e , “ c o n s c io u s, i n t e l l i g e n t w ill,
t h e s o u r c e o f t h o s e ( c o s m i c ) l a w s ” (p. 8 7 ) . T h e t r a n s l a t o r , it
w o u ld se em , in th e p e rs is te n c e of h is claim of fellow ship
w i t h t h e w i l y E l i p h a s , a f t o r t h e l a t t e r ’s p o s i t i v e r e f u s a l t o
w o rsh ip a t th e sa m e te m p le ; m a y be e x tre m e ly sin cere, b n t i s '
a t th e sa m e tim e a little rid ic u lo u s, p e rh a p s. .
I a m in f in ite ly g r a t e f u l to t h e t r a n s l a t o r f o r h a v i n g
a l l o w e d m o a g l i m p s e i n t o w h a t lie c a l l s l iis “ t r a n s c e n d e n t a l
oc c u ltism .” T h e s u b j e c t is i m p o r t a n t , a n d I m a k e n o
a p o lo g y for m a k i n g r a t h e r lo n g e x tr a c ts fro m h is n o te s ■
“ T h e r e is 110 e x t r a - c o s m i c D e i t y ” — s a y s “ E . O . ” O n w h i c h
th e tra n sla to r re m a rk s :—
“ This seems to me begging the question. Has any one been
outsido tho cosmos to look”P“ E. 0 .'’rnay reply cosmos is infinite,
thero can ba nothing outside what is infinite, forgetting, it seems
to me, that what may be infinite to all conditioned in it, may yet
leave room for a beyond Lo the unconditioned. fie admits a
fourth dimension of space, asserts further, on, and as will be seen,
and I beliove, with good reason, that there are yet fifth,sixth and
seventh dimensions of space to bo discovorod, yet* he desires to
planetary spirits and all) conditioned iu the cosmos, which wo
cau only think of as infinite, are absolute ; whereas I submit, that
they are necessarily relative, and that the fact that the highest
intelligences conditioned in the universe believe it to be infinite
and can trace in it nothing but laws, by no means proves that to »
still higher and unconditioned intelligence, there may not be
something outside tlie infinity, and in that something the intelli­
gence whose will the discoverable laws represent. Nay, further
I submit, that intelligence may be inside and pervading the cos­
mos, and yet be incognizable for its own good reasons by all its
emanated intelligences.”— Trans.
B u t l e t u s s e e h o w h e d e v e l o p e s h i s i d e a s f u r t h e r o n :—
“ Occultism only deals with tho conditioned universe, which to
all conditioned in it is infinite. Admittedly, iu that universe
only Laws and no God, i. e„ no conscious, intelligent will, tho
source of those laws, cau bo traced. So the Mage may justifiably
say I content myself with tho manifested and conditioned uni­
verse and believe in no Sod who, whether ho exists somewhere in
uhscondito or not, has uot seon fit to indicate himself any whero
in manifestation, nnd cannot therefore, (if such a being exists)
want men to believe in Him. -
But thero aro Mages and Mages, and there are sorr\e Who
say granting all this, we yet know by a h igh er intuition, that
that thero is a conscious aud intelligent will, the origin of
those manifested lands which alone we creatures of manifes­
tation can cognize. But this of courso is a matter of faith
and pertains not to Occultism proper, which is either atheistic
or agnostic, but to transcendental Occultism.”— J ’r a n s .
I t d o c s n o t c o n c e r n u s a t p r e s e n t to i n q u i r e if t h e p o sitio n
of th o O c c u ltis t h a s b een fa irly r e p re s e n te d in th o a b o v e
e x t r a c t s , e x c c p t i n so f a r a s s u c h i n q u i r y m a y b e n e c e s s a r y
* T h e re se e m s to b e a n a s to u n d i n g m isc o n c e p tio n h e re . I f th e
tran slato r m eans t o c o n v e y t h a t “ 15. O . ” a d m i t s t h e A d e p t s o f
O c c u l tis m h a v e y e t to d is c o v e r t h e fif th a n d o t h e r h i g h e r s t a t e s o f
m a tte r, th o u I s h a ll ta k e th o lib e rty of p o in tin g Out th a t th e
s aid d isco v eries w ere m ade by O ccultists a t a m u c h rem o ter
p o rio d th a u tlie t r a n s l a t o r 's h is t o r y ca u d a r k u u w ith hor w in g s.
Tho fo rc e of t h o a d v e r b 1 h av o ita lic is e d ab o v e w ill e n tire ly
d i s a p p e a r i f t h o s t a t e m e n t s o f “ 10. 0 . ” a r e c o n s t r u e d i n t h e o n l y l e g i t i .
m a t e w a y t h e y a d m i t o f , n a m e l y , b y c o n n e c t i n g t h e m w i t h t h o 4 “ ".
C oY er ie a » f m o d e m E u r o p e a n s c i e n c e
 for a proper examination of the views aot fortli by the spokes­
m a n of “ Transcendental Occultism.” T he tr a n sla to r admits
t h a t in the universe -with which Occultism is conecrncd, there
is no God, w h at th e n are we to th in k of tho supposition
interjected a t page 42, th a t thc S u pre m e Intelligence (by
which te rm we aro to understand God) m a y be in the uni-
verso ? B u t this point need not bo pressed far. T he “ S tu d en t
of Occultism,” an d his professors have, by a “ h ig h e r in tu i­
tion,” not only acquired a belief in an intelligent conscious
God, b u t also a knowledge of his B e i n g —his infinitude
th o u g h o u tsid e the cosmos. This is proclaimed to be the
h ig h e st t r u t h which m ust e x h y p o lk es l includo all lower
t r u t h s ! L e t us examine how it inclndes th e t r u t h of reason.
W h a te v e r the translator m ig h tsay r eg a rd in g th c fallibility of
reasoning, he is too philosophical I ta k e it, to deny to- reason
th e attrib u te of being the only test of tr u th . I shall endeavour
to apply th a t test to the statem ents which thc tra n sla to r seeks
to placo on the pedestal of eternal verities. Now, we are
told from t h e s ta n d point of “ T ranscendental Occultism,” thc
universe of “ occultism - proper,” as he calls thc sacred
Tirahmavidyajs finite and conditioned,God is beyond i t; b u t he
entirely fails to see t h a t therefore God must be conditioned
and finite. B u t his view lifua fit least the m e rit of novelty, and
th e tran slato r shines out glorious in his solitary g ran d e u r. I
m u s t fran kly confess as a hum ble B rah m an , th a t I have
now here m et w ith such a te aching ; not, a t an y rate, in any of
o u r -writings -with which I am familiar, nor am ong any
Bchool of theism t h a t I know of. B u t this g r a n d e u r of
novelty is m arred, porhaps, by a spot of inconsistency when
he raises poaling an them s to God the Infinite an d Absolute,—■
beyond our universe, tho Finite an d Conditioned. I n tho
w itch’s cauldron of his brain it seems th e F inite an d tho Infi­
nite, (he Absolute an d thc Conditioned aro seething in a
holerogoncous m a ss; or, perchance, God Iliinself suffers from
the reflected Avidya of ilis devotee. A n d now wc will see
w h eth e r God called “ conscious” a n d “ intelligent” can stand
t he fiery ordeal of reason, as tho tran slato r very freely ornam ents
the Deity with these attributes. All to whom these term s
ran be applied m u st necessarily have this one attribnte,
namely, the power or capacity of a d a p tin g moans to a n end.
This power, again, it will bo seen, can only co-exist with
deliberation aud choice, which m u st necessarily accompany
the possibility of doubt and uncertainty. To say t h a t God
is intelligent, is merely to say th a t there were a t his com­
m a n d a variety of means w herew ith to w ork out creation,
and th a t he adopted th a t w hich he considered the best.
B n t thc tran slato r a t thc same time believes t h a t ont of this
God sprang into existence the universe, by w hich the obser­
vation an d investigations of Occultists arc hounded, and a d ­
mits the tr u th of the experimental philosophy of o u r Adepts
(p. DO). Now occultists know an d say th a t one of the states
111 -which that universe exists is such t h a t th c so-called crea­
tion springs from it by virtue of an im m utab le law, of which
thc universe itself is the e m b o d im e n t; there is no delibera­
tion, no picking an d choosing. O nly th e best possible means
lias existence in it, and nothing else has. In oth e r words, the
universe in this p articula r state is Intelligence itself. Of
this, I beliove, the tran slato r is not ignorant. H ow can ho
th e n m aintain th a t superior intelligence can em an a te from
nn inferior one ? Does it not strike h im as a P a lpa bl e Ansun-
p it y and the “ h igher intuition” a t best b u t h ig h e r folly. Now,
consciousness itself supposes duality, nnd as the tran slato r
believes in creation, lie m ust also hold th a t there was a point
of tim e when there was no universe, b u t God existed in his lonely
splendour, so th a t hero could not have been any conscious­
ness in God of the only th in g th a t can supply tho required d u a ­
lity. B u t perhaps he will here contend th a t God before creation
w a i conscious of the universe as existent in his own mind. If
so, I will ask him, whence came thc motive w hich led to the
projection of the universe into a separate objectivity ? God,
if he is perfeot, can have no w a n t himself, n o r was there any
other th in g in existence whose w ant cried ont for removal
a n d thoreby supplied God w ith a motive. A n o th e r question
most irrepressibly raises its head here. D id th e thoughts of
God, w hich represented the universe before evolution began,
oxist in his mind th ro u g h eternity, or were they called forth
by an effort of H is will ? Orj th e form er supposition, Ho
can scarcely be called the Creator, for the universe, if taken as
a p a r t of H is being, can never owe its origin to his Will. If
tho la tte r b ra n c h of th c proposition be adopted, th e re arises
another complicated question of motives. T he tran slato r
trios to f rig h ten th e occultist, of the only school I k no w of,
by tho F ra n k e n ste in so u g h t to bo evoked by thc word O m ni­
science. Bitt it will be found th a t this monster, which like
its b re th re n of Norse fables, goes to slay an d dovour by night,
will m elt into th in a i r w hen subjected to a r a y of day light
and leave not a w reck behind. Tlie translator himself admits'
t h a t the IIianiosT A d e p t in w h a t lie seeks to depreciate by
calling “ Occultism proper” knows all about the universe,
w hich wc assert is thc only reality ; how then docs lie oxpeet
to sink his opponent u n d e r the w eight of a word while
conceding thc th in g itself, and how can lie convict the O ccult­
ist of presum p tio n unless tho la tte r’s error is dem onstrated ?
Before I close my analysis, I shall notice an other point
w hich shows the value of the reasoning powers thc tr a n s la to r
has carricd to his task. E liph a s says (p. 31) :—•
“ W e a r e in th o w o r ld to s e r v e H u m a n i t y w hich is s e r v i n g
G od by c o n s e c r a tin g to it o u r free a c tiv ity .”
On this “ E . O .” rem arks :—■
“ W h a t n rid ic u lo u s F tipernum erfiry, su c h a G od b efo re th e
j u r y o f BPnse a n d l o g i c . N e v e r t h e l e s s s o m e o f t h e m o s t s e n s i b l e
u ie n lo a th e t h e id e a of p a r t i n g w ith th is f ic tio n .”
Thc tr a n s la to r thus comments on the above :—-
“ A m o n g s t o u r F i j i fellow s u b j e c t s , th o s h ip s , tlie j u d g e s , th e
g o v e r n o r s a n d o th o r m a n i f e s t a t i o n s of o u r g o o d Q u e e n nre
r e c e i v e d w i t h r e s p e c t a n d l o v e ; i n h e r n a m e j u s t i c o is d o n e
b e t w e e n m a n a n d m a n , h e r n a m e p r o t e c t s u ll f r o m t h e a s s a u l t s
o f f o r e i g n n a t i o n s , s h e is o n l y k n o w n t o t h e m b y p i c t u r e s ( m o r e
o r l e s s f a n c y p o r t r a i t s ) o r t h e e f f e c t s a c c o m p l i s h e d h y a n d in
h e r nam e , an d th e s e F ijia n s can o nly serv o h e r by good c itiz e n ­
sh ip , d e a lin g fa irly a n d u p r i g h t l y w ith t h e ir fellow s u b j e c t s .
T r u l y a r i d i c u l o u s s u p e r n u m e r a r y is t h o a c t u a l Q u e e n V i c t o r i a !
a u d y e t so m e of t h o m o s t s e n s ib le F ijia n s will lo a th e to p a r t w ith
t h i s Gction, n a y — w o u l d t h i n k a m a i l o v e r h a s t y w h o d e n o u n c e s
h er as a m y th .”
I t does not require logical faculties of a very high order
to find t h a t thc a tte m p t made here to bolster up a false
analogy is b u t clumsy a t best. T hc “ judges, governors,”
and all proclaim th c Queen, b u t admit tedly none of the
natural laws show any trace of their origin from a God.
Queen V ictoria may bo appealed to ag ainst h e r governors
an d judges, but w h a t C ourt of appeal is there against the
operation of tho natu ra l laws. I n fact every link of the chain
of a r g u m e n t advanced is vitiated by thc fallacy,which, a logi­
cian would, perhaps, call a p e t i t i o v r i n c i p i i . . '
Again, thc little m athem atical problem proposed b y 1' E .O .”
in a noto printed on pp. 82 e< sc q , furnishes thc translator
with ground s for scornful laughter. B u t the loss is certainly
not ours th a t lie fails to perceive thc h ighe r ch a racter of the
problem, and sim ply degrades it to tho level of a geometrical
puzzle, w hich even M acanlay’s school boy will bo ashamed
no t to know. T he question is not how to solve it from the
known properties of thc circlc of Euclid, b u t it involves the
metaphysics of the circlc itself. L et the “ S tu d e n t ” deeply
ponder over the mystic character of thc symbol, and not rest
with complaccncy on thc generalisations of ordinary m a th e m a ­
tics ; lie o u g h t to proceed to the very root of things and be a
true mathern'itii'Jau, in the etymological sense of the word.
The sneer w ith which the problem has been handled by tho
translator, evidently a high ly intelligent person, gives rise to
a suspicion th a t all tlic smoko of falso criticism "with which
he w raps up the r e m a rk s o f “ E. O.” is not w ith o u t fire,
how ever cleverly it m ig h t have been concealed. B u t for
my belief in th c tr a n s la to r ’s honesty of intention, 1 could
scarcely have resisted the conviction th a t he is moved by
somo secret a n i m u s against “ E. 0 . ?”
A part from this unpleasant w ra n g lin g over notes th a t
have probably found their way into Eliphas L evi’s M. S. S.
a t the request of the tr a n sla to r himself, I m n st say th a t
the able tran slation of the pam phlet itself rtnd “ E. O.’s”
notes— may bo studied w ith a dv a nta ge by all interested
in the scienec of Occultism, and I have no hesitation in
com m ending it to th e ir favorable notice.
DlIAIiANH'JIAR S arma K authum i.
T A B L E OF C O N TEN TS.
----- ♦-------
■
Page. P age.
T h n B en t Food fo r M a n .. . 57 P o sth u m o n s V isito r ... G4,
P m n atn ro and Phenom enal T h e M irn cu lo n s B e n rd a n d th n
G row ths ... ... 60 M o n k s o f S t. S t e p h a n o of
A G re a t R iddlo S o lv ed .. . fil V ienna ... ... GG
M i s t a k e n J u d g m e n t s ... ... 62 A ck n o w led g m en t ... .. . 07
P recip ita tio n ” .. . 04. R e v i e w ... ... ... 07
 /Ocreativ
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 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY. ART. LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
EMBRACING MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
OWicT-X•TIRcT TO I
T II E R E IS N O R E L I G I O N H I G H E R THAN TRUTH,
[ F a m ily m o tto o j the M a h a r a ja h s o j B e n a re s. ]
A L L E G E D D E A T H O F M. De B O U R D O N , F. T. S.
F k o m th e L o nd on S ta n d a r d we learn of th e decease
a t B reda, iu Holland, of M. Adelbertli de B o u rb o r, tne
esteemed and zealous S e c re ta ry of th e Post N u h ila L u x
Theosophical Society, whose seat is a t th e H a g u e . As
no confirmatory intelligence has as y e t reached the
H ead-quarters from Mr. f'oun, th e b ra n c h P re sid e n t, we
cling to th e hope t h a t it m ay be a falso report. M. de
Hourbou, whose late fa th e r is described as “ D u ke of
N ormandy, son of his late M ajesty Louis X V I , K in g of
France, and of her Im p erial a n d Royal H ig h n e ss Marie
A ntoin ette, A rchd uchess of A u stria , Qiieeti of F r a n c e ,”
was one of our most zealous E u ro p e a n colleagues. His
active in te re st in our m ov em ent resu lted in the form a­
tion of the H olland Branch. H o was au officer in the
B ody-guard of H . M. the K in g of H olland . Hia father
is believed to havo been th e y o u n g D auph in , whom the
otlicial records of th e Bastile affirm to have died in th a t
grim state-prisou, b u t whose escape by the help of the
Coimfc de Frofcte, is m ost probable. I f an y w eight is to
bo a tta c h e d to family resem blances, th e n assuredly our
deeply lam ented, if indeed deceased— B ro th e r must
have been a true scion of th e F re n c h blood-royal, for his
resemblance to th e Bourbons is unn ista k a b ly noticeable
in th e p o rtra it he kiudly sent ns a few m o n th s ago- N o­
th in g seems b e tte r established than tho fa c t th a t the son
of the u n fo rtun ate Loui-i X V I a u d Marie A n to in e tte did
not die in the B istile. W e still hope a g a in s t hope and,
in case the sad news be verified, would feel th a n k fu l to
lhe P re sid e n t of the Post N u h ila L u x T. S . , to p u t an
end to our perplexity.
------«------
I N T R O - V E R S I O N OF M E N T A L
S ome in te re stin g experim ents have recently been
tried by Mr. F. W . II. M yers and his colleagues of the
Psychic Research Society of London, w hich, if p r o ­
perly examined, are capable of yielding highly im p o rta n t
results. T he experim ents referred to were on th e ir
publication widely commented upon by th e n e w sp a p e r
Press. W i th tho details of these wo are not a t presen t
concerned : it will suffice for our purpose to sta te for
the benefit of readers un acquainted w ith th e experim ents,
th a t in a very larg e m ajority of cases, too num erous to
be the result of m ere chance, it was found th a t th e
th oug ht-reading sensitive o btained b u t an inverted
mental picture of the object given him to read. A piece
of paper, containing the representatio n of an arrow,
was held before a carefully blind-folded th o u g h t-
reader and its position c onstantly changed, th e thought*
reader b e in g requ ested to m entally see th e arrow a t
each tu rn . In theso circum stances it was found that,
when th e arro w -h ead pointed to th e rig h t, it was
read oif as pointin g to tho left, and so on. T his led
some sapient jo urna lists to im agine th a t thero was a
m irage in th e in n e r as well as 0 1 1 th e ou te r plane of
optical sensation. B u t the real explanation of th e ph en o­
menon lies deeper.
I t is well know n t h a t an o b je c t as seen by us a n d its
im age 0 1 1 th e re tin a of th e eye, aro not exactly tho samo
iu position, b u t quite th e reverse. H ow the im age of an
object 0 1 1 th e re tin a is in verted in sensation, is a m ystery
which physical science is adm ittedly incapable of solv­
ing. W e ste rn m etaphysics too, w ithout reg ard to this point,
hardly lares a n y b e tte r ; th e re are as m any theories aa
there are m etaphysicians. Reid, H am ilto n and. othera
of th a t school b u t flounder in a bog of speculation. Thtt
onlv philosopher who has o b tained a glim pse ot the tru th
is the idealist Berkeley, who, to th e ex tre m e re g r e t of
all stu dents of the tru e philosophy, eould not g e t beyond
theological C hristianity, in spite of all his brilliant in tu i­
tions. A child, says Berkeley, does really see a thing-
inverted from our s t a n d - p o i n t ; to touch its he a d it
stretch es out its h an ds in th e same direction of its
body as we do of ours to reach our feet. R e peated
failures iu this direction give experieucc a u d lead to the
correction of th e notions born of one sense b y those
derived throu gh a n o th e r ; th e sensations of distance and
solidity are p roduced in th e siiine way.
T he application of this k no w ledg e to th e above m e n ­
tioned e xperim ents of th e Psychic Research Society will
lead to very s tr ik in g results, I f th e trained a d e p t is a
person who has developed all his interior fa culties,and is
0 1 1 the psychic plane in the full possessiou of his senses,
th e individual, wlio accidentally, th a t is w ith ou t occult
training, g ains th e inner sig ht, is in the position of a
helpless ch ild—a s p o rt of th e freaks of one isolated inner
sense. T his will th ro w a Hood of lig h t on th e un trust-
worth)' c h a ra c te r of th e ordinary u ntra ine d seer. Such
was the case with th e sensitives with whom Mr. Myers
an d liis colleagues e xp erim ented . T here are instances,
however, when the correction of one sense by
V ISIO N .
ano th er tak e s place involuntarily and accurate results
are b ro u g h t out. W h e n the sensitive reads the th ou gh ts
in a m a n ’s mind, this correction is n ot required, for th e
will of the th in k e r shoots the thoughts, as it were,
Straight into th e mind of th e sensitive. The introversion
u n d e r notice will, moreover, be found to ta k e place
only in th e instance of such images which canDot be
affected by th e ordinary sense-experieuce of th e sensi­
tive. To ta k e tho im age of a dog for instance ; when
tho sensitive perceives it as existing in th e m in d of
a person or 0 1 1 a piece of paper, it may a p p e a r dis to rte d
to the inner perception of the sensitive, b u t his physical
experience would always correct it. B u t this in tro v e r­
sion is sure to ta k e place when th e direction faced by
th e d o g is th e subject of investigation. A difficulty ma)'
here s u g g e st itself with re g a r d to th e names of persons
or th e words, th o u g h t of for th e sensitive’s reading. B u t
allowance m u st iu such cases be m ade for th e operation of
th e th i n k e r ’s will, which forces the th o u g h t into the sensi­
tiv e ’s m ind, a n d th e re b y re n d e rs th e process of in tr o v e r ­
sion unnecessary. I t is a b u n d a n tly clear from this th a t the
b e s t way of studying these p h e n o m e n a is when only one
se t of will-power, tliat of tho sensitive, is in play. Tin’s
ta k e s place always when th e object tlio sensitive is to
read, is indep end en t of tho will of any othor person, as in
th o case of its being re p re s e n te d ou p a p e r or any o th e r
t h i n g of tlie kind.
A pp ly in g the same law to dream s, we can find th e
rationale of the p o p u la r superstition th a t facts are g e ne ­
rally inverted in dream s. To dream of som eth in g good
is generally ta k e n to bo th e p recu rso r of som ething ovil.
In th e exceptional cases in wliich dream s have been found
to be pro p h e tic , the dream er was e ith e r allected by ano ­
t h e r ’s will o r u nder tlie operation of some d is tu rb in g
foi 'cos, which cannot be calculated except for e>ich p a r ­
tic u la r case.
I u this connection a n o th e r very im p o rta n t psychic
phen om eno n may be noticed. In sta n c e s a re too n u m e r ­
ous a n d too w ell-authenticated to be am enable to dis­
pute, in which an occurrence a t a distance, for instance
tho dentil of a person, has p ictured itself t > the mental
vision of one interested in tlie occurrence. I n such
cases th e double of the d y in g m an app e ars even a t a
g r e a t distance and becomes visiblo usually to his friend
only, b u t instances are n ot rare when th e double is seen
b y a nu m b e r of persons. T he fo rm er case comes within
th e class of cases u n d e r consideration, as the concen­
tr a t e d t h o u g h t of th e d y ing man is clairvo yantly seen
by tho friend and the e re c t imago is p rod uced by tho
operation of the d y in g m a n ’s will-energy, while tho
l a t t e r is th e app earance of th e genuine mn.i/avirnpa,
a n d therefore n o t governed by th e law u nde r discussion.
------ » . . reduce their fconsumptionof animal food by only £ ] a week
(Continued f r o m the laxt N u m b e r )
T H E B E S T FOOD F O R M A N .
B y M i : s . KiNcisvoi’.n, M. 1 ) , I*'. T. P.,
President o f the “ London Lodge,” Thi'oxophical Society.
I i i a v e said t h a t th e F re n c h p e a sa n try live much more
in accordance w ith th e d ictates of N ature th a u do tho
English, a n d t h a t consequently th ey are, as a rule, far
more prosperous and well off. I t is a very rare tiling
indeed for a F re n c h p e a s a n t to be d e s titu te in his old
ag e , because a lth o u g h his w ages are n o t nearly so high
as in this country, they are m uch more economically
spent, and th rift is looked upon as a cardinal virtue.
H ence there is no necessity in F ra n ce for the unhappy
Poor-law system which is th e b a ne of this c ou ntry , au d
industrious and frugal householders arc n ot compelled to
p a y e x o rb ita n t tax es for th e s u p p o rt of p erso ns who
have laid by n o th in g for themselves. M an y of the
F r e n c h peasants havo told me how they livo. Flesh-
m eat is so rare on th e ir tables, th a t, as n rule, it is only
ea te n tw o or three times a y ear, b u t thoy t ike p lenty of
checse, coarse breod, v egetable soups a n d savoury om elet­
tes. On d ie t liko this, w ith cider to d rin k , they m a n a g e
to b r in g up families of robust h e a lth y children, to mako
tlieir homos comfortable, and to lay by saving s, sufficient
to provide for th e old folks when p a st work. N o r is this
the case only in F ra n c e . I t is general all over the g r e a t ­
e r p a r t of th e civilized world. T he die t of the Swiss,
of th e Belgian, th e Pru ssian , th e B avarian, Saxon,
Kussian, Spanish, Ita lia n , P o m e ra n ia n , Norw egian and
Swedish agricultural labourers is alm ost e n tirely devoid
of flesh-meat. A n d, as a rule, o th e r th in g s b e in g equal,
th e ir vital force and constitution a re superior to those of
th e ir E n g lis h b re th re n , th e ir u n s tim u la tin g a n d whole­
some food enabling them to work w ith ease to an a d ­
vanced age. A n d hero I should like to call a tte n tio n
to a m a tte r of much im p ortance in g u a g in g tho e x te n t
a n d quality of vital str e n g th . I t should be borne in
m in d t h a t tho proper te st of s tr e n g th is its capacity for
e n du ra n c e . Mere feats of s tr e n g th are valueless as tests
of vital pow er. T h e question a t issue is n o t— 'H o w
much can a m an do in a day ?’ b u t ‘ H ow much can lie
do iu a life-time V I t is sometimes said by superficial
people,— ‘ Beef a n d b eer will enable you to g e t th rough
a b e t t e r d a y ’s work th a n oatm eal o r peas p u d d in g .’
This m ay be tru e , generally sp eak in g, because flesh meat
an d f e rm e n te d d rin k s are b oth stim u lants of the nerves,
aud u n d e r tlieir influence th e m achinery of the body
ru ns a t a fa s te r an d m ore violent ra te . B u t tbe b e e f­
e a te r and b e er-d rink er will p robably b re a k down at
fifty-five or sixty years of age, because his vitality has
been e x h au ste d by forced w ork in excess of its natu ral
a n d norm al capacity, while th e ab sta ine r from these
exciting alim ents will bo a hale m an w ith work in him
y et a t e ig h ty . I t is th e old story of the hare an d the
tortoise.
So th e n there are th ree distinct claims established
for economy, on th e p a r t of th e die t without flesh-
food :— F ir s t, it is the lhost economical as re g a rd s tlio
relation between the L a u d au d the People, viz. :— cul­
tiv a te d land y ielding corn, roots an d v e g e ta b le s will
su p p o rt a population a t least three or four times larger
th a n tho same e x te n t of soil laid down in p a stu re ; and
this for a two-fold reason, because land u u d e r cultiva­
tion affords work and wages to a large n u m b e r of hands,
— whicli m u st otherwise g e t em ploym ent across the seas,
— and becanse also its p roduce trebles or quadruples
th a t of land devoted to c a ttle-grazing.
Secondly, a non-flesh die t is th e most economical, as
r e g a rd s housekeeping. A . shilling’s w orth of oatmeal
w ith fru it a n d good v eg etables will yield as m uch n o u r­
ish m e n t a n d satisfy tho ap p e tite b e tte r t h a n fivo shil­
ling s’ w orth of flesh ; and if we assume th a t, on the
a verage, th e population of the U n ite d K in gd om were to
per^fca'd, it yvould give a saving of 10 or 12 million
poun ds ste rling a year. A vegetable dietary, to # h ic h we
may add cheese, m ilk, b u tte r and e gg s, costs three
times loss than a m ixed dietary of flesh a n d vegetables.
T h ird ly , the refo rm ed d iet is more economical as re­
g a rd s hum an life a n d stre n g th . Even if you aro fo rtu ­
n a te en ou gh to escape suffering .and disease from some
of the horrible disorders to whicli vve havo soon flesh-
eaters, especially a m ong tho poorer classes, are liable,
yon will p robably have to pay with p re m a tu re infirmity
a n d shorten ed life tho p enalty exacted for indulgence in
un na tura l food. I f yon burn yo ur candle a t both ends,
you m u s t not expect the m aterial to last so long as it
otherw ise would.
I m ay add to these th re e im p o rtan t ocouoniies, a
fourth, which is w orth you r serious consideration.
T h e costliest and the com m onest vice in th e U n ite d
K in g d o m , especially am on g th e p oo rer classes, is the
vice of d rin k. A n d it is the invariable accom panim ent
of flesh-eating. S tr o n g meats a n d s tr o n g drin ks always
go to geth er. T here is in flesh-food, a principle, various­
ly nam ed by medical authorities, w hich causes a certain
irritab le condition of th e in te rio r coats of the stomach
and intestines, a n d provokes a desire for stim ulatin g
drink. This fact is so well known in institutions for
the cure of dipsom ania, or drunkenness, t h a t in most
bad cases, a b stin en ce from flesh-foods is enjoined, and
in one e stab lishm ent, unusually successful in its tr e a t ­
m ent ( Dansville, U- S.) no p atien t e n te rin g tho hospital
is allowed, on any account, d u rin g th e whole Of his resi­
dence th e re , to e a t flesh-ineat. I n fact, we have only to
walk down a str e e t in the poorer q u a rte rs of a town, to
see how public.-houses or gin palaces a b o u n d ; and it has
many tim es been pointed out by able observers th a t the
prox im ity of slaughter-houses, p laced as thoy invariably
are, in th e low qu a rte rs of a tow n, incites th e inhabitants
around to d rin k to an unusual e x tent. T he fre­
quency of crime as the im m ediate or proximate
result of d r in k in g h abits, seems to indicate th a t could
we b u t reach the m ain sprin g of this national curse
and a rre s t its action, we should go far towards arresting
a lto g e th e r tlie m ore seriona crimes of tb e c o un try. A n y
one who will collect for a week or m ore th e instances
a p p e a rin g a t the Police Courts, of w h a t a re known as
crimes of violence, wife a n d b a b y m u rd e r , s avage assaults
a n d suicide, will see th a t alm ost all of th e m are due to
d rin k . This is an a d m itte d f a c t ; b u t it is n o t so g e n e ­
rally a d m itte d t h a t th e way to th e g in palace is th ro u g h
tlie b u tc h e r’s shop. V e g e ta ria n s never d r i n k to excess.
N o t all are a b stainers on principle from alcohol, m any
ta k e an occasional glass of wine or b eer, b u t none d rin k
to excess, because th e ir food, b e in g succulent a n d un-
stim ulating, does n o t give rise to th irst. W lia t an
economy would th e a do ption of such a die t prove in
houses w here half th e w e e k 's e a rn in g s now go to bu y
liquor! Sometime ago a w o rk in g -m an a t M anchester
m a de an effective te m p e ra n c e add re ss in th e public
street. I n his hands he held a loaf of b r e a d a n d a
knife. T he loaf r e p re se n te d th e w ages of th e w o rk ­
ing-man. F ir s t he cut off a m o d e ra te slice. ‘ T his,’ said
ho, ‘ is w hat you give to th e city g o vern m en t.’ H e
th e n cut off a more g en ero us slice,— ‘ a n d t h i s / he w ent
on, ‘ is w h a t you g ive to th e g e n era l g o v e rn m e n t.’ , Then,
w ith a vigorous flourish of his carv in g knife, he cut olf
th re e-q u a rters of th e whole loaf.
‘T h is,’ lie said, ‘ you give to the b re w e r a n d to th e public
house.’ ‘ A n d t h i s ,’ lie concluded, sh ew ing tho th in slice
which rem ained, ‘ you keep to su p p o rt yourselves, your
families, and to pay th e r e n t.’
N ow , p e rh a p s some of you, who are n o t used to v e g e ­
ta ria n ways, m ay be w o n d e rin g w h a t non-flesh eaters
have for dinner. W ell, th ey have a m uch la r g e r variety
of dishes th a n eaters of beef, m u tto n a n d p ork . B ut
the diet of the vegetarian is a scientific diet, a n d eith er
know ledge or experience m u s t te a ch him tho n utritiv e
values of food stuffs, bofore he can m ake a wholesome
a n d fru gal use of them . A ll foods contain certain ele­
m ents necessary ^,0 th e b u ild in g u p of th e matferi&l and
the renewal of th e force of th e body, b u t these elements
aro co n ta in e d in very different proportions in various
foods. Scientific men have divided tho nutritiv e p ro p e r­
ties of food into two categories which include respec­
tively,— Tissue-form ing substances, and Force or H e a t-
form ing substances. T h e y call th e first Nitrogenous,
and the second, Carbonaceous. Now b o th these n e c e s­
sary kinds of food are a b u n d a n t in th e vegetable k i n g ­
dom, a n d proportionately to th e w eigh t, thore is a g re a t
deal more of th e m to be g o t out of farinaceous an d
leguminous m a tte r th a n o u t of dead flesh. A n a d u lt
m an in good health, says D r. L yon Playfair, requires
every day four ounces of nitrog eno us or flesh-forming
substance, a n d ten or eleven of carbonaceous or heat-
and force-giving substance. H e can g e t theso elements
of n u tritio n out of b re a d , oatm eal, pease, cheese, and
vegetables a t a cost more th a n less b y h alf t h a t of the
b u tc h e r ’s m eat necessary to fu rnish th e same am o u n t of
nou rishm ent. I t is chemically a n d physiologically
de m o n stra te d th a t 1 1 0 pro perty w h atever, b e yo nd th a t
of stimulation, exists iu flesh-meat t h a t is n o t to be
found in veg etable food, and th a t, therefore, it is a te r r i ­
ble erro r to suppose flesh-meat to b e m ore s t r e n g th e n ­
ing th an o th e r aliments. I t is, in fact, the reverse which
is th e case, for th e q u a n tity of n u trim e n t contain ed in
corn-rneal is, for every h u n d re d p a rts, more th a n double,
sometimes tre b le — t h a t contain ed in th e same q u a n tity
of b u tc h e r ’s meat. T h e m ost n utritio us a n d s t r e n g th ­
ening of all foods are the g ra in s ,— th e fru it of the c e re ­
als,— w heat, oats, bnrley, rye, rice, maize, and such
mealy veg etables as beans, hai'icots, pease, lentils, and
th e ir kind. All sorts of fru it are rich in c arbo -hy drates,
or s u g a ry food, which, accord in g to m a n y medical a u th o ­
rities, is tho most necessary of all to th e h u m a n system.
Dr. P lay fair pu ts down th e daily p ro p o rtio n of sug ary
food necessary to a n a d u lt m an a t 18 ounces, th a t is
more th an four times th e am ount of n itrog e no us food re ­
quisite. This indispensable item cannot be g o t out or
flesh-meat at all, b u t it is plentiful in table vegetables,
such as potatoes, b e e t root, to m ato , cauliflower, turnips,
carrots, parsnips, a n d so on. T he V e g e ta ria n Society
has issued a series of ex cellent little Cookery books,
v a ry in g in price from half a crown to a penny, giving
recipes for a n y n um b e r of good cheap meals, w ith ou t fish,
flesh or fowl. Y ou c annot do b e tte r than stu dy these,
if you wish to live economically, a n d purely, a n d to b r in g
he a lth y children into th e world.
M ost of the diseases which fill our hospitals are self­
induced, h a v in g th e ir cause in debauched hab its, som e­
tim es a g g r a v a te d b y h e re d ita ry malady. C h ildren are
born blind, or rie k e tty , or scrofulous, or tuberculous or
idiotic, on a ccount of th e feeding a n d d rin k in g h a b its of
tlieir paren ts. T h e y aro b r e d up u n de r circum stances of
incessant vice and m isery, a n d th e y suck gin with th eir
m o th e r’s milk. H a r d ly weaned, they are given pork a n d
offal for food ; th eir bones give way, th e ir flesh ulcerates,
the m others a n d th e parish do cto r to g e th e r m ake m atters
worse b y tho a d m in istra tio n of d ru gs, a n d a t le n g th th e
w retch ed little sufferers, m assesof diseaseanduncleanness,
are b r o u g h t to tlie hospital. Or, already vitiated in child­
hood, the average m a n or woman of th e poorer class, i g ­
n o ra n t of th e laws of h e a lth , and of th e construction of tlie
hum an body, continues in the way in which his or h e r ea r­
ly years were b e n t, and accum ulates disease by con stant
recourse to th a t which originally caused it, until, a t forty
o r fifty y ears of age, tlie p a u p e r w ard or th e hospital
b e d receives th e u n h a p p y p a tie n t, inc u rab ly afflicted
w ith some org a n ic complaint. I t is simply frig h tfu l to
th e e d u c a te d m in d to h e a r the confessions of some of
these poor b ed -rid d e n creatures. W h e n a stu d e n t in
th e hospitals, I was often unable to credit th e ir a ccounts
of tlie q u a n tities a n d k in d s of s tr o n g d rin k s th e y h a d
swallowed on a daily av e ra g e , while in work. T h a
question of diet,— w h a t wo o u g h t to eat a n d d r in k —is
the question w hich underlies e v e ry th in g else a n d affords
th e key to th e cause of all th e accum ulation of suffering
a u d moral evil w hich we m eet in poor d istricts, a n d
especially in cities. H y g ie n e a n d morals go h a n d in
hand a n d are inseparable, ju s t as body a n d m ind m a k e
one person, so intim ately welded to gether, t h a t n e ith e r
good no r h a r m can be done to th e one w ith o u t affecting
th e other. This consideration brin gs me to th e most
im p o rta n t of all th e aspects of flesh-eating, viz., its
immoral tend ency. W o have seen one of its indirectly
im moral results in th e fondness it sets up for s tr o n g
d rin k , b u t I am now a b o u t to speak of th e d e g ra d in g
and b arb aro u s n a tu r e of th e h a b it itself, as it affects the
national customs, m anners and tone of th o u g h t.
] t needs no very g r e a t p en e tra tio n to seo w h a t harm
th e p ro x im ity of slaughter-houses, and the loathsom e
su rro u n d in g s of th e tra d e m u st do in th e poorer quarters
of tow ns,— th e only p a r ts in which these places are to
bo found. T h e rich a u d refined classes s h u t these
th in g s out of s ig h t an d h e a rin g , b u t th e y are forced
upon th e poor, a n d th e ir results are p o te n t for evil.
H ow is it possible to te a c h poor children th e duties of
hu m ane tr e a tm e n t of du m b creatures a n d of tenderness
to beasts of b u rd en , w hen th e ir infancy a n d youth a re
sp ent in fam iliarity w ith th e scenes wliich surround th e
sla u g h te r house, a n d while th ey are ta u g h t to look
upon these in stitutio ns a n d on all they involve, as lawful
r ig h t, a n d necessary to m a n ? I t is h eart-ren ding to be
in th e vicinity of th e sham bles of a large tow n, w h en
its victims are b e in g driven in. Bewildered oxen, foot­
sore, galled a n d bruised , sheep with frig h te n e d faces,
scared a t th e b a y in g of dogs and th e sticks an d goads
so freely wielded by th e roughs who drive th e m ,—
little brow n-eyed calves, for whose loss th e p atien t
m other cows are low ing in th e hom estead ;— all th e sad
terrible procession of sacrifice th a t enters every city a t
dawn to feed th e hum an m n ltitn de th a t calls itself
civilized,— these are th e sig h ts upon which the early-
rising children of th e poo r are educated. And a
little la te r in th e m o rn in g m ay be heard from within the
slaug hter-h ou se th e cries of th e dying, and th e th u d of
tho polo axe upon tho brow of some innocent m iserable gossip of (he religious opponents of B uddhism .. W e
beast, [in'! the g u tte rs begin to ru n w ith blood ; an d p r e ­ lou nd recently in one of such reports, generally published
se n tly tlie gates of tlie sla u g h te r y a rd open, a n d out by the Moscow Gazette, th e curious sta te m e n t th a t the two-
comes a cart or two laden w ith pailfuls of blood thirds of the Singhalese were Roman Catholics, an error
a n d brains, and fresh skins, re e k in g with tlie horrible obviously based on th e fact thn t they, our friends of
odour of violent death. A re spectacles a n d sounds Gallo aiul Colombo, are mostly known ns “ D o n s,”
like these fit for the eyes a n d ears of little children, or “ Silvas,” " P e re ira s ” a n d “ F e rn a n d e z e s.” Then we
indeed for any human cre a ture y o u n g or old ? I t is use­ were told th a t they were divided into several sects, the
less to urgo th a t th e Bible justifies the sla u g h te r of ani­ two most prom inent of which were the Singhalese p ro p er
mals for food. T he Bible seems t.o sanction n g re a t or the Tcliuilcal (?) and tlie Tomlns (!!!)— the la tte r a p p e l­
m any practices which m od ern civilisation a n d philoso­ lation being a nickname am o ng Mussulmans, we believe.
p h y have unanimously condemned, nnd which have been And now, ow ing to th e learned efforts of nn eminent
m ade penal offences in all western codes of law. Such, physician, V. N. B ensenger, of Moscow, we receive
for instance, are th e practices of polyg am y and of sla­ an other s ta r tlin g information. " T he S inghalese,” we are
very, which are not only sanctioned in th e Bible, b u t aro assured, “ so m inutely described by E r n s t Hjcckel, tho
in somo cases, positively enjoined. E v e n m u rd e r itself G erm an n a tu ra list, oflor ail in tere stin g feature of poly­
a p p e a rs to be vindicated iu some p a r ts of the old T e s ta ­ a n dry : the marriage oj several brothers to one woman
m e n t, as are also m any revengeful an d cruel acts. No being o f the most common and every day occurrence.”
civilised general in these days would dream of co n d u ct­ (Report o f the “ Society o f lhe Lovers o f N a tu r a l Sciences”
in g warfare as Joshua, as D eborah, as Samuel, or as o f Novr. 21. See Moscow Gazette, No. 326.)
David conducted it— such deeds as theirs would bo justly W e aro not tak en an y further into tlio learned doctor’s
held to sully the b rig h te st valour ; 1 1 0 m inister of religiou confidence, and thus feel unable to decide to whom we
in our times could endure to redden his h a n d s daily with shall offer the palm for this historical information : is it
t lie blood of scores of lambs, doves an d o x e n ; 1 10 to Dr. E rn st H ic c k tl, or the g re a t Dr. B ensenger him ­
a v erag e m an, woman or child, could bo induced to assist self ? Moscow must bo a q ueer place for dream ing
in stoning to death an u n fo rtu n a te ‘ fallen w om an,’ or a elhuo-ethological dreams.
lad who had disobeyed his p a re n ts or used s tro n g la n ­
■ » -
gu a g e . Y e t theso are somo of the practices, commended
a n d inculcated in tho Bible, a n d justifiable on the same ( Continued fr o m the double December-January Number.J
gro u n d s as tho p ractice of (iesh-eating. P O ST-M O R TE M R IS E OF T E M P E R A T U R E .
B u t the H e b re w Bible is n o t the only sacred Book By L e o p o l d S a l z k u , m . d . , F . T . S .
iu tho W o rld . O th e r ‘ holy S c r i p t u r e s / k n o w n as the
Vedas, th e I ’liranns, th e T rip ita k a , an d th e D h a m m a p a d a , L e t 1 1 s study for a m o m e n t th e life a n d death of a

which form th e Canon of th e religions professed by tho muscle. W h e n a liviug muscle is m ade to c ontract,
la r g e s t p a r t of m an k in d , enjoin abstine n c e from (losli- ox ygen is absorbed a n d carbonic acid is set f r e e ; m u s­
food upon all religious persons a n d e x te n d th e com m and, cular contraction, as a consequence, is invariably accom­
1 Thou slialt not kill’ to all creatures, h u m a n a n d animal, panied by h e a t production ; a n d th ere can h ardly be any
w hich are not noxious a n d d a n g e ro u s to th e in te re sts of d o ub t th a t the h e a t th u s set free is th e p rod uc t of chem i­
peaco and order. I n re g a rd to this subject, the A r c h ­ cal changes within th e muscle. I 11 fa c t a muscle may be
bishop of C anterbu ry, a t th e annu al m ee tin g of tlio likened to a steam -engine in w hich com bustion of a
Church Missionary Socicty on May 1st of the p resen t certain a m o u n t of m aterial gives rise to the development
y e a r (1883), said :— of e n e rg y iu tw o forms : as h e a t an d as movement.
A similar process of combustion is however carried 0 11 in
‘ T h e r o n r o b e a u t i f u l f r u i t n b e l o n g i n g t o t h o a n c i o n t c i v il i s a ti o n * * o f
l h o E a s t w liich w o s h all w o r k in t o o u r G ospel, a n d o u r c h i ld r e n , a g e s every liviug muscle, even wrhen a t r e s t ; so t h a t a living
n n d g e n e r a t i o n s h e n c o , w ill w o n d e r h o w w e f o u n d th o G o s p e l (juilo musclo is looked upon, and rig h tly so, as a c o n sta n t heat
com plete w ith o u t th e m . T a k e sn c h a noble t h o u g h t as th e U u d d h ist producer, the heat-pro du ctio n being only less iu degree
t h o u g h t o f t h o p o r f e c t s a c r c d n c s s o f L i f e , h o w e v e r } Tt h i n g t h a t l i v e s ,
d o w n t o t h o m o r o a n i m a t e d d u s t , is a s a c r e d t h i n g . T ho B u d d h ist
when a t rost, th a n w hen a t work. A n d w hat becomes
s e e s th o d i f f e re n c e b e t w e e n life a n d e v e r y t h i n g e l s e t h a t G od h a s m a d e , of a muscle in th e case its supply of oxygen be w ith ­
a n d it giv e s to him a t e n d e r n e s s a n d a s w e e tn e s s , a n d a p o w e r of u n io n draw n, th e blood c irculating within its tissue bein g
w i t h th e c rc n tio n , w h ic h w h e n w e h a v o a p p r o h o n d e d it w ill e n a b le us
lo eoe b e t t e r a n d d e e p o r a n d n o b le r m o a n i n g s in S t. P a u l 's e i g h th
rendered veinous ? In th a t case, experience teaches,
c h a p t c r to t h e ltum anB .’ th a t th e veinous blood acts in a measure as a foreign
Theso aro good words of tho A r c h b is h o p ’s, iind body, stim ulatin g, for a timo, the muscle to contraction ;
w orthy of our serious tho ug htfulness. I t is n o t th e letter, an d when th a t contraction has ceased, then tho irritability
b u t the sp irit of tho Bible which is o u r truo guide. 'The of tho muscle is l o s t ; it ceases to respond to stimulation
le tte r is sub ject to error, it be longs to the things of time, of an y kind. Production of h e a t is then a necessary
a u d has become tho stum blin g-block of the critics ; b u t companion bo th of m uscular con tra c tio n an d muscular
th e spirit is the truo W o rd of God ; it is catholic, vital, contractility.
a n d progressive. I t is always w ith us, lead in g us into Since th ero is th e n no m uscular irritability without
all tr u th , as we are able to boar it ; b u t th e le tte r is be­ simultaneous h ea t-production, we are fairly entitled to
hind 11 s a n d behind tho age, it is dead, an d killolli all say th a t the form er depen ds upon the latter. On the
who mako an idol of it. oth e r h a n d it may be fairly said th a t m uscular irritability
(To be continued.J depends upon a certain molecular state, an d th a t with
th e d e p a rtu re of irrita b ility th e molecular state of tlio
• ♦ ■» muscle is chan g ed . T h ero can then be no fu rth e r doubt
th a t tho molecular s ta te upon which the irritability of
1177/17’ S C I E N T I F I C R U S S I A K N O W S th e muscle d epends, is the result of work done by heat.
OF C EYLO N . I n the case of a muscle in contraction we h ave seen before,
A t various times, already , we h a d an o p p o rtu n ity of th a t th e h e a t produced gives rise to a developm ent of
le a rn in g 'fro m the r e p o r ts of the Moscow “ Society of the e nerg y in two forms : as heat and as movement. I n the
L overs of N a tu ra l Sciences,” how careless are its m em ­ case of a muscle a t rest, the heat developed gives 1 1 0 less
bers,w hen receiving inform ation from various travellers,to rise to two form s of energy : to h e a t a n d to molecular
verify th e ir statements- Theso s ta te m e n ts are often of tho work.
m ost grotesq ue character, and based upon no b e tte r evidence E lasticity a n d extensibility of m u scu lar substance are
th an hearsay. Thus, several p ap ers were read, of late, two o th e r vital properties, th e m aintenance of which, like
in th e Ethnological D e p a rtm e n t of th e Society about th a t of irritability, depends upon molecular work, per-,
Ceylon, b ase d upon no securer d a ta th a n the foolish form ed by heat,
 N ow all these properties gra d u a lly cease w ith th e a p ­
proach of, and shortly after, death. M uscular irrita bility
diminishes with th e s e t t i n g in of rigor mortis, a n d when
the same ia complete, irritability has ceased to exist.
S o m eth in g similar occurs w ith re g a r d to elasticity a n d
extensibility. The dead muscle, for instance, when e x ­
tend ed , does n o t re tu rn to its previous le n g th . T here was
then a c e rta in a m ount of e n e rg y la te n t d u r in g life, in th e
shape of m olecular work, wliich is g ra d u a lly se t free by
death, and, i a obedience to" th e law of Conservation of
Forces, m akes its appearance in a n o th e r form of e n e rg y
■
— in th e form of h eat.
W lia t has been said with re g a rd to muscles, m igh t, by
a somewhat analogous reasoning, be applied to all th e
oth e r tissues of th e body ; for irrita b ility is common to
•all living tissue, alth o u g h the mode of its manifestation
differs with every organ. Then there are th e centres of
autom atic activity seated w ithin th e spinal column ; there
is fu rth e r a co nstan t activity of unconscious cereb ration
going 0 1 1 d u rin g li f e ; all this re p re se n ts a certain a m o u n t
of potential energy, which is liberated in consequence of
death in the form of heat. T h e post-mortem rise in tein-
perature is as little p e r p le x in g a phenom enon to me, as
the phenom enon of a liquid body g iv in g out heat d u rin g
th e process of solidification would be to a n y one a c q u a in t­
ed with th e laws of physics. _ vo luntary or in voluntary— a u g m e n ts th e body te m p e ­
Of course w hat I have said in ex planation of the p o st­
mortem rise in te m p e ra tu re, refers to th e period pre ce d ­
ing th e s e ttin g in of rigor mortis ; for w ith th e sa m e , thero
is ample gro un d for increase of heat, as m uscular contrac­
tion, or, as C a rp e n te r correctly states it, the passage of a
muscle into the sta te of contraction, is u n d e r all circum ­
stances connected w ith heat-production.
All this may y e t be f a r from exp lain in g the e x tra o rd i­
nary post-mortem rise of te m p e ra tu re in cholera, yellow
fever)— alld tetanus-subjects. B u t unless wo learn first to
und erstand th e n atu re of tho ord in ary phenom enon, it
would bo a hopeless ta s k to speculate upon some of its
exceptional phases.
As to tho e x trao rd in ary a m o u n t of h e a t evolved in th e
case of cholera victim s, I m u st say th e difficulty w ith
me is n o t so m uch to u n d e rsta n d , w hy th e re is a p o st­
mortem rise in te m p e ra tu re, b u t why th e r e should be a
considerable fall of tem p e ra ture d u rin g th e whole course
of th e disease, seeing tliat th e same is g enerally accom­
panied by spasmodic m uscular co ntraction , and know ing
as we do th a t such contractions are always a tte n d e d by
evolution of h eat, in fact are looked npon as the chief
caloric source of the living body.
T etanus is associated with a tem p e ra tu re as h ig h as
3° to 4° above the normal sta n d ard , ow ing to this very
sta te of m uscular contractio n ; why should then choleia
be characterised by a te m p e ra tu re below th e norm al
standard? T he only explanation I am able to su g g e st
cousists in the following considerations.
True as it is th a t a muscle may be likened to steam
engine, in w hich the combustion of a certain a m o u n t of
material gives rise to th e developm ent of e n e rg y in two
forms : as h e a t a n d as movement ; the relation b etw een
the am o u n t of e n e rg y set free as h e a t a u d t h a t set free
hr mechanical work, is in th e case of a muscle, no t u nder
all circum stances th e same. T he pro po rtion betw een
lieat and w ork varies m oreover to such an e x te n t th a t th e
work a m ounts in some cases to one-fou rth a n d in other
cases to ono tw en ty -fou rth of th e to tal e nergy se t free
by the chemical process of oxydation within the muscle.*
Muscular contraction can th en , u n d e r certain circum ­
stances, be carried on more or less economically, t h a t is
to say, a com paratively small am o u n t of chemical chan ge,
in other w ords a com paratively small q u a n tity of lib e ra te d
energy, m ay be m ade to effect a considerable am o u n t of
m uscular contraction, provided tho e n e rg y liberated
be mostly utilised in the form of m ov em ent (contraction),
and th a t as little as possible bo allowed to come out in
the form of heat.
* See M . F o m le r 'a T o s t B o o k o f l'liy s io lo g y , L o n d o n , ilu c m iU u u &
C o., 1883. V , 0 7 . -
N ow it appe a rs to me t h a t in this fact lies an u n th o u g h t
of e xp lanation, a t least a partial, or if you like, additional
ex planation of th e phenom enon k no w n as th e m a in te ­
nance of th e mean tem p e ra tu re in warm -blooded animals.
A s you are aware, gentlem en, warm-blooded animals
m aintain, un d e r all varieties of atm ospheric t e m p e ra tu re,
th e same de g re e of b o d y - h e a t ; a n d th ere are various
contrivances w ithin th e organism which co n trib u te to
th e k e e p in g up of an equable te m p e ra tu re w ithin c e rta in
limits. F o re m o st of th e m a re such arrang em en ts as r e g u ­
late the elim ination of heat. In creased te m p e ra tu re
causes dilatation of the small arteries of the skin, w here­
b y more blood is made to circulate a t th e surface of tho
body, which leads to a n increased loss of heat by con­
duction a n d radiation. T h e secretion of sweat is, more­
over, e ith e r occasioned or increased in q u a n tity by an
increased fulness of tho vessels of the skin, an d tlic ra p id ­
ly evaporated sweat consumes a n e x tra o rd in a ry am ount
of h eat. T h e n there are such a rra n g e m e n ts as e x e rt
th e ir action in r e g u la tin g th e production of h eat. Cold
increases tho feelingof h u n g e r, a n d increased consum ption
of food a u g m e n ts th e production of heat. T h e n a g a in
when the body is exposed to cold th e need for m uscular
e x ertion is felt, a n d this raises th e tem p e ra tu re .
N ow the very fact th a t increased m uscular action—■
ra tu re , necessarily implies th a t d u r in g the a c t of m u scu ­
la r contraction more h e a t is prodnced th a n is consum ed
by its b e in g conv erted into mechanical work. 'The p r o ­
po rtion betw een the two, betw een the energy lib e ra te d
as h e a t and th e e nerg y liberated as work, depends, as we
have seen before, on various circumstauces. I s it th e n
n ot n a tu ra l to expect th a t th e maintenance of tho mean
te m p e ra tu re in w arm -blooded animals should, a t least
partly , be ow ing to a certain a d ju stm e n t of the before­
mentioned proportions. T hero evidently exists somo
r e g u la tin g ag en c y within th e living body of w a rm ­
blooded animals, by w hich production and elimination
of h e a t is co n sta n tly balanced ; and a lth o u g h the exact
seat of tliat a g e n c y may n o t have been as y e t clearly
pointed out, th e re is pe rfe c t unanim ity betw een physio­
logists th a t such a re g u la tin g centre does exist. S u ch
being th e case, it would be stra n g e , should th e p ro p o r­
tions betw eeu muscular e nerg y liberated in f o r m of h eat,
and muscular e n e rg y lib erated in form of work, not fall
u nd e r the re g u la tin g a dm in istration of the caloric centre.
(To be continued.)
— ♦ — ■•
S P IR IT G U A R D I A N S H I P , OR W HAT?.
U nder th is h e a d in g D r. lv o lm er of B e n a lla w rite s in
t h e Harbinger o f L ig h t t h e f o l l o w i n g :—
III the issue of tho 18th August, 1883, R c l i y i o - P h i l u s o p l i i -
cal Journal, 1 read the following :— “ Recently, a party
from Texas, consisting' of father, mother, and four children,
took passage with Conductor M inor at St. Louis, hound for
Indianopolis. A short distance the other side of Pana, Illi­
nois, one of the children walked out on the rear platform
while asleep, the other occupants of tlic car paying- no
attention to the child’s movements. T h e train was running
at tho rate of forty miles an hour, and when tlio attention
of the Conductor was called to the fact that the child had
gone oat on the platform, he instituted search and found ifc
missing. T h e parents were frantic when notified of the
child’s disappearance, and at P a n a a party of section hands
wore sent back on a hand-car to search for traces of the
missing child. A bout three miles from the eity they found
the littie one lying beside the track, and picked it up for
dead, but on being spoken to and shaken a little it awoke,
and the discovery was made that it had been asleep all the
time, and was entirely unconscious of w hat had happened.
T h e youngster was not even badly bruised, and was returned
to its parents in good order. Conductor Minor is positivo
that the train was going at the rate of forty miles an hour
w h e n the sleeping child fell off, and its escape is most
miraculous.”
Here ends the story as reported by tho Indianopolis Jour­
nal, and its conclusion is truly miraculous ! I thought tho
 a g e o f m i r a c l e s w a s pa st,, b u t I a m e v i d e n t l y m i s t a k e n ,
so e a s y does it se e m to p e o p le to e x p la in e x t r a o r d i n a r y
o c c u rre n c e s on th e p rin c ip le of m ira c le .
W e ll, I m e t p ro fessio n ally w ith s im ila r m ira c le s in m y
l i f e ; o n e o f w h i c h t o o k p l a c e i n 18G1, in a p l a c e c a lle d
W a l l a c e ’s d u l l y , n e a r C h i l t c r n , w l i e r e a m i n e r h a d f a l l e n
d o w n a sh a ft a b o u t ono h u n d r e d fe e t d eep . Tho m essen­
g e r w h o fotehed m e to th e scen e of th c c a tn s tro p h c n e v e r
e x p e c t e d to se c h i s m a t e a l i v e a g a i n in t h i s w o r l d , b u t
h is a s to n is h m e n t a s w ell as m in e m a y b e m o re easily
im ag in ed th a n d escrib ed w h e n on o u r a rriv a l a t th e sp o t
w e fo u n d th c m a n w a l k i n g a b o u t n o n e th e w o rs e f o r his
t o o f a c i l i s <ic*ceusus a v e r n i . W h a t s a v e d t h o m a n ’s l i f e ,
a n sw e r, a m iracle !
N o t m a n y m o n t h s a g o a c h ild , a b o u t f o u r y e a r s old, fell
o u t of o n e of th e c a r s r u n n i n g o n t h o S h e p p a r t o n line,
V icto ria. T h o c h ild h a d b een le a n in g w ith its b a c k a g a in s t
t h e d o o r of th e c a r r ia g e , w h ic h w a s n o t p r o p e r l y s h u t , a n d
c o n s e q u e n t l y fell o u t. T ho tr a in w a s r u n n i n g a t th e rato
o f a b o u t t w e n t y - f i v e m i l e s a n h o u r a t t h e t i m e o f t h e acci-;
d e n t ; b n t w h e n t h c tr a in h a d b e e n b r o u g h t to a s ta n d s till
in o r d e r to re c o v e r t h o c h ild , th c p o o r li t t le t h i n g h a d n o t
o v en received a sc ra tc h . T h is, I s u p p o s e , w as a n o t h e r
m i r a c l e ? 13c i t so.
L e t m e r e l a t e n o w t w o m ir a c u l o u s c s c a p o s f r o m d e a t h b y
r a i l w a y a c c id e n ts w h i c h I e x p e r i e n c e d p e r s o n a l l y in th e
y e a r s 1853 a n d 1S54, w h e n I w a s s till a m e d ic a l s t u d e n t .
O n m y j o u r n e y h o m e f r o m V i e n n a to th o s h o r e s o f b a k e
(Jo n sta n co I h a d e n te r e d o n e of th e la s t t h r e e c a r r ia g e s
of a tra in on th e p o in t of le a v in g M u n ic h , th e cap ital
of B a v aria. A s I sa t. a t t h e w i n d o w l o o k i n g o u t , t w o
of m y c o m p a n io n s c a m e a lo n g a n d a s k e d m o w h y I
w as s ittin g by m y s e lf w h e n s e v e ra l of m y fe llo w s tu d e n ts
w ero g o in g by th o s a m e ( ra in in a c a r a little f a r t h e r
o n to w a rd s th o lo co m o tiv e. I im m ed iately g o t o u t and
jo in ed m y m ates. S h o rtly a f t e r s ta rtin g , in c ro ssin g
th e Jiiv e r L ech , th o r a ilw a y b rid g o b r o k e d o w n , a n d
t h c l a s t t h r o e c a r s o f t h o t r a i n w e r e v i o l e n t l y t o r n off
a n d p re c ip ita te d in to th o sw o lle n r iv e r, all p a s s e n g e rs on
b o a r d p e r i s h i n g i u t h c f lo o d . W h a t, a lu c k y co in cid en ce
m y le a v in g th e se a t I o rig in a lly o ccupied ! T ru ly , a m ira cle !
I th in k differently ; a n d w hat m ade m e th in k d if­
fe re n tly afte rw a rd s w a s a s im ila r n a r r o w a n d m ir a ­
c u lo u s escape o n th e s a m e line d u r i n g m y v a c a tio n
t r ip h o m e in th e f o llo w in g y e a r ,— 1851. I h a d t a k e n
m y tic k e t by th e m id d a y tra in to th c sa m e d e s tin a tio n as
above, fro m M u n ic h , b u t h a v in g b e e n u n a v o id a b ly d e ta in e d ,
th o t r a i n l e f t w i t h o u t m o in s p ite of m y d e m o n s tr a t i v e
s i g n a l l i n g t o d r i v e r a n d o t h e r ol lieia.l s. T h r e e t ’s w a i t f o r
n o m a n : tim e, tid e, a n d tr a in . W ell, T w as e x tre m e ly so rry
for lo sin g m y p a ssa g e , as T w a s n o t o v e r b u r d e n e d w ith cash
a t th e tim e. B u t m y so rrin e ss w as c h a n g e d in to a d iffe re n t
m o o d w h e n a t e l e g r a m r e a c h e d M u n i c h , a b o u t t h r e e o ’c l o c k
p . i n ., t o t h o e f f e c t t h a t t h e t r a i n I i n t e n d e d t o t r a v e l
b y h a d g o n e off t h e l i n e i n t h e B a v a r i a n A l p s n e a r a
little m o u n ta in lak e, ro u n d w h ic h th e lin e fo rm e d a
so m e w h at sharp curve, and t h a t th c e n g i n e a n d all
t h e c a r r ia g e s h a d r u n in to th c lak e, d r o w n i n g every
m a n on board. I n a tu r a lly c o m p la in e d no lo n g e r a b o u t
th o loss of m y tic k e t, b u t i t s e t m e t h i n k i n g a b o u t m y
t w o m ir a c u lo u s e s c a p e s of t h o c u r r e n t a n d t h e p a s t y e a r s .
I d i d n o t, h o w e v e r , s u c c e e d in e x p l a i n i n g t h e m , a n d in m y
t h e n i g n o r a n c c I a t t r i b u t e d t h o s a v i n g o f m y life o n th e s e
tw o o c c a s io n s to c h a n c e , c o in e id e n o o , g o o d lu c k , b u t n o t to
m i r a c l e s ; f o r a t t h a t t i m e I h a d a l r e a d y g i v e n u p nil b e lie f
in m ir a c le s in th e o r d i n a r y C h r is ti a n se n se of th c te r m .
N o w , of co u rse, 1 k n o w b e tte r, b u t I leav e m y re a d e r s a t li­
berty to s e ttle th e m a t t e r th e m se lv e s to th eir ow n
sa tisfactio n .
C. W . R o il N EH.
B analla , l l t h O ct. 1 8 8 3 .
E d . Note.— L e t us, for a mom ent, g r a n t th a t the facts
given above by the estimable doctor p o in t to som ething tha t
is n e ith e r blind chance nor m ira cle : w h a t aro the other
explan atio ns th a t could be su gg e sted ? No oth e r possible
b u t the follow ing: it is eith er “ S p irit G uardianship,” or
— Divine Providence. This— to th e S p iritu a lists a n d be­
lievers in a personal God—sets tho problem a t rest. But
how a b o u t the dissatisfaction of tho se.w ho can no t be
b r o u g h t to believe in either the spirits of the dead as
concerned w ith our earthly events, uor iu a conscious,
personal deity, a telescopic enlargem ent— tru e , m agnifying
millions of tim es—still b u t an enla rg e m e n t o f t h e h u m a n
infinitesim al infusoria, ? T r u th to bo heard and get
itself recognized as ono, m ust be a self-evident tru th to
all, not merely to a fraction of humanity. I t must satisfy
one and all, answer and cover evory objection, e x ­
plain and m a k e away with every hazy spot on its face,
destroy every objection placed on its path. And if events
of the n a tu re of those given by Dr. Rohner are to be
a tt r i b u te d to th e pro tectio nan d g u ardian sh ip o f u S pirits,”
why is it, th a t to every such one case of miraculous
escape, th e re aro 10,000 cases w here hum an beings are
left to perish brutally a n d stupidly w ithout any secinina'
fault oil th e ir part, their death being often th e starting
point of the most disastrous sub seq uent results, a n d this
with no pro vide nee, no spirit interfering to stop tho merciless
h a n d of blind fate ? A re we to believe t i n t “ tho sleeping
c h ild ” a n d tho “ m iner” were tw o very im p o rta n t units
in hiim am tv, while the mnny h u n d re d s of unfortunato
child ren who perished a few months ac;o a t S u n de rla n d
d u r i n g the terrible c atastrophe in the the a tre , a n d the
hundreds o f thousands o f hum an beings— victims of lawt
y e a r’s earthquakes— were useless dross, with 1 1 0 “ s p i r t
h a n d ” to protect them ? I t is pure sentim entality
ah.ne, w ith selfish p ride arid human conceit to help it,
th a t can evolve such theories to account for every
exceptional occurrence.
Karma,, and our inner, unconscious (so far as
onr physical senses go) provision can alone explain
such eases of unexpected o--cupes. If Dr. liohner knov 7s
of children who fell out of trains nnd. cars r u n n in g “ afc
the rate of forty miles an hour,” who were neither killed
no r h u r t, the w rite r knows of two l ip dogs who madly
chasing each other fell from the terrace of a house over
sixty feet high and, with tbe exception of a stiffness of
a few h o u rs’ duration in th eir limbs, came to no other
grief. A nd, we have seen b u t the oth e r dav, a young
squirrel falling out of its nest, a voracious crow pouncing
npon it and actually seizing it, when su d d e n ly as th ou gh
stru c k with some th o u g h t the h u n g r y oarrion-oater
d ro pp ed it out of its mouth, flew htzily away, and perch­
ing upon a n e ig h b o u rin g branch, gave the inothei-
squirrel the time to rescue her little one. H a d these dogs
aud squirrel also “ gimrdia.n-spirits” to protect them, or
was it due to chance,—-t word by the bye, pronounced by
many, u n d e rs to o d by very very few.
------«------
C O N TE M P LA TIO N .
Ry D amodar K . M a v a i , a n k a r , F . T. S.
A g e n e r a l m isu n d e rsta n d in g of this te rm seems lo
prevail. T h e popular idea appears tS be to confine one­
self for half an h o u r— or a t Ihe u tm o st two ho urs— in a
private room, and passively gaze a t o n e ’s nose, a spot on
the wall, or, perlr-ips, a crystal. This is supposed to be
the tru e form of contemplation enjoined by R aj Yoqa.
I t fails to rea.lize th a t tru e occultism requires “ p h y si­
cal, mental, moral ond s p ir itu a l” development to run <>n
parallel lines. W ere the narrow conception extended
to all these lines, the necessity for the present article
would not have been so urgently felt. This paper is
specially m eant for th e benefit of those who seem to
have failed to g rasp th e real meaning of D hyan, and by
tlieir erroneous practices to have brought, a n d to be
b rin g in g , pain and misery upon themselves. A few
instances » ay be mentioned here with a d v a n ta g e , as a
w a rn in g to o u r too zealous students.
A t Bareilly tlie w riter mot n certain Theosophist from
F a r r u k h a b a d , who narrated his experiences and shed
b itte r tears of repentance for liis p a st follies— as he
te rm e d them . I t would ap p ea r from his account that
the gentlem an, h a v in g read B hagavat-G ita abo ut fifteen
or tw enty years ago a n d not c o m p rehend in g the esoterio
m ea n in g of th e contemplation therein en joined, undertook
nevertheless the practice and carried it on for several years.
A t first lie experienced a seuse of pleasure, b u t simul-
taneonsly he found he was g radually losing self-control;
until a f te r a few years he discovered, to his great
bew ilderm ent and sorrow, th a t he was no longer his oum
master. H e felt his heart actually g ro w in g heavy, ns
th oug h a load had been placed on it. H e had no con­
trol over his s e n s a tio n s ; in fact th e com m unication
betw een the brain and the h eart h a d become as though
in te r r u p te d . As m atters grew worse, in disgust he
discontinued his ‘'c o n te m p la tio n ,” T h is happened as
long as seven years a g o ; and, a lth oagh since th e n he has
not felt worse, yet he could never regain his original
normal a n d heulthy state of m ind and body.
A nothor case came u nder th e w rite r’s observa­
tion a t J u b b u lp o re . The g entlem an concerned, H f t e r
reading P a ta n ja li nnd sucli o th e r works, began to
s it for contem p lation .” A fter a s h o r t time he com­
menced seeing abnorm al sig h ts and h e a r in g musical
bells, b n t neither over th ese phen o m e n a nor over his
own sensations could he exercise any control. H e could
not produce these results a t will, nor could he stop them
when they were occurring . N u m ero us such examples
may be multiplied. W h ile p e n n in g th ese lines, th e
w riter has 0 1 1 his table two letters upon this subject,
one from M oradabad and th e o ther from T richinopoly.
I 11 short, all this mischief is due to a m isu n d e rsta n d in g
of the significance of contemplation as enjoined upon
stud ents by all th e schools of Occult Philosophy. W ith
a view to afford a glimpse of the R eality th ro u g h the dense
veil th a t enshronds the m ysteries of this Science of
Sciences, an article, the “ E lixir of L i f e / ' was written.
U nfortunately, in too many instances, the seed seems to
have fallen npon barren ground- Some of its reuders
only catch hold of th e follow ing clause in th e said
p a p e r :—
R easo n in g from tho k n o w n to th e u n k n o w n m e d ita tio n m u st
be p r a c t i s e d *uid e n c o u r a g e d .
Rut, a la s ! their preconceptions have prevented th em
from com preh end in g what is m e a n t by m editation.
They forgot th a t it “ is the inexpressible yearn in g of tho
inner Man to ‘ go out tow ards the in fin ite/ which
in the oklen tim e was the real m e a n in g of ad ora­
tion” — as tho n e x t sentence shows- A good deal of » s l a v e r y .
light will be th row n upon this sub ject if tho reader were
to turn to the preceding portion of the same paper, and
peruse attentively th e following paras, on page 141 of
the Theosophist for March, 1333 (Vol. I l l , No. 6) :—
So, t h e n , w c h a v e a r r i v e d a t t h e p o i n t w h e r e w e h a v e d e t e r ­
m i n e d , — l i t e r a l l y , not m e t a p h o r i c a l l y — t o c r a c k t h e o u t e r s h e l l purposes— a t once rushes in for contemplation a n d dashes
k n o w n a a t h e m o r t a l coil, o r b o d y , a n d h a t c h o u t o f it, c l o t h e d
in o u r n e x t . T h i s ‘ n e x t ’ is not, a s p i r i t u a l , b u t o n l y a m o r e
eth ereal form . H a v in g by a long tr a in in g a n d p r e p a r a tio n
a d a p t e d i t fo r a life i n ' t h i s a t m o s p h e r e , d u r i n g w h i c h t i m e wo
h a v e g r a d u a l l y m a d e t h e o u t w a r d s h e l l t o d i e off t h r o u g h a
c e r t a i n p r o c e s s ........w e h a v e t o p r e p a r e for t h i s p h y s i o l o g i c a l
trans-form ation.
H o w a r e we to do it ? I n th e first place w e h a v e th o a c tu a l,
v i s i b l e , m a t e r i a l b o d y — m a n , so c a l l e d , t h o u g h , in f a c t , b u t his
o u t e r s h e l l — to d e a l w i t h . L e t u s b e a r i n m i n d t h a t s e i ts i c e
t e a c h e s u s t h a t i n a b o u t e v e r y s e v e n y e a r s w o change sk i n aa
e f f e c t u a l l y an a n y s e r p e n t ; a n d t h i s so g r a d u a l l y a n d i m p e r c e p ­
t i b l y that,, h a d n o t s c i e n c e a f t e r y e a r s of u n r e m i t t i n g s t u d y
a n d o b s e r v a t i o n a s s u r e d 11s of it,, 110 o n e w o u l d h a v e h a d t h e
(-ligh test s u s p i c i o n of t h e f a c t ........ H e n c e , if a m a n p a r t i a l l y
Hayed a l i v e , m a y s o m e t i m e s s u r v i v e a n d b e c o v e r e d w i t h a n e w
s k i n , — so o u r a s t r a l , v i t a l b o d y ........ m a y bo m a d e t o h a r d e n i t s
particles to t h e a tm o s p h e r ic c h a n g e s . T h e w h o l e s e c r e t is to
s u c c e e d in e v o l v i n g i t o n t , a n d s e p a r a t i n g i t f r o m t h e v i s i b l e ;
a n d w hile its g e n e r u lly in v is ib le a t o m s p roceed to c o n c r e te
th e m se lv e s in to a c o m p a c t m as s, to g r a d u a l l y g o t rid of t h e
old p a r t i c l e s of o u r v i s i b l e f r a m e so a s t o m a k e t h e m d i e a n d
d is a p p e a r b e fo re th e n ew se t h a s h ad tim e to e v o lv e a n d re p la c e
t h e m ........W e c a n s a y n o m o r e .
A correct compctfhension of the above scientific p r o ­
cess will give a clue to the esoteric m e a n in g of m ed ita­
tion or contemplation. Science teaches us th n t m an changes
his physical body continually, and this c h a n g e is so
gradual th a t it is almost imperceptible. W h y th e n
should th e case be otherwise w ith th e i n n e r m a n ? T he
latter too is constantly d evtdoping and c h a n g in g atom s
a t every m om ent. A n d the a ttra c tio n of these new sets
of atom s depends upon th e L i w of Affinity— the desires
of the m an draw ing to their bodily te n e m e n t only such
particles as are en rapport with them or r a t h e r giving
them th e ir own ten den cy and colouring.
F o r s c i e n c e s h o w s t h a t t h o u g h t is d y n a m i c , a n d t h e t h o u g h t *
force ev o lv ed by n e r v o u s actio n e x p a n d in g itself o u tw a rd ly , m u sk
afEect t h e m o l e c u l a r r e l a t i o n s of t h e p h y s i c a l m a n . T h e i n n e r
m e n , h o w e v e r s u b l i m a t e d t h e i r o r g a n i s m m a y be, a r e s t i l l c o m ­
p o s e d of a c t u a l , no t h y p o the tic al , p a r t i c l e s , a n d a r e s t i l l s u b j e c t
to th e law t h a t a n ‘ a c t i o n ’ h a s a te n d e n c y to r e p e a t i t s e l f ; a
t e n d e n c y t o s e t u p a n a l o g o u s a c t i o n in t h o g r o s s e r ‘ shell* t h e y
a r e in c o n ta c t w ith a n d co n c e a le d w ith in .” ( The E l i x i r o f L ife ) .
W h a t is it th e a s p ira n t of Yog V id y a strives after if not
to gain Mulcli b y tra n s fe r r in g himself gradually from th e
grosser to th e n e x t more ethereal body, until all th e veils
of M a y a b e in g successively removed his A t m a becomes
ope with P a r a m a t m a ? Does he suppose th a t this g ra n d
resuit can be achieved by a two or four h o u rs’ con­
tem p lation ? For the re m a in in g tw en ty o r tw e n ty -tw o
hours th a t the devotee does uot s h u t himself up in his
room for m e d ita tio n — is th e process of the emission
of atom s an d th e ir replacem en t by others stopped ? I f
not, then how does lie m ean to a ttra c t all this tim e,—
only those su ite d to his end ? From th e above re m a rk s it
is e vident th a t ju st as th e physical body req uires in c e s ­
sant atten tion to p re v e n t th e entran ce of a disease, so
also th e inner m a n requires a n u n re m ittin g w atch , so
th a t no conscious o r unconscious th o u g h t m ay a t t r a c t
atoms unsu ited to its progress. This is th e real m ean­
in g of contemplation. T he prim e factor in th e g u id a n c e
of the th o u g h t is W i l l .
W i t h o u t t h a t , a ll e l s e ia u s e l e s s . A n d , t o b e e f fic ie n t f o r
th e p u r p o s e , it m u s t be, n o t o n ly a p a s s i n g r e so lu tio n of
t h e m o m e n t, a sin g le fierce d e s ir e of s h o r t d u r a t i o n , bub
a settled a n d continued stra in , as n e a r ly as can he continued
a n d concentrated w ith o u t one single m o m e n t's rem ission.
T h e s tu d e n t would do well to t a k e note of th e itali­
cized clause in th e above quotation. H e should also
have it indelibly im pressed npon his mind fchafc
I t is n o u s e t o f a s t a s long as one requires f o o d . . . T o g e t
r i d o f t h e i n w a r d d e s i r e is t h o e s s e n t i a l t h i n g , a n d t o m i m i c
t h e r e a l t h i n g w i t h o u t i t is b a r e f a c e d h y p r o c r i s y a n d u s e l e s s
W ith o u t realizing the significance of this m ost im ­
p o rta n t fact, any one who for a mom ent finds cause of
disagreem ent with any one of his family, or has his vanity
wounded, or for a sen tim ental flash of th e m oment, or
for a selfish desire to utilize th e divine pow er for gross
himself to pioces on th e rock dividing th e know n
from the unknow n. W a llo w in g iu the mire of exoteri-
cism, he knows not w ha t it is to live in the world a u d yet
be not of th e world ; in o th e r w ords to g u a rd s e lf against
se lf is an incom prehensible axiom for nearly every pro ­
fane. The H in d u o u g h t a t least to realize it by re m e m ­
b erin g the lifo of Ja n a k a , who, altliongh a reigning
monarch, was y e t styled llajarshi, an d is said to havo
a tta in e d N irv a n a . H e a r in g of his widespread fame, a
few sectarian bigots w ent to his C ourt to test his Yoga-
power. As soon as they entered the court-room, th e
k in g h av in g read tho ir th o u g h t— a power wliich overy
chela attains at a certain s ta g o — gavo secret instructions
to liis officials to have a particu lar street, in the city
lined on both sides by dancing girls who wero ordered to
sing the most voluptuous songs. H e then h a d somo
gharas (pots) filled with w a te r up to tho brim so th a t tho
least shake would be likely to spill their contents.
T h e wiseacres, oach w ith a full ghara (pot) 0 1 1 his head,
were ordered to p ass along th e street, su rro u n d e d
by soldiers with d ra w n sw ords to be used a ga in st them if
even so m uch as a drop of w a te r were allowed to run
over. The poor fellows ha ving re tu rn e d to th a
palace a fte r successfully passing th e te st, were asked
by th e K in g -A d e p t w h a t they h a d m et w ith in the
str e e t they w ere made to go throu gh. W ith g r e a t in­
d ig n a tio n th e y re p lie d t h a t the th re a t of being cut to
pieces h a d so much worked upon tlieir m inds tliat they
t h o u g h t of nothing b u t th e w a te r on th e ir heads, and th e
intensity of their attention did not permit, th em to take
cognizance of what was g o in g on aro un d them . Then
J a n a k a told them tha t on th e same principle th e y could
easily understand th at, although being outwardly engaged
iu m anaging the affairs of his state, he could at the
samo time be an Occultist. H e too, while in tho world,
was not o f the world. I n o th e r words, his inw ard aspi­
rations had been leading him on continually to the goal
in which his whole inner self was concentrated.
R a j Yoga encourages no sham, requires no physicid
postures. I t has to deni with th e inner man whose sphere
lies in th e world of thought. To have the h ig h est ideal
placed before oneself and strive incessantly to rise up to
it, is tho only true concentration recognized by Esoteric
Philo so phy which denis with th e inner world of noumena,
n o t th e outer shell of 'phenomena.
The first requisite for it is th o rou gh p u rity of heart.
W e ll m ight the stud en t of Occultism say, with Zoroaster,
t h a t p a rity of tho ught, p u rity of word, a n d purity of
d eed ,— these are the essentials of one who would rise
above th e ordinary level a n d join th e " gods.” A c u lti­
vation of the feeling of unselfish p h ila n th ro p y is th e
p a th which h»s to be traversed for th a t purpose. F o r
it is thnt alone which will lead to Universal Love, the
realization of wliich constitu tes th e p ro g re s s tow ards
deliverance from th e chains fo rg ed by M aya arou nd th e
E go. No stud en t will attain this at once, b ut as our
V e n e r a t k d M a i i a t m a says in th e Occult W o r l d :—
Tlio groator the progress towards deliverance, tho less this
■vrill be I,he case, until, to crOwn oil, human and purely
individual personal feelings, blood-ties and friendship,patriotism
and race predilection, will nil give way to become blended
into one universal feeliug, the only true and holy, the only
unselfish and eternal oue, Love, an Immense Love for Humani­
ty as a whole.
I n short, the individual is b lend ed with th e A L L .
Of course, contemplation, as usually understood, is not
w ithou t its minor advantages. I t developes one set of
physical faculties ns gym nastics does the muscles. F o r
th e purposes of physical mesmerism, it is good enough ;
b u t it cau in no way help the develop m ent of the psycho­
logical faculties as the th o u g h tfu l reader will perceive.
A t the samo time, even for ordinary purposes, the p ra c ­
tice can never bo too woll g uard ed . If, as some suppose,
th e y have to be entirely passive a n d lose themselves iu
the object before them , they should re m e m b e r th a t b y
th u s encouraging passivity, th e y , in fact, allow tlie
development of niediunii.'itic faculties in themselves. As
wns repeatedly s ta te d — th e A d e p t and th e M edium nre
th e two Poles : while the form er is iritensely active an d
th u s able to control th e elemental forces, th e latter is
intensely passive, and th u s incurs the risk of falling a
prey to th e caprice and malice of mischievous embryos
of hum an beings, and— tho E le m e n ta r ie s .
--------- —
A N AUTUMN R E V E R IE .
N oble tree ! ’tis autumn now, . mysteries of the religion of the country. These necroman­
Cold and chill thy branches bow :
Bow beneath tlio waning moon,
Now no more my shade at noon.
’Neath my feet thy dead leaves play ;
Hound thy ancient trunk, so gray,
Murmurs now tho sweet wind’s breath,
“ Death is life, and life is death.”
All thy glory gone from tlice,
All,—but still a noble tree !
Born to breathe to life anew,
Soon as spring thy buds imbue.
While I watch thy leaflets creep,
Creep to nourish thee to sloe)),
Murmurs still tho sweet wind’s breath,
“ Death is life, and life is death,”
All the bloom thou gav’st in spring,
Gone !—but where ?—doth spirit wing,
Wing its flight thro’ mystic spheres •
Till it’s clothed again and rears ?
Nothing dies !—if aught were lost,
. Nature would herself exhaust;
Murmnrs.now the sweet wind’s breath,
“ As death is life, so life is death.”
Shall the force, that lives thro’ all,
Lose th a t power, thro’ Nature’s fall ?
Ages lapse, and still we see
Matter lives eternally.
Shall the atoms move the sphero
Till the Ego’s perfect here ?
Murmurs now the sweet wind’s breath,
“ E a rth is purified thro’ death.”
Shall the soul tha t moves this clay
Puss—and live another day :
Live to wake, and live to sleep,
Still th ro ’ other channels keep ?
E rrant, guarded, ’mid the strife,—
W ander back again to life ?
Murmurs now tlie sweet w ind 's breath,
“ Death leads to life, and life to death.”
Man with Reason, Sonl, and Will
' Sought for God, is seeking still :
' Peers the mystic spheres a t night,
• Waits in vain to grasp the L i g h t ;
Till’s evolved, thro’ N ature’s plan,
H e r Son—the sixth-sense perfect man !
. Murmurs now the sweet wind’s breath,
“ W ait for wisdom after death !” .
Home I wander, as tlie leaves
Rustle ronnd my feet in sheaves,
Comes a whisper to mine ear,
Gentle notes so soft and clear :
Is uot life tho spirit’s tomb P
Is not death the spirit’s bloom p
Dead tliro’ re-incarnate laws,
Dead for expiation’s cause !
Murmurs now the sweet wind’s breath,
“ Spirit lives thro’ life and death.”
H enry G eo r g e H el l o n , ( f. t . s .)
■ ♦ -
O R I E N T A L J U G G L IN G I N S IA M .
(Transcribed from an American Newspaper, Apr! I 11, 1874, for
' “ T h e T iieosol ’h i s t ,” by P. D avids on , F. T. S.)
T h e far East must ever lead the world in tbe practice of
Necromancy.* All the skill and mechanical ingenuity of the
most expert prestidigitateurs of Europe or America cannot
produce a single exhibition which will compare with the
feats of the commonest Indian juggler. The Japanese have
ta u g h t us the greater part of the sleight-of-hand illusion
which is now paraded before staring audiences in this country
aud in Europe ; but the necromancy of Japan is as boy’s play-
compared with the mysterious jugglery of the nether and
farther Indies, and specially of Siam. In the latter country
there is a royal troupe of jugglers, who perform only at the
funerals and coronations of the kings, and then only in the
presence of the nobles of Siam, or those initiated into the
cers do not perform for money, are of noble blood, and it is
seldom tha t a European sees even their faces. Last year,
however, an English surgeon, who was iu tlie country'
performed a somewhat remarkable cure upon a princess
who had been treated in vain by all the physicians of the'
country. Great was the gratitude of tho Siamese Court at
the doctor’s performance; and, as a reward commensurate
with his great service, he was permitted to witness tho per­
formance of Tepada’s royal troupe of jugglers. This exhibi­
tion was given in the sacred temple of Juthia, on the 16th
of November, the occasion being the coronation of the young
* T h e w o r d “ n e c r o m a n c y ” a n d “ n e c r o m a n c o r s ” a p p lie d to tho
S e c r e t I n i t i a t e s o f S c i e n c e ia v e r y w r o n g a n d m i s l e a d i n g . T h e y m a y b e
c a l l e d m a g i c i a n s , b n t b e r t a i n l y t h e t e r m n e c r o m a n c y ia a m i s n o m e r
w h e n a p p l ie d to p e o p le w h o h a v e a h o r r o r o f m e d d lin g w i t h tho
‘‘ js p ir ite ” o f t h e d e a d . — E d . - -
 king. Tlie surgeon's narrative, stripped of a large amount
of description, and materially condensed, is given below :—
Woun-Tajac called me very early, and he and his
father’s cousin, a jolly fat old gentleman, called Soondatcli*
Tam-Bondon, set to work to prepare me for witnessing the
performance in the grand Pagoda. A white turban was
wound around my h e a d ; my skin was stained the colour
of new bronze ; my moustache ruthlessly trimmed down, black­
ened, and waxed till it had the proper Malayan dejected
droop and penuity; my eyebrows blacked, and native gar­
ments furnished me, over which I wore the long white robes
which, I was told, were peculiar to the initiated. Tho
Pagoda is more celebrated for its sacredness than its size,
or the splendour of its architecture. I t is, nevertheless, a
building of some very striking features. I t is situated
without the eity, upon a broad and commanding terrace
elevated considerably above the level of the river plains.
It is approached from the city by a long brick paved avenue,
wide, straight and imposing.
Soondatcli and Woun-Tajac, each holding me by an arm,
now directed me towards one of tlie doorways of the tem ­
ple. I t was guarded by two men, with drawn swords,
and very fierce aspect, who stood in front of a heavy dra­
pery of red cloth, that concealed tho interior of the tem­
ple from outside eyes. A t a triple pass-word these (men)
admitted my companions, but crossed their swords before
my breast. Soondatcli whispered in the ear of the
elder of the two ; he started, gazed at me intently, but
did not withdraw his barrier. Woun showed him a signet.
He took it, and reverently placed it upon his forehead ;
yet still he refused to admit me. There was a controversy
between thc door-keeper and my companion ; and, at last,
the elder guardian whistled shrilly upon a bone pipe tied
about his neck with a strand of silk. A tall man suddenly
appeared, I could not see from whence. He was middle-
aged, athletic, and had a most peculiar cunning, self-pos­
sessed look of person and intelligence.
“ Tepada,” exclaimed both of my companions a t once;
but the man who was naked except for a breech-elout, took
no notice of them. He put his hand heavily, but not u n­
kindly, upon my breast, gave me a piercing, long look, and
said in excellent French, “ Are you a brave man ?” “ Try
me,” I said. Instantly, without another word, he ban­
daged my eyes with a part of the long white robe I
wore; he snapped his fingers suddenly, whispering iu my
ears, ‘ Not a word for your life and the next moment I
found myself seized in the hands of several strong men,
and borne some distance along a devious way, ascending
and descending several times. At last I was put dow ii;
the bandage was quietly removed ; and I found myself
squatted on a stonctloor, between Soondatch and Woun-
Tajac, who, with bowed heads, and faces partly shrouded in
their white robes, squatted like statues of Buddha, their knees
and shins elose to the ground, their haunches resting upon
tlieir heels, their hands spread, palms downwards upon their
knees, their eyes deflected, and a look of devout reverence
and abstracted meditation on their conntenance. The
light was dim to my unaccustomed eyes, but all around, as
far as I could sec, were white-robed worshippers couched
iu the same attitude of silent reverence.
By degrees as iny eyes grew used to the dim gloom, I
began to look alviut me. The place was a square vault, so
lofty that I could not see the ceiling, and I .should say not
less than a hundred paces long and wide. All around the
.sides rose gig-antic columns, carved into images of Buddha
always, yet with a thousand variations from the central plan,
a thousand freaks of fancy, a thousand grotesqueries, through
which shone, thc more effectively for the departures, tlie
eternal, tho calm, the stagnant, the imperturbed ecstaey of
apathy'of Buddha’s remarkable face, with the groat pendant
ears, and the eyes looking ont beyond you into the supreme
wistlessnoss of Nieban—a face that once seen can never be for­
gotten. By degrees I came to see the plan of this evidently
subterranean vault, and to look with wonder upon the sim­
ple grandeur of its massive architecture, which was severely
plain, except so far as the carving of the great column went.
At tho farthest end of the wall, resting against tho columns,
was a raised dais or platform covered with red cloth. This
stage was raised between three and four feet above thc floor
of tho vault, and was about 35 or 40 feet deep, and one
hundred and fifty broad. Behind it a curtain of red cloth
hung down from the capitals of the towering columns. In
front of the stage, just about thc spot where the pulpit
of the orchestra in a Greek theatre would be, was a
tripod shaped altar, with a broad censer upon it, in which
was burning a scented oil, mixed with gums and aromatic
woods, that diffused through tho whole vault a p u n g e n t
sacramcntal odour.
Suddenly there was a wild and startling crash of barbaric
music from under the stage—-gongs, drums, cymbals, and
horns, and with wonderful alertness, and a really indescri­
bable effect, a band of naked men came out from behind tho
curtains, bearing each a scented torch in his hand, climbed
the columns with the agility of monkeys, and lighted each a
hundred lamps, strung from the base almost of the columng
sheer up to the apex of the vault, which, I could now see,
rose in a lofty dome, that doubtless pierced far up into the
interior of the Pagoda proper. The illumination from these
multitudinous lamps was very b rillia n t; too soft to b e d a z ­
zling or overpowering, yet so penetrating and pervasive that
one missed nothing of the perfect light of the day. The din
of the horrible orchestra increased, and a band of old women
came out from under the stage, singing (or rather shrieking
out) the most diabolical chant tha t I ever heard. The red
curtain fluttered a little, there was a dull thud, and then,
rig ht before us, alongside the censor, stood a very old man',
but wrinkled, with long hair and beard, white as cotton
fleece. His finger-nails were several inches long, and his
sunken jaws wero horribly diversified with two long teeth,
yellow and ogreish. Ho was naked except for a breeeh-eloth’
and his shrunken muscles shone with oil. He took tho
censer in his hands, and blew liis breath into it until tho
flame rose twenty feet high, red and furious ; then, with a
sudden, jerking motion, he tossed the burning oil toward
the crowd of squatting spectators. I t shot toward them a
livid sheet of terrible flame ; it descended upon them a show­
er of roses and japonicas, more than conld have been gather- ■
ed in a cart. T urning the censer bottom upward, he spun
it for a minute upon the point of his long thumb-nail, then
flung it disdainfully away toward tho audience. I t struck
the pavement with a metallic clang, bounced, and rose w ith
sudden expanse of wings, a shrieking eagle, frightened hor­
ribly, and seeking flight towards the summit of the dome.
The old man gazed a moment u p w a r d ; then seeing tho
tripod upon which tho censer had stood, he rent its logs
apart, with a nervous hand, straightened them against hia
knee, and hurled them, dartlike, toward the eagle. They
glanced upward with a gilded flash, nnd instantly the eaglo
came fluttering down to the pavement in our midst, dead,
and three horrible cobras coiled about him, and lifted their
hooded heads defiantly, and flashing anger out of their glit­
tering eyes. The music shrieked still wilder, the snakes
coiled and plaited themselves together in a rythmic danee,
lifting the dead eagle upon their heads, and, presto ! right
in our midst thero stood the tripod again, with its flicker­
ing flame, and its incense-savoured breath. A more perfect
illusion never wras seen.
“ That is Norodom,” whispered Woun-Tajac in my ear.
Another actor now came upon the scene,’whom I recognised
to be the tall athlete, Tepada. Behind him came a smaller
man, whose name, Woun-Tajac informed me, was Minhman,
and a boy whose namo was Tsin-Ki, probably twelve years
old. Thest. four began some of the most wonderful athletic
exhibitions that can be conceived. It is impossibe to believe
unless you saw' it, what work these men put human muscles
to. I am not going to provoke the incredulity of your
readers by attempting to describe the majority of them.
In one feat Tepada seized Norodom by his long white
beard, held him oil at arm ’s length, and spun round with
him until tbe old man’s legs were horizontal to the
athlete’s shoulders. Then, while they still spun with the
fury of dervishes, Minhman sprung np, seized upon Noro­
dom’s feet, and spun out a horizontal continuation of the a n ­
cient; and when Minhman was fairly established, the boy
Tsin-Ki caught hold of his feet in like manner, and the tall
athlete, every muscle in him straining, continued to whirl
the human jointless lever around. A t last, slowing slightly,
Tepada drew in his arms till the old man’s white beard
touched his b o d y ; there was a sudden strain, and the
arm of men from being horizontal beeame perpendicular.
Norodom’s head resting atop of Tepada’s, Minhman’s head
upou Norodom’s feet, and Tsin-Ki’s head on Minhman’s
feet. A pause for breath, then the'column of men was pro­
pelled into the air and, presto ! Tepada’s head was 0 11 tho
ground, Norodom’s feet to his, Minhman’s feet upon Noro­
dom’s head, Tsin-Ki’s feet on Minhman’s head. Each had
turn ed a summersault, and the column was unbroken !
■ One trick which Minlnnan performed was a superior ver­
sion of the mango tree feat of tho Indian jugglers. Ho
took an orange, cut it open, and produced a serpent. This
lie took down into the audience, and, borrowing a robe from
one, cnt the snake’s head off and oovcrcd it with tho robe.
W hen the robe was lifted again, a fox was in the placo of
the snake. The fox’s head was cut off, two robes borrowed,
and when they were raised there was a wolf, which was
killed with a sword. Three robes, and a leopard appeared, it
was slain with a javelin. Four robes covered a most savage
looking buffalo, that was killed w ith an axo. Five robes
covered in part, but not altogether, a lordly elephant, who,
when the sword was pointed against him, seized Minlnnan
by the neck and tossed liim violently up. He mounted feet
foremost, and finally clung by his iocs to the capital of one
o f t h e columns. Tepada now leaped from tho stage and
alighted npon the elephant’s shoulders. W ith a sword he
goaded the beast on the head until, shrieking, the unwieldy
animal reared upon its hind feet, twined its trunk about one
of the great columns, and seemed trying to lift itself from
the ground and wrap its body around the great pillar.
T he music clashed out barbarously. Norodom flashed
forth a dazzling firework of some sort, and the elephant
liad disappeared, and Tepada lay upon the stage writhing
in the folds of a great boa constrictor and holding up
Minhman upon his feet.
D uring the three honrs the exhibition continued, feats
of the sort I have described, each more wonderful than
the one th a t proccdod it, following ono another in rapid
pnccession. I shall c o n t e n t myself with the last and culmi-
aiating wonder of the startling entertainment.
A perfectly fonned and most lovely nantch-girl sprang
ont npon the stage, and was hailed with universal exclama­
tions of delight, every body calling ont lier name, Luan
Prabana, as if it were a word of good omen. The only dress
was a short petticoat of variegated feather work. A wreath
of rosebuds crowned her soft, short, black hair, and she wore
a pearl necklace, as well as broad gold armlets and anklets.
With a brilliant smile she danced exquisitely for some
minutes to the accompaniment of a single pipe, then sho
knelt and laid her head 0 11 old Norodom’s knee. The boy
fanned her with a fan made of sweet fern leaves. Minhman
fetched a lotus-shaped golden g-oblet, and Topada poured
into it from a quaint looking flask a fluid of a groonish hue.
Tho old Yogi-like Norodom took the goblet, and blew his
breath upon the contents, till they broke into a pale blue
Maine. This Topada e x t i n g u i s h e d with his breath, when
Norodom held the goblet to Ijuan P r a b a n a s lips, and sho
drained the contents with a sigh. As if transfigured she
suddenly sprang to her feet, her face strangely radiant, and
began to spin giddily around in one spot. J ir s t the boy,
then Minlnnan, then Topada tried to arrest her, but they
no sooner touchod her than she repelled them with a shock
th a t thrilled them as if sho liad imparted anelectrio spark
to them. Spinning constantly with a bewildering rapid
motion, the girl now sprn.ng off the stage and down tho
hall, along by the foot of the columns, Tsin-Ki, Minhman
and Tepada in active pursuit. In and out among the crowd
they spun, the three chasing. fIepada seized hold of tho
chaplet that crowned her ; it broke, and as she was whirled
along, a spray of rosebuds was scattered from her brow in
every direction. Anything more graceful never was seen.
And now a greater wonder. At the extremity of the hall
the threo surrounded and wonld have seized her, when,
ntill revolving, she rose slowly into tho air and floated
gently over our heads towards the stage, scattering roses
as she went, At the back of the stage she paused iii mid­
air ; then with a slight, wing-like motion of her arms,
mounted up, up towards the loftiest arch of the vault ovcr->
head. Suddenly old Norodom seized how and arrow, and
shot towards her. Then was a wild shriek, a rushing sound,
and tho danoer fell with a crash on the flags of the floor.
The music burst forth with a wild wail, and tlie chorus of
old hags dame tumultuously forth and bore her off in thoir
arms.
Now, frotn behind the red ctu-taitis came a dozen strong
man, bearing on theif shotilders ft great leaden box, which
they laid upon the front part of the stage. As they retired
the old women came out bringing a low couch, decorated
with flowers and gold-embroidered drapery, upon which Jay
Luan Prabana, deckcd forth in bridal garments, and sweetly
sleeping. The couch with its sleeper was put quietly down
upon the front of the stage, and left there, while Norodom
and Tepada went to tho leaden box, and with hot irons at­
tempted lo unseal it. ‘ That is IIung-Ticng’s coffin,’ whis­
pered Wonn to me ; ‘ tho old saint has been dead more than
half a millcnium.’
Quickly, eagerly it seemed to me, the two men broke open
the fastenings of tlie coffin, nntil the side next the audience
falling out a t last, a teak-box was discovered. This was
forced open with a small crowbar, and w hat seemed a groat
bnndle of Nankeen cavnc oat. Tepada and Norodom com­
menced to unwind this wrapping, which was very light'
Yard after yard was unwound and folded away by Minhman,
and at last, after at least one hundred yards of wrapping
had been taken off, tho dry, shrivelled mummy of a small
old man, was visible, eyes closed, flesh dry and hard,—dead
and dry as a smoked herring. Norodom tapped the corpse
with the crowbar, and it gave a dull, wooden sound, Tepada
tossed it up and caught it—it was still as a log. Then he
placed the mummy upon Norodom’s knees, nnd fetched
a flask of oil, a flask of wine, and a censer burning with some
pungent essence. Norodom took from his hair a little box of
inguent, and forcing open the month of the mummy with a
Cold-ehisel, shewed that the dry tongue could rattle like
a chip against the dry fauecs. Ho filled the mouth with
unguent and closed it, and anointed the eyelids, nostrils, and
cars. Then he and Tepada mixed the wine and oil, and
carefully rubbed every part of tho body with it. Then lay­
ing it down in a reclining position, they put the burning
censor upon the ohest and withdrew a space, while tho
drums and gongs and cymbals clashed, and clattered, and
the shrill, cackling treble of the chorus of old women rose
liideonsly.
A breathless pause ensued—one, two, three minutes—and
tho nmmmy sneezed, sneezed thrice, so violently as to
extinguish the flame of the censer. A moment later tho
thing sat up, and stared, blinking and vacant, ont aronnd f ho
vault—an old wrinkled man, with mumbling chops, a
shrivelled lu-cast and belly, and little tufts of hair upon his
chin and forehead, Tepada approaeliod him reverently upon
his knees, bringing a salver, with wine and a wafer-eake.
The old man did not noticc him, but, ate, drank, and tottered
to his feet, the feeblest decrepid old dotard tha t over walked.
In another moment I10 saw the nautch-girl slumbering upon
her couch ; he scuffled feebly to her, and mumbling, stooped
ns if to help his dim eyes to see her better. With a glad cry
the maidon waked, olaspod him in her arms, and to her
breast and kissod him. Incomprehensible magic ! He was
no longer a lionnagcimriftn dotard, but a full-veined fiery
youth, who gave her kiss for kiss, Ilow tho transformation
was wrought 1 have no idea, but there it was before our very
eyes, Tho music grew soft and passionate, tlic chorus of the
old women came out, and with strange Phallic songs and
dances bore the two away—a bridal pair, I never expcct
again to behold a sight so wonderful as tha t whole trans­
formation ; which I may mention, my learned Jesuit friend,
to whom I described it, regards as a piece of pure symbolism.
His explanation is too long, and too-lcarnod to quote, but
he connects the oercmony with tho world-old myth of Venus
and Adonis, and claims that it is all a form of Snn-worship.
The show went 011 for some time longer with many curious
feats. A t the end of an hour the Phallic procession returned,
but this time the Bayadere led it, a strange triumph in her
eyes, while the youth lay upon the couch sleeping. The
Phallic chorus sank into a dirge, the youth faded visibly; he
was again the shrivelled dotard ; he sighed, then breathed
no more, Luan Prabana retired sorrowfully ; Norodom and
Tepada wrapped the corpse again in its interminable shrouds,
restored it lo the eoflin, and it was borne away again. The
attendants climbed up to, and extinguished the lights. I
was blindfolded and borne away again. I found myself once
more a t the doorway of the temple in the broad sunshine
with my friends—as tho mystic oercmonies of the great temple
of Jutliia were o v e r; it may be for many years.”
The late II. B. Randolph, who quotes the above story in
his “ Eulis,” adds the following remarks !—
“ With strange Phallic songs and dances bore the two
away—a bridal pair.” “ Venus and Adonis—*-a. form of Sun.
worship.” “ The Phallic cliorus sank into a,dirge.” Can any-
 tiling bo plainer, 0 1 *more direct in confirmation of w hat X
have written * * f. Thero is no need to go to Siam to
witness such marvels, or to learn their strange Principia,
for I have not only witnessed displays of H ig h Magic in this
country (America) quite aa marvellous, b ut different from
the above, but have myself performed th e feat of Fire-
drawing, and came very near destroying the life of a woman
who assisted a t the rite, and but for the quick, brave, self-
sacrificing action of Dr. Charles Main of Boston, th a t woman
would havo been slain with fire drawn down from the aerial
6paeesby principles known to me. For fifteen years I sought a
female of the lig h t organisation—an European or American
Luan Prabana (the Fair and Virgin invocatress)—and not
till March 1874 did I find her. H er Self-Will, and brother-
in-law’s lack of decision, and his weighing of less than three
dollar’s expense against the possession of the loftiest Magic
earth ever saw, determined me to seek elsewhere for the true
material, and which it is needless to say, I have found again
in my own personal circle. The mysteries are all wrought
through Phallic principles in unsullied purity, and the high­
est, noblest worship known to man. The great trouble with
all whom I have partly taught in this land is that they— not
one of them— saw anything nobler than the brilliant chance of
sure gain, or opportunities to gratify Passion, therefore, of
course, I dropped them all."
------ *------
V IC T IM S OF WORDS.
T h e saying has become trite that we are oftener victims
of words than of facts. The Theosophical Society has been
credited with atheism and materialism, because the philoso­
phical system,to which the Founders of tlie Society and many
of their fellow-students owe allegiance, refuses to recognise
what is popularly called a “ Personal God.” We have main­
tained and shall continue to maintain until our dying day
that a being possessing the range of associations, or to speak
more learnedly, the.connotations of the word ‘‘ God” doos not
exist anywhere in tho Universe or beyond it—if a boyond
were possible. This is tho negative side of our knowledge.
The positive side of it may be formulated in the words of the
Upanishad :—“ T hat from wliich all forms of existence
emanato, in which they endure and into which they return
and enter, ia JBrahmft.” This Brahmft when viewed as the
fons et orit/o of the Substance of the Universe is, as
has been repeatedly said in these columns, Mulaprakriti—
a term which, in the poverty of English metaphysical
vocabulary, lias been translated as “ undifferentiated
cosmic matter.” I t has also been said tha t the differ­
entiation ■of Mulaprakriti produces infinite forms of
being, 1'ho utter absence of God-Idea from our philoso­
phical creeds with which we are charged, is due entirely to
the misconception of the single word “ differentiation,” Jt
is this which has given rise to a perfect deluge of contro­
versy. “ Brahma”—onr opponents argue,—“ the Mulaprakriti,
is made to jindergoe a differentiation, like matter, of which we
have a physical conception, to form tlie visible universe,
Therefore, Brahma is subject to change and exists only in a
state of latency during the period of Cosmic activity. There­
fore tlieir (our) philosophy is merely the gospel of the apotheosis
of dead brute matter and they are refined materialists.” But
would our critics remember that Mulaprakriti or Brahma is
absolutely subjective, and, therefore, the word “ differentiation’1
is to be transferred to the purely subjective, or as it is more
commonly called, spiritual, plane before its significance can
be properly comprehended. It must not f o r a single moment
be supposed that Mulaprakriti or Brahma (Parabrahm) can
over undergo change of substance (Parinama), I t is
the Absolute Wisdom, tlie Only locality, the Eternal
Deity—to dissociate tho word from its vulgar surround­
ings. W hat is meant by the differentiation of Mula?
prakriti is that the primordial cssei)ce of all forms of exist­
ence (Asat) is radiated by it, and when radiated by it be­
comes the centre of energy from which by gradual and
systematic processes of emanation or differentiation the
uuiverse, as perceived, springs intq existence. I t is from our
opponent’s incapacity to grasp this highly metaphysical con,
eeption tha t all tlio evil flows,
Bralimft is tfye Holy of {lolies, and we cannot blaspheme
against it hy limiting it by our finite conceptions. I t is, as
the Vedio Rishis sang, Suddham, apapaviddharn, tho stain­
less O n e E l e m e n t , untouched b y any change of condi­
tions, W e feel the majesty of the idea so strongly, and it is
so far above the highest flight of intellect, th a t we are too
awe-struck to make it the foot-ball of discussion. Well havQ
the Brahmavadis of yore chauntcd :
Yato vdcho nivartante :
Aprapya nianasd salta. •
“ From which words rebound with the mind uot finding
it.”
Ya schandra tdrahe tistlian ‘ '
Ya schandra tdrakdda’n tarah.
“ I t permeates the Moon and Stars, and is yet different
from the Moon and Stars.”
I t is 110 such absurdity as an extra-Cosmic Deity. I t is
like the space in which a visible object lies. The space is
in the object and is yet different from it, though the spirit
of the object is nothing but the space.
I t is manifest from this that “ Mulaprakriti” never
differentiates but only emanates or radiates its first born
Mahattatva, the Sephira of the Kabalists. If one would
carefully consider the meaning of the Sanskrit word Srishtij
the point would becomo perfectly dear. This word' is
usually translated “ creation,” b u t as all Sanskritists know
the root Srij, from which the word is derived, means ‘ to
throw off" and not ‘ to creato.’
This is pur Deity of the Ineffable and of no—name. If
our brothers after this explanation seek admission into the
grand old temple in which we worship, they are welcome.
But to those, who after this will still misunderstand us £ind
mistake our views— we have nothing more to say.
■ ■♦ ■■
T H E S I B Y L , A N C I E N T A N D M O DERN.
B y D r . F o r t i n , F . T. S.
(President of the “ Societe Scientifique d&s Occultistes
de France.’’)
T i i e . Sibyl differs essentially from all other subjects
(mediums), inasmuch as her gift enables her to receive in­
spirations of the highest order accessible to the conception
of the human spirit.
I t is not oun pnrpose to write a detailed history of the
Sibyls throughout the ages in a magazine article, but
only to indicate their origin and the most prominent features
tha t characterized them. Tho Sibyl was connected with the
greatest historical facts, aud was held in honour and
consulted by the most civilized nations. H e r history begins
with that of the world. The first of the Weird Sisterhood,
whose name has comc down to posterity, was—
S a m b e t i i , tho alleged daughter of the Patriarch Noah.
She predicted the succession and revolution of the Empires
from the Flood up to the Christian era.
C absajidiu, daughter of Priam, who predicted the fall of
Troy and was murdered in Greece,
E lissa, the Sybil of Libya, born of Jupiter*, and of the
nymph Lamia, the daughter of Neptune.
A r t e m i s , who lived 400 years before the war of Troy.
M a n t o , whose father was Tiresias, the celebrated augur
mentioned by Homer,
S a b m s , the Phrygian,
A m a l t i i e a , contemporary of King Croesus.
H y p a t i a of Alexandria, who paid with her life her seer-
ship and learning.
H e u o i ’ i i i l e , The Cumoean Sibyl, Roman history preserved
the narrative of her interview with Tarquin, the seventh
and last king of Home. Arrived from Thebes she offered
him for sale nine rolls of papyrus containing Greek versesf
in which was contained the whole destiny of Rome ; as
Tartjuin hesitated and tried to reduce the pricc, the Sibyl
b u rn t six of the rolls, Then the king, after consulting tho
College of Pontiffs, purchased the remaining three for Rome.
Then the Sibylline books, as is well known, were kept in the
capital and destroyed during afire.lt was fated they should
be burnt.
History affirms th a t the Senate had passed a solemn decree
that the Sibyl line texts should be consulted at every national
crisis and danger. The Roman ropublic owed its safety
* E s o te rio in t e r p r e t a t i o n :— is s u e d o f J u p i t o r , th o r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f
t h e J u p i t e r i a n ra c e , g i f t e d w ith t h e h ig h e s t s e e rs b ip .
(2 .) D a u g h te r o f N o p tu n o — th e p l a n e t ’s in f lu e n c e — u p o n th e c n tra n c *
e d s u b je c t.
f The Method of Nostradamu3; Centuries and Quatrain.
 more than once to t-lie precious prophecies oontained in tho
books of the Sibyl of Cumoea.*
In opposition to occult praotioe the Emperor Tiberius
instituted Pythonism— thc lower (or left hand) magic. He
practises maleficcs, and after an infamous life dies a miser­
able death ; while tho Emperor Augustus consults and is
guided by the advices of higher Seership. Tiburtine, the
Sibyl of Mount Galatin, is the inspirer of his actions.
Hence his reign so glorious and prosperous. Moreover, this
Emperor had his horoscope, to guide him drawn by Tlieoge-
nes the astrologer.
Locko aud Doctor Buchner, high priests of the Mate­
rialistic School, refuse to admit in the savage tribes the
inherent idea of a creative Principle, and conclnde tha t such
m u st havo been always tho case. I hope to shew the con­
trary. If this principle were not in nature, how could man
have any notion of it ? If soul is perishable, how explain
our belief in its immortality ? Theso two are the eternal
stimulus of human thought.
There exists in a latent state in the physiological constitu­
tion of some few persons, a faculty th a t leads them to the
first demonstration of the existenco of a future life, and
gives rise to religious feelings. L ater on, it causes them to
worship thc highest ideal that their faculties can compre­
hend, and thereby guide their future life 0 11 this earth and
out of it. Now, among the savage tribes th a t represent
for modern science, primitive man, some individuals
are born, who, by their physiological peculiarities, ac­
quire thc power of seeing the human phantom (or astral
man.) By such a demonstration they are enabled to sha­
dow forth before thc masses those essential truths th a t
■warrant them to believe in the (post-mortem) evolution of
man. The following experiments will serve as a practical
illustration of the position.
Doctor Morel hunting one day in thc vicinity of Botany
Bay, found a little girl from 8 to 9 years old, who had been
left behind in the precipitate flight of her parents. Was
she a human being, or an ape ? Thc distinction seemed
very difficult. She wns adopted by the Doctor, who seized
this opportunity to verify whether education would modify
the type of that strange creature. Upon hi9 return to Paris
lie had the child' brought np with his own nieces of the
same ago. The children studied under the tuition of
the parents of the latter, who lived alternately at Paris
and Bourg-la Heine. Two physicians—Messrs. Lemarchand
and Deguerre, who narrated to me the fact, had seen this
"girl when eighteen years old : she had preserved in her
attitude an extreme stiffness and timidity. H e r eye was
round and prominent, her gaze brilliant but unsteady,
the eye after resting upon a person always turning itself
upwards. The ball seemed convulsed and kept disap­
pearing under the upper lid iii a way tha t is remarked
in somnambules and. sensitives. H e r education and learning
differed little from those of her two companions. Dr. Morel
having observed that sho was a noctambnlist determined
upon mesmerising her. I t is (hen tha t my two friends gather­
ed facts of the highest interest. The young girl gave a
very detailed account of the habits and customs of her
parents and family ; but while somewhat confused in her
narrative, she succeeded very well in separating from it tho
phenomena tha t wero due to her own physiological peculiar­
ities. She said th at she used to fal! into a peculiar state, and
then her family and the chiefs of tbe tribe consulted through
lier the dead persons she saw around her, and she transmitted
to thc living the messages she received from the shadows. Is
this not a proof of the existence of a physiological law, of the
source of every hyper-tcrrestial revelation. Doctor Morel sent
in a paper upon this subject to the Academy of Medicine.
Unfortunately thc young Australian died soon after of a fall
from a carriage.
Let us now follow the same phenomenon throughout tho
ages down to our own times. Who of us has not heard of
* T h o S ibyl o f Cumoea w ore on h e r h e a d a w r e a th of v erb en a .
h a v e v e rifie d th o influence of t h a t p l a n t n p o u sen s itiv o s. W i ld v e r b e n a
e x c ite s a n d in tensifies s e e rs h ip , as to t h e a c t i o n of t h e c u l tiv a te d p la n t
i t is w h o l l y a m y s t e r y . L o t a n y w o m a n , w h o c a n isolato h o rso lf,
p la co u p o n h e r h o ad a w r e a th of w ild v e r b e n a w h e n , w r itin g o r d o in g
a n y o th e r m e n t a l w o rk , a n d s h e w ill fin d h e rs e lf s a fe fro m all b a d
influenoo a n d h e r fa c u ltie s w ill ro a c h th o ir m a x i m u m o f a c tiv ity .
p ra c tic o w a s follow ed in o v e ry O c c n lt s a n c t u a r y . I n o r d e r to t e s t th o
o r i g i n a n d th o i n t r i n s i c v a lu e o f a c o m m u n i c a t i o n , o n o m u s t t o s t ita
j u s t i c e . T b o d i v i n e is d i v l a o o n l y i n s o f a r a s i t i s j u s t — B a i d S o c r a t e s ,
individuals who had personally seen the apparition or tho
ghost of a person just dead, even though at a distance, and
had the genuineness of their vision irrefutably established by
subsequent confirmation ? Dr. Veillard, Well known in tho
world of science, has often told me of snch facts. One of
his aunts used to see, during a period of 50 years,
the ghost of every person tha t died in her family—
whether in France or abroad ; this phenomenon invariably
occurred thirty-two times within her personal experience.
Therefore, I formulate my demonstration thus :—There are-,
were and will bo bom in tho hnman family individuals gifted
with a faenlty outside of general physiology, to whom the
proof neccssary for the demonstration of the subject under
discussion will be given. “ Our men of genius are but so
many l-evelators, seers of the highest order, for genius does
not consist so much in explaining tha t which is, as in disco­
vering th a t which has to be and often identical discoveries
occur among people, between whom there is no communi­
cation whatever. Genius has no motherland, it is a power
which belongs to Humanity. In our age we have to search
for Sibyls amidst our social movement. This variety exists
always.* I may cite an example.
George Sand, ono of the most extraordinary women of our
age—belonged to th a t variety of sensitives which we shall
class under the denomination of “ ltacial Sibyls.” H e r lifo
has to be studied and divided into two portions. In the
first, every thing is correct and normal : sho is a being iri
the highest state of physiological splendour ; as a young girl—
she was an adorable creature ; as a young woman she became
radiant with maternal feelings. But soon her mind and her
surroundings became troubled with malefic influences, which
led h e r speedily into a path where she was protected no
longer.IIer two states, her two selves—her two consciences^
soon lose their balance ; her gift of seership is no longer
prompted into activity by meditation and moral purity,
but needs physical and material stimuli which devclope in
the sensitivo unhealthy passions. The powerful energy of her
marvellous constitution adapts fatally for h e r a side-path;
her genius soars and is inspired with tlio purely humanr
unable any longer to reach the spheres within which lies the
Divine. Henceforward, everything in her actions, private
or public, becomes eccentric, whimsical, abnormal.J In her
literary conceptions the ideal d om in eer, defying-every science
of observation.
I t not being my task to write Madame George Sands
biography, b u t rather to throw light upon a certain peculi­
arity in her life that points her out unerringly as a “ Racial
S i b y l ” (une Sibylle de mce) I will only add one more proof
of it. George Sand could never write her novels during the
day nor as soon as the evening had closed. After mid­
night, she used to retire alone into a dark apartment, where
she began to smoke in order to awaken her faculties of secr-
ship. H er whole being was then seized with a sensation
that led her very soon iuto a state of complete exteriority
(exteriarisation}.§ D uring those silent hours, her hand
wrote with wonderful rapidity, and page after page was.
covered without the least interruption with writing until
daybreak. Unconscious of the work done by her she went
to bed, to find upon arising, her nocturnal productions which
were ever a matter of surprise to her, when she read them.
Is not this one <}f those strange features tha t characterise the
eeeress of a high order, and—in another and a lower order—
the modern psychographie medium P And yet, her genius
* I t is t h o o n t i r o a b s e n c e o f a n y m e t h o d w h i c h w oulct i n d i c a t o by
scicn tifio c la s sific a tio n th o diffe re n tia te!? c h a r a c t e r s o f t h e s e n s itiv e s ,
a b l o t o f u r n i s h u s w i t h p h e n o m e n a o f t h e r n e s m o r i c a m ] j»sych.ic order -,
e tc ., t h a t h a s ov o r p ro v e d on im p e d im e n t a n d obstac le a g a in s t w hich
e v e r y t e n t a t i v e e f f o r t h a s b e e n b r o k e n . W i l l t h e S o c i e t y f o r 1’s y c l u e
R e s e a rc h e s o f L o n d o n , r e p r e s e n te d by M essrs. Ita lfo n r S te w a r t, S id g -
w ic k a n d F r e d e r i c k W. It. M y ers, bo any lu c k ier t h a n its p re d e c e sso rs ?
A n e a r f u t u r e w ill t e l l t e l l . — Doctor F o r ti n .
t A n o bservation ju s tly m ade by D octor A ram (S cien tific E ssay? in
“ F o lia .” ) — Dr. F o rtin .
t T h u s on M a y 1 5 th , 1848, on th e d a y o f th o inva sion b y th o c r o w d
o f th e C h a m b e r o f D e p u ties, M a d a m o G e o rg e S a n d , i a m a lo a t t i r e (a
W o loose c o a t , p a t e l o t) n n d w i t h a c i g a r in h e r m o u t b , m o u n t i n g u p o n a
b a r r e l in th o Rite d e B o u r g o g n e , a d d r e s s e d th o in o b in a lo n g h a r r a n g u e .—
D r. F ortin.
§ As th o tra n s la to r u n d e rs ta n d s th e u n n s u a l te rm , it m u s t m oan
w ith th e F r e n c h a u t h o r a n e n t i r e iso la tio n fro m t h e d iv in e , a n d th e sp iri­
tual, a n d a c o m p le te m e r g in g in to t h e p sy c h o -p h y sio lo g ical w o rld of in n e r
T his se n ses o r se n s u o u s p e r c e p tio n s w h ich , u n le ss e n tir e ly p a ra ly z e d , w ill
a lw a y s s ta n d in t h e w a y o f th e t r n e sp ir itu a l S eer. T h e first s ta t e m a y
b e in d u c e d th r o n g h o p iu m , m ol-ptna, e tc ., t h e se c o n d is e n tire ly d n o to
n a tu r a l id io syncracies.
notwithstanding, nothing could be more startling or more
s;id than tlie last words of George Sand when dy in g; “ My
God I havo too much drunk of life !” (Mon D i m j ’ai trop bu
da la vie!).
I may add th at the correspondence of George Sand, lately
published, affords us still greater proof of her duality,—her two
states, and her two Egos. Indeed, who can recognize the
author of so many works of genius, in the style, the form and
tlie sentiments of her letters, wherein all is so positive, ma­
terial and lacking method. Women, in general, owing to
their organic delicacy and the epecial physiological functions
of their sex, are particularly predisposed to the disturbance
and prostration of their nervous system—every manifesta­
tion of which is found classed among the neurosis in a confused
terminology, which varies in accordance with the age.*
Much suffering is caused by all sueli disorders, the nature
of which is very little, if a t all, understood by scienco but
which arc due to a surfeited life, infractions of physiologi­
cal rules and the immorality of our modern society. In
the opinion of official science, every individual who accom­
plishes an action outside the “ classical ” methods that rule
modern society—is an hysterical subject. Note what Doctor
Legrand Dussaulle, Medical Jurist attached to the Hospital
dela Salpetriere says upon this s u b je c t:—
“ Hysteria is met with in overy class of modern socioty.
Every out of the way action when performed by an hysterie is
not necessarily an eccentric one. Those women who are subject
to hysteria, are often full of au ostentatious benevolence ; they
feel the need of notoriety, of calling attention to their chari­
ties, and will display a feverish aud rather noisy activity.
These women come and go and one meets them everywhere ;
their minds being essentially inconstantand spasmodical. There
is the philanthropic hysteric, who belongs to all the charitable
associations, to every society of eocial reforms : such interest
themselves in everything, save their chidren and their homes.
After performing a deed of veritable heroism, they will answer
candidly to the compliments proferred : “ I am not aware of
having done any thing unusual, I was not conscious of any
danger.”f They act pathologically the role.of virtue and
every one is taken in. In short, the hysterical woman is a
doublo edged instrument, th a t can bo excited and fired up
for good as well as for evil, but she is bound to abandon
tlie ordinary trodden paths and the monotonous straight
line that every one endeavours more or less to follow during
life....Hysteria is a brand and a crushing m ark of inferi­
ority. ”+
When one thinks that, the reputation and freedom ofawoman
depend on the medical certificate of an official physician, who
teaches such doctrines, one is seized with sadness and pity.
But in our days woman has lost her exclusive privilege to hys­
teria. Science, moved, no doubt by the spiritof impartiality, has
endowed man also with this disease. We have now-a-days—
hi/stencalmen! The pseudo-scientific masquerade becomes com­
plete when the false denomination isthusflung at tho fuco of our
modern society. I t is an insult of revolting brutality, for it in­
cludes in the same physiological category the quiet mother of a
family, theseeress, i. e., the modern Sibyl, and the courtezan,
alike. But hysteria, deserting the nosological frame where
science nailed it with the hysterical nail§, now takes refuge
in the fishmonger’s vocabulary. To conclude : every individual
of whatever sex who deserts the classical social programme by
same act of eccentricity, whether private or public, is forthwith
pronounced an hysteric. Nevertheless, let science and her
authorized representatives do whatover they may, that which
is now considered by them as a real disease, was utilized by
antiquity and regarded as a power—a social potency for good.
Woman transmits and realizes nothing through h e r­
self. Sho gives herself up entirely, Man—never. B u t woman,
owing to her peculiar organisation, gives to humanity tho
highest mediator between our world and the world of ideas.
Tlie Seer, the Sibyl, gives to man a proof of his future life in
evoking tlio human phantom. As virgin, her physiological
stato will bo her tripod, and everything in her acts will bo
hut tho evocation of the unknown. In her powerful synergy
* T h u s i t lm a b o o n .v a r io u s ly t e r m e d “ dem o n o lati-y , d e m o n o p a th i a ,
hystero -ep ilep sia , h y s t e r o 'e a t a l e p s i a d o w n to s im p le h y s te r i a a n d th a
v u l g a r n e r v o u s fit — D r . F o r t i n .
. f These aro c o rtain ly t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f a tr o u b le d nnd linconsoiona
fear. , 1 . .
. t' A w h o l e V o l u m e h a s bfeeh j u B t p u b l i s h e d u p o n t h i g s u b j e c t by
B a i l l i e r o e t f il s (I ^ea H y s M r i b y D . L o g r a n d D o s a u l l e , 1 8 8 3 . )
§ Hysterical n a i i . i s a m o d e j q B o r t i m ................
she awaits for th a t which will possess her ? Is it social lifo
with its seductions, its passions and abysses P t n tlio
depths of the temple this creature, obsessed by every earth ­
ly craving, will give herself up to the occult, hoping to find
in the mysteries of the revealed science the solution of tha
most dreaded problems. She will forget the ingratitude, tha
cruelty of man amidst the crises and the agony of Sibylisnn
She has been the mother in all ages ; she is the seeress, and
woman in her entirety. Ever dreading for the destinyof
the child of her body, she will save him ! Enlightenedj
inspired by her seership, or by her physiological intuition,
this creature obsessed by heroism, whether occult, social ov
maternal, will not hesitate to interrogate death itself iu
the echoes of the tomb. A revelation, the greatest of all,
will be the price of her courageous and sublime audacity.
Through the agency of the apparition of the human phantom,
the highway to future life will be discovered. Triumphant
over the misfortunes of her age : defying persecution and
ungratefulness, woman will ever be an obsessed creature, au
cvocator whose sublimity will be lost in— m y s t e r y .
To-day, proceeding from the occult sanctuaries of the
E ast resounds a voice, but Europe in her mad course toward
the abyss—lieeda it not. W ithal, everything gets ready for
the great struggle between these two ra c e s : the haughty
science of the West has denied her direct sire—Eastern
Occultism ! The current is just becoming irresistible. For
the villager, the factory girl, the workmen at the mill,
the fatal day is fast approaching when the gigantic
machine exhausted and tired of work will stop its wheels,
leaving a formidable industrial army, thirsting for life.
W hat answer modern science is prepared to give it, aye, th a t
science always so preoccupied with the discovery of new
means to destroy one’s neighbours ? I t is then that will appear
in all tlieir majesty the Sibyls of our Race, who will teach
through the revealed scicncc and the sacred oracles the
elements necessary for the restoration of hum anity to its
proper groove.
------ «------
TH E T R A N S L A T IO N OF B A B U K E SH U B
CHUNDER SEN.
Amid th e galaxy of intellectual stars in th e m odern
In d ia n sky of th o u g h t, th e two b r ig h t e s t have, alas !
been recently e x tin g u is h e d . I t m u st be m a n y years
before such lu m inaries as D ay a n an d Sarasvati a n d
K esh u b Cliunder Sen can a g a in arise. B oth H ind us,
orators, p atriots, scholars ; e n g a g e d equally in th e work
of moral reform , th o u g h by different m e th o d s ; loving-
I n d ia with forvency, a n d hopeful of m o ulding h e r m oral
a n d spiritual future ; th e y have p rem atu rely dro pp ed
th e ir m antles of p o w e r a n d none are able to pick th e m
up an d w ear them . A like in so m any things, they w ere
as opposed as th e m a g n e tic poles in personality, motive
an d sym pathies. D a y a n a n d was an A ryan to th e core, and
a s te m an d un y ie ld in g advocate of the Holy Y e d a ;
K e sh u b an In d ia n m irror, reflecting W e s te r n ideas, th a
d re a m er of the visions of a N e w Dispensation, divinely
ordered, a new H ie r a r c h y a n d Apostolic Succession,
th e k ey-sto ne of tho a rch wbose a b u tm e n ts were laid
alike b y tho J o r d a n an d th e G anges. H e was a speaker,
th e y say— u n h a p p ily th e chance n ev er offered for ug
to h e a r h im — of th e ra re s t gifts. H is pure life a n d
b ro th e rly y e a rn in g to w a rd s his fellow-men, to g e th e r
w ith th a t p o te n t fa c to r “ personal m agnetism ,” m a de
him loved for himself a fte r th e charm of his o ratory h a d
died away. H a b itu a l intim acy with Europeans a n d th a
refined m an ners of a true gentlem an gave him a roputa.
tion th ro u g h o u t th e W e s t e r n circle of th o u g h t p e rh a p s
m uch g r e a t e r t h a n a m o n g his fellow -countrymen. I n
America, no less th a n in Europe, he is erroneouly believ­
ed to bo th e chief of th e whole B ra hm ic C hurch, a n d
th e leader of a vast body of re g iste re d a dh eren ts. T o
such, th e facts" of th e most re c e n t Census of In d ia a b o u t
th e numerical s tr e n g th of th e B rah m o Sam aj, now b e in g
circulated in connection w ith notices of his lam entabla
. d e a th — will be a s tu n n in g surprise. They have n o t au
idea th a t a fte r a half-century of B rahm ic agitation less
th a n 1,500 re g iste re d memVers of the thi'ee Sdmajes,
B a b u K o ah ub ’Sj th e A di, a d d tb e S&dharria—‘cau ba
c o un te d . B u t the effect of K e sh u b B a b u ’s eloquence and
t h a t of his colleagues and o th e r B rahm ic-sp eakers cann ot
b e m easured by the lean figures of th e rosters. The
c n r r e n t of a new th o u g h t is a p t to ru n long aud
stro n g ly , though silently, b e n e a th th e a d a m a n tin e
surface of conservative H in d u ism beforo it b r e a k s out
in to a broad a n d im petuous flood of reform. Such an
inducem ent th e re is, n ot only in B engali th o u g h t b u t
fill throu gh ou t Ind ia. In B en gal it has come nearer tho
surface th a n elsewhere, and its m u rm u rin g tide can bo
more easily h e a rd , B rahm oism has done much cf this,
b n t n o t all. W e s te r n education, tho close c o ntact of
lh e sh a rp and imitative native w ith th e p a ra m o u n t race,
n n d successful co-operation w ith it in tlie a d m in istra ­
tio n of public business, have given an enormous
stim u lu s in th e direction of a new social evolution.
W e do n o t find m odern B engal so spiritual as intellec­
tu a l, a n d years m ust be suffered to elapse beforo
a n y fair estim ate can be made of the la stin g effect of tlio
B r a h m o agitation upon native religious feeling. F ro m
its E uropean flavour, so to say, it seems to have nicked
in with W e ste rn r a th e r th a n w ith In d ia n social te n d e n ­
cies, a n d to this e x te n t touded to w eaken r a th e r th au
S tim ulate tho national y e arn in g a f te r spiritual lig ht.
S t r a n g e th a t the gifted F o u n d e r of the heterodox N ew
D ispensation should have been so soon called away,
■while his quondam religious teacher a n d guide, D c b en d ra
N a th Tagore, survives him— to serve, let us hope, for
m a n y more years as tho e xem p lar of th e no blest typo
of H in d u moral a n d spiritual c h a r a c te r ! T ruly, th e
snowy mountain stan ds an d th e flowering alm ond of the
plain is cu t off in its prim e. T h e d e a th of K esliub B abu
does n ot leave his Socioty, in so disastrou s a p lig h t as
tlia t of tho g r e a t D ay an and has th e A r y a Samaj. F o r
his cousin and chief A postle, B a b u P r o ta p C h un de r
M ozum dar, an eloquent, e a rn e st, a n d indefatigable
w orker, will now ta k e up his work and do as well as
a n y one a fte r the F o u n d e r could have done. B u t in
losing tho Swami th e A ry a S am aj, we fear, ha s lost all
■— save th e memory of his g re a tn e ss , his patriotic e n th u ­
siasm, his eloquence, a n d his g r a n d exam ple. H e re are two
fresh tom bs : lot evory one who believes t h a t for I u d ia ’s
b e st interests a gitation m eans life, a n d sta g n a tio n death,
lay g arlaud s upon both. W e , contem poraries, cannot
fairly w rite th e ir epitaph s for p o sterity , for th e din and
sm oke of the p re se n t conflict confuses our ju d g m e n t, and
as we chance to b e th eir friends or opponents, we
unreasonably becomo th e ir p a n e g y rists or depreciators.
Time alone will decide e v e ry th in g ; for as M ackay tritely
observes, in ono’s own g e n e r a tio n :—
T b o m n n is t h o u g h t a k n a v e o r fool,
O r ath eist p lo ttin g crim e,
W ho, fo r th o a d v a n c e m e n t of h is kin d ,
Is w iser t h a n his ti m e .”
— a n d this sen tim ent is again affirmed by the beloved
A m erican poet W h ittie r , who says th a t — . of sanctity.
" E v e r y a g e On h i m w h o B t r a y s ,
F r o m its b ro a d a n d b e a te n w ays,
P o n r s itB s e v e n f o l d v i a l . ”
W h a t refo rm er or p h ila n th ro p is t b u t ha s h a d to
learn this t r u t h b y b itte r experience!
H . S. O L C O T T .
slims lo Comsgonfctnfs.
S. M i c k e l S a w m y P i l l a i —Your queries are too voluminous The path may be found even by him.”
to be answered by correspondence. Must wait until you
can call at our officc.
K. C. M. (Simla)—In our next,
C. P. (Guntoor)—1 do.
R. C. R. (Jamalpore)—do, ■*
A, T , (Calcutta)— do.
Jdltrs 10 i[)e (gbitor,
A CONVICT REFO RM E D .
I t may bo interesting for the readers of tlio Thcosojihlit
to know some particulars of a marvellous case of the reforma­
tion of a convict in Ceylon through the instrumentality
of Col. Olcolt. Peris Sinno was a notorious thief, a house­
breaker, cuttle stealer, desperado, and a moral -wreck. For a
long time lie eluded the grasp of the Police, and it was only
after a great deal of trouble that they succeeded in entrap­
ping and getting him into the clutches of the Law. Even
in prison his conduct was so outrageous and violent that, lie
ir.urderonsly assaulted the keeper?, and from time to lime the
authorities were obliged to increase liis term of imprisonment.
11 is persistent misbehaviour was a source of continual annoy­
ance not only to the prison superintendent, jailor, and keep­
ers, but also to the other prisoners. During Col. Olcott’s
last tour in the Western District of Ceylon, lie wag earnestly
requested by the Theosophists of the island to preach
Buddhism to the prisoners. The convicts having also ex­
pressed a groat longing to hear him, the President-Founder
consented, and the Colombo Branch obtained the required
permission of tho local authorities. When he went to the
Slave Island Jail lie was informed as to tho character of somo
of tho worst prisoners, and of the recklcss audacity of the
notorious desperado in question. Col. Olcott hnd him also
brought with the others before him, and began to preach in
a most impressive and fervent manner tho sublime doctrines
of our Ulossed Lord Gautama Buddha. He explained in au
easy and most forcible way tho beauty and importance of the
Law of K arm a—the keystone of our Religion, ns of the
H iudus. He also showed most graphically how this Law
controlled our future existence. We shall be exactly what
we make ourselves, and tbe Laws of Nature being immutable,
every cause must work ont its effect. Justice knows no such
thing as mercy, and no bribe nor vicarious atonement can
efface the bad results of our evil deeds. In the prison-yard
near tlie open window stood a large pair of wooden scales.
Pointing to these he showed his auditors how like they
were to Karma, and how if we would achieve happiness
hereafter we m ust put an excess of good deeds into the l ight
pan of the balance. While the Law of Karma promised no
exemption from the punishment of wrong acts, it gave, on the
other hand, the promise of a better state of existence if tho
conrso of life were turned to a beneficent channel. He then
instanced the case of Angulimala, a notorious outlaw whose
story is given in ono of the histories of the life of our Lord
Buddha. This man had, in the time of King Kosala, growa
so powerful in his evil ways that the whole country was ia
mortal terror of him, and he would even commit his rob­
beries up to the very walls of the royal palace, and defy the
king to come out and fight him. Our Blessed Lord, hearing
of this, went alone to the offender against the earnest
remonstrances of many, and preached to him the Perfect Law
so efficaciously that from th a t timo Angulimala became a
changed man. And so thoronghly did ho change his bad and
foolish course of life that eventually ho died in the odour
The exhortations of Col. Olcott were listened to by the
prisoners with such eager attention that you might havo
heard a pin drop. The outlaw Peris Sinno seemed to bo
drinking in every word, and he fixed his eyes upon the^
speaker with an earnestness which onr President remarked,
and was deeply affected by. “ There is a man here,” said he,
“ like that poor wretch Angulimala; an unhappy man who
has suffered enormously through ignorance of this stern
Moral Law ; one who is the dread of all whom he comes into
contact with. Yet he, too, has a heart to be touched and a
nature to be melted by kindness. If he were once more in
the jangle and armed, I slionld not fear to go to him and
show him his folly and how to regain the path of happiness.
W hen the lecture
was finished and the Colonel was preparing to leave, the
prisoners prostrated themselves before him with their fore­
heads to the ground and blessed him. From that day the
outlaw was a changed man. Ho showed such marked signs
of reformation that the Government being pleased with his
constantly blameless behaviour a t last remitted eight years
of his period of imprisonment. He is now a free tnan, and
it more honest and truth-loving person than he can hardly
be found in tlie ordinary world. I met him a short time ago,
nnd was told that Col. Oleott’s advice has made a deep
impression on his mind, wliich nothing can efface. Hi9
hopelessness of any chance for redemption in this life or of
nny happiness in a future existence, had mado him more and
more reckless, but since the time ho realised what possibili­
ties were held out by thc Law of Karma, he Baw that his
was not an entirely helpless state, nnd tliat liis future
depended solely upon him. Nothing could now turn him from
tlie path of rectitude, which he finds to be indeed that of
happiness. This case is but one example of the good done
by our President in Ceylon.
W. D. Afirew, F. T. S .
A R C H E O L O G IC A L D IF F IC U L T IE S .
M ay I be permitted to ask what Sanskrit and Buddhistic
books, printed or manuscript, are of use to an archas-
logical student, iu conveying an exhaustive idea of the
history, ethnology, and archaeology of India, from the ear­
liest times down to the Mahomedan invasion in 1203 A. 1).
By archaeology I mean not only architecture, bnt the an­
cient. state oi' civilized lifo in every respect, such as religion,
luodo of warfare, style of coins, dress, geography, philology,
industrial arts, &c.
What was tho alphabet in use in ancient India generally,
as nlso the langunges? How many of them are still surviving
and how many lost in our national shipwreck ? O ur Reve­
red Buddlin is said to have learnt sixty-four kinds of letters.
Is there no means of learning and reviving them, and is it not
possible to lithograph them for the Theosophist ? In some
former articles, mention was made of certain undcciphered
inscriptions a t Benares, &c. Would it not be good if
some body were to copy and publish them in the Theo-
sophist, for the eanse of historical truth ? I shall be the first
person to do so if a little light be given to guide me, I
have enough of nrclioeological gropings in the dark. No uner­
ring data have I found yet to aid me in my researches, ’
I beg to be excused for thus putting these important ques­
tions, which, I know, cannot be solved in a day. Bnt I want
to direct public attention to a snbject., which is dear to me
nnd Ought to ho dear to every patriot. From my very school­
days, I have almost intuitively felt, while perusing works
on India, that the true history has not yet been written.
At least exoteric India is not aware of such a work. What
we find is generally one-sided, fragmentary, and otherwise
full of guess-work, fair or foul, mostly the latter.
Under these circumstances, I cannot describe what my mind
feels when pe:nsi»g books, that profess to treat on ancient
India; a gnsh of hot breath, whose outer expression is a deep
sigh, reverberates my inner system. And shall we continue
in this miserable helples6 state, when we have guiding angels
in the back ground ?
Yours obediently,
P. C. M., f . t . s.
N o te .—O u r Brother should not lose sight of the fact that
the “ guiding angels in the background” cannot work mira­
cles- Admittedly, blind superstition, dogmatic scepticism
and ignorant fanaticism reign supreme every where. Can
these be dispelled in a few short'years, when they are the
outgrowth of numberless ages? The “ Masters” have taken
advantage of overy possible opportunity to bring people to
do their duty, by bringing the tru th to light for them.
Let our brother read some articles in direct reference to his
questions in the September, October and November Numbers
of the Theosophist, headed “ Roplies to an ‘ English F. T, S.’ ’’
There’all th a t could be said with safety is given out.
They, who can look beneath the surface know that ac­
tion and reaction being equal, po violent changes can be
.safely introduced, however beneficial they may appear to
be. The utmost that can be done nnder these circum­
stances is to give now and then side glimpses, 60 th a t those
who aro capable of rising above the ordinary level and have
developed their penetrating faculty may profit by them and
thus become moro useful to their fellowmen. I t is now for
such readers to judge whether in the articles already published
iu the Theosophist, they do not find sufficient data to work
upon and thus ultimately arrive a t a correct knowledge of
archteological facts ? If the correspondent will do his share
oi the work, the “ guardian a n g els'' way be counted upon
to do theirs. But unfortunately too many people sit ia
silent expectation of a miracle or vainly talk a good deal bnt
— do nothing.
T H E O S O P H Y AND C H R IS T IA N IT Y .
I iieq you will be pleased to publish the following corres­
pondence between me and the Rev. Mr. Miller, the eminent
educationist, with such notes as you may think proper. -■ T
trust the Anglican and Roman Catholic Bishops will express
themselves hereafter as tho friends and subordinates of the
Theosophical Society.* .
A. S a n k a r i a h , F, T. S,
President-Founder, Hindu Sabha.
T uichooe, 3rd Jany. 1884.
M. R. Ry. A . S a n k a r ia h to th e Rev. M r. Miller
“ Theosophy for the purposes of our correspondence may
be defined ns a description of the soul or Invisible man,
who survives the death, burning or burial of his visible
body :— Invisible moans tha t it is not seen by the bodily
senses. You do not maintain th a t there is no Theosophy
in the old Testament of the Jews or tlie new Testament of
the Christians. Evory religious book and every churchman
lias some Theosophy, and the Christian feels himself bound
and is largely paid to preach his Theosophy. The Theosophy
of one book or church or individual may not be the same
as th a t of another, and the object of the Theosophical
movement is to study and weigh all Theosophical notions and
expositions. W hy should the Christians and the Christian
priests, particularly, shrink from hearing and speaking aa
members of the Society, so tha t they may have a t least
sufficient knowledge of what they say outside it or behind
its back ? In considering all that has been said or can ba
said of the Origin, Constitution, and Destiny of the Invisible
man, we may approve or reject any views logically and
honestly, but not abuse the Rev. Mr. Miller, A. Sankariah,
or Col. Oleott for stating liis views. Christians, and for tho
matter of that, H indus and Maliomcdans, simply expose
their moral and spiritual degradation by abusing a Society
founded for study and enquiry, and individuals for haying
views of their own. Sober and cordial exchanges of views
and references to books may serve to remove errors and
confirm truths, and I am recommending my countrymen
to read also, the Theosophical literature of the Jews and
Christians. B u t if you deny and ridicule Theosophy as Theo­
sophy, you have no religion at all to boast of. I hope and
tru st that the followers of Jesus Christ will not desert th eir
Master, but declare Him with peace and good-will in every
Society and to every man who invites them.”
Tho Rev. Mr. M iller’s re p ly to San kariah
“ I welcome inquiry of every sort, and I hope your Society
may have a powerful effect in stirring men up to inquire. I
entirely sympathize with your endeavours to break through
the mere worldliness, selfishness, and indifference, which are
6 0 common among all men—among the professors of Christi­
anity as well as the professors of other faiths, you have all
my good wishes in your attacks upon so-called Christians,
■who are either indifferent to all religion—or intolerant—oc
self-sufficient—as too many are. I cannot find time to dis­
cuss these subjects with you, but one point is worth notice.1
The aims of Theosophy and Christianity are avowedly dif­
ferent, bnt not necessarily on th a t account antagonistic.’
Theosophy is a thing of Theory—it aims at knowledge. Chris­
tianity is a thing of practice—it aims at a Moral chqngej
I welcome all thought about what is invisible and rejoice in
any knowledgo of the invisible th at any one gains ; and I
rejoice that you seem to be succeeding in turning the thoughts
of many towards such subjects. Christianity of the true typo
does not oppose any seeking after any truth. Blit it was
not so much to impart knowledge as to change character
th at Christ lived and died ; and it is to effect a moral change
in tho character of men tliat Ilis followers ought to labour.
W ith all good wishes.”— etc.
Mr. S a n k a ria h to th e Rev. Mr, Miller
“ The first condition of admission into the Theosophical
Society is good character, and knowledge is sought to raise
* Far be it from ns of ever contemplating the latter hononr; let
their reverences be but friendly and we shall feel highly obliged,—
Ed, ''
oneself morally and spiritually. T hat a man could change
character without knowing what is character, how to change
i t and what help Jesus can render, is surely not tho motto of
th e Christian Church. W ithout knowing the nature of tho
body, its diseases and their remedies, a man may as well cure
th e sick ! Tlie protest of Theosophists is against such dan­
gerous and ignorant conceit and bigotry. It is a pity also
th a t Christian churchmen and laymen degrade their Master
an d the Sacred Scriptures by laying no emphasis on the
salvation of souls, for there are plenty of educational works
pn character and morality and justice and truth, ignoring
m an’s Divine Principle. The existence and nature of the
soul, tlio rationale of its sinful contamination and salvation,
an d tho necessity and value of Jesus Christ, aro tho elements
cf the Christian Religion which the clergy ought to know
and prove on the Theosophical platform. Missions and tlieir
patrons should take notice that tlieir Rev. employes have no
timo to do this, but plenty of time to devote to secular
teaching and ruin the ignorant with quack prescriptions,”
C H R IST IA N IT Y IN CHOTA NAGPORE.
. TnEhopelessness of christianizing tho people of India has
long made itself patent to thoughtful Europeans. The fate
of Missions in India has long been foretold hy Sir William
Jones. Schopenhauer emphatically declares :— “ Tn India
.cmr religion will now and never strike root; the primitive wis­
dom ofthe human race will never be pushed aside there by the
ev&its of Galilee.”
Tho endeavours of Christian missionaries are infinitely
stronger and better planned than were ihe efforts of the
iconoclasts of Ghazni ; but their success has not been a whit
greater. Of late years in Bengal, a fact has been brought to
light which is far from creditable to all Christians concerned.
I t has been found that the only quarter in which there is
any increase iu the number of converts, is the western part
of the Lieutonant-Governorship of Bengal— Chota Nagpore
and Santhalia, inhabited by the wild Kolarian raccs. In
fact, Chota Nagpore has been the Promised Land to Christian
missionaries. This is an extremely significant fact—a fact
which has just been officially admitted in tlic Resolution of
the Govormont of Bengal 011 tho Census Reports of 1881,
where tlic Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. Rivers Thompson (not­
withstanding his pronounced pvo-padri proclivities), states
th a t it is “ very doubtful whether the apparent increase in
tlic number of native Christians from 3G,G17 in 1872 to
707,446 in 1S81 represents any important increaso in the
number of conversions. I t is only in the Santhal Pcrgunnas
(2,718 against ISO) and Chota Nagpore (>'59,832 against
14,226) that there is undoubted evidence of the spread of
Christianity” ( Calcutta Gazette, Nov. 21, I8S3). Now, it
cannot for a moment bo contended that these 42,550 savages
were made to embrace Christianity by tlie forco of conviction.
I t may be safely asserted, after making due allowance for
the number (not inconsiderable) of converts made from
among the indigent and the imbecile, th a t the missionaries
raise tho groat mass of their recruits from among a class of
m en—peasant-proprictors—who arc constantly at war with
the great land-holders, and are led by their ignorance to
beliove that if they embrace the faith of the ruling racc, they
will have it all their own way in the Courts of Law. I t is
no fanciful theory that I advance. The fact has been offici­
ally acknowledged. A Resolution of tho Government of
Bengal, dated Calcutta, the 25th November, 1880, declared it
to be “ on unquestioned fact that many of the latter (the hea­
then Kols) embraced Christianity merely in the hope of obtain­
ing, possession o fth e lands to which they rightly or wrongly
laid claims.”
R anchi, C hota N a g po r e , )
ll<7i Dec. 1883. > S ukdmar IIald a r,
T H E B A G A V A D -G IT A A N D “ E S O T E R IC
B U D D H IS M .”
' T nE only fault I have to find w ith Mr. S i n n e tt’s b o o t
is tliat he too often says t h a t : “ this know ledge is now
b e in g given out for the first tim e .” H o does not do this
"because he w ants glory for him self, b u t because he
m a k e s a m istake.
N e a rly all the leading portions of th e do ctriue are to
b o .fou nd broadly sta te d in the, B a gavad-G ita.
T h e obscuration periods are m ost clearly sp ok en 'o f
(chap. V I I I , p. 42) : “ T ho se m en who know the day of
“ Bralima, which ends a fte r a thousand ages?, and the
“ n i g h t whicli comes on a t tho end of those thousand
“ ages, know d a y and n ig h t indeed. — . . . x x x . This
“ collective mass itself of e x is tin g things, thus existing
“ a g a in a n d again, is dissolved a t th e approach of th a t
“ n ig h t. A t th e approach of th a t day it emanates spou-
“ taneonsly.”
A n d in (chap. IX , p. 44) : “ A t the conclusion of a K alpa
“ all e x is tin g th iu g s re -e n te r n a tu r e wliich is c o gn ate
“ w ith me. B u t I cause them to como fo rth again at
“ the b e g in n in g of a K alp a .”
D h y a n -C h o h a n sta te is given in the same chapter. “ This
“ they call the h ig h e s t walk. Those who obtain this never
“ re tu rn , 'th is is my supremo a b o d e .”
R e-in carnation is sta te d a t (chap. I V , p. 24) : “ I aiid
“ thou havo passed th ro u g h many tra n sm ig ra tio n s.” A nd
th e re tu rn of B u d d h a in tho same. “ F o r whenever
“ th ere is a relaxation of duty, I then rep rod uce myself
“ for the p rotectio n of the good, au d the destruction of
“ evil do e rs.”
• D evachan is to be found in (chap IX , p. 4-r)) : “ Theso,
“ o b ta in in g th e ir rew ard, xxx. H a v in g enjoyed this g re a t
“ world of heaven, th e y re-enter tb e world of m orta's,
“ w hen tho rew ard is e xh a usted . . . they indulge in their
“ desires, an d o btain a happiness which comes and goes.”
T h a t kn ow ledge is m ore im p o rta n t th an mere reli­
gious devotion, see chap. 4, p. 26, “ I f thou w ert oven
“ the m ost sinful of all sinners, thou w ouldst cross over
“ all sin in the b a r k of spiritual k n o w le d g e .”
F o r those who will see, it is all in this wonderful book.
W m. Q. J u d g e , I'1. T. S.
E d i t o r ’ s K o t i j .— W o do n o t b e lio v e o n r A m e r i c a n b r o t h e r is ju s ti fie d
In h is r e m a r k s . T h e k n o w l e d g o g i v e n ont. in ICsotcric B u d d h i s m is, m o s t
d e c i d e d l y , “ g i v e n o u t f o r tlio fi rst t i m e , ” i n a s m u c h a s t h e a l l e g o r i e s t l m t
lio s c a t t e r e d in t h e H i n d u s a c r e d l i t o n i t u r e a r c n o w f o r t h e f i r s i t i m e c l c a r h j
e x p l a i n e d to t h o w o r l d o f t h e p r o f a n e . S in c c t h e b i r t h o f tli e Th cosophi*
c a l S o c i e t y a n d t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f 7 s i\', it is b e i n g r e p e a t e d d a i l y t h a t all
t h o E s o t e r i c W i s d o m of t h o a g e s li e s c o n c e a l e d in t h e V e d a s , t h e U p a ­
n i s h a d s a u d 13aga va d G i t a . Y e t, u n t o t h e d a y o f t h o fir st a p p e n r a n c c of
E s o te ric B u d d h i s m , n n d for long c e n t u rie s ba ck, th o s e d o c trin e s rem ain-
c d a p e aled l e t t e r t o a ll b u t a fe w i n i t i a t e d . B r a h m a n s w h o h a d a lw a y s
k e p t th e s p irit of it to th e m selv e s. T h e allegorical te x t w as ta k e n lite ­
r a l l y by t h e e d u c a t e d n n d t h e u n e d u c a t e d , t h e li r s t l a u g h i n g s e c r e t l y a t
t h e f a b l e s a n d t h e l a t t e r frilling i n t o s u p e r s t i t i o u s w o r s h i p , a n d o w in g
t o tlio v a r i e t y o f t h o i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s —s p l i t t i n g i n t o n u m e r o u s s e c t s . N o r
w o n l d W . Q. J u d g e h a v e e v e r h a d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y of c o m p a r i n g
n o t e s so e a s ily n n d , p e r h a p n , e v e n of u n d e r s t a n d i n g m a n y a m y s t e r y ,
n s h e n o w e v i d e n t l y s h o w s h®- tloes b y c i t i n g r e l e v a n t p a s s a g e s
f r o m t h e B a g a v a d G i t a , h a d i t n o t b e e n f o r Mr. S i n n e t t ’s w o r k
a n d plain e x p la n atio n s. M ost u n deniably, n o t “ n e arly a ll” — b u t
p o s i t i v e l y a l l t h e d o c t r i n e s g i v e n in E s o t e r i c B u d d h i s m a n d f a r
m o r o y e t u n t o u c h e d , a r o t o bo f o u n d in t h e G ita , a n d n o t o n l y t h e r e b u t
in a th o u san d m o re k n o w n o r u n k n o w n M SS. o f H i n d u s a c r e d
w r i t i n g s - l i u t w h a t o f t h a t P O f w l m t g o o d to W . Q. J u d g e o r a n y
o t h o r is t h o d i a m o n d t h a t lie s c o n c e a l e d d e e p u n d e r g r o u n d ? O f c o u r s e
e v e r y o n o lin o w s t l m t t h e r e is n o t a g e m , n o w s p a i k l i n g in a j e w e l l e r ’s
s h o p b u t p r e - e x i s t e d a n d la y c o n c e a l e d s i n c e i t s f o r m a t i o n fo r ageo
w i t h i n t h e b o w e ls o f t h e e a r t h . Y e t, s u r e l y , h e w h o g o t i t fir st f r o m
i t s f i n d e r a n d c u t a n d p o l i s h e d it, m a y b e p e r m i t t e d to s a y t h a t th is
p a r t i c u l a r d i a m o n d is “ g i v e n o u t f o r t h e firat t i m e ” to t h e w o r l d , s in ce
i t s rayB n n d l u s t r e a r e n o w s h i n i n g f o r t h e fir st i u b r o a d d a y - l i g h t .
T IG E R-CH A RM IN G .
I it ate heard from a good source that there is a Brahm air
b e l o n g i n g to a family of Tdntrika Siddhas, (adepts) well
known in this part of Bengal as the Siddha- Vidya family oE
Nahary a village in the District of Comillah, not very far off
from this place, who can attract tigers from a distance by oc­
cult influence, within the boundaries of a circle described by
F. T . S. him for the purpose, with earth collected from mousc-holca.
(Dried earth from mouse-holes is used extensively in many
other practices of occultism. Has i t any peculiar magnetic-
.properties P) It is only necessary for him to hear the voice of
the tiger as it roars, and by working through this subtle link he
will attract the ferocious beast from any distance, and compel
ifc to appear within his magic circle. Does any of your rea­
ders know of instances of this peculiar phaso of the activity
of the will-power ?■ For will-power alone must bo the active
agent in this drawing affair, at least, such is my belief; until
persons better acquainted offer me a more complete expla­
nation. -
K o n j a V. B iIattachakta, F. T* S.
* Dacca, 14ffo Ock 1883, . - • ^
 A B I S El O P O N T H E C H U R C H . ‘
1 i i e B i s h o p of L i v e r p o o l o p e n e d h i s D i o c e s a n C o n f e r e n c e , y e s ­ S p ijjU M i.
t e r d a y , a t a t . G e o r g e ’s H a l l , L i v e r p o o l , H a v i n g r e f e r r e d in f e e l ­
i n g t e r m s to t h e l u t e P r i m a t e , h e s a i d t h a t , w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n o f
P a r k e r , no A r c h b is h o p h ad e v e r e n t e r e d L a m b e t h P a la c e a t a m o re
D ie W e l t s t e l l u n o b u s M e n s c iie n “ T iie C o sm ic
critic a l period uud u n d e r h ea v ie r re sp o n s ib ility th a n A r c h b is h o p
B e n so n . R e v ie w in g th e s ta te of his diocese, he said c a n d id a te s P o s it io n o p M a n .” B y Baron K a r l du Prel.
f o r c o n f i r m a t i o n h t v e i n c r e a s e d f r o m 4 ,7 0 0 , i n 1881 t o 6 , 2 0 0 in 1 8 8 J , ' D a s J a n u s - G e s i c i i t d e s M e n c i i e n “ T h e Jan u s-faced -
w hile n in e p e r m a n e n t a n d te v e n te m p o r a r y c h u r c h e s had been
n e s s o e M a n . ” B y the same author.
o p e n e d f o r s e r v i c e , a n d s i x w o u l d s h o r t l y be a d d e d . H e d r e w a
g lo o m y p ic tu r e of t h e d iocesan fin an ces n n d of th e s p ir itu a l T h e s e are two s h o rt papers, written by H e r r n Karl da
d e s t i t u t i o n s o f t h e d i o c e s e , a n d d e c l a r e d h i s ’ d e t e r m i n a t i o n to a p ­
Prel in two out-of-the-way German periodicals. The
point, a c o m m i t t e e to t a k e a c t i v e s t e p s t o m e n d m a t t e r s . S p e a k ­
i n g of t h e C h u r c h n t l a r g e , h e e x p r e s s e d h i s f e a r t l i a t t h e r e w as tendency of th e a u th o r is to show, w hat has been so often
n o l i k e l i h o o d of t h e d i f f e r e n t s c h o o l s i u t h e c h u r c h g i v i n g w a y to shown and felt before, th a t the te a c h in gs of science far
p r t o l e r a t i n g e a c h o t h e r , a n d t h a t u n l e s s t h e G o d of M e r c y i n t e r ­ from leading to Materialism, supply tbe best proof against
p o s e d t h o C h u r c h c o u l d n o t li v e m u c h l o n g e r , b u t m u s t g o to it. The reader need hard ly be reminded th a t the material­
pieces a n d p e rish . H e c o u l d n o t s e e t h e a p p r o a c h i n g d e a t h of
s u c h a g r a n d old i n s t i t u t i o n u s t h e R e f o r m e d C h u r c h of E n g l a n d
ist denies a lto g e th e r th a t man has, or can ever havej
w ith o u t d ee p sorrow . either a position, or a relation, reaching beyond tho
H i s L o r d s h i p r e f e r r i n g t o t h e E p i s c o p a t e , s a i d t h e r o w a s 110 lim its of th e earth. Now the m aterialist could have all
o r d e r o f m e n c r i t i c i s e d so s e v e r e l y a u d s a v a g e l y , a n d vilified, his own way, so long as philosophers alone told us th a t
s n e e r e d a t , r i d i c u l e d , a b u s e d a u d c o n d e m n e d so u n c e a s i n g l y a s our know ledge of n atu re , in other words, th a t which con­
E n g lis h ltishops. U n le s s th e y w ere t r e a t e d w ith m ore c o n s id e r­
a t i o n a n d f a i r n e s s , h e p r e d i c t e d a d a y w o u l d c o m e w h e n 110 r i g h t -
stitu te s science, is m erely the outcome of our subjective
m in d e d m an who loved d ir e c t s p iritu a l w ork a n d h a te d w a stin g impressions and o bservation ; b u t w ith th e progress of
p r e c i o u s t i m e in s t r i f e a n d w r a n g l i n g w o u l d c o n s e n t t o b e a b i s h o p time, science itself has been b r o u g h t to acknow ledge th a t
a t a l l .— D a ily Telegraph. th is is the case. E v e ry m an of culture know s now-a-days
N o d o u b t i t is c o m i n g t o t h i s : o u r a s t o n i s h m e n t is, t h a t a n y
th a t th e so-called qualities of m a tte r, a re n o th in g xnora
m a n of a s p i r i t u a l m i n d c o u l d c o n s e n t t o b e c o m e a B i s h o p . C h a s .
B r ig h t, t h e g r e a t F r e e - t h o u g h t le c tu r e r, in a d d r e s s i n g a c ertain th a n q ualitative expressions of our own o rg a n iz a tio n ;
D ish o p , a u d u p b r a id in g him for c e rta in P re la tic a l e n u n c ia tio n s , th a t, consequently, all our know ledge is subjective, and
d e c l a r e d t h a t 110 h o n e s t m a n c o u l d b o a B i s h o p , S o i t r e a l l y c o m e s unfit as such to en lig h te n us ab ou t th e tru e n a tu r e of
t o t h i s , that a B ishop a n d a Free-thought lecturer a re o f one m i n d . th in g s. T h e m aterialist has, by bis own researches, d u g
' l h e g l o o m y v i e w t a k e n of t h e C h u r c h b y t h e B i s h o p o f
L i v e r p o o l is s i m p l y a u e c h o of t h e p r e v a l e n c e o f p u b l i c o p i n i o n
his own grave, however m uch he may refuse to assist at
011 t h i s h e a d , a n d we f e a r o u r B i s h o p is t r u s t i n g t o a f a l l a c i o u s his own funeral.
i d e a w h e n liis o n l y h o p e of t h e v i t a l i t y o f t h e C h u r c h b e i u g p r o ­ O ur senses do not give us an exact re p o rt of w hat ig
l o n g e d is iu a G o d o f M e r c y . D o e s t h e B i s h o p s u p p o s e t h a t a go ing on around us, b u t of w hat is g o in g 0 1 1 i n ns. T he
C h u r c h t h a t h is so d e p a r t e d f r o m t h o G h r i s t - p r i n c i p l e c a n s t a n d ?
sound th a t strik e s our ear, does not m ake us aw are th a t
T h e R e f o r m e d C h u r c h of E n g l a n d i t s e l f r e q u i r e s r e f o r m a t i o n ,
before its v ita lity c an be se c u re d . H i s t o r y r e p e a t s itself, a u d u the a ir around us v ib r a te s ; such being , nevertheless, th e
C h u r c h f a l l i n g t o p i e c e s t h r o u g h i t s o w n c o r r u p t i o n , is n o n e w case, we (m aterialists or 1 1 0 1 1 -materialists) are driven to
t h i u g . I f l i u d d h a c a m e t o r e f o r m t h o R e l i g i o n o f t h e B r a h m a n , if adm it th a t the a uditory nerve transform s for us, a certain
L u t h e r r e f o r m e d t h e R o m a n C a t h o l i c R e l i g i o n , if t h o P r i e s t h o o d fact into a certain o th e r — vibration of air strikes us,
of K g y p t fell t h r o u g h t h o i r o w n d e p r a v i t y , is i t a n y w o n d e r t h a t
t h e C h u r c h of E n g l a n d s h o u l d c o l l a p s e , u n l e s s s h e m a r c h e s w i t h
n o t as vibration of air, b u t as sound. S o m eth in g similar
th o tim e s ? I m a g i n in g h e r s e lf s e c u re iu h e r s u p r e m a c y , sh e h a s may be said with re g a r d to th e r e s t of our five senses.
t ailed t o a d v a n c e w i t h t h o n e w i d e a s n o w p r e v a l e n t , a n d i n s t e a d o f T here are two modes of motion, to which none of oui'
re so rtin g to roason a n d g r e a t e r lib e r a lity of op in io n , h e r lead ers senses responds, namely, m agnetism a u d electricity.
have c o n te n d e d th e m s o lv e s w ith d e n u n c i a t i o n s of th o so w h o
There are th e n a f te r all more thing3 in heaven and on
differ fro m th e m , h a v o r e s o r te d to b ig o te d a n d n a r r o w - m i n d e d
a r g u m e n t s to d e f e a t th e ir o p p o n e n ts , a n d h a v e n o t s h r u n k f r o m earth, th a n our senses could ever have d r e a m t of.
u s i n g t h e a u x i l i a r i e s of c a l u m n y a n d f a l s e s t a t e m e n t s ; n a y , t h e y Sup po se our senses could be m ade to u nd e rg o some
have evon p u t illegal p r e s s u r e on t h e i r o p p o n e n ts , a n d a lto g e th e r change, while the universe rem ain ed all along th e same,
h avo e x h ib ite d a w a n t of ta c tic s v e r y d if f e r e n t to th e f r o n t s h o w n itis evident quite a new world would arise before us, th o u g h
b y t h e C h u r c h of R o m e . N o w l e t u s t a k e o u r B i s h o p a s a n
exam ple. D o e s h e b e c o m e a T h e o s o p h is t ? N o , fa r from it. H e
objectively a n d m aterially th e world would be exactly
b a u d s t o g e t h e r w ith his b icolored c le r g y to t a k e “ special m e a ­ the samo as it was before.* L e t us suppose t h a t we w ere
s u r e s ” a g a i n s t T h e o s o p h i s t s i n s t e a d of j o i n i n g t h e m . I n s t e a d o f endowed with somo new sense, say with a six th sense ;
s e e k i n g D i v i n e W i s d o m h e t r i o s to p r e v e n t o t h e r s f r o m d o i n g so. how m u c h the more manifold would our very same
S u c h a r e t h e t a c t i c s o f t h e C h u r c h . o f E n g l a n d ; is i t a n y w o n d e r w e universe a p p e a r to ns. Suppose again we were deprived
a s k if t h o C h u r c h s h o u l d t u m b l e t o p i e c e s f r o m i t s o w n i n h e r e n t
w eakness? If suoh a re its actio n s, t r u ly wo m a y sa y “ Q uern of one of o ur senses, say of th e sense of sig h t— there
D eus vult p e rd e re , prius d e m e n ta t,” would a t once be a g r e a t a n d ric h portion of N a tu r e dis­
R eform er, F . T, S. app ear to us. So we are a f te r all, w ith all onr b o a ste d
knowledge, merely th e creatu res of onr own senses. All
D E A T H O F TUB SW AM I OF ALMORA. ou r know ledge, f a r from b e in g positive, is, so to aay, a
[f f n read with concern tlie following communication so rt of reflex knowledge-
from Babu Kumud Chunder Mookorji, Secretary to the Hima­ Spectral analyasis teaches us th a t the chemical sub-
layan Esoteric Theosophical Society of Simla. Tlio Parama- ste.neos composing th e various celestial bodies differ from
hansa Swami of Almora, whose death is now reported, was tho each o ther ; consequently we can h a rd ly help coming to
author of those learned articles 0 1 1 4-dwaitism in tho T h e o ­ th e conclusion th a t th e ir respective inhabitants differ
so phist, which wero opposed hy our rospected colleague, Mr. from each oth e r with re g a rd to tlieir organisation.
T. Subba Row. I t is certainly an untimely death. Tho past Suppose now th e school of M aterialism to be represented.
two months have made a sad liavoe in the ranks of the
Hindu religious teachers. From October 30 (1883) to * A n d t h i s ia p r e c i s e l y t l i o c h a n g e c l a i m e d b y t h e i n i t i a t e d a d e p t s o f
January 4, 1884—some 65 days—died successively Swami O c c u l t i s m ; a n d t h a t a l o n e is s u ffic i e n t to a c c o u n t f o r t h e i r g r o a t o p p o s i t i o n
Dayanand, tho Swami of Almojw, and—Keshub Chunder Sen. to m a n y a scien tific a c tio n o f m o d e r n scionco a n d t h e g r e a t e r t r u s t ­
— E d ,] w o r t h i n e s s o f tU o t o a o h i n g a o f t h o f o r m e r , O ncc th a t w e a d A it th e
p o s s i b i l i t y o f Biicli a “ c h a n g e , ” a n d a s a r e s u l t t h e r e f r o m , t h e g r e a t e r
I have just received tho sad news th a t tl^e Swami of a c u t e n e s s a u d p e r f e c t i o n o f al) t h e i r s e n s e s — g r a n t i n g e v e n t h a t t h e
Almora has left his “ mortal coil.” H e was attacked with G th a n d 7 t h s e n s o d o n o t e x i s t f o r a n y o n o o u t s i d e t h o s e w h o c l a i m
fever which lasted for 7 days. Ho left this for the h ig h e r e i t h e r of th o m o r b o th , a n d t h u s c a n n o t bo p r o v e d scientifically— w o h a v o
sphere on Monday tho 31st December 1883—a t 9 r. m. His to a d m i t a t a n y r a t e t h a t t h e y seo, h 6 a r, t a s t e , feel, a n d s m e l l m o ro
burial was attended by all the people of Almora and sub­ a c u te ly th a n t h e r e s t of h u m a n ity , u n tr a in e d a n d u n in itia ted , how can
w e th e n av o id t r u s t i n g m o ro in their t h a n in o n r s e n se s ? A n d y e t
scriptions aro now being raised for a tablet to be placed over t h e s a m o tr a v e ll e r w h o w ill u n h e s i t a t i n g l y tru B t to t h e a c u te n e s s of th a
liis grave. He was loved and revered by all who had the good e y e o r e a r o f h i a r e d - I n d i a n g u i d e i n p r e f e r e n c e t o hiB o w n — w i l l d e n y
fortune to como in contaot with Lila, t h e e x i s t e n c e a n d e v e n t h e p o s s i b ili ty of a s e rie s of s u c h fa c u ltie s b e in g
S i m l a , bth January, 1884. K . C, M o o k e b j i , d e v e lo p ed in a n A siatic a d e p t /— E d , ^
 ,e are two ways by which relation between man
a t each inhabited sta r and planet; suppose th ere bad been
a n d t ..e cosmos may be established ; either by means of
a cosmic congress of materialists ; suppose tlio m e m b jis
some extraneous forces yet unknown to m an or by
ot tlio congress had found th e moans ol a m u tu a l exchange
some forces dw elling in man himself. Darwin’s theory of.
of th oug hts. Each of them would th en givo liis own
cosmic experience according to his o w n perceptions evolution gives 1 1 s a clue in this respect which is worth
according to liis own o rg a n isa tio n ; and as his own inode pursuing. F or it is h a rd ly fair to suppose th a t the
tend en cy tow ards high er d evelopm ent has been bro ught
of perception could hardly coincide with th a t of the o tb e is
each m em ber being supposed organised differently fi om to a s ta n d still in ou r days. Let us look a t th e past.
AVe tind th a t th e oldest geological layers contain the sim­
all tlio others, tbo result would be a cosmic Babel. Jjveiy
one would leave the congress with tho linn conviction th a t plest forms of lifo, the recen t ones the more highly deve­
loped forms. T his is one fact p o in tin g to the theory of
all the re st m ust be possessed with some sort of hallucina­
evolution. T here is, however’, yet an o th er fact c o nn ect­
tion. H allucination istlie magic word in the mouth of every
ed th e re w ith of 1 1 0 less im portance to tho theory of
M aterialist whenever one man professes to have perceived
Darwin. I t is namely this, tb a t in each such conform a­
a p henom enon wliich lie, th e m aterialist, in consequence
tion of tho past, we can detect certain traces pointiug to
of some modified organisation, can n o t perceive. l i e will
its im mediate predecessor, and certain o th e r m a rk s p r e ­
n o t u n d e rsta n d th a t 0 1 1 0 and the same objective woi >,
m ay and m ust ap p ea r subjectively different to diffeient sa g in g th a t high er conformation into which it is destined
to develop. A n y m em ber of th e chain of animal form s
organisations.* . looks, th e n , so to say, half to its past, and half to its
T h a t th e individual existenco of mnn on e a rth is ot a
future. A n exam ple of wliat has been said wo have
f a r rea c h in g influence upon m a n k in d a t la rg e , the
before ns, in the conformation of th e fcetus ; th ere we see
m aterialist freely acknowledges. T h e theo ry cf evolution
an organism provided with all what is necessary for its
teach es th a t overy individual is a link in the progressive
foetal existence, jilus such oth e r organs, o r indications of
chain of fu tn ro existences. B u t th e n , life on earth is
o rg a n s as shall bo necessary at the successive stages of
a fte r all destined to come sooner or b iter to an eud ; the
its fu tu re development.
e a rth itself cannot ultimately escape a similar destiny.
I s it compatible with th e law of evolution, th a t the wliolo Tlie conception of a tra n sc e n d e n tal world lies then
life and culture of th e liu m -n race, a n d all tlie forces actually w ithin the conception of evolution. F o r what
evolved out of th a t life aud c u ltu re should be ultimately a p p e a rs now to be real to 11 s, is actually a sort of world
lost in the economy of the universe ? th a t could not havo been real to m an in a stage of earlier
and lower development. To him with his deficient org a­
M aterially sp eak in g we know th a t onr terrestrial globe
nization a world, as we perceive it now, could only have
is by far not so isolated from the g ra n d Cosmos us it
been concei?ed by a g r e a t effort of im agination, iu other
would ap pe a r to tbo superficial observer. "Wo are tied
words, what has been tra n sc e n d en tal to him, has become
by gravitation to the sobir system (if only by th a t .)
a reality to us, iu onr higher state of development.
a u d we receive lig h t und heat from th e sun and the stars.
U nless th e n th e materialist is p repared to m aintain, that
I t is therefore not quite im p e rtin e n t to ask ourselves if
man has come to a total sta n d still in liis development, I19
i t is beyond the ra n g e of possibility to utilise those con­
has 1 1 0 r ig h t to say, th a t all our knowledge of the uni­
n e c tin g forces as a means of com m unication between our
verse begins a n d ends w ith the ra n g e of our five senses
glo b e and some celestial bo ly. By means of spectrum
us they are now constituted. I f the materialist can ever
analysis we have already a rriv e d a t a certain mode or
m ake up his mind to be sincere a n d consistent with him ­
inform ation of w hat is go ing on in d is ta n t w orlds. The
self, be m ust h u m b ly acknowledge th a t he is a most
idea of a possible existence of some sort of telegraphic
obstinate philosopher, who will not see th a t he is destined
communication is, therefore, n o t so preposterou s as it
to see more and to know more than he actually knows,
m ig h t look a t tbe first blush. W e a re besides ign oran t of
in the measure as he is carried on by the stream of pro­
m an y natural forces which m ig h t lend them selves to the
gressive evolution.
esta blishm e n t of such an eventual communication.
Astronomically, our e a rth and ull t h a t b e longs to it, B u t thero is not only progressive evolution aw aiting us
form a p a r t of the whole. A n d should n o t also the w ith re g a rd to our fivo senses, which are a fte r all b u t the
forces active on this e a rth form a p a r t of th e whole ? out-posts of inner life, b u t no less with reg ard to that
I f so, is it admissible, tlia t the h igh est of all those inner life itself. Wo materialist can deny the existenco
forces, dwelling in m an, should be s h u t out from the of a consciousness—a faculty which, in th e ord er of
g r e a t concert of the universe ? things, nm st 1 1 0 less be capable of f u rth e r evo­
lution. A lread y we perceive, iu some exceptional cases,
O ur conjectures do not end here as ye t. F o r if m a n ’s th e signs of w hat is to come. Som nambulism , mesme­
la b o u r and culture are not to be re s tric te d to the globe rism, p resentim ents, show us, in which way the higher
u p o n which be tem porarily lives ; if he is,moreover, to em it faculties of m an are destined to develop. They show a
fo rces w hich w ork th eir way th r o u g h o u t th e u n iv e rse ; disposition in man to a mode of cognition which stand
th e n we m u st expect some sort of action a n d re-actiou h a lf w a y between reality a n d transcendentalism , Wliafc
b etw e e n m an and th e cosmos a t large. T h e re is no kuow- has the m aterialist to say to th e following fnct, ns re­
i n g them , in how far we may really here be influenced by corded in the judicial proceedings of the Courts of Vienna ?
Buch cosmic intellects, or intellectual beings, who dwell The Neue TViener Tageblatt (.January 13,1881,) informs
iu some o th e r p lanet. This would a p p a re n tly land us at us, t h a t in a case of m urder, where the police could find
t h e b o rd e r lands of spiritualism ; b u t we shall e o o h see no clue, th e sam e was given by a m an who dream t a
t h a t our considerations lead us into some other regions d re a m — a d re a m , which turned out to bo the truth,
a lto g e th e r. a n d gavo rise to th e discovery of th e murderer.
Goethe tells 11 s, in liis “ T ru th and Fiction,” th a t he has
* A p a r t a u d q n ite d is t i n c t fr o m th e v a r ie ty in th o s u b je c tiv e p e r c e p ­ seen his own double self, rid in g on horsoback, in bis
tio n s o f t h e o n e a n d Barue o b je c t— b y m a n k in d in g e n e r a l ,— s t a n d s th c g re y coat. H einrich Tschocke could sometime beforo
u n v a r y in g p e r c e p tio n o f th o tr a in e d O c c n ltisb . P c r c c iv in g th e a c t u a l i t y ,
f o r h im th o m o d e s o f th o p r e s e n ta tio n o f a n o b je c t c a n n o t v a r y ; f o r tlio his death, tell any man the history of the life he lived
i n i t i a t e d a d e p t p c rc c iv e s a n d d is c e r n s th c u l t i m a t e a n d a c t u a l s t a t e o f from his youth. A nd Goethe a n d T schocke have been as
t h i n g s in n a t u r e b y m e a n s o f h is s p i r i t u a l p e r c e p t io n , t r a m m e lle d b y wise an d ns good men as a n y of our m aterialists living.
n o u e o f h ia p h y s ic a l s e n s e s , a n d o n ly w h e n t h e f o r m e r h a v e b e e n c a lle d
f o r t h fr o m th o ir la t e n t iu to t h e i r a c tiv e s t a t e a u d d e v e lo p e d s u f lic ie n tly Of w hatever n a tu re th e chain of forces may be, by
t o s ta n d th e final t e s t s o f in itia tio n . T h e r e f o r e , th is a b n o r m a l (in o n r which our earth ly existence is connected with the cosmos;
p r e s e n t ra c e o n l y ) fa o u lty h n s n o u g h t to d o w ith th e c o m m o n p e r c e p ­ th e re is, therefore, good reason to believe, th a t one, and
t io n s a n d t h o ir v a rio u s i n o d o B , a n d i f th o m a t e r i a l i s t is s c o p tic a l a s to
t h e l a t t e r , h o w c a n h e bo m a d e to b e lie v e in t h o e x is t e n c e o f th e f o r m e r — p e rh ap s th e chief link in th a t m ysterious chain, is to be
% f a c u lty o f w h ic h h o k n o w s le ss t h a n o f tiie m a n i n t h e m o o n !— Ea>. fund in our j n n e k s e l f ,
 Ki>. N o t e . — T h e s e e x t r a c t s f r o m t h e t w o G e r m a n p a m p h l e .itii';#
b e e n k i n d l y m a d e f o r u s , b y om- b r o t h e r D r . L. S a l t z e r of tLU'QItti- viewed seriatim, will, I feel sure, show very good reasons
c u t t u T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y . T h e y a r e p r o f o u n d l y s u g g e s t i v e perse th e o so p h is ts call M r. Lillie’s “ Exposition of
a n d g o f o r l o p r o v e tl i e t h e o r y of t h e s i m u l l a u e o u s ' e v o l u t i o n a n d uddhism n o t only “ exoteric” b u t decidedly f a n t a s t i c .
g r o w t h o f tlie s a m e i d e a s o u v a r i o u s a n d w i d e l y s e p a r a t e d p o i n t s
ot' t h o g l o b e . I n o u r n e x t w e h o p e to g i v e t h o s u m m a r y o f a u
l l i e a u th o r ’s pretensions, coupled as th ey are w ith a
article “ D uj P lan isten B ew o u n er,” by th e sam e a u th o r, th e very indifferent k n ow led ge of B uddh ism an d B r a h m a n -
latto r h a v in g k in d ly se n t us his v a lu a b le p u b lic a tio n s for re v ie w . lsin, a n d a com plete ignorance, as it seems, of t h e v alue
A s r e m a r k e d by out- B r o t h e r , M r. G u s t a v e Z o r n , o f O d e s s a , a f t e r of S a n s k rit term s, a p p e a r even to th e a v erag e S liastri
l e a d i n g t h e s e w o r k s , o n e is t e m p t e d l o a s k h i m s e l f i n w o n d e r :
a n d P u n d i t ce rta in ly somewhat amusing, if, perhaps*
" I s B a ru n d u LJ r e l , a d i s c i p l e — a E u r o p e a n chela o f o u r H i m a l a -
) ,U1 s a g e s t h a t h i s t h o u g h t s s h o u l d s e e m , so t o s a y , p h o t o g r a p h e d also a little mischievous, inasm uch as they p e rv e r t a n d
f r o m Ikuiv ( a n d o u r ; d o c t r i n e s ! ” T r u l y t h e a u t h o r o f t h e w o r k d arken finally th e g eneral notions of the W e s te r n p r o ­
r e v i e w e d is a b o r n T h e o s o p h i s t , — o r s h a l l wo s a y O c c u l t i s t ? fane. As said above, a n y th in g like a complete ex po sure
A t any rate, here we have one m o re p ro fo u n d an d u n p r e ju ­ of the g rotesq ue fantasies of Mr. Lillie being u tte r l y
d iced t h i n k e r . M a y o u r p r e s e n t r a c o e v o l u t e m a n y m o r e s u c h
philosophers for t h e g r e a te r g lo ry of T r u t h !
impossible, a n d a n elaborate review of ull his fallacies
requiring more tim e than I can command a n d g r e a te r
space th an th e editor would be willing to allow, I shall
K e m a k k s a n d T h o u g h t s o n B u d d h a a n d E a r l y B u d d h i s m , content m yself b y b rin g in g to public notice only somo
of his most g la rin g inaccuracies. My comments shall
by A r t h u r Lillie, (Late Regim ent o f LucknowJ.
be necessarily brief.
B y D i i a k a n i D i i a r Iy a u t i i u m i , P. T . S .
I u the second p a r a g r a p h of th e initial p a g e of Lis book
O p in io n seems to be divided in this Country as to (lie be n t upon proving B u d d h ism — again st all B uddhista
values of the O riental research and scholarship of the West. and Pali scholars— a th eistic system , M r.Lillie observes:—*
A clnss of H indus th e re aro wlio overflow with g ra titu d e to “ I n t l i e V e d i c l i y m n s t w o d i s t i n c t f o r m s o f r e l i g i o n a r e t r a c e a b l e —;
the indefatigable scholars an d m ousing an tiquarians of t b e r e l i g i o n o f t b e p r o p h e t ( K i s h i ) a n d t h e r e l i g i o n o f t b e p r i e s t . ’’
Germany aud o th e r E uropean countries, for rescuing the
intellectual w ealth of our cou ntry from th e waves of I would not presum e to fa th o m th e d e p th of M r.
oblivion. T h e re are others again who as vehem ently Lillie’s Vedic sc h o la rsh ip : b u t this m uch m ig h t be
m aintain th a t the study of our ancient literature by safely asserted, th a t tho idea of a p ro p h e t will be found
foreigners is au un m itigated evil ; th a t it p erv erts the nowhere in tho Vedas, th e real division b e in g betweeu
minds of a large au d influential section of our countrym en Jay priests aud tho devotees called B r a h m a v a d is—th e only
hy a chronology m ade to fit W e s te r n prejudices, by false expo nen ts of th e esoteric doctrine. On th e n e x t pago
we are told: —
and fanciful interpretations of our sacred writings, which
u n fo n u n a te ly for us wo have very few means of correct­ “ Iu V ed ic d ay s th e n u m b e r of th e h e a v e n s w as sev en .”

ing. W ith o u t c om m itting himself to th e ex trem e views of
either p arty, un im p a rtia l critic is bound to ad m it th a t
'th e re is tr u th on b oth sides. ’ I t c a nno t be denied th a t
the violence done to our most deeply cherished tra d i­
tional beliefs by the gross m isinterpretations p u t on • heavens of which th e re are not seven b u t f m r t e e n ,
our S c riptures by European O rientalists will have,
and has a lre a d y had, a h e a lth y a n d beneficial
etfect on our minds in s tim u la tin g inquiry an d
leading us to a more enlig h te n e d au d extensive
study of th e S a n sk rit lang uage a u d of tho works of
th e wise men of a ncien t India. Hut so long as the effects of
revived indigenous scholarship do n ot b e g in to be moro
prouounced, th e results produced nre more often deplorable
than otherw ise. T he learned p un dits of our country, to
whom S an sk rit is hardly a dead language, have no oppor­
tunity of being heard, in th e ir ig n o ra n c e of Mlechha
tongues ; and the learned men of the W e s t by th e clever
stra ta g em of deny in g to our p u n d its and priests any
know ledge of our religion an d literature, have succeeded
in h e ig h te n in g th e enjoyment of th a t fool’s parudiso,
wj th which they have surrounded themselves.
Theso observations receive a peculiar force from the
publication of th e w ork under notice, an d its reception
by a certain class of English readers. S ta r tle d a t .f ir s t
by th e unusually large am o unt of m istran sla tio ns of
tSanskrit words, of false notions and a rb itra ry i n t e r p r e t a ­ curious statem ents. F o r instance :—
tion, the editors of this m agazine m istrusting th e ir own
knowledge, sent th e work to persons more co m p etent
than themselves to pronounce an opinion upon i t — namely,
to excellent S a n sk rit and Pali scholars, certain S o u th ern
an d N o rth e rn B u dd hists. T h e answ er came, th a t to p oint
out and explain conscientiously the num berless mistakes
in the little 8vo. volume would necessitate threo like
volumes, at th e l e a s t ! T herefo re the w o rk was p u t aside
and never reviewed at all. B u t, since Mr. Lillie comes
forward in Light w ith an assault upon T h e o so p h y , th e
T heosophists and their Masters, it is time th a t some
one should raise tho voice and show the S p iritu alists
'.along witli tho general public w h a t Mr. L illie ’s w o rk is
worth,
I propose, therefore, to exam ine carefully “ B u d d h a
a u d Early B u d d h ism .” T he first two c h a p te rs alon e , r e ­
A n d again m e ntion is m a de of “ God” a n d his EOYea
“ e te rn a l h e a v e n s.”
W e a nsw er: th e Vedic w rite rs ne v e r spoko of “ eternal
heavens,” b ut of seven eternal states beyond all tho
b eg in n in g w ith S w a rg a a u d e nding with B rah m aloka.
N one of th e la tte r is eternal, even th e ir presiding
powers b e in g subject to dissolution a t tho end of tho
M auvantara. T he f u r t h e r mention of “ God’s soven
“ eternal heavons” in th e B ugavat-gita, shows a t alt
events tha t th e idea of th e seven p e rm a n e n t states is not
confined to the “ Vedic days alone.’’ Says th e a u th o r
on the n ex t p a g e : —
“ I n t h e B a g a v a t g i t a t h e g r e a t s p i r i t u a l e n l i g h t e n m e n t , w h i c h i t ia
t h o o b j e c t o f all d e v o u t A s i a t i c s to o b t a i n , is c a l l e d k n o w l e d g e of t h o
B y u ib o ! u m b r e l l a - ”
H in d u p u n d its would feel seriously obliged to tho
author, were ho to show whore it is so sta te d ? W e can
ouly wonder deeply a t th e cool assumption. On pago 3
we read :—■
“ C h a i t y a a n d C h a t t r a w e r o p e r h a p s o n c e t h e s a m e w o r d . ” (!?)
I t is very u n fo rtu n a te th a t the a u th o r should not have
disclosed th e g ro u n d s of such an original belief, as they
would certainly have set th e teeth of old Panini on edge !
T u rn in g th e p a g e ov er we find there some other m ost
“ 1. G o d is i m a g e d a s a m a n s i t t i n g u n d e r a n u m b r o l l a .
2. T ho living S a in t on a c q u ir in g th e B odhi or k now ledge of u m b re lla
h a s a n u m b r e l l a p r e s e n t e d to h i m . ” *
F ir s t of all it becomes necessary to ascertain which God
of the m any is h ere referred to ? I t is tru e th a t Rama
and K rish n a a n d other god-mon, believed to be Avatars of
Vishnu, are re p re se n te d with au um brella spread over their
heads. B u t it m ust not be forgotten t h a t while g ods they
aro also earthly kings, or ra th e r t h a t they are crow ned
heads an d as such entitled to tho honour. A flood of lig h t
may be thrown on th e subject, if we consider carefully the
m eaning of the S a n sk rit word Elcachhatra (one umbrella).
I t is only when a k in g had subdued every ono of the
n e ig hbo uring princes th a t he could force them to sit in
* N o t iu H i n d u i s m s u r e l y ,— D. D. K,

liis presence w ithout an um brella, lie alone en joying th e
privilege, a m a rk of liis suprem acy. Mr. Lillie has d is­
da in e d to cite his authorities for this, as for all oth er
assum ptions made by him. Perchance, he im agined the
fact too well known to req uire corroboration. B u t for all
I know — and I have consulted many a learned p u n d it
in th e present case— such assertion is nowhere w a r r a n t­
ed by any Brahm anical or Pali B u d d h ist work, for th e
m a t te r of that, N e x t we are told t h a t :—
“ I n t h o I n d i a n r e l i g i o n G o d ia i m a g e d a s a m a n s i t t i n g u n d e r a t r e e . ”
N o t generally b o . Maheswara (great God) or Siva is
usually conceived as sitting at th e foot of a largo Banyan
tre e . B u t here, as every B ra hm a n initiate knows, Siva
is tho g e rm from which sp rin g s th e sacred Vata tree (tho
lio n y a n ) tho tree of true knowledge. So far even a p a rt
of th e esotcric meaning implied h;ts rem ained conceuled
for th e E u ro p e a n Sanskritist. ,
T he B rahtnan priest of tho Vedic period is spoken of
ns " a politician.” Considering the apotheosis th a t our
na tiv e statesmen, e xp erts in state-craft, aro receiving
daily a t the hands of western people, this is, no doubt,
a g r e a t post-mortem honour conferred on th e h um ble sou
of Braluna. His descendants, however, are too hone.‘t to
app rop riato for him titles th a t do not legitim ately be­
lon g to him, since the Vedic priest was never a politician.
On page 5, we read i-—
’ 11 T h e f e m i n i n e p r i n c i p l e , m a t t e r , t h e e a r t h , t h e u n i v e r s a l m o t h e r .
F h e is t h o S o p h i a o f G n o s t i c s , * C a b a l i s t e , e tc ., a n d w n s r e p r e s e n t e d
{ip f e m i n i n e i n t h e C a t a c o m b s b y t h e e a r l y C h r i s t i a n a . I n B u d d h i s m ( ? )
t h e is c a l l e d P r a j n f i , a n e x a c t v e r b a l e q u i v a l e n t f o r S o p h i a . ’1
H e re , tho gro u n d is moro secure for us. I f a n y th in g is
'riot cosmic m atter, or P r a k r iti, it is Pragna. W e
do not know on wliat a u th o rity Mr. Lillie seeks
to deny the possession of the w ord P r a g n a to the Brali-
minical system, to confine it entirely to “ Huddhism.”
A s w ith th e la tte r, P r a g v d is simply th e “ manifested
w isdom ,” so, if lie refers t.j M nndukyopa nish ad lie will
find a t th e very opening lhe fo llow ing:—
“ This a tm a (jivatrna) has f o u r asjiects... On tho p i (me
o f sennuonx perception it is known as Baiiiiippagna (the
capacity o f objective perception or consciousness).” F rom
this it is perfectly plain that if any distinction is to be
drawn betwoen the num erous aspects o f t h e One E lem en t
of H indu philosophy, P ragna is no more m a tte r than
■white is black. N or has the word a n y o th e r m eaning
in B u dd hist philosophy as will appear from a passage
from “ N am a S a n g iti,” w hich M r. Lillie has with
suicidal im prudence e x tracted f u r th e r on ( p . ] 5). Tlie
p assag e runs t h u s : — “ H e (Adi B uddha) is th e creat'd-
of P r a jn a and of th e world, (or he m ade th e world
w ith the assistance of P r a jn a ) .” W h a te v e r may be th e
c o rre c t re nd e ring of the passage, one th in g is perfectly
plain : P ra g n a is not the E a rth , nor is i t matter.
Th& a u th o r represents tho Vedic triad to consist of
D aksb a, (which he spells Daxa) tlio father, A diti the
m other, and w h at ho calls the solar go d-m an (p. G). T h e
m ost learned Vedic P u n d it would despair of findim*
authority for such a grotesque combination. Dakslia is
never tho husband of A d iti who was tho wife of Kasyapa.
T his word has esoterically a very m ysterious and sugges­
tive m e a n in g : Read b a c k w a rd this word becomes Pas-
yakcit — witness and stands for “ w itness-spirit” or P u r u ­
sha. H is attem pt to identify th e th ird m em b er of this
tria d (the solar God-man) with Y a m a is very unfortunate
a n d perhaps slightly ridiculous. Y atna was n ever consi­
de re d in Hinduism a m an a u d is the deity presiding
* S o p h ia of th o G n o stic s— “ m a tte r , th o e n r t h ” ! ! W h a t G nostic, o r
K a b a l i s t w o n l d e v e r c o n c u r i n t h i s w i l d n o t i o n P T h i s is m a t e r i a l i s m
w ith a v e ttg ean p e . P r a g n a o r w is d o m is c e r t a in l y t h e S o p h ia of th o
G reeks, b u t b o th a re th e s u m to tal of u n iv e rsa l s p ir itu a l w is d o m — i i i ,
t T h i s w o r d is s o m e t i m e s u s e d to d e n o t e t h e S i m , — D . D . K ,
over D eath. E ven M ax M uller s-iys iu India, what it
can teach n s —
“ H is (Y am a’s) D eva-like nature is never completely
lost, and as th e god ot' th e setting sun he is indeed the
leader of tho F a th e r s b u t never one oj the Fathers
himself.”
The Y am a of Z e n ia v o sta , d ra g g e d down to the
level of terrestrial m an, A dam , was simply tho weapon
of one who trie d to show his enmity to th e B rahm auieal
system, from which ho had seceded, by converting all tho
H indu gods into evil spirits-
Oue of the g re a te st escapades possible is com m itted on
pa g e 7 :—
“ N o w o n d e r t h a t t h e s y m b o l o f jjod a n d tlie s i t u a t i o n of paradise g o t­
ta b e a s s o c ia te d w ith th is (pole) s t a r . ”
R e a d in the lig h t of w h a t the au th or says on p a g e 10
abo ut “ the N a n d a n a paradise at the pole,” it is plain
to w h at paradise he alludes. But N andana is u n f o r tu ­
nately only the paradise o f I n d r a , who was c ertainly a
long way off frotn God !
On page 10 we are told th a t
'• 'T h e p o la r G o d * m a n is t h e s o n of G od b u t also th e son of earth
(A d ity a ).”
To begin w ith, A d ity a never m eans “ th e son of
e a r th ” — not in S anskrit at all events. I t simply means
th e son of A d i t1, the prim eval F a t h e r and M other, tlie
bisexual priuciplo in n a tu re . Does the a u th o r force this
p a re n ta g e upon the “ G o d -m a n ” because A diti is repre.
sented in th e Kig-Veda as div id in g into N a r a and Nari,
the male a n d the female principle, and th a t unluckily
for M r, Lillie the word “ N a r a ” also means a “ M an’' ?*
T h e n he speaks of the Adityas being seven in n u m b e r,
(pnge, I I ) ; a grievous mistake, as every man woman and
child in In d ia kn o w ; for these x\dit,yas aro twelve.
Again on pago 12 we receive th e s ta rtlin g news th a t
K apila, tho philosopher, “ is one of the seven Rishis.’'
T hese R ii l i ’s’ respective names b e in g — M anchi, A tri,
A ngiras, Pulnsta, I’ulaha, B h rig u and \ a s i s h t a , we-beg
to ask wlrcli of these is Kapila.
“ P u d m a p a m ” is translated by the a u th o r as “ Lotus-
b e a r e r / 5 when its correct tran-.lation would be “ the Lotus­
h a nd ed ’ o r ‘‘ h av in g a lotus in the h a n d ,” the im age show­
in g t h a t it is the creative power of the universe, which is
alw ays symbolized by th e Lotus. A d ity a is not “ Vacli”
or voice, however much the latter m a y be in A d ity a . It.
am o un ts to saying tha t the key-note of n ature and
space, aro one and tho same th in g because th a t k e y ­
note is in space. W e in:iy take leave of Chap. 1, with
the re m a rk th a t all th e soptenaries given on its last
p a g e prove b u t too conclusively th a t th e a u th o r had
ne?dr the slightest acquaintance w ith th e real esoteric
m ea n in g of any of th e septenaries of the t: ue doctrine.
I n C h a p te r 11, Mr. Rhys Davids is criticized and taken
to task for teaching th a t the “ N epaulese idea of Adi BikL
d h a Ls not earlier than the 10 cent. A. D., and is due to the
influence of the Guosticism of s o l d o Persian Christian.
Mr, Lidie has certainly the b e tte r of Mr. Rhys lJavids
here ; for the ancient Rishis spoke of “ Adi B u d d h a ”
th ou san d of years a g o ; aud Gaudapada (begging the
E uropean a r c h r o d o g is t’s and chronologist’s pardon) who
lived before G a u ta m a B u d d h a — speaks of Adi B u d d h a in
his celebrated K a r ik a pn M u n d n k y o p a n ish a d ; b u t at the
same time the a tte m p t m a de by the a u th o r to prove the
theistic basis of B uddhism from the answ er m ade by
Mahiigodrfa Oenanse, the chief priest of Ceylon, to some
questions p e t to him by one of the D utch Governors of
th e island— is no less fallacious. I f th e a u th o r had
ta k e n tho tro ub le to m ake inquiries in Coylon as Colonel
O lcott has done, he woujd have easily found th a t d u rin g
th e time of th e D u t c h th e re were no learn ed priests iu
th e i r dominions, as they ■were persocnted a n d had to seek
# F o r c l e a r e r c o m p r e h e n s io n w e offer fo r c o m p a r is o n t h e c o u n t e r p a r t
of th is m ythoa, in t h e J e w is h B ible a u d th e K abala. See C h ap ter 1
o f G a n e e i s ** m a l e a n d f e m a l e c r e a t e d h e t h e m / ’ a n d p o n d e r O v er w l i a t
i s g i v e n o f A d a m K a d m o n , t b e a n c i e n t o f d a y s , & c ,— S d ,
refuge at K and y and M atara. The “ S up rem e G o d ” sp o ­ Jones, th e female principle in n a tu re is called th e “ Spirit
ken of by tho ign oran t M aliagodda is the H in d u B rahm a, of God :'' the word used by M anu being, however, apah,
introduced in Ceylon by th e Tamil king s. I t is simply p re ­ i. e., th e boundless ocean of undifferentiated cosm ij
p oste ro us to set up the a utho rity of any p riest or layman Matter, w hich is quite a different th in g .
a g a in st w h a t ia a dm itted to havo been said by L o rd T he a u th o r ’s cool assertion th a t, “ th e w o rd ‘ B u d ­
B u dd ha himself in an au th oritativ e ancient S u tra , namely, d h a ’ in esoteric B uddh ism always m eans God ' — m ust be
th e B m h m a j a l a S u tr a , to the effect t h a t thero is no such classed w ith th e same a rb itra ry speculations as all others
b e in g a s the “ God” (of Mr. Lillie.) I u spite of this tho given to us by him. “ B ud dha’’ in esotoric Buddhisiu.
autho r says in his innocence (p. 122) th a t the priest who and B ra h m a n ism means “ possessed o f divine wisdom, or
declared a belief in a “ God” was evidently well-versed in enlig hteu m en t” — and n o th in g more, tho a ttrib u te a u d
the old Buddhist scriptures. The sta te m e n t in th e “ L alita the entity in ita possession being two distinct things.
Y is ta r a ” to the effect th a t B u d d h a p ra y s to B rahm a I n connection w ith the w ord “ Buddhaniatra,” Mr.
and invokes hia aid in hia g re a t b a ttle w ith th e Lillie informs us in ad dition th a t “ M atra” means “ m o th er,”
“ wicked one,” is m ade to do the d u ty of a fresh proof a n d “ m a tte r ” iu “ S a n s k r it” (!!) I am strongly tem pted to
of tho existence of a “ G od” iu early B uddhism , th in k th a t “ S a n s k r i t” is hero a m isprint for the language
utterly re g a rd le ss of the real m eaning a tt a c h in g to th e of G u lliv er’s Yahoos. “ M a tra ” is a very common S a nskrit
name Brahm a. word, m ean iu g the a dv erb “ only;” the p hrase “ Buddha-
Quite true, B u d d h a p ra y e d to (more correctly M a tra ” like “ C h in m a tra ,” &c., means pure or
meditated upon)* P a ra b ra h m a , n o t Brahmd, the Creator, n o th in g but, B u d d h a . S a n k a r a c h a r y a says our Atm a is
who, again, in the Esoteric D octrine is b u t the Universal or Bodham atra, m eaning th e re b y th a t it is n o th in g but
Demiurgic Mind, as callod by some W e ste rn philosophers. p ure wisdom. B u t au acq uain tan ce with the value of
On page 19 th e sacred form ula of the B u d d h ists ia given S a n s k rit te rm s is not e vidently a s tro n g point w ith Mr.
t h u s :— Lillie. G roping in th e d a rk lie stum bles (p. 22) on tlie
O’m m an i pad mo liom (sic) w o rd “ U p a y ,” a n d proclaims it aa also m eaning “ God.”
— A nd ia tra n s la te d aa meaning, “ oh holy t r i a d ; oh N ow oven a ty ro knows it simply signifies “ m ean s,” or
pearl in th e lotus !” One does not really know w hether “ expedient.” A little below the a u th o r sta te s that,
to feel perp lexed a t th e spectacle of such “ B u d d h a ...w a s boru 0 1 1 th e 2oth December, like all Suti-
“ P om pous ig n o ra n ce,
g o d s .” W h a t S uu -god s are here alluded to ? K rish n a
A r m e d w ith im p n d e n c e , was b o r n w hen th e Sun w as in Leo and R am a when in
A s w i t h t r i p l e s t e e l , ” . .. C a n c e r; b u t in th e E soteric Doctrine both R a m a and
or to’give v ent to a hearty laugh at th e Ossa upon Pelion K rishna rep resent th e S u n — the golden germ , Narayana .
of absurdity e xhibited iu the work ! T h o u g h it may look T h e eleph an t no d o ubt supplies more thau one simile t.o
like an insult to the general read er to tran slate for him the Vedic Rishis ; b u t certaiuly the Solar God-mau i-.
the too well known formula of faith, yet we feel bound never symbolized by th a t animal. In p oint of fact, it is th'*
to seriously a tte m p t to set Mi'. Lillie right. Literally lion th a t supplies the symbol in question. On pages 2;»- (•
translated it means “ oh tho jewel iu the lotus,” but what M r. Lillie enshrouds ag ain the “ w ord” M a r t ta n d a ”
have the “ holy tria d ” or “ p e a r l” to do with it ? In eaoteric w ith the playful shadow of his fantasy ; the word under
phraseology th e jewel stands for the pure enlightened discussion, in S a n s k rit a t any rate, ha ving always men nr,
spirit, while tho lotus is the symbol of creation o r oosmie th e Sun. I n th e esoteric d o c triu e M a rtta n d a m eans tin;
evolution. The tru e significance of th e mysterious fo r­ “ central S u n ,” whoso rays infuse life iuto tho lifeless e g g
mula is tha t thero ia no extra cosmic God, no individual re p re se n tin g th e universe. O u r auth o r, however, quietly
divine S pirit, save the Universal D ivine mind in Cosmos ta k e s it to mean “ the egg of d eath !” Still f u rth e r down
descending from th e D hyan-' hohanic h ost upon mankind he thin ks th a t th e word Karina in the expression Chnht
in ita collectivity, a u d culm inating therefrom iu its cyclic K a rm a , (signifying the cerem ony of tonsure of tho
progress back to Adi-Biuldim—ita prim eval source. This Buddhist B ik k h u s ) — is the same as kurm a, a tortoise (!!)
one thing when rig htly understood will k n o c k down all I t does not require even an in kling of S a n s k r it, b u t sim ­
the aerial castles bu ilt on the theistic basis of Buddhism. ply some k no w ledg e of H in d u rites and customs of the
Lower down on the same page Mr. Lillie says :— “ tho preseut day to know perfectly well th a t K a r m a means a
fathorly procreative p r in c ip lo ” is also called kskes- “ cerem ony.”
tra,” whereas hshetra is always the female a n d never the On th e s t r e n g th of an invocation (p. 29) to “ those
male procreativo p rin c ip le .t bosom-reared sons of S u g a to (Bnddha) who overcame
Not less clumsy is tho a u th o r ’s a tte m p t to connect tho th e dominion of d e a th ,” (Maro), M r Lillie conies to the
name of G autam a with “ go d ” and m a ke it identical with hap py conclusion th a t “ Plain ly in his (B u d d h a G hosha’s)
A m itablm (p. 18.) Is he aware of tho fa c t th a t “ G a u ta m a ” days there were dead sa in ts.” P lainly, w ha te ve r tin;
was never the personal name of S id d arth a , but, only of newly coined expression may mean, it does not mean
his gotra or clan, which has thus to become diviue in “ dead saints” a t all, th e passage, iu tru th , re fe rrin g only
toto on the principle of Mr. Lillie's speculations ? to those who a tta in e d Nirvana th ro u g h Buddha, or Bod hi.
A fter some m ore fantastic speculation with regal'd N o r would Mr. Lillie,— were lie acquainted with esoteri-
to tho sym bols, — M a k a p . a , K u r m a , S e s h a , & c . , Mr. Lillie cisrn, have ever accepted the word Sa ny h a , as meaning “ con­
identifies the Solar God-mon with V ishn u (p. 20). T hus g r e g a tio n .” I t is a later coined word mis-spelled aud m is­
it is no wondor tha t losing his way in such a taugled pronounced. S a n y h a ,— is a modification of S a n g a — tho
ju nole of identities ho should mistake for a tortoise mystic union of the bisexual F a th e r aud M o th e r p r in ­
the Devas aud Asuras, who churned tho Ocean witli the ciples.
se rp e n t's body for th e ir c h u rn in g rope, an d Mount Man- I t is perfectly un gracio us to lengthen the list of mistaken
dara as the churuing-stick. Upon tho a u th o rity of Sir YV. a lt h o u g h ita d m its o f prolongation alm ost indefinitely— thn
b o o k fro m p a g e 1 to page 251 being along series o fb lu n d e ra ;
* I f t h e o r i g i n a l w o r d id d e r i v e d f r o m t h e r o o t s a d w i t h t l i e p r e f i r Bu t I th in k sufficient has already been given to allow
ii/M, i t i s q u i t e w r o n g t o t r a n s l a t o i t ‘ p r a y j ’ a a e v e n M a x M u l l e r n o w th e re a d e r to have a foretaste of w hat ho is to exp ect.
m a in ta in s. S eo hia t r a n s l a t i o n o f C h h u n d a y y a U p a n is h a d (S a c re d
B o o k s o f t h e E a s t , V o l . 1 .)
Useless to rem ind th a t on such very erroneous and
misconceived premisses no conclusions can possibly bo
t M r . L i l l i o ia e v i d e n t l y i g n o r a n t o f t h o m e a n i n g o f t h e t e r m
“ K s h e tr a ." E x o te r ie a lly it m e a n s s i m p l y — “ field,” w h ile e s o te r ic a l ly
correct. W e iuvite “ M. A.(O xon ) ” to m editate upou this.
it r e p r e s e n t s “ t l i o g r e a t a b y s s ” o f t h o K a b a l i s t s , t h e c h a o s a n d t h e p l a n e , Now to pass to the mfiiu issues raised by Mr. Lillie.
(c te is o r y o n i) in w h i c h t h e C r e a t i v e e n e r g y i m p l a n t s t h e g e r m o f t h o
m an ifested u n iv erse. In o th e r w ords th e y a re th e P u r u s h a am i P r a k r it i
H is theses are (1) t h a t early Buddhism was not aguosfeic;
of K a p i l a , t h e b l i n d a n d t h e c r i p p l o p r o d u c i n g m o t i o n b y t h e i r u n i o n , (2) th a t it was theistic. W e must do the a u th o r the
F u r u s u a s u p p l y i n g t h o h e a d a u d P r a k r i t i t h o l i m b s , — &Yi, . justice to say th a t he m aintains th e first thesis success-
(j
 fully against the Orientalists, who would limit thoir
investigations to tho Southern Church of Ceylon, Siam,
nnd Ihmnah. But with regard to B ud dh ist theism, Mr.
Lillie will be surprised to find he has proved more
th a n he hnd bargained for. In ste a d of one “ (jo d ” th a t
M r. Khys Davids find his school deny to B uddhism ,
early or late, Mr. Lillie has invested the followers of
S a k y a Sinha with an a b u n dan ce ot gods.
F irst of all the a u th o r seeks to establish the theistic
basis of Buddhism from tlie inscriptions of A soka.
Tho w ord “ Hod” no do i lit occurs in tlio translation of
the inscriptions made by Prinsep a n d o t h e r s ; b u t we
may be excused if wo have the tem erity to d o u b t the
accuracy of the translations. T his is not merely a
piece of wild supposition on o nr p a r t as we proceed to
show. Tlie first inscription cited by Mr. Lillie contains
an exhortation “ to confess and believe in (jod who is the
w o rth y object of obedience.” This is a p p a re n tly a
stron g point in support of -Mr. Lillie’s views; b u t when
tlio translation is checked by tlie original as given by
Prinsep in parentjiesis after th e words I have quoted
above “ Isdndmeva M dni/atd Mdtitim” — one would look
for the word “ God” iu vain in the original, which
spenks only of the “ L o rd s.” The word “ D evauam piya”
again, means the “ Beloved of the g oth” — n ot of “ G c d .”
I n at.other inscription given on p a g e 62 we r e a d : —
“ Thoso gods who d u rin g this tim e were considered true
gods in Ja m b a d v ip a have now been a b ju r e d .” These
and numerous o th e r passages of th e same im p o rt th a t
m ig h t bo pointed out, may as well be taken to prove th a t
Buddhism was essentially polytheistic. Now we slinll
show from s une of th e ex tra c ts made by M r. Lillie him ­
selF what k in d of a god tho B u d d h ists believed in. “ l i e
(Buddha) rem em bered thr»t- before his b irth th e g ods had
always saluted him as tho chief of g o d s.” This Buddha
again is rep resented in a doctrine which Mr. Lillie takes
t,o be tho corner-stone ot tho B u d d h is t faith as fol­
l o w s :— “ T athagntos (Buddhas) aro only preachers. You
yourself m ust m ake au effort-” T he B ud dhas, then,
be in g “ only p r e a c h e r s / ’ c r wise m ortal men, a n d at
th e same timo su perior to all gods and receiving tin ir
salutations, we only ask if such a bein g as a mortal
preacher cun be b urdened with all th e connotations of the
English word “ God ?” Of Mr. Lillie’s th re a t in L ig h t to
“ turn tlig tables against th e T heosophists,” no n.oro
need be said than th a t ho is likely only to overturn himself
in a tte m p tin g t h a t foat. Indeed lie says : —
B u d d h a ’s m o v e m e n t w a s n o t Q u i e t i s m b n t a p r o t e s t a g a i n s t t h e
Q u i e t i s m t h a t b e f o u n d in I n d i a , liis “ b e g g n r s ” in r a g s w e r o o rd e r e d
to p reac h D h a rm a to o v ery natio n u n d e r H e a v e n . A second school
of B u d d h is m a r o s e w h ic h r e s to r e d tlie a n c i e n t Q u ie t is m a n d O c c u l tis m .
I f th o ‘ B r o t h e r s ’ of T i b e t a r e d u e , a s c l a i m e d , t o t h e m o v e m e n t of
T s n n g h a p a , t h e y m u s t b o lo n g to th i s school. I know th a t m y ex p o si­
t i o n o f B u d d h i s m is c a l l c d “ e x o t e r i c ” b y t h o T h e o s o p h i s t . I m ight
t u r n th o ta b le s a n d uhow T i b e ta n books w h io h lay d o w n th e m y s tific a ­
t i o n w l i i c h t h o t y r o i s t o b o t h e f i r s t o f a l l a m u s e d w i t h , b e f o r e h e i9
fold m uch* I will, h o w o v o r , c o n t e n t m y s e l f w i t h p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t m y
“ e x o t e r ic ” B u d d h is m w o u l u d i a a n d t h o “ o s o te ric ” I3n d d b ism lost it
( Li ght , D e c . 15 , 18R3-)
N ote well this. As m any self-contradictions as there
nre linos. H ad tho learned O rien talist told us th a t
Buddcdi’s movement was a protest against the exclusive
(Ji not ism and Occultism o f ihe initiated Temple B ra h m a n s,
and th a t his “ b e g g a rs” wore s e n t to preach tho good
law showing th a t every man of w hatever caste, raco, or
nationality had in him the possibility of becoming a
IHkshita, (initiate) a B ra h m a n an d a ‘ son of g o d ’ and
“ develope tho so-called god -lik e” powers then he
■would havo uttered a well-known tru th . As his assertion
now stands, however, he is g iv in g a fint contradiction
to his own words a nd the nu m erou s assertions scattered
th ro u g h o u t his “ B u d d h a a n d E a rly B ud d h ism .”
On page V I I I . of his Introductory, forinstance, tho B u d ­
dhism of the south, tho Ceylon ch u rc h , is called “ an
ag n o stic school,” and is adm itted by the a n th o r to be
“ plain a t h e i s m ; ” while th e Buddhism of the n o rth which
developed centuries later, is spoken of aa th e “ gnostic
school.” T b i ^ t l n a u t h o r o n thcaufcl o rity o f his “ nine years’
study of B u ddh ism ,” proclaim s an erroneous conclusion
(of Mr. Rhys Davids and his school, a p p m e n tly ), a dding
tha t his own conviction i* “ th a t the agnostic school ot
Buddhism (to wit, th e godless, a n ti-Quietist School, not
Quietism but a p rotest “ a g a in s t” it, as he expres.-es now
in L ig h t) is tho later developm ent. Can a n y th in g be iroie
completely self-conlradictniy in the face of the follow­
in g ? On pago 141 et seq. we are told by Mr. Lillie th a t :—
“ T h e w e a p o n o f B u d d h a w a s a m u c h m o r e f o r m i d a b l e o iipi
S e c u h c Y . V V oto.ani f r o m t l i e A s o k a c o l u m n s a n d f r o m t l ie B u d d h i s t
n a r r a t i o n t h a t rites o f initiation b a d t o b e <>oiie t h r o u g h i i r n o n * '
b i s d i s c i p l e s — T h e r e i s 110 t r a c e o f n . n y o r g a n i s e d m a r t y r d o m o f
tb e B u d d h is ts , on th e o th e r b a n d th e r e a re i K q u e n t allu sio n s
to “ m y s te rie s ,” " in itia tio n ,"
T h e n comes (page KS3) Mr. R in g ’s account th a t
“ in th e W estern w orld’' B uddhism em erged in the
form of a nu m b er of mystic Societies, AJithraism,
E s-e n ism , T herept iit’s m ........T e niplais, Rosicruciaiis and
.modern F r e e m a s o n r y ...... a secret Soi-iety established iu
China from tho earliest tim e s.......a Society of “ B ro th e rs,'’
tho rites of initiation ta k in g place in caves, a n d so ou.
— (B u d d h a and Karly B ud dh ism .)
Doos id I this tally with liis declaration in I ' g h t that
early B uddhism was “ a p ro te st n gain st the Quietism”
aud “ Occultism of t h e B r a h m a n s ? ” , and th a t “ if
the B r o th e r s ’ of T ib e t aro due to tho movement of
T zon-k a-pa, th e y m ust b elong to this (i.e ., the later)
school ?” To this flagran t co ntradiction wehave little
moro to say. W e , of th e in n e r ring, declare, and
are ready to prove th a t B u d d h a ’s m ovem ent was a pro­
test, only against th e ir exclusive system of initiation
into universal tru th s pe rm itte d b u t to one caste and
s h u ttin g out all others. T he “ second School of Bud­
d h is m ........which re sto re d Quietism a u d Occultism” —
so far as Tibet is concerned, is ceitainly due to Tson-
ka-pa. B u t he restored m erely tho original Buddhism,
or “ E n lig h te n m e n t,” of G autam a B u d d h a , the study of
the O ccult Sciences or Brahm,avid ya in all its primitive
pu rity. I t was ho who combined nnd welded into one
B ro th erho od , t h a t which became from th a t day the visible
objective body w ith its invisible bu t ever manifesting sou I
— theen’oteric jjelnkpu la n a s, and th e esoteric g roup of
adepts and Mahatmas.Tho latter since the death of the One
G r e a t Master had gone to live in stric t seclusion among
th e “ Great M asters of the Snowy R a n g e ,” the ancient
pre-B uddhistic B ra h m a g n a n is, who, for the same reason
ns the .one which inspired S a n k arach ary a to correct the
m istakes made by Gautam a Buddha, did not choose to
become Brahmavndis.* This, which is plain to every
B ra h m a n , will probably remain very vague to Mr. Lillie.
A t all evt lits, did not space forbid any fu rth e r dissection
of “ B ud dha and Early B u ddh ism ,” w em iglit havo with the
gre a t estease not only “ turned the tables” against Mr. Lillie, .
b u t -imply placed an e x tin g u ish e r ou th e uncertain flicker­
ing flatue of tho penny rush candle he so innocently offers
as a “ lig h t,” aud thereby snuff it out of existence for
ever. Surely no one would d en y t i n t besides his few
“ T ibetan books which lay down the mystifications, &c.,”
and which by the bye havo succeeded in m ystifying but
W>’stern I’nddltist scholars,'— there a rc in n u m e rab le other
bo o k s— a wealth of sec,ret works wliich no E u ro p e a n eye
has ever been pe rm itte d 'o behold— in the liHj-aries a t­
tached to overy Gonpa or Lam asery ? Before pretending
to o v e rtu rn th e little that was hitherto learned of real
B u dd hism by his W estern colleagues, Mr. Lillie might
do worse than stu dy the true m e a n in g of Sanskrit
term s even in th eir exoteric, application. As to the
T heosophists they are content to abide by the teachings
of those who are now the sole representatives ot those
* I n t h e A d i P a r v n o f t h e “ M a h a b h a r a t a , " I ’a n d n is t o l d b y t h e K ie ii is
i n w h o s e c o m p a n y l i e w n s t r a v e l l i n g , t h a t [ n o m a n l i v i n g a w o r l d l y li fo
c o n l d r o tio y o n d a c e r t a i n li m i t i n t o tlie c o u n t r y l y i n g to th o n o r t h of
tho H im a la y a s (U tta ra k u rn , or T ib e t). T h o age th e n of th e M y stic
B r o th e r h o o d o f T ib e t d o es n o t d a t e f r o m th e tim e o f T son-ka.pn, who
b n t b r o u g h t a b o q t a r e c o n c i l i a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e o l d pre.Buddhist.io f l r a h -
m a c h a r y a s a n d tlio m o r e m o d e m B a u d d h a a h a r y a s ,
 Bodhisatwas who rescued B u d d h ism , n e ith e r “ e x o te ric ’’
n<ir “ eso te ric ,” b u t the one real an d truo Huddhis'ii of
S iddartha B u d d h a — tlie L i g h t of A s i a and of tliat portion
of hum anity , wo m ight a*ld, th a t lias the capacity of com­
p re h e n d in g his lofty and sublime philosophy.
T H E T H E O S O P H I S T S A N D I Pi U N /E US.
T h e R^v. Editor of the C h ristia n Culleye Magazine
cninesd ow n sho rt and heavy upon Col. Olcott,. lie speaks
of so m eb od y's “ invincible ig n o ra n c e ” and iem arks that
“ on tho same footing may be placed Colonel O lcott’s
g re a t disc >voiy th a t Iremous w rote J o h n 's Gospel.”
Now the Magazine iu question is a most excellent
periodical, aud its editor no d o u b t a most excellent and
estim able gentlem an . Why then should h - become guilty
of such a —b e g g in g his pardon— gross misstatement 1
Colonel Olcott has never m eant to convey th a t Irenasus
— the hypothetical Uishop of Gaul, (whoever ha wns)
whose singularly uncritical and credulous c h a ra c ter is
noticed and . a dm itted ou all h and s even by Christian
A pologists— conhl have ever w ritte i th e ideal composi­
tion so full of beauty and poetry th a t passes current ns
the fourth Gospel ; b u t simply tha t tho too zealous father
of th a t name, cansed it to be written und to ap pear in
order to gain his p oint o ver the gnostics and heretics of
his day. Again, th a t these “ heretics” rejected tho fourth
Gospel when it appeared, as they had denied before ita
very existence, is told to us by Ireiueus himself (Adv.
J h cr iii. 2, 9.)
I t is a dangerous discussion to rush into for theolo­
gians. I t ia too late in th e day to d eny th a t which has
been so generally admitted by n early every Bible critic
as well as by some Apologists them selves ; namely thnt
th e fourth Gospel is the production of a totally u nkno w n,
most p ro b a b ly u G reek autho r, a n d m ost undeniably a
Platonist, Dr. Kwald’s a tte m p t to a ttr ib u te the fact of
th e Gospel bearing no sign ature to the “ incomparable
m odesty” of its auth o r, tho apostle Jo hn , has been too
ably and too frequently upset aud shown frivolous to
justify any lengthy controversy upon this point. B u t
we may as well rem ind the learned editor ot' the C. C.
Magazine, who so generously bestows epith ets of igno-
ratica on his opponents w henever u na b le to answ er thoir
arg u m e n ts— of a few facts too well known to be easily
refuted. Can he deny th a t for over a cen tu ry and a half
after the death of Jesn s there was n o t one tittle of evi­
dence, to connect the a u th o r of the fo u rth gospel with
the “ disciple whom Je su s loved ” him who is held identi­
cal with th e a u th o r of Revelation ? N ay, moro : th a t there
was no certain trace oven unto the days of Irenajus tlvit
such a Gospel had ever beeu w ritten ? Both internal and
external evidence are against tho assum ption th a t th e
said Gospel could have been ever th e work of the autho r
of the Apocalypsis, the herm it of Patnios. The difference
of the. style of w riting, of lang uag e, and tho g r e a t con trast
of th o u g h t between th e two are too g l a r in g to bo denied.
The harsh H ebraistic G reek of the Apocalypse c o n fro n t­
ed with the polished elegance of th e la n g u a g e used by
the autho r of the fourth gospel cannot s ta n d one m o­
ments serious criticism. Then tho details of the la tte r
disagree in most cases wilh those of the threo Synoptics.
Shall Canon W e s c o tt bo also charged with “ invincible
ig norance” when saying ( Introd ; to S tu d y o f the Gospels.)
“ I t is impossible to pass from the Synoptic Gospels to
that of St. J o h n , w ithout feeling th a t th e tra nsition in ­
volves the passage from one world of th o u g h t to another.”
...... N o th in g “ can destroy th e co ntrast which exists in
form and spirit btweeeu the earlier a n d later narratives.
The difference between th e fourth gospel a n d th e S yn op ­
tics, not only as re g a rd s th e teaching of J e s u s b u t also
tho facts of the n arrative, is so g re a t th a t it is impossi­
ble to harm onize th e m .. .both cannot be accepted as correct.
J f we believe th a t th e Synoptics give a tr u th f u l represen­
tation of th e life a n d te a c h in g of Je su s, it follows of
necessity th a t, in w hatever c a teg ory w e...p lace th e f o u rth
g o s p e l ^ m u st be rejected as a historical work (p. 249).
I n th e S yn op tics J e su s is crucified on the 15 Nisan,
whereas tho fo u rth gospel pu ts him to death on the
11th— a poin t with reference to th .3 Paschal lamb h a ving
to be g ain e d ; ,ind the general inaccuracy of all th e g o s­
pels is shown in th a t uo two ol th em agree even about
so simple a m a tte r as the inscription on tho cross.
I h o feyropties are u tte rly ig n o ra n t of the raising of
L azarus, “ » mere im aginary scene,” says th e a u th o r of
Su pern atura l l h h y i o n , “ illustrative of tho d o g m a : I am
tho resurrection and th e 1ife, upon which it is b a s e d '’. ..
Iho fourth g o s p i \...ha s no real historical value. T he
absolute difference between th e teachings becomes in te lli­
gible onl)' when wo recognize in the last gospel tho stylo
of Alexandi ian Philosophy th e mysticisin of tho Christian
P laton ists " a r tis tic a lly interw oven with developed P a u ­
line C h r i s t i a n i t y , and p u t into the m outh of J e s u s ’*
(P- 7 0 ). ■ •
In connection with the subject one can n o t do b ette r
ilian give an e x tra c t of " a n eloquent passage from au
unpublished Kssay by a d istin g u ish ed liviDg Greek
scholar” in the words of M r. W o rd sw o rth , th e learned
Principal of Llphinstono College (Bombay), who quotes
it in a L e c tu re delivered by him on " T h e C hurch of
T hibet, au d th e H istorical Analogies of B u d d h ism au d
C hristianity.”
“ W hat more contrasted in stylo and manner than Paul
with John, and both or either with Matthew, Mark, and
Luke ? and yet the Lpistlos aud the fourth Gospel aro a.s
thoroughly permeated with the best spirit of tho three first,
Gospels, as with phrases and forms and associations that,
pertain to tho very core of the Schools, when Mylhou new­
born in Judea could thus coalesce with tho primeval imagina­
tions of the Greek, wo need not wonder that philosophical
theology from oiLlior side soon found itself a common ground.
The Stoicism of Seneca repeats St. l ’aul in every other pa<'c,
and the Fourth Gospel is only becoming really legible in tho
light of tho Platonism of Alexandria.”
W e invite tlio revere: d edito r to read tho two
volumes w ritten by th a t k iu g of scholars, th e a u th o r of
S u p e rn a tu v a lR c liy io n ,t\\a anonymous writer b e in g at onu
time closely connected iu London gossip with a certain
Bishop. Onr critic seems to forget, or nover knew,
p e rh ap s— th a t this work pasted through tw enty-tw o
editions in less than th re e or four y e a r s ; a n d th a t
£ 40,000 were unsuccessfully offered by tho R om an
Catholic Church to whosoever could refute its arg u m e n ts
and proofs, tlie money be in g still there, we believe.
W e are quite aw are th a t,— as the same learned Prof,
W o rd s w o rth expresses it— “ a certain precipitancy in
negative dem onstration has, perhaps, partly compromised
the effect which so able a book as ‘ S u pe rna tu ral Religion
was fitted to produce.” Yet, if Mr. A rno ld thinks with
hia adm irers— too prejudiced to be in this caae tr u s te d —
th a t lio has d e m o n s tra te d tho “ a u th e n tic ity ” of the
fourth Gcspel, o thers more im partial and far more scho­
larly maintain th a t ho h s done nothing of the kind. A t
any rate, no one can d en y th a t such em inent theologi­
cal scholars as B a n c , Locke, Davidson, Hilgonfeld,
Schenkel, Volkmar, Nicolas, ih e tsch n e id c r aud a good
many others we could name,* have proved the following
points : (a) th e fo urth Gospel, by whomsoever w ritte n —
was never w ritte n by a Jew , not even a native of Palestine,
tho numerous geog rap hical, aud topographical m istakes
and blunders iu names an d explanations given p rec lu d ­
ing entirely such possibility ; (b) tha t the gospol could
have never been w iitte n before tho end of tbe I I cen­
tury, i. e., th e d ate assigned to Ireuam s ; and (c) th a t ifc
was m ost prob ably written a t the com m an d of th a t
personage. T he first w riter whom we find quoting- a
passage of this gospel w ith tho m ention of his autho r is
T heophilus of A ntioch, (in A d antolye 11, 22,) a w ork
dated by T ischen do rf a b o u t A. D. 180— 9 0 ; and it was
precisely about t h a t tim e th a t Iren am s became presb yter
in Gaul, and h a d his c ontroversy w ith tho “ heretics.” I t
* See Locke’s E-inl, ojfenb, Johanna, ii. p, 504i
is, however, useless to devote m u ch timo to ;i p erso nage TA B LE OP CONTENTS.
who, if not a lto g e th e r himself m ythical, p re se n ts in his
life a n o th e r blank, as tho m oot question about his Page. P age.
•martyrdom is able to show. B u t th a t whicli is known A lleg ed D eath of M. do B o u r­ A rc h a e o lo g ic a l D iffic ulties... 121
of him .and on the s tre n g th of his own w ritings is, th n t bon, F . T . S. ................... 1 0 7 T h eo so p h y an d C h ristian ity 121
he i s . th e first writer who distinctly n um bers th e four I n tr o v e r s i o n of M e n tn l V isio n 107 C h r is ti a n it y in C h o ta N a g -
T lic b e s t F o o d f o r M a n .. . 1 0 8 pore .. . ... ... 122
'gospels, claiming for th eir existence a n d n u m b e r most W h a t £ciontific R u s sia k n o w s T he U ag a v n d -g ita a n d “ Eso-
.interesting if not a lto g e th e r c onvincing reasons. “ Neither of C eylon ... .. . .. . 1 1 0 ■ te ricB u d d h ism ” ... 122
ra n tho gospels be more in n u m b e r than they a re ,” says P o s t - m o r te m rise of tc m f o - T ig er-ch arm in g .............. 122
rn tn re .. . ... .. . 1 1 0 A B i s h o p o n t h e C h u r c h ... 123
he', “ nor, , . . can they be fewer. For, as there are four S p irit gu n rd in n sh ip , or w h a t? I l l D eath of th e Sw am i of
quarters of the world iu which we are, a n d four general C on tem p latio n ... ... 112’ A lm o ra .. . ... ... 123
winds, a u d the gospel is the pillar a n d p rop of the A n A u tu m n K ev erie . ... 111 R e v i e w s ;—
O r i e n t a l J u g g l i n g in S i a m ... 1H D ie W e lts te llu n g doa M ens-
church. . . it is r ig h t th a t she should have four pillars.” V ictim s of W ords. .. . ... 1 1 7 chon “ T ho C osm ic P o s i­
H a v in g delivered himself of this highly logical and T l i e S i b y l , A n e i e n t n n d M o d e r n 11 7 tion of M an . ... .. . 123
quite u n answ erab le argum e n t, L enfeus ad ds t h a t a s Tho T ra n slatio n of B abu Ke R em ark s and T h o u g h ts on
shub C h v n d er S en ... ... 1 1 9 B u d d h a and E a rly B u d ­
th e c herubim also are fo ur-laced” and “ quadriform aro A n s w e r s t o C o r r e s p o n d e n t s . 12 0 dhism .. . .. . ... 123
th e living creatures, quadriform is the gospel, and L e t t e r s to t h e E d i t o r : — T h e Theosophists aud Iro -
qiiadriforra the course of the L o rd ; th e re fo re — vain and A C onvict R e f o r m e d . ... 120 iirons ... ... ... 129
ig n o r a n t, and moreover, audacious aro thoso who set
aside tho form of the g<>spel a n d declare its aspects as S P E C IA L N O T IC E S .
e ith e r more or less th a n has been said.” (Adv. Ilaer.
"Ill, 11,55,89.) W e love to th in k th a t it is not to follow I t is n o w e v i d e n t t h n t t h e T h k o s o p h i s t o f f e r s t o a d v e r t i s e r s u n u s u a l
in the steps of this intellectual and logical F a th e r, tha t a d v a n t a g e s in c i r c u l a t i o n . W e h o v e a l r e a d y s u b s c r ib e r s in e v e r y p a r t
th e editor of the G. G. Magazine th o u g h t it his sacred o f I n d ia , in C e y lo n , B u r m a h , C h in a a n d o n t h e P e r s i a n G u lf. O u r p a p e r
also g o es to G r e a t B rita in a n d I re la n d , F r a n c e , S p a in , H o lla n d , G e r ­
d u ty to bestow upon Col. O lcott and all who believe m an y , N o rw a y , H u n g a ry , G reece, R ussia, A u strala sia, S o u th A fric a ,
th a t the fourth gospel is simply a theological afte r­ th e W e st Indies, and N o rth nnd S outh A m erica. T h e follow ing very
th o u g h t ,— the e p ith e t of “ ig n o r a n t ” ? W e are perfectly m o d e r a t e r a t e s l i a v e b e e n a d o p t e d :— -
alive to the dire necessity of clin g in g to th e fourth gospel A d v e r tisin g R ates.
for all those who would pro lo ng th e ngony of Christian F i r s t i n s e r t i o n .............. IG l i n e s a n d u n d e r ............... 1 R u p e e .
ecclesinsticism. T here are several im po rtan t reasons for F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e ................................................... 1 A n n a .
this. F o r exam ple:— T he autho rs of the th ree Synoptics S p a c e is c h a r g e d f o r a t t h e r a t e o f 1 2 l i n e s t o t l i o i n c h . S p e c i a l a r r a n g e ­
m e n t s c a n b e m a d e f o r l a r g o a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , a n d f o r l o n g e r a n d ti x e d
are pure .Jews with no prejudice to w ard th e ir unbelieving p eriods. F o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o n t r a c t s f o r a d v e r t i s i n g , a p p l y to
race, a n d they know n ot of J e su s “ th e son of David M anager, T 1 IE O S O P IIIS T , A dyar, M adras. •
while th e fou rth gospel shows decided c on tem p t for M essrs. GRAVES, COOKSON AND C o., M adras. .
t.he non-Christian Jew s, a n d its Je su s is uo lon ger of tho P r o p r i e t o r , I N D U S T R I A L P I I E S S , 3, H d m m u m S t r e e t , F o r t , Bombay.
race of David but the son o f God an d the very God h imself. M essrs. C O O P E R & C o., M eadow Street, F ort, B ombay ;
T he first three teach pure m orality a u d uo theology ; on To S U B S C R IB E R S.
I he co ntrary , priesthood and p harisaism are strongly
T l ie S u b s c r i p t i o n p r i c e a t w h i c h t h e T h e o s o p h is t is p u b l i s h e d b a r e l y
denounced in them. T he fourth gospel teaches a distinct c o v e r s c o s t — tlio d e s i g n in e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e j o u r n a l h a v i n g b e e n r a t h e r
theology and quite a n o th e r religion. H ence the just to r e a c h a v e r y w id e c i r c l e o f r e n d e r s , t h a n to m a k e a p ro iit. W e c a n .
suspicion created iu the minds of m ost Biblical scholars n o t afford, t h e r e f o r e , to s e n d s p e c i m e n co p ies fre e , n o r t o s u p p ly libraries,
societies, o r in d iv id u a ls g ra tu ito u s ly . F o r th e sa m e reason wc aro
t h a t the so-called “ Gospel according to St. J o h n ,” was o b li g e d to a d o p t t h e p la n , n o w u n i v e r s a l in A m e r i c a , of r e q u i r i n g s n b -
nimply written to m eet the logical conclusions of Irenreus s o rib e rs to p a y in a d v a n c e , a n d of sto p p in g th e p a p e r a t th e e n d of the
-~-as q u oted above. t e r m p a id for. M a n y y e a rs of p ra c tic a l ex p e v ien co h n v c conv in ced
W e s t e r n p u b li s h e r s t l i a t th i s s y s t e m of c a s h p a y m e n t is th o b e s t a n d
■ E u t w heth er due to him or b o rn in d e p e n d e n tly — it is m o s t s a tisfa c to ry to b o th p a rtie s ; a n d all r e s p e c t a b le jo u rn a ls a r e now
c o n d u c te d on th is p la n . .
as artificial as any o th e r w ork of art, howsoever g re a t T h e T u e o s o p i i i s t will a p p e a r e a c h m o n t h . T h o ra t e s , f o r t w e l v e
t h e intrinsic value of its outw ard form. Heal ism may bo n u m b e r s o f n o t less t h a n 48 c o l n m s R o y a l 4to. e a c h of r e a d i n g m a t t e r ,
less attra ctive than Idealism ; for all t h a t, th e first is o r 5 7 6 c o l u m n s i n a l l , a r o a s f o l l o w s : — T o S u b s c r i b e r s i n a u y p a r t of
I n d i a , C e y l o n , S t i a i t s S e t t l e m e n t s , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A u s t r a l i a , lls. 8 ;
sober fa c t and as such preferable to p ure fiction— how­ i n A f r i c a , E u r o p e , a n d t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , £ 1. H a l f - y e a r ( I n d i a , & c ., )
ever boautiful. A n d this s ta t e m e n t is a m ply corrobo­ R s 5 ; S i n g l e c o p i e s I t u p e o I . R e m i t t a n c e s in p o s t a l s t a m p s m u s t be n t
r a te d b y th e au th or of iSupernatural Religion, who lias t h e r a t e o f a n n a s 17 t o t h e R u p e e t o c o v e r d i s c o u n t . Tho above rates
includo postag e . N o n a m e w i l l be e n t e r e d i n t h e b o o k s o r p a p e r s e n t
devotod one-fourth of his two volumes to the discussion
u n t i l th e m o n e y is r e m it t e d ; a n d in v a r i a b l y the p a p e r w i l l be d is c o n tin u e d
of this subject. I n the concluding words of his c h a p te r 2, a t the ex p ir a tio n o f the te r m subscribed fo r. R e m i t t a n c e s s h o u ld be m a d o
Vol. II. “ E n o u g h has been said to show th a t the te s ti­ i n M o n e y - o r d e r s , H u n d i s , B il l, C h e q u e s , ( o r T r e a s u r y b i l l s i f in r e g i s t e r e d
mony of th e fo urth gospol is o f no value towards est-ab- l e tte r s ) , a n d m a d o p a y a b le only to th o P r o p r i e t o r s o f t h e T iie o s o p h is t,
A d y a i i , 1’. ( ) . , ( M a d r a s , ) I n d i a .
' lishing the tru th o f viiracles and the reality o f divine S ubscribers w ishing a p rin ted rece ip t for th e ir re m itta n c e s m ust send
revelation.” This, wo believe, added to th e d am ag in g s ta m p s for r e tu r n p o stage.
te stim o n y of Canon W e stc o tt,— settles tho m a tte r at O n l y O n e N u n b e u of V o l . 1 b e i n g a v a i l a b l e , t u b c h a r g e for
tJjJT S u b s c r ib e r s f o r th o S eco n d V o lu m e ( O c to b e r 1880 to S e p t e m b e r
re st. 1 881) p a y R s. G o n ly in I n d i a ; R s . 7 iu C o y lo n ; Rs, 8 in th o S t r a i t s
S e t t l e m e n t s , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A u s t r a li a ; a n d £ 1 in A f ric a , E u r o p e a n d
th e U nited S ta te s .
A g e n t s : L o n d o n , E n g . , M e s s r s . T r u b n e r a n d C o m p a n y , 6 7 An d 5 9
Copies of th e E ig h t h A nniversary I?eport of tho L u d g a t o H i l l ; B e r n a r d Q n a r i t c h , 15 P i c c a d i l l y , W . ; P a r i s , F r a n c e , i ’. G.
Theosophical Society, a t which wore p re se n t delegates L e y m a r ie , 5, R u e N o u v o d e s P e t i t s C h a m p s ; N o w Y o r k , F o w l e r
from America, E n g la n d , Ceylon, an d all p a r t s of In d ia — n n d W e l l s , 7 5 3 , B r o a d w a y ; B o s t o n , M a s s , C o l b y n n d R i c h , 9, M o n t g o ­
m e r y P l a c o ; C h i c a g o , 111., J . C. B u n d y , L a S a l l e . S t . A m e r i c a n s u b s c r i ­
are now available nt fo u r annas p e r copy. Pwcking and b e r s m a y a l s o o r d e r t h e i r p a p e r s t h r o u g h \V. Q . J u d g e , E s q . , B o x 8 , O.
Postage c h arg e s:— In d ia one a n n a ; Ceylon, th ree a n n a s ; B r o o k ly n , N o w Y o r k ; M e lb o u r n e , A u s t r a li a , W . I I . T e r r y , P ul), H a rb in g er
all oth e r F o re ig n Countries, four a nn as. A p p ly to the o f L i g h t •, S t . T h o m a s , W e s t I n d i e s , C. E . T a y l o r ; C a l c u t t a , I n d i a :
T h a c k e r S p in k a n d C om pany, B ooksellers; B ab u N o ren d ro : N ath,
M a n ag e r of th e Theosophist.
S e n , I n d i a n M i r r o r O ff ic e, 2 4 , M o t t ’s L a n e , D h u r r n i n t o l l a h S t r e e t ;
M a d r a s , M e s s r s . K a i l a s a n i B r o t h e r s , P o p h a m ’s B r o a d w a y , L . V e n k a t a
V u riu la rn ju ln N a id u G aru , R o y a p o tta : H ig h R o n d ; C olom bo, C e y lo n :
P U B L IS H E R 'S N O T IC E : FREM TDMS- J o h n R o b e r t d e S i l v a , S u r v e y o r G e n e r a l ’s O f f ic e ; K a n d y , D o n T i m o t h y
K a r n n a r n t n e ; S h a n g h a i , C h i n a : K e lly a n d W alsh. . (
W i t h a v i e w to e n a b l i n g m a n y w h o c a n n o t a f f o r d to t a k e i n t h e
T r i E o s o P n i S T a t t h e p r e s e n t c o s t , t h e f o l l o w i n g o ff er <is m a d e : To a n y
o n e w h o ' w i l l s e n d u s the n a m e s o f Jive a n n u a l su b sc rib ers, to g e th er P r in te d a t tho Scottish Press, by G ra v e s, Cook$on a n d Co.;
w i t h R s . 4 0 i n o n e s u m , a n e x t r a c o p y o f t h e M a g a z i n e w i l l be s e n t
free o f a ll ch a rg e, p o s ta g e i n c lu d e d , f o r one y e a r , A d d r e s s P ublisiiee,
a n d p ub lished b y tho TuE osopiiio al S o c ie ty a t Adyak
TQEOSOPniST Office; A d y a r , t v i t h t h e m o n e y , (Madras), I n d ia , ' ' '. . I *.
 <a <d a a □ a il

OF TIIE

T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .

No. I L —F E B R U A R Y 1, 1884.

S U B S C R IP T IO N T O T H E JO U R N A L :-
India. Foreign.
Regular Members of the Theosophical Society ••• Rs. 2 .6 Shillings.
To all other Subscribers...................................................................................................... ,, 5 .12 ,,

S U B S C R IP T IO N S D U E FR O M JA N U A R Y TO D E C E M B E R .

N . B .— S u b s c r i b e r s t o The T heosophist, w h o a r c F o l l o w s o f t l i c T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i c t y , w ill r e c e i v e

th is Journal as a “ S u p p le m e n t” gratis.

TABLE OP CONTENTS.

Page. Page.

E x tra c ts :—■ The G hazip ur Theosophical Society ... ... 32

F ro m a L e tte r t>fan old F r ie n d a n d T h eosop hist.., 28 T h e P r a y a g Psychic Theosophical Society ... 32
A L a p su s Calami ................. ... ••• 23 T h e V a sish th a Theosophical Society ( Vizianagram) 32
Mr. lio u c u re Conway ... ... ... ... 28 Theosophical S a n s k rit Schools . .. ... . .. 32
Divination by the L a u re l Cubes ... . .. ••• 29 T he P re s id e n t- F o u n d e r iu the N orthern Circars. 32
Tlio O xonians an d T heosophy a g a in ... ... 29 T h e N eu trality of th e Sen ate H ouse ... ,,, 33
Special Circular ... ... ... ... ... 34
Pheno m en al :— C re d a t Judaeus A p e lla ... ... ... 35
Official R e p o r ts :— Notes on M o dern E g y p tia n Theosophy .... ... 36
The A rya n Theosophists of N ew Y o rk . .. ... 31 T he W i l of the T em ple R e n t ... ... ... . . . 38
T heosophists K eorgauizing ... ... ... 31 The Divine Personality ... ... ... ... 40
T h e K a p u r th a la Theosophical Society . .. ... 32 Presid ential Special O rder ... ... ... ,,, 41
Tho T ir u p p a ttu r Theosophical Society ... ... 32 W h ite a n d B lack M agic ... ... ... 42

M ADRAS, ADYAR.

1 8 8 4 .

( P r ic e , S in g le N u m b e r, E ig h t A n n a s .)
 [ SUPPLEMENT TO THE THEOSOPHIST.]

JOURNAL OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

(EXTRACTS.) S o m e t h in g w o n e v e r la i d a c l a im to. In p o in t of fact, h ow ever, th e ro

is n o t o n e w o r d i n t h e “ K e p l i e s ” t h a t w c c o u l d c a l l o u r o h h . VVc h a v e
FROM A LETTER OF AN OLD F R IE N D p ro R crv ed p a c k s o f M -S.S . in t h e h a n d - w r i t i n g o f o u r M a s te r s anti
t h e i r C h e l a s ; a n d i f w e g o t t h e m s o m e t i m e s c o p i e d i n t h e o tl ic e , i t
AND T H E O S O P H IS T .
w a s s i m p l y t o a v o i d d e s e c r a t i o n a t t h e h a n d s o f t h e p r t n t e r ’s d e v i l .
N o r is i t r i g h t t o fla y t l m t M r . S i n n e t t h a s f a i l e d t o c o n v e y t h e E s o t e r i c
...W etx, ihy dear friends, I read with boundless satisfac­ d o c t r i n e s ; lu r th e ir broad fe a tu re s h a v e b e e n o u tlin e d b y h im w ith an
tion of your triumphal march, for it seems like a continual a c c u r a c y u n a p p r o a c h a b l e l>y o t h e r s . IJy t h i s t i m e , w o h o p e , i t is a b u n ­
triumph in all your walks and ways. Wlio but yon reel ves d a n t l y c l e a r t h a t th o M a h a t m a s a ro w illin g to allow t h e d o c t r i n e s of
could havo established such a paper as tho “ Theosophist ?" H aoteric B u d d h i s m in t h e i r g e n e a a l o u t l i n e to r e s t u p o n t h e i r a u t h o r i t y ,
a s in t h e cou r» o of th o i r lo n g re p lie s to t h e q u e s ti o n s a r i s i n g o u t of
Probably no other two people in the world ! And what is thoso te a c h in g s, th e y h a v e been n ow hore d isclaim ed . N o d o u b t
very gratifyiug is, that you are receiving recognitions as you th e ro a ro m oro th a n o n e m i s t a k e n , n o tion h e re a n d th e re , th r o u g h o u t
go along (not common) of your valuable services. People, th o v o lu m e , a n d a few fa lse in f e r e n c e s , m D rc t h a n w a r r a n t e d by th o
who havo been illustrious in life, have had monuments raised m e a g re d etails receiv ed ; b u t th e m isco n cep tio n s, false re n d e rin g a n d
to them after thoir departure, but you are greeted every­ th e fallacious c o n c lu s io n s n rriv e d a t b y h is m a n y c r i tic s — a re f a r g r e a t e r
eM il . T h i c , w o l u p>, w i l l b e a m p l y p r o v e d i n a p a m p h l e t n o w i n p r e ­
where as veritable gods who have come down from heaven p aratio n . W e h o p e o u r f r i e n d a n d b r o t h e r will u n d e r s t a n d t h e t e a c h ­
to save the nation. Your work is noble, indued, and your names in g s b e t t o r s o m o d a y a n d r o t m e t m u c h o f w h a t h o lm d s a id in his
will live in tho annals of the Orient, yet to adorn the ages, t w o a t t i d e s t o L i g h t .— E d i t o r .
as feio others, less than thal of Buddha himself.
As 1 said iu a former letter, I believe, tears have more
than onco come into iny eves when reading of your splen­ A L A P S U S C A L A M I.
did receptions; I have us often wished that I could have
been preseut to add my humblo gratulations. Say a the E d ito r of the I n d ia n Churchman, in liis issue
I have seen in the Theosophist lately, some of the Occultist of J a n u a r y 5, u n d e r th e h ea d “ Resume of th e year
ideas about the Sun. Would it sound egotistical for ine to 1883
sny that for many years, I have had similar ideas. 1 say
similar, for I do not recall all the views expressed in your ............. Theosophy, tho cult of the followers of Colonel
paper. 1 will state my own views wliich, 1 think in respect Olcott and Madame Blavatsky, is another movement which
of laat, is not Buddhistic or of the Brothers.! believe the sun to i.s creating some (?) interest in India ; in our opinion it
bo only a focus of the Snprcme Light and has no heal; that tho scorns a re a d ion againt extreme Materialism in favour of
heat wo get is from the friction of the rays of light, making pure Spiritualism. The Bishop yf Madras lias directed his
moro warmth as it approaches tlie earth (the air becoming attention to it, aiul has issued a not ill-timed caution against
denser,) for as we ascend toward tlie sun the colder it grows. its subtleties.”
I f sclf-produciug, then it is simply the expression of its A “ cautio n” to whom ? To th e H in d u s — who care
magnetic forces, evolved from its vast evolutions, or from little for the dicta, of all th e Christian Bishops th e world
reverse currents of magnetism snrronnding it. over, or to th e followers of th e orthodox Church-going
...I have been reading your .“Reply to an English F. T. S.,” Christians, w h o — unless they are p rep a re d to give up
and find in its Erst column and a quart or exactly what is gene­ th e ir one-sided prejudices a u d b ig o try — could n e v er be
rally, 1 think, wanted by European Theosophists, and which Mr. a c c epted in our Society ? W e are afraid, our esteem ed
Sinnett has failed to afford. Indeed here it is clearly shewn contem porary has used an ill-fitting a d v erb before his
rchy hr. could not fulfil the promises some of his statements led
noun. N o caution is necessary a g a in st th a t wherein
ns to expect. I have always felt, and 1. may say, known, from
jny own experience, th a t it was not ‘ selfishness’ ou your lurks no dang er. I n the case of the Bishop of M adras,
port, nor that a “ Chinese wall” had been erected around it was simply a b it of vain boasting, a display of would-
esotcric Bnddhism, that its great truths were riot imparted be a uthority, harm less as to H indus, and useless in th e
to all. The many merely “ curious” and even the “ earnest case of C h ristia n s— .since th e best ally of th e Bishop is
Keekers” aro not always prepared, by courage, self-denial and A rticle V I of our R a les. E vido ntly our “ su b tle tie s ”
pcrsevcranco, to swim the dark stream that could laud them aro not very form idable, since there are hig hly educated,
on the bright shore of sublime spiritual knowledge. They sincere and in every way honourable Christians who
look oarnostly, think earnestly, but dare not make the plunge. would have gladly joined our Society h a d they n ot been
Mr. Sinnett could not convey what is. impliod in your 2nd w arned of the d a n g e r, and prev e n te d .from doing so by
paragraph. “ The inability to. reach them lies entirely with th e uncom prom ising honesty of Col. O lcott himself, our
(.he seekers ;” for, as you further say, “ I t rests entirely ou
Pre side n t.
the impossibility of imparting that, tho nature of which, is
beyond tho comprehension of tho ‘would-be learners,’” &c. Ac.
Exactly so. And this is the reason why I wrote a couple
M r. M O N C U H E CONWAY.
of ariiclps for Liyht (of Loudon). Not, as I think yon will’
see, tbat I distrusted the powers of the,Brothers, nor that I dis­ U n d e rthis heading our old well-wisher, a pious B a p tist
believed in tho possibilities lying behind what they were en-. editor ill Ceylon, takes an opportu nity of s n ap p in g a t
flbled to oonvey to the outer world — if I may bo name iti.,; . us. A s usual, ho goes o u t of bis way to perform the
................................. G . L. U its on , F . T ; S. pleasant d u ty . H e b a d a call ho tells liis readers from
' [ W e n r n s i n o o f e l y g l a d t o fin'd o u r o ' d a n d t r u o f r i e n d , D r . G . L ; tlife em inent ontologist; M r: Moncure Conway, of Loudon
P its o n , a d d r e s s iu g us t h e a b o v e e x p l a n a to r y r e m a r k s in r e s p e c t o f then on his way to In dia. A t th e first re ad in g th e edito_
l i : s t w o l e t t e r s t o L i g h t . K n o w i n g h i m s o l o n g , a n d bo w e l l , w e h a v o
n e v e r b ejio v ed h e h a d w r itt e n h is o b je c tio n s to Exoteric f B u d d h i s m i n rial com plim ents to th e address of this “ m an of trans
a n y o t h e r s p i r i t b u t t h a t of f r a n k n e s s a n d k im ln o s s . W o -wero. p a i n o d Cendant abilities,” as the g entlem an is correctly referred
b e y o n d m c a s u r o to find h im , as i t w e re , s id in g w ith o u r e n e m ie s ; b u t to by the editor, m ay app ea r to an innocent reader as
now , wo aro g la d to see, it w as a m istak e ; h a v i n g giv e n his ow n p e c u lia r
vie w s u p j n th e s u b je c t h e n o w explains his p o sitio n . O n ly w h y s h o u ld
genuine coin. N o th in g of the kind, however. The wily
o u r o ld a n d t r u s t e d A m e r i c a n f r i e n d a d d r e s s n s a s t h o u g h w e w e r e tljo . B a p tist never lauds b u t to abuse. T he tom -cat is
a u t h o r o f th o “ lte p lie s to a n E n g lis h F . T . S .?” I t w a s e x p la in e d , w e - never m ore d a ngerous in his perfidiousness than when
Iw lieve, a n d n ia d p v e r y c l e a r t h a t t h e l c l t e r o f t h e E n g l i s h F . T . S.
b '-iu g h d d ra s s c d to t h e M a h a t m a s , i t w a s n o t o u r p r o v in c e to a n s w e r
p u rr in g tho loudest j a n d a pious dissenter will go back
t h e s c i c n t i f i c q u e r i e s c o n t a i n e d 1q I t , e v e n i f w e ( h a d t h e a b i l i t y t o d o s o , on his prinoiple of ^intolerance b u t to m ak e a b e tte r leap
at hia a ntagonist. Says th a t ^ e a r old literary choeta of
tlie “ Spicy Is la n d ” ;—
. . . . . Mr. C o n w a y .......... is willing to recognize Him
(Christ) as dioine. Except in tlio last particular, we ,
have the reverse of sympathy for Mr. Conway’s views ; but ■
a man of scholarship and genius like his is not to be con­
founded with the herd of Olcotts, Blavatskys and Sinnetts
(oh poor ex-editor of the Pioneer !) with their humbug
about “ Esoteric Buddhisjn,” “ Occult Revelations,” and an
imaginary prophet in T h i b e t ............. he is not the man to
fraternize with the high sillinnesses (sic) of the Olcott-Bla-
vat.sky superstitions
Evidently the “ S p irit of G o d ” has bub half descended
npon th e w riter, for one fails to recognize in him a p ro ph e t
or even a medium. Mr. M oncure (Jonway has “ f r a te r ­
nized” with tho Theosophists ; a n d a more c h a rm in g , in-
tiHectnal aiid p leasant afterno on a n d e vening lias beeu
rarely passed th an in the com pany of this re m a rk a b ly
learned man. As soon as landed in M ad ras (-Jan : JOth),
the said g en tle m a n paid a visit to th e H e ad -q u a rters of
the Society, a t Adyar, bearing a le tte r of introduction
from Air. P. de J e rsa y C r n t, F . '1'. S , of Australia.,
whose visit wo had enjoyed nearly two years ag o a t
.Bombay. Thu Ceylon C hristian edito r was r i g h t iu sa y ­
ing th a t Mr. M. Conway is. willing to recogimze
l hrist as “ divine.” T he said g e n tle m a n has corobo-
ratoi} the statem ent, a d d in g th a t w h a t he ad m ire d an d
loved the most iu tho ideal Je sus of tho Gospels was th a t
— “ C hrist was not a C h ristia n ,” thus show ing himself
a t one w ith onr Theosophical ideas ab o u t t h a t e xalted
and perfect Man.
But Avhere could th a t . Colombo simaer “ verily
hapti&eci with(out) th e baptism of r e p e n ta n c e ” have
learned so m uch abo ut “ scho larship,” wo wonder,
au d acquired the a r t of discerning so well betw een tho
x‘ h u m bug of esoteric B u d d h ism ” a n d th a t of theological
C hristianity, between “ im aginary p ro p h e ts in T ib e t, ”
and th e non-im agiuary p ro ph e ts of the Jew ish Biblo—■
such as Balaam and his slie-ass for instance ? L e t him
ivmeiuber t h a t his pap er, th e oldest, if n o t th e wisest in
the Isla n d , has obtained for him a settle d re putation
years ago. T h a t with most of its readers it is no longer
a question w hether its editor has g r a d u a te d in a u n iv e r­
sity or a b u tle r’s pantry, b u t r a th e r how much of gall
must have e n te re d .nto the composition of the w aters of
salvation in which ho was baptized. Surely “ the g re a t
sta r called worm wood” spoken of in Revelation must have
a lready fallen ii.to tho J o r d a n of th e C h ristia n B aptists
of liis stam p. How can ono wonder then th a t w aters
made so bitter are eschewed and rejected by both h e a th e n
anil good unsecta-rian Christians !
D IV IN A T IO N BY T H E L A U R E L CUBES.
F rom a priv ate 'letter, w ritten by p e r fe c tly reliable
and very learned Theosophist iu E u ro p e , wo copy tho
f o llo w n g , om ittin g however th e names of tho p a r tie s :—.
“ I do not know whether you are acquainted with a certain
practice of divination by means of little blocks made of the
sacred laurel wood, 0 11 which the letters of the alphabet aro
written. After the question whieh you desire to ask is com­
posed, tho blocks are thrown by the questioner into a silver-
vase which is consecrated to Isis. Mad. F __ then takes one
after the other of theso blocks, and arranges them in a circle
upon a jnptallic disk, and the answer appears written upou
the sainp blocks which wero used to ask the question.
Miss B-, a lady of high position, who has becouio well
known through her self-sacrificing and humanitarian
labours during tho war, and Mad. F...wero about to make
lhe experiment with those blocks of wood, when their
attention was attracted by a series of raps 0 11 the metallic-
disk sounding like little electric detonations. Then a sus­
tained rush of air was heard ending in a loud ring such as is
in,ade with a silver bell.
Miss B. had been reading Mr. Sinnett’s book, and had put
tho question, whether it i(vuuld be possible for her to com­
municate with' the Brothers of the Himalaya. W h at was
her surpriso, when she received the written answer ; ‘ Yes,
if you merit us, Koot Hoomi,’ ” ............................ ..
W h e th e r or not. th e response came from tho M a ste r
named, it bears a t least the one g re a t m a rk of genuine-*
ness th a t it affirms th e v ery first, most cardinal c o n d itio n
of persona! interco urse w ith our teachers. ‘‘F ir s t d e -
skbve, then dosire” is the k e y -n o te always- M oreover,
as every Chela knows, n ea rly every com m un icatio n
from th e Masters is pre c e de d by a very peculiar sound,
— th a t of a silvery bell.
T H E OXO NIA NS AND T H E O S O P H Y AGAIN.
B a r r i n c i an occasional drop of gall in the cup of Hippocraa,
our esteemed antagonists of the Oxford Mission are very
kind towards us. In fact, being both gentlemen and
scholars, they go far to make us forget the priest and see
only tho friendly critic. If all Asiatic missionaries had been
such Christ-like Christians, the page of our history would
have been unsoiled by oue savage retort. They seem to
treat all in the same kindly, self-respectful tono. Wa
scarcely recall a moro tender, genial narrative ’than tho '
E p i p h a n y ’s account of tho cremation of our gifted foe, tha
late Babu Keshub Chunder Sen, whom they nevertheless wera
obliged to regard as a serious opponent to their evangelising
work. The issue of their journal for January P2tli contains
the following significant artiele upon Theosophy : —
THEOSOPHY A G A IN .
W e a ry s o m e tim e s a s k e d w h y , i a a M issio n ary p ap e r, w e sp e a k sa
lu n c h of T h e o so p h y . O n r a n s w e r is tw o fo ld .
I ' i r s t , e v e r y T h o o s o p h i s t p r o f e s s o s t o bo a i m i n g a t a life h i g h e r t h a n
h e n o w liv es, aiu l w e n a t u r a l l y w is h to offer to h im t h e ( T ltis tia u s o la ,
t i o u o f t h e p r o b l e m w h i c h h e h a s , in c o m m o n w i t h us, to solve.
S e c o n d ly , w e r e e o g n i i e in T h e o s o p h y , o r in tlie ‘ TheosophiB t* M a g a ­
zin e, o r in Theo so p h it-ts, (c h o o se y o n r o w n e x p r e f sio u ) th e m o s t f w .
m i d a b le foe o f C h r i s t i a n i t y in I n d i a a m o n g s t e d n o a t c d n a t iv e s .
T h e revival of A ry a u th o u g h t c o m m e n d s i t ta th e m ; th e su b tla
p h ilo so p h y w h ich av o id s th e s tig m a of M a te ria lism , w hilo s o a rin g fa r
a b o v e t h e c o n f e s s e d h u m i lit y a n d h e lp le s s n e s s o f th e Q h r is tia n a n d tho
T h e i s t , f a s c i n a t c s t h e m ; i t g i v e s a g r a n d t h i r s t f o r k n o w l e d g e , a Beuso
of p o w e r. B u t ab o v e all th o u n m is ta k a b le d e p t h of th e in tellect e n ­
liste d in its s e r 'i c o , b o th a m o n g E u ro p e a n s a n d N a tiv e s, m a k e s it
w o r th y of o u r a t te n t io n . S o m e p oople s p j a k of T h e o s o p h y a s a m e r e
j u g g l e ; b u t t h o s o w h o r e a d T h e o s o p h i c a l p u b l i c a t i o n s k n o w t h a t i t is a
p ro fo u n d th e o ry of th e U n iv e r s e , th e n e a r e s t p e r h a p s to th o rev ea led
t r u t h of a n y , a s f a r a s it g o es, w h ile t h e f a r t h e s t f r o m th e r e v e a 'e .t
t r n t h , w h e n i t s t o p s s h o r t a n d d e n i e s a l l b e y o n d i t s a r b i t r a r y li mi t. .
O f t e n d o w e fe c i h o w a l m o s t h o p e l e s s it is f o r t h e E d i to r s o f t h e E f.i-
p h a n y , im m e r s e d in o th e r w o rk , to d e a l fairly w ith th o m a s s of c le a r
t h o u g h t a n d c l e v e r s p e c u l a ti o n m o n t h l y p o u r e d o u t in th e p a g e s o f th n .
T h eosophist, n o t to s p e a k o f th o v a r io u s o t h e r p u b li c a t io n s o f th o
T heosophical S ociety. W e w ish t h n t wo cou ld o b ta in for th e E p ip h a n y
bo a r d e n t a n d l a b o r i o u s a b a n d o f c o n t r i b u t o r s .
B u t o n r v e r y a p p r e c ia t io n of th o T h eosophist m a k e s ns v e r y s o rry
t o Bee i t u s i n g h o s t i l e l a n g u a g e . T i t o a r t i c l e s i n t h o l a s t i s s u e o f i t
( N u m b e r 51) h a v e s e e m e d to n s u u w o r th y of its g e n e ra l to n e . B oth
o c c u r in t h e S n p p l e m e n t . O u e is ca lled “ T ho S a ra c o n s of T h e o so p h y
a n d th o M a d r a s C r u s a d e r s ,” w h icli w e w ill call A . U is w i t h o u t
s ig n a tu re , a n d a p p e a r s to ns to b e a n editorial. T l i o o t h e r is c a l l e d .
11 a n A n g l o - I n d i a n T h e o s o p h i s t o n t h e B i s h o p o f M a d r a s , " a n d ia .
s ig n e d II. R- M. ( F . T . S . ) L e t u s c a ll it B. '
W e a re of c o n r s e ig n o r a n t o f t h e p ro v o c a tio n g iv e n b y th e M a d ra x
p re ss, u n d b y in d iv id u a l c l e r g y o r M issionarie s, b u t w o a r e s o r r y to
soo b i t t e r p e r s o n a l i n s i n u a t i o n s r e p lie d to a n d r e t o r t e d as r e g a r d s th a '
p re ss, an d w e s h o u ld liav e t h o u g h t th o b a d c le r g y o r M issio n arie s b e a t .
le ft in c o n t e m p t u o u s silence.
I t is v e r y p a i n f u l to a C h u r c h m a n to r e a d in t h e l e t t e r o f H . R. M.,
r e m e m b e r i n g t h n t h e i s “ a h i g h m i l i t a r y o f f i c e r a n d a n E n g l i s h m a n , ’!
s o o o m p l e te a m i s c o n c e p t io n o f th o C h u r c h iu I n d i a a n d its p o s itio n .
T h o B i s h o p o f M a d r a s is d e s c r i b e d a s “ a p a i d s e r v a n t o f G o v e r n m e n t , ’*
p a i d “ o n l y f o r l o o k i n g a f t e r h i s t w e n t y f o u r c h a p l u i n s ,-” a n d h e is
b l a m e d f o r “ t a k i n g u p o n h i m s e l f t h o o ff ic e o f a M i s s i o n a r y - ” I n s o
d o i n g h e ia s a i d t o “ o v e r s t e p h i s o t l i o i a l p o s i t i o n , ” t o b o g u i l t y o f
“ d ir e c t v io la tio n of t h e o r d e r s of G o v o r u m e u t” (relig io u s n e u tr a lity ) ,
a n d t o “ c o n t r a v e n e t h o s p i r i t o f G o v e r n m e n t o r d e r s q u i t e a s m u c h an
w h e n a civil s e r v a n t t a k e s to tr a d in g .” T h e B is h o p is “ p a t r o n of
s o m e h alf a d o ze n religious S jc io tie s c o n n e c te d w ith th e c o n v e rs i o n of
t h e H e a t h e n , ” a n d w h e n h e t a l k s o f “ s p e c i a l m e a s u r e s 1’ a g a i n s t C o t .
O l c o t t h e is s a i d t o i n t e n d t o “ u s e h i s off ici al p o s i t i o n . ,
Lot us be clear. T h e B is h o p will u o t s a y “ I a d v ise y o u t o o p p o s e
t h e C olo n e l b ecause. I a m officially r e c o g n i z e d as a B is h o p b y t h a
G o v e r n m e n t , ” bnto 1' b e c a u s e I a m 0, B i s h o p . * '
O fficial r e c o g n i t i o n m u s t c a r r y w e i g h t , b u t i t d o e s n o t m a k e e v e r y
a c t o f t h e officially r e c o g n i z e d B is h o p a n a c t of G o v e r n m e n t . The
B i s h o p i s s o l e m n l y w a r u e d b y t h e h i g h m i l i t a r y o f f ic er , w h o ie p e r h a p s
a c o o rd in g to th is m e th o d of a r g u m e n t , p i i d b y G o v e r n m e n t to .convey
t h i s w a rn in g , tlm t a p e titio n w ill be s e n t hom o to t h e S e c re ta ry o f ;
S t a t e , if h e d o e s n o t a m e n d h i s E p i s c o p a l w a y s , a n d t h o “ E c c l e s i a s ­
tic a l M edan" o f t h e “ O pM i L e t t e r ” is a g a i n t h r e a t e n e d by o n r w a r l i k e
c ritic . ' • > . . . :
N o w w h a t a r e w o t o s a y t o t h e c h a r g e o f n n d u l y u s i n g of f i c i a l p o s i t i o n ,
a u d . t o t h e t h r e n t o f d i s e s t a b l i s h m e n t . ? W e c a n ' o n l y Bay t h a t C h r i s ­
t i a n i t y is c e rta in ly n o t s p /e a d b y fo ro e o r b y f r p u d , b u t b y p e rs o n a l
i u t t u b u c e j ’ I t C h r i s t i a n i t y w e r e “ r e a l l y t h e r e l i g i o n o f l o v e whioh" i (
th e o te t id a ll y is, wo can im a g in e e v e n b ig o te d H in d u s ' lo o k in g q u ie tly dowh Idolatry and stamp out “ Heathenism.” lint in his
<>n w h i l e V i c e r o y s o r J u d g e s a b u s e d t l i e i r o f li c ia l p o s i t i o n t o s p r e a d i t .
episcopal capacity he has—as onr eminent correspondent
T l ie y W ould efty— “ T l i e y lo v e us, l e t t h e m c o n v e r t u s b y lo v e if t l i e y
O 'n .” B r i t a l a s ! t l i o u n h a p p y C h r i s t m a s - t i d e o f 1 8 8 3 is s t i l l r e - e c h o i n g
H. R. M. pointed Out—no more rig h t to sink Itis public
w ith th 6 w ar-b ries of u n - C h r i s t i a n C h ristin as a n d ir r ita te d n o n - C h r is ­ prerogative in his private personality and break the reli­
tian s. gious poace, th a n the civilian has the right to embark in
T h e s p r o a d of C h r i s t i a n i t y is lookod o n w i t h n j e a l o u s e y e , a n d t h o trade. The world’s mind is largo enough to house all sects
G b v o rn n iertt p o lic y of re lig io u s n e u t r a l i t y c n r e f u lly c l a im e d us b a r e and schools—provided they do as they would be done by.
ju stice. —'-E d .
T h a t p o lic y is in n n w isn in frin g e d hy th e B i s h o p n f M a d r a s .
T h e H i s l i o p s a n d t h e C h n p ’a i n s n r o p a i d b y a G o v e r n m e n t w h i c h
f a v o u r s a l l r e l i g i o u s R e e ts i n s o m e d e g r e e , t o t e a c h C h r i s t i a n i t y t o i t s
( ■ h r i s t ' a n o f f ic ia ls a n d t h e i r c h i l d r e n . J l u t G o v e r n m e n t is p e r f e c t l y
f) ItjqitontjquaI.
n w a r o t h a t M issio n w o r k is a n e s s e n t i a l p a r t o f C h r i s t i a n i t y . Q uito
a p a r t f r o m ( l i e r i g h t o f e v e r y G o v e r n m e n t o f f i c i a l t o use. h i s s p a r e t i m e
in p r o p a g a t i n g e i t h e r T h e o s o p h y o r C h r i s t i a n i t y , — t h e e s t a b l i s h e d c l e r g y
n r e b o u n d a s I ’r i e s t s t o d o R o m e M i s s i o n w o r k , t l i o r e l i g i o u s l i f e o f t l i e i r
rO ngr.-gutions w ould be d w a rfe d n n d d i s t o r t e d w i t h o u t t h n t M is s io n a r y I n these days of scepticism and unbelief, tho following
•/.oal w h i c h e v e r y p a r i s h P r i e s t n t h o m e i n E t i g l n u d t r i e s t o e v o k e . testimony to a phenomenon, not capable of being explained
T h e e s t a b l i s h e d B i s h o p ia b o u n d t o t n k e c a r e o f t h a t p a r t o f t h e C h a p ­ on any theory of trick or fraud, will not be without use in
l a i n s ’ w o r k ; a n i l b e m u s t a l s o r o n i e n i b e r t h a t lie i s ( j u i t o n s m u c h t h o
exciting at least a spirit of calm inquiry in reasonable
B i s h o p o f t h e M i s s i o n a r i e s w h o m h o is ?t ot p a i d t o t a k o c a r e o f , a s o f
t h e C h a p l a i n s w h o m h e is p a i d to t a k e cilre of. I f c is a I l i s h o p o f t l io minds.
C h u r c h , t h e r o i.s a n “ i m p c r i u m i n i m p e r i o ,” n n d t h o C o m m i s s i o n o f G o d
o ver-rid es th o co m m issio n of th e S ta te . I f t h e y c la s h , t h e Rtate m u s t
On the 24th of November Mr. S. Ramaswnniier nnd
r x p e c t to se e h e r c o m m i s s i o n d i s o w n e d , a n d m u s t a n d will w i t h d r a w myself, both went to the Adyar Hcad-qtiartcrs at abont 9 i>. ji.
it. N o t h i n g is m o r e e n t i r e l y l e g i t i m a t e t h a n t h o c a m p a i g n f o r d i s ­ We found Madame Blavatsky seated in the -verandah in
e s t a b l i s h m e n t on t h e p a r t of th o s o w h o d o n o t w is h t h e re lig io n o f front of thc main building conversing with Genenil and
C h r is t to h a v e th o p o sitio n o f t h e B tate relig io n , n n d t h e a g g r e s s iv e im p e - Mrs. Morgan and Miss Flynn, then ou a visit to the
1ns of s u c h a position-
A n y B ish o p o r C h a p la in w h o n e g le c te d M ission w o r k w o u ld lioglect
Head quarters, and a number of Clielas ahd officers of tlie
a n i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r i n hiR “ o f i i c i n r ' w o r k , a s w o l l n s n u i m p o r t a n t Theosophical Society. A fter about an hour’s conversation
t'o m u ia n d of C hri3t. l i e w o n 1(4 b e f a l s e t o tilts C h r i s t i a n t r a d i t i o n o f there, Mmc. B. wished good night to our European brethren
lo v o. E v e ry llish o p or C h ap lain w ho feare d th e th r e a t of D ises ta b lis h ­ and went upstairs to her own room, asking us to follow
m e n t o r D i s o n i l o w m e i i t in t h e p r o s o c u t i o n o f h i s w o r k w o u l d b e falso her thither. Accordingly we went up. Thero wero seven
l o 'nis M a s t e r , ' a n d t o t h e C h r i s t i a n t r a d i t i o n s o f s u f f e r i n g a n d o f
m arty rd o m .
in all in tlie room, which was lighted. Madame ]?.
seated herself facitig west on a chair near a window
W h e n w ill S t a t e s m e n n n d T h e o so p liis ts re c o g n iz e th o s u p r e m e c a re -
JeEsnoss w ith w h i c h t h e C h u r c h b f C h r i s t r e g a r d s t h e s o th iiig s , e x c e p t
in the north-eastern corncr of the room, S. R. and my­
in so f a r as s h e d e sire s t h a t n a tio n a l r e c o g n itio n s h o u ld bo g W e n to th o self sat on the floor, one behind the othor, right in front,
t r n t h o f h e r M i s s i o n , s o l o n g aS t h o E n g l i s h n a t i o n h o n e s t l y a c c e p t s of nnd facing Mine. B., close by an open shelf in tho wall mi
» liat t r u t h ? H o w g lo r i o u s is t h e B e n s e o f t h e D i v i n e M is sio n w h i c h our left. Ilabu Moliini Mohun Chatterji, M. A., B. L
p r e c e d e s n n d s u r v i v e s n il e a r t h l y r e c o g n i ti o n , t h e M is sio n , so s h a m e * (Solicitor, Calcutta,) Messrs. Rawajee, Ananda, and Balai
frtlly fn lfille d , t o s u f f e r a u d to l o v e .
Chand Mallik, also seated on the floor near us, opposite
the wall-shetf and facing it. Wliat had originally been a
L etuscall our respected adversary’s attention to tlie follow­ window was closed with a thick wooden plank, which on care­
ing points, suggested by thc above :— ful examination T found was immovably fixed to the window
1. If Theosophy is “ tlie most formidable foe of Christi­ frame and thus converted into a wall-,shelf with two cross
anity in India amongst educated natives,” it riuist be because boards. The plank behind was hung and the boa ids
exoteric Christianity does not win their approbation, whilo were covered and ornamented with black oil cloth and
the vital essence of Esoteric Christianity, or its Theosophy, fringe. About half an honr after conversation began,
has never been preached to them. Certainly, we Founders while S. R, was talking about certain important niattrrs
have never handled the former with clutch and claw, after concerning himself and t.lic others wero listening, a slight,
the methods of Western Freethinkers and Secnlarists, though rustle of thc oil cloth, hanging in the back of the middle
we havo uniformly affirmed tha t tho “ Secret Doctrine” compartment of thc wall shelf, was observed by the four
underlies external Christianity equally with every other gentlemen seated opposite thc same. From it, immediately
form of theology. after, was oxtrudod a large hand more brown in complexion
2. We oonfcss with pain tha t we have a t various times than white, dressed in a close fitting white sleeve, holding an
been goaded into reprisals, when we have seen fhe majority envelope between the thum b and the forefinger. The hand
of so-called Christian clergy and laity as if conspiring to oame just opposite my face and over the back of S. R .’s head,
traduce onr characters and malign our motives. The loath­ a distance of about two yards from the wall, and a t a jerk
ing felt by Ihe Oxonian brothers for such a tone as th a t dropped the letter which fell close by my side. AH,
adopted by the Rev. Mr. Hastie towards thc Whole Hindu oxcept S. R., saw the phantom hand drop the letter.
nation, was no more righteous than tha t which we feel for I t was visible for a few seconds, and then vanished into air
others bearing tho ear-mark bf Christianity in view of their right before our eyes. I picked up the envelope which was
treatment of Theosophy, inade of Chinese paper evidently, and inscribed with some
characters which I was told were Tibetan. I had seen the
3. In saying th a t thc Rt. Rev. the Bishop bf Madras
like before with S. 11. Finding the envelope was addressed
is justified in doing what he can, while a paid offi­ in English to ‘ Ramasawmy Iyer,’ I handed it over to him.
cial of a professedly neutral Government, to promote
He opened the envelope and drew out a letter. Of the con­
religions apostaey, and adopt any “ special measures” to
tents thereof I am not permitted to say more than that they
check the Thcosophical movement because he is a Bishop
had immediate reference lo what 8. If. was speaking to ns
nnd “ there is an ‘ imperium in imperio,’ ” is simply the setting
np of tho old Papist claim of theocratic supremacy. “ The rather warmly about, and that it teas intended hy his Guru
commission of God over-rides the commission of the State.” as a check on his vehemence in thc matter. As regards the
handwriting of the letter, it was shown to me, and I readily
Does it ? By all means let tha t be officially promulgated aa
an Appendix to thc Queen’s Proclamation of religious neu­ recognized it as the tome th a t I had seen in other letters
shown me long before by S. R. ns having been received from
trality to her non-Christian subjects, Or if this be not so,
then it would surprise nobody to see the law-making autho­ his Guru (also Mad, B.’s master). I need liardly add that
rities taking tho Epiphany party a t its word, and, to avoid immediately after I witnessed the above phenomenon, 1
the “ clash of commissions,” seeing the State’s “ commission examined the shelf wall, plank, boards and all inside and
outside with tho help of a light, and was thoroughly satis­
disowned, . . . . withdraw it.” There is nothing like honesty.
If the guaranteed religious neutrality were a bait and a fied th a t there was nothing in any of them to suggest the
sham, as it most assuredly would be, under such a partisan possibility of the existence of any wire, spring, or any other
view of a Bishop’s duties, the gravest consequences would mechanical contrivance by means of which the phenomenon
could have been produced.
inevitably ensue, Thc peace of Asia is maintained becauso
the good faith of the above Proclamation is thoroughly V . C oofooswamy I yer , M. A ., F. T. S.
believed in. As Dr. Gell, the private gentleman and secta­ Pleader, Madura,
rian, his Lordship of Madras m ight do his best to break
 n.
I attended tlie eighth anniversary of tlie Theosophical
Society held hist December, in Madras. I was at the Adyar
Head-Quarters several times on tlie occasion. I was also in
(lie oeenlt room. I witnessed certain phenomena -when iu
tlie room 0 11 the 2(>th and the 28th of December last. Having
been anked to testify to them, I hereby do so :—■
2. 'l'lie room in question is situated upstairs. In the
room is the shrine—a wooden cupboard put up against a wall.
It i.s not fixed to the wall but only touches it. I have care­
fully examined the shrine insido and outside and also the
wall against which it is put. I found nothing to suspect the
existence of any contrivances which could account for what
1 saw. Inside tlie cupboard aro two framed likenesses of
two of the Mahatmas overhung with pieces of yellow silk,
a silver bowl, and some images.
3. On the 2(>th, it was at about 7 p. 1 1 . that I went up to
the shrine. Thero were 14 other Theosophists present. Wo
were all quite close to the shrine. Madam Blavatsky opened
the shrine with a key which she had and took out the silver
howl. I t was shown to the gentlemen present. There waa
nothing in it. Mr. Venkata Jagga llow, 0. S., then dropped
into it a letter addressed by him to one of the Revered
Mahatmas. The bowl was then placed inside the shrino
which was locked by Madam Blavatsky. In about 5 minutea
the shrine was opened and the silver bowl taken out and
shown. The letter put in by Mr. Venkata Jagga Row had
disappeared and in its place there were 5 letters in the bowl.
Four of them were addressed to particular persons present
and the other to all the delegates from the different Branches
of the Theosophical Society. This last I saw. I t was in the
handwriting known to or recognized by the Theosophists aa
( hat of Mahatma K. H. I had seen the same handwriting
before in letters in the possession of my friend Mr. S. llama*
swamier at Madura.
k On the 28th, I went tothe shrino at about 10-30 A. M.
Seven persons were present. Tho windows were open and
it was broad day light. Madam Blavatsky gave the key of
(lie shrine to Mr. P. Srinivasa Row, Small Cause Judge,
Madras, and stood aside amongst us. Mr. Srinivasa Row
opened the shrine, took out the silver bowl and showed it to
;ill preseut. There was nothing iu it. He put it into tho
shrine, locked it and kept the key. About 5 minutes after
he was told by Madam Blavatsky to open the shrine which
he did. li e then took out the selfsame silver bowl and in it
was an envelope well gummed, addressed to Mr. Srinivasa
Row, I saw him open the envelope and found it to contain
a letter in the handwriting of Mahatma K. H. and currency
notes for lls. 500'*
5. 1 saw no room for deception, no wires, no springs in­
side or outside the shrine. 1 requested permission to examine
the shrino and was allowed to do so. Not only did I not seo
any wire or spring pr any contrivance, but I felt none when
I put my hand into the shrine and examined it.
6. W hat I may here say may not carry conviction whero
the overwhelming testimony already recorded by Mr, Sinnett
and others has failed t.o produce any. Yet I may be allowed
(o subjoin my testimony, however slight, in tho hope th a t it
may not be altogether useless.
7. I know a very acute and able man, a friend of mine,
also jeered at me on finding my name appear in tho Theoso-
pliist as a member of the society, but who in less than two
months from that time became a Theosophist himself and tho
Vice-President of his Branch.
S. tiUBRAMANIA IYER, B. L.,
JJigh Oourt Vakil, Madura,
M a d u r a , 10th January 1884.
Dffichl Seprts.
' "NP ' '
R the Mahabharat, and has been translated into English by
THK ARYAN TH EO SO PH ISTS OP N E W YORK .
( President’s address, P, 0, Jju.o 8, Brooklyn, N. Y .)
Companions :—
The New York B ranch of the Theosophical Society has
been formed with the above title. The officers are :-r-
President........................ W i l l i a m Q . J u d g e .
Secretary ..... .............. ^Ioktim er M arb le.
Treasurer!..... ............. G eo r g e W. W h e a t .
* This anm was to indemuify u I'Jioonopliist, who had to bear an tion in three other American cities, aqd the Newport branch
tlnjuat expoimo.— llANAQEJ),
• The nex t business mooting will bo held, December 10th iust.,
a t Mr. Wheat's house, 355 West, 28th St. N. Y. City—at 8
l*. m. sharp. If you are in sympathy, and desire to join ub;
you are requested to come. ■
Fraternally yours, .
W illiam Q. J udge,
President. >
M o r t im e r M a r b l e . •
Secretary.
December 4th, 1883.
The Society’s objects are —
To promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern religjona
and scienccs, and vindicate its importance ; to investigate tho
hidden mysteries of Nature, and the psychical powers latent
in niau ; and to co-operato iu tho general work of the Theo*
sojjliical Society.
Concerning the above the New York Herald of December
4 lias the following somewhat too coloured account, wc aro
afraid. .
THEOSOPHISTS R E O R G A N IZ IN G .
THE PEOPLE WHO SET NEW YORK TALKING SEVEN YEARS AGO.
A most extraordinary meeting vs as held in a private re­
sidence up town last night, at which a small group of gentle­
men gathered together for the purpose of reviving the w ork
of the Theosophical Society, started in New York nearly a
decado ago, by Madame Blavatsky. .
Since her departure for India iu company with three of tho
leading members of the Society (Colonel H. S. Olcott and
two others), some half a dozen years ago, no active work lias
been done by the society, but the nucleus has been preserved,
and somo ten days ago word was received by several of tho
initiates that a certain priest would be in New York, yester*
day, and would expect to meet a select few at the place men­
tioned last evening.
Accordingly a t eight o’clock wore gathered some well
known men. General Abner A. Doubleday, tho author of
certain well known historical works and the originator of the
grip and cable system, was there and presided. Mr. William
Q. Judge, a Brooklyn lawyer of some note, was Secretary.
There were a boss printer, a somewhat noted journalist, a
professional accountant, a retired merchant, a etudent or two
and others of less note, present.
General Doubleday introduced the Hindoo, not by name,’
but as the messenger of the Society. Some of those present
recognized him as the man who was present at the cremation
of the Baron de 1’alm and at the later ceremony of casting
the Baron’s ashes into the sea. Ho was attired with Oriental
magnificence, strangely contrasting with the business suita
of the others. On his breast gleamed a jewel wrought with
tho mystic word, “ OM.” He spoke very little, bat after
announcing that tho time had come for the active work of
the New York Branch of the Theosophists, he read in Hin-
doostanee a short passage from the Maliabharat and gave to
the acting President (General Doubloday) a copy of the Bha-
gavad-Gita.
W h a t he read was, being translated :—
“ I delivered this imperishable doctrine of Yoga to Vivas-
w a t ; Vivaswat declared it to Manu ; Manu told it to Iksh*
waku. Thus the llajarshis learned it, handed down from
one to another. During a considerable period of time this
doctrine lias been lost in tho world. Oh, harasfior of th y
foos I I have now explained to thee this same ancient doctrine,
as I considered tlioo both my worshipper and my friend. F o r
this mystery is very important.”
The Bhagavad-Gita is a discourse between Krishna and
A rjuna on divine matters, taken from tho Upanishads of
the political agent of His Highness, Guycowar Mulbar R a o ,-
Maharajah of Baroda,
After delivering Jiis message and the book, tlie Hindoo
disappeared. No ono followed him or asked a question. His
errand was accomplished. The Society immediately organiz-
e(I under the rules of the Theosophical Society, now of
Madras, elected officers and nppointed a meeting for next
Monday night, Secret branches are already in active opera­
' ia thought to he likely to grow rapidly.
 THE KAPURTHALA T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y . T H E P R E S I D E N T - F O U N D E R IN T H E
A t iv m e e t i n g of members of the Theosophical Society held INO R T H K llN C IR C A HS.
jit Kapurthala on the 3rd day of December 1883, the Presi* A t th e invitation of His H ig h n e ss the Maharajah
dent-Founder in the chair— it wns unanimously resolvod that Sah eb of V izianag ram , Colonel Olcott left M adras on
a Branch bo formed at this place nnder tho name of “ Tho the 4th J a n u a r y by S. S. " Maldn” and landing a t Bim*
Kapurthala Theosophical Society.” Upon motion the Bye-laws lipatam on th e ev ening of the 7th, arrivod a t Viziana­
of .tlie Parent Socioty were temporarily adopted, and the Chair gram a t 7 p. M; a f te r a drive of two hours. D uring
appointed H . E . Dowari Mathnra, Das and Baba Hari Chand the P re sid e n t-K o u n d e r ’s stay nt the capital of the most
a committee to preparo Bye-laws. im p o rta n t native slate of the N o rth e rn Circaiv, the hos­
T h e choico of office-bearers being’ next in order, the Chair
pitality shown to him, th e in te llig e n t interest that h is llig h -
m ade the following appointments for the ensuing year : —
ness took in the discourses of the Col"nel on Theosophy
P r e s i d e n t :— H . E . D ew an Ram jas, C. S . I.
and Occult Sciences, and the best possible uso mado
V i c e - P r e s i d e n t : — H . K. D e w a n M athura Uas.
S e c r e t a r y :— Babu Hari Chand.
by tbe M aharajah of this visit, a tte st tho em inent culture
Tho President-Fonnder then doclared the Branch duly of one of tho most en lightened Princes of India. A t tho
formed aud the meeting adjourned. re q u est of H is H ighness, Colonel Olcott delivered an e x­
W , T . B r o w n , F- T . S., tem pore lecture, highly interesting and impressive, before
• A c tin g Secretary, an audience composed of the educated residents of tho
p r o . tern. place, a t tho D a b a Gardens a t 4-30 p . m . on the 8 t h . Ho
Approved. Let Charter issue. showed th a t T heosophy is indentical with tho essence of
H . S. O l c o t t , P. T. S. all ancient re lig io n s; explained at length the aims and
objects of. the Society ; dwelt on its achievement* ;
THE T IR U P P A T T U R THEOSOPHFCAL S O C IE T Y . m aintained th a t th e M aterialistic thoory can be pulled
O u r indefatigable brother, M . R . R y . S. Ram aswam ier down a n d tho survival of m an after death established, by
Avergal, organised a Branch Theosophical Society at Tirup- scientific experim ents, &c. ; pointed out tho superiority of
pattur in M adura District. This is the 79th Branch in India. the ancient A ryan philosophy over all the M odern systems
T h e o ffice b e a r e r s f o r t h o c u r r e n t y e a r a r e in its h a ving an ex p e rim e n ta l basis, and concluded by
M. R. B v. P . V f, nkate.swaraiah A vergal, P r e s i d e n t . e x h o rtin g the'a u d ie n c e to foster S a n sk rit L ite r a tu r e in
„ N . S reenivasier A vergal, S e c r e t a r y Sf T r e a s u r e r ,
which are em balm ed inestimable treasures, tlio teachings
THE G H A Z IP U R T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
of o u r Rishis, whose resuscitation t n d comprehension
Would revive the ancient spiritual glories of A ryavarta.
, T b e fo llo w in g office-bearers w e re e le c te d fo r th e G h a z i p u r T he speech made such a sensation a m ong the peoplo
T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y :— ■ th a t a B ranch Society called Vsaishcha T. S. in honour
' B a b u S h a n k a r D a y a l P a n d a y , President.
of the M aharajah’s gotra o r .“ clan” was organised on thn
. ,, K e d a r N a t h .C h a t t e r j e e , n.A. , Secretary.
” B enodi L al M ukerjee , m.a., 4 ss f. S e c r e t a r y . m orning of the lOtb, consisting of almost all the leading
L ala R am S aran L al, T r e a s u r e r . gentlem en of the place. I n tho four T e lu g u D istricts of
the N o rth e rn Circars, Theosophy wa-* hitherto so littlo
T IIE P R A Y A G P S Y C H IC T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y . know n— by reason of their Geographical isolation from
T h e fo llo w in g o ffice-b earers w e r e e le c te d fo r t h e “ P r a y a g the rest of I u d i a — th a t the benefits of tho formation of
'P s y c h ic T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty ,” A l l a h a b a d , f o r t h e y e a r the V asishtha Theosophiid Society can not be overrated ;
1883-8 A .
and there is every reason to believe th a t splendid results
II. C . N i b l e t t , E s q ., President. _ will accrue for the cause. On board tho steamer, the nil-
B a bu O p r o k a s C h a n d e r M u k e r j e e , V ic e - P r e s i d e n t . ab sorb in g topic of conversation am o ng the native p a s se n ­
' Dr. A v i n a s C h a n d r a B a n e r j e e , I J o m t S e c r e l a r i e s _ gers was I heosophy. To the fu rthest limits of (Janjam
„ B rojendro N ath B anerjee ) a n d Viz igapatm n, to Ohutrapnr, an d Ohicacole, and to
m any an im p o rta n t station, the principles of Theosophy
T H E V A S IS H T H A T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y are now be in g diffused w ith unusual interest. ,
(V IZ I A N A G R A M .)
Tho kindly s y m p ath y shown by H is H ighness for
At a meeting of Theosophists held at Vizianagram on the Tboosophical movement has already begu n to exert
the 10th January 1884, the P r e s i d e n t - Founder i n t h e chair, no small influence on the public a t large. The Presi-
it was resolved :— _ d e n t-F o u n d e r seems to have secured the friendship
That a Branch Society, called tho “ Vasishtha Thcosophical
of a P rin c e already en g a g e d in rig h t e a rn e s t in tho
Secieiy,” bi; organised at Vizianagram.
Thiit the Rules of tbe Parent Thcosophical Society bo
moral re g e n e ratio n of India.
Leaving V izianagram early on the morning of the
temporarily adopted ;
T h a t a C o m m ittee be a p p o in te d fo r f ra m in g B ye-law s, co m ­ 11th, Colonel Olcott reached Bimlipatam a t about 9 a . m .
p o se d of M essrs. C h a n d r a s e k h a r a S a s t r i a r , K . S u b b a r a y a d u , A com m ittee of the H ind u D ebating U nion in te r r u p t­
0. V e n k a ta r a o S ah ib , V . V e n k a t a R a y u d u , a n d K . V ija y a - ed his carriage on the rond, and persuaded him to give
la g h a v a c lia ria r ; them a short lecture beforo em b a rk in g oa th e steamer
A n d t h a t t h e f o l lo w in g officers b e e l e c t e d f o r a t e r m of K a n g r a , which lay a t anchor in the h a rb o u r. As he had
o n e y e a r :— no time for doing a n y th in g more, being in a hurry to
M u . C . C S a s t r i a r , n . a . , P re sident-, M r .
h a n d r a s e k h a r a
reach Ile a d -Q u a rters and prepare for his European tour,
C. V e n k a t a R ao V ic e - P r e s i d e n t ; M r. V . M a d h a v a
S a h i b ,
he c o n te n te d himself with kindling in tho hearts of the
R ao , m . a ., Secreta ry a n d T r e a s u re r ; M e s s r s . K . S u b b a r a y u d u ,
leading men a desire to study Theosophy, and paving
V. R a g h u n a y u k u l u N aidu and G. T h a m m a i a h N a i d u , Coun­
the way for th e form ation of a Branch.
cillors, „ ., , W h e n the Kcingra arrived a t V izagapatam a n u m ­
C. ChandrasekhArAm, / resident.
ber of gentlem en who had already invited the Colonel
T H C O SO P H IC A L S A N S K R IT SC H O O LS. by telegrams, came aboard and earnostly requested him to
W e liav e b een in fo rm e d f ro m C a w n p o re t h a t th e U ra n c h go on shore and lecture on Theosophy au d form a Branch
of o u r S o ciety a t th a t sta tio n h a s ra is e d a m o n th ly s u b s c rip ­ Society. B u t to his g r e a t re g re t this was impractible aa
tio n of o n e h u n d r e d r u p e e s f o r t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a S a n s ­ no oth e r .s te a m e r for Madras would serve beforo one
k r i t s c h o o l p r o p o s e d to b e s t a r t e d in th e . m o n t h of J a n u a r y . ■week an d his foreign e ngagem ents forb ad e delay. He
I t is a p l e a s u r e to se c t h a t t h e n u m b e r o f S a n s k r i t s c h o o ls was obliged to dispose similarly of an invitation from
is s t e a d i l y i n c r e a s i n g . A n d w e s h a l l c o n s i d e r o u r d u t y to Cocanada. If, however, th e gentlemen interested in tha
h a v e b een r i g h tl y p e rfo r m e d w h e n w e fin d th o w h o le I n d i a n m a tte r would re p o rt to H ead-Q uartera when the Branches
P e n i n s u l a d o tte d o ver w ith such In stitu tio n s. I f w e arb to '
in these places are actually ready to be organised,
iu do -c o f t h e f u t u r e f r o m t h o s u c c e s s w h i c h h a s a t t e n d e d
th e P re sid e nt-F ou ride r promised to spare th e valuable
o u r ° p a s t e ffo rts, w e f e e l c o n f i d e n t t h a t t h e d a y is n o t v e r y
f a r o ff w h e n o u r h o p e s w i l l b e f u l l y r e a l i z e d ; for as tb4 services of M r. W . T. Brown, B. L., whose h e a rt is in
i n g h a s i t , “ N o t h i n g ' s u c c e e d s l i k e S u t c e s s . ”, ' w arm and entire sym pathy with the educated gentlem en
 of India, for a to u r along th is coast. F rie n d s ,at thn
chief points th ro u g h o u t the N o rth ern 'Oirears will k indly
communicate w ith Mr. D. K. M a va la nk a r, R ecording
Secretary, aa soon as practicable, so th a t Mr. Brow n's
dates inay be a rran ged and the necessary preliminaries
be agre e d upon.
An official to u r by th e P r e s id e n t-F o u n d e r th ro u g h
E urope lias been long needed because of the recent
growth of our Society iu tha t p a r t of th e world, u ttested
by th e formation of several Branches a n d the su rp risin g
interest aw akened in Asiatic Philosophy by Mr. S in n e tt’s
books and oth e r agencies. Jt is now five years, since the
Founders passed th a t way en route for India. A t th a t
time we could count b u t two ({ranches from Cape F e a r
to th e Volga— tlie one a t London and the o th e r at
Corfu in Greece. Y et, despite th e ir s ub sequ ent absorption
by th e ir w ork in In d ia and th e ir consequent inability
to second tho efforts of our B rothers in those countries,
n n u m b e r of Brauches have sprung' up, and th e indica­
tions nre most cheering. Our British Branch has
always been able to boast a m o n g its m em bers a nu m b er
of th e best th in k e rs an d writers of the day ; b u t since
Mr. S in n e tt’s re tu rn to E n gland th e accessions have
been both numerous end im p o rta n t. A ccording to lato
advices it appears th a t Theosophy is quite a to p ic of
discussiou iu cu ltured Society, au d T heosophical “ A t
Homes,’’ “ conversaziones,” an d oth e r social meelings
at which it is the chosen subject of talk are g e tti n g to be
quite common. T he presence of the P residen t-F oun der,
therefore, nt the several intellectual capitals of Europe,
will be opportune and wo hope for good resu lts from
his tour. The immediate cause is however, a special and
earnest appeal from his co-religionists, tho B u ddhists of
Ceylon, to try and remove their p re se n t religious disabili­
ties. As was justly rem arked by Mr. A brew , oue of
the Delegates from the Colombo B ranch, to th e late
convention of the General Council, our Society, (at firs t
suspected, o f a design to su p plan t B u d d h is m by H in d u is m
in Ceylon) is now respected, and when there was a
failure of justice a fte r the r ec e n t Catholic R io t,’
“ the eyes of all Ceylon were tu r n e d to Colonel
Olcott as the only person who could have th e ir grievances
redressed.” O ur colleague never “ does th in g s b y hulves”
aud so h e hopes to finish a t Lond on the “ immensely
beneficial” w ork he began in the ir behalf a t Colombo.
He is n o w in Ceylon, and at’tor a short visit to K a th iw a r
will sail from Bombay for I'Juropeby the middle of F e b ru -
ary,— probably reaching Paris and London ab ou t th e
middle of March. A t London he may be addressed
c/o A. P. Sinnett, Esq., 7, L a d b ro o k e G a r d e n ’s K e n s in g ­
ton Park W . H e expects to be back a t Calcutta
in Ju ly or A u g u st to hold th e Provincial Convention of
th e General Council recently decided upon. T he re st of
th e year will be sp e n t in another foreign c o untry ; about
which block of work full particulars will be giv en in
due course of time. H is correspondence (unless sent
direct to London) should always be addressed to tho
A d y a r H ead-Q uarters. B u t no letters of trivial im p o r­
tance will be forwarded to him, nor any which can be as
well a tte n d e d to here. . our methods of investigation, are those of the lady patronesses
T H E NEUTRALITY- OP T H E SEN A TE H O U SE .
W i t h reference to a correspondence on the subject of this
heading that is now taking plaeo in the Madras Mail a few
remarks will be perhaps timely. At the time of our “ Eighth
A n n i v e r s a r y ” the Council of the Theosophical Society applied
to Mr. Duncan, Registrar of the University of Madras, for
tho use of the Senate Hall for a few hoars, wherein our nume­
rous Delegates and members could meet. We were refused
— as might havo been anticipated —aud no reasons givou for
the refusal. The request was uot made in the way as the
Madras Mail puts it, i. e., by “ the disciples of Mad. Bla-
vatsky,’' but by tlie Council of a Society which counts,besides
many thousands of native members in India, same of the most
distinguished and scientific men of England — e v e n Fallows of
the Bayal Society—and of Europo generally. J t was neither a
relig io u s n o r a scie n tific m e e tin g , b u t p im p ly a so cial g a th e r ­
ing of men from all the quarters of the globe,,who, patting
away, for tho time, all their political and religious strifes social
distinctions and every race feeling—wore to meot on one com­
mon platform of U n i v e r s a l B r o t h e r h o o d , and mutual-good
will, something orthodox Christianity speaks much about but
fails to carry out practically, and which the Theosophical
Society alone puts in practice according to its programme.
On January 17th, a letter, probably from one of our Anrdo-
Indian Fellows who felt indignant—as well ho might—at
the unmerited outrage, appeared in the Madras A/aiZ,preceded
by an editorial that does the paper oredit. I quote a few sen­
tences from it to show the grievance the moro clearly :_
‘ I n y o u r i s s u e o f t h o 9 t h , t h e r o ia a l i t t l e p a r a g r a p h t o t h e e f f e c t
t l i a t a f a n c y salo o f B u r m e s e c a ri o s iti e s w a s h e l d in t h o S e n a t e IIo u s u
at 4 P. m., o n t h o 8 t h i n s t a n t , o n b e h a i f o f t h o S . P . Ci. L a d i e s ’ A a a o c i a .
tion, a n d th o fo llo w in g la d ies p ro sid ed a t t h o s ta lls M is s G ell, M rs.
H a n d l e y , Ac. Y o u a r e , p e r h a p s , n o t a w a r e , t h a t la s t m o n t h c e r t a i n
m e m b e r s o f t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S ocioty, a p p lie d for th o uso of th o S o n a ta
H o u se for th e ir an n u a l gath erin g , a n d w ero refu sed . N ow , aa th o
S o n u t e H o u s e w a s b u il t w i t h t h e m o u o y of th o n a t i v e s , it s e o m a s t r a n - ' o
t h a t t h e y s h o u l d b e d e n i o d t h o u s o o f t h e i r H a l l f o r o n e o f th o noblo'at
o b je c ts e v e r c o n t e m p l a t e d f o r th e r e g e n e r a ti o n of th o p eo p lo of I n d ia ,
a n d t h a t t h e S e n a t e H o u s e s h o u l d bo g r a n t e d to la d io a , o n o boirig th o
s is te r of th e B is h o p , to ra is e fu n d s fo r th o p u rp o s e of th e c o n v e rs io n of
N a tiv e s to C h ristian ity . . . . .
N o w , Sir, do y o u c o n s i d e r f o r o n o m om eufc t h a t t h e n a t i v o a w ill bo
a t p e a c e w h e n t h e y find t h e i r S e n a to H o u s e d e n i e d to t h o m , th o n g h
r e q u i r e d f o r a n o b l e p u r p o s e , a n d t h a t i t is b u t t o tlio a i s t o r o f t h e
ll i a h o p ( a h i g h G o v e r n m e n t official) f o r t h o p u r p o s e o f r a i s i n ^ f u n d s
f o r t l i e c o n v e r s i o n o f n a t i v e s t o C h r i s t i a n i t y w h i c h is a h h o r r e n t t o
t h e m ? W i ll n o t t h e i r in d i g n a t i o n b e e x c it e d , a n d w ill t h e y n o t
c o n s id e r t h a t t h e G o v e r n m e n t h a s le n t it s e lf to t h e i r b e i n g c o n v o rto d
to C h ristian ity , a n d th e ir ow n h ig h aim s , th e seek in g of O iv in e k n o w ­
l e d g e , r u t h l e s s I y c r u s h e d o u t .................
H e r o w o boo t h e n a t i v e s o f M a d r a s a b s o l u t e l y r e f u s e d t h e u s e o f
t h e i r o w n S o n a t e H o u a e a a n d t h e s am o q u io tly h a n d e d o v e r to t h a
s i s t e r of t h e B i s h o p G e l l f o r t h e f u r t h e r a n c e o f t h e B i s h o p s ’ - M i s s i o n a r y
w o r k .................
I t w ill bo e d i f y i n g to k n o w , w h y th o C h io f J u s t i c e , a V ic e .C h a n c e l I « r
o f th e S e n a te , s h o u ld h a v e re f u s e d t h e uae of t h e S e n a to H o u so to
t h e T h e o so p h ical S o cie ty , a n d y e t g r a n t e d it to th e S ociety fo r Iho
P ro p a g a tio n of th o G ospel ?
To this, Mr. Duncan replying in the same paper, ou the 18th
to the effect that “ The refusal of the Senato House to tho
Theosophical Society was the decision of the Syndicate as a
body”—adds the following characteristic explanation
“ . . . . I t is a mistake to suppose that tho question of
religious neutrality was the only reason. Many of the Fellows
would have objected -on scientific, rather than on religious
ground, to the Sonate House, being given to a Society, whose
methods of investigation cannotbe regarded as in harmony with
the recognized method of modern Scientific enquiry, as tlio
columns of the Madras Mail have frequently shown.”
I will not stop to notice the rather curious reference to tho
columns of the Madras Mail thus suddenly raisod to the
eminence of a public arbiter in questions of science. But I
would respectfully remind tha honorable gentleman, who
appeals to its decision that the dailies are not generally re­
garded as very impartial judges- That they often talk of
things(thoosophy for one) of which they have not the remotest
conception ; enlivening their leaders with what they are
pleased to regard as “chaff” and/(i?i, while they aro no bettor
than most slanderous and unmerited attacks upon those'they
do not sympathize with. The Madras Mail is no scientific, hut
a political newspaper; therefore,in this connection, a t any rate,
We luive tho right to rule its evidence out of Court, as boing
irrelevant to tlie subject under consideration. But what I
would like to ascertain is, how much more “ scientific'’ than
or the so-called “ Ladies’ Association of the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel ?” Has tho object they work
for, and the subject they would propagate, ever been found
more “ in harmony” with recognized science than our
“ methods of investigation ?” Can ' the learned ltegistrar of
the Madras University inform us upon this question or
answer satisfactorily this other one ;—How much, aud what
is precisely known to tho honourable Syndicate of our
“ methods of investigation” beyond what it thinks it has
learned from the course, silly and ever undeserved attacks ou
our Society by tho daily papers, and the positively libellous,
wicked, unchristian gossip of the “ Christian” Society of Madras
and Ango-Iudian Society in general, whose malice against
the Theosopliists can only bo equalled by its ignorance of their
objects and doings. For live years we have invited investiga­
tion ; but with the exception of those English born Theoso-
phists \Yho have joined our Society to become its staunchest
advocates aud defenders, the Christian Society iu general
refused to inquire into the unpopular subject, nnsweriilg like
Nathanael of old Can there any good tiling come but of
Nazareth.”
Nevertheless, one foature, a t any rate, we lmve in common
with tlie scientific method of investigation. We tako
nothing on faith, and we go beyond aiid higher than any dog­
matic religion or materialistic physical science, since our
motto—“ There is no religion higher than t r u t h ” is followed
by the principle enunciated by Arago “ outside of piiro
mathematics never pronounce the word impossible."
H. P. Br.AVA TSfC Ti
Corresponding Secretary,
Theosophical Sociely.
[ S P E C I A L C I R C U L A R .]
.A n n ual P r o v in c ia l C o n v e n t io n s of th e
G en era l C o u n c il . m a n y , d o n o t t h i n k t h a t is p r o o f o f i t s t r u t h .
A f t e r th e Convention was a djou rn ed , tlie F ou nders
were advised to hold every year, e ith e r in May, J u n e or
Ju ly , n Provincial Conference for the benefit of local
Branches, in other p arts of In d ia thau the M adras P r e ­
sidency. The phice of Convocation to be selected by
vote of a m ajority of the Branches or iu the Presidency
design ated by the P re s id e n t-F o u n d e r in any given year.
The celebration of tbe A nniversary of tbe P a r e n t Society
on th e 27th and the 28th of D ecem ber will invariably bo
at th e H e a d -q u a rters in M adras. T h e President-Foun-
der accordingly decides th a t th e Provincial convention of
th e y ear 1884, shall, unless the B engal a a d B eh ar
B nm ch es object, be held a l Calcutta. T h e ex a c t d a te ,—
■which will depend upon the sta te of Theosophical uffairs
in E uro pe— will, when fixed, be notified, in time by Babu
N o re n d ro N a th Sen, Pre sid e n t of tho Bengul Theosophi­
cal Society, and E d itor an d Prop rietor of th e I n d i a n
Mirror, Calcutta. Many of th e B ranches in the N o rth
could not bo represented p roperly a t A d y a r on account
of distauco. I t is therefore considered desirable t.h it
they should tako ad vantage of this sem i-annual Confer­
ence to meet to gether and consider proposals for improv­
in g the efficiency of the P a r e n t Society’s work a n d b ring
ab ou t more harmonious a u d practical working of th e
Branches than heretofore. W hile, therefore, the N o rth e rn
Societies and especially those in B en gal a n d B ehar are
strongly urged to a tte n d tho Conference, it will be u n d e r­
stood th a t th o m eeting is open to qualified representatives
of every B ra nc h th ro ug ho ut th e world. Various cities and
towns are in the h a b it of c o m p e tin g with each other,
one in a friendly rivalry to secure th e A n nual M eetin gs of
tho B ritish Association for the a d v a n c e m e n t of Science
and o th e r learned bodies, by offering special induce­
m ents in th e way of hospitalities to D elegates and faci­
lities of one k in d or a n o th e r to the executive officer of
those Associations. Similarly, it is c o m p e te n t for various
places in I n d ia to compote for the holding of th e m id ­
year Provincial conventions of ou r Society, and the
m a tte r is left entirely to the choice of th e Branches.
By order of the P re sid e n t-F o n n d e r iu Council.
D am pdar K . M avalank ar
Joint Recording Secretary.
H ead -q u arters , A dyar (M adras),
lsi J a n u a ry 1884. J o u r L o r d is t h e c h i e f s o u r c e o f o n r s p i r i t u a l life a n d c o m f o r t .
[Wo are requested to republish the following discussion,
■which we do—without comments—I4d.~\
(To t h e E d i t o r of The E p ip h a n y.)
Pin,
I d o n o t k n o i y w l y y o n L a v e e o n t m e t w o c o p i e s o f y o n r i s e n o o f 22n d
S e p te m b e r la st, w h ich r e a d i e d m e th is p io rn in g .
.P e rh a p s y o n w is h to d r a w m y a t t e n t i o n to th o a r t ic l e h e a d e d “ Theo*
eo phy a n d C h ristia n ity .” B n t sin ce m y v ie w s a r e so d iffe re n t fr o m
y o n r s , — I h o l d G o d , r e l i g i o n s b e l i e f s a n d p e r s u a s i o n s t o b e o n e ’s o w n
p r i v a t e a n d s a c re d convictions t h a t I w ou ld n o t w o u n d a n y b ro th e r-
m a n ’s f e e l i n g s i n t h i s r e s p e c t ; w h i l e y o n o n t h e c o n t r a r y w o u l d g l a d l y
j o i n o n r S o c i e t y i f y o n “ m i g h t u r g e t h e c l a i m s o f C h r i s t i a n i t y aB t h o t r n e
k e y to th o d e v e lo p m e n t of o u r la te n t p o w e rs.” W e m o s t therefore
r e m a in a p a r t iu o u r view s.
Y o n r r e m a r k tb& t “ w e ( y o n ) p e r f o r m c e r t a i n p h y s i c a l a c ts , a s y o u
(th o T h e o so p h ists) g o t h r o u g h c e r t a in p ro c e s s e s o f Y ogi, s im p l y a s a
m e an s to a tta in in g th e d ev e lo p m en t of c e rtain la te n t p ow ers of h u m a n
n a t u r e , s u c h a s h u m i lit y , lo v e , c o m m u n i o n w i t h th o pers o rial A l l - F a t h e r ,
h o l i n e 8B, i m m o r t a l i t y , a n d , i f ( J o d w i l l s , e v e n i n t h i s l i f o d o m i n i o n o v e r
physical n atu re, . . . is c e r t a i n l y m isle a d in g ,- s i n c e i t w o u l d le a d th o
r e a d e r s o f th e E p i p h a n y to b e lie v e t h a t all F ello w s of t h e T he o so p h ical
S o c i e t y a r e b e l i e v e r s i n a p e r s o n a l G o d , w h e r e a s t h e c o n t r a r y is t h e c a s e .
T h o se follow ing th o E s o te ric d o ctrin e, w h e th e r t h e y be A d w n ita B ra lu
m i n s , o r B u d d h is ts , do n o t b e lie v e in a p e r s o n a l G od, o r a s y o u te r m it
“ personal A ll-F a th e r.”
Y o u a re n o t r i g h t in s a y in g “ t h a t o n ly b y t h e fa ith o f C h r is t ca n
a c tiv e love a n d s u s t a i n e d p u r it y be m a in ta in e d in o a r c ro w d e d c i tie s .”
S n ch s t a t e m e n t s r e q u i r e c le a r proof.
I f yon, a s C h r is ti a n M in is te r s , “ do n o t v e r y c a re f u lly e n q n i r e in to tlie
e v id o n c e f o r t h e e x i s t e n c e o f C h r is t, b e c a u s e w e ( y o u ) find i t a s a r u le
a d m i t t e d a s f n l l y b y t h e m o s t l e a r n e d (P) e n e m i e s a s b y t h o f r i e n d s o f
C h ristian T h e o lo g y .” W h a t do y o u th i n k th e C hristian la ity sh ould d o ?
A c c e p t a r e lig io n in b li u d fa i th , to be th r o w n asid e on m a t u r e c o n s i­
deration ?
I fo r one, a l t h o u g h o n c e a b li n d b e lie v e r in C h r i s t i a n i t y h a v e c o m e
to d iffe re n t v iew s a f t e r m a t u r e c o n sid e ra tio n a n d so m e s tu d y of th e
C h ristian h isto ry a n d evidonce. I have now a c co p ted fo r m y guidauco
th e follow ing w o rd s of B u d d h a :—
“ D o n o t b e l i e v e in a n y t h i n g b e c a u s e i t is r u m o u r e d a n d s p o k o u by
“ D o n o t b e liev e m e r e ly b e c a u se th e w r itt e n s t a t e m e n t of so m e old
s a g e is p r o d u c e d ; d o n o t b e s u r e t h a t t h e w r i t i n g l i a s e v e r b e e n r e v i s e d
by th e said sago, o r c a n b e re lie d on. D o n o t b e l i e v e iu w h a t y o u liavo
f a n c i e d , t h i n k i n g t h a t b c c a u s e a n i d e a i s e x t r a o y d i n a n j , it m u s t h a v o b e e n
im p la n te d by a Deva, or som e w o n d e rfu l being.
“ D o n o t b e l i e v o i n g u e s s e s , t h a t is, a s s u m i n g s o m e t h i n g a t h o p - h a z -
a rd as th e s t a r t i n g point, a n d th e n d ra w in g c o n c lu sio n s fro m it —
r e c k o n i n g y o n r t w o a n d y o u r t h r e e a n d y o u r f o u r b ef or e y o u h a v e f i x e d
y o u r n u m b e r one.
“ Do n o t believe m e r e l y on th e a u t h o r i t y o f y o v r teachers a n d w a s t e r s ,
or b eliev e a n d p r a c tic e m e r e ly b ec au se th o y b eliev e a u d p ra c tic e .”
“ I ( B u d d h a ) t e l l y o u a l l , y o u m u s t o f y o n r s c l v c s k n o w t h a t t h i a in
e v i l , t h i s is p u n i s h a b l e , t h i s is c e n s u r e d b y w i s e m e n 5 b e l i e f i n t h i s w i l l
b r i n g n o a d v a n t a g e t o a n y o n e , b u t w i l l c a u s e s o r r o w 5a n d w h e n y o u
k n o w th is, th o u esch ew it .”
I a m a l to g e t h e r w ith y o u in s a y in g t h a t no r ig h t - m in d e d m a n fo r th o
p u r p o s e o f h u r t i n g t h e r e l i g i o n s f e e l i n g o f h i s b r o t h o r - m a n , w o n l d r.so
Buch w o r d s a s t h a t q u o t e d b y y o u f r o m t h e A n t i - C h r i s t i a n fo r J a n u ­
a r y 1683.
Y o u rs tru ly ,
I I . C . N i b t .e t t ,
P r e s i d e n t , P r a y a g P s y c h i c I h e o s o p h i c a l Society.
[ M a y w c a s k y o u w h e t h e r “ w e m u s t r e m a i n a p a r t i n o u r v i e w s , ” is
a p rinciple of T h e o so p h y ? Y ou re g a rd C h ristian ity as an a n tiq n a tc d
a n d s u p e r s tit io u s cree d , a n d w o r e g a r d th o p r a c tic a l sid e of T h e o so p h y
th e side a p a rt fro m w h a t th e te r m o bviously p re s e n ts, as p e rn ic io u s.
I f T h e o so p h ists say t h a t th is g a p m u s t re m a in as w id e a s ev e r, th e y
p o iu t to a m o s t w o e fu l s t a t e o f affairs. S u rely th e y do n o t aim a t t h a t
o o m p l e t e ‘ e q u a l i t y , f r a t e r n i t y a n d liberty* w h i c h is a im e d a t b y
C hristian ity .*
W e a r e s o r r y t h a t o n e o f o u r r e m a r k s , p o in t e d o n t b y y on in y o u r 3 rd
p ara, could b e m isu n d ersto o d . A ll th a t w e m e a n t w as th a t w e perfo rm
c c rta in p h y s ic a l a c ts s im p ly “ as a means to a t t a i n i n g th o d e v e lo p m e n t,
<fcc.,” j u s t a s y o u g o t h r o u g h c e r t a i n p r o c e s s e s , l i k e Y o f f i s . W e did not
p r e t e n d to d e t e r m i n e y o u r o b je c ts iu g o i n g th r o u g h c e r t a i n p ro c e s s e s ,
all t h a t w e d id w a s to te l l y o u a b o u t o u r o w n o b je c ts . W e h av e indeed
too b i t t e r a u c x p e rie u c o , t h a t y o u do n o t b e lie v e in t h e q u a l ity of e x i s t ­
ence, nor, lik e B crk e ly , in th e diffe re n ce b e t w e e n th e D ivine a n d th o
h u m a n s o u ls ; b u t th a t y o u aro A d v aitab ad is, believ in g th a t w h a t a re
* p o p u la r ly ’ d is tin g u is h e d a s g o o d a u d evil a ro b u t m a n ife s ta tio n s of ono
e t e r n a l soul*
W o did n o t m e a n o u r a rticle on T h e o so p h y an d C h ris tia n ity as an
e x h a u s tiv e t r e a ti s e o n C h r is ti a n o v idence. I f w e did w e o u g h t c e rta in ly
to h a v e d e a lt w i t h t h e s u b j e c t of F a i t h in C h r i s t as a s o u r c e of p e r ­
p e t u a l s t r e n g t h to b e lie v e rs , v e ry p r o m i n e n tl y . W e c a n n o t e x p e c t to
p ro v e th e p o in t v e r y c le a rly in th is s h o r t re p ly . A ll w c c a n d o h e r e
is t o i n d i c a t o one s o u r c e of s t r e n g t h a n d lif e , v iz., t h e S a c r a m e n t o f o u r
L o r d ’s B o d y a n d B l o o d . T h i s S a c r a m e n t is n o t m e r e l y a p r o p i t i a t o r y
sacrifice in w h ic h w c g e t r e n e w e d a s s u r a n c e of o u r re c o n c ilia tio n w ith
o n r H e a v e n l y F a t h e r , w h o m w o h a v e offen d ed by o u r sins, b n t also a
c o m m e m o r a t i v e r i t e l o a d in g u s a t o n c e to t h e v e r y s o u r c e o f life a n d
stren g th , I s n ’t t h i s v e r y r a t i o n a l t h a t t h e r e m e m b r a n c e o f a n a c t o f
, p e r f e c t o b ed ie n c e to d u t y , a n a c t of u t t e r unselfish n e ss, a n a c t of p e r ­
fe c t love fo r sin n e rs , a n a c t of p a t i e n t sacrifice w h ic h w a s p u re ly
v o l u n t a r y , i s n ’t i t q u i t e r a t i o n a l t h a t s u c h r e m e m b r a n c e i t s e l f is a
source of v e ry g r e a t s p iritu a l s tr e n g t h ? T a k e o u r te stim o n y , ta k e th e
t e s t im o u y of e v e r y bclieV er to th o f a c t tlia t th o d e a t h a n d p a s s io n of
T h e love
a n d s y m p a t h y o f o u r L o rd f o r n s a n d f o r o n r n a t u r e d r a w s u s by th o
u n f a i l i n g a t t r a c t i o n of f r i e n d s h i p t o w a r d s H i s o w n self, to w a r d s li is
o w n p u rity , H is o w n d e v o rio n to d u ty . I n v a in w ill y o u s e a rc h , in t h e
p ag e s e ith e r of h isto ry o r ev e n of m y th o lo g y , for one w ho eq u a ls J e su s
. C h r i s t e i th e r , in H is a t t r a c t i v e n e s s , or in H is p e r f e c tio n . H ave
tlio n n o reaso n in sa y in g , “ t h a t o n ly b y t h e fa ith of C h rist c a n a c tiv e
lo v e a n d s u s t a i n e d p u r i t y b e m a i n t a i n e d in o u r c r o w d e d citie s ?”
* M o s t a s s u r e d l y w o do, a n d m u c h m o r e e ffe c tiv e ly t h a n C hris
tia n ity ,” sin ce w ith n s th e la st w o rd “ lib e r ty ” m e an s w h a t it conveys,
i . e., a f u l l a n d u n c o n d i t i o n a l l i b e r t y o f c o n s c i e n c e i n a l l m a t t e r s o f
f a i t h , w h ile in C h r i s t i a n i t y on th e o t h e r h a n d , it b e c o m e s a p a ra d o x . N o
o n e o u t s i d e o f t h e p a l e o f t h e C h r i s t i a n c h u r c h — o r e v e n a C h r i s t i a n of
a r iv a l d e n o m i n a t io n , f o r t h e m a t t e r o f t h a t , w ill e v e r b e r e g a r d e d a s a
“ B r o t h e r ” b y a n o t h e r o r th o d o x C h r is ti a n . S e t t i n g t h e la ity aside,
w h e n w e s h a ll be s h o w n t h e K o m a n C ath o lic c l e r g y fr a te r n i s i n g a n d on
p e r f e c tly e q u a l t e r m s w i t h t h e P r o te s ta n ts , t h e n w ill t h e r e be tim o for
u s to c o n f e s s - '- V c r i l y — “ S ee, h o w th o s e C h r i s t i a n s lo v e e a c h o t h e r ! ”
U n t i l th e n , t h e le ss sa id o f “ e q u a lit y , f r a t e r n i t y a n d l i b e r t y ” in
C h r i s t i a n i t y — t h e b e t t e r , — E d ., T heosophist.
 Iu th o 5 th p a r a , of y o u r l e tte r y o u m e a n to s u g g e s t t h a t s o m o v e ry
le arn ed m e u h a v e d o u b te d a b o u t th e e x is te n c e o f C h ris t. T h e q u estio n
of e x i s t e n c e o r u o n - e x i s t o n c e o f a p e r s o n i s a h i s t o r i c a l q u e s t i o n . A
l e a r n e d m a n is n o t iu a p o s i t i o n t o d e u y t h o e x i s t e n c o o f C h r i s t , i t h is
le a rn in g c o n s is ts s im p ly of a k n o w le d g o of t h e V e d a s , t h e V ed n n g a s ,
tho D a rs h a u a s , t h e w o rk s of A u g u s t e C o m te a u d H e r b e r t S p e n c e r, a u d
th e w h o le r a n g e o f p h y s ic a l a n d m a t h e m a t i c a l s c ie n c e . T h e d e n ia l of
th o e x i s t e n c e of C h r i s t b y a l e a r n e d m a n , w h o is n o t l e a r n e d iu h is to r y ,
a m o u n ts to a denial by a u ig n o r a n t m a n . N o w , c a n y o u n a m o som o
“ m ost le a rn e d ” m en, th e ir learning e m b ra c in g a th o ro u g h k u o w led g e
of h isto ry , w ho have denied th e existen ce of C h rist ?
W o q u it e see h o w y o u r fa ith in C h r is t w a s a b lin d f a i t h ; h o w y o u
w ere a c c a s to m e d to say t h a t y o u w e ro C h ris tia n , a l th o u g h y o n n e v e r
flaw t h a t C h r i s t i a n i t y r e a l l y w a s , w h a t i t p r o f e s s e d t o bo . B u t y o u a r e
not to s u p p o se th a t t h e f a i th of th e la ity , w h o h a v e no tim e o r o p p o r ­
tu n ity o f g o in g th ro u g h tb e h isto rical ev id e n c e s a u d e s ta b lis h in g for
th e m s e lv e s t h e t r u t h of th e C h r i s t i a n re lig io n , is a b lin d f a i t h iu o v e ry
case. T h o la ity a ro like s o ld ie rs w h o p la c e im p lic it co n lid o n co in th o ir
c a p t a i n in th o b a t t l e field. T h e y believe t h a t th e w a r th e y a r e e n g a g e d
i n is a j u s t i f i a b l e w a r , b e c a u s o t h e P a r l i a m e n t h a v e f o u n d i t s o a f t e r
m n tn re delib eratio n s. B u t, w h e n e v e r a so ld ie r d o u b ts a b o u t th e ju stic e
of a w a r , h i s h a n d s a r e w e a k e n e d . IIo m a y ovon d e s e r t his r a n k s on
c o n s c ie n tio u s g r o u n d s , if h e t a k e s i t in to h is h e a d to t h i n k , t h a t his
fullow -soldiers, h is c a p t a i n s a n d g e n e ru J s a n d t h e P a r l i a m e n t h a v o all
e rre d , a n d t h a t h e h im s e lf m u s t bo r i g h t . B u t b e fo re d e s e r t in g th o
r a n k s s h o u l d n o t h o r e g a r d i t a s a p e r e m p t o r y d u t y to l a y o p e n hia
d o u b ts b e fo ro his C a p t a in s a n d G e n e r a l s ? If any lay m an ever en ter,
ta iu s a n y d o ubt, ra tio n a l o r h isto ric a l, r e g a r d i n g th o t r u t h o f h is faith ,
in s te a d of p r o u d ly p r o c l a im in g h im s e lf a s a n infidel o r h e r e t ic , d is ­
re g a rd in g th e le a rn in g nnd p ie ty of 1800 y e a rs a u d m o re , h e o u g h t to
lay o p o n h is d o u b t s to P r i e s t s a u d B i s h o p s , s u c h aa h a v o d e v o t e d t h e i r
li fo t o t h o m a i n t a i n i n g o f t h e f a i t h .
V on seem to t h i n k th a t c e r t a i n w o rd s of B u d d h a t h a t y o u q u o te
being yo ur w atc h -w o rd s you ca n n o t ac cep t C h ris tia n ity . C h ristian ity
you s e e m to th i n k , is s o m e t h in g “ w h ic h is m e r e l y r u m o u r e d a n d
s p o k e n o f b y m a n y , ” w h i c h is t h e “ w r i t t e n s t a t e m e n t o f s o m e o l d s a g e . ’*
We p ity y o u r sim p licity . A n y C h ris tia n ca n ta k e th e s e w o rd s of
B u d d h a a s hia w a t c h - w o r d s w i t h o u t in t h e l e a s t c o m p r o m i s i n g h is f a i t h .
O n o of y o u r q u o t a t i o n s , v iz., t h o f o u r t h , s e e m s , a t f i r s t s i g h t , to b e iu
opposition w ith th o a u th o r ity of C h ris tia n p rie sts. Laym en do uot
b elie v e in C h r i s t i a n i t y m e r e ly o n th is g r o u n d , t h a t s o m e of t h e p r ie s ts ,
w h o m t h e y lo v e a n d v e n e r a t e , a n d w h o s e h o n e s t y t h e y n e v e r d o a b t ,
h a v e p r o v e d C h r i s t i a n i t y to bo t i n e , a n d t h a t t h e y th e m s e l v e s B im ply
rec e iv e th o b e n e fit of t h e i r fin d in g s a n d s h a r e in t h e i r b e lie fs w ith o u t
going t h r o u g h th e labo rio u s ta s k o f e s ta b lis h in g th e s e fo r th e m s e lv e s.
I t is n o t m e r e l y t h i s : t h o l a y m a n d o e s n o t “ b e l i e v e m e r e l y o n t h e
a u t h o r ity ” of his te a c h e rs . H o finds th e p r a c t ic a l u tility o f th e se be-
li o f s ; in o t h e r w o rd s, h e sees, t h a t if h e b e lie v e s iu c e r t a i n f a c t s and
d o c tr in e s a s tr u e , a n d f a i th f u ll y r e c e iv e s t h e s a c r a m e n t s iu c o n n e c tio n
w ith th e s o f a c t s a n d d o c t r in e s , ho a c t u a l l y foola h i m s e l f m o r e a n d m o ro
edified a n d e n n o b le d . T h e n , as to th o h isto ric al t r u t h of th o se f a c ts
a u d d o c t r i n e s , h e m a y h a v e r e c o u r s e e i t h e r t o a u t h o r i t y , o r , w h i c h is
a lm o st im p o ssib le fo r a la y m a n , to p e rs o n a l e x a m in a tio n of t h e v a s t
to m e s of h isto ry a n d h isto rical re c o rd s ia th e ir orig in al la n g u a g e w hich
y o u d o n ’t s e e m t o k n o w a n y t h i n g a b o u t . I t is a g r i e v o u s e r r o r t o t h i n k
t h a t C h r is ti a n it y is o n e of th o m a n y a n t i q u a t e d re lig io n s w h ic h beg a n
in s o m e m y t h i c a l p e r i o d , t h e t r u t h o r f a l s i t y o f w h i c h d e p e n d s hop e*
lessly u p o n o u r o w n o p in io n s r e g a r d i n g it. C h r i s t i a n i t y c l a im s to b e th e
v e ry o n ly re v e a le d relig io n w h ich has h a d historical su rro u n d in g s fro m
its c o m m e n c e m e n t, a n d t r u t h of w hich m a y be e s ta b lis h e d b y c e rta in
h is to ry .— [E d ito r E p ip h a n y
CHE DAT JU D A E U S A P E L L A .
H i s t o r y repeats itself. T h a t w hich was once said by
grateful posterity of the E m p ero r T itu s delicice h um an i
generis— is now declared, we aro told by the not less
grateful B engal g ra d u a te s of tlieir v a n ish in g principal,
tho much w ronged Mr. Hastie. N o d o u b t, could the
public believe th a t the sentim ental add re ss— e x tra c ts from
which are given below— hns been really presented to him
by our Calcutta students of the G eneral A sse m b ly 's I n s ti­
tution, an d th a t it is the correct echo of their genuine
feelings— the name of th e reverend “ victim of a foul
conspiracy” becomes entitled a t once to a most con­
spicuous place in th e annals of M artyrology. H e would,
indeed, be a truly good man ; oue, who “ after n d is­
tinguished In d ia n career of fame and splen d o u r” (the la tte r
shining w ith too increased lustre, perhaps, d u r in g the
P ig o tt-H a s tie case) was, nevertheless, “ loved so
w arm ly,” and so tru ly by his pupils th a t their (the
students) “ hearts would be better perform ers th a n their
words.” T h u s they a re made to say,—
“ I n d e e d to b id a f u r e w o ll t o a f r i e n d lik e y o u w h o m w e lia v a
r o v e r e d s o m u c h , a u d l o v e d e o w a r m l y , is i a i t s e l f a B a d b u s i n o s s
( i t is , i t i s !), a n d t h e s a d c h a r a c t e r o f i t i s h e i g h t e n e d b y t h o p e c u l i a r l y
Bad c i r c u m s t a n c e s i n t h e m i d s t o f w h i c h w e a r e a d d r e s s i n g o u r s e l v c p
to it . I t m u s t b e a d m i t t e d to b e a g r e a t m i s f o r t u n o to I n d i a n y o u t h s ,
of w h o m so m a n y hav e b e e n e d u c a te d u n d e r y o u r k in d c a re a n d
fa th e rly w a tc h fu ln e ss, t h a t n p e rs o n of y o u r e x tr a o r d in a r y intolloctual
a tta in m e n ts , (chiefly in th o a r t o f b a c k -b itin g ,) o f y o u r r a r e a p t itu d e
f o r t h e d i f f i c u l t b u s i n e s s o f t r a i n i n g y o u n g m i n d s , is g o i n g t o b e
r e n i o v o d f r o m t l i e i r m i d s t , eo s o o n , . T h e 8 t u d e n t s o f t h e G e n e r a l
A s s e m b l y ’s I n s t i t u t i o n w h o m y o u s e e a s s e m b l o d a r o u n d y o u , t o s h o w
t h e i r h e a r t - f e lt g r a t i t u d e f o r th e a c ts o f k in d n e s s w h ic h th o y h a v o so
o fte n e n jo y e d a t y o u r h a n d s ,... e x p re s s th e ir unqualified s o rro w t h a t
s o g r e a t a f r i e n d a n d so r e n o w n e d a s c h o l a r is g o in g to bo t o r n a w a y
f r o m t h e m go u n e x p e c t e d l y . "
Pow ers of th e im placable Scottish Mission— this is
yo ur w ork ! And if, a fte r reading the above, your cruel
he a rts bleed not, and y o u r cheeks fail to become wet w ith
the hot tears of sham e a n d repe n ta n c e for sna tch in g away
from so many henceforward orph aned goslings, th e
fa th e r Pelican who tore open his b reast for years to feed
them w ith his owu blood, it is only th a t every hum an
feeling, as we know, has lon g d e p a r te d from P u r ita n
h earts. I t is useless to a r g u e a n d say to these poor
bereaved youths th a t tho " k in d n e s s ” they huve “ en jo y e d ”
a t the h and s of th e ir p rinc ipa l ex pan ded chiefly ita
energy in tu r n i n g away th e ir H indu he a rts from th e ir ances­
tral religion, th e ir homes an d sires ; th a t th e “ re now ned
sc holarship” of y o u r victim shone b rig h tly in his tra n sla ­
tion of D r, C h ristlie b ’s P r o te s ta n t Mission ; his “ rare
a p titu d e ” iu d isfig urin g and p e rv e rtin g tho figures given
in the nu m b e rs of C hristian c o n v e rts] a n d th a t whilo
his “ e x trao rd in ary intellectual atta in m e n ts ” are un­
doubtedly shown in the clever way he w atched th e m ove­
m ents of, a n d d u g pit-falls for, all who stood in th e w ay
of his personal a m b it on— C hristians a n d h eathen s alike
— a n d in d e s tro y in g th e a rduous w ork of lo n g decades of
Missionary w o rk . I t is useless, you seo. F o r, to all
this, tho g ra te fu l youths will only gu sh ih e more, a n d
tu rn in g , to their principal will be m ade to say :— .
“ W e p r a y t o y o u t o r e t a i n f o r u s , i n t h o m i d s t o f t h e h i l l s o f youi?
n a t i v e S c o t l a n d , a s o f t p l a c e in y o u r h e a r t , a n d t o e x o r c i s e y o u r r a r e
p o w e r s f o r t h o g o o d of* o n r r a c e i u t h i s r e m o t e r e g i o n . W o do m o st
sin ce rely ho p e t h a t ev e n w h e n o u r fa c e s w o u ld cease to bo before y o u r
e y e s , y o u w o u l d r e m e m b e r u s , a n d d i r e c t y o u r e n e r g i e s t o w a r d s th ©
r e d e m p ti o n of t h e e v ils w h ic h a re e a t i n g in to th o v ita ls of o u r socioty,
a n d w h ich y o u h a v e w itn e s s e d w ith a p a in fu l h e u r t , a n d w ith a siugle -
ness of eye striv e n to re m o v e . W e a d m i r e th o b o ld n e s s a n d ju s ti c e
w ith w h ic h y o u havo la s h e d th e so evils, a n d th o s in c e re m o tiv e fo r
doing good w h ic h has in s p ire d all y o u r a c tio n s.
W e alfto t e n d e r t o y o u o u r h e a r t f o l t t h a n k s f o r t h o m a n y l e s s o n s
on m o r a lity a n d p ie ty w h ic h wo h a v e re c e iv e d a t y o u r feet, a u d w hich,
w e h o p e , w o s h a l l b e a b l e f o l l o w in t h e s t r u g g l e o f lifo w h i c h a w a i t s u s . ”
W e , of the Calcutta U niv ersity andC ollegos have, also,
greatly “ a d m ire d ” th e “ boldness,” a n d rocoguized tho
“ sincere m otive” th a t prom pted Mr. H astie, when he
“ lashed these evils” iu various slanderous pam phlets.
T h a t th e said “ evils” w ere mostly d u e to his own p e r ­
verse imagination is a trifle, disregarded b y th e clerical
historiau ; th a t th e “ disg u stin g imm orality,” w h ich
“ idolatry e n ta ils,” and of which he publicly accused our
m others and sisters, was fa r outshone by th e revelations
we had in th e P ig o t-H a stie trial of th e fur g r e a te r im ­
moralities th a t are e a tin g into the core of certain Christian
aud Zenana Missions of C alcutta— is a n other. H ia
calumnies on our religion a n d country in hia d is g u stin g
libel “ On H iu d u I d o la t r y ,” have b ro u g h t w ith them
their own rew ard. A m o n g “ the many lessons on,
morality and p ie ty ” which were received at his feet, we
shall have to include, of course, the lesson on the san ctity
and m eritoriousnesss th a t lie h idd e n in th e act of open­
in g o th e r people's p rivate le tte rs— in Mr. H a stie a code o f
honour.
I t ia repo rted th a t the m ou rnful choir of H i n d u
students closed the ir famous address by th a n k in g th e ir
pious principal for he lp in g th em “ to a correct a n d h ig h
appreciation of Jesus Christ and his teach in gs.” Tho
said grateful y o u n g g entlem en rem aining, however, w ith
th e exception of an infinitesimal nu m ber, as u n re g e n e ra te
idolators as they evor were, we have to re g a rd the
sentence as an addition al figure of speech. T he said a p­
preciation m u s t have been draw n from th e feverish
im agination of the frie n d who c o n co cted th e address,
r a t h e r t l m n f o u n d in th e s a d d e n e d h e a r ts of th e heathen col-
logians. One th in g , I for one, find w a n tin g in the fam ous
ad d re ss : no t h a n k s are r e n d e re d to th e Rev. Mr. H a s tie b y
his H in d u wards for h a v in g lashed th e ir mothers, sisters
a n d wives, d r a g g ed them th r o u g h th e miro and tra d u c e d
a n d dishonoured th e m before th e r e a d in g world. This
looks like ingratitude. I t o u g h t to have been m en tion ed
a lo n g with o th e r items while th a n k in g him for d ire c tin g
liis energies “ tow ards th e redem ption of t h e evil3 which
are e a tin g into th e vitals of ou r (Hindu) Society.” To
conclude. ' '
“ T h e R e v . M . G illo n t h e n follow ed, o x p re s a itig n sto n ifjlim en t a t M r.
H a a t i o ’s d i s m i s s a l , t h e n o w s o f w h i c h c a m e t o h i m l i k o a t h u n d e r b o l t . ’
T h e tliiu veil under which tlie Rev. W . H a s tie seeks
to cover liis iguoininous re tre a t from th e scene of action
is of course too tra n sp a re n t to deceive anybody. T he
only wonder was th a t in the rising g e n e ra tio n of B e n ­
g a l even five boys could be found to lend them selves
to such a disgraceful sham. B u t perhaps the youthful
w a g s h av in g ti keen sense of th ^ ridiculous in them ,
too k th e , wholo th in g as a n excellen t joko and
enjoyed themselves to th e ir h e a r ts ’ c o n te n t at tho
keen irony with which th e whole ad d ress is pervaded.
The wording of tho la tt e r would have left m any in a
glorious maze of adm iration for th e d ra m a tic capacities
of b o th m aster an d pupils, had n o t a b ru ta lly sincere r e ­
m a r k of tho Statesm a n opened th e eyes of tho public at
once to tho t r u t h of tho whole incident. Says your
f r a n k co ntem porary :—
- " T h a t t h i s a d d r e s s w a s n e v e r w r i t t e n b v T n E s t u d e n t s on
ANY o n e o f tiiem ooes w ith o u t s a y in o .
n t M r . I l n t i o ' s d i s m i s s a l m u s t a r i s e f r o m t h e f a o t t h a t h e is n o t i n p o s -
bession o f th e tr n e h is to ry o f th e m a t t e r . ”
T he cat is out of th e bag. I t becomes ev id en t th a t
Mr. H a stio ’s “ intellectual a tta in m e n ts ” a n d “ rare a p ti­
tu d e ” for dra m a tiz in g every situation, how ever g re a t, aro
n o t yet fully developed a n d need final polish. N o t
being born for penitenco and a cilicum, our ex-Principal
m a y consider himself s tro n g for th e S c o ttish Mission
a n d in the eyes of his converts— if any ; b u t he is m uch
too weak for th e presen t em ergency. H a v in g been
floored by an old woman, Miss P ig o t, he is now c h eck­
m a te d b y tho wicked Statesman.
W o are glad to learn th a t tho “ a d d re ss ” wns n o t the
production of the students. A fte r th e slur and o pp ro ­
briu m cast by the Scotch P a tr ia r c h upon th e whole
H in d u nation, to find even a few of our boys licking
th e h an d of tho tradu cer of th e ir household gods and
1'eligion, would have cast an ugly spot, indeed, on the
th a r a c t e r of tlio rising generation of B e n g a l !
' A n O l d C o l l e g i a n , F . T. S.
C a l c u t t a , J a nu ary.
N O T E S ON M O D ER N E G Y P T IA N T H E O S O P H Y .
R ead al a Meeting o f the B r itis h Theosophical
Society, A p r il 2, 1882.
• B y W . F . K i r i i y , F . T. S.
Me. E- W . L a n e , in his M odern E g y p tia n s ” and
his notes to tho “ T ho usand a nd one N i g h t s ” is admitted,
to have given the best account e x ta n t of E g y p t as it was
before it h a d been in te r p e n e tra te d w ith European in­
fluences. Three ch apters of th e form er work are devoted
to w h a t lie c k I I s their “ superstitions,” of which h e has
given a faithful account, th o u g h w ithout apparen tly
having auy belief in them himself. I propose to' select
from those ch a p te rs a n d o ther source's any passages tliat
may bo of special in tere st to Theosophists, a n d add
brief com m ents of m y own.
. Tho beings which play th e m ost im p o rta n t p a r t in
A ra b romances aro th e finn, or Genii, whioh app ear to
correspond very closely to th e b e in g s know n to us as
the Elementals. They aro said to be c re ate d of fire ;
to havo existod beforo A dam ; a n d to p ervade th e solid
m a tte r of tho earth , as well as the firm am ent, “ an d to
jn h a b it rivers, ruined houses, wells, b a th s, ovens, an d
even tho latrin e.” * They “ are believed often to
* T h o y a r o t h e r r e t a , Y a k s h a , D a k i n i — t h o l o w e s t o f t h e H i n d u , t i o n u u m o l o s t i n g a n d u n m o l e s t e d . T h e i r d e p a r t u r e f r o m a h o u s e is c o n ­
e l e in e u t n l s , w h i l e tlio Q a n d h a i'v a s f V i d y a d h a r a s a n d e v o n t h e A p s a r a s
b o long to th o h ig h e s t. S o m o of th o rn — th o f o r m e r nro d a n g e ro u s l y
m isc h ie v o u s, w hilo th o la t t e r a ro beno v o lo n t, a n d , if p r o p e r l y a p p r o a c h e d
f i l l i n g to im p a rt to m e n u s e fu l k n o w le d g e of a i ts a n d ec io n ces.— E d t
assum e or p e rp e tu a lly to w ear the shapes of cats, dogs,
a n d o th e r b ru te an im als.” “ I t is commonly affirmed
th a t malicious or d istu rb e d finn very often sta tio n th e m ­
selves on th e roofs or a t th e windows of houses in Cairo
and o th e r tow ns of E g y p t , an d throw bric k s a n d stones
down into th e stre e ts a n d courts. . . . I found 1 1 0 oue
who denied th e th r o w in g down of the b ricks, or doubted
t h a t it was th e work of finn.” * I t is believed th a t each
q u a r te r in Cairo has its peculiar guardian genius, or
A gatliod aim on , w hich has tlie form of a se rp en t.” f I n tho
T h ou san d nnd ono N ig h ts th e finn appear either wholly
as hu m an beings, like th e fairies of Sponser ; or more
or less in th e hu m a n form (often winged,) and possessed
of various sup erhu m an powers, frequently p lu n g in g
th r o u g h tho earth, as well as flying th ro u g h tho air ; or
else they appe a r in tho forms of animals, especially apes
or serpents. T h e y are fre q u en tly sum m oned by c a s t­
in g incense on a fire, with or w itho ut nn invoca­
tion. T hey a re th u s described in th e T h o u sa n d and
ono N ig h ts . “ A m o n g us are heads without bodies,
an d a m o n g us are bodies w ithout heads, and a m ong us
aro some like tho wild beasts, a n d am o n g us aro some
like animals of p re y .” “ 0 my m aster, the finn are of
very different form ; some resemble quadru peds, some
M r . G i l l o n ’a a s t o n i s h m e n t b irds, a n d some m e n .”
A ll this is of o xtrem e interest. T h e freq u e n t a p p e a r­
ance of finn as anim als s u g g e sts th a t some classes a t
lea st of E lem entals may be the tem porarily disembodied
spirits (or shells) of animals. Thoso of dom esticated
anim als a re occasionally seen by clairvoyants (that of a
p e t d o g for instance is m entioned a m on g L ord Adair’s
experiences with a medium). B u t I do n ’t see why wo
should exp ect to m eet w ith such spirits, except thoso of
dom esticatod animals, in civilised a n d highly cultivated
countries ; for it stan d s to reason th a t they, like the
animals to which th e y correspond, should fly from the
ne igh bourhood of men. T he “ heads w ithout bodies”
may well rep re se n t th e flying globe of th e ancient
E g y p tia n s, or th e cherubs of th e mediteval p ainters ;
and Mr. F e lt tells us th a t some of th e figures on the
E g y p tia n m onum ents re p re se n t E lem entals, which he
rofessed to bo able to m a k e visible to the eye, though
have n o t h e a rd tliat he was successful in the a ttem p t.
E le m en ta ls b ein g inferior to men, wonld n aturally have
preceded him in th e o rd er of Creation. Tho strange
localities whieh th e finn are said to inhabit, rem ind us
of certain passages in S w e de nb org concerning the state
of evil spirits of H ea v e n and H ell (§§ 481,488, &c-). The
b u r n in g incenso to finn shows how idolatry may have
o riginated, eith er in divine w orshipbeingolfered toboiug s
which are usually invisible, or in fum igations b e in g
found useful to induce or to compel th e m to become
visible. I r o n is said to act as a charm a g a in st thein,J;
p erhaps on account of its m agnetic properties.
T he spirits of dead m en rarely app e ar in the T h o u ­
sand and. one N i g h t s ; b u t possession, h a u n tin g , stone-
th ro w ing, an d o th e r phen om en a ascribed to hum an spi­
rits in E urop e, are h ere ascribed to th e finu. B u t it is
curious th a t a liouso where a bad case of stone-throw ing
* S piritualises rognrd th e m in d isc rim in a te ly as th e “ s p irit” of the
dead. T h e r o is a l i k e s u p e r s t i t i o n a m o n g t h e u n e d u c a t e d i n I n d i a
w h o th i n k t h a t n o s o o n e r a p e rso n die s th a n h e (or sh e) s ta tio n s him -
Boif o n t h o r o o f o f h i s h o u s o a n d s i t t h e r e f o r n i n e d n y s . B a t if, a t
t h o e x p i r a t i o n o f t h a t t i m e h o r o n d e r s h i m e e l f v i s i b l e , h e is c o n s i d e r e d
a s a n u n c l e a n s p ir it, a “ b h u ” w h o s e s i n s p r e v e n t h i m to a t t a i n Mukt.i
o n d g e t o n t o f K a m a . l o k a >— t b e a b o d e o f “ s h e l l s . ” — E d .
t I n e v o r y B e n g a l villag e , a n d w o t h i n k e v e r y w h e r e else in In d ia , a
e o r p e u t c o u p l e is a l w a y s c o n s id e r e d t h e g u a r d i a n s p ir it s o f a h o u se.
T h e s e s e r p o n t s a r e th o d e a d l i e s t c o b r n s . S till th e y a r e so m u c h veno«
r a t e d t h a t n o o n e w o u l d o v e r t h r o w ft s t o n e a t t h e m . K illin g a n y of
th e s e s e r p e n t s is b e lie v e d t o bo follow ed in v a ria b ly by th o d e a th of th e
i m p i o u s s l a y e r , w h o m t h o b ereaved m a t e is s u r o to t r a c k O at e v e n
a t a g r e a t d i s t a n c o a n d kill iu h is t u r n . I n s t a n c e s a r e n u m e r o u s iu
w h ic h s u c h s e r p o n t s h a v e b e e n in h o u s e s f r o m g e n e r a t i o n t o genera*
s i d e r e d t h o Bnre p r e c u r s o r o f th o u t t e r r u i n o f t h o f a m i l y . This show s
a g r e a t s im ila rity b e tw e e n th o E g y p tia n a u d H i n d a m y th s, w hich
preceded th e m .— Ed. *
J Tbo same as iu India,— Ed< .
occurred, iu which Mr. L ane himself lived a t Cairo, waa
haunted by th e g ho st of a T u rk ish soldier who was said
to havo been murdored thero, an d was occasionally seen
by natives, th o u g h not, I beliove, b y any of the E u r o ­
peans.
Several superhum an beings besides finn of various
orders, are believed to in h a b it d e se rt places, especially
t h e cannibal monsters callod Ghools. I t seems to havo
been .a creature very similar to the A ra b Ghooleh th a t
Apollonius of Ty an a saw in th e d e se rt on his way to
Ind ia, a n d which is spo ken of as au Einpusa.*
A very singular account is given of tho “ W e le c s,” or
saints. T hese are said to be “ persons wholly devoted
to God, and possessed of ex tra o rd in a ry faith, and accord­
ing to th e ir deg ree of faith, endowed with tho power
of perform ing miracles.” They aro subject to one chief,
called the “ K u t b ,” or “ axis,” and he has various officers
nnder him only know n to himself, or p erhap s to each
other. T h e K u tb and his officers arc ol'ten seen, b u t aro
not recognized by others. H e is said to be frequently
a t M okkah on the roof of tho k a ab eh, a n d a t various
o ther places ; b u t w anders th r o u g h th e world, dispensing
evils a u d blessings. W h e n he dies, he is im m ediately
succeeded by another. T he K u tb is also said to receive
his autho rity from th e im mortal propliot, Elias. Of
course this d ig n ity is unattain able j b u t some persons
become welees by re tirin g to th e desort to fa st a n d pray,
whereby th ey acquire clairvoyance, and o th e r abnorm al
powers. A devotee at Cairo, who chained himself to the
wall of a room and remained there th ir ty years, was said
sometimes to cover himself with a b la n k et, as if to s le e p ;
b u t if tho b la n k e t was removed immediately, no one was
found b eueath it. All these accounts, th o u g h some
details may be m isunderstood or e x a g g e ra te d , evidently
refer to tho gro a t w orld-wide Society w ith wliich we
believe ourselves to have some d ista n t connection.
The pilgrim s to E l-M e de e n ah assert th a t a lig h t is
always seeu over th e cupola which covers th e P r o p h e t ’s
tomb, which disappears when you a pp ro a ch very closely.
A gain, when ab o u t th re e days’ journ ey distan t, thoy
always see a k in d of flickering lig h tn in g in th e direction
of the city. T hese may be e ith er optical or odic effects ;
but there can bo no do ubt th a t th e sacred places of A r a ­
bia m ust be very strongly ch arged w ith odic em anations
which are likely to affoct all wlio are en rapport with
them ; a n d th is is so powerful th a t some pilgrim s are
positively unablo to e n te r tho shrines, the effect being
such as almost to throw th em into a fit. I t is h a rd ly
probable th a t tho glare of an y city a p p e a rs the same to
all eyes, ou account of its odic em an atio ns affecting
persons differently.
As regard s the feats of the darweeslie, L a n e says th a t
somo of them “ p re te n d to th r u s t iron spikes into th e ir
eyes and bodies w ithout su stain in g a n y injury ; a n d in
appearanco they do this, in such a m a n n e r as to deceive
any person who can believe it possible for a m an to do
such things iu reality.” They “ aro said to pass swords
completely th ro u g h tlieir bodies, a n d p a c k in g needles
t hrough both cheoks, w ithout suffering auy pain, or leav­
i n g any wound ; b u t snch perform ances are now rarely
witnessed.” They are also a p p a re n tly fire-p ro of; and
on g re a t occasions th e S h e y k h of one of th e principal
orders of Darwgoslies rides over a n u m b e r of his follow­
ers, and oth ers who throw them selves before his horse,
without their roceiviug any injury.
I pass over L a n e ’s account of charm s, divination, &c.,
and proceed to th e subject of magic. Clairvoyance by
the pool of ink is too well known ito need description ;
I will only say here th a t §ome E u ro p e a n travellers who
havo tried it have seen moro or less in if;; a u d th a t Miss
Martineau who tried the experim en t found herself affect­
# Th e g h o o l s a r o k u o w u u n d e r t h o s a m e D a m e i u B r e t a g n e ( F r a n c e )
and ca lle d V o o r d a la k s in M o ld a v i a , W e ll a c l i i a , B u l g a r i a , e t c . T h o y aro
tiie V a m p i r e s h o l l a , t b e E l e m e n t a r i e s w h o l i v e a p o s t h u m o u s l i f e a t
the oxpeogo of th e ir liv in g v ic tim s .— E d ,
ed as if by some m esm eric influence, w hich she th o u g h t
it p ru d e n t to th r o w off.
One of the m ost sensible of Mr. L ane’s Muslim friends
assured him th u t he h a d visited a celebrated magician,
residing some distunce from Cairo who, on request, serv­
ed him with coffee an d sh e rb e t in cups, which he recog-,
nized as those of his f a th e r, who was then a t Ca h'o., H e
th e n w ro te a le tte r to his father, which the magiciau p u t
behind a cushion, a n d in a few m inutes it was replaced
by a n o th e r in his f a th e r’s h a n d w r itin g containing family
intelligence which p roved on his re tu rn home a few days
afterwards, to b e perfectly correct.
A n o th e r m agician is said to have ta k e n a friend o u t
into th e d esert for a tre a t, w here he conjured up a
beautiful g a rd e n arou nd him. Mr. L an e su g g e s ts th a t
this was th e effect of d r u g s ; b u t I should suppose it waa
more probably due to g lam our or electro-biology.
A m agician suspected of causing tho illness of a
yo u n g m an by e n c h a n tm e n t was imprisoned ; a n d in tho
middle of th e n ig h t, ono of th e g u a rd s who h a p p e n e d to
be awake, h e a rd a stra n g e m u r m u rin g noiae, an d looking
th r o u g h a crack in th e door of th e cell, saw th e m agiciau
sittin g in th e middlo of th e floor, m u tte r in g c harm s.
Presently, th e candle before him w ent out, a n d four
oth e r candles ap p e a re d , one in each corner of th e cell.
T he m agician th e n rose, a n d stan ding on one side of th e
cell, k n o ck e d his forehead three times a g a in st the wall,
and each time he d id so, th e wall opened, a n d a m a u
appeared to come fo rth from it. A ftor a sh o rt conversa­
tion the visitors an d candles disappeared, an d th e original
candle resum ed its ligh t. I n th e m orning, the p a tie n t
was convalescent, a n d ra pidly recovered. '‘
T h e terrib le liycona sorcery of A byssinia which com ­
bine s th e worst features of possession, w itchcraft a n d
lyc a n th ro p y , is unkn ow n in E g y p t ; b u t tran sform ations
of m en into anim als a re believed in. T his is effected b y
a spell p rono un ced over w ater, which begins to boil,
a f te r which it is sp rin kled on th e subject. S a n d or d u s t
is sometimes used ; a u d sometimes it is necessary for
th e p a tie n t to have previously eaten cha rm e d food.
Som etimes it is necessary for tho magic liquid to touch
every p a r t of th e body for tho charm to be effectual.
S p e a k in g of snch re p o rte d transform ations, I m ay _say
t h a t in so far as th e n a rra tiv e s may contain a n y tr u th ,
it seems to me t h a t transform ations m a y be explained
0 1 1 various hypotheses. D ru g s, glam our, th e action of
one mind on a w e a ke r one, or th e obsession (perhaps
compulsory) by an elem ental, would explain a good
deal ; a n d if a n a d e p t cau tra n sfe r his own spirit to
a n o th e r body, it is conceivable th a t he m ay be able to
effect such a t r a n s f e r in the case of a n o th er perso n ; o r
again, if th e life of a m edium was p erm a n e n tly t r a n s ­
ferred to a m aterialised form, (a possibility which we
cau h a rd ly deny) we should havo a caso of genuine
m etam orphosis iu th e o rd in a ry sense of th e word. .
M any feats of O riental M agic ap pear to be due simply
to g lam our, or au illusive mesmeric influence capable of
affecting several persons simultaneously in the sam e
m aun er. S u c h illusions as “ fairy gold,” and th e like, I
ta k e to be p ro duced iu this m a n n e r ; and a curious story
in point is th u t of th e B a r b e r ’s F o u rth B ro th e r, in th e
T h ou san d aud ono N ig h ts . T h e victim was a b u tc h e r,
who was decoived by au e n c h a n te r w ith fairy g o ld ,
which tu rn e d to l e a v e s ; b u t w hen he c h a r g e d th e
e n c h a n te r w ith his dishonesty, h e r e to r te d on him for
selling hu m an flesh ; an d caused tho carcasses h a n g in g
up in his shop to a p p e a r h um an . “ Only a fable” you will
say ; b u t to those who beliovo th a t it is out of hu m an power
to im agine a n y th in g w hich is n o t tru e in one sense or
o th e r, even a fable m a y contain th e g e rm of some im ­
p o r ta n t t r u t h w hich only needs to be s o u g h t for to bo
discovered. • .
 THE V E IL OF T H E TEM PLE RENT.
L E C T U R E S ON OCCULT S C IE N C E S .
B y E liphas L evi ,
Professor o f H ig h Magic, the Kabala and so-called
Hermetic Philosophy.*
Part I.
L e c t u r e I.
O n the U n ity and the Rationale o f Dogmas, whosepro- realisation an d so to say, th e likeness of each oth e r— thou
f u n d i t y is in exact proportion to their apparent
absurdity.
. On Universal Mythology.
A young man, wither a child, of h ig h b irth , b u t of an
intelligence more obtuse th a n liis spirit, was b ro u g h t up
in the country and en tru ste d to tlie care of th re e nurses.
O n e of these was white, the oth e r yellow and th e th ir d
black. The boy eschewing th e ha rdships of study,
delig hted only in tlie recital of marvellous a n d am using
tales. W h ile a tte m p tin g to teach him history , it was
found th a t he gave preference to fairy tales, which to him
were far more in te re sting . G eo g ra p h y a p p e a re d to linn
dull a n d incomplete, because he could not find in his book
tho exact place, where the " M ountain of Mirrors,” of
w hich the “ Blue B ird” speaks is located. H o w ev er he,
like all children, was a g r e a t questioner, b n t when ever
a reasonable answ er was given to his everlasting '* w hy’s ”
and “ liow’s,” he invariably im agined th a t people were
m a k in g fun of him. Professors were secured for his
education, b n t he forgo t im mediately w h a t lie was ta u g h t,
a n d rem em b ered well only the fairy tales ofh is t h r e e nurses.
T h e w hite nurse was a Jew ess, the black one an E g y p ­ to steal an apple from th e wicked genius. S h e not only
tian , and the yellow one was a native of India, where she
still was said to possess some lands on th e shores of th e
Ganges.
“ N ow then, n u r s e s ” — said th e boy, one day w hen he
was n o t inclined to pln,y— “ 1 w a n t each of you to tell
rne a story to explain to me how tho world came into
th e world, and how tho first child could becom e a child
w ith o u t either fa th e r or m o th e r ? Tell me first of all
wliat.took place a t tlio time when th e re was )7et n o th in g a t
all. A f te r you have told me this, 1 will usk you a good
m any moro q u e stio n s.”
“ I h e a rd ” — beg; n the Je w ess— “ t h a t a t th e time, when
th ere was n o th in g , n o t even time i t s e l f ;— because th e re
was ne ith e r sun no r moon, neither sun dials n o r clocks,
b u t only a gi'feat genius,— who lived s h u t up iu n ig h t
as in a black e gg , who was doing n o th in g , as he
h a d no time to do a n y th in g , since, as already said, th e re
was no time at a ll; b u t as he finally felt a desire th a t
th e re should be som ething, he lit a lig h t a n d then there
was th e first day which came into existence before tho
w orld was born.
“ T h en.th e genius perceived t h a t he w as endowed w ith
a singular power. H e had b u t to pronounce the nam e
of a th in g t h a t did uot exist a n d p resen tly the th in g
came into existence. T hus, he said, ‘ lig h t ,’ a n d fo r th ­
w ith he could see by it, a n d this afte r such a long
darknes^ gave liim groat satisfaction.
said ‘ heav en s,’ ‘ e a r t h / ‘ su n ,’ ‘ moon,’ ‘ s ta rs,’
‘ p la n ts ,’ ‘ fishes,’ ‘ b i r d s / ‘ b e a s t s / etc. a n d all these
th in g s b e g a n to exist. Tho genius was very much
pleased, a n d 'a n idea suddenly stru c k him, which made
him pause and reflect. l i e w an ted to create some one
like himself, b u t on a smaller scale> so as to give com ­
m andm ents to him, aud to do good or evil to him according
to his own will and pleasure, B u t, as liis idea ab o u t this
creation had not y et reached a definite form, instead of
simply speaking th e word, he took a little red clay and
modelled out of it a body, such as he would himself have
lik e d to possoss ; for he himself h a d n e ith e r bo dy nor
color,, ne ith e r shape nor substance, b u t was only a spirit,
t h a t is to say, a breath . H e b re a th e s th erefo re into th e
face of t h a t , clay statue and says to i t : ‘ L ^ t us makd
m an.’, P re s e n tly th e statue b e g a n to th in k , a n d tha
* T h e so le ctu res a re tr a n s la te d from u n p u b lish e d m a n u s c r ip ts , k in d ly
f a m i s h e d t o t h e T h o o s o p l i i c a l S o c i c t y b y a d i s c i p l e a n d p u ' p ii o f E l i p h a s
L e v i . , M . G — F . T . S. - '
genius assum ed th e app earance of the form of th e statue,
each of th e tw o com m unicating to th e other som ething
of its own likeness.
“ W h e n th e genius saw himself thus doubled, he felt
frig h ten e d and began to devise means to destroy his d a n ­
gerous handiw ork; b u t lie found one impediment,which was
this : as m an a n d himself had become the complement, th e
if one would die, th e other would havo to dio also, and
. th e g e n iu s could n o t then come back to life, unless by
again b r in g in g to life man.
“ The first th in g which the jealous genius did to subdue
his rival, was to w eaken him hy m a k in g two out of him,
and in d oing so, to give him a d angero us reflec­
tion a n d an im age which would be jealous of him. H e
p u t him to sleep, opened his chest, took therefrom a rib
aud, m ade out of it a woman ; because afte r man was
made, tho genius found th a t it would be 1 1 0 longer pos­
sible for him to create som ething ont of n o th in g , for
m a n ’s reason was opposed to th at.
T he s p irit-b rea th , whom the m a n an d the woman
a ddressed as the ir L o rd , then showed himself to them
u nde r the form of a ga rde ne r. H e h a d placed them along
w ith some o th e r animals in a lino beautiful gard e n ,
p lanted w ith trees, and as I1 0 well knew beforehand
w hat they wero g o in g to do, he forbade th em u n d e r the
penalty of d e a th to oat of tho fruit of a tre e wliich he
showed to them . In thoso days th e beasts were endow­
ed w ith speech, and th u s a serpent advised th e woman
did so, b u t in duced h e r h u sb a n d also to t a k e a bite at the
forbidden fruit.
“ The ‘ L o r d ’ who was n e a r by, ly in g in wait, then
condem ned b o th , a n d also all their fu tu re children to
d eath for all tim e to come, aiid drove them out of tin;
garden; a fte r h a v in g fashioned with his own h a n d s
breeches of skin for them. But as th ey were leaving,
the genius felt th a t his own figure wns d e p a r tin g along
with them , and th a t ho would have again to become a
formless b re ath , unless he conseutod to dio to regain
those which he h a d ju s t condem ned to death , so aa to be
ablo to b r i n g them to life by b rin g in g himself to life,
for he could n o t very well rem ain dead for over.
“ ........A n d this is precisely w hy Monsieur the priest
is daily saying mass. As for myself, who nni n o t a Chris­
tia n ” — ad ded th e .Jewess—‘ I believe th a t th e Lord
‘ S p ir i t’ or ‘ B r e a th ’ has con trived very well to rid
himself of th e h u m a n figure, a n d was never u n d e r the
necessity of d y ing in o rder to retain it. I t is for this th a t
the C hristians have b u rn e d and killed my ancestors
for over a th o u sa n d years, aud t h a t is all I have to
say.”
“ This m u st have certainly so h a p p e n e d ,” th o u g h t ­
fully said th e child , “ for this story is so a b su rd , th a t
nobody in tho w orld could have been stu p id e n o u g h to
He th e n inv ent it. S p iritu a l th in g s only aro invented and
stup id th in g s only come to pass in reality. My p r o ­
fessor of histo ry told me b u t the o th e r day th a t nearly
all th e sublime c h aracters in h is to ry have been in v e n t­
ed. W e dream of a re ig n of G erm anicns nnd have
th a t of C a lig u la ; our ideal is F a u s t or Dou Ju a u , and
the reality is a clown.
“ Y o u r story, m y good nu rse, rem inds me of a tale
I have read w hen a very small boy. In ste ad of a garden,
there was a beautiful castle, in it also a L ord with a
sky-bltie beard . H e was not jealous of his apples, but
he h a d a little k ey , which he e n tru ste d to his wife,
fo rb id ding h e r to ever use it. His apple troe was I
believe called th e tre e of knowledge, and th e little key.
ia th e W a y of science. T he inquisitive woman uses it and
is-immediately condem ned to death by h e r h u s b a n d ; but
after this severe te s t she is finally saved, an d Mr. Blue-
beard'him self h a s to. die as he well deserves.”
“ I k n o w ” — said the white nurse— “ y e t of an o th e r tale,,
which is still more p re tty th a n the first one, I t is called
 ‘ T he B eauty a n d th e B e a s t.’ I u th e p lo t th e fo rbidden
i'ruit is n either an apple nor a ke y, b u t a rose. T h e jealous
proprietor, the Lord dem and s th a t th e c h a rm in g yo ung
girl for whom th e rose was p lu c k e d from his g ard en ,
should be sacrificed to him. T he m aiden to save h e r
fa th e r sacrifices lierself an d is sh u t up in a delightful
palace alone with the horrid Beast, who heaps upon h e r so
m any proofs of his kindness and his a r d e n t devotion, lov­
in g h e r so much as even to die for love of h er, t h a t th e girl,
listening only to th e voice of her good he a rt, fo rg e ts the
re pug na n c e of her eyes, a n d consents to give the B e a st
h e r hand, upon which the B e a st is su d de nly transfo rm ed
iuto a beautiful princo.”
“ T his” — r e m ark e d th e b lack n u rs e — “ is an im itation
of th e talo of th e g r e a t A frican In itia te Apuleius of M a ­
du ra in his marvellous book called ‘ T he Golden A s s .’
“ H e tells ns of a y o u ng girl called P sy c h e , doom ed to
bo devourod by a monster. Z ep hy r t r a n s p o r ts h e r into
an e n c han ted palace, wherein she receives th e atte n tio n
of an unknow n adm irer. H e m akes h e r very h a p p y , for­
b id d in g h e r only one th in g, th a t of a tte m p tin g to see
him ; b u t she disobeys an d finds herself alone in a terrible
wilderness, w here she suffers a th o u sa n d tortu res, lie -
pulsed by every one she opens a box, which she was
w arned not to look in to , h e r curiosity b e in g quite in­
curable ; th e box contains poisou a n d Psyche falls down
aud is about to die ; b u t saved by Love, which is her
unknown spouse, she becomes im m ortal You see t h a t
this is always th e same story, only a r r a n g e d in a differ­
e n t m an ner an d with ch aracters c h a n g e d .”
“ T here is also” — said th e c liild — “ a fable in th e M y th o ­
logy of th e G reeks concerning a beautiful wom an call­
ed P a n d o ra , herself a p ro duc t of th e jo in t powers of all
the gods, Sho is e n tru ste d with a box, which she m ust
u o t open ; b u t ju s t as curious as Psy ch e, a n d disobedient
as E ve and Mrs. Bluebeard, she opens th e box a n d all th e
evils whieh afllict m a n k in d fly out of it a n d sp rea d over
the world. Only one th in g rem ains a t th e b o tto m of the
box, namely, H o p e .” _
“ N one of these stories” —said in h e r t u r n th e yellow
nurse,— “ is the true one. I n my country, w here the most
miraculous th in g s are known, it is shown th a t men could
not have sp r u n g from one common p a r e n t ; because their-
natu res aro so very different, a n d no genius could
have made them from ono clot of clay. To create men a
woman is necessary, and this w oinan isP arv ati. T h e eternally
existing, supreme essence, had three sons, which are Gods,
an d which are called B raluna, V ish n u a n d R u dra , or as
others call them, Siva, Iswar, or Ixora. B ralun a conceal­
ed himself iu a n egg, which is th e universe, a n d out of his
head s p r a n g the priests ; the k in g s c r e p t out of his r ig h t
hand ; th e warriors out of his loft h a n d ; th e laborers came
out of his feot, find th e pariahs from a p lace which I will
not name. A fte r such a difficult labor, B ra h m a felt tired
an d fell asleep, a n d while he slept, a m on strous g ia n t came
along, took th e world which h a d j u s t been peopled by
B rahm a a n d cast it into th e sea, whero he disappeared
with it. W h e n B ra h m a awoko a n d became aw are of his
loss, he gave a loud scream an d called his b r o th e r V ishnu
to his assistance. V ishnu form ed him self into an
immense fish, plunged into the sea, b roke to pieces a b ig
cave iu which the g ia n t was h idden, killed him an d
carried th e still living world b ick to lig ht. T his sto ry is
at least ju st as likely to be true as th a t which my sister
tlio Jew ess told, au d besides it has th e sup erio r a d v a n ­
tage of explaining a g re a t m any th io g s, which th e
Jewess cannot explain a t all.”
“ I be g in to suspect” — said th e boy, who was of a
rather credulous n a tu re on account of his ignorance, b n t
who loved to tease th e people because he was full of
pride a n d a m b i t i o n ; —“ I b eg in to snspect, t h a t all
these stories are only so m a n y l i e s ; because th e
oue which m y In d ia n nu rse told, is still m o re • a b su rd ■
tlian th a t of th e J e w e s s ; a n d especially I, b e in g a !
Christian, can nev er a dm it th a t • th e I n d ia n s ave r i g h t '
iu their te ach in gs,”
“ You are a Christian ” — said the yellow a u rse — “ an d
you do n o t resp ect th e Indians. Do you tlieu not know,
th a t y o u r Christ, whom you believe to have been born ia
B ethlehem in Ju d e a , was actually born in In d ia of th e
beautiful virg in Devaki, a n d th a t his real nam e is
Chrisna ? Oh, if you h a d re a d the'B hagavadadharm a, you
would know, how he was adored by the shepherds,
while he was ly in g in his c ra d le ; how the k iu g
K ahsasen w a n te d to kill him, a n d for th a t purpose
killed a g r e a t m any inno cen t children ; how he w ent p r e a ­
ching innocence an d peace to all a n d how all th e h e a rts
of tho people flew tow ard s him ; how th e people carried
him in triu m p h into th e city of M athu ra, a n d sacrificed at
his feet all th e ir cloaks of p urple a u d riches of every
kind, a n d how h e refused to accept any of th em , and
refused a l l ; ex c e p t one single flower which was offered
to him by a p oor ga rde n e r. I f you were to read th a t,
you would see how h e died for the salvation of man on a
jthorny tre e a t th e base of which his two feet, one rest-
n g upon th e other, were nailed to th e same b y an a r r o w ;
a u d all this was w ritte n several centuries before the
gospels of th e C hristians were w ritte n .”
“ W o u ld you tell m e ” — said th e child,— “ th a t t h e
gospels are so m any lies ? F o r tu n a te ly the stories which
you tell are n o t gospel tr u th . T h a t alone w h a t the g o s ­
pels tell us, is t r u e ; a u d th e fables of all non-C h ristian
peoples are sim ply lies.” '
J u s t th e n a wise pi an who h a p p en e d to have beep
n e a r an d ov erh eard this' conversation, approached and
s a i d : “ M y child, you are in error. These fables are
n e ith e r lies, n e ith e r are th e y tr u e accounts of th in g s
t h a t have actually h a p p e n e d ; b u t they a re all more or less
ingenious allegories, which, while th e y app e a r to con­
tra d ic t each o th er, are in reality in perfect harm ony.
T hey are purposely a b su rd , so t h a t we m ay not believe
them literally, b u t t h a t we may b e stim ula te d to a re ­
search for th e ir h id d e n m e a n in g .”
T h e boy was very m uch pleased w ith this explanation,
a n d a sk e d for a n o th e r story.
“ W i th pleasure” — said th e sage,— “ I will tell you
a n o th e r sto ry a n d even several others, b u t first I
w a n t you to u n d e rs ta n d the tru o m e a n in g of th o se •
stories th a t have been to ld to you b efore ; a n d above
all you m u st n o t accept fables for history. All th e ;
fables of L afo n ta in e are tr u e in a certain sense, because
th e y signify th in g s which are tru e ; b u t a child of six
years would not believe t h a t th e tim e ever was, when
anim als could ta lk like m an.
“ T he fable which th o Jew ess told, is t r u o ;— n o t as
bein g a h istorical fact, b u t as a symbolic representation.
E v id e n tly a n im m ense genius is d ire c tin g the forces of
n a tu re . I t is a sure th in g , t h a t m an is unable to com­
p re he nd this genius in any o th e r way, th a n b y inv est­
in g him w ith his own imago. Man has s p r u n g from
e a r t h ; because Geology indicates ages which existed
p rio r to m an. T h e genius of n a tn r e m ade th e m app e a r
a n d disappear. H e lives b y b re a th in g , a n d therefore
is s a id to be a n im a te d b y a bre a th .
“ Science d em o n stra te s th a t m a nk in d has not de ­
scended from one single pair ; b u t fable, whose poetry is .
moro tru e th a n scienco, affirms such a unity, to m ake of
the same a symbolical cradle for the entire h u m a n
brotherh oo d.
“ The tre e of good and evil, whose roots are in te rw o v ­
en w ith tho se of th e tr e e of life, is the tre e of freedom.
W om an prefers lib e rty to l i f e ; m an pre fe rs love to
obedience, and th e ir noble fall brings th e gods down to
e a rth ,, w hich m eans tliat h u m a n ity becom es godlike by
b e c o m in g free.
“ T he law seems to p ro h ib it prog ress. A step in
advance b re a k s down a b a r r i e r ; which means th a t
disobedience is tho law of death, a n d th a t by it th e
etern al life is p e r p e tu a te d .
“ J e s u s said t h a t hei a lon e'w ho is ■willing to lose his
soul cail saYb it, F o r th is' reason Eve, tra n sfig u re d
 u n d e r tlie lialo and glory of M ary, becomes th e m o th e r
of G o d ; for this reason L u cifer becomes th e re d e em e r of
the angels, for this reason P rom etheus will de throne
J u p i t e r ; for this reason au dacity escaped servitude, an d
for this reason a t last, the genius of lib e rty an d lo re
always reaches victory th ro ug h m artyrdom .
“ I know th a t I am ta lk in g to a child w hich will soon
g e t tire d of listening to lectures of this k in d ; b u t who
is sufficiently intelligent to u n derstand them . Y ou are a
Child, b u t you are o l d ; you are th e str o n g child of
H a b b i, you are called ‘ the people,’ a n d it is necessary
th a t you should a t least h ear w h a t you are able to u n d e r­
stand . Let' us re tu rn to our p r e tty stories. D id you
notice th a t Psyche and th e sw e eth e a rt of th e B east
have each of them a b a d a n d jealous sister ? T here is
also another one, who has two such sisters ; th e meek
and modest Cinderella. Sho alone is beautiful, a n d while
the two oth ers ru n a fte r pleasures) she does all the
housework au d is despised by everybody. B n t she too
lias a good fairy for go dm other. Cinderella, the B eauty
n d the Boast a n d Psyche re p re se n t intelligence. T h e two
b a d and rude sisters are the favored d a rlin g s of D octor
Buchner, they rep resent force an d m a tte r. E v e r y th in g
is transform ed to a dorn th e c h a rm in g C in derella; a
p u m p k in is c h a n g e d into a go lden c arriag e, a mouse b e ­
comes a footm an iii livery, she goes to a ba ll in m a g n i­
ficent attire an d her sisters canno t recognize h e r ; b u t
she is subject to a law ; should she tra n sg re s s t h a t . law,
all her charm s would be lost. , Cinderella disobeys and
d isa p pe a rs; b u t th e y seek for h e r a n d find her, she is
recoguized by th e traces she left on h e r way, a n d she
becomes the brid e an d spouse of th e k in g . T his again
is ano th er variation of the beautiful fable of Psyche.
" T h e r e is furtherm ore, a no th er, very a ncient legend
which is e ntitle d the ‘ A ss ’s S kin, in which th e m y ste ­
ries of the ‘ Golden Ass of A pu leus’ a r e b r o u g h t to g e th e r
with those of the fable of Psyche.
“ Ifc is know n t h a t the Syrians a n d the S am aritans r e p r e ­
sented tho God of blind faith by the figure of a m an with
the h e a d of an ass and called him Thartac. The Jew s
nnd tho Romans accused the C hristians of a d o rin g th a t
ass, and A pul, who for some time h a d been a C hris­
tian, su b m itte d to expiate for w hat he r e g a r d e d to be an
apostacy from th e lustrations of th e g ra n d m ysteries, by
telling th a t lie was c h a n g e d into an ass, an d did n ot
r e g a in his previous form until a f te r he h a d ea te n roses,
which wore presented to h im by the g r a n d h ie ro p h a n t of
Eleusis.
“ I will now tell you th e allegorical ofthe ‘ A s s ’s S kin.’
“ A rav ish in g princess (human intelligence), to escape
from a malicious k in g (human pride) who w a n te d to ta k e
a d v au tage of her, hides liersolf u nd e r tho skin of an aas.
(Tho anciont science seems to dis a p p e a r un d e r th e follies
of tho new faith). Sho travols in this guise th ro u g h the
country, humble and unknow n, and becomes a servant a t
c o u r t ; b u t a wonderful gold rin g falls from h e r finger
a n d comcs intfe the possession of a princo. (The treasures
of intelligence cannot always rem ain h id den). T h ey
h u n t for tho h a n d th a t is w orthy of such a ring, and th e
t r u t h is laid open b y tho castiug off the clothes of T h a r ­
ta c ; thou tho princess A zurine is p e rm itte d to clotlio
herself a t pleasure either w ith a robe of silver like the
moon or w ith a dress of gold like th e sun ; th e son of the
k in g marries her, she becomes a queen a n d still p r e ­
serves tho ass’s skin, and so we o u g h t to pro3orve th e sto ­
ries, fables and legends, of w hich we have spoken to-day.
“ Intelligence an d faith cann ot be s e p a r a te d ; because
intelligence cannot doubt herself, a u d th e spirit which
feels its own im mortality, believes in God. F o r this
reason th e impious try to suppress h e r b y force, to
e utom b h e r in m atto r a n d to become abso rbed by th e same.
T hey subject h e r to th e to rtu re of P ro m e th e u s , im prison
h e r with Socrates, dism em ber h e r with Orpheus, crucify
h e r w ith J e s u s ; a n d still she survives, is fo r e ver young,
sm iling and full of hope. She is the bride of th e future.
Once in a while she seems to disappear from th e world
a n d to sleep th e sleep of E pim enides. A t such times
religion is in a stato of letharg y, like th a t beautiful
princess in tho fable of tho Sleeping Beauty. Parasitical
plants en cu m ber th e g a te of th e garden ; the castle itself
can h a rd ly be distinguished, because tho surrou nding
trees have g row n so h ig h as to hide its tow ering spires
from view ; she sleeps, a victim of h e r own disobedience ;
because she was forew arned not to touch th e key to the
closet, in which th e m ysteries of life were hidden from
the eyes of th e v u lg a r a n d not to play with tho distaff of
intrig ue. She w a n te d to spin, th e distaff wounded
h e r h an d, and losing h e r senses, she fainted away.
“ Tho w ound is troublesom e and difficult to heal, b u t the
spirit re tu rn s, a new a n d truly young ce n tu ry appears,
and m an, th e veritable prince of lhe future, approaches
th e e n c hanted castle. H e finds th e beauties of th e past
ages unsullied a n d a w a k in g a t his m agic touch. Cen­
tu ries of sleep are d e tra c te d from the age of old hum anity,
she a w akes re ju v en a te d , beautiful as in the olden times
of heroism, a n d is p u t into possession of all w hat
progress has conquered. This a t least has been th e
hope of all ages a n d th e belief of all m a rty rs. This still
is the d ream of the poets a n d the object of all the serious
th in k e r s .”
• “ Some d ay I will be a m a n ,” — said the b o y — “ a n d I
won’t care any more ab o u t such tales.”
“ I h op e ” — said th e sa g e — " th a t you will be a m an,
blit you will tell th e same stories to your son, who will be
a child as you now are. M an k in d will never arrive a t a
perfect equality. T h ere will always be children an d old
people ; th ere will be d e a th s a n d b irths, joy and tears,
good, a n d b a d ; a n d all th a t we can hope for is, th a t evil
will decrease a n d goo d increase in propo rtion .”
“ So be it,” said th e nurses a n d the child.
Y e s ; th e ideal of intelligence and love will trium ph
over th e brutalities of force a n d the im pedim ents of m atter.
The Divine U n k n o w n , h idd en in th e hu m an soul, will
b re a k fo rth a n d revel in trium ph th r o u g h the sacrifice—■
not of fear, w hich bears tho punishm ont of tho law,— b u t
of love, which overrides im pedim ents, t h a t are p u t in h e r
way by the law u n de r tho penalty of death. This is tho
g re a t arc a n u m of Occultism ; this is the sacred fire which
Pro m e th e u s stole, this is the deification of m an, a n d this
will be th e su bje c t of our n e x t lecture.
N o t k :— T h i n is o n l y t h o f i r s t i n s t a l m e n t o f a s e r i e s o f t r a n s l a t i o n s
o f t h e u n p u b l i s h e d M. S. S. o f E l i p h a s L e v i w o m e a n to p r i n t m o n t h l y
in th e J o u r n a l 6 f t i i e T nicosopnicA t, S o c ie t y , H a v in g rece iv ed a la rg e
n u m b e r o t t h e m — e n o u g h to c o v e r s e v e r a l y e a r s o f s u c h p u b l i c a t i o n —
f r o m o n e o f h i s p u p i l s , o n e f o r w h o m t h o y -were p u r p o s o l y w r if ct o n b y
h e r P ro fe s so r, t h e a b o v e n a m e d F r e n o h O c c u ltis t-^ w o in t e n d to g iv e
t o o n r m e m b e r s t h e b e n e fi t o f t h e s e w r i t i n g s b y t r a n s l a t i n g t h e m for,
a n d g iv in g th o m o n ly in th e S u p p le m e n t. T h i s jo u r n a l , w h i c h is p u b ­
lished m o re for th e bonefit o f th e F e llo w s of our S o cie ty , w ill m o re ­
over contain fro m tim o to t i m e o th e r i m p o r t a n t a rtic le s on O c c u ltis m ,
w h ic h it is c o n s id c r o d d e s ir a b le s h o u ld n o t find t h o i r w a y i n t o th e
T h e o s o 2j h i $ t — t h e l a t t e r b e i n g i n t e n d e d b o t h f o r t h o p u b l i o a s f o r o n r
m e m b ers.— E d. •
T H E D IV IN E P E R SO N A L IT Y .
, My a tte n tio n has ju st been draw n to a n article on the
above subject in the I n d ia n Messenger of 18th November
last. 1 am not a t p re se n t concerned w ith exam ining the
misconcoptions of the-R ev. M r. Dali concerning tho
H in d u an d th e B udd hist idea of G od— which have given
rise to th e p re se n t controversy, b u t with th e Messenger
who quotes the following passage from the Theosophist
for his te x t :—
F o r a l t re lig io n s d iv e s t e d o f th o i r m a n .m a d e th e o lo g ie s a n d Bnporla-
tiv e ly h u m a n eoclesin sticism r e s t on o n e a n d th e sa m e o f u n d a tio n ,
c o n v e rg e to w a rd s one focus $ a n irradicable, co ngenital b elie f in an
in n e r N a t u r e re fle c te d in t h e in n e r m a n , i t s m i c r o c o s m ; o n t h i s o u r
e a r t h w e c a n k n o w o f b u t o n e L i g h t — t h o o n e w e see. T h e D ivine
P rin c ip le , t h e whole, c a n b e m a n ife s te d to o u r co n c io u sn e ss, b u t
th r o u g h n a t u r e a n d his h ig h e s t ta b cim acle— m a n , in th e w ords of
Jean s, t h e o n l y . ‘ T e m p le o f G o d .’ H e n c e th e tr u e T h e o so p h ist, of
w h a te v e r relig io n , r e j e c ti n g a c c e p ta n c e of a n d b e lie f in a n extra-cosm io
God,, y o t a c c e p t s t h i s a c t u a l e x i s t e n c e o f a L o g o s , w h o t h e r i n t h o
B u d d h is t, A d w aitic> C h r is ti a n , G n o s tic o r N e o - P la to n ic E s o te r ic sen se,
jjU t.w ill b o w t o n o e c c le s ia s t ic a l, o r th o d o x a n d d o g m a t i o i n t e r p r e t a t i o n .
T he e x tra v a g a n t criticism of th e B rahm o E d ito r on
th e above e x tra c t is am u sin g to a s tu d e n t of th e Adwai*
tee Philosophy w h ich —’be it said to his h o n o u r— th e E d ito r m ay bo entirely cleared of every misconception. F u r th e r
a dm its is followed closely b y th e leaders of th e T h e o ­ on we read :— 1 ' ' .
sophical Society. The learned w rite r a rg u e s in th e follow­ T h e n a g a i n , w h o ia c o n s c i o u s o f t h e e x i s t e n c e o f t h i s ' w h o l e ’ ? — t l i a
in g wise :— p a r t ? D o e s t h i s c o n s c i o u s n e s s p e r v a d e t h e w h o l e o r is i t i n t h e p a r t i*
I f it bo in th o p a r t , d o es n o t th i s d o c t r i n e m e a n t h a t t h e s e lf-c o n s c io u a
N o w if o u r co n s cio u sn e ss o f th e in n e r m a n a s m a n i f e s t in u s , be t h e p n r t d isc e rn s th o e x i s t e n c e o f a ‘ w h o le ,’ besides a n d b e y o n d itse lf,
o n ly testim ony of th is D iv in e P rin c ip le , w h a t r ig h t h a v e w e to in fe r t h a t d o o s n o t s h a r e i t s c o n s c i o u s n e s s a n d is r a t h e r t h o o b j e c t o f t h a t
th o e x i s t e n c e o f a ‘ W h o le1? F o r it is o n ly a p a r t o f w h ic h w o a ro consciousness ?
c o n s c i o u s , a n d t h a t c o n s c i o u s n e s s is t h c s u m t o t a l o f o u r k n o w l e d g e on I am sorry to find th a t the w rite r of the above passaga
th a t head.
p u ts in his conclusion a w ord (to draw the inference
R easoning on theso lines th e critic tries to prove fu rth e r from) which is uot w a rra n te d b y the premises of hia
on, th a t, since the inner Ego has a sense of personality, syllogism. W hilo ta lk in g of thp consciousness of tho
the whole of which it is a p a r t m u st also b e personal : iu p a r t an d of th e whole, whence does he introduce tho
oth e r words, while d e n y in g th e prem iss entirely ho accepts ad jective “ self” before consciousness ? T h a t m akes tho
tho conclusion which ho forces upon tho same. I t is g re a te s t difference, as will be seon by the re a d e r who has
hard to u n d e rsta n d tho cause of this c on tra dic tion unless g ra sp e d tho difference betw een the inner m a n — fheAtm a,
we tako him a t his own word when he ad m its :-r— — and tho ego in which inheres A hankara. E ven theu ,
“ W e have n o t any philosophical p retensions.” Tho th e a rg u m e n t we are confronted with, comes to this in
fact is th a t th e wholo e x trac t from th e Theosophist is plain lang uage. At the timo tho p a r t feels conscious of
e n tirely misconceived. A n d th e cliiof cause of it th e existenco of tho whole, the consciousness is not t r a n s ­
lies in n o t try in g to u n d e rsta n d th e sense in fe rre d from the p a r t to th e w ho le; therefore it* vision i.s
which th e term s “ inner m a n ” a n d “ inner n a tu r e ” not true. Follow ing tho same logic, wo can show thnh
are used. W hile this journal refers th e r e b y to the th e article in th e I n d i a n Messenger is nonsense. A t thu
Logos, th e Divine A tm a, or the seventh principle as tho tim e of p e n n in g his re m a rk s, whero was the conscious­
occultist calls it, tho eru dite critic u nd erstan ds by it ness of th e w rite r ? I f in him, then th ere could bo no
tho gross ego or the fifth principle of th e occultist, in sense in th e article, for th e sense was in him, inhering
wliich A h a n k a r a is centred. I t is only th ro u g h A t m a as it m ust in consciousness. If, ou tho o th e r hand, tlm
a c tin g in its vehicle, th e sixth principlo— B u d d h i— th a t consciousness was tra n sfe rre d to the article, then a t tho
tho whole “ cau be m anifested to our consciousness,” for time of w ritin g it he was unconscious and could not know
it is itself b u t a p a rt of tho wholo. I should not bo w h a t ho wrote. A n o th e r instance : when he looked a t tho
understood to imply th a t tho all-pervading Parabrahin is in k sta n d to dip his pen in where was his consciousness—
divisible. W h a t I mean is th a t when th e individual has in him or in tho in k sta n d ? W h e n he will solve this p ro b ­
once rison abovo his gross tendencies aud begins p e r ­ lem, he will find a solution to tho m ystery of tho p a r t
ceiving beyond his concrete conceptions, which p e rta in b e in g able to havo consciousness of th e existence of tho
bnt to tho physical >nd the astral man, th e inner man, wholo. F u r t h e r 0 1 1 we aro told :—■
tho A tm a, feels liko th e whole or iu o th e r words, it “ W h a t w e m e a n t o s h o w is t h a t t o d i s c a r d b e l i e f i n a n i n t e l l i g e n t
a tta in s ita stato of absolute consciousness. This has been P e r s o n a li ty in a n d b e y o n d N a t u r e a n d y e t to m a in ta in a b e lie f in th o
e x i s t e n c o o f a D i v i n e P r i n c i p l e i n N a t u r e ........ l e a d s i n t o h o p o l e s s m e t a -
tho experience of every tru e Raj Yogi in his periods of physioal c o m p lic a tio n s .”
tem porary Nirvana, whilo no seer, savo tho artificially Every oue who knows a n y th in g of logic finds it a
developed H a t h a Y ogi, has ever y e t seen the limited “ hopeless m etaphysical com plication” to u n d e rsta n d
an d conditioned Personal God of th e T heist. On w hat is -meant by “ e x tr a cosmical” a n d “ beyond
the ono h a n d every practical occultist has realised N a tu r e .” I f naturo an d tho cosmos be infinite, it is diffi­
more or less th e fact th a t his h ig h e r in n e r m an Atma) cult to conceive of an existenco beyond Infinity. If th e y
is b u t a p a r t (I uso this word for th e w an t of a b e tte r be finite, then we m ust know whore are th e ir limits? God
one) of the whole—In n e r N ature, or P a r a b r a h m ; on the b e in g infinite, he m ust be in all N atu ro or cosmos, a n d
other hand, all Theistic assertion to the c o n tra ry n o tw ith ­ sinco the l a tte r includes also all ovil, God m u s t necessa­
stand in g, has an y ever yet seen his God. N evertheless, rily reside also in ovil a n d it is lio who leads m an into
with a s tra n g e inconsistency the gifted B rah m o E d ito r te m p ta tio n ? I t is useless to e n te r into fu rth e r details.
re m a rk s :— T h e whole article in tho In d ia n Messenger is based upon
W e to o s h u n a n t h r o p o m o r p h i s m a s m u c h a s p o s s i b l e , b u t is n o t t h e
misconceptions which being pointed out will m ake it easy
b e lie f in t h e e v o l u t i o n o f t h e m o r a l o r d e r in t h o u n i v e r s e e q u a l l y i n s t i n c ­ for tho th o u g h tfu l read er to u n d erstan d the m eaning of.
tive ? T h i s m e a n s I n t e l l i g e n c e , L o v e a u d W i l l — iu o t h e r worda> th e para, quotod from tho Theosophist. Before closing,
•personality.
however, 1 am te m p te d to m ake a few re m a rk s on tho
I t is difficult to perceive tho fine distinctio n betw een concluding p a ra , of tho article u n de r notice ; for, it ia
an a nthropom orphic a n d a P erson al God, th e G reek extrem ely am usiug. W hilo the w riter calls God “ u n ­
and L atin adjectives being n early synonym ous. know able,” he y et says :— “ W h a t is not within the ra n g a
Man is adm itted to have intelligence, love an d of experience as actuality may be conceived and intui­
will, b u t owing to theso a ttr ib u te s — is finite. God too tively believed as a possibility.” Does th e w riter imply
is endowed b y man with the same a ttr ib u te s b u t— is th a t the know ledge obtained by intuitive perception ia
proclaimed, infinite. B ut is not th en G od also an a nthro- not within tho ra n g e of “ a ctuality ” ? I f he does, then
poinorphised being, represented under a h u m a n form, with surely he goes a g a in s t th e prim ary Aryan doctrine th a t
human affections and a ttrib u te s— simply a gig an tically th e objective is all Maya an d tho subjective, the ouly
magnified m an ? A ny other solution of this con tra d ic ­ reality. H is H in d u ism is then theological Christianity,
tion would be quite welcome to us. Su rely the eru dite pu re and simple, h id in g itself under an oriental g a r b . I n
critic in the I n d ia n Messenger does n o t m eau to deny to th e same p a r a . ; ho a g ain mentions the a ttr ib u te s of God,
man intelligence, love aud will thongh iu a lesser degree, which are all hum an however, without any of th e h u m a n
than possessed b y his deity ? F o r, if he does, then weaknesses. A nd yot iu th e face of snch assertions his
man becomes an a u to m ato n, irresponsible for his God is still “ unk now ab le” a n d “ uot a n th ropom orphic I”
acts. No, for h e him self postulates “ th e evolution of tho A n A dwaitee , F . T . S.
moral order of tho universe.” I t is too tall a ph rase,
however, for us to comprehond. W h a t is m e a n t by the P R E S I D E N T I A L S P E C IA L ORDER.
H EA D-Q U ARTERS 0 1 ’ T H E Til EOSOl'IIlCAL S O C I E T Y .
“ moral order of th e universe” iu tho p re se n t case is
A d y a r , ‘2 1 s < J a n u a r y 1884.
difficult to perceive. Is th e gro w th of trees, p la n ts, &c.,
T he undersigned, being called abroad upon official busi­
due to tho “ moral order of tho universe” ? A re, ou the ness, hereby designates the following members of tho
other hand, earthquakes, floods, fires a n d so on, tho o u t­ General Council as an Executive Committee to exercise
come of the same beautiful order? W e w ant some during his absence in Europe, the supervisory and executive
stronger lig h t on this point eo tliat our m en tal horizon powers of the President, in all matters arising in the course
 of business at Head-quarters, w;hich are too pressing or. not
important' enough to bo sent forward to him personally for
action :—
Messrs. R. Raghoonath Row, Diwaii Bahadur ;
„ G. Muttnswami Chetty, Garu ;
P. Srecnivasa Row, Garu
„ T. Subba Row, Garu.
T heir jurisdiction to cover the finanical, executive and
supervisory affairs of the Society. • • , ■. . .
A nd ho furthqr roqucsts, in case .of any unforeseen, contin­
gency happening to himself, that tho ahovenamed gentlemen
a n d Brothers, will, at the earliest; practicable date, oonveno
a Gcnei’al Council of the whole Society, to adopt such mea­
sures as Shall seem best to promote the interests.of the
Society and of the sacrcd cause of which it is tho exponent.
Finally, ho solemnly charges them and all his and tlieit
colleagues to ever feel the weight of responsibility for u n 7
faltering effort and self-forgetfulness which the sense of
the highest d u t y imposes upon them as Aryan patriots, . and
lovers of their fcllowmcn of all races* creeds and conditions;
. H. S. O l c o t t ,
• .President-Eoundcr, Theosi Socy.
By the President. . ■
D a m o d a r K. M a v a l a n k a r ,
Recording Secretary.
The Presideut-Foundcr left the Head-quarters for Ceylon,
via Tilticorin, ou Monday, the 21st ultimo. H e hopes to
finish his business there so as to take tho Mail Steamer of
February 6th, for Bombay, whence ho intends sailing fo r
Marseilles about the 20th instant. His London address will
bo 7, Ladbrooke Gardens, Kensington Park, W. Letters will
he forwarded thence to him to any part of Europe which lie
tuny be visiting. He will return in July. ' and m ust th e refo re be annihilated. Of course, the
W c are sorry tho reply of tho Epiphany to the letter
of D. K. M., published in our last, came too late for being
reprinted in this issue. I t will appear in our next. 1 .
• W H I T E A N D B L A C K M A G IC i
'[A R eply to M irza M oorad A lee B eq, E x.-F . T. S..]
. H a v in g ju st h ad a little leisure I was g o in g over
Mirza M oorad A lee’s le tte r in th e Philosophic In q u ire r
of the Gth In s ta n t. Col. O lcott’s reply covers th e whole
g ro u n d in essentials, a n d I would have rem ained c o n te n t­
e d with it, especially th a t I m ay u o t b e the cause,
directly or indirectly, of any more e x c itin g th e nervous
system of one upon whom I once looked w ith g r e a t res*
pect ahd affection for his intellectual powers a n d w h a t
seemed to be unflinching dsvofcion to T ruth-—had it n o t
been for the fact th a t I a p p re h e n d th e read ers of the
Philosophic Inquirer will not form correct ideas co n c e rn ­
ing w hite a n d black m agic, were n ot th e sub ject
en tered into a little deeper than- Col. O lcott h a d the
leisure to do.
Tho first tim e th a t Mii’za M oorad A lee cam e to th e
Ile a d -q u a rte rs of the Theosophical So.ciety in B o m b ay
■to :stop: with us a few days, tlie^ very first th in g
he. to ld me w a s : — " I f y ou ever w a n t to- pro g re ss
on the r i g h t p a th , beware of sensual a pp e tite s d r a g g in g
you down} a n d above all ta k e care of th e Brothers
o f the Shadow , the Sorcerers, w ith some of whom
I have had personal dealings, to whieh fa c t I tra c e all
m y p resent suffering, s tru g g le , a n d m ise ry .” T hese
a t e nbt his e x a c t words,, b u t this is th e idea h e . con ­
veyed to me, a n d confirmed i n . 'a l l hia su b s e q u e n t
conversations. I ' th erefore Btand aghast now at
re a d in g :— “ The 'T heosophist leaders ne v e r ‘ dis­
c o ura ge d ’ liut r a th e r encouraged fhfe l'ri ' Bhch practices
' (of black m a g ic )” — as Mirza M oorad Alee says in his
letter u n d e r consideration. . 1 can not believe he is
wilfully m is re p re s e n tin g facts, b u t will faih a ttr ib u te his
:^
p resen t fo rgetfu ln ess to m ental aberration, caused by
nervous ex haustio n b r o u g h t on by hi3 futile stru g g le to
g e t over the horrors of black magic an d rise up to th e
spiritual gloried of tin A d e p t. W h e n lie joined us he had
already opened the door fend was gone too fa r to be able
to s h u t it ag»inst th e w orkings of th e sorcerers w ith
whom he had h a d " p erso nal dealin gs.” I only pity his
fall a n d hope ho will n o t have to sh a re the fate of all
Iflack m agicians. H o is m isre p re se n tin g tho m o an­
i n g ' o f Nirvana"' when h e uses it as a synonym for
_
annihilation. . Y e s : it is annihilation, n o t . of tho
sp iritual E go, b u t of tho lower principles in m a n ,
of th e anim al Soul, the personality which mu-?t perislu
Tho powers of b la c k m agic aro due to tho will-power
piigfendered.by a c o n c e n tra ted form oi selfishness. T his
is possible only when th e M a na s— th e fifth principle of
man, a s !the occilltist calls it— resides very firmly in hi.s
lower principles, A careful Study of th e Fragment*
of O'ccult T r u th a n d o ther literatu re on E soteric T heoso­
phy knows t h a t theso lowor principles are destru ctible
g re a te r th e powers of a black m agician, th e g re a te r
m u st be his selfishness. T he energy of cohesion being
thus very powerful, it m ust ta k e a very long p e rio d be­
fore annihilation is complete. F o r a uglit we know, it
(not his physical body which cannot live so long) may
ex te n d over th o u sa n d s— nay a million— of years. ' T he
ten dency for evil is t h e r o ; th e des'ire for mischief is
stro n g : but th e re are uo means for tho gratification of
sensual a p p e t i t e s : a n d the miserable bein g suffers tho
th roes of dissolution for a very, very long p eriod Until
he is totally annihilated. W hile, on the o ther h and ,
tlio white m agician, by his tra in in g as described iu tho
F l i x i r o f L ife, g ra d ua lly kills his lower principles,
w ithout a n y suffering, th u s e x te n d in g over a long
period th e ir dissolution and, his M anas identifies it­
self w ith his h i g h e r — tho s ix th an d se v en th — principles.
^Dvery .tyro in O ccultism knows th a t the sixth principle
b e in g b u t th e vehicle of the se v e nth— which is a ll-p e r­
vading, e te rn al essence— m ust be pe rm a n e n t. F ro m
th e foreg oing re m ark s it is eviden t th a t it is the black
m agician whose lot is a n nihilation ; while the adept, the
white m agician, enjoys tho blissful condition of absolute
existence w here th e re is no p ain or pleasure, no sorrow
Qi' joy, since these are all relativo term s, an d th e sta te is
one of su prem e b l i s s ; iu short tho la tte r enjoys a n im­
m ortality of lifo. I t is therefore am using .to see how
M irza M oorad Alee Bog has endeavoured to rep resent
black as w hite and vice versa. B u t his so phistry will be
plain to eVery stu d e n t of the Occult Philosophy.
'■ ; ■ D am o dar K . M a v a l a s s a r , F. S.
• ■■■ ■ . ,’:o ■ : .: . - . •' -I/; - •-^. ■
' ' AD*AR..'(MADBA!s)> ") ' / ‘ : , '
2 8 th J a n u a ry 1884. J ; •• . ■ ..
 “ The appearncc of erudition is stupendous. Reference to
REPORT OF THE E IG H T H A N N IV E R S A R Y and quotations from, the most unknown aud obscure writers
OK TilJd in all languages abound, interspersed with allusions to writers
of the highest repute, which have evidently been more thau
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. skimmed through.”— N. Y. Independent.
T w h ich w ero p re s e n t D eleg ates fro m B ra n c h e s iu A m e r i c a , “ Au extremely readublo and exhaustive essay upon the
A E u i f l a u d , C e y l o n a n i l n il p a n s o f I n d i a f r o m N o r t h t o S o u t h a n d
t a s t to W e st.
paramount importance of re-establishing tho Hermetic
Philosophy in a world which blindly believes that it has out*
Price four annas per copy; postage and packing charges grown it.”— N. Y. World.
India, one anna; Ceylon, three annas; all other Foreign coun­ “ Most remarkable book of tho season.” —Com. Advertiser.
tries, four annas. “ To readers who have never made themselves acquainted
Apply, w ith r e m i t t a n c e , to the M a n a g e r o f th e T flE O S oriiiS T , Adyar with the literature of mysticism and alchemy, the volumo
(h.ludt'ax). will furnish the materials for an interesting study—a tniuij of
curious information.”— Evening Post.
“ They givo evidence of much and multifarious research
E S O T E R I C fi U D 0 H I S m T on tho part of tho author, and contain a vast number of in­
(CHEAP EDITION—PRICE RUPEES THREE ) teresting stories. Persons fond of the marvellous will find
m U K M a n a g e r o f tUc T h e o s o p h is t lias r e c e i v e d a s u p p l y o f tlio p a p e r -
in them an abundance of entertainment.” —N. Y. Sun.
J c o v e r e d i t i o n o f M r . S i n n e t t ’s J f s o t e i i c ) i t t d d h i s m . L ik e th e Occult “ A marvellous book both in matter and manner of treat­
W o r ld , t h i s w o r k a l s o , in it s s e c o n d e d i t i o n , h a s b e e n m a d o c h e a p f u r ment. Some idea may bo formed of the rarity and extent of
th o c o n v e n ie n c e of th e In d ia n S u b sc rib ers. its contents when the index alone comprises tifty pages, and
we venture nothing in saying that such au index of subjects
T H E O C C U L T W O R L D . was never before compiled by any human being. * * * But
r p U K M a n a g e r o f th e Theosophist g iv e s n o tic e t h a t o n ly tw e n t y copies the book is a curious ono and will no doubt find its way into
| o f th e c h e a p ed itio n of th is w o rk a re n o w in stock. A fter th a t libraries because of the unique snbject matter it contains,
s u p p l y is e x h a u s t e d , t h o b o o k w i l l b e o u t o f p r i n t iu its c h e a p form . * * * will certainly prove attractive to all who are interested
O n ly th o so w ill b e a b l e to p r o c u r e co p ie s , w h o c a u alYorcl t o p a y h i g h
pric e. *
in the history, theology and tho mysteries of the ancient
world. — Daily Graphic.
“ Tho present work is the fruit of her remarkable course
T E L T JG U A B B T A M IL P R IM E R S . of education, and amply confirms her claims to the character
of an adept in secret science, and even to the rank of it
DIWAN BAHADUR R. RAGHOONATH ROW. hierophant iu the exposition of its mystic lore.”—N. Y. Tri­
bune.
H Y A N B a h a d u r U. l l a g h o o n a t h R o w , P r e s i d e n t o f t h o M a d r a s T . S.,
D h a s p r e p a r e d T a m i l a n d T e l u g u p r i u i e r s for* t h e u s e o f t h e s t u d e n t s
of th e 'Ih e o s o p h ie a l S a n s k r it schools. T h e y h a v e b e e n a p p r o v e d b y th e
One who reads the book carcfully throughout to know
everything of the marvellous and mystical, except, perhaps,
S a n s k rit school c o m m itte e of th o M a d r a s T h e o so p h ic a l Socioty a n d aro the passwords. ‘ Isis' will supplement the Anacalypsis. W ho­
used as T e x t Books by th e m for th e ir sch ools. T h e p r i m e r s will b o ever loves to read Godfrey Higgins will bo delighted with
fo u u d e x tr e m e ly u se fu l fo r b o y s w h o h a v o to b e g in a s tu d y o f th o Mine. Hlavatsky. Thero is a great resemblance between
S an u k rit an d V e rn a c u la r la n g u ag es sim u ltan e o u sly . P r ic o , 6 pioa p e r
their works. Both have tried hard to tell everything apo-
copy, exclusive o f P o s ta g e , A p p l y t o K u i l a s a m B r o t h e r s , P o p h a m ’s
B r o a d w a y , M a d r a s , w h o a l w a y s k e e p a s t u c k of T h e o s o p h i c a l P u b l i ­
criphal and apocalyptic. It is easy to forecast the reception
c a t i o n s o u sale, of this book. With its striking peculiarities, its audacity,
its versatility, and tho prodigious variety of subjects which
M E SSRS. NICOLAS and Co., have inside a splendid it notices and handles, it is one of tho remarkable produc­
photograph of a group comprising oighty-threo Dele­ tions of the century.” —N. Y. Herald,
gates attending the Eighth Aniversary celebration of the “ In nothing docs Madame Blavatsky show her wonderful
Theosophical Society, together with a view of tho portico of ability in a more marked degree thau in her uso of tha
tlie Adyar Head-quarters Building. Every portrait is excel­ English language. Iie r style is singularly vigorous, per­
lent. Copies may be had at Rs 2-8 (Ci) each, inclusive of spicuous and piquant. H e r scholarship is varied and com­
packing and postage. Follows of the Theosophical Society prehensive. Iu metaphysical keenness sho shows a power
may also obtain cabinet size photos of Madamo Blavatsky, that few writers of our day have attained to. We doubt it'
Colonel Olcott aiid a gronp consisting of Madame Blavatsky, Mis. Lewes (George Elliot), can bo called her equal in thin
Messrs. Subba Row and Dharba.giri N ath at H sl-1 2 (4a-) per respect. H er critical insight is also most remarkable. I t
copy, inclusive of packing and postage. seems more like an intuitiou than the result of study, and
A ppl y to t h e M an a g er o f t i i e Theosophist. ■ yet that she has been a profound student the authorities
referred to in her work abundantly show. From tho speci­
‘ F I F T H E D IT IO N , W I T H A N E N G R A V E D mens we have seen of its pages weean vouch for its absorbing
interest, and for tho strength aud fascination of the style.”—
P O R T R A IT OF T IIE A U TH O R . Epes Sargeant.
We do not hesitate to express tho opinion that sho has
made a gallant and measurably successful effort at elucidating
tho most absorbing and important problems life can furnish.
A M A ST ER -K E Y to t h e M Y S T E R IE S ot' A N C IE N T If the veil of Isis has not indeed been swept away, a t least so
SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY. By H. P, BLA­ many of tho folds have been removed that we are afforded a
VATSKY, Corresponding Secretary of tho Thoosophical partial insight into the mysteries and splendors of the Goddess*
Socicty. 2 vols., large royal 8vo., of about 1,400 pages, If our author has not achieved an unquestioned triumph,
cloth extra, 11s. 25—reduced from l!s. 30. where such a result would have been specially gratifying,
Opinions of Leading Journals. she has at least tho consolation of knowing that she has sur­
passed all her predecessors in a task, eompleto failure to
“ This monumental work * * *about everything relating to achieve which wonld have involved no humiliation. She has
magic, mystery, witchcraft, religion, spiritualism, which produced a unique work,and it will become a classic.”— Sacra­
would be valuable iu an encyclopaedia.”— North American mento ltecord'Union.
Jieoiew.
“ I t mnst be acknowledged that she is a remarkablo woman, “ M Y " V I S I T T O S T V R I A , ”
who has rtad more, seen more, and thought moro, than most A V I N G p r o v e d s u c h a B o c c e s B , i t i s M i s s C a r o l i n e C o r n e r ’s i n t e n -
wise men. Her work abounds in quotations from a dozen
different languages, not for the purpose of a vain display of
H t |o u to p u b lish a n o t h e r V o lu m e of h e r la te V is it to K i j i n e l a n d ,
th o p ro ceed s of w hich (ex p en ses cle a re d ) a r e to go to w a rd s g iv in g a
n u m b e r of t h e p o o r e s t li ttl o C h il d r e n o f t h e E a s t E n d of L o n d o n a t r e a t a t
erudition, but to substantiate her peculiar views, # * * her C hristm as, by w uy of a good T ea, A m u s e m e n t, a n d a C hristm as T ree,
pages aro garnished with foot notes establishing as hep f r o m w h ic h p riz e s of u s e f u l a r t i c l e s of w a r m c l o t h i n g m a y bo d r a w n .
authorities boiuo of the profoundest writers of tho past, f o M iss C a r o l in e C o r n e r e a r n e s t l y r e q u e s t s t h o k iu d c o -o p e ra tio n of
a large class of readers, this remarkable work will prove of frie n d s a n d o th e r s y m p a t h e ti c a n d bo n o v o le n t p erso n s,b y m e a n s of
S u b s c r i p t i o n s f o r t h e b o o k “ lih in e la n d ” ( p u b li s h e d a t l a . 6 d . a n d 2s.
absorbing interest. * * * * Demands tho earnest attention of Cii. p o r c o p y ) , o r b y D o n a t i o n s o f C l o t h e s f o r t h o l i t t l o o n e s , o r b o t h .
thinkers, and merits an analytic reading,”—Boston Evening A d d r e s s M i s s C a r o l i n e C o ruo r 3 , S t , Xho ma’tt S q u a r o H u o k n c y ,
Transcript. London N, E n g la n d ,
 "THE SECRET DOCTRINE,”
A N E W V E R SIO N OF " I S I S U N V E IL E D .”

W ITII A N E W A R R A N G EM EN T OF T H E M A TTER, LARGE AND IM PORTANT

A D D ITIO N S, A N D CO PIO U S N O T E S A N D C O M M EN TA RIES,

BY

. I L T. B L A V A T S K Y ,
Corresponding Secretary o f the Theosophical Socicty.

A SS IS T E D BY

* T. S U B B A S o w G A R U , n. a., b. j,., f. t. s., *

Councillor o f ihe Theosophical Society and Secretary o f . its Madras Branch.

P U B L I S H E R 'S N O T IC E .

N umerol' s a u d u r g e n t requ ests liave como from all of the h ith e rto m isu n d e rsto o d teach in gs found iu the said
pavLs of In d ia , to adopt some p lan for b r in g in g th e m a tte r works. A comploto I n d e x a n d a Table of Contents
contained in " I s i s U nv eiled ,” within th e reach of those will be compiled. I t is in ten ded th a t each P a r t shall
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TO | allowed to a p p e a r in our m agazine half so iconoclastic—

blasph em ou s” some m ay say,— as this wholesale
denunciation of th e religion of th e civilized portions of
T H E R E IS N O R E L I G I O N H I G H E R T H A N T R U T H .
H u m a n ity ? And this leads us naturally and sadly to
[ F a m i l y m o tto o f the M a h a r a j a h s o f B e n a r e s . ] th in k ot once, of P u b l i c O p i n i o n — tliut d re a m in g and
docile “ she ass” when w hipped by the hand of a favour­
ite, th a t pitiless a n d remorseless “ h y en a” w hen suddenly
aw akened an d lashed into fury by the opposition of those
T H E H IG H W A T E R M A R K OF M O D E R N who may, for somo mysterious reason or a n other, be
P H ILO S O P H Y . unpopular with her, because, no doubt, th ey havo no incli-
natiou to p an d e r to th e dotage of old “ Mrs. G r u n d y .”
I n last m o n th ’s Nineteenth Century, tlio g roat E n g ­ I t never rains b u t it pours. Elsewhere, and from
lish think er mid philosopher, Mr. H e r b e r t Sp en c e r, has another, th o u g h perhaps less elevated, platform, a n o th e r
con tribu ted a rem ark able article, “ R e lig io n — a R etros­ celebrated o pp ouent of tho Christian scheme, Mr. I ’.
pect and P rospect.” This contribution, which saps the H arrison, th e Positivist, in a u address to his fellow-
very foundation of Christianity, b r e a k s down tlie elabo­ thinkors a t Newton H all, recently sent a th u n d e rb o lt
ra te stru c tu re a u d sweeps away the debris of th e ruin, is over tho heads of tlie “ Sup e rn a tu ra lists,” as he calls th e
sure to b e received by the intellectual portions of the so- Christians. H e spoke of Christianity as eaten away to
called Christiau Socioty admiringly, by th e othe rs—in th e core by superstition, as effete an d worn out an d
guilty silence. As for its uniutellectual an d bigoted sec­ destroyed root and b ra n c h by modern science, whilst th e
tions— since the statem ents given therein, do not admit of religion of H um auity was m a rc h in g forw ard to replace
oven au a tte m p t a t successful r e fu ta tio n — by such the it. A s rem a rk e d by a p a p e r :—
iconoclastic article will be complained of a n d deplored.
But even the criticism of tlio l a tte r will be tem pered with i l i a ide a l is l o f t y . H i a c o n f i d e n c e a s to w h a t m a y bo d o n e f o r t h e
w e l f a r e o f m e n is i n s p i r i t i n g . J.Io p u t s tlio a u p e r n a '-u ra l a s i d e a s u n ­
caution and respect. W o subjoin a p a r a g r a p h from the t r u e a n d u n n e c e s s a r y . I t ia n o t n o c e s a a r y t o r e s o r t to o t h e r a g e n c i e s ,
article to show its general tenor :— lie a s s u r e s us, t h a n tli e r e s o u r c e s o f m a n ’s ow n n a t u r e . L e t ua o n ly
love u n d w o r s h i p h u m a n i t y , a n d all w il l b e w e ll.
Tlio c r u e l t y o f a F i j i a n (Jod, w ho, r e p r e s e n t e d a s d e v o u r i n g tii e soula
of tlio d o a d , m a y bo s u p p o s e d t o in fl ic t t o r t u r e d u r i n g tli e p r o c e s s , is
s m a l l c o m p a r e d w i t h tlio c r u e l t y o f a t i o d w h o c o n d e m n s m e n to
Theosophy, too, advocates th e developm ent a u d the
t o r t u r e s w h i c h a r e e t e r n a l ; a n d th o a s c r i p t i o n o f th is c r u e l t y , t h o u g h resources of M a n ’ s own n a tu re as the g ra n d e s t ideal we
h a b i t u a l in e c c le s ia s tic a l f o r m u l a s , o c c a s io n a lly o c c u r r i n g in s e r m o n s , . can strive for. T here is a n o th e r point in tho e x tr a c t
a m i sti ll s o m e t i m e s p i c t o r i a l l y i t i u s t r a t o d , is b e c o m i n g so i n t o l e r a b l e
to tlio b e t t e r n a t u r o d t h a t , w h ile s om o t h e o l o g i a n s d i s t i n c t l y d e n y it,
from Mr. H e r b e r t S p e n c e r’s paper, which m u st n o t b e
o t h e r s q u i e t l y d r o p it o u t o f t lie ir t e a c h i n g s . C l e a r l y th is c h a n g e passed by in silence. W it h re g a r d to the F ir s t Causo, h e
c a n n o t cease, u n t i l Lhe b e lie fs in lioll a m i d a m n a t i o n d i s a p p e a r . D i s ­ says, it is— “ consciousness which transcends tlte fo r m s
a p p e a r a n c e of t h e m w il l bo a i d e d b y a n i n c r e a s i n g r e p u g n a n c e t o i n ­
j u s t i c e . T h e v i s i t i n g on A d a m ’s d e s c e n d a n t s t h r o u g h h u n d r e d s of
of distinct th o u g h t, th o u g h it for ever rem ains a con­
g e n e r a t i o n s d r o a d t u l p e n a l t i e s f o r a s m a l l t r a n s g r e s s i o n w h i c h t h e y d id sciousness.” W e m ay not a d o p t this la n g u a g e in its
n o t c o m m i t ; t h e d a m n i n g of all m e n w h o d o n o t a v a i l t h e m s e l v e s of an en tirety, b u t it is perfectly plain to tliose who can read
a l o g e d in ode o f o b t a i n i n g fo r g iv e n e s s , w h ic li m o s t m e n h a v o n e v e r
the signs of tho times th a t a s tr o n g c u rre n t has set in,
h e a u l ot ; a n d t h e e i f e c t i n g a re c o n c i l i a t i o n b y s a c r i f i c i n g a son, vyho
w a s p e i l e c t l y i n n o c e n t , to s a t i s f y t h e a s s u m e d n e c e s s i t y fo r a p r o ­ in tlio W e s te r n world of th o u g h t, tow ards th e much
p i t i a t o r y v ic ti m , a r o m o d e s o f a c t i o n , w h ic h , a s c r i b e d to a h u m a n r u l e r , reviled Occult philosophy, whicli is, a t present, largely
w o u ld c a ll f o r t h e x p r e s s i o n s o f a b h o r r e n c e ; a n d t h o a s c r i p t i o n of t h e m incorporated only in the religions of the E a s t—chiefly in
to t h e U ltimate ) ( ' a u s e of t h i n g s , e v e n now f e l t to b o fu ll of d if fic ult ie s,
m u s t b e co m o im p o s s i b le . So, t o o , m u s t die o u t t h e b e l i e f t h a t a P o w e r the A d w a ita and B u d d h ist religious systems. F u r t h e r
p i e s e n t in i n n u m e r a b l e w o r l d s t h r o u g h o u t i n f i n i t e s p a c e , a n d who, results— rem ain to be seen.
d i n i n g m il li o n s of y e a r s o f t h e e a r t h ’s e a r l i e r e x i s t e n c e , n e e d e d u o
l o i i o r m g b y its i n h a b i t a n t s , s h o u ld b e sei zed ivitli a c r a v i n g f o r p r a i s e , — ---------
a n d , h a v i n g e r e n t e d m a n k i n d , s h o u ld bo a n g r y w i t h t h e m i f t h e y d o n o t
p e i p e t u a l l y toll h i m h o w g r e a t ho is. A s f a s t a s m e n e s c a p e f r o m t h a t
g l a m o u r of e a r l y im p r e s s i o n s , w h ic h p r e v e n t s t h e m f r o m t h i n k i n g , t h e y OCCULT STU D Y.
wi 1 l e f u s o t o i m p l y a t r a i t o f c h a r a c t e r w h i c h is th o r e v e r s e o f w o r ­
shiped. [The following Paper was rend lately by a Theosophist
and “ Lay Chela” in London to an audience consisting
' l h e s e a n d o t h e r diff ic ult ie s, s o m e of w h i c h a r e o f t e n d i s e n s s e d b n t
n e v e r d is p o s e d of, m u s t f o r c e m e n h e r e a f t e r to d r o p t h e h i g h e r a n t h r o ­ chiefly, but not exclusively, o f Theosophists.— Eli.]
p o m o r p h i c c h a r a c t e r g iv e n to t h e F i r s t C au s e , a s t h e y h a v o l o n g s in c e
d r o p p e d t h e lo w e r. ' I h o c o n c e p t i o n w h i c h h a s b e e n e n l a r g i n g f r o m Tim practical b e a rin g of occult tea c h in g on o rd in a ry
t h e b e g i n n i n g , m u s t g o 011 e n l a r g i n g , u n til, b y d i s a p p e a r a n c e o f itij life, is very variously inte rp rete d by different s tu d e n ts
li m it s, it b e c o m e s a c o n s c io u s n e s s w h i c h t r a n s c e n d s t h o f o r m s o f d i s t i n c t
th o u g h t, th o u g h it for ev er r e m a in s a consciousness.
of the subjoct. F o r m any W e ste rn readers of recent
books on th e esoteric doctrine, it even seems doubtful
I t would bo in te re stin g to watcli th e in d ig n a tio n and w hether the tea ch in g has any b e a rin g on practical life .
tho outcry of some of our readers h ad th e same th o u g h ts a t all. The proposal which it is supposed sometimes to
been found em bodied in the Theosophist u nd e r the convoy th a t all ea rn e st in quirers shall p u t them selves
uaino of an. Eastern thinker. Y e t, w hat hayo we over u n d e r the severe ascetic regim en, followed by its re gu la r
O riental disciples, is felt to em body a strain on th e habits
of m odern civilisation which only a very few enthusiasts
will be prepared to encounter. T h e mere intellectual
ch arm of an intricate philosophy m ay indeed be enough
to recommend tho study to some minds, b u t a scheme of
teaching th a t offers itself as a su b stitu te for religious
faith of tho usual kind will be expected to yield some
ta ngible results in re g a r d to th e fu tu re spiritual well­
bein g of those who a d o p t it. H a s occult philosophy
n o th in g to give except to those who aro in a position and
willing to m a ke a sacrifice in its behalf of all other
objects in life ? I n th a t case it would indeed be useless
to b ring it out into the world. I n reality th e esotoric
do ctrine affords an almost infinite variety of o p p o rtu ­
nities for spiritual development, and no g re a te r m istake
could be m ade in connexion with th e presen t movem ent
than to suppose th e teaching of th e A d e p ts merely a d ­
dressed to persons capable of heroic self-devotion. A s ­
suredly it does not discourage efforts in th e direction
of the h ig h est achievem ent of occult prog ress,— if any
W e s te rn occultists m ay feel disposed to m ake them , b u t
it is im po rtan t for ns all to keep clearly in view the
lower range of possibilities connected w ith h um bler asp i­
rations.
I believe it to be absolutely tr u e th a t even tho sligh t­
est a ttention seriously paid to the instructions now
em anatin g from th e Ind ian A d e p ts will gen e ra te results
within th e spiritual principles of those who re n d er it—
causes capable of p roducing ap p reciab le consequences in
a future state of existence. A n y oue who has sufficiently
exam ined the doctrine of Devnchan will readily follow
tho idea, for the nature of th e spiritual existence which
in (lie ordinary course of th in g s m ust succeed each p h y ­
sical lifo, provides for the very considerable expansion of
any aspirations towards real knowledge th a t may be set
g o ing on earth. I will recur to this point directly
w hen I havo made clearer the g en eral d rift of the a r g u ­
m e n t I am try in g to unfold. A t th c one end of the
scale of possibilities connected w ith occult stud y lies the
suprem e developm ent of A d e p tsh ip ; an achievement
which means th a t th e persou reach in g it has so violently
stim ulated his spiritual gro w th within a sh o rt period, as
to have anticipated processes on which naturo, in h e r own
deliberate way, would have spe n t a g r e a t procession of
ages. A t the oilier e n d of th e scale lies the small result
1o which I have jn st alluded,— a result which may ra th e r
be said to establish a tendency in tho direction of sp iri­
tual achievement th an to em body such achievement.
Hut between those two widely different results there is
no h ard nnd fast line th a t can bo draw n a t any place to
m ake a distinct separation iu th e c h aracter of th e conse­
quences ensuing from devotion to occult pursuits. As
1 lie darkn ess of blackest n ig h t gives way by im percepti­
ble degrees to tho illumination of th e b rig h te s t sunrise, so
the spiritual consequences of e m e rg in g from the apathy
e ith e r of p u re materialism or of dull acquiescence in
unreasonable dogm a, brig hten by im perceptible degrees
from the faintest traces of Devachanic im provem ent into
the full blaze of th e h ig h e st perfection human nature
can attain. W ith o u t assum ing th a t the course of nature
wliich prescribes for each hum an ego successive physical
lives and successive periods of spiritual refreshm en t—
w ithout supposing that- this course is a ltere d b y such
moderate devotion to occult stu dy as is com patible w ith
th e ordinary conditions of E uro pean life, it will n e v e rth e ­
less be seen how vast th e consequences may ultim ately
bo of impressing on th a t career of evolution a distinct
tendency in tlie direction of sup rem e enlig h te n m e n t, of
th a t re su lt which is described as tho u t i o n of the indi­
vidual soul w ith universal spirit.
T he explanations of the E soteric doctrine which have
been publicly given, have shown th a t hum anity in the
mass has now a tta ine d a stage in the g r e a t evolutionary
cycle from which it has th e opportun ity of g ro w in g upward
tow ards final perfection. I n th e mass it is, of course,
unlikely th a t it will trav el th a t road ; final perfection is
n o t a g ift to be bestow ed npon nil, but to be worked for
by those who desire it. I t may be p u t within the theo­
retical reach of a l l ; there may be no hnmari creature
living a t this m om ent, of whom it can be said th a t th e
h ig h e s t possibilities of n a tu re are impossible of atta in ­
m ent, b u t it does not follow by any means th a t every
individual will attain the h ighest possibilities. R e g a r d ­
in g each individual ns one of tho seeds of a great flower
which throw s out thousands of seeds, it is manifest that
only a few, relatively to th e g re at number, will become
fully developed fluwers in th e ir turn. No unjust neglect
awaits the m ajority. F o r each and every ono the conse­
quences of th e rem ote fu tu re will be precisely proportion­
ed to th e aptitu des he developes, b u t only those can reach
th e goal who, w ith persistent effort carried out through
a long series of lives, differentiate themselves iu a m arked
degree from th e general multitude. N ow tha t persistent
effort m u st have a beginning, an d g ra n te d the beginning,
tho persistence is uot improbable. W ith in our owu
observation of o rdinary life, good habits, even thon gh
they may not be so readily formed as bad ones, aro not
difficult to maintain in proportion to th e difficulty of
th e ir commencement. F o r a moment it may be asked
how this m ay be applied to a succession of lives separate
from each other by a total oblivion of their details, but
it really applies as directly to the succcssion of lives as
to th e succession of days within one life, which are sepa­
rated from each othei* by as m any n ig hts. T he certain
operation of thoso affinities in th e individual E g o which
are collectively d escribed in th e esoteric doctrine by the
word K arm a, m ust operate to pick up the old habits of
c h a ra c ter and th o u g h t as life a fter life comes round,
with tho same certainty th a t the thread of memory in a
living bra in recovers, day after day, the impressions of
those th a t have gone before. W h e th e r a moral habit is
th u s d e liberately e ng en de re d b y an occult s tu d e n t in
o rd e r th a t it may p ro p a g a te itself throu gh future ages,
or w hether i t merely arises from unintelligent aspira­
tions tow ards good, which happily for m a n k in d aro
more widely spread than occult stu dy as yet, the
way it w orks in each case is th e same. Tho unintelli­
g e n t a spiration tow ards goodness p ro pagates itself and
leads to good lives iu tho fu tu re ; th e in te llig e n t asp ira ­
tion p ro p a g a te s itself in th e same way p lu s tho p ro pa ­
gation of intelligence ; a n d th is distinction shows tho
gulf of difference which m ay exist between the g ro w th of
a hum an soul, w hich merely drifts along the stream of
time, and th a t of one which is consciously steered by ail
in te llig e n t p urpose throu gh ou t. T he hu m a n E g o which
acquires the h a b it of seeking for know ledge becomes
invested life a fte r life with the qualifications which
ensure th e success of such a search, until th e final success
achieved a t some critical period of its existence carries it
r i g h t np into the company of those perfected Egos,
which arc the fully developed flowers, only expected
a ccording to our first m e tap h o r, from a few of tho th o u ­
sand seeds. Now it is clear th a t a slight impulse in a
given direction, even on th e plane of physical phenomena,
does not produce th e same effect— as a s tro n g e r one ; so
exactly in this m a tt e r of e ng e nd e ring habits req uired to
p e rsist in their operation th ro u g h a succession of lives,
it is quite obvious th a t th e strong impulso of a very
a r d e n t aspiration tow ard knowledge will bo more likely,
th a n a w eak er one, to trium ph over th e accidents of
n a tu re which, to a certain ex tent, in the cosmic process
as in tho experience of ordinary life, in te rfe re with the
intentions we se t out to accomplish. I t seems perfectly
rational, as I b e g a n by saying, to assum e t h a t no effort in
the direction of spiritual study, how ever slight, will be
wholly throw n a w a y ; b u t it is equally reasonable to
assum e th a t a sustained and purposeful application to
spiritual science, will be required to give such a momen­
tu m to the evolutionary process as will constitute a sure
g u a ra n te e a g a in st th e a b a n d o n m e n t of the hab it hereafter.
T his consideration brings us to th e question of thoso
h a b its in life which are moro im m ediately associated iu
popular views of tlie m a tte r w ith tlie p u rsu it of occult
science. I t will be quite plain t h a t th e g e neration
within his own n ature by an occult s tu d e n t of affinities
in the direction of spiritual progress, is a m a tte r which
has little if a n y th in g to do with th e o u te r circum stances
of his daily life. I t cannot be dissociated from w h at
may be called th e outer circumstances of his moral life,
for an occult stud ent, whose moral n a tu re is consciously
ignoble and who combines th e p u rs u it of know ledge
with th e practice of wrong, becomes b y th a t condition of
thing s a stu d e n t of sorcery ra th e r th a n of tru e occultism,
— a candidate for satanic evolution instead of perfection.
B u t a t the same time the physical h a b its of life may be
quite the reverse of ascetic, while all th e while th e
th inking processes of th e intellectual life are developing
affinities which cannot fail in the results ju s t seen to
produ ce large ulterior consequences. So m e miscon­
ception is very a p t to arise h ere from th e way in which
freq uen t reference is m ade to th e ascetic habits of those
who purpose to becom e th e re g u la r chelas of Oriental
adepts. I t is supposed th a t wliat is practised by th e
M aster is necessarily recom m ended fo r all his pupils.
]Slow this is fa r from being the case as re g a rd s the
miscellaneous pupils who are g a t h e r in g round th e
o c c u lt T eachers lately become known to public report.
Certainly even in reference to their tqiscellaneoua pupils
the Adepts would not discountenance asceticism. As we
saw just now there is uo bard line draw n across the scale
on which are defined the varying consequences of occult
study in ail its varying degrees of in tensity, so with
ascetic practice from th e slightest h a b its of self-denial
which may engender a preference for spiritual over
material gratification up to the very la rg e s t develop­
ments of asceticism required as a passport to chelaship,
no such practices can be quite w ithout th e ir consequences
in the all-em bracing records of K a rm a. B ut, broadly
speaking, asceticism belongs to th a t species of effort which
aims a t personal chelaship, and ih a t which contemplates
th e patient development of spiritual gro w th along the slow
track of natural evolution claims 1 1 0 more, broadly sp eak­
ing, th a n intellectual application. E ven w ithout this,
we may, any of us, waste this, and a dozen other lives,
with all th e ir intervening periods of e njoym ent or reg ret,
and yet be in time to pick up a perceptio n of our h ig h e r
destinies a t some m aturer period of g ro w th. The boy
may neglect his school work, and yet, by a la te r effort,
recover his position am o n g st his contem poraries. All
th a t is asserted in re g a r d to the o pening now offered to
those who havo ta k e n notice of th e p re s e n t opportunity,
is, th a t thoy may now give their own evolution an impulse
which they may n o t again have a n o pportunity of
giving it with tho same a d v antage to them selves if the
p resent opportunity is throw n aside. True, it is most
unlikely th a t any one advancing th r o u g h nature, life
a fterlife, u n de r th e direction of a fairly creditable K arm a,
will go on always w ithout m eeting sooner or la te r with
the ideas th a t occult study implants. So t h a t the occult­
ist does not th r e a te n those who tu rn aside from his
teaching with any consequences th a t m ust necessarily be
disastrous. H e only says th a t thoso who listen to them
must necessarily derive a d v an tage from so doing in exact
proportion to the zeal w ith which th ey u n d e rta k e th e
study and the purity of motive with which th e y prom ote
it iu others.
N or must it be supposed th a t those w hich have here
been described as th e lower ran g e of possibilities in con­
nexion with occult study, are a m ere frin g e upon tho
h igher possibilities, to be r e g a rd e d as a relatively poor
compensation accorded to those who do n o t feel equal to
offering themselves for p ro b a tio n as re g u la r chelas. I t
would be a g rav e misconception of th e purpose with
which th e p re se n t stream of occult te a c h in g lias been
poured into th e world, if we were to th in k it a universal
incitement to th a t course of action. I t may b e h a z a rd o u sfo r
any of us who are n o t initiates to speak with entire con­
fidence o f the in tention of th e A d ep ts, b u t all th e e x te rn a l
facts concerned with th e g ro w th and development of the
Theosophical Society, show its purpose to be more directly
re la ted to th e cultivation of spiritual aspiration over a wide
area, th a n to th e excitem ent of these with supreme
intensity in individuals. T h e re are considerations,
indeed, which may alm ost be said to debar the A d e p ts
from ever doing a n y th in g to encourage persons in whom
this supreme inten sity of excitem ent is possible, to take
the very serious step of offering themselves as chelas.
D irectly th a t by doing this a m an renders himself a
candidate for som e th in g more th a n th e maximum a d v a n ­
tages th a t can flow to him th ro u g h th e operation of
na tu ral laws,—-directly th a t in this way he claims to
a nticipate the m ost favourable course of n ature and to
approach high perfection by a sh o rt cut, by violent and
artificial processes,— he a t once p u ts himself in presence
of m any d an gers w hich would never beset him if he
contented himself with a favourable na tu ra l grow th. I t
appears to bo always a m a tte r of g ra v e consideration w ith
th e A d e p ts w h eth er tho y will ta k e th e responsibility of
en co uraging any person who m ay not have it iu him to
succeed, to expose himself to these dangers- F o r a n y
one who is d eterm in ed to face th e m and is p e rm itte d to
do so, the considerations p u t forw ard abovo in re g a rd to
the optional ch aracter of personal physical tr a in in g fall
to the ground. Thoso ascetic practices w hich a candi­
d a te for n o th in g more than the best na tu ral evolution
may u n d e rta k e if he chooses, alm ost as a w ork of supe­
rerogation, with tho view of emphasising his spiritual
K a rm a to tho utm ost, become a sine qua non in r e g a r d
to the very first step of his progress. B ut w ith such
progress th e p re se n t ex planation is not specially con­
cerned. Its purpose has been to show the beneficial effects
which may flow to ordinary people living o rdinary Jives,
from even th a t m oderate devotion to occult philosophy
which is com patible w ith such ordinary lives, and lo
g u a rd against the very erroneous belief th a t occult
science is a pu rsu it in which it is not w orth while to
e n g ag e, unless A deptsh ip is held out to th e stu d e n t as
its ultimate result.
------ *------
A B R I T I S H T H IN K E R O N T H E ‘ T H E O S O P H IS T .1
O n e of the a b le st philosophical s tu d e n ts and writers of
G re a t Britain writes in a priv ate le tte r to a friend, who
has kindly allowed us to quote a portion, as follows, ab out
our magazine :—
u T h i s m o n t h l y ( t h o T h e o s o p h i s t ) ia a v e r i t a b l e m i n e o f T r u t h m i d
R i g h t , o n e v e r y f o r m o f k n o w l e d g e t h a t d e s e r v e s t h o a p p e l l a t i o n i>'opiio*,
in t h e s e n s e f irs t o c c u r r i n g in E u r i p i d e s o r s u b s e q u e n t l y : b u t a s to
t h e t e r m Theost it b e lo n g s to tlie u n k n o w a b le , a n d th e r e f o r e I r e jo ic e d
in T h e o s ( t h e f e m i n i n e ) a s T h e m i s , ( H e r e follow s a f a r to o
c o m p lim e n ta r y e s ti m a t e o f o u r ow n im p e rfe c tly d e v e lo p ed ca p acities
t o b e q u o t e d b y u s . ) “ I m a y s a y i n a l l s i n c e r i t y t h a t I k n o w o f iu»
J o u r n a l , U r i t i s h o r F o r e i g n , i u w h i c h f o r a l l o b j e c t s is s o r e g u l a r l y
d is p la y e d su ch lo v e of w isd o m * * * * I t is c o s m o p o l i t a n , in.
sho rt. P h i l o s o p h y , p r o p e r , is n o w h e r e r e p r e s e n t e d s o a b l y , t h o r o u g h ­
ly , a u d e x h a u s t i v e l y a s in t h e T iieo so im iist . V e r il y it is the m a g a z i n e
o f t h e w h o le w o r l d of W i s d o m in r e s p e c t to t h e S c i e n c e o f Being*
a n a l y s i s a n d s y n t h e s i s o f p r i m a r y c a u s e s , o r p r i m i t i v e c o n d i t i o n s of:
s e n t i e n t a n d c o n s c i o u s E x i s t e n c e . E v e r y w h e r e j u s t i c e , m o r e o v e r , i«
re n d e r e d to m y th o lo g ic al, h y p o th e tic a l o r theological sy stem s, o ld
a n d n ew . A n d e a ch class of m a te ria l o r s e t of spiritu al p h e n o m e n a huu
a n a b i d i n g p l a c e a c c o r d e d t o t h e m in t h e T e m p l e o f T h e o s o p h y o n l y a a
t h e y a r e b u i l t o n N a t u r e , a n d t h e i r p r i n c i p l e s a r e g r o u n d e d on.
scientific e x p e rim e n ts a n d h is to ric fa c ts, alik e invincible a n d d e m o n ­
strativ e * * *
W e have in this instance d e p a rte d from our usual rule
of ab stain in g from th e reprint of the complimentary an d
kind things said of our journal in and out of th e press.
Our excuse is th a t the eulogy in this case comes from a
gentlem an , whose “ praise, like Sir H u b e r t's , is praise
indeed.” I t has th e g re a te r w eight, since, b u t for the
obliging courtesy of his correspondent, we should have
been quite unaware of his opinion of o u r efforts to
instruc t and interest the th in k in g public. T he g re a t
Prof. H uxley it was, we th in k , who said in one of his
works, th a t if ab o u t a certain dozen persons in Europe
and an equal nu m b er in A merica were satisfied with it, lie
should consider his trouble amply rew arded. The same i.s
the case with us. In th e whole world are there more than.
a h a n d fu l— outsido the circle of our secret' schools of Oc­
cult Philosophy— who can entirely com prehend and
assimilate tho pure doctrine of Esotericistn ? We wish
wc m igh t so believe.
------ «------
(Concluded fr o m the last Number.)
T U B B E S T F OO D F O R M A N .
By M r s . K i n h s p o i w , M. D , F. T. S.,
President o f the “ London Lodge,” Theosophical Society.
I t has always seemed to me a stra n g e an d horrible
anomaly t h a t everyone of tlie g r e a t Festivals oE the p re ­
sent C h ristian Church is m a rk e d h y somo wholesale
sacrifice of living creatures to onr dep rav ed appetites.
Christm as, Shrovo-tide, Easter, Michaelmas, all aro mado
tho occasions of special slaughter. A n d th e season oE
‘ peace an d good will’ is, above all others, selected hy
common consent as th a t of universal bloodshed and
violence ! So soon as ‘ th e timo draws near th e b ir th of
C h rist,’ th e streets of city and ha m le t everywhere run
w ith blood, and the knife a n d th e pole-axe m ake havoc
a m o n g the patient-eyed beasts of th e stall, in whose
presence, tradition says, the holy Child mado his advent
on earth. W h a t a basis is this for C hristian civilisation !
W h a t associations are theso with which to familiarise the
minds of our children ! H ow many a m o n g th e tens of
thousands of worshippers iu church aud chapel th r o u g h ­
out the land ou Christinas day, givo so much as ono
m inute’s th o u g h t of re g r e t to tlie incalculable suffering,
an d cruelty caused to our ‘ poor re la tio n s/ tho domestic
animals, in order to celebrate tho re ig n of Ono who is
called the ‘ Prince of Peace ?’ How m any th in k with
any shame or sorrow of th e hum an m inisters to all this
g lu tto n y and selfishness :— of the b utchers a n d slaugh-
ter-m en passing th e ir lives in scenes of loathsoino
bloodshed and am ong unwholesome fumes of de a th,— of
tho demoralisation and deterioration of body and mind,
of which tho p erpetration of so much cruelty and savage­
ry m ust be the inevitable cause ?
W o tr u s t,— wo who live in tho F u tu r e ra th e r th an in
tho P a s t or Present, th a t the dawn of a b e tto r day is
about to rise upon our world. Y e a r by y ear tho Spirit
of Christ grows m ig h tie r a n d its m ean in g clearer, as
one hy one th e mists of superstition and misconception
melt and drop away from tho Holy N am e, and wo learn
th a t tho history of Man is tlio history of perpetual
strugg le afte r th e Ideal, of perpetual aspiration nfter tho
‘ more excellent way.’ This Ideal, this W a y , which is
also the T ruth and the Life, c onstitute tlie Christ in man,
the ever-living, over-risen L o rd ,— to follow whom is to
follow ' all things lovely, just, pure and of good repo rt.’
I t will be seen th a t tho view I tako of this question,
— ‘ VVhat is tlio Best Food for M an,’ involves considera-
1ions far transcending the mere physical or ocouomicnl
plane. There is a Best Food for M an which implies a
Rest mode of Living, a Way into which all paths con­
verge, leading to 0 1 1 0 celestial goal. This is th e W a y
of Parad ise, which is, equally, the W a y of tho Cross,
because it is tho will of God, a n d therefore, tho law of
the universe, th a t no perfection is possible in an y th in g
but by means of self-denial au d self-conquest. Tho
ordinary flesh-oater, if he be a inau oE any perception,
is always fain to acknow ledge, 0 1 1 being pressed,
th a t thero is som ething in tho usual mode of feeding
which clashes with his finer sense of w hat oug ht to
be, H e would ra th e r u o t ta lk abo ut tho slaug hter­
house, ho feols th a t tho wholo subject is, somehow,
unsavoury, and moro or less fra n k ly adm its th a t he
o’ninot a.ssociato the idea of s la u g h te r w ith w h a t are
called ' U to pian’ theories oE existence. But, in
most cases, he is not ready to sacrifice the least
of his appetites to his conscience. H o likes tho taste of
llesh-meat, he will tell you, an d does not wish to deprive
hitnself of the pleasure it gives him. I t is tho custom
of Society to eat it; a n d h e has no desire to m ake him ­
self conspicuous h y re fusing to p a rta k e of the dishes set
beforo him b y his friends. Such an attitu d e of mind,
of course, can only bo d ealt with effectually, by an effort
of will ou tho p a r t of tho individual himself. The
excuses thus form ulated, are precisely thoso w ith which
every tra n sg re sso r of every moral law tu rn s to b a y on
th e m an who seeks to reform or convict him. The
reason of such a m an may bo am ply convinced th a t flesh-
e a tin g is ne ith e r scientific nor civilised, and y e t he lacks
th e conrago to carry these convictions into practice.
INo logic is able to influence a person of this kind.
H is affair is w ith his Conseionco ra th e r th a n with his
reason.
B u t sometim es wre m eet opponents who toll us th a t
th e plea for p u re r and more merciful living rests on mere
‘ s e n tim e n t.’ Beasts kill one another, they say, th e re ­
fore m an m ay kill beasts. A n d if he did n o t so kill
them , thoy would so increase in n um bers th a t he himself
would becomo thoir prey. L e t us exam ine the value of
these a rg u m e n ts. I t is no shame or reproach to us tha t
a largo p a r t of our doctrine rests upon th e basis of the
sentim ents. I t m u st necessarily bo so iE th e doctrine be
really a scientific and reasonable doctrine, because God
and N a tu r e are n o t a t strife b u t in harm ony, and th a t
mode of living which is best fitted for onr bodies and
most helpful to th e developm ent of our minds, is, of
course, m ost in ha rm ony with onr moral nature. N ature
has n o t made tho consumption of flesh necessary or
suitable to th e hu m an organism, and tho bodily needs of
man aro not therefore in continual a ntagonism to his
reason and to his spiritual instincts. W ore it otherwise,
we should bo forced to adm it the tendencies of civilisa­
tion a n d of morality to be a t war w ith the dictates
imposed by n a tu ra l law. And it is precisely the power
to recognise a n d exercise tho sentim ents which makes
m an to differ from tho boasts. The glory of humanity
does not lie in its physical form, for, from timo imme­
morial, the w orld has seen b ru te s in hu m an shape, with
whoso ferocity, m alignity an d lust no lower animal could
compare. N or does it lie in sagacity, or perfection of
m eth od iu mechanical contrivance,— tlie basis of all we
call In te lle c t ; for 0 11 this ground, the mere bee, the ant,
the beaver, the bird, the fox, th e dog, compete with and
even surpass us, as may easily bo ascertained by any ob­
server of n atu re . N o r does m a n ’s superiority rest on
his physical stre n g th , for w hat is his muscular force
com pared with th a t of tho e leph an t, the rhinoceros, or
any of tho terriblo beasts of jungle, forest and plain ? I t
is none of those th in g s th a t makes man ; b u t it is the
possession of moral reason, the conception, practice, and
veneration of T ru th , Love, Mercy, -Justice, Self-denial,
H onour, Charity. And those aro tho sentim ents. A nd
our system of living is preem inently a sentimental sys­
tem, founded iu tho n atu re of H u m a n ity , and made for
truo Mon.
T he rule which applies therefore to tho lower animals,
our brothers in all but in tho development of spiritual
faculties,— is 1 1 0 rule for us, a n d cannot bo tw isted into
a criterion for our conduct, or an apology for our cruel­
ties. I f we are to justify ourselves in killing a n d eating
them, becanso some of the fiercer races am o n g them kill
and eat ono a n o th e r, wo might by th e samo logic,
descend to th e ir plane in respect of all o th e r practices
a ttra c tiv e to low-minded and vicious men, a n d revert to
polygamy, d isre g a rd of personal r ig h ts arid still worse
m anners. F o r i*f certain animals see no h arm in blood­
shed, n e ith e r do they see harm in theft, rapine and
seduction. '
As for tho objection th a t unless we ato our animal
b r e th re n , they would eat 11 s, n o th in g can be more ill-con­
sidered or pointless. Ono would suppose the objector
to be under the impression th a t cattle, sheep and other
m a rk et animals grow wild like trees or grass, instead of
being th9 objects of an elaborate system of forcing, breed­
ing, rearing, b u y in g an d selling. I t would bo quite
as logical to fear being devoured by our unused potatoes
 a u d turnips, as to dread being ea te n up by our herb iv o­
rous animals ! F o r these creatures a r e exactly iu tho
position of th e edible crops we p la n t a n nu ally for our
use, a n d if they were not artificially b red , they would
rapidly dim m ish in numbers, c h a n g e th e ir c h aracter,
an d r e tu r n to th e orderly balance of N a tu re . T h e fact
is th a t th e force of our o b je c to r’s a r g u m e n t is all the
o th e r way, and t h a t it is precisely to th e flesh-eating
h a b its of our present population t h a t we owe a very real
d a n g e r of being eaten up by flocks a n d herds. F o r in
o rd e r to m eet the exorbitant dem and for animal food
an d for field sports, thousands of E n g lis h men and wo­
m en a re annu ally compelled to give place to cattle a n d
to sheep r u n s ; land which would s u p p o rt scores of fa­
milies w ith corn and crops is laid waste for pasture,
for cover, for warrens, for preserves, for deer-forests ;
a n d th e pe a sa n try and th e agricu lturists, eaten out of
house au d home b y beasts, are forced to c o ng re g ate in
overstocked tow ns, whose streets are hideous with the
plague of drink-shops, slnughter-yards an d m eat-m arkets ;
nr else to quit th e ir native shores, a n d seek a new
world f a r off b eyond the seas.
U nder our p re s e n t regimen th e b e a sts of fold and of
cover usurp th e people’s rights, and with this usurpation
come th e a c c o m p an ying evils of poverty, d irt, squalor,
d rin k , crime, th e enforced exile of field labourers, and the
consequent s u rp lu s of a helpless female population of a
million souls, condemned thus, inevitably, to a loveless and
lonely life, or to th e alternative of m isfortune a u d shame.
Is it too much to a sk of th e h um an race th a t it should
consent to restore the world to th e dom inion of natural
law a n d order ;— t h a t it sh ould sacrifice th e luxury and
sensuality of the Few to th e peace a n d joy of the Many,
and t h a t it should learn to be wise, clean, p ure, th rifty
a n d virtuous ?
I s it too much to ask th e suppression of an organized
system of carnage, involving a foul a n d un healthy traffic,
d isg u stin g occupations, d epra v in g spectacles, and gross
barbarity ?— to plead for th e restoration of Beauty ia
the morals of the people, in th e su rro u n d in g s of daily
life, iu th e h a u n ts and homes of th e poo r ; in the sports
and a t th e banqu ets of th e rich ? Surely not, for
alike from th e scientific, th e hygienic, the ajsthetic, and
the spiritual p oint of view, th e B est F o o d for M an is th a t
which does uo violence to his natu re, physical or moral,
aud which involves none to o th e r cre a tu res a t his hand.
F o r this we are Men, th a t alone of all N a tu r e ’s children,
we should be able to understand th e secret of h e r m an i­
fold tra n sm u ta tio n s, a u d th e goal of h e r striv in g ; for
this we a re Men, th a t we m ay be ab le to confirm her
inspiration by our Reason, a n d th a t s ta n d in g open-eyed
an d face to face with our nu rsin g m o th er, we may
know w h a t th e best of our y o u n g e r b ro th e rs only dimly
feel, and g ra sp with strong, m ature, responsible sense
knowledges th a t are w ith them b u t instincts, and
virtues which th e ir undeveloped minds reflect as inborn
impulse merely.
T hus, may Man endorse th e w ork of G od, b ecom ing its
exponent and in te r p r e te r while others remain its objects,
and realise upon a h ig h e r and spiritual plane th e
beautiful intentions of the Divine M ind in th e world of
natural forms au d evolutions. A u d th e more he himself
becomes uplifted tow ards th a t Mind, th e more also will he
love aud pity an d long for h arm o ny w ith all innocent
incarnations of life in th e g r e a t universe of B e in g .
*N o F lo c k s th a t ra n g e th o V alley f re e
To slau g h ter I condem n,
T a u g h t by th e P o w e r th a t pities m e
I learu to p ity th e m ;
B u t fro m th e M o u n ta in 's g r a s s y aide
A bloodless F e a s t I b rin g ,
A s c rip w ith F r u it a n a C o rn supplied,
A u d W a t e r f r o m t h e spring.*
E X O T E R IC C H R I S T I A N I T Y I N A M E R IC A .
T h e N orth Am erica n Review is th e oldest a n d most in ­
fluential periodical of its kind in th e U nited States, and
w h a t it says is listened to w ith respectful attention.
F o r this reason we tra n s fe r to these pages th e following
brief b u t p u n g e n t article upon th e present sta te of re ­
ligions th o u g h t in th e G reat Republic. F o r th e o p ti­
mistic missionary it will have little of comfort, a n d m ay
m ake bis task in In d ia all the harder in giving to th e
e du c a te d H in d u m ate ria l for controversial criticism .
W e do n ot copy it with this object, b u t only in tb e in te r­
ests of t r u th , and to show th e followers of the a n cient
E astern faiths how w eak a religion becomes when its
vital s tr e n g th die9 out of it. W h a t the Review saysof th e
sta te of Am erican C hristianity, holds equally good as to
the more ancient world-religions. The one essential th in g
to restore th e v igor of one and all is an infusion o f t h e
spirit of theosophical enquiry. Men can 1 1 0 m ore be
staunch Christians than staunch H in d u s or an y th in g else,
w ithout losing sight of the o u te r shadow and searching
after a n d finding the in n e r substance. Theosophy is th e
life as well as key of all religions. W h a t the Review
lam ents in A m erican nominal Christians, the S ecretary
of S ta te for India, in his famous dispatch to th e Viceroy,
complained of in the A nglo -Ind ians for whom Govern­
m ent supplies churches they do not use, a n d chaplains
whom they do not go to hear. But for the prevalence
of this vice of social hypocrisy, Theosophy would never,
despite its plain-sp eaking a n d denunciation of shame,
have been m a ligned and persecuted as it has. W h o e v e r
has read th e story of “ P ygm alion and Galatea,’-' has
come to realise th a t the one unpardonable social sin i.s
candour a n d a tho rou gh devotion to th e T ruth. Saya
th e N orth A m erican Review :—
I t is a g e n e r a l l y a d m i t t e d f a c t t h a t i n t h e s e d a y s o n l y a
em ail p r o p o r tio n , e v e n of in t e l l i g e n t a n d e m i n e n t l y r e s p e c t­
a b l e p e o p l e , a r e r e g u l a r a t t e n d a n t s u p o n r e l i g i o u s s e r v i c e s oti
S u n d a y . I t is believ ed , a n d f re q u e n tly d e p lo re d , t h a t th o
p r o p o r t i o n is d i m i n i s h i n g y e a r b y y e a r . T h o i n c r e a s i n g a v e r ­
sio n of peo p le w h o c a n n o t be ca lle d bad o r d e p r a v e d to
c h u r c h a t t e n d a n c e , is g e n e r a l l y a s c r i b e d t n t h e s p r e a d of
u n b e l i e f ; b u t t h i s d o e s n o t w h o l l y a c c o u n t f o r i t . I t ia u s e ­
l e s s t o f i g h t a g a i n s t t h e t e n d e n c i e s of t h e a g e , o r t o d e p l o r o
t h e m a s e v i l , f o r t h e y a r e in t h o l i n e of h u m a n p r o g r e s s - M e n
a r e b e t t e r a n d n o t w o r s e t h a n in t h e o l d e n t i m e , a u d y e t t h e y
b e l i e v e l e s s iu t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l a u d t h e i m p r o v a b l e . T h e m a ­
j o r i t y of t h e p e o p l e , w h o s e p u r p o s e s a r o g o o d , w h o s o a s p i r a t i o n s
a r e h i g h , w h o s e c o n d u c t is u p r i g h t , d o n o t n n d c a n n o t b e l i e v o
w h a t th o c h u r c h e s te a c h , a n d t h e y a re w e a r y of its r e ite r a tio n .
I n fact, th e k e e n e r t h e i r a p p r e h e n s io n , th e c le a r e r t h e i r m e n ta l
v i s i o n , t h e s t r o n g e r t l i e i r p o w e r s of t h o u g h t , a n d t h e b r o a d e r
t h e i r i n t e l l e c t u a l c u l t u r e , t h e l e s s w i l l i n g o r a b l e a r e t h e y to
sto o p to t h e y o k e of b e lie f w h ic h t h e c h u r c h im poses.
I t is n o t t h e d a r i n g A t h e i s t o r t h e r e c k l e s s e v i l - d o e r t h a t is
n o w found in t h e r a n k s of n o n - a t t e n d a n t s a t c h u r c h , b u t th e
s o b e r c i t i z e n a n d Lhe f a t h e r of n f a m i l y , w h o is lo y al t o h i s c o n ­
victions a n d faith fu l to his d u ty . W h y does he not g o ? W h y
s h o u l d h e g o ? I t ia f o r t h o c h u r c h t o a t t r a c t a n d i t r e p e l s .
I t p ro s c rib e s t h o u g h t a n d free iuqtiiry. I t c ru m p s th e brains
o f iia m i n i s t e r s u n t i l i t is o n l y t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l l i g h t - w e i g h t s
t h a t s e e k i t s s e r v i c e . T h o m e d i o c r i t i e s of t h e s e m i n a r i e s g o
t o t h e p u l p i t . T h e y ofTor n o t h i n g f o r t h e m e n t a l o r m o r a l d i g e s ­
t i o n a u d n u t r i t i o n ’ o f h e a l t h y m e n . 'J h e y m i n i s t e r c h ie f ly t o t h e
su p e rs titio u s , th e n a rro w a u d th o m o rb id , a n d tho m ascu lin e
sox is d i s a p p e a r i n g f r o m a m o n g t h e i r f o l lo w e rs .
T h e r e is n o d o u b t t h a t p e o p l e a r e r e p e l l e d f r o m t h e p e w s
b e c a u s e t h e p u l p i t is b e h i n d t h e a g e . T h e n o t i o n c a n n o l o n g e r
bo k e p t u p t h a t “ u n b e l i e v e r s ” a r e b a d . I t h a s t o bo a d m i t t e d
t h a t th e y are, a s a rule, in te llig e n t, ea rn e st, a n d a l t o g e t h e r
h o i m s t , T h e y s t i l l c h e r i s h t h o h o p e , a t l e a s t , o f a f u t u r e lifo ,
an d th e y ce rtain ly h av e no e n m ity “ tow ard G o d .” T h ey w a n t
to lead d e c e n t a n d w e ll- o r d e r e d lives, a n d b r i n g t h e i r c h ild r e n
u p w i t h g o o d p r i n c i p l e s a n d h i g h id e a s . T h o y r e c o g n i z e t h e
n e e d s o f t h e i r h i g h e r n a t u r e , a n d h av e u o o b j e c t i o n s t o i t s b e i n g
c a l l e d a s p i r i t u a l n a t u r e . T h e y r e c o g n i z e t h e v a l u e of a p p e a l s
to th e p u r e r fe e lin g s a n d th e lo f tie r s e n t im e n t s .
T h e y k n o w t l i a t t h r o u g h t h e e y e a n d t h e e n r t h e so u l m a y be
r e a c h e d a n d b e n e f i t e d . T h e y w o u l d b e g l a d 011 t h e i r w e e k l y d a y
of r e s t t o s u b j e c t t h e m s e l v e s t o e l e v a t i n g i n f l u e n c e s , a u d b r i n g
th e i r fam ilies w ith in t h e m . H a v i n g t h is w a n t, a n d reco g n iz in g
t h i s need, th e y still k eep aw a y fro m th e “ S a n c tu a r y ,” p a rtly
b e c a u s e i t so i n a d e q u a t e l y p r o v i d e s f o r t h e m . T h e y d o n o t f i n d
t h e r e s a tis f a c tio n fo r t h e so u l, a u d m o d e m society, d o m in a te d
b y a n a n t i q u a t e d eo o Iesias ticiB in , is f a i l i n g t o p r o v i d e f o r t h o
s p i r i t u a l w a n t s o f m a n . I t ia t h e r e f o r e f a i l i n g t o a r r e s t tl i e
w o r k i n g of th o se fo rce s in h u m a n n a t u r o t h a t t e n d to m o r a l
d e g e n e r a c y . S c i e n c e ia t o - d a y d o i n g f a r m o r e f o r m o r a l s t h a n
th e C hurch.
------ —
P O ST-M O R TE M V IS IT O R S .
A s t r a n g e case of the apparition of th e phantom of a
deceased stu d e n t of th e Academy, a t tlie time of his
death, to hia Holiness, the M etropolitan Platon, having
been n a rr a te d by the latter exulted person age,in the Moscow
Gazette an d elsewhere,the confession seems to have loo­
sened th e tongues of several persons, who h ith e rto had
avoided saying a n ything oi' their personal experiences.
T h u s we find Dr. Vakouiovsky, a sceptic, as th ere are
m an y, b re a k in g the ice, and by bis own sto ry adding
to tlio w eigh t of other people’s testim ony. T h e Gazette
copies from the Diocesan Gazette of Mohileff the follow­
in g na rra tive of th a t gentlem an :—
M y service co m p e ls m e to k e e p n i g h t w a tc h e s in t h e h o s ­
p i t a l . A n d a s I h a v e t o r e m a i n oil t h i s official d u t y f o r 2 4 h o u r s
each tim e , th e w ork b ecom es very often te d io u s a u d e x h a u s tin g .
N o raeaiiB a r o a i f o r d e d of g o t t i n g a g o o d s l e e p , a s o n e is l i k e l y
t o b e d i s t u r b e d a t e v e r y m o m e n t , w h e t h e r t o a t t e n d n n o ld
i n m a t e o r to g iv e i m m e d i a t e h e lp to a n ew p a t i e n t . O n c e , la s t
w in te r , I had j u s t d isp o se d m y se lf for a s h o rt n a p w h e n th e ro
com os a knock a t th e door. I t w as tho a s s is ta n t su rg eo n who
h a d corae to n o tify m e of t h e a g o n y of a p a t i e n t . “ A ll r i g h t , ” I
eaid, “ I am c o m in g .” A s I wns g o in g u p th o sta ir3 le a d in g
t o th o w ards, I s u d d e n ly saw co rning do w n th e steps
t b e i d e n t i c a l m a n I h a d b e e n t o l d w a s d y i n g . Cln d in
h i s l o n g h o s p i t a l a t t i r e , t h e r o w a s t h e m a n i n flesh a u d
b o n e s , a s i t s e e m e d , b e f o r e m e . •“ W h y d i d y o u g o t o u t of
b e d p” I a s k e d h i m — b u t lo ! h e h a d d i s a p p e a r e d a n d was
n o m o re. I m u s t say, I f e lt v ery q u e e r . H a r d l y hpd I
e n t e r e d th o w a r d , w h e n t h e a s s i s t a n t m e t m e w ith theso
w o r d s : “ G o n e to rest for e v e r.” A p p r o a c h in g th e dead m an
1 l a i d m y h a n d o n h i s f o r e h e a d a n d f o u n d it i ce-co ld ; t o u c h e d
liis p u l s e , i t d i d n o t b e a t ; h i s h e a r t , i t h a d c e a s e d t o a c t . . . T h o
face, th e sa m e I had j u s t m e t o n th e s ta ir s ! I h av e told no ono
o f t h i s s t r a n g o e v e n t , b u t e n t e r e d i t c a r e f u l l y in m y d i a r y .
H a v i n g r e t u r n e d t o ray r o o m I c o u l d s l e e p n o m o r e t l m t n i g h t ,
a n d s a t th e re fo re w r itin g till d a w n an a rtic lo on th e c e n te n a r y
o f t h e b i r t h o f t h e p o e t V . A. Z o u k o f s k y , p u b l i s h e d s oo n a f t e r ­
w a r d s in t h e G a z e t t e Slovo. I t is e v i d e n t t h a t m y b r a i n w a s
in no w a y p r e d is p o s e d ou t h a t n i g h t to a n y t h i n g v e ry f a n ta s tic .
Y e t , h a d I told a n y o n e w h a t I h a d se en, I w o u ld h a v e
be e n a c c u s e d of h a v in g d r e a m t t h e w holo t h i n g . T h e a r tic le
in q u e s t i o n is a g o o d p r o o f t h a t m y s e e i n g t h e j u s t d e c e a s e d
p a t i e n t w a s a fa c t a n d n o h a llu c in a tio n of a d i s t e m p e r e d m in d .
»■■■■•
T H R E E U N P U B LISH E D E S S A Y S .
J3y EurHAs L evi .
[ T h e three Essays-—tlio lirst of which is now given—
be long to the unpublished MS>S. of the late F rench
Occultist, a scries of whose o th e r Lectures on Secret
Sciences is being published serially in the Jo urnal of tho
Thcosophical Society. These th ree papers were kindly
copied and sent lor this Magazine by our respected B ro­
t h e r , Baron Spedalieri, F . T. S-, of Marseilles. W o hope
to give, in good time, the translation of e v e r y ‘scrap ever
written b y this rem arkable “ Professor of H ig h T ra n s ­
cendental Sciences and Occult Philoso ph y,” whose only
m istak e was to p a n d e r ra th e r conspicuously to the d o g ­
mas of the established church— the church th a t unfrocked
him .— E d.]
Essay I.
T he E qukegorks.*
Ono S pirit fills Im m ensity. I t is th e S p irit of (Jod
t h a t n o th in g limits, n o thing divides, which is all in all
a n d e v ery w h e re; which pervades every atom , and th a t
n o thing can shut o u t.f
Created spirits! could n o t live w ith ou t envelopes
suited to their surroundings, p e rm ittin g action while
* T h o g ia n ts of E n o c h .— T kans.
t I n o t h e r w o r d s , i t is t h o c o n f e s s io n o f V e d a n t i c f a i t h : “ A l l t h i s
u n i v o r s e i n d e e d is B r a h m ; f r o m B r a h m d o c s i t p r o c e e d ; i n t o B r a h m
it. ie d i s s o l v e d ; i n B r a h m i t b r e a t h e s . ” — E d .
X The term c r e a t e d ” i s a p e r f c c t m i s n o m e r w h e n iiBcd b y a n
O c c u l t i s t , a n d a l w a y s a b l i n d i n t h e w o r k s o f E l i p h a s L e v i , w h o is
q h it o a w a r e of t h e fa lla c y im p lie d in th o w o r d “ C reation," in th e
th e is tic sen se, a n d sho w s th is re p e a te d l y in his w ritin g s. I t is t h o
la s t tr i b u te , w c h o p e , p aid by o u r c e n tu r y to a u un scie n tific d o g m a o f
th e P a st,— E d , i . . p la in ly t a u g h t in E svteric B u d d h ism * — Ed\
lim iting it, an d p re v e n tin g them from becoming
a b s o rb e d into tlie infinity. "
T h ro w a dro p of sweet w a te r in to the sea, and nnless
pro te cte d b y somo im perm eable envelope, it will g e t
suddenly lost therein.
T hore can b e no such tiling as spirits, formless or
w ithout a n envelope.* T h e ir forms correspond to
the sphere they inhabit ; aud in onr atmosphere, for
example, no spirits can exist save those of m en—-with
bodies as wo see them h ere— and those of anim als, of
whose n ature aud destiny wo a re so far ig n o ra n t.!
H a v e stars souls, a n d th e e a rth we in h a b it— has it a
consciousness an d a t h o u g h t p rop er to it ? W e may be
ig n o ra n t on this subject, b u t no one has th e r ig h t to
c h arg e w ith e rro r those who believe a n d affirm it to
be so.
C ertain exceptional phenom ena are th u s explained as
th e spontan eo us m anifestations of th e e a r th ’s soul ; and,
as a k in d of a nta gon ism is often observed in these m ani­
festations, it was inferred therefrom th a t th e said sonl is
plural, t h a t it reveals itself in four elem entary forces
th a t may be resumed iu two and made to e q u i l i b r i a by
three : oue of th e solutions of th e g r a n d enigm a of the
Sphy nx .
A c c o rd in g to some ancient H iero ph ants m a tte r is but
the substratum of created spirits.J Deity does not im­
mediately create m a tte r . O ut of God em anate the pow­
ers, tlie Elohim, which constitute H eav en and Karth.
A c c o rd in g to this doctrine, th e first sentence of Genesis
o u g h t to bo inte rp re te d in th e following wise:— Bereschitfi,
th e head or first principle B ara, created (ra th e r formed
out of pre -e xiste nt material) the Elohim, the Pow ers ]j
A t h aschamain onatk nor is, which are, or which (virtu­
ally) c o nstitute heaven a n d earth. W o confess th a t this
translation appears f a r more logical th a n th e ono that
would allow to th e verb B a ra used in th e singular, tho
plural n om inative— E lohim.
T hese Elohim or Pow ers are regarded as the
g re a t souls of worlds, whoso forms would thus
become tho specified substances in th e ir elem entary
virtues. In o rder to create a world, the Deity,
it is said, had to bind to g e th e r four genii, who in the
ac t of resistin g and wrestling first produced c h a o s ; and
who, forced to ta k e rest a fte r the stru g g le , th u s formed
the harmony of E lem ents, in this way E a rth impri­
soned Eire and had to swell to escape the invasion of
W ater. A ir escaping from its cavities siit-rounded the
E a r th an d W a te r , but Fire struggles still within tho
form er an d gnaws its entrails ; W a te r trespasses in its
turn upon the E a r th and escapes in clouds heav enw ard ;
A ir g e ts irritate d and to chase clouds it forms currents
an d tem pests, the g re a t law of equilibrium or h a rm o n y -­
called th e will of God— p rev en ting t,he ever-going s tr u g ­
gle from destroying the worlds, before the time allotted
to them for their transfiguration.If
'l'he worlds like th e Elohim are bound to g e th e r by
m agnetic chains wliich, in th e ir everlasting mutiny,
th ey tr y to b re a k . Suns have other suns for rivals ;
p lanets other planets opposing the chains of a ttra c ­
tion iu equal energy of repulsion, to avoid b e in g absorbed,
and th u s preserve each an individual existence.
These colossal powers have sometimes assum ed a form
* A gain a n in c o rre c t te r m . A “ s p i r i t ” i s — s p i r i t o n l y ho l o n g its
i t is f o r m l e s s a n d a r u p a ; u n d i t loses it s n a m e a s so o n as it b e c o m e s
e n t a n g l e d in m a t t e r or s u b s t a n c e o f a n y k i n d k n o w n to u s . A “ S p i r i t u a l
E n t i t y ” w o u ld a n s w e r better*— E d.
+ S o l i t t l e w a s E . L . “ i g n o r a n t ” o f t h e n a t u r e — find u l t i m a t e d e s ­
t i n y — of a n i m a l s t h a t h e d e v o t e s t o t h i s a n u m b e r o f p a g e s i n h i s Donnie
ct l l i t u e l d e l a H a u t e N a y i e . N o t r n c O c c u l t i s t c a n b o i n t h o d a r k u p o u
this su b jec t. T h e p r u d e n t a u t h o r p a n d e re d , w e a r e afra id , to p u blic
p reju d ice and su p erstitio n .— Ed. .
J O r th e h ig h e s t D h y a n C h o h n n s of O c c u l tis m . A t t h e b e g in n in g of
M a n v a n tn r a , t h e F ohat w h ic h th e y r a d i a te a w a k e n s an d d ifferentiates
l l a h a U a t v a , itse lf tlic r a d i a ti o n of M u la p r a k r iti.— Ed.
jj A m o n g t h e H i n d u s K a s y a p a ( B r a h m a ) b e g e t s t b e A d i t y a s ( D h y a n
C hohans). .
% T h i s is t h e d o c t r i n e o f t h o M a n v a n t a r i c a n d 1 s t P r a l a y i c p e r i o d s
a n d presented themselves u nde r th e ap pearan ce of
g ian ts : they are the E g q k e g o k e s of th e Book of Enoch : *
terrible creatures, in proportion w ith whom, wo
are w hat th e infusoria— th e microscopical insects th a t
crowd th e drop of w ater a n d breed u n d e r our epidermis
— are wh6n compared to m an. T he “ E g g r e g o r e s ’'
crush us without pity, for th e y are n o t aware of
our existence. They are too g ig a n tic to perceive us
a n d too dull to discover our existence.
I t is th u s th a t tho planetary convulsions th a t often
eugulph whole populations are explained. W e are b u t
too well aw are, th a t God dops not save tlie innocent flies
whose w ings aud feet are torn off by cruel mischievous
b o y s ; a n d th a t Providence never interferes in favour of
the patient a n t, whose buildings are ruined und d estro y­
ed b y th e feet of the passer-by.
Because the organism of th e infinitely small insect es­
capes m a n ’s analysis, m a n forthw ith assigns to himself the
r ig h t to suppose th a t before th e face of eternal n a tu re
his existence is fa r more precious than th a t of the tiny bug^
Camoens had certainly more genius than A dam astor, the
E g g r e g o r e ; yet th a t g ia n t, crowned w ith clouds, having
for a belt th e waves, a u d for a cloak th e hurricanes,
could have never u n rid d le d the p oetry of Camoens. W e
find th e oy ster good to e a t ; we suppose t h a t it has no
self-consciousness, hence cannot suffer, a n d in conse­
quence of th is we devour it alive w ith o u t the slightest
compunction.
W o throw the craw-fish, th e c rab a n d lo bster alive
into tho boiling w ater, in o rder t h a t its flesh, cooked iu
this way, should be firmer a n d ta s te more delicious.
W h a t is th a t terrible law in virtue of which God thus
abandons th e w eaker to the stronger, th e little to tho
b i g ; th e ogre b e in g never m ade in th e least aware of
th e to rtures inflicted b y him on th o tiny creatu re he is
dev ou rin g ? A nd w h a t w arrants man to th in k th a t he
will be protected in the future by a n y one or any th in g
a g a in st forthcom ing creatures s tro n g e r an d as gluttonous
as we are ourselves ?
The planets act and react on each other, equilibrium is
achieved th ro ug h bonds of love a n d impulses of hatred.
A t times th e resistance of a star is broken, and it is a t ­
tra cte d to a sun who swallows it ■, often a lum inary feels
its a ttra c tiv e power d y in g out, d e a d — aud it is violently
snatch ed out of its o rbit b y th e revolution of the worlds.
Sym pathetic stars approach lovingly each o th e r and
en g e n d e r o th e r stars. Infinite space is th e g r e a t m e tro ­
polis of the suns, wherein they hold th e ir councils aud
send reciprocally telegram s of light. T here are s i s t e r - '
sta rs an d rival-stars. T he souls o ftlie fixed stars chain­
ed by the law from thoir re g ular course can exorcise their
freedom of action by diversifying th e ir effluvia. W lieu
lh e e a rth feels cruel, she m akes men furious a n d causes
•scourges to appetir on her surface. S h e then
sends to the planets th a t are repellent to h e r a poisoned
magnetism. M ars takes his reprisals by causing w ar to
rage on E a rth ; V enus pours upon our p la n e t h e r unh eal­
thy venom of iinmorality ; .Jupiter excites th e p o tentates
to rise a g a in st a n d m ake war upon each o t h e r ; M ercury
lets loose a ga inst hu m anity th e serpents of his caduceus;
the Moon m akes tneu m ad a n d S a tu rn drives them to
despair. I t is the loves a n d h a tre d s of the planets and
stars th a t are a t th e bottom of a strology— too much
neglected in our days. H a s not s pectrum analysis proved
th a t every s ta r has its m agnetisatio n d eterm in ed b y a
special an d p articu lar metallic basis, and th a t there
existed in heavens g ra d a tion s of a ttra c tio n as well as
scales of colours ?
I t is then possible th a t there should e x is t— a n d th e re do
exist— am o ng th e celestial globes m a g n e tic influences
obedient to th e will of those globes, once t h e l a tte r are
* T h o “ g i a n t s ’* o f G e n e s i s w h o l o v e d t.h e d a u g h t e r s o f m e n : aQ
allu sio n to t h e first p r e h u m a n (so to s a y ) r a c e s o f m e n e v o lu te d , n o t
b o m — th o A lp h a a n d th o O m e g a o f H u m a n ity in t h i s o u r K o u n d .” —
ia, ■ . . . . • £ Tho s e v e n t h a n d t h e IubI raco of t h e se v en th ltotind.— Ed,
supposed to be endowed w ith intelligence or guided by
genial g ods known to the ancients as th e “ W a tc h e rs”
of H eavens, or tho “ E g g re g o re s .”
The stu dy of n a tu re enables us to observe contradic­
tious th a t amaze us. W e are de te c tin g everywhere
signs of intelligence, but a* often we stum ble upon, a n d
have to recognize entirely blind forces*. Scourges denote
pe rtu rb a tio u s — a disorder th a t cannot be a ttrib u te d to tin?
principle of eternal order. Plagues, inundations, e a r th ­
quakes, famines are not the work of God. To a ttr ib u te
them to th e devil, i. e., to an augel *damned, whose evil
deeds aro p erm itted by God, am ounts to calling God a
hypocrite h idiug be hind th e back of a responsible b u t
evil-famed m anager.
W he n ce then such perturbations ? F ro m th e errors of
secondary causes ? B u t if these causes are capable of
erring , th en tiiey m u st be intelligent and autonomic, and
thus wo aro directly la n d e d into th e doctrine of tho
‘‘ E g g re g o r e s .”
According to this doctrine th e planets b usy themselves
b u t with th e ir sym pathies an d antipathies. Y o ur sun —-
whose spots you re g a r d as a com m encem ent of his
cooling offf— is slowly a n d fatally draw n tow ard the
constellation of Hercules. One d a y he will becomo
short of h e a t an d lig h t— for planets g e t old aud have to
dio as well as m en— an d become unable to repel tho
planets which in th e ir furious im petus m u st b r e a k th e m ­
selves a g a in st him and th u s bring our universe to a u
end. B u t a n o th e r a n d b e tte r universe will be formed
out of th e debris of th e old one. A new creation will
emertre o ut of chaos, a n d we shall be reborn as a new
species b e t t e r fitted to s tr a g g le against tlie stupid
bulk of the E g g re g o re s. Such changes will take placo
lip to the tim e wheu th e g r e a t A dam will be entirely
reconstituted:!:— A d a m — th a t S p irit of spirits, th a t F o rm
of forms, th a t collective g ia n t who m akes up th e totality
of creation ; th a t A d am who, according to the K abalists,
hides the sun b eh in d his heel, tho sta rs in the hairs of
his beard, a n d who, w hen s ta rtin g on his journey,
touches w ith one foot th e O rie n t a n d with the o th e r tho
Occident.
(Signed) E u p h a s Levi (super quo Pax.)
Certified as tru e copy.
BA ltO N Sl‘EDAMEIU.
• «------
A N E W TROY.
P r i v a t e letters, co rro bo rated b y new spaper reports,
give us e nthusiastic descriptions of the new aruluuo-
logical finds on th e hills of Aphrosial, th e site of ancient
Marikurul (modern Sam areand), containing, as alleged,
unheard-of treasures. A telegram was received in Tash-
kund, on N ov e m b e r th e 7th, conveying tho information,
th a t the w ork of exca v a tin g th e ruins connected with
th e dou bted th o u g h by 1 1 0 means mythical name of the
I ra n ia n K in g A p hrosial—h a d begun and various objects
of the p re-A lexandrian era been found. This site,
whose ruins are sc a tte re d over an area of 8 or 0 miles
in leng th and 4 in w idth, belonged to the lire-worship-
pers, the T a d g ik . H ith e r to were found from time to
tim e in the ba z a a r a n d w ith native silversmiths, te tra -
draclims, sold for th e ir w eigh t in silver, ancient coins b e ­
longing to the period of the Greco-Bactrian K ings, and.
* A “ b lin d ” ac tio n d o es n o t nec essarily c o n s ti tu te nn u n d e n ia b le
p r o o f t h a t t h o a g e n t i t e m a n a t e s f r o m is d e v o i d o f i n d i v i d u a l c o n s c i o u s ­
n e s s o r ‘‘ i n t e l l i g e n c e . ” I t m a y s i m p l y p o i n t o u t tin; s u p e r i o r i t y o f
o n e fo rc e o v e r t h e o th e r , d o m in e e rin g , a n d h e n c e g u id in g fo rcib ly th o
ac tio n s of th o w e a k e s t. T h e r o a r e no “ b l i n d ” f o r c e s in n a t u r e in t h e
aenso th o a u th o r p la c e s on th o a d je c tiv e . E v e r y a to m of th e u n iv e rse
i s p e r m e a t e d w U h t h e U n i v e r s a l I n t e l l i g e n c e , f r o m t h e l a t e n t s p a r k j ri
t h e m i n e r a l u p t o t h o q u a s i - d i v i n e l i g h t in m a n ’s b r a i n , j t is a i i a s
E , U sa y s “ a c tio n a n d r e a c tio n ,” a t tr a c t io n o r rep u lsio n , tw o forces of
e q u a l p o t e n t i a l i t y b e i n g o f t e n b r o u g h t >o a d e a d s t a n d s t i l l o n l y o w i n g
to a m u t u a l n e u tra liz a tio u o f p o w e r.— T uans.
+ E . L . Ba ys y o u r e g a r d j” f o r , h o h i m s e l f , a s a n O c c u l t i s t , d o e s n o t
bo regard thom . T h o r e a l o c c u l t d o c t r i n o u p o n s o l a r p h y s i c s is g i v e n
o u t p l a i n l y e n o u g h in t h e S e p t e m b e r n u m b e r o f t h e T h e o so p h ist (1 8 ^ 3 ),
A r t . R e p l i e s to a u E n g l i s h b \ T . S . — Ed*
 various vessels and ornam ents, such as b eau tifu l vases and
jew olry. Such articles, says th e Moscow Gazette, were
found generally in th e sp rin g a fte r th e w in ter rain s, in
th e vicinity of th e S artean tom bs. D u rin g tho b u ilding
of the new road b etw een th e riv e r Z arew shan and
iSaiuarcand, a g re a t n u m b er of an cien t coins an d articles
of gold and silver w ere found. F o r th e purposes of the
new tra n sit, tren ch es w ere c u t across c e rta in p a rts of
A phrosial. How g re a t th e w ealth th a t lies b u ried in
th e la tte r — a tru e archasological tre a su re — m ay be seen
from w hat follows. I n 1878, d u rin g th e D jam cam paign,
th e Colonel of th e reg im en t, P rin ce T roiibetzkoy, w hile
e x a m in in g one of th e hills, m et w ith a few m a rd ek ars
(coolies) an d hired them for th e p rice of one ro u b le “ to
d ig a little , at random ,” as he said. I n less th a n half
an h o u r lie was rew arded b y g e ttin g a sm all bronze
s ta tu e of exquisite w orkm anship, w hich re p re se n te d a
mail in a h alf reclin in g p o stu re w ith liis arm around a
lion. Rucli p riv ate excavations w ere stric tly forbidden,
how ever, by th e late G eneral G overnor K . P. K aufm an.
A com m ittee was soon a p p o in ted , an d professional arch-
seologists haviDg been sen t to th o sp o t, re g u la r excava­
tions w ere begun from O ctober 1st, u n d er th e direction
of Colonel V . V . K resto v sk o y . D u rin g th e first w eek quite
;m unusual q u an tity of articles was d u g out : gold o rn a­
m ents, vessels of bronze, g lass and clay, b eau tifu l mosaics
an d coins. T races of a series of successive kingdom s
have already been f o u n d ; an d th e m ore th e w ork p ro ­
gresses, th e m ore c e rta in it becom es th a t Saniarcand
is built upon th n to m b s of th e A ra b ia n , th e Greco-
U actrian, an d th e an c ie n t A ra b ia n civilizations. A t
1he d ep th of 7 or 8 feet m any a n c ie u t C hinese coins havo
been also u n earth ed . H ow lo n g m u st it be before the
Bom bay P arsi m illionaires will found a Z oro astrian
Archaeological Society a fte r th e b e st E u ro p ean m odels,
a n d w ith au endow m ent co m m ensurate w ith th e m ag n i­
ficent field th ere is fo r research in to th e a n tiq u itie s of
tlie ir hoary civilisation an d fa ith ? A re they all incurably
w edded to co tto n au d traffic ?
- ♦ • re g a rd to asp h y ctic convulsions may be m ade.applicabie
(Concluded from our L ast Number.)
T O S T -M O R T E M R I S E OF T E M P E R A T U R E .
B y L e o t o t . d S a l z e r , m . d . , F . T. S .
\V e m ay then fairly assum e th a t one of th e c o n tri­
vances of the organism fo r m a in ta in in g its tem p eratu re
w ithin certain lim its u n d er co n sid erab le v ariatio n s of
tem p e ra tu re of th e su rro u n d in g atm o sp h ere, consists in
th is, th a t a h o t atm osphere causes m uscular com bustion
to be carried on in a p ro p o rtio n ately econom ic w ay, th a t
is to say, thei’e is p ro p o rtio n ately m uch w ork done while
co m parativ ely little en erg y is allow ed to b e lib e ra te d in
th e form of h e a t ; while cold h as ju s t th e opposite effect.
T h a t some such economy is ca rrie d on w ith in th e o rg a n ­
ism in c erta in abnorm al sta te s, is to m y m in d o u t of
question. I n all cases of dyspnoea in consequence of d e­
ficient oxygen, wo find th e body te m p e ra tu re low ered ;
an d w hen dyspnoea increases to such an e x te n t as to cause
chronic convulsions,the m ercury colum n of th e th erm o m e­
te r falls low er still, a lth o u g h u n d e r o rd in a ry circum ­
stances m uscular co n tractio n s a re in v ariab ly accom panied
by increase of te m p e ra tu re. E v e n in te ta n u s caused by
strychnine, w here resp iratio n is often im peded, in conse­
quence of a te ta n ic sta te of th e re s p ira to ry m uscles ; and
where tho blood is m ade nt th e sam e tim e unfit to absorb
t he usual am ount of oxygen, in consequence of th e d irect
toxic action of th e poison— even iii such a case we find a
rise of tem p eratu re of 3 to 4° F . T h e re m u st th e n be
some p a rtic u la r arran g em en t w hich in a case of threaten*
ed asphyxia keeps th e body te m p e ra tu re low in sp ite of
tho spasm s. B u t oi^ce g ra n te d th a t th e re is such a h eat-
m o d e ra tin g agency in somo ab n o rm al s ta te of th e o rg a n ­
ism, we a re d riven to ad m it th a t a sim ilar ag en cy m u st
necessarily ex ist in th e h ealth y body, as a physiological
institution, so to s a y ; for V irchow h as p ro v e d lo n g ago
th a t p ath o lo g ica l an d physiological processes are th e same
in kind, v a ry in g only in d eg re e and relativ ity according
to v a ry in g conditions of life.
T h e difference betw een te ta n u s and asphyctic convul­
sions as fa r as caloric evolution is concerned, would then,
as I u n d ersta n d it, consist in th is, th a t in th e form er
th e p ro p ortion of e n e rg y lib erate d by m uscular com ­
b u stio n , is larg ely in favor of h e a t production, while
in th e la tte r, alm ost th e whole of th e en erg y developed
by m uscular com bustion, is em ployed in favor of th e
w ork of co n tractio n , leav in g h a rd ly a balance for evolu­
tio n of heat.
I f we rem em ber th a t th e convulsions d u rin g asphyxia
are set up in consequence of th e ex trem e resp irato ry
stru g g le , it would be stra n g e , indeed, if those very con­
vulsions should have no o ther re su lt, th a n to increase by
fa r th e re sp ira to ry difficulties; such, how ever, would be
th e case, should th ey be accom panied by a Large produc­
tion of h eat, for la rg e production of h e a t m ean s com bus­
tio n ca rried on to a la rg e e x te n t— in o th e r w ords, con­
su m ption of oxygen an d disen g ag em en t of carbonic acid
carried on to a larg e e x te n t. N ow the re ten tio n of tho
ju s t m entioned g as is a g re a t factor in asphyxia, and
sta n d s only second to th e deprivation of oxygen. Any
p ro d u ctio n of carbonic acid on a larg e scale w ithin the
o rganism , w hile, in consequence of deficient respiration,
th ere is no o u tlet for it, would th e n only go to increase,
in stea d of m itig a tin g th e evil re su ltin g from deficient
resp iratio n . A s it is, I h a rd ly th in k th a t th e re can be
any th in g gained by those re sp irato ry co n v u lsio n s; they
a re m oreover tho outcom e of one of those resources set
up, as it w ere, by unreaso n in g n a tu re , to allay one evil
by se ttin g up an o th e r, ju s t as g re a t, if not g re a te r
th a n th e original one. Y e t th ere is ev idently provision
m ade a g a in st any un d u e evolution of carbonic acid, for
as a m a tte r of fa c t, we find the asp h y ctic convulsions
carrie d on in so econom ic a way th a t h eat m akes itself
conspicuous by its absence.
I need n o t tell you th a t w hat h»s ju s t been said with
to the spasm s— tonic o r clonic— of cholera. T his is espe­
cially th e case in th e spasm odic variety of cholera, whero
p a r t of th e spasm s are really, as we have seen before, of
asphyctic natu re. In th e non-spasm odic variety the ori­
g in of th e spasm s is different. T hey do n o t sta rt from
th e m edulla o b longata, b u t set in gradually in tho
m easuro as vom iting a u d p u rg in g is proceeding, p artly
in consequence of th e in creasin g venosity of th e blood,
know n as it is th a t th e flow of veiuous blood th ro u g h
a m uscle causes it to c o n tra c t; and p a rtly in consequence
of irrita tio n of th e m otor nerves b ro u g h t on by their
b e in g deprived of w ater. T h a t th e spasm s in th e e x tre ­
m ities a re , to all appearance, prim arily due to the veno­
sity of th e blood. T hey m anifest them selves first in the
p a rts m ost rem ote from tho h e a rt— in th e fingers and
to es— w hero tho sta g n a tio n in th e flow of blood is first
felt. L a te r on th ere is th e additional elem ent of nervous
irrita tio n as a lrea d y m entioned. T he spasm s on th e
o th e r hand of the blood-vessels on the rig h t side of the
h e a rt an d of th e vaso-m otor nerves in g eneral, ap p e ar to
be of nervous o rig in from tho very o n set; th e y a re due to
th e specific action of th e cholera poison, a n d o rig in ate
m ost likely w ith in th o vaso-m otor centres. Of w hatever
n a tu re an d o rigin th e spasm s of th e non-spasm odic
variety of cholera m ay be, th ey have th is in com ­
mon w ith th e asp h y ctic convulsions, th a t they are
carrie d ou, on th e m ost economical principle w ith reg ard
to e x p en d itu re of hoat. As to th e a g en cy w hich presi­
des over th is economic process, I have alread y m entioned
it to be, acco rd in g to m y opinion, a p a rt Of the function
of th e h e a t-re g u la tin g provision e x istin g w ithin our
org an ism , and know n by th e nam e of caloric centre.
T h a t th e alleg e d existence of a caloric ce n tre is more
th a n hypothetical, can now, to a la rg e e x te n t, be proved.
I n o rd e r to do so, wo have only to go back to th e experi­
m ents of F e rrie r, H o defined on th e surface of the
brain of cats, dogs, ra b b its and m o n k ey s, tb e different
centres from w hich various m ovem ents of th e lim bs, face,
m oath and to n g u e, eyes and ears, &c., could be definitely
and distin ctly excited. This gives us an id ea in how far
spasm s m ay b e cereb ral in th e ir origin. S ince P e rrie r’s
discovery it ht^s been found by H itzig , E u le m b e rg and
Landois th a t th e ablation or d e stru c tio n of regions in
close proxim ity to F e rrie r’s m otor cen tres is followed by
ex altation of tem p eratu re in th e opposite h in d legs ; on
the o th e r hand electrical stim u latio n of th e sam e region
lowered the te m p e ra tu re of th e lim bs of th e opposite side.
M. B ochefontaine has fu rth e r found th a t s tro n g stim ula­
tion of th e m o to r centres of th e e x trem ities causes
increase of th e blood p ressu re in th e a rte rie s and re ta r-
dution of th e beats of th e h eart.*
H a v in g th e n show n you, g en tle m e n , th a t th e re are
caloric ce n tre s, and th a t they do e x e rt them selves in
order to p re v e n t any w aste of m u scu lar com bustion in
the case of cholera spasm s, we a re now in a position to
understand fa r b e tte r W u n d e rlic h ’s sug g estio n to the
effect, th a t th e e x tra o rd in a ry rise in te m p eratu re of
ch o lera-p atien ts im m ed iately befo re, or soon a fte r d eath,
is due to a p a ra ly sis of th o se cen tres. W e h av e come to
learn th a t th e econom y w ith w hich choleraic spasm s are
carried on is a lto g e th e r e x c e p tio n a l; th e re m u st th e n have
been a con sid erab le am ount of e x tra o rd in a ry energy
spent on th e p a r t of th e caloric cen tre, in o rd e r to effect
th e in h ibito ry reg u latio n spoken of ; and th is energy
m ust acco rd in g to th e law of C onservation of F orces,
become conv erted , in th e m easure as th e c e n tre becomes
paralyzed, into heat.
In how far th e sta te of th e n erv e c e n tre s is concern­
ed in the post-m ortem rise of te m p e ra tu re, m ay b e st be
seen from th e follow ing o b servation ol P ro fesso r T aylor.
Cases, he says, w here th e p o st-m o rtem te m p e ra tu re
hus p a rtic u la rly risen are : In ju rie s to nerve centres,
especially th e b r a i n ; in cerebro-spim ti m eningitis the
te m p eratu re has arisen after death from 104,° to 111°
F., an d in fatal cases of small p ox a tte n d e d w ith m uch
delirium , Sim on observed th a t th e te m p e ra tu re rose «t
death from 104° to 113° F .
I t ap p ears to me tb a t th ese o b serv atio n s confirm in
th e mian m y views on th e su b ject. A s I have explained
before, the post-m ortem rise of te m p e ra tu re in general
is, according to my opinion, due to a g rad u al tran sfo r­
m ation o f p o te n tia l energ y in th e form of m olecular
work into en erg y in th e form of h eat. Suppose th e n
th a t th is tran sfo rm atio n , instead of b e in g g rad u al, as
is ordinarily the case, would, u nder som e ex trao rd in ary
circum stances, be sudden ; w hat effect w ould th is have
upou the evolution of h e a t ?— W hy, th e re w ould be a
sudden and considerable rise of te m p e ra tu re . N ow this
is ju st w h at h ap p en s when death occurs in consequence
of injuries inflicted upon th e nerve or upon th e brain.
The m olecular w ork by which the nervous and ce re b ral
irritab ility had b een sustained, has guddenly been su s­
pended, th e p o ten tial energy, dw elling in those organs,
can no more give rise to autom atic action or to unconsci­
ous cerebration ; and so it conies th a t th is very p o ten ­
tial energy is suddenly set free and explodes in th e form
of an ex trao rd in ary arnouut of heat. T h ere is a su d d en
rise of hig h tem p eratu re.
A gain, wheu th e re is d u rin g life-tim e an ex tra o rd in a ry
am ount of nervous or ce re b ral irrita tio n , even g ra d u al
extinction of th o se la te n t activities involved in such an
abnorm al irrita tio n , m u st necessarily g iv e rise to an
evolution of an am o u n t of h e a t fa r h ig h e r in d eg ree,
th au would have been th e case, h a d th e re been a norm al
state of irrita b ility a t th e approach of d eath . In cereb ro ­
spinal m en in g itis, and m o st likely in yellow fev er too,
there is an e x tra o rd in a ry am o u n t of nervous au d cerer
bral irritab ility m anifested d u rin g th e co u rse of the
disease, an d th e consequence is, as we have seen, an
ex trao rd in a ry post-m ortem rise in te m p e ra tu re .
* L u n d o is , L e h r b n c h tie r P h y s io lo g ie 1 8 8 0 . F , 754.
P ost-m ortem heat, as fa r as m olecular labor is concern­
ed, has been explained on th e supposition th a t molecular
life continues to a certain ex te n t a fte r somatic death h a s
taken place. T h ere is certainly a good deal of tru th in
th is, know n as it is, tliat tissu e irritab ility snbsists for
some tim e a fte r d e ath . W h a t I believe how ever to be
ju s t as tru e , and w hat I wish therefore to im press on
your m ind is th is, th a t the post-m ortem heat is n o t only
ow ing to a tem p o rary subsistence of m olecular life, b u t
m no less a m easure, a n d perhaps to a far g re a te r1
m easure to the s e ttin g in of m olecular death.
------ *------
(Continued fro m the December Number of the Theosophist.).
M E D IC A L M A G N E T I S M A N D T IIE I I E A L E R
M A G N E T IC .
By S eeta N a t 11 G h ose.
N ow , I th in k every one m ay feel curious enough tq
know w h eth er I have actu a lly cured and c re a te d any
disease by m eans of my M a g n etic H ealer. To satisfy
th a t curiosity I should say th a t th e diseases w hich owa
th e ir origin to d era n g em e n ts or o b stru ctio n s of o rg an ic
functions, have been very successfully tre a te d w ith th o
M ag n etic H ealer. T ho diseases I have up to th is tim a
tre a te d m ost successfully w ith th e said in stru m e n t a re too
num erous to be m entioned here a t le n g th . A sim ple
reference to m y R e g ister* ly in g on tho table, an d in
w hich every case tre a te d electrically by E u ropean in­
stru m en ts as well as by those of my own has been fa ith ­
fully recorded, will show th a t fevers, both re m itte n t an d
in te rm itte n t, sim ple and com plicated, D yspepsia, D ia rr­
hoea, D y sentery, A scitis, E n la rg e m e n t and D isorders of
th e L iver an d .■'pleen, P neum onia, B ronchitis, A sth m a,
H ead-aches of all varieties, N eu ralg ia, A n g u in ap ecto ris,
P eric a rd itis, R h eu m atism , P a raly sis, L ocom otor-A taxy,
T etan u s, E pilepsy, H y ste ria , M elancholia, D eafness,
H ydrocele, Im p o ten ce, L eucorrhcca, Dysinenorrhoea, A m -
cnorrhoea. S perm atorrhoea, E lep hantiasis or B arbados-
L eg, L eprosy, and sim ilar o th er diseases have been
and are being tre a te d w ith th e M agnetic H ealer, w ith
m ore or less success acco rd in g to th e ir n a tu re . I have
here to observe th a t diseases of re ce n t origin have been
m ore successfully tre a te d th a n w hen chronic. S u rg ic al
diseases of different varieties have also been ben efited
and cured by th e applications of th e M agnetic lle a le r,
w hen, of course th e y have been helped by local ap p lica­
tions of the galvanic b a tte ry . I m u st here fairly confess
a t th e sam e tim e th a t th e M agnetic H ealers a t p rese n t,
in m y possession, have unfortunately m et w ith
sad failures in a good n u m b er of cases, the reason
w hereof I am n o t in a position to account for a t p re se n t.
One im p o rta n t observation w hich I have been able to
m ake is th a t those p a tie n ts whose blood had been p re ­
viously v itiated e ith er by som e p a rticu lar disease— poison,
drug-poison, or by th e effects of over-m edication,
generally, proved o b stin ately u n y ielding to th e healing
influence of M agnetism .
The diseases th a t have been first created and th en
cured by th e applications of my M agnetic H ealer, th o u g h
few in num ber, have led me to presum e th a t all o th e r
diseases m ig h t be equally created and cured b y it. j
w ould give here two cases which I hope w ill enable
every one to ap p re cia te th e value of the in stru m e n t in
question.
On one occasion B abu A n a n ta Lal Roy, the p ro p rie to r
of th e In k M anufactory a t B aliaghat in C alcu tta was pufc
into th e in stru m e n t a n d an electric c u rre n t from 8
B unsen’s cells was applied to it, in such a m an n e r th a t
his head received th e n o rth p o la r cu rre n t au d his fee t
the south- A fte r 15 m inutes, he said on enquiry, th a t
he felt all rig h t, I th en co n nected th e b a tte ry w ith th o
M agnetic H e aler in th e co n tra ry way and desired him to
* F o r th o s a tis f a c tio n o f tb o r e a d e r s I a p p e n d to th i s p a m p h le t a n
e x t r a c t s h e w i n g t h o p a r t i c u l a r s o f t h o c a s e s w h i c h h a v e u p t o th ij}
iin e b e e n c u r e d b y th e M a g n e tic H e a le r ,
 J ierceive tlie effects. A b o u t ten m inutes a fte r th is lie was
icard to call loudly b y nam e one of m y assistan ts then
s ittin g by m e ; and becam e q u ite insensible. On im m e­
d iately ru n n in g to th e in stru m e n t I found him labour­
ing nm ler a severe epileptic fit, his eyes b ein g p ro tru d ed
and starin g , jaw s locked up, fro th issu in g from liis m onth,
an d his tru n k an d e x tre m itie s convulsed. In ste a d of
h av in g recourse to any o th e r m eans, I w ithout a m o m ent’s
delay disconnected tb e b a tte ry from th e in stru m en t and
m ade fre sh connections in th e m an n er th e y hnd bpen
m ade ot first. W ith in about tw o m in u tes a fte r th is he,
to th e g r e a t astonishm ent of m yself au d th e sp ectato rs,
g o t rid of th e epileptic fit a n d recovered hia senses.
T h e only com plaint he then m ade was th a t he felt very
w eak a n d giddy, l i e was con seq u en tly k e p t in the
in stru m e n t for 15 m inutes m ore in th e sam e favourable
position, and was th ereb y freed from all sorts of uneasi­
ness. In th e evening of th a t day ho fe lt w eak again,
b u t on his lyin g down w ithin tlio in stru m e n t for 15
m inutes in a favourable position, no tra c e of uneasiness
w as left b ehind in him.
T he second in te re stin g case was my own. On
oue occasion while I was ex p erim en tin g upon tlie efficacy
of tho in stru m en t in questio n , I used it m yself to cure a
bronchial affection w hich I was th e n lab o u rin g under. I
h a d two powerful ap p licatio n s of th e in stru m e n t on two
successive days. In s te a d of feeling b e tte r I g rad u ally
g o t worse. T he cough I h a d , becam e v ery troublesom e,
especially a t n ig h t. A t tw elve A . M . of th e day follow ing
th e last application, I was q u ite asto n ish ed to find blood
in tho m ucus I e x p e c to ra te d . F rom th a t tim e forward
blood used to come o u t n o t only w ith th e ex pectorations,
b u t som etim es w ith tlio n a tu ra l evacuations. F u rth e r, I
felt m yself so m uch dysp ep tic th a t I could uot d ig est an y ­
th in g properly. I g en erally th rew up w hnt I took a t
n ig h t an d suffered from diarrhoea. T his s ta te of things
continued for five days aud five n ig h ts aud p ro stra te d me
so m uch th a t I could not sit up in m y bed for 15
m in u tes to g eth er. D u rin g th ese five days I could
n o t m ake out th e cause of m y sufferings, an d th e re ­
fore nsod alm ost all th e m edicines b e st suited to th e com­
p lain ts, b u t u n fo rtu n ately d id n o t deriv e any benefit from
them . My h e a lth g ra d u a lly g av e w ay, and in conse-
qncnco I becam e hopeless of my recovery. On tho m orn­
in g of th e sixth day, it p ro v id en tially occu rred to me
th a t perhaps by th e tw o app licatio n s of th e in stru m en t
I made tho intensity of th e m ag n etic p o larity of my body
m u st have been to some e x te n t reduced, or else tho com ­
p la in ts would not havo been so o b stin a te as to ^.efy the
healin g influence of th e m edicines I took. W ith this
idea I tested th e p o larity of th e in stru m e n t by m eans
of a com pass-needle, and. found to my satisfaction th at
tlie tw o applications I h ad u n d erg o n e w ere p erfectly u n ­
favourable on account of a m istak e of an a ssista n t of
m ine, who m ade reverse connections of the galv an ic b a t­
te ry w ith th e in stru m en t in question.
On finding out th e m istak e, I g o t tho b a tte ry co n nect­
ed w ith th e in stru m en t in such a m an n er th a t tlin n a tu ­
ra l m ag n etic p o larity of th e body m ig h t be s tr e n g th e n ­
ed by it. I then g o t into th e in stru m e n t and rem ained
iu it for an hour. I fell asleep a fte r b ein g a few m inutes
iu it, an d continued in th a t s ta te till about th e end of tho
h o u r. B efore e n te rin g in to th e in stru m e n t, I h ad found
b rig h t red blood in tho m ucus I ex p ecto rated , b u t on
com ing out, I ex p ecto rated a clot or two of d a rk colored
blood w ithin ab o u t ten m in u tes, an d th e n no trace of
blood of any colour was found e ith e r in th e mucus e x p e c­
to ra te d or in any o th e r way. I did n o t throw np my
food tho following n ig h t, an d enjoyed a long and
sound sleep till the m orning of tho en su in g day. T he
n e x t day I u n d erw en t a sim ilar application of th e in s tru ­
m en t and g o t rid of every discom fort I had to com­
p la in of.
In ad d itio n to these, I have several tim es produced
an d th en cured several other d iseaseso f m inor im portance.
D e ta il descrip tio n of such cases b e in g u n in te re stin g
to sceptical read ers need n o t be given.
the success of my ex p erim en t in creating nS weli as in
Thus
c u rin g diseases of different descrip tio n s w ith m y M ag ­
n etic Jle aler, has led me to presum e th a t " H e a lth and
D isease are bnt the two phases of M agnetism o n ly .”
F rom th e fo reg o in g facts and observations I now
propose to lay down my th e o ry of H e a lth and D isease
in a few words.
W h a t is h ea lth and w liat is disease and w h at aro
th e ir m ost rational and p rim ary causes? To th is vitally
im p o rta n t question my concise answ er is th is : health is
th a t n a tu ra l condition of th e body in w hich no un­
easiness of any kind w h atev er is felt. T h a t condition
is d ep e n d en t upon the functions and freedom of all the
org an s of th e body. A gain, th is freedom depends en­
tire ly npon th a t m agnetic condition of the body in which
th e head is th e n o rth pole, an d th e palm s and th e feet are
th e four b ran ch es of th e south pole. D isease is th a t
condition of th e body in w hich some k in d of uneasiness
is felt. U n easiness is caused by in activ ity or o v er­
a c tiv ity of th e fu nctions of one or m ore of the organs.
The in a ctiv ity and o v eractiv ity of th e fnnctions are again
th e re su lts of certain d eran g em en t or ob stru ctio n ta k in g
place in th e way of th e functions. T he d erangem ent or
o b stru ctio n is in its tu rn caused by a certain am ount of di­
m inution of th e in te n sity of th e n atu ra l m agnetic polarity
of th e body. T h o u g h in reality all th e diseases which
flesh is heir to are b n t th e m anifestatio n s of one
and th e sam e p rim ary disease, y e t, according to the
c h a ra c te r and position of th e m anifestations, they are
variously nam ed and differently tre a te d by medical men.
W h en all the diseases can actually be created or
a g g ra v a te d in different subjects by m erely red u cin g the
norm al m agnetic a ttitu d e of th e body, an d when again
all th e diseases can actually be cured o r alleviated in
different su b je cts by m erely b rin g in g to a p ro p er order
the sam e m a g n etic a ttitu d e of the body, every reason­
able b ein g , I th in k , will concur w ith me in th e above
conclusion re g a rd in g H e alth and D isease.
L ast of nil, in reply to th e m ost im p o rta n t question,
W lia t is death ? ] should sim ply say tliat when tlie
norm a] m ag n etic p o larity of the body is reduced to zero,
tho d e ra n g e m en ts and o b stru ctio n s arisin g therefrom
becom e so g re a t th a t all the functions of the body come
to an end, and in consequence th e body is a t once tra n s­
ferred from the an im a te to the iu anim ate kingdom .
Now let us ta k e a com parative view of the electric
system of tre a tm e n t as p ractised in E ngland and A m erica,
a n d th e m agnetic system of tre atm e n t, discovered by
myself.
T he system of electric tre a tm e n t w hich is in vogue a t
p re se n t in E u ro p e and A m erica, consists chiefly in using
th e c o n sta n t G alvanic or in te rru p te d or F aradic currents
of e le c tric ity acco rd in g to th e discretion of the physi­
cian or the surgeon. 'The co n sta n t Galvanic cu rrent is
used som etim es for cauterisatio n ; som etim es for electro ­
lysis or chem ical decom position of tissu e s; som etim es
fo r producing an clcctrotonux, i. c., tonic, sedative or
anodyno actions an d cat-rlcctrntonus, i. e., stim u la tin g
and irrita tin g actions in the system , and som etim es for
g iv in g a positive or tonic charge to th e body, as invented
by D r. 0 . 13. Kadcliffe’s. Tho in te rru p te d cu rre n t is nsod
to stim ulate and th e re b y to give tone to p a rtic u la r part
or p a rts of th e body.
In th e purely electrical system a lm o st all sorts of
surgical operations are perform ed e ith e r by Galvanic
cau te ry or E lectrolysis. T he m ost a sto n ish in g points of
those operations are th at they are th o ro u g h ly blood less and
th a t th e sores heal up very ra p id ly w ith o n t m uch care
b ein g tak en for them .
E x c ep t D r. RadclilTe’s positive ch arg e, th e other modes
of u sin g th e c o n sta n t as well as th e in te rru p te d currents
are m ore a d ap te d to local com plaints th an to those of the
g en eral system . R adcliffe’s positive ch arg e thongh
a m ode of g en e ra l application, y e t in th e experim ents of
m yself as well as of some re sp e ctab le au th o rities, has
proved so inefficient tlia t it req u ires no m ention h ere.
I t m ay bo a learn ed schem e, b u t n o t so useful. In th e
m odes of ap p ly in g b o th c o n sta n t an d in te rru p te d c u rre n ts,
it is required to select, acco rd in g to th e seat of disease,
p a rtic u la r o rgan, m uscle, nerve an d tissue fo r e le c triz a tio n .
B ut th is is so difficult a ta sk th a t even th e b e st p a th o lo ­
g is t canno t in all cases do it satisfacto rily . I n somo
instan ces th e diseases of d ifferen t o rg an s becom e so in ti­
m ately connected w ith one a n o th e r, th a t n e ith e r th e cons­
ta n t nor th e in te rru p te d c u rre n t can be applied w ith good
results, th o u g h th e ir pathological re la tio n s a re clearly
defined.
F u rth e r, chem ical decom position is so closely allied,
w ith th e ap p licatio n of c o n sta n t c u rre n t of electricity
th a t th e p a rts of th e body acted upon by it cannot be
secured ag a in st th e effects of m ore or less decom position in
spite of all cares ta k e n fo r th e purpose. I t cannot be
denied by any body th a t uunecessary decom position or
d isin teg ratio n of a very m in u te p a r t of th e body is
detrim en tal to h e a lth an d lo n g ev ity .
In th e p rev ailin g system of E lectro -tlierap eu tics, a l­
th o u g h electricity h as been deem ed to be an a g e n t sim ilar
to vital pow er, y e t no m eans has y e t been devised to
retain it in th e body a fte r it is applied to it. A ny effect
produced b y th e ap plication of electricity to th e body is
accom plished b y its passage th ro u g h 'i t w ith inconceiv­
able velocity. Such a quick passage of electricity th ro u g h
the hum an body, which is a bad condu cto r of E le c tric ity ,
g en erates very g re a t h eat an d iu consequence proves in ­
jurious to h ealth , even when its in te n sity is less th an mo­
derate. F o r th is sim ple reason in th e p u rely E lectrical
system of tre a tm e n t, wliich is in arch in g forw ard rapidly
in the m edical fields of E u ro p e an d A m erica, overaction
of E lectricity is very often com plained of b o th by th e p a ­
tie n t and th e physician. As th e effects of overaction are
very dangero u s, physicians an d surgeons p ractisin g in
E lec tric ity alw ays exercise all possible care to g u ard
ag a in st it. Som etim es even th e very cautious and
experienced p ractitio n ers are found to fail in p ro te c tin g
tlie ir p a tie n ts from overaction.
In th e m ag n etic system of tre a tm e n t conducted by m y­
self w ith th e in stru m en ts now beforo us, th e defects of
the purely electrical system m entioned before have been
w ellnigh rem edied. T he applications of these in stru m ents
act npon th e whole system , an d th erefo re n ecessitate the
selections of p a rtic u la r o rg an s, nerves, m uscles or tissues
to deal w ith for th e rem oval of a p a rtic u la r disease. In
this a rran g e m en t m agnetism b e in g induced in th e whole
system , it a cts only npon those p a rts w here it is needed,
the others rem ain in g alm ost u ntouched. A cco rd in g to the
general principles of m agnetism laid dow n in th e fo re­
go ing pages, those p a rts of th e body w hich are already
im bued w ith a sufficient q u a n tity of m ag n e tism , are n o t a t
all affected w hen ail additional q u a n tity of m agnetism is
induced in them . To express m yself m ore clearly 011 th e
m atter, I should say th a t, as b y .applying so ap-w ater to a
piece of w hite cloth soiled iu some p a rtic u la r p a rt,
th e stain only is rem oved, while th e w hite p a rts a re not
fu rth e r w hitened, so by ap p ly in g m agnetism to a body
having some disease in some of its p a rtic u la r p a rts, the
diseased p a rt only is m ade h ealth y , while th e o th e r p a rts
already healthy are n o t affected in th e least. C onse­
qu en tly the pernicious effects of unnecessary action are
very rarely m et w ith in th is system .
Like electricity m agnetism h a v in g no violent m otion
th ro u g h th e m olecules of th e body, 1 1 0 h e a t is g e n e ra ted
by it. I f how ever some p a tie n ts m ag n etised fully by
the in stru m en t described before, experien ce a sensation
of heat ju st a fte r th e operation, th a t h eat m ust be ascribed
to the too g re a t a ctiv ity of some to rp id o rg an or o rgans,
b ro u g h t about by m ag n etism , a n d n o t to th e violent aud
rapid m otion of th e sam e th ro u g h th e body. T h a t h eat
though disag reeab le to th e p a tie n t g e n e ra lly , goes off
w ithin a day or tw o w ith o u t d oing any p e rm a n e n t m is­
chief to th e system .
I n th e m agnetic system u n d er discussion no chem ical
decom position of any p a rt of th e body can ta k e place w hen
any m a g n e tisin g in stru m e n t is applied to it. I t is p e r­
fectly harm less in th a t respect.
U n lik e electricity , m agnetism is reta in e d in th e body
a fte r it is ap plied to it. M agnetism instead of p assing
off th ro u g h th e body lik e electricity sticks to it like a
common steel m a g n e t a n d constantly w orks upon th e m a ­
chinery of life in th e body. I t is in m y opinion a thing;
sim ilar to th e vital principle of the body.
T he effects of overaetion cannot be wholly d isp e n se d
w ith in the m agnetic system . L ike th e purely e le c tri­
cal system it has also th is defect intim ately allied to
it. W h en a p a tie n t is m ag n etised to a far g re a te r e x te n t
th a n w h at is necessary fo r his co n stitu tio n he is surely to
suffer from an ag g rav atio n of his disease n o tw ith sta n d in g
his head is ren d ere d th e n o rth pole and his feet th e south
pole b y th e operation. W h y such ag g rav atio n of dis­
ease tak e s place even u n d e r favourable m ag n etisatio n is a
question of g re a t m om ent. T he reasonable solution of th is
im p o rta n t question m ay probably be th a t when a p a tie n t
g e ts some serious o b stru ctio n s of his n a tu ra l fu n ctions
he m ust feel uneasy for a tim e if they a re cleared
off or a tte m p te d to be cleared forcibly by in ducing a h ig h
degree of favourable m agnetism in his body. S udden a c ti­
v ity of some d o rm an t p a rts of the body, w here o b stin a te
obstructions of some form or o th e r have ta k e n place causes
a good am ount of violence which is badly b o rne by tho
patie n t. T he p ru d e n t m eans therefore to be ad opted in
all such cases is to m agnetise th e p atien t slowly and g ra ­
dually. T his will clear off all obstru ctio n s effectually and a t
th e same tim e b rin g ab o u t no discom fort w hatever along-
with it. T he pecu liar m ode of my feeling th e pulse of
p a tie n ts of w hich a m ere m ention has been m ade before,
furnishes me w ith a read y m eans to d iscrim in ate how
m uch m agnetism is to be induced into a p a rtic u la r p a tie n t
to help his vital principle to remove all functional ob­
stru ctio n s and irreg u la rities slowly and gradually w ithout
causing any k in d ot uneasiness to him . ]n consequence
of th is, alth o u g h in th e m agnetic system o f tre a tm e n t
u n d er discussion, th e overaction of even favourable m a g ­
netism may som etim es a g g ra v a te th e com plaints of somo
p atien ts y et th ere has been a t tho sam e tim e discovered,
a m ode of operation which in th e hands of a d isc ree t pliy-
sican can successfully a v e rt such ag g rav a tio n s. T ho a g ­
g ra v atio n of sym ptom s if b ro u g h t ab o u t by th e over­
action of favourable m agnetism is by no m eans a m a tte r
to be dreaded. I t g enerally subsides of itself w ithin a
sh o rt tim e. I f it continues for a longer perio d th a n tw o
days it can be very successfully rem edied by the ap p lica­
tion of a very s lig h t d eg ree of favourable m agnetism
for half an ho u r or one hour.
A n o th er g re a t defect of tho m ag n etic system is th a t
it has no Surgery in it. I 11 th is respect tho electrical
system is unrivalled. 1 have therefo re been led to combine
th e electrical system as p ractised in E urope and A m eri­
ca w ith the m agnetieal system devised by myself for tho
tre a tm e n t of diseases I m et with iu my practice. F rom
th is none should infer th a t I have a lto g e th er abandoned
drug-m edicine in th e tre a tm e n t of diseases. On tho con­
tra ry I use it in cases w here I havo to com bat w illi
some m edical poison in tlie p a tie n t’s system . In somo
cases I use it also to ex p edite a cure
A Christian Theosophist.— Will bo considered.
Babu, K. C. M. Simla— In our next.
P. M. P., P. T. S , of M adras—do.
P. 1)., P. T. S., Scotland— (lo.
Dr. L. S., Calcutta— do.
K um ud Chunder Mookerjee—• do.
A. B. B., T. S., Berliampore— do.
E. C., Roorkec— do.
K anchunjanga T. S.— do.
Babu Gyanendra N .—C hakravarti—do.
 C. P., G untur—In our next. if he m aintains the last two as the two different phases of the
P. I. N., H yderabad—Outside of tlie legitimato province First, tho separate existence of Atma and Delia is not denied,
Df our Journal. and it would be impossible as long as one is within the
Babu Raj Coomar Roy.—Again crowded out this m onth. control of Maya to divest one-self of the notion of the differ­
“ A Student”.—U nder consideration. Too lato for this ence of the Atma irom the Brahm. Now, when the Atmd, wliich
number. considers itself a totally distinct entity from the Brahm,
“ An F.^T. S.,”| Bombay.—U nauthenticated. See the Notices yearns to unite itself with the latter, or at least tries to
io Correspondents. approach it, where is the self-applause even if in praying it
P andit Parm eshri Dass.— In our next. praises but in reality its own self P I t is the D uality that
Kurnool—■ do. aspires to Unity, and how can this unity be effected without
The Chohan, T. S.—■ do. Love F The natural outcome of love is the pouring out of
II. C. Niblet.t.—T to late for this number. feelings according to the moral status of the lover. The
The Secunderabad Theo. Socy.— Do. lover should first try to approach the object he loves beforo
he aspires to the union.
J i q t t q i; ii i o t \\s\ 05 (1 t T o ii._______ The Atmd, though unknown to the physical and the
mental senses, knows th at she has been separabed from her
A Q U EST IO N TO TH E A U T H O R 01«’ “ M ORALITY Lord and she m ust strive to be united to her spouse again.
AND P A N T H E IS M .” R ather try to stop the mouth of the child th at cries for its
Tnri author quotes disapprovingly a sentence from the mother, or the yearnings of the faithful wife for her distant
C h ristian Bible— “ He who givetli to the poor lendeth to husband, or the m urm urings of the rivulet obstructed in
th e Lord.” He sees in it an immoral motive as an incentive her way to the ocean, than attem pt to impede the soul
to doing good ; but could not the sentence be considered as in her offering praise to her Lord.
a symbolical affirmation of the law expounded in tho above Mr. Rajwade is of opinion th at the Atmd does not be­
:\rticlo on the subject of happiness and m orality ? come lowered hy its connection with Deha. This is not un­
W hen giving to the poor, i. e., in practising charity, man derstood. The Pardmdtma is unconditioned, and it can
places himself in harmony with that grand law of N ature— never bo polluted or purified ; but surely even according to
Solidarity. Therefore, acting in communion w ith the whole, Mr. Raj wade’s classification, Atmd is inferior to Pardmdtma
lie places himself in the conditions of happiness indicated and w hat else can be the reason of her fall if it is not
by the author and thus receives in retu rn for liis deed a throngh its contact w ith Deha.
g ift which is not arbitrary, but which in faet is the accom­ Mr. Rajwade may be an advanced Yogi, who has entirely
plishm ent of tho law. Understood in this way th a t sentenco divested himself of the sense of D uality, but for persons
is not in disaccord either with Theosophy or with Occultism. who have not yet been able to do away with the phenomenal
I have rem arked th a t several of the sayings of Jesus are ■world and who have not been able to be united with the
th u s illum inated by tlio light of Occultism. I m ust even Parabrahma, does prayer imply self-applause P The first se­
add th at thoy aro quite unacceptable w ithout th a t key. I ries of sensations th a t a psychist feels even in Rdjyoya where
shall be grateful to the author if he answers me. the plea of Hypnotism cannot be brought into account, are
" --------- J. K. 0 . the standing of his hair on end and the gnshing out of
I h a s t e n t o r e p l y t o th o q u e s t i o n r a i s e d in tl io f o r e g o i n g l e t t e r . T b e tears from his eyes. Do not the.se imply the love of the Atmd
C h r i s t i a n S c r i p t u r e s n r e , 110 il o u b t, c a p a b l e o f y i e l d i n g v e r y s a t i s f a c t o r y for the Pardmdtma, and does not tho very idea of love
j i n s w e r s , q u i t o u n s u s p e c t e d b y tl i e g e n e r a l i t y o f tl io s o - c a l le d C h r i s t i a n s , convey the sonse of D uality ? And when there is D uality—
if a p p ro a c h e d fro m th e O c c u lt s ta n d p o in t. li n t t l ia t w a s n o t th e where is tho self-applause ?
s u b j e c t to w h ic h 1 a d d r e s s e d m y s e l f i n m y n r t i c l o o u M o r a l i t y a n d
J ’n n tl io ts m ; m y o b j o o t w a s B im p ly t o s h o w t h e u n s o u n d n e s s o f t h a b a s i s
I do not ask this question in a hostile s p irit; but, as a new
u p o n w h ic h M o r a li ty is m a d o t o d e p e n d in t h e c u r r e n t C h r i s t i a n f a i t h . comer to tho road of psychism, I am inexperienced in these
H e lp in g th o h e lp le s s p o o r, c e r t a in l y g e n e r a te s a b e n e fic e n t fo rc e r e a c t ­ m atters. I therefore respectfully beg to be enlightened 011
i n g u p o n H u m a n i t y u s a w h o l e — t h e J jo r d , t h e t r u e A d a m —o f w h ic h the subject. I find th at prayer is allowed in all the known
th e h e lp e r fo rm s a u n it. l i n t h o w fe w w o u ld r e a d t h a t m e a n i n g in t h e religions of the world. There m ust have been some strong
s e n te n c e q u o te d ?
I t, is q u it o t r u e t l m t a s t u d e n t , o f t h e t r u e p h i l o s o p h y w ill b o a b l e to
grounds for enjoining the practice. W as it because the
e v o l v e a p e r f e c t s y s t e m o f M o r a l i t y f r o m th o n e b u l o n s m a s s o f w h a t ­ Teachers thought it advisable not to meddle with the na­
e v e r r e l i g i o n s s y s t e m h e m a y bo s u r r o u n d e d b y . H ut th e f a c t m u s t tural feelings of their followers ?
a l w a y s b e b o r n e in m i n d t h a t t h e v i v i f y i n g in l lu e n o o o f t h e E s o t e r i c Will you not, Madame, give your opinion on the subject
^ D o c trin e is a b s o l u t e l y i n d i s p e n s a b l e b e f o r e tl io d e n t i n g m i s t c a n f o r m th at concerns the whole of hum anity ?
J ts e lf in to a p u re c r y s ta llin e s p h e re . I m a y t a k o t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y to
m a k e a n a t t e m p t to d i s p e l t h e i n c h o a t e d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n , t h n t s e e m s to
S im la , I K. C. M.
b e s lo w ly s p r e a d i n g i t s s h a d o w y w i n g s o v e r m a n y a w e s t e r n m i n d in Tha 29th December, 1883. J
r e g a r d t o tl ie a t t i t u d e o f t h e T h o o s o p h i c a l m o v e m e n t t o w a r d s E s o t e r i c
C h r i s t i a n i t y . I t iH a s r e a s o n a b l e t o c o m p l a i n th a t, o u r S o c i e t y d o e s n o t W e a c t u p o n t h e p r i n c i p l e t h a t w h a t is m e a l f o r o n o is d e a t h f o r
c o m e f o r w a r d , l a n c e in r e s t , a s a c h a m p i o n o f K s o t c r ic C h r i s t i a n i t y , n s a n o th e r. W h i l e , t h e r e f o r e , s o m e p e o p l e m a y n o t b e a b l e t o d e v e lo p
t o f in d f a u l t w ith t h e w in d o f h e a v e n f o r n o t s e e k i n g a d m is s i o n i n t o th e ir I n te n t p s y c h ic c a p a c itie s w ith o n t p r a y e r , th e r o a r e o th e r s w h o
u u r o w n p r i v a t o c h a m b e r , a l l t h e c a s e m e n t s o f w h ic h ly i n g i n t h o can. W e s e t 110 v a l u e u p o n t h e w o r d s u t t e r e d . F o r , if th e w o rd s h a d
w a y o f t h o w in d w o h a v e t a k e n c a r e t o s h u t . T h e T h e o so p h ic a l a n y e f f e c t, h o w is i t t h a t d i f f e r e n t r e l i g i o n i s t s , a l t h o u g h u s i n g d i f f e r e n t
S o c i e t y w ill b e l ie i t s n a m e if i t w e d d e d i t s e l f to a n y p a r t i c u l a r f o r m o f f o r m s o f e x p re s s io n , o b ta in th e s a m e r e s u l t ? A g a in , th o s e w h o p r a y
f a ith . B n t a s t h e h u m b l e e x p o n e n t o f t h e D iv in e E s o t e r i c P o c t r i n e , i t s i l e n t l y a n d i n t e n s e l y g a i n t h e i r o b j e c t , w h i l e t h o s e w h o m e r e ly
i s th<j s n p p o r t e r o f a ll r e l i g i o n s f o u n d e d 011 t h a t r o c k o f t r u t h , a n d w h o m u m b lo so m o fo r m u la w ith o u t u n d e r s ta n d in g th e m e a n in g , g e t n o
d h a l l s n y t h a t t h e r e is n o f o r m o f C h r i s t i a n i t y w h i c h is s o f o u n d e d ? a n s w e r s t o t h e i r p r a y e r s . A s h a s b e e n s a i d in I s i s U n v e ile d , w e
B u t , u n t i l Lho w in d o w s a r e t h r o w n o p e n t o l e t in Lhe l i g h t , u n t i l a g a l l a n t b e l i e v e p r a y e r is t h e g i v i n g o f e x p r e s s i o n t o t h e d e s i r e , w h ic h g e n e r a t e s
b a n d o f C h r i s t i a n s s t a n d u p f o r t h e i r l o s t G n o s t ic is m , w c a r o q u i t o W i l l . A n d t h i s W il l i s a l l - p o w e r f u l ; i t s e f f e c t d e p e n d i n g , o f
p o w e rle s s . I 11 t h e m e a n t i m e , h o w e v e r , w e h a v e a d n t y to p e r f o r m , to c o n r s e , u p o n a l l t h e s n r r o n n d i n g c o n d i t i o n s . I ’h i l o s o p h e r s c a n b e b n t
p r e v e n t a c rim e fr o m b e in g p u n is h e d b y a n o th e r c rin ic a n d b y g r e a te r fe w . T h e y n e e d n o e x te r n a l c e re m o n y o r o b je c t fo r th e p u rp o s e of
c r i m i n a l s — t o s a v e , i f p o s s i b le , th o s t i l l q u i v e r i n g lif e i m p u l s e i n th o c o n c e n tra tin g th e ir W ill-fo rc e . We c a n n o t e x p e c t th e o rd in a ry
o ld A s ia tic re lig io n s fro m b e in g c ru s h e d o u t b y th e d e a d w e ig h t o f m o r t a l s , w h o s o s e n s n o u s p e r c e p t i o n s a n d a v o c a tio n s d o n o t p e r m i t t h e m
M i s s i o n a r y C h r i s t i a n i t y , Llic w o r s e t h a n I s l a m i c I c o n o o l a s m o f o u r to p o n e tr a to b e h in d th e m a s k , to d o w ith o n t th e h e lp o f s o m e e x te r n a l
m o d em days. p ro c ess. W h a t w o r e g r e t is th e d e g e n e ra tio n o f th i s r e a l p r a y e r —
A IIUMIILE ClIKLA OP A G k EAT MASTEB. th e o u tw a r d e x p re s s io n o f th e in w a rd fe e lin g — in to a m e a n in g le s s
j u m b l o o f w o r d s . T h o p r a y e r o f t h e p h i l o s o p h e r is h i s c o n t e m p l a t i o n ,
ON PRA Y ER. a n a r t i c l o o n w h i c h s n b j e c t w i l l h e f o u n d in t h e l a s t n u q i b e r o f th o
T h e o s o p h is t .
I n your last issue Mr. V. K. Rajw ade solves the question --------------- D . K . M.
W hy aro men averse to prayer ?” But his argum ents are not A N EED ED D E F IN IT IO N .
satisfactory to many. W ith your permission, I will explain Adept, the Medium, and tho O rdinary Fellow are to be
T he
briefly why men holding the identical views with him as represented by Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
regards Brahm, Iswara and Jiva, differ from the conclusions No. 1 only feels in the Esoteric state.
he arrives at. No. 2 feels and speaks in the Eso-exoteric state.
Mr. Rajwade does not say w hat he means by prayer: No. 3 is capable of speaking only in the Exoteric state.
but if ho means the outburst of feeling and the solicitations So, No. 2 forms a sort of link between the two- states,
of ono to approach tho “ Great-self,” there can be 110 harm giving vent, according to destiny, to marks, partly compre­
in w hatever way the outburst takes place or in whatever hensible and partly incomprehensible to No. 3, and bears a
Jorm the solicitations are made. Mr. Rajwade in bringing ■rem arkable resemblance to the Zoophite, uniting the animal
into field the three terms Brahmanda, Atma and Doha, virtu­ and vegetable kingdoms.
ally admits the existence of three in place of one, Even 0. M,
 ESO T E R IC C H R IST IA N IT Y .
I h a v e read with satisfaction Dr. A. K ingsford’s address
to the President, which appears in the 'Theosophist Supple­
ment for Jan u ary 1884.
Since ray acquaintance w ith the Theosophist, I have been
sorry to see antagonistic language employed w ith reference to
Christianity and the advertisements of A nti-christian works
appearing in its columns, although I understood th at such
language, so sure of m isinterpretation, was only being used
against the adulterators of this sublime creed. I feared too
that the public m ight form their estim ate of the Society by
detaching phrases from the context of its literature and not
by studying the careful expositions of an E ditor.
I knew th a t it was the high aim of Theosophy to remove
the disfiguring crusts of exotericisin from all creeds, but at
the same tim e I bewailed the habit of calling in the aid of
tliose who sought to overthrow every sign of a creed, w ith­
out seeing the need of preserving the esoteric and spiritual
beauties these signs denoted.
God has said (according to the Chinese) with supreme
insight into hum an impulses, “ those who worship idols
worship Me still, it m arks an advance in worship when
idols can be dispensed w ith.
Theosophy is a t once Destroyer and Preserver, whilst
authors of A nti-christian literature can only be compared to
those Im ’typ'ian hordes who lay waste a country, heedless
of their owrt interests and those of humanity.
At last, the President of the London Lodge has p u t into
words the thoughts of Esoteric Christians on the subject, and
as prominence to them seems to me not out of place and their
significance may have been missed by some, I venture to ask
you to reproduce them, if space permits.
“ To me personally, it has always been a m atter of regret
that in attacking the orthodox presentation of Christianity,
your Society has hitherto been hardly careful to guard itself
against the im putation of antagonism to the essential
mysteries of th a t religion.
* * # wo do not understand, how any one cau teach it. It is different from
I t is not by wholly setting aside and rejecting names and
symbols, hallowed by fam iliar use among our people from
their birth as a nation, that we shall create for ourselves the
largest sphere of usefulness. I t is not so much the revela­
tion of a new religious system th at is needed here, as a true
interpretation of the religion now existing.”
D. M. S t r o n g , Lt.-Col., f . t . s . ,
10th Bengal Lancers.
TH E O SO PH Y —W H A T IT IS.
T h e o s o p u y , as understood by me, is made up of three
elements, viz., universal brotherhood, knowledge of truths
discovered by science generally known to th e ordinary
scientists, and knowledge of tru th s still in store for them.
It may be described in another way, viz., “ universal religion
and science, reconciled.” To be a Theosophist, he m ust
acknowledge and practise universal brotherhood. If he is
not prepared to adm it this principle, he cannot be a Theoso­
phist. Iu addition to this, he should be a student of tru th s
generally known, of course, to the extent of his capacity. He
should besides be a searcher of tru th s hitherto unknown.
If he be all these three, he is undoubtedly a Theosophist. I t is
however possible th a t one may not be capable of knowing
scientific truths, extant or prospective, and yet may be able
to recognise and practise Universal Brotherhood ; ho is still
a Theosophist. No one who does not adm it and practise U ni­
versal Brotherhood, though he be a scientist of the first
degree, can ever be a. Theosophist.
W hat aro vulgarly called phenomena, are really effects
produced by causes recognised by laws of nature ascertained
or ascertainable by science. Steam engine was once a pheno­
menon to this world. So were telegraph, telephone, gas light,
electric light, &c. Even horse-riding was a phenomenon to the
aboriginal tribes of America. Eclipse served as a pheno­
menon to Columbus for very valuable purposes.
A thing is a phenomenon or even a miracle, so long as its
natural cause is not known.
K rsshnavilass, > R . R a g o O n a th R o w , f . t. s.
2hth January 1884, j
ID O L W O R S H IP .
In your issue, Vol. 8, N o. 12, d ated S ep tem b er 1882,
page 303, “ co rresp o n d en t's colum n 2 ,” I read u n d er
“ Id o la try in th e S h a stra s,” th a t Mr. “ D .,” P . T. S., is
quite p rep ared to prove th a t idol worship is san ctioned
in tlie Slm stras (i . e., th e four H indoo V edas); an d I w ish
you will be good enough to ex tract the le tte r* sig n e d
B. P . X . in th e accom panying Epiphany, .‘ind inform
th a t g en tlem an th ro u g h th e medium of your v aluable
•Journal tlia t 1 am ready to co n trad ict his sta te m e n ts in.
favor of idol w orship.
Y o u rs faithfully,
A . Y alpanam.
C alcutta , 10th J a n u a r y 1884.
P e a r M r . E d ito r:—I hereunder enumerate a profusion of golden
proofs selected from various Shastras of tlie Hindoos as I promised at
tlie end of my introdnction 10 the origin of idol worship in India;
but I wonder where Babu Ishan Chundra Ghoso found tliat “ tho
Vedas enjoin upon the Aryan Hindoos the worship of th at Supremo
Being throngh the manifestations of Ilis attributes in nature’s works.”
I assure you that there is not a single Text in the so-called Veda
or Sruti which could encourage the idol worship, but many which
discourage it. However I shall deal with his letters Nos. I and II in
their right place. A s I fear that your journal cannot afford much
space for both the Texts and their translations, I beg to note hero u
few names of the Hindoo’s sacred books, and the respective pages
wherein the Texts are found with tlieir translations.
Translations of the Texts:--Mun (God says) dishonours me by idol-
worship while I livo always in all moveable and immoveable things.
Whosoever through foolishness, neglecting the worship of mo in spirit,
adores idol worship, his pujah will go in vain as ghee is poured into
burnt ashes Oh Sinner ! I shall not be pleased with those who causo
disgrace to fall on nature's works by making idols, and worship these,
placing before them valuable fruits, &c.:—Bhagavata, 3rd Skandha, 29th
Adhyaya.
H^ who desires very earnestly the worship of idols is neither a votary
of me, nor any other but a worldly man :-^Bhagavata, 11th Skanda, 2nd
Adhyaya*
(These two quotations, from the Bhagavata, are originally drawn from
tho Vedas.)
The eyo does not go thither, nor speeoh, nof mind. We do not know,
the known, it is also above the unknown, thus we have heard from thoso
of old who taught us this.
That whieh is not expressed by Fpoech and by which speech ia
expressed, that alone know as Brahmin, not that which people adoro
hero.
Tliat which does not think by mind, and by whicli they say, mind ia
thought, that alone know as Brahmin, not that which people here adore.
That which does not see by tho eye, and by which one sees (the work
pf) tho eyes, th at alone know as Brahmin, not that which people hero
adoro.
That which does not hear by tho ear, and by which the ear is heard,
that alone know as Brahmin, not that which people hero adoro.
Talavakara-Upanishad I-Kanda 1-8.
Whenever a man believes and trusts that his happiness is in Him
Who is a Spirit, then only he frees himself from every sort of fear*
Whenever a man thinks it otherwise, does not fear riso in him ? (Se®
tho Commentators.)
Taitrya-Upanishad. Brahmananda Vally Anuvaka 7—.
He (tho Self) encircled all, bright, incorporeal, scathelesB, without?
muscles, puro, untouched, &c.t <fcc.
All who worship what is not real knowledge enter into blind darkness,
<fcc-, &c.
Vagasaney-Samhita-Upauishad 8*9.
Whatever action which is not disgraceful; that should be done an<3[
observed.
Whatever thing is good to me and that should be exercised by yon#
(The context here shews that the disgraceful action referred t Ot
is idolatry, so also do the Commentators.)
Taitrya-Upanishad. Shishta Vally Anuvaka 11—«
Whatever is fonjid consistent with the Vedas in the Agama, Ithigasa
Parana, <fcc., is acceptable, and inconsistencies should be oat off—Sanka-
raehariar (the Great Commentator of Vedas.)
Sankaracharia, in the context, speaks of idolatry as “ inconsistent with
the Vedas.’*
One that dispels his heathen blindness and proclaims Him th a t shines
as sun has risen “ I know Him the Mahapurush,” he oonquers death.
Thero is no other way except this to obtain heaven.—Suvatha-Suvethara*
Upanishad, 3rd Adhiyayu, 8th Anuvaga.
“ Heathen blindness” hero admittedly refers to idol-worship.
Who understands Him th at He is beauty of beanties, no body or pain,
they shall enjoy everlasting bliss, the contrary shall suffer—the same
above 10th Anuvaga.
Vide tho samo Upanishad, Gth Adhyaya Jl-12 verses* u None shall
obtain heaven except those th at see God is in themselves.’’
* E d . Note.—We accede with pleasure to our correspondent's desire
aud re-publish tho eaid letter from E p i p h a n y of Deo. J5, 1883—
verbatim, "
 Sec 15th verse “ JCadopa-Upanishad, 4th Val'y, 11 th verso.
(A. m an) “ could reach Him by mind only. There nre no kinds. One
thnt sees God here in various forms and shapes, goes from death to
doath.”
Sco 5th Yally, 12th verse.
„ „ 13th „ _
Rise up and awake from tlie sleep of idol-worship ; and having ap«
proached able teachers (holy men), ncquiro knowledge of (Jod, the
o r ig in o f th e S o u l : for tho way to the knowledge of God is considered by
■wise men difficult as tho passage over the sharp edge of a razor.—
ICadopa-U] anishad, Hrd Yally, 11 th verse.
All who worsliip ^h at is not thc true cause, enter into blind darkness ;
ihose who delight in the worship of the created enter as it wore iuto
creator darkness.—Vagasncyi Siimhita-Up'inishad, 12th verso.
Ifc is thonght to he known (as if) by awakening arid (then) we obtain
im mortality indeed.—Taiavakara Upanishad, 2nd Ivandsi, 4th verse.
Those fools who immersed in ignorance, (h a t in, th e f o o l i s h pr actic e
<f r ite s , consider themselves to be wise and learned, wnnder about,
repeatedly snbjecting themselves to b i r f h , dis ea se, d e a t h a n d other
pains, like blind men when gnided l>y a blind man.—Munduk Upanishad,
F irst Muduk, 2nd Adhyaya, Oth verse.
Engaged iu various manners of rite* nnd sacrifices, the ignorant are
Fure of obtaining their objects : but as tho observers of such rites,
from excessive desire of fruition, remain destitute of a knowledge, itc.,
—Munduk Upanishad, First Munduk, 2nd Adhiyaya, 10th verse.
There .are thoasands of other proof* from the Vedas, which I will
w rite down if any of your idol-worshipping correspondents think the
foregoing are insufficient. Hy tlie bye I shall be ready to argue from tho
4 Vedas vorbally with nny desirous of conviction of thc true worship
of tho trno God, if t.h«y care to call on me at the Oxford Mission llouse,
!No. 154-, Dow Bazaar Street.
B. F. X.
(T o be c o n t in u e d ,)
rt u i 4 iu I i .
LA L IN G U IS T IQ U E D E V O IL E E (L IN G U IS T IC S
U N V E IL E D .)
By M. L . L evy B in g , F. T. S.*
T m s extraordinary and learned work on a most fascinat­
ing subject in the circle of the sciences is by one of onr
Fellows belonging to a Paris B ranch. Tho gentleman i.s au
Israelite, an eminent, member of m any scientific societies and
known as a great scholar and original thinker in Philology,
especially Scinitic. This quarto book of some 450 pages is a
valuable contribution to the Science of Language. W ith no
ordinary skill and boldness the author supports a long ex­
ploded philological hypothesis— still 110 doubt a pet theory
with many a Jew ish or C hristian Ecclesiastic, and one in no
way very original, as the author in the fulness of his heart im a­
gines.
The task before the reader of this book is anything
b u t easy, for he has to determ ine w hat lie should admire
m ost—the astounding conclusions draw n by the author, or the
ingennily and boldness with which he m aintains th a t thc
so-called Aryan, Indo-European or Indo-Germanie Family of
languages aro one and all derived from an obscure Semitic
tongue, viz., the Phconioian, the language of Carthage, and of
th a t enterprising race of m erchaut-m ariners settled at the
daw n of history 011 the shores of the M editerranean who have
been known to have sailed beyond thc Pillars of Hercules
and established colonies on the W estern coasts of Spain,
France and even England. The boldness of the attem pt is
ho dryibt as unique as it is astounding. I t is neither more
nor less than a determined plan to knock down and subvert
the present science of Comparative Philology, an elaborate
and collective superstructure reared mostly by thc German
linguists, bearing snch great names as Bopp, Grimm, H erder
Mid Heyse, and illum inated by a galaxy of other European
savants, who have worked laboriously in the same field of
research with rem irkably unanimous if not always splendid
results. Hence, the author cannot be surprised to learn
th a t students of philology, trained as they are in the
modern well established methods of philological research,
■will receive his conclusions w ith a shock. H e cannot
expect his theories, innocent as they m ust appear to every
orthodox philologist of all scientific treatm ent, to be appre­
ciated by any of them, notw ithstanding his skill and inge­
nuity to establish the Phoenician parentage of tho Aryan
fam ily of languages.
I t would not bo an unprofitable task were we first of all to
lay before the profane readers of our Jo u rn a l a short sketch
* M e m b e r o f t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y — “ S o c ie te S c ie n tif i q a o
O c c u ltis te s d e F r a n c o .” — P a r is , " s p e e c h ,” p a g e 2 8 4 ,
of the present state of Philology, and the scientific methods
by which the em inent Philologists,— the great G urus of the
U ninitiated in this line of research—have established tlieir
facts, of the so-called splendid results they have achieved,
and of the fascinating vistas th at have opened before their
eyes to th cirg re at satisfaction. These results, we are told, havo
enabled them to peer more closely than before into the his­
tory of hum anity “ from its first beginnings,” thus affording
them an almost unexpected source, ah efficient help to Arch­
eology and Ethnology. The field is so vast and the task so
fascinating to their direct profane admirers, th at it would be
idle to expect any justice done to it in a magazine article.
B ut some attem pt may be made in order to enable the reader
to estimate at their true value the theories so boldly pro­
pounded and the assertions so recklessly made by this verit­
able apostle of Hebraism, M. Levy Bing, the author of this
strange book.
W ithout attem pting an elaborate definition of Philology,
it is enough to state that this young science, scarcely half a
century old in Europe, ( i t may be said to have taken its
rise from Bopp’s Comparative Grammar of the Aryan Lan­
guages)— treats of the origin, growth and decay of language,
th a t subtle instrum ent of human thought—and its various
■vicissitudes through a long series of years. It is rem ark­
ably sim ilar to the science of Biology—another aud hardly
older sister th at has under tho fostering care of a Darwin
and a Haeckel created a sim ilar revolution in human
thought in the domain of the science of livingeforms. As
Biology and the kindred sciences would bo incomplete and
extremely poor w ithout thc element of comparison, so Philo­
logy cannot and will not stand on its legs without be­
ing comparative. I t is not to be inferred from the above
th a t the science of language is a purely modern inven­
tion. On the contrary, it is as old as tlio world, so to
speak. Its germs were scattered broadcast ever since
the dawn of old W estern civilisations, as the student can
ascertain for himself, if he only knows English, from
Max M uller’s Science of Language, l ’lato, the Father of
Philosophy in Europe, to whose comprehensive intellect no
science was foreign, has devoted liis whole Dialogue—Craly-
lns—to onr subject, extracts from which are given by M.
Levy Bing in his book. These germs, from w hat is still be­
lieved an extremely meagre soil, were vitalised almost sud­
denly inlo life at thc beginning of the present century by
the discovery, as European scholars express it, of a finished
and well-cultivated language in the far E ast—the Sanskrit,
whose past is as brilliant as its future m ust be great. This
discovery, notw ithstanding M. Levy B ing’s disparaging re­
marks, due, no doubt, to his pro-scmite proclivities, marks
an era in the history of modern thought. Comparison be­
ing thus the very life-blood of the science of Philology,
similarities and dissimilarities, coincidences and differences
began to be noticed from the first and paved thc way To
classification—as has been the case with Biology, Zoology,
and Botany. The materials at hand wero so many and so varied
th a t they afforded ample opportunities of passing them
through the crucible of strict induction. Plato and others
having failed, it is thought, to rear up the plant of Philology,
simply because their horizon was limited, some having drawn
their m aterials from their own respective languages and their
dialects, disdaining to give a single thought to other, lan­
guages which they in their pride of race called barbarous,*
whilst some in later ages were guided by a theological bias
or sim ilar prejudices. Therefore, all past labours, in this
direction, are proclaimed useless : the philologists of thc past
century have made a mess of the science and—their work
cannot be regarded scientific in any degree.
Now the chief elements in the scientific classification of
languages are certain phonetic laws which are well establish­
ed by the process of strict induction, the resemblance of
gram m atical forms, and last, bnt not the least, the names of
the numerals. Hence, have an-iseu three principal groups or
families of speech—tlie Aryan, the Semitic and the Turanian,
or the Allophyllian, not to speak of others too numerous and
too imperfectly explored to need an y 'm e n tio n here. W hat
* F o r e i g n e r s w e r e c a l l e d Il a r b a r o b y t h e G r e e k s . T h i s w o r d is
f o a n d p h il o lo g ic a ll y c o n n e c t e d w i t h t h e S a n s k r i t “ V a r v a r a , " o n O n o m ato -
p t x ia f o r i n d i s t i n c t s p c o c h . T h e H i n d u s c a llo d t h e m M le n c h h a , f r o m
t h e r o o t M l a i, m e a n i n g t o f a d e , t o b e i n d i s t i n c t , u n i n t e l l i g i b l e - T h e
R u s s i a n s s t i l l c a l l t h e G e r m a n s N ic m e t s f r o m a S la v r o o t m e a n i n g m u te,
u n a b l e t o s p e a k ( c o m p a r e G r e e k ; a g lo s s o s ). T h o H e b r e w s c a lle d th c
dea G e n t i l e s L a o g , — “ s t a m m e r e r s ” ; v id e C a n o n F a r r a r ' s “ F a m i l i e s o f
'
concern us the most are tlie A ryan and tlie Semitic lan­
guages, being not only the most widely diffused, but also tho
most im portant, as being the recognized vehicles of the
thoughts and aspirations of civilized life—therefore, each of
them necessitating a few words of explanation. The former
group, called also Indo-European, comprises the Sanskrit,
the Zend, including the Armenian, the Greek, tlie Latin, the
Teutonic, the Celtic, the L ithuanian and the Slavonic
Branches. The S an sk rit is the parent of the H indi, Punjabi,
Bengali, M arathi, G ujarathi, Siudlii and a few more. The
Teutonic iiranch has the English, the Gorman (the Hooh-
Deutseh, or H ig h Duteli), the Dutch (tbe “ P la tt Dcutseh”
or flat D utch), the Icelandic, the Swedish and a few more.
To the Latin branch belong the Romanic languages par
excellence : tlie French, the Italian, the Spanish, the P o rtu­
guese, the P rovenjal of the. Troubadours and several more.
To the Celtic belong the Gaelic, Irish, Cornish and Welsh.
Tho Russian and Polish ; the B ulgarian and Servian, &c., arc
all Slavonic.
The second family in literary and historical importance,
although it has given three religions to the world—Judaism
and its olf-shoots, Christianity and Mahomedanism—includes
the Hebrew, the Arabic, the Assyrian, the Abyssinian, the
Phoenician, which M. Levy Bing makes so much of, andafow
more.
I t is to be remembered by the lay student th a t mere words
or coincidences of words, as has been forcibly stated by Max
Miiller iu his Survey of Languages, are not sufficient to deter­
mine the group to wliich a language should belong. To take
an instance—the Turkish contains more th a n sixty per cent,
of Arabic words ; still a Philologist would never look upon it
a.s an Arabic (Semitic) language, for the plain reason that
ils grammatical system is purely agglutinative, and therefore
cannot bo Semitic, as it is placed by Max Miiller and
others in tlio Turanian Family. Tho same may be said of the
Literary Tamil in India which, though containing more
thau twenty per cent, or more of S anskrit words, yet
belongs to a sub-group of tho T uranian stock, tho Dravidian,
as its gram m atical system is noi:-Aryan in a m arked degree.
M. Levy Bing objects to the names of these two fa­
milies, and speaks of them as “ inappropriate” in his eighth
chapter. To the name Aryan ho prefers the name “ Indo-
European." This and the word “ Indo-Germanic,” M.
Pictet in his Origines, as quoted by Canon F arrar, desig­
nates as “ ni logiques ni harmouieux,” neither logical nor har­
monious. Max Miiller in his sixth lecture (1st series, Science
u£ Language) very ably demonstrates th a t the word Aryan
(m eaningiu Sanskrit well born, noble) being found* in all the
cognate languages in some form or other together with the
numerous offshoots .of its roots,f A 11 m eaning to plough,
can safely claim universal acceptance. B ut anyhow, what­
ever be the objections raised against the adjectives Aryan
and Semitic, M. Levy Bing m ust know th a t they are now
long established terms in the Science of Language, and can­
not be ousted so unceremoniously from tho philological trea­
tises. Would he object to tho term s oxygen, nitrogen, che­
mistry, protoplasm or metaphysics ?
There is still another rem ark th at we cannot resist tho
temptation of making with reference to the Inductive Methods
of research closely followed by the devotees of this science ;
aud that is, when the same methods are scrupulously mado
4 A reckless philological blunder—an invariable result of tlio igno-
ranoo of phonetic laws in comparative philology—occurs in tho “ Vicis­
situdes of Aryan Civilisation”—a prize essay by Ur. Mahadev M. Kunte
—a Professor of Sanskrit at Poona, we believe. He believes th at tho
word A r y a , meaning noble, ia connected witli tlie English word “ Sir,”
Sir represented by “ lia r” aad “ liar'* corresponding with A r in tho
ndjectival substantive A r y a . This ia certainly philology run mad with
a vengeance, to boot ! Now, if lie had taken tho trouble to get at tho
true derivation of the modern English word “ Sir,’* sncli an unscientific
blunder would have never crept into his otherwise able essay. “ Sir”
is to bo traced to the Latin “ Senior,” the comparative of “ Senex,”
old, having well-known representatives iu all the Itomanic languages.
This word “ Senex” is traceable to the Aryan root “ sau,” represented
111 an old Vedio word “ sans,” old, an cie n t; wheuco “ sanatana,”
ancient, perpetual, everlasting ; compare Gothic “ sinteino,” and Anglo-
Saxon preiix “ sin” —all having the idea of something old. Vide M.
Williams’ Sanskrit Dictionary. A cognate root “ san,” means to honor,
to worship also for “ S e n e c tu s r e v e r e n d a est,” “old age is to be honoured.”
Vide also Z e h e tm a y r 's L e x ic on Etymoloiji ciini C om parix ti v ii m , p. 230 (Ed.
1873.) For the affix —tor, old form—io s , v i d e tbo above and Bopp.
Breal’s G ra m n ia i re C om pa rd e , Vol. II., p* 190.
tF arrar says iu liis “ Origin of Language” that if Erin, the nativo
name of Ireland, be rightly derived from the word “ Arya,” thou “ tho
fact is important as showing that some memory of tlie old name waa
preserved in tlie extreme West aa well aa in the Eust. ” Page 180,
use of in the sub-classes, they invariably lead to the distinct
recognition of the mothers from which they sprang as in the
case of the Romanic languages derived from the Latin, the
Modern Teutonic from the oldest Gothic of Ulfilas, and tho
Indian* languages (A ryan) from the Sanskrit. We should
like to ask w hether M. Levy Bing’s method, which, we are
afraid, is no less haphazard than empirical and dogmatic, could
ever boast of such precision or of such splendid results,
as are achieved by this inductive science in the resusci­
tation of long lost languages and dialects, as the cunei­
form languages of ancient Persia and Babylon ? Could
his methods produce a B union for a Rawlinson, when he
institutes a comparison between his favourite Phoenician
on tho one hand and modern languages derived from tho
Gothic and the Latin, on tho other ? W hat would the in ­
telligent reader think of a Philologist were the la tte r to
compare a Bengali or H indi word with a Gaelic term spoken
in the H ighlands of Scotland, w ithout tracing them back to
their older forms in their respective m other languages ? To
take one instance out of innumerable others in the book
under review, he ascribes a most fanciful and, therefore, un­
scientific derivation to tho French article du (E ng. of the)
derived, as overy one knows, from' the Latin de illo, to the
Chaldean da, whilst in the same breath he avers th at
an (Eng. to the), which he rightly says is for a le (though
it is from tho L atin, a illo) is from the Phoenician al ? Tho
English pronouuf they, he derives from the Phoenician ze,
“ soften,” from Chaldean da-, in them we find— he says —
the m, a Phoenician characteristic of the plural. Instances
of this playing fast and loose w ith etymology are so many
and so bold, th at it is difficult to make a selection of thom.
in the lim ited space at our command.
E rio o p le s , F. T. S.
(To be continued.)
P H Y S IO L O G IC A L C R U E L T Y OR “ F A C T A N D
F A N C Y .”
Bv PlHLANTHROPOS.
S oon a fte r D r. A n n a K in g sfo rd ’s p a p er on V ivisection,
published in th e D ecem ber n um ber of tlie Theosophist,
au d pro b ab ly as an an sw er to th e sam e, we received tho
above nam ed book. I t is very well w ritten , a n d when
th e a u th o r says th a t it is lawful and necessary to m ake
experim ents w ith living- anim als for th e purpose of
allev iatin g hum an suffering, and th a t such e x p erim en ts
should never be m ade except hy co m petent persons and
only when ab so lu te necessity dem ands th em — wo a g re e
w ith him to some e x ten t. O ur m odern scien tists have
n ot, and p ro b ab ly never will, develope th e ir psychic
pow ers to a sufficient e x te n t to becom e clairvoyant.
T hey are stuck u p to th e ir neck in the m ire of m ateriality,
and have no o th e r b u t . physical m eans to help them iu
th e ir discernm ent of the fitness of th in g s. B nt th e a u th o r
dem onstrates too m uch. l i e a ttem p ts to show th a t thero
n ev e r was any abuse of vivisection ; th a t vivisection i.s
n o t a t all painful, and tlia t th e anim als seem to enjoy i t ;
th a t cry in g aud how ling is no sign of pain ; th a t vivisec­
tion is of very rare o c c u rre n c e ; aud th a t the doctors have a
r ig h t to vivisect a n d the people a rig h t b u t to m ind th e ir
own business. W e m u st disagree w ith him, unless we
consider reliable w itnesses as im postors, and those people,
who have m oved aw ay from the vicinity of m edical
colleges on account of th e pitifu l cries of th e to rtu re d
anim als, as b e in g h allucinated.
I n th e D ecem ber n u m b er of D r. Dio L ew is’ “ P o p u lar
M o n th ly /' he has an ed ito rial article on V ivisection or th e
“ A rt of O pening and D issecting L iv in g A nim als.” T he
details a re sh o ck in g enough to stir w ith in d ig n atio n
#].u tho case of tho Indian languages, tlio Held lias been worked
up with a precision und ability that cannot be too innch admired, only
ot late years, by a Bengal Civilian, l)r. John Heames, in hia “ Compara­
tive Grammar of the Modern Aryan L&iiguagoa.” Vida liis Introduction
to Vol. I. j
fF o r an exhaustive and scientific treatm ent of thoso English forms,
we refor the readorto the Now York s a va n t, Prof. Marsh’s C om p a ra ti v e
G r a m m a r o f the A n g l o - S a x o n , (Jr*art I I , Ed. 1875), thau wliich wo know
of no book after Grimmus Deuta*ehe Grammatik, moro perfect in thd
d o m a in o f T e u to n ic P h ilo lo g y ,
 even tlie soul of a R ed In d ia n a t th e cru elties p e rp e trated
in th e nam e of “ Science.” W h e re one such e x p eri­
m en t is m ade in the in te re sts of h u m an ity , a thousand of
th e same kind are daily m ade an d rep e a te d to satisfy
over and over again th e curiosity of som e g ap in g im ­
becile futu re k n ig h t of th e p i l l bog.
S atya K ama S iia u m a
T H E P H IL O S O P H Y A N D S C IE N C E O F
V E D A N T IC R A J A Y O G A *
B y 1). K . M a v a l a n k a r , F . T. S.
I fbeIj really obliged to my frien d an d b ro th e r, Babu
S iris C h an d ra V asu, B. A ., for th e p re se n ta tio n of a copy
of a T reatise on “ Tho P hilo so p h y an d Science of
V e d an tic R aja Y o g a ,” ed ited by him. It, is th e re p rin t
of a book w hich was first published ab o u t four years
ag o , and a notice of w hich will be found on p ag e 147
of Vol. I. of the Theosophist. A t th e tim e th e curious
au to b io g rap h y of th e au th o r wns p u b lish ed in theso
colum ns, his book was p assin g th ro u g h tho p r e s s ; and
alth o u g h the account of th e Sw am i’s (tho a u th o r’s) lifo
looked ra th e r odd, and a trifle too fa n ta stic , th e E d ito r
of th e Theosophist n a tu ra lly en o u g h ab stain ed from
h a zard in g an opinion upon th e m erits of a w ork as yet
unpublished. Tlie n e u tra l a ttitu d e has since been un­
fo rtu n ate ly m isu u d ersto o d , one w ay or a n o th e r ; th e re ­
fore, a few re m a rk s on th e book in its p re se n t form will
n o t be uncalled for.
A careful and a tte n tiv e perusal of th e T reatise forces
th e earn est s tu d e n t of P hilosophy to th e conclusion th a t
a largo portion of it is e ith e r allegorical or th a t it is
a m ystification. B u t th e la tte r is an u n ten ab le suppo­
sition. W o u ld , it is ask ed , tho h ig h ly educated E d itor
liave undertaken th e publication of a w ork, ap; arentlv so
full of im possibilities— nay ab su rd ities, h ad it no hidden
m erits ? Tlio a lte rn a tiv e , th erefo re, to w liH i one is
reduced is, that, th e w ork is a p arab le, th a t it is p u r­
posely veiled, like so m any o th e r treatises ou Occultism
■—iu sh o rt an allegory. I t is needless here to repeat
the im p racticab ility of certain occurrences given out by
th e a u th o r as his p ersonal experiences ; and it m ust be
said th a t th e E d ito r has, to some e x te n t, in a special foot­
note hastened to e x tric a te his hero and him self out of a
really perilous situ atio n . T u rn in g , howevi r, to th e philoso­
phical portion of th e w ork, tw o o r th re e im p o rtan t points
m u st not be om itted to be noticed, 'l'lie au th o r begins by
ta k in g Pap'innfm a as th e G uru, and Jiv n tin a th e disciple.
T h e hitter at the Same tim e is defined to bo “ the reflected
lig h t or ra y ” of th e form er, i. e., ihe Jivatrna referred to
in tho w ork u n d er notice is identical with the seventh
principle of tho O ccultist. A nd y e t a passago on page
2, reads :—
T h o J iv a t m n h a v i n g r e a c h e d t h o f ln b l im o s t h e i g h t o f k n o w l e d g e , b o t h
th e o r e ti c a l a n d p ra c tic a l, by p e r f e c tly u n d e r s ta n d in g a ll ih e p rin c ip le s
o f r i g h t e o u s n e s s smcl v i r t u e in a ll t h o r e l ig io n * o f t h i s a s w e ll a a o f t h o
w o r ld a b o v e , n n d h n v i n g e n j o y e d n il th o w o r l d l y p l e a s u r e s w i t h g r e a t
a v i d i t y , t h o p l e a s u r e s o f a k i n g l y li f e f o r a s h o r t s p a c e o f t i m e i n a
c o r n e r o f t h i s v a s t u n i v e r s e o f t h e A l m i g h t y , a t whovse c a ll t h e r o y a l
h e a d s e v e n lio p r o s t r a t e , t h e p l e n s u r e a r e s u l t i n g f r o m t h o v o l u p t u o u s
b e a u ty o f th e f a i r se x a n d a ll o th e r s e n s u a l p le a s u r e s , n n d s tr iv e d h a r d
f o r t h e a c c u m u l a t i o n o f w e a l t h , a n d g i v i n g h i m s e l f t o a l l k i n d s o f w h im s
a n d c a p r i c e s o f b is u n s t e a d y a n d c h a n g e f u l m i n d , in s h o r t , a f t e r e n j o y ­
i n g a ll t h e p l e a s u r e s , b o t h i n t e l l e c t u a l n n d s e n s u a l , o f t h i s w o r ’d , n n d
f in d i n g t h e m w o r t h l e s s a n d v a i n , c o m e s t> t h e c o n c l u s i o n t h a t n o
w o r l d l y pl< a * n re is l a s t i n g a n d e t e r n a l . H e ln g t h u s d i s g u s t e d w ith a l l
w o rld ly e n jo y m e n ts , th o J iv a t r n a fe e ls d e e p r e m o r s e a n d b e g in s to
r e p e n t s in c e re ly .
A n occultist who will h av e th e p atience to m aster
th is interm inable sentence, need n o t be long in finding
Out th a t th e au th o r has used th e w ord Jivatrna, in th re e
d ifferen t senses, nam ely, th e animal foul, th e hum an
soul and th e spiritu al soul, or, th e fo u rth , th e fifth
an d th e sixth (which is the vehicle of th e seventh) p rin ­
ciple. A tm a — th e seventh p rin cip le— is alipta, and can
n e ith e r enjoy nor suffer. I t is th e fo u rth p rin cip le which
g e n erates th e desire for m aterial en jo y m en t an d th e
* Edited by Uabu Siris Chandra Yasn, B. A-, F. T. S,
hum an soul which ta k es d e lig h t in sensual pleasures,
b u t a t th e sam e tim e it.s up p er stra ta , in which is reflect­
ed th e light, of the six th , try th ro u g h its own inherent
pow ers to b rin g t.lie low er principles under subjection.
O therw ise, it is inconceivable how a principle, or su b ­
stance, which has been im m ersed in one sort of enjoy­
. m ent or suffering, can of itself tu rn its course into
an o th er channel. I t ma.y be a rg u e d th a t, a fie r all, theso
principles are b u t different m anifestations of the same
Param ntvia, and hence might, be all included under the
h ead in g of Jivatrna. A little reflection will, how ever,
show that, position to bo indefensible. F o r the variety
in tho m anifestation of the s;nne essence m ust be due
to th e difference in th e vehicles of m anifestation. If
th ese veh-i^les be different, how can they be called by one
common nam e ? N or does it require a very deep th in k in g
to find o u t th a t it is the vehicles of m anifestation th a t are
nam ed, for the manifested being one, is ab so lu te existence
an d shows no different attrib u te s. I t is th erefore a
m a tte r of g re a t re g re t th a t all th ro u g h o u t th e book the
w ord Jivatrna is used to denote so m any different prin ­
ciples, and th u s is sure fo mislead th e unw ary reader.
The second im p o rta n t p o in t to bo noticed is the fact
th a t Asans, &c., are enjoined for the practice of Vedantic
Ba.j Yoga. To an occultist it is of course ev id en t th a t
the au th o r has ad o pted th e techuical term s of Hatha
Yoga, which will disclose the real 1ia j Yoga system , only
when esotencally in te rp re te d . In one place a process is
described for su b ju g a tin g the tw elve kingdom s, begin­
n in g with tho low est one, which is situ a te in the Kundalre.
A stu d e n t of psychology know s th a t the m ethod refers
to th e im perfections of th e flesh which are to bo con­
quered ono by one, b eg in n in g with th e gro ssest. I t is
a m a tte r, how ever, of g re a t concern as to how m any of
th e readers will feel disposed to give th a t atte n tio n to
the w ork, w hich alone m ay, un d er favourable circum-
stauces, lead them to a correct u n d erstan d in g of the u n der­
ly ing esoteric m ean in g — (I still p ersist in giv in g the
au th o r the benefit of th e d oubt, an d feel ready to adm it
such a m eaning in his w ork). T h irdly, th e language put
in to the m onth of the Guroo is sucli as to confuse the
read er g re a tly before he can find out w h eth er by " pre­
c ep to r” the P aram atin a is m ean t, or— th e au th o r him ­
self. T hese are am ong th e chief peculiarities th a t
p erm eate alm ost th e whole of tho T r e a tis e ; and henco
it is very d o u btful w h e th er its perusal will do any good to
th e g e n eral public. F o r only those can u n d e rsta n d it
who have studied esoteric philosophy up to a certain
p o i n t ; and for them th e w ork contains very little they
do not know : w hile th e ordinary re a d e r will be misled
by th e exoteric phraseology adopted, a n d consequently
find th e T reatise positively m isleading and harm ful. H ow ­
ever, th e m otives of the a u th o r and th e e d ito r being no
d o u b t p erfectly benevolent, it is hoped th a t these rem arks
m ay help to rem ove all grounds of apprehension in the
fu tu re . T he editorial notes and appendices added to the
second edition are of a certain im portance, and if p ro ­
perly understood, a re calculated to throw lig h t upon some
of tho m ost obscure passages in the tex t. T hey also
help to a clearer u n d e rsta n d in g of the A dw aita D octrine
as propounded by S rim at S ankaracharya, w hich, unfor­
tu n a tely , the a u th o r p u ts in a very m isleading form.
T he E d ito r is deserv in g of all praise an d th an k s for-
hav in g , by his notes, attem pted to rescue his reader,
who, otherw ise, would have been left hopelessly floun­
d e rin g in a sea of m isconceptions. W e would recom ­
m end th e little T reatise to onr stu d e n ts on accouut of
its A p p en d ix . W e hope th a t th ey will carefully peruse
it, for it does an infinite credit to th e E d ito r.
Since the above Review was in type, Mr. R. C. Bary,
the Publisher of the Treatise, has kindly sent a copy of the
same to the Theosophist office. In the absence of the Editors
from Madras, I beg to thank Mr. Bary on their behalf, for
the pam phlet.
D. K. M.
 P e rp e tu a l A lm a n a c . : —We beg to acknowledge w ith
thanks receipt of a copy of “ A Perpetual C alendar,” kindly
presented to us by Munshi Tej Rai, F. T. S., a teacher in
the Bareilly College. I t begins with the year 1800 and runs
up to 6099 of the Christian Era — a flattering though rath er
too sanguine prophecy for tlie latter. I t is a groat conveni­
ence to be able to find out the days of m onths for so many
years, by the means of but half a sheet of paper. Of course
its greatest utility will be rath er for the future AstronomeVs
and Astrologers, ordinary men being h ardly expected to live
beyond a forty-tliird part of the period over which the calcu­
lations of the Perpetual Calendar extend. All tho same, the
little sheet-alm anae will accomplish its beneficent mission.
The same author has favoured us w ith a copy of P a rt II
of his “ S c h o l a r ’s G u i d e t o A l g e b r a , o r a C o m p l e t e E x e u c i s b
B o o k f o r t h e d s e o f H i g h k r C l a s s e s i n I n d i a n S c h o o l s . ” The
work, we are told, is intended for candidates working for
the entrance examination of Indian Universities. The pre­
sent part treats of additions and subtractions of Algebraical
fractions. W e are fu rth er inform ed th a t the fourth part,
which is in the press and is shortly expected to bo out, treats
of simple equations of one unknown quantity. We trust
the efforts of our scholarly B rother in the interests of young
students will prove beneficial and successful,and tliat he will
receive the patronage his work may deserve.
N u m b e r 3 of th e Alpha, Vol. IX , an A m erican journal
connected, as wo u n d erstan d , w ith t h e ‘' Moral E ducation
S ociety,” contains so m eth in g q u ite unusual, » rara avis
in the colum ns of auy m agazine or daily, n am ely — p
fair and unbiased m ention of o u r Society, followed by
a le tte r from one of th e lady m em bers of our R ochester
B ranch, to tho ed ito r of Alpha, Mrs. W inslow . Says
th e e d ito r :—
We are in receipt of a very interesting pam phlet.........................
published in Madras, India, containing observations and
explanations of this too imperfectly known association. The
very namo theosophy ia a mystery to tho common mind.
The word signifies “ wise in the things of God,” and through
this wisdom tho attainment of direct communication witli God as
distinguished from a revealed knowledge, which is supposed to
be attained hy extraordinary illumination, a direct insight into
tho processes of the divine mind and the interior relations of the
divine nature. This is the aspiration of the Eastern Adept, and
theso wise men are said to develop alm ost superhuman natural
powers, often controlling tho elem ents, reading the souls, aud
influencing the minds of men of lesser growth. But according
to a very interesting account of au American branch socioty,
from a letter which we give below, theosophy means to their
members the strictest temperance in all things, perfect self­
control, charity, benevoleuce, and even tenor of mind, which
tend to soul development. In this respect there is harmony of
sentiment betweeu them and our owu society for moral edu­
cation.
India, and the spirituality of this ancient people, seems very
near to us just now, by reason of the knowledge of theosophy,
F. Marian Crawford’s novel, “ Mr. Isaacs,” aud the information
obtained from tlio lectures and social conversation of the Hir.doo
Brahmin, Mozoomdar, who is now delighting tho religious world
with his sweet Christian spirit, his elegant and eloquent use of
the English language aud the knowledge he imparts of his
wonderful country, and the reform religious society he repre­
sents, known as Brahmo Soinaj.* W e are glad to know
of these things, aud that the study of theosophy has begun in
our own country. May such societies multiply and may our
young men and women become adepts iu wisdom.
R o c h e s te r , N. Y., October 9, 1883.
My D ea£ M r s . W i n s l o w , — I cannot express the pain it gave
mo to hear of your poor health. Of all women I know of in
the world I would have you well. I now wish more than ever
you had como to us when you went away for your health.
When peoplo can get no relief elsewhere, thoy seem to drift to
us and get well. They nearly always como and stay a while with
me, and there seems to be a power with us through which it
is done. I know not from whence it comes. Spiritualists say
it is spirits do it all and that 1 ain not honest enough to
give tho credit whero it is due, and I used to think m yself it
was spirits. I know now such is not the case, but that I
psychologised myself to see and foel as I did, and many other
honest persons considering them selves spirit mediums are in
* K n o w n a s tlio N e w D is p e n s a t io n o i t h e l a t e K e a l iu b C l m u d e r S o u ,
M r . M o z o o m d a r is no B r a h m i n , a s lie h i m s e l f k n o w s . H e o u g h t to
c o r r c c t t h i s m i s t a k e n iio tio u w h ic h h a s c r e p t i u t o m a n y A m e r i c a n
p a p e rs ,— E d , . tlio rare in te lle ctu a l endow m ents of P ro f. B uchanan
a similar condition. Some of our own friends are now con­
vinced that no spirit out of the form has ever controlled them,
and others who feel “ spirits” may have influenced them, feel
it has been to their cost, and we as a society “ fear" for our­
selves to investigate spiritism without the Eastern A depts to
aid us. They are never controlled by spirits, but control thom.
My dear Mrs. W inslow, I have touched ou this subject that you
may fully understand the aims of the Theosophical Society.
Many of the members have been spiritists for years, and while now
denying nothing to spiritists, toe for ourselves fear to investi­
gate further without any means lo try spirits as commanded
so long ago by one who knows. You would like to know the
aims of our society. I really do not know how to till you so much
in so little time and space. I shall send with this a pamphlet
explanatory of theosophy, but probably our society is not like
any other “ branch,” as so many of our rules have grown up
among oursolves. The most important one being perfect self­
control, perfect temperance in all things, perfect cleanliness of
body, chastity of mind nnd body, perfect toleration of the opini­
ons of others, and higher than all comes “ charity.” We also
consider it a great misfortune to give paiu to any human being
or animal, consequently we eat nothing having life. We com­
menced by leaving off flesh diet, and to control anger and.
remain calm under all circum stances. Wo also listen to
tho woe of the most lowly, and have never been asked
for aid in vain. We beli,eve man has great possibilities, and if
he lived iu harmony with his human and divine nature, he
could do as did Jesus of old. W e have great veneration for our
own and tho Bibles of other nations, believing them all to have
been more or less inspired. We believe the law of compensation is
inevitable and eternal, and tbat every sin must be atoned for.
1 think you will appreciate the steepness of our path, but we
struggle on, falling backward and climbing up again sad and
weary, but firm and determined, cheered on by each other in
kindness, and we really have made some great strides upward,
for we have overcome the appetite for meat and other food much
liked by us, and some of our members had used tobacco thirty
years, and would not use it in any way now. None of the
society indulge iu any of the small vices “ so called,” and another
evidence of the progressed condition of our society is, its appreci­
ation and approval of T h e A l p h a . Need I say more for tho young
men and women of this group? _
I have now given you a sketch of this chapter of the Theosophi­
cal Society, roughly drawn by an unskilled band, having but one
merit, that of truth, which I think will be vouched for by tho
whole thirty-six, “ and though we may fail many times, wo aro
trying to become more than neophytes in the great science of
theosophy.’’ Som e of us have been theosophist for four years, and
have abstained from meat since then, l'arker Pillsbury, one of
the number, though he was but ju st initiated into the brother­
hood, is still with us, brave and true as ever, and as ever working
on tho unpopular side. If he were not brave and unselfish aa
only he cun be, his wonderful book on which he is toiling with
his m ight would never see tho light of day. W e found he was
fully appreciated in India when he vouched for ns, thus making
it possible for us to get onr “ charter,” and again I think he will
vouch for the present letter to yourself. I suppose it would be
well to add, the founders of this Theosophical Socioty are in com­
munication with the “ W ise Men of the East.” And we have been
made aware to our perfect satisfaction that some of those Wise
Men still live and have lived many, many hundred years, and by
following in the foot-steps of Christ possess his powers and his
promise, “ the last enemy overcome is d eath .” Indeed, we have
those in the parent society who have seen, conversed with, and
been guided by them by written m essages, &c., &c. And we can
call upon them in secret, and after establishing a sympathy
toward us by our worthiness of their assistance for unselfish rea­
sons they will inspire and lead us to tbo ligh t. W e know of one
who has been instructed by his Guide and is now healing the
sick, and has healed over four thousand persons of all manner of
diseases, and he denies that any spirit of the dead had anything
to do wir.h him. All is done by a pure life and psychological
law. I shall soon be able to send you undeniable evidence of
theso facts. I think tho seventh seal is about to be broken.
Ever gratefully,
("Mas.) J. H. C a b l e s , P . T. S-
PSY CH O M ETRY .
F ro m a priv ate le tte r to our energetic friend, M rs.
P a rk e r, from P ro fesso r J . It. B uchanan, wo learn th a t
th a t d istin g u ish e d gentlem an is engag ed in p re p a rin g
for th e press a w ork upon Paychoinctry. H is wife, who
is one of th e bost psychom eters living, is, he w rites,
“ continually fu rn ish in g m aterial fo r illu stra tio n . Y es­
te rd ay , she described E l M ahdi, th e M ahom edan leador
and p ro p h et of tho S oudan. She says lie is a g re a t seor
aud has a rem ark ab le fu tu re — b ein g a superior m an.”
T he w riter has enjoyed th c friendship aud appreciated
fo r ab o u t th irty years, a n d h as alw ays deeply re g re tte d h e r clean clothes, locked up in a box, were p u t on h er
th a t he has n ev er ta k e n th e tro u b le to p roduce a tre a tise an d ex c h an g ed fo r those she w ore while she was lying
upon th e beautiful a n d suprem ely im p o rta n t science of q u ietly in bed.
w hich he was th e m o d em re-discoverer. B eyond dev o ting People from all p a rts cam e to see her. A s Ruffee
to it a c h ap ter in his w ork upon A n th ro p o lo g y — published was situ a te d on th e B ordeaux line, a road w hich was
m ore than a q u a rte r ce n tu ry ago, au d an occasional article m uch used by th e G overnm ent officers of th a t tim e,
in his long -ex tin ct Journal of Man, h e has n o t given it, E u g en ie was visited, am ongst others, by M onsieur T hiers,
so fa r as we are aw are, an y special a tte n tio n . To Pro­ who passed th e re a n ig h t to w itness these th in g s.
fessor and Mrs. D en to n , n o t to th e D iscoverer, are we A ll th e people of th e G overnm ent, deleg ates and
in d e b ted for an elucidation of th e s u b je c t; y e t though m inisters, cam e to see th e seeress of Genecy.
th e Soul of things is in th ree volum es, a n d th e ir co n tents A fte r I h a d been to ld of th e se phenom ena, I h u rried
a re m o st in te re stin g , th e read er scarcely finds th a t full to see th em m yself a n d sta rte d for th e place w ith
elucidation of th e psychom etric facu lty an d how to deve­ M onsieur T horel and his friend, D r. B oudoin. I took
lope a n d su stain it, which is needed. I f P ro f. B uchanan w ith m e D octor de G uerne, so as to be m ore secure in
cares for a w orld-w ide circulation for his prom ised book, our observations ; because a t th a t tim e I was only a
h e w ould do well to m ake it in one volum e of 400 to 500 stu d e n t of m edicine.
p a g e s, an d p u t it a t a price th a t will n o t be prohib itory. I h a d a t th a t tim e a som nam bulic person a3 su bject in
W e have alread y some th o u san d s of E n g lish reading h an d . S h e h a d e x tra o rd in a ry clairvoyant pow ers, and so,
T heosophists in A sia alone, an d feel p erfectly sure th a t of course, we took h e r w ith us, and we exp ected to make
th e book would bo w elco m ed . eagerly if of th e form de­ use of h e r for th e purpose of co n trolling th e phenom ena
scribed. P syehom etry em bodies even m ore p o ten tialities of E ugenie.
fo r in stru c tin g an d elevating a v erag e h u m an ity th an W h en we a rriv ed a t Ruffee, we said n o th in g about
C lairvoyance. W h ile th e la tte r fa c u lty is m ost rare, and our p ro ject. W e sta rte d a t n ig h t for Genecy, ho p in g to
m ore ra re ly still to be found, unless accom panied b y a su rp rise E ugenie before she would be able to h e a r of our
tendency in th e clairv o y an t to self-deception and the m is­ arrival.
leading of o th ers, b y reason of im p erfect control over M onsieur T horel h ad selected th e b est horse in his
th e Im a g in a tio n , th e psych o m eter sees th e secrets of the stab le, an d our trip seem ed to come to an end w ithout
Akasa by th e “ E ye of S iva,” w hilo corporeally awake any rem ark ab le in cid en t, w hen suddenly th e horse
and in full possession of his bodily senses. A perfectly stopped and refused to advance fu rth e r. M onsieur
in d ependen t clairv o y an t one m ay m eet w ith once or twice T horel took it by th e b rid le and a tte m p te d to lead it on ;
in a lifetim e, b u t p sychom eters abound in every circle of b u t all his efforts w ere in vain. T he horse, covered w ith
society, nay, m ay be found in alm ost every house. sw eat, was tre m b lin g in every lim b and n eighing in a
M uch sham eless abuse of ourselves h as at different m anner in d ic atin g te rro r and pain.
tim es come into th e press from A m erican sources— chiefly I th en inv ited my som nam bule to come out of the
from S p iritu a lists, who have show n very b ad ju d g m e n t ca rria g e an d m ag n etised h er to find o u t w h at was the
in m aking them selves so co n tem p tib le. I t is all th e m ore m a tte r. She described phantom s and m onstrous beasts
g ra tify in g to read th e follow ing rem ark s upon us and who o b stru c te d th e road in fro n t of our horse. The
our m ovem ent b y P ro fesso r B u ch an an — him self one of the cause of th is phenom enon was explained to us in this
m ost resp ected au th o rities in th e A m erican sp iritu a listic m anner. H av in g arrived a t G enecy n ea r th e residence
w orld :— of E n g en ie, she h ad already perceived us by her clair­
I lo v e th o tr o p ic a l c lim a te s a n d p e o p le a n d h o p o s o m e d a y to h a v o voyant sig h t and knew our object. W e were forced to
a g o o d t i m e in I n d i a . I h a v e b e e n i n t e r e s t e d in t h e p r o g r e s s o f m y ta k e a n o th er routo, which was pointed out to us by our
f r i e n d s M m e . B la v a t s k y a n d C o l. O l c o t t , a n d h a v o s e n t t h e m c o p i e s o f
m y b o o k — M o r a l E d u c a t io n .* I n l o o k i n g o v e r t h e T h e o s o p h is t I p e r -
clairvoyant.
c c iv o w h a t a g r a n d fio ld h a g b o o n s u c c e s s f u l l y o c o n p i e d , a n d I r e j o ic e T he c o ttag e in w hich E ngenie lived was an isolated
t h a t B la v a ts k y a n d O lc o tt e s c a p o d fro m t h e a t m o s p h e r e o f N e w Y o rk . house by the side of the road. I t s appearance was very
O u r c o u n t r y is v e r y I tt r g e ly t h e la n d o f m a t e r i a l i s m , a v a r i c e , a n d s o m e ­
m iserable, and in th e in te rio r th e re was only one window
tim e s h y p o c ritic a l s e lf is h n e s s ; w e a r e a m id s t a c o n n t e r f e it C h r is ti­
a n i t y , a s t o l i d s c ie n c o , a n d a v a s t a r e a o f h n m a n l i t t l e n e s s . B n t s till th ro u g h w hich th o lig h t of day fell upon th e seeress,
t h e r o a r e m a n y b r i g h t s o n ls h e r o a n d t h e r o a n d t h e y a r e th o l e a v e n o f who was ly in g in a bed, th e serge-curtains of w hich were
th e fn tn ro . fasteued to th e bed posts. The w hite clothes which the
T his is equally th e case in ev ery o th e r country, it seeress w ore, form ed quite a co n trast w ith the squalid
w ould seem. Ex uno disce om nes. app earan ce of th e su rrounding fu rn itu re, w hich consisted
Of a ta b le , four chairs aud a tru n k .
E u g en ie seem ed to be from 35 to 40 years of age, of a
L IV IN G V A M P IR E S A N D T H E V A M P IR IS M O F d a rk com plexion and nervo-bilious tem peram ent. H er
T H E G R A V E I N O U R S O C IA L IN S T IT U T IO N S . face was round, h e r h air black as th e w iugs of a raven,
h e r eyes p ro je ctin g an d ro u n d , grey w ith a g reen tin t,
B y D e . F o r t i n , F . T . S. sp o tte d w ith brow n. T hey shone w ith a feverish glare,
M o n s i e d r T h o r e l a n d one of his frien d s, a physician, th e pupils w ere lig h tly d ila te d and had all the c h a ra c te r­
v isite d m e a t P a ris . T hese g en tlem en cam e to inform istic app earan ces in d ica tin g an am aurotic condition.
m e of som e e x tra o rd in a ry th in g s w hich were g o in g on H e r eyes were insensible to even stro n g lig h t, h e r m outh
a t G enecy, a village situ a te d n e a r Ruffee. was la rg e a n d her te e th fo u l; her hands w ere e x tra o rd i­
A g irl nam ed E u g en ie, whose physiological ch arac­ n arily fine. H e r abdom en was considerably extended
teristics w ere v ery e x tra o rd in a ry , h a d b een living for and swollen, a n d h e r legs looked dropsical. H e r tem pe­
tw elve years in a c o tta g e a t th a t place. F o r tw elve years ra tu re was below th e norm al point.
th is g irl had been b ed -rid d en an d lived w ith o u t eatin g . W e g o t two ladies, to whom E u genie seem ed to be
A small q u a n tity of p u re w a te r w as sufficient to satisfy p a rtic u la rly a tta c h e d , to introduce us, hoping so to gain
all h e r w ants. her confidence and to obtain th e re b y a tru e a n d detailed
account of h er condition. To all o u r frien d ly questions
T h e m ost e x tra o rd in a ry phen o m en a occurred around
she answ ered w ith an uncertain voice an d in a dry m anner,
h e r p e r s o n ; such as rap s an d k n o ck s on th e walls,
in dicative of uneasiness.
an sw ers to m en tal q uestions, a p p a ritio n s of spectres,
1 know th e object of your visit she said. “ You w ant to
h an d s isolated in space, an invisible force which took
ta k e me to P a ris, b u t I do n o t w an t to go. I could pro­
hold of objects th a t w ere held in th e h an d s of th e sp e cta­
duce no m iracles th e re , I am satisfied w here I am now.”
to rs ; b u t th e m ost e x tra o rd in a ry th in g of all was th a t
T he n e x t day we found h e r b e tte r disposed. W e heard
* Noticed in the Theosophist for December 83 and Jnnv. 64 on sounds, saw a ph an to m in th e form of a woman dressed
pag8 101. in w hite an d veiled. A silver piece of five franca p re se n t­
 ed by D octo r de G uerne was ta k e n up as b y an invisible
hand an d h eld in space in sp ite of o u r efforts to rem ove
it, until it finally fell on th e floor. O th e r p h enom ena
occurred, b u t I shall re stric t m yself to a d escrip tio n of
the m ost im p o rta n t ones,
W e had a box m ade of 0 ,6 0 b y 0, 40 c e n tim e te r d ep th ,
which could b e closed b y a double lock an d ad ded a
secret chain.
In th is box we p u t a n ig h t gown, a s h irt an d a b o n n et
(cap), each of w hich articles w ere m ark ed secretly by
each of us w ith p riv ate signs and o u r sig n a tu re s. D octor
Boudoin in siste d on sew ing to th e gow n a piece of his
han d k erch ief, w hich he to re for th a t purp o se, an d to one
of the rib b o n s of th e b onnet he fasten ed a rin g which he
took from his finger. A fte r lo ck in g th e b o x we took
some stro n g glue and glued fo u r lay ers of p a p e r one on
top of tho o th er, over th e sam e. D o cto r de G uerne th e n
took th e box in his arm s an d w e w aited.
P resen tly E u g en ie com m enced to lau g h , b u t, im agine
our surprise, w hen we saw on h e r h ead tho bonnet, to w hich
the rin g of D r. B oudoin was fa ste n e d . A ll th is was done
w ithout o u r b ein g ab le to see a single m otion, an d D r.
G uerne, who h eld th e box, fe lt n o t th e s lig h te st shock.
W hen we opened th e box, we could n o t d en y th e evi­
dence. B o n n et, gow n an d s h irt w ere com pletely ex ­
changed.
F o r five d ays and six n ig h ts one of us rem ain ed con­
stan tly w ith E ug en ie w ithout losing s ig h t of lier. A lit­
tle pure an d cold w a te r was all slie to o k , b u t th e visits
of several w om en, w ho came w ith th e ir child ren to have
them touched o r blessed b y th e seeress, soon led to a
relation.
F irs t cam e a w om an w ith fo u r ch ild ren , th e oldest of
whom was ab o u t e ig h t years of age. A sm all boy of four
years was th e first one to be p resen ted to h er. E ugenie
took him up in h e r arm s, and w hile a shiver of excitem ent
seemed to ru n th ro u g h her, she covered him w ith
kisses. She kissed passionately his lips, his eyes, his
head, his neck; she seem ed to suck him , to in h ale him ; her
face h ad suddenly becom e tra n sfig u re d by an expression
of frenzy ; th e re was a w ild an d fiery look in h er eyes,
and the child cry in g p iteo u sly a tte m p te d in vain to
escape from h e r em brace.
Ten tim es we w itnessed th e sam e p erfo rm an ce. I was
selected to a tte m p t to m agnetise E u g e n ie by surprise,
for we hoped th a t b y d o in g so we m ig h t o b tain still
more inform ation. F o r th is purpose I posted my own
som nam bule, a fte r h av in g m ag n etised h e r first, a t th e foot weak and seem ed to come out of hor abdom en. A t sucli
of the bed, w ith th e o b ject of th e re b y o b ta in in g a double
control. B y m y touch I estab lish ed a com m unication
betw een th e tw o sensitives.
N ex t, follow ing th e advice given m e b y my seeress,
I threw th e b ed clothes suddenly off, an d g ra sp e d th e legs
of E ugenie, p u t h e r tw o feet a g a in st m y own b re a st,
and p o in tin g w ith m y rig h t h and a t h e r face I com m and­
ed h e r w ith a loud voice to sleep. I was y o u n g , I h ad
faith.
A t once E ug en ie g av e a terrib le cry, follow ed by stra n g e
hissing sounds. T h e com m otion was so g re a t, tlia t a
uterine hem o rrh ag e ap p eared , w hich literally covered me
with blood.
My som nam bule, h a v in g been overcom e b y fain tn ess, t particles. A fter tho described event took place, E ugenio
had left th e c o tta g e an d fallen dow n on tlie way. M o n ­
sieur T horel, who was sta n d in g n e a r th e door, seeing
h e r in such a critical condition, cam e to ta k e m e aw ay
from th e bed of E u g en ie, and I w en t to th e assistance
of our poor som nam bule, who was ly in g th e re , vom iting
blood.
I t was S u n d a y ; a lot of co u n try people h ad co llected
and m ade hostile dem o n stratio n s. A ru m o u r h a d sp read
th a t the physicians of P a ris in te n d e d to ca rry off E u g e n ie
ag ain st her w ill. T h in g s looked q u ite d ifferent, w hen
they saw a s tra n g e woman ro llin g in th e s tre e t an d a
man who was covered w ith blood come o u t of th e house
of E ugenie. T h e re w as no m oro d p u b t. E v id e n tly we
w anted to assassinate her.
I took m y su b jec t up in m y arm s and a ttem p ted to
seek sh e lte r a t th e foot of a larg e calv ary near by, w hich
was surro u n d ed by w a lls ; w hen fo rtu n ately th e officers
of police, who had been alread y notified, cam e ru n n in g
up to us, follow ed by th e C atholic p rie st and th e m avor
of the village.
T he co u n try d o cto r an d th e T horel fam ily, whose
au th o rity was resp ec ted a t th a t place, explained rapidly
th e situation to th e au thorities.
L e t us review th e facts an d m ake our scientific deduc­
tions. E u g en ie found herself, a fte r the death of h er
m other, alone w ith h e r fa th e r an d w ent to the n e ig h b o u r­
in g tow n of A ngoulSm e to ta k e a situ atio n as a serv an t.
She obtained such a situ a tio n in th e house of a doctor,
who found th a t she was clairv o y an t. H e m agnetised h er
re g u la rly for six y ears. S u d d e n ly th is do cto r died w ith­
out h av in g provided for th e fu tu re of th e poor g irl, and
E u g en ie retu rn e d to her villag e, w here she lived w ith h er
fa th e r, and by force of h a b it she fell a t certain hours into
th e m ag n etic sleep. H e r fa th e r, h av in g received in stru c ­
tions by his d a u g h te r, g ra n te d consultations and p re ­
scribed m edicines, etc. T h ey w ent on living in th is
m an n er for two years, w hen th e fa th e r died, E ugenie,
who was now alone and w ithout su p p o rt, fell several tim es
in to a catalep tic condition, in which she was believed to be
dead. T he first tim e th is condition lasted 21 days an d
th e la st tim e 17 days. A t our visit she h a d been ly ing
in bed fo r 12 y ears, and she was very m uch em aciated.
N obody ever saw lier ta k e any food,— a fact whicli has
been a sce rtain ed b y an alm ost co n sta n t surveillance, a n d
it is certain th a t very often she was u n rem ittingly w atch­
ed fo r 15 to 20 days a t a tim e. All th a t any one ever
saw h e r p a rta k e of, was a little pure and cold w ater.
D octor B oudoin, who w as p ra c tisin g in th a t p a rt of
th e country, inform ed us th a t two of his friends rem ained
alte rn a tiv ely w ith h e r for 14 d ay s to w atcli h er w ith o u t
in te rru p tio n .
W ith h er last ca talep tic fit h e r m en stru atio n ceased
and h e r abdom en began to ta k e size and form of a sta te
of p re g n an c y a t tlio full term . D u rin g the period of
such suppression she used to com plain of hav in g a tasto
of blood. M ay we n o t suppose th a t this g irl vam pirized
h erself ? H e r blood, w hich w as all tho tim e re tain e d ,
m ay havo becom e assim ilated an d served as nourishm ent ?
D u rin g w inter h er condition grew worse. S he becam e
w eaker and had th e app earan ce of a corpse, especially in
consequence of h e r im m obility. H e r voice was very
tim es h e r seership was very g re a t. In S p rin g tim e th e
in h ab itan ts and tho physicians of th e n eighbourhood
assisted a t a v eritab le resu rrectio n . E ugenie cam e slow ly
and laboriously to life again.
H ow can we explain th is la s t phenom enon ? B y tho
vam pirism w hich she exercised upon those children th a t
w ere b ro u g h t to h e r th a t sho m ay touch and bless them .
In d eed , in w in te r roads becom e very bad, th ere are no
m ore visitors an d no m ore children to be vam pirized.
One m ore rem ark . A t th e tim e when I a ttem p ted to
m agnetize h er, h er blood w as red as vermilion. W e ex ­
am ined it carefully w ith th e m icroscope. N o thing in d i­
cated a cliloratic condition or a change in its c o n stitu en t
becam e h u n g ry , recovered life, rose and went out.
I expected to tak o lier to iny house, to continuo my
ex p erim en ts ; b u t was called back to P aris, w here I had
to rem ain for several Hays, and when I re tu rn e d to tako
h er w ith me, she had le ft the country in com pany w ith
a stra n g e r.
(To be continued.)
D R A M A O F T H E L A T T E R D AYS.
A S u g g e s tio n .
[W e h a rd ly need to offer an apology to th e E nglish
frien d and a u th o r who sends us his “ S u g g estio n ’’ for re ­
p rin tin g it, w ith o u t his special perm ission. I t is too
 good to be lo st for our re a d e rs. O nly w hy should the
■writer, who seems to us quite im p a rtia l iu o th e r th in g s,
b e so very p artial to “ E soteric C h ristia n ity ?” Surely,
w ith o u t in any way low ering dow n tho C h rist system , or
oven tbo ideal C h rist, we can say w h at is b u t too easy of
proof, th a t, pro p erly sp eak in g , th e re is 1 1 0 “ E so teric
C h ristian ity ,” no m ore th a n th e re is E so te ric H induism ,
B uddhism or any o th e r " ism ,” Wo know of one
E sotoric d o ctrin e— “ th e . universal secret W isdom -Rer
ligion” of old. Tho lattol- em braces every one. of th e
g re a t creeds of th e an tiq u ity , w hile none of these can
b o a st of hav in g it iu its e n tire ty . O ur m ission is to
g a th e r all theso sc a tte re d ray s, b rin g th em back
to one focus, and thus help th o se who will come a fte r
us to unveil some day th e glorious sun of 'Jru th . Only
h u m an ity m u st be p rep ared for it—-lest it should bo
b lin d ed by tlie unexpected splen d o u r. T h e tru e T heoso­
p h ist, he who w orks for the sake of t r u t h — not for his
own self and personal p red ilectio n s— o u g h t to respect
every religious system — p a n d e r to . none. B u t th en ,
perh ap s th e author is not a th eo so p h ist, yet, and as such,
we welcome him as one, who, ju d g in g from his “ S ug-
. g e stio u ,” is on th e h ig h road of— becom ing one.— Ed.]
A ll th e C h u r c h e s . — Come thou long-expected Jesus !
Born to set Thy people free. O come again, Lord Jesus
come !
(Tho Messiah appears. They gather round him.)
R ome.— Hail, M aster ! If Thou be indeed tho Messiah
Whom we expect, wilt Thou subm it Thy claims to the
judgm ent of thy infallible Vicegerent and confirm tlie De­
crees of T rent and of all other G eneral Councils by Romo
accepted, with all tho dogmas and decisions and traditions of
our Fathers the Popes P
M e s s i a h . —There is much tru th and beauty a n d goodness
in your Church, and your zeal hath been great in w hat you
believed to be true ; ye havo Unity and O rder and devotion,
and ye acknowledge the Powers of the unseen world, and
your rites are significant of spiritual truths. B ut of these
councils and decisions, as such, I know n o t; th at wliich is
true is true w ithout tlieir au thority, and th at which is false
th eir authority cannot m ake true, and any who teach them
by force or violence are not my disciples. I know them not.
Seek ye thc tru th and the tru th shall make you free, and by
it ye shall prevail. [Exit Rome.
G r e e c e . —Hail, M aster ! If Thou bo indeed the Christ of
God wilt Thou ratify tho decisions of tho holy councils and
their dogmas and decrees which we receive, and make the
Orthodox faith to be Supreme and the chair of Constanti­
nople, and humble the pretensions of the Pope of Rome P
M e s s i a h . — There is much of faithfulness and steadfastness
in your Church, and I see much th a t is beautiful and vener­
able in your rites, but of the decrees ye call orthodox, I know
, n o t; if they be true, they shall stand by thoir tru th ; if they
be false, they shall fall by their falseness. To make you
suprem e in my kingdom is not mine to give. Leave ye the
past and go 011 to perfection. [Exit Greece.
E n g l a n d . — Hail, Messiah, long expected ! If Tliou be He
who was to come, wilt Thou ratify our thirty-nine Articles
and the use of our glorious L iturgy, and swear allegiance to
o u r Queen, and drive out all th a t conformeth not to the
teaching of our glorious Reformation, and put the Pope
o f Rome beneath O u r feet and all his enormities ?
' M e s s i a h . —1 know not the Articles whereof ye speak, nor
did I ever sanction them, nor do I see any beauty in your
L iturgy th a t it should be desired, nor do I know of any re ­
formation so glorious as ye describo ; w hat good ye have ye
havo borrowed it from Romo and spoilt it. Ye have some
truths, but ye have no unity and little love ; ye fight one
w ith another. How can yo rule if ye have no rule among
yourselves ? Seek unity aud peace. Seek tru th and light,
and seek ye love. [Exit England.
S c o t l a n d and G e n e v a . —H ail, M a ste r! Dost Thou ken
tho Confession of W estm inster and the Institutes of Calvin
and the Doctrine of John Knox ; and w ilt Thou guide us by
tho same, and ohiefiy wilt Thou pull down Homo and its
Bishop, and all other prelates and their liturgies, and make
us to be great among the Churches and the Sabbath to be
kept ?
. M S s s i A h . — I know nothing of your Confession of W est­
m inster, nor of Calvin, nor of Knox. By their writings and
teachings ye have made my F ath er a Devil, electing to
eternal life thoso who believe your opinions, and consigning
all tho rest of His children to eternal torture. Ye have
made my Namo to be abhorred of all men by your blasphe­
mous dogmas and your contem pt of reverence and beauty in
the worship of my Father, and ye have caused my Sabbath
to be a day of gloom and a burden to all my people.
\_Exit Scotland and Genevd.
, 1 5 0 o t h e r S e c t s o f P r o t e s t a n t s ( each trying to be heard
above the rest).— Hail, Master ! W ilt Thou establish ui and
our doctrines and confirm our ordinances, and teach our ways
to all the others which be in darkness and the shadow of
death ; and, above all, wilt Thou destroy tho kingdom of Rome
and banish all their rites atid customs P
M e s s i a h . —Ye are in gross darkness yourselves, and teach
for truths the opinions of men contradicting each other, how
then can yo teach others? Ye are a t w ar and variance
among yourselves, how then can ye stand P And wherefore
claim ye each for his own sect and Seek to w rest the Supre­
macy of Rome yonr Mother, whence ye all have sprung p Ye
■fight with each other; and yo protest against each other( and
.ye only agree in fighting and protesting against Rome.
A ll th e C hurches to o e tiie r.—We have heard Him. He
is not with us. He is against us. He cotneth to overthrow
us—away with Him ! As for His works, they are of the
devil. He is the A nti-C hrist—away with liim ! Let us pray.
(H ere they contond violently w hat thoy shall pray for, and
w ith w hat forms, and some doubt to whom they should pray,
and not agreeing they all go their way, leaving the Messiah
alone.)
Enter P h i l o s o p h e r s , etc.—Oh, what is Truth, and whither
shall we go th a t we may find it ? Oh, th at we m ight find
God, th at we m ight know Him ! .
M e s s i a h . —*1 am the Spirit of Truth. Come unto me all
ye th a t aro weary and.heavy laden with doubt and the vain
theories of men who profess to know me, but know mo not.
Verily, these are the days when thc Spirit is poured out on
all flesh, and your sons and daughters prophesy and see
visions, and your old men dream dreams. Marvel not, nor
be deceived, but try the Spirits if they be of God, and see and
taste the goodness of God, and find rest for your souls.
P h i l o s o p h e r s . —Oh, that we m ight know thc Eternal One,
the Good, thc Beautiful, tho True !
M essiah.—I come to bear witness unto all T ruth, th at by
the things which are visible and created ye may come to
know the invisible things of God the uncrcated and eternal.
All tru th is in God alone, and God is Truth. Abstain from
fiesli-eating, from drunkenness, from bloodshed, and from
all cruelty to any living creature, tfarly rise ye when the
sun ariseth ; wash your bodies and be clean, and worship
the E ternal F ather ; work with jo u r hands th a t which is
good, think good thoughts, speak good words, do good
deeds. W hen the Moon nppeareth worship the Eternal
M other, and early take your rest. This do and ye shall be
tau g h t of God, and yo shall be able to touch.and seo
and know for yourselves the Good, the Beautiful, and
the T ru e : the Powerful, the Wise, and the Loving One.
There is but One God, perfcct, infinite, and eternal, Who is
in all things, in Whom are all things, and Who is oyer all
things, God blessed for ever. In tho eternal are Spirit and
Substance, whereof all things are created, and these two are
One in the E ternal, even as the Spirit and the Soul are One.
And as in thc ono m an ye see threo personalities of the
F ather, thc Son, and the spouse, so in God manifest iu the
Perfect Man are these Three, and these Three are One.
Likewise as in the One Woman ye seo three personalities
of the Mother, the Maid, and the Bride, so also in God
m anifest in I he Perfect Woman ore these Tlirpe, and these
T hree are One ; and as Mfin and W oman perfected are One
in the U nity of Love, so also is God manifest in the P e r­
fect Man and Woman, the Two in One, and the Name of
the P erfect Manifestation of God unto you is Jesn-Marie, tlio
Two in One, and of these are the generations of the saved,
who do show forth each one in himself the Father, the Son,
and the Spouse of God, and each one in herself thc Mother,
the D aughter, and tho Bride of God—ever conceiving God,
ever being born of God, ever being united to God, and this
is the mystery of tho T rinity within you.
* We would stop to enquire of the author whether by “ Messiah” he
means Jesus Christ alone or—tho sp ik it of univ ersal tk d ib having
had its representative i u every nation and creed ?—E d .
 As tlie Sun cometh from the E ast and shineth even unto
tho W est, arising out of darkness and setting in darkness
again, so also is man. When he cometh from the darkness
it is th a t he hath shone elsewhere before, when he goeth
into darkness it is th a t he may shine again where ye see
not. So man hath lived before, even as he liveth now, and
ho goeth to his rest for a time and cometh into life
again. So through many lives and experiences he is
made perfect, and when he is perfect he is made a pillar
in the temple of God, and he goeth in and out no more.
He dieth no more, seeing th a t death h ath no more do­
minion over them who are perfect. A gain and again is
man born into this and other worlds, till his soul is puri­
fied from all evil and made perfect in all good. Marvel
not then th a t I said, ye must be born again of w ater and
of fire, (a n d w hat these signify ye k n o w ). They who
have done evil go into corrective chastisem ent for an age,
and they who have done good go into happiness for an
age, and when perfect they go into life eternal. God
is just, and to every one is given th at which they have
deserved. As they sow they shall also reap, and each
goeth into his own placo which he h ath prepared for him ­
self and for which he is fit, till his time is come and an­
other place is given to him for fu rth er amendment. Aud
they only who persist in wickedness to the end shall die—
they shall go out as a candlo aud be extinguished as a
flame.
P h i l o s o p h e r s , —Of a tru th this is the Messenger, tho Mes­
siah of God. M aster, Thou h ast spoken the words of truth,
therefore we know Tliou a rt from God, the very Christ, the
Anointed, All N ature beareth witness to the T ru th of Thy
doctrine. O ther men have tau g h t with authority their own
opinions, but Thou hearest witness to the tru th , and from the
things which are visible leadest us to know the things that
aro invisible—even the Power, Wisdom, and love of the
Eternal Godhead. Hail ! M aster, we receive Thee and we
worship God and venerate the Im age of God, the Two in One,
Jesu-M ario in Whom is the atonoment of Man w ith Woman,
of Reason w ith Faith, of H um anity w ith God. W e will go
forth and declare Thy truth,*
[Exit Philosophers,
A V o i c e , — “ This is marvellous in our eyes j the Stone
whieh the Builders rejected hath become tho Headstona
of the Corner.”
(Re-cuter the Pope of Rome in garments of black sarge and with
ashes ou his head, and with him some of his priests and peoples, with
tho Philosophers, and numbers of other religions, kneeling beforo
the Messiah, He says) :—
H a il! Master, alas J alas J we knew Thee not, but we have
heard Thy Voice, we have seen Thy light, and we return to
Thee; for our eyes have been so darkened through the dimness
of ages th a t we saw Thee n o t ; our ears so deaf that we
heard Thee n o t; our spirits waxed so gross th a t wo per­
ceived Thee not. In the beginning we were with Thee
but speedily we fell from the spirit which giveth life to
the fleshly letter which killeth ; and we grovelled on the
earth, and mixing with the world and its fashions we for­
got the tru th and contended for dominion and power over
the kings of the earth by force of carnal weapons. W e sat
on the ancient foundations, but we revealed not the ancient
tru th s; we have the keys of heaven, but we opened not
the gates, ourselves, nor suffered others who desifed to enter.
To us was given Light, but wo concealed it in a dark place,
aud those that cried for more light we persecuted and
coanted as heretics, and caused m^ny to be put to death iu
our blindness. And even T)QW, 0 Master ! we had well nigh
again rejected Thee, but by the Meroy of the Btprjial we
heard the holy and trpe doctrines which onpe r-fhpi} gavest
nnder parables—even the doctrines of ancient thnetj given
anew—the new wiije of Thy kingdom ; and a t length our
eyes beiug opened and our ears be in g unstopped, we have re?
turned to Thee, We are no longer worthy to bo called
Thy Vicegerent or Vicar, or to rule Thy people, M&jie us
as one of the Jeast of Thy servants that we may carry to all
the ends of the earth the ljght which Thou hast giyen.-)'
* Are we to understand that these ‘‘ Philosophers” aro Western born
Christians or Philosophers iu general? This is the important question
|to clear after tbe perusal of this able pamphlet, T|ao whole rests
upon tpho personally is “ Messiah.”.—Ed.
+ Qreat must be the imagination, and greater still the sanguine tem­
perament of onr friend, if he can ever hope aa much from the Romish
Topish phnroh ! This lo o k s t o n s lik e a bitter satire, o r d o e s h e really b y fix in g the id e a w hioh gpes on w o rk in g insensibly ju s t
b.eljevo jt p—Ed. , ............... " ■
M e s s i a h . —A rise! Thou hast loved much, and to thee
shall much be forgiven. Be humble, be faithful, be merci­
ful, be just, walk in the light. Thou desirest to be the serv an t
of servants and this place I give thee, and in this thou
a rt king of the kings of the earth. Occupy till I return.
P o p e . — Master, send help, there bo few with me, and I
perish, for the rost have forsaken mo.
M e s s i a h . — M y strength is sufficient for thee; and lo !
I give thee twelve men to be Apostles and councillors
and rulers with thee and to help thee in all thy work
for the twelvo tribes of the earth. Other twelve I give thea
to be Prophets and Seers to give theo light in all dark places,
th at thy steps slip not. O ther twelve I give thee to be
Evaugelists aud teachers, th a t they may send forth in faithful­
ness the words of tru th to all nations and peoples. And yet
another twelvo I give thee to be Pastors, th at they may feed
my people with fruits of the Tree of Life in their season, and
heal their sickness with its leaves. These I ordain and conse­
crate to be thy fellow-workers and Priests with thee of the
Universal Church, and under thee the Apostle, Prophet, Evan­
gelist and Pastor—the Supreme Pontiff of my Church in this
age of Light. Be thou with them a light nnto all the earth,
growing brighter and brighter unto the perfect day ; and let
these be for light and perfection, even as the twelve four­
sided jewels in the breast plate of my H igh Priest of old.
And lo ! I give thee other eight and forty to be workers
under these, twelve in each ministry, to lead up my peoplo
and to judge less weighty causes and to take charge of
tbo temporal affairs, th at the poor and the weak may be
helped and the oppressed may be restrain ed ; and to thia
end I ordain them and set them as Deacons of the U niver­
sal Church, oach under his Priest to attend him in hi»
ministry and service of H um anity,
P o pe .—-Now, Lord, I go forth in Thy strength, Come
all ye who have sought the tru th and desired for more
light. Let us leave Rome to the Ruler of Italy and go
unto the place the Lord hath shewed ns, apart from tho
nations and kingdoms of the e a rth ; and thenca let na
receive all light for all, thence let us send all light to all, and
so this Temple of the Lord and H is Bride shall be joy and
gladness nnto all tho ends of the earth.
Glory to P ather, Son, and Spouse,
Glory to Mother, Maid and Bride,
W ho, Two in One, and L'ach in Three,
From age to age One God abide.
Ed. Note, —No need to explain to onr Occultists, either the meaning,
or lhe more than snggestive hint contained in the symbol which con­
cludes the satire. But somo theosophists will be sorely puzzled by the
concluding quatrain.
WART-CH ARMING.
B y H kstry G. A tkinson .
T h e su b je c t is deeply in te re s tin g , because it opens th o
whole q u estion of an im al or v ital influence as an actio n ,
from w ith o u t as a co n tag io n fo r in stan ce, or as an actio n
get up in th e p a tie n t’s own m ind, and going on w a k in g
o r sleeping, consciously or unconsciously. W h en L o rd
B acon was a y o u n g m an a t th e Em bassy a t P a ris an d h a d
w arts, a certain lady professed to be able to cu re them ,
to effect w hiph sho ru b b e d them w ith gome b it of an im al
p ia tte r, w hich sho th e n nailed outsido B acon's bed-room
w indow , sa y in g “ now w hen th a t ro ts y o u v w a rts will bo
g o n e.” A n d so it h appened. A n d B acon ad ds, “ I did n o t
w onder a t some of tho sm aller ones th a t cam e quickly"
an d m ig h t p ass aw ay as quickly, b u t I h a d somo b ig h a rd
fellows th a t liacl boen g ro w in g th e re fo r long, and I d id
' m arvel t h a t those as w ell should have gone w ith th e
o th ers,” No\y th is is sim ila r to th e p ro ceedings in R ussia
th e g ro w th of th e w a rt to o k place. M y own wartSj
w h e n a child, w ere cured by a m an com ing to our house
o n business. H e took me on his k n ees and b ro u g h t out
his k n ife as it to cut th em a n d I , frig h te n e d , scram bled
aw ay from him. “ T h a t will do ,” he said to m y m o th er,
“ th e w arts will go,” a n d su re e n o u g h th e y v ery sh o rtly
disap p eared . N ow a t L o u rd es, in F ra n c e , th e y use m es­
m erism as well as b y th e ap p eal to th e V irgin to keep
l i p an im pression on th e m in d ; b u t you will see th e p rie st
aside p ra y in g w ith h is h a n d s h e ld over a bowl of
w a te r to m esm erise it, w hich is ad m in istered to th e p a ­
tie n ts ; b u t th ro u g h th e im pression on th e m in d (faith),
th e p a tie n ts are often cured ou th e w ay b efore th e y
reach L o u rd e s. B u t to pass to a n o th e r class of cases.
I have a le tte r a t my house in L ondon from th e late
B ish o p of N orw ich— S tan ley — re la tin g w h at o ccnrred to
liis ow n actual know ledge to a poor w om an who lived
close by au d who was w ith child- One day a loud thum p
a t h er door, she opened it, an d a ro u g h lo o k in g sailor
t h r u s t forw ard tho stu m p of his arm . T h e poor
w om an w as so shocked and frig h te n e d th a t she fainted
aw ay ; w hen th e child was born it h a d a stum p p recisely
resem b lin g th a t of th e sailor who h a d so frig h te n e d her.
A n o th e r case th a t h ig h ly g ifte d lady, M rs. B asil M on­
ta g u e , related to me in re sp e c t to th e influence on th e m ind -
we call sym pathy. M rs. M on tag u e b ro u g h t a ru d e stra n g er
to her hom e to dine, an d she felt u n p leasan tly shocked
a t a n a sty sore on his face- T h re e days afterw ards,
a sim ilar sore ap p eared on th e sam e p a rt of h e r own face.
B ut I m ust n o t go on or I could fill a volum e w ith such
like m atters. B u t I m ay a d d th a t m any like th e late
M r. S e rg e a n t Cox a ttr ib u te all th e effects in m esm eric
cases to th e action se t up in th e p a tie n t’s own m in d ;
b u t a t one tim e I was a p erfect m esm erom eter. T he
p a tie n ts fe lt in them selves in th e sam e sp o t an y pain in :
m e or p in ch caused out of th e ir sig h t, an d not only so
b u t I felt tlie ir pains b efo re k n o w in g w h a t or w here
th e y were. On p assin g my h a n d over th e p erson 1 could
d e te c t w here th e p ain w as and th e pain would e n te r my
h a n d a n d leave them , or I could tak e it from one p art
a u d p la n t it in a n o th e r ju s t as w ith heat th a t you
a b s tra c t, and feel as you pass y o u r h a n d over a heated
body and w ith th e h e a t a b s tra c te d cast th e h eat into
a n o th e r b o d y ; b u t w h at is all th is to th e w onder of our
co ntinually leav en in g th e fre sh insen sib le m a tte r
a b so rb ed w ith life and in all o u r sp ecialities, physical
a u d m en tal, a vital action o ccu rrin g th ro u g h o u t all
liv iu g natu re, v eg etab le as w ell as a n im a l—a m a tte r
occult aud su b tle en o u g h in a g ra n d generalization
of all anim ate n a tu re — a law of in v estm en t carriy n g
o u r m em ories an d sense of in d iv id u al sam eness
and id e n tity w ith it a n d tho m icroscopic gem -cell
a b so rb in g , su b d u in g a n d in v e stin g th e fresh su b ­
sta n ce im b ib ed as it develops w ith all its special
life, and th ro u g h o u t all th e infinite v a rie tie s of living
fo rm s w ith b lin d in stiu c ts to ond, co rresp o n d in g to th e
fo rm a tiv e laws th a t caused th e c o rrelativ e form s th a t
p ro d u c ed th e in s tin c t, w h ilst th e poor h um an m ind goes
lab o u rin g on re s tin g on accum ulated experien ce and
observation. W h a t is certain ly m ore m echanical an d not
occult a t all, b u t all r a th e r b ased on reaso n th a n intui-.
tion. The difference betw een in stin c t and reason is very
nimple a n d clear. T ho one b o u n d b y ex p erien ce w h at
th e o th e r over-leaps,
■ - . tion of th e lim bs, stom ach, teeth, face, etc., hence it is
I S M AN TH E H IG H E S T A N IM A L ?
By C. S . M in o t .
( Read before the American Association f o r the Advance­
ment of Science, Cincinnati, Meeting, August 1 8 8 1 ;
and published in the American N atu ra list, Vol. X V I ,
p p . 511 & 5 1 2 .)
The m e a s u r e o f z o o lo g i c a l r a n k is t h e s p e c ia liz a tio n !
ex h ib ite d b y all th e o rgans, ta k e n Collectively.
alizatio n m ay be e x a g g e ra ted in one o r several organs,
w ith o u t th e anim al th erefore a tta in in g as a whole a high
ra n k . T h is is th e case in m an. T he m easure of speci­
alization is afforded by em bryology, which shows in ea r­
lier sta g e s th e sim plicity a n d uniform ity of stru c tu re,
w hich in la te r stag es is replaced by com plexity. The
hum an body preserves several im p o rtan t em bryonic fea ­
tu re s. I n m an we find th re e series of h ig h differen tia­
tions, nam ely, in th e b rain , in th e ch&nges induced by
or accom panying the u p rig h t position, an d th ird in the
opposibility of th e thum bs to the o th e r digits. T hese
are th e principal, th o u g h of course n o t stric tly th e only
ch arac teristics of maii, w hich show th a t he is more spe­
cialized th a n any o th e r anim al. In o th e r respects lie
show s a still m ore strik in g in ferio rity . I t is of course
a fam iliar observation th a t his senses a re less acute than
th o se of m any a n im als,^-h e has n e ith e r th e keen vision
o f tlie falcon, n o r th e delicate scent of th e dog. H e ia
equally in ferio r in m any stru c tu ra l featu res. H is tee th
are of a low m am m alian typo, as is show n b o th by his
d e n ta l form ula, a n d b y th e presence of cusps upon the
crow ns of th e te e th , a peculiarity of the low er m am m alia,
en tirely lost in th e h o rse, th e elephant, an d nlany othei-
“ b ru te s .” H is lim bs show a sim ilar inferiority, since
th e y a re littlo modified, p reserv in g even the full num ­
b e r of five d ig its, an d in resp e ct of th ese m em bers m a n
sta n d s therefo re very low, low er th a u th e cow and the
p ig . H e p la n ts th e w hole sole of his foot upon the
g ro u n d , y et none ex cep t th e low er m am m alia, to g eth er
w ith m an and his im m ediate congeners, are p lan tig rad e.
So too w ith his stom ach, w hich is so sim ple as com pared
w ith th a t of a ru m in a n t, and indeed is of about th e same
g rad e as th a t of th e carnivora. I t m akes, how ever, a
still tnore forcible im jjression to learn th a t th e hnm an
face, w hich we adm ire w hen w ithdraw n u n der a high
in te lle ctu a l forehead, is perh ap s tlie m ost rem arkable
of all th e indices th a t p o in t out m an’s inferiority. In
th e m am m alian em bryo the face is form ed uu d er the
fore b ra in or cereb ral hem ispheres. I n our faces tho
fatal disposition is perm an en tly retain ed , w ith changes
w hich w heu g re a te s t are still inconsiderable. In qua­
d ru p ed s th e facial region acquires a prom inent develop­
m en t lea d in g to the specialization of the jaw s an d su r­
ro u n d in g p a rts, w hich b rin g s th e face to a condition
m uch h ig h e r th a n th a t of th e foetus. H ence, th e pro­
je c tin g sn out is a h ig h e r stru c tu re th a n th e re tre a tin g
lium au face. T hese fa cts have long been fam iliar to
n a tu ra lists, b u t I ani n o t aw are th a t th e in ferio rity of
th e hum an to th e b ru te countenance has h eretofore
been considered a scientific conclusion by an y one. . Yet
th a t in ferio rity is incontrovertible a n d alm ost self-evi­
d en t.
T he p re ce d in g sta te m e n ts re n d e r it clear to th e reason
th a t m a n is n o t iu all respects th e h ig h e st anim al and
th a t it is a prejudice of ig n o ran ce th a t assum es th a t the
specialization of th e b r a i n m a rk s m an as above all a n i­
m als iu th e zoological system . I t does give him a su­
prem acy by his g re a te r pow er of self-m aintenance in
th e stru g g le of th e w orld, b u t th a t has n o th in g w h at­
soever to do w ith his m orphological ran k . T here is
n o th in g in m orphology th a t any-wise justifies assigning
as is actually doiie, an alm ost infinitely g re a te r system atic
value to th e specialization of the brain, an d a specializa­
im possible to call m an even the h ig h e st m am m al. I t is
also d o u b tfu l w h eth er m am m als w ould b e re g ard e d as
th e h ig h e st class of th e anim al k ingdom , w ere th ey not
our n ea re st relatives. L e t us bew are of claim iug to be
th e h e ad of organic creation, since th e C arnivora and
U n g u la ta a re in m any respects h ig h e r th a n we. I
believe th a t it is ju st as unscientific to call any one
an im al species th e h ig h e st, as to p itc h upon any plant
to sta n d at th e h ead of th e v e g e ta b le . kingdom . _
S pecie

< P 1) fi t i C 3 01[
T H E N IL G IR I SANNY a S IS .
[The Jollowiny is a “ verbatim’ translation of what a Settlement
ojictr told me relatimj a Sannyasi he met on the Nilyiris.—
K H. M o e g a n , F. T. S.]
I was told tb at Sannyasis were sometimes m et w ith on a
mountain called Velly Mallai H ills in the Coimbatore Dis­
trict, and trying to meet with one, I determined to
ascend this mountain. 1 travelled up its steep side and
arrived a t an opening, narrow and low, into which I crept on
all tours. Going up some 20 yards I reached a cave,into tlio
opening of which 1 thrust my head and shoulders. I could see
iuto it clearly j but felt a cold wind on my face, as if there
was some opening or crevice—so I looked carefully, but cOuld
see nothing. The room Wus about 12 feet square. I did not go
iuto it. 1 saw arranged round its sides scones I cubit long,
all placed u pright. I was much disappointed at there
being uo Sannyasi, aud came back as I went, pushing myself
backward as there was no room to turn. L was then told
Sannyasis had been m et w ith in the dense sliolas, and us
my work lay often in such places, 1 determined to prosecute my
search, and did so diligently, w ithout however any success.
One day I contemplated a journey to Coimbatore on my
own affairs, and was w alking up the road trying to make a
bargain with a bandy man whom I desired to engage to curry
me there; but as we could not come to terms, 1 parted witli
liim and turned into the L o V e d a l e r o a d at 6 i>. M. I had
not gone far when I met a man dressed like a Sannyasi, who
stopped and spoke to me. He observed a ring on my finger
nnd asked me to give it to him. I said ho was welcome to it,
but euqnired what lie would give me in return. He said “ I
don’t care particularly about it ; 1 would rath er have that
flour and sugar in the bundle on your back.” “ 1 will give you
tliat with pleasure'’ I said, and took down iny bundle and
gave it to him. “ Hull' is enough for me,” he said, but, sub­
sequently changing his mind added “ now let me see what
is in your bundle,” pointing to my other parcel. “ I
c a n ’t give you th at.” He said “ why cannot you give me
your swami.” 1 said “ it is my swami; I will not part with
it, rather take my life.” On this he pressed me no more, but
said. “ Now you had better go home.” I said : “ I will uot
leave you.” “ Oh you m ast,” he said, “ you will die here of
hunger.” “ N everm ind,” I said, “ I can but die once.” You
have no clothes to protect you from the wind and rain ;
you may meet with tigers, he said “ I don’t care” I replied.
“ It is given to man once to die.” W hat does it signify how he
dies ? When I said this he took my hand and embraced me,
aud immediately I became unconscious. W hen I returned to
consciousness, I found myself with the Sannyasi in a place
new to me ou a hill, near a large rock and with a big sholah
near. I saw in the sholah rig h t in front of us, that there
was a pillar of—fire like a tree almost. I asked the Sannyasi
what was that like a high fire. Oh, he said, most likely a tree
ignited by some careless wood-cntters. No, I said—it is not
like any common fire—there is no smoke, nor are there flames,
—and it’s not lurid aud red. I want to go and see it. No, you
must not do so, you cannot go near th at fire aud escape alive.
(Joaie with me then, I begged. No—I cannot he said— if you
wish to approach it, you must go alone and at your own risk ;
th at tree is the tree of knowledge and from it flows the milk
of life : whoever drinks this never hungers again. Thereupon
I regarded tho tree with awe. . dagger ready for nse. A t the appointed hour, she entered
1 next observed 5 Sannyasies approaching. They came np
and joined the one with me, entered iuto talk, and finally
pulled out a hookah and bogan to smoke. They asked me if I
could smoke. I said no. One of them said to me, let us see
the swami in your bundle (here gives a description of the
same). I said I cannot, I am not clean enough to do so —
" Why not perform your ablutions in yonder stream ” they
said. “ If you sprinkle water on yonr forehead th a t will
suffice”. I went to wash my hands and feet and laved my
head and showed it to them. N ext they disappeared. As it is
very late, it is tim e you returned home, said my first friend.
No, I said, now I have found you and I will not leave
you. No, No, he said, you m ust go home. You cannot
leave th e world yet. You are a father and a husband and you
must uot neglect your worldly duties. Follow the footsteps of
your late respected uncle; he did not neglect his worldly affairs
though he eared for the interests of his s o u l; you m ust go ;
but I will m eet you again when you g e t your fortnightly holi­
day. On this, lie again embraced me, and I again became
unconscious. When I returned to myself, I found myself a t
the bottom of Col. Jones’ Coffee Plantation above Coonoor
ou a path. Here the Sannyasi wished me farewell, and
pointiug to the high road beloNv, he said “ now you will know
your way home” ; but I would not part from him. I said all
this will appear a dream to me unless you will fix a day and
promise to meet me here again. “ I promise,” he said. “ No,
promise me by an oath on the head of my idol.” Again ha
promised and touched the head of my id o l; be here, lie said,
this day fortnight. When the day came I anxiously kept my
engagement and went and sat on the stone on tha
path. I waited a long time in vain. A t last I said
to myself, 111 am deceived, he is not coming, he has
broken his oath”—and with grief 1 made a poojah. Hardly
had these thoughts passed my m in d ; then lo I He stood
beside me. “ Ah, you doubt me, he said—why this grief.” I
fell at his feet and confessed I had doubted him and begged
his forgiveness. He forgave and comforted me and told me to
keep iu my good ways aud he would always help me ; and ho
told me and advised me about all my private affairs without
my telling him one word, and he also gave me some medicines
for a sick friend which I had promised to ask for but had for­
gotten. This medicine was given to my friend and he is per­
fectly well now.
E. II. M.
A SOUTH IN D IA N YOGINI.*
t know a young H indu lady a t my native town of------,who
had long studied Raja Yog under a Siddha in thc N orthern
parts of India. I had been too often duped by pretended
Yogis to accept any such claims on mere hearsay, and
without sufficient evidence. H aving read nninerons rare
works ou Yoga Vidya, I knew how to test real Yogis. One
day, I accordingly went to her house. She appeared to be
about 17 years old. As soon as she saw me, she told raa
what I came for, and graciously perm itted me to examine her,
as best I conld. I asked her some questions; her replies
alone were enough to convince me. I then requested her to
smoke (janja aud let out the smoke through the several out­
lets of her body, one after another. She not only did so, but
made the smoke pass through the pores of her skin ; so th a t
she seemed, for a tim e, enveloped, as it were, iu a denso
cloud. Some days after, she took me to the river which vraa
then overflowing. She walked barefooted up and down upou
the river’s surface for about an honr, and then plunged into
a dangerous eddy. W hen I saw a girl accomplish what is de­
scribed as a g ran d “ miracle” in the Bible, “ surely,” thought I,
“ it needs no Christ to perforin such feats ; in every age a hun­
dred snch ‘ Christs’ or Yogis, of either sex, m ust have lived
in Bharat-Khand.” In vaiu did the bystanders and Police
constables try to save her. An hour after, she emerged and
swam for about four hours with the whole of her body under
the water, her tresses alone being seen floating at the surface,
now up the river against the strong current, now down with it,
aud now right across. At last, she rose—or seemed to rise—■
high in the air, and, to the astonishment of all, suddenly
vanished. I immediately went to her lionse, but could not
find her there. She had disappeared. I passed five years in
a staW of almost desperation before she reappeared in this
part of the country. She wus now sternly resolved to show
no phenomena whatever. I repeated my visits to her. Ona
day, she instructed me to remain in my private room, with a
the apartm ent and closed the door. She sat down in padmasan
(one of the Yoga postures) and commanded me to stab her
as soon as she became breathless. Thoug'h I hesitated for a
time, yet the proofs I had seen of her powers nerved me to
the deed. I lifted the dagger and struck her with so great
a force that it penetrated her chcst until one inch of tlio
point was seen outside her back. I was frightened and began
to take to my heels. She suddenly rose up aud calmly pulled
it out. F ar from being soiled with gore, the weapon was per­
fectly clean. Ou examining her, 1 found scars on tho front
and back as of wounds recently healed, just where a minute
before was the dagger. To many European and American
intellects, all this may sound like a fiction.f But H indus
* Por s u f f ic i e n t reasons wo suppress names of person and place,
though all are in our possession. Tho facts, of course, we cannot
vouch for, in this instance.— E d .
t Cortaiuly it does, though th e m i t e r affirms liia story to ho
tru e ,—£’<i,
 ■whose blood still retains some of tho inherent tendoncics for S P E C IA L N O T IC E TO C O R R E S P O N D E N T S .
following in the footstops of their illastrions ancestors, will ------ 0------
in it recognise, but a counterpart of what they have heard or {I.) No anonymous documents will be accepted for insertion,
read, or seen beforo. My worthy heroine cun also convert even though they may bo signed ‘‘ A Theosophist
lower metals into gold. I onco gave her a copper plate with {II-) Any contributor not desiring his name to be made pub­
Hebrew characters engraved on it. No one else in this town lic, should give the necessary intimation to the Editor when for*
knows this alphabet. She transformed it into a golden one. warding his contribution.
______ A. B. { i n . ) Contributors are requested to forward their article»
' T h e N otice ab o u t th e publication of th e Sccrct Doctrine in the early part of the month, so as to allow the Editor plenty
h av in g been issued very lately, th e re was very little tim o of time for correction and disposal in the pages of the T h e o s o ­
p h ist.
fo r a wide circulation. A sufficient num ber of su b scri­
b ers lias th erefo re not y e t been re g iste re d in th is Office (IV.) All correspondence to be written on one side of th?
paper only, leaving clear spaces between lines and a wide margin.
to w a rra n t its publication from th e 15th of M arch, es a t Proper names aitd foreign words should be written with
first contem plated. A t least one th o u san d sub scrib ers the greatest care.
m u s t bo secured before th e w ork can be b e g u n . I t is J g ^ T h e M a n a g e r c a lls p a r t ic u la r N o t ic e t o t h e fa c t
h o p ed , however, th a t w ith in th re e m o n th s th e requisite
th a t a ll M o n e y -o r d e r s m u st now bo sen t
n u m b e r will be g o t. T he first n u m b e r will th en appear
on Ju n e 15th. ______
p a y a b le a t A d y a r [not M a d r a s ), P . 0 . I n d ia .
G r e a t in c o n v e n ie n c e is c a u s e d b y m a k in g th e m
M adam e H- P . B l a v a t s k y , C o rresponding S ecretary p a y a b le t o C o l. O lc o t t o r M m e . B la v a t s k y , n e ith e r
o f th e Theosophical S ociety, le ft fo r M arseilles by the of w hom has to do w ith fin a n c ia l m a tter s, and
“ S. S. C h a n d ern ag o re,” sailing from B om bay on tho b o th of w hom are o ften fo r m o n th s a b s e n t fr o m
20th of F e b ru a ry . T he continuous h a rd w ork she has H e a d -q u a r te r s.
been doing for tho T heosophical Society for tlie last nine
years and five y ears’ stay in tho h o t plains of In d ia,
have told considerably upon h e r h e a lth , and tho G eneral
S P E C IA L N O T IC E S.
Council of th e T heosophical Society found it an im pera­ I t i s n o w e v i d e n t t h a t t h e T h e o s o p h is t o f f e r s t o a d v e r t i s e r s n n o B n a !
tiv e d u ty to adviso h e r to go to E urope for a change of a d v a n t a g e s in c i r c u l a t i o n . W e h a v e a l r e a d y s u b s c r i b e r s in e v e r y p a r t
clim ate an d a sh o rt rest, if h e r industrious n a tu re would o f I n d i a , i n C e y lo n , B u r m a h , C h i n a a n d o n t h e P e r s i a n G u lf . O u r p a p e r
a lso g o es to G re a t B rita in a n d I r e la n d , F r a n c o , S p a in , H o lla n d , G e r­
p e rm it h e r to avail herself of it. S he will, it is hoped, m a n y , N o rw a y , H u n g a r y , G re o c e , R u s s ia , A u s t r a la s i a , S o u th A f r ic a ,
speedily recover and re tu rn to In d ia w ithin five or six t h e W e s t I n d ie s , a n d N o r th a n d S o u th A m e r ic a . T h e f o ll o w i n g v e r y
m onths to resum e h e r w ork w ith redoubled vigour. She m o d o r a t o r a t e s h a v o b e o n a d o p t e d :—
A d v e r t is in g R ates.
•will of course send h e r in te re s tin g articles for th e J o u r­ F i r s t i n s e r t i o n .............. 1 6 l i n e s a n d u n d e r . . ............1 R n p e e !
nal from E u ro p e, in th e m eantim e. A ll correspondence F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e ...................................................1 A n n a ,
fo r th e Jo u rn a l should be ad d ressed to th e Theosophist S p a c e is c h a r g e d f o r a t t h e r a t e o f 1 2 li n o s t o th o i n c h . S p e c i a l a r r a n g e *
m e n t s c a n b e m a d o f o r la r g o a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , a n d f o r l o n g e r a n d fix ed
Office w ith o u t an y in d iv id u al’s nam e. P riv a te co rres­ p e r i o d s . F o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o n t r a c t s f o r a d v e r t i s i n g , a p p l y to
pondence fo r M r n e . B lav atsk y should be se n t to th e care M a n a g e r , T H K O S O P H IS T , A d y a r , M a d r a s .
of M. P . G. L eym arie, F . T . S ., 5 Rue Nouve des M e s s r s . G R A V E S , C O O K S O N A N D C o ., M a d r a s ,
P r o p r i e t o r , I N D U S T R I A L P R E S S , 3 , I T u m m u m S t r e e t , F o r t , B o m i u t.
P e tits Cham ps, P aris, F ran co . M r. T . S u bba Row
M e s s r s . C O O P iS I l & C o ., M e a d o w S t r b k t , F o r t , B o m b a y ;
l ’antulu G aru, B., A . B. L ., F . T . S ., will conduct th e T o S U B S C R IB E R S .
Jo u rn a l d u rin g M adam o B la v a tsk y ’s absence in E uropo. T h e S u b s c r i p t i o n p r i c e a t w h ic h t h o T h e o s o p h i s t is p n b l i s h e d b a r e ly
c o v o r s c o s t — t h e d e s i g n in e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e j o u r n a l h a v i n g h e e n r a t h o r
C o r,. I I . S . O l c o t t , P r o s i d o n t - F o u n d e r o f t h o T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c ie ty , t o r e a c h a v e r y w id e c i r c l e o f r e a d e r s , t h a n t o m a k e a p r o f it . W e c a n ­
l e f t f o r E u r o p e b v t h o s a m e s t e a m e r , a c c o m p a n i o d b y B a b u M o h in i n o t a lT o rd , t h e r e f o r e , t o s e n d s p e c i m e n c o p i e s f r e e , n o r t o s u p p l y li b r a r ie s ,
M o h u n C h a t t e r j e e ,* M . A . I i. L ., F . T . S . H o h a s a p p o i n t e d a S p e c i a l s o c ie tie s , o r in d iv id u a ls g r a tu ito u s ly . F o r t h o s a m e r e a s o n w e a ro
E x e c u t i v e (A )m m ite o o f t h o f o ll o w i n g s e v e n g e n t l o m e n t o t r a n s a c t a ll • o b li g e d to a d o p t t h e p l a n , n o w u n i v e r s a l i n A m e r i c a , o f r e q n i r i n g s u b ­
o ffic ia l b u s i n e s s , w h ilo h o is a b s e n t f r o m I n d i a : — ( I ) D r , F , H a r t m a n n , s c r i b e r s t o p a y i n a d v a n c e , n n d o f s t o p p i n g t h e p a p o r a t t h e e n d o f th e
( 2 ) A ir. S t. G c o r g o L a n c - F o x , o f t h e L o n d o n L o d g e T . S ., n o w i n t e r m p a i d f o r . M a n y y e a r s o f p r a c t i c a l e x p e r i e n c e h a v o c o n v in c c d
I n d i a , ( 5 ) M r . W . T . B r o w n , ( 4 ) D iw a n B a h a d u r 11. R a g h u n n t h R o w , W e s t e r n p u b l i s h e r s t h a t t h i s s y s t e m o f c a s h p a y m e n t is t h e b e s t a n d
(5 ) M . R . R y . G. M n ttu s a w m y C lie tty G a ru , ( 6 ) M t R . R y . P . S re e - m o s t s a ti s f a c to r y to b o th p a r t i e s ; a n d a ll r e s p e c ta b le jo u r n a ls a r e no w
n iv a s R ow P a n tn lu G a ru , a n d (7 ) M . R . R y . T , S u b b a R ow P a n tu lu c o n d u c te d on th is p la n .
< i a r a . F o r f a r t h e r p a r t i c u l a r s , s e o t l i o S u p p le m e n t . T h e T hkosopiust w ill a p p e a r e a o h m o n t h . T h o r a t e s , f o r tw o lv e
n u m b e r s o f n o t l e s s t h a n 4 8 c o l u m s R o y a l 4 to . c a c h o f r e a d i n g m a t t e r ,
o r 5 7 6 c o l u m n s i n a l l , a r o a s f o l l o w s :— T o S u b s c r i b e r s in a n y p a r t o f
A s a l r e a d y a n n o u n c e d , th o S u p p le m e n t t o th o T h e o s o p h is t h a s b e e n
I n d i a , C o y lo n , S t r a i t s S e t t l e m e n t s , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A n s t r a l i a , I ts . 8 j
a p p e a r i n g a s a J o u r n a l o f th e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie t y , s i n c e J a n u a r y la s t .
i n A f r i c a , E u r o p o , a n d th o U n i t e d S t a t e s , £ 1 . H a l f - y o a r ( I n d i a , A c .,)
I t c o n t a i n s t r a n s l a t i o n s o f t h e u n p u b l i s h e d w r i t i n g s o f E l i p h a s L e v i,
R s . 5 ; S i n g l e c o p i e s I tn p e o 1 . R e m i t t a n c e s i n p o s t a l s t a m p s r n u b t b o a t
b e s id e * o t h e r m a t t e r s o f i n t e r e s t t o n s t u d e n t o f o c c u l t i s m , w h ic h , i t is
th e r a t e o f a n n a s 17 to th o R u p e e to c o v o r d is o o u n t. T h e a b o v e r a t e s
c o n s i d e r e d d e s i r a b l e , t o p r i n t in a J o u r n a l i n t e n d e d m o r e f o r o n r
i n c l u d e p o s t a g e . N o n a m e w i l l be e n t e r e d i n th e b o o k s o r p a p e r se n t
F o llo w s th a n f o r o u ts id e rs . A n n u a l s u b s c r i p t i o n t o T h e o s o p h i s t s in
u n t i l th e m o n e y i s r e m it t e d ♦ a n d i n v a r ia b l y th e p a p e r w i l l be d is c o n t in u e d
I n d i a is R u p e e s tw o a n d , a b r o a d , s ix s h i l l i n g s . F o r n o n - T h o o s o p h is ts ,
a t th e e x p ir a t io n o f th e t e r m s u b s c r ib e d f o r . R e m i t t a n c e s s h o u ld b o m a d o
t h e c l m r g o in I n d i a is li v e r u p e e s a n d , f o r e i g n , t w o l v e s h i l l i n g s . S i n g l e
i n M o n e y -o rd e rB » I l u n d i s , B il l, C h e q u e s , ( o r T r e a s u r y b ills i f in r o g i s t e r e d
c o p ie s c a n bq h a d n t e ig h t a n n a s , e a c h .
l e t t e r s ) , a n d m a d o p a y a b l e o n ly t o t h e P ro p rie to rs of t h e T n E o so P n iS T ,
A^yaii, P. 0 ., (M adras,) I n d i a . S u b s c r i b e r s w is h in g t o h a v e r e c e i p t s ,
TA BLE OP CONTENTS. in a c k n o w l e d g m e n t o f t h e i r r e m i t t a n c e s , s h o u ld s e n d r e p l y p o s t- c a r d e
f o r th o p u r p o s e ,
Page. Page, S u b s c r i b e r s f o r t h e S e o o n d V o lu m e ( O o t o b e r 1 8 8 0 t o S e p t e m b e r
Tho H ig h W a te r M a r k o f T h e o s o p h y — W h a t i t ia . 143 1 8 8 1 ) p a y R s . 6 o n ly in I n d i a ; R s , 7 in C o y lo n ; R s . 8 in t h o S t r a i t s
M o d e rn P h ilo s o p h y ••• 131 Id o l W o rs h ip .... 1 4 3 S e t t l e m e n t s , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A u s t r a l i a ; n n d £ 1 i n A f r i c a , E u r o p e a n d
O c c n lt S tu d y ... 1 3 1 R e v i o w s :— t h o U n i t e d S t a t e s . V o l. I is n o w e n t i r e l y o u t o f p r i n t .
A B ritis h T h in k e r o n th e La L in g u is tiq u o D e v o ile o A g e n t s : L o n d o n , E n g , , M e s s r s . T r i i b n e r a n d C o m p a n y , 5 7 a n d 59,
’ T h c o s o { ) h is t„ > ... 1 3 3 ( L i n g u i s t i c s U n v e i l e d ) . . . H4 L u d g a to H i l l ; B e r n a r d Q p a r ite h , 15 P ic c a d illy , W . • P a r is , F ra n c e , P . G.
Tho B est F ood fo r M an ... 13 4 P h y s io lo g ic a l C ru e lty or L e y m a r ie , 5 , R u e N e n v e d e s P e t i t s C h a m p s ; N e w Y o rk , F o w le r
E x o te ric C h r is tia n ity ip 1‘ F a c t a n d F a n c y ” ... U 5 a n d W e l l s , 7 5 3 , B r o a d w a y ; B o s to n , M a s s , C o lb y a n d R ic h , 9 , M o n tg o ­
A m e ric a ... 13 5 T h e P h i l o s o p h y a n d S c ie n c e m e r y P l a c e ; C h ic a g o , 111., J . Q. B n n d y , L a S a l l e S t , A m e r i c a n s u b s c r i­
P o s t-m o rte m V is ito rs — 136 o f V e d a n tic R a ja Y o g a ... 146 b e r s m a y a l s o o r d e r t h e i r p a p e r s t h r o u g h W . Q . J n d g e , iJ s q ., B o x 8 , P . O .
T h e E g g re g o re s ... 1 3 6 P o r p e tu a l A lm a n a c 147 B r o o k l y n , N e w Y o r k ; M e lb o u r n e , A u s t r a l i a , W . H . T e r r y , P u b . H a r b i n g e r
A now T ro y ... 1 3 7 S c h o l a r ’s G u id e t o A l g e b r a . . . 1 4 7 o f L ig h t , ; S t . T h o m a s , W e s t I n d i e s , C . E . T a y l o r * C a l c u t t a , I n d i a :
P o s t- m o r te m ris e o f te m p o - T h e A lp h a 147 T h a c k e r S p in k a n d C o m p a n y , B o o k s o lle r s ; B a b u N o re h d ro N a th ,
ra tn rp ... 138 P s y e h o m e try ... W p o n , I n d i a n M i r r o r O ffice, 2 $ t ^ l o t t ’s L a n o , D h u r r n m t o l l a h S t r e e t ;
M e d ic a l M a g n e t i s m a n d th e L iv in g V a m p ire s a n d th o V a m ­ M a d r a s , M e s s r s . K a i l a s a m B r o t h e r s , P o p h a m ’s B r o a d w a y ,' L . V e n k a t a
H e a l e r M a g n e t ic ... 1 3 9 p ir is m o f th o G ra v e ip p u r V a r a d a r a j u l u N a i d u G q r u , R o y a p e t t a H i g h R o a d ; C o lo m b o , C e y l o n :
A n s w e rs to C o r r e s p o n d e n t s . 141 S o c ia l I n s t i t u t i o n s ... 149 J o h n R o b e r t d e S ily a , S u r v e y o r G e n e r a l ’s O ffice ; K a n d y , D o n T im o th y
L e t t e r s fa* t h e E d i t o r :— D r a m a o f th e L a tte r d a y s ... 1 4 9 K a r u n a r a t n o j S h a n g h a i , p h i h a : K e l l y a n d W a ls h .
A q u e s t i o n to t h o A u t h o r o f W a rt.C h a rm in g ... 1 5 1
‘• M o r a lity a n d P a n th e is m ” 1 4 2 I s M a n t h e H ig h e s t A n i m a l ... 1 5 2 P rin te d a t th e Scottish Press, by G haves, C o o k so n a n d Co.;
O n P ra y e r ... 1 4 2 M y s t i c L o r o :—
A n e e d e d D e fin itio n , .... 1 4 2 . T h e N ilg iri S a n n y a s is ... 1 5 3 and published by th e T h e o s o p h ic a l SOCIETY AT A d yar,
E s o te ric C h r is tia n ity 143 A S o o th |u d i a n Y o g in j' ... 1§3 (M adras), In d ia ,
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T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .

N o . I I I . — M A R C H 1 , 1 8 8 4 .

S U B S C R IP T IO N T O T H E J O U R N A L :
India. Foreign.
R e g u la r M e m b e r s o f th e T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty .................... R s. 2 . 6 S h illin g s.

To a l t o t h e r S u b s c r i b e r s .................................................................................... „ 5. 12 „

S U B S C R IP T IO N S DUE FROM JAN U ARY TO D E C E M B E R .

N . B .— S u b s c r ib e r s to 7 7 /6 Thcoaojthist, w h o a r e F a llo w s o f tlie T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie t y , w ill r e c e iv e

■ th is Journal as a “ S u p p le m e n t” gratis.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

IJage. Page.

T he W o rk of tlio B ra n d ie s ... ... . .. ... 4(i T he K.'tnily (B uddhist) Theosophiciil Society ... 53
Tlio G roat A rcanum and tlie G reat W o rk .. 4(3 Colonel O lcott given tlie Rank of “ A charya” ... 53
L etters to t)ie C o rresp o n d in g S e c re ta ry :— 'l.’he A ryan Theosophical Society (Now Y ork) ... 54
F u n d in H o n o u r of tlio L ate Swam i of A lm o ra ... 49 P resid en tial Special O rd e rs ... ... ... ... 54
T heosophy and Lovre ............................... ... ... ... 49 Special C ircular to tlic B ranches .. .......... 54
Phenom enal M emorial M eeting1 in H o n o r of tho L ate Babu
Dr. I1’. H a rtm a n n 's E x periences ... ... ... 52 P e ary C hand M itra, l’\ T. S ...................................... 54
Olficial R eports :— ■ * . O bituary . . . ... ... ... ........................ 54
Colonol O lcott in Ceylon . .. ... .......... 5U

A D Y A R (M A D R A S ).

1 8 8 4 .

(P rice, S in g le N um ber, E ig h t’A n n a s .)

s

i k .
 [.S U P P L E M E N T TO THE T H E O S O P H I S T .]

JOURNAL OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

T H E W O R K OF T H E BRA N C H ES. find th a t their labour is not boing thrown entirely upon
M r esteemed friend and brother, P andit Parm eshri Dass, barren ground, b u t th at thoir work is being moro and more
P resident of the Branch Theosophical Society a t Bara-Banki, appreciated, as is prpved by im portant additions to its
"writes to say th at he finds tlie memo, on the above subject in ranks ; they thus feel encouraged to continue thoir arduous
the last m onth’s Theosophist, has been entirely misunder­ task moro and moro cheerfully. B ut let it be once proven
stood. The following passage therein has been tlio cause of th a t thc work has created no interest, and th at those for
misapprehension :— whom exertions are being made prefer to stubbornly remain
blind to all higher considerations, and the theosophical lead­
S in c o th o c o m m e n c e m e n t, th o T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty h a s tr i e d to
fan p r e s s t h e f a c t t h a t th o L a w s o f N a t u r e a r o i m m u t a b l e ; a n d n o l i v ­
ers will be compelled to drop tho work in spite of themselves.
in g b e in g , h o w e v e r h ig h o r p o w e rfu l, c a n o v e r a l t e r th o m to s u it Is not the fact th a t tho moral if not tho active support given
t h e c o n v e n i e n c e o f s t u d e n t s .........I t w ill t h u s b o s e e n t h a t t h c T h e o s o ­ by people to the Society by joining it acts as a stim ulant
p h i c a l S o c io t y p r o m i s e s n o T e a c h e r s , n o G u r u s , t o t a k e e v e r y m e m b e r , for renewed work—is not this fact a sufficient inducement
npon j o i u i n g , u n d e r t h e i r s p e c i a l c h a r g e ....... N o d o u b t t h e r e a r o for rig h t thinking men not to keep aloof from tho move­
i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s w h o h a v o b e e n f o r t u n a t e e n o u g h to b o a c c e p t e d
m ent ? Again, the Theosophical Society being a Universal
a s C h e l a s , b u t t h e i r a c c e p t a n c e waR d u e n o t t o t h o f a c t o f t h e i r b e i n g
F e l l o w s , b n t b e c a u s e t h o y h a v e b e e n l i v i n g t h e l i f e a n d h a v e v o lu n ­
Brotherhood embraces all H um anity : as such it may very
t a r i l y p a s s e d th r o u g h th o tr a in in g a n d t e s t s , e n jo in e d n p o n a s p ir a n ta well bo recognized as one complete organism. All its doings
f o r o c c u l t k n o w le d g o o f e v e r y a g o a n d n a t i o n a l i t y . are Us Karinn. A nd jn st ns the different organs derivo
Upon this it is argued :— nourishm ent from the joint work of the whole body ; so also
O n e ’s o w n K a r m a j’r t h o e s s o n c c i r r e s p e c t i v e l y o f h is c o n n e c tio n
each member of this huge organism has a p a rt.o f its nour.
^ r n o n -c o n n e c tio n w ith t h e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty — in o th e r w o rd s, ishm ent from the accumulated store of the Karma of the
a l l d o p e n d s u p o n o n e ’s l i v i n g t h o l i f e e n j o i n e d n p o n a s p i r a n t s f o r Theosophical Society as a whole. Aud who will dispute the fact
o c c n lt k n o w le d g e . T h o a c t o f jo in in g t h e S o c ie ty is im m a te r ia l in a s ­ that th at Association has been acquiring an immense amount
m u c h a a th e l if e b o in g a n o s s c r iti a l t h i n g , f e l l o w s h i p i n t h o S o c ic ty of good Karma by its beneficent work of increasing human
r a r r io s nn w e ig h t w ith it. T h e S o c ie ty th u s c o n f e r s n o b e n e fit a s a
p r e r e q u i s i t e o n i t s m e m b e r s , in a d d i t i o n t o t h e r e s u l t o f t h o i r o w n
happiness by promoting knowledge and by uniting together
K a r m a . T h i s b e i n g so , a T h e o s o p h i s t a n d a n o u t s i d e r s t a n d u p o n different people into one bond of an Intellectual Brother­
t h e sn m c fo o tin g ; h e n c e n o o n e s h o u ld jo in th e S o c ie ty . hood P Still fu rth er : it is a well-recognized principle th at
This strange logic passes my comprehension. “ All ap­ Union is Strength ; and therefore if any Association could
pears yellow to the jaundiced eye,” says the poet. One blinded afford large opportunities for doing good, it is the Theosophi­
by selfishness cannot therefore pierco through the thick cal Society. Selfishness having scaled tho eyes of the critics
veil before his eyeR, and all his conceptions m ust therefore to the fact th at they form bnt a p art of the I n t e g r a l W h o l e ,
be narrow. My friend’s reply to the above superb reasoning they fail to perceive th a t the good of their Fellowmen is their
is :— own good. The cloud of self-benefit darkens their mental
horizon, through whiiili their sight cannot pierce to have a
I t is t-rn o t h a t l i v i n g t h o lif o in c s s o n t i a l — b u t tl i o l i f e li v e d b y a
F e l l o w o f t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i c t y h a s n n a d v a n t a g e o v e r t h n t liv e d
glanco a t the future results of their att.it.udo. They see no
b y a n o u t s i d e r . A f o ll o w , b y t h c a c t o f j o i n i n g , p l a c e s h i t n s e l f in a superior advantage within the narrow range of thoir vision,
p o s itio n w h e re in th o c s s o n tia l q u a lific a tio n c a n im m e d ia te ly a n d and therefore thoy conclude no sueli advantage exists. They
d i r e c t l y a t t r a c t t h e n o t i c e o f t h e M ahatmas . A T h e o s o p h i s t h a s to cannot understand th at of all tho Associations now existing
e x e r t le s s i n p o i n t o f a t t r a c t iv e force, t h a n a n o u t s i d e r , f o r t h e l a t t o r
in the world, tho Theosophical Society is the only one that
is n o t s o n e a r th o M aiiatmap as t h e f o r m e r . U o th o f t h e m do n o t
th e r e f o r a s ta n d n p o n t h e s a m e fo o tin g . A ll t h a t t h e p a s s a g o in t h e
can be employed to tho best advantage for promoting human
M e m o , o n t h e W o r k n f th c llr a n c h r.x m e a n t t o c o n v e y w a s t h a t th o happiness by bringing people to realize tho common found­
T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c ie ty w a s n o t a n i m p r o v e d s o r t o f M ir a c lo C lu b o r ation of all Religions. And th a t the Illuminated have
S c h o o l o f M a g ic w h e r e i n f o r t e n r u p o c s ( o r a n y s u m w l i a t e v e r ) a therefore adopted it as the channel of communication be­
) n a n c o u l d b e c o m o a M a h a t m a b e t w e e n t h c m o r n i n g b a t h a n d th o
tween themselves and the outer world. As snch, it forms
e v e n i n g m o a l ; b u t t h a t in a d d i t i o n t o m e r e l y j o i n i n g th o S o c io t y , a
m a n s h o u ld liv e t h o r e q u i s i t e l i f e a u d w a it p a t i o n t l y f o r t h o r e s u l t s
the centre of light, and he who steps into its sphere from tlio
w h i c h ^ w i l l c o m o in d n o ti m o . outer darkness, conies within the radius of vision of the
B le ss e d O nes. T o advance further depends upon his active
The Pandit’s reply is eorreet so far as it goes, but it is
incomplete. I t does not give tlie reasons why a Thoosophist goodness and work. By joining he has got his reward of
is nenrev to the M a s t e r s than an outsider. I t also omits giving an expression to his sympathy and thus affording
fcertain other im portant considerations. W ith a view to moral support—and th a t rew ard is th at he puts himself in a
avoid any further m isunderstanding, I shall go a little fuller prom inent position whenco he can be more easily perceived
into thc subject, being at Hie same time as brief and concise than those who prefer to rem ain in the outer darkness.
ivs possible. If the critics had read carefully tlie whole of D a m o d a r K. M a v a l a n k a r ,
Ihe memo, and digested it thoroughly, thoy would probably Joint Recording Secretary, Theosophical Society.
liave not been led into such curious conclusions as they now A dyar ( M adras) , )
put forth. I t is adm itted th at the Theosophical Society has 3ri£ February 1884. )
been engaged in doing good, with unparalleled success, to
H um anity ; that, had it not beon for its exertions, peoplo
would have gone in their own ways as heretofore, would U N P U B L IS H E D W R IT IN G S OF E L IP H A S LEV I.
have paid no attention to the w ritings of the ancient sages Ilnd Lecture.
and would havo remained in entire ignorance of the glorious T he G r e a t A rcandm and t h e G reat W o rk.
truths contained therein, not because thoy could not have been ( Translated from the French.)
found if properly searched into, but because the earnest spirit T i i e Kingdom of Heaven, or if you prefer to call it so, the
of enquiry which has now been raised could never have assert­ Divine Royalty, can only be obtained by force. This was said
ed itself, I t is therefore a duty we owe to the Theosophical by one of the greatest Hierophants. Only audacity full of
Society to encourage and support it by all possible means, if energy can obtain it. God in tho Bible blesses Jaco b ; because
wo have the least sense of gratitude w ithin us. Moreover, it is Jacob dared to wrestle with him. Only those that are equals
w ithin almost every ono’s mouth th a t m oreand more important can battle with eaoh othor, and the Israelites are the children
facts of the Esoteric Philosophy are being gradually given of the man who measured his strength with Gnd.
out through the instrum entality of the Theosophical Society. Occultism is the science of the dogma and the ritu al; it is
H ave tho critics reflected to w hat causes this fact is due ? the intelligence of tiie G reat W ork. All symbols refer to a
I t is bocause the leaders and promoters Qf th e Association ejngl^ secret; w hich‘ ia magic is called (he Great Arcanum,
 and all the rites and ceremonies refer to a single operation,
which the hermetic initiates havo called tho “ G r k a t W o r k . ”
People in our days continue to ignore w ith great obstinacy
th a t the universal symbolism, like true science and like true
religion, is a oneness, and that symbolism too has a double
face ; blaek aud obscure on one side, w hite and shining 011 the
other. Symbolism is the veil of the sanctuary ; black on ono
side liko the sable curtains hung iu tho cham ber of the dead,
and luminous on the other, as if gilded over by the rays of the
sun. On the dark side you behold avenging swords and
b itter tears and an inscription which says: “ If you lift this
veil to enter into the sanctum, whieh is only reserved for
priests, you will surely die.” Those th a t read the inscription
and feel fear fall prostrate and die in darkness ; but those
who dare to ltft the veil enter iuto glory and como to light.
The G reat H ierophant of the Hebrews, Moses, represented
this truth by th at cloud which was dark and thundering 011
the side turned towards tho Egyptians, and luminous and
radiant on that turned towards tho Jews, whose audacity had
triumphed over the abyss of the sea. We understand the
spirit of symbolism after we 'liave ceased to believe in its
dead letter, and after we have ceased to regard Christ as an
Idol, we begin to feel in w hat respect he is God.
Fear says : “ Believe, or die !” Audaeity answers : “ I will
know, even though I had to die for knowing.” “ Tremble if
you dare,” says F e a r; and Science answers boldly: “ Just
because I do not trem ble I shall dare.” “ If yon battle
against God, you will surely die,” says F e a r; but Will replies,
“ I shall fight the shadow to obtain light, and I can only live
after having conquered the terrors of death.” “ You will
encounter the vultures of Prom etheus,” says F ear; but
Energy and Patience say : “ Wc will defend ourselves with
the arrows of Hercules.” Fear exclaims with a cry of terror:
“ Im prudent m o rta l! enter not into the Kingdom of Hades ;
your voice would raise all the powers of hell against you.”
Wisdom answers : “ I shall know' how to keep silent.”
All the epic poems of antiquity, the Golden Fleece,
the siege of Thebes, tho peregrinations of Ulysses, and
the poems and romances of a more modern age ; Dante’s
journey through the threo w orlds; from the poet of the
Inferno, to tho “ Rose of tho Stars,” the tale of the rose
being a more common version of the same voyage ; every­
thing gravitates around the G reat Arcana and the Great
W ork. Tho books ou Alchemy, the orthodox books, pla­
ced around tho emerald table of the g reat Hermes, have be­
come unintelligible to the science of our days ; because they all
have a doublo meaning, of which the most abstract and tho
only reasonable one was reserved for the initiates alone, and
is now so completely lost, th a t if some savant would rediscover
it, he would be called a dreamer.
Kkartshausen and Jacob Boelime are the only ones in our
days who have penetrated to the h eart of the Hermetic
philosophy and divined the dogmas of....................and Ascle-
piades, which have nothing in common with the Jewish mys­
teries of the book of Nicolas Flamel. We must not confound
the cunning of Jacob with the prudcnce of Trismegistus.
B ut the mystic writings of Jacob Boelime and Ekart-
shausen are for the ordinary reader eutirely unintelligible.
The night birds are stricken with blindness in the presence
of the sun, and so it is with the majority of m ankind. I 11
the spiritual world thoy carry with them their darkness even
iuto the very heart of the sun. The wise can make use of a
lamp iu the middle of the n ig h t; but w liat lamp could the
wiseacres of intelligence invent to , give them light during
tho day ? Diogenes did well in making use of a lantern
during day time. This derisive illumination did not compen­
sate him for the prejudice which the shadow of Alexander
threw ou his state of beatitude.
The phantoms are the lies of night and the realities are tho
verities of light. Dogmas appear like dreams to thoso who
examine them at night time, b ut to those who contemplate
them during the day, they are eternal verities.
For this reason we must, if we wish to grasp the spirit of
the dogmas, tear open the envelope iu which the letter is
hidden. We must throw away credulity to obtain faith, and
the true adoration of God begins only then, when we trample
our idols into the dust. The first word of high initiation iu
Egypt sounded like a blasphemy against Osiris ; for this god
of light was callqd a “ black god," which m eant th at symbol­
ism is only a shadow and reason is light. If we make use
of a sign or a rite to aid us to express a religious sentiment,
wu perform a reasonable a c t ; but to- subject ourselves to a
sign or rite, to make ourselves the slaves of a practice or au
image is an act of folly, and is called superstition and idolatry.
For this reason tho candidate in certain initiations waa
required to tram ple under his feet the most revered signs.
I t is said th a t the Templars before consecrating their swords
to the defence of the Cross were wont to spit three times
npon a crucifix. W as this meant as an insult to the Redeem­
er ? Certainly not. I t was simply an affirmation of their
disrespect for the idol. Tho Templars proved by this strange
action th a t to them the cross was an idea and not a fetich.
Initiations are the schools of immortality. Immortality, tho
divinity in man, can only be conquered by a supreme inde­
pendence. Liberty is the real life of the soul, and man iu
milking himself free of all servitude makes himself also freo
from death. The great effort of probation must be to cut
the umbilical cord which connects us with fatality. The
Great Arcana and the G reat Work are both one and the samo
thing.
The books of high initiation are so closely veiled in their
lauguuge, that the te st is entirely incomprehensible to tho
profane ; and to them they appear more like the dreams of
madmen than like sensible lucubrations. The Sohar and tho
Apocalypsis aro fall of monstrosities, and the twelve keys of
Basilitis Valentin would discourage the sagacity of Gidipus.
The Hermetic philosophers, of whom the tradition is lost iu
the night of Egyptian symbolism, and the magic of Zoroaster,
deseribo tho Great W ork in this manner.
We wish to dissolve a natural stone and to make of it a
preternatural one, which shall possess the property of chang­
ing all the baser metals into gold and to cure all diseases.
This stone—they said—is a stone and at the same time is not
a stone ; it contains fire which does not burn, and w ater
which does not wet. Here they were speaking allegorically.
The word stone is usually employed by tho hierophants to
express th at whieh is immovable and real. St. John sees God
in the shape of a jasper-stone; Jesus advises his disciplcs to
build upon a rock ; he says himself that he is the stone which
tho builders rejected, and which shall become the corner­
stone. The divine law which was given through Moses was
engraved upon a stone ; Moses caused water to come out of a
rock and Elias produced fire from a stone. Jesus gave tho
name of Peter (which means rock) to the foremost of his
followers in faith, and in the ancient mysteries of the great
goddess, tho mother of the gods, there was no other repre­
sentation but a rugged black rock.
In the sanctuary of the Hebrews, the mysteries of the In ­
effable Name were engraved upon a eubic-stone. This stono
is still one of the grand secrets of initiation in masonry.
W e find it again in tho tablets of aucient rites under the two
forms of tho unhewn and the hewn stone, and in certain
rituals the unhewn stone is called “ antimonial stone.”
The substance of which this stone is composed,—say tlio
sages,—is found everywhere in the universe. Every body
carries it with him, the poor as well as the rich. I t is
necessary first to calcinate it in fire without burning it, then
to triturate it carefully and to let it dissolve in its own llame ;
then to extract by way of sublimation the “ milk of the virgin”
and “ the dragon’s blood,” which must be made to boil to­
gether 011 the lamp of Hermes. The substance then turns
from black to white, from whito to yellow, from yellow to
red. I t is then solidified and wo obtain th at inestimable
ruby, wliich is tho talism an for wealth and immortality.
All mystics, however, affirm th a t it is impossible to suc­
ceed in accomplishing tho work without a high ideal and
without the inspiration of a religious sentiment. I t requires
indifference to riches, and tho absence of all evil d e sire ;
which fact points neither to the searoli of material gold, noi;
to the purely scientific manipulation of some substance w hich
has been analysed by chemists. Hero we will now give tha
explanation of these allegories :—•
The unhewn stone is man, such as nature made him, and
he must be calcinated by passions; but if he allows them lo
burn him, he is lost. He must be triturated by work anel
meditation, and when ho once well understands his misery,
when he sees himself a moral leper like Job, and left upou
the dunghill, then his spirit begins to work and to ferm ent.
First poetry and religion appear and elevate his broken heart
and smooth his eoueli of suffering. They are the doves of
D Jana pf which the sages speak ; they aro also represented
as the virgiu-inilk, which promises to man a new birth .
B ut poesy and faith would remain sterile, if they did not
impregnate the labor of real life. The sublimated whiteness
 falls back in roseate showers upon the black m atter and
meets with thc sulphur of the sages, which is the real life ;
thc red oil, the philosopher's wine, and thc blood of thc
dragon of Cadmus. Poetry unites with science, the ideal is
confirmed and fortified by reality. Then is accomplished
thc occult marriage of faith aud reason, authority and
liberty, force and meekness.
Go then (o work you, thc alchemist of intelligence. L ight
tho lamp of Hermes, apply a progressive heat, help to ripen
tho fru it of thought, let day follow night, and make use of
th at heat and light. C ut off the head of the raven, make
room for the dove to soar, and assist a t the rebirth of tho
Phoonix. Perseus, mounted upon his winged horse, winged by
poetical aspirations, pierces thc dragon with liis sword
nnd liberates the beautiful Andromeda. Let the white rob­
ed bride be led to thc king, robed in purple, let Cabricus
become tho husband of Bciee, let tho cross of light be united
to thc cross of love.
Thc unhewn stono of thc frcc-masons was called antimony ;
becausc natural man is in complete contradiction with thc
monastic ideal. Besides this, antimony i.s used to test and
purify gold, and likewise are our natural imperfections useful
in the moral order of thc universe.
Gold, thc most perfect of all metals, represents thc perfec­
tion of works of wisdom. E verything becomes ameliorated
nnd perfected in the hands of sages ; because they possess that
precious stoue and the talisman of imm ortality, wliieli they
knew how to obtain and with it they change into gold thc
basest of metals.
Man can only reach a perfect independence through a
perfect equilibrium of all liis faculties and of all his Forces.
This equilibrium renders his will a well balanced ccntre
nnd everything seems to obey bis desires, becausc his desires
arc just. Tho sage therefore possesses iu reality the myste­
rious powers of the magicians ; he repulses everything th at
could be injurious to him and attracts th a t which is good,
l i e reads thc thoughts of others by taking into consideration
th e ir moral condition ; he inspires confidence, and by inspir­
ing it, lie often cures tho diseases of the soul us well as those
of thc body.
When man once reaches this sovereign independence, lie
becomes a priest and a king in such an absolute manner,
th a t neither priests nor kings can influence him in the least.
F o r this reason, the secrets of Occultism have always been
veiled. In former times those secrets belonged to the lords
of tho earth, who did not wisli to be dispossessed by con­
spirators, and who punished with death those who made their
dangerous knowledge known ; b u t in our days the priests aud
kings, having lost these secrets in eonscquence of having
used them for ignoble pnrposcs, they have now come into thc
possession of the world’s exiles, who are obliged to carefully
conceal them, because they constitute the legitim ate titles to
th eir claims.
The world shudders and becomes agitated at thc misunder­
stood name of liberty. Revolutions aro fermenting, aud
no one can tell what thc hidden leaven is, th a t makes her stir.
Thc. world is in labor, preparatory to thc great work ; tho
hierarchy of the great mystics m ust be reco n stitu ted ; reli­
gion, instead of a pope, wants a grand hierophant. Sooicfy£
disgusted with kings, will only obey a tru ly g reat sovereign.
The temple m ust be rebuilt and the Fathers of thc Society of
Jcsus'm ust give way to the “ Brothers of the Rosy Cross.”
Wo care very little, whether or not the coming hierophant
of the future be called Popo or not, w hether the great Sover­
eign will be a king or not, and w hether or not the Brothers of
tho Rosy Cross, like tlic Illum inati of W eishaupt, shall
borrow somo rules from the Bye-laws of thc Jesuits.
H um anity always changes her forms, but lives continually
thc same life, and very often the intim ate m anner of living is
entirely followed out again under thc same exterior form.
A rc n o to u r priests shaved like those of Cybcle and Miihros ?
Is not oni' almanac almost entirely thc same as thc one used
by the Romans ? Have not scyeral of our saints a striking
resemblance to the heroes of ancient m ythologies? Is not
God explained by tho Kabbala—ever the same Jehovah ? and
Jesus, although transfiguratcd by the universal symbolism,
which prays to him under the name of Osiris, of Balder, and
of Chrishna, is he now less than form erly a man-god ?
So does thc human body renew itself daily and still remains
always thc same.
As long as slaves arc led by slaves, they will continue to
re b e l; but they do not become free, Men, who are domi­
neered over by their passions, are like animals chained to the
edge of a precipice. Woe to them, if they break their chain,
. for to them to become liberated is to die! The flock tliat
follows thc ram, having neither dog nor shepherd to guard
it, runs undoubtedly thc risk of going astray, because their
leader is as stupid a beast as they themselves ; but if they
scatter here and there, each one following his own inclination,
they will certainly be lost. Taking everything into considera­
tion, wc may say th at the tyranny of Caligula or Nero is
better for vicious people th an a complete state of anarchy,
which would soon produce a war of extermination among
themselves. One ferocious beast causes less disasters than a
hundred thousand ; and evilly disposed men, believing them­
selves free, are only so many wolves unchained.
Behold the great criminals of all abortive revolutions !
W hat sla ves are those tfra n ts ! Mow they are tortured by
envy ! ilow they are dragged along by ambition ! How they
are scourged by rage ! How they are outraged by bale and
stung by passion ! W hat furies misled the reason of Masani-
ollo, when he saw himself abandoned by the very people
whose extreme love he believed himself to have gained !
W ith what anguish expired th at sublime monster, the sight
of whose boarish head made kings tremble and whose name
was M irabeau ! W hat feverish insomnity made the nights of
thc pale Robespierre seem endless ! W hat nests of vipers
were w riggling in thc leprous heart of M arat ! Those men
believed themselves to be the apostles of freedom, while tbey
were only thc monopolizers of a jealons isolation in a savage
servitude.
W liat did those men need to make them free ? They
needed everything, for thoy needed Cod. Hebert a«id
Chaumctte thought they had him killed. Robespierre at­
tempted to resuscitate him by calling him the Supreme Being,
a title which is as absurd as it is servile ; because it presumes
th at God can be a ring- iu thc chain of his beings ; for even
if his position wero the highest and first, in au abs"lute man­
ner, it would still presuppose him .to be a link either at tho
extreme end, in the middle, or on the top. We see plainly
that Robespierre was unacquainted with the tablets of
Hermes.*
According to this precious relic, which contains the “ credo”
of Occultism, the collective being is a unity.f That which is
above is as th at which is below, and as it is below so it is
above, and forms the wonders of unity in being. This means
th at Cod and man are making each other reciprocally, and
tlieir simultaneous operation is identical and reciprocal.
Everything originates from a sole being, from a single
thought, above by creation and below by adaptation.
The Sun is the father, tho moon the Mother. (Sun signi­
fies fire and Moon icuirr). The Breath is the gestator, and
E arth i.s the nurse. The universal father and liis work ;
the power of one and the forco of the other are all one com­
plete sovereignty. Man i.s God hidden on earth. Separate
thc earth from the fire, disengage tho fpirit-breath from m at­
ter by applying your whole attention and all your wisdom.
Spirit ascends from E arth and descends from Heaven to
earth, to unite together thc superior powers and inferior
forces. Then will thc whole world be revealed to you in its
splendour and every obscurity will fly away, because force
issncs from all the united forces, spiritualises that which is
terrestrial and realises that which is ideal. Such is the mode
in which the world was created.
From this universal principle flow wonderful adaptations-
This is thc law and the measure of tho whole philosophy, and
for this reason I am called Trismcgistus, because I possess
thc secrcts of wisdom of the three worlds.
I said the sun has done his work and the mystery is com­
plete. Such is thc symbol engraved upon tlie Smaragdino
tablets. Perhaps thc most acutc mind of this age has guess­
ed thc hidden meaning of this symbol, when it is said :
“ The word bccamc ilesh, so th at thc flesh may become the
word.” (See Seraphita by II. de Balzac.)
The religion of the Initiates was obliged to envelope it­
self in the veils of mystery to escape persecution, becausc it
spoke of tho eternity of creation, of the sinlessness of the
flesh and conquered immortality. For this purpose the ficti­
tious form of a chemical operation was adopted, which ruiued
many a credulous fortunc-seckcr and exasperated tho obsti­
nacy of many knights of the blow-pipe and bellows. Tho
minor sages arc not to be blamed for that. They have often
* T h e S m a r a g d i n o T a b lc L s .
t Thus says the Book of Khiu-tc—E d ,
enough repeated th at their salt avid sulphur and mercury
are notliing like ordinary substances of th a t mime ; th at
their fire is entirely spiritual, and th a t he who expects to
make gold in his crucible, will find there no th in " but scoria)
and ashes.
Bernard le Trevisan says that we m ust reject all salt, all
sulphur, all metals, half metals and marcasites to retain tho
red servant. Now who is this red servant ? Some say it is
the philosopher’s wine, others say it is the blood of the littlo
children ; th at means the elements of strength and of life.
They said th at the Great W ork costs nothing or almost
nothing, th a t women can perform it w hile occupied with
spinning, and th a t nevertheless it is a Herculean labour ;
because it is necessary to conquer a lion, cut the wings of a
dragon, grind the bones of an old man and to let them rot
for forty days, etc.
Many do not understand the m eaning of those mystical
figures of speech, of the vices th a t we m ust conquer, the old
habits which wo m ust break up, the evils "which ivc must
learn to suppress, iu short, the spiritual regeneration, which
a woman can accomplish, w ithout interrupting her daily
work.
Nevertheless, it is not absolutely demonstrated that this
allegorical and spiritual doctrine entirely excludes the pos­
sibility of producing artificial gold.
A contemporaneous chemist, Mr. Tiffereau, truly and
with great expense and labor, produced a small quantity.
I am acquainted w ith some distinguished savants, who are
still seeking for a solution of this chemical problem, and I
have myself assisted them in th eir efforts, more out of
curiosity and scientific interest, than w ith any serious hope
of success.
Let us recapitulate: The G reat Arcanum is the divinity
of man, or in other words :— The identification of the human
Mill with the divine principle. This identification imparts to
him a relative omnipotence and secures to him personal
immortality by conservation of memory. (A fter Bodily
Death.)
The Great W ork is the conqucst of this divinity through
complete emancipation of intellect and will. This is the
realisation of absolute liberty ; which is perfect royalty and
hupreme priesthood. We reach this end through a persever­
ing will with the help of science, and the initiative of daring
under the protection of silence.
We know th at the four principal and fundam ental words
of occultism are :—
To KNOW, TO WILL, TO DARK AND TO KEEP SILENT.
Jicjtiiijs to ihq (!l'0 i;i[i}!i|] 0 ) u l i n ( j
FUND IN HONOUR OF THK LA TE SWAMI
OF ALMOllA.
1 send herewith in original tlie letter I received from
Rajani Kanta Brahmachari, a pupil of tho late Swami of
Almora. Ho acknowledges with thanks the ten Rupees I
sent him at your'instance, and expresses liis gratitudo to, and
admiration for, the Theosophical Society, which, although
not aureeing with the views of the late Swanii, subscribes to
lhe Fund raised for the memory of the lal ter. He thanks
Madame Blavatsky, Colonel Olcott and all tlie members of
t.lie Theosophical Socicty (I think he means the P aren t
Society) for this act of their generosity.
S im l a , )
6th Ft'by. 188-A. J Kumud Cltandei: M ukkrjee.
TH EO SO PH Y AND LOVE.
Ouit contem porary of tlie Epiphany lias tlio follow ing
rem arks on tho le tte r of D. K . JVL, p ublished in tho
Ja n u a ry n um b er of th e Theosophist :—
It is with pleasure th at we reply to the letter signed with
the initials D. K. M., so well known, at least to Theosophists.
We will simply put down the thoughts suggested by it, in the
order'in which they are suggested.
' (1.) We apologise for tho mistako of putting Yogi for
Yoga; a moment’s thought would have prevented it.
(2). Wo did not mean by “ w hat men call miracles” simply
physical marvels, but marvels both physical aud psychical,
as may be gathered from our words “ the power of supreme
'wisdom or working what nien call miraeles,” or our parallel
phrase “ the power of the invisible worlds.”
(3.) Still we distinctly spoke of powors other than tha
power of love. And our words might be taken to imply th a t
the power of love was subordinated in Theosophy to theso
other powers.
(4.) But a glance at the context of our words would shew
th at this was. not necessarily so.
In a letter to which wo were replying, our correspondent
A. 13. C. had asked “ what internal or external powers hava
you gained from your God, which can consunio the sinful
element in your nature, &c.?”
In thus questioning the existence of sin-conquering powers
in Christians wo simply asked A. B.C. whether he had fol­
lowed the best method.
We asked whether a moro careful study of the history of
Christianity, &c., would not perhaps lead him to admit tho
working of such strange powers. In that case the only ques­
tion left would be the question of their source, in delusion or
in God.
And we adduced the parallel case of certain powers claimed
by Theosophists and adm itted by us, so that our only enquiry
was as to their value and their source.
Not one word was said as to whether the power of intense
love was claimed or possessed by the Theosophists.
We needed a parallel case of admitted powers, and we conld
only take those powers which we do adm it to be attainable by
Thcosophical methods. Among theso perfect love has no
place. Theosophists may sometimes be more loving thau
individual Christians, and we do all homage, for instance, to
the nobly appreciative obituary notice which you lately print­
ed of your opponent Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
I t is iu no spirit of pride th at we state it as a part of our
Creed that, however unloving nominal Christians may be,
perfect lovo is only attainable by man through union with.
Christ, nay, th at the very gateway to love for the mass o£
men must be tlie faith in C hrist’s lovo for us. Snch a theory
has nothing to do with any estimate of persons, but is a ne­
cessary corollary of our belief th a t God became incarnate for
love of ns. Tor, if th at be a true doctrine, the recognition of
the fact of such tremendous love must be the natural preli­
minary to being intoxicated and transformed by it, the first
step in the true Yoga.
Wo were, you will now perceive, obliged by the logical ne­
cessities of our reply to chooso by way of illustration a clusa
of powers which we could adm it to be attainable by your
methods, powers, e. </., of supreme wisdom, of psychical per­
fections, of physical marvels.
(5.) We wero and are perfectly aware that Theosophy does
profess to despise the mere “ powers” or Siddhis, and teaches
th at Universal Love is an essential part or condition o£
Brahma Vidya. But we are not aware tliat it teaches love
in tho Christian sense to be the very essence of perfection,
sinco “ God is love.”
There has been recently in our columns some correspondence
with Professor Dvijadas D atta of the Bethnne College. That
gentleman has very lucidly set forth the Vedantist idea of un­
selfishness, or identification of self with the Divine Being, iii
your own words, of Jivatm a w ith Paramatma.
Wo cannot recognize in th a t identification the Christian
idea of perfection, which regards God as the eternal infinite
not-self to which we sacrifice in ever repeated oblation the
eternal finite self, as we are also gloriously fated for ever
to sacrifice onrselves for other finite beings, loved by God and
by us. Even when sin, w hat you call Maya, has ceased tt>
veil from us our truo union with God, wo shall still (ivi
believe) retain our conscious separateness from the Supreme
and from His other created beings. AVe postulate like you,
th at we are “ part of an integral whole” and that “ the good
of others is our own,” not because we are identical with
them, but because our highest perfection consists in activo
and loving work for tho perfection of others.
So we do not, with the V edantist, slowly recognize th at
we are God, but wo slowly learn to give ourselves up to God.
You see we are inveterate and irreconcilable dualists. As
God for ever yearns and labours in the infinite process of
“ bringing many sons to perfection” through suffering, so do
we for ever demand a non-Ego to which to sacrifice (without
annihilating it) the Ego.
B ut whatever the end, the Nirvana, the Mukti, you may
fairly say th a t tho means, tho Yoga, are the same. Separata
personalities as we imagine ourselves to be in our present
subjection to Maya, the first lesson to learn is th a t of bene­
volence. We said long ago, in our reply to Col. Olcott’s
most kind letter to the Epiphany, th at we both profess to bo
fighting the same battle in the outset, the battle of love
against selfishness. B u t we deliberately deny, simply on
the ground of the experience of the innum erable Saints of
the Church of God, th a t the flame of love can be fully kind­
led in the heart by Theosophical methods, or by anything
less than the Incarnate Sacrifice of God. I t is not pride
■which says this, it is the b itter practical experience of the
best Christians.
If then you require “ nnselfish philanthropy” as a
“ guide iu tlie acquisition of Brahm a Vidya,” you are, from
the point of view of the positive experience of millions, in­
dulging in a petitio principii. U nable to obtain by human
w ill the Nirvana of Love, yon will knock iu vain a t the
closed doors of the N irvana of Wisdom and of row er. But
certain powers, psychical, occult, or physical, you may gain
by the power of Yoga, w ithout conscious dependence 011 the
help of the Supreme. Your position if you do, w ithout the
C hristian God, teach the primary necessity of Love, is worse
than if you subordinate it to other powers more easily attain­
able, knowledge, asceticism, &c.
(6.) The same argum ent precisely applies to w hat you
say about pride. Your theory is perfect, your practice is,
like our own, imperfect.
Theoretically you require as a condition of Bram ha Vidya
a perfection of love which would cast out all pride. Pride
is a form of Avidya, and is as incompatible with Brahma
V idya as love is essential to it. B ut ju st as hum an experi­
ence shews th a t we cannot unaided attain love, so it shews
th a t we cannot banish pride. And Christian experience (not
theory) deliberately says that hum an natnre can only be
entrusted w ith the smallest degree of knowledge or of power
w ithout danger of pride when chastened by the belief that
the knowledge or the: power is not acquired, but undeservedly
and freely given, given throngh One who died to gain it for
us.
If then yon cannot attain the prelim inary conditions of
N irvana by your methods, by your own will or the help of
Gurus (wholly dependent 011 your own fitness to receive it,
you assert) how can yon attain N irvana itself ? If, on the
other hand, you reply th at you can attain love and humility
by gradual human effort, you m ust be made of nobler clay
th au any Christian th a t has ever yet lived and learned his
own profound nothingness and helplessness in spite of his
initial faith in his own power to develop himself.
(7.) But, as a m atter of fact, though our words did not
necessarily imply th a t Occultism subordinated love to know­
ledge and power, they did in their general tone reflect
the ordinary attitude of Theosophical w riters, and the ordi­
nary conception of Occultism in the vulgar mind. Outsiders
cannot be expected to make nice distinctions. They read
such books as “ the Elixir of Life.’’ They read the Rules of the
Tlicosophical Society. If in England, they read tho pages of
“ Liyht.” If in India they road the “ Theosophist” Magazine.
In the “ Elixir of Life” they aro told, 011 page 59, th at tho
will to live is unselfish, long life is “ a necessary means to the
acquirem ent of powers by which infinitely more good can bo
done than without them .”
B ut they read below th at “ very few of the truly great men
of the world, the m artyrs, the heroes, the founders of reli­
gions, tho liberators of nations, the leaders of reforms, ever
became members of tho longlived Brotherhood of Adepts.”
A nd they read, on page 73, about these same Adepts th at “ it
is with the utmost difficulty th at one or two can be induced
even by the throes of a world to injure their own progress by
meddling with m undane affairs . . . . A very high adept,
undertaking to reform the world, would necessarily have to
once more submit to Incarnation, A nd is the result of all
th at have gone before in th a t line sufficiently encouraging to
prom pt a renewal of the attem pt ?”
Yes—to quote the words ju st before those last quoted—
ft our dirty little earth is left below by those who have virtually
gono to join the gods,”
In one word tho ordinary reader finds the Incarnation of
Christ and His life-work regarded as a discouraging mistake,
and he naturally thinks of such a publication, “ issued under
the authority of the Theosophical Society,” as embodying
with subtle philosophy a very doubtful m orality, a very
strange doctrine of Universal Love,
Again men read the Rules of the Theosophical Society, and
they find mention of an Universal Brotherhood of Hum anity,
but they find the speeches aud books of Thcosophists rather
occupied with philosophy than with the solution of tho ques­
tion of questions, how to learn to love.
Once moro they read, if in England, the pages of “ L ight.”
In the issue of July 28th, 1883, they find an analysis of the
speech of a representative Theosophist, Mr. Sinnett, the
author of “ Esoteric Buddhism.” Welcomed by the London
Theosophists, he is reported to have said th at the pursuer of
adeptship aimed at something more than elevated enjoyment
in the spiritual s ta te ; he aimed at great developments of
knowledge concerning nature and a t a longer span of exist­
ence than oould be granted by N ature “ as a reward for mere
goodness.” F urther on the speaker said (if the report be cor­
rect) tliat ‘ the only way to get on in the evolutionary process
beyond the stage to which goodness could Carry the Ego was to
develope supreme spiritual wisdom or knowledge, and that
was the object at which the efforts of Adepts are directed.’
Now in the course of this same address Mr. Sinnett quite
passionately repudiated the charge of selfishness, and spoke
of Theosophy as seeking to extend these blessings to the
ignorant masses with untiring devotion. B ut ordinary
readers will still feel the impression that the time is not yet
conic for Theosophy, th a t goodness, the first stage in the
process, m ust be attained before we talk of supreme wisdom
or knowledge, and th a t Theosophy puts the cart before the
horse.
Equally strong will be the impression of ordinary readers
of the ‘ Theosophist’ magazine th a t the radical defect of Theo­
sophy is its belief th at goodness is sufficiently attainable by
an evolution from within of hum an nature, a position
passionately denied by the expcricnoe of m ankind at large.
If there be 110 secure foundation, no true method of conquer­
ing selfishness and pride, tho whole edifice m ust tumble
down.
8. One or two points more may also bo noticed with
advantage. The question about trance-consciousness, and
the conditions of its pure vision, is o n ly the question of love
in another form. The most potent of all preconceptions is
that there is 110 personal loving God. And this preconcep­
tion, being negative, cannot be removed by negative methods.
I t is impossible to place the noble soul in a purely indifferent
attitude to this problem. Tlie moment the idea of God 111
the Christian sense rushes npon the soul, the soul rashes
towards it with an intensity proportioned to its own noble­
ness. Only the soul whicli loves can know or feel God ; the
soul in a negative attitude, presenting a blank white sheet
to be inscribed 1 God’ or ‘ no-God’ with indifference, is
debarred by its very attitude from knowing Him. The soul
which does not know God instinctively dreads the thought
of a God, and carries the atheistic preconception into the
trance-vision. The soul which has truly conquered Avidya
has learned to love, and feels the prescicnt instinct of a
Divine Presence already. Learn truly to love and you must
see, or at least suspect, God. The dogmas of occultists on
this point are valueless unless we first know th at they have
learned the lesson of perfect love. The first condition of
true insight is according to our experience impossible to
hum an nature without the help of that God who alone makes
us capable of perceiving His subtle presence, His utter
distinctness from, and yet H is closeness to ourselves. '
(9.) Let us pass to the next subject of D. K. M.’s
criticism.
I t is needless to say th a t if Christianity had appealed to
blind faith it could not have survived the criticism of the
W est for eighteen centuries. Appealing then to reason, we
are asked w hether Christ declared Himself to be God in
“ plain unambiguous language.” Silence is sometimes the
most eloquent language ; when Christ heard St. Thomas ad-
dross Him as “ My Lord and my God” (John xx, 28), simple
silence would have been enough. The words which He
spoke in reply, “ Because thou hast seen thou hast believed”
do but point the contrast between St. Thomas and us who
have been convinced without seeing, and aro indeed blessed
in our faith. H ad Christ himself been always silent, the
w ritten testimony of H is best loved disciple that the “ Word
was God (John I, 1.) and of His whilom persecutor that
" God was m anifest in tho flesh, believed on in the world,
received up into glory” ( 1 . Tim. 3, 16.) would have been
enough for all who could gauge at its true value the abso­
lute guilelessnosg of the writers, -
 B ut Ho spoke. H e never said “ I am G od.” lie would
lmve been taken to mean that H e was tbe fath er whom the
Jew s worshipped (John 8. 54), whereas He was b u t One
Person of the Trinity. B at lie said God was H is F ather.
Hindus would have understood this in a mystieal sense.
The Jews understood th a t it m eant (John 5. 18.) “ m aking
himself equal with God.”
We have the testimony of the Evangelist th a t his lan­
guage was to the Jews perfectly unambiguous.
The whole difficulty in India is created by thoso critics
who separate the words of Christ from th e ir historical con­
text, and put upon them meanings possible to a pantheistic
Hindu, impossible iu the m outh of a monotheistic Jew
speaking to Jews.
'L'lie Declaration of pre-existence before A braham (John 8.
58) and of oneness of essence w ith the F ath er (John x. 3D)
were so unambiguous to the Jews Unit on each occasion they
tried to stone lliin (John 8. 59. and 10. 31.) They said th a t
He “ being a m an” had “ made himself God.” (John 10,
U3.)
C hrist ouco rebuked a man for calling Him good, as you
say. If the Jew had m eant to attrib u te D ivinity to Him, he
m ight have been rebuked for so doing, conceivably. B ut
tlie whole story (esp Matt. 19. 22) shews him as an un­
believer in the divinity of C hrist ; the idea almost certainly
never occurred to him. He is therefore gently rebuked
for using a term of reverence unbefitting one believed by
its user to be a mere man. The question w hother Christ
really claimed to be good, and therefore (according to th is
tost) to be God, is not here touched upon, but is answered
in the affirmative by another word of the Saviour (John
y. 40) “ Which of you eonvinoetli me of sin ?” I t is hardly
fair to represent C hrist as disclaim ing in one passage a
Divine attrib u te which he claims in another.
But you go on to say th a t even if He did claim to be Cod,
his claim was disproved by His historical character which is
equalled, if n o t surpassed, by th at of Buddha. W hen you
nay th at Buddha excelled Jesus in hum ility, as not claiming
to be God, you assume the question a t issue, since there can
lie no pride in claiming to be what you are, if you really are
no. And moreover, if Christ were God there a t once appears
in his life au infinity of condescension impossible to tlie hu­
man Guru. So th at the question of the comparison of their
characters itself partly implies tho previous settlem ent of
tho question of D ivinity; ju st as the interpretation of the
words “ my God and your God” (quoted by you) imply the
previous determination of the relation of the*humau nature
to the Divine in Christ.
The Church has expressed th a t relation thus iu tho Atlia-
nasian Creed, “ Equal to the F ather a.s touching His Godhead ;
and inferior to the Father as touching His m anhood.” You
must then show th a t there could bo no such union of two
natu'-es in Him, or els; you m ust shew th a t theso and simi­
la r expressions of inferiority referred tu Ilis superhuman
nature also, to which in tru th t h y are as inapplicable as aro
ihe frequent expressions of equality with the F ather to His
human nature. It is m fact tins very union ol irreconcilable
attributes in His descriptions of Him self which lias confirm­
ed tho Church in tho conviction th a t Ho is both God and
Man.
We need not discuss w hether Buddhists or Christians now
work the g reater wonders.
It was well said by John Keblc that tho prophecy of C hrist
(John 14. 12) that wo should do greater works than those
physical miracles of Christ is fulfilled in the Eucharist. But,
quite apart from miraculous feeding of the souls of men by
the Christian Priest in the Kueharist, wherein tlie uninitiated
kee nothing but a little bread and wine, 1 boldlv say th a t I
would sooner work the marvel of placing a sinful soul iu
contact with the spiritual andredeem ing energy of the Cross
(ban fly through the air or cure the M aharajah of Cashmere.
, (10). Last of.all, you seem to accuse mo-of a solf-ovident
fallacy in condemning idolatry because of t.he corruptions of
il by tho masses. B ut I did not appeal to any wilful incon­
sistencies of H indus parallel to i he wilful denial in practice
of Christianity of the man who.sold his .wife, and called him-
a Christiiiii.
Itjnoralio clenchi I can hardly attribute to a man of your
ability : but I would ask you whether the point which I at~
tacked was really the misconceptions ofidolatry by its votaries.
So soon as a man can realize the idols as concrete analysis of­
the Supreme lie is no longer, proparly speaking, an idola’.or•
I t is of the essence of idolatry to worship some idols iu p re­
ference to others who are yet acknowledged, and thus to pre­
fer one or more attributes of the, Supreme to ihe rest, and b o
to distort the symmetry of tho Divine Conception- This is a
necessity with tiie masses for whom idolatry is into nded, not a
perversion of the system. You will hardly have patienco to
read, much less to answer, th is lengthy reply to our concise
and able lcLter.
REJ01NDE11.
I shall briefly reply to the rem arks of the Epiphany. I am
sorry 1 failed to gather from tho words, “ the power oj
Supreme wisdom or of working what men call miracles,”
even in the light of the parallel phrase “ the power of tho
invisible worlds,’' th at by ‘'w h a t men call m iracles,” was
not meant “ simply physical marvels, but marvels both physical
and psychical,” as, otherwise some waste of words would have
been prevented.
We maintain tliat the highest ideal of love is to bo found
only in B.rahmavidya or Ksutenc Theosophy ; our ideal of love
beijg a perfect union with the A ll by an u tter abnegation of
the self aud by ardent sleepless endeavours for the good of
all sentient beings—even the brute creation., whose sufferings,
and wholesale slaughter, are made entirely subservient to tho
pleasure of Christians and Mahomedans. If the ideal ot the
Christians is different,— they are welcome to it.; only let them
liotphiee it higher than ours, unless they are prepared to sup­
port tlieir action by the force of arguments. 1 am glad to find
au attem pt has been m adj in this direction by my frieudlj
critic, aud proceed to examine it with the attention il deserves.
‘‘ I t in i a n o s p i r i t o f p r i d e ” B ay s t h o E p ip h a n y , “ t h a t w e s t a t e i t a s a
p a r t o f o u r C r e e d t h a t , h o w e v e r u n lo v in g n o m in a l C h r is tia n s m a y b e,
p e r f e c t lo v e is o u ly a t t a i n a b l e b y m a n t h r o u g h u n io n w i t h C h r i s t , n a y ,
t h e v e r y g a t e w a y t o lo v e f o r t l i e m a s s o f m o il m u s t b o iii . C h r i s t 's lo v e
f o r u s . S u c h a t h e o r y h a s n o t h i n g to d o w ith a n y e s t i m a t e o f p e r s o n a ,
buL is a n e c e s s a r y c o r o l l a r y o f o a r b e l i e f t h a t -G u d b o e a m o in c a rn a fc o
f o r lo v e o f u s . F o r , if t h a t b e a t r u e d o c t r i n e , t h e r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h *
f a c t o f s u c h t r e m e n d o u s lo v e m u s t lie th o n a t u r a l p r e l i m i n a r y t o b e i n g
in to x ic a te d a n d t r a n s f o r m e d b y it, t h e ti r s t s te p in th e tr u o Y o g a.
The great incentive to love among Christians i.s, wc ara
told, the leulisation of the fact that Cnrist, or, in other words,
tho perfect God, incarnated himself, moved by love, for tho
redumption of man. W ithout stopping to question tliu
necessity of such a step iu one who, if God, might, havo avoid­
ed it by suppressing the original act of injustice—namely, tha
“ apple incident,”— we may here say that, there are other doc­
trines in the Christian faith, and regarded as equally true,
whieh a r e ,calculated to weaken it not to completely neutral­
ize the force ol this argument. How can we say the Christian
“ God is love,” when he delivers up helpless Humanity,
brought iuto existence witliuut its consent, to the mangling
tooth of sin and suffering fo ra small transgression of its first
parents ? Even human justice does not hold a son liable for
the debts of his father beyond the extent of that lather’s assets.
Aud how is it th at not oven the blood of Jesus could restore
man to the “ blissful seat” from which lie It:.d fallen .p It
may here be .urged that Lhe all-Merciful Father has ordained
evil bnt for the ultimate good of w in. liut the other side
may with equal justice contend that an .Omnipotent cruel
Ahriman has created all apparent good for the ultimate des­
truction of his creatures, not unlike (Uo Satan of the Middle
Ages, granting a short festive season to his servants as a pre­
lude to the eternal damnation of their souls. The real fact is,
th a t our inner self perceives, although the perception iu very
iiiany c tses is clouded by preconceived notions, t hat love and
charity are buL tho law of our being, aud th a t tho violation of
the law is always attended with sutlcring. I t i.s no argum ent
against this proposition that tile general mind is not conscious
of such being the case, any more than it is necessary for the
miser to be aware o f the true worth of riches when counting
his unsunned hoards with a greedy eye.
O.ur friendly critic then charges me with a paliLio principii
I f y o u t h e n r e q u i r e ‘‘ u n s e l f i s h p h i l a n t h r o p y ” a s a “ g u i d e to t h o
■ a c q u is itio n o f l i n i h m a v i i i y a , ” y o u a r e f r o m .t h e p o i n t o f v ie w u f .tUo-
.p o s iti v e e x p e r i e n c e u f w i l l i u u s , i n d u l g i n g h i a p s t it io p r i n c i p i i ,
 N othing of the kind. I t is enough if I am supported by
tho “ positive experience” of one man—and snch a man is
always to be found in lhe person of the Great Beggar Prince
of Knpilavastu. Tbe only logical misdemeanour committed
in the present transaction is tb at of hasty generalisation
chat-geable 011 the critic himself, in deriving a general proposi­
tion from a particular one, however extensive that particular
proposition may absolutely be.
The suboi'clination of love to power, attributed to Theoso­
phy, is dne to the learned critic’s misconception of’ what is said
in the Elixir of Life, which has never been claimed as a com­
plete exposition of the subject. The objections now raised
clearly show that the article on “ Morality and Pantheism ”
in the Theosophist for November last, has not been properly
considered. There it is distinctly said :—•
Inactivity of the physical body ( S t h u l a gar ir a ) (loos not indicate a
condition of inactivity either on tho nstrnl Or physical piano of action,
T h o human spirit is in its highest state of activity in S a m d d h i , and
not, ns is generally supposed, in a dormant quiescent condition. And,
moreover, it will be seen by any one who examines tho nature o f
Occulfc dynamics, that a given amount of energy expended on the spi­
ritual or astral plane is productive of far greater results thau the same
amount expended on the physical objective plane of existeneo. When
tin adept has placed himself en r a p p o r t with the Universal Mind, ho
becomcs a real power in nature. Even on tlio objective plane of exist­
ence, the difference between brain and muscular energy, in their
capacity of producing wide-spread and far reaching results, can bo
t'ery ensilv perceived* The amnunt of physical energy oxpendod by
tbe discoverer of tho steam engine might not havo been more than that
expended by a hard-work'ng day-labourer. Hut tho practical results
of tho cooly's (vork Can never be romps'red with the results achieved
by the discovery of the steam engine. Similarly, the ultimate effects
Of spiritual ofiergy Aro infiuitcly greater than those of intellectual
energy.
To pass to the concluding rem arks of the Epiphany. My
arguments with reference to Hindu idolatry have been mis­
understood by the critic- W hat I mean is th is :—That, as no
idolatry is sanctioned by the Hindu Scriptures, it is quite un­
just to condemn the symbols of H indu Religion, which are
not without n certain similarity in principles to the Christian
Eucharist, Bunply on the ground th at the ignorant, masses can­
not always perceive the underlying spiritual truth. I t wonld
be as reasonable to charge the grotesque eccentricities of tbe
S altation Army on the purity of tho Christian faith.
D. K. M.
f ] It q 110 in (}n n l .
MY E X P E R IE N C E S .
Som ebody of old has said :—
“ Give yc not th a t which is sacred to the dogs, neither
cast ye your pearls before the swine, for the swine will tread
them under tlieir feet and the dogs will turn and rend you.”
I t is therefore with a great deal of hesitation and reluctance
th a t 1 m:tke U p my mind to pen the following account of my
experiences. If this article were destined to go into the
public papers, it Would certainly never have been w ritten ;
for not only is it disagreeable to throw one’s name to be
devoured by the vultures of criticism ; b u t especially because
it paintf me to see the names of our revered Masters bandied
about by fashionable dandies and unfashionable dunces.
In a public paper I would have three classes of readers :
The lirst class would read it as they would road tho m ar­
k et report about, the price of potatoes nnd lay the paper aside
w ithout giving the subject a fu rth er thought, and this class
I consider a very amiable otie.
The second class W o u l d conclude th a t I W a s “ one of the
ring,” th at I had come all the way from America to amuse
myself by concocting ghost stories, for no perceptible purpose
cxcept to fool them. 'I'his class I consider very stupid and
I pity them,
The third class at-e men and women of intelligence, who
neither accept nor reject anything w ithout sufficient reason.
They probably have heard of such things before ; still thoy
may have some lingering doubts, which they desire to havo
removed. This class I consider my friends, and only for
their benefit, and to try to help to guide them along ou their
tedious path through the mists of doubt and disbelief, did I
consent to have this printed in the Journal of our Society—a
paper published for the special use of the members of our
Association,
On the twenty-first of September 1883, I left my home in
Colorado in the United States to go to India;, partly for the
purpose of representing the Theosophical Societies of America
at our eighth Anniversary, partly because, being of a very
sceptical nature, I ,was anxious to investigate more fully the
subject of Occultism and to remove my doubts. And how
could I expect to do this better than by going to the H ead­
Q uarters Y
I t would have been easier and cheaper for me to go by way
of New York and Marseilles, than by way of California, Japan
and C hina; but 1 had a certain business-to perform in San
Francisco, which is of too delicate and private a nature to be
mentioned even in this paper. So I went to San
Frrvncisco. But, alas I for the weakness of the hum an nature,
of even an occultist in embryo ! The charm of a pair of
beautiful black eyes proved almost too strong for the would-
be ascetic. Saint A nthony’s tem ptation was as nothing, if
compared to mine, and my trip to the promised land came
very near to be a delusion and a snare. However I succeeded
in tearing myself away, left, and went to China.
A week or two after my arrival at A dyar. seeing th at
several others, strangers as well as members of our Society,
occasionally received letters from the Masters either by having
them dropped from the air, whirled a t them through
windows, th rust afc them by materialized hands through
solid walls or sent them through the “ Shrine” ; I thought
by myself th at it was about time th a t I should be equally
favoured ; for although considering myself a sinner, I could
not see that I was a great deal worse and therefore less
worthy of consideration than the majority of those that re­
ceived letters. Encouraged by this thought, I concluded to see
w hether a letter of mine would elicit an answer from tho
Masters.
Accordingly I wrote tho following lines :—•
Revered Master I The undersigned offers you his services.
He desires that you would kindly examine liis mental capacity
and if desirable give him fu rther instructions.
Respectfully yours, etc.
I copy this letter verbatim , so th a t the kind reader may not
think me so silly as to trouble the “ A depts” of tho Himalayas
with my little private affairs, which, however interesting to
me, can be of no possible interest to them. Besides this, I am
in the habit of keeping my own counsel, and there wa.s no one
in India or outside of San Francisco th a t knew anything
about tho said affairs. I gave my letter to Col. Olcott and ho
put it into the Shrine.
A couple of days afterwards, I reasoned w ith myself about
this m atter, and thought that, if the M asters should find it
worth the while to say anything to me, they would undoubt­
edly do so w ithout my asking, and I therefore begged
Colonel Olcott to retu rn mo my letter. Colonel Olcott
would havo done so, b u t my letter had disappeared in a
mysterious m anner in spite of locks and keys aud w'as never
seen again. B nt in place of my letter 1 received. another
in the well known handw riting of our revered Master, tho
contents of which showed not only a complete knowledge of
myself and a knowledge of some of the events of my past
life, b u t it also said : “ You havo committed an act of great
imprudence while in San Francisco”—and then went into
details about th at very private and delicate business to
which I referred above, and the details of which I will give
to our kind Theosophists, if he or she will call on me aud
promise, of course, never to reveal it.
Now such a “ test” ought to be satisfactory to anybody ; but
having had a twenty years' experience with Spiritualism,.my
doubts wero not yet fully conquered. Could Col. Oleott
havo w ritten this letter ? W hat did ho know of my
private affairs ? How could any ono know anything about
it, as there was no mail received from San Francisco since
I arrived by the last steamer, and who in America would
take the trouble to write or telegraph anything, and who
could do b o , as I am almost as much a stranger in San F ran ­
cisco as I am in Adyar, ’
B ut again : m ight not Colonel Olcott or somebody else
havo become clairvoyant and read my mind, and then by
some unconscious cerebration, or somehow or other, some
spirit or something m ight have w ritten it, and who knows
b u t I m ight have been taken in after all.
Theso thoughts, in spite of all reasoning, wero left lingering
in my mind, until I was so fortunate as to seo tho Master
myself in his astral body, when, of course, they wero silcnceti
for ever.
 But something more wonderful was in store fo r me ; and
although it did not surprise me nt all after all I had seen
and heard, it will be interesting to those who have no per­
sonal experience in such m atters.
This morning at half-past eleven I w ent upstairs to
Madame B lavatsky’s room and had a conversation with her
iu regard to society m atters. A fter this conversation the
thought came in my mind to ask h er opinion in regard to a
certain subject of which I had been thinking. Madame B.
advised me to apply to the M aster himself, to ask him men­
tally, and th a t the Master himself would surely answer my
question. A few minutes later she said she felt his presence,
and th a t she saw him writing. I m ust say th a t 1 too felt his
intluence and seemed to see his face, b u t of course tbis
circumstance will carry conviction to no ono but myself.
Ju st then another lady came in, to my great annoyance,
and expressed her wish to have a pair of pincers, which she
peeded for some purpose, and rem embering th at 1 had such
p pair of pincers in the draw er of my w riting desk, I went
downstairs into my room to get them . I opened the
drawer, saw the pincers and a few other things in there, but
uo vestige of any letter, as I had removed my papers the
day before to another place. I took the pincers and was
about to close the drawer, when—there lay in the drawer a
great envelope, addressed to me in the well-known hand­
writing of tho M aster and sealed with the seal bearing his
initials in Thibetan characters. On opening it, I found a
long, very kind and somewhat complimentary letter,
treating of the identical questions, about which I had ju st been
talking with Madame Blavatsky, besides giving a detailed
and satisfactory answer to the very question which had so
perplexed my mind, and a satisfactory explanation of certain
matters, which for some time had been foremost in my mind,
but of which I had said nothing a t all.
Moreover, there was in the same envelope a photograph,
cabiuet-size, of the master’s face, w ith a dedication to me at
thc back. This picture will henceforth bo considered as the
greatest treasure in iny possession.
Now, if I know anything a t all, I know tliat my drawer
contained no such letter, when I opened it, and th a t there was
nobody visible in my room at th a t time. The letter, giving
a, detailed answer to my question, m ust have been written,
sealed and p u t into the draw er in less than four minutes,
while it took exaotly forty minutes to copy it the next day;
aud finally, it treated a very dillicult problem in such an
elaborate and yet concise m anner, tliat only an intelligence
of the highest order could have done the same.
Any fu rth er comment I consider unnecessary.
S a pien t i sat.
F. H a rtm a n n ,
A dyar ( M adr as” I n dia) , } as a picture of m ountain scenery, liana (Buddhistic Philo­
February 5, 1884. J sophy) is preached every Sunday in the H all by priests
COLONEL OLCOTT IN CEYLON.
I n response to a telegraphed request, the President-Founder
arrived in Ceylon on the 27th January, and the same day met
the leading Buddhists of Colombo a t W idyodaya College, for
conference upon thc state of Buddhism, as affected by the
late Catholic riots and the action of the law officers of the
Crown. Mr. Edward F. Perera, the senior Proctor for the B ud­
dhists, attended to explain tiie state of the case. A dispatch
from the Earl of Derby, Secretary of S tate for the Colonies, in
response to a Buddhist petition for redress, as received through
the Colonial Secretary, was first read and discussed. The una­
nimous opinion of the meeting was th a t it guaranteed no sub­
stantial protection against the recurrence, und^r a weak
adm inistration, of the late outrages, and th a t a final appeal
m ust bo taken to Parliam ent, failing a modification of Earl
Derby’s views. Colonel Olcott was thei> requested to proceed
to England in charge of the case, witty full powers, Tho
meeting then organized themselves iutp a t‘ B uddhist Defence
Committee,” vyith power; to add to tlieir num ber, and Colonel
Olcott unanimously clected an H onorary Member. Tho
H igh P riest Sum ^ngala presided at the meeting, and Mr. J.
deSilva, F. T. S., officiated as Secretary. Tlie Defence
Committee prganized by electing the venerable A, P. Pliarm -
gunarvardhana, M ohandjram, as C hairm an; Messrs. Don
Carolis and H. Tepannis Perera as V ice-Chairm en; Mr. H.
A. Fernando, T reasurer ; aud Mr C. P. Guneverdhane as Se­
cretary. The meeting then adjourned after requesting Colo­
nel Olcott to proceed to Kandy and report its action to H . E.
the Governor, Sir A. H. Gordon, G. C. M.G., and consult w ith
him. This interview occurred at the official residence of tho
Governor a t Kandy, in the presence of Messrs. W. D. Abrew
and Goonesekara, members of our Society, and was very
satisfactory. His Exellency while, of course, a decided C hrist­
ian, showed nevertheless his disposition to extend to tho
Buddhists the full protection of the British law.
On the 10th of January, having received all necessary cre­
dentials empowering him to represent Singhalese Buddhistic
interests beforo the Home Government and Parliament,
Colonel O lcott crossed over to Tuticorin by steamer, and ou
the 13th arrived at Head-quarters. A fter stopping there to
transact some official business, he left on the 15tli by mail
train for Bombay, where he m et Madame Blavatsky. On tho
‘2 0th they both sailed by thc French line—the Compagnie
Rationale —for Marseilles, en route for London. Babu Mohini
Mohun Chatterji, F. T. S., goes with the President-Founder
as Private Secretary, and Mr. Burjorji J. Padshah, F. T. S.,
of Bombay accompanies the party.
TH E KANDY (B U D D H IST ) T H E O SO PH IC A L
SOCIETY.
F o r tlie first time since its organisation in the year 1881,
the President Founder has been able to visit our Branch at
Kandy, the mountain capital of Ceylon, tbe ancient and his­
torically famous stronghold of the native sovereigns whoso
deeds and misdeeds are celebrated in thc Mahavansa. IIo
found, as m ight have been expected, th at many changes had
occurred, among others the thinning out of worthless mem­
bers and the assumption of Society work and responsibilities
by the more earnest ones. He was enabled to hold a chapter
in a new and sufficiently commodious hall, built and owned
by the Kandy Branch at a cost of nearly Rupees 2,000. Tho
walls are of pueca brick and chunum, the roof a double­
hipped one in the fashion of the ancient Royal buildings,
covered with tiles, anil finished with pinnacles. The plot of
ground is within the walled enclosure just opposite the Dala-
da Maligawa, or Temple &u:red Tooth, and tbe broad enclos­
ing wall on the side tow ards the charming esplanade is th at
upon which Colonel Olcott and party, with the principal
Bhikkus (priests) of the two chief temples of Ceylon, stood
when addressing his vast audience in 1881. That this plot
was destined to be the site of a future Theosophical H all did
not even enter their dreams at th a t time. The ground is
well shaded with cocoanut, broad-fruit, and other trees, and
M. D. the view of the lake and surroundings exquisitely beautiful
specially detailed by the learned “ Maha Terunanse,” (or
High Priest of Malvat.a Pansala Monastery) ; whose rank
among the Singhalese PJcclesiastios corresponds with th at of
the Metropolitan of Moscow, or the Archbishop of Canter­
bury. Tho President Founder’s visit will unquestionably
have im portant results in more ways than one. A t tho
annual election Mr. C. W . Gooneratne was re-electod Presi­
dent, Mr. G. F, W eerasekara, Secretary, C. L. DeSilva,
Assistant Secretary, D. John de Alwis, Treasurer, A. de Silva,
Araeliehi, A. ,B. Silva, I). T. K arunarutna, D. Johannes
Silva, J, C. Caldera, and Rajepakso U kkuva Vidhane,
Councillors.
COLONEL OLCOTT G IV EN THE RAN K
OF “ ACHARYA.”
W h i l e at Kandy the impending visit of Col. Olcott to E u ­
rope was broached, and as a number of intelligent gentlemen
and ladies in th a t part of the world are desirous of declaring
themselves Buddhists, the High Priest issued to him
a special commission which empowers him to “ giva
Pansil”—that is, to cause candidates for admission to
Buddhism to repeat the “ Five Precepts” after him
—and grant them certificates that they are accepted
among the followers of Lord Buddha. This is an extraordi­
nary mark of confidence—one never previously conferred upon
an European and, like the honorary bestowal npon him of the
sacred Brahmanical thread, by the renowned Pandit Jibbananda
Vidyasagara, a very high compliment. Amoug us in India
thoy aro regarded as greater honors than any decoration by a
temporal sovereign. Upon hearing w hat the Mnlvatt.i High
I’riost had done, tlic illustrious Sum angala, High Priest of
Adam ’s Peak and Principal of W idyodaya (B uddhist)
College, added his own consent, thus giving an extra dignity
to tho commission. The document is engraved in the Pali
language, with an iron stylus, upon ottas—the prepared leaves
of the Tali(>ot P alm —after the fashion of the sacred books
iu tho Buddhist Monasteries.
T H E A RY A N T H IiO S O P IIIC A L SOCIETY
(NKVV YORK.)
T hk N e w Y o r k T i m o s o r m c A L S o c i e t v has been formed
under the name of T i m A r y a n T h e o s o p h i s t s o f N e w Y o r k —
the N . Y . Branch of the Theosophical Society.
The first meeting was held a t the house of one of our old
members, Brother G. W , W heat, and thc organization com­
pleted.
The sceond was held on the 10th December 1883 and some
now members elected. ' III.
c The third meeting was on December 17th, 1883, and showed
an increase of interest. ' th e p u rp o s e o f c a r r y in g o u t th e f o re g o in g r e s o lu tio n : —
Wo are trying to spread the knowledge of A ryan literature
here, and can say th a t the Press has done g reat service in
1hat way.
. Our present members are all old Theosophists, but we
oxpect to get new members. In this we are careful however,
as we do not care to let in inharm onious people, who only
wish to rule or ruin. Thc Rules of the P. T. S. have been
adopted. At the last m eeting the President, W. 13, Shelly,
and Secretary .1. H. Cables, of the Rochester B ranch, were
2 >resent as visitors.
W il l ia m
. M o k t i j i e r M a rh i.e ,
Secretary.
P R E S ID E N T IA L SPE C IA L ORDERS.
T hu arrival from London of S t. George Lane-Fox, Esq.,
E T. S., and the postponement of the anticipated tours of
,l)r 1<\ Hartm ann and W. T.Brown, Esq., Assistants to tho
President-Eonndor, to Ceylon and the N orthern Circars,
inducc the Presidont to make the following modification iu
the S. O. of the 21st January*. The above-named three
gentlemen are added to the special Executive Committee,
:uid tlie whole will be known as the Board of Control. They
will elect a Chairman, who shall see that tho measures adopt­
ed by a majority vote, are carried out. All im portant
questions requiring the attention of the Exeeutivo shall he
subm itted to the 13. of 0. aud decided by majority vote. The
Hoard shall meet at least once a week, and it is tho particu­
la r desire of the President Founder th a t everything shall be
done to promote economy, system, and eflieieney of adminis­
tration during his temporary absence from India. The points
embraced in the S. 0 , of 21st January, not lioreiu modified,
liliall stand as of full effect and force.
By order of the rrcsident-Fonnder,
M b i t IN I M . C llA T T E H J E E ,
Private Secretary.
■ C a 'H ’, B o jiiu y , ?
■3 !>//i February 1884. j
S PE C IA L C IR C U LA R TO T IIE BRANCHES.
To avoid unnecessary correspondence and -work, as also lo
observe uniformity of proocduro, Branches are authorised to
•adopt the Rules of the Parent Socicty, aud to subm it in addi­
tion, for approval, such bye-laws as may be absolutely neces­
sary for the working of the respective Branches,
A dtar ( M a ih u s ). )
17//t February 1884. j 1
' By order of the Council.
, . D a m o d a r K. M a v a l a n k a r ,
. Joint Recording Secretary,
Th?ns' phical Society.
* Soy Journal of (le Theos, Socy.. p 41 (l-'eb, 1854.)
M E M O R IA L M E E T IN G IN HONOR OF THE LATE BABU
PEA RY C H A N D J1 IT H A , F . T . S .
H a ll of t h e h r it ih h I n d ia n A sso cia tio n ,
J A X U A l i r 23, 1881.
R E S O L U T IO N S .
I.
T h a t t h i s M e e t i n g d e s i r e s t o e x p r e s s i t s s o r r o w a t tb o d o a t h o f
B a b u 1’e a r y C lia n d .M itra , w h o h a d p r o v e d h i m s e l f e m i n e n t l y u s e f u l lo
till! c o u n t r y b y h is z e a lo u s d e v o t i o n t o p u b l i c b u s m e n s ,, b y h i s v a lu u b W
c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o B e n g a l i l i t e r a t u r e , a n d b y liiH s o r v ie u s c o n n e c t e d w itk
th e in t e ll e c tu a l a n d m o ra l a d v a n c e m e n t of t h e p e o p le , a n d tb e p ro to c -
tio n o f d u m b a n im a ls .
II.
T h a t a p o r t r a i t o r a b u s t o f t h e l a t e B a b u P e a r y C h a n d M i t r a b»
p l a c e d in s o m e p u b l i c I n s t i t u t i o n w ith a v ie w t o p e r p e t u a t e h iy m e m o r y ,
a n d t h a t s u b s c r ip tio n s b e in v ite d f o r th a t p u r p o s e .
T h a t th o u n d o r m j iit io n e d g s n llo m e n do c o n s t i t u t e a c o m m itte o fo r
M EM BERS OF TH E C O M M IT T E E .
M a h a ra ja S ir J o te n d ro M ohun B a b u P e a r y M o h u n M o o k e r ji .
T a g o r e , K. c . 3. I. ,, N a r e n d r a N a th S en
,, N a re n d ra K ris h n a B a h a d u r. ,, S h i s h i r K u m a r G h o s h .
B a b u J o y k i s s o n M o o k e r ji „ D w ije n d ra N a th T a g o re .
D r , R n j e n d r u l a l a M i t r a , L. I.. I )., „ S u r e n d r a N a th B a n e rji.
C. 1- E. „ S h ib C h u n d e r D eb .
l l o n ’b le D o o r g a C h u r n L a w . M a n o c k j e e U u s t o m je e , E s q .
l ) r . lv . M . B a n e r ji. B a b u J o d u L a i M u llie k .
J . 0 . M u rra y , E sq. R ai K an ai L ai D ey, B ah a d u r.
I l o n ’b le K r i s t o d a s . 1’a l.
J I. T u r n b u l l , E s q .
Q. J udge,
W in . S w i n h o e , E s q . B a b a G ro o sh C h u n d e r
President. N a w a b A b d o o l L a tif, K h a n B a h a ­ G h o sh ,
d u r. ,, R a d i i a lta m a n
' lla ji N o o r M ahom od J a c k a ria h . M itra .
A ll c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t o b o a d d r e s s e d t o th e H o n o r a r y S e c re ta rie s
N o . 2 0 , N im to la h G h a t S tr e e t, C a lc u tta . *
T h e M a h a r a j a h N o r e n d r a K r i s h n a B a h a d u r , l ’r e s i d o n t o f t h e B r i t i i k
I n d ia u A s s o c ia tio n , w a s iu th e C h a ir.
T h c f i r s t R e s o l u t i o n w a s m o v o .I b y t h e R o v d . K M . B a n e r j e e , l . l . u . .
d . c . l ., P r e s i d e n t o f t h e I n d i a n A s s o c i a ti o n , s e c o n d e d b y M r . J . 0 -
M u rra y ( la te P r e s id e n t o f th e B e n g a l C h a m b e r o f C o m m e rc e ), an d
s u p p o r t e d b y • li a b u D w i j e n d r a N a t h T a g o r e , P r e s i d e n t o f t h e A d i
B r a h m o S o m a j , a n d t h o R o v d . K . S . M a c d o n a l d , M is s i o n a r y o f th o F l o s
C h u rc h o f S c o tla n d .
T h e S e c o n d R e s o lu t io n w a s m o v e d b y B a b u J o y k i s s o n M o o k e r je e ,
Z e m in d a r o f U tta r p a r a h , s e c o n d e d by M r. R o b e r t T u r n b u ll, S e c r e ta r y
t o t h o C a l c u t t a M u n ic i p a l C o r p o r a t i- m , a n d s u p p o r t e d b y M r . I I , M .
U u s t o m j e e , H o n o r a r y M a g i s t r a t e , D i . D . B . S m i t h , l a t e P r i n c i p a l o f th #
C a l c u t t a M e d ic a l C o l l e g e , li a b u N o r e n d r a N a t h S e n , E d i t o r o f t h e
“ T tid ia n M i r r o r ” a u d B a b u J o d u l a l M u lli k , H o n o r a r y M a g i s t r a t e a u d
Z e m in d a r.
T h e t h i r d R e s o l u t i o n w a s m o v e d b y B a b u R h ib C h u n d e r D e b , P r e s i ­
d e n t o f t b o S a d h a r a n B r a h m o S o m a j , s e c o n d e d b y th o V e n e r a b l e B a b a
R a i n t a u n L a h i r i , a n d s u p p o r t e d b y t h e R e v d . C . H . A . D a li, A m e r i c a n
U n i t a r i a n M is s i o n a r y , a n d M r . l l a j e e N o o r M a h o m e d J a o k a r i a h ( o f
M e s s r s . l l a j e e J u c k a r i a h M a h o m o d a u d C o .)
T h e f o u r t h R e s o l u t i o n p r o p o s i n g a v o to o f t h a n k s t o t h e C h a i r , w a«
m o v e d b y H a i I v o o n jo L a i l i a n e r j e c B a h a d u r , J u d g o o f t h e C a l c u t t a
S m a ll C au so C o u rt.
OBITUARY.
W e regret to hear from Mr. B. Vonkatacheila Iver
B. A., F. T. S., of the decease of our brother ( J . Subba-
rarnayyn, M. A., of the Madras ISranch, at an early atro.
The sad event occurred on the 17th of January last. Not­
withstanding liis W estern education, he had. we aie told,
a strong love for India and a great respect for truo Aryan
h a b its . l i e m ight have proved S e r v i c e a b l e to h i a country,
had the crucl hand of death spared him a few years lnore.
 “ The appearnce of erudition is stupendous. Reference to,
REPORT OF THE EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY and quotations from, the most unknown and obscure writers
OF THE in all languages abound, interspersed with allusions to writers
T H E O S O P H I C A L SOCI ETY. of the highest repute, which have evidently been more than
skimmed through.”— N. Y. independent.
T w h ic h w e re p r e s e n t D e le g a te s fro m B r a n c h e s in A m e r i c a , “ An extremely readable and exhaustive essay upon the
A E n g la n d , C e y lo n a u d a ll p a n s o f I n d i a f r o m N o r th to S o n th a n d
param ount importance of re-establishing the Hermetic
E a a t t o W e s t.
Philosophy in a world which blindly believes that it has out­
P ric e fo u r an n a a p e r c o p y ; p o sta g e a n d p a c k in g ch arg es grown it.”— N. Y. World.
I n d ia , one a n n a ; Ceylon, th r e e a n n a s ; a ll o th e r F o re ig n co u n ­ “ Most remarkable book of the season.”-—Com. Advertiser.
tr ie s , fo u r an n as. “ To readers who have never mado themselves acquainted
A p p l y , w it h r e m it t a n c e , fo th e M a n a g e r o f th e T i i K O a o m i S T , A dyar with the literature of mysticism aud alchemy, the volume
(M a d ra s ), will furnish the m aterials for an interesting study—a mine of
curious information.”—Evening Post.
E S O T E R I C B U D D H I S M . “ They give evidence of much and multifarious research
(C H E A P E D IT IO N —P R IC E R U P E E S T H R E E ) on the part of tho author, aud contain a vast number of in­
f l l H E M a n a g e r o f t h o T h e o s o p h is t h a s r e c e i v e d a s u p p l y o f th o p a p e r -
teresting stories. Persons fond of the marvellous will find
X c o v c r e d i t i o n o f M r . S i n n e t t ’s E s o t e r ic B u d d h is m . L ik e t h e O c c u lt iu them an abundance of entertainment.” —N. Y. Sun.
W o r ld , t h i s w o r k a l s o , in i t s s e c o n d e d i t i o n , h a s b e e n m a d e c h o a p f o r “ A marvellous book both in m atter and manner of treat­
‘ th o c o n v e n ie n c e o f th e I n d ia n S u b s c rib e rs . ment. Some idea may be formed of the rarity and extent o£
its contents when the index alone comprises fifty pages, and
t h e o c c u l t w o r l d . we venture nothing in suying th at such an index of subjects
h k M a n a g e r o f t h e T h e o s o p h is t g iv e s n o t i c e t h a t o n ly tw e n ty c o p ie s was never before compiled by any human being. * * * But
T o f th o c h e a p e d itio n o f th i s w o rk a r e n o w in s to c k . A f te r th a t the book is a curious oue nnd will no doubt find its way into
■ a p p ly is e x h a u s t e d , t h e b o o k w ill b o o n t o f p r i n t in its c h e a p fo rm . libraries becauso of the unique subject m atter it contains,
O n l y th o s o w ilt b e a b l e t o p r o c u r e c o p i e s , w h o c a n a f f o r d t o p a y h ig h * * * will certainly prove attractive to all who are interested
p ric o .
in the history, theology and the mysteries of the ancient
world.”—Daily Gruphic.
“ The present work is the fruit of her remarkable courso
TELUG U AMD T A M IL P R IM E R S . of education, and amply confirms her claims to the character
BY of au adept in secret science, and even to the rank of a
DIWAN BAHADUR R. RAGHOONATH ROW. hierophant iu the exposition of its mystic lore.”— N. Y. Tri~
I W A N B a h a d u r Tl. l l a g h o o n a t h l l o w , P r e s i d e n t o f tl io M a d r a s T . S ., hi t u e .
D h a s p r e p a r e d T a m i l m id T e l u g u p r i m e r s for* t h e u s e o f t h o s t u d e n t s “ One who reads the book carefully throughout to know
c f th o T h e o s o p h i c a l S a n s k r i t s c h o o ls . T h o y h a v o b e e n a p p r o v e d b y t h o everything of the marvellous and mystical, except, perhaps,
S a n s k r i t s c h o o l c o m m i t t e e o f tl i o M a d r a s T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y a n d a r e
tho passwords. ‘ Isis’ will supplement the Auacalypsis. W ho­
nB ed a s T e x t B o o k s b y t h e m f o r t h e i r s c h o o l s . T h e p r i m e r s w ill b e
f o n n d o x t r e m e l y u s o f n l f o r b o y s w h o h a v o t o b e g i n a s t u d y o f th o ever loves to read Godfrey Higgins will be delighted with
S a n s k r it a n d V e r n a c u la r la n g u a g e s s im u lta n e o u s ly , P r i c e , 6 p ie s p e r Mme. IJlavatsky. There is a great resemblance between
c o p y , e x c lu s iv e o f P o s t a g e . A p p l y t o K a i l a s a m B r o t h e r s , P o p h a m ’s their works. Both have tried hard to tell everything apo-
B ro a d w a y , M a d ra s , w h o a lw a y s k e e p a s to c k o f T h e o so p h ic a l P u b li­ criphal and apocalyptic. It is easy to forecast the reception
c a t i o n s o n s a le .
S a n s c r i t P r i m e r N o . I I ( in S a n s k r i t , T e l u g u a n d T a m i l ) — p r ic o
of this book. W ith its striking peculiarities, its audacity,
A s , 5 in c lu d in g p o s ta g e a n d p a c k in g c h a rg e s . its versatility, and the prodigious variety of subjects which
it notices and handles, it is one of tho remarkable produc­
tions of the ceutury.” —N. Y. Herald,
M ESSRS. N ICO LA S a n d Co., have made a splendid
photograph of a group com prising eighty-three Dele­
gates attending tho E ighth A nniversary celebration of the
“ Ia nothing does Madame Blavatsky show her wonderful
ability iu a moro marked degree than in her use of tho
Theosophical Society, together with a view of the portico of English language. H er stylo is singularly vigorous, p er­
tho A dyar H ead-quarters Building. Every portrait is excel­ spicuous and piquant. H er scholarship is varied and com­
lent. Copies may be had at & 2-8 (6s) each, inclusive of prehensive. In metaphysical keenness she shows a power
packing and postage. Fellows of the Theosophical Society that fow writers of our day have attained to. W e doubt if
may also obtain cabinet size photos of Madamo Blavatsky, Mrs, Lewes (George Elliot), can be called her equal in this
Colonel Olcott aud a group consisting of Madame Blavatsky, rcspect. H er critical insight is also most remarkable. I t
Messrs. Subba Row and D harbagiri N ath at Iti 1-12 (4s) per seems more like au intuition than the result of study, anti
copy, inclusive of packing and postage. yet that she has been a profound student tho authorities
referred to in her work abundantly show. From the speci­
A itly t o t h k M a n a g e r o f t u e Theosophist. mens we have seen of its pages weoau vouch for its absorbing
interest, and for the strength aud fascinatioii of the y tjle .”—
F I F T H E D IT IO N , W I T H A N E N G R A V E D Epes Saryeant.
P O R T R A I T OF T H E A U T H O R . “ We do not hesitate to express tho opinion that sho has
made a gallant, and measurably successful effort atelucidating
tho most absorbing and im portant problems life can furnish.
If tlie veil of Isis has not indeed been swept away, at least so
A M A STE U -K E Y t o t i i k M Y STER IES o f A N C IE N T many oftlie folds have been removed that we are afforded a
SCIEN C E AND THEOLOGY. By H. P. BLA­ partial insight into tho mysteries and splendors of the Goddess.
V A TSK Y , Corresponding Secretary of the Theosophical If our author has not achieved an unquestioned triumph,
Socicty. 2 vols., large royal 8vo., of about 1,400 pages, where such a result would have been specially gratifying,
cloth extra, Rs. 25— reduced from Ks. 30, she lias at least the consolation of knowing that she has sur­
Opinions of Leading Jgurnals. passed al| her predecessors in a task, complete failure to
achieve which would have involved no humiliation. Sho has
“ TIiia monumental work * * *about everything relating to produced a unique work,aud it will become a ulassic,”— Sacra­
magic, mystery, witchcraft, religion, spiritualism, which mento Record-Union.
would bo valuable iu au encycjopaadia.”— North American
lie view.
I t m ust be acknowledged thfit she is a remarkable woman, “ M Y V I S I T T O S T Y R I A , ’’
who lias read more, seep piore, and thought more, than most H A V I N G p r o v e d s u c h a s u c c e s s , i t is M ip s C a r o l i n e C o r n e r 's i n t e n ­
wise men. H er worjt abounds in quotations from a dojsen t i o n t o p u b l i s h a n o t h e r V o lu m e o f h e r l a t e V i s i t t o R h i n e l a n d ,
th o p ro c e e d s o f w h ic h (e x p e n s e s c l e a r e d ) a r e to g o to w a r d s g iv in g a
different languages, not for the purpose of a vain display of n u m b e r o f th e p o o r e s t littlo C h ild re n o f th e E a s t E n d o f L o n d o n a t r e a t a t
erudition, but to substantiate her peculiar view s,* * * her C h r i s t m a s , b y w a y o f a g o o d l eft, A m u s e m e n t , a n d a C h r i s t i n a s T r e e ,
pages aro garnished with foot notes establishing aa her f r o m w h ic h p riz e s o f u s e f u l a r t ic l e s o f w a r m c lo th in g m a y bo d ra w n .
authorities somo of the profoundest w riters of the past. To M is s C a r o l i n e C o r n e r e a r n e s t l y r e q u e s t s t h o k i n d c o - o p e r a tio n o f
f r i e n d s a n d o t h e r s y m p a t h e t i c a n d b e n e v o l e n t p e r s o n s , b y m e a n s of!
a large class of readers, this remarkable work will prove of S u b s c r i p t i o n s f o r t h o b o o k “ R h in e l a n d ” ( p u b l i s h e d a t I s . f><i. a n d
absorbing interest. * * * * Demands the earnest atteution of 6 d . p o p c o p y ) , o r b y D o n a t i o n s o f C lo t h e s f o r th o l i t t l o o n e s , o r b o t h .
thinjters, an d m erits an analytic reading,”—Boston Evening A d d r e s s M is s C a r o l i n e Corner, 3 , S t . Thomas* S^uaro UacJtuey,
Transcript, Loudon N. E’i England,
 J S B Y E R T I S E M E N T S.

“THE SECRET DOCTRINE,”

A N E W V E R S IO N OF “ I S I S U N V E IL HD.”
W IT H A N E W A R R A N G E M E N T OF T H E M A T T E R , LARGK ANT) IM P O R T A N T
A D D IT IO N S , A N D C O riO U S N O T E S A N D COMM ENT ART E S ,
. BY - •

. • , H . P. B L A V A T sk Y , '
Corresponding Secretary of the Theosophical Society.

' ASSISTED JJY

. T. S U B B A E O W G A R U , b. a., d. u , f. t. s ., ;

Councillor o f the Theosophical Society and Secretary o f its Madras Branch.

P U B L I S H E R ’S N O T IC E .

. N u m e r o u s an d u rg e n t requosts have como- from all of the h ith e rto m isu nderstood teachings found iu tlie sa iil
p a rts of In d ia , to ad o p t somo plan fo r b rin g in g -th e m a tte r w orks. A com plete In d e x an d a T able 6f C ontents
eontainod in “ Isis U nveiled,” w ithin th e reach of those will bo com piled. I t is in ten d ed th a t each P a rt shall
who could not afford to p u rc h a se bo ex pensive a work com prise seventy-seven pages in Royal - 8vo. (or tw en ty -
a t one tim e. On tho o th e r h a n d , m any, fin d in g th e o u t­ five pages moro th a n every 24th p a rt of th e original
lines of tho doctrino given too hazy, clam oured for work,) to be p riu te d on good p a p e r and in clear typo, a m i
“ m ore - lig h t,” a n d necessarily m isu n d e rsta n d in g the be com pleted in ab o u t two years. T he rates of subscript
teaching, have erroneously supposed it to be co n trad ictory tion to b e as follow :— .
to la te r revelations, w hich in n o t a few cases, have ' Foreign
In dia n. counlr ie-s.
been en tire ly m isconceived. T h e a u th o r, th erefo re, un­
X.
d e r the. advice of friends, proposes toiss'ue th e w ork in I f paid M onthly . R s, 1 4 0 0 0
a h o tte r au d clearer form , in m outlily p a rts . A ll, th a t is „ „ Q u arterly .. • >y 3 0 0 0 8
im p o rtan t in “ Isis” for a th o ro u g h com prehension of tho „ „ lla lf yearly •« yy G 0 0 0 }(>
occult an d o th e r philosophical su b jects tre a te d of, will be „ „ Yearly ' . ** >y 10 0 0 1 7
retain o d , b u t w ith such a re a rra n g e m e n t of th e te x t an S ubscriptions p a y ab le invariably in ad v an ce, and no
to g ro u p to g e th e r as closely as possib le th e m aterials
nam e en te re d on th e list nor P a rt forw arded until th ei
re la tin g to any given subject. T h u s w ill be avoided
m oney is in hand. A ll applications to bo m ade and sums
needless rep etitio n s, and th e s c a tte rin g of m aterials of a rem itted to th e " M anager, T heosophist Office, A d y ar
co g n a te c h a ra c te r th ro u g h o u t th e two volum es. Much (M adras), I n d ia ;” at which office, money orders must be
ad d itio n al inform ation upon occult su b je c ts , w hich it made payable and alw ays in his favour. In m aking
was n o t d esirab le to p u t b efore th e p u b lic a t the- first rem ittan ces it should bo n o te d th a t ho other amount
ap p earan ce of th e w ork, b u t for w hich tlie way has been should on any account be in clu d ed in th e d rafts o r m oney
prep ared by tho in te rv e n in g e ig h t years, an d especially orders, except th a t in te n d e d fo r this work. S hould
by the publication of “ T h e O ccult W o rld ” a n d “ E soteric n o th iu g unforeseen h a p p en , and should a sufficient- n u m ­
B uddhism ” an d o th e r Theosophical w orks, will now bo b er of su bscribers be reg istered , the f i r s t 'P a r t will b e
given. H in ts will also bo found th ro w in g lig h t on m any issued on Ju n o 15th, , :
 /Ocreativ
^com m ons
A ttrib u tio n -N o n C o m m e rc ia l-S h a re A lik e 3 . 0 U n p o r te d

Y o u are free:

to S h a r e — l o c o p y , d is trib u t e a n d t r a n s m it t h e w o r k

to R e m ix — to ad ap t th e w o rk

U n d e r th e f o llo w in g c o n d it io n s :

CD
A t t rib u t io n — Y o u m u s t a ttrib u te t h e w o r k in t h e m a n n e r s p e c if ie d b y t h e a u t h o r
o r l i c e n s o r ( b u t n o t in a n y w a y t h a t s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e y e n d o r s e y o u o r y o u r u s e o f
th e w o r k ) .

N o n c o m m e r c ia l — Y o u m a y n o t u s e t h is w o r k f o r c o m m e r c i a l p u r p o s e s .

S h a r e A lik e — I f y o u alter, t r a n s f o r m , o r b u ild u p o n t h is w o r k , y o u m a y d istrib u te

© th e r e s u lt in g w o r k o n l y u n d e r t h e s a m e o r s im ila r l i c e n s e t o t h is o n e .

W ith th e u n d e r s t a n d in g that:

W a i v e r — A n y o f th e a b o v e c o n d it io n s c a n b e w a i v e d if y o u g e t p e r m i s s i o n f r o m th e c o p y r ig h t
h o ld e r.

P u b lic D o m a in — W h e r e t h e w o r k o r a n y o f its e le m e n t s is in t h e p u b l i c d o m a i n u n d e r
a p p lic a b le law , t h a t s t a t u s is in n o w a y a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se .

O th e r R ig h t s — I n n o w a y a r e a n y o f t h e f o llo w in g r ig h t s a ff e c t e d b y t h e lic e n se :

• Y o u r fa ir d e a lin g o r f a i r u s e rig h ts , o r o t h e r a p p lic a b le c o p y r i g h t e x c e p t i o n s a n d

lim itations;

• T h e a u t h o r 's m o r a l rig h ts;

• R i g h t s o t h e r p e r s o n s m a y h a v e e ith e r in t h e w o r k its e lf o r in h o w t h e w o r k is u s e d , s u c h
a s p u b l i c i t y o r p r i v a c y rig h ts.

N o t ic o — F o r a n y r e u s e o r d istrib u tio n , y o u m u s t m a k e c le a r to o t h e r s th e l i c e n s e t e r m s o f
th is w o r k . T h e b e s t w a y t o d o t h is is w it h a lin k t o t h is w e b p a g e .
 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY. ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
EMBRACING MESMERISM, SPIRITUALISM, AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
TO | to the delusions of worldly pursuit*. . . . The highest goal of the
THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH.
[ f V im ify m o tto o f th e M a h a r a ja h s o f B e u a r o * .]
TH E D I S C O V E R Y OF A N C I E N T FA B RI C S.
' To those who boast too freely of our modern civilization,
lta arts, sciences and complicated machinery, it may
bo somewhat humiliating to hear of tho discovery by
our modern Egyptologists and Assyriologists of tex­
tures made thousands of years beforo our era,—
whose “ incomparable beauty leaves far behind it
that of the most delicato texture so proudly dis­
played iu our international exhibitions.” Just now,
ono may see in Vienna the archaic fabrics worn by the
ancient Greeks and Homans. They wore fouud in Egypt
by Mr. Groff. Herr Georg Ebbers, the well-known Egyp­
tologist, has an article in Allgem Zeitung about that
interesting discovery. Among other textures, ho mentions
beautiful linen cloth woven by a process hitherto claimed
<w one o f the latest and the most perfect. The Roman
dignitary of the fifth century, B. C., wore a tunic mado out
of such linen moreover Groff discovered in tha same lot, a
real, so called “ Gobelin web.” And this shows, as seve­
ral papers now remark, tliat the well known “ tapisserie de
haute lisse, as the Gobelin work is called in Prance, the
piecious tapestry that decorated only the abodes of
kings—is no invention of the French artists at all. It
came to Europe, as nearly every other art did, from tho
East, imported probably by tho Crusaders of the twelfth
century. Mr. Ebbers concludes his paper in the follow­
ing words :—
Repeated in various quarters, we often hear an opinion ex-
p iesse , to the affect that our daily life differs entirely at the
>o om o it, from that of the ancients. Y et, it ia most worthy
or note that tlie deeper I dive into the long bygone lives of the
a er, t ie more the vestiges of the life of the ancients appear
e ore me, the clearer becomes in me the conviction that even in
8mj • details their iuterior as much as their exterior life
differed m no wuys from our own !
I S B U D D H ISM P E SSIM IST IC ?
M r. F. L. O s w a l d writes in an American Contempo­
rary that Buddhism is pessimistic. He says :—
The hope of earthly happiness, according to tho ‘'theory of
xjuddlia Sakyamuni, is a chimera, a phantom that lures us
t0 error through endless toils, and robs even the
gravo of its p eace; for he who dies uncured of his delusion
must return to earth, and continue the hopeless chase in an­
other life. Quietism— a., annihilation of desire—is tho only
hone of emancipation ; and that goal of peace can be reached
only by total abstinence from earthly pleasures. AU worldly
blessings are curses in disguise, and he alone who haa lifted
the veil of that disguise has entered the path of salvation. To
him, se f-demal becomes the highest wisdom, and self-abhor­
rence the supreme virtue. He must court sorrow and disap-
pomtmeut #a others woo th? emilea of fortune, be m ust ayoid
everything that could reconcile him to life and lure him back
future is Lhe N irvana, p^aee and absolute deliverance from the
vexations of earthly desires. All human knowledge is vain, tha
great object of lifo being the suppression of our natural in­
stincts. Self-affliction is the only rational pursuit. The love
of wealth is folly : the slaves of covetousuess forgo fetters for
their own feet. True believers should seek temporal peace by
curtailing thoir wants and cultivating the virtue of indifference
to the vicissitudes of fortune. He who strives after higher
merit must renounce all earthly possessions, live on alms,
dress in rags, shave hia head, and abstain from marriage,
merry-makings, and tho use of animal food. H e m ust have no
fixed habitation, and must even avoid to sleep twice under the
same tree, lest an unduo affection fur any earthly object should
hinder his spirit iu the progress of its emancipation from tho
vauities of life !
...B u t this quietudo of tlie sunsot hour Buddha Sakyamuni
attem pts to enforce in tho morning of life, his disciples aro to
seek refuge in sleep before their day’s work is done, he gathers
dry leaves to bury the budding Hower............ Pessimism is
precocious senility. . . . Y oung pessim ists resemble the fruiLs
that rot before they ripen. Monastic tendencies imply au
abnormal condition of tho human mind. Only a defeated
warrior, a man without hopo and withont courage, can find
solace in contem plating tho approach of a premature night.
Buddhism and its daugliter-creed can flourish only in a sick­
ly soil........Buddhism has been expelled from the homes of the
Aryau races and relegated to the moral pest-housoof tho South
Mongol em pires........... D isease, crushing misfortune, mental
derangement, whatever disqualifies a man for the healthy busi­
ness of life, qualifies him for the reception of anti-natural
dogm as...
We regret to notice that the erudite writer has based
his conclusions upon two erroneous premises. In the first
placo, he mistakes popular Buddhism for* tho teach in g s
of Gautama Buddha, and, in the second, he has miscon­
ceived eveu popular Buddhism. Even Rhys Davids,
who treats of the Southern Doctrino which differs widely
from that of tho Northern Church, lias not dared to
arrive at such preposterous conclusions. The learned
critic has evidently not paid that attoution to tho Bud­
dhistic literature which it deserves. Otherwise ho
would not have fullon into the error of saying that tho
Aryans did not tolerate Buddhism on account of ita
ascetic practices, which he is pleased to place in the cate­
gory of pessimistic dogmas. The truth is that such
practices were in existence long before tlio Prince of
Kapilavastu unfurled tho banner of his Religion, and
they ure still maintained and aro even strongly recom­
mended by those sects which aro the declared enemies
of Buddhism. Tlio antagonism to that faith in this
country is therefore to be traced to some other causes.
Moreover, as every reader of the Light of Asia knows, ib
was Gautama himself who denounced in no measured
terms such foolish physical tortures as those of H atha
Yoga, It is tjievofore amusing to see how certain writers
and thinkers will presume to decide questions they have
not thoroughly studied. So much for popular Buddhism.
As regards Gautama Buddha’s real teachings, every
occult student is well avvaro that they are identical
with thoso of Srimat Sankaracharya, who is held in tho
h ig h e s t estimation and reverence by three-fourths, if n o t
more, of tho peoplo of India. Every Vedantin, be he
of whatsoever sect, admits the philosophical doctrine of
M aya —illusion. A misconception of tho true signifi­
cance of this doctrine leads a superficial and careless
student to put forth such inferences as we have now to
notice. The learned critic supposes that since all this
World is called an illusion, therefore the followers of this
teaching are required to torture their physical bodies.
The philosophical Buddhists aro well aware that a
healthy body and a healthy mind are the sine qua non for
a student of tho esoteric science, one of whose most pro­
minent and illustrious expounders was Gautama Buddha
as tho studeut of tho historical development of occultism
well knows. As regards tho assertion that only those,
who do not prosper in the world, turn their attention to
this Philosophy, wo simply deny the assertion.
The other misconceptions of the teaching of the
Philosophy arise out of a misunderstanding of the mean­
ing of Nirvana. It is not annihilation, as commonly
understood. The highest ideal of a true Buddhist is to
rise up to perfection and thus to realise tho perfection of
spiritual wisdom. He recognises that the phenomenal is
All transient, misleading, and that therefore if lie wishes
to bo “ immortal” he must enter the world of tiotimena.
He knows the dangers of being connected with an objec­
tive life wliich must end in dissolution, and to save him­
self from such a catastrophe he draws himself out of tho
transitory world and puts himself en raptport with tho one
absolute reality which is Bodlia as Sankara said. This
surely cannot bo accomplished by mere physical absti­
nence.
The relation that the inner man bears to tho inner world
of noumena is intimately connected with his own subjective
self, and therefore ho who would live in a higher sphere
after tlio dissolution oE tho physical body, must so change
liis surviving inner nature as to befit it to tho plane of
oxistence it lias to enter upou. It will thus bo seen that
there is 110 room for pessimism in tho Philosophy of
Gautama Buddha. It may perhaps bo urged that that
Philosophy is not so understood by the generality of tho
Buddhists. But that is no argument against the original
teaching in its purity. When steam engines and tele­
graphs were first introduced hero, there wero somo unlet­
tered, ignorant peoplo who looked upon tho machines as so
many goddesses. Are wo on that account to denounce,
without a proper investigation, tho inventors of these
useful machines ? Even “ The Light o f A sia ,” which
lays no pretensions to being a completo exposition of the
.Esoteric Philosophy, as taught by Gautama Buddha,
will yield tho meaning put forth in theso remarks. The
student will, 110 doubt, find corroborative facts aud argu­
ments wero ho to turn to tho philosophical literature on
tho subject. Tho learned critic moreover falls into
an unpardonable error when he says Buddhism is con­
fined to tho “ sickly” soil, for some of the heal­
thiest and tho most vigorous minds of Europe and
America havo accepted Buddhism as a “ perfect system
of thought and rule of lifo.”
B hargava
-■ »------
T E E H E B R E W L E T T E R N U N ; OR 13.
ESSAY II.
> (B y E l ip h a s L e v i .)
W e have come to Number 13, the fatal number, from
tho word funus, funeral. It is the sacred number of
death.
Verily Death conquered at the Calvary has turned her
sting against liorself. Ero mors tua 0 mors —said tho
coming Messiah through the voice of a prophet of a long
bygone day. Death “ swallowing herself up in her vic­
tory.” Death and Hell will be “ cast into the lake of
fire.” Death—“ the last enemy, that shall be destroyed.”
All these sentences belong to the apostles, for they and
the prophets havo announced the ultimate triumph of
life. Greavit Dens hominem inexterminabilem.
Parturition is death—hence the suffering. But that
death is followed by birth. The child dies in its vegeta­
tive life and is born unto tlie human life ; then he will
die in the human (the embryonic life of the soul) to be
reborn to a more perfect life of freedom and intelligence :
thus dying or rather being reborn from one sphere into
another from one planet or world into another planet or
world. Every limited or conditioned life is a gestation,
every death a parturition, tho ascending periods of life
succeeding each other like so many days.* Every night
we fall asleep to awake the next morning. The divine
sun gets never old, and the soul of the just is mado in
tho imago and likeness of that sun.t
The absolute existence of Life is the formal negation
of Death. When the Deity said to man : “ Thou shalfc
surely die,” ho threatened him only with the oblivion of
life and tho terrors of tho unknown. Tho dreadful face
of Death is the mask of the abyss, but the abyss is—life
eternal.
Man is immortal, and men pass like shadow s ; they
wither liko tho hay on the fields, but tho shudow itself
never passes away ; it is only shadows that, disappear :
hay neither dies, nor does it dry up ; it is ouly dry grasses
that wither out and die. A rose is plucked, there are other
roses on tho roso-busli. The rose-bush, or rather a rose­
bush, withers aud forthwith the soil pi-oduces other rose­
bushes. When winter has c»used all the flowers to dis­
appear from one hemisphere, it is then on the other th.it
the presiding genius of the flowers reappears ; for flowers
are immortal in their types, and immortal also in their
brilliant realisation that makes them, emigrating from
place to place, to go like tho lark, around tho world.
It is because typos are always alive that they are forever
absorbing aud rejecting new substances. Withered rosea
are no longer roses. They are, if I may be permitted
this expression, the dung of tho rose, which ever lives.
What is hero said of the corpses of roses applies to the
corpse of every thing else, thus affording us the standard
value oE the cultus of relics- One can preserve a dried
rose—the remembrance of a friend—it matters little so
long as it is well understood that the dried flower pe r se
is nothing.
Do you know why honours are rendered to the dead ?
Why one takes off his hat before a corpse that passes ? It
is the salutation made to tho mould of the immortal
Adam, to the human figure still impressed upon that
clay that will disintegrate. That sacred shape is the
great pentacle of life, and wo bow to immortality in
death.
S arm a .
Would we live for ever ? Let us realise then within
ourselves the immortal type, let us shape our soul in the
image o f the true human figure.
When the bronzo of the sculptor or rather of the
caster fails to fill up the prepared mould, producing in­
stead of a statue a formless ingot to be thrown back
into the metal in fusion... what happens ? Nature is the
* R e a d E s o t c r ic B u d d h is m 'm i d c o r a p t v r o b o th th e p h ra s e o lo g y used
a n d th a d o c triu e s ta u g h t.— E d . .
■f-Tho “ c e n t r a l sn n ” w henco e m a n a te s and w h ith e r re tn rn g
in t e llig e n c e s c a tte r e d th r o u g h o n t th o u n iv e r s e . I t is t h e o n e
e t e r n a l n n iv e rB .a l f o c u s , t h e c e n t r a l p o i n t " w h ic h is e v e r y w h e r e a n d
n o w h e ro ” o u tb re a th in g a n d in b re a th in g its e v e r r a d ia tin g ra y s . T h e
S o n l o f th o j n e t ” is A v a lo k ite s w a r a m a d o i n t h e im a g e U n d l i k e ­
n e s s " o f A d i B a d d h a , P a r a b r o h m .— E d , -
•caster and lier furnace is never extinguished. Ifc is this, they neglect to porfect themselves; the latter thoso who
the true fire of hell.* have wounded themselves with their sins. .
God accomplishes creation through types that his will Nothing imperfect can enter eternal life ; nothing mu*
maintains after his intelligence has, so to say, imprinted tilated can pretend to the eternal reign of life and beauty.
them in the (astral) Light. Life, working out the uni­
versal (primordial) substance, pushes it into such moulds, The means of the imperfect and the mutilated are—»
where she specifies herself in accordance with the distri­ labour and penance—penance is the orthopedy of
bution of forces which the independent but well regulated souls.
will of the Creator can alone produce, and which cannot Labour and penance cannot fail spirits so long as they
be the result of chance, the latter having never had any are alive, it matters not however much their surroundings
existence. God produces the cause and Nature works may chauge, providence is everywhere the same for them.
out tho effects. God creates the types and Nature works There are hospitals in heaven for sick souls : it ip
out the individuals. Hence our Masters say that God what we (the Roman Catholics) call purgatory. The
created Adam immortal; the Adam Kadmon, the primi­ latter has been compared to fire, because fire purifies
tive Adnm, the Mioroprosopus whose arms extend from metal. This has to be taken figuratively. Who can believe
the West to the East, whose brow reaches the zenith, that men can be made better by being roasted over ft,

and whose heel casts a shadow on the disk of the sun. small fire ?
It is the type of humanity glorious and all powerful: Life is the progressive motion of Being. Being ia
ever imusortal, sin notwithstanding, but whose scattered
being analogous to being, conformable to being.
limbs have fallen under the shadow of death, becauso
feminine weakness prompted by the astral serpent Tlie same of Life. Forms aro tho phenomenal appear­
caused it to face the Science of good and evil. This ances of life- Life is progressive—hence the ever chang­
sin was foreseen by the Creator, whose will it was ing forms. j
that the earth should be fecundated with the putrefac­ No form, however, is ever destroyed ; if the imprintp
tion of the peelings (shells) and the manure made of are effaced, their types are immutable.
the royal corpses—of those seven Kings who could not Behold that lovely fair-haired child whether he live*
live for the reason that they had become antagonistic or dies, seven years hence ho will be no more. The
to each other— three on one side and four on ihe other, seven years old boy will have disappeared making room
instead of placing one in the middle, thus constituting for the adolescent of 14 springs. If you would see again
A perfect balance........ t the child, look for him elsewhere ; perchance you may
What is the shapo or form of a beautiful soul ? Are find a second imprint of tho type.
there ugly souls ? No. The soul is beautiful from its It is precisely thus that we shall or shall not seo thoso
birth and does not admit of any defects; a defective who have left us for a higher life.
soul cannot yet be called properly a soul it is an ele­
mental spirit, a spiritual larva. Every defect is a wound Our souls are made for a triple life—physical, meta^
through which life must escape. Thus thero are no physical and divine; respectively known to the Kabalists
other than beautiful souls. This word alone ought to uuder three names : Nephusch, Ruach, and Neschamah ;
show it immortal as well as beautiful. or Psyche, the Nous and the Logos, as tho Alexandrian
philosophers termed them.
Beauty is the radiance of tho true; and truth is eter­ It is through Psyche that wo have a hold on our phy­
nal. Beauty formless and changeless is tho light of tho sical body ; through the means of that plastic mediator
etornity. To believe in beautiful souls is to admit which, properly speaking, is neifcher body, nor spirit, but
eternal life. serves as an instrument for both.*
Thero aro two kinds of defective souls ; the imperfect What you call death is tlio sudden rupture of tha
and the mutilated. The former are guilty only when exterior envelope and tlie enfranchisement of Psyche clad
in her mediator,"f or hor fluidic body. Spirit (Iiuach ) and
• H e r e t h e a n n ih il a t io n o f p e r s o n a l i t y ” ia c l e a r l y h i n t e d a t , t h o n g h
t h e F r e n c h K a b a l i s t w o u ld h a v o n e v e r d r e a m t , n o r d a r e d t o d e c l a r e t h o
Soul (Mens) know nothing of death and can conceive of
u b i t t e r " t r u t h a s p la in ly a s w e a ro d o in g . H a d w o f r o u i th o b e g in n in g it but through Psyche. These two are so indifferent to that
a s s u m o d t h o p o l i c y o f p a n d e r i n g t o p e o p l e 's p r e j u d i c e s a n d u n d e v e l o p e d phenomenon, that people often die without being in the
i d e a s a n d g i v e n t h e n a m e o f “ G o d ” t o t h o s p i r i t u a l s id o o f n a t u r e a n d least aware of it, and that amidst the joys of real life,
o f C r e a t o r t o i t s p h y s i c a l p o t e n c i e s a n d c a llo d S p i r i t — S o u l a u d v ic e
v * r$a , a s n e c e s s a r y f o r c o n c e a l i n g t h o u n w e l c o m e f e a t u r e s o f t h e d o c ­
the just man is under the impression that the bliss that
t r i n e s t a u g h t — w o w o u ld h a v e h a d n e a r l y a l l o a r p r e s e n t e n e m i e s o u has just commenced is but the continuation, the remem­
o u r s id e . H o n e s t y , h o w e v e r , d o e s u o t s e o m a l w a y s t h o b e s t p o l i c y ,— brance of eternal felicity.
n o t in t h e te a c h in g o f T r u t h , a t a n y r a t o . W o k n o w o f W e s te r n O c c u lt­
i s t s — a m o n g th e m p u p ils o f E lip h a s L e v i— w h o o p p o s e th e o c c u lt doo-
Death is brutal and even violent for those who have
t r i n e s o f t h e E a s t a s o u tl in o d in E s o t e r ic B ^ ld d h i$ m i m a g i n i n g t h e m o p p o s* lived but a physical, sensual life. In dying they
o d to th o K a b a lis tic d o o trin e s a n d f a r m o ro m a te r ia lis tic , a t h o is tic a n d imagine that every thing is perishing and the world ends
u n s c ie n t if ic t h a n t h o s o o f t h e i r m u s t e r s — t h o J u d e o - C h r i s t i a n K a b a l i s t s .
L e t t h e m u n d e r s t a n d w e ll th o r e a l m e a n i n g o f t h o c o m p a r i s o n m a d e b y
together with them. They find themselves suddenly
E l i p h a s L n v i, a u d s e e w h e t h e r i t is n o t i n o t h e r w o r d s a p e r f e c t c o r r o b o ­ plunged in a palpable and, so to say, fluidic darkness
r a t i o n o f t h e E a s t e r n d o c t r i n e o f t h o ** s u r v i v a l o f t h o t i t t e s t ” in i t a that can be compared to liquid mud. _
a p p l i c a t i o n t o t h e h u m a n p e r s o n a l s o u l. T h e “ f u r n a c o o f N a t n r o ” is
t h e e ig h t h s p h e r e . W h e n m a n f a i ls t o m o u ld h is s o u l “ in t h o im a g e a n d
I n fix us sum, in limbo profundi et non est substantia.
lik e n e s s o f th e g r e a t A d a m ” — w e s a y o f— B u d d h n , K r is h n a , o r C h ris t Such dead can live neither in the earth’s atmosphere nor
( a c c o r d i n g to o u r r e s p e c t i v o c r e e d s ) — h o is “ a f a i l u r o o f n a t u r e " a n d highor. Their unenlightened imagination conceives
n a t u r e h a s t o r e m o u l d t h o c a s t b e f o r e i t c a n l a u n c h i t a g a i n o n th o horrid nightmares, and there are such, who, to escape
s h o r e l e s s O c e a n o f I m m o r t a l i t y . “ S t a t u o s — d ie ,” in t h o w o r d s o f E . L .
— t h o m o t a l o f w h ic h t h e y a r o c a s t “ t h e p o r f e c t s t a t u e ” n o v e r d io s . the unbearable terror, have Hod back, and taking refuga
I t is a p i t y t h a t N a t u r e s h o u l d n o t h a v e c o n s u l t e d t h e s e n t i m o n t a l in their own corpses, have reanimated them in the tomb.
p r e ju d ic e s o f ao m o p e o p le , a n d t h a t so m a n y o f h o r g r e a t s e c r e t s a u d These wretched souls are drawn, and fly in despair,
f a c t s a r o s o r u d e l y o p p o s e d to h u m a n f i c t i o n s .— E d .
t E a s y e n o u g h to p e rc e iv e t h a t E . L . h in t s a t th o 7 p r in c ip le s o f m a n ,
toward thoir second death. Slowly they weaken and
b n t v e ry d itiic u lt f o r ono, n n a c q u a in te d w ith O c c n lt te r m in o lo g y , to sink, like a wounded man who is losing his life blood
m a k e o u t h is m e a u in g . T h e “ m i d d l e ” K i n g is t l i o h o d y o f D o s i r e , drop by drop, and then lose all consciousness and re­
t h o 4 t h p r i n c i p l e , h 'a m a '-ru p a . H a d “ A d a m ” o r m a n , e q n ilib riz e d th o
tw o t r i a d s b y p u t t i n g t h a t b o d y o r h ia d e s i r e s a s i d e a n d t h u s t r i u m p h o d
membrance to pass into the state of larva, stryges and
o v e r t h e o v il c o u n s e l o f h is lo w e r , a u i m a l t r i a d , h e w o u l d h a v o c a u s e d gools, often of vampires, according to the vicissitudes
th o d e a th o f a ll o x e o p t th e 7 th . T h is h a s r e f e r e n c e to th o p s y c h o - and the mysteries of an unexplained embryogony.
p h y s io lo g i c a l “ m y s t e r y o f t h o b i r t h , li f o a u d d e a t h ” o f t h e 1 s t r a c e
i n th i s R o u n d . — E d . * A s h e a t h aB i t is c a l l e d in S a n s k r i t — a n d iu t h o V e d a n t a p h i l o s o p h y
J A u d s i n c e i t ia a t r i t e a x i o m — “ l i k o c a u s e , l i k e r e s u l t s , ” t h e n i t K a m a r u p a ia t h o s h e a t h o f M a y a v i r u p a , a n d t h a t a ls o o f t h o fp c
n e c e s s a r ily fo llo w s t h a t e v o ry b a d r e s u l t o r e ffe c t h a s to b e tr a c e d to t h e r e a l i z a t i o n o f i t s d o B irc B .— H d .
tlie p r o d u c e r o f t h e fir s t c a u s e — in o th e r w o rd s to th o “ p e rs o n a l” g o d .
W o w o u ld r a t h e r d e c l i n e f o r o u r d e i t y s u o h a n i m p e r f e c t B o in g * — E d . f M a y a v i ru p a , th e o b je c tiv e p o rtio n o f it.
 N a tu re destroys all tb a t she does n o t p erfect. The
corpse is a h o rro r to life, henco p u trefactio n sweeps it
o u t of sig h t. Dead souls have also th o ir decay, an d hell
is a tom b w herein reigns th e e te rn a l w orm .
B u t even decay can n ever be e te rn a l, for it is a palin-
gcnesical labour. D ried leaves falling from th e tree to tlio
g ro u n d decay and im m ure th e e a rth . T he sam e w ith
these ab o rtio n s of hum an life : th ey servo to nourish and
m anure tho field of universal life. T hose creatu res,
th a t I have designated u n d e r tho nam e of lnrvse, ghouls
and vam pires, are tho venom ous m ushroom s, the
putrefied cortices of life. F o r hum an souls aro unablo
to livo iso lated from o th ers, and so long as they livo
th o y a tta c h them selves to eacli o th e r : th e souls of the
ju s t— to th o good, thoso of tho sin n ers to tho w icked
souls.
T his explains tho phenom ena of obsession an d posses­
sion. T h e w icked sp irits who possess them selves of
people are souls im perfectly dead seek in g d eath onco
m ore, and a sp irin g to find in th e ag o n y of a second
d e a th a new im pulse tow ard s life.
I t is out of respect for th e hum an figuro th a t wo m ust
b u ry our d e a d ; and it is out of re sp e c t for th o soul-form
th a t hell m ust cover up and h id e its co rru p tio n . B ut
w here is hell ? E very w h ere an d now hero. I t is not
a locality b u t a state. I t is th e la te n t and hazy stato of
souls th a t are d isin te g ra tin g . T his hell is silen t and
sh u t in liko a tom b.* W e e p in g an d th e g n a sh in g of
te e th precedo it, b u t w ithin i t — thero aro no tears, aa
n o th in g lives in it save D eath ; an d d eath is tearless for
it is pitiloss.
• W e know th a t d e a th is com posod of a series of succes­
sive d e a th s .t
God creates etern ally . C reatio n is alw ays b eg in n ing,
and always en d in g in a relativ e sense* A nd as crea­
tion is etern al ill all th a t is c re a te d , we m u st be also
e te rn a l...A d a m , tho p ro to p last, th a t is to say, h um anity
is th e verb, th e only sou of G odJ of whom it is said—
ex-utero ante ludferum gencri. T his explains tho pre-
existenco of souls. I f wo have sinned in A dam , it m ust
havo boon because we wero ex istin g iu him ; for to sin
is to act, an d to act it is absolutely necessary to exist.
W hom does God a d d re ss, w hen he is m ade to say (in
L a tin ) fac-iamus hominem. H o speaks to m an him self,
to the m an who is p re -e x istin g in his creativ e th o u g h t,
an d who clam ours for lifo. W h y havo we no recollec­
tion of our a n te rio r lives ? I t is because we have
h ith e rto failed to realise in ourselves tho u n ity of the
rem em brance. B u t wlieu th a t rem em brance once re­
tu rn s, it will bo eternal :|| in memoris eterno erit justus.
To die, is to aw ake from a dream , th e tem porary
dream th a t ushers us into life real and ete rn a l, where
th e re is no m ore room for dream s, for in th e e te rn ity
th e re exists n eith er p resen t nor p ast, n e ith e r a “ b efore”
n o r an “ a fte r.” No ; for e te rn ity cannot be divided, and a
p o rtio n of th e ete rn ity shall be still etern ity .
So th a t a fte r d eath wo shall find ourselves alive w ith ­
o u t b eg in n in g , w ithout end. W ith o u t b eg in n in g , b u t not
w ithout an origin. E te rn a l creatu res of an eternal
C reato r, liv in g blossom s of th e im m utablo will, ever
re-born and d y in g b u t once— of penal d e a th .........
Second d eath is n o t, p ro p erly speak in g , a penal d eath,
b u t a fatal d eath n ec e ssita te d b y th e volu n tary n egation
of life. Suicide is a crim e b u t it is n o t pain. T h a t
* A n d t h is i s th e K ig h t h s p h e r e . — S d .
+ T h o s u c c e s s i v e s t a g e s t h r o u g h w lii c h a d o o m e d s o n l p a s s e s t o f in a l changed thoso com panions very often. T hose g irls w ere
a n n i h i l a t i o n n ro h o r o r o f e r r e d t o . S o m e o f th e s e s ta g e s a ro u n d e r g o n e
o n t h i s o a r t h , a n d t h e n t h o d i s i n t e g r a t i n g e n t i t y is d r a w n i n t o t h o
» t t r a c t i o n o f t h e e ig h th s p h e r e , a n d th e r o re m o u ld e d to s t a r t on
a n o th o r jo u r n e y th r o u g h lif e w ith a re n e w e d im p u ls e . T h e s ta g e s
a b o v e r e f e r r e d to a r e , a c c o rd in g to t h e te a c h in g s o f o u r p h ilo s o p h y ,
s i x t e e n lta n u m b e r — t h e l a s t t w o b e i n g , h o w e v e r , t h e d i f f e r e n t a s p o c t s p re se n ts or by m oney.
o f o n e a n d t h o s a m o c o n d i tio n , t h e f in a l e x t i n c t i o n a n d r o . f o r m a t i o n . -
J ia .
i O n t h i s , o u r E a r t h , o f c o n r n o .— EcJ.
—- W ”1 th9 ^ ° { N irV a u ic llo sa rT C °tion, See E t o t t r i e B u d .
w hich c o n stitu tes th e g ra n d e u r of th is crim e is t h a t
m an changes tho p en alty th a t saves for a p en alty th a t
kills. H o tu rn s in to poison th e dose destin ed to cure him
an d b re a k s in th e bands of P rovidence th e saving rope
of his soul.
If m an a fte r d e ath ro-enterod e te rn ity in an ab so lu te
way, ho would be ab so rb ed by it. Betw een th e finite
aud th e infinite th e re ia alw ays an infinite sep aration.
M an carries away into e te rn ity his notions of tim e, w hich
to him ia b u t a relativ e idea, b u t he preserves the cou-
sciouaness of a divine life for which th e re e x ists no tim e.
M an has to livo ages upon ages, b u t th ese ag es, grouped
to g e th er, will still p resen t duratio n s with b e g in n in g as
w ith end, m easured by rem em brances a u d te rm in a ted
by fo rg ettin g s.
A u absolute consciousness of E te rn ity wonld be the an­
nihilation of all cre ated personality. T hus man will never
cease to dream of time, though k n ow ing aud realising
m ore and m ore th a t in suprem e rea lity th e re can ex ist
no tim e.
C reation is a circle w hich beg in s an d en d s a t all th*
points of tho circum fcronce, b u t w hich, iu tr u th , does
not begin and could n o t end since it is th e p ro d u ct of
etern al lifo, M a n - G - o d . T his is th e Inst w ord of H um a­
nity. T ho finite in e tern a l com m unication w ith th e
In fin ite is liko our eye— w ith L ig h t and Space.
T H E IF/IFS O F P R O V I D E N C E .
A l o n g g u sh in g a rtic le ap pears in a religious Ita lia n
p ap er signed by a theological stu d e n t. H e was g o ing
by rail to hold his exam ination. G e ttin g g id d y , while
sta n d in g oil tho platfo rm , he lost his balance and fell
under tho w heels of an app ro ach in g en g in e. C rying
out loudly ho appealed in liis agony to tho V irg in “ our
blessed L a d y ,” lost his senses, and in stead of aw aking
" a glorified, m arty red soul,” he arose u n h u rt and none
th e worse for tho little fit of excitem ent. To recognise
tho “ tim ely in terfe re n ce of P rovidence,” he m ado a vow
to devote Ins lifo to selling, and otherw iso adv ertisin g
tho p a rtic u lar M adonna on whoso nam e he had called for
to in terced e 0 1 1 his beh alf w ith tho “ Divina Providenza."
Iu an o th er p a p e r we r e a d :—■
A terrible catastroplio is reported frnm Illinois. The Con­
vent of the Immnculat.e Conception caught fire. Thirty iiimmes
perished, including the ltuly superior and four sisters, the bent
being mostly pupils.
T he poor victim s m u st havo been te rrib le sinners o r
else w hy should thoy not also have called upon th e blessed
V irg in ? I t is m ore th a n p robable th a t being R. C atho­
lics— th ey did. W h a t is th e explanation given ? Of
courso none, fo r only such solitary cases of providential
interference as th e ono above, are given, w hile thousands
of o th er cases, w here it has n o t pleased Providence to
help poor w retches in d anger, are nover noticed.
------•------
(Continued from the last Number.)
L I V I N G V A M P IR E S A N D V A M P I R I S M OF T E E
GRAVE IN OUR SO CIAL IN STITU TIO N S.
B y D r . F o r t i n , P r e s i d e n t , T h e o s o p h i c a l S ociett
op th e O c c u ltis ts op F ra n c e .
Second Observation.
I n 1368 th ere was a t P a ris in the rue Rochechuarfc a
wom an, whoso old ag e was a . m ystery. E very one who
knew her, noticed, th a t she always had som e young girl
w ith h er as “ D em oiselle de cam p ag n ie,” and th a t she
seen to e n te r into th e old lady’s service iu p e rfec t he»lth
b u t soon th ey show ed signs of w ith e rin g , which alw ays
affected th eir h e alth and often caused th e ir death. W hen
th e p aren ts com plained, th ey were quieted by some
'
In sp ite of all this g en e ro sity , public opinion began to
epoak, an d the old lady was said to e a t th e g irls to
prolong h e r own life. She was declared to be a veritab le
vam pire. Tlie la st youDg g irl in h e r service was the
d a u g h te r of a coachm an. T h e fa th e r seein g his d a u g h te r H um an sacrifices w ere of two orders, e ith e r voluntary
losing h er health, and h av in g h eard th e accounts ot th e aud by consent of the victim , or involuntary, when th e y
fate of th e o th er girls w hich preced ed h e r in th a t service, atte m p te d to resist.
com plained to th e “ C oinm issaire de P o lice."
A t B abylon, w here com pulsory hum an sacrifices were
A n exam ination was held, th e physicians gave evidence a national in stitu tio n , w here black magic was ta u g h t like
th a t it would be dangerous to le t ch ild ren or y o u n g girls any o th er official science, those practices a ttra c te d b ad
stay with th e old lady. She was th e re fo re fined a sum of influences, w hich soon transform ed th a t city of w onders
m oney as in d em n ity to th e coachm an’s d a u g h te r and into a fated place. T hencefurw ard Babylon was doom ed
th en died a m onth afterw ard s. to d estruction. ,
S hall we d ra w th e conclusion from th e se tw o observa­ H e re we see th e action of the inexorable law. T hese
tions th a t th e VampiriHm is a law of n a tu re ? M an m u st sacrilegious im m olations were a double crime. F irst tho
learn to a ssist his evolution by science.* ac t in itself whose consequences react upon its authors in
T he su b jects w hich can be affected b y vam pirism are life and in d eath, and n e x t as b e in g an outrage of th e
of different classes. T h e low est o rd er (sorcerers and divine law s.
pythonesses), when they are le ft to them selves w ithout A voluntary hum an sacrifice is a hum an bolocanst.
guidance, m ay fall in a sta te of catalepsy, whose special M an may give his life by devoting him self to wlmt he b e­
character is its em inent resem blance to d eath. B uried lieves to be useful to hu m an ity , or it m ay be dem anded
in such a sta te of d eath -lik e tra n c e , th e phenom enon of by our social in stitu tio n s. T h ere is a holocaust. T he
d6doublem ent” (or division of two sets of principles) D ruids sacrificed virgins in th e island of Bayne, because
results. T he p rin cip les w hich co n stitu te th e anim al soul those virgin priestesses of h ig h seership by spilling th eir
(K a m a R u p a ) t im p art to th e vam pire tw o ch aracteristics. blood gave divine revelations for the salvation of th e ir
H o will go to w here h e is a ttra c te d and feast on th e blood country. T his means th e collectivity ; th e m ystery of
of his frien d s o r his p a re n ts, to su stain th e vital principle blood, th e m y stery of revelation. This is th e science of
of his body, w hich is im prisoned in th e g rav e. th e Druids.
T here a re also v am pires w hich form a class of elemen-
taries. They are th e assistan ts of m en in th e perform ance T he m odern w orld, b ein g unable to g rasp th e sp irit of
of black m agic. To speak in g en eral te rm s ;— all the an tiq u ity , will say th a t n o th in g was fouud. T his is an
blood w hich is spilt can a ttra c t th o se p h an to m s. erro r. A n evolution has been accom plished, a h altin g
place on th e g ra n d ro u te of hu m an ity has been reached.
T his is a m ethod em ployed b y n ecrom ancers to evoke Gaul has becom e F ran ce. None can avoid th e law of
the d ead.J Sacrifices m ad e by th a sh ed d in g of tha transform ation. S ta b ility . would be death. M odern
blood of anim als a re a p a rt of th e cerem onies of black science seem s to becomo more and more neglectful as to
m agic. I n olden tim es sacrifices w ere m ade in th e regular th e w orld of causes and the principles of tran scen d en tal
places of w orship according to prescrib ed relig io u s rites, m etaphysics. O ur h ig h est scientific authorities stu d y
an d the selection of anim als was an exact science. M atter in its various states, to utilize its forces fo r the
benefit of man. W ill thiH laudable object be accom plish­
* A t t h e C o u r t o f K i n g D a v id t h e r o w e r e e n o u g h o f y o u n g g i r l s , ed, and do the re su lts ju stify th e efforts used to obtain
N e v o r t h o l e a a t h e B ib l e s a y a : “ T h e K i n g , h a v i n g g r o w n o ld a n d u n a b l e
to w a rm h im s e lf, s e a r c h w a a m a d o th r o o g h a ll t h e tr i b e s f o r a y o u n g
them ?
v ir g in . A b is a a y -S e u n a m ito w a s s e le c te d a s a b le to f u r n is h th e r e q u i r ­
e d p h y s io lo g i o a l c o n d i t i o n s , w h i c h w e r e t h e n k n o w n . S h e w as ta k e n
I s the individual m ore h ap p y now ? Is tlie family b e tte r
to th e K in g , ‘ w h o k n o w h e r n o t.’ S h e n e v e r le f t t h e K in g a n d s le p t on situ ated ? I leave oth ers to answ er these questions-*
D a v i d ’s b o s o m .” W e c a n n o t e x p la in th i s f a c t w ith o u t a d m itt in g t h a t I t seems to me th a t m odern science ia going in an u n ­
t h i s w a s a n a c t o f v a m p i r i s m b y w h i c h t h o o l d K i n g p r o lo n g e d h ia li f e .
+ T h a t w h ic h r e m a i n s , a f t e r t h e s e p a r a t i o n o f t h e h i g h e r p r i n c i p l e s
fo rtu n ate direction. W hile she denies tho vam pirism of
f r o m t h e lo w e r o n e s b y t h e p r o c e s s o f d y i n g is c o m p lo to , c o n s i s t s o f th o tho graves w hich sucks th e blood of th e living, she o rgan­
f o u r t h p r i n c i p l e a n d t h e lo w e r p a r t s o f t h e f if t h . T h i s — t h e a n i m a l izes an official vam pirism a vam pirism of sentim ents,
g o a l— h a s s t i l l a m o r e o r l e s s i n d i s t i n c t c o n s c i o u s n e s s o f i t s o w n , a n d
a vam pirism of physical forces, and a vam pirism of th e
i t s a c tio n s r e s e m b le th o s e o f a p e r s o n w a lk in g in h is s le e p . I t h a s a lso
a r e m n a n t o f w ill, in a m o r e o r l e s s l a t e n t c o n d i t i o n . B u t a s t h e h i g h e r grave. M odern life has created a social condition, in which
p r i n c i p l e s h a v e l e f t t h i s , w ill i s n o m o r e g u i d e d b y a n y m o r a l c o n s i d e r a ­ solitude, so salutary to spiritu al m editation, cannot be
t i o n s a n d c a n n o t e x e r t i t s e l f i n a n y o t h e r w a y t h a n b y f o ll o w i n g i t s realized ; it is a hum an w hirlpool to w hich vam pirism has
a t t r a c t i o n s . I t s lo w e r p a s s i o n s , a n i m a l d e s i r e s a n d m a t e r i a l a t t r a c t i o n s ,
s t i l l r e m a i n , a n d i n p r o p o r t i o n a s t h e y h a v e b e e n m o r e o r le s s d o v e l o p e d , become allured.
n u r s e d o r f o r t i f i e d , d u r i n g e a r t h li f e , i n t h e s a m o p r o p o r t i o n w ill t h e y
a c t m o r e o r le s s p o w e r f u ll y a f t e r t h e d e a t h o f t h e p h y s i c a l b o d y . N o ­ W oe to the people of E urope, w ho could not find
t h i n g l i k e s t o s t a r v e : — e a c h b o d y a s w e ll a s e a c h p r i n c i p l e h a s a p o w e r ­ an o th er m ethod of ed u c atin g aud saving th eir children,
f u l a t t r a c t i o n a n d c r a v in g f o r th o s e e le m o n ts w h ic h a r e n e c e s s a r y f o r (the F u tu ro ) th a n by sh u ttin g them up in colleges and
i t s s u b s i s t e n c e . T h e p r i n c i p l e s o f lu s t , g l u t t o n y , e n v y , a v a r i c e , r o v e n g o ,
i n t o m p e r a n c e , e t c . , w i l t r u s h b li n d ly t o t h o p l a c e t o w h i c h th o y a r e a t t r a c t ­ o c c a s i o n s , s h e s a w a f t e r t h e t h i r d tim o e n r a g e d o x e n a n d s h e e p r u s h
e d a n d w h o r e t h e i r c r a v i n g c a u b e t e m p o r a r i l y g r a t i f i e d ;— e i t h e r u p o n h e r . N o m o r e p i t i f u l s i g h t c o u l d b o s e e n t h a u t o b e h o ld t h i s p o o r
d ire c tly a s in th e c a s e o f v a m p ire s , b y im b ib in g th e e m a n a tio n s o f f r e s h y o u n g l a d y . T w o m o r e s u c h c a s e s w e r e m e n tio n o d t o m e b y a f r i e n d ,
b lo o d , o r i n d i r e c t l y b y e s t a b l i s h i n g m a g n e t i c r e l a t i o n s w i t h s e n s i t i v e a p h y s i c i a n . F r o m t h e s e o b s e r v a t i o n s ' w e m u s t c o n c lu d e t h a t b lo o d
p e r s o n s ( m e d iu m s ) , w h o s e i n c l i n a t i o n s c o r r e s p o n d w i t h t h e i r o w n . c a n p ro d u c e d a n g e ro u s r e s u lts ,' e s p e c ia lly w h e n th e p a tie n ts h a v e th o
I f t h e r e is s t i l l a m a g n e t i c r e l a t i o n e x i s t i n g b o t w e o n t h e v a m p i r e g i f t o f c la irv o y a n c o . H u t i n a j l c ^ s e a vve o u g h t t o d e s is t f r o m d r i n k i n g
( e l e m o n t a r y ) a n d i t s b u r i e d p h y s i c a l b o d y , i t w ill r e t u r n t o t h e g r a v o .
■t. ' , .
I f t h e r o is n o s u c h r e l a t i o n , i t w ill f o ll o w o t h e r a t t r a c t i o n s .
I t c r a v e s f o r a b o d y , a n d i f i t c a n n o t f in d a h u m a n b o d y , i t m a y b e I k n o w a n e x e c u t i o n e r a t A l e n 9p u ( D e p a r t e m e n t d e 1’ O r n o ) , w h o w a a
a t t r a c t e d t o t h a t o f a n a n i m a l . T iie g o s p e l a c c o u n t o f t h e s w i u o i n t o s i c k b e f o r o e a c h e x e c u t i o n . I I o s a w t h o s e p h a n t o m s t h r o w in g t h o m s e l v o s
w h ic h J e s u s d r o v e t h e e v il s p i r i t s ” j n a y b e a f a b l e i n i t s . h i s t o r i c a l a p ­ n p o n t h o b lo o d o f t h o g u i l l o t i n e , a n d w h a t t h e m o s t t e r r i b l e t h i n g w a s ,
p l i c a t i o n , b u t i t is a t r u t h , n o t o n l y a p o s s i b i l i t y , w i t h r e f e r e n c e t o t h a t a m o n g s t t h e m h o r e c o g n i s e d h is d e c e a s e d f r i e n d s a n d p a r e n t s . I
m a n y s u c h p a r a l l e l c a s e s .— T r a n s . h a v o a tte m p te d to o b ta in in f o r m a tio n a m o n g st th e b u tc h e r s . A m ongst
J T h e p h y s i c i a n s a t P a r i s p r e s c r i b e a t p r e s e n t f r e s h b lo o d t o c u r e t h e fifty w h o m I in t e r r o g a te d , f o u r h a d b ee n fo rc e d to q u it t h e i r o c c u p a ­
a n a jm i o c o n d i t i o n s o f c h l o r o s i s a n d o t h e r c a s e s o f lo s s o f p o w e r . It ti o n o f k illin g a n im a ls. T h e y to o s a w t h o s e p h a n t o m s c o m o t o g o r g e
is a s t r a n g e s i g h t t o w i t n e s s e v e r y d a y t h e r u s h o f a g r o a t n u m b e r o f t h e m s e l v e s w i t h b lo o d .
p e o p le f o r th e s la u g h te r h o u s e s , w h e r e y o u n g w o m e n a n d g i r l s d r in k A l t h o u g h t h o e x u b e r a n t h e a l t h y a p p e a r a n c o o f b u t c h e r s g e n e r a l l y is
t h o w a r m b lo o d o f b u t c h e r e d a n i m a l s . I t i s a l l t h e r a g e , i t is t h o s a id t o b e d u e t o t h o v a p o r s o f b lo o d , b u t c h e r s u s u a l l y d o n o t r e a c h
f a s h io n . N e v e r t h e l e s s i t is c e r t a i n t h a t t h e b lo o d i n a l l i t s p a r t s d o e s a n o ld a g o . A m o n g s t t h o I s r a e l i t e s s e e r s w e r e s o n u m e r o u s t h a t t h e
n o t a s s i m i l a t e w i t h t h e h u m a n s y s t e m . I t is d if f i c u lt t o d i g e s t a n d l e g i s l a t o r s e s t a b l i s h e d t h o o ffic e o f s a c r i f l c e r s iu c o n s e q u e n c e .
p r o d u c e s h o r r i b l e n i g h t - m a r e s , b u t i t is t h e f a s h i o n .
W e f r e q u e n t ly m e e t w ith p e o p lo to d a y , w h o b e c o m o ill a t t h e s ig h t
W e h o p e t h a t S c ie n c e , w h i c h is i g n o r a n t o f t h o e f f e c t s o f b lo o d -
d r i n k i n g , w i l l s o o n c e a s o t o a d v i s e p e o p l e t o d r i n k t h e b lo o d o f o f b lo o d .
a n im a ls. * ’ * A n e w d a n g e r a p p o a r s o n t h o s c i e n t i f i c h o r iz o n in t h e f o r m o f a
A l l t h r o u g h a n t i q u i t y s c ie n c e a n d t h e g r e a t e s t l e g i s l a t o r s h a v o p r o ­ p r o p o s e d in o c u la t io n o f c a r b o n i n t h e a n i m a l s w h o s o il e s h is e a t e n .
h i b i t e d t h e d r i n k i n g o f b lo o d o n a c c o u n t o f i t s p e r n i c i o u s c o n s e q u e n c e s . O f fic ia l s c ie n c e s h o w s t h a t t h e v i r u s m a y r e m a i n in a l a t e n t s t a t o f o r
I h a v e h a d a y o u n g l a d y n n d e r t r e a t m e n t , w h o b o c a m e i u s a n o in c o n - a n u n l i m i t e d t i m o w i t h o u t a p p a r e n t l y m a n i f e s t i n g it s e l f . W a a r e
sequonce of v is io n s which horrified her. Haying drank blood on thxoo t h e r e f o r e iu d a n g e r o f having p o is o n e d m e a t t o e a t .
b o ard in g schools w hich m ake them victim s of vam pirism * su b m itte d h im self to Tam elo Tjelo, who understood b e tte r
by th is m onastic seclusion. th a n him self th e w orks of A dji S aka, and also because
N ature punishes terrib ly th o se who tra n sg re ss h er somo old prophecies pro m ised th e em pire to an In d ian
laws. Science does not b elo n g to any p a rtic u la r person, p rin c e. U n d e r one of his successors tho kingdom took
she is th e tr a n s f e r a b le in h e rita n c e of every m em ber of th e nam e of B ram banam .
th e great hum an fam ily. O ccult Science beckons to us A fte r th is civilisation and religion took a new s ta rt
from the E ast to reascend h e r m o u n tain -h eig h ts. T here d u rin g th e re ig n of D ew aK aesoem o, who tra n sfe rre d tlie
we shall find th e co rn er sto n e npon w hich h u m a n ity will cap ital to T jen g g a lo (w here S oerebaja resided.) U n d er
b u ild laer church, a g a in st w liich e rro r a n d im m obility his successors th e p ro sp e rity of th e kingdom m ade
will b a ttle in vain. a continual pro g ress a n d reached its h ig h e st culm ina­
■ •—- tion d u rin g th e reig n of P an d ji, whose nam e is even at
S C R A P S OF A N C I E N T H I S T O R Y OF T H E th is day g re a tly honored in th e epic poem s of the
Jav an ese.
I S L A N D OF J A V A .
(/I Popular Version from Notes furnished by T he k in g d o m s of Singo S ari (now M alang) and of
P a d ja d ja ra n ex isted contem poraneously a t Ja v a ; but
B a r o n T jen g n a g e ll , F. T. S.) th e ir h isto ry is alm ost en tirely lost. A t th e end of the
W ite n th e E m p ero r of Rom e b ad been inform ed tb a t y e a r 1301 (Jav an ese era) th e kingdom of P a d ja d ja ra n was
ji, g re a t island nam ed J a v a was in existence, and tliat it destro y ed a n d th e em pire of M adjapaliit established.
w as n o t y et in h a b ite d , be selected sev eral fam ilies, p ro ­ T he ruins of th e cap ital of the form er n am e ex ist still
v id ed tliem w ith all tlie necessaries of life, an d sent in th e W iro-saba d istric t, th e residence of Soerabaja.
th em to tliat country to colonise. B u t u n fo rtu n ately the T he princes of M o d jo p ah it ex ten d ed th e ir a u th o rity
inform ation which liad been received by th e E m p eror over the g re a te st p a rt of J a v a , over alm ost th e whole of
from certain m erchants was n o t c o rre c t. J a v a was not the S unda Islan d s, a p a rt of th e M oluccas, Borneo and
a. d esert island, b u t in h a b ite d b y g ia n ts an d sp irits, even th e P hilippine Islands. A t th a t tim o J a v a arrived
who, by the su p e rn a tu ra l pow ers th e y possessed, caused a t th e sum m it of its p ro sp e rity , and it w as especially
in th e course of tw o m o n th s th e d estru ctio n of all the d u rin g the re ig n of th e se princes w hen those m agnificent
em ig ran ts, witli th e exception of tw en ty fam ilies, wbo H in d u tem ples w ere b u ilt, whose rem ains are still au
re tu rn e d to R om e. T he E m p ero r th en w ent to consult object of adm iration a t S ingo S ari, B rain b a n an , D ijen g
somo ancien t sagos, who advised him to use certain and especially a t B oeroe-Boedoer.
pow erful charm s. H e follow ed th is advice, an d th a n k s B u t th is noble civilisation, th is em inent pow er, this
to the efficacy of tlie m eans w hich be used, la n d and sublim e religion, w ere all destined to d is a p p e a r; for in
sea wero overtu rn ed , tb e sp irits and g ia n ts left, and th e 1313 an A rab nam ed M oelana Ib rah im b eg an to preach
tw en ty fam ilies, g o in g again to Ja v a , w ere able to tho K oran, and in 1400 th e M oham m edans h av in g con­
re-establish them selves. tin u ed to preach th e K o ran w ith sword in h an d , w ent to
F o r th re e h u n d red y ears did th e in h a b ita n ts live destroy th e em pire of M odjopahit and took possession
w ith o u t a k in g , b u t afterw ard s th e Suprem e God select­ of tho capital. Soon Islam ism b egan to ex ert its p araly ­
ed one who becam e very pow erful. I n ab o u t a century sing influence on th a t civilisation, and destroyed not only
(io d gave a K in g to W ira th a , an d th re e h u n d red years its source, b u t caused it alm ost en tirely to disappear.
late r created K in g s fo r N e g a stin a , M adaera a n d D w ara T he ad v en t of Islam ism was th e m ore to be reg re tte d ,
W a ti. S till a h u n d re d y ears la te r th e S uprem e B eing as th e religions sen tim en t becam e nearly extinct. The
appointed again an o th er K in g , who came from Tocsen, Jav an ese w ere m ade to pass for M o ham m edans; b u t the
and a fte r th is one died, th e re a rriv e d a t J a v a a colony g re a t m a jo rity of them did n eith er know n o r observe
of B rahm ans an d invented th e tw e n ty A k sh a ra . (L etters an y th in g except a few cerem onies, in term in g led w ith
of th e Jap an ese alph ab et.) ancient H in d u rites. T heir lite ra tu re is dead, and w hat
T his leg en d , which is to ld w ith different variations, little of it is left, dates from the tim e before Islam ism
form s th e b eg in n in g of th e h isto ry of Ja v a , w hile our m ade its ap p earance. Sciences do not exist, and only
chronological researches do n o t go b ack fu rth e r th a n a few exceptional chiefs are found, who have a fain t
78 years of our era. A t th a t tim e a rriv e d from H indos- idea of them .
ta n a sain t nam ed A d ji S ak a (a colony of B rahm ans ?) T he E uropeans nre C hristians or pass for such, b u t
a n d invented th e alp h ab et. A lth o u g h it m ay be very if I can tru s t to m y experience of tw enty-five years,
difficult to say to w hich p a r t of H in d o sta n th is first indifference in religious m atters and m aterialism are
colony b elonged, still various in d icatio n s m ade M r. tb e dom inant convictions.
C raw ford an d A. V . H u m b o ld t suppose th a t th e y arriv ed T hore is in J a v a like everyw here else a lo t of P ro ­
from th o K oram andel Coast. te sta n t m issionaries, b u t th e resu lts w hich th ey obtain
are so sm all, th a t it is n o t w orth tho while to m ention
D u rin g th e follow ing four cen tu ries num erous em igra­ them . T he Jav an e se people are p lu n g e d in the deepest
tio n s took place, an d th e pow er of th e H in d u s becam e ignorance, an d an im m ense labour will be necessary to
s tro n g e r in th a t country. T he first h isto ric inform ation b rin g th is u n fo rtu n ate people again up to the s ta te of
to w hich science gives credence, d ates from tho y e a r 525 civilisation, w hich th e y h a d attain e d in th e fo u rteen th
of th e Jap a n e se era, 603 B . C. an d n o t m uch is said century.
ab o u t them . A dji S a k a le ft to his successors a record The G overnm ent looks upon these colonies only as
of various prophecies concerning th e fu tu re fa te of J a v a being farm s, w hich m u st bo m ade to yield as m uch as
an d his w orks w ere know n in H in d u stan . Ifc so h a p ­ possible. Such w ords as m agnetism , sp iritu ality , th eo ­
pened th a t a p rince n am ed K aesoem o T jitro reig n ed a t sophy, etc., are alm o st unknow n.
N ag astin a , to whom th e fu tu re of his kingdom h a d been Such is th e J a v a of to-day. M ay a b e tte r fu tu re be in
pred icted , and ho m ade up his m ind to send his son store for it, and m ay th e O rient ag ain shed its b rillia n t
Savelo Djelo w ith a stro n g colony to J a v a . T his prince lig h t, for w hich all m ankind is in stin ctiv ely a ttra c t­
established th e kingdom of M o n d h an g K am selan and ed ag ain over this u n fo rtu n ate country.
acq u ired g r e a t powter, because A rv e B anda, who arriv ed
in Ja v a from th e Molucca Isla n d s w ith a pow erful arm y, Mythical account of the invention o f letters by A d ji Saha.
* T h o y o u n g l a d ie s , s h u t u p i n b o a r d i n g s c h o o ls , a r o v a m p i r i s i n g e a c h
A d ji S ak a stopped after bis arrival a t Jav a , for a
o t h e r . A n i r r e f u t a b l e p r o o f o f t h i s a s s e r t i o n l i e s in t h e f a c t t h a t : while in th e m ountains of K h en d an g . H e then dep arted
d a r i n g t h e i r e n f o r c e d c o m m o n s e c l u s i o n , t h o m e n s t r u a l flo w , b y w h io h fo r th e kingdom of M endhang, an d before he le ft he
f u n c tio n th o g irl b ec o m es a w o m a n a n d .a m o th e r, d o e s e ith e r n o t
gave orders to his serv an t S em bada, to w ait for him and
a p p e a r o r is s c a n t y , o r c e a s o s a n d r e a p p e a r s o n l y d a r i n g v a c a t i o n s
w h e n th e y a r e v is itin g th e ir fa m ilie s , to d is a p p e a r a g a in w h e n th e y to keep his knife, an d he especially forbade him to
r e t u r n to school. Let legislators aud mothers think oyer that question. re tu rn th is k n ife to any ono ;b u t him self. B e th e n took
w ith him his serv an t D ora, an d S om bada rem ain ed alone
iu th e m ountains. W h e n A dji S a k a a rriv e d a t the
fro n tier, he asked th e villagers w h e th e r th is was th e
K ingdom of M endhang. T hey answ ered affirm atively,
and w anted to know from w hence he cam e ? H e then
to ld them , th a t he cam e from H indost.an, an d th a t
it was his intention to offer his services to th e K in g of
M endhang. T h e villagers then said to him : “ I f you
wish to e n te r th e service of th e K iu g of M endhang, you
will expose yourself to the m ost im m in en t d a n g e r ; because
he is a m an -eater, and for th is reason a g re a t m any of
th e in h a b ita n ts have left j for every d ay th e K in g com­
m ands a child to be b ro u g h t to him , a n d every stra n g e r
th a t arriv es has to deliver his children to th e K in g .”
In sp ite of these te rrib le news he was n o t frig h ten ed,
b u t, m oreover, he tran sfo rm ed him self into a young and
b eautiful child, an d w ent to th e P a tih (priine-m inister)
of M endhang, an d req u ested to b e p resen ted to th e K ing
to be devoured. T he P a tih was ex trem ely su rp rised on
h e a rin g such a req u est, b u t finally consented an d p ro ­
m ised to him th a t if he should succeed to free the
people from th is ty ra n t, he w ould give him as m uch land
as he could cover w ith th e h an d k erch ief w hich he wore
on his head (daster).
W h en th e K in g re tu rn e d from his h u n t, he was exceed­
in g ly pleased to see th a t P a tih h ad p ro cu red for him
such a beautiful child. H e seized A d ji S ak a an d put
liis head in to liis b ig m onth, b u t a t th a t m om ent A dji
S a k a took ag ain his n atu ral form , seized th e K in g ’s lower
a n d up p er jaw s, and to re his m outh in tw o in such a
m anner th a t he im m ediately died. H e th e n w ent to
P a tih and told him ab o u t th e re s u lt of his m ission. The
P a tih was very m uch astonished th a t such a weak
child could kill such a m o n ster, an d desirous of rew ard­
in g liiin for th e e x tra o rd in a ry service w hich he had
re n d e re d to th e co u n try , he said to him :
“ T he rew ard , w hich I prom ised to you, is entirely too
sm all. A sk for two or th re e villages, an d I will give
thom to you."
A dji S ak a, in stead of g iv in g an answ er, retook his
n a tu ra l form , took his h a n d k erch ief from his head and
unfolded it, an d when it was unfolded, it covered n o t
only th e w hole k ingdom of M an d h an g , b u t th e whole of
Jav a. W h en th e P a tih saw w h at su p e rn a tu ra l pow ers
A dji S aka possessed, he did n o t d a re to resist him and pu(;
liim in possession of th e whole k in g d o m of M andhang,
w hich d u rin g his reig n enjoyed g re a t p ro sp e rity .
A dji S aka th e n rem em b ered th a t it h a d been his
in ten tio n to m ake th e a lp h a b e t, an d n e e d in g his knife
for th a t purpose he sen t D ora to th e m ountains, to re ­
qu est S em bada to re tu rn it, w ith o u t th in k in g of the
form er orders he had given to him . S em bada therefore
refused to deliver up th e knife, an d as D ora insisted,
they cam e to blows and killed each o th e r. A d ji S aka
becom ing suspicious a t tlie prolonged absen ce of D ora,
w ent him self to th e m ountain an d was v ery so rry to find
b oth of his se rv a n ts dead. H e then called to his m ind
£he contrad icto ry o rd er which he h ad g iv en to each of
th em , an d re g re tte d his own carelessness v ery m u c h ; but
he consoled him self b y th in k in g th a t such m ust have
been th e will of G od, an d th a t by th is m isfortune he had
been p erm itte d to m ake th e tw en ty Jav an ese le tte rs, by
w hich he com posed th e follow ing sentence : “ I h a d two
am bassadors, who fo u g h t a n d resisted . T h eir valor was
equal, and th e y killed each o th e r.”
W e have absolutely no inform ation a b o u t th e p erso n­
ality of A dji S aki, b u t if we rem em ber th a t S a k a is th e
S an sk rit nam e for each ru le r w ith w hich a new era
b egins, an d th a t th is w ord usually d e sig n ated Salivahana
w ith w hich in th e y ear 78 of th e C h ristian era a new
era com m en ces; then M r. C raw ford an d A . V . H um b o ldt
m ay bo rig h t in th e ir opinion th a t Adi or A dji (ruler)
S aka does n o t signify a c ertain person, b u t only th e era
d u rin g w h ic h t h e first colonists arriv ed from H in d o stan .
(To be cmtinued-J
C H ASTITY.
B y an A m e r ic a n B u d d h is t .
I d e a l wom an is th e m ost beautiful w ork of th e evolution
of form s (in our days she is very often only a b eau tifu l
w ork of a rt). A beautiful woman is th e m ost a ttra c tiv e ,
charm ing, and lovely b ein g th a t a m an can im agine. I
never saw a m ale b e in g who could lay any claim s to
m anly vigour, s tre n g th or courage, who was n o t an
adm irer of wom an. O nly a profligate, a coward or a
sneak would h a te women ; a hero and a man adm ires
w om an an d is ad m ired by her.
W om en’s love belongs to a com plete m an. W hen sh e
smiles on him his hum an n ature becomes aroused, h i$
anim al desires like little ch ildren beg in to clam our for
bread, th e y do n o t w an t to be starved, th ey w ant to
satisfy th e ir hunger. H is whole soul flies to w ard s th e
lovely being, w hich a ttra c ts him w ith alm ost irresistible)
force, and if his h ig h e r principles, his divine sp irit, ia
n o t pow erful enough to re stra in him , his soul follow s
th e tem p tatio n s of his physical body. Once ag ain th o
anim al n atu re has subdued th e divine. W om an rejoices
in h er victory, an d m an is asham ed of his w eakness; a n d
in stead of b ein g re p re sen tatio n of s tre n g th , he becom es
an object of pity.
To be tru ly pow erful a m an m ust re ta in liis pow er an d
never for a m om ent lose it. To lose it, is to su r­
re n d e r h is divine n a tu re to his anim al n atu re ; to re stra in
his desires an d re ta in his pow er, is to assort his divina
rig h t, and to becom e m ore th a n a m an— a god.
E liphas L evi says : “ To be an object of a ttra c tio n fo r
all w om en, you m u st desire n o n e — and overy ono
who has h a d a little experience of his own m ust know
th a t he is rig h t. W om an w ants w hat sho ca n n o t g e t,
an d w h at she can g e t she does n o t w ant. P erh ap s it is
to the man endow ed w ith spiritu al pow er, th a t th e B iblo
refers, w hen it says : “ To him who has m uch, m oro
shall be given, an d from him who has little , th a t littlo
shall bo ta k e n aw ay .”
To becom e p e rfe ct it is n o t req u ired th a t we should
be bo rn w ith o u t any anim al desires. Such a person
w ould n o t be m uch above an id io t; he would be r ig h tly
despised a n d lau g h ed a t by every tru e m an and woman ;
b u t we m u st o b tain th e pow er to control our desires, in ­
ste a d of b ein g co n tro lled by th e m ; and here lies tho
tru e philosophy of tem p ta tio n .
If a m an has no h ig h e r aim in life, th a n to eat an d
d rin k and p ro p a g a te his species ; if all his asp iratio n s
an d desires a re c en tred in a w ish of living a happy life in
th e bosom of his fa m ily ; th ere can be no w rong if ho
follows th e d ic tates of his n a tu re and is satisfied w ith h is
lot. W h en he dies, his fam ily will m ourn, his friends will
say he was a good fellow ; th e y will give him a first class
funeral, and th ey will perhaps w rito on his tom b-stone
som ething like w h at I once saw in a certain churchyard :
“ H e r o i s t h o g r a v e o f J o h n M c B r id e ,
I Io liv e d , g o t m a r r ie d a u d d ie d .”
A n d th a t will be th e end of M r. J o h n M cBride, until in
another incarnation he will w ake up again perhaps as
M r. Jo h n S m ith, or R am chandra Row, or P atrick O ’E lan-
n egan, to find him self on the same level as ho w as
before.
B ut if a m an has h ig h e r aim s and objects in life, if ho
w ants to avoid an endless cycle of reincarnations, if he
w ants to becom e a m a ste r of his destiny, th en m u st ho
first become a m aster of himself. How can he expect
to be able to control the external forces of nature, if ho
cannot control th e few littlo n a tu ra l forces th a t resido
w ithin his own insignificant body ?
To do this, it is n o t necessary th a t a man should ru n
aw ay from his wife and fam ily and leave them uncared
for. Such a m an would com m ence his sp iritu a l career
w ith an act of in ju stic e,—an act th a t like B anquo’s ghost
would alw ays h a u n t him and hinder him in his fu rth er
p ro g ress, I f a m an has tak en upon him self respem aibu
lities, lie is bound to fulfil th em , an d a n act of cowardico
would be a bad b eg in n in g fu r a w ork th a t req u ires
courage.
A celibate, who has no te m p ta tio n and who has no
one to care for b u t him self, has u n d o u b ted ly superior
advantages for m editation an d stu d y . B ein g away from
all irrita tin g influences, he can lead w hat m ay be called
a selfish life ; because he looks out only for liis own
spiritu al i n t e r e s t; b u t he has little o p p o rtu n ity to
dovelope his w ill-pow er b y re sistin g tem p tatio n s of every
k in d . B ut th e m an who is su rrounded by tho la tte r,
a n d is every day and every hour under tlie necessity of
ex ercisin g his w ill-pow er to resist th e ir su rg in g violence,
w ill, if he rig h tly uses these pow ers, become stro n g ; he
m a y not have as ranch o p p o rtu n ity for stu d y as the
celib ate, b e in g more engrossed in m aterial c a r e s ; but
w hen he rises up to a h ig h er stato in his next in carn a­
tio n , his w ill-pow er will be more developed, an d he will
bo in th e possession of th e passw ord, which is C o n t i ­
n en ce.
A slave cannot become a com m ander, until a fte r he
becom es free. A m an who is su b ject to his own animal
desires, cannot com m and tho nnim al n atu re of others.
A m uscle becomes developed by its use, an in stin c t or
h a b it is stre n g th e n e d iu propo rtio n as it is p erm itted to
rule, a m ental pow er becom es developed by practice, and
th e principle of will grow s s tro n g by exercise and (his is
th e use of tem p tatio n s. To havo s tro n g passions and to
overcom e them , m akes m an a hero. T he sexual in stin ct
is th e stro n g e st of all, an d he who vanquishes it, becom es
a g od.
T h e hum an soul ad m ires a b e a u tifu l form , and is
th erefo re an idolator.
Tho hum an s p irit adores a p rin c ip le and is th e true
w orshipper.
M arriage is tb e union of th e m ale s p irit w ith the
fem ale soul for th e purpose of p ro p a g a tin g tho species ;
b u t if in its place thero is only a union of a m ale s-nd a
fem ale body, th en m arriage becom es m erely a b ru tal act,
w hich lowers m an and woman, not to th e level of anim als
b u t below them ; because anim als aro re stric te d to certain
seasons for the exercise of th e ir p ro c re a tiv e p o w e rs;
whilo man being a reaso n ab le b e in g , has it in his pow er
to use or abuse th em a t all tim es.
B u t how m any m arriag es do we find th a t a re roally
sp iritu a l and n o t based 0 1 1 b eauty of form or o th e r con­
siderations ? How soon a fte r th e w ed d in g day do they
becom e disgusted w ith each o th e r ? W h at is tho cause
of th is ? A man and a woman m ay m arry a n d th e ir
characters may differ w idely. T hey may have different
tastes, different opinions and different inclinations. All
thoso differences may d isap p ear, a n d will probably
d is a p p e a r; because by living to g e th e r th e y become
accustom ed to each other, and becomo equalized in tim e.
E ac h influences th e o th er, an d as a m an m ay grow fond
of a p e t snake, whose presence a t first horrified him , so
a man m ay p u t up w ith a d isag reeab le p a rtn e r and
becom e fond of h er in course of tim e.
B u t if th e m an allows full lib e rty to his anim al
passions, an d exercises his “ legal rig h ts ” w ithout res­
tra in t, these anim al cra v in g s which first callod so p ite ­
ously for gratification, will soon bo g o rg ed , an d flying
away laugh at the poor fool who n u rse d them in his
b rea st. Tho wife will come to know th a t h er husband
is a coward, because she sees him squirm u n d e r the lash
of his anim al p assio n s; and as woman loves stre n g th
nnd pow er, so in p ro p o rtio n as ho loses his love, will
she lose h e r confidence. H o will look upon h e r as a
b u rd en , and she will look upon him in d isg u st as a brute.
C onjugal happiness will have departo d , and m isery,
divorce or d eath will be th e end.
The rem edy for all these evils is continence, and to
show th e scientific necessity for it was tho o b je c t of thia
article. . to Sophia, tho E te rn a l B ride (W isdom ). H o studied
“ M A G IC O N , OR T H E S E C R E T S Y S T E M OF A
S O C I E T Y OF U N K N O W N P H IL O S O P H E R S .”
Sucti is th e title of an old book,— p rinted in th e Ger­
m an lan guage in the y e a r A. D . 1784, and published in
th e city of L eipzig by one who calls him self “ An U n ­
know n of th e Q uadrilateral L ig h t.” The book contains
many sta rtlin g and e x trao rd in a ry ideas, w hich, alth o u g h
th ey may n o t a p p e a r new to th e m odern T heosophist,
are n evertheless in te re stin g to th e lovers of O ccult lore.
N o tw ith sta n d in g the fact th a t th e said book was p rin t­
ed ju s t one h u n d re d years ago, it speaks in an unm is­
tak a b le m anner of th e “ F o u rth R ound,” (the present
R ound of tho S eptenary Evolution spoken of in Esoteric
Buddhism,) m entions clairvoyance, p redicts psychom e­
try , and gives a satisfactory explanation of th e occult
m eaning of num bers.
T he unknow n editors of this w ork were evidently a
num ber of T heosophists in P aris, and m ust have been in i­
tiate s. Tho public called them “ M artinists,” and they
w ere looked upon by th e ig n o ran t as a m ysterious sect,
com m unicating w ith sp irits, and supposed to be in posses­
sion of some aw ful secrets.
T hey w ere said to be people of im posing figure and
distinguished by superior education, who desired neith er
fam e, nor power, nor riches, b u t only tru th .
T hey w ere kind, good-m annered and virtuous, seeking
only th e way to perfection. F o r the inform ation of our
E aste rn Theosophists who m ay know n o th in g of tbe
F o u n d e r of the Theosophical sect of th e M artinists,
M artinez Pasqualis, we append a sh o rt biographical
sketch of him self and his disciple— Louis Claude, M arquis
de S t. M artin.
M artinez was born about 1700 in P o rtu g a l, of a M us­
sulm an m other and a Portuguese fath er. Proficient in the
K abala and tho se cret sciences, he travelled far and wide,
and g e ttin g in itia ted in th e E ast he came to P aris in
1768, ami soon a fte r founded peveral Masonic Lodges,
called M artinistic, and died finally iu St- D om iogo in
1779. F rom its very origin M artinism was a sect of
m ystics, who n o t only “ believed” in sub and in tra and
supra-m undane S pirits, b u t who evoked them a d d in g to
th e E lem ental K ingdom of apparitions reg u la r necrom an­
tic rites. L a te r 0 1 1 , when l)e S t. M artin had become his
disciple and successor, this distinguished F rench m e ta ­
physician reform ed th e “ lodges” and im parted to them
a far more philosophical character. The la tte r, who
w ent by tho name of the “ unknown philosopher” (philo-
sophe inconnu) was born a t Amboise, Ja n y . 18, 1733,
and died in Aunay, near P aris, in 1803. H aving be­
come dissatisfied with the necrom antic character of M ar­
tinism , he infused into it m uch of th e Sw edenborgian
sp irit, and finally becom ing enam oured of Jac o b Boehme,
he w orked out a porfect system of m ystical masonry.
H e is tho a u th o r of several rem ark ab le w orks—“ On
E rro r an d T r u th ” (Lyons, 1775), directed agaiost the
sceptical negation of the E ncyclopajdists ; “ The M an
of D esire” (1790); “ Ecce Homo !” ; “ T heN ew M an,” &c.,
&c. I t is, perhaps, erroneous to a ttrib u te w holly his
conversion to either S w edenborg or Boehme. H is mind
was first of all strongly influenced by tho w ritin g s of
another, earlier and still more rem arkable theosophist,
whose w o rk s: are now very little extant aud w hose nam e
— hardly know n. Jo h n George Gichtel was nevertheless
a very famous theosophist, and Rosicrucian and tlie p u b ­
lisher of J . B oehm e’s w orks—born a t R atisbon (1638).
T he son of very w ealthy aud influential p aren ts, ho be­
came hated by tho priests, who could never forgive him
th e disclosures he mado about tho im m oral life led by
th e clergy in G erm any. A s he would not recant, the
clergy persecuted him , and drove him finally into exile,
forcing him to fly to H olland, where he died in 1720 at
A m sterdam in g re a t poverty. S t. M artin gives e n th u ­
siastic accounts of G ichtel. Like Boehm e, he says,
he was a born theosophist, wedded from b irth to death
d ilig e n tly th e Three J’rinciples and th e Seven Forms of
Nature, and having fa th o m e i tlieir m eaning, found th e
tru e philo so p h er's stone. In a le tte r to Baron K ircliber-
g e r from S t. M artin, who tells th e sto ry , we g u th e r th a t
th e occult and psychological pow ers of G ichtel w ere o£
n fa r high er o rd er th a n those of S w edenborg, tran scend­
in g them in alm ost every p articu lar. “ In J672, when
L ouis X IV laid siege to A m sterdum , G ich tel, by th e power
of his will, is rep o rted by his disciples to liave exercised
influence en o u g h to cause tlie ra isin g of th e siege, and
afterw a rd s th e names of th e very reg im en ts an d sq u a­
drons he had seen in his vision wero fo an d in th e papers.
J'rinces of G erm any and even S overeigns consulted him,
and ladies ot' all classes, old an d y o ung, rich and poor,
fell in love w ith him, sought liis acq u ain tan ce au d his h a n d
a n d were rejected by him .” S t. M artin tells a very e x tra ­
o rd in ary an ecd o te of him . A n enorm ously w ealthy
widow offered to m arry him , b u t he gavo h e r no hopes
a n d w ithdrew into solitu d e, rem ain in g sh u t in in his
cham ber for over a m o n th . One duy, as lie was pacing
a b o u t his poor abode, he saw a hand a p p e a rin g as th ough
from heaven, w hieh joined his h and to th a t of th e rejected
widow whose form ap p eared by his side— an d a voice said:
“ Y ou m u st have lier.” In ste a d of a c c e p tin g th is as an
indication of divine will, G ichtel saw a t once “ th a t it was
only the w idow ’s spirit, which, in th e fervency of h er
p ra y e rs, had penetrated the outward heaven (K am a loka,)
and reached the antral sp ir it.” To th is S t. M artin adds :
41 F rom th a t m om ent, he gave him self a lto g e th e r to'
Sophia, who luonld have no divided h e a r t; ho saw th a t ho
was called to th e p riesthood of th e h ig h est o rd er.”
G ichtel’a m arriag e to th e h e a v e n l y S o p h ia (tlio D ivine W is­
dom) is related by S t. M urtin in tlie follow ing allegorical
term s :— Sophia, his dear Divine S ophia, whom he loved-
so well au d h ad never seen, came on Christm as duy,' 1673,
a n d mado him her tirst. v i s i t : he, in the third principle
(“ linga sharira” ) saw this sh in in g , heavenly virg in (was
initiated) . . . and the m arriage w as consum m ated in in­
effable d elig h t. Slie, in d istin c t w ords, p rom ised him con­
jugal fid elity — th a t she would never leave him . . . Sho
gave him t.o hope for a sp iritu al prog en itu re, e tc .” — a la n ­
g u age whicli is too likely to lead imy one who knew nothing
of Sophia iuto supposing th a t G iclitel was really m arriod,
b u t the m eaning of which becom es plain to any occultist,
especially when one learns fu rth e r on th n t “ Sophia
gave h er husband to u n d e rsta n d th a t if he desired to
enjoy h er favours without interruption, he must abstain
fro m every earthly enjoyment and desire,” and Giclitel
did so scrupulously. “ A t th e b e g in n in g of his union
w ith Sophia, he th o u g h t he m ig h t re st th e r e ........ b u t sho
showed him th a t th is could not be, and th a t he m ust
iig lit for his b ro th ers an d sisters (hum anity) ; th a t he
o u g h t, ns long as he rem ained u n d er th e ea rth ly cover­
ing, to em ploy the tim e for th e deliverance of those who
have not yet obtained their inheritance and inw ard
repose.” (St. M artin ’s Correspondence, pp. 99 & 170).
The follow ing is an attem p t to e x tra c t th e substance
of S t. M artin’s te a c h in g s ia a com pact form .
-DEITY.
A ll th a t our T heosophists tea c h , in re g a rd to th e fo u n ­
tain of all bein g , is based upon th e conception of tlio
divine u n ity of th e sacred “ T h reo .” The highest being,
considered as a u n ity , is th e etern al and continuous sp rin g
and source oE all th in k in g an d im m aterial p rin cip les,
th e ro o t of all universal num bers, tho first and only cause,
th e centre from which all life an d th e pow ers of all b e­
ings co n tin u ally em an ate and to w hich th e y re tu rn .
The lY inity are n o t one in T h ree, b u t T h ree in O n e ;
containing in itself A ction and R eaction, C h ris t— whicli
m eaus th e divine principle of W isd o m an d a p a re su b ­
stance, flowing from God to Man and called in th e lioly'
w rit tho S p irit of God, or th e H oly G h o st.
T he infinite sum of divine pow ers an d qualities is
baspd upon a num ber, for w hich m an lias no q uotient,
th e ir expressions aro th e book of visible a n d invisible
n a tu re . Two of these necessary qualities a re G oodness
and Freedopi. A ccording to th e first one he cannot b a
th e cause of th e existence of -frhe B ad, and according to •
th e lu tte r i; is its own L aw , and consequently its ow n.
freedom differs en tirely from th a t of the creatu res.
T h e d iviue action is n o t creation out of nothing.; b u t an:
indivisible and continuous E m anation or E radiation o u t;
of itself. E ach of these em anations is indestru ctib le,,
because th e D eity em anates only principles and n o t com ­
pounds. A ll principles em an ate from the sam e source,
e ith e r direct or in d ire c t.
T he direct em anations are th e th in k in g , th e in d irect,'
th e u n th in k in g ones.
T he whole a c tiv ity of th e D eity consists iu revealing-
its attrib u tes, which are infinite, like num bers o r pow ers.'
Iu d e p en d e n t of tim e it reveals itse lf by those who dw ell ia'
i t ; dependent on timo by th o se w h o ,alth o u g h em a n atin g
from it, are not itse lf
I I . — THE U N IV E R S E . 1
T he whole system of our T heosophigts is based upon
a threefold division ; T he Divine, th e Intellectual, an d th e
Sensuous. T hey speak of th reo squ ares of equal signifi­
cation. T he divine square, th e seat of d iv in ity , th o
intellectual square, encom passing th e various o rd ers of
sp irits, and the sensual square, containing all th a t belongs
to th e visible w orld.*
I. The living chain of Beings which form the Universe,
and their inter-relations. ,
F rom th e source of all life to th e sm allest germ of
m a tte r exists an u n in te rru p te d p ro g re s s io n ^ radiation of
p rim itive lig h t, a chain of potencies, w hich flow from
unity, the basic ro o t of all n u m b ers.
B eings are g en erally divided into thinking and non­
thinking beings. Tho first ones are eith er only in tellec-1
tual, th a t is pure sp irits, or also of au anim al n ature,
which m eans, they ure conscious oE life and a c tiv ity ; or
th ey m ay bo only active lik e tlie principles of sensuality.
1st. T u i n k i n o B e i n q s are the first and second p o ten tia­
lity of tho all-creatin g universal term inus and possess
a common affinity ; because th o u g h t can only be com­
mon to one class of bein g s, an d th e whole realm of th e
In tellectual consists, like tho p ro p h etic rainbow aro u n d
th e throne of G od, of so m any rad iatio n s and reflections
of th e divine lig h t.
T hey are divided into th re e classes
A. Divine Beings, of which man in his prim itive con­
dition was one. T h eir a c tiv ity suffers no suspension,
th ey are above tlie law s of tim e.
B. Pure Sp irits w ithout a grossly m aterial covering—
servants, now his superiors and bene­
f o r m e r l y , m a n ’s,
factors. T hey govern m an by th e ir pure influences, and
th ey suffer suspensions, being subject to the la.ws o t
tim e. T hey are th e second class of being and it is th a
h ig h est aim of e a rth ly m an to become one like th em
( D h y a n C hohans ?) I t is difficult for them to approach
man, b u t m an can find them a t every step he m akea
in his upw ard progression.
C. Mixed Beings. Besides man, who is th e last link
in th e chain of intellectual beings, th ere aro still o ther
beings, who have a double n ature, an intellectual and a
sensual 0 1 1 0 an d who, more th an p u re sp irits, are a d a p te d
to approach man in his sta te of deg rad atio n (Llomen-
t?i 1s ?) T he au th o r does not consider it advisable to sp eak
of those iu detail.
2nd. U n t h i n k i n g B e i n g s , whose life and activity is
lim ited to th e eensunl. T hey h av e no intellect, nnd all
th o ir actions tend only to ihe acquirem ent of m aterial
com fort and w ell-being. (A nim als, p lants and m inerals.)
* H a d tlio y ~ B p o k & n o f t w o t r i a d s an d . o n e s q v a r e w h i c h ,U i j m « ,
t h e y w o u ld b o n e a r e r to t h e r e a l o c c u l t c la e s ilic a U o n a u d - f r u t h . - i d ,
 . I I . The Constitution of these Beings,
: All bodies are an expr6s$ioh of tho th re e p rim itiv e
elem ents, which a re e a rth , W ater aiid fire (in th e ir
occult meaning.)
. E ach being has a sep arate p rin cip le by which it exists
and acts. All principles a re in h eren tly in destrnctiblo
an d sim ple, and a fte r fulfilling th e ir d estin y re tu rn to
thci source from w hence they c a m e ; b u t th e form s,
•which aro only tho sensuous re p resen tatio n s bf th e action
of theso p rinciples, cease to ex ist aftei’ th e principle
w hich caused them ceases to act. T h ere rem ains no
o rig in al m atter.
E a c h principle is the g e n e ra to r ot its corporeal form ,
a n d as each has its pecu liarity of c h a ra c ter, ah individual
d r a species cannot ch an g e its n a tu re , b u t m ust retain
th e original num ber, w hich determ ines its ch aracter.
T here are general ns well as special principles of
tn a tte r, for even tho sm allest p article of m a tte r contains
ft p rin cip le, which is an indivisible hom ogeneous u nity.
G eneral principles differ only from special principles ac­
co rd in g to th eir q u an tity and d u ratio n of action. L'heir
action is only one.
E ach B eing has th e c h aracter of its special principle
im pregnated on its form, au d actio n , and m oreover each
b ein g has a certain in h eren t n u m b er, and all b eings,those
th a t are th in k in g as well as those th a t a re only active,
in terrelate a n d co rrelate acco rd in g to num eric law s. A ll
th e ir principles a re Only e ith e r h ig h e r or low er potencies
of th e a ll-c re atin g u n ity of infinity, an d th e ir n atu ral
J)d3iti0n an d tim e of action d ep en d on th e ir respective
p roxim ity to or rem o ten ess from th e same.
III. ---THE CONSTITUTION OP THE UNIVERSE.
T he life and existence of all beings are d ep en d en t on
n continuous influx of th e infinite, and tiie U niverse is
b ase d upon seven invisible prim itive m otors or prim itive
form s, am o n g st w hich are divided th e various divine
pow ers. T hey are th e seven colors of prim itive lig h t,
or eo called seven stars around th e th ro n e of D eity,
wlfich will a t th e re-establish m ent of D ivine unity be re u n it­
ed and produce a lig h t whose pow er will be seven tim es
stro n g er. In tbe realm of tho sp iritu al everything
is good and pure, in the realm o£ tho sensual governs the
evil. A ll evil is caused by one ovil prin cip le, but this
evil principle is n eith er infinite nor etern al. I t wns ori­
ginally good and em anated from th e infinite good. l3y
atte m p tin g to establish a u n ity of its own it becamo d ark ,
because it deprived itself of th e necessary influence of tho
divine lig h t by a p erv erted use of its will, and becamo
th o cause of sensuality to w hich its influence is lim ited.
I ’>y this principle and its continuous an tag o n istic action
(coutraotion), th e intellectual w orld becomes purified and
th e g re a t w ork of regeneration accom plished. Its pow er
never affects th e pillars of creation, and its whole activity
consists in com bating the pure ag en ts of the divine light
in iid e th e o rb it of sensuality, like a heavy m ist, which
im pedes th e ray s of th e sun w ithout p re v e n tin g th e pro*,
jection of his rays.
E xtension of tho suprem acy of tho infinite, and concen­
tratio n in unity is tlio o bject and aim of all divine, sp iri­
tu a l and physioal action. D ivinity m nnifests its perfeo-
fciou to individual bein g s to w ithdraw them from dentil,
by infusing them w ith life, and all individuals m anifest
th e ir tendency to nnity in th e same m an n er, by exorcis­
in g th eir own pow ers for th e good of o th e r b eings exte­
rio r to them selves, and th ereb y a ssistin g in th e g re a t
w ork of regeneration.
. E v e ry th in g in N a tu re has a certain Number, Measure
atod: Weight. N um ber ap p o in ts a c tiv ity , M e a su re 'd e te r­
m ines th e sam e and W e ig h t gives it th e im pulse foi*
realisatio n . A ccording to th^se are o o n stitu ted th e u n J
changeable a n d ch aracteristic m arks of d istin ctio n of
individual existences w ith th e ir a p p ro p ria te org an s. T he
refidm of th e In te lle c tu a l oontainu n o t only th e original
ty p es of ev ery th in g sensuous, b u t there is also contained
in it (and in it only) th e p u re , unm ixod and unchange­
able tru th , snch as can be com prehended by the reason of
m an. A s th e visible and invisible are intim ately connect­
ed, th ere fo re tru th and erro r in the intellectual plane
are necessarily com bined w ith tru th and error in the
realm of objectivity.
T h ere is no actu al procreation in th e realm of th e
in tellectual, no fathers and m others, which can o-nly b e
found in th e region of th e sensuous, a n d for th is reaso n
th e physical p a re n t cannot be th e fa th e r of the intellec­
tu al germ of his children. In the intellectual sphere th e
Above always verifies and a ttra c ts th e Below, so th at
every one receives each of bis good th o u g h ts arid a sp ira­
tions every day directly from the p rim itiv e fountain of
tru th ; b u t in the realm of th e physical th e opposite law
holds good. T he enrth like S a tu rn of a n c ien t m ythology
eats her own children. .
T here is no o th e r sensuous world th a n th e visible one.
V isib ility , th e p erip h ery of evil, came into existence
th ro u g h the sensualisation of the invisible nniverse by
th e action of certain germ inal principles. T his invisible
w orld, which is still hidden in th e visible one, could be
discovered by m an if he were able to draw th e veil from
visibility and to exam ine th e sam e. T h e phenom enon
of sensuosity is not based dpon a certain basic substance,
b u t upon certain prim al elem ents, which are im m ediately
connected w ith the higher pow ers of creation, o r upon an
invisible and original fire, from which a re evolved th e
th re e visible elements of Fire, Water and Earth •, b u t
which cannot be derived from one single m aterial essence
o r be reduced to th e sa m e ; because tho qualities by which
th ey nre d istin g u ish ed from each o th e r aro essentially
different. F ire belongs especially to th e anim a), w ater
to th e vegetable and earth to tho m ineral kingdom .
T here can be only th ree elem ents. I f there were four,
the visible w orld could not perish ; because its perish­
ableness is based upon this ternary of sensuosity. A ir d< e 3
not belong to the m aterial elem ents, b u t is a moro p o ten t
and pow erful org an of the originally active fire a u d i t s '
function is to transm it the vital forces to th e bodies.
F rom th e union and com bination of those th ree elem ents
resu lt bodies. The real “ corporijication” however requires
certnin m eans for sensualizatiou, in which consists the
link betw een principles and action, nnd they are called
by th e alchem ists Mercur, Sulfur and Salt. They are in
exnet proportion w ith the th ree elem ents and are the
vehicles of th e ir principles, and according to the pre*
ponderanco of one or an o th er elem ent in tlie process of
corpoiification is it determ ined, w hether th e resu ltan t
body will belong to one kingdom or to an o th er.
T here are consequently th re e th in g s necessary for tb e
process of creation or reproduction in the realm of
sensuosity,
1. Tho united activ ity of two principles, of wliich ono
acts from the in terio r to the exterior and another from
tho ex terio r to the intorior. These active and reactive
im pulses m ust m eet to g eth er, if sdm ething o u g h t to come
into existence, and they give us a necessary and universal
law for tho whole c ita tio n ; because in the realm of
Intellectuality as woll as Sensuosity, th ere ig everyw here
t.he same antiphony to bo found.
2. T he action of nn active as well as thinking cause
Vvhich governs tho above double action. T his is to our
reason th e tru e “ Principium reale,” and the laws of
sensuosity nre the results of this action, and w ithout a
consideration of these laws it is im possible to form a
clear conccption of N atu re. T his principlo of Intelli­
gence does n o t furnish th e germ s of th e bodies, b u t
vivifies tho sam e ; it does not invest m an w ith physical
or intellectual pow ers, b u t governs and illum inates the
sa m e; and w henever thi3 principle ceases to act, dissolu­
tion begins. T his active arid in tellig en t cause can be
know n and is realized by everyone who haa sufficient
p u rity tp p e rc e ite th e sam e. . . _. . .
 A ll the changes in th e visible universe are d eterm ined
by the actio n s an d counteractious of its fo u r cardinal
points, and th e contentious of th e elom entary principles
are directed by th e active an d in te llig e n t cause winch is
jts centre and circum fereuce.
(To be continued).
A . B.
. . . . . ♦----- - ■ Phenomena” and cry their ruffled temper to sleep by yelling
“ T IIE P L A N E T A R Y C Y C L E S O F 'H U M A N I T Y , [
OR T H E A S T R O N O M IC A L P R O G R E S S
OF C I V I L I S A T I O N ”
By L eon L e c o n t b .
A S d i s s e journal “ Lumiere ot Libert6” contains an article,
from which wo make the following extracts :—
Civilisation seems to expand itself from E ast to West,
which is the opposite movement of th at of the globe around
its axis. Sometimes it seems to recede a little, b u t it appears
to do so only to push more rigorously forward. As history
shows, it has at all times very little deviated to tho North or
South. I t has evidently followed the course of the sun, and
amongst all nations the sun is the symbol bf intelligence,
science and progress.
This progress of civilisation has undoubtedly begun in
tho East, in Asia, where, according to science, the cradle
of hum anity stood, fro m there it went to Armenia,
Babylonia ; then to Egypt, whence it proceeded to Greece,
later to Italy and France, and as it marched onward, it left
behind it only a few traces of its presence. Before coming
to Europe it ipight, no doubt, have spread itself over the
great continent of Africa ; there was no w ant of room ; but
in obedience to some unknown jaw it turned westward, and
then traversing the great A tlantic Ocean it spread again in
America, where it now follows the same impulse. , ditioned state is now just as much in the “ Spiritual” W orld
May it not be th a t this law is also in operation on
other planets, beside tho earth, and that we may, perhaps,
be correct in saying : “ Tho progress of civilisation on the
surface of a planet is inversely proportionate to thc rotation
of the planet.”
W hat will happen when tho m arch of civilisation has
arrived at tho. point from wliieli it started ? W ill a race
superior than the present one appear, and starting once more
on ita march, continue until the world comes to an end?
Are there perhaps other cycles beside this (Adamic) one ?
These are questions wliich we cannot answ er at p resen t;
but it may not be impossible, by taking into account the time
which it lias required, for civilisation to arrive at its present
point, to calculate the duration it will take to accomplish
its round ; and to bo consequently enabled to foretell how
many centuries our present hum anity may yet have to live ;
provided th at its existence is limited to the present round.
E d i t o r ’ s N o te.— I t w o u ld b e i n t e r e s t i n g t o k n o w w h e t h e r M . L e o n
L o o o n to li a s r e a d K s o t e ric B u d d h is 7 n >w h m o d o c t r i n e s BOem t h o p r o t o t y p e
o f th o a b o v e , a n d , a t th o s a m o tim e , a n a n s w o r, T h o q u e s tio n “ Ilo w
u t a n y c e n t u rie s '* m o r o h a s o u r h u m a n i t y t o l i v e — is a c u r i o u s o n o t o a
s t u d e n t o f O e a u l t S c ie n c e * a n d h o w m a n y m o r e m i lli o n s o f y e a r s w o u ld ,
p e r h a p s , b o a m o r o a p p r o p r i a t e o n o — e v e n in u o c o r d a n c e w i t h m o d e r n
B cio n ce a n d t h o c a l c u l a t i o n s o f t h e z o o l o g is ts . B u t h a b it seem s a
s tu b b o rn th in g , * '
■ ♦------
OCCULT PHENOMENA.
Eveh since the advent of the Theosophical Society in India,
the occurrence of “ Occult Phenomena” has been a thorn iu
the flesh of those who do not know how to discriminate pro­
perly. Letters have been dropped unexpectedly from tlio
vacant air on apparently trivial occasions, invisible bells havo
been heard to ring, writing and pictures have been produced
from no visible material, jewelry lias been received from
“ no where,” rings and other things have been duplicated
and some persons have even received comparatively large
amounts of money for the avowed purpose of re-iuibursing
them, for expenses voluntarily incurred, which, although
made with the best motives, were the least to say unnecessary.
On the other hand, many an “ honest inquirer” has come
to Head-quarters for the purposo of “ investigating,” and made
the most frantic efforts to obtain a “ test,” without any other
result than th at of being thoroughly disappointed. Some
have vainly asked for advice from tho “ M asters,” and their
assistance in what seemed to them most im portant personal
affairs ; but which on closer examination were fonnd to be
aa had best bo left to the consideration of the applicants
themselvos. Others threatened seriously th a t they would
indeed refuse to believe in tho existence of the “ Masters,”
unless tho said “ Masters” would come and comply With their
conditions ; and others again havo gone away, having their
vanity deeply wounded, and their sense of self-im portanci
stung' to the quick by the apparent negligence of the
Mahatmas to take any notice of them or grant their requests,
and it is but natural th a t such should denounce th e " Occult
“ humbug,” because only iu this way can they express their
indignation for having been disappointed and put their Self­
conceit to rest.
Some look a t the “ OccultPhenomena” in the same manner
as tho Spiritualist upon tho message from the “ dear departed
one,” as a necessary “ test,” and beliove th at without these
phenomena Theosophy could not exist. They therefore extol
the “ Phenomena” to the skies and wonder why the Mahatr
mas do not come and perform a public exhibition in their
astral bodies, or convince the hardened sceptic by some knock­
down argument. Others, who are perhaps of a more gashing
and sentimental nature, and are taking a more exalted view
of the sanctity of every thing that they expect to come from
what they call the “ Spiritual W orld,” denounce the “ Phono-,
meim” as frivolous and unnecessary ; they say that our “ holy
cause” is materially injured by such trivial performances
which do not at all agree with their ideas of what tho naturo
of such a communication ought to be. All these show a
w^nt of proper discrimination. .
“ There is only one step from the sublime to the ridi­
culous.” If we notice a phenomenon, which is not within
our every day experience, we are liable to look a t it as a
“ miracle” and invest it with an air of solemuity and impor­
tance, which it does not actually deserve, and which waa
never claimed for it by its authors. Man in his present con­
as he ever will be, and that what may be snbjective to one,
may be objective to another, “ hence the natural distinction
made by his mind—the analyst of his physical sensations
and spiritual perceptions—bet ween an actuality and a fiction,”
which mind, boing trained by a false education to look at
evory thing coming from the so called “ spiritual world”
with the greatest awe and respect aud as something “ super­
natural” and strange, forgets entirely to apply to such things
the same manner of reasoning, which it applies to the
common occurrences of his every day life, and which ia the
only advisable one.
The Mahatmas have often enough assured us that they are
not Gods ; neither are they anything supernatural. They
claim to be only human beings (see Sinnott’s “ Occnlt W orld” )
and we must look upon them as such, although they are far
more advanced on tho road to perfection than we are, and
they therefore know a great many things, which are still
unknown to our philosophy. Being men, they have evidently
tlie right to write letters to whomsoever they ple&se and
about whatever subject they may choose, and if they hav$
means to do so, without making use of the ordinary methods
used for th at purpose, and if they can transm it those letters
independently of H. M. Mail Service, it would be obviously
foolish to offer any captions criticisms on their methods.
They may of coarse write to whom they please and whenever
they please and write in what manner and on what subject
they may find necessary, usoful or convenient. The only
thing that is astonishing to new investigators is the manner
in which those letters aro w ritten and the (to them incom­
prehensible) way in which they corne, and the recipients of
such letters therefore consider it sometimes useful to make
public tho fact of having received such letters, without deem­
ing it necessary to reveal their contents in full, and the as­
tonished new investigator consequently often fails to see the
connection between the apparently insignificant character of
what little has been shown to him, and the imaginary solem­
nity and importance with which he invests the supposed
“ miracles.” Those who see these phenomena every day, look:
npon them as they do upon other common occurrences. They
are not any more awo-strnck, when they get a letter from a ‘
Mahatma than they are in receiving one from another friend
or teacher, and they cease to bo astonished about them. If
wo would apply the same standard to the occurrences of every
day, with wliieli we judge these so called “ supernatural” phe­
nomena, its absurdity would at once become evident. If la m
hero in India and have a friend in New York, who would
occasionally w rite me a letter, I would certainly bo glad to
get a letter from him, partly on account of the information
which it wonld contnin, and partly on account of its being a
Bymbol of tho continuance of the relations existing between
m y friend and myself. I wonld not look npon that letter
every time as being a “ phenomenon” or go into extasis about
having the possibility demonstrated to mo th at letters can be
•written and that they can be gent from America to India.
B u t if some ignoramus, who had never heard of such things
as letters and mails, were present, the m erefactof the arrival
of such a letter m ight appear almost incredible to him, and
if to convince him that the letter did come from New York,
I would show him some very unim portant sentence in tho
Baid letter, w ithout letting him see the more im portant and
p erhaps confidential contents of the same, he would un­
doubtedly be surprised that such (to liim) abnormal nnd ex­
traordinary “ feat” as the sending of a letter from New
Y ork to India would imply, should have been performed to
accomplish such a small result.
This comparison may appear ridiculous ; but it is certain­
ly true, and the ignorance of tho above hypothetical ignora­
m us does not appear more pitiful to ns, tlian our ignoraneo
about occult matters must appear to those who are in full
possession of occult knowledge ; and tho same lino of reason-
•ing may also be applied to tlie other phases of occult pheno­
mena, which are only “ Occult,” because the majority of man­
kind liave not sufficiently progressed to understand the pro­
cesses by which they aro produced.
■ Those persons who know neither th e contents of letters,
maid to havo been received from tho Mahatma?, nor tho pro­
cess by wbich they have been written or “ precipitated,” have
no right to complain.about a “ waste of powers,” etc-, about
which they know absolutely nothing, nnd whieh may exist
only in their imagination. They talk about our relation to
tho Mahatmas not as it really exists, blit only as they sup­
pose it to be, and the sooner they accustom themselves to
look upon our revered Masters as touchers and friends and
wise men, instead of looking at them with the same feeling
of awe and superstition and fear with wliich the Fiji-
islander looks npon his Deity ; the sooner will they find that
the so-called “Occult Phenomena” are neither intended to con­
vert incredulous sceptics, nor are they produced for the pur­
pose of astonishing the public ; but are principally methods
of communication nr instruction. To appreciate a thing
properly and according to its trne value, we m ust neither
depreciate its importance, nor over-estimate the same.
As to those persons who have been disappointed in their
expectations of obtaining letters or presents from the
Masters, they—unloss superior reasons existed for the non­
compliance with their demands—have probably only to blame
tliemsolves for not having made themselves sufficiently promi­
n ent (in a spiritual meaning of tho term ) to attract tho
M asters’ attention or to deserve their consideration. No
amount of “ tests” could possibly convince them, because
spiritual things can only bo grasped by our rising above the
sphere of materiality, and material natures can do th at only
to such a limited extent as tlieir limited powers will permit.
They may perhaps be surprised and startled by some (to
them ) inexplicable fact ; but soon new doubts will arise, new
“ tests” will bo askod for, and tlie “ honest investigator”
will only bo perplexed and dissatisfied.
To arrive at tlie truth or to become worthy of the attention
of the Mahatmas, we most rise up to their sphere, instead of
attem pting the impossible task of dragging them down to our
level. They cannot put that into us, which we have not the
power to assimilate ; they cannot grant any personal favours ;
because the fact of their doing so would imply an injustice and
be incompatible with the high standard of m orality necessary
to constitute a Mahatma.
There is a general m isunderstanding on tho part of new
beginners, who “ want to becomo Chelas” and force them­
selves, npon the attent ion of the Masters, instead of developing
their intellectual faculties and waiting until Chelaship des­
cends to them. High Spiritual development is impossible
w ithout intellectual development, and a high degree of intel­
lectual expansion i.s necessarily followed by a corresponding,
development of spirituality. To live in a cave or jungle, to
stand on one leg or to stare at the end of one’s nose may deve­
lope a state of useless sensitiveness or insanity, but to developo
spiritual powers the intellectual faculties m nst be strength­
ened first, because upon them as a basis rest and from
thence grow as a necessary result the Occult powers of the
rpiritual man.
■ A n A m erican B u d d h ist .
NOTICE.
M r. T. Sum u Row regrets th at with all his good will, it
is im practicable for him to bring out a Catechism of
the nature mentioned in the advertisement of “ A Collection
of Col. Olcott’s Lectures.” W hatever may be his personal
views regarding the “ Ancient Brahminical F aith,” he
thinks it prem ature to put forth any particular form of
Hinduism as the “ most ancient Brahminical Faith.” Origi­
nally the advertisement was issued without Mr. Subba Row’s
knowledge, and he endeavoured his best to steer clear of,all
the difficulties, lie can of course write a Catechism of tlio
Adwaitee, tho Dwaitee or any such particular faith, but he
finds it impossible to comply with the promises of this very
vague advertisem ent. He is therefore obliged to give up the
task.
------*----- ■
TH EO SO PH Y AND CH RISTIAN ITY.
B y an A m e r ic a n B u d d h is t .
F rom tim e to tim e articles ap p ear i n In d ian , E uropean
an d A m erican papers, com paring Theosophy and C hris­
tia n ity , w hich show an en tire m isconception of the
m eaning of tlio w ord “ Theosophy” on th e p a rt of the
w rite rs. One such w riter in an entirely friendly article
w rites b u t recently : “ Theosophy eeeks to develope the
pow er of sp iritual vision ; C h ristianity presents to th e
soul’s opened eye satisfaction for its sight. Theosophy,
is search for divine wisdom ; C hristianity is incorporation
into its very b e in g .’’
W h a t does th e w riter mean by the term “ C hristiani­
ty ?” Does he m ean th e Rom an Catholic, the Episco­
pal, the B a p tist, th o M ethodist, the Mormon Church, or
any o th e r of th e m in y denom inations, each of which
claims to be in th e possession of the only true d o c trin e ;
or does ho m ean C h ristian ity in its h ig h est aspect,
defined as “ The doctrines and precepts ta u g h t by Jesu s
C h rist.” U n d o ubtedly he m eans tho last. I f so, then if we
closely exam ine th e m atter, leaving aside the questi >n
w hether or n q t th e biblical Jesus ever existed, we will,
find th a t pure C h ristian ity , divested of all extraneous
m atter, is n o th in g else but pure Theospphy. Remove all
th e ornam ents (or disfigurem ents, whichever you pleased,
wliich in the course of tim e have been h u n g around th e
sh in in g body of tru e C hristianity by tho prejudices and
m isconceptions of unenlightened w riters a u d the Haked
tru th will stan d fo rth , pro v in g th a t th e real founder of
C hristian ity , w hatever his nam e mny liave been, cannot
have been an y th in g else b u t a being full of divine wisdom,
or in o th e r w ords a r e a l T heosophist.
T aken in this sense—and only in this sense can it havo
any consistent m eaning,— Theosophy aud C hristianity
cannot be com pared w ith each other, because Theosophy
is sim ply the com plem ent or the perfection of C hristianity
as well as of evory o th er religion. T ak e aw ay from Chris­
tia n ity the elem ent of D ivine W isdom , and there will be
n o th in g left b u t a form less m ass of unauthenticated tales,
m isundorstood allegories, m yths copied from other a n d
m ore ancient system s, clerical dogm as and priestly as­
sum ptions. “ T heosophy” is the divine light (at least th a t
is w hat we m ean by the w ord), w ithout which no religious
system can ex ist, and every religion is more or less p e r­
m eated by its ray s, w hich can be seen in spite of all the
" theological” ru b b ish , w herew ith p riestly ignorance
has covered them in its blind effort to hide tr u th frotn
th e sig h t of the unenlightened masses.
Theosophy in its highest aspect is R eligion confirmed
by Science, and Science confirmed by R eligion. The
uuion of R eligion and Science produces know ledge and
know ledge establishes F aith . Tbo h ig h est developm ent
o fth e in tellect leads to u n d e rsta n d in g and F a ith ; but
F a ith does n o t belong to th e plan e of m ere In tellect.
Men of th e h ig h est intellect have tlieir faith confirm ed by
R e a so n ; but reasoning from th e m aterial sphere alone,
does n o t necessarily establish F a ith . F a ith belongs n o t ,
to th e m ere In te lle c t, it belongs to th e sp irit and can be
obtained to a certain ox te n t by the ig n o ran t as well as,,
th e wise. B u t in ,the case of th e ig n o ran t; their, fnitH .
is always liable to be overturned b j th e injudicious u s e ;
ot th e ir reason, while in th e case of th e tru e T heosophist,
faith ia firm ly b u ilt on th e rock of know ledge an d un­
d e rsta n d in g .
T ru th is in tu itiv ely perceived by every h ealth y a n d
u nperverted mind. “ O ut of th e m outh of babes shall
come w isdom ,” &c. and “ Blessed are th e pure in heart,
for th ey shall see God-” B n t as a child grow s up,
D ogm atism , Bigotry and S ophistry ste p iu and lead the
mitid a stra y . T hey dress it up a n d cu t its w ings and
p rev en t its flight to the tru e source of all b e in g ; th e y
blind-fold it au d lead it from one door of the lodge-room
to another, and fo rtu n a te is he, who iu sp ite of all those
self-appointed “ g u id e s,” finally finds his w ay to tho
eternal lig h t.
Those th a t are gifted w ith sp iritu u l wisdom will find
th e ir way ; but those who desire to arrive a t th e tru th
b y intellectual reasoning, have a lo n g and w eary road to
ti’avel. I f they wish to find o u t w hich religious system
is rig h t an d which is w rong, th e y m u st n o t only study
one religious system , b u t th e y m u st stu d y them all.
They m ust stu d y “ com parative th eo lo g y ,” an d in the
end they will find th a t each of th e various religious
system s, has a certain am o u n t of tru th , on which it is
based, and th a t th is tr u th is ono an d th e sam e in all
system s, au d only differs in d e g re e ; while th e different
su p e rstru c tu re s w hich have been built upon this eter­
nal truth, a n d upon w hich th e y all rest, a re all moro
or less im perfect. T hese su p e rstru c tu re s re a re d by
im perfect m an are th e O D es ab o u t which priests and
bigots, philosophers, m aterialists a n d “ theologians”
have been w ran g lin g an d fig h tin g and b u rn in g
and killing each o th er for th o u san d s of years. They are
the ornam eu ts h u n g around th e b e a u tifu l form of the
uitked t r u t h ; b u t in stead of a d d in g to its b ean ty , they
often only d esecrate its "body and h id e its shin ing
lig h t u n d e r a m ore or less elab o rately m an u factu red
cloak, ajid its w o rsh ip p ers become id o la to rs ; because
in stead of beholding the tr u th , they adore th e dress in
which th ey have p u t it them selves.
To perceive th e tru th , or in o th e r w ords to become a
T heosophist in fact a n d not only in nam e, is to en ter the
rig h t path in life and to p ro g re ss forw ard unim peded by
any inherited or artificially acq u ired h an k erin g a fte r old
su p e rstitio n s; it is to m ake p e rsiste n t efforts, on th e p a rt
of M an’s h ig h e r n a tu re , to a rra n g e a n d o rganise in to a
system th e various delusions a n d supex*stitions (th e n e tt
p ro d u ct of hum an ignorance) of th e different races in
such a m anner as to lessen or d estro y th e ir re ta rd in g
an d otherw ise baneful influence on m ankind. Theo­
sophy a tte m p ts to reb u ild th e tem p le of th e S p irit
th n t has been destro y ed . I t is n o t h e r o b ject to d isp u te
a b o u t ab su rd ities.
T he various C hristiun sects have been d en o u n cin g nnd
fig h tin g each o th er so long, th a t th e m ore in te lli­
g e n t classes have retired in d isg u st from th e arena. T he
C h ristian “ C hurches” are no m ore a religious body, b u t
have deg en erated into m ere social an d financial o rg an i­
sations. T he divine s p irit has le ft th e ir tem ples, d riven
from thence by th e m oney c h an g ers an d m o u n teb an k s,
and th e places of w orship have becom e m erely places
for “ religious” am usem ent.
To restore C h ristian ity as well as all o th er religions to
th e ir original p u rity , to infuse D ivine W isdom into tho
cold m aterial form s of dead system s, or p erhaps b e tte r
said, to g ath er w hat life is left in all th e various system s
and to con stru ct from th a t one all em bracing universal
system of love and b rotherhood, infused by w isdom and
devoid of su p erstitio n , to striv e to g e t rid of tb e h a llu ­
cinations of th e m iddle ages and to elevate m an to the
p ro p er sp h ere to w hich he belongs, is th e object of
Theosophy, and those th a t prop erly u n d erstan d the
term will not only find th e sam e n o t co n trad icto ry to
th eir h ig h e st religious sen tim en ts b u t em in en tly e x ­
pressive of th e sam e. To understand what Theosophy
means is to lecome a Theosophist,
GHOST STORIES GALORE. ,
[Tub following articlo appeared somo years ago in tho N. T".
World. It is au account given by Mine- Lydia do Paschkoff, a
well-known Russian lady and a great traveller, of an event that
took ploce in the Desert. W ritten by a fellow of the Theosophical
Society, in days when Theosophy had hardly loomed upon tha
horizon of America and published in a daily paper, that would
have refused to receive anything of the kind except in a spirit of
fan, the narrative was, of course, viewed as a humouristic pro­
duction, but its humour takes away nothing from t[ie substantial
veracity of the story itsolf. “ The Eighth Avenue L am asery1'
was the name by which the Head-quarters of onr Society wcr§
generally known in N ew York, ever since the name was giveti
to it by the writer—oue of tho w ittiest and cleverest reporters
of New York.]
A N IG H T OF MANY W O N D ERS. .
(^1/ second hand in “ the Eighth Avenue Lamasery. )
Tue S c ie n c e op A p p a r itio n s h a d e c l e a r — M a g ic R i te s
in p a r orK E a s t e r n D e s e r ts .
“ Well, it may not bave beon a ghost,*’ said Hierophant Olcott,
“ but all the same, it may.” Then a silenco fell on tho littlo
party that sat smoking in one of the inner chambers of the’ Lama­
sery at 302, W est Forty-seventh street, at the corner of E ighth
Avenue. I t w a s rather a reflective calm that resembled that ot
the miniature sphinx on the mantel piece of the mysterious
Egyptian chamber. Besides the divans on which the party re­
clined, there was little furniture in the room, but a huge crystal
ball was held suspended in the centre by an invisible cord. From
the interior of this globe gleamed strange pictures of deserts and
pyramids and things fixed there by some cunning art that, for all
the reporter know s, may have been magic. The walls were som ­
bre, but the hall was luminous and tilled the room with a sort of
pale tw ilight. Tea, talk and tobacco from Arabia entertained tha
group, and the fragrant blue clouds grew into phantoms as tha
weird conversation grew gruesome. _
Madame Blavatsky was entertaining, in better than royal style*
a friend and compatriot, like herself a traveller in strange lands,
like herself a firm believer in the occult, and a Russian Countess,'
Madame P----------- , whose c a r d , blazoned with her ancestral arms,
bears throe legends and a tantalizing “ &c.” in delicate type, ia
in her way as wonderful a woman as her hostess. According
to ono of theso legends she is “ Member of the Geographical
Society of France.” Another tells that she is a correspondent of
the Figaro, and a third that sho is corresponding member of tho
Tour du Monde. Sho has spent years in tho East, and was tbo
guest in E gypt of the K hedive, whose mother presented her with
a rare souvenir of friendship at parting. It is an imrnenso
pearl that now hangs from the Countess’s breast-piu
iu shape and size not unlike the largest molar tooth of Harnum’a
giant. Other jew els, distinguished among them her black eye?,
gleamed as she half recliued in gorgeous raiment on a divan, pre­
te n d in g to smoke a cigarette. Besides those named, there wero
a French diplomatist, the reporter and another ami far profounder
journalist. Two others should be mentioned, a Turk, who smok­
ed his own mirgileh and drank coffeo, and a table servant who
passed around tea, tobacco, and sweetmeats. The one a picture
of the automatic chess-player was ornamental : the other tho
counterfeit of a Nubian god was useful. N either spoke.
“ A ghost, yes. W hy not ?” said Mme. B lavatsky, presently.
“ I have seen many ghosts. It is uot a question of whether thero
nre ghosts, but of whether they are seen. Donbtless the ghost o£
old Shep was there. The only doubt is whether the officer really
saw him as ho says he did. I believe he did.
Tho Turk opened his mouth as if to speak.
“ What, then, is a ghost P” asked the diplomate. The Turk
nodded slowly and closed his lips on his amber mouthpiece.
“ There are ghosts and g h o sts,” replied the occultist. “ The
air that we breathe is permeated by a subtler fluid that corres­
ponds to it as tho soul corresponds to the body of mau. It is tha
astral fluid and in it are the thoughts of all men, tho possibili­
ties of all acts—as on the photographer’s plate are images that
remain unseen until revealed by chemical aotion. So the last
dying thought of any person, if it be intense enough, becomes
objective, aud under favorable conditions is very apt to be seen-
Only a little while ego the newspapers of this city reported tho
c a s e of a man who committed suicide in his bathroom. A friend
ran for a doctor, against the remonstrance of the dying man-
On the way he was startled at seeing for a moment the image of
the dying man, clad only in his night-shirt, grasping his pistol
and bleeding from his death-wound. It was at a consider­
able distance from the house. The apparition disappeared alm ost
instantly.* It was the intense desire to stop his friend that
became objective, as the astral man left the physical. So it is
with many other apparitions. In haunted houses the last thought
of the victim of a crime may remain, and the tragedy be re­
* A fact corroborated by many oye-witnesaos at the time, and whioh
happened in ft towa ou the fluduou Riyer ia 1870* Ed.
 enacted perhaps thousands of times before it fades away. It is
likely tbat in tbe case of old Shep, tbe watchman, be does not
kuow that he is dead, and his last thought was probably tliat he
tvas going on his rounds until that thought fades away, and under
certain conditions be will be visible to tbe physical eyes of those
around him.”*
' “ Pardon me,” said the elder journalist, “ did you say thnt per­
haps he did not know bo was dead ?”
“ It is recorded,” said the Hierophant gravely, “ tbat many
persons do not know when they are dead, nnd that they go
around afterwards in great perplexity, becauso no one pays
attention to thom, Tbey feel as well as ever, and talk to their
friends, and are almost frantic at not being able to get replies."
Then there was another silence.
“ I bave many times hunted g h osts,” said the roporter, plain­
tively after a time, “ but I was never lucky enough to shoot one.
They are very shy birds.” • there.
“ In America, yes,” said Mme. Blavatsky. “ But in the north­
ern countries and in tbo Ease it is different. The conditions are
different.” Then she turned to the Countess Paschkoff and
epoko rapidly to her, presumably in Kussian.
While the two ladies conversed,. Hierophant Olcott waxed
cncyeloprcdic. “ The theory of crime being propagated by in­
visible seeds as disease is, and epidemics of crime devastating
countries was first supposed td be a more figure of speech.
Many writers have spoken of it.” (Here he quoted many writers.)
“ But it has its foundation in fact. The astral crimes remain and
influence all those who come in contact with them. Thus, it
happens that the air and the very ground become saturated
•with sin in some communities, I havo been told that.— ” •
“ I remember,” said Mme. Blavatsky suddenly in English
“ agoverness I bad when 1 was a child. She bad a passion for
keeping fruit until it rotted away and she had her bureau full of it.
She was an elderly woman, and she fell sick. W hile she lay abed,
m y aunt, in whose house I was, bad the bureau cleaned out and
the rotten fruit thrown away. Suddenly, tho siek woman, when
at thc point of death, asked for one of her nice ripe apples. They
knew she meant a rotten one, and they were at their w its’ end to
Know what to do, for there -were none in the house. My aunt
went herself to the servant’s room to send for a rotten apple,'
and while she was there, they came running to say that the old
■woman was dead. My aunt ran upstairs, and I and some of the
servants followed her. A s we passed the door of the room where
tho bureau was my aunt shrieked with horror. Wo looked in,
nnd there wns the old woman eating an apple. Sho disappeared at
oncc, and we rushed into the bed room. There Bhe lay dead ou
the bed, and the nurse was with ber (having never left h erons
minute for the last hourf). It w asher lust thought made objea-
tive.”
The Countess Tasnhkoff understands a little English bnt does
not speak it. She had listen ed 'atten tively, bnt without nny
manifest surprise, and now she spoke. It is perhaps to bo regret­
ted that, tho only record of her talk tho reporter lias, is derived
from Col. Olcott’s running translation. This, notwithstanding
tho Dieropbaut’s enormous linguistic ability, can hardly be
supposed to bo literal. The lady spoke rapidly, vivaciously
m usically, and, throwing away her cigarette, gesticulated grace­
fully. The Hierophant spoke sententiously, dropping into the '
vernacular frequently and using no gesture, excepting when he'
stroked his ample beard. Thus ran tbe American end of the duo :
“ In the North there are many ‘apparitions. In the East there
is much mngic, I have seen both apparitions nnd magic scores
oft times, In St, Petersburg there is standing at tho present
time a house that was built by one of the male friends of tha
Em press Catherine. I hired this house, and tbe day after people '
began to tell me I was foolish. They said it was haunted. But
I went to live there. • I wns brave enough till I was really in the
house, and then I got frightened. The principal salon of tbe
house was an immense room with mnrble pillars. On the wall
■was a picture of tbe soldierj who built the house. H e was all
rigged Out with crosses and diamonds and ribbons and sich on
his breast. They said he walked around at night. So we all sat
up waiting for him the first night, and at 12 o’clock wo looked
for him. All was still. Our hearts jumped up and down.
S u d d en l/th e clock struck 12. W e looked at the picture, and :
then we looked out into the hall. W e saw nothing.
“ Another night and another wo looked. We saw nothing.
Vfe were all afraid. I lind a maid to sleep in my room,
“ Many nights we slept thus. A t length one night, just after .
12, a lackey came running upstairs. H e was pale, ‘ Come,
com e,’ lio whispered, ‘ the ghost walks.’ W e threw on something
or other (I can’t make ont tho name o f . it), and all went
downstairs to the grand hall. The soldier was walking up and
* This was w ritten in 1877; and it provos th a t th e TheosophiBts
tau g h t nt the tim e the same doctrines, as they do now, notw ithstand­
ing assertions to tho con trary .— Edt . .
A p e r f e c tly t r a e s to r y , a f a c t w itn e s s e d b y m y s e lf in 1 8 4 3 . B n t
t h e n t h e w o m a n l i a d j n s t d ie d , a n d e v e n h e r s p i r i t c o u l d j n a k e i t s e l f
c o n s c io n S ly o b j e c t i v e ;— H . F . B .
J Count Orlo£ts
down. W e watched him. IJe had all bis diamonds and things
on bis coat. They sparkled in tbe faint light of the hall lamp.
H e walked to the door of the salon, wliich was closed. He
ta lk e d through without opening it. W e opened it and follow,
ed. H e was walking up nnd down the roonl. We looked for tho
picture. It was not there. W here it bud been the wall was
black. H e went to the middle of tho room. Suddenly, he
stopped. l i e shuddered. He was no longer there. We looked
lit the wall. The picture was in its place. Voila !”
“ I d is nothing,” said Mine. Blavatsky. “ There are many such
houses in Russia. In Pavlovsk, stood a houSe tbat no one would
enter, for the windows were all broken out and there were
noises there at night. It was in the timo of tlie Emperor
Nicholas I. H e said lie would stop tbe foolish stories, nnd be bad
new windows put in and surrounded the house with troops. At
midnight a crash was-heard and the windows were broken out
from tbe inside. The Emperor entered. There wns no one
Many nights he did this, and it was the same, This ia
historical,”
The Countess Pascbkoff spoke again and again. Col. Olcott
translated for the r e p o r t e r I have seen the procession that
goes every year to the shrino between Cairo and Alexandria. The1
dervishes go on camels and horses and ride over the people that
throw them selves down to make a road for them. L ittle children
and men and women lie, and the beasts walk over them, and no
one is hurt. Then there are the dancing dervishes that spin
around, till they go up in the air, and it takes three or four men
to pull them down. And some of them stick knives through
their legs and through their throats. The points of the knives
come out on the other side. Blood runs down. They pull out
tlie knives. They pass their hands over the wound. It is healed.
There is not oven a scar. Hoopla! 1 mean Voila!”
“ Superstition, muttered the elder journalist, uot meaning to
be heard. The Turk opened his mouth to speak.
“ It is no moro superstitious,” said the interpreter (for the
Countess hnd caught the word nnd was ta U in g again) “ than the
practices of our Christians. I have seen an image of the Virgin that
was worshipped. It is the custom to take it on certain days, in
a procession from house to house. The women and children who
want to be learned take school-books in their aprons and allow
the image to be carried over them; and they think that as il
passes all the knowledge in the books passes into their heads.”
The Turk shut his lips—
“ 1 was once travelling between Baalbec and the river Orontes,”
continued the two speakers', “ and iu the desert I saw a caravan.
It was Mme. B lavatsky’s. W e camped together. There was a
great monument standing there near the village of El Mnroun. It
was between tbe Lebanus and the A nti-Lebanus. On the monu­
ment were inscriptions thnt no one could ever read. ' Mme.
Blavatsky could do strange things with tho ‘spirits,’ as I
knew, and 1 asked ber to find out what, the monument wns.
We waited until nigh t. She drew a circle and we wont in it.*
We built a fire and put much incense on it. Then she
[rather he— Ed,] said many spell?. Then we pnt no more in­
cense. Then she pointed with her wand [som ething she never'
had— Ed,] at the monument aiid we saw a great ball of white
flame on it. There was a sycamore tree near by. W e saw
many little white flames on it. The jackals came and howled
in the darkness a little way off. We put on more incense.
Then Mme. Blavatsky commanded the spirit of tbe person to
whom the monument was reared to appear.f Soon a cloud of
vapour arose and obscured the little moonlight there was. Wo
put on moro incense. Tho cloud took the indistinct shape of
an old man with a beard, and a voice came as it seemed from
a great distance through the image. Ho said that the monu­
ment was once tho altar of a tem ple that had long since dis­
appeared. It was reared to a god that had long since gone to
another world. ‘ Who are you ?’ said Mme. Blavatsky ? ‘ 1 am
* * *, ono of the priests of the tem ple,’ snid the voice- Then
Mme. Blavatsky commanded him to show us, tlie place as it
was when tho temple stood. He bowed, and for one instant we
had a glim pse of the tem ple and of a vast city filling the plain
as far as the eye could reach. Then it was gone, and the im age
faded away, Then we built up big fires to keep off the jackals
and went to sleep.”- ■
“ Y es, and she was finely scared, le a n tell you,” said Mme.
Blavatsky, laughing.
The Countess then told many merry tales that were of the true
Arabian N igh ts’ style abont the adventures of Mme. Blavatsky
and herself as they went around together, the former, summon­
ing spirits at will and doing magicnl Teats out of pure fun, nnd
finished with one about going into the great pyramid at eig h t
nnd performing incantations in the Queen’s chamber.
D . A. C. (r. t. s.)
* N o t bo. I t w a s t h e p e r s o n — a S y r i a n w h o a c c o m p a n i e d M m e .
B la v a ts k y w h o d re w t h e c irc le , n o t s h e , a n d t h e s tr a n g o th in g s h e d id
d o !— E d. ,
+ M m e , B la v a ts k y n o v e r d id a n y t h in g o f t h e k in d . I t w as th e
,
S y ria n a s c e tic a g a in , w h o p ro d n c e d th e s e w o n d e rs , a n d f a r m o re e x t r a ­
- o r d in a r y w e re th e p h e n o m e n a t h i n g iv e n b y t h e h u m o u r o u s w r ite r ,— E d .
 D E C O A N A S S O C I A T I O N FOB T I I E P R O M O T IO N ' D. K. M.’s answer to tho Epiphany’s rem arks appeared in
OF E D U C A T I O N A M O NG id A R A T I I A S , \ tho last m onth’s Theosophist. '
K U N B I S , M A L E E S , $ c ., $c. ‘ T a r o :—N ext month.
F ro m tlio Prospectus of the above Association now R. S. P :— Declined with thanks. The subject of your
before us, we can say the object is a very laudable one and book is outside the province of our Journal. ' 1
deserving of encouragement and support. The Census Re­ A B r a h m a n T n u o so riiisr:—Too late for this number. .
ports show th at while the Mahomedans, who are supposed R. J. ( T r u j l i c a n k ) : —Declined with thanks. . :
to be the most backw ard in availing themselves of tho help
of Educational Institutions, have tw enty per cent, of tlieir
children at school and 28 per cent, of male adults under the
head of “ educated”—only 3 per cent, of the lower classes of
the M aratha population send tlieir children to school and can
count b u t per cent, of male adults under the heading of : TR A N SC EN D EN TA L OCCULTISM.
“ educated.” W ith a view to alleviate this miserable
condition, tho Deccan Association is formed, with the kind As a seeker after tru th , I make no apology for my bold­
help of tho popular D istrict Judge of Poona, S ir William ness iu addressing to your journal the following rem arks
W edderburn. The Ilo n ’ble D r. W. W . H unter, the Presi­ which suggested themselves to me on my perusing Mr.'
dent of the late Education Cornmissipn, has also signified h is i D haranidhar K authum i’s Review of the Unpublished W ritings
warm and . practical support to snch a movement, by hia of Eliphas Levi, translated by a S tudent of Occultism. I am
learned suggestions and by prom ising to give “ Rs. 5,000 i n ­ a veritable B rahm an of the K aliyug. My knowledge ' of
Government Securities for 5 or 6 years, or whatever time is' Occultism is, I fear, mengre, and possibly you may think'
required to complete a boy’s education,” regretting at the th a t the only characteristic th a t I possess of my caste is im­
same time th a t the la r g e ' demands upon him in various pudent? ; but if so, this, you know, is tolerated by all who'
places pryvent his giving more. H. H . tho M aha R aja of understand th a t a Brahman cannot be w ithout it.*
Baroda has, moreover, promised his liberal support to tho I t is not for me to decide whether E liphas Levi was a a
scheme, and at the first m eeting held in Poona, Rs. 10,000 atheist or not. My knowledge of his w ritings does not go
wero collected on the spot among those present. The plan beyond the book under review and a portion of his Dogme et
tho Association has in view, is :—• liituel de la Haute Magie, translated to me by a friend, who
To provide adequately for an effective beginning of the work, being a stannch Roman Catholic, fancied th a t the Abb6 was
it is proposed to establish 50 scholarships at C Rupees a month, explaining the mysteries of his Chnrch. B ut I hope I will
to be held in the H igh Schools in the several centres of this be pardoned if 1 ask Mr. D haranidhar throngh the m edium .
class of population, such as Bombay, Poona, Sattara, Sbolapore,. of your valuable journal w hether he bats not failed to un­
Ahmednagar, Nassik, Dhulia, Ratnaghiri, Thanna, Belgaum-
and other eligible places, and 15 scholarships at 20 Rupees a. derstand the translator’s real meaning in his definition of an ;
month to be held in ihe different Colleges of Art (5), Medicine E xtra Cosmic Deity. Before stating my reasons, I beg'.the'
(5), E ngineering Scienco (5), and Forestry and Agriculture (5). Reviewer’s pardon for questioning the m erit of himself or of
The annual expenditure attending this schem e is estimated at his sect. From the m anner in which D. D. K authum i fights
Rs. 720 aud can be met out of a fund of about two lacs. t |)e battle and resents the differenco of opinion between tho
When a sufficient amount of money i.s collected to enable a translator and the “ Em inent Occultist” (E. O.) it would
beginning to be made, it is proposed to form local committees seem th at the latter is his Guru ; or, at least, th a t he belongs
of management at the places named above, with a Central to the sect of his M aster,f and though it is natural for a
Committee to direct their operations.
Chela to hold his teacher as the highest authority, and to .
Government have already village, schools, and w hat the resent tho sm allest slight which he fancies is offered to
Association intends is to givo inducem ent in the form of the latter, it does not show good taste to desccnd to vul­
scholarships to these poor people, so th at they may take ad­ garism and fling ugly epithets a t the head of the oppo­
vantage of these institutions. I t is a m atter of pleasure for nent. The tran slato r’s personality is thinly veiled by
us to note th at one-fifth of the members of the Committee the modest title he assumes, and those who have the honor
are Theosophists. We thus feel doubly oncouraged tp hope of being personally acquainted w ith him know the falsity of tho
th at the efforts of the Association will be crowned with suc­ allegations th a t “ the smoke of false (?) criticism ................
cess. I t is the duty of every tru e A ryan to assist this move-, is not without fire,” and th a t “ he (thotranslator) is moved
ment by contributions which should be sent either to S ir 1 by some secret anitmis against F. O .”
W illiam W edderbnrn, or to Mr. G ungaram Bhaoo Muskey,
F. T. S., H onorary Secretary of the Association. Now as regards tho translator’s notes on E. O.’s rem arks
that “ there is no E xtra Cosmic Deity,” it seems to mo that
D. K. M. there aro good reasons to think th at the former did not.
imply th at the discoveries of tho 5th, Cthand 7thdimensions of
spaces are yet to be made by the Occultists ; what strikes me is
% n s u i 4 )\s k d f o i [ i [ c s } )0 n i l 4 n t 0 . th at tlie translator’s argum ents amount to this : “ A dm itting
that the Cosmos is infinite, is it not reasonable to suppose
N i r a d u a u , A j m e r e :—You will find cl solution to all your
th at the Adepts whose experiences do not go beyond the 7th
questions in the 'Esoteric Buddhism and in the various sphere, havo yet to learn w hat lies furthei on ? l o r un­
articles in the Theosophist treating of the evolution of mau doubtedly, as appears from the teachings of Occultism, the
and of cosmogony. . highest conception of tho Adepts whom wo know is tho 7th
G u l a l o i i a n d , L u c k n o w :—The answers to your questions
sphere, and the Cosmos being infinite there may be spheres,
would necessitate the reprinting of many of the articles in higher thsj.ii the finite intelligence of the 7th sphered Adept
the T h e o s o p h i s t and of almost all other Theosophical publi­ or other being can soar into. I t is possible that w hat tho
cations. If after studying these carefully you find difficul­ said Adepts call tho infinite Cosmos is but the 7th sphered
ties, put yoiy- questions concisely, mentioning your difficul­ finite reality, and above th at in the matter of spiritual refine­
ties which will receive due consideration, ment may be spheres and conditions which tho 7th sphered
F. T. S.. ( S i m l a ) :—Declined w ith thanks. beings may be unable to conceive; but those that possess
E sO T K lflC C liitlS T U N : — T h e a r t i c l e o n Theosophy and Chris­ knowledge not limited to the sphoro reached by tho Adepts,
tianity j n t h i s n u m b e r i n c l u d e s y o u r p o i n t s e x c e p t t h e a r g u ^ may have a “ higher in tu itio n .” The translator does riot
m e n t t h a t “ b l i n d f a i t h ” is a c o n t r a d i c t i o n in te r m s . Tho question th a t there are Adepts who have reached to tho
e x p r e s s i o n w a s h o w e v e r m a d e u s e o f a s generally u n d e r s t o o d plane of intelligence described aboye ; for he plainly says
t o imply “ b e l i e f w i t h o u t p e r c e p t i o n , ” o r “ f a i t h ” i n i t s p e r ­ “ there aro Magps and Mages, and there are some who say
v e rte d sen se . T h e original m e a n i n g o f t h a t w o r d i n c l u d e d granting all this, we yet know by a higher intuition, th a t
b o th “ k n o w le d g e and p e rc e p tio n .” . * T h i s ia a v e ry o ^ tr^ o rd in u ry and by n o m e a n s a c o m p lim e n ta ry ,
As regards the idea'of Love, Eliphas Levi tru ly gays th a t a lu r t o ' c a s t in t o tb e t e e t h o f a la rg e c la s s o f p e o p le a n d by one ot
“ the man who has learnt to love attracts to himself all t h e i r o w n c a s to m e n J W e b e g to d o m u r. i d.
souls; to covet is not to love, to exact is not to love, to enslave + T h o “ M a s t e r s ” in q u e s t i o n b e l o n g t o n o sect and ev en a re ­
is not to love, excessive desire is not love : true love ia the g u la r C h e la h a s to ris e ab o v e e v e ry s e c ta r ia n p re ju d ic e b e fo re h e c a n
recognition of God in H um anity.” ................. . b o c o m e o n e .— E d * 1 •
 can be adduced that there are not conditions beyond the 7th
th e infinite to all conditioned existences ia not yet All,”* To
this intuition he gave the name of “ Transcendental Occult­ sphere as I have been assured by many Yogis outside the pale
ism." of our Society.
S imla, ")
. Applying Zollner’s theory to th e K authum i’s argum ents,
■we might say th at the 4th, 5th, Gth and tho 7th dimensions The 31st January 1884. j K. C. M. F. T. S.
of spaces are all in the universe, and yet wo people of 3
dimensions are unable even to conceive their existence ; in
like manner the condition of th at which lies higher in tho R eply dy D ha ra n i D . K acthumi ( F . T , S . )
spiritual scale than tho 7th sphere is not known by the I n e e d n o t w a s t e t i m e i n d e f e n d i n g t h e c h a r g e o f b n d t a s t e w h ic h
Adepts whose knowledge does not go further. W hat the tl i e l i t e r a r y a r b i t e r e le g a n t ia r u m h a B b r o u g h t f o r w a r d a g a i n s t m e . A
translator means by “ Outside the Cosmos,” is probably th at p o in t o f ta s to d o e s n o t a d m it o f a r g u m e n t j e v e n if i t d id , i t w o n ld
h a v o b e e n u n p r o f ita b le to d is c u s s o n t h e m e rit* o f so m e c a s u a l r e m a r k s
whieh, though pervading all things, is not cognizable by those s ta b b e d b y K . 0 . M . w ith n u m e r o u s a s te r is k s , a n d th u s , li k e th e fe e t o f
conditioned in the cosmos of the 7th sphered beings, and a f a s h i o n a b l o C h in e s e b e l l e f o r c e d i n t o t h e i r o n s h o e — o f v u l g a r i s m .
how can the reasonings of the latter be applied to the T ruth T h o s e w h o r e f e r t o m y r e v i e w w i l l f in d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e c h a r g e o f
which lies beyond their cognizance. I t is needless therefore a n im u s w a s n o t a l t o g e t h e r u n s u s t a i n a b l e b y t h e d o c u m e n t a r y e v i d e n c e
to take up the logic with which D haranidhar Kauthurni rejects a c tu a ll y b o fo re th e C o u rt, i t w as s til l r e j e c te d b y re a s o n o f c e rta in
f a c t s o f w h ic h j u d i c i a l n o t i c e w a s t a k e n b y . . . C o n r t o f i t s o w n m o t i o n .
the idea of the E xtra Cosmic Deity, and even the A n d n o w n o t v e r y b r o th e r ly e p i t h e t s a r e h u r l e d a g a in s t m e ,— w h o a m
philosophical reasons whicli the reviewer parades are not y o t a c e n s e d o f '* u n t h e o s o p h i c a l s p i r i t ” — f o r s h o w i n g t h a t w h ic h m y
faultless, e. g., it is not clear how God, who is represented as c r i t i c h i m s e l f is c o m p e l l e d t o r e s o r t to , a s t h e s i n k i n g m a n 's l a s t s t r a w ,
beyond finite and conditioned Brahm avidya, must of necessity n a m e ly , to p r e s s f o r a n a c q u itta l o f th e tr a n s la to r fro m th e c h a rg e o f
be conditioned and finite. I t is not the translator who a n im u s o u t h e e v i d e n c e o f g o o d o h a r a c t o r - I t is n o t d e s i r a b l e t o d w e ll
o n th i s p a r t o f t h e s n b je c t a n y lo n g e r, s p e c ia lly a s m y c r i tio h a s v e r y
m aintains th a t the Superior Intelligence emanates from an p e r t i n e n t l y a n t i b r a v e l y p l e a d e d g u i l t y t o “ i m p u d e n c e ” in a d v a n c e o f
inferior one, on the other hand those who see blank beyond a n y a c c u s a t i o n , a n d s o u g h t t h e n o t o v e r - h e r o i c p r i v i l e g e o f a Q u e e n ’s
a certain condition hold th a t the Intelligent Law which e v i d e n c e a g a i n s t h i s o w n c a s t e — “ t h e B r a h m a n s o f t h i s K a li r « g o , ” w h o ,
governs tho universe, sprang up from non-intelligence. The b y t h e w a y , a r e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a w h i t o - s k i n in s o m e p a r t s o f I n d i a ,
reviewer admits that the Scriptures are w ritten in an obscure p e r c h a n c e i n t h e c r i t i c ’s o w n p r o v i n c e .

and oracular style, b u t has lie understood them all, though I t is u n i v e r s a l l y a d m i t t e d t o b e r a t h e r h a r d t o p r o v e a n e g a t i v e

p r o p o s itio n • a n d t h a t d iffic u lty is c e r t a in l y n o t r e m o v e d w h e n m a d a
lie may be fam iliar with them as a Brahman ? If not, to d e p e n d n p o a p u r d a n a s h in re a s o n s , c la im in g th e p r iv ile g e o f I n d ia n
it is boldness to say th a t he has nowhere m et w ith the la d i e s i n n o t c o m i n g i n t o C o u r t , a n d d e s c r i b o d t o t h e p r o f a n e o b s e r v e r
teachings now p u t forth by the translator. a s s i m p l y “ g o o d r e a s o n s , ” o r i n t r o d u o e d t o t h e v u l g a r feye u n d e r th o
th io k v e il o f a v a g u e — “ p r o b a b ly .” I s h a ll n o t, d e s p ite m y b ad ta s te ,
As regards the Fiji affair, it seems to me th a t the reviewer v i o l a t e t h e p r i v a c y i n t o w h ic h m y c r i t i o ’s r e a s o n s h a v e r o t i r o d
lias not understood the tra n sla to r’s argum ents. The m o d e s tly a n d , a t th e s a m e tim e , p r u d e n t ly s h r in k in g fro m w h a t h a
la tte r probably means th a t as the real Qneen (Victoria) does r e g a r d s , p e r h a p s , a s t h e d i s s o l u t e g a z e o f c r i t i c i s m . A f e w p o in t s ,
r o t bear the least semblance to the ideal Queen of the h o w e v e r, m a y be s a fe ly n o te d h e re : —
Islanders, so the real God may not be like the fiotion F i r s t , — T h o u l t i m a T h u le o f t h e A d e p t 's k n o w l e d g e , *' t h e 7 t h s p h e r e , ”
which the H nm anity servo, and yet, as our good Sovereign ex­ a s m y c o n s o r c a lls i t , is n o t t h e l a s t l i n k o f t h e “ d i m e n s i o n s o f s p a c e ”
r o f e r r e d to i n t h e t h i r d p a r a g r a p h o f t h e f o r e g o i n g l e t t e r . K . C . M ,
ists nevertheless, the delusive shapes in which she is portrayed, s h o w s a n d n t i r o i g n o r a n c o o f w h a t t h e s o - c a l le d 7 t h s p h e r e is , w h e n h e
so God pure and absolute may be in existence, although he is ta lk s o f th e p o s s ib ility of th e e x iste n c e of “ h ig h e r s p h e r e s ” by re a so n of
caricatured in a thousand fanciful modes by the votaries of t h o i n f i n i t y o f t h e C o s m o s . T h i s “ s e v o n t h s p h e r e ” is t h e P a r a m a m j y o t i h
innumerable different creeds. Finite intelligence may not m e n t i o n e d in t h e C h h a n d o g y a V p a n is h a d . “ K . C . M . ” w a n t s a u t h o r i t y ,
find any trace of tho natural laws having their origin from a n d h e m a y b o s a f o l y r e f c r r o d to t h e M & n d a k y a U p a n is h a t l, w h e r e th o
se v e n s ta t e s a ro e n u m e r a te d . A s I h a v o n o w h e r e fo u n d in o u r S c r ip tu r e s
God, but those who have been able in spirit to approach his a r e f e r e n c e t o t h e u l t r a - s e v e n t h s t a t e s , I a m j u s t i f i e d in r e j e c t i n g th o
footstool may nevertheless do so. Ju st as a common coolie s t a t e m e n t s o f t h e Y o g is h o l d i n g s u c h o p in i o n s , u n le s s s u p p o r t e d b y t h e
of the Fiji island may think the Governor or tho M agistrate te s tim o n y o f s u c h g r e a t A d e p ts a s V y a s a a n d S a n k a r a (Jh a ry a .
of the city in whieh he lives, the all supreme, though the S e c o n d ly ,— T h e h o ll o w n e s s o f t h o d o c t r i n e o f a n e x t r a - c o s m i c G o d is
intelligent high officials know th a t there is a power above s u f f ic i e n tl y p r o v e d b y K . C* M . w h e n h o t a l k s o f “ t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f a n
them. And is it not also possible for an intelligent coolio to e x t r a - c o s m i c D e i t y , ” e v i d o n t l y n u m i n d f n l o f t h e q u o t a t i o n t o w h ic h h e
in v ite s m y a t te n t io n — “ M e a s u re n o t w ith w o rd s th e im m e a s u r a b le .”
guess th at the M agistrate whom he thinks the highest has
T h e w h o l e a r g u m e n t o n t h i s h e a d is a t r i f le w o r s e t h a n h a n g i n g a m a n
oue above him, and another who rules over the ruler of tho o n a n h y p o t h e s i s . W i t h r e g a r d to t ( t h e F i j i a f f a i r / ' a s h e c a lls i t , a l l I
Magisti'at-e aud so on ? c a n s a y i s : if th e c o n s tru c tio n n o w p u t u p o n i t b e th e c o r r e c t o n e , th a
tr a n s la to r h a s g o o d re a s o n s to c ry “ S av e m e fro m m y fr ie n d s .” For
Mr. D. I). K authum i would do well to realize the spirit
i n t h e l i g h t o f t h o p r e s e n t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n t h o w h o le “ F i j i a f f a ir ”
of the Lord B uddha’s teachings as well reproduced iu b e c o m e s a n o n s e n s ic a l r ig m a r o le , n o w a y s a r e p l y to t h e p ro p o s itio n o f
Mr. Arnold’s beautiful lines. “ E . 0 . ” “ W lia t a rid ic u lo u s s u p e r n u m e r a r y , su ch a G o d , b e fo re th e
j u r y o f s e n a e a n d lo g ic 1”
“ Om Amitaya ! measure not with words I t is u s e l e s s t o p r o l o n g t h e c o n t r o v e r s y a n y l o n g e r . L e t th e re a d e r
T h ’ Immeasurable ! nor sink the strin g of thought d o c id e o n th e m e r its o f m y re v ie w , a n d th e p r e s e n t c ritic is m s e v o k e d
b y i t i n t h e t e e m i n g b r a i n o f “ K* C . M .” V u le a t q u a n t u m V a le r e p o te st.
Into the F'athomless. W ho ask doth err,
W ho answers, errs. Say nought !
* * * * CONTEMPLATION'.
* * * *
I n tlie article on th e above su b je c t in the F e b ru a ry
Veil after veil will lift—b u t there m ust bo veil
upon veil behind.” Theosophist occurs th e follow ing :—
1. W i th o u t re a liz in g t h e s ig n ific a n c e o f th is m o s t im p o r t a n t fa c t,
I have failed, I confess, to perceive the scornful laughter a n y o n o w h o f o r a m o m e n t f in d s c a u s e o f d i s a g r e e m e n t w i t h n n y o n e o f
with which the translator is said to treat the mathematical li is f a m i l y , o r h a s h i s v a n i t y w o u n d e d , o r f o r a s e n t i m e n t a l f la s h o f th ©
problem advanced by E. 0 . The translator solves it, it is true, m o m e n t , o r f o r a s o lf is h d e s i r e t o u t i l i z e t h e d iv i n e p o w e r f o r g ro ^ st
from the known properties of circle, b u t there are m eta­ p u r p o s e s — a t o n c e r u s h e s in f o r c o n t e m p l a t i o n a n d d a s h e s h i m s e l f t o
p ie c e s o n t h e r o c k d iv i d in g th e k n o w n fro m th e u n k n o w n .
physics behind the solution which the reviewer fails to see.
1 do not like w rangling ; but the reason of my w riting this I cannot understand how an ordinary m an, who lias, on one
to you is to point out the untheosophical spirit displayed by hand, the abovementioned defects in his nature, (which he
the reviewer, who, foiled in more serious attem pts, seeks to generally tries to control, though sometimes with question­
gain his cause by raising the (wholly fictitious) cry of animus able success) •, and who, on the other hand, tries also to prac­
against the translator. B ut this is not the only reason for tise contemplation as explained in the article, runs the
which I write. My principal object is to enquire w hat proofs danger of being ruined. W hat are the dangers ? Can they
be named, and the particular causes which give rise to them ?
* A n d t h e r e n r o o t h e r s w h o s a y , “ G r a n t i n g fill t h i s , w o yefc 2 . T o h a v o th e h ig h e s t id e a l p la c e d b e fo re o n e s e lf a n d s tr iv e
k n o w b y a h i g h e r k n o w le d g e — n o t ‘ i n t u i t i o n ’ t h a t h o w e v e r c o r r e c t i n c e s s a n t l y t o r i s e o p t o i t , is t b e o n l y t r u e c o n c e n t r a t i o n r e c o g n i z e d
t h e i n f e r e n c e w i t h r e g a r d to ‘ c o n d i t i o n e d e x i s t e n c e s , ’ t h o r e is y e t b y E s o te r ic P h ilo s o p h y .
b n t o n o i m m u t a b l e L a w g o v e r n i n g n a t u r e t h r o u g h h e r i n f i n i t e e s p a r . s e __
tlio L a w o f u n i f o r m i t y - ” “ A s i t ia b e l o w , s o i t is a b o v e ,” s a y t h e
This passage is too learned for an ordinary man. Can an
O c o u lt is ts - “ W h a t i s t r u e in t h o l e a s t , i s t r u e i n t h o g r e a t e s t , ” s a y g example of “ the highest ideal” be given ? How ifl the ordinary
th o m y s t i c S w e d e .— E d , jnan of tlie world to strive after it ?
 Suppose an ordinary m an of the world rises in the calm puzzled w ith the difference of appearanco he saw in the
hours of the morning after a moderate rest, w hat is he to do ? portrait and th a t he perceived clairvoyantly. B ut lie remem­
W hat kind of ideas should he fill his mind with ? How is he bered tbe M aster’s modest remarks th at the figure in the
to sit P How is he to carry on the contem plation so as to portrait was very much flattered. The Brahmachari only
steer clear of all shoals and rocks in the sea of occultism ? came some months after the incident, and although lie n a rra t­
The greatest aim of the man in question is to spiritualize ed to the gentleman his interview with the alleged K. H., the
himself as much as could be done safely, so th a t if he can­ gentleman thought th at there must have been some mistake
not eventually be accepted as a chela, in this life—he may at as the Master could not have been likely to read the Vedas
least havo the assurance to lead thc life of an ascetic in the in tbe m anner he was represented as doing.
next birth. Another incident happened here about a month ago. A
. A n F. T. S. certain initiated Qrihasla Brahman who had no connection
with our Society—but who had nevertheless heard of the
N o t e .— I r e g r e t t h e w h o lo a r t i c l e i s t o t a l l y m i s u n d e r s t o o d . A ll I Master from his Theosophist friends, resolved one day to see
m e a n t t o s a y w a s th a t te m p o r a r y e s tr a n g e m e n t, fro m fa m ily o r frie n d s , K. H. in his (the latter’s) suksma sariram. He sat in his
doos n o t c o n s ti tu te a n e s s e n tia l q u a lific a tio n f o r a d v a n c e m e n t in o c c n lt- room with his door closed, b u t was disturbed by the noise
is m . T h i s o u g h t to b e p l a i n t o o n o w h o w e ig h s c a r e f u l l y m y i l l u s t r a ­ outside. In the night, or rather in the early part of the
tio n o f J a n a k a . A lth o u g h m t h e w o r ld , t o b e n o t o f i t . F a i l i n g to
r e a l i . 'e t h e m e a n i n g o f t h i s i m p o r t a n t t e a c h i n g , m a n y a p e o p l e r u s h in
morning, he fancied th a t some one touched his right
fro m a s e n tim e n ta l d is g u s t of w o rld lin e s s , a r is in g p r o b a b ly o u t o f so m e shoulder lightly, and tho appearanco of thc figure th at he
w o r l d l y d i s a p p o i n t m e n t — a n d b e g i n p r a c t i s i n g w h a t t l i e y c o n s i d e r to described tallied, as far as I could judge, w ith th a t which I
b o a t r u e f o r m o f c o n t e m p la t io n . T h e v e r y f a c t t h a t t h o m o tiv e w h i c h had heard attributed to D. K . M.’s Master. B ut as soon as
l e a d s t h e m to g o in f o r t h i s p r a c t i c e , i s a s i s d e s c r i b e d in t h e q u o t a t i o n he was conscious of his presence, he was again disturbed by
g iv e n b y m y c o r r e s p o n d e n t — t h i s f a c t i t s e l f is a s u f f ic ie n t in d i c a t io n
t h u t t h e c a u d i d a t a d o e s n o t k n o w t h e “ c o n t e m p l a t i o n ’* o f a R a ja Y o g i.
somo other noise. He says he was fast asleep, but the touch
I t is t h u s im p o s s ib l e in t h e n a t u r e o f t h i n g s t h a t h e c a n f o llo w t h e of the figure roused him. Ho had not even heard of the
r i g h t m e th o d ; a n d t h e p h y s i c a l p r a c t i c e , w h i c h h e n e c e s s a r i l y u n d e r ­ portrait with Mr. Sinnett, nor had any acquaintance with
t a k e s , le a d s h im t o t h e d i s a s t r o u s r e s u l t s a d v e r t e d t o in t h e a r t i c l e . the other people who fancicd th at they had seen the Master.
A n y re a d e r, w h o h a s in tu itio n e n o n g h to b o a p r a c t ic a l s tu d e n t o f
There are many other instances which came to my know­
o c c u lt is m 'l w i l l a t o n c e s e e t h a t t o w o r k n p t o p e r f e c t i o n is t h o h i g h e s t
i d e a l t h a t a m a n c a n h a v e b e f o r e h i m . T h a t is n o t t h e w o r k o f a d a y
ledge in which D. K. M.’s Master favoured many individuals.
n o r o f a fe w y e a rs. “ T h e A d e p t b eco m e s ; h e i s n o t m a d e ” — is a t e a c h ­ B ut despite his belief and th at of the large num bers of the
i n g w h ic h t h e s t u d e n t m u s t f i r s t r e a l i s e . T h e a s p i r a n t w o r k s u p t o h is Theosophists th at I know of, I confess 1 am a t a loss to
g o a l t h r o u g h a s e r i e s o f l i v e s . C ol. O l c o t t s a y s i n h is B u d d h is t C a t e ­ reason with those who tliiuk th at tlie real K. H. is an “elderly”
c h is m :— man. These persons do not pretend to say who D. K. M .’s
C o u n tl e s s g e n e r a t i o n s a r o r e q u i r e d t o d e v e lo p e m a n i n t o a
B u d d h a , a n d the i r o n w i l l to b eco m e one r u n s t h ro u g h o u t a l l th e s u c c e s s iv e
M aster is. They say th at he may be like the portrait of which
b ir t h s I have heard Colonel Gordon, Mr. Sinnett and others speak,
T h a t “ ir o n w i l l " t o b e c o m e p e r f e c t m u s t b e in c e s s a n t ly o p e r a t i n g , but if so, they question whether he is the K. H. well known
w i t h o u t a s i n g l e m o m e n t ’s r e l a x a t i o n , a s w ill b e a p p a r e n t t o o n e w h o iu Thibet.
r e a d s c a r e f u l ly th e a r t ic l e a s a w h o le . W h e n i t is d i s t i n c t l y s a id t h a t
d u r i n g t h e t i m o t h a t t h i s c o n t e m p l a t i o n is n o t p r a c t i s e d , *. e., t h e ir o n S im la, ) K.
w ill is n o t e x e r t i n g , t h e p r o c e s s o f t h e e m i s s i o n a n d a t t r a c t i o n o f 31 si Jan. 1884. J
a t o m s is n o t s t o p p e d , a n d t h a t th o d e s i r e s , i n s t i n c t i v e o r o th e r w i s e ,
m u s t b e s o r e g u l a t e d a s t o a t t r a c t o n ly s u c h a t o m s a s m a y b e s u i t e d
t o h is p r o g r e s s — I c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d m y c o r r e s p o n d e n t w h e n h e a s k s N o t e .— W e k n o w o f o n ly o n e M a i i a t m a b e a rin g th e n a m e o f m y v e n e -
m e w h a t h e s h o u ld d o a t » p a r t ic u l a r h o u r in th e m o rn in g . H e s h o u ld r a t e d O u K i J D e v a w h o h o l d s a w e l l - k n o w n p u b l i c o ffic e in T h i b e t , u n d e r
c u l t i v a t e o n ly s u c h t h o u g h t s a s w o u ld n o t b e i n c o m p a t i b l e w i t h t h e th e T K sn u L a m a . F o r a u g h t w e k n o w th e re m a y b e a n o th e r b e a rin g
h i g h e s t id e a l h e h a s t o w o r k n p to - li y p e r f e c t i o n , w h ic h s h o u ld b e h is t h e s a m e n a m e ; b n t a t a u y r a t e h e is n o t k n o w n t o n s , n o r h a v e a n y o f
h i g h e s t id e a l, ( I m u s t a d d ) I m e a n t h a t d iv i n e m a n h o o d w h ic h t h o s e , w e a r e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h i n T h i b e t , h e a r d o f h im . A n d th is p e r ­
t h e O c c u l t P h ilo s o p h y c o n t e m p l a t e s t h e s e v e n t h r a c e o f t h o s e v e n t h s o n a g e , m y B E L O V E D M a s t e r , i s , a s I h a v e d e s c r i b e d H im , r e s e m b l i n g
H o u n d w ill a t t a i n to . T h i s , a s e v e r y t y r o k n o w s , d e p e n d s l a r g e l y u p o n th o p o r t r a i t i n M r . S i n n c t t ’s p o s s e s s io n , a n d d o e s n o t lo o k o ld . P e r h a p s
a c u l t i v a t i o n o f tl i e f e e l i n g o f U n i v e r s a l L o v o , a n d h e n c e a n e a r n e s t t h e c h a ir v o y a n t s a r e c o n f o u n d i n g t h o s e c t o f K h a d a m p u s w ith t h e k 'a u -
d e s ire to d o s o m e p r a c t i c a l p h i l a n t h r o p i c w o r k is t h e f i r s t r e ­ th u m p a s ? T h e fo rm e r, a lth o u g h n o t r e g u la r D o u g p a s, a r e g r e a t m a g i­
q u i s i t e . E v e n t h i s s t a t e , I a d m i t , is n o t a b s o lu t e p e r f e c t io n .- b n t c i a n s a n d i n d u l g e in p r a c t i c e s a n A d e p t o f t h e g o o d L a w w o u ld f e e l
t h a t m a x im u m l i m i t o f u l t i m a t e S p i r i t u a l p e r f e c t i o n i s b e y o n d o u r d i s g u s t e d w i t h — s u c h a s t h e w e ll k n o w n p h e n o m e n o n o f r i p p i n g o p e n
c o m p re h e n s io n a t p r e s e n t. T n a t c o n d itio n c a n o n ly be in te lle c ­ th o a b d o m e n , e x p o s i n g t h e i n t e s t i n e s , a n d t h e n r e s t o r i n g t h e m t o
t u a l l y r e a l i z e d a s a p r a c t i c a l id e a l b y t h o s o d iv i n e m e n — D liy a n - C h o lia n s . t h e i r n o r m a l p l a c e a n d c o n d i t i o n , & c . & c. T h e l a t t e r , t h o K a u t h u m p a s ,
T o b e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h thk a i l , we m u s t l i v e i u a n d f e e l t h r o u g h i t . a re th e d is c ip le s o f m y M a s t e r .
H ow c a n th is b e d o n e w ith o u t th e r e a lis a tio n o f th o fe e lin g o f U n i­ M y f r i e n d a n d b r o t h e r o f S i m l a s h o u l d n o t lo s e s i g h t o f t h c f a c t t h a t
v e r s a l L o v e ? O f c o u r s e A d e p t s h i p is p o t w i t h i n t h o e a s y r e a c h o f a l l. w h ile o th e r s c la im to h a v e s e e n m y M a s te r c la ir v o y a n tly , I s a y t h a t I
O u t h o o t h e r h a n d , o c c u lti s m d o e s n o t fix a n y u n p l e a s a n t p l a c e o r lo ­ s a w H i m in t h o N o r t h p e r s o n a l l y , in h i s l i v i n g , n o t h is a s t r a l b o d y .
c a l i t y f o r t h o s e w h o d o n o t a c c e p t i t s d o g m a s . I t o n ly r e c o g n i s e s h i g h ­ C o l. O lc o t t a n d M r . B r o w n w e r e a l s o a s f o r t u n a t e a s m y s e l f i n t h a t
e r a n d h i g h e r e v o l u tio n a c c o r d i n g t o t h e c h a i n o f c a u s a t i o n w o r k i n g re s p e c t. I t iB n o w f o r t h e i m p a r t i a l r e a d e r t o j u d g e w h e t h e r t h e
u n d e r ih o i m p u l s e o f N a t u r e ’s i m m u t a b l e la w - T h e a r t ic l e o n “ O c c u lt t e s t i m o n y o f t h r e e u n i m p e a c h a b l e e y e w i t n e s s e s is m o r e r e l i a b l e o r
S t u d y " iu t h e la s t n u m b e r g i v e s t h e n e c e s s a r y e x p l a n a t i o n o n t b i s n o t th a n th a t o f o n o o r tw o c la ir v o y a n ts ( u n tr a in e d w e m a y a d d ) iu
p o in t . m a t t e r s c o n n e c t e d w i t h t h o p h y s ic a l a p p e a r a n c e o f a n i n d i v i d u a l .
I t i s p a i n f u l f o r m e t o fin d t h a t t h e v e r y t h i n g I a t t e m p t e d t o p o i n t I m a g in a tio n a n d e x p e c ta n c y a re , w ith v a rio u s o th e r th in g s , a p t to
o u t in t h a t a r t i c l e to b o m i s c h ie v o u s i a i t s r e s u l t s , is a g a i n p u t f o r w a r d m is le a d b e g in n e r s in t h e S c ie n c e o f C la irv o y a n c e .
a s a d e s i r a b l e a t t r i b u t e o r a d j u n c t o f t r u o c o n t e m p l a t i o n . I w o u ld a s k m y D . K . M.
c o r r e s p o n d e n t t o r e a d a g a in t h e s a m e a r t i c l e , w i t h t h e s e a d d i t i o n a l r e ­
m a r k s , b e f o r e t h i n k i n g o f th o n e c e s s i t y o f a n y p e c u l i a r o r p a r t i c u l a r
p o s t u r e f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f c o n te m p la t io n . I , a t a n y r a t e , a m u n a b l e TH E B EST FOOD FO R MAN.
t o p r e s c r i b e a n y s p e c i iie p o s t u r e f o r t h e k i n d o f in c e s s a n t c o n te m p la t io n .
t h a t 1 re c o m m e n d . T h e use of flesh-meat is forbidden on the ground that ifc
D. K . M . is animal food and the reasons against its use are manifold.
Somo of these reasons aro given by Mrs. A. Kingsford, M. I).,
A GREAT RID D LE SOLVED. F. T. S., and aro intended most likely for the guidance of thc
general public—Fellows of the Society not being exccpted.
to the article of D. K. M- in the last issue of the
R eferrin g The prohibition is wholesale. I t does not refer to the flesli
Theosophist, headed “ A great riddle solved,” in winch he of the diseased animals alone, bnt is general and extends to
says tho misconception regarding his M aster’s appearanco all tlesli, w hether of diseased or healthy quadrupeds or of
“ was due to the reports of a certain Bramachari, the pupil of birds. This being so, I do not see what sense the learned
the Vedanti Swami iii the N. W. P. who had m et last year in authoress intends to convey when she, at p. 108, column 2,
Thibet tbe chiof of a sect, an elderly Lama,” who was his para. 3, says :— “ A vegetable dietary, to which we may add
Master’s travelliug companion at tlie tim e “ the said Brahma- cheese, milk, bu tter and eggs, costs three times less than a
chari having spoken of the encounter, in India, had led mixed dietary of flesh and vegetables.” This sentence, when
several jiersons to mistake the Lama for himself.” Now I divested of its financial aspect, signifies in plain phraseology
know of a case iu which a certain gentleman of this station th a t we are justified iu using vegetables, plus cheese, milk,
saw clairvoyautly the appearance of D. K. M.’s G uru long butter and (most singularly) eggs, and th at the argum ents
before the Brainachari came here and spoke of his encounter advanced against the use of flesh meat do not apply to egg.s
with tho K uthum ba Lama as he called him. Tbo gentleman and to tho other articles named witli them. W ith due defer­
in question saw his (D. K . M.’s) M aster’s p ortrait mentioned ence to the authoress, I may be perm itted to say that I have
in tha last edition of the Occult World, aoid was at first not been able to follow her in her logic, inasmuch as thc
 argum ents which hold good as against the use of flesh of
quadrupeds and birds should equally hold good as against
the use of the milk and eggs of these quadrupeds and birds
respectively, unless indeed there be some scientific reasons,
unknown to me, for the exclusion of the specified articles
from tlie prohibitory category.
Besides this, in proposing to the members of my Branch
here the adoption, inter alia, of a rule or bye-law against the
use of intoxicating liquors and flesh meat, I have been met
with the following objection or criticism by a Brother-thco-
sophist to the proposal made by me.
Tlic use of flesh-meat being forbidden, there is no reason
why the use of milk of animals should be held permissible to
mini and particularly to Theosophists, who, as a rule, aro
bound to cultivate and disseminate feelings of love and kind­
ness not only towards human beings but also towards all
lower animals. Observation and experience tell us that tho
quantity of milk in animals is not in excess of w hat is neces­
sary for the support of their young ones. Of course tho
mammalia class only havo milk and suckle their young while
other classes do not. Now it is asked w hat right man has
to justify him to appropriate to his uso the milk of animals,
which seems to be intended by nature for the support of
their young ones. The only reason th at is ordinarily put
forward in justification of the practice is tliat the animals
are domesticated and looked after by inan, and the milk
th at is extracted from them is in return as a remuneration for
tho money and caro bestowed on them by man. To this it
is responded that tho domestication of animals is not volun­
tary on tlieir part, b u t it is forced upon them to their dete­
rioration for domesticated mammalia can in no case equal in
point of health those in their wild state. The simple laws of
nature are always safe guides. N aturo teaches us th at wo
havo no rig h t whatever to slaughter animals for tlie use of
th eir Ilesh. The same nature teaches us th a t it is equally
wrong on onr p art to milk cows and use the milk which is
purely intended for the support of the calves. To deprive the
calves of the quantity of their cow’s milk is potently a sin
of omission only less atrocious than that of slaughter,
which is a sin of commission. Tlio difference is merely in
lie degree of atrocity.
I t is sometimes urged th a t the n atu ral quantity of milk in
tho animals is over and above th a t whioh is sufficient or
nccessary for tho support of tlieir young ones. In other
words, this excess, if any. is to be takon as creating a right
in man t > use tho milk. To this it may be replied th at a
sim ilar cxcess in wealth w ith a millionaire docs in uo part of
the world entitle us to divest the said millionaire of tho
cxcess or of any part of it w ithout incurring the culpability
of criiuc and sin.
Up to this point wo have been discussing about milk.
The question of c<rgs is a question of a higher plane in as
much as tho deprivation of the young of animals of their
milk does not result in thoir destruction, but the appropria­
tion of eggs of birds by man to liis own uso ; puts an immediate
end to so many lives while 011 their upw ard way.
B a ra -B a n k i, ") P u k m e s i i r i D a !ss, P . T.
February 10</i, 1884. )
N ote .— I b o g t o r e m in d m y b r o t l m r t h a t T h e o s o p h y a d m i t s o f n o
d o g m a t i c a s s e r t i o n o f tlio f it n e s s o f t h i n g s ; t h e r e f o r e n o p a r t i c u l a r k in d
o f f o o d i^ o r d e r e d i m p e r a t i v e l y , n e i t h e r is t h e r e iin v t h a t is “ f o r b i d d e n ”
o r “ p r o h i b i t e d ” iu t h o s t r i c t s e n s o o f t h e t e r m s . T h o O c c u ltis t, a f t e r
c a r e f u l i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f a ll t h e f a c t s a n d c i r o u m s t a n c c s o f t h o w h o le c a s o
a n d t h o i r i m p a r t i a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n w ith a b r o a d a n d e n l i g h t e n e d v is io n ,
r r c o m m e iu ls a c e r t a i n c n n r s o o f a c tio n a s t h e h o s t, l i e a ! w a y s t a k e s h is
s t a n d i n t h o m i d d l e , a n d , s u r v e y i n g th o l i n e s p o i n t i n g to t h o e x t r e m i ­
t i e s , c o m e s to a d e c i s i o n . T h e r e a r o p e o p lo w h o a r g u e t h a t d e s t r u c t i o n
ifl t h o o r d e r o f t h e u n i v e r s o , t h a t o v o r y w h e r o w e n e e o n e o r o a t n r o
p r e y i n g n p o n a n o t h e r , i t s e l f b e i n g t h e f o o d o f a t h i r d , a n d t h a t i t is
t h e r e f o r e p e r f e c t l y n a t n r a l f o r p e o p l e t o k il l a n i m a l s f o r f o o d . T h e re
a r o o t h e r s w h o s a y t h a t e v e r y w h e r e is t o b o s e e n in n a t u r e a f e e l i n g
o f lo v e , a n a f f e c tio n — t h e m o t h e r t a k i n g c a r e o f t h e c h i l d r e n a n d s o o n .
T h e r o f o r e n o lifo s h o u ld b o d e s t r o y e d . T h e r o a r o n o t n f e w w h o s a y
t h a t t h o y u s o a n i m a l f o o d m e r e l y b e c a u s e t h e y f in d a n i m a l s a l r e a d y
d e a d o r k il le d , b u c t h a t o n n o a c c o u n t w o u ld t h o y a l l o w s l a u g h t o r
i n t e n d e d s o le ly f o r t h e m s e l v e s , A d i s p a s s i o n a t e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e s o
t h r o o a r g u m e n t s is n o w n c c e s s n r y . T h e f i r s t c l a s s s h o w t h a t t h e y h a v o
n o t r i s e n a b o v e t h e i r a n i m a l n a t u r e . O t h e r w i s e t h e y w o u ld s e o t h a t t h i s
b e a s tly te n d e n c y , th i s d e s ire f o r th e a s s im ila tio n o f a n im a l fo o d w ith
t h o i r p h y s ic a l f r a m e s , h a s th e c lfc c t o f c h a in in g th e m d o w n to a p h y ­
s i c a l p l a 'i o f r o m th o m e s h o s o f w h ic h n o r i s i n g is p o s s i b lo u n l e s s a m o r o
h n m a n to o l in g b e g i n s to a s s e r t i t s e l f . T h e l a t e n t s p a r k o f t h i s n o b lo
f o o l i n g is i n h e r e n t i u a n i m a l s t o o , f o r i f t h e y d id n o t h a v o i t , t h e y
w o u ld iioL fo o l t h a t t o n d o r n e s s t o w a r d s t l i e i r y o u n g w h ic h t h e y m a n i ­
f e s t . T h i s c l a s s , t h e r e f o r e , w o m u s t l e a v e o u t o f c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r th o
p r e s e n t. T h e s o p h is try o f th e t h i r d c l a s s i s s e lf - e v i d e n t. O u r
a n s w e r t o t h e m is t h a t t h e y m u s t r e m o m b e r t h a t a n a p p r e c i a b l e
d e c r e a s e in t h e n u m b e r o f f le s h e a t e r s m u s t h a v e t h e e f f e c t o f l e s s e n ­
i n g t b e n u m b e r o f s l a u g h t e r e d a n i m a l s . I f t h e y u s e t h e fle s h e f d e a d
a n i m a l s , t h e y m a y j u s t a s w e ll b e a s k e d t o f o llo w t b e e x a m p l e o f t h e
C h i n e s e w h o d o n o t s p a r o t h e f le s h o f d e a d p e r s o n s . W o m u s t n o w
d i v e r t o u r a t t e n t i o n t o t h o s e c o n d c l a s s . I f t h e th e o r y t h a t n o lif e
s h o u ld b e d e s t r o y e d b e c a r r i e d t o i t s l e g i t i m a t e e x t e n t , t h e v e r y e x i s t ­
e n c e o f m in i w o u ld b e c o m e i m p o s s ib l e , f o r e v e n t h e a i r h e b r e a t h e s is
f u l l o f a n im a lc n lo D , w h ic h h e m u s t i n h a l e w h e n t h e r e s p i r a t o r y p r o c e s s
is i n o p e r a t i o n . N a y — w e c a n g o s t i l l f u r t h e r -. t h e O nb L ife p e r ­
m e a t e s a l l ; e a c h a n d e v e r y a 'to m h a s l a t e n t li f e i n i t , a n d t h e r e f o r e
e v e r y a to m w o d is p l a c o in o u r m o v e m e n t s is a u i n j u r y t o li f e . T h e
g r e a t p r o b le m is h o w to g e t o u t o f t h i s d if f i c u lt y . T h e O c c u l t i s t r e c o g ­
n i s e s t h e i m p o r t a n t f a c t t h a t e v e r y t h i n g in n a t u r o p r o g r e s s e s g r a d u a l l y
a n d n o t h i n g is a c h i e v e d b y s t a i t s o r j u m p s . A t t h e s a m o ti m e h e
r e a lis o s t h a t d e s tr u c tio n a n d c r e a tio n a ro r e la tiv e a n d in te rc h a n g e a b le
t o r m s , s in c e d e s t r u c t i o n r e l a t e s o n ly t o f o r m — t h e s u b s t a n c e r e m a i n i n g
a l w a y s p e r m a n e n t — a n d t h a t t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f o n e f o r m is t h e c r e a t i o n
o f a n o th o r . T h e s e r e la tiv e id e a s th e r e f o r e c e a se , w h e n th e p h e n o ­
m e n a l a n d t h e n o n m e n a l a r e b le n d e d t o g e t h e r i n t o T he O ne S ubstance.
T h e a i m o f t h e O c c u l t S t u d e n t is t h e r e f o r e t o g r a d u a l l y p r o g r e s s o n
t h e p a t h o f p e r f e c t i o n , s o t h a t h e m a y g e t o u t o f t h i s w o r ld o f f o r m s
a n d b e m e r g e d i n t o t h e A i t u n T otality . T h i s is n o t t h e w o r k o f a d a y ,
n o r o f a l e w y o a r s , b u t o f a g es. H o t h e r o f o r e g r a d u a l l y b y a s p e c ia l
t r a i n i n g i n d u c e s in h i m s e l f s u c h c o n d i tio n s a s w o u ld e n a b l e h im t o r is e
h ig h e r a n d h ig h e r o n th e p a th o f p e rfe c tio n . H e d o c s n o th in g
v i o l e n t l y : h e o n ly a n t i c i p a t e s , b y h is k n o w le d g e , t h e u s n a ll v s lo w p r o ­
c e s s e s o f N a t u r e , a n d h e c o n f o r m s h is m o d e o f l i v i n g t o t h e t h e n c o n d i­
ti o n s o f h is e x i s t e n c e , b e a r i n g a l s o i n m i n d t h a t i t is b u t t e m p o r a r y
B in c e a h i g h o r s t a t e o f e x i s t e n c e r e q u i r e s a b e t t e r m o d e . Tho
n e o p h y t e g r a d u a l l y le a v e s o ff e a t i n g u n t i l h e r e a c h e s a s t a g e w h e r e n 6
f o o d is n c c e s s a r y . A n d t h e u l t i m a t e s t a g e is t h a t w h e r e a ll r e l a t i v i t y
o e a s e s a n d h o id e n tif i e s h in iB e lf w i t h t h e A bsolute -Existence . S o lo n g ,
t h e r e f o r e , a s w e a r e in t h e p h e n o m e n a l w o r ld , w e c a n n o t b u t g u id e
o u r a c t i o n s b y th o l a w o f r e l a t i v i t y a n d h a v e a l w a y s t o m a k e a c h o ic e
b e t w e e n t w o e v i ls . A t r u e p h il o s o p h o r , o n e w h o h a s p u t h i m s e l f
e n - r a p p n r t w i t h h is B u d d h i , m a k e s t h e r i g h t c h o i c e . I t is f o r th i s
r e a s o n t h a t O c o u lc S c ie n c e i s u s e f u l . I t g iv e s i t s v o t a r i e s a r i g h t
s o n s o o f d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a n d e n a b l e s t h e m t o a d o p t o n ly tlia c c o u r s e
w h i c h w o u ld n o t c o m o in th o w a y o f p r o g r e s s , w h ile o r d i n a r y h u m a ­
n i t y , e n g u l f e d in t h o t r a m m e l s o f A v id y a , g r o p e s i n t h e d a r k a n d
m a n y a t i m e d o e s e x a c t l y t b e o p p o s i t e o f w h a t m a y b e c o n d u c iv e t o
p r o g r o s s . T h i s s h o u ld n o t b e a s s u m e d t o m e a n a n o c c u l t i s t i s i n f a l l i b l e ;
b u t b y Iu b s u p o r i o r k n o w le d g e h e i s i n a b e t t o r p o s i t i o n t o d o w b a t
is r ig h t th a n o n e w h o se p e r c e p tio n s a r e c lo u d e d b y M a y a . T h is e x p la ­
n a t i o n , I b o lie v e , is s u f f ic i e n t t o s h o w t h a t n o h a r d a n d f a s t r u l e s c a n be
l a i d d o w n f o r g e n e r a l g u id a n c e . T h o r e is a n i n f i n i t e g r a d a t i o n o f p r o ­
g r e s s t o w a r d s t b e A bsolute , w h e r e a l o n e a ll d if f e r e n c e c a n o o m o to a u
end- A s r e g a r d s t h e u s e o f a n i m a l f o o d , t h e a n s w e r to t h e f i r s t c la s s
o f m e n u n d e r c o n s id e ra tio n c o v e rs th e p o in t.
D. K . M .
IN D IA , W IIA T CAN IT TEACH US P *
W ehavo to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the
latest work of the veteran Sanskr ifist, Professor Max Muller
of Cambridge. A consideration at length of tho views here­
in advanced as to the ago of the sacred writings of the
ancicnt Aryas and of the classical literature of the H indus has
been rendered unnecessary for two reasons : first, because
they are but tho reiteration of the conclusions contained in
S. the previously published works of the learned Professor; and
secondly, because the assigned dates arc all declared by him
to be but provisional. Tlie immediate object which moved
the Professor to deliver the course of lectures, collected in
the present volume, is to inspire the young gentlemen of tha
Civil Service, under training to be the future rulers of India,
with love and respcct for India, its people and its literature.
This noble endeavour to bring about friendlier relations
between two families of the human race, entitles the Profes­
sor to honorable recognition from Theosophists, as a fellow-
lahourcr in tho same vineyard of Universal Brotherhood.
As such we givo the book a hearty wclcome. The undeni­
able facts whicli aro gathered together in tho second
lecture of the series for tho vindication of the tru th ­
fulness of the H indus, will silence every one not afflicted
with a tem erity bordering upon fool-hardiness, from
uttering such calumnies against tlie H indu nation, as
have, unfortunately, been but too freely indulged in by a
cert-iin class of Europeans. A strong array of facts
and argum ents have been brought forward in this volumo
to show th at even “ civilized ” Europe lias something of
great importance to learn from India. B ut at the samo
* A c o u r s e n f L e c t u r e s d e l i v e r e d b o f o r o t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f C a m b r id g e .
B y F . M a x M u lle r , K . M . l i o n . D o c t o r o f L a w i n t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f
C a m b rid g e ; M em b e r o f th o F r e n c h I n s tit u te ; L o n d o n ; L o n g m a n s,
G r e e n & C o ., 1 8 8 3 .
 time we may be allowed to rem ark th at the book would
have in no way suffered if care had been taken to weed out
from it such passages as remind one of the Biblical exhor­
tation—“ Go to the ant, thou sluggard,” &c. If, however,
the Professor succeeds in carrying conviction home to his
readers th a t great good is likely to flow from an attentive
study of the sacred books of India, he will have established
a strong claim on the gratitude both of the H indus and the
Europeans.
We shall conclude this notice of Professor Max M uller’s
valuable work with an extract showing the living power
exercised by the Vedanta Philosophy in India. Says the
German P u n d it:—•
In Indi:i ia spito of nil appearances to the contrary, and not­
withstanding tho indifferences on religious matters so often
paraded beforo tlio world by tho Indians them selves, religion,
and philosophy too, are great powers still. Head the account
thut has lately been published of two native statesmen, tbe ad­
ministrators of two first class states in Saurashtra, Junagarh
and IJliaviiiigar, Gokulaji and Gaurisankara, aud you will see
whether the Vedanta is still a moral and political power in India
or not.
But I claim even more for the Vedanta, and I recommend its
study, not only to the candidates for tho Indian Civil Service
but to all trne students of philosophy. It will bring before them
a view of life, different from ull other views of life which are
placed before us iu tho History of Philosophy. You saw bow
behind all the Devas or gods, the authors of the Upanishads
discovered tho Atman or Self. Of that Self they predicated
throe tilings only, that it ia, tbat it perceives and that it enjoys
eternal bliss- All other predicates were negative : it is not this,
it is not that—it is beyond anything tbat wo cau conceive or
name.
All impartial observers m ust endorse every word in the
above extract. I t is a revival of a more extensive study of
the Vedanta that the Theosophical Society is trying most
strenuously to bring about among Hindus. Wc have mado
our notice of the great Professor’s book as brief as practicable,
because his aim is all kind and benevolent, and we do not
care to mar the expression of our sympathy by combating,
as we should then bo forced to do, many of his cherished
theories and challenging tho accuracy of his arc hajo logical
inferences. T hat has been done by us before—possibly may
have to bo dono again. For tho present, we havo but to
thank this princo among European scholars for his friendly
appreciation of India and her people.
T H E IN H A B ITA N TS O F T H E PLA N ETS.
D ie P l a n e t e n b e w o u n e r , (the Inhabitants of the Planets)
and the Nobular Theory, is tlio attractive title of an interest­
ing book by the astronom er Dr. Carl du Prel, who has
already become very favourably known by his previous
Darwinistic writings. If one expects to find in this work a
fancy sketch of tho costumes and manners of tho inhabitants
of the plan' ts, he will be disappointed as the work is
purely scientific, demonstrating that tho existence of other
human beings than such as .we know of, and endowed
with peculiar organs, such as are adapted to their peculiar
surroundings, is not only a possibility but a logical proba­
bility, if not a cosmical necessity. The author is a man of
scienco and as such ho deals with solid facts and m athem ati­
cal deductions. His work forms the key.stone to the arch,
which modern astronomy has erected.
According to the nebular theory our solar system was
originally a gaseous firemist, which contracted, consolidated
and turned with a certain velocity around its own centre, or
axis. As this velocity increased, rings were thrown off from
its surface, which kept the original movement, im parted to
them by the parent body, the sun. These rings have been
thrown off at various intervals of tim e and therefore differ
in age, size and density. There are a t present over 200
planets, moons and asteroids in our solar system, and origi­
nally there must have been a great many more ; but the law
of the survival of tho fittest, which governs everything in
nature is here in action too. Each planet by its attraction,
(gravitation and tangential force) influences and modifies the
movements of its neighbours, and causes perturbations, by
which in the course of timo a num ber of planets m ust havo
collided and consolidated into one or more. Therefore only
those planets, whoso perturbations equalize each other, whose
periods of revolution are irrational—survive. The p e rtu r­
bations of our present planets arc equalized, and those of tho
asteroids nearly so.
Space will not perm it us unfortunately to follow tho
author into all the details of his interesting investigations of
the physical nature, and the progress of planets, moons,
asteroids, comets and meteors.
Spectral analysis proves th at the elements composing the
planets and stars are in their intrinsic nature the same as we
know them on earth ; but their states must differ very much
according to the age and density of the planet and its dis­
tance from the sun. The conditions existing on tho different
planets for the development of organic life must vary ac­
cordingly, and therefore tlieir vegetable and animal products
must also vary. Only four planets, Mercury, Venus, E arth
and Mars, exhibit conditions somewhat similar to each other,
and thus their inhabitants may be more or less like man as
wo know him. B ut can all life be limited to such an insig­
nificant small portion of the universe ?
2 2 | millions of years aro necessary for our solar system, to
accomplish one of its grand revolutions around the star
Alcyone in tho constellation of the Pleiades and a ray of
light from Alcyone has to travel for 715 years beforo it can
reach our earth. There are stars whose light takes 5121
years to reach us. Is it reasonable to suppose th at all this
immense and incomprehensible space and time lias been
wasted, to give life only to one or four inferior planets,
whose importance, is almost like nothing in comparison with
the magnitude of the universe P Such a conclusion would
prove the personal creator, if such a being could exist, to be
unreasonable and unjust. B ut if we accept the theory th a t
there are other modes of life and consciousness in the uni­
verse than those with which wo arc experimentally ac­
quainted ;—if we understand th at organic beings can exist
in other forms than the albuminous bodies which we know
th rough our physical senses; it then bccomes useless to base
onr speculations on the forms as we find them on earth.
But even on our planet there is an almost infinite number of
things, which aro invisible to us, because wo can only per­
ceive things by our senses and thoso senses aro by no means
fully developed. In fact we do not know the things them ­
selves at all, but only perceive them by their modes of
action.
The constitution of the inhabitant of a planet is not a
m atter of arbitration, but a result of the correlation of forceB
which exist on th a t planet, modified by the conditions found
therein. His organs must accordingly differ and bo
adapted to his surroundings. His size, weight, strength,
quality of senses, duration of life, perceptive, mental and
spiritual faculties must bo in corresponding harmony ; and
to form a comprehensive idea how a man on a certain other
planet may be constituted, wc must not only take all theso
things into consideration, but also the variations of astrono­
mical influences, such as gravitation, density, refraction of
the rays of the sun, and the density of the atmosphere
through which the rays of the sun must pass. A man for
instance, weighing CO Kilogrammes on eartb, would weigh
on the moon only 13, while on the Sun—he would weigh
1,702, &o.
The evolution, growth, form and number of organs is a
natural consequence of the necessities of their existence. The
surroundings of man callcd them into life, and his organs
become developed or disappear, in accordanec with tha
necessity for their use. An organ th at may be very useful
on one planet may be useless on another. Plants, animals
and men project the organs they need, the same is the caso
with still higher and more complex bodies, such as tho
body politic of a town or state, church or any other social
organization. H ere and there principles and men are com­
bined for a common purpose. Each man as ench organ has
a certain purpose to fulfil. An organ that is affected, makes
the body diseased, a person or a body of men th at act con­
trary to the laws of tho country, hinder its development and
affect the health of the whole. In man as well as in tho
organisation of state, like everywhere else in nature, tho
different organs aud lirnbs, to become useful as well as
beautiful, m ust be according to the rules of the “ golden
circle,” which means the division of a wholo into unequal
parts, of which tho smaller part bears the samo proportions
to tbe larger 0 1 1 0 , as the larger ono to tho whole. Only
when this rule is observed, works of art become perfect, and
as in art, which is only an imitation of tho master works o£
nature, so through the wholo of nature the workings of thig
law can be traced.
 This can only be explained, if we adm it th a t a universal
principle pervades tlie whole of nature, or is identical witli
nature, which alone is capable of shaping the forms which it
evolves according to th at rule. This principle having grown
into consciousness in man stands before its own works and
admires the beauty of its own creations, and the unity of
nature and spirit is revealed to us.
Wc havo undoubtedly the rig h t to draw our conclusions
as to tho form of organic products by observing the products
of the human mind, thc unity of the universe fu rth er per­
m itting us to extend our conclusions to the organisms of
other planets. N ature and spirit aro radiations from one
common point, and the formative principles of both arc iden­
tical. Ideas become developed, unfolded and differentiated
like organic products. Tho History of the hum an mind is
a process of adapting itself to the conceptions of reality.
H ere like everywhere we find competition, elimination of
error, survival of truths. Goethe says “ each age floats in
an atmosphere of common ideas and thoughts, and it is just
as natural th a t the same discoveries or inventions should be
made at the same time by different persons, as th a t indiffer­
ent orchard fruits of tho same kind should ripen aud fall
a t tho same time.”
Mind (spirit) and nature are one, bnt we see many inven­
tions that natuL-e has mado, while the hum an mind has not
been yet able to imitate them, such, for instance, is the problem
of Hying, which nature has solved in the construction of
birds. W hatever is possible to nature m ust be possible to
man, and as long as man has not succeeded to produce tho
works which nature produces, as long as he is surpassed by
nature in his abilities, he is not yot perfect. If we wish to
form an idea of tho naturo of tho inhabitants of othor planets,
wc m ust look through the book of inventions, and compare
the realm of organic nature w ith the products of technical
activity. W hero the former surpasses the latter, there wo
aro a f f o r d e d a glimpse of the possibilities of the inhabitants
of other planets or of our own future. If wc for instanco
should make tho acquaintance of an inhabitant of another
planet, whose brain would have tho inherent power to per­
ceive thc chcmical qualities of m atter, a power which we
technically possess in the speetroscopc; the existence of
snch a being would be less miraculous than thc fact that
nature should form a brain, which is eapablc of inventing
such an instrument.
If we agree that there may have boon a time, when man
could uot see or hear, we may also conclude th a t the inha­
bitants of other planets may have certain senses of which
wo as yet know nothing and th at are able to perceive such
vibrations of ether as cannot bo perceived by onr senses, and
of which wc can therefore form 110 comprehensive idea ;
whilo again others may be deficient in such senses as we
possess. W hat appears to us as color may appear to them
as sound, etc. Amongst a hundred persons about five are
found to be colorblind, and somo people cannot hear sounds,
which are fully perceptible to others. One and thc samo
objcct may be either felt, soon or heard, according to tho
character of its movements or vibrations.
Supposo a metallic rod to be suspended in a dark room and
let tho same be connected with somo mechanical contrivance,
by which it can bo made to vibrato and incrcaso tlio vibra­
tions gradually to a certain extent, and we will have tho
following re s u lt: A t first tho rod can only bo perceived by
ihe mechanical resistance it presents to our touch ; but when
the vibrations rise to tho num ber of more than 32 in a
second, a i l action at (ho distance commences. The drum of
onr car then begins to vibrato in consonance with the rod
nnd wc hear a sound of deep sonorous bass. As thc vibra­
tions increase tho sound increases in pitch and runs up
through the musical scale to the highest note, when at 36,000
vibrations per second all sound ceases and tho rod becomes
imperceptible to our senses. All through the long interval
from 36,000 up to 18 millions of vibrations per second wo
can neither hear nor see the rod ; but at this point it begins
to affect our sense of feeling, by em itting rad ian t heat. A t
a still higher rate thc heat ceases, a dull red glow appears
which becomes perceptible to our sight, and runs up through
all the colours of the solar spcotrum through yellow, green,
blue, purple and violet, until a t 8 billions of vibrations per
second, all light disappears and the rod as far as our senses
are concerned has ceased to exist, although its presence can
still be proved by its exhibition of chemical action. Expe­
riments like the above may be varied in various ways ; they
show th a t all we know of our surroundings, is only the
impressions which they make upon our senses. The rays of
thc sun are not all visible to us. On thc one side of the
solar spectrum thero are rays, which can only be felt (heat
rays), on the other side they may produce chemical action
(chemical rays). Thero may be men on other planets, who
perceive sound as we do light, and others whoso sense of
hearing i.s affected by w hat is to us inaudible motion, and to
such “ the music of the spheres” may be more real than the
poetical idea implies. We pity the blind and thc deaf, but
there may be superior beings, to whom we may appear as
blind and deaf and we may be looked upon with pity by
them.
If wo examine into the nature of our organs of sensation
and their commencement, the first question which meets us,
is “ how can dead m atter become conscious ?” We answer,
“ Dead m atter can never become conscious ; because m atter
is never dead.”* Sensation is a principle, whieh may be
latent or become developed. I t may be difficult for us to
imagine sensation w ithout a nervous system, but it is more
difficult to imagine th a t a nervous system could become
developed w ithout having in its atoms the inherent capacity
for sensation. Physiologists know th a t there can be sensa­
tion w ithout consciousness and many plants especially
creepers exhibit it. Sensation may be found perhaps to a
great extent lower in the scale of nature, but we cannot
detect i t ; bccause we have to measure it by our own sensa­
tion and there all sim ilarity is lost.
W henever our senses como in contact with the vibrations
of ether or m atter, the senses commnnicate them to the
brain and there the various sensations are excited. The
visible color rays of the sun differ from the invisible heat rays
only by the different size of the waves put into vibration.
If we talk of thc sun as a hot and luminous body, we ex­
press 110 opinion whatever in regard to the condition of his
objective existence, but refer only to our own subjectivo
sensations. There is neither light nor sound, nor color in
nature ; we do not pereoivc the objective changes in nature,
but only those subjective changes, which are produced in the
centres of sensation of our brain. W e have no other ex­
perience than an internal one.
Our world is consequently only our own Illusion. We
know nothing of any existence of things bnt that which
coincides with our ability to perceive. People nsually con­
sider the eye as a m irror in which external things arc reflect­
ing their images ; but experimental physiology teaches that
theso things m ust first be formed by the optic nerve. We
do not see the actual images of things as they are, but only
tlieir symbolic figures. “ Sight”—says Berkeley—“ is a lan­
guage, wliich speaks to thc eye, and we aro not conscious of
having learned it, bccause from our earliest day wc havo
learned it continually.”
The external world is a phenomenal world. I t is a percep­
tion of our mind, and not the real nature of things ; but only
the semblance of reality is impressed on our senses. Wc call
these qualities of things and imagine to grasp an external
world, whilo in reality we never leavo our subjectiyity by
observing them and wc only learn to know the modo of their
reactions upon our senses. There is no snch thing as a cheat­
ing of naturo. Organic bodies absolutely requiro for the
purpose of their existence such senses and thc development
of such an intellect to define our own position in regard to
the external world. ITow wo obtain this knowledge is prac­
tically immaterial, and w hether we reeeivc true pictures of
objects or only thoir symbolio representations, is for our pur­
poses one and tho samo thing. It is not necessary for our pur­
poses th at the objects and tlieir representations should bo
identical. If our senses wero constructed differently, wo
would havo an entirely different conception of the world.
B nt w hether a book is written in Latin, Greek or Sanskrit
letters—what does it m atter so long as we can read thc let­
ters and understand tlieir meaning ; provided the meaning of
the same word does not change?
The world, as we imagine it to be, is only a phenomenon,
whoso condition is dependent on our organisation and ceases
to exist with that. This is an old philosophical doctrine and
modern Physical and Physiological sciences have proved its
trn th by experiment. H eat and Light, sound, color, tasto
* A n d t h i s is a c a r d i n a l d o c t r i n e o f o c c n l t i s m . O u r M a s te r s s a y : W e
r e c o g n i z o n o B u ch t h i n g a s “ d e a d m a t t e r . ” E v e r y a to m i s o r g a n ic — a n d
t o d e n y t h i s is t h e g r e a t e s t m i s t a k e o f m o d e r n s c i e n c e . — E d .
 and smell are not things but only affections of our senses,
and w hatever we perceive is only the sum of our subjective
conditions of consciousness. We perceive only a p art of
those things th a t exist and not all that we believe to perceive
does exist in reality.
All those different impressions upon our senses would not
enable ua to define our position, if we did not concentrate
or focalise them to a single centre in which tlie varions
impressions are kept together by the tie of memory. This
centre consists in our personal consciousness. W ith the same
scepticism, with which we accept the testim ony of our senses,
must we also m istrust the deductions of our intellect, which
being the collective focus of our sensuous impressions must
be equally liable to error and equally subject to the laws of
development. We see therefore very different degrees of
intelligence among animals. If the sensuous perceptions of
the inhabitants of other planets vary from ours, their intel­
lect m ust also vary accordingly; for as every organ has
passed through several changes in the course of evolution,
so the centrc of our impressions, the intellect, must have
changed accordingly. A being whose intellect would be so
very different from ours, would probably perform actions
which would astonish us very much, and which we would
call miracles, becauso we could not understand them.
K ant, in his “ K ritik der reinen V ernunft ” has demon­
strated tliat space is nothing but a mode of perception of
our reason aud dependent 011 its specific nature. This is
already proved by tho fact th a t all the estimation of the
extension of space rests simply upon our comparison. If
every thing in nature, ourselves included, would during our
sleep suddenly become immensely large or microscopically
small, after waking up in the morning, we would never
know th at any change had taken place, provided we
hud been ourselves included in the change. H eight, breadth
and depth, are only subjective. If we were a globular eyo
without a body, all dimensions of space would be perceived
by us as only one dimension.
The mathematician Riemann speaks of the possibility of
the existence of a space whose lines do not continue in
direct lines, bnt return into themselves. Such a dimension,
would not be infinite, bnt globular. B u t if space, with its
three dimensions, continuing iu straight lines iuto infinity,
is only a subjective form of contemplation, then it will
also from an intellectual point of view be permissible to ask
w hether the existence of a fourth dimension of space is
possible. Tho mathematician Jauss does not doubt its
possibility and demonstrates the three dimensional extension
of space to be a specific quality of the human soul. F urther
more, if we can prove th at our present throe dimensional
perception of space is a result of an evolution of our mind
during the past, the possibility of a still continued evolution
to a four dimensional perception would bo presented.
Physiology proves that the appearance of a simple plane
in the field of our eye is not a function of our senses, but a
psychic act to whose completion the sense of sight simply
furnishes the material to the reasoning faculty. For thou­
sands of years man looked upon the starry sky as a plane, to
wliich the stars were fastened, and the stereometric con­
ception of space is of a comparatively recent date. The
aspect of our two hands, which are both alike and yet
differ—because the rig h t one cannot be replaced by the left,
nor the left by the right—indicates th a t there m ust be a
fourth dimonsional perception of space.
As space is subjective, so time is subjective! W e cannot
imagine a time which will end, neithor enn we imagine an
endless time. Time is nothing unless in connection with our
association of ideas. Life passes slow or quick, according to
the number of sensations of which we become conscious during
a certain astronomical time. To a fly th a t lives one day, life
may perhaps seem longer than fifty years to the dull compre­
hension of a turtle. The yellow sunray causes 509 billions of
vibrations of ether in a second. If we were able to perceive
each single undulation, instead of only the sum of these, a
single day would appear to us like eternity ; while if our
mind could only receive one single impression per minute,
life would seem extremely short. The existence of both kinds
of beings, who have either sucli quick or slow perceptions, is
not unthinkable.
We only know of one mode of consciousness, w hich is our
own ; but we liavo no rig h t to maintain, th a t tliis is the only
possiblo mode. Wo are under the logical necessity of cither
to believe in the unintelligence of tlie universe or in our own
ignorance. W hich of the two is the more piobablo theory ?—.
M.p t? Y ? f " r f Las uver been discovered, in which
the pioducts of reality have not far surpassed the creations
of our imagination. Should it be different, where life and
consciousness are concerned ?—At present wo cannot judge
of the quality of Hungs, th at lie beyond our horizon, but to
suppose (hat a time will arrive, when we shall be able to
obtain knowledge of the inhabitants of other planets, does
not seem to be moro absurd than tho presumption which
prevailed only a short tune ago, which declared it impossible
th at we should ever know anything about the chemical com­
position of the stars.
Our investigations finally teach us, not to look upon tho
universe as an aggregation of dead m atter, combined to
mechanical systems ; which is the prevailing idea of our age
of materialism ; but we do not believe to err, if wc predict
th at before m any years have passed away, scientists
wi 1 consider themselves unable to explain the mechanism of
tlie universe, without taking into consideration the pheno­
mena of consciousness and morals. '
A m e r ic a n B d d d h is t .
VEDANTISM .*
W e beg to acknowledge with thanks receipt of a sm all
treatise on the above subject. Although tho preface begins
from a Dualistic stand-point, the entire perusal of the work
shows to the reader th a t tho author substantially admits
the Adwaitee Doctrine. This strange inconsistency can be
explained on either of the two hypotheses, namely, th at (1)
the author was a dualist but the process of reasoning has led
him to Adwaitism, or (2) assuming a dualistic sland-point, he
wants to prove the Adwaita to be more correct and logical.
However th at may be, we need not enter into a discussion
here, since tho author does not speak himself but uses tho
language of the Veda. In this respect tho book is very
valuable indeed, sinco it is a small encyelopoedia of the
Vedantic argum ents in favour of the A d w a i t e e Doctrine.
We would therefore strongly recommend it to earnest stu­
dents who would have food for thought from Vcdic texts.
B hakgava S akm a. ,
OCCULT SC IEN C E, TH E SCIENCE OF B R E A T H .f
Tub title of the book now before us is very attractive
indeed. The Appendix, with whieh works generally end, is
the first thing which presents itself to the reader as soon aa
the present publication is opened. The authoritative idea
of “ creation” which the author puts forth is a very valuable
contribution. Tho following passages are very suggestive :— ,
. . . . th is p h o n o m e n a l w o rld , th is s k y , th is firm a m e n t, a n d a ll t h a t
is h e r e , d id n o t e x i s t . . . . “ T h e r e w a s t h e n n o d e a t h , a n il t h e r e ­
fo re n a u g h t im m o rta l ! t h o r e w a s n o c o n f in e b e t w e e n d a y a n d n i g h t . ’1
. . . . “ T h e o n ly o n o b r e a t h e d b r e a t h l e s s iu i t s e l f , ” a n d t h e r e w a s
n o t h i n g b o s id o s h i m . . . . A ll th a t w a s d u rk n e s s a n d b y d a rk n o s a
a ll w a s c o v e re d . . . .
As light and darkness are relative terms and there can be
no conception of either w ithout a knowledge of the other,
would it not be better to use some other word instead of
“ darkness ?” The sacred book of K hiu-te teaches us that
there is nothing perm anent but space. However, to pro­
ceed :—
......... W i t h a l l l i g h t t h e r o e x is t s a s o r t o f m i n u s , n e g a t i v o l i g h t
w i t h a t e n d e n c y t o o v e r p o w e r t h e l i g h t w h e n e v e r p o s s i b lo ........ A n d
t h u s t h i s c r e a t i o n c h a n g e s o n f r o m o n o s lm p o i n t o a n o t h e r , n n t i l a t
l a s t a l l th e s o e n e r g i e s w ill s p e n d t h e m s e l v e s in t o t h e o r ig i n a l h e a t a n d
n o t h i n g b u t t h e n e g a t iv e I n f i n i t e , t h e o r ig i n a l g e r m w ill a g a i n b e
c o v e r e d i n t h e p o s i t i v e i n f i n i t e , l i k e t h e g e r m iu t h e lm s k , a n d s i m i ­
l a r l y p r o c e e d a g a in o u J ts s e c o n d c o u r a o ........
Let the reader now judge for himself whether the esoteric
conception of Cosmogony as given out in tho Theosophist is
in harm ony or not w ith the above extinct. All th a t the
Adwaitee or Esoteric Buddhist adds is th at this E te r n a l
Substance lias no consciousness ; for i t is itself absolute con­
sciousness, absolute will and absolute knowledge—absolotb
a l l —a phraseology adopted by our own sacred Scriptures.
The good and the bad—or the positive and the negative as-
* A l e c t u r o b y I.'ab u i)v ij;» d ;is P u t t a , 11. A . ; E d it e d b y D . C . G h o s h ,’
S . K . L a h i r i a n d C o ., C a l c u t t a , 1 8 8 3 .
f T ra n s la te d fro m th o O rig in a l S a n s k r it b y F a n d it E a rn P r a s a d
K a s y a p a , u. A ., 1’ . T . S . P u b l i s h e d b y R . C . U a iy . P r i n t e d a t t h «
“ ltip o n P r e s s ," L a h o r e . P ric o p e r co p y , e i g h t a n n a s , p a c k in g a n d p o t» ^
a g e , ono a u n a . C a u b e h a d f r o m t h e X’ u b l i s h e r ,
pects of tlio Ono Totality—arc its inherent potentialities, or
rath er they assert in that energy which radiates from it and
which is tho material basis of the phenomenal world. Would
not then tlio term evolution be less objectionable thau creation
as applicable to this process of the formation of the phenome­
nal world from tlie noumeiial ? Tho article “ The Victims of
Words” in the February Theosophist, and tho theory of cycles
presented in the Fragments of Occult Truth and iu Esoteric
Buddhism, should be carefully considered in this connection.
The process of evolution and its action in ever-recurring
cycles aro very concisely given in the Appendix of tlie work
nnder Review. Aud it will bo brought home very forcibly
to one who has already devoted himself to a study of the
Occult Sciencc.
To turn now to the other portions of the little treatise.
Even a tyro of the Esoteric Philosophy is aware that the
hooks of our ancient ltishis are w ritten, as it were, with a
double purpose. H istory and allegory, physical and psychi­
cal, phenomenal and noumenal, prose and poetry are so
closely interblended th at only he who has the key can crack
the outer shell and separate the kernel from the ski,,. While
the exoteric, literal interpretation concerns itself with
physical facts, the esoteric, hidden meaning opens up a renlm
of psychic research. This is a significant tru th , inasmuch
rs it shows thnt, unlike the modern scientists, the ancient
Rishis, who had studied deep the operations of Nature, did
not confine themselves only to one phase but took cognisance
of both. In their investigations they applied both the Plato­
nic and the Aristotelian methods, and having thus ignored
the claims of neither of the two broad Departm ents of
N ature, arrived at brighter and more correct results than the
scientists of the present day who exclusively concern themselves
■with but the physical side. The reader, who will bear these
facts well in mind and not bo carried away only l>y physical
facts or external phraseology, will gath er mnch from the
little pamphlet under consideration. The author lays great
stress upon Swara, which he translates as breath. We how­
ever beg leave to state th a t it is only one of the meanings.
Swara also means souiid, the external m anifestation of Vach.
A nd lie who knows tho mystery of the Logos, the Word, the
Ineffable Name, is fully aware of the highest importance of
fSwara in this respect. On page G, the author says :—-
......... T lio b e g i n n e r o f o u r s c ie n c o m u s t b e p u r e i n t h o u g h t ,
e a l m in m i n d , v i r t u o u s in a c t i o n s , n n d h a v e u n m i x e d f a i t h in ll is s p i r i ­
t u a l te a c h e r ; h o m n s t bo s tr o n g in d e te r m in a tio n a n d g ra te fu l. O n a
r n O ia n , a n il l- n f tt n r e d , a n g r y m a n , a l i a r , o n e w h o s o v i t a l i t y h a s b e e n
w a s t e d , o r o u o a n y o t h o r w a y im m o r a l , t h i s k n o w l e d g e is t h r o w n
»way......
And yet on page 1G occurs the following : —
I f a Y o g i w is h e s t o k i l l a m a n he m u s t tr y to d o s o in th e
T a tw a .
This appears a striking contradiction. B ut we believe if
lhe word Yogi be not used in the latter sentence, it would be
Jijl right. I t has been very often pointed out th a t the lowest
powers of Occultism aro b at physical, and it is in this stage
th at the danger lies for a beginner, lost he should diverge to
the left hand road. The difference between w hite and black
magic has already been noted in a special article in tho
Supplement to tho February Theosophist. I t is thus tho
sorcerer, who is actuated by selfishness, and not the Yogi
whose progress depends upon a cultivation of the feeling of
unselfish philanthropy and thus m erging into T U E A l l —that
can be actuated by a desire to “ kill a man.”
Speaking about the Swara in the body, wo find the author
Raying
......... T h e r e a r o t e n p rin c ip a l n e rv e s . T h i s in c l u d e s t h o t n b e s
Acc. I t is in t h o s e t e n t h a t t h e t e n m a n i f e s t a t i o n s o f S w a r a , * th o to n
C O -callcd V a y u s m o v o .........
The very next sentence, however, reads :—
T h o w o r d V a y u ( a i r ) in n o t t o c a r r y t h e i d o a t h a t a c t u a l g a s m o v e s
Sn t h o n e r v e s . W e m o a n b y i t t e n f o r c e s , w h i c h p e r f o r m h e r e t o n d i f ­
f e r e n t fu n o tio n s .
This idea is so very im portant th at it should never be lost
sight of. I t furnishes the key to interp ret esoterically tlio
exoteric phraseology used by the author, which, although
good enough for physical purposes, m nst not be carried into
tho domain of occultism. These Vayus in their connection
• I n t h i s c o n n e c t i o n S w a r a m e a n s N a d a m a n d t h e to n S v m ra s a r o
w h a t a r e g e n e r a l l y c a l l e d t h e “ D a s a v i d h a p r a o a v a n a d a m s ” .— T . S u b b ^
S (n r,
with the production of Nadam m ust be considered in the
lig h t of different kinds of magnetic currents, which, by acting
on the A kasa pervading the physical system, produce the
Occult sounds alluded to. They are the different vitalJrays
existing in the body which in their totality constitute the
2nd principle in the sevenfold classification.
The reader is forcibly reminded of the hot and cold passes
or breathings mentioned in works on Mesmerism, wheu he
finds on page 8 :—
T h e r e a s o n o f t h i s is t h a t w h e n t h o b r e a t h i s in I d a i t g iv e s c o o l­
n e s s t o t h o b o d y , a n d w h e n in t h e P i n g a l a i t g iv e s w a r m n e s s .
Or in plainer language, one may say heat and coolness are
the two aspects of the positive and negative phases of vital
magnetism.
A very im portant passage occurs on page 19:—
E v e r y d i s e a s e c a u s e s t h e b r e a t h t o flo w o n t o f t h o w r o n g n o s t r i l
n n d th e w r o n g ta tw a to co m e in to c o u rs e . W h e n t h e b r e a t h is t h e r e ­
f o r e r e s t o r o d t o t h o p r o p e r n o s t r i l .........a n d t h e p r o p e r t a t w a h a s
b e e n b r o u g h t i n t o c o u r s e , t h e d is e a s e v a n i s h e s .........
The Theosophical readers will at once here recollect the
explanations given by Col. Olcott of his wonderful mesmeric
cures. All nervous diseases are caused either by tho want
of magnetic fluid which causes debility, or by its accumula­
tion in some spot, thus preventing its free circulation, or,
in other words, by the disturbance of the equilibrium existing
between the different poles of the magnetic fluid. If tho
patient be sympathetic to tho m agnetiser, the nervous de­
rangem ent can easily be remedied. The mesmeriser has
either to give his own healthy fluid to make up the deficiency
in the patient, or to restore a healthy circulation by removing
the local obstruction. This will make it clear why it is that
all diseases arc not readily curable.
The small work before us is very valuable indeed, pro­
vided, of course, th a t the reader does not for a moment lose
sight of the importance of the above remarks. Otherwise he
is apt to get entangled in a labyrinth of physical phenomena
which would not only be of no assistance in psychic develop­
ment, b u t would moreover be positively injurious, if mis­
applied, cither through misunderstanding or incompetency.
A careful consideration of the articles on the Elixir of
Life and on Contemplation may be useful to the reader in
comprehending the esoteric meaning underlying the external
phraseology used by our author.
B iia r q a y a S akma.
“ T H E O R IEN TA LIST.”*
T h e first num ber of this periodical lies on onr fable, and w e
V ayu
give it hearty welcome. The Editor, Mr. W illiam Goone-
tilleke, is a well-known lawyer and litterateur of Kandy,
a gentleman of ripe scholarship in Sanscrit, Pali and Elu,
but more especially the first.nam ed. H e has secured ns
contributors to this issue Mr. L. C. W ijasinhe—one of tlie
best informed Buddhist lay scholars in Ceylon, whose name
occurs iu Col. Olcott's Buddhist Catechism ; Mr. T . B. Pana-
liokko, F. T. S., and Mr. M. C. Sidde Lebbe, a Mahommedan
lawyer and writer. The contents of this number a r e :
“ Introduction,” “ Perelitase,” and “ Sanskrit Puzzles,” by
the E d i t o r T h e Pali Text Society,” by Mr. W ijesinha ;
“ A 11 Account of the V irgin Mary and Jesus” as given by
Arabic writers, by Mr. Sinne Lebbe; and a notice of Mr.
A rnold’s “ L ight of Asia,” by Mr. Panabokke. From what
we know of the abilities of the Editor, we feel safe in pro­
phesying for the Orientalist a high rank among Journals of
its class.
“ TH E PLA TO N IST.”f
I t gives us great pleasure to announce the fact of the
resuscitation of the Platonist. The Journal was started in the
year 1881 by Mr. Thomas M. Johnson w ith a view to spread
* T h e O r ie n t a l is t , a M o n t h l y J o u r n a l o f O r i e n t a l L i t e r a t u r e , A r t s a n d
S c ie n c o , F o l k l o r e , & c. K a n d y , C e y l o n . S u b . I ts . 6 a n d p o s t a g e in
ndvanco.
t A m o n t h l y J o n r n a l , d e v o t e d c h i e f ly t o t h e d is s e m i n a t i o n o f t h *
P l a t o n i o P h i l o s o p h y in a l l i t s p h a s e s . E d ite d h y T h o s . M . J o h n s o n ,
O s c e o la , S t . C l a i r C o u n ty , M i s s o u r i , U . S . A m e r i c a , A n n u a l S u b s c r i p ­
t i o n , K u p e e s 9 , i n c l u s i v e o f I n d i a n P o s t a g e . A p p ly to , t h e M a n a g e r o f
h e T h e o s o p h is t,
 b wider knowledge of the Platonic Philosophy than is possess­ This is a clear exposition of the philosophical conception of
ed at tho present day and was noticed iu one of the numbers the doctrine of Maya. W hen Avidya, the creation of igno~
of Vol. I I of the Theosophist. For want of support, however, ranee, is removed, the one Absolute existence is realised.
the publication had to be stopped and it was witli difficulty
. . . I f w e w o u ld d e l i n e a t e t h e s e p a r a t e p r o p e r t i e s o f t h e t h r e e , p e r ­
and after considerable sacrifice on the p a rt of the editor that h a p s t h e e n u m e r a t i o n a n d d i s t i n c t i o n m a d e b y I r d n a e u s is a m p l e f o r t h a
the first Volume could be completed. B etter hopes are now p u r p o s e : “ T h e r e a r e t h r e e t h i n g s o f w h ic h t h e e n t i r e m a n c o n s i s t s ,
entertained and Mr. Johnson is confident of success. The n a m e ly : fle s h , s o u l a n d s p i r i t ; . . . T h e s o u l is i n t e r m e d i a t e b e t w e e n t h e
first Num ber of the Second Volume, which is now before ns, t w o j s o m e t i m e s i t f o ll o w s t h e s p i r i t a n d is e l e v a te d b y i t , a n d s o m e ­
was issued on the 1st day of the new year and the outlook t i m e s i t f o ll o w s t h e f le s h a u d s o f a l ls i n t o e a r t h l y c o n c u p i s c e n c e s .”
O r ig e n , l i k e w i s e , a d d s h i s e x p o s i t i o n : “ I f t h e s o u l r e n o u n c e t h e f le s h
seems promising indeed. The “ Salutatory” article defines a u d j o i u w i t h t h e s p i r i t , i t w ill i t s e l f b e c o m e s p i r i t u a l ; b u t i f i t c a s t i t s e l f
what Platonism is and gives the reador the scope of the d o w n to t h o d e s i r e s o f t h e f le s h , i t w ill i t s e l f d e g e n e r a t e i u t o t h e b o d y . ”
Journal.
This is not to be interpreted too literally to mean th a t body
r i a t o n i d i u ia a m e th o d o f d is c i p lin e r a t h e r t h a n tl io d e s i g n a t i o n o f
a s y ste m . I t s a i m is t o b r i n g o u t i n t o b o ld r e l i e f t h a t p h i l o s o p h y w h ic h
is to be physically tortured and destroyed. Fanatical enthu­
e m b r a c e s t h e h ig h e r n a tu r o o f m a n w ith in it s s c o p e , u n fo ld s th e m y s ­ siasts, w ithout trying to comprehend the idea meant to be
te r ie s o f t h e in t e r io r b e in g , a n d r e n d e r s u s a w a k e to e v e ry th i n g conveyed by the w riter, generally mistake external formulas
e s s e n t i a l .to h u m a n w e ll - b e in g . T h e f a i t h o f a l l a g e s , t h e m o s t a u c i e n t for eternal verities. Thus from exoteric interpretations have
a s w e ll a s t h e p r e s e n t , h o w e v e r d i v e r s e i u f o r m , h a s a l w a y s b e e n t h e arisen th e practices of Ilatha Yoga, the followers of which
js a m e i n e s s e n c e . I n e v o r y c r e e d t h e e f f o r t t o r e a l i s e t h e T r u t h is m a n i ­
f e s t, a u d e v e ry w o rsh ip is th e a s p ir a tio n fo r th e p u r e r a n d m o re
consider it meritorious to torture the flesh and attem pt there­
e x c e l l e n t ........ by to obtain Mukti. Physical practices may have their good
T h e s c o p e o f T h e P l a t o n i s t w ill b e e x t e n d e d to i n c l u d e n o t o n ly results : bnt these must be on a physical plane. And as has
t h e W i s d o m - R e li g io n s o f t h e A r c h a i c p e r i o d , O r i e n t a l a s w e ll a s already been pointed out in the article on Contemplation,
O c c i d e n ta l P h i lo s o p h y , a n d e x p o s i t i o n s o f t h c i n t r i n s i c a u d e s o t e r i c active—not passive, which is positively injurious—concentra­
n a t u r e o f t h e v a r i o u s b e l i e f s o f t h c w o r ld , b u t l i k e w i s e p h ilo lo g ic a l
in v e s tig a tio n s , tr a n s la tio n s a u d in te r p r e ta tio n s o f th e la te r w rite rs a s
tion developes physical mesmeric powers. B ut psychic deve­
th e y m a y b o o f f e r e d ; a n d in t h a t e v o r y v a r i e ty o f e n e rg y a n d s p e c u la tio n lopment requires the strengthening of the soul, which can be
r e l a t i n g t o i t s d e p a r t m e n t o f l a b o r o r t e u d i n g t o e n l a r g e t h e f ie ld o f done only by cutting off the desires which tend towards
k u o w l e d g e ........ spiritual degradation and by cultivating higher aspirations.
In short, the Platonist intends to be w hat the Theosophist In short, as has been shown in the article on White and Black
lias already been : the mode of tlie form er’s procedure will Magic, the assimilation of the fifth principle—the human ego
however be more suited to the Western world, since the latter — with the Buddhi and the Atma, is the first im portant step
is better acquainted with the Greek Philosophy than with the necessary for the attainm ent of Immortality ; its alliance with
Eastern. As the Editor rightly observes, the real esoteric base passions and m aterial desires is sure to bring on in course
doctrine is one, but the forms of expression differ, and its of time complete annihilation. All th at we regret in the
understanding largely depends upon the m anner of presenta­ article under notice is th at the ineompeteney of the E nglish
tion. The Platonist ie therefore a labourer in the same field language has compelled the learned professor to use the word
AS ourselves and deserving of assistance from all our co­ soul to denote the various principles known to the student of
workers in the East and the W est. Tlie first article begins Occultism. B ut a careful reader will find out all the different
with the introduction by M arsilius Fieinus to the Works of significations in which the term has been made use of.
Plotinus, which are intended to be reproduced. Its perusal ia ...A s m a n a d v a n c e s to w a r d m a tu r ity , s e lf is h n e s s — “ tlie c h ild is h th in g ,”
likely to give to a superficial reader the idea th a t Plato was w h ic h is o f r i g h t B u p r e m e o n l y in t h e c o n d i tio n o f b a b y h o o d , s h o u l d b *
a believer in a PersonaJ, and therefore necessarily a finite, l e f t in t h e b a c k g r o u n d , a u d g i v e p l a c e t o a g e n e r o u s r e g a r d f o r t h e
w e ll- b e in g o f o th e r s , “ c h a r i ty t h a t s e o k e th n o t h e r ow n*” T h u s ‘‘ t h a t
God. I t would not therefore be uninteresting to quote the w h ic h is s p i r i t u a l ” f o ll o w s u p o n t h e f o r m e r s t a t e . M o ra l c h a ra c te r ,
reprint on page 4 of the observations by Thomas Taylor s p i r i t u a l i t y , t h e r e g e n e r a t e l i f e , t h e t r u e , a n a s t a s is , i s d e v e l o p e d i a t h i *
concerning the views of the Philosopher :— m a tu r in g ...

A c c o r d in g t o t h e t h e o l o g y o f O r p h e u s , P y t h a g o r a s a n d P l a t d n ,
Every true philosopher lays down a cultivation of the feel­
t h e i m m e d i a t e A r t i f i c e r o f t h e U n i v e r s e is n o t t h e I n e f f a b l e P r i n c i p l e o f
t h i n g s ; a n d th i s , n o t f r o m a n y d e f e c t , b u t o n t h e c o n t r a r y t h r o u g h
ing of unselfish philanthropy as the essential condition of
, tra n s c e n d e n c y o f p o w e r, f o r a s t h e e s s e n c e o f i h e firs t ca u se , if it spiritual advancement. This is no sentimental gush, no flash
b e la w f u l s o t o s p e a k , is f u l l o f D e i t y , h i s i m m e d i a t e e n e r g y m o s t b e of the moment, to which some theological systems appeal. B ut
d e if ic , a u d h i s first, p r o g e n y m u s t b e g o d s j j u s t a s s o u l s a r e t h e i m ­ its practical realisation is the basis of development according
m e d i a t e p r o g e n y o f o n e F i r s t S o u l, a n d n a t u r o s o f o u e F i r s t N a t u r o .
to the teachings of Buddhism, i. e., Wisdom-Beligion, not the
A s t h o i m m e d i a t e o f f s p r in g , t h e r e f o r e , o f t h e F i r s t C a u s e a r o w h o lly
a b s o r b e d iu D e it y , a n d a r e , a s i t w e r e , s t a m p e d t h r o u g h o u t w i t h t h e
popular theology.
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f i h e I n e f f a b l e , s o a s t o b e s e c o n d a r ily w h a t t h e B 'ir s t I t is p l a i n t h a t P a u l c o n s i d e r e d t h a t i n d i v i d u a l t o b e i u t h e p s y c h i o
( io d is p r i m a r i l y ; a u d a s t h e u n i v e r s e f r o m i t s c o r p o r e a l s u b s i s t e n c e is c a te g o r y , w h o se n o tio n s a n d p r in c ip le s o f a c tio n a r e c irc u m s c rib e d b y
n o t a t h i n g o f t h i s k i n d , i t i s n o t t h e im m e d ia t e p r o g e n y o f t h e I n e f f a ­ th o e t h i c s o f s e n s u o u s r e a s o n e r s . S p iritu a l th in g s a n d e v e ry th in g
b le . l l e n o e , u s t h e w o r ld is r e p l o t o w i t h a l l v a r i o u s f o r m s , i t s i m m e d i a t e p e rta in in g to th e h ig h e r in te lle c t a re a b s u rd to s u c h ; h e is to ta lly a v e rs e
a r t i f i c e r i s a d iv i n e e s s e n c e c h a r a c t e r i s e d b y I n t e l l e c t ; f o r I n t e l l e c t is a n d u n a b le to a p p r e h e n d th e m f r o m t h i s p o in t o f v ie w ...
th e p r im a r y s e a t of fo rm s . A t th e s a m e tim e it m u s t be o b s e rv e d th a t
a u i o n g c a u s e s w h ic h p r o d u c e d f r o m t h e i r v e r y e s s e n c e , w h a t e v e r t h e Our readers may recall here with advantage a passage ia
i n f e r i o r c a u s e p r o d u c e s is a l s o p r o d u c e d b y t h e s u p e r i o r , b u t t l i e m a n ­ tho “ Replies to an English F. T. S .,” in the September
n e r in w h ic h i t p r o c e e d s f r o m t h e s u p e r i o r t r a n s c e n d s t h a t in w h ic h it Theosophist, wherein it is stated distinctly th at men devoid of
p r o d u c e s f r o m t h o i n f e r i o r . F o r p r o c e s s i o n s a r e a c c o r d i n g t o th o
. c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h o n a t u r e s f r o m w h ic h t h e y p r o c e e d . H ence, as th e
the sixth sense are constitutionally incompetent to compre­
F i r s t P r i u c i p l e o f t h i n g s is i n e f f a b l e a n d s u p e r - e s s e n t i a l , a ll t h i n g s p r o ­ hend supersensuous truths.
c e e d f r o m h i m in e f f a b ly a u d s u p e r - e s s e u t i a l l y , a u d o t h e r i n t e r m e d i a t e The translation of P a rt II of “ Iambliehos : on the Myste­
• c a u s e s a r e n e c e s s a r y to t h e e v o l u t i o n o f t h i n g s i n t o d is t i n c t s u b s i s t e n c e . ries,” b j the same learned brother of ours is equally interest­
A ttentive students of the doctrine of evolution, given o u t ing aud instructive as his essay on Soid. Those who have
an Esoteric Buddhism., who have read with care the article read the reprint of P a rt I into the back Nos. of thc Theoso­
on Victims of Words in the February Theosophist, will a t once phist are fam iliar with the ability with which thc translator
recognise the identity of thought. The essay on The Soul, by handles his subject. Tlie present Number of the Platonist
Prof. Alexander W ilder, F. T. S., throws a flood.of light upon also contains two articles from two other Fellows of our
ihe subject. I t was first read at a m eeting oi The American Society. Mr. Wm. Q. Judge, a well-known ofiiccr of the
Akademe and then published in the I'lutonist. The following New York Branch, writes ably on the subject of Psychom etry:
extracts from the same will be very interesting and instructive while the translation of the “ Kabalistic Doctrine of Spirits,”
to the reader :— by an F. T. S., whose name is not mentioned, is a very valu­
able addition to the other interesting aud instructive m atter
.. . T h e a n s w e r , t h e r e f o r e , is m a d e t o t h e g r e a t q n e s t i o n o f t h e A g e s .:
" W h e n c e , w h e r e , a n d w h i t h e r ? ” — E t e k n i t y . I t is o a r h i s t o r y , t h a t w e
in the Platonist.
• c a m e f o r t h a s f r o m a F o r e w o r l d a n d r e t u r n t h i t h e r a s t o .an e v c r l u s t i n " We have made a good many extracts to show th at the
F u t u r e . T h i s is , n e v e r t h e l e s s , a n i l l u s i o n o f t h e s e n s e s i n c i d e n t t o t h e Esoteric Doctrine underlying all tlie Faiths, whether of the
•d a ily w h i r l o f c h a n g e ; f o r w e , o a o h a n d a l l, a s s p i r i t u a l b e i n g s , a r o e v e n Orient or the Occident, is one and the same : and that to a
n o w in t h o E t e r n a l lle g ic u i. I t i s o n ly t h e f le s h a n d b lo o d t h a t h u s n o superficial reader the different forms of expression will sound
i n h e r i t a n c e t h e r e . W e d o n o t im a g i n e , w h e n a c l o u d i n t e r v e n e s b e t w e e n
like an exposition of different and perhaps antagonistic ideas.
u s a u d t h e s tm , t h a t w e h a v e b e e n t h e r e b y r e m o v e d a w a y f r o m t h e p r e -
•an co of th e d a y . I n l i k e a n a l o g y , t h e d a r k e n i n g o f o u r s o n ls b y t h e I t is also significant to note th a t almost all the articles in the
c o n d i t i o n s o f e x t e r n a l n a t u r e is n o t t h e S e p a r a t i n g o f t h e m f r o m th o num ber before us are contributed by Fellows of our Society, '
aw kliaH e f t h e i i to r n id W o r l d . .aud it gives ua pleasure to add that the Editor liimsclf is tut
F. T. S. Alt brothers and sym pathising friends should there­ T A B L E OT C O N T E N T S .
fore try to promote the circulation of a paper engaged in tha ------•------
Barao work as ourselves, namely, search after T ruth and a -wide Page. P a g t.
dissemination of Knowledge for the amelioration of the spiri­ The D is c o v e ry o f Ancient
F a b r ic s ... 155 P r o m o tio n of E d u c a tio n
tual condition of our fellowmen.
I .i B u d d h i s m P e s s i m i s t i c ? . .. 1 5 5 am ong M a ra th a s , K u n b is ,
B iiargava S ahma. T h e H eb rew L e tte r N u n . .. . 1 5 6 M a le e s , & c., & c. .. . 1 0 9 .
T h e W a y s o f P r o v id e n c e ... 1 5 8 A n s w e r s t o C o r r e s p o n d e n t s . 169..
L iv in g V a m p ire s a n d V a m p i­ L e tte r s to th e E d i t o r : — 1
ris m o f th o G ra v o in o u r T r a n s c e n d o n ta l O c c u ltis m .... 16 9 ;
TH E A N C IEN T H IST O R Y OF IN D IA * S o c ia l I n s t i t u t i o n s ••• 1 5 8 C o n te m p la tio n ... m
S c r a p s o f A n c io n t H is to r y o f A G r e a t R id d l e S o lv e d ... 171-
M r. A. Copia has laid his countrymen under deep obliga­ th e Is la n d o f J a v a -■» 1 6 0 T h e B o st F o o d fo r M a n ... 171*
tions by the publication of his “ Ancient History of India,” C h a s tity .. . 1 6 1 R e v i e w s :— *
tho first volume of which is now before us. Such a gross “ M a g ic o n , o r th o S e c r e t S y s ­ I n d i a , W h o t c a n i t T e a c h u s . 171 •
ignorance of the ancient high civilization and intellectual te m o f a S o c ic ty o f U n k n o w n T h o I n h a b ita n ts of th e P la ­
P h ilo s o p h e r s .” ... 1 6 2 n e ts ... 1 7 S '
and spiritual glories of India prevails th a t we, the degenerat­ “ T h o P l a n e t a r y C y c l e s o f II n - V e d a n tis m . ... 1 7 6 ;
ed sons of the mighty Aryans, are generally looked upon as m a n ity , o r t h o A s tro n o m ic a l O c c u l t S c ie n c e , t h e S c ic n c e
of a nation just emerging out of barbarism . Tho Oriental­ P r o g r e s s o f C iv i lis a t io n , b y o f B re a th . ... 1 7 S ;
ists have no doubt done a great service to our country by L e o n L e c o n te .” ... ]G 5 “ T h e O r i e n t a l i s t ; ’* .. . 1 7 8 .
showing th at we arc not quite the descendants of savages as O c c u lt P h e n o m o n a . ... 1 6 5 ! “ T h o P l a t o n i s t . ” . .. 1 7 6
N o tic e . ... 1 6 6 | Tho A n c ie n t H is to r y of . J
■we were popularly supposed to be. . B ut even the greatest of 1GG In d ia . ... 1 7 8
these scholars, Prof. Max Muller, calls the tim e of the Vedas G h o s t S t o r i o s G a lo r e . .. . 1 6 7
as the “ Childhood of tlio Race.” I t is a current belief that
progression lies in a straight line, and hence to suppose that
there was a time when any portion of mankind could have
had a civilization far higher than the modern one which
S P E C IA L N O TIC ES.
boasts of railways, telegraphs, telephones, phonographs, I t ie n o w e v i d o n t t h a t t h e T riE o so p n iS T o f f e r s t o a d v e r t i s e r s u n u s u a l
and w hat not—is looked down upon as something akin to a d v a n ta g e s in c ir c u la tio n . W e h a v o a l r e a d y s u b s c r i b e r s in e v e r y p a r i
innocent lunacy. The Aryan theory of evolution which o f I n d i a , in C e y l o n , B n r m a b , C h i n a a n d o n t h e P e r s i a n G u lf . O u r p a p e r
speaks of development in spiral circles—cycles—is known to a ls o g o e s to G r e a t B rita in a n d I r e la n d , F r a n c o , S p a in , H o lla n d , G e r­
very, very few. O ur ancestors recognised th a t ju st as de­ m a n y , N o r w a y , H u n g a r y , G r e e c e , R u s s i a , A u s t r a l a s i a , S o o th A f r i c a ,
th o W e s t In d io s , a n d N o r th a u d S o o th A m e ric a . T h e f o ll o w i n g v e r y
struction and creation arc interchangeable term s—since these m o d e r a t e r a t e s h a v e b e e n a d o p t e d :—
are relative terms, applied to the forms which always change, A d v e r t is in g R ates.
the destruction of one form being but the creation of another, F i r s t i n s e r t i o n ..............1 6 l i n e s a n d u n d e r ............... 1 R u p e e .
the substance always rem aining the samo—so in the same F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n o .................................................. 1 A n n a .
m anner retrogression is but progress. H aving reached tho S p a c e is c h a r g e d f o r a t t h e r a t e o f 1 2 li n e s to t h o in c h . S p e c i a l a r r a n g e ­
m e n t s c a n b e m a d e f o r l a r g e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , a n d f o r l o n g e r a n d fix e d
apex of development, the material casts off its old skin to p e rio d s . F o r f u r t h e r in f o r m a tio n a n d c o n tr a c ts fo r a d v e rtis in g , a p p ly t*
take on a better and a higher one. An ignorance of these M a n a g e r , T H E O S O P H IS T , A d y a r , M a d r a s.
philosophical and metaphysical theories propounded by tho M e s s u s . G K A V E S , C O O K S O N A N D C o ., M a d r a s . If;;;
Rishis and a vanity inherent in hollow civilizations standing F ro pu ieto q , INDUSTRIAL PRESS, 3, H ummum S treet , F ort , B ombay.

M es9k s. C O O P E R <fc C o ., M S , F , B ;
npon a materiat plane—are at the bottom of our sacred scrip­ To SUBSCRIBERS.
eadow treet ort omray

tures and history not being given the high place they deserve. The Subscription price at which tho TiiEosornisT is published barely
A t such a time, tho attem pt of our patriotic author to covers cost—tho design in establishing the journal having boen rather
bring to light the hidden gems from the mine of Aryan to roach a very wide circlc of readers, than to mako a profit. We can­
thought cannot be too highly praised. As he rightly ob­ not afford, therefore, to send specimen copies free, norto snpply libraries,
serves, our countrymen should “ note the fact th at the' loss societies, or individuals gratuitously. For the same reason wo ar«
obliged to adopt the plan, now universal in America, of requiring sub­
of their self respect as a nation and of their unconsciousness scribers to pay in advance, and of stopping the paper at the end.of th*
as to the existence of their ancient literature and of tlieir term paid for. Many years of practical experience have convinced
past history has emboldened the foreigners, particularly tho Western publishers that this system of cash payment is the best and
Anglo-Indians, to speak lightly of everything connected with most satisfactory to both parties; and all rospectablo journals are now
them and to ill-treat them before their very face.” The conducted on this plan.
T h e T h e o s o p h i s t w ill a p p e a r e a c h m o n t h . T h e r a t e s , f o r t w e l v e
present work is the result of arduous labour. The author n u m b e r s o f n o t le s s t h a n 4-8 c o l u u is R o y a l 4 to . e a c h o f r e a d i n g m a t t e r ,
had to ransack almost all the ancient works in original Sans­ o r 5 7 6 c o l u m n s i n a l l , a r o a s f o l l o w s :— T o S u b s c r i b e r s i n a n y p a r t o f
k rit by tho help of Pandits to be able to compile as correct a I n d i a , C o y lo n , S t r a i t s S e t t l e m e n t s , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A u s t r a l i a , R s . 8 ; ■t
history of ancient India as possible. And the reader is struck in A f r i c a , E u r o p e , a n d t h e U n ite d S t a t e s , £ 1 . H a l f - y e a r ( I n d i a , A c .,)
R s . 5 ; S i n g l e c o p ie s R u p e e 1 . R e m i t t a n c e s i n p o s t a l s t a m p s m u s t b e a t
w ith respect for the author who could succeed so well in t h o r a t e o f a n n a s 17 to t h o R u p o e to c o v e r d i s c o u n t . T h e a b o v e r a t e *
Buch a difficult task. We may not agree w ith him in alt f
i n c l u d e p o s ta g e . N o n a m e w i l l be e n t e re d i n th e books o r p a p e r se n t
th a t lie says, but there can be no two opinions on the fact that u n t i l th e m o n e y i s r e m it t e d ; a n d i n v a r ia b ly th e p a p e r w i l l be d is c o n t in u e d
“ as a book of information and reference it doubtless sup­ a t th e e x p ir a t io n o f the t e rm s u b s c r ib e d f o r . R e m i t t a n c e s s h o u ld b e m a d »

A
plies a place which had been left vacant by all the literary in M o n e y - o r d e r s , I l u n d i s , B ill, C h e q u e s , ( o r T r e a s u r y b ills i f in r e g i s t e r e d
l e t t e r s ) , a n d m a d e p a y a b l e o n ly to t h o P r o p r i e t o r s o f t h e T h k o s o p u i s t ,
men of the modern generation” and th a t the author has done A d y a r , 1’. 0 . , ( M a d r a s , ) I n d i a . S u b s c r i b e r s w is h in g t o h a v o r e c e i p t s ,
his best to make his book as complete as possible. Political in a c k n o w l e d g m e n t o f t h e i r r o m i t t a n c e s , s h o u ld s e n d r e p l y p o s t c a r d s
and social topics are beyond our legitimate province, and we fo r th e p u rp o se .
leave thoso to be looked into and settled by the parties con­ S u b s c r i b e r s f o r t h e S e c o n d V o lu m e ( O c t o b e r 1 8 8 0 t o S e p t e m b e r
cerned. The work is very valuable indeed, and ought to bo 1 8 8 1 ) p a y R s . 6 o n ly in I n d i a ; R s . 7 in C e y lo n ; R s . 8 i n t h e S t r a i t * i i
in the library of every Theosophist, who is engaged in the S e t t l e m e n t s , C h in a , J a p a n , a n d A u s t r a l i a ; a n d £ 1 in A f r io a , E u r o p e a n d 'ft l
t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . V o l. I is n o w o n t i r e l y o u t o f p r i n t . '
active work of carrying out the second object of our Society. A g e n t s : L o n d o n , E n g ., M e s srs . T riib n e r a n d C o m p a n y , 5 7 a n d 5 9 ,
If any of our branches should, in conjunction with the author, L u d g a t o H i l l ; B e r n a r d Q u a r i t c h , 15 P ic c a d il ly , W . ; P a r i s , F r a n c e , P . G .
take advantage of the present work and carry their investi­ L e y m a rie , 5, R u e N e u v e d e s P e tits C h am p s ; N o w Y o rk , F o w lo r Vi*
gations deeper and deeper and publish the results of their a n d W e lls , 7 5 3 , B r o a d w a y ; B o s to n , M a s s, C o lb y a n d R i c h , 9 , M o n tg o ­
m e r y P l a c e ; C h ic a g o , 111., J . C . B u n d y , L a S a ll e S t . A m e r i c a n s u b s c r i ­
researches for the benefit of their country, they will have b e r s m a y a l s o o r d e r t h e i r p a p e r s t h r o u g h W . Q . J u d g e , E s q ., B o x 8 , P . 0 .
done their duty rightly,—a duty they owe to tho world, which B r o o k ly n , N e w Y o r k ; M e lb o u r n e , A u s t r a l i a , W . H . T e r r y , P u b . f / a r b i n g e r
should know the tru th ,—to their country, which should thus o f L i g h t ; S t . T h o m a s , W e s t I n d i e s , C. E . T a y l o r ; C a l c n t t a , I n d i a :
be given the chance of obtaining justice at the hands of tho T h a c k e r S p in k a n d C o m p a n y , B o o k s e lle rs ; B a b u N o re n d ro N a th ,
present generation, to their forefathers, who have bequeathed S e n , I n d i a n M i r r o r O ffice, 2 4 , M o tt’s L a n e , D h u r r u m t o l l a h S t r e e t ;
!>$
to them such invaluable treasures of knowledge, and lastly M a d r a s , M e s s r s . K a i l a s a m B r o t h e r s , P o p h a m ’s B r o a d w a y , L . V e n k a t a ‘£
V a r a d a r a j u l u N a id u G a r u , R o y a p e t t a H i g h R o a d ; C o lo m b o , C e j i o n • ■ tt
to themselves, the unworthy sops of the w orthy Sires. J o h n R o b e r t d e S ilv a , S u r v e y o r G e n e r a l ’s O ffic e ; K a r n ly , D o n T i m o th y
y •*;
K a r u n a r a t n o ; S h a n g h a i , C h i n a : K e l l y a n d W a ls h .
B iiargava S arma.
i!
P rin te d at the Scottish Press, b y G r a v e s , C o o k s o n A n d Co.;
* T h o A n c i e n t H i s t o r y o f I n d i a : P o l i t i c a l , S o c i a l , M o r a l a n d R e l ig io n s ,
and published by th e T h k o s o f h i c a l S o c i e t y a x A d y a x ,
f r o m t h e e a r l i e s t p e r i o d n p t o m o d e r n ; b y A , C p p ia , l e t G r a d e P l e a d e r ,
C u d d a p a h , in five volumes, (M adras), In d ia ,
 (SU P P L E M E N T TO T H E T H E O S O P H IS T .)

a a a a a a. 0

OF T IIE

T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .

No. IV .—A P R IL 1, 1884.

S U B S C R IP T IO N T O T H E J O U R N A L : -
India. Foreign
R e g u la r M e m b e r s o f th e T h e o so p h ic a l S o c ie ty - - R s, 2 .6 S h illin g s,

T o a l l o t h e r S u b s c r i b e r s .............................................................................................................., , 5 . 1 2 M

S U B S C R IP T IO N S DUE FROM JAN U ARY TO D E C E M B E R .

N . B .— S u b s c r ib e r s t o The Theosophist, w h o a r e F e llo w s o f th e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie t y , w ill r e c e iv e

th is Journal as a (i S u p p le m e n t” gratis.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Page. Page.
Resumo of Researches in Occultism . 58 T h e B h rig u K s h e tra T heosophical Socicty (Ju b -
The Constitution of Man. ... . 58 bulpore) ... ... ... 66
Man’s Progress ... ... ... ... 59 T he C hohan T heosophical S ociety, ... ... 66
What is necessary to become initiated. ... .. . CO
Letters to the Corresponding Secretary :— S a n s k rit Schools a t B areilly, ... ... 66
Mr. Niblett and the “ Epipliany.” ... . 62 T he first A n n iv e rsary of th e S ecu n d erab ad Tlieo^
Practical Work for Theosophists ... .. . 63 sopliical S o ciety __ ... ... ... 66
A Canon Occultist ... ... ... ... 63 T he A dlii B houtic B liratru T heosophical Society
“ Phenomena.” ... ... ... ... 64 (B erham pore, B engal) ... ... ... 67
Phenomenal:— ... ...
. ..65
Official Reports :— T he Bliagalpor.e T heosophical S o ciety ... ... 67
The Behar Theosophical Society (BanVipore.) .. . 66 M r. L a n e-F o x a t A dojii ... .-. . . . 67
The Kanchunjanga Theosophical Society (Dar­ S elf-M e sjn e risa tio n , ... ... . . . 67
jeeling.) ................... ... ... . 66 P erso n al Ite m s ... ... ... ... 67

A D Y A R (M A D R A S ),

1 8 8 4 ,

(P rice, S in g le N um ber, E ight A n n a s.) -M

 [.S U P P L E M E N T TO
JOURNAL OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
HE SUM E OF R E S E A R C H E S IK OCCULTISM.
B y an A merican SmiiTUALisT.
“ Now I acknowledge what the Master said :
The world of Spirit is not closed before us.
Our eyes are dim, our sense immured in clay ;
Awake, oh child and rise and see how glorious
Is the bright sunlight of eternal day.”
The writer of the following lines bus been for many years an
earnest investigator of “ Spiritualism .” li e has many times
witnessed the most astounding phenomena, including full form
“ materializations,” bringing of plants into closed rooms, levita­
tion of human beings, nnd so on. Ir. his investigations he lias
m et with only a small percentage of deliberate fraud and actual
humbug, and lie has therefore defended the truth of these facts
by word and pen, _ death, but sometimes its vitality may be retained for a long time
However, being of a sceptical nature, lie was never fully satis­
fied as to the source of these phenomena, and desired a more
reasonable explanation than that given by the “ Spiritualists.” He
therefore took up the study of Occultism , and having obtained
satisfactory results, ho mado up his mind to visit the Head­
quarters of the Theosophical Society iu India, to receive if possi­
ble still further lich t and to make practical experiments.
Ho was not only very kindly received by Colonel Olcott
nnd Madame Blavatsky, and the Chelas, but he also was so fortu­
nate as to see, soon after his arrival, a high Adept in his astral
form.
It is not his intention to tell about all the wonderful things
which ho has seen and heard at Adyar and which are there
every day-occurrences, but to give, if possible, a short and plain
summary of the results of his investigations. Necessarily many
points w ill only slightly be touched upon, wliich it would take
volum es to fully explain.
.i ■■ ■.
TH E CONSTITUTION OF MAN.
Terra legit carnem, inmulum circumvolet umbra, Orcus habet
manes spiritvs asira petit.
Goethe’s Faust speaks to tho m aterialistic philosopher (W agner)
in about the following language:
“ One sense alone is conscious in your heart,
He happy and avoid to know the other.
B ut in my heart, alas ! two souls reside ;
Each from the other tries to separate.
Ono clings to earth with passions and desires
Aud fond embrace ; the other breaks her bonds,
And rising upwards spurns the dust of earth.”
Every ono whose spirituality is not by a total immersion into
materiality or entirely lost, feels that his material body is inhabit­
ed by at least two spiritual elem ents, which follow different
attractions and d iffer. essentially from each other. Man is
therefore usually considered to be a triune being, consisting of
bis auimated physical body, his intellectual soul and his divine
spirit. But occult sciencc, having superior means of investiga­
tion at her command, tells us that man is composed of seven
principles, each of \rhicli can again be sub-divided into seven.
These principles interlink and influence each oilier by mutual
attraction during life; but at death they separate into three
distinct .groups. The physical body, whoso vitality is departed,
becomes disintegrated into the. elem ent out of which it was
evolved ; the more refined principles, which were the cause of
his animal desires, the “ spirit” of the Spiritualists and what
the Occultists call Elemental’}', may under certain circumstances
live a very long time before it perishes ; but the spirit alone
is immortal. It rises to its proper sphere, where it no longer
intermeddles with the affairs of earth, and after a time of rest,
whose duration and enjoyment is determined by tbe purity of tlie
nets and thoughts-of the man during life, it becomes reincarnated
to start again on the road to progression.
A s the proportions in which these principles and their com­
ponent parts may intermingle, are almost infinitely numerous,
Lliey present au infinite variety of forms and conditions, A
lower principle may be moro or less active by being more or less
infused by tho emanations of a higher one, and a higher princi­
ple may become more or less developed, according to
the amount of activity which has been expended for that
purpose. By using the word “ principle,” neither matter
nor forco is meant in the usual interpretation of the term,
but the elem ent out of which both have fgrmed, f^nd of .which
THE THEOSOPHIST.}
they are the positive and negative poles. So is water solid in
the frozen state, becomes liquid when m elted, gaseous wheu
heated to steam, and when overheated evolves electricity. So
do those principles progress from a lower state up to a higher
one ; but all have been originally evolved out of one primordial
element, the common source of all being.
I . P u y s i c a l M an
consists of the first three principles.
1. The material body with its organs and senses, which is
visible and tangible to ns simply becntise the organs and senses
by which we perceive it, are formed of the same principle in
the same state of evolution. Matter in a higher state can pass
through it, as water penetratos sugar. It decomposes after
after all signs of life and consciousness have apparently left
it, as shown in cases of buried Fakirs, also in well known cases
of vampires, &c.
2. Vitality, the scat of life, formed by a correlation of lower
forces, such as heat, electricity, magnetism, &c, being a separate
and non-intelligent force, whose vibrations are of a higher order.
Its movements and modes of action can be guided by will, it
can be attracted or infused into other bodies, and thereby many
occult phenomena, such as animal magnetism, abnormal growth
of plants, &c., can be explained. It does not die but becomes
attrocted to other bodies and helps to develope new forms.
3. Astral Body. It is the ethereal counterpart of the physical
body and the instrument by which w i l l acts on the vital force.
It is unconscious aud non-intelligent. It is the cause of involuntary
movements, reflex actions, spasms. It is the tool of (the atomic
body so to say, vital force being its spirit. It dies at the death
of the body, but may sometimes be seen by sensitive persons
hovering over the tomb or near by, in the shape of the man, as
long as the emanations of the body are y et strong. It disappears
when tho body is decayed.
In healthy persons this principle can never during life
separate itself from the physical body ; but in weak and
dilapidated persons so colled physical mediums, it may ooze out
and be seen as a “ materialized spirit.” The difference of its
outward appearance and resemblance to the “ departed one ”
is due to and determined by the activity or intensity of the
desire of the audience, or the medium, or both, to have such or
another person represented, or also greatly by the will of the
Elementaries attracted to the sennce room. It is essentially the
double of the medinm, and sbows only like a mirror a reflex
consciousness or memory.
It cannot go beyond a few hundred yards from the body of the
medium, if the magnetic thread that connects the two snaps,
the medium will die. The seeress of Prevorst went about more
iu her astral form than in her physicol body, but 1 1 0 further than
the room she was confined to or the garden. Tho astral body
is the especial playground of Elementaries and Elementals.
II. I ntellectual M an
con sistin s of
4 th. The Animal Sold or Kama Rupa■ This is the vehicle of
the will, the body of desire and illusion. It is tho realm of all
gross appetites, passions and cravings for animal necessities or
enjoyments. It is the cause of voluntary but unconscious move­
ments, such as modiumistic writing, &c. Itsru lin gp ow eris selfish­
ness and instinct, whose forces are focussed in the spinal cord.
It is neither conscious nor intelligent, but these powers dawn
upon it from the higher principles. It can involuntarily separate
under certain circumstances from tbe body and travel to
long distances, where it may be felt as a presentiment or seen
by sensitive and even often by normal persons as an apparition,
wraith or doppelgaenger of a living person, or it may be project­
ed by the ardent desire of a dying person and then appear at
tho time of death or soon after as a ghost, &e. It shows no intelli­
gence and acts unconsciously, although sometimes it may be
accompanied by a ray of light of the higher principles of the
dying man, before their separation took place. Here the majority
of ghost stories m ight find their explanation. '
-An adept however cau project his astral form voluntarily to
long distances. It is then infused with the higher principles,
acts consciously nud intelligently and can be made visible and
audible, or materialize, so as not to be distinguished from a
physical living body; and this is tlie way in which the adepts of
the Himalayas aud, -other places communicate with people at
 long distances, for instance with the officers of the Theosophical
Society at Adyur, aud those who w itness such pheuoinena every
day huve ceased to be astonished thereby.
This principle may survive a very long tim e after death. In
men whose spirituality preponderated during life its vital power
is very small, and it is then wholly unconscious and dies
out soon ; but if its loves and hates have been very strong
und if it has thereby assimilated with it a large portion of the
lower parts of the fifth principle, it becomes strong, enduring
and tenacious and dies hard. It muy also iu cases of very mate­
rial (wicked) but intellectual persons(black magicians) have attract­
ed to it tho whole of its fifth principle and thereby become
fully conscious, after which it may live und suffer for thousands
of years, perishing slowly aud gradually, until it finally dies.
This unconscious or half conscious principle is the occasional
visitant of scance rooms, where it is galvaniKed into a semblance
of life by the reflection of the higher principles of those present.
It may have a faint memory of its own, but it is incapable of
forming an original idea. These elem entary bodies, if they are
the remnants of good men and women, are difficult to raise into
a Bemblance of life, which cau only be done by the strong will of
necromancers (“ mediums” are involuntary necromancers). The
remnants of others draw more strength from the mediums and
sitters, live thereby longer aud have consequently longer to
suffer. In exceptional cases, however, such as saue suicides and
sadden deaths, a division of the higher principles may not yet
have taken place and such are genuine cases of spirit communi­
cations, which are ia so far detrimental to the spirit, us they
re-attract it to eartb.
This principle is only guided by im pulses and after death its
impulses are no more controlled by a consideration of the moral
consequences of its acts. Its desires and appetites may still be
very strong. It theu follows wherever its attractions may lead
it, to gratify its craving for lust, life, passion, revenge, etc ., and
will therefore associate itself with corresponding living human
beings (sensitives) or even animals. To this class belong the
cases of obsession, hysterical curiosities, etc. Uy drawing lifo
and strength from living beings, it becomes a vampire. Its
magnetic connection with the body iu the grave may or may not
be broken. In the latter case the “ materialized spirit” diffuses
a cadaverous odor. It may also serve as a puppet for Elementals
and then appear under different forms.
5. The Intellectual Soul or Manas, is formed by a higher
unfolding of tlie lower principles and a rising up of the same to
the higher ones. This is the link “ wliich joins the ape to god,”
that is, it forms the step by which man’s animal nature reaches up
to the higher spiritual principles. It is the seat of the mind
wilh all its powers of reason, memory and imagination, of obser­
vation, reflection and conception, and these powers find their
central focus in the brain. Here is the seat of intellectual consci­
ousness. In tho present state of evolution of man this principle
has not yet fully developed. Man is only partially free ; becauso
although being able to choose betweeu good and evil, yet his
knowledge is still very limited and he is therefore only partially a
responsible being.
After death the higher parts of the constituents of this principle
separate into two parts. The higher groups, such ns are fitted for a
pure spiritual condition combine with their sixth principle and rise
to their proper sphere as an immortal (as far as his individuality
is concerned) spirit. Here it lives in a condition of rest, whoso
duration und more or less pleasant or unpleasant sensations aud
conditions are proportionate to the purity of his thoughts and
acts while ou earth. It passes there through a corresponding
infancy, youth, manhood, old age aud dotage, when it will be
re-attracted to this or some other planet by the laws governing
reincarnation
The lower purts go to join the elem entary remnant of the
fourth principlo and strengthen the same. Man has it therefore
in his power, either to lower himself below tho brute by giving
way to his inferior attractions, or by reaching up to the higher
ones to rise to the divine.
There are exceptional cases to be found of living corpses, that
is of persons who by a life of bestiality have during their cor­
poreal life lost their higher spiritual principles, or others such as
cretins, and idiots, in which tho same never could take root,
III. T u t S p i u i t u a l M a n .
To him belong besides the higher parts of the 5th principle,
especially tho sixth and seventh. So far the principle!) under
consideration have become developed especially from below up­
wards; but now a rising up of the same to the sixth becomes
necessary. A s man, guided by his intuitions, advances, he
becomes lens dependent on space and time.
6. 'l'he Spiritual Soul or Buddhi. This is the highest princi­
ple, pure spirituality, materiality and a condition which only very
few have yet reached. Thofie who have progressed so far,
are culled Illuminates, Initiates or Adepts. Here is the realm
of knowledge. Spirituul consciousness, of which man in his
normal state has only a vague impression, is hero fully developed
and personal immortality established. By assim ilating with
this principle man becomes proportionally all-seeing aud omnis­
cient; that is, ho can put him self e n rapport with everything that
is not repulsive to hia nature and thereby perceive the same.
He knows his own powers and the powers of nature, nnd knowing
them he can control them , instead of being controlled by them.
He can now guide him self and direct his future iucarnations, if
such are considered necessary.
But still he advances. H is reason becomes wisdom, his
goodness broadens iuto universal love, his powers expand. He
becomes a Buddha aud finally one with the highest, the source of
all principles.
7. The Spirit or Atma■ This is an inconceivable state. It is
the universal fountain from which all things come and to which
all return, tho unim aginable, unchangeable state of Nirvana,
the spirit of the spiritual soul, Parabrahm,
M AN’S PROGRESS.
“ W hen shall we three meet again,
In thunder, lightning, or in rain ?”—( Shakespeare.)
The individual spiritual Monad from its first descent into
matter, up to its full developm ent as a perfect spiritual unity
has to pass seven tim es around tho septenary chain of planeta
belonging to our system and to pass on each through seven races
and sub-races, (as fully explained in Mr. Siunett’s “ Esoteric
Buddhism .” ) It does this by repeated reincarnations, during
each of which it rem ains inwardly the same spiritual individual,
but appears every time on the stage of life as u new personality.
“ Fresh
Issu es upon that universe that sum,
W hich is the latterm ost of lives.
W ho toiled a slave, may come a new prince,
.For gentle worthiness and merits won,
W ho ruled a king may wander earth in rags
For things done and undone.”
E. A rn old {Light of Asia.)
Man’s personality is therefore not immortal so long as his spi­
ritual consciousness has not 1 een thoroughly established,and unfor­
tunately tho majority of m nkind have as j’et very little of the
same, it being a product of the sixth principle. Normal man in his
present state of cyclic evolution has only reached the fifth step on
the fourth of the seven ladders of progress. Only tho fourth
principle has reached maturity, the fifth is in its adolescence, tho
sixth in its infancy and the seveuth has only au embryonic
existence in him.
Men may be very intelligent and self-conscious and conceited;
but not possess a glimmer of spiritual consciousness, and unless
they possess this consciousness, they cau bo neither complete
nor perfect.
The great secret of occultism and the great work before
us is therefore to establish this spiritual consciousness;
for while tho individual Monad, if unguided and left to
itself, may wander blindly along through untold ages,
and perhups finally be wrecked on the rocky shore of materi­
ality, the illuminated soul, guided by the divine ligh t of the
spirit, is able to find its way and to take unimpeded its flight
to tho summit of perfection.
To accomplish th is great work man must observe the
follow in g:—
1. Learn thnt the sixth spiritual principle, the divine spiritual
soul does uot descend to him, but that ho must rise up to it. It
would be useless for him to sit down in devout pious meditation
to wait for the blessings to come down, instead of helping
himself.
2. H e must obtain Knowledge and know himself and his own
powers. This knowledge ho may obtain by meditation (intui­
tion) and instruction. It forms tho basis of his faith, self­
confidence and courage.
3. The strengthening of his Faith forms the firm basis upon
which to rest his will. It developos the elem ents of the will
which are self-esteem , firmness and continuity.
4. A s his Will becomes strong he must put it into Action,
by exerting it continually in the proper direction, aud
by rising mentally up to the higher principles and grasping
them. “ l'he Kingdom of heaven must be taken by force.” This
can only be done by the power of w ill , assisted by the practice
of the highest moralitj’ and virtue. “ Only the pure iu heart
can see God.”
5. l i e must purify his imagination, so as not to impede his
progress and weaken his will, which would drug him back to
a lower plane. To do this he must never lose sight of the great
object in view and repress ull low and animal desires. Christ
(the seventh principle) must drive the money changers (low cra­
vings) out of the (human) tem ple, the sixth principle before.
He can tuke up his residence,there. Man must therefore always
follow the voice of the divine Guru in his heart.
0. By controlling his actions and purifying his imagination
ho starves to death all the lower instincts of liis animal nature,
contained in tho fifth principle. In ascending to those sublime
heights he must tear him self away from material attractions
which are his internal enemies. H e must not only avoid them,
but outgrow all desire for them.
7. To overcome his external enemies ho must avoid all
noxious influences, such as impure physical or moral surround­
ings, combative or irritating associations, the influence of
<>
E lem entals nnd Elementaries, and everything thnt mny bo
detrimental to his bodily or mental health. H e must be free
and independent, and press fearlessly forward, without looking
back to the missteps he may have made in the past.
“ He who ascends to mountain tops will find
Tho loftiest peaks most wrapped in clouds and snow ;
Ho who surpasses or subdues mankind,
Must, look upon the hate of those below.
Though high above tho sun of glory glow,
And far below the earth and ocean spread ;
llound him are icy rocks and loudly blow
Contending tem pests on his naked head ;
And so reward the toils, which to these sum mits led."
(B y u o n
Tho kind reader, who interests himRelf for snch subjects, will
now be no longer in doubt as to what Occultism is, how Spiritual­
ism can be explained, And how one m aj become an Adept. Bnt only
few of us are able to climb to such giddy heights during this one
life. However, we may accelerate our progress by waiting,
watching and working, and by ever keeping before our mind the
old motto, engraved with golden letters on the holy cross of
Wisdom and surrounded by the rosy ligh t of Love :
Know, Will, Dare and Be Silent,
T ry . modern civilisation.
TJ n h j » l i s i i b d W r i t i n g s o f E L ir i iA S L x v i .
Translated from tho French.
II I. L e c t u r e .
W H A T TS N E C E SSA R Y TO BECOM E IN IT IA T E D .
P l a t o wroto over tlio door of liis academy : “ Let no one enter
here, who is not well versed in M athematics.” Pythagoras
exacted further tho atudy of Music. In this way the two great
Masters desired to teach that above all wo m ust possess the senti­
ments of accuracy and harmony.
Exact and inflexible mathematics preside indeed over the laws
of nature. Subjected to tho intelligent evolutions of calculation,
they prove the existence of a calculator who is superior to man.
For Man by his most exalted exertions can only obtain nn
intnitionnl perception and prove only to his own satisfaction more
and more the sublimity and infinity of the divine intelligence.
Wo must know thnt nature is harmonious in spite of the
apparently existing discords, and this we learn by contemplating
tlie high intelligence of music, which knows how to harmonize
even discordant sounds and to transform them into the most
perfect harmony.
Wo must know thnt thero aro no discords in nature, and thnt
the mutual destruction of imperfect beings represents only the
creative labor of progressive perfection, which is the universal
law of being.
Wo must know that exact proportions exist between the beings,
that therefore no man will ever walk on his hands, for the pur­
pose of astonishing an ant; that nothing of a similar character
cau be supposed to take place between man and a being so
superior to man as man him self is superior to an ant, and with
still stronger reasons; that the universal principle of being has
nover subverted and will never subvert the laws of nature, for the
purpose of confounding man’s reason and to obtain his homage.
Wo must know that tho universal and regular laws of nature
produce sometimes exceptional manifestations, which are due to
a concurrence of certain causes which only rarely happen and
which result in singular facts or phenomena, which by the
ignorant aro mistaken for miracles or wonders.
Wo must know that matter is only a phenomenon and that
mathematical reason alone is a reality.
Wo must know that matter is inert and that intelligence alone
is action; that forco is the lever of intelligence, that life is the
labor of universal reason ; that outside of the demonstrations
of mathematics phenomena will always remain doubtful ; that if
we record phenomena, we only collect the materials necessary for
tho study of the laws, whioh govern them. We must know that
reason is not a sentiment, that sentiment is not reason ; but that
a reason which we feel and a sentiment which is in accordance
with reason, can conduct us to certainty by combining the two.
living forces of the soul.
Wo must know that the soul is tho very person of man, whoso
body is only the phenomenal appearance; that the soul-esseneo
is liberty, its attributes intelligence and love, and its immortality
a sufficient causo for durable and perfectible action. Wo must
know that puro mathematics aro the examination of reason aud
the logical manifestation of the divine principle ; that superna-
turolism is a hypothetic fiction of extranatural operations o£
this principle, and that Metaphysics are only a dream, if they
are not the differential aud integral calculus of. the mathematical
powers of thought.
W e must know that moral emancipation is accomplished not
by violence but in spite of violence; that he who demands does
not deserve; that silence imposed upon truth by constraint
shifts the responsibility of falsehood, and that it is often useful
and oven necessary to deceive unreasonable people ; bub thati
nobody e y e r o b ta in s a good o b je c t b y e v il m e a n s,
God and Nature will that beasts shall be submissive to man.
The tiger mny surprise a disarmed or careless hunter, he mny
break his chain iu captivity and destroy his keeper ; but sucb
an accident is never a victory. Mobs rebel but do not become
free. They take up arms in the name of justice and their first acts
are crimes. The heat of unchained passions produces ferocity
but never gives birth to heroism.
Im agine yourself the bands of Spartacus as masters of Rome,
wli6re they install a Government of revolted slaves, ordering
pillage, overthrowing the monuments of glory of their masters,
defiling and staining with filth the Senate nnd the Capitol,
then turning traitors against each other and selling them selves;
next falling nsleep, tired and exhausted by their saturnalin, and
.)
proclaiming themselves victors at a time when the avenging host
is already in possession of the city ; waking up and taken by
surprise they kill their wives and children and fly to bury
them selves amongst the smoking rnins of the “ Eternal City,”
dying conquered and infamous, justly punished as rebels,
thieves, assassins and incendiaries ; made unfortunate by their
faults, cowards by their crimes which could not save them,
evil-doers and still slaves.
N ot in the ancient world was seen this tremendous disaster.
The gods of nncient Romo have spared such a sight to the
capital of Brutus and Ca>sar; it was reserved to the pretended
I am writing these lines with a trembling hand and a sick
heart on the 31 Sb of May 1871. Oh unfortunate, unfortunate
city of Paris. And nevertheless wo may consider as providen­
tial those circumstances by which an evil, which might have
extended over the whole of France, was restricted to th e city
of Paris alone.
The experiment has been made and is decisive. Anarchy
has furnished her proof and history will mark down this formi­
dable lesson. Now more than ever will it be necessary to re­
member that the feet, can never usurp tho functious of the head,
nnd that the social body has functions like tbe human body.
The most intimate union of all the members must be established.
When one suffers, all tbe others ought to come to its assistance,
and in this consists their equality of nature, regulated by an
inviolable hierarchy. The feet must walk, the hands work and
the head govern to keep the body in health. W ell balanced man
represents a living monarchy. The universe is the monarchy
of tho sun. Great monarchies have never been flourishing except
through great monarchs. Republics end always by the con­
flicts of those who pretend to reign in virtue of the audacity of
the greatest villain. They are in fact monarchies in fusion.
They are the boiling metal wlii'ih is waiting ,to be formed into a
colossus of monarchic pride; a mould crossed by a sword.
Even the highwaymen and robbers, the most offensive of all
mankind, always choose a leader to whom they give absolute
power. Republics like ships in danger need a dictator for cap­
tain, aud when the dismasted wreck, having been deserted by the
crew, founders, the living wrecks of the republic, engulfed by the
sea, consider themselves fortunate to be permitted to save
them selves in the galley of the empire. No ono despises the
poor so much ns those who aro poor th em selv es; and of all
tyrants the worst is tho slave.
Tho robbers of 93 nnd 71—robbers in the name of liberty and
conscience, began by closing and profaning tho chnrches and
murdering tho priests. If tho Roman republic wns a Buccess,
it was becauso the resolution which dethroned the Tarquins was
made by the best peoplo in Rome and not by the vile wiob.
It is certainly a long way from Brutus to Mirabeau, still further
from Mirabeau to Marat. After Marat—will it bo possible to
descend still further? Yes. There is the Pcre Duchesne, nnd
still below the Pere Duchesne, what cau we find there ? The
populace.
What is tho populace ? Is it only the poor classes ? No. This
ia not a question of poverty or wealth. Many great men have
been poor, Jesus did not have a stone oh which to rest his head,
and his most fervent disciplos, those who have changed the face
of the earth, professed poverty. The populace is tho fertile soil of
the ignorant, the indolent and tho willfully blind. These are the
men subjected to tlieir passions; these are the lepers of vice, the
paralytics of intelligence, the cripples of reason, who do nob
want t.o be asked questions or to be guided; in short, they are
the turbulent beasts, which society must either enchain or de­
molish, if it docs not wish to perish by them*
Men without moral freedom nre the most dangerous of all ani­
mals, and we must always exert our strength in their interest
and sometimes restrain them for the same reason in their liberties.
We must Ouly confide to them that which we desire to lose, and
it is necessary to conceal from them all truths which they may
misuse. If I have two watches, one made out of gilded brass,
aud the other one of pure gold, am I obliged to deliver the golden
one to a th ief who wants to rob me of it p And if I abandon to
him the brass-watch, can ho say that I cheated him ? Must I re-
couduct the miscreant to the road from which he strayed and who
fears that he might not reach his destination in time to commit a
crime ? No 1 I repeat to you again that tho slaves of fatality
aro unworthy of freedom, unworthy of t r u t h and unworthy of
human brotherhood,
 Tlio occult and primitive book of Tarot giv es in the eighteenth
symbol the representation of tliem under the form of three differ­
ent animals, a dog, a wolf and a water-srab, which obtains ita
nourishment from animal and vegetable corruption in impure
water. ' We educate tlic dot;, kill the wolf and eat tlie crab. The
dng is t.he fool who obeys; the wolf the fool who howls and kills.
The crab is not a fool, it is foolishness itself, for a popular tradi­
tion tells us that the crab marches backward, and here the crab
of natnral history becomes piixed up with tho symbolical crab.
Which is more valuable ; the dog or tho wolf ? If you ask a
shepherd this question, you w ill know beforehand what his
answer will be, or perhaps he will give you no answer at all. He
will laugh, because he does not suppose that you would ask
such a question seriously. It is ju st as if you would aslc
what is more valuable, the soldier or the brigand. N evertheless
it is known that the brigand is tbe ideal of ladies of high stand-
in", while kitchen-maids and chamber-maids are perhaps the
only ones whose hearts are captured by a Boldier.
The high truths of scionce are neither made for brigands,
nor for soldiers, nor for the majority of women. A soldier cannot
he free ; a brigand does not know how to be free, aud a woman
answorB always according to the sway of her heart. The grand, true
and only emancipation of women i.s maternity, which makes her—
not free—but sovereign. Women who want to become free in the
same manner as men, become unavoidably ‘prostitutes; the
most abject and despicable slave.
. Ninon de l’Enclos was a woman of talent and fortune, who
sacrificed to a false liberty the most precious gift of her b o x ,— her
virtue. She could obtain a reputation of honesty only by a
paradoxical pun. It was said that she was an honest mem. No one,
not even one of those of her courtesans who were made to blush the
least by her, ever attempted to deny for a moment that she was a
dishonest woman. A passionate man casts him self at the feet of
tbe dishonest woman in the servile insolence of his desire,because
he disrespects her sufficiently beforehand to suppose that she will
submit to him. After she has submitted, he becomes certain of
that fact and his disrespect is justified.
To he worthy of initiation it is necessary to know how to sub­
due the beasts, beginning with those which we carry in our heart.
The passions which rule are living forces which aid us to con­
quer immortality. Those which govern us are weaknesses, which
lead us unavoidably to death.
I have often beheld with a curiosity mixed with pity the deep
anil insane love which certain degraded creatures have for animals.
I have seen some old ladies who were rich and without children,
eat at the same table with pet dogs, fed with partridge wings,
served 011 precious plate.
I have Hsen how in the midst of a great conflagration a terror-
stricken woman with dishevelled hair wildly rushed ahout, crying
in such heart-rending tones, as could possibly be produced by
maternul despair: “ Let everything perish; but save my cat,”
Often did I ask myself, what may havo become of that un­
fortunate woman, if her cat had not been saved ? Undoubtedly
Bhe must have gone mad, provided grief had not killed her. W e
smile at such an unfortunate mania; but how many intelligent and
distinguished men have died of despair for the loss of an anima! ;
because that animal had a pretty female form.
It is vory difficult to be always reasonable, and not to suffer
occasionally tho consequences of our animal weaknesses. The wise
are not without sins and fa u lts; but they do not love sin and the
faults which they commit are to them signals of danger, stim ulat­
ing them to make renewed elforts towards the good and to be
still more carefully on their guard. The fool, to whom you show
his faults, gets offended for not having boen found perfect, and
says that nature is responsible for his stupidity. If you had
always remained such as nature made you, you would never have
learned to talk or walk. Nature wishes that man shall go 0 11 and
progress; correcting his faults and becoming more and more
perfect every day. No one has the right to make him self trouble­
some and noxious to others and he who rejects moral progress
becomes au apostate of the eternal life.
Tho Parisian students insulted one day the honest M. Nizard,
for having said in one of his public discourses', that morality is
not tlie same thing to every body.
The greatest folly of modern pride is the dream of equality
and it is wrong to say to anybody thut Uoquillon has less in telli­
gence than Pascal, lioquillon wants to bo told tho whole truth.
That w11 ii•11 remains unintelligible Lo him must not be intelligible
to another. Tlie vagrants who. almost ruined France during
two months, wanted to burn the Louvre and the public libraries.
Their morality was to themselves certainly nob the same as to the
valiant Archbishop of Paris whom they assassinated; but they
would have been iho very first ones to cry down M. Nizard, if
they had heard him say that morality is not the samo thing
to everybody.
What an incredible th in g ! It surpasses all possible dreams
of Victor Hugo! It so happened in the nineteenth century that
the court of m iraehstook possession of the capital of the world
-and organised plunder, tried honest people for their lives nnd
sot fire to the church of Notre Dame of Paris. The Tuileries,
ihe Palais Eoyal, r.ho Hotel de V ille and tho most beautiful
parts of the capital were in ashes. And these criminals had an
army of two hundred thousand meu, and threo hundred thou­
sand men let them do as they pleased. In this case the wolves
terrified the dogs, and the crabs remained quiet in their corner.
May it not displease the contradictors of M. Nizard; Thera
are three different kinds of morality. The natural morality,
the philosophical morality and the religious morality. .
The natural morality is simply that of common sense. Tho
philosophical morality is the morality of reason, and the religious
morality is that of spirit and faith. By using your common sense
you arrive at reason. W ith reason enlightened by the illumina­
tion of spirit you certainly arrive at faith ; but faith does not
impose itself upon good sense by doing violence to reason, and
reason by rejecting faith parts by this very act from common
sense.
There is nothing in the world more dangorous and at’the same
time moro pitiful thau those little reasoners who comprehend
nothing that comes from spirit and who believe themselves to ba
above ordinary common sense. They are those who preach
Atheism, Materialism and Anarchy. A wise man said in my
presence: “ A little philosophy makes Man an atheist, but a
great deal of philosophy leads him to the knowledge of a God.”
The boor with his good common sense is satisfied with tha
faith of a charcoal-hurner and lives quiet. H e follows nature and
the usages of his country. H e knows that his priest preaches
neither vice nor dishonesty, and he feels perfectly that tha
morality of the gospel is true. If you tell him about some bad
priest, lie draws therefrom no conclusions against religion, because
he knows that there are also good ones and that by them only
religion is represented. If he has gross vices, he does not
attempt to excuse them by sophistry. This man is in the right
path. He has read neither Proudhon nor Buchner ; it is useless
to tell him that God is evil, that possession is theft and that he
has no more of a soul than his dog. He would only ba
offended and he would be a thousand times right. But let this
fellow come to town, let him talk with somo sm ooth-tongued
workman, let him be inoculated with tho poison of pride and
envy, and he will he lost. H e thinks that he has only been
a brute and to become emancipated he becomes a square fool ;
he loses his reason with his good sense ; ho has lost his faith
and not learned science, there remains with him only that which
is necessary for making him a criminal.
It is evident that the duties of a laborer or workman are
different from those of a judge, and that a judge is not subject
to the obligations of a priest. A workman must have good
sense and reason ; a judge needs science and a more elevated
reasou and a priesb ought to have a reasonable and knowing
piety, which should be like an apotheosis of good sense.
Duties become more difficult and more severe in proportion as
the functions become larger, and morality in proportion to man’s
elovation becomes more exacting and rigorous. Not iu this manner
were the two moralities of M. Nizard understood. They made
him say that duties were more rigorous for small peoplo and
easier for the great ones, which is an absurdity.
To preach theology and asceticism to common laborers, blind
belief to free-thinkers and scepticism to priests is au immoral
way of instructing. Devotion is very dangerous for ignorant
men ; intellectual blindness suits not reason ; and doubt is tha
deadly enemy of faith. We must distribute science to all, iu certaia
proportions we must develope good sense amongst the masses, lead
reasoners to reason and speak of piety only to men that are
reasonable enough and know enough to arrive at faith w ithout
assistance. In short, instruction ought to bo hierarchic like
nature. Then will it cease to be revolutionary and become
constructive instead of being continually destructive.
On this hierarchy of intelligences and 0 11 the necessity of a
proportional and gradual instruction rests the law of Occultism,
which was the great secret of the ancient sanctuaries and
which is yot the secret of Free-Masonry.
Am ongst the Free-Masons the apprentice does not compre­
hend the symbols of the fellow-craft, and tho fellow-craft i.s nob
initiated into the secrets of a master. Each grade has ita
rites, its pass-words, its sacred signs and formulas.
In each degree the candidate is subjected to new trials- In
olden times all this was meant seriously; hut now Freo-Masonry
as well as tho Church has lost the key to its ceremonies and
mysteries.
After having the Church in her temporal power stabbed to
the heart, Free-Masonry in her turn is driven back by an­
other conspiracy, which is much more formidable in its way
than all the secret societies of ancient and modern time3. We
mean the organized society of Jacks, the united conspiracy ot'
work against capital ; the hands which try to kill tho head
under the pretext that the hands work and tho head does nothing.
We see those acephalic revolutionists at work; they have lo3b
Paris, but the world still remains to them. This they have
undermined and this they will set on fire. N othing can pre­
vent them ; persecutions will bring them now followers, and this
ferocious auti-christianism is at present in its period of mar­
tyrdom.
Each sect which pretends to renovate U1 0 world, seeks first
to destroy the old world. It is not clearly proved that it was
Nero who burnt Home to find a pretext to burn the Christians,
 W hnt did Nero cure, whether or not there was one moro super­
stition in that Rome, where tlie places of execution exhaled gods
towards Olympus ? The public voice accused the Christians of
baing the incendiaries, and if wo remember all the monstrous
extravagances of Guosticism, whicli were just then confonnded
with newly-born C hristianity, we can understand that tho
“ Commune” of Roman heretics had their share iu this immense
forfeit, which Was reproduced eighten centuries afterwards by
the “ Comiuuue” of l ’aris.
Do not the followers of modern sectarianism begin to murmur
that it was the army of V ersailles which set tlie city ou (ire
and that M. Thiers wanted to destroy Paris, to revenge the
ruin of liis house ? Let a drawer of caricatures come and show
us tho little man perched like a screech owl upon tbe tower
of St. Jacques, looking through' his spectacles at the fire and
pinching the strings of a fiddle, and we will have the complete
parody of N ero’s epic and paradoxical crime.
IE wo would now tako tha incendiaries of the “ Commune”
to our burnt quarters, tio them to stakes, pour petroleum over
them and set them on fire, tho honest people would be very
much horrified ; but the mob would undoubtedly applaud. In
such a manner did Nero make himself horribly popular through
the tortures of the Christians, by burning tbe martyrs like
torches, after having plastered them over with pitch. He was
only complying with the demands of the public rage ; ihese
cxecrated men were to the Roman inob only criminals subjected
to the talionian law.
Iudeed these pale and dark men, who met in subterranean
caves to perform magic operations, and who pretended to eat
the body of au executed criminal and then restoro him again
under the form of bread ;—what effect must they have caused to
the Romau world ! These fanatics who loved death, who came
out of the catacombs to proclaim the ruin of ancient civilization
nnd to order the demolition of the tem ples. Thoso enemies of
the gods, ready to break the masterworks of Praxiteles and
P hydias; in their hatred for tho religion of their country! They
■were not men, they were monsters. They woro believed to be
powerless, and yet they havo triumphed. Is there any moro
affecting grief, than Julian shedding tears over the ruins of
the altar of Jupiter, tho glory of tlie forefathers and virtues
of ancient Rome? J5ut what, were thoso tears good for? Tho
fatal hour had arrived, and stars which are once extinguished
cannot be relighted.
May a new catholic Julian now appear, and certainly one
■will appear, to restore the kingdom of the Pope and to reinvest
the priests with their temporal influence, which they possessed
during tho Middle A ges! W ill he also restoro tho ancient
creeds? Will he create the face of an angel with a mask of
V euillot ? No ! li e will galvanize a corpse, in which by
torm enting him lie will hasten tho final decomposition.
Liko Christianity must Anti-Christianity have its reign and
oil the apostolic sees of the ages have foretold this.
The supreme law of equilibrium requires that the spiritual
movement inaugurated by Jesus shall have tbe corresponding
material movement of Proudhon and liuechner. Faith has to
undergo her last persecution, and already the m ost eminent
and spotless priests of Paris have been the first victims.
Violence unfortunately produces violence. The violence of
the “ Commune” was insane; the reaction iu proportion to tiiat
w ill prepare a new revolution, which sooner or later will
break forth, and which by its cxcess of im piety will make a
now im pulse in the world towards religious ideas and a pow­
erful manifestation of piety and faith possible and even neces­
sary.
Whon man walks, he moves forwards by alternate and
apparently contrary movements. Ho makes a step to the right,
one to tho left, oue again to the right, and so on and neverthe­
less he never makes the same step again. N othing endures
except the eternal, and that which is past never returns. Life
is an unceasing creation, and tho same breath never passes
twico over one's lips. AVhile we aro iu the shade we wait for the
Bu n , aud when we aro exposed to the heat of the sun, we
Beek the shade. The oue aud the other aro desirable, and for
tho wise, good like God is always present ; at all times aud iu
all forms.
Often it seems that evil rules the world, but always tho good by
its ever living power of equilibrium reigns supreme. A paiu is
always productive of joy; error is truth iu d isgu ise; the Sphynx
appears to bo a monster and is a problem ; the paradoxical is the
hyperbole of reason. A ll folly is wisdom, which decomposes ro
become formed again and more complete ; a cadaver is a genesis;
crime is a forceps by which iho difficult births of virtue are
assisted; a n d M .d e Maistro who believes iu the divine mission
of the soldier did not flinch before the apology of the hangman.
Every evil contains its own remedy aud therefore we see in tho
book of Job, Satan presido according to his rank, and in his turn
iu the Benato of the Beni-Elohim and answering the Eternal who
interrogates him iu the presence of the sons of God. By th? per­
mission of Jehovah he tempts Job, and in the holy hook, the work
of hell has the character of a divine mission, “ Quod superius—
quod iaferius’’ says the secret dogma of Hermes,
We must know how to support the divine treatment and
patiently await the end of the trials to which we are subjected
by tho eternal physician. We must suffer without silenc
revolt the cruel operations and bloody amputations. Life can
never be a hell ns long as we keep courage aud hope, und tho
sick and aching heart even when it is failing aud guilty, cannot
be lost as long as it remains submissivo to God—the eternal
order.
We must know how to make use of reality by beholding
the ideal without ever mistaking oue for the other, or to con­
found them.
Then we shall never mistake the relative for the absolute ; the
means tor the en d ; tho instrument for the m usic; riches fur
happiness ; a passion for destiny, a woman for divinity, nor a
beloved being for the perfection of love. Ideal love is perfect
love, and it alone can fill and Batisfy our so u l. W e must not seek
it in othei’B but in ourselves, ask 110 one for it as long as we
have not found it, and exact it the less as we feel ourselves more
capable of approaching it. The legitim ate cravings of our heart
are not the torture oE Tantalus, aud nature never refuses to us
anything which she owes us. Those that are dissatisfied with
life are bad players, who wish to be paid without having gaiued.
A ll deception is the punishment of an imprudence, all despair is
the rage of a robbed thief. A man who despairs has put his
confidence in lies, for truth does.never cheat. He loved injustice
because the immutable justice of truth did not console him. H e
is a sick person who prefers death to recovery. What are in
fact lost illusions, if they are uot a desire which goes ? B u t
reason is horrible to mad men, who prefer to consider them­
selves happy in their folly. Rather than to return sincerely to
truth, they fly voluntarily into the bosom of death; because
their desperato way of looking at the face of death transforms
it into a last illusion and makes it look like an eternal lie.
We must finally know how to stand the trials, and this we
cannot do without a perfect knowledge of the aim 'which we
wish to reach and an immovable will to arrive there.
This will bo tho subject of our next lecture.
MR. N IBLETT AND THE “ EPIPH A N Y .”
I h a v e just marl the commcnt 011 my lettfer to tho Epiphany
by the Editor of tliat paper in the Supplement to the Theo-
snphist for this month. The Editor of the Epiphany has 110
doubt acted with Christian spirit in regard to my letter.
He ought at least to have sent me a copy of his 'paper as he
had done of his issue of the 22nd September last, by which
he invited discussion, as lie is 110 doubt aware th a t I am
neither a subscriber nor a reader of his paper, and not to
have allowed tlie readers of liis paper to rem ain in the happy
belief th at I have been unable to reply to his learned cutting
up of my letter, which, to say the least, is not a strong
attem pt in th at direction.
The note on my letter in the Epiphany shows ignoranco
on the part of the learned Editor of th a t paper of the grand
principle of the Theosophical Society. The Editor asks
“ whether we must remain apart in our views is a principle
of Theosophy.” Now it is a known fact th at Theosophy is
not dogmatic, neither a sectarian creed nor religion. The
Theosophical Society embraces persons of all sectarian creeds
and religions. Besides if he had but carefully read the 2nd
para, of my letter ho would have found that I was giving
expression to my personal views and not the views of the
Fellows of the Theosophical Socicty at large. How then docs
be say “ May we ask you w hether we must rem ain apart in
our views is a principle of Theosophy.”
I t seems to me th a t the learned Editor of the Epiphany
has a happy and novel method of shifting the burden of
proof from off his own shoulders. In his 4th para, he
writes, “ Now, can you name some ‘ most learned’ men, their
learning embracing a thorough knowledge of history, who
have denied tho existence of Christ.” He quite forgets that
it was he himself who asserted that “ as a rule the existence
of Christ is adm itted as fully by the most learned (?) ene­
mies as by the friends of Christian Theology.” By all the
rules of reason (perhaps the rule of Christian orthodoxy
excepted) he ought to make good his own assertion and not
to need my help of historical knowledge.
I am indocd much obliged to the learned Editor for his
note about my acquaintance of history and historioal person­
ages, and also for pitying my simplicity and for telling mo
th at I regard “ C hristianity as an antiquated and supersti­
 tious creed.” I accept all this as coming from a C hristian notv look down upon as of an “ inferior race,” were intellectual,
spirit of the 19th century and am much obliged to him for moral and spiritual giants. This part of theosophical work
it. is the real link between the E ast aud the West, uniting them
A lla h a b a d , ) H. N i b l e t t , F. T. S. both in a bond of Intellectual Brotherhood.
February 1884. j H. P. B l a v a t s k y ,
Gorr. Secretary, 'Theosophical Society.
N o te .— W e c a n s a y f r o m o n r o w n e x p e r i e n c e t h a t E d i t o r s g e n e r a l l y
d o n o t k n o w tlie n a m e s of s u b s c rib e rs . T h e E d i t o r i a l a n d M a n a g e r ’s
a r e t w o d i s t i n c t D e p a r t m e n t s , n e i t h e r i n t e r f e r i n g w i t h tl io o t h e r . A CANON OCCULTIST.
O u r b r o t h e r is , t h e r e f o r e , w e t h i n k , r a t h e r to o s e v e r e u p o n t h o E d i t o r
o f t h e E p ip h a n y in c h a r g i n g h i m w i t h h a v i n g , b y n o t s e n d i n g t h e p a p e r , [A. R u s s ia n Theosophist sends to us extracts from a
“ a llo w e d t h e r e a d e r s o f h is p a p e r t o r e m a i n i n t h e h a p p y b e l i e f t h a t I letter received from an old friend of his—a Canon having
( M r . N i b l e t t ) h a v e b e e n u n a b l e t o r e p l y t o h ia l e a r n e d c u t t i n g u p o f his prebend in one of the 11. C. Districts ot Southern
m y ( M r . N . ’s ) l e t t e r . ”
Russia. It is not every day that oue meets with Catholic
D. K. M.
priests so profoundly versed in Occul; ism ; aud one espe­
cially who, appreciating the Kabala at its real worth,
PRACTICAL W ORK FO R THEOSOPHISTS. takes a proportionate interest in Eastern Occultism and
The objects of the Theosophical Society are very laudable, Theosophy. The letter is interesting in various ways,
and if they are realized by the Hindus, immense service will and not to our members alone. We hope to gratify our
be rendered to mother India. I attach much importance to readers by translating extracts from it.]
the second rale of the Society, which, if strictly followed, will, “ ......Y ou seem a great linguist... But you ought, in addition
I make bold to say, materially help the regeneration of the to this, to study Hebrew, at least so far as to be able to under­
children of the soil, and along with them the wholo Aryavarta. stand all the Kabulistic terms. Were I younger, I would cer­
We are callod heathens, barbarous, by the occidental nations tainly study Sanskrit, as this would offer very little difficulty
only because our books on science, philosophies, &c., are buried to ono of iny nationality; for, I am neither a Pole, nor a
iu oblivion, and more so because there is no trace of their Slavonian, but a Lithuanian ; our language being wonderfully
existence in the present century. A nation can only be termed similar to tho Sanskrit—so much so, indeed, that the words
civilized or uncivilized according to its arts, sciences,literature, Sayeinbuva, (Swayambu) Vissapradji, etc., would bo under­
&c- I t is therefore incumbent on the fellows and members stood by every Lithuanian peasant. Thus Sayembuva, means
of the Theosophical Society, Branches of which are established literally in our language “ one born through himself,” (*• Self­
at every important station in India, to set themselves without born.”) Vissapradji—“ the very beginning,” etc. Somo
loss of time in right earnest to resuscitate our books on time ago 1 read in the papers that a learned Brahmin upon
sciences, philosophies and arts and to publish them for the his arrival in Berlin, hearing of the existence of a people in
intelligent public. Prussia, who spoke a language very much akin to the Sanskrit,
The full complement pf the H inda Medical books (Ajarveda travelled purposely to Tilzitt. Once there, he addressed tha
Sast.ra) cannot be found now, and hence the children of the inhabitants in Sanskrit and was answered by them in L ithu­
soil who aie receiving education in W estern Sciences and anian, and both understood each other to perfection ! Your
imbibing W estern ideas, do not hesitate to pronounce that we eon should study Sanskrit; it will prove useful to him in tho
never possessed works on Chemistry, Botany and Surgery, and future when the yreat (cyclic) change prophesied by the adepts
I had the mortification to hear ou several occasions from men will come to pass.
versed in the so-called exact sciences tbat the healing art I congratulate yon upon the post occupied by you in tho
never was studied and developed in India in tho way it has Theosophical Society of* .......you must have many members.
been in Europe and America. Now the time has approached I t is to be regretted that yonr organ (the Theosophist) should
for tho scales from the eyes of the H indus being removed ; appear in English, instead of being published in either French
they will then havo the opportunity of obtaining a sight or Germ an...I know little of your Society ...and am anxious to
of India, as she was attired in precious garm ents not borrowed learn something of its Rules, Objects and Laws. Who nre your
nor new, but manufactured long before Newton, Galileo, or Mahatmas ? Are they Mages, Zoroastrians or Brahmins ?
Hippocrates saw the light. Kindly send me your translation of some of these (tlieosoplii-
Ajurveda Shastra is the parent of all western and modern cal)publications........... Why you should regard me as an adept
Medical Sciences. This no one can deny, and every Arya is in secret sciences is a m atter of wonder to m e.......I t is rather
therefore iu duty bound to try to restore it according to his I th at conld bo tau g h t by you than yourself learn anything
might. from me.f
I t is not idle to expect that thoso members of the Action and Reaction! this magic law or dogma is repeated
Theosophicul Society who have taken the Medical Science now-a-duys by every profane without understanding its sig­
for their special study (whose number is not small, I nificance. And j e t it. is to be found every where: in all tho
presume) should bo up and doing to bring out new Societies, religious and political, among the nations as within
Editions of Gliaraka, Susrutha, Bagvata, Bhavprokas and man himself. Like action, like reaction. As tlie Kabalists
host of other books of Aryan Rishis with necessary annota­ have it—Malkout is always mado in j the image of Keter. But
tions. I t is a pity that reliable tikas (notes and annotations) to form Malkout in a large Society, requires several centuries.
of ancient medical works now extant, Gharaka and Susrutha, L uther abolished fasts; the Protestants reject fasting and
cannot be had iu Bengal. I trust the opportune timo has never fast. I t was easy to foresee th at to preserve tho equi­
now come for the members and tho sym pathisers of the So­ librium, people would be found ono day, who would for ono
ciety to form themselves into groups to promote tho study of reason or the other be always fasting. Thus ju st when tho
the Aryan science aud philosophy, and work in harmony for Roman Catholics themselves are gradually abandoning this
the religious, moral, social and intellectual regeneration of religious custom, appear the vegetarians.......Adepts prepare
Bharatvarsha. • for their May id operi with 40 days’ fasting, they cat but fruit
Will you or any of your numerous readers kindly en­ and use neither Hesh nor any thing sour. Tlie Roman Catholic
lighten me with the information as to how many books on 40 days’ fasting has originated in this alono ; alter wliich
Hindu Medical scionce are in existence, and w hat subjects period—come Easter and tho Resurrection. All tlio great
they treat of ? Mag i—Moses, Christ, Paracelsus, Trithemios—lived like all
I shall be highly obliged if you will be good enough to other m en.......Take care lest instead of adepts and Mugi, you.
fiud a corner for this. should be made to becomo fak irs...........
J amalpur, I \ R aj O oomak R o t,
* T l ie w r i t e r a l l u d e s t o o u r S o c i e t y . — E d .
5th January 1884. J Assistant Secretary, T. S.
f “ N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g h ia p r o t e s t s ” — r e m a r k s t h e g e n t l e m n n - t h c o s o -
p h i s t w h o s e n d s u s t l i e a b o v e e x t r a c t s —“ h e is a niau p r o f o u n d l y v e r s e d
We publish ihe above letter with a view to plauo the i u th e s o 8cicnc'..,5, o n e w h o h u d s t u d i e d o c c u l t i s m f o r o v e r t w e n t y y e a r s .
excellent suggestions of our brother before Branch Societies B u t they a r e a l l t h e sa m e , o v e r h id i n g t h e i r k n o w le d g e b e h in d t h e
v e i l o f ig n o r a n c e \” ~—E d .
and individual members desirous of doing some practical
work for the good of their country and fellow-men. The £ F o r a b e t t e r c o m p r e h e n s i o n o f t h o s e o f o u r m e m b e r s w h o a r c ig n o r a n t
o f t l i e m e a n i n g o f th e s o K a b a l i s t i c t e r m s , w e e x p l a in th«j m . K t ic r is the
bringing to light of long-forgotten Sanskrit works will not . e q u ilib r iz in g p o w e r ( l i t . t h e “ c r o w n ”,) , a m i A l a l k o u i— T h e k in g d o m ,
only revive il.ea.ncient learning of Aryavarta, but it will also t h e s y n t h e s i s o f t h e w h o le c r e a t i o n — o r in a n o t h e r s e u t o s u p r e m e a n d
prove to occidental scholars th a t the ancestors of thoso they a b s o l u t e u u i v c r a a l i u t c l l i g c u c o — r A U i u u A i iu :— E d .

a _ _ _ _ _
 The history and progress of initiation (into adeptship)
ever varies and is being ever resurrected. I t began in India,
with the Brahmins; and when theso profaned it, making it
the means of robbery and m anslaughter, it was transplanted
in its pristine purity into Egypt and Chaldea. Abraham was
but an Indian Brahman, Abba Bram a, meaning simply
“ Father Braman,” two words transformed into one—“ Ab(-b)
raham.” When Egypt profaned tlie occult sciences, tho secrets
of initiation were carried by Moses into Palestine under the
name of tho Holy Kabala or oral tradition. When the
Hebrew high-priests left it in their turns to profanation—
came Christ who renewed, purified and transm itted it to
his apostles. St. John was a K abalist. All of the first
C hristian founders, writers, fathers of the Church, Apostles,
Popes and Bishops were Kabalists and adepts of various
degrees—thorefore there are many of the latter. The very
rites of the Passion Week in the Roman Church contain in
themselves the programmo of Christian initiation and
represent strangely the Magnum opus solis,— “ Le Grand
CEuvre du soloil.”* • “ PH EN O M EN A .”
The Christian initiation has now, however, ceased. Thero
arc but few adepts now-a-days—yet there are some left. As for
tlic rest, they repeat (to them unknown) words, and perform
ccremonies, without in tho least understanding their true
ppirit. The adepts are w aiting for the renovation of Initiation
through two persons; th at is to say, of the two porsons who
will reveal once more the grand mysteries, ono will become
tho spiritual, the othor tho political ruler—“ Aaron and
Moses.” The object of the true initiation is to found tho
Kingdom of Heaven, on earth, based upon tru th and justice
supported by one strong Church and one strong empire. Let
ns hopo it will come soon.f Moreover, who knows ! Per­
haps, these two persons (the two expected Messiahs) will
come forth from your Society ; not being sure 1 would not
daro deny it. The said events arc prophesied especially and
strongly by Paracelsus. I made a copy of his pro/iheeies
w ritten in Latin, with its diagrams and figures and will send
it to Ur. E. G............ you can get Paracelsus from him.
W hy should you not know more than I do ? You know
better and more languages than 1 do, and have easier access
to books than I. The religion or rather the philosuphy of the
adepts, i. e., tlieir rites, aro easy enough to learn theore­
tically ; sufficient for it to read, to reflect and understand.
As to tho practice, or the application of the secret forces in
naturo to deeds—it is very difficult ; none of the adepts ever
p u t this science clearly in writing, on the contrary they have
all concealed the means used. One can be toiling 20 years
and more and havo no success. Being of delicate health
from childhood, 1 songht relief in the Universal Pana­
cea, and, though it never cures disease radically, it sup­
ported and preserved my life. Besides this I searched and
pursued the mystery of “ the rod of Moses” and partially—
tlio Philosopher’s stone. My labour waa interrupted only
owing to the iniquitous and impious attem pts of the Nihilists
and I gave it lip lest I should become suspected^ of treason.
Thus I was prevented from discovering fully these secrets, yet
I learned something of them and embodied some of my
knowledge in two works culled - The Rod of Moses” and
“ Thc Mysteries of the Sphinx ” .......I will be very glad to
Ieam more of ■.......No society can well develope without the
participation of women in its work ; it is they who are most
useful in tho spreading of new ideas.
I would read the work of Baron du Potet (La Magie
devoilee) with great interest, if it were but to learn how far
people owing to personal and unaided labour are able to pene­
trate and unveil that strange secret which was known to Mo­
ses, Elijah and Jerem iah— who destroyed in one night over
100,000 men of the army of Senaclierib. Very naturul th at
* Tho Great Work of the Sun.
t It 19 tho firm belief of tho Kabalists (tho Jewish especially) that
tbo tune will come when all tlie nations will be ono under one Chnreh
composed of Hierophants, whoso combined knowledge and wisdom
symbols and differences will also be one. ,
I Tho writer refers here to alchemical works. Tho crneible nnd the
ever bnrn.ng fare of the seeker after tho Philosopher's^stone risTs cer
tamly to bo easily mistaken by the ignorant Police and detectives On
search for the criminal fabricators of dynamite and explosive bombs) —
foi an apparatus of the murderous Nihilists.—Ed.
such a man should be really unconquerable. No need for him
to bepresent at the battle and risk danger. Of what use before
such a power all the modern inventions of far reaching guns
and cannons ! In the Apocalypsis (St. John’s Revelation) the
Kabalists point out to a passage prophesying that the above­
mentioned “ two personages” will be in possession of this
fearful secret, as also of the Rod of Moses. I would fain
leurn how far my own ideas coincide with those of Ba­
ron du Potet.
Kindly send me tho Rules of tho Theosophical Society
as soon as they are translated. I would like to have two
copies, if possible, for I desire to send one to my friend
and college fellow of the Academy * * now Bishop—as a
corroboration of a certain prophecy made by me to him
several years ago........... ”
I n the Supplem ent to the February issue, I find registered
two occurrenccs under the head- “ Phenomenal,” which are
rem arkable,—rem arkable, not in the hackneyed unm eaning
sense of the newspapers, but remarkable in the literal sense
of the word—worthy of rem ark.
My first observation is th a t thc record of these occurrences
says either too much or too little for the reading public,
among whom are members of the Theosophical Society and
the uninitiated as well. I t says too much, because while
publishing a lot of details conncctcd with the phenomena, it
excites a hope well w arranted under thc circumstances in
the In-cast of every one, th at members of the Theosophical
Society, in addition to the mental and moral progress thoy
secure, are constantly under the guidance of thoir “ Masters,”
who interfere (pardon thc word) in almost every trifling
affair of this world, even to the extent of compensating in
hard cash for thc pecuniary losses which the members may
“ unjustly” be subjected to—a hope which I need hardly say
is thoroughly out of placc and almost inconsistent with tho
high moral tone of the eloquent and impressive admonition
which the President addresses to thc candidates at the
initiation time.
Tho rccord again says too lit tie, bccause while thc writers
honestly believe th at they havo given to thc public all that
is necessary for them to know th at thc oceurrcnccs registered
are free from jugglery, there is an amount of omission, very
im portant omission indeed, which leaves a very unpleasant
impression th at the statements published are only those
elicited in the “ Examination-in chief” of a witness by a
partial advocate ; that much of the cross-examination and
re-examination have been most unwisely omitted, and that
fuller statem ents were deemed either ruinous to the cause
and purposely suppressed or omitted from an inadequate
appreciation of their great importance. I believo it is the
latter.
The object of the first phenomenon was to chock Mr. S.
Ramaswami Iy er’s vehement talk. He was doing this in
the presence of a venerable lady,which fact alone should have
curbed the ribald license of tho tongue. And zvhat was this
“ rather warm ” and “ vehement” tone, which a single look
from any ordinary lady, much more of Madame Blavatsky
could not chastcn and tone down ? Was the interference
from thc spiritual world a necessity in thc case ? I find the
substancc of all this big talk omitted in the record, and that
purposely—an omission which I do not re g re t; and knowing,
as 1 do, some particulars connected wiLh it, it would be a
breach of ordinary propriety wore I to mention them in spito
of the intentional silence of Mr. Cooppooswami Tyer: but I
m nst say th a t to my mind at least the cause th at excited the
vehement tone was most trivial compared with the grand
machine th a t was used for its rem oval: a quiet snub from
Madame Blavatsky would have done all thc good thc young
man required, and Master S. Ramaswami Iyer in his teens
would have richly deserved a few cuts on thc back from tho
strong hand of the President. As it is, there has been a
waste of energy and force, which is one of the sins against
Laws of nature and (pardon me) an abuse of power. Sup­
pose an oflicer, who is a Theosophist ns well, is ordered to
lead a forlorn hope, would you uot think him fit for tho
lunatic Asylum if he talked “ vehemently” and “ rather
warmly” against tlie orders and waited for a Mahatma to
give him an encouraging word ? And why-should he not
wait in hope inasmuch as the M ahatm a had condescended
to do so in ono case, comparatively a trivial case, and could
not in fairness be justified in w ithholding his aid in another
and more serious case ?
Now the next case. Does the M ahatm a undertake to
indemnify every Theosophist who bears “ an unjust expense ?”
The absurdities of tho question are on its very face, and yet
one would be justified in raising it. The “ u njust” nature of
the expense Mr. Subrammanya Iyer has not explain­
ed : th at explanation would have shewn how far the
Theosophist who bore the expense was not himself to
blame for it, how far he was not a careless victim of his
own credulity and deserved tlie indemnity. There are fools
and villains in this world, and the latter are constantly
living at the expense of the form er, and a great deal of the
consequent misery is due to ignorance, to wipe off which is
the grand object of the Mahatmas, not in the direct way,
which h;is been most singularly adopted in the present in­
stance, but by teachings.
“ B ut who are you to lay the law down for the M ahat­
mas ? They act as they will, your duty is to believe and
admire,” will probably be the rem ark of the E ditor of the
Theosophist. A sim ilar reprim and has been addressed in
the “ Occult W orld.” I shall bear this reprim and and, aye, a
great deal more. God knows I am not a critic for the sake
of criticism. Knowledge is my thirst, and the publications
of such phenomena push me back a considerable distance in
my way onwards. Would it be difficult for the Mahatmas
to exhibit a phenomenon at each initiation ? W ould not the
Thcosophical Society be simply mobbed for initiation under
such circumstances ? and yet how long would such a state
of things last ? and how long would the initiated remain
content after the first experience P The craving is tho
most unhealthy ever known and is never satiated. Miracles,
using the word in its ordinary sense, have never done much
good. On the grandest occasions—I cannot even conceive
of such occasions—a miracle may be justifiable : but man’s
fate iu this world is to struggle on, is to study, is to see
through the hollowness of this m aterial world by observa­
tion and contemplation, and not to be w aiting for money
compensations foi* “ u n ju st” losses or for words of encour­
agement from the Mahatmas at every petty annoyance th at
he must suffer by thousands as long as he is in this world.
Theosophy has a deep foundation of its own ; if its sublime
principles were not found sufficient enough to convert the
world, such phenomenal occurrences as these would prove
simply impotent. They may for a time excite curiosity,
wonder, and be the talk of a few for a month : then they
lose their effect and there is a craving for more : you must
satisfy i t : you try to repress it, it is at your peril. K. H .’s
letters in the u Occult W orld” are explicit on this p o in t: his
theory is sublime : his participation, however, in the two re­
corded phenomena has staggered me. W ill you teach me to
reconcile the theory w ith the practice ?
“ A S t u d e n t /*
N o t e .—I must state at the ontset that I have the greatest respect
for the writer, for he is one of the very, very few enlightened natives of
India who have joined our Society for the sake of tho Philosophy and
its high aims and objects and not for the sake of “ phenomena.’* In
fact wlmt kept liim so long from ns was tho latter. If the percentage
of such exceptional men were to steadily increase, that would indeed be
a very hopeful sign of the intelleetoal and philosophical progress of
humanity. In the present case, our brother’s remarks are directed
against the two articles appearing under the heading of “ Phenomenal”
in the February Number. I shall, however, show th at his criticisms,
although well meant, are to some extent misdirected.
In the first place* ho seems to think th at tho interference of
Mr. Ramaswamier’s Guitu, in what he calls a trivial m atter, was a waste
of powor. This observation betrays an ignorance of the mode of com­
munication between the Adepts and their Chelas or fellow-initiates»
A carefnl consideration of the article on P r e c ip it a t io n will show that
the Adept and the Chela or another Adept are like the two signallers at
the two ends of a Telegraphic line. It is only when tho batteries are
out of order, or moisture or some such cause provents the free working
of the wires—tlmt expense has to be undergone to restore or keep the
communication intact. In the samo way the Adopts have to use no
power in communicating with one another or with their Chelas of a
certain degree, unless either of them is ill or exhausted by fatigue, &c,,
or unless some antagonistic influence interferes with tho Astral Wires,
if I may ijse the expression. In tho case under notice, Mme. Blavatsky,
who is iu constant communication with tbe Adepts, was there. Tho
presence of all the Chelas helped to keep the Astral Telegraph free
from any disturbance, and little or no power had to be used to send the
letter in question to Mr. Kamaswamier. Mme. Blavatsky could no
doubt have checked the vehemence of the language used by
Mr. K,, but at the samo time Mr. Coopooswami Iyer’s description
indicates that the check exercised by the Mahatma was only one
of the purposes of the letter in question. Advantage was probab­
ly taken of the opportunity, while communicating serious matters,
to also add a few words of reprimand in regard to the subject then
vehemently discussed. This latter fact, however, was “ phenomenal”
for those who have no idea of the possibilities of Occult powers,
aud naturally enongh Mr. Coopooswarny Iyer gave prominence to the
same. My brother should remember that what is “ phenomenal'* for
au O u t s i d e r , ia not necessarily so for a Chela. If others were to see my
M a s t k u a s I see Him, they would consider it a “ phenomenon :” I d o
not, for I know that as the usual mode of communication between an
A dept and liis Chela. The same remarks more or less apply to tho
second phenomenon mentioned by Mr. Subramania Iyer. There was no
intention of exhibiting “ occult powers.” The absence of Mme. Blavatsky
and other Chelas would have prevented tho occurrence ; for in that case
an appreciable amount of “ power” would have to be used to lay the
Astral Telegraphic Line. The two gentlemen in qnestion only took
advantage of the opportunity of their presence on those occasions to
mention what they saw, for the benefit of those who were then absent.
Surely onr philosophic brother does not mean to deny th at the over,
whelming testimony of eye-witnesses to facts, influences people in
favour of the same, and that there are many, who now “ despise pheno­
mena” as tamasha,but were led to a study of the philosophy by the forca
of unrebnttable evidence poured forth before them through the
“ Occult” literature. Happy would bo that day indeed wheu tho
noumenal will snperscde tho phenomenal ; bnt t i l l then we havo a
duty to perform, and that is to hasten its approach, though not by any
radical means. If these occurrences then, in which no special power
had to be exercised, can stimulate not a few to enqnire into tho
philosophy, why should they bo lost, without turning them to some
advantage, however slight th at advantage may be ? I would also refer
those interested in the m atter to the article on “ Occult Phenomena’*
in the current number of tho Theosophist (See page IG5).
D. K. M.
|1 h q u 0 n t q u a I .
i.
E is an article, entitled “ Chastity to whicli a
n c l o se d
little history is attaclicd, th at may perhaps interest my
brother-Thcosophists.
I left W adhwan on the 15th of February in company with
Madame Blavatsky and Baboo Mohini M. Chatterjee. W e
were on our way to Bombay, returning from a visit to His
Highness, the Tliakore Saheb of Wadhwan. A few hours
before we started,M adame Blavatsky had read the said article,
corrected a few words and returned it to me. I read ifc
carefully to see w hat corrections she had made, and w hether
I mi^lit not myself make some changes. I only found a few
words corrected, folded the paper, put it in my pocket-book,
deposited the pocket-book in my satchel, locked the same,
entered the car and put the satchel on my seat, where it
never left me and never was out of my sight, until the event
whicli I am about to describe, occurred. We travelled on,
Madame Blavatsky being in the same car. Towards evening
Madame Blavatsky requested me to let lier see that article
again. I took it out of my satchel, unfolding the paper
before handing it to her, and as I did so, imagine my sur­
prise to find on it four long lines w ritten on a space whicli
was blank before, in the well-known handw riting of our
Master, and in a different kind of ink than that used by
Madame Blavatsky. How th a t w riting could have been
done in my satchel and during the shaking of the cars, I do
not pretend to explain.
Another incident occurrcd when I was alone by myself.
On the morning of tho 20th of February, I received a
curious Thibetan medal from our Master through Madamo
Blavatsky. I then accompanied her on board the
steamer on whieh she was to sail for Europe. On my
return to the shore I went iuto a native jewelry shop and
brought a locket to deposit my medal, but could not find a
chain long enough for my purpose. I then returned to my
room, and paced the floor, studying wliat to do in regard to
the chain. I finally came to the conclusion th at I wonld
buy a rose-colored silk ribbon. B ut where to get it, being a
stranger in Bombay : th a t was the question. My pacing
the floor brought me again in front of tlie open window,
and there right before me on the floor lay exactly the very
siljc ribbon, brand vew, and ju st the ono I wanted.
B ombay, ) A. B. r. t. S,
21 st Feb. 1884.1
 ii.
T h e following’ is tho substance of a letter sent to the
E ditor by Babu Farvati Charan Ghosh, a Fellow of the
Satya Marga Theosophical Society of Lucknow :—
A t the request of P andit P ran N ath, the President of our
Branch Society, I beg to report an account of the following
occurrence. W hen the P andit left Madras after thc anni­
versary celebration, lie stayed a few days at Allahabad on
his way home. H ere it occurred to him to write a letter to
the Masters, to obtain information in regard to certain
m atters, lie wrote the said letter, handed it to a probation­
ary Chela residing there, and th at Chela sent it with an
explanatory note to Mr. Damodar Iv. M avalankar, asking
him to subm it it to his Guru.
W hen the explanatory note arrived, Mr. Damodar was
surprised not to find the letter in question enclosed, and
therefore wrote back to the Chela, th a t he was glad tho
letter to the Mahatma was by some oversight (as he suppos­
ed) not forwarded ; because since the V llth anniversary
celebration in Bombay he had received strict injunctions not
to accept any letters addressed to his Guru.
The fact, however, is th a t P andit Pran N ath’s letter was
forwarded from Allahabad ; and the m ystery was solved,
when, ori opening Mr. Damodar’s letter, it was found to con­
tain a Chinese cuvelope, addressed to the said P andit,and con­
taining a reply from the M ahatma. The letter, as sent by
Mr. Damodar, was sufficiently stamped ; but when it arrived
it required additional postage on account of th e M aster a
reply. Tho paper on which it was w ritten was of a peculiar
kind, such as cannot be found in India. We merely men­
tion these facts with a view to stim ulate our Brothers in
their search for tru th , and to remind them th a t whenever
they deserve the notice of thc Mahatmas, such notice will be
taken. If any further information in regard to the above
related case i.s desired by any Theosophist, it can be obtain­
ed by applying to our President.
L ucknow, ) lishment of Sanskrit Schools at Bareilly. H is Highness,
24th Feb. 1884.J
filial p itta .
T H K B E H A R T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y
( B A N K II’ O R E .)
TrtH following Olfico-bearors were elected for the
Behar Theosophical Society for the year 1884 :—
B a b u T r o il o Ry a N a t h M it r a , President. B a k u G o v i n d C i i a r a n ,
m. a ., B. L . , a n d B a b u F u k n e n d r a N a r a y a n S in iia , m . a ., b . l . , Vice
Presidents. B a b u P u r n a C h a n d r a M u k h r j ic e , b . l . , Secretary, a n d
13a d u B e n i N a t h B a n e u j e r , b . a ., Assistant Secretary.
T H E K A N C H U N J A N G A T H E O S O P H IC A L
S O C IE T Y ( D A R J E E L IN G .)
T h e Secretary to tho “ Kanchunjanga Theosophical
Society” reports tliat the first A nniversary of that
Branch was celebrated with success on the oth of January
last. Tlie Office-bearers elected for the current year
are :— ■
B a b u I sfian C h a n d r a K u n d u , President ; Dr. K h i r o d a P r a s a d a
C nATTERjEE, Secretary ; and B a b u B a r a d a K a n t a C ii o w d ii r y , Libra-
rian and Treasurer,
T H E B H R IG U K S H E T R A T H E O S O P H IC A L
S O C IE T Y (J U B B U L P O R E ).
A T h e o so i >h is t visiting the above Branch reports:— ■
On tho day of my arrival here, a mooting for tho carrying out of tho
Sanskrit School project enunciated hy Col. Olcott—daring his visit to
this station—was held. Rupoes 4,300 have np to date been subscribed,
out of which IJs 3,200 have already been collected. Besides this a
monthly subscription of Rupoes fonrteen lias boon promised. The
Members aro crying their best to got inoro subscriptions or donations.
Tho meetings of tlio Branch Society aro held regularly, and some of the
Fellows o,ro engaged in performing marvellous cures by meaDS of mes-
mcrisai.
T H E C H O H A N T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
Extract from the Proceedings of an Ordinary Meeting of
the Chohan T. Society, Cawnpore, held at the Presi­
dent’s Quarter, on Wednesday, Jany. 27th, 1884, at
7 p. m.
With reference to the President's proposal laid before the Branch at
ita last meeting, and toKesolution No. 1 of that meeting, Babu Ganen-
dra Nath Chakravarti, M . A . , laid before the meeting the result of his
personal consultation with the members of the Branch, as regards their
contribution to the Permanent Maintenance Fund of the Parent Society.
A fter a discussion of the proposal, it was resolved—
“ That all thc members of the Branch who, in conformity with Kale
4. of its Bye-laws and llulos,have been up to this time paying llnpeo
one per month to the Branch Funds, should contribute ilupeo one per
mensem to thc Permanent Maintenance Fund of the Society/’
The President wished to remark that though Rupee one
per month per member paid by the Branch would
not amount to any considerable sum, it would yet show
that tho members of the Branch were really willing
to actively help the Society— and were worthy of their
honorable position as Members of the Chohan Branch ;
and further that if all the Branches followed their exam­
ple, the Parent Theosophical Society would soon cease
to be a pecuniary burden on its. life-devoted Founders,
and would save them many an anxious thought about
the financial future of the Society.
M. N . G a n g u l i , K is h e n L all ,
Secretary. President.
S A N S K R IT S C H O O LS A T B A R E IL L Y .
P andit C handra S hekhaka , tho Delegate of the Rohil-
cund Theosophical Society (of Bareilly) at our last
Anniversary, gives us the welcome news that his Branch
is doing its utmost to raise subscriptions for the estab­
Rajah Madliavrao Peshwa, a Councillor of our Society,
has subscribed Rs 2,000 ; while Lala Damodar Dass, a
resident of the town, lias contributed Rs 500 for the
laudable object in view. Our industrious brothers have
collected rupees five hundred more and intend raising a
considerable sum. They have, moreover, one and all,
cheerfully put down their names for the amount of a
month’s pay. I f all Hindus were but to follow the
noble example, B areilly would, no doubt, within a very
short time, boast of a splendid Institution, where the
foundation of the revival of the National Language will
be laid.
TH E F IR S T A N N IV E R SA R Y OF TH E
SECUNDERA BAD TH E O SO PH IC A L SOCIETY.
T h e 1st Anniversary celebration of tho Secunderabad
Theosophical Society took place on the 26th January 1884, in
the A lbert Reading’ Room and Library, Mr. P. Iyaloo Naidu.
Garu being in the chair. Among those present were Messrs.
Dorabji Dasabhoy, Mr. Balakrishnah Moodaliar, Rama-
chendra Pillai, R aghnnadha Prasad B. A., Mr. Dorasami
Pillai, b. A., Venugopaul Pillai, Ruthtiasami Mudaliyar,
V urdaraja Moodelliar &c. &c. A large number of native
gentlemen attended and the Hall was overcrowded.
The Secretary, after explaining to the audience the aims
and objects of the Theosophical Society, gave a short account
of the progress made during the past year, and hoped that
similar Branches would be formed all over A ryavarta and
inspire the rising generation with such lofty moral notions
and veneration for the past glories of our ancestors as may
effectually check the spread of National degeneration and
moral degradation.
The Society during the year met twice a week and many
extraordinary meetings were also held. Experiments were
also tried at the meetings on mesmerism and other subjects
with some success. D uring the year, Colonel Olcott the Presi-
dent-Foundcr visited tlie place and gave some practical
lessons on mesmerism as a healing a rt to the members of the
Society, some of whom, have begun to acquire th at power of
healing mesmerism which Colonel Olcott during ’h is tour
throughout India cxercised for the public benefit.
 Mr. Dorasami Pillai, b . a ., then made a speech of about
two hours. I t is very gratifying to note th a t, although not a
Theosophist, he spoke very appreciatively of our movement,
and we would recommend to our friends and sympathisers as
also the opponents a careful consideration of th a t most beauti­
ful lecture.
C. K cfpu sw a m i A iyak,
S ecunderabad, ") . Secretary.
15th February 1884. j
TH E A D III BHOUTIC B H R A T R U T H E O SO PH IC A L
SOCIETY (B ER H A M PO R E, BENGAL.)
O d r Anniversary was celebrated on the 7th and 8 th
Magh 1290 B. S. corresponding to the 20th and 21st Ja n ­
uary last. A Brother from Bhagulpore came as a delegate and
others sent sympathising letters. Pundits had explain­
ed to them our object and they were invited to expound
Shastras and to lecture. Twelve of them complied with our
request. The Bhagulpore B rother was much taken up with
the ceremony, complained th a t they had to work under great
difficulty and begged-our co-operation. There was a holiday
at the beginning of this month and we advised them to
hold their Anniversary on th a t occasion. This they did.
Myself, Brother D ina N ath Ganguly and Brother Shyama
Churn B hatta went. ' which the doctors had pronounced to be of a serious nature.
Jam alpur is a very im portant place, about 2 hours’ journey
by rail from Bhagulpore. There is a small branch working
there under still greater difficulties. I am very glad to say
th a t not only every thing went off very satisfactorily, but
that for two successive days we had public meetings where­
in we undertook to answer the queries of every enquirer.
We did so from 6 A . M . to 1 1 | P. M . to the complete satisfaction
of all. Ideas were put into our heads which even startled
ourselves on the occasion. B rother S h y a m . Babu spoke
eloquently, and the Brethren of Bhagulpore and Jamalpore felt
doubly strong. The latter pressed us to go to Jamalpore
and we have agreed to do so on the occasion of Good Friday
when they will celebrate their anniversary. The result re­
minded me of the saying “ T hat there is much to do but few
laborers in the field.”
■ ; N obin K. B a n erjee,
B e r iia m t o r e , ) President.
8th February 1884. J
TH E BH A G U LPO R E T H E O SO PH IC A L SOCIETY.
T h e first Anniversary of this Branch was publicly celebrat­
ed on the 7tli of March. Babu Ishan Cliandra Misra, M. A.,
F. T. S-, gave an interesting address on Theosophy. He m ain­
tained that the idea of Universal Brotherhood, as preached
by our Society, was really catholic. In this respect it
essontially differed from the teachings of theologians who
recognise only such as brothers as embrace their particular
creed. Theosophical Brotherhood is therefore bound to
spread, a.s it is formed upon an intellectual basis aud does
not meddle with physical considerations. Tlie speaker also
showed how groundless were the certain prejudices enter­
tained by the local public against the movement.
This Branch has moreover practically carried out the idea
put forth by Col. Olcott in his last anniversary address,
about tho formation of an “ Aryan League of H onour.”
Several tcachei's of the Tej Narain School, among whom is
our good friend Babu Ladhli Mohun Ghose, F. T. S., took
prominent part in the proceedings. The movement was
organised under the name of “ S tudents’ Moral Association,”
with Babu Ishan Cliandra Misra, M. A., F. T. S., as the P re­
sident. D uring tho infancy of tlie Association tho members
of our local Society and the teachers of the school propose to
tako the lead. The sta rt was made w ith forty-tw o students.
M r. LANE-FOX AT AD O N I.
T h e Secretary of the Adoni Theosophical Society officially
reports the work done by Mr. Lane-Fox at th a t station. He
delivered thoro ail interesting and instructive public lecture
on Theosophy. H e successfully endeavoured to adapt his lan­
guage and style to the comprehension of his audiencc. The
impression made by him there is believed to be lasting, aa
he is a very effective speaker and his philosophical placidity
remains unruffled in all cases. His short stay has infused
additional vigour into this Branch.
Mr. Lane-Fox directed a great portion of his efforts towards
the elucidation of the true object of the Theosophical move­
ment, and in clearing away certain misconceptions as to tho
meaning of the word “ Mesmerism” and the phrase “ g-aining-
powers.” He pointed out th at true powers were the neces­
sary result of enlightened knowledge, that is to say, know­
ledge coupled w ith spiritual perception.
SELF-M ESM ER ISA TIO N .
A B rother Theosophist, w riting from Midnapore, mentions
wonderful cures by the process of self-mesmerisation. Du­
ring au attack of choleric diarrhoea he perceived a nervo
current rising up to the stomach in front and then descending
along the spinal chord. By concentrating his attention on
the current, he tried to change its direction. In an hour ho
was much relieved and fell asleep. A fter getting up,
however, he found ho had another attack. H e took a doso
of an opiate and then m editated as lie did before. A lthough
he did not go to sleep in the latter case, he got perfectly
cured. H e feels, he says, quite sure th a t a single dose of
three grains of opium could never have cured a diseaso
On another occasion ho had an attack of lumbago. The pain
was so intense th at lie could not walk erect. He concentrated
his attention on the part affected and imagined th a t tliu
affected portion of the spinal chord had become curved al­
though in reality there was no such curvature. H e then
concluded th a t there m ust be some displacement of the spi­
nal chord of the Praiiamaya body. Efforts were made to
restore th at particular portion of the Pran. The effect of
the imagination was to produce “ a state of strain” on tho
affected part. This was done for some length of time beforo
sleeping. The next morning the patient was all rig h t.
Our brother thinks these two instances of self-cure may
prove interesting and instructive to his Fellow-Theosophista
who can employ with advantage the same process, should
they suffer from the same or sim ilar complaints.
D. K. M.
T h e vacancy caused by tho untimely death of Mr. G.
Edrewere in tho Secretaryship of the Gallo (Buddhist)
Branch has been filled by the election of Mr. Paul Edward
Ponnumperoma, a very excellent man and devoted Buddhist.
Mr. Charles Frederick Jayawickram a has been elected
Secretary to the Board of M anagers under the National
Fund Trust.
Mr. Charles Amardas d ’Silva, Proctor, the son-in-law of
the late Emanis d’Silva Gunasokara, has been appointed by
Colonel Oleott a Trustee of the same Fund, in place of the
latter gentleman, deceased.
In the V I llth Anniversary Report, the name of Babu
Xu mud Chunder Mookerjee, F. T. S., of Simla, was printed
as having paid Rupees thirty to the Fund for tbe purchase
of the Adyar Theosophical Head-Quarters Property. T hat
gentleman now writes to us th at the amount was rem itted
through and not by him, tho real donor being “ &. C. C.
who does not wish to have his name made public.
OBITUARY.
Tho Secretary of th e Bombay T heosophical Society reports
the death of Mr. Je h a n g ir (Ju rsetji T uraehand, F. T. S . of th a t
B ranch, on Sunday tlie 2nd ultim o. T he deceased was long
suffering from disease of th e kidneys. M r. Je h a n g ir was u
warm advocate of Theosophy, and had liis life been spared, adds
the Secretary, he would have rendered good service to her
cause.
 <(
T H E S E C R E T DOCTRINE,”
A N E W V E R S IO N OF “ IS IS U N V E IL E D .”
W IT H A N E W A R R A N G E M E N T OF T H E M A T T E R , L A R G E A N D IM P O R T A N T
A D D IT IO N S , A N D C O PIO U S N O T E S . A N D C O M M E N T A R IE S,
DY
H . P. B L A V A T SK Y ,
C orresponding Secretary o f the Theosophical Society.
ASSISTED BY
T. SU B B A ROW GARU,
Councillor o f the Theosophical Society and Secretary o f its M adras Branch.
P U B L I S H E R ’S
N u m e r o u s an d u rg e n t re q u e sts havo come from all
p a rts of In d ia , to ad o p t som e plan fo r b rin g in g th e m a tte r
contained in “ Isis U n v eiled ,” w ithin th e reaoh of those
■who could n o t afford to p u rch ase so expensive a work
a t one tim e. O n th e o th e r h a n d , m any, finding tho out­
lines of th e d o ctrin e given too hazy, clam oured for
“ m ore lig h t,” an d necessarily m isu n d erstan d in g the
teach in g , have erroneously supposed it to be contrad ictory
to la te r revelations, w hich in riot a few cases, have
been en tirely m isconceived. T he a u th o r, th erefo re, un­
d e r the advice of friends, proposes to issue th e w ork in
a b e t t e r an d clearer form , in m onthly p a rts . AH, th a t is
im p o rtan t in “ Isis” for a th o ro u g h com prehension of th a
occult an d o th e r philosophical su b jects tre a te d of, will be
re ta in e d , b u t w ith such a re a rra n g e m e n t of th e te x t as
to group to g e th e r as closely as possible th e m aterials
re la tin g to an y given su b ject. T h u s will be avoided
needless rep etitio n s, an d th e s c a tte rin g of m aterials of a
co g n ate ch aracter th ro u g h o u t th e tw o volum es. M uch
additional inform ation upon occult su b jects, w hich it
w as not desirablo to p u t before th e public a t th e first
appearanco of th e w ork, b u t for w hicli th e w ay has been
prep ared by th e in terv en in g e ig h t years, au d especially
by the publication of “ T he O ccult W o rld ” an d “ E soteric
B uddhism ” an d o th er Theosophical w orks, will now be
given. H in ts will also be found th ro w in g lig h t on m any
o f th e h ith e rto m isu n d ersto o d teach in g s found in th e said
w orks. A com plete In d e x an d a T able of C ontents
will be com piled. I t is in ten d ed th a t each P a r t shall
com prise seventy-seven pages in Royal 8 vo. (or tw enty-
five p ag e s m ore th a n every 24th p a rt of th e original
work,) to bo p rin te d on good p a p e r an d in clear type, and
b e com pleted in ab o u t two years. T he ra te s qf subscrip­
tion to be as fo llo w :—■
Foreign
In d ia n . countries.
£ s.
I f paid M onthly ... Rs. 1 4 0
0 3
,, ,, Q uarterly ... }} 3 0 0 0 8
„ „ H alf y early ... 3) 6 0 0 0 16
„ „ Y early ... S3 1 0 0 0 1 7
S u b scrip tio n s payable invariably in advance, an d no
nam e en tered on th e list n o r P ^ rt fo rw ard ed until th e
m oney is in hand. A ll applications to be m ade an d sums
b. a ., b . l ., f. t. s .,
N O T IC E .
rem itted to th e " M anager, T heosophist Office, A dyar
(M adras), I n d ia ;” at w hich office money orders m ust be
made payable a n d alw ays in his favour. In m aking
rem ittan ces it should be no ted th a t no other am ount
should on any account be included in th e d rafts or money
orders, except th a t in te n d ed for th is w ork. Should
n o th in g unforeseen happen, and should a sufficient num ­
b er of subscribers be reg istered , th e first P a r t will be
issued on J u n e 15th.
R E P O R T OF T H E E IG H T H A N N I V E R S A R Y
O F T H E
THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.
T which were present Delfigates from Branches in America,
A England, Ceylon and all parts of India from North to South and
East to West.
Price four annas per copyj postage and packing charges:—
India, one anna; Ceylon, three annas; all other Foreign coun­
tries, four annas.
Apply, with remittance, to the Manager of the T ii e o s o p h is t , Adyar
(Madras).
E S O T E R I C B U D D H I S M .
(CHEAP EDITION—PRICE RUPEES THREE.)
HE Managpr of tho Theosophist has received a supply of tho papcr-
T covcr edition of Mr. Sinnett’s Esoteric Buddhism. Like the Occult
World, this work also, in its second edition, has been made cheap for
tho convenionco of tho Indian Subscribers.
MESSR S. N IC H O LA S Co. have made a splendid
a n d
photograph of a group comprising eighty-three Dele­
gates attending the E ighth Anniversary celebration of the
Theosophical Society, together with a view of the portico of
the A dyar H ead-quarters Building. Every p o rtrait ia excel­
lent. Copies may be had at Its 2-8 ( 6 s.) each, inclusive of
packing and postage. Fellows of the Theosophical Society
may also obtain cabinet size photos of Madame Blavatsky,
Colonel Olcott and a group consisting of Madame Blavatsky,
Messrs. Subba Row and Dharbagiri N ath at Rs 1-12 (4s.) per
copy, inclusive of packing and postage.
A pply io h i e M anager of th e Theosophist.
 /Ocreativ
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 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
EMBRACING M ESM ERISM , SPIRITUALISM , AND OTHER SECRET SCIENCES.
TO I s ta te an d as such form s p a r t of consciousness. I t is
THERE IS N O RELIG IO N H IG H E R THAN TRUTH.
[Pamiii/ motto 0/ the Maharajahs of Benares.'}
" I N F I N I T E P E R S O N A L I T Y .”
T h e artic le of M r. H e r b e r t S p e n c e r in th e N in eteen th
Century h a s c re a te d a g r e a t d eal of d iscu ssio n , especially
in the th eo lo g ical circle. N o th in g can b e m ore in ju rious
to hum an p ro g re ss th a n a condition of in te lle c tu a l s ta g ­
natio n , a n d a spirit, of e n q u iry m a rk s an im p o rta n t s ta g e
of tho upw ard developm ent. T he fre e th o u g h t m ovem ent
lias loosened th e ch ain s fo rg e d b y th e o lo g y upon its
w eak follow ers, an d th e re s u lt h a s b een a k e e n a n d an
e arn e st sp irit of in v e stig a tio n . F e w d o ctrin es a re now
accepted upon “ fa ith ” or a u th o rity alone ; only those
w hich pass th ro u g h th e crucible of reason a n d logic
sta n d on a firm an d la s tin g basis. A n im p a rtia l search
is necessary to lead one to tru th . E v e ry a tte m p t,
th erefo re, m ade in th is d irectio n is a c h e e rin g an d a
hopeful sig n of th e tim es. I t would n o t co n seq u ently
be u n in te re stin g to exam ine som e of th o th e istic answ ers
to Mr. H e rb e rt S p e n c e r’s a rg u m e n ts a g a in s t th e f ru it­
less task of a tta c h in g a p erso n a lity to th e In fin ite . Tho
chief con ten tio n of th a t d istin g u ish e d p h ilo so p h e r is th a t
consciousness, w hich is fo rm ed of successive sta te s,
when a p p lie d to th e E te rn a l R e a lity , m ak es of th e
D ivinity an an th ro p o m o rp h ic , h en ce n ecessarily a finite,
B e in g ; for such consciousness im plies c h a u g eab len ess.
To th is a c e rta in class of th e istic th in k e rs u rg e , in re p ly ,
th a t th ey do n o t believe th a t th e div in e co n sciousness is
form ed of successive s ta te s, b u t th a t th e y conceive it " to
be a, p erm a n e n t an d u n ch an g eab le consciousness, w ith
th e ideas and em otions c o n stitu tin g it aa e te rn a lly exist-,
in g th erein .” A n d f u r th e r :—■'
“ W hen God ‘is represented as seeing and hearing th is or the
ether, and as being emotionally affected th ereby ,’ it is not
meant th a t the fact is a new occurrence in the divine conscious­
ness, b ut th u t it is au ever-existing part of th e eternal con­
sciousness, only coming to th e cognizance of our limited con­
sciousness in time. L o ve of liis creatures, approval of virtue
and disapproval of sin, these and other feelings which we a t t r i ­
bute to the Divine Being are conceived, not as tr a n sie n t p h e ­
nomena, appearing in and disap pearin g from the Divino Mind
in time ....... . b a t as p e rm an e n t au d eternal states of the
Divine consciousness..................”
T his assertion m ay seem sound a t first sig h t, b u t a
little th in k in g shows it to be n o t q u ite logical. A p ro ­
position to be tru e m u st sta n d th e te st of both th e
inductive and th e deductive m ethods. T a lk in g of the
Divine consciousness in relation to a ll h u m a n ity , tho
above proposition of tho T h eists th a t all th e sta te s of
existence are eternally p re se n t in th e Di.vine M ind, m ay
hold good. B u t this Divino consciousness m u st now
be considered in its b e a rin g upon the in d iv id u a l; lie
exists because, according to tho T h eists, G od ivills so^
No in te llig e n t person cau deny th a t w ill ia a m e n ta l
also obvious th a t if all causes a re sim ultaneous, th a
effects m u st also be sim ultaneous. Now th e b irth ,
g ro w th a n d d e a th of an in d iv id u al a re en tirely different
effects of th e D ivine will. I f all th ese m ental sta te s
are sim u ltaneou s in th e D ivine m ind, th e effects m ust
be sim ultaneous. Do we how ever find it so ? No m an
comes into existen ce, devblopes a n d dies sim u lta n e ­
ously. I f th e effects are successive, th e m en tal sta te s
which produce those effects m ust also b e successive.
T h e sam e ap plies to th e whole universe. I t does
n o t come in to ex isten ce, develope and die sim u lta­
neously. W h a t a superficial th in k e r is g enerally m isled b y
is th e fact th a t h is m ind is capable of passing so rap id ly
th ro u g h successive states th a t he im agines th ese m e n ta l
sta te s sim ultaneo usly p re s e n t in his m ind. B u t w hen a
lo gical te st is applied to th e hyp o thesis, such as m en ­
tioned above, th e n it becom es evident th a t th e ra p id ity
of th e succession of m en tal sta te s m u st no t be m isu n d er­
stood to m ean th e ir sim u ltaneou s p resence. I f “ G od”
ts H e cannot e x i s t ; fo r existence im plies change. L ik e th a
m odern sc ie n tist, who is c h a rg e d w ith s ta n d in g in th o
m iddle of the chain, th e th e ist in liis process of reaso n in g
ad op ts the sam e course. T h e o th e r “ prop ositio n ” th a t
change from ac tiv ity to in a c tiv ity does not im ply sucli
ch ang eablen ess as is “ in co n sisten t w ith H is (th e D ivine
B e in g ’s) in fin ity ,” is eq ually open to objection. I f th e
will to be a ctiv e a n d in activ e is sim ultaneous in th e
D ivine m ind, th e n th e c re a tio n m u st be sim ultaneously
a ctiv e and inactiv e, w hich it is no t. H en ce th ese tw o
m ental states m u st bo successive, a n d M r. H e r b e r t
S p e n c e r’s reaso n in g holds good. T he A dw aitee P h ilo ­
sophy offers a logical so lutio n of th e pro blem , w hen i t
teaches th a t P arabrahm , th e 0110 E te rn a l, In fin ite R e a ­
lity , has no will, no in te llig e n c e , no consciousness, fo r ifc
is itself ab solute will, ab so lu te in tellig en ce a n d ab so lu te
consciousness. A u d to ta lk of A b so lute consciousness
b e in g conscious is to a tte m p t th e ab su rd ta sk of measur->
in g infinity by finity.
B. S.
—" ♦ -
T E E M E T A P H Y S IC A L B A S I S OF “ ESO TEBIO
B U D D H IS M .”
Tue pamphlet of Mr. C. C. Massey, an F. T. S ., of the Londou
Lodge of the Theosophical Society, is a valuable contribution
to the discussion now being raised by the publication of Mr.
Siunctt’s Esoteric Buddhism. I t is a trite axiom th a t tru tli
exists independent of hum an error, and he who would know
tho tru th, must rise up to its level and not try tlie ridiculous
task of dragging it down to his own standard. Every m eta­
physician knows th a t Absolute T ru th is the eternal Reality
which survives all the transiont phenomena. Tho preface to
tlie Isis Unveiled expresses the idea very clearly when it
says :—“ Men and parties, socts and crceds, are the inert)
ephemera of the world’s day, whilo Truth, high seated 011 its
rock of Adamant, is alone eternal aud suprem e.” Language
belongs to the w orld of relativity, while T ruth is the
Absolute Reality. I t ia therefore vaiu to suppose that any
 language, however ancient or sublime, can express A bstract
l r u th . Tlie latter exists in the world of ideas, and tho ideal
can be perceived by the senso belonging to tliat world.
Words can merely clothe the ideas, b u t no num ber of words
can convoy an idea to one who is incapable of perceiving it.
Every one of ns has within him tho laten t capacity or a sense
dorm ant in us which can take cognisance of A bstract Trutli,
although tho development of th a t senso or, more correctly
speaking, the assimilation of our intellect with th a t higher
sonso, may vary in different persons, according to circum­
stances, education and discipline. T hat h igher sense which
is tho potential capacity of every hum an being is in eternal
contact with R eality, and every one of ns has experienced
moments when, being for the timo en rapport with th at
higher sense, we realise the eternal verities. The sole ques­
tion is how to focalise ourselves entirely iii th a t higher sense.
D irectly we realise this tru th , we aro brought face to face
w ith occultism. Occultism teaches its votaries w h at sort of
train in g will bring on such a development. I t never dogmatises,
liut only recommends certain methods wliich the experience of
ages has proved to be tho best suited to the purpose. B ut
ju st as the harm ony of nature consists in symphonious dis­
cord, so also the harmony of occult training (in other words,
individual human progress) consists in discord of details.
The scopo of Occultism being a stndy of N ature, both in its
phenomenal and noumenal aspects, its organisation is in ex­
act harmony with the plan of N ature. Different constitu­
tions require different details in training, and different men
can better grasp tho idea clothed in different expressions.
This necessity has given rise to different schools of Occultism,
whoso scopo and ideal is the same, but whose modes of ex­
pression and methods of procedure differ. Nay, even the
students of the same school have not necessarily a uniformity
of training. This will show why it is th a t until a certain
stage is reached, the Chela is generally left to himself, and
■why ho is never given verbal or w ritten instructions regard­
ing the tru th s of N ature. I t will also suggest the meaning
of the Neophyte being made to undergo a particular kind of
sleep for a certain period before each initiation. And
his success or failure depends upon his capacity for tho
assimilation of the A bstract T ru th his higher sense
perceives. However, ju st as unity is the ultim ate possibility
of N ature, so thero is a certain school of Occultism
■which deals only with the synthetic process, and to which
all the other sheools, dealing w ith analytical methods
wherein alone can diversity exist, owe their allegiance.
A careful reader will thus perceive the absurdity of a dog­
matism which claims for its methods a universal application.
W h at is therefore m eant by the A dwaitee Philosophy being
identical with tho A rh at Doctrine, is th a t the final goal or the
ultim ate possibility of both is thc same. The synthetical
process is one, for it deals only w ith eternal verities, tho
A bstract T ruth, the noumenal. A nd these two philosophies
are put forth together, for in their analytical methods they
proceed on parallel linos, one proceeding from tho subjective
and the other from the objective stand-point, to meet ulti­
mately or rath er converge together in one point or centre.
As such, each is the complement of the other and neither
can be said to bo complete in itself. I t should be distinctly
remembered here th a t the Adwaitee D octrine docs not date
from Sankaracharya, nor does the A rh at Philosophy owe its
origin to G autam a Buddha. They were but tho latest ex­
pounders of these two systems which have existed from time
im m em orial as they must. Some natures can better com­
prehend the tru th from a subjective stand-point, while others
m ust proceed from the objective. These two systems are
therefore as old as Occultism itself, while tho later phases
of the Esoteric Doctrine aro but another aspect of either of
these two, the details being modified according to the com­
prehensive faculties of the people addressed, as also the
other surrounding circum stances. A ttem pts a t a revival
of the knowledge of this T ru th have been numberless, and
therefore to suggest th a t the present is the first attem pt
in the world’s history, is an erro r which those whose sense
has ju st been awakened to the glorious Reality aro apt to
commit. I t has already been stated th a t the diffusion of
knowledge is not limited to one process. Thc possessors of
it have never jealously guarded it from any personal or
selfish motives. In fact such a fram e of m ind precludes
th e possibility of the attainm ent of knowledge. They have
jit every opportunity tried all available means to give its
benefit to hum anity. Times there were undoubtedly when they
had to rest content w ith giving it only to a few chosen pupils,
who, it should bo remombered, differ from ordinary hum anity
only in one essential particular, and th at is, that by abnor­
mal training they bring on a process of self-evolution in
a com paratively very short period, which ordinary hum anity
may require num berless ages to reach during tho ordinary
course of evolution. Those who aro acquainted with the his­
tory of Count St. Germain and the works of the lato Lord
Lytton; need not be told th at even during the past
hundred years constant efforts have been made to awaken tho
present races to a senso of the knowledgo which will assist
their progress and ensure future happiness. I t should not
be, moreover, forgotten th at to spread a knowledge of phi­
losophical tru th s forms b u t a small fraction of tho impor­
tan t work thc occultists aro engaged in. AVhenever circum ­
stances compel them to be shut out from tho world’s view,
they are most actively engaged in so arranging and guiding
the current of events, sometimes by influencing people’s
minds, at others by bringing about, as far as practicable, such
combinations of forces as would give rise to a higher form
of evolution and such other im portant work on a spiritual
plane. They have to do and are doing th at work now. Little
therefore do the public know what in reality it is th a t they
ask for when they apply for Chelaship. Thoy have to thus
pledge themselves to assist the M a i i a t m a s in th a t spiritual
work by the process of self-evolution, for, the energy expend­
ed by them in the act of self-purification, has a dynamic
effect and produces grand results on a spiritual plane. More­
over, they gradually fit themselves to take an active share in
the grand work. I t may perhaps be now apparent why
“ T h e A d e p t B e c o m e s ; i i e i s n o t M a d e ,” and why he is
tho “ rare efflorescence of the age.” The foregoing considera­
tions should never be lost sig h t of by the reader of Esoterit
Buddhism.
The great difficulty which an ordinarily philosophic mind
has to contcnd against, is the idoa th a t consciousness and
intelligence proceed out of non-consciousness and non-intelli­
gence. A lthough an abstruse metaphysical intellect can
comprehend or ra th er perccivc the point subjectively, tho
present undeveloped stato of hum anity, at any rate, can con­
ceive the higher truths only from an objeetivo stand-point.
Ju st as, therefore, we are obliged to talk of the setting of
the sun, in common parlance, although we know th at it is
not the movement of tho suu th a t wc really refer to, and
just as in gcocentric system we have' to speak as though the
earth were a fixed point in the centre of tlic universe so that
the unripe mind of thc student may understand our teachings,
so in tlie samo m anner the A bstract T ruth has to be present­
ed from an objective point of view, so th at it may be more
easily comprehended by minds with not a very keen meta­
physical intellect. Thus ono may say that Buddhism is
rational Vcdantism, while Vedautism is transcendental
Buddhism. Keeping this difference in view, an ex­
planation of the difficulty abovo put forth may be given
from tho B uddhist stand-point. If the reader will here ro-
call the answer of tlie M a h a t m a s to Question V of ‘‘ An
English F. T. S.,” published in the Theosophist for Sep­
tem ber 1883, ho will remember the explanation concerning
“ the mineral monad.” The ono Life permeates A l l . Here
it may be added th a t consciousness and intelligence also
permeate A ll. These three are inherent potentially every­
where. B u t wo do not talk of the life of a mineral, nor of its
consciousness or intelligence. These exist in it only poten­
tially. The differentiation which resalts in individualisation
is uot yet complete. A p iece of gold, silver, copper or any
other metal, or a pieco of rock, &c-, has no sense of separate
existence, because the mineral monad is not individualised.
I t is only in tho anim al kingdom that a sense of porsonality
begins to be formed. B ut for all that, nn occultist will not
say th a t life, consciousness or intelligence, do not potentially
exist in the minerals. Thus it will be seen th a t although
consciousness and intelligence exist everywhere, all objects
are notconscions or intelligent. The latent potentiality when
developed to the stago of individualisation by the Law of
Cosmic Evolution, separates tho subject from the object, or
rath er the subject falls into Upadhi, and a state of personal
consciousness or intelligence is realized. B ut the absolute
consciousness and intelligence which has no Upadhi cannot
bo conscious or intelligent, for there is no duality, nothing to
wake intelligence or to be conscious of. Hence the Upanishads
sny th a t Parabrahvi has no consciousness, no intelligence, for
these states can be cognised by us only on account of our in­
dividualisation, w hile we cau lwve, from our differentiated and
 personal state, no conception of the undifferentiated, non-
dualistic consciousness or intelligence. If there were no con­
sciousness or intelligence in Nature, it were absurd to talk of
tlie Law pf Karma or every cause producing its correspond­
i n g cffect. Tlie M a h a t m a , in one of the letters published in the
Occult World, says that matter is indestructible, but enquires
whethar the modern Scientist can tell why it ia that Nature
consciously prefers that matter should remain indestructible
nnder organic rather than inorganic form. This is a very
suggestive idea in regard to the subject under notice. At the
beginning of our studies we are apt to be misled by the sup­
position that our earth, or tho planetary chain, or the solar
system, constitutes infinity and that eternity can be measured
by numbers. Often and often have the M a h a t m a s warned us
against this error, and yet we do, now and then, try to limit
the infinity to our standard instead of endeavouring to ex­
pand ourselves to its conception. This has led somo naturally
to a sense of isolation, aud to forget that the same
Law of Cosmic Evolution which has brought us to
our present stage of individual differentiation, is tending
to lead ua gradually to the original undifferentiated
conditiou. Such allow themselves to be imbued so much
with a sense of personality that they try to rebel against
the idea of Absolute Unity. Forcing themselves thus in
a state of isolation, they endeavour to ride the Cosmic Law
which must have its course: and the natural result is annihi­
lation through the throes of disintegration. This it is
which constitutes the bridge, the dangerous point in evolu­
tion referred to by Mr- Sinnett in his Esoteric Buddhism.
And this is why selfishness, which is the result of a strong
seoso of personality, is detrimental to spiritual progress.
This it is that constitutes the difference between white and
black magic. And it is this tendency to whioh reference is
made when talking of tho end of a Race. At this period, the
whole humanity splits up into two classes, the Adepts of the
good Law nnd tlie sorccrcrs (or Dugpas). To that period we
are fast rushing ; and to save humanity from a cataclysm which
must overtake those who go against the purposes of Nature,
the M a h a t m a s , who are working with her, are ondeavouring
to spread knowledge in a manner to prevent its abuse as far
as possible. W e should therefore constantly remember that
the present is not tho apex of evolution, and that if we would
not be annihilated, we must not allow ourselves to be influ­
enced by a senso of personal isolation and consequent worldly
vanities and shows. This world does not constitute infinity,
nor does our solar system, nor does tho immeasurable expanse
our physical senses can take cognisance of. All theso and more
are but an infinitesimal atom of the Absolute Infinity. The
idea of personality is limited to our physical senses which, be­
longing as they do to tho Rupa Loka (world of forms), must
perish, since we see no permanent form anywhere. All is liable
to change, and L h e more we livo in transient personality, the
more wo incur the danger of final death, or total annihilation.
It is O n l y the seventh principle, the Adi Buddha, that is the
Absolute Reality. The objective stand-point, however, adds
further that Dharma, the vehicle of the seventh principle or
its Upadhi, is co-existent with its Lord aud Master, the
A di Buddha ; because it says nothing can come out of nothing.
A more correct form of expressing the idea would be that in
the state of Pralaya the sixth principle exists in the seventh
as an eternal potentiality to be manifested during the period
of cosmic activity. Viewed in this light both the seventh aud
the sixth principles are Eternal Realities, although it would
bo more correct to say that the seventh principle is the only
Reality, since it remains immutable both during cosmic activity
as also during cosmic rest, while the sixth principle, the Upa­
dhi, although absorbed into the seventh during Pralaya, is
changing during Munvantara, first differentiating to return to
its undifferentiated condition as the timo for Pralaya ap­
proaches. It was from this standpoint that Mr. Subba Row
was arguing in his article on “ A Personal and an Imper­
sonal God,” which was meant as a reply to Mr. Hume, who
was then talking of the Arhat Philosophy.
Now the Vedantin doctrine says that Parabrahm is tho Abso­
lute ItealUy which never changes aud is thus identical with the
Adi Buddha of the Arhats. While Mulaprakriti is that aspect
of Parabrahm, which at the time of Manvantara emanates from
itself Purunh and Prakriti, and which thus undergoes chango
during the period of cosmic activity. As Purush is force, which
remains immutable throughout, it is that aspect of Mulaprakriti
which ia identical with Parabrahm. Hence il. is that Purush is
said to be the same as Parabrahm, or the Absolute Reality.
While Prakriti, tho differentiated cosmic nsattcr, constantly
undergoes change, and is thus unpermanent, forming the basis of
phenomenal evolution. This is a purely subjective stand-point
from which Mr. Subba Row was arguing wich the lato Swami of
Almora who professed to be an Adwaitee. A careful reader will
thus perceive tbat there is no contradiction involved in Mr. Subba
Row’s statements, when he says from the objective standpoint
that Mulaprakriti and Purush are eternal, and wheu again from
a subjective standpoint he says that Purush is the only eternal
Reality. His critic has unconsciously mixed up the two stand­
points by culling extracts from two different articles written
from two different points of view and imagines that Mr. Subba
Row has made an error.
Attention must now be turned to the idea of the Dhyan Oho-
hans. It has been already stated above that tho sixth and tha
seventh principles are the same iu all, and this idea will be clear
to every one who reads carefully the foregoing remarks. It has
also been added that tbe Bixth principle, being a differentiation
of Mulaprakriti, is personal, however exalted and ubiquitous that
personality may be. In the Adwaitee Philosophy tho Dhyan
Ohohans correspond to Iswara, the Demiurgus. There is no con­
scious Iswara outside of the 7th principle of Menu as vulgarly
understood. This was the idea Mr. Subha Row meant to convey
when he said:—“expressions implying the existence of a conscious
Iswar which are to be found here and there in tho Upanishads,
are uot to be literally construed.” Mr. Subba Row’s statement!
is therefore neither “ perfectly inexplicable,” nor “ audacious,”
as it is consistent with the teaching of Sankaracharya. Tho
Dhyan Ohohans, who represent the aggregate cosmic intelligence,
are the immediate artificers of the worlds, and are thus identical
with Isivara or the Demiurgic Mind. But their consciousness and
intelligence, pertaining as they do to the sixth and tho seventh
states of matter, are such as we cannot cognise, so long as wo
prefer to remain iu our isolation and do not transfer our
individuality to the sixth and the seventh principles. As
artificers of the worlds, they are tho primary principle of tha
Universe, all hough they are at the same timo tho result of Cosmic
Evolution. It is an incorrect understanding of the consciousness
of Dhyan Ohohans that has given rise to the current vulgarnotion
of bod. Little do the dogmatic theists realise that it is within
their power to become Dhyan Ohohans or Iswara, or at least thoy
have the latent potentiality in them to riso to that spiritual
eminence if they will hut work ivith Naturo. They know not
tbemselves, and thus allow themselves to be carricd away and
buried under a sense of personal isolation, looking upon Naturo
as something apart from themselves. They thus isolate them­
selves from the spirit of Nature, which is the only eternal
Absolute Heulity and hurry towards their own disintegration.
The reader will now perceive that Esoteric Buddhism is not
a system of materialism. It is, as Mr. Sinnett calls it, “ tran­
scendental Materialism” which is non-materialism just as tho
absolute consciousness is non-consciousness and the absolute
personality, of which Mr. Massey talks, is non-personality.
Mr. Massey’s description of evolution from the idoalist stand­
point, with which his pamphlet closes, no occultist will disagree
with. The book shows such various phases of thought that
different portions must evidently havo been written at different
times. It is undoubtedly a valuablo addition to the existing
literature on the subject aud will be read with extreme interest
by the students of “ The metaphysical basis of Esoleria
Buddhism.”
D amodah K. M avalankar, F. T. 5*
PO STSCRIPT.
After the above was in type, a copy of the “ Reply to tha
‘ Observations’ of Mr. T. Subba Row, P. T. S.,” by Mrs. Kingsford
and Mr. Maitland of the London Lodije of the Theosophical Society,
came to hand. Most of tho questions raised therein having been
discussed in the foregoing articlo, attention must now bo confin­
ed to three or four important points put forth in the present
pamphlet.
It has been authoritatively declared, more than once, in the
Theosophist that tho eighth sphere must not be confounded with
the visible moon. The authors of the pamphlet are thereforo
undoubtedly right in this respect.
Speaking from a subjective stand-point, to talk of locality and
time is absurd, since tlio latter are mere relativo terms and aa
such restricted only to the phenomenal. Abstract space and
eternity aro indivisible ; and therefore to try to fix time and
place, as though tbey were absolute realities, is neither meta­
physical nor philosophical. However, objective stand-point is
essential, as has been alroady pointed out. In tho economy of
Nature, every thing is right in its place, nnd to ignore a certain
plane is just as illogical as to over-estimate it. True knowledga
consists in a right sense of discrimination : to be able to perceive
what phenomenou performs what function, aud how to utilize it
for human progress and happiness. Both the objectivo and sub­
jective stand-poiuts, as much as the inductive and deductive me­
thods, nre therefore essential for tho a tta in m e n t of true know­
ledge which is true power. In doing so, it is h u m an h abit and
n a t u r e to associate certain phenom ena with certain abstract
ideas, h avin g of course determ ined beforehand th e exact relation
betw een these two. W ith these rem arks, it may be left to the
intuition of tho readers to find ont the relation betw een the
ph ases of the moon aud th e states of being know n to occultists
as th e eighth sphero.
N ex t we come to the question of t.he Dhyan Chohans. W h a t
they are conceived to be has already been sta ted in th e foregoing
nrticle. I t may however be rem ark ed here th a t the learned and
gifted au th o rs of tho pa m p h let u n d e r c onsideration_ seem to
mix up both the subjective an d th e objective stand-points when
th ey say :—
“ Wo confess that tho difficulty propounded by na respecting tho
nllogod part takon by the Dhyan Chohans in the production of the
Cosmos is not removed by the statem ent that * as there can be no
beginning of E ternity, so thero can bo no first Dhyan Chohans, if
we are to regard these as human, and not Emanations, but products
of Evolution. For, both logically and chronologically, the prodncor
m ust precode the product, the manifoster the manifestation. Unless,
indoed, it bo that we are called on to beliove tliat prior to, and in­
dependently of, manifestation is no— Being ; a belief which would
iuvolvo tho doctrino that the manifest exhausts Being ; in othor words,
th a t the Cosmos is God.”
P e rh a p s th e difficulty may be removed when it is rem embered
t h a t the Dhyan Chohans represent tho cosmic intelligence and
consciousness, and th a t our conception of chronology is incon­
siste n t with the idea of E te rn ity , and when th e subjective and
objective stand-points are realized in th eir distinct aspects. The
Dhyan Chohans may be considered as th e Elohim of the Kabala,
ivliile th e ‘‘ Seven spirits of God” of the Cabalists are rep re se n t­
ed iu th e Oriental teaching by tho p rim a ry seven Centres of
Energy which subsist “ indefensibly in the Divine N ature, as th e
woven rays of the prism in lig h t.”
W e may assu re the erud ite au th o rs that, according to th e O ri­
ental occult teaching, “ W hen a race has reached tbe Zenith of its
“ physical intellectuality and developed its hig hest civilization,
“ its progrosj towards absolute evil” is arrested by the destruc­
tion, as far as possiblo, “ of its false nnd pernicious system, of
“ th o u g h t and co nduct...by m eans of such fu r th e r interior unfold-
•' m en t of m a n ’s spiritual consciousness ns will su pp lem en t and
“ correct mere intellect nnd pure intuition, nnd th u s enable man
“ to realise his hig he r potentialities.” T h e formation and tho
grow th of the Theosophical Society is one of the indications of the
fact, as has already been pointed out. Moreover, from a proper
u n d e rs ta n d in g of r;he doctrine of K a rm a and of what has already
been said in th e Fragments, &c., concerning th e after-states of
suicides and those who die prem ature deaths, it will be obvious
t h a t the influence of the results of th e evil actions of Ditgpas
is likely to be worse, u n d er certain conditions and circumstances,
ivhen they nre destroyed than when alive. I n th e first place,
th e i r elementaries are likely to affect a n u m b er of sensitives who
m a y thus be dragged, unconsciously to them selves, towards evil.
T h en, the prem atu re death of ono evil personality is likely to
influence innum erable o the r evilly inclined personalities by the
L a w of Affinity, as in life the former has no t had full o pportuni­
ties of working ou t the effects of its bad Karma. A s th ey are
all, more or less, actua ted by merely selfish and personal consi­
derations, there can be no complete u n ity am ong them , and their
“ powers” nre generally exercised and som etimes exhausted in
m a t te r s of dissensions am ong parties and sects. The conditions
being such as above indicated, it will be seen th a t the physical des­
tr u c tio n of a race would tend to increase ra th e r th e evii effects than
otherwise. A t th e same time, it should not be forgotten t h a t those
en tities who have as it were reached th e g r a n d o u r a u d th e eminence
of ft P rin ce of Black magicians, ultim ately tend to so g ro up them-
Belves as to m ake it impossible for them to have th eir influence
spread beyond a very limited area, This o p p ortun ity m ay be
ta k e n a dv anta ge of; and none will deny th a t it is a certain kind
of physical destruction by which they are all focalised to gether,
as it were, in a spot, u ntil a total annihilation results. I t is to
th is destruction th a t Mr. Subba Row refers in his “ O bserva­
tions.” T h e p hrase “ Absolute evil” has been made use of in the
sam e sense as a mathematician sometimes uses tho term s “ Z ero ”
nnd “ Infin ity” —to indicate a th eoretical limit.
A few words may now be said in connection with tb e idea of
Buddha. W hen Mr. S u bb a Row talks of tho historical aspect
of Buddha, he probably refers to Gautama Buddha, who was a
historical personage. I t must, of course, at tho samo tim e be
rem em bered th a t every en tity th a t identifies itself with th a t ray
of th e Divino Wisdom which is re p rese n te d by Gautama, is a
B u d d h a ; and th us it will be ovident th a t th ere can bo bu t one
B u d d h a at a time, tho hig h est ty po of th a t particular ray of
A d ep tsh ip .
As the purpose of this writing has been elucidation of tr u th by
m ean s of discussion—spirit which should anim ate every truo
philosophical disquisition—we hope we have succeeded in leav­
in g entiroly ou t of consideration every personal qu estio n —which
po often m ars the force of metaphysical a rg u m e n ts. T h e chief
Rim of th e Theosophical Society is h u m a n e n lig h ten m en t an d
tr u e progress, which can be gained only by im personal in telli­
g e n t discussions, th u s pro m p tin g n B rotherhood formed upon
the basis of m u tu a l intellectu al sym pathy.
D. K. M. ,
Note.—Mr. Subba Row’s reply to the pamphlets above referrod to
will shortly appear in a separato pham phlet,—Ed,
------ ♦------
T H E COSMOGONY OF T H E OLD TESTAM ENT.
A Verse of the Bible, examined by the Light
of the Jewish Gaba1a.
B y an A m e r ic a n B u d d h ist .
T he first chapter of Genesis in the Bible, accepted by the
Christians, says :—
i. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
These opening lines, as well as the rest of the grand poem,
called “ The Bible,” have been for centuries either ridiculed
by those who were ignorant of the wisdom concealed in tho
allegorical or symbolical language in which the book is
w ritten, or they have been regarded w ith awe, terror and
superstition by those, who, incapable of seeing their true
esoteric meaning, have looked upon the exoteric sense, whicli
these words conveyed, as the final dictum of an extra-cosmic
deity. In addition to these unfortunate circum stances, there
is an inaccuracy of translation from the H ebrew text, which
is very m uch to be regretted, and which becomes apparent
already in the beginning of the chapter. If by Prasit we
understand the active principle of the creation, instead of its
beginning, in such a case we will clearly perceive th a t Moses
never m eant to say th a t heaven and earth were the first
works of God. H e only said th a t God created lieaven and
earth through the principle, which is his son.*
If the C hristian translators of the Hebrew Bible had been
more conversant w ith the Hebrew language and with the
occult m eaning of Hebrew words, they would perhaps have
translated it differently, and if the doctrine of evolution and
the construction of tlie sidereal universe had been known to
them, they would probably not have left th eir readers to
suppose th a t the word “ creation” meant the formation of
something out of nothing, or th a t their “ history of creation”
or the first four chapters of “ Genesis” was intended to present
an allegory of our planet “ E a rth ,” leaving them in igno­
rance of the fact th at it referred to the grand evolution of tho
universe when, after the n ight of Brahma was ended, a new
activity commenced ; when “ God awoke from his slum ber”
and sent out of his divine essence the germs and sparks from
which worlds grew into existence.
If we examine the occult meaning of the original text,
from which the Bible of our present day has been composed,
and call to our assistance tho explanations offered by the
Cabala, we find the following principles represented as
laid down in “ The voice of Israel.”
1. From nothing can procced nothing. There is there­
fore no substance which sprang from nothing, or was created
by nothing. Even m atter cannot have originated from
nothing ; no more can it have derived its origin from itself,
because it is destitute of shape, and differs only in one grade
from nothing, and is almost equal to nothing. Hence ifc
follows, th a t no m atter exists of itself.
2. All th a t exists is solely of a spiritual nature. This
spiritual nature is uncreated, eternally intellectual, sensible
and living, automatous, and necessarily self-existent. I t is
the infinite Godhead, the first-cause of every cause.
3. All existing things m ust have em anated from th a t
infinite Being, Seeing then they can have emanated from
Him only, they m ust exist in Him only. The W orld tlien is
tho im m anent effect of the Godhead, in which He lias exhi­
bited his attributes and properties in a variety of degrees
and modifications.
4*. Tho nearer the th ing emanated is to the infinite
fountain-head, the sublim er and holier it is, and tbe farther it
is from the same, the moro it is destitute of the divinity and
therefore of perfection.
5. In order th a t th at emanation m ight proceed from the
hidden source of the infinite and divine light, and become
manifested as tlie modification of divine powers and attri-'
butes, God caused a prim itive source to emanate from
Him self ; from and by which all other emanations came and
still come into existence. The prim itive source of all things
emanated from the Godhead is called Adam Kadmon, original
man, the first and only-begotten Son of God.
* See ‘‘ Isis Uuveiled,” p. 30,
 G. This fjrijt-begotten Sou of God m anifested liimself in
liis emanations in ten special modes, or in ten rays of light,
wliieli they call Sephiroth. Through these Sephiroth pro­
ceeded from tlie Adam Kadm on, or original man, as the
im m anent effects of his emanation, th e spirits w ithout all
m atter, the angels as c reated ' distinctly existing substances,
yet \vithout m atter, and those beings th a t w ith respect to
th eir existence and power depend upon m atter, iu short all
th a t is not God.
7. Though all th a t exists flowed, by means of prim itive
em anation, from the divinity, yet is the world different from
th e Godhead aa the effeofc is from the cause; nevertheless,
not as separate from, b u t ra th e r as im m anent in the Godhead.
The world is thus the revelation of the Godhead, not accord­
ing to innate hidden being, b u t according to visible glory.
These principles may be reduced to two chief principles,
aud two fundam ental doctrines :
A. Everything th a t lias existence lias emanated from the
prim itive source of the infinite light, spirit and life. : The
creation of tho world is a revelation of the intrinsically in­
comprehensible Godhead, called by the Cabalists “ the con­
cealed above all concealments.” The creation therefore con­
sisted merely in this, th a t the prim ordial Being drew forth
out of himself the power of lig h t and life for the gradual
im partation to an infinite degree.
B. God is everything, and God is nothing of th a t which
is not God.
1 . As proof for the first of these principles, the Cabalists
adduce the maxim, that, since no being can come into
existence from nothing, it follows th a t no creation can
proceed from nothing.* T hat which is must, according to its
cssence, be from eternity, or else it was not at all. The
Being, however, th a t was from eternity, cannot be m utable
and inconstant m atter, which, since it unceasingly alters its
form , has no durability in itself, and cannot therefore be
from etern ity ; while, on the contrary, tliat which is eternal
m ust be of the opposite character, i. e., of a naturo invariable
like itself, existing by itself and unchangeable.
Hence it follows th at all th a t exists, m ust in an absolute
senso be a spiritual essunce. This spiritual essence is
uncreated, eternal, containing in itself the principle of all
existence, intellectual, self-determ ining, immense, absolutely
necessary, originating in itself, aud therefore nothing else
than the Godhead, who is called Ensoph or the infinite Being ;
because it is the primeval cause of all th a t exists.
T h at which exists cannot exist by itself and without God,
b u t in H im and through H im ; it can only be rogarded as
having em anated from, and therefore as a revelatiou of,
the infinite Being.
2. The second principle th e Cabalists explain in the
following manner. God is every thing . N ot as if He could
bo divided as to His essence, b u t H e is all because there is
nothing th a t does not proceed from Him alone, exist and
cohere through Him . F or this reason they also call him
makon (space), because th a t everything is in liim, and hoo
(h e), because He is in all.
W hen thoy say th a t all proceeds from Him, they disclaim
the idea leading to the conclusion, th a t there is any thing
m aterial on His part, b u t th a t all created beings have their
origin in Him according to th a t which is in them of light,
sp irit nnd life. This kind of becoming and being they
designate by the expression nahir, which has a two-fold
signification of shining and outflowing. W hen they say
tlia t all things exist by Him, it is w ith reference to
this th a t all tilings were brought into existence by the
uninterrupted ray proceeding from God, which pervades
all space and is called God. In a sim ilar sense they
understand the expression, all things cohere through God,
viz., th a t all things are anim ated, sustained and united
by means of the spirit of God. In th is senso are all beings
God himself, which they designate by thc expression hoo
(the being).
In the same way they m ost em phatically m aintain th a t
G jd is nothing of all th a t which is not God ; i. e., which
belongs to tho world. For they say, the world is but tho
veil of the most hidden or incom prehensible Being, through
which penetrates the impression of the highest power and
wisdom of God, especially his m ost exalted attributes. B ut
* When it is B&id tliat Qod cre&tod the world from nothing, it ia not from the Beriah world. Its substances, though already sub­
to be road meuyin, but meensoph, i, e., from ths infinite Being.
God liiinself is not the unity in. nature ; but the absolute
.unity above nature, and is therefore not subject to number,
m easure or any other estimation, but is to man■an abstract
idea of spiritual contemplation.
From the above definitions it appears th at the words
“ In the beginning God created” mean something very different,
from w hat those, unacquainted with the esoteric philosophies,
commonly suppose them to imply. As to the words V the
heaven and the earth,” it does not require a g reat stretch
of the im agination, and will become clear by a fu rth er study
of the Cabala th a t they refer to the m aterial and spiritual
universe. If we therefore attem pt to render the first verse
of the first chapter in Genesis in a language more appro?
priate to the intelligence of our century and more in accord­
ance with the esoteric tru th , which th at sentence cop^ains,
we m ight perhaps say : .
The one, unthinkable, self-existent, eternal, unchangeable a/nd
infinite supreme cause, the inexhaustible source of all life,
power and intelligence, which in itself, is space, duration and
motion, produces out of itself and by the activity of its own inr
herent will, the principlo out of which the spiritual and material
universe is evolved. .
This first emanation of the Supreme, the first ray of
Light, both male and female, the Adam Kadmon of the Chal­
deans, the One L ife or Vach of the H indus, the Logos of the
Greeks, the Word or Christ of the Christians, and Seventh
Principle of the Occultists, is the beginning, by which all
things come into existence ; it is the embodiment of^the law of
evolution, the cause and energy manifested in the visible and
invisible universe. I t is called by tlie C abalist primordial
man, the first and only begotten son of God; Sephira or
Divine Intelligence, the m other of all the Sephiraths, while
th e concealed Wisdom is the father.
This first ray manifested itself in ten rays of light, and
with these the Cabalists connect the ten names of God, ten
orders of angels, the three heavens and the seven planets,
the ten patriarchs, etc. En-Soph is non-existent, for it is in­
comprehensible to our finite intellects and therefore cannot
exist to our minds. W hen the time for an active period had
come, then was produced a natural expansion of the Divine
essence, and from this eternal light was emitted a spiritual
substance. This was the first Sephira, containing in herself
the other nine Sephiraths or intelligences. In their totality
and unity they represent the archetypal man, who iu his
individuality or unity is yet dual or bisexual, for he is the
prototype of all hum anity. : j.
The ten Sephiraths are divided into three classes, each of
them presenting to us the D ivinity under a different aspect,
the whole still rem aining an indivisible Trinity. The names
of the ten Sephiraths are :
1. Kaither, Crown; 2. Ohochmah, Wisdom ; 3. Beenah,
Understanding; 4. Chaised, Grace; 5. Geburah, Strength;
G. Tiphaireth, Ornament; 7. Naitsach, Victory ; 8 . Hod,
Majesty; 9, Yessod, Foundation; 10. Malclnit, Kingdom.
These ten Sephiraths form at the same time four worlds iu
various gradations. They influence those worlds from the
upper to the lower, b u t in a dim inishing degree, and aro
conceived as so m any degrees of spirit, light and life,
descending ic a gradually coarser state or oorporifieation.
These worlds are :—
1. Tlie Azilah, or emanated world, as the next to the
Divinity, contains tho ten Sephiraths in their greatest potence,
and is therefore directly adjacent to the incomprehensible
Being of the Godhead, and immediately omanated from
him. It is tho highest and most perfect manifestation of
God, w ithout defect, alteration and change, but ever rem ain­
ing the same. I t is the noblest, and the beings contained
therein are the immediate emanations from Adam Kadmon,
or the Logos and therefore of the same nature w ith him.
2. l'he Beriah, or created world, is the next emanation
from the Azilah world. Though this contains likewise tho
ten Sephiraths, they are not of so great a potency as thoso of
the other, and this is therefore lower and more confined than
the other. The substances which it contains aro, however,
yet w ithout m atter, of a pure spiritual kind. A 3 they havo
the Azilah world as tlieir source, so they arc in' th e ir 1 turn a
source to the inferior worlds. -
3. The Tezirah, or fashioned world, ia ihe next emanation
ject to individuality, do not yet consist of m atter. This U
 then the world of angels, i. e., the intelligent and yet incor­
poreal beings, ■who are enveloped in a lucid covering, who,
when they appear to man, adopt a still coarser m atter.
4. The Assiah., or formed world, consists of the grosser tive a t th e a p p o in ted tim e as th e K arm a of g o o d ," and
p a rts of tlie three upper worlds, which on account of their
m ateriality aDd weight, are sunk down to this lower world.
Its substances consist of m atter confined to space, which are
perceptible to the grossest senses u nder various shapes and
are subject to an unceasing change and a continual m utable­
ness of existence and decay ; of decrease and increase and
gradual transform ation. They thereforo call this world a
world of seemingness and illusion. For in it there is nothing
simple and indivisible, b u t mere composition, which at every
moment changes form, internally and externally.
To those who cannot elevate th eir minds above the world
of forms, who constantly move on a low m aterial plane,
who reject intuition, spirituality and inspiration as idle
dreams, and cannot conceive of the nature of an idea, aud
who therefore feel it their duty to reject and ridicule the
ancient symbolical w ritings, which include “ the Bible” as
nonsense, fancy and superstition, tho above explanation may
a t least serve to show what the subject is, which they
ridicule and re je c t; while to the C hristian fanatics, who
profess to believe in the letter of their “ Bible,” it may prove
th at, if they would examine those letters by the lig h t throw n
upon them by the “ Bibles” of other nations, and learn to
distinguish between the esoteric and exoteric sense, their
conceptions of their own professed religion would become
more grand and sublime in proportion as their knowledge
extended. They would a t once see the harm ony and con­
formity existing between the fundam entals of th eir own
religions and those of other nations ; their spiritual aspira­
tions would grow ; they would come o u t from thoir state
of isolation and realise the grand doctrine of the Father­
hood of Qod and the Brotherhood of Universal H um anity.
« M A G N E T IC ” Q U A C K E R Y .
A n erro n eo u s opinion seems to prevail to a certain
ex te n t am o n g st th e p ublic th a t, by jo in in g th e T heo­
sophical Society, one m ust necessarily becom e endow ed
w ith w onderful pow ers. M any th in k th a t, a fte r th e
" m y s tic rite s ” of th e first initiatio n h av e been p erform ­
ed, th ey are to co n stitu te so m any “ M essiahs” to be
sent into th e w orld to perform m iracles an d to cure th e
sick, and they look p erh ap s w ith c o n te m p t and pity
upon th e m u ltitu d e of M. D .’s, who, a t a g re a t e x ­
pense of la b o u r an d m oney an d a fte r m uch trouble,
stu d y and vexation of m ind, have obtained th e ir sheep­
skin and title, b u t only an inferior know ledge; w hile they,
— happy m o rtals !— a t th e ex pense of only ten
Itu p ees, have boen suddenly tran sfo rm ed from th e con­
d itio n of ignoram uses into th a t of p a ra g o n s of m edical
wisdom . T h e sovereign r ig h t of a re g u la r M. D . to kill
or cure has, as th e y th in k , been co n ferred upon them
w ith o u t p u ttin g them to th e irk so m e an d ted io u s labour
of developing th e ir in te lle c tu a l pow ers sufficiently to
deserve th a t rig h t, an d they are g o in g to exercise it,
let th e consequences be w hat th ey m ay.
T he Dumber of such w ould-be saviours of m an k ind is
very la rg e , an d we are continually in receip t of le tte rs,
asking for o u r assistan ce to sp read th e p ractice of
" m edical in a g n e tism ” all over th e c o u n tr y ; b u t we
shall n o t only do n o th in g of th e kin d , b u t we shall use
our endeavours to d iscountenance en tire ly th e in d iscrim i­
nate a tte m p t to use such pow ers an d to denounce
quackery in all its d e p a rtm e n ts.
N o t m any would be so ra sh as to d eeire to be p u t
into th e office of first e n g in e e r on a steam b o at, w ith o u t d irection to th e ir actio n , ond an ignorant m esm eriser
know ing a n y th in g a b o u t th e pow ers of steam or tbe
m echanical construction of th e e n g in e. A ny m an in
such a position w ould be afraid th a t an explosion m ig h t
follow and th a t his own valuable h ead m ig h t be blown
off. B u t th e m ed ical quack ru n s no such ris k for his
head. H e th in k s th a t if he fails or m akes a m istak e, it
is th e p a tie n t who suffers, not he. H e p ro b ab ly does n o t
consider th e doctrin e of K arm a of sufficient im p o rtance
to rem em b er th a t each cause will have its effect th a t
th e curse of h is ig norance comes hom e to roost, and
th a t he will bo the chief sufferer in th e end. “ Tlie
K a rm a of evil, be it g re n t o r sm all, is as certainly o p era­
If an u n ed u cated m esm erizer in ju res his victim by a
m isapplication of his m agnetism , or by the im p u rity of
th e 8 nme, it will bo useless for him to excuse him self by
say in g th a t he has done evil by in te n d in g to do good ;
because he o u g h t to have know n th a t he was w rong to
b rin g forces into play, th e n a tu re s of w hich he did not
u n d e rsta n d . M an is a m ore com plicated m echanism
th an a steam engine, and in mau the m any and m ore
act.ive forces involved in th e process of life are fa r less
sim ple to handle th an steam . W e hnve been answ ered
th a t th e " re g u la r profession” g en erally does not know
m ore th an th e m ost common ty ro ab o u t th e laws of
w hat is called " anim al m ag n etism ” and th ere fo re it
would be useless to tu rn such p atien ts as wish to be
tre a te d by “ m esm erism ” over to them , and such is the
tru th . W e do not desire to shield p re ju d ice or defend
ignorance, w h eth e r it is openly practised or w h e th er it
hides itself behind th e seal of a m edical d ip lo m a ; b u t
we w ould, w arn professional as well as unprofessional
ignoram uses, not to m eddle with snch th in g s, before
th ey have th o ro u g h ly stu d ie d th e subject.
L e t th erefo re those who " feel called” to p ractise
m esm erism , w h eth er they a re M. D .’s or o rd in a ry
m ortals, first stu d y the co n stitu tio n of m an in its differ­
ent aspects, tho real n a tu re a n d causes of the diseases,
w hich they propose to tre a t, and th e quality of the
forces th ey wish to em ploy. L e t them live such lives ns
will develop only a h e alth y a n d pure m agnetism . L et
them be of good h ealth , use th e p ro p e r food and occult
train in g , an d above all lead tru ly m oral lives. In sh o rt
le t them be tru e T heosophists, a n d tho pow ers w hich
thoy seek will descend upon them w ithout b ein g “ tra n s­
fe rre d ” by th e e d ito r or any one else. T h e ir very p re ­
sence will then act ns a charm a g ain st disease, th ey will
ca rry blessings in every house, a n d th e ir p atien ts will
g e t well w ith o u t h av in g to subm it to a course of rid ic u ­
lous “ passes, blow ings nnd snappings of fin g ers.” D i­
seases nnd d o cto rs’ bills will decrease w here such men
go, and th e b le ssin g s of m ankind will follow them in
th e ir p ath .
B ut those w ho, ig n o ra n t of th e laws of life and health
nnd perh ap s only for th e purpose of g ra tify in g th e ir own
vanity, or as a so rt of am usem ent, o r for g ain , a tte m p t
indiscrim in ately to infuse an undesirable or p e rh a p s
injurious m agnetism into th e ir fellow -beings, are en tirely
in the w rong, a n d to convince them of th is fact is the
object of th e w riter. A man can n o t become an A d e p t
by sta rin g at th e end of his nose or by sta n d in g on one
leg for an ho u r every day ; to becom e such he m ust first
develop his in tellectu al faculties to th e ir fu lle st e x ten t.
H e cannot becom e a healer by m aking faces or passes a t
p a tie n ts according to th e rules laid dow n in books on
M esm erism , w hich teach how th e " passes” are to be
m ade. To become a real healer, he m ust first p u t
him self into th e possession of a h ea lth y m agnetism and
th e n know how to in te llig e n tly apply the same. To do
the first he m u st co n tinually lead a life not only of
physical b u t also of m en tal p u r ity ; for evil desires poison
the m agnetic em anations, im pure th o u g h ts pollute them
and selfish m otives im p a rt deleterious qualities to th e
same. A w rongly directed or vacillating will gives a w ro n g
m ay do a g re a t deal of h arm . To become a successful
m agnetic healer, one m u st be possessed of a Knowledge
of the laws of n a tu re , especially such as re la te to the
cause of hum an suffering, of sufficient W isdom to apply
th e forces w ith which he deals p ro p e rly and of an
entirely unselfish Love fo r hum anity. We can therofore
encourage only those in the p rac tic e of m edical m ag n e t­
ism , who are p ro p erly qualified ; an d we can only con­
sider those qualified, who, by a long continued course of
 stu d y , have o b tain ed a tr u e in s ig h t in to th e n a tu re of
disease, and by observation an d practice developed suffi­
cient in tu itio n to in tellig en tly apply th e sam e. ' th e ir han d s on th e m oveable w ritin g in s tr u m e n t; th a
A n A merican B uddhist .
■- ■ » ■■■
TH E PHOTOGRAPHIC P IC T U R E OF A MUR-
D E R E R IN THE E Y E OF TH E VICTIM.
T he u D em o cratic P re ss” b rin g s a a acco u n t pf an
ex p e rim e n t m ad e b y D r. Pollock, an A m erican physician,
w hicli show s t h a t th o last im pressions, w hich tb e eye of
the d y in g re c e iv e s, m ay be p e rm a n e n tly im p ressed on
th e sam e, an d become p lain ly visible to all b y th e a p p li­
cation of a m icroscope.
A m an b y th e nam e of B eard sley , re sid in g in A u b u rn ,
was found m u rd ered , an d th e c o ro n e r’s ju ry gave a
v erd ict th a t th e in stru m en t of m u rd e r, w ith w hich the
victim ’s scu ll w as fra c tu re d , h a d b een a heavy blood­
stained ro c k , w h ich was found close b y th e bo d y . T he
follow ing is ft p a r t of th e r e p o r t :—•
“ A t th e 'post-mortem ex am in a tio n th e eye was in serted
into a so lu tio n of A tro p ia , w hich p ro d u c e d a c o n sid e r­
able dilatio n of th e pupil. W e th e n app lied a pow erful
m agnifying lens, a n d by its a id we p lain ly p erceiv ed the
form of a m an in a lig h t co at, his a ttitu d e w as th a t of
b en d in g forw ard w ith o u ts tre tc h e d arm s, an d n e a r him,
as if floating in th e air, was th e im a g e of a rock.
U n fo rtu n ately th e pye was som ew hat d a m a g e d by our
m an ip u latio n s, w h ich ev id en tly pro d u ced a p a rtia l d is­
placem ent of th e r e tin a ; an d a lth o u g h th e form of th e
figure w as p la in ly visible to all, s till th e face of th e
m u rd erer was too m uch out of shape, to lead to his
reco g n itio n .”
A n ex p e rim e n t of th e sam e k in d w ith o u t rem o v in g
the eye from its o rb it m ig h t lead to b e tte r re su lts.
(P sxjchische Studieii.)
------ •------
TH O U G H TS ON M IND R EA DIN G.
B y D r. L . S alzer, F . T . S .
W h a t e v e r p sy ch o lo g ists of th e m a te ria lis tic school
may have to say a b o u t th o p h enom ena o c c u rrin g u n d er
the influence of m esm erism , or a t sp iritu a lis tic seances,
th ere is one psy ch ic phenom enon w hich h as g ain e d
un d isp u ted re c o g n itio n , a n d th is is th e fa c u lty of some
men to re a d , u n d e r co n d itio n s n o t y e t scientifically
defined, th e th o u g h ts of o th ers. O f course m en of th e
world are still to be found by th e th o u sa n d s who rid icu le
th e idea of one m an ever b e in g cap ab le of re a d in g
the th o u g h ts of a n o th e r m an . B u t th e n m en of th e
world a re , as a ru le, n o t p a rtic u la rly g ifte d w ith a scien ­
tific tu rn of m ind. D r. C a rp e n te r in h is “ M e n ta l P h y ­
siology,” a fte r h a v in g d e stro y e d in h is own w ay all
m esm eric a n d sp iritu a listic p henom ena, d e n y in g one h a lf
of th e resp e c tiv e facts, a n d ex p lain in g aw ay th e o th e r
half in a m an n er satisfacto ry to him self, w illin g ly a d m its,
w ithout any a tte m p t tow ards e x p la n a tio n , th e fa c t of
th o u g h t-re a d in g as s ta te d above.
A t first sig h t, it w ould a p p e a r th a t it is h a rd ly n e c es­
sary to s ta te w h at is m e a n t b y th o u g h t o r m ind re a d in g ;
the w ord, as it sta n d s, one should say, is in te llig ib le
enough, w ith o u t fu rth e r e x p la n a tio n . W hen, a t a g iv en
m om ent, A . know s w h a t B . th in k s , th e n A . has p e r­
form ed th e a c t of th o u g h t-re a d in g w ith re sp e c t to B,
N ot alw ays, how ever, is th e m ental o p eratio n involved
in th o u g h t-re a d in g so plain an d sim ple. A s fa r as I am
aw are, b o th from m y own ex p e rie n c e a n d from e x p e ri­
m ents m ade upon o th ers, A . m ay n o t a c tu a lly know
w hat B. th in k s, a u d y e t he m ay an sw er B .’s m en tal
qnestion in such a fittin g m a n n e r as if h e k n ew all
about B .’s th o u g h ts. A few exam ples will illu s tra te b e st
this p a rticu la r m ode of th o u g h t-re a d in g .
Som e years ago w hile e n te rin g a house, I fo u n d tw o
ladies busy in w o rk in g th e planchette, w hich w as a t th a t
time “ th e ra g e ” in C a lc u tta . T h e m ode in w hich th e y
I ' '
w en t to w ork was as follows. T h ey ask ed som e questions
aloud, as if d irec ted to th e planchette ; th e n th e y laid
planchette m oved upon a sh ee t of pap er, an d in m oving
tra c e d som e sentences, w hich w ere supposed to hav e b een
in sp ire d b y som e in v isib le sp irits. I trie d h a rd to
ex plain to th e ladies th a t th e w ritin g is by no m eans of a
“ s p irit” o rigin ; th a t it is th e ir own th o u g h t, conscious o r
unconscious, th a t com es o u t in those sentenoes b y som e
so rt of au to m a tiq m otion— it w as of no use. T hey a sk e d
th e planchette if I w as r ig h t, and th e planchette a n ­
sw ered : S p irits. A ll r ig h t, I said, if we have to do
w ith sp irits, th e y w ill know ju s t as well to answ er
a question a d d re sse d to th em in silence. I th e n w en t
in to nn a d jo in in g room , sh u t th e door b e h in d m e,
an d , ta k in g o u t of my p o c k e t a piece of p a p e r a n d a
pencil, w rote dow n th& follow ing question : W h a t will
become of th e p la n c h e tte a fte r ten years ? I th e n folded
th e p ap er, re tu rn e d to th e o th e r room , laid th e folded
p a p e r u n d er th e sh e e t of p a p e r sp read o u t fo r th e p la n ­
chette, an d re q u e ste d th e ladies to an sw er th e q u estion
w ritte n on th e folded p a p e r. T h e y soon b e g an to
op erate, an d to m y su rp rise p la n c h e tte answ ered q u ite
sensibly : B re a k up. W h a t is th e m e an in g of th a t ? I
asked. W e d o 'n o t know , th e y said, b u t th is is p la n c h e tte ’s
an sw er. W h a t w as y o u r question ?
A t a second sim ila r e x p e rim e n t, m y qu estio n w as :
W o u ld th e p la n c h e tte g iv e a g a in a suitable an sw er ?
I t w ould, w as th e re p ly , w ith o u t e ith e r of th e o p e ra tin g
ladies k n o w in g w h a t w ould.
I sh all give only one exam ple m ore from m y own ex­
perience, as th e fac u lty of th o u g h t-re a d in g has been
la te ly d ev elo p in g its e lf in m e. T h e q u estion p u t dow n
on p a p e r by a m em ber of th e B engal B ran ch of th e
Theosophical S ociety, w hile m y b ack was tu rn e d to w ard s
him , was as follow s. S h all I ev er succeed in becom ing a
chela ? “ T ry ,” was m y an sw er, w ith o u t k n o w in g a n y ­
th in g ab o u t th e n a tu re of his question, a n d , it goes
w ith o u t saying, w ith o u t h a v in g th e slig h te st conception
w hat he was to try . S tra n g e to say, th o w ord (Try) was
p ronounced w ith such an em phasis, th a t th e poor m an
said it will rin g in his ears as lo n g as he lives. Y e t I
becam e only aw are of th e m ea n in g , an d I m ay a s well
say of th e significance of th e w ord, a fte r I h ad u n ­
folded the p a p e r an d h ad read its co n te n ts.
N ow all th is is certain ly n o t th o u g h t-re a d in g in th e
com m on sense of th e w ord. A. has, in none of th ese
cases, guessed th e th o u g h ts of B . ; w h a t he a p p e a rs to
have guessed is th e su b stra tu m of B .’s th o u g h ts, one of
th e possible answ ers th a t lay d o rm an t in th e m ind of B.
w hile fra m in g his q u e s tio n ; in o th e r w ords dived, so to
say, iu to th e d e p th s of B .’s unconscious cereb ratio n ,
while, w h at was u p p e rm o st in B .’s m ind (the qnestion)
rem ained all a lo n g h id d en to him . I t m u st be confessed
th is is r a th e r an aw k w ard w ay of d o in g th i n g s ; espe­
cially so, when it is rem em bered th a t to unravel half­
developed th o u g h ts is by fa r m ore difficult, than to
g ra sp th o u g h ts rea d y -m a d e. A th o u g h t-read er of th is
class, so it would a p p e a r to m y u n tu to red m ind, m ust
necessarily w aste a good d eal m ore of energy th a n th e
plain and sim ple th o u g h t-re a d e r, w hile the w ork done
by him m u st be p ronounced by fa r inferior to th a t
p erform ed by h is riv a l in th e a rt of thought-reading-.
A n d yet, w hen I com e to exam ine m yself closely, 1
find th a t d o p erce p tib le effort is made on m y p a r t in th a
a tte m p t a t fittin g ly an sw erin g an unknow n q u e stio n ;
I sim ply m ake a b la n k of m y m ind, and a w ord b u b b le s
u p — I pronounce i t — an d th e th in g is done. So it was
w ith re g a rd to th e w o r d " T ry ,” a n d so w as it w ith
re g a rd to m any sim ilar w ords a n d answ ers occasionally
given.
W h a te v e r m ay b e th e modus operandi of th is class of
th o u g h t-re a d in g , it a p p e a rs d e sira b le th a t th e two
classes of th o u g h t-re a d iu g .should be d istin g u ish e d by
different uam es. S h o u ld I h av e b een th e first, who
drew atte n tio n on th e su b je c t, th e n I w ould propose,
the one should go by th e nam e of d ire c t, an d th e o th e r
by th e nam e of in d irect th o u g h t-re a d in g .
------*— ' , ■'
F R I N G E B I S M A R K ’S M Y S T E R I O U S V I S I T O R .
L a Franco in an a rtic le h ead ed “ C hronique
A llem an d e ” says ab o u t P rin c e B ism a rk : “ T h ere is no
d o u b t th a t he w orks h a rd , w hilo u n d e rg o in g tre a tm e n t
a t K issin g e n ; b u t it is n o t relig io u s p o litics th a t tak es
up his tim e. A lth o u g h n o t a sin g le caller is a d m itte d ,
s till a very m ysterious v isito r com es to him . every day.
T h is v isito r is a tall, d rie d -u p , old m an w ith g rim face
a n d clo th ed in tlie fashion of th e c o u n try people of
B avaria, nam ely w earing, as th e y all do, silv er pieces in
place of co at b u tto n s. C e rta in k n o w in g gossips say
th a t th is p e a sa n t comes from P a s in g , n e a r M unich, th a t
Jiis nam e is H u b e r, au d th a t he is n o th in g m ore or leas
th a n a m agician or w izard .”
T his account, com ing as it does from a F re n c h source,
ad m itte d ly u n frie n d ly to P rin c e B ism a rk , w ould ap p ear,
a t first sig h t, to have for its o b ject to th ro w a slu r on th e
C hancellor, an d c h a rg e h im w ith s u p e rstitio n and c re d u ­
lity. B u t if we tu rn to th e ' G erm an J o u rn a l Psychische
S tu d ie n p u b lish ed a t L e ip z ig , we find a n o th e r a rtic le
headed “ G a m b e tta an d B ism ark in th e ir relatio n to P s y ­
chism .” I t show s th a t sev eral y e a rs b efo re G a m b e tta’s
d e a th he was d in in g at th e house of a frie n d , w hen a fte r
d in n e r th e lady of th e h o u s e p ro p o sed a b it of fo rtune-
te llin g by card s, an am u sem en t th a t was sm ilin g ly ac c e p t­
ed. W h en it was G a m b e tta ’s tu rn to have his fo rtn n e told,
th e lad y becam e su d d en ly serious. “ D o you know ,”
,she said, “ th a t you are th re a te n e d by a g re a t d a n g e r
w hich com es to you th ro u g h a w o m a n ? ” “ Y ou are
p erhaps r ig h t,” replied G a m b e tta , “ m y m o th e r was
a lre ad y to ld b efore iny b irth , th a t she w ould h av e a son
who would occupy a h ig h p o sitio n in F ra n c e , b u t who
w ould bo k illed b y tho h a n d of a w o m an .”
A cco rd in g to th e sam o jo u rn a l P rin c e B ism ark is a
sensitive. Id e a s Come to him and k eep him aw ake, w hen
lie w ould p re fe r to sleep. W h o know s b u t P ro fesso r
W illiam C a rp e n te r m ay y e t show t h a t th e victories in
F ra n c e w ere but. a re su lt of B ism a rk ’s unconscious c ere­
b ratio n . H e se k ie l tells a g h o st sto ry w hich o ccurred
in B ism ark ’s castlo in S clioen h au sen ; th e C han cellor
liim self saw th e g h o st an d n e v e r d en ie d ifc. H e also
ex p ressed on a c e rta in occasion his b elief in m y stic
n u m b ers an d lu ck y an d linlucky d ay s, a n d w hen on the
14t.li of O ctober 1870 G eneral B ay er opened n egociations
w ith him iu re g a rd to th e s u rre n d e r of B azaine,
B ism a rk p u t oil th e tra n sa c tio n of th a t serious b u si­
ness, p riv a te ly g iv in g th e reason fo r it th a t it was an
u nlucky day. , N a tu re is b u t a colleotion of la w s ; th a t w hich renders
S h all we d raw th e conclusion th a t th e se g re a t men
a re ig n o ra n t an d su p erstitio u s, or th a t th e y , p erhaps,
h av e h ig h e r d ev elo p ed in tu itio n s th a n th e o rd in ary
ra b b le ?
----- 4—
T IIE SO U L. ■ ' ■ Can senfee arid logic bo more sacrificed than to the fallacy of certain
E ssay I I I ( B y E l i p h a s L e v i ).
T hk Soul is e t e r n a l ; and im m o rtality m eans E te rn ity .
N o th in g can ascen d to Heaven th a t lias n o t descended
from heaven. V oid u o t e x istin g , c a n p ro d u ce n o th in g .
A.u E te rn ity th a t beg in s is a dou b le a b s u rd ity , for it would
presuppose an E te rn ity th a t has an end. Beginning!
a u d end are tw o w ords th a t ex clu d e .e v e ry id ea • of
E te rn ity , .. :> ■ ' :
God is c re a tin g soul .e te rn a lly ,* I n this ; soul we
w ere, in to i t ' wo will re tu rn , b u t tra n sfig u re d and
stre n g th e n e d by our tria ls. T he conscience of the
e te rn ity is th e in te llig e n c e of th e sacrifice, fo r it is
th ro u g h sacrifice alone th a t m an can com m une w ith
G o d .f ...................
^ H e who saves his soul will lose it ; and he wlio loses
it will save it,, said th e S overeign M aster. T h a t is to
say, th a t he who sacrifices God to his p erso n ality will lose
his p e rso n a lity , an d he who sacrifices his personality to
God will find it e te rn a l in G od. God is everyw here, in i
th e soul a n d w itll th e soul, an d th e soul is everyw here
w ith, a n d in, th e form th a t it modifies. Sottl is one and
m u ltip le. M etal, stone, v e g e ta b le an d anim al p a rtic ip ate
in th e universal Soul. Soul is th e first creatibii of the
v erb ; th e verb is in h e r and y e t ceases n o t for all th a t to
be in God. T u ipso vita' erdt el \>ita e td t IwJo hominitm.%
Y e s ; tru e life is in tellec tu al light', hum an lig h t;
an d th is lig h t is th e soul. T he soul is th e ra d ia n t Star
th a t nover hides. I t is the soul th a t G od questions and
who is nnsvrered b y it th a t his Works are p e r f e c t l y beauti­
ful. I t is in th o soul th a t G od sees th e lig h t of the
w orld, a u d it is a g a in in the soul th a t we perceive the
lig h t of G od. •
S p irit is one as su b sta n c e is one. S p ecial and personified
souls are lig h te d a t one com m on fire, w hich, like th e b u d ,
sc a tte rs its rays th ro u g h analysis and g a th e rs them
in ag ain by sy n th e sis. I t is th e sam e fire th a t lights
th e torches of th e festivals, and th e flames of a confla­
g ra tio n . Collective soul is sinless, because it is impersonal.
I t is th e b u rn in g bush th a t God transform s into a
b rillia n t an d ete rn a l lu m inary j th e soul has to become
personified a n d to in c a rn a te itself before it can reach
self-consciousness ; it lim its (conditions?) itself in order
to sp read , and h as to die if it will liye.
Soul is th e d ire c tin g a n d co n serv ativ e principle of v
life ; an d God th o creative a n d conservative principle of
soul. Soul is his b re a th , his llu a ch ; our b re a th conies
from ourselves, b u t it does not belong to our sub­
stan ce ; n o r is R uach co -su bstantial (coeval ?) w ith God.
U n iv e rsa l soul does n o t an im ate only tho em bryo in his
m o th e r’s bosom ; b u t also the m yriads of zoosperms
h id d en in th e prolific m ale substance. I t is the universal
soul th a t shapes th e' fornis, b u t it does n o t c reate them,
n e ith e r does it perceive them w ith any consciousness of
th e ir beauty. I t a cts like those w eavers of the fine
g o b elin ca rp e ts, who copy servilely th e p ic tu re s placed
b e h in d them and never look a t th em , do in g th e ir work
w ith a m echanical b u t b lin d precision. U n iv ersal soul
can be com pared to the su p p o situ m or tho substratum of
th e divine v erb . W h e n G od says, “ L e t th e re be lig h t,”
lie com m ands th e eyes to open* th e in te lle c t to bo born,
an d defeires th e h ig lit to m ake room for spleudour.
them liv in g rind efficacious is th e soul. ’ T his intelligence
th a t m anifests itse lf everyw here where th e re is life, not
* This assertion is only true in the senso tliat that Parabrahmam or
Atli-Buddha etorrially manifesting itself as Jivatm a (7th prin­
ciple) or Avniokitcswaru.— Tt 8. . • ,
: “ God is cmtftng.BOul eternally” and u soul, eterna}'1 nevertheless!
meaningless bhfc bolted Words ench as ** creation P” Had E. L. said
, ■. that u God is evolving sonl eternally,” that would lmvp se n se; for here
“ God” stands for th e . Eternal Principlo, Parabrahm, .one of .whose
aspects is “ M ulaprakriti” or tliq 'eternal root, the spiritual and
physical germ of all-1-the feonl and tho body of the universe both
eternal their ultimate constitution—which is one.~Ed. ,. ‘ ,
f Sorely, tho “ sacrifice” of onr reason1—if a p'ersonal God j‘b
meant.— J£d. . r. :‘'._■
J What ro&nd-abonfc and prolific sentences,to say that, which can Le
expressed in a few, words: God is nature, visible and invisible, and
natnte or Cosmos in its infinity ia God i And yefc E, L, was 'undoubt­
. edly » great oceultisfc— Ed, '
as an accident, but as a cause— it is tlie soul. * God does
not act directly on the bodies, otherwise, all would be
perfect in its form, and tlie ropail'iug motion would cease
to be necessary : hierarchy is everywhere, and tho order
is never interrupted. ; told in the ear shall be revealed on the house-tops.
Universal soul hns itself for snpport or for substratum
tlie primordial corporeal substance which is the vibrating
and vibrated fluid that we call od, ob and aour. f There is
within tho astral light an animistic principle, which is,
in a way, latent and impersonal, which is neither god
nor the devil, but which is— soul, the fatal anim a, called
to become free anim us. But this is something so occult,
that I have not dared to mention it in my printed works.
H o w can we conceive an impersonal and, at tho samo
time, intelligent nature ? By giving it m - u ltip e r s o n a lity .
For, if it is not personified in its universality, it is, at
lenst, specialized in all living personalities. It is through
this that one is enabled to read in the thought of
another person ; through this again, that seers can find
in that one common source every remembrance and
evory thought that was, is, aud will be. But this is once
more a profound arcanum that must reinaiu unknown
to the vulgar ; an arcanum profaned, at present, by these
miserable spiritists, who play with fire over an immense
powdermine, that will one day bring them back to
reason. _
The mystery of tho intercommunication of tlio uni­
versal, with the individual, soul, is tho great arcanum of
Magic.
Univorsal soul is the great mystery of salvation. God
will save neither a portion, nor the half, of the great
*onl : he will save the whole of it.
W h e n a body loses a leg a wooden leg is made for
it, and still it buffers paiu in its foot, that is amputatod
and gone.
But wooden legs cannot be made for souls ; and the
»oul that suffers from the limbs it has lost, regenerates
them by accopting the necessary suffering.
It is called sacrifice. Meditate and try to understand.
K eep tiiesu t h in g s se c r e t , for youiiselp .
For, if tho profane come to know and study the occult
»oul, lie would mistake it forthwith for God, and that
would bo tho real creation of Satan. It is d iv in a in
oriqine, but non divin a in natu ra , and this has to bo
well understood.
The occult soul is one, as God is one, universal as
himself, but through him. It is this aoul that the
Bible calls absolute man, this name including also the
spirit of angels und tho soul of the stars. This soul is
“ universal man” or tho groat A dam , the A d a m Kadm on
of the Kabalists. It is he who is the Macroprosopus of
the “ Sohar,” it is in him that wo live, and move and
have our being, as he lives and moves and has his being
in G o d 4 whoso black m i r a g e he is. Thus, the angels and
the sun->, it is wo ourselves; t h e i r soul is o u r soul.
'Thus wo have always lived in this soul one and universal,
whose most distant recollections we can always evoke.
It is in those recollectious that we recognize those who
have lived ages back, and that, by comparing, we can tell
* YVe havo been just told tliat soul only servilely copies ‘‘ liko Llie antagonism to the modern, when the fact is that tho
gobelin weavers” tlie ready models it limls, uiul that iL is not con­
scious ot tlio beauty of the forms it ia shaping. What and wherefore
the “ intelligence” then ?—God being intelligence itself, and
the soul liis agent likewise intelligent. Whence tho iinporfectiun, the
evil, the fuilures of naturo p Who is responsible for all Ihid ? Or shall
we be answered by Chri.jtian occultists as >vo have hitherto been by
Ihoir orthodox brethren: “ the ways of Providence are mysterious
nnd it is a sin to question thom?”—Ed.
It is in fact tho Mahamaya of the Hindu occultists.— T. S.
t Aud wo tho manifested prakriti (uot differentiated)—Ed.
J Which amounts to saying th at it is not in the personal Jehova,
the God of the lJible, that “ we live and move and have our being,” but
in Adam, the spirit of Adam—or H u m a n i t y in its universal aud cosmical from his ancestor, tho ape. Thc teaching of the Aryan
• onse.. This is in perfect accord with th e occult doctrine ; but what '
will the Theists aud Christians say to this ?—Ed.
This nniversal so ill i 8 in fact the manifested Brahmam of the Hindu . right so far as he goes, he begins and ends in tha
philosophers nud AYftlokitcawara of th e :Bud(lhist occultists.— T, S.
whether a portrait of Socrates, of Jesus, or of Luther, iv
a good likeness or not. ' ’ ' ’ ,
This soul preserves all the echoes, every word ever
pronounced. Hence the Master’s words, that the secrets
Tho whisper of the sage will become one day the Voice
of peoples like the roar of great waters. '
W h a t I now write was read by Simeon-ben-Jochai
and Isaac de Loria in the imprints of the secret verb o^
Joseph, Moses and Solomon. Centuries more will have to
pass before the mustard seed grows into a large tree.
But what a transformation on earth when h u m a n u n it y
(or tho unity of m an?) will have become u dogma and
when all will have learned to know that—
“ A ll o t h e r s a r e st il l I.”
E l i i -h a s L e v i ,
Super quo p a x.
~ >—
" SO M E U NCOM M ON TH O U G H TS ON
I M M O R T A L I T Y .” .
M r . L a u r e n c e GitoNLUNDhas kindly favoured us with a
copy of the “ In d ex ” containing his able article on tho
above subject. The attempt to show in a concise manner
that tho doctrine of immortality is scientific and logical,
is not quite without success. The argument that “ tho
“ well accredited instances of tho often astonishing
‘‘ influence of the mind over tho body, aud the still more
“ wonderful control of one mind over the bodily aud
“ mental states of another, tend to prove that mind ju
“ more than a ‘ function’ or an 'effect’ ” —-may not in
itself be sufficient for establishing the possibility of im­
mortality. But when it is urged that “ by. tho study
“ of cataleptic patients, it has been demonstrated that
“ tho soul lias extraordinary capacities, independent
“ o f the orderly ayency of tlio bodily organs, and thkt
“ its perceptions in that condition are as much realities
“ as those of its ordinary state” — tho argument assumes
additional strength aud vigour. It is the phenomena of
clairvoyance and trance— natural in some and induciblo
in others by powerful mesmorisers— that aro tho stumb­
ling blocks of the materialist. These; at any ratek
give ample evidence of tho existence of something
in man, which acts independently of his body. Further
investigations demonstrate the fact of tho survival of
that something after what is called “ death,” i. c..,
physical decease. Col. Olcott has always based his
scientific lectures upon these facts. Once that tho
exhibition of consciousness when tho body ia in
a state of mesmeric sleep, and the survival of
that consciousness after the death of the body aro
admitted as facts, we have to turn away from modem
science for further facts, as the latter has not yet
quite made up its mind to accept them, much less
could it g’ive a scientific theory concerning tho after-
ataies of man. Whore the modern “ exact” science thus
halts, the ancient, philosophy of tho Aryans begins. Tho
latter had investigated ail these phenomena, or most of
them, and bnsod a perfectly scientific system thereon. It
is therefore absurd to say that tlie Aryan scienco is in
former leads the student from the point whero the latter
brings him to a stand-still, into the domain of noumena,
whence proceed the phenomena of the visible world. Tho
author of the article under notice successfully shows how
the pro-existence of tho soul must be admitted, once that
its survival is acknowledged. Darwin’s theory of evolu­
tion postulates that there is a continuous progress in
evolution and that tho higher forms are evolved out of the
lower. The present man has thus readied his present con­
dition of development in tho process of gradual evolution
Science, on tho other hand, shows that while Darwin is
middle of Jh e chain und deals only with physical
 evolution. T he m odern ev o lu tio n ist says th n t although
th e mnteriul o u t of w hich m an is evolved m ay evolve
o th e r men and form s, still th e se m en have n o th in g to
do w ith th e previous m an , as th o consciousness which
is a function of o rg an ism dies w ith th e d e a th of th e
body. W hen how ever tho p h enom ena of clairvoyance
prove these two assum ptions to be w ro n g , th e A ryan theory
which is based upon a k n o w led g e of those phenom ena,
can n o t b u t lead to tr u th , sinco it is based on logic and
m athem atics, w hich can n o t err. Mr. G ro u lu n d is p ro bably
n o t aw are of th e A ry an teach in g s on th e su b ject,
a lth o u g h his conclusions, based upon th e th eo ries of
W e ste rn Philosophers like H um e, K n ig h t, &c., are in
Borne respects id eu tical w ith th o se of th e an cien ts. W e
do n o t en tirely ag ree w ith nil th a t he says concerning
th e nfter-states of m an, b u t to e n te r in to th a t subject
w ould necessitate th e recap itu latio n of th e whole occult
d o ctriu e , h ith erto fo re given out, w hich o u r read ers are
q u ite fam iliar w ith. I t is how ever a p leasu re to note
th a t W e ste rn th in k e rs a re day by d ay v in d ic a tin g th e
t r u th of th e science a n d tho philosophy of our fo re­
fa th e rs . B. S.
-----»-------
M O D ERN S P IR IT U A L IS M A N D T E E JA P A N E S E
M A G IC M IR R O R .
[Translated fr o m the P sychische S tu d ie n .)
M odern S p iritu a lists as w ell as th e ir scep tical oppo­
n e n ts m ay p e rh a p s draw useful conclusions in re g a rd to
th e superficiality of th e ir ow n o b serv atio n s an d in v estig a­
tio n s of phenom ena.
A t th e tim e w hen E u ro p ean civilisation first invaded
J a p a n , m irro rs w ere unknow n am o n g th e com m on people.
M any of them h ad never seen a lo o k in g glass. They
h a d beard of such th in g s, b u t believed them to be divine
o b jects, by w hich one co u ld read tlio m ost secret
th o u g h ts, and w hich it was n o t law ful to possess.
One day a poor coolie, a ‘‘ D jin -rik -sh i” m an, w hose
occupation was to p u ll a h an d -car, found a sm all p ocket-
m irro r in th e stre e t, w hich had p ro b a b ly been dro pped
by some E nglish lady. I t was se t in a p re tty silver
p lated fram e an d e n g rav ed w ith som e very m ysterious
ch arac ters, such as aro found in tho E n g lish alphabet.
H e picked it up, and as h e looked a t it, th e te a rs cam e
in his eyes aud th e glow of a holy em otion sp read over
his face. “ Is it p o s sib le ? ” he said , “ h e re I behold
th e face of m y d ear d e p a rte d fa th e r, liv in g an d m oving
j u s t as I knew him when he lived. Oh w h a t a m iracle,
th n t I , a poor sinner, should be blessed w ith such a holy
v isio n !” C arefully he hid tho m irro r u n d e r his clothes
a n d took good care n o t to show it to an y one, n o t even
to his wife.
B u t such a precious article could n o t be co n stan tly
c a rrie d a b o u t his person w ith o u t th e risk of losing i t ;
nnd a fte r m a tu re d elib eratio n he concluded to h ide it in
a safe place.
P la c in g it, therefo re, in an e a rth e n vessel, he covered it
w ith his g a rm e n ts and hid it aw ay in his room . B u t his
th o u g h ts wero continually w an d erin g to his h id d en tr e a ­
sure. Ten tim es a day he w ould re tu rn to his locked
ch am b er to b ehold th e sacred face of his fath er. H o
th ereb y neglected his b u sin ess to a considerable e x te n t.
T his stran g e b eh av io u r ex cited his w ife’s su s p ic io n s;
because the Jap an eso ladies a re n o t less in q u isitiv e th an
th e ir E uropean siste rs in re g a rd to th e doings of th e ir
h u sb an d s. B nt no Amount of coaxing a n d caressin g would
b rin g h er th e desired e x p lan atio n . H e had all kin ds of
cx cu ses. Som etim es it wns a head ach e, w hich oaused
his fre q u e n t re tu rn ; a n o th e r tim e it was a p reten d ed
“ d esire to see h is w ife,” an d s o o n . B u t sh e w as not
to be p u t off in th is w ay. Sho m ade u p h e r m in d to
sea rch th e room s; and, if necessary, to tu rn th e whole
house n p sid e down. So d u rin g h is ab sen ce she went
for the edrthen p6t-^and found the m irro r.
_ “ G ood H ea v en s,” she w hispered as she held it
in h e r h a n d . “ A w om an.” “ A h! now I u n d e rsta n d ,”
she cried, as a deadly pnlor spread over h er face,
“ he loves m e no m ore. H e si in love w ith this one. Oh!
how w retched I am ,” and she began to weep very pitifully.
J u s t th en h er h u sb a n d cam e hom e in hot h aste, to
behold once m ore his d e ar departed fath er. H e found
his wife in te a r s ; b u t nt th e sig h t of him , h er jealous
sorrow kin d led into rag e . “ O h!— you m iserable w retch ,”
she cried, “ I have fo u n d you o u t a t l a s t ; you are
ru n n in g a fte r a n o th e r woman and d esert yo u r lawful
wife ! A n d w hat a w om an ' I f you th in k h e r p re tty ,
I m ust sny I am very so rry for your ta ste . Y ou o u g h t
to b e asham ed of y o u rse lf!”
T he poor man th o u g h t he wtis d ream ing. H e rubbed
his eyes to see w h eth er he was aw ake, and said w ith ns
m uch ten d ern ess as his confusion wonld p e r m i t : “ W h at
nre you ta lk in g ab o u t, my love ? I to d esert you ? I
love no one b u t y ou.” “ H ow ,” exclaim ed th e woman,
“ d a re you u tte r such a lie ?” and saying th is, she held
th e m irro r before his eyes. “ Oh !” he said, “ and is it
th is th a t m akes you so an gry ? In d ee d , it was w rong
of mo n o t to show you this enchanted m etal before.
Y ou see I fo u n d it in th e stre e t, and every .time I look
a t it, I see the f-ice of my d ep arte d fa th e r before m e.”
“ A n d a nice k in d of a dead fa th e r you have ?’•' sho
re to rte d . “ Do you really th in k th a t I om blind nnd
can n o t d istin g u ish th e face of a man from th a t of somo
old stru m p e t ?”
N ow catne th e h u sb a n d ’s tu rn to g e t excited and lo
lose his patience. “ How d are y o n ,” h e cried, “ call my
blessed fa th e r an old stru m p e t.” A n d as th e m irror
passed from h a n d to h an d , a w a r of w ords com m enced.
“ I t i.s my fa th e r,” snid he. “ I t is a te a g irl,” said she.
T hen she recom m enced to w eep, and to sob— “ Oh ! my
dear K iki,” (such was his name) she cried, “ you, who havo
ever been so k in d a n d g o o d .” B u t ag ain, h e r a n g e r reas­
se rtin g itself, she sh o u ted — “ Y ou are a ....Y o u are just as
bad as all men are, a n d worse. If she wero a t least b e a u ti­
fu l!...b u t, I never saw an u g lie r m o n ster. F ie upon her,
w hat a sh am e,” nnd tlio w eeping recom m enced once more.
“ My poor K ik u ,” s h id h e, “ I am sorry to see th a t you
have lost your reaso n .” “ H old yo u r tongue, you w retc h ,”
she cried. “ You deserve th a t I should kick h e r o u t of
tho house, a n d you w ith h er.” “ I am h o ld in g my
to n g u e ,” said lie. “ Y es,” said she, “ because you cannot
deny th n t you are in love w ith th is ...I will n o t call her
by h e r p ro p er n a m e.” “ N o ,” snid he, “ com e m y dear
K ik u , and be reasonable. J u s t look a t it. D o n ’t you see
th a t th is is my fa th e r ? Don’t talk any m ore so foolishly.”
B n t his persuasions w ere in vain ; th e q u arre l becam e
m ore nnd m ore anim ated, and th ey w ere a b o u t to proceed
from w ords to blow s and scratch es, w hen, ju s t then, an
old, g rey -b e ard ed p rie st h ap p en ed to pass by. A ttra c t­
ed by the noise, he cnmo to in q u ire w hat was the
reason of all this fuss. “ My c h ild ren ,” he said, “ you
seem to q u arrel ? T his is n o t th e way in which you should
em ploy y o n r tim e .” “ O h holy B onze,” explained the
woman, “ K iki h as a sw ee th ea rt. H e, who is hard ly
ab le to su p p o rt one wife decently! H o n eg lects his
w ork, earns no m oney, and we shall soon s ta r v e ; and
all th is on ncoount of his w om an.” *' Do n o t listen to
h er, Oh sain tly B onze,” said the man “ sh e lies and
is c ra z y .” “ All women a re more or less given to p re v a ri­
c a tio n ,” said th e p rie st, “ whose voice was tre m b lin g fro<n
age.” “ I found th is in the s tre e t,” said K iki, g iv in g his
m agic m irro r to th e p riest, “ and every tim e I look a t it
I behold my deceased fath er, ju s t as he looked w hen I
was still a boy and sittin g on his knee. “ A nd I ,” said
K ik u , “ I see in it th e face of a tea g irl, ju s t look a t it,
and see how foolishly he talk s. A ch ild would be aston­
ish e d a t h is stu p id ity an d lau g h to his face. I th ink
th a t g irl has m ade him d ru n k .” .
“ L e t m e se e ,” said the p r i e s t ,; ahd he examined th e
mirror. But ns. he did.so au expression of . astonishment
sp read over his face. H e passed his h a n d over his eyes,
like one who does not believe in his senses ; th en looked
ag ain , a n d a fte r a lo n g puuse, h e said :—“ M y ch ildren,
you have b o th been th e victim s of a g r e a t m istak e, and
it is very p ro b ab le th a t som e sp irit, o r a dem on of
hell has th ro w n a spell over you, an d b lin d ed y o u r eyes,
so th a t each of you should see d ifferen tly . T his sacred
m etal shows n e ith e r y our deceased fa th e r, n o r th e face
of a g irl ; it re p resen ts th e holy faco of a blessed priest,
w ith a w h ite b e a rd ; an old and v en erab le lo o k in g m an !
Do not q u a rre l any lo n g er, b u t live in peace. T h is sacred
m etal I sh all tak e w ith m e, fo r it is not p ro p e r th a t such
a th in g should be in th e possession of com m on people—
such th in g s can only belong to th e c h u rc h !’■ ’
So paying he hid the m irro r iu his b elt, g av e his b less­
in g to tho reconciled couple, and m ajestically w alked aw ay.
M o r a l . — I t ia a p a r a b l e o f th e “ seance ro o m .” Every
sees in th e sam e “ m a te ria liz e d form ” th e re flec tio n
im a^ e, d isto rte d in th e m o u ld of hia eip e c t& tio n and
w ish b eiu g th e fa th e r to th e th o u g h t. —Ed»
» ■
A S P IR IT V IS IT .
T o H is H o l in e s s t h e M e t r o p o l it a n P la ton .
T iie “ Diocesan Vyedamosty” of M ohilev (Russia)
quotes an in te re s tin g experience in th e life of th e
V enerable P la to n , one of tlie th re e M e tro p o lita n s of the
R ussian E m p ire — as n a rra te d la st y e a r by him self, d u rin g
his visit to tho tow n of T u er, his b irth -p lace. W hile
h o ld in g a conference a t th e M on astery of Je ltik o f
in tlie cell of th e F a th e r S u p erio r, h e re la te d to th e
assem bled g u e sts som e episodes of his lo n g life. A m ong
o ther even ts, he d escrib ed w h a t th e s p iritu a lists would
call a “ S p irit v is it," — he h a d receiv ed y e a rs before.
W e tra n sla te verbatim.
“ ...Yes ; 1 hiul such an experience in my life ; I saw once
before tho shadow of a dead man, a nd iu aa vivid and
natural a form as any one of your own 1 see now before me.
I t was in tlie year 1830, when I waa Insp ecto r at tb e Theological
Academy of St. P etersbu rg . Among o th e r stu d en ts there was
one, named Ivan Kriloff, th a t 1 had known iu tb e Seminary of
OrlolT. I see bis faco before me us vividly as ever, whenever
I think of him. Ho progressed well, was a fino looking young
man of good behaviour and a prom ising stu den t. Once he came
to ask my permission to e n te r for a few days the hospital, as he
felt unwell. So thin k in g th at, perchance, th e poor boy had made
himself ill th r o u g h too much austerities and th a t he m ig h t
recuperate in th e hospital diet of chicken and whito bread and,
a t the sume time, not lose time iu w riting bis examination
essay, I consented. A fter he had become a p atien t for a long
timo, I hoard noth ing of, nor from, him, nor had I been notified
of any d an ger to him by the doctor. Once I was lying in my
room on a sofa, reading a book, with a table placed behind me.
Suddenly I left otf reading and tu rn e d to the o th e r side, th u s
facing th e table, when, to my surpiise, I saw Kriloff s ta n d in g at
the o ther ond of it, and looking earnestly in my face. Thin king,
as he had not been announced, I m ig h t have been dream ing, I
rubbed tny eyes, and arose from the sofa............... yes,..............it
wats Kriloff, motionless, and still gazing fixedly a t m e...............
Il is head and face ns clear and as distinct as yours, b u t bis body
hazy, as th ou gh veiled in a mist or a cloud. Once more I looked
a t him. I t is he. H e ! ............but w hat’s th e m a t te r with h i m ?
I felt a sh nddering when the phanto m finally moving, glided
noiselessly from the table to the window, where it finally d is­
appeared. I was still try in g to unriddle the m eaning of this,
still uncertain w hether I bad not d re a m t tho whole scene
when some one knocked at my door. I donned my clericals and
railed out to the visitor to come in. I t was the Hospital
Warden who had come to notify mo th a t one of the s tu d e n ts
had j u s t delivered his soul to CJod.
“ Who is i t ? " I asked.
“ Ivan Kriloff,” he answered.
“ When did he d ie P ” I exolaimed, completely ta k e n aback.
11 About five minutes ago or so. I lost no time in oomiug down
to roport to your Reverence,” said he.
“ A nd now ,” added th e holy A rc h ip a ste r, a d d ressin g
the m onks a n d g u ests assem bled a ro u n d h im — “ I leave
the m ystery to be solved b y yourselv es,’’
B u t every one k e p t silent.
“ A ll th is ,” concluded th e M etro p o litan , “ proves to
us undeniably th e ex istence of some m y sterio u s connec­
tion between us and the eoula of the departed.”
N o t e . Quito ho , and th# word “ undeniably" is hpre properly need.
T hat suoh a connection exists was proven to tho world by thousands
npon thousands of well authenticated cases of tho apparition of the
dead making themselves visible to tho living. But it can tako place only
immediately, or very soon, after the separation of the surviving
principles from tho body. Such visions, when they take place, are
serious aud full of solemnity to tho living. The ‘‘ Spirit”—a real
Spirit iu such cases, f 11Hi 18 the last desire of the sonl, some praiso-
wurthy craving, beneficent to the survivor in every case, if not to the
departed eutity. But one has yet to lea^u that one of such phantom^
has ever shouted, “ Good ovening to you Mr. So and So," performed
Japanese juggling feats with flying musical boxes arid rapped Yankee-
doodie on a guitar d la 11 John King”—or any other like worthy of tho
“ Summer Laud.”— Ed.
'----»— ■
P R A G TIO A L I N S T R U C T IO N S FOR STUDENTS
OF OCCULTISM.
Under this head wo propose to give a series of articles, by
which stu d en ts of Occultism m ay be guided in th eir exertions
to obtain occult know ledge and power. T hey are called “ praci-
tical,” because th ey o u g h t not to be only considered th eo reti­
S p iritu a list
of his own
cally, b u t should be p u t into practice, th a t means, to bp
fa n cy — th e
embodied in th eir every d ay life.
I.
FREEDOM .
E m a n c ipa t io n a n d D e v e l o p m e n t .
‘‘ No Noophyte must have at his initiation one affection or desire
that chains him to tho world .”—Dulwer Lytton, “ Zanoni.”
I t is said th a t th e first ste p , w hich th e S tu d e n t of
“ P ractical O ccultism m u st m ak e, is to renoun ce th o
‘‘ vanities of th e w orld.” T his does n o t necessarily m ean
th a t he m ust b re a k his fam ily ties, throw aw ay his m eans
of su p p o rt, avoid society, becom e a m isanthrope an d re ­
tire into a cave or a ju n g le , th e re p erh ap s to am use h im ­
self w ith th e m orbid fancies of his im ag in atio n , an d to
continually crave in te rn a lly for th e very o b jects w hich
he has p reten d ed to renounce, an d w hich he has given up
externally. H e m ay live in th e world and y e t n o t be of
th e world- H is body an d inind m ay be m ore Or less
en g ag ed in th e affairs of ev ery d ay lifo, and a t th e sam o
tim e his sp iritual faculties b e c o n sta n tly exercised. H e
m ay bo “ perso n ally ” in th e w orld, an d y e t sp iritu a lly
soar above it.
M an has besides his ph y sical body tw o sets of faculties,
th e in tellectu al and sp iritu a l, an d th e ir pow ers co rrelate
an d in te rre la te w ith each o th e r. I f lie em ploys his in ­
te llectu a l pow ers only on tlio physical plane a n d for
m aterial p u rp o ses, he becom es selfish and m aterial. H e
c o n cen trates, as it w ere, h is pow ers into a sm all focus,
w hich re p re sen ts his “ p e rso n a lity ,” and th e m ore they
are c o n cen trated th e sm aller will be tho focus, th e m ore
tho person will becom e little an d selfish an d lose sig h t of
tlie w hole, of w hich h e as such is only an infinitesim al
an d insignificant p a rt.
On th e o th e r h a n d , if he p re m a tu re ly a tte m p ts to send
his sp irit o u t in to th e reg io n s of th e unknow n ; th a t is,
w ithout h a v in g sufficiently developed and ex p an d ed hia
in tellec t, to a c t as a finn basis upon w hich to re s t his
sp iritu a lity , he will w an d er like a shadow th ro u g h th e
realm s of th e infinite, a u d behold sp iritual th in g s w ithout
b e in g able to com prehend th e m . H e will become au
“ im p ractical m an ,” a su p erstitio u s fan atic and a
d ream er. Too ra p id g ro w th iu one direction to th e e x ­
clusion of a c o rresp o n d in g g ro w th in another, is d e tr i­
m en tal to p ro g ress, a n d it is th ero fo re necessary to d is­
crim in ate pro p erly , and to develope th e intellectual a n d
spiritu al pow ers in th e rig h t proportion.
To “ renounce th e w o rld ” does n o t therefo re m ean to
look w ith co n te m p t upon tho achievem ents of science, to
rem ain ig n o ra n t of m athem atics or philosophy, to ta k e
no in te re st in h u m an p ro g ress, to avoid th o duties b e­
lo n g in g to tho sp h ere in w hich we aro b o rn, o r to n eg lect
o ur su rro u n d in g s ; b u t it m eans to ren o u n ce selfishness,
th e love of self, tho first a n g e l of evil, or, acco rd in g to
E d w in A rnold,
“ Tho sin of self, who in the universe
As in a mirror Bees her fond face shown,
And crying, V* would have the world say ** I j ’1
And all things perish bo if she endure.”
' “ L ight of A sia.”
 The renunciation o j selfishness is necessarily accompa* an d c an n o t be divided up into p a rts and “ b o ttle d u p ”
n ie d b y sp iritu a l grow th.
One of th e first d u tie s tlie ref nro wliich th e S tu d e n t of
O ccultism lias to perfo rm , is to d iv e st liis m ind of the
idea of “ p e rso n ality .” T h a t m enus to begiii b y a tta c h ­
ing, loss im p o rtan ce to “ p e rs o n a litie s ,” p ersonal th in g s
and personal feelings. H e m u st fo rg e t him self, lie
m u st n o t look upon his ex istence ns b e in g a perm anent',
u n ch an g in g and u n ch an g eab le e n tity , sta n d in g isolated
am o n g st o th e r iso lated e n titie s, a,ml b ein g sep arated
from them by an im p en etrab le slu 11; b u t he m u st con­
sid e r him self as an in te g ra l p a rt of an infinite power
w hich em braces tho universe, an d whoso forces aro con­
c e n tra te d an d b ro u g h t to a focus in tlie body w hich he
te m p o ra rily in h ab its ; into w hich body continually flow
a n d from which a re in cessan tly ra d ia tin g th e rays of
th e infin ite spliore of L ig h t, w hose circum ference is
endless (nowhero) and whose co n tre is everyw here.
To m ake th is idea clear, wo will exam ine men in his
th re e different aspects.
I. I t has often been d em o n strated th a t the ph ysical
body of m an can have no real or p e rm a n e n t individual,
existence. W e can n o t see it, h ear it or feel it,
wo only feel th e oflocts w hich its actions produce,
or, in o th e r w ords, we feel tho v ib ra tio n s or con­
volutions of th e forces, w hich, ac tin g tipon .our senses,
produce certain “ m en tal im p re ssio n s,” a n d th ese com ­
in g to our in tellectu al cognizanco produce consciousness.
M oreover tho c o n stitu e n ts of th a t .tem porary body con­
tin u a lly c h a n g e by tho p rocesses of “ assim ilatio n ” aud
“ elim in a tio n .” T issues d isa p p e a r slow ly dr quickly
according to tlieir n a tu re or affinities, now ones take
th e ir places to be rep laced in th e ir tu rn by o th e rs, and
tlio process continues as lo n g as life la sts. N e ith e r has
th e form of tlie physical body an y p erm anency. I t
chan g es in size, shape an d d en sity as ago advances, from
th e buoy an t h e a lth of infancy au d y o u th to tlie v ig o r­ . he finds th a t the love of self is illu s o ry ; th a t th ere is no
ous co n stitu tio n of m anhood or th e graco and b eauty of
vvommihood, np to th e in firm ities of d e c re p it old nge,
th e fo re ru n n e r of decay* d eath an d p u trefactio n .
I I . T h ere is no p e rm a n e n t in d iv id u a lity in tho
physical body ; b u t is th e re any in the M in d or In tellect ?
To answ er this questio n , wo will first in v e stig a te tho
m ean in g of these words.
T he Intellect in co n ju n ctio n w ith th e W ill is an activo
pow er, by whioh all m ental im pressions from th e ex terior
w orld, com ing th ro u g h th e senses, aro draw n to g e th e r
as to a common centro or focus, an d th e ro b ein g held
to g e th e r for a tim e by M em ory,” are applied to some
o b je c t or purpose. By “ M em ory” is m e a n t tho passive
pow er of form ing and re ta in in g in th e focused condition
tlio indelib le im pressions p roduced by th o u g h t in tho
A k a sa or A stra l L ight. N ow as tim e ch an g es, so also
th e p ercep tio n s ch an g e. N ew p ercep tio n s replace th e
old ones, th e will loses its pow er to hold them to g e th er,
m em ories grow dim , and tho in tellect ch an g es its form
a n d m odo of action. No grow n up m;ui has tho same
opinions ho h a d w hen a child ; w h at seem s to him wise
to -d ay ap p e a rs to him foolish to-m orrow ; onr ideas of
r ig h t or w rong an d our religious or philosophical views
ta k e th e ir colouring from tho inodes of th o u g h t prevailing
in th e co u n try in w hich we livo an d from th e influences
th a t nre g o v e r n i n g th e re . T h e in te lle c t is born, grow s
an d developes b y ch an g e, an d alth o u g h th is process may
be delayed or extended indefinitely, still th e re m ust be a
chnuge sim ilar to th a t of th e physical bo d y , an d thero
can be no p erm an en t in d iv id u ality in th e H in d .
I I I . W e como now to a co n sid eratio n of m a n ’s h ig h er
principles, th e sp iritu al soul and th e sp irit. T he m ajori­
ty of m en possess th e six th p rin c ip le only ii> au em bryo­
nic form , aud m any havo n o t even y e t a consciousness
of its existence. I t can th erefo re n o t be re g a rd e d as
h a v in g an y in d iv id u ality a t all, unless, accom panied w ith
' ■o f a p - i r t o t t h o s i x t h p r i n c i p l o , i n t h o l o w p r o n e s ; b u t s n c h a c o n d i t i o n ,
th e h ig h e r portions of th e “ M in d ,” it grow s au d u n ites
itself w ith the. seventh, th e ■ “ One L i f e ” th e one and
ete rn a l universal sp irit. T his divine s p irit is a u nity,
in th e different individual “ perso n alities.” I t cannot
be draw n down to them , b u t th ey m ust rise up to it, and
tho h ig h e r th e y rise, th o m ore do th eir m ental and
sp iritu a l faculties expand. The m ore they am algam ate
them selves w ith th a t p rin c ip le, the m ore do th ey becomo
one w ith th e samo, u n til finally each “ in d ividual” sp irit
em braces in its p o te n tia lity th e universe and is com prised
in th e A ll, as th e All is com prised in him .
. I f th is view is co rrect, th en wo find th a t m an’s e x ist­
ence an d a ctiv ity are by no m oans lim ited to tho confines
of his m a te ria l body ; b u t m u st ex te n d th ro u g h all space.
A t the end of his cyclic o volution he will illum ine all
sp ace, as lie is now illum inated by th e sp iritual rays of
th e sam e to au e x te n t p ro p o rtio n a te to his cap acity for
a ttr a c tin g th e said light.
M an is a c e n tre of forces, into w hich th e rays of the
univorse converge. Iii this cen tre th e w ork of Illusion
b e g in s, an d to th a t cen tre is it confined. E ffects are
m istak en fo r causes, and p h an tasm ag o ric appearances
are m istaken fo r realities. T he m ind revels in d elig h ts
w hich are due to .such Causes as produce hallucinations,
an d desires a re c re a te d fo r w hich th e re is no real neces­
sity. A s th e ray s of our sun are reflected from th e dull
surface of th e in sig n ifican t pobblo or th e oy ster sliell,
p ro d u cin g th e m anifold tin te d colours of th e rainbow ,
dan cin g a n d . g litte rin g in. various hues as long as it is
exposed to the sun, so do tho rays proceed in g from tho
objective w orld, flowing th ro u g h our senses, reflect th e ir
im ages upon th e m irro r of our m ind, c re a tin g phantom s
and delusions, illusions an d desires, an d filling it w ith
.th e pro d u cts of its own im agination. '
To d iscrim inate betw een w hat is real an d w h at is
unreal, to d istin g u ish betw een th e tru e nnd tho false
by m eans of tho divine lig h t of tho sp irit, is the first
duty of the tru e T h eosophist. In p e rfo rm in g this diity
p e rm a n e n t real “ se lf” an d no individual oxistence
ex cep t such as em braces all m an k in d , and when he
once fully g ra sp s th is idea an d is w illing to let his
“ p e rso n a lity 7’ die and d isa p p e ar, th en the eternal life of
sp iritu a l consciousness has begun to daw n upon him , and
h is im m ortality as an in teg ral and individual form of the
universal sp irit has coinrtienced,
IVulwor L y tto n ’s “ Z anoni” says : “ For tho accom-
plislim ents of w h atev er is g re a t aud lofty, tho clear
percep tio n of th e tru th s is the first re q u isite .” F rom
th e fra g m e n ts of tru th , which have been variously
displayed in tho course of ages, au d w hich are h in te d a t
in tho various “ sacred ” books, b u t w hich m ore recently
have boon explained to Us in th e ir tru e esoteric sense
an d in a laiiguago b e tte r a d a p te d to our tim es and more
com prehensible to us, it ap p ears th a t, as sp irit descends
into m a tte r, tho un iv ersal sp iritu a l m onad on its dow n­
w ard progression becom es first differentiated in tho
anim al kingdom ; th a t is, it b reak s up into different rays
of various hues (characteristics) overshadow ing tlie
different classes an d species collectively, and fu rth e r on,
on a h ig h e r scale th o ir “ personalities” sep arately , until
it reaches its h ig h e st deg ree of differential isolation in
m an.* , .
H e re it com m ences to reascend, b n t now n o t hs a
passive ray of tho universal sp irit b u t endow ed with
positive a c tiv ity and accom panied ' w ith such p o r­
tio n s of th e p e rso n a lity ’s lower p rin cip le, as have been
able to becom e absorbed into th e sam e. T ho sp irit is
tho sam e in th e descending as in tlie ascen d in g ray; and
is th e sam e in each “ in d iv id u al.” l3ut as ifc ascends
each ray becom es endow ed w ith a different hue by the
“ p e rso n a lity ” of each “ in d iv id u al”"(th e h ig h e r p a rts of
* T h o rc n re ex c e p tio n a l ea ses (o f b la c k m a g ic ia n s) : in w h ich a s t ill
h ig h e r d o g ro o of “ i n d iv id u a l” is o la tio n is re a c h o d b y a n im p r is o n m e n t
a lth o u g h lo n g e n d u rin g , is n o t p e r m a n e n t , a n d as in su c h ca ses th e
s e v e n th p r in c ip le is e n tir e ly a b s e n t, th e y d o n o t c o m e w ith in th e lim it*
of o u r p re s e n t co nB ideration, ‘ 1 ■ ■ ' * •
tlie fifth prin cip le). T h e m ore in tellect h as been evolved,
th e m ore of it will th e re be to follow th e s p irit ia
its upw ard flight an d to give it a d is tin c t c h a ra cter
o r c o lo u r; b u t if th e d evelopm ent of th e in tellect
has been re ta rd e d , or if such as h a s been developed
h a s b een app lied to m aterial o r “ p e rs o n a l” p u rposes,
th e less will th e re be of it to com bine w ith tlie sp iri­
tual ray, a n d p u re sp irit w ill be p ro p o rtio n a lly b are an d
u n clo th ed b y intelligence an d d evoid of active pow er,
a n d m u st e ith e r re tu rn to its o rig in a l sta to or be com ­
pelled to re tu r n again to e a rth , to a ttr a c t to itself a new
qom binatiori of M anas. T he m ore th e in te lle c t is d ev e­
loped an d expanded, th e m ore will th e sp iritu a l s ta te and
sp iritu a l consciousness be e sta b lish e d as on a firm basis,
an d th e s p irit, in v ested b y th e div in e a ttrib u te s of
W isdom a n d Love, reaches o u t in to th e infinite ocean of
th e universe an d em braces in its p o te n tia lity th e A ll.
A ch a n g e b eg in s now to m an ifest itself in th e m ind
of tho b eg in n er, who has reach ed th a t sta to of develop-
m eu t, in w hich h e looks upon h is own “ p erso n ality ” as
b e in g of little im p o rtan ce. I t is n o t only his own
“ p erso n ality ” th a t now ap p ears to him in th a t lig h t,
b u t also ev ery o th e r “ p e rso n a lity ” as p ro p o rtio n ately
insignificant an d sm all. M an ap p ears to him only as th e
“ c e n tra lisa tio n ” of an idea ; h u m an ity a t la rg e appears
to him like th e g ra in s of sa n d on th e shores of an infinite
ocean. F o rtu n e , fam e, love, lu x u ry , &c., assum e in his
conception tho im p o rtan ce of soap b u b b les, an d he has
110 h e sitatio n to relinquish them as th e idle p la y th in g s of
children. N e ith e r can such a re n u n c ia tio n b e called
“ a sacrifice,” fo r grow n n p boys o r g irls do not
“ sacrifice” th e ir p o p g u n s an d dolls, th e y sim ply do n o t
w ant them any longer. In p ro p o rtio n as tlie ir m inds
qxpand, do th e y reach o u t fo r so m eth in g m ore useful,
and as m an ’s sp irit ex p an d s, liis su rro u n d in g s an d even
th e p la n e t on w hich lie lives a p p e a r to h im sm all as a
landscape seen from a g re a t d ista n c e o r from a h ig h
m ountain ; whilo a t th e sam e tim e his co n cep tio n of th e
iofinite w hich su rro u n d s him g ro w s la r g e r a n d assum es
a g ig an tic form .
Tho feelin g p roduced b y such an ex p an sio n of m ind
is tru e co ntem plation an d in a p o ten tialized d e g ree is
called “ e x ta sis” o r “ tra n c e .” T h is exp an sio n of our
existence “ ro b s us of a co u n try a n d a hom e,” b y m ak in g
us citizens of tho g ra n d universe, lifts us up from th e
narrow confines of th e “ R e a l” to the u n lim ited realm of
th e Id eal, an d , re le a sin g m an from tlie prison houses of
m ortal clay, leads him to th e sub lim e sp le n d o u r of th e
External aud U n iv ersal Life.
B u t “ th e m irro r of th e soul c a n n o t reflect b o th ea rlli
and h eaven , an d th e one vanishes from th e su rface, as
th e o th e r is glassed upon its deep .” H ow th e n can th is
g ra n d ren u n ciatio n of self an d expan sio n of th o s p irit be
accom plished ?
T h e re is a m agic word w hich is th o k e y to all m ys­
teries, w hich opens th e places, in w hich aro h id d en
spiritual, in te lle c tu a l a n d m aterial tre a su re s, and b y
which we g ain powt-r over th e seen an d unseen. Th s
word is “ D eterm ination.” I f wo d esire to accom plish
a g re a t object, wo m ust learn to c o n cen trate upon th e
same all our desires. W h e th e r tho o b ject is good or
evil, the effect is inv ariab ly p ro p o rtio n a te to tho cause.
Tho pow er of will is o m n ip o ten t, b u t it can only bo
u t into action by a firm a n d reso lu te d eterm in atio n an d
xedness of purpose. A v a c illa tin g will .accomplishes
nothing. H e whose h e a rt trem b les w ith a b je c t fear to give
up his old h ab its, inclinations and d esires, who is a fra id
to fight an d snbduo his passions, who is th e slavo of self
aud cling s w ith cow ardly ap p reh en sio n to tho d elusions
of lifo, can accom plish n o th in g . V ices do n o t clin g to
man, b u t m an clings to th em an d is a fra id to le t
go hia hold an d looso h n g ra sp , e ith e r becauso he over­
estim ates th o ir value an d u tility , or, p e rh a p s, im agines
th a t by d o in g so his illusive self m ay bo p re c ip ita te d
into th e infinite n o th in g an d bo d ashed to pieces upon the
fancied rocks below . Only h e, who ia w illing to Jet hia
“ perso n ality ” die, can live, and only w hen perso n al feel­
in g s and desires are p u t to re st th en man becom es im ­
m ortal. •
H ow can lie, th a t has n o t th e pow er to com m and him ­
self, becom e ab le to com m and others ? A serv an t, to '
becom e a m aster, m ust first become free, and freedooi is
only acquired by d eterm in atio n and will p u t into actio n .
A n A d e p t is n o t m a d e ; lie m ust grow to become such b y
h is own ex ertio n s. H e w ho dives into th e d ep th s of; th e,
ea rth loses th e sig h t of th e sun, and ho who sinks in to
m a tte r cannot perceive tho sp irit. l i e who is w edded
to w rong ideas or opinions, o r chained to superstitio n s,
cannot behold the tru th . Old ideas, loves and opinions
die h ard . T h e y have gro w n up w ith us, we havo becomo
atta c h e d to th em , an d it is ju s t as painful to see them
die as to lose an esteem ed re la tiv e 'o r friend.
T hey are o ften our own c h ild re n . W e have created
or adopted, n u rsed , n o u rish e d an d tra in e d th e m ; th e y
have been our com panions fo r years, an d it seem s cruel
a n d sacrilegious to d riv e th em aw ay. T hey a p p ea l to
our m ercy, a n d , w hen once dism issed, re tu rn a g a in , cla­
m o uring fo r our h o sp ita lity a n d ex p o stu la tin g tlie ir
rig h ts. B u t we shall g o t rid of them easily, if we call to;
our aid a pow erful gen iu s, w hose nam e is D eterm in atio n .
H e will p u t into action th e W ill, and W ill is a pow erful
g ia n t w ith o u ta n y sen tim e n ta lity , who, w hen once set in to :
m otion, becom es irre sistib le and of whom we propose to
sp eak on some fu r th e r occasion.
A n A m e u ica n B u d d h i s t .
------ *----- ,
AFTER D EATH *
I n tho r e g i m e n t to w h ic h I belo n g ed d u r i n g m y service in
C au casu s, 1 h a d a g r e a t fr ie n d a n d c h u m by th e n a m e of
M ich ael P e t r o v i t c h O so k in e. H e b elonged to a good nu d
w e a l t h y fam ily , h a d received a fine education a n d w as ex iled
to C aucasu s fo r a d u el. F r o m t h e first we felt a t t r a c t e d to
each o th e r . H o w as of an e c c e n tric c h a ra c te r, .and looked its
one w h o was c o n s t a n t l y t r y i n g to fo r g e t a p a in fu l p a s t . H o
b e g a n b y t h r o w i n g h im s e l f h e a d lo n g in to tlie fa t h o m l e s s
w h irlp o o l of a ce lib ate m i li ta r y lifo, w ith its e te r n a l d r i n k ­
in g p a r t ie s a u d sc a n d a ls , b u t fo u n d in th is little satisfactio n.
T h e n lie s o u g h t relief in fr ie n d ly in t e r c o u r s e a n d l o n g
con v ersatio n s, th e t e n o r of w h ic h enveloped him, in o u r eyes,
in a still d e e p e r s h ad e of m y s t e r y . T h is seem ed to a n s w e r
h is su fferin g soul b e tte r.
Ono day O so k in e sav ed m y life. D u r i n g a n ex ped itio n i a '
th e m o u n t a in s w h ile rc c o n n o i te r in g th e e n e m y 's position in a
th i c k ju n g le , a T e h e tc h e n e , q u it e a y o u n g boy, u n a w a r e s
po u n ced upon me fr o m b e h in d a tree. A s I wa.s u n p r e p a r e d fo r
a n a tt a c k , ho sn a tc h e d th e p is to l fro m m y ha nd a n d w o u ld k a v q
easily disposed of m e, h a d n o t Osokine s u d d e n l y a p p e a r i n g o n
t h e sp ot, killed h i m b y s p l i t t i n g his h e a d in tw o w ith hia
C ircassian shashha. ■
F r o m t h a t day w e b e cam e b ro t h e rs . I n iliq e v e n in g ,
b e f o re a b o ttle of wine, we p le d g e d e te r n a l fr ie n d sh ip . B y
d eg ree s, O sokine tu rn e d " th e c o n v e rs a tio n upon d e a th an d
a fter-life .
“ W h o k n o w s w h e n d e a t h is to s n a t c h o ne,” he rem a rk ed .
“ See, to.-dny, for in s ta n c e ...o n ly sim p le chan ce h a s saved y o u -
from fin d in g yo u rself n ow in h e a v e n o r h ell.. ” ;
“ N onsense. T r u e , d e a t h w u r p r e t t y s u r e ; ns for h eav en ,
o r hell, it is no b e t t e r th a n e m p t y t a l k ; I am a f r a i d . . . ”
“ W hy so ?”
“ B eeanse, no ono can tell f o r a c e rta in ty . A m a n lives, a n d
t h e n dies, t h a t ’s a lI ...lJu y o u m e a n to say t h a t th e q u e s t io n
o f an a f t e r life h a s still any i n t e r e s t fo r you
“ I t has. I will say m o re : n o th i n g h a s e v e r in t e r e s t e d me
h a l f as m u c h as t h i s g r e a t problem ... I m a y often d o u b t, I
w o u ld if I w o u ld believe. O nly t h i n k ! A m a n , so to say,
d i e s . . . H e is p e r f u m e d w ith incense, w e p t o v e r ( w i t h fa lsa '
te a r s , g e n e r a l ly ) , laid o u t in a colIin, w h ich is c a r e f u ll y
n aile d a n d sealed, th o c a s k e t is lo w ered d o w n in t o a
d eep hole, a n d th o g r a v e th i c k ly filled and covered w i t h
e a r t h a n d s o d . . . h e ir s a n d en em ies rejoice a n d secretly;
t h i n k : ‘ y o u a re b u rie d a n d p u t o u t of t h e w a y , m y
m a n ; y o u will find it h a r d n o w to c ra w l o u t of y o u r' h o le...
y o u a r e d e a d . . . d e a d ! w h e re a s in t r u t h — w h o k n o w s I’-—
* Condensed from the St. P e lo r s b u r y H Ncvoye Vrernya.
4
 p e r c h a n c e h e is all t h a t timo a m i d s t th o s e w h o pass on him
finch a n d oth er k in d r e m a r k s . F o r all we k n o w , he m a y bo
S ta n d i n g th ere, a m ong th e cro w d , o v e r liis o w n to m b and
l o o k i n g a t it a s k i n g him self ‘ w ho is i t , w ho is d ead ? w h o m
a r e th ey b u r y i n g ? I f it is m e, t h e y a re th en sadly m is­
t a k e n ; fo r h ero I am , well a n d free, m oro free th a n th e y
e v e r w ere — sinco I am n o t only h ere, b u t — e v e ry w h e re ’. . . I t
is j u s t a t th is p o in t t h a t b la c k m a g ic comes i n . . . o f which
m a g ic , th e le a s t said, th e b e t t e r . . . H a v e y o n n e v e r t h o u g h t
o f th is ? I l a y e yon nover a sk e d y o n rs e lf tho qu estion :— ‘ H o w
i t is, t h a t th e r e I live, b r e a t h e , feel, t h i n k ( t h i s e sp e c ia lly )
a n d th e n s u d d e n l y all s u c h processes a r e s to p p e d a n d from
B om ething f havo b e c o m e ! . . . H o w , n o t h i n g ? H o w can
t h i s be ? . . . a n d y ou m u s t kn ow t h a t when I sny ‘ y o n ,’ or ‘ I , ’
I do n o t m e a n you or a n y b o d y ; b u t s o m e th i n g q u ite
d if f e r e n t , s o m e th i n g th a t can n e it h e r die, n o r decay, b u t has
t o live th r o n g h o u t In fin ity . M y body will r o t aw a y , b u t
I will r e m a in tho same fo r e v e r . . . I t is only th e forco of h a b it
t h a t m a k e s us d read , a c c o rd in g to t r a d i t i o n a n d custo m ,
t h e w o rd ‘ d e a t h . ’ U n d o u b te d ly i t is a solem n, a sugges-
fcivo w o rd . B u t we have n ev er u n derstoo d it co rrectly , fed
i n t o m i s t a k e th r o u g h o u r su ffering b o dy a n d foolish heart.
T o dio is by no m eans to soo t h e end of all. I'll givo an
i l l u s tr a t io n ; we are m o v i n g on with t h e a rm y . T b e roads
a ro good, tho riv u le ts m u r m u r s o f tly a r o u n d th o re s te d
soldie rs, th e woods a re g r e e n a n d cool, a n d b ir d s - fill tho
jfto rn in g a i r w ith th e i r m e r ry s o n g s . . . W e h a v e s t a r t e d early,
ftt d a w n , w hen th o snn was h n rd ly d a r i n g , so to say to peep
At our bloom ing h e a lt h y faccs ; a l i tt le la t e r, it h a s a rise n
a n d g r a d u a l ly has e n v e lo p e d us in its in te n s o h e a t and
fig h t.
O u r jo n rn o y is b e c o m in g w e a ris o m e . W o p a n t, wo g asp
for b re a t h , wo feci tired . T h e n tho sn n sets, th o w e st
d on s its re d d e s t, its m o s t f i e r y . g a r m e n t s , th e g r e a t s h a ­
do w s aro c re e p in g o ut, a n d little by littlo t h e y cover tho
w holo horizon below an d above, as witli a sab le m a n tlo ...
T h o ev en in g breeze cools o u r b u r n i n g f a c e s ...w e feel m ore
t i r e d out, an d still m o re w o a ry ; we t h i r s t for rest, b u t
h a v e to m a r c h on, for th e h o u r of rest has n o t s t r u c k . . . S t o p . . . !
w o hnvo a r r i v e d . . . Q uick, a bed, n larg o fire__ W e th ro w
o u rs elv es down n n d — go to s le e p __ T h a t ’s n i l . . . . B u t th is is
n o t a lw a y s tho end of o u r jo u r n o y . T h o m o r n in g comes,
a n d wo f i n d . .. s o m e th i n g quito now, s o m e th i n g e n tire ly
u n e x p e c t e d !”
. “ W h a t an il lu s tra tio n ! T h is w ill n o v o r do, fo r i t is by
fj»r. .itoo sim p le 1”
. “ A n d w h y sh o u ld wo im a g in e t h a t d e a th is n o t q u it e as
sim p le an d as n a t u r a l ? . . . D e a t h m a y be a p ro b le m to m an,
a lo n e ,..a n d only w hile alive : he will solve it w h e n h e is
d e a d . . . A h ! ”— a n d O sokino s i g h e d v e ry b it te r ly .
W o k e p t b o th sile n t fo r a tim e . T h o g r e a t bivouac
fires w ere g o in g o u t, th e to n g u e s of flame h a d d is a p p e a re d
b u r i e d n n d o r a veil of a s h e s .. . S a d d o n l y ho s t a r t e d a n d
w h is p e r e d into m y e a r : —
“ S a y ? . . . L e t u s m u t u a l l y pled ge o u r w o rd s of h o n o n r
t o th e following p rom iso : w h o e v e r of u s dies first, m u s t
T isit th e o t h e r . .. W ill yon ? . ”
“ W h a t n o n s e n s e .. . w h y sho uld y o u t a l k so fo olish ly!”
“ Aro y o u afr a id ? ” ...h e sn eo rin g ly a sk e d .
N o t a t a l l . . . b u t th is is really too a b s u r d !”
“ I n d e e d i t is no t. B u t it is sim p ly t h i s : we foel a s h a m e d
»fc b e in g c a u g h t ta l k in g up on m a t t e r s t h a t relate to soul,
» n d h av o n o t h i n g to do w ith o u r p h y sical bodies ; th i n g s ,
f o r w h ie h n e i t h e r re w a r d n o r m e d a l is to bo e x p e c t e d . . . !
w i l l tell y o n w h a t . . . W o a r e no b e t t e r t h a n b r u t e s . . . a n d
t h a t ’s th e w hole s e c r e t” ... <( Speak f o r y o u r s e l f . . . ”
“ All r i g h t . . . o n l y tell mo no w seriou sly w h e th o r o r n o t
y o u a c c e p t m y p l e d g e . . . f e a r n o t ; I will bo tho first to d ie ...
a n d no r e g r e t fo r it, e i t h e r . ” ...
“ V e r y well,”— I said, w ith a fo rc e d sm ile,— “ B u t how sh all
■wenotify ench o th e r of tho o t h e r ’s d e a th p ...M in d , a mistako
ia e a s y ........ ”
“ Q u ite e a s y ...a n d , o u t of fr ie n d sh ip fo r yoil I 'wotilcl n o t
h a v o y ou c o m m it ti n g it in m y case... L iste n , I 1 will a p p e a r
before yo u in su c h a w ay t h a t no d o u b t will be possible, t h a t
y o u will k n o w it is I, an d believe, n a y , hrov) i t ! . . ’.Yes,'
f r i e n d , yo u will bo h a p p y th e n , fo r y o u will d b u b t no
lo n g e r...” i " ■
H i s v o i c o tr e m b le d w ith su p p re sse d e m o tio n , -ivhen flaying
th is; 11 T h a t will do, O sokine I said. “ I feijF chilly'ftnd
■no’ b e tt e r b e g in a n e w bottle a n d th e n t u r n i n ^ v f d Havo "to
rise oarj-y to - m o r r o w , . , ’’ . . ; ~ Russian‘soldiers,1' 1 <•' '
" D o n o t l a u g h ! — I t is a serio us m a t t e r — onco yon h a v e
c onsented t h e r e ’s no b a c k in g o u t of it.. A pledge is a plodge
y o u k n o w .. . g i v e me y o u r h a n d !” ...
I s tre tc h e d i t o u t, a n d h e e a g e r l y pressed it, u t t e r i n g a low
'amen ; a n d t h e n gazed s t r a i g h t b etw e en m y ey es w ith a
look t h a t m a d e m e feel q u it e q u e o r . . . T l i e cam p fires h a d no w
g o n e o n t e n ti r e l y jilong th e lines. T h e hugo m o u n t a i n *
w ere s l u m b e r i n g w ith in th e i r t h i c k m isty veils, th e i r r u g g e d
tops alon e, occasionally i l l u m in a t e d by a r a p i d flash of
l i g h t n i n g . . . a k in d of ceaseless m o u r n fu l c re a k in g in th e
fo rest, a r u s t l i n g of leaves a n d s tra n g e , in c o m p re h e n s ib le
so u n d s a r o u n d us bro ko a lo n e th e silenco of t h e s leep in g
c a m p . . . T h o lorid n e ig h in g of a horse a n d t h e m o n o to n o u s
w a te h -c rie s of t h e sentries, finally broko th o spell. .W e
sep arate d . S o m e tim e a fte r, O sokine to ld mo q u ite u n e x ­
pe cte d ly, t l m t hn w-as loav in g t h e C aucaan s, to i*etrirn to
R u s s i a . H e w as so rry , h e said, to p a r t w ith th e co u n tr y ,
s o r ry to leave th e r e g i m e n t . .. so rry also to h a v e been s p a r e d
by th o e n e m y ’s b u ll e t. . . 1
“ Y o u are an a m u s i n g fellow, n p o n m y w o r d !” I could n o t
h e lp r e m a r k i n g la u g h i n g l y . *• Y ou seem t o be e v o r c o u r t in
d e a th , a n d d e a th , v e ry e v id e n tly , will n o t h a v e y o u ! . .. W h e n
aro y o n g o i n g ? ” .
“ In a fow d a y s . . . B y th o bye, y o u have n o t f o r g o tte n o u r
m u t u a l a g r e e m e n t? Do y o u re m e m b e r it ? ”
“ I do, I d o . . . o n ly , I am afr a id it will now bo y o u r t u r n to
e x p e c t si post-mortem v isit fro m m e . . . T h e r e a r e no C irc as sian
murids, in P e t e r s b u r g , y ou k n o w . . . ”
“ W h o c a n tell !” he a n s w e re d th o u g h t f u l ly .
A f t e r his d e p a r t u r e , for th o first year or tw o I received
from him occasionally le tte r s . T h e n th e y s u d d e n ly ceased,
a f t e r whieh I lo s t s i g h t of h im e n ti re l y . F o r o v e r fifteen
j-eara 1 had no nows w h a te v e r of m y old co m panion, a n d t r u t h
to say , e n d ed by h a rd ly evor t h i n k i n g of h im . Ono n ig h t, I
h a d a d r e a m . . . A p a rt y of soldiers wero c a r r y in g a corpse in
w h ic h I recognized O sokino. T h e re ho was, s t r e t c h e d on t>
li tt e r , w ith his eyes wide open a n d his colourless lips
m u t t e r i n g so u n d le ss w ords. W h e n I aw o k e t h a t d re a m t h a t
h a d re w a k c n e d in m e lo n g f o r g o tte n feelin gs of fr ie n d sh ip
b r o u g h t w ith i t an association of ideas t h a t e n d ed som ehow
m y t a k i n g th e t r a i n fo r S t . P e t e r s b u r g . I h a d lo ng left th e
service, lost m y wife a n d c h ild ren , an d d e te r m in e d to seek
oblivion in th e noisy m etro p o lis fro m a sorrow ful past. O nce
thero, I tr ie d to find o u t m y old e c c e n tiic frien d, b n t was
u n su cc es sfu l. I o nly le a r n e d t h a t th e said d re a m t h a t I h a d
been h alf in clin ed to lo ok n p o n as tho p ro m ise d v is it from
t h e d ead , w as n o t h i n g of the kin d.
Osokine was alive som ow h ere abroad, b u t none k n e w his
w h e re a b o u ts . T h u s passed tw o m o n t h s . . . W o w ere now in th e
h e a r t of th e cold, d re a r y w in te r of 187 — .
O nce I g o t a n in v ita tio n to a ball in t h e h o u s e of ft rich
g e n e ral, w h o m I h ad k n o w n in the C au casus. I a rriv e d late,
an d to avoid a tt e n t i o n crept, into th e d r a w i n g ro o m , w hero I
gat q u ite ly h id d e n by a la r g e w in d o w c u r t a i n . I w as in one
of m y fits of m elan ch oly . W h e n fo u n d , o u t in m y r e t r e a t by
t h e lady of fh e ho use, sh e c o u ld n o t help la u g h in g a t th e
s i g h t of my ru e f u l p h y sio g n o m y . P r o b a b ly n o t k n o w in g w liat
to do w ith me, she in v i te d me to a g a m e of w h ist. L u ck ily,
i t d id n o t la s t lo ng . T h n s , e sc a p in g as soon as I could do so
w i t h p ro p r ie ty , I s o u g h t re f u g e in th e g e n e r a l’s library;
Thore, I w as alono, t h e room w as c o m fo rta b lo and cool, an d
p lacin g myself in a largo a r m c h a ir I was soon lo s t in m y
u s u a l d is c o n n e c te d t h o u g h t s :
A n d n o w , liko a series of C h inese shadow s, t h e r e aro s e
before m e a lon g line of re m e m b r a n c e s : first my y o u t h , m e r ry
an d confiding, 'w ith o u t a n y serio us aim in life; t h e n ca m e
m y y e a rs of m a t u r i t y , of c are , nnd m ore s o b e r t h o u g h t s ..
of m y wife, tlie poor, d e a r l y beloved one, I tr ie d n o t to t h i n k
a t a l l . . .o n th e o t h e r h a n d , th e im age of O so k in o a ro s e beforo
m e as a liv in g m a n , w i t h all t h e scenes a n d e v e n ts c o n n ected
w ith o n r . s h o r t a c q u a i n ta n c e . T h e “ r i g h t o f t h e p l e d g e ’*
aro s e be fo re m e in all its v iv id ness. I sa w th o sam e b rig h t,
d e e p b lu e s k y , in th e imrfi«nsity of w h ic h th e sn o w y p e a k s
of t h e C aucasiati rrlountains b a t h e d t h e i r d a z z l in g wliitfeness.
T h e r e ’s th e t h i c k forest, t h e c a m p on w h i c h is falling
s ile n tly th e c o m in g ' n i g h t . . . a s o l d i e r ’s hovrko* an d on it
a form . I do n o t ’ reco gn izo Osokine, b u t 1 know it is his
b o d y . . . a h az y , m is ty , g r a y s h a d o w , t r e m b l i n g a n d v a cillatin g
lik e t h e b lu is h smoko of a fire in s u n l i g h t . . . “ He* who dies
* Bnftalo-sldn , cloak'' worn by tho Circassians and adopted by
• ' ' ■
 first, shall visit liim who will survive !” ...aro tbe fam iliar
words 1 hear pronounced, in my reverie, b u t so closo nnd soi
distinct are they, th a t I start, in my arm -chair, repeating,
mechanically—“ Childish pledge...nonsense”—rand try to
•mile at tho remembrance. “ Why, indeed, all this trouble,
on his part to convince mo ?” I th o u g h t—“ and suppose he
did come after his death to warn me, as promised—what thon p
would I feel any the happier for it ?...Bosides.../ie is not dead
at all—he is aliv e...”
“ And, if—dead ? says a deep voice near mo.
. “ W hat” !_I shouted loudly.
“ Supper is ready, Sir ?”—is the answer I receive from a
grim old servant iu white gloves who seems very much dis­
satisfied in having to hunt for me throughout tho largo
mansion.
I threw away my extinguished cigar and prepared to join tho
party in the dining room. Whon em erging out of the library,
I saw distinctly a delicate, trem bling shadow brushing past
between the door and myself.
At sapper, for no m ortal reason I could account for, I sud­
denly folt in better spirits. W as it the b rilliant light of the
eandelabra, its dazzling reflection in the rich crystal and
silver, overlading the table its sparkle in the ladies’ diamonds,
the merry conversation, tho din and anim ation of a crowded
ball room, or the neighbourhood of gay partners at tho eupper-
tablo th at produced a reaction ? I do not know. B u t there
I was, heartily laughing at the reparties of p retty women,
who paid no attcntiou to me, and m errily sm iling at
jokos and flirtation around them . llig lit in front of me
was the host, the old general, who addressod mo several
times, and offered wine, which I refused.
He left his placo vory soon, however, for the neigh­
bourhood of an old lady a t the other end of the table ; aud
hia chair was immediately occupied by a dark looking
gentlemau about forty. The change took place so rapidly,
that, as I remembered later, I could not tellliow,or when
he had come thero. He sat for a timo silently nnd
modestly, touching nothing, and when he first attracted
my attention, I had som ething like a m omentary hallucination :
I thought I saw through him the back of liis chair I
There aro such th in and emaciated figures th a t seem
transparent a t first sight. A ll his framo seomed to shake
and tremble when I gazed a t him for th e first time.
Stretching out his wax-white hand to the decanter, and
pointing at w ithout pushing it toward me, he pronounced
in a low, soft voice only these words :
“ W ill you have some ?”
“ No, thank you,” I said. . “ How can it be !...” I cried. “ Unconscious for the last
Notwithstanding the black evening-suit of a civilian his
white cravat and finely trimmed black beard, som ething in
his manners Jytrayed an old soldier...rem arking the atten ­
tion he bestowed npon me, I looked a t him moro closely ;
but his eyes growing suddenly dim, I could not catch their
gaze.
I imagined I had seon him somewhere before...H is face
was fam iliar to me, though I could not recollect where I had
met hina.^ —
Such things often happen. One meets an old acquaint­
ance whom one had not seon for years. One makes pain­
ful efforts to seize the thread of memory, tries hard, but with
no success, until an insignificant gestnre, a sound, a word
bursting like a flash of lightning amid darkness, brings back
to one’s memory an old familiar face, a long forgotten event
in lifo.......
But this was not my case. My efforts to awaken memory
h7 scanning his face were useless, and no word or gesture
of his could recall to my mind any past event to connect him.
with. Only, when ho saw how attentively I was examining
him, liis face grow brighter. lie began, to my amusement
and perplexity, to show to me a most exaggerated attention.
He awkwardly and ceaselessly stretched out his hand toward
various decanters, iu order to pu.sli them nearer, within my
r^ach, yet never succeeded in grasping or even touching any
of them, as I th o u g h t.......
“ When have yon left tlie Oaucasas ?” ho suddenly asked.
“ For over a year, ” I answered.
“ Lovely country !” lie sighed.
“ Have you served there Y”
He nodded affirmatively.
“ Havo you known there one Michael Osokine P” he asked,
•gain. ' present and future. Ho possessed the power over life and
“ Oh yea ! can you tgll mo where lie ia now
“ He is here. B u t I believe, ho is going away again...to*
n ig h t or tomorrow.” !
“ J u s t like h im !” I remarked.
H e smiled faintly w ithout answering.
“ Can yon give mo his address ? I would very much like to
see him, if I am in tim e.”
“ He lives on tho English quay in the house of his nncle.’*
T hank you. I will see him uo lator than tho day after
. tomorrow.
“ I t is well. I will detain him, and thon see and tako leave
of you there m yself....”
“ Do you also leave the town w ith Osokino ?”
“ Yes ; I am going far...v ery far ! ...”
The supper waa finished and we were forcibly interrupted
a t these words. The noise of the chairs, the hubbub of a
large crowd drowned liis last rem ark, and drew off for a
moment my attention from my new acquaintance. W hen I
turned to him again, the dark gentlem an had already dis­
appeared.
One day later, not w ithout a certain agitation, at tlio
prospect of m eeting my old friend, I drove to the house of
Osokine’s uncle. A terrible disappointm ent was w aiting for
me there. I was informed by tho servant th a t Michael
Petrovitch Osokino had just died. Sadly I ascended tho
large stairs th a t led to tlio rooms lately occupied by him.
thpThe hall was full of the smell of burning incense. In the front
room, placed ou a long table, I saw a coffin. Surrounded by
a small group of the relatives and friends of the deceased. A
priest was officiating tho service for the dead. I approach­
ed the coffin wondering, w hether after 60 many j’ears of
separation I would recognize him. I had no sooner caught
hold of the dead m an’s face than I felt overcome w ith a
sense of surpiisod horror. Before me, clad in his civilian’s
evening dress, and white cravat, lay dead the unrecognized
interlocutor I had m et during supper, at tlio general’s
ball on the night before last ! I felt terribly shocked and
aggrieved at the occurrence. “ Strango man !”•—I soli­
loquized— “ why should he not have named liini6elf to me, why
not have helped the memory of an old friend ; so changed,
so altered !...Yes, I can see now how it happened th a t I had.
failed to recognize him at first sight !...”
“ W hat has ho died of ?” I enquired of a grave old
gentleman, standing near me.
“ Of something like cerebral fever, I believe ; for the
last week he remained entirely unconscious...”
week p W hy I m et and conversed with, w ithout recog­
nizing him, only tho n ig h t beforo last, at General N —’i
ball !...”
. Tho grave old gentleman looked at me askanco but
eaid nothing, probably under the impression th a t I was
suffering from brain fever also. “ The night beforo last,
Osokine waa lying on this table,” somebody 6nid in a
whispor. “ The poor fellow is dead for the last threo
days !” I felt my hair stand on end and my flesh creeping
cold... I ran aw ay! ’
------ *——
(Continued from the last Number.)
M AOICON, OR T H E S E C R E T S Y S T E M OF A
S O C IE T Y OF UNKO )VN P H IL O S O P H E R S .
■ (Compiled and translated from the German.) ,
I I I .— M a n .
A s t u p e n d o u s revolution in the realm of spirit caused the
Source of all being to begin an immediate emanation of
itself, and this divine em anation was priniordeal man. By
virtue of his divine origin, be was not only the most ele­
vated and ancicnt boing, an expression of divine power and
num ber, but while in possession of all the privileges of a
spirit, still he was surrounded by an indestructible cover,
•^vhieh secured him against the destructive powers of tbe
eleinep^s. In this glorified condition, in which lie experienc­
ed the i}iost exalted happiness, ho was enabled to command
in the reign of the Invisible, as in th a t of thc Visible, to
roveal.tho power of the H ighest, and by the restoration of
U nity to restoro order, peace and happiness. Dwelling in,
tho centre of the square, he conld view the whole of hi3
realm ,in all four directions and comprehend a t once the past,
death of his inferiors, becauso ho infused them ’ivith life b j
his presence, and hia w ithdraw al caused th e ir death.* Blit
ho became unfaithful. Instead of governing the Sensuous,
liocoDfoundcd the four cardinal points of L ight and Truth,
and thereby deprived himself of L ight. Instead of only
w atching the totality of his realm , ho was attracted to a part
of the same. H e thereby became involved in sensuosity,
th a t is, he went from 4 to 9 and fell into darkhess.f T hat
■Which to him form erly was a unity, now appeared to him as
m ultiple and subdivided ; the sensuous took the place of the
intellectual, and tho intellectual th a t of th e sensuous. His
crime consisted in his transition from th e supersensual
to the sensual. Tho sensuous was not mado for him, and.
he was prohibited from tasting tho samo, b u t he lusted after
the same, and by obtaining tho false enjoym ent ho. lost tho
tru e one. He fell from spirit into m atter, nnd it is now
the object of m an’s efforts to regain the form er position.
H e not only lost his original place in paradise (the
intellectual square) ; b u t he also lost his power, the living
■frord ; ho became separated into the malo and female. He
also lost the invulnerable cover of his prim ordial state and
hid himself in an anim al body (“ clothes of skin”), which
mado him susceptiblo to the impressions of tho sensuouS and
exposed him to the dangers of the elements. However thi8
inortal body, the seat and cause of his sufferings, became at
the same timo a protecting coat against still g reater dangers,
to which he would be exposed w ithout such protection. The
organs of this m aterial body are iti exact proportion to his
intellectual powers ; its regularities aro based on a certain
num ber and its natural dolour ou a certain order
in tho arrangem ent of the elements. This body is a
complete representation of the m aterials of w hich the world
is composed. I t is a microcosmos and has tho same pro­
portions nnd functions as the macrocosmos, and like the
earth it has to combat all inimical forces. I t is the expres­
sion of a spiritual, b u t not thinking, principle, called the
animal soul, and which is the link between th e intellectual
soul and the physical body.
M an’s present condition is more difficult now than beforo
his fall. H e has more dangers to meet and less powers at
his command to resist. H e is still engaged ih the battle of
tbe sensuous against tho intellectual. H e desires to become
spiritualized, but his body attracts him to the sensuous by
a thousand charm s and draw s him still deeper into tlie
miro of m atter, and his intellectual principle cannot breathe
the pure essence of lifo w ithout the beneficial influences of a
higher reaction. B ut even the realm of tlie sensuous is a
benefit.to him and acts as a safeguard and a startin g point
for his return. Ilis power of retu rn in g depends on his
power to subdue everything th a t renders obscure his true
interior nature, and to romovo everything th a t prevents him
from returning to liis original source. H e cannot accom­
plish tins in any other m anner, th a n by ascending on the
same line by which ho descended. Ho m ust re tu rn from
9 tp 4, from the sensuous to tho intellectual, from darkness
to light. H e must penetrato tho mists th a t hide the sun
from his sight, until he arrives a t a point where the rays of
th e same reach him w ithout refraction. This is the great
w ork of Redemption, by whicl? m an a t first and before all
vivifies and strengthens the power of his intellectual germ
and by renewed stim ulation and expansion of the same and
by a well-directed will becomes susceptible to the preroga­
tives of tho spirit. By the exercise of courage and the
possession of F aith can the time of trial be shortened to a
considerable e x te n t; but no vicarious atonem ent is possible
and tho deeper man fell, the fu rth e r will he havo to rise. ’
However man, feeble as ho is, is not entirely dependent
on his own resources of inherent faculties of courage
and will only in his attem pts to rise. T here are many
great and good men, who stim ulate him by th eir examples
if he chooses to accept them for his g u id e s; b u t besides
theso thore are amongst us, and have been at all times
roal celestial agents on earth, who nro taking the
utm ost interest _m our welfare. A direct intercourse
w ith theso men is not impossible for man, if he becomes
Sufficiently purified to bo approached by them j they
C-0nth % death’ Whcu the communication between a
ftuman being and his dm ue immortal Atma, bin “ logos” in diaae^pro^l
j!ho result will bo the spiritual death of the man.— Ed,
t Number 4 represents the sacred squnro, which is tho
^ fostod logos. , 4 becomes 9 when t h o l o g o H o r t h o S ”
m o n ^ a tta c h o s its ^ f t° th e remaining 5 principles
ifce deabout of spirit into m atter which is darknoss.—M .
them selves being highly progressed and pure, although
hum an beings.* By a proper course of m ental and spiritual
train in g we can perceive, or como in contact w ith, those
beings. Tho less our attention is attracted by sensuous things,
the mote our spiritual sig h t beeomes developed ; and the
more the exterior man dies, the more alive becomes the
interior one. All this, however, would be insufficient for
the redem ption of man, if it were not for the constant
activity of the universal spiritual principle, by which all
his powers aro continually increased and vivified, and by
which man is led to the recognition of all things, ahd
especially to a knowledge of himself.
There is consequently lio w ant of certain and powerful re­
medies by which man can lift himself from darkness to
lig h t; but if he is too careless nnd negligent to use these
means, he will pass to a much more horrible condition ;
especially if he denies the existenco or necessity of such
powers. Ho will then pass into a «0ndition from which
he can only bo redeemed by a most terrible and continued
purification. H e will pass from 9 to 56. The law by which
man passes from 4 to 9 is terrible, but it is nothing in
comparison w ith the law th a t rules 56, a stupendous law,
by which those which become exposed to its action cannot
arrive at 64 w ithout having experienced the full rigour of
th at law. M an, who does not perform liis duty during the1
time appointed to him, m ust begin again, but starts from
a point much fa rth e r back and has to labour for a much
longer period ; and a fte r th at there is still a more
terrible and alm ost infinite period of suflering. Tho
unfortunate beings belonging to th a t class, aro like the
satellites of “ S a tu rn ,” which continually revolve around its
ring, w ithout being able to enter into the same. They can­
not enter the sphero of Good, and See the lig h t Without being
able to approach to it, and have to suffer, until all their
im purities are burned and destroyed by their own inherent
B ut by the proper use of his faculties man is certain to
attain his object, and his doubts vanish as he rises. Ho
heed not fear death, because death is only tcri-ible to those
who havo am algam ated themselves entirely w ith the sen­
suous ; and if he elevates himself by his will to such a degree
of purity, as to become one w ith Divinity, he will then even
in this life be able to spiritualise his own being sufficiently,
to behold the whole realm of tho Intellectual, and ho will
find himself much nearer to God than ho ever expected to
be able to go. The divine agents will be perceived by him,
he does not need to read any books to obtain instruction, J
and he is so much advanced on the road to perfection th a t
death only needs to remove tho gross m aterial veil, to let his
intellectual temple appear in its full beauty : because then ha
will livo and act entirely in the sphere of tho Infinite.
If we look at man ih his social relations, we find th a t the
O rigin of the social state, consists neither in a forcible gather­
ing of men by some powerful individuals,- nor in an arbitrary
or indiscrim inate confluence of entities to a common unity by
ftieaus of a social contract. Prim ordial man was horn to
rule, not over his equals but over inferior beings.: H e could
not belong to any, political body of men, which body cannot
exist w ithout sensuous links and intellectual privations.
B ut as he became more and more sensuous, his condition
became ono of an u n interrupted chain of wants, dependen­
cies and necessities; and the social organisation becamo
necessary to supply thoso w ants and to free again his intel­
lectual nature and regain his rights. Tho formation of society
was therefore not an act of arbitrariness but of necessity ;
its purpose is education and its final aim freedom and re­
covery of the rig h ts of the individuals out of which it is
composed. Tho legitimacy of the rule of one m an over
another depends upon their respective degrees of depravity
or real nobility, A largo num ber of individual parts of
socicty sinks into the mire of tho elements, and it is there­
fore natu ral and nccessary th at they should be assisted to
rise by those th a t are less depraved ; and only in this respect
can an au th o rity bo legitimate, while in any other case it
* Such men aro the real originators of th e prosont Theosophical
Society.—Trans.
t The number 5G ( 7 x 8 ) signiflee the eiglith'nphore. i> (one 'half of
’ 10) in tho number of Idolatry, and 0 signifios the sphere of Light; ljoth
numbers combined are tho type of tho separation of tho bad from lho
t oirclo of good ((54), fcomposed of Light (C) aud its exalted inhabitants (4).
t Tills is likely to bo misunderstood. Ho mny have to read a good
many books, before he arrives ftt a point where ho noodi them no
pioro,— Trans,
 would necessarily be the highest degree of injustice. Tho
fa rth e r an individual is advanced on the road to his own
individual perfection and purification, tlic more he obtains
a power over others, based upon justice, and the more he
approaches tlio light, the more extended will be his influence
over those th a t are w ithdraw ing from the same.
A child cannot be its own father, toacher and provider,
and collective man needs certain guides, possessed of
superior virtues. Government therefore ought to consider
it its first duty to educate the intellect of man, abolish evils
and provide for the gratification of the real necessities of
man. Religion and Politics have an identical aim, and
each king therefore should also be a Melchisedech or high
priest. M ankind, in attem pting to separate w hat they con­
sider tho “ w ordly” from the spiritual, has lost the true
spirit, and kings and priests, by losing tho tru e spirit of
religion and becoming sectarian, have lost their power.
True religion and true freedom are inseparable. Prim ordial
man was in possession of the power of punishing his in­
feriors and even to deprive them of life by depriving them
of his life-giving presence ; b u t m an in his present condition
has lost the power, and 110 person has the rig h t to punish
or kill another person. The power of kings and judges to
punish is therefore only symbolic, and they possess such
rights only as the representatives of a higher authority
than individual man and therefore ought to exercise sucli
powers only in the interest of th eir highest conception of
justice. Punishm ents ought to be proportionate in severity
to the severity of the crimes, and it is u njust to punish
only those crimes which have been committed, against the
physical man, so-called political or temporal crimes ; and to
let those crim inals go free, who attem pt to poison, injure
or destroy the intellectual or sp iritual p a rt of man. Tlio
cause of this injustice is th a t those who are entrusted w ith
authority are themselves im perfect or crim inal and liable to
misuse their authority, and m ankind cannot expect to arrive
at the golden age before its leaders will be more perfect men,
whose hearts are filled w ith love for hum anity, and whoso
minds are illum inated by the divine intelligence of the uni­
versal spirit.
A n A merican B uddhist.
. ( To be continued.)
■ ------•------
( Continued from, the last Number.)
S C R A P S OF A N C I E N T H IS T O R Y OF T H E
IS L A N D OF JA V A .
( 4 Popular Version from Notes furnished by
B a r o n T e n g n a g e l l , F. T. S.)
II.
W h a t is now left of the civilization, science, and prosperity,
which could be found in Ja v a during th e dom ination of the
H indus ?
Before answ ering th a t question, we will m ention w ithout
comment two events. The advent of Islarnisin in 1313 and
the arrival of the H ollanders at Jav a in 1594.
In the south of the division Lebak, in the Presidency of
Bantam , in the m ountains of Kendong, there live a num ber
of little people, called the Bedoeni. They are originally
Sudanians like the rest of the population, w ith whom they
entertain no communication ; because they have still p re­
served their ancient religion. Very probably they are the
ancient inhabitants of Bantam or P adjadjaran, whieh havo
em igrated to the m ountains a t the time when the M ussul­
mans conquered the land. They arc only agriculturists, and
crimes are entirely unknow n in th e ir little com m unity.
They pay th eir taxes regularly and aro distinguished from
the Mahommedans by the sim plicity of their costumes, th e ir
love of tru th , their loyalty and th eir chastity. They are
divided iuto Djelma-dalom and Djelma-loowar. (In terio r
und exterior Djelma.) The first ones live retired from the
world, and preserve w ith the greatest exactness th e ir civil
and religious usages. They occupy th e K am pong Tji-Beo,
and they cannot transcend the num ber of forty men. The
number of the women is not fixed. If, in consequence of
births the num ber of forty is transcended, they who are
above th at num ber go to the exterior ranks of Djelm a-loewar.
Those who livo in the villages w ith the re st of the population
observe th eir customs only in so far as the circum stances
permit, Their number ia unknown, but it ia supposed that
there are not more than ono thousand souls. Their civil
governm ent consists of three chiefs: The G irang po-oen,
the G irang dalem and the G irang serat. The G irang po-oen
is their civil and religious c h ie f; he m aintains the order and
the peace, the usages derived from their ancestors, and their
religious observances. He performs the m arriage ceremo­
nies, and on solemn occasions pronounces prayers. Hia
office is hereditary, but not remunerated. The G irang dalem
is the eldest son and probable successor of his father, whose
orders he causes to be executed, whenever they concern the
civil governm ent. The G irang serat is chosen by the Djelma,
and his duty is to attend to everything th a t has to do w ith
the outside world. All affairs have to be transacted verbally,
because it is forbidden to w rite. Their religion is but little
known, but they have a g reat horror for Islamism. They aro
not allowed to cultivate anything else but rice and maize, and
w hatever else they may need they have to get it by way of
exchange. They are perm itted to cook th eir rice and m aize;
bu t all other nourishm ent they have to eat raw. They are
prohibited from killing or eating any kind of animals and
even from m aking use of tam e animals. They are not per­
m itted to write, or to use any clothing except white, blue or
black ; neither are they allowed to use gold or any kind of
things which they have not m anufactured themselves. They
believe in a fu tu re life and th a t the souls of criminals are
burned in the craters, and th at those of virtuous people go
to paradise.
Idolaters in the M ountain of Tengger.
A fter the conquest of M adjapaliit by the M ussulmans,
those of the inhabitants who decided to rem ain true to
the faith of th eir fathers and to the cults of Brahm a, V ishnu
and Siva, escaped to the uninhabited mountains under the
guidance of K jahi Dadap Poetili, T heir villages, which can
only be found a t an altitude of four thousand feet, rcscmblo
each other; th eir houses, built of wood and covered w ith
“ alleng alleng,” nre occupied by several families, and
have one door each, which always faces the Mount Bramo.
There arc about three thousand of them. They are very
ignorant, and their prim itive religion has become mixed up
with so m any strange practices th a t its originality has become
unrecognizable. A fter the people are assembled, the chief
priest goes to the edge of the crater, asks for the blessing
of the gods Sang Ja n g Toenggal, Pandec Deva Nat.a, and
above all of the supreme God Deva Brahm a, and then throws
his offerings into the crater.
The population then begin all sorts of festivities.
Their buffaloes run free in the mountains, where no tigers
are to be found. They do uot trouble themselves about
tlieir cattle or their horses, and only when some of them are
wanted for th eir sacrifices, then they are collected and
caught. Theft and other crimes are unknow n am ongst
those idolntors, who live in peace in th eir m ountains in the
greatest simplicity, and avoid as much as possible the contact
with the inhabitants of the valleys. They only occupy
themselves with agriculture and cultivate maize, potatoes,
onions and other vegetables, which they exchange for such
objects as absolute necessity requires.
They never take p a rt in any dispute or opposition ; they
do faithfully th e ir duties tow ard the Government, and tha
Government does not interm eddle w ith their costumes and
usages.
The Island of Bali.
The Island of Bali is under the authority of the Dutch
Government and comprises nine divisions or kingdoms, inde­
pendent of each other. They are named :—
1. Bolcleng ; 2. D jeinbrana ; 3. K arang A ssom ; 4.
Klongkon ; 5. D janjar ; 6. Bangli ; 7. B adong; 8. M engoevi;
9. Tabanan.
I t is supposed, th a t the samo H indus, which have propa­
gated th eir religion at Java, have done likewise at Bali ; b u t
it is certain, th a t after the conquest of Java by the Mahome­
dans, many of thoso who refnsed to accept the new faith,
went to Bali, where the Hinduism then took a now start and
became extended. A t tlie present time the Brahm inical
faith (Sivaism ) and Buddhism have there a considerable
num ber of adherents.
The Buddhists are not very numerous, and inhabit espe­
cially two places, called K aran g Assem and D janjan. The
B rahm an priests havo preserved th e ir religion in their
prim itive purity and follow exactly the prescriptions of the
Y edasj b u t the people honor besides a num ber of spirits,
&
 good and bad ones, sucli as tlic “ pitris, tlio spirits of tlieir
ancestors and Boeta, or demoniacal sp irits.” The places
wliieli are especially consecrated to tlie cult us or tbo “ Sadkah
jnngan,” or tbe six temples, consecrated to Siva. There aro
others besides, which avo less venerated, and we also find tbe
“ Paraj.angan” temples, dedicated to all gods ; “ Roemali
Dova,” small temples, dedicated to one single divinity ;
“ Sanggav,” cliapcls, and finally “ P anatarnns,” or sacred
places, where the offerings for gods or spirits aro deposited.
Thoso offerings consist of rice, cookcd m eat, fish, fruits,
silver and clothing.
Bloody sacrifices of'buffaloes find poultry a-nd liogs <vic
only performed at solemn occasions, ll i e people are divided
into four castes—the Brahm ans, thc X atria, tbe W esja and
thc Soedra.
In tlie caste of priests or B rahm ans, the men havo
tho title of “ Idabagocs” atul the women Id a jo c ; thoso
which have some knowledge of religion and literature aro
called Pal a 11da. They are very numerous^ and many aro
forccd by poverty to obtain a living by agriculture, fishing
or manual labour.
Tho caste of thc X atria is tho second one in importance.
I t comprises thc warriors, and tlieir members havo the
titlo “ Deva.” A t former times all tho princes did belong
to tb at caste ; but now it is not so, and a t present tbo
J)eva Agong is thc only ono who has licccsBurily to be a
X atria. . which were broken, and whose origin was equally unknown
The castoof the W esja is thc third one, and is very im port­
a n t at Bali. Its members were formerly m erchants, agri­
culturists, artists and artisans, consider now every occupa­
tion ns below tlieir dignity, nnd only attend to the trade.
Tho members of this caste, to which nearly all thc princes
of Pali belong, have tho title of Goesti.
Tbo caste of the Soedras is the last one, ami is th at of
tho common people. They have no title, and whenever one
belonging to a superior caste speaks of one such, thoy call
liim Kahoela (servant) or W ang (man). They aro entirely
subject to the other castes, who can dispose of them and
th eir possessions as they please.
“ Besides these castes, there arc also thc Tjandalas, which
everybody despises and rejects. rlh e y aro such as have con­
tracted incurable diseases, in consequence of which they
have become outcastes and who now in m ournful solitude
drag out a miserable existence to its end.
F or the soul of the dead to be received in tlio swarga of
Indra, next in thc V ishnnloka, and afterw ards in tlie Siya-
Jolca, it is necessary to burn thc corpso of thc defunct. Iho
bodies of thc threo highest, castcs arc therefore always burnt;
b u t as this ccrcmony is a very expensive one, the corpses
aro usually embalmed or interred, until tho relatives havo
amassed tho requisite sum. Thc Soedras bury their dead,
and it is admitted generally that tlieir souls transm i­
grate into an animal, usually into a dog ; and this accounts
for thc respect with which they treat thoso animals.
If by sonic accident a Socdra becomes wealthy, ho is
obliged to disenter the bodies of liis pa.ronts and to burn
them. The ceremonies on snch occasions differ accord­
in g to the castes, but only the widows of princes are
burned with their husbands. This sacrifice is perform ed in
two different ways. A t first tliey erect near fhe funeral pyro
of tho husband, a chamber built of masonry of abont four
feet in height, in which a hot fire is kindled. The women aro
taken there with tlio samo ceremonies used in bringing tho
corpse of the husband, nnd after arriving a t the pyre, they
either throw themselves alive into t.he flames, which proecss is
called mn-bila, or they strike themselves at tho edge of tho
cbambor with somo knifo in such a m anner th a t they fall
dying iuto tlio fire, and this way, which is considered tho most
valued, is called Satya m a-satya. Thc wife who sacrifices
herself in this w a y obtains thereby the cognomen “ Satyaw ati”
(tho faithful one). Ordinarily, whenever a princess dies,
some of ber slaves sacrifice themselves in thc same manner.
Notes concerning the History of ancient Java.
In consequence of the mfiny uncertainties which the an­
cient legends present to us, it would undoubtedly be very
difficult to discover tho entire tru th ; b n t it seems th a t thero
. is some probability in th e following statem ent. I t seems
. probable tb at the islands of Sum atra and Java were onco a
part of tho Indian Continent, at a time w hen Ceyloii was, a
p a rt of the same. W e m ight then adm it th a t gonii and giants,
of whicli according to tbe legend tho prim itive population
was composed, wore tbo Autochtones, living in tho forests of
tbo interior, and which havo been subjugated originally by an
Aryan or Brahminical immigration, which came from Malacca,
whilst tho legend of H adji Saka refers to a colony of Bud­
dhists, which not having tlio same laws as the Brahmans, could
w ithout difficulty cross the ocean. If we adm it this expla­
nation, it follows thnt tho institution of castes dates back
to an epoch anterior to the separation of Coylon and Sum atra
and Java from the Indian continent.
If we look to tho proofs which corroborate tbe probability
of this theory, we seo th a t they are of two kinds : 1, proofs
derived from tho antiquities of the H indus ; and 2, proofs
derived from Sanscrit works, which form a p art of the
Javanese language.
About fifteen or sixteen years ago an ascension was made
of the Dempo volcano, which is situated in the Passoemelo,
in the interior of Sum atra, and whose elevation is abont
10,000 metres above the ocean level. A lthough this volcano
is still active, there were fonnd npon its top the ruins of
ancient H indu temples, which must have been of very great
antiquity, because .the natives did not even know of their
existence.
In going from L ahat a t Gocnong Sakti in tlie
Passoemelo, I saw myself the remnants of colossal statnes
to thc inhabitants. I t seems therefore th at Brahmanism
flourished a t Sum atra at such a remote epoch, that even the
remembrance of fhe same is lost, and th at thc population at
th at epoch was much more than a t present. There havo
also been found at Java, on tho summit of several volcanoes,
which arc still in activity, the rem nants of Hindu con­
structions ; and about ten years ago an extraordinary
succcssful attem pt was made to climb to tlie top of the
Saneroo volcano, which is in full activity, and 11,400 feet
above thc ocean, and there again some constructions were
found, dating from a H indu epoch.
The opinion is held generally th at the primitive colonists
were driven back from tbo borderlands of thc ocean towards
the interior, and the Buddhist colonists then occupied those
lands. This is the opinion of the scientists who have in­
vestigated thc subject. I t seems to mo th at now another
conjecture presents itself, founded upon facts, which formerly
were wanting, because it is only four years sinco “ Isis Un­
veiled” has been published. Tho primitivo population is
said to hnvo been composed of the snbjects of Theredat.
They had already engaged in war with thc Brahman colonists,
who had arrived by land, and were finally driven back from
the country whilo tho descendants of tho Brahmans had
their power augm ented by tho successive arrival of
B uddhistic colonies. Thc inhabitants, who wore still
savages of thc forests of the interior, wero then subjected
and gradually converted to thc religion of the Brahmans
nnd thc Buddhistic religion, both' of which live in Java
peaceably together.
As far as Sanscrit is concerned, it is ccrfain th at tho
Javanese language contains a great num ber of words bo-
longing to Sanscrit, and th at these words do not refer to
religion only bnt that they refer to things and ideas, wliich
m ust have presented themselves at tho beginning of a new­
born civilization. A t all times, and especially wherever
strangers have attem pted to convert a people, they havo
always begun tlieir work by studying tlieir language, and
have only employed foreign words when tlic language of tho
country was insufficient to express tlieir new ideas. But as
wc have to do w ith a great number of different ideas, we
m ust adm it th a t commercial relations existed between the
natives and the foreigners, and that to those relations wo
must attribute tho great number of Sanscrit words in the
Javanese language ; and, as these words are pure Sanscrit, it
follows th a t the Sanscrit m ust at th a t time havo been a
living language nnd th at this circum stance makes tho above
theory the most probable one.
T h ro u g h o u t Jav a tho word “ Dessa” indicates a village, a
co m m unity of natives, and the H indu word is “ Desha.”
This would not confirm our supposition, except after the
subjects of Theredat had been driven back, and thore was
none left to tlie Island but H indus and the savages inhabiting
the forests, ■ ■ .
 Islamism finished by subduing the whole island in 14-GO,
at which tim e Bantam was conquered. Islam ism persecuted
the idolators with fire and sword, b at the Christians, a t least
the Hollanders, did not trouble themselves about th eir
religion, and, if the Malfiis have preserved a recollection of
religious persecutions, tliis m ust be attrib u ted only to the
Portuguese and to the Spaniards.
T. F., F . T. S.
» - • ■ ; ■
A N A R A B IA N ST O R Y .
T r a n sc r ib e d by P. D a v id so n , F. T. S.
As a sequel, under the same category to tlie highly inter­
esting story “ Can the Double m urder ?” which appeared
in the Theosophist of January 1883, I herew ith append the
following, which confirms the fact of the susceptibility
of the M ayavi-llupa. I t is related by Palgrave, in his in ter­
esting work on Arabia.
In the year 1850, whieh answers to 1228 E. II., during the
reign of the Sultan Saeed, K ing of tho eastern portion of
A rabia called Oman, a young m erchant of Muscat, who had
recently m arried one of the fairest damsels of th a t city,
embarked on commercial business iii a ship bound for tho
coast of Zanzibar. A fter a prosperous voyage ho arrived at
the m arket for his traffic, and there rem ained, according to
his custom, some months laying in a suitable cargo for his
return home.
One evening, while residing a t a plaeo opposite the island
of Zanzibar, about 2,000 miles south of Muscat, he was seated
on the roof of the house where he lodged in company with
an Arabian, whose acquaintance he had recently made.
Chance had throw n them together, and com m unity of race
in a foreign laud had produced a certain degree of intimacy.
The sun was setting, and the two friends were smoking
their pipes in th a t peaceful way peculiar to O rientals gene­
rally, when tlic m erchant rem arked a strange expression
pass over his companion’s face, which caused him to enquire
the cause. “ Did you see w hat I this m om ent beliold,”
answered tlie Arabian seer, “ you would look even g raver
than I do.” Such a reply naturally led to fu rth e r enquiry,
on which the magician, after a suitable show of reluctance
a t having to communicate painful news, a t length said, I
have just seen such a person,” nam ing a well-known liber­
tine of Muscat, “ enter your house at this very hour, and a t a
moment when tliore is no one a t home b u t your wife, who
appears to greet him w ith g reat joy.”
I t was now the husband’s tu rn to look grave indeed.
Starting instantly to his feet, and seizing the magician by the
throat, the m erchant extracted from him a m inute relation of
all that was passing between his wife and her visitor, which
cannot be better told than in the well-known words which
Shakespeare puts into tho m outh of Iago, w hen saying to
Othello,
“ There are a kind of men so loose of soul
Tliat in their sleep will m utter their affairs :
Ono of tliis kind it* Casaio,” Ac.
The indignation of the injured husband rose to the highest
pitch. “ Are there no means,” he eagerly inquired, “ to
forestall, or at least avenge the crime ?” To tho latter part
of the question the A rabian seer replied th a t lie was indeed
possessed of tho most eliectual means for th a t end, and would
willingly exert them . “ Do so at once,” rejoined the m er­
chant. “ N ot so fast,” answered tlic other, we m ust first
preclude the possibility of ill consequences to ourselves.”
He then directed the m erchant to draw up a doeiunent,
empowering his friond, the magician, to take vengeance on
the guilty woman and her param our. The paper was quickly
written, dated, sigued and sealed. “ Now,” said the clairvoy­
a n t; “ call up the whole fam ily to whom this house belongs,
after which I myself will countersign tho document.”
The orders of tlie seer wero fulfilled. By this time night
had set in, and the whole party stood in silence on tho roof,
uuder the open canopy of tlie starry sky. Tho w rit of death
lay on a table in the midst. “ Now give me your dagger,”
said the magician to the husband. The latter drew from his
"belt tho erooked silver-handled dirk, commonly worn by
Arabs of a certain rank, and handed it to his friend. H e
took it in silence, turned slowly tow ards the north, and after
muttering a few words, stabbed the air twice. “ Now go
and sleep in peace,” said ho to th e h u sb a n d ; “ your ven­
geance is complete, for the criminals arc loth dead,'[
Shortly after this extraordinary incident had occurred,
the m erchant left Zanzibar for Muscat. Im m ediately on liis
landing he was told th at his only brother had been cast into
prison, and was thou detained on suspicion of m urder.
“ Your wife,” said his friend to him, " and with her such a
one,” mentioning the name of the individual denounced by
the clairvoyant at Zanzibar, “ were fouud one morning
dead w ithin a chamber of your house ; a dagger had pierced
them twico through and through. No trace could be obtained
of the m urderer or his weapon ; but as your brother seemed
the most likely person to have done the deed, he was arrested
and questioned before the judges. Nothing, however, appear­
ed to prove his g u ilt; so the Government consigned him to
prison until your return, in order th a t a fresh examination of
the m atter m ight then take place.”
The m erchant at once went to the authorities, and told
his wondrous tale. The case seemed too strange not to be
sifted to the bottom, so it was referred from tribunal to
tribunal, till the Sultan Saeed declared th a t he reserved to
himself the rig h t to judge the case in person.
Accordingly, the Sultan caused the m erchant and liis
brother to be brought to Nezwah, the capital of Oman, his
usual place of residence, but w ithout permission to quit tho
city. Then he sent orders to Zanzibar, th at all who had
signed the document, or been in any way witnesses of the
sccne on the house-top, should be sent to his capital w ithout
delay. W hen all the party were assembled at Nezwah,
consisting of the two brothers, tlic African householder,
and his family, together with some of his neighbours and
the clairvoyant magician, the Sultan held a sort of lit du
justice in the open air. The document was produced, and
all present recognised and authenticated their respcctivc
signatures, while cross-examination only confirmed the cor­
rectness of the m erchant’s statem ent. W hereupon Sultan
Saeed declared himself unable to decide the guilt, or to
aw ard punishm ent in such an extraordinary case, and dis­
missed both the m erchant and his brother, together w ith tho
witnesses from Zanzibar, after granting them a handsome
recompense for loss of time and trouble incurred.
A t the same time the S ultan strongly advised tho A rabian
seer to be henceforth more discrcet in the exercisc of lii.s
occult powers—a recommendation afterw ards extended to all
the magicians and clairvoyants of Oman. And if the
all-potent monarch did no more, popular rum our assigned
a reason for his forbearance—th a t his own favorite spouse,
the m other of the present Sultan, was the very llecato
of A rabian W izards, and W itches, and worthy to preside at
any weird meeting of black cats, broom-sticks, he goats,
magic cauldrons, or any of the spiritualistic circles whieh
exist either in Europe, or America, at tho present day.
----- «-------
C H E A P A N D Q 0 0 D FOOD.
(Knowledge.)
By T. R. A l l i n s o n , L. R. C. P.
A llow me to bring under the notice of your readers somo
experim ents I havo just concluded to solve the difficulty of
feeding our poor in London and elsewhere. The cry is th a t
food is so dear the poor can scarcely live. Tliis cry ie true if
they w ant to live on luxuries, b u t if they will live on whole­
some but plain and healthy fare, they can do so for very little.
A little over a month ago I determ ined to give up all expen­
sive articles of food and livo almost as cheaply as possible.
H aving left off flesh foods for nearly two years, and lecturing
frequently on the qnestion of food, I knew w hat to select.
Looking over my food accounts, I found milk, butter, eggs,
and cheese, with tea and coffee, wero fairly expensive articles,
and none of them necessary, so I gave them up for a time
to see results. On October 19, I began my experim ent ; my
w eight was then 9 stone, 8 ounces, I continued this purely
vegetarian diet for a month, when my w eight wns 9 stone,
3 pounds, 12 ounces, or a gain of 3 | pounds. My friends
said I looked w e ll; I felt well, and did my usual work tho
same as ever. I walked from 10 to 15 miles daily, seeing
patients or taking exercise. H ere is au account of my dietary,
whioh cost mo littlo more th an sixpenco a day, and I could
easily livo for less w ithont lu x u rie s:—B reakfast consisted
of a basin of porridge, mado from a m ixture of oatmeal and
wlieatmeal, which I found more palatable than either singly.
This I usually cat Yfitli bread to insure thorpugh insalivation,
T hen came broad fried in refined cotton-seed oil, or fried
vegetable haggis. For drink I had a cup of cocoa or fru it
syrup, with warm w ater and sngar. The cocoa used was an
ordinary one with plenty of starch in it, w hich makes a thick
drink, and no milk is then required. D inner consisted of
a thick vegetable soup and bread, potato pie, savoury pio,
vegetarian pio, vegetable stew, stewed rice and tomatoes, &c.
F or a second course I had bread plum -pndding, stewed rico
and frnit, baked sago, tapioca and apples, stewed prunes, figs,
raisins, and bread. Tea meal consisted of bread and jam,
stowed frnit, or some greon stuff, as watercress, celery,
tomatoes, &c. 1 had only throe meals a day, and frequently,
ivhen very busy, I had only two, and a cup of cocoa and a
b iscuit for supper. I always use tho wliole-meal bread, as
it is laxative and contains .a good deal o£ nitrogen, which is
throw n away w ith the bran. The cotton-seed oil is a cheap
nnd good cooking oil, and is impossible to detect. This diet
I continued for a month, and now I only take the animal
products when out, not having them at my table.
Now compare this diet w ith ono of flesh or mixed one.
Tho latest analysis shows flesh to contain from 70 to 74 per
cent, of water, the dry residue being very rich in nitrogen,
and it contains a little carbonaceous or fatty m atter. Hence,
to live on meat alone, as much as 8 lb. a day is necessary.
Then there arc to be considered the diseases of animals which
are communicable to man if th a t flesh be not thoroughly
cooked all through, and as very few of our animals live a
perfectly natural life, most of them are more or less
diseased, especially the fat ones. The excess of nitrogen
iakon into the system in eating flesh m eat has to be got rid
of by the liver, kidneys, and lungs ; hence those organs aro
overtaxed, and much disease is the consequence. In fact,
tvero it not for flesh food we doctors should have very little
to do. Man living in towns cannot afford to eat much.flesh,
becanso he does not get sufficient oxercisc and oxygen to
b urn up the excoss of nitrogen. I f ho does eat this flesh and
if ho eat mncli, then he m ust suffer from m any complaints,
such as indigestion, bilious attacks, congested liver, hem orr­
hoids, gastric catarrh, and other gastric troubles. If tho
habit be continued in, gall-stones or urinary calculi may
follow, or rheum atism and gout. Then the kidneys become
diseased and more work is throw n on the heart, which becomes
also diseased; the end is death by ono of the lingering dis­
eases, which shows a diseased organ somowhero. Even
epilepsy and many nervous diseases are aggravated by flesh.
Cancer is on the increase, and, from some observations I havo
m ade, it may be indirectly traced to flesh. Consumption has
only a remote connection w ith flesh, it being due chiefly to
w ant of fresh air. Vegetable food is cheap, contains an
abundant supply of n u trim en t at first cost, and our systems
are so formed as to use it with least expenditure of vital
force. W e use no cruelty in obtaining our food, and can
easily sec if it bo wholesome or in a rotten state.
By means of our diet much disease is prevented, and even
most chronic cases of present disease can be alleviated by it.
If wo want a cheap dietary we have the following foods to
choose from :—W heat, oats, barley, maize, rice, sago, tapioca,
semolina, hominy, peas, beans, lentils, &c., which are all con­
centrated foods, nnd very rich in nutrim ent. Potatoes,
parsnips, beets, carrots, turnips, onions, cabbage, sprouts, &o.,
givo variety, bulk and flavour ; to those may be added the
sw eet herbs for making savoury dishes. Apples, pears,
cu rrants, gooseberries, plums, straw berries, rasps, black­
berries, and other fruits, w ith melons, poaches, grapes, &c.,
are high-priced, b u t wholesome fruits. The dried fruits,
as dates, figs, apple rings, currants, raisins, &c., are cheap
and good. To these may bo added tinned goods. Thus one
can see tho immense variety of tasty things we have, and
these to suit all purses. We can add to these milk, butter,
cheese, eggs, and honey, which are got w ithout killing
animals. B ut if wo take anim al food, then fish is least
injurious, then beef and m utton, while veal, pork, game, &c.,
:vre very indigestible, and o ught to be avoided.
■------♦------
A N E W D IS C O V E R Y .
LIQUID OXTC. EN A N D NITROGEN.
W e arc slowly loarning more of the liquid and solid states
of the elementary aud compound bodies form erly known as
perm anent gases. According to the latest researches, oxygen,
■when cooled to 13G° C. (213° F.) below zero liquefies to a
colonrleas transparent liquid at the very modonvte pressure
of 23 atmospheres, or thereabouts. Nitrogen at the samo
tem perature does not liquefy at a pressure of 150 atmos­
pheres, but yields a colourless liquid with distinct meniscus,
when the pressure is cautiously allowed to fall to a point not
lower than 50 atmospheres. I t is now well known that
ozone, under quito moderate limits of pressure and tempera­
ture, is a liquid of intensely blue colour, which gives a vapour
which can only be compared in colour w ith the brightest
bluo sky. In this condition ozone is a most potent body,
decomposing with explosion upou slight provocation into
common oxygen. Puro alcohol is a white solid at about—
130° C. ( —202° F.).- A t a very slightly higher temperatur*
it is viscous, like oil.—Lancet, Sept. 15.
■ •------
A R E T H E O S O P H IS T S A T H E I S T S ?
M e . S t . G eorge L ane - F ox d eliv ered a n in te re stin g
le c tu re on th o above su b jec t in P a tc h e a p p a h ’s H all
(M adras.) O ur th a n k s are due to th e M adras M ail for
g iv in g a p r e tty lo n g re p o rt of th e sam e in its issue of
31st M arch. W e can n o t do b e tte r th a n giv e here the
e x tra c t from th a t J o u rn a l :—
A t Patcheappah’s Hall, Madron, on Friday niglit, Mr. St. Georg©
Lane-Fox, undertook the task of answering this question. There was
a largo attondanoe of natives. Mr. Anantha Charlu presided, and
among thoso present were the Secretary of the Theosophical Socicty,
Mr. Damodar K. Mavalankar, Dr. Hartmana, Mr. Srinivasa How, Dr.
Athalye.
Mr. Fox commenced his lecturo by remarking th a t a groat many
people supposed th at Theosophists were necessarily Atheists. It had
been supposed th at their leaders wore Buddhists and that Buddhists
were Atheists. lie would ondeavour to show that, if there was ono
word which was above all others inapplicable to Theosophy, that word
was Atheism. Theosophists included people of various beliefs and
sects. The Theosophie movement as such was not a “religion,” although
Theosophy was in one sense a very true religion inasmuch as it brought
people together working for one common object, yet it was not a re­
ligion in a vulgar sense. As soon as people realised that there was a
future, continued existence beyond this life, they were in fact
Theosophists. The very fact that they believed in that future
Btat© and wished to assist others to do so proved tkem to be
Theosophists in embryo. They could not deal with the Ultimate Cause,
and thorcfor© they remained silont upon the attributes of the Supreme.
That was tho position of nearly every true Theosophist, but such an
attitude of rospoctful silence could not be identi6ed with Atheism.
Broadly speaking, Atheism was a misnomer. The Theosophie doctrine
was one of enlightened observation. It taught that, existing every­
where and about us, thero is an unseen something of which we cannot
immediately take cognisance by our ordinary physical senses, but that
vogue feeling leads ns to investigate into the unseen and unknown,
and all enlightened people would realise that they do not know yet
much that man is capable of knowing if ho adopts proper means of
enquiry. They knew of the existence of people who had developed
the higher senses and faculties, and who had consequently greater
powers of research into tho unknown than we possess. Those persons,
who wero called Mahatmas, or sometimes the Adepts of Occult science,
had got a doctrine! which was the result of their investigation. It
was a m atter of absolute knowledge to them —becauso by their
experience, which extended over a very long period and over an im-
menso area, it was not merely a m atter of conjecture. This doctrino
which they, held and taught as a matter of absolute knowledge, regard­
ing both material and spiritual things had been in existence for ages,
lie would try to explain what that doctrine was. It taught first that
all is subject to change, that nothing was fixed and immoveable, but
what was, is not necessarily* what is or what shall be, so far as its con­
dition is concerned. That there was a movoment, and th at tho ten­
dency was towards perfection. That perfection was always being
worked towards and the progress was not even and continuous so far
as could be supposed by conditioned beings like us, but that it was
a movement in cycles. That there were periods of activity and rest,
bnt that each period, whothor on a small or a large scale, is always
something building up moro aud more toward a grand magnificent end,
which is held in view as an ultimato possibility. Tiiose periods of
change from activity to rest were called in Sanskrit Manwantara and
Pralaya. Wc human beings were the microcosm of the macrocosm, so
that our wholo livos we havo intervening activity and rest. Death
was one of thoso periods of subjective rest which tho human ego or
soul had to nndergo in the process of evolution towards the higher
state. That doctrine when applied to the Macrocosm was sometimes
called tho doctrine of emanation and absorption. During the poriod
of universal rest there was a period of the unknowable, and for us
unthinkable, condition of absolute existence and absolute conscious­
ness, but this was tho only one reality. The period in which every
thing is in a state of quiot unconscious rest did not last for over.
Thore came a time wheu the night was passod and there was renewed
activity in the universe, and there was emanation from tho Supreme
called Mulaprakriti* of a power or powers which vivified all that Is and
* The reader should not hero lose sight of the fact that Mulaprakriti
may be said to be identical with tho Supreme only in the state of Pra-
laya. Mulaprakriti, or undifferentiated cosmic m atter as it is interpreted,
is that aspect of Parabrahm, which forms the basis of the phenomenal
Universe during the day of Brahma, while Parabrahm is that hypothe­
tical abstraction which remains immutable both dnring the day and
tho night of Brahma, (Seo the article on the Victims oj Words in the
February Theosophist) • ■
 then became in the aggregate two powers called Purush and Prakriti \
those two powers combined with the intelligence resulting from their
action formod the trinity of everything in nature. Now they believed
in tho vital importance of that one vivifying active spirit which anim a­
ted all, and called it the one life. It was the one existence which always
iB and always must be. Ho proceeded to speak of the one vivifying
energy, tracing the energy from its source in tho sun’s rays into wood,
the growth of which was caused by the sun and might be regarded as
an accumulation of the sun’s power. The scientist said th at energy was
incessant and that matter was indestructible, but he could not go
further. He did not know why energy acted upon m atter in a particu­
lar way* lie did not know,—or perhaps did not care—why it was that
there should bo that continuous action of lifo always expanding
and give rise to more developed and perfected forms of being, always
tending to evolve conscious life out of inert material. The occultist
did care, because he know that tho greatest m atters of fundamental
consequence to our very being were involved. Thus the Theosophist,
who was ono who geuerally aspired at becoming an occultist in time,
was much less an Atheist than tho ordinary man of scioneo. The
Bciontist did not approach tho height to which the occultist soared.
Occultism was beyond tho reach of tho scientific man. A true occul­
tist was a truo philanthropist j he was always an optimist and always
hopeful, knowing that thero was a brighter and better time to come.
Occultism tanght them tbat tlieir acts should be directed toward tho
attainm ent of some higher end. The further they went along tho
right path tho moro contented they became, nnd tho moro they bene*
fitted mankind. Tho moro they exerted themselves towards tho com­
mon object tho moro they were able to throw down tho barriers to
progress, consequently tho more thoy gave riso to unity, and co-opera­
tion and happiness among the various races of men, Theosophy waa
essentially practical, and to the Theosophic doctrine belonged tho
utilitarian doctrine. The Theosophist believed that anything th at was
useful or necessary to physical happiness should not be despised,
but should rather be recorded in the light cf a means to an
end. It was not sufficient to say thore was a higher stato, and that it
was no use to try to bo good here. But it also taught that it is not
eufficiont to look upon this lifo aB an end in itself, but th at we should
endeavour to realise it as extremely im portant in its right place, us a
means to a truer and higher end. Wealth too must not be despised,
but it should aUo be rightly appreciated and nnderstood. Tho modern
scientific economist was able to point out th at money was not wealth
itself, bat merely its temporary representative and a medium of ex­
change or distribution, and that an individual or a nation should work
for the purpose of attaining rather money’s worth than money, rather
thc end itself than merely ono of the means. Tho Theosophist or
Occultist, said that although humanity taken'as a wholo intuitively
desired that which w o b useful for thoir progress, th a t was to Bay real
wealth, yet thore wore very many things which people desired, which
were exactly tho opposite of wealth rightly nnderstood, and th at tho
dosiro for money itself was often fanatical and unineauing. Tho
occultist know that trne or real •wealth meant accomplished and
accumulated work, work which was useful or needful towards some
trne end or stage in tho evolutionary progress of humauity, in other
wordB properly concentrated Cosmic Energy.*
A vote of thanks to tho lecturer concludcd tho meeting.
The above report of Mr. Lane-Fox'a L e c tu r e doey n o t give
BQrae of the moat im p o rta n t points dw elt upon at len g th by the
lecturer. This led to a m is u n d ers tan d in g oE th e situation by
Bome members of ou r Society who a ttach im portance to the m ere
word Atheism, and to in t e r p r e t it in a sense not yet accepted by
the general public. F o r the edificatiou of o ur brothers of th a t
phase of mind, we copy below the reply signed “ A n o th e r Thco-
sophist/' from the Philosophic Inquirer, to a “ Theosophist*’ who
took up the former attitud e. W e would also draw th eir special
attention to th e article on “ The Metaphysical Basis of Esoteric
B uddhism ,” which will be found in an o th er column.
B. S.
---- +»------
lc a r e t h e o s o p h i s t s a t h e i s t s ?”
“ A T h e 080 p h i B t ” in tho Philosophic Inquirer of tho Oth Instant,
seems to misunderstand entirely the scope of Mr. Lanc-Fox’s lecture
on the above subject, at the Patchcappah’s Hull, Madras. With tho
permission of my good brother, I shall here show how hia chargo
against tho lecturor of going against the rulos of tho Socioty, doos not
hold water. Tlio Theosophical Society is sometimes charged with
atheism—that word boing associated in the miDds of tho general public,
as ho (Mr. Lane-Fox) was careful to explain, with a notion that it has
*To illustrate tho position, which Theosophy takes in regard to
Theology and Science, Mr. Lane-Fox concluded his loeturo by reading
tho following passngo of “ Isis Unveiled,” Vol I. pago XIV.
“ Deeply sensible of tho Titanic struggle, th a t is now in progress
between materialism and tho spiritual aspirations of mankind, onr
constant endeavor haB been, to gather into onr several chapters, like
weapons into armorios, every fact aud argument that cun be used to
aid the latter in defeating the former. Sickly and deformed child as
it now iB, tho materialism of to-day iB born of tho brutal yesterday.
Unless its growth is arrested, it may becomo our master. I t is tho
bastard progeny of tho French Revolution and its reaction against
ages of religious bigotry und repression.
To prevont tho crushing of theso spiritual aspirations, tho blighting
of these hopes, and tho deadening of that intuition which teacheB us
of a God and a hereafter, wo must show our false theologies in their
naked deformity, and distinguish between divine Religion and human
dogmas. Our voice is raised for spiritual freedom, and our plea mado
for eufranchisemont from all tyranny, whethor of Science or Theology”
13 .
no belief in any higher aspirations or any future existenco, limiting
its operation to grossly mundane affairs with no spark of philanthropy
in it. Tho lecturer had to show -that such an idea was entirely
erroneous in regard to tho Theosophical Socioty : he was not there
to wage a war of words, which has been unfortnnately the cause of
many an unprofitable dissension. Tho word was understood in a
certain sense and ho desired to prove th at in th at senso the Society
•was not atheistic. He distinctly began hy saying th at tho Theosophical
Society was open to persons of all shades of belief, and th at as snch
it could not bo identified with any particular form of faith. Ho laid
great stress upon this fact and also added further that hardly any man
who had given any thought to tho subject, could bo found outside of
tho Lunatic Asylum, who did not believo in an unkown cause, a
supreme power, as the basis of all phenomena. (Of courso there may
be some who may not havo thought over thc m atter and had therefore
to he put out of consideration then.) Therefore, as soon as a person
realised this truth, he became a Theosophist, whether ho joined tho
Society or not. It will thus be apparent that what tho lecturer
wanted to impress upon his audience was the fact that there was no
atheist in the sense in which the word was generally understood and
interpreted, adding th at the word atheism was in fact a misnomer.
I t is now for thc readers to judge whether in this manner he respected
and defended tho position of thoso who choose to call themselves
atheists—transcendental if you please—as opposed to believers in a
Personal God —or whether ho disrespected their belief as my brother
is pleased to suppose. In strength of my assertion, I have to refer tho
reader to the report in the Madras Mail, whero Mr. Lane-Fox says
th a t a true Theosophist refuses to personify with human attributes
th at Supreme Power.
Again I beg to cmphasiso the point th at Mr. Lane-Fox was in the
Hall to defend an idea, not a ivord ; and his scientific explanations wero
clear on thc point. Ho did not say plainly, but what he led his intelli­
gent and attcntivo hearers to infer was’that a true Theosophist—not a
mere member of tho Society, who may be an agnostic, although not an
atheist as commonly understood—was a cosmopolitan. As such, he conld
be a Pantheist, a Monotheist, an Idolater—nay even an Atheist—all
depending npon tho stand-point from which he would thon argue his
position. J u B t as a mountain top could be rcachcd by various paths, so
tru th could bo perceived from different aspects, and to realise
the tru th from all its aspects and its numerous stand-points was
to become a truo Theosophist. Ho waB a Pantheist, because he recog­
nised tho existenco of tlmt Supreme Power as universally diffused j ha
waB a Monotheist, because he admitted of only ono eternal, infinite,
absolute existence—a U nity; lie was an Idolater, becauso Nature waa
his idol by thc abstract contemplation of which he realised the nornrie-
n a l; he w u b an Atheist, because ho refnscd to personify that Supremo
Power, or, in other words, to drag down tho Infinito to tho level of tho
finite, by investing it with human attributes. All these stand-points
were beautifully presented by tho lecturer to an intelligent and
attentive thinker* What a superficial thinker generally fails a prey
to and what every abstruse mctaphysicau always avoids, is to be—a
“ victim of words.” ThiB only reminds me of a lecture of Col- Olcott’s-
After he had finished, one of the audience asked liim to substantiate
the truth of what he had said by exhibiting a phenomenon. All that t h o
Colonel could and did say was th a t he could give explanations to tho
people, but ho had not tho power to furnish them with brains to bo
ablo to understand him—the request of thc wiseacre being evidently
in direct opposition to tho spirit of his lecture which treated of tran­
scendental philosophy*
A n o t i ie u T h EOSOI’IIIST.
Qth April, 1881,
This controversy simply shows th at Theosophy has uo particular
creed,—Ed.
-----♦--------
(Continued from the March Number of the Theosophist.J
M EDICAL M A G N E TISM A N D TH E HEALER
M AGNETIC.
Now ifc is m y p u rp o se to show in a few w ords tlio
relatio n e x istin g betw een tlio m ag n etic system of tre a t­
ment., H o m eopathy and A llopathy. T here is a sad w ant
of peace betw een A llo p ath y nnd H om eopathy. E ach w ages
a co n stan t w arfaro a g a in st th o other. E ach condem ns
th e o th er as b e in g useless, irra tio n a l and inefficacious in
th e extrem e. A lth o u g h th e re is a co n stan t jealousy a n d
w arfare betw een H o m eo p ath y >md A llopathy, y e t to tho
rig h t observer b o th a re equally good aud useful. A l­
th o u g h th e p rinciples of b o th tho system s are q u ite differ­
en t from each o th e r, y e t it cannot now -a-days b e denied
by anybody th a t H om eopaths as well aa A llo p a th s do
every now and th en cure m anifold diseases by th e ir re s­
p ectiv e system s. H ero arises a very im p o rta n t question
of itself in every th in k in g m ind. I t is this :— Ilo w can
b o th tho system s accom plish th e sam e very end w hen th o
do ctrin es th ey profess an d sta n d upon are d iam etrically
opposite to each o th o r ? To th is m y sim ple an sw e r is th a t
a lth o u g h tho doctrines thoy profess are quito opposed to
each o th e r y e t I am in a p o sitio n to presum e th a t th ero
is a tru th com m on to b o th . I n tho absence of th a t
8, com m on truth., th e y could n o t accom plish tho sam o
Very end, Ifc is that common trutli which hag given to
both of them tho respectablo positions they enjoy.
Deduct that common truth from them and yon will lin.il
in them nothing worthy of remark. W lm t and where is
that common truth cannot be positively pointed out in
the faco of antagonism. But so far as I can safely pro­
ceed to say, tho doctrines of both Homeopathy and
Allopathy nre found in happy harmony in M n g n c tn p a -
Ih y. I think every one will be exceedingly happy to
find tho two evor antagonistic principles lying in one
nnd the same place iu perfect harmony. Tiie fuuilamcn-
tal doctriue of Homeopathy is “ Siniilia similibus curan-
tur,” i. c., the similar cures tho similar. This doctrino is
n, part of tho doctrino of Magnetopathy, for it lias been
shown plainly that Magnetism cau create disra.se as well
as it cau euro disease, in this respect tho doctrine of
Magnetopathy is quite Homeopathic. Again, tho funda­
mental doctrino of Allopathy is “ Contraria contraris
uurantur,” i. e., contrary cures tho contrary. This is also
a part of the doctrino of Magnetopathy, for it has been
shown plainly that the lnimau body gets diseased when
the head is magnetised by tlie north pole, while it becomes
healthy when the same is magnetised by tlie opposito or
soutli pole of a steel magnet or the magnetic healer,
in this respect the doctrine of Magnetopat hy is Allopathic-
In short, the doctrines of both Homeopathy and Allopathy
combine to make up tho unit of tho grand doctrine of
Magnetopathy. Therefore tho systems of Homeopathy
and Allopathy may wage war against oach othor, but
Magnetouathy cau never do so against any of them.
Rather finding them both in its own bosom, it binds them
both by a tie of affection. It bids them mako peaco
witli eacli other and work for the good of mankind. At
last it is not out of place to show tha t tho modes of
magnetic treatment that have up to the present time
boon invented aud practised by some European physi­
cians are quite different from that already discussod in
tlio foregoing pages. In times gone by long sinco Mes-
mor, Dr. Reichenbach and Dr. Hahnem au used steel
magnets as a remedial agent in tho treatment of manifold
diseases. H o w far they wore successful in combating
with diseases is now beyond our power to ascertain.
But so far wo aro iu a position to conclude that, had
tho inodes of tlieir employing magnetism boon very
successful, they wonld not havo been so much neglected
by tho mcdieal profession at present. Thoir present
obsoleteness is a proof of thoir not having been so
successful.
Frederic Antony Mesmer, a Gorman physician, found
out by experiment tho curative property of tho steel
magnet, but ho did not long uso it for the treatment of
diseases. lie ere long found ail analogy between the
steel niagnot and the human body, ami by the forco of liis
w i l l - p o w e r used the magnetism of his own body to euro
tho indispositions of others. The mode of applying ani­
mal magnetism by w i l l - p o w a r for tho treatment of
diseases and various other purposes is popularly termed
Mesmerism after his name. That Mesmerism, having
very little connection wilh my mode of applying instru­
mental magnetism, deserves 110 particular mention here.
Baron von Roiohcnbach, an illustrious Gorman philo-
F-opher, made various investigations regarding tho pro­
perties of steel magnet and its relation to human body,
lie found by experiments that tho linman body was
affected by tlio touch of magnets and by the influence of
terrestrial magnetism. U o speaks of a man having his
limbs made rigid and consciousness lost altogether by tho
action of a powerful magnet presented to him from such
a distance as the room ho was in permitted. H o also
remarks that in somo placos in Europe man keeps health
by lying down in bed with his head plucod northward
and becomes uneasy by lying down with his head
placed southward. H e again observes that, in somo other
places in Europo, tlie effects produced from lying down
are quite contrary to those mentioned above. H e assignsno
voasou for tho effects thug observed iu different places.
Ono mifrht imagine that the philosopher in question
formed his conclusions from observing tho effect of lying
down with his head placed both northward and south­
ward for a considerable length of time. No, that was not
tho caso.
H e says in his own language that he observed the
cffoets by making tho subject of experiment lie down in
each place for an hour only in tho direction he desired.
H o w far therefore his observation on tlie subject enn
safely bo relied upon is left to every intelligent man to
determine. Further his experiments on the subject have
not up to this time been verified by any other philosopher,
and therefore they may bo called empirical.
U o also remarks that tho two hands of a man are the
two magnetic poles, and that the head, eyes and mouth,
aro the foci where the Magnetic force appears to bo
concentrated. This ho asserts to bo the reason why
passes with tho hand and gazing with fixed eyes are tho
most powerful means of mesmerising. This fact per­
fectly disa.grecs with the results of our actual experi­
ments which have undoubtedly established that the
palms of the two hands are but the two branches of the
south pole, and head, eyes and tho mouth aro but tho
parts of tho north pole.
Reichenbach further observes that tho magnetic light
emanates from the hands of sensitive persons as well as
from the poles of steel magnets. H e says that the light
issuing from the north pole is bluo and that issuing
from tlie south polo is red. Tho property of tho north
pole is grateful coolness and that of tho south polo is
disagreeable warmth. The right liaud of man, being in
his opinion tho north pole, produces cooling sensa­
tion, and the left hand, being the south pole, produce
warming sensation. From this it is plain that, when he
desired to cure any indisposition of the human body, ho
produced either coolness or warmth according to the
naturo of the indisposition, by causing either the north
or south polo of ft magnet or the palm of right or left
hand to bo passed down along the body indisposed.
H o w far this mode of applying steel magnetism was
successful in removing Ihe ailments of the human frame
is a matter of great doubt. It is to be regretted that all
these researches mado by Baron von Reichenbach are in
sad variance with the results of our most careful experi­
ments npeated over and over again on tho magnet stnd
the human body. In tho cold climate of Europo they
might have been all solid and true, but in tho hot climato
of India they appear to bo n mass of vapour. Dr.
Uahneninn, the great founder of Homeopathy, has noted
down in hi:? Materia M ’cdica, tho different kinds of sys­
tems which the two polos of steel magnet can severally
produce 0 11 being applied 0 11 tho different parts of a
healthy body. The intention of his so doing is according
to his doctrine of “ Similia, similibus curant.ur” to apply
either of tho poles to a certain part of a diseased body,
for the cure of such symptoms, which that polo is found
to produce on tho same part of a healthy body. One
simple example would suffice to explain the subject
more fully. Suppose the application of the south pole
of a stoel magnet on the eyes of a healthy body makes
them red, inflamed and painful. Now, iu accordance
with the doctrine of the doctor, tlio application of tho
very same polo of the magnet to another m an’s eyes
which havo boon inflamed and painful for some reason or
other would cure thorn. Whethor Dr. Huhneman himself
carried on this mode of treatment in what we call
real diseases with good results is not clearly stated by
him. Supposing this mode of treatmont to bo efficacious,
it is neither in accordance nor in variance with our modo
of magnotic treatment, for it has 110 connection with our
terrestrial magnetism. I 11 conscquenee thoreof wo need
not dwell upon it at largo.
A few years since there havo been somo persons in
England who havo boon using magnetism empirically
for the treatment of diseases. Amongst them may be
mentioned the names of Herring, Dr. Scott, Seymour,
Whetingsand Welton. M r .H o n in g hasinvented amagne-
tic brush for baldness and nenralgic pains in tho head. H e
has set u small horse-shoe magnet flatly behind the brush
and has arranged a few rows of steel brisiles on its
front side. The steel bristles, being in contact with the
two legs of tho liorse-shoo magnet, are necessarily
magnetised by it in such a manner that tile points of
half tho number of bristles are rendered tho north poles,
while thoso of the other half are rendered tho south
poles. In consequence, when the brush is used in comb­
ing the hair, both the north and tho south poles of a
few hundred of small magnets act simultaneously 0 11 the
head. This mode of operation is according to our theory
inefficacious in the extreme, for the effects produced by
the two opposite poles at the same time on the same spot
are sure to neutralise each ocher. Moreover tho magnetic
brush having no connection wiih the terrestrial magne­
tism which is acting constantly 0 11 our body, and which
is the basis of our mode of magnetic treatment, deserves
110 further discussion here. I should only say hero that,
had the points of all the steel bristles of the brush been
true magnetic south poles,* and had the brush instead
of sliding along the head from up downwards been held
stationary 0 11 Lho crown of the head, it would havo boon
deemed as a magnetising instrument of our system.
Dr. Scotr, has invented a magnetic brush which ho calls
Electric Flesh Brush. H e alleges that his brush quickly
cures rheumatism, gouts and all aches and pains resulting
from disotdorod blood and other causes.
Tho brush is similar to Mr. Herring’s magnetic brush
iu every respect except one. Iu Herring’s brush the
bristles are made of steel, while those <jf Dr. Scott’s
brush aro made of horse-hair. In consequence the
maguetisatiou of the head effected by Herring’s brush is
direct, while the magnotisation of the head by Scott’s
brush is effected through the intervention of horse-hair.
Our remarks regarding the efficacy of Mr. Herring’s
brush hold equally good in tho case of Dr. Scott’s brush.
Rome of my patients have perseveringly used Dr. Scott’s
brush, but unfortunately havo derived neither good nor
bad results from it.
Mr. Seymour, the Medical Electrician of Guys’s Hospi­
tal, has invented some magnetio appliances which he
calls Amynterion appliances or Magnetic curative appli­
ances. lie makes a paste composed of steel filings and
India rubber and constructs different kinds of bands and
pads with that composition. Afterwards he magnetises
those bands and pads by putting them into suitable coils
excitod by Galvanic batteries. Mr. Seymour advises his
bands and pads to bo worn ou the diseased part of the
bodies : consequently his appliances aro limned Lun g
Invigorators, Chest-protcctors, Spine Bands, Kneo Caps,
Anklets, Wristlets, Pad Soles, Throat Protectors, Melts,
Friction Gloves, Necklets, &c. &c. In these appliances the
magnetic poles t\ro used indiscriminately without pay­
ing any regard to terrestrial magnetism which, in our
opinion, is the chief source of human health. H o w far
these appliances are efficacious in removing diseaso lias
not been experimented upon by myself. They may prove
efficacious to some extent when they are by chance
applied to the human body in the manner in which wo
use tho horse-shoe or the bar magnets to it for tlio cure
ol diseases.
Mr. Whitings of London has recently invented a kind
of magnetic appliance for the euro of certain diseases
which he culls “ Maguotod.” According to tlie seats of
diseases liis Magnetod appliances are differently con­
structed and are termed L u n g Invitjo ra to rs, Ghent l ’ro-
te-.torx, Throat 1‘rotcctors, Spine Bands, Friction Gloves,
Wristlets, Knee Caps, Corsets, &c. H o alleges that by
liis Magnetod appliances Bronchites, Asthma, Conges-
# N o t k -—Iu lGiigliah books on Magnetism tlio exact north pole of a
magnet ia termed aouth pole, ami likewiso the exact south pole ia
termed north pole, ttiitiu French books reverse ia tlio caso. They
call oach by its true uaiue*
tion of the Lungs, Pleurisy, Palpitation of the Heart,
Lumbago, Sciatica, Gout, Neuralgia, General Debility,
Nervousness, Hysteria, Paralysis, Headaches, Constipa­
tion, Deafness and Wakefulness are quietly relieved
and cured.
From the facts just now stated, it becomes evident that
the Magnetod appliances of Mr, Whiting aro in every
respect similar to the Atnynterion or Magnet ic appliances
of Mr. Seymour which have beeu described before. Tha
principle upon which both of them are based aud con­
structed is virtually the same. The only difference be­
tween the two is in sliape, sizo and color. Another
peculiarity of the Magnetod appliances is their being
perforated throughout. In consequence the Magnetod
appliances deserve 110 separate remarks regarding their
efficacy in curing diseases.
A R E P L Y TO “ ‘ A N A T I V E ' T H I N K E R ’
O N T H E O S O P H Y .”
I n th e J a n u a r y n u m b e r of t h e J o u r n a l o f th o T h e o so p h ic a l
S oc iety , Ihere is an e x t r a c t fro m th e Madras Mail, h ead ed
“ T h e o so p h y ,” a n d w r i t t e n b y “ A N a tiv o T h i n k e r . ” T h o
■writer a s k s w h y o c c u lt scienco h as n u t b estow ed u p o n u s
som e efficacious re m e d y f o r c h o le r a o r snake-bito, so as t o
ste m tho im m e n s e loss of lifo w h ich takes place in I n d i a
y e a r a f t e r y ea r. “ A N a tiv e T h i n k e r ” is e v iden tly n o t a w a r e
t h a t o ccult scienoe has a c tu a lly g iv e n s u c h a re m e d y to t h e
w o rld t h o u s a n d s of y e a r s ago, b u t th e w o rld heeded n o t a n d
m u s t suffer t h e c o n seq u en ces . I n eed n o t te ll “ A Native;
T liiu k e r” t h a t , a c c o rd in g to th e te a c h in g s of T he osophy, it ia
•the h o ly m en of all ag es a u d g e n e r a t io n s who h avo been, tc«
th o exclusion of all o th e r s , t h e c u s t o d ia n s of tho m y s teries,
w h ic h in th e ir ensemble c o n s t it u te , o r are sup p o sed to co n­
s t i t u t e w h a t goes by th o n a m e of tho O c c u lt Science s., N o w ,
holy m en have a t all tim e s p ro c la im e d t h a t thoso w ho live*
a tr u ly pious a n d g o d ly lito s h a ll be safo fro m diseaso, a n d
se c u re even a g a i n s t th e b ite of se rp e n ts.
T h e q u e stio n as to h ow f a r t h e a bo ve a ss ertio n is tr u e , or
not, h as n o t h i n g to do w i t h t h e s u b j e c t u n d e r d iscu ssio n .
“ A N a tiv e T l i i u k e r ” w a n ts to kn o w : W h y o c c u lt scienco
h a s n o t p roc laim ed to th e w o rld a re m e d y a g a i n s t c h o le r a o r
s n a k e -b i te P— I say in reply, t h a t o c c u lt science has dono so
fro m a n c ie n t tim e s u p to t h i s d a te . O w i n g to m y ig n o r a n c e
of th e S a n s k r i t la n g u a g e I m u s t leave it to tlio learned e d it o r
of th o Theosnphial. to b ri n g f o r w a r d th e necessary evid ence
fro m th e a n c ie n t l l i n d n writer.-). I sh all r e s tr i c t m yself to
th o Bible a nd its te a c h in g on th e sub ject.
I u E xo d us (x v . 2d) we Iind tho follow ing se n te n c e as
spoken by Moses to Lhe people of I s r a e l: “ If th o u wilt
d ilig e n tly heai ken to th e voice of th e L o rd th y God, a n d w ilt
do t h a t wliich is r i g h t iu his sig h t, a nd k e e p all his s t a tu t e s ,
I will put mine of the diseases u p o n th e e w h ic h I h ave b r o u g h t
u p o n Lho E g y p ti a n s , i o r I a m th e Lord t h a t h e a l c t l i thee."
U n d e r s im ila r c o nd itio ns we find a sim ilar p ro m ise in the 5 th
book of Moses: “ A n d tho L ord will ta k e a w ay fro m thee all
sickness.” A s to im m u n i t y f r o m s e r p e n t bite, we find it r e ­
c o rd ed (S lu m b e rs xxi. -1— 1 2 ) Lhat Moses did p ro te c t th e
Is ra e lite s w hile in tho d e s e r t a g a i n s t th e conseq.innoe of
snake-bites. Of th e prophet. Daniel it is recorded t h a t ho c a m s
o n t in t a c t fro m a lio n’s den, in to w hich lie had been t h r o w n ;
n nd th e r e is so m e w h e re a p a ss a g e in J o b — a bo ok said to be
o ld er t h a u th e boo ks of M o s e s— w h e re i t is sta te d th it o ven
th o beasts of th e field m ak e peace w ith th e m a n of (Jo d.
C o m in g now d o w n to th e tim e of C h ris t, w o find J i g s a m e
d o c trin o e n u n c ia te d i n th e a d d re s s he d eliv ere d to his a p o s ­
tles, ( M a r k xvi. 15 2 0 ) : —A n d he said o n to th e m , “ G >ye in to
all th e w orld, a n d p re a c h tlie g o sp el to e v e ry c f e a t u r e ; I19
t h a t belioveth a n d is b a p tiz e d s h a ll be sav ed , b u t lie t h a t
b e liev eth u o t sh all bo c o n d e m n e d ; a n d these sigiif; s h a ll
follow th e m tlia t beliovo : Iu m y n a m e shall th e y c a s t o u t
de m on s ; th e y sh a ll s p e a k w ith ( n e w ) to n g u e s ; th e y sh all t a k e
u p serpen ts, a n d if th e y d r i n k a n y d e a d ly tilin g it n(i:dl n o t
h u r t th em ; th e y s h a l l lay h a n d s on t h e sick, a n d th oy s h a l l
r e c o v e r ........A u d thoy w en t forth, a n d p re a c h e d e v e ry w h e re ,
th o Lord w o r k in g w ith t h e m n n d c o n firm in g th o w o rd w i t h
sig n s fo llo w in g .”
 H e th a t believes and is baptised sliall bo saved ! L>o you
w o n t to know wlint tho baptism of C hrist was ? Head the
Hr d chapter of Matthew, where John tlie Baptist, the forerunner
of Christ, is reported to have paid : “ I indeed baptise you with
w nter unto repentance ; but lie th n t comcs after me ^ Christ)
is m ightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, he
sh all baptise you witli the holy spirit and with tire.” There,
th is is tlie baptism of Christ. And ho who is thus baptised,
cr imbued, with tlie holy spirit, or the spirit of holiness, and
believes, is,promised by C hrist to bo safe against the effects
of deadly things or serpent, bites.
Tho pathology of disease, as enunciatod by C hrist, can bo
le a rn t from the way he is reported to havo cured a man
nfilictcd with palsy. (M atthew ix. C) Arise, said lie to the
nick of tho palsy, arise, th a t ye may know th a t t.he son of
m an hath power on earth to forgive sins. If “ A Nativo
T h in k e r” will now turn to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, he
ivill find th at a similar doctrine has been held by the ancient
H in d u s. Of course this concordance of teachings at times
:md places so far distant from each other is not brought
forw ard with tho intention to prove the tru th of the doctrine ;
w h a t this concordance however nndoubcdtly proves, is the
fa c t th at men versed in thc occult sciences did hold thc same
views on the subject a t various times and places.
That Christ was a m aster of t.he occult sciences, th at lie
eclectcd his disciples with tho view of im parting to them
liis knowledge, can 1)0 seen from tho following verso : (Mat-
thow X III. 11.) “ U nto you it is given to know the mysteries
of thc kingdom of heaven.”
Aro then all the inhabitants of H industan, in order to be
proof ngainst cholera and snuke-pnison, to become Yogis, in
accordance with the doctrines laid down by Patanjali ? Is
it practical that they should do so ? Hero Theosophy steps
in and teaches ns the great lesson thnt the practice of Yoga
(concentration of thou g h t and will power) does not consist so
m uch in tho observance of certain postures and thc attentive
repetition of certain mantras ; as in a constant watchfulness
over the inner mind, by means of which man may be expected
to deal, ps far as hia requirements are conccrncd, with
worldly affairs, w ithout being thereby drawn into the vortex
of materialism. Such a state of constant watchfulness may,
by itself, bo far from constituting thc true Yogi or adept, ; it
is however sure to render thc individual concerned receptive
of tho adept’s influence. And since adepts aro supposed,
according to what wc have seen before, to bo gifted, not only
w ith thc virtue of immunity from disease, but also with the
power of healing tho diseases of others— I should say th at
thc question of “ A Native T hinker” finds iu Theosophy its
complete and practical solution. For however little practi­
cable it may be that every man should, a t the present round
of hnmanity, sti ive to bocomo an ad o p t; it is practicable
and, indeed, highly desirable, that each and all should livo
such a lifo as would ronder the rcspcet.ivo subject easily
receptive of the healing powers of the adept.
T h at this view of the. subject is not spun out of my own
Imagination, but has, moreover, been acted npon— with what
am ount of succcss I am unable to say—by the early Christians,
may be seen from the following'passage of tho Apostle James
(v. 14.) “ Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders
of tlie church ; and let them pray over him, anointing him
■witli oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith
Bhall snvo thc sick, and tho Lord shall raise him up, and if
Le havo committed sins, they shall be forgiven him .”
I am afraid, all I had to Say in answer to “ A Native
T hinker,” will after all hardly satisfy him. Ho, with a good
many others, m ight, moreover, bo likely, a t first sight, to
look upon my attem pt to solve tho question as far-fetched,
if not worse than that. I confess, not a very long time ago,
J myself would have looked upon thc explanation I havejust
given as a sort of subterfuge. I would havo said to myself :
Thero is an easy way offered to tlio M ahatmas of pro vin®
thoir superior knowledge, and of benefitting mankind at tho
same tim e ; they have only to mention the cholera remedy, or
the anl.idoto to sr.ake-bites : instead of this they tell us to
livo tlio life of a saint—certainly no easy m atter, and the
consequence will be tho world will be going on as before
and man willcontinue to dio by the thousands of tho cliolora
scourge.”
Now, first of all, “ A Nativo T hinker” starts with thesuppo-
Bition th a t thore is, somewhere in N ature, somo such thing
aa a cholera remedy—a supposition which, to say the least pf
it, is gratuitous.* And the same may bo said with regard to
snake-bito. A long series of statistics havo proved that the
allopathic method of cure is simply helpless in the face of
cholcra, if not worse. The average m ortality of cholcra
patients, when left to themselves, is 50 per cent, under
allopathic treatm ent, tho m ortality, the average mortality,
has sometimes risen to GO and 70 per cent. Homoeopathy
boasts— rightly or wrongly is out of tlio question for tho
present—of a far more favorable result. ISut, (hen Homoeo­
pathy repudiates the idea of any cholera specific altogether.
Homoeopathy proclaims th at it is an idlo task to search
after a certain specific for a certain disease; for th erein
none. Homoeopathy insists moreover th a t it is not the
diseaso th at is to be.treated, but the p a tie n t; and since
patients, even when apparently laboring under the same
pathological disorder, widely differ with regard to age, sex,
habits of life, climatic and hereditary influences, tem pera­
m ent and constitution, the curative agent m nst be different
with different, individuals. If it be true th a t a pure and
pions life makes men proof against disease, then the remedy
in us surpasses in universality by far all w hat outward
N ature can offer us in this respect. M editation, as usually
understood and practised, must appear as a poor and wretch­
ed therapeutic patch-work indeed, in comparison with the
health nnd vigor-giving virtue of a spiritual life.
Now, as far as I am able to understand Theosophy, I believe
I am not wrong in saying th at the Mahatmas are ready and
w illing to awaken in all those who are earnestly prepared for
it, ju st such a mode of inner lifo as would conduce to
im m unity from disease. And “ A Native T hinker” is not
satisfied with, and thankful for, this fav o r? Is not preven­
tion better than, and by far to superior, cure?
The factis, “ A Native T hinker” dou b tsaltn g eth fr the exist­
ence of the M ahatmas and the very existence of occult
science ; he would however be inclined to give up his doubts,
if the alleged possessors of esoteric knowledge could, or
would, reveal to him and to thc world at large a cholera
specific, or a specific against snakc-bite. So long ns this or
som ething similar is not clone, lie calls npon his countryman
to pause beforo they commit themselves to a belief in the
revelations of the Theosophical leaders.
May I request “ A N ativcT hinkcr” tolisfcnto thefollowing
story. There was once a habit ual drunkard, who felt that
he is gradually becoming shaky and nervous, wretched and
miserable. Having heard of a famous doctor, ho made up
his mind to go and consult him. The doctor perceived that
ho had to do with a drunkard, and told his patient that he
required no medicine ; all that is wanted to restore his health
is to give up the pernicious habit. “ B ut,” said thc patient,
“ my neighbour, tho apothecary, told mo thnt ho has a patent
medicine in stock, by thc namo of Piek-mc-Up, which would
counteract tho injurious effects of drink iu an ho u r’s time.”
“ Then why don’t you try it ?” asked the doctor. “ liccause I
thought, yon, in your superior wisdom, could give me a still
better advice.” “ Well that is what I have actually dono.”
I leavo “ A Nativo T hinker” to draw from this little story
his own conclusions, I need hardly remind him th at in the
eyes of only wise and holy men our usual worldly life, with
its thousand worries and ambitions, is no better than tho
life of a drunkard is iu onr own eyes.
Let us first get sober and clear-minded before we venture
to ask questions, and expect to get suitable answers ! In
othor words, lot us first live tho life of purity of mind and
body, and see what will come out of it afterwards.
' L. S,
TAROT.
WouhD it be too much to ask the Editor of tho Thcoso-
phist to explain “ tho manner of rending tho hieroglyphs
of tlio Tnrot” ns mentioned in Eliphas Levi, page 3 5 5 , Rituel
de la H aute Magic ? I have pored over the m atter but have
not succeeded in getting at his meaning. I have the Tarot
Italian , Frenoh and Spanish.
Note— Wo regret we can may no moro than th at tho " T a r o t ” may
bo looked a t an a circle, a square, a fivo pointed star, or a cross. A real
occultist can work upon this bint nml, trying to explain tlie mystery
from theso four stand points, can get at its real meaning._T . S .
•T h o reccnt researches of Dr. Koch however seem to inrlicato, that
there is a specific remedy for cholera, because tho oholera-Caccilli
cannot livo in tho gastric juico, if it contains n certain amount of
acid.—Bigotry and Dogmatism are just aa distasteful in Medicine, n»
they aro iu religion,—A , 13,
 E X PL A N A T IO N W A N TED ,
A p e w years ago I was visiting some relatives ia Z ...... ,...
Switzerland, ono evening there was a social gathering a t our
house, and it was proposed to try to hold a circle. Tho
Protestant m inister who was present objected, but his objec­
tion was overruled, and the table began to tip. The spirit
(?), on being asked its name, gave th a t of a seamstress, who
had died only shortly before. On hearing this name every
one began to laugh, because tho said seamstress had been a
very queer and eccentric person ; but soon this hilarity was
followed by a more serious mood, because on being asked
where she was, she (th e spirit) said she was in hell. She
then related th a t she had poisoned her mothor, gave the name
of the poison, the name of the place where it was bought, and
other detailed circumstances. She also gave the particulars
of her own burial and the text o£ tho funeral sermon ; but
this p art of the communication can be explained by the
presence of tho identical m inister who preached it.
However there was no suspicion about her m other’s death
having been an u nnatural one; b u t public opinion, being
aroused by this spirit communication, it provoked enquiry
and investigation. The body was exhumed and examined,
the poison was found, the purchase of the samo traced to the
indicated chemist shop, and the story corroborated in every
detail.
A. v. H ....
Note.—The corroboration of the facta concerning the murder of tho
communicating spirit’s mother will pcrlmps be taken by some as a
proof that it was a 11genuine spirit ” communication. Let as see, how­
ever, if any other explanation, more reasonable and scientific, can be
given. It has been stated on tho nnthority of onr occult doctrines
th a t in the caso of ordinary humanity, the shell (composed of tho
fourth, and the grossest portion of tho lifth, principles) survives the
death of the physical body for a certain period. This period largely
deponds upon the Karma of tho individual, whether iu mental desires
or physical acts. Thus it is not diflicnlt to conceive tlie possibility that
tho feeling of repentance for the horriblo act of matricide may have so
strongly impressed the dyiug thought of the seam stress as to effect
for the time being the union between tho fourth and tho lower por­
tions of the fifth principle, wherein reBido memory and physical con­
sciousness. The presence of the minister—oue of a class whose whole
bout of mind, owing to professional proclivities, is generally directed
towards penitent sinners—and the further fact of his being the very
priost who officiated at her funeral aro sufficient to give the shell a
stimulus, if any wero neoded (since the seam stress had died but a
very short time previous to the seance aud consequently hardly
needed any) to give veut to a thought of so oppreBsivo a nature. Tho
coufession of the “ Bholl” of tbe Beamstress that she “ waB iu hell,” is
onough to show to any thinking mind th a t the communicating princi­
ple could not have been a “ spirit,” and Bpoke of hell simply because
it found the ready picture of one in the prieBt’s brain. I t is needless
to mention here that occultism admitB of no orthodox Hell, although
ovil personalities have their variouB degrees of mental suffering in tho
stato of Avitchi.
D. K.
W H A T SY STEM O F M E D IC IN E IS T H E B E ST P
You are perhaps aware th a t I am by profession a medical
practitioner besides being the teacher of Medicine in the
local Medical School. I t is therefore of th e g reatest im por­
tance th a t I should know the true laws of cure and learn to
distinguish between w hat is good, and w hat is indifferent
in each system of medicine, and also between a sound and a
false system.
Will you therefore kindly take the trouble to ask any of
our Reyered Mahatmas whether
A llo p a t h y .
Homcepathy.
Mesmerism.
Electropathy.
Hakcemeo or the Greeco-Arabic system.
Ayurycda as tau g h t in C haraka and Susruta, or
Ayurveda as tau g h t in T antras and later H indo works,
is to be preferred as being based on true principles. In caso
there be tru th s in each of the abovo systems, I am anxious
to know in w hat diseases each system is superior to the
others.
Y ours fraternally,
N. G., F. T. 8 .
To comply with the request of our brother, to tell him in whafc
diseasos each system of medicine is superior to anothor, it would
bo necosBary to write a completo work on Therapeutics. If a person
needs mechanical treatm ent, the homceopathio plan of salvation would
bu uf littlo use; while iu other cases tho homoeopathic treatment
would do less harm than the heroio practice of Dr. Sangrado.
Electricity may do good or may do harm, accordiug to the manner in
which it is applied, and while the magnetism of a pure and uuselfish
mesmeriser can do uo harm, that of a selfish and ignorant magnetiser
is always injurious.
Shakespeare says: “ Thoro is good in every thing.” We would
therefore advise our brother to Btudy tho natnre of disease, and then
practise that system, which he understands best.
A. B.
A S I N G U L A R C ASE.
A c o k r e s f o n d e n t w rites :— ■
“ Tho Banner of Light has a curious case given in its
columns. There is," it says, “ a gentleman, in the city of New
York who, until latterly, was one of its most able as well aa
respectable merchants. Loss of mental faculties is a frequent
consequence of long-sustained application to a single subject,
but in this case there is a peculiarity of affection that m aj
interest many readers of the Banner :
Notwithstanding the completo decay of this gentleman’s
mental faculties, he writes as wise and sensible letters of busi­
ness to-day as he ever did, and this, although he is utterly inca­
pable of reading what he has written ; a description of a casg
that is unprecedented, so far as this writer has witnessed.
I suppose that in this case only the 4th Principle is activo ;
but what has become of the fifth P Has it evaporated or become
latent or paralyzed ? Is a man in his dotage only a shell? On
has the connection ceased ? I f a shell, what has lecome of thn
fifth principle ? '
L. A., F, T. 8,"
E d . N o te .— W e th in k it is th e rev e rse . I t is n e ith e r
th e 4 th p rin c ip lo — tlie only one alive iu th e p e rio d “ of
d o ta g e ” o r in sa n ity — n o r th e iitli th a t is activ e, fo r
b o tli are, so to say, paraly zed , in th e case of th e N e\y
Y o rk g en tlem an . E v e ry th in g in th e b ra in is d e a d , oc
ra th e r iu a c a ta le p tic stu p o r— w itli th e exception of t h a t
po rtio n called in physiology sensigenous m olecules, w hich
go to form th e physical s u p e rstru c tu re or fo u n d atio n of
m em ory in our brain. A n d even in th a t p o rtio n of th a
b ra in -su b sta n ce only th o se m olecules aro really alive a n d
active whicli are d ire c tly connected ra th e r w ith m echanical
im pulses, lo n g a cq u ired h a b its, &c., p roperly sp e ak in g ,
th a n w ith m em ory i n toto. W e have h ea rd of sev eral
cases of in san ity upon all and every su b je c t ex cep t thafe
w hich h a d d e g e n e ra te d in to a m en tal a n d physical lia b it.
A p o rtra it p a in te r, a lu n atic, w hen ask ed to draw som a
p a rtic u la r perso n whom he h ad know n, w ould p a in t hig
lik en ess from m em ory fa r b e tte r th a n he m ig h t havo
done d u rin g his d ay s of p e rfe c t h e a lth w hen h av in g th a t
person before him a t a s ittin g . N e v erth eless, as soon aa
th e likeness w as co m p lete d , he used to see in v aria b ly in
it some anim al, a s k in g w h e th e r th a t d o g or c at, or b ird
was n o t “ v ery v e ry n a tu ra l a n d b e a u tifu l.”
S P IR IT S AN D E L E M E N T A R IE S .
M r. E. W i l k e of San Francisco, U. S., America, inquires
w hether Madame Blavatsky has changed h er mind in regard
to the character of spirits com m unicating at spiritual
seances ; because “ Isis Unveiled,” Vol. I., page 67, says : “ W a
are far from believing th a t all the spirits that communicato
at circles are of the classes called elementals and elem enta­
ries. Jdany, especially among thoso who control the medium
subjectively to speak, write, or otherwise act in various ways,
are human disembodied sp irits.”
So far as we know, Madame Blavatsky has had no reason
to change her mind, since she wrote the above paragraph.
Only the samo m ight have been more explicit, and probably
would have been so, if “ Isis Unveiled” had been w ritten ex>
pressely for believers in Spiritualism . However the subject
of intelligences, communicating at spiritual seances, has been
more explicitly treated on page 313 of Vol. I l l , (Soptember
num ber) of the Theosophist. I t says : “ But though elemen-
tavies and elementals constitute a large proportion of tha
performers, thero are other classes of actors.”— “ This class
comprises the spirits of sane suicides. They are Spirits and
not Shells, becauso there is not in their cases, at any rata
until later, a total and perm anent divorco between the fourth,
and fifth principles on the ono hand, and the sixth and
Beyenth on the other, Tho two decade^ aro divided, th ey
 exist apart, bub a line of connection still unites tbetn, they
m ay yet reunite, nnd the sorely threatened personality avert
its doom," etc.
Suck “ spirits” do exist and the complete division of tlieir
h ig h e r' principles from tho lower ones does not take place,
until its appointed lifo terra is run out, whioh term cannot be
shortened by a wilful act of suicide. They remain “ spirits
nntil the time comes, when in the regnlar, not interrupted,
course of events they would have died. They then die a
second death, and the final division of tho principles takes
place. Snch “ Bpirits” may be very much injured by coming
in contact witli immoral mediums and nccromancers.
As regards tlio purer spirits in th e devachanic condition,
th ey cannot consciously communicate with us ; bnt a sensi­
tiv e person can p a t himself “ in sym pathetic rapport with
their ray,” tho soul of the “ medium” may becomo “ attuned”
to th at of the person in Devachan, and speak and act like
her, as.has been repeatedly explained by Madame Blavatsky.
As to our correspondent’s question about Avitchi, we would
6ay th a t this ia a state of wickedness for such, in whom the
£erfa of the sixth principle hiis united w ith tho lower prin­
ciples. I t corresponds to D evachaii; but instead of being a
e ta te of enjoyment, it is a state of suffering. I t is tho placo
f or “ Bluck Magicians.”
A. 15. .
% t Ii tt 0 ujI t i l 0 m 4n t h.
S i i m R a j r i s i i i G b a n t i i a , by N . 0 . T riv e d i:—The work is iti
'Guzerati and treats of the A ryan Religion. Printed at the
Press of the U nited P rin tin g and General Agency Company,
Ah medabad.
Gup a n d G o s s i p :—A weekly serio-comic melange of Poli­
tics, Society, Literaturo and the A rts. Calcutta, No. 6, Vol. I
(A p ril 12, 1884).
R e l i g i o n i n G e n e r a l :—A lecture delivered a t the A nni­
versary Meeting of the Secunderabad B ranch Theosophical
Eocicty, by N . M. Duraisw am i Pillai A vargal, B. A. Printed
ab tho Gladstone Press, H yderabad (D ekkan).
T h e B r i t i s h E m p i b e : its Histol-y, Past, Present and Future,
by a T ea-Planter. P rin ted a t the . People’s Friend Press,
Calcutta. The small pam phlet is very unique and grotesque.
I t tries to show from the Bible prophecies th a t tlie English
hre a lost tribe of Israel, destined to have the political and
th e spritual power of the whole world, at th e reappearance
of Christ, -which event is p u t in the y ear 1897 as of probable
occurrence. W hile certain past events are shown as the
fulfilment of the prophecies, 110 distinct future events are
fixed nt a particular period by the same methods. The work
is a fair specimen of theological dogmatism and too gross
and material an interpretation of w hat may probably haye
an esoteric m eaning in tho Bible.
i f r. Samuel Jonathan( Salem.—The claims of the Catholic Saint
at Goa will be discussed in the next number.
E . 0.—“ Christianity and Theosophy” lias arrived too late for lic rath e r than fluid ; physical and sensuous in their charac­
insertion iu the present number. We will however say, that wo
Bee no objection to that kind of Christianity, which you attempt
to defend ; because it is pure Theosophy, as pure Christianity
necessarily must be.
M. DE BOURBON, F . T. S.
W f are happy to announce th a t the hopo to which we gavo
expression in tho Fcbrnary Theosophist—in talking of the
alleged death of tho Secretary of our Branch Thoosophical
Society a t H ngne—has been realized. The deceased gentle­
m an was the elder brother of our Fellow Theosophist. On
seeing the article iu question, our brother immediately wrote
to tho above effect undor dato the 3rd of March, from Bergen
■where he had gone on official business. As lie is the life
aud soul of our Branch, it givos us great pleasure to see that 'tie s ; but tho student of English only, wo may Vefer lo tho third
he has been spared for tho promotion of th e ^work he 'haS
'6o ably undertaken.
' J l 6 r t 4 ll* 55.
LA L I N G U I S T I Q U E D E V O IL E E , (L IN G U IS T IC S
U N V E IL E D .)
B y M. S. L evy- B ing, F. T. S., P ap . i s .
(Continued from the March Number.)
L et us now cast a hasty glance at the characteristic
features th a t distinguish the two families of speech—A ryan
and Semitic.
The roots, the prim ary elements, or as Max M iiller calls
them , Phonetic types, to which all words in every language
aro reducible, are in the A ryan fam ily monosyllabic, like
gam, “ to go /car, “ to do bhu, “ to he shru, “ to hear
mri, “ to die ” jiv or jviv, “ to live i, “ to go &c.,
They have an inherent vitality and aro accompanied by in­
flections which wero themselves a t one time simple elements,
b u t long anterior to the separation of the races speaking
the old-A ryan tongiio by a proccss of excessivo attritio n and
therefore decay, are now scarcely distinguishable from their
form er selves. These roots, w ith slight modifications accord­
ing to certain laws, havo made such rich and copious lan­
guages as the S anskrit and tho Greek, not to mention such
modern highly cultured languages as the German, the
English and the French. The subject of those roots or
dhatus has been so .ably and exhaustively handled by the
anciont S anskrit gram m arians—from P anini downwards—
th a t they have left nothing undone ; but circumstances, too
num erous to mention, prevented them from applying their
critical and metaphysical acumcn to the study of foreign, yet
cognate, idioms, and thus anticipate the moderns by building
up the science of Com parative Philology. T hat task was
left to Francis Bopp— clarum et memorabile nomen— w ith his
num erous followers (mostly Germ ans) who worked up
these m aterials left by the S anskrit gram m arians, with a
zeal and devotion quite astonishing into th a t impregnablo
stronghold which M. Levy-Bing is attem pting to destroy
w ith his feeble and clumsy Phoenician battering ram.
The roots of the Semitic languages are, as a general rule,
trilitcral, as tulaba, he called ; hasaba, he counted ; qatala, he
c u t; Icalama, ho wrote.* Tho inflectional changes arc made
by adding—of course in accordance with ccrtain set ru les—
in the beginning, in the middle or a t the end, certain letters
called scrvilcs, a, i, t, n, to, sh, e, h, I, b.
The paucity of the roots and tho artificiality of tlio for­
mation of derivations and inflexions on a triliteral basis
render the languages, which do not differ much from ono
another, so st.ilf and heavy th at although one of them at
least, tho Arabic, is the richest in literaturo of them all, they
cannot bo oomparcd w ith the pliancy, freedom and tho
extrem e adaptability to the wants of the hum an m ind which
distinguish tho roots and the inflectional changes of tho
B. S.
Aryan languages. Hence tho Semites have recourse to,
very often, tho m ost elaborate m etaphors for the most com­
mon conception, which indeed add a certain grandeur and
dignity to th eir style highly typical of tlieir serious nnd at
times melancholy mode of life and tu rn of m ind.f This is
w hat Canon F a rra r says regarding this fam ily in his
“ O rigin of Language “ They aro simple and rigid, m etal­
ter, deficient in abstraction and almost incapable of m eta­
physical accuracy. Tho roots are triliteral in form nnd so
few in num ber th a t their, m eanings aro generally vague,
being in fact a series of metaphorical applications of some
sensible perception. They aro deficient in stylo and per­
spective ; they are, as Ewnld observes, lyric and poetic rather
thau oratorical and epic ; thoy arc the best means of shew­
ing us the prim itive tendencies of language ; they may bo
compared to the utterances of a fair and intelligent infancy
♦The roots liavo a preterite signification of tlie third person singn-
lar masculine (tlie Semite verbs liavo their two genders also, the
msisciilino ancl tho feminine); tho a sound is to be pronounced like tlie
Sanskrit 3T- M. Levy-Bing would write them down as tlb, hsb, qll, khn,
+ To support thin, our assertion, I could quote a number of nuthoH-
lectu re of F arrar’s families'Of Speech, and to Chapter X II of tho A me-
ri oan Philologist’s, Prdf, Whitney’s, Life and Growth bf Language,
rotained in a manhood which has not fulfilled the brilliant
promise of its early days.”
Wo have been compelled to dwell a little longer on this
point than perhaps we strictly .sh o u ld B u t the ingenious
author of the book under review is not only bold enough to
attem pt proving to the philological stu d en t th a t tho A ryan
Fam ily of languages is derived from the Phoenician
and scientifically proved to be alm ost identical w ith
H ebrew b u t is ambitious enough to propose in his
second C hapter and elsewhere th a t his Phoenician ought ated, as it is simply an open question among the Philologists
to be made a universal language a,ll over the civilized
world! The adoption of th is m easure would, he be­
lieves, c u t the Gordian knot of the difficulties, whiel} serve, he argues w ithout any show of reason th a t because
we poor m ortals experience in th e intercom m unication
of our thoughts from such a m ultiplicity of languages,
Ho then exultingly quotes from Leibnitz, who, whilst
speculating on tho possibilities of a universal language,
says th at if such a thin g existed, it wonld spare the human
race one-third of their lives which they now spend in learnr
ing languages. To this kind proposal we can only rem ark
in the words of Horace :—Bisum teneatis amici ? A universal
languago is not a new idea. Leibnitz, who simultaneously
with Newton was tho inventor of the Differential Calculus,
believed in tho possibility of a U niversal language. But,
unlike M. Levy-Bing, he proposed th a t a new artificial
language be invented for the purposo by a conclavo of
philosophers. U nfortunately ho died before the plan was
m atured. Max M uller in his th ird lecture (second scries) of
his Science u f Language, gives an analysis of such an artificial
Universal language planned and m atured by an English
Divine, Bishop W ilkin, who flourished in the seventeenth
century. B ut M. Levy-Bing would savo us the trouble of
concocting an Artificial language and desires to present us
with a language already “ cut and dried” for universal adop­
tion. One wonders w hether he is really serious or merely
trifling with the intelligence of his readers by proposing such
a scheme. Does he not know th a t a language was never
made as a m atter of hum an convention, nor was it ever adopt­
ed in a sim ilar m anner by a whole nation, m uch less by many
nations simultaneously and collectively ? The m aking, or the
adoption, of a languago is the work of tim e—a principal
factor in all hum an undertakings. I t was, we believe,
Augustus Ca3sar, who complained th a t he was unable,
Em peror as he was, to add a singlo word to the L atin
languago such as could be adopted by all the L atin ­
speaking nations of tho llom an E m pire.........
L et us now move a step fu rth er and see w hat our science
has to say regarding any possible relationship or any points
of osculation between these two families of languages. This
subject, as well as the still grander subject of the origin of
language in general, is frau g h t w ith so m any difficulties that —from which th e two stream s may have flowed, each
the Students of Philology confessedly adm it, w ithout any
reservation or dogmatism, th a t w ith th eir present knowledge
their theories are based a t best on conjectures, surm ises and
strange coincidences. Of course our author is equal to the
task when he makes this bold assertion—the-kcy-note if we
may say of all th a t he endeavours to prove—“ The princes of
tlio Science,” ho says, “ one cannot repeat it too often, have
declared formally and unanimously th a t the origin of words
culled A ryan is still uudiscoverable. I t was therefore ne­
cessary eith er to stop short with them before th a t wall
(muraille) which, raised as high as the heavens, formed an
insurmountable b arrier w ithin and which had guarded for
so many centuries the secret of the Indo-E uropean lan­
guages—or to make a breach, to dash through th a t barrier,
to penetrato into a new region, to explore it in all its parts,
(o recognise with certainty every one of those bonds, which
Lind it to ancient religion, and to show th at these two worlds,
which havo been believed to be absolutely separated from
t ach other, form but only a single whole and splendid u n i­
verse,” lie imagines th a t he has “ done it” by attem pting to
trace tlio descent of tho Aryan languages from his Phoeni­
cian, which, in reality, is the H ebrew . H e does not point
to the latter ns the P aren t of all the A ryan languages—
fhough lie evidently means it, when he so frequently says
(hat “ it is identical with tho Phoenician,” and when lie
quotes innumerable passages from the H ebrew Bible illus­
trative of the uso of liis roots, and not trom the few Phoe­
nician fragm ents th a t have been preserved to us from the
ravages of time. The reason of it is not far off. He reason
that it was the Phoenicians who gave their alphabet to the
Jews, and as a m atter of history to th a Greeks through
Cadmus,* and thence to the Romans who have spread it all
over Europo. So fa r M. Levy-Bing’s treatm ent of this sub­
ject which he embodies in the first p a rt of his work is very
able and lucid. In this he shows the different stages through
which tho a rt of w riting took its origin from picture-w riting,
thence developing itself into the Hieroglyphics of Egypt, and
thence eventually into Pliam ician and Hebrew alphabetism.^-
B ut the difficulty as regards the origin of the Sanskrit alpha­
bet M. Levy-Bing slurs over, only assuming th a t its origin
is Phoenician—an assumption which has yet to be substanti­
of the present day. A fter having given au importanpo to
the Phoenician alphabet g reater th an w hat it seems to de­
the Phoenician gavo its alphabet to the Indo-Europcans, it
has also given them tho elements of spcech—a logical fallacy
in which tho conclusion is false, not only on account of tho
premises being questionable, b u t also the modo in which the
conclusion is derived is quite erroneous, as it attem pts to
prove much more th an his premises seem to w arrant.
Now let us revert to the points of osculation as I havo
expressed myself above between the two Families. P h i.
lologists are willing to acknowledge th a t there are such
points, and the author in his chapter entitled “ The Avowals of
Science” (Les Aveux de la Science) has taken very good care
to give his readers num erous quotations from Breal, ltcnan,
Geiger, Schleicher, C urtins and others not only in this con­
nection, but also on those difficulties in their science which
they have yet to surm ount ; as also on those moot-qucstions
th a t are still undecided and undeterm ined. M. Levy-Bing’s
avowed object in doing so is to discredit philology by
showing w hat are the riddles it has confessedly never been
able to solve. This is scarcely fair. W hat science in m odern
ages would stand the test of such a canon of criticism, nay,
w hat hum an institution ? Now these points of contact
seem to depend mainly on tho sim ilarity of a num ber of
A ryan and Semitic roots in no way giving us a carte-blanche
to suppose th a t the one set is derivable from the other.
“ General laws,” says F arrar, “ operative in the form ation
of all languages, m ight not be taken for indication of special
affinity ; who would m aintain the identity of quadrupeds
and birds from the analogy of th eir respiratory and digestive
system ? In the form ation of languages certain first prin­
ciples were necessarily observed by all, and this of course
leads to some general resem blances.”— The Orig in of Language,
page 199, Note. M. Levy-Bing, it m ust be admitted, has done
yeoman’s service^ by m aking a collection of those resem ­
blances and coincidenccs for which tho science of Philology
can never be too grateful. These, in tho opinion of not a few
savants, indicate a possiblo though a remote, common source
— too far removed to be investigated by modern methods
taking its own peculiar course “ a t its own sweet w ill,”
and each passing on through congenial soils and swell­
ing its volume by accretion and grow th in a m anner
so widely different as to become ono of the scientific
puzzles of m odern times. To give oven a few of tlio
au th o r’s instances, would inconveniently enlarge this
article. B nt still, we should like to observe th a t the re ­
semblances between the S anskrit Shush and the Hebrew
Shesh, meaning “ Six,” and between the S anskrit Saptan
and the Hebrew Shieboe, m eaning “ Seven,” have been treated
upon quite fully by w riters on this subject.§ Now the Sans­
k rit shash, the zend Khshavas, the L ithuanian Sheshi, tho
A ncient Slav Shesti, the Gothic Snihs, the Latin Sex, tha
Greek Ilex, all point to an ancicnt Ksluish has been
observed by liopp. And, wo know th a t sh was never an
initial letter in Sanskrit, but is found but in a very few words.
A ud we moreover see th a t the Zend form here is more primi-
* Who was very likely an initiated Aryan from Janihudvipa.
f A graphic and interesting trcatm ont of tho ovf-hi' u:n of tho lloman
alphabet, stage by stago, from tho Egyptian Ilieiwi/iyphics, is to bo
fonml in Bullhorn's “ Alphabets Orientalischer and O-'cidentalischer
Sprachen** pages 8 and 0—my Edition being th at t f IS / ii.
% Nuy,- ho promises to give ua Etymological Dictionaries of tho
French, tlio German, tlio Latin, the I)utoh, tho Russian, the Italian,
tho Spanish and tho Romance languages. “ Avoc la justilicaiion dt)
l’origino phemcienno pour tons les m ots"—with tiie justification of tho
Phoenician origin for all tho words (literally).
§ Henan among them, tho author in French of a Comparative)
Grammar of the Semitic Languages—a work Oiling tho same honorablo
place in eomitio philology as ljopp’s magnum opus iu A ryan philology.
tivo th a n tlie rest.* We therefore beg to subm it to M. Levy-
B ing, tliat tlie resemblance of the S an sk rit word and ita
Sem itic prototype is probably accidental. For were our me­
thods identical with his unscientific m ethod, wo should havo
to derive tholatter from the former. The satne rem arks may
be made regarding the Sem itic nam e for tho num ber seven.
T he Sanscrit Saptan, which in this case is the oldest
form, f is represented in Zend by Haptan, in A rm enian by
cvtan, in Greek by Ilepta, in L atin by Septem, in Gothic by
sibun, in L ithuanian by Septyni, in ancient Slave by Sedmi.
If M. Levy-Bing imagines th a t the Sem itic is the oldest
form, he has not only to account for thc tau in words for
“ seven” in Sanskrit and other cognate sister languages, but
has also to prove by instances as a phonetic law th a t tho
Sem itic b corresponds to the Sanskrit, Greek, L atin, L ith u ­
anian, Slave or Zend p (individually and separately) to the
A rm enian v and to the Gothic b.
In this connection I would m ention an unfortunately
glaring instance of the theological bias creeping into tho
w ritings of an otherwise cautious and able w riter whom I
have to quote often for the lucidity of his rem arks. I mean
Canon F arrar, who in a note in his Chapters on Language,
(p. 193) says :—“ I t is not indeed impossible th a t tho A ryans
Jjorrowed from thc Semites th esin g lo num ber septan, seven,
from its mystery and im portance in th e Semitic system .”
-Ho evidently refers to the Semito Kabala, th a t mystic store­
house of ancient Occult lore, which students of Occultism in
our Society w ith the mere glimpses of light th a t they receive
from their illustrious G urus are beginning to learn, is a
rechauffe of remotely ancient A ryan science and l e a r n i n g .
Tho render will thus perceive liow theological bias asserts
itself in most unexpected quarters and very often lim its tho
intellectual horizon of even the best thinkers of the W est.
E r io po l es.
' A SH O R T C O M PEN D IU M O F A STR O LO G Y .J
W e beg to acknowledge, w ith thanks, receipt of a copy
kindly sent us by the author through Mr. A. Govinda
Charln, F. T. S. The Science of Astrology requires a sound
knowledgo of Astronomy, which, being a p a rt of m athem a­
tics, must be classed among thoso term ed “ exact.” U nfo rtu­
nately, however, Astrology has to contend again st two
classes of persons. One denounces it as a hum bug, a sham,
a delusion, while the other worships it superstitiously w ith­
out realising its importance as a Science. As the author,
however, of tho work under notice does not enter iuto this
question, it is not thc legitim ate province of a reviewer to force
a discussion of thc subject. B u t a t the samo tim e the author’s
concluding rem ark cannot bo too strongly emphasised : —
...We cannot but sink into insignificanco, when the gigantic minds
.of antiquity aro brought out in bold relief. W ith all our enlighten­
ment nnd scientific progression, we have still much barbarism to
unlearn.
The work is in two languages, K anarese and English, and
gives tho necessary hints f o r a beginner, who, if ho wants
to acquire more extended and detailed inform ation, m ust divo
into thc Sanskrit works, so voluminous and so complicated
as to confuse him who does not first seek tho assistance of a
nseful pam phlet like the ono under notice. In this respect
tho work is instructive and useful indeed, although tho
review er cannot vouch for its scientific accuracy, sinco
he can lay no claim to a very deep knowledgo of tho
fmbjeet. A t the same time it m ust bo said th a t it is a m atter
of regret th a t tho book does not allude to tho most essential
condition of success in arriving a t correct astrological calcu­
lations. Tho reviewer was informed by a com petent astro­
loger tliat physical and moral purity arc strictly enjoined
upon thc studont. Now ono who comprehends thc pheno­
mena of conscious clairvoyance will see thc necessity of such
a condition. Perhaps tho reader may say in reply th a t in
th a t case tho horoscope would bo the rosnlt of clairvoyanco
and not of astrology. N othing of the kind, however.
Vid © M. Breal’s Translation in French of his a Vergleichende
Grnmmatio, p . 227, Vol. II .—(My Edition is th at of 18G8). Again M.
Abel Ilovelagno in his " Grammnire de la langne Zonde” quotes many
recent authorities in this connection. Vide p. 157 of his book, (My
odition is that of 1878 )
t Vido Bopp-Breal’s Grammairo comparoo, p, 228, and Hovelagno’s
,Zend Grammar, p. 153.
t By Bangalore Sooryanaraiann How, B. A. Class, Central College,
.uangalorei Price niueannas, inclusive of postage,
Clairvoyance proper is a part of astrology proper, and each
is the necessary complement of the other. The former fu r­
nishes the details of combinations which the latter, however
accurate, cannot in every individual case determino with
scientific precision. The author would do well to investigate
this m atter and say a few words in connection with the same,
whenever he should think of getting out a second edition.
B. S.
H E R E D IT A R Y F A C U L T IE S IN MAN.*
A BOOK full of th ought and provocative of th o u g h t is this
new one of Mr. Galton’s ; a most useful book for the student
of hum an nature. In his researches into the faculties of the
mind he sometimes comes within sight of the very door
of Esoteric Science, and, if he turns back w ithout cross­
ing its threshold, we m ust ascribe the blame to thc
unfortunate environm ent of the modern scientist, uot in this
instance, to the m an himself. I f it were possiblo for a
strictly orthodox W estern scientist to become a thorough­
going occultist, Mr. Galton is as likely an one as nny to set
the example. H e is fearless, candid, system atic, cautions
and thorough ; the last, one would imagine, to m ake dis­
graceful surrenders to expediency or clamour and, after say­
ing th a t m atter includes every potentiality, to eat his words
upon hearing the outcry they caused, as a certain other
“ scientific w orthy” did. H is present book is the more
valuable to our party of Esotericism in th at it shows a t once
the last step forw ard of W estern Science and the gulf it has
yet to leap. Those followers of Aristotle, who are so proud
of creeping like thc tortoise step by step from their “ par­
ticulars” to tlieir ‘ universals,’ will find, in Mr. Galton’s
failure to grasp the one Final V ital T ruth th a t lay almost
within short reach, one more proof of the impotency of their
method to solve the m ystery of Man. B ut let us see w hat
his researches have to show us. H is general object is to
note the varied hereditary faculties of different men and
the g re at differences in different families and races, to
learn how far history may have shown the practicability of
“ supplanting inefficient hum an stock” (he talks liko one who
is dealing w ith brute beasts !) by b etter strains and to con­
sider w hether it m ight not bo our duty to do so by fu rth e r­
ing the ends of evolution ra th e r than to leave things to take
their own coursc.
He begins by a study of hum an nature, m aking it clear
th a t there is no such thing as a practicable unity of instinct
a s to w rong and right tho world over: different conditions
of development imply different standards of good and evil.
And, as hum anity is progressively evoluting the more p er­
fect from thc less perfect, tho higher from the lower, not
even the European conscience has as yet properly developed,
for even in tliat q u arter “ there aro elements, some ances­
tral, and others the resu lt of degeneration, th a t are of little
or no value, or are positively harm ful.” H e finds our cosmic
relations b u t imperfectly understood as yet, but the evidence
increasing th a t we as men are but inseparable integers of na­
tions, as nations but units of one terrestrial family, and as
the hum anity of one planet but one group of a “ vast system
which in one of its aspects resembles a cosmic republic.”
l ’he tendency of this view is to make us feel a kindlier inter­
est in people and things outside our several little circles of
personal relationship, to .broaden the sympathies, break down
selfish conservation, and stim ulate the yearning for a better,
deeper, more complete knowledge of ourselves and our
world. Among the chief barriers artificially erected between
men, religious creeds are the most formidable and cruel ;
Mr. Galton therefore takes up th a t question and dissects it
bravely. Tho argum ents offered by non-scientific persons
for believing in the interference of an extra-cosmic Deity
in hum an affairs arc weighed, tested by scientific observa­
tion, and refuted. Thc pretended efficacy of prayer is simi­
larly analysed and sim ilarly declared against. Mr. Galton
backs his conclusions by citations from the statistical tables of
population, lifo, fire and marine insurance, and banking
corporations : affirming th at the figures prove th at those who
pray least to and believe least in Divine caie and guidance
thrive as well if not better than those who believe and pray
most. And there is nothing w hatever of rudeness or ribal­
dry in his arg u m en t; he judges, thinks and writes with tho
passionless calm of the philosopher and tho man of science.
* Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development, By Franica
Ga'.ton, F, R, S. London, Macmillan & Co,; 1883.
 Among the many interesting and striking, features of the
book in question will be especially rem arked the chapters
upon “ Composite P ortraiture,” “ Criminals and the Insane,”
“ Gregorians and Slavish Instincts,” “ Mental Im agery,”
“ Number-Forms,” “ Visionaries,” “ Psychometric Experi­
m ents,” (he seems to ignore D r. B uchanan’s priority in
the use of this term ), “ Twins,” “ Theocratic Intervention,”
“ Objective Efficacy of P rayer,” and “ E nthusiasm .” Various
photographic plates are given to show how one single face,
startlingly individual in character, may be composed or made
up out of 20, 30, 50, 60, or more different faces of separate
individuals of both sexes. Thus, the portraits of father,
m other, several brothers and sisters and relatives may be
blended into a single composite portrait, whieh will represent
not one personality but the aggregate personalities of all the
individuals together. Thus a type of any given family or
nation may be easily composed, and data of the greatest
value to the student of hum an development thus
supplied. M r. Galton furtherm ore gives us a series of
engraved and coloured plates to illustrate tho curious dis­
covery th at in many persons’ minds the mention of any given
num ber or name immediately calls up a correspondential
geometrical figure, or mechanical construction, such as
lattice-work, steps of stairs, lines, groups of stars or dots, or
clouds, or landscapes, or flashes of colour. Persons 1 iving
this m ental peculiarity may be at the same time in robust
health and the soundest mind ; it is simply a mental pecu­
liarity of theirs, and shows th at there is with them a sympa­
thy of action between various p arts or organs of the brain,
Buch as Num ber, Form, Colour, etc. This is to speak like a
Phrenologist, and Mr. Galton who ignores, if he be not
actually ignorant of Phrenology, would do well to look
over the treatises of Gall, Buchanan, Spurzhcim and Combe
in this connection. If any readers of the Theosophist have
such perceptions of form and colour in connection with
numbers or names, they will do a service by communicat­
ing the facts to the Editor, and if they can draw, by sending
sketches of the forms and colours they m entally seo when any
given numbers, names or words are pronounced.
It is curious to find how the statistics collected by Mr.
Galton with regard to the life-histories of tw ins go to sup­
port the doctrine of K arm a as tau g h t by the Hindu and
Buddhist sages. This subject presents two distinct aspects.
In one set of cases the twins are as like each other as may
well be imagined ; in another set—quite the reverse.
Instances occur, in which tw ins separated from each other
by great distance are attacked by the same disease at pre­
cisely the same point of time with identical results, and thus
lead Mr. Galton to the ju st rem ark th a t “ we are too apt to
look upon illness and death as capricious events, and there
are some who ascribe them to the direct effect of superna­
tural interference, whereas the fact of the maladies of twins
being continually alike, shows th at illness and death are ne­
cessary incidents in a regular sequence of constitutional
changes.”
On the other hand there are equally num erous eases, in
which twins presenting no dissim ilarity in th eir n u rtu re, are
utterly dissimilar iu all other respects. We shall quote a
remarkable instance out of the many cited by the author :—
Thoy [the twins] havo had exactly the same nurture from their birth
up to tho present time; they are both perfectly healthy and strong, yet
they are otherwise ns dissimilar as two boyB could bo, physically, men.
tally and in their emotional uature.”
Twoeonelusions are clearly necessitated by these researches.
First, th at w hat we call aceidents are not really such and th at
the reign of law in N ature is so perfect th at theocratic inter­
vention is an impossibility. Secondly, th a t the chain of causa­
tion which governs a man I i h s its origin iu the shadowy
regions beyond his birth, or, in other words, everything is
subject to the law of K arm a. W ith regard to this last con­
clusion it may be urged th a t we are m istaking the law of
heredity for the law of K arm a ; but a careful examination of
the sot of cases in which the life histories of twins are so
utterly dissimilar will render the groundlessness of sueh con­
tention quite clear. • If heredity were the potent factor in
the problem as imagined, the n urture of tw ins being the
same, they ought, w ithout a single exception, to be perfectly
similar in all the events and acts of their lives. But, as wc have
seen, such is by no means the case. If the questionable supposi­
tion be here raised th a t there really t n difference of nurture
iu theee caeee wliich escapes the observation of all concerned
wo have only to ta rn to the specific values assigned by
Mr. Galton to N aturo and N urture, after a careful examina­
tion of a large num ber of facts—“ There is no escape from
the conclusion th at Naturo prevails enormously over N ur­
tu re .” The effects of N urture being tHus eliminated, wo
have N ature alone to account for the sim ilarity of tbe lifo
of twins in some cases and their dissimilarity in others. If
heredity were the sole directing energy in the formation of
N ature, it would be utterly impossible to explain why such
divergent results should be produced in the life-cvents of
the two classes of twins we have referred to above. Surely
this consideration points to the operation of some missing
element, of great potency, which overrules heredity in,
perhaps, the same proportion as heredity prevails over
n u rtu re. Occult scicnce steps in a t this stage and declares
tlie succession of births, and the law of K arina as the Deus
ex machina ; and shows how this law is differently m anifest­
ed as N ature and N u rtu re if science persists in sh u ttin g
her eyes after all this, tho loss is certainly not ours. Among
the striking examples of the probable action of Karma, which
have come under the w riter’s notice, was the case of tho
two H indu lads brought to him a t Moradabad a few m onths
ago, to be cured of paralysis. The elder brother is about 17*
the younger about 14 or 15 years of age. (These figures
are perhaps b u t approxim ative^ correct, the present w rit­
ing being done at sea with no exact data available). They
are the children of healthy parents nnd have brothers ancf
sisters all healthy. So far as inquiries could show, thero
was no apparent cause whatever for their exceptional afflic­
tion. Yet each was stricken w ith paralysis upon atta in in g
the age of 11 years. And by turning to page 88 of
the Theosophist for December 1883, it will be seen th a t
when the w riter’s Guru was appealed to to givo perm ission
for the cure of the boys, as m any other paralytics had been,
cured, his answ er was, “ Karma cannot be interfered w ith."
Our author’s reflections upon the observed sympathies
aud repulsions between different kinds of animals are amus-
aing to the occultist for their superficiality. No more th au
his compeers can ho tako in the idea th at theso phenomena
of attraction and repulsion are but the expression of au
universal law of polai'ic sim ilarity and dissimilarity ; th at it
is not the outer but the inner substance of tho being which
feels its attractions and repulsions. Ignoring this great fact,
see how he errs in his hypothesis. “ Swallows, rooks, and
storks frequent dwelling houses [of m an]; ostriohes and
zebras herd to g e th e r; so do bisons and elks. On the
other hand, deer and sheep, which are both g reg ari­
ous, and both eat the same food and graze within the
same enclosure, avoid one another. The spotted Danish
dog, the Spitz dog, and the cat, have all a strong attach­
ment to horses, and horses seem pleased with their company ;
but dogs aud cats are proverbially discordant. ] presume that
two species of animals do not consider one another clubable
unless theirbehaviour and their persons are reciprocally agreeable.
A phlegmatic animal would be exceedingly disquieted by the
close cumpauiouship of an excitable one...........Two herds of
animals would hardly intermingle unless their respective
languages of action and of voice were intelligible.” Thero
are instances on record of friendships between a cock and a,
horse, a cat and young chickens, a cat and an elephant: would
Mr. Galton have us believe that the horse could interpret
the clarion crow of tho cock, or the chickens and elephant
the caterwauling of the cat ? Or, to pass into the vegetable
kingdom, we find that plants and trees have also their
sympathies and antipathies, not only for each other but also
for mau. In some countries it is customary to plant a truo
on the day of a child’s birth, and to dedicate it to the latter aa
its, so to say, vegetable foster-brother. And so close become*
the sympathy between them that instances are noted of tho
tree’s drooping and dying as the child becomes ill and dies,
and vice versa.* Prof. Max Miiller gives a number of such
cases in his treatise : “ On Manners and Customs,” draw n
from many countries of Europe, New Zealand, B ritish
Guiana, aud Asia. And Mr. Tyler, (Researches into the Early
History of Mankind) in pursuing the same topic, remarks
tb at we are driven to “ inquire whether there is not somo
intelligible and truly human element in this supposed sympa­
thy between the life of flowers and the life of man.” Soma
plants are so attracted by the sun [e. g., the common
sunflower] as to follow its course throughout the day, even
, * Fur remarks upon tliia subject, see lain VnveiUd. I. 209, 840, Bt«.
 when bidden by a fog. The acacia unfolds its petals at tlio
sun's rising and closes them again at his Betting ; so does
the lotus. .Equally faithful to the man is the nightshade.
Tlio vine liafces tho.cabWge but loves thoolive ; the ranuncu­
lus is attracted by the water-lily, the rne by the fig; while,
as Baptista Porta* tells ns, so “ fierce” is the antipathy
between plants and even between cuttings of the same plant,
th a t in the caso of the Mexican pomegranate the shoots when
detached from the tree ropel each other “ with extraordi­
nary ferocity.” We have dwelt upon this portion of Mr.
Galton’s excellent work at g reater length than we otherwise
should, because his lame and feeble attem pts to explain an
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T o a l l o t h e r S u b s c r i b e r s .......................................................................... ••• • „ 5. 12 ..

SU B SC R IP T IO N S DUE FROM JA N U A R Y TO DECEM BER,

N . B . — S u b s c r ib e r s t o T h e T h e o s o p h is t, w h o a r e F e l l o w s o f t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y , w ill r e c e i v e

th is Journal as a S u p p lem en t” g ra tis.

TABLE OF CO NTENTS.

Page. Page,

Buddhism in relation to Christianity .. 70 The Atm a Bodh Theosophical Society 77

Unpublished W ritings of Eliphas Levi .. 71 The Satya Marga Theosophical Society ... . 77
Inauguration of New Branch Societies .. 72 C ircular ... ... ... ••• •••• 78
Lecture on Theosophy ... ... .. 74 Presidential Order ... ••• ••• • 79
How I became a Theosophist ... .. 75 R eview s:— The A rya Samaj & New Dispensation. 79
Our New Branches. ... .. 76 F ersonal I t e m s : ... ............................... • 79
Official Reports O bituary ... ... .u ••• • 76
Address ... ............................ .. 7G

ADYAR (M A D R A S).

1 8 8 4 .

( P r ic e , S in g le N u m ber, E ig h t A n n a s .)
 {S U P P L E M E N T TO
JOURNAL OF THE THEOSOPHCIAL SOCIETY.
B U D D H ISM IN R E L A T IO N TO
C H R IS T IA N IT Y .
A t th e last larg e m e e t i n g held in F e b ru a r y , by the V ictoria
(Philosophical) In s titu te , 7, Adelphi Terrace, L ondon, a paper
w as read by Rev* R. C. Collins-, A., on B uddhism iu relation
t o Christianity. R eferring to the parallels betw een the persons
a n d characters of B uddha and J e s u s C hrist, he said ' l a k e , as a
p r o m in e n t instance, th e birth stories. I need not here give
d etails, which are to be found in any modern work on Buddhism,
f T h e supposed miraculous co n ce p tio n } th e b rin g in g down of
B u d d h a from t h e T usita h e a v e n ; the Oevns acknow ledging his
s u p re m a c y ; th e presentation in th e Temple, when the im ages
of I n d r a an d other Gods threw themselves at his feet.; the te m p ­
tatio n by M a r a —which legends are embellished b y tire modern
w r it e r I have already quoted, and suoh phrases as “ Conceived
b y th e Holy G host,” “ Born of the V irg in Maya,” “ Song of the
heavenly host,” ** P resentation in tho T em ple” and “ T em ptation
in tho W ilderness”- ^ n o n e of these is found in th e early Pali
texts. The simple story of ancient B uddhism is th a t an uscetic,
■whose family name was G autam a, preached a new doctrine of
h u m a n suffering, and a new way of deliverance from it.
There is no th o u g h t in the early B uddhism , of which we read
in th e P&li texts, of deliverance a t th e hands of a god ^ bu t the
m an G a u ta m a Buddah stands alone in h is strivin g a fter the tru e
emancipation from sorrow a nd ig norance. The accounts of his
descen din g from heaven and being conceived in th e world of
m en, when a p retern atu ral lig h t shone over th e world, the blind
received sight, the d u m b sang, th e lame danoed, th e sick were
c u red , tog eth er with all such em bellishm ents, are certainly
a d d ed by later h a n d s ; and if here we recognise some ra th e r
r e m a r k a b l e likenesses in th o u g h t o r expression to th in g s familiar
t o us in onr Bibles, wo need not be astonished, w hen we refleot
how g rea t m ust have been the influence, as I have before hinted,
of the Christian story in In d ia in the early ceuturies of the
O h ristian era, and, perhaps, long subsequently. I his is a point
"which has beeu m uch overlooked ; b u t it is a b u nd an tly evident
from , am ong o ther proofs, t h e story-of the god K rishna, wliich
is a manifest parody of t h e history of Christ. The Bhagavat-
Cita,a Theosophical poem p u t into the m o uth of K rishn a, is
s o m eth in g unique am ong the productions of the East, containing
m a n y ge m s of w h at we should call Christian tr u th wrested from
t h e i r proper setting, to adorn this creation of the Brahman poet,
a n d indicating as plainly th e ir origin as do th e stories of his
life in the Maha Blian-ata ; so t h a t it has not unreasonably beeu
concluded th a t the story of K ris h n a was in serted in th e Maha
Bkarata to fu rn ish a divine sanction to the Bagavat-Gita. If,
then , as th ere is the stro ng est reason to believe, the Christian
etory, somewhere between th e first a nd te n th centuries of tha
C h ris tian era, forced itself in to the g re a t H in d u epic, and was
a t the foundation of the most rem ark able poem th a t ever saw tha
l i g h t in India, can we be surprised if wo find similarly borrowed
« n d im itated wonders in the later B ud dh ist stories also P
Beveral Home and Colonial applications to join the In s titu te
a s gninea subscribers were received, and its objects being to in-
T estigate all philosophical and scientific questions, especially
a n y said to militate against th e tr u th of th e Bible,—a discussion
en su e d in which Mr. H ormuzd Rassam, Professor L e itne r,
from L ahore, Mr. Coles, an earnest s tu d e n t of th e question
d u r i n g 25 y ears’ residence in Ceylon, Professor Rhys Davids,
a n d others took part, all agreeing in an d ootifirming th e state*
m e n ts of Mr. Collins’ paper. Dr. L e itn e r b ro u g h t a large n u m b er
o f ph otographs of early In dian and T a r ta r sculptnres showing
th o first introduction of the Christian story into those m o n u ­
m e n ts, and he pointed ou t the value of such additional confirma­
tio n of M r.—Collins’ statem ents :—
(The Englishman, March 22, 1881.)
W e produce the above abomination a s an example to show
to w hat extravagant perversions of the tru th the pious zeal
©f certain “ Reverends” may load, if there be a desire to make
disagreeable historical facts agree -with th eir little sectarian
views. According to the Rev. R. O. Collins, m. a., the
legends of the New Testament, a book, which was w ritten
■during the Christian era, were stolen and surreptitiously in­
corporated into books th at were w ritten ages before even the
O ld Testam ent was thought of. This beats the story of tbe
jnan who, by “ logical” reasoning, found out tb a t be actually
THE TH E O SO P H IST .]
was liis own grandfather, and was so much frightened
a t bis discovery, th at he hanged himself. B ut the Rev,
R. C. Collins, M. a., .will not do likewise. H e will live to
p erv ert historical data, to make them conform with the
chronology of the Bible. Dr. Leitner will continue to bring
photographs of the crosses and other “ C hristian” symbols,
such as can be seen every day in the caves of Elephanta and
which were cat out thousands o f years ago, and he will make
those who share his ignorance, believe th a t the “ Christian
story has been introduced into those m onum ents,” and that
these C hristian symbols have been added fey modern sculptors.
If Rev, R. C. Collins thinks that he has “ discovered” that
the ideas of the “ presentation in the tem ple,’’ the “ tem pta­
tion in the w ilderness,” Ac., are “ Christian stories,” wliich
have “ forced themselves into the H indu epic,” we can, on
the other hand, assure him, th at the whole story of the
massacre of the “ Innocents” by king Herod is bodily taken
from Bhagavata, and refers allegorically to an historical fact.
K ing Herod is the type of Kamsa, the ty ran t of M athura,
the m aternal uncle of K rishna, to whom astrologers pre­
dicted th a t a son of his niece Devaki wowld deprive him of
his throne. Therefore he gives orders to kill the male child
th a t is born to h e r ; b u t K rishna escapes his fury through
the protection of the Divine wisdom th a t overshadowed him,
which canses the child to be carried away to another city,
out of K am sa’s reach. A fter th a t, in -order to be sure and
kill the rig h t boy, on whom he failed to lay his murderous
hands, K am sa has all the male new born infants w ithin hia
kingdom killed.
The Rev. Mr. Oollins’ “ paper” contains in a, short spaco
so m any errors th a t it would take a volume to contradict
him. The only tru th in it is th a t “ there is no thought in
early Buddhism of deliverance a t the hands of a God, but
the man Gautam a B uddha stands alone in his striving after
true emancipation from sorrow and ignorance.” Buddha
did not come to m a te usi-ide to Heaven-on the back of a
God ; b u t he tau g h t us th at we m ust use our own efforts,
and he instructed us in what direction these efforts m ust be
used. lie came to show the way—“ 2Vie Perfect Waff."
Tf it is truly the object of the “ Viotoria In stitu te” to
investigate all philosophical and scientific questions (not
those only th a t can be adapted to their preconceived notions),
we would earnestly recommend to them to read Mad.
B lavatsky’s “ In s Unveiled." There tbey will find, for
instance, oil page 90, Vol. I :—
“ W hile the miracles recorded in the Bible have become
aocepted facts w ith the Christians, to disbelieve which is
regarded as infidelity, the narratives of wonders and prodigies
found in the A tharva Veda, either provoke th e ir contempt,
or are viewed as evidences of diabolism. A nd yet, in more
than one respect, and notw ithstanding the unwillingness of
certain Sanscrit scholars, we can show the identity between
the two. Moreover, as the Vedas havo now been proved by
scholars to antedate tbe Jew ish Bible by many ages, the
inference is an easy one, that, if one of them has borrowed
from the other, the H indu sacred books are not to be charged
w ith plagiarism .”
Finally wo wish to state th at while we consider it bur
duty to tear the mask from the face of Bigotry, when she
pretends to be Science, we do neither desire nor intend to
“ m ilitate” against the truths of the C hristian o r any other
“ B ible.” W hether tho ** Bible” has been copied from the
Vedas, or the Vedas from the “ Bible,” can make little
difference and be of little practical interest to one who
understands these truths ; but the misforbnne is, th a t while
these Reverends attem pt to defraud, belittle and depreciate
in a very “ un-C liristian” m anner th e religions of others,
they neglect the study of the tru e meaning of their own
sacred books, and, while they w rangle about tbe letter, the
spirit is lost,
A “ C h r is tia h ” B w u jh ist.
 U N P U B L IS H E D W R IT IN G S O F E L IP H A S L E V I.
Translated from the French by a Buddhist.
. . . L ecture IV .
. . T he O b jec t o f I n it ia t io n .
Tun object of tlie ancient in itiation was to become worthy
to be a priest and a king,
The high science tau g h t by Zoroaster and Hermes was
am ongst tlie ancieiits the a rt of priesthood and of royalty.
P riests and kings were then looked upon as representing
divinity uppn earth. God spoke to the priests and governed
the people through tho kings.
To approach divinity w ithout an interm cdial and to exert
power are still the privileges of him who is adm itted in the
occult sanctuary. H e is adm itted to sec God through intelli­
gence and reason and to adore him in spirit and in truth, and
ho is arm6d with strength to dispel from himself and others—
not tho neccessary sufferings, but a t least all the real mis­
fortunes of lifo, and to dispose, in the measure of hum an
forces, of all advantages and benefits which the perfection of
naturo cau procure.
To become inaccessible to evil and error, to be m aster of
oneself and therefore worthy to command others, always to
choose, of all things in creation, only th a t which is good and
to possess in pcace th at which one has chosen,—is not this a
dignity truly' sacerdotal and royal ? In other words, is not,
this a divine existence F This is the object of the occult
sciences, and wo m ust arrive a t it through the real initiation.
Is perfection possible to man ? Yes, certainly ! If we com­
prehend th a t we do not speak of absolute perfection, which
would elevate liim above his proper nature, a perfection of
which wo can dream, but wliich we cannot define or even
conceive. We speak of a perfection, which is within tho
hum an nature and which can be expressed by tho three
words, which aro so badly understood and which serve as
motto to tho adherents of the republican doctrine : Liberty,
E quality and Brotherhood.
Liberty of intelligence, free of all prejudices ; liberty of
will, freo of all shameful and irreg u lar passions ; liberty of
affections, always voluntarily directed tow ards good.
Equality through the perfect equilibrium of mind ; and
Brotherhood w ith the rig h t of eldership to our own advan~
tage and th a t of entire nature. Yes, the sage is the beloved
brother of the stars, because lie knows w hat they do not
know, and he understands tho laws which clirect the thought
before it is formed ; he understands thoir influence, he anal­
yses th eir light, he is in some respects the treasu rer of their
wealth ; lie is the brother and friend of all nature- he is the
priest of the seasons and ho offers th e ir first fruits to God ;
ho is the consoler of men, the m inister of the anim als, and all
this w ithout constraint, w ithout efforts and perfectly n atu ­
rally, as soon as he has succeeded iii perfecting his nature.
Ho is therefore the happiest, the most useful and the most
amiable of men. H is invisible divinity becomes visible in
him ; impersonal infinity manifests itself in liis person, and he
bocomes a living solution of the g reat riddle of Man-God.
I t is true th a t such a high prerogative dooms him a t first
to tho sacrifice. H e will be adored by some and detested by
others ; because there are good and bad people on earth.
He has to defend himself as well against the im prudent
actions which the enthusiasm of his friends may cause, as
against tho exasperated hate of his enem ies.. Nono possess
with im punity the fire from heaven, and th e slaves of Ju p iter
will always be th e executioners of Prom etheus. Ho will
be persecuted iu the name of God, and for God’s sake will
they try to kill him. H e m ay be benevolent as Osiris, a
poet like Orpheus, wise as Socrates, w ith the knowledge of
Pythagoras ; meek and patien t as Jesus, pious like Savona­
rola, a good pastor like John H uss ; nevertheless ho will bo
treated as a public m alefactor and bo made to answ er for
liis scienco beforo ignorance, for his ignorance beforo stupi­
dity, for his virtue before the vicious. C hrist said : If one
will follow me, let him take up his cross before sta rtin g and
let him walk resolutely to the rack. "
Such was tho fate of the reyplators of the ancient world
and of the reformers of the middle age. So. does tho type of
tliu perfect man, which is divine and hum an a t the same time
in the person of Jesus present in an extraordinary m anner the
symbols of sacrifice/ B u t th e flaerifico is only tho probation
and tho gospel is only tlio introduction to the g re a t book of
wisdom resuscitated' by Jesuk, and', laying fo r'ev er in liis dis­
ciples, m ust for ever write or ra th e r form by acts, which ara
- a t once divine and human, all through the coming ages.
An act of hum anity is truly a divine act, and good works
, are more efficacious than prayers.. The best of all good works
are those which aro performed spontaneously and w ithout
■
any pretension to ^nierit. Christ said, a good tree w ill
produce good fruit, and thus do good peoplo perform good
works w ithout much thinking about it. They perform them ,
because thoy could not act otherw ise; they answer their
goodness as sun gives his lig h t; and if a drink of wator given,
to a thirsty w anderer merits ail eternal reward, w hat prica
can be adequate to pay him who discovors a spring in tha
desert and who constructs a fountain ?
Mercenaries are paid and recompensed ; but what can wo
give to him who possesses all ? W ould you offer an apple to an'
applo m erchant ? How can you justify the just, who is
judge himself ? All recotnpensations are tem porary and an
eternity of blessedness would not be a recompensation b u t
a normal state at which the souls of those, who know how to
mako themselyes im m ortal, m ust arrive. W e obtain it by
vanquishing fear, desire and death. Ho who has sufficient
intelligence will understand it.
A just man can never become accessory to injustice and
therefore ho will never 'accept au un ju st death. Tha
K abalists’say Cain nnd Abol were equally guilty—the one
by killing, hia brother and the other by doing nothing to
prevent tlijs crime. The condemnation of Socrates and
Jesus were regular according to the laws of th eir times and
countries, and they therefore accepted the sentence w ithout
protest. They were stronger than the laws to which they
subjected themselves ; they broke them by subm itting to
them and forced the moral world to enlarge by seeking for
a new legislation.
I t certainly cannot bo told with impunity to the com­
mon people th a t Osiris is a black god. IIo who strikes a t
the a ltar ought to perish at the foot of the altar, and Vol­
taire would have m erited the death of Socrates and Jesus,
if, by denying the accredited superstitions, ho had not
affirmed the eternal dogma. B ut V oltaire was a fanatic and
not a revealer. H e neither deserved the hemlock nor the
cross ; he was not w orthy to receive the glory of tho
m artyrs.
. Socrates, before he dies, advises; hia disciples to offer for
him a cock to ^Esculapius, and he, the adorer of tho truo
God, is blamed for sucli an apparent act of superstition.
Jesus, before he delivers himself to his executioners, per­
forms w ith his disciples the ceremony of Easter-day according
to Jewish customs by eating lamb and hitter herbs. So­
crates as well as Jesus proved themselves to tho end to bo
true observers of those religious customs, which th e ir doc­
trine is about to change. They obey while they givo liberty
to others, and in this act they prove themselves to bo per­
fectly just. I t is known th a t V oltaire w ent to the holy
c o m m u n i o n , but he boasted th a t ho was doing it as an act of
policy and irony. H e can therefore not be excused, and hia
apparently religious acts were iu fact veritable sacrileges.
Tho divine life of tlio Initiato is by tho vulgar crowd
looked upon as being supernatural. Because nature rises up
for tho sage, he naturally avoids th a t which attracts catas­
trophes upon the head of tho senseless, lie radiates good
and repulses eyil, and superior intelligences are supposed to
serve him. .
Solon>on was the king of s p irits ; Jesus could command
angols; Socrates had a fam iliar demon ; Appollonius held
tho key of miracles. They know the secrets of the present,
uncover the past and penetrate the future by their sagacity
of connecting effects with causes. They aro sorcerers liko
physicians and prophets liko astronomers ; they are diviners
simply because they are divine, and they are divine because
they aro perfectly human ; th a t is, they are men, such as
God and Naturo ovolve, and such as Science and V irtuo com­
plete. . ,
The Initiate alone possesses riches, because lie disposes o£
them for good purpose? and is never afraid to loso them ;
because lie alone can obtain them w ithout desiring. Ho
alone enjoys the pleasures of life, because he chooses his own
and keeps sway over his senses. H e walks like Jesus over
the waves of tlio t^ 'b u le p t sea, and needs only to rise to
pacify by a word or look the tem pests which assail him
during his sleep. Ho is not afraid of the bloody step to
pal v a ry ; because knows the luminous road to Thabor. Ho
may be poor and. leprous like Job, an exile like Pythagoras,
sentenced to death liko Socrates, imprisoned like AppolloniuSj
 t o r t u r e d l i k e C am p an ella, b u r n t like S a v o n a r o l a , G i o r d a n o ,
B r u n o a n d V a n i n i ; he c a n n o t bo im p o v e r i s h e d of h is t r u o
possessions, n o r bo h u m i l i a t e d in liis o w n ey es, n o r d i s ­
c o u r a g e d n o r b e littled , n o r c a n he b e m a d e to f e a r d e a th .
H o k n o w s, like J o b , tlia t liis r e d e e m e r lives a n d t h a t h e will
come to ra i s e h im u p a g a in ; h is r e d e e m e r is t h e w o r d of
t r u t h , it is G od, a lw a y s v ic to rio u s in j u s t m e n ; h e k n o w s t h a t
to suffer is to w o r k a n d t h a t to w o r k is to becom e rich .
N e v e r c a n ho be s e p a r a te d f r o m th o s e h e loves ; fo r he
kn ow s w ell t h a t r e a l lo ve is im m o r t a l . H e docs n o t love
d eath , he loves im m o r ta l ity , a n d ho k n o w s w e ll t h a t sh e
■frill n o t escape h im . A r e we t h e n re a l ly s e p a r a te d f r o m o u r
friendb w h e n th e y tr a v e l P D o n o t so u ls r e m a i n u n it e d fro m
one e n d of t h e u n iv e r s e to th o o t h e r ? D o es a m o t h e r c ry
because h e r c h ild s l e e p s ; a n d does t h e f a t h e r , w h o w o r k s f o r
his c h il d re n , g rie v e b c cau se he k n o w s t h a t tliey h a v e b efo re
h im m o v e d i n t o t h e h o u se w h e r e th e w h ole f a m il y m u s t
U nite a g a in so m e d a y a n d f o r wliich h e u n d e r t a k e s to p a y
b y h is w o rk .
■ B e i n g free fr o m r e g r e ts , tlie I n i t i a t e is in acc essib le to
fear. H e loves G od a n d does n o t f e a r him . H e k n o w s t h a t
t h e re lig io u s law s a re t h e o rd in a n c e s w h i c h m o r a l m e d ic in e
prescribes, a n d th a t , a c c o rd in g to th e w o rd s of C h r is t, tho se
■who fire s o u n d do n o t n eed a p h y sic ia n . H e lo ok s w ith
p i t y u p o n th o i m a g i n a r y sick, w h o allo w t h e rid ic u lo u s
t h r e a t s of D r . Q u a c k to t e r r i f y t h e m a n d re s p e c ts
a ll s a l u t a r y practic es, w h ic h he c a n a d v is e o th e r s to
follow, w h ile h e does n o t n e e d t h e m h im se lf. B e i n g m oro
f o r tu n a to t h a n t h e b li n d m a n of T h e b e s, h e k n o w s t h e th r e o
e n ig m a ti c w ords o f t h e S p h i n x : G od, N a t u r o , M a n . H e
k u o w s t h a t th e u n iv e r s a l s y m b o lis m is o nly th e p a r a p h r a s e
of t h a t e n ig m a ; h e k n o w s t h a t G od e x p la in s h im s e lf by
n a t u r e a n d m a n ife s ts h im self in m a n ; t h a t h u m a n i t y is one
in th r e e perso ns, w h ic h a r e th e f a t h e r , th e m o t h e r a n d th e
child ; t h a t th e i n c a r n a ti o n of G o d is t h e r e v e r s ib i li ty w h ic h
re s u lts fr o m s o l id a r i ty ; t h a t C h r is ti a n it y , far f r o m b e in g a n
id o la tr y , h a s o v e r t h r o w n all t h e false g o d s b y affirm ing th e
h y p o s t a ti c u n io n , t h a t is to say, t h e p e rs o n a l u n io n of G od
a n d m a n in such a m a n n e r t h a t we all a re e a c h one t h e G od
o f th e oth e r, a n d t h a t he w h o loves his n e i g h b o u r u n d e r s t a n d s
a n d fulfils th e w h o le law .
H e does n o t th e r e fo re n eed a n y p r e a c h e r s , his s o v e r e ig n
po ntiff is re a s o n e n li g h te n e d by fa ith , a n d h e does n o t n e e d to
m o u u t tho she-ass of G allilea o r t h e m n l e of M a s ta i to e n t e r
in to tho h o ly city , h ilt he ta k e s g o o d c a r e n o t to c h a n g e a
single w o rd of t h e t r a d it io n a l a n d c o m m o n d o g m a . E n i g m a s
h a v e tlie q u a li ty of a p p e a r i n g a t first v e r y a b s u r d to th e
m in d ; b u t, if w e su p p r e ss o r m o d ify o n ly one o f th e s e a p p a r e n t
a b su r d itie s, th e e n i g m a becomes c o m p r e h e n s i b le a n d is m o r o
th ati a s t u p id ity .
A n a d e p t w ill th e r e fo re a c c e p t t h e C h r i s t i a n d o g m a in all
i t s o rth o d o x y a n d w ill t a k e g oo d c a r e n o t to d is p u te th e
d iv i n it y of J e s u s C h r is t ; b ecause it is t h e d iv i n i t y o f m a n .
J e s u s h im se lf called th e s u p r e m e fo r m u la of t h e g r o a t
a r c a n u m in d iffere n tly th e son of m a n a n d t h e son o f G o d.
H e said, t h e F a t h e r a n d I, w e a r e o n ly one, a n d I w ill b e ­
com e o ne w ith m y disciples ; a n d t h i s is affirm ed sufficiently
i n th e d iv i n it y of m a n , th e fall of J u p i t o r a n d t h e ab d ic a tio n
df J e h o v a h . H e also says : T h e k i n g d o m o f h e a v e n is w i t h ­
in y o u ; t h a t w h ic h y o n do to m a n y o u do to G o d ; I g iv e to
y o u t h e k e y s to th e k in g d o m of h e a v e n ; a n d t h a t w h i c h y ou
b in d o n e a r t h sh all be b o u n d in h e a v e n a n d t h a t w h ic h y ou
u n tie o n e a r t h s h a l l bo u n t i e d in h e a v e n ; a n d h e d id n o t
s&y t h i s to tho p riests , fo r t h e r e w e r e no p rie s ts a m o n g s t
t h e ap o stles ; h e said it to all th e f a i t h f u l a n d a d d e d :
“ H e t h a t believes c a n do all t h a t I do a n d still g r e a t e r th i n g s
can h e d o .”
S u c h w a s th o im m e n s e r a n g e of C h r i s t i a n i t y . T h e d e a t h
of th e g r e a t P a n in all t h e id ols w h ich th e s a c e r d o ta l lie i n ­
fu sed w ith lifo a n d his r e - b i r t h in t o h u m a n i t y . S in c e C h ris t
bocam e a m a n w h o snffers, G od suffers ; a n d t h a t w h ic h y o u
g iv e to m a n y o u le n d to G o d a n d still f u r t h e r : t h e wholo
o f h u m a n i t y is th o b o d y of God, o f w h i c h we a r e th e m e m ­
b e rs ; a ll m u s t suffer w h a t one suffers, a n d t h e h a p p in e s s of
o n e m a k e s all h a p p y . T h is is t h e d o g m a o f sa lv a tio n , th o
dogjma of t h e f u t u r e : The holy solidarity. A c c o r d in g to
th o M yth olo gic al le g e n d GSdipus a n d t h e S p h i n x h a v e d is­
a p p e a r e d fro m e a r t h a n d h a v e b e e n b e li e v e d to bo d e a d ;
b u t n o b o d y has ev er re co v e re d t h e i r co rp ses ; b e c a u se th e
S p h in x t h r e w h e rs e lf in to t h e a b y ss o n ly to se t a t r a p f o r h e r
r iv a l. CEdipus did n o t solve t h e e n i g m a a n d h o b e c a m e k i n g
of T h e b e s o n ly to b eco m e its sco u rg e, b e c a m e fo rc e d to
a b d ic a te a n d to put out hia eyes, CEdipuB i n h i s turn d i s ­
a p p e a r e d in a te m p e s t , a n d th e k i n g le f t n ob o d y b e h in d b u t
tw o b r o t h e r s w h o w ere e n e m ie s a n d b o u n d to e te r n a l w a r ­
fa r e ; a n d of th e S p h i n x r e m a i n e d n o t h i n g b u t h o r f o r m i d a ­
ble a n d still n o t u n d e r s to o d r i d d l e ; fo r th e tw o b ro th ers,
t h a t is, t h e tw o p a rt ie s w h ic h a r e still d iv i d in g th e w o rld ,
m u s t fo r e v e r t e a r each o t h e r to pieces, as lo n g as th e y do
n o t u n d e r s t a n d it. CEdipus a n d th e S p h i n x , th ose tw o
corpscs, w h ic h on ly s u r v iv e to c o m b a t each o t h e r fo r ever,
a ro n o w tw o p h a n to m s , w h ic h still i n c a r n a t e th e m s e lv e s a n d
h e re we see h o w t h e y r e a p p e a r on e a r t h . GSdipus, still blind,
th i n k s h e will becom c c la i r v o y a n t a n d h e pro po ses rid d le s to
th e S p h in x , w h i c h h e does n o t u n d e r s t a n d h im s e lf ; b u t he
g iv e s t h e m o u t as o b sc u r e t r u t h s , w h ic h scien ce m u s t accept
w i t h o u t a t t e m p t i n g to c o m p r e h e n d .
T h e S p h in x , in h e r t u r n , h a v i n g beco m e a l-iddle-solver,
r aises h e r h e a d b efo re tlie d e t h r o n e d k i n g of t h e h o ly city
a n d is g o in g to so lve all r i d d le s b y t h e a u t h o r i t y of
scienco a n d r e a s o n ; fo r t h e S p h in x is th e g e n iu s o f science
a n d n a tu r o .
T h e s a c e r d o ta l CEdipus, t h e b li n d m a n w h o believes
h im s e lf in fallib le , says t h a t it is p ro h i b it e d to g u e s s ; th e
S p h i n x w ith h e r h u m a n h e a d sm iles a t su c h a d e fe n c e a n d
b e g in s to d r i v e a w a y b e fo re h i m like sm oke, by a s in g le w o rd
a n d a b r e a t h , th o p r e t e n d e d im m o v e a b le d o g m a s o f t h e o l d
man.
L e t us a s s is t a t th i s b a t t l e a n d t a k e d o w n s t e n o g r a p h ic a lly
t h e i r d ia lo g u e . T h is w ill be th e s u b j e c t of o u r n e x t d i s ­
course.
IN A U G U R A T IO N OF N E W BRANCH S O C IE T IE S
AT C H ITT O R E A N I) V ELLO R E.
On th e 1 4 th of April 1884, Dr. F. H a rtm a n n , accompanied by
Mr. L. V e n k a ta V aradarajnlii N aidu, arrived at C hitto re, whero
g re a t p rep aratio ns had been m ade for tlie reception of the
delegates from head quarters. A spacious bungalow was fitted
up with flags, flowers and inscriptions. An address of welcome
was read by Mr. H . M. W infred , wliich was answered by a few
rem arks from Dr. H a rtm a n n , 'l’he m eeting then ad journed
until 5. P . M . , b u t in th e m eantim e Messrs. N arainsam i M udaliar
and L. V en k ata V a ra d a ra ju lu N aidu addressed the natives
in Tamil and T elu gu , an d explained to them th e objects of the
Society.
A t 5 P- m . a large and in te llig en t audienco assembled,
M r, C. Masilamoni M udeliar took th e chair, and D r. H a rtm a n n
th e n addressed th e m in a speech, of which we give the following
sum m ary :—
G e n t l e m e n , —T o n h ave h eard tho nam e " Theosophical
Society,” and I have been asked to explain whnt th a t Society is.
I t is a Society t h a t has been sta rte d some e ig h t y ears ago in
th e U n ited S tates of America ; it afterw ards transferred its h e ad ­
qu arters to In dia, an d its branches extend now already all over
th e inhabited globe, c o u n tin g in In d ia and Ceylon some nin ety
b ran ch societies, and havin g n u m erou s branches in America,
E ng lan d, F rance, Russia, A u stralia and o th er places. I t s m e m ­
bers call themselves “ Theosophists,” and my in terp re tatio n of
of the te rm “ T heosophist” is, th a t it means, a person who earnest­
ly and without fear or prejudice seeks for the truth, and attempts
to apply the truths which he has found, in practical life, 'l'he
Theosophical Society proposes to do w h at no Society ever
succeeded in doing before, th a t is, to reconcile and harmonise
th e two old enemies, Religion and Science. I t expects to
show th a t true scienco and true religion cannot contradict each
o th er ; th a t one is th e com plem ent of the other, an d th a t i t ia
only the a b su rd ity and bigotry of a pseudo-religion which cannot
be accepted by truo science, a nd the conceited ignorance of a
psendo-science, which cannot be harm onised w ith tru e religion.
True religion and true science are two ways, which lead towards
tho absolute tr u th , and as th ero can be only one such tr u th ,
both must finally arrive a t tho samo end; hn t modern science
and modern religion, instoad of going straig h t towards the tr u th ,
th ey take a circuitous rou te an d lose tlieir way. L ike children,
h ere th ey see a gay butterfly and chase it over th e hills, th ere
they wade in a swamp to pluck a curious flower, and are deluded
from th eir p a th by all sorts of delusions.
There is ju s t as much ignorance and bigotry in modern science
as there is in m odern religion. When Gallileo declared th a t the
world was round, the religionist cried ‘‘ blasphem y,” and he
would have been p u t to th e to rtu re if he had not recanted, and
when Morse invented th e telegraph, h e was laughed at by the
“ scientific” world. B n t the w orld’s evolution goes on in spite
of bigotry eith er in science o r religion. W h a t was “ blasphemy’*
fifty years ago, is accepted as t r u t h to-day. N o priest now-
a-days dares to m aintain th a t hell consists of a b u rn in g lako of
fire and brimstone, or t h a t God created th e world in six actual
days, an d took a walk in his g ard en in th e cool of th e morning
of th e seventh ; n eith e r does an y scientist now-a-days d a re to
ignore electricity, o r deny t h e circulation of the blood j b ut
there are plenty of other absurd dogmas and prejudices ia
M ay, 1 8 8 4 .] ' S U P P L E M E N T TO T H E
♦
jnodern religion and in modern science, and if you atta c k either,
tb e cry “ b lasp hem y ” arises as loud as before.
T here can be only one t r u t h ; b u t th a t t r u t h appears under
different aspects according to our s t a n d p o i n t . I f you go in a
d a rk room, und let a ray of su n lig h t pass thro u g h a prism of
glass, it will be divided in seven rays, each of a different color,
h ut all these rays can be recombined in one single ray of pure
white light. The pu re white ray represents Theosophy, and
the various colored rays rep re sen t tlie different religious systems
or theologies. T h e word “ Theology’V (from Theos, God ; and
Logos, w ord ) does not mean ‘‘ th e word of G od” an y more th an
“ Geology” means the word of th e B arth ; bu t it means a collec­
tion of certain doctrines and opinions in regard to divine matters,
and as every man has an idea of his own as to w h at “ God” is, so
th ere would be as many theologies in the world as th ere are men
and women, if not the m ajority of them , eith er from inability of
th in k ing for themselves, or from some oth er motive, had
consented to accept some o ther m an ’s belief as th eir own.
Some people cannot th in k of God as a n y th in g higher than a
painted stone or stick of wood, others believe him to be a monster,
others say th a t he is an an gry old man, an d others th in k thnt he
is a kind being of some sort th a t can be reasoned with, and who
after h aving made up his mind to do a certain thin g , can be
persuaded to reconsider his decision. Those people call each
other infidels, heathens and atheists, if one does not believe in th e
same kind of a god as th ey do. T hey however all agree th a t
God is the supreme cause of e v ery th ing th a t exists, and as the
existence of th e world proves th a t some cause must cause its
existence, consequently there can be no real “ A theist,” for
surely no man would be insane enough to say th a t an effect can
exist w ith ou t a cause; and if the pretended “ A theist” says th a t
th e universe itself is th e cause of its own existence, th en th e
Universe is his God, and he is an A th e is t uo longer.
T here are many different Theologies in th e world, and most of
the m have different sects, eaoh of whioh claims to be the only
possessor of the t r u th ; b u t th e re can be only one Theosophy.
“ Thoosophy” means suprem e wisdom. I t is a word, composed
of two Greek w ords : Theos or God, o r Supreme, which means
everything th a t is good and pure, and Sophia, or Wisdom, which
means tb e highest degree of intelligence und knowledge. A true
Theosophist should possess these two qualities, goodness and
wisdom, and it will therefore be seen th a t a true Theosophist is
Dot often to be found. Plato, Socrates, Buddha, S ankoracharya
Confucius, the historical Je9us, th e Rishis and M ah atm as and
o th er g re a t men may be looked upon as true 1'heosophists. A
real Theosophist m u s t necessarily be a nearly perfect man ; and
if we call ourselves “ T heosophists,” we do n ot presum e to say
t h a t we are already p e r f e c t ; we only mean to say t h a t we are
tr y in g our best to obtain as much perfection as possible in this
life. B u t we do not rest here. W e are not so selfish th a t we
only w ant to save ourselves, and do noo cure w hat becomes of
Others. W e w ant to assist in th e g re a t work of evolution ; we
w ant to abolish ignorance and superstition, and to develope
uot only intellectuality, b ut spirituality also. O u r Society has three
specified objects:
The first is “ to form a nncleus for Universal Brotherhood."
Now this is nothing new. Every religion pre ten d s to have th e
game object. Christianity invites you with open arm s to become
a “ b ro th e r” by joining the church, b ut unless you do join the
church, you cannot be a b ro th e r,a n d probably you will g o t o hell.
Oh how glad will these pious theologians be, an d how th ey will
laugh, when they look down from heaven and see you squirm in
h e l l ; because you did no t accept t.heir doctrine of “ vicarious
ato nem en t,” etc. The Koran teaches universal brotherhood, and
the Mahom medan has been often willing by fire an d sword to
make you his brothers ; bu t unless you become a follower of the
P ro p h et, you are an infidel dog. E v e ry sect more or less re s­
tr ic ts its idea of brotherhood to the narrow confines of its p a rti­
cular church. The F ren ch revolutionist also had a universal
brotherhood. H o said : “ Come and be m y b ro th e r an d th in k
and act as I toll you, or I will c u t off your head.” T h e kind of
universal b rotherhood, which resulted from our modern civilisa­
tion, is seen in the standing arm ies of Europe, where women and
children, cripples and invalids, have to work and starve, to keep
all able-bodied men 011 th eir legs, and without useful employment,
to protect them again st a surprise-visit from their bro th ers
across the frontier.
The Theosophist makes his universal brotherhood unconditional.
H e reasons th a t all men and even all anim als and all th in gs th a t
exist come from one universal source, and th a t therefore we all
belong to one family and m ust respoct each o th e r’s rights. H e
does not care w hether you a re a H indu, or a Christian, or a Jew ,
or a Mahommedan, or a Parsee, or w h ether you believe in
n othing at all, because if you act up to th e principle of universal
brotherhood, you will be sure to a e t rig ht, and receive y ou r
reward.
The second object of o u r Society is th e stu d y of ancien t reli­
gions and sciences. Comparative Theology shows th a t the
modern sacred w ritings and th e ir allegories and symbolism hava
been mostly copied from the ancient sacred books, and th ereb y
they becam e'disfigu red by m any m istakes, misinterpretations,
falsifications ' a n d interpolations. I t is reasonable to suppose
that the nearer we go to the fountain, the purer we will find the
T H E O S O P H I S T .
water, and it follows t h a t th e most ancient sacred writings comp
nearest to t h e tr u th . I n th e Vedas, for instance, we find the
originals of nearly all th e principal allegories of the " Bible,” pp
th e Cabala, a ltho ug h dressed up in different forms and called by
different names. T be same basic tr u th s , which we find in th ?
ancient writings, we find repeated in alm ost all o th er religious
books, and most of all sacred books have the same fundam ental
tr u th s ; b u t these tr u th s are usually disguised under the form
of some allegories, which are quite rem arkable by their absurdity,
if taken in their exoteric sense an d believed literally- So if th p
H ind u says th a t th e universe came out of th e navel of B rahm ,
he means the samo th in g as th e Cabalist, who says th a t A da m
K adm on is th e first emanation of th e supreme cause, or as thp
enlightened and therefore excomm unicated Christian, who c^llp
th a t first emanation th e “ logos” or “ the son of God” or thq
“ C hrist principle,” etc. All these different stories and allego­
ries are so absurd, if ta k e n in th e ir literal sense, th at children
would laugh in y o ur face, if you would tell th em such stories,
provided th ey had not been told before hand th a t they m u s t not
laugh, because th a t would displease God. These stories hava
been intentionally made so absu rd , so th a t th ey m ig h t not ba
ta ken literally, aud to show t h a t they have a secret meaning, and
in their very absurdity lies th e ir p r o t e c ti o n ; and y et priests ot
all classes will ta k e them in th eir literal sense, and if you try to
explain them , th ey will cry b lasph em y! b lasphem y! and cal^
you an infidel, an heretic and an atheist. T h is is a g re a t m isfor­
tu n e for th e m ,—no t for us. I myself have been educated in a
Christian church ; b u t m y common sense revolted ag ainst tho
belief th a t we all should be condemned to die, because a certaia
woman by the name of E v e had th e im prudence to bite in a for­
bidden a p p l e ; th a t God m ade Adam out of a piece of clay an d
E v e o ut of one of A d a m ’s ribs, etc, I asked for an explanation
of the m eaning of these fables, and if I had received th a t expla­
nation, I m ig h t perhap s be talk ing now in a Rom an Catholic
p ulp it instead before you ; b u t instead of g e tt in g those expla­
nations, which are very beautiful, and which I now know, I w a?
told th a t I m u s t accept th e literal m eaning, and th a t to d o u b t
was a sin. I could not swallow th ese stories; so I left, an d
h u n te d in o th e r q u a rte rs for information, and I am glad I did so.
B u t why did th e priests not give me th e tru e information P
S im ply because they did not know it themselves, and if an y
explanatiou is given to them , th ey do not dare to investigate
its tr u th . T hey have to th in k according to orders, an d
if oue, wiser th a n the others, like E liphas Levi, should
dare to th in k for himself, he would be excommunicated
and consigned to th e allegorical devil and his symbolical imps.
T h e H in d u s are not so ticklish. They do no t ask for a literal
m eaning of th e ir symbols. T hey do not believo it when th a
missionaries say th a t C h ris tn a was a very im moral person,
because ho was no t married, b u t had 60,000 concubines. They,
or at least th e in tellig en t a m o n g s t them know, th a t this allegory
means to say, t h a t C h ris tn a was assailed by 6 0 ,0 0 0 —(th a t means
tv good m any ) tem ptation s ; b u t he did .no t succum b ( t h a t is, ha
did not get m arried) to a single one.
There have been a t all tim es people whose common sense has
revolted ag ainst accepting the literal meaning of theological
absurdities, and it is no w onder th a t the scientists lau gh a t such
stories. B u t explain th em , and show th eir beauties, and th a
ridioule will cease, and th e lau gh ers will have cause to bewail
th eir own ignorance. T h e m isu n d ers tan d in g of these legends
has often been the cause of serious consequences. I t has led to
innum erable religious wars, to th e killing and b u rn in g alive of
tbousunds—nay millions—of people, and to a continual c h a n g ­
ing from an ex trem e of superstition to an extreme of materialism.
T h e laws of th e m aterial an d sp iritual universe are an P analogue.
A pendulum in motion will sw ing from one extrem e to th a
other, and back again nearly to the first extreme. I t is n ot long
since we have had an age of e xtrem e superstition, when peoplq
were burned and tortu red , becanse th ey would not believe in a
certain k in d of a god. T hen followed an age of materialism,
headed by th e F re n c h revolution, and every one th a t believed
iu an y kiud of a god, had, if possible, his head cut off. T w en ty ,
five years ago Dr. B uech ner and his “ M atter and Force” w ere
all th e rag e; now nobody cares about such books any more.
W e are about at th e tu r n in g point of this age aud new superBtN
tions sp rin g up. I will n o t talk about such excrescences as th e
“ Salvation A rm y ,” which perform their farces in public stre e ts
and are a general nuisance. Those soap bubbles will soon b u rs t;
b u t the g re a t d a n g e r in E u rop e and America seems to me to lia
in th e misunderstood facts of spiritualism. T he followers ot
spiritualism, especially iu England, F ran ce a n d America, hava
become very n u m ero u s; th ey have left th e basis of u np rejudiced
scientific investigation, aud are adopting a creed. T h e y wish to,
em brace their “ d ear d e p a rte d ” and are ru n n in g a fter elem entals
and spooks. On the other hand tbe churches have d ege nerated
iuto mere social organisations for religions a m usem ent. Y o u
find th ere p lenty of noise and show, b u t no worship, because the
spirit has lied and the priests have lost th e key to th e sanctuary.
Ig n o r a n t a nd superstitions “ F ree-th in k ers” and wilfully blind
“ T ruth-seekers” are s tu m b lin g over th e co u n try and poisoning tha
moral-atraosphere. Meat-eating and the use of stim u latin g liquor#
is looked upon as so m ething necessary, lying and stealing are con*
eidered ' a c t a ' o f “ sm artn ess,“ au d th e prevailing t h o u g h u t
how to m ake money ahd how to spend it. T h e re is only ono way
to check the progress of superstition and immorality, and th a t is,
to prove to the people the necessity of wisdom and purity. This
is an age of reason, b a t of a superficial reason, w ith out any
spirituality. The people have had e nough of m ere assertions,
th e y want/acfo and explanations, aud theso can be found by th e
Scientific investigation of tlie a ncient sacred books.
The third object of the Theosophical Society is tho stud y of tlio
hidden mysteries of natu re aud tho occult powers of man. If
I were talk in g to an audience of E n glish or German p ro­
fessors, who beliove th a t thoy already know all the laws
of th e universe, and who imngino th a t th a t which they do n’t
k n o w ia not worth knbwing, it would bo a useless waste of timo
to tr y to convince them , th a t invisible th in gs or hidden powers
in tridn do exist a t all. If those men know j u s t a littlo more,
th e y wottld know th a t (m an and the universe also) has a
sevenfold constitution, and th a t thoy do not yet fully und erstan d
t h e first one, do hardly believe,in tho second, and know nothing
a t all about tho rest. Hut most of you have seen th e effects of
th e occtllt powers of man, such for instanco us th a t of sending
tho astral body to a distance, while the physical body rem ains
in one place, etc., and somo of you have developed similar
powers. The question with us tliorefore is not w h e th e r such
powers exist, b u t what is the bost way to develope them P I t is
tlio general opinion th a t tho exercise of the will in concentrating,
th o mind is tho most ilnportant th ing for thn t purpose, and many
th in k th a t “ concentrating the mind means” to sit still, look
for a long time at a certain object, and try to th in k of nothing
bti'all. Such people do not concentrate th eir mind, b u t th ey
fendor it a hlavk and make it a good play grou nd for elem entals
fciid spooks. "Ho’concen-lrate onr mind properly, wo should think
intensely of some g ran d and noble idea, we should stu dy the
Jawfe of naturo and develope our intellect to th e highest degree.
A s our intellect becomes developed, so m ust ou r spirituality be
developed on a Corresponding scale . by a good and pure and
Jnoral life an d by a proper unstiinu latin g diet. How can we
expect tb control the forces of n atu re without, if we are not able
to control the forces of natu re within us. Theosophy therefore
teaches th a t we should develope o ur intellect and purify our
th o u g h t s ond learn to control our action?. We m ust above all
do away with selfish ideas. W e m u s t consider ourselveR as
inembera of ono family, and look moro to the interest of tho
■Whole family than to th a t of nur own little se lve s., I f therefore
th ero are any amongst you who want lo join this Socioty for th e
urposo of obtaining some material benefit only for themselves,
f am.afraid they will be disappointed, and I would advise the m
to stay away. We do not want any mem bers who ask : what good
■will I obtain ; b ut such as R a y , what good can I do ? We do not want
Alot 6f helpless children, who sit down iu the mud aud expect our
g re a t m asters to draw them out, w ithout their using th eir own
efforts; bu t we w ant in every town a nucleus of good and intelligent
inon, willing and abld to assist others ; men who can teach
others ; and in whom th e people will trii3t, and to whom they
■♦vill come for advise, and of which tho people will say: These
a r a good men, becauso th ey are T heosophists, and upon them
re s t tho blessings of the Mahatmas,
' A fte r some rem arks made by the Chairman a vote of than ks to
tho lecturer was proposed and accepted. L ater in th e evening
& good many candidates were initiated into the secrets of the
Society by Dr. H artm a n n , assisted by L. V e n k a ta Voradarajuln
N aid u, and the rest of tho evening as well as th e next day was
tak en up by discussions on the subject of Theosophy.
D r, Ila rtr u a n n choosc for his second lceture th e su bject
“ Theoriopby and Theologies,” on which occasion V. Sreeuivasa
C hariar took tho chair, and concluded the work of tho evening
by" s6me rem arks highly com plim entary to th e lecturer.
A n o th e r initiation ceremony followed th a t eveningi and ou
t h e m orn in g of the 1 6 t h , I n s ta n t the delegates;left for Vellore.
' Oil the 1 7th, at 8 A. jr., Dr. H a rtm a n n delivered a lecture on
Theosophy iu V qeiara gav aM ud aliar's house, aud in th e evening
6f the iSatne day a largely atten ded m eeting was held nt the
houSe of A, .Narainsami filudaliar, a t which tho h igh est problems
Of metaphysics were discussed between Dr. H a rtm a n n and one
E k a n k i Swami, a Sanyasi, after which the delega tes took their
dopiirtUre. . Undoubtedly they could. W hen th a t faculty ho spoke of—tho
; {Prom the Madras-Mail.) ' a g re a t deal more useful than other faculties already developed.
' L E C T U R E ON T H E O S O P H Y .
By Mu. S t. G e o r g e L a n ^ - F o x o f L o n d o n .
' O n .Saturday evening Mr. St- George Lane-Fox, a member of
the, Theosophical Society, delivered a lecture on Theosophy, in
Patfcbeiippah’s Hall. The I l o n ’ble G a ja p a tti Eow presided,
rind- Among those p resen t wero Dr. H a rtm a n n , Damodor
K: Mavtilankar (Secretary of tlie Society), Mr. and Mrs. Coulomb,
MK B idhyam Iy e n g a r, R ag u n ath a .Ilow, Dewan B ahad ur, and Dr.
Oppqrt., Mr. Fox is a mem ber of many of th e learned societies of
JDofilbnd, and is best known as ah e x p ert in electrical science-
H e crvrn6. to In d ia to investigate, joined the. Theosophical
Society arid Is now staying at its h e a d - q u a r t e r s . at Adyar,
M adras;; Ho has visited Calcutta* Lahore, Simla, Poona, Bom*
h'feiy and other places, ■ ' .....................
Mr. Fox commenced his lecture by rem ark in g th a t ho was sore
all presen t would agree with him th a t th e Theosophical move­
m e n t was one of th e most rem arkable movem ents of the ago. He
had been w atching th e movem ent for some tiino from Europe,
b ut long before he became acquainted with the name of the Theo­
sophical Society, ho was a Theosophist. Thero was a latent
power grow ing in th e W est, which would soon b u rs t forth,
an d the name of Theosophy would soon bo adopted by thousands
of people who so far have only sy m pathised with the objects and
m ethods of th e m ovem ent. Tho object of Theosophy was the
promotion of u n i t y —of m u tu a l assistance between every branch
and race of m an kind ; to enable tho people of different nationali­
ties to co-operate for th e common good and join together in the
work which obviously is tho work which m an k in d has to accom­
plish sooner or later. The Society so u g h t the promotion of a
universal brotherhood. T he m o vem en t—tho movem ent did not
necessarily m ean th e Society— was being assisted by thousands,
and being promoted in very many and various ways. The me­
thods which the Society proposed to adopt, alth ou gh not thorough­
ly adopted yet, wero m ethods of conciliation. It had had its
difficulties, of course, as all new movem ents had had. T he word
“ Theosophy” was a n o ld ono derived from th e Greek. U n derlying
all external histories of nations, there had generally been ono ob­
ject, th a t of the promotion of unity and division of labour.
T here had always been an a tt e m p t to interchan ge ideas between
different sects. When th ey h ad thoroughly in te rch an g ed th eir
ideas moro an d more, th ey would find out th a t the fun dam ental
bases of all th e ir ideas w ere ono and tbe samo ; th a t underlying
th e common grou nd was Theosophy. I t waa commonly and
wrongly supposed tha t Theosophy was a sect; it really included
among its m em bers every variety and shade of nominal belief.
A s th ey united tug cth o r in th a t common object, th e ir various
religious proclivities Beemed to tone down, and th ey came to
u n derstand th a t th a t wliich they had beon co nsidering aa the
vital m a tte r in religion was tho mere hu sk or shell. Those who
investigated the m atte r more carefully would see th a t thero was
no reason why any body professing any particular belief,—provid­
ed hia objects wore sincere and pure, —should not heartily assist
tho Theosophie movoment. On wlmt did human progress d e p e n d ?
F o r th a t was at th e basis of all consideration of our future.
H u m an progress did not mean th e passing of time, b ut if they
regarded theso m atters in tho lig h t of modern science and modern
tho u g h t, they would notice th a t mankind is developing. Tho
throory of Evolution had gained g reat hold over the m inds of
W estern poople, b ut ho m ig h t say th a t it had always beon pro­
fessed by E a sto rn th in k e rs. The prooess of Evolution
merely this change, going on in various dep artm en ts, not only
of h u m an life, bu t of the anim al, vegetable and mineral k in g ­
doms. : If they recognised the faet th a t hum an kind is pro gress­
w b b
ing, a n d th a t we progress by fits and starts, or rather, cycles,
thoy w o u id u n d e r s ta n d lliat progress as a whole iscontinuous and
real. W h a t was hum an kind ten ding towards ? He compared th e
hum an race to th o gro w th of a child, having periods of bodily
activity, then mental developm ent aud m atu rity , followed by
decay, l i e contended th a t the reasoning faculties grew nnd
grew until they led to a very e xtrao rdina ry am o un t of intellec­
tual t h o u g h t . In the lower anim als tho senses we are possessed
of are not all developed. These senses were added one by one,
so to speak, as life grow s from its very low states to w ards th e
higher. IE man had had less powers in time past, we m u s t, reason­
ing by analogy, come to th e conclusion th a t we shall still progress
evolving now faculties and powers. Somo e xtraord inarily deve­
loped men now possessed faculties not possessed by others.
One of the causes of the Society was th e know ledge th a t those
faculties can and do exist a t th e p re sen t time in a body of
h u m an boings. Those stran g o grow ths, so to speak, of h n m a n
natu ro , have been bolioved in for a long tim e by t h a people of
In dia, b u t until quito recently th e y were n o t suspected by th e
West. However, tho fact t h a t it seemod probablo th a t those
faculties could be evolved had begun to dawn upon the th in k e rs
of tho West. W h a t were th ose faculties or p o w ers? Hy tho
intervention of w hat nre called o u r physical senseR, we wero
able to tak e cognisance of o utw ard appearances : could n o t t h e y
im agine th a t there m ig h t be o th er faculties latent in th e mind,
which enabled th em to assim ilate knowledge by o ther m eans ?
intuitive faculty or spiritual p erception —was cultivated properly,
i t grew into a real power, such as could bo utilised, anil became
: T h a t was th e ohief power which was in store for the futuro mind.
H e bad been inv estig atin g esoteric Theosophy, which m ean t
t h a t stu dy for th e few which is not suitable for th e m u ltitud e.
I t had existed a t all times, hu t it had generally been hidden from
public gazo for th is simple reason, th a t it had been beyond tbe
public reach. There was supposed to bo n g reat omount of secrecy
in what was called tho occult doctrino aud th a t was im posed—
i t :was often t h o u g h t —by people who were its custodians or
guardianB in order to deprivo tho public of its odvautages, T h a t
was not the case, for the secrecy was in a wish on tho p a rt of
those cugtpdians not to be misunderstood; Knowing that
eople could not u n derstand in its t r u e lig h t the whole of that
octrine, the custodians did n o t a t t e m p t th e useless ta s k o(
t r y i n g ; to explain it to th e general public. B u t recently, o w in ^
to developm ent n a tu r a lly g oin g on w itly u u certain portion of
 mankind, it had been desirable to m ake some effort to e nlighten
the goneral public, and th a t process of en lig h te n m e n t was
simply a phase of Theosophy. I t was an a tt e m p t to draw the
veil of Maya from the minds of more developed intellects, and
mo enable them to see in their tru er light some of th e phenomena
with which they have already become familiar. Psychical R e ­
search next claimed the lecturer’s attention, and he rem arked th a t
now for the first time was an a tt e m p t being made to elucidate
some of tho tr u th s of th a t science. He explained the meaning
of mesmerism a ud automesmerisra. Proceeding to examino
occult phenomena, ho rem arked th a t those phenom ena had been
misunderstood in many qu arters. Some had th ou gh t, wrongly,
th a t occultism was the chief means of th e Society to produce a
certain effect. I t was not at all an im p o rta n t p a rt of the scheme.
T h e occult powers, which wero possessed by people who had
been able to explore the depths of n a tu re beyond th a t of the
ordinary mind, wero manifestations of an intellectual power
usually misunderstood by the general public, b u t they were not
by any means miraculous. Occultism was merely hidden by
v irtu e of its being hoyoud ordinary reach. I n concluding his
lecture, Mr. Fox said he was convinced t h a t we are a t the
beginning of a period of enligh ten m en t. I t m ig h t n ot be a
Utopia, b u t it would he a partial U topia. W e should be reigned
over, as ic were, by th e peaceful influence of H a rm o n y and Love,
(Applause.)
Votes of th an k s to the lectu rer an d chairm an concluded the
meeting.
HOW I B ECA M E A TH E O SO PH IST .
B y Gyanendua N ath C uakravarti, M. A., F. T. S.*
Scepticism and rank materiality are two exotic plants which
have taken root in the hearts of ou r young In d ia n s by a purely
physical education as im parted in our colleges an d schools. My
educated friends, presum ing upon tho fact chat a knowledge of
'the western physical science is incompatible with a belief iu
occultism and in t.he existence of a superior science nearer home,
are often take n with the surprise which characterises the dying
words cf Ju lius Caesar when th ey h ear th a t I am a Theosophist
and a full believer in the occult portion of Theosophy to boot.
I t is with tho object of explaining my conduct to such of my
friends and acquaintances and to dispel th e foregone conclusions
of them and others like them, who m u s te r very strong, th a t I take
up somo space in this valuable journal.
A s regards tlie nobleness and practicability of tho first two ob­
jects of the Society there can be no two opinions, especially as the
practical work done by it du rin g the short period of its existence
has been so great and good as to a ttra c t the attontion of almost
evory outsider. Tho Society has proved itself to be no dorm ant
and theoretical Brotherhood. Many are tho persons known to
m e —narrow th o u g h th e circle of m y acquaintance is— whom the
Theosophical Society has reclaimed from vice and sensuality.
The establishment of Sanskrit schools th ro u g h o u t In dia which
th e Society is aim ing at is an object, in m y opinion, the noblest
and tho most necessary th a t could be th o u g h t of a t th is present
jun ctu re of Indian denationalization and materiality. Spirituality
will follow au extensive Sanskrit education as day follows night.
There is already one school in every large city in Southern India.
E re long similar will be the aspect of N o rth e r n Ind ia. The
Theosophical Society, discarding all notions of sham patriotism,
is try in g hard to build a solid foundation for th e In d ia n s to
stand npon as a Nation w orthy of respect and admiration in some
future time. An Indian who keeps back his helping hand from
lending support to such u g ra n d movement for th e moral and
spiritual regeneration of his country, m u s t surely stan d accused
of cold indifference verging on torpidity and even failure of one’s
d uty towards one’s brothers. Indeed it whs chiefly th r o u g h a
purely patriotic motive tb a t I first joined the Society. B u t upon
this portion of Theosophy it is not iny present object to dilate.
I mean to say a few words on occultism, its science and philosophy.
My conviction in occultism and its masters was b ro u g h t home
to me in a two-fold way. Firstly, by the ratification of the
occurrence of w hat are commonly called “ phenom ena” by men
<if very g reat intelligence, sagacity aud tr u th fu ln e s s —many of
thtnn being am ong my personal acquaintances and friends and
even witnessing a n u m b er of them myself. Secondly, b y a stu d y ,
however limited it may be, of our Aryan science and philosophy,
the g ra n d e u r mid the harmouious n a tu r e of which stru ck mo
quite forcibly. I argued th a t snch a complete system of
philosophy, in which one could find perfectly satisfactory answ ers
to all those questions which are supposed to be beyond the
human ken, could not have been framed by men in th e same
stage of development as the ordinary mankind is. Reason, unaided
by the higher powers in man undeveloped in the present race of
^*Mr. Gyanoudra N”. Chakravarti, P. T, S., 'ia a gentleman of con-
'icierablo attainmeutu, having passed through a successful career in
Calcutta University. In 1883 ho graduated in Physical Science and
obtained the degree of Master of A rts with F irst Class Honours and
ITniveteity Gold Medal. I t is with pleasure we learn th a t our friend
and brothor has been appointed Professor of ilfttliemutios and Physical
Science in Bareilly College,—Ed,
m an k in d , could not have soared into th e domains of the “ G reat
U nknow n and the U nknow able”— and, if men more perfect th a n
ourselves could exist in tim es gone by, th ere is no reason why
th oy could n ot exist now. The fresh accessions to th a t g ran d
system which we are now g e ttin g th ro u g h the Theosophical
Society leads to th e belief th a t such men do exist. I shall first
deal a little moro fully on the phenomenal side of th e question
and shall th en tr y to show in a very rough and general m a n n e r—
since a subject like this requires to be and has beeu dealt w ith
by men far abler th an myself— the incomparable superiority over
th e modern science an d philosophy of the Esoteric doctrine, the
faintest approach to th e completeness and harmony of which haa
never been made by any philosophical Bystem of tho W est, ou
tho very pinnacle of intellectual development as it is.
Phenom ena, as I u n d e rs ta n d them , have no intrinsic value*
They can only amuse except in so far as they provo to us th e
existence of some extraordinary powers and hence leading us to
u belief in th e corresponding extrao rd in ary knowledge of tho
laws of N a tu re no t necessarily in the p erform er—(for a boy often
may work tho steam engine without knowing as to how it works,)
but certainly in some B eings who aro the m asters of this Occult
Science. I t is with this view I doubt not th a t phenomena were
shown to the world by Madam e Blavatsky when the F o un ders
first came to India, and it was for this loving desire of th eirs to
lead men u p to th e h igh er tr u th s th a t th ey wero called names
by alm ost all th e scurrilous A nglo-Indian new spapers. I for one
have ceased to h ank er a fter phenomena, being once convinced
of the fact th a t Occultism is a tru e and noble scienco w orth
pu rsu it a t any sacrifice. My friends will not be surprised to
learn I hope th a t only a few m onths before joining the Society I
was as g reat a sceptic as any of them th ou gh there were two inci­
dents in my own experience besides many othors which I had heard
from reliable sources, th a t my knowledge of the physical sciences
could not explain. The first was th e suspension iu air of a boy
of about 14 years of age I saw seven years ago. The second was
th e projection of th e double or th e Mayavirupa of my old g r a n d ­
fa th er at th e m om ent of his death and its appearanco before a
V ed an tin Yogee (certainly more th au 100 years old), who lived
in a ju n g le noar Benares and for whom my g rand fathe r had
g re a t respect an d admiration, B n t a stu d y —meagre os it is—of
the A, B. C. of Occultism has enabled m e to look upou these
incidents to bo as natural as th e repnlsion of the N o rth pole o£
magnetic needle when a similar pole of another m ag net is b ro u g h t
near it, or its attraction in the vicinity of the south pole of
an oth er m a g n e t.* The first work on Theosophy which I read
was the Occult W orld. I t helped much to break down in nie th a t
dogm atism of rejectin g as u n tr u th all th a t modern science has
no t yet discovered th o n g h indeed th a t very book is read by most;
E uropeans w ith o u t the slightest effect. But a H in d u m ind
differs from a W estern mind. A H indu is born in a Jand where
phenomena are so common as to a ttra c t the attention of even a
passing observer th o u g h many times they aro passed over aa
feats of jug g lery . T hen again his manners and customs and even
his habits of daily life point to the existence of a science wholly
unknow n and undiscovered in tho West. The spirituality o fh i s
forefathers, tra n sm itte d to him by the principle of A tavism
(hered ity) is in him, th o u g h latent. Hence he is more cnpablo
th an an E uro pean of com prehending the g ran d t r u t h s of tho
science, which th ese phenomena load us to. I n ev er
did nor can ever believe in miracles. I th in k with Professor
H uxley th a t th e word in itself is a misnomer. H ow can we
state t h a t a particu lar phenomenon is a transg ressio n of
th e laws of n atu re, before we have ascertained all th e laws of
n a tn r e and all th a t can bo produced by them . The h ig h est
priests of the sanctu ary of modern science own th a t the wider
th eir researches extend, tho more keenly do th ey realize the
painful t r u th th a t th e y have yet got only a m inute drop from
the vast shoreless ocean of knowledge. Henco there is no a
priori evidence ag ain st the existence of facts in nature, u nknow n
and unsuspected in the scientific land of tho Wost. The pheno­
menon occurring u nd er te s t conditions mentioned iu the,“ Occult
W orld” and others m entio ned in the “ H in ts on Esoterie Theo­
sophy” attested by m en of repu tatio n and influence partially
inclined me to believe in th e existence of occultism and its
teachers. Since joining the Society, the accumulative effect of
all th a t has come u n der m y experience ha3 been so g re a t
as to fu lly confirm mo in my helief. I havo seen
soveral letters roceivcd by several of my friends at different
places u nd er different m ysterious circumstances from th e
venerable M ahatm a Jto whom the “ Occult World” is dedicated,
all similar in w riting and even style. One evening at one of oui-
ordinary m eetings all of us were engaged iu discussing an d
thin kin g a b o u t a certain subject. After a few days one of our
* The suspension in the air is explained by the fact that, hy a certain
process, the polarity of tho feet is changed. Onr feet are ordinarily
oharged with S. magnetism, owing to inductive action of the E arth’s
N. pole. Henco we cannot fly off. The feet being once made N. poles,
repulsion from tho body of the earth naturally follows.
Tho Mayavirupa at tho time of death is drawn towards a certain
person owing to tho affinities tho Ego cultivates or generates during
its subjectivo existence.
G. N, C,
 frien ds received a letter from the M ahatm a m entioned above,
quoting the very words in whioh he ha d th o u g h t and directing
h im on th e subject. I may as well s ta te here th a t the worthy
fo un ders of the Society were th en at the H ead Q uarters. A nother
evening while we wore at a public m eetin g a respected E u ro ­
pean friend of ours saw the Mayavimpa of a certain Mahatma
p resent in tho hall. On retu rn in g home we found the fact corro­
borated by a chela who was, a sh ort timo before we came in, en
rapport with the M ahatma iu question, w itho ut telling him as to
what our friendhad seen. Oil ano ther occasion a friend of mine,
a graduate of tho Calcutta University, a Bengali gentleman of
sound education, heard distinctly th e known voice of a M ahatma
speaking to him while he was alone in his room in Calcutta, neither
Colonel Olcott nor Madame Blavatsky being in N o rth e r n India.
This fact alone oug ht to give a c rushing denial to tho slanderous
charge often brought against the founders of the Society that
they produce phenomena hy ju g g lery . All my experiences about
phenomena will be too numerous and oven useless to relato in an
article like this- Hence 1 shall conclude this portion of tho s u b ­
ject by telling my readers th at besides Mr. Rarnaswamier two of
iny friends, one of them being n ot even a chela, saw in the first
place tho portrait of a Mahatma, th e n Mayavirupa, and lastly in
liis physical body. If I do my friends for whom I have very
g re a t respect tho justice of supposing them to bo men of ordinary
voracity—(and indeed intentional lying is incompatible with tho
pu rity of character which they possess), I ou gh t to believe in the
existence of tho Mahatmas, since th e chanco of my friends being
themselves deluded is much reduced. W ithout stopping to con-
jecturo how far what I have said about phenomena will be con­
vincing to the public, I pass on to say a few words on th e Scienco
and Philosophy of Occultism. 1 m u st confess th a t according to
m y peculiarly constituted frame of mind this latter phase of
Occultism did moro to w ards bringing about my conviction and
th e n creating in mo the attraction for it which I now have than
w ha t I formerly culled phenomena. 15 von tho letters from tho
Mahatmas quoted in tho Occult W orld impressed me with tho
idea th a t there m u s t be lying hidden in tho snowy ranges of tho
lofty n im a v a t, a great science unknow n and unexplored, the
glimpses of which are to be found in our own S h astras and which
can even be discerned, dimly though it be, through th e t r a n s lu ­
cent veils of our daily habits an d customs as enjoined by tho
Rishis of old. Tho study of the “ F ra g m e n ts of Occult T r u t h ”
and “ Esoteric B u ddhism ” left no room for doubt. Therein I
found a theory of evolution so complete and so g ra n d th a t com­
pared to it tho recent one of Darwin cannot b ut be th o u g h t of as
nn ugly torso. T hat science of evolution is not only free from
th e delect visiblo in all western scicntific in vestigat ions of leaving
out th e spirit quite in the cold, b u t considers th e spiritual deve­
lopm ent of beings as tho only circumstance which can explain so
g re at changes of form which local circumstances and sexual
selection can hardly account for. The very satisfactory explana­
tion of tho missing link which W estern Science has so long
striven for iu vain to furnish is based entirely upon this fact.
Once tho human form is evolved from th e ape, th e spiritually
developed entities find tenem ents of flesh ready for them , and
hence thero is no moro necessity for th e animal form to be forced
u p into h um an ones. Hence th e interm ediate links die out. Tho
Frag m en ts do not stop only with tolling us th a t the mineral k in g ­
dom is evolved from fiory Nebula? th ro ug h interm ediate forms
and then developes into vegetable, anim al and h um an kingdoms,
blit goos to givo us an outline, faint though it is, of tho life after
death, the fu tn re destiny of man and the h ig h e r states of exist­
ence to which man kind is r u n n in g up. I t fu rnished me with
th e grandest philosophy I could conceive. The Eastern philo­
sophy, I may hero let tho readers know, dilfors entirely from what
is called by tho same name in the W est, in th e fact th a t it is not
only based upon but is identical w ith science. T he W estern
philosophy and metaphysics aro founded wholly upou conjectures.
T hey are generally the fumes of one’s im agination, seasoned p e r­
h a p s with a little of reasoning. Eastern philosophy is the
r e s u lt of accurate observation by the higher powers of man, and
w hatever it tells us are not conjectures h ut scientific facts.
E a s te r n Science is not antagonistic to W estern Science, b ut tho
la tte r falls short of the former, In fact the legitim ate conclusions
itt whioh modorn scienco has arrived are the lower steps of tho
Occult Science, The spliero of the Occult Scienco indeed is in­
comparably wider, and henco such a repository of knowledge can
wield powers im measurably greater. I t is a dogm atism of the
orthodox scientists to th ink th a t no higher powers th an what
they possess can be attain ed by man ; ju s t as an ignorant plough­
man refuses to believe th a t a message could bo se n t from one
qnartor of th e globe to another in alm ost no time. The origin
of this doggeduess anil obstinacy lies in the u nw a rranted suppo­
sition (though perhaps unconsciously assum ed) th a t all the Laws
of N atu re have been discovered. Tho methods of investigation
in the E a s t aud W est are entirely different. In th e W e st as
m any facts as possible are noted down as in a Day Book, and
then .from these wo arrivo a t tr u th s by means of deduction and
induction. So that, as is repeated constantly, th e W est can only
g e t knowledge indirectly thro u g h th e media of tho physical
senses, which aro so unreliable. Tho E a s te r n method stands in
need of no via media. The Ego takes cognisanco of th ing s direct.
Au Adept Guru does not reason out the truths with his chelu but
m akes him see. In the p u rs u it of this method one has to deve-
lope his intuitive faculties and then one can observe the truths.
In. this act of observation there is no inference or reasoning, and
ps stated by William Stanley Jevons in his Principles of Science,
in an act of pure observation even by the physical senses thero
cau be no mistake, if vre do not, instantaneously though it he,
reason an d also infer. E ven th e chief discoveries of modern
science are due, as I conceive, to intuition. Orthodox scientists
will no d on bt object to this assertion of mine. B u t I humbly
ask them how th e g re a te st tr u th s in the physical sciences, com­
prising of course Mathematics, tbo most perfect of them, have
been arrived at. They are not got certainly by any process of
ratiocination or even of w hat is callcd accurate induction. T h e
m ethod of difference, th e most perfect of th e laws of induction
as laid in Joliu S tu art Mill’s System of Logic, has been
acknowledged by 'th at eminent th in k e r himself to give us the
least n u m b e r of tru lbs. B u t does he n ot to g e th e r with a whole
host of other Scientists own th a t tho m ost wonderful triu m p h s
have been performed by h y p o th e s e s ? H ypotheses may indeed
u nd erg o th e process of verification and th en seem conso­
n a n t with reason and physical experience ; but tbo tr u th s aro
no doubt due to hypotheses. And the catching hold suddenly of
a particular hypothesis as tho truo one is—due to intuition. Tho
discovery of the poet Goethe, th a t the skull is merely th e ex­
pansion of the spinp, and th a t flowers are hu t transformation of
leaves, will throw lig ht on the subject. To explain esoterically :
all tho tr u th s th a t have been and will be discovered are im printed
on akasa aud suddenly a certain tr u th passes before the intuitive
eyes of some th in k er and enables him to make a discovery and
thenceforward to bo admired as a man of extraordinary intellec­
tual capacities. Complete verification as regards tr u t h s obtained
by the higher and developed intuition is not practicable, because
it encompasses th in g s which are invisible to the physical eye.
T h a t one can take cognisance of things unseen by th e physical
eyes is well established by the phenomena of pK3’chom etry,
clairvoyance and thought-reading. In the last case one can
read th rough his inner sense the inscription on tbe akasa made
by a certain person’s th o u g h t, which is material, and a form o£
energy or a modo of motion ju s t as heat is. H av in g said that
E astern and W estern sciences are not antagonistic, it remains
for me to add tliat it is only by a study of the occult
sciences th a t we can effect th a t marriage between Science an d
Religion which mankind are thirstin g after and which cannot
b ut be productive of wonderful results. L et me rem ind my
countrymen th a t o ur old and, in th eir eyes, antique religion is
based entirely upou scie n c e; and Theosophy is try in g to show
th a t more or less every religion in its Esoteric aspcct is so based.
I t is impossible to explain in a sh ort article like this th a t a know­
ledge even of tho elem entary principles of the occult scienco is
necessary in order to und erstand the full import of our manners
and customs. The s tu d en ts of vital magnetism do know it.
partly. B ut th e cardinal doctrines of H induism an d B uddhism
—the Karma theory and th e theory of Moksha or Nirvana find
their origin an d sanction iu the Occult Science. N o r has the
W e stern Scicnce to say a word againsts th em . T h e former
affords an oth er instance of th e universal Law of causation and
the latter of the cyclic law—the law th a t th in g s re tu rn tti­
th e place from which th ey started. As exemplified iu the physical
phenomena of th e rotation and the revolution of the E arth . Wo
como ont of (are evolved f r o m ) the Universal Spirit or Para-
brarnha th ro ug h various forms and states of existence, and shall at
the end merge into Him an d attain the blessed Nirvana. I shall
close this paper with this assnranco to my readers, th a t daily 1 am
learning to look back upon the hour 1 joined th e Theosophical
Society and became earnest in its cause with greater delig ht and
appreciation, and sinccrely wish th a t such an hour may not be far
off for them.
0 it t[ ; |I tj tu g i[ a n 4It c f i .
M r, S. U amaswamieii , b . a., our indefatigable friend nnd brother,
formed two Branch Societies at Periya-Knlam aud D indigul iu
M adura District, on th e 17th February aud 1st March 188-1,
respectively.
Da. F. H a r t m a n n formed two Branches at Vellore and (Vliittoor
in the N o rth Arcot D istrict, on the 14th and 17th April 1881, res­
pectively.
ADDRESS.
T h e m em bers of th e Socioty of Occultists of F rance at the
commencement of tb e y e a r of H erm etic Magism, beginning on the
21 st of March, express to the P a r e n t Theosophical Society nt
Madras th eir profound adm iration for tho work which has alrefld}
been accomplished by th e ir labours. The organizers of th>3
g re a t movement may look with pride upon their numerous
fQilowera,
 T here ia nothing more g ran d and useful th an a Socioty, whose
object is to search for the highest tr u th . At all storm y epochs
in the history of humanity, in th e m id st of celeste-planetary
catastrophes and am ongst the devastations caused by war, there
alw ays appeared certain revetators, which a certain Genius had
selected as the guardians of revealed science. We rejoice at
th e reawakening of the old Orient, whose race has remained pure,
and which has perpetuated itself th ro ug h th e agea by observing
th e laws of Atavism, Those physiologic forces are th e best pro­
tections against tha t degeneration, which leads tho people of the
Occident to th eir destruction. W e welcome tho occult O rient
which, inspired by an exalted sen tim en t of F ra te rn ity , has today
revealed to us the science of psychic physiology, especially tho
.seven principles which constitute m an as he is now and as he
will becomo d u rin g his futuro tra nsform ations on his Way
tow ards immortality.
■ L e t us continue o ur work with firmness, and wo shall establish,
in th e m idst of the troubles and trials by wliich our modern
world is affected, a perm anent production, ag ain st which will
dash in vain the waves of reactions. D octrines aud hypotheti­
cal assertions will pass away, b u t to Scientific Truth alone
belongs ihe Future.
This is signed by twenty-one m em bers of the section for occult
research, with the approbation of the two other sections, which
constitute the Society of tlie O ccultists of France.
Pauis, March 2U<, 1884.
T U E ATMA B O D H T IIE O S O P I1 ICAL S O C IE T Y .
T u b lirst Anniversary of th e A tm a liodh Theosophical Society,
Moradabad, N. W. I'., was celebrated on the 1 7 th F eb ru a ry
1881.
N O T IC E .
I t is hereby notified th a t the connection of Mr. A. Theyaga
Bajier, of V enkatesa iS'aik's Street, Triplicane, Madras, with the
Theosophical Society, has ceased from 1st April 1884,
(B y order of th e Board of Control.)
• D A M O D A R K. M A V A L A N K A R ,
Joint Recording Secretary. essential lo a gentlem an, and Sanskrit is considered to bo
IIkad-Quarthrs, Tiiiiosoi'iiiCAL Society, }
A,Iyar, (Madras.) 5 following the now much degraded profession of a priest, tho
ERRATA.
In the paper on Egyptian Theosophy in the J o u r n a l for F e b ­
ruary 188i.
For finn read J in n throughout.
l'age 30. Column 2, I. ;!1, read Lord Adare.
Page 37. Column 1, I. ‘2 6 from bottom, read “ different persons
differently.”
Page 37. Column 1, I. 21 from bottom, read “ darweeshes.’'
TH E SATY A M ARGA T H E O S O PH IC A L SOCIETY.
[ A t the time of the celebration of the first, anniversary of tho
Branch during Col. O lcott’s last visit to Lucknow, th e following
report was handed to him by th e President of th e local Society.]
H o n o r e d S i it, '
I have the pleasure to submit a report of the w orking of
ihe Satya M arga Branch of the Theosophical Socicty during
i lie tirst year of its existence.
Hitherto, the attention of the Branch lias, owing to its
comparative infancy, been mainly occupied with the organisa-
lion of plans and the establishment of a w orking order of
things, and accordingly a review of tlie work does not .so wlio do not find a decided improvement within themselves.
much show actual results, as it reveals plans which are, I am
glad to say, in a fair way to success.
The first real impetus th at was given to the cause of Theo­
sophy at Lucknow may well be attributed to the Lecture
lhat yon delivered in this very H all in March 1882. There
had no doubt been some stir iu this city a few mouths previ­
ous to yonr last visit b u t no substantial result had followed.
Hut the Lucknow public hail no sooner heard your exposition
of the principles of Theosophy than it gradually began to
show unmistakable signs of taking interest iu the movement.
In the following few mouths wo received as recruits to our
ranks some of the most intelligent and educated H indu
gentlemen of the station. About the middle of Ju ly 1882, we
found th at the num ber of H indu members was sufficient to
iorm a Branch of their own, and with your kind permission
we applied for a C harter to form an exclusively H indu
Branch under the title of tlie “ Satya M arga 'Theosophical
Society.” The C harter was issued to us on the 27th of July,
^ 4 0U1' Branch thou rcceiycd formal recognition,
In treating of the work done by this Branch in the course
of the last year, it would be convenient to divide it into two
portions.
(1). W ork w ithin the pale of the Society.
(2). W ork considered iu its bearing upon tlie outside
public.
U nder the first head tbo point th a t I hayo to notice first ig
the establishm ent of a Library for the use of the members.
Limited as our means were, we have from time to time de­
voted sucli sums as we could spare towards procuring books
on Theosophical subjects. W e intend in the present year to
enlarge the Library, and especially to add to it a collection of
Sanskrit and Persian books dealing with Occultism.
I t would not be out of place to notice in this connection a
plan that we have proposed for placing Theosophical works
w ithin tho reach of such non-theosopliists as m aybe desirous
of information, by instituting a Circulating' Library, to which,
every one who pays a m onthly subscription of 4 As. could
have access.
Our Branch lias held its ordinary meetings on Sundays,
when it has been customary for eome competent Theosophist
to road to the other members assembled., part of somo
standard work on Theosophy and to explain to them tbo
difficulties therein. A free discussion always follows which,
serves to clear up all misconceptions. We have found this
system to be very advantageous, inasmuch as, 111 addition to
the many other circumstances in its favor, it fully carries
out the real object of the Theosophical Society, namely, th a t
oue member should prolit by the experience and the re ­
searches of another.
'The point which next deserves attention is the “ study of
Sanskrit.” In these Provinces unfortunately Sanskrit is a l­
most wholly discarded. The state of things in this respect
is so very bad th at people whose learning is confined simply
to a knowledge of Sanskrit, are scarcely considered to liavu
polite education—a knowledge of Persian and Urdu is deemed
intended only for those who seek a precarious livelihood by
•sum total of whose knowledge generally consists in tho
mechanical memorising of m antrams, tho meaning of which
is quite unintelligible to him, and which he can w ith diffi­
culty pronounce at all and very seldom correctly. Tho
establishment of the Calcutta University, which has adopted
Sanskrit as one of the second languages in its curriculum ,
has 110 doubt given au impetus, though a very feeble one, to
the study of th a t language, but even now in the colleges
and schools in the 1ST. W. Provinces and Oudh, there will,
with difficulty be found four students th at take up Sanskrit
to the ninety-six th a t read Persian or Urdu ; aud even in
the case of those four, scholarship is not a thing to bo
thought of. In the fa.ee of such circumstances, the mem­
bers of our Branch came to appreciate fully the importance of a
revival of the study of Sanskrit; which Theosophy has ever
since the organisation of the Society proclaimed in loud and
clear accents. Many of them, despite the varied dem ands
upon their time, commenced learning Sanskrit. Two of them
in particular have engaged a Pandit, and besides studying
with him themselves, have made him to im part instruction
gratis to the boys in the neighbourhood. Another highly
satisfactory point in the w orking of tho Branch is the moral
progress evinced by the members. There are few among us
Tho consciousness of our duties towards our brethren at
large is dawning upon us, and we aro beginning to be dis­
enthralled from the all-engrossing selfishness which reigns
predominant in men so long as they are wholly occupied
with their own self-aggrandising worldly pursuits.
1 will now rem ark upon th at phase of the work dono
by the Branch, which concerns the general public.
Wo have not been idle in propagating Theosophical know­
ledge. A t different times during the last year, our members
havo visited various places, where indiscussions they have-pro­
pagated tho ideas of Theosophy. Among others, 1 may mention
P andit Kishen Lall Misra, High Court Pleader, whose efforts
in the furtherance of Theosophy have resulted in the form a­
tion of a Branch at Rai-Bareili in this Province. Our Vice­
President, PanditParam ashree Dass, who lives at B araB anki,
has established there tho Gyanodaya Theosophical Socicty, of
which he is now the w orthy President. Babu Purnu Chandra
Mookerjee, an arclia;ologist in the Government service and
u member of our Branch, lias in various official tours dono
 g oo d w o r k a t N aini'tal a n d S it a p u r . O n r P r e s i d e n t , P a n d i t th e u n flin c h in g d e t e r m i n a t i o n of e v e r y m e m b e r of th e Satya
P r a n N a t h , lias v isited A lla h a b a d , M u n s u r i , D c h r a D o o n a n d M a r g a T h co sop hica l S o c ie ty to offer w h a t little help he
F u r r u c k a b a d , a n d in all th es e places h a s a d d r e s s e d la rg e g a ­ c a n to w a r d s th e r e g e n e r a ti o n of I n d i a — a t a s k w hich you
t h e r i n g s of e d u ca ted peo ple,and tr ie d to im p re ss up on t h e m th e a n d y o u r re s p e c te d c o lle a g u e , M a d a m e B lav a tsk y , have .so
im m e n s e im p o rta n c e of T h e osop hy . B e sid e s th e s e g e n tl e ­ n o b ly u n d e r t a k e n .
m e n all th e rest of us hav e also b e en t r y i n g to w id e n th e 1 h a v e tlie h o n o r to be,
s p h e r e of th e S o c iety as f a r a s w c could. S ir,
S om e of o n r m e m b e r s h a v e fr o m tim e to ti m e c o n t r i b u t e d Y o u r m o s t o b e d ie n t se rv a n t,
Articles on T h e o so p h y to t h e V e r n a c u l a r j o u r n a l s of th e J wala P rasad S ankhahhara , F . T. S.,
P ro v in c e . U n d e r th is h e a d , i h e n a m e s of P a n d i t Sheo N a r a i n Secretary, Satya Marga Theo. Suciehj.
of th c C a n n i n g C ollege a n d of B a b u l l a j a B a h a d u r d e se r v e Lucknow, )
special m e n tio n . T h e a rtic le s of th ese tw o g e n tl e m e n h a v e bth. November 1883. j
d is s e m i n a te d th o p rin c ip le s of T h e o s o p h y in th is P r o v i n c e to
aii extent, w h ic h cou ld n o t h a v e b een ac com plish ed w e re we T H E P E R I Y A - K U L A M T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
to d e p e n d solely on t h e flying vis its t h a t o u r m e m b e r s p a id The Officers elected For the P eriy a-K ulam Theosophical Society
to o u ts ta tio n s. T o th e sam e tw o g e n tl e m e n is i t d u e t h a t ior t.he current) year nre * '
t r a n s l a t i o n s of p a rt s of th e “ O cc ult W o r l d ” h a v e a p p e a re d M. R. Ity. S. Mahadeva Iy e r Avergal, li. c. p..,— President,
in t h e MiraUUt-Uind an d Mnrakai Tahzeeb, tw o local j o u r ­ » 0 . Visw anatha Row „ Secretary,
n als, w hose e d ito rs h a v e a lw a y s co u rte o u sly in s e rte d T heoso­
p h ic a l corresp on den ce. T H E D I N D I G U L T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
O u r B r a n c h also m a d e it a r u l e to in v ite t h c L u c k n o w 1 lie following Officers were elected for th e D indigul Theoso­
phical Society for the e n rre n t y ear: —•
p u b lic a t occasional in te rv a ls to h e a r le c tu re s on T h e o so p h ic a l
11' 11. Ry. S. R. Seshiah Avergal, President.
su b je c ts in E n g li s h an d U r d u . S o m e of th ese le c tu re s w ere
>, A, Aiyasami Sasfcrial „ Secretary and Treasurer.
p r i n t e d a n d c ir c u la t e d free of cost.
S o m e of o u r m e m b e rs h a v e u n d e r t a k e n t h e s t u d y of T H E C H J T T O O R T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
M esm e rism sim ply fo r t h e p u rp o s e of t r e a t i n g diseases. Iho Officers of the Chittoor Theosophical Society for the
T w o of th o m h ave in b u t a s h o r t tim e m e t w ith r e ­ current y ear nro :—
m a r k a b le success. P a n d i t D e v i P r a s a d , 1<\ T, S., o u r p re s e n t
^ r * JI' H* W infred, ...................................... President;
V ic e -P re s id e n t , a n d P a n d i t S h e o N a r a i n , F . T. S., h av e su c ­ 11. R. Ry. C. Strin ivasa Mudlyur Avergal, Vite-President ;
c eed ed in c u r i n g diseases of lo n g s t a n d in g , a n d th e f o r m e r h a s „ A . R aju Mudlyar, „ Corg. Secretary ;
also c onvinced one o r tw o Fm ro pcan s u p o n w h o m ho o p e r a t­ „ T. Ponnooswamy Pillai, „ lUcg. Secretary ;
ed of th e re al efficacy of his m e s m e ric pow ers. H e h a s o b­ >t P. K ris hnasawm y Mudlyar „ Treasurer.
ta in e d fr o m som e of th e p a tie n ts certificates, w h ich s ta te th o
im m e d ia te r e l ie f th e y f e l t on b e i n g m e s m e ris e d by him . T H E V E L L O R E T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
L a s tly , crur B r a n c h h a s lately m ooted a p ro p o s a l for tlio M. R. Ry. S. Narainsawmi M udlyar Avergal, President;
e s t a b li s h m e n t of tw o A n g lo - S a n s k r it schools. O u r V ic e ­ „ fi. Masilamoni Mudlyar „ Seerntary ;
P res id en t, R a i N a r a in Dass, J u d g e of th o S m a l l C au se C o u rt, V. M. llatnavelu Pillay ,, Treasurer.
h a s d e v o te d h im s e lf to t h e c a r r y i n g o u t of th i s e n te r p ris e .
T h e success t h a t lias h it h e r t o b een a t t a i n e d in t h i s d irectio n T I I E F Y Z A B A D T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
is duo to t h a t g e n tle m a n alone. W e h a v e n ow to ap peal to
Babu C handra Molinn M ukerje 9 has been elected President
th c p a tr io t is m of th e L u c k n o w p u b lic f o r h e lp in th is oJ tlio Fyzabad Theosophical Society, vice Babu Gokul Chand
m o v e m e n t. Cotllrt we g e t a few m o re of th c n o b ility a n d K hanna, resigned.
g e n t r y of this s ta tio n to do w h a t M u n s h i N a w a b K ish ore,
B a b n B rij 13 is h a n L a ll a n d B a d r a B an so e L a i S i n g h h a v e so
T H E M I D N A P O R E T H E O S O P H I C A L S O C IE T Y .
n ob ly clone, success w o u ld be o u rs in no tim e. W o a r e confi­
d e n t, n e v erth eles s, t h a t in a v e ry s h o r t tim e th c School will be Babu Krishnadlm n Mukerjee, M. A,, B. L., has been elected
Secretary to the Midnapore Theosophical Society.
estab lish ed o u a firm footing.
I t is also u n d e r co n sid e ra tio n to c a r r y o u t y o u r s u g g e s tio n
a n d s t a r t in L u c k n o w a few S u n d a y schools w h e r e H i n d u C IR C U L A R .
Theos-opbist:; c a n i m p a r t religio us in s tr u c t io n to H in d o o boys.
J t is h ereb y notified fo r th e inform ation of tlie P re si­
I n conclusion, I sh o u ld lik e to n o tiec on e f a c t w h i c h offers d ents of all the B ra n d ie s of fhe Theosophical Society in
a ve ry s t r o n g p ro o f as to th c re a l good t h a t T h e o so p h y h as In d ia an d o th e r T heo sop hists th a t from tlie 1st day-of;
dem; iu th is city. I t is ob se rv ed t h a t th c m a j o r i t y of th c Mny 1884 no a p p lic a n t for adm ission into th c T heoso­
g r a d u a t e ! a n d u n d e r - g r a d u a t e s a r o b e g i n n i n g to r e s p e c t phical Society should be in itiated u n til th e sanction
a n c i e n t A r y a n k n o w le d g e a n d p h ilo so p h y . I n s t e a d of r e ­
of th e H e a d -q u a rters is ob tained, ex ccp t in cases of
g a r d i n g th c I'A’sf to be th c only re p o s ito r y of le a r n in g , th e y
«',re n ow b e g in n i n g to havo a p r o p e r r e s p e c t f o r tlie r e s e a rc h e s
em ergency, sucli as the sh o rt stay of a can d id ate a t th e
.mado iu tim e p a s t by t h e i r o w n illu s trio u s an cesto rs. I n place w here he is to be in itia te d . Tlie P resid en ts of
c.orrcho ratio n of th c s ta te m e n ts h e re m a d e , I vrould r e f e r to B ranches should su b m it a sta te m e n t re g a rd in g tlio
th o k i n d s y m p a th y w h ic h h a s b een sh o w n to o u r B r a n c h ap p lican t in th e accom panying form , w ith every r e ­
o v e r sinco" its fo r m a tio n by t h e C ash m ire N a tio n a l C hib , com m endation for p erm ission to in itiate a candidate a.s
ivhicli is com posed m a i n ly of y o u n g C a slim ire P a n d i t s , w ho soon as practicab le a fte r receiv ing his application :—
a r c r e c e i v in g in s tru c tio n in th e local collcge. T h is Club, w h e n
if, l e a r n t t h a t o u r B r a n c h w a s g o in g to fo r m a T h co so p h ica l Names of
President's tn
L i b r a r y , im m e d ia te ly g a v e ns a d o n a tio n of R s, 2 0 , a s k i n g 11s Namo of the spon­
to a c c e p t th n su m ag a t o k e n of s y m p a th y f r o m its m e m b e rs . Oceupa- opinion sors who # f
tho appli­ Age. Residence. 7'Cgn.rding i0
tion. recom­
L ately * w h e n ii c a m e to th e k n o w le d g e of t h e s a id C lu b , t h a t cant. the
Candidate. mended
th o B r a n c h S o ciety h a d p ro p o s e d a sc h e m e f o r nn A n glo - hiiu.
S a n s k r i t S chool, i t a t once passed a re s o lu tio n t h a t th e C lu b
o u g h t to h e lp t h c S o c ic ty i n su c h a l a u d a b l e u n d e r t a k i n g . 1 2 3 4 G 7
S u b s c r ip tio n s f o r th is p u rp o s e , to a n a m o u n t w h ic h is larg e
w h e n wo c o n sid e r t h a t t h e C lu b is m a i n l y c om p osed of s t u ­
d e n ts , w ere re a lis e d 011 t h a t v e r y day, a n d i t w a s also proposed
to co llect m o n ey f o r t h e school f r o m o u ts ta t io n m e m b e rs. A ro
n o t th e s e fr.cf» s t r o n g p ro o fs to sh o w t h a t t h e y o u n g g e n tl e ­
m e n w h o a r c re c e iv in g College e d u c a t io n ftre in s y m p a th y
w i t h ue ?
I h a v e n o t h i n g f u r t h e r to say , b u t o n ly h o p e t h a t th e w ork
sh o w n b y th c abo ve a c c o u n t, in c o m p le te a s i t is, m ay, in
c o n s i d e r a t io n of t h e m a n y e x t e n u a t i n g c ir c u m s t a n c e s , g ive
J o u satisfa c tio n , I m a y as well a s s u r e y o u , h o n o r e d S ir , of
 T liis Notice w ill not apply to those who have been superstition as *n aerial conveyance. A nd time will show
« r who w ill bo specially authorized to initiate candidates ' ■that w hat “ educated and civilised men” call error in H indu­
by a written order issued from the Head-quarters. ism is after all scientific tru th . W c do not im ply th a t all or
any oue known interpretation of the Veda is necessarily
S3y order. correct. B ut w hat wo havo the weakness (if you please to
DAM ODAR K. M A V A LA N K A R , Call it so) to believe is th a t tho T'etias are tho encyclopoedia,
Joint Recording Secretary. so to say, of all knowledge attainable by m ankind on this
T h e o s o p iiic a l S o c ie t y , J
A dy ar (M adras ), > •Our meaning will be plain to him who is an earnest stad en t of
M arch 1884. ) ithe W isdom - R e liq io n . L et not the New Dispensation talk
S P E C I A L O R D E R S O F 1884.
Camp, P a r i s , F r a n c e , March 2 7 th, 1884.
T-ue aspect of European public ■c-piuion m ak in g it evident th a t
t h e interests-of tbe oauae reppesented by tho Theosophical Society
4 -demand th e presence in E u ro p e of th e F o n n d e rs for a longer
iperiod than bad been at;first contem plated. Notice is hereby grveu
th a t the IVavincial Council which was to have been held a t Cal­
c u tta about th e 1st of A ugust next, will not-be convened. I t will
ba left to th e General Council to d e te rm in e a t the A nnual Con­
vention in D ecem ber as to the tim e an d place of th e Provincial
Convention for 1885.
T h e Presid en t-F o u n d er h a s g r e a t p leasu re in m ak in g known
to th e Society th a t the cause of Theosophy has already a large
n u m b er of devoted friends in France, and th a t a considerable
accession has been *nade to our mem bership since his arriv al ia
this country.
The P aris H e ad-Q u arters liave been established at No. 46, Rue
N o tre Dame des C ham ps, where eomm unicatious m ay be ad­
dressed.
T h e P re s id en t-F o u n d er expects to reach H ead -Q u artera a t
Adyar some time iu A u g u s t.
B y t h e P residen t-F o un der,
M o hin i M, C h a t t e b j i ,
Private Secretary.
$ 4 » i t iu a.
T H E ARY A SA M A J A ND N E W D IS P E N S A T IO N .*
T h is pam phlet, which 'has been 'lying on our table for
some time, enum erates the four essential points of difference
betweeu'tite A rya Samaj and the New Dispensation section
of the Brahmo Samaj. The first com plaint against tlie form er
is, th at although they preach agaiirat -caste, no mem­
ber of th at body has the boldness to openly give it up. Now
we have nothing to say against sthe -sincere beliefs of any
individual. I t is the cardinal principle of our Association
th a t the boliefs of our fellowmeu, if sincere, should be res­
pected. B ut we believe it is moral cowardioe and hypocrisy
for any one to do th a t which he believes to be wrong, espe­
cially if ho puts himself forw ard as a reform er an d thinks th at
w hat ho denounces is a real ovil retard in g the progress of
his country. For ourself, personally, we do not cry down
the caste system, nor wish its .entire demolition. E very evil
has its b rig h t side and every good, its shadowy. F or certain
reasons, into which we need not enter here, we hold th a t what
is essentially necessary for the regeneration of Ind ia is not the
abolition of casta, b u t its reconstruction upon a philosophical
and scientific basis as it was in the days of the ancient Rishis.
W hat has ruined India is n o t the introduction of the caste
system, but its abuse by the selfish and the ignorant. This
is however a digression. The second charge against th e A rya
Samaj is th a t they assume the infallibility of the Veda. The
New Dispensation stigmatises it as sectarianism. We cannot,
however, allow to pass, w ithout a protest, the assertion of the
latter th a t side by side w ith tru th there is error in the Veda.
Our readers are well aware th at we havo always urged th at
the Veda have three distinct meanings, one is literal, the other
is esoteric, and the th ird , th at indicated hy the Stvara. If
some fifty years ago the theory-of Vimana were propounded
as it is in our Sacred Soriptures, erudite scholars of the New
Dispensation type would probably have denounced it as an
error. B ut now one, who knows w hat a balloon is, will w ait
Jong before condemning tho A ryans for believing in such a
* Reprinted from the Liberal by a Punjabi Brahmo of the N61f
Dispensation, frinted At the Tribune Pres», Lahore ; 1083,
planet in tMs Round, for it is the gift of the “ gods.” L et the
reader not m isunderstand us. We do not say God but gods.
of the error in the Veda so long as it has uot got the key to
open its secret treasures.
The third point for wliich the Arya Samaj is taken to task
is its belief in transm igration. If th a t belief be oorrectly re­
presented, then the author has succeeded in his work of des­
truction. B ut th a t is all. O ur readers are quite fam iliar
with w hat the Esoteric Science has to say upon the subject.
T hat is a m atter which is much more fully entered into in
all Theosophical literature than any other. The fourth and
the last point of difference betw een tlie A rya Samaj and th a
New Dispensation is th a t the form er adm its the co-existenca
of souls and m atter w ith God. As both of them sta rt npon
the premiss of creation, it is quite clear th a t an evolutionist
m ust necessarily disagree w ith botii. I t is needless for ua
to repeat here all the argum ents for or against creation or
evolution. They have been over and over dealt with in
various philosophical works. W hen it comes to a m atter of
il fa ith ,” all argum ent m ust cease.
iB'HARCIAVA SARMA.
^ j |j { 8 0 u a l
T H E F O U N D E R S O F T H E TH EO SO PH IC A L SOCIETY .
N ews have been received from th e President, Col. H. S. O lcott,
an d Madame B lavatsky to the effect th a t th ey have safely arrived
a t Marseilles, and have been received a t th e la nd ing witli
-every possible atte n tio n by Karon Spedalieri and Captaict
■Courmes of th e F re n c h N avy. T bey have been overw helm ed
-with invitatio ns from All p a rts of Europe. According to t h a
latest news th ey stopped a t Nice, being tb e g u e sts o f t h a
•Countess of CaitliB-ess a t th e “ Pallazio T iranty .” F ro m th enca
<}olonel O lc o tt will -proceed to L ondon, where a g re a t field foe
w ork awaits him. W e wish o u r beloved P resident all possible
success, and o u r revered Madame Blavatsky a speedy recovery
of health, and both of th e m a happy retu rn to India, t h e
land of th e ir adoption, where th ou sand s are anxiously w aitin g
fo r th eir blessings.
B aboo M ohini M. C hattbkjee has arrived a t P a ris a n d ia
tr y in g his best to inculcate the difficult problems of th a
‘E a s te r n Philosophy into m aterialistic W e ste rn minds.
OBITUARY,
M. R . Ry. J. P u rn ay a P a n tu lu G aru, Secretary,
K rishna Theosophical Society, G untur, reports :—
“ I have the painful d u ty to rep o rt to you th e doath o i
our B rother Y adavalli L ak shn iinarayan a Garu, a young man
of about 25. H e led an e xem plary life as a Theosophist.”
SATYA MABGA THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, LUCKNOW,
S ecretary' s O m cK .
Lucknow, the 27th of March 1884,
D i H O D . l R K. MAVALANIUB, ISsQ., .
Joint Recording Secretary,
Theosophical Society, Madras.
Dear S ir & B botiikk,
It ia with the utmost grief tliat I havo to report tho untimely
death of oar Vice-President, Pandit Rawat Devi Prasad,[F. T, S., who
breaUw.nl his lust yestorday ut about >6 p M- To our Society hi*
losa is one which cannot be easily replaced. This is the first
calamity of this sort that has bofalleu our Branch during its two
years of existence. The occurrence is doubly lamentable when we
consider the early ago of 32 years at wliich the Pandit died, and
the fact that he leaves a wife behind him to monrn his losa.
The Pandit wus ill during the last fortnight and no one ever
thought th a t he would succumb to tho disease.
Yonrs fraternally,
JW ALA PEAflAD SiNKHADHAUA, F, T. S.,
Btcrttary.
 “T H E S E C R E T D O C T R I N E , ”
A NEW V E R SIO N OF “ ISIS U N V E IL E D ” ,

-W IT H A N E W ARRANGEM ENT OF T H E M ATTER , LARGE A N D IM P O R T A N T

A D D IT IO N S , A N D C O PIO U S N O T E S A N D C O M M E N T A R IE S , ,
! ■ BY

H . P. B L A V A T SK Y ,

, C orresponding S ecretary o f the Theosophical Society.

A s s is te d by

T. S U B B A R O W G A R U , b. a . , b. l . , t. t . s .,

Councillor o f the Theosophical Society and Secretary o f its M adras B ranch.

P U B L I S H E R 'S N O T IC E .

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who could not afford to purchase so expensive a work
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T which were presont Delegates from Branches in America,
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teaching, have erroneously Supposed it to be contradictory
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 A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEYOTED TO ORIENTAL BHILOSOPHY, ART, LITERATURE AND OCCULTISM:
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■ ■ ; j ; ■ - — --------- . .

V o l. 5 . N o . 9 . M A D R A S, JUNE, 1884. No. 5 7 .:

to i assum e th o e x isten ce bf an e x tra cosm ical D eity, w hich,

T H E R E IS NO R E L I G I O N H I G H E R T H A N T R U T H .
[ Family motto of the tlfaharajohs of ifenare?.]
R E IN C A R N A T IO N .
(From a p riva te letter to.. ^V ih jam Q. Jd d q b , F . T . S .,
p ublished in thc “ P latonist,.” )
Y ou ask rao w h a t ia m y b elief a b o u t “ re in c a r n a tio n ? ”
W ell, as it is a co m p licated q u estio n , I m u st give y ou a
plain sta te m e n t of jny full belief, To b eg in w ith, l am
n P a n th e ist. I believe th a t the whole universe is God.
Y ou m u lt, liow evqr, well u n d e rsta n d tlia t tlio w ord
“ G od” doe's n o t convey to mo an y m eaning a tta c h e d to
th a t w ord b y th e W e ste rn s. W h e n 1 say “ G o d /' I
u n d e rsta n d it to bo n a tu re o r u niverso, an d no moro.
Therefore' I m ig h t m ore a p p ro p ria te ly bo called a “ na-
tn'ralisj.” To m y m ind th e re i.s no p o ssib ility of th e
osistonco of an e x tra -c o m ic a l D eity . F o r if th e re w ere,
th e harm ony or eq uilibrium of n a tu re could n o t bo p re ­
served, an d tho whole universo, in ste a d o f b e in g ono
harm onious wholo, would b e a T o w er of Babel. T his
harm o n y can be k e p t only b y th o w o rk in g of th e
Im m u ta b le L aw s of N a tu ro . A n d if tho law s of n a tu re
bo im m utable, th e y m u st bo b lin d , a n d re q u ire no g u id ­
in g han d .* H en cc th e existeuco of a n extra-co sm ical
D oity is im possible. T his is, as fa r as I can u n d e rsta n d ,
tho chief te a c h in g an d p rin cip le of A ry a n philosophy.
A s th e position is logical, I m u st accep t it in preference
to tho S cm itic th eo ry , w hich re sts on b lin d fa ith alone.
• Som e of th e P a n th e ists recognizo th e ex isten ce of two
d istin c t e n titie s, viz., M a tte r an d S p irit. B u t th in k in g
deeply ovor tho su b ject, has led m e to th e conclusion
th a t th e ir p o sitio n is not q u ite lo g ic a l; for, as fa r as I
can u n d e rs ta n d , th e re can be b u t one In fin ite e n tity an d
not tw o. Call it e ith e r m a tte r o r s p irit, but, it is one
and tho sam e. W h o can say th a t tliis is s p irit an d th a t
m a tte r ? T a k e an in stau co : Ico is a gross form of
m atter. I f a little rarefied it w ill bo w ater, w hich is still
m atter. H ig h e r still, it is v a p o r; still in a tto r. H ig h e r,
g a s ; it is still m atter. F u rth e r, it becom es e th e r, b u t
it is still m a tte r ; aud tlicn you m ay go on ad in fin itu m .
T hus beco m in g m oro a n d m ore su b lim ated , it will reach
its clim ax by tho w ay of sp iritu alisatio n . B u t still it
does not becom e n o th in g . F o r if it does, th e re m ust
como a tim o, w hen th e wholo universo will bo n o th in g .
If it is so, it is not infinite, as it has an end. I f it has
an end, it m ust have h ad a beginning- ; if it h ad a
boginning, it m u st have b een cre a te d ; an d th u s wo m ust *no fa u lt of thoirs. , B u t an o ccultist directs b o th . H a
as said above, is n o t logical. T h en we th u s logically
find th a t th is h ig h e st su b lim a ted form of m a tte r can ­
n o t bp n o th in g . In this caso m a tte r has re a d ie d th a t
clim ax of sublim ation o r sp iritu alisatio n w hen any fu rth e r
action would m ake it g ro sser, n o t finer. W h a t is com ­
m only u n d ersto o d b y th e w ord spirit, th en , is n o th in g
b u t th a t h ig h ly etherealised form of m a tte r, w hich w e,
w ith our finite senses, can n o t com prehend. B u i it is s till
m a tte r, inasm uch as it is still so m eth in g and liable to bo
g ro sse r.' : ' ■ ■ ; ' ■
T h ere is th e n only one e te rn a l infinite existence, call
it eith er S pirit o r’m a tte r. I will, how ever, call it by th o
latteT haine, as th a t is m o st su ited in its com m on u n d e r­
s ta n d in g fov w h a t I am to sta te . M atte r, a s you know ,
wo Call Maya,. Som e say th a t th is th in g does nob
really e x i s t ; b u t I do not a g ree to th a t. In m y opinion,
it is called M aya sim p ly on account o f theso. transform a­
tions. I t is n ev er steady. T he process is over w o rk in g .
T he one infinite ag g lo m eratio n of m a tte r is in somo of
its m odes becom ing g ro sser, w hile in others b eco m in g
m ore sublim ated. T he circle is ever tu rn in g its ro u n d .
N o th in g -g o e s o u t of th a t circle. E v e ry th in g is k e p t
w ithin its b o u n d s by th e action ot' tho c e n trip eta l a n d
cen trifu g a l forces. Tho fo rm s :iro ch an g in g , b u t th o
in n er substance rem ain s th o samo.
Y ou will ask : “ W h a t is tho uso of b ein g good o r barf,
our souls in p ro p e r tim e will be etherealised ?” Bub
w h a t is a so u l? Is it m aterial o r im m aterial ? W e ll, ifc
is m aterial for m e, and th ero is n o th in g im m aterial, aa
said abovo. A s fa r as I can th in k , it is an ag g lo m era­
tio n of all tho a ttrib u te s to g e th e r w ith th a t so m eth in g ,
w hich gives us tho consciousness tlia t we are. B u t in
tho case of th e ice, it was n o t sublim ated until to u ch ed
by lioat. T he c e n trip e ta l forco was s tro n g in its actio n ,
a n d it re q u ire d th e ce n trifu g al force to refine th e ice.
J u s t so w ith m an. Tho action of Llie ccutripotal forco
keops us to o u r gross form s, an d if we have to etliereal-
ise ourselves, wo m ust supply tho centrifugal forco,
w hich is our W ill. A n d th is is tho first principlo of
O ccultism . W o m u st stu d y and kno^tf the forces of
n atu ro . H vory re s u lt m ust be in proportion to th e causei
p ro d u cin g it. W o a re evory in sta n t emitting- a n d
a ttra c tin g atom s of m atte r. Now a person, who is n o t
an occultist, will havo various desires, and unconsciously
to him self ho will produce a causo w hich will a ttr a c t to
him such atom s of m a tte r as are n o t su ited fo r hia
h ig h e r p ro g ress. T ho sam o way, when ho is emitting*
.o th ers, he m ay give them such a tendency th a t thoy will
;m ix w ith others evilly inclined ; a n d th u s o th e r in d iv i­
d u a litie s, w hich aro th u s form ed, will have to suffer for

* As this acntonco is likoly to bo misunderstood, tho attontion of is tho m astor of th e situation. H e guides them , a n d b r
the rotuler may be drawn to tho articlo on “ Tho M etaphysical Basis know ing th e ir actio n he produces such conditions as ar»
*of Esoteric Buddhism’’ publishod in tho last month’s Theosophist. favorablo to h is o b ta in in g of “ N irv a n a .”
What is moant |s that the inherent impulso acts blindly, t. a., without B u t w h at is N irv a n a ? B y N irv an a I m ean a state,
any extraneous or extra-natural power meddling witli it as a “ guide”
or in any other way, . a n d n o t a locality. I t is th u t condition, ia w hich we are
bo othorealised, tliat in stead of b e in g m erely a m ode of
th e In fin ite E xistence as a t p re se n t, we a re m erg ed in
to ta lity , or we becom e th e -whole■ A n o th e r th in g a b o u t
th e advanced o ccu ltist is th a t h e is in a b e tte r position
to benefit hum anity.
T he p articles of 'which I am form ed, have alw ays e x is t­
ed ; y e t I do n o t know in w liat form th e y e x iste d before.
P ro b a b ly th e y have p assed th ro u g h billions of tra n sfo r­
m ations. W h y do I n o t know th e se ? B ecause I did n o t
su p p ly th e force, th a t w ould havo p re v e n te d th e d isin te ­
g ra tio n of m y in d iv id u ality . I will, if I a tta in N irv a n a ,
rem ain th e re , till th e action of th e force th a t p u t m e
th e re ceases ; th e effect being alw ays in p ro p o rtio n to
th o cause. T h e law of E x h au stio n m u st a s s e rt itself.
I n p assin g th ro u g h th is process of e th e re a lisatio n , you
all aloDg give a certain ten d en cy to th e p a rtic le s of w hich
you aro com posed. T his te n d e n c y will alw ays a sse rt
itse lf ; a n d th u s in every cycle, o r re in c a rn atio n , you
■will have th e sam e ad v an tag es w h ich y ou can alw ays
u tilise to soon be free, au d by re m a in in g lo n g e r in the
N irv a n a sta te th a n the g e n e ra lity of h u m a n ity , you are
com p arativ ely free. So every consciousness, w hich has
been once fully developed, m u st d isin te g ra te , if not
p reserv ed b y tlie p u rity of its successive E g o s till th e
N irv a n a sta te is a tta in e d . N ow I believe th a t th e full
developm en t of m y consciousness as K rish n a , is p ossible
only on th is e a rth , an d th e re fo re if I die b efo re th a t is
done, I m u st bo reb o rn h ere. I f I re a c h th o N irv a n a
s ta te , even th o u g h I am in a n o th e r b o d y , I sh all know
m yself as K rish n a.
Now I suppose th is is sufficient fo r yon. I t is diffi­
c u lt to p u t such ideas on p a p e r. S u c h th in g s a re to be
un d ersto o d in tu itio n a lly .
* * *
• ♦- -
S T R A Y TH O U G H TS O N SO U L.
( From an unpublished, letter o f E lip h a s L e v i.)
G od p l a n t e d a garden, a n d i t is soul w ho is th o
g a r d e n e r th erein .
M oral d efects are tho th o rn s of c re a tio n . I t is g iven
to m an to p lu ck them out.
God m ade a clock, whoso w heels m ay go w ro n g unless
m an w inds th em up. Mini is u n ab le to p erfo rm tho
w ork of God ; God does n o t u n d e rta k e to do th e w ork
of m an. H e lp y ourself, an d God w ill help you.
N a tu ro loft to herself prod u ces ste rile tre e s, m o n sters,
a n d infectious sw am ps. I t is th e d u ty of m an to
s tra ig h te n p la n ts , to co n tro l th o elem en ts, to ta m e an d
p e rfe c t tlio breed of anim als, to d e stro y in fectio n and
fe c u n d a te th e soil w ith p u trid m a tte r.
E vil exists only by defau lt, an d d efalcatio n is alw ays
evil to m an. M an is b o rn to lab o u r, a n d unless he
lab o u rs ho m ust suffer, fo r n a tu ro d ra g s thoso who will
n o t w alk.
I t is th e S ou l th a t com m ands tho sta rry host.
P la n e ts becom e d iseased w henever in h a b ite d b y e rra tic
in tellig en ces. T h e flood was th e n a tu ra l re s u lt of
hum an vices, an d a u n iv ersal co n flag ratio n m ay be tho
consequence of th e w ickedness of its in h a b ita n ts.*
T he fa ta l, o r r a th e r blind E lec tro -m a g n etism is
re g u la te d b y th e in te llig e n t E le c tro -m a g n etism , an d th e
fluidic em an atio n s of vicious circles a re th e alim e n ta tio n
of th u n d er.
Since shadow is necessary th a t lig h t m ay b e p ro d u c­
ed ; since action borrow s all its s tr e n g th from resistan ce ;
n o th in g is useless in th e u n iv erse, n o t even th e dem ons,
n o t even th e dam ned who aro th e convicts b eyond th e
g rav e . H e ll w orks for H eav en , th e b e a sts fo r m an, th e
w icked for th e ju s t men. O ne can do in ju ry to o n e se lf;
one can in ju re oth ers, b u t no one can do absoluto a n d
d efinite in ju ry . H e who m u rd ers, kills h im s e lf;. h e who
*Thia ig ft hint a t tho Cabalistic doctrino th at oar E arth passes
eagh regalnr and periodical cataclysms—from fire and water iu
.— T r a n s i ,
n
oppresses a n o th e r, o p p resses h im se lf; h e who ruins others,
is him self ru in ed ; ho who rescues, saves him self ; lie wiio
teaches, in s tru c ts him self. T h a t action th a t has th e most
influence upon ourselves is th e inflneuce we are exercising
upon o u r n e ig h b o u r. T h u s it w ould be literally tru e to
say th a t selfishness well ord ain ed , b eg in s with o th er
people. I n tr u th , we live in each o ther, an d this is the
reason w hy we feel h ap p y in d o in g good to o th e rs. The
m isery we cause to our b ro th e r g n aw s our h e a rt : we
have to e x p iate th o ir sins a n d we are rew ard ed for th e ir
v irtu es. V ices are con tag io u s a n d good qualities are
p ro p a g a te d by h um an relations. V erily an d indeed, life
is a u n iv ersal com m union.
T h a t com m nnion becom es m oro p e rfe c t as th e soul is
b ein g d ise n g a g e d from its te rre s tria l sh e a th s. T hen
it is no lo n g e r lim ited b y space and tim e. I t rem em bers
E te rn ity an d feels d ila te d in th e infinity. T he anim al
does n o t th in k , b u t, u n d e r our influence, it a c ts as th o u g h
it did. O ur soul an im ates an d directs its body, an d this
k in d of m a g n e tism is know n to th e tam ers.
W e can fix onr w ill even on in anim ate o b jec ts, and
all the science of talism an s depends on th a t prin cip le.
I h ad a rose-bush to w hich I had fixed th e rem em ­
b ran c e of an a b se n t frie n d . I t b e g an w ith e rin g w hen­
ever th a t person w as ill, a n d bloom ed into renew ed life
to g e th e r w ith h e r convalescence.
------ ♦------
A R E C H E L A S “ M E D IU M S ?”
A c c o r d in g to th e new est edition of th o " Im p e r ia l
D ic tio n a ry ,” by J o h n O gilvie, L . L. D . “ A m edium is a
person through w hom the action o f another being is said
to be m a n ifested and tra n sm itte d by a n im a l m agnetism ,
or a person through whom sp iritu a l m a n ifesta tio n s are
claim ed to be m ade ; especially one who is sa id to be capa­
ble o f holding intercourse w ith the s p ir its o f the
deceased.” .
A s O ccultists do n o t believe in an y com m unication
w ith tho “ sp irits of th e deceased” in tb e o rdinary
a ccep tatio n of th o term , for th e sim ple reason th a t thoy
know th a t th e sp irits of " th e deceased” can n o t and do
n o t com e dow n a n d com m unicate w ith us ; an d as tho
above expression “ by a n im a l m agnetism ” would pro b a­
bly have been m odified, if th e ed ito r of th e “ Im p e rial
D ictio n ary ” had been an O ccultist, we th erefo re are
only co n cern ed w ith the first p a rt of th e definition of
th e w ord “ M ed iu m ,” w hich says : “ A M ed iu m is a
person, through whom the action o f another being is said
to be m a n ifested a n d tra n sm itted ;” a n d wo should liko
to be p e rm itte d to a d d : “ B y the either conscious! ij or
unconsciously active w ill o f th a t other being."
I t would be ex trem ely difficult to find on e a rth a
hum an b ein g , who could n o t be m ore or less influenced
b y the “ A n im a l M agnetism ” o r by tho active W ill
(which sends o u t th a t “ M a g n e tism ” ) of a n o th er.
I f th e b e lo v ed G eneral rides along th e fro n t, th e soldiers
becom e all “ M ed iu m s.” T h ey becom e filled w ith e n ­
thusiasm , th ey follow him w ith o u t fear, and storm the
d e a th -d e a lin g b a tte ry . One com m on im pulse pervades
them a ll; each ono becom es th e “ M edium ” of a n o th er,
th e cow ard becom es filled w ith heroism , an d only he,
who is no m ed iu m a t all a u d therefore insensible to
epidem ic o r ondornic m oral influences, will m ako an
ex ception, asso rt his independence and ru n aw ay.
T h e “ revival p rea ch e r” will g o t up in his p u lp it, and
a lth o u g h w h at lie says is tho m o st incongruous n o n ­
sense, still liis actions and th e lam e n tin g to n e of his
voice are sufficiently im pressive to produce “ a chango
of h e a rt” am o n g st, a t least, th e fem ale p a rt of his co n g re­
g a tio n , and if ho is a pow erful m an, even sceptics “ th a t
cam e to scoff, rem ain to p ra y .” P eople go to the
th e a tre and shed te a rs o r “ sp lit th e ir sides” w ith
la u g h te r a c co rd in g to th e c h a ra c te r of th e perform ance,
w h e th e r it be a pan to m im e, a tra g e d y o r a farce. T here
is no m an, ex cep t a g en u in e block-head, w hose em otions
and co n seq u en tly w hose actio n s can n o t bo in flu en ced iu
som e way or o th er, and th e re b y the action of another be
manifested or transmitted through him. A ll m en a n d a ll
women a n d ch ild ren a re th e re fo re Mediums, a n d a
person wlio is n o t a Medium is a m o n ster, an a b o rtio n of
n a tu re ; becau se he stan d s w ith o u t th e pale of h u m a n ity .
T h e above definition can th e re fo re h a rd ly be co n sid e r­
ed sufficient to ex p ress th e m e a n in g of th e w ord “ M edi­
um ” in th e p o p u lar a c c e p tatio n of th e te rm , unless we
ad d a few w ords, and s a y : “ A m ed iu m i s a person
th ro u g h w hom th e action of a n o th e r b e in g is said to be
m an ifested an d tra n sm itte d to an abnormal extent by th e
consciously o r unconsciously activ e will of th a t o th e r
b e in g .” T h is reduces th e n u m b er of “ M edium s” in th e
w orld to a n e x te n t p ro p o rtio n a te to th e space aro und
w hich we d raw th e line b etw een th e norm al an d a b n o r­
m al, a n d it w ill be ju s t as difficult to d e te rm in e who is a
m edium a n d who is n o t a m ed iu m , as it is to say w here
sa n ity ends an d w here in sa n ity b eg in s. E v ery m an has
his little “ w eak n esses,” a n d ev ery m an h as his little
m e d i u m s h i p t h a t is to say , som e v u ln e ra b le point,
b y w hich h e m ay b e ta k e n u naw ares. T h e one m ay
th erefo re n o t be consid ered really in s a n e ; n e ith e r can
th e o th e r be called a “ m ed iu m .” O pinions often differ,
w h eth er a m an is insane o r n o t, a n d so th e y m ay differ as
to his m edium ship. N ow in p ractical life a m an m ay be
very eccen tric, b u t he is n o t co n sid ered in san e, u n til h is
in sanity reach es such a deg ree, t h a t h e does n o t know
nny m ore w h at he is d o in g , a n d is th e re fo re u nable
to ta k e c are of h im self o r his business.
W o m ay e x te n d th e sam e line of re a so n in g to M edium s,
an d say th a t only such p erso n s shall b e co nsidered
m edium s, who allow o th e r b e in g s to influence th em in
th e above d escribed m a n n e r to such an extent that they
lose their self-control a n d have no m ore pow er o r will of
th e ir ow n to re g u la te th e ir own actio n s. N ow such a
relin q u ish in g of self-co n tro l m ay b e e ith e r a c tiv e or
passive, conscious o r unconscious, v o lu n tary o r inv o lun­
ta ry , an d differs a c c o rd in g to th e n a tu re of th e b ein gs,
who exercise th e said activ e influence over th e m edium .
A person m ay consciously a n d v o lu n ta rily su b m it his
will to a n o th e r b e in g a n d becom e his slave. T h is o th e r
bein g m ay b e a hum an b e in g , a n d th e m edium will th en
be his obed ien t se rv a n t a n d m ay be used b y him for
good or for b ad p u rposes. T his o th e r “ b e in g ” m ay be
an idea, such as love, g reed in ess, h a te , jealo u sy , avarice,
o r som e o th e r passion, an d th e effect on th e m edium
will bo p ro p o rtio n ate to th e s tre n g th of th e id ea aud
th e am oun t of self-control le ft in th e m edium . This
“ o th e r b e in g ” m ay b e an elem en tary o r an elem en tal, and
th e poor m edium becom e an ep ilep tic, a m aniac o r a crim i­
nal, T his “ o th e r b e in g ” m ay be th e m an ’s ow n h ig h e r
principle, e ith e r alone or p u t in to ra p p o rt w ith a n o th e r
ray of th e collective universal sp iritu a l p rin c ip le , a n d th e
“ m edium ” will th e n be a g re a t g en iu s, a w rite r, a poet,
an a rtis t, a m usician, an in v en to r, an d so on. T h is “ o th e r
b e in g ” m ay be ono of those e x a lte d b e in g s, called
M ahatm as, an d th e conscious a n d v o lu n ta ry m edium
will th en be c alled th e ir “ C h ela.”
A gain, a p erso n m ay n ev er in h is life have h e a rd tho
w ord “ M edium ’’ a n d still be a s tro n g M edium , a lth o u g h
en tirely unconscious of th e fact. H is actions m ay be
more or less influenced unconsciously by his visible or
invisible su rro u n d in g s. H e m ay becom e a p re y to
E lem en taries or E le m e n ta ls, even w ith o u t k n o w ing
th e m eanin g of th e se w ords, a n d he m ay co n sequently
becom e a th ie f, a m u rd e re r, a rav ish er, a d ru n k a rd or a
c u t-th ro a t, a n d it has o ften e n o u g h b een p ro v ed th a t
crim es freq u e n tly becom e epidem ic ; or ag ain he m ay by
certain invisible influences be m ado to accom plish acts
w hich are n o t a t all co n sisten t w ith his c h a ra c ter such
as previously know n. H e m ay be a g r e a t lia r and for once
by some u nseen influence bo in d u c e d to sp eak th e
t r u t h ; ho m ay b e o rd in arily v ery m uch a fra id a n d y e t
on somo g re a t occasion a n d on th e s p u r of th e m om ent
com m it an a c t of heroism ; h e m ay be a s tre e t-ro b b e r
and vagabond and suddenly do au act of generosity, etc.
F u rth e rm o re , a m edium m ay know th e sources from
w hich th e influence com es, o r in m ore e x p licit term s,
“ the nature of the being, whose action is transmitted
through him,” o r h e may n o t know it. H e m ay be
u n d e r th e influence of his own sev en th prin cip le a n d
im ag in e to be in com m unication w ith a personal J e su s
C h rist, or a s a i n t ; he m ay be iu ra p p o rt w ith th e “ in ­
te lle c tu a l” ray of S h a k e sp e a re and w rite S h a k esp e are an
p o e try , an d a t th e sam e tim e im agine th a t th e personal
sp irit of S h ak e sp ea re is w ritin g th ro u g h him , and th e
sim ple fa ct of h is believ in g th is or th a t, would m ake hia
p o e try n e ith e r b e tte r n o r worse. H e m ay be influenced
by som e A d e p t to w rite a g re a t scientific w ork an d bo
en tirely ig n o ra n t of th e source of his insp iratio n , o r
p e rh ap s im agine th a t it was th e “ s p irit” of F a ra d a y
o r L ord B acon th a t is w ritin g th ro u g h him , w hile all
th e w hile h e w ould b e a c tin g as a “ C h e la /’ a lth o u g h
ig n o ra n t of th e fac t.
F rom all th is it follows th a t th e exercise of m edium ­
ship consists in th e m ore or less com plete g iv in g up of
self-control, a n d w h e th e r th is exercise is good o r b ad ,
dep en d s e n tire ly on th e use th a t is m ade of it a n d th e
purpose fo r w hich it is done- T his ag a in d ep ends on th o
deg ree of k n o w led g e w hich th e m edium istie person pos­
sesses, in re g a rd to th e n a tu re of th e b e in g to whoso
care h e e ith e r v o lu n ta rily o r in v o lu n tarily relin q u ish es
for a tim e th e g u a rd ia n sh ip of his physical o r in te lle c tu a l
pow ers. A perso n w ho e n tru sts in d iscrim in ately th o se
faculties to th e influence of every unknow n pow er, ia
un d o u b te d ly a “ c ra n k ,” a n d can n o t be considered less
insane th a n th e one who w ould e n tru st his m oney a n d
valuables to th e first s tr a n g e r or vagabond th a t w ould
ask him fo r th e sam e. W e m eet occasionally such
people, a lth o u g h th e y a re co m p arativ ely ra re , a n d th e y
a re usually know n b y th e ir idiotic stare a n d by th e fan a ­
ticism w ith w hich th e y clin g to th e ir ig n o ran ce. S u ch
people o u g h t to be p itie d in ste a d of b lam ed, and if ifc
w ere possible, th e y should be e n lig h te n e d in r e g a r d to
th e d a n g e r w hich th e y in c u r ; b u t w h e th e r a Chela, w ho
consciously a n d w illingly lends fo r a tim e his m e n tal
faculties to a su p e rio r b e in g , whom h e know s, a n d in
w hose p u rity of m otives, honesty of p urpose, in te llig en c e,
wisdom a n d pow er he h as full confidence, can be con­
sid ered a " M e d iu m ” in th e v u lg a r accep tatio n of th o
te rm , is a qu estio n w hich h ad b e tte r b e le ft to th e re a d e r
— a fte r a due co n sid e ra tio n of th e ab ove— to decide for
him self.
■ ♦ ----
T H E L A S T OF T E E A LC H E M IS T S *
I h a v e b ee n m uch in te re ste d w ith M r, T . E . A u stin ’s
able an d g ra p h ic le tte r in a co n tem p o rary , of th e life of
M r. K ellerm an , th o last of th e A lch em ists, th a t littlo
m ore, I believe, is k now n of him . I n m y boyhood days,
w hen re d cloaks w ith hoods w ere w orn by our g ra n d ­
m o th ers, I occasionally v isited th e p r e tty and secluded
village of L illey, ly in g p ictu re sq u e ly a t th e foot of L illey
H oo, near th e “ R o a rin g M eg,” ce leb rated in th e h isto ry
of th e neig h b o u rh o o d , a n d a m uch loved seat of th o
pleasu re-seek ers a t P e g s d e n B a rn s, in th e old R om an
Ic k n ie ld way. T he hom e of m y ancestors was in th e
cen tre of th e villag e, a n d th en know n as th e S u g a r
L oaf In n , now th e “ Sow erby A rm s,” a n d e x a ctly
opposite stood a su b sta n tia l-lo o k in g house of somo
p re te n sio n ,th e so litary hom e of tlie A lchem ist, K e lle n n a n .
I can p ic tu re how as seated ro u n d th e old prim itiv e
se ttle , enveloped in tobacco sm oke, w ith ta n k a rd before
* A fow particulars regarding the lifo and labors of Kellerman, of
Lilley, Alchemist, Artist, Florist, &e., giving an interesting interview
between tlio Alchemist and Sir ltichard Phillips* W ith fall descrip­
tion of the Home at Lilley, Luton.
In forwarding the MSS., Mr. Peter Davidson, F. T. S., w rites:—
“ These are all tho details X have been able to collect regarding
Mr. Kellerman. Of courso his ire towards Sir It. Phillips is easily
accounted for, as it was subsequent to his visit and after Sir It. had
published his grotesque account of Mr. K. Luton is a small villago
in Bedfordshire (England). This MSS. has beon chiefly derived from
papers wliich appeared in tho Luton lleporter several yoara ago.
th e m , tho villagers ta lk e d of th e m ysterio u s o ccupier of
th o house over tho way, oach h a v in g som e new sto ry to
com m unicate to his fellows. In th e course of my
p ilgrim age, I havo seen a p ic tu re of th o old Dutch type,
of one of theso places of m y ste ry , w ith its stu lled
crocodile su spended from tho c e ilin g an d w eird m an ip u ­
lato r, su rro u n d ed by m y stic b o ttle s, b lack cats, and
crucible, b u t I havo n ev er scon th e v erita b le in te rio r of
tho homo of th e A lchem ist. I t is said th a t he failed in
e x tra c tin g go ld , a fte r some y e a rs’ tria l, for w im t of
k e e p in g his iiro b u rn in g , an d I d o n ’t know if, like th e
noble P alissy , th o H u g u e n o t p o tte r, he b u rn t up his
fu rn itu re to fuel his furnace, to accom plish his o b ject in
g iv in g to th e w orld some of th e finest w orks of a rt,
w hereas th e y say K ellorm an, th e alch em ist, failed to
achievo success, iu e x tra c tin g gold from coal, o r o ther
substances'.
B osides b e in g an excellent flo rist, sh o ein g his own
race-h o rses, an d m a k in g liis own h a rn e ss, he m u st liave
been a tu rn o r, for a fte r som e y ears, th is s in g u la r placo
was opened, w hen a g re a t m any v arieties of foreign
woods were sold, such as rosew ood, satim vood, m ah o g any-
wood, boxw ood, and som e ivory, w ith a la th e a n d o th e r
th in g s. A t th e dem olition of th e old house, an d on
deepening th e, well, a discovery \ta s m ade of a q u a n tity
of m ixed m etals, found a t tho b o tto m . I t is certa in ly
re fre sh in g to havo a little of th e m arvellous b ro u g h t out
of oblivion, an d w h ith e r lie w ent we know n o t, b n t he
was said to h av e re tire d to his W e s t In d ia u p lan tatio n .
A stro lo g y , M agic, an d A lchem y, will be found to con­
verg e, an d in th e search a fte r th e o b jects w hich 1those
p resen ted , th o g ra n d e st intellects of th e m iddle ag es u n ­
do ubtedly w asted inucli tim e, b u t th e y also discovered
m any tru th s , an d they did so, le t it be observ ed , in a
philosophic sp irit. T he religious to n e, too, of th a t
period b re a th e s out in all theso w orks, a n d it req uires
fa r moro C h ristia n ity than th e .savants of tho p resen t
cen tu ry possess, to com prehend th e p rin cip les on w hich
th e y wcro w ritte u . A cco p tin g , as th e ir a u th o rs d id , th a t
(Jod was in all an d above all, they h eld th a t tlio keys of
know ledgo wero in I lis h an d , an d th a t H o ra re ly gavo
them savo to th o se who w ould b o n elit m a n k in d , b y tlio
re su lt of th e ir labours. B eliev in g th a t an E vil In te lli­
gence existed, g ifted w ith fa r m ore th a n hum an in tellect,
and profo u n d ly versed in th e law s of th a t m aterial
imiverso, a t th e b irth of w hich h e h ad boon p re se n t, thoy
deem ed it fa r from im possible th a t in his cap acity of
T om pter, he m ig h t offer to m an k n o w led g e fo rb id d en
by H eaven , and know ing how deep nnd in satiab le was
th e th irs t fo r know lodgc, th e y saw no im p ro b a b ility in
th e “ evil h e a rt of u n b elief,” b ein g led th n s to seek
satisfactio n for its cravings. T hese, a n d m any reaso n ­
in g s of liko n a tu re , tended to th ro w an a ir of s p iritu ­
a lity over oven th e ir n a tu ra l science, an d to acco u n t
fo r th e adm ission, expressed or im plied, w hich m eets ng
a t every tim o in tlieir w orks, of a close connection
betw een th e visible an d invisible w orlds.
Ono of th e m o st deeply in te re s tin g n a rra tiv e s on
record, is th a t of tho contest of Moses w ith th e E g y p tia n
M agicians, an d to rend th is without. fVeling a stro n g
an d laudab le d os ire to know m oro of tho m en <>f whom
such e x tra o rd in a ry facts a re re la te d , would indicate a
very le th a rg ic state of m ind. H isto ries of dream s and
th e ir in te rp re ta tio n s, of p ro p h ecies and th o ir acco m p lish­
m ent, of w itc h c ra ft and its su p p ressio n , th ro n g tlio
pages of tho sacred volum e, an d all re q u ire s an in to rp re-
la tio n far different to th a t which is freq u en tly fixed upon
them . S au l’s visit to th e w itch of E n d o r, tlio pow ers s u p ­
posed to be inherent, iu S erap h im , tho oracles of the U rim
and Thnm m iui, au d m any of th e p rovisions of Je w ish
codes. I t will be scarcely necessary to say m oro in v indi­
cation of a su b ject lik e our own. In te r e s tin g to tho
theologian an d to th e n a tu ra l philosopher, and to tlio
m etap h y sician an d th e m oralist, th e ro m an ce of acieuco
requires to be k n o w n to be ap p reciated ,
In re p ly to a c o n trib u to r to “ Goldeu H ours,”
M r. A u stin w rites .to th o L u to n Reporter In reply
to your in q u iry re sp e ctin g th e late Mr K ellorm nn, tho
last of th e A lchem ists, I havo m uch pleasure m giving
you all such p artic u lars of hi* h isto ry , as I can re­
inem ber. My earlio st recollection of him was th a t hn
w as re sid in g a t Lilh y, a b o u t th e yeur 1820, but he had
perh ap s r. sided thero somo yonrs before th a t, iu a good
house wiili a w alled g ard e n . H o was then, I believe,
know n on th e ' “ T u rf,” and ho tra in e d his horses on
“ L illy U o o ,” nnd mado his ho rses’ shoes himself. He waa
a h ig h ly learned m an, and of a very ingenious tu rn of
niincK W hen th o K aleidoscope was first in troduced, ha
m ado larg e num bers of them , an d took up m any o th er
novelties as th ey arose. H o was a first ratei gardener,
an d a sto n ish ed tho professors of th e a r t by the m agni­
tu d e and beauty of his productions. T o aid him in l;in
p u rsu it of th e philosopher’s stone, ho em ployed two
y o u n g men a t Lilley, nam ed Fow les, I believe, w ho wore,
I th in k , b lack sm ith s, one of whom ho k e p t altornatoly
w a tc h in g liis lires, and p ro te c tin g his lab o rato ry from
th e ag en ts of the G overnm ent; w hich he im agined alw ays
k e p t up a staff of spies to discover his g re a t seicret.
H is house was b a rric a d e d ; hurdles wero placed on the
to'p of th e b o u n d ary w all, an d nobody Was adm itted
th ro u g h tho o u te r g a te , until he had him self in terro g ate d
th em , th ro u g h a little b a rre d door in tho g a te , and bo
alw ays c a rrie d pistols in his very num erous pockets.
T he only persons I ever knew who w ere received into
tho house was Mr. W a lle r, th e su rg eo n , fo r wliaitn he
seem ed to havo a h ig h regard} and w ith whom he con­
v ersed m uch upon chemifetryj' th e late Mr. W illiam ­
son, find m y late uncle. H e q u arre lled w ith th e
Eow leses, nnd afterw ard s n se d ;to have up our la te in ­
genious tow nsm an, J o h n B rig g , an iron foilnder, b u t
soon discharged him upon a suspicion th a t hd had made
a very w eak p a d lo c k . to his lab o rato ry door, in order
th a t-tlie G overnm ent spies m ig h t easily break iii. Ilo
frequently w ent to London, I believe, and I happened to
be visiting Dr. W a ller one day, wlieu lie re tu rn ed from
L ondon, and lie called a t iny housO. T his m ust have
been d u rin g N apoleon’s exile, or im m ediately a fte r his
de:ith, w hen the y o u n g k in g of ltom e was m uch ta lk ed
ab o u t.: fCellerman had a fine p o rtly figure, d a rk hair, I
th in k bliick, a p iercin g and in te llig e n t eye, and spoke
w ith g re a t fluency and energy upon every subject.
Two of tho p rin c ip al topics w hich excited him wero, I
rem em ber, y o ung N apoleon, whom ho re g a rd e d with
m uch en th u siasm ; a n d tho othor was tlio late Sir
R ich ard Phillips, p u blisher and au th o r, for whose espccial
benefit he c a rrie d a s tro n g supple jac k , to be applied
to tho k n ig h t’s shoulders w henever ho m et him . I am
h a p p y to say th a t I n ev er hearcK th a t they did m eet,
for if he used th e stick w ith as m uch earn estness
as be flourished it before m e, w hen speaking of
liim, the poor scrib e m ust have been speedily a n ­
n ihilated. I fo rg o t to say th a t K ellerm an was a W est
In d ian p ro p rieto r, and I have heard th a t he wns a b ro th e r
of G eneral K ellerm an, ono of N apoleon’s men of renow n.
As I prom ised to tell you nil I could rem em ber, you will
pardon my ad d in g th a t fo r his friends, he alw ays had a
good supply of th e b e st wines nnd sp irits, especially
Jam aica rum . I presnm o he was a sm oker, and I hnd
a present of a dozen of liis pipes from D r. W aller__
and noblo specim ens th ey w ere indeed— tho whole of the
tubes deeply em bossed, an d th e bow ls b earin g the
coat, of arm s of th e K ing of th e N eth e rla n d s.
I have been told th a t he professed to havo made gold.
I never how ever heard .of any one who believed it. I
th in k S ir P ic h a rd P h illip s said ho show ed him a small
b o ttle of w hat lie called “ the E lix ir o f L ife ,” b u t did
n o t tr u s t it in his hands, an d th a t ho told him he had
m ade gold. I do not know w h at becam e of liim,
b u t I prosum o th a t h is riches m elted away under tha
co m bined influence of his crucibles, and depreciation of
-W cst In d ia n p ro p e rty ; ’ A ll I know is: th a t he left Lilloy,
 aud all Lis p ro p e rty was sold, an d it was afterw ard s said
lie wns w o rk in g u n d erg ro u n d , like W ay land fSmitli, a t
som e place in G erm any.”
'I’lie follow ing in te re stin g acco u n t is from a w ork by
th e Rev. H .! C h ristm as, m . a ., f.u.s. “ A few yeai-s ago
a person who p reten d ed to have discovered tb e philoso­
p h e r’s ston e, was living a t L illey, n ear S t. A lbans. S ir
R ichard Phillip s, iu his “ Personal T o u r,” gives an account
of a sin g u la r interview wliich to o k place betw een the
tw o philosophers. H a v in g h e a rd of this g en tlem an ,
w hose nam e was K ellerm an, S ir liich ard called upon
him , aud g iv es the follow ing acco u n t of his reception :—
“ I lam en t th a t I have n o t th e pencil of H o g arth , for
a m ore orig in al figure n ev er wa.s seen. H e was about six
feet h ig h , ami of a th le tic m ake ; on his head was a w hite
n ig h tc a p , and his dress co nsisted of a long g re a t coat,
once g re e n , and he had a s o rt of jockey w aistcoat, with
th re e tiers of p o ck ets. H is m anner was ex trem ely
polite and g ra c e fu l; b u t m y a tte n tio n was chiefly a b s o rb ­
ed by his sin g u lar p hysiognom y, liis com plexion waa
deeply sallow , nnd his eyes la rg e , b lack and rolling.
H e conducted me in to a very la rg e p arlour, w ith a window
loo king b ack w ard , an d h av in g locked th e door and p u t
th e key in his p o ck et, he desired me to be seated in one
of two large arm chairs, covered with sh eep -sk in s. T he
room was a, realisatio n of th e w ell-know n p ic tu re of
T eu ier’s A lchem ist. T h e floor was covered w ith reto rts,
crucibles, alem bis, ja rs, b o ttles in various shapes, in te r­
m ingled w ith old books, piled npon eapcli o th er, w ith a
sufficient q u a n tity of d u st a n d cobw ebs. D ifferent
shelves w ere tilled iu th e sam e m an n er, an d on one side
stood his b ed . In a corner, som ew hat shaded from the
lig h t, I beh eld tw o h ead s, w h ite w ith d a rk w igs on them .
I en te rta in e d no d o u b t, th e re fo ie , th a t am o n g o th er
fancies, lie was en g ag ed in rem ak in g th e sp e a k in g
brazen head of R o g e r Bacon am i A lbertus. H a v in g stated
th e rep o rts which I had h eard relativ e to his w o n der­
ful discoveries, I told h im fra n k ly m in e was a visit
of curiosity, an d stared th a t if what. I h ad heard w ere
m a tte rs of fact, tlie researches of th e an cien t chem ists had
b e e n 4 u n ju stly d erid ed . H e then g av e me a h isto ry of
his studies, m entioned some m en whom I had hap p ened
to know in London, who he alleged had assured him
th a t th ey m ade gold ; th a t h a v in g in consequence ex am in­
ed th e w orks of th e an cien t A lch em ists, and discovered
th e key w hich th e y had stu d io u sly concealed from the
m u ltitu d e , he had p u rsu e d th e ir sy stem , und er the
influence of new lig h ts, and a fte r su fferin g num erous
d isap p o in tm e n ts, ow ing to th e a m b ig u ity w hich th ey
d escribed in th e ir processes, lie had a t la s t happily
succeeded ; had m ade go ld , an d could m ak e aa m uch
m ore as he pleased, over to th e e x te n t of p a y in g off tho
N ational d e b t in th e coin of th e realm . W lien asked to
produco som e of it, lie said, ‘ N o t so, I will show it to
none. I m ad e L ord Liverpool th e offer th a t if he would
introduce m e to th e K in g , I would show it to H is
M ajesty ; b u t Lord Liverpool insolently declined, 011 th e
g ro u u d th a t th e re was no p recedent, and I am th e re fo re
determ ined th a t the secret sh ill die w ith mo. I t is tru e,
th a t in order to av en g e m yself of such co n tem p t, 1 mado
a c o m m n n ic a ti.n to th e F ren ch A m bassador, P rin c e
P olignac, and offered to go to Franco, and to tra n sfe r to
the F ren ch Govomment, th e activ e ad v a n ta g e s of the
discovery ; h u t a fte r d e lu d in g me and shuffling for som e
tim e, I found it necessary to tre a t him w ith th e samo
co n tem p t as the other. Tlie yvorld, S ir, js in my hand-1
and my pow er.’ W ith ivsppt;p to th e universal solvent, th e
a tte m p t to g e t a s ig h t of jt succeeded 110 b e tte r than th e
form er one to seo th e gold, M r. K\ acco u n ted for hav ing
sh u t up his house and g u a rd e d th e w alls, by say in g th a t
all the G overnm ents of E u ro p e h ad endeavoured to g e t
possession of his secrets. To p re v e n t th is he had b u rn t
all his w ritin g s, and placed a sp rin g -g u n a t th e windows,
by m eans of his com bustibles lie could d estro y a whole
reg im en t of so ld iers, if sen t a g a in s t him . H e th e n re ­
lated th a t, as a fu rth e r p ro tectio n , he Jived entirely in
th a t room , and p e rm itted no oue to com e in to his house
w hile he had locked up every room ex cep t th a t, w ith
p a te n t padlocks, and sealed keyholes. T he house w as in
a m ost d ilap id ated state, su rrounded by h ig h w alls,
w ith hurdles 011 th e top. ,
T he v illage of L illey lias undergone a ch ange for th e
b e tte r in its g e u e ra l appearance. N eat G othic d eta c h e d
villa-like residences have sp ru n g up hero and th e re , in ­
ste a d of th e old th a t, hed co ttag es, and a new c h u rc h aru^
vicarage have recen tly been built. T he question is to be
decided w h e th e r if in those days, w hen the villages h ad
m any little h o m e ste ad s, of th e ir own cen tre of hom e
a tta c h m e n ts th a t do n o t now ex ist, a n d w h ich now leave
au ach in g void th e p rese n t can n o t fill u p .”
K ellerm a n b u rn t h is w ritin g s and d isap p eared .
- »------ .
J A M E S P R I C E , M . D ., F . R . S „ A N D A L C H E M I S T ,
G U IL D F O R D .
By P. D a v i d s o n , F. T. S.
As a scquol to my article, “ P ure Gold artificially made,’
which appeared in tlie January and F eb ruary N um bers of
tlie Theosophist, for 1881, 1 now subjoin the following
In the Parish C hurch of Stoke, next G uildford, is a marble
m onum ent with the following inscription :
Near this placo are deposited the remains of
Jam es Price, M . D., v. it. s., son of James
and Margaret Higgenbotliain, who departed
this life ye 31st of July 1783, aged 25 yeara,
‘ H E U ! QUALI S FUAT!' .
This man inherited the fortune, and assumed the name of
liis m aternal nnele, Jam es Price, Citizen, of London. Ho
entered himself at Oriel College, Oxford, whore he took a
bachelor’s degree in Physics. In 1782, he published an account
given in the Theosophist—of some experiments in Mercury,
Silver and Gold, made at Guildford, in May of th a t year, in
presence of Lord K ing, and many other gentlemen, to wlioni
lie appeals for the tru th of his account, w ithout the slightest
fear of contradiction. M ercury was p u t into a crucible,
placed on a fire, and after some ingredients had been added,
a certain red ■powder furnished by him was p u t in. Tho
crucible in due time was cooled, and broken, when a globulo
of yellow m etal was found at tho bottom, which proved to bo
pure gold. In other experiments, a white powder produced
silver, and in others the red powder transm itted the silver
into gold. His experiments and the respectability of tho
spectators of his m anipulations procured him the degree of
M. D., a t Oxford, and an introduction to the KoypI Society,
of which he was made a Fellow. This Society required th at
the supposed pretensions of this new associate should bo
thoroughly sifted, and he was commanded, under pain of
expulsion, to repeat his experiments before a special commit­
tee. Sick .and weary of h eart at such disgusting treatm ent,
he took a d rau g h t of laurel w ater (prussic acid) and ended
his tronbled life a t the early age of 25. In the reading-room
of the L iterary In stitute of this town, is a very fine portrait
of D r. Price, in crayon, by John Russell, R. A., a n d 'in tho
library of the samo institution, aro the two editions of hi*
experiments, in 1782, printed a t the Clarendon Press in
176^ and 83.
------ »----- .
ASTRO LO G Y.
I n tho la s t n u m b er ap peared the review of an ele­
m entary w ork on A strology. I t m ay n o t th e re fo re bo
u n p ro fitab le to say a few words in re g a rd to th e su b je c t
itself. Tlio popular idea seems to be th a t the p lan e ts
and th e s ta rs exercise a certain influence upon th e des­
tin y of man, w hich lho science of A strology can d ete rm in e ;
and th a t th ere are m eans w ithin tho reach of th a t scieuco
w hich can be u:<ed to p ro p itia te “ th e evil s ta rs .” T his
crudo n o tio n , not philosophically understood, leads to two
unscientific fallacies, Oil th e one hand it gives rise to a
belief in the d o c trin e of fa tality , which says th a t m an lias
no free-w ill inasm uch as ev ery th in g is predeterm ined,
an d in th e o th e r it lea d s one to supposo th a t the laws of
N a tu re are n o t im m u tab le, since c e rtain p ro p itiato ry rite s
niay change tho o rd in a ry course of ev en ts. T hese tw o
■
 extreme views induce tlie “ rationalist;” to reject “ Astro­
logy” as a remnant ot' the uncivilized condition of
our ancestors, since as a matter-of-fact student he refuses
(o recognise the importance of ihe saying, “ Heal philoso­
phy seeks rather to solve than to deny.” It is an axiom
*>£ tiie philosophic student that truth generally lies
betweon the extremes. If one therefore proceeds in this
hpirit, he will find that there is yet not au unreasonable
or unscientific hypothesis which can reconcile all these
different views, and which, not unlikely, was wliat the
hncieuts meant by Astrology. Although a study of this
science may euuble one to determine wliat the course of
events will be, it cannot necessarily be inferred there­
from that the planets exercise any influence over that
course, Tho clock, indicates, it does not influence, the
time.' A n d a distant traveller has often to put right his
clock so that it may indicate correctly the time of tlio
{ dace be visits. Thus, though the planets may have 110
land in changing tho destiny of the man, still their posi­
tion may indicate.what that destiny is likely to be. This
hypothesis leads 11s to thc question, “ W h a t is destiny ?”
A s understood by the Occultist, it is merely the chain of
causation producing its corrospondential series of effects.
O 110 who has carefully followed thc teachings of Occult­
ism, as recently given out, concerning D e v a c h a n and
future re-births, knows that every individual i.s his own
creator or his own father, i. e-, our future personality
will be the result of our present mode of living. I 11 tho
name mauuner our present birth, with all its conditions,
is tho tree grown out of fhe germ sown in our past incar­
nations. Our physical and spiritual ■conditions are the
effects of our actions produced 0 11 those two planes irr
previous existences. Now it is a well-known principle
of Occultism that tho onk 1,1 kb which pervades am,
connects all tho bodies in space. All heavenly bodies
have thus mutual relation, which is blended with
mail’s existenco, since ho is but a mieroo.sm in tho
nuicrocosni. lOvery thought, as much as action, is
dynamic and is impressed in the imperishable Book
<‘.f Nature— thc A k a n a , the objective aspect of the
u n m a n ifk st h d i,iFis. All our thoughts and actions thus
produce tho vibrations in space, which mould our future
career. A n d astrology is a science which, having deter­
mined the nature of the laws that govern theso vibrations,
is able to state precisely a particular cr a series of
results, the causes of which have already been produced
by tlio individual in his previous lifo. Since tho present
incarnation is the child of thc previous one, and since there
is but. that o n u l i f e which holds together all tho planets of
the Solarsystcm.theposition of those planets at thetimeof
ihe birth of an individual— which event is tho aggregate
result of the causes sdready produced— gives to the true
Astrologer the data upon which to base his predictions.
It should bo well remembered at the samo time that, just
as the “ astronomer who catalogues the stars cannot add
one atom to the universe,” so also can no astrologer, 110
more than tlio planet, influence the human destiny.
Perhaps the following beautiful passage from that exqui-
mte work of Bulwer Lytton’s— Z a n o n i — may help to
mako the meaning still clearer:—
“ F o r tlio Accom plishm ent of w liatever is g re a t and lofty, tlio
clear perception of tr u th s is th e first re q u isite —tr u th s adapted
to the object desired T he w arrior th u s reduces th e chances
of b attle to com binations alm o st of m athem atics. He cau
predict, a result if he cau b u t depend npon tlio m aterials lie is
forced to employ.”
This necessitates a consideration of the element of
clairvoyance necessary to constitute a true astrologer.
Tlie ancient ] > i » h i to condemn whoso books without
a liearing wa.s till recently a general practice, had by
observation, experiment and deep occult knowledge,
taken account of all coneeivablo combinations of various
causes and determined with mathematical precision almost
to infinitesimal point their effects. But yet, since tho
cosmos is infinite, 110 finite being cau over take cognisance,
o£ n i l tho possibilities of Nature ; at any rato tliey can- .
Dot be committed to writing, since as I s i s tfnvciled says:—
“ to express divine ideas, divine language is necessary.”
Recognising the truth of this most important but unfor­
tunately often neglected axiom, they laid down as tho
first condition of success in astrology a pure life, phy­
sically, morally and spiritually. This wus intended to
develop the psychic capacities of tho astrologer who could
thus sec in Akasa the combinations, not alluded to in tho
written works, and predict their results in tho manner
beautifully illustrated in the above extract from Z a n o n i.
In short, true Astrology is a mathemaiical science,
which teaches us what particular causes will produce
what particular combinations, and thus, understood in ita
real significance, gives 11 s the men,us of obtaining tho
knowledge how to guide our future births- True, such
astrologers there are but few : but are we justified in con­
demning the science of electricitbecause there may bo
very few real electricians ? W e must uot at the samo
time lose sight of the fact that although there are
numberless combinations which must bo determined by
tip* psychic vision of tin* astrologer, there are yot a very
large number of them wliich have been determined and
put 0 11 record by tiie ancient sages. It is these cases
which battle us when we find that somo astrological calcu­
lations prove correct while others are quite besido tho
mark.
------» -----
P R A C T IC A L IN S T R U C T IO N S FOR ST U D E N T S
OF O C C U LTISM .
II.
T hk P onvkr o f W il l .
T l i o W i l l if* t h n f i r s t o f a l l p o w e r s ; f o r t h r o u g h t h o w i l l o f the
B i i j U ' c m c e a u ^ o a l l t h i n g s c a m e i n t o e x i s t e n c o . — Van llrhaoiU.
T hu m i s t a b s t r u s e m e t a p h y s i c a l p ro b le m s be com e so m e­
tim e s c o m p a r a ti v e ly easy to c o m p r e h e n d , if we c o n tin u a lly
k eep in m in d , t h a t m a n is n o t iin, is o late d in d iv id u a lity ,
s e p a r a te d fr o m th e o t h e r in d iv id u a litie s by w hich he is s u r ­
ro u n d e d ; but, t h a t he is on e of tho c e n tr a l focusses of a
u n iv e r s a ll y diffused d iv i n e essence o r “ M in d t h a t his
sp h ere" in t e r m in g l e s , influences o r is influenced by not, only
overy o t h e r in d i v i d u a l i t y in tho i m m e d i a te v icin ity of its
c e n tr a l focus, c a lle d th e p h y sic a l body ; b u t t h a t his soul,
like tho sun w liich r a d i a t e s its li g h t to th e m o s t d i s t a n t
p la n e ts , se n d s its influence to a g r e a t e r o r less e x t e n t to all
o t h e r souls, a n d is fe lt by' t h e m a c c o r d i n g to its p o w e r to
g iv e a u d , a c c o r d i n g to tlieir c a p ac ity , to receive.
W ill is t h e p o w er, w hich M i n d possesses o v e r its ow n
o p e ra tio n s. M in d b e in g a n u n iv e r s a ll y e x is tin g p rin cip le,
m u s t bo a b le to e x h ib i t its p o w ers w h e r e v e r M i n d exists, a n d
to p u t W ill iu to ac tion , w h e r e v e r it ca n s u f f i c i e n t l y c o n c e n ­
t r a t e tho s a m e . T h e ac tio n of th e W i l l is th e r e f o r e no t
n ecess a rily confined w ith i n th e lim its of t h e m a t e r i a l body ;
b u t as SI ind e x p a n d s, so e x p a n d s tlic field of its a c ti v it y , aud
if sufficiently de velo pe d, i t will be a b le to ex ercise }ts in f lu ­
ence a t lo ng d is ta n c e s u p o n a n i m a t e a n d oven u n d e r c e rt a in
c ir o u m s ta n e c s u p o n i n a n i m a t e ob jects.
O c c u lt scienco has lo n g ag o d isco vered th e fac t, a n d it hag
alw a y s boon affirm ed by t h e g r e a t e s t t h i n k e r s of th o ages,
t h a t th e r e ex ists o n ly one absolute reality, tlie s u p r e m e cause
of e v e r y t h i n g t h a t ex ists, a n d t h e u ltim a te of e v e ry th in g .
I n it,self it i.s u n c h a n g e a b l e , b u t it a p p e a rs to us in d if fe re n t
s t a te s a n d i n n u m e r a b l e fo r m s. S o m e call it God, som e call
it M a t te r , so m e call i t F o rc e , a n d o th e r s call i t S p i r i t . I t is
to u s n e c e ss a rily as i n c o m p re h e n s ib le as a b s o l u te Spa-cp,
Motion, a n d Duratimt, b ec au sc th e s e a b s t r a c t id e a s r e f e r to
In f in ity a n d P e r f e c ti o n a n d c a n n o t bo fu lly u n d e rs to o d by
fiiiitc a n d im p e r f e c t m in d s.
A c c o r d in g to P la t o , th e p ri m o rd i a l B e in g is a n e m a n a tio n
of th e D e m iu r g ic M in d , wliich c o n ta in s fr o m e t e r n it y the
id e a o f t h e “ to be c r e a t e d ” w o rld w i t h i n itself, a n d w h ic h
id e a l i e p ro d u c e s o u t of H i m s e l f b y t h e p o w e r of H is -will,
T h c C o s m o s 1 is lo o k e d u p o n a s c o n s i s ti n g of W il l a n d its
M an ifestatio n .
1 T h e m a n ife s ta tio n s of t h a t co sm ic W ill r e s u l t c it h e r in.
fo rm les s ex h ib itio n s of p o w e r, o r th o y t a k e fo rm s, w h ic h
m a y be' classified in to t h e e le m e n ta l , m i n e r a l , v e g e ta b le ,
aiiim al, h u m a n o r s p i r i t u a l k in g d o m s , a n d w h ic h fo r m s a ro
a l w a y s c h a n g i n g and th e r e f o r e a r e called illu siv e. Whether
their existence is confiucd to a sceond of time, or extended
over millions of ages, thoy are nevertheless im perm anent
creations of the moment, ancl liko a phantasm agoric picture
thrown upon ft screen hy the rays of a “ magic lan tern ,”
they dissolve, when tlio light,'w hich forced them into exist­
ence, ceases to act, and the duration and solidity of their
existence depend on the am ount of tim e during which tlioy
aro acted on by th a t ligh’t and ou the am ount of intensity of
£he samo.
. The natu ral universe itself is only a product of the eternal
and universal mind, projected into existence by the omnipo­
tent power of the same. I t is the “ m aterialisation” of a
divine idea, and appeal's to man in an objective form. Such
forms may bo visible or invisible to the eye of m an ; because
their visibility depends on th e ir power to reflect light, and
tlieir tauyibility depends on the density of th eir substance,
juvisible gases, such as Oxygen aud N itrogen, have been
qoliditied and therefore been rendered visible and tangible,
and tlie most solid substances are made invisible and intan­
gible by the application of heat.
The products of the action of the cosmic W ill are therefore
not all visible to ns ; in fact we can see nnder ordinary cir­
cumstances only a small p art of their sum . No one doubts
th at there is an immense am ount of iuvisiblo m atter in the
universe, w hether comet,ary or otherwise ; b u t there is also
a superabundance of iucisiblu organised form s in liatnre.
B ulwer L ytton in his “ Z anoni” says :—
" Life is tho onu all-poi'viuling principle, ami oven tha thing that
Bccnid to <iic nmi putrefy, but eni*cmlors new lifo aiul changes to now
forma of matter, lioasoning then by analogy—if not a leaf, if not a
jjrop of water, but is, no less than yonder star—a habitable and breath­
ing world —nay, if cveu mail himself ia a world to other livos, and
millions aud myriads dwell in tho rivers of hia blood, and inhabit
Qian's framo as man inhabits earth, common senso (if your schoolmen
had it) would sutlice to teach th at the circumfluent Infinite, which you
cull space—tho boundless Tmpalpable, which divides earth from Lho
moon and stars—is tilled also with its correspondent aiul appropriate
life.”
And fu rth er on he says :—
“ Iu tho din)) of water you see how tho animalcula) v ary ; how vast
and terrible are somo of thoso mousterniiros as compared with others.
Equally ao with tlie inhabitants of the atmosphere. Some of surpassing
wisdom, soimi of horrible malignity ; some hostilo as tieuds to man ;
ethers gentle as messengers between Earth and Heaven."
Our “ practical and scientific” age is only too ready to look
upon the above quotation as the fanciful effusion of a pro­
minent story-teller, whose object it was to amuse himself
aud the public; and the w riter of this present article has
neither the means nor the desire to convince sceptics, and to
demonstrate to them the existence of the so-called elemeu-
tals. lie lias, however, reason to believe that, such invisible,
but substantial and variously shaped, beings oxist, and that
they, by the educated will of man, can bo made conscious,
intelligent, visible and even solid and sometimes useful.
This assertion is supported by the concurrent testimony found
in the writings of Itosicrucians, Alchemists, Cabbalists aud
Adepts.
W ill is a universally existing principle, and tlie reason
why the scientific world generally has not yet come to an
understanding of this principle, is because there is never to
be found any arbitrary m anifestation of the .same , neither
could there be any such arbitrary m anifestation, because
'Will, guided by immhtable laws, acts like a blind force. I t
evolves forms cither consciously or unconsciously according
to the principle by which it is guided, and is subject to law.
I. guided by the higher cosmic intelligences, it m ust be sub­
ject to the law of harm ony and justice and cannot bo
arbitrary. I t will perhaps be well, here again to refer to
Itulwer Lytton, when ho exclaims : “ How all our wisdom
shrinks into nought, compared willi th a t which gives the
weariest herb its virtues.”
As the inacroeosmie Will of the solar system consciously
or unconsciously evolves forms,so docs the W ill of microeosmio
man. If we form a concrete or even an abstract idea in
our mind, we give it a skape and create an existence, which
may either remain subjective or become objective, and even
material according to the means applied for th a t purpose,
livery thought creates a subjective form, which may lie seen
and perceived not only by the originator of that thought ;
but also by other persons endowed with abnorm al faculties
of perception. M ahatm a K . 11. in his letters to M r. S in nett
says;—
u Wo seo ft vaBt difference between tho two qoalitics of two equal
amounts of energy expended by two men,1of whom one, let us suppose,
id on Uia way to hia {Daily quiet work, and another ou liis way to
denounce a fellow creature at tlio police station.”
And fu rth e r on be says :— .
“ Because every thought of man upon being evolved passes into
another world, and becomes an active entity by associating itself,
qoaNscing wo might term it, with an olemental—that is to qay, with
ono or' the sem i-intelligent forces of the kingdoms. It survives as an
active intelligence—a creature of tlie mind's begetting—for a longer or
shorter period, proportionate with the original intensity of the corcbrft)
action which generated it. Tims a good thought ia perpetuated as ar>
active, beneficent power, an evil ono as a maleficent demon. Aud so
man is continually peopling his enrrent in space with the offspring q(
his fancies, desires, impulses and passions ; a current which re*acti
upon any sensitive or nervous organisation* which cumcs in contact
with it, in proportion to its dynamic intensity. The Buddhist calls this
hi.* “ Skandhaj” the Hindu gives it the narno of “ Karina.” The
adept evolves these shapes consciously j other men throw thom off
unconsciously.”
W hile w riting these lines we notice in an American Jo u r­
nal a curious illustration of the above, and of wliich we will
give the following extract from an account given by
W . W hitw orth :*—
From my earliest infancy I was said to bo an odd, queer tempered
child, with exquisite sensitiveness to all outward impressions. I woll
remember tho wonderful development th at sprang into being, whed
1 attended a musical party during my fourteenth year. A German
professor was playing ou au organ, when I was suddenly spell-bound*
as my eyes became rivettcd on a host of strange appearances moving
about the keyboard, that seemed to dart up aud flit about with each
note and chord echoing forth. They were veritable beings—Lilliputian
sprites, fairies or gnomes of astonishing smallness, yet as perfect in
form and feature as any of tho larger people in the room. They wcr*
clothed in the most fantastic garb, ot every imaginable color, though,
white, red and green wero largely predominating, along with a g reat
deal of shimmering silver and gold ornaments, mingled with the gayest
and most, beautiful flowers.
It was also apparent that theso strango beings wero divided into
Boxes, as was shown in their different style of apparel and features.
Not a note was struck that did not produce its separato sprito, either
singly or in combined twos and threes, and which seemed to start up
directly, each from its appropriate key, and move about in exact timo
and concert with tho rest. The thought struck me : ‘ Aro theso tho
essence or soul of music P' They appeared and acted in such perfect
accord with the measure aiul sentiment of tho theme, moving to ihu
pleasing rhythm of tho waltz, the solemn tread of the funeral march or
tho swift coated rattlo of the jig-dance ; their tiny throats giving voico
to the tunc, so th at it seemed as if thoy must be tho very spirit of the
sounds pooling forth.
In tho quick measures, how madly they danced, waving their plumed
hats and fans in very ecstasy, aud darling to and fro in inconceivable
rapidity, with feet beating time in rain-like p atter of accord. Quick
as a Hash, when the music changed to tho solemn cadenco of a march
for tho dead, the airy things vanished, aud in their plaec came blaoU-
robed gnomes, dressed like cowled monks, sour-faced Puritans or muted
in the black garb of a funeral procession. Strangest of all, on evory
tiny face waa expressed the sentiment of tho music, so th at I could
instantly understand tho thought and feeling that was intondcd to b®
conveyed* In a wild burst of sounding ^rief came a rush of mothers.,
tear eyed and with dishevelled hair, beating their breasts and wailing
piteous lamentations over their dead loved ones. Theso would be
followed by plumed knights wiih Rhield and spear, and hosts o^ fiery
troops, mounted aud on foot, redhanded in tho fiery strife of bloody
battle, as the clang of umitial music came leaping from the keyboard,
and over as each change brought its new set of sprites, tho old one*
would vauish into the air a.s suddenly as they had comc. Whenever a
discord was struck, tho tiny sprito that appeared was some misshapen
oreature, with limbs and dress aw ry; usually a hump-backed dwarf,
whose voice was guttural aud rasping, and his every movement
ungainly and disagreeable.
Iu my twenty-lifth year I was just as suddenly transfixod in
astonishment, by the appearance of such fairy like beings, coming from
the lips of persons talking. With evory uttered word darted forth one'
of theso strange creatuies, clothed, and in overy action tho very
counterpart of tho feeling c<>moycd in lhe uttered speech. It was on
the occasion of hearing the conversation of two sisters, who had beon
long separated, and were now pouring forth their unchecked wealth of
affeeti"n for each other. The littlo iieimrs that trooped from thoir lips
wero transceudentidly beautiful, aiul fitly expressed in form, features’
and attire the words of lovo that seemed to bring them forth.
On one ncver-to-be forgotten occasion, I was a pained witness to a
scene of living faithfulness on one side, and a treacherous double faced
treacherous duplicity on tho other. A fair young girl and her depart­
ing lover had met to exchange greetings, ore ho wont on a distant
journoj’. Each word of hers gave forth the samo beautiful radiant
fairies I had seen from the lips of the sisters. But while the front
half of his that were turned to the girl, were equally fair to look npon,
aud smiled with all the radiant seeming of undying affection, tho rear half
of each was black and devilish, with fiery snakes and red forked tongues
protruding from their cruel lips, as gleams of wicked cunnimr .danced
in sneaking sidelong glances from the corners of tho half closed cyo8.
These dark backgrounds of the little figures were horrible to look at, ever
shifting, dodging aiul seeming to shut up within themselves, as they
sought to keep only bright and honest seeming towards tho trusting
girl, and hold the black deception out of sight. And it waa noticeable,
that while a halo of cloudless radiance surrounded tho good outside
Beeming, a pall of thick vapor hung liko a canopy of unbroken glooia
above tho other.
Most beautiful of all wero tho tiny sprites tliat flew from tho liprf
of a fond mother to her only child. They seemed to iloat in a fleecy
* Keligio rhiloaophical Journal.
 oloud of whitest silver, and fall into the bonny cnrU of the child’s head,
sprinkling flowers and aweot incense in h ceaaeless shower of blessing
all dowri to its feet. But terrible was tho change, >vhon I sa'v tho
horrible imps thnt leaped forth from the cruol month of an ungrateful
son. Tho tcar-dimined mother waa softly pleading with him. Tho
Coarse sharp response of an ingrate brute dnrted forr.h in forms liko
fiery fiends, with hissing breath nnd lowering eyes; and as the long
blatfed barbed knives that seemed to tear and rend tho soft whito
bosom of the mother to pio^es, as it was th ru st to the hilt with every
littered word, tho sweet lowing sprites, that came from her quivering
lipa, wOre thrust aside nnd dashed to pieces on the walls beyond.
' The doublo faced gnomes I saw como forth from scores of Ups, from
those of tiie time-serving, lying minister in the pulpit, from glad-
henrted peoplo, hanging around the bod of a wealthy relative, with
hypocritical tears and false words of sorrowing regret, aud from tho
deceptive utterances of deceitful friends.
In conclusion X would suggest: it m ay b e that our every uttered
word is tin absolute living entity, sent forth for wenl or woe,
whose mission, once started, can never after be changed, but must go
on through tho agos, performing the work of good or ill wo established
with its birth ; and th at tho fruil.a of this good or ill must bo churned
to those who sent it f -rth. In view of l hia fearful possibility, wliat
ft constant guard shouM wo keep, tlmt. no word, however light iu seem-
lUg, is launched forth on any other mission but th at i-f goo«l.
B ut it is asserted by tlio sceptic tliat such exhibitions of
forco liave 110 objective existence, and th at sucli forms aro
only subjective creations of tlie fancy. Let us therefore
examine what is the difference between objective and sub­
jective representations p
The te rms “ objective” and “ subjecf ive” aro misleading,
nnd the distinction belwecn them is only im aginary. Sub-
jeclive and objective” ix p riss the distinction, whieh in
analysing every intelligent act, we necessarily make between
ourselves tho conscious subject, and th a t of which we aro
conscious, the object. I t follows, therefore, th at w hether
a form appear objective or subjective to us, will only depend
on the circumstances, under which such exist iny forms como
to our consciousness, and it is a m atter of choice w hether wo
desire to consider them objective or subjective. Persons
■who cannot distinguish between ideal conceptions anil
materialized ideas are called hallucinated ; b u t by the power
of an educated Will their “ hallucinations” may become more
or less materialized, objective and visible to others. An idea
oncc formed has an existence, and can take a bodily form,
if the proper means to th at effect arc applied. Ou tho
other hand a person who declares that he does not believe
in the existence of anything that lie lias not seen, d e d an s
himself to be insane ; for if wc accept his words as au
honest expression of liis opinion, such a man would not
believe th at lie has any brains, because he has never seen
them. However he believes th a t lie has brains, and arrives
a t that belief by logical reasoning.
I t cannot be truly said tliat only those things have any
objective existence whjoh we can perceive with our senses ;
for our senses continually deceivc and mislead ns. Thero
nre innumerable things the existence of which no sane person
will deny; while th at which we perceive with our senses fre­
quently has 110 existence a t all. In fact, we do not see, hoar,
feel, taste or smell any external object; we only perceive the
impressions which they make upon our mind through the
medium of our senses. We do not sec t.he rca’. nature of the
things i.t ali, but only their symbolical representations.
S ight is a language by whicli nature speaks to our mind
and our understanding, the same is a result of education and
practice.
B u t it is said t h a t “ o b je ctiv e” is s o m e th i n g b e lo n g i n g to
w h a t is e x te r n a l to t h e “ m in d .” I f m a n w e re 1111 iso lated
in d iv id u a lity , a n d his “ m i n d ” only co nliucd to th e spacc in
th e h u m a n sc;u11 occupied by t.he b ra in , o r if it w ere— as
som e physio log ists will, hav o it— only a “ f u n c t io n ” of tho
m a te ria l b rain , th is definition might*, hold good, a n d we m i " h t
th en p e r h a p s b e tte r soy : O b je c tiv e is s o m e t h i n g b e lo n g i n g
to w h a t is e x t e r n a l to o u r b r a i n . ”
1 be la te st nioc]ern a u t h o r i t y on t h e P h y s i o lo g y a n d P a t h o ­
logy of th e “ M i n d ” * s a y s , “ T h e b ra in is th e c h ie f o r g a n
fro m w hic h tin; force called th e m i n d is e v o lv e d .” A n d
by in ind, I understand a forco produced by nervous action,
and in m ail especially by the action of tlie brain.” Such a
imi row-vimdtd definition of course excludes or renders impQS-
Riblo every explanation of occnit phenomena, such as mirnl-
rpading, action of mind in the distance, clairvoyance and
hnndred other facts, which are denied belief by modern
“ scientists, ’ because they do not conform with th eir theories,
b n t wliich are at present disputed by nobody who has
patiently investigated tho samo.
_ * Professor W, A., Upnioipnd, “ A Treatise on Insanity,’*
I t is not our object a t present to demonstrate the absur­
dities of modern science ; it will be sufficient for our present
purpose to say th at “ Mind is a universal principle, which
can be focnlised in lhe brain, and the brain is at once the:
physical centre of attraction and the laboratory of the Mind."
If this is true, if mind is universal, arid if its potentiality
reaches out far beyond the limits of the physical brain, then
it follows th a t eveiything that, exists must exist within th at
universal mind, and it is only a question of what conditions
are necessary to bring those things to the cognition of our
consciousness in tlie silent laboratory of the individual brain.
Tbo phenomena of sym pathy, antipathy, clairvoyance,
clairandience, psychometry, etc., prove th a t tho part of our
mind which resides in the brain is capable of receiving
impressions otherwise than by tlie avenues of the physical
senses only. I t is therefore simply a m atter of judgment to
say under w hat conditions the things-w hich wo cognizo
exist. W hat mny appear subjective to one man or to ono
plane of existence, may appear objective to another, and
there can be 110 real difference between the two states. The
only dilference th a t can exist between an idea formed in
the mind, and one that is expressed in visible and tangible
form, lies in their different planes of existence. In one con­
dition the idea exists invisible to physical eyes, in the other
the idea is more or less materialised, so as to bo able to reflect
light and thereby come to the cognizance of our physical
senses. This materialisation i.s effected by the either consci­
ous or nnconsoious action of the Will, or in other w ords: An
idea exists ns an image in the mirror of the Mind, and by th»
exercise of W ill th at idea obtains density proportionate to
the am ount of will-power exerted for th at purpose, a form
according to the desire whicli guides tbo Will, and a perfec­
tion according to the intelligence by whioh it is applied.
How to develope this will-power will bn the subjcct of our
next discussion.
------»----- .
(Continued from the last Number. )
M A G IC O N:
Or the Secret System of a Society of Unknown Philosophers.
IV .
R eligion.
T he animal never rises above the sphere of its sensuona
desires; but man only finds true happiness and contentm ent
in the contemplation of th a t which is above th a t sphere. Ilo
feels an inw ard necessity to satisfy bis desires for the Divine,
and to give this satisfaction is the objcct of religion. Man
rises up to God by means of his religious aspirations, and
man’s nature becomes elevated in tlic samo proportion as his
religious ideas bccome elevated, expanded and pure. An
investigation into the relationship existing between man and
religion, leads to the adoption of the following points :
1. Religion is natural and necessary for man, and an
examination of ancient nnd modern history will prove tho
truth of this assertion.
2. Religion is as old as mankind. The principles of
religious systems cannot be a result of invention or arbitrary,
presum ption; tlieir germ must, be necessarily regarded as of
divine origin. I t has withstood all the revolutions of nature,
arid only its aspect, has changed according to the various
necessities or capacities of the people and the condition of
their civilisation j but true religion is more than simply a
code of morals.
15. True religion can be only ono, and there can be only
one truo religion, because there is only one principle of per­
fection. U nity,—the law of true religion—requires a per­
fect harmony between sensuous and intellectual man. •
The divino light, which illuminates man, is for every man
ono and tlie same, and the differences between the various
religions systems, nro caused by tlie different aspects ia,
which this light is seen by different people.
. The truth is one, but tho forms in which it appears, differ.
Every individual man, no m atter where lie lives or
what he believes, can be a temple in whieh the divine spirit
will reside. Wisdom is attainable to all, and the attainment
of wisdom by nil re-establishes nvily,
4. Man rises v.p to tho divine light of love and wisdom by
means of liis religious ideas, and bccomes thereby more and
more susceptible to beneficent influences. Man, like every,
other thing in natnro, is subject to natural laws, and accord­
ing to these he partakes to a certain extent of the nature of
the influences w ith which he associates. There have been
 a t all times men who rose higher than others to the divine
source, and to whom we may look as upon our guides and
teachers. The revelations and traditions which wo have
received from such men are laid down in the history and
religions of all nations, and in all of them can a certain
sim ilarity and uuity be traced. W e may therefore look upon
such men as divine agents.
5. Divinity can become accessible to man by means of together. The arbitrary separation of the two parts of th at
these divine agents, or, in other words, the divine ray by
passing through those media or agents becomes tinctured
with the color which is appropriate to each of them, else it
would for ever remain incomprehensible to man. Some of
the angels and prophets may havo existed as hum an beings,
but they all are i-epresentations or symbols of forces or per­
fections which primordial man originally possessed.
C. By means of these divine agents a communication of nse our reason properly, we m ust “ divinise” our own heart and
thought has been established from the highest to the lowest.
A mode of instruction was thoreby made possible, by which
those who did not possess sufficient power to rise, could be
lifted up by their guides, and by which they could receive
information in regard to tho nature of things and the history
of mankind.*
7. The divine agents or messengers selected in all times
certain men, to whom they communicated their knowledge,
and through those men the various colored light was shed
over the different parts of the globe ; partly by oral instruc­
tion, partly by tradition by means of symbols, arts or usages.
These traditions have iu tbe course of time become so
perverted as to be often almost unrecognizable, and giving
rise to innumerable sectarian differences.
8. The science and history of man comprise therefore
tbe origin aud object of Mythology and Symbolism. Much
is fanciful in these systems, but in those of the oldest
nations an identity cau be traced.
A large part of these mythologies have their origin in
superstition, and in others the true original meaning has been
lo s t; but sufficient tru th remains to show th at the oldest
inhabitants of our globe conceived tho destiny of man to be
a higher one, than simply to pass through certain chemical
and physical processes. They are all relating to the origin
of man, the laws of his existence and his destiny, and give us
& more or less correct history of the visible and the invisible
universe.
9. The celebrated ancient mysteries with th e ir doctrines
aud initiations took their origin from theso old traditions,
handed down from antiquity by the sages and their disciples.
The perpetuation of these mysteries was necessary, and tlie
secrecy by which they wero Burrounded was duo to the desiro
of guarding them against profanation and to keep them
intact in their original purity.
10. Oue of the oldest and most reliable of the histories
of antiquity is th at of the H ebrew s.f The Cabala gives a
very clear conception of cosmogony, aud the esoteric mean­
ing of their symbolism is extremely beautiful. U nfortu­
nately its esoteric sense is a t present very little understood
even by the Hebrews themselves or their Rabbis, and has
been still more perverted and obscured by the imperfect
translations mado from the original text.
V.
S cience.
The retrocosBion of Man, from the true source of light,
has rendered it more difficult for him to obtain true know­
ledge, because to obtain th a t knowledge hp m ust have the
light of truth as a guide. Nevertheless a certain degree of
true knowledgo must be attainable to man, becauso every
being is subject to a certain and unchangeable law.
Tho possibility of this attainm ent finds its basis not only
in the intellectual germ% in man, which is as unchangeable in
its intrinsic) nature as the principle from which it originated,
but also in the fact th at man, in consequence of his two-fold
nature, resembles a mirror, in which all the laws of the sen­
sual and intellectual realms are concentred. Therefore tho
knowledge of man is the basis of eyery other knowledge ; ho
* Theso agents are the Dhyan Chohana. The first teacher who Ac.
taught the principles of tbe ancient Wiiidom-Religion on this
pl&net, says tho occnlt doctripe, wfis a phyan Chohan. A Dhyan
Chohan will appear again on this planet aa a teacher and guru at the bo no result, either in the Intellectual or Physical. From,
end of tho 7th root-race— T. S. . the I, the real possibility of existence, and the II, the energy
t At the time this book was written, the mythology and traditions
of the Hindus and Egyptians wero little known.-—Tram.
1 Thp gorm is in foot the 6th principlo in man, in which hia higher m ents : Earth, Water and F ir e ; (b) the three actions.
individuality resides,—T. S.
who perfectly understands man, understands the laws of tho
Intellectual and Sensual and can explain everything. I a
the study of man, however, we m ust be careful not to con­
found the Sensual with the Intellectual, and to ascribe to
the one th a t which belongs to the other.
There is in fact only one science, it includes the In tel­
lectual and the S ensual; and both realms have to be studied
oue science has given rise to the birth and growth of bo
many false systems and doctrines and contradictory conclu­
sions. W henever man desires to arrive at the tru th in
regard to the intellectual w ithout using the means given to
him by nature for th at purpose, he invariably falls into
e rro r; and it is no less dangerous to attem pt to study tha
sensual w ithout the light of the intellect. If wo desire to
thereby enable it to approacli the source of all light, which
is higher than hum an reasoning.
The false study of the sensual gives rise to materialism'
and the false study of the intellectual leads to superstition *
but true science m ust deal more with principles than merely
w ith the phenomenal aspect of things. Both extremes ara
dangerous ; because in one case we crawl like a worm over
our path w ithout seeing to where it leads; in the other casa
we soar above it and become lost in the clouds. True know­
ledge can only be obtained by rig h t discrimination and by
taking into consideration tho laws of tho Sensuous tho
Intellectual and the Divine, by which alone man can becomo
free and retu rn to the universal source of L ight and T ruth.
. The Science of Numbers.
The entire system of the universe rests npon certain
primordial and basic principles, from which result the sub~
stance, shape and action of everything th at exists. Theso
basic prii»*iples are called the numbers of nature. W hoever
comprehends them, understands the laws by which naturo
exists, the proportions of her component parts, the manner and1.
measure of her activity, the connecting link of all causes and
the mechanism, of the Cosmos.
Those numbers aro not arithm etical symbols, but truo
principles ; they are the basis of all truo scienco anil of all
intellectual understanding.
The subject under our consideration is of infinite extent and
can only be understood by the infinite Minil, who encom­
passes within himself the chain of all causes, proportions and
effects, and human language is too imperfect to fully express
the same. Every effect is the result of an energy, and th at
energy the expressiou of a power. The quantity of power
expended, corresponds to the essential, and tho quantity of
energy to the potential number. Principle and Form aro
two poles, which are united by tho link of Number. By our
senses we receive certain impressions from the sensuous action
of things, and by our reason we receive ideas of their invisible
positions and term inations, if we are able to grasp them. Tho
Intellectual as well as tho Sensuous has number,
inpasure and weight, b u t thoy can only be comprehended by
our reason or intuition.
The numbers of the universe are infinite, but tlieir move­
ment is simple and straight, becauso everything rests upon
the primal numbers : 1— 10. Theso numbers are contained
in th e four basic numbers (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 1 0 ) which fact indica­
tes the sanctity of tho square, the symbol of divinity in man.
A few remarks about the meaning of the numbers.
I. The number 1 represents : 1- Absolute unity, the essenco
and the universal centre of all Being. 2. Tho centres
or principles of all individual unities, which are not absoluto
and necessary ; b u t only direot or indirect eradiations of tbo
absolute unity.
II. Signifies : 1- Tho absolute unity in a stato of motion oi?
progression, as an eradiation or reflection of 1. 2, Light, or
an em anating ray. 3. The origin of all things, tho projection
of the Divine into the Intellectual. 4. The double law of
action and reaction, male and female, positive and negative,
I I I . Is tho number of results■ 1. W ithout Threo there can
and reaction, results I I I , the product or form. 2. The con­
stitution of bodies, formed (a) of the bases of the three ele­
Action, Reaction and Cause. 3. Tho immaterial, but not
'/kinking universal .principle (Will ?). The num ber of un­
thinking, but immaterial beings (Elem entals ?) is. rep re­
sented by 3 X 3 = 9 . , . \ proportions of m a tte r; bnt if we attem pt to apply the same
IV . Is tbe num ber of perfection. 1.: I t is the symbol of
the divine square, the thinking universe. 2. The symbol of
tbe square of time. 3. Tlie representation of tlie intellec­
tual man in his primordial condition ; and 4, the symbol of
the universe, North, South, East and West. t
V. This num ber may bo regarded either as 1 -j-'i, or as
2 + 3, or as 4 + 1 , and its aspect differs accordingly.
Five is neccssary for the harmony of a perfect accord ; but
in another aspcct it is terrible and represents the principle
of evil in its battle with good. I t is the symbol of idolatry,.
superstition nnd fear, which can only b e c o m e moderated by
the combination with 6. I t is the num ber of suffering and
death, and whoever remains, with it becomes a victim of the
terrible power of 05. ■. , .
VI. Is not a perfect number, but good for sensuous
results. By G as the symbol of .2 x 3 visible nature came
into existence. I t is the symbol of temporal and change­
able existence. , w ithout extension, still even the sensuous indicates a motion
V II. Consists out of 3 + 4 ; 4 + 3 ; or 6 + 1, I t repre­
sents tho seven princijiles in their different combinations, the
seven planets and many other things. Like 16 ( 4 x 4 ) and
9 ( 3 x 3 ) so is 49 (7 X 7) of great importance. ,
V III. (2X 4) Is the n amber of, the double square of time
and eternity ; of the Intellectual and the Sensuous and con­
tains thc connection and antiphohy of the sam e....... :
IX . (3X 3) is the num ber of the Sensuous, of Sensuality
and Degradation; of everything circular and material.
4 + 9 is the full num ber of jiatnrd. The relations of 1—3
G _9 and of 1—4—8—16 are very im portant. " because everywhere in nature, where wo find extension, we
X. Is the completion of every, things th at exists. In it.
ard combined all the double, ternary and quaternary
relations, and it is the result of 1 + 2 + 3 + 4.
■ O cc u lt Mathematics, or the application of basic numbers to
the spiritual and physica l world.* '
True mathematics is tbe basis of all true sciences. Ordi­
nary mathematics is its shadow, and is only infallible as long
as it occupies itself with material conceptions. LA.1I forms,
aud images of sensuosity aro the result of simple principles,
and tho°origin o f. mathcmatics is therefore to be :fohnd in
something on which thc law s' of thc Sensuous; bf ^Matter
and Form depend ; but w h ieh in itself is not material but.
intellectual. A man m a y be a vfery good mathematician on
the ordinary plane, and yet incapable of solving an intellec­
tu al or physical problem as to its genetic cause. The truo
axioms of M athematics are intellectual, and only by such
can the regularity of all sensuous products be explained.
In true Geometry we need a scale which can be applied to all
kinds of dimensions ; but such a scale can have no exten­
sion in itself. I t can therefore not be found in ordinarg
Geometry, but must be searched for in the intellectual prin­
ciple of extension ; and consequently it will bo imposible for
ordinary Geometry to solve such problems, as for instance
the squarinq of the circle. .
If we wish to measure a curve, it is above all necessary to
have a correct idea about a straight and a curvcd line. The
nttem pt to explain a curved line by form ing a combination
of infinitely small straight lines, is inadmissible and irrational
and conflicting with thc tru e laws of nature ; for besides the
moral proofs of infinite unity and perfection, there are other
reasons, why two such opposites as a straight line and a
curved one never can be united and why such an attem pt
should never be made. Every thing in nature has a num ber
of differentiation, and this is also tho case w ith both of
these lines. Emanation into infinity is the object of one and
detraction from infinite progression the aim bf the other.
Both are opposing each other, their numbers and actions
must be different; their numbers are in tho proportion of
4 —9 and in all their gradations and potencies this jiropor-
tion remains thc same. This law explains the generic and
individual difference between intellectual and sensuous natures,
which although differing from bach other, yet are neverthe­
less derived from tli6 same source, possess the same original
‘number, and are governed by the same law.
* Wo refer tho stndont to tlio footnotes on page 82 of the “ Theoso­ especially in th at of the recently revived Theosophy and
phical Miscellanies” (unpublished writings of Eliphas (Levi), which,
(peaks especially about the sacred number seven,—Ed, ■
. The arbitrary scale used in common Geometry is extremely
useful for the purposes of common life, because it deals with
for the measurements of essential truths, we arc likely to be
led into errors, the least of which may grow into extensive
dimensions, while tho numbers 4 and 9, as representations of
thc straight and curved lines will in their proportions remain
unchanged, and they therefore constitute the proper scale
for such truths.
It would be im practicable to apply occult mathematics and
geometry to the measurement of sensuous perceptions and
ordinary combinations of matter, neither can common Mathe­
matics be applied to spiritual things. M atter exists only by
and through motion, but m atter is not tbe source of motion.
. This source m ust necessarily exist in an im m aterial prin­
ciple, and the phenomena of extension aud sensuosity aro
only results caused by the action of that principle. If the
principles of m atter are dependent on a higher action or
reaction, how much more must this be tlic case with the
evolution of such principles.
Although in the realm of tlie sensuous there is no motion
without extension ; th a t is, an attraction of the bodies towards
a common centre. The Sensuous is always guided by the
Intellectual, and it follows th at in the latter the cause of
motion m ust exist. Both motions, taking an inverse direc­
tion, are guided by the number 4, which is the number of
all motion. Therefore no arithmetical progression exists in the
realm of the living nature, and the geometrical progression
of the square is the only guiding one, because it is the p rin ­
ciple of life and the activity of living beings.
The num ber of extension and also of the curved line is 9,
also find curved lines and both are therefore equivalent.
Every form in its last analysis approaches tho form of an
oval or a sphere. The number of the straight lines belongs
to causes and principles; that of curves to products and
results. .
The numbers 4 and 9, the straight and curved line, repre­
sent therefore the two principal laws of nature, and the two
should never be mistaken for each other. Man, ever since
he ceased to be perfect., has vainly tried to unite the same
and . thereby unsuccessfully attempted to square the circle;
or to understand a fourth dimension of space, problems
which can be intellectually grasped, but cannot be demon­
strated on th e p h y s ic a l plane.
There m ust be a distinction made between the natural
circle and the artificial one. The first one does not consist
of a periphery of connecting points, but is formed by an
expansion of energy from the centre.
The square is not to be regarded as a geometrical extension,
but as a symbol of a universal creative principle. This
principle only reveals itself by the triangle formed by the
three immaterial principles which cause forms and bodies, and
this triangle in combination with the unity of the first prin­
ciple forms the basis of all possible phenomena in tlie realm
of the Sensuous. Tho action of the principle however is u
straight line.
The four allegorical sides of the square re p re sen t:
The_/?rs< one, tho basis and root of the others, is the symbol
of the first and only cause, whose num ber is absolute unity.
The second, em anating from the first, is the first ray, the
Adam Kadmon or primordial man, who in his double capa­
city is symbolized by two numbers, also called the “ Son of
God.”
The third completes the trin ity of all existing forms in the
visible and invisible universe ; and Ihe fourth represents the
essences of all classes and kinds, whether they are possessed
of intellectual powers or restricted to - the realm of the
sensuous, and it finally stands in intim ate relation with tho
mysterious nature of man.
(T o be continued.)
. ------♦------
(F rom the. Harbinger of Light.)
■ H IS T O R IC A L R E S E A ltC IIE S I N M AG IC.
T r a n s l a t e d f r o m t u b F r e n c h o f B a r o n 1 ) l- P o t e t .
B y 0. W . R o iin e r , B enalla.
I t was often a m atter of the greatest surprise to me not to
find anywhere in the vast literature of Spiritualism, but
Occultism, the slightest notice taken of the numerous work*
 ami speculations of M. lo Baron L)n Potet. And in tliis
respect liis book 011 “ Magic Revealed” ia a regular mine and
storehouse of fuets, illustrating the principles of occult
science, worthy of ihe greatest attention and study of those
modern thinkers who havo made Occultism and Spiritism the
principal object of their researches.
This great work of Du Potet, “ La magie Devoilee, was
published hy subscription in 1852, and I donht very much
whether there ia another copy of the book in Australia,
except the one now lying before me, and from tlia third part
uf which I intend to place before the readers of the
Harbinger of L ijh t a few selections, in order to direct tho
more thoughtful minds of the A ustralian Spiritualists to a
subject which offers a rich harvest of historical facts and
psychological data of the utm ost importance. W ith these few
prefatory remarks I shall atonco plunge in medias res.
Let us now seo what is the real cause of the phenomena,
tho experimental operations of which we have now placed
beforo the s tu d e n t; let us search iu the records of antiquity
for the opinions formed 011 this subject, by its most eminent
thinkers. A t the outset, it is certain that all facts of a recon­
dite and elevated order were connected with magic. Let us,
therefore, carefully study in what manner they comprehended
and dealt with its principle—tho active principle of magic.
The word magic, iu its most general acceptation, cau be
taken both in a good and bad sense. I t designates an attract­
ive force, a spring which sets iu motion either the super­
natural (superhuman), the natural, or the inferior realm of
spiritual existences; occult force or power acting upon the
spirits or upou the bodies, and consequently also upon all
fitratuof air, Jrom tho most ethereal and elastic to the grossest
anil densest.
Connoisseurs in this departm ent of human knowledge
•distinguish live kinds of magic, uot to reckon the varieties
wliich may be found intervening between the principal
divisions.
To begin with, we have the high, holy, and divine magic or
attractive force of the Verbata ])<;us, which attracts to itself
and adapts all that which in a purified state cau be adm itted
and received into iti divine essence. “ When £ am taken xip
from the earth I shall draw all men ajtet' me.” This divino
magic is iu close rapport with faith, and its operation is closely
allied to pure spirit.
There is also a natural or physical magic ; tho bodies attract
ono another mutually in accordance with laws calculated by
Newton.
Thero is a carnal magic whose source is to bo found iu tho
appetites, desires, and passion of the lower faculties of man.
There is also an angelic, holy aud pure magic without any
adm ixture of foreign elements.
The ai.i-ients distinguished, moreover, a diabolical magic,
and this is the kind by means of which largo streams of
human blood were made to flow.
Tiiis expression of magic is derived from the Magi, or the
ancient sages of Persia aud the Orient. These were the savants
of thoso times and countries whose senses and spiritual
faculties were more refined than chose of the rest, and who
consequently were enabled to penetrate more deeply into tho
mysteries of nature than their contemporarieR. This moral
and physical superiority supplied them wilh a higher order of
knowledge bothnatnralainl spiritual. Such were also the sages
of ancient Egypt. These men possessed a profound knowledge
of all the phenomena of the universe, and wero able to com­
bine and produce their effects ad libitum. I t is almost
incredible what they have seen and whnt they were able U>
operate by means of this their profound and exteuded insight
into the working of the universal forces. Zoroaster is believed
to have been their chief and principal initiator; It is possi­
ble tliat the Latin word imago, our image, is derived from
magus or magaim, because everything was depicted in tlio
imagination of these magicians— the prophecies, the oracles,
etc.
To write ouall kinds of magic would make us lose ourselves
in darkness aud obscurity, for there aro more than thieo hun­
dred different kinds of the magical a rt and its varieties.
Sorcery was oue of its branches.
There was a physical, polygraphic and stenographic magic;
a holy, oneirocratic magic, au astrological magic, there was
pyromancy,erotomahcy,hydromancy, geomancy, physiomancy,
metoposcopy, chiromancy, capnoiuancy j there was also a
political magic, the vulgar a r t qf the'aruspices, of tlie augur?,
sycomancy,'the notary art, and theurgy, there were also forms
of ceremonial magic, diabolic magic, necromancy, goetic magic,'
etc , etc.
Tho most advanced Christian philosophers never rejected
the existence of magic ; they were too well acquainted w ith
the evidence of its phenomena submitted to their senses and
also found detailed ia the scriptures. They thought to
explain and re n d er it objective in the following m an n er:—■
Adm itting thef all of man, they said : “ Man, having lost tho
spirit pf God, is blind and obliged to feel his way, so to speak,
in the dark ; and sighing for the light with an all-absorbing
desire, he submits himself to the influence of his lower soul
faculties; he becomes a prey to his diseased imagination,
memory, and senses ; he feeds 011 all the lurid lights whicli
his mental faculties can supply him with, as a substitute for
God and unity with God, in order to keep himself on a level
and iu close relation with the things and objects of this earth,
and to become a fellow-citizen of this world of passing
vanities. Thus the divine light is lost, and in its placo
appears a lire less pure, less refined, less celestial, from which
he derives his heat and new light. This light has been
called by profound thinkers the astral light, or fire, ia
analogy with tho lights of the stars; a quintessence of firo
allied with the material lire, but very impure and inferior
in comparison with the fire and light th a t emanates from tho
spirit of God—a spirit which is the sublimest firo, the purest
flame, and tho most celestial light. '
This A stral spirit, or astral fire or light, which repre­
sents the highest degree of the light of the spirits, is, however,
superior to w hat is called the spirit of nature, of which it
forms the force, the virtue, and relations.
This is the principal agent, the true cause of the faqta
of m agic; it is a lire, a light, a force, which n atu ral
science does not acknowledge, and heuco springs tho
powerlessness of th at natural science of producing or
im itating the wonderful works of the ancicnt tlieo.sophistg
aud thaum aturgi. Let us take a glance at the opinions of
the most enlightened philosophers of these distant times ou
this mysterious fire and light.
Tho stoic philosophers adm itted the existence of a fire-
ethei— the basis of our intelligences; from that fire tho
spirits emanated, to that fire they returned.
Tho ethereal luminous substance was the foundation of
the theology of the Christians, as we shall directly prove.
Pythagoras lias designated a portion of the Divinity by
the word light, calling God not only tlio Universal Forco
which circulates iu all parts of the world, but he also joined
with it the epithet of Luminous, to characterise the intelli­
gence, as he lias designated the principle of life by the samo
vivifying force wliich manifests itself in all the bodies of tlio
world. Through this latter part man wa.s connected with
the animal ; through the former lie was united with tho
gods.
Wo can see 111 Cicero th a t the reason which made tho
ancients look npon tlio stars as intelligent anel divine being*
consisted iu the fact th at they were composed of the puro
and luminous substance wliich forms the nature of ether.
The reason of God was the luminous fire of which the sta rj
contained a larger or smaller portion, a fire which is ordin­
arily called ether.
St. Augustine, iu accordancc with the principles Qf
V arro, analyses the universal soul of the Great All, sub-­
dividing it into three parts : the animal soul, the sensitive
soul, and the intelligent soul, lie says of this latter, or
intelligent soul, which he calls the third degree of soul
th a t it is the fire-etlier whieh constitutes tho essence of
divinity. '
W hat tho ancients understood by spiritus orbis (world
spirit) waa not w hat we call the element, air ; it had nothing
in common with it but its name ; it was a far more refined
aud active substance having emanated from the ether, anti
which caused to flow in its current all the principles of
motion and lifo manifested in anim al creation. This was
the ethereal fluid which circulates throughout all the stars;
and all the heavens whence all anim als derived tho princi­
ples of their life, shown in the heat and breath of all
animated beings. Thus the fire-principle, eternal aud Divine,
enclosed in its sijbstance tlie splritiis and the logos, or tho
universal intelligence of nature and of all its beings. , ;.
These ideas are in absolute conformity with the theology
of Orpheus, who united iu the sole iire-ether, whieh encloses
 lh o w orld, the th re e p rinciples of d iv in e n a tu r e , o r th e only
d i v i n e force , u n d o r t h e n a m e s o f l i g h t , c o u n s e l a n d life.
S u c h is t h e Verbxun a m o n g s t t h e C h r i s t i a n s : vita erat lux, et
lux cral vita , et lux erat Verbum. . a full developm ent of m an has been a dismal failure
“ I n th e b e g in n in g ,” says O rp h e u s, “ th e e th e r w as m ad e
b y t h o f i r s t G o d . T h o e t h e r e x i s t e d i n t h e b o s o m o n tlio
v a s t c h a o s , a n d in tlio a w f u l n i g h t e n v e l o p e d i t f r o m a ll s i d e s .
F r o m t h e s u m m i t of t h e e t h e r i s s u e d f o r t h a r a y of l i g h t w liic h
i l l u m i n a t e d t h e e a r t h a n d a ll n a t u r o . T h i s l i g h t , t h e m o s t
a n c i e n t o f a ll b e i n g s , tlio m o s t S u b l i m e B e i n g , is t h e I n a c c e s ­
si b l e G o d w h i c h s h r o u d s h i m in i ts s u b s t a n c o , a n d w h i c h w e
ooll l i g h t , c o u n s e l , a n d lifo.”
T h e s e th re e nam es de sig n ate b u t one su b sta n c e.
T h o G o s p e l of .John p r e s e n t s t h e G r e a t G o d to u s a s e n c l o s ­
i n g w i t h i u H i m s e l f t h o l i g h t a n d life, i d est, t h e f irs t p r i n c i p l e ,
o r t h o u n i v e r s a l p r i n c i p l e , w h i c h is s u b d i v i d e d i n t o t h e p r i n ­
c i p l e of i n t e l l i g e n c e , w h i c h is l i g h t , a n d i n t o t h e p r i n c i p l e of
l if e , w h i c h is w h a t t h e C h r i s t i a n s c a l l Spiritus.
T h o t h e o l o g y of Z o r o a s t e r t a u g h t t h a t w h e n G o d a r r a n g ­
ed a n d o rg an ised the m a tte r of the universe, he d e sp a tc h ed
H i s will u n d e r t h o f o r m of a b r i g h t s h i n i n g l i g h t ; a n d t h i s
lig h t a ssu m e d the shapo of m an.
T h e heresiarch Sim on asse rto d t h a t th e S u p re m e God,
l h e o n l y O n e a n d I n c o m p r e h e n s i b l e , is u n k n o w n a n d h i d d e n
i n H i s in e f f a b le l i g h t , i n H i s i n a c c e s s i b l e , i n f in i t e , a n d
in c o rp o re a l lum inosity, w h ic h o m a n a te s fro m H i m a n d w hich
i s H i s r e s i d e n c e ; H e is H i m s e l f t h i s i m m e n s i t y o f l i g h t .
T h e t h e o l o g y of t h e P h o e n i c i a n s p l a c e s also i n t o t h e s u b -
e t a n c e o f t h e l i g h t t h e i n t e l l i g e n t p a r t of t h e u n i v e r s e , a n d
t h a t o f o u r so u l s , w h o a r e e m a n a t i o n s t h e r e o f . I t s i r r a d i a ­
t i o n is r e g a r d e d a s t h o v e r y a c t o f t h e p u r e s o u l , a n d i ts
s u b s t a n c e a s a b e i n g a s i n c o r p o r e a l a s i n t e l l i g e n c e i ts e lf .
D o n o t b o s u r p r i s e d , m y r e a d e r s , i f I i n s i s t h e r e so m u c h
u p o n t h e r e a l i t y o f t h i s l i g h t , g u e s s e d o r s e e n b y so m a n y
g r e a t m e n , f o r h e r e lies o u r s e c r e t a s w e l l a s t h o s e c r e t of
e v e r y fo r c e o r p o w e r . A l l t h e e c s t a t i c s , a l l s o m n a m b u l e s ,
n p e ak , as y o u k n o w , of a lu m in o u s s u b s ta n o e of b rillin n t
l i g h t s . A n d d o t h e y n o t a ll a l i k e s e c t h e m a g n e t i c f lu id
b y w h i c h t h e y a r e a f fe c te d u n d e r t h e f o r m o f a l i g h t ? A n d
h a s J e s u s n o t s a i d , “ I a m t h e l i g h t of t h e w o r l d ” ?
O h b lin d m en , a n d in conseq u o n ce of t h a t b lin d n e ss , u n ­
h a p p y , s t r u c k w i t h p o v e r t y in t h e m i d s t of t h e g r e a t e s t of
w ealth ; oh b a r r e n b a rin s, t h o u g h s u r r o u n d e d b y u n sp e a k a b lo
f e c u n d i t y , w h e n w ill y o u a t l a s t r e c o g n i s e a n d l e a r n t h e
in f in ito t r e a s u r e s in t h e m i d s t o f w h i c h y o u l iv e ? W h e n w ill
y o u perceivo t h e w e a lth w h ic h y o u possess in y o u rse lv e s a n d
iu y o u r n a tu re ? W h e n , for once reflecting on y o u r own
se lv es , w ill y o u l e a r n t o r e a d b y t h e a i d o f t h e e y e s o f y o u r
s p i r i t s a n d h e a r t s i n t h i s b o o k , w h i c h is y o u r s e l v e s , a l l t h a t
th e S u p r e m e B e in g h a s placed t h e r e in im a g e s ? W h e n will
y o u b e a b l e t o r u n o v e r a ll t h e s e p a g e s o n w h i c h H o h a s
inscribed w ith H is ow n sa c re d fin g er th e t r u t h of H is heing
a n d of H is m y steries ?
S e e w h a t t h o savants of o u r d a y h a v e a c c o m p l i s h e d b y
s i m p l y g a t h e r i n g u p a ll t h e d e a d f o r c o s H p read t h r o u g h o u t
sp a c e; t h e y a r e , lio w evor, n o t h i n g in c o m p a r i s o n w i t h t h e
l i v i n g a n d p u r e f o r c e s of w h i c h h u m a n m a g n e t i s m is o n l y a
f o e b le r a y ! D o y o u se e t h a t l i g h t d i s c o v e r e d b y M e s m e r
flooding th e bodies a n d e n lig h te n in g th o s p ir it b y ro u s in g i t
f r o m i t s l e t h a r g i c sle e p ? D o y o u se e i t a ls o i n y o u r
m a g n e tis e d su b je cts w h o a t c ertain tim es a re illu m in a te d hy
i t ? B r e a t h o f life, fire o f all g e n i u s — M e s m e r h a s d i s c o v e r e d
its S o u r c e ! ! !
B en a lla , 14 th February , 1884,
------ ♦-----
T H E A M E R IC A N U N IV E R S IT Y A T BOSTON.
T he Am erican University which has been organized
a t Boston and has held a th ree m o n th ’s course of lectures
in the months of A pril, May an d J u d e 1883, is a pioneer
movem ent for th e elevation of h um a n ity above th e plane
of crime a n d selfishness, and the redem ption of philoso­
phy from the d e g ra d in g influence of m aterialism, b r in g ­
ing it a t th e same time from th e re g io n of b a rre n specu­
lation into contact with th e realities of life and the
wants of humanity. , -
I t was well said by the M a d ra s H e r a ld th a t “ the
whole subject of th e relations betw een m ind or spirit
a n d body, is one of g r e a t difficulty, an d th e t r u th seems
to be th a t science hitherto has been able to say very little
a b o u t i t ” — a n d y e t until this m y stery has been explored.
th ere is no science of m an and no system of Biology
which can afford a solid foundation for the healing art.
The a tte m p t to develope a Science of Medicine without
in its practical results, which were often worse than a
failure, being an increase of mortality. From this gloo­
my condition, the Medical profession has been slowly
em erging in the past fifty years, by unwearied labor,
blindly g ro p in g w ithout the guidance of Philosophy.
W h a t the world has called philosophy has been b ut
barren speculation— a speculation th a t ignored the most
conspicuous an d im portan t psychological facts, which
have been known in E a ste rn lands and in E g y p t for
many thousand y ears,— occupying itself solely w ith verbal
and speculative discussions barren of all value and
h a ving no relation to hu m an life.
Still worse and more calamitous in its results, the sys­
tem of education, un g u id e d by any true philosophy or
knowledge of the constitution uf m an, has been confined
to the intellectual faculties, which it crammed a nd Wearied
to th e entire neglect of manhood, in th e practical know­
ledge a n d usefulness— so t h a t th e most highly educated
man was often th e m ost inefficient narrow -m inded and
useless citizen. All E u rope u n d e r this m eag re a n d paraly­
sing system of education ha s positively d egenerated in mo­
rals and happiness d u rin g th e last fifty years, as phown by
the increase of in tem perance, insanity, suicide, b a sta rd y ,
theft, m u rd e r, pauperism an d physical degeneracy.
A g ainst all this the establish m ent of tb e American
U niversity is a protest. I t proposes to in tro du ce a com­
plete education of soul a n d body— an education to
develope the virtues, to give practical skill an d e n e rg y
in the industrial a r ts — to give indep en den t originality
of th o u g h t a u d h e a lth y developm ent of the body.
I n Medical scienoe it proposes to give a basic philosophy,
and a system of tr e a tm e n t which recognises r o t only all
th e resources of medicine and of external appliance*,
b u t the safe and p o te n t agency of animal m a g n e i i w ,
guided by tho new science of Saroognomy, which explaiins
th e location of all the nervous forces of life. To this is
added the cultivation of P sye h om etry as th e power which
reveals th e m ysteries of disease, giv in g certain ty a n d
security in its tre a tm e n t, giving also a power for th e explo­
ration of th e Materia Medica and discovery of new
rem edies n ev er heretofore known.
A g ainst so fun dam en tal a ch ang e a s”this all tho o r g a ­
nised forces of society are arrayed. Tlie old universities,
the medical colleges, th e conservative pulpits and tho
unprogressive press resist and discourage every effort.
N evertheless, the t r u t h which I have presented , and
which in reference to education is as clear a n d d em on­
strab le as chem istry or astronom y cannot fail of ultimate
success. L e tte rs from, the b est th in k e rs commend these
educational views as th e most im portan t th a t have ever
boon pre se nte d to the world, a n d bail my work on
“ Moral Ed ucation ” as th e b e g in n in g of a complete re v o ­
lution. B uildings suitable for the purposes of th e
U niversity have already been offered me in oth e r loca­
tions in C onnecticut and Pennsylvania, but I p refer to
ca rry on tho work in Boston as a more influential centre.
T h ere are a few enlightened persons here who ap pre­
ciate and sustain my labors, and I look forward to the
tim e when in th e lig h t of all comprehensive philosophy
a n d th e w a rm th of th e tru e religion which establishes
the brotherhood of man, th e old world and th e new shall
feel a n d recognize th e ir com m unity of th o u g h t and unity
of purpose.
B o sto n , 29 F ort A venue, ) Jo sep h R od es B uchanan.
N ovem ber 27th, 1883. J
»■■■. ■
CAN THE "DOUBLE” BE MURDERED ?
T h e question has been discussed, w heth er the “ Double”
can co m m it m u rd e r, a n d several instances have been cited,
w hich seem to an sw e r th a t questio n in th e affirmative.
W e m a y now go a ste p fu rth e r, and i n q u i r e : Can tha
“ Double” he m u rdered, or p e rh a p s to exp ress it b e tte r, A f t e r c a r e f u l l y r- c a d i n g t h e n a r r a t i v e , w e c a n n o t r e f r a i n
can a n y injury be inflicted upon th e “ D ouble” of a p e r ­ fro m e x la im in g w ith J e r d o n : “ A ll m e n a re a p t to h a v e a
son, in consequence of wliich th e person whose double “ h i g h c o n c e i t o f t h e i r o w n u n d e r s t a n d i n g , a n d t o bp t c n a -
is injured, will be caused suffering or d e ath . Tho a n ­ “ e io u s o f t h e o p i n i o n s t h o y p r o f e s s ; a n d y e t , a l m o s t a l l
cient witch trials, if denuded from nil irre le v a n t m a tte r u m e n a r e g u i d e d b y t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g of o t h e r s , -not b y
a n d read without prejudice, an sw e r this question. “ t h e i r o w n ; and m a y b o Baid m o r e t r u l y t o a d o p t , t h g .n to
“ beget, th o ir o p in io n s.” '
I. N o w M r . C o n w a y is a s c e p ti c . H e p r i d e s h i m s e l f o n i t ,
A. small boy b y tho name of R ic h a r d J o n e s was ono a n d , t h e r e f o r e , it, is n o w o n d e r w h e n h e s a y s t h a t i n c o m i n g
day touched b y a woman nam ed J a n e Brooks. Sho p a ss­ to A d y a r “ he h a d no f a ith t h a t a n y th in g lay for m e ( h im ) i n
ed h e r h an d s over his body, shook liands w ith him aud o c c u l t i s m , a f t e r t h i r t y y e a r s ’ o b s e r v a t i o n of s i m i l a r p h e n o ­
gave him an apple. T he apple was th e n cooked and he m e n a ” in sp iritu a lis m . So m u c h f o r h i s p r e j u d i c e c o p -
a te it, b u t a fte r eating it he became im m ediately ill, f i r m e d b y a n exhaustive e x a m i n a t i o n of “ nearly six hours"
and his illness too k a serious tu rn . (Jno S unday as the of a su b je ct t h a t he h as n e v e r in v es tig a te d ; for sp iritu alism
sick boy was being guarded by bis fa th e r aud a witness is no m o r e o o c u l t i s m t h a n h i s L o n d o n “ C h u r c h ” of h e t e r o ­
nam ed Gibson, lie sudd en ly exclaim ed, “ H e re is J a n e g e n e o u s r e l i g i o n s is a M e t h o d i s t c h a p e l . H is in v estig atio n
B rooks.” “ But w h ere,” ask e d b oth. “ H e r e ,” he said, r e s o l v e s i t s e l f , a s w e u n d e r s t a n d it, i n t o t h r e e h e a d s . F irst,
the A d y a r lay c h o la s ” w o u l d n o t s h a k e h a n d s w ith h i m ;
“ on th e wall, at th e end of my -finger.” Of course no
Second, t h e s e “ . g r a c e f u l ” b u t t o o c r e d u l o u s A s i a t i c s ..pre­
ono saw w hat the boy Richard p r e te n d e d to see, an d
s u m e d to p r o s t r a t e t h e m s e l v e s b e f o r e t h e p o r t r a i t o f o n e
they supposed it was his fever th a t caused him to talk w h o m t h e y re v e re n c e in t h e p re s e n c e of h im w h o n e v e r
in tha t m anner. N evertheless G ibson1ru s h e d to th e spot r e v e r e n c e d , a n y t h i n g o r a n y b o d y ; T hird, h i s c o n c l u s i o n
which th e child indicated and •stiruclc a t it with his knife. a n d b ro a d h in t t h a t the “ S h r in e ” p h e n o m e n a w ere alle g ed
“ ■Oh father!” sa id Richard, “ Gibson has c u t J a n e ; she is t o h a v e c e a s e d b e c a u s e t h e i n h a b i t a n t s o f A d y a r know of h i s
bleed in g very m uch.” W h e n th e boy’s'fa tlie r and Gibson com ing.
h e a rd t h a t , 't h e y w e n t lo g e t a C o nstab le to whom they W i t h o u t l o s i n g t i m e i u c o m m e n t i n g u p o n t h o f ir s t t w o
to ld the story, a u d all three w ent "to th e house of J a u e g r i e v a n c e ^ , w c w i l l s i m p l y r e m a r k t h a t M r . C o n w a y ’s a r r i v a l
Brooks. They found h e r sittin g in a chair, s u p p o rtin g a t M a d r a s a n d v isit to A d y a r w ere q u ite u n e x p e c te d , th o
one h a n d w ith th e o th er. They asked her w h a t was th e f i r s t i n t i m a t i o n o f it . b e i n g h i s a c t n a l p r e s e n c e , a n d t h e
m a tte r with h e r hand ; but she refused to tell or let them l e t t e r o f i n t r o d u c t i o n f r o m a n A u s t r a l i a n niem -ber o f . o u r
S o c i o t y w h i c h h e . b r o u g h t w i t h h i iu . N o r ' h a d t h e f o r b i d d i n g
exam ine i t ; a n d w hen the C onstable tore aw ay th e band­
Of p l a c i n g l e t t e r s t o h e p h e n o m e n a l l y c a r r i e d ( w a y - a n d t h e
age, they found h e r b a n d cu t a n d covered w ith blood, answ ers b r o u g h t by th e sam e m eth o d , a n y th in g w h a to v er
For which circumstance she could .give no satisfactory to d o w i t h o a r s c e p t i c a l t r a v e l l e r . T o t h e p o s i t i v e k n o w r
e xplanation. She was a rre ste d , trie d a u d fou nd ,guilty l e d g e of a l l t h e M a d r a s T h e o s o p h i s t s t h e e v e n t h a d o c c u r r e d
of witchcraft on the ^G th ‘M arch 1G58. s o v c r a l d a y s .b e f o re , o n D e c e m b e r ,‘l l , M r . C o n w a y - — h o w e v e r
II. e m i n e n t — u o t b e in g t a k e n b y t h e M a h a tm a s in to th e s l i g h t ­
A''woman nam ed Ju lie t Cox, of a b o u t .sixty y e a r s of e s t c o n sid e ra tio n o n . t h a t occasion.
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g o u r c r i t i c ’s d e f i n i t e prejudices, a n d , b e g ­
age, came one day to beg a t th e door of a house. The
g i n g h is p a r d o n — “ h i g h c o n c e i t of h is o w n u n d e r s t a n d i n g , ”
se rv a n t girl who opened th e do or when she saw th e .beg-
h e s e e m s t o bo a s w i l l i n g a s t h e r e s t of t h e m o r t a l s , p e r ­
gar-wom>tu, gave h e r a ra th e r discourteous reply. “ Very c h a n c e le s s i n t e l l e c t u a l t h a n h e is, to a l l o w h i m s e l f t o b o
well, my darlin g,” said th e old woman, “ Y ou will soon “ g u id e d b y th e u n d e rs ta n d in g of o th ers,” even w h e n th o
be sorry for it.” T h a t n ig h t tlie s e rv a n t -girl fell into l a t t e r is f l a g r a n t l y i n c o r r e c t , p r o v i d e d liis o w n e n d s bo
terrible convulsions. A t her cries th e people living in s e rv ed . T h u s , in s te a d of “ b e g e t t i n g ” he in d ee d “ a d o p ts ”
the house came to h e r 'r o o m . D u r in g an in terval of a n o th e r m a n ’s o p i n i o n w h e n h e s a y s t h a t h e is “ i n ­
pain she extended her finger, as if p o in tin g to an invisi­ fo rm ed by a n e m in e n t O rie n ta l sc holar, t h a t th e n a m e of
ble being, and exclaimed : “ H e re is the villainous b e g ­ K o o t h o o m i lie s c o m p l e t e l y o u t s i d e t h e a n a l o g i e s o f a n y
g a r tha t persecutes me.” T h e a tte n d a n ts however paid l a n g u a g e t h a t e v e r w a s s p o k e n in I n d i a . ” T h i s is e i t h e r ( a ) a
no a tte n tio n 'to w h a t'.sh e said, be lieving h e r to be'lnil- d e l i b e r a t e m i s s t a t e m e n t o f t h e w r i t e r , o r (l>) o f h i s “ e m i ­
lneiiiated or hysterical. Bnt oue day the servant girl, n e n t O rie n ta l” inform ant, .b’o r b e i n g “ e m i n e n t , ’' a s M r .
C o n w a y says, h e co uld n o t m a k e sn c h s t a te m e n t ig n o r a n tly .
believing th a t th e phantom of tho witch would re tu rn
M r . C o n w a y is c h a l l e n g e d t o f u r n i s h t h e “ e m i n e n t O r i e n ­
ag ain, armed herself with a knife, a n d as the double
t a l s c h o l a r ’s ” n a m e , o r f a i l i n g to d o s o — c o n f e s s h i m s e l f
of J ulio t Cox appeared, she s tr u c k blindly a t the b e t w e e n t h e h o r n s of a v e r y s e r i o u s d i l e m m a .
treacherous shadow. Those p re se u t saw th e glare of T h e p h o n e tic n a m e K o o th o o m i, o r K n tliu n ii— h o w e v er
tho knife, saw hor strike, and a t the n e x t m om ent they v a r i o u s l y s p e l t , is o n e t o o w e ll k n o w n in I n d i a n l i t e r a t u r e a n d
saw -t.he bod -covered with blood. "“ I have out her in l a n g u a g e to n e e d h e l p f r o m a n y O r i e n t a l s c h o l a r , w h e t h e r
t.he le g ,” -exclaimed the girl, “ go and see.” T h e y all e m in e n t o r not. K o o t h o o m i is t h e n a m e of o n e of t h e R i s h i s ,
go to th e h o n s e o f Ju lie t Oox a n d rap ot th e closed door, t h e a u t h o r of o n e of t h e 2 0 r e m a i n i n g C o d e s of law , n o w i n
b u f no answ er comes. They b u r s t in th e door a n d ’Iind t h e A s i a t i c S o c i e t y ’s L i b r a r y in C a l c u t t a ; a g a i n , lie is n a m e d
the woman prostra te , covered w ith ' blood, a n d with an a s o n e of t h e 3 0 I t is h is i n t h e P m h n a P uran a ; a n d w e w o u l d
ugly "wound 'in her leg, wliich has ju st been freshly s t r o n g l y a d v i s e -Mr. C o n w a y t o c o n s u l t t h e s e a u t h o r i t i e s , a n d
dressed. T he knife is produced a n d its diam eter corre s­ M o n i e r W i l l i a m s ’ I n d i a n Wisdom, f o r one, w h e r e i n K o o t ­
h o o m i is m e n t i o n e d ; so t h a t h is n e x t lay s e r m o n m i g h t n o t
ponds pxactly'w iih the shape o f-th e wound. Ju lie t Cox
c o n ta in t h is very se rio u s as w ell as lu d ic ro u s e rro r. To c o n ­
was a rrested and burn ed alive.
c lu d e ,'M r. C o n w a y co u ld n e v e r hav e seen an “ a u t o g r a p h ”
o f t h e M a s t e r . s i g n e d “ K o l h u m e . ” S u c h a s p e l l i n g — a n im ­
M k . ’ ■MoN’i f t R K I), O o S w a y ’s po ssibility f o r a H i n d u o r a, T h e o s o p h i s t m a y o n l y b e c o m e a
“ 'A TO If i t liQUNJJ T H F W O U L D : ’ p o ss ib ility w i t h t h e p r e j u d i c e d i m a g i n a t i o n o f a n O n t o l o g i s t .
T h e ?•Qltisgdiv' H erald o f A p r i l 11, 188-A, c o n t a i n s 2 | e d l u m n s T h e r e a r e m a n y o t h e r l i t t l e i n a c c u r a c i e s i n M r . C o n w a y ’s
d evoted b y t h e e m in e n t ijo rid o n O n to lo g is t- to — “ T h e T h e o - c h a p t e r on ihe' T h e o s o p h is ts w h ic h , f o r la c k of space, w e
sophib'ts.” "A d a n g e r o u s s u b j e c t t a k i n g i t a l l i n a ll , y e t oilc pass u n n o ticed .
t h a t t h e t r a v e l l e r h a s h a n d l e d i n ' q u i t e a m a s t e r l y arid d e x ­
t e r o u s m a n n t r . " T h e r e is q u i t e ' s u f f i c i e n t f a i r n e s s i n ' t h e
a r t i c l e to s a t i s f y t h e T h e o s p p h i s t s , t h a n w h o m t h e r e a r e f e w % U S U! .Ii Ij S t 0 (!l 0 Ij 1[ S\ fi |1 0 It fl 1} u t s..
less a c c u s t o m e d t o p r a i s e , ' a n d ' w h o , i n ' t h o s i m p l i c i t y of
t h e i r h e a r t s , ■h a v e e n t e r t a i n e d M r . C o n w a y , to t h o b e s t of 0 Tehsil Mnsopirkhu.ua. D e c l i n e d w i t h t h a n k s .
tli e ir a b i l i t y , a w h o l o e v e n i n g a t A d y a r ( M a d r a s H e a d ­
q u a r t e r s of t h e i r . S o c i e t y ) ; ' a i i d q u i t e e n o u g h o f p o s s i b i l i t i e s ISiresivar "Banerji, F. T. S . D e c l i n e d w i t h t h a n k s .
of v i s t a s i n t h o m a n y ‘w o n l d - b f f innocent i n u e n d o e s w i t h . M. 'M. A . C on stantin ople , S. 11., S t. Petersburg, S . T. India-
w h i c h t h e ■a r t i c l e ' a b o u n d s , • t o m a k e e v e r y e n e m y of T h e o ­ nopolis, U . S . A . and others. A l l t h a t c a n p o s s i b l y b e g i v e n
s o p h y re jo ice . o u t , is n o w f o r t h c o m i n g . i n t h e “ P r a c ti c a l lustntctiunn for
S tu den ts of Occultisvi , ” a n d i n t b e “ Unpublished w ritin g s o f
E lip h a s Levi," p u b l i s h e d m o n t h l y i n ou v Supplement.
A . K . Vienna • W e h a v e o f t e n a t t e m p t e d to e x p l a i n t h a t
t h e s e “ s p i r i t m a t e r i a l i s a t i o n s ” a r e u s u a l l y n o t h i n g elso b u t
t h e A s t r a l f o r m of t h e m e d i u m . W h e n th e “ spirit c a tc h e r”
com es a n d c re a te s a d is tu rb a n c e , th e A s tr a l fo rm n ecessarily
r e u n i t e s w i t h t h e b o d y of t h o “ M e d i u m . ” T h e r e is n o t h i n g
to e x p o s e e x c e p t t h e i g n o r a n c e of t h e e x p o s e r a s w e l l a s t h a t
of the “ M edium .”
C. T. Bennies. I f t h o l a w of K a r m a d o e s n o t s u i t y o u r X a v i e r a n d n o o t h e r . B e s i d e s i t w o u l d m o k e n o d i f f e r e n c e j
taste, w o w o u ld s u g g e s t t h a t you m i g h t jo in a “ C h r i s t ia n ”
c h u r c h . Y o n w i l l t h e n bo o f f e r e d s e v e r a l p l a n s of s a l v a t i o n ,
a n d h a v o y o n r c h o ic e b e t w e e n d i p p i n g , s p r i n k l i n g a n d
p o uring.
F y za b a d . Y o u s a y t h a t in y o u r o p i n i o n a n i m p e r a t i v e
o r d e r a s t o w h a t t h e m e m b e r s of t h e T h c o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y
s h o u l d e n t, is i n d i s p c n s i b l e . W e b e g p e r m i s s i o n t o d iff e r .
W o c a n a d v i s e o u r m e m b e r s a s t o w h a t is i n o u r j u d g m e n t
th o b e s t c o u rse to p u r s u e ; b u t w e lea v e i t to t h e i r o w n
j u d g m e n t to f o llo w o u r a d v ic o o r n o t . T h e T h e o s o p h i c a l
S o c i o t y is n o t a n a r r o w s e c t a r i a n so c io ty , b u t e m b r a c e s m e n
o f d i f f e r e n t t a s t e s a n d o p in io n s - A n i m p e r a t i v e o r d e r a s to
w h a t w e o u g h t t o eat, w o u l d p e r h a p s m a k e a n o t h e r i m p e ­
r a tiv e o rd e r n e cessa ry as to w liat w e o u g h t to t h i n k a n d w h a t
w o o u g h t to believe, a n d w e t h e n w o u l d n e e d a l i t t l e t y r a n t
o r p o po, a n d a s e c r e t polieo to e n f o r c e t h o o r d e r s . W e d o
n o t i n t e r f e r e w i t h i n d i v i d u a l l i b e r t y , a n d if a m a n b e s u c h a
g l u t t o n a s to c a t t h e h a l f a d o z e n e g g s , <tc-, a s y o n s u g g e s t f o r
b r e a k f a s t , i t w i l l be a m a t t e r w h i c h o n l y c o n c e r n s h i m a u d
n o t th e Society.
F. E llen Burr, H a r tfo r d Conn. TJ. S. A . T h e s t a b b i n g
n n d t e a r i n g of t h e “ T h e o s o p h i s t ” is d u e t o t h e v i o l e n t e x e r ­
c is e of t h o p e t t y a u t h o r i t y o f s o m e i m b e c i l e q u a r a n t i n o
o fficers. I t is a p i e c e of p e t t y t y r a n n y , t o w h i c h w e m u s t
B u b m it, b e c a u s e w c h a v e n o m e a n s o f p r o t e c t i n g o u r s e l v e s .
I t is d o n e f o r t h e s u p p o s e d p u r p o s e of f a c i l i t a t i n g f u m i g a t i o n
i o r d isin fectio n . I t is a s u n n e c e s s a r y a s i t is u s e l e s s a n d ,
lik o m a n y o t h e r m ed ic al su p e rstitio n s, p ro v e s t h a t th e
m a j o r i t y o f m e d i c a l a u t h o r i t i e s , i n s t e a d o f b e i n g a b e n e f i t to
m a n k in d , a re only a p lag u e.
Vera. T li e p o e m is v e r y b e a u t i f u l .
B. Soonjanariua Row, B. A ., Bun galore. I f y o u r f r i e n d
3s a b e l i e v e r i n a p e r s o n a l J e s u s Christ-, b y w h o s e a s s i s t a n c e
h o c x p e o t s t o b e s a v e d , a n d w h i c h b e l i e f l ia s b e e n t o h i m “ t h e
a o u r e e of t h e g r e a t e s t c o m f o r t a n d h a p p i n e s s , ” a n d if h e a t
t h e sam e tim e a tt e m p t s to id e n tify h im s e lf w i t h t h a t J e su s
C h r i s t b y a c t i n g u p t o h i s h i g h e s t c o n c e p t i o n s of j u s t i c e a n d
t r u t h , i t w o u l d be v e r y w r o n g f o r y o u to s h a k e h i s f a i t h a n d
t ' u t a n g l e h i m in t h e m e s h e s of a p h i l o s o p h y w l i i c h h o p e r ­
h a p s c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d ; b u t if y o u r f r i e n d p r e f e r s t h e k n o w ­
l e d g e of t r u t h to t h e d e l i g h t f u l d r e a m s o f a f o o l ’s p a r a d i s e ,
y o u m i g h t o x p l a i n to h i m t h a t t h e r e a l C h r i s t p r i n c i p l e is t o bo
f o u n d w i t h i n h i m s e l f , o r a s th o s u p p o s e d J e s u s s a i d : “ T h o
k i n g d o m of h e a v e n is w i t h i n y o u . ” T h i s “ C h r i s t p r i n ­
c i p l e ” is r e p r e s e n t e d i n a ll r e li g i o n s u n d e r d i f f e r e n t lia inos.
I t is m o s t b e a u t i f u l l y r e p r e s e n t e d i n t h e B r a h m i n i c a l a n d
B u d d h i s t r e l i g i o u s ; b u t t o e x p l a i n i t f u l l y w ill r e q u i r e a
lo n g article, w h ic h w e ex p ec t to p r e s e n t to o u r re a d e rs
shortly.
lo ihij (!hlifoi[.
A R O M A N C A T H O L IC SA IN T A T G O A .
S t. F ra n c is X a v i k b w a s a R o m a n C ath o lic p riest. H is n o t t r y to p u t down C a t h o l i c i s m , b u t t o r a i s e i t u p a n d
s a c r e d c o r p s e is l o d g e d a t G o a , a n d e x p o s e d e v e r y t h i r d o r
f o u r t h y e a r to t h e p u b lic view , w h e n se v eral m ira cle s a r e
w rought. H o m u s t , w i t h o u t d o u b t , h a v o boo n a t r u e b e l i e v e r
i n H o m a n C a t h o l i c i s m , w h i c h r e l i g i o n f o r b i d s u s to j o i n s e c r e t s u c h s h e m u s t h a v e p r i e s t s i n s t e a d of b i g o t s , k n o w l e d g e
s o c ie tie s . T h i s b e i n g so, h o w c a n t h e T h e o s o p h i s t s p u t d o w n
R o m a n C a th o licism in t h e i r m o n th l y J o u r n a l ? W ill th e
l'lwosophul p l e a s e t o g i v e t h o p u b l i c i t s v i e w s about t h i s
G re a t S a in t in In d ia.
. S a m u e l J o n a th a n ,
C i v i l Court, SaljJm, A p r il 13th 1884,
N ote :— W e r e g r e t t h a t w c h a v e h a d n o o p p o r t u n i t y o f f o r ­
m i n g t h o a c q u a i n t a n c e of S t , F r a n c i s X a v i e r ; n e i t h e r w e r o
w e g i v e n t h e c h a n c e t o i n v e s t i g a t e a n y of t h e “ m i r a c l e s ” p e r ­
fo rm ed by his co rpse ; h u t as o u r c o rre sp o n d e n t, a c c o rd in g to
(fho a d d r e s s g i v e n b y h i m , is c o n n e c t e d w i t h t h o C i v il C o u r t ,
i t is r e a s o n a b l e to s u p p o s o t h a t h e is a l a w y e r , a n d t h e r e f o r o
t h a t he w ould n o t a ccept a n y t h i n g as tru e , unless h e were
f u l l y c o n v i n c e d b y t h e e v i d e n c e b r o u g h t b e f o re h i m . H e
tells us t h a t
1. T h e c o r p s e o f S t . F r a n c i s X a v i e r is o c c a s i o n a l l y e x ­
posed a t Goa.
2. O n s u c h a n o c c a sio n “ m i r a c l e s a r e w r o u g h t , ”
A s t o t h e fir s t a s s e r t i o n , w c a r e q u i t e w i l l i n g t o b e li e v e
t h a t t h o c o r p s e e x p o s e d a t G o a i.s r e a l l y t h a t o f S t , F r a n c i s
f o r e v e n if t h e c o r p s e e x h i b i t e d i n t h a t c o s t l y s h r i n e a t t h e
C h u r c h of B om Jesus w e r e t h a t o f t h e c r u e l b i g o t D o n F r o
A l e x o d e M c u z e s , o r of o n e o f t h e m a n y m i s e r a b l e v i c t i m s
of t h e l o a t h s o m e I n q u i s i t i o n w h o d i e d i n t h e d u n g e o n s of
th o Casa S a n ta , o r t h a t of s o m e u n k n o w n c r i m i n a l , i t w o u l d
m a k o n o d i f f e r e n c e a s f a r a s t h e w o r k i n g o f “ m i r a c l e s ” is
c o n c e r n e d , a s l o n g a s t h e t r u e b e l i e v e r s c a n f u r n i s h s u ff i c ie n t
f a i t h t o b e l i e v e s e r i o u s l y i n t h e efficacy of t h e f e t i c h . W o
f u l l y b e l i e v e i n t h e m y s t e r i o u s p o w e r of f a i t h .
B e s i d e s t h e b o d y of S t. F r a n c i s X a v i e r , t h e r e a r c p l e n t y
of o t h e r “ m i r a c l e - w o r k i n g ” r e l i c s i n t h e w o r l d . “ A m o n k
of St. A n th o n y ,” say s S tevens, “ h a v in g been a t Je ru sa lem ,
s a w s e v e r a l r e l i c s , a m o n g w h i c h w a s a b i t of t h e f i n g e r of
t h e H o l y G h o s t ; t h e s n o u t of t h e s e r a p h t h a t a p p e a r e d t o
S t. F r a n c is ; ono of th e rib s of th e V e r b u m oaro fa c tu m
( t h e w o r d m a d e fle s h ) ; s o m e r a y s o f t h e s t a r t h a t a p p e a r e d
to t h e t h r e e K i n g s of t h e E a s t ; a p h i a l of S t . M i c h a e l ’s s w e a t
t h a t e x u d e d w h e n h e w n s l i g h t i n g w i t h t h e d e v i l ” ;* a n d u p
t o t h i s d a y t h e r e is a c h u r c h i n I t a l y , w h e r e a f e a t h e r o u t
o f t h e w i n g of t h e A n g e l G a b r i e l is e x h i b i t e d .
A ll t h e s o t h i n g s w o r k “ m i r a c l e s , ” e s p e c i a l l y c u r e s , p r o ­
v i d e d t h o p a t i e n t h a s s u f f i c ie n t f a i t h . N e i t h e r is i t a t a ll
n e c e s s a r y t h a t s u c h f e t i c h e s s h o u l d b e r e l i c s of R o m a n C a ­
t h o l i c s u i n t s . A t o o t h o f B u d d h a , a b a c k b o n e of C o n f u c i u s ,
a t o e n a i l o f G l a d s t o n e , a b o o t of C o l. I n g e r s o l l , a t a i l o f a
m o n k e y , o r a n y o t h e r t h i n g , w ill a n d m u s t hav o j u s t th o
s a m e e ffect, if b e l i e v e d i n w i t h s u f f i c ie n t s t r e n g t h . J e s u s
C h r is t gives th e d e sire d e x p la n a tio n a f te r m a k in g a cure.
H e d o e s n o t s a y “ I c u r e d t h e e , ” b u t h e s a y s : “ T h y f a i th
h a s m a d e th e e w hole, g o a n d sin no m o re.” M a n y Y o g is nre
b u r ie d in I n d i a a n d c u re s a rc w r o u g h t a t t h e i r g ra v es.
T h o u s a n d s o f M a h o n iin e d a u s g o a n n u a l l y to M ecca to v isit
t h e t o m b of t h e P r o p h e t f o r t h a t p u r p o s e , a n d a ll t h e p a t e n t
m e d i c i n e s a n d q u a c k n o s t r u m s d e r i v e t h e i r efficacy p r i n c i ­
p a l l y f r o m t h e t’a i t l i o f i m a g i n a r y o r r e a l i n v a l i d s . T h e
p o w e rs of I m a g i n a t i o n a n d F a i t h aro a lm o s t o m n ip o te n t, a n d
if o u r c o r r e s p o n d e n t d e s i r e s t o k n o w how t h e y a c t , w e a d ­
vise h i m to s t u d y t h c o s o p h i c a l b o o k s , a n d e s p e c i a l l y t o r e a d
t h o l e c t u r e s of E l i p h a s L o v i p n b l i s l i e d m o n t h l y i n t h e J o u r n a l
of t li e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y . T h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y is
no s e c r e t s o c i c t y , s h e i n v i t o s e v e r y b o d y to i n v e s t i g a t e h e r
d o ctrin es.
A s t o t h e s e c o n d p o i n t , i t is u s e l e s s i n t h i s e n l i g h t e n e d
a g e t o s a y t h a t a r e a l m iracle c a n o c c u r . O r i g i n a l l y a
“ m ira cle ” m e a n t so m e th in g su p e rn a tu ra l, or so m eth in g th a t
g o e s a g a i n s t t h o l a w s of n a t u r e . A t o n e t i m e t h u n d e r a n d
l i g h t n i n g w e re su p p o s e d to bo w o r k s o f J u p i t e r o r of tho
devil, a n d th e re fo ro m ir a c u lo u s ; b u t w e a re in c lin e d to b e ­
l i e v e t h a t o u r c o r r e s p o n d e n t is s u f f i c ie n tl y i n t e l l i g e n t to
k n o w a l l t liis , a n d t h a t b y “ m i r a c l e ” h e p r o b a b l y m e a n t “ a
w o n d e r f u l t h i n g . ” T h e r e a r e p l e n t y of w o n d e r f u l t h i n g s , b u t
t h e y a r e n o t s u p e r n a t u r a l , a n d c a n a ll b e e x p l a i n e d b y a
p r o p e r a p p l i c a t i o n o f o u r i n t e l l e c t u a l f a c u l ti e s .
“ B u t , ” sa y s o u r c o r re s p o n d e n t, “ y o u t r y to p u t d o w n
C a th o licism .” W e sa y : “ W e do no such th in g . W e do
p u r i f y it. W e wra n t t o m a k e t h e C a th o l i c c h u r c h s till m o r e
C a t h o l i c ; i n s t e a d of w i s h i n g h e r to r e m a i n o n l y Homan C a t h o ­
lic, w o w a n t h e r t o b e c o m e universal C a t h o l i c ; b u t t o b o c o m e
i n s t e a d o f r e li e s , lo v e i n s t e a d o f h a t e , f r e e d o m i n s t e a d of
t y r a n n y , t r u t h i n s t e a d o f s u p e r s t i t i o n , a n d a p o p o w h o is
e n d o w ed w ith s u p re m e w isdom . I f sh e a rriv e s a t t h a t
p o i n t , w e s h a l l j o i n h e r i n h e r e f fo r t s t o e x t e n d h e r d o m i n i o n
a ll o v e r t h e e a r t h . ”
I f w e a t t e m p t to c le an se a n o b le s t a tu e f ro m filth , do w e
d e s t r o y t h o s t a t u e , q r d e s t r o y the* f i lt h p I f w e t r y t o r e m o v e
su p e rstitio n a n d ig n o ra n c e , w h ic h h id e tlio t r u th , do we try
to p u t d o w n th e t r u t h ? F o r m s c h a n g e , p rin c ip le s a rc la s t­
i n g . H e w h o a d o r e s a f o r m is a n i d o l a t o v j h e w h o a d m i r e s
ih e p rin cip le i s , th o tr u e w o rs h ip p e r. T h e R o m a n C atholic
* See iBis Unveiled.'
 Chllroli is g e t t i n g o l d ; t h e p r i n c i p l e h a s l e f t , t h e f o r m r e ­
m ains. T h o p rie s ts h a v e lost th e k e y to t h e i r s a n c t u a r y ;
they c a n n o t ex p la in t h e i r o w n m y s te r ie s a n d do n o t w a n t
th em exp la in ed . T h e y w o rsh ip fo rm s, o u t of w h ic h th e
s p i r i t h a s Hud, a n d , u n l e s s t h e y a w a k e f r o m t h e i r s l u m b e r , a
n ew a n d u n iv e r s a l re lig io n will a ris e a n d o o n q u e r t h e w o rld ,
wh ilo t h e ' m u m m i f i e d b o d y o f t h e R o m a n C a t h o l i c C h u r c h will
be l a i d a w a y in i t s t o m b a n d f o r g o t t e n l i k e t h e d r i e d u p
o ld b o d y of S t . F r a n c i s X a v i e r i n i t s s h r i n e a t G o a .
. KARMA.
I t is g e n e r a l l y s u p p o s e d t h a t a n i m a l s a r e n o t u n d e r t h e
o p e r a t i o n o f tlie l a w of K a r m a , a s a p p l i e d to h u m a n b e i n g s .
I f so , h o w c a n w e e x p l a i n t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e p o s i t i o n
of a n a n i m a l e x p o s e d to a l l t h e t o r m e n t s t h a t c a n affliot
s e n tie n t b e in g s, w h ip p e d a lm o s t to d e a th , s ta r v e d o u t of
e x i s t e n c e , a n d t h a t o f a n o t h e r , e n j o y i n g a ll t h o l u x u r i e s of
t h e m a t e r i a l w o r l d , f e d w i t h t h e b e s t of f o o d a n d t r e a t e d
w ith e x tre m e k i n d n e s s ? H o w q g a in c a n th e cases o f a n im a ls
b o rn b lin d be e x p la i n e d ? W o do n o t a c t u a l l y m e a n to in v e s t
th em , w ith as m u c h re sp o n sib ility as h u m a n b ein g s, b u t can
t h e y n o t b e s u p p o s e d to p o s s e s s i t in a f a r les s d e g r e e ? A
so lution f ro m y o u on th is p o i n t w ill g o m n c h t o w a r d s e lu c i.
d a tin g o u r ideas on th e subject.
G y a n e n d r a N. C h a k r a v a r t y ,
(of C a w n p o re )
Professor, P h y s ic a l Science .
Note : — T h e e r r o r o f t e n c o m m i t t e d , is t o m i s t a k e t h e g e n e ­
r a l l a w o f c a u s e a u d e ffe c t f o r t h e l a w o f m e r i t a n d d e m e r i t .
I f w e a s k , w h y h a s o n e a n i m a l a n e a s y life t o l e a d a n d
a n o t h e r a h a r d o n e , w e m i g h t a s k a lso , w h y is o n e t r e e c u t
d o w n b e f o r e i t is g r o w n u p , w h i l e a n o t h e r tu e e is a l l o w e d to
d i e o f o ld a g e ? W h y is o n e p a i r o f s h o e s m a d e t o a d o r n t h e
f e e t of a l a d y i n a b u l l r o o m , a n d a n o t h e r p a i r t o b e d r a g g e d
th ro u g h th e m u d by a boor ? N o one w ill m a in ta in t h a t
m in erals a n d p lan ts h a v e a n y m o ral resp o n sib ility . N e ith e r
h a v e a n i m a l s , c h i l d r e n , i d io t s o r t h e i n s a n e a n y s u c h m o r a l
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . T h i s is a f a c t r e c o g n i z e d b y h u m a n l e g i s l a ­
t io n , a n d i t w a s r e s e r v e d f o r t h e i g n o r a n c e o f t h e 1 4 t h
c e n t u r y to j u d i c i a l l y t r y a n d p u n i s h a n i m a l s a c c o r d i n g t o a
J e w is h law , l a id d o w n in E x o d u s xxi. 2 8 , w h i c h sa y s : “ I f
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be s u r e l y s t o n e d , a n d h i s flesh s h a l l n o t b e ‘e a t e n , b u t t h o
o w n e r of t h e o x s h a l l bo q u i t . ” A c c o r d i n g t o t h a t l a w i n
1386 t h e j u d g e of F u l a i s e c o n d e m n e d a s o w t o bo m u t i l a t e d
i u t h e l e g a n d h e a d , a n d a f t e r w a r d s to b e h u n g , f o r h a v i n g
t o r n t h e f a c e a n d a r m o f a c h i l d a n d t h e n k i l l i n g it. T h i s
w a s a D r a c o n i a n in f li c ti o n o f p u n i s h m e n t . T h is sow w a s
e x e c u t e d in t h e p u b l i c s q u a r e , c l o t h e d i n a m a n ’s d r e s s .
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of K a r m a ; b u t t h e l a w o f c a u s e a n d e f fe c t a p p l i e s t o a l l
d e p artm e n ts of n a tu re .
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m e d i c i n e . ” T h c l a w o f compensation is a l s o a c t i v e i n t h e
a n i m a l w o r l d . A d o g , t h a t lia s t o e x e r c i s e i t s o w n s a g a c i t y
to find fo o d , w i l l s o o n e r d e v e l o p e p s y c h i c a l p o w e r s i n t h a t
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so o n e r re a c h t h e c o n d itio n n e c e s s a ry to e n te r t h e h u m a n
k i n g d o m . T li e r u d i m e n t s o f h o p e , p a t i e n c e , f a i t h , f i d e l i t y ,
c o n fid e n c e , e tc ., a r e f o u n d i n t h e a n i m a l k i n g d o m . Ry p u t­
t i n g t h o m i n t o e x e r c is e , t h e y w i l l b e c o m e s t r o n g e r , a n d a s n o
e ffo rt i n n a t u r e is e v e r l o s t , t h e y w i l l f i n d t l i e i r u s e s . I f
wo u n d e r s t a n d t h e l a w s of t h e u n i v e r s e , w e s h a l l h a v o n o
o c c a sio n t o f i n d f a u l t w i t h t h e m , a n d b e c o m e c o n v i n c e d o f
tho u s e l e s s n e s s t o a t t e m p t t o i m p r o v e o r c o r r c c t S u p r e m o
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^.D E JP T S 4 N D P O L IT IC S .
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source n o t f r i e n d l y t o e i t h e r t h e c a u s e o f T h e o s o p h y o r t o
the M asters. P erso n ally , I do n o t believ e M r. D q la tr a m
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C h r i s t ia n a n d ro y a list m ind.
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j u s t on o, s t a r t e d to a c c o m p l i s h a be n eficia l e n d , a n d t h a t t h e
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c o n n e c t i o n w i t h it, n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e r o y a l i s t a n d a n t i ­
r e p u b l i c a n f e e l i n g s o f t h e r e a l a u t h o r s of M r . D o l a t r a m ’s
paper T l ( a t r e v o h i t i q n w a s n o t d e g r a d e d , in t h e A m e r i c a n
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h u m a n rig h ts.
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t h e C o u n t S t . G e r m a i n , w h i c h w i l l s h e d so m o l i g h t o n t h c
q u e s t i o n of w l i a t , i f a n y , o o n n e o t i o n d o so m o a d o p t s h a v e
w ith ju stifia b le re v o lu tio n s,
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in g to n , in t h e C o n t in e n t a l a r m y a g a i n s t th e B ritish , wa*
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w a s i n P a r i s , a n d a t t h o s a m e t i m e t h o C o u n t S t . G e m i n i 11
w as M in is te r of W a r th e re . T h e y w e ro w ell a c q u a in te d w i t h
e a c h o t h e r , a n d t h e C o u n t i n d u c e d V o n S t e u b o n to e o m c o v e r
t o A m e r i c a a n d o ffer h i s s w o r d to G e n l , W a s h i n g t o n . HP
d i d so, w a s g l a d l y r e o o iv e d , a n d d i d s p l e n d i d s e r v i e o i n t h e
cause of lib erty . E v e ry b o d y know s t h a t St, G e rm a in w a s
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m a n y p u b l i c a t i o n s a n d l o t t e r s o f a u t h e n t i c force ,
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W a s h i n g t o n a n d a ls o J e f f e r s o n . A s i n c e r e m a s o n w i l l b e a
j u s t m a n w h o re v ere s lib e rty a n d a b h o rs a ty ra n t.
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l i e a r t h e A d e p t B uyin g i U I a m m a n i f e s t e d i n o v e r y a g o f o r
t h e p u r p o s e o f r e s t o r i n g d u t y a n d d e s t r o y i n g e v il d o i n g . ”
E x Asiatic.
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p u b l i c a t i o n in l y o u r j o u r n a l t o t h e f o l l o w i n g o b s e r v a t i o n s
s u g g e s t e d b y a p e r u s a l o f M r . S i n n e t t ’s “ E s o t e r i c B u d ­
d h i s m . ” I t h i n k t h e y f a i r l y r e p r e s e n t t h c v i e w s of m a n y
a H in d u T h eo so p h ist ou th o subject.
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t lio H i m a l a y a n M a h a t m a s , c o m m u n i c a t e d t o liim u n d e r e x ­
c e p t i o n a l c i r c u m s t a n c e s b y m e a n s o f l e t t e r s t r a n s m i t t e d to
h im m o s tly by o c c u lt m e a n s in response to c o rta in q u e stio n s
p u t b y h i m a t r a n d o m on s c i e n t i f ic s u b j e c t s . T h e y h a v e b e en
a r r a n g e d a u d p re se n te d in a sy s te m a tic fo rm s u ite d to a sci­
e n ti f i c t r e a t m e n t o f t h e s u b j e c t b y t h e a u t h o r h i m s e l f f r o m
tlio a p p a r e n t l y i n e a g r e m a t e r i a l s s u p p l i e d to h i m b y M S S . in
t h e h a n d w r i t i n g o f t h e R i s l ii s , so t h a t h is w o r k m a y bo c o m ­
p a re d to a liv e ly p o r t r a i t g o t u p a n d finished fro m th e bare
o u t l i n e s h a s t i l y d r a w n b y a m a B te r a r t i s t .
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to a n y p a rtic u la r c re e d o r fa ith , b u t om body th e u niversal
t r u t h s c o m m o n t o a l l r e l i g i o u s s y s t e m s a lik e , r e v e a le d u n d e r
o r d i n a r y c i r c u m s t a n c e s o n l y t o r e g u l a r i n i t i a t e d d i s c ip l e s , a n d
t h u s s a c r e d l y g u a r d e d f r o m g e n e r a t i o n to g e n e r a t i o n f r o m
th e u n sy m p a th e tic m asses. U n d e r su c h c irc u m s ta n c e s th e re
is n o t m n c h r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e M a h a t m a s t h e m s e l v e s
h a v e e s p e o ia ll y t h o u g h t i t p r o p e r to i d e n t i f y t h e s e d o c t r i n e s
w i t h a n y c r e e d o r r e l i g i o n , s i n c e t h e y h a v e n o sspecial p r e d i ­
l e c t i o n s w h a t e v e r t o a n y p a r t i c u l a r f o r m of f a i t h . Tho
s e l e c t i o n o f t h e t i t l e o f t h e b o o k a n d of t h e p e c u l i a r p h r a s e ­
t r u t h s , m u s t t h e r e f o r e h a v o b e e n t h e r e s u l t o f M r . S i n n e t t ’m
o w n c h o ic e , a n d h i s p r e v i o u s a c q u a i n t a n c e w i t h B u d d h i s m
a n d B u d d h is t s c rip tu re s m u s t h a v e h a d a g r e a t deal to do
w i t h it. W h y M r . S i n n e t t s h o u l d h a v e c o n s i d e r e d t h e s y s t e m
o f E s o te r ic S cien c e a n d P h ilo s o p h y tr e a te d of in h is book
t o bo m o r e c lo s e ly a ll i e d to B u d d h i s m t h a n H i n d u i s m ia n o t
v e r y clear, u n le s s t h e fo llo w in g p a ssa g e e x tr a c te d fro m th o
p re fa c e to his w o rk b e c o n sid e re d to t h r o w som e l ig h t
n p o n t h e a l l e g e d s u p e r i o r i t y of c x o t c r i c B u d d h i s m to e x o t e r i a
 “ E x o t e r i c B n d d h i s m is i n c l o s e r u n i o n w i t h tlic e s o t o r i c
d o c t r i n e tlinn n n y o t h e r p o p u l a r a n c i e n t c r e c d . ”
N o w by c re d itin g ex o te ric P n d d h i s m w ith g refiter p r o x im ity
to tlio e s o t e r i c d o c t r i n e tlia n a n y o t h e r a n c ie n t, r e l i g i o n , M r.
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r e l i g i o n s o r spiritnftl d e v e l o p m e n t c f t h e g r e a t m a s s of religi­
ous v o t a r i e s , o r ( 2 ) t h e r e l i g i o n s c r e e d e m b o d i e d in t h e p o p u l a r
s n o r e d l i t e r a t u r e . N o w o n t h e f o r m e r s u p p o s i t i o n i t m a y bo
wifely a s s e r t e d ( n o t to s p e n k of t.lie f-nc'fc t h a t t h e H i n d u s aro
i i n l ike a n y o t h e r p e o p le in th o w o r l d , C h r i s t i a n o r B u d d h i s t i c ,
i u b e i n g s t r i c t l y a v e g e t a r i a n p e o p le ) t h a t p o p u l a r H i n d u
n o t i o n s o f m a n ’s d e s t i n y a f t e r d e a t h a n d o t h e r p r o b l e m s h a v i n g
to d o w i t h t h e m y s t e r i e s of e x i s t e n c e , e m b o d y to a. g r e a t e x t e n t
t lio d o c t r i n e s p r o p o u n d e d in “ E x o t e r i c B u d d h i s m , ” n n d aro
t litis c a l c u l a t e d lo s t r e n g t h e n t h e m o r a l p r o p e n s i t y o f n n y
p e o p lo w h o n r e f a m i l i a r witli t h e m . I t is o n l y w h e n t h e s e
b e lie fs h a d to u n d e r g o a t e r r i b l e w r e c k at, t h o h a n d s of
w e s t e r n e d u c a t i o n a n d h, v a r i e t y of O t h e r c ir c u m s t .h n c e s , t h a t
t h e i r i n f l u e n c e e nnie to be less f e l t , -when, t h a n k s t o o u r
r e v e r e d M a h a t m a s , tile T h e o s o p h i c a l s o c i e t y b e g a n t o s h e d
i t s beneticifil i n t h i c n c o a s t h e saviour of Hindu S o c i e t y a n d
n a t i o n a l i t y . A n d t h c p o p u l a r wifidoiii Cif t h e majority of
t h e H i n d u s t o t h i s d n y is m o r e o r loss thig<?d w i t h t h e e s o ­
t e r i c d o c t r i n e s t a u g h t i n M r . S i n n c t t ’s bciok m i s n a m e d
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v i l l a g b i n tire w h o l e o f I n d i a , in Which “people'rire n o t m o r o
n r less a c q u a i n t e d w i t h tlie stiblimb t e n e t s o f t li c Vedanta
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by M issionary bodies a n d o t h e r d e s tr u c tiv e ag en c ie s. T h e
e if e c ls of K a r i n a i n tlic n e x t b i r t h , tlic e n j o y m e n t o f i ts f r u i t s ,
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p r i o r t o tlie r e i n c a r n a t i o n o f t h e s p i r i t u a l riio n a d i n t h i s o r
n n y o t h e r . w o r l d , t .thc l o i t e r i n g o f tl(o u n s a t i s f i e d s o u l s o r
h u m a n s h e l l s i n tlio e a r t h ( k a m a l o k a ) , t h e p r a l a y i c n n d
m n n v a n t h r i c p e r i o d s , tlio s e v e n o r r a t h e r fo i ir t b e ii r o u n d 's of
h u m a n i t y in t h i s f l a t l e t , t h o c x is te i ic c of o t h e r tv rirld s b e s i d e s
t h c o n o w e i n h a b i t find of O t h e r Stfites o f e x i s t e n c e , t h e
s p i r i tu a l c o n s t i t u t i o n o f m a n a n d t h o d e s c e n d i n g o r i n c a r n a ­
t i o n o f t h e P l a n e t a r y B e i n g s o r G u a r d i a n s p i r i t s of t h o w o r l d
f r o m t i m e to t i m e t o p r e s e r v e t h o s p i r i t u a l w i s d o m f r o m
b e c o m in g e x tin c t in th o w o rld , a n d m a n y o t h e r su b je c ts
e n tire ly •u n to u c h e d in “ E s o tc r ic B u d d h i s m , ” a r c u o t only
i n t e l l i g i b l e , b u t a r e e v e n f a m i l i a r to a g r e a t m a n y H i n d u s ,
f l o a t i n g e v e n in o r d i n a r y c o l l o q u i a l l a n g u a g e u n d e r n a m e s
d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h o s e m a d o n s c ' o f b y tlie a u t h o r of “ E s o t e r i c
B u d d h i s m . ” A s m a n y clo se o b s e r v e r s of H i n d u a n d B i a l i -
m a n i c a l h a b i t s of t h i n k i n g o f t h o p r e s e n t d a y w i l l su ffi c ie n tl y
t e s t i f y t o t h i s f a c t , i t is u s e l e s s t o d i l a t e i ip o ii i t a n y m o r e .
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“ e x o t e r i c '' to r e f e r t o t h e p o p u l a r r e l i g i o u s l i t e r a t u r e , i t m a y
b e m a i n t a i n e d , w i t h o u t a n y f e a r of c o n t r a d i c t i o n , t h a t all o r
n e a r l y nil t h o H i n d u s a c r e d b o o k s c o n t a i n t h e v e r y e s s e n c e
of e soteric tru th s . A n d c o n sid e rin g t h a t th c a u th o r fre ­
q u e n t l y r e p e a t s t h e s t a t e m e n t t h a t lie d o e s n o t l a y c la i m to
Oriental s c h o l a r s h i p , tlie r e a s o n is n o t e v i d e n t w h y lie s h o u l d
r e g a r d e x o t e r i c B u d d h i s m a s more esotcric t h a n a n y o t h e r
a n o io n t E a s t e r n relig io n . P e r h a p s it m a y a f t e r a ll o n ly
i n d i c a t e t h a t ho h a s too m u c h m o d e s t y to a s p i r e t o llie c o y e t -
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a c q u a in ta n c e w ith ’t b e ex o teric d o c tr i n e s of B i id d h is m t h a n
w i t h t h o s e of H i n d u i s m , a n d lia s t a k e n g r e a t e r p a i n s in,
s tn d y in g a n d g e t t i n g in fo rm a tio n a b o u t e x o te ric B u d d h is tic
w ritin g s. H i n d u s a c re d w ritin g s , on th e o t h e r lian d , fro m
tho V e d a s to t h e P n r a n n s , c o n ta in a lm o s t a ll t h c s p ir itu a l
t r u t h s that t h e M a h a t m a s have r e v e a l e d . T o a v o i d a n y
g r o u n d f o r m i s a p p r e h e n s i o n o n the. part o f m y b r e t h r e n ,
I b a v e r e s p e c t f u l l y to s u b m i t t l i a t . I r d o n o t. b e l o n g t o that
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b i g o t r y , a c c u s e t h e . - . F o u n d e r s o f the; T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i c t y
o f p a r t i a l i t y to B u d d h i s m , w i t h o u t fe e lin g ' g r a t e f u l f o r t h e
in eg tim a b le .b le ss in g s w h ic h T h e o s o p h y lias a lr e a d y c o n f e r r e d
u p o n I n d i a d u r i n g so s h o r t a p e r i o d , b y , i n f u s i n g Oj s p i r i t of
p a t r i o t i s m i n t o t h o h e a r t s o f .it s p e o p le , a n d , by, u n i t i n g m e n
of divfcrso r a c e s a n d c r e e d s ini b o n d s o f b r o t h e r l y s y m p a t h y .
N e i t h e r ifc i t .my i n t e n t i o n t o d i s p u t e the t r u t h o f t h e d o c t r i n e s
t h e m s e l v e s , or t h e f a c t of t h e i r h a v i n g e m a n a t e d f r o m 1 t h e
s a c r e d s o u r c e f r o m w-liich t h e y a r e p r o f e s s e d t o h a v e b e e n
i n s p i r e d . I n f a c t t li e r o is n o t h i n g t o b e q u e s t i o n e d i n t h e
d o c t r i n e s so a b l y a n d sc i e n t i fic a l l y e x p o u n d e d b y t h e a u t h o r *
■which a r e h e l d s a c r d d b o t h b y H i n d u s a n d B u d d h i s t s , " f o r t h e y
form b u t a p o r t i o n , a n d n o t e v e n t h e g r e a t e r p o r t i o n of" t h a t
p c r f e c t s y s t e m o f E s o t c r i c S c i e n c e , “w h i c h c a n n o t b e c la i m e d
t o h a v e b e e n t b e e x c l u s i v e p o s s e s s i o n of a n y r e l i g i o u s s y s ­
t e m i n p a r t i c u l a r , b u t w h i c h is i d e n t i c a l w i t h t h o W i s d o m -
R e l i y i o n o f a n t i q u i t y , so o f t e n r e f e r r e d to in T h e o s o p h i c a l
w r i t i n g s a s t h e c o m m o n f o u n d a t i o n o f all r e l i g i o n s . T h is
h n m b l o p a p e r is Only m e a n t a s a p r o t e s t a g a i n s t M r .
S i n n c t t ’s a t t e m p t to iden tify th e E s o te ric . D o ctrin o
in th e k e e p in g of th e G r e a t H im a la y a n T e a c h e rs w ith
a n y e x oteric c recd, h o w e v e r m u c h fa v o re d of h im . T h a t
s u c h a n i d e n t i f i c a t i o n is a g a i n s t t h e w h o l o t e n o r a n d a i m s
o f t h e t e a c h i n g s o f (he Theosophist, is e v i d e n t f r o m th o
f o l l o w i n g e d i t o r i a l n o t e ( V i d e M a r c h Theosophist, p. 1 5 0 )
w h i c h is w o r t h y o f c a r e f u l c o n s i d e r a t i o n :—
“ S u r e l y , w i t h o u t in a n y w a y l o w e r i n g d o w n t h e C h r i s t
s y s t e m , o r e v'eh t h e ideal C h r i s t , w e c a n s a y w h a t is b u t
too e a s y o f p r o o f , t h a t , p r o p e r l y s p e a k i n g , t h e r e is no
‘ e s o t e r i c C h r i s t i a n i t y , ’ iio m o r e t h a n t h e r e is e s o t e r i c
H i h d i i s i i n , B u d d h i s m o r a n y o t h e r ‘ i s m . ’ W e k n o w oE
o n e E s o t e r i c D o c t r i n e — tlib u n i v e r s a l s e c r c c t W isdom -Ite-
liiMon of o ld . T h e l a t t e r eriibi'tiCcs e v e r y o n o of tlio g r e a t
c r e e d s o f tlic a n t i q u i t y , w h i l e n o n e o f t h e s o c a n b o a s t of
h a v i n g i t i n i t s e n t i r e t y . O u r m i s s i o n is t o g a t h e r a l l t h e s e
s c a t t e r e d r a y s , b r i n g thb'm b a c k t o o n e foCitS, a n d t h u s h e lp
t h o s e w h o w i l l c o in b k f t e r u s t o iii iv eil s o m e d a y t h e g l o r i o u s
s u n of T r u t h . O n l y h n m a n i t y riiilst be p r e p a r e d f o r i t —
l e s t i t s h o u l d lie b l i n d e d b y t h e u n e x p e c t e d s p l e n d o u r . T h e
t r u o T h e o s o p h i s t , h o w h o w o r k s f o r tlie s a k e o f t r u t h —•
not for his tmm. Arif and personal predilections — o u g h t to
r e s p e c t e v e r y r e l i g i o u s s y s t b m — pander to none.”
"W liat t h c p r o f o u n d a n d r e s p e c t e d E d i t o r i n t h e a b o v o
p a s s a g e a f fi r m s w i t h r d s p e c t t o p a r t i h l i t y t o a'riy r e l i g i o u s
s y s t e m 'in g e n e r a l a n d P’lsotfcric C h r i s t i a n i t y i n p a r t i c u l a r ,
is e v e n more p e r t i n e n t w h en a p p l i e d t o M r . S i n n e t t ’s u n d u e
p a r t i a l i t y , if n o t p a n d e r i h g , t o t h e B u d d h i s t r e li g i o n :
S u b s t i t u t e , iii t h e p r e c e d i n g q u o t a t i o n “ B i i d d h i s m ” fo r
“ C h r i s t i a n i t y ” a n d viie 'versa, a n d i t e x a c t l y c o n v e y s t h e
f o r c e of m y c r i t i c i s m . M r . S i n n e t t is a t p e r f e c t l i b o r t y to
e x p l a i n his E s b t e r i c B u d d h i s m , a s a n y Theosophist iB to
e x p l a i n t h e r e l i g i o n w hich lio t h i n k s to b e t h e b e s t . A n d
i t w i l l b e q u i t e u n j u s t o n m y p a r t t o fi n d f a u l t w i t h M r.
S i n n e t t on t h c scorc o f h i s i n q u i r i n g into t h e s u b l i m e t r u t h s
of B u d d h i s m a n d s e t t i n g f o r t h t h e i r t r a n s c e n d e n t a l v a l u e
b e f o r e t h c w o r l d , rrs his own individual opinion ; b u t I a m
fu lly co n fid e n t t h a t I a m n o t one inch d e v ia tin g fro m the
T h co so p h ic al p ro g ra m m e , w h e n I c h a rg e h im w i t h h a v in g
i n t e r p r e t e d t h e t e a c h i n g s of t h o G r e a t H i m a l a y a n b r o t h e r s
a s s u p p o r t i n g one f o r m o f f a i t h i n p r e f e r e n c e t o a n o t h e r .
B u d d h i s m is n o t o f v e r y a n c i o n t g r o w t h . I t is p r o f e s s e d l y
a n o f f s p i r i n g of H i n d u i s m , a n d o n e t h a t w a s i n t r o d u c e d i n to
tlic w o r l d in Comparatively r o c c n t t i m e s b y L o r d B u d d h a .
L o r d B u d d h a , a c c o r d in g to p o p u la r H i n d u tr a d i t io n a n d
l i t e r a t u r e , is a u A v a t a r ( P l a n e t a r y s p i r i t ? ) of V i s h n u . H i s
V e n e r a b l e n a m e is c h ie f ly a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h a v i n g t a u g h t
m a n k i n d t h e p r i n c i p l o o f b e n e v o l e n c e t o a ll s e i i t i e n c y , iu
f a c t , U n i v e r s a l B r o t h e r h o o d i n i t s w i d e s t se n se . Tho
H i n d u s h a v e no id e a of h is h a v in g t a u g h t th e m y ste rio u s
d o c t r i n e s e m b o d i e d i n M r . S i n n c t t ’s w o r k . H i s m is sio n w a s
to r a is e t h c m o i'a l s t a t u s o f t h o m a s s e s of t h o S o c i e t y to
w h o m ho a c c o rd in g ly a d d r e s s e d him self. P e r h a p s h e m io-ht
h a v e t a u g h t t h e s e c rc t d o c tr in e s to t h e in n e r sec tio n o f his
d i s c ip l e s , a s C h r i s t d i d , w h o is s a i d t o h a v e spoken t o his
p u p ils iu p a ra b le s . T h o w o r k s of S a n k a r a c h a r y a , R a i n a -
n u ja c h a ry a a n d M a d h v a c h a ry a , do no t recognise B u d d h ism
as h a v in g b e en a sso c iated w ith th ese su b lim e do c trin es, b u t
d i s c u s s some of t h e t e n e t s of t h e B a u d d h a c h a r y a s o r d i s c i ­
p l e s of B u d d h a , s u c h a s Y o g a c h a r a , M a d h y a m i k a , &c. A n d
a s t h e r e is n o r e l i g i o n i n t h e w o r l d w h i c h h a s n o t s o m e
p o r t i o n o f ' d i v i n e t r u t h i n it, t h e m e r e f a c t of t h o B u d d h i s t
r e l i g i o n l i a v i n g a c o r e of s o l i d t r u t h u n d e r l y i n g i t , w o u l d n o t
e n t i t l e o n o to s a y t l i a t this is t h o r e l i g i o n w h i c h t h e g r e a t
o c c u l t t e a c h e r s of t h e H i m a l a y a s h a v e s o ' l o n g a h d so zealous­
ly g n a r d o d . H i n d u s t u d e n t s of O c c u l t i s m w i l l b o m u c h b e n e fit­
e d if t h o e s o t e r i c t r u t h s a r o e x p l a i n e d a n d i l l u s t r a t e d b y th e
f a m i l i a r p h r a s e o l o g y o f t h e i r o w n S a s t r a s , t h e w o r k s o f tlieir
g r e a t e s t M a h a tm its . F o r M r. S i n n e tt h a s p o sitiv ely obscured
h i s w o r k b y u s i n g a p h r a s e o l o g y q u i t e u n h e a r d of h i t h e r t o ,
s u c h a s D e v a c h a n j A v i t c h i ,, D h y a n C h o h a n s , fee., w h i c h aro
n o t fo u n d in th e w ritin g s of th e g r e a te s t M a h a tm a s . Nor
d o I w ish t h a t ( h e e s o t e r i c d o c t r i n e s s h o u l d b e e x clu siv ely
c l a i m e d f b r t l i n d u i s p i n p r e f e r e n c e t o B i i d d h i s m . O n the
o t h e r h a n d , S a n s k r i t b e i n g tho l a n g u a g e , i n which theso
ideas liave been invariably expressed from time immemorial, O c c n l t S y s t e m , w e s k i l l h e r e i n b e l o w s t a t e in a t a b u l a r f o r m
th e re i.s no use 111 effecting a regular linguistic confusion pf c o r r e s p o n d i n g p r i n c i p l e s r e c o g n i z e d b y tlie V e d a n t i c t e a c h e r s :—
names by mingling together such term s ns Devaehan, Dhyan
Chohans, Ac., with Karma, Pralaya, M anvantura and other C la s s it ic a t io n in K s o t q r i c C la s s ific a t io n in
Y 'e d a n t i c c ia s s it ie a t io n . T h a m k a lia j a
well established names. It is therefore highly desirable th a t B u d d h i s m ,
V o g a .
tho ideas of “ Usoteric Buddhism" should be definitely tran s­
ferred to th e \ e d i e and Vodantie cosmog’ony of Vedavyasa.
F o r instance, tbo seven p la neta ry systems may refer to ( 1 ) (1 .) S t h u l a s a r ir a . A n n a m a y a k o s a .
S th u lo ia d h i.
the seven planets uf astrology, ( 2 ) the seven Locas *T:, VR;, ( 2. ) P r a n a .
| 1 ’ra n a m a y a kosa.
*TC: » ST'T;» cPT;* (3) the seven dvipas, or ( 4 ) the ( 3 .) T h e v e h ic l e o f P r a n a .

seven worlds 3JcTe5, RcTcS, cT^RTc?, ^ r c T ^ , ( 4 .) K a m a r u p a .

&e. Tbe Dhyan Chohans mi,iy njean the Gods, ^ M an o m ay a ko sa . Sukshmopadhi.

(5 .) M i n d f [ a l ,Yo ln ;‘>n s
( & fe e li nes, Ac.
tbe D cni-gods, the Sapta Rishis, the Adityas or Suryas, tho (b) V ig u a n a m . V i g n a n a m a y a K o s a .
Pitris, the Rudns., the Vasns, the Alanus, tlie Prajapatis, the
Lokapalas or Dikpalas, or the -tit Jia rn ts, or all of these ((j.) S p ir it u a l S o ul.. A n a n d a m a y a k o s a K aran o p ad h i.
combined. Or they m ight correspond to the i»3 crores of
divine beings of the I’livanic Literature. Again, the septenary (7 .) A t m a . A t m a . A tm a.
constitution is utterly obscure, f t is not certain whether
it refers to th e seven classes of T a t t v i u , such as Maliat, v l’ r o m t h o f o r e g o i n g t a b l e i t w i l l .be s e e n t h a t t h e 3 r d p r i n c i p l e in.
T anm itra, A hankara, &a., of the Sankhya.Philosophy of Kapila, t in s l l u d d h i s t c l a s s i f i c a t i o n is n o t s e p a r a t e l y m e n t i o n e d in t .h o V e i l a n t i e
d i v i s i o n a s i t i s m e r e l y t h e v e h i c l e o f p r a n a :. IL w ill a ls o h o s e e n t h a t
or to tbo p a n c / t u k o s a s or five envelopes of tbe soul, viz. t h e 1-th p r i n c i p l e i s i n c l u d e i l in t h e 3 r d k o s a , a s t h e s a id p r i n c i p l e is
b n t t h e v e h i c l e o f w il l p o w e r w J i i c h is b u t a u e n e r g y o f .th e m i n d . It
JT^frirg, fsam q r, m u s t a ls o b e n o t i c e d t h a t V i g n a n a n i a y a k o s a is c o n s i d e r e d t o b e d i s ­
explained at length in the Brahm anandavalli of the Tait- t in c t fr o tn M a n o i n a y a k o s a , a s a d i v i s i o n is m a d e a f t e r d e a t h b e t w e e n
tiriv a Upanishad. In the same way many other doctrines t .h e l o w e r p a r t o f t iie m i n d , a s it w e r e , w h i c h h a s a c l o s e r a ffin it y w i t h
t h e 1t h p r i n c i p l e t h a n w i t h t h e s i x t h a n d i t s h i g h e r p a r t , w h i c h a t t a ­
of Ksoteiic Buddhism may be variously interpreted, and uo c h e s itself t o t h e la tt er , a n d w h i e h is iu f a c t t h e b a s is f o r t h e h i g h e r
lig h t will bo throw n on any of them .unless it is clearly s p ir it u a l i n d i v i d u a l i t y o f m a n .
explained to \yhat terms of Vedic cosmogony they respec­ W e m a y a l s o h e r e p o i n t o u t t o o n r r e a d e r s t h a t t h e c la s s ific a t io n
tively refer. m e n t i o n e d in tlie last c o l u m n is fo r all p r a c t ic a l p u r p o s e s c o n n e c t e d
w i l h K a j a V o g a , t h e b e s t a n d s i m p l e s t . T h o u g h t h e r e a r e 7 p r iu c i p l e K
I n conclusion, I have respectfully to suggest th a t a great i u m a n , t h e r e a r o b u t 3 d i s t i n c t U p a d h i s , i n e a c h o f w h i c h h .is Atma m a y
boon will be conferred on the H indu section of the T I icoho- w o r k i n d e p e n d e n t l y o f t h e r e s t . T h e s o t h r e o U p a d h i s c a u b e s e p a r a t e d
b y a n a d e jh t w i t h o u t k i l l in g h i m s e l f . H e c a n n o t s e p a r a t e t b e 7 p r i n c i ­
phical Society if the system ot Esoteric Science and Philoso­
p l e s f r o m e a e l i o t h e r w i t h o u t d e s t r o y i n g h i s c o n s t i t u t i o n . — ' 1' . S .
phy, propounded in such obscure phraseology 111 Mr. Sinnett.’s
book, lie explained and interpreted in your Magazine, by
adopting terms from tlie works of Vedavayasa, Sankara T I I E O S O P I i r A N D C H R IS T IA N IT Y .
Oharyn and other g rea t Mahatmas and Ilishis, for tlio
I liEfiiiUT to sec th a t “ An American B udd h ist” finds,
H in du Theosophists to ponder over tho striking coinci­
in some hum ble sentences of mine regarding Theosophy, a
dences of tho teachings of their Sastras, with the identical
misconception of the m oaning of its name. Ill defined term s
■teachings of the great aud illustrious Mahatm as of the
are the cause of so much confusion of thought, th a t disciples
H imavat. of tr u th m ust bo always th a nkful for correction of them .
4- BhAHMAN Theosoi-uist. Ju saying th a t Theosophy seeks to develop the power of
T kkvaxurdm, I spiritual vision, I think I owned it to be Light, while holding
1 7 lh M a r c h 1881. ) th a t Christianity manifests a tempered radiance of glory
■which is satisfaction for sight, but, in defining Theosophy
as “ search for divine wisdom” merely, I hasten to own th a t I
N o n e . — W c p r i n t t lie a h o v o l o t t c r a s i t e x p r e s s e s i n c o u r t e o u s failed to express its full claims. While w riting the phrase, I
' l a n g u a g e a n d i u a n a b l e m a n n e r Llio v i e w s o f i l l a r g o n u m b e r o f o n r
liad in my mind the la tte r half of a definition given by Colonel
H i n d u b r o t h e r s . A t tlie s a m o t i m e it m u s t b e s t a t e d t h a t t h e n a m e o f
E x o t e r i c llttdd hi.^tu w a s g i v e n t o M r . S i n n o t t ’s la t e n t p u b l i c a t i o n , n o t
Olcott in his letter fo the E p i p h a n y of Sept. 2 2 n d . “ Thooso-
.b e c a u s e tlio .d o c t r i n e p r o p o u n d e d t h e r e i n ig m e a n t t o b e s p e c ia l l y p h ia is ‘ divine’ wisdom, I believe, and a Theosophist one en­
id e n t i l ie d w i t h a u y p a r t i c u l a r f o r m o f t''aith , b u t b e c a u s e Buddhism gaged in its research,” and I perceive th a t my phrase should
m e a n s llio d o c t r i n e o f t h e Ihidtlhax, t h e W i s e , i.e., Hit ; W isd o m .K e l ig io n . rath e r have stood—-Thcosophists search for wisdom ; C hris­
A l l o a s t t h a t w a s t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g 011 w h i c h t h e n a m e w a s p e r m i t t e d
tians hohl themselves incorporate in its very Being.
t o b e u s o d . W e h a v e n o w o n l y t o m a ^ o o n e r o m a r k i n r e g a r d to w h a t
o a r c o r r e s p o n d e n t s a y s c o n c e r n i n g Esoteric J/induism. T h e H i n d u s
B u t while revealing to me th e inadequacy of my definition,
J ia v e d e v o t e d a g e s t o a s t u d y o f r e l ig io u s p r o b l e m s , l l c n q u all p o s s i b lo the critic demands an explanation of tho m eaning attached
p h a s e s o f t h o u g h t a r e p r o p o u n d e d Ijy d i f f e r e n t s c h o o l s . E x t r e m e by myself to th e term Christianity. H e rightly argues th a t
m a t e r i a l i s t s , p o s i t i v is t s , t h e is t s , d u a l i s t s , n o n - d u a l i s t s , & c . ite., c a n , o n o by that wide name I defined 110 separate portion of the church
n n d all, q u o t e s o m o a n c i e n t a u t h o r i t y o r o t h e r in tlieir f a v o u r ,
universal, of which each truly incorporate branch performs,
l t e n c o it is e x t r e m e l y d iffic u lt t o s a y w h e t h e r e x o t e r i c H i n d u i s m is
n e i u v r t h e K s o t o r i c D o c t r i n o t h a n a n y o t h e r F a i t h . O n o c a n s a y t h a t we are taugh t, the diverse functions necessary for the w ell­
a par Uc'ilttr furm o f H i n d u i s m a p p r o a c h e s tliu O c c u l t D o c t r i n e m u c h being of the whole ! B u t in the quotation by which he would
n e a r e r t h a n a n y o t h e r ; . a n d t h a t is Jill. W o m u s t s a y 11 f e w w o r d s define m y m ean ing as “ the doctrines and precepts t a u g h t by
m o r o . A l t h o u g h t h o b o o k o f M r . S i n n e t t e m p l o y s a B u d d h i s t i c p h r a ­ Jesus C hrist,” I beg to explain t h a t he falls very sho rt of
s e o l o g y , o u r c o r r e s p o n d e n t m u s t h a v o n o t i c c d t h a t t h e Theoanjihist w h a t I meant.
a l m o s t in v a r ia b l y u s e s t h e V e d i m t i e f o r m o f e x p r e s s i o n . T h u s r e a d e r s
o f t h o T h o o s o p h i e l it e r a t u r e w ill s e e t h a t , a l t h o u g h t l i e two F a i t h s Christianity, or the Holy Catholic Church, is tho mystical
m a y u s e d i ff e r e n t p l ir jU o u J o g y , t h e i d e a s u n d e r l y i n g t h o s a m e a r o “ body of Christ,” and as such I hold it to be the developing
id e n t i c a l . expression th ro u g h o u t earth of th a t power of life which is tho
P . K. M tru e Thoosophia— the wisdom of God. The term s, i£ I m is­
take not, stan d to each other in th e relation of cause and
W e a r o in a p o s i t i o n t o s t a t e t h a t M r . S i n n e t t 'n e v e r i n t e n d e d t o effect.
r n a i n t a i a t h a t l i u d d h i s m , u s p o p u l a r l y c o n c e i v e d , is t h o n e a r e s t This mystical corporation claims to be in itself a living 1 and
a p p r o a c h e v e r m a d e t o t h e a n c i e n t W i s d o m - l t e l ig io u . H i s a s s e r t i o n growing development of Truth,w hose H ead is th a t Holy Ona
s i m p l y m e a n s t h a t t h e T i b e t a n f o r m o f E x o t e r i c B u d d h i s m is in c l o s e r whereby vision and audience and speech w ith the Infinito
c o n n e c t i o n a t p r e s e n t w i t h l h e E s o t e r i c D o c t r i n e t h a n a n y o t h e r p o p u l a r
r e l i g i o n 011 a c c o u u t o f t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e g r e a t H i m a l a y a n I l r o t h e r -
grow possible and the hum an and divine are atoned in one.
l io o d in T i b e t , a n il tlieir c o n s t a n t g u i d a n c e , c a r e a n d s u p e r v i s i o n . T h o The thou ghtful a uthor of “ Life after D eath” teachcs th a t
i i a m o g i v e n t o M r . S i u n e t t ’s b o o k w il l n o t b e m i s l e a d i n g o r spirits united by th e ir m u tn a l possession of some element
o b j e c t i o n a b l e w h e n t h e c l o s e id e n t i t y b e t w e e n t h e d o c t r i n e s t h e r e i n or idea of the true, the beautiful, or the good in its etern al
e x p o u n d e d a n d t h o s e o f t h o a n c i e n t R i s h i s o f I n d i a is c l e a r l y purity, will remain united for ever, sharing for ever tho
p e r c e i v e d . A s t h e w r i t e r o f t h o f o r e g o i n g a r t ic l e s e e m s t o b o in
a s ta t e o f d o u b t a s t o -t h e p o s i t i o n o c c u p i e d b y t h e s e p t e n a r y
same spiritual property. I n tho same measure, therefore, ag
constitution o f m au aa oxpooaded b y M r , S ia u e tt, iu tlio A r y a n liiu tlu the higher spirits comprehend the eternal ideas, they will g ro w
together iu larger spiritual organisms j thus spiritual worJd
 in its perfection, is not- a simple g ath erin g tog ether of spirits,
b u t it may be likened to a living tree of spirits with its roots
111 tho earth and its crown reaching th ro u g h o u t the heavens
and this sacred union of the living and the dead with the
one Head in the ono body th tough the one spirit, was my
meaning of the term Christianity ; the mystical miinifestation
of the Lord Christ, informed with His mind, instinct with his
«piiit, animnto with the eternal life w hereby he lived, and
■whereof doctrine-t and precepts, alth o u g h em anating from
himself nnd fundamentally necessary to its constitution, are
b u t tho bare organism that sustain it.
W ould th a t unprejudiced seekers of tlie T rue would study
Christianity in the pure th o u g h t of tho m ig h ty medium St.
P au l, of its initiated teacher or of its divine Founder, as well
as in its imcomprehendimr and noisy opponents. Then surely
m any m ust own that “ pure Christianity divested of all
extraneous m atter” is, in the words of the critic, “ nothing
e lsobut pure Theosophy,” or, in other words, th a t its life is
tho “ wisdom of God,” and th a t “ the real founder of Christi­
anity cannot have beon any th ing else bu t a being full of
div itie wisdom,” which is surely manifestation of tl?e supreme.
“ An American IJuddhist” concedes t h a t Theosophy, or
divine wisdom, is the underlying life of pure Christianity, b u t
we submit th a t itis a misconception to suppose thatC hristians
aro willing to extract from the sacred body its anim ating
principle, tho very Sophia of its logos, its saviour from
spiritual death, and to cling to its garb alone. Take awny
from the Holy church the element of Divine Wisdom, which
is its very brenth, and no thing vital would survive ; and
wherefore are we supposed to desire it ?
No C hristian is, a t heart, content to cling to earthly
trappings, rath e r than to the pure beauty of the divine form
which is soul’s legitim ate expression.
Y ot Christianity teaches t h a t forceful spiritual energies
m u st develop form, whereby they find expression, and it is
a deep philosophical tr u th which announces t.liat unto earth
a child is born, its form H u m a n ity , its head E mmauuel
<Jb rist, tho power of God and the wisdom of Cod.
C hristian faith is spiritual perception of th a t mystical
corporate life, developiuir in e a rth ’s midst as tho negative
principle nf ono with her Lord and Hoad, tho positive power
in the higher spiritual plane, through whom is communicated
tho oternal life, which is the knowledge of God.
And, if our elaiins for tho C hurch of C hrist seem ton wide,
wo can b u t appeal to f a c t s ; cast our glances across the
continents, to Anstralia, America, Europe, South Africa, and
see how, through five hundred y ea r’s union to th e num eri­
cally stronger factor for T ru th , her members evidence a vital
power of thought, of energy, and of endeavour w hich a t­
te st to energy of life.
The divisions of Christendom, so long as they vitiate the
p u re beauty of love, wherein alone is the vision of the eter­
nal, aro a most true cause of offence, b u t it m ust bo rem em ­
bered th a t lifo implies friction, sadly as such cxcreseences
militato against the perfection of its form, there, is never­
theless a sign of the vigour of tho lifo, which throw's out the
offending impurity, rath e r than allow it to s tu n t it* grow th
or stifle it in the uniformity of death. l)ead pebbles on tho
seashore, as Robertson long ago taught, manifest uniformity
b u t lifo implies variety in unity. Nevertheless when the
churches nre no more a religious body, pure Christianity
will prevail, for it recognises but one Holy Church as essen­
tial T ru th , to whose development th e present disunited
members tend. I t is, I humbly submit, a mistake to say th a t
“ the intelligent classes,” in E ngland a t least, “ have retired
in disgust from the arena of controversy,” excopt so far as
th e ir close assimilation of religious th o u g h t begins to oblite-
rflte tho arena itself. Men everywhere, I think, begin to per­
ceive th a t T ru th is wider than they thought. V erily not in­
tellectual reasoning but spiritual wisdom i s tho indwelling
impulso th a t leads to T ru th ,— tb a t w ay which is life, the
“ Christ in us, the hope of glory.” I f it bo true th a t to u n d er­
sta n d w hat Theosophy means is to becomo a Theosophist, to
be incorporate in tho mystery of C h rist’s spiritual body,— His
energising K arm a form contains promise of g ro w th in spiri­
tu a l life, not limited to the understanding, a lth o u g h corrobo­
rated by reason and depending for audience, for vision, for
speech w ith the supreme, not on our own individual powers
alone, but as quickened by the power of tho m ystical body,
wherein wo dwell, nourished and cleansed by the energy of
its sacred coursing life power, au d t h a t indw elling life is, if
I mistake not, the L ig h t and the Theosophy of Theosophists,
which if they care to search they will find expressed iu
Christianity.
E. C.
N o t e :— W e have nothing of importance to object to the
above letter. I f all “ Christians” would define the term
“ Christianity” in the same manner as E. (!., in th a t caso tlie
“ Christians,” instead of opposing the “ Theosophists,” wonld
unite and co-operate with them, because a true nnd enligh­
tened Christian, or a truo and enlightened Brahmin, or Jew,
or Parsee. or m em ber of any other church, if he seeks for tho
tru th , unham pered by superstition and fear, necoRsarily be­
comes a T heo so p h ist; because there can be only one truth ;
and w hether th a t »nc t r u t h or light is tinted by the color of
the ray of light coming from Buddba or Christ, or ConfuciuB
or S an karacharya, makes no essential difference. B u t u n ­
fortunately tho majority of “ Christians” have nn entirely
different conception oftlie term “ Christianity.” They believe
Christianity to mean a certain set of chnreh-doginas and
ceremonies, a t the head of which stand? a personal saviour,
who saves them by vicarious atonement, if they will accept
a certain proposed “ plan of salvation.” Those Christians
refuse to look behind the absurdities of their own myths
and allegories, and prefer to take them in their literal sense
I t is thoso “ Christians” th a t belittle and calumniate other
religions systems, and desire to “ convert” better and mors
enlightened men and women to their narro w creeds. It is
only the superstitions and the bigotry of nominal Christians,
th a t we contend a g a in st; b u t pure Christianity, enlightened
by wisdom, is nothing else bu t Theosopjiy.
^To show that “ Christians” generally have n differen^ concep­
tion of the word “ Christianity,” we append the following from
tho Christian World. (Jan II) :—
D isca r d in g a M issio n ary .
On Monday last the Committee of the Church Missionary
Society came to the resolution of expelling from their employ­
ment one of the ablest and most useful missionaries in their
Bervice in consequence of his public adoption of the Doctrine of
Life in Christ, which involves the denial of inherent immortality,
and of the doctrine of endless misery. Mr. Denim* has embraced
these views aftor Ion*; and careful study of t.ho questions con­
cerned, and in full experience of their bearing on the faith of
Buddhists and Confucianists. Tho Committee required his pre­
sence at home, iu order to «*ive an neoount of his change of belief.
Leaving his wife and family on the ot her pitta of tlio globe, he
returned to ftmrland, to learn within a fortnight, nnd without
& hearing before the General Committee, that the Church Mis­
sionary Society will tolerate no teaching in its stations among
the heathen, except that of natural immortality, and the endlen.s
torments of the unsaved. Mr- Dening has laboured for ten yo»*r»
iu Japan, has translated works .snob ns “ Alozley on Miracles ,1 "
into Japanese, and has gained a stronghold upon native Hcholar*
of the upper classes as woli as on the common people. It now
remains only for Mr. Uening lo make an appeal to tiie Christian
public to enable him to continue his work in Japan.
(Co >id u d ed fro m the last N u m b e r.)
L A L IN Q U IS T IQ U E D E V O IL E E .
B y M . L . L b v y -IS in o .
(T h ird N o n c e . )
E riopo!es, F . T. S.
P a itT I I I .
Now l o t u s discuss how tho explanation is songht of tho
hitherto puzzling coincidences of Aryan with Semitic roots,
not to speak of the coincidences or similarities of words, for
our science is extremely chary in the acceptance of them, as
they are more often fortuitous and accidental tlmn not.
This discussion leads us to a higher piano of research—a
gran der and therefore more difTicn.lt field to work in— namely,
th a t of the Origin of Language in general as an instrument,
of human tho ught. Various havo been the theories pro­
pounded by the devotees of o u r science, and as this subject
trenches upon tho domain of motaphysics—controversial
battles have beet) many and arduous, ns somo of the best
think ers of tho nge are the belligerents with thoir armies of
followers ranged against one another in philosophical combat,
in no way devoid of interest to the students of philosophy
and philology in all their bearings. I t would be almost
out of placo i a this contribution to enum erate and give
 a s h o r t s k e t c h oven of t h e v a r io u s t h e o r i e s of t h o o r i g i n of
l a n g u a g e ; b u t t h e r e is o n e w h i c h I s h o u l d l ik e t o d w e l l u p o n
a t s o m e l e n g t h as b e in g t h c m o s t r e a s o n a b l e a n d a c c e p t a b l e ,
a n d a l r e a d y b e c o m i n g so f a r s u c c e s s f u l a s to a t t r a c t m a n y
a d e s e r t e r f r o m t h e o p p o s i n g c a m p s . I t is t h e t h e o r y of
t h e p r e s e n t l e n d i n g school of G e r m a n p h i lo l o g y a s r e p r e s e n t ­
e d by U e y s e in h is “ S y s t e m d e r S p r a c li w i s s e n s o h a f t '1 ( S y s t e m
o f S p e e c h - s c i o n c o i. e., P h i l o lo g y ) . T h c E n g l i s h e x p o n e n t
of t h i s t h e o r y in K n g la n d is C a n o n F a r r a r , w h o s e i n v a l u a b le
b o o k “ C h a p t e r s on L a n g u a g e , ” is a l u c id a n d m a s t e r l y t r e a t ­
m e n t o f t h o t h e o r y in q u e s t i o n , a su ccinct, a n a l y s i s of w h i c h
w o u l d , I t r u s t , be n o t o u t of p l a c e he ro in o u r e n q u i r i e s .
A c c o r d i n g to t h i s t h e o r y , w h i c h c o m p l e t e l y d i s c a r d s t h e i d e a
of L a n g u a g e b e i n g a g i l t of G o d , d i r e c t l y i m p a r t e d to o u r
‘‘ first p a r e n t s , " m a n is e n d o w e d w i t h t h o f a c u l t y o f s p e e c h
j u s t a s ho ia e n d u w e d w i t h o t h e r f a c u l t i e s o r s o u s e s — b u t
of a h i g h e r a n d m ore p e r f e c t o r d e r t h a n t h o b r u t e s fro m
w h i c h ho h a s e v o l u t c d . T h i s s u p e r i o r i t y h e o w e s to t h e
pe r fe c tio n a n d p lia b i li t y of his v o c a l o r g a n s , a u d to t h e i r
e x t r e m e a d a p t a b i l i t y to t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s of h i s m u n d a n o
w ants. A r m e d w ith t h e s e i m p l e m e n t s a n d w i t h t h e f a c u l ty
o f i m i t a t i o n wliieli p la y s ft m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t a n d u s e f u l p a r t
in all t h a t c o n c e r n s h u m a n i t y f r o m i t s v e r y i n f a n c y u p w a r d s ,
h u m an speech e n te rs the p a th of d e v elo p m en t, a n d L an g u a g e
is th o r e s u l t . I t t h e n b e c o m e s , iu t im e , of g r e a t u se to m a n
in t h e e a s y i n t e r c o m m u n i c a t i o n n n d e x c h a n g e of h is t h o u g h t s ,
th u s a cc en tu a tin g the d iffe re n tia tio n th a t has been p ro g ress­
i n g b e tw e e n h i m a n d h i s i m m e d i a t e a n c e s t o r s — or, a s som e
b e lie v e, h is c o l l a t e r a l c o u s i n s , t h e A n t h r o p o i d a p es . N o w
th ree tilings play an im p o rta n t p a rt, a cc o rd in g to H eyse,
iu t h e - f o r m a t i o n o f L a n g n a g o . T h e s e n r e : —■
1. I n t e r j e c t i o n s . — T h e s e a r e f irs t n s e d a s s i g n s to e x p r e s s
s u d d e n e m o tio n s a n d aro n a tu r a l in v o lu n ta r y cries. B e in g
so u se d f o r s o m e t i m e , by t h e la w o f a s s o c i a t i o n t.he s o u n d
r e c a ll s t h o f e e l i n g to t h e m i n d . E v e n t u a l l y by t a k i n g a
f u r t h e r s te p tho so u n d b eg in s to sig n if y t h a t feelin g a u d
rise s to t h e d i g n i t y o f a w o rd Or root..
i. B u t t h e r e a r e o t h e r I n t e r j e c t i o n s w h i c h d i f f e r f r o m c o n c l u s i o n s w i t h r e s p e c t t o h i s la r i g u a g o a s h e h i m s e l f h a s
th e fot’iiier in n o t b e in g use d a s t h o f o r m e r a r e in “ a c o n ­
c e n t r a t e d s o l i l o q u y ” | t o use F a r r a r ’s w o r d s ) b e g i n n i n g a n d
e n d i n g w i t h t h e u t t e r e r . T h e y a r e s o u n d s w h i c h a r e used
t o c o n v e y a m e a n i n g to o t h e r s in t h e w a y o f a d e s i r e o r
c o m m a n d lik e s t ! p s ! p s h a w ! h is t! poah! A c ., A c . T h e s e
a r e c alled vocal g e s t u r e s by l l e y s e in h is e x p r e s s i v e m o t h y -
t o n g n e , t h o G e r m a n , Lautyeheiden , l i t e r a l l y s o u n d - g e s t u r e s ,
o r ISegehrtiuys laute o r D e s i r e - s o u n d s .
3. O n o m a to p o e i a . — T h is is th o m e t h o d o f f o r m i n g w o r d s
by i m i t a t i v e s o u n d s . A s o u n d is p e r c e i v e d a n d r e p r o d u c e d
a n d g iv e s to t,ho I n t e l l e c t “ a fixed m a r k of t h e obj, c t p e r ­
c e i v e d ." In p r o j e s s o f t i m e w h e n t h i s i m i t a t i v e l in t n r a l
s o u n d is fir m ly h e ld as a s i ^ n of, a n d t h e n ns a n a m e for, th o
r e p r e s e n t a t i o n , i t b e com es a w o r d , a n d t h i s m e t h o d is o n o m a ­
topoeia.
T h e s e t h e n a r e t h e p r i n c i p a l f a c t o r s in t h o f o r m a t i o n o f
h u m a n l a n g u a g e , a n d as th o last, viz., O n o m a t o p o e i a s a r c b y
f a r t h e m o s t n u m e r o u s in all p r i m i t iv e l a n g u a g e s , t h i s t h e o r y
is c a lle d t h e O n o m a to p o e ic T h e o r y . * P ro fe sso r M ax -M iiller
* T o t h o s p e c u l a t i v e s t u d e n t o f O e c u ilt P h i l o s o p h y , I d o u b t n o t b n t
t h a t tlio O n o n ii it o p c o i c T h e o r y o f t h e o r ig in o f L a n g u n g o w ill b e a o *
e o p t a b l e . I l ia tlio d i s t i n g u i s h i n g f e u t n r o o f all o u r s p e c u l a t i v e m e n
o f s c ie n c o , e s p e c ia l l y in t h is a g e o f f r e e d o m o f t h o u g h t , t o s o a r
h i g h e r a n d h i g h e r in t o t h e o r ig in o f nil J h a t c o n c e r n s H u m a n i t y , [jut
t h o ir a d v e n t u r o u s flig h t in u n f o r t u n a t e l y i m p e d e d b y t h e i r b e i n g h n n -
(l ic a p p o d b y t h b b u g b e a r s o f t h o ir m e t h o d s o f r e s e a r c h , t h o i m p e r f e o -
tio n n ail i n a d n q u a t c n c s s o f w h i c h h a v o y e t to b e r e m o v e d b y m e t h o d s
v h a t c a n o n l y b o s u p p l i e d b y O c c u l t i s m . T h i s t h e y w a n t o n l y a n d r e c k ­
le ssly i g n o r e o r a r e h e lp l e s s l y i n n o c e n t o f. N o i s e o r e x t e r n a l n a t a r a l
s o u n d s b o i n g t h o v e r y “ F o n a o t o r i g o ” o f t h e O n o n m t o p i j o i e T h e o r y ,
O c c u l t i s m w o u l d s h o w t h e m t h u t t h e r e a r o m a n y m o r o s o u n d s t h a n
“ w h a t m e e t t h o c a r ” p hy a ie .il- T h e s o s o u n d s a r o t h o p r o d u c t s o f t h o
e t h e r e a l u n d h i g h l y s u b t l e v i b r a t i o n s o f t h o U n i v e r s a l Akash o f t h o
O c c u l t is t s t h a t c a n o n l y b o p e r c e i v e d b y t h o t r a i n o d e a r o f t h o “ elair-
a u d i e n t 1’ C l i e l a s a n d A d e p t s , a n d t h e r e f o r e o f t h e p r o g e n i t o r s o f t h o
h u m a n r a c o w h o s e p s y c h i c e l a i r a u d i c n t p o w e r s f a r t r a n s c e n d e d t h o s e
a u d i o u l n n d c o n s e q u e n t l y i m p e r f e c t p o w e r s w h i c h w o a r o a t p r e s e n t
o n d o w o d w i t h . T h e s e p r i m i t i v e P r o g e n i t o r s h a d t h e r e f o r e i n e x h a u a -
tiblo m a t e r ia l s f r o m w h i c h t h o y c o u l d f r a m o L a n g u a g e , f o r t o t h o m
e v e r y t h i n g in u a t u r o w a a s o n o r o u s , r i n g i n g , s p e a k i n g in n o s u b d u e d
a c c e n t s . N a y m e r e — e v e n t h e t h o u g h t - p r .i c e s s e s , e e r o b r a t i o n a l , In-
teilo c lio n al, m u s t h a v e e m i t t e d n o u n c e r t a i n s o u n d s e a s i l y a u d i b l o t o
their s u p r e m e l y s e n s i t i v e a u d i t o r y n o r v e a . l l o n c e it ia t h a t t h e h i g h e r
C h e l n s a n d o n r illu s tr io u s G u r u s a r e g r e a t t h o u g h t - r o a d e r s . I h a v e
in d u l g o d in t h o s o s p e c u l a t i o n s , e o lo ly b e c a u s e I t h i n k t h e y a r o c o n .
fir m u to r y o f t h o O n o m a t o p o e i o T h e o r y w h i c h h a s y e t t o w i n ita s p u r s
to m e r it a c c e p t a n c e a t t h e h a n d s o f all p h i l o lo g i c a l s c h o l a r s .
■who h a s d o n e m o r e t h a n a n y m a n l i v i n g t o p o p u l a r i z e t h a
s c ic n c e o f L a n g u a g e — a n e x o ti c if I m a y s a y so f r o m h is o w n
m e t a p h y s i c a l F a t h e r l a n d — in E n g l a n d , t h e c o u n t r y of h i s
a d o p t i o n , o p p o s e d t h is t h e o r y a t first a n d w a r m l y r e j e c t e d
i t a s b e i n g i n a d e q u a t e to p r o v e t h e o r i g i n o f l i n g u i s t i c p h e ­
nom ena. B u t he h a s in h is l a t e r l e c t u re s g r a d u a l l y y e t i m ­
p e rce p tib ly veered ro u n d , a n d a lth o u g h n o t a ctually a d o p tin g
i t in all i t s i n t e g r i t y , h a s , in n o t a f e w places, g i v e n i t a
g r e a t e r i m p o r t a n c e a n d w e i g h t t h a n ho w a s i n c l i n e d to d o
a t first. T h i s c h a n g e o f f r o n t h a s b e en c le a r l y d e m o n s t r a t e d
b y C a n o n F a r r a r in his c h a p t e r s on L a n g u a g e . M . L o v y -
B irig c a n n o t b u t a d o p t t h i s t h e o r y , a s h is p r o s e m it e p r e ­
d i l e c t i o n s m u s t c o m p e l h i m t o d o so a l m o s t i n s t i n c t i v e l y ,
f o r th e S e m i t i c l a n g u a g e s , b e i n g m o r e p r i m i t i v e i n t h e i r
s t r u c t u r e , a n d t h e r e f o r e less d e v e l o p e d in t h o s c a le o£
lin g u istic g r o w th th a n th e A ry a n lan g u a g es, a re e x tro m e ly
o n o m u to p c o ic in t h e i r r o o t s a n d v e r b a l f o r m s . T h i s fa c t
a g a i n do e s h i m y e o m a n ’s s e r v i c e , a n d h e is n e v e r t i r e d o f
c i t i n g it as a u a d d i t i o n a l a r g u m e n t mure suo t o p r o v e t h a t
t h e A r y a n s p e e c h w a s d e r i v e d f r o m t h e S e m it i c . B u t h a
s e e m s to frtrget, o r r a t h e r , I * c a n n o t h e l p s a y i n g w i t h
a ll d u e d e f e r e n c o to h i s g r e a t l e a r n i n g , to a d v i s e d l y i g n o r a
t h e f a c t t h a t if O n o m a to p o o i a s p l a y sne li a n i m p o r t a n t rola
in t h o f o r m a t i o n of l a n u u a g e , i t is b u t n a t u r a l a n d e a s y t a
a c c o u n t f o r t h a s i m i l a r i t i e s a n d c o in c i d e n c e s w h i c h h e h a s
t a k e n so m u c h p a in s to fish o u t , b e t w e e n A r y a n a n d S e m i t i o
r o o t s a n d w o r d s . M y h u m b l o i d e a is t h a t if a C h i n a m a n
w e ll u p i n t h c m o r p h o l o g y of t h o C h i n e s e — a l a n g u a g e w h i c h
is n e i t h e r A r y a n n o r S e m i t i c — w ere to d e li b e r u t o l y s i t downr
a n d use M. L e v y - H i n g ’s m e t h o d of i n v e s t i g a t i o n , f a u l t y andl
illo g ica l a s it h a s been s h o w n a bov e, lie w o n l d no d o u b t p r o v a
iu h is o w n w a y t h a t b o t h t h e A r y a n a n d t h e S e m it i c f a m i l i e s
w e r o d e r iv e d f ro m h i s f a v o u r i t e C h in e s o . N a y , h e w o u l d g o
f u r t h e r a n d m o r e s a fe ly t h a n M. L e v y - B i n g by a s s e r t i n g
t h a t t h e c h a r a c t e r s he u s e s a r e b u t s l i g h t l y m o d ifie d h i e r o ­
g l y p h i c s o r p i c t u r e w r i t i n g s , a n d a r e t h e r e f o r e m o re p r i m i t i v e
th a n th e Phoenician. W h a t w o u l d M. L e v y B i n g s a y i f
h o — o u r h y p o t h e t i c a l s i n o l o g u e — w e ro to d r a w t h e e a r n s
d o n e w i t h r e s p e c t to h i s f a v o u r i t e P h o e n i c i a n Gredat Judceut
non ego.
A t t h i s s t a g e of o n r e n q u i r y i t w o n l d n o t be a m i s s , w e r a
I to g iv o t h e r e a d e r s a fe w s p e c i m e n s of e t y m o l o g i c a l
e n rio sities— or ra th e r m o n stro sitie s w h ic h he has w ith h is
u n w i e l d y a n d c l u m s y h a m m e r b e a t e n o u t ou his P h o e n ic ia n
a n v il w i t h so m u c h a d o . W e s h a l l o n ly p i c k b u t a v e r y few
of his s p e c i m e n s out, o f t h i s S e m i t i c c u r i o s i t y t-hop, a n d h o l d
t h e m u p f o r t h e e d if i c a t io n a n d i n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e m i m e r o n j
r e a d e r s of t h i s j o u r n a l . O u t o f t h i s c o n g e r i e s of s a v o u r y
p h ilo l o g i c a l p o l y g l o t t P o t - p o u r r i s l e t n s t a k e t h e S a n s k r i t
w o r d U e v a n a g a r i — t h e d e s i g n a t i o n r e c o g n iz e d o f t h c S a n s k r i t
c h a r a c t e r s v e r y c o m m o n l y u s e d in t h i s c o u n i r y — w h i c h
M . L evy-B ing d i s s e c t s w i t h h is P h o e n i c i a n s c a l p e l w i t h
a ll t h e zeal o f a L i n g u i s t i c v i v is e c t i o n i s t .
T h e w o r d Devanagari h e m a i n t a i n s c o n s i s t s of t h e e s s e n t i a l
p a r t s Deva, nn, ga. D i v a p r o c e e d s f r o m a S e m it i c r o o t dae,
m e a n i n g to fly, to c u t t h o a i r , to s o a r , to h o v e r . H e t h e n
r e m a r k s t h a t t h e w o r d dio o r diva sig n if ie s in S a n s k r i t t h o
a i r , t h a t is to sa y , t h e s p a c e iu w h i c h b i r d s fty, s o a r o r h o v e r ;
a n d c o m p a r e s t h e e x t e n d e d m e a n i n g t o t h e G r e e k Zeus, dios,
w h i c h also s i g n i f y t h e s k y , t h e a i r , a n d to t h e L a t i n i d io m a ti c
e x p r e s s i o n sub-dio, w h i c h h e b e lie v e s is e q u i v a l e n t to en
p la in a ir , in p la in a i r to s u i t h is t h e o r y , b u t w h ic h w o u l d
r a t h e r m o an “ iu b r o a d d a y l ig h t..” l i e th en q u o tes fo u r
t e x t s f r o m t h e J e w i s h B i b le , i n w h i c h t h e r o o t dae h a s o n l y
t h e s i g n i f ic a ti o n o f f l y i n g o r h o v e r i n g on w in g s . H e , in t h o
fa c e o f a ll w e l l - k n o w n o p i n i o n s , t h i n k s t h a t t h e A r y a n
r o o t dio, to s h i n e , h a s o n l y a n e x t e n d e d o r r a t h e r d e r i v e d
s i g n i f i c a t i o n f o r t h e I n d i a n s r a is e d t h e m s e l v e s f r o m t h e i d e a
of a i r t o t h a t of e t h e r e a l lig h t , t h e E m p y r e o n , t h e l u m i n o u a
r e g i o n . T h e y s o a r e d s t i l l h i g h e r , h e s a y s , a n d d tv w a s m a d e
to m ean G od. T h o s e c o n d e l e m e n t na h e d e r i v e s f r o m a
S e m i t i c r o o t n u a , m e a n i n g to r e fu s e , to a n n u l , t o a n n i h i l a t e .
T h e t h i r d e l e m e n t ga h e t r a c e s to t h c S e m it i o r o o t gal o r g a f
m e a n i n g e le v a t i o n , g r o w t h , a n d m a i n t a i n s a f t e r w a r d s w i t h n o
s m a l l m o d i c u m of o b s c u r i t y t h a t t h e s o sig n i f ic a ti o n s a r e
c o r r e l a t e d w i t h t h e i d e a o f w a n d e r i n g , g o i n g t o a n d f r o , a ls o
t h e i d e a of l e a d i n g a n d c o n d u c t i n g . N aga, h e t h e n s a y s , is
s o m e t h i n g i m m o b i le , a n d a s a c o n s e q u e n c e i t h a s t h e s i g n i ­
fic a tio n o f a m o u n t a i n , a t r e e , a c it y a n d a c itiz e n , a n d t h e n
o f s o m e t h i n g t b a t is p o l i s h e d o r c iviliz ed. T h i s i d e a is a a
 f a r g e n e r a li s e d b y tlio I n d i a n s , lie s a y s , t h a t in S a n s k r i t , i t N i n e t e e n t h C e n t u r y , n o t to s p e a k of t h e i m p l i e d i d e n t i t y of
m e a n s w r i ti n g a n d ov en r e a d i n g t o o — [ s u p p o s e a s a m a r k C h r i s t i a n i t y — a “ d e c a y i n g a n d d y i n g c r e e d , ” a n d of J u d a i s m
o f civiliz ation. l i e t h e n s e l f - c o m p l a c e n t ly l a u g h s ot t h e a n a l r e a d y o b s o l e te a n d a l m o s t d e a d c re e d t h a t o r i g i n a t e d '
c lu m s i n e s s of t h o I n d i a n in f o r g i n g s u c h a l a b o r i o u s e x p r e s ­ f r o m t h e w o r s h i p of a t r i b a l a o d , J e h o v a h o r r a t h e r J n v e l i ?
s i o n to d e s i g n a t e h is s y s t e m of w r i t i n g . T h i s o v e r s t r a i n i n g , ^ At. t h i s s t a g e of o u r lon g, b u t I h o p e , n o t te d i o u s , in q u ir y ,
n o t u n m i x e d w i t h a d e a l o f r a l i o c i n a t i ve o b s c u r i t y , w o u l d , i t w o u l d be, I v e n t u r e to t h i n k , i n t e r e s t i n g to the r e a d e r s
1 v e n t u r e to believe, m a k e a n y S a n s k r i t o r p h i l o l o g i c a l of t h i s j o u r n a l to seo h o w t h e S e m i t e s g e t ov e r th e difficulty
s c h o l a r c r e e p o u t of his s k i n , t o s a y t h e l e a s t of it, e i t h e r p r e s e n t e d b y t h e s t r a n g e m y t h o f t h e T o w e r of JJabel a n d
th r o u g h sheer vexation or t h ro u g h m ere b ew ilderm ent. t h o c o n t u s i o n of L a n g u a g e s , a n d still c o n t i n u e to m a i n t a i n
. I n h i s c h a p t e r on t h e d i s c o v e r y o f t h o S a n s k r i t , w h io h no t h e , to us, a b s u r d a l l e g a t i o n t h a t i t w as t.he H e b r e w w hich
d o u b t is a r e d (lag to t h e e q u a n i m i t y o f o n r a u t h o r , h e c o m b a t s G o d taiiLrht A d a m a n d Live, “ o u r lirst. p a r e n t s . ” T h e
inter alia m o s t u n m e r c i f u l l y a g a i n s t t h e v i e w w h i c h e m i ­ M n s o rit e s ,* th o s e H e b r e w d o c t o r s w h o a r e k n o w n to H e b r e w
n e n t p h i l o l o g i s t s t a k e o f t h o S a n s k r i t a l p h a b e t a s b e in g s t u d e n t s fo r ( h e i r c x e g e l i c a l zeal in d e t e r m i n i n g w i t h s c r u ­
h i g h l y scientific, a n d as b e in g c o n s o n a n t w i t h t h e “ p h y s i o l o g y p u l o u s c a r e t h e p u r i t y of t.ho H e b r e w text, of t h e O ld
o f t h e h u m a n voice.” Lie b eliev es t h a t h is P h o e n i c i a n ( h e I c s l a m e n t , h a v o riot, t a i l e d t o s w e e p t h i s diflicult-v a w a y
m e a n s H e b r e w ) a lp h a b e t , of n o t h a l f t h e n u m b e r of l e t t e r s a s w i t h t h e i r i n g e n i o u s b ro o m f ro m t h e d u s t y d o m a i n of Mibli-
t h e S a n s k r i t , is d e c i d e d l y s u p e r i o i — a n a s s e r t i o n u n s u p p o r t e d eal i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . I n o u r p r e s e n t case t h e t e x t : — “ A u d all
by a n y a r g u m e n t or a n y pro o f or a n y illu stra tio n , raisin g t h e i n h a b i t a n t s of t h e e a r t h w e r e o f o n e l a n g u a g e , ” ( G e n e s i s
a l m o s t a d o u b t iu th o m i n d of th o i n te l li g e n t, r e a d e r as xi. 1 ) is t h e i r corpus rite. T h e t w o H e b r e w w o r d s f o r “ one
t o t h e .a u t h o r ’s f a m i l i a r i t y , o v e n in a s m a ll d e g r e e , w illi t h o l a n g u a g e ” t h e n u m e r i c a l v a l u e f of w ho se l e t t e r s is 4 n0 , aro
• S a n s k r i t a lp h a b e t i c a l s y s t e m . A l t h o u g h i t w o u l d bo u n ­ c h a n g e d i n to t w o w o r d s lasoii-ha-hatlosh, m e a n i n g “ the
sc ie n tif ic to m a i n t a i n , a s I h a v e h e a rd som e b ig o te d H e b r e w l a n g u a g e , ” as t h e y t h i n k , t h e n u n f e r i e a l v a lu e of th o
S h a s t r i s d o i n g in t h is c o u n t r y , t h a t t h e S a n s k r i t a l p h a b e t l o i t e r s of t h e l a t t e r b e in g ulso 409. ,
r e p r e s e n t s all th e s o u n d s o f t h e h u m a n v o ic e , y e t a m ere N o w s u p p o s i n g f o r o n e m o m e n t t h a t th e s o l e a r n e d d o c to r s
t y r o in S a n s k r i t will bo a b lo t o p e r c e i v e w i t h o u t a n w e r e r i g h t , w i t h o u t e n q u i r i n g f u r t h e r , in to t h e p l a u s i b i l i t y
e l a b o r a t e effort h o w rich t h o a l p h a b e t is, a n d h o w m le i p ia t e it of t h is i n g e n i o u s e x e g e s i s , m a y I be allow ed as a stu d e n t, of
is t o r e p r e s e n t t h e a r t i c u l a t e s o u n d s n o t o n l y o f t h e S a n s k r i t O c o u l t i s m to i n d u l g e a l i t t l e in a T h e o s o p h i e s p e c u la ti o n
I m t also of m a n y a l a n g u a g e , K u r o p e a n a n d A s ia t ic , w h i l s t c o n c e r n i n g t h e t w o w o r d s g i v e n a b o v e ? • T h e y l it e r a l l y
t h o p r e t e n s i o n s of t h e I ’l u e n i c i a n a l p h a b e t r e m i n d o n e of th o se m e a n t h e “ l a n g u a g e o f t h e K a d o s h , ” /. e. “ t h e h o l y , ” a
of a g n a t boforo a n e l e p h a n t a s t h e P e r s i a n s w oidd say. n a m e w h i c h t h e H e b r e w s as “ t h e e le c t of G o d ” m a y h a v o
a p p li e d to t h e m s e l v e s i n a f t e r a g e s f o r K a d o s h “ i n e a y s ho ly ,”
I n th o c h a p t e r d e v o t e d to t h e “ S t a n d a r d A lp h a b e t.’’ of
as a f a c t b o r n e o u t in H e b r e w L exico ns. + 1 t h r e f o r e liet; to
T r o f . L e p s iu s of B e r li n , t h e a u t h o r is still u n l’o rt.n n a te in liis
s u g g e s t t h a t t h a t p r i m i t i v e l a n g u a g o — t h e n a m o of w h i c h 1
a s s e r t i o n s . T h i s a l p h a b e t w a s i n v e n t e d by t h a t e m i n e n t
h a v e l e a r n t f r o m t h e e s t e e m e d ' 1‘j d i t o r of t h i s jonrniil, b u t h a s
G e r m a n savant a s a c o n v e n i e n t m e a n s of t r a n s c r i b i n g in
n o t y e t been p u b l i s h e d — wns a n d is t h e l a n g u a g e of t h e huh/,
l .t o m a n c h a r a c t e r s , w i t h , of c o u r s e , d i a c r i t i c a l p o i n ts , th o
t h e i m m o r t a l s , t h e D h y a n C h o h a n s , o u r l ’a r a m G u r u s . In
s o u n d s of t h e u n w r i t t e n l a n g u a g e s , c hiefly A f r i c a n a m i
con n ectio n w ith th is su b je ct I c a n n o t re sist th e te m p ta tio n
A m e r i c a n , a u d h a s been a d o p t e d by C h r i s t i a n m is s i o n a r i e s
of q u o t i n g t h e h i g h l y s u g g e s t i v e p a s s a g e f r o m ' F a r r a r ’s
a n d o t h e r p i o n e e r s of c i v i l i s a t i o n in s a v a g e c o u n t r i e s . T h i s
O r i g i n of L a n g u a g e w hich clo ses h i s b o o k ;— “ H a l l m en
a l p h a b e t w h i c h h a d h e r n a p p r o v e d by a c m u m i t t e o of G e r m a n
“ be h e r e a f t e r of o n e s p e e c h , it c an o n l y be a f t e r t h e y ha v e
p h i lo l o g i s t s , Ji o p p , il. G r i m m a n d o t h e r s , b e f o re i ls u n i v e r s a l
“ arrived a t a co n d itio n when k n o w ledg e h as su p ersed ed
jidop tioti, is d i s p a r a g i n g l y s p o k e n o f by J l . L e v y - M in g , a s too
“ t.he n e c e s s i t y o f i n q u i r y , w h e n i n t e n t i o n s u p p l i e s t h e place
c u m b e r s o m e , as i t u n a v o i d a b l y c o n t a i n s a h u n d r e d a n d e i g h t y
“ of d i s c o v e r y , a n d c e r t a i n t y h a s been s u b s t i t u t e d f o r f a i t h . ”
l e t t e r s . H u t w h a t does b e p r o p o s e a s a s u b s t i t u t e a u d a s a
A s f a r a s t he s c i e n c e of p h i lo l o g y c an p r o n o u n c e a u o p in io n ,
. s o l v e n t of all a l p h a b e t i c d i f li c u lt i e s ?* O f c o u r s e , his Phceni-
wo m u s t in fe r that, t h e f a m i l i a r lino will r e m a i u t r u e h e n c e ­
r i a n a l p h a b e t w i t h m o d if i c a t io n s eu ires -petit nombre, v e r y fe w
f o r t h us h e r e t o f o r e ; —■
i n d e e d . A s is u s u a l w i t h h i m h e a s k s n s to b e li e v e h i m
“ P o llo i m en t h n e t o i s g l o t t a i , m i a ' d ’ A t h a n a t o i s i . •
w i t h o u t, a d d u c i n g a t i t t l e o f e v id e n c e o r a r g u m e n t — an u n ­
M ortals have m an y lang u a g es, the im m o rtals one a lone.”
sc ie n tif ic a s s e r t i o n h i g h l y r e p r e h e n s i b l e in a savant of g r e a t
l e a r n i n g , as he n o doubt, is, a n d in a n a u t h o r w h o is n e v e r lievnnous d nos moulous ph(vnicieus.— \ l is h i g h l y a m u s i n g
t i r e d of u s i n g t h e word “ sc i e n t i f ic ” f o r his m e t h o d s , lint, to to find o u r a u t h o r d e m o l i s h i n g a t o n e s t r o k e , a s if by a
c r o w n t h e w h o le lie w i n d s n p t h i s c h a p t e r b y n a i v e l y s a y i n g im iL'ioian’s w a n d — t h e w o r k of Uopp, G r i m m , a n d o t h e r p h i l o ­
t h e s e w o r d s ! “ N e i t h e r t h e I s r a e l i t e s n o r t h e C h r i s t i a n s will lo g ic a l s c h o l a r s — g i a n t s 1 w a s g o i n g to s a y — w i t h r e f e r e n c e
h e a b le to b l a m e ns f o r c i t i n g h e r e a t e x t fr o m t h e old T e s t a ­ t o t h e o r i g i n a u d g r o w t h of t h e g r a m m a t i c a l t e r m i n a t i o n s
m e n t , w h i c h ta l l ie s e x a c tl y w i t h t h e o b j e c t of t h i s c h a p t e r . ” used in th e a n c ie n t an d m o d ern A r y a n languages. T he
H o t h e n ([no tes t h e f o l lo w in g I ro m I s a i a h , lxvi. 1 0 . M a n t r a s t h a t M . L e v y - M in g u se s w i t h h is s e l f - c o m p la c e n t
“ T h e isles a f a r off t h a t h a v e n o t h e a r d m y ( J e h o v a h ’s) se l f- c o n f i d e n c e , a r e b u t a few Semitic, w o r d s w h i c h h e t w i s t s
“ fa m e , n e i t h e r lm ve se e n m y g l o r y , s h a l l d o e la r e m y g l o r y a n d o t h e r w i s e m a n i p u l a t e s in a m a n n e r h i g h ly o r i g i n a l a n d
“ to t h e G e n t i l e s . ” u n s c i e n t i f ic . T h i s r u t h l e s s o n s l a u g h t on tho h o n e s t w ork
H e t h e n p r o c e e d s to sa y t h a t “ t h u s t h e g r e a t p r o p h e t , in of r e a l l y g r e a t m e n r e m i n d s o n e o f t h o h a l l u c i n a t i o n s of
“ s a y i n g t h a t t h e n a ti o n s l e f t s t r a n g e r s to c i v i l iz a t i o n , w o u l d t h e c e l e b r a t e d h e r o of S p a n i s h R o m a n c e r u n n i n g f u ll t i l t
“ k n o w t h e n a m e a n d g l o r y of G o d , a p p e a r s to a n n o u n c e t h a t a g a i n s t a h u g e w i n d m i l l , v a in l y i m a g i n i n g i t to be a r e ­
“ s o m e d a y t b e m is s i o n a r i e s o f G o d w o u l d c o m e in c o n t a c t d o u b t a b l e a r m y of w a r r i o r s w 'o r th y his steel a n d la n c e . A s
“ w i t h b a r b a r i a n s , w o n ld t r a n s c r i b e t h e i r d i v e r s e litn g u n g e s, h i s f a n c i f u l c o n c l u s i o n s a r e of a piece w i t h t h o s e s i m il a r
“ a n d w ould be a b le to re v ea l to t h e m t h e g r e a t e s t t r u t h s . o n e s a l r e a d y a n i m a d v e r t e d u p o n , I will d e n y m y s e l f the
“ I s a i a h e ls e w h e r e ( x i x v. J 8 ) c alls t h e s a c r e d l a n g u a g e , t e m p t a t i o n of q u o t i n g i n s t a n c e s . H u t t h e q u e s t i o n a r is e s
“ Sepeth l\etiaen, l a n g u a g e of C a n a a n , i. e., th o P h o e n i c i a n . iu t h e m i n d o f t h e r e a d e r a s to w h e t h e r t h i s w o n d e rfu l
“ A b o v e all he p r o p h e s i e d w i t h o u t d o u b t t h a t t h i s l a n g u a g e es s n y , a l t e r all t h e s t r a n g e d e d u c t i o n s of t h e a u t h o r , has
“ of C a n a a n w o u l d be e o n s i d r r e d o n e d a y t h e b e s t a n d th e a n y v a l u e to th o s t u d e n t of p h ilo lo g y . I serionsly c an ­
“ m o s t s u i t a b l e to e u niniun ient.e to t h o m o s t d i s t a n t n a t i o n s n o t h e lp s a y i n g t h a t i t h a s — t h e l e a r n e d a n d t a l e n t e d w riter’,
“ t h e w o r d o f G o d . ” W i t h t h e l i g h t v o u c h s a f e d u n t o u s iu
* F r o m viatora,
a H e b r e w w o rd m e a n i n g tradition- T h o s e , In 'sid e s
th e s o d e g e n e r a t e m a t t e r - o f - f a c t d a y s , I f a n r y t h a t M . L e v y - f ix in g t h e t e x t , c o u n t e d a n d n o t e d t h e n u m b e r o f v e r s e s , t h o words ,
l i i n g s h a l l h a v e to w a i t l o n g , a n d most, p r o b a b l y h a v e to w a i t a n d e v e n t h e le tters, all o f w h i c h t h e y l o o k e d u p o n a s .h ig h l y m y s t ic a l .
in v a i n f o r t h i s c o n s u m m a t i o n , w h i c h h e t h i n k s is d e v o u t l y T h e y h a d a ls o ot h e r in o d e s o f in t e r p r e t a t io n o f t h e s a c r e d t e x t s — n o t
t o be w i s h e d , — f o r t h i s f u l f i l m e n t o f t h o o b s c u r e J e w i s h u n k n o w n t o t h e s t u d e n t s o f t h e K a b a l a . T l ie i r P r o t o t y p e s o f t h o
p r o p h c c y . N o w I s h o u l d l ik e t o a s k suij' i n t e l l i g e n t p e r s o n A l e x a n d r i a n S c h o o l , c a l l e d t h e Diaskemistae, t r e a t e d t h e p o e u i s o f Homer
i u t h e s a m e f a s h i o n . S e o F a r r a r 's f a m i l i e s o f S p e e c h , p . H U 8. N o t e .
w h e t h e r t h e s e w o r d s a p p e a l w i t h e v e n a m e r e s h a d o w of
t F o r t h o l a y s t u d e n t it m a y b e m e n t i o n e d t h a t e a c h le tter in t h o
s u c c e s s to t h e sc ientific i n s t i n c t s o f a s t u d e n t o f t h i s blesse d
H e b r e w u s w e l l a a in t h e A r a b i c a n d o tfior S e m e t i c l a n g u a g e s h a s
a n u m e r i c a l v a l u e . It w a s s o 'i n t h o G r e e k a ls o , 'I’h i s i h c a l l e d b j
# T o t lio c u r i o u s s t u d e n t , it w il l b e i n t e r e s t i n g to k n o w tliat fa r
t h e A r a b s t h e l a w o f A h j a d w i t h w l i i c h s t u d e n t s o f H i n d u s t a n i a n d
f e n r p n s s i r g iu p r e c i s i o n U r . L e p s i n ’B S t a n d a r d A l p h a b e t , — a s y s t e m is
d e v i s e d b y a n E n g l i s h m a n , c a l l c d B e l l s ’ V i s i b l e S p e e c h , t h a t , a s is s n id , P e r s i a n ill t h is c o u n t r y a r e fa m il ia r ,
n e c u m t e l y t r a n s c r i b e s all a m i e v e r y s o u n d t h a t t h e h u m n u v o i c e iB J C o m p a r e t h o A r a b i c “ K u d s ” w h i c h m e n u s J e r u s a l e m , a l s o c alle d
c a p a b l e o f e m i t t i n g , ' t e i M i i - w m f c a c i d a s , l i t e r a l l y t h o “ h o l y h o u s o ,’1
 m n c li a s I d if f e r f r o m h i m , lia s n o t t o m y m i n d w a s t e d hia
e n e r g i e s in v a in . M. L e v y - l i i n g h a s d o n e a g r e a t se rv ice
t o t h e c a u s e o f M o d e r n P h i l o l o g y , by i n s i s t i n g o n t h e a t t e n ­
t i o n o f s t u d e n t s t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a v a r i e t y o f c o in c i d e n c e s
a n d s i m i l a r i t i e s w h i c h e x i s t s i d o by s i d e o n b o t h tlie A r y a n
and S e m itic grounds, se rving as la n d m a rk s to th e f u tu re
i n v e s t i g a t o r in t h e s t i l l u n e x p l o r e d b u t s t i l l h i g h e r r e g io n s
of P h i l o l o g y , w h ere t h e t w o s t r e a m s t a k e t h e i r r i s e a n d flow
o n in o n e v o l u m e . T o t h e s t u d e n t o f H e b r e w , on t h e o t h e r
h a n d , t h i s b o o k w ill a ffo rd v e r y v a l u a b l e a s s i s t a n c e i n hia
s t u d i e s , a s h e w o u ld find i n i t i n n u m e r a b l e c o in c id e n c e s ,
w h e t h e r f a n c i f u l o r o t h e r w is e , w h i c h will s e r v e h i m a s so
m a n y “ A i d s to M e m o r y ” — m n e n m o n i c a l p e g s , a s i t were,
t o h a n g t h e w o r d s o r r o o t s h e m a y h a v e to c o n i n h i s
d a i l y progress).
1 w ill c o n c l u d e t h is r e v ie w b y t r a n s l a t i n g f r o m t h e o r i ­
g i n a l F r e n c h a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c p a s s a g e a t t h e e n d of h i s b o o k
f r o m a l e t t e r lie w r i t e s t o t h e E d i t o r o f t h o Frankfurter
Zeitnntj (F ra n k fo rt Times), as a c r i t i q u e o n a u e s s a y by
a G e r m a n savant o n tlio r e l a t i o n s h i p of L i n g u i s t i c s to
A n t h r o p o l o g y :—
“ I b elieve, sir. t h a t y o u b e l o n g t o t h e r a c e of t h e S e m it e s ;
“ y o n m u s t h a v e neen s e i z e d w i t h a s t o n i s h m e n t a n d w i t h
‘‘ g r i e f a t t h o n e w s t h a t m o r e t h a n o n e E u r o p e a n n a ti o n h a s
“ been s u d d e n l y o v e r t a k e n b y h a t r e d r e c e n t l y a g a i n s t t h e
" Israelites. I f ir. is r e l i g i o u s f a n a t i c i s m w h i c h l e ts loose
“ ( q u i d tJc h a n iu e ) t h e A n t i s e m i t e s a g a i n s t u s, t h e y o u g h t a t
“ l e a s t to h a v e r e m e m b e r e d t h a t t h o f o u n d e r of C h r i s t i a n i t y
“ w as a s e m i l e . B u t e v i d e n t l y w e s h o u l d find in tliia u n -
“ m e r i t e d p e r s e c u t i o n a p o lit i c a l a n d so c ia l r e a s o n , w h ic h , I
“ believe, I o u g h t n o t t o s p e a k of a t t h is m o m e n t . I s h o u l d
“ r a t h e r l i k e to a ay t h a t m y w o r k — w h i c h r e s t o r e s to t h e
“ J e w i s h n a t i o n t h e g l o r y of h a v i n g g i v e n to c iv i l is e d n a t i o n s
“ alt the creative elements of their d i v e r s e t o n g u e s , m a y re-
“ c o m m e n d i t s e l f to y o u r f a v o u r , a n d I w o u l d p a r t i c u l a r l y
“ be f l a t t e r e d by o b t a i n i n g y o u r s n f f i a g e a s w ell a s y o u r
“ s u p p o r t iu tlie e y e s of y o u r r e a d e r s . ”
' P O S T H U M O U S H U M A N IT Y .
. , Uy A d o u ' h e D ’A s s i t i t .
. (Jivjie-tved anti translated fro m the French.)
A b o u t hHy / e a r s a g o t h e f a ll of m e t e o r i c s t o n e s ( a e r o l i t h e s )
b eg an io a t t r a c t the a tte n tio n of th e scien tists. B efore th a t
t i m e t h e y refused. to b e lie v e i n s u c h “ a b s u r d i t i e s a n d s u p e r ­
s tition!:,” ir.ul i t i.: w e l l - k n o w n t h a t La-vaisier p e r e m p t o r i l y
d e n i e d th eir existence, a n d p ro c la im e d , in th e n a m e of th e
A e a u e i r y of S c i e n c e s , t h e o m i n o u s s e n t e n c e , w h i e h w a s to
s e t t l e t h e d i s p u t e d q u e s t i o n f o r e v e r : “ N o stones can f a l l
from the becnusc ih'ire are no stones in lhe sky.” I n s p i t e
o f Chi.: a ilhoi-iCai.'v^ d e c re e , a u d w i t h l i t t l e r e s p e c t f o r t h e
d i g n i t y of t h e A c a d e m y of S c i e n c e s of P r a n c e , thei;e fe ll o n
t h e 2t)ih i a y of A p r i l in t h e y e a r 1803 a n e n o r m o u s b o d y
f r o m t h e sky . I t fell n e a r L ’A i g l e ( O r n e ) , b u r s t w i t h a
g r e a t d e a l of m>i:,e, a n d i ts f r a g m e n t s c o v e r e d m o r e t h a n
4 0 s q u a r e k i l o m e t r e s of g r o u n d . S e v e r a l t h o u s a n d p e o p le
w i t n e s s e d . h a i plrt-uo.-nenon, w h i c l i o c c u r r e d i u p l a i n d a y ,
th e A c a d e m y could ig nore th o fa c t no lo nger, a n d
t h e y s e n t o n e of i ts m e m b e r s , M r . B i a t t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e
m atter. H e we.it. to v.he sp o t, r e t u r n e d w i t h a b a g f u l l of
s a m p le s , a n d p r o v e d io t h e A c a d e m y t h a t s t o n e s c a n f a l l f r o m
l h e s k y , : J t h o n g h t h e p r o f e s s o r s s a i d t h e r e w e r e no s t o n e s
in th e uky. T o Siivo t h e r e p u t a t i o n o f t h e i n c r e d u l o u s p r o ­
fe ssors, L a p l a c e p r o d u c e d c a l c u l a t i o n s to s h o w t h a t i t w a s
t h e moo;i w h o w a s iloi.ig t h e m is c h i e f , a n d w h o b y m e a n s of
his v o l c a n o e s w a s b o m h a r d i n g t h e in o ffen s iv e e a r t h w i t h s t o n e s .
Hy a n d b ye it w as found o u t t h a t in n u m e ra b le s u c h sto n es
w e re c i r e a l . a i n g a r o u n d i h e e a r t h , a n d t o - d a y a n y o ne, w h o
w o u ld d e n y t h e i r o x i s l e n e e , w o u l d b e l a u g h e d a t f o r h is
ignorance.
W e u iio a ld s u p p o s e '-Irik a le s so n l ik e t h e a b o v e , w h i e h is
b y no m u i r i s a n i s o l a t e d one, w o u l d h a v e n o t b e e n lost, a n d
t h a t s c i e n t i s t s g e n e r a l l y w o u l d b e m o r e c a r e f u l i u r e g a r d to
e x p r e s s i n g t h e i r o p i n i o n s a s to t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o r i m p o s s i b i l i t y
of a n o c c u r r e n c e ; 'c ut suer, is n o t t h e c a s e . A lm o st every­
b o d y h a s b e e n to 'il of o r h a s h i m s e l f h e a r d a n d w i t n e s s e d
c e r t a i n no ise s w i t h o u t a n y v i s i b le c a u s e , t h a t o f t e n o c c u r
in h o u s e s w h e r e a p e r s o n h a s r e c e n t l y d i e d ; a n d t h e
s c i e n t i s t s , i n s t e a d of i n v e s t i g a t i n g t l i e ir c a u s e s , o n l y d e n y t h e
faets. T h e w e ll e s t a b l i s h e d p h e n o m e n a o f h a u n t e d h o u se s,
s t o n e - t h r o w i n g , r a p s , a n d of t h e a p p e a r a n c e s o f s p e c t r e s a n d
g h o s ts , r e f u s e h o w e v e r t o bo d i s p o s e d of i n s u c h a s u m m a r y
m anner, and d e m a n d in v estig a tio n . T h e th e o ry , t h a t th e y
are produced b y t h e “ s p i r i t s ” of mortals, wlio, uo matter
h o w w ell b e h a v e d a n d sober th e y m a y h a v e been d u r in g
life, a f t e r d e a t h s u d d e n l y b e c o m e c r a n k s a n d r e t u r n f r o t n
t h e i r s t a t e o f b liss to s c a r o t l i e i r w iv e s, f r i e n d s a n d c h i l d r e n
i n t o fits b y p l a y i n g f o o l is h p r a n k s a u d to p a s s a w a y t h e i r
tim o in to ssin g ta b le s a n d sp ellin g o u t m essa g es, th o
s t u p i d i t y o f w h i c h is o f t e n u n d e n i a b l e , is m o r e d i f f ic u l t to
b e li e v e t h a n t h e o c c u r r e n c e o f t h e f a c t s t h e m s e l v e s . T h o
a u t h o r , t h e r e f o r e , a f t e r h a v i n g c o n v in c e d h i m s e l f o f tlie f a c t s ,
w e n t w i t h a n u n b ia s e d m in d to in v estig a te t h e ir t r u e cau ses,
a n d h o f o u n d t h e m t o lio i n a l i v i n g b u t as y e t o n l y l i t t l o
k n o w n p r i n c i p l e , w h i c l i in c e r t a i n c a s e s a n d w i t h i n c e r t a i n
l i m i t s is a b l e t o e x h i b i t a l l t h e m a n i f e s t a t i o n s o f a n a c t i v o
f o r c e ; a p r i n c i p l e w h i c h is n o t o n l y f o u n d i n m a n b u t a ls o a
h i g h e r s p e c ie s of t h e a n i m a l c r e a t i o n . T h i s p r i n c i p l e r e p r e ­
s e n t s n o t tho sp irit of t h e d e c e a s e d , b u t h i s a n i m a l p a r t , a n d t h i s
a n i m a l p a r t is a n a t u r a l r e s u l t p r o d u c e d b y t h e p r o c e s s e s of!
life . T h e s t u d y o f t h i s p r i n c i p l e l e a d s u s i n t o a n i n v e s t i g a ­
tio n of a n im a l m a g n e tis m , a n d to a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g of tho
p h y s i o l o g i c a l a n d m o r a l n a t u r e of g h o s t s a n d a p p a r i t i o n s .
I t b r i n g s t h o s e p h e n o m e n a b a c k to t h e r e a l m o f s c i e n c e a n d
lib e ra te s m a n k in d fro m th e h a llu c in a tio n s of spiritualism .
T h e r e e x i s t s a n a l m o s t u n l i m i t e d a m o u n t o f w e ll a u t h e n ­
t ic a te d facts, w h ic h p ro v e th e re a lity of su ch o c c u r r e n c e s ;
a n d t h e b o o k of M r. A d o l p h e D ’A s s i e r is w e l l s u p p l i e d w i t h
s u c h a s h a v e b e e n s e l e c t e d to i l l u s t r a t e liis e x p l a n a t i o n s of
th e s e p h e n o m e n a , b u t t h e lim ite d space o f a re v ie w r e n d e r s
i t n e c c e s s a r i l y i m p o s s i b l e to r e p r o d u c e m o r e t h a n a f e w o f
t h o s e t h a t a p p e a r t h e m o s t r e m a r k a b l e , a n d a s t h e y a ll a r o
v e r y r e m a r k a b l e , s u c h a s e l e c ti o n b e c o m e s r a t h e r diffic u lt
f r o m s u p e r a b u n d a n c e o f m a t e r i a l , f r o m w h i c h to s e l e c t.
O n e of t h e b e s t k n o w n h i s t o r i e s of t h a t k i n d , is t h a t o f tlio
A b b i P e y to n , w h o died a t S ontcnac, a n d w ho a fte rw a rd s w as
n o t o n l y a l m o s t d a i l y h e a r d to m a k e no ise s in t h e s a c r i s t y o f
t h e c h u r c h , s u c h a s lie u s e d t o m a k e in t a k i n g s n u ff , o p e n i n g
w a r d r o b e s , m o v i n g f u r n i t u r e , <te. ; b u t w h o w a s a ls o f r e ­
q u e n t l y s e e n i n p l a i n d a y , r e a d i n g h i s b r e v i e r , &c., a n d w h o
w a s sp o k en to b y v a r io u s p erso n s, h o w e v e r w i t h o u t e lic itin g
a n answ er, an d w h ic h persons, w h e n th ey saw th e a p p aritio n ,
w ore n o t in flu e n ce d b y f e a r o r e x c i t e m e n t ; b ecau se a t tho
t i m e when, t h e y s p o k e to it, t h e y h a d n o i n t i m a t i o n t h a t t h e y
w e r e t a l k i n g to a g h o s t . T h e r e is o n e f a c t , h o w e v e r , v e r y
p r o m in e n t in th is as w e ll as o t h e r sim ila r histories, a n d
w h i e h i n d i c a t e s t h a t g h o s t s l i k e to p e r f o r m s u c h a c t i o n s ,
o r p e rfo rm th e m in stin ctiv e ly , as they have been a c c u sto m e d
t o p e r f o r m d u r i n g life.
S o m e t i m e s t h e p e r s o n a l i t y of t h e d e f u n c t is r e c o g n i s e d b y
his m a n n e r of w a lk in g . S t e p s a n d o t h e r n o ise s, s o m e t i m e s
o f e x t r a o r d i n a r y v i o le n c e , a r e h o a r d in c lo s e d r o o m s ; b u t if
w e o p e n t h e d o o r e v e r y t h i n g is q u i e t a u d i n o r d e r . Tho
“ s p i r i tu a l ” p a p e r s a re full of a c c o u n ts of su c h facts, a n d
m o s t f r e q u e n t ly th e y o c c u r soon a f te r th e d e a th of a p e rso n
in o r n e a r th e h a u n te d locality, a u d th e y so m e tim e s as s u d ­
d e n ly cease as th e y b e g a n .
V ery o ften th ese “ g h o s t s ” seem to liko to a m u s e t h e m ­
s e l v e s b y p u l l i n g t h e b e d - c l o t h e s a w a y f r o m p e o p le t h a t
a r e l y i n g i n b e d , w h e t h e r a s l e e p o r a w a k e , so t h a t t h e y h a v e
t o be r e t a i n e d b y f o r c e t o k e e p t h o p a r t i e s f r o m b e i n g
u n c o v e r e d , to p a s s ,l m a t e r i a l i z e d ” b a n d s o v e r t h e i r fa c e s,
t o t o u c h p e o p l e in d i f f e r e n t w a y s , etc . T hese m an ifestatio n s
o c c u r u s u a l l y a t n i g h t , b u t a ls o i n d a y t i m e ; s o m e t i m e s a t
re g u la r in terv als, so m etim es irreg u lar. S o m e tim e s th e y last
perio d ica lly fo r m o n th s a n d even for years, a n d som etim es
t h e y c e a s e s u d d e n l y a f t e r t h e c o m p l i a n c e w i t h a c e r t a i n wiyli
of t h e i r i n v i s i b l e p r o d u c e r .
A y o u n g m a n w h o w a s v e r y f o n d of a r m s , a n d w h o h a d
a g r e a t c o ll e c t io n of sw o rd :;, etc., b e c a m e in s a n e , w a s r e m o v e d
f r o m h o m e a n d d i e d i n a n a s y l u m . O n t h e n i g h t of h is d e a t h ,
a n d o n m a n y s u b s e q u e n t n i g h t s , a g r e a t n o ise w a s h e a r d ,
a s if s o m e b o d y in h i s r o o m w a s a m u s i n g h i m s e l f w i t h f e n c i n g ,
6w o r d s w e r e a p p a r e n t l y t h r o w n d o w n w i l h a c l a s h , t h e
t r a m p i n g of f e e t w a s h e a r d , a n d t h e p e o p le i n t h e h o u s o
b e c a m e so a c c u s t o m e d t o i t t h a t t h e y c e a s e d t o t a k e a n y
n o t i c e o f it, a n d s i m p l y s a i d , w h e n e v e r t h e n o i s e b e g a n :
“ H e r e is t h e fo ol a g a i n . ” W h e n e v e r d u r i n g t h e g r e a t e s t
noise th e d o o r of t h e room w a s o p ened, e v e r y th in g w as fo u n d
t o b e i n o r d e r a n d a ll q u i e t , o n l y to c o m m e n c e d i r e c t l y a g a i n .
U s u a lly th o se “ p h y sic al m a n ife s ta tio n s” tak e place o n ly
i n t h e d a r k a n d c e a s e i m m e d i a t e l y , w h e n l i g h t is i n t r o d u c e d
u p o u t h e s c e n e . T h e e x p l a n a t i o n of t h i s w e s h a l l se e
f u r t h e r on.
A c t u a l a p p a r i t i o n s i n t l i e l i u m a n s h a p e a r e les s f r e q u e n t ,
s t i ll t h e y s o m e t i m e s o c c u r e i t h e r a t t h e t i m e o r soon after t h e
d e a th of th e p e rso n whom, th e a p p a ritio n rep re se n ts. T h a
 f o l l o w i n g is t o l d b y M a d a m e D .........“ W h e n I w a s a y o u n g g i r l ,
I s l e p t w itli m y o l d e r s i s t e r . O n e n i g h t w e h a d j u s t g o n e to
b e d a n d I b l e w o n t t h e l i g h t o f t h e c a n d l e . T h e fire i n th o
c h i m n e y w a s still g l o w i n g , a n d t h e r e b e f o r e it, w e s a w a
w e l l - k n o w n p r i e s t s i t t i n g i n a c h a i r b e f o re t h e fire a n d w a n n ­
i n g h i s fe e t. T h in k in g I w as h a llu c in ate d , I w oke m y
sister, w ho saw th e sa m e a p p a ritio n . W e th e n scream ed for
h e lp , b u t, w h e n o u r f a th e r c am e , th e a p p a r itio n h a d d is­
a p p e a r e d , a n d t h e n e x t m o r n in g wc received n e w s t h a t tho
said p riest h a d died d u r in g th e n ig h t.”
I n s u c h cases, d i s t a n c e s e e m s t o b e of n o c o n s e q u e n c e , a n d
a y o u n g m a n w ho died in A frica w as seen the sam o e v e n in g
in F oix (F ra n c e ). M r. B o n n etty s a w o n e e v e n i n g tho
a p p a r i t i o n of a f r i e n d i n A m e r i c a , w h o sp o k e to h im a n d
t o l d h i m t h a t h e w a s a b o u t to dio. T h o p e c u l i a r p a t t e r n of
t h c w a istc o a t of th e a p p a r itio n a tt r a c t e d his a tte n tio n , a n d
w h e n so o n a f t e r t h c l e t t e r s a r r i v e d , i n f o r m i n g h i m o f h i s
f r i e n d ’s d e a t h , h e i n q u i r e d a b o u t t h a t w a i s t c o a t a n d f o u n d
t h a t id en tica l p a tte rn .
T h e s e a p p a r i t i o n s s o m e t i m e s a p p e a r to u s w h i l e w c a r e
a w a k e , a t o t h e r t i m e s w h e n w e a r c s l e e p i n g , a n d in t h c
l a t t e r c a s e s w e a r e lia b le t o b e li e v e t h e m to bo m e a n i n g l e s s
d re a m s, w hose reality h o w e v e r m ay becom e e stab lish e d by
s u b s e q u e n t e v e n t s , s u c h a s t h c r e c e i p t o f l e t t e r s , e tc . T h o
r e a l i t y of t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a p o s t h u m o u s p e r s o n a l i t y is p r o v e d
b y t h o o c c u r r e n c e o f t h o u s a n d s of s u c h fiicts, o c c u r r i n g
a t a l l t i m e s a n d a m o n g s t a ll n a t i o n s ; a n d w h i c h w o m u s t
t r y to e x p lain . T h e y e v id e n tly o r ig in a te f ro m th e liv in g
p e r s o n a l i t y o f w h i c h t h e y f o r m , so t o s a y , a c o p y o r c o n t i n u a ­
t io n , s h o w i n g t h e f o r m , s h a p e , p r e j u d i c e s , i n c l i n a t i o n s a n d
h a b its of th e deceased person. L e t u s, th e re fo re , see w h e th e r
t h e r e is n o t i u m a n a c e r t a i n p r i n c i p l e , w h i c h , w h e n t h e v i ta l
fo rc c s l e a v e t h e p h y s i c a l b o d y , s e p a r a t e s i t s e l f f r o m t h e s a m o
a n d c o n t i n u e s f o r a t im o t h e a c t i v i t y o f t h e h u m a n p e r ­
so n a lity ?
N u m e r o u s facts a tt e s t th c existenco of s u c h a p rin cip le. A
w o m a n w ho w ith her h u s b a n d a n d c h ild e m ig ra te d from
A l s a c e to R i o d e J a n e i r o fell s i c k o n b o a r d of t h e s h i p .
A f t e r having- b e e n f o r a w h i l e a p p a r e n t l y w i t h o u t c o n s c io u s ­
n e s s , s h e a w o k e a n d s a i d to h e r h u s b a n d : “ I d i e c o n t e n t e d ;
b e c a u s e I h a v e j u s t b e e n a t R i o d e J a n e i r o a n d s a w o u r old
n e i g h b o u r s t a n d i n g a t t h e d o o r of h i s h o u s e . I s h o w e d h i m
o u r d a u g h t e r a n d h e c o n s e n t e d t o t a k o e a r o of h e r . W h e n
yon a r r i v e h e w i l l r c c o g n i z e h e r . ” S h e t h e n d ie d . A t t h a t
t i m e t h c n e i g h b o u r in q u e s t i o n w a s s t a n d i n g a t t h e f r o n t o f
liis d o o r in R io d e J a n e i r o . T o h i s s u r p r i s e , h e s a w a w o m a n
w i t h a c h i l d i n h o r a r m s t a n d i n g a t t h e o t h e r si d e of t h o
s t r e e t , a n d i n t o n t l y g a z i n g a t h i m . H e r e c o g n i z e d in h e r
t h e w ife of h i s f r i e n d i n A l s a c c , b u t n o t b e l i e v i n g h i s ey es,
h e c a l l e d o n o o f h i s w o r k m e n , w h o a ls o s a w t h e w o m a n ,
b e f o re s h e d i s a p p e a r e d . W h e n th o s h i p a r r i v e d , h e i m m e d i ­
a t e l y r e c o g n i z e d t h e c h ild .
A n E n g l i s h ollicer, r e t u r n i n g f r o m I n d i a , s a w a s t r a n g e r o n
h o a r d g o i n g f r o m ono c a b i n to a n o t h e r , l o o k i n g i n t o a l l a n d
s e e m i n g d i s a p p o i n t e d . H e t o ld t h o C a p t a i n a b o u t i t , w h o
r e c o g n i s e d , in t h o d e s c r i p t i o n of t h c s t r a n g e r , h i s o w n f a t h e r .
W h e n t h c C a p t a i n a r r i v e d in E n g l a n d , h e w a s i n f o r m e d
t h a t h is f a th e r h a d died ; b u t th a t, on a c e r ta in day, co rres­
p o n d i n g w ith t h a t of th e o ccu rre n ce on b o a rd , th c p a tie n t h a d
re co v e red fro m a d e liriu m a n d said : “ W h e r e do y o u th in k I
h a v o b e e n ? I h a v o b e en o n b o a r d o f t h e s h i p o f w h i c h m y
s o n is c o m m a n d c r . I havo loo k ed in a ll th o s ta to room s,
b u t c o u l d n o t fi n d h i m in a n y . ”
O n a n o t h e r s t e a m e r , a s t r a n g e r w a s soon to w r i t e a t t h o
C a p t a i n ’s d e s k . T h e f i g u r e d i s a p p e a r e d , b u t t h e r e w e r e th o
w r i t te n w o rd s : “ S t e e r to th o N o r t h - w e s t . ” T h e C a p ta in
follo w ed t h e ad v ic e f ro m c u rio s ity , a n d th r e e h o u r s a f te r ­
w a r d s h e c a m e i n s i g h t of a n i c e b e r g w i t h t h e w r e c k of a
s h i p f r o m Q u e b c c . A m o n g s t t h o p a s s e n g e r s of t h a t w r e c k
was the id o n tic al m a n w hoso figu ro h a d b e en seen w r i t in g ,
a n d th e c a p ta in of th e u n fo rtu n a te ship said t h a t th re e h o u rs
b e f o re , t h a t m a n h a d b een s l e o p i n g ; b n t t h a t , w h e n h e a w o k e ,
h e s a i d t h a t t h e y all w o u l d bo s a v e d . On co m p a riso n , tho
m a n ’s h a n d w r i t i n g w a s f o u n d to b e i d e n t i c a l w i t h t h a t o f tho
in s c rip tio n in th o steam o r. I n th is case, t h a t p a sse n g e r, how -
e v o r , d i d n o t e x a c t l y r e m e m b o r w h a t lie h a d d o n e d u r i n g h is
sleep , b u t h e sa id t h a t th e in te r io r of t h e s te a m e r looked
f a m i l i a r t o h im , a l t h o u g h ho n e v e r h a d b e e n ( p h y s i c a l l y ) o n
b o a r d of t h e s a m e . T h o r e m e m b r a n o e of w h a t h a s b e e n clone
d u r i n g t h e s e p a r a t i o n of t h o “ d o u b l e ” is h e r e i n d i s t i n o t a n d
confused. T hese p h en o m en a p re sen t th e v a rio u s sta g es from
a Bimplo d r e a m u p t o t h e f u l l a n d l i v i n g a p p e a r a n c e of t h e
human form. Xhese manifestations depend evidently on t h e
d e g r e e o f m o r a l e n e r g y , t e n s i o n of t h e s p i r i t t o w a r d s a d e t e r ­
m i n e d o b j e c t , t h e p h y s i c a l c o n s t i t u t i o n a n d t h o a g e o f th o
m a n ; a n d p ro b a b ly fro m o th e r causes, w hich a r e as y e t
u n k n o w n to u s . S o m e p e o p le re m e m b e r ex actly w h a t has
b e e n g o i n g 011 d u r i n g t h e i r t r a n c e , o t h e r s h a v e a d i m r e c o l le c ­
t i o n , a n d o t h e r s a g a i n d o n o t r e m o m b e r a n y t h i n g at, a ll .
J u n g S t i l l i n g t e l l s of w h a t h a p p e n e d t o B a r o n d e Z u l y a ,
ch a m b e rla in of th e k i n g of S w e d e n . T h e B aron cam e hom e
la t e a t n i g h t . A s h e a r r i v e d a t t h e e n t r a n c e o f t h e p a r k
l e a d i n g to h i s h o u s e , ho w a s m e t b y h i s f a t h e r , w h o was
d ressed a s u sn a l an d h a d a w a lk in g cane in his hand. T h e y
s p o k e t o g e t h e r f o r a l o n g t i m e a n d w e n t t o g e t h e r to t h e
h o u s e a n d to t h o b e d r o o m . O n e n t e r i n g t h e b e d r o o m t h e
b a r o n s a w h is f a t h e r i n b e d , u n d r e s s e d a n d in a d e e p sle ep ,
w h ile tho a p p a ritio n d isa p p ea red a t th e sam o tim e. W h e n
t h e f a t h o r a w o k e a n d w a s i n f o r m e d of w h a t h a d h a p p e n e d ,
h e d i d n o t s e e m s u r p r i s e d , b u t sa i d t h a t s u c h t h i n g s h a d
h a p p e n e d to h i m b e f o re .
I n t h i s c a s e w e seo t h e h u m a n p h a n t o m e n d o w e d w i t h tlio
p o w er of sp e e ch , w h ile in th e p reced in g one i t was o n ly ab le
to w r i t e . T h i s d i f f e r e n c e d o e s n o t a s t o n i s h n s , if w e c o n s i d e r
t h e f a c t t h a t s u c h a p h a n t o m is c o n t i n u a l l y in r e l a t i o n to t h e
p h y s i c a l b o d y f r o m w h e n c e i t is p ro j e c te d , a n d w i t h w h i c h
i t is c o n n e c t e d by a k i n d of fluid ic c o m m u n i c a t i o n . T h i s
flu id o r f o r c e is a t o n e e n d of t h e lin e r e q u i r e d to k e e p t h o
v i t a l p r o c e s s e s o f t h e m a n in a c t i o n , w h i l e a t t h e o t h e r i t
p r o d u c e s t h e m a n i f e s t a t i o n . I t s m a x i m u m p o i n t is a t t h e
p la c e f r o m w h i c h i t d e p a r t s , i t b e c o m e s w e a k e r a s t h e d i s t a n c e ,
in w h i c h i t t r a v e l s , in c r e a s e s , a n d a f t e r i t p a s s e s o v e r c e r t a i n
l i m i t s i t b e c o m e s zero. T h e p h a n t o m of t h e f a t h e r i n t h e
p a r k , d i d n o t h a v e t o t r a v e l so f a r a s t h a t of t h e m a n 011
b o a r d of t h e s t e a m e r , a n d w a s t h e r e f o r e s t r o n g e r ; b u t a c a s e
is to ld i n d e t a i l b y J u n g S t i ll i n g , w h e r e t h e p h a n t o m of a m a n
in t h o n e i g h b o r h o o d of P h i l a d e l p h i a w e n t to L o n d o n , f o u n d
a s e a c a p t a i n in a c e r t a i n c o if e e h o u s e , s p o k e w i t h h im , to ld
h i m a b o n t t h e a n x i e t y o f h is w if e in A m e r i c a f o r h i s s a f e t y ,
a n d i n q u i r e d o f h i m w h e n h e i n t e n d e d to r e t u r n . T h e m a n ,
a f t e r w a k i n g f r o m h is t r a n c e , t o ld t h e a s t o n i s h e d wife, w h o
h a d se e n h i m a s l e e p a ll t h e t im e , o f w h a t h a d h a p p e n e d a n d
r e a s s u r e d her, a n d , w h e n h e r h u s b a n d r e t u r n e d , I10 re c o g n i z e d
in t h e m a n t h a t s t r a n g e r , w i t h w h o m h e h a d s p o k e n i n th o
e o lf e e - h o n s e in L o n d o n .
I n t h e p r e c e d in g e a s e s a d e e p sle e p is n e c e s s a r y to p r o d u c e
t h i s s e p a r a t i o n of t h o “ s o u l ” f r o m t h e b o d y , b u t c e r t a i n
c o n s t i t u t i o n s , w h o h a v e a v e r y re fin e d c o n s t i t u t i o n , c a n s e n d
t h e i r “ s o u l s ” a w a y a t a d i s t a n c e w i t h o u t f a l l i n g a s le e p .
S u c h c o n s t i t u t i o n s a r e r a r e , b u t M o s e s , A p p o l l o n i u s of T y a n a ,
S i m o n M a g u s , M e r l in , S w e d e n b o r g , C a g l i o s t r o a n d t h o
Se e ress of P r c v o r s t a r o h i s t o r i c a l e x a m p l e s , a n d if a n y ono
will t a k e t h o t r o u b l e t o i n v e s t i g a t e , h e will find m a n y p e o p le
in I n d i a a n d o th e r places endow ed w ith sim ilar pow ers. T h e
h u m a n p h a n t o m d o e s n o t o n l y p ossess legs a n d h a n d s to a c t ,
e y e s to seo a n d a v o ic e to s p e a k , it also p o ss e s se s a ll t h e o t h e r
o r g a n s i n c l u d i n g a s t o m a c h , f o r i t c a n d r i n k a g la s s o f w a t e r ,
a n d t h a t w a t e r w ill p a s s i n to t h o s t o m a c h o f t h e p o i s o n f r o m
w h o m t h e p h a n t o m p r o c e e d s . T h e r e a r e s e v e r a l s n c h c ases
k n o w n * ; a u d t h e y p r o v e t h a t t h e p h a n t o m - b o d y is t h e e tlit re al
c o u n t e r p a r t of t h o p h y s i c a l b o d y , a n d s t a n d s in a n i n t i m a t e
a l t h o u g h in v is ib l e c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e sa m e . I t is t r u e t h a t
t h i 3 s e e m s to g o a g a i n s t a l l k n o w n p h y s i c a l l a w s . W e c a n n o t
u n d e r s t a n d h o w a n a e r i f o r m o r g a s e o u s r e c i p i e n t c an w i t h ­
o u t b r e a k i n g be t h e r e c i p i e n t o f a h e a v y s u b s t a n c e l ik e w a t e r ,
a n d , w h a t is s t i ll m o r e p e r p l e x i n g , h o w s u c h a h e a v y s u b ,
s t a n c o c a n bo t r a n s p o r t e d to a d i s t a n c e w i t h o u t a n y visible
m e a n s of c o m m u n i c a t i o n . T h e “ f l u i d i c ” w o r l d o b e y s
l a w s , w h i c h a r e n o t y e t fu lly k n o w n to us, a n d w h i c h se e m
to b e lo n g t o t h o s e w h i c h g o v e r n t h o ra re fica tio n o f m a t t e r ; !
b u t t h e r e a r e n o t w a n t i n g c e r t a i n a n a l o g i e s in u a t n r e .
W e r e fe r to w a t e r s p o u t s on th o ocean, t o t h e c o i d w h i c h
a t t a o h e s t h e c h i l d to t h e w o m b of t h e m o t h e r , e tc . T h e r e is
now h ere in n a tu r e a se p a ra tio n of c o n tin u ity , th e h u m a n
p h a n t o m d o e s n o t b r e a k i ts c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e b o d y , i n v i s i ­
ble l i n k s c h a i n i t to t h e s o u r c e f r o m w h e n c e i t c o m e s , a n d
w h a t e v e r h a p p e n s a t o n e e n d of t h a t c h a i n is f e lt a t tho
o th e r end. T h o “ double” of a person can th e re fo ro u n d e r
c e r t a i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s a c t u a l l y i n j a r e o r b e n e f it a p e r s o n a t a
d i s t a n c e , o r a p e r s o n c a n i n j u r e o r b e n e f i t a n o t h e r by
a c tin g o n his o r h e r “ do u b le,” a n d a n im p a rtia l a n d u n p r e ­
j u d i c e d r e a d i n g of t h e h i s t o r y o f w i t c h e r a f t a n d w i t c h t r i a l s
will p r o v e t h e t r u t h of t h i s a s s e r t i o n .
* S e e t h e “ L i v i n g V a m p i r e s a n d V a m p i r i s m o f t h e G r a v e ” in t b e
A p r i l (1884- ) n u m b e r o f t h o “ T h e o s o p h i s t .”
f To understand th en wo mast know the power of Will,
 T h e b o d y o f a p e r s o n a n d its d o u b l e lias o f t e n b e e n se e n
a t one a n d l h e s a m e t i m e a n d R o b e r t D a l e O w e n g i v e s s e v e r a l
in terestin g accounts.
O n o n e o c c a sio n f o r t y - t w o y o n n g l a d i e s in a b o a r d i n g
school a t N e u w e l k e s a w a t t h e s a m e t i m e o n e of t l i e ir
n u m b e r , M i s s E m i l ie , w a l k i n g a r o u n d i n t h e g a r d e n a n d
g a t h e r i n g flo w e rs, w h ile a t t ii e n e x t m o m e n t t h e y s a w h e r
s i t t i n g in a n a r m c h a i r in t h e r o o m . T h e y l o o k e d a g a i n
i n to t h e g a r d e n , a n d t h e r e s h e w a s a g a i n ; b u t t h e y n o t ic e d
t h a t s h o s e e m e d to bo w e a k a n d s u f f e r i n g . T w o g i r ls , m o r e
c o u r a g e o u s t h a n t h e o t h e r s , w e n t u p to t h a t “ d o u b l e ” a n d
a t t e m p t e d to t o u c h it. T h e y f e l t a s l i g h t r e s i s t a n c e , s u c h
a s m u s l i n o r g a u z e w o u ld p r o d u c e . O n e g i r l e v e n p a s s e d
t h r o u g h a part, of t h e fig u r e a n d t h o p h a n t o m d i s a p p e a r e d
a fte rw a rd s g rad u ally . T h is was re p eated on s e v e ra l
o c c a sio n s, d u r i n g a y e a r a n d a h a lf . T h e m o r e d i s t i n c t
a n d a p p a r e n t l y m a t e r i a l tlie d o u b l e s e e m e d to be, t h e m o r e
t h e re a l p e r s o n a p p e a r e d s u f f e r i n g a n d f e e b l e ; b u t w h e n
tho a p p e a r a n c e of t h e d o u b l e b e c a m e w e a k a n d i n d i s t i n c t ,
t h o p a t i e n t s e e m e d to r e g a i n h e r s t r e n g t h . E m i l i o h e r s e l f
d id n o t k n o w a n y t h i n g a b o u t s u c h a b i c o r p o r e i t y , a n d w as
i n f o r m e d o f i t by t h e o t h e r g i r l s . S h e n e v e r s a w h e r d o u b le
lie rse lf; b u t h e r c o n d itio n disquieted h e r p a re n ts a n d they
took h e r lio m e .
T h e action, w h ic h su c h a p h a n to m -fo rm can p ro d u c e , a n d
t h e r e s i s t a n c e w h i c h i t o ffers t o t h e t o u c h , p r o v e t h a t i t is
n o t s i m p l y a n o p t ic a l d e lu s io n o r p r o j e c t i o n o f l i g h t ; b u t
t h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s g i v e u s a n i d e a of t h e n a t u r e o f i t s s u b ­
s t a n c e , a n d s h o w t h a t , f a r f r o m b e i n g a n i d e a l c o n c e p ti o n ,
i t m u s t be c o m p o s e d of m a t e r i a l a t o m s ; b e lo n g i n g h o w e v e r
to a h i g h e r s t a t e o f m a t t e r . W e k n o w t h a t h i g h l y a t t e ­
n u a t e d g a se s, s u c h a s H y d r o g e n , c a n p a s s t h r o n g h c e r t a i n
m e t a ls , a n d t h e s o p h a n t o m s g l i d e t h r o u g h w a l l s a n d
c lo sed d o o r s . T h e double a p p a ritio n of E m ilie presents
a n o th e r i m p o r ta n t point. H e r im a g e w as n o t p ro d u c ed
s u d d e n l y b n t a p p e a r e d g r a d u a l l y a n d g r e w s t r o n g e r by
d e g r e e s ; a n d t h e s t r o n g e r i t g r e w , t h o m o r e t h e re a l E m i l ie
becam e weak. ’ t o w a r d s t h e l i g h t , its f i n g e r s c lu t c h e d t h e l a m p a n d e x t i n ­
T h e l a w , w h i c h c a u s e s t h is , is w e l l- k n o w n i n n a t u r e as
t h e c o r r e l a t i o n of f o r c e s a n d t h e o r g a n i c e q u i l i b r i u m . W h e r e
one o rg a n g row s ab n o rm a lly , th e o th e rs d im in ish p r o p o rtio n ­
a t e l y in p o w e r . T h e e x i s t e n c e o f a n i n v is ib l e “ m a g n e t i c " c o rd
b e tw e e n t h e b o d y of a p e r s o n a n d i ts p h a n t o m c a n n o t be
r e a s o n a b l y d o u b t e d . I f t h i s c o r d b r e a k s o r is v i o le n t ly
b r o k e n , t h e life in t h e p h y s i c a l b d d y b e c o m e s e x t i n c t , t h e
phanffom b e co m es a s e p a r a t e e n t i t y , a n d i u s t e a d of b e i n g o n l y
so to s a y t h e re fl e c t i o n o r t h e c o u n t e r p a r t o f its l i v i n g so u r c e ,
it b e c o m e s a p o s t h u m o u s p h a n t o m o r a g h o s t .
I s t h e p o ss e s sio n of a n e t h e r e a l c o u n t e r p a r t o f o u r p h y s i c a l
b o d y a p r i v il e g e b e l o n g i n g o n l y t o m a n , o r d o e s i t b e l o n g to
tlie e n t i r e a n i m a l k i n g d o m ? W e b e lie v e i t b e l o n g s to all,
a n d o u r b e lie f is b a s e d u p o n e x p e r i m e n t s a n d f a c t s . T h e
a p p e a r a n c e o f so c a l l e d a n i m a l “ s p i r i t s ” a t “ s p i r i t u a l s e a n c e s ”
is n o t h i n g u n u s u a l ; b u t t h e f o l l o w i n g i n s t a n c e s r e n d e r t h e
m a t t e r s t i ll m o r e p la iu : A y o u n g m a il w e n t h o m e o n e e v e n ­
in g , w h e n , p a s s i n g by a field, h e s a w a n a s s g r a z i n g i n t h e o a ts .
H e a p p r o a c h e d , t o o k t h e a s s b y t h e h a l t e r a n d led h i m t o t h e
s t a b le . A s ho o p e n e d t h e s t a b le d o o r, t h e a n i m a l d i s a p p e a r e d
be fo re h i s e y e s ; a n d a n i n s p e c t i o n , in t h e m o r n i n g , of t h e field
of o a t s s h o w e d n o v isib lo sign o f a n y n o c t u r n a l a s i n i n e
v i s i t w h a t e v e r . T w o c u s t o m - h o u s e officers w e r e m a k i n g t h e i r
r o u n d s ono n i g h t w h e n t h e y s a w a t a s h o r t d i s t a n c e f r o m
t h e v i ll a g e a m u l e l o a d e d w i t h goods. T h e y a p p r o a c h e d , b u t
t h e m u l e r a n a w a y . G i v i n g c h as e, t h e y d r o v e h i m i n t o t h e
village, n o t w i t h o u t a w a k e n i n g tlie v i l l a g e r s b y tli e ir noise.
T hey finally s u c c e e d e d to d r i v e h i m i n to a c o r n e r , b u t a s t h e y
w e re a b o u t to lay t h e i r h a n d s o n h i m , m u l e a n d b a g g a g e d i s ­
a p p e a r e d in to th o a i r . I u b o t h c as es, t h e n i g h t was c l e a r
a n d t h o m e n sober, a n d m a n y o t h o r s i m i l a r f a c t s c o u ld ba
c ite d if o u r sp a c e w o u ld p e r m i t .
W e h a v e seen t h a t t h e p o s t h u m o u s h u m a n p h a n t o m
e x h ib i t s t h e h a b i t s , i n s t i n c t s a n d p e c u l i a r i t i e s o f t h e m a n . T h e
samo m a y bo s a i d o f a n i m a l p h a n t o m s . T h e a s s g r a z e s
p e a c e f u l l y h is i m a g i n a r y o a ts , is p a t i e n t e n o u g h to b e led
a w ay , b u t w h e n t h o s t a b l e d o o r is o p e n e d a n d h e is e x ­
p e c te d t o e n t e r i n t o h i s p r i s o n , h i s a s i n i n e n a t u r e r e v o lt s
a n d h e d i s a p p e a r s . T h e p h a n t o m of t h e m u l e a c t s l ik e t h e
Jiving m u l e ; a n d iu b o t h c ases a l i t t l e f u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n
in t h e v i c i n i t y w o u l d p r o b a b l y h a v e b r o u g h t to l i g h t t h e
b o d y of a n a ss w h o r e c e n t l y d i e d i n t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d , a n d
t h e c a r c a s s o f a m u l e who dropped dead under h i a load in,
charge of some sm uggler.
I n c c r t a i n cases, h o w e v e r , of w h i c h we s h a l l s p e a k f u r t h e r
on, i t a p p e a r s t h a t m a n ’s i n n e r p e r s o n a l i t y , a c c o r d i n g to i t s
fluidic a n d e l a s t i c n a t u r e , a n d in c o n s e q u e n c e of s o m e a s y e t
u n k n o w n l a w s , c a n t a k e b e s t i a l f o r m s, a n d t h a t w h e n w e a r a
a p p a r e n t l y i n p r e s e n c o o f a g h o s t of a n a n i m a l , w e m a y
h a v o a re a l c aso of l v c a n t r o p y b e f o re u s ; in w h i c h c a s e ,
h o w e v e r , i ts a c t i o n s will d i f f e r f r o m t h e h a b i t u a l a c t i o n s o f
th e a n im a l it re p re se n ts.
T h e m i n e r a l a n d v e g e t a b l e k i n g d o m s h a v e also t h e i r
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s in t h e p h a n t o m w o r l d , a n d t h e S e e r e s s o f
P r c v o r s t c o u l d p e r c e i v e t h e m a t will, as well a s t h e “ d o u b l e s ”
o f a n i m a l s , a n d w e m a y c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e p o s s ib ility of a,
s e p a r a t i o n o f a u y m a t e r i a l t h i n g f r o m i ts e t h e r e a l c o u n t e r ­
p a r t , d e p e n d s o n l y o u a k n o w l e d g o of t h e law s w h i c h r e g u l a t o
t h e c o n d i t i o n s u n d e r w h i c h t h e y e x is t.
I f w e c o n s i d e r t h e a t t r i b u t e s of t h e s e p o s t h u m o u s v i s i t o r s ,
w o find t h a t t h e y a r e t h e e x a c t c o u n t e r p a r t of t h e liv i n g b o d y ;
t h a t t h e y c a n p e n e t r a t e t h r o u g h w a lla , c lo sed d o o r s o r c r a c k a
a n d keyh o les ; t h a t th e y c a n in a n a lm o st in cred ib ly s h o r t
s p a c e of t i m e t r a v e r s e i m m e n s e d i s t a n c e s ; a n d o n e a t t r i b u t e
e sp e c i a l l y s e e m s c o m m o n t o all, t h e i r a v e r s i o n to l i g h t .
A n e m in e n t ju ris t, A le x a n d e r of A le x a n d r ia , w rites : “ I a
a h a u n t e d h o u s e in R o m e w e w e r e a n n o y e d e v e r y n i g h t b y
t h e a p p e a r a n c e a n d n o ise o f a h i d e o u s a n d e n t i r e l y b l a c k
s p e c t r e o f m e n a c i n g a s p e c t , w h o s e e m e d to w a n t o u r a s s i s t ­
a n c e . N o o u e b e fo ro m y a r r i v a l d a r e d t o live in t h a t h o u s e .
I t o o k s e v e r a l f r i e n d s w i t h m e , n i g h t c a m o o n , a n d I c lo s e d
th e d o o r a n d tied it w ith a silk en cord. I w as ly in g on m y
bed aw ake a n d dressed a n d the lig h t was b u rn in g . S u d d e n ly
I h e a r d t h e s p e c t r e t a p p i n g a t t h e d o o r , t r y i n g t o o p e n it, a n d
a t t h e n e x t m o m e n t , to m y h o r r o r , I sa w i t c o m e i n t h r o u g h
t h e c rack s a n d clefts. Aa soon as it e n te re d , it w ent g lid in g
u n d e r m y b e d w i t h a q u i c k m o v e m e n t . M y d isc ip le , w h o w a a
w itli m e a n d s a w it, w a s s c r e a m i n g i n t e r r o r ; b u t a s 1 s a w
t h e d o o r w a s s t i l l l o c k e d a n d t ie d , I t r i e d to p e r s u a d e m y s e l f
t h a t w l i a t I h a d s e e n was o n l y t h e effect of m y i m a g i n a t i o n .
J u s t th e n a lo n g and d a r k a r m p ro jected fro m u n d e r th e b e d
g u i s h e d it, a n d a t th o n e x t m o m e n t e v e r y t h i n g w a s in an.
u p r o a r . B o o k s , f u r n i t u r e , i n f a c t e v e r y t h i n g in t h e ro o m ,
w a s tu m b led a n d t u r n e d over, the h o u se re so u n d ed fro m th o
t u m u l t a n d tlie w a i l i n g s of t h e s p e c t r e , t h e n e i g h b o u r s w e ro
a w ak e n e d b y th e noise a n d cam e w ith lights, a n d as th e y
c a m e we s a w t h e s p e c t r e d i s a p p e a r t h r o u g h t h e d o o r . ” * H e r e
we see a p h a n t o m w i t h s u f fi c ie n t i n te l l i g e n c e to u s e m e a n s
t o e x t i n g u i s h t h e l i g h t b e f o re e x p o s i n g its e l f to i ts influe nce .
E v e r y o n e k n o w s t h a t l i g h t p r o d u c e s v i b r a t i o n s oil t h e e t h e r ,
a n d w e b e lie v e t h a t t h e e t h e r e a l b o d y of t h e p h a n t o m b e ­
c om e s d i s i n t e g r a t e d b y t h e a c t i o n o f l i g h t . D u r i n g t h e d a y
i t m a y r e m a i n i u t h e d a r k n e s s of i t s t o m b o r in so m o o t h e r
d a r k p lace, b u t e v e n t h e r e d i f f u s e d l i g h t m a y p e n e t r a t e . T h e
p h a n to m can p ro lo n g its existen ce, b u t n o t p re v e n t th e end.
G r a d u a l l y t h e l u m i n o u s , c a l o r i c o r e l e c t r i c in f lu e n c e s of s p a c e
w ill d i s s i p a t e t h e p h a n t o m , a n d i t s l o n g a g o n y is i l l u s t r a t e d
b y t h e n a t u r e o f t h e m a n i f e s t a t i o n s , w h i c h a r e a t first s t r o n g ,
t h e n b e c o m e f e e b l e , a n d finally d ie o u t, a s t h e a g e n t s , w h i e h
p r o d u c e d t h e m , b e c o m e r e a b s o r b e d i n t o t h e cosm os.
T h o n e x t c u r i o n s c i r c u m s t a n c e i n th o a p p e a r a n c e of g h o s t a
is, t h a t t h e y a r e n o t a l w a y s d r e s s e d i n t h e i r g r a v e c lo t h e s ,
b u t o fte n i n s u c h c lo t h e s a s t h e y u s e d to w e a r d u r i n g life.
B u t t h is f a c t b e c o m e s e x p l a i n a b l e , if we r e m e m b e r t h a t
t h e S e e re s s of P r e v o r s t b e h e l d i n e v e r y t h i n g i ts m a t e r i a l
c o u n t e r p a r t . F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e s e p o s t h u m o u s v i s i to r s o f t e n
e x h i b i t g r e a t g r i e f o r a d e s i r e f o r s o m e t h i n g , a n d by m a k i n g
no ises t h e y s e e m to w i s h to a t t r a c t a t t e n t i o n a n d to a s k
f o r a s s i s t a n c e o r s y m p a t h y ; a n d t h e p o p u l a r e x p r e s s i o n of
“ t r o u b l e d s o u l s ” is p e r h a p s a v e r y p r o p e r a n d s i g n i f ic a n t n a m e .
O n e of the m ost remarkable things is the amonnt of forco
BOmetimes exhibited in these phenomena. H e a v y stones are
often hurled about, tables lifted and overthrown, etc. I f tha
person has recently died and if the noises are confined to
raps or tippings of tables, tho phenomenon m igh t bo ex­
plained by the fact that life does not always cease to exist
at the moment when the heart ceases to beat, because cer­
tain organic forces continue their action, and some corpses
that have been exhumed havo shown a growth of hair and
nails during the time they were interred; but after tho
person has been dead for weeks and months, another expla­
nation is needed ; thero m ust be another reservoir of energy
from which to draw force, and such a reservoir seems to exist
in the bodies of the living, especially tliose of parents and
# This was evidently m elementary,
f r i e n d s . T h e S e e r e s s o f P r e v o r s t a t e v e r y l it t le , a n d , w h e n N O T IC E .
a s k e d , s a i d t h a t sho d r e w s t r e n g t h f r o m t h e b o d ie s of thoso
We re g r e t to announce that, owing to unavokMilo
t h a t c a in e to seo h e r , e sp e c i a l l y f r o m h e r r e la ti v e s , b e c a u s e
t h o i r c o n s t i t u t i o n was m o r e c o n g e n i a l t o h e r ; a n d , in fa ct,
causes, th e publication of tlie Secrect Doctrine hag to
s u c h v isito r s , h a v i n g s t a y e d a few m o m e n t s w i t h t h e p a t i e n t , be delayed for two m onths more. Tlie first Number
o fte n co m plained of feelin g w eak and fain t. will tin-retore be out on the 15th of August, instead nf
15th of J u n e as originally announced.
O n e p o i n t s e e m s v e r y difficult to e x p la i n . T h o h e a v y
s t o n e s t h r o w n a t p e o p le se ldo m p r o d u c e a n y h a r m . T h e y TABLE OF CONTENTS.
a r e o f t e n t h r o w n w i t h g r e a t forco a t w i n d o w s w i t h o u t ----- •------
b r e a k i n g t h e g l a s s , etc., a n d t h o e ffe c ts w h i c h t h e y p r o d u c e lagc. Tage.
s e e m t o c o n t r a d i c t a ll th o k n o w n l a w s o f g r a v i t a t i o n o r R e i n c a r n a t i o n ... 2 0 9 A n s w e r s t o C o r r e s p o n d e n t s ... 221
S t r a y T h o u g h t s o n S o u l ... 2 J 0 L e t t e r s to t h e E d i t o r :—
m e c h a n i c s ; a n d o f t e n t h e s e m is sile s a r e i n v is ib l e a n d a re
A r e C h e l a s “ M e d i u m s ? ” ... 2 1 0 A R o m a n C a t h o l i c S a i n t afc
o n l y r e c o g n i s e d b y t h e g r e a t n o is e w h i c h t h e i r fa ll p r o d u c e s . T h o l a s t o f tlic A l c h e m i s t s ... 2 1 1 G o a ... 222
B u t if w e r e m e m b e r t h a t a ll o b j e c t s , e v e n s t o n e s , h a v e t h e i r J a m e s P r ic e , M . D ., F . R . S ., K a r m a ... 2 2 3
e t h e r e a l c o u n te r p a r t s , w e m a y s n p p o s e t h a t , i n s o m e , e s p e c i ­ a n a A l c h e m i s t , G u i l d f o r d ... 2 1 3 A d e p t s a n d F o litie s ... 223
a l l y t h e l a t t e r cases, i t is t h o e t h e r e a l c o u n t e r p a r t w h i c h is A s t r o l o g y ... 2 1 3 E s o t e r i c B u d d h i s m a n d H i n ­
P r a c t ic a l I n s t r u c t i o n s f o r S t u ­ d u i s m ... 2 2 3
t h r o w n , a u d w h i c h o f c o u r s e c a n n o t h u r t a n y o ne. T h o d e n t s o f O c e n l t i s m ... 2 1 4 T h e o s o p h y a n d C h r is t ia n it y , 2 2 5
iioiso w h i c h r e s u l t s is o f t e n t h e a c o u s t i c e ffe c t p r o d u c e d by M a g i c o n ... 2 1 6 Reviews:—
t h e t h r o w i n g t o g e t h e r of t h o e t h e r e a l c o u n t e r p a r t s of H i s t o r i c a l R e s e a r c h e s i n M a g i c . 2 1 8 L a L i n g u i s t i ^ n e D c v o i l c o ... 220*
vessels a n d g l a s s w a r e . W e b e a r t h e noise, r u n i n t o t h e T h e A m e r i c a n U n i v e r s i t y a t P o s t h u m o u s H u m a n i t y ... 220
B o s t o n ... 2 2 0 T h e M a r a t h i T h e o s o p h i s t ... 2 3 2
k i t c h e n , e x p e c t i n g to se e e v e r y t h i n g d e s t r o y e d , b u t find
C a n t h o “ D o u b l e ” b e M u r d e r ­ T h o C o s m i c P s y c h o l o g i c a l
e v e r y t h i n g i u i t s p lac e. S o m e t i m e s h o w e v e r t h e m a t e r i a l e d ? ... 220 S p ir it u a l P h i l o s o p h y a n d
objects are th ro w n a n d broken. M r . M o n c u r e D . C o n w a y ’s S c i e n c o 232
“ A T o u r r o n n d t h e W o r l d ” ... 2 2 1 N o t i c e ... 2 3 2
I f m a t e r i a l o b j e c t s a r e t h r o w n , t h e i r m o v e m e n t s e e m s to
i n d i c a t e r a t h e r t h a t t h e y a r e c a r r i e d by a fo r c e , t h a n t h r o w n
b y a n im p u l s e . W e m a y s u p p o s o t h a t t h e i r f l i g h t t h r o u g h
S P E C IA L N O T IC ES.
tlio a i r is c a u s e d b y a m a g n e t i c f l u id w h i c h c o m e s f r o m a I t is n o w e v i d e n t tliat t h e T heosophist o ffe r s t o a d v e r t is e r s u n u s u a l
“ m e d i u m , ” a n d w e s h a l l s o o n se e t h a t t h i s m a g n e t i c fluid a d v a n t a g e s i n c ir c u l a t io n . W e h a v e a l r e a d y s u b s c r i b e r s in e v e r y p a r t
in fu se d in to ob jects ch an g e s tb e g r a v it y of th o se objects b y o f I n d i a , in C e y l o n , B u r m a h , C h i n a a n d o n t h e P e r s i a n G u l f . O u r p a p e r
c h an g in g th e ir m ag n e tic polarity. a ls o g o e s t o G r e a t B r i t a in a n d I r e l a n d , F r a n c o , S p a i n , H o l l a n d , G e r ­
m a n y , N o r w a y , H u n g a r y , G r c e c c , R u s s i a , A u s t r a l a s i a , S o u t h A f r i c n ,
I t will be a s k e d : W i l l e v e r y p e r s o n a f t e r h i s d e a t h b e c o m e t h e W e s t I n d i e s , a n d N o r t h a n d S o u t h A m e r i c a . T h e f o l l o w i n g v o r y
m o d e r a t e r a t e s h a v o b e e n a d o p t e d :—
s u c h a p h a n t o m ? A n d a t f i r s t s i g h t s n c h s e e m s to b e t h e
A d v e r t is in g R a t e s.
case, b e c a n s e e v e r y o n e of n s h a s a n e t h e r e a l c o u n t e r p a r t o r a F i r s t i n s e r t i o n ........1 6 l i n e s a n d u n d e r ............... 1 R u p e e .
d o u b l e , w h i c h b e lo n g s a f t e r d e a t h to t h e r e a l m o f t h e F o r e a c h a d d i t i o n a l l i n e ........................................ 1 A n n a .
s h a d o w s ; b u t th ese p h a n to m s v e ry ra re ly give a n y in d ic a tio n S p a c e is c h a r g e d f o r a t t h c r a t e o f 1 2 lin e s to t h c in c h . S p e c i a l a r r a n g e ­
o f i n h e r e n t in te l li g e n c e , m e m o r y o r k n o w l e d g o , o t h e r t h a n ig m e n t s c a n b e m a d e fo r l a r g e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s , a n d f o r l o n g e r a n d file d
p e r i o d s . F o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o n t r a c t s fo r a d v e r t is in g , a p p l y to
r e fle c te d u p o n t h e m by t h e i r s u r r o u n d i n g s . T h e p h a n t o m
M a n a g e r , T H E O S O P H I S T , A d y a r , M a d r a s ,
i s i n itself i n e r t a n d n e e d s s o m e k i n d of a n e x t e r i o r s t i m u ­ M e s s r s . G R A V E S , C O O K S O N A N D C o ., M adras.
l a n t , or a s o r t of c o m p l e t i o n b y s o m e o t h e r a g e n t of a n P r o p r i e t o r , INDUSTRIAL VilESS, 3 , Hum m um S tre e t, F o rt, Bombay.
o r g a n i s m , w h i c h i n f n s e s i t w i t h e n e r g y a n d c o n s c io u s n e s s . M e s s r s . C O O P E R M A D O N & C o ., M eadow Sthkkt, F o rt, Bombay ;
T lio e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h i s d y n a m i c e n e r g y w ill be t a k e n u p i n ^ _ T o S U B S C R I B E R S .
T h c S u b s c r i p t i o n p r i c e a t w h i c h t h e T heosophist is p u b l i s h e d b a r f l y
o u r n e x t in v estig atio n s. c o v e r s c o s t — t h o d e s i g n in e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e jo u r n a l h a v i n g b e o n r a t h e r
(To l e continued.) t o r e a c h a v e r y w i d e c ir c le o f r e a d e r s , t h a n to m a k e a p rofit. W e c a n ­
n o t a ffo r d , t h e r e f o r e , t o s e n d s p e c i m e n c o p i e s f r e e , n o r to s u p p l y lib r ar ies ,
B o c ie tic s , o r i n d i v i d u a l s g r a t u it o u s l y . F o r t h c s u m o r e a s o n w e a r o
THE MARATHI T H E O SO P H IS T . o b l i g e d to a d o p t t h c p l a n , n o w u n i v e r s a l in A m e r i c a , o f r e q u i r i n g s u b ­
s c r ib e r s t o p a y in a d v a n c e , a n d o f s t o p p i n g t h e p a p e r a t t h c e n d o f t h o
T h e conductors of the above Journal, which is being published t e r m p a i d {o r . M a n y y e a r s o f p r a c t ic a l e x p e r i e n c e h a v e c o n v i n c e d
at Foona as announced last year, have been doing some really W e s t e r n p u b l i s h e r s t h a t t h is s y s t e m o f c a s h p a y m e n t is t h c b e s t a n d
good work. They would, however, mako their publication much m o s t s a t is f a c t o r y t o b o t h p a r t i e s ; a n d all r o s p c c t a b l c jo u r n a l s a r e n o w
c o n d u c t e d o n t h is p l a n .
more beneficial and nseful, were they to treat philosophically and
T h o T in c o s o r ir r s T w ill a p p e a r e a c h m o n t h . T h o r a t e s , f o r t w e l v o
motaphysically the rites and ceromonies to which they refer, in
n u m b e r s o f n o t lo ss t h a n 4 8 c o l u m n s R o y a l 4 to . e a c h o f r e a d i n g m a t t e r ,
their independent articles. They will surely agree with us that
o r 5 7 0 c o l u m n s in all, a r e a s f o l l o w s :— T o S u b s c r i b e r s in n n y p a r t o f
superstition is as dangerous as scepticism, and that therefore I n d i a , C e y l o n , S t r a it s S e t t l e m e n t s , C h i n a , J a p a n , a n d A u s t r a l i a , R s . 8;
every attempt should bo made to remove the slightest cause that in A f r i c a , E u r o p e , a n d t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , £ 1 . H a l f - y e a r ( I n d i a , A c ,,)
may engender ignorant suporstition. Scepticism is in fact the R s . 5 ; S i n g l e c o p i e s R u p e o 1 . R e m i t t a n c e s i n p o s t a l s t a m p s m u n t b o afc
necessary outgrowth of suporstition; for, the ordinarily educated t h e r a t e o f a n n a s 1 7 t o t h e R u p e e to c o v e r d i s c o u n t . T h e a b o v e r a t e s
miud, nnable to at once dive to the substance underlying thoso No name will be entered in the books or paper sent
i n c l u d e p o s t a g e .
rites, &c„ feels disgusted with tho outward form in which it may until the money is remitted and invariably the paper will be discontinued
;
bo clothed and which it cannot penetrato. The duty of those, at the expiration of ihe term, subscribed for. R e m i t t a n c e s s h o u l d h e m a d o
who are working fol' tho promotion of tbe cause of theosophy, is, in M o n e y - o r d e r s , Il n n d i s , Bill, C h e q u e s , (o r T r e a s u r y bills if in r e g is t e r e d
therefore, to expose, as far as practicable, the mistakes of both tlio l e t t e r s ), a n d m a d e p a y a b l e o n l y t o t h c P ro p rie to rs of th e T heosophist,
parties going to extremes, and bring to light the truth hidden A d v a r , P . O ., (M adkak) I n d i a . S n b s c r i b o r s w i s h i n g t o h a v o r e c e ip t s ,
under the mask of various rites and allegories, for common good. in a c k n o w l e d g m e n t o f t h e ir r e m i t t a n c e s , s h o u l d s e n d r e p l y p o s t - c a r d s
fo r t h e p u r p o s e .
S u b s c r i b e r s f o r t h c S e c o n d V o l n m c ( O c t o b e r 1 8 8 0 to S e p t e m b e r
1 8 8 1 ) p a y R s . 6 o n l y in I n d i a ; R s , 7 in C e y l o n ; R s . 8 in tlie S t r n it s
T H E COSMIO PSYCHOLOGICAL S P IR IT U A L S e t t l e m e n t s , C h i n a , J a p a n , a n d A u s t r a l i a ; a n d £ 1 in A f r i c a , E n r o p e a n d
PHIL O SO PH Y AND SCIENCE. t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . V o l . J is n o w e n t ir e l y o u t o f p r in t.
A g e n t s : L o n d o n , E n g . , M e s s r s . T r i i b n e r a n d C o m p a n y , 5 7 a n d 5 0 ,
Tnr, abovo is the title of a book just published by the Sannyasi, L u d g a t o H i l l ; B e r n n r d Q u a r i t c h , 1 5 P ic c a d i l l y , W . ; P a r i s , F r a n c e , P . G .
author of "The Philosophy of Vedantic R aj Yoga," reviewed on page L e y m a r i c , 5 , R u e N o u v o d e s P e t i t s C h a m p s ; N e w Y o r k , F o w l e r
of the Theosophist for March 1884. As tho present work contains a n d W e l l s , 7 5 3 , B r o a d w a y * B o s t o n , M a s s , C o l b y a n d R i c h , 9 , M o n t g o ­
almost all that is put forth in the previous publication, it is need­ m e r y P l a c e ; C h i c a g o , ill., J . C . B u n d y , L a S a lle S t .; A t e l b o n r n e ,
less to repeat here the same remarks made thereon in the A u s t r a l i a , W . H . T e r r y , P u b . Harbinger of Light ; S t . T h o m a s , W e s t
Theosophist above referred to. All that has now to be said is I n d i e s , C . E . T a y l o r ; C a l c u t t a , I n d i a : T h a c k e r S p i n k a n d C o m p a n y ,
that the few rtdditions, which the new book contains, aro not in B o o k s e l l e r s ; B a b u N o r c n d r o N a t h , S e n , Indian Mirror Offic e , 2 4 ,
Queen’s English, and, hence, quite unintelligible to the " unini­ M o t t ’s L a n e , U h u r r u i n t o l l a h S t r e e t ; M a d r a s , M e s s r s . . K a i l a s a m
tiated.” Ou account of its attractive title, we took the pains to B r o t h e r s , P o p h a m ’B B r o a d w a y , L . V e n k a t a V a r a d a r a j u l u N a i d u G a m ,
go through the treatise very carefully and, wo must own, were B o y a p e t t a H i g h R o a d ; C o l o m b o , C o y l o n : J o h n R o b e r t d o S ilv a ,
sadly disappointed. In most parts, tho language is entirely S u r v e y o r G e n e r a l ’s O flic e ; K a n d y , D o n T i m o t h y K a r u n a r a t n e ;
S h a n g h a i , C h i n a : K e l l y a n d W a l s h . ;
meaningless and, where any sense can be attached to tbe phrases
used, there is neither philosophy nor metaphysics to be found in
them. Some U alh a Yoga practices are given at tho end, P rin te d a t the Scottish Press, by G - r a v e s , C o o k s o n a n d C o . ;
bnt none, who are not already familiar with them, can and published by th e T h j s o s o i ’ h i c a l S o c i e t y a t ; A d y a r ,
c o m p r e h e n d t h e a u t h o r ’s ideas. (Madras), I n d i a , '
 a a id b a a a,
OF THE

T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .

No. VI.—JU N E 1, 1884.

S U B S C R IP T IO N T O T H E J O U R N A L
In dia. F o r e ig n ' .

Regular Members of the Theosophical Society .............. Rs. 2. 6 Shillings.

To all other Subscribers............................................................. ,, 5. 12 ,,
S U B S C R IP T IO N S DUE FROM JAN U ARY TO D E C E M B E R .
N. B .— S u b s c r ib e r s to T h e T h e o so p h is t, w h o a r e F e llo w s o f th e T h e o s o p h ic a l S o c ie ty , w ill recciy®
t h is J o u r n a l a s a ‘ ‘ S u p p le m e n t” g ra tis .

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S .

Page. rage.

U n p u b lish e d W ritin g s of Eliplias Levi, L e c tu re V : Official R ep o rts

T he P o p e and the S p h in x ... ... 82 The Sarv H itk a ri Theosophical Society 7.. 89
Tho P h a n to m Dancers in a H a u n te d H o u se in H u t­ T h e S a ty a M a rg a Theosophical Society . . . 90
ton G arden ... ... ... ... 83 A Praisew o rth y E x a m p le ... ... . . . 90
T he Personal JeHus ... ... ... ... 84 S an sk rit School at J u b b u lp o r e ... . . . 90
Mesmerism in a Den of Lions ... ... ... 85 T he J a m a l p u r Theosophical Society ... . . . 90
W h e r e are the Missionaries T 86 T h e M adras Theosophical Society ... ... 90
T he Cosmist Religion ... ... ... 86 T he M ad ras Theosophical S a n s k r it Schools . . . 90
L e tte rs to tbe Secretary :— T h e R o h ilk u n d Theosophical Society ... 91
A n A p p e a l... ... ... ... ... 86 The R ajsh ah y e H a rm o n y Theosophical Society.. 91
A n A pology ... ... ... ... 87 The Com baconum Theosophical Society ... 91
Fheuomenal ... ... .. ... ... 87 Provisional R ule ... ... ... ... 91
T h e European Press on tho P o u n d ers of the Special O rd e rs of 1884 ... ... ... 91
Theosophical Society ... ... ... 87 N otice ... ... ... ... . . . 91
T he F o u n d e rs in P a ris ... ... ... 89

ADYAR, (M A D R A S ).

18 84 .

(P rice, Single Number, Eight Annas J

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JOURNAL OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

U N P U B L IS H E D W R IT IN G S OF E L IP H A S L E V I. a n e a g l e , a l io n a n d a b u l l, a n d w h i c h c a n be f o u n d a g a i n in
tho A p o c aly p se ? I p re p a re m y bed u p o n y o n r fo u r gospels,
( Translated, fr o m the French.) S t . M n t h e w s e r v o s m e a s a p i ll o w f o r m y m a n ’s h e a d ; S t.
L e c t u r e V. M a r k is i n m y l i o n - c l u t c h e s ; m y f l a n k s of a b u l l r e s t u p o n
t h o bo ok o f S t. L u k e , a n d u p o n m y e a g l e w i n g s I c a r r y tho
The P o p e and the Sphinx. ecs ta cy of S t. J o h n . T h o en ig m as, w hich yo u re p ea t w ith­
o n t c o m p re h e n d in g th e sam e, aro th o se w h ic h I hav e com ­
The Pope. W h o a r c y o u , a n d w h a t d o y o u w a n t , u n c f c a n
p o s e d m y s e l f , a n d 1 a m t h e r e f o r e t h e o n l y o n e w h o can
a u i m n l ? Y o u , -who h a s t h o fa eo of A s t a r t e a n d t h e w i n g s of
e x p l a i n t h e m . B e s i d e s t h i s g r a n d i d e a of d i v i n e h u m a n i t y
L ucifer ?
a n d h u m a n d i v i n i t y , w h i c h is t h e t o t a l i t y of C h r i s t i a n i t y ,
Sphinx. I c o m o t o t e a c li y o u tho t r u t h , w h ich
y o u h a v e b o r r o w o d f r o m t h e s a n c t u a r y of t h e a n c i e n t w orld
is d i s g u i s e d b y y o u r enig m sis. I a m God, I am N a tu re,
a ll y o u r m y s t e r i e s a n d a ll y o u r d o g m a s . T h e J o w i s h K a b b a l a
1 am M an.
is t h o k o y t o a ll s y m b o l s , a n d E z e k ie l s p e a k s i u t h e l a n g u a g e
Pope. A v a u n t S a t a n , Y o u do n o t e v e n k n o w w h a t G o d
o f t h e H i e r o p h a n t s of M e m p h i s a n d T h e b e s . O s i r i s c h a n g i n g
is.
h i s n a m e a n d fo rm h a s a t o n e t i m e a h u m a n h e a d , a t a n o t h e r
Sphinx. I w i s h y o u w o u l d e x p l a i n i t t o m e.
n n e a g l e ’s h e a d o r t h a t o f a n I b i s ; a g a i n h e h a s t h e h o a d of a
The P o p e. G o d is a n e t e r n a l a n d i n f i n i t e s p i r i t . H e is
b u l l o r a l i o n ’s h e a d . A r e t h e f o u r a n i m a l s of y o u r e v a n g e l i s t s
o n o i n t h r e e p e r s o n s , a f a t h e r , a son a n d a p e r s o n i f i e d s p i r i t
n o t th e sam e as thoso w h ic h p re sid e over th e f o u r c a r d i n a l
o f love. T h o f a t h e r d o e s n o t c r e a t e t h o s o n , h o b e g e t s h i m ,
p o i n t s o f h e a v e n P On a c c o u n t o f t h a t fa c t , y o u h a v e h u n t e d
n n d t h o s o n is j u s t a s o l d a s t h e fa th e r. T h e person
u p w ith such fu ry a n d b n rn e d w ith snch c ru e lty tho books
o f t h e h o l y s p i r i t o f lo v e c o m e s f r o m t h e f a t h e r a n d tlie so n .
of a n c i e n t i n i t i a t i o n , a n d f o l l o w e d t h e e x a m p l e of S t . P a u l ,
K nc li p o r s o n is G o d , b u t t h e y a r e n o t t h r e e g o d s ; t h e s e t h r e o
t h a t J e s u i t w h o l i v e d b e f o ro I g n a t i u s . Y o n w a n t e d t o b e
p e r s o n s a r e a ll c o n t a i n e d i u e a c h o f t h e t h r e e . Do you
looked u p o n as e te rn al, a n d havo th e re fo re d e stro y ed th e
un d erstan d ?
c r a d l e of y o n r c h i l d h o o d , a n d y o u c a n n o t se e t h a t t h e s m o k e
Sphinx. I u n d e r s t a n d e v e r y t h i n g . G o d r e v e a l s h i m s e l f
a n d a s h e s of y o u r fires i n c r e a s e s t i l l m o r e t h e c o n t a m i n a t i o n
only t h r o u g h h u m a n i t y a n d h u m a n i t y solves y o u r e n ig m a .
of y o u r b re a th . Y o u h a v e w a l l e d u p a ll a r o u n d y o u t h e
C o l le c ti v o m a n is w i t h o u t a b e g i n n i n g a n d w i t h o u t e n d , a t
d o o rs of y o u r sa n c tu a ry , a n d n o w as science a p p ro a c h e s it
l e a s t a s f a r a s w e c a u c o m p r e h e n d ; b e c a u s e wo k n o w n e i t h e r
w i t h a l i g h t , w h i c h p e r h a p s w i l l s e t i t o n fire, y o u a r e u n a b l e
w h e r o G o d c o m m e n c e s , n o r w h e r e h o will e n d . H e is a
to s a v e y o u r s e l f .
s p i r i t , b e c a u s e h e t h i n k s ; h e is a u n i t y i n t h r o e p e r s o n s ,
Pope. W e d o n o t w a n t t o s a v e o u r s e l v e s , a n d G o d w i l l
w h i c h a r o t h e f a t h e r , t h e m o t h e r o r p e r s o n i f ie d lov e, a n d t h o
p r e s e r v e u s i f i t is n e c e s s a r y , i n t h e m i d s t of t h e flam es,
c h i l d o r s o n . T h e son in c o l l e c t i v e h u m a n i t y is j u s t a s o ld
lik e t h e c h i l d r e n in t h e fie r y f u r n a c e ; a n d i t is y o u , S a t a n !
a s t h e f a t h e r ; b e c a u s e w e c a n n o t c o n c e iv e o f t h e e x i s t e n c e
w h o w i l l b u r n in t h e e t e r n a l fire.
o f a m a n in a n y o t h e r w a y t h a n b y a d m i t t i n g a f a t h e r
Sphinx. W h y d o y o n c a ll m e S a t a n ? S a t a n m e a n s
Jind a so n . H u m a n i t y is c o m p l e t e i n e a c h p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n ,
calu m n ia to r, a nd I n e v er ca lu m n ia te d an y b o d y ; b u t w ho has
b u t th is does n o t m a k e th re o h u m a n itie s . T h e love o f tho
c a lu m n ia te d G od by r e p re s e n tin g h im as a n e te r n a l h a n g m a n
m o t h e r p r o e c e d s f r o i n t h e f a t h e r a n d r o u ; u n i v e r s a l m art is n o t
w h o k i ll s h i s w e a k c r e a t u r e s ? W h o h a s c a l u m n i a t e d N a t u r o ,
a c r e a t o r , b u t h e b e g e t s t h r o u g h a ll e t e r n i t y . Y our e n ig m a
b y s a y i n g s h e W'as p e r v e r t e d a n d c r i m i n a l ? W h o h a s c a l u m ­
expresses th e g r e a t C h ristia n A r c a n n m . T h o m y s t e r y of
n i a t e d b n m a r i i t y b y d e n y i n g t h e v i r t u e s of a n c i e n t s a g e s a n d
M a n - G o d is t h o c u l t u s o f t h e l i v i n g G o d i n p l a c o o f t h e
d e c la r in g h e r i n h e r e n t l y dev oid o f a n y good. W h o h a s
w o r s h i p of p h a n t o m s ; i t is d i v i n i t y , d e s c e n d e d f r o m t h o
c a l u m n i a t e d , a c c u s e d , c o n d e m n e d , t o r t u r e d a n d b u r n t so
p a r a d i s e of d r e a m s , t o l iv e in h u m a n r e a l i t i e s . D o yon not
m any g re a t m en fo r no o th e r cause as because th ey had
nay t h a t tho son c o n sists of th e sa m e s u b s ta n c e as th e fa th e r,
r e a s o n i n g p o w e r s ?* I f I h a v e d o n e a l l t h e s e t h i n g s , t h e n
a n d t h a t h e w a s b o r n bo fo ro t h e b e g i n n i n g of t im o P 13itt
I d e s e r v e t h e n a m e o f S a t a n ; b n t y o u k n o w v o r y w e ll t h a t
t h o a b s t r a c t i d e a of t h e d i v i n e p r i n c i p l e a d m i t s n o t s u b s t a n c o ,
1 do n o t d e s e rv e it, b e c a u se y ou k n o w th e r e a l c u lp r it.
m a t t e r o r f o r m ; b u t he, w h o is e t e r n a l l y b o r n , is M a n . Y o u go
Y o u s p e a k o f h e ll a s if w e w e r e s t i l l i n a n a g e w h e r e p e o p le
still f u rth e r. Y o u call t h o m o t h e r o f t h e s o n o f M a n t h o
b e l i e v e d t h e e a r t h to bo flat, w i t h a h e l l b e n e a t h a n d a
m o t h e r o f G o d . AH t h a t y o u s a y a b o u t G o d , m u s t b e a p p l i ­
h e a v e n a b o v e l i k e a c r y s t a l b ell.
e d t h e r e f o r e to M a n , a r.d t o M a n o n l y ; b e c a u s e lie is th o
D o y o u k n o w w h a t lie ll-fire m e a n s p H e l l - f i r e is h a t e ,
d iv in e r e a liz a tio n in th o su m of th e w o r k s of in te llig e n t
j u s t a s f ire f r o m h e a v e n i s lo ve. T h r o u g h o u t a l l n a t u r e
u a tu re ; au d , th erefo re, C h ris t sp o k e of th e b re ad w h ich be­
re ig n s love a n d e v e ry w h e re ig n o ra n c e p ro d u c e s h a te ; b u t
c o m e s , t h o fles h o f h u m a n i t y . “ T h i s i s m y f l e s h / ’ a n d of
d o y o u n o t y o u r s e l f t e a c h h a t e to n a t n r e , do y o u n o t
t h o w i n o : “ t h i s is m y b lood . W h e n y o u e a t m y fles h a n d
y o u r s e l f p r e a c h t h e b r e a k i n g ofi of t h e a f fe c tio n s , t h e e s t e e m
d r i n k m y b lo o d , t h i n k t h a t y o n c o m m u n i c a t e w i t h m y s p i r i t ,
o f w i d o w h o o d , t h o i s o l e m e n t of t b e h e a r t ? W h a t fire
b e c a u s e 1 w i l l e s t a b l i s h h u m a n u n i t y , a u d t h e r e w i l l be 110
h a s k i n d l e d t h e f a g g o t s o f t h o i n q u i s i t i o n , if i t w a s n o t h a t e ?
s a l v a t i o n f o r t h e w o r l d o u t s i d e of t h i s u n i t y , w h i c h is m y
W h a t d o w e f in d i n t h e w r i t i n g s o f y o u r m o s t a r d e n t d e f e n d ­
c o n g reg atio n o r m y c h u rch .” Do yon y o u rse lf u n d e rsta n d
e r s , b u t t h e r a n c o u r of h a t e ? W h e r e c an i m p l a c a b l e h a t e
i t n o w , old m a n ? D i d I n o t g i v e y o u t h o t r u o e x p l a n a t i o n
b e f o u n d , i f n o t i n t h e h e a r t of b a d p r i e s t s ? D o n o t t h e n
of y o u r e n i g m a t i c a l d o g m a . ?
t h r e a t e n m e w i t h h e ll - f i r e , b e c a u s e i t c a n n o t t o u c h m e ; fo r
Pope. O h y o u m o n s t r o u s a n i m a l ! I e x c o m m u n i c a t e y o u ;
I do n o t h a te b u t p ity you.
b e c a u s e y o u a r e t o m e t h o a p o c a l y p t i c b e a s t , f u ll o f b l a s p h e m y .
Sphinx. A n d y o u n r e e v e r t h e s a m e b l i n d m a n of T hebes.
P op e. D o y o u n o t h a t e m e, y o u h y p o c r i t i c a l m o n s t e r ?
Y o u , w h o a t t e m p t to d e s t r o y m e ; y o n w h o k i ll a n d d e v o u r
I a m t h e g e n i u s of n a t u r o a n d h u m a n i t y , a n d i f y o u e x c o m ­
w i t h o n t p i t y a ll t h o s e w h o c a n n o t d i v i n e y o u ?
m u n i c a t e m e , y o u w ill h a v o t o g i v e u p y o u r s o v e r e i g n p o w e r
a n d t o s e n d y o u r s e l f o n c o a g a i n i n t o exilo.
Pope. T h e w o r l d w h e r o y o n l i v e is e x i l e fo r m e ; a n d m y * A c c o r d i n g t o t h e s t a t e m e n t o f L l o r o n t e (s e e A m e r i c a n E n c y .
c o u n t r y is t h e r e , w h e r o I s h a l l n o t m e e t y o u . c l o p a c d i a ) f r o m 1 4 8 3 t o 1 8 0 8 t h e r e w e r o b n r n e d a l iv e 3 1 , 9 1 2 p e r s o n s ;
b n r n e d i n e ffig y 1 7 ,0 5 0 , t o r t n r e d a n d i m p r i s o n e d 2 9 1 , 4 5 0 . A l l t h a i
S phinx. Y o u w i l l m e e t m e e v e r y w h e r e , a n d I c a n n o t g o in t h e n a m e o f “ J e s u s C h r i s t ” a n d b y t h e s n p r e m o a u t h o r i t y o f t h e
a w a y fro m you, because I a m in y o u r sy m bols. Y o n sp o k e of P o p e , w h o a p p o i n t e d t h e “ a p o s t o l i c ” j u d g e s o f t h o im j n is i t io n . T h i i
th o A p o c aly p se. Did y o u f o r g e t th e C h e r u b im s o f E z e k ie l, is n o t “ a t t a c k i n g C h r i s t i a n i t y ,” b u t s i m p l y B t a t in g h is t o r ic f a c t s .—
w h i c h a r e a n i m a l s l ik e m y s e l f p H y b r i d e s , c o m p o s e d o f a m a n , Traaal, .
 Sphinx. T li e f o u r e l e m e n t s o f life, w h o s o s y m b o l s a r e
r e p r e s e n t e d i n m e — t h e a ir , e a r t h , w a t e r a n d fire, d e v o u r a ll
t h o se w h o d o n o t k n o w h o w t o m a s t e r t h e m . I do u o t seek
to d e s t r o y y o u ; o n t h e c o n t r a r y , I w i s h t o i n s t r u c t a n d
tran sfo rm y o u fo r tho p u rp o se of p re se rv in g y o u . I d esire
t h a t i n s t e a d of b o i n g t h e b l i n d d e s p o t o f t h e i g n o r a n t , y o u
m a y b e c o m e a l i g h t f o r t h e w is e , a n d t h e r e f o r o y o u m u s t
b e c o m e r e c o n c i l i a t e d w i t h s c i e n c e , a n d i n a r c h a t t h o f r o n t of
c iv i l iz a t i o n .
Pope. Y o u k n o w t h a t I s h a l l d o n o s u c h t h i n g .
S phinx. T h e c i v i l iz a t i o n w ill t h e n m a r c h o v e r y o u a n d
se le c t a n o t h e r g u id e .
Pope. A n d w h a t s o r t of a le g itim a te g u id e co u ld tho
c h i l d r e n of tiie c h u r c h a c c e p t , i f i t w e r e n o t t h o s u c c e s s o r of
P e t e r ?*
Sphinx. P e r h a p s n o t a l l t h e s u c c e s s o r s o f P e t e r will
b e t r a y t h e i r m a s t e r . I f t h e y u s e t h e Sword, d o t h e y n o t
d e s e r v e t o p e r i s h b y tlie s w o r d p
Pope. H a v e I t h e n b e t r a y e d m y m a s t e r , I w h o h a v e
p r o c l a i m e d t h e i m m a c u l a t e c o n c e p t i o n o f h i s m o t h e r , w h o is
still a v i r g i n ?
Sphinx. T h i s is a n o t h e r e n i g m a , w h i c h I w ill e x p la i n to
y o u . C h r i s t is t h e d i v i n e t y p e of m a n , a n d M a r y t h e d i v i n e
t y p o of w o m a n .
T h e d o g m a o f t h e i m m a c u l a t e c o n c e p t i o n is m o d if ie d b y t h a t
of t h o o r i g i n a l sin , w h i c h s i n c a n be i m p u t e d t o n o b o d y , if a
sing le in divid u al co u ld h a v e t h e p rivile g e of b e in g ex em p t.
I f we a c c e p t t h e b i r t h o f t h e l i v i n g g o d i n t o h u m a n i t y , t h e
w o m a n w h o h a s b e en c o n c e i v e d w i t h o u t s t a i n , c o n c e iv e s w i t h ­
o u t c o n t a m i n a t i o n . M o r e o v o r t li e c o l l e c t i v e w o m a n is f o r
e v e r a v i r g in a n d a m o t h e r in a s i n g l e t y p e , j u s t a s co lle etiv o
m a n r e p r e s e n t s a f a t h e r , m o t h e r a n d c h i l d in o n e s i n g l e
h u m a n i t y . T h e o r i g i n a l p u r i t y o f t h e n e w E v e effa c es t h e
a n c ie n t enrse. C h ristia n ity , b y a ffirm in g t h e divine h u m a n ity
a n d h u m a n d i v i n i t y , s a n c tif ie s a n d r e n d e r s s o m e w h a t d i v i n e
t h e w o r k s o f g e n e r a t i o n . M a r y is n o t m e r e l y a w o m a n ; s h e is
t h e regenerated w o m a n ; s y m b o l i c a l J e s u s is n o t o n l y a m a n ,
h e is perfect m a n . All m e n p a i t i c i p a t e of h i s m e r i t s b y t h e
l a w o f r e v e r s i o n a n d s o l i d a r i t y ; b e c a u s e a ll m e n livo a
d o u b l e life, a n i n d i v i d u a l a n d a c o ll e c t iv e life ; w h i c h C h r i s t i ­
a n i t y c a lls c o m m u n i o n .
A h , o ld m a n ! I f y o u r e y e s c o u ld b o o p e n e d , y o u w o u l d b e
a b l e to u n d e r s t a n d t h a t i t is n e c e s s a r y t o e x t e n d t h o C a t h o l i c
c o m m u n i o n t o a ll t h e p e o p le of e a r t b , a n d n o t r e s t r i c t t h e m
b y insensate o x c o m m unications. Y o u w o u l d t h e n r e v o k e all
y o u r m aled ictio n s w h ich y o u r p red ec esso rs p e r p e t r a t e d ; y ou
w o u l d p r o c la im t h e u n i t y o f t h e d o g m a a n d m o r a l , d i s f ig u r e d by
i g n o r a n c e a n d b y t h e e r r o r s of n a t i o n s a u d o f a g es , b u t w h i c h
a re fu n d a m e n ta lly a n d e v e ry w h e re th e sa m e. Y o u w onld
a ffir m t h e i r r i g o r o u s n o r m a l a n d o r t h o d o x f o r m , a n d y o n
w o u l d call a ll m e n t o g e t h e r t o y o u r c o m m u n i o n , g i v i n g rise
to a t r u l y u n i v e r s a l j n b il e e , l a v i s h i n g t h e t r e a s u r e o f y o u r
i n d u l g e n c e s u p o n a ll d i s s e n t e r s , o p p o n e n t s , a n d e v e n n p o n
J e w s a n d i d o la t o r s w i t h a g e n e r a l a b s o l u t i o n f o r a ll t h e
liv in g a n d d e ad . Y o u w o u ld d is a rm y o u r en em ies b y blessing
th em , a n d by s h o w in g y o u rse lf t h e f a th e r of m a n k in d , y o u
w o u l d b e c o m e i t s m a s t e r . D i d I sa y a n y t h i n g t o m a k e y o u
laugh P
Pope. Y e s . I se e t h a t a ll t h i s is m a d n e s s b e y o n d a l l
m e a su re ; a n d w h a t w o u ld th e g r e a t R a b b is , M uftis, U le m a s,
G r a n d L a m a s , P a t r i a r c h s , P r e s b y t e r s , e tc . s a y P
Sphinx. 'T hey w o u l d r e m a i n a t h o m e , a s t o n i s h e d a n d
b l e s s e d ; b u t as to y o u , e v e n w h e n b a n i s h e d f r o m t h e V a t i c a n
a n d d e s p o i le d o f a ll y o u p o ss es s, u p o n a s h a k i n g r o c k in t h o
r u i n s o f t h e C o l o s s e u m ; t h e e n o y c l i c a w h i c h I s u g g e s t e d to
y o u w o u ld m o v e th e w orld. E v e r y to w n w o u ld o pen its
d o o r to y o u a n d t h e p e o p le w o n l d c o m e a g a i n a s d i d t h o s e of
J e r u s a l e m t o m e e t t h e S a v i o u r w i t h t h e b r a n c h e s o f p a lm -
* E l i p h a s L o v i b e i n g a C a t h o l ic , still c h e r i s h e s t h o i d e a t h a t t h o
P o p o o f R o m e is r e a lly t h e s u c c e s s o r o f P e t e r , w h o w a s m a d e B i s h o p o f
Komo b y J e s u s C h r i s t . I f it is a d m i t t e d t h a t P e t e r r e a l l y w a s t h o
first P o p e , t h e n it f o l l o w s l o g ic a l l y t h a t t h o “ H o m a n C a t h o l i c ” c h u r c h
is r o a l l y t h e o n l y C h r i s t i a n c h u r c h t h a t lia s a n y l e g i t i m a t e e x i s t e n c e , a n d
all tlio s o .c a l l e d p r o t e s t a n t c h u r c h o s a r e o n l y s o m a n y h e r e s io s t h a t
o n g lit t o b o r o o t e d o u t ; b n t b i b lic a l c r it ic is m h a s s h o w n t h a t P e t e r
h a d n o t h i n g w h a t e v e r to d o w i t h t h o f o u n d a t i o n o f t h o L a t i u c h u r c h .
“ P e t r o n i a ” w a s t h e n a m e o f t h o d o u b l e s o t o f s t o n e t a b l e t s u s e d
h y t h o h i e r o p h a n t a t a ll iu it ia t io n s d a r i n g t h e fin a l M y s t e r y ; a n d t h o
d e s i g n a t i o n 11 P e t e r ” ( i n P h o e n i c i a n a n d C h a l d c o ic . a n in t e r p r e t e r )
a p p e a r s to h a v e b e e n t h e title o f t h is p o r s o n . T h o m a j o r i t y o f
c ritic s s h o w t h a t t h e “ a p o s t l e ” P e t e r n e v e r w a s in l t o m e , — a n d b e s i d e s
it is a l m o s t c e r t a i n t h a t t h e r e a l “ J e s u s ” o f t h o g o s p e l s , w h o s e n a m o
w a s “ J e h o s l m a , t h e N a z a r e n e , ” l i v e d a h u n d r e d y e a r s b e f o r o t h o
C h r is t ia n e r a ,— Transl,
t r e e s ; c lo a k s w o u l d b e s p r e a d d o w n b e f o r e y o u to p r e v e n 6
y o u r ba re feet f r o m t o u c h i n g the e a r th ; eac h c ity in w h ich
y o u w o u l d c o n s e n t t o d w e l l w o n l d bo a “ R o m e , ” a n d
becom e th e c a p ita l of th e C h r is tia n world.
Pope. B u t tell m e , y o u s t u p i d r e a s o n e r , h o w d o y o u
w a n t m e to b l e s s lie s, h e r e s y a n d e r r o r ?
Sphinx. I f y o u w o u l d b le s s t h e sic k, w o u l d y o u b e
b l e s s i n g t h e s i c k n e s s ? N o ; y o u w o n l d bless t h e m t o a s s i s t
in th e i r c u re. Y o u r en cy c lic a w ould have tw o objects :
F irst, t o r i g o r o u s l y d e t e r m i n e t h e t e r m s of o r t h o d o x y ; a n d
second, t o b le s s all t h o s e t h a t e r r , b y i n v i t i n g t h e m h o n e s t l y
to s e e k t h e t r u t h , b y a f f i r m i n g y o u r p a t e r n a l p o w e r o v e r a ll
p e o p le s b y t h i s v e r y b e n e d i c t i o n , — n o t g i v i n g n p a s i n g l e
s h e e p of y o u r flock, u n w i l l i n g t h a t a s i n g l e s o u l c o u ld g e t lo st
to y o n r a u t h o r i t y , a n d g i v i n g y o n r i n d u l g e n c e s , w h e t h e r t h e y
w a n t i t o r n o t , t o t h o s e w h o s n e e r a t y o u r s e v e ri t i e s .
P ope. O n l y a m a d m a n w o u l d c o n s i d e r s e r i o u s l y s u c h a u
e x tr a v a g a n t p roposition.
Sphinx. I w i s h t h a t s o m e o n e of y o u r s u c c e s s o r s o r v e r y
h o l y f a t h e r s m a y lia v e e n o u g h o f w i s d o m to a t t e m p t s u c h a
m adness.
P ope ( R i s i n g a n d p u t t i n g t h e t i a r a o n h i s h e a d ) : “ H e a r
f a b u l o u s m o n s t e r t h a t w h i c h I h a v e to r e p l y : I h a v e
l i s t e n e d to y o u r a d v i s e t o se e h o w f a r y o u w o u ld p u s h y o u r
insolence. K n o w now t h a t I a m n o t b lin d . I am th e o nly
c le a r- B e e in g a n d i n f a l l i b l e o n e in t h e w o r l d . I t is m y
p r i v i l e g e t o a s k q u e s t i o n s a n d to d i c t a t e t h e i r a n s w e r s . I
a m t h e l e g i t i m a t e k i n g , n o t of f a b u l o u s T h e b e s , b u t o£
s p i r i t u a l R o m e , t h e o n l y m o t h e r of tlie t r u e i n i t i a t i o n s . Y o u
h a v e p r e t e n d e d to e x p l a i n m y d o g m a s . I w ill n o w m y s e l f
e x p la in t h e m t o y o u , t o force y o u o n c o m o r o t o t h r o w
y o u r s e l f , n o t i n t o t h o p i t of T h e b e s , b u t t o b r e a k t o p i e c e s
u p o n t h o a n g u l a r s t o n e of t h e c h u r c h of J e s u s C h r i s t .
I h a v e k n o w n th e e a lo n g tim e, a n d I know th y real
n a m e . T h y n a m e is S o c i a l i s t , t h o u a r t A n a r c h i s t a n d
A th e is t ; th o u h a s t a h u m a n m o u th to u t t e r blasphem ies,
l o in s o f a b u l l to k i c k u n d e r t h e s p u r , c l a w s of a g riffin t o
t e a r t h e p u r p l e of k i n g s , a n d w i n g s l ik e S a t a n to a t t a c k
h e a v e n . I r e n e w t h e a n a t h e m a s of p o p e s a n d c o u n c i l s
a n d t h r o w t h e m a t t h e e ; I c o n d o m n t h e e , a s o n e of m y
predecessors h a s c o n d em n ed the K n ig h t T em p lars, w ho
w o r s h i p p e d tlice. I d a m n t h e o a s I h a v e d a m n e d a n d
c o n t i n u a l l y d a m n tlio F r e e m a s o n s w h o p e r f o r m t h y r i t e s
a n d h a v e th y sym bols. I c o n t r a d i c t all y o u h a v e s a i d , I
e x c o m m u n i c a t e t h o s e w h o w i l l r e a d i t a n d b e li e v e i t .
A v a u n t a n d let m e a lone.”
T h e P o p e h e re s t r e tc h e d f o r th his h a n d w ith a te rrib le
g estu re of re p ro b a tio n ; the S phinx trem bled, bit
h i m s e l f a n d t o r e h i m s e l f a p p a r e n t l y to pieces. H i s f o u r
f o r m s b e c a m e s e p a r a t e d ; t h e e a g l e flew t o w a r d s t li e N o rth ,
a n d w i t h h is t w o w i n g s s p r e a d , c o v e r e d G e r m a n y a n d R u s s i a ;
t h e l i o n r a n off i n t h o d i r e c t i o n of V e n i c e ; t h e b u l l, b l o w i n g
firo a n d r u b b i n g liis h o r n s a g a i n s t t h e t r e e s , w a l k e d a w a y ;
a n d t h e M a n , b e i n g l e f t a lo n e , t u r n e d h i s b a c k to t h e P o p e ,
t o o k n p a s p a d e a u d b e g a n to w o r k , w h i l e s i n g i u g a g a y s o n g
of lib e rty .
TU B PHANTOM DANCERS
IN A
H A U N T E D H O U S E IN HA TTON GARDEN.
[.Extracts from Mrs. Ilardinge Britten's forthcoming work
“ N i n e t e e n t h C e n t u h y M i u a c l e s . ” ]
............................. A s a final e x a m p le of h a u n t i n g s , esp e cially oE
t h a t k i n d w h ic h s u b s e q u e n t ly c o n n e c te d its elf w ith th e i n t e l l i ­
g e n c e m a n i f e s t e d a t sp i r i t circles, we shall c it e a h i s t o r y f u r n i s h ­
ed to t h e a u t h o r so m e y e a r s a g o by a p a r t y of h e r p e r s o n a l
friends, a m o n g s t wh om was a g e n tle m a n of p ro b i ty a n d sc ien tific
a cu m en , well r e m e m b e r e d a m o n g s t d r a m a t i c w r i t e r s a n d m u s i ­
cians, as Mr. L e n o x H o r n e . T h is g e n tle m a n , b e i n g in somewhat;
e m b a r r a s s e d c ir c u m s t a n c e s a b o u t t h e y e a r 1829, took u p h i s
ab ode te m p o r a r i l y in a p a r t m e n t s offered to h im a t a v e ry m o d e r a te
r e n t in an old h o u se n e a r H a t t o n G a rd e n , lo n g sinco p u lle d
do w n . At t h e p e riod of w hich we w rite t h e house was la rg e , t h e
r o o m s sp acio us, especially one, s u p p o s e d to have been a b a n q u e t ­
i n g c h a m b e r , wliich M r. H o r n o used as a m usic ro o m . A s all
tlie lower c h a m b e r s w e re e i t h e r a p p r o p r i a te d to t h e s t o r i n g of
goods, or r e n te d to legal g e n tl e m e n as offices, t h e r e were no
p e r s o n s s le e p in g in t h e h o u se e x ce p t M r. H o r n e , a n d a p o r t e r
w h o occupied a sm a ll room on t h e g r o u n d floor. T h e b u i ld i n g
h a d lo n g b o r n e tho r e p u t a t i o n of b e in g h a u n t e d ; it was fust
o
 fallin g to decay, and tho former occupants of Mr. Horne’s
chambers were seldom known to remain long within the gloomy
precincts. Report alleged that the place had once been tho
residence of Sir Christopher Hutton, and the weird reputation
that attached to the antique domicile, connected itself with
the magical practices attributed to his unfortunate lady.
Mr. Horne had tenanted these apartments some months beforo
he was aware of the phenomena occurring within his own pre­
mises. At length he was apprised by Mr. March, a police officer
with whom ho was acquainted, that lor several consecutive
nights he and a number of persons invited to share his watch,
had remarked that long after the hour when Mr. Ilorne was
accustomed to retire to rest, the great banqueting room, which
he had no means of lighting up, and therefore never entered
oxcept in daylight, could lie seen from the court below
b r i l l i a n t l y i l l u m i n a t e d . Whilst acknowledging thnt ho had often
beon disturbed by strange noises, odd music, loud laughter, and
footsteps, for which he could not account, Mr. Ilorne—at once
the most fearless and least superstitious of beings—strenuously
combated the idea of the lights, ond it was only when, after
watching several nights with March and his associates, ho him­
self beheld every window of liis own apartment, one that ho had
loft closed, locked, and in total darkness, lit up as if by a multi­
tude of gas jots, that he could be brought to believe in the story
liis friends narrated to him. On several succeeding occasions
tho same party beheld this spectacle repeated, and whilst some
of tlieir number remained below to watch that 110 intruder passed
out from the one entrance of the house, the others would hasten
to examine the apartment, to find it enveloped in thick darkness.
One of the curious features of this appearance was the invari­
ability with which the lights disappeared irom the eyes of the
■watchers bolow at the moment when the apartm ent was opened
by the searchers above. Only on one occasion was this rule
reversed, and that was 011 a certain night 111 February, when a
larger number of persons than usual had assembled in the court
below to watch for the phantom lights.
They blazed out suddenly and in full radiance about one o'clock
an the morning, when, after observing them for some five minutes,
Jlr, Ilorne, Mr. March, and a nobleman whose name we are
not at liberty to mention, determined to ascend the stairs and
open tho door of the haunted room ; and as they did so they
sigreed to give the signal of a whistle to those in the court below.
.At tho moment when Mr. Horne threw open the large door of
the room in question, he and liis companions were thunderstruck
to perceive that it was full of company.
One of the three observers had given the signnl agreed upon
of the whistle which he held in his hand, as he gazed upon the
extraordinary scene that met the eye. The vast company seemed
to bo in the act of dancing. They represented Indies and gentle­
men, arrayed not in the Elizabethan style attributed to tho
Hatton period of the mansion, hut in the costume of the reign of
Charles the Second, and the whole air seemed to be full of
waving plumes, fluttering ribbons, and sparkling jewels. The
three witnesses, who subsequently compared notes with each
other and found their own observations fully corroborated by
thoso of the others, affirmed that the particulars of the wholo
scene as above related were plainly, clearly defined, in addition
to which, all three declared that every one of these splendidly
nttired revellers wore, or appeared to wear, a m a s h , re s e m b l i n g
so m e d isg u s tin g a n i m a l .
Beforo the astounded witnesses could sufficiently collect their
senses to take any action 011 what they saw, the lights began to
pale and shimmer, the whole scene quivered, melted out slowly
and gradually, as in a dissolving view, and at length, that is, in
the space of a few minutes, the apartment was seemingly empty
and in total darkness. Tho watchers below reported to thoso
above, when at last they had sufficiently collected themselves to
descend, that the lights were stationary for about fivo minutes
after tho whistle sounded, and disappeared m o r e g r a d u a l l y thau
usual.
Immediately after this vision, the house became wholly un­
inhabitable even to Mr. Horne, and the two friends who volun­
teered to share his quarters with him.
Heavy poundings wero often heard during the day, for which
no account could be given. But these were nothing to the
Saturnalia which ensued as soon as darkness had set in. Tramp­
ing of feet, clashing of arms, the clinking of glasses, the crash
of broken china; all the sounds attending drunken revels, rudo
brawls, nnd even murderous fights, wero heard, at times with
horrible distinctness. Low moans, wails, and bitter sobs, wero
still more frequent, and the rushing ns of blasts of winds, from
unknown sources, was a frequent feature of theso frightful
disturbances,
The witnesses, and thoy were many, represented their experi­
ences to their friends only to encounter the usual sneer of in­
credulity aud scornful derision. Two or three clergymen
volunteered to offer prayers, and one zealous Catholic went
through the formulae of exorcism in the possessed mansion; but
always to encounter such a storm of blows, laughter and hideously
derisive sounds, as drovo them in horror from the place, a re­
treat in which thoy were shortly imitated by the tenants, who
never after recurred to their painful experiences without a feol
ing of deep awe, solemnity, and an earnest entreaty that their
narration should not be met with the ordinary methods of rudo
denial, and insulting jost.
Despite what he had already witnessed, Mr. Horne had no
knowledge of, or belief in, the reputed modern Spiritual mani­
festations, tho spread of which, since the year 1848. he had
noticed but never investigated.
About the year 1853, being invited to spend the evening with
some musical friends residing in Holloway, London, Mr. Horne
was there introduced to Mndame Albert, a French lady, who
was accompanied by her little daughter, a child of some eleven
years of age. During the evening the hostess proposed that
they should try the experiment of “ table turning,” which was
at that time, the technical expression used for evoking Spiritual
manifestations. Madame Albert had, it seemed, or developed
mediumistie powers, whilst little “ Josephine” was reported to
be a fine somnambulist or trance medium. When the seance was
first proposed, Mr. Horne laughingly alleged his entire igno-
ranco of the subject, but at once placed himself i n p o s itio n at the
table under the direction of the attendant Sybils, “ to see what
would conic of it.” No sooner were the party seated, than Mdllc.
Josephine, seizing the pencil aud paper which had been placed on
the tabic, wrote in an incredibly short space of time, in a large
bold hand, the following communication, addressed “ To M.
Lenox Ilorne,” a name which the child np to that moment had
never heard. The writing was given in English, a language, it
must be remembered, of which the little medium was entirely
ignorant.
“ You say you know nothing of spiritual existence or the sonl’s
power to return to earth. Oh, my friend ! Why will you reject
tho light that has already dawned upon you? In your own
house, you have heard the sounds, and seen the sights, which
bore witness to the presence of human spirits. Have you for­
gotten the phantom dancers, whom you and your companions
thought wore animal masks? Those dancers were my compa­
nions in vice and wickedness. They and 1 lived amidst scenes of
revelry too shameful to be detailed. We were associates of the
frivolous ro u e that occupied the throne of England,—Charles
the Second,—and in the house where you found shelter, we often
used to hold such revels as demons alone could take pleasure in.
When we became spirits, the bnse passions with which our lives
011 earth were animated, became so engraved upon our spirits,
that all who looked upon us from a higher plane, beheld us
transfigured into the semblance of the animals whose natures
we partook of. Shocking as this disclosure of our true natures
may be, it lfaply may help future generations to account for the
idea of the doctrine of the transmigration of souls. Unhappily
thaf. doctrine is not true. We might be. happier as the animals
whose limited instincts we represent, but 0 I1, unhappy that we
are ! we are at once tho human beings we ever were, with the
additional humiliation of knowing that we take to others the
scmblance of the lower creatures, whose passions we have
imitated. Friend Ilorne ! Our hell is, n o t io p n s s i n t o other
states, but to live in o u r o w n , and by the knowledge.of what we
have made ourselves, to grow into higher conditions. You
thought we wore masks. Alas ! Wo had only dropped them
and exchanged the mask of seeming for the face of reality. Iu
the spirit world, all its inhabitants are known for what they nre,
and the soul’s loves take the shape of angelic beauty, or brutish
ugliness, according to the tendencies of the life within. On the
night when you helield our revels, we were obliged, by the law
of our being, to go through the earthly scenes which wc hod
taken too much delight in. On earth such revels were onr
heaven ; iu the spheres they nre our hell. Tbeir enforced
enactment was part of our penanco ; but thank God ! I have
seen the errors of the past, nnd henceforward I am atoning for
it, and living iny wasted life over again. I am on the road of
progress, and even this humiliating confession will help me
forward, and aid me to become stronger to save others and my­
self from the vices, the memories of which still cling to me like
n garment. Farewell ! My earthly mission is done; there will
be no more haunting spirits in the old house in Hatton Garden.”
The signature to this singular communication was, “ One
who was known in the day and time of Charles Stuart as the
finest woman of her age—Lady Cnstlemaine.”—{Ligh t.)
T H E P E R S O N A L JESUS.
M r. G erald M assey , in a letter to the M e d i u m a n d D a y b r e a k ,
gives an account of his historical researches, from which we
make the following extract ;—
“ The Christian cult did not commence with onr Canonical Gos­
pels, nor with a personal founder supposed to be therein por­
trayed.
‘‘ The Jelioshua of the Talmud was undoubtedly an historical
character. According to a tradition preserved in the “ Toledoth
Jehoshua,” he was related to Queen Salome, the wife and later
widow of King Jannoeus, who reigned from the year 106 to 79
D. c. She is said to have tried to protect Jehoshua from his
sacerdotal enemies, because she had been a witness of his wonder­
ful works. One Jewish account asserts that this man,who is not
to be named, waa a disciple of Jehoshua bea-Perachia. I t also
 says be waa b o rn in t h e f o u r t h y e a r of t h e r e ig n of A l e x a n d e r
Jminaeus, n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e a s s e r t io n s of his follow ers t h a t he
waa born in t h e re ig n of H e ro d , 'l’h a t is a b o u t a c e n t u r y e a r l ie r
than th e C h r i s t ia n e ra, w hich is s u p p o s e d to ha v e b e en d a te d
from tlie b ir th of C h ris t. J e h o s h u a is d e sc rib e d as b e in g t h e
Son of P a n d i r a a n d of S t a d a , t h e S t r a y e d One.
“ T h e R a b b i b e n -P e ra c h ia is likewise an h istoric a l c h a r a c t e r.
He had b e g u n to teach in t h e y e a r 154 u. c . ; th e r e f o re he was
not bo rn late r th a u 180 to 170 li. c. B u t it is also r e la te d t h a t
this Rabbi fled into E g y p t d u r i n g t h e Civil W a r iu w hich the
Pha rise es revolted a g a i n s t K i n g A le x a n d e r J a n m e u s . Tliis was
about th e y e a r 105 u. c . ; a n d as J e h o s h u a b e n - P a u d ir a accom ­
panied th e R a b b i as his pupil, ho m a y havo been born as e a r ly
as 120 l). C. W e learn from T r a c t S h a b b a t h , of t h e B a b y lo n ia n
Uem ara to t h e Mishna, t h a t J e h o s h u a b e n - P a n d ir a was sto n e d to
de a th as a w izard iu th e city of L u d o r L y d d a , a n d was a f te r ­
w a rds crucified by bein g h utig up ou tho tr e e on t h e evo of th e
Passover. A n o t h e r t r a d itio n re co rd s t h a t J e h o s h u a was p u t
to d e a t h d u r i n g tho r e i g n of Sa lo m e , w hich e n d ed in th e
year 71 b . c .
“ J e h o s h u a is tlie solo histo ric a l J e s u s k n o w n e ith e r to t h e J e w s
or t h e C h ristia n s. F o r, E p i p h a n i u s in t h e f o u r t h c e n t u r y a c t u ­
ally tru ce s th e p e d ig r e e of his J e s u s t h e C h r ist to P a n d ira , who
was t h e f a t h e r of t h a t J e h o s h u a who lived and died ut least a
c e n t u ry too soon to be th e C h r i s t of o u r Canonical Gospels. T h is
sh ifts t h e h isto r ic basis a l t o g e t h e r ; it a n t e d a t e s t h e h u m a n
history b y a c e n t u r y and d e s t ro y s t h e historic c h a r a c t e r of th e
Gospels, t o g e t h e r with t h a t of a n y o t h e r J e s u s t h a n J e h o s h u a
b e n -P a n d ir a whom b o th J e w s a n d C h r is tia n s a g r e e to id entify
as th e sole h u m a n p e rso n ality . T h e tra d i t io n s f u r t h e r show t h a t
J e h o s h u a was a N a z a r e n e iu re a lity , nnd n o t because ho was
horn a t N a z a r e th , w hich n e v e r could havo c o n s t i t u t e d a n y one a
N a za re n e!
“ Now t h e Book A b o d a z u r a c o n ta in s a c o m m e n t on tho Apostle
J a m e s , iu which it de sc rib e s him as ‘ a follower of J e h o s h u a th e
N a z a r e n e ,’ w hom 1 h ave show n to be t h a t ‘ o t h e r J e s u s , ’ who
was n o t tlie J e s u s or C h r i s t of P a u l . H e r e t h e n op e n s t h e g r e a t
rift be tw ee n a n historic al J e h o s h u a , t h e m agic ia n, p reach er, and
the m y th olog ica l J e s u s of t h e Canonical Gospels ; a rift t h a t has
ne v er been b o ttom e d , a u d o v e r w hich 1 h a v e a t t e m p t e d to th r o w
a b rid g e.”
A n o t h e r w riter, s p e a k in g of t h e above r e m a r k s , sa y s :—■
“ T h o a d m i r e r s a n d lovers of t h e c h a r a c t e r of J e s u s , of whom I
am one, do n o t really lose a u y t h i n g in h a v in g t h e facts as to his
real ex iste n ce e sta b lish e d . D id t h e y love t h e real J e s u s , they
would desire to ha v e all falsehoods c o n c e r n in g him c le a re d away ;
t h e a c c u m u la tio n s of c e n t u r ie s of m is le a d in g t e a c h i n g s , for which
t h e so-called “ F a t h e r s of t h o C h u r c h ” a re alo ne responsible.
B u t t h e y m is ta k e t h e n a tu r e of t h a t sp i r i t of a lle g ia n ce which
has c alled f o r t h t h e esp ecially d o g m a t i c le t t e r s of som e of yo u r
co rre sp o n d e n ts, who seem to ch in k t h e i r ipse dixit is sufficient for
tlie whole w orld, a n d who h a v e a t r i u m p h a n t way of ‘ p u t t i n g
thoir foot d o w n ’ iu w ritin g , which is a m u s in g , b u t no t a d m ir a b le ;
the effect of which g o e s no f u r t h e r t h a n to m a k e ono m arv el o ve r
the eg otism of such an infancy of k n o w le d g e. W e r e th e s e in d i­
viduals sufficiently h u m b le lovers of t r u t h to sit a t Mr. O xlcy’s
leet and learn of h im , th e pub lic w ould be spa red a t o u r n a m e n t
of words, whieh c an o nly end in t h e d isc o m fitu re of t h o s e who
have t h r o w n t h e glove in th e cause of t h e m u c h belied, a n d m is­
r e p re s e n t e d Je su s . T heso d o u g h t y c o m b a t a n t s aro f ig h tin g for
th e ir d e a r old idols, a ud t h e J e s u s th e y havo m a d e for th e m -
belves,— n o t th e real divin e m an.
“ H e , w ho m E li p h a s Lovi calls ‘ the most powerful of Initiates'
— m i g h t well cry o u t (could th e p e t t y m e n ta l t u r m o i l s of h u m a n
life, th e h y ste ric a l follies aud e c c e n tr ic itie s of his p u t a t i v e
w ors h ip p e rs, rise in to t h e sereno re g io n s in h a b i t e d by his g lo r i­
fied spirit) ‘ save we from my f r ie n d s !’— fo r th e s e , in th e seltish
exactions of a love t h e y p o u r o u t w ith effusive e n th u s ia s m a t th e
feet of th e baseless fab ri c of t h e i r d re a m s, w hie h t h e y call
'Jesus,' would m a k e t h e ve rie st se rv a n t, if n o t slave, of him.
H e m u s t be a t t h e i r bock a n d call w h e n e v e r thoy t a k e a fancy
for h is p resen ce, e it h e r , as they fondly im a gine, ‘ materialized’
(!) or in so m e o t h e r s e m i- e a r th ly o b je c tiv e sh ape, as a l i g h t , a
puff of wind, a voice, or a vision. T h u s th e y seek to d r a g him
down to t h e i r c o nd ition , in ste a d of t r y i n g to lift th e m s e l v e s np
to him in spirit, in which s t a t e alone h e is to be found,— a p ure ly
subjective, not o bjective s ta te . A n d it is sacriloge, or crim e, to
eudcavonr to convince t h e s e d e a r , de v oto d victim s of self-flatter*
ing delusions, of t h e e rro r of t h e i r ways. I f t h e y co u ld n o t
stab y o u to t h e h e a r t , t h e y c e r t a i n l y w ould th e m se lv e s , e re t h e y
would a cc ep t t h e t r u t h , aud a c k n o w le d g e t h e m s e lv e s self-deeoiv-
ed. Dev otio n to J e s u s w ould be v e r y b e a u tifu l, did it u o t so
often t a k e th e f o rm of m ere e g o tism , s e lf - rig h te o u s n e s s , and Lhe
a ssum ptio n of f a v o u rs from a s u p p o s e d d iv in i t y , n o t a cc o rd ed t o
others.
‘‘ T he E a s t e r n A d e p t s , t h e H i m a l a y a n B r o t h e r s , a re t h e only
beings on e a r t h w ho can g ive t r u e in fo r m a t io n c o n c e r n in g t h is
really divin e man, who was ono of t h a t b r o t h e r h o o d of t h e ‘ Sona
of God,’ as som e of t h e M a g ian s or M a g i of old w ere d e s e r v e d ­
ly called. F o r th e s e m en ase ende d t o t h e g r e a t e s t h e ig h t s of
spirituality a n d d i v in i t y it is p ossib le for m a n to a t t a i n iu th e
body d u r i n g t h e p r e s e n t pe riod of h u m a n e volution ou o u r p la n e t,
and th a t p e r io d haa a lr e a d y l a s te d m o re t h a n a m illio n y e a r s — sq
slow i s th e e volution of t h e h u m a n race,— I m e a n th e e volution
ot all t h a t m a k e s m a n s p ir itu a l, d iv ine , really man. The
E a s t e r n A d e p t s , t h o u g h fu lly re c o g n i s i n g t h e s p i r i tu a l g r e a t ­
n e ss ot t h is te a c h e r a n d r e fo rm e r, J e s u s (a m e m b e r of t h e g r e a t
t raterm r.y of A d e p ts, w hich h a s existed t h r o u g h all time t h a t ive
k n o w a n y t h i n g of), ‘ do not recognise Jesus at all in tha Christ of
the Gospels. (See Theosophist for J u l y , 1883.)
ti r ! I s>s U n v e ile d , s t u d e n t s of t h e origin of C h r is tia n ity , a n d
t h e life of Je su s , will find n e a r ly all th e in form a tion th e y re q u ire .
-But t h e y m u s t b r i u g clear, u n p r e ju d ic e d m inds to t h e s t u d y ;
a n d w h e n th e y have finished ‘ Isis,’ I do not th in k t h e r e will
re m a in in t h e i r m in d s a n y f u r t h e r d o u b t b u t t h a t th e C h r i s t ia n
sect was f o u n d e d by a se t of men who had no scruples a g a i n s t
falsification, a n d d e c e p tio n s of a very se rio u s n a t u r e . W o c a n n o t
a k e r / i i c i s , a n d tho facts a re there.
‘‘ i here is b u t O ne R eligion , and t h a t is t h e A n c i e n t W is d o m -
Ivehgion, w h ic h th e real J e s u s d o u b t le s s knew , and whose t r u t h s
h e t a u g h t ; tor it h a s a lw a y s been e n s h r i n e d in t h e H e r m e t i c
B r o t h e r h o o d s , a n d can only bo t a u g h t by I n i ti a te s of th o se
Occu lt Schools.”
W e hope t h a t , by c o p y in g tho above, we shall no t exposa
o u r se lv e s to t h e a b s u r d c h a r g e t h a t we a re “ a t t a c k i n g C h ris­
t ia n i ty ; while we a t t e m p t to defen d th e s p i r i t of t r u e C h ris­
t ia n i t y a g a i n s t su p e r s t i ti o n a n d cle ric alism . W e a r e al/
followers of “ C h r i s t ” — not of a J e w hy t h e n a m e of “ C h r i s t ,’
w ho p r o b a b ly n e v e r existed, a n d from who m we m ay expect fav ors;
b u t of a principle, which t h a t n a m e r e p re s e n t s . S o m e call t h a t
p rin c ip le “ ^Christ,” o t h e r s call it “ B u d d h a , ” o t h e r s “ C h r i s t n a , ”
“ L ogo s,” “ T h e Son of God,” som e call it S p irit, o t h e rs call it
“ M a t t e r (ia a t r a n s c e n d e n t a l sen se); t h e o c c u ltis ts call it
‘ th e s e v e n th p r in c ip le ,” and th e m o st ex p ress iv e u&me for it is
p e r h a p s “ The Divinity in Man.”
I t s action is b e a u tifu lly i ll u s t r a te d by t h e a n c i e n t a lle g o ry of
I syche s (th e soul s i fall a f t e r d r i n k i n g t h e b e v e r a g e , offered h e r
by Venus (passion), h e r s u b s e q u e n t i m p r i s o n m e n t in Hades
( m a t e r i a l i t y ), a n d he r final re sto r a tio n by th e sa v io u r Eros (or
D iv in e L o v e in Man.)
A. B.
M E S M E R IS M IN A D E N O F L IO N S.
B y W- H . H a i i i u s o n ,
I t r a n s l a t e t h e follo w in g n a r r a t i v e fro m th e Journal de
Geneve, of t h is day , J a n u a r y 10th, 1884. T h e J o u r n a l de Geneva
m ay be c o n sid e re d t h e c hief n e w s p a p e r of S w i t z e r l a n d : —
“ T h e fo llo w in g sc e n e took plae e on T h u r s d a y last, a t R h e im s ,
in P i a n e t ’s M e n a g e ri e , in c on se qu euc c of M o n s ie u r d e Torcy,
w ho g ives e x p e r i m e n t a l le c t u r e s on M e sm e ris m , h a v in g a n n o u n c ­
ed t h a t he w o u ld e xercise his pow er in a d e n of lions.
“ T b e lion t a m e r P i a n e t e n te re d , his w and iu his h a n d , 11a
o r d e re d in five o r six lions w ho lea p t a b o u t in a fashion n o t
r e a s s u r in g , b u t u n d e r t h e g le a m of t h e eye a u d t h e o r d e r of
th e i r m a s te r , t h e y c r o u c h e d i n a g r o u p a t one c o r n e r of t h o
cage.
“ M. d e T o rc y t h e n e n te r e d , a n d t h r o w i n g a g l a n c e a t t h e
t e rr ib le g r o u p a d v an c ed to t h e fr o n t of t h e cage, ;sa lu te d t h a
o bservers, n a m e d t h e co n d itio n s u n d e r w h ic h he p ro p o se d to
p e r fo r m t h e bold e x p e r i m e n t s , and gave h is p r o g r a m m e of t h e
c o m in g p e rfo r m a n c e s. T h e tone of th e m e s m e r i s t was m oro
d e te r m i n e d a n d his sp eech m ore precise t h a n u su a l. W i t h o u t
d o u b t, n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g his c o u rag e , he h a d not th e p o w e r a t
t h a t solemn m o m e n t a n d in t h e face of such a t e r rib le r e s ­
ponsibility , to shako off p a s s i n g a p p r e h e n s i o n s easy to ba
un d e rsto o d .
“ I n a m o m e n t , M a de m oise lle L u c ia a p p e a r e d ; sh e was of
s t r a n g e b e a u ty , w ith lon g h a ir , a n d d r e s s e d in a w h ite t u n ic ;
a s u b d u e d s h u d d e r t h e n p a sse d t h r o u g h th e o b se r v e rs . She
a dv an ced a u d g a v e a s m ilin g sa lu te . T h e g r o u p of lions r e ­
m ain e d a t r e s t u n d e r t h e g a z e of M. P i a n e t .
“ T h e n th e o p e r a tio n s b e g a n . M. d e T o r c y p u t Mdile. L u c i a
g r a d u a l ly to sleep by his passes, while sw eet a n d .la n g u o ro u s
m u sic was p la y e d on a violiu. S h e p a sse d in to th e v a r i ­
ous sta g es of a m e s m e r ic ecstasy. T h en , while tho s u b j e c t w ith
e x te n d e d a r m s a p p e a r e d to be u u d e r t h e influence of r a v i s h ­
i n g d e lig h t, M, P i a n e t m ade t h e lions r u s h r a p id l y b a c k w a r d s
a n d forw ards in t h e n a r ro w space be tw ee n M dllo. L u c i a a n d
t h e b a r s of t h e c age, a space so n a r ro w t h a t one of t h e l io n s
r a n v io le n tly a g a i u s t M dlle. L u cia, who w as s m i l i n g i u a u
e xta tic a t t i t u d e .
“ ‘ E n o u g h ! e n o u g h !’ cried t h e s h u d d e r i n g cro w d , a p p l a u d i n g
w ith e n th u s ia s m . M. d e T o r c y b r e a t h e d s t r o n g l y on th e fore­
h e ad of Mdlle. L ucia, w ho a w o ke a u d a p p e a re d all a s t o n is h e d a t
fin d in g h e rself in su c h a s itu a tio n .
“ B u t t h e m o s t difficult, t h e m o st t e r r i b l e r e s t w as to come.
“ T h e m e s m e r i s t a g a in p u t his i n t e r e s t i n g s u b j e c t to sleep, a n d
t h r e w h e r into a c a ta l e p ti c s t a te of t e t a n ic ri g id i t y . H e e x te n d e d
h e r h o r iz o n ta lly , w ith he r head on one c h air a n d h e r feet upon
a n o th e r. T h is o p e r a t io n w as no t w i t h o u t som e d a n g e r , because
in p la c in g t h a s u b j e c t M. P i a n e t h a d to help M. de Torcy, a n d
t o cease for a m o m e n t to fix his a t t e n t i o n u p o u t h e p e nsio ners.
 “ B u t all was well dono. T h e n fit th o w o r d of c o m m a n d , tho
lions passed and repassed, so m e tim e s one a t a tim e, so m e tim e s
sill t o g e th e r, be n ea th t h e poor dem oiselle L u c i a ; th is f a n ta s t i c
steeple-chase lasted for se veral m in u t e s , w h ic h seem ed ve ry l o n g
to tho obse rvers.
“ A t the close, a t t h o d e m a n d of M. de T o r c y , M. P i a n e t m a d e
tw o of t h e lions s ta n d up on t h e r i g id a n d i n a n i m a t e body, a n d
a s one of th e two w ould no t p u t him self t h e r e w illingly, th e lion-
ta n i e r, in forcing h i m to do so, received in t h e s t r u g g l e n f l i g h t
b lo w fro m th o lion’s paw, w h ic h c au s cd h is face below t h e r i g h t
e ye to b e m a r k e d w ith blood.
“ H e r e th e a p p la u s e was f r a n t i c . ‘ E n o u g h ! E n o u g h !’ was
a g a i n t h e cry. M, d e T o r c y woke u p his su b jc c t, who roso and
bow ed.
“ ‘ H a v o I k e p t m y word p’ said M. do Torcy.
“ ‘Y e s,’ w a s th e exclam a tio n from all p a r ts . O n e voice, t h a t
ot a b e tt i n g m an, 110 d o u b t, exclaim ed :—‘ I havo lost, b u t 1 do
u o t r e g r e t i t . ’ ’’
S u c h is t h e r e p o r t in t h e Journal du Geneve. P r o b a b l y th is
M dlle. L u c i a is t h c Mdlle. “ L u c ie ,” whose p o w e rs— w e akne sses
p e r h a p s is t h e p r o p e r w o r d —as a m es m e ric su b je c t, I w itn e s se d
se v e ra l y e a rs ago in t h e Salon L o u is Qiiinze, a t P a ris, a n d d e s ­
c rib e d a t th e t im e in Thc Spiritualist. A f a n ta s t i c s to r y a b o u t
h e r m c s m c r ic tran c es, which s t o r y p r o b a b ly h a d som e f o u u d a tio u
in fa ct, was onco pu b lis h ed in Truth.
L u c e r n e , January 10 th, 1884.
W H E R E ARE TU B M IS S IO N A R IE S p
[G. R. S im s in the Illustrated London News.]
A Saturd ay n i g h t in th e g r e a t t h o r o u g h f a r e a d ja c e n t t h e r o aro
th r o e c o rn e r public ho u se s which t a k e as m u c h m on ey as tho
■whole of t h e o t h e r shops on b oth sides of t h e way p u t t o g e t h e r .
B u t c h e r s , b ak ers, g r e e n g r o c e r s , c loth iers, f u r n i t u r e de alers, all
t h e c a t e re rs for tho w a n ts of t h e populace, a r e open till a Into
h o u r ; t h e r e a re h u n d r e d s of th e m t r a d i n g r o u n d and a b o u t, b u t
t h e whole lot do n o t tn k e as m u c h m o n ey a s t h r e e p u b lic a n s —■
t h a t is a fact g h a s t ly e n o u g h in all conscience. E n t e r t h e public
h o u s e s n u d you will see th e m c r a m m e d . H e r e a re a r ti z a n s a n d
la b o r e r s d r i n k i n g away t h e w a g e s t h a t o u g h t to c lo th e th e i r
l i t t le ones. H e r e a re t h e w om e n s q u a n d e r i n g th o m o n ey t h a t
w o u ld p u r c h a s e food, fo r t h e lack of w h ic h t h e i r c h il d r e n aro
d y in g .
Ono g r o u p r ivets t h e eye of an o b se r v e r a t once. I t c onsists
of a n old gray-liaired dam e, a w om a n of 40, a n d a girl of
a b o u t 19 w ith a baby in h e r a rm s . All t h e s e a r e in a sta to
■which is b e st d e sc rib e d as “ m a u d l i n ”— th e y ha v e finished ono
lo t of gin, a n d t h e y o u n g e s t w om an is o r d e r i n g a n o t h e r ro und .
I t is a g r e a t - g r a n d m o t h e r , g r a n d m o t h e r a n d a m o th e r a n d h e r
b a b y — lour g e n e ra ti o n s t o g e t h e r — a n d t h e y a ro all d i r ty , d i s ­
h e velled, a n d d r u n k , e x c e p t th e b a b y ,a n d even t h e p o o r little m ite
m a y have i ts first t a s te of alcohol p r e se n tly . I t is no u n c o m ­
m o n Bight in th es e places to see a m o th e r w e t a b a b y ’s lips w ith
g i n a n d w ater. T he process is c alled “ g iv ing t h e y o u n g ’ 1111 a
t a s t e , ” a n d th e b a b y ’s f a t h e r will look 011 s o m e tim e s a n d enjoy
t h e j o k e im m e n se ly .
B u t t h e tim e to sco th o r e s u l t of a S a t u r d a y n i g h t ’s he avy
d r i n k i n g in a low n e ig h b o u r h o o d is a fte r t h e ho uses a re closed.
T h e n you m ee t dozens of poor w r e t c h e s r e e lin g h o m e to th e i r
m is e r a b l e dens, som e of th e m r olling a cross t h e ro a d w a y a u d
f a lling , c u tt i n g them solv e s till t h e blood flows. E v e r y p e n n y
in som e in sta n c e s lias gone in d rin k .
O n e d ila p id ated , r a g g e d w r e t c h I m e t l a s t S a t u r d a y n i g h t was
g n a w i n g a ba k ed p o tato. B y liis side stood a th in -c lad w o m a n
b e a r i n g a b a o y in h e r arm s, a n d in h i d e o u s la n g u a g e sh e r e ­
p ro a c h e d him for his selfuihness. S h e h a d f e tc h e d h im o u t of a
p u b lic -h o u s e w ith his l a s t h a lf p e n n y in his p o c k e t. W i t h t h a t
h a lf p e n n y ho h a d b o u g h t t h e potato, w hic h h e re fu s e d to
s h a r e w itb he r. A t every corner t h e police a re o r d e ri n g or coax­
i n g m en o r women to “ move o n .” B e tw e e n 12 a n d 1 it is a
l o n g procession of d r u n k e n m en a n d w o m en, a n d t h e m o s t d r u n ­
k e n seem t o bo th ose w hose o u t w a r d a p p e a r a n c e b e to k e n s tho
m o s t a b j e c t p o v e rty .
T u r n o ut of th e m ain t h o r o u g h f a r e a n d in to th o d i m l y - l ig h t e d
s t r e e t a n d you come upon sc ene a f te r scene to t h e g r i m , g ro t e s q u e
h o r r o r of which only t h e pe ncil of a D ore could do j u s tic e .
W o m e n w ith hid eo u s d i s t o r te d fa c e s a r e r o l li n g fro m side
t o sid e s h r i e k i n g aloud sn a t c h e s of p o p u l a r so n g s p len tifu lly
i n te r l a r d e d w ith t h e v ile s t e x p ressio ns. M en a s d r u n k as
th e m s e lv e s m e e t t h e m , t h e r e is a s h o r t i n t e r c h a n g e of ribald
j e s t s and foul oath s, t h e n a q u a r r e l a n d a sh o w e r of blows.
l ) o w n from one d a r k c o u r t r i n g s a cry of m u r d e r , a n d a
w o m a n , h e r face hideously g a s h e d , m a k e s a c r o s s t h e n a rro w
roa d p a r s u e d by a h o w lin g m a d m a n . I t is o nly a d r u n k e n
h u s b a n d h a v i n g a row w i t h h is wife.
T H E CO SM IST R E L I G I O N .
[London Correspondence Boston Advertiser.']
A f e w w eeks ago a m an r e fu s e d t o t a k o a n o a th a s a wit*
n e ss in one of the L o ndo n Police C o u r t s on t h e g r o u n d t h n t h e
w a s a “ O o s in ist.” 1 havo seen a p r o g r a m m e of t h is l a t e s t of
t h e re li g i o u s a u d sem i-religiou s bodies t b a t a r e so n u m e r o u s i n
t h i s c o u n tr y , a n d I re p ro d u c e its p r i n c ip a l p o in ts for th e bene­
fit of a n y who aro se e k in g for a ne w r e ligio n. T h e m o tto of
th e C o sm ist is, “ Deeds, n ot c r e e d s ,” th e principle, t h e service of
h u m a n i t y is t h e s u p r e m e d u t y . “ T h e d e s ig n of Cosm ism is to
join all m en a n d wom en in to one family, in which the princi­
ple of e q u a lity , t o g e t h e r w ith t h a t of b r o t h e r l y love (th a t is,
love of th e h u m a n race), is t h e p r e d o m i n a n t one, a n d th e moral
a n d m a te ria l welfare of all t h e sole aim a n d p u rp o se .” The
C o sin ists a re en jo in e d to a c t as follows : “ To give one a nother
e n c o u r a g e m e n t a n d aid, both m ate ria l a n d m o ral. To cultivato
all t h e i r faculties. To c o n te m p la te all m a n k i n d ns breth ren.
T o be c o u rte o u s a n d f o r b e a r i n g to each a n d all. To practiso
c h a r i t y , w ith o u t p u blic ity or o s t e n t a t i o n . ” T h e r e is nothin g
v e ry ne w in th e s e ideas, b u t t h e y show how dissatisfied many
are with o u r existing civ ilization ; a n d as such th e y m ay be
r e co rd e d as a m o n g tho c urious p h e n o m e n a of a c urio us age.
W h a t w ith se c u la ris ts , a n d collectivists, a n d positivists, arid
a n a rc h is ts , a n d cosinists, o n e g e t s a little bew ildered.
N O T IC E .
W e call tlio a t t e n t i o n of o ur r e ad e rs to th o follow ing N o t i c e : —
“ I he Special Moral arid R eligious C lasses fo r t h e benefit of the
E n g li s h - s p e a k i n g H i n d u Y o u n g M en a re re -op ened u n d e r the
au spice s of t h e Hinthoo Shraiyobhivardhani Sabha of Mndrns, in
t h e P re m is e s of th e “ H i n d u Excelsior R e n d in g R o o m ,” H l a c k
J own. I n s t r u c t i o n in tho lea d in g po in ts of H i n d d E t h i c s a n d
J iie o l o g y is g iv e n gratis to c a s te - H i n d u s only, e very Sunday,
f ro m 3 r.M. to 5 f. m. S e c ta r ia n d i s p u t e s a r e c are fu lly avoided.
G e n t l e m e n a n x io u s to j o in t h e c lasses a re r e q u e s t e d to apply
soou to —
R. SlV ASA NKA RA P a NDI A H , B. A.,
Honorary Principal Instructor,”
C astle op D ilig en ce, 6th April, 1884.
_ AN APPEAL.
To
A ll t i i e M e m b e r s o f t i i e T n E o s o r n ic A L S o c i e t t .
A l m o s t e v e r y b r a n c h of t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y , i n e v e r j
p a r t o f t h e g lo b e , h a s n o w s e l e c t e d c e r t a i n sc ie n tif ic s u b j e c t s
f o r t h o i n v e s t i g a t i o n a n d s p e c ia l s t u d y o f i t s m e m b e r s , a n d
h a s also t a k e n u p c e r t a i n w o r k s f o r t h o good of t h e i r c o u n ­
t r i e s a n d f e l l o w - b e i n g s . I b e g to a s k t h e m to a d d o n e m o r e
to t h e i r l i s t of b e n e v o l e n t w o r k s — 1 m e a n t h e p r e v e n t i o n of
c r u e lty to an im a ls.
M a n y d o m e s t i c a n i m a l s i n c it i e s a n d i n l a r g o t o w n s a r a
a l m o s t d a il y s u b j e c t e d to v a r i o u s s o r t s o f c r u e l ti e s , a n d i n
S o m e i n s t a n c e s to c r u e l t i e s w h i c h a r e l i e a r t - r e i u l i n g . A n d w h o
w i l l n o t feel i t a g r e a t p le a s u r e , n a y , a g r e a t re li e f, i n d o i n g
s o m e t h i n g f o r t h c r e m o v a l , o r a t l e a s t f o r t h e m i t i g a t i o n , of
t h i s e v il ? N o o n e w i l l d e n y t h a t a v e r y l a r g e a m o u n t o f t h o
s u f f e r i n g s o f t h e s o d u m b c r e a t u r e s c o u l d b e m i t i g a t e d if a ll
o u r f e ll o w s , o r s o m e m e m b e r s o f e v e r y b r a n c h , u n d e r t a k e i t
a s o n e of tli e ir s p c c ia l w o r k s , w h e n w e h a v e a l r e a d y s n c h a
l a r g o n u m b e r o f b r a n c h e s , s p e c ia ll y i n I n d i a , a n d t h e i r
n u m b e r is i n c r e a s i n g so r a p i d l y . I n f a c t n o o t h e r A s s o c i ­
a t i o n is b e t t e r , o r so w e ll q u a l i f i e d f o r t h e w o r k a s t h o
T h e o s o p h i c a l Socicty.
I t h i n k t h e r o is n o n e e d of m y d w e l l i n g o n t h e d e s i r a ­
b ility , a m o u n t i n g a l m o s t t o n e c e s s i t y , of t h is n o b io w o r k
b e i n g t a k e n i n h a n d b y t h e m e m b e r s of o u r S o c ie ty . S u c h
a g o o d w o r k w ill c o m m e n d i t s e l f t o e v e r y t r n e T h e o s o ­
phist.
A s re g a rd s th e d e ta ils o f th e w o rk in g a n d its procedure,
t h e m e m b e r s of eacli b r a n c h will be t h e b e s t p e r s o n a to
d e t e r m i n e t h e c o u r s e a c c o r d i n g to t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s of t h e i r
r e s p e c t i v e l o c a l it i e s . I n I n d i a t h e r e is a L e g i s l a ti v e e n a c t ­
m e n t o n t h e s u b j e c t , a n d w h e r e t h a t A c t is in f o r c e t h e
p r o c e d u r e m u s t be g u i d e d by i ts p r o v i s i o n s . W h e r e t h e r o
a r e S o c ie tie s a l r e a d y e x i s t i n g f o r t h e p r e v e n t i o n o f c r u e l t y
t o a n i m a l s , t h e c o - o p e r a t i o n of o u r m e m b e r s w i l l b e of
g r e a t h e l p to t h o s e S o c i e t i e s . S h o u l d i t be f o u n d n e ce ssa ry ,
s t e p s m i g h t h e r e a f t e r be t a k e n t o e x t e n d t h e p r o v i s i o n s o f
t h e A c t t o p la c e s w h e r e i t is n o t i n f o r c e a t p r e s e n t .
J . N . G ., F. T. S.
Note W e s y m p a t h i z e t o t h o f n l le s t e x t e n t w i t h t h e a p p e a l o f o n r
b r o t h e r . T h e r e i s n o p l a c e t h a t w e k n o w o f w h e r e t h e r e is a m o r o in v i t i n g
fie ld fo r a S o c i e t y f o r t h e P r e v e n t i o n o f C r u e l t y t o A n i m a l s t h a n M a d r a a .
I t is a s h a m o t o s e e t h o s e h a l f - s t a r v e d a n i m a l s , s h a d o w s o r s k o l e t o a s o f
 w h u t ia i n t e n d e d f o r a h o r s e , p u l l i n g h e a v y l o a d s t h r o u g h t h o s t r e e t s ;
but wo h a v o a l t o s e e n th o s e w h o w o u ld c r y “ s h a m e !" to d i s p u t e a b o u t
the pric e w i t h th o d r i v e r of a “ j u t k a , ” a n d t o fin a lly e n g a g e t h e s e r ­
vic es o f h i s h o r s e f o r a m e r e p i t t a n c e . I f th e d riv e r g a in s n o th in g , ho
c u u n o t b u y f o o d f o r h i a h o r s e , a u d c r u e l t y t o m o u ia n o t l e s s w i c k e d
th a n c r u e lty to a n i m a l s . Ito fo rin is a b s o lu t e ly n e c e s s a r y ; b u t w h e ro
sliu.ll i t b e g i n ? — A. B .
AN APOLOGY. ' t h e c e le b ra tio n of his m a r r i a g e w ith t b e d a u g h t e r of t h e
To the Editor of the “ Theosophist
A s to t h o p a m p h l e t , e n t i t l e d t h e “ T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y ,
am i i ts F o u u d e r s , a n h o n e s t i n q u i r y i n t o t h e i r a i m s a n d
p r o c e e d i n g s , ” p r i n t e d in 1882, a t t h e A n g l o - V e r n a c u l a r P r e s s ,
B o m b a y , I b u g to i n f o r m y o u t h a t t h e p a m p h l e t h a s b e e n
w holly w i t h d r a w n long ago. I declare w ith d ra w n an y
a r ti c l e s t h a t I m n y h a v e w r i t t e n t o n e w s p a p e r s , &c., 011
m a t t e r s c o n c e r n i n g t h e T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i e t y , n o t w i s h i n g to
m a r tlie f e e l i n g s of a n y one, a u d w i s h i n g to be o n g o o d t e r m s
w i t h all, I e x p r e s s a n a p o l o g y fo r , a n d w i t h d r a w , w h a t I m a y
h a v e w r i t t e n t o a n y o n e r e s p e c t i n g t h e S o c i e t y . I w i s h to
m en tio n th is p o in t t h a t I asso c iated w ith t h e m issionaries
f o r t h e p a s t t h r e e y e a r s a n d u p w a r d s , 1. no more a s s o c i a t e w i t h
them . In c o n c l u s i o n , 1 h o p e y o u w ill d o m e t h o f a v o u r b y
p e r m i t t i n g t h i s l e t t e r to a p p e a r in n e x t m o n t h ’s ( M a y ’s )
Theosophist , u n d e r s t a n d i n g b e f o r e h a n d t h a t y o u r j o u r n a l
will not r e f e r to a n y i n d i v i d u a l o r p a r t i c u l a r m i s s i o n a r y , o r
m is s io n societ}'.
3, M a l a b a r Him,, A m i i a w a d y , I H. B u r z o r j e e .
B o m d a y , 6th A p r i l 188-1. j r e s p e c te d s is te r M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y is a m edium , c ould e x p la in
§) l\ 1}u0 nt4.it a 1.
1 w as a t t h e H e a d - q u a r t e r s in D e c e m b e r la s t to t a k e p a r t in
th e A n n i v e rs a ry celeb ra tion . Soon a f t e r m y a rriv a l I w e n t u p ­
sta irs to pay iny r e s p e c ts to M a d a m e B lav a tsk y . fcihe g r e e t e d
m e cordially and received m e with w a r m t h a n d f rien d lin ess e v e r
s o c h a ra e te ris tic of h e r. I re q u e ste d h e r to let m e see t h e “ sh r in e ” .
W i t h o u t g e t t i n g u p from h e r seat sh e g a v e mo a k e y a n d told
1110 to open th e “ sliriue” m yself. 1 did so, a n d be in g ask e d by
M a d a m e B l a v a t s k y w h e t h e r t h e r e was a n y t h i n g in th e sh a p e of
a l e tte r iu t h e “ s h r i n o ,” I searched a n d told h e r t h e r e was n o thin g.
T h e n she told m e to e x a m in e m in u t e ly e v e ry t h i n g conn ec te d
w ith th o “ s h r i n e ” a n d insisted u p o n m y d o in g so, a l t h o u g h she
kn e w 1 was u o t a sceptic. 1 looked ro u n d c a re f u lly a n d fou nd
n o t h in g in t b e s b u p e o f ele ctric wires, t rap s , &c., wliich, as s c e p ­
tics iu all t h e i r “ w isd o m ” a ssum e , m ig h t aid h e r iu h e r “ j u g ­
g l in g t r i c k s ” as t h e y would sa y, to d e lu d e h e r friends. I closed
t h e “ s h r i n e ” a t h e r b id d in g a fte rw a rd s a n d we w e re c o n v e r s i n g ou
va rio u s topics. After some tim e she a s k e d m e to open th e shrino
again. O 11 my d o in g so w h a t was m y s u r p r i s e w h e n 1 foun d t h a t
th ere was a l e t t e r fro m a M a h a tm a in w hich was w r a p p e d u p the
s p r ig of a p l a n t. I t was in t h e f a m ilia r h a n d - w r i t i n g of m y
G u ru D e v a K. H . H e r e is a copy of t h e l e t t e r w r itte n on
Chinese p a p e r which 1 h ave in ray p ossessio n— “ To II. It. F r o m
one who will ever watch over a n d p r o te c t him if he goes on in
th e p a th of d u t y to his c o u n try a n d r i g h t e o u s n e s s to his B r e ­
t h r e n . —1£. I I . ”
A f te r p e r u s i n g th is I again s a t down n o t f a r fro m M adam e,
the “ s h r i n e ” b e in g a gain s h u t by me. W e were t a l k i n g t o g e t h e r
w hen M a d a m e sa i d — “ A re you q u i te s u r e t h e r e was n o t h in g
else in tho “ sh ri n e ?” Go a gain a n d see, t h e r e m ay be s o m e th i n g
m o re for yo u.” I g o t u p and w a lk in g u p to it I felt s o m e t h i n g
s t r i k i n g a g a i n s t m y foot, no t far from t h e g r o u n d . 1 fe lt f o r it
w ith m y h a n d s, a n d to my infinite a s t o n i s h m e n t I found so m e ­
t h i n g solid se w n n p to th e s k i r t of m y lo n g robe. I looked
w istfu lly a t M a d a m e , wlio asked me to u n d o t h e t h r e a d s a n d
t h e r e was a m e da llion or coin with T h ib e t a n c h a r a c t e r s . On my
tellin g M adatn e t h a t it was n o t perforated to e n a b le me to w e a r
i t on m y person, sh e p r o m is e d me t h a t sh e w ould p e r fo r a t e it
h erself with an i n s t r u m e n t by and by. I left h e r a f te r w a r d s to
join the m an y B r e t h r e n t h a t w ere in t h e la r g e hall. S h e cam e
t h e r e w ithin an h o u r w hen I was sh o w in g t h e p r e s e n t to th e m
and d e sc rib in g all th e p a r t i c u l a r s of the p h e n o m e n a I h a d j u s t
been w itn es sin g u p s t a irs . W h e n th e y also no tic e d t h a t the
m edallion was not p e rfo ra ted , Mudarne said “ y o u g ive it to m e,”
a n d p u t it iu h e r p o c k et. O u r P r e s i d e n t soon jo in e d u s a n d
wished to see tho m edallion, w h e r e u p o n M a d a m e took i t out,
a n d lo! it h a d a nicely m ade hole n e a r its edge.
B efore s t a r t i n g fo r E n g l a n d , M a d a m e was good e n o u g h to
pay m y c o u n tr y - s e a t (V a rel) a visit, a c c o m p a n ie d by m y
esteemed frien d s , D r. H a r t m a n n , M r. M o h in i C h a t t e r j i a n d
Mr. J . N. U n w ala. O ne ev en in g b e fo re d i n n e r we w e re all s e a t ­
ed t o g e t h e r h e a r i n g m y m u sicia n s t i n g i n g iu H i n d i tu n e s , a few
hy m n s t h a t I h a v e com posed in h o n o u r of ou r M a h a tm a s . W e were
i n te r p re tin g t h e s e to M a d a m e , w he n a c u rio us, u n u s u a l se n sa tio n
crept over m e a n d a sw ee t-ton e d bell tolled o ve r t h e h e a d s of Lhe
musicians a n d w a s h e a r d by all, T h e o s o p h is ts a n d non-T heo.
sophists. 1 w o n d e r how t h e scep tics w ho r e a d t h is will ex
plain away t h i s p h e n o m e n o n n o t u n k n o w n , b u t f a m i l ia r t 0
ihe people a t t h e H e a d - q u a r t e r s a s I h a v e sin ce l e a r n t . A t d i n .
n e r a g a i n we all d i s t i n c t ly h e a r d once a sim ila rly silver-toned
bell j u s t o ve r-he a d ab ove t h e c e n t r e of th e tab le we w ere seate d at.
A n o t h e r p h e n o m e n o n to m e still m o r e ' i n t e r e s t i n g p e rso n­
ally m a y be d e sc ribe d . S o m e tim e a f t e r th e F o u n d e r s h a d left
In d i a , I w a s a t t h e H e a d - q u a r t e r s very often d u r i n g m y
so jo u rn late ly with m y e ste e m e d fr i e n d II. II. t h e ‘i 'b a k o r e
S a h i b of W a d h w a n , a t M adras, w h i t h e r we h a d g o n e for
H o n o r a b l e R a j a h G u j p a t i Row. One day I asked b r o t h e r
D a m o d a r , to let m e p u t a l e t t e r in th e “ sh rin e .” I t was in a
closed en v elo p e a n d was r e g a r d i n g personal p r i v a t e m a t t e r s .
B r o t h e r D a m o d a r allow ed me to p u t th e l e t t e r in tlie “ s h r i n e .”
T h e d ay a fter, I visited a g a i n t h e “ sliriu e” in c om pa ny w i t h m y
wife. On op e n in g t h e “ s h r i n e ” 1 did find m y l e t t e r uno pe ned, b u t
a d d r e s s e d to m e in b l u e pencil w hilst my origin al su p e r -
sc rip tiou “ M y R e v e r e d M a s t e r ” h a d a pencil lino r u n n i n g
th roufjh it. T h i s was in t h e p r e sen c e of B r o t h e r s D a m o d a r ,
Dr. H a r t m a n n a n d o t h e r s . T h e m o st n o t e w o r th y th in g was
t h a t t h e e n velope was in ta c t, in no way opened. I op ened i t , a n d
011 t h e u n u se d p o r t io n of rav n ote was a u a n sw e r from G u ru D e v a
K H- iu t h e same fa m ilia r hand-writing. I shall t ra n s c ri b e one
sig nilicau t s e n te n c e fro m it ; of c o urse I o m it p r i v a t e m a t t e r s
w ith which o t h e r s ha v e no c o n ce rn . “ ... T h o u g h I have no r i g h t
to c onfer favou rs, I m a y g iv e adv ico t o w h o m so e v e r n e e d s a n d
d e se rv e s i t . . . . ” H e t h e n g i v e s m e e n c o u r a g e m e n t a n d vuluable
advice t h a t 1 was in very g r e a t n eed of. M y l e t t e r a n d t h e I l l u s ­
trio u s M a s t e r ’s r e p ly to it w i t h t h e iden tica l envelope a r e w i t h
m e now.
1 sh ould very m u c h lik e to k n o w bow o u r frien d s (!) th e b i g o t ­
ed s p i ri tu a l is ts , w ho a s s u m e w it h o u t a n y evidence t h a t o u r
a w ay thisjplienoinenoii, w hen as a fact s h e was t h o u s a n d s of m iles
away fro m u s w ith o u r e ste e m e d P r e s i d e n t Colonel O lcott.
V a re l, 17th May 1884. H arisin g u ji R u rsiN G iu r.
------- *-------
T H E O PIN IO N OF E U R O PEA N PRESS ABOUT T H E
T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y ,
OR
W h a t t b e E uropean P ress S ay s o f O ur F ounders.
T h e Pall Mall Gazette had a l o n g articlo in its M arch (2!)th)
n u m b e r on t h e s u b j e c t of T h e o s o p h y . Mr. S i n n e t t ’s L e t t e r X V I —
Centres of Spiritual Activity, con tain s as s u b je c t- m a t t c r “ T h e T h eo s o ­
phical Society— L o n d o n L o d g e , L in c o ln ’s I n n , ” etc. I t is such an
u n u s u a l —we m ay as well s a y — u n p r e c e d e n t e d —fact for even a
libe ral L on d o n p a p e r of no te to m e n tio n theo so p h y in a ny o t h e r
b u t a spirit of c h ali or a n g r y c o n t u m e l y , t h a t we h a s t e n to q u ote
n e a r l y th e w h ole of t h e article .
A f t e r a b rief p a r a g r a p h as entree en viatiere in which th e
T heosophical S o c iety a u d its two fo u n d e rs a re i n tr o d u c e d to t b e
public by th e w r i t e r , h e g oes 011 as follow s:—
“ I t is im possible to go a ste p f u r t h e r in d e s c r i b i n g t h e s u b s e ­
q u e n t e s t a b l i s h m e n t of th e society in L o u d o n a n d I n d i a — w h e re
it now n u m b e r s n e a r ly a h u n d r e d b ra n ch e s, a n d is r a p id l y e x ­
p a n d i n g — w i t h o u t e x p la i n in g w ho a n d w hat th e s e M a ste rs aro.
“ T h e a d e p t s of oc cu lt science a re c o n c e n tr a t e d in Asia. T h o
h ie r a r c h y of oc cult in it i a t e s is r e c ru ite d fro m all n a tiona litie s,
E n g l i s h m e n b e lo n g to it, a n d m e n of o th e r E u r o p e a n r a c e s ; b u t
b y t h e tim e a n i n itia te iu oc cu lt science has a t t a i n e d c e rta in
u l titu d e s of p sy c h ic d e v e l o p m e n t , his p r o g r e s s , besides i n v e s ti n g
him w ith new f a cu ltie s, r e n d e r s h im sen sitiv e to influences of
w hich m ost of us a re u nc on sc io us, l i e i.s com pelled, p ractically,
to m ov e a w a y f r o m c o m m u n i ti e s still t h r o b b i n g w ith ph ysic al
passio n s a n d m a te ria lis tic asp iratio n s. I n civilized cities hia
h i g h e r senses w o u ld be r e la ti v e ly useless, as t h e sense of sight,
is all b u t re n d e r e d useless in a t h ic k fog. So t h e hig her in itiate s
h a v e r e tr e a t e d now to som e of t h e lea st f r e q u e n te d regions of
C e n tr a l Asia, w h e r e t h e y are a ble to work freely a t their m o s t
i m p o r t a n t tusk, t h e p re s e r v a t io n a n d a d v a n c e m e n t of th e highest,
k n o w le d g e in t h e world, h e ld by thorn, so to speak, in t r u s t fo r
m a n k i n d a t larg e , a g a in s t t h e tim o w h e n th e race shall be r e a d y
to receiv e it.
“ T h a t a n y s o r t of k n o w l e d g e can e xist in t h e world for whicli t h e
civ ilization of th e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y is not y e t ripe, is an u n i n ­
te l lig ib le p ro p o sitio n a t first. B i g o tr y is powerless now to p e r ­
se c u te science. T h o u g h t is free , a u d inte lle ct in p e r fe c ti o n !
W h a t e v e r k n o w l e d g e a m a n m ay g a in , we g e n e r a ll y hold it h is
d u t y to sh a re th is w ith his f e llo w s; a n d if it is scientific k n o w ­
ledge, to s h a re w ith u s his proofs a nd m e th o d s. T h e a d e p t s
t h i n k d i f f e r e n tl y ; for t h e i r k n o w le d g e in v es ts m e n w ith p o w e rs
we h a v e h i t h e r t o play ed w ith only 111 im a g i n a t i o n , c allin g th e m
s u p e r n a t u r a l . To p u t th ese in t h e b u n d s of m en still a n im a te d b y
selfish m o tive s a n d p h y sic a l d e s ir e s w o u ld be to in ju re , n ot to
benefit, society. A m a n w ith t b e pow e rs of nil a d e p t a n d t h e
passion s of a n u n r e g e n e r a t e n a t u r e could slay a n d rob w ith
i m p u n i t y , for he would n e ed no ph ysic al a pp lia nce s fo r th e p er-
etrat.iou of a n y crim e. T h o s e to w hom tho a d e p t s i m p a r t th e ir
u o w le d g e —t h e i r r e g u l a r disciples— aro t e s te d by long y e ars,
p e r h a p s by h a lf a lif e -tim e of probat ion before th ey a re e n t r u s t e d
w i t h a b n o r m a l po w ers. By c a s ti n g u t t e r l y asido all m o des of
life w hic h a r e c o n c e rn e d in a n y way w i t h m aterial e n jo y m e n t, t h e
can d id a to fo r o ccult t e a c h i n g m u s t first provo t h a t lower m o tiv e s
 have no hold upon hia nature, that his own spiritual development
and the service of tho spiritual interests of mankind are all-
important in his sight, and then by degrees he is entrusted with
the enlightenment which puts it in hia power to lead an alto­
gether moro exalted spiritual existence than the world at large
can yet attain to. That such enlightenment also puts in his
power an insight into the thoughts of others which no dissimula­
tion can baffle, a faculty of cognizing events which range beyond
tho reach of the physical senses, almost to infinitude, a control
ovor material objects by the exercise of forcesordinary science has
not yet discovered —that all thoso and many other attributes
tho possibility of acquiring whieh is but gradually dawning on
tho modern Western mind, come to him in the course of his
progress, is a circumstance that embodies for the occult p 11 p-iI
110 temptation to do wrong. He has got above tho region of the
desires in which such powers could operate as a temptation. Ho
has become a co-worker with Nature for good.
“ But the adepts of spiritual science, spoken of in Indian lite­
rature and nsage as Mahatmas, and by modern Theosophists as
‘ tho Brothers,’ have latterly conceived tho time ripe for giving
out some part of tho ‘ esoteric doctrine,’ of whioh they are tho
custodians. They are not yet prepared to relax the rules whicli
guard the powers of adeptship from misuse, but for various reasons
quite intelligible to those of us who have studied the Theosophi­
cal publications of tho last few years, they aro now taking a
somewhat now departure in thoir relations with the world at
large. While their policy till recently has been to keep their
very existence a secret from all but devotees of the occult life,
they aro now ready to let the nature of adoptship be known
more widely, permitting pupils who havo personal relations with
them to acknowledge this in tho world at large, and not unfre-
quently giving proofs of their existence and abnormal powers to
persons who aro not even pupils, in the sense of being pledged
to follow the occult life of self-denial and purity. And it was to
inaugurate this new policy that they founded the Theosophical
Society.
“ For Mme. Blavatsky, who was the outward and visiblo
founder, is ono of thoir pupils, and a very advanced pupil, with,
abnormal powers which have oven more often excited the wonder
aiul admiration of her friends who have beheld their exercise,
than the derision of scoptios who have picked np stories about
them...Splendidly seconded by her earliest ally,Colonel Olcott, she
lias achieved tho immense result before us. The Theosophical
Society has now become a potent agency in the moral progress
of India, and has latterly reacted back on this country to nn
extent which holds out a large promise of l'utnro consequences.
“ During the earlier progress of tho society in India the branch
established iu London about seven years ago was dormant and
inactive. Its time had not come, for the attention of. the foun­
ders was absorbed by their work in the East, and this work was
not yet of a kind iu which the London members could co-operate.
In India the first thing to be done was to get the society on to
a foundation which should be common to all creeds, so that ifc
should not bo suspected as a sectarian propaganda leaning to
one moro than to another of Indian exoteric religions. To
establish the society as a body, resting on the principle of a uni­
versal brotherhood, and concerned with the study of all
philosophy which might illuminate tho inner meaning of any
ancient faith, and trace tho identity of modern religions in their
essence, was a work that could not bo jeopardized by lmste.
The hundred branches of the society in India, in which represen­
tatives of all castes and creeds unite in friendly communion, are
so many monuments to the success with whioh the work was
evontually performed. And now, by degrees, the Brothers have
found means through the Theosojihist—the magazine of the
society, published in Madras—and in other ways, to communi­
cate such a considerable bloek of esoteric teaching to tbe world
generally, that persons keenly awake to tho interest and impor­
tance of this, here in London as well as in India, gather fast
round the nucleus which has so long been awaiting tho condi­
tions favorablo to its expansion. Tho Theosophical Society now
has something definite to do- I t has a mass of doctrine to study,,
whicli is recommended to its notice as an exposition of the real
absolute truth of things—as far as ifc goes—concerning cosmo­
gony, the origin and destinies of man, the nature of his spiritual
growth and development, nnd whioh in. fact constitutes a scienco
of religion and a religious interpretation of science.. Here, as in
Indin, of course, the founders of the Theosophical Society nro
anxious that tho movement shall not be regarded as pledged
to the acceptance of any definite view of things. I t is an asso­
ciation for philosophical study, specially connected with the
revival of research in the direction of occult scienco and the la­
tent faculties of humanity. Persons have been and are promi
nently connected with it who prefer othor lines of study thau
those marked out by the information tha.t has so far been obtained
from the Brothers, and their association with the society serves to
omphafiize the Catholic sympathy with all spiritual aspiration by
which its true founders are governed. Bnt the present statement
as to the circumstances iu which the society took ifcs rise will
indicate the geheral drift of its operations.
“ A considerable volume has been writton to state with tho
simplest brevity the theory of nature which the Brothers teach.
This teaching will not, of course, put its students in possession of
practical occult faculties. I t is a long and a toilsome road by
which theso are- reached. Nor is it possiblo to sketch the
doctrino itself in tho course of this brief explanation. That
constitutes a widely ramifying and complicated study r but if
that which tho disciples of tho Brothers are fully persuad­
ed of is true, it is a study which introduces mankind to
tho beginning of tho transcendent knowledgo destined to
be tho glory of tho human race in its maturity. Un.like an
ordinary religious community, the Theosophists cannot bo
pointed out to inquirers as holding their meetings at such
and such an address. Engaged in pursuits of a very
serious nature, and careful in their progress along an unknown
path, their meetings liave hitherto been open to their own mem­
bers only, aud fellowship with the society has been procured
by regular recommendation and election, as in any other society.
But nono tho loss have thoy been readily accessible for inquirers
approaching them in a sympathetic spirit. Probably tho London
public will shortly hear more of them, as Colonel Olcott, tho
President and Founder of the Socioty, whoso permanent home is
now in India,;is about to pay a short visit to this country .”— P a l l
M a l l Gazette.
Another fashionable paper of Nice and Cannes—the resort of
all European aristocracy, T h e A n g l o - A m e r i c a n , has the following
article:—
“ Our town has been lately honoured by two very distinguished
visitors from Madras, India, who loft for Paris 011 Thursday last,
“ Colonel Olcott and Mme. Blavatsky are tho founders of tho
Theosophical Socieby which is nnder tho guidance and direction
of tho so-called M a i i a t j l a s of fcho Himalayas, a Brotherhood of
Eastern adepts gifted with what wo in Europo would consider
supernatural powers, but which really aro psychic possibilities
latent in human nature and can be developed in each individual
by a long course of proper training.
“ This Society has acquired great importance in the East, and
has already established more than a hundred branches in India and
Ceylon, nnd is now gaining ground in tho West, having first
established several Societies in New York and other cities of
America.
“ The London and Paris Societies count amongst their members
somo of the most celebrated names of Scienco and learning, such
as Professors Crooks, Wallace, Camille Flarnmarion, etc., etc,
“ Tho President and Founder Colonel Olcott and Mme. Blavat­
sky, a Russian lady, authoress of a most learned work called
‘ Isis Unvhii,ei>,’ and who has from tho first acted ns Corres­
ponding Secretary and Editor of ‘ Tim T , ’ tho organ
h k o s o p i i i s t
of tho Society, have been the guests of Lady Caithness, Duchesso
do Pomar, who is President of tho ‘ Socicic Thoosoptiiquo
d ’Orient ot d’Occident’ of Pairs.
_ “ During thoir short stay in Nice they held soveral very
interesting conferences and wero surrounded bv a group of
intellectual minds from amongst whom they initiated eleven,
persons as-members of tho Society, which has for its principal
object, to form a nucleus of universal brotherhood of humanity
without distinction of race., religion or colour. Secondly to
promote the study of Eastern literature aud occult sciences.
And thirdly to investigate the hidden mysteries of nature, and
the psychical powers latent in man. How important these
occult powers aro for tho blessing of mankind Colonel Olcott
gave very evident proof in healing in a short timo through
his highly developed magnetic powers long standing diseases
and infirmities amongst those who so eagerly sought his aid
during his short stay in Nice.
^ “ Colonel Olcott and Mine. Blavatsky have made this long
journey to Europe for the express purpose of visiting their
brothers of tho Huropenn branches, principally those of Pari^
and London, but Colonel Olcott will probably extend his tour to
Germany and Russia beforo returning to tho head-quarters o£
the Parent Theosophical. Society at Madras.”
We may add, withont committing great indiscretion, that tho
new “ eleven” members of our Society contain names of tho
highest Russian and English aristocracy as well as those of
European savants of fame. A “ Serene Highness,” a Russian
Princess, and a General 011 the staff of the Russian Emperor, as
also a well known English Colonel, late of India, and his lady
have joined, our ranks among others. The Society spreads and
lectures and “ Conferences’’ upon theosophy are in preparation
in the highest int.cllecl.ual circles of 1 ’aris. Listend of 0110 wo
have now two Societies iu England,.the “ London” and the
“ Hermetic” Lodges of tho T. S. The former numbers over eighty
members; and Mr. W. Crookes, tho world renowned physicist
and chemist is elected as one of the five councillors of tho
“ London Lodge.” We give his name with his permission. •
Since the above was in type, we havo noticed with pleasure,
in the r a i l M a ll Gazette (London), two articles concerning Mine.
Blavatsky and Col. Olcott, speaking of them in respectful and
appreciative tennp. We regret wo cannot copy them here, for
want of space.
 THIS P O U N D E R S IN PAllIS.
T u n a r riv a l in Puris of M a d a m e B l a v a ts k y , Oolonel O lc ott, a n d
a H i n d u Chela, ia an i m p o r t a n t e v e n t fo r t h o so of u s w hofoir
tw o o r t h r e e ye ars have beeu w a t c h i n g t h e p r o g r e s s of t h e
T h eo s o p h ic al Society w i t h th o g r e a t e s t in te r e s t .
P a r i s is no t only tho g a y r superficial, wo rldly city, k n o w n to
som o fo reig n e rs, P a r is is e v e r y t h i n g a n d all a t once. Ono cau
find in it tho hig h es t in intolleot, t h e b e s t in a r t u n d c u l t u r e ,
a s well a s th e d e e p e st blin d n e ss of t h o u g h t, t h e low est d e g r a d a ­
tio n in th e sa m e a r t a n d lit e r a t u r e , a n d th e g r o s s e s t selfishness
typified by th e c o r r u p t i o n of m orals. O no is c o r ta iu t o find ia
t h a t la rg e city ex ac tly w h a t one is a s p i r in g t o ; in o t h e r words,
w h a t one is oneself. I pity those ivho leave o u r to w n w ith no o t h e r
i m pression t h a n t h a t of its c o rru p tio n . H u d t h e i r a s p i r a t i o n s been
h i g h a n d pow erful eno u g h , th e y would h a v e fe lt tho h e a r t of
o n r tru o P a r i s b e a t i n g even u n d e r tho m u d of its s u b u r b , or th o
g l i t t e r i n g e le g a n c e of its boulevards.
A long w ith tho P a ris w hich you c an see d a ily d r i v in g t h r o u g h
tho Bois do B o u lo g n e; p a r a d i n g in t h e t h e a t r e s , r u n n i n g races a t
L o n g c h a m p s , or d i n in g a t t h e “ M aidan d ’ O r,” we ha v e th o i n ­
te lle c tu a l P a r is cro w d in g a t th o S o r b e r m e , o r tho College da
France, a t t r a c t e d by tho b rillian t elo quence of o u r c e l e b r a t e d
p ro f e s so r s ; political P a r i s following w ith a k e en i n to r e s t d a y
by d a y th e d e b a t e s in th c Cllambre des Deputes ; scientific P a r i s
s h u t up in its lab ora to rie s in search of tho l a s t w ord in c h e m i s ­
t ry o r physics, which it hopes will becom o t h o first l o tte r
of t h e m y s t e r i o u s word of lifo; religio us P u r is — which has n ot
y e t d e s e rte d its old churches, as t h o u g h it v a g u e ly fe lt t h a t
t h e r e m ay be y e t a m e a n in g discovered in t h e lo n g dead d o g m a s
and t h e m u m m e r y of its p r i e s ts ; p h i la n th r o p ic P a r i s ever e r e c ti n g
schools, hospitals, a n d asy lu m s , y e t h a r d ly s p e llin g t h a t b e a u t i ­
ful w o r d — chatity—c o rru p te d as it now lies u n d e r th e p r e s s u r e
of in to le ra n t sectarianism .
I n th e m idst of this tu rm o il of r e s tle s s a c ti v it y , m a t e r i a l p r o ­
g re ss a n d intellectual develop m ent, th e ro a r e lonely t h in k e r s , e a r ­
n e st seekers a f te r t r u t h , w h o , re pulsed by tho n a rro w religious
creeds, can no m ore b e sa tislied with t h e Imzy ho pes g iv en ou t by
tho S p ir itu a lis ts a n d thn fow r e m a in i n g t h e i s t s t h a n t h e y cun
be w ith th e d e s p e ra t e n e g a t i o n s of m ate ria lism . L'or such, tho
ideas p ro p o u n d e d and t a u g h t by tho T h eoso phic al Society caino
us a r e fr e s h i n g dew ou th e p arched d e se rt. D u r i n g long y e ars
thoso solitary t h in k e r s hud been an x io u s ly lookin g a ro u n d
thom, w o n d e rin g from whence lig ht wonld come, a n d g r e a t wus
th e ir joy upon h e a ri n g tho long de sired a n s w e r — fro m I n d i a . . ,
To somo of th e m tho first cull cam e iu th o w o rd s of tho M uster,
who i n sp ire d Lho Occult World. Mr. S i n n e t t is e n t i t l e d to ou r best
t h u n k s for h a v in g forw arded t h a t liv i n g word to us. T h is
work fell iu to my h a n d s iu t h e s p r i n g of 1882, w hen, re c o v e r ­
ing from a sovero illness, [ exp erien ced , t o g e t h e r w ith tho
e x u ltin g se n sa tio n of r e n e w e d phy sic al lifo, a d e e p fooling
of sa dness. W h y sh ould I be re called to h e a l t h a n d a c tiv ity
if I was doom ed to bo still w an dering w i t h o u t c o m p a ss o r helm,,
if, a f te r se e in g t h e beliefs of my y o u t h full ou t h e g r o u n d
liko so m a n y deud leave*, I wus to sink buck iu t h e d a r k
a b y ss of n e g ation L T h e social q u e stio n s to which I h a d d e vo te d
t h e b e st of m y ab ilities a u d leisure b e cam e m oro a n d m ore
c o m p lica te d o w in g to m y d o u b t s a n d dosp air.
H o w was I to Bpeak of ju s t ic e ^and f r a t e r n i t y to t h o s e su ffe r­
ing olusses c o n d e m n e d to a m isera b le a n d hop eless fate, if I l i a d
n o t h in g to offer to t h e m in e x ch a n g e for t h e i r b l in d f a ith a u d
orthodox he av e n b u t th e p r o s p e c t of to ta l a n n ih ila tio n p
S u c h wero :ny th o u g h ts , a n d t h e y aro thoso of m a n y in F r a n c o
when I h e a rd for t h e first t im e t h e voice of t h e M a s t e r . . . . . . . . .
Sinco t h a t tim e I have h e ard a good deal of criticism an d
dis cu ssio n a b o u t tho M a h a tm a s of th e H i m a l a y a s ; I hav e se en
th e cruel, abusive articles iu tho sp iritu a lis tic p a p e r s of E n g la n d
a n d A m e r i c a ; I havo received w a rn in g s fro m c h a r ita b le f rie n d s
who trie d to p e rsu ad e me t h a t th e way I was p u r s u i n g could
lead m e b u t to disillusion or— m a d n e s s ; b u t n o t h in g h as beeu
over able to s h a k e my faith or to d im th o l i g h t of t h a t r a d i­
a n t s ta r whic h I saw shin in g in tho E as t. T h e n a p p e a r e d M r.
S i n n e tt ’s “ E so teric B u d d h i s m ” ra is in g a sto r m of co n tro v e rsy
and criticism.. T h e r o wero so m e who w a n ted to provo t h a t su ch
a d o ctr in e was only lead in g to t h a t r a n k m a te ria lis m t h a t wo
had w ished to oppose.
T h o u g h sLill n n sh a k o n in m y fuitli, I was e x p e c tin g w i t h a n
ever in creasin g an x ie ty th o visit of o u r I n d ia n frien d s , a n d i t
is with real jo y a n d a feelin g of deep g r a ti t u d o t h a t I m a y
now s ta te th e c o m p lete fulfilm ent of all m y e xpecta tio ns. A
H i n d u g e n tle m a n , a Chola of tho M a s t e i i , w as tho first who
arrived iu Paris. M adam o B lav a tsk y an d Colonel O lco tt h a d
gone for a few day s to Nico on a visit to th e D u c h e s s do
Pomar, th e P r e s i d e n t of tho. Thcosophical Society “ d ’ O rie n t
d’Ocoident” of Paris. “ C h e la ” M r.— will n o t b la m o m e for sp e a k ­
ing so h ig h ly of him ; he knows t h a t iu v e r it y ev ery to k en
of a dm iration a u d re sp ec t he m ay receive is ad d ress ed ,
in reality, to his M aster, of whom h e is a w o r th y disciple.
In th e r e m a rk ab le t e a c h in g s ho was k in d e n o u g h t o give
us, wo fo u n d realized o u r m o st s a n g u in e ex p ec ta tio n s . H e
made clear to us all th e d a r k p o in ts ill M r. S i n n o t t ’s
hook ; he show ed us how th e occult d o c tr in e s were in p e rfe c t
accordance a u d h a r m o n y w ith th e l a t e s t d isco v eries of
scionce, a n d how th o y open, in fact, th e way to new so lu tio n s .
A n d w h a t is of th o g r e a t e s t im p o rta u co in rela tion to o m 1
actu al social s t a te 1— ho gavo us a glim pso o£ t h a t s p le n d id
pro sp e ct how it firm a n d a b so lu te g ro u n d to m orality m ay bo
discovered in th e i m m u ta b le laws t h a t govern tho Cosmos. All th ose,
who have had th e privilego of h e a rin g him, have been d e ep ly
im p re ss ed w ith th e fur r e a c h in g im p o rta n c e of tlio T heosophical
m o v em en t, as well as s t r u c k w ith th e powerful logic, a u d th o
larg e ra n g e of k n o w led g e p o ssessed by th is y oung s t u d e n t of
O c cu ltism . To ev ery q u e s tio n p u t to h i m — w h e th er scientific,
philo sophic al or m o ral— he g av o a clour a n d sa tis fac to ry a n sw er.
B u t t h e r e is y e t a n o th e r t h i n g to be considered in referen ce to
M r.— ,one of no less im p o rta n c e th a n his in te lle ctu a l pow ers.
W o uot o nly w an ted a confirm ation of ou r beliefs w ith r e g a r d
to tho d o c tr in e s of th e M asters, b u t also a ju s tif ic a tio n of th o
fa ith we had in th e m in re fe re n ce to our s p ir itu a l aspirations-.
T h o u g h M r.— calls him self only un h u m b le c h ela of a g r e a t
Muster, we h ad re ason to logically expect th u t a r a y of tho
w isd o m of th e M a s t e r s h o u ld como to u s t h r o u g h his discip le.
I n our w e ste rn l a n g u a g e I w ould say th u t in th e Pupil wo wero
s e a rc h in g for a reflection o ftlio soul and h e art of th e T cacher.
If wo c o n s id e r t h a t , a c c o r d i n g to occnlt philosophy, th e sign of a
h ig h d e g ree of s p i r i tu a l d e v e lo p m e n t is to love H u m a n ity iu o u r -
solves, a n d ourselves only in H u m a n it y , we m ay suy t h a t Mr.----- -’d
tea ch in g s, the t h o u g h t s ho e x p ress ed on tho se vital p o in ts of social
reform , aud especially th e pu re spirituu l m a g n e tis m of his p e rs o n ­
ality, have help ed u s to realize in som o m ea su re the holin ess o£
his ve nera te d M uster. A nd now, to tho se who a sk us “ W h a t
r e aso n s have yon to p u t such a faith iu thoso adepts? ” — we m a y
a n s w e r : because t h e y n o t only tea ch t h a t which, a cc o rd in g to
o u r reason, se e m s to u s to bo tho t r u t h , b u t also becauso
t h e y live up to t h a t t r u t h ;. a n d t h a t a g a in in all aget*
such has been th o s ig n of a t r u e I n itia te . H um anity can
n e v e r ceaso a p p e a li n g to som e a u t h o r i t y ; b u t wo will a c c e p t
no a u th o r i t y w hich ia n o t justified by tho lifo of thoso w h o
r e p r e s e n t it.
On all sides wo h e a r t h a t th o T heo soph ical m o v e m e n t has
como at th e r i g h t t im e to a n s w e r t h e ne ed s a u d th o a s p ir a tio n s
of tho W est. T h is is no w o n d e r fo r us, who kno w whouco
th e im pu lse h a d come.
W e a re all a w a r e t h a t C h r i s t ia n i ty u n d e r tlio g niso oE
C atholicism is f a s t d e c lin in g in F r a n c e , a n d t h a t nil tho
philosophical m in ds seem to bo un c onsc iou sly a t t r a c t e d to w a rd s
t h e religions of tho E a s t, th o m oro so, since th e said p h iloso phie s
seem to oifer m a n y a p o in t of c o n ta c t with tho m o d e rn
t h eo ry of evolution.
On th e oLher h a n d , thoso w h o havo been all t h e i r lives
e n g a g e d in s t r u g g l i n g a g a i n s t t h e in to le ran c e of tho c h u r c h e s ,
a n d w ho hud se t all t h e i r hopes on th e p r e s e n t form o t
G o v e rn m e n t, w hich is fust p u t t i n g an e n d to ecclesiastical abuses,
b e g in to perceivo t h a t o u r i n s t it u t io n s a r e n ot a d e q u a te fo r
d e v elopin g p ro g re s s a n d m orality . T h e y perceive in t e rr o r , a n d
w ith a d e ep se n se of th e i r h e lplessness, tho flowing tido of
m a t e ri a li s m ; b u t t h o u g h find ing no solid gro u n d under
th e i r fe et iu tlieir u t t e m p t to r e s is t tho flood, t h e y still-
c lin g i n tu itiv e ly to t h e i r senso of ju s t ic e a n d h u m a n i t y .
May we n ot believo t h a t su c h a sp ira tio n s as t h e s e a re w o r t h
being t a k e n in c o n sid e ra tio n b y tho f o u n d e rs of tho T h eoso ­
phical Society a n d t h e i r I n s p i r e rs .
Wo have good reaso ns to t h i n k t h a t tho l e c t u r e w h ic h
Oolonel O lc o tt is to give iu P a r is in May, will a t t r a c t th o
liotico of m an y t h i n k e r s a n d sc ien tists of ou r C ity ;,a m i for u s,
who havo tho priv ile g e of p r iv a te a n d confidential c o n v e r s a t io n s
with Mmo. B l a v a ts k y , t h e r o is no d o u b t w hatever t h a t
th e T h eo soph ical Society,, especially t h r o u g h th e m e d i u m of
its sple n did M agazin e, “ T h e T h e o s o p h is t,” is d e s t i n e d to h ava
an im m e n se influence on t h e p r o g r e s s of m o dern t h o u g h t .
A nd, I w ould say iu tho w ord s of C o u n t Go blet d ’Alviella,
iu his r e c e n t w ork “ L ’ Kvolution R e lig ieu s e ” : —
“ It I n d i a helps u s in tho re lig io u s c risis we aro now p a ssin g
t h r o u g h —a nd she is, p erh ap s,, th o b e st co nditioned to do i t —all
those who ta k e som e i n t e r e s t in th e h a rm o n io u s de velopm ent,
of .civilization m u s t r e m a in greaLly in d eb te d to her.”
“ J k o . . . . ” F. T. S.
T H E S A ItV H I T K A R I T H E O S O P H IC A L S O C IE T Y .
O w i n g to t h e t r a n s f e r of P a n d i t S a l i g r u m , P r e s i d e n t o f th a
“ S a r v H i t k a r i T h e o s o p h i c a l S o c i c t y , ” G o r a k h p u r , N . W . P .,
tlio f o l lo w in g ofiiccrs h a v o b e e n o l e c t c d f o r tb o c u r r o n t
year
T h a k u i - U a n o ijli S in g li,. ... President.
M r . M . J . J a c o b , ... Vice-President.
M r . A b d u l K u h n i a n , ... Secretary.
T l i u k u r S l i u u k u r S i n g h ,. ... Joint Secretary.
littb u J o g c a h w u r H o y , L . M . S . M . Treasurer.and Librarian,
 F r o m a re p o rt receive:! from t . l i o ab ove B r a n c h , i t a p p e a r s
lliat t h e m em b e rs aro e n d e a v o u r in g to p u r c h a s e a p e r m a n e n t
l le a d - q u a r t e i s for t h e i r B r a n c h iu G o r a k h p u r . T h e y liave
n e a r l y gained th e ir ob jec t a n d we wish t h e m success, hop ing
t h a t th e ir a tt e n ti o n will he m ore d i r e c t e d t o w a r d s t h e p r a c t i ­
c a l an d use ful w ork ol lh e Society t h a n m e re t r a n s i e n t show s.
W ea ns a re no d o u b t ne ce ssa ry t o ac c o m p lish tho end , b u t in
e n d e a v o u r in g to he in possession of t h o s e m eans, one should
n e v e r lose t i g h t of t h e u l t i m a t e e n d i u \ie w .
T H E SATYA M A R G A T H E O S O P n iC A L SO C IE T Y .
B a b u K h e t t e r C'haudra Hose has b e en a p p o in t e d V i c e - P r e ­
s i d e n t ot th e “ S a t y a M a r g a T heosop hic al S o c iety ,” L u c k n o w ,
vice P a n d i t Devi P r a s a d , d eceased ; a n d B a bu K u n d a u L al-
B h a r g a v a , B. A., to be A s sista n t S e c r e ta r y , for th e c u r r e n t y e a r.
Proceedings of nn extraordinary meeting of the Satya Marga
'Theosophical Society,held on the 2 i)th uf March 1881.
Resolved Istlg .— T lm t in r e m e m b ra n c e ot th o a ctive e n e r g y
disp lay e d in ev ery good a n d p a tr io tic cause, by t h e l a te m u ch
l a m e n t e d V i c e - P r e s i d e n t of t h i s B r a n c h , R a w a t Devi P ra s a d ,
t h i s B r a n c h sh ould give a p rize a n n u a lly to tho s t u d e n t s ol any
local S a n s c r i t school. T h is p rize to be d e s i g n a t e d t h e “ Devi
P r a s a d M em orial p rize of t h e Sat}'a M a r g a T h co s o p h ic a l
S o c iety .”
Resolved 2ndly.—‘T hat, if pra ctic a ble , a p o r t r a i t of t h e deceased
fihould be o rd e re d by tlie B ra n ch and k e p t iu fho m ee tin g
room a lo n g with a s h o rt s k e tc h of th e d e ceased s c h a r a c t e r.
Resolved■Srdly. — T h n t a C o m m itte e c om posed ot th e P r e s i d e n t,
Iho S e c retary , Rai N arain D ass, liabu G u hib C h a n d , liabu
B h a v a n i P r a s a d , M u n s h i S u j j a d H u s s a in a n d Mr. S. J . P a d s h a h ,
de lib e ra te upo n these r e s o lu tio n s a n d re p o rt a t t h e n e x t o r d i n a r y
m e e t in g upon th e best- m e th o d ol c a r r y i n g Lhein out.
Resolved Athhj.—T h a t a l e t t e r he. w ritte n by th e S e c r e t a ry to
t h e fam ily ol th e deceased e x p r e ss in g t h e h e a r t f e l t g rief ol the
B r a n c h for t h e u n t im e ly d e a t h ol one whose loss it will be
difficult to fill up, un d to c o m m u n i c a te th e r e so lu tio n s passed at
t h is m ee tin g .
J w a l a P r a s a i i S a n k h a d i i a k a ,
Secretary, &. M. T. fe\
A PR A IS E W O R T H Y EXAM PLE.
T h e S e c re t a r y of t h e S a ty a M a i g a '1 heosophical Society of
L u ck n o w r e p o rt s t h a t Babu R a m Sahni, a T a l n q d a r of U n a o
(Oudli), has p r e s e n t e d five villages, va lu e d a t a b o u t R s. 50,000, w ith
a n a n n u a l incom e of Rs. ^,000, for t h e benefit of t h e Anglo-
S a n s k r i t C ollege o u r B r a n c h Society is stri v in g to e stab lish.
M a n y p e r s o n s se em to h a v e a w r o n g idea of w e alth , m i s t a k ­
i n g t h e m a te ria l coin, which is n o t h i n g m o re t h a n a m ere ly
c o n v e n ie n t m e d iu m of e x ch a n g e, for real w e a l t h whicli is i n ­
te lle c tu a l l a b o u r a n d h a r v e s t. Balm R a m Salmi, there fore, in
g i v i n g his coin, i9 u sefully e m p l o y i n g i t, i n a s m u c h a s ho is
t h u s c r e a t i n g real w ealth a n d t h e r e b y a d d i n g to t h e p r o s p e r ­
i ty of h is c o u n tr y a n d to h u m a n p r o g r e s s, by a s s i s t i n g th e
cause of e n l i g h t e n m e n t and e d u c a ti o n .
S A N S K R I T S C H O O L AT J U B B U L P O R E .
I a m g l a d to r e p o rt t h a t a S a n s c r i t school was o pe n ed he re on tho
4 th A p ril with d u e cerem onies in th e presence of a l a r g e n u m b e r
of n a tiv e g e n tl e m e n , who were i n v ite d on t h e occasion. A
r e p o r t of tlie a im s and o b jec ts of th e school, w r i t t e n in p u r e
H i n d i , was read hy P u n d i t lialw aut Kao G o k l i l e , S u p e r i n t e n d e n t ,
!Malo N o r m a l School, who, a m o n g o t h e r th ing s, i n fo rm e d Lhe
a u d ie n c e t h a t th e S a n s c r i t school which was g o ing to be op e ned
t h a t d a y was e n ti r e l y d u e to t h e s t i r r i n g a p pea l t h a t Col. O lcott,
t h o w o r t h y P r e s i d e n t of th e T heosophical So ciety, m ad e on th e
occasion of h is la s t visit to t h i s city, and t h a t all H i n d u s m u s t
feel g r a te f u l to Col. O lc o tt for his d i s i n te r e s t e d la b o u r in tho
cause of t h e i r w ell-being. A f t e r tho c e re m o n ie s were p e rfo rm e d
t h e school was de clare d open.
F r o m n e x t w eek t h e S a n s c r i t P u n d i t will expla in B h a g a v a t
G i t a ou e v e r y Sun da y.
. N iv a jia n C handra M o o k e r je e ,
Secy., Branch Theos. Society.
T H E JA M A L P U R T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IE T Y .
I b e g to r e p o r t t h a t o u r r e s p e c t e d b r o t h e r B a b u N a v i n
K r i s h n a B a n e rj e e , P r e s i d e n t, A, 13, B j i . T heo soph ic al Society,
B e r h a m p u r , in c o m p a n y of o u r b r o t h e r s B a b u S h a m a C h a r a n
B h u t t a , D in a N a t h G a n g u l y , K ali P r a s a n n a M u k e r j e a a u d S r i n a th
G o s w a m i, a r ri v e d on F r i d a y m o r n i n g t h e 11 th I n s t a n t a t Bho-
g a l p u r , a n d t,hence c a m e to J a m a l p u r t h e follow ing m o rn in g ,
b e i n g accom panied by B a b u s T a r a p a d a Gh osal, St. A . , F . T . S,
S e c r e t a r y , a n d U p e n d r a n a t h S a r v a d h ic a r y , F . T. S. of th e
B h a g a l p u r B ra n c h . T h e p a r t y c o n s i s t in g of 7 b r o t h e r s was
r e c e iv e d a n d g r e e t e d a t t h e R a ilw a y s ta tio n j u s t on a r ri v a l of
t h e u p m a i l t r a i n a n d f o rth w ith a c c o m m o d a te d a t t h e h o u s e of
c u r b r o t h e r B a b u K a l i B h u s a n Roy,
I n a c c o rd an c e w ith t h e p r o g r a m m e c irc u la ted for pu blic in­
fo r m a tio n p re vio usly by t h is B ra n c h , B e ngalee g e n tl e m e n began
to g a t h e r a t K a li B a b u 's Irom 6 A. M . to hold in te rv ie w s with
o u r g u e s t s a n d to t a l k on “ T h e o s o p h y .” V a rio u s q u e stio ns
we ro p u t a n d th e y were e x p la in e d sa tisfac torily by N a b i u Babu,
S h a m lia b u und D i n a Babu. T h e m e e tin g d is p e r s e d a L a b o u t
1 1*30 A. M.
Again a f t e r 1 r. m . a few g e n tl e m e n c a m e a n d r e s u m e d th e
su b je ct.
In p u r s u a n c e of t h e no tice a p u b lic m e e t in g was held in t h e
J a m a l p u r N a t iv e I n s t i t u t e a t 5 r. si. Uabu N ilm a d lm b B h u t la -
cliarg ea, a n o u -T h eo s o p h is t, was voted to tho chair. Babu
D in a iu ith G a ug ooly was r e q u e s t e d first to a n s w e r the q u e stio n s
in re : “ T h e o s o p h y ” p u t fo rw a rd by a c o r re s p o n d e n t iu t h e M arch
issue of t h e “ Motherland,” a ne w w e ekly pice p a p e r p u b l is h e d
a t B e n are s, D in a B a b u a n sw e r e d t h e q u e s tio n s seriatim iu
E n g li s h to tho sa tis fac tio n ol th ose who co u ld u n d e r s t a n d him.
T h e n B a b u S h a m a C h a ra n l il m t t a ex plained t h e po in ts in Bengali
in o r d e r to be m ore cle ar. T h e lec tu re s d e liv e re d were h ig h ly
sa tis f a c to r y and won t h e h e a r t s of th e aud ie nce . T h e I n s t i t u t e
hall was filled up w ith i n t e l l i g e n t m en. O n th e le c t u re r s r e ­
s u m i n g seat, B a b u R a k a l Das Sen, a non -T h eo s o p ld s t, P r e s i ­
d e n t of t h e M o n g h y r Suuiti Sancharini Sava a tt a c h e d to th e
“ A i y a D h a r m a P r a c h a r i n i S a v a , ” s p o k e v e r y h i g h ly on
‘•Tlicosophj-. ” l i e o b s e r v e d t h a t it is t h e “ T h eo s o p h y ” wliich
is b r i n g in g back tlic H i n d u s e d u c a te d iu W e s t e r n science and
l it e r a t u r e to H in d u i s m , a n d t h a n k e d th o F o u n d e r s . A t a b o u t
7-I.I0 r. si. t h e m e e t i n g disso lv e d .
J AMALruii, 2 2 nd April 1 8 8 1 . R a jc o o m aii R o t .
.dssi. Secretary-
T IIE M A D R A S T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y .
A M e e t i n g of t h e abov e B r a n c h of th e T heosophical Society
was h e ld a t its p r e m ise s iu T rip lic a n e , on the 8th M ay 1884, for
t h e election of office-bearers for t h e e n su in g year, a n d lo r the
tr a n s a c ti o n of o t h e r bu siness.
On tho m otion of t h e P re s i d e n t, M. R. R. D e w a n B a h a d u r R.
R a g o o n a t h Rao Garoo, th e m e m b e rs ot t h e B r a n c h electcd
M. R. R y . T. S u b b a Row P a n t u l u Garoo, B. A. B. L., as th e P r e s i ­
d e n t for t h e e n s u i n g y e ar. D r. F. H a r t m a n n , of th e P a r e n t T h e o ­
sophical Society, t h a n k e d t h e r e t i r i n g ‘President, lor li is zeal and
e n e r g e ti c w o rk d u r i n g t h e t im e he held the office.
T h e fo llo w in g g e n t l e m e n wore e lected as V i c e - P r c s i d e n t s : —
M. R . R y . D e w a n B a h a d u r R. R a g o o n a th Row Garoo.
„ G. M u t t u s a m y C h e tt y Garoo.
,, P . S r e e n e v a s R o w Garoo.
„ C. V. C u n n ia h C h e tt y Garoo.
,, P. A ro om oog a M o o d a ly a r A v e rgal.
O n e of th e m , Mr. P. S r e e n e v a s Row, was also elected S e c re ta r y ,
t o g e t h e r with M. R . Ry. L. V e n k a t a V a r a d a r a jo o lo o Naidoo
Garoo, a n d M. R. Ry. 11. R, J u y a r a j a Row Garoo, B. A., as
A s s i s t a n t Secretaries.
A t t h e suggest,ion of Mr. S r e e n e v a s Row, two r e so lu tio n s wero
passed, ono of which was Lo tho effect tliat a m e e t in g of th e
B r a n c h sh ou ld be held ou tho e v e n in g of th e first S a t u r d a y iu each
m o n th , for g iv in g L e c t u r e s or re a d in g Essays.
A fte r t h e t r a n s a c t i o n of som e o th e r w ork t h e m e e t in g was
dissolved.
M adras, } P. S r e e n e v a s Row,
9 th May 1881. J Secretary,
T H E M A D R A S T H E O S O P H IC A L SA N SC R IT SCHOOLS,
I n t h e m o n th of A pril 1884 I in sp e c te d all t h e four Theoso­
phical S a n s c r i t Scho ols in f o u r s u b u r b a n c e n t r e s of the city of
M adras, n a m e ly , M y la p o re , T rip lica ne, I ’ed d o o n aik p ett, a n d
G hintadripett.
T h e first t h r e e schools aro th o s e estab lish e d exclusively by the
M a d ra s B r a n c h of t h e T h eo s o p h ic al Society, and th e lust o n e iu
G h i n t a d r i p e t t is an A n g lo -v e rn a c u la r School, th e p r o p r i e t o r of
•which h a s o p e n ed a S a n s c r i t class a ud placcd it u n d e r t h e s u p e r ­
vision of th o T h eo s o p h ic al Society , in co n sid era tio n of t h e l a t t e r
g i v in g h im p e c u n ia ry h e lp e v e r y m o n th .
T h e s t u d e n t s o n t h e R olls a re 25 in the M y la p o re School, 81
in t h e T rip lic a n e School, 35 in t h e I ’e d d o o n a i k p e t t School, and
130 in t h e G h i n t a d r i p e t t School ;—so t h a t in all t h e r e aro 271
c h il d r e n re ce iv in g S a n s c ri t oducatiou u n d e r t h e ausp ices of th e
Theo soph ical Society in th o city of M a d ras. T h e a v e ra g e n um -
bo r of daily a tt e n d a n c e is of course less t h a n t h a t a g g r e g a to
n u m b e r , a n d t h is is o w ing to t h e g e n e r a l causes, a n d also to
t h e pre v alen c e of sm all-pox d o a r a t h e r u n u s u a l ly g r e a t e x te n t
iu th is c it y t h is year. B u t , w i t h all this, th e r e is a tendency
to rise in t h e s t r e n g t h of th e schools.
F u r t h e r , c o n sid e r in g t h e s h o r t t i m e d u r i n g w hich th e schools
h a v e been e x is tin g , t h e infancy of m o s t of th e s t u d e n ts , and
o t h e r c ir c u m s t a n c e s w hich t e n d to o b s t r u c t t h e c o urse of im ­
p r o v e m e n t in all new u n d e r t a k i n g s , —I t h i n k I can safely a sse rt
t h a t tho schools h a v e m a d e a fair p ro g re s s, a n d p ro m is e to yield
b r i g h t r e su R a in f u t u r e ,
 'In th e course of m y inspection it g r i e v e d m e sore to find t h a t
a very few c h ild ren of th e T h e o s o p h is ts a tt e n d e d t h e schools ;
indeed so very few t h a t th ey m a y bo c o u n te d on th e fingers. T his
a p a t h y on t h e p a r t of ou r T heo soph ic al b r e t h r e n is q u ite u n a c ­
c o u n ta b le ; a n d I r e q u e s t t h a t t h e E d u c a tio n a l C o m m itte e of the
T heosophical Society will bo p lea se d to a d o p t t h e necessary step s
to r e m e d y t h is g r e a t defect.
W h ile t h is is so, I h a v e to n o tic e w i t h g r e a t p lea su re tho
m e r ito r io u s act of two g e n tle m e n , w ho h a v e t a k e n a g r e a t in te re s t
in t h e c au se of o u r S a n sc rit Schools, a l t h o u g h th e y are n ot
T heo soph ists. Ono of th em is M r. S. S a u k a ria h , B. A., who is bo th
t h e p r o p r i e t o r a n d H e a d M a ste r of t h e A n g lo - V e r n a c u la r School
in C h i n ta d r i p e l t . H e h a s m a d e th e s t u d y of S a n s c r i t c o m pulsory
in all tho classes, c o m p risin g 130 boys ; a n d h a s w ith a laudable
self-sacrifice a d m itte d a b o u t one h alf of t h a t n u m b e r in to the
S a n s c r i t b ra n c h free of a n y c h a r g e or fee w h a te v e r ; and has
m o reo v e r sub je cted th is b ra n c h to t h e sup e rvisio n of the Theoso­
phical Society. T h e o th e r g e n tl e m a n I refer to is Mr. V .
A p p a d o r a y Pillay. H e ha s placed one half of his house froe of
r e n t a t t h e disposal of t h e T heosophical Society for the use of
t h e P e d d o o n a ik p e lla School ; a n d tak e s a lively i n te r e s t in its
p ro gress. T he t h a n k s of ou r Society are due to t h e s e g e n tl e m e n
for t h e i r unselfish aid in th is g r e a t cause.
" I need h a r d ly m e n tio n t h a t of t h e two o t h e r schools, th e one
in T r ip lic a n e is located in t h e p re m ise s of th e M a d r a s B r a n c h of
t h e T heo soph ic al Society, a n d tho one in M yla po re ia located on
t h e u p s t a ir s of the h o u se of o u r e stee m e d P r e s i d e n t Dewan
B a h a d u r, R. R a g h o o n a t h Row Garoo, who, I am h a p p y to notice,
1ms f u r t h e r m o r e o p e n ed t h r e e V edic classes in which t h re e
t r a i n e d P u n d i t s teach t h e R ig , Y u j u r a n d Sum a V e d a s to about
15 B r a h m i n c h ild re n , g r a t i s of course.
O ne move p o in t which I have to n o te hero is t h a t th e p ecu niary
m ea n s a t the disposal of th e C o m m itte e s of o u r f o u r schools a r e
too lim ited to a d m i t of m u c h m ore i m p r o v e m e n t s b e in g m ade in
th is g r e a t cause. I am afraid t h a t unless t h e staff of tea che rs is
increased, wo shall not be able to receive a n y m o re s t u d e n ts for
i n stru c tio n . I t r u s t t h a t t h e E d u c a tio n a l C o m m itte e of on r
Society will be pleased to give t h e i r b e st c o n sid era tio n to th is a ll ­
a b sorbin g m atte r,
P, SltEENKVAS Row, F. T. S.
M adras, 25 Ih April 1884.
T H E R O H IL K U N D T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y .
T H E R A J S H A H Y E H A R M O N Y T H E O S O P H IC A L SO CIETY.
T he following Officers were elected for t h e c u r r e n t ye ar fo?
“ t h e R a js h a h y e H a r m o n y T heosophieal S o c ie ty ” : —
B a b u K a li P roson no M u k e r j i, ..... President,
„ B a ra d a P ra s a d B asu,......... Vice-President,
„ Sreesh C h u n d e r Roy,......... Secretary,
„ Sree N a t h G h ose ................... Treasurer Sf Aoct,
T IIE COM BACONUM T H E O S O P H IC A L SO C IET Y ,
M. U . liy. Iv. N a r a i n a s a m y I y e r Avergal has been elected
S e c re ta r y , vice M. 11, Ry. S. K r i s h n a Sw am i I y e r Avergal
r e sig n ed .
PR O V ISIO N A L RULE.
Theosophical Society,
P r e sid e n t 's O f f ic e ,
L o n d o n , April 21, 183-1.
A q u e s t i o n h a v in g a ris en a t various places w he re Branches of
th e Society a re estab lish e d w ith re sp ec t to fellowship in m ore
b ra n ch e s t h a n ono, t h e P r e s i d e n t- F o u n d e r , u p o n a re-considera­
tion of t h e whole subject, declares, on behalf of t h e General
Council, t h a t no Fe llow of th e Society can be a m e m b e r of more
th a n one B r a n c h a t th e sam e tim e. A m e m b e r of a B r a n c h
b e com in g a m e m b e r of any o l h e r B ra nch ipso facto g iv e s up hia
previous m e m b e rs h i p .
F e llo w s of Lho Society, who a t th e d a te of th is ru lo a re m em -
he rs of m ore t h a n ono Branch, m u s t Lherefore aL once declare Lo
w hich B ra n ch Lhey elecL lo belo ng when t h is ru l e is b r o u g h t to
th e i r notice. I n t h e a bsence of such d e claration th e y will bo
deem ed to b e lo n g to t h e B r a n c h to which Lhey lasL join ed.
(Signed) H . S. O lc o tt,
President, Theosophical Society.
(T rue copy). '
M on i n i M. C h a t t e r j i ,
Private Secretary.
S P E C I A L O R D E R S O F 183-1.
Miss F . Atmjndai.e, of 77, E lg in C rescent, N o l t i n g TTill, L ond on,
is h e reb y a p p