H.P.

Blavatsky
COLLECTED WRITINGS
VOLUME IV
1882-188
Page xxi
!OREWORD TO VOLUME !OUR
Most of the material in the present Volume appeared in print in collected form
for the first time in 1936, when it was published by Rider !o" in #ondon, under the
title of $he !omplete %or&s of '" P" (la)ats&y" *s was the case with the original
Volumes +, ++, and +++ of the ,eries, a considerable portion of the stoc& of Volume +V
perished in the #ondon -blit.- during the second %orld %ar" *s a result of this, these
earlier Volumes ha)e been unobtainable for many years"
/isco)ery of hitherto un&nown writings from '"P"("0s pen re1uired that the
material be somewhat differently distributed, as far as the four original Volumes are
concerned" $he present Volume is made up of '"P"("0s writings during the years of
1223 and 1223" +t contains therefore some of the material of the original Volume +++
and most of the material of the original Volume +V"
$he text contained now in Volume +V has been chec&ed with the original
sources of publication, and most of the 1uoted matter compared with the originals
and corrected whene)er necessary" * number of explanatory notes and comments
ha)e been added by the !ompiler to clarify points of $heosophical history"
(iographical and (ibliographical information has been collected in the *ppendix, as
is the case with all the Volumes of this ,eries, and a copious +ndex has been prepared"
$he !ompiler wishes to express his gratitude to all those who ha)e helped in the
preparation of this Volume" $heir continued interest and helpful assistance are
gratefully ac&nowledged" $heir names, as gi)en in the 4oreword to Vol" ++, apply to
the present Volume as well"
(5R+, /6 7+R8544"
!ompiler"
#5, *9:6#6, !*#+45R9+*, ;","*"
May 2, 1969
Page xxiii
CHRONOLOGIC"L SURVE#
54 $'6 !'+64 6V69$, +9 $'6 #+46 54 '" P" (#*V*$,8< *9/
!5# '69R< ," 5#!5$$,
4R5M M*R!', 1223, $5 =;96, 1223, +9!#;,+V6"
>the period to which the material in the present )olume belongs?
1 2 2 3
March >middle?@*pproximate time when %m" A" =udge went to !arupano,
,outh *merica, on mining business >'R, 3B? "
March 33C3D@/ates of the ,, Vega incident, in)ol)ing %illiam 6glinton and
Master 8"'" >5/#, ++, 3DBE #(,, #etters 9os" ++, FC(, FC!E 'ints, +, pp" 1G3CH9, in
3nd ed"E Vania, 133?"
March 36@,wImi /ayInanda ,aras)atJ lectures in (ombay and launches an
attac& denouncing the 4ounders and the $"," >Ransom, 169?"
March 31@'"P"(" indicates she is to lea)e on that date for *llahabad and
!alcutta >#(,, pp" 13, 1D?"
*pril G@!ol" 5lcott lectures in !alcutta on K$heosophy, the ,cientific (asis of
Religion,L with (aba Piari !hand Mitra in the !hair >Ransom, 169? "
*pril 6C'"P"(" arri)es in !alcutta by the early mail train" :oes directly to
'owrah to !ol" and Mrs" :ordon, but transfers her residence the same day to the
MahIrIMI0s palace at his express in)itation" 5n the e)ening of the same day the
(engal $heosophical ,ociety is organi.ed at the palace, with (IbN Piari !hand Mitra
as President >5/#", ++, 3DBCD1E Ransom, 169E $heos", +++, ,uppl" to May, 1223? "
*pril 19C$he 4ounders sail for Madras on board the ,, +ndia, arri)ing the 33rd"
Meet for the first time $" ,ubba Row and :" ,oobiah !hetty >5/#", ++, 3D3CD3E
RansomE 1HBE #(,, p" 1D3E $heos", +++, ,uppl, to =une, 1223, p" 1E :" ," !hetty0s
recollections in $heos", Vol" F#V++, Meh", 1936, p" HD1?"
Page xxi)
*pril 36@'","5" deli)ers his lecture on K$he !ommon 4oundation of *ll
Religions,L at Pachiappas 'all, Madras" *ce" to '"P"(", parts of it had been dictated
by one of the $eachers >5/#", ++, 3DDE :" ," !hetty0s recoll" as abo)e?"
*pril 3H@Madras $heosophical ,ociety founded, with /i)In (ahIdur R"
RagunIth RIo as President, and $" ,ubba Row as !orr" ,ec0y >5/#", ++, 3D3CDDE
$heos", +++, ,uppl" to =une, 1223, p" 3?"
*pril 3B@$he 4ounders in company of some of the newlyCadmitted 4ellows go
by rail to $iru)allam, near *rcot, to )isit one of the oldest temples of ,outhern +ndia"
+t is li&ely that '"P"(" saw somewhere in the )icinity one of the *depts said to li)e
there" Return to Madras next day >5/#", ++, 3DDE $heos", +++, ,uppl" to =une, 1223, p"
3E :" ," !hetty0s recoll" as abo)e, p" HD3?"
*pril@*" 5" 'ume publishes 'ints on 6soteric $heosophy, 9o" 1 >Vania, 11B?"
*pril@$he ,innetts go to ,imla and ta&e up residence at a house called the
$endrillsE they are Moined after a time by the :ordons >*utobiogr"?"
May 3@'"P"(" and '","5" start in the e)ening on their trip up (uc&ingham
!anal in a houseboat, on their way to 9ellore and :untur" $hey are accompanied by
se)eral of the newlyCinitiated 4ellows sailing in a second boat" $hey reach 9ellore on
the e)ening of the third day >5/#", ++, 3DHE Ransom, 1HBE $heos", +++, ,uppl" to =une,
1223, pp" 3C3E :" ," !hetty0s recoll" as abo)e, pp" HD3CDG? "
May 1B@$he 4ounders and their party, after organi.ing the 9ellore (ranch, reC
embar& on the same boatsE they disembar& at Padagangam, after an unusually fast trip
due to fa)orable windsE from here they tra)el G G miles to :untur, carried in
palan1uins through some of the most difficult and dangerous terrain, fording streams
and e)ading cobras in a temperature of 1BBO 4ahrenheit" $hey reach destination at
nightfall on the 1Gth" *fter an unprecedented reception on the part of the whole
population, and the founding of a (ranch, the 4ounders lea)e :untur on the e)ening
of the 12th and retrace their way to the (uc&ingham !anal and 9ellore" *fter a stay
of three days, they lea)e May 3Hth by bulloc&Ccarriages for $irupati, the nearest
railway station some se)enty miles off, and return to Madras by rail on May 3Bth
>Vi)id description in 5/#, ++, 3DGC6B, and $heos", +++, ,upplements to =une and =uly,
1223?"
Page xx)
May 31@/ate on which the property of 'uddlestone0s :ardens was found, to
be used as a new 'ead1uarters for the $heosophical ,ociety" $he idea of mo)ing the
'ead1uarters from (ombay to Madras had been suggested by ,oobiah !hetty and
had already been discussed at a meeting of the Madras (ranch >5/#", ++, 36BE :" ,"
!hetty in $heos", Vol" F#V++, Mch, 1936, pp" HDGCD6? " $he 4ounders )isit the
property in company with ," !hetty and his brother" '"P"(" gets an intimation from
her $eacher to secure the property >+bid"E $heos", Vol" #, May, 1939, pp" 11HC19?"
=une@(eginning of strained relations between ,innett and his employer, Mr"
Rattegan, of the Pioneer >*utobiogr"?"
=une@'","5" prepares the /efense Material against ,wami /ayInanda0s attac&,
and has it published as an 6xtra ,upplement to the =uly $heosophist"
=une 2@$he 4ounders return to (ombay >5/#, ++, 361?"
=une@$he 4ounders accept an in)itation to )isit (aroda, the capital of '" '" the
:ae&war" $hey also )isit their friend, the reigning $ha&ur ,ahib of %adhwan, and
then return to (ombay >5/#", ++, 363C62? "
=ulyC6xtra ,upplement to $he $heosophist, Vol" +++, contains a full documentary
account of the relations between the 4ounders and ,wami /ayInanda ,araswatJ
=uly@Re)" *" $heophilus reads before a /iocesan !lerical !onference at
Madras a paper on Khe $heosophical ,ociety, its 5bMects and !reed, its *ttitude
towards !hrist, and its %or& in +ndiaL >Ransom, 1H3?"
=uly 1G@'","5" sails from (ombay to !eylon >5/#", ++, 362C69E Ransom,
1H3?" +t is on this trip that '","5", acting on the direct order of his Master, does his
first healing by mesmeric power >Ransom, 1H3CH3E '"P"R" in footnote in $heos", +V,
*pril, 1223, p" 1G3? "
*ugust@!" !" Massey elected President of the $"," in 6ngland, succeeding /r"
:eorge %yld"
*ugust@/Imodar goes for a month or so to rest and recuperate at Poona,
staying with *" /" 6.e&iel who offered him the hospitality of his houseE his health
had become )ery delicate, owing to persecutions and o)erwor& >$heos", +++, ,uppl" to
*ug", 1223, p" 6? "
,eptember@'"P"("0s health ta&es a turn for the worseE she suffers from (right0s
diseaseE she spea&s of her blood being Ktransformed into waterLE yearns to go and see
the Masters >#(,", 9o" FV+++, p" 3HE Path, F, ,ept", 129G, p" 169? "
,eptember@$hird installment of K4ragments of 5ccult $ruthL published in $he
$heosophist, Vol" +++" Mildly critical remar&s by Master M" concerning this essay
result in great irritation on the part of *" B" 'ume, its author >M#", 9o" F#+++, p" 3G9?
Page xx)i
,eptember >end?@'"P"(" lea)es (ombay for ,i&&im" :oes through (enaresE
thence )ia !alcutta and !handernagore to !ooch (ehar, where she is laid up for three
days with fe)er" ,he is accompanied by a do.en nati)e $heosophists from !alcutta
and four or fi)e (uddhists from !eylon and (urma" Most of them fell ill, and only
the (uddhists followed her to ,i&&im" $he 4oreign 5ffice refuses to gi)e her a pass
to ,i&&im" *s it was too late in the season to go to ,higatse, though it seems to ha)e
been her intention to do so, '"P"(" decides to go to the K#ama MonasteryL some four
days from /arMeelingE she goes on foot accompanied by a few of her original
tra)elling companions, and ta&es eight days to ma&e the Mourney" *t the frontier
between (hutan and ,i&&im, which is a fastCflowing stream, some 6nglishmen and
+ndians were waiting for admission but were refused entry" $he !hief #ama of the
Monastery across the frontier, howe)er, ordered '"P"(" together with three ,inhalese
to be brought o)er, and they stayed there three days >'"P"(" to Prince /ondu&o)C
8orsa&o), in 'P(, ++, pp" 96C1BB?"
5ctober 1@'"P"(" is at :hum, staying apparently at the monastery, some 33
miles from /arMeeling" +t is on this trip that '"P"(" spent two or three days in ,i&&im
in the company of the Masters and was restored to much better health" ,he was told
to go to /arMeeling and to stay there for two months >Path, F, ,ept", 129G, pp" 169C
HBE (lech, 13HC32E #(,", 9o" F+F, p" 32E M#", 9o" #+V, pp" 313C1DE '"P"(" to Prince
/ondu&o)C8orsa&o), as abo)e?"
5ctober 6@," Ramaswamier meets Master M" in ,i&&im >$heos", +V,
/ecember, 1223, pp" 6HC69?"
5ctober@'"P"(" is at $indharia, near /arMeeling, most of the month >M#", 9o"
!F, p" DDGE Path, F, ,ept", 129G, p" 1HBE #(,", 9o" F+F, p" 32? "
5ctober@*pproximate time when two !helas, /arbhagiri 9Ith and !handra
!usho, )isit ,innett at ,imla >*utobiogr"E M#", 9o" !F+, p" DD6? "
5ctober >end?@$he ,innetts lea)e ,imla for *llahabad >*utobiogr"?"
9o)ember@,innett ad)ised by Mr" Rattegan of $he Pioneer that his ser)ices
are no longer re1uired >*utobiogr"E Ransom, 1H3?"
9o)" 1@'","5" sails from !eylon for (ombayE arri)es three days later >5/#",
++, 39B? "
9o)ember >middle?@'"P"(" goes from /arMeeling to *llIhIbId to stay with the
,innetts >6/", 3HC32E 5%", 136C32E *utobiogr"?"
9o)" 1H@(alance of Rs" H,BBB paid by ," !hetty0s father to secure the property
of 'uddlestone0s :ardens and complete its purchase >," !hetty0s recollections in
$heos", Vol" F#V++, Mch", 1936, pp" HD6CDH? "
Page xx)ii
9o)" 3G@'"P"(" returns to (ombay with ," Ramaswamier and se)eral others
who come as delegates to the forthcoming !on)ention >5/#", ++, 391E Ransom, 1H3C
HDE #M%", +, 131?"
/ecember@*pproximate time when %" A" =udge goes to Mexico on sil)er
mining business >$heos", +V, ,uppl" to /ec", 1223, p" 2?"
/ec" 6@#arge gathering at 'ead1uarters in (ombay, at which ," Ramaswamier
tells of his meeting with Master M", and '","5" spea&s of his wor& in !eylon and
shows early portraits of M" and 8"'" >Ransom, 1HD?"
/ec" H@*nni)ersary !elebration of the $"," held at the 4ramMi !owasMi
+nstitute, (ombayE ,innett in the !hair >$heos", +V, ,uppl" to =an", 1223E 5/#", ++,
391E Ransom, 1HD?"
/ec" 1H@$he 4ounders lea)e by train for *dyarE accompanied by the
!oulombs, /Imodar, KMr" /eb,L /ora ,wami 9aidu, and fi)e 'indN ser)ants
>$heos", +V, ,uppl" to =an", 1223, p" 6E =ournal, +, =an", 122D, p" 11E 5/#", ++, 391?"
*rri)e on the 19th >Path, F, ,ept", 129G, pp" 1HBCH1? "1223
1 2 2 3
=anuary@'"P"("0s serial story, 4rom the !a)es and =ungles of 'indostan
originally running in the Mos&o)s&iya Vedomosti >Moscow !hronicle?, begins to be
reprinted in the Russ&iy Vestni& >Russian Messenger?" +t runs through *ugust, 1223,
before being temporarily interrupted"
=an" H@*nnual election of officers at the #ondon (ranch $"," /r" *nna (onus
8ingsford elected PresidentE 6dward Maitland and /r" :eo" %yld >exCpresident?
elected ViceCPresidents" *t the time, /r" 8ingsford is still in Paris >$heos", +V, ,uppl"
to Mch", 1223, pp" DCG E *8", ++, 1B6? "
=anuary >first wee&?@$he 4ounders settle the household at *dyar, buy furniture
>5/#", ++, 393?"
=an" 1D@!ircular issued by '","5" regarding how *dyar was bought and paid
for >$heos", Vol" #FV++, *ug", 19D6, p" 393, fnoteE $heos", Vol" #, May, 1939, pp"
116C12? "
=an" 16@Public reception gi)en to the 4ounders by the Madras nati)e public at
Pachiappa0s 'all" '","5" broaches the idea of organi.ing a 'indu ,unday ,chool
;nion for regular religious instruction of children and as an impetus to the study of
,ans&ritE he proposes that a series of !atechisms and reading boo&s should be
compiled, embodying the fundamental principles of 'indu moral and religious
systems, and containing translations from ,ans&rit classics" Proposal is unanimously
carried >5/#", ++, 39GE $heos", +V, ,uppl" to 4eb", 1223, p" 1? "
Page xx)iii
=an" 3BC4eb" 2@'" '" /aMi RIMI !handra ,inghMee, the young reigning $hI&ur
of the 8IthiIwar ,tate of %adhwIn, )isits *dyar, ha)ing Moined the $"," some time
before >5/#", ++, 39HE $heos", +V, ,uppl" to Mch", 1223, p" G?"
=anuary >P?@$he soCcalled K5ccult RoomL is built, and a wooden cupboard
later called the K,hrineL is hung in it >Vanaa, 1G3?"
=anuary >P?@%" A" =udge meets Mrs" #aura #angford 'olloway in 9ew <or&,
from which results her association with the $"," >'olloway M,, destroyed some
years ago?"
4ebruary@$he $heosophist >Vol" +V, 9o" G? begins to appear from Madras
instead of (ombay"
4eb" 1@*nnouncement in the Pioneer regarding *" P" ,innett0s retirement
>,crapboo& +F?"
4eb" 13@%hile '","5" and the !oulombs wor& in the K5ccult Room,L there
falls a note from Master 8"'" with Rs" 1GB, and the plan of a sanctuary for a statue of
the (uddha with orders to ha)e it constructed >Ransom, 1HHE /iaries, entry of 4eb"
1D, 1223?"
4eb" 1G@!ommandant /" *" !ourmes arri)es in !eylon" 'as an inter)iew with
the 'igh Priest '" ,umangala and is present at the festi)al at 8otahena" 'e is
translating the K4ragments of 5ccult $ruthL into 4rench >$heos", +V, ,uppl" to May,
1223, p" H?"
4eb" 1H@'","5" embar&s for !alcutta on the 4rench mail steamer ,, $ibre, for
a tour of (engal" Reaches destination on the 3Bth, staying at the Palace as the guest of
MahIrIMI ,ir =otendro Mohun $agore >5/#", ++, 392E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to Mch",
1223, p" 1?"
4ebruary >late?@$he ,innetts lea)e *llIhIbId for 6ngland" 4irst to Madras
>6/", 39? "
March 3@$he ,innetts arri)e at Madras on the ,, Verona and are welcomed on
the pier by '"P"(" and others >*utobiogr"E 6/", 39E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to *pril, 1223,
p" H?"
March@4irst traceable use of the K,hrineL for occult purposes, namely by Mrs"
,innett during her stay at *dyar >6/", 39CDB?E *utobiogr"E Vania, 1GD?"
March 9@%hile in !alcutta, '","5" is shown exceptional honors by Pandit
$aranath $ar&a Vachaspati, a (rahmana and !ompiler of a famous ,ans&rit
/ictionary, who coo&ed food and ga)e it to '","5", and then initiated him into his
own gotra and ga)e him the (rahmanical sacred thread and his mantram >5/#", ++,
D1B? "
Page xxix
March 11@4irst religious ,unday ,chool opened by '","5" in !alcutta, with
Mohini Mohun !hatterMi as chief teacher >5/#", ++, D11E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to *pril,
1223, p" H?"
March 13C3B@'","5" tra)els in (engal, heals the sic& and lectures" Visits
8rishnager, /acca>16th?, /arMeeling >33ndC3Dth?, where he meets one of the senior
disciples of the Masters, =essore >32thC39th?, 9arail>3Bth?" 'as )ery large audiences
e)erywhere >5/#", ++, D11"C1HE $heos", +V, ,uppl" to May, 1223, pp" 1C3?"
March@%hile at *dyar, ,innett is engaged writing his 6soteric (uddhismE
sends 1uestions to the $eachers )ia '"P"(" and the K,hrineLE recei)es immediate
reply" 'e is planning to return to +ndia to publish a new =ournal, $he Phoenix, as soon
as capital has been made a)ailable >+nc", 3GHE 6/", 39CDBE Ransom, 1H9?"
March 3B@$he ,innetts sail for 6urope on the P" 5" steamer ,, Peshawar
>#M%", ++, 1D9E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to *pril, 1223, p" H? "
March@+n an article entitled K;nder the ,hadow of :reat 9ames,L published in
$he $heosophist >Vol" +V, p" 13H?, '"P"(" and '","5" declare that under no
circumstances will they communicate with trance mediums after they pass on" '","5"
repeats this some years later >$heos", Vol" F+V, ,uppl" to /ec", 1293, p" xxi)?"
March@$he #adiesQ $heosophical ,ociety formed at !alcutta, with Mrs" *lice
:ordon as President, and Mrs" 8umari /e)i :hosal, daughter of /e)endro 9ath
$agore, as ,ecretary" $he outcome of this mo)ement was the foundation of the
newspaper (hIratJ >5/#", ++, D11E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to *pril, 1223, p" 6?"
*pril 3@'","5" returns to !alcutta for a 3Cday rest >5/#", ++, D1H?"
*pril D@'","5" resumes tra)elling" Visits (erhampur >Gth?, )isiting the 9awab
9a.im of the #ower Pro)inces in his Palace at MurshidIbId, then (hIgalpur >9th?,
=amIlpur >11th?, /umraon >1Gth1Hth?, (uddha :ayI, *rrah, and (In&ipur >19thC
3Bth?" #ectures widely >5/#", ++, D1HC33E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to May and =une, 1223?"
*pril 33C3B@'","5" )isits /arbhangI, RInJganM, ,earsole and (In&urI >5/#",
++, D33C3GE $heos", ,uppl" to =une, 1223?E he is at (urdwIn, !ha&dighi and !hinsura,
May 3C6 >ibid"?"
*pril 36@$he ,innetts reach 6ngland, after stopping at Venice, and going )ia
(asel and !alais >6/", D1E *wtobiogr"?"
May 2@'","5" returns to !alcutta, staying there until 1DthE then goes to
Midnapore >1Hth?, ;lubIria and (hIwInipur >3Bth?" /oes a good deal of healing
>5/#", ++, D3GC36E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to =une, 1223, p" 6? "
Page xxx
May 1H@,innett writes a letter to the #ondon $imes, entitled KPublic 4eeling in
+ndiaL >publ" ,at", May 19th?, which the Master considers most unfortunate >M"#",
9o" #FFF+, p" 32GE #(,", 9o" FFV, p" D2? "
May 3B@/r" *nna (" 8ingsford and 6dward Maitland return to 6ngland, after
a stay in ,wit.erland, to commence their duties in connection with the $"," Mrs" 8"
,uggests that name of the ,ociety be changed to K#ondon #odge of the $heos"
,ocietyL >*8", ++, 119?"
May 31@'","5" returns to !alcuttaE celebrates the first anni)ersary of the
(engal $heos" ,oc", with a large gathering at the $own 'allE lectures on /r" =ames
6sdaile >5/#", ++, D36C32E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to =uly, 1223, pp" 1C1B? "
May 33@'","5" sails for MadrasE arri)es the 3Gth >5/#", ++, D32E $heos", ibid",
p" 13?"
May 36@'","5" recei)es in the 5ccult Room two )ases and a letter from the
Master >M#", 9o" #FV++, p" 3H1E Vania, 1GH, 3D9?"
May@*pproximate time when was published * !ollection of #ectures on
$heosophy and *rchaic Religions deli)ered in +ndia and !eylon, by '" ," 5lcott"
MadrasR *" $heyaga RaMier, 4"$",", 1223 >$heos", +V, ,uppl" to May, 1223, p" 1? " $his
was later expanded into $heosophy, Religion and 5ccult ,cience >#ondonR :eo"
Redway, 122G?"
=une 3@*t a meeting held at 1, *lbert Mansions, Victoria ,t", #ondon, ,"%",
the 6nglish 4ellows decide, at /r" *nna 8insford0s wish, seconded by *" P" ,innett, to
change their name from the (ritish $heos" ,oc", to the #ondon #odge of the $heos"
,ociety" 4rederic& Myers is elected 4ellow >6/", D3E $heos", +V, ,uppl" to *ug",
1223, p" D? "
=une 11 >approx"? @6soteric (uddhism published by $rilbner !o", #ondon
>6/", D3?"
=une 3H@'","5" sails for !olombo, !eylon, on the ,, /orunda, reaching
destination on the 3Bth" %hile in !eylon, sees the :o)ernor and other 5fficials, and
prepares *ppeals for the 'ome :o)ernment and 'ouse of !ommons, in the cause of
defence of the (uddhists against Roman !atholics >5/#", ++, DD1CD3E $heos", +V,
,uppl" to =uly, 1223, p" 13?"
=une 32@#a ,ociStS $hSosophi1ue d05rient et d05ccident founded in Paris, with
#ady Marie, !ountess of !aithness, /uchesse de Pomar, as President >(lech, 1D3E
$heos", +V, ,uppl" to *ug", 1223E '"P"(" to !omm" !ourmes, =uly 1H, 1223, in (lech,
3BC31? "
=uneC#a ,ociStS des 5ccultistes de 4rance chartered in Paris, with /r" 4ortin as
President >as abo)e?"
Page xxxi
86< $5 *((R6V+*$+59,
*8@*nna 8ingsford" 'er #ife, #etters, /iary and %or&, by 6dward Maitland"
3 )ols" +llus" #ondonR :eorge Redway, 1296" 3rd ed", =" M" %at&ins, 1913"
*utobiogr"@ *n *utobiography of *" P" ,innett, dated =une 3rd, 1913, with
additions dated May, 1916, and =an" 3, 193B, which exists in the form of a typewritten
M,," in the *rchi)es of the Mahatma #etters $rust in #ondon"
(lech@!ontribution T l0'istoire de la ,ociStS $hSosophi1ue en 4rance, by
!harles (lech" ParisR 6ditions *dyar, 1933"
/iaries@$he /iaries of !ol" '" ," 5lcott in the *dyar *rchi)es"
6/@$he 6arly /ays o f $heosophy in 6urope, by *" P" ,innett" #ondonR $heos"
Publ" 'ouse, #td", 1933" 136 pp"
'ints@'ints on 6soteric $heosophy, 9o" +, Published *nonymously by *llan
5" 'ume in *pril, 1223E another edition is of 19B9"
'ist" Retr"@* 'istorical Retrospect of $he $heosophical ,ociety, 12HGC1296,
by !ol" '" ," 5lcott, Madras, 1296"
'P(, ++@'"P"(" ,pea&s, Vol" ++" 6dited by !" =inarIMadIsa" *dyar, MadrasR
$heos" Publ" 'ouse, 19G1" x)i, 121 pp"
+nc"@ +ncidents in the #ife o f Madame (la)ats&y, by *" P" ,innett" #ondonR
:eorge RedwayE 9ew <or&R =" %" (outon, 1226"
=ournal@=ournal of $he $heosophical ,ociety, Madras, +ndia" $itle for the
,upplement to $he $heosophist, from =anuary to /ecember, 122D" $wel)e issues, pp"
1C162"
#(,@$he #etters o f '" P" (la)ats&y to *" P" ,innett, and 5ther Miscellaneous
#etters" $ranscribed, !ompiled, and with an +ntrod" by *" $" (ar&er" 9ew <or&R
4rederic& *" ,to&es !o", 193D" x)i, DBD pp"
Page xxxii
#M% +@#etters from the Masters of the %isdom, 1221C1222" $rancribed and
!ompiled by !" =" 4irst ,eries" %ith a 4oreword by *nnie (esant" *dyar, MadrasR
$heos" Publ" 'ouse, 1919" 13D pp"E 3nd ed", 1933E 3rd ed", 19DGE Dth ed", with new
and additional #etters, cowering period 12HBC19BB, publ" in 19D2"C,econd ,eries"
*dyarR $heos" Publ" 'ouse, 193GE !hicagoR $he $heos" Press, 1936" 3BG pp", fats"
M#@$he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett >from the Mahatmas M" and 8"'" ? "
$ranscribed, !ompiled and with an +ntrod" by *" $" (ar&er" #ondonR $" 4isher ;nwin,
/ecember, 1933E 9ew <or&R 4rederic& *" ,to&es !o", 1933" xxx), D93 pp"E 3nd re)"
ed", #ondonR Rider !o", 1936E 3rd re)" ed", *dyar, $heos" Publ" 'ouse, 1963"
5/#@5ld /iary #ea)es, by 'enry ,teel 5lcott" ,econd ,eries, 12H2C23"
*dyarR $heos" Publ" 'ouse, 19BB" $he original edition contains nine illustrations, all
of them being )iews of the $heos" ,ociety0s 6state at *dyar" (eing too faded for
further reproductions, eight of these ha)e been eliminated from the 3nd ed, of 1932"
Path@$he Path" Published and 6dited in 9ew <or& by %" A" =udge" Vols" +CF,
*pril, 1226CMarch, 1296 incl"
Ransom@* ,hort 'istory of $he $heosophical ,ociety" !ompiled by =osephine
Ransom" %ith a Preface by :" ," *rundale" *dyar, MadrasR $heos" Publ" 'ouse,
1932" xii, G91 pp"
,crapboo&@'"P"("0s ,crapboo&s in the *dyar *rchi)es"
$heos@ $he $heosophist" !onducted by '" P" (la)ats&y" (ombay >later
Madras? R $he $heos" ,ociety, 5ctober, 12H9@, in progress >Volumes run from
5ctober to ,eptember incl" ? "
Vania@Madame '" P" (la)ats&y, 'er 5ccult Phenomena and the ,ociety for
Psychical Research, by 8" 4" Vania" (ombay, +ndiaR,at Publ" !o", 19G1" xi), D22 pp"
Page 1
1223
" NEEDED E$PL"N"TION
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 139V
* )alued friend and correspondent in ;pper +ndia writesR
%e ha)e not had the pleasure of hearing from you since your return to (ombay"
%e do not want to trespass upon your most )aluable time, but we do earnestly pray
that you will be pleased to write to us once a month, should you find leisure"
$his is from the President of one of our +ndian branch ,ocieties, and we print
the extract that we may thus answer many of li&e tenor that are recei)ed by the
4ounders" ,ince the $heosophical ,ociety was established we two ha)e had to do all
its more important wor&E not because our colleagues ha)e been at all unwilling to
share the burden, but because en1uirers ha)e seemed, li&e the patients of a popular
doctor, or the clients of a leading lawyer@reluctant to ta&e ad)ice or instructions
from any one in the ,ociety, but oursel)es" $his was well enough in the infancy of
our mo)ement, and by wor&ing late in the night, sometimes all night long, the year
round, we managed for the first three years to &eep up with our official duties" (ut
our coming to +ndia doubled, perhaps trebled, the calls upon our time" %e were not
relie)ed from our %estern correspondence, while at the same time the whole )olume
of en1uiries, naturally pro)o&ed among the people of *sia by our coming, poured in
upon us besides" ,o our maga.ine was determined upon, and in the Prospectus issued
at (ombay, in =uly 12H9, it was stated that Kthe rapid growth of the ,ociety and of the
correspondence between the 6xecuti)e and the ,ocietyQs branches in )arious
6uropean countries, and with the *ryan, (uddhist, Parsi and =ain scholars who ta&e a
deep interest in its wor& " " " has made necessary the publication of the present
Mournal"L
Page 3
$here is a limit both to physical endurance and to the number of hours in a day"
%ith the most bene)olent wishes to oblige, the 4ounders cannot engage to regularly
correspond with anybody, whether in or outside the ,ociety" $hey will do their best,
but our friends will &indly remember that neither !ol" 5lcott, with lecturing
engagements enough to brea& down a man of less iron endurance, nor the 6ditor of
$he $heosophist with the cares of its management and her indispensable Mourneys
about +ndia for se)eral months each year, can in fairness be reproached for failure to
&eep up pri)ate correspondence e)en with relati)es or nearest personal friends" $he
more so, when they reflect that much of the guidance and instruction as&ed, can be
found in the pages of our Maga.ine"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3
THE HERMETIC BRETHREN%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 139C1DB V
K" " " " %e of the secret &nowledge do wrap oursel)es in mystery, to a)oid the
obMurgation and importunity or )iolence of those who concei)e that we cannot be
philosophers unless we put our &nowledge to some ordinary worldly use" $here is
scarcely one who thin&s about us who does not belie)e that our society has no
existenceE because, as he truly declares, he ne)er met any of us " " " %e do not come,
as he assuredly expects, to that conspicuous stage upon which, li&e himself, as he
desires the ga.e of the )ulgar, e)ery fool may enterE winning wonder, if the manQs
appetite be that empty wayE and when he has obtained it, crying outR X#o, this is also
)anityYQ L
/r" 6dmund /ic&inson, physician to 8ing !harles the ,econd a professed
see&er of the hermetic &nowledge, produced a boo& entitled, /e Auintessentia
PhilosophorumR which was printed at 5xford in 1626, and a second time in 1HBG" " " "
+n correspondence with a 4rench adept, the latter explains the reasons why the
(rothers of the Rosy !ross concealed themsel)es" *s to the uni)ersal medicine,
6lixir Vitae, or potable form of the preternatural menstruum, he positi)ely asserts that
it is in the hands of the K+lluminated,L but that, by the time they disco)er it, they ha)e
ceased to desire its uses, being far abo)e themE and as to life for centuries, being
wishful for other things, they decline a)ailing themsel)es of it" 'e adds, that the
adepts are obliged to conceal themsel)es for the sa&e of safety, because they would
be abandoned in the consolations of the intercourse of this world >if they were not,
indeed, exposed to worse ris&s? supposing that their gifts were pro)en to the
con)iction of the bystanders as more than humanE when they would become simply
intolerable and abhorrent"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 6xtracted from $he Rosicrucians by 'argra)e =ennings, pp" 3DC3G >=ohn !amden 'otten,
Piccadilly, %" #ondon"? 4urther on, we gi)e a re)iew by this able writer of Mr" ,innettQs $he 5ccult
%orld" $hese passages, as the author tells us, Koccur in a letter published by some anonymous
members of the RoseC!roix, and are adduced in a translation from the #atin by one of the most
famous men of the order, who addressed from the ;ni)ersity of 5xford about the period of 5li)er
!romwellE to which ;ni)ersity the great 6nglish Rosicrucian, Robertus /e 4luctibus >Robert
4lood? also belonged, in the time of =ames the 4irst and !harles the 4irst"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D
$hus, there are excellent reasons for their conduct, they proceed with the utmost
caution, and instead of ma&ing a display of their powers, as )ainglory is the least
distinguishing characteristic of these great men, they studiously e)ade the idea that
they possess any extraordinary or separate &nowledge" $hey li)e simply as mere
spectators in the world, and they desire to ma&e no disciples, con)erts, nor
confidants" $hey submit to the obligations of life, and to relationshipsZ@enMoying the
fellowship of none, admiring none, following none, but themsel)es" $hey obey all
codes, are excellent citi.ens, and only preser)e silence in regard to their own pri)ate
con)ictions, gi)ing the world the benefit of their ac1uirements up to a certain pointR
see&ing only sympathy at some angles of their multiform character, but shutting out
curiosity wholly where they do not wish its imperati)e eyes"
$his is the reason that the Rosicrucians pass through the world mostly
unnoticed, and that people generally disbelie)e that there e)er were such persons or
belie)e that, if there were, their pretensions are an imposition" +t is easy to discredit
things which we do not understand" " " "
%e came across the abo)e, the other day, in the course of reading, and copy it to
show that the difficulty which our sceptical public feels in crediting the existence of
the transC'imalayan recluses is no new thing" $he Meering pleasantry of *rchdeacon
(aly, who told the !hurch Missionary !on)ention that K$heosophy was a new
religion based on Muggling tric&sL is but the echo of the sneers of the generations in
which $homas Vaughan, Robert 4ludd, !ount de ,aintC:ermain, $heophrastus
Paracelsus and other K'ermeticL philosophers li)ed and studied" 5ur $heosophical
,ociety pays the penalty of its reaffirmation of the $ruth of 'ermetic ,cience, not
merely in recei)ing the worldQs ridicule, but also in ha)ing it try to ignore a deal of
honest wor& of the practical sort, which we ha)e done, and are doing"
+t is cheering, therefore, to find a bit of sound sense in, at least, one +ndian
paper" ,ays our excellent *mrita (a.aar Patri&aR
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 9ot at all in e)ery instanceR it depends upon the degree of their ad)ancement, their earthly ties
snapping one after the other as their new spiritual ones are formed" U'"P"("V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G
%e hail the appearance of the =anuary number of $he $heosophist with more
than ordinary pleasure" +t is as usual replete with interesting matter, but the chief
interest of the number is centered in an account of the doings of !olonel 5lcott in
!eylon published in the ,upplement" %e are sorry we ha)e not space enough to
record all that he has done there, but this we say, that the !olonel may fairly claim
that, whether there be K'imalayan (rothersL or not, there is at least one white man
who is acting li&e a brother to the ,inhalese and will, as occasion permits it, act
similarly to the 'indus" +f it be not as&ing too much, we would re1uest the !olonel to
come to the city of Palaces and enlighten the !alcutta public on subMects with which
he is so familiar and which are calculated to do so much good to the 'indu nation@
subMects of which most of our educated young men are so lamentably ignorant"
#et this be our sufficient answer to the silly though, as alleged, Kmostly
inspirationalL article by the author of #ife beyond the :ra)e >,piritualist of =an" 13?
entitled K,piritual ,elfishness"L $he writer affirms that the K'imalayan (rothers " " "
wrap themsel)es in mystery and pretend to ha)e a mission to perform, but they ma&e
no sign of accomplishing itL and further that KMadame (la)ats&y " " " cannot show
that any practical good comes of being a $heosophist" %e ha)e not heard that she has
benefitted humanity by being a $heosophist"L " " " Perhaps, some members of our
)arious (ranches throughout +ndia and !eylon, who ha)e participated in our practical
wor&, may also feel KinspiredL to correct the rather unfortunate KinspirationL of the
author of #ife beyond the :ra)e"
Page 6
BUDDHIST MOR"LS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 1D3V
+n a recent issue of the !hina Mail appears an account of the destruction of the
K$emple of #onge)ity,L one of the richest and most famous (uddhist Viharas at
!anton, !hina, by an infuriated mob of (uddhist laymen" 4or some time past
complaints ha)e been made of the immoral li)es of the priests of this temple, but they
appear to ha)e neglected paying attention e)en to warnings from the 9amChoi, !hief
Magistrate" *t last three women were seen to enter the building, an outcry was made,
the populace rushed in, but the women had escaped by the bac& door" $he mob,
howe)er, found KladiesQ toiletCboxes, ornaments and embroidered shoes,L and
thereupon beat and dro)e out the priests, and tore the ancient building stone from
stone until not a )estige remained" 6)en this did not satisfy their outraged sense of
propriety, for, the Mail tells us, they set fire to the ruins and consumed the last stic&
of its roof timbers that lay in the wrec&" +t is said that the >*bbot? !hief Priest fell
upon his &nees before the 9amChoi, and implored his help, but was made to feel the
force of his %orshipQs toe after being reminded that Ktimely warnings had been
disregarded"L $he Magistrate, on the 1Gth 9o)ember last, issued an official
proclamation beginning as followsR K%hereas the priests of the !hQeungC,hau
monastery ha)e disobeyed the official proclamation by allowing women to enter the
temple and detaining them there, and the people of the neighbourhood ha)e suddenly
surrounded and set fire to the building, the superior authorities ha)e now ordered a
detachment of o)er a thousand soldiers to be stationed along the streets to extinguish
what fire there be still remaining,L etc"
Page H
$he proclamation contains not one word in censure of the act of retributionE
from which it is to be inferred that it met with official appro)al"
$urning to (ishop (igandetQs excellent wor& on (urmese (uddhism, $he #ife,
or #egend, of :audama, etc", we find >pp" 39B, 391? thatR
KPopular opinion Uin (urmaV is inflexible and inexorable on the point of
celibacy, which is considered as essential to e)ery one that has a pretension to be
called a Rahan Uin !eylon termed Rahat, or *rahatV" $he people can ne)er be brought
to loo& upon any person as a priest or minister of religion unless he li)es in that state"
*ny infringement of this most essential regulation on the part of a $alapoin, is )isited
with an immediate punishment" $he people of the place assemble at the 8iaong
UVihara, templeV of the offender, sometimes dri)ing him out with stones" 'e is
stripped of his clothes@and often public punishment, e)en that of death, is inflicted
upon him by order of :o)ernment" $he poor wretch is loo&ed upon as an outcast, and
the woman whom he has seduced shares in his shame, confusion, and disgrace" ,uch
an extraordinary opinion, so deeply rooted in the mind of a people rather noted for
the licentiousness of their manners, certainly deser)es the attention of e)ery diligent
obser)er of human nature"LZ
$he sociologist will be struc& with the stern regard here seen to be felt both
among the !hinese and (urmese (uddhists for the reputation of their priests" $he
same feeling pre)ails in $ibet, where one who is included in the sacerdotal order,
whether as lama or ordained priest, is punished with death for breach of the rule of
chastity" 'e and the woman are either bound together with ropes and flung into the
nearest stream or pond to drown, or buried to the chin in the ground and left to die by
inches" $he la)ish honour shown to the (uddhist priesthood in all (uddhistic
countries, is the popular tribute to the supposed high moral excellence of a class of
men who profess to imitate the character, and follow the precepts of #ord (uddha"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UPages 36GC66 in the Rangoon, 12G2 ed" ,1uare brac&ets are '"P"("Qs@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 2
*nd candour will compel e)ery fair man to say with the Romish (ishop of
Rangoon, that their moral characters are, as a rule, blameless" #a.y they are beyond
doubt and too often selfish and ignorantE but the cases of sexual indulgence among
members of the ,angha are comparati)ely )ery rare" !ol" 5lcottQs experience, in
!eylon, tallies with (ishop (igandetQs, in (urma" $he )engeance ta&en upon recreant
priests in !hina and (urma is the more impressi)e since we can recall no instance
among !hristians of religious houses ha)ing been demolished by mobs, because of
the immoralities of clergymen or priests" *nd yet there has been pro)ocation of that
sort often enough gi)en, unless rumour has belied some worldCfamous Re)erends and
some thousands more of their profession in 6urope and *merica"
WWWWWWWWWW
REINC"RN"TIONS IN TIBET
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 1D6C1D2V
,o little is &nown by 6uropeans of what is going on in $ibet, and e)en in the
more accessible (hutan, that an *ngloC+ndian paper@one of those which pretend to
&now, and certainly discuss e)ery blessed subMect, whether they really &now anything
of it or not@actually came out with the following bit of )aluable informationR
+t may not be generally &nown that the /eb RaMa of (hutan, who died in =une
last, but whose decease has been &ept dar& till the present moment, probably to
pre)ent disturbances, is our old and successful opponent of 126C6G" " " " " $he (hutan
:o)ernment consists of a spiritual chief called the /hurm RaMa, an incarnation of
(uddha UP Y YV who ne)er dies@and a ci)il ruler called the /eb RaMa in whom is
supposed to centre all authority"
Page 9
* more ignorant assertion could hardly ha)e been made" +t may be argued that
K!hristianL writers belie)e e)en less in (uddhaQs reincarnations than the (uddhists of
!eylon, and, therefore, trouble themsel)es )ery little, whether or not they are
accurate in their statements" (ut, in such a case, why touch a subMect at allP #arge
sums are annually spent by :o)ernments to secure old *siatic manuscripts and learn
the truth about old religions and peoples, and it is not showing respect for either
science or truth to mislead people interested in them by a flippant and contemptuous
treatment of facts"
5n the authority of direct information recei)ed at our 'ead1uarters, we will try
to gi)e a more correct )iew of the situation than has hitherto been had from boo&s"
5ur informants are firstly@some )ery learned lamasE secondly@a 6uropean
gentleman and tra)eller, who prefers not to gi)e his nameE and thirdly@a highly
educated young !hinaman, brought up in *merica, who has since preferred to the
luxuries of worldly life and the pleasures of %estern ci)ili.ation, the comparati)e
pri)ations of a religious and contemplati)e life in $ibet" (oth of the two lastCnamed
gentlemen are 4ellows of our ,ociety, and the latter@our K!elestialL (rother, losing,
moreo)er, no opportunity of corresponding with us" * message from him has been
Must recei)ed )ia /arMeeling"
+n the present article, it is not much that we will ha)e to say" (eyond
contradicting the 1ueer notion of the (hutanese /harma RaMa being Kan incarnation
of (uddha,L we will only point out a few absurdities, in which some preMudiced
writers ha)e indulged"
+t certainly was ne)er &nown@least of all in $ibet@that the spiritual chief of
the (hutanese was Kan incarnation of (uddha, who ne)er dies"L $he K/ugCpaZ or
Red !apsL belong to the old [ingmapa sect, who resisted the religious reform
introduced by $songC8haCpa between the latter part of the fourteenth and the
beginning of the fifteenth centuries"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he term K/ugCpaL in $ibet is deprecatory" $hey themsel)es pronounce it K/\gCpaL from the root
Kto bindL >religious binders to the old faith?E while the paramount sect@the :elu&pas >yellow caps?
@and the people, use the word in the sense of /ugCpa mischiefCma&ers, sorcerers" $he (hutanese
are generally called /ugCpa throughout $ibet and e)en in some parts of 9orthern +ndia"
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Page 1B
+t was only after a lama coming to them from $ibet in the tenth century had
con)erted them from the old (uddhist faith@so strongly mixed up with the (\n
practices of the aborigines@into the ,hammar sect, that, in opposition to the
reformed K:elu&pas,L the (hutanese set up a regular system of reincarnations" +t is
not (uddha though, or K,angCgyasL@as he is called by the $ibetans@who incarnates
himself in the /harma RaMa, but 1uite another personageE one of whom we will spea&
later on"
9ow what do the 5rientalists &now of $ibet, its ci)il administration, and
especially its religion and its ritesP $hat, which they ha)e learned from the
contradictory, and in e)ery case imperfect statements of a few Roman !atholic
mon&s, and of two or three daring lay tra)ellers, who, ignorant of the language, could
scarcely be expected to gi)e us e)en a birdQsCeye )iew of the country" $he
missionaries, who introduced themsel)es in 1H19 stealthily into #hasa,Z were
suffered to remain there but a short time and were finally forcibly expelled from
$ibet" $he letters of the =esuits, /esideri, and =ohann :rueber, and especially that of
4ra della Penna, teem with the greatest absurdities"] !ertainly as superstitious, and
apparently far more so than the ignorant $ibetans themsel)es, on whom they father
e)ery ini1uity, one has but to read these letters to recogni.e in them that spirit or
odium theologicum felt by e)ery !hristian, and especially !atholic missionary, for
the KheathenL and their creedsE a spirit which blinds one entirely to the sense of
Mustice" *nd when could ha)e been found any better opportunity to )entilate their
mon&ish illChumour and )indicti)eness than in the matter of $ibet, the )ery land of
mystery, mysticism and seclusionP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 5ut of twel)e !apuchin friars who, under the leadership of 4ather della Penna, established a
mission at #hasa nine died shortly after, and only three returned home to tell the tale" >,ee
9arrati)es of the Mission of :eorge (ogle to $ibet, etc", by !lements R" Mar&ham !"(",
4"R","E#ondonR $r^bner !o", 12H6, pp" #ixClx" ?
] ,ee *ppendix to 9arrati)es, etc", by !" R" Mar&ham"
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Page 11
(eside these few preMudiced Khistorians,L but fi)e more men of 6urope e)er
stepped into $ibet" 5f these, three@(ogle, 'amilton and $urner@penetrated no
farther than its borderlandsE Manning@the only 6uropean who is &nown to ha)e set
his foot into #hasaZ@died without re)ealing its secrets, for reasons suspected,
though ne)er admitted, by his only sur)i)ing nephew@a clergymanE and !soma de
8\r\s, who ne)er went beyond 7ans&ar, and the lamasery of Ph_gCdal"]
$he regular system of the #ama`c incarnations of K,anggyasL >or (uddha?
began with $songC8haCpa" $his reformer is not the incarnation of one of the fi)e
celestial /hyanis, or hea)enly (uddhas, as is generally supposed, said to ha)e been
created by ,a&ya Muni after he had risen to 9ir)ana, but that of K*mita,L one of the
!hinese names for (uddha" $he records preser)ed in the :ompa >lamasery? of
K$ashiC#h^npoL >spelt by the 6nglish $eshu #umbo? show that ,angCgyas incarnated
himself in $songC8hapa in conse1uence of the great degradation his doctrines had
fallen into" ;ntil then, there had been no other incarnations than those of the fi)e
celestial (uddhas and of their (odhisatt)as, each of the former ha)ing created >read,
o)ershadowed with his spiritual wisdom? fi)e of the lastCnamed@there were, and
now are in all but thirty incarnations@fi)e /hyanis and twentyCfi)e (odhisatt)as"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %e spea& of the present century" +t is )ery dubious whether the two missionaries 'uc and :abet
e)er entered #hasa" $he #amas deny it"
] %e are well aware that the name is generally written Pugdal, but it is erroneous to do so" KPugdalL
means nothing, and the $ibetans do not gi)e meaningless names to their sacred buildings" %e do not
&now how !soma de 8\r\s spells it, but, as in the case of PhoCtaCla of #hasa loosely spelt
KPotalaL@the lamasery of Ph_gCdal deri)es its name from Ph_gCpa >ph_g@eminent in holiness,
(uddhaCli&e, spiritualE and pa@man, father?, the title of K*)alo&ite[)ara,L the (odhisatt)a who
incarnates himself in the $aleyC#ama of #hasa" $he )alley of the :anges where (uddha preached
and li)ed is also called KPh_gCyul,L the holy, spiritual landE the word ph_g coming from the one root
@Ph_ or Ph\ being the corruption of 4o >or (uddha?, as the $ibetan alphabet contains no letter 4"
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Page 13
+t was because, among many other reforms, $songC8haCpa forbade necromancy
>which is practiced to this day with the most disgusting rites, by the (\ns@the
aborigines of $ibet@with whom the Red !aps, or ,hammars, had always
fraterni.ed?, that the latter resisted his authority" $his act was followed by a split
between the two sects" ,eparating entirely from the :elu&pas, the /ugpas >Red !aps?
@from the first in a great minority@settled in )arious parts of $ibet, chiefly its
borderlands, and principally in 9epal and (hutan" (ut, while they retained a sort of
independence at the monastery of ,I&yaC=ong, the $ibetan residence of their spiritual
>P? chief :ongCsso Rinpoche, the (hutanese ha)e been from their beginning the
tributaries and )assals of the $aleyC#amas" +n his letter to %arren 'astings in 1HHD,
the $ashiC#ama, who calls the (hutanese Ka rude and ignorant race,L whose K/eb
RaMa is dependent upon the $aleyC#ama,L omits to say that they are also the
tributaries of his own ,tate and ha)e been now for o)er three centuries and a half"
$he $ashiC#amas were always more powerful and more highly considered than the
$aleyC#amas" $he latter are the creation of the $ashiC#ama, 9abangC#ob ,ang, the
sixth incarnation of $songC8haCpa@himself an incarnation of *mitabha, or (uddha"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$he official lists of the $aleyC#amas and the $ashiC#amas, printed and published by the $ashiC
#h^npo monastery in $ibet, record that the first $aleyC#ama was instituted in 1D19, following the
passing of $songC8haCpa" 4urthermore, 9abangC#obC,ang >in $ibetan spelling 9agCdbangCb#oC
b,angE underlined letters not being pronounced? was the fifth $aleyC#ama >he may be termed the
sixth when $songC8haCpa is included, although the latter is not included in the $ashiC#h^npo
printing?" Moreo)er, it was the $aleyC#ama 9abangC#obC,ang who instituted his re)ered teacher,
b#oCbsang chQosC&yi rhyalCmtsQan >1G69C1663? as the first :rand #ama of $ashiC#h^npo, thus
establishing the $ashiC#ama 'ierarchy, according to the official listing" ,ince both :rand #amas
had the name of #obC,ang, the confusion is easily accounted for" >!f" $he (uddhism of $ibet, or
#amaism, #" *" %addell, compiler, pp" 333C36"?
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 13
$his hierarchy was regularly installed at #hasa, but it originated only in the latter half
of the se)enteenth century"Z
+n Mr" !" R" Mar&hamQs highly interesting wor& abo)e noticed, the author has
gathered e)ery scrap of information that was e)er brought to 6urope about that terra
incognita" +t contains one passage, which, to our mind, sums up in a few words the
erroneous )iews ta&en by the 5rientalists of #amaism in general, and of its system of
perpetual reincarnation especially"
" " " +t was, indeed, at about the period of 'iuenC$hsangQs Mourney that (uddhism
first began to find its way into $ibet, both from the direction of !hina and that of
+ndiaE but it came in a )ery different form from that in which it reached !eylon
se)eral centuries earlier" $raditions, metaphysical speculations, and new dogmas had
o)erlaid the original ,criptures with an enormous collection of more recent
re)elation" $hus $ibet recei)ed a )ast body of truth, and could only assimilate a
portion for the establishment of a popular belief" ,ince the original ,criptures had
been con)eyed into !eylon by the son of *[o&a, it had been re)ealed to the de)out
(uddhists of +ndia that their #ord had created the fi)e /hyani or celestial (uddhas,
and that each of these had created fi)e (odhisattwas, or beings in the course of
attaining (uddhaChood" $he $ibetans too& firm hold of this phase of the (uddhistic
creed, and their distincti)e belief is that the (odhisattwas continue to remain in
existence for the good of man&ind by passing through a succession of human beings
from the cradle to the gra)e"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,ays Mr" Mar&ham in $ibet >Preface, p" xl)ii?R K:edunCtubpa U:anden $ruppaV, another great
reformer, was contemporary with $songC8haCpa, ha)ing been born in 1339, and dying in 1DHD
Uha)ing thus li)ed 13G yearsV" 'e built the monastery at $eshu #umbo U$ashiC#hunpoV in 1DDG, and
it was in the person of this perfect #ama, as he was called, that the system of perpetual incarnation
commenced" 'e was himself the incarnation of (odhisatt)a Padma Pani, and on his death he
relin1uished the attainment of (uddhahood that he might be born again and again for the benefit of
man&ind" %hen he died, his successor was found as an infant, by the possession of certain di)ine
mar&s"L
U:anden $ruppa was the grandnephew of $songC8haCpa and the first $aleyC#amaE the 5fficial #ist
of the $aleyC#amas state that his birth too& place in 1391 and his death in 1DHG"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 1D
$his characteristic of their faith was gradually de)eloped, and it was long before
it recei)ed its present formEZ but the succession of incarnate (odhisattwas was the
idea towards which the $ibetan mind tended from the first" *t the same time, as Max
M^ller saysR K$he most important element of the (uddhist reform has always been its
social and moral code, not its metaphysical theories" $hat moral code, ta&en by itself,
is one of the most perfect which the world has e)er &nownLE and it was this blessing
that the introduction of (uddhism brought into $ibet" >+ntroduction, pp" xl)Cxl)i"?
$he KblessingL has remained and spread all o)er the country, there being no
&inder, purerCminded, more simple or sinCfearing nation than the $ibetans, missionary
slanders notwithstanding"]
WWWWWWWWWW
Z +ts KpresentL is its earliest form, as we will try to show further on" * correct analysis of any
religion )iewed but from its popular aspect, becomes impossible@least of all #amaism, or esoteric
(uddhism as disfigured by the untutored imaginati)e fer)our of the populace" $here is a )aster
difference between the K#amaismL of the learned classes of the clergy and the ignorant masses of
their parishioners, than there is between the !hristianity of a (ishop (er&eley and that of a modern
+rish peasant" 'itherto 5rientalists ha)e made themsel)es superficially ac1uainted but with the
beliefs and rites of popular (uddhism in $ibet, chiefly through the distorting glasses of missionaries
which throw out of focus e)ery religion but their own" $he same course has been followed in
respect to ,inhalese (uddhism, the missionaries ha)ing, as !ol" 5lcott obser)es in the too brief
Preface to his (uddhist !atechism, for many years been taunting the ,inhalese with the Kpuerility
and absurdity of their religionL when, in point of fact, what they ma&e UfunV of is not orthodox
(uddhism at all" (uddhist fol&lore and fairy stories are the accretions of twentyCsix centuries"
] $he reader has but to compare in Mr" Mar&hamQs $ibet the warm, impartial and fran& praises
bestowed by (ogle and $urner on the $ibetan character and moral standing and the enthusiastic
eulogies of $homas Manning to the address of the $aleyC#ama and his people, with the three letters
of the three =esuits in the *ppendix, to enable himself to form a decisi)e opinion" %hile the former
three gentlemen, impartial narrators, ha)ing no obMect to distort truth, hardly find sufficient
adMecti)es to express their satisfaction with the $ibetans, the three Kmen of :odL pic& no better
terms for the $aleyC#amas and the $ibetans than Ktheir de)ilish :od the 4atherL " " " K)indicti)e
de)ilsL Kfiends who &now how to dissemble,L who are Kcowardly, arrogant, and proudL " " " Kdirty
and immoral,L etc", etc", etc", all in the same strain for the sa&e of truth and !hristian charityY
WWWWWWWWWWW
Page 1G
(ut yet, for all that, the popular #amaism, when compared with the real esoteric,
or *rahat (uddhism of $ibet, offers a contrast as great as the snow trodden along a
road in the )alley, to the pure and undefiled mass which glitters on the top of a high
mountain pea&"Z * few of such mista&en notions about the latter, we will now
endea)our to correct as far as it is compatible to do so"
(efore it can be clearly shown how the (hutanese were forcibly brought into
subMection, and their /harma RaMa made to accept the KincarnationsL only after these
had been examined into, and recogni.ed at #hasa, we ha)e to throw a retrospecti)e
glance at the state of the $ibetan religion during the se)en centuries which preceded
the reform" *s said before, a #ama had come to (hutan from 8ham@that pro)ince
which had always been the stronghold and the hotCbed of the K,hammarL or (\n
rites]@between the ninth and tenth centuries, and had con)erted them into what he
called (uddhism" (ut in those days, the pure religion of ,a&ya Muni had already
commenced degenerating into that #amaism, or rather fetishism, against which four
centuries later, $songC8haCpa rose with all his might" $hough three centuries had only
passed since $ibet had been con)erted >with the exception of a handful of ,hammars
and (\ns?, yet esoteric (uddhism had crept far earlier into the country" +t had begun
superseding the ancient popular rites e)er since the time when the (rahmins of +ndia,
getting again the upper hand o)er *[o&aQs (uddhism, were silently preparing to
oppose it, an opposition which culminated in their finally and entirely dri)ing the
new faith out of the country"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z *s 4ather /esideri has it in one of his )ery few correct remar&s about the lamas of $ibet, Kthough
many may &now how to read their mysterious boo&s, not one can explain themL@an obser)ation
byCtheCby, which might be applied with as much Mustice to the !hristian as to the $ibetan clergy"
>,ee *pp", $ibet, p" 3B6"?
] $he ,hammar sect is not, as wrongly supposed, a &ind of corrupted (uddhism" but an offshoot of
the (\n religion@itself a degenerated remnant of the !haldean mysteries of old, now a religion
entirely based upon necromancy, sorcery and soothCsaying" $he introduction of (uddhaQs name in it
means nothing"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 16
$he brotherhood or community of the ascetics &nown as the (yangCtsiub@the
K*ccomplishedL and the KPerfectL existed before (uddhism spread in $ibet, and was
&nown, and so mentioned in the preC(uddhistic boo&s of !hina as the fraternity of the
Kgreat teachers of the snowy mountains"L
(uddhism was introduced into (odCyul in the beginning of the se)enth century
by a pious !hinese Princess, who had married a $ibetan 8ing,Z who was con)erted
by her from the (\n religion into (uddhism, and had become since then a pillar of
the faith in $ibet, as *[o&a had been nine centuries earlier in +ndia" +t was he who
sent his minister@according to 6uropean 5rientalistsE his own brother, the first #ama
in the country@according to $ibetan historical records@to +ndia" $his brother
minister returned Kwith the great body of truth contained in the (uddhist canonical
,criptures, framed the $ibetan alphabet from the /e)anagari of +ndia, and
commenced the translation of the canon from ,ans&rit@it had pre)iously been
translated from Pali, the old language of Magadha into ,ans&rit@into the language of
the country"L >,ee Mar&hamQs $ibet, p" xl)i"?]
;nder the old rule and before the reformation, the high #amas were often
permitted to marry, so as to incarnate themsel)es in their own direct descendants@a
custom which $songC8haCpa abolished, strictly enMoining celibacy on the #amas"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z * widely spread tradition tells us that after ten years of married life, with her husbandQs consent,
she renounced it, and in the garb of a nun@a :elongCma, or K*ni,L she preached (uddhism all o)er
the country, as, se)eral centuries earlier, the Princess ,anghamitta, *[o&aQs daughter, had preached
it in +ndia and !eylon"
] (ut, what he does not say >for none of the writers, he deri)es his information from, &new it? is
that this Princess is the one, who is belie)ed to ha)e reincarnated herself since then in a succession
of female #amas or Rim ani@precious nuns" /urMiay PanCmo of whom (ogle spea&s@his $ashi
#amaQs halfCsister@and the superior of the nunnery on the #a&e <am dogCtso or Palti #a&e, was one
of such reincarnations"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 1H
$he #ama 6nlightener of (hutan had a son whom he had brought with him" +n
this sonQs first male child born after his death the #ama had promised the people to
reincarnate himself" *bout a year after the e)ent@so goes the religious legend@the
son was blessed by his (hutanese wife with triplets, all the three boysY ;nder this
embarrassing circumstance, which would ha)e floored any other casuists, the *siatic
metaphysical acuteness was fully exhibited" $he spirit of the deceased #ama@the
people were told@incarnated himself in all the three boys" 5ne had his 5m, the other
his 'an, the third@his 'oong" 5r >,ans&rit?R (uddha@di)ine mind, /harma@
matter or animal soul, and ,angha@the union of the former two in our phenomenal
world" +t is this pure (uddhist tenet which was degraded by the cunning (hutanese
clergy to ser)e the better their ends" $hus their first #ama became a triple incarnation,
three #amas, one of whom@they say@got his Kbody,L the other, his KheartL and the
third, his@word or wisdom" $his hierarchy lasted with power undi)ided until the
fifteenth century, when a #ama named /ugpa ,habCtung, who had been defeated by
the :elu&pas of :anden $ruppa,Z in)aded (hutan at the head of his army of mon&s"
!on1uering the whole country, he proclaimed himself their first /harma RaMa, or
#ama Rinpoche@ thus starting a third K:emL in opposition to the two :elu&pa
K:ems"L (ut this K:emL ne)er rose to the eminence of a MaMesty, least of all was he
e)er considered a K:em of #earningL or wisdom" 'e was defeated )ery soon after his
proclamation by $ibetan soldiers, aided by !hinese troops of the <ellow ,ect, and
forced to come to terms" 5ne of the clauses was the permission to reign spiritually
o)er the Red !aps in (hutan, pro)ided he consented to reincarnate himself in #hasa
after his death, and ma&e the law hold good for e)er"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he builder and founder of $ashiC#h^npo >$eshuClumbo? in 1DDGE called the KPerfect #ama,L or
Panchhen@the precious Mewel, from the wordsR Panchhen, great teacher, and KRimpoche,L precious
Mewel" %hile the $aleyC#ama is only :yalpo Rimpoche, or Kgem of &ingly maMesty,L the $ashiC
#ama of ,higatse is Panchhen Rimpoche or the :em of %isdom and #earning"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 12
9o /harma RaMa since then was e)er proclaimed or recogni.ed, unless he was
born either at #hasa or on the $ashiC#h^npo territory" *nother clause was to the effect
that the /harma RaMas should ne)er permit public exhibitions of their rites of sorcery
and necromancy, and the third that a sum of money should be paid yearly for the
maintenance of a lamasery, with a school attached where the orphans of Red !aps,
and the con)erted ,hammars should be instructed in the K:ood /octrineL of the
:elu&pas" $hat the latter must ha)e had some secret power o)er the (hutanese, who
are among the most inimical and irreconcilable of their RedCcapped enemies, is
pro)ed by the fact that #ama /ugpa ,habCtung was reborn at #hasa, and that to this
day the reincamated /harma RaMas are sent and installed at (hutan by the #hasa and
,higatse authorities" $he latter ha)e no concern in the administration sa)e their
spiritual authority, and lea)e the temporal go)ernment entirely in the hands of the
/ebCRaMa and the four PanClobs, called in +ndian official papers Penlows, who in their
turn are under the immediate authority of the #hasa officials"
4rom the abo)e it will be easily understood that no K/harma RaMaL was e)er
considered as an incarnation of (uddha" $he expression that the latter Kne)er diesL
applies but to the two great incarnations of e1ual ran&@the $aley and the $ashiC
#amas" (oth are incarnations of (uddha, though the former is generally designated as
that of *)alo&ite[wara, the highest celestial /hyani" 4or him who understands the
pu..ling mystery by ha)ing obtained a &ey to it, the :ordian &not of these successi)e
reincarnations is easy to untie" 'e &nows that *)alo&ite[wara and (uddha are one as
*mitaCphoZ >pronounced 4o? or Ksaintly menL >adepts? teaches upon this subMect, is
not to be re)ealed to the world at large"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z +n $ibetan pho and pha@pronounced with a soft labial breathCli&e sound@means at the same
time Kman, father"L ,o phaCyul is nati)e landE phoCnya, angel, messenger of good newsE phaCme,
ancestors, etc"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 19
*mitaC(uddha is identical with the former" %hat the mystic doctrine of the
initiated KPh_gCpaL or $he little that can be gi)en out will be found in a paper on the
K'oly #haL which we hope to publish in our next"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U9o such paper, essay or article has e)er been identified or located, although there is a certain
amount of information on the subMect in )arious miscellaneous material from '" P" ("Qs pen"@
!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
&OOT-HOOMI IN "USTR"LI"
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 1D9V
5ur friend Mr" $erry, of Melbourne, is fortunate in ha)ing access to a
clair)oyante of exceptionally good lucidity, as he informs us" Auite recently she
claims to ha)ing seen in her trances the 8amaCrupa >double? of a li)ing man, who is
thus described by Mr" $erry in a letter recei)ed by us by the last *ustralian mail"
*n intelligence clothed in human form, wearing an 6astern costume, and ha)ing
a dar& complexion, but not so dar& as the a)erage 'indoo, professing to be 8ootC
'oomi, presented himself to my clair)oyante, and + con)ersed with him" $hough
there was nothing in the con)ersation inconsistent with the character assumed, there
were still no proofs of identity" + will experiment further" + must ha)e e)idence as a
basis of belief"
$he description is )ague and may suit any one of some thousands of 8ashmiris
and (rahmins of )arious families 8ootC'oomi is, in fact, of a light complexion"
'a)ing as&ed his attention to the foregoing, we are authori.ed to say on his behalf
that he will not yet affirm or deny the truth of this )ision" Mr" $erry promises to ma&e
further experiments, the issue of which he will await" %e will say howe)er, that 8" '"
has before now both been seen by clair)oyants, and KcontrolledL a medium, as we are
told"
Page 3B
WHICH THE TRUTH' "ND WHICH " LIE(
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 16BV
4or if the truth of :od hath more abounded through my lie unto his gloryE yet
am + also Mudged as a sinnerPL
@Romans, iii, H"
Mr" =oseph !oo&, in one of his ex1uisite lectures at (ombay @ namely, that of
=anuary 19 @ de)oted generally to the enlightenment of the benighted nati)es of this
city, on the beatific truths of missionary !hristianity, and especially to the demolition
of ,piritualism and $heosophy@came down )ery hard upon the former" K$hat
wretched mo)ement,L he said >,piritualism?, which had supporters only Kamong the
halfCeducated populations in the great *merican towns " " " had been doing immense
mischief in the ;nited ,tates " " " ,piritualism was composed of se)enCtenths of fraudE
twoCtenths of ner)ous delusion, and in the remaining oneCtenth " " " nothing was in it,
or ,atan was in it " " "L Personally, he had not Kthe honour of a distant ac1uaintance
with ten of the ,piritualists who deser)ed to be called men of any intellectual breadth
and culture " " "L
+t may, therefore, interest our readers to &now that this great lecturer who
thundered against the ,piritualists and oursel)es, was at one time unintellectual
enough to attend a ,piritualistic sSance at (oston to test the )eracity of ,piritualistic
phenomenaE and also truthful enough, for once, to put his name and autograph
signature to the little letter we reproduce for the benefit of our readers" +t is needless
to say where all rightCminded +ndians ha)e to see& for truthR whether in the present
ranting speeches of Mr" !oo& or in the modest letter which he has deigned to sign"
Page 31
9ow that Mr" !oo& has put himself at a safe distance from the $heosophists, and
has again ta&en to the pleasant tas& of slandering us in the city of !alcutta, we may as
well show him in his true colours" %e draw, therefore, the attention of those of our
friends in the K!ity of PalacesL who may not ha)e seen the (ombay :a.ette of
4ebruary 1H, to a letter which appeared on that date in that paper" %e 1uote it
)erbatim with a re1uest to put it side by side with his lecture of =anuary 19 and to
Mudge for themsel)es of the reliability of the statements of the Re)" gentleman" %e
would say nothing further than this, that Mr" !oo& seems to ta&e scrupulously for his
guidance in life the )erse from the Romans placed as a motto at the head of our
remar&s"
>4rom the (ombay :a.ette of the 1Hth 4ebruary, 1223?
MR" =5,6P' !558 *9/ $'6 ,P+R+$;*#+,$,"
$o the 6ditor of the (ombay :a.ette"
,ir,@Mr" =oseph !oo&, when recently lecturing here, expressed himself )ery
scornfully of ,piritualism and all its wor&s"
+f you will refer to page 3G of a wor&, $he ,cientific (asis of ,piritualism
published in (oston by !olby and Rich, 1221, you will see Mr" =oseph !oo&Qs
signature to an account of certain phenomena which he )ouches for as not explicable
by any theory of fraud" 'ere is the whole extractR@
Report of the 5bser)ers of the ,argent experiment in Psychography in (oston,
13th March, 122B"
*t the house of 6pes ,argent, on the e)ening of ,aturday, March 13, the
undersigned saw two clean slates placed face to face, with a bit of slate pencil
between them" %e all held our hands clasped around the edges of the two slates" $he
hands of Mr" %at&ins, the psychic, also clasped the slates" +n this position we all
distinctly heard the pencil mo)ing, and, on opening the slates, found an intelligent
message in a strong masculine hand, in answer to a 1uestion as&ed by one of the
company"
*fterwards, two slates were clamped together with strong brass fixtures, and held at
armQs length by Mr" !oo&, while the rest of the company and the psychic had their
hands in full )iew on the tableY
*fter a moment of waiting, the slates were opened, and a message in a feminine
hand was found on one of the inner surfaces" $here were fi)e lighted gas burners in
the room at the time"
Page 33
%e cannot apply to these facts any theory of fraud, and we do not see how the
writing can be explained unless matter, in the slate pencil, was mo)ed without
contact"
>,igned"? 4" 6" (;9/<, M"/"
/o" 6P6, ,*R:69$"
/o" =5'9 !" 8+996<"
/o" '69R< :" %'+$6"
/o" =5,6P' !558"
(oston, March 13, 122B"
+t is further mentioned in the boo& in 1uestion that KMr" !oo& was well abused
by the religious Mournals for testifying to what he saw"L $he abuse has e)idently not
been thrown away upon Mr" !oo&E it has con)erted him from the error of his ways,
and he now see&s to con)ert others by abusing them in his
[part of this page is lost...]
CORRECT DE!INITIONS "ND INCORRECT INSINU"TIONS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 161C163V
* wise and Must interpretation of the main obMects of our ,ociety was gi)en by
our esteemed contemporary the Mahratta of Poona in its issue of =anuary 33" ,ays the
editorialR
%hen we reduce the definition of $heosophy to the simplest form, we find that
$heosophy is nothing but wa&ing up nati)es to &now and to feel that they are nati)es"
+f we are right, in defining $hesophy, and we hope we are $heosophy appears to
approach nearer the future religion of +ndia, than does !hristianity or any other
foreign religion" $heosophy, so far as we ha)e been able to &now, tries to create
nothing new, casts no slur upon any religion of +ndia, and abo)e all, is intended to
&eep the fire of nationality ali)e in the breast of e)ery nati)e" 5neQs religion, caste
and creed are e)er dear to him, and, if any attempts are desirable to create anything
li&e an +ndian nation made of one people, professing the same caste, spea&ing the
same language, fired by the same lo)e of their country, han&ering after the same goal
of ambition, ha)ing the same li&es and same disli&es, in short, it can only be done by
infusing a feeling of ;ni)ersal (rotherhood"
Page 33
$heosophy, unli&e !hristianity, tries to bring about the consummation, de)outly
to be wished, not by destroying but by constructing the materials at present existing
in +ndia" !olonel 5lcott, Madame (la)ats&y, and their brother $heosophists,
naturally, therefore, resent any insult gi)en to us, our ancient religions and
institutions"
%e heartily than& our colleagues of the Mahratta for these &ind and profoundly
true words" $hey are rightE and that paper is thus one of the first, though we sincerely
hope it will not be the last, to appreciate, at their correct )alue, our humble but
unselfish and untiring efforts toward the reali.ation >howe)er partial? of that which
has hitherto been always regarded by the pessimists as a )ain UbutV glorious utopia"
$hat our labour@a labour of lo)e though it be, yet one which had, since its )ery
beginning, to be carried on by its pioneers through thorny and roc&y paths@begins to
be appreciated by the nati)es, is our best reward" 6)idently our *ryan (rothers
commence percei)ing that our ,ociety is not 1uite the dar& plotting centre full of
manCtraps and threatening secret moti)es it is usually represented to be, by our
cruelest enemiesE nor is its wor& confined to, or solely bent upon, bringing the nati)es
bac& to Kdegrading beliefs and superstitions in an anthropomorphic and now long
exploded supernaturalismL@as some other less cruel, still uncompromising
opponents of ours would maintain, ignorantly pronouncing both the $heosophical
mo)ement and our occult experiments >the latter indeed but a )ery small part of its
wor&? no better than a delusion and a snare"
$hen, there is another of our friendly and patriotic contemporaries, *mrita
(a.aar Patri&a, also noticing the ,ociety and showing as &ind an appreciation of our
wor& as we can e)er hope for, by saying thatR K$he society has done one great good,
and we feel that e)en here, in (engal" People ha)e learnt to respect their forefathers,
and their philosophy, their ci)ili.ation and religion"L *nd K$he anni)ersary ceremony
of the $heosophical ,ociety was a )ery successful one this year"
Page 3D
%e wish our educated men would lay to heart the sage counsels of !olonel
5lcott, the PresidentC4ounder of the ,ociety"L
$hus, to refute the ignorant and male)olent insinuations of the Materialists, and
the no less ignorant, and perchance, still more male)olent accusations of some
,piritualists, we ha)e but to refer them to some nati)e papers in +ndia and to the
hundreds of letters we recei)e from all parts of the great Peninsula, than&ing us@
some enthusiastically@for the Kgreat wor& of national regenerationL we ha)e
underta&en" ,o strong is the animus of the ,piritualists against us whom they ought to
regard@were they wise@and treat as their (rothers, that seldom do we recei)e our
wee&ly number of the ,piritualist without finding in it half a do.en malicious flings
at the $heosophists" $hus the ,piritualist of =anuary 13@a number nearly entirely
de)oted to !olonel 5lcott and Madame (la)ats&y, the former being ta&en to tas& for
his K6lementaries,L and the latter for her Kspiritual selfishnessLZ@opens with an
editorial K* (lot in (uddhaQs #ife"L %e ha)e rarely come across a column in which
the subMect treated was made so transparently subser)ient to the animus of the author,
directed against the obMect of his attac&" $he great (uddha, and the alleged desertion
of his young wife are used as a weapon to hit our President with" K!olonel 5lcott,
formerly a ,piritualist, afterwards a $heosophist, seems now to ha)e turned a
(uddhist, for he has been establishing (uddhist schools in !eylon, and has written a
(uddhist !atechism which is circulating extensi)ely in +ndia " " "L 'ence@the fling
at (uddha@Lthe great religious teacher of 6astern nationsL from no admirer of
whom@Kha)e we e)er heard any comment upon a dar& feature of (uddhaQs life,
assuming for the moment that he e)er li)ed at all and that his supposed career is not a
myth"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $o ma&e his point a little clearer, and our K,elfishnessL the more apparent, the KinspiredL writer
ought to ha)e used at least the word K$heosophicalL instead of K,piritual"L $he title of his article
pays bac& the compliment in the same coin to the ,piritualists themsel)es"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3G
$hus, rather assume utter ignorance of an historical factZ than miss an
opportunity of hitting >as he hopes but fails to? !olonel 5lcott, who from a
,piritualist and a $heosophist has Kturned (uddhist"L %e pity the writer, capable of
exhibiting such a spirit of narrowCminded )indicti)eness, that it crowds out entirely,
e)en to an appearance of logical reasoning in him" =ust as though a (uddhist could
not be at the same time a $heosophist and e)en a ,piritualistY $he writer is cordially
in)ited to add to the abo)e three appellations those of a (rahmin and a Parsi, as
!olonel 5lcott, notwithstanding his (uddhist religion, wor&s with as much fer)our
for the regeneration and purification of dying (rahminism and 7oroastrianism as he
does for his coCreligionists" 'a)ing laid the foundation of a national (uddhist 4und
for the spread of education in !eylon, he is preparing to do the same for the 'indus
and Parsis" %e are a K;ni)ersal (rotherhood,L let it be remembered" 5ur ,ociety
represents no one faith or race, but e)ery faith as e)ery raceE and each of those
KheathenL who Moin us,] because of their mystical and religious inclinations, do so
with an ardent obMect of understanding the hidden beauties of their ancient and
respecti)e creeds the betterE with a hope of fathoming@by brea&ing through the thic&
crust of bigoted dogma@the depths of true religious and spiritual thought" *nd, as
each of them di)es into the apparently fathomless abyss of metaphysical abstractions
and 6astern symbology, and clears away the accumulated rubbish of the ages, he
disco)ers that one and the same $R;$' underlies them all" +n what other religion of
our day can be found the noble uni)ersal tolerance for all other faiths such as taught
in (uddhismP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %e ad)ise the writer of the editorial to turn to Prof" Max M^llerQs !hips, Vol" +, p" 319, *rt"
K(uddhism,L in which the learned ,ans&ritist established Kthe true historical characterL of the
4ounder of (uddhism and ta&es to tas& e)en ,ir %" =ones for his identifying (uddha with mythical
heroes"
] Many are those who Moin for 1uite different and )arious obMects" %e spea& here but of the mystics"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 36
%hat other creed enforces such practical proofs of brotherly lo)e and mutual
toleration better or more effectually than does the godless faith preached by the 'oly
Master ,a&yaCMuniP $ruly might we repeat with Professor Max M^ller, that there are
sentences in the inscriptions of 8ing *[o&a Kwhich might be read with ad)antage by
our own missionaries, though they are now more than 3BBB years old"L ,uch
inscriptions on the roc&s of :irnar, /hauli and 8apurdigiri as@
KPiyadasi, the &ing belo)ed of the gods, desires that the ascetics of all creeds
might reside in all places" *ll these ascetics profess ali&e the command which people
should exercise o)er themsel)es and the purity of the soul" (ut people ha)e different
opinions and different inclinations"L *nd againR
K* man ought to honour his faith onlyE but he should ne)er abuse the faith of
others " " " $here are e)en circumstances where the religion of others ought to be
honoured" *nd in acting thus, a man fortifies his own faith and assists the faith of
others"LZ
'ad our President found in !hristianity and ,piritualism the same precepts
practically exemplified, he might, perhaps, at this hour, ha)e remained as he was"
'a)ing found in both, howe)er, nought but dogmatism, bigotry and an unrelenting
spirit of persecution, he turned to that which to him appears the consummation of the
ideal of brotherly lo)e and of freedom of thought for all"
%e regret then to find the spirit of such dogmatic intolerance in a leading
spiritual paper ad)ocating a mo)ement which professes to be an impro)ement upon
sectarian !hristianity" +t throws no additional lustre upon the writerE but repeating his
wordsR KRather the re)erse"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U+talics are by '" P" ("@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3H
STR"NGE M"NI!EST"TIONS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++ 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 163C163V
$o the 6ditor of $he $heosophist"
M*/*M6,
5n the last page of 9o" D of Psychic 9otes, a correspondent is made to state that
he, together with a few friends, Kout of mere curiosity and for the fun of the thing,L
arranged a series of sSances" $he first was unsuccessful, but the remaining ones were
producti)e of proofs innumerable" *nd yet none of the parties present was a
KconMurer, mesmerist, medium or spiritualistLY
+s this possibleP + always thought that the presence of a medium at seances was
a necessary condition of manifestations" 5r can it be that some one at the sSances in
1uestion was@if that were possible@an unconscious mediumP
<our opinion will be highly )alued by
<ours obediently,
'"
$he possible explanation of such manifestations can be found only in one of the
following three hypothesesR
>1? $he presence of a medium@either conscious or unconscious,
>3? $he presence of an adept, or his influenceE although no adept would trouble
himself with such@>what to him are?@trifles" 5r@which is the most probable@
>3? $he combined result of the magnetic aura of the persons present, forming a
strong battery" $his would be )ery li&ely to produce such manifestations, whether
there were a medium present or not"
9o fourth hypothesis we can thin& of would answer"
Page 32
WHIPPED INTO "DMISSION
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 163C16DV
%hen the 'eliocentric system was finally and irretrie)ably established, and no
escape from it was found possible, the !hurch, letting go the K=oshua stopping the
sunL miracle, passed the word among the faithful, and the@K%e ha)e always said
soL@policy was swiftly adopted" %hen, after denying pointblan& occult phenomena,
denouncing them from first to last as an outCandCout Mugglery, and calling names all
those who belie)ed in them, the !i)il and Military :a.ette of #ahore found itself
badly cornered by the determined testimony of a cle)er, professional conMurer, who,
refusing to ma&e his good faith subser)ient to public preMudice, confessed to Mr"
6glintonQs phenomena being Kgenuine,L it forthwith turned round and declared that it
is all as it should be, and that the :a.ette had ne)er denied it" #i&e the Kfi)e foolish
)irginsL of the parable, who forgot their oil and fell asleep o)er their lamps, it now
&noc&s at the door, and tries to assure the public that it has always &ept Kwide awa&eL
o)er the subMect, and that it has ne)er been caught nodding or &ic&ing in its beatific
sleep of blan& denial" 5f course notR it was but collecting its thoughts" *nd now that
the K(ridegroomL in the shape of an undeniable phenomenon is there, the outcome of
the :a.etteQs profound meditations may be found in the following ungraceful
admission, and the still more clumsy attempt at an explanation"
Mr" 8ellar, the conMurer Usays the :a.etteV, is )ery much surprised by what he
experienced at a spiritualist sSance held recently at 9o" 1, !ommercial (uildings,
!alcutta" Mr" 8ellar has himself been doing some )ery surprising things in the way of
ri)alling the spiritualist feats but what he saw on this occasion in the matter of flying,
or floating, as he terms it, beats anything that could be achie)ed, he says, e)en by
Messrs"
Page 39
Mas&elyne and !oo&" *mong other things, he describes how he held on to a Mr"
6glinton, who, rising into the air, actually lifted Mr" 8ellar se)eral inches off his feetY
$his case of the conMurer outCconMured, has occurred before in the ancient times, as no
doubt our readers may remember ha)ing read, and when such a one finds himself
beaten at his own weapons, we can understand his feeling surprised and
o)ercrowded" *s far as we can gather from his description of the sSance in the +ndian
/aily 9ews, the position of these floating gentlemen is not so safe as it might be" 4or
instance, Mr" 6glinton, while high in air, Kfell hea)ily on the tableL owing to another
gentleman who held Mr" 8ellarQs left hand ha)ing let go" 9or, indeed, ha)e the
neophytes 1uite a pleasant time of it, for Mr" 8ellar says that at one time his chair was
Mer&ed from under him with great force, a rude practical Mo&e which shows that the
spirits ha)e not, at any rate, learned manners in their disembodied state" %e cannot
understand that, in the present stage of scientific progress, a man li&e Mr" 8ellar,
presumably familiar with all the actual and possible de)elopments of han&yCpan&y,
should be surprised at anything" 'e has probably seen and heard a good deal of
mesmerism and electroCbiology" 'e no doubt can himself practice that familiar feat of
the power of will called forcing a card" 'e &nows that we are at present in the *" ("
!" of the science of 6lectricity and Magnetism, of which one of the lessC&nown
de)elopments is called odyllic force" +f the magnetic power of some men can be
supposed to actually mould li)ing beings to their will, and act at pleasure on all their
ner)es and senses, ma&ing them smell, taste, see feel, spea&, mo)e@actually thin&@
at the fantasy of the operator, there should be nothing wonderful in another
de)elopment of the same gal)anic power, mo)ing tables and chairs, carrying pianos
through the air, or playing )iolins" %hen Mr" 6glinton has disco)ered the means of
applying the magnetic current of many Moined hands and many subdued wills to
o)ercome the power of gra)ity on his own person, before many years are out,
doubtless, this de)elopment of gal)anic science will be applied to some useful
purpose, instead of being merely an instrument of han&ypan&y" *t present it is
doubtless in the aw&wardness of its extreme infancy, for it exposes the operator to the
ris& of brea&ing his nec&, and it is applied in such an exhausting and inartistic way as
to lea)e those who exercise it, utterly prostrate, at the end of an exhibition, li&e an
exhausted /ufaure box" $he human mind appears unable to reali.e that there are as
good fish in the sea of nature as e)er came out of it" 5ne would ha)e supposed that,
at the present stage of scientific disco)ery, our minds would ha)e been in a recepti)e
state, ready to admit any wonder sufficiently pro)ed by e)idence@ say by the same
amount of e)idence on which we would hang a man" (ut no" * says to ( K+ ha)e
ne)er seen a sea serpent, ha)e youPL
Page 3B
K9o,L says ( Kand no more has !@Lso the rest of the alphabet, all gra)e, discreet,
respectable letters may swear to the sea serpent, of whose existence they ha)e been
eyewitnessesE but * and ( Kwho would belie)e them in a matter of murderL will not
belie)e them regarding the existence of a monster conger eel" %e only say this by
way of example" 4ar be it from us to assert the existence of this eel, though MaMor
,enior, the 'umane ,ociety Medallist, saw, described, and drew it in the :ulf of
*den" (ut incredulity, be it remembered, existed in the case of the 8ra&en, till two
fishermen one day cut off and brought to the ,a)ants eighteen feet of one of that
disagreeable !alameryQs tentacles" *nd so it is, and will be, in the matter of the
floating and banMoCplaying of Mr" 6glinton and his brother spiritualists, till some fine
day one of the scientific electricians ta&es out a patent for charging human beings
with gal)anic power, after the same manner that a /ufaure box is charged with
electricity"
$his is what we should call Ka turnCcoat policyL effected with the dexterity of a
K/a)enport (rother"L $o hear the !i)il and Military :a.ette reproaching other people
for not &eeping their minds Kin a recepti)e state, ready to admit any wonder
sufficiently pro)ed on e)idenceL is as amusing as to read of the con)erted wolf in the
:olden #egend preaching !hristianity in the /esert" 9ot later bac& than in =uly last,
the :a.ette sweepingly proclaimed e)ery experimenter in occult science and medium
@an impostor and a Muggler, as e)ery $heosophist and ,piritualist@a deluded fool"
*nd now it admits that the world is Kin the *"("! of the ,cience of 6lectricity and
MagnetismLY@ a fact enounced and repeated in our Mournal ad nauseam us1ue@and,
falls bac& upon Kthe lessC&nown de)elopments of odyllic forceL@we spell it odylic@
with a readiness 1uite proportionate to its denial of that force but a few months bac&"
+n the cases of le)itation, howe)er, we suspect the :a.etteQs scientifically trained
mind would find itself at sea altogetherE and our bene)olent contemporary would
ha)e to see&, in its great perplexity, counsel with the $heosophical ,ociety" $he
le)itation phenomenon has nought to do with the odylic frea&s of the electricity
&nown to orthodox science, but e)erything with the mystery of the interchange of
correlati)e forces" %e published the &ey to it four years ago in +sis ;n)eiled >Vol" +,
pp" xxiiiCxxi), *rt" K*ethrobasyL?"
Page 31
#et any manQs body be charged >whether consciously or otherwise? with the
polarity of the spot which supports him >be it a natural soil, or a floor of whate)er
description? and the similar polarity will shoot his body off in the air li&e a childQs
balloon" +t is no reason because the possibility of such a polaric assimilation has not
yet come under the obser)ation of the Royal ,ociety, why some descendants of those
whose forefathers ha)e experimented for numberless ages upon the hidden powers of
the human body@should not ha)e cogni.ance of it" 9aturally@the power manifests
itself, but in extremely rare cases@in some ner)ous diseases of that &ind which baffle
science in all its phasesE to produce it artificially, the person who guides it must be
partially, if not wholly, ac1uainted with that which, in the ,ans&rit wor&s on
5ccultism, is called the K9a)a 9idhiL or the nine Mewels of RaMaC<oga"Z $he most
perfect K,amadhi,L the highest of the K,iddhisL of K'athaC<ogaL can at best guide the
subMect to the threshold of the world of in)isible matter, not to those of the world of
spirit, where the hidden and subtler potencies of nature lie dormant until disturbed " " "
(ut as this will pro)e :ree& to the !i)il and Military :a.ette, we ha)e to spea& to it
in its own language" (y saying that the day may come when human beings will be
charged with gal)anic power@Lafter the same manner that a /ufaure box is charged
with 6lectricity,L@it enounces a piece of news which is one but to itself" (esides
which, it sounds li&e prophesying the disco)ery of gunpowder during the middle
ages" $he K,cientific electriciansL will come a cycle too late" $he Kcharging of human
beingsL with a power of which the !i)il and Military :a.ette has not e)en dreamt of,
was disco)ered ages ago, though the disco)erers thereof ha)e ne)er claimed
recognition at the KPatent 5ffice"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he student of <oga philosophy must not confound these nine degrees of +nitiation with the
K*shta ,iddhisL or the minor eight degrees of K'athaC<oga"L +n &nowledge and powers, the latter
stand in the same proportion to the former as rudiments of *rithmetic to the highest degrees of
Mathematics"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 33
MISCELL"NEOUS NOTES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 1G6,166V
U+n connection with a disco)ery by /r" Vincent Richards that permanganate of
potash was a good antidote against cobra poison"V
*nd should /r" Richards be pre)ailed upon to disco)er as )aluable an antidote
to the far more )irulent poison of the slanderCtongued *ngloC+ndian missionary, the
$heosophists and the KheathenL would )ote him a statue@at the top of K!rowQs
9est"LZ
WWWWWWWWWW
U+n connection with )arious emotional outbursts on the part of the ,al)ation
*rmy in +ndia, and the unsa)ory reputation of some of its fanatical missionaries"V
$he correspondent laughs at thisE we do not, for we ha)e studied history and
belie)e in cycles and recurring e)ents" $o buy the right of caricaturing the =esuits,
society had to spend the li)es of fifty millions of human beings burnt ali)e, tortured
to death, and otherwise &illed during that period of !hristianity when the !hurch
reigned supreme"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$he name of the 4oundersQ residence in (ombay"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 33

$he ancestors of K/on (asilio,L RosinaQs music teacher, ha)e a bloody record,
which oceans of witty Mo&es can hardly obliterate"Z !ruelty is the child of fanaticism,
and history is full of examples of the children of martyrs of one &ind or another
ha)ing become oppressors and tyrants" 9ay, the )ery martyrs of a maMority
themsel)es, ha)e often been &nown to turn around when the smart of their own
sufferings had been forgotten in the flush of subse1uent triumph, and to bully, wrong,
or torture a new generation of heterodox" 5f all cruel bigots, the ,panish !atholics
ha)e, perhaps, earned the most shameful reputation" $heir sa)agery towards the =ews
and heretics in ,pain, and the wild +ndians of their newCfound *mericas, ma&es a
dar& blot upon the history of the race"
UPertinent 1uote from MaMor =" %" Powell, ;","*", explorer of the !olorado
Ri)er, regarding ,panish cruelty"V
'ow much less ready to do so, are they of the K,al)ation *rmyPL %ere not the
strong hand of modern law efficient to repress these KredChot, bloodCandCfire
soldiers,L they would not only menacingly hiss but might also burn"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his is apparently a reference to K(asilL or K(asile,L and K/on (a.ile,L in (eaumarchais0
comedies, #e (arbier de ,S)ille and #e Mariage de 4igaro" +n the former, Rosina is a !ountess, and
in the latter she is a young girl, the ward of don (artolo" /on (a.ile taught her singing in both
plays" 'e is the personification of a calumniating, niggardly bigot, and a clerical humbug dealing
largely in calumny and slander"WW!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
THE R"ST GO!T"R IN HOT W"TER
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, ,upplement, March, 1223, p" 3V
U!ommenting on a correspondentQs letter which called attention to a )iolent
attac& on !olonel 5lcott in the Parsi =ournal Rast :oftar, '" P" (la)ats&y wroteRV
%e feel deeply grateful to our correspondent for the expression of his good
feelings on behalf of our President" (ut, as we suspect that in the long run it is the
KdissatisfiedL editor of the Rast :oftar who will find himself the best >as the most
Mustly? abused of the two, we express beforehand our feeling of profound and
sympathetic pity for him"
Page 3D
5ur :reat Master ,I&ya Muni has be1ueathed and commanded us to lo)e and
commiserate all animals" *nd Plato, by classifying biped M*9 among the latter,
forces us to include in their number the wrathful editor of the Rast :oftarE hence, to
lo)e and commiserate him also" May his powers of speech ne)er diminish and good
sense de)elop accordinglyY
DOOMED )
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, ,upplement, March 1223, pp"3CGV
* letter signed by a Mr" R" (arnes *ustin of 'eathfield, 6ngland, addressed to
the editor of $he $heosophist, has been lying for two months, on our writing table,
waiting for publication" %e do not fancy any apology would be necessary, had we
e)en thrown it under our table into the wastebas&et and without gi)ing it a second
thought, as its language is as far from that of a drawing room, as the smells of
'ungerford Mar&et are from those of ,t" =amesQ Palace" (ut the points ta&en by the
writer in defense of the new 7anoni K=" 8",L are too amusing not to be noticed" $hus,
after gra)ely assuring us, that@ K$he en1uiry into 5ccult Philosophy in 6ngland is
far more extensi)e, although secretly, than is generally &nownL@that gentleman
aggrie)es us profoundly by declaring pointCblan& that neither KMadame (la)ats&y
nor !olonel 5lcott, do what they willL@will e)er be admitted into such company"
K$heyL >we?@Kmust remain outsiders to all true occult societies, both in 6ngland and
in +ndia, as well as $ibetLYYY
$he news would be stunning indeed, were it made less impressi)e by the fancy
addition to it of the last sentence" %e underline it as it would seem that our irate
contributor &nows all about the land of (od <ul of which no one else in 6ngland
&nows one iota, beyond, perhaps, what he may ha)e found in the )ery meagre
accounts in Mr" Mar&hamQs $ibet"@>,ee supra, art" KReincarnations in $ibet"L?
Page 3G
,o now, our fondest hopes are dashed for e)er" Repelled by the ingrate ,piritualists@
for whom we ha)e e)er entertained the tenderest feelingsE denounced by %estern
5ccultists@for presuming to &now what they do notE scorned by the iconoclastic
scientists@who generally brea& today the axiomatic idols they were worshipping but
yesterdayE re)iled on general principles by the orthodox !hristians of all shades@
who yet are creeping with e)ery hour that drops into eternity, nearer and nearer to us
and the ,piritualistsE loathed by the theists@who will mirror themsel)es in e)ery
passing ri)ulet, and on seeing their own figure exclaim@KQtis X:odQPL and
straightway despise their godless (rethrenE laughed at by *theists@for our belie)ing
e)en in conditional immortality and in spirits of any shape or colourE stared at by the
*gnostics and@contemptuously ignored by the 6sthetics@what can the hapless
$heosophists doY %e had always belie)ed and prayed that in $ibet we may find, at
last, eternal Rest in the fatherly lap of our 8ooCsoongs, and merge into 9ipang
between a dish of salted tea and a /ugpa@>ten miles off? ripping open his own )ile
stomach " " " (ut loY the &nell of our doom rings out from@'eathfield, 6ngland, and
@there is no more hope" K$here are,L sternly goes on our merciless Mudge@Kas +
&now secret societies holding the study and practice of the 5ccult as the main obMect
of their existence, in direct communication with the highest li)ing adepts Uwith K="
8"LPV into whose portals Madame (la)ats&y and !olonel 5lcott would in )ain see&
an entrance"L
%e can assure our respected correspondent >for we still hope that he may be
both respectable and respected, albeit defending such a bad case? that neither the one
nor the other of the abo)eCnamed personages has the slightest desire whate)er to
&noc& at any such KportalLE least of all at one they are not in)ited to" (ut why should
he not be satisfied with becoming the mouthpiece of only such societies, in 6ngland,
and allow us to ta&e our chances with those of +ndia, and especially $ibetP
Page 36
%hy should he hunt us across the 'imalayasP %e suspect we will be able to
ta&e care of oursel)es among our 'indu and $ibetan (rothers" *nd pray, why such a
cruel edictP (ecause@as we are informed by Mr" (arnes *ustin@we are hated by
K,piritualists and 5ccultists ali&e"L 9ow that is indeed inexpressibly sadY %e are not
gi)en the plain and direct reasons why, as our correspondent is too much of a
gentleman to ma&e use of abusi)e and insulting epithetsE but we are allowed a
suspicion of the terrible truth"
K+t is well &nown,L he tells us, Kthere is no society of true 5ccultists which
would admit within its fold $'6,6 $%5 PR6$69/6R,"
$he two KpretendersL >to whatP? are, of course, !ol" 5lcott and Madame
(la)ats&y, who are yet expected to print all this in their Mournal conducted, according
to Mr" (arnes *ustinQs further &ind and wittily expressed opinion@on the principle of
K<an&ee Re)ol)er Mournalism"L Really our estimable correspondent must ha)e a
higher idea of our gentle and obliging &indness, than we can e)er entertain of his,
especially when he tries to add insult to inMury by notifying us that Kthe soCcalled
$heosophical ,ociety whose obscure existence is barely ac&nowledged among usL
>the 5ccultistsP? draws upon itself KcontemptL by such articles, as that in our
9o)ember number" $he article referred to is on K%estern *depts and 6astern
$heosophists,L in which no worse insult is offered to the great 5ccult + *M than that
he is therein called by his own nameE and that e)en was done by us@se defendendo"
(ut@Veritas odium parit" 5nce more, we recogni.e the wisdom of the old saying"
(ut we expect Mr" (arnes *ustin to recogni.e in his turn that he was not
mista&en in his notions of our forgi)ing disposition" 9ow, that he sees that we ha)e
pic&ed out the gems from his letter to us, and publish them, pro)ing to him thereby
that no amount of gratuitous impertinence can ma&e us forget our duty to one, who
seems to be on such intimate terms with our K$ibetan adeptsL@we hope he will
pro)e magnanimous, and abstain from ma&ing us lose our character entirely in their
eyesP
Page 3H
*nd why should we not publish the aforesaid Kgems,L and e)en ha)e them followed
au besoin by those of the K*deptL himself@gems far more precious and more
refined" 5nly those who feel they ha)e merited the castigation will turn round,
snarling and attempting to bite li&e a cur on whose tail one has inad)ertently stepped"
5nly those who ha)e sores, fear the accidental touch" %e are not so troubled" (y this
time our innocent Ks&eletonsL@the few at least we may ha)e had, and which li&e
other people we preferred &eeping in our Kfamily closetsL@ha)e all been so
completely dragged out before the public ga.e@than&s to the slanders of worldC
famous mediums and the mee& !hristian missionary, the )indicti)e bigot and the
sensationChungry press@that cle)er would be that enemy who could frighten us by
any new threatY
(ut Mr" (arnes *ustin does not threaten, he but &indly warns" 'is strongest
point against us@at least the one placed foremost@is to be found, as we understand,
in his claim on behalf of the K*deptL to the intimate friendship of some occultists
whose Ksocial standingL is K1uite e1ual, if not superiorL to any to which >we two?
Kcan e)er lay claim"L %e fail to understand the possible relations that titles and
aristocracy can ha)e to great or small occult &nowledge" $he greatest worldC
renowned philosophers and sages were no 6arls or Princes, but often men who had
sprung from the lowest grades of society@or, as our correspondent himself puts it
@K=esus was a carpenter, *mmonius ,accas a porter of sac&s, (\hme a shoema&er,
and ,pino.a a spectaclesCgrinder"L $rue, (uddha was the son of a &ing, but he
became the %orldC,a)iour and the highest +nitiate only after ha)ing, for forty years,
begged his daily bread" 5ur opinion of K=" 8"L was ne)er founded upon the >to us?
immaterial fact whether he be the direct descendant of 8ing #ouis the ,aint, or of
,hyloc&, or e)en that of the impenitent robber crucified on the left hand of =esus" 'is
fury at being called@as he imagines@a K=ewL is entirely gratuitous, for we ne)er
ha)e called him one"
Page 32
%e said he was a KPhariseeL and that is 1uite a different thing" #et him learn@
the omniscient initiate@that the first, the best, the dearest as the most re)ered of the
friends of our youth, one with whom we corresponded to the day of his death, and
whose portrait we treasure as a relic, the learned Rabbi, in short, with whom we
studied the 8abala@was a =ew" #et him in1uire, and he will find that we ha)e a
number of =ews in our ,ociety, both in *merica, 6urope and hereE and that many of
our )alued and most intelligent friends are =ews" 'ence, we ha)e ne)er found fault
with, least of all reproached, him with being a =ew, but only a Pharisee, of which
class there are as many among the !hristians as among his own race" 9or do we
doubt, in the least, his being an K5ccultistL@as 1uestioning the bra)ery and
competency of a soldier, does not mean denial of the fact that he belongs to the army"
*nd, we are ready to admit that theoretically he may ha)e obtained a pretty fair >not
thorough? Kmastery of the occult system,L and is a )ery ad)anced 8abalist, in
possession of genuine and sterling learning in the =ewish 8abalistic and %estern
alchemical lore" *ll this we are prepared to admit, as it is clearly shown in much of
what is said in his K*deptship of =esus !hrist,L howe)er strongly it smac&s of what
others ha)e said before him" $hic&ly interlarded with paragraphs utterly irrele)ant to
the main 1uestionE the whole breathing a spirit of )indicti)e narrowCmindedness@a
&ind of 8abalistic odium theologicum@peppered throughout with )ulgar epithets to
the address of all those who cross his path, and loo&ing li&e patches of mud upon a
white garment, yet, the essay is not de)oid of a certain merit" (ut it is this strange
mixture of lofty ideas with a most uncharitable and ungentlemanly abuse of language
whene)er attac&ing those he hates@especially the $heosophists, that gi)es us the
right to deny him pointCblan& the title of an adept, and to maintain that a man of that
sort cannot ha)e been initiated into the true mysteries" * real adept will either conceal
fore)er his adeptship from the worldQs ga.e, or, if forced to li)e among the common
herd, will pro)e far abo)e it, by his moral grandeur, the loftiness of his culti)ated
mind, his di)ine charity and his allCforgi)eness of inMury"
Page 39
'e will correct the faults of those who stri)e@as he himself has once stri)en@
after initiation, with polite &indness, not by using (illingsgate language" * true adept
is abo)e any petty feeling of personal resentment@least of all of ridiculous )anity"
'e cares not whether he is physically handsome or plain, but e)er shows the moral
beauty of his spotless nature in e)ery act of life" 4inally we say, it is not enough to be
a learned 8abalist, a successful mesmeri.er, a great alchemist or e)en a commentator
upon 5ccult ,cience@what one would call a KtheoreticalL occultist@to deser)e the
name of an *dept in the real sense of that word"Z $hough we ha)e ne)er claimed
oursel)es *deptship or a K)ery high degree of +nitiation,L yet we claim to &now
something of real *depts and +nitiates, and are pretty certain of what they loo& li&e@
the whole host of 6nglish 5ccultists notwithstanding" *nd we maintain that, at the
present moment, and e)er since the spring of 1221, there is no more in the
membership of the $heosophical ,ocieties, than among the whole concla)e of Ksecret
societiesL of 6nglish and other 5ccultists@Mr" (arnes *ustin spea&s about@one
single *dept, let alone Kan ad)anced +nitiate into the highest degrees"L $he true
mysteries of the genuine *ryan and !haldean lore, are receding with e)ery day more
from the %estern candidates" $here are yet in 6urope and *merica some ad)anced
students, some neophytes of the third and perchance of the second ,ection, and a few
KnaturalCborn seers"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he title of adept, messenger and Messiah has become a cheap commodity in our days@at least in
#ondon@we see" *nd, the claims e)en of a K="8"L become less extraordinary, when one finds in
respectable ,piritual newspapers such letters as signed by Mr" !harles %" 'illyear" +n this letter no
less than twel)e messengers, angels or Messiahs, are mentioned by the writer@the twelfth of whom
is the late Mr" 8enealy, the author of 6noch and the *pocalypseY 'e is spo&en of as Kdi)ine
Messenger,L and the sentence@Ksuch Masters as 4o >(uddha?, =esus, and /r" 8enealyL >who
defended the $ichborne case? @is applied directly to that wellC&nown, modern gentlemanYY *fter
this we better close fore)er our columns to the term@K*dept"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DB
(ut li&e a gallant ship sin&ing under the weight of barnacles attached to it, e)en
they lose ground daily, owing to the indiscretions of hundreds of selfCdeluded
parasites, who would ha)e people belie)e each of them brings to humanity a new
Re)elation from hea)enY +t is the adherents of the KadeptsL of this latter class, who
belie)e in and unwisely defend them, but who, deluding themsel)es, but delude
others, who thus create all the mischief" *nd these, we say, are but an impediment to
the progress of $'6 ,cience" $hey only pre)ent the few true adepts, that remain, to
come out and publicly assert the sur)i)al of the ancient &nowledge and@their own
existence"
%e will try to pro)e what we say some day" Meanwhile, ha)ing on hand an
article@ K$he X*deptQ Re)ealedL@composed of choice paragraphs selected from a
paper by =" 8", headed K;nder which X*deptQ $heosophistPL and sent to us by the
abo)eCnamed K+nitiateL for publication, we proposed >had the !ouncil of the
$heosophical ,ociety under whose auspices this =ournal is issued, permitted it? to
publish the immortal production in the ,upplement of our next issue@there being no
room in this one" 'a)ing de)oted our labour and time to fathoming all &ind of occult
and psychological problems, we intended to present our readers with a s&etch >drawn
by his own hand? of a modern K*deptLE to point out to the uninitiated, the
combination of 1ualities that seem to be re1uired in our age, to ma&e up the Khighest
adeptL in 6uropeE and, to ac1uaint the 'indu reader, whose unsophisticated
experience has hitherto permitted him to get ac1uainted but with the characteristics of
his own un&empt and unwashed KMelaC<ogin,L also with those of a 6uropean
+lluminated who hungers to be regarded as a K7anoni,L lin&ed with K!hrist and
,pino.a"L $he extracts would ha)e shown better than any criticism, to what a degree
of forbearance, soulCgrandeur and purity of heart, a modern KadeptL can reach"
9e)ertheless, from the first of the K*nswers to !orrespondentsL which follow, it will
be shown that if Mr" (arnes *ustinQs KclientL whose KsoulL is so large that he Kcarries
the 'imalayas always about himL@has e)er followed in the footsteps of any KadeptL
at all, it must be in those of the alchemist 6ugenius Philalethes >$homas Vaughan?"
Page D1
#et him who doubts our statement turn to his Magia *damica and read his low
abuse of his contemporary, /r" 'enry More, the Platonic philosopher, than whom no
6nglishman e)er left a nobler name" 9ot only we did not hesitate to publish the
personal )ilifications to our address by K=" 8",L if the !ouncil of the ,ociety had
permitted it, but we felt proud to thin& that we shared the fate of 'enry More, one of
the saintliest characters of his period"
5wing to all the abo)e considerations, we most emphatically deny the sacred
title of KadeptL to one who, while unblushingly declaring himself an K+nitiate,L
ha)ing reached the K!hristCstate,L acts at the same time li&e a )ulgar bully" *s our
maga.ine is not intended for the constant parading of our genealogical trees and the
list of our family connections, we will, with Mr" (arnes *ustinQs permission, refrain
from again discussing either social standing, or high or low birth in connection with
adeptship or K=" 8"L 5ur answer to all the exceptions ta&en to what we said of him
and others in our 9o)ember article is found by whomsoe)er is interested in the
1uarrel, in our K*nswers to !orrespondents"L $here being no room for )entilating
discussions about the worth of our ,ociety, its members and its founders@which
ne)er interest anyone but the parties concerned@we generally settle all such affairs
in these extra pages which we added at our own expense for the accommodation of
the )arious business of our ,ociety" 'ence, our correspondentQs fling that, as K=" 8"L
does not intrude his pri)ate affairs upon us >the 6nglish 5ccultists? why does the
editor of $he $heosophist presume to drag them out@is as gratuitous as it is )ague"
$he abo)eCnamed editor would ne)er ha)e presumed to gi)e one momentQs thought
to other peopleQs Kpri)ate affairsL had she not to defend herself and her ,ociety from
wee&ly attac&s and public insults offered themE attac&s and insults as unpro)o&ed as
they were brutal, and which lasted for about se)en months in both the #ondon
,piritualist and the Medium and /aybrea&" *nd if we occupied se)eral columns, to
our regret, in the unco)ering of the enemy so securely hiding himself, as he thought,
behind his =" and his 8", it was only to show him in his true character and point out
the e)ident moti)es for the slurs upon people, many of whom are far higher,
intellectually as well as morally, than he e)er will be himself"
Page D3
*s to the space for that exposure, it found room in our own ,upplement@not in
the columns which belong to our subscribers"
$o concludeR +f, as we suppose@notwithstanding the )ery rude tone of his letter,
our stern Mudge who demeans us but to raise K=" 8"L the higher@is a gentleman, then
we can assure him, his esteem for that indi)idual will be put sorely to the test when
he reads the reasons why his paper was reMected by the !ouncil" #et him but read
those few sentences copied )erbatim from a paper the writer had re1uested us to
publish in full >as though we had no more regard for our members and readers than to
print more than we can help of such indecenciesY?" *nd if, after reading it, Mr" (arnes
*ustin still Mustifies K=" 8"L then we would ha)e to reconsider our long held theory
that an 6nglish gentleman is at heart chi)alrous to a fault"
WWWWWWWWWW
"NSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 6, ,upplement, March, 1223, pp" 6C2V
K="8"L @ <our letter headed K;nder which XadeptQ $heosophistPL will not be
published, for the following reasonsR
>1? Personal abuse to the address of the editor, howe)er amusing to the latter,
does not interest the general reader"
>3? 5ur Mournal is not concerned with, and carefully a)oids e)erything of a
political character" $herefore, such )ilifications as contained in the said article,
namely, a low and )ulgar abuse of Russia, its Kbarbarian mouMi&L and the Kworthy
countrywoman of +gnatieffLE and especially the mention of the Kred coc&L crowing
o)er Kthe =ewQs houseL@cannot find room in its columns"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U+n #etter F#V++, p" 3H3, of $he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett, Master M" specifically states
that these K*nswersL were written by himself" $hey are reprinted here for the sa&e of completeness"
@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D3
(ut such matter would be recei)ed, most li&ely, with cheerful welcome in those
of a thirdCclass =ewish, Russophobic organ in :ermany"
>3? 4or that same reason we must decline to allow the author of K$he *deptship
of =esus !hrist,L to soothe his ruffled feelings by expatiating upon Kthe political
obMectL of the $heosophical ,ocietyE Kwhich is to place the 6nglish under the
'indoos, and to bring the 'indoos under the Russian ruleL >YYY?, as the absurd
accusation comes two years too late and would not interest e)en our *ngloC+ndian
readers"
>D? * lady medium respected and belo)ed by all who &now her, is called in it our
Kspy,L and Kgeneral informantL which is a gratuitous calumny and a glaring untruth"
>G? (ritish and *merican laws ha)ing pro)ided against the )iolation of the
postal enactments intended to secure the purity of the mails, the =ournal would ris& to
pay the penalty for sending indecent matter by boo& post" $he coarse paragraph in the
said article, which relates to the proposed )isit of the Khandsome widowQs sonL to the
+ndian Ktheosophical do)ecotL and the supposed Kflutter in it,L among the fair and
dar& sisters Kwhom the writer proposes to initiateL into the higher mysteries, etc", etc",
comes directly under that law"
>6? $he $heosophist de)oted to 5riental Philosophy *rt, #iterature, 5ccultism,
Mesmerism, ,piritualism and other sciences, has not pledged itself to reproduce
burles1ue parodies, or circusCclown poetry" $herefore, such grotes1ue bits of prose
and poetry asR
K,tay your all answering horse laugh, ye nati)es and *ngloC+ndians, remember
he laughs best who laughs last YL UorV
K$hen tremble, pretenders, in the midst of your glee,
4or you ha)e not seen the last of =" %" nor me"LZ
@are not fit to appear in a serious article"
>H? $he $heosophist publishes only articles written and sent by gentlemen"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z =" %" is Mr" %allace, whom we ha)e the honour to answer further on"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DD
MR. *+OSEPH W"LL"CE,
@9o names@but one ha)ing been mentioned in the article K%estern X*deptsQ
and 6astern $heosophistsLE and positi)ely not one word of an insulting character
directly relating to the KhierophantL or the K#ady MagnetistL ha)ing found room in it,
or the writerQs thought@unless, indeed, to 1uestion the fitness of blending the study
of di)ine mysteries, with a whis&eyCdistilling apparatus, and ad)ertisements of a
commercial character, becomes synonymous with defaming characters@we do not
&now that we ought to apologi.e to Mr" %allace at all" #east of all to the extent of
inflicting upon our subscribers and members nearly 3BBB words or four columns of
prose of an unexceptionably unrefined character, peppered, in addition to it, with
glaring misconceptions and most ridiculously incorrect statements" $hat sentence
alone in his letter which openly taxes us with beingR
:lad indeed to exchange the commercial standing of your >our? =ournal which
does not e)en inculcate teetotalism for that of my still
@would be sufficient to call forth protests and indignant answers from a
number of our members" 5ur correspondent, though a KhierophantL himself@one
who de)elops seership and initiates others into the mysteries of spiritual clair)oyance
@has failed, we see, to disco)er that the 4ounders of the $heosophical ,ociety are
strict and uncompromising teetotalersE and that, with the exception of a few
6nglishmen, all of its members are pledged to total abstinence from anything li&e
wine or e)en beer, let alone li1uorE and that they are most of them, strict )egetarians"
%e regret to find him committing such a serious blunder"
Page DG
*nother Must as amusing a mista&e, considering it comes to us from that part of
#ondon which professes itself, and pretends to be regarded as the )ery hot bed of
clair)oyance, mysticism, intuitional perception and K,oulL and K!hristC,tatesL@
whate)er the latter may mean@and which, ne)ertheless, shows clearly its professors
failing to comprehend correctly the meaning of e)en that which any profane mortal
would see, is disco)ered in the following passage of our correspondentQs letterR
" " " K=" 8"L whom you charge in the ,piritualist@under the idea that he belonged
to your own secret 4raternity UPYV@with being a traitor to his $heosophical 5ath in
writing so openly that which you till then considered was sacred and &nown only to
the $heosophic sworn members UY Y YV, was not accused then of &nowing little on
occult matters, but rather as &nowing too much" $here was e)idence then of
K'omeric laughterLE but now he is credited by you as &nowing the *" (" !" of the
subMect, etc" etc"
$ruly@rem acu tetigistiY 6)ery word in the abo)e is a misconcei)ed and
disfigured notion" %e ne)er, for one moment@since the appearance of K=" 8"QsL first
article, K*n *dept on the 5ccult (rothers,L in the ,piritualist >=une 3D?, and directed
against our ,ociety@mistoo& him for a member of our Ksecret 4raternityLE nor could
we so mista&e him, as the same mail that brought that article brought us letters from
se)eral $heosophists informing us what and who he was@that )ery Kpretentious
writer"L #et any man with a sufficiently clear head, on a forenoon, turning to our only
letter in the ,piritualist in 1221 >namely, that of *ugust 13?, read the lines, which
ha)e now led Mr" %allace into such a funny blunder, and then Mudge whether there is
one word in it which could lead to such a supposition" 9ot only has K=" 8"L e)er
failed to show to us any sign of K&nowing too muchL on 5ccult matters >with which
we are concerned? but he has constantly pro)ed to the whole of our ,ociety that he
&new nothing whate)er of either its obMects and aims, its organi.ation or its studies"
*nd it is precisely such an assurance on our part, that made us reply in answer to his
ignorant assertion that Kthe )ery first psychical and physical principles of true
$heosophy and 5ccult science are 1uite un&nown to and unpracticed by its
members,L the followingR
Page D6
K'ow does he &nowP /id the $heosophists ta&e him into their confidenceP *nd
if he &nows something of the (ritish $heosophical ,ociety >does this imply that he
belongs to their ,ocietyP? what can he &now of those in +ndiaP +f he belongs to any of
them, then does he play false to the whole body and is a traitorP *nd if he does not,
what has he to say of its practitioners, since they >the (ranch ,ocieties? are secret
bodiesPLZ
*nd it would be sufficient, we should say, to glance at the reasons gi)en by us
further on, in the same article, for our reMecting him absolutely as an initiated Kadept,L
to pre)ent anyone, let alone a K'ierophant,L from being led into such an absurd
mista&e" *s to there being Kno e)idence then of 'omeric laughterL at =" 8"Qs letters,
Mr" %allace errs )ery sorely again" 4rom the first to the last, those articles pro)o&ed
the greatest merriment among the *ngloC+ndians" 9o one could read them@
especially the one entitled K+nformation for $heosophists, from an adeptL in which he
so na`)ely boasts of his Khigh calibreL as a KliteraryL man and mixes up in such an
absurdly ridiculous way the *rya ,amaM and the $heosophical ,ociety >another proof
of his clair)oyant powers?@without being sei.ed with a fit of inextinguishable
laughter" ,o much so, indeed, that during Kthe X=" 8"Q period in the ,piritualist,L >as
somebody called it? a gentleman of ,imla, of high official standing, and of as high
and uni)ersally recogni.ed ability, offered to bet that those letters of K=" 8"QsL would
turn out some day a mere Khoax,L a purposely putCup humoristic Mo&e, to find out
whether any $heosophist would be fool enough to accept them seriouslyE for, he
added, Kit is absolutely incredible that any man in his right senses should so boast, or
write about himself such absurdly panegyrical and bombastic eulogies"L
$he third mista&e@and a )ery serious one@in Mr" %allaceQs letter, is what he
pleases to )iew as Kan unfounded and unwarranted insinuation"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U,ee p" 36G in Volume +++ of the present series"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DH
$he KinsinuationL is alleged to be contained in the following sentence in our
article K%estern X*deptsQ and 6astern $heosophistsL >9o)ember $heosophist? @ K*
gifted lady magnetistQs wor& @ the legitimate wife, we are told, of his >=" 8"Qs?
'ierophantC+nitiator, though we ne)er heard yet of a practising 'ierophantCMagician
who was married, etc"L $his is all that we ha)e Kdared to pen"L %ere we wrongly
informed, or is it a crime to mention legitimate wi)esP %ho, but a man capable of
disco)ering filth where there is positi)ely none, would e)er imagine that anything but
that which was clearly stated, was meantP $o hint at any other implication or the least
intention on our part to throw doubt on the legality of the said marriage, is to utter an
outrageous lie" %e doubted, and now doubt, and will doubt fore)er, and not only
doubt, but positi)ely deny, that one married and the father of a family, can e)er be a
practical adept, least of all a K'ierophant,L all the 4lammels and (\hmes and !o",
notwithstanding" Mr" %allace belie)es in, practices to a certain point, and teaches
%estern occultism" %e belie)e in, practice also to a certain point, and learn, ne)er
ha)ing pretended to KteachL 6astern 5ccultism" 5ur paths di)erge widely and we
need not be elbowing each other on our way to the *(,5#;$6" #et %estern *depts
and 'ierophants lea)e us strictly alone, and not pretend to spea& of, and insult what
they do not &now, and we will ne)er pronounce their names whether orally or in
print"
$herefore, we refuse room to Mr" %allaceQs letter li&ewise" *lthough far more
decent than that of his pupil, it is yet sufficiently rude to authori.e us to refuse it
space" $he said gentleman is at liberty to publish his denunciations in a pamphlet
form or otherwise and gi)e them as wide a circulation as he thin&s properE or, better
still, he might incorporate it within the forthcoming grand wor& by the modern
K*deptL to be called * 'istory of Mystic Philosophy, a boo&@as he modestly tells us
@which is sure Kto stand the criticism of ages"L *s the author thereof is sure to use in
it the same refined phraseology as we find in his language whene)er directed against
K,piritual ,nobbery,L and the Ktal&ing $heosophists,L Mr" %allaceQs article will find
itself in good company" $he more so, as we are threateningly promised in it by K=" 8"L
a chapter Kspecially pro)idedL for our KnonCtotal obli)ion,L and that of our
Kunwashed +sis in rags"L
Page D2
%e part with Mr" %allace, without the slightest illCfeeling on our part as he has
e)idently misconcei)ed the situation from first to last" %e only regret to find a
gentleman apparently so full of sterling learning and &nowledge so e)idently destitute
of good education and manners, as to ha)e actually written the letter under re)iew"
WWWWWWWWWW
$o M+,, !'*9/5, #6+:' ';9$ >Mrs" %allace?L"@%e beg to con)ey our
respectful regards to this lady and to ac&nowledge receipt of a )oluminous paper
from her pen, purporting to be a reply to Kthose sentences, which refer to her,
contained in the article entitled X%estern K*deptsL and 6astern $heosophistsQ"L %e
ha)e read the reply with pleasure and found it as dignified, ladyli&e, goodCnatured
and witty, as the three abo)e noticed, are undignified, and )indicti)e, and in one case
@indecent and silly" $herefore, and notwithstanding the rather misconcei)ed attitude
adopted by Mrs" %allace, considering we ha)e not named her in our article, and
referred but to what was@in our mind and to the maMority of our readers@a pure
abstraction@we are ready, now that we do &now her, to offer her our sincere apology
and to express regret at ha)ing included in it Kthose sentences which refer to herL
since they seem to ha)e gi)en her offense though none at all was meant to be offered
by the writer, to either Miss !handos #eigh 'unt, or Mrs" %allace" %e regret the
more to find her unac1uainted with the Mahayana philosophy" 4or, were she but as
familiar with it as she seems to be with 6pictetus@Kafter whom she has named her
boyL@and had she made of the former as well as of the latter her Ktextboo&,L owing
to the lucid exposition in that philosophy, of the close connection which exists
between e)ery cause and effect, she might apprehend our meaning at once"
Page D9
*s such is not the case though@>unless indeed the omniscient K="8"L rushes
into explaining and teaching the public this philosophy as well as he does esoteric
(uddhism?@we will add a few words more Must to explain to Mrs" %allace why we
do not gi)e room to her reply"
Maintaining still, as we do, our undeniable right to ha)e published our
9o)ember article as an elucidation of the unpro)o&ed and incessant attac&s of her
husbandQs pupil upon us@though the said article may ha)e contained unnecessary
personalities pro)o&ed by indignation@we would yet be glad, in atonement for the
latter, to publish her paper in extenso" +t was already in the hands of the printer, when
in addition to her husbandQs and his K6P5P$Q,L letters we recei)ed four more papers
as lengthy and as explicit as her own" +t would appear as if the tornado of indignation
raised by our article was happily limited to@with one solitary exception, namely, Mr"
(arnes *ustin@and raged entirely within the family circle of the persons alluded to
in our article" *s if in answer to the threats and denunciations contained in Mr"
%allaceQs and his pupilQs letters, both of whom expatiate in them upon the K)arious
scandalous storiesL@slanders and malicious in)entions set afloat about us by
numerous &nown and un&nown enemies >whose utterances our correspondents show
themsel)es but too ready to accept as gospel truths?, we ha)e before us no less than
four lengthy papers from #ondon appro)ing our article, and full of 1uite the re)erse
of what one might be inclined to )iew as complimentary to either the K'ierophant,L
or the K*dept"L *pparently there is a latet anguis in herba for e)ery hapless occultist,
not for the $heosophists alone" * far less charitable )iew is ta&en of, and worse
slanders repeated in them about the abo)eCnamed persons than were e)er in)ented for
the personal and special annihilation of our humble self" 'ence, in Mustice to
oursel)es, were we to publish Mr" and Mrs" %allaceQs articles, we would ha)e to
publish side by side those of their detractorsE and this is what we would ne)er do"
%hate)er the indecent means other people may resort to, we at least, will ne)er use
such base weapons@not e)en against our enemies"
Page GB
%e may become guilty@we are not perfect@of a desire to wound them in their
)anity, ne)er in their honourE and, while freely using ridicule as our weapon to
silence them, whene)er they see& to destroy us with their insults and denunciations,
we would blush to repeat e)en to a friend@let alone to threaten to publish them in a
boo& or a Mournal@that which, so long as it is not positi)ely pro)ed to be the truth
and nothing but the truth, we regard as a shameful and scandalous gossip, the
)enomous spittle of the Ksna&e hidden in the grass " " "L
$hus reiterating our expressions of regret personally to Miss !handos #eigh
'unt >Mrs" %allace? of whom we ha)e ne)er heard the slightest e)il report from any
trustworthy 1uarters, but the re)erse from our two friends, we close the subMect
altogether" %e mean no more to allow our columns to be disgraced with such
polemics" 5ur esteemed contemporary, the Psychological Re)iew, recently protested
against our prolonging the Kcastigation,L as Kthere is more serious wor& to be done"L
%e concurE and were but the insignificant indi)iduals K=" 8"L and Madame (la)ats&y
alone concerned, it would be an impertinence to &eep them at the front" (ut as the
defense of our ,ociety, which represents@howe)er imperfectly@+ndia, or rather the
5rient, was and is a Kserious wor&LE and as silence is often mista&en for wea&ness@
we had to find room for the abo)e K*nswers to our !orrespondents"L $hey need
trouble themsel)es no moreR we ha)e settled our accounts"
Page G1
THE PRESENT GRE"T NEED O!
" MET"PH#SICO-SPIRITU"L VOC"BUL"R#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 16HC162V
+n #ight >of 4ebruary 11? K!" !" M",L in the article K!ommunicating ,pirits,L
says the followingR
+t will thus be seen >1? that only the first, or earthCbound class, and the third@
Uthe third according to (\hme"@6d"V@the perfected spirits, ha)e power )oluntarily
to communicate with us and to interfere in human affairs, and this by reason of the
body >though of )ery different sort? which ser)es as the medium of communicationE
and >3? that the KearthCboundL condition supposes the continuance of the KastralL
body" $his, according to occultist teaching, is in process of disintegration@the
communication becoming more and more incoherent as that process ad)ances"
*ccording to the recent teaching in $he $heosophist, the #ingaC,arira is dissol)ed
with the external body at the death of the latter" $his is 1uite opposed to what we are
told by bliphas #S)i and many other authorities, and does not appear probable"
K!" !" M"L errs )ery seriouslyR >a? in accepting (\hme as an authorityE >b? in
ta&ing no exception to his crude classification of souls@which ma&es him place the
Kperfected spiritL in the Kthird classLE >c? in rendering the term Khea)enly
6ssentialityL by Kdi)ine embodimentLE >d? by terming the doctrine about the #ingaC
,arira in $he $heosophist Ka recent teachingL and showing it K1uite opposed to what
we are told by bliphas #S)i and many other authorities,L whereas, most of those
KauthoritiesL sin only in adopting a terminology, which, while sufficient for their
generalisations, is utterly deficient as soon as they touch upon detailsE hence, sorely
pu..ling to the uninitiated reader"
%ith the permission of our friend K!" !" M",L we will try to demonstrate
wherein lie hidden his se)eral mista&es"
Page G3
%e will not stop to pro)e (\hme the re)erse of an authorityR this is a 1uestion of
personal opinion entirely depending upon the degree of faith that may be reposed in
him by his admirers" (ut by noticing the >b? and >c? errors we will show in a few
words how utterly unmetaphysical, hence illogical, from the occultistQs standpoint, is
(\hmeQs classification and definition of the Kperfected spirit"L 'ad the :\rlit. seer
said KsoulL instead, there would be more probability of ma&ing his )arious teachings
agree than there seems to be now" $he term KspiritL coupled with the idea of
KembodimentL becomes as incorrect, and as great a fallacy as to represent the nonC
conditioned, or the +nfinite K*##L >the one Reality? by a limited and conditioned
portion of a finite obMect, one of the e)anescent mirages e)er flic&ering and
disappearing in our phenomenal world" $he KperfectedL or rather KPerfect ,piritL@
since the *bsolute, or limitless ;9+$< and perfection can neither be di)ided, nor can
it be in)ested with attributes and degrees in)ol)ing gradual perfectibility@can
become the ;nity or ,pirit but after ha)ing lost e)ery form and shape@>hence body?,
which would necessarily ma&e of it a /;*#+$<" +t can ha)e no relation to, or
concern with, any obMect of consciousness in our illusionary world, as this alone
would in)ol)e dualism, which must exist where)er there is any relation at all" 'ence
@if under the name of KPerfected ,piritL@*(,5#;$6 consciousness is meant,
then the latter, incapable of either internal or external cognition, must necessarily be
)iewed as incapable also of a )oluntary communication with us mortals" *nd, since
we underta&e to di)ide KsoulsL or Kspiritual entitiesL into classes and degrees, how
can we presume, whate)er be our authority, to limit those so flippantly but to three
classesP ,urely, the careful study of the doctrine of the se)en principles of li)ing
mortal man, as taught by the *rahat esotericism, each of which principles is
subdi)ided in its turn into se)en more, would ser)e at least one useful purpose,
namely, to bring something li&e order into this infinite chaos and confusion of terms
and things"
Page G3
*s a proof of this, we now find our esteemed friend K!" !" M"L confusing the
,ans&rit term K#ingaC,ariraL with the Maya)i or 8amaCRupa@the Kastral soul,L and
calling the doctrine of its dissolution with the body@a Krecent teaching"L +f he but
turns to the bac& )olumes of $he $heosophist he will find in the 9o)ember issue of
12H9 >*rt" K<oga VidyaL? a correct definition of the term in that sentence which says
>p" DD, col" 3? that the #ingaC,arira K" " " is the subtile, ethereal element of the ego of
an organism Uwhether human or animal or )egetableVE inseparably united to " " " the
latterE it ne)er lea)es it but at death"L *nd if so, how could the Kastral bodyL of man,
if we call it #ingaC,arira, lea)e him during his lifetime and appear as his double, as
we &now, is repeatedly the case with mediums and other peculiarly endowed personsP
$he answer is simpleR that which appears, or the Kdouble,L is called Maya)iCRupa
>illusionary form? when acting blindlyE and@8amaCRupa, KwillL or KdesireCformL
when compelled into an obMecti)e shape by the conscious will and desire of its
possessor" $he =i)atma >)ital principle? and #ingaC,arira >,exCbody?Z are inner
principlesE while the Maya)iCRupa is the outside KsoulL so to sayR one which
en)elops the physical body, as in a filmy ethereal casing" +t is a perfect counterpart of
the man and e)en of the clothing which he happens to wear"] *nd this principle is
liable to become condensed into opacity, compelled to it, either by the law of
intermagnetic action, or by the potentiality of <ogaCballu or KadeptCpower"L
$hus, the K#ingaC,ariraL is Kdissol)ed with the external body at the death of the
latter"L +t dissol)es slowly and gradually, its adhesion to the body becoming wea&er,
as the particles disintegrate" /uring the process of decay, it may, on sultry nights, be
sometimes seen o)er the gra)e" 5wing to the dry and electric atmosphere it manifests
itself and stands as a bluish flame, often as a luminous pillar, of Kodyle,L bearing a
more or less )ague resemblance to the outward form of the body laid under the sod"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z +n this esoteric sense linga means neither KphallusL as translated by some, nor K&nowledge,L as
done by othersE but rather KmaleL or Ksex"L (Idarayana, calls it in his /ar[ana >system of
philosophy? &ritsita carira,@the Kcontemptible body,L as it is but the turbaCstirring principle within
man resulting in animal emanations"
] ,ee in this connection $he ,oul of $hings by Prof" /enton"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GD
Popular superstition, ignorant of the nature of these postCmortem gaseous
emanations, mista&es them for the presence of the KsufferingL soul, the personal spirit
of the deceased, ho)ering o)er his bodyQs tomb" <et, when the wor& of destruction
has been completed, and nature has bro&en entirely the cohesion of corporeal
particles, the #ingaC,arira is dispersed with the body of which it was but an
emanation"
+t is high time then, that we should thin& of ma&ing a KmetaphysicoCspiritual
)ocabulary"L +f we adopt 6astern beliefs and accept their system of thought under
whate)er name@we must ta&e care that they be not disfigured through our
carelessness and misunderstanding of the real meaning of the terms" $he sooner we
do it, the better for the ,piritualists and oursel)esE lest, as we see, it should lead our
best friends@those who tra)el along a parallel, if not 1uite identical, path with us,
and are pursuing the same and one &nowledge@to a se)ere conflict of shadows" *
battle, based upon a misconception of words ele)ated to the dignity of dogmas and an
ignorance of synonyms for what is but one and the same thing, would be something
to be extremely regretted" $he more so as many of our enemies show themsel)es but
too eager to con)ert such simple misconceptions of terms into irreconcilable heresies
as to facts and axioms"
WWWWWWWWWW
" S"D LOO&OUT
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, p" 1HDV
" " " *n 6nglish gentleman, a 4ellow of the (ritish $heosophical ,ociety, writing
to a 'indu (rother $heosophist of (ombay, says the followingR
K*s to the absolutely shoc&ing state at which ,piritualism has arri)ed in
#ondon, you can scarcely form a conceptionR it has degenerated, in many cases, into
the grossest and most immoral forms of the (#*!8 M*:+!@this is a fact" Physical
mediums, materiali.ed spirits, and circles, are often descending to the )ery lowest
depths of " " " moral depra)ity >we substitute a less offensi)e term?"
Page GG
,uch a disgusting state of matters, that + e)en forbear from writing" " " " (ut you
will be able to Mudge when they >mediums, ,pirits, and ,piritualists? familiarly tal& of
their materiali.ed X,pirit wi)es,Q and Xhusbands"Q " " " + can assure you this is no
misstatement of the case"L
$his is no news, though a sad confirmation of a state of things we ha)e found
growing among the *merican ,piritualists some years ago" 5f course, it is needless to
say that highly educated and refined ,piritualists will e)er a)oid such sSanceCrooms
and circles" <et we are afraid these are the small minority, while the maMority will do
e)erything in their power to attract the %estern Pi[achas" ,urely no KspiritualL
minded ,piritualist will e)er ta&e us to tas& for saying that neither the generic K=ohn
8ing,L who descends from Kthe spheres of lightL to drin& tea with brandy and eat
toast in the mediumQs cabinet, nor yet the disembodied clown KPeter,L crac&ing his
)ulgar and hea)y Mo&es, can be )iewed as Kangels"L $hat both are male Pi[achas, we
ha)e the assurance from an *merican lady mediumQs own lips"
WWWWWWWWWW
M"SONS "ND +ESUITS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, M" 1HDC1HGV
5ur Masonic readers, of whom )ery respectable numbers are scattered
throughout +ndia, ought to be on the loo&out for recent publications against their
4raternity" %e find 1uite an interesting little libel upon their organi.ation 1uietly
running through the columns of the Roman !atholic $ablet in its 9o)ember issue of
1221" $he two 9estors of Patriotism, :iuseppe Ma..ini and :aribaldi come in for a
)ery fair share of )enomous abuse in the said 6popSe headed@ KRome as a !apital
of +talyLE but fortunately they ha)e to largely share their honours in the ecclesiastical
)ilification with the KRoyal ,ardinian usurpers"L
* few extracts from the short slanderCpeppered chapters, published in the
columns of the $ablet and offered to us as an historical record, may pro)e of interest
to some of our 'indu readers"
Page G6
$hey are well calculated to enhance the importance of that respectable and
1uiet, yet withal mysteriousCloo&ing building to be met with in almost e)ery town of
+ndia, the obMect of a superstitious awe to the unsophisticated coolie, who designates
it as a K=adu&hanaL >sorceryChouse?, while the guideboo& introduces it to the tra)eller
as a Masonic #odge" 'ow little does the wellCmeaning nati)e, who, dying for the
honour of admission into the craft, is ready to be laying out any amount of money
yearly and monthly, if he can but get himself recogni.ed as one more Masonic cipher
in the numberless !hapters, ,enates and !ouncils@suspect the true amount of
ini1uity fathered upon his :rand Masters and 4ellowCapprenticesY %ell may, indeed,
the uninitiated (abu, who so readily swallows the tales spread about the K(ara
,ahibsL of Masonry, feel an extra thrill of horror creeping down his bac&, while
reading the accusations fulminated against the K+llustriousL (rethren by their
irreconcilable enemy@the !hurch of Rome" $he widespread legend about the
s&eleton, stealthily 1uitting during Masonic meetings his hiding place@a secret tomb
under the tessellated floor of the =adu&hana@and creeping from under the ban1uet
table to appear in his ominously cluttering bones, and drin& the health of the :rand
Master@will recei)e an additional colour of )erisimilitude, when it compares notes
with these additional accusations" +ndeed, the charges brought out in the $ablet
against the K4reemasonCpoetL and Khis hymn to ,*$*9,L published, as alleged in the
K(olletino of the :rand 5rient of +taly,L is worthy of perusal" +n this preCeminently
interesting exposS we are told, to begin with, that the unity of +taly Kfor which
torrents of blood were shed, was but a pretext to destroy the Papacy, and especially
!hristian@!atholic Rome"L $his design originated with the K*ntiC!hristian ,ects,L
>P? who thus promoted Kthe ambition of one particular ,tate"L
+t was a necessity for the sects to stri)e to eradicate certain principles out of
+taly, and especially the Papacy" $hey needed Rome as a capital to destroy !atholic
Rome" $he ,tate needed accomplices in order to carry out her old ambition of eating
up the +talian articho&e leaf by leaf"
Page GH
*nd so it happened, one fair day, that the sects offered a hand to the ,tate to
help her to eat up the articho&e" *nd the ,tate ate it up, promising in return to lead the
sects to Rome"
$he abo)e is but an entrSe en matidre, indispensable to throw sufficient light
upon other and far dar&er passages that will follow" 9o need of reminding the reader
that our attention was not turned to them on account of their political fla)our" %e are
thin&ing more of the priest than of the politician" 4or@adds the writerR@
$his is no parable" +t is a true story, and not only true but undeniably pro)ed by
confessions"
/uring the first centuries of !hristianity, a law was enacted@and we do not
&now it was e)er abrogated@under which a priest who di)ulges the secrets of the
confessional, e)en in a case of the greatest crime@is sentenced to ha)e his tongue cut
out" ,ince then, the apostles seem to ha)e grown in wisdomE !hristian religion has
become the handmaid and the secret agent of worldly ambition, its mysteries being
made subser)ient to political espionage" ,uch a public confession in print is really
)aluable, inasmuch as it contains a useful warning to those of our members who,
ha)ing remained good !hristians, though only nominal Roman !atholics, may ha)e a
mind of going some day to confession" +t is unnecessary to remind the reader that by
K*ntiC!hristian sectsL the $ablet writer means the 4reemasons" $hus@
!ertain things which ha)e been written lately by the more imprudent of those
,ectarians in the praises which they ha)e la)ished on their Pietro !ossa, " " " the poet
of this new Rome who ascribes e)ery new glory to M*R$+9 #;$'6R " " " the
:erman foreigner and an apostate friar, " " " ha)e re)ealed a good deal more than " " "
they intended, of the real obMect they had in )iew in snatching Rome from the Pope " "
" in ruining the Papacy and restoring Pagan Rome"
5ne of the principal writers Kof these sectsL@ K=;#+;,,L is 1uoted, as he
clearly pro)ed the true obMect by sayingR@
Rome, ancient Rome, ci)il and Pagan, Rome rises from the mortal lethargy in
which ,acerdotalism had buried her" " " " #et us tear from the breast of ci)il Rome,
,acerdotal Rome" " " " :+;,6PP6 M*77+9+ " " " said openlyR K* re)olution may
bring about the era of a new faith, a new free !hurch " " " for all this we must ha)e
Rome in our hands"L *nd the K(olletinoL of the :reat 5rient of +talian 4reemasonry,
in its )ery first number writes@Las long as +taly permits the Papacy to continue " " "
the world will groan under an intolerable yo&e"L
Page G2
*nd still more clearly, later on, it saysR@ K$he world at this moment begins to
breathe, seeing +taly prepared to dri)e away the Roman Pontificate" " " " 4oreign
countries recogni.e the right of the +talians to exist as a nation now that they ha)e
confided to them the highest mission, i"e", that of freeing them from the yo&e of
!atholic Rome"L
Many good !hristians of whom we &now@and no friends of 4reemasonry, nor
of sectarian Protestantism either@may nourish, we suspect, a feeling of gratitude to
the Masons, could they but seriously belie)e that the +talian craft is doing e)en so
much toward the liberation of the world from the tyrannical, narrowCminded
,*!6R/5$*#+,M" Mo)ed by the sincerest philanthropic feelings, we fer)ently
hope that the abo)e will pro)e less of a calumny than the construction put in the said
article upon one of the most honest, and certainly the most patriotic, of +talian
popular poets, whose name closes the following paragraphR@
$he wor& of the sects >*ntiC!hristian Masons? and the wor& of the propagators
of +talian unity are oneE and in )ain do they try to deny this union when the names of
their chiefs, their Ministers, their deputies, their senators, and the prefects who
go)ern +taly, are all to be found in the registers of the sects, which anyone may see
who has in his hand the 4reemason *lmanac&" $heir watchword is, to destroy the
!atholic !hurch and !atholic Rome" $his is the confession of the =ournal of the
:reat 5rientR S il fine che la Massoneria si propone" U$his is the end which
4reemasonry proposes to itselfV and for which it has laboured Kfor centuries"L +t was
to carry out this intention that it occurred to the 4reemasons to depri)e the Pope of
RomeE and Rome was, in conse1uence, torn from the Pope" *nd the 4reemason poet
in his hymn to ,*$*9, which was published in this same K(olletinoL of the :reat
5rient of +taly, writesR@
K$u spiri, 5 ,atana,
9el )erso mio,
,e dal sen rompemi
,fidando il /io
/eQ rei pontefici"LZ
WWWWWWWWWW
Z K+t is thou, 5 ,atan, %ho inspirest my
)erse, +f it brea&s forth from my breast
/efying the :od 5f the PontiffC8ings"L
U4rom the poem entitled K*U4rom
the poem entitled K,atanaL by
:iosud !arducci" @!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWW
Page G9
6nding the poem with this triumphant Masonic )owR@
K,alute, 5 ,atanaY
" " " " " "
'ai )into il :eo)a
/e i sacerdoti"LZ
K%ar to the :od of !atholics and to the Pope as Vicar of =esus !hrist, that war
to promote which the Masonic Mournal has an apposite rubric, this is the true end and
aim of Rome, !apital of +taly"L
4reemasonry has declared war on the PapacyE has profited by the ambitions, the
passion, the )ices of all parties, and made use of the arm of a !atholic ,tate to
complete its preparations, by ma&ing Rome the capital of the antiCPapal mo)ement"
+n her official bulletin it is said, without any attempt at concealment, by a writer
named ,$64*95 /+ R5R*+R@
K4reemasonry will ha)e the glory, of subduing the terrible 'ydra of the Papacy,
planting on its ruins the secular standard, )erita, amore"L >$ruth and #o)e"?
46R*R+ had already saidR K%e cannot ad)ance one step without stri&ing down
the !ross"L
,(*R(*R5, in his boo& on #iberty, confessedR K*ll #iberals are agreed that
we ne)er shall ha)e national liberty till we ha)e freed consciences from the sla)ery of
Rome " " " which penetrates into families, schools, and all social life"L *nd elsewhere
he saidR K%e are in the midst of a serious struggle, not only of social interests, but of
religious principles, and he must be blind who does not percei)e it"L 4reemasonry, as
,(*R(*R5 has o)er and o)er again repeated, and as all its leaders ha)e declared,
Kmust ta&e the place of the !hurch"L *nd for this reason alone she has stolen Rome
from the Popes to ma&e it her proper centre, under the plea of ma&ing her the capital
of +taly" $his was the real reason for the choice of Rome as a capitalE which was not
necessary or desirable, either historically or politicallyE neither for military nor for
national reasonsE and still less for the ad)antage of the +talian people"
(ut this end, this real scope of the whole mo)ement, K+t is premature to
mention,L wrote :+;,6PP6 M*77+9+, and must be only preached to a redeemed
people"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z K*ll 'ailE 5 ,atanY $hou hast con1uered the =eho)ah of the priests"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 6B
4or, before this KredemptionL of +taly, it was necessary to blind their eyes and
ears with big words about nationality, and liberty, and the necessity of Rome for
;nited +taly" $oday 4reemasonry, thin&ing it has sufficiently KredeemedL the unhappy
+talian people, throws off the mas& and cries without reser)e what *#(6R$5
M*R+5 had said a short time before the coming of +taly to RomeR
K$o disarm the !hurch is not to &ill her"
%e must decapitate her in Rome"L
6tc", 6tc" %e wonder whether the innocent Parsi and the KmildL 'indu of the
nati)e K=adu&hanasL ha)e e)er gi)en one single thought to the abo)e" /o they e)er
ha)e their dreams disturbed by the uncomfortable thought that, notwithstanding their
enforced rupture with the K:rand 5rientL whose chapters wic&edly refuse@do what
their (rethren of the K5rthodoxL !raft masonry may@to bow to the K=eho)ah of the
Priests,L but will ha)e their KPrincipe !rSateurL@ that they, too, are part and parcel
with that depra)ed (ody &nown as the K:rand 5rient of 4rance and +talyL@that so
unblushingly confesses to an inspiration Kfrom ,atanLP
WWWWWWWWWW
-SPIRIT-PHOTOGR"PHS.
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 1H9C12BV
!hronicles of the Photographs of ,piritual (eings and
Phenomena +n)isible to the Material 6ye, by M+,, :"
'5;:'$59" #ondonR 6" %" *llen, 1223"
* neat and curious )olume, K+llustrated by six Plates containing fiftyCfour
Miniature Reproductions from the 5riginal Photographs"L $he boo& is full of
)aluable testimony" +t comes from some of the most eminent men of science and
literature of the day, who all testify to the fact that photographs ha)e been, and are,
ta&en from K,pirit (eings,L their more or less shadowy forms appearing on the
negati)e near or about the sitters in )isible flesh and blood" K'is Most ,erene
'ighness, :eorge, Prince de ,olms,L is one of the witnesses to the phenomena" +n a
letter incorporated in the Preface he remar&sR@
+ ha)e examined the )arious explanations which ha)e been offered of imitating
the spiritCphotographs, but certainly none that + ha)e seen are sufficient to account for
the phenomena " " " + am not aware of any possible explanation of photographs of this
description, of which the figure is displayed partly before and partly behind the
person sitting" Up" )ii"V
Page 61
*nother eminent witness, Mr" *" R" %allace, the 9aturalist, also gi)es his
testimony" 'e saysR@
+f a person with a &nowledge of photography ta&es his own glass plates,
examines the camera used and all the accessories, and watches the whole process of
ta&ing a picture, then, if any definite form appears on the negati)e besides the sitter, it
is a proof that some obMect was present capable of reflecting or emitting the actinic
rays, although in" )isible to those present " " " the fact that any figures so clear and
unmista&ably human in appearance as these should appear on plates ta&en in UaV
pri)ate studio by an experienced optician and amateur photographer, who ma&es all
his apparatus himself, and with no one present " " " is a real mar)el" Upp" 3BGCBH"V
Auite soE and the e)idence is so strong in fa)our of the genuineness of the
interesting phenomenon, that to doubt its possibility would be paramount to
proclaiming oneself a bigoted ignoramus" 9or is it the fact of the phenomenon we
doubt" %e are thin&ing rather of the causes underlying it" $he more we study the
clear, perfectly logical and connected e)idence of the eyewitnesses gathered in Miss
'oughtonQs interesting )olume, the more we compare it with her own testimony, and
then turn to the illustrations gi)en in the boo&, the less we feel ready to recogni.e in
the latter the direct wor& of ,pirits, i"e", of disembodied 6gos" $his is no sophistical
ca)il of preMudice or predetermined negation, as some of our critics may thin&E but the
sincere expression of honest truth" %e do not e)en attribute the appearance of the
figures, so mysteriously appearing without any seemingly physical cause for it, to the
wor& of the elementary or the elementals@so odious to the orthodox ,piritualist" %e
simply )enture to as& why such photographs, without being a fraudulent imitation@
and e)en though one day recogni.ed as phenomenal by the Royal ,ociety@should be
necessarily K,pirit picturesL@and not something elseP %hy should the forms so
appearing@often no forms at all, but patches of formless light, in which it is as easy
to detect figures and faces and li&enesses, as it is in a passing cloud, or e)en in a spot
of dirt upon a wall@why should they be rather ta&en for the pictures from original
human or any other ,pirits than for the reflection of what is already impressed as
images of men and things photographed on the in)isible space around usP
Page 63
* more or less successful reproduction >the photographer remaining
unconscious of it?@of a deceased personQs features from an image already impressed
in the aura of the li)ing medium, or the persons present, would not be a dishonest
attempt to impose upon the credulous, but a bona fide phenomenon" #et us once grant
for the sa&e of argument this hypothesis, and it would account perfectly for the
Kfigure displayed partly before and partly behind the person sitting"L Moreo)er, the
theory would co)er the ground and explain e)ery unsatisfactory feature in such
photographs, features hitherto unaccountable but on the theory of fraud" $he
Kdaughter of =airusL would not appear in the aura of a 'indu medium, not if he were
to sit for a thousand years before a camera" (ut the said biblical personage is a )ery
natural reproduction in the presence of a Protestant, an intensely pious medium,
whose thoughts are wholly absorbed with the (ibleE whose mind is full of the
miracles of =esus !hristE and who gi)es than&s, after e)ery successful KspiritC
photograph,L to the Kwisdom of :odL by blessing and praising his name" * 'indu or
a (uddhist medium would e)o&e no KspoonL emerging from a ray of celestial light
abo)e his head@but rather his fingers with which he eats his food" (ut the biblical
interpretation gi)en by the author >pp" H2 and H9? to explain the apparition of the
spoon after she had placed a mar&er in the (ible >the passage referring to the twel)e
spoons of gold, the offering of the Princes of +srael?, is Must as we should expect it"
9or would an orthodox heathen cause to appear on the photograph, surrounded by a
cluster of clouds, pictures Kfound to be a representation of the 'oly 4amilyL@for the
simple reason that ha)ing ne)er gi)en a thought to the latter family, no such picture
could be created by his mind, whether conscious or unconsciousE hence none being
found in)isibly impressed around him, none could be caught in the focus" %ere, on
the other hand, a picture of a boar or a fish to appear instead, or that of a blue
gentleman playing on the fluteE and were a 'indu medium to recogni.e in the former
the two *)atars of Vishnu, and in the latter 8rishna, we doubt whether any !hristian
,piritualist would be fair enough to admit of the correctness of the symbolical
interpretation, or e)en of the genuineness of the K,pirits,L since no !hristian sensiti)e
belie)es in either such *)atars, or in a ceruleanCcoloured god"
Page 63
$he most remar&able feature, in the boo& under re)iew, is its illustrated plates" +n
their intrinsic )alue, the miniature photographs are perfect" $hey do the greatest
honour to both the talent of the artist and the perse)erance and patience of the author
re1uired of her, before she could achie)e such fine results" *s K,piritL photographs,
howe)er, they allow a large margin for criticism, as they lea)e e)erything
unexplained, and the figures are by no means satisfactory" 4rom Plate + to Plate V+,
with one or two exceptions, the figures of the ,pirits exhibit a strange sameness and
rigidness" (eginning with KMamma extending her hand towards meL and ending with
K$ommyQs grandmotherL >Plate +?, nine groups in nine different attitudes represent to
our profane eye but two and the same persons in each pictureR the author and a
shrouded ghost@with features in)isible" +n each case, the ,pirit is wrapped up in the
traditional white shroud, )ery pertinently called by some correspondent in the wor&
the Kcon)entional whiteCsheeted ghost"L %hy it should be so, is not sufficiently
explained on the theory gi)en >p" 3BH? that Kthe human form is more difficult to
materiali.e than drapery"L +f it is a K,pirit Power, " " " used in :odQs %isdom to
promote the )isible appearance of spirit forms,L as we are told >p" 31?, then both the
power and wisdom fall )ery wide of the mar& that should be expected from them"
*nd if not, then why such a ser)ile copy of the con)entional ghosts in theatricalsP
$here are many )aluable, interesting and highly scientific attempts at
explanation found scattered throughout the wor&, and e)idence gi)en by wellC&nown
writers of ability and learning" (ut the opinion we agree with the most, is contained
in the extracts gi)en from Mr" =ohn (eattieQs paper@published in the ,piritual
Maga.ine for =anuary, 12H3@on the KPhilosophy of ,piritCPhotography"L %e will
1uote a few linesR@
*ll our most competent thin&ers in the great schools of physical science " " " are
forced to the conclusion that there exists an infinite ocean of ether, in which all
material substance floats, and through which are transmitted all the forces in the
physical uni)erse" " " "
Page 6D
+n photography we ha)e to deal with purely physical conditions" +s there any
proof that in the production of these pictures any other than physical conditions ha)e
had playP " " " +n the spiritCphotographs ta&en under my obser)ation, + had
considerable proof that spiritCsubstance was not photographed" $he forms were
)ague, but as photographs extremely well defined " " " these forms are such, and are so
singularly related to one another that, e)en to the superficial, it is impossible not to
see that such a series of forms could ne)er ha)e been concei)ed of by any one who
would ha)e had a mind to decei)e" " " " %e daily hear of spiritCphotographs being
made, many of them said to be recogni.ed as li&enesses of friends" " " " 9ow are these
photographs any other than material resemblances, moulded by spiritual beings, of
substances capable, when so condensed, of throwing off energy )ery acti)ely"""" +
ha)e seen many of the photographs said to be li&enesses" + ha)e two before me nowR
the same gentleman in both" +n one there is with him a sitting figure half under the
carpet, clearly from an etching of a face with a profile type exactly li&e his ownE in
the other there is a standing figure extremely tall and illCdefined" +n both cases it is
said to be his mother " " " " 9o li&eness could be discerned between the two" $he
sitting figure e)idently had been ta&en from some drawing"
+ mention all this to combat the notion that the actual spirit can be photographed"
+ ha)e seen a large number of them which + belie)e to be genuine, but in no case ha)e
+ seen them indicating the free play of true life" (esides, we cannot belie)e spiritual
light to depend upon physical laws such as reflection, absorption, etc", but rather on
states of the percei)ing mind" +f + am right, within the range of psychological
phenomena, spiritCphotography must ta&e a high place in usefulness, if mar&ed by
suitable e)idence without which all manifestations are worthless"
%e heartily concur with all that is said abo)e, but we disagree entirely with one
of the conclusions and deductions drawn therefrom by Mr" (eattie" ,o far the
genuineness of the phenomenon, called KspiritCphotography,L is sufficiently pro)ed"
(ut before we dogmati.e upon the agency or rather the causes producing the
phenomenal effects, we ha)e to consider three theories, and choose the one which not
only co)ers most of the ground, but explains, in the most satisfactory way, the e)ident
defects in the results so far obtained" 9ow the ,piritualists maintain that these
pictures are the photographs of spirits" Men more cautious, those of Mr" (eattieQs turn
of mind, would rather thin& that they are KPhotographs by ,pirits,L the form of the
obMect ha)ing been gi)en from plastic in)isible substance Kby intelligent beings
outside of it and moulded into shape for their purpose"
Page 6G
L *nd we >the 5ccultists? say, that they are obMecti)e copies from subMecti)e
photographs impressed upon the ether of space, and constantly thrown out by our
thoughts, words, and deeds" " " "
$he final )erdict as to who of us is right and who wrong, can be brought out by
the Mury of reason only after a better and more reliable e)idence is obtained of the
facts, and, upon a profounder ac1uaintance with the +n)isible ;ni)erse and
PsychologyE both, moreo)er, ha)e first to become entirely separated from, and
independent of, anything li&e preconcei)ed notions, or a sectarian colouring" ,o long
as K,piritCPhotography,L instead of being regarded as a science, is presented to the
public as a new Re)elation from the :od of +srael and =acob, )ery few sober men of
science, will care to submit to a microscopic inspection KMary the Virgin, Mother of
our #ord,L or e)en K,t" =ohn with a do)e and three stars in the niche abo)e him"L
WWWWWWWWWW
THE "R#"
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 121C123V
$he *rya, Ka Monthly =ournal de)oted to *ryan Philosophy, *rt, #iterature,
,cience, and Religion, as well as to %estern Modern PhilosophyL conducted by R" !"
(ary, at #ahore" +t is published in the interests of the *rya ,amaM, founded by our
friend and ally, ,wami /ayanand ,araswati" $he March number, the first of the new
publication Must started, is before us" !onducted by a (rother of ours, his ability, we
doubt not, will guide it safely through the dangerous passes of literature, the
$hermopylae, where so many new Mournals find an untimely death" $he first number
contains some )ery interesting informationE among other matter, a learned and
comprehensi)e article, K$he $heory of 6)olution from an *ryan Point of View,L by
one 4" $" ,"
Page 66
+f the initials mean K4ellow, $heosophical ,ociety,L then the latter ought to feel
doubly proudE first, of the member who wrote itE and then of the laudable feeling of
modesty which made him conceal a name of which, as a writer, he need ne)er be
ashamed" $he article is so good, that we hope it will be continued" K* !hoba and his
=uMman,L by #alla ,obha Ram, is a satirical /ialogue between an old orthodox
(rahman and an *rya ,amaMist, who is &ind enough to mention in it and thus gi)e
some prominence to the humble labours of the 4ounders of the $heosophical ,ociety"
K+nfantQs 'ome 6ducation,L by F", contains some excellent ad)ice to nati)e parents"
K* :uide to :ree& 9omenclature,L a learned article by /aya Rama Varma, of
Mooltan, an old contributor of ours, who shows in a )ery satisfactory way that the
8ings of Magadha, or the Magadanians, who were Klords paramount and emperors of
+ndia for abo)e 3BBB years,L and whose country was Kthe seat of learning, ci)ili.ation
and trade,L were the forefathers of the :ree& Macedonians" $his is a )ery ingenuous
theory and the authorQs nomenclature of ancient names deser)es to be more widely
&nown" 'ymn 4irst, of the Rig Veda ,amhita, and the KPrinciples of the *rya ,amaM,L
with an explanation of the obMects of that body, are also gi)en" 'a)ing on the first
page Kdeplored the factL that the *rya ,amaMists are Ktal&ed of as the blind followers
of ,wami /ayanand ,araswati,L denounced by KselfCstyled Pandits " " " as *theists,L
and regarded by some of their best friends Kas a religious sect,L the true position is
explained further on, in an article signed R" !" %e confess, we ha)e oursel)es always
laboured under the impression that the *rya ,amaM was a sect" 9otwithstanding all
denial, we could hardly be blamed for it, since the *rya ,amaM is a ,ociety answering
perfectly to the definition of the word KsectL as gi)en by /ictionaries" * sect is a
body of persons who ha)e separated from others in )irtue of some special doctrine or
doctrinesE a religious or philosophical school, which has deserted the established
church, or Kwhich holds tenets different from those of the pre)ailing denomination in
a 8ingdom or ,tate"L
Page 6H
$he *rya ,amaM then, since it is a body of men who follow the teachings of
,wami /ayanand, whose school has separated itself from orthodox, or established
(rahmanism and 'induism, must be a sect as much as is the (rahmo ,amaM, or any
other body composed merely of coreligionists" 5ur ,ociety is not a sect, for it is
composed of men of all sects and religions, as of e)ery school of thought" (ut we
belie)e no Mohammedan or (uddhist would be recei)ed into the ,amaM of our
respected friend, the ,wamiMee, unless he ga)e up, one@his re)erence for his
prophet, the other@for (uddha" More o)er, he would ha)e to renounce the tenets and
dogmas of his religion, and accept those of the Vedas, as the only re)ealed boo&sE and
the interpretation of the latter by ,wami /ayanand as the only infallible one, though,
to interpret an infallible re)elation, re1uires an infallible re)ealer" #et it not be
understood that we ta&e our friends, the *rya ,amaMists, to tas& for itE or, least of all,
that we see& to under)alue, in any way whatsoe)er, the teachings of Pandit
/ayanand" %e only expect to call correct things by their correct names, as it would
be beyond our power to 1uarrel with e)ery wellCestablished definition" (ut the
obMects as defined in the article signed KR" !",L are excellentR@
$he *rya ,amaM is a society established with the obMect of dispelling from
among humanity ignorance with all the superstitions which it has bred, and which
unfortunately still bind in iron chains the people of +ndia and, to some extent, the
people of the %est, as well as to reform all religious rites and ceremonies by the light
of the doctrines of the Vedas" " " " * pious and righteous person who has correctly read
and understood the Vedas and who ne)er de)iates from their teachings in his practice
is a (rahman, be he or she the nati)e of *merica, 6urope or *rya)art itself"
$he *rya ,amaM holds the Vedas as a Re)elation )ouchsafed to man at his
introduction into the world, and this Re)elation as ha)ing a counterpart in nature,
)i.", the whole creation" * religion that conflicts with science does not deser)e that
name" $he laws of nature are uni)ersal and irre)ocable and no man or woman can
infringe any one of them with impunity, and so is the case with the doctrines of the
Vedas which teach us that our thoughts, words and deeds are the authors of our fate
and of our future state" $here is no stern deity punishing innocents or an o)ermerciful
one forgi)ing sinners"
$his last doctrine is highly philosophicalE and, ha)ing a true (uddhist ring about
it, appears to us perfectly logical" 5nly in such a case what is the acti)e part, if any,
allotted to :od in the *rya systemP
Page 62
%ill our esteemed colleague and brother &indly enlighten us on this subMectP $his is
no idle criticism, but an earnest en1uiry which we would fain settle seriously with the
*ryas" +n the KPrinciples of the *" ,",L we are told that, among many other things,
:od is KMust and merciful"L 9ow, if his Mustice and mercy are simply nominal
attributes since there is no deity to punish or to forgi)e, why such attributes, or e)en
such a deity at allP ,cience, commonCsense and experience teach us that by the disuse
of any organ, when the functions are suspended in it, the limb becomes atrophied, the
same law holding good in the case of mental 1ualities" +f the K*llCwise, the ,upport
and the #ord of all,L the omniscient :od, is no better than a constitutional so)ereign,
the supreme power being )ested in him but nominally, while the real power remains
in the hands of his Parliament >represented in our case by manQs Kthoughts, words,
and deeds,L or 8arma?, and that thus the K#ord of *llL becomes simply ornamental,
why ha)e him at allP %e hope the *rya will not refuse to enlighten us upon the
subMect" Meanwhile we wish it sincerely long life and success"
WWWWWWWWWW
" THEOLOGIC"L SNOB
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 123C12DV
* pretty story comes to us from Madras about the *merican lecturer, now
starring in +ndia" $he (ombay :a.ette once wittily remar&ed of him that Kthere is one
thing greater than his ability, and that is his bumptiousness"L $o this adMecti)e it might
ha)e pertinently added@had Mr" =oe !oo& un)eiled himself as fully here as he has
done in !alcutta and Madras@those of his snobbishness and malice" +n the lastC
named city@we are told in a letter@Khis public )ilifications of the celebrated
infidels and heretics of the day, became so indecent, that e)en the Madras Mail@the
only paper that noticed his lectures@had to prudently suppress them"L
Page 69
'is !hristian utterances must ha)e been superb, indeed" %e tender our
congratulations to his #ordship, the (ishop of Madras, who, we are told, occupied the
chair during !oo&Qs pious deli)eries" +t behoo)ed well the chief pastor of a floc&
entrusted to him by one who said, K(lessed are the mee&,L and the successor of that
other, who declared that, K(eing re)iled, we blessL >+ !or", i), 13?, to preside o)er
such an assembly" (ut perhaps, as the apostle assures us, that Kno re)iler shall inherit
the &ingdom of :odL@his #ordship &indly intended to gi)e Mr" !oo& the benefit of
his intercession and prayersP
Mr" =oseph !oo&Qs policy seems to be well ta&en from a #oyolian point of )iew"
'e first re)iles and slanders those whom he may well fear, and then, whene)er
challenged to substantiate his calumnies, basing himself on the slanders in)ented and
circulated by himself, he refuses pointCblan& to meet themY $his bra)e champion of
Kmodern religious thoughtL acts prudently" 'is great intellect@which may well be
li&ened to those brilliant toy balloons which burst at the first hard touch of a finger@
could ne)er resist the mighty palm of a (radlaugh, or e)en that of a less intellectual
person" $hus, when in #ondon, he hastened to slander Mrs" (esant and Mr"
(radlaugh, and then refused to meet them on the ground of his own )illainous
calumnies" +n (ombay he pursued the same policy with regard to !olonel 5lcott and
Mr" (ennettE in Poona he impertinently refused to ha)e anything to say to !aptain
(anon for the same weighty reasons, etc", etc" *nd thus he acted now at Madras, only
slightly )arying his programme, as will be seen, and adding thereby to his immortal
wreath of oratorical bumptiousness one more unfading leaf@that of snobbishness"
%e ha)e the delightful story from the )ictimQs own penR he being a wellCeducated,
respectable and highly culti)ated, young man of Madras, the editor of the Philosophic
+n1uirer and a wellC&nown 4reethin&erR Mr" P" Murugessa Mudaliar@in short"
Page HB
$here is not a man or woman in +ndia, we presume, but &nows that neither the
social nor moral standing, nor yet the birth, education or intellect of a young nati)e,
can be e)er measured by his salary or the official position he is made to occupy" *nd,
we are not the only one to &now that there are poor cler&s at a most infinitesimal
salary in this country who might gi)e points to the best 6uropean metaphysician of
the day and yet remain the )ictors in the wranglership" Mr" !oo& had certainly time
enough to be posted about this fact by his numerous padriCsatellites" *nd so he was,
we ha)e no doubtE but that was the )ery reason why he had the )ulgarity and bad
taste to resort to a mean stratagem instead" /reading to meet in public debate our
correspondent@who is also employed in the (an& of Madras @he put openly
forward the excuse that he was only an humble cler& on a )ery small salaryY 'e had
)olunteered to answer publicly e)ery 1uestion and obMection put forward by educated
nonC!hristiansE and when the hour of the trial had come, he actually had the
disgusting snobbery of answering from the platformR K+ cannot deal with a man who
is only a writing cler& in the (an&, on Rs" 3B"LYY
$his obMection@as coming from a public lecturer of *merica, a country which
hardly e)er had a President but had begun life as a poor )illage stableboy, a farmerQs
labourer, or had, before mo)ing into the K%hite 'ouse,L to put away his tailorQs
scissors with a pair of unfinished pants@is the most refreshingly ludicrous anecdote
we ha)e e)er heard of" $his fact of the people of *merica, electing for the highest
honours men, according to their personal worth and merit, and regardless of their
birth and social standing@which is the noblest and grandest feature in the *merican
Republic and its !onstitution@seems to ha)e entirely escaped the memory of our
aristocratic preacher" %e would li&e to &now who may possibly be the ancestors of
Mr" =oseph !oo& himselfP *nd, we would be as glad to learn the name of that
*merican@e)en of one, out of the forty millions of its citi.ens@who is able to boast
of a genealogical table e1ual to that of the humblest nati)e cler& in +ndia"
Page H1
/oes this KoratorL want us to belie)e he descends from %illiam the !on1ueror
or perchance, li&e PallasC*thena, from =upiterQs brain, his wisdom being e1ual to his
warli&e propensities, if not to his bra)eryP *n *merican going by the )ery plebeian
name of !oo&, refusing to lower his dignity by meeting in a discussion a cler& is
curious news, indeedY +t is really more than we expected e)en from that )ery high
caste (rahmin of the city of (oston"
WWWWWWWWWW
"NOTHER *ORTHODO$, PROSECUTION)
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 12DC126V
$he *siatic nations ha)e often been accused of holding obstinately to their old
routine and customs, and of being the least progressi)e indi)iduals in the whole
world" :radual ci)ili.ation alone, it is urged, has the needed potentiality in it, to
destroy unreasoned preMudices" 6ducation, only, can force upon the mind of a
re)i)ing nation, the con)iction that the world and e)erything in it has to mo)e on, lest
that people which should fall asleep o)er its old ways and customs be outrun by its
neighbours, and left in its motionless condition to die the death of stagnation"
*ll this and much more is preached by the moralists of 6urope and *merica"
;nfortunately, for the practical good of humanity, while imitating theoretically that
:erman preacher, who ma&ing his na`)e declaration to the parishioners, enMoined
them to K/o as + tell you and not as + do,L most of those pioneers of progress
themsel)es, the press and others, ne)er fail to practically rap on the &nuc&les of those
who follow out the second part of the wise ad)ice" 9either law, nor educated society,
nor yet the maMority of the people, e)er go apace with the progress of ci)ili.ationE
ne)er at least, so far, as to pro)e its good results by helping to demonstrate the benefit
of an inno)ation in its practical applications"
Page H3
5ld and mouldy laws are allowed to remain without re)ision or amendmentE
fetish worshipping society is permitted and e)en encouraged to fall foul of anyone
who disregards those grim old idols of hers, called KPublic PreMudiceL and
K!on)entional RespectabilityLE while the common herd, the plebs, whose innate
feature seems to be modelled by the law of ata)ism upon that of their forefathers the
sheep, will follow ser)ilely and blindly its leader@the maMority@and try to hoot out
of his life any inno)ator that society condemns as an iconoclast of their cherished
routine"
,uch thoughts naturally suggest themsel)es to one who reads the news of another
recent prosecution and trial of an honest and a good man" $he )ictim, this time, is one
among the most worthy members of our ,ocietyR a true brother of the great
K(rotherhood of 'umanityL@!harles 6" $aylor, M"/", a wellC&nown boo&seller and
a )ery successful magnetic and homeopathic healer of ,t" $homas, %est +ndies" *
few years bac&, /r" 'enry ,lade, a 1uiet unobtrusi)e man, a thorough gentleman in
his ways and manners, and an honest and sincere ,piritualist, was prosecuted and
barely escaped imprisonment with hard labour, for the sole crime of being a
wonderful medium and for pro)ing it most effecti)ely to anyone who had a mind to
in)estigate for himself the claim" *n old law, which growing ci)ili.ation had left in
disuse to moulder in its archi)es for o)er a century, the law against soothsaying and
palmistry, was dragged out from its hidingCplace for the greater shame of the (ritish
code, and made to ser)e as a weapon to brea& the mediumQs head with" #aw is but too
often made a con)enient mantle, under the co)er of which bigotry in all its protean
forms re)els and chuc&les in its triumph o)er truth" +n the case of /r" ,lade, it was the
bigotry of dogmatic materialism, under the guise of orthodox science that floored for
a short time factE and /r" ,lade was sentenced under the pro)ision of the wise old
law" $his once, it is the bigotry of professional rapacity, the en)y of a mercenary
apothecary that triumphs" +n /ecember last, our brother, Mr" !harles 6" $aylor, was
sentenced at the $own !ourt of ,t" $homas, Kfor ha)ing practised animal magnetism
and dispensed homeopathic medicine"L
Page H3
$rue, he had practiced the former for years gratisE he had relie)ed and cured
hundreds of poor patients, to whom, were they to die at the door of the drugstore of
the said apothecary, the complainant would not ha)e gi)en his allopathic drugs and
pills without being paid for them, while the defendant dispensed to rich and poor his
homeopathic medicine free from any charge" 'is treatment, moreo)er, as was legally
shown, had ne)er pro)ed detrimental to those treated by him" (ut what does it all
matterY $he apothecary is a legally licensed leech for bleeding men and their poc&ets,
while Mr" $aylor is but an unselfish practical benefactor of his fellow creatures $he
apothecary relie)es his clients of the weight of their species, while Mr" $aylor
relie)ed them but of their pains and aches@if not as legally at least as effectually" (ut
#aw has to countenance licensed robbery, though it has no pro)ision made to force
KorthodoxL physicians and druggists to refund their money to those whom they do not
cure, let alone bring bac& to life those whom they may legally &ill in the course of
their legal practice" 5n the other hand, ha)ing once pro)ided for the safety of its
monopolists, it is forced to put a chec& on all those who may be in their wayE e)en
though, they do pro)e, as in the case in hand, that they ha)e alle)iated the sufferings
of hundreds and thousands of men, rescued more than one life precious to a number
of friends and relati)es, and thereby as a natural result sa)ed the latter from months
and years of cruel mental torture" *ll this, of course, in the eyes of the allCwise law
and social preMudice counts for nothing" !hristian law and !hristian societies in their
preCeminently !hristian lands may con)eniently forget in the nineteenth century that
the practice of healing by Klaying on of hands,L and the KmiraclesL of mesmerism lie
at the )ery bottom, and are the )ery cornerstone in the foundation of their faith@as it
originated during the first century" $rained in, and accustomed to, as it is, to wallow
in the mire of hypocrisy and false pretences, it would be useless to try and ha)e
society admit that, were there anything li&e logic and consistency in the laws of its
respecti)e countries, once that such a mode of healing is shown illegal, and mesmeric
KmiraclesL pro)ed no better than a moonshine, their creed, based upon such practices,
would crumble down the first, li&e an edifice pul)eri.ed hollow by the white ants"
Page HD
$his glaring contradiction between their profession of faith and their bitter
opposition, coupled with an insurmountable preMudice to that old mode of healing@
hence to ,piritualism and $heosophy@as shown by !hristian ,ociety and !hristian
#aw are the legitimate outcome of fifteen centuries of cant and hypocrisy" $hese facts
alone, that while society finds it superlati)ely respectable to belie)e in, and accepts
theoretically and upon blind faith that which it scoffs at and reMects when shown its
possibilities practicallyE and that law@one of whose duties it is to enforce and protect
its state religion@shows ne)ertheless the most superb contempt for, and practical
disbelief in, the efficacy of that which constitutes the )ery basis of the KmiraclesL
claimed to ha)e been wor&ed by their !hrist@would be preposterously ludicrous,
were not its daily results so sad and so hurtful to humanity" $he pointed remar& in a
sermon preached by 'enry %ard (eecher, that could =esus come bac& and beha)e in
the streets of 9ew <or&, as he did in those of =erusalem, he would find himself
confined in a Mail and forced by the city authorities to ta&e a MugglerQs license@holds
now as good as e)er" #aw and ,ociety with their boasted ci)ili.ation become with
e)ery day more Kli&e unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward,
but are within full of dead menQs bones and of all uncleanness"LZ $he paradox that we
now find practical !hristians but among the atheists, the materialists and the infidel
heretics, is rapidly becoming an indisputable theorem" 'ence one more )ictim of
disgraceful bigotry supported by the hand of !hristian #aw"
K5nly allopaths, belonging to some recogni.ed uni)ersity are allowed to
practice in these +slandsL >of %est +ndies?, writes to us Mr" $aylor" K4ormerly not
e)en an allopath was allowed here, unless he had passed an examination before the
(oard of !openhagen"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UMatt", xxiii, 3H"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page HG
$he 'omeopathic 6clectic or magnetic physicians@not e)en when diplomaed
@if + may use the term@are permitted to practice hereE nor does the apothecary >the
complainant? &eep homeopathic medicines" $hus, the old fable of the X/og in the
MangerQ is repeated " " " + am not un&indly disposed towards him@but there is a
limit " " "L
$his pro)es that the laws of !openhagen need as careful a re)ision as those of
nearly e)ery other country nowE and, that /enmar&, if it expects to &eep apace with
progress and ci)ili.ation, may be as sorely in need of a new codification as it was in
the days of its Prince 'amlet" 6)en Russia abolished the law forbidding the
homeopathic physicians to prepare their own medicines, so far bac& as in 12D3" +n
nearly e)ery large town, the world o)er, there are homeopathic societies" +n 6urope
alone in 12GB there were already o)er 3,BBB practicing homeopathists, twoCthirds of
whom belonged to :ermany, 4rance and :reat (ritainE and there are numerous
dispensaries, hospitals and wealthy curati)e establishments appropriated to this
method of treatment in e)ery large town, e)en in !openhagen itself" *t this )ery day,
a re)olution is ta&ing place in science, owing to the proofs gi)en by the famous
Professor =aeger of ,tuttgart of the mar)ellous efficacy of the infinitesimal
homeopathic doses" 'omeopathy is on the e)e of being demonstrated as the most
potent of curati)e agents" 4igures cannot lie" %e send the ,t" $homas fogies to the
newly in)ented application by Professor =aeger@a most eminent physiologist@of
the instrument called chronoscope by which his neuralCanalyses are produced"
*t the incipient stage of e)ery useful inno)ation, its success only increases the
enmity of the opponents" +n 1213, when after the withdrawal of the allied armies the
typhus patients became so numerous in #eip.ig that it was found necessary to di)ide
them among the physicians of that city, of the H3 allotted to /r" 'ahnemann, the
founder of the homeopathic system of medicine, and by him treated on that method,
all reco)ered except one, a )ery old manE while the patients under the care of the
allopaths died in the proportion of 2 men in 1B"
Page H6
$o show their appreciation of the ser)ices rendered, the authorities, at the
instigation of the apothecaries, who conspired to ma&e the former re)i)e against /r"
'ahnemann an old law@exiled the doctor who was forced to see& refuge in 8\then
in the dominions of the /u&e of *nhalt" #et us hope that /r" !" 6" $aylor will find his
reward for his in)aluable and disinterested ser)ices in the end, e)en as /r"
'ahnemann did for his wor&" 4or, after ha)ing been the obMect of ceaseless attac&s for
o)er thirty years from those whose pecuniary interests were opposed to the beneficent
inno)ation@as those of our modern allopaths are opposed now to mesmerism in
addition to homeopathy@he li)ed to see #eip.ig atoning for its sins and repairing the
inMury done to his reputation by erecting a statue to him in one of the city s1uares"
WWWWWWWWWW
*" !"ITH!UL /WITNESS0 WILL NOT LIE,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 12HC122V
K$hou shalt not raise a false reportR put not thine hand with the wic&ed to be an
unrighteous %+$96,,L >6xodus, xxiii, + ? "
$he +ndian %itness is our old Methodist friend@the #uc&now %itness@in
disguise" %hy the godly creature should ha)e cast off its s&in, is a problem to be set
aside with the other ways of Pro)idence 1uite as mysterious and pu..ling to the :odC
fearing !hristian as they are to the infidel $heosophist" %hether it suddenly felt the
need of pro)ing its ubi1uity as one of the K%itnessesL to the :od of *braham and
=acob, and so )olunteered its inestimable ser)icesE or, that it was subpoenaed, and,
with the KpeopleQs dollarL in its poc&et, had to enlarge its field of operation, in order
to gi)e e)idence on a broader scaleE or, again, that it found (engal a fitter locality@
from a climatic point of )iew@to threaten the obstinate heathen with damnation, are
all delicate points which we need not raise at present, nor lose our time to discuss"
Page HH
'owe)er it may be, it has 1uietly shifted its head1uarters from pro)incial
modest #uc&now, and we find it in the )ery centre of religious fermentation@the
proud capital of (engal@!alcutta" 5ur prying, psalmCcroa&ing wellCwisher and
colleague was right" +ts choice was certainly Mudicious, as it has now before its
prophetic and inspired eye a far broader hori.on, a far wider scope for religious
reflection and critical obser)ation than it could e)er hope for in Mussulman 5udh"
*ll the specialists agree in saying that the K!ity of PalacesL is the best manured spot
with the theological guano of stray birds of prey of e)ery feather, in all +ndia" 'ence,
it is the most fertile land for missionary KplantL and for raising reformers and
K!hristian witnessesL on it, of e)ery colour and species" !alcutta, as we all &now, is
the )ery hotbed of brilliant oratory and worldCfamous preachers, from the mellifluous
(abu 8eshub !hunder ,en@preaching !hrist and /urga@down to the mealyC
mouthed dissenters on the editorial staff of our %esleyan contemporary, gushing o)er
the departure and )irtues of another K!hristian %itness,L as they call MaMorC:eneral
!rofton, whosoe)er that gallant warrior may be *nyhow, the #uc&nowC+ndian
%itness, ha)ing placed itself in an excellent position, from whence to spy and
encourage the )ariegated specimens of con)erted preachers running amuc& for their
heathen brothersQ scalps, we had fondly hoped that, as an eyewitness, it might ha)e
now amended its e)il waysE that it had become a trifle more truthful in its
denunciations of the ini1uities perpetrated by all the nonC!hristian sects and societiesE
and less exaggerated in the e)idence brought to bear upon the moral beauty and
sanctity of e)ery stray !hristian lecturer" *las, we were once more disappointedY $he
+ndian %itness is as false and untruthful, as slandering and gushing as was its
#uc&now ,osia@no mean compliment, by the way, to the latter" *cting on a different
policy than the missionary papers generally do, we mean to substantiate our charges"
Page H2
+n its issues of 4ebruary 3Gth and March Dth, we find oursel)es, )ery
unexpectedly, recei)ing high honours, and a prominent place in the editorial
paragraphs of that organ of deep Methodist thought" +ts mee& editors chuc&le with
suppressed delightE and their large, apostolic hearts seem o)erflowing with !hristian
lo)e and charity@the )ery essence of !hristism@as they couple our humble names
with that of the KgreatL #ecturer, and still greater libeller and ca)iller, Mr" =oe !oo&,
of the bac&biting *rmy of the #ord" +t is no doubt, from that most trustworthy
personage, that the no less trustworthy Methodist Mournal got the following bits of
reliable informationP ,ays the +ndian %itness in its issue of March DthR
/efections from the ran&s of infidelity are becoming somewhat fre1uent of late"
!olonel 5lcott recently named /" M" (ennett, !olonel +ngersoll, and Mr" (radlaugh,
as the three most worthy KmartyrsL of the age, and now the *merican papers tell us
that +ngersoll begins to show signs of receding from his extreme positions" 'e no
longer denies the existence of the soul after death, although he uses an KifL in
spea&ing on the subMect" +ntimate friends say this is only one of many indications of a
change that has been coming o)er him recentlyE meanwhile, Mr" 4rothingham, the
strongest, and perhaps the most influential, of the a)owed disbelie)ers in *merica has
confessed that his system of infidelity has pro)ed a failure, while Mr" *bbott, a wellC
&nown leader of the extreme school, has Must written a letter, saying that he had
withdrawn from the 4ree Religious *ssociation, because he could not induce the
body with which he acted to say a single word in repudiation of the identical charges
which Mr" =oseph !oo& brought against (ennett and his friends in (ombay" >P? $he
same charges had been made by Mr" !oo& in *merica, and Mr" *bbott, himself an
a)owed infidel, was the only man in the *ssociation who was willing to wash his
hands of the accusation" $ruly, our $heosophists seem ready to open a cage of )ery
unclean birds in our +ndian cities"
%e ha)e italici.ed the fi)e glaring misstatements composing the fi)e sentences,
contained in about two do.en of lines" $hey are all represented as facts, but, as the
reader will see, consist of three s&illful misrepresentations, of one clumsy falsehood,
and of one calumny of the &ind so be lo)ed by, and so constantly resorted to, in the
missionary organs, de)oted to pro)ing the superiority of the !hristian morality o)er
that of the false religions of the 'indu systems" %e will enumerate the misstatements"
Page H9
1" !olonel 5lcott has ne)er either published or named Mr" /" M" (ennett,
!olonel +ngersoll, and Mr" (radlaugh as Kthe three most worthy martyrs of the age"L
5ur President ha)ing nothing to do with the %estern materialistic 4reeCthought, and
being well ac1uainted with the li)es of the three gentlemen abo)e named, has respect
and sympathy for them personally, but none whate)er for their extreme )iews"
8nowing, therefore, >a? !olonel +ngersoll, as a )ery happy, prosperous man,
successful throughout his lecturing career, always coming out triumphant from his
s1uabbles with the bigots who attac& him, and one who probably ne)er had one
hourQs KmartyrdomL in his lifeE and >b? Mr" (radlaugh as rather the re)erse of a
martyr, inasmuch as he certainly gi)es more trouble to his persecutors than they can
e)er gi)e to him@he could not ha)e uttered such an absurdity" %hat he said and
maintains is, that those three gentlemen had done more to upset dogmatic !hristianity
in 6ngland and *merica, and to arrest its progress e)en here, than any other three
men li)ing" *nd hence, that they had to suffer for it in their reputations torn to pieces
by )ile calumny and the efforts of untruthful and unprincipled !hristian .ealots"
*s for Mr" (ennett, though this sentiment has ne)er found room in !olonel
5lcottQs public utterances, for there was no need for it, yet the editor of the $ruthC
,ee&er may Mustly be regarded by all those who &now him personally as a Kmartyr,L
and the )ictim of a gigantic and the most shameful conspiracy e)er resorted to, in
order to get rid of a dangerous opponent" %e, who &now something of his pri)ate life,
and belie)e in the impartial Mudgment of some of our best friends in *merica, who
&new him for years, maintain that he was made a martyr to, and has suffered for, that
cause of freedom for which e)ery rightCminded man in *merica will stand up and
will die for, if necessary" %e certainly do not include in the latter category the
maMority of *merican clergymen and missionaries, nor yet the fools and bigots who
become their blind tools"
Page 2B
*nd &nowing so much, notwithstanding, and to the face of Mr" =oseph !oo&,
and his pharisaical supporters, we proclaim Mr" (ennett a &ind, truthful, 1uiet, rightC
minded man, imperfect and liable to err, as e)ery other mortal, but, at the same time
scrupulously honest, and as incapable of spreading false reports e)en against his
bitterest enemies, as the latter are incapable of doing anything else" +mpenetrable as
they are to any decent feeling of Mustice, forgi)eness or charity, most of them carry,
under their blac& gowns and white ties, a bladder full of gall instead of a heart"
3" !olonel +ngersoll has not shown the slightest sign of recanting, or of
Kreceding from his extreme positions"L $o our &nowledge, and ha)ing heard him
lecture years bac&, he has ne)er denied the principle of immortality, but had only
1uestioned the possibility for any man of obtaining any certainty to that effect" +s it
his latest pamphlet, K%hat shall + /5 to be sa)edPL or his sharp reMoinder to =udge
=ere ," (lac&, on the subMect of the !hristian religion >see 9o)ember number of the
9orth *merican Re)iew? that shows any such sign of KrecedingLP
3" $he news spread by other *merican false %+$96,,6, to the effect that Mr"
4rothingham Khas confessed that his system of infidelity has pro)ed a failure,L is
denied by that eminent gentleman himself, in the papers" $his is what the Re)erend
M" =" ,a)age, the personal friend of Mr" 4rothingham, said in his /iscourse deli)ered
Kupon authority from Mr" 4rothingham himself, to explain more fully the latter
gentlemanQs present position, and remo)e certain misconceptions of that position
made by the press, especially by the e)angelical religious press of the country"L $he
latter, of course, being as prompt as e)er to catch at a straw, and to spread false
reports in order to maintain its reputation for disseminating the truth of :od" +f the
+ndian %itness is eager to &now the exact position of Mr" 4rothingham, the most
intellectual and broadCminded of those 4reethin&ers who are called the K4ree
Religionists,L it may learn it now"
+n a letter republished in the (oston (anner of #ight, =anuary H, 1223, and other
papers, Mr" 4red" #" '" %illis informs us thatR
Page 21
4rom Mr" ,a)ageQs explanation of Mr" 4rothinghamQs position, if we may so
term it, we learn that the representati)e of the press who inter)iewed the latter
gentleman and elicited from him the statements that ha)e called forth such wide
spread comments, instead of ta&ing notes of what was said, trusted to his memory,
and conse1uently misstated " " " some of Mr" 4rothinghamQs positions"
4or exampleR Mr" 4" does not thin& that Kunbridled freethought leads to a dreary
negation called materialism"L K5n the contrary,L says Mr" ,a)age, Khe holds that no
science worthy the name of a science can possibly tend that way"L 9or does he
belie)e that re)ealed religion is stronger today than it was twenty years ago, as has
been so triumphantly asserted" >(y Mr" !oo& for one"?
'e would limit thought in no direction" 'e would go bac& to no past church
statement or creed" 'e belie)es that the wor& of the iconoclast is not yet finished, and
denies that he has any disposition to recall one word that he has spo&en or published"
$hat settles the 1uestion" +f this is Kconfessing that the system of infidelity >in
the sense of the sectarians and dogmatists? has pro)ed a failure, then we can expect
the +ndian %itness to say one of these days that we ha)e confessed to the missionary
papers as to the most truthful organs in the world" (ut what is Mr" 4rothinghamQs real
positionP Mr" ,a)age tells us that in so many wordsR
K4or many years,L says Mr" 4rothingham to his friends, K+ ha)e been inclined to
try to pro)e that e)erything comes out of the earth below, that religion is purely
earthly in its origin, something made by man in his effort to perfect himself, and +
ha)e not ta&en account enough of the wor&ing in the world of a di)ine power@a
power abo)e man wor&ing on and through him to lift and lead"L
+ hope that new light will brea& out, not of :odQs words in the sense of a boo&,
but of :odQs uni)erse through new manifestations, through natural methods in the
human soul"
$his is the expression of pure theosophy, and the )ery essence of it" $herefore,
Mr" 4rothingham is merging with e)ery day more into ,piritualism and $heosophyE
and reMecting the (ible, which he contemptuously styles a Kboo&,L he Kwould go
bac&,L he says Kto no past church statement or creed"L 'ow does this tally with the
+ndian %itnessQ truthful statementsP
D" %e ne)er &new a Mr" *bbott, nor do we &now of any Mr" *bott, who &nows
us, least of all one, who would feel obliged to come out as our champion"
Page 23
9or has our ,ociety, nor ha)e we oursel)es anything to do, or in common with
the K4ree Religious *ssociation"L $herefore, the statement gi)en out that a Mr" *bott
withdraws from that ,ociety, because he could not induce that body to repudiate Kthe
identical charges which Mr" !oo& brought against (ennett and his friends in
(ombayL is a deliberate and impudent falsehood, whoe)er may be its author" 4or all
we &now, its first part >regarding Mr" (ennett? may be trueE ne)ertheless, it is utterly
false in its concluding words" $o begin with, no one had >not e)en oursel)es?, nor was
any one expected to repudiate any charge brought against us by =" !oo&, since with
the exception of the insane and ridiculous charge against the K$'65,5P'+,$,L@
i"e", !olonel 5lcott and Madame (la)ats&y@ha)ing come to +ndia to learn sorcery
and then to teach it in their turn, Kto the mediums already exposedL@no charge was
e)er preferred $here was plenty of direct and )ulgar abuse, and, perhapsE ha.y hints
and suggestions which made people laugh more at the lecturer than at what he had
said, and that is all" (ut so far neither the noisy !oo&, nor its ser)ile admirer@the
+ndian %itness@ha)e e)er substantiated any charge worthy of being noticed"
K$ruly our $heosophists seem ready to open a cage of )ery unclean birds in our
+ndian citiesL is the concluding stri&e of the little Methodist )iper %e do not &now of
any uncleaner birds in +ndia than the crows and )ultures, of the genus maleficus of
the $heologus familyE unless it be the *merican bustard, which began to emigrate
here in masses of late" *ll such feed on the heathen refuse, and boast of it as of a
dainty dish" *s for the $heosophists, their KcageL has ne)er yet contained an unclean
bird, but it found itself immediately expelled and pec&ed out of the society as e)ery
other element that pollutes it" #et the +ndian %itness read our Rules and ,tatutes
carefully before it )entures on any more such calumnies as the one 1uotedE and let its
editors beware of what they say, lest they find themsel)es one day compelled by law,
to publish a full retractation and an apology to the $heosophistsR as e)en were the
editors of the /nyanodaya and of the !alcutta ,tatesman"
Page 23
5f course, in offering this salutary ad)ice we bear in mind the wise pro)erb of
,olomon, the 8ing of the HBB wi)es and the 3BB concubines, that saithR K*n ungodly
%+$96,, scorneth MudgmentE and the mouth of the wic&ed de)oureth ini1uity"LZ
<et, we deri)e some hope and consolation from the )erse that directly follows, since
it promises that@L=udgments are prepared for scorners and stripes for the bac& of
fools"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UPro)erbs, xxix, 32"V
WWWWWWWWWW
MR. WILLI"M EGLINTON0S DEP"RTURE !ROM INDI"
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 122C129V
$he enemies of ,piritualism and $heosophy can reMoice and triumph, and the
!alcutta bigoted and dyspeptic fogies@old or young@are in)ited to render than&s to
their respecti)e gods" Mr" 6glinton is gone ha)ing left for 6ngland on the ,"," Vega
on the 16th ult" *nd now, for some time to come at least, they are allowed a respite
and can draw a long breath of relief" 9ewspaper accounts of le)itations, of
materiali.ation and direct writing, of instantaneous transfer of articles and letters
through distances of thousands of miles, and many other weird and inexplicable
phenomena may trouble their dreams no longer" $he nightmare of a new religious
belief@with its genuine, palpable, demonstrated KmiraclesL to support its claimsE a
belief arresting the progress, if not entirely superseding the religions based upon blind
faith and un)erifiable traditions no better than fairy tales, has )anished and dissol)ed
behind the great ocean mists, li&e one of MacbethQs unclean witches" " " "
Page 2D
%ell, time alone will show which of the two now pre)ailing superstitions is
calculated to sur)i)e" %hether it is occult phenomena@based upon actual, though yet
undisco)ered, correlations of natural forcesE or@belief in /i)ine and ,atanic
Kmiracles"L Methin&s, faith in the KmiraclesL of an +nfinite, personal 95(5/<, and
in those of his hereditary foe@the clo)enCfooted, horned, and caudated gentleman,
the #ord of the hot regions@is more calculated to disgrace our age of agnosticism
and blan& denial, than belief in the spiritual agencies" Meanwhile, Mr" 6glinton is
gone, and with him the best opportunity that was e)er offered to +ndia to in)estigate
and )indicate the claims of her old worldCrenowned sages and philosophers@is also
gone" $hus for some time at least, will the assertions of the 'indu ,hastras, the
(uddhist and 7oroastrian boo&s of wisdom, to the effect that there exist occult
powers in man as well as in nature@ be still held as the unscientific )agaries of the
ancient sa)ages"
,ince the appearance of the editorial, K* Medium %antedL >$he $heosophist,
May, 1221?, in which Mr" 6glinton was mentioned for the first time, and our readers
shown that the wonderful phenomena produced through him were attested to o)er the
signature of such witnesses as Mr" *" R" %allace, ,ir :arnet %olseley, :eneral
(rewster, Mr" Robert ," %yld, ##"/", 6din", M" :usta)e )on Vay, and a host of
others@from that day to this one we ne)er met him personally, nor e)en held a
correspondence with him" %e refused going to !alcutta to meet him, and felt obliged
to deny oursel)es and our numerous members the instructi)e pleasure of seeing him
here, as was se)eral times proposed" %e ha)e done so intentionally" 4eeling that we
had no right to subMect him to insulting suspicions@such as we had oursel)es to
suffer from, and which once we were brought together would be sure to follow in our
trail@we abstained from seeing him, and spo&e e)en of his wor& but casually, once
or twice in this Mournal and only for the purpose of gi)ing publicity to some
wonderful phenomena of his" 5ur cautious policy inspired by a natural feeling of
delicacy@more for his sa&e than our own@was misunderstood and misinterpreted
by our best friends, who attributed it to a spirit of opposition to e)erything connected
with ,piritualism or its phenomena"
Page 2G
9o greater mista&e was e)er made, no more erroneous misconception e)er set
afloat" 4or now that Mr" 6glinton is gone, and with him e)ery danger from malicious
slanders has disappeared, we gi)e our reasons publicly for such a Kpolicy of
noninterference,L on our part, and gladly publish a full recognition of the good that
gentleman has achie)ed in +ndia" +f he has failed to con)ince the general public and
the masses, it is because, &nowing of him, they yet &new nothing of his wonderful
gifts, ha)ing ne)er had an opportunity of witnessing his phenomena" $he sSances
gi)en were limited to a small fraction of the *ngloC+ndian ,ociety, to educated ladies
and gentlemen@worth con)incing" *nd so much Mr" 6glinton has most undoubtedly
achie)ed with great success" /uring the se)eral months he passed in !alcutta, and
notwithstanding the determined and ferocious opposition coming from ingrained
sceptics as much as from religious 7ealots, no one who came to his sSances e)er went
away with a shadow of doubt but that what he had seen was pa&&I genuine
phenomena, which to whatsoe)er agency it might be attributable was no sleight of
hand or cle)er conMuring" $he life of a medium@especially that of a genuine and
honest medium, born with the instincts of a gentleman@is a hard and a bitter one" +t
is one of daily mental tortures, of deepCfelt and e)erlasting anxiety, lest through the
brutal interference and precipitation of the first dissatisfied sceptic, who imagines he
detects fraud where there is but the manifestation of a weird genuine phenomenon,
his hardCwon reputation for honesty should be ruined in a few moments" $his is an
agony that few of the in)estigators, e)en among the ,piritualists are able to fully
reali.e" $here are so few genuine, honest mediums among the professionals of that
class, that accustomed to the feigned agitation@as easily soothed as exhibited@and
to the feigned indifference, manifested at the first symptoms of suspicion by the
mediums of the tric&y crew, the ,piritualists themsel)es become insensible to the
degree of mental suffering inflicted upon the true sensiti)e who feels he is unMustly
suspected"
Page 26
*nd such an insufferable state of mind, we suspect, must ha)e fallen to the lot
of Mr" 6glinton during his stay in +ndia" 9otwithstanding that he li)ed under the
strong protection of de)oted friends, we ha)e reasons to belie)e that it was that,
which made him hasten the day of his departure" *t all e)ents, it would ha)e been in
store for him had he remained much longer in !alcutta" %hile disgusting intrigues
were set on foot by the public enemies of truth, who plotting secretly, as they always
do, wrote unguarded letters to (ombay >which we ha)e seen and read?E in !alcutta,
peremptory clamouring for sSances more open to the public than was thought
ad)isable, was becoming with e)ery day louder, and all his watchful friends could do
was to &eep the curious mob at armQs length" $hey ha)e done wellE for that mob@
which in many cases may include soCcalled ladies and gentlemen@would ha)e surely
brought in with the tide !alcutta #an&esters, /r" (eards, and other li&e benefactors of
KdeludedL humanity" $herefore, for Mr" 6glintonQs sa&e, we are glad he has left Must at
the right time" 9o greater misfortune could ha)e befallen the $heosophical ,ociety,
and with it ,piritualism, in the present psychologically unde)eloped state of mind of
the *ngloC+ndian ,ociety, were its ignorant, but wouldCbe allCwise areopagus to ta&e
it into its cle)er head that a medium was exposed, when de facto he would be perhaps
only suspected, and )ery unMustly too" ,ad experience has taught us in the past that it
is not sufficient that a medium should be all that is honest and fair, but that he had yet
to so appear" $he supposed cheating of /r" ,lade owing to the undoubted one of Mr"
#an&ester and !o" has now crystali.ed itself in +ndia into an axiomatic truth" $he fact
that the great *merican medium, has ne)er yet been pro)ed guilty on any
incontro)ertible testimony, disappears from the memory of the scoffer, the fool and
the sceptic, to lea)e instead but the one )i)id recollection@that of his unMust trial and
disgraceful sentence in #ondon"
*li)e to the abo)e, we would ne)er ad)ise a professional medium, unless he is a
coarseCfibered charlatan, to bring to +ndia his KangelCguides"L 9o gentleman ought to
e)er run such a ris&"
Page 2H
<et we must say that in the case in hand the loss is decidedly +ndiaQs, and not
Mr" 6glintonQs" ,ome hope to see him bac& in =une, but we doubt whether it will be
so" Many will be those who will regret his departure, and the opportunities lost unless
he returns" (ut it is too late in the day for useless regrets" +f his friends are really
worthy of that name, and if they are anxious to show themsel)es abo)e mere
phenomenaChunters, who regard the medium in no better light than an instrument
they ha)e hired at so much per hour, let them now use their influence to get Mr"
6glinton into a position which would place him abo)e e)ery ris& and peril of
professional mediumship" *mong his proselytes we ha)e heard of many an
'onourable, and of more than one official in high and influential position, for whom
it would be an easy tas& to underta&e"@+t now remains to be seen whether any one of
them will lift up a finger for the sa&e of ,!+69!6, $R;$' and 4*!$"
WWWWWWWWWW
OBITU"R#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 95" H, ,upplement to *pril, 1223, p" DV
$o M" */6#(6R$' /6 (5;R(59, 4"$",",
,ecretary of the KPost 9ubila #ux $heos" ,ocQy"L
/6*R ,+R *9/ (R5$'6R,
+t is with deep regret and a profound and respectful sympathy for the widow and
children of our lamented (rother, Mr" $homas )on ,tol&, that e)ery member of our
,ociety will hear of the sad news from $he 'ague" Meanwhile, the Parent (ody and
the $heosophical ,ociety of (ombay beg to send, through me, the expression of their
heartfelt regrets and warm sympathies for their respected ,ister and 4ellowCMember,
Mrs" )on ,tol&" May she and her halfCorphaned children gather strength and
consolation in the con)iction that the memory of the good husband and &ind father
they ha)e lost, will ne)er die in the grateful hearts of those who &new him"
Page 22
Pray to con)ey to Mrs" )on ,tol& on behalf of our President, !olonel '" ," 5lcott,
and myself, the assurance of our personal condolence and regrets" $o many of us, the
late Mr" )on ,tol& is not dead, but only gone to a better and brighter existence"
(elie)e me, yours fraternally, and in profound sympathy,
'" P" (#*V*$,8<,
!orresponding ,ecQy, Parent $heos" ,ociety"
(ombay, March 1G,1223"
WWWWWWWWWW
MIL& !OR B"BES "ND STRONG ME"T !OR MEN
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, ,upplement to *pril, 1223, p" GV
%hen the great poet and writer, !oleridge, tried to establish his %atchman@a
periodical in prose and )erse, intended to ad)ocate liberal opinions@owing partly to
its too learned and philosophical contents, and partly to the fact that its )iews were
not those which its supporters had expected, $he %atchman was dropped at the tenth
number" %ithout presuming to compare, in any way, our humble wor& and ability to
those of the most )ersatile genius of 6ngland, we may yet remar& that, luc&ier than
the poet, inasmuch as we had not yet to drop our publication, ne)ertheless we are
)ery often threatened to lose subscribers on the ground that the Mournal is too
profound for them to understand, and its matter too abstruse for the general reader"
$he obMection is an unreasonable one, since for one metaphysical article there are ten,
which are 1uite understandable by any one of general &nowledge, and we often
publish papers, which, as far e)en as nonspecialists are concerned, are li&ely to
awa&en their interest, if not to entirely meet their approbation"
Page 29
$hus, since the first appearance of $he $heosophist, we had to labour under a
)ariety of difficulties in order to please all our readers" ,ome wanted it less
philosophicalE others clamoured for more metaphysicsE many too& exception to the
spiritualistic or phenomenal element in itE while still more complained of being
unable to come to a definite conclusion in regard to the KbeliefsL and Kcreed of the
$heosophical ,ociety,L whose organ it was" *ll this is, as it should beE the )arious
complaints being a perfect test that our Mournal has hitherto carried out faithfully its
original programmeR namely, an impartial hearing to allE no dogmatism or
sectarianismE but a constant and patient wor& of in)estigation into, and comparing
notes with all and e)ery claim, which is held in common by either small or large
bodies of our fellowmen" $hat these claims, once laid down, were not always
followed by ade1uate explanations, and sometimes failed entirely in gi)ing their
raison dQetre, is no fault of ours, and no one could reasonably ta&e us to tas& for it" +t
certainly is not our pro)ince@e)en though we do defend the right of e)ery man to
hold to his particular )iew or )iews@to explain, least of all to support the )iews so
expressed" +n the first place, it would necessitate a uni)ersal &nowledge of things@an
omniscience we were ne)er so foolish and conceited as to lay claim toE and secondly,
e)en admitting the capability of the editor, in a few cases, to express her opinion
thereon, the explanation would pro)e worthless, since passing but through one side of
the lens of our personal opinion@it would naturally modify the whole aspect of the
thing" 'a)ing first of all to satisfy the Kthousand and oneL creeds, beliefs and )iews
of the members of the ,ociety, who belong to the greatest )ariety of creeds, beliefs
and )iews, $he $heosophist has to ma&e, as far as it can, room for all, and ha)ing
done so, to remain as impartial as possible under the circumstances" ,o narrowC
minded and bigoted is the maMority of the public that the person, liberal enough to
afford to his brother and fellowman the opportunity he loudly exacts for himself, is a
rara a)is indeed" 5ur =ournal@we say so with a Must pride@is the only one in the
whole world, which offers such opportunities to the adherents of e)ery religion and
philosophical system, or e)en ideas"
Page 9B
+t is for them to ma&e the best of the chance so offered, and we can do no more"
" " " " " " " " " " " "
%e draw the attention of our members to a new publication Must out@a small
pamphlet reprinted from the Missionary /nyInodaya, and headed Re)iew of a Report
of the Public *nni)ersary of the $heosophical ,ociety held in (ombay on =anuary
13, 1223" $hat our friends, the padris, are anxious to spread this newly published
misrepresentation of what was said during the Public *nni)ersary, is e)ident, since
e)eryone is in)ited to get copies of this pamphlet on application to the *ngloC
Vernacular Press in (ombay" %e Moin our )oice to that of our wellCwishersE we
cordially ad)ise e)eryone who reads $he $heosophist, and the ,ubodha Patri&a >see
/ecember D, 1221?, to secure a copy of the precious pamphlet, as therein he will find
once more how unreliable, cunning and shameless are some missionary organs, and
their supporters" 5ne of them, the ,atthia)artamans starts a falsehood in 5ctober or
so" +t is to the effect that, when the cocoanut was planted by our President in the
,i)ite temple at $inne)elly, Ka few days after, when the nati)e community began to
ta&e in the situation, the cocoanut had to be pulled up, and the temple had to be
purified of $heosophy and !olonel 5lcottL@a lie from first to last"@$he statement
was contradicted, dispro)ed, and shown what it was@a gratuitous calumny@on
/ecember D in $he $heosophist and yet, two months later, the editor of /nyInodaya
not only republishes and gi)es it a wide circulation, but actually en1uires in it with a
superb contempt for truthfulness, how it is that the President of our ,ociety did not
mention the fact, in his #ecture of =anuary 13thY K'e must ha)e &nown the final act
in that comedy, and it stri&es us as exceedingly disingenuous that he should ha)e
spo&en only of the first act and not of the finaleL@the pamphlet remar&s" 'ow this
obser)ation will stri&e e)ery honest reader@whether !hristian or heathen@
ac1uainted with the affair, need not be enlarged upon here" *n epithet ready to
characteri.e such a policy, will not fail to escape the readerQs lips as soon as he reads
the abo)e =esuitical obser)ation"
Page 91
*gain, the writer of the pamphlet catching at a straw, would ma&e his readers belie)e
that the ,ociety, or rather K$heosophy,L is trying to ma&e real the doctrine of the
4atherhood of :od >YY?, the Ksum of the religious opinion of the ,ociety,L and is,
therefore, Kbut what !hristianity itself teaches"L 9eedless to say that the K,ociety,L as
a body, neither teaches, nor Ktries to ma&e realL anything of the &ind" $his expression,
moreo)er, found no utterance during the meeting of the 13th of =anuaryE and neither
!olonel 5lcott, nor Mr" Mir.a, ha)ing e)er announced anything of the sort, it falls to
the ground and disco)ers in itself another untruth" 9or is the substance of what Mr"
Mir.a said on that day in 4ramMee 'all, to be understood to mean K*nything@true or
false@anything but !hristianity"L ,pea&ing for the Mohammedan section of our
,ociety, not for the whole (ody, what he said wasR K%e decline to admit the second
god which the !hristians would force on us " " " %e refuse to accept the /emiurge
=eho)ah, the tribal deity of an obscure ,hemite tribe, in preference to the
Mohammedan X*llah,Q the Prime)al /eity " " " %e refuse to accept semidar&ness
instead of such light, perfect or imperfect, as we may se)erally ha)e " " "L %e in)ite
the readers of the /nyInodaya pamphlet to read also the pamphlet >now being
distributed gratis to the amount of G,BBB copies by our (ombay ,ociety?, K$he %hole
$ruth about the $heosophical ,ociety and its 4ounders,L and the Report of the
,ociety with Mr" Mir.aQs speech in it@and compare" ,uch a deliberate misstatement
of facts and the assumption of that which is &nown to be false, by the writer, is utterly
contemptible" $he motto of the sons of #oyola to the effect that Kthe end Mustifies the
meansL has become that of the Protestant missionariesE and they ha)e no more the
right to thrust it into the teeth of the =esuits" *pplying to the truth and facts of the
/nyInodaya and other padris, the words which concluded Mr" Mir.aQs speech in
reference to !hristianity, we now sayR K%e will not ha)e them bac& torn, twisted, and
defiled" $a&e them awayYL
Page 93
THE PHILOSOPHIC IN1UIRER
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, ,upplement , pp" GC6V
$he Philosophic +n1uirer, of Madras, a wee&ly *ngloC$amil 4reethought
=ournal, has sent us its issue of March 19 with two editorials, and an article in it for
republication" %e thin& it but fair to our bra)e Madras colleague, to help him to
circulate the truth about that most disagreeable person@the perstreperous and
perspirati)e orator flung to us o)er the *tlantic by the (ostonians, who had enough of
him" ;nless we do so, and, by helping the fearless little /ra)idian champion help
truth to come to light, )ery soon all *merica and 6urope would be deluged with
missionary tracts spreading broadcast his shameless falsehoods, and still falser
reports about his imaginary triumphs in +ndia" +t is not because we would a)enge our
own wrongs@as, on the whole, that poor =" !oo& has done us more good than harm
@but, as it is useless to expect the soCstyled respectable secular *ngloC+ndian papers
the religious organs being out of 1uestion@to come out with a true account of
anything that is li&ely to be distasteful to some of their subscribers, we range
oursel)es@as we always do@on the side of the minority and of the wea&est" %ith
the exception of the Pioneer and the (ombay :a.ette, no other 6nglish paper in +ndia
we &now of, howe)er much itself Kfreethin&ingL >sub rosa, of course?, has hitherto
had the courage to pronounce Mr" !oo& what he really is@a brutal, coarse, and
)ulgar lecturer" $herefore, we gladly ma&e room in our =ournal for the honest, though
rather too outspo&en editorials of our esteemed colleague of Madras" May his
subscribers increase at the rate of his enemies"
Page 93
THE THEOSOPHIC"L SOCIET# "ND SW"MI D"#"N"ND
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" H, ,upplement, *pril, 1223, p" 2V
5wing to misrepresentations and conse1uent misunderstandings caused by our
mutual ignorance of each otherQs language, the learned Pandit /ayanand ,araswati
was pre)ailed upon, by our enemies, to deli)er a public lecture denouncing us
personally and our ,ociety collecti)ely, without e)en gi)ing us any notice of his
intentions" +n addition to this, he caused his statements to be printed, accusing us of
ha)ing KsoldL him and of ha)ing been unfaithful to our promises" 'e charges the
4ounders of the $heosophical ,ociety with ha)ing first belie)ed in the +[)ara
preached by himE ac&nowledging him >the Pandit? as their spiritual guideE and with
ha)ing subse1uently become (uddhists and@finally 7oroastriansYYY
,uch extraordinary accusations need no comment" $he 4ounders ne)er belie)ed
in +[)ara as a personal godE they are (uddhists for many years and were so long
before they &new of ,wami or e)en before his *rya ,amaM had come into existenceE
and@he &new all this well %e had accepted and formed an alliance with him, not for
his religious doctrines, but, because@belie)ing him able to teach our members what
we thought he &new far better than we did >since he was a (rahmin <ogi for eight
years?, namely, <ogaCVidya@we had hoped to secure for our ,ociety perfect
instruction in the ancient (rahminical esoteric doctrine" +f any one was Ksold,L it was
the 4ounders, not the esteemed ,wami" 4or reasons best &nown to himself, howe)er,
while telling us pri)ately that <ogaCVidya must not be taught promiscuously as it was
a sacred mystery, he laughed at the ,piritualists, denounced e)ery spiritual and occult
phenomenon as a tamasha, a Muggling tric&, and poohCpoohed publicly that which we
all &now to be undoubted and genuine facts, capable of demonstration and
)erification"
Page 9D
$hus we were laid under the necessity of accepting one of these two
conclusionsR either >1? he did not himself &now practical <ogaE or >3? he had
determined to &eep it secret from the present generation" *s we cannot persuade
oursel)es to belie)e the former, we shall submit to the latter alternati)e" 'enceforth
we will be content with our *rhat or (uddhist esotericism"
%ell, things ha)e now gone too far to be mended" %e had been repeatedly
warned by the orthodox Pandits as to the ,wamiQs true character, but@did not heed
them" $hough we ne)er agreed with his teachings from the )ery beginning, we ha)e
yet been faithful and true to him for three long years" %e respected him as a great
,ans&rit scholar and a useful ReformerE and, notwithstanding the difference in our
religious opinions, we ha)e supported him through thic& and thin" %e regret to be
unable to record as much of him" *s a conse1uence of all this, we declare the alliance
between the $heosophical ,ociety and the *rya ,amaM bro&en" 9ot for all the
alliances in the world shall we renounce what we consider to be $'6 $R;$'@or
pretend belief in that which we &now to be 4*#,6"
WWWWWWWWWW
WE ST"ND CORRECTED
U$he (ombay :a.ette, *pril 3, 1223, p" 3V
$o the 6ditor of $he (ombay :a.etteR
,ir,@
,ince you refuse publishing my long letter, will you &indly insert this one@
merely to correct two gra)e mista&es + find in your todayQs editorial@unless it is
indeed your determined obMect to ma&e the K)eneratedL ,wami turn still more fiercely
upon usP
Page 9G
+ ne)er said that the *rya ,amaM Kbecame a branch of the $heosophical ,ociety,L
but only that, among se)eral other branches of our ,ociety, we had one established
solely for those $heosophists who were already *ryaC,amaMists, or desired to
recogni.e the Pandit as their ,piritual :uru" $his branch we called the K$heosophical
,ociety of the *ryaC,amaM of *rya)arta"L 9either the *ryaC,amaM nor the
$heosophical ,ociety, as a body, was e)er a branch of the other" $his incorrect notion
that the *ryaC,amaM may ha)e been ta&en as a branch of the $heosophical ,ociety,
was the )ery thorn in ,wamiQs side (oth the societies, as bodies, were perfectly
independent of each other, the K$heosophical section of the *ryaC,amaML being a
branch of both"
,till more do you err in saying that we ha)e been (uddhists Kfor a good many
months"L *s a body we belong to no religion" + myself am a (uddhist for many years,
and !olonel 5lcott has also been for se)eral years" $he )arious members, as
indi)iduals, ha)e a perfect right to &eep to their own particular faiths and creeds, but,
as theosophists, they belong to none"
<ours, etc",
'" P" (#*V*$,8<"
(ombay, March 31
WWWWWWWWWW
" *LIGHT, SHINING IN D"R&NESS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 191C193V
5ur respected contemporary, #ight, catches at an expression in a recent letter,
from one of the ,ecretaries of our ,ociety, to its 6ditor, transmitting a copy of a
(ombay paper for his information, and lectures us in a fatherly way upon our
bitterness towards !hristianity" +n a circular letter, addressed, by order of our
,ocietyQs !ouncil, to se)eral ,piritualistic newspapers, a loose expression was used
by the writer@a 'indu@namely, K!hristianity,L instead of Kdogmatic or exoteric
!hristianity,L which would ha)e been better"
Page 96
$his omission of adMecti)es is made the occasion for a se)ere admonition" %ell,
had a !hristian, in writing to #ight, said that it seemed a pity that %estern
,piritualists could not " " " reali.e that they >the !hristians? are their natural allies
against Korthodox (uddhism or (rahmanism, or any other heathenismL@we doubt
whether the expression would ha)e pro)o&ed such rebu&e" 5ur se)ere critic disli&es
the idea that men of the Re)" !oo& stamp should be ta&en as representati)es of that
religion" KMen of this type,L he says, Kdo no inMury except to the cause which they
may elect for the moment to ad)ocate" $he only surprising thing is that so discerning
a man as 6pes ,argent should ha)e ta&en any trouble about him" !olonel 5lcott says
that he is going to answer him, which, on the whole, is a pity" ,uch persons li)e and
gain notoriety by misrepresenting the answers of those who are indiscreet enough to
notice them"L $his is )ery sensible as a generali.ation, but scarcely applies to the
present case" Mr" !oo& had been not only adopted as the champion of !hristianity,
but heralded as such throughout all +ndia and !eylonE his lectures were loo&ed for as
the longCexpected death stro&e to 'induism and &indred superstitionsE the !hristian
community turned out en masse to hear himE eminently respectable *ngloC+ndian
officials ser)ed as his !hairmenE and his coarse and false diatribes against the
$heosophical ,ociety and its 4ounders were applauded )ociferously by his !hristian
friends" +f we had &ept silence, we should ha)e done great inMury to our standing
throughout *sia, and the imploring appeal of the Re)" ,paar to :od to send the
roaring and plan&Ccrushing !oo& to shut our mouths would ha)e been regarded as
answered" *nother reason why we could not treat this contemptible coward with the
scornful silence he deser)ed, was that he laid his impious hand upon the religions of
our *siatic brothers, tal&ed of ha)ing the :o)ernment force !hristianity upon the
pupils in the :o)ernment schoolsE and used the strongest expressions to signify his
personal loathing for the Vedas and other *siatic sacred boo&s" $his was so gross an
insult to the feelings of people whose interests are our interests, whose cause is our
cause, that we too& up the challenge on their behalf 1uite as much as our own"
Page 9H
*nd now let this wretched agitator pass out into the obli)ion he deser)es"
5ne word in this connection must be said" %e &now 1uite as well as #ight that,
in point of fact, the !oo&s and $almadges of !hristendom do not represent the sweet
doctrine of the Master they audaciously pretend to follow" +f our contemporary will
honour us by reading the preface to the second )olume of +sis ;n)eiled, he will see
our real sentiment expressed upon this point" %e &now hundreds, no doubt, of men
and women whose lo)ely li)es reflect a charming beauty upon their professed faith"
(ut these no more represent the a)erage@or what may be called the practical,
executi)e and real !hristianityC@than an *)erroes or a =alIl alCdJn reflects the tone
of executi)e and popular Mohammedanism" +f our contemporary were to put his
fingers in the missionary )ice along with ours, he would &now how it was himself,
and perhaps not lecture us in so paternal a tone" $he test of Philosophy is always best
made under circumstances which Ktry menQs soulsLE one can be charmingly serene
when far away from the field of battle" #et anyone, who aspires to the martyrQs
crown, come to +ndia and !eylon, and help us in trying to establish a society on the
basis of $olerance and (rotherhood" 'e would then find of what stuff the a)erage
!hristian is made, and might well be pardoned if, in the rush of his righteous
indignation, he should e)en tal& as though a religion that had hatched such )ermin
and begotten a $or1uemada, were itself an enemy of the whole human family"
!ertainly it is not that, and most assuredly it is far better than the general run of its
professors" %e do accept !hristians as members of our ,ociety, and, in fact, a
!hristian clergyman was one of its 4ounders" %e do belie)e that a !hristian is as
much entitled@though no more entitled@to the undisturbed enMoyment of his belief,
as any otherE and, as !olonel 5lcott )ery emphatically said in his address at our
recent *nni)ersary Meeting at (ombay@K4rom the day when the !hristians will li)e
up to their soCcalled X:olden Rule " " "Q you will ne)er hear a word spo&en or see a
line written by us against the missionaries or their religion"
Page 92
L %e do not need any prophet to tell us that we are getting no more than was in the
contractE and that theoretically we ha)e no right to e)en wince when the missionary
party calls us ad)enturers, liars, and all that sort of thing" %e try to be humble, but
our humanity is )olcanic and rebelliousE still, we are not without hope that, in time,
we may be able to rather enMoy a run through the Kupper and nether millstonesL of the
Padris" Meanwhile, we implore our e1uanimous friend of #ight, who holds the torch
amid the #ondon fogs, to remember that ,ha&espeare wroteR
K#et the galled Made wince, 5ur withers are unwrungLZ
@and draw the ob)ious moral therefrom"
5ur circular letter was written in the most friendly spirit" +n our innocence, we
had belie)ed that we were doing our duty in warning the ,piritualists of the
)ilifications poured on their and our heads by a common enemy@the sophomoric
!oo& who was shouting through +ndia as a !hristian champion" %e did not e)en
dream that our letter would ha)e pro)o&ed such a )ery unfriendly answer" $o one
portion of that answer particularly we must positi)ely ta&e exception" %hat we said
se)en years ago in regard to ,piritualism, we say now" %e ne)er described
,piritualism Kin terms of almost un1ualified reprobation,L nor, are we li&ely to
modify our terms e)en temporarily on Kremonstrance"L (ut we always regarded
mediumship as a peril" *part from this, it is all well and good" 5ur alliance and
friendly o)ertures may not be needed, but why brea& chairs o)er our headsP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U'amlet, *ct +++, ,c" ii, 3G6CGH"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 99
!OOTNOTES TO *THE PHILOSOPH# O! SPIRIT,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 193C196V
U$he article is a re)iew by ,ubba Row of %illiam 5xleyQs wor& $he Philosophy
of ,pirit, which the re)iewer examines Kfrom the 6soteric and (rahmanical
,tandpoint"L '" P" (" has appended footnotes to certain sentences or words of the
text"V
UMan)antaraV $he period of Regeneration, or the acti)e life of the uni)erse
between two Pralayas or uni)ersal /estructionsR the former being called the KdayL
and the latter the KnightL of (rahmI"
U<a&shaV $he earthCspirit or :nome"
U:andhar)aV *&in to the !hristian cherub or singing seraph" $here are, says
*thar)a Veda >(&" F+, 'ymn V, 3?, 6333 :andhar)as in their #o&a"
U5rdinary initiateV *n initiate of the preliminary degrees"
U*hamatmaV $he K+ *M, $'*$ + *ML of the (iblical =eho)ah, the K+ *M %'5
+ *M,L or KMa.daoL of *hurama.da in the 7end *)esta, etc" *ll these are names for
the Hth principle in man"
U8rishna " " " spea&s of K*diC(uddhaL@the state or condition represented by
Prana)a@in the succeeding )erses"V
'ence, the great )eneration of the (uddhists for (haga)adgita"
UK" " " " he spea&s of *diC(uddha, as if it were merely a state or condition"LV
K*diC(uddhaL creates the four celestial (uddhas or K/hyans,L in our esoteric
philosophy"
Page 1BB
+t is but the gross misinterpretation of 6uropean 5rientalists, entirely ignorant of
the *rhat doctrine, that ga)e birth to the absurd idea that the #ord :autama (uddha is
alleged to ha)e created the fi)e /hyanis or celestial (uddhas" *diC(uddha, or, in one
sense, 9ir)ana, KcreatingL the four (uddhas or degrees of perfection@is pregnant
with meaning to him who has studied e)en the fundamental principles of the
(rahmanical and *rhat esoteric doctrines"
UK$he ancient Rishis of *rya)arta ha)e ta&en considerable pains to impress
upon the minds of their followers that the human spirit >Hth principle? has a dignity,
power and sacredness which cannot be claimed by any other :od, /e)a or angel of
the 'indu Pantheon"LV
+n )iew of this, :autama (uddha, after his initiation into the mysteries by the
old (rahman, 'is :uru, renouncing gods, /e)as and personal deity, feeling that the
path to sal)ation lay not in )ainglorious dogmas, and the recognition of a deity
outside of oneself, renounced e)ery form of theism and@became (uddha, the one
enlightened" K*ham e)a param (rahma,L + am myself a (rahma >a god?, is the motto
of e)ery +nitiate"
UKVyasa does not exactly mean a recorderE but " " " one who expands or
amplifies"LV
+n no case can the term be translated as KRecorder,L we should say" Rather a
KRe)ealer,L who explains the mysteries to the neophyte or candidate for initiation by
expanding and amplifying to him the meaning"
UK$his term >Vyasa? was applied to the 'ighest :uru in +ndia in ancient timeE
and the author will be able to find in the #inga Purana that the author of the
Mahabharata was the 32th Vyasa in the order of succession" + shall not now attempt to
explain the real meaning of the 32 incarnations therein mentioned" " " "LV
$o one, who has e)en a )ague notion how the mysteries of old were conducted,
and of the present *rhat system in $ibet )aguely termed the KReincarnation ,ystemL
of the $aleyC#amas, the meaning will be clear" $he chief 'ierophant who imparted
the KwordL to his successor had to die bodily"
'"P" (#*V*$,8<
Portrait ta&en by 6dsall Photographic ,tudio in 9ew <or& most
#i&ely about the time she went to +ndia in 12H2"

M*=5RC:696R*# '69R< R'5/6, M5R:*9
1233C19B9
'e and his wife, 6llen 'enrietta, were faithful friends of the
4ounders and helped them in )arious ways during their early years in
+ndia" $hey resided at 5otacamund, in the 9Jlgiri 'ills, where all
their ten children were born"
Page 1B1
6)en Moses dies after ha)ing laid his hands upon =oshua, who thus became Kfull of
the spirit of wisdom of Moses,L and@it is the K#ordL who is said to ha)e buried him"
$he reason why Kno man &noweth of his sepulchre unto this day,L is plain to an
5ccultist who &nows anything of the supreme initiation" $here cannot be two
K'ighestL :urus or 'ierophants on earth, li)ing at the same time"
UMahatmasV K:rand ,oulsL in literal translationE a name gi)en to the great
adepts"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTES TO *MEDIUMS "ND #OGIS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 19HC192V
U$he author of this article, identified only by three stars, in the course of his
explanation of the difference between yogis and mediums, saysR K*s the magnetic
power is directed to any particular faculty, so that faculty at once forms a direct line
of communication with the spirit, which, recei)ing the impressions, con)eys them
bac& to the physical body"L $o this '" P" (la)ats&y remar&sRV
,ixth principle@spiritual soul"
+n the normal or natural state, the sensations are transmitted from the lowest
physical to the highest spiritual body, i"e", from the first to the 6th principle >the Hth
being no organi.ed or conditioned body, but an infinite, hence unconditioned
principle or state?, the faculties of each body ha)ing to awa&en the faculties of the
next higher one, to transmit the message in succession, until they reach the last,
when, ha)ing recei)ed the impression, the latter >the spiritual soul? sends it bac& in an
in)erse order to the body"
Page 1B3
'ence, the faculties of some of the KbodiesL >we use this word for want of a
better term? being less de)eloped, they fail to transmit the message correctly to the
highest principle, and thus also fail to produce the right impression upon the physical
senses, as a telegram may ha)e started for the place of its destination faultless, and
ha)e been bungled up and misinterpreted by the telegraph operator at some
intermediate station" $his is why some people, otherwise endowed with great
intellectual powers and percepti)e faculties, are often utterly unable to appreciate@
say, the beauties of nature, or some particular moral 1ualityE as, howe)er perfect their
physical intellect@unless the original, material or rough physical impression
con)eyed has passed in a circuit through the sie)e of e)ery KprincipleL@>from 1, 3,
3, D, G, 6, up to H, and down again from H, 6, G, D, 3, 3, to 9o" 1?@and that e)ery
Ksie)eL is in good order@the spiritual perception will always be imperfect" $he <ogi,
who, by a constant training and incessant watchfulness, &eeps his septenary
instrument in good tune and whose spirit has obtained a perfect control o)er all, can,
at will, and by paralysing the functions of the four intermediate principles,
communicate from body to spirit and )ice )ersa@direct"
U$he author saysR K$he <ogi forms a direct connection between his spiritual soul
and any faculty, and, by the power of his trained will, that is by magnetic influence,
concentrates all his powers in the soul, which enables him to grasp the subMect of his
en1uiry and con)ey it bac& to the physical organs, through the )arious channels of
communication"L '"P"(" addsRV
5r@direct, which is oftener the case, we belie)e"
U$he author also saysR K+f he desires to tra)erse space in spirit, this is easily done
by him by transferring the faculty of will" " " "L '"P"(" addsRV
4rom the physical to the ,piritual body and concentrating it there, as we
understand it"
Page 1B3
COMMENT ON*MORE "NECDOTES O! H"SS"N &H"N +INNI,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 199V
U,e)eral accounts are gi)en of the phenomenal feats of the remar&able
Mohammedan sorcerer, 'assan 8han, nic&named K=inniL from his alleged power
o)er some of the 6lemental ,pirits, which go under that name among the
Mohammedans" $hese testimonies were collected by !olonel 5lcott while on a )isit
to #uc&now" $he stories recount )arious phenomena produced by 'assan 8han, such
as the falling of bric&s and sandCshowers" $o this '" P" (" remar&sRV
$his highly interesting particular should recall to the reader the article on
K,toneC,howersL which appeared in $he $heosophist for *ugust, 1221" +n that
connection we protested against the theory of the ,piritualists that this class of
phenomena is due to the agency of disembodied human spirits, and suggested that
they went to pro)e the existence of pran&ish natureCelementals" $he =innat or =inn of
the 5riental demonology are of this class, as the reader of the *rabian 9ights will
remember" $hey can be made subser)ient to one who has learned the secret of their
subMugation by occult means" 5nly those who would belie)e that we consider them as
beings of any sort@least of all intelligent beings@will be )ery much mista&en"
Page 1BD
!OOTNOTE TO *THEOSOPH# DURING THE !IRST PH"SE
O! MODERN PHILOSOPH#,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 3B3V
U,pea&ing of the triune nature of man, the writer explains the relation between
spirit, soul, and body, and says that Kman, too, has the trinity within himself"L $o this
'" P" (" remar&s thatRV
$he se)enC&notted bambooCstaff of the <ogi is also a Ktrinity,L since, li&e
e)erything else, it has two poles or ends and one middle part, yet the stic& is a unity,
so is matter, whether we call its upper subMecti)e end spirit or its lower end@
crystalli.ed spirit"
WWWWWWWWWW
PS#CH2
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 311V
5ur old friend, $he ,piritualist, died of inanition, but has resurrected under the
'ellenic alias of Psyche" +n short, it might be said that, out of the inanimate corpse of
Mr" 'arrisonQs first lo)e, has sprung a new soul to woo the fic&le public bac& to its
allegiance" $he ,piritualist, on the whole, treated us harshly, too often laying the
truncheon o)er our editorial head" %e wanted to please it, but could notE and, Must
when things were seemingly at the worst, our censor died the Mournalistic death, and
cut off fore)er our chance for a good place in its boo&s"
Page 1BG
%e may now start afresh and, warned by experience, must deport oursel)es so
as to command the amity, if not the alliance, of Psyche" $he new Mournal is
handsomely printed on good paper, and, with its )ermilion columnCrules and initials,
ma&es a gay, not to say Maunty, appearance for an organ of transcendental science" $he
contents of the first number are interesting, a paper on the ,phygmographic >pulseC
measuring? 6xperiments of /r" Purdon on Kspiritual mediumsL leading us decidedly
in the right direction" Mediumship, in truth, lac&s nothing so much as thorough
scientific in)estigationE for, until the pathological and psychical conditions of the
medium are perfectly &nown, ,piritualists will not be in a way to &now what may or
may not be ascribed to intracorporeal agency, in the phenomena of the sSance room"
Psyche starts with our good wishes for its prosperity"
WWWWWWWWWW
PERT 1UESTIONS "ND PL"IN "NSWERS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 2, ,upplement, May, 1223, pp" GC6V
'ow little the Kbeliefs and creedsL of the $heosophical ,ociety@which has no
belief or creed@are understood by the a)erage public in +ndia after three years of
constant explanations, may be inferred by the letter that follows" !rude and childish
as it is, yet, finding in it the echo of the public bigotry and blindness to facts and
practical proofs, we gi)e it room in our ,upplement" ;nless we are greatly mista&en,
it was written under the direct inspiration@than which there is not a more bigoted or
more intolerant one the world o)er@we mean that of a Protestant missionary"
U$hen follows the letter abo)e mentioned" $he sentences to which '" P" ("
replied in footnotes appear below in small type, immediately followed by her
comments"V
Page 1B6
+s K$heosophyL a religion, or a beliefP /oes the $heosophical ,ociety propagate
any &ind of belief >directly or indirectly?P
;seless to repeat that which was asserted o)er and o)er again@namely, that the
$heosophical ,ociety, as a body, has no religion"
$he $heosophical ,ociety comprises three sections, and each section comprises
three classes" + as& whether there is a single member recogni.ed as of the first or
second section who is permitted >according to the rules of those sections? to retain his
orthodox religious )iewsP
Most undoubtedly e)ery one of them is allowed to do so if he li&esE but whether,
after learning the truth, he will do so and persist in his dogmatic )iews, is another
1uestion"
K5ccultismL dispro)es the truth of miracles >superhuman powers ?"
Most undoubtedly it does" +t reMects the )ery idea of there being anything
supernatural >i"e", abo)e, below, or outside of nature? in this infinite ;ni)erse@as a
stupendous fallacy"
K5ccultism,L then, affects all the popular faiths of this planet, which claim to be
of di)ine origin >i"e", re)ealed by :od to man miraculously through some prophet?"
$o KclaimL is one thing, and Kto beL@and pro)e it@is 1uite another"
+n short K5ccultismL teaches that Paul, Moses, !onfucius, Mahomet, 7oroaster,
and (uddha were liars and decei)ers when they said that they recei)ed /i)ine
inspirations"
%e would ad)ise our young friend to study a subMect before he presumes to
spea& of it" (uddha ne)er claimed to ha)e recei)ed K/i)ine +nspiration,L since
(uddha reMected the )ery idea of a god, whether personal or impersonal" $herefore,
5ccultism does not teach that he was a Kliar,L nor does it gi)e that abusi)e epithet@
so generously bestowed by the !hristian padris on all and e)ery other prophet but
their own@any more to Moses, than to Mahomet, or 7oroaster, least of all to
!onfucius, since, no more than :autama (uddha, has that great sage e)er claimed
Kdi)ineL inspiration"
Page 1BH
K,enexL goes on to say that K$heosophyL is a speculation of certain )isionaries
who pretend to be able to hold direct communication with the /eity and to direct and
combat the influence of the /eity >the ,upreme K#ightL? by the medium of :enii,
>spirits?, or demons, or by the agency of stars or fluids >as electricity?"
+f our correspondent is unable to appreciate Mournalistic humour and wit, and
ta&es the definition copied out by K,enexL from %ebsterQs /ictionary as :ospel
$ruth, we cannot help him to more intuiti)e perceptions than he is endowed with"
+ see no difference between K5ccultismL of the $heosophists and K,piritualismL
as professed by 7\llner, Mrs" 'auffe, 6glinton, ,lade, and a score of other mediums
in the ;nited ,tates"
$his is to be deplored, but so long as our correspondent will rush into print to
discuss subMects he &nows nothing about, he is sure to commit such ridiculous
blunders"
(ishop ,argent informs us that the &ingCcocoanut, planted by !olonel 5lcott
and the $inne)elly (rothers in the templeCyard of the :reat Pagoda of $inne)elly,
was soon after remo)ed, and that the whole templeCyard had to be ceremonially
purified of the contamination it had thus contracted by the intrusion of the foreigner"
%hich only pro)es that (ishop ,argent also spea&s of what he &nows nothing
about, or gladly repeats unpro)ed missionary calumnies" >,ee the remar&s under the
heading KMil& for (abes and ,trong Meat for Men"L?Z
<et !olonel 5lcott ma&es no mention of this in his address at the 4ramMee
!owasMee +nstitute"
Pleading KguiltyL to ne)er reading or paying attention to missionary and other
pious organs, and not being endowed with omniscient clair)oyance to help him to
follow the constant intrigues of their editors and their in)entions against our ,ociety
and its 4ounders, !olonel 5lcott could not KmentionL that which he was not aware of,
namely that, after the calumny had been well spread by our mee& and humble
missionaries and as effecti)ely shown to be false, no less a personage than a K(ishopL
would ta&e it up, and circulate what he &new was a malicious falsehood"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Upp" 22C91 of the present Volume"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 1B2
HINDU THEISM
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 31GC316V
5ld readers will recollect our desire, long ago expressed, that some respectable
(rahmo would underta&e, in these columns, a candid exposition of the )iews of his
,amaM" 4riends, in both 6urope and *merica, ha)e as&ed for some authoritati)e
statement of (rahmoism, that the %est might intelligently study the present drift of
*siatic thought in the channel opened, half a century ago >*"/" 123B?, by the
religious fer)our and bright genius of Ram Mohun Roy" $heir desire, and ours, is at
last gratified" +n the present number is printed the first instalment of a discourse upon
K'indu $heism,L by a man whose spotless pri)ate character and pious sincerity ha)e
won the respect and confidence of multitudes of his countrymen, e)en of those who
do not at all sympathi.e with his )iews, or his sectQs, upon religious 1uestions" $he
(rahmic !hurch of +ndia was, as is &nown, founded by the late RaMa Ram Mohun
Roy on the lines of a pure $heism, though not announced as a sect" 9o country can
boast a purer or holier son than was this +ndian reformer" $he RaMa died in 6ngland in
1231, and, for the next few years, his mo)ement languished under the leadership of a
)ery nobleChearted man, Pandit Ramchandra Vidyabagish" +n 1232, the leadership fell
into the hands of (abu /ebendra 9ath $agore, a (engali gentleman of high family,
and of a sweetness of character and loftiness of aim e1ual to that of the late RaMa" +n
e)ery respect he was worthy to wear the mantle of the 4ounder and able to ta&e upon
himself the chief burden of the 'erculean wor& he had begun" 5f the bright minds
who clustered about them, the most conspicious and promising were (abus, RaM
9arain (ose, 8eshab !hander ,en, and ,i)anath ,hastri"
Page 1B9
4or years they wor&ed together for the common cause without discord, and the
(rahmic !hurch was a unit" (ut the infirmities of human nature by degrees opened
breaches which resulted in the setting up of schismatic ,amaMis, and the primiti)e
(rahmoism was first split into two and, later, into three churches" $he first and, as
claimed, original one is &nown as the *di (rahmo ,amaM, of which the now
)enerable and always e1ually re)ered (abu /ebendra 9ath $agore is theoretically,
but (abu RaM 9arain (ose practically@owing to the retirement of the former to a life
of religious seclusion at Mussooree@the chief" $he latter gentleman may also be
almost said to be in retirement, since he li)es at /eoghur, (engal, an almost
exclusi)ely contemplati)e life" $he second ,amaM comprises a small group which has
followed the lead of (abu 8eshab !hander ,en out of his K(rahmo ,amaM of
+ndiaL@as his first schism was called@down the slippery road to the 1uagmire of
+nfallibility, /irect Re)elation, and *postolic ,uccession, where he has planted the
gaudy sil&en flag of his 9ew /ispensation, beside the pontifical banner of the Pope
of Rome" *t !alcutta, we were told that of actual disciples he can scarcely count
more than fiftyCfi)e, though his mar)ellous elo1uence always commands large
audiences of interested hearers" +t was also the unanimous testimony to us of his
friends, as well as foes, that (abu 8eshabQs influence is rapidly dying out, and that,
after his death, not e)en the mar&ed ability of his cousin and chief assistant, (abu
Protab !handra Mo.umdar, is li&ely to hold the ,amaM together" $he third branch of
the original (rahmo ,amaM of Ram Mohun Roy is called the ,adharan (rahmo
,amaM, and headed by Pandit ,i)anath ,hastri, who is a gentleman of unblemished
character, modest disposition, a wellCread ,ans&ritist, and a good, though not
exceptional, orator"
%e ha)e had 1uite recently the great pleasure of reading a pamphlet by Pandit
,i)anath ,hastri, in which the history of the (rahmic mo)ement is clearly and ably
s&etched, and which the reader would do well to procure from the author"
Page 11B
5ur %estern friends, especially who ha)e such incorrect ideas of (abu 8eshabQs
character and relationship with contemporary (rahmoism, will be startled and
shoc&ed to read Pandit ,i)anathQs Mudicially calm analysis of the career of his
1uondam colleague towards the worst abomination@from Ram Mohun RoyQs point
of )iew@of personal leadership and rec&less egoism" *nd one thing, as bad as bad
can be, is not gi)en in this pamphlet, )i.", that on the day of the last annual
celebration of an idolatrous festi)al at !alcutta, (abu 8eshab allowed his disciples to
bathe his person, bedec& it with garlands, and put him in a swing as the 'indus put
their idols, and swing him as though he were a di)ine being" (eyond this, there is
scarcely any extra)agance of childish )anity to be guilty of" $he intelligent reader
will easily deduce from it what fate is in store for this branch of a once noble tree"
$he discourse of (abu RaM 9arain (ose, now to be gi)en in these columns,
though deli)ered in (engali in the year 12H3, has ne)er until now appeared in an
6nglish dress" $he learned and most esteemed author has re)ised his translation and
generously placed it at our disposal" *s the portions successi)ely appear, they will be
put into type at the ,amaM Press, in (engal, and when our last instalment is printed,
the author will publish the entire lecture in pamphlet form" $he *di (rahmo ,amaM is
nearest of the three to being orthodox, and least re)olutionary as regards 'induism"
+ts managers wisely &eep a good deal of what is excellent in their national religion,
instead of flinging, so to say, the family treasures out of the windows and clamouring
for new lamps" $hey find 'induism to be a pure and essential $heism, and ha)e laid
down their new church on that foundation" +t is not our pro)ince to express an outside
opinion upon a subMect whose exegesis, we concei)e, should be left to its own
authori.ed teachers" $he $heosophist was originally announced as a tribune from
which all religions might be expounded by their best menE and so it will e)er be"
Page 111
+n conclusion, we must note the coincidence that, upon the )ery heel of the
,wamiQs defection, comes a most cordial greeting from (abu RaM 9arain (ose, leader
of another 'indu society, and a man whose approbation and friendship is worth
ha)ing" +n a letter >of date *pril 3rd? to !olonel 5lcott, he saysR K+t is the mar)el of
mar)els that a stranger should come to +ndia from the far, far %est to rouse her from
the sleep of ages, and wor& as a 'indu with 'indus for the regeneration of the 'indu
nation" 'ad the system of Purana writing been still in )ogue this strange e)ent would
ha)e been narrated in stri&ing allegoriesYL
WWWWWWWWWW
*" !RIEND IN NEED' " !RIEND INDEED,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 312V
%e copy the following letter from the (ombay :a.ette of *pril Dth, not for its
bearing upon the recent Kunpleasantness,L but to preser)e, in our record, the e)idence
of an act of true unselfish loyalty to the cause of $heosophy" $he public position of
the writer of the letter might well ha)e been made a pretext to &eep silence@if
silence could, in any such case, be e)er excusable" (ut chi)alrous natures li&e this do
what is right first, and then only thin& what expediency might ha)e demanded" $hese
are the men to ma&e a good cause succeedR the strength of our ,ociety lies in their
allegiance"
5n the day following the unexpected denunciation of us, at a public lecture, by our
exCfriend and ally@whom we had always in *merica, 6ngland and +ndia defended
against his enemies@when, li&e ,capin in the play, he, so to say, rolled us up in a
sac& and laid on lustily, the (ombay :a.ette, in a long editorial upon the unpleasant
e)ent, innocently remar&edR K$he assurance that the $heosophists Uread K!olonel
5lcott and Madame (la)ats&yLV &now nothing of occult science is depressing" %hat
will Mr" ,innett sayP %as not his )aluable wor& on the X5ccult %orldQ founded
wholly on the occult information he obtained from themPL
Page 113
$he gentleman, so unexpectedly dragged into the treacherous Kplay,L made at once
the following answerR
U4ollows Mr" *" P" ,innettQs letter, in which he defends the $heosophical ,ociety
and its 4ounders, and )ouches for the genuineness of the occult phenomena that he
had witnessed"V
WWWWWWWWWW
THE M"GIC O! SCIENCE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 333C333V
*n *ngloC+ndian paper of Madras spea&s thus of the telephoneR
$he wonders of science bid fair to grow more wonderful" $he latest addition, to
the mar)els of electricity, is a telephone which ma&es a con)ersation distinctly
audible e)en when it is not connected with any wire" *ll that is necessary is that this
mar)ellous instrument should be held within a few feet of the end of a wire connected
at its other end with a transmitter" $hen, when the ear is applied to the telephone, the
words, which are being spo&en far away, instantly become audible, and, as if by
magic, the silent room is filled with the sound of distant )oices" $he fact that the
telephone can thus, without any immediate connection with the electric wire, bring to
life again, as it were, the wa)es of sound which ha)e died away into silence, is a
remar&able one, and seems to suggest that we are merely at the beginning of the
achie)ements of this mar)ellous little instrument" +t ought certainly, we should thin&,
be easy for a person pro)ided with a telephone of this &ind to hear a spea&er at a
much greater distance in any public room than is possible now"
%ere we to remar& to this that there are other and still less bul&y and obMecti)e
apparatuses in existence as yet un&nown to science, which enable a person to hear
any spea&er he li&es to choose and at any distance, and e)en to see him@the Madras
,tandard would scoff at the idea" *nd yet, hardly ten years bac&, the bare mention of
the possibilities of the telephone and the phonograph@both bringing bac& to life
again Kthe wa)es of sound which ha)e died away into silenceL@would ha)e been
regarded as the fiction of a lunaticY
Page 113
!RIENDL# CH"STISEMENT
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 333C33DV
$o the 6ditor of $he $heosophist"
Madame,@4rom time to time + ha)e been grie)ed to notice, in $he $heosophist,
notes, and e)en articles, that appeared to me 1uite inconsistent with the fundamental
principles of our ,ociety" (ut of late, in connection with Mr" !oo&Qs idle strictures on
us, passages ha)e appeared, ali&e in $he $heosophist and in other publications issued
by the ,ociety, so utterly at )ariance with that spirit of uni)ersal charity and
brotherhood, which is the soul of $heosophy, that + feel constrained to draw your
attention to the serious inMury that such )iolations of our principles are inflicting on
the best interests of our ,ociety"
+ Moined the ,ociety fully bent upon carrying out those principles in their
integrity@determined to loo& henceforth upon all men as friends and brothers and to
forgi)e, nay, to ignore all e)il said of or done to me, and though + ha)e had to mourn
o)er lapses >for though the spirit be willing, the flesh is e)er wea&? still + ha)e, on the
whole, been enabled to li)e up to my aspirations"
+n this calmer, purer life, + ha)e found peace and happiness, and + ha)e, of late,
been anxiously endea)ouring to extend to others the blessing + enMoy" (ut, alasY this
affair of Mr" !oo&, or rather the spirit in which it has been dealt with by the 4ounders
of the ,ociety and those acting with them, seems destined to pro)e an almost
hopeless barrier to any attempts to proselyti.e" 5n all sides + am met by the reply@
K;ni)ersal brotherhood, lo)e and charityP 4iddlestic&sY +s thisL >pointing to a letter
republished in a pamphlet issued by the ,ociety? Kbreathing insult and )iolence, your
)aunted ;ni)ersal (rotherhoodP +s thisL >pointing to a long article reprinted in the
Philosophic +n1uirer in the *pril number of $he $heosophist? Kinstinct with hatred,
malice, and contempt, this tissue of (illingsgate, your idea of uni)ersal #o)e and
!harityP %hy man, + donQt set up for a saint@+ donQt profess to forgi)e my enemies,
but + do hope and belie)e that + could ne)er disgrace myself by dealing in this strain,
with any ad)ersary, howe)er unworthy, howe)er bitter"L
Page 11D
%hat can + replyP %e all reali.e that, suddenly attac&ed, the best may, on the spur of
the moment, stung by some shameful calumny, some biting falsehood, reply in angry
terms" ,uch temporary departures from the golden rule, all can understand and
forgi)e@6rrare est humanum@and caught at a disad)antage thus, a momentary
transgression will not affect any Must manQs belief in the general good intentions of the
transgressor" (ut what defence can be offered for the deliberate publication, in cold
blood, of expressions, nay sentences, nay entire articles, redolent with hatred, malice
and all uncharitablenessPZ
+s it for us, who enMoy the blessed light, to imitate a poor unenlightened creature
>whom we should pity and pray for? in the use of )iolent languageP *re we, who
profess to ha)e sacrificed the demons of pride and self upon the *ltar of $ruth and
#o)e, to turn and ra)e, and stri)e to rend e)ery poor rudimentary who, unable to
reali.e our )iews and aspirations, misrepresents these and )ilifies usP +s this the
lesson $heosophy teaches usP *re these the fruits her di)ine precepts are to bring
forthP
6)en though we, one and all, li)ed in all ways strictly in accordance with the
principles of the ,ociety, we should find it hard to win our brothers in the world to
Moin us in the rugged path" (ut what hope is there of winning e)en one stray soul, if
the )ery mouthpiece of the ,ociety is to trumpet out a defiance of the cardinal tenet
of the associationP
+t has only been by acting consistently up to his own teachings, by himself
li)ing the life he preached, that any of the worldQs great religious reformers has e)er
won the hearts of his fellows"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 5ur esteemed critic, in his desire to ha)e us forgi)e our enemies, and so come up to the true
$heosophic standard, unconsciously wrongs us, his friends and brothers" Most undeniably, there is
great uncharitableness of spirit running through our defence of the ,ociety and our pri)ate
reputations against the aspersions of Mr" !oo&" (ut we deny that there has been any inspiration in
us from the e)il demons of KhatredL and Kmalice"L $he most, that can be charged against us, is that
we lost our tempers, and tried to retaliate upon our calumniator in his own language@and that is
1uite bad enough to ma&e us deser)e a part of our friendQs castigation"@>,ee our reply to
K*letheia"L?
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 11G
$hin&, now, if the (lessed (uddha, assailed, as he passed, with a handful of dirt
by some naughty little urchin wallowing in a gutter, had turned and cursed, or &ic&ed
the miserable little imp, where would ha)e been the religion of #o)e and PeaceP %ith
such a demonstration of his precepts before them, (uddha might ha)e preached, not
through one, but through se)enty times se)en li)es, and the world would ha)e
remained unmo)ed"
(ut this is the &ind of demonstration of (uddhaQs precepts that the 4ounders of
our ,ociety persist in gi)ing to the world" #et any poor creature, ignorant of the
higher truths, blind to the brighter light, abuse or insult, nay, e)en find fault with
them@and lo, in place of lo)ing pity, in lieu of returning good for e)il, straightway
they fume and rage, and hurl bac& imprecations and anathemas, which e)en the
maMority of educated gentlemen, howe)er worldly, howe)er ignorant of spiritual
truths, would shrin& from employing"
$hat the message of $heosophy is a di)ine one, none reali.es more fully than
myself, but this message might as well ha)e remained unspo&en, if those, who bear it,
so disregard its purport as to con)ince the world that they ha)e no faith in it"
+t is not by words, by sermons or lectures, that true con)iction is to be brought
home to our brothersQ hearts around us, but by actions and li)es in harmony with our
precepts" +f +, or other humble disciples, stumble at times, the cause may ne)ertheless
prosper, but if the ,ociety, which should sail under the RedCcrossed snowy flag of
those who succour the )ictims of the fray, is, on the slightest pro)ocation, to run up at
the masthead >and that is what $he $heosophist is to us? the (lac& 4lag with sanguine
bla.onry, Public 5pinion, will, and rightly so, sin& us with one broadside without
further parley"
+ enclose my card and remain
<ours obediently,
*#6$'6+*"
*pril 3H, 1223"
%6 R6P#<
%e )ery willingly publish this epistle >though it most unceremoniously ta&es us
to tas& and, while inculcating charity, scarcely ta&es a charitable )iew of our
position?, first, because, our desire is that e)ery section of the ,ociety should be
represented, and there are other members of it, we &now, who agree with our
correspondentE and secondly, because, though we must hold his complaints to be
greatly exaggerated, we are ready at once to own that there may ha)e been, at times,
)ery good grounds for *#6$'6+*Q, protest"
Page 116
(ut he o)erdoes it" 'e ta&es the part not of Mudge, but of the counsel for the
prosecutionE and he puts e)erything in the worst light and ignores e)erything that can
be ad)anced for the defence" %e &now that he is sincere@we &now that to him
$heosophy has become a sacred reality@but with Kthe fiery .eal that con)erts feel,L
he ta&es an exaggerated )iew of the gra)ity of the situation" 'e seems to forget that
as he himself says Kto err is human,L and that we do not pretend to be wiser or better
than other mortals" 5)erloo&ing all that has been well and wisely done, fixing his
eyes solely >surely this is not charity? on e)ery shadow of an error, he denounces us
as if we were the worst enemies of that cause for which, be our shortcomings what
they may, we ha)e at least sacrificed e)erything"
#et it be conceded that we ga)e too much notice to Mr" !oo&@that we
admitted, to our columns, letters and articles, that we had better ha)e suppressed"
%ell, he was aggra)ating, and we were angry@he made faces at us and we boxed his
ears" Very shoc&ing no doubt@we are not going to defend it@and we hope not to be
ta&en unawares and off our guard again" (ut surely this does not in)ol)e Khatred,
malice and uncharitableness"L %e can truly say that, ha)ing let off the steam, we do
not bear the poor deluded man any grudge@nay, we wish him all possible good in
the future, and abo)e all things, Kmore light"L +f he will turn o)er a new leaf and be
honest and truthful, we will admit him into our ,ociety tomorrow and forget, in
brotherly lo)e, that he has e)er been what he has been"
$he fact is *#6$'6+* ta&es trifles too much au sSrieux, and is@doubtless with
the best intentions@most unMust and uncharitable to us" #et us test a little his
anathemasY 'e tells us that, if anyone e)en so much as finds fault with us, we
straightway fume and rage, and hurl bac& imprecations and anathemas, etc"Y 9ow, we
put it to our readers whether *#6$'6+*Q, letter does not find fault with us@why we
ha)e ne)er been so magisterially rebu&ed since we left the schoolroom, yet >it may be
so without our &nowing it?, we do not thin& we are either fuming or raging, nor do we
disco)er in oursel)es the smallest inclination to hurl any thing, tangible or intangible,
at our selfCconstituted father confessor, spiritual pastor and masterY

/R*%+9: 54 '"," 5#!5$$ (< '"P"("
!rayon drawing made by '"P"(" around 12HH, the original of which
is in the *dyar *rchi)es" KMoloneyL was '"P"("Qs nic&name for !ol"
5lcott, while his nic&name for her was KMrs" Mulligan"L Reproduced
from $he $heosophist, Vol" #++, *ugust, 1931"
M5'+9+ M5';9 !'*$$6R=66
12G2C1936
4rom a photograph ta&en in #ondon about 122D"
>!onsult *ppendix for biographical s&etch"?
Page 11H
%e most of us remember #eechQs charming picture@the old gentleman inside the
omnibus, anxious to get on, saying mildly to the guard, KMr" !onductor, + am so
pressed for time@if you could &indly go on + should be so grateful,L etc"@the
conductor retailing this to the dri)er thus, K:o on, (ill, hereQs an old gent in here
aQcussinQ and swearinQ li&e bla.es"L Really we thin& that, in his denunciations of our
unfortunate infirmities of temper >and we donQt altogether deny these?, *#6$'6+*
has been ta&ing a leaf out of that conductorQs boo&"
'owe)er, we are 1uite sure that, li&e that conductor, *#6$'6+* means well,
his only fault being in the use of somewhat exaggerated and rather too forcible
language, and as we hold that fas est et ab hoste doceri,Z and a fortiori, that it is our
bounden duty to profit by the ad)ice of friends, we gladly publish his letter by way of
penance for our transgressions and promise not to offend again similarly >at any rate
not till next time?, only entreating him to bear in mind the old pro)erb that Ka slip of
the tongue is no fault of the heart,L and that the use of a little strong language, when
one is exasperated, does not necessarily in)ol)e either hatred, malice or e)en
uncharitableness"
$o close this little unpleasantness, we would say that our most serious plea in
extenuation is that a cause most dear, nay, most sacred to us@that of $heosophy@
was being re)iled all o)er +ndia, and publicly denounced as K)ile and contemptibleL
>see !oo&Qs !alcutta #ecture and the +ndian %itness of 4ebruary 19? by one whom
the missionary party has put forward as their champion, and so made his utterances
official for them" %e wish, with all our hearts, that $heosophy had worthier and more
consistent champions"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UK+t is right to be taught e)en by an enemy,L 5)id, Metam", +V, D32"CC!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 112
%e confess, again, we &now that our ill tempers are most unseemly from the
standpoint of true $heosophy" <et, while a (uddhaCli&e@that is to say, truly
$heosophical@character has the perfect right to chide us >and one, at least, of our
K(rothersL has done so?, other religionists ha)e hardly such a right" 9ot !hristians, at
all e)entsE for if though nominal, yet such must be our critics, the wouldCbe con)erts
referred to in *#6$'6+*Q, letter" $hey, at least, ought not to forget that, howe)er
great our shortcomings, their own =esus@mee&est and most forgi)ing of men,
according to his own *postlesQ records@in a righteous rage lashed and dro)e away
those comparati)ely innocent traders who were defiling his templeE that he cursed a
fig tree for no fault of its ownE called Peter K,atanLE and cast daily, in his indignation,
upon the Pharisees of his day, epithets e)en more opprobrious than those we plead
guilty to" $hey >the critics? should not be Kmore catholic than the Pope"L *nd if the
language of e)en their K:odCmanL was scarcely free from abusi)e epithets, with such
an example of human infirmity before them, they should scarcely demand such a
superhuman, di)ine forbearance from us" +s it not positi)ely absurd that we should be
expected by !hristians to e)en so much as e1ual, not to say surpass, in humility, such
an ideal type of mee&ness and forgi)eness as that of =6,;,P
Page 119
SEEMING *DISCREP"NCIES,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 33GC336"V
$o the 6ditor of $he $heosophist"
+ ha)e lately been engaged in de)oting a few e)eningsQ study to your admirable
article, K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth,L which deser)es far more attention than a mere
casual reading" +t is therein stated that the translated 6go cannot span the abyss
separating its state from ours, or that it cannot descend into our atmosphere and reach
usE that it attracts but cannot be attracted, or, in short, that no departed ,P+R+$ can
)isit us"
+n Vol" +, page 6H, of +sis, + find it said that many of the spirits, subMecti)ely
controlling mediums, are human disembodied spirits, that their being bene)olent or
wic&ed in 1uality largely depends upon the mediumQs pri)ate morality, that they
cannot materiali.e, but only KproMect their aetherial reflection on the atmospheric
wa)es"L 5n page 69R K9ot e)ery one can attract human spirits, who li&es" 5ne of the
most powerful attractions of our departed ones is their strong affection for those
whom they ha)e left on earth" +t draws them irresistibly, by degrees, into the current
of the *stral #ight )ibrating between the person sympathetic to them and the
;ni)ersal ,oul"L 5n page 33GR K,ometimes, but rarely, the planetary spirits " " "
produce them UsubMecti)e manifestationsVE sometimes the spirits of our translated and
belo)ed friends, etc"L
4rom the foregoing it would appear as if both teachings were not uniform, but it
may be that souls, instead of spirits, are implied, or that + ha)e misunderstood the
meaning"
,uch difficult subMects are rather pu..ling to %estern students, especially to one
who, li&e myself, is a mere tyro, though always grateful to recei)e &nowledge from
those who are in a position to impart such"
<ours, etc",
9th =anuary, 1223"
!*#6/59+*9 $'65,5P'+,$"
Page 13B
6ditorQs 9ote"@+t is to be feared that our )alued (rother has both
misunderstood our meaning in +sis and that of the K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth"L Read
in their correct sense, the statements in the latter do not offer the slightest discrepancy
with the passages 1uoted from +sis but both teachings are uniform"
5ur K!aledonianL (rother belie)es that, because it is stated in +sis,Z that
Kmany " " " among those who control the medium subMecti)ely " " " are human,
disembodied spirits,L and in the K4ragments,L in the words of our critic, that Kthe 6go
cannot span the abyss separating its state from ours " " " cannot descend into our
atmosphere, " " " or, in short, that no departed ,P+R+$ can )isit usL@ there is a
contradiction between the two teachings" %e answer@K9one at all"L %e reiterate
both statements, and will defend the proposition" $hroughout +sis@although an
attempt was made in the +ntroductory !hapter to show the great difference that exists
between the terms KsoulL and KspiritL@one the reli1uiae of the personal 6:5, the
other the pure essence of the spiritual +9/+V+/;*#+$<@the term KspiritL had to be
often used in the sense gi)en to it by the ,piritualists, as well as other similar
con)entional terms, as, otherwise, a still greater confusion would ha)e been caused"
$herefore, the meaning of the three sentences, cited by our friend, should be thus
understoodR
5n page sixtyCse)en wherein it is stated that many of the spirits, subMecti)ely
controlling mediums, are Khuman disembodied spirits,L etc", the word KcontrollingL
must not be understood in the sense of a KspiritL possessing himself of the organism
of a mediumE nor that, in each case, it is a KspiritLE for often it is but a shell in its
preliminary stage of dissolution, when most of the physical intelligence and faculties
are yet fresh and ha)e not begun to disintegrate, or fade out" * Kspirit,L or the spiritual
6go, cannot descend to the medium, but it can attract the spirit of the latter to itself,
and it can do this only during the two inter)als@before and after its Kgestation
period"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UVol" +, p" 6H"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 131
+nter)al the first is that period between the physical death and the merging of the
spiritual 6go into that state which is &nown in the *rhat esoteric doctrine as K(arC
do"L %e ha)e translated this as the KgestationL period, and it lasts from a few days to
se)eral years, according to the e)idence of the adepts" +nter)al the second lasts so
long as the merits of the old 6go entitle the being to reap the fruit of its reward in its
new regenerated 6goship" +t occurs after the gestation period is o)er, and the new
spiritual 6go is reborn@li&e the fabled Phfnix from its ashes@from the old one"
$he locality, which the former inhabits, is called by the northern (uddhist 5ccultists
K/e)aCchan,L the word answering, perhaps, to Paradise or the 8ingdom of 'ea)en of
the !hristian elect" 'a)ing enMoyed a time of bliss, proportionate to his deserts, the
new personal 6go gets reincarnated into a personality when the remembrance of his
pre)ious 6goship, of course, fades out, and he can KcommunicateL no longer with his
fellowmen on the planet he has left fore)er, as the indi)idual he was there &nown to
be" *fter numberless reincarnations, and on numerous planets and in )arious spheres,
a time will come, at the end of the MahaC<ug or great cycle, when each indi)iduality
will ha)e become so spirituali.ed that, before its final absorption into the 5ne *ll, its
series of past personal existences will marshal themsel)es before him in a
retrospecti)e order li&e the many days of some period of a manQs existence"
$he words@Ktheir being bene)olent or wic&ed in 1uality largely depends upon
the mediumQs pri)ate moralityL@which conclude the first 1uoted sentence mean
simply thisR a pure mediumQs 6go can be drawn to and made, for an instant, to unite
in a magnetic >P? relation with a real disembodied spirit, whereas the soul of an
impure medium can only confabulate with the astral soul, or Kshell,L of the deceased"
$he former possibility explains those extremely rare cases of direct writing in
recogni.ed autographs, and of messages from the higher class of disembodied
intelligences" %e should say then that the personal morality of the medium would be
a fair test of the genuineness of the manifestation"
Page 133
*s 1uoted by our friend, Kaffection to those whom they ha)e left on earthL is
Kone of the most powerful attractionsL between two lo)ing spirits@the embodied and
the disembodied one"
%hence the idea, then, that the two teachings are Knot uniformLP %e may well
be taxed with too loose and careless a mode of expression, with a misuse of the
foreign language in which we write, with lea)ing too much unsaid and depending
unwarrantably upon the imperfectly de)eloped intuition of the reader" (ut there ne)er
was, nor can there be, any radical discrepancy between the teachings in +sis and those
of the later period, as both proceed from one and the same source@the */6P$
(R5$'6R,"
WWWWWWWWWW
TR"NCE -SPE"&ERS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 33HC332V
9o 'indu needs to be told the meaning of the term *ngInta <ene" +t is the
action of a bhNta, who enters into or possesses itself of the body of a sensiti)e, to act
and spea& through his organism" +n +ndia such a possession or obsession is as dreaded
now as it was fi)e thousand years bac&E and, li&e the =ews of old, the nati)es
compassionately say of such a )ictim@K'e hath a de)il"L 9o 'indu, $ibetan, or
,inhalese, unless of the lowest caste and intelligence, can see, without a shudder of
horror, the signs of KmediumshipL manifest themsel)es in a member of his family"
$his Kgift,L Kblessing,L and Kholy mission,L as it is )ariously styled in 6urope and
*merica is, among the older peoples, in the cradlelands of our race@where,
presumably, longer experience than ours has taught them more wisdom@regarded as
a direful misfortune, and this applies to both, what %esterns call physical and
inspirational mediumship" 9ot so in the %est" " " "
Page 133
$he extracts that follow are ta&en from an Kinspirational discourseL of a )ery
celebrated *merican ladyCmedium, deli)ered 9o)ember 3D, 12H2" $hose who are
familiar with the literature of ,piritualism, will instantly recogni.e the style" $he
prophecy, uttered in this oration, purports to come from K*n *ncient *strologer,L
who, returning to earth as a spirit, KcontrolledL the spea&er" %e republish these
extracts to gi)e our *siatic friends a specimen of the weird elo1uence that often
mar&s the mediumistic utterances of this gifted lady" 5ther tranceCspea&ers are also
elo1uent, but none of them so famous as this medium" Personally we ha)e always
admired that rare talent of hers to come almost night after night, for years
successi)ely, upon the rostrum, and hold her audience spellbound, some with
re)erential awe at hearing, as they belie)e, the )oice of KcontrollingL angels, others
by surprise" $oo often this latter feeling first awa&ened by her wonderful fluency of
language, has become confirmed by finding, after the flush of the first wonder had
passed and the oration has been put into cold printerQs type, that hardly a sentence is
there which could not ha)e been uttered by her apart from any theory" 'er personal
idiosyncrasies of thought and language constantly obtrude themsel)es, whether the
Kcontrolling spiritL be the late Professor Mapes of 9ew <or&, the lamented 5siris of
6gypt, or any intermediate notability who may ha)e flourished between their
respecti)e epochs" $hose who ha)e followed her tranceCspeeches, since her debut in
12G3, as a girl orator of fourteen, until now, notice the stri&ing sameness in them" $he
mode of deli)ery is always hersE the style is her styleE and the flow of language,
though spar&ling as a pellucid mountain broo&, seems yet to be always the same
familiar flow, fed at the same source" $he constant recurrence of familiar rhetorical
figures, and flowers of speech in this intellectual current, recalls to mind the bubbling
Met of clear crystalline water in a parlourCa1uarium, which brings around, in the swirl
of its eddy, always the same bits of detached moss and lea)es" $he 'indu will
naturally as&, why the names of different KspiritsL should be gi)en to a series of
orations, any twoof which resemble each other li&e two beads on the same string,
when, intrinsically, they show so little e)idence of separate authorship, and such
constant mar&s of strong indi)idualityP
Page 13D
*nother lady orator, of deser)edly great fame, both for elo1uence and learning
@the good Mrs" *nnie (esant@without belie)ing in controlling spirits, or, for that
matter, in her own spirit, yet spea&s and writes such sensible and wise things that we
might almost say that one of her speeches or chapters contains more matter to benefit
humanity, than would e1uip a modern tranceCspea&er for an entire oratorical career"
$here are, of course, great differences between these tranceCspea&ers, and at least one
@Mrs" 6mma 'ardingeC(ritten, one of the founders of our ,ociety@always spea&s
with power and to the point" (ut e)en in her case, is the tranceCdiscourse abo)e the
capacity of her own large mindP
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO BH"G"V"D-GIT"
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 33BV
U$o this article treating of the teachings contained in the :JtI, and of the
difference between these teachings and those of the Vedas, '" P" (" appends the
following footnoteRV
$he idea that the :ita may after all be one of the ancient boo&s of initiations@
now most of them lost@has ne)er occurred to them" <et@li&e the (oo& of =ob )ery
wrongly incorporated into the (ible, since it is the allegorical and double record of
>1? the 6gyptian sacred mysteries in the temples and >3? of the disembodied ,oul
appearing before 5siris, and the 'all of *menti, to be Mudged according to its 8arma
@the :ita is a record of the ancient teachings during the Mystery of +nitiation"
Page 13G
!OOTNOTE TO *"NOTHER HINDU
STONE-SHOWER MEDIUM,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 333V
U$he medium is described as a young woman who was terrified by a demon
>Pi[acha? which constantly haunted her" ,he would sometimes rush into the house in
terror, Kwhereupon there would immediately come rattling against the sides and roof
of the building a storm of bric&s, stones and pebbles"L 9o one was e)er struc&" K$he
strangest fact was that we could not see the stone until it was within a couple of feet
or so of the ground,L says the narrator" $o this '" P" (" remar&sRV
* most interesting fact" %e ha)e here a practical testimony going to support the
theory@long since put forth by us@that, in the transport of inert substances, the
atoms are disintegrated, and suddenly reformed at the point of deposit"
WWWWWWWWWW
COMMENTS ON
*" !RIENDL# REMONSTR"NCE,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 336C33HV
UMr" 9" !hidambaram +yer, ("*", ha)ing critici.ed certain words used by '" P"
(" as fa)ouring (uddhism at the expense of 'induism, '" P" (" appended to his
article the following footnote and comment" $o the writerQs wordsR K" " " in a spirit of
indignation " " " you say that, Xfor all the alliances in the world,Q you will not renounce
what you Xconsider to be the truth,Q or pretend belief in that which you X&now to be
falseQ " " " you would ha)e done well if you had omitted the latter clause" " " "L@she
saysRV
Page 136
* clear misconception, we regret to see" 5ur correspondent has e)idently failed
to comprehend our meaning" %e referred to soCcalled K,piritualism,L and ne)er ga)e
one thought to (uddhismY %e were accused li&ewise by Pundit /ayanand of ha)ing
turned K7oroastrians"L %hy, then, should our correspondent ha)e understood us to
mean only (uddhism as being Ktrue,L and paid no attention to the religion of the
ParsisP Read 6ditorQs 9ote which follows"
+t is our intelligent correspondent, rather than oursel)es, who has Ko)ershotL his
mar&" 'e totally misconcei)es our meaning in the 1uoted sentences" %e had in mind
neither 'induism nor (uddhism, but truth in general, and the truth of *siatic
psychology in particular" %e maintain that the phenomena of ,piritualism are trueE
,wami /ayanand insists >though he &nows better? that they are all false and
Ktamasha"L %e defend the truth of manQs latent and@when de)eloped@phenomenal
powers to produce the most mar)ellous manifestationsE the ,wami tells his public
that to insist that phenomena can be produced by will power alone Kis to say a lie,L
and forthwith derides )ery unphilosophically all phenomenaE thus contradicting what
he had maintained and admitted himself orally and in print, before he got Kout of
patienceL with us for our eclecticism and uni)ersal religious toleration" $hat is what
we meant by KtrueL and Kfalse,L and nothing more"
+f we were disposed to imitate the sectarian bigots of whatsoe)er creed, our
ad)ocacy of the superior merits of (uddhism would not ha)e ta&en the form of a
casual sentence or two in an article upon a totally different subMect, but would ha)e
been boldly and openly made" 5ur friend is but Must when he says that, since
beginning our +ndian wor&, we ha)e ne)er publicly preached our pri)ate religious
)iews" +t would be well if this fact were ne)er lost sight of" !olonel 5lcott, in
addressing audiences of )arious religious faiths, has always tried to put himself, for
the moment, in the mental attitude of a belie)er in that faith which his audience
represented, and to bring prominently before their minds the highest standard of
morals and attainable wisdom which it contains"
Page 13H
$hus, he has, to the Parsis, shown the magnificence of ancient Ma.dasnianismE
to the 'indus, the splendours of *ryan philosophy, etc" *nd this, not from a poor
desire to indiscriminately please, but from the deep con)iction, shared by us both,
that there is truth in e)ery religion, and that e)ery sincere de)otee of any faith should
be respected in that de)otion, and helped to see whate)er of good his faith contains"
$he rupture of the ,wami with us resulted, not because of our holding to one religion
or the other, but because of the strict policy of eclectic tolerance for men of all creeds
upon which the $heosophical ,ociety was founded and has since been building itself
up"
WWWWWWWWWW
-THE "R#".
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 9, ,upplement, =une, 1223, p" 2V
5ur late friends of the *rya maga.ine ha)e performed the difficult intellectual
feat of Mumping down their own Mournalistic throats" $his was to be fearedE and now,
upon reading the complimentary notice of us in their *pril number in connection with
the one of an opposite character in the one of May, we are left in doubt as to which
expresses their real sentiments" 'owe)er, their action must be left for their 8arma to
settle, which it will do all in good time" %e should not thin& it worthwhile to ta&e any
further notice of the affair, but for the fact that they ha)e badly misrepresented our
relations with their *rya ,amaM and its 6ccentric !hief" *t the (ombay 'ead1uarters
are all the necessary documents for our reply, and upon the return of the 4ounders,
!olonel 5lcott will prepare the brief statement, which the unwise course of the *rya
has made necessary"
Page 132
M"D"ME BL"V"TS&#
ON HINDU WIDOW M"RRI"GE
UMadras $imes, Madras, =une 9, 1223V
/ewan (ahadur Ragunath Row, 4"$","
My /ear ,ir,@+ ha)e not made a study of 'indu law, but + do &now something
of the principles of 'indu religions, or rather ethics, and of those of its glorious
founders" + regard the former almost the embodiment of Mustice, and the latter as
ideals of spiritual perfectibility" %hen then, anyone points out to me in the existing
canon any text, line or word that )iolates oneQs sense of perfect Mustice, + instincti)ely
&now it must be a later per)ersion of the original ,mriti" +n my Mudgment, the 'indus
are now patiently enduring many outrageous wrongs that were cunningly introduced
into the canon as opportunity offered, by selfish and unscrupulous priests for their
personal benefit, as it was in the case of suttee, the burning of widows" $he marriage
laws are another example" $o marry a girl without her &nowledge or consent, to enter
the sacred state and then doom her to the awful, because unnatural fate of enforced
celibacy, if the boyCchild to whom she was betrothed should die >and one half of the
human race do die before coming of age? is something actually brutal, de)ilish" +t is
the 1uintessence of inMustice and cruelty, and + would sooner doubt the stars of hea)en
than belie)e that either one of those starCbright human souls called Rishis had e)er
consented to such a base and idiotic cruelty" +f a female has entered a marital relation,
she should, in my opinion, remain a chaste widow if her husband should die"
Page 139
(ut if a betrothed boyChusband of a nonCconsenting and irresponsible childCwife
should die, or if, upon coming to age, either of them should be a)erse from
matrimony, and prefer to ta&e up the religious life, to de)ote themsel)es to charitable
occupation, to study, or for other good reason wish to remain celibate, then they
ought to be allowed to do so" %e personally &now of se)eral cases where the male or
female are so bent upon becoming chelas that they prefer death rather than to enter or
continue in@as the cases se)erally may be@the married state" My womanQs instinct
always told me that for such there was comfort and protection in 'indu #aw@the
only true #aw@of the Rishis which was based upon their spiritual perceptions, hence
upon the perfect law of harmony and Mustice which per)ades all nature" *nd now,
upon reading your excellent pamphlet, + percei)e that my instincts had not decei)ed
me"
%ishing e)ery possible success, in your noble and highly philanthropical
enterprise"
(elie)e me, dear ,ir, with respect,
<ours fraternally,
'" P" (#*V*$,8<
Mylapore, 3rd =une, 1223"
Page 13B
THE NEW SOCIET# !OR PS#CHIC"L RESE"RCH
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 339V
+t has been widely felt that the present is an opportune time for ma&ing an
organi.ed and systematic attempt to in)estigate that large group of debatable
phenomena designated by such terms as mesmeric, psychical, and spiritualistic"
4rom the recorded testimony of many competent witnesses, past and present,
including obser)ations recently made by scientific men of eminence in )arious
countries, there appears to be, amidst much illusion and deception, an important body
of remar&able phenomena, which are prima facie inexplicable on any generally
recogni.ed hypothesis, and which, if incontestably established, would be of the
highest possible )alue"
$he tas& of examining such residual phenomena has often been underta&en by
indi)idual effort, but ne)er hitherto by a scientific society organi.ed on a sufficiently
broad basis" *s a preliminary step towards this end, a !onference was held in
#ondon, on =anuary 6th, 1223, and a ,ociety for Psychical Research was proMected"
$he ,ociety was definitely constituted on 4ebruary 3Bth, 1223, and its !ouncil, then
appointed, ha)e s&etched out a programme for future wor&" $he following subMects
ha)e been entrusted to special !ommitteesR
1" *n examination of the nature and extent of any influence which may be
exerted by one mind upon another, apart from any generally recogni.ed mode of
perception"
3" $he study of hypnotism, and the forms of soCcalled mesmeric trance, with its
alleged insensibility to painE clair)oyance, and other allied phenomena"
3" * critical re)ision of ReichenbachQs researches with certain organi.ations
called sensiti)e, and an in1uiry whether such organi.ations possess any power of
perception beyond a highly exalted sensibility of the recogni.ed sensory organs"
D" * careful in)estigation of any reports, resting on strong testimony regarding
apparitions at the moment of death, or otherwise, or regarding disturbances in houses
reputed to be haunted"
Page 131
G" *n in1uiry into the )arious physical phenomena commonly called
,piritualisticE with an attempt to disco)er their causes and general laws"
6" $he collection and collation of existing materials bearing on the history of
these subMects"
$he aim of the ,ociety will be to approach these )arious problems without
preMudice or prepossession of any &ind, and in the same spirit of exact and
unimpassioned in1uiry which has enabled science to sol)e so many problems, once
not less obscure nor less hotly debated" $he founders of this ,ociety fully recogni.e
the exceptional difficulties which surround this branch of researchE but they
ne)ertheless hope that by patient and systematic effort some results of permanent
)alue may be attained"
#etters of in1uiry or application for membership may be addressed to the 'on"
,ecretary, 6dward $" (ennett, $he Mansion, Richmond 'ill, near #ondon"
+t was intended, in founding the (ritish $heosophical ,ociety, our #ondon
(ranch, to co)er this exact ground, adding to it the hope of being able to wor& up to a
direct personal intercourse with those K:reat Masters of the ,nowy Range of the
'ima)at,L whose existence has been amply pro)en to some of our 4ellows, and,
according to the Re)" Mr" (eale@Kis &nown throughout all $ibet and !hina"L %hile
something has, certainly, been done in that direction, yet for lac& of the help of
scientific men, li&e those who ha)e Moined to found this new ,ociety, the progress has
been relati)ely slow" +n all our (ranches there is more of a tendency to de)ote time to
reading boo&s and papers and propounding theories, than to experimental research in
the departments of Mesmerism, Psychometry, 5dyle >ReichenbachQs new 4orce?, and
Mediumism" $his should be changed, for the subMects abo)eCnamed are the &eys to all
the worldQs Psychological ,cience from the remotest anti1uity down to our time" $he
new Psychical Research ,ociety, then, has our best wishes, and may count upon the
assistance of our thirtyCse)en *siatic (ranches in carrying out their in)estigations, if
our help is not disdained" %e will be only too happy to enlist in this mo)ement,
which is for the worldQs good, the friendly ser)ices of a body of 'indu, Parsi and
,inhalese gentlemen of education, who ha)e access to the )ernacular, ,ans&rit, and
Pali literature of their respecti)e countries, and who were ne)er yet brought, either by
go)ernmental or any pri)ate agency, into collaboration with 6uropean students of
Psychology"
Page 133
#et the #ondon sa)ants but tell us what they want done, and we will ta&e care of
the rest" +n the same connection we would suggest that the Psychical Research
,ociety and our #ondon and Paris (ranches should open relations with the
!ommittee of the *cademy of 4rance, Must formed, or forming, to ma&e a serious
study of these )ery subMects, as the result of the recent experiments of /rs" !harcot,
!he)illard, (ur1, and other 4rench biologists" #et us, by all means, ha)e an
international, rather than a local, in)estigation of the most important of all subMects of
human study@P,<!'5#5:<"
WWWWWWWWWW
COMING EVENTS !ORETOLD
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3D3C3DDV
%hen, in answer to a direct challenge, the author of $he 5ccult %orld wrote to
the (ombay :a.ette >*pril D, 1223?, he began his letter with the following profession
of faithR K+ was already sure, when + wrote $he 5ccult %orld, that the $heosophical
,ociety was connected, through Madame (la)ats&y, with the great (rotherhood of
*depts + described" + now &now this to be the case, with much greater amplitude of
&nowledge"L #ittle did our loyal friend fancy, when he was penning these lines, that
his assertion would one day be capable of corroboration by the testimony of
thousands" (ut such is now the state of the case" ,ceptics and preMudiced or interested
witnesses in general may scoff as they li&e, the fact cannot be gainsaid" 5ur friends@
and we ha)e some who regard us neither as lunatics nor impostors@will at least be
glad to read the statement which follows"
Page 133
%hile at Madras, we were told that a wellC&nown $amil scholar, a Pandit in the
Presidency !ollege, desired to ha)e a pri)ate con)ersation with us" $he inter)iew
occurred in the presence of Mr" ,ingara)elu, President of the 8rishna $heosophical
,ociety, and of another trustworthy $heosophist, Mr" !" *ra)amudu *yangar, a
,ans&ritist, of 9ellore" %e are no more at liberty to repeat here all the 1uestions put
to us by the inter)iewer than we are to di)ulge certain other facts which would still
more strongly corroborate , our repeated assertions that >1? our ,ociety was founded
at the direct suggestion of +ndian and $ibetan *deptsE and >3? that in coming to this
country we but obeyed their wishes" (ut we shall lea)e our friends to draw their own
inferences from all the facts" %e are glad to &now that the learned Pandit is now
engaged in writing, in the $amil and $elugu languages, a more amplified narrati)e
than he has gi)en hereE and that he is ta&ing steps to obtain certificates of respectable
li)ing witnesses who heard his :uru preCfigure the e)ents which ha)e had so
complete a fulfilment"
,$*$6M69$ 54 $'5#;V5R6 V6#*<;/'*M M;/*#+*R, ,6!59/
$*M+# P*9/+$ 54 $'6 PR6,+/69!< !5##6:6, M*/R*,"
$o the *uthorZ of 'ints on 6soteric $heosophyR
,ir,@+ beg to inform you that + was a !hela of the late K*rulpra&asa Vallalare,L
otherwise &nown as !hidambaram Ramalinga Pillai *)ergal, the celebrated <ogi of
,outhern +ndia" 'a)ing come to &now that the 6nglish community, as well as some
'indus, entertained doubts as to the existence of the Mahatmas >adepts?, and, as to
the fact of the $heosophical ,ociety ha)ing been formed under their special ordersE
and ha)ing heard, moreo)er, of your recent wor&, in which much pains are ta&en to
present the e)idence about these Mahatmas pro and con@+ wish to ma&e public
certain facts in connection with my late re)ered :uru" My belief is, that they ought
effectually to remo)e all such doubts, and pro)e that $heosophy is no empty
delusion, nor the ,ociety in 1uestion founded on an insecure basis"
#et me premise with a brief description of the personality of and the doctrines
taught by the abo)eCmentioned ascetic, Ramalingam Pillai"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U*" 5" 'ume"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 13D
'e was born at Maruthur, !hidambaram $alu1, ,outh *rcot, Madras Presidency"
'e came to li)e at Madras at an early period of his career, and dwelt there for a long
time" *t the age of nine, without any reading, Ramalingam is certified by
eyewitnesses to ha)e been able to recite the contents of the wor&s of *gastia and
other Munis e1ually respected by /ra)idians and *ryans" +n 12D9, + became his
disciple, and, though no one e)er &new where he had been initiated, some years after,
he gathered a number of disciples around him" 'e was a great *lchemist" 'e had a
strange faculty about him, witnessed )ery often, of changing a carni)orous person
into a )egetarianE a mere glance from him seemed enough to destroy the desire for
animal food" 'e had also the wonderful faculty of reading other menQs minds" +n the
year 12GG, he left Madras for !hidambaram, and thence to Vadulur and 8aringooli,
where he remained a number of years" Many a time, during his stay there, he used to
lea)e his followers, disappearing to go no one &new whither, and remaining absent
for more or less prolonged periods of time" +n personal appearance, Ramalingam was
a moderately tall, spare man@so spare, indeed, as to )irtually appear a s&eleton@yet
withal a strong man, erect in stature, and wal&ing )ery rapidlyE with a face of a clear
brown complexion, a straight, thin nose, )ery large fiery eyes, and with a loo& of
constant sorrow on his face" $oward the end he let his hair grow long, and, what is
rather unusual with <ogis, he wore shoes" 'is garments consisted but of two pieces of
white cloth" 'is habits were excessi)ely abstemious" 'e was &nown to hardly e)er
ta&e any rest" * strict )egetarian, he ate but once in two or three days, and was then
satisfied with a few mouthfuls of rice" (ut when fasting for a period of two or three
months at a time, he literally ate nothing, li)ing merely on warm water with a little
sugar dissol)ed in it"
*s he preached against caste, he was not )ery popular" (ut still people of all
castes gathered in large numbers around him" $hey came not so much for his
teachings, as in the hope of witnessing and learning phenomena, or Kmiracles"L with
the power of producing which he was generally creditedE though he himself
discredited the idea of anything supernatural, asserting constantly that his was a
religion based on pure science" *mong many other things he preached thatR
>1? $hough the 'indu people listened not to him, nor ga)e ear to his counsels,
yet the esoteric meaning of the Vedas and other sacred boo&s of the 6ast would be
re)ealed by the custodians of the secret@the Mahatmas@to foreigners, who would
recei)e it with MoyE
>3? $hat the fatal influence of the 8alipurusha !ycle, which now rules the
world, will be neutrali.ed in about ten yearsE
>3? $hat the use of animal food would be gradually relin1uishedE
Page 13G
>D? $hat the distinction between races and castes would e)entually cease, and
the principle of ;ni)ersal (rotherhood be e)entually accepted, and a ;ni)ersal
(rotherhood be established in +ndiaE
>G? $hat what men call K:odL is, in fact, the principle of ;ni)ersal #o)e@
which produces and sustains perfect 'armony and 61uilibrium throughout all natureE
>6? $hat men, once they ha)e ascertained the di)ine power latent in them, would
ac1uire such wonderful powers as to be able to change the ordinary operations of the
law of gra)ity, etc", etc"
+n the year 126H, he founded a ,ociety, under the name of K,umarasa Veda
,anmarga ,ungham,L which means a society based on the principle of ;ni)ersal
(rotherhood, and for the propagation of the true Vedic doctrine" + need hardly remar&
that these principles are identically those of the $heosophical ,ociety" 5ur ,ociety
was in existence but for fi)e or six years, during which time a )ery large number of
poor and infirm persons were fed at the expense of its members"
%hen he had attained his GDth year >12H3?, he began to prepare his disciples for
his departure from the world" 'e announced his intention of going into ,amadhi"
/uring the first half of 12H3 he preached most forcibly his )iews upon 'uman
(rotherhood" (ut, during the last 1uarter of the year, he ga)e up lecturing entirely
and maintained an almost unbro&en silence" 'e resumed speech in the last days of
=anuary, 12HD, and reiterated his prophecies@hereinafter narrated" 5n the 3Bth of
that month, at Metucuppam, we saw our master for the last time" ,electing a small
building, he entered its solitary room after ta&ing an affectionate farewell of his
!helas, stretched himself on the carpet, and then, by his orders, the door was loc&ed
and the only opening walled up" (ut when, a year later, the place was opened and
examined, there was nothing to be seen but a )acant room" 'e left with us a promise
to reappear some day but would gi)e us no intimation as to the time, place, or
circumstances" ;ntil then, howe)er, he said that he would be wor&ing not in +ndia
alone, but also in 6urope and *merica and all other countries, to influence the minds
of the right men to assist in preparing for the regeneration of the world"
,uch, in short" is the history of this great man" $he facts + ha)e referred to abo)e are
within the &nowledge of thousands of people" 'is whole occupation was the
preaching of the sublime moral doctrines contained in the 'indu ,hastras, and the
instilling into the masses of the principles of ;ni)ersal (rotherhood, bene)olence and
charity" (ut to his great disappointment he found among his large congregations but
few who could appreciate his lofty ethics" /uring the latter part of his )isible earthly
career, he often expressed his bitter sorrow for this sad state of things, and repeatedly
exclaimedR
K<ou are not fit to become members of this ,ociety of ;ni)ersal (rotherhood"
$he real members of that (rotherhood are li)ing far away, towards the 9orth of
+ndia" <ou do not listen to me"
Page 136
<ou do not follow the principles of my teachings" <ou seem to be determined
not to be con)inced by me" <6$ $'6 $+M6 +, 95$ 4*R 544, %'69 P6R,59,
4R5M R;,,+*, *M6R+!* >these two countries were always named?, and other
foreign lands %+## !5M6 $5 +9/+* *9/ PR6*!' $5 <5; $'+, ,*M6
/5!$R+96 54 ;9+V6R,*# (R5$'6R'55/" $hen only, will you &now and
appreciate the grand truths that + am now )ainly trying to ma&e you accept" <ou will
soon find that $'6 (R5$'6R, %'5 #+V6 +9 $'6 4*R 95R$' will wor& a
great many wonders in +ndia, and thus confer incalculable benefits upon this our
country"L
$his prophecy has, in my opinion, Must been literally fulfilled" $he fact, that the
Mahatmas in the 9orth exist, is no new idea to us, 'indusE and the strange fact that
the ad)ent of Madame (la)ats&y and !olonel 5lcott from Russia and *merica was
foretold se)eral years before they came to +ndia, is an incontro)ertible proof that my
:uru was in communication with those Mahatmas under whose directions the
$heosophical ,ociety was subse1uently founded"
$'5#;V5R6 V6#*<;/'*M M;/*#+*R, 4"$","
%itnessesR g
M;9=*!;PP;M ,+9:*R*V6#; M;/*#+*R,
President of the 8rishna $heosophical ,ociety"
!5M(*!59*M *R*V*M;/; *<*9:*R,
4ellow of the 9ellore $heosophical ,ociety"
K$he official position of Vellayu Pandit as one of the Pandits of the Presidency
!ollegeCis an ample guarantee of his respectability and trustworthiness"L
:" M;$$;,%*M< !'6$$<,
=udge of the ,mall !ause !ourt, Madras,
ViceCPresident of the Madras $heosophical ,ocy"
$his is one of those cases of pre)ious foretelling of a coming e)ent, which is
least of all open to suspicion of bad faith"
Page 13H
$he honourable character of the witness, the wide publicity of his :uruQs
announcements, and the impossibility that he could ha)e got from public rumour, or
the Mournals of the day, any intimation that the $heosophical ,ociety would be formed
and would operate in +ndia@all these conspire to support the inference that
Ramalingam <ogi was )erily in the counsels of those who ordered us to found the
,ociety" +n March, 12H3, we were directed to proceed from Russia to Paris" +n =une,
we were told to proceed to the ;nited ,tates, where we arri)ed =uly 6th"Z $his was
the )ery time when Ramalingam was most forcibly prefiguring the e)ents which
should happen" +n 5ctober, 12HD, we recei)ed an intimation to go to !hittenden,
Vermont, where, at the famous homestead of the 6ddy family, !olonel 5lcott was
engaged in ma&ing his in)estigations@now so celebrated in the annals of
,piritualism@of the soCcalled Kmateriali.ation of ,pirits"L 9o)ember, 12HG, the
$heosophical ,ociety was founded, and it was not until 12H2, that the correspondence
began with friends in +ndia, which resulted in the transfer of the ,ocietyQs
'ead1uarters to (ombay in 4ebruary, 12H9"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U*" P" ,innet in his +ncidents in the #ife of '" P" (la)ats&y, p" 1HG, gi)es the date of =uly Hth, and
this latter date is supported by '" P" (" herself in one of her letters to her Russian relati)es >$he
Path, +F, 4eb", 129G, p" 32G?" $his uncertainty may ne)er be fully cleared up"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
IS BELIE! IN OMENS " SUPERSTITION(
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 3D9V
U+n reply to a correspondentQs 1uestions about omens, '" P" (" wroteRV
+t cannot be denied that there are correspondences, relationships, and mutual
attractions and repulsions in 9ature, the existence of which scientific research is
constantly ma&ing more apparent" 9or can it be contradicted that, under this law, the
theory of omens and portents has some basis of truth" (ut the credulity of the
superstitious has carried the matter to absurd lengths" $he subMect is too )ast to enter
upon until we ha)e exhausted the more important branches of 5ccultism"
Page 132
" STORM IN " TE"CUP
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3D9C3GBV
%e print elsewhere letters from two estimable ladies@members of the (ritish
$heosophical ,ociety@protesting against a short article@K* ,ad #oo&outL@printed
in our *pril number" %e ma&e room for them most willingly to pro)e that we are e)er
ready to gi)e a fair hearing to both sides of a 1uestion" *s the testimony of two
witnesses outweighs that of one, we might perhaps hang our harp on the willow, and
say no more of it, only that the few lines of pri)ate opinion, 1uoted from a pri)ate
letter >and this is the only indiscretion we plead guilty to? has raised such a pother as
to necessitate a reply" * storm in a teacup we should ha)e called it, but for the gra)e
interference of no less a personage than our &ind and esteemed friend, the President
of the (ritish $heosophical ,ociety in his proper person and official capacity, and the
indignant protests of se)eral other prominent $heosophists and ,piritualists" *nd,
now, what is the magnitude of our offenceP
+ndeed, /r" %yld, while condemning the opinion of the 4ellow who expressed
it, as a Kgross exaggerationL and an Kindiscriminate libel,L repeats in substance the
)ery allegation in our short editorial remar&, not one word of which do we feel ready
to retract" +f we are 1uite prepared to regard the denunciation of our (rother
$heosophist as a Kgross exaggeration,L we are not at all sure that it is a Klibel"L %hat
he says is that Kin many casesL ,piritualism has degenerated Kinto the grossest and
most immoral forms of (lac& Magic"L
Page 139
9ow, many cases are not KallL cases, and the educated and pureCminded
,piritualists, who ha)e KoutCgrownL the crude incipient stage of phenomenaCcra)ing,
can hardly be prepared to answer for what ta&es place in the homes and pri)ate
circles of the masses of less ad)anced ,piriutalists" 'a)ing been personally
ac1uainted in *merica with a number of nonprofessional mediums of all classes and
stations in life, who ha)e sought our ad)ice and help to escape from obsession by
Kmateriali.ed ,piritChusbands and wi)es,L and others who were delighted with, and
felt 1uite proud of such an intercourse, as regards *merica we spea&@to our regret@
a)ec connaissance de cause" $hus, while we may concede that, so far as the use of the
word KmaMorityL may be ta&en exception to as an exaggeration when applied to those
who fa)our or tolerate immorality, yet it is ne)ertheless true that until the actual
maMority of recogni.ed ,piritualists unite to dri)e out and show up those who are
gi)en o)er to the highly dangerous practices@positi)ely identical with those of
K(lac& MagicL@denounced by our (ritish member, the taint must co)er e)en the
innocent" Pure minds such as those of the late 6pes ,argent, of /r" %yld, and others,
ha)e felt this for years" ,o bad were things once in *merica@and our editorial
remar&, in its first sentence applied but to the *merican ,piritualists >please see *pril
number of $he $heosophist, p" 1HD, col" 1? Z@that some of the best ,piritualists
shran& from openly admitting their adherence to the mo)ement, especially when the
now happily dying out foul heresy of K4ree #o)eL was in )ogue" 5ur friends may
pic& and choose their circles as carefully as may be, yet except when a few
trustworthy and highly pure and moral mediums are employed, they will ne)er be
safe from the in)asion of K%estern Pi[achas"L]
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UK* ,ad #oo&out,L *pril, 1223, in the present Volume" @!ompiler"V
] U%hat are the lying K,piritsL described by =" P" $" in #ight in K;ncertainties of ,pirit +dentityL but
full blown Pi[achasP
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 1DB
9or can they protect themsel)es from the hearing of monstrous sentiments from or
through the mediums, until a closer study has been made of intermundane
intercourse"
$herefore, we refuse to plead guilty for saying, in $he $heosophist, that which
is repeated with )ery little )ariation by /r" %yld in #ight" %e as& any unpreMudiced
reader to decide whether we ha)e said, or e)en implied, in our do.en of editorial
lines, any more than what /r" %yld admits and confesses in the followingR
+ ha)e always held that mediumship, and especially physical mediumship Uand
who e)er spo&e of subMecti)e mediumship in the article that ga)e offenceP@6d" $he
$heosophistV, was beset by such dangers to health and morals, that none except the
most unselfish could practise it without inMury to themsel)es and others"
*gainR
+ ha)e also held that not only has much falsehood been spo&en by mediums, but
that no high spiritual truths ha)e been for the first time re)ealed to us by modern
mediums " " "
*nd againR
$hat many abominations ha)e infected the selfish practitioners of ,piritualism is
1uite well &nown, but " " )ery many modern ,piritualists in #ondon are and always
ha)e been examples of all which is good and true"
*nd who e)er said to the contraryP *mong other ,piritualists who ha)e
protested, M"*" >5xon? hopes that K$he $heosophist will disa)ow the stupid libel on
honourable, reputable, and able persons, whose sole care is the search of truth"L %e
are sorry to be unable to Kdisa)owL that to which we do not plead guilty" $he
$heosophist is e)er ready to honestly disa)ow any false accusation imprudently
published in its pages either with conscious intent or unconsciously" (ut, then, we
must be shown that a libel has been uttered, and that is what in the present case we
emphatically deny" $hough no ,piritualist organ has e)er yet retracted a single one of
the many gratuitous and dishonouring calumnies, nor one of the )ile and real libels so
repeatedly published by their correspondents against the editor of $he $heosophist
Page 1D1
>not e)en #ight, since in the lame excuse, called forth from its 6ditor by K!" !" M"QsL
gentle reproof in its issue of May 13th, we certainly see no retraction whate)er?, the
organ of the $heosophists would most assuredly ha)e made e)ery amende honorable,
had it by intent or otherwise e)er KlibelledL any of the Khonourable, reputable, and
able personsL in #ondon" *nd, since the words of our editorial article, )i."R K5f
course, it is needless to say, that highly educated and refined ,piritualists will e)er
a)oid such sSance rooms,L etc"@co)er entirely the ground, and thus disa)ow in
anticipation any such implication as is made against us, it is useless to say any more"
+n remar&ing as we did that Kthe maMority of ,piritualists will do e)erything in their
power to attract the %estern Pi[achas,L i"e", the K=ohn 8ingsL and the KPeters,L we
ha)e accused them of no immorality, but only of that, which no ,piritualist will e)er
deny, since their papers are full of tales of the prowess of these illustrious personages,
whose generic names are but mas&s concealing some unmista&able Pi[achas" $o
attract these it is sufficient to fre1uent the circles which the creatures grace with their
presence"
Meanwhile, let those who would learn something about the doings of the
+ncubus and ,uccubus forms of Pi[acha obsession, consult some of our 'indu
$heosophists, and read the highly interesting wor&s of the !he)alier :ougenot des
Mousseaux >Mfurs et Prati1ues des /SmonsE #a Magie au /ixCneu)idme ,idcle,
etc", etc"?" $hough a bigoted !atholic whose sole aim is to bolster up the de)il theory
of his !hurch, this authorQs facts are none the less )aluable to ,piritualists and others"
+f Kthe search of truthL is the sole or main care of Khonourable, reputable and
ableL ,piritualists, there are 1uite as honourable, reputable and able $heosophists
who claim the same pri)ilege" *nd, ha)ing found out that portion of it which
identifies some >not all of course? of the %estern KguidesL and materiali.ed KangelsL
with the Kunclean spirits,L &nown for many centuries in +ndia as the Pi[achas, they
fearlessly proclaim it and utter the word of warning, as in duty bound"
Page 1D3
SPIRITU"LISTIC MOR"LS IN LONDON
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 3GlV
UReplying to a correspondentQs letter on this subMect '"P"(" wroteRV
+t ne)er, for one moment, entered our thoughts to imply that the KmaMority of
#ondon ,piritualistsL were either depra)ed or immoral" %e deny it" %hat we wrote in
so many words was that this KmaMorityL in their dangerous blindness and
o)erconfidence in the powers controlling mediums, would be always attracting
Pi[achas, and that unconsciously, since they are ignorant of their true nature" 9ot all
of these Pi[achas are necessarily bad K,pirits,L nor are they all +ncubi and ,uccubi"
(ut of what nature, we as&, can be, for instance, a K,pirit,L who Kemits such a
cada)erous offensi)e smellL as to ma&e e)ery person present at the sSance Ksic& at
stomachLP %e ha)e it from Miss 6mily 8islingbury > a lady whose )eracity no one
would e)er doubt? who often told us about this #ondon female Pi[acha, materiali.ing
through a lady medium who must remain unnamed" %e ha)e ne)er been present at a
materiali.ing sSance in #ondonE therefore, we &now nothing of suchE yet we ha)e a
right to Mudge by analogy, since we are thoroughly well ac1uainted with *merican
mediums and their sSance rooms, and that a great percentage of the most celebrated
mediums in #ondon are *mericans"
%hat we ha)e said in our leading editorial UK* ,torm in a $eacupL abo)eV is
1uite sufficient to define our position and exonerate us from any such )ile thought in
connection with the educated #ondon ,piritualists" (ut as regards *merica hardly
three years ago, it is 1uite another affair, and we maintain our denunciation at the ris&
of, and notwithstanding all the protests and filth that is sure to be poured on our heads
for it, by some spiritual organs of that country"
Page 1D3
%e spea& but the truth, and feel ready to suffer, and are prepared for itE aye,
ready e)en for something more terrible than the cheap abuse and numerous libellous
stories told about us by some amiable *merican contemporaries"
+f, thereby, we can warn and sa)e but one honest sincere ,piritualist, out of the
alleged twenty millions or more of belie)ers of 6urope and *merica, that abuse will
do us good" *nd that@as concerns the ;nited ,tates at least@we ha)e said nothing
but the truth, facts and history are there to support our statements" $here were, and
still are >unless we ha)e been misinformed? communities in 9ew <or& which bear
fancy :ree& names@as, for example, that of ,tephen Pearl *ndrews@the
KPantarch,L whose members are mediums and whose moral code is based upon the
filthy doctrine of 4ree #o)e" 5f this school Mrs" %oodhull and Miss !laflin were
chief female apostlesE and it is not only a common rumour, but a fact@corroborated
by numerous publications in the %oodhull and !laflinQs %ee&ly, a Mournal conducted
by these two famous sisters for se)eral consecuti)e years@that their pernicious
doctrines were deri)ed, as alleged by themsel)es, from spiritual Kcontrols"L $hese had
wide acceptance among, and were largely put into practice by the ,piritualists" *nd
there were, as we were informed, secret lodges, or *gapae, where the genuine (lac&
Magic of *sia was taught by the late P" (" Randolph, and sensuality was at least
preached and ad)ocated@as e)eryone can see by reading any one of the numerous
wor&s of this man of genius finally dri)en by his Pi[achas@to suicide" *lso there
were and are male and female mediums@public and pri)ate who boasted publicly
and in our hearing of marital relationships with materiali.ed ,pirits, and@in the case
of the Re)" $" #" 'arris, the great poet, mystic and ,piritualist@alleged parentage is
claimed of children begotten by him in a re)olting union with his K,piritCwife"L *ll
this is 'istory" +f we &new as much about 6uropean ,piritualists, we would not shrin&
from saying so" (ut as we do not &now it and ne)er said so, we deny the imputation
altogether"
Page 1DD
COMMENTS ON E$PERIMENT"L STUDIES
ON THE NERVOUS !LUID%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly 1223, pp" 3GGC3GHV
U'" P" (" comments on a re)iew of /r" !he)illardQs wor& on ner)ous phenomena
and the rational of spiritistic manifestations in a brief introduction and some
footnotes"V
$he readers of this maga.ine, and especially the 4ellows of our ,ociety, will
remember that we ha)e always maintained that the mediumistic rapping is produced
by a correlation of )ital force, emitted from the person of the rapper, with the
potential energy of the ether >a&a[a?" $his theory seems to be fully corroborated by
the disco)eries of Professor !he)illard"
5ne of the best and most intelligent mediums in the world once told us that she
ne)er &new a medium, who could be called perfectly healthy, each usually ha)ing a
scrofulous, phthisical, or other blood taint"
%e only &now /r" !he)illardQs wor& through Mr" RouherQs re)iew, and so are
not in a position to express an independent opinion as to its merits" (ut we see no
mention in the abo)e article about that most stri&ing of all the mediumistic
phenomena, Kmateriali.ationL@the apparition of mo)ing, and often spea&ing, forms
belie)ed to be those of dead persons"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U/r" *" !he)illard, btudes expSrimentales sur le fluide ner)eux et solution dSfiniti)e du probldme
spirite" ParisR !orbeil, 1269" 2)o"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 1DG
9or is there any indication that either author or re)iewer has e)er seen the
proMection of the KdoubleL or Maya)i rupa, of a li)ing man" * )ast unexplored field
in)ites the researches of the 6uropean men of science, and we trust that the
announced intention of the great 4rench *cademy to ta&e up the wor&, may not end
in promises" *nyhow, our *siatic readers now see that 5ccult ,cience is beginning to
ha)e from %estern biologists the attention it deser)es"
WWWWWWWWWW
THE !ELLOW WOR&ER
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 3GHV
*mong the pleasantest memories of our late )isit to (engal is the recollection of
the number of delightful friends whom we were fortunate enough to ma&e" Many of
these Moined our ,ociety, and are now gi)ing it their full sympathy and coCoperation"
%e found among the (engalis some whom we would be glad to introduce into
6uropean social circles as types of the true 'indu gentleman, and whom we would
not be afraid to match with their best men for intelligence, graciousness of manner,
and purity of character" ;nhappily for +ndia this side of nati)e character is seldom
seen by the go)erning class" $hrough distrust and class preMudice, they ha)e fixed a
social gulf between the two races which few ha)e had the boldness to cross" %e hear
and read from them much about the defects of character in the (engali (abu, but
seldom see Mustice done to their sterling traits of character" K(abudomL@(abusthan
would be the better word, perhaps, if they wanted to in)ent one@is to most
6uropeans a synonym of contempt for an +ndian nation, which can probably boast
among its fiftyCfi)e millions >G1h3 &otis? as great a percentage of intellectual power as
any nation of the %estE and which, if deficient in the )irile courage that ma&es the
warrior, is ne)ertheless endowed in a large degree with those milder and higher traits
which ma&e the philosopher, the poet, and the religious de)otee"
Page 1D6
+f these )iews should stri&e *ngloC+ndians with some surprise they ha)e only to
reali.e that we ha)e met the (engalis on the footing of e1uality and fraternity, and
ha)e thus been gi)en a deeper insight into their natures than they" (ut our present
purpose is not to enter upon a subMect so general, but to introduce to nati)e notice a
new maga.ine Must started by a (engali gentleman of the abo)e type, a 4ellow of our
,ociety, for whom we ha)e a sentiment of affectionate esteem" +t is called the 4ellow
%or&er, and is published as the 6nglish organ of the *diC(rahmo ,amaM" +t is a wellC
printed maga.ine, and, if the contents of the succeeding numbers shall come up to the
standard of the present one, it is li&ely to ha)e a prosperous and useful career" %e
bespea& for it liberal patronage" 9ext month we will copy from the May number an
article on (uddhism and (rahmanism, which will interest our friends in !eylon"
WWWWWWWWWW
" TRUTH-SEE&ER "ROUND THE WORLD%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3GHCG2V
*t the time of Mr" (ennettQs )isit to (ombay it was made &nown that he was on
a )oyage around the world at the re1uest of the subscribers to his Mournal, the $ruthC
,ee&er, and at their expense" $his latter fact at once attests the popularity of Mr"
(ennett in *merica among the freethin&ing classes, and their probable numerical
strengthE for unless the number were large" no fund so considerable as this Mourney
re1uires could ha)e been raised by a popular subscription of fi)e dollars from each
contributor"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z * $ruthC,ee&er *round the %orldR a ,eries of #etters written while ma&ing a $our of the :lobe"
(y /" M" (ennett" Vol" 1" 4rom 9ew <or& to /amascus" 9ew <or&, 1221C23"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 1DH
Mr" (ennettQs obser)ations of tra)el ha)e been regularly published in his Mournal
in the form of letters, and the portion of the trip between 9ew <or& and /amascus
has Must appeared in a thic& )olume of 236 pages, profusely illustrated, and ha)ing a
wellCengra)ed portrait on steel of the author" Mr" (ennett is a type of a class )ery
numerous in the ;nited ,tates, and which has recruited some of the ablest men in
*merican public life@that of the selfCmade" (y dint of strong natural endowments of
mind, bac&ed by a store of bodily )igour, they ha)e forced their way into public
notice and popular leadership, often despite obstacles fit to crush all hope out of
wea&er characters" * representati)e man of this class was the late distinguished
*merican Mournalist and politician, 'orace :reeley, founder and editor of the 9ew
<or& $ribuneE and one cannot turn o)er a leaf of *merican history without seeing the
traces of similar minds ha)ing been at wor&" Mr" (ennettQs path to authorship and
leaderhip in the %estern 4reethought mo)ement did not run through the drowsy
recitation rooms of the college, nor o)er the soft carpets of aristocratic drawing
rooms" %hen his thoughts upon religion filled his head to o)erflowing, he dropped
merchandising and e)oluted into editorship with a cool selfCconfidence that is
thoroughly characteristic of the *merican disposition, and scarcely e)er loo&ed for in
any other race" K$he *mericans in)ented the mon&ey and shod the mos1uitoL@is a
Russian pro)erb expressi)e of the popular idea in that country of the cle)erness of
their transC*tlantic friends" 5ne would naturally loo&, then, to find in a boo& by such
a man rather strength than finish, many 1uaint original )iews of foreign people and
countries without any pretence of that polish which mar&s the literary productions of
the uni)ersity graduate" *nd such, indeed, is what one sees in the )olume under
notice" $he authorQs mission was the uni1ue one of studying and reporting upon the
religious state of the world from the freethin&erQs point of )iew" +t may be described
as an antiCmissionary or antiCreligious pilgrimageE a commission to disco)er not alone
how little or much good the missionaries are doing to the K'eathen,L nor how good
or bad are the )arious other !hristian nations, but also whether !hristian *merica can
draw any good lessons in morals or religion from the hoary ci)ili.ations of *sia"
Page 1D2
$his duty Mr" (ennett has performed to the extent possible within the brief time
allowed him in each country to loo& o)er his ground" 'e ma&es many shrewd
obser)ations, more particularly in 6urope and the 'oly #and, where his long
pre)ious study of !hristianity fitted him to grasp its relations with the state of things
he witnessed" 'is is not a boo& to be read with either pleasure or patience by the
professed !hristian, but it is admirably adapted to his audienceE and the popular
receptions which, in the latest ad)ices from *merica, are reported as being gi)en to
him by crowds of sympathi.ers all along the line of the Pacific Railway, show that he
has largely added to his influence with that rapidlyCgrowing party which is assailing
!hristian theology Kfrom e)ery coign of )antage"L $hree )olumes are to complete the
wor&, and the three are ad)ertised at the remar&ably low cost of fi)e dollars, or about
Rs" 13C3CB"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U!onsult the *ppendix of the present Volume for biographical data about /" M" (ennett"@
!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
"N *HONEST, EN1UIR# INTO
THE "IMS O! OUR SOCIET#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 3G2V
>* Pamphlet published by a good and 'oly Man"?
%e ha)e been &indly fa)oured with a copy of a little pamphlet entitledR K$'6
$'65,5P'+!*# ,5!+6$< *9/ +$, 45;9/6R,E an honest 6n1uiry into their
*ims and Proceedings"L M*:9* 6,$ V6R+$*, >YY?"
%e ha)e no doubt that the compiler is a good, simple man, )ery modest@since
his compilation is published anonymously@and means well, as his production is sold
by the !hristian $ract ,ociety, e)idently under the auspices of the good missionaries"
Page 1D9
(ut good intentions alone will not unfortunately suffice to produce a useful, or
e)en a readable, pamphletE some mental capacity is re1uisite to understand the points
at issue, and some Mudgment to a)oid reproducing, under the belief that they are facts,
fictions, and forgeries, put forward by less wellCintentioned persons than himself and
patrons" $hat the compiler is well intentioned >to his own party? no one can doubt" 'e
is well intentioned@for, he writes pro bono publicoE that his character is saintly, may
be inferred from the holy horror he shows at the undeniable deceit, per)ersity, and
ungodliness of the heroes of his exposS@the 4ounders of the $heosophical ,ocietyE
and that he is a man of culture@who can doubt@since he calls Madame (la)ats&y
Ka liarLP ,he is a liar, he says, since she publicly denies in print that Kthe
$heosophical ,ociety was e)er a (ranch of the *rya ,amaM"L *nd yet her abo)eC
gi)en statement is pro)ed by documentary e)idence o)er the signature of ,wami
/ayanand himself in the 6xtra ,upplement to this issue >which please read?" *mong
the many truthful statements in this K'onest 6n1uiryL into the proceedings of the
leading $heosophists, we find such sensational news as the followingR
KMr" ,innett before bringing out his boo&, entitled $he 5ccult %orld, had se)eral
pri)ate inter)iews with the Pandit >/ayanand? from whom he borrowed many ideas
respecting X<og VidyaQ >i"e" 5ccult ,cience?" *ccordingly, Mr" ,innett cannot lay
claim to the originality of the wor&LYY +f the good compiler, who winds up by begging
>)ain prayer, we fearY? that the world may hear no more of $heosophy, could only
reali.e the number and extent of the misstatements that he has succeeded in
embodying in his little pamphlet, we fear that his remorse would pre)ent him from
underta&ing any such literary wor& in the future, which@would be a pity"
Page 1GB
THE *POLITIC"L, SIDE O! THEOSOPH#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3G9C36BV
4or o)er two years e)er since the now exploded cra.e of suspecting Madame
(la)ats&y of being a KRussian spy,L was blushingly consigned to the limbo of dead
delusions by the gentlemen of the 4oreign 5ffice@public opinion has been as
changeful as a monsoon s&y regarding its duty to recogni.e the rights of $heosophy
to a hearing" <et hardly any ha)e )iewed it as anything worse than a mild lunacy of
its two modern 4ounders and their de)otees@an abnormal mental state which might
ma&e people stand on their heads, and gra)ely speculate whether the moon is, or is
not made of green cheese" (ut the cry of KwolfL is raised once more, and, this time by
an 6ditor who, metaphorically, shows his teeth" !olonel 5lcottQs farewell lecture at
Madras seems to ha)e depri)ed the &een and farCseeing alarmist of the +ndian /aily
9ews of his sleep and appetite" +n the laudable and philanthropic appeal of our
President to the nati)e graduates of the ;ni)ersities of +ndia to employ their talents
and education for a holier and more patriotic obMect than that of aping 6uropean
)ices, or turning themsel)es into caricatures of (radlaugh and +ngersollE in the wise
and wellCmeaning ad)ice to form into societies for the ele)ation of public morals, the
dissemination of &nowledge throughout the land, the study of ,ans&rit >thereby to dig
out of their ancient wor&s the inexhaustible lore of archaic +ndian wisdom?, the
=eremiah of !alcutta detects a blac& cloud of threatening political omen" 'e sees the
rat in the air"
Page 1G1
$here is, for him, in !olonel 5lcottQs language, a mystic meaning, a &abalistic
portent, a smell of blood" +ndeed, blind must be that man who could fail to percei)e
that Kthe formation throughout +ndia of affiliated >literary? societies, the members of
which should recogni.e the necessity for the strictest discipline, and the most perfect
subordination to their leaders,L would become pregnant with potencies of political
cataclysmsY $he implication@in the present case, howe)er, being from premises
spontaneously generated in the substrata of the editorial consciousness, with no
colour whate)er from anything !olonel 5lcott has e)er said@can ha)e but one of
two raisons dQetreR >a? a rich exuberance of postprandial fancyE or >b? a determined
purpose to harm a ,ociety, which must ine)itably do good to the future generations of
+ndians, if it fail to do as much for the present one" %e wonder that the sagacious
editor, in his hatred for Madame (la)ats&yQs nationality, has failed to pounce upon
!olonel 5lcottQs lecture on K7oroastrianism,L at (ombay, since his appeal to the
Parsees to form into a sacred and national league to sa)e their 7end *)estas and
/esatirs from utter obli)ion, or desecration at the hands of the oneCsided, preMudiced
5rientalists, was as ardent UasV and far more clearly defined than the similar ad)ice
gi)en to the ("*"Qs and M"*"Qs of Madras" %hat else than red re)olution can such
language mean as this, which he addressed to the ;ni)ersity graduates, when urging
them to form a Knational union for the propagation and defence of 'indu nationality,
if not 4aithRL K+f,L said he, Kyou could but organi.e into one grand union throughout
the three presidencies, first, for selfCcultureE and, then, for the impro)ement of 'indu
morals and spirituality, and the re)i)al of *ryan science and literatureE if you would
encourage the foundation of ,ans&rit schools, etc", etc"LE the other suggested obMects
being support of Pandits, printing )ernacular translations from the ,ans&rit, the
writing and circulation of religious tracts, catechisms, etc", the setting their
countrymen an example of )irtue, and the suppression of )ice" !learly, all this
cleansing of 'indu morals and re)i)al of *ryan learning, needs loo&ing afterE and it
would not surprise us to hear that ,ir 4ran& ,outer had been as&ed by the 9ews editor
to watch our 'ead1uarters for dynamite done up in catechism co)ersY
Page 1G3
(ut if the ad)ent of two foreigners >a RussoC*merican and a fullCblown *merican? to
+ndia Kwho preach up the lo)e of learningL may, and ought to be construed into their
Kreally preaching a political mo)ement,L how is it that +ndian ;ni)ersities, left for
years in the sole care of Kforeigners,L of :erman and other PrincipalsE =esuit colleges,
entirely in the hands of :erman Roman !atholicsE and Mission ,chools conducted by
an army of *merican padris, pro)o&e no such political fearP %here, we as&, is the
Kstrictest discipline and the most perfect subordination to their leadersL more
demanded and enforced than in such sectarian bodiesP $he farseeing editor is right in
his pessimistic remar&s upon Mr" *" 5" 'umeQs &ind letter in answer to his cry of
alarm" 9either the President of the 6clectic $heosophical ,ociety, nor yet the
K6nglish section of the $heosophical ,ociety,L can &now from their ,imla heights
Kthe whole of the purposes of the two leadersLE for instance, their present determined
purpose of pro)ing, by their deeds and their wal& in life, that some editors must be no
better than Kwindbags"L *nd he is also as right in remar&ing that since the words of
!olonel 5lcott ha)e been literally reported@scripta manet as he says@that will
allow the public to ac1uaint themsel)es with the exact words of the lecturer, and so
turn the laugh on the doughty editor" *nd since he started with the half of a #atin
pro)erb @to his scripta manet >it is singular that he did not use the plural?@we retort
the other half )erba )olent, and consign his words to the winds" <et, not altogetherE
for we &eep a special scrapboo& where are gummed for the instruction of the coming
race of $heosophists the records of fatuous attac&s upon oursel)es and our cause"
Page 1G3
THE *VED" O! THE BUDDHISTS,)
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 36BV
,ceptics often taunt the ,piritualists with the fact that their mediums, though
claiming to be inspired and KcontrolledL by the spirits of the great men of the past,
including the most eminent philosophers, historians, scientists, and religious teachers,
rarely tell us anything of any )alue" %orse still, that they utter too often the merest
trash and try to father it upon some great man, who is not here to protest against such
tric&ery" $he point is but too well ta&en, as e)ery candid ,piritualist is ready to
confess, and, though there is an increasing disposition to loo& more to the matter
uttered by the medium than the alleged source, yet there are still hosts of credulous
de)otees who swallow the dose for the sa&e of the label" %e were personally
ac1uainted, in *merica, with se)eral worthy ,piritualists of both sexes, and ha)e
heard of others in 6urope, who innocently claim to &now and be personally guided by
=esus !hristE some going so far as to a)er that he has appeared to them as a
Kmateriali.edL form in mediumistic circles, and one@a wellC&nown public lecturer
on ,piritualism@ha)ing the hardihood to say that =esus had thus stood before one of
the lecturerQs audiences in a public hall, and Knodded appro)inglyL to indicate his
concurrence"
$hese reminiscences are called up by a letter to the 'erald of Progress, from a
sensible correspondent, who shows up the stupid ignorance displayed by a Kspea&ing
mediumL@a platform lecturer who pretends to be controlled or inspired by some
spirit@at Manchester recently"
Page 1GD
*t a public meeting the audience was gi)en permission to name the subMects of
discourse" $he one chosen was KRigCVedaR what is itP how long has it existedP and in
what form was it gi)en to the worldPL * good subMect in any case, and an especially
good one to let the KspiritsL try their hand at" $hey triedE and@here is the resultR $he
Vedas@the audience were told@is Kthe sacred boo& of the (uddhistE it was written
on the ban&s of the :angesE it dated bac& HBB years before the birth of =esusYL ,hades
of VedaCVyasa and all the glorious company of the Rishis and MunisY %hat nextP
*nd to thin& that Manchester is but a few miles comparati)ely from 5xford, where
Professor Max M^ller is at wor& on his Vedic translations, and Professor Monier
%illiams and his protSgS Pandit ,hamMi 8rishna)arma, 4"$",",Z are laying the
foundations of the +ndian +nstituteY /eath is an ugly thing to face at best, but a tenfold
pang is added to it when one thin&s how humbugging Ktrance spea&ersL will be free
to play duc&s and dra&es with oneQs reputation and oneQs writings, after oneQs death if
they chooseE and how some will be sure so to choose"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U,ee Vol" +, p" D3H, for pertinent data about this )ery remar&able scholar and his relation with the
4ounders"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
SINGING "NIM"LCULES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 363V
$he editor of the ReligioCPhilosophical =ournal has microscopic intuitions, it
seems" +n a recent number he saysR K$here are animalcules, we ha)e no doubt, that
ha)e a )oice as sweet and melodious as the morning songsters as they welcome the
opening day with their loud acclaims"L $his is the farthest stretch of fancy within our
recollection"
Page 1GG
%e ha)e heard of singing mice, and only the other day science has disco)ered
through the person of one of her learned :erman .oologists that the li.ard, hitherto
belie)ed )oiceless, was li&ewise a candidate for the opera, would that pretty KinsectL
but consent to open its larynx a little wider" (ut fancy a concert of animalculae in a
drop of editorial in&Y %e can now well imagine, why some of our contemporaries
write so sweetly about us" %hen the editor of the ReligioCPhilosophical =ournal called
us such sour names@as he often indulged in, and as he did but the other day in his
paper@the animalcular orchestra must ha)e been playing discords" Perhaps the
conductor had gone to an adMacent globule to hear some new 7oophyte soprano, and
the sweet songsters had no one to guide themP
WWWWWWWWWW
S#MP"TH# !ROM THE !OUNDERS O!
THE THEOSOPHIC"L SOCIET#
U$he Philosophic +n1uirer, Madras, =uly 33, 1223V
$o the 6ditor, Philosophic +n1uirer"
My dear ,ir and (rother,@+ send you the enclosed letter from !olonel 5lcott@
who has Must left for !eylon@to be inserted in your Mournal" +t is addressed to
K$heosophists,L and + hope sincerely may do you good, were it but by showing them
the sympathy their President feels for you@the latest )ictim of the 6xpurgatorial (ull
of the 4reethought ;nionQs Pope" + also trust that our numerous 4ellows of Madras
and other parts of +ndia, will not, after reading it, remain indifferent to the appeal, but
will endea)our to show that our ,ociety is a real, not a nominal K;nionLE and that it
stands on too high a moral platform for them to permit to any of its members
expressions and acts so redolent of sectarian intolerance and wretched bigotry as
those we find in the aborti)e little stranger, called $hin&er, the organ of the Madras
K4reethought ;nion"L
Page 1G6
<es, as free@+ fear, as Roman !atholics are to Moin a Masonic #odge or ta&e
communion in the Methodist !hurch" 6n)iable freedom indeedY 4ree to mo)e, and
thin& and ha)e their being, within the narrow circle of that mar)ellous ;nionQs (yC
#aws and RulesE but forthwith excommunicated, the moment they dare to step
outside that circle, to thin& for themsel)es, or forget their sla)ish allegiance to these
great champions of mental freedom" 5h, poor sheep of the Panurgean floc&E docile
animals, obediently trotting in the trac& of their leading ramY *nd now your
benighted Madras can fairly claim to ha)e made itself a ri)al to old proud Venice, for
it also has its K/ra)idianL !ouncil of $en" 4ancy only, a !ouncil of hardly bearded
+n1uisitors and ,enators, of lads mas1uerading as stern Mudges, inexorable as 4ate
itself, sitting in midnight !ouncil and refusing to accept Kthe resignation,L but
Kremo)ingL@li&e a cancer from a healthy body >P? @the resigners" ,uch delin1uents
as Mr" P" Murugesa Mudaliar, our (rother, who ha)e profaned the sanctity of the
Madras '"4";" by adding to the appelation of 4reethin&ers that of 4"$",", i"e", who
ha)e become real, broad !atholic freethin&ers, instead of remaining the humble
Kpersonal attendantsL@a &ind of secularistic Ma)an@of a KV"V"9",L ought to feel
more proud than grie)ed at such a Kremo)ing"L $he word remo)ing is good, and
really ought to be adopted by all the freethin&ing K("*"QsL of the '"4";" %e ha)e
se)eral real not bogus 4reethin&ers in our ,ociety at (ombay@the most inexorable
among whom, as regards KghostsL and Kspirits,L is /r" /udley of *merica, now its
ViceCPresident and for two years its President" ;pon reading that we were Kdubbed
with the significant appellation of XPseudoCMesmeristsQL@KsignificantL in its
insignificance, of course@they laughed o)er the '"4";" to their heartQs contentE but
doubted whether our *merican 4reethin&ing 4"$",", some of the most prominent
among whom ha)e been 4ellows of our ,ociety from the beginning, would feel )ery
proud of their Madras colleagues"
Page 1GH
$hus, + hope, Mr" P" Murugesa Mudaliar will sur)i)e the shoc&, and console
himself with the thought that there are e)en more KpseudoL freethin&ers than pseudoC
mesmerists in this world of MayaE for the true ,ecularist has ne)er yet aped the ways
of the Romish !hurch" *nd the 4reeCthin&ing editor of the Philosophic +n1uirer may
well ta&e example from such nobleCminded, liberal freethin&ers as Mr" '" :"
*t&inson, notwithstanding his utter disbelief in :hosts, and spiritual communications
@a disbelief in which the 4ounders of the $"," follow suit, and concur entirely with
him@this broadCminded gentleman, sent to Mr" %" '" 'arrison, the editor of the
#ondon ,piritualist, who does belie)e in :hosts@the following which we copy from
Psyche, formerly the ,piritualist"
Mr" *t&inson, the author of #etters to Miss Martineau, writes for publicationR
My dear 'arrison,@<ou are 1uite welcome to use my nameE it may indicate
that nonCspiritists are your friends, and appreciate your scientific purpose and
philosophical freedom" + ha)e always said that your conduct in editing $he
,piritualist was almost fair, enlightened and praiseworthy" %ishing you all success"
Very truly yours,
'69R< :" *$8+9,59"
(oulogneCsurCMer, May, 1223"
5ur firm belief is that Mrs" *nnie (esant and Mr" !harles (radlaugh, one@
whose great intellect and remar&able steadfastness of purpose has made her respected
e)en by her enemies, and the other@himself the )ictim of unprecedented bigotry@
would rather side with Mr" *t&inson than the KV"V"9"QsL and his coadMutors of the
'"4";"
<ours fraternally,
'" P" (#*V*$,8<
!orresponding ,ecretary, $heosophical ,ociety"
(ombay, =uly 1Dth, 1223"
Page 1G2
OUR !OURTH #E"R
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, p" 363V
$he end of the third year of publication has come >Volume +++ ends with the
,eptember number?, and still $he $heosophist exists and thri)es, despite its enemies"
* large number who subscribed for it at the beginning are still its patrons, and, better
yet, its friends" +ts healthy influence upon *siatic thought is greater than at any
pre)ious time, as the responses from all parts of +ndia to the PresidentQs !ircular,
which appeared in the =uly number, plainly show" $ime, which has torn the mas&s
from so many false friends, has but made more e)ident the fact that $he $heosophist
and its founders are the staunch champions of e)ery man and e)ery mo)ement whose
obMect is to impro)e the intellectual, moral, and spiritual condition of the *ryan and
+ranian races" $he broad eclectic policy, promised for the maga.ine, has been rigidly
adhered to, and to the extent of our ability we ha)e tried to lay the truth about the
worldQs archaic religions before an impartial world" $his has been done at the hea)y
cost of a series of public attac&s upon our good faith, and ungenerous
misrepresentations of our moti)es, which, foreseeing, we might ha)e easily a)oided
if we had been false to our con)ictions" $he *siatic public has gi)en us the proofs of
its sympathy in a support of the maga.ine as generous as perhaps we could ha)e
expected under the circumstances" 4ar more might ha)e been done if our warmest
friends had exerted themsel)es as a body to get new subscribersE but still the
publication has more than paid its way as it is, and the entire profits ha)e been gi)en
by the Proprietors towards the expenses of the $heosophical ,ociety, as they will be,
no doubt, in future"
Page 1G9
%e ne)er set oursel)es up as teachers of *ryan philosophy and science, but
promised to gi)e out, for the benefit of this in1uiring age, such facts of interest as
might come under our notice" 5ur great desire has been to foster a school of nati)e
students of, and writers upon, those maMestic themes, and to arouse into )ital acti)ity
the latent talent which abounds in the +ndian race especially" ,uch will continue to be
our endea)our, and as time runs on, this de)elopment must of necessity ta&e place"
*lready it is most apparent that the seed we ha)e sown is germinatingE ,ans&rit
schools are springing up, the longCneeded !atechism of 'indu 6thics is being
ad)ertised for publication, the esoteric meaning of the ancient religious boo&s and
ceremonial rites is being en1uired into, societies to promote national culture are being
organi.ed, both as (ranches of our Parent ,ociety and independentlyE translations
and commentaries multiply, and there is a larger demand for wor&s by nati)e authors
than there e)er was before" $here is also noted an impro)ed moral tone among +ndian
youth, and a warm and unprecedented interest among ;ni)ersity graduates in their
ancestral literature" *ll this is most cheering to the proMectors of this maga.ine, and
they assume the publication of its 4ourth Volume with the greatest pleasure, seeing
the happy results of past labour"
$he Proprietors of $he $heosophist ha)e ne)er touted for it, nor adopted the
usual commercial expedients to secure for it a large circulation" $hey will not do so
nowR the merits of the publication must ser)e as its sole recommendation" +f its
friends, and especially the 4ellows of our ,ociety, can reconcile with their sense of
duty to abstain from helping it, we shall not reproach them" *ll that need be said is,
that the wider its circulation, the more will be done for the moral regeneration of
+ndia, and the more liberal will be our donations to the ,ociety of our creation and
our lo)e" +t would also be a &indly act if Mournals, friendly to us, were to announce
our new Volume"
Page 16B
!OOTNOTES TO *" CIS-TIBET"N R"MBLE,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, *ugust, 1223, p" 36DV
U!aptain *" (anon gi)es an interesting account of his tra)els in the :ungotri
Valley and his )isit to $huling, in $ibet, where there is a lamasery belonging to the
redCcap mon&s" 'e saysR K$he $huling #amas are great sorcerersE and can &ill people
at a distance by simply willing it"L '" P" (" comments on thisRV
$hat they are possessed of great mesmeric powers is a fact" * month passed in
their edifying company is conduci)e neither to spiritual enlightenment, nor
purification of morality"
U$he writerQs reference to Kmiracles performed by the #amasL is commented
upon by '" P" ("RV
9ot by the high #amas, or K<ellowC!aps,L who will ne)er perform anything
before a promiscuous crowd" (ut there will be Kreligious mysteriesL in e)ery great
and small #amasery, and the KPanchhen RimpocheL or the 'igh #ama of $ashiC
#h^npo, with all his genCdun >clergy?, will be in)esting newlyCinitiated gelungs with
ngoCdh^b, or spiritual powersR for this year mar&s the end of an important cycle" (ut
this is ne)er performed publicly, but only behind the impassable barrier of the pri)ate
sanctuaries of the #amaseries, the #haC&hang, or inner temple"
UK$he people of $ibet are much oppressed, as the eldest son in e)ery family is
made a #ama"LV
5ur friend and correspondent was misinformed" $his custom is a religious one,
and weighs upon the $ibetans less than that of the 'indus in the performance of their
caste and religious duties" $hey would not gi)e it up, if they could"
Page 161
U$he writer states that it is the habit of officials, while passing through the
country, to loot the people"V
$rueE but only in regard to !hinese officials, not to $ibetans"
UK+n spite of the miraculous powers of the #amas, the country is misgo)erned,
and they seem a helpless lotLV
'ow does our correspondent &nowP +s it by relying on the information of a few
illiterate nati)e traders he might ha)e tal&ed withP
UK*t the beginning of the present century, they could not pre)ent the 9epaulese
army sac&ing and pillaging the great #amasery of $ashiC#h^npo"LV
*gain, an error based upon the 6uropean ignorance about the real state of affairs
in $ibet" +n the first place, the :elu&pas, or <ellowC!aps, would rather submit to any
sacrifice than to &ill people@e)en their greatest enemiesE such brutality is left to the
/ugCpa sorcerers" $hen it was not Kat the beginning of the present century,L that the
9epaulese army sac&ed and pillaged the great #amasery of $ashiC#h^npo, but in
1H93E and in that year the $ashiC#ama was a child hardly ten years old, and his
Regent, !hanCtyu 8usho, the brother of the late $ashiC#ama, was no KmiracleC
producingL #ama, but a laymanE and, in the presence of a KReincarnation,L or a
reincarnated (odhisatt)a >such as was the $ashiC#amaQs successor?, no subordinate
#ama, howe)er high may be his powers, can, under their laws, ta&e the responsibility
of any initiatory step in a difficult political medley, unless the $ashiC#ama gi)es
personally his orders@and the little #ama did not gi)e any" $he details are well
&nown" and the reasons plain"
UK* year or two ago, three !hinese #amas came to 9ilang, and, after being well
treated, commenced to &ill and eat the cattle, and ended up by ra)ishing some =ad
women"LV
*gain, these #amas were probably of the /ugCpa sects and were not $ibetans,
since they were !hinese, and our belief is that it would be difficult to find any
K<ellowC!apL guilty of such a crime" $herefore, this is no case in point"
Page 163
!OOTNOTE TO *" TRE"TISE ON SU!ISM,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223 p" 366V
U+n this paper, written in 1211 and treating of Mohammedan mysticism, the
statement is made that Kthe ,ufi has no religion"L 5n this '" P" (" remar&sRV
$hat is to say, no external, ritualistic, and dogmatic religion" $he same may be
said of e)ery Mahatma, or any one who seriously stri)es to become one" 'e is a
$heosophist and must stri)e after Kdi)ine,L not human, wisdom"
WWWWWWWWWW
*TH"R"N"', OR MESMERISM%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 362 369V
+n the =une number of $he $heosophist, (abu Purno !handra Mu&erMee
enumerates certain processes resorted to by persons practicing $harana, in their
treatment of sic& patients" + adopt a certain method of curing persons suffering from
sprain, and + wish to &now whether the cure thus effected can be regarded as effected
by mesmerism"
+ cause the patient to be seated at some distance before me, and on learning what
part of his body is affected, + simply rub with my hand the corresponding part of my
own body, pronouncing a mantram at the same time"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his communication is from 9" !hidambaram +yer, ("*", and is followed by '" P" ("Qs 6ditorial
!omment"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 163
$his rubbing + continue for less than fi)e minutes" $he patient finds himself perfectly
cured in less than six hours after he lea)es me" +t is now four years since l learned the
mantram and, if + may trust my memory, + thin& + ha)e successfully treated about
twenty cases, ha)ing failed in only one instance, in which + ha)e had reasons to
suspect that there had been some serious inMury to the part affected" ,ome of the cases
treated by me ha)e been rather acute ones, and, in some, the patients had suffered for
o)er a fortnight before they came to me" +n only two cases, ha)e + had to treat the
patients for two or three consecuti)e days"
+f any credit is due to me for possessing any innate &nowledge of mesmerism,
the following will show that + ne)er for a moment sat down to practice the art to
become successful in it"
4our years ago, a (rahman offered to teach me the mantram if + would teach
him in return a mantram for the cure of scorpion bite, in which + was considered an
adept" + agreed to do soE but when the (rahman said that + should not expect to
achie)e anything li&e success if + did not, as a preliminary measure, repeat the
mantram a hundred thousand times, + told him that + should li&e to learn it only if he
would &indly ma&e o)er to me the effect of a hundred thousand of his own
repetitions" $his he did by pouring into my hand a 1uantity of water@a process by
which, according to the 'indus, gifts are effected" 4rom this time forth + ha)e been
successful in curing persons suffering from sprains without touching or e)en
approaching them"
9ow two 1uestions will naturally occur to the readerR firstly, whether + may be
considered to ha)e ac1uired any &nowledge of mesmerism in the case stated abo)eE
and secondly, whether the effect or the power which one ac1uires by practicing
mantras is really transferable"
*ll that + ha)e stated is perfectly correct, and + ma&e no secret of the affair, but
am perfectly willing to teach the mantram to anyone wishing to learn it"
+n one place you say that, when a cure is effected by a mantram, what really
effects the cure is what you call the Kwill power"L + wish to &now whether, in the
described case, + exercise any Kwill powerL un&nown to me, and whether + can at all
be considered to exercise such power, when it has not been ac1uired, but only
transferred to me by another person" %ill you &indly consider the subMect and render
some explanation as to what has ta&en place"
(efore pronouncing an offChand denunciation against the possibility, or
concei)ability, of a connection between cause and effect in cases li&e the abo)e,
sceptics will do well to gi)e the matter a trial themsel)es by learning some mantram
and obser)ing its effect on patients"
Page 16D
6ditorQs 9ote"@
+t is extremely difficult to say, after hearing, for the first time, and so
superficially, a case li&e the one in hand, whether it is, or is not, Kmesmerism,L and
Kwill power"L +t is a wellCascertained fact that, by means of the former, hundreds of
thousands ha)e been cured, and by using the latter, people, gi)en up for years by
physicians as incurable, ha)e gone on li)ing, despite professional prognostications"
*s to the recitation of mantrams producing an immediate relief, this is 1uite a
different thing" %e cannot call their effect KmesmerismL@since the curati)e agency
in that is an animal aura, force, or fluid in one person, by means of which a peculiar
action is set up in the physical system of another@whether without or with direct
contact" %e confess, we do not see, how anything of that &ind@we mean a ner)ous
fluid or force@can be said to reside in a mantram, e)en as a potentiality, since a
mantram is simply a recitation of certain )erses held sacred among the 'indus" <et, if
repeated loudly and after a certain rule of phonetics, i"e", chanted in a peculiar way,
we do not &now why the resultant sound could not possess as curati)e a power in
itself as a mesmeric Kforce"L $he latter is neither more ponderable, nor more )isible,
than the former, and is certainly not audible, which sound is" +f the dulcet tones of a
flute ha)e been &nown to soothe, and in many instances to arrest for a considerable
time the throbbings of the ner)es in fits of sciatica@why not the rhythmic sounds of
a ,ans&rit mantramP $he forefathers of many (rahmans@if not the latter the
themsel)es@must ha)e certainly &nown more of the mystery of sound than Professor
$yndall, e)en though that learned gentleman has succeeded in drawing musical
sounds from fire and imponderable gases" +t is the :od cabda (rahmI called also
8ala (rahmI :ouri@one of the mystic names for *8*c*, which gi)es rise to occult
sound@the initiates say" *nd the ancient :ree& mystics, e1ually with the %estern
occultists and the adept (rahmans, all agreed in teaching that sound emanated from
the *stral #ight, or *&a[a, in its purest essence"
Page 16G
$he 'indu occultist, or de)otee, while practising RaMa <oga, hears the occult
sounds as emanating from his own MNlIdhIra@the first of the series of six centres of
force in the human body >fed at the inexhaustible source of the se)enth or the ;9+$<,
as the sum total of all? and &nows that it emanates from there, and from nowhere else"
(ut, before our correspondent can reali.e fully our meaning, he will ha)e to learn the
important difference between *stral 4ire and *stral #ight" /oes he &now itP 'as he
assured himself personally of this differenceP +t is not sufficient to &now a thing
theoretically, as it will be only leading to eternal confusion, e)en Kby learning some
mantram, and trying its effects on patients,L unless one &nows the philosophy@so to
say, the rationale of the cure" 6)en success is no proof that it may not turn out )ery
inMurious some day" $herefore, before one becomes a practitioner, he ought to become
a student"
*nd now arises the 1uestionR /id the (rahman@who transferred the gift of
curing by a certain mantram to our correspondent@&now himself anything of the
power he was so transferring, or did he simply do that mechanicallyP
+f he was an initiate@well and goodE but, in such case, how happened it that he
as&ed one, who was not an adept, to teach him in returnP ,uch are not the ways of
initiates" *n adept, ac1uainted with one !69$R6, &nows them all, since there is but
one centre, of 5ccult 4orce in nature" 'e &nows that in the centre of the *stral 4ire
must he search in nature for the origin of e)ery sound@and it is sound@the Vach@
that is the curati)e agent in a mantram" ,uch a man &nows that it is from this centre
alone, ne)er from the circumference of the ,'*$8595 !'*8R*,Z that the sounds
transmitted >e)en by the external currents of *stral #ight or 6ther? proceed, while the
six di)erging points >which represent the radiations of this central point? but con)ey
and echo them from within without, and )ice )ersa, in e)ery occult process of nature"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he hexagonal wheel, or sixCpointed star@the wheel of Vishnu with the 'indusE ,olomonQs seal
@with the %estern 8abalists" +t is, in this ease, the representation of the *stral 4ire, the se)enth
being represented by the central point" +n this connection, one would do well to study the article on
the fi)e and sixCpointed star in the 36th number of $he $heosophist, 9o)ember, 1221
U$he article referred to may be found in Volume +++ of the present ,eries"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 166
+t is within and from a gi)en point in space >which must always be central,
whereCsoe)er it is placed? that the force which is at the basis of any phenomena, in
whatsoe)er element, proceedsE for this centre is the KseatL of the unmanifested deity
@says the esoteric (rahmanical doctrine@of the K*)ya&tabrahm,L and stands for the
se)enth principle within the six points of the cha&ra" *ll the forces in nature, whether
great or small, are trinities completed by 1uaternariesE all@except the 596, the
!R5%9 of the *stral #ight" +f we say that nature has in reality se)en, not fi)e or
e)en four, elements, some of our readers may laugh at our ignorance, but an initiate
would ne)er do so, since he &nows )ery well what we mean" 'e &nows that, in the
case in point >the power of a mantram?, it is through occult sounds that the adept
commands the elemental forces of nature" ,*(/* R(*'MiQ, )ehicle is called
,hadMa, and the latter is the basic tone in the 'indu musical scale" +t is only after
reaching the stage called $ribeni and passing through the study of preliminary
sounds, that a <ogi begins to see 8ala (rahmI, i"e", percei)es things in the *stral
#ight" %hen our correspondent will ha)e mastered the nadis and niddhis of the RaMaC
<oga, and reached at least the abo)eCnamed stage, then will he comprehend what we
mean in saying that a gradual de)elopment of the mental and physical occult faculties
is the method used by the true adept in studying the RaMaC<oga" $he practice of
blindly KtransferringL and Krecei)ingL@is that of sorcerers, whether they are so
consciously or unconsciously" Moreo)er, the ignorant practice of 'athaC<oga leads
one in)ariably into that undesirable ac1uisition" $he 'athaC<ogi either becomes a
sorcerer, or learns practically nothingE or more fre1uently yet, &ills himself by such
an inMudicious practice" $he mantram ignorantly employed may, and often has,
pro)ed a treacherous weapon, whose mystical power has caused it to turn and stab the
user"
Page 16H
!OOTNOTE TO *PRO!. L. BE"LE' !.R.S.'
ON MODERN SCIENTI!IC THOUGHT,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, p" 3HBV
UProfessor #ionel (eale, in an address before the members of the Victoria
Philosophical +nstitute, #ondon, referred to the opinions existing among scientific
men as to the worth of the Kphysical doctrine of life"L 'e saidR Kno form of the
hypothesis which attributes the phenomena of the li)ing world to mere matter and its
properties has been, or can be, Mustified by reason" " " " + belie)e all materialistic
doctrines " " " will be found to agree in accepting as a truth " " " the monstrous
assumption that the li)ing and the nonCli)ing are one" " " "L '" P" (" commentsRV
$he assumption is KmonstrousL indeed, as presented to us by modern
materialism which reMects with the idea of a personal creator, e)ery other intelligent
principle in nature" (ut is it more KmonstrousL or less illogical to attribute the
creation of a boundless uni)erse out of nothing and to father the same upon a finite
and conditioned personal deityP $here is much to say on both sidesE and )ery soon it
will be said"
WWWWWWWWWW
COMMENT ON *THE M#STER# O! LEVIT"TION,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 3H1C3H3V
U$he writer of the article, %" R" 4rin&, ha)ing been much interested in the
accounts gi)en in $he $heosophist of the powers of the 'indu <ogis to assume at will
a cataleptic condition, to proMect the astral, to wal& upon the surface of water or
le)itate themsel)es, as&s whether the flight of the birds and the swimming of the
fishes is produced at will, as in the case of the <ogis" $o this '" P" (" remar&sRV
Page 162
%e would fain answer the friendly )oice from the Mormon metropolis to the full
satisfaction of the writer, did he but deal with problems demanding less elaborate
explanation" +n )iew of the fact that occult science explains the mysteries of birdC
flying and fishCswimming on principles entirely opposed to the accepted scientific
theory of the day, one might well hesitate before putting out the true explanation"
'owe)er, since we already stand so low in the fa)our of the orthodox scientists, we
will say a few words upon the subMectE but they must be few indeed" K+f,L writes our
correspondent, Kwe ta&e the position that birds ha)e the power to ma&e themsel)es
light or hea)y at will, the phenomenon of their flight becomes easy to comprehend"L
*nd why not ta&e up such a positionP %hether by instinct or will, whether an
effect identical with another is produced consciously or unconsciously, by animal or
man, the cause underlying that in)ariable and identical result must be one and the
same, barring di)ersity of conditions and exceptions as to unimportant details" $he
action of certain fishes which, by swallowing large draughts of air, distend an internal
bag and thereby, becoming specifically lighter, float abo)e the surface of the water,
does not militate against the scientific theory of swimming, when it concerns such
fish, man or a bladder filled with air" (ut we are left as wise as e)er when it is a
1uestion of rapid sin&ing, to the bottom, whether by man or whale" +n the former case
such sin&ing might be ascribed to )olition" (ut manQs inability to sin& as rapidly and
to such a depth, e)en though a most experienced di)er@who has to sin& himself by a
stone@pro)es that there must be something more than blind instinct or conscious
)olition" %hat is itP 5ccult science tells us the wordR it is Ka change of polarity and of
normal gra)ity,L not yet admissible by science" %ith birds and animals@as
instincti)e a mechanical action as any other they executeR with man, when he thus
defies the familiar conditions of gra)ity, it is something he can ac1uire, in his training
as a <ogi" $hough the former act unconsciously, and he changes his polarity at will,
the same cause is made operati)e, and both produce an identical effect"
Page 169
$here are certainly alternating changes of polarity going on in the bird while
ascending or dropping, and a maintenance of the same polarity while sailing at any
gi)en altitude"
WWWWWWWWWW
THEOSOPH# "ND SPIRITU"LISM
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, p" 3H3V
* !alcutta correspondent as&sR
>a? +s 5ccultism a science a&in to ,piritualismP
>b? %hat are the principal points in which the $heosophists and the ,piritualists
differP
>c? !an a ,piritualist call himself a $heosophist without altering his faithP *nd
)ice )ersaP
>d? + understand you do not belie)e in ,piritualism@then how is it that a
,piritualist has been elected President for the (engal (ranch of the $heosophical
,ocietyP
$o which we answerR
>a? $hat $heosophy is a )ery ancient science, while ,piritualism is a )ery
modern manifestation of psychical phenomena" +t has not yet passed the stage of
experimental research"
>b? $he difference is in our theories to account for the phenomena" %e say they
are mainly, though not always, due to the action of other influences than that of the
disembodied conscious spirits of the dead" $he ,piritualists affirm the contrary"
>c? <esE many excellent persons are both, and none need alter his faith"
>d? %e do belie)e in the phenomena, but not as to their cause@as abo)e
remar&ed"
Page 1HB
$here being no religious or other test other than that of good moral character
and sympathy with the obMects of our ,ociety, applied by us to those who see& for
admission, the election of the )enerable (abu Peary !hund Mitra, as President of our
(engal (ranch, was not only most proper, but )ery desirable" 'e is certainly the most
spiritual $heosophist and most theosophic ,piritualist we ha)e e)er met"
WWWWWWWWWW
1UESTIONS "BOUT ESOTERIC THEOSOPH# "NSWERED
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, p" 3H3V
UReplying to a correspondentQs 1uestions about the doctrines inculcated in the
pamphlet 'ints on 6soteric $heosophy, '" P" (" wroteRV
5ur correspondent need not trouble himself as to what might be the
conse1uences, if all the world should turn ascetics and chelas and train for adeptship"
$here are enough realities in this life for us to loo& into, without concocting such
wild contingencies to )ex oursel)es withal" $here was ne)er a time yet, nor e)er will
be, while this human race lasts, when anything more than a small minority would
de)ote themsel)es to the mighty tas& of selfCcon1uest and spiritual e)olution" $he
adept is as rare as the flower of the Vogay tree, which, the $amil pro)erb says, is most
difficult to see" ,o what our friend read in 'ints on 6soteric $heosophy referred to
the ideal man, the li)ing@and most necessary@type of human perfectibility" $he
mere certainty that such rare powers@psychical and intellectual@and such moral
grandeur, as he exemplifies, are within human reach, gi)es dignity to our common
nature and a worthy model to loo& up to, and, in some degree, pattern after" $he
organs of our body were not Kgi)enL to us at all@if we may credit modern scienceE
they de)eloped themsel)es as occasion re1uiredE and, when disused, they gradually
diminish and disappearR which they would not if Kgi)en"L
Page 1H1
K%hat manQs mission upon earth would be if all were good,L is more than we can say"
$o merely imagine such a state of things is beyond the limited range of our mental
powers" (ut if they were not too good they might, perhaps, try to become better"
$here is no K$heosophical religion,L and e)ery member professes the one he prefers"
%e regret our inability to concur in the suggestion to suppress discussion of the
occult powers of nature, since that is the only thing most needed to extinguish
superstition and sweep away false religions from the face of the earth" 5ur
correspondent does well not to show to any persons who are Kgood !hristians >not
only professing, but beha)ing as such?L any copy of our maga.ine, which may
contain an attac& upon professed !hristians, who do not at all beha)e as suchR our
strictures are not meant for the former, and it would only gi)e them pain to see how
the bad conduct of the others pro)o&es reprisal, and brings disgrace upon the faith
they misrepresent"
WWWWWWWWWW
THE PHILOSOPHIC IN1UIRER
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 3H2CH9V
$he first numbers of our iconoclastic Madras contemporary in its new 6nglish
garb are on our table" %e confess with pleasure that it has greatly gained by the
change" 9ot only has it impro)ed in its external appearance, but also in the choice of
the matter gi)en" 6specially interesting for us are the contents of its issue of =uly
16th" $he editorial@a re)iew of KMrs" *nnie (esant on the $heosophical ,ocietyL@
is an able and dignified reply to a strange manifesto issued by that lady@we doubt
not@while labouring under entirely misconcei)ed notions about the real nature of
our ,ociety"
Page 1H3
4or one so highly intellectual and &een an obser)er as that renowned writer, to
dogmati.e and issue autocratic u&a.es after she has herself suffered so cruelly and
undeser)edly at the hands of blind bigotry and social preMudice in her lifelong
struggle for freedom of thought, seems, to say the least, absurdly inconsistentY $hat
she must ha)e been labouring under some strange mista&e, is fully pro)ed by her
writing the followingR
=udging by an address from the President of the ,ociety, !olonel 5lcott, it does
hold to some strange theory of KapparitionsL of the dead"""" + trust that 'indu
4reethin&ers will not be led away by his >!olonel 5lcottQs? appeal, for, while
,ecularists would ha)e no right to refuse to enroll $heosophists, if they desired it,
among their members " " " consistent members of our body cannot Moin a society
which professes belief therein Ui"e", in the apparitionsV"
;ntil proofs to the contrary, we prefer to belie)e that the abo)e lines were
dictated to Mrs" (esant by some crafty misrepresentations from Madras, inspired by a
mean, personal re)enge, rather than a desire to remain consistent with the principles
of Kthe scientific materialism of ,ecularism"L %e beg to assure the Radical editors of
the 9ational Reformer, that they were both )ery strangely misled by false reports
about the as radical editors of $he $heosophist" $he term K,upernaturalistsL can no
more apply to the latter than to Mrs" *" (esant or Mr" !" (radlaugh" 5ur ,ociety is
neither a sect of Mumping ,ha&ers who in)ite Kthe ,pirit to mo)e them,L nor a band of
,piritualists who long to hold communion with the KspiritsL of the deadE and that is
precisely why we are held in as poor esteem by the ,piritualists, as they too by the
!hristians" Most of our members decline to belie)e on secondChand testimony, e)en
in the wellCpro)en phenomena of mesmerism" 9or are they in any way bound so to
belie)e, unless they find good cause for it" 4or that )ery reason we are now
compelled to point out the se)eral errors that the editor of the Philosophic +n1uirer@
though himself a K4ellowL of our ,ociety@has constantly been falling into since he
Moined us" ,ome of those mista&es are )ery curious" 4or instance, he saysR
Page 1H3
+t is a matter of fact that both Madame (la)ats&y and !olonel 5lcott are
professed (uddhists, and as (uddhists consistently belie)e in a future state of
existence, and ad)ocate the doctrine of 8arma, which is simply unmeaning to us, as
material atheists, Mudging from our own rational conception, that 1ualities or
characteristics apart from organi.ations cannot be generators of this or that birth,
good or bad"
%hile willingly conceding that, as a Kmaterial atheist,L the editor of the
Philosophic +n1uirer cannot be reasonably expected to &now much of any other KismL
but Kmaterialism,L ne)ertheless, he ought to &now enough of (uddhism to remember
that Kprofessed (uddhistsL would Kconsistently >dis? belie)e and not belie)e in a
future state of existence,L as the ,piritualists do" $he (uddhist belie)es in a future
rebirth, and rebirths innumerable in the K!ycle of 9ecessityLE but no (uddhist,
whether southern or northern, belie)es in a K,oulL as a distinct selfCexisting entity"
'ence he reMects the modern theory about the Kspirits of the dead"L #east of all does
he belie)e in :od as a !reator" $he heresies of K*tta)adaL >belief in soul or self? and
that of ,a&&ayaditthi >the delusion of indi)iduality or personality, i"e", belief in a K+
amL apart from ;ni)ersal 6xistence@together with the belief in the efficacy of rites
and mummeries? are regarded by him as Kprimary delusions,L the direct result of
ignorance or Maya" $he (uddhist ad)ocates 8arma, because, while a)oiding the
superstitious extreme of *tta)ada of the theists, he is firmly confident of the
existence of a law of uni)ersal Moral =ustice, or Retribution" 'e &nows that no
exterior power can obliterate the result of a manQs deeds, and that they must wor& out
to the end, since e)erything in nature is subMect to the law of !ause and 6ffect, and
that science herself is showing us how e)erything is constantly changing" %e doubt
whether the Kscientific materialism of secularismL can e)er hope to reach, let alone
surpass, the Kscientific materialismL of (uddhism" 5nly, while the former feeling
diffident of its own powers of obser)ation and in)estigation, cautiously prefers to
ta&e its ultimate facts of existence in the material )isible uni)erse, scientific
(uddhism carries matter into the in)isible, and ma&es it subMect to the law of cause
and effect in regions, so far, undreamt of by modern material science"
Page 1HD
$here are worlds besides our own@spiritual but in the sight of the short sightedE
still material in that of the fearless pioneers of thoughtR worlds Kwhere de)as li)e and
die, and are again reborn"L $hus, when the editor of the Philosophic +n1uirer assures
his readers that K!olonel 5lcott proclaims his belief in the apparitions of the dead,L
he errs, and leads others into error, since the !olonel proclaims nothing of the &ind@
only his belief in the existence of )arious phenomena, and in that of psychoC
physiological Maya, the latter being with e)ery day more corroborated by science"
%e hope our much persecuted colleague and (rother will fall no more into such
misconceptions, but will remain for e)er true and loyal to his principles of a
4reethin&er and@a 4ellow of the $heosophical ,ociety"
WWWWWWWWWW
STONE-SHOWERS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, p" 32BV
+n connection with the highly interesting narrati)e of $" ViMiaragha)a !harlu
>$heosophist for =une? about the stoneCdroppings by Pi[achas in the presence of
Meenatche *mmal, the following memorandum, recently found by !olonel 5lcott
among his old *merican papers, will be )aluable for comparisonR
/6*R ,+R,
Please add to what you ha)e already published, the fact that, at a KcircleL held in
the sitting room of the 6ddy 'omestead, on the e)ening of *ugust 3H, 12H3, the
doors and windows being closed and sealed, a stone, weighing 6D lbs", was suddenly
dropped at my feet" + had noticed the same stone lying outside the house during the
day"
>,igned? :65R:6 R*#P'"
Page 1HG
*pparently, no phenomenon is capable of more conclusi)e demonstration than
that of the disintegrability of stones, and their reCintegrability, by the power of certain
forces clustering about the mediums, and in +ndia called Pi[achas and (huts" $he new
!ommittee of the *cademy of 4rance would do well to in)estigate it as an important
fact in physical science"
WWWWWWWWWW
COMMENTS ON
*" LE"RNED BR"HM"N SPIRIT),
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 321C323V
Mr" Peter /a)idson, 4"$",", of ,cotland, has sent us the following official report
of a KtestingL of the worldCfamous spirit 'afed, the KcontrolL or KguideL of Mr" /a)id
/uguid, of :lasgow, through whose mediumship the world has been presented with a
boo& called 'afed, Prince of PersiaE of K=an ,teen,L the alleged spirit of the famous
painter of that nameE and of another intelligence which pretends to be a Klearned
(rahman"QQ %e will lea)e it to the Mudgment of our learned 'indu readers, ac1uainted
with their religion, to decide how far he is learned and how much there is of the
(rahman in him" 4rom the Moint replies to Mr" /a)idsonQs 1uestions, there would
seem to be )ery little of either" 5ne would thin& that a transfer of a (rahmara&shasaQs
acti)ity to the cold !aledonian climate, is fatal to his memory and destructi)e to his
learning upon e)en the most familiar +ndian subMects" +f our friends at :lasgow long
for communication with a genuine (rahmara&shasa or (hut, they should send their
mediums here to Ksit for de)elopmentL by an abandoned well or under an
umbrageous haunted treeY
Page 1H6
U$he substance of the report is a series of answers in response to 1uestions put to
the Kspirits"L $o the 1uestionR K%hat power is placed by 5riental occultists in the
9abhacha&ram regionPL the KspiritL of =an ,teen is supposed to replyR K+ ta&e it that
word has reference to one who has power o)er the body, power o)er spirits, and
power also to lea)e the material body" >YY? (ut + will lea)e other 1uestions to some of
our 6astern friends" " " "L $o this '" P" (" remar&sRV
$he sceptical public should, perhaps, also Kta&e itL that =an ,teen, the K=olly
/utch painter,L as he is called, was the last Kof all the spiritsL in the whole
,ummerland to dip into occult <og philosophy" 5ne, as addicted as he to good li)ing,
during his lifetime >he is e)en said to ha)e opened a public ta)ernP? a boon
companion, a drin&er of deep potationsE one solely interested@as his biography and
pictures show@in cardCplaying and merryma&ing, would hardly, e)en after 193 years
of bleaching out in the Kambient ether,L ha)e become so spiritually cleansed as to mix
in a company of KspiritsL who &now anything of the K9abhacha&ram regionsLY <et
since the great painter, who, as the :erman critic, 8ugler, has it in his 'andboo& of
the 'istory of Painting, had all the Kelements of genuine low comedyL in him, he may
ha)e put on the philosopherQs robe in Mo&e, as, in the Molly old days, he would ha)e
wrapped himself in a mon&Qs cowl Must Kfor the fun of the thingYL
U$o some mista&en notion of K'afedL regarding (uddhist doctrines '" P" ("
exclaimsRV
,hadows of the great *rhats and ,wabha)i&as, pray do not feel disturbedY
'afed, an ancient Persian, may be )ery well ac1uainted with the old tenets of
7oroastrianism >Mr" P" /a)idson ought to try him in that department?, but what can
the spirit of a KPrince of PersiaL be expected to &now about 9ir)ana and the Kgood
/octrineLP
U+t is also said that some ha)e belie)ed the (rothers or high adepts to be able to
transport themsel)es bodily from one place to another" $hey themsel)es, howe)er,
deny this" '" P" (" saysRV
%e should say, they did" +t is gi)en only to mediums to be transported from one
part of #ondon to another part instantaneously and without feeling the worse for it"
Page 1HH
THE H"RMONICS O! SMELL%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 323C32DV
$he old pro)erb, that K$ruth is stranger than fiction,L is again exemplified" *n
6nglish scientist@Professor %illiam Ramsay, of ;ni)ersity !ollege, (ristol@has
Must communicated to 9ature >see number for =une 33? a theory to account for the
sense of smell which is li&ely to attract much attention" *s the result of obser)ation
and experiment, he propounds the idea that smell is due to )ibrations similar to, but
of a lower period than those which gi)e rise to the sense of light and heat" $he
sensation of smell, he explains, is pro)o&ed by the contact of substances with the
terminal organs of the olfactory ner)es, which are spread as a networ& o)er a mucous
membrane lining the upper part of the nasal ca)ity" $he proximate cause of smell is
the minute hairlets of the nasal membrane which connect with the ner)es through
spindleCshaped cells" $he sensation is not excited by contact with a li1uid or solid,
but always with a gas" 6)en in the case of smelling metals, such as brass, copper, tin,
etc", there is a subtle gas or pungent )apour gi)en off by them at ordinary
atmospheric temperatures" $he )arying intensities of smells depend upon their
relati)e molecular weight, the smell growing stronger as the gases rise in molecular
weight"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U!onsult $he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett, p" 1B3, which seems to con)ey the meaning that
Master 8"'" contributed at least some ideas in connection with the writing of this article"@
!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 1H2
*s to the 1uality of smell, that he thin&s may depend upon the harmonics of the
)ibration"
$hus, the 1uality of tone in a )iolin differs from that of a flute by the different
harmonics or o)ertones, peculiar to each instrument" + would ascribe to harmonics the
1uality of smell possessed by different substances" " " " ,mell, then, may resemble
sound in ha)ing its 1uality influenced by harmonics" *nd Must as a piccolo has the
same 1uality as a flute, although some of its harmonics are so high as to be beyond
the range of the ear, so smells owe their 1uality to harmonics, which, if occurring
alone, would be beyond the sense"
$wo sounds, heard simultaneously, he remar&s, gi)e a discord or a concord, yet
the ear may distinguish them separately" $wo colours, on the other hand, produce a
single impression on the eye, and it is doubtful whether we can analy.e them" K(ut
smell resembles sound and not light in this particular" 4or in a mixture of smells, it is
possible, by practice, to distinguish each ingredient,L and@in a laboratory
experiment@Lto match the sensation by a mixture of different ingredients"L
*pparently astonished at his own audacity, he brings forward Kthe theory adduced
with great diffidence"L Poor disco)erer, the elephantine foot of the Royal ,ociety may
crush his toesY $he problem, he says, is to be sol)ed Kby a careful measurement of the
XlinesQ in the spectrum of heat rays, and the calculation of the fundamentals, which
this theory supposes to be the cause of smell"L
+t may be a comfort to Professor Ramsay to &now that he is not the first to tra)el
the path he suddenly has found winding from his laboratory door up the hill of fame"
$wenty or more years ago, a no)el, entitled 8aloolah, was published in *merica by
one /r" Mayo, a wellC&nown writer" +t pretended, among other things, to describe a
strange city, situate in the heart of *frica, where, in many respects, the people were
more ci)ili.ed and perfected than contemporary 6uropeans" *s regards smell, for
instance" $he Prince of that country, for the entertainment of his )isitors@the hero of
the story and his party@seats himself at a large instrument li&e an organ, with tubes,
stops, pedals and &eys@and plays an intricate composition@of which the harmonics
are in odours, instead of in sounds as with a musical instrument"

Page 1H9
*nd he explains that his people ha)e brought their olfactory sense, by practice,
to such an ex1uisite point of sensiti)eness as to afford them, by combinations and
contrasts of smells, as high enMoyment as the 6uropean deri)es from a Kconcourse of
sweet sounds"L +t is but too plain, therefore, that /r" Mayo had, if not a scientific, yet
at least an intuiti)e cognition of this )ibratory theory of odours, and that his smell
harmonicon was not so much the baseless image of a romancerQs fancy as the no)elC
readers too& it for when they laughed so heartily at the conceit" $he fact is@as has
been so often obser)ed@the dream of one generation becomes the experience of the
next" +f our poor )oice might without profanation in)ade so sacred a place as the
laboratory of ;ni)ersity !ollege, (ristol, we would as& Mr" Ramsay to ta&e a glance
@Must one furti)e peep, with closed doors, and when he finds himself alone@at >it
re1uires courage to say the wordY? at " " " at " " " at 5ccult ,cience" >%e scarcely dared
spea& the dreadful word, but it is out at last, and the Professor must hear it"? 'e will
then find that his )ibratory theory is older than e)en /r" Mayo, since it was &nown to
the *ryans and is included in their philosophy of the harmonics of nature" $hey
taught that there is a perfect correspondence, or mutual compensation between all the
)ibrations of 9ature, and a most intimate relation between the set of )ibrations which
gi)e us the impression of sound, and that other set of )ibrations which gi)e us the
impression of colour" $his subMect is treated at some length in +sis ;n)eiled"Z $he
5riental adept applies this )ery &nowledge practically when he transforms any
disagreeable odour into any delicious perfume he may thin& ofE *nd thus modern
science, after so long enMoying its Mo&e o)er the puerile credulity of the *siatics in
belie)ing such fairy stories about the powers of their ,adhus, is now ending by being
forced to demonstrate the scientific possibility of those )ery powers by actual
laboratory experimentation" K'e laughs best who laughs lastLE@an adage that the
graduates of +ndia would do well to remember"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UVol" +, p" G1D"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 12B
VISIONS IN THE CR#ST"L
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 32HC322V
*t a number of his lectures !olonel 5lcott has exhibited a crystal from the
:astein Mountains, which was &indly sent him by our )ery esteemed friend and
fellow, the (aroness *delma )on Vay, which has curious properties" +f a person,
naturally endowed with a certain amount of clair)oyant power, ga.es for a while into
the crystal, he will see a succession of )isions coming into its heart@landscapes,
scenes by sea and land, faces of li)ing and dead persons, and sometimes messages
written on scrolls which unwind of themsel)es, or printed in boo&s, that appear and
then fade away" $he experiment was tried with do.ens of people, and in many cases
succeeded" 5ne 'indu gentleman saw, besides )arious scenes, the face of his
deceased father and was deeply agitated by the )ision" $hese sights cannot be seen by
e)eryone, nor e1ually well by all who ha)e the conscious clair)oyant power in some
degree" $here is 1uite an extensi)e literature on the subMect of crystal and mirror
)isions, and some seers among whom the historical name of /r" /ee will be recalled
@ha)e aroused great public interest by their real or pretended re)elation" +n this
connection a letter recei)ed by !olonel 5lcott from an old +ndian officer of the army
will be read with interestR
M< /6*R !5#596#,
*fter you left, + held the glass in my hand without any result for some time" *t
last it gradually became so heated, that + thought + should ha)e to relin1uish my hold
of it" *ll this time + remar&ed )ery strange filmy appearances forming in the crystal"
$he temperature of the latter grew less, and as it did so, a ner)ous tremor affected my
hand and arm" + still had the mirror >the crystal? in hand and percei)ed colours of
)aried hues, all )ery brilliant and seeming to mingle with one another in 1uic&
succession, and ma&ing the most beautiful phantasmagoriaY
Page 121
*fter the colours had died away, the same cloudy appearances affected the
mirror, and its temperature again rose@this time, to such a degree that + had to drop it
upon the table" *fter a few seconds + again too& it in my hand and then, to my
astonishment, + saw in it the image of a man whose face is 1uite familiar to me, but
where + ha)e seen him + cannot at present bring myself to recollect" *fter this had
disappeared there came up the image of the little child which + had seen before you
left, and, last of all, there came, as pale shadows, the heads of a woman and a child,
both of which, + thought, + recogni.ed" *t this Muncture my hand and arm were
ner)ously affected again, and the crystal landed with a bounce upon the table"
%ith the recollection of these short, but stri&ing, experiences of the magic
crystal, with which you left me to pass away an hour, allow me to say, my dear
!olonel, that there is more in its crystalline philosophy than + was prepared to creditE
and if the de)il is not in that glass, + am sadly mista&en"
+ may add that, upon loo&ing up from the table to resume my pipe, + percei)ed a
figure standing close to the almirah" $he figure was that of an old man, and bore a
stri&ing resemblance to the one + had seen in " " " three years before" 'e ga.ed intently
upon me for some time, and as + rose from my chair, he wa)ed his hand, and at the
same moment + felt something apparently stri&e me, and + fell bac& in the chair" 5n
reco)ering myself and loo&ing around the room, + could disco)er nothing, but that +
was alone with my own thoughts, and on the table the crystal, and the writing
apparatus wherewith you as&ed me to Mot down what + might see in the e)idently
spirituali.ed atmosphere of your chamber"
<ours )ery sincerely,
6" %" #"
$his is something more than a mere case of clair)oyanceR the element of
mediumship is mingled with it" $he )isions that the officer saw in the crystal were
subMecti)e@the effects of imaginationE while the figure of the old man was probably
that of a Pi[acha" +t is not at all uncommon for those, who see such apparitions, to
recei)e a blowR a case of the &ind, in which se)eral persons were hit, occurred only
the other day at (ombay" %e would not at all recommend persons of the sensiti)e
temperament of our friend, the officer, to pursue researches with crystals or mirrors,
or to sit with others for the spiritualistic phenomena" 4or they are natural mediums,
and our opinion with respect to the dangers of mediumship practised without any
&nowledge of 6astern philosophy has been heretofore so fully set forth that it is
unnecessary to repeat it in this instance"
Page 123
ISIS UNVEILED "ND THE THEOSOPHIST
ON REINC"RN"TION%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 322C329V
+n #ight >=uly 2? !" !" M" 1uotes from $he $heosophist >=une, 1223? a sentence
which appeared in the 6ditorQs 9ote at the foot of an article headed K,eeming
/iscrepancies"L $hen, turning to the re)iew of $he Perfect %ay in the same number,
he 1uotes at length from Kan authoritati)e teaching of the later period,L as he adds
rather sarcastically" $hen, again, a long paragraph from +sis" $he three 1uotations and
the remar&s of our friend run thusR
" " " there ne)er was, nor can there be, any radical discrepancy between the
teachings in U+sis ;n)eiledV and those of this later period, as both proceed from one
and the same source@the */6P$ (R5$'6R," >6ditorQs 9ote in K,eeming
/iscrepancies"L?
'a)ing drawn the attention of his readers to the abo)e assertion !" !" M"
proceeds to show@as he thin&s@its fallacyR
$o begin with, reincarnation@if other worlds besides this are ta&en into account
@is the regular routine of 9ature" (ut reincarnation, in the next higher obMecti)e
world, is one thingE reincarnation on this earth is another" 6)en that ta&es place o)er
and o)er again till the highest condition of humanity, as &nown at present on this
earth, is attained, but not afterwards, and here is the clue to the mystery" " " " (ut once
let a man be as far perfected by successi)e reincarnations as the conditions of the
present race will permit, and then his next reincarnation will be among the early
growths of the next higher world@where the earliest growths are far higher than the
highest here"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U!onsult $he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett, pp" 1H3CH3, and $he #etters of '" P" (la)ats&y to
*" P" ,innett, p" 36, from which it is e)ident that this article was dictated to '"P"(" by Master 8"'"
@ !ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 123
$he ghastly mista&e, that the modern reincarnationists ma&e, is in supposing
that there can be a return on this earth to lower bodily forms" 9ot, therefore, that man
is reincarnated as man again and again upon this earth, for that is laid down as truth
in the abo)e cited passages in the most positi)e and explicit form" >Re)iew of $he
Perfect %ay in $he $heosophist"?
*nd now for +sisR
K%e will now present a few fragments of this mysterious doctrine of
reincarnation@as distinct from metempsychosis@which we ha)e from an authority"
Reincarnation, i"e", the appearance of the same indi)idual, or rather of his astral
monad, twice on the same planet, is not a rule in natureE it is an exception, li&e the
teratological phenomenon of a twoCheaded infant" +t is preceded by a )iolation of the
laws of harmony of nature, and happens only when the latter, see&ing to restore its
disturbed e1uilibrium, )iolently throws bac& into earthClife the astral monad which
has been tossed out of the circle of necessity by crime or accident" $hus, in cases of
abortion, of infants dying before a certain age, and of congenital and incurable idiocy,
natureQs original design to produce a perfect human being, has been interrupted"
$herefore, while the gross matter of each of these se)eral entities is suffered to
disperse itself at death, through the )ast realm of being, the immortal spirit and astral
monal of the indi)idual@the latter ha)ing been set apart to animate a frame and the
former to shed its di)ine light on the corporeal organi.ation@must try a second time
to carry out the purpose of the creati)e intelligence"
K+f reason has been so far de)eloped as to become acti)e and discriminati)e,
there is no reincarnation on this earth,Z for the three parts of the triune man ha)e been
united together, and he is capable of running the race" (ut when the new being has
not passed beyond the condition of monad, or when, as in the idiot, the trinity has not
been completed, the immortal spar& which illuminates it, has to reenter on the earthly
plane, as it was frustrated in its first attempt" " " " 4urther, the same occult doctrine
recogni.es another possibilityE albeit so rare and so )ague that it is really useless to
mention it" 6)en the modern 5ccidental occultists deny it, though it is uni)ersally
accepted in 6astern countries"L $his is the occasional return of the terribly depra)ed
human ,pirits which ha)e fallen to the eighth sphere@it is unnecessary to 1uote the
passage at length" 6xclusi)e of that rare and doubtful possibility, then, +sis@+ ha)e
1uoted from Volume +, pp" 3G1C3@allows only three cases@abortion, )ery early
death, and idiocy@in which reincarnation on this earth occurs"
+ am a longCsuffering student of the mysterious, more apt to accuse my own
stupidity than to ma&e Kseeming discrepanciesL an occasion for scoffing"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U+talics are not '"P"("Qs"@!omp"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 12D
(ut, after all, two and three will not ma&e Must fourE blac& is not white, nor, in
reference to plain and definite statements, is K<esL e1ui)alent to K9o"L +f there is one
thing which + ardently desire to be taught, it is the truth about this same 1uestion of
reincarnation" + hope + am not, as a dutiful $heosophist, expected to reconcile the
statement of +sis with that of this authoritati)e Re)iewer" (ut there is one consolation"
$he accomplished authoress of +sis cannot ha)e totally forgotten the teaching on this
subMect therein contained" ,he, therefore, certainly did not dictate the statements of
the Re)iewer" +f + may conMecture that 8oot 'oomi stands close behind the latter, then
assuredly 8oot 'oomi is not, as has been maliciously suggested, an alias for Madame
(la)ats&y"
!" !" M"
%e hope not@for 8oot 'oomiQs sa&e" Mme (" would become too )ain and too
proud, could she but dream of such an honour" (ut how true the remar& of the 4rench
classicR #a criti1ue est aisSe, mais lQart est difficile@though we feel more inclined to
hang our diminished head in sincere sorrow and exclaimR 6t tu (ruteY@than to 1uote
old truisms" 5nly, where that >e)en? Kseeming discrepancyL is to be found between
the two passages except by those who are entirely ignorant of the occult doctrine@
will be certainly a mystery to e)ery 6astern 5ccultist who reads the abo)e and who
studies at the same school as the re)iewer of $he Perfect %ay" 9e)ertheless the latter
is chosen as the weapon to brea& our head with" +t is sufficient to read 9o" + of the
K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth,L and ponder o)er the septenary constitution of man into
which the triple human entity is di)ided by the occultists, to percei)e that the KastralL
monad is not the K,piritualL monad and )ice )ersa" $hat there is no discrepancy
whatsoe)er between the two statements, may be easily shown, and we hope will be
shown, by our friend the Kre)iewer"L $he most that can be said of the passage 1uoted
from +sis is, that it is incomplete, chaotic, )ague perhaps@clumsy, as many more
passages in that wor&, the first literary production of a foreigner, who e)en now can
hardly boast of her &nowledge of the 6nglish language" $herefore, in the face of the
statement from the )ery correct and excellent re)iew of $he Perfect %ay@we say
again that KReincarnation, i"e", the appearance of the same indi)idual, or rather, of his
astral monad Uor the personality as claimed by the modern ReincarnationistsV, twice
on the same planet, is not a rule in natureL and that Kit is an exception"L
Page 12G
#et us try once more to explain our meaning" $he re)iewer spea&s of the
K,piritual +ndi)idualityL or the +mmortal Monad as it is called, i"e", the se)enth and
sixth Principles in the K4ragments"L +n +sis we refer to the personality or the finite
astral monad, a compound of imponderable elements composed of the fifth and fourth
principles" $he former as an emanation of the 596 absolute is indestructibleE the
latter as an elementary compound is finite and doomed sooner or later to destruction
with the exception of the more spirituali.ed portions of the fifth principle >the Manas
or mind? which are assimilated by the sixth principle when it follows the se)enth to
its Kgestation stateL to be reborn or not reborn, as the case may be, in the *rupa #o&a
>the 4ormless %orld?" $he se)en principles, forming, so to say, a triad and a
1uaternary, or, as some ha)e it a K!ompound $rinity,L subdi)ided into a triad and two
duads, may be better understood in the following groups of PrinciplesR
:R5;P +"
H" *tma@ KPure ,pirit"L
6" (uddhi@ K,piritual ,oul or
+ntelligence"L
j
,P+R+$"
,piritual Monad or
K+ndi)idualityL @ and its
)ehicle" 6ternal and
indestructible"
:R5;P ++"
G" Manas@ KMind or *nimal
,oul"L
D" 8amaCrupa@ K/esireL or
KPassionL 4orm"
j
,5;#"
*stral Monad@or the personal
6go and its )ehicle"
,ur)i)es :roup +++" and is
destroyed after a time, unless
reincarnated, as said, under
exceptional circumstances"
:R5;P +++"
3" #ingaC[arira@ K*stral or Vital
(ody"L
3" =i)a@ K#ife Principle"L
1" ,thulaC[arira@ K(ody"L
j
(5/< "
!ompound Physical, or the
K6arthly 6go"L $he three die
together in)ariably"

Page 126
*nd now we as&,@where is the KdiscrepancyL or contradictionP %hether man
was good, bad, or indifferent, :roup ++ has to become either a Kshell,L or be once or
se)eral times more reincarnated under Kexceptional circumstances"L $here is a
mighty difference in our 5ccult doctrine between an impersonal +ndi)iduality, and an
indi)idual Personality" !" !" M" will not be reincarnatedE nor will he in his next
rebirth be !" !" M", but 1uite a new being, born of the thoughts and deeds of !" !"
M"R his own creation, the child and fruit of his present life, the effect of the causes he
is now producing" ,hall we say then with the ,piritists that !" !" M", the man we
&now, will be reborn againP 9oE but that his di)ine Monad will be clothed thousands
of times yet before the end of the :rand !ycle, in )arious human forms, e)ery one of
them a new personality" #i&e a mighty tree that clothes itself e)ery spring with a new
foliage, to see it wither and die towards autumn, so the eternal Monad pre)ails
through the series of smaller cycles, e)er the same, yet e)er changing and putting on,
at each birth, a new garment" $he bud, that failed to open one year, will reappear in
the nextE the leaf that reached its maturity and died a natural death@can ne)er be
reborn on the same tree again" %hile writing +sis, we were not permitted to enter into
detailsE hence@the )ague generalities" %e are told to do so now@and we do as we
are commanded"
*nd thus, it seems, after all, that Ktwo and threeL will Kma&e Must four,L if the
KthreeL was only mista&en for that number" *nd, we ha)e heard of cases when that,
which was uni)ersally regarded and denounced as something )ery Kblac&L@
shoc&ingly so@suddenly reCbecame Kwhite,L as soon as an additional light was
permitted to shine upon it" %ell, the day may yet come when e)en the much
misunderstood occultists will appear in such a light" Vaut mieux tard 1ue MamaisY
Meanwhile we will wait and see whether !" !" M" will 1uote again from our
present answer@in #ight"
Page 12H
THE SO-C"LLED THEOSOPHIC"L
SOCIET# "T GH"3IPORE
U+ndian Mirror, *ugust 33, 1223V
,+R@9otwithstanding our protest that there is no $heosophical ,ociety at
:ha.ipore, + am surprised to find that, in your issue of the 1Bth instant, you ha)e,
without a single comment, allowed the following paragraph in your :ha.ipore
correspondentQs letter of the 1Hth ultimo, to appearR
KMonsieur '" Ropan, a 4renchman and a good :erman scholar, induced by the
examples of Madame (la)ats&y and !olonel 5lcott, has founded a $heosophical
,ociety at the premises of (abu #" 9" ,en"L
+t has already been explained that no charter was granted, nor was any regular
application for it recei)ed by us, for the formation of a (ranch ,ociety at :ha.ipore"
*nd no ,ociety can assume the title which exclusi)ely belongs to us" *ccording to
the laws of e)ery ci)ili.ed country, no one has a right to assume the title or name of
any society of scientific or philosophical research, without the consent of the original
promoters" * letter to this effect was sent to Mr" Ropan as soon as the protest was
forwarded to you" $he President and ,ecretary of the alleged ,ociety ha)e since sent
a letter of apology begging for a charter, and the matter will formally be placed for
consideration before the PresidentC4ounder in !ouncil of our ,ociety" (ut until we
send you an intimation of the formation of a (ranch ,ociety at :ha.ipore, we ha)e to
re1uest you will be &ind enough not to publish any such paragraphs, as the one abo)e
referred to, without first ascertaining whether the information contained therein is
correct or not"
Page 122
+t was not, + belie)e, too much for us to expect that the ,ecretary of the !alcutta
$heosophical ,ociety, at least who does, if not the 6ditor of the +ndian Mirror, who
perhaps does not, &now the facts of the case@should ha)e protested against such an
unceremonious intrusion of an un&nown party of men into the pri)acy of our ,ociety"
9ot only is its name usurped by them, but, as we find to our astonishment, our byeC
laws, regulations, aims, obMects, in fact, e)erything is copied )erbally, to a comma,
from our pamphlets, and@a notification is sent to our head1uarters that, since a
charter was not issued to them, they had, at the first opportunity, established a
$heosophical ,ociety, entirely independent of our *ssociationY
;nless the PresidentC4ounder, who is now at !eylon, consents to charter it, and
the now bogus $heosophical ,ociety waits patiently for legal admission, + am afraid
we shall ha)e to as& for the protection of the law" $here is some consolation,
howe)er, to &now that not one of the selfCmade :ha.ipore $heosophists has e)er
been initiated, and that, since none of them &nows either the grips, signs, or
passwords of our ,ociety, there is little chance for them to be e)er recogni.ed and
accepted by a regular $heosophist"
<ours, etc",
'" P" (#*V*$,8<,
!orresponding ,ecretary, Parent $heosophical ,ociety"
(ombay, 16th *ugust, 1223"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO *LETTERS ON ESOTERIC THEOSOPH#,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, p" 39GV
U$he following footnote may ha)e been written by '" P" (", although it is not
signed by her as 6ditor of $he $heosophist" $he writer spea&s of the +ncubi and
,uccubi of mediae)al writings, and of elementaries, in connection with his
description of the afterCdeath states" $he footnote is as followsRV
$he )ariety of states after death is greater, if possible, than the )ariety of human
li)es upon this earth"
Page 129
*s remar&ed further on, not all, by any means, become pi[achas, nor are they all
6arthCwal&ers" $he )ictims of accident are generally exempt from this curse, only
those falling into the current of attraction who die full of some engrossing earthly
passionE the ,6#4+,' who ha)e ne)er gi)en a thought to anyone but their own
sel)es" 5)erta&en by death in the consummation@whether real or imaginary@of
some masterCpassion of their life, the desire remaining unsatisfied e)en after a full
reali.ation, and they still cra)ing after more, such can ne)er pass beyond the earthQs
attraction to wait for the hour of deli)erance in happy ignorance and full obli)ion"
*mong the KsuicidesL those to whom the statement of the writer applies in full are
that class who commit the act in conse1uence of a crime, to escape the penalty of
human law, or of their own remorse" 9atural law cannot be bro&en with impunityE the
inexorable causal relation between action and result has its full sway, but in the world
of effects@the 8amaClo&aE and e)ery case is met there by an ade1uate punishment,
and in a thousand ways which would re1uire )olumes to describe them e)en
superficially" +n one of the future numbers of this maga.ine will be gi)en 1uotations
from the (uddhist ,criptures, and the 'indu ,hastras concerning this subMect with
)olume, page, and )erse for easier )erification"
WWWWWWWWWWW
THE PER!ECT W"#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, p" 396V
UReplying to a re)iew of their wor&, the authors of $he Perfect %ay raise certain
obMections to )arious statements by the re)iewer, and conclude by sayingR
K" " " May it not well be that the issue of the wor& of the $heosophical ,ociety in +ndia
may pro)e not only that which its respected 4ounders contemplated, but more@the
sending forth of X6ireniconQ to the religious worldE and that by the union of the
6astern and %estern minds effected through them, may be brought to birth a new and
nobler !hurch than any before it@ a !hurch ha)ing, indeed, X(uddhaQ and (uddhist
philosophy for its circumference, but X=esusQ and !hristian aspiration for its central
point@the two essential to each other, and interpreting the whole nature of ManPL $o
this '" P" (" remar&sRV
Page 19B
%e must be permitted respectfully to suggest to the esteemed authors of $he
Perfect %ay that the philosophy and the *rhat doctrine left to us by the #ord
$athagata (uddha is 1uite broad enough to co)er both the circumference and the
!entral Point of whate)er !hurch" $he rays of light radiating from that !entral Point
stretch far enough to co)er and illuminate the whole area of the inhabitable worlds"
,uch is the opinion of (;//'+,$,, at least"
WWWWWWWWWW
IN RE *BUSIRIS,%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, p" 39HV
%e gi)e room in this number to an interminably long paper@entitled K$'6
P'+#5,5P'< 54 ,P+R+$@'ierosophy, $heosophy, and Psychosophy,L from the
pen of Mr" %" 5xley@solely out of personal regard for the author" 'ighly instructi)e
and interesting though it may pro)e to many we feel ne)ertheless compelled to
seriously as& our correspondents@if they would see their contributions in print@to
be more brief in future" +ndeed, it is simply impossible for us at least as regards those
articles that will not yield either to abridgment or di)ision@to ma&e room for such
endless discussions" %e are e)er ready to allow our opponents the chance of being
heard, and to present their side of the 1uestion before the impartial public in our
maga.ine, but we ha)e neither space nor means to insert )oluminous articles" $he
more so, as in the present case, it is 1uite e)ident that Mr" 5xley has entirely
misconcei)ed not only Mr" ,ubba RowQs real position, but also based himself upon as
mista&en a )iew of what he is pleased to term the KdoctrinesL and Kteaching of the
$heosophical ,ociety"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U* name which %" 5xley used in his wor& in connection with a X,piritL who allegedly was the
author of the MahIbhIrata" $here is no historical e)idence of this"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 191
'e addresses his KRe)iewer,L as though he were an Korthodox (rahmin,L an
intolerant bigot 1uite unac1uainted with his forefathersQ esoteric )iews" %hereas, the
truth, is that our (rother, Mr" ,ubba Row, although undeniably a (rahmin, is a
V6/*9$+9 */V*+$66, of the esoteric *ryan school@one of the least fa)oured by
orthodox bigoted (rahminism, a highly ad)anced !hela and one, whose thorough
&nowledge of the real esoteric significance of the sacred boo&s of his country@
especially of the ('*:*V*/C:+$*@no one who &nows him, or of him, can e)er
doubt" (ut we will lea)e Mr" ,ubba Row to answer for himself in our next number"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTES TO THE PHILOSOPH# O! SPIRIT
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, pp" 392C3B3V
U$he article is a reply of %illiam 5xley to ,ubba RowQs re)iew of his wor&, $he
Philosophy of ,pirit" %" 5xley saysR K'owe)er this may be, as Mudged from the
modern orthodox (rahminical standpoint, + )enture to thin& that XenlightenedQ
(uddhists would hardly express so se)ere a Mudgment"L $o this '" P" (" remar&sRV
*s already stated in our editorial, Mr" ,ubba Row is not an KorthodoxL (rahmin
in the sense Mr" 5xley uses the word as with him it means bigotry" *nd we are
moreo)er obliged to declare that Kenlightened (uddhistsL will hardly e)er disagree
with such an enlightened (rahmin as Mr" ,ubba Row"
U,pea&ing of the authorship of the Vedas, the MahIbhIrata and the (haga)adC
:JtI, %" 5xley saysR K+ am not going beyond the truth in saying, no man li)ing &nows
who were the authors of these Records, or writings, or when and where they were
written, and first published"L '" P" (" comments on thisRV
%e belie)e Mr" 5xley is again mista&en in his denial" +t does not at all stand to
reason, that because Professor Monier %illiams says so, no one in +ndia should &now
anything on the subMect" Many of the initiated (rahmans claim to, and we firmly
belie)e, they do &now, when the Vedas, the Mahabharata, and especially the
(haga)adC:ita, were written, and by whom"
Page 193
U%" 5xley further writesR K,pea&ing of 5ccultism and ,piritualismR $heosophy
seems anxious to impress upon ,piritualists, that the phenomena they witness are due
to the Xinter)ention of enlightened li)ing men and not disembodied spiritsQLV
%e deny most emphatically to ha)e e)er said any such absurdity" %ho are the
Kenlightened li)ing menL mas1uerading in the guise of spirits, is really more than we
can e)er imagineY
U+n the course of his article, %illiam 5xley writesR K" " " + ha)e had three )isits
by the astral form of the )enerable 8oot 'oomi through a sensiti)e, whose linguistic
organism was used by the astral form to spea& to me, first in (engali, and afterwards
in my own language " " " $he statement may come that Xthis was the wor& of some
)agrant spoo&, or elementalQE and e)en 8oot 'oomi himself may, or may not, gi)e a
denial" " " "L $o this statement '"P"(" has appended the following footnoteEV
%e feel extremely sorry to ac&nowledge that Mr" 5xley was right in his
foreboding" 4ar from pretending to be informed of all the doings and actions of our
)enerated (rother 8ootC'oomi, and notwithstanding our surprise since the language
gi)en is certainly not that of the 8ootC'oomi we all &now@we were preparing to
allow the abo)e extraordinary statement to be published without comment, when we
recei)ed the following from our (R5$'6RQ, fa)orite !helaR@
K+ am commanded by my belo)ed Master, &nown in +ndia and in the %estern
lands as 8ootC'oomi #al ,ingh, to ma&e in his name the following declaration, in
answer to a certain statement made by Mr" %" 5xley, and sent by him for publication"
+t is claimed by the said gentleman that my Master 8ootC'oomi >a? has thrice )isited
him Xby the astral formQE and >b? that he had a con)ersation with Mr" 5xley when, as
alleged, he ga)e the latter certain explanations in reference to astral bodies in general,
and the incompetency of his own Maya)iCrupa to preser)e its consciousness
simultaneously with the body Xat both ends of the line"Q $herefore, my Master
declaresR
K1" %homsoe)er Mr" 5xley may ha)e seen and con)ersed with at the time
described, it was not with 8ootC'oomi, the writer of the letters published in the
5ccult %orld"
Page 193
K3" 9otwithstanding that my Master &nows the gentleman in 1uestion who once
honoured him with an autograph letter, thereby gi)ing him the means of ma&ing his
>Mr" 5xleyQs? ac1uaintance, and of sincerely admiring his intuitional powers and
%estern learning@yet he has ne)er approached him whether astrally or otherwiseE
nor has he e)er had any con)ersation with Mr" 5xleyE nor could he under any
circumstances, e)en had there been any such con)ersation, ha)e expressed himself in
the terms now imputed to him"
K$o guard against all possible misapprehension of this &ind in the future, my
Master will underta&e to hold no communication henceforward with any medium or
seer without authenticating that communication by means of three passwords which
shall be made &nown to Messrs" *" 5" 'ume, President, and *" P" ,innett, ViceC
President, of the ,imla K6clectic $heosophical ,ociety,L so that they may be enabled
to declare explicitly that my Master cannot be the author of any statement attributed
to him in which they do not find these words"L
(y 5rder,
:=;*#C8'55# M"ZZZ
U!onsult $he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett, #etter !FFV, where the text of
this communication differs somewhat from the abo)e and is longer" $he original,
either handwritten or precipitated, is actually signed as K:MualC8hool,L although the
usual spelling is K/MualC8hool"L@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTES TO *PU33LING 1UERIES,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, p" 3B6V
U$he author, (" R" 9aidu, finds many contradictions among philosophers as to
the causes of suffering and misery among men, and expresses his opinion that Kthis is
a mystery to the most wise"L Referring to the doctrine of 8arma, as gi)en in the
Puranas, he saysR K%e are also taught that we are reborn in the forms of irrational
beings and sometimes e)en of inanimate obMects"L '" P" (" commentsRV
Page 19D
%e confess here our ignorance" %hat is the religion which teaches such an
absurdity as rebirth in an Kinanimate formLP
U$he writer continues" K+f so, we will ha)e to trace the causes for all these
)ariations from the )ery beginning of the soCcalled creation " " " it is an absurdity to
say that there were human or any other beings before the worldQs creation"LV
%e do not belie)e in creation, or that the uni)erse had e)er a beginning" *ll
changes form in it@itself was e)er and will ne)er pass" $hose who understand what
they read will find an explanation e)en in the 'indu ,criptures" 9or is there any
absurdity to say that there were KbeingsL before the worldQs creation, since our world
is certainly not the only one of its &ind in the )ast uni)erse"
UK$he Vedantists and some others are of this opinion, that the soCcalled /eity is
diffused in and out of the uni)erseE or, in other words, the uni)erse itself is :od, and
:od is the uni)erse"LV
#ess learned than our correspondent@who strongly insisted to ha)e the abo)e
1uestions published@we confess again our ignorance" 9one of the Vedantin sects, as
far as we are ac1uainted with them, ha)e e)er taught that :od was diffused Kin and
out of the uni)erse,L or that he per)aded it beyond its limits" 4irst of all, the
Vedantists cannot belie)e in an extraCcosmic deity, since they teach that the uni)erse
is limitless and Parabrahm@infinite" %e in)ite Vedantin Pandits to answer these
assertions"
U+f such is the case, what other thing is there which can be regarded as 1uite
distinct from that which is all in all in things animate and inanimate that can do good
or bad, so as to create according to its deed a 8arma"LV
9othing, of course" $he uni)erse is not only the outward garment, the Maya, or
illusionary clothing of the deity@which, ne)ertheless is present, as we understand it,
in e)ery atom of it@but the deity itselfR Parabrahm plus Maya or +[)ara"
UK$he doctrine of 8arma is 1uite current among most of the PanditsE and this is
another pu..le for many"LV
Page 19G
+t is not the absolute that creates 8arma, but the finite and sentient being
e)oluted out of it, or the )isible proMection of a finite portion of this absolute" +n other
words, it is man, or matter in its highest state of perfection on earth@matter plus
(rahm or the absolute" +f we are wrong we hope some learned Pandit will &indly
correct us" 'alfClearned are not re1uired"
U+n connection with 8arma, 9aidu as&s to be enlightened as to the mystery of
the differences of treatment meted out to the animals and e)en to inanimate obMects,
and saysR K*bandoned deserts and hilly places are for a time turned into populous
cities with splendid palaces and temples, and then again abandoned and left to reC
become deserts, forests and dunghills" %hat &ind of good or bad actions these pieces
of stones, etc", could ha)e committed to be treated so differently by men" " " "LV
%ith our best wishes and desire to help our esteemed correspondent in his dire
perplexity, we are utterly unable to understand what he is dri)ing at" %hat ha)e the
KdesertsL and Kdunghills,L Kpalaces,L and KforestsL to do with 8arma, or the destiny
of man except as necessary accessoriesP +t is the eternal fitness or unfitness of things,
we should say, that turns the desert into a city, and )ice )ersa" +f he obMects to the idea
that the deity is e)erywhere, i"e", omnipresentE and that, notwithstanding such a
presence, men and things are not all ali&e honoured, happy, and miserableE then
surely he cannot hope to recei)e an answer to such exhausti)e a subMect@the most
abstruse and incomprehensible of pu..les for the philosophers of all and e)ery age,
namely, the origin of good and e)il@in a few editorial linesP #et him study occult
philosophy, and perhaps, he may be then satisfied" +t is not the Puranas alone, when
read in their deadCletter sense, that will yield nonsense" +n the (ible we find the same
incongruities" =eho)ah curses the ground for the sa&e >sin? of *dam >:enesis, iii, 1H?
and the earth since then@suffersY *nd yet the Mosaic (ible yields out of its secret
meaning the 8abala, the 5ccult ,cience of the %estern Philosophers"
UKMoreo)er we are taught to regard the soCcalled :od as all good, all wise,
omnipresent, etc" +f so, why should some men be poorE others sic&ly " " " etc"LV
$he %estern 8abalists call /e)il Kthe :od re)ersed,L /emon est /eus in)ersus"
$he 6astern occultists do betterR they reMect such a god altogether"
Page 196
REVIEWS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, pp" 31GC312V
+
$'6 $'65,5P'+!*# ,5!+6$<, its 5bMects and !reedE its *ttitude towards
!hristianity and its %or& in +ndiaR being a Paper in an enlarged form read before the
Madras /iocesan !lerical !onference on =uly Dth, 1223E by the Re)" *rthur
$heophilus"
*s regular as the new moon, one or another pamphlet modestly clothed in grey,
li&e our own Rules, and generally so decepti)e in its appearance, as to be easily
mista&en by any $heosophist for one of our own publications, ma&es periodically its
appearance on the hori.on of *ngloC+ndian literature, to )anish and disappear as
1uietly as it came" $he fortunes of such pamphlets are )arious and many" 9o less
numerous and, we may add, cunning, are the ways and modes de)ised for their
circulation among those classes that would in)ariably consign them to the
wastebas&et, were they not ta&en in by the outward appearances of the little shams"
$he one before us is a curious exception to the ruleR it does not contain one single
word of personal abuse" 9or does it bear any internal resemblance to its predecessors"
+t can hardly be )iewed as a cobweb of misrepresentations thrown ner)ously and
hastily from the pen of an unscrupulous and anonymous foe, but seems rather to be
laboriously wrought, and only after a careful perusal of all the data calculated to
incriminate the 4ounders of the $heosophical ,ociety 6)idently the Re)" *rthur
$heophilus does not belong to the class of our opponents represented by the garrulous
and gossiping *merican missionaries, who ha)e about as much of the mee&ness of a
ser)ant of :od in them, as the 'ungerfordCmar&et dame when her fruit stall is upset
by some gambling boy"
Page 19H
$he author of the pamphlet is to all appearances an educated man, who tries to be
accurate" %ere he to write upon any other subMect, his accuracy, no doubt, would
hardly ha)e to be disputed" %hy is it then, that as soon as the 1uestion touches upon
the $heosophical ,ociety, its aims, wor&, and especially upon its much
misrepresented 4ounders, the best regulated clerical brain seems to begin labouring
under a mysterious obscuration, a regular eclipse of common senseP 'ere he is, the
author of our pamphlet, uttering in a courteous and )ery guarded manner statements
far more inaccurate and easy of refutation than any of those of which the heroine of
the 'ints on 6soteric $heosophy is being accused of, and o)er which Kofficial
testimonyL the Re)" $heophilus reMoices so lustily in his own 1uiet way" 'e does not
e)en stop to reflect that, if the accusation against one of the 4ounders of the ,ociety
was allowed to appear in a publication printed under the auspices of that same
,ociety, it was probably due to some )ery good reasons" 5ne of these may be that it
did not much affect her in any wayE and secondly, that if the charge was allowed to be
published at all, it was Must out of a feeling of respect >perhaps too exaggerated as we
were told? for that something which will ne)er trouble the dreams of a missionaryR
namely, the right of e)eryone to express freely his own pri)ate opinion, whether it
concerns an indi)idual or a religion" (ut the Kobscuration,L as regards this fact, is so
manifest in the case of the Re)erend lecturer that it passes our comprehension" +t is
no affectation of ignorance in him, no desire to wound the enemy by whate)er
weapon, but e)idently proceeds from the )ery conformation of his mind, from the
depths of a theologically distorted focus of intellectual perceptions" 'e cannot thin&
in any different shape of the $heosophists, and his language follows the structure of
his thoughts" %hat he says of Madame (la)ats&y may be applied with far more
Mustice to himself" 'e is e)idently a gentleman of culture, but@Lwith a decidedly
wrong mental >and purely clerical? moral twist"L
'e is preMudiced to the core and@is unable to see with his natural eye"
$he lecturer limits the expression of his opinion to a )ery few facts, drawing his
materials from the authentic reports of the ,ociety and )arious articles in our
maga.ine"
Page 192
'e hopes to o)erturn the mo)ement if it can be shown that K$heosophy, )iewed
in the light of the public utterances of its 4ounders, is sub)ersi)e of all $heistic
faith,L in spite of their Kreiterated professions of neutrality on religious mattersLE and
@he calls $heosophy@a creedY ,tarting from such wrong premises he sets to the
tas& of 1uoting the public and published Kutterances of its two 4ounders, and
especially those of the !orresponding ,ecretary"L $o pro)e how well his position is
ta&en, and that she is an atheist from her own confessions, he 1uotes@attributing
them all to Madame (la)ats&y@from the following articlesR
1" *n editorial in the *rya" * theistic Mournal"
3" 6soteric $heosophy, page D9
6soteric $heosophy, page GB

(y a deistic $heosophist, not an
atheist certainly" >both?
3" $he 6lixir of #ife, Vol" +++ page 1H1"
(y : " " " M " " ", 4"$"," K$he italics
and capitals are Madame
(la)ats&yQsL@the Re)" lecturer
coolly informs the publicY?
D" $he $heosophist, May, 1223, page
3BG"
(y K5"L
G" $he $heosophist, article K$he 6lixir
of #ife, *pril, 1223, page 169"

(y : " " " M " " ", 4"$"," >$his is called
by the Re)" $heophilus KMme"
(la)ats&yQs definition on
meditation"L?
6" 6soteric $heosophy, page H9" 4rom !ol" 5lcottQs letter"
H" $he $heosophist, article K6lixir of
#ife,L March, 1223, page 1D3"

(y : " " " M " " ", 4"$"," >$he 1uotation
is preceded by the lecturerQs
affirmation @ KMadame (la)ats&y
teaches that,L etc"?
2" 6soteric $heosophy, page DG"
j
(y a deistic $heosophist"
9" 6soteric $heosophy, page 6H"
1B" 6soteric $heosophy, page GH"
11" 6soteric $heosophy, page H9"
j
(y !olonel 5lcott"
13" 6soteric $heosophy, page 1BH"
13" Auotations from a letter from
K*letheia"L >$heosophist for =une,
1223"?

;nfortunate reference, and a most sad
blunderY K*letheiaL is identical with
the author of 'ints on 6soteric
$heosophy"
1D" Auotations from a letter, K$he(eef
Auestion"L >$heosophist for =uly,
1223"? etc", etc", etc"

(y *" ,an&ariah, 4"$","K*s there is
no editorial comment on the article,L
the lecturer concludes that it
represents the K)iews of the
$heosophical leadersLYY

Page 199
$he only two 1uotations belonging to Madame (la)ats&y are >1? from an
editorial in $he $heosophist for May, 1223, page 191E and >3? from the same
maga.ine in May" Auotation the first affirms that Kwe accept !hristians as members
of our ,ociety, and, in fact, a !hristian clergyman was one of its original 4ounders,L
and may be now completed by our answering the lecturerQs sneer that the clergymanQs
name is not gi)en@when we tell him@that the name of that 4ounder is the Re)" =" '"
%iggin, of (oston, late 6ditor of the #iberal !hristian" Auotation number two refers
to a statement of ours about the <ogis, and has not the slightest bearing upon any
religious 1uestions" $hus to pro)e the atheism of Madame (la)ats&y, the Re)erend
lecturer resorts to fourteen 1uotations from )arious articles by different@mostly
theistic@writers, ma&ing her distinctly responsible for each of those, and fathering
e)ery one of them upon her, only, because he finds them either in $he $heosophist or
in $heosophical publications" %hen one remembers that e)ery number of our
maga.ine states on its first column that Kits 6ditor disclaims responsibility for
opinions expressed by contributors,L etc"@it becomes )ery difficult to refrain from
exclaimingR
K'e put an enemy into his mouth
%hich stole away his brains"L
9ow we desire the reader to properly understand that personally we do not at all
deny the charge of atheism, the word being used in an orthodox theistic sense" 9or do
we feel inclined to lose our time in dispro)ing the numerous and )ery funny mista&es
of the Re)erend lecturer" %hat we aimed at was to show beyond any doubt or ca)il
that, when once upon the subMect of the $heosophical ,ociety, it is utterly impossible
e)en for the best regulated and most tolerant of missionaries, or any other Re)erend
of the !hristian persuasion, not only to be accurate in his statements, but e)en to &eep
within the broadest boundaries of fact and truth"
Page 3BB
++
$'6 V*!!+9*$+59 +9A;+R6R and 'ealth Re)iew, the 5rgan of the #ondon
,ociety for the *bolition of !ompulsory Vaccination, published monthly at the 5ffice
of the ,ociety, 11D Victoria ,treet, %estminster, ,"%", etc"
$he *ugust number of this Mournal@which belongs to the same class of
heterodox publications as the 'omfopathic =ournal@is on our table" $he subMect
matter of this fearless little monthly which may be )iewed if we could be brought to
belie)e a bilious admirer of Vaccination@ as Ka direct incitement to a breach of the
law,L is )ery interesting" +t does its le)el best to upset the illusions of orthodox
medicine, and to expose the legal 1uac&ery of its practitioners, and show Khow
Prestige is wor&ed"L +n its own wordsR
* fa)ourite method of recommending fancies under the name of science is to
canoni.e some noisy 1uac&, and to ha)e him represented in lands where he is
indifferently &nown as an authority, whose words are to be accepted with pious
subser)ience" $hus we ha)e paraded before us a scientific saint in *merica, another
in 4rance, another in :ermany, and so on" +n #ondon one starry 1uac& appears to be
wellCnigh extinguished, whilst another is waning, although his beams still continue to
da..le the !ontinent" +t will re1uire much shouting of hosannas to succeed in
canoni.ing the saint, who proposes to X)accinateQ consumption into us" (ut if it is a
praiseworthy thing to do, it ought to be done openly, and not under the disguise of
cow or calf"
%ould that our great inno)ators could succeed in KinocculatingL some drops of
common good sense into themsel)es, before proposing to K)accinateL into the human
system more diseases than it is already heir toY
Page 3B1
*n artificial permanent issue in the brain of some of them, whenceforth their bigotry,
preMudice and male)olence to e)erything and e)eryone bold enough to oppose their
papal bulls would freely run out@is a desirable experiment to ma&e" %e generously
offer them our ad)ice to that effect free of charge for its publication"
kkkkkkk
+++
K* #6!$;R6 59 $'6 P6!;#+*R+$+6, 54 '+9/; #+$6R*$;R6L@
deli)ered at the $riplicane 'indu #iterary ,ociety of Madras, by !" $" %infred, ("*"
@is a )ery thoughtful and scientific pamphlet, and shows a great erudition and
research on the part of its author" %e belie)e the lecturer labours under a
misconception though, when he see&s to show on the authority of Professor Max
M^ller, that K9ir)ana, as concei)ed by (uddha, corresponds to the state of +swara"L
Most of the ontological truths are common to the K=ewish (ible, the 'indu Veda, the
Parsi 7end *)esta, and the Mohammedan 8oran"L (ut neither the (uddhist Pita&a
nor (uddhism in its full presentation can be called religionE for (uddhism in its
esoteric sense is the grandest world philosophy, while in its popular aspects it is but
little higher than any other soCcalled religion@generally a cobweb of foolish and
unscientific fables"
Page 3B3
$herefore, (uddhism proper ought ne)er to be classified with the groups of
theistic religions, since it is a philosophy entirely apart from, and opposed to, other
religious systems" +t is an original idea in the able lecturer to refer to the (ible as the
K=ewish Veda"L $he pith of the lecture may be summari.ed in its last sentenceR
Methin&s, we see a time when a race of intellectual giants, nourished with the
solid pabulum of ontological experience, animated by the noble spirit of martyrdom
for truth, deeply )ersed in and richly experienced in the classic lore of 'indu
literature, will start out from the womb of modern ,ociety and ta&e a conspicuous
part in the great struggle, raging from the birth of creation up to the present between
this principle of 6)il and :ood, 5romasdes and *rimanes, Virtue and Vice, #ight and
/ar&ness, :race and +gnorance, and tread in the footsteps of their great ancestors"
$hose are noble words if they mean what they say" %e had barely time to glance
at the lecture, and do not pretend to gi)e it the full re)iew it would e)idently merit"
WWWWWWWWWW
+V
K$'6 !'R+,$+*9 '6R*#/L and K,+:9, 54 5;R $+M6,L carry in their
titleCname the gist of their subMect matter" +t is an illustrated paperE and one of the
engra)ings represents a wic&ed !hinese K(lac&smith burning his female child"L +t is a
)ery impressi)e picture" +t would hardly fail to pro)e to the infidels the e)ident
superiority of the !hristian o)er the KheathenL (uddhist and !onfucian religions, had
we not as an offset against it another engra)ing in some of the illustrated papers of
*merica, representing a pious !hristian father in Philadelphia mo)ed by the example
of the Patriarch *braham sacrificing >in common parlance murdering? his own tenC
yearCold child for the glory of the #ord :od of +srael"
Page 3B3
%e ha)e had se)eral such instances of fren.ied piety among !hristians lately"
5n the engra)ing of the !hristian 'erald >March 33nd, 1223? the newly born female
infant shows undoubted signs of desperate terror at the sight of the burning o)enE her
eyes are widely open, and her two uplifted arms are gi)ing the Ksign of distressL of
the %estern Masons" Very happily though the picture does not seem to represent a
fact, but only a hearsay" K%e ha)e e)en heard of an infant girl being burned to death,L
writes the re)erend reporter from !hina" %e are sorry to be unable to gi)e the same
benefit of doubt to the Philadelphian modern *braham, since he was tried, found
guilty and sentenced last year in *merica for his pious (iblical imitation"
* long article is gi)en by Re)" :" %" %aldon, on ,piritualism, which its author
calls Modern /emonism" 'a)ing shown the public these K,igns of our $imes,L the
editor addresses a personal re1uest to his subscribers the originality of which ought
not to be lost on our own patrons" 'oping that the latter will not fail to comply with
the modest re1uest, we reproduce it )erbatim"
$he prayers of the readers of this Mournal are re1uested for the blessing of :od
upon its 6ditors and those whose sermons, articles, or labours for !hrist are printed in
it, and that its wee&ly circulation of more than 3GB,BBB copies may be blessed by the
'oly ,pirit to the con)ersion of many sinners and the 1uic&ening of :odQs people"
WWWWWWWWWW
V
K$'6 4R66 !';R!' M59$'#<L of =uly Dth, shows us K'indus 4eeling
*fter :od"L $he Re)" *" *ndrew of !hingleput spea&s )ery elo1uently of three cases
of K(rahmin see&ers after sal)ation"L ;nfortunately, the interesting case, 9o" 1 >who,
we are told, is now studying at Madras in PatcheappahQs !ollege? had hardly told his
Re)" ad)iser K+ am readyL when a meeting of his (rahman friends was con)ened and
the proposed candidate for sal)ation was carried off by his unregenerate parents
beyond the proselyti.ing clutches of the re)erend gentleman"
Page 3BD
$he second case, also pro)ed a failure" * (rahman boy of fifteen ha)ing been
as&ed Kto belie)e at once and witness well for !hristL as&ed before gi)ing his heart to
=esus Kif he will be compelled >when a !hristian? to eat those things he disli&es"L
9otwithstanding Ka long letter in answerL the re)erend has not heard from him, since"
$he third case is that of a nonCcaste" (eing but a too easy prey for the missionary
enterprise, the Re)" *" *ndrew declines to bapti.e him, as he is Knot yet satisfied with
his &nowledge of !hristian truth"L 'is ignorance must be great indeed" Remembering
the numbers of 'indu con)erts we ha)e met at Madras and elsewhere, who continue
to wear the top&not, to adorn their dus&y brows with huge caste mar&s, to gi)e their
children in marriage in their infancy, to &eep strictly to the widow nonCremarriage
law, and e)ery other custom, and differing generally from their heathen brethren by
no external, social, or for all we &now, internal mar&, we wonder at such an unusual
discretion" *s&ed by us what he &new of =esus !hrist, one of the said nati)es, a )ery
old con)ert, bapti.ed in 12GH, as he told us, answered that <eshu was born and li)ed
and died at the 9a.areth Mission near $inne)elly" !rossCexamined further, as to who
put the ManC:od to death, the unsophisticated Madrassee innocently replied that he
Kdid not &now for certain, but that he had reasons to belie)e it was done by the order
of an 6nglish !ollector ,ahib of that placeYL %e hope the Re)" *" *ndrew will clear
the doubts >as also the reputation of the (ritish *ngloC+ndian 5fficials? of his
con)erts to that effect@before he bapti.es any more of them"
Page 3BG
IS ELECTRICIT# M"TTER OR !ORCE(%
(< * $'65,5P'+,$
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, pp" 312C319V
+n a )ery interesting and able address on K$he !ommon 4oundation of all
Religions,L deli)ered at Madras, on *pril 36, 1223, by !olonel '" ," 5lcott,
PresidentC4ounder of the $heosophical ,ociety, the learned President, while spea&ing
of matter, has asserted that electricity is matter, li&e the air and water"
+ will 1uote his own words hereR
K%ell then, to return, is it matter, or something elseP + say matter plus something
else" *nd here stop a moment to thin& what matter is" #oose thin&ers@among whom
we must class raw lads fresh from !ollege, though they be e)er so much titled@are
apt to associate the idea of matter with the properties of density, )isibility, and
tangibility" (ut this is )ery inexcusable" $he air we breathe is in)isible, yet matter@
its e1ui)alents of oxygen, hydrogen >P?, nitrogen, and carbonic acid, are each atomic,
ponderable and demonstrable by analysis" 6lectricity cannot, except under prepared
conditions, be seen, yet it is matter" $he uni)ersal ether of science no one e)er saw,
yet it is matter in a state of extreme tenuity" $a&e the familiar example of forms of
water, and see how they rapidly run up the scale of tenuity until they elude the clutch
of scienceR stoneChard ice, melted ice, condensed steam, superheated and in)isible
steam, electricity>P? and@it is gone out of the world of effects into the world of
causesY
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his article is reprinted here as it is directly related to the one which follows"WWW!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3B6
$he familiar examples of air, water, and the uni)ersal ether gi)en by the learned
!olonel to illustrate matter, are well &nown and cannot be disputed for a moment, but
how he reconciles the idea of electricity, being also an example of matter, cannot be
concei)ed" $a&ing his own definition of matter, Katomic, ponderable, and
demonstrable,L + cannot understand how his material electricity will stand these tests"
+ will explain this further on when showing the difference between force and matter"
*ccording to the latest theories, electricity is regarded as a force, and not matter"
$he best thin&ers and best writers on physical science, as taught in 6urope, are agreed
on this point" Professor $yndall, one of the best materialistic philosophers of the
present century, while writing on KMatter and 4orce,L saysR
K#ongCthin&ing and experimenting has led philosophers to conclude that matter
is composed of atoms, from which whether separate or in combination, the whole
material world is built up" $he air we breathe, for example, is mainly a mechanical
mixture of the atoms of oxygen and nitrogen" $he water we drin& is also composed of
oxygen and hydrogen" (ut it differs from the air in this particular, that in water the
oxygen and hydrogen are not mechanically mixed, but chemically combined" $he
atoms of oxygen and those of hydrogen exert enormous attraction o)er each otherE so
that, when brought into sufficient proximity, they rush together with an almost
incredible force to form a chemical compound" (ut powerful as is the force with
which these atoms loc& themsel)es together, we ha)e the means of tearing them
asunder, and the agent by which we accomplish this may here recei)e a few
momentsQ attention"L
$hen he goes on describing the de)elopment of this force which he calls
electricity" 'ere Professor $yndall clearly shows that matter is different from force"
*gain, in the chapter on ,cientific Materialism, Professor $yndall saysR
K$he forms of the minerals resulting from this play of polar forces are )arious,
and exhibit different degrees of complexity" Men of science a)ail themsel)es of all
means of exploring their molecular structure" 4or this purpose they employ in turn as
agents of exploration, light, heat, magnetism, electricity, and sound"L
*ccording to the latest researches of modern physical science, philosophers
ha)e recogni.ed the existence of some agency, which they either call a force or
energy, and they regard the se)eral physical forces, )i.", light, sound, heat,
magnetism, and electricity as but different manifestations of the same"
Professor (alfour ,tewart regards electricity as a manifestation of energy"
Professor :anot defines electricity as a physical agent"
Professor Miller calls it a compound force"
Page 3BH
4orce, energy, and physical agent are simply different words to express the same
idea" +t will thus be seen that the modern men of science are agreed upon this point,
that electricity is a force" #et us proceed a step farther, and see whether matter and
force are interchangeable terms" $hat is whether matter is force, or force is matter"
4rom the 1uotations gi)en abo)e, it will be seen that Professor $yndall says that
matter is composed of atoms, and that which &eeps these atoms together or tears them
asunder is force" $hat is, matter is different from force" *s matter is composed of
atoms it must be ponderableE !olonel 5lcott admits this" +t can be pro)ed by
experiment that the air we breathe, and the water we drin&, ha)e each of them some
weight" $he uni)ersal ether of science, which exists in extreme tenuity, can be pro)ed
to possess some weight"Z
+s this test applicable to forceP +n whate)er form it may be manifest, as light,
sound, heat, magnetism, or electricity, it can be experimentally pro)ed that it has no
weight"
#ight, according to the latest theories in science, is the result of undulations or
)ibrations of an elastic medium or ether of inconcei)able tenuity, filling all space" (y
any scientific apparatus, yet &nown, it is not practicable to weigh a ray of light" +f we
pass se)eral rays of light through a lens or prism, it does not in any way gain in
weight"
'eat is the )ibration of the atom of a body" !an we weigh heatP + donQt thin& we
can" $he ball experiment is well &nown e)en to the beginners of science"
Magnetism or electricity are called polar forces"
* soft iron bar, after it is permanently magneti.ed, does not gain in weight"] ,o,
also, a #eyden Mar charged with electricity does not gain in weightE or a platinum wire
attached to the two poles of a gal)anic battery which will be red hot while electricity
is passing through it, will not gain in weight" +t may be urged by some that the present
science has not the means to weigh these" $he simple reply to this would be that if the
chemical balance is now capable of weighing minute bodies, there is no reason why
these agents, which are both demonstrable and appreciable, should not be weighed by
it, if they had any weight"
+t would seem that such an argument may be brought forward simply with a
)iew to e)ading the point in 1uestion"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,cience would feel than&ful to our correspondent, we should say, if he could but pro)e his
assertion" U'"P"("V
] K,oft iron cannot be KpermanentlyL magnetised" 5ur correspondent confounds it probably with
steel" U'"P"("V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3B2
'ence we may conclude that these se)eral manifestations of force are
imponderable" *s matter is ponderable, they cannot be matterR that is, force is not
matter" 6lectricity has been described abo)e as a forceE therefore, it is not matter"
'ow is it then that electricity is called matter, and is mentioned as an illustration of
matter along with air and waterP
*s a 1uestion of science, discussion on this subMect seems desirable, and $he
$heosophist would assist the cause of science by gi)ing publicity to this letter, and
in)iting replies to it from those including !olonel 5lcott, who maintain that
electricity is matter and not a force"
(aroda, =uly 19, 1223"
WWWWWWWWWW
WH"T IS M"TTER "ND WH"T IS !ORCE(
>* Reply"?
(< *95$'6R $'65,5P'+,$"Z
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, pp" 319C33DV
K*s a 1uestion of science,L@which, as such, has to be strictly &ept within the
boundaries of modern materialistic science@all Kdiscussion on this subMect,L
howe)er Kdesirable,L would pro)e, on the whole, unprofitable" 4irstly, because
science confines herself only to the physical aspects of the conser)ation of energy or
correlation of forcesE and, secondly, because, notwithstanding her own fran&
admissions of helpless ignorance of the ultimate causes of things, Mudging by the tone
of our criticQs article, + doubt whether he would be willing to admit the utter
unaptness of some of the scientific terms as appro)ed by the /)iMa, the KtwiceCbornL
of the Royal ,ociety, and obediently accepted by their easily persuaded admirers" +n
our age of freedom of thought and cheap paradox, party spirit reigns supreme, and
science has become more intolerant, if possible, than e)en theology"

WWWWWWWWWW
Z U +n #etters of '" P" (la)ats&y to *" P" ,innett, p" 2, '"P"(" states that this answer is from the pen
of Master 8"'" +t is not &nown whether it was dictated to '"P"(", or recei)ed in some other manner"
@ !ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3B9
$he only position, therefore, that could be safely assumed by a student of
esoteric philosophy against >e)idently? a champion of the exact science, in a
discussion upon the appropriateness of certain modern scientific terms, would be to
fight the latter with his own weapons, yet without stirring an inch from oneQs own
ground" *nd this is Must what + now propose to do"
*t the first glance, there does not seem much to answer in the article@K+s
6lectricity Matter or 4orcePL * modest point of interrogation, parenthetically placed
after the word Khydrogen,L in an enumeration of the e1ui)alents of Kthe air we
breatheLE and, the 1uestion, as shown in the heading, and already seemingly settled
by a series of 1uotations ta&en from scientific authorities who ha)e been pleased to
regard electricity as Ka force,L@is all we find in it" (ut it is so only at the Kfirst
glance"L 5ne need not study our 1ueristQs article )ery profoundly, to percei)e that it
in)ol)es a 1uestion of a far more serious moment to the $heosophists, than there
appears to be in it at first" +t is neither more nor less than the followingR K+s the
President of a ,ociety, which numbers among its adherents some of the most
scientific minds and intellects of 6urope and *merica, any better than an ignoramus
who has not e)en studied, or, has forgotten, his school primers@or is he notPL $he
implication is a )ery gra)e one, and demands as serious a consideration"
9ow, it could hardly be expected that any reasonable man personally ac1uainted
with the President would lose his time o)er pro)ing that !olonel 5lcott cannot be
ignorant of that which e)ery schoolboy is taught and &nowsE to wit, that air, the
gaseous fluid, in which we li)e and breathe, consists essentially of two gasesR oxygen
and nitrogen, in a state of mechanical mixture" 9or does anyone need a Professor
$yndall to assure him of the fact" 'ence, while the sneer implied in the interrogation
mar& would seem 1uite natural if the paper emanated from an enemy, it naturally
shoc&s a $heosophist to find it proceeding from a (rother member"
Page 31B
9o 4ellow can be ignorant of the fact, that Kthe PresidentC4ounder of the
$heosophical ,ocietyL has ne)er pretended to lecture upon any specific subMect
pertaining to physical sciences@which is the pro)ince of physicists and chemistsE nor
has Kthe learned PresidentL pledged himself ne)er to depart from the orthodox
terminology of the 4ellows of the Royal ,ociety" *n expounder and ad)ocate of
occult sciences, he may be permitted to use the peculiar phraseology of the ancient
philosophers" +t is simply absurd to ha)e to point out that which is selfCe)identE
namely, that the e1ui)alents Kof the air we breathe,L enumerated by the lecturer, did
not relate to the atmospheric air pure and simple@for he would ha)e probably said in
such a case Kchemical constituents,L or its Kcompound elementsL@but to the whole
atmosphere, one of the fi)e primiti)e elements of occult philosophy composed of
)arious and many gases"
$o show the better the right we ha)e to assume an attitude of opposition against
certain arbitrary assumptions of modern science, and to hold to our own )iews, + must
be permitted to ma&e a short digression and to remind our critic of a few
unanswerable points" $he bare fact that modern science has been pleased to di)ide
and subdi)ide the atmosphere into a whole host of elements, and to call them so for
her own con)enience, is no authoritati)e reason why the 5ccultists should accept that
terminology" ,cience has ne)er yet succeeded in decomposing a single one of the
many simple bodies, miscalled Kelementary substances,L for which failure, probably,
the latter ha)e been named by her Kelementary"L *nd whether she may yet, or ne)er
may, succeed in that direction in time, and thus recogni.e her error, in the meanwhile
we, 5ccultists, permit oursel)es to maintain that the alleged KprimordialL atoms
would be better specified under any other name but that one" %ith all the respect due
to the men of science, the terms KelementL and KelementaryL applied to the ultimate
atoms and molecules of matter of which they &now nothing, do not seem in the least
Mustifiable" +t is as though the Royal ,ociety agreed to call e)ery star a K8osmos,L
because each star is supposed to be a world li&e our own planet, and then would
begin taunting the ancients with ignorance since they &new but of one 8osmos@the
boundless infinite uni)erseY
Page 311
,o far, howe)er, science admits herself that the words KelementL and
Kelementary,L unless applied to primordial principles, or selfCexisting essences out of
which the uni)erse was e)oluted, are unfortunate termsE and remar&s thereupon that
Kexperimental science deals only with legitimate deductions from the facts of
obser)ation, and has nothing to do with any &ind of essences except those which it
can see, smell, or taste"L Professor =" P" !oo&e tells us that K,cience lea)es all others
to the metaphysiciansL >9ew !hemistry, 12HH?" $his stern pronunciamento, which
shows the men of science refusing to ta&e anything on faith, is immediately followed
by a )ery curious admission made by the same author" K5ur theory, + grant, may all
be wrong,L he adds, Kand there may be no such things as molecules>Y? " " " $he new
chemistry assumes, as its fundamental postulate that the magnitudes we call
molecules are realitiesE but this is the only postulate"LZ %e are thus made to suspect
that the exact science of chemistry needs to ta&e as well as transcendental
metaphysics something on blind faith" :rant her the postulate@and her deductions
ma&e of her an exact scienceE deny it@and the Kexact scienceL falls to piecesY $hus,
in this respect, physical science does not stand higher than psychological science, and
the 5ccultists need fear but )ery little of the thunderbolts of their most exact ri)als"
(oth are, to say the least, on a par" $he chemist, though carrying his subdi)ision of
molecules further than the physicist, can no more than he experiment on indi)idual
molecules" 5ne may e)en remind both that none of them has e)er seen an indi)idual
molecule" 9e)ertheless, and while priding themsel)es upon ta&ing nothing on faith,
they admit that they cannot often follow the subdi)ision of molecules with the eye,
but Kcan discern it with the intellectL Up" 29V" %hat more, then, do they do than the
5ccultists, the alchemists, the adeptsP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U+talics are '"P"("Qs" $he 1uotation is on p" HG of !oo&eQs wor&"@ !ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 313
%hile they discern with the Kintellect,L the adept, as he maintains, can as easily
discern the subdi)isibility ad infinitum of that, which his ri)al of the exact methods
pleases to call an Kelementary body,L and he follows it@with the spiritual in addition
to his physical intellect"
+n )iew then of all that precedes, + maintain that the President of the
$heosophical ,ociety had a perfect right to use the language of the 5ccultists in
preference to that of modern science" 'owe)er, e)en were we to admit that the
Ke1ui)alentsL under re)iew referred simply to the air we breathe, as specified by that
science, + still fail to percei)e why the lecturer should not ha)e mentioned
KhydrogenL along with the other gases" $hough air consists properly but of two gases,
yet with these are always present a certain proportion of carbonic acid gas and
a1ueous )apour" *nd with the presence of the latter, how can KhydrogenL be
excludedP +s our learned (rother prepared to maintain that we ne)er breathe anything
but oxygen and nitrogenP $he &ind assurance we ha)e from science that the presence
of any gas in the atmosphere, besides oxygen and nitrogen, ought to be regarded
simply as accidental impuritiesE and that the proportions of the two elements of the
air hardly )ary, whether ta&en from thic&ly populated cities or o)ercrowded hospitals,
is one of those scientific fictions which is hardly borne out by facts" +n e)ery closely
confined place, in e)ery locality exposed to putrescent exhalations, in crowded
suburbs and hospitals@as our critic ought to &now@the proportion of oxygen
diminishes to ma&e room for mephitic gases"Z
(ut we must pass to the more important 1uestion, now, and see, how far science
is Mustified in regarding electricity as a force, and !olonel 5lcott@with all the other
6astern 5ccultists@in maintaining that it is Kstill matter"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z +n Paris@the centre of ci)ili.ation@the air collected in one of its suburbs, was found, when
analysed, a few years ago, to contain only 13"H9 per cent Uof oxygenV instead of 33, its usual
proportionE nitrogen was present to the amount of 21"3D per cent, carbonic acid 3"B1, and
sulphuretted hydrogen 3"99 per cent"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 313
(efore we open the discussion, + must be allowed to remar&, that since Ka
$heosophistL wants to be scientifically accurate, he ought to remember that science
does not call electricity a force, but only one of the many manifestations of the sameE
a mode of action or motion" 'er list of the )arious &inds of energy which occur in
nature is long, and many are the names she uses to distinguish them" %ith all that,
one of her most eminent adepts, Professor (alfour ,tewart@one of the authorities he
1uotes against our President@warns his readers >see K$he 4orces and 6nergies of
9atureL?Z that their enumeration has nothing absolute, or complete about it,
Krepresenting, as it does, not so much the present state of our &nowledge as of our
want of &nowledge, or rather profound ignorance of the ultimate constitution of
matter"L ,o great is that ignorance, indeed, that treating upon heat, E mode of motion
far less mysterious and better understood than electricity, that scientist confesses that
Kif heat be not a species of motion, it must necessarily be a species of matter,L and
adds that the men of science Kha)e preferred to consider heat as a species of motion
to the alternati)e of supposing the creation of a peculiar &ind of matter"L
*nd if so, what is there to warrant us that science will not yet find out her
mista&e some day, and recogni.e and call electricity in agreement with the 5ccultists
Ka species of a peculiar &ind of matterLP
$hus, before the too dogmatic admirers of modern science ta&e the 5ccultists to
tas& for )iewing electricity under one of its aspects@and for maintaining that its
basic principle@M*$$6R, they ought at first to demonstrate that science errs when
she herself, through the mouthpiece of her recogni.ed high priests, confesses her
ignorance as to what is properly 4orce and what is Matter" 4or instance, the same
Professor of 9atural Philosophy, Mr" (alfour ,tewart, ##"/", 4"R",", in his lectures
on $he !onser)ation of 6nergy, tells us as followsR
" " " we &now nothing, or next to nothing, of the ultimate structure and properties
of matter, whether organic or inorganic, UandV " " " it is in truth, only a con)enient
classification, and nothing more" Upp" 3, H2"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U3rd chapter of $he !onser)ation of 6nergy, 12HD"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 31D
4urthermore, one and all, the men of science admit that, though they possess a
definite &nowledge of the general laws, yet they Kha)e no &nowledge of indi)iduals
in the domains of physical science"L 4or example, they suspect Ka large number of
our diseases to be caused by organic germs,L but they ha)e to a)ow that their
Kignorance about these germs is most complete"L *nd in the chapter K%hat is
6nergyPL the same great naturalist staggers the too confiding profane by the
following admissionR
" " " if our &nowledge of the nature and habits of organi.ed molecules be so
small, our &nowledge of the ultimate molecules of inorganic matter is, if possible,
still smaller" " " " +t thus appears, that we &now little or nothing about the shape or si.e
of molecules, or about the forces which actuate them " " " the )ery largest masses of
the uni)erse share with the )ery smallest this property of being beyond the scrutiny of
the human senses" " " " Upp" GC6"V
5f physical Khuman sensesL he must mean, since he &nows little, if anything, of
any other senses" (ut let us ta&e note of some further admissionsE this time by
Professor #e !onte in his lecture on the !orrelation of Vital with !hemical and
Physical 4orcesR
" " " ,ince the distinction between force and energy is imperfectly or not at all
defined in the higher forms of force, and especially in the domain of life " " " our
language cannot be more precise until our ideas in this department are far clearer than
now"Z
6)en as regards the familiar li1uid@water@science is at a loss to decide
whether the oxygen and hydrogen exist, as such, in water, or whether they are
produced by some un&nown and unconcei)ed transformation of its substances" K+t is a
1uestion,L says Mr" =" P" !oo&e, Professor of !hemistry, Kabout which we may
speculate, but in regard to which we ha)e no &nowledge" (etween the 1ualities of
water and the 1ualities of these gases there is not the most distant resemblance"L *ll
they &now is that water can be decomposed by an electrical currentE but why it is so
decomposed, and then again recombined, or what is the nature of that they call
electricity, etc", they do not &now"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Vide (alfour ,tewart, $he !onser)ation of 6nergy, 9"<", 12HD, *ppendix, pp" 1H3CH3"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 31G
'ydrogen, more o)er, was till )ery lately one of the )ery few substances, which
was &nown only in its aeriform condition" +t is the lightest form of matter &nown"Z
4or nearly sixty years, e)er since the days when /a)y li1uefied chlorine, and
$hilorier carbonic acid under a pressure of fifty atmospheres@fi)e gases had always
resisted manipulation@hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbonic oxide, and finally
bioxide of nitrogen" $heoretically they might be reduced, but no means could be
found by which they could be dealt with practically, although (erthelot had subMected
them to a pressure of 2BB atmospheres" $here, howe)er, where 4araday and /umas,
Regnault and (erthelot had failed, Mr" !ailletet, a comparati)ely un&nown student of
science, but a few years ago achie)ed a complete success" 5n /ecember 16th, 12H2,
he li1uefied oxygen in the laboratory of the bcole 9ormale, and on the 3Bth of the
same month he succeeded in reducing e)en the refractory hydrogen" Mr" Raoul Pictet,
of :ene)a, went still further" 5xygen and hydrogen were not only li1uefied, but
solidified, as the experiment@by illuminating with electric light the Met as it passed
from the tubes containing the two gases, and finding therein incontestable signs of
polari.ation which implies the suspension of solid particles in the gas pro)ed"]
$here is not an atom in nature, but contains latent or potential electricity which
manifests under &nown conditions" ,cience &nows that matter generates what it calls
force, the latter manifesting itself under )arious forms of energy@such as heat, light,
electricity, magnetism, gra)itation, etc"@yet that same science has hitherto been
unable, as we find from her own admissions as gi)en abo)e, to determine with any
certainty where matter ends and force >or spirit, as some call it? begins"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z * cubic yard of air at the temperature of HH deg" 4ahr" weighs about two pounds, while a cubic
yard of hydrogen weighs only 31h3 ounces"
] *rticle of 'enry de Par)ille, one of the best of the 4rench populari.ers of science"@ =ournal des
/Sbats"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 316
,cience, while reMecting metaphysics and relegating it through her mouthpiece,
Professor $yndall, to the domain of poetry and fiction, unbridles as often as any
metaphysician her wild fancy, and allows mere hypotheses to run races on the field of
unpro)ed speculation" *ll this she does, as in the case of the molecular theory, with
no better authority for it, than the paradoxical necessity for the philosophy of e)ery
science to arbitrarily select and assume imaginary fundamental principlesE the only
proof offered in the way of demonstrating the actual existence of the latter being a
certain harmony of these principles with obser)ed facts" $hus, when men of science
imagine themsel)es subdi)iding a grain of sand to the ultimate molecule they call
oxide of silicon, they ha)e no real, but only an imaginary and purely hypothetical
right to suppose that, if they went on di)iding it further >which, of course, they
cannot? the molecule, separating itself into its chemical constituents of silicon and
oxygen, would finally yield that which has to be regarded as two elementary bodies
@since the authorities, so regard themY 9either an atom of silicon, nor an atom of
oxygen, is capable of any further subdi)ision into something else@they say" (ut the
only good reason we can find for such a strange belief is, because they ha)e tried the
experiment and@failed" (ut how can they tell that a new disco)ery, some new
in)ention of still finer and more perfect apparatuses and instruments may not show
their error some dayP 'ow do they &now that those )ery bodies now called
Kelementary atomsL are not in their turn compound bodies or molecules, which, when
analysed with still greater minuteness, may show containing in themsel)es the real,
primordial, elementary globules, the gross encasement of the still finer atomCspar&@
the spar& of #+46, the source of 6lectricity@M*$$6R stillY $ruly has 'enry
8hunrath, the greatest of the alchemists and Rosicrucians of the middle ages, shown
spirit in man@as in e)ery atom@as a bright flame enclosed within a more or less
transparent globule, which he calls soul"
Page 31H
*nd since the men of science confessedly &now nothing of >a? the origin of
either matter or forceE >b? nor of electricity or lifeE and >c? their &nowledge of the
ultimate molecules of inorganic matter amounts to a cipherE why, + as&, should any
student of 5ccultism, whose great masters may &now, perchance, of essences which
the professors of modern materialistic school can neither Ksee, smell, nor taste,L why
should he be expected to ta&e their definitions as to what is M*$$6R and what
45R!6 as the last word of unerring, infallible scienceP
KMen of science,L our critic tells us, Kemploy in turn as agents of exploration,
light, heat, magnetism, electricity and soundLE and at the same time he enunciates the
now heretical proposition, Kthat these se)eral manifestations of force are
imponderable"L + respectfully suggest that when he spea&s of imponderable agents he
sins against the decrees of his great masters" #et him study the boo&s published upon
the newly reorgani.ed chemistry based upon what is &nown as K*)ogadroQs #awLE
and then he will learn that the term imponderable agents is now regarded as a
scientific absurdity" $he latest conclusions at which modern chemistry has arri)ed, it
seems, ha)e brought it to reMect the word imponderable, and to ma&e away with those
textboo&s of preCmodern science, which refer the phenomena of heat and electricity
to attenuated forms of matter" 9othing, they hold, can be added to, or subtracted from
bodies without altering their weight" $his was said and written in 12H6, by one of the
greatest chemists in *merica" %ith all that, ha)e they become any the wiser for itP
'a)e they been able to replace by a more scientific theory the old and tabooed
Kphlogiston theoryL of the science of ,tahl, Priestley, ,cheele, and othersP@or,
because they ha)e pro)ed, to their own satisfaction, that it is highly unscientific to
refer the phenomena of heat and electricity to attenuated forms of matter ha)e they
succeeded at the same time in pro)ing what are really, 4orce, Matter, 6nergy, 4ire,
6lectricity@#+46P $he Phlogiston of ,tahl@a theory of combustion taught by
*ristotle and the :ree& philosophers@as elaborated by ,cheele, the poor ,wedish
apothecary, a secret student of 5ccultism, who, as Professor !oo&e says of him,
Kadded more &nowledge to the stoc& of chemical science in a single year than did
#a)oisier in his lifetime,L
Page 312
was not a mere fanciful speculation, though #a)oisier was permitted to taboo and
upset it"Z (ut, indeed, were the high priests of modern science to attach more weight
to the essence of things than to mere generali.ations, then, perhaps, would they be in
a better position to tell the world more of the Kultimate structure of matterL than they
now are" #a)oisier, as it is well &nown, did not add any new fact of prime importance
by upsetting the phlogiston theory, but only added Ka grand generali.ation"L (ut the
5ccultists prefer to hold to the fundamental theories of ancient sciences" 9o more
than the authors of the old theory, do they attach to phlogiston@which has its specific
name as one of the attributes of *&a[a@the idea of weight which the uninitiated
generally associate with all matter" *nd though to us it is a principle, a wellCdefined
essence, whereas to ,tahl and others it was an undefined essence@yet, no more than
we, did they )iew it as matter in the sense it has for the present men of science" *s
one of their modern professors puts itR K$ranslate the phlogiston by energy, and in
,tahlQs wor& on !hemistry and Physics, of 1H31, put energy where he wrote
phlogiston, and you ha)e " " " our great modern doctrine of conser)ation of energy"L
Verily soE it is the Kgreat modern doctrine,L only@plus something else, let me add"
'ardly a year after these words had been pronounced, the disco)ery by Professor
!roo&es of radiant matter@of which, further on@has nigh upset again all their
pre)ious theories"
K4orce, energy, physical agent, are simply different words to express the same
idea,L obser)es our critic" + belie)e he errs"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his term is deri)ed from the :ree& phlogistos, burnt, inflammable, and phlogi.ein, to set on
fire, to burn" +t is a term used for the hypothetical principle of fire, or inflammability, regarded as a
material substance" $he term was proposed by ,tahl, who, with =" =" (echer, ad)anced the
phlogiston theory" *ccording to them, e)ery combustible substance is a compound of phlogiston,
and the phenomena of combustion are due to the phlogiston lea)ing the other constituent behind"
,imilarly, metals are produced from their calces by the union of the latter with phlogiston" %hile
abandoned now, the theory is not altogether without worth, and has occult implications"@
!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 319
$o this day the men of science are unable to agree in gi)ing to electricity a
name, which would con)ey a clear and comprehensi)e definition of this K)ery
mysterious agent,L as Professor (alfour ,tewart calls it" %hile the latter states that
electricity or Kelectrical attraction may PR5(*(#< be regarded as peculiarly allied
to that force which we call chemical affinityLE and Professor $yndall calls it Ka mode
of motion,L Professor *" (ain regards electricity as one of the fi)e chief powers or
forces in natureR K5ne mechanical or molar, the momentum of mo)ing matter,L the
others Kmolecular, or embodied in the molecules, also ,;PP5,6/>P? in motion@
these are, heat, light, chemical force, electricityL >$he !orrelations of 9er)ous and
Mental 4orces?" 9ow these three definitions would not gain, + am afraid, by being
strictly analy.ed"
9o less extraordinary appears a certain conclusion K* $heosophistL arri)es at"
'a)ing reminded us that by no Kscientific apparatus yet &nown, is it practicable to
weigh a ray of lightLE he yet assures us, that " " " Kthe uni)ersal ether of science, which
exists in extreme tenuity, can be pro)ed to possess some weight"L $his assertion made
in the face of those who regard ether as a reality, and who &now that since it per)ades
the densest solids as readily as water does a sponge, it cannot, therefore, be confined
@sounds strange indeedE nor can the assumption be supported by modern ,cience"
%hen she succeeds to weigh her purely hypothetical medium, the existence of which
is so far only a con)enient hypothesis to ser)e the ends of her undulatory theory, we
will ha)e, indeed, to bow before her magic wand" ,ince our (rother is so fond of
1uoting from authorities, let him 1uote next time the followingR
%hether there are such things as wa)es of ether or not, we represent these
dimensions to our imagination as wa)e lengths " " " and e)ery student of physics will
bear me out " " " that though our theory may only be a phantom of our scientific
dreaming, these magnitudes must be the dimensions of something" >Magnitudes of
6ther %a)es, p" 3G"?
+t becomes rather difficult, after such a public confession, to belie)e that science
can pro)e the uni)ersal ether Kto possess some weight"L
Page 33B
5n the other hand, our critic )ery correctly doubts whether there e)er was any
instrument de)ised Kto weigh a ray of lightLE though he as incorrectly persists in
calling light Ka force, or energy"L 9ow + beg to maintain that, e)en in strict
accordance with modern science, which can be shown to misname her subMects nine
times out of ten, and then to &eep on nai)ely confessing it, without ma&ing the
slightest attempt to correct her misleading terms@light was ne)er regarded as Ka
force"L +t is, says science, a Kmanifestation of energy,L a Kmode of motionL produced
by a rapid )ibration of the molecules of any lightCgi)ing body and transmitted by the
undulations of ether" $he same for heat and sound, the transmission of the latter
depending, in addition to the )ibrations of ether, on the undulations of an inter)ening
atmosphere" Professor !roo&es thought at one time that he had disco)ered light to be
a force, but found out his mista&e )ery soon" $he explanation of $homas <oung of
the undulatory theory of light holds now as good as e)er, and shows that what we call
light is simply an impression produced upon the retina of the eye by the wa)eCli&e
motion of the particles of matter" #ight, then, li&e heat@of which it is the crown@is
simply the ghost, the shadow of matter in motion, the boundless, eternal, infinite
,P*!6, M5$+59 and /;R*$+59, the trinitarian essence of that which the /eists
call :od, and we@the 5ne 6lementE ,piritCmatter, or MatterCspirit, whose septenary
properties we circumscribe under its triple abstract form in the e1uilateral triangle" +f
the mediae)al $heosophists and the modern 5ccultists, call the ,piritual ,oul@the
)ahan U)ehicleV of the se)enth, the pure, immaterial spar&@Ka fire ta&en from the
eternal ocean of light,L they also call it in the esoteric language Ka pulsation of the
6ternal MotionLE and the latter cannot certainly exist outside of matter" $he men of
science ha)e Must found out Ka fourth state of matter,L whereas the 5ccultists ha)e
penetrated ages ago beyond the sixth, and, therefore, do not infer but 895% of the
existence of the se)enth@the last" Professor (alfour ,tewart, in see&ing to show light
an energy or force, 1uotes *ristotle, and remar&s that the :ree& philosopher seems to
ha)e entertained the idea that, Klight is not a body, or the emanation of any body >for
that, *ristotle says, would be a &ind of body? and that, therefore, light is an energy or
act"L
Page 331
$o this + respectfully demur and answer, that if we cannot concei)e of
mo)ement or motion without force, we can concei)e still less of an Kenergy or actL
existing in boundless space from the eternity, or e)en manifesting, without some &ind
of body" Moreo)er, the conceptions about KbodyL and KmatterL of *ristotle and Plato,
the founders of the two great ri)al schools of anti1uity, opposed as they were in many
things to each other, are ne)ertheless still more at )ariance with the conceptions about
KbodyL and KmatterL of our modern men of science" $he $heosophists, old and
modern, the *lchemists and Rosicrucians ha)e e)er maintained that there were no
such things per se as Klight,L Kheat,L Ksound,L KelectricityLE least of all@could there
be a )acuum in nature" *nd now the results of old and modern in)estigation fully
corroborate what they had always affirmed, namely, that in reality there is no such
thing as a Kchemical ray,L a Klight ray,L or a Kheat ray"L $here is nothing but radiant
energyE or, as a man of science expresses it in the ,cientific *merican,Z radiant
energy@Kmotion of some &ind, causing )ibrations across space of something
between us and the sun@something which, without understanding fully U)erily soYV,
we call Xether,Q and which exists e)erywhere, e)en in the X)acuumQ of a radiometer"L
$he sentence UthoughV confused, is none the less, the last word of science" *gainR
K%e ha)e always one and the same cause, radiant energy, and we gi)e this one thing
different names, Xactinism,Q Xlight,Q or Xheat"QL *nd we are also told that the miscalled
chemical or actinic rays, as well as those which the eye sees as blue or green, or red,
and those which the thermometer feels@Kare all due to one thing@motion of the
ether"L
9ow the sun and ether being beyond dispute material bodies, necessarily e)ery
one of their effects@light, heat, sound, electricity, etc"@must be, agreeably to the
definition of *ristotle >as accepted, though slightly misconcei)ed, by Professor
(alfour ,tewart? also Ka &ind of body,L ergo@M*$$6R"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z K$he ,unQs Radiant 6nergy,L by Prof" ," P" #angley, ,cientific *merican, Vol" D1, =uly 36, 12H9,
p" G3"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 333
(ut what is in reality MatterP %e ha)e seen that it is hardly possible to call electricity
a force, and yet we are forbidden to call it matter under the penalty of being called
unscientificY 6lectricity has no weight@Ka $heosophistL teaches us@ergo it cannot
be matter" %ell, there is much to be said on both sides" MalletQs experiment, which
corroborated that of Pirani >12H2?, showed that electricity is under the influence of
gra)itation, and must ha)e, therefore, some weight" * straight copper wire@with its
ends bent downward@is suspended at the middle to one of the arms of a delicate
balance, while the bent ends dip in mercury" %hen the current of a strong battery is
passed through the wire by the inter)ention of the mercury, the arm to which the wire
is attached, although accurately balanced by a counterpoise, sensibly tends
downward, notwithstanding the resistance produced by the buoyancy of the mercury"
MalletQs opponents who tried at the time to show that gra)itation had nothing to do
with the fact of the arm of the balance tending downward, but that it was due to the
law of attraction of electric currentsE and who brought forward to that effect (arlowQs
theory of electric currents and *mpdreQs disco)ery that electric currents, running in
opposite directions, repel one another and are sometimes dri)en upward against
gra)itation@only pro)ed that men of science will rarely agree, and that the 1uestion
is so far an open one" $his, howe)er, raises a side issue as to what is Kthe law of
gra)itation"L $he scientists of the present day assume that Kgra)itationL and
KattractionL are 1uite distinct from one another" (ut the day may not be far distant
when the theory of the 5ccultists that the Klaw of gra)itationL is nothing more or less
than the Klaw of attraction and repulsion,L will be pro)ed scientifically correct"
,cience may, of course, if it so pleases her, call electricity a force" 5nly by
grouping it together with light and heat, to which the name of force is decidedly
refused, she has either to plead guilty of inconsistency, or to tacitly admit that it is a
Kspecies of matter"L
Page 333
(ut whether electricity has weight or not, no true scientist is prepared to show
that there is no matter so light as to be beyond weighing with our present instruments"
*nd this brings us directly to the latest disco)ery, one of the grandest in science, +
mean Mr" !roo&esQ Kradiant matterL or@as it is now called $'6 45;R$' ,$*$6
54 M*$$6R"
$hat the three states of matter@the solid, the li1uid and the gaseous@are but so
many stages in an unbro&en chain of physical continuity, and that the three correlate,
or are transformed one into the other by insensible gradations, needs no further
demonstration, we belie)e" (ut what is of a far greater importance for us, 5ccultists,
is the admission made by se)eral great men of science in )arious articles upon the
disco)ery of that fourth state of matter" ,ays one of them in the ,cientific *mericanR
$here is nothing any more improbable in the supposition that these three states
of matter do not exhaust the possibilities of material condition, than in supposing the
possibilities of sound to extend to aerial undulations to which our organs of hearing
are insensible, or the possibilities of )ision to ethereal undulations too rapid or too
slow to affect our eyes as light"
*nd, as Professor !roo&es has now succeeded in refining gases to a condition so
ethereal as to reach a state of matter Kfairly describable as ultraCgaseous, and
exhibiting an entirely no)el set of properties,L why should the 5ccultists be ta&en to
tas& for affirming that there are beyond that Kultra gaseousL state still other states of
matterE states, so ultra refined, e)en in their grosser manifestations@such as
electricity under all its &nown forms@as to ha)e fairly deluded the scientific senses,
and let the happy possessors thereof call electricity@a 4orceY $hey tell us that it is
ob)ious that if the tenuity of some gas is )ery greatly increased, as in the most perfect
)acua attainable, the number of molecules may be so diminished, that their collisions
under fa)ourable conditions may become so few, in comparison with the number of
masses, that they will cease to ha)e a determining effect upon the physical character
of the matter under obser)ation"
Page 33D
+n other words, they say, Kthe free flying molecules, if left to obey the laws of
&inetic force without mutual interference, will cease to exhibit the properties
characteristic of the gaseous state, and ta&e on an entirely new set of properties"L $his
is R*/+*9$ M*$$6R" *nd still beyond, lies the source of electricity@still
M*$$6R"
9ow it would be too presumptuous on our part to remind the reader, that if a fourth
state of matter was disco)ered by Professor !roo&es, and a fourth dimension of space
by Professor 7\llner, both indi)iduals standing at the )ery fountainhead of science,
there is nothing impossible that in time there will be disco)ered a fifth, sixth, and
e)en se)enth condition of matter, as well as se)en senses in man, and that all nature
will finally be found septenary, for who can assign limits to the possibilities of the
latterY ,pea&ing of his disco)ery, Professor !roo&es Mustly remar&s, that the
phenomena he has in)estigated in his exhausted tubes re)eal to physical science a
new field for exploration, a new world@
* world, wherein matter exists in a fourth state, where the corpuscular theory of
light holds good, and where light does not always mo)e in a straight line, but where
we can ne)er enter, and in which we must be content to obser)e and experiment from
without"
$o this the 5ccultist might answer, Kif we can ne)er enter it, with the help of our
physical senses, we ha)e long since entered and e)en gone beyond it, carried thither
by our spiritual faculties and in our spiritual bodies"L
*nd now + will close the too lengthy article with the following reflection" $he
ancients ne)er in)ented their myths" 5ne, ac1uainted with the science of occult
symbology, can always detect a scientific fact under the mas& of grotes1ue fancy"
$hus one, who would go to the trouble of studying the fable of 6lectra@one of the
se)en *tlantides@in the light of occult science, would soon disco)er the real nature
of 6lectricity, and learn that it signifies little whether we call it 4orce or Matter, since
it is both, and so far, in the sense gi)en it by modern science, both terms may be
regarded as misnomers" 6lectra, we &now, is the wife and daughter of *tlas the $itan,
and the son of *sia and of Pleione, the daughter of the 5cean" " " "

Page 33G
*s Professor #e !onte well remar&sR K$here are many of the best scientists who
ridicule the use of the term )ital force, or )itality, as a remnant of superstitionE and
yet the same men use the words gra)ity, magnetic force, chemical force, physical
force, electrical force, etc"LZ and are withal unable to explain what is life, or e)en
electricityE nor are they able to assign any good reason for that wellC&nown fact that
when an animal body is &illed by lightning, after death the blood does not coagulate"
!hemistry, which shows to us e)ery atom, whether organic or inorganic in nature
susceptible to polari.ation, whether in its atomic mass or as a unit, and inert matter
allied with gra)ity, light with heat, etc"@hence as containing latent electricity@still
persists in ma&ing a difference between organic and inorganic matter, though both are
due to the same mysterious energy, e)er at wor& by her own occult processes in
natureQs laboratory, in the mineral no less than in the )egetable &ingdom" $herefore
do the 5ccultists maintain that the philosophical conception of spirit, li&e the
conception of matter, must rest on one and the same basis of phenomena, adding that
4orce and Matter, ,pirit and Matter, or /eity and 9ature, though they may be )iewed
as opposite poles in their respecti)e manifestations, yet are in essence and in truth but
one, and that life is present as much in a dead as in a li)ing body, in the organic as in
the inorganic matter" $his is why, while science is searching still and may go on
searching fore)er to sol)e the problem K%hat is lifePL the 5ccultist can afford to
refuse ta&ing the trouble, since he claims, with as much good reason as any gi)en to
the contrary, that #ife, whether in its latent or dynamical form, is e)erywhere" $hat it
is as infinite and as indestructible as matter itself, since neither can exist without the
other, and that electricity is the )ery essence and origin of@#ife itself" KPurushL is
nonCexistent without KPra&ritiLE nor, can Pra&riti, or plastic matter ha)e being or exist
without Purush, or spirit, )ital energy, #+46" Purush and Pra&riti are in short the two
poles of the one eternal element, and are synonymous and con)ertible terms"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U,ummari.ed from =oseph #e !onteQs 6)olution and its Relation to Religious $hought >1222?,
Part 3, chap" i), p" 399, footnote"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 336
5ur bodies, as organi.ed tissues, are indeed Kan unstable arrangement of
chemical forces,L plus a molecular force@as Professor (ain calls electricity@raging
in it dynamically during life, tearing asunder its particles, at death, to transform itself
into a chemical force after the process, and thence again to resurrect as an electrical
force or life in e)ery indi)idual atom" $herefore, whether it is called 4orce or Matter,
it will e)er remain the 5mnipresent Proteus of the ;ni)erse, the one element@#+46
@,pirit or 4orce at its negati)e, Matter at its positi)e poleE the former the
M*$6R+5C,P+R+$;*#, the latter, the M*$6R+5CP'<,+!*# ;ni)erse@9ature,
,)abha)at or +9/6,$R;!$+(#6 M*$$6R"
WWWWWWWWWW
*C. C. M., "ND ISIS UNVEILED
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +++, 9o" 13, ,eptember, 1223, pp" 33DC36V
%e publish the following letter from K'" F",LZ under a strong personal protest"
*nother paper signed by se)eral !helas@all accepted pupils and disciples of our
MastersWWthat immediately follows it, will show to our readers that we are not alone
in feeling pain for such an ungenerous and uncalledCfor criticism, which we ha)e
e)ery right to consider as a )ery oneCsided expression of a merely personal opinion" +f
it is ne)er fair or Must in a 6uropean to Mudge of an *siatic according to his own
%estern code and criterion, how much more unfair it becomes when the same
standard is applied by him to an exceptional class of people who are@owing to their
recogni.ed learning, wondrous powers, and especially their great purity of life@
exempted from Mudgment e)en by their own people@the teeming millions of *sia, of
whate)er nation, religion or caste"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U*" 5" 'ume"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 33H
5ur correspondent must surely be aware of the fact, &nown to e)ery child in
+ndia, )i.", that they, whom the numberless masses of *siatics call Mahatmas@-great
soulsL@and re)erentially bow to, are subMect to neither the tyranny of caste, nor that
of social or religious laws" $hat so holy are they in the eyes of e)en the most bigoted,
that for long ages they ha)e been regarded as a law within the law, e)ery ordinary and
other law losing its rights o)er such exceptional men" Vox populi, )ox /ei, is an old
pro)erb showing that the intuitions of the masses can rarely fail to instincti)ely
percei)e great truths" 9or can we really see any reason, why a hitherto un&nown and
profoundly secret 4raternity, a handful of men who ha)e strenuously a)oided coming
in contact with the outside world, who neither force themsel)es upon, nor e)en first
)olunteer their teachings to any one@least of all 6uropeans@why, we say, they
should be so unceremoniously dragged out before the ga.e of a perfectly indifferent
public >that is neither interested nor does it generally belie)e in their existence? only
to be placed in a false light >false because of its great incompleteness? and then cut up
piecemeal by one dissatisfied student for the supposed benefit of a few who are not
e)en lay chelasY 'owe)er, since it is the pleasure of our Masters themsel)es, that the
abo)e criticism should be placed before the *reopagus of a public, for whose opinion
they must care as much as the great Pyramid does for the hot wind of the /esert
sweeping o)er its hoary top@we must obey" <et, we repeat most emphatically that,
had it not been for the express orders recei)ed from our great (rothers, we should
ha)e ne)er consented to publish such a@to say the least@ungenerous document"
Perchance it may do good in one directionR it gi)es the &ey, we thin&, to the true
reason why our (rothers feel so reluctant to show fa)ours e)en to the most
intellectual among the 6uropean KwouldCbeL mystics"
Page 332
U$he letter from K'"F"L to the 6ditor comments first upon +sis ;n)eiled which,
it is said, Kfor all but the adepts and chelas@teems with what are practically errors"L
$he writerQs chief complaint is that the truth was not completely gi)en out by '" P" ("
and the MastersE he holds Kthat &nowing what they do, it is a sin on their part not to
communicate to the world all the &nowledge they possess, which would not in)ol)e
conferring on people unworthy, probably, to exercise them, occult powers"L 'e
further belie)es that K!" !" M" and other (ritish $heosophists, must be prepared to
meet constantly with all &inds of things in connection with the alleged sayings and
doings of the (R5$'6R, which to them seem 1uite inconsistent with such beings as
adepts, or more properly with their +/6*#, of what these 5;:'$ to be"L *ccording
to his ideas, Kthree courses are open to usR >1? $o accept the (R5$'6R, as they are "
" "E >3? $o gi)e up the (R5$'6R, and their painfully doled out glimpses of the
hidden higher &nowledge " " "E >3? $o cut the concern altogether as affording no
prospects of any practical results" " " "L
K'"F"L says among other thingsR K" " " in one wee& + could teach any ordinarily
intelligent man, all, that in eighteen months, we all of us ha)e succeeded in extracting
from them,L i"e", the (rothers"L $o this '" P" (" remar&sRV
9o doubt, no doubt" *ny Kordinarily intelligent manL may learn in an hour, or
perhaps less, to spea& through a telephone, or a phonograph" (ut how many years
were re1uired to first disco)er the secret force, then to apply it, in)ent and perfect the
two wonderful instruments"
UK'"F"L spea&s of a perfect adept Kwhich our immediate adept masters cannot,
they tell us, claim to be"L $o this '"P"(" remar&sRV
Perfect adeptR 5ne who has successfully passed the highest degree of initiation
beyond which is perfect *diC(uddhaship, than which there is no higher one on this
earth"
May not this confession of our (R5$'6R, be partially due to one more attribute
they are found to share so KgrudginglyL and rarely with the too Keducated
6uropeans,L namely@ModestyP
U'ere follows K* ProtestL against K'"F"QsL article, signed by a number of
K*cceptedL and KProbationaryL 'indu !helas"V
Page 339
" PROTEST
%e, the undersigned, the K*cceptedL and KProbationaryL 'indu !helas of the
'+M*#*<*9 (R5$'6R,, their disciples in +ndia, and 9orthern !ashmere,
respectfully claim our right to protest against the tone used in the abo)e article, and
the bold criticisms of '" F"@ a lay !hela" 9o one who has once offered himself as a
pupil has any right to openly criticise and blame our M*,$6R, simply upon his own
un)erified hypotheses, and thus to preMudge the situation" *nd, we respectfully
maintain that it befits ill one, to whom positi)ely exceptional fa)ours were shown, to
drag their personalities as unceremoniously before the public as he would any other
class of men"
(elonging, as we do, to the soCcalled KinferiorL *siatic race, we cannot help
ha)ing for our Masters that boundless de)otion which the 6uropean condemns as
sla)ish" $he %estern races would howe)er do well to remember that if some of the
poor *siatics arri)ed at such a height of &nowledge regarding the mysteries of nature,
it was only due to the fact that the !helas ha)e always blindly followed the dictates
of their Masters and ha)e ne)er set themsel)es higher than, or e)en as high as, their
:urus" $he result was that sooner or later they were rewarded for their de)otion,
according to their respecti)e capacities and merits by those who, owing to years of
selfCsacrifice and de)otion to their :urus, had in their turn become */6P$," %e
thin& that our blessed M*,$6R, ought to be the best Mudges how to impart
instruction" Most of us ha)e seen and &now them personally, while two of the
undersigned li)e with the )enerated M*'*$M*,, and therefore &now how much of
their powers is used for the good and wellCbeing of 'umanity" *nd if, for reasons of
their own, which we &now must be good and wise, our :urus abstain from
communicating Kto the world all the &nowledge they possessL it is no reason why
Klay !helasL who &now yet so little about them should call it Ka sinL and assume
upon themsel)es the right of remonstrating with, and teaching them publicly what
they imagine to be their duty" 9or does the fact that they are Keducated 6uropean
gentlemenL@alter the case Moreo)er our learned (rother, who complains of
recei)ing so little from our M*,$6R,, seems to lose sight of the, to him
unimportant, fact that 6uropeans, no less than nati)es, ought to feel than&ful for e)en
such Kcrumbs of &nowledgeL as they may get, since it is not our M*,$6R, who
ha)e first offered their instruction, but we oursel)es who, cra)ing, repeatedly beg for
it" $herefore, howe)er indisputably cle)er and highly able, from a literary and
intellectual standpoint, '" F"Qs letter, its writer must not feel surprised to find that,
o)erloo&ing all its cle)erness, we nati)es discern in it, foremost and abo)e all, an
imperious spirit of domineering@utterly foreign to our own natures@ a spirit that
would dictate its own laws e)en to those who can ne)er come under anyoneQs sway"
Page 33B
9o less painfully are we impressed by the utter absence in the letter, we are
now protesting against, of any grateful ac&nowledgment e)en for the little that has
confessedly been done"
+n conse1uence of the abo)e gi)en reasons, we, the undersigned, pray our
(rothers of $he $heosophist to gi)e room in their =ournal to our PR5$6,$"
/*V* M;9+ " " " " "
P*R*M*'*9,* ,';(C$;9: " " " " " " "
$" ,;((* R5%, ("*"("#", 4"$"," " " " " " "
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WWWWWWWWWW
S#MP"TH# O! M"D"ME BL"V"TS&#
!OR MR. CH"RLES BR"DL"UGH
U$he Philosophic +n1uirer, Madras, ,eptember 3D, 1223V
$o the 6ditor of $he Philosophic +n1uirer"
My dear ,ir and (rother,@+ was )ery ill for the last two or three wee&s, and
could not therefore attend to business as + ought to" (ut + ha)e read Mr" (radlaughQs
case, and + feel unable to do Mustice to my feelings in saying only that + am
profoundly disgusted with the shameless, barefaced plot resorted to against him by
his enemies"
Page 331
+t would be sufficient to turn any honest !hristian fore)er from !hristianity and
to plunge him into the deepest KheathenismL and atheism, that bare fact that
otherwise he would ha)e to belong to the same creed that actuates such men as ,ir
'enry $yler and the tutti 1uanti" + respect and admire Mr" (radlaugh for his
fearlessness and the good he does to all who fight for the cause of intellectual
freedomE though of course, + cannot as a metaphysical *theist or (uddhist
sympathi.e with his and your extreme )iews" (ut whether as '" P" (la)ats&y + do or
do not sympathi.e with his allCdenying philosophy, as a $heosophist + am bound@as
e)ery other true $heosophist@to help him in his deadly fight against rampant
bigotry, intolerance, dogmatism, and especially against those unprincipled men who
would ma&e right of might, and disgrace the maMesty of #aw and =ustice, by ma&ing it
ser)e their own tric&y, sectarian ends" %ill you then oblige me by adding our humble
contributions to those already recei)ed for your K4undL to enable Mr" (radlaugh to
fight the K(igots"L 5ur ,ociety is poor and has no fund of its own" 5therwise had it
but the income the ,al)ation *rmy gets in one month, + can assure you, the
$heosophical ,ociety would ha)e changed e)ery pound ,terling into 1BBB"
,o far we can do but the followingR
Rs" *"
4rom '" ," 5lcott 1B B
4rom '" P" (la)ats&y 1B B
4rom /amodar 8" Ma)alan&ar G B
4rom ,e)en Poor $heists >$heosophists? 1B B
(ombay, ,eptember 1Gth, 1223"
Page 333
THE ORIGIN O! THE GOSPELS
"ND THE BISHOP O! BOMB"#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1, 5ctober, 1223, pp" 6C9V
$he ignorance which commonly pre)ails among 6nglish !hristians concerning
the history of their own religious boo&s and, it is feared, of their contents@has been
amusingly illustrated by a few letters, recently exchanged in $he Pioneer between the
supporters and the critics of the (ishop of (ombay@the contro)ersialists brea&ing
their lances o)er the pastoral concerning the di)orce and remarriage 1uestion" Much
in& was split during the correspondence, and still more saintly ignorance shown on
both sides" K5ne of the #aity,L who supports, and K$^bingen,L who criticises, close
the rather lengthy polemics" * letter from the former, framed in a style that might as
well stand for )eiled sarcasm as for religious cant >see $he Pioneer of *ugust 19?
runs as followsR
,ir,@+ ha)e read, in this and many other newspapers, articles and letters
respecting the (ishop of (ombayQs pastoral" (ut it seems to me that they all miss the
mar&, turning simply on human opinion" $he 1uestion is a )ery simple oneR 5ur
(lessed #ord whilst on earth, being *lmighty :od as well as man, and conse1uently
perfectly &nowing e)ery contro)ersy that would rage in the future o)er 'is words
>this one among others? said words plainly and distinctly" $his is, + suppose,
undeniable@at least by !hristians" 'is ser)ant, the (ishop of (ombay >+ suppose no
one will deny that the (ishop of (ombay is our #ordQs ser)ant in a more especial
sense than he is the ser)ant of the ,tate? has repeated these words plainly and
distinctly" *nd these same words will be repeated plainly and distinctly, and, to some,
with terrible emphasis, on the /ay of =udgment" $hat is all, enough@too much
perhaps" 'uman respect, public opinion, ci)il law@all these things will pass awayE
but the words of *lmighty :od will ne)er pass away"
Page 333
Personally, + am satisfied with &nowing that the !hurch, ha)ing been endowed
by our (lessed #ord with absolute and infallible authority in all 1uestions of faith and
morals, has put forth certain discipline with respect to marriageE but + &now
Protestants refuse to allow this" Perhaps a little reflection on the subMect of the /ay of
=udgment may cause them to see that the (ishop of (ombay is right in what he has
put forth" +f a person can calmly ma&e up his mind to bring forward at the /ay of
=udgment public opinion, human respect, ci)il law, as excuses for what he has done,
or not done, on earth, by all means let him@and abide the result" 'ere, on earth,
indi)iduals, good and bad, made mista&es" $here, there will be none@except those
already made on earthE and, as 4aber says, it will be an exceedingly aw&ward time for
finding them out" + do not pretend to argue against persons who do not belie)e in
re)elation, being only, as my card will show you@ 596 54 $'6 #*+$<"
$his is )ery plainE and yet can hardly be allowed to pass without comments" 4or
instance, if K5ur (lessed #ordL who was K*lmighty :odL &new beforehand Ke)ery
contro)ersy that would rage in the futureL >$he Pioneer correspondence among
others? then one cannot be )ery far from truth in supposing that he also &new of the
remar&s and criticisms in store for K5ne of the #aityL in $he $heosophistP $his is
)ery encouraging, and really dissipates the last hesitation and doubts felt about the
propriety of passing remar&s, howe)er respectful, on the (ishop of (ombayQs last
pronunciamento" 5ur logic is )ery simple" ,ince that, which we are about to say
could ne)er ha)e escaped 5ur #ordQs attention eighteen centuries ago, and that up to
date we ha)e recei)ed no intimation to the contrary >silence meaning with us@as
with e)ery other trusting mortal@consent? we feel serenely confident that this
column or two was so preordained from the beginningE hence@it can gi)e offence to
no one" (ut, before offering any personal remar&s, our readers must see what
K$^bingenL had to say in reply to K5ne of the #aity"L $he abo)eC1uoted letter elicited
the following answer in $he Pioneer of *ugust 3GR
,ir,@<our #*<M*9 correspondent, who &nows so much about our #ordQs
utterances on the subMect of di)orce, seems to forget a few points which bear on the
matter, especially that the Kcertain wordsL which he and the (ishop of (ombay rely
upon, were certainly not spo&en by our #ord, who did not express 'imself in 6nglish,
but are merely a translation of an *lexandrian :ree& translation of some documents,
the origin of which + thus find spo&en of in !hambersQ most orthodox 6ncyclopaediaR
Page 33D
$he in1uiry has been treated in an extremely technical manner by many critics"
$he obMect of these theories has been to find a common origin for the :ospels"
6ichhorn and (ishop Marsh presume an original document, differing from any of the
existing gospels, and which is supposed to pass through )arious modifications"
*nother and more probable supposition is that the :ospels sprang out of a common
oral tradition" $his theory " " " is of course widely separated from the wellC&nown
$^bingen theory, which carries the period of tradition down to the middle of the
second century, and supposes the :ospels to ha)e been then called forth by the
influence of opposing teachers"L ;nder the head K$^bingen,L in another part of the
6ncyclopaedia, + read that the place is celebrated Kas a school of historicoC
philosophical theology " " " the influence of which, on religious thought, has been )ery
great, and is li&ely to pro)e permanent"L $hus, + am afraid, your #*<M*9, though
doubtless a )ery good man, is not 1uite so accurately informed concerning our #ordQs
language, as he imagines himselfE and that, considering the unfortunate uncertainty
that attends our fragmentary records of these, the (ishop of (ombay is not so wise in
regulating his )iews of di)orce according to the exact 6nglish test of the (ible, as
Parliament has been in regulating the law according to what common sense leads us
to imagine must probably ha)e been the )iews of our #ord"
$l(+9:69"
$he reply is )ery good as far as it goes, but it does not go )ery farE because, the
point made that Kour #ord did not express himself in 6nglishL does not co)er the
whole ground" 'e could ha)e expressed himself in any presumably dead or li)ing
5riental language he li&ed, and yet@since he was *lmighty :od, who &new the
tremendous weapon he was furnishing the present infidels with@he might ha)e
a)oided K5ne of the #aity,L as well as the (ishop, Khis own ser)ant,L the humiliation
of being taught their own ,criptures by the infidel $'65,5P'+,$" +ndeed, while the
former has e)idently either ne)er read or has forgotten his (ible, the latter who
cannot be held ignorant of its contents, has )ery arbitrarily made a selection of the
one that suited him the best, since there are se)eral such commands in the (ible to
pic& out from, in reference to the remarriage 1uestion" %hy did not his #ordship refer
to those alsoP *nd why should the !hristian #aity be forbidden the pri)ilege of
ma&ing their choice, since the (ible affords them the opportunity of suiting e)ery
taste, while adhering as strictly in the one case as in the other to the !ommands of
*lmighty :odP
Page 33G
+f K5ne of the #aityL is personally satisfied with &nowing Kthat the !hurch ha)ing
been endowed by our (lessed #ord with absolute and infallible authority in all
1uestions of faith and morals,L has the right to Kput forth certain discipline with
respect to marriage,L then he must &now more than anyone else &nows" 4or, if
KProtestants refuse to allow this,L it is not from excess of modesty, but simply that
such a claim on their part would be really too preposterous in the face of the (ible"
=esus !hrist, though in one sense a Protestant himself, &new nothing of
ProtestantismE and endowed@if he e)er endowed anyone with anything@Peter with
such authority, lea)ing Paul out in the cold" Protestantism, ha)ing once protested
against the dictates of the Roman !atholic !hurch, has no right to assume out of the
many alleged prerogati)es of PeterQs !hurch that which suits it and reMect that which
it finds incon)enient to follow or to enforce" Moreo)er, since Protestantism chose to
gi)e e1ual authority and infallibility to both the 5ld and the 9ew $estament, its
(ishops should not, in deciding upon social or religious 1uestions, gi)e preference
only to the latter and ignore entirely what the former has to say" $he fact that the
Protestant !hurch, acting upon the principle of Kmight is right,L is, and has always
been, in the habit of resorting to it to cut e)ery :ordian &not@is no proof that she is
acting under /i)ine authority" $he claim, then, made by K5ne of the #aity,L as
K$^bingenL will see, does not rest so much upon the correctness of the translation
made of !hristQs words, or whether it was rendered by a :ree& or a 'ebrew, as upon
the selfCcontradiction of these )ery words in the (ible@ assuming, of course, that
!hrist and *lmighty :od are one and identical" 5therwise, and if =esus of 9a.areth
was simply a man, then he can neither be accused of flagrant contradiction nor of
inciting his prophets to brea& the se)enth commandment, as done by :od in the case
of 'osea" *nd it is also, we suppose, Kundeniable at least by !hristians,L that what
was good for a prophet of the #ord :od cannot be bad for a !hristian, e)en though he
be an *ngloC+ndian !i)ilian" +n truth, as K5ne of the #aityL has it, Kthe 1uestion is a
)ery simple one"L
Page 336
+t is one of ;nitarianism and a matter of choice" K!hoose ye, this day,L might say a
modern =oshua, Kwhom you will ser)eLE whether the :od which the =ews ser)ed, and
who contradicts on e)ery page of the 5ld, the 9ew $estament@the wrathful,
re)engeful, fic&le =eho)ahE or him whom you call K!hristL@one of the noblest and
purest types of humanity" 4or there can be no mista&e about thisR if !hrist is one with
the #ord :od of +srael@all this ideal purity )anishes li&e a dream, lea)ing in its place
but bewilderment, doubt, and disgust@usually followed by blan& atheism"
$o ma&e the matter plain, if the #ord (ishop, with K5ne of the #aity,L insists
that !hrist being *lmighty :od said certain words plainly and distinctly, and he K5ur
#ordQs ser)ant " " " has repeated these words,L as gi)en in Matthew, ), 33, namely,
K%hosoe)er shall put away his wife, sa)ing for the cause of@etc", causeth her to
commit adulteryE and whosoe)er shall marry her that is di)orced committeth
adulteryL@then the soCcalled infidels and the parties concerned, ha)e a right to
respectfully insist on his #ordship showing them why he, the ser)ant of the same
:od, should not repeat certain other words pronounced far more plainly and
distinctly, in the boo& of 'osea, chapter i, )erse 3, and chapter iii, 1CGP 4or certain
good reasons@one among others that $he $heosophist, not being a holy boo&, is
neither pri)ileged, nor would it consent to publish obscenities@the said )erses in
'osea cannot be 1uoted in this maga.ine" (ut e)eryone is at liberty to turn to the first
(ible on hand, and, finding the abo)e passages, read them and Mudge for himself" *nd
then he will find that *lmighty :od commands 'osea not only to ta&e unto himself a
Kdi)orced wife,L but something unpronounceably worse" *nd if we are told by some
(ible expounders, as that class will often do, that the words must not be ta&en
literally, that they are allegorical, then the burden of proof remains with the (ishop to
show why, in such case, the words in Matthew should not be also regarded as a
parableE and why this one solitary command should be enforced literally, while nearly
e)ery other that precedes or follows it, is regarded, explained, and has to be accepted
simply as a parable"
Page 33H
+f he would be consistent with himself, the (ishop should insist that as a
conse1uence of temptation e)ery !hristian would Kpluc&L out his right eye, Kcut offL
his right hand@>and who can pretend, that neither his eye nor his hand has e)er
tempted or KoffendedL himP?@would moreo)er refuse to ta&e his oath in a !ourt of
=ustice, turn his chee& to e)ery bully who would smite his face, and present with his
cloa& the first thief who would choose to rob him of his coat" 6)ery one of these
commands has been Kexplained awayL to the satisfaction of all parties concerned@
amongst others that which commands ne)er to swear at all, i"e", to ta&e the prescribed
oath@Kneither by hea)en nor by earth,L but let the affirmation be Kyea, yeaE nay,
nay"L *nd if 'is #ordship would ha)e no one deny that he Kis 5ur #ordQs ser)ant in a
more especial sense than he is the ser)ant of the ,tate,L whose law, disregarding
!hristQs inMunction, commands e)ery one of its subMects to swear upon the (ible, then
the (ishop would perhaps but strengthen his claim and silence e)en the infidels, if,
instead of losing his time o)er di)orced wi)es, he would use his elo1uence in
supporting Mr" (radlaugh, at any rate, in his refusal to ta&e his oath in Parliament" +n
this respect, at least, the !hristian clergy should be at one with the celebrated infidel"
9o doubt, a little reflection on the subMect of the K/ay of =udgmentL may go a
good way toward explaining the inexplicableE with all this, it has to be feared, it will
ne)er account for all of the abo)e enumerated inconsistencies" 9e)ertheless@nil
desperandum" $here is a pretty story told of the present 6nglish Premier by =ames $"
(ixby, in which the obMection made to a pleasant plan of marrying the late :eneral
:aribaldi to a wealthy 6nglish lady, )i.", that the hero of !apera had already one wife
@is triumphantly met by the suggestion that Mr" :ladstone could be readily got to
explain her away" Perchance, 'is #ordship of (ombay, ha)ing heard of the story, had
an eye on the Kgrand old man,L to help him" *t any rate, he seems to be as easy a
reconciler of the irreconcilable, and manifests, to use an expression of the same
author, Ka theological dissipating power of e1ual strengthL with that of the reconcilers
of ,cience and ,cripture"
Page 332
'ad K$^bingen,L instead of getting his inspiration from K!hamberQs most orthodox
6ncyclopaedia,L turned to consult what the 4athers of the !hurch ha)e themsel)es to
say about the :ospel of Matthew in which the certain words K5ne of the #aityL and
Kthe (ishop of (ombayL rely upon, are made to appear@then he would ha)e been far
better 1ualified to upset the arguments of his opponent" 'e would ha)e learned, for
instance, that out of the four, the :ospel of Matthew is the only original one, as the
only one that was written in 'ebrew or rather in one of its corrupted forms, the
:alilean ,yriac@by whom or when it was written not being now the main point"
6piphanius tells us that it was the heretic 9a.arenes or the ,abians Kwho li)e in the
city of the (eroeans toward !oeliC,yria and in the /ecapolis towards the parts of
Pella, and in the (asantisLZ who ha)e the 6)angel of Matthew most fully, and it was
originally written@in 'ebrew lettersE and that it was ,t" =erome who translated it into
:ree&R K+n 6)angelio, 1uo utuntur 9a.araeni 6bionitae, 1uod nuper in :raecum de
'ebraeo transtulimus, et 1uod )ocatur a pleris1ue Matthaei authenticum, homo iste,
1ui aridam habet manum, caementarius scribitur"L] Matthew, the despised publican,
be it remembered, is the only identified and authenticated author of his :ospel, the
other three ha)ing to remain probably fore)er under their unidentified noms de
plume"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U6piphanius, Panarion, (&" +, tome ++, 'aer" FF+F, m )iiE p" 133 in Peta)iusQ ed" of 6piphanius,
Paris, 1633"V
] U$his is contained in a footnote by Peta)ius, on page 13D of his ed" of 6piphaniusQ Panarion, being
appended to (&" +, tome ++, 'aer" FF+F, m )iii, but is credited to ,t" =eromeQs !ommentarius in
6)angelium secundum Matthaeum, (&" ++, cap" xii, 13" !f" =" P" Migne, Patrologiae !ursus
!ompletus, ,eries #atina, $omus FFV+, !ol" 2BC21" Paris, :arnier frdres, 122D"
$he 6nglish translation of this passage is as followsR K" " " " +n the 6)angel which was used by the
9a.arenes and the 6bionites >which we recently translated from a 'ebrew sermon into :ree&, and
which by many has been declared to be the authentic Matthew?, the same man who had the withered
hand was a stoneCmason " " "L@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 339
$he 6bionites and the 9a.arenes are nearly identical" +nhabiting a desert
between ,yria and 6gypt beyond =ordan called 9abathaea, they were indifferently
called ,abians, 9a.arenes, and 6bionites" 5lshausen finds it remar&able that, while
all !hurch 4athers agree in saying that Matthew wrote in 'ebrew, they all use the
:ree& text as the genuine apostolic writing without mentioning what relation the
'ebrew Matthew has to the :ree& one" K+t had many peculiar additions which are
wanting in our :ree& 6)angel,L he remar&sEZ and as many omissions, we may add"
$he fact ceases at once to be remar&able when we remember that confession made by
'ieronymus >or ,t" =erome? in his letter to (ishops !hromatius and 'eliodorus, and
in se)eral other passages in his wor&sR
Matthew who was called #e)i, and who from a publican became an *postle,
was the first one in =udea who wrote an 6)angel of !hrist, in 'ebrew language and
letters, for the sa&e of those among the circumci.ed ones who had belie)ed" +t is not
sufficiently certain as to who afterwards translated it into :ree&" $he 'ebrew original
could be found to this day in the library diligently collected at !aesarea by the Martyr
Pamphilus" +t was possible e)en for me to ha)e access to this )olume which the
9a.arenes had been using in (eroea UVeriaV, a city in ,yria"]
+n the 6)angel according to the 'ebrews, which, indeed, was written in the !haldean
and ,yrian language >lingua !haldaica 1uam )ocat hic ,yriacam?, but with 'ebrew
letters, which the 9a.arenes use today according to the apostles, or as most suppose
according to Matthew, which also is contained in the library at !aesarea, the history
narratesR
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 'ermann 5lshausen, 9achweis der 6chtheit der s_mtlichen ,chriften des 9euen $estaments, p"
3G"
U(y consulting this paragraph from 5lshausenQs wor&, the last sentence, the only one actually
1uoted by '"P"(", could not be located"@!ompiler"V
] ,t" =erome, /e )iris illustribus liber, cap" 3" U!f" =" P" Migne, Patr" !" !ompl", $" FF+++, !ol" 613,
Paris, 1223"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3DB
K#o the mother of the #ord and his brothers said to him, =ohn the (aptist
bapti.es unto remission of sinsE let us go and be bapti.ed by him" (ut he >+asous? said
to themR what sin ha)e + committed that + should go and be bapti.ed by himPLZ
$he :ospel we ha)e of Matthew tells 1uite a different storyE and yet =erome,
spea&ing of the e)angel which 9a.arenes and 6bionites use, mentions it as the one
Kwhich we recently translated from a 'ebrew sermon into :ree& and which by many
has been declared to be the authentic MatthewL >!omm" to Matthew, ++, xii, 13?" (ut
the whole truth dawns at once on him, who reads =eromeQs letter and remembers that
this famous /almatian !hristian had been before his full con)ersion a no less famous
barrister, well ac1uainted with both ecclesiastical and legal casuistryE and that,
therefore, he must ha)e transformed the genuine 'ebrew :ospel into something 1uite
different from what it originally was" *nd such, indeed, is his own confession" 'ear
him sayingR
*n arduous tas& has been enMoined on me by <our 4elicities U(ishops
!hromatius and 'eliodorusV, namely what ,t" Matthew, *postle and 6)angelist, did
not wish to be openly written" 4or if it had not been rather secret, he would ha)e
added it to the 6)angel which he ga)e forth as his ownE but he wrote this boo& sealed
up in 'ebrew charactersE and he did not pro)ide until now for its publication, in such
a way that this boo&, written in 'ebrew script and by his own hand, is today
possessed by the most religious men, who, in the succession of time, recei)ed it from
those who preceded them" $hough they Uthe most religious, the initiatesV ne)er ga)e
this boo& to anyone to be transcribed, they transmitted its text some in one way and
some in another >aliter aliter1ue?" *nd so it happened that this boo& Uthe original
:ospel of MatthewV, published by a disciple of Manichaeus, named ,eleucus, who
also wrote falsely the *cts of the *postles, contained matter not for edification, but
for destructionE and that being such it was appro)ed in a synod which the ears of the
!hurch properly refused to listen to" " " "]
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,t" =erome, /ialogi contra Pelagianos, +++, 3"
] U$his passage may be found in the =ohannes Martianay edition of ,t" =eromeQs 5pera, published in
4i)e Volumes in Paris, by #udo)icus Roulland, 1693C1HB6" $he date of Vol" V is 1HB6, and in
column DDG occurs the passage under discussion, in its original #atin" $he student is referred to the
long !ompilerQs 9ote 9o" 6B, pp" 333C36, in Vol" V+++ of the !ollected %ritings, where there is a
discussion of this matter and of the authenticity of the letter itself"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3D1
*nd, to suit the ears of the !hurch who Kproperly refused to listenL to the
original :ospel, ,t" =erome candidly tells usR
+ am now spea&ing of the 9ew $estament" $his was undoubtedly composed in
:ree&, with the exception of the wor& of Matthew the *postle, who was the first to
commit to writing the :ospel of the *nointed, and who published his wor& in =udea
in 'ebrew characters" %e must confess that as we ha)e it in our language it is mar&ed
by discrepancies, and now that the stream is distributed into different channels >et
di)ersos ri)ulorum tramites ducit? we must go bac& to the fountainhead" + pass o)er
those manuscripts which are associated with the names of #ucian and 'esychius, and
the authority of which is per)ersely maintained by a handful of disputatious persons" "
" " "Z
+n other words, the )enerable compiler of the #atin )ersion of the ,criptures@
the basis of the present Vulgate@in what is called by *lban (utler Khis famous
critical labours on the 'oly ,criptures,L distorted the original :ospel of Matthew
beyond recognition" *nd it is such sentences as now stand in the :ospel of Matthew,
and which ought to be properly called the K:ospel according to ,t" =erome,L that the
(ishop of (ombay and K5ne of the #aityL would ha)e anyone but the !hristians
regard and accept as words of *lmighty :od, that Kwill ne)er pass away"L Pro pudorY
%ords copied with all &ind of omissions and additions, out of notes, ta&en from
)arious oral renderings of the original text@Ka boo& they Uits possessorsV ne)er ga)e
to anyone to be transcribed,L as ,t" =erome himself tells us@still claiming a di)ine
originY +f the orthodox exponents of KhistoricoCphilosophical theologyL in 6urope
ha)e hitherto handled all these 1uestions which relate to the authenticity of the (ible
with a )ery timid hand, it has not in the least Upre)entedV others to examine them as
critically as they would 'omerQs +liad" *nd, ha)ing done so, they found embodied in
that heterogeneous literature the production of a hundred anonymous scribes" +ts )ery
:ree& plural name of ta (iblia, meaning Kthe (oo&s,L or a collection of small
pamphlets, shows it to be a regular hotchpotch of stories ha)ing a meaning but for the
8abalist"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his passage is from =eromeQs Preface to the translation of the 4our :ospels, in his Vulgate,
namely in the )ersion thereof made at Rome between the years 323 and 32G, the Preface being
addressed to Pope /amasus" !f" 9icene and PostC9icene 4athers, Vol" 6 of the ,econd ,eries"@
!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3D3
6)ery child will )ery soon be taught that e)en the 6pistles ha)e been regarded
as sacred and authoritati)e a great deal earlier than the :ospelsE and that for two
centuries at least, the 9ew $estament was ne)er loo&ed upon by the !hristians as UsoV
sacred as the old one" *nd, as we can learn from ,t" =eromeQs writings Must 1uoted
abo)e, at the end of the fourth century >he died in D3B? there was no 9ew $estament
canon as we now ha)e it, since it was not e)en agreed upon which of the :ospels
should be included in it and regarded as sacred and which should be reMected" *s well
may we, $heosophists, claim >and perhaps with far better reasons? that some of the
words as occasionally found in our Mournal, K%+## 96V6R P*,, *%*<" L
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO *THEOSOPH# "ND THE "VEST",
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1, 5ctober, 1223, p" 33V
U$he writer, a Parsi 4"$",", discusses the septenary di)ision of manQs
constitution, as contained in the ancient 7oroastrian ,criptures" '" P" (" appends to
his article the following footnoteRV
5ur (rother has but to loo& into the oldest sacred boo&s of !hina@namely the
<i 8ing, or (oo& of !hanges >translated by =ames #egge? written 13BB ("!", to find
that same ,eptenary di)ision of man mentioned in that system of /i)ination" 7ing,
which is translated correctly enough Kessence,L is the more subtle and pure part of
matter@the grosser form of the elementary etherE 8hien, or Kspirit,L is the breath,
still material but purer than the 7ing and is made of the finer and more acti)e form of
ether" +n the 'wIn, or soul >animus?, the 8hien predominates, and the 7ing in the Pho
or animal soul"
Page 3D3
*t death the 'wIn >or spiritual soul? wanders away, ascending, and the Pho >the
root of the $ibetan word PhoChat?, descends and is changed into a ghostly shade >the
shell?" /r" Medhurst thin&s that Kthe 8wei ,hinsL >,ee * /issertation on the
$heology of the !hinese, pp" 1BC11? are Kthe expanding and contracting principles of
human lifeLY $he 8wei ,hins are brought about by the dissolution of the human
frame, and consist of the expanding and ascending ,hin which rambles about in
space, and of the contracted and shri)elled 8wei, which re)erts to earth and
nonentity" $herefore, the 8wei is the physical bodyE the ,hin is the )ital principleE the
8weiC,hin the lingaC[arira, or the )ital soulE 7ing the fourth principle or 8amaCRupa,
the essence of willE Pho >the animal soul?E 8hien the spiritual soulE and 'wIn the
pure spirit@ the se)en principles of our occult doctrineY
WWWWWWWWWW
W"S IT *SPIRITS, OR WH"T(
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1, 5ctober, 1223, pp" 33C3GV
U* correspondent who signed himself K* Perplexed $heosophistL wrote
describing some premonitory dreams and apparitions which had occurred in
connection with the death of a niece, and as&ing for an explanation" '" P" (" replied
as followsRV
$he strict adherence to our duty as an 5ccultist, while it satisfies a few of our
fellow students, materially detracts, in the opinion of our spiritualisticallyCinclined
friends, from the )alue of our editorial notes and explanations" $he latter find that our
theories will not bear comparison with those upon similar phenomena of the
,piritualists" $hey charge us with the double crime of being not only personally
unsatisfied with their explanations about spiritual communications, and with refusing
to infer the KspiritL presence from the many wonderful phenomena we ac&nowledge
as genuine, but also with leading our readers into heresy and error, regarding such"
Page 3DD
%e are not content, they reproachfully tell us, to humbly ac&nowledge facts, and
accept the testimony of the agents at wor& behind the phenomenal effects which
crowd the records of modern spiritualism, but in our pride we see& to penetrate into
unfathomable mysteries, to not only ascertain the nature of the relations between
cause and effect, or, in other words@between medium and phenomena@but e)en to
fathom mysteries that spirits themsel)es confess their inability to explain" $oo much
speculation on certain subMects leads the mind into a sea of error@thin& our 6uropean
and *merican spiritualistic friends@and it is sure to land us Kin regions of 4alsity"L +f
men would lea)e off speculating, and would simply stic& to fact, truth would be more
readily attained in each and e)ery case"
4or the sa&e of those of our friends who ha)e made of spiritualism a new
KRe)elation,L a Kglorious faith,L as they call it, we feel really sorry to be forced to
hurt their feelings by our Kblan& denial"L (ut truth stands higher in our opinion than
any earthly consideration e)er willE and, it is truth@at least we so regard it@that
compels us to answer those, who come to us for an explanation, according to the
teachings of occultism, instead of telling them, as ,piritualists would, that such
phenomena are all produced by disembodied mortals, or spirits" $o ascertain the laws
according to which psychoCphysiological manifestations ta&e place from a
spiritualistic standpoint is, no doubt, a gratifying &ind of &nowledgeE but we,
5ccultists, are not satisfied with only this" %e see& to learn primal, as well as
secondary, causesE to fathom the real, not apparent, nature of that power that performs
such strange, seemingly supernatural operationsE and, we thin&, we ha)e succeeded in
unra)elling some of its mysteries and in explaining much of the hitherto unexplained"
'ence our con)iction that the 4orce which the ,piritualists )iew as a thin&ing,
intelligent Principle, a power, that can ne)er be manifested outside the magnetic aura
of a sensiti)e, is oftener a blind energy than the conscious production of any beings
or spiritsE and, also, that this 4orce can be replaced by the conscious will of a li)ing
man, one of those initiates, as a few may yet be found in the 6ast" %e cannot be
content with the easygoing theory of returning spirits"
Page 3DG
%e ha)e seen too much of it" *nd, since we are thoroughly con)inced that nearly
e)erything in connection with this mysterious agent@the K*stral ,erpentL of bliphas
#S)i@had been disco)ered ages ago, howe)er little &nowledge of it we may claim
personally, yet we &now sufficiently, we thin&, to Mudge on the whole correctly of its
influence upon, and direct relations with, the corporeal machines called mediumsE as
also of its intercorrelations with the aura of e)ery person present in the sSanceCroom"
Moreo)er, we maintain that it loo&s far more reasonable to follow the uniform
teaching upon this subMect of one school, than to be hopelessly groping for truth in the
dar&, with our intellects literally rent asunder by the thousand and one conflicting
KteachingsL of the supposed deni.ens of the K,piritC%orld"L
'ad our correspondent as&ed@for an explanation of the weird phenomena that
ha)e Must occurred in his family@one possessed practically of that &nowledge, he
would, no doubt, ha)e recei)ed perfectly correct information as to what really too&
place, and how the phenomena ha)e come to pass >that is to say, if the adept had
found UitV worth his while to undergo a mentally painful process, and safe to di)ulge
the whole truth to the public?" %hile now, he has to be content with a few
generalities" %e can tell him for a certainty what it was not, but we cannot underta&e
to say what it really was, since similar effects may be produced by a hundred )arious
causes"
%e will not touch upon the 1uestion of foreboding dreams, since the existence
of such is pro)ed to all but incurable sceptics, and is easily accounted for by e)eryone
who belie)es and &nows that inside his body of flesh, the gross en)elope, there is the
real, generally in)isible, body of ethereal elements, the 6go, that watches and ne)er
sleeps" $he facts as described seem certainly as though they belonged to that class of
phenomena which are regarded as Kspiritual,L and which occur, under ordinary
circumstances, only where there are one or more mediums in the family"
Page 3D6
$he regular and periodic tranceCfits, which our correspondentQs relati)e had suddenly
become subMect to for se)eral consecuti)e nights, would point to that lady as being
the cause, the principal generator of the phenomena" (ut, since we &now nothing of
her pre)ious state of health, and lac& further details that might gi)e an additional clue
to the mystery, our explanation must be regarded as a simple suggestion" $hough the
5ccultists reMect, on the whole, the theory of disembodied 6gos manifesting after
death, yet they admit of certain possibilities of a real spiritQs presence, either
preceding or directly following physical death, especially when the latter was sudden
as in the case of the writerQs niece" %e are taught by those in whom we ha)e full
confidence, that, in such rapid cases of dissolution, the body may be 1uite dead, and
buried, and yet the brain@though its functions are stopped@may preser)e a latent
spar& of will or desire, connected with some predominating feeling in life which will
ha)e the effect of throwing into obMecti)ity, of thrusting, so to say, into a certain
magnetic current of attraction the astral 6go, or doppelg_nger, of the dead body"
%hene)er, we are told, death is brought on by suffocation, apoplexy, concussion of
the brain, haemorrhage, or some such change, Kthe tripod of lifeL@as the :ree&s
called it@the heart, the lungs and the brain, the fundamental basis upon which animal
life is erected@is simultaneously affected in its three partsE the lungs and heart, the
organs the most intimately associated in the circulation of the blood, becoming
inacti)e, and the blood not being sufficiently aarated on account of this inacti)ity, the
latter often becomes the cause of putting a sudden stop to the functions of the brain,
and so terminates life"
$herefore, before pronouncing upon the )alue of an apparition, an 5ccultist has
always to ascertain whether complete death was brought on by, or primarily due to
the death of the lungs, the heart, or the brain" (ut of all these the latter@on account
of its double functions@the spiritual and the physical@is the most tenacious"
Page 3DH
*s cessation of breathing and of the pulse, stoppage of the heart, coldness and
paleness of the surface, a film on the eye, and the rigidity of the Moints are no sure
indications of real physical deathE and, as the facies 'ippocratica has decei)ed more
than one experienced practitionerE so, e)en complete physical death is no indication
that the innermost spiritual life of the brain is e1ually dead" $he acti)ity of the mind
remains to the lastE and the final physical function of the brain in connection with
some feeling, or passion may impart, for all our physiologists can say to the contrary,
a &ind of postCmortem energy to the bewildered astral 6go, and thus cause it to
continue its dynamic, seemingly conscious action e)en for a few days after death"
$he impulse imparted by the still li)ing brain dies out long after that brain has ceased
its functions fore)er" /uring life the astral 6go is dependent on, and 1uite subser)ient
to, the will of the physical brain" +t acts automatically, and according to how the wires
are being pulled by either our trained or untrained thought" (ut after death@which is
the birth of the spiritual entity into the world or condition of effects, the latter ha)ing
now become for it a world of causes@the astral entity must be gi)en time to e)olute
and mature a shadowy brain of its own before it can begin to act independently"
%hate)er its subse1uent fate, and whate)er happens in the meanwhile, no action of it
can be regarded as a result of a conscious, intelligent will, no more than we would
hold any gestures of a newlyCborn infant for actions resulting from a determined and
conscious desire"
$hus, since the deceased young lady lost all consciousness some time before
death, and that, being so young and so belo)ed in her family, she could hardly, when
dying, ha)e her thoughts occupied by anything but those around her@thoughts
in)oluntary, and perhaps unconnected, as those of a dream, but still in a direct
se1uence to her habitual thoughts and feelings@e)ery faculty of hers, paraly.ed so
suddenly, and se)ered, during its full )igour and acti)ity, from its natural medium@
the body, must ha)e left its astral impress in e)ery noo& and corner of the house
where she had li)ed so long and where she died"
Page 3D2
'ence, it may ha)e been but the KastralL echo of her )oice, directed by her last
thought and drawn magnetically to her uncle, the writer, that sounded in his Kright
ear, as though some one was whisperingL or trying to spea& to himE and the same
astral echo of Kher natural )oiceL that told his mother Kto turn round"L 'er appearance
to her grandfather Kin her usual dressL shows us that it was her astral reflection on the
atmospheric wa)es that he sawE otherwise he would ha)e hardly seen a real Must
disembodied spirit in such an attire" $he presence of the Kusual dressL forming part of
an apparition@were the latter a )oluntary, conscious act of the liberated 6go@would
ha)e naturally necessitated a pre)ious conception in the plans of the latter, the
creation, so to say, of that garment by the spirit@unless we ha)e also to belie)e in
conscious ghosts and independent apparitions of wearing apparel@before it could
appear along with its owner" *nd this would be a predetermined act of )olition
difficult to suppose in a still da.ed human KsoulL Must escaped from its prison" 6)en
many of the more ad)anced ,piritualists admit today that, whate)er its subse1uent
career, the freed spirit can ne)er reali.e the great change, at least for se)eral
terrestrial days" 9otwithstanding the abo)e, we &now well that we shall be not only
laughed to scorn by scientific men as by all the unscientific sceptics, but also gi)e
again offence to ,piritualists" $hey would ha)e us sayR K+t was the spirit of your
departed niece, her )oice, and real presence, etc"LE and then rest on our laurels
without any further attempt at anything li&e a proof or an explanation" +f the present
one is found insufficient, let the ,piritualists and sceptics offer a better one and let
impartial Mudges decide" Meanwhile, we would as& the former@if it was all produced
by the conscious spirit of the deceased, why ha)e all such manifestations stopped, as
soon as the family had left the station and come to *llahabadP +s it that the spirit
determined to come no more, or that the mediums in the family had suddenly lost
their power, or is it simply because, as the writer puts it, Kthe effects then wore off,
and nothing has happened sincePL
Page 3D9
%ith regard to sceptics our answer is still more easy" +t is no longer a 1uestion
with any sane man whether such things do and do not happenE but only what is the
real cause that underlies such abnormal effects" 'ere is a case, which no sceptic@
unless he denies the occurrence of the whole story a priori@will be e)er able to
explain otherwise but on one of the two theories@that of the 5ccultists and
,piritualists" * case in which a whole family of respectable persons of )arious ages
testifies as eyewitnesses" $his can no longer be attributed to a case of isolated
hallucination" *nd in the presence of the fre1uent occurrence of such cases, e)ery
sober man ought to protest against the irrational proceedings of those who condemn
without seeing, deny without hearing, and abuse those who ha)e both seen and heard,
for putting faith in their own eyes and ears" %e ha)e thousands upon thousands of
testimonies coming from intelligent, )alid persons, that such things do occur and@
)ery fre1uently" +f the senses of those persons are not to be trusted, then what else can
be trustedP %hat better test of truth ha)e weP 'ow can we be sure of anything we
hear, or e)en oursel)es seeP 'ow are the most ordinary affairs of life to be conducted
and relied uponP *s a mesmeri.er remar&ed to a scepticR K+f the rule, which the
obMectors to mesmeric phenomena persist in applying to them, were to be enforced
uni)ersally, all the business of life must come to a stand"L +ndeed no man could put
faith in any assertion of any other manE the administration of Mustice itself must fail,
because e)idence would become impossible, and the whole world would go upside
down" $herefore, and since science will ha)e nothing to do with such abnormal
phenomena, the great battle in conse1uence of the dispute as to the causes underlying
them, between natural and unnatural theories, must be fought out between the
5ccultists and the ,piritualists alone" #et each of us show our facts and gi)e our
explanationsE and let those@who are neither 5ccultists, ,piritualists, nor sceptics@
decide between the contestant parties" +t is not enough that all should &now that such
things do happen" $he world must learn at last@under the penalty of falling bac& to
superstitious beliefs in the archenemy of man@the biblical de)il@why such
phenomena do so happen, and to what cause or causes they are to be attributed"
Page 3GB
%e call for en1uiry, not for blind credence" *nd@until en1uiry has established
scientifically, and beyond any doubt that the producing cause at wor& behind the )eil
of obMecti)e matter is what the ,piritualists proclaim it to be, namely, disembodied,
human spirits, we beg to assert the right of the $heosophists, whether they be
5ccultists, sceptics, or neither, but simply searchers after truth@to maintain their
attitude of neutrality and e)en of modest scepticism, without ris&ing for it to find
themsel)es crucified by both parties"
WWWWWWWWWW
DE"TH "ND IMMORT"LIT#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, 9o)ember, 1223, pp" 32C3BV
$he following letter states an embarrassment which may )ery li&ely ha)e
occurred to other readers of the passages 1uoted, besides our correspondent"
5!!;#$ 4R*:M69$, *9/ $'6 (558 54 8'+;C$+
$o the 6ditor of $he $heosophist"
+n the article on K/eathL by the late bliphas #S)i, printed in the 5ctober number
of $he $heosophist, Vol" +++,Z the writer says that Kto be immortal in good, one must
identify oneself with :odE to be immortal in e)il, with ,atan" $hese are the two poles
of the world of soulsE between these two poles )egetate and die without remembrance
the useless portion of man&ind"L +n your explanatory note on this passage you 1uote
the boo& of 8hiuCti, which says that Kto force oneself upon the current of immortality,
or rather to secure for oneself an endless series of rebirths as conscious
indi)idualities, one must become a coCwor&er with nature, either for good or for bad,
in her wor& of creation and reproduction, or in that of destruction" +t is but the useless
drones, which she gets rid of, )iolently eMecting and ma&ing them perish by the
millions as selfCconscious entities"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U5ctober, 1221, pp" 13C1D ,ee Vol" +++, pp" 393 ff" in the present ,eries"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3G1
$hus, while the good and the pure stri)e to reach 9ir)ana " " " the wic&ed will see&,
on the contrary, series of li)es as conscious, definite existences or beings, preferring
to be e)er suffering under the law of retributi)e Mustice rather than gi)e up their li)es
as portions of the integral uni)ersal whole" (eing well aware that they can ne)er hope
to reach the final rest in pure spirit, or 9ir)ana, they cling to life in any form, rather
than gi)e up that Xdesire for life,Q or $anha which causes a new aggregation of
,&andhas or indi)iduality to be reborn" " " " $here are thoroughly wic&ed or depra)ed
men, yet as highly intellectual and acutely spiritual for e)il, as those who are spiritual
for good" $he 6gos of these may escape the law of final destruction or annihilation
for ages to come" " " " 'eat and cold are the two Xpoles,Q i"e", good and e)il, spirit and
matter" 9ature spews the Xlu&ewarmQ or Xuseless portion of man&indQ out of her
mouth, i"e", annihilates them"L +n the )ery same number in which these lines occur we
ha)e the K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth,L and we learn thence that there are se)en
entities or principles constituting a human being" %hen death occurs, the first three
principles >i"e", the body, the )ital energy, and astral body? are dissipatedE and with
regard to the remaining four principles Kone of two things occurs"L +f the ,piritual
6go >sixth principle? has been in life material in its tendencies, then at death it
continues to cling blindly to the lower elements of its late combination, and the true
spirit se)ers itself from these and passes away elsewhere, when the ,piritual 6go is
also dissipated and ceases to exist" ;nder such circumstances only two entities >the
fourth and fifth, i e", 8ama Rupa and Physical 6go? are left, and the shells ta&e long
periods to disintegrate"
5n the other hand, if the tendencies of the ego ha)e been towards things
spiritual, it will cling to the spirit, and with this pass into the adMoining %orld of
6ffects, and there e)ol)e out of itself by the spiritQs aid a new ego, to be reborn >after
a brief period of freedom and enMoyment? in the next higher obMecti)e world of
causes"
$he K4ragmentsL teach that, apart from the cases of the higher adepts, there are
two conditionsR 4irst, that in which the ,pirit is obliged to se)er its connectionE and,
secondly, that in which the ,pirit is able to continue its connection with the fourth,
fifth and sixth principles" +n either case the fourth and fifth principles are dissipated
after a longer or a shorter period, and, in the case of the spiritualCminded, the
,piritual 6go undergoes a series of ascending births, while in the case of the depra)ed
no ,piritual 6go remains and there is simply disintegration of the fourth and fifth
principles after immense periods of time" $he K4ragmentsL do not seem to admit of a
third or intermediary case which could explain the condition of bliphas #S)iQs
Kuseless portionL of man&ind after death" +t appears to me also that there could be
only two casesR >1? either the spirit continues its connection, or >3? it se)ers its
connection"
Page 3G3
%hat, then, is meant by the Kuseless portion of man&indL who, you suggest, are
annihilated by the millionsP *re they a combination of less than se)en principlesP
$hat cannot be, for e)en the )ery wic&ed and depra)ed ha)e them all" %hat, then,
becomes of the fourth, fifth, sixth and se)enth principles in the case of the soCcalled
Kuseless portion of man&indLP
$he K4ragmentsL again tell us that, in the case of the wic&ed, the fourth and fifth
principles are simply disintegrated after long ages, while in your abo)e 1uoted note
you say that the Kwic&ed will see& a series of li)es as conscious, definite existences
or beings,L and again in the note to the word K'ellL you write that it is Ka world of
nearly absolute matter and one preceding the last one in the Xcircle of necessityQ from
which Xthere is no redemption, for there reigns absolute spiritual dar&nessQ"L $hese
two notes seem to suggest that, in the case of the depra)ed, the fourth and fifth
principles are born again in inferior worlds and ha)e a series of conscious existences"
$he K4ragmentsL are admittedly the production of the K(rothers,L and what +
could gather from them after a careful perusal seems apparently not to accord with
your notes 1uoted abo)e" 6)idently there is a gap somewhere, and, as the Kuseless
portion of man&indL ha)e been so far noticed, a more exhausti)e explanation of them
after the method of the se)en principles is needed to ma&e your otherwise learned
note accord with the K4ragments"L + might mention again that at e)ery step the words
KmatterL and KspiritL confound the maMority of your readers, and it is highly important
and necessary that these two words be satisfactorily explained so that the a)erage
reader might understand wherein lies the difference between the twoE what is meant
by matter emanating from spirit, and whether spirit does not become limited to that
extent by the emanation of matter therefrom"
<ours faithfully and fraternally,
9" /" 8@@, 4"$","Z
ZZZ $he apparent discrepancy between the two statements, that our
correspondent 1uotes, does not in)ol)e any real contradiction at all, nor is there a
KgapL in the explanation" $he confusion arises from the unfamiliarity of ordinary
thin&ers, unused to 5ccult ideas, with the distinction between the personal and
indi)idual entities in Man"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$hese initials stand for 9a)roMi /orabMi 8handala)ala, Pres" of the Poona $heosophical ,ociety"
+t would appear from $he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett, pp" 129C9B, that Master 8" '"
contributed some of the material which is contained in the reply to 8handala)alaQs letter"@
!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3G3
Reference has been made to this distinction in modern 5ccult writing )ery
fre1uently, and in +sis itself where the explanations of a hundred mysteries lie but
halfCburied@they were altogether buried in earlier wor&s on 5ccult philosophy@
only waiting for the application of intelligence guided by a little 5ccult &nowledge to
come out into the light of day" %hen +sis was written, it was concei)ed by those from
whom the impulse, which directed its preparation, came, that the time was not ripe
for the explicit declaration of a great many truths which they are now willing to
impart in plain language" ,o the readers of that boo& were supplied rather with hints,
s&etches, and adumbrations of the philosophy to which it related, than with
methodical expositions" $hus in reference to the present idea, the difference between
personal and indi)idual identity is suggested, if not fully set forth at page 31G, Vol" +"
$here it is stated as the )iew of certain philosophers, with whom, it is easy to see, the
writer concursR KMan and ,oul had to con1uer their immortality by ascending
towards the ;nity with which, if successful, they were finally lin&ed" " " " $he
indi)idualisation of man after death depended on the spirit, not on his soul and body"
*lthough the word Xpersonality,Q in the sense in which it is usually understood, is an
absurdity, if applied literally to our immortal essence, still the latter is a distinct
entity, immortal and eternal per se"L *nd a little later onR K* person may ha)e won his
immortal life, and remain the same innerCself he was on earth, throughout eternityE
but this does not imply necessarily that he must either remain the Mr" ,mith or Mr"
(rown he was on earth" " " "L Up" 316"V
* full consideration of these ideas will sol)e the embarrassment in which our
correspondent is placed" bliphas #S)i is tal&ing about personalities@the K4ragmentsL
about indi)idualities" 9ow, as regards the personalities, the Kuseless portion of
man&indL to which bliphas #S)i refers, is the great bul& thereof" $he permanent
preser)ation of a personal identity beyond death is a )ery rare achie)ement,
accomplished only by those who wrest her secrets from 9ature, and control their own
superCmaterial de)elopment" +n his fa)ourite symbolical way bliphas #S)i indicates
the people who contri)e to do this as those who are immortal in good by
identification with :od, or immortal in e)il by identification with ,atan"
Page 3GD
$hat is to say, the preser)ation of personal identity beyond death >or rather, let
us say, far beyond death, reser)ing for the moment an explanation of the distinction?
is accomplished only by adepts and sorcerers@the one class ha)ing ac1uired the
supreme secret &nowledge by holy methods, and with bene)olent moti)esE the other
ha)ing ac1uired it by unholy methods, and for base moti)es" (ut that which
constitutes the inner self, the purer portions of the earthly personal soul united with
the spiritual principles and constituting the essential indi)iduality, is ensured a
perpetuation of life in new births, whether the person, whose earthly surroundings are
its present habitat, becomes endued with the higher &nowledge, or remains a plain
ordinary man all his life"
$his doctrine cannot be treated as one which falls in at once with the )iew of
things entertained by people whose conceptions of immortality ha)e been corrupted
by the ignoble teaching of modern churches" 4ew exoteric religions as& their de)otees
to lift their imaginations abo)e the conception that life beyond the gra)e is a sort of
prolongation of life on this side of it" $hey are encouraged to belie)e that through
Keternity,L if they are good in this life, they will li)e on in some luxurious 'ea)en
Must as they would be li)ing if transported to some distant country, miraculously
protected there from disease and decay, and continuing for e)er the KMr" ,mithL or
KMr" (rownL they may ha)e been pre)ious to emigration" $he conception is Must as
absurd, when closely thought out, as the conception that for the merits or the sins of
this brief life@but a moment in the course of eternity@they will be able to secure
infinite bliss, or incur the utmost horrors of perpetual punishment" 6nds and means,
causes and effects, must be &ept in due proportion to one another in the worlds of
spirit as in the worlds of flesh" +t is nonsense for a man who has not first rendered his
personality something altogether abnormal to concei)e that it can be rationally
thought of as sur)i)ing fore)er"
Page 3GG
+t would be folly to wish e)en that it could be so perpetuated, for, how could
human beings of ignoble, miserable life, whose personality is merely a congeries of
wretched and sordid memories, be happy in finding their misery stereotyped for all
coming time, and in perpetual contrast with the superior personalities of other such
stereotypes" $he memory of e)ery personal life, indeed, is imperishably preser)ed in
the mysterious records of each existence, and the immortal indi)idual spiritual entity
will one day@but in a future so remote that it is hardly worth thin&ing about much at
present@be able to loo& bac& upon it, as upon one of the pages in the )ast boo& of
li)es which he will by that time ha)e compiled" (ut let us come bac& from these )ery
transcendental reflections to the destinies more immediately impending o)er the great
maMority of us whom bliphas #S)i so unci)illy spea&s of as Kthe useless portion of
man&indL@useless only, be it remembered, as regards our special present congeries
of earthly circumstance@not as regards the inner self which is destined to acti)e
enMoyment of life and experience )ery often in the future among better circumstances,
both on this earth and in superior planets"
9ow, most people will be but too apt to feel that unsatisfactory as the
circumstances may be, which constitute their present personalities, these are after all
themsel)es@ Ka poor thing, ,ir, but mine ownL@and that the inner spiritual monads,
of which they are but )ery dimly conscious, by the time they are united with entirely
different sets of circumstances in new births, will be other people altogether in whose
fate they cannot ta&e any interest" +n truth when the time comes they will find the fate
of those people profoundly interesting, as much so as they find their own fates now"
(ut passing o)er this branch of the subMect, there is still some consolation for wea&
brethren who find the notion of 1uitting their present personality at the end of their
present li)es too gloomy to be borne" bliphas #S)iQs exposition of the doctrines is a
)ery brief one@as regards the passage 1uoted@and it passes o)er a great deal which,
from the point of )iew we are now engaged with, is of )ery great importance" +n
tal&ing about immortality the great 5ccultist is thin&ing of the )ast stretches of time
o)er which the personality of the adept and the sorcerer may be made to extend"
Page 3G6
%hen he spea&s of annihilation after this life, he ignores a certain inter)al,
which may perhaps be not worth considering in reference to the enormous whole of
existence, but which none the less is )ery well worth the attention of people who
cling to the little fragment of their life experience which embodies the personality of
which we ha)e been tal&ing"
+t has been explained, in more than one paper published in this maga.ine during
the last few months, that the passage of the spiritual monad into a rebirth does not
immediately follow its release from the fleshly body last inhabited here" +n the 8amaC
lo&a, or atmosphere of this earth, the separation of the two groups of ethereal
principles ta&es place, and in the )ast maMority of cases in which the late personality
@the fifth principle@yields up something which is susceptible of perpetuation and
of union with the sixth, the spiritual monad, thus retaining consciousness of its late
personality for the time being, passes into the state described as /e)achan, where it
leads, for )ery long periods indeed as compared with those of life on this earth, an
existence of the most unalloyed satisfaction and conscious enMoyment" 5f course this
state is not one of acti)ity nor of exciting contrasts between pain and pleasure, pursuit
and achie)ement, li&e the state of physical life, but it is one in which the personality
of which we are spea&ing is perpetuated, as far as that is compatible with the
nonperpetuation of that which has been painful in its experience" +t is from this state
that the spiritual monad is reborn into the next acti)e life, and from the date of that
rebirth the old personality is done with" (ut for any imagination, which finds the
conception of rebirth and new personality uncomfortable, the doctrine of /e)achan@
and these Kdoctrines,L be it remembered, are statements of scientific fact which
*depts ha)e ascertained to be as real as the stars though as far out of reach for most
of us@the doctrine of /e)achan, we say, will furnish people who cannot gi)e up
their earthClife memories all at once@with a soft place to fall upon"
Page 3GH
IS SUICIDE " CRIME(
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, 9o)ember, 1223, pp" 31C33V
$he writer in the #ondon ,piritualist for 9o)ember, who calls the K4ragments of
5ccult $ruthL speculationCspinning, can hardly, + thin&, apply that epithet to
4ragment 9o" 3, so cautiously is the hypothesis concerning suicide ad)anced
therein"Z Viewed in its general aspect, the hypothesis seems sound enough, satisfies
our instincts of the Moral #aw of the ;ni)erse, and fits in with our ordinary ideas as
well as with those we ha)e deri)ed from science" $he inference drawn from the two
cases cited, )i.", that of the selfish suicide on the one hand, and of the unselfish
suicide on the other, is that, although the afterstates may )ary, the result is in)ariably
bad, the )ariation consisting only in the degree of punishment" +t appears to me that,
in arri)ing at this conclusion, the writer could not ha)e had in his mindQs eye all the
possible cases of suicide, which do or may occur" 4or + maintain that in some cases
selfCsacrifice is not only Mustifiable, but also morally desirable, and that the result of
such selfCsacrifice cannot possibly be bad" + will put one case, perhaps the rarest of all
rare cases, but not necessarily on that account a purely hypothetical one, for + 895%
at least one man, in whom + am interested, who is actuated with feelings, not
dissimilar to these + shall now describe, and who would be deeply than&ful for any
additional light that could be thrown on this dar&ly mysterious subMect >1?"
,uppose, then, that an indi)idual, whom + shall call M", ta&es to thin&ing long
and deep on the )exed 1uestions of the mysteries of earthly existence, its aims, and
the highest duties of man" $o assist his thoughts, he turns to philosophical wor&sR
notably those dealing with the sublime teachings of (uddha" ;ltimately he arri)es at
the conclusion that the 4+R,$ and 59#< aim of existence is to be useful to our
fellow menE that failure in this constitutes his own worthlessness as a sentient human
being, and that by continuing a life of worthlessness he simply dissipates the energy
which he holds in trust, and which, so holding, he has no right to fritter away"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U,ee $he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett, p" 3G2, for comments on this"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3G2
'e tries to be useful, but@miserably and deplorably fails" %hat, then, is his
remedyP Remember there is here Kno sea of troublesL to Kta&e arms against,L no
outraged human law to dread, no deser)ed earthly punishment to escapeE in fact, there
is no moral cowardice whate)er in)ol)ed in the selfCsacrifice" M" simply puts an end
to an existence which is useless, and which therefore fails of its own primary
purpose" +s his act not MustifiableP 5r must he also be the )ictim of that
transformation into spoo& and pi[acha, against which 4ragment 9o" 3 utters its dread
warningP >3?
Perhaps, M" may secure at the next birth more fa)ourable conditions, and thus
be better able to wor& out the purpose of (eing" %ell, he can scarcely be worseE for,
in addition to his being inspired by a laudable moti)e to ma&e way for one who might
be more ser)iceable, he has not, in this particular case, been guilty of any moral
turpitude >3?"
(ut + ha)e not done" + go a step further and say that M" is not only useless, but
positi)ely mischie)ous" $o his incapacity to do good, he finds that he adds a
somewhat restless disposition which is perpetually urging him on to ma&e an effort to
do good" M" ma&es the effort@he would be utterly unworthy the name of man if he
did not ma&e it@and disco)ers that his incapacity most generally leads him into
errors which con)ert the possible good into actual e)ilE that, on account of his nature,
birth, and education, a )ery large number of men become in)ol)ed in the effects of
his mista&en .eal, and that the world at large suffers more from his existence than
otherwise" 9ow, if, after arri)ing at such results, M" see&s to carry out their logical
conclusions, )i.", that being morally bound to diminish the woes to which sentient
beings on earth are subMect, he should destroy himself, and by that means do the only
good he is capable ofE is there, + as&, any moral guilt in)ol)ed in the act of
anticipating death in such a caseP +, for one, should certainly say not" 9ay, more, +
maintain, subMect of course to correction by superior &nowledge, that M" is not only
Mustified in ma&ing away with himself, but that he would be a )illain if he did not, at
once and unhesitatingly, put an end to a life, not only useless, but positi)ely
pernicious >D?"
M" may be in errorE but supposing he dies cherishing the happy delusion that in
death is all the good, in life all the e)il he is capable of, are there in his case no
extenuating circumstances to plead strongly in his fa)our, and help to a)ert a fall into
that horrible abyss with which your readers ha)e been frightenedP >G? " " "
*9 +9A;+R6R
>1? K+n1uirerL is not an 5ccultist, hence his assertion that in some cases suicide
Kis not only Mustifiable, but also morally desirable"L 9o more than murder, is it e)er
Mustifiable, howe)er desirable it may sometimes appear"
Page 3G9
$he 5ccultist, who loo&s at the origin and the ultimate end of things, teaches
that the indi)idual, who affirms that any man, under whatsoe)er circumstances, is
called to put an end to his life, is guilty of as great an offence and of as pernicious a
piece of sophistry, as the nation that assumes a right to &ill in war thousands of
innocent people under the pretext of a)enging the wrong done to one" *ll such
reasonings are the fruits of *)idya mista&en for philosophy and wisdom" 5ur friend is
certainly wrong in thin&ing that the writer of K4ragmentsL arri)ed at his conclusions
only because he failed to &eep before his mindQs eye all the possible cases of suicides"
$he result, in one sense, is certainly in)ariableE and there is but one general law or
rule for all suicides" (ut, it is Must because Kthe afterstatesL )ary ad infinitum, that it is
erroneous to infer that this )ariation consists only in the degree of punishment" +f the
result will be in e)ery case the necessity of li)ing out the appointed period of sentient
existence, we do not see whence K+n1uirerL has deri)ed his notion that Kthe result is
in)ariably bad"L $he result is full of dangersE but there is hope for certain suicides,
and e)en in many cases * R6%*R/, if life was sacrificed to sa)e other li)es and that
there was no other alternati)e for it" #et him read paragraph H, page 313, in the
,eptember $heosophist, and reflect 5f course, the 1uestion is simply generali.ed by
the writer" $o treat exhausti)ely of all and e)ery case of suicide and their afterstates
would re1uire a shelf of )olumes from the (ritish MuseumQs #ibrary, not our
K4ragments"L
>3? 9o man, we repeat, has a right to put an end to his existence simply because
it is useless" *s well argue the necessity of inciting to suicide all the incurable
in)alids and cripples who are a constant source of misery to their familiesE and preach
the moral beauty of that law among some of the sa)age tribes of the ,outh ,ea
+slanders, in obedience to which they put to death, with warli&e honours, their old
men and women" $he instance chosen by K+n1uirerL is not a happy one"
Page 36B
$here is a )ast difference between the man who parts with his life in sheer
disgust at constant failure to do good, out of despair of e)er being useful, or e)en out
of dread to do inMury to his fellow men by remaining ali)eE and one who gi)es it up
)oluntarily to sa)e the li)es either committed to his charge or dear to him" 5ne is a
halfCinsane misanthrope@the other, a hero and a martyr" 5ne ta&es away his life, the
other offers it in sacrifice to philanthropy and to his duty" $he captain who remains
alone on board of a sin&ing shipE the man who gi)es up his place in a boat that will
not hold all, in fa)our of younger and wea&er beingsE the physician, the sister of
charity and nurse who stir not from the bedside of patients dying of an infectious
fe)erE the man of science who wastes his life in brain wor& and fatigue and &nows he
is so wasting it and yet is offering it day after day and night after night in order to
disco)er some great law of the uni)erse, the disco)ery of which may bring in its
results some great boon to man&indE the mother who throws herself before the wild
beast that attac&s her children to screen and gi)e them the time to fleeE all these are
not suicides" $he impulse which prompts them thus to contra)ene the first great law
of animated nature@the first instincti)e impulse of which is to preser)e life@is
grand and noble" *nd, though all these will ha)e to li)e in the 8amaC#o&a their
appointed life term, they are yet admired by all, and their memory will li)e honoured
among the li)ing for a still longer period" %e all wish that, upon similar occasions,
we may ha)e courage so to die" 9ot so, surely in the case of the man instanced by
K+n1uirer"L 9otwithstanding his assertion that Kthere is no moral cowardice whate)er
in)ol)edL in such selfCsacrifice@we call it Kmoral cowardiceL and refuse it the name
of sacrifice"
>3 and D? $here is far more courage to li)e than to die in most cases" +f KM"L
feels that he is Kpositi)ely mischie)ous,L let him retire to a Mungle, a desert islandE or,
what is still better, to a ca)e or hut near some big cityE and then, while li)ing the life
of a hermit, a life which would preclude the )ery possibility of doing mischief to
anyone, wor&, in one way or the other, for the poor, the star)ing, the afflicted"
Page 361
+f he does that, no one can Kbecome in)ol)ed in the effects of his mista&en .eal,L
whereas, if he has the slightest talent, he can benefit many by simple manual labour
carried on in as complete a solitude and Xsilence as can be commanded under the
circumstances" *nything is better@e)en being called a cra.y philanthropist@than
committing suicide, the most dastardly and cowardly of all actions, unless the felo de
se is resorted to in a fit of insanity"
>G? K+n1uirerL as&s whether his KM"L must also be )ictim of that transformation
into spoo& and pi[achaY =udging by the delineation gi)en of his character by his
friend, we should say that, of all suicides, he is the most li&ely to become a sSanceC
room spoo&" :uiltless Kof any moral turpitude,L he may well be" (ut, since he is
afflicted with a Krestless disposition which is perpetually urging him on to ma&e an
effort to do goodL@here, on earth, there is no reason we &now of, why he should lose
that unfortunate disposition >unfortunate because of the constant failure?@in the
8amaC#o&a" * Kmista&en .ealL is sure to lead him on toward )arious mediums"
*ttracted by the strong magnetic desire of sensiti)es and spiritualists, KM"L will
probably feel Kmorally bound to diminish the woes to which these sentient beings
>mediums and belie)ers? are subMect on earth,L and shall once more destroy not only
himself, but his Kaffinities,L the mediums"
Page 363
455$95$6, $5 K:#6*9+9:, 4R5M b#+P'*, #bV+LZ
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, 9o)ember, 1223, pp" 36C32V
(rilliant and epigrammatic a writer, and profound an 5ccultist, as was the *bbS
!onstant >better &nown by his nomCdeCplume of bliphas #S)i?, the great bul& of his
writings would, we fear, do little either to interest or instruct our readers" ,till there
are passages in his writings so pregnant with a higher meaning that it seems to us that
it might be well to reproduce, from time to time, in $he $heosophist, translations of
some of these" $o +ndian readers at any rate, they will open an entirely new )ista"
WWWWWWWWWW
,ee PlatoQs !ritias, on the 'istory of *tlantis, as gi)en by the priests of ,ais to
his great ancestor ,olon, the *thenian lawgi)er"
*tlantis, the submerged continent, and the land of the K8nowledge of :ood and
6)ilL >especially the latter? par excellence, and inhabited by the fourth race of men
>we are the fifth? who are credited in the PopolCVuh >the boo& of the :uatemalans?
with sight unlimited and Kwho &new all things at once"L bliphas #S)i refers to the
secret tradition, among 5ccultists, about the great struggle that too& place, in those
far away prehistoric days of *tlantis, between the K,ons of :odL@the initiated
*depts of ,ambhala >once a fair island in the inland ,ea of the $ibetan plateau, now
as fair a land, an oasis surrounded by barren deserts and salt la&es?@and the
*tlanteans, the wic&ed magicians of $he)etat" >,ee +sis ;n)eiled, Vol" +, pp" G29C9D?"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U+n $he Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett, p" 1G6, it is said that the translation of certain excerpts
from bliphas #S)iQs /ogme et Rituel de la 'aute Magie, to which these footnotes were appended,
was made by *" 5" 'ume"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 363
+t is a wellCestablished belief among the 6astern, and especially the Mongolian and
$ibetan, 5ccultists that toward the end of e)ery race, when man&ind reaches its apex
of &nowledge in that cycle, di)iding into two distinct classes, it branches off@one as
the K,ons of #ightL and the other as the K,ons of /ar&ness,L or initiated *depts and
naturalCborn magicians or@mediums" $oward the )ery close of the race, as their
mixed progeny furnishes the first pioneers of a new and a higher race, there comes
the last and supreme struggle during which the K,ons of /ar&nessL are usually
exterminated by some great cataclysm of nature@by either fire or water" *tlantis was
submerged, hence the inference that that portion of the man&ind of the fifth race
which will be composed of KnaturalCborn magiciansL will be exterminated at the
future great cataclysm by@fire"
%hat was in reality that much maligned and still more dreaded goat Uthe
'ermaphrodite goat of MendesV, that (aphomet regarded e)en now by the Roman
!atholics as ,atan, the :rand Master of the K%itches ,abbath,L the central figure of
their nocturnal orgiesP %hy, simply Pan or 9ature"
WWWWWWWWWW
(y Kthe dogma of elementary forcesL bliphas #S)i means KspiritL and Kmatter,L
allegori.ed by 7oroaster, for the common herd, into 5rma.d and *hriman, the
prototype of the !hristian K:odL and K/e)ilLE and epitomi.ed and summed up by the
philosophy of 5ccult ,cience in the K'uman $riadL >(ody, ,oul, ,pirit@the two
poles and the Kmiddle natureL of man?, the perfect microcosm of the 596 ;ni)ersal
Macrocosm or ;ni)erse"
Page 36D
+n the 8hordahC*)esta the 7oroastrian dualism is contradictedR K%ho art thou,
5 fair beingPL in1uires the disembodied soul of one who stands at the gates of its
Paradise" K+ am, 5 ,oul, thy good and pure actions " " " thy law, thy angel, and thy
:od"L
WWWWWWWWWW
UK$he *.ot of the sages"LV $he ,e)enth ,tate of matter@#ife" $he 4ire and
#ight of the K*stral VirginL may be studied by the 'indus in the 4ire and #ight of
*&a[a"
WWWWWWWWWW
" " " Kto a)oid seeing what :od isL@i"e", seeing that :od is but man and )ice
)ersa@when he is not the KliningL of :od@the /e)il" %e &now of many who prefer
)oluntary and lifelong blindness to plain, sober truth and fact"
WWWWWWWWWW
!upid, the god, is the se)enth principle or the (rahm of the Vedantin, and
Psyche is its )ehicle, the sixth or spiritual soul" *s soon as she feels herself distinct
from her KconsortL@and sees him@she loses him" ,tudy the K'eresy of
+ndi)idualityL@and you will understand"
WWWWWWWWWW
+n the !hristian legend, the KRedeemerL is the K+nitiatorL who offers his life in
sacrifice for the pri)ilege of teaching his disciples some great truths" 'e, who
unriddles the !hristian sphinx, Kbecomes the Master of the *bsoluteL for the simple
reason that the greatest mystery of all the ancient initiations@past, present, and
future@is made plain and di)ulged to him" $hose who accept the allegory literally,
will remain blind all their life and those, who di)ulge it to the ignorant masses,
deser)e punishment for their want of discretion in see&ing to Kfeed pigs with pearls"L
Page 36G
$he $heosophist@read but by the intelligent who, when they understand it,
pro)e that they deser)e as much of the secret &nowledge as can be gi)en them@is
permitted to throw out a hint" #et him, who would fathom the mystery of the allegory
of both ,phinx and !ross, study the modes of initiation of the 6gyptians, !haldeans,
ancient =ews, 'indus, etc" *nd then he will find what the word K*tonementL@far
older than !hristianity@meant, as also Kthe (aptism of (lood"L *t the last moment
of the ,upreme +nitiation, when the +nitiator had di)ulged the last mysterious word,
either the 'ierophant or the Knewly born,L the worthier of the two, had to die, since
two *depts of e1ual power must not li)e, and he, who is perfect, has no room on
earth" bliphas #S)i hints at the mystery in his )olumes without explaining it" <et he
spea&s of Moses who dies mysteriously, disappears from the top of Mount Pisgah
after he had Klaid his handsL upon the initiated *aronE of =esus who dies for the
disciple Kwhom he lo)ed,L =ohn the author of the *pocalypse, and of =ohn the (aptist
@the last of the real 9a.ars of the 5ld $estament >see +sis, Vol" ++, p" 133?, who, in
the incomplete, contradictory, and tortured :ospel accounts, is made to die later
through 'erodiasQ whim, and, in the secret 8abalistic documents of the 9abathaeans,
to offer himself as an expiatory )ictim after Kbapti.ingL >i"e", initiating? his chosen
successor in the mystic =ordan" +n these documents, after the initiation *ba, the
4ather, becomes the ,on, and the ,on succeeds the 4ather and becomes 4ather and
,on at the same time, inspired by ,ophia *chamoth >secret wisdom? transformed
later on into the 'oly :host" (ut this successor of =ohn the (aptist was not =esus, the
9a.arenes say" (ut of this anon" $o this day, the initiation beyond the 'imalayas is
followed by temporary death >from three to six months? of the disciple, often that of
the +nitiatorE but the (uddhists do not spill blood, for they ha)e a horror of it,
&nowing that blood attracts Ke)il powers"L *t the initiation of the !hhinnamasta
$antri&as >from chhinna Kse)eredL and masta KheadLQ@the :oddess !hhinnamasta
being represented with a decapitated head?, the $antri& ,hastras say that, as soon as
the *dept has reached the highest degree of perfection, he has to initiate his successor
and@die, offering his blood as an atonement for the sins of his brothers"
Page 366
'e must Kcut off his own head with the right hand, holding it in the left"L $hree
streams of blood gush out from the headless trun&" 5ne of these is directed into the
mouth of the decapitated head >K" " " my blood is drin& indeedL@the inMunction in
=ohn that so shoc&ed the disciples?E the other is directed toward the earth as an
offering of the pure, sinless blood to mother 6arthE and the third gushes toward
hea)en as a witness for the sacrifice of KselfCimmolation"L 9ow, this has a profound
5ccult significance which is &nown only to the initiatedE nothing li&e the truth is
explained by the !hristian dogma, and imperfectly as they ha)e defined it, the 1uasiC
inspired K*uthors of the Perfect %ayL re)eal the truth far nearer than any of the
!hristian commentators"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO *THE THREE GR"DES
O! "NCIENT THEOSOPHISTS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V" 9o" 3, 9o)ember, 1223, p" 39V
U$he writer spea&s of occultists of a higher grade as being a law unto themsel)es
and says that they should not be critici.ed or imitated by the ignorant and impatient
!hela" 'e instances the case of ,ri ,am&arIchIrya who is alleged to ha)e li)ed with
a widow princessE he also mentions *rMuna who is said to ha)e married a widow, and
8rishna who had a thousand wi)es" $o this '" P" (" remar&sRV
$hese examples are KunsuitedL because these are not historical facts, but
allegorical fictions that are accepted literally but by the ignorant" 9o adept@while
one at any rate@has e)er Kli)ed with a widow >or no widow? princessLE nor has he
married anyoneE least of all, no adept had, since the worldQs e)olution, e)en one, let
alone a Kthousand wi)es"L
Page 36H
THE *CONTR"DICTIONS O! THE BIBLE,
"ND THE R"W"LPINDI MISSION SCHOOL
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, 9o)ember, 1223, p" D1V
'a)ing gi)en room in our ,eptember number to a letter from a 'indu
correspondent, belonging to a Mission ,chool, who accused his ,uperintendent, the
Re)" 9@, of abuse of power, we sent a copy of that number to the party charged of
the offence, in order to gi)e him a chance of replying to the accusation" %e ha)e now
his reply and we print it )erbatim" *t the same time, we ha)e also recei)ed another
letter from the plaintiff, which we publish alongside with that of the re)erend
gentleman" %e regret our inability to comply with the re1uest of the latter" K+n case
#a&shman sends you any more coc&CandCbull stories, please fa)our me with a sight of
them before putting them into print, as they may be impro)ed by an explanation from
meL@writes to us the Re)" !" (" 9ewton" %e answerR %e ha)e no right to betray the
confidence of a correspondent, e)en though he may be pro)ed to ha)e exaggerated
the offence" %e are glad for the re)erend gentlemanQs sa&e that it should be so, and
sorry for the young man that he should ha)e found it necessary to exaggerate"Z %ith
all that, we cannot remain satisfied with the explanations gi)en by the Re)" Mr"
9ewton" $he main point is not whether he has confiscated the boo&@another
personQs property@brutally or politelyE but rather, whether he had any right to do so
at all, since #a&shman ,ingh was not a !hristianE and the Mission ,chools, especially
the *merican, ha)e no right to brea& the promises of religious neutrality gi)en to the
'indus and Mussulmans by the :o)ernment that gi)es them shelter and hospitality"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %ell, if he has, better let him go and defend himself"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 362
*nd, if #a&shman ,ingh pro)es that he has been expelled from the school for no
greater crime than appealing to public opinion to decide upon the legality of such
forced proselytism, and for refusing to sign an untruthful statement to sa)e his
prospects of education from ruin, then we doubt whether the Re)" Mr" 9ewton will
thereby strengthen much either his own case or that of the religion he would enforce
upon his pupils by means that no one would )enture to call altogether fair" *nd since
our re)erend correspondent does us the honour of ac&nowledging that we maintain
certain principles, such as truthfulness and fair play, in common with himself, we
would fain as& him in the name of that truthfulness, whether he would ha)e e)er
cared to confiscate, as promptly as he has the ,elfCcontradictions of the (ible, some
of the missionary wor&s that tear down, abuse, and re)ile the gods of the 'indus, and
the other soCcalled KheathenL religionsP *nd if not, is it not forcing the poor youths of
+ndia, who ha)e no other means of being educated, to pay rather too dearly for that
education, if they ha)e to obtain it at the price of their ancestral faith, or be turned out
for see&ing to learn the truth about a religion which they are as&ed to prefer to their
own and which yet is represented to them but from one of its aspects, namely, the
missionary sideP %e call it neither fair nor generousE nor yet charitable" $rue charity
neither as&s nor does it expect its rewardE and, )iewed from this standpoint, the free
mission schools must appear to e)ery unpreMudiced person no better than illCdisguised
traps for the unsophisticated Kheathens,L and the missionaries themsel)es as guilty all
round of false pretences" 4ar more respectable appear to us e)en the ludicrous
,al)ationists who, if they mas1uerade in 5riental costumes, do not at least disguise
their real aims and obMects, and ha)e, at any rate, the merit of sincerity, howe)er
brutally expressed" $herefore we maintain what we ha)e said beforeR the act of which
the Re)" 9ewton and the two schoolmasters stand accused of, is@*(;,6 54
P5%6R"
Page 369
THE "R#" "ND ITS *OUTST"TION, CORRESPONDENCE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, 9o)ember, 1223, p" D9V
$here exists a class of men@among the great )ariety composing genus homo@
who, by their modes of thought and action, ha)e to be )iewed as a distinct group, a
specimen entirely sui generis" %e would bottle and label them as the K+ndiaCrubber,L
or K6lastic men"L $hese indi)iduals whene)er defeated, will neither hide their
diminished heads, nor will they honestly admit that which, to all others, is an
accomplished and an undeniable factR namely, that in the affray, whate)er its nature,
they ha)e come out second best" 5n the contrary, prudently allowing a certain period
of time to elapse between the e)ent and a fresh attac&@a period sufficient, as they
craftily calculate, to sweep away from peopleQs minds the correct remembrance of
details@they will pounce most unexpectedly upon their exCantagonist and try to
crac& his head" $hey will, once more, impose upon the public an absolutely false
account of facts, and feel placidly confident that they ha)e whitewashed themsel)es
in the sight of some wea&Cminded fools"
,uch is e)idently the malignant purpose of K*n 5utstation *ryan
!orrespondentL in the 5ctober number of the *rya@a purpose that could be formed
only by a mind originally and essentially elastic, and executed by an intellect
naturally narrow, and a mode of reasoning enfeebled and contracted by bad
education"
+t is sufficient to read the first paragraph of K* ,ummary Re)iew on >P? 6xtra
,upplement >sic? to $he $heosophist for =uly,L to smile in sincere pity at the puny
efforts of that unluc&y ad)ocate of a cause perdue"
Page 3HB
%e cannot help admiring, though, the sublime coolness with which he opens the fire
from his popgun in the first paragraphR K+n reply to !olonel 5lcottQs defence against
,wamiMi /ayanand ,araswatiQs charges + Uand who are you, (abu X,ir 5racleQPV can
in no way see that in any one single instance does the !olonel pro)e that those
charges are not wellCfounded and perfectly correct"L
*nd forthwith our bra)e Volunteer for K4orlorn 'ope,L sets out@in the )ery
face of facts and ,wamiQs suicidal autographs engra)ed from his original letters and
published in the =uly ,upplement@to pro)e that white is blac& and )ice )ersa" K*
,ummary Re)iewL being, of course, unworthy of a serious re)iew, or e)en a passing
notice in $he $heosophist, we write these few lines with 1uite a different obMect than
that of answering the un&nown K+"L +ndeed, no sane man, ac1uainted with ,wamiQs
many public and emphatic denials that he had e)er belonged to or permitted his name
to be entered as a member of the $heosophical ,ociety, could underta&e, after reading
the said =uly ,upplement, to express but one )iew upon the 1uestion" +n the presence
of >a? ,wamiQs autograph letter authori.ing !olonel 5lcott to represent and act for
him in e)ery meeting of the !ouncil of the ,ocietyE >b? his letter ac&nowledging the
receipt and acceptance of a /iploma from 9ew <or&, which ma&es him necessarily a
4ellow, he ha)ing &ept that /iploma for nearly two years before sending it bac&, or,
in other words, resigningE and >c? Mrs" *" :ordonQs letter testifying to the fact that
she was initiated by ,wami /ayanand ,araswati at (enares, something plainly
showing that ,wami must ha)e been himself initiated before he could initiate anyone
else, hence that he was a K4ellowLE@in the presence of these three facts alone, we
say, who but an enemy of ,wami would care to re)i)e in the public memory the
recollection of his exposure and of his fruitless attempts Kto cog the dice and sha)e
truth,L as Mr" *rtemus %ard would sayP
$hus, it is not the luc&less K5utstation !orrespondentL@who, in his lame
wouldCbe re)iew, only outwits himself, and Kshooting at a pigeon &ills but a crowL@
that we address, but the 6ditor of $he *rya"
Page 3H1
%e had always regarded him as rather a discreet, truthful, and intelligent young man"
'ence@our sincere and rather amused surprise" !onceding to him willingly the said
1ualities, we are compelled to suspect that he has suddenly turned an enemy to his
great Patron" 5therwise, how should he permit such an aw&ward and dangerous
1uestion to be re)i)ed in the columns of his monthlyP ;nwilling to suspect his own
good faith, we are )ainly see&ing for a plausible moti)e that could ha)e made him
depart from prudent policy" +t cannot be that he Mumped at the opportunity of gi)ing a
hit to a sleeping ri)al through the hand of an anonymous correspondent, for he is too
intelligent to be ignorant of the fact that abuse from certain 1uarters is the highest
praise" %e abuse and hate but what we fear"
%hat is $he $heosophist more, indeed, Kthan a series of stories of (huts, =ins,
etc"LP $his sentence alone affords us the correct standard of the intelligence of the
K5utstationL critic" %ell, we reply that, e)en were it so, $he $heosophist would ha)e
yet that great ad)antage o)er $he *rya >especially in its 5ctober garb? that it can
appear on the drawing room table of the highest and most respectable 6uropean
families, as well as in the hands of the most innocent *ryan maiden or boy, without
any fear of shoc&ing the modesty of either" %e are sorry to obser)e this new
departure in $he *rya" $he disgusting and indecent wording of the articles@K*yur
Veda on 'ealth,L and KPhysiological <oga of $antra PhilosophyL@is amply
sufficient to ma&e any Mournal lose all those subscribers who ha)e any sense of
decency, at any rate among respectable nati)e families and 6uropeans" 6)en purely
medical wor&s and Mournals, when offered to the general public, a)oid such sincere
phraseology, and, for the sa&e of that same decency, gi)e certain words in :ree& or
#atin" %e are afraid that, unless our colleague prudently )eils in future the na&ed
hideousness of his terms Kin the obscurities of some learned tongue,L the postal
authorities might be under the painful necessity of interfering with the free circulation
of his inspired organ"
Page 3H3
%hy our modest and pious friend, the 6ditor of $he *rya, should ha)e suddenly
begun )ying in obscenities and immodest terms with the )enerable prophet of +srael,
'osea@is another psychological mystery that no 5ccultist could e)er underta&e to
unriddle"
OCCULT "ND SPIRITU"L PHENOMEN"
IN THE LIGHT O! MODERN SCIENCE
'" P" (#*V*$,8<"
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, 9o)ember, 1223, pp" GBCG1V
+ ha)e Must recei)ed #ight@the ablest of the ,piritual periodicals of 6ngland@
of ,eptember 33, and read its K9otes by the %ay,L contributed by KM" *" >5xon? ,L
with an unusual interest" ,o great was the latter indeed, that it ma&es me depart for
once from my editorial impersonality and answer the K9otesL o)er my own signature"
9ot further bac& than a year ago, especially if + had read those notes in the
parched and scorching plains of +ndia, + might ha)e deeply resented their unfriendly
tone" (ut now from an altitude of o)er 2BBB feet abo)e the sea le)el, ha)ing Must
enMoyed the pri)ilege of passing fortyCeight hours in the company of those much
doubted (R5$'6R, of ours, and certain of our $heosophists, moreo)er, who
crossed o)er to ,i&&im and made their personal ac1uaintances, representing
additional legal e)idence in fa)our of my claims@+ am rather inclined to feel amused
than otherwise"
+ndeed, + find that neither that )ery unfriendly tone assumed for some time past
against myself in the K9otes,L nor e)en the incessant thrusts in the direction of the
(R5$'6R,, are capable of ruffling my present placidity" <et + confess that, coming
as they do from one, who neither himself, nor his K+mperatorL >for whom, + belie)e,
he must feel as much re)erence as + do for our Protectors and M*,$6R,?, has e)er
been spo&en of in a moc&ing or contemptuous tone nor e)en in an unfriendly way in
our Mournal@does seem rather startling"
Page 3H3
*t any rate, KM"*" >5xon?QsL present attitude is rather more dangerous for
himself, and the cause he represents and labours for so .ealously, than it is for the
(R5$'6R, or e)en my own humble self, since, indeed, his hearty approbation of
the inimical criticism that closes the re)iew of Mr" ,innettQs $he 5ccult %orld in a
scientific paper he 1uotes from, seems directed far more against ,piritual phenomena
in general, and mediums and K,piritsL in particular, than it is against 5ccult ,cience
and its great li)ing Professors" + will say moreR in one who claims publicly@and
ma&es no secret of being in direct and constant communication with, and the
mouthpiece of, K+mperatorL@a high ,pirit@such a policy pro)es simply suicidal"
4or, who will dare deny@not any man of science, at any rate, or the same =ournal of
,cience@that KM"*" >5xon?QsL claims are certainly no more@and strict logicians as
well as an impartial Mury may say far less@demonstrable according to the laws of
inducti)e science, or e)en Mudicial e)idence, than our claims to an ac1uaintance and
intercourse with li)ing (R5$'6R," Really our friend ought to abstain from
throwing pebbles into his nearest neighbourQs premises" +n both KM"*" >5xon?QsL and
my case, the obMect of proof@so difficult of demonstration@is the real, palpable, and
undeniable existence of K,piritsL and K(rothersLE their respecti)e claims >or rather
those made by oursel)es, their humble mouthpieces, on their behalf ? to superior
&nowledge and powers, appearing but of secondary importance in this wholesale
denial by the sceptical KPhilistinesL of their )ery being" Re)iews are interesting, not
merely because they show what our friends and enemies thin& of us, but also because
they afford us a safe estimate of what opinion our critics hold of themsel)es" ,uch is
the double benefit + deri)ed by a perusal of KM"*" >5xon?QsL note on the re)iew of
$he 5ccult %orld by the =ournal of ,cience"
Page 3HD
9ot only do + percei)e the correctness >to a certain extent? of the criticism of
orthodox exact science@though feeling as sure that neither the disco)ery of a new
planet or mineral would satisfy her sceptics but more than e)er do + learn that it is
idle to expect anything li&e fairness e)en from the most intelligent and friendly
critics, once that their minds are biased and preMudiced by a series of misconceptions"
%ith KM"*" >5xon?QsL &ind permission, + will, in my turn, re)iew his strange re)iew"
$here already appears in the present issue another letter, signed by fi)e of the !helas
of our )enerated M*,$6R,, against a series of criticisms from the same pen,
directed against them, in #ight" $hey percei)e in this attitude of hostility simply the
Keffect of mediumshipL and suspect K+mperatorL of being no better than an 6lemental
,pirit, but + protest against this misconception and would ne)er permit myself
personally to throw suspicion or slur either upon KM"*" >5xon?QsL personal good
faith or that of his Kcontrol,L as he constantly does with regard to our K(R5$'6R,,L
and the writer of the present" + will content myself, then, with simply 1uoting from
his re)iew and pointing out his strange attitude" 'e saysR
$he =ournal of ,cience has now completed a candid and temperate notice of Mr"
,innettQs 5ccult %orld" $he writer deals with the e)idences of extraordinary power,
such as the creation of the cup and saucer at ,imla by Madame (la)ats&y, fairly, and
in a Mudicial spirit" 'e considers that the narrati)e must be accepted as a record
substantially accurate of a real occurrence" 'e puts aside the supposition of an
elaborate fraud as Xliterally bristling with difficulties,Q and arri)es at the conclusion
that Xthe cup and saucer were produced in the earth where found, by an agency to us
inconcei)able"Q $his is a startling concession when it is considered from what 1uarter
it comes" %e are so accustomed to find the inexplicable or the unexplained treated by
open science as the impossible, especially in the case of psychical phenomena, that
this candid consideration of an antecedently incredible statement is as startling as it is
welcome"
,o far this sounds pretty friendly, e)en though the admission of KM"*" >5xon?L
allows as good a handle against spiritualistic phenomena as it does to those of the
5ccultists" (ut soon the tone changes and the probable genuineness of the
phenomena being conceded, their nature is ta&en to tas&"
Page 3HG
+ entirely appreciate Usays KM" *" >5xon?LV the words of the Re)iewer when he points
out that such feats, so li&e mere Mugglery, are by no means the best e)idence of
superior &nowledge" ,uppose the (rotherhood were to sayR KPoint your telescope to
such and such a spot in the hea)ens, you will find a planet as yet un&nown to you,
ha)ing such and such elements,L or K/ig into the earth in such a place and you will
find a mineral containing a metal new to your scienceR its atomic weight, its specific
gra)ity, etc", are so and so"L ,uch or similar proofs, not of superior power but of
higher &nowledge, would not increase any manQs facilities for e)ilCdoing" Rather, +
may add, would they increase the store of human &nowledge, and pro)e incontestably
the presence among us of some beings wiser and more beneficient than we" (ut, as
the Re)iewer points out, we search in )ain for any such e)idence" K$ill some foothold
of this &ind is gi)en us, it is useless to bid us Moin the $heosophical ,ociety or change
our mode of life"L $eachings so indefinite we are compelled to reMect, not indeed
Ksuperciliously,L but sadly" +t is impossible to find any reasonable fault with such an
attitude" +t is true that the *dept (rothers pose as men reluctant to open the door of
&nowledge to any but the most patient and persistent appeal made by one who has
pro)ed himself a worthy postulant" $hat is an attitude incompatible with some steps
lately ta&en" $oo much or too little has been said in their name, and the result is
bewilderment and confusion"
,uch is the sentence passed on the (R5$'6R,, or rather on myself, their
humble disciple" 9ow what would the a)erage sceptic@who belie)es in neither
K+mperator,L nor the K(R5$'6R,,L and who regards Must as much KM"*" >5xon?L as
'" P" (la)ats&y in the light of a hallucinated lunatic when not a wilful impostor@
what would a sceptic say to thisP 5utside the belie)ers in ,piritualism and 5ccultism
@a handful as compared to the bul& of man&ind@any a)erage sceptic would simply
laugh at such a criticism when it emanates from a wellC&nown ,piritualist, a medium
who himself claims a personal communication with a Khigh spiritL and many minor
ones" !an the ,piritualists point to any of their phenomena of a KhigherL character
than the few trifles &indly shown to the author of $he 5ccult %orldP 'a)e their
mediums, the highest, the best of them, for the last forty and odd years of their
acti)ity, made any one single disco)ery that would benefit humanity or e)en scienceP
*re the contradictory, conflicting bits of philosophy, &aleidoscopically exhibited by
K,piritsL through mediums, one whit higher than that contained e)en in the few stray
letters published in $he 5ccult %orldP
Page 3H6
'as e)en K+mperatorL pro)ed himself in his teachings any higher or more
philosophical or learned than 8ootC'oomi, and has he e)er consented to appear
before the Ka)erage PhilistineL or to gi)e an undoubted demonstration of his personal
reality except, perhaps, in the presence of the )ery, )ery few@at any rate by far fewer
than those who personally &now our (R5$'6R,E@or finally, has e)en he,
K+mperator,L that Kgreat and wise spiritL who ought as such to be far more powerful
and learned in the mysteries of undisco)ered planets and minerals than the highest
*deptC5ccultist li)ing@if the spiritualistic theory be true@has e)en he, + as&, e)er
benefited the world of science or the profane public, or e)en his own medium, by any
great disco)ery, which, Kincreasing the store of human &nowledge,L has pro)ed him
thereby@a being Kwiser and more beneficientL than we Kand the (R5$'6R,LP
KM"*" >5xon?QsL re)iew is therefore a doubleCedged sword" %hile trying with one
side of it to hit the (R5$'6R, and the 5ccultists, he simply cuts, and )ery badly
too, himself and ,piritualism with the other" Paraphrasing the words of the Re)iewer
and of KM"*" >5xon?L + will close my remar&s with the followingR
K$ill some foothold of this &ind is gi)en us,L it is useless to extol the K,piritsL
and KMediumsL abo)e the K(R5$'6R,L and their 5ccultists" $he attitude of the
former is truly KincompatibleL with their forty years of ardent acti)ity, and no results
whate)erE and, while we all &now what the K,piritsL ha)e hitherto been capable of,
no ,piritualist is yet in a position to say what benefit may or may not befall the world
through the K(R5$'6R,,L since they ha)e but hardly appeared on the hori.on"
Patience, patience, good friends, and critics" K(ewilderment and confusionL are far
more on your side than they are on ours and@1ui )i)ra )erraY
$indharia, near /arMeeling in the 'imalayas,
5ctober 33"
,+R %+##+*M 4#6$!'6R (*RR6$$
12DDC193G
Reproduced from the Proceedings of the ,ociety for Psychical Research,
Vol" FFFV, Pt" F!V, =uly, 193G"
>!onsult *ppendix for biographical s&etch"?

'69R< ,+/:%+!8
1232C19BB
Reproduced from the Proceedings of the ,ociety for Psychical Research,
Vol" FV, Pt" FFF+F, being a photograph ta&en by
Mrs" 4" %" '" Myers in 129G"
>!onsult *ppendix for biographical s&etch"?
Page 3HH
THE !REETHIN&ERS0 *S"LV"TION "RM#,
U$he Philosophic +n1uirer, 9o)ember 13, 1223, p" 1GGV
$o the 6ditor of $he Philosophic +n1uirer"
My dear !olleague and (rother,@+ do not generally read $he $hin&er >an
*ngloC$amil =ournal?, the Kcrusader against superstition, custom, po)erty, and
prostitution"L 4rom the day of its first appearance, when its editor or editors offered it
in exchange for $he $heosophist, and found his, or their offer respectfully declined@
+ ha)e ne)er set my eyes on the paper, though, to my great regret, + find e)ery wee&,
undue notice gi)en it in your Mournal" (ut, upon my arri)al at !alcutta, + disco)ered
that some illCad)ised friend had sent me three numbers of itE namely, for 5ctober 1st,
2th, and 1Gth" 9umber 1@de)otes three out of its eight columns to cheap abuse of
$heosophy, its ,ociety, and 4oundersE number 3@has six columns full of the sameE
and number 3@threeCandCaChalf columns out of the eight" 'ad the same amount of
attention been bestowed upon us by any Mournal of@say@fifth or sixthCrate
respectability and importance, no better or cheaper ad)ertisement could ha)e been
desired" 6manating from the poor, struggling, bumptious little $hin&er, it filled my
womanly, theosophic heart with sincere pity for its young wouldCbe editors" K%hat
paucity of printing matter must be theirsL@ + thought" K'ow little original stuff
proceeding direct from the editorial brains >if any found? they ha)e at their commandE
since, in order to fill their columns e)en with such poor abuse they ha)e to turn to the
*rya, a theistic, pious organ, and to 1uote from it whole columns of exploded
charges" " " "
Page 3H2
%ill not its hapless editor or editors ha)e to resort )ery soon, to still more ample
1uotations from missionary organs, than which, no columns the world o)er offer
more abundant har)est for personal abuse of, and slander directed against, the
theosophists"L ,uch were my thoughtsE when, after the perusal of the following
sentencesR
%e are surrounded by frauds and cheats " " " be watchful, and the $heosophists
will find it hard to dupe youE and " " " no healthy brain ought to belie)e in all and
e)ery filth >P? that !olonel 5lcott throws before his audience " " " and in his organ $he
$heosophist>YY?"
+ came across the following witticismR
%e are fortunate that under the (ritish rule in +ndia such barbarous practices
UduelsV are prohibitedE or else the $heosophical 6ditor will >sic? challenge us for a
duel, as he Uwhy not shePV has now exhausted all logical arguments for $heosophy"
5h, poor young editors of the helpless little $hin&er with its columns so
painfully filled up with driedCup and borrowed matter, what delusion is theirsY %hy
should they entertain such ridiculous fearsP $he editor of $he $heosophist is e)er
ready to throw her gauntlet to, or accept a challenge from, her superiors, or at least,
her e1uals in the editorial field" (ut to Kchallenge for a duelL a@$he $hin&er " " " Pro
pudor" $he editor of $he $heosophist is no female /on Auixote to fight e)ery
bro&enCdown windmill that chooses to grind nonCdeodori.ed hus&s and chaff, and
then blow the illCsmelling but harmless wind into her face" *t the worst she would
ha)e to go to the trouble of protecting her olfactory organ for a second or two and
ne)er gi)e the puff of foul air another thought" +n her wise economy, nature protects
her infinitesimally small specimens of being, while her larger )ariety has to ta&e care
of themsel)es" 'ence@the impunity with which the bite of a microscopical flea is
generally followed" +t is under the pro)iso of this generous law in nature, that the
editor or editors of the unthin&ing $hin&er escape the penalty of their 1uasiClibellous
expressions directed against !olonel 5lcott"
Page 3H9
'ow could a man@than whom, no one is more respected for his high moral 1ualities
and integrity of character in *merica as well as in 6ngland by all those who &now
him@Mr" (radlaugh, in 6ngland, for one, and a number of highly + intellectual,
educated *ngloC+ndian gentlemen amongst others here@how could such a man heed
the bite, howe)er )icious, of such a poor, insignificant, little literary insect as the
$hin&erP * Mournal li&e $he ,tatesman of !alcutta, which nearly came to grief, last
year, for defamation of the character of the 4ounders of the $heosophical ,ociety@
had, and has cause to fear, for, it is a paper of some importance, and it has a character
to loseE hence@it has since then left us se)erely alone" (ut what has the poor little
$hin&er to fear or loseP
(efore closing, let me gi)e a salutary ad)ice to our (rothers, the editor of $he
Philosophic +n1uirer, and all, and e)ery other $heosophist who would rush into print
to the defence of his ,ociety or its 4ounders when defamed by the little *ngloC$amil
organ in 1uestion" K#i)e and let li)eL@should be our mottoE but why gi)e such an
undue prominence to the childish and impertinent prattle or rather sul&s of its wouldC
be ri)alP %e of a K;ni)ersal (rotherhoodL should extend our uni)ersal charity e)en
to $he $hin&er" (ut, although the shafts it fires from its borrowed popguns fall
harmless enough and may bring it a subscriber or two more, we should not help it to
further its obMect@that of attracting notice@by gi)ing room to replies answering its
)agaries to the crowdingCoff from the columns of $he Philosophic +n1uirer of other
and more interesting matter" #et the poor $hin&er li)e" #et its editors fill its columns
with abuse collected from papers as inimical to us as they are to itself, from theistic
and missionary organs, lest it dies from star)ation" +t is e)ident from the abo)e three
specimen numbers that it cannot shine with any other but a borrowed light@unless
li&e certain pieces of rotten wood it emits a phosphoric lustre of decay" +ts only
editorial >5ctober 2? M*$$6R *9/ 45R!6 is ta&en bodily from an article of the
same name from $he $heosophist of ,eptember without any ac&nowledgment of the
same" +n this editorial it childishly and as clumsily pretends to answer an in)isible
and un&nown opponent, and repeat parrotCli&e some of the arguments of the article in
$he $heosophist" #et it li)e by all means"
Page 32B
<et, + feel pained for Mr" (radlaugh and his ,ecular ,ociety" $o thin& that a man of
such remar&able intellect and of such uni)ersally recogni.ed ability should ha)e a
representati)e and champion of that sort in +ndia is@sad indeedY + hope + may not
turn a prophetE yet, it is to be feared that the ser)ices rendered by that Madras pigmy
to the 6nglish colossus may pro)e in the long run of the same nature as those
rendered by the ,al)ation *rmy to !hristianity" ;nless some (ritish secularist ta&es
pity upon $he $hin&er and sends it matter enough to fill its empty columns, the last
prestige of the secular mo)ement in +ndia will be destroyed" *s the %ar !ry of the
,al)ationists fights an imaginary Mr" /e)il, so $he $hin&er fences with a mythical
Mr" $heosophist of its own creation whom it tries to show off as an arch enemy of
,ecularismY
<ours fraternally,
'" P" (#*V*$,8<,
6ditor of $he $heosophist"
!alcutta,
3Bth 5ctober, 1223"
%e say *men o)er the K)ery indecent,L little $hin&er"@6ditor, Philosophic
+n1uirer"
Page 321
THE POOR BRUTES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, /ecember, 1223, p" GDV
KQ$were all as good to ease one beast of grief,
*s sit and watch the sorrows of the world,
+n yonder ca)erns with the priests who pray"
" " " " " "
K;nto the dumb lips of his floc& he lent
,ad pleading words, showing how man, who prays
4or mercy to the gods, is merciless,
(eing as gods to thoseE " " "L
@,ir 6dwin *rnold, #ight of *sia"
* certain 4ellow and !ouncillor of our ,ociety and member of the (ombay
(ranch is engaged in a noble wor&, which reflects honour upon us all" Mr" 8a)asMi M"
,hroff, a Parsi gentleman among the most publicCspirited and intelligent of his
indefatigable race, is &nown in 6ngland as a colleague and friend of the late
philanthropic Miss Mary !arpenter, and in *merica as a lecturer upon 4ire %orship"
*t (ombay his name has been long identified with mo)ements of public importance,
among them that of Pre)ention of !ruelty to *nimals, of the local ,ociety de)oted to
which wor& he is ,ecretary" $here ha)e long been such praiseworthy bodies in
6urope and *merica, but, curiously enough, our Parsi colleague has de)ised a new
feature in their administration ne)er yet thought of by the more experienced %estern
philanthropists, and which )astly enlarges the scope of their usefulness" $he (ombay
daily papers ha)e noticed the scheme appro)ingly, and from the :a.ette of =uly 33,
and $imes of +ndia of 9o)ember 6, we copy in full the extracts which follow, in the
hope that they may incite humanitarians elsewhere to imitate this most laudable
example"
Page 323
Z Z Z Z Z Z
;nless we mista&e, posterity will offer a more lasting homage to the names of
Mr" /inshaw Manoc&Mee, Mr" ,hroff, and their colleagues than Knosegays and
rosewater"L 4or a )ery great body of people in these *siatic countries ha)e in their
natures an inbred tender compassion for the brute creationE and long before the
#ondon ,"P"!"*" arose, there existed in a 'indu 1uarter of (ombay, a refuge for
animals called PinMraMole, where e)en the fleas and bugs are fed on the bodies of
li)ing men who hire themsel)es out for this curious ser)ice at so much per nightY +t is
a common thing for a 'indu merchant or speculator to )ow that if he succeeds in a
certain )enture he will buy so many cattle, sheep, or other animals doomed to the
shambles, and send them to PinMrapole to be &ept at feed for the rest of their natural
li)es" (ut though PinMrapole is richly endowed, ha)ing a re)enue of, we belie)e, more
than a la&h of rupees annually, its internal management lea)es much to be desired"
$his, under the intelligent super)ision of Mr" ,hroff, is most li&ely to be a)oided in
the proposed *nimal 'ospital, and as we remar&ed abo)e, it is a cause of honourable
pride to e)ery member of our ,ociety that so (uddhaCli&e a practical charity should
ha)e been set afoot by our Parsi colleague and brother" %e hope these lines may
come under the eye of Mr" 'enry (ergh, the *merican .oophile"
kkkkkkkkkkkkk
COMMENTS ON *THE UTTER"NCES O! R"M"LING"M PILL"#,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, /ecember, 1223, p" 61V
U;nder the abo)e title, '" P" (" comments upon certain criticisms by
!hidambaram +yer of the wor& of $he $heosophical ,ociety, and publishes a lengthy
correspondence between him and Velayudam Mudaliar, of Presidency !ollege,
including 1uestions as to the beliefs and teachings of one Ramalingam Pillay, ,he
introduces the subMect by sayingRV
Page 323
$he communication from an esteemed brother, Mr" Velayudam Mudaliar, 4"$",",
$amil Pandit in the Madras Presidency !ollege, which appeared in $he $heosophist
for =uly last, has been ta&en exception to by Mr" 9" !hidambaram +yer, of $ri)adi,
Madras Presidency, who sends his criticisms thereupon, together with a Moint reply to
certain 1uestions of his addressed to a wellC&nown chela, or pupil, of the late
Ramalingam ,wami" $he gentleman says in a pri)ate note to us, that he has Kthe
greatest respect for the *deptC(rothers, for the 4ounders of the $heosophical ,ociety,
and for Ramalingam himself, who was no doubt a great man in his own way"L 'e
fully belie)es in the existence of the (rothers, and appreciates the wor& done by our
,ociety Kin so far as it tends to awa&en in the minds of the 'indus a respect for the
wisdom and learnings of their eminent ancestors"L ,o far, wellE but ha)ing thus
wreathed his rapier with flowers he then ma&es a lunge with it at the 4oundersQ ribs"
K(ut + do not at all appro)e,L says he, Keither their indirect attempts to spread
(uddhism in the land of the 'indus, or the apathy with which the Slite of the 'indu
community )iew the e)il that threatens to seriously inMure the religion of their
forefathers"L $his@if we may be pardoned the liberty of saying so@is rhetorical
nonsense" $he public discourses and pri)ate con)ersations of !olonel 5lcott in +ndia
will be scrutini.ed in )ain for the slightest e)idence upon which the charge of
(uddhistic propagandism could be based" $hat wor& is confined to !eylon" 'is
addresses to 'indus ha)e so faithfully mirrored the religious and moral sentiments
and aspirations of the people, that they ha)e been )oluntarily translated by 'indus
into )arious +ndian )ernaculars, published by them at their own cost, and circulated
all o)er the Peninsula" $hey ha)e@ as abundant published nati)e testimony pro)es@
stimulated a fer)id lo)e for +ndia and her glorious *ryan past, and begun to re)i)e the
taste for ,ans&rit literature" *s for the tone of this maga.ine, it spea&s for itself" $a&e
the thirtyCnine numbers thus far issued, and count the articles upon (uddhism in
comparison with those upon 'induism, and it will be found that while confessedly an
esoteric (uddhist, the 6ditor has ta&en great pains to a)oid anything which might
loo& li&e an +ndian propagandism of that philosophy"
Page 32D
4or two years our !olombo (ranch has been publishing a wee&ly paper@the
,arasa)i ,andaresa@in ad)ocacy of (uddhism, yet we ha)e carefully abstained from
1uoting its articles lest we might depart from our rule of strict impartiality" 9o, this
charge must be ascribed to that orthodox preMudice which, under e)ery phase of
religion, begets intolerance and runs into persecution" +t may amuse our critic to learn
that some narrowCminded (uddhist bigots in !eylon regard !olonel 5lcott as
scheming to brea& down orthodox (uddhism by gradually introducing 'indu ideas
about the ,oul, and he was publicly called to account because we use the mystic
syllable 5M on our ,ociety documents and call oursel)es $heoCsophistsY ,o, too, an
eminent Mussulman gentleman among our 4ellows was soundly rated by his still
more distinguished brother, because he had Moined a body of persons banded together
to *ryanise +slamY
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NOTE ON *TIME' SP"CE' "ND ETERNIT#,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, /ecember, 1223, pp" 69CH1V
U;nder the abo)e title '" P" (" publishes a re)iew by KM" *" >5xon"?L of a rare
wor& called $he ,tars and the 6arth, #ondonR (aillidre, $indall and !ox, 122B"
!oncerning the authorship of this boo&, she writes in a footnoteRVZ
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$he complete title of this wor& is $he ,tars and the 6arthE or thoughts upon space, time and
eternity" +t was published anonymously by (aillidre in #ondon in 12D6CDH, and the edition re)iewed
in $he $heosophist is the re)ised and enlarged edition with 9otes by the wellC&nown astronomer, R"
*" Proctor" +n the #istings of *nonymous wor&s, as well as in 8eyserQs (^cherC#exicon, the
original title is stated to ha)e been /ie :estirne und die %eltgeschichteR :edan&en ^ber Raum, 7eit
und 6wig&eit" $he wor& is attributed to :usta) 6berty and was published by :" P" *derhol. at
(reslau in 12DH" +t is supposed to be only a small boo& of 6B pages"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 32G
+ts authorship has, we belie)e, ne)er been disclosed" 4rom Mr" (allidre himself
we had, when purchasing a copy of the original edition, some thirty years ago, the
story of its publication" 5ne day Mr" (allidre recei)ed by post the M,, of this little
wor&, with a ban& note for nGB and a letter of a few lines without signature, to the
effect that this sum was sent to defray the costs of publication" Mr" R" *" Proctor, the
astronomer, spea&s most highly of it in a recent publication and, in fact, it has always
been recogni.ed as one of the ablest essays in contemporaneous literature" /oes M"*"
>5xon? suspect its authorP
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" !REETHIN&ER IN P"LESTINE%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, /ecember, 1223, p" H3V
5f Mr" (ennettQs abilities as a writer we ha)e already had occasion to spea&E so
that we need only say that his present )olume is in his characteristically 1uaint,
strong, aggressi)e, and not o)erCpolished style" %e ha)e (hopa RIMIQs word for it that
Kall commentators are per)erters of the meaning of their authorsLE so, bearing that in
mind, we shall not ris& a hardCearned reputation for fairness by going into any )ery
extended notice of a wor& which is at once interesting and instructi)e beyond almost
any upon Palestine that we ha)e read" !ritics too often critici.e boo&s without ta&ing
the trouble to read them, but we ha)e read this one of Mr" (ennettQs from the first
word to the lastY 'e went to Palestine with two distinct ideas to carry out, )i.", to see
the country, and to tell the truth about it" $o do the latter without fear or fa)our, to
expose exaggerations of the old fairy stories about its ancient inhabitants, their rulers
and the momentous e)ents located there, re1uired no little solid pluc&E and our
authorQs sincerity and moral courage will not be doubted by anyone who follows his
narrati)e and ponders his suggesti)e criticisms"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he (oo& of the !hronicles of the Pilgrims in the #and of <ahweh" (y /" M" (ennett >9" <",
1223?"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 326
$he ideas of the pettiness of this so o)erClauded land, in olden times as well as
now, and the impossibility of many things ha)ing happened there that we are as&ed to
belie)e in, force themsel)es continually upon the mind" +t is a missionary boo& in the
strictest sense of being calculated to do missionary wor&@against !hristianity"
4reethin&ers, then, will pri.e it as highly as the great mass of !hristians will hate it
and loathe its author"
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PROCEEDINGS O! THE SOCIET#
!OR PS#CHIC"L RESE"RCH
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 3, /ecember, 1223, p" H3V
$he first number of the Mournal of this new ,ociety is full of interesting matter
and indicates that our sister association will do good wor& in a field where such
ser)ice was sorely needed" 5ur friendly interest in its operations has been already
declared >$he $heosophist, =uly? without reser)e, and we need only repeat that our
,ociety is ready and willing to carry out any line of psychic research in +ndia or
!eylon that the ,"P"R" may indicate" $he more so that some of our ablest men of the
(ritish $heosophical ,ociety ha)e become members of the new body" $he roll of its
officers and !ouncil contains some names great in scienceE such as Mr" 'enry
,idgwic&, of !ambridgeE Professor (alfour ,tewart, 4"R",", of 5wens !ollege,
ManchesterE Professor %" 4" (arrett, 4"R","6", of $rinity !ollege, /ublinEZ /r"
#ochart RobertsonE Re)" %" ,taintonCMoses, M"*" >5xon?E Mr" !" !" MasseyE /r"
%yld, etc", etc" $he present number of the Mournal is occupied with the inaugural
address of President ,idgwic&@a calm, dignified and able paper@and reports of
experiments in thought reading by Professors (" ,tewart and (arrett, Messrs"
6dmund :urney, 4" %" '" Myers, and Re)" *" M" !reeryE a list of the ,ocietyQs
members and associates and its constitution and rules" $hose who can read the
significance of coincidences will please ma&e note of the fact that the ,ocietyQs first
general meeting was held@as, se)en years earlier, that of the $heosophical ,ociety
had been@on the se)enteenth of the monthE in =uly, the se)enth month of the yearE
and that the members number se)entyCfi)e" 5men faustum"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U,ee important information in appendix, under (arrett"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 32H
-H.P.B. ON THE CHEOPS P#R"MID.
U+n 1223, a wor& by !" ,taniland %a&e entitled $he 5rigin and ,ignificance of
the :reat Pyramid was published in #ondon by Ree)es and $urner" +n '"P"("Qs copy
of this wor&, now in the *dyar *rchi)es, there is a pencil note in her handwriting, on
page 2G, with reference to %a&eQs statement that the !heops Pyramid Kwas erected
during the reign of !heopsL and that this Kis almost uni)ersally admitted"L '"P"("
saysR
!heops ne)er built it" +t was built ages before him and he only desecrated it by
gi)ing it another use" +n his day no more initiations too& place in it and he
consecrated it to $et, or ,ethC$yphon"
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Page 32H
1223
" M#STERIOUS R"CE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, pp" 23C23V
%hile tra)elling from the landing place@on the Madras K(uc&ingham
!analL@to 9ellore, we were made to experience the no)el sensation of a transit of
fifteen miles in comfortable modern carriages each bris&ly dragged by a do.en of
strong, merry men, whom we too& for ordinary 'indus of some of the lower or Pariah
caste" $he contrast offered us by the sight of these noisy, apparently wellCcontented
men, to our palan1uinCbearers, who had Must carried us for fiftyCfi)e miles across the
sandy, hot plains that stretch between Padagangam on the same canal and :untoor@
as affording relief@was great" $hese palan1uinCbearers, we were told, were of the
washermanQs caste, and had hard times wor&ing night and day, ne)er ha)ing regular
hours for sleep, earning but a few pice a day, and when the pice had the good chance
of being transformed into annas, existing upon the luxury of a mudCsoup made out of
hus&s and damaged rice, and called by them KpepperCwater"L 9aturally enough, we
regarded our human carriage steeds as identical with the palan1uinCbearers"
Page 322
%e were speedily disabused, being told by one of our (rotherCmembers@Mr" R"
8asha)a Pillay, ,ecretary to our 9ellore $heosophical ,ociety@that the two classes
had nothing in common" $he former were low caste 'indus, the latter@<anadis" $he
information recei)ed about this tribe was so interesting, that we now gi)e it to our
readers, as we then recei)ed it"
%'5 *R6 $'6 <*9*/+,P
$he word <anadi is a corruption of the word K*nathiL >*borigines?, meaning
Kha)ing no beginning"L $he <anadis li)e mostly in the 9ellore /istrict, Madras
Presidency, along the coast" $hey are di)ided into two classesR >1? !appala or !halla,
KfrogCeaters,L KrefuseCeatersLE and >3? the <anadis proper, or the Kgood <anadis"L $he
first class li)es, as a rule, separated from the ,udra population of the district, and
earns its li)ing by hard wor&" $he !appala are employed to drag carts and carriages
in lieu of cattle, as horses are )ery scarce and too expensi)e to maintain in this
district" $he second class, or <anadis proper, li)e partly in )illages and partly in the
Mungles, assisting the farmers in tilling the land, as in all other agricultural
occupations"
<et both classes are renowned for their mysterious &nowledge of the occult
properties of nature, and are regarded as practical magicians"
(oth are fond of sport and great hunters of rats and bandicoots" $hey catch the
field mouse by digging, and the fish by using simply their hands without the usual
help of either angle or net" $hey belong to the Mongolian race, their colour )arying
from light brown to a )ery dar& sepia shade" $heir dress consists of a piece of cloth to
tie around the head, and of another to go round the waist" $hey li)e in small circular
huts of about 2 feet in diameter, ha)ing an entrance of about 11h3 feet in width"
(efore building the huts they describe large circles round the place where the huts are
to be built, muttering certain words of magic, which are supposed to &eep e)il spirits,
influences and sna&es from approaching their dwellingCplaces" $hey plant round their
huts certain herbs belie)ed to possess the )irtue of &eeping off )enomous reptiles"
Page 329
+t is really astonishing to find in those little huts two do.ens of persons li)ing,
for a <anadi rarely has less than a do.en children" $heir diet consists chiefly of rats,
bandicoots, field mice, cangi, guano, and a little rice@e)en wild roots often forming
part of their food" $heir diet, in a great measure, explains their physical peculiarities"
4ield mice account partly for their ha)ing so many children each" $hey li)e to a good
old ageE and it is only )ery seldom that one sees a man with grey hair" $his is
attributed to the starch in the cangi they daily drin&, and the easy and careless li)es
they lead"
$heir extraordinary merit consists in the intimate &nowledge they possess of the
occult )irtues of roots, green herbs, and other plants" $hey can extract the )irtue of
these plants, and neutrali.e the most fatal poisons of )enomous reptilesE and e)en
)ery ferocious cobras are seen to sin& their hoods before a certain green leaf" $he
names, identity and the &nowledge of these plants they &eep most secret" !ases of
sna&e bite ha)e ne)er been heard of among them, though they li)e in Mungles and the
most insecure places, whereas death by sna&e bite is common among the higher
classes" /e)ilCpossession is )ery seldom among their women" $hey extract a most
efficacious remedy, or rather a decoction, from more than a hundred different roots,
and it is said to possess incalculable )irtues for curing any malady"
+n cases of extreme urgency and fatal sic&ness they consult their seer >often one
for twenty or twentyCfi)e families?, who in)o&es their tutelary deity by sounding a
drum, with a woman singing to it, and with a fire in front" *fter an hour or two he
falls into a trance, or wor&s himself into a state, during which he can tell the cause of
the sic&ness, and prescribe a certain secret remedy, UbyV which, when paid UforV and
administered the patient is cured" +t is supposed that the spirit of the deceased, whose
name they ha)e dishonoured, or the deity whom they ha)e neglected, tells them
through the medium of the seer, why they were )isited with the calamity, exacts of
them promise of good beha)iour in future, and disappears after an ad)ice" +t is not
infre1uently that men of high caste, such as (rahmins, ha)e had recourse to them for
such information, and consulted them with ad)antage"
Page 39B
$he seer grows his hair and lets no ra.or pass his head" $he <anadis sha)e their
heads with the sharp end of a glass piece" $he ceremonies of naming a child,
marriage and Mourneys, and such other things, are li&ewise consulted"
$hey possess such an acute sense of smell, or rather sensiti)eness, that they can see
where a bird they re1uire is, or where the obMect of their game is hiding itself" $hey
are employed as guards and watchmen for the rare power they ha)e in finding and
tracing out a thief or a stranger from his footmar&s" ,uppose a stranger )isited their
)illage at night, a <anadi could say that the )illage was )isited by him >a stranger? by
simply loo&ing at the footsteps"
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!OOTNOTES TO *GLE"NINGS !ROM 4LIPH"S L4VI,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, pp" 2DC2GV
U'" P" (" appends the following footnotes to a translation from the original
4rench of !hapter F+F of bliphas #S)iQs /ogme et Rituel de la 'aute Magie"V
UK" " " the PhilosopherQs stone " " " analysed it is a powder, the soCcalled powder
of proMection of the alchemists" Prior to analysis, and after synthesis, it is a stone"LV
KPrior to analysisL or Kafter synthesisL@the ,$596 is no stone at all, but the
Kroc&L@foundation of absolute &nowledge@our se)enth principle"
UProMection"V
+n connection with the KproMection,L we would ad)ise our readers to turn to the
K6lixir of #ifeL in the March and *pril >1223? numbers of $he $heosophist" $he
Kinterior MagnesL of Paracelsus has a dual meaning"
Page 391
UK*s we ha)e already said, there exist in 9ature two primary laws, two essential
laws, which produce in counterbalancing each other the uni)ersal e1uilibrium of
thingsE that is fixity and mo)ement" " " "LV
$his is incorrectly stated, and apt to mislead the beginner" bliphas #S)i ought,
without ris&ing to di)ulge more than permitted, to ha)e saidR K$here exists in 9ature
one uni)ersal #aw with two primary manifesting laws as its attributes@Motion and
/uration" $here is but one eternal infinite uncreated #aw@the X5ne #ifeQ of the
(uddhist *rhats, or the Parabrahm of the Vedantins@*d)aitas"L
UK" " " the 6ssence of :od himself"LV
%hile the )ulgar hoi polloi call, K:od,L and we@K6ternal Principle"L
U,pea&ing of the PhilosopherQs ,tone, 6liphas #S)i says that Kthe sage prefers to
&eep it in its natural en)elopes, assured that he can extract it by a single effort of his
will and a single application of the uni)ersal agent to the en)elopes, which the
!abalists call its shells"LV
'e who studies the septenary nature of man and reads K$he 6lixir of #ifeL
&nows what this means" $he se)enth principle, or rather the se)enth and sixth or the
,piritual Monad in one, is too sacred to be proMected or used by the adept for the
satisfaction and curiosity of the )ulgar" $he sage >the adept? &eeps it in its shells >the
fi)e other principles? and &nowing he can always Kextract it by a single effort of his
will,L by the power of his &nowledge, will ne)er expose this KstoneL to the e)il
magnetic influences of the crowd" $he author uses the cautious phraseology of the
Mediae)al *lchemists, and no one ha)ing e)er explained to the uninitiated public that
the K%ordL is no word, and the K,toneL no stone, the occult sciences are suffering
thereby under the opprobrium of moc&ery and ignorance"
Page 393
" SPECTR"L W"RNING
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 2GV
* respectable *merican paper publishes a story of a clair)oyant pre)ision of
death" 5ne Martin /elehaute, employed in a steam sawmill, saw one night at ten
oQcloc&, not far from his house, a man on a white horse, standing perfectly still and
ha)ing his arm extended" 'e went to see who it was, when it )anished into air" 'e
too& this to be the foreboding of some e)il to occur either to himself or his family" 'e
told his wife all about his )ision, and on the next day would not go into the swamp to
cut logs as he had done before" 5n the following day he was sent for, but did not li&e
to go on account of ha)ing a presentiment that something was to happen to him on
that day" 'owe)er, he too& his axe and went to the chopping, and on finding nobody
there he turned bac& toward home" 'e met, howe)er, a Mr" $ancrede Mayex by
whom he was persuaded, despite a foreboding of disaster to himself, to return to the
Mungle and assist in felling a tree" $he wor& was completed in safety and the tree fell,
but was caught in the branches of another tree, and in gi)ing one more blow with the
axe to free it, the tree suddenly twisted around, the roots struc& the unfortunate man
and mortally inMured him" $he strangest fact is now to be told" *t precisely ten
oQcloc& a"m", thirtyCsix hours after Mr" /elehaute saw the aforeCmentioned )ision, Mr"
*" 6" Rabelais, seated on a white horse, stopped at precisely the same spot and in the
same attitude where Mr" /" had seen the )ision, and ga)e Mrs" /" the startling
information that her husband was )ery near &illed, and then hastily rode off in search
of /r" !ullum" /r" !ullum arri)ed, but the unfortunate man was beyond the reach of
medical s&ill and died at sundown of the same day"
%+##+*M 5F#6<
Reproduced from 9ineteenth !entury Miracles, by Mrs" 6mma
'ardingeC(ritten, Manchester, 1223"

';//#6,$59Q, :*R/69,
*t the time when the 4ounders made it the 'ead1uarters of $he
$heosophical ,ociety, /ecember 19, 1223"
>Reproduced from $he K(rothersL of Madame (la)ats&y,
by Mary 8" 9eff, *dyar, Madras, 1933"?
Page 393
$his is one of those cases one constantly meets with, where the pre)isionary
faculty of the mind catches the coming e)ent, but )ainly tries to compel the dull
reason to ta&e warning" *lmost e)eryone, e)en those who are 1uite ignorant of
psychological science, has had these premonitions" %ith some they are of e)ery day
occurrence and extend to the most trifling e)ents, though it is but rarely that they are
heeded" Pre)ision is a faculty as easy to culti)ate as memory, strange as the assertion
may appear to sciolists"
kkkkkkkkkk
COMMENT ON *CURIOUS MEDIUMISTIC PHENOMEN",
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 26V
U;nder the abo)e title, /r" =" /" (uc& recounts his experiences in the search for
occult &nowledgeR his study of the $heosophical doctrines and his in)estigation of the
spiritualistic phenomena encountered in sSanceCrooms" +n the course of his letter the
writer remar&sR K+ understand you to say that in such cases the intelligence is
absolutely the mediumQs ownLE to which '" P" (" appends the following footnoteRV
5ur brother is mista&en, what we say is, that no KspiritL can tell, do, or &now
anything that is absolutely un&nown to either the medium or one of the sitters" ,ome
KshellsL ha)e a dim intelligence of their own"
U*fter a detailed account of the drawing of pictures by a certain medium, which
he declares to be Kwor&s of art,L /r" =" /" (uc& concludes by as&ing what is the
difference between these and Kthe *stral ,oul of the (rothers as seen at distances
from their physical body"L $o this '" P" (" repliesRV
%hat might be said in answer to our correspondent is muchE what we ha)e time
to say is little"
Page 39D
$he more so, since his reading in mesmeric and other branches of the literature
of psychology, in connection with his profession, must ha)e shown him that the
wa&ing mediumQs ignorance of art is no conclusi)e proof that in the somnambulic
state, howe)er induced, he might not draw and paint )ery s&ilfully" *s for the merit of
his pictures being so great as to ma&e them e1ual to $itianQs, of course none but a
connoisseur would be competent to pronounce upon" $he fact of their being executed
in total dar&ness has little or no significance, since the somnambulist wor&s with
closed or sightless eyes, and e1ually well in the dar& as in the light" +f our friend will
consult /r" =ames 6sdaileQs 9atural and Mesmeric !lair)oyance >#ondon, 12G3, '"
(allidre? he will find 1uoted from the great 4rench 6ncyclopedia, the interesting case
of a young ecclesiastic, reported by the *rchbishop of (ordeaux, who in the dead of
night and in perfect dar&ness wrote sermons and musicE from the report of a
!ommittee of the Philosophical ,ociety of #ausanne, a similar oneE and others, from
other sources" +n ,ir (" (rodieQs Psychological +n1uiries, MacnishQs $he Philosophy
of ,leep, *bercrombieQs +ntellectual Powers, (raidQs 9eurypnologyE or the Rationale
of 9er)ous ,leep, not to mention later writers, are also found many examples of the
exaltation of the mental and psychic powers in the somnambulic state" ,ome of these
are 1uite sufficient to warrant our holding in reser)e all opinions respecting the K5ld
=udgeL and K$itianL of the !incinnati medium" $his, in fact, has been our issue with
the ,piritualists from the beginning of our $heosophical mo)ement" 5ur position is
that in logic as in science we must always proceed from the 8nown to the ;n&nownE
must first eliminate e)ery alternati)e theory of the mediumistic phenomena, before
we concede that they are of necessity attributable to KspiritualL agencies" %estern
psychology is confessedly as yet but in the elementary and tentati)e stage, and for
that )ery reason we maintain that the proofs of the existence of adepts of
psychological science in the ancient schools of *siatic mysticism should be carefully
and fran&ly examined"
Page 39G
COMMENT ON THE PER!ECT W"#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 22V
U+n a letter to the 6ditor, the K%riters of $he Perfect %ay,L /r" *nna ("
8ingsford and 6dward Maitland stateR K%e are profoundly con)inced that $he
$heosophical ,ociety " " " would exhibit both wisdom and learning by accepting the
symbology of the %est as it does that of the 6ast " " " we in)ite " " " $he $heosophical
,ociety to recogni.e the e1ual claim of the !atholic !hurch with the (uddhist,
(rahman and other 6astern churches to the possession of mystical truth and
&nowledge"L '" P" (" appends to the article the following noteRV
+t is most agreeable to us to see our Re)iewer of the KPerfect %ayL and the
writers of that remar&able wor& thus clasping hands and wa)ing palms of peace o)er
each otherQs heads" $he friendly discussion of the metaphysics of the boo& in
1uestion has elicited, as all such debates must, the fact that deep thin&ers upon the
nature of absolute truth scarcely differ, sa)e as to externals" *s was remar&ed in +sis
;n)eiled, the religions of men are but prismatic rays of the one only $ruth"Z +f our
good friends, the Perfect %ayfarers, would but read the second )olume of our wor&,
they would find that we ha)e all along been of precisely their own opinion that there
is a Kmystical truth and &nowledge deeply underlyingL Roman !atholicism, which is
identical with *siatic esotericismE and that its symbology mar&s the same ideas, often
under duplicate figures" %e e)en went so far as to illustrate with woodcuts the
unmista&able deri)ation of the 'ebrew 8abala from the !haldean@the archaic
parent of all later symbology@and the 8abalistic nature of nearly all the dogmas of
the R"!" !hurch"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UVol" ++, p" 639"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 396
+t goes without saying that we, in common with all *siatic $heosophists,
cordially reciprocate the amicable feelings of the writers of $he Perfect %ay for the
$heosophical ,ociety" +n this moment of supreme effort to refresh the moral nature
and satisfy the spiritual yearnings of man&ind, all wor&ers, in whatsoe)er corner of
the field, ought to be &nit together in friendship and fraternity of feeling" +t would be
indeed strange if any misunderstanding could arise of so gra)e a nature as to alienate
from us the sympathies of that highly ad)anced school of modern 6nglish thought of
which our esteemed correspondents are such intellectual and fitting representati)es"
kkkkkkkkkk
THE R"TION"LE O! !"STS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 22V
U!ommenting on a correspondentQs letter, '" P" (" wroteRV
$he rationale of fasts lies on the surface" +f there is one thing more than another
which paralyses the will power in man and thereby pa)es the way to physical and
moral degradation it is intemperance in eatingR K:luttony, of se)en deadly sins the
worst"L ,wedenborg, a naturalCborn seer, in his K,tin& of +ntemperance,L tells how his
spirit friends repro)ed him for an accidental error leading to o)ereating" $he
institution of fasts goes hand in hand with the institution of feasts" %hen too se)ere
strain is made on the )ital energies by o)ertaxing the digesti)e machinery, the best
and only remedy is to let it rest for some time and recoup itself as much as possible"
$he exhausted ground must be allowed to lie fallow before it can yield another crop"
4asts were instituted simply for the purpose of correcting the e)ils of o)ereating" $he
truth of this will be manifest from the consideration that the (uddhist priests ha)e no
institution of fasts among them, but are enMoined to obser)e the medium course and
thus to KfastL daily all their life"
Page 39H
* body clogged with an o)erstuffing of food, of whatsoe)er &ind, is always
crowned with a stupefied brain, and tired nature demands the repose of sleep" $here is
also a )ast difference between the psychic effect of nitrogeni.ed food, such as flesh,
and nonCnitrogenous food, such as fruits and green )egetables" !ertain meats, li&e
beef, and )egetables, li&e beans, ha)e always been interdicted to students of
occultism, not because either of them were more or less holy than others, but because
while perhaps highly nutritious and supporting to the body, their magnetism was
deadening and obstructi)e to the Kpsychic man"L
kkkkkkkkkk
-ON SPIRIT "ND M"TTER.
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, pp" 29C9BV
U!ommenting on a correspondentQs letter, '" P" (" wroteRV
%e fear our correspondent is labouring under )arious misconceptions" %e will
not touch upon his )ery original )iews of 8arma@at its incipient stage@since his
ideas are his own, and he is as much entitled to them as anyone else" (ut we will
briefly answer his numbered 1uestions at the close of the letter"
1" ,pirit got itself entangled with gross matter for the same reason that life gets
entangled with the foetus matter" +t followed a law, and therefore could not help the
entanglement occurring"
3" %e &now of no eastern philosophy that teaches that Kmatter originated out of
,pirit"L Matter is as eternal and indestructible as ,pirit and one cannot be made
cogni.ant to our senses without the other@e)en to our, the highest, spiritual sense"
,pirit per se is a non entity and nonCexistence" +t is the negation of e)ery affirmation
and of all that is"
Page 392
3" 9o one e)er held@as far as we &now that ,pirit could be annihilated under
whate)er circumstances" ,pirit can get di)orced of its manifested matter, its
personality, in which case, it is the latter that is annihilated" 9or do we belie)e that
K,pirit breathed out MatterLE but that, on the contrary, it is Matter which manifests
,pirit" 5therwise, it would be a pu..le indeed"
D" ,ince we belie)e in neither K:odL nor K,atanL as personalities or entities,
hence there is neither K'ea)enL nor K'ellL for us, in the )ulgar generally accepted
sense of the terms" 'ence also@it would be a useless waste of time to discuss the
1uestion"
kkkkkkkkkk
OCCULT "COUSTICS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 9BV
UReplying to a correspondentQs letter, '" P" (" wroteRV
8nowing )ery little >from the description gi)en? of the nature of the Koccult
soundsL in 1uestion,Z we are unable to class them with any degree of certainty among
the practices adopted by RaMa <oga" K5ccult soundsL and occult or K*stral #ightL are
certainly the earliest form of manifestations obtained by RaMa <ogaE but whether in
this particular case it is the result of heredity or otherwise, we of course cannot decide
from the scanty description gi)en by our correspondent" Many are born with the
faculty of clairaudience, others with that of clair)oyance@some, with both"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U5f which the correspondent says only that he hears them Ksteadily and )ery clearly,L and that
Kthey constitute a powerful agency in concentrating his mind"L@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 399
!OOTNOTE TO *INDI"N "GRICULTUR"L RE!ORM,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 91V
U=" =" Meyric& writes on the subMect of the reformation of agricultural methods in
+ndia, with a )iew to the production of more ade1uate food supply for the underfed
population" *, one remedy, he suggests that the 'indus be induced to sell to
Mussulmans and others who eat the flesh of the ox, cattle 1uite useless from old age
or lameness, which li)e on year after year, eating food that is badly needed by others"
'" P" (" comments as followsRV
$his, we are afraid, will ne)er meet with the approbation of the masses of 'indu
population" %ere the good example furnished by our excellent brother 8" M" ,hroff
of (ombay, but followed by some of the principal cities, and hospitals for sic& and
old animals established on the same principle, there would be no need for such a
cruel measure" 4or, apart from the religious restrictions against KcowC&illing,L it is not
)egetarian +ndia which could e)er adopt the otherwise sound ad)ice, and consent to
become party to the )ile practice of butchery" 5f all the diets )egetarianism is
certainly the most healthy, both for physiological and spiritual purposesE and people
in +ndia should rather turn to the earnest appeal made recently in the Pioneer by Mr"
*" 5" 'ume, 4"$"," and form K)egetarianL societies, than help to murder innocent
animals"
Page 3BB
INTRODUCTOR# NOTE TO
*SPIRITU"LISTIC BL"C& M"GIC,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary 1223, p" 93V
U* correspondent states his position with regard to certain letters in $he
$heosophist of =uly, 1223, protesting against his allegations published pre)iously in
the same maga.ine" '" P" (" introduces his statement with the following remar&sRV
!ertain allegations by a K!aledonian $heosophist,L as to the spread of immoral
ideas and e)en practices, in certain spiritualistic circles at #ondon, were printed in
$he $heosophist for *pril last, and indignantly denounced by sundry correspondents
in the number for =uly" $he accuser was editorially called upon to ma&e good his
charges, and by returning post he sent the following communication" *t the time of
its arri)al, the 6ditor was )ery ill, and shortly after went, under orders, to ,i&&im to
meet certain of the (R5$'6R," $he matter has thus been una)oidably delayed" $he
communication from #ondon to our correspondent, we must say, puts a )ery gra)e
aspect upon the case, and apparently warrants the position ta&en up by the latter, as
well as our editorial strictures" +t is, howe)er, unfit for publication in these pages"
Readers of /es Mousseaux will find similar examples of authenticated immoral
relationships between mortals and elementaries, narrated in his Mfurs et Prati1ues
des /Smons, and #es 'auts PhSnomdnes de la Magie >pp" 332 et se1"?E and other
authors, among them the !atholic 4athers, ha)e described them" Recently a case in
+ndia, where the )ictim was actually &illed by his horrid siren, and another in an
adMacent country, where a most estimable lady was sacrificed, ha)e come to our
&nowledge" +t is a terrible contingency for the patrons of K,pirit materiali.ationL to
face, that too close intercourse with these moral )ampires of materiali.ed Kguides,L
may lead to spiritual ruin and e)en physical death"
Page 3B1
!OOTNOTE TO *IS SUICIDE " CRIME(,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 93V
UK*n +n1uirerL addresses the abo)e 1uestion to the 6ditor of $he $heosophist,
imbodying in his 1uery the statementR K+ shall certainly affirm that an incurable
in)alid who finds himself powerless for good in this world has no right to exist " " "L,
upon which '" P" (" commentsRV
*nd the affirmation@with a )ery, )ery few exceptions@will be as )ehemently
denied by e)ery occultist, spiritualist, and philosopher, on grounds 1uite the re)erse
of those brought forward by !hristians" +n KgodlessL (uddhism suicide is as hateful
and absurd, since no one can escape rebirth by ta&ing his life"
WWWWWWWWWW
HOROSCOPES "ND "STROLOG#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =anuary, 1223, pp" 9DC9GV
UReplying to a correspondent, '" P" (" wroteRV
5ur answer is short and easy, since our )iews upon the subMect are no secret, and
ha)e been expressed a number of times in these columns" %e belie)e in astrology as
we do in mesmerism and homeopathy" *ll the three are facts and truths, when
regarded as sciencesE but the same may not be said of either all the astrologers, all the
mesmerists or e)ery homeopathist" %e belie)e, in short, in astrology as a scienceE but
disbelie)e in most of its professors, who, unless they are trained in it in accordance
with the methods &nown for long ages to adepts and occultists, will, most of them,
remain for e)er empiricists and often 1uac&s"
Page 3B3
$he complaint brought forward by our correspondent in reference to the Kclass of
men coming out of schools and colleges,L who, ha)ing imbibed %estern thought and
new ideas, declare that a correct prediction by means of astrology is an impossibility,
is Must in one sense, and as wrong from another standpoint" +t is Must in so far as a
blan&, a priori denial is concerned, and wrong if we attribute the mischief only to
K%estern thought and new ideas"L 6)en in the days of remote anti1uity when
astrology and horoscopic predictions were uni)ersally belie)ed in, owing to that same
class of 1uac&s and ignorant charlatans@a class which in e)ery age sought but to
ma&e money out of the most sacred truths@were found men of the greatest
intelligence, but &nowing nothing of 'ermetic sciences, denouncing the augur and
the abnormis sapiens whose only aim was a mean desire of, a real lust for, gain" +t is
more than luc&y that the progress of education should ha)e so far enlightened the
minds of the rising generations of +ndia as to hinder many from being imposed upon
by the numerous and most pernicious and )ulgar superstitions, encouraged by the
)enal (rahmans, and only to ser)e a mere selfish end of aura sacra fames or trading
in most sacred things" 4or, if these superstitions held their more modern forefathers in
bondage, the same cannot be said of the old *ryas" 6)erything in this uni)erse@
progress and ci)ili.ation among the rest@mo)es in regular cycles" 'ence, now as
well as then, e)erything with a pretence to science re1uires a system supported at
least by a semblance of argument, if it would entrap the unwary" *nd this, we must
allow, nati)e 1uac&ery has produced and supplied freely in astrology and horoscopy"
5ur nati)e astrologers ha)e made of a sacred science a despicable tradeE and their
cle)er baits so well calculated to impose on minds e)en of a higher calibre than the
maMority of belie)ers in ba.aar horoscopers lying in wait on the ma`dans, ha)e a far
greater right to pretend to ha)e become a regular science than their modern astrology
itself"

Page 3B3
;ne1ui)ocal mar&s of the consanguinity of the latter with 1uac&ery being disco)ered
at e)ery step, why wonder that educated youths coming out of schools and colleges
should emphatically declare nati)e modern astrology in +ndia@with some rare
exceptions@no better than a humbugP <et no more 'indus than 6uropeans ha)e any
right to declare astrology and its predictions a fiction" ,uch a policy was tried with
mesmerism, homeopathy and >soCcalled? spiritual phenomenaE and now the men of
science are beginning to feel that they may possibly come out of their affray with
facts with anything but flying colours and crowns of laurels on their heads"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO *"TOMS' MOLECULES'
"ND ETHER W"VES,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" D, =anuary, 1223, p" 92V
U=ohn $yndall, in the course of an article in #ongmanQs Maga.ine, reprinted in
$he $heosophist, expresses his belief thatR KMan is prone to ideali.ation" 'e cannot
accept as final the phenomena of the sensible world, but loo&s behind that world into
another which rules the sensible one" " " " 9umber and harmony, as in the Pythagorean
system, are e)erywhere dominant in this underworld"L $o this '" P" (" appends the
following footnoteRV
$his paragraph would be in its right place in the best text on 5ccult /octrine"
$he latter is based entirely upon numbers, harmony, and correspondences or
affinities"
Page 3BD
MIST"&EN NOTIONS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, pp" 1B3C1BDV
$he Psychological Re)iew, &indly ta&ing notice of our misguided Mournal, has
the following in its 9o)ember number" K$he present number Uof $he $heosophist for
,eptember, 1223V is rich in interesting matter, which, whether one agrees with it or
not, is good reading" $he letters of X*"P",",Q originally contributed to X#ight,Q are
reproduced"L $he words in italics call for an explanation" K*"P","QsL #etters, written at
the express desire of his friend and $eacher K(rotherL 8oot 'oomi, with a )iew to
disseminating esoteric *rhat doctrines and gi)ing a more correct insight into the said
abstruse philosophy, were not Koriginally contributedL either to #ight or $he
$heosophist alone, but simultaneously sent to both, to #ondon and (ombay" $hey
appeared in our Maga.ine three or four wee&s earlier than in our 6nglish
contemporary, and were so timed as to a)oid interference with each other" $hus, since
K*"P","QsL #etters under notice appeared in #ight nearly at the same time as $he
$heosophist reached #ondon, they could not ha)e been KreproducedL from that paper
>though, certainly, much of the #ight reading is worth copying?, but were printed
from the writerQs original manuscripts" 'ad it been a 1uestion of any other article, we
would not ha)e gone out of our way to contradict the statement" (ut since it concerns
contributions doubly )aluable owing to the source of their original emanation, and the
literary eminence of their writer@a most de)oted and )alued $heosophist we feel it
our duty to notice and correct the misconception"
Page 3BG
*nother and still more curious mista&e concerning our paper is found in the
same excellent periodical" *mong the ad)ertisements of %or&s published by the
Psychological Press *ssociation, we find a few lines 1uoted from our =ournalQs
re)iew of $he Perfect %ay, and, after the title of our publication, an explanatory
parenthesis in which our periodical is described as a@-(uddhist organLY $his is a
pu..le, indeed" *s e)ery reader of our Maga.ine &nows, of all religions (uddhism
has been the least discussed in $he $heosophist, mainly from reluctance to seem
partial to our own faith, but in part also because (uddhism is being more elucidated
by %estern scholars than any other ancient religion and has therefore least of all
needed our help" $he 9orthern (uddhism, or esoteric *rhat doctrine, has little in
common with popular, dogmatic (uddhism" +t is identical@except in proper names
with the hidden truth or esoteric part of *d)aitism, (rahmanism, and e)ery other
world faith of anti1uity" +t is a gra)e mista&e, therefore, and a misrepresentation of
the strictly impartial attitude of our paper to ma&e it appear as the organ of any sect" +t
is only the organ of $ruth as we can disco)er it" +t ne)er was, nor will it e)er become,
the ad)ocate of any particular creed" +ndeed, its policy is rather to demolish e)ery
dogmatic creed the world o)er" %e would substitute for them the one great $ruth,
which@where)er it is@must of necessity be one, rather than pander to the
superstitions and bigotry of sectarianism, which has e)er been the greatest curse and
the source of most of the miseries in this world of ,in and 6)il" %e are e)er as
willing to denounce the defects of orthodox (uddhism as those of theological
!hristianity, of 'induism, Parseeism, or of any other soCcalled Kworld religion"L $he
motto of our =ournal, K$here is no Religion higher than $ruth,L is 1uite sufficient, we
thin&, to put our policy outside the possibility of doubt" +f our being personally an
adherent to the *rhat school be cited, we repeat again that our pri)ate belief and
predilections ha)e nothing to do whate)er with our duty as editor of a =ournal, which
was established to represent in their true light the many religious creeds of the
Members of the $heosophical ,ocietyE nor ha)e we any more right as a 4ounder of
that ,ociety or in our official capacity of !orresponding ,ecretary@with which
office we ha)e been in)ested for life@to show greater partiality for one creed than
for another"
Page 3B6
$his would be to act upon false pretences" Very true, we sincerely belie)e
ha)ing found the $ruthE or what is only, perhaps, all of the $ruth that we can graspE
but so does e)ery honest man with regard to his religion whate)er it may be" *nd
since we ha)e ne)er set oursel)es up as infallibleE nor allowed our conceit to puff out
our head with the idea that we had a commission, di)ine or otherwise, to teach our
fellow men, or &new more than theyE nor attempted a propaganda of our religionE but,
on the contrary, ha)e always ad)ised people to purify, and &eep to, their own creed
unless it should become impossible for them to ma&e it harmoni.e with what they
disco)ered of the $ruth@in which case it is but simple honesty demanded by a
decent sense of selfCrespect to confess the change and a)oid shamming loyalty to
defunct beliefs@we protest most emphatically against the Psychological Re)iewQs
ma&ing our Maga.ine an organ for (uddhist priests or any other priests or pedants to
play their tunes upon" *s well call it a Russian =ournal because of the nati)ity of its
editorY
Page 3BH
THE BUGBE"RS O! SCIENCE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, pp" 1BGC1B2V
$he fanaticism of blan& negation is often more tenacious, more dangerous, and
always far harder to deal with, and to combat, than that of mere assumption" 'ence@
as a result Mustly complained of@the gradual and steady crumbling of old and timeC
honoured idealsE the daily encroachment, and growing supremacy of the extreme
physicoCmaterialisticZ thoughtE and a stubborn opposition to, and ignoring by, the
maMor portion of %estern society, of those psychological facts and phenomena
ad)ocated by the minority and pro)ed by them as conclusi)ely as a mathematical
e1uation" ,cience, we are often told, is the necessary enemy of any and e)ery
metaphysical speculation, as a mode of 1uestioning nature, and of occult phenomena
under all their Protean formsE hence@of M6,M6R+,M and '5M65P*$'< among
the rest"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he expression KphysicoCmaterialism,L as well as its pendant KspiritoL or KmetaphysicoC
materialism,L may be newly coined words, but some such are rigorously necessary in a publication
li&e $he $heosophist and with its present nonC6nglish editor" +f they are not clear enough, we hope
!"!"M" or some other friend will suggest better" +n one sense e)ery (uddhist as well as e)ery
5ccultist and e)en most of the educated ,piritualists, are, strictly spea&ing, Materialists" $he whole
1uestion lies in the ultimate and scientific decision upon the nature or essence of 45R!6" ,hall we
say that 4orce is@,pirit, or that ,pirit is@a forceP +s the latter physical or spiritual, Matter or
,P+R+$P +f the latter is something@it must be material, otherwise it is but a pure abstraction, a noC
thing" 9othing which is capable of producing an effect on any portion of the physical@obMecti)e or
subMecti)e@8osmos can be otherwise than material" Mind@whose enormous potentiality is being
disco)ered more and more with e)ery day, could produce no effect were it not materialE and
belie)ers in a personal :od, ha)e themsel)es either to admit that the deity in doing its wor& has to
use material force to produce a physical effect, or@to ad)ocate miracles, which is an absurdity" *s
*" =" Manley, of Minnesota, )ery truly obser)es in a letterR
K+t has e)er been an impossibility with me to reali.e or comprehend an effect, which re1uires
motion or force, as being produced by Xnothing"Q
Page 3B2
+t is grossly unfair, we thin&, to lay the blame so sweepingly at the door of genuine
science" $rue science@that is, &nowledge without bigotry, preMudice, or egotism@
endea)ours but to clear away all the rubbish accumulated by generations of false
priests and philosophers" ,ciolism@that is, superficial learning, )ain, narrowCminded
and selfishly bigoted@unable to discern fact from false appearances, li&e a dog
bar&ing at the moon, growls at the approach of e)erything outside the limits of the
narrow area of her action"
WWWWWWWWWW
$he lea)es of the forest are stirred by the gentlest bree.e, and yet withhold the bree.e, and the
lea)es cease to mo)e" %hile gas continues to escape from the tube, apply the match and you will
ha)e a brilliant lightE cut off the supply and the wonderful phenomenon ceases" Place a magnet near
a compass, and the needle is attracted by itE remo)e the former and the needle will resume its
normal condition" (y will power the mesmerist compels his subMect to perform )arious feats, but he
becomes normal again when the will is withdrawn"
K+ ha)e obser)ed in all physical phenomena, that when the propelling force is withdrawn, the
phenomena in)ariably cease" 4rom these facts, + infer that the producing causes must be material,
though we do not see them" *gain, if these phenomena were produced by Xnothing,Q it would be
impossible to withdraw the producing force, and the manifestations would ne)er cease" +ndeed, if
such manifestations e)er existed, they must of necessity be perpetual"L
!oncurring fully with the abo)e reasoning, it thus becomes of the utmost necessity for us, and under
the penalty of being constantly accused of inconsistency, if not of flat contradictions, to ma&e a
wellCmar&ed difference between those materialists who, belie)ing that nothing can exist outside of
matter in howe)er sublimated a state the latter, yet belie)e in )arious subMecti)e forces un&nown to,
only because as yet undisco)ered by, scienceE ran& sceptics and those transcendentalists who,
moc&ing at the maMesty of truth and fact, fly into the face of logic by saying that Knothing is
impossible to :odLE that he is an extraCcosmic deity who created the uni)erse out of nothing, was
ne)er subMect to law, and can produce a miracle outside of all physical law and whene)er it pleases
him, etc"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3B9
$rue ,cience sternly enforces the discrimination of fact from hasty conclusion,
and the true man of science will hardly deny that, of which the remotest possibility
has once been demonstrated to him" +t is but the unworthy )otaries of science, those
who abuse her name and authority and degrade her by ma&ing of her a shield behind
which to gi)e free sway to their narrow preconceptions, who alone ought to be held
answerable for the suppressio )eri that is so common" $o such it is that applies the
pungent remar&, recently made by a :erman physicianR Khe who reMects anything a
priori and refuses it a fair trial, is unworthy of the name of a man of scienceE nay,
e)en of that of an honest man"L >:" =aeger"?
$he remedy best calculated to cure an unpreMudiced man of science of a chronic
disbelief, is the presentation to him of those same unwelcome facts he had hitherto
denied in the name of exact science, as in reconciliation with that science, and
supported by the e)idence of her own unimpeachable laws" * good proof of this is
afforded in the list of eminent men who, if they ha)e not altogether passed Kwith arms
and baggageL to the KenemyQsL camp, ha)e yet bra)ely stood up for, and defended the
most phenomenal facts of modern spiritualism, as soon as they had disco)ered them
to be a scientific reality" +t needs no close obser)er, but simply an unbiased mind, to
percei)e that stubborn, unintellectual scepticism, that &nows no middle ground and is
utterly unamenable to compromise, is already on the wane" (^chnerQs and
MoleschottQs gross conceptions of matter, ha)e found their natural successor in the
ultra )agaries of Positi)ism, so graphically dubbed by 'uxley as KRoman
!atholicism minus !hristianity,L and the extreme Positi)ists ha)e now made room
for the *gnostics" 9egation and physicoCmaterialism are the first twin progeny of
young exact science" *s the matron grows in years and wisdom, ,aturnCli&e, she will
find herself compelled to de)our her own children" ;ncompromising physicoC
materialism is being dri)en to its last entrenchments"
Page 31B
+t sees its own ideal@if an insane desire to con)ert e)erything that exists within
the area of our limited )isible uni)erse into something that can be seen, felt, tasted,
measured, weighed, and finally bottled by the aid of our physical senses may be
called an KidealL@)anishing li&e a mist before the light of aw&ward fact, and the
daily disco)eries made in the domain of in)isible and intangible matter, whose )eil is
more and more rent with e)ery such new disco)ery $he grim ideal is receding farther
and fartherE and the explorers into those regions where matter, which had been
hitherto made subMect to, and within the scope of the mental perceptions of, our
physical brain escapes the control of both and loses its name@are also fast losing
their footing" +ndeed, the high pedestal on which gross matter has hitherto been
ele)ated, is fairly brea&ing down" /agonQs feet are crumbling under the weight of
new facts daily gathered in by our scientific negatorsE and while the fashionable idol
has shown its feet of clay, and its false priests their Kfaces of brass,L e)en 'uxley and
$yndall, two of the greatest among our great men of physical science, confess that
they had dreamed a dream, and found their /aniel >in Mr" !roo&es? to explain it by
demonstrating KRadiant matter"L %ithin the last few years a mysterious correlation of
words, a scientific legerdemain shuffling and shifting of terms, has occurred so
1uietly as to ha)e hardly attracted the attention of the uninitiated" +f we should
personify Matter, we might say that it awo&e one fine morning to find itself
transformed into 45R!6" $hus, the stronghold of gross physical matter was sapped
at its )ery foundationE and were Mr" $yndall thoroughly and unexceptionally honest,
he ought to ha)e paraphrased by this time his celebrated (elfast manifesto, and sayR
K+n 45R!6 + find the promise and potency of e)ery form of life"L 4rom that time
began the reign of 4orce and the foreshadowing of the gradual obli)ion of M*$$6R,
so suddenly obliged to abdicate its supremacy" $he Materialists ha)e silently and
unostentatiously transformed themsel)es into 6nergists"
(ut the old fogies of !onser)ati)e ,cience will not be so easily entreated into
new ideas"
Page 311
'a)ing refused for years the name of 4orce to Matter, they now refuse to
recogni.e the presence of the former@e)en when legitimately recogni.ed by many of
their eminent colleagues@in the phenomena &nown as 'ypnotism, Mesmerism, and
'omeopathy" $he potentiality of 4orce is sought to be limited in accordance with old
preMudices" %ithout touching that group of manifestations, too mysterious and
abnormal to be easily assimilated by the maMority of the generally ignorant and
always indifferent public >though )ouched for by those lights of ,cience, named
%allace, !roo&es, 7\llner, etc"?, we will only consider a few of the more easily
)erifiable, though e1ually reMected, facts" %e ha)e in mind the abo)eCnamed branches
of psychoCphysiological science, and shall see what se)eral sa)ants@outside the
Royal ,ociety of #ondon@ha)e to say" %e propose to collect in these notes a few of
the obser)ations of /r" !harcot upon 'ypnotism@the old Mesmerism under its new
nameE and upon 'omeopathy, by the famous /r" :usta)e =aeger, together with
certain arguments and remar&s thereupon, by competent and unbiased 4rench,
:erman and Russian obser)ers" 'ere, one may see Mesmerism and 'omeopathy
discussed and supported by the best medical and critical authorities, and may find out
how far both KsciencesL ha)e already become entitled to recognition" $o call an old
fact by a new name does not change the nature of that fact, any more than a new dress
changes an indi)idual" Mesmerism, for being now called K'ypnotism,L and K6lectroC
biology,L is none the less that same animal magnetism hooted out from all the
*cademies of Medicine and ,cience at the beginning of our century" $he wonderful
experiments, recently produced in the hospitals by the worldCfamous /r" !harcot, of
Paris, and by Professor 'eidenhain, in :ermany, must not remain un&nown to our
readers any more than the new method of testing the efficacy of 'omeopathy called
9euralanalysis, in)ented by Professor :" =aeger, a distinguished .oologist and
physiologist of ,tuttgart"
Page 313
(ut are any of these sciences and facts strictly newP %e thin& not" Mesmerism,
as well as /r" !harcotQs Metaloscopia and Filoscopia were &nown to the ancientsE but
later on, with the first dawn of our ci)ili.ation and enlightenment, were reMected by
the wiseacres of those days as something too mystical and impossible"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $o such KimpossibleL facts belong the phenomena of 'ypnotism, which ha)e created such a new
stir in :ermany, Russia and 4rance, as well as the manifestations >belonging to the same &ind?
produced and obser)ed by /r" !harcot upon his hysterical patients" %ith the latter phenomena we
must class those induced by the soCcalled metaloscopy and xiloscopy" ;nder the former are meant
in medicine the now firmly established facts pro)ing the characteristic influence on the animal
organism of )arious metals and of the magnet, through their simple contact with the s&in of the
patientR each producing a different effect" *s to xiloscopy, it is the name gi)en to the same effects
produced by )arious &inds of woods, especially by the 1uinine bar&" Metaloscopia has already gi)en
birth to Metalotherapia@the science of using metals for curati)e means" $he said K impossibilitiesL
begin to be recogni.ed as facts, though a Russian medical 6ncyclopaedia does call them
Kmonstrous"L $he same fate awaits other branches of the occult sciences of the ancients" 'itherto
reMected, they now begin to be@although still reluctantly@accepted" Prof" 7iggler of :ene)a has
wellCnigh pro)ed the influence of metals, of 1uinine and of some parts of the li)ing organisms >the
ancient fascination of flowers? upon plants and trees" $he plant named /rosera, the 1uasiCin)isible
hairs of which are endowed with partial motion, and which was regarded by /arwin as belonging to
the insectCeating plants, is shown by 7iggler as affected e)en at a distance by animal magnetism as
well as by certain metals, by means of )arious conductors" *nd a 1uarter century ago M" *dolphe
/idier, the famous 4rench somnambule and author, reports that an ac1uaintance of his met with
much success in the experimental application of the mesmeric aura to flowers and fruits to promote
their growth, colour, fla)our, and perfume" Miss !" #" 'unt, who 1uotes this fact appro)ingly in her
useful !ompendium of Mesmeric +nformation, mentions >p" 12B, footnote? that there Kare persons
who are unable to wear or handle flowers, as they begin to wither and droop directly, as though the
)itality of the plant were being appropriated by the wearer, instead of being sustained"L $o
corroborate which foregoing obser)ations by %estern authorities, our (rahmin readers need only to
be reminded of the imperati)e inMunction of their ancient ,utras that if anyone should e)en salute a
(rahmin when on his way to the ri)er or tan& for his morning puMa >de)otions?, he must at once
throw away the flowers he is carrying according to the ritualistic custom, return home and procure
fresh flowers" $his simple explanation being that the magnetic current proMected towards him by the
saluter taints the floral aura and ma&es the blossoms no longer fit for the mystical psychic ceremony
of which they are necessary accessories"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 313
*s to 'omeopathy, the possible existence of the law of similia similibus
curantur had already occurred in the earliest days of medicine" 'ippocrates spea&s of
it, and later on Paracelsus, 'aller, and e)en ,tahl with se)eral other renowned
chemists of his time more than hinted at it, since some of them ha)e absolutely taught
it, and cured se)eral patients by its means" *s alchemy has become chemistry, so
mesmerism and homeopathy with all the rest will ultimately become the legitimate
branches of orthodox medicine" $he experiments of /r" !harcot with hysterical
patients ha)e almost re)olutioni.ed the world of medicine" 'ypnotism is a
phenomenon that is exercising all the thin&ing minds of the day, and is expected by
many distinguished physicians@now that the &eynote has been so loudly struc& by
that distinguished Parisian physician@to become in the near future a science of the
greatest importance for humanity" $he recent obser)ations, in another direction, by
Professor 'eidenhain, in what he calls the Ktelephonic experiment,L is another proof
of the gradual disco)ery and acceptance of means hitherto part and parcel of the
occult sciences" $he Professor shows that by placing one hand upon the left side of
the brow, and the other upon the occiput of the subMect, the latter when sufficiently
hypnoti.ed, will repeat words expressed by the experimenter" $his is a )ery old
experiment" %hen the 'igh #ama of a !ollege of !helas in $ibet wants to force a
pupil to spea& the truth, he places his hand o)er the left eye of the culprit and the
other on his head, and then@no power in the world is able to stop the words from
pouring forth from the ladQs lips" 'e has to gi)e it out" /oes the #ama hypnoti.e or
mesmeri.e himP $ruly, if all such facts ha)e been so long reMected, it is but on
account of their close connection with occult sciences, with@M*:+!" ,till accepted
they are, howe)er reluctantly" /r" Riopel, of the ;nited ,tates, spea&ing of
'ypnotism, and confessing the subMect to be Kso replete with interest, that
metaphysicians ha)e strong grounds for encouragement to continue their researches,L
concludes ne)ertheless his article with the following extraordinary paradoxR
Page 31D
* subMect, first brought to light by :all, who desired to establish the fact that the
organ of speech had a definite position in the brainE then later by Marc /ax, and
(ouillaud, and still later by (roca, and many other distinguished obser)ers, has now
come forward to brush away the mysteries of spiritualism and its pretended relations
to psychology under the name of Khypnotism"L >Phrenol" =ourn"?
$he Kpretended relationsL seems to be a felicitous remar& and 1uite to the point"
+t is too late in the day to try to exclude transcendental psychology from the field of
science, or to separate the phenomena of the spiritualists from it, howe)er erroneous
their orthodox explanations may appear" $he preMudice so widely extant in society
against the claims of spiritual phenomena, mesmerism, and homeopathy, is becoming
too absurd to gi)e it here a serious notice, for it has fallen into idiotic stubbornness"
*nd the reason of it is simply thisE a long established regard for an opinion becomes
at last a habitE the latter is as 1uic&ly transformed into a con)iction of its infallibility,
and )ery soon it becomes for its ad)ocate a dogma" #et no profane hand dare to touch
itY
%hat reasonable grounds are there, for instance, for disputing the possible
influence of the will impulses of one organism o)er the actions of another organism,
without that will being expressed by either word or gesturesP
*re not the phenomena of our will Uas&s a wellC&nown Russian writerV and its
constant action upon our own organism as great a pu..le as any to ,cienceP *nd yet,
who has e)er thought of disputing or doubting the fact that the action of the will
brings on certain changes in the economy of our physical organism, or, that the
influence of the nature of certain substances upon that of others at a distance is not a
scientifically recogni.ed fact" +ron, in the process of getting magneti.ed, begins
acting at a distanceE wires once prepared to conduct electric currents begin to interact
at a distanceE all bodies heated to luminosity send forth )isible and in)isible rays to
enormous distances, and so on" %hy then should not %+##@an impulse and an
energy@ha)e as much potentiality as heat or ironP !hanges in the state of our
organism can thus be pro)ed as scientifically to produce determined changes in
another organism"
Page 31G
,till better reasons may be gi)en"
+t is a wellC&nown fact that force can be accumulated in a body and form a store,
so to say, of what is termed potential energyE to wit, the heat and light gi)en out by
the process of combustion of wood, coals, etc", represent simply the emission of
energy brought down upon the earth by the solar rays and absorbed, stored up by the
plant during the process of its growth and de)elopment" :as of e)ery &ind represents
a reser)oir of energy, which manifests itself under the form of heat as soon as
compressed, and especially during the transformation of the gas into a fluidic state"
$he soCcalled K!antonCphosphorusL >to the practical application of which are due the
luminous doc&s which shine in dar&ness? has the property of absorbing the light
which it emits, later on, in dar&ness" Mesmerists assure us@and we do not see any
)alid reason why it should not be so@that in the same manner their willCimpulses
may be fixed upon any material obMect which will absorb and store it until forced by
the same will to emit it bac& from itself"
(ut there are less intricate and purely scientific phenomena re1uiring no human
organism to experiment uponE experiments which, finding themsel)es within an easy
reach for )erification, not only pro)e )ery forcibly the existence of the mysterious
force claimed by the mesmerists and practically utili.ed in the production of e)ery
occult phenomenon by the adepts, but threaten to upset absolutely and fore)er to the
last stone of that !hinese wall of blan& negation erected by physical science against
the in)asion of the soCcalled occult phenomena" %e mean Messrs" !roo&esQ and
:uitfordQs experiments with radiant matter, and that )ery ingenious instrument
in)ented by the former and called the electrical radiometer" *nyone who &nows
anything of them can see how far they carry out and corroborate our assertions" Mr"
!roo&es, in his obser)ations on molecular acti)ity in connection with the radiometer
>the molecules being set in motion by means of radiations producing heat effects?
ma&es the following disco)ery" $he electric rays@produced by an induction spar&,
the electricity radiating from the negati)e pole and passing into a space containing
extremely rarefied gas@when focused upon a strip of platinum, melted itY $he
energy of the current is thus transferred to a substance through what may be fairly
called a )acuum, and produces therein an intense ele)ation of temperature, a heat
capable of melting metals"
Page 316
%hat is the medium that transmits the energy, since there is nought in space but
a little gas in its most attenuated conditionP *nd how much, or rather how little, we
see, is needed of that substance to ma&e of it a medium and cause it to resist the
pressure of such an enormous 1uantity of force or energyP (ut here we see 1uite the
re)erse of that which we should expect to find" 'ere, the transmission of force
becomes only then possible when the 1uantity of the substance is reduced to its
minimum Mechanics teach us that the 1uantity of energy is determined by the weight
of the mass of the substance in motion, and the )elocity of its motionE and with the
decrease of the mass the )elocity of the motion must be considerably increased if we
want to obtain the same effect" 4rom this point of )iew, and before this infinitesimally
small 1uantity of attenuated gas, we are forced@to be enabled to explain the
immensity of the effect@to reali.e a )elocity of motion which transcends all the
limits of our conception" +n Mr" !roo&esQ miniature apparatus we find oursel)es face
to face with an infinitude as inconcei)able to us as that which must exist in the )ery
depths of the ;ni)erse" 'ere we ha)e the infinitude of )elocityE there@the infinitude
of space" *re these two transcendent things spiritP 9oE they are both M*$$6RE only
@at the opposite poles of the same 6ternity"
++
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 169C1HBV
'5M65P*$'< *9/ M6,M6R+,M
<ears since 'omeopaths began telling us that extremely small doses of
substance are re1uired to produce extremely important effects upon animal
organisms" $hey went so far as to maintain that, with the decrease of the dose was
obtained a proportionate increase of the effect" $he professors of this new heresy
were regarded as charlatans and deluded fools, and treated henceforward as 1uac&s"
Page 31H
9e)ertheless, the instance in hand furnished by Mr" !roo&esQ experiments with
radiant matter and the electrical radiometer and now admittedly a fact in modern
physical science, might well be claimed by 'omeopathy as a firm basis to stand
upon" ,etting aside such a complicated machinery as the human organism, the case
can be experimentally )erified upon any inorganic substance" 9o impartial thin&er,
moreo)er, would be prepared, we thin&, to deny a priori the effect of homeopathic
medicines" $he trite argument of the negator@L+ do not understand it, therefore it
cannot beL@ is worn out threadbare"
*s though the infinite possibilities of nature can be exhausted by the shallow
standard of our pigmy understandingY Uexclaims the author of an article upon =aegerQs
9euralanalysis and 'omeopathyV" #et us lea)e aside Uhe addsV our conceited
pretensions to understand e)ery phenomenon, and bear in mind that, if )erification of
a fact by obser)ation and experiment is the first re1uisite for its correct
comprehension, the next and most important re1uisite is the close study by the help of
those same experiments and obser)ation of the )arious conditions under which that
fact is made to appear" +t is only when we ha)e strictly complied with this method
that we can hope@and e)en that not always@to be brought to correctly define and
comprehend it"
%e will now collate together some of the best arguments brought forward by
this and other impartial writers to the defence of 'omeopathy and Mesmerism"
$he foremost and most important factor for the disco)ery and clear
understanding of some gi)en secret of nature is@analogy" *daptation of a new
phenomenon to phenomena already disco)ered and in)estigated is the first step
towards its comprehension" *nd the analogies we find around us tend all to confirm
instead of contradicting the possibility of the great )irtue claimed for the
infinitesimals in medicinal doses" +ndeed, obser)ation shows in the great maMority of
cases that the more a substance is reduced to its simplest form, the less it is
complicated, the more it is capable of storing energyE i"e", that it is precisely under
such a condition that it becomes the most acti)e"
Page 312
$he formation of water from ice, steam out of water, is followed by absorption
of heatE steam appears here, so to say, as the reser)oir of energyE and the latter when
spent during the con)ersion of steam bac& into water shows itself capable of
performing mechanical wor&, such as the mo)ing of hea)y masses, etc" * chemist
would tell us that, in the maMority of cases, to impart energy to substance he has to
spend force" $hus, for instance, in order to pass from steam to its compound parts,
hydrogen and oxygen, far more expenditure of energy is re1uired than in the process
of the transformation of water into a1ueous )apour, hydrogen and oxygen appearing
relati)ely as tremendous reser)oirs of forces" $his store asserts itself in the
con)ersion of that )apour into water, during the combination of hydrogen with
oxygen, either under the appearance of heatCeffect, or under the shape of an
explosion, i"e", the motion of masses" %hen we turn to substances chemically
homogeneous, or elementary substances so called, we find again that the greatest
chemical acti)ity belongs to those elements that are the lightest in weight in order to
obtain some definite chemical action" $hus, if, in the maMority of cases it is obser)ed
that the simpler and the more attenuated a substance has become, the more there is an
increase of forces in it@then why, we as&, should we deny the same property or
phenomenon there, where the masses of substances owing to their minuteness escape
our direct obser)ation and exact measurementP ,hall we forget that the great and the
little@are relati)e conceptions, and that infinitude is e1ually existent and e1ually
unattainable by our senses whether it is on a large or on a small scaleP
*nd now, lea)ing aside all such arguments that can be tested only by scientific
rule, we will turn to far simpler e)idence, the one generally reMected, Must because it is
so common and within the reach of e)eryoneQs obser)ation" 6)ery person &nows how
little is re1uired of certain odours to be smelled by all" $hus, for instance, a piece of
mus& will fill a great space with its odour, there being present in the atmosphere
particles of that odoriferous substance e)erywhere, without a decrease either in the
bul& or the weight of the piece being in the least appreciable" %e ha)e no means, at
any rate, of )erifying such a decrease@if there be one"
Page 319
%e also all &now what strong effects may be produced upon certain sensiti)e
organisms by certain smells, and that these may induce con)ulsions, swoons, and
e)en a condition of dangerous coma" *nd if the possibility of the influence of
infinitesimally small 1uantities of certain odoriferous substances upon the olfactory
ner)e need not be 1uestioned at this stage of scientific en1uiry, what ground ha)e we
in denying the possibility of li&e influence upon our ner)es in generalP +n the one
case the impression recei)ed by the ner)es is followed by a full consciousness of that
factE in the other it eludes the testimony of our sensesE yet the fact of the presence of
such an influence may remain the same in both cases, and though beyond the reach of
immediate consciousness, it may be admitted to assert itself in certain changes ta&ing
place in our organic functions without attributing the latter @ as our allopaths will
often do @ to chance or the effect of blind faith" 6)eryone can feel, and become
cogni.ant of, the beatings of oneQs heart, while the )ermicular motion of the intestines
is felt by no oneE but who will deny for that, that the one motion has as great an
importance and as obMecti)e an existence as the other in the life of an organic beingP
$hus, the influence of homeopathic doses becomes perfectly admissible and e)en
probableE and the cure of diseases by occult agency@mesmeric passes and the
minutest doses of mineral as well as )egetable substances@ought to be accepted as
an ascertained and well )erified fact for all but the conser)ati)e and incurable
apostles of negation"
$o an impartial obser)er it becomes e)ident that both sides ha)e to be ta&en to
tas&" $he homeopathists, for their entire reMection of the allopathic methodsE and their
opponents, for shutting their eyes before facts, and their unpardonable a priori
negation of what they are pleased to regard without )erification as a 1uac&ery and an
imposition" +t becomes selfCe)ident that the two methods will find themsel)es happily
combined at no distant future in the practice of medicine" Physical and chemical
processes ta&e place in e)ery li)ing organism, but the latter are go)erned by the
action of the ner)ous system to which the first place in importance has to be
conceded"
Page 33B
+t is but when a substance is introduced into the organism in a greater or lesser
considerable 1uantity that its direct, gross, mechanical, or chemical effect will be
made apparentE and then it acts rapidly and in an immediate way, ta&ing a part in that
or in another process, acting in it as it would act in a laboratory )essel, or as a &nife
might act in the hand of a surgeon" +n most cases its influence upon the ner)ous
system acts only in an indirect way" 5wing to the smallest imprudence an allopathic
dose, while it restores to order one process, will produce disorder in the functions of
another" (ut there is another means of influencing the course of )ital processesR
indirectly, ne)ertheless, )ery powerfully" $his means consists in the immediate,
exceptional action upon that which go)erns supremely those processes@namely@on
our ner)es" $his is the method of homeopathy" $he allopaths themsel)es ha)e often to
use means based upon this homeopathic method, and then, they confess to ha)ing had
to act upon a purely empirical principle" *s a case in hand we may cite the followingR
the action of 1uinine in intermittent malaria fe)er will not be homeopathicalR enough
of that substance must be gi)en to poison, so to say, the blood to a degree that would
&ill the malaria microCorganisms, that induce, through their presence, the fe)er
symptoms" (ut, in e)ery case where 1uinine has to be administered as a tonic, then its
in)igorating action has to be attributed rather to the homeopathic than allopathic
influence" Physicians will then prescribe a dose which will be )irtually homeopathic,
though they will not be ready to admit it" $hus, incomplete and perhaps faulty in its
details as the instance gi)en may be found upon strict analysis, it is yet belie)ed as
pro)ing that the incurable, a priori denial of the effects of homeopathic treatment, is
less due to the uncompromising rules based upon scientific data, than to a loose
examination of those data by means of their analogies"
$he recent and interesting experiments by the wellC&nown .oologist and
physiologist of ,tuttgart, already mentioned@Professor :" =aeger@gi)e a brilliant
and triumphant corroboration to the righteous claims of homeopathy"
Page 331
+n the authorQs opinion the results obtained by him being amenable to a correct
interpretation in figures, Kplace homeopathy at once as a branch of medical science,
based upon exact physiological data and inferior in nothing to the allopathic
methods"L Professor =aeger calls his own method 9euralanalysis" %e will treat of it,
as embodied by him in a pamphlet bearing the epigraphR Kfigures pro)eL >7ahlen
beweisen?, in our next number, ma&ing extracts from the best re)iews of it by
scientific men"
+++
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 193C19DV
$he following is a summary of )arious re)iews upon /r" =aegerQs
9euralanalysis in connection with homeopathy"
$he 9euralanalysis is based upon the application of the apparatus &nown among
the physicians as the chronoscope, whose obMect is to record the most infinitesimal
inter)als of timeRZ one needle ma&ing from fi)e to ten re)olutions in a second" 4i)e
re)olutions are sufficient for a neuralanalytical experiment" $his needle can be
instantaneously set in motion by the interception of the gal)anic current, and as
instantaneously stopped by allowing its flow again" ,o great is the sensiti)eness of
the instrument, that a chronoscope with ten re)olutions in a second, is capable of
calculating and recording the time needed for a pistol ball in motion to cross the
space of one foot" $he means used for this experiment is as followsR during its transit,
the ball, acting upon the wire, shuts out the current, and a foot further on, it brea&s
another wire, and thus stops the current altogether" /uring this incredibly short space
of time, the needle is already set in motion and has crossed a certain portion of its
circuit"
$he 9euralanalysis consists in the measurement of that for which astronomers
ha)e a term of their own, but /r" =aeger calls 9er)en.eit@Kner)eCtime"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,uch as the duration of luminous impressions upon the retina of the eye@for instance"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 333
+f, while obser)ing the moment of the appearance of some signal, one had to record
that moment by some gi)en sign@say by the bending of his finger@then between
the appearance of the said signal and the bending of the finger, a certain lapse of time
will be needed in order that the impression upon the ner)ous tissue of the eye should
reach through the optic ner)e the brain, and thence expand itself along the motory
ner)es to the muscles of the finger" +t is this duration, or lapse, that is called ner)eC
time" $o calculate it by means of the chronoscope, one has to carefully obser)e the
position of the needleE and, ne)er losing sight of it, to intercept by a slow wa)e of the
hand the gal)anic current, and thus set the needle in motion" *s soon as the latter
motion is obser)ed, the experimenter rapidly stops it by liberating the current, and
ta&es note again of the needleQs position" $he difference between the two positions
will gi)e the exact Kner)eCtimeL in so many parts of a second" $he duration of Kner)eC
timeL depends firstly on the condition in which the conductibility of the ner)ous and
muscular apparatus is at the timeR this condition being thoroughly independent of our
will" *nd secondly, it depends on the degree of intensity of the attention and the force
of the willCimpulse in the experimenterE the more energetic is the will or desire, the
greater the attention, the shorter will be the Kner)eCtime"L $o ma&e the second
condition easier@an exercise is necessary by means of which is de)eloped a habit@
&nown in physiology as the law of coCordinati)e motions or of nearly simultaneous
action" $hen one single willCimpulse will be sufficient to produce two motions@the
act of intercepting and that of releasing the gal)anic current" 5f these two motions
which appear both at first as deliberate, the second will become through exercise and
habit in)oluntary, so to say instincti)e, and follow the first independently" 5nce the
habit ac1uired, the Kner)eCtimeL when calculated by the chronoscope becomes )ery
little dependent upon will, and indicates chiefly the rapidity with which the
excitement is spread along the ner)es and muscles"
'itherto, only the mean 1uantity of Kner)eCtimeL was generally paid attention
toE but /r" =aeger remar&ed that it was liable to considerable fluctuations, one rapidly
succeeding the other"
Page 333
4or instance, ta&ing one hundred chronoscopical measurements of Kner)eCtimeL
one after the other and at short inter)als, say, e)ery ten or twenty seconds, we get
rows of figures, considerably differing from each other, the changes in the 1uantity of
those figures, i"e", the fluctuations in the duration of ner)eCtime being )ery
characteristic" $hey can be represented, in accordance with a certain graphic method,
by means of a cur)ed line" $he latter as showing the results of all the measurements
ta&en one after the other, /r" =aeger has called the KdetailCcur)eL >/etailC&ur)e?"
(esides this, he constructs another cur)ed line, which shows those figures that will
remain when, putting together all the subse1uent obser)ations ten by ten, the mean
result is obtained out of e)ery decade" $he latter result of ten obser)ations he calls
/ecanden.iffer or the Kdecade figure"L $hus the 9euralanalytical cur)es gi)e us a
general )iew in figures of the state of our ner)ous apparatus, in relation to the
conducti)ity of their excitation and the characteristic fluctuations of that conducti)ity"
,tudying by this means the condition of the ner)ous system, one can easily Mudge in
what way, and to what extent, it is acted upon by certain definite external and internal
influences, and, as their action under similar conditions is in)ariable, then )ice )ersa,
)ery exact conclusions can be arri)ed at by the characteristic state of the conducti)ity
of the ner)ous system as to the nature of those influences that acted upon the ner)es
during the said chronoscopic measurement"
$he experiments of =aeger and his pupils show that the aspect of the
neuralanalytical cur)es@which he calls KpsychogrammesL@changes, on the one
hand, at e)ery influence acting upon the organism from without, and on the other@at
e)erything that affects it from within, as, for instance, pleasure, anger, fear, hunger, or
thirst, etc", etc" Moreo)er, peculiar characteristic cur)es are formed, in
correspondence to e)ery such influence or effect" 5n the other hand one and the same
person, experimented upon under the same conditions, gets each time, under the
influence of some definite substance introduced into his organism, an identical
psychogramme"
Page 33D
$he most interesting and important feature of the neuralanalysis is found in the
fact, that the choice of the means resorted to for the introduction of )arious
substances into the human organism, has no importance here whate)erR any )olatile
substance, ta&en within, will gi)e the same results when simply inhaled, it being 1uite
immaterial whether it has or has not any odour"
+n order that the experiments should always yield results for purposes of
comparison, it is strictly necessary to pay a great attention to the food and drin& of the
person experimented upon, to both his mental and physical states, as also to the purity
of the atmosphere in the room where the experiments ta&e place" $he Kcur)esL will
show immediately whether the patient is in the same neuralanalytical disposition with
regard to all the conditions as he was during the preceding experiments" 9o other
instrument the world o)er is better calculated to show the extreme sensiti)eness of
human organism" $hus, for instance, as shown by /r" =aeger, it is sufficient of one
drop of spirit of wine spilled on a )arnished table, that the smell of )arnish filling the
room should alter considerably the psychogrammic figures and impede the progress
of the experiment"
$here are se)eral &inds of psychogrammes, the olfactory one being called by
him the osmogramme from the :ree& words osmosis, a form of molecular attraction"
$he osmogrammes are the most )aluable as gi)ing by far the greater and clearer
results" K6)en the metalsL@says =aeger@Kshow themsel)es sufficiently )olatile to
yield most suggesti)e osmogrammes"L (esides, whereas it is impossible to stop at
will the action of substances introduced into the stomach, the action of a substance
inhaled may be easily stopped" $he 1uantity of substance needed for an osmogramme
is the most triflingE and lea)ing aside the enormous homeopathical dilutions, the
1uantity has no real importance" $hus, for instance, when alcohol has to be inhaled, it
ma&es no difference in the result obtained whether its surface co)ers an area of one
s1uare inch or that of a large plate"
+n the next number it is proposed to show the enormous light that =aegerQs
disco)eries of this new application of the chronoscope throws upon homeopathy in
general, and the doubted efficacy of the infinitesimal doses in countless dilutions@
especially"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U'" P" (" appears ne)er to ha)e carried out this intention"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 33G
!ROM &ESHUB B"BU TO M"ESTRO W"GNER
VI" THE S"LV"TION C"MP
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, pp" 1B9C113V
(ut a few days since $he ,tatesman and 4riend of +ndia ga)e room to the
reflections of a re)erential correspondent, deploring the disrespectful familiarity with
which the a)erage swashbuc&ler of the ,al)ation *rmy spea&s of his :od" $he reader
was told that it@
is not so easy to get o)er the shoc& caused by the )ery unceremonious way in
which these men spea& of the most sacred things and names, and their free and easy
manner of addressing the /eity"
9o doubt" (ut it is only as it should beE and in fact, it could hardly ha)e been
expected other )ise" 4amiliarity breeds contempt@with Kthe most sacred thingsL
e1ually with the profane" %hat with :uiteau, the pretended dutiful son and agent of
:od, who claimed but to ha)e carried out his lo)ing 4atherQs will in murdering in
cold blood President :arfieldE and 8eshub (abu, the Minister of the 9ew
/ispensation, who in marrying his daughter to a popular, rich, and highly cultured
young RaMa, gi)es us to understand that he only blindly followed the )erbal
instructions recei)ed by him from :od, there is but a temperamental difference in the
results of their common cause of action"
Page 336
$he aesthetic feelings of the ,tatesman writer, therefore, ought to be 1uite as
much, if not more, ruffled by finding that the *lmighty has been degraded in public
print into the &hidmatgar, ayah, coo&, treasurer, munshi, and e)en the bhisti >water
carrier? of (abu 8" !" ,en,Z as by learning from the *merican papers how,
co1uetting with his Parent under the shadow of the gallows and with the rope around
his nec&, :uiteau@innocent babeY@crowed and lisped, addressing his K4ather in
'ea)enL as his K:odyL and K#ordy"L
4or years the combat has been deepening between religion and science,
priestcraft, and lay radicalismE a conflict which has now assumed a form which it
would ne)er ha)e ta&en but for priestly interference" $he e1uilibrating forces ha)e
been their intolerance, ignorance, and absurdity on the one hand, and the peopleQs
progressi)e combati)eness, resulting in ran& materialism, on the other" *s remar&ed
by somebody, the worst enemies of religion in e)ery age ha)e been the ,cribes
>priests?, Pharisees >bigots?, and ,adducees >materialists?@the latter word being
applied to any man who is an antiCmetaphysician" +f theologians@Protestant casuists
as well as =esuits@had left the matter alone, abandoning e)ery man to his own
interpretation and inner light, materialism and the bitter antiCreligious spirit, which
now reigns supreme among the better educated classes, could ha)e ne)er gained the
upper hand as they now ha)e" $he priests embroiled the 1uestion with their dead
letter, often insane, interpretations enforced into infallible dictaE and men of science,
or the soCcalled philosophers, in their attempts to dispel the obscurity and ma&e away
with e)ery mystery altogether, intensified the obfuscation" $he KdistinguosL of the
former@which Pascal held up to so much ridicule@and the physical, often grossly
materialistic explanations of the latter, ruined e)ery metaphysical truth"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Vide 9ew /ispensation for 1221E art"R K%hat :od is doing for me, by (abu 8" !" ,en"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 33H
%hile the Pharisees were tampering with their respecti)e ,criptures, the
,adducees were creating Kinfidelity"L ,uch a state of things is not li&ely to come to a
speedy end, the conflagration being e)er fed with fresh fuel by both sides"
9otwithstanding the near close of a century Mustly regarded as the age of
enlightenment, truth seems to shine as far away as it e)er did from hoi polloi of
humanityE and falsehood@luc&y all of us, when it can be shown but simple errorY@
creeps out hideous and unabashed, in e)ery shape and form from as many brains as
are capable of generating it" $his conflict between 4act and ,uperstition has brought a
third class of KinterpretersL to the front@mystical dramatic authors" $he latter are a
decided impro)ement upon the former, in so far as they help to transform the crude
anthropomorphic fictions of fanatical religionists into poetical myths framed in the
worldQs sacred legends" %e spea& of the recent re)i)als of the old *ryan and :ree&
religious dramas, respecti)ely in +ndia and 6uropeE of those public and pri)ate
theatricals called KMysteries,L dropped in the %est e)er since the Mediae)al *ges,
but now re)i)ed at !alcutta, 5berammergau, and (ayreuth" ;nfortunately, from the
sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step" $hus, from Parsifal@the poetical new
opera of %agner, performed for the first time in =uly last, at (ayreuth >(a)aria?,
before an audience of 1GBB people composed of crowned heads, their scions, and
suite@we tumble down into the (engali K9ew /ispensationL Mystery" +n the latter
religious performance, the principal female part, that of the KmotherCgoddess,L is
enacted by (abu 8" !" ,en" $he (rahmo Public 5pinion represents the inspired
minister as appearing on the stage clad in the traditional sari, with an&lets, armlets,
noseCrings, and Mingling banglesE dancing as though for dear life, and surrounded by a
cortdge of disciples, one of whom had adorned his person@as a sign of de)otion and
humility, we should thin&@with a nec&lace of old shoes" 4arce for farce, our personal
preference inclines toward K:eneralL (ooth and KMaMorL $uc&er, fencing on the
,al)ation *rmy stage with KMr"L /e)il" *s a matter of aesthetics and choice, we
prefer the imaginary smell of brimstone and fire to the malodorous perfume of old
shoe leather from the cobblerQs shop"
Page 332
%hile the nai)e absurdities in the %ar !ry ma&e one laugh to tears, the religious gush
and cant generally found in #iberty and the 9ew /ispensation, pro)o&e a sic&ening
feeling of anger at such an abuse of a human intellect moc&ing at the wea&er
intellects of its less fa)oured readers"
*nd now to Parsifal, the new !hristian operaCdrama of Maestro %agner" 4rom a
musical standpoint, it may be indeed Kthe grandest philosophical conception e)er
issued from mortal brain"L *s to the subMect and its philosophical importance, our
readers will ha)e to Mudge for themsel)es"
*s the musical world is aware, Professor %agner is under the special patronage
of the (a)arian 8ing@the greatest melomaniac of 6urope, who has spent millions
upon his eccentric protSgS for the pri)ilege of ha)ing him all to himself" *t e)ery first
performance, the audience is composed of the 8ing alone, his selfish maMesty not
allowing e)en a confidential chamberlain, or a member of his own family to come in
for a share of artistic enMoyment" Parsifal is not the first, nor@as to the subMect of the
drama upon which it is built@the best opera that has been produced by the Maestro"
+ndeed, it is childish in the extreme" %hy then did its libretto alone, which appeared
far in ad)ance of its performance, and could gi)e no idea of its musical merits, attract
such an extraordinary concourse of nearly all the crowned heads of 6uropeP %e learn
that, besides the old 6mperor %ilhelm, there were among other guests the :rand
/u&es of Russia, the Princes of :ermany and 6ngland, and nearly all the petty
so)ereigns, the 8ings and Aueens of ,weden, /enmar&, 'olland, %^rttemberg, etc"
4or the last forty years, %agner has fought tooth and nail with the conser)ati)e
musical lights of 6urope for the recognition and acceptance of his new style of
operatic music@the Kmusic of the future,L as it is called" <et his re)olutionary ideas
ha)e hitherto found but a partly responsi)e echo in the %est" $he author of $he
4lying /utchman, Rien.i, $annha^ser, and #ohengrin, seemed doomed to present
failure, his interminable apotheoses brea&ing the patience ali&e of the sanguine
4renchman and the phlegmatic 6nglishman"
Page 339
$his string of failures culminated last year, at #ondon, in the gigantic fiasco of
his K:reat $etralogy,L /er Ring des 9ibelungen" (ut Parsifal has now sa)ed the
situation"
%hyP $he reason for it, we thin&, lies in the subMect chosen for the new opera"
%hile #ohengrin, $annha^ser, /er Ring des 9ibelungen, are productions based on
popular heathen myths, on :erman legends concei)ed in, and drawn from, the days
of paganism and mythology, when =upiter and Venus, Mars and /iana, were under
their $eutonic names the tutelary gods of :ermania@KParsifalL is the hero around
whom centre the 9ew $estament legends, accepted by the audience as forming a
portion of the ,tateCreligions of !hristendom" $hus the mystery of the extraordinary
success lies in a nutshell" %hat is our own fiction, must be@nay, is '+,$5R<E that
of our heathen neighbours, the Kde)ilCworshipL of the :entiles@fables" $he subMect
matter of KParsifalL is the theatrical representation of good and e)il, in a supreme
struggleR it is our uni)erse, sa)ed through atonementE it is sin redeemed through
graceE the triumph of faith and charity" *ll that is fantastical in it, is mixed up with,
and built upon >thus say the !hristian papers?@the purest re)elations of !hristian
legends" %e will gi)e a brief summary of the subMect"
$he e)ents of the drama occur in the dreary solitude of the mountains of ,pain,
during the supremacy of the ,aracen con1uerors" ,pain boasts of the possession of
the K:raalL@the cup in which !hrist, during the #ast ,upper, is said to ha)e
performed the mystery of the $ransubstantiationE changing the bread and wine into
flesh and blood" +nto this )ery cup, says the legend, =oseph of *rimathea had also
collected the blood that streamed from the wounds of the ,a)iour" *fter a certain
lapse of time the angels, who, by some mysterious ways not mentioned in the pious
tradition, had got hold of the cup, presented it along with the spear that had
transpierced the side of the !rucified, to a certain saint by the name of $iturel"
Page 33B
%ith a )iew of preser)ing the priceless relics, the ,aint >who, being a ,aint, of
course had plenty of cash? built a fortified palace and founded the K5rder of the
8nights of the 'oly :raalLE recouping himself for his trouble by proclaiming himself
the 8ing and 'ighCPriest thereof" (ecoming ad)anced in age, this enterprising ,aint
abdicated in fa)our of his son *mfortasR a detail, pro)ing, we lo)e to thin&, that the
,aint was possessed besides the said genuine relics, of an e1ually genuine legitimate
wife" ;nfortunately the Munior ,aint fell a )ictim to the blac& art of a wic&ed
magician named 8lingsorE and allowing the sacred spear to pass into the latterQs
hands, he recei)ed therewith an incurable wound" 'enceforth and on to the end of the
piece, *mfortas becomes a moral and physical wrec&"
$his Prologue is followed by a long string of acts, the sacred KmysteryL being
full of miracles and allegorical pictures" *ct + begins with the rising sun, which sings
a hymn to itself from behind a fringe of aged oa&s, which, after the manner of trees,
Moin in the chorus" $hen comes a sacred la&e with as sacred a swan, which is wounded
by the arrow of Parsifal" *t that period of the opera our hero is still an innocent,
irresponsible idiot, ignorant of the mission planned for him by Pro)idence" #ater on
in the play he becomes the K!omforter,L the second Messiah and ,a)iour foretold by
the *tonement" +n *ct ++ we see a )aulted hall, under whose dome light battalions of
winged and fingerless cherubs sing, and play upon their golden harps" $hen comes
the mystic ceremony of &nights at their supper table" *t each boom of a big bell, the
holy &nights pour down their throats gigantic goblets of wine and eat big loa)es of
bread" Voices from abo)e are heard shoutingR K$a&e and eat of the bread of lifeY@
$a&e and drin& of my bloodYL@the second part of the inMunction being religiously
carried out by the &nightCmon&s" $he ceremony comes next of the opening of the
relicCbox, in which the K:raalL shines with a phosphoric light enough to da..le the
pious (rotherhood, e)ery member of which, under the effect of that light >or
perchance of the wine? falls prostrate before the relicCbox" K:raalL is a cup, and yet a
singing and reasoning creature in the miraculous legend"
Page 331
%ithal, it is a forgi)ing oneE since, forgetting the crime of Parsifal, who is guilty
of the death of the sacred swan, it chooses that man, simple in heart and unburdened
with intellect, as its weapon and agent to con1uer 8lingsor, the wic&ed sorcerer, and
redeem the stolen spear" 'ence the supreme struggle between proud +ntellect,
personified by the magician@the ,pirit of 6)il and /ar&ness, and simple 4aith@the
embodiment of innocence, with its absence of all intelligence, as personified by the
halfCwitted KParsifal,L chosen to represent the spirit of :ood and #ight" $hus, while
the latter is armed for the ensuing combat but with the weapon of blind 4aith,
8lingsor, the sorcerer, selects as his ally 8undry, a fallen woman, accursed by :od
and the embodiment of lust and )ice" ,trangely enough 8undry lo)es good@by
nature and in her sleep" (ut no sooner does she awa&e in the morning than she
becomes awfully wic&ed" %e ha)e personally &nown other persons who were )ery
good@when asleep"
$he papers are full of descriptions of the enchanting scenes of the second act of
Parsifal, which represent the fairy gardens and castle of the magician 8lingsor" 4rom
the top of his tall tower he sees Parsifal arrayed as a &night approaching his domain
and@the wic&ed sorcerer is supposed to show his great intellect by disappearing
from sight through the floor of his room" $he scene changes and one sees e)erywhere
but the enchanting gardens full of women, in the guise of@animated flowers" Parsifal
cuts his way through and meets 8undry" $hen follows an unholy ballet or nautch of
womenCflowers, halfCnude, and in fleshCcoloured tights" $he dances are meant as
lures of seduction, and 8undry@the most beautiful and fascinating of those animated
plants, is chief daughter of the %agnerian KMara"L (ut e)en her infernal powers of
seduction fail with the halfCwitted but blindly belie)ing &night" $he ballet ends with
Parsifal snatching the holy spear out of the hands of 8lingsor, who has Moined by that
time in the general tamasha, and ma&ing with it o)er the whole unclean lot of the
bewitched nautches the sign of the cross" $hereupon, womenCflowers and 8undry,
imps and sorcerer, all disappear and )anish underground, presumably into the tropical
regions of !hristian 'ell"
Page 333
*fter a short rest, between two acts, during which time forty or fifty years are
supposed to elapse, Parsifal, armed with the holy spear that tra)elled o)er the whole
world, returns as great a simpleton as e)er@but a giant in a strength de)eloped by his
blind, unreasoning faith" 5nce bac& on the territory of K:raal,L he finds the 5rder
abolished, the &nights dispersed, and *mfortas as seedy as e)er from the effects of his
old wound" K:raal,L the communion cup, has hidden itself in the )ast coffers of the
monastery of some inimical and ri)al sect" Parsifal brings bac& the holy spear and
heals therewith on the homeopathic principle of similia similibus curantur, the
uncurable wound of the old &ingCpriest once made by that same spear, by thrusting it
into his other side" *s a reward, the &ing abdicates his throne and priesthood in his
fa)our" $hen appears 8undry again, well stric&en in years, we should say, if we had
to Mudge of the effects of time according to natural law, but, as fascinating and
beautiful as e)er, as we are as&ed to belie)e by the !hristian legend" ,he falls in lo)e
with Parsifal, who does not fall in lo)e with her, but allows her to wash his feet and
wipe them MagdaleneCli&e with the tresses of her long hair, and then proceeds to
bapti.e her" %hether from the effects of this unexpected ceremony or otherwise,
8undry dies immediately, after throwing upon Parsifal a long loo& of lo)e which he
heeds not, but reco)ers suddenly his lost witsY 4aith alone has performed all these
miracles" $he K+nnocentL had by the sole strength of his piety, sa)ed the worldR 6)il
is con1uered by :ood" ,uch is the philosophicoCmoral subMect of the new opera
which is preparing@say the :erman !hristian papers@to re)olutioni.e the world
and bring bac& the infidels to !hristianity" *men"
+t was after reading in a do.en papers rapturous accounts of the new opera and
laudatory hymns to its pious subMect, that we felt mo)ed to gi)e our candid opinion
thereupon" Very few people to the %estward will agree with us, yet there are some
who, we hope at least, will be able to discern in these remar&s something more
serious than Mournalistic chaff upon the ludicrous e)ents of the day"
Page 333
*t the ris& of being once more misunderstood, we will say that such a handling
of the Kmost sacred truthsL@for those for whom those things and names are truth@is
a sheer debasement, a sacrilege, and a blasphemy" %hether presented in the poetical
garb of an operatic performance on the stage of a royal theatre, with the scenic
accessories of all the modern paraphernalia of 6uropean luxury and art, and before an
audience of crowned headsE or in the caricatured representation of fair goddesses by
old men, in 'indu bungalows, and for the personal delectation of RaMas and
7emindarsE or again@as done by the ,al)ationists before ignorant mobs@under the
shape of grotes1ue fights with the de)ilE such Ka free and easy mannerL of treating
subMects, to many holy and true, must appear simply blasphemous harle1uinades" $o
them truth is dragged by its own )otaries in the mire" $hus far, PilateQs K%hat is
truthPL has ne)er been sufficiently answered but to the satisfaction of narrowCminded
sectarians" <et, truth must be somewhere, and it must be one, though all may not
&now it" 'ence, though e)eryone ought to be permitted unmolested to search for, and
see it in his own lightE and discuss as freely the respecti)e merits of those many
wouldCbe truths, called by the name of creeds and religions, without anyone ta&ing
offence at the freedom, we cannot help showing a profound sympathy for the feelings
of K5bser)er,L who has a few remar&s upon the ,al)ationists in the Pioneer of
/ecember 31" %e 1uote a paragraph or twoR
$hat this eccentric religious deformity will, sooner or later, )anish into the
ample limbo of defunct fanaticisms, is, of course, a conclusion which need not be
demonstrated for educated people" (ut meanwhile it might be well if applications for
help from the leaders of this )ulgar crusade were declined by that numerous class
who are ready to subscribe money for any organi.ation whose professed aim is to Kdo
good,L but who are too indifferent, or too indolent, to in)estigate the principles and
methods of such organi.ation"
*t one period in the history of !hristendom one of the central features in pulpit
teaching was the presentation of ,atan in e)ery imaginable shape which could inspire
terror"
(ut, in process of time, in the religious plays, ,atan came to be represented by
the clown" *nd the association in the popular mind of the grotes1ue and ridiculous
with what had once suggested awe and terror, resulted in widespread disbelief in the
reality of ,atanQs existence"
Page 33D
$o what extent this scepticism was an indication of the emancipation of the human
mind from ecclesiastical terrorism need not be discussed here" (ut the power of
association of ideas in moulding belief is the point emphasi.ed by this reference"
*nd if the founder of the !hristian religion is presented to the imagination of the
populace surrounded with the images of the modern music hall, if crowds are roused
up to emotional display by means of a (acchanalian chorus which proclaim that
K'eQs a Molly good ,a)iour,L and by !hristy Minstrel manipulations of the tambourine
and the banMo, it does not need a )ery profound insight to foresee that the utter
degradation of that sublime ideal which, amidst all the changes of beliefs and
opinions that ha)e con)ulsed !hristendom for eighteen hundred years, still appears to
the )iew of the worldQs best men, unbelie)ing as well as belie)ing, a spectacle of
unapproachable moral beauty, must be the result in the case of those who are brought
under the action of such a demorali.ing influence"
$hese wise words apply thoroughly to the cases in hand" +f we are answered@as
many a time we ha)e been answered@that notwithstanding all, the ,al)ationists as
well as the 9ew /ispensationists are doing good, since they help to &indle the fast
extinguishing fires of spirituality in manQs heart, we shall answer that it is not by
fencing and dancing in grotes1ue attire, that this spirituality can e)er be preser)edE
nor is it by thrusting oneQs own special belief down a neighbourQs throat that he can
e)er be con)inced of its truth" ,mo&e also can dim the solar rays, and it is well
&nown that the most worthless materials, boldly &indled and energetically stirred,
often throw out the densest masses of mur&y )apour" /oubt is inseparable from the
constitution of manQs reasoning powers, and few are the men who ha)e ne)er
doubted, whate)er their sectarian beliefE a good proof that few are 1uite satisfied@
say what they may to the contrary@that it is their creed and not that of their brother
which has got the whole truth" $ruth is li&e the sunE notwithstanding that the blac&est
clouds may obscure it temporarily, it is bound, e)er and anon, to shine forth and
da..le e)en the most blind, and the faintest beam of it is often sufficient to dispel
error and dar&ness" Men ha)e done their best to )eil e)ery beam and to replace it with
the false glare of error and fictionE none more so than bigoted, narrowCminded
theologians and priests of e)ery faith, casuists and per)erters through selfishness"
Page 33G
+t is against them, ne)er against any religion, or the sincere belief of any man in
whatsoe)er he chooses, that we ha)e and do protest" *nd here we will ta&e the
opportunity of answering our innumerable detractors"
(y these we ha)e been repeatedly called 9asti&a and atheist" %e are guilty, in
their opinion, of refusing to gi)e a name to $'*$ which, we feel sure, ought ne)er to
ha)e recei)ed a nameE nay@which cannot ha)e an appellation, since its nature or
essence is absolutely incomprehensible to our human mind, its state and e)en being,
as absolutely a blan&, and entirely beyond the possibility of any proof@unless simple
and unphilosophical assertions be such" %e are ta&en to tas& for confessing our firm
belief in an infinite, allCper)ading Principle, while refusing recognition of a personal
:od with human attributesE for ad)ocatingZ an Kabstraction,L nameless and de)oid of
any &nown 1ualities, hence@passionless and inacti)e" 'ow far our enemies are right
in their definition of our belief, is something we may lea)e to some other occasion to
confess or deny" 4or the present we will limit ourself to declaring that, if denial of the
existence of :od as belie)ed in by the :uiteaus, /ispensationists and ,al)ationists,
constitutes a 9asti&a, then@we plead KguiltyL and proclaim ourself publicly that &ind
of atheist" +n the *leim addressed by their respecti)e de)otees as K4atherC:od, or
:odC(rahmI, or :odC*llah, or :odC=eho)ahLR in those deities, in a word, who,
whether they inspire political murders, or buy pro)isions in the !alcutta ba.aars, or
fight the de)il through female lieutenants to the sound of cymbals and a bass drum at
thirty shillings the wee&, or demand public worship and damn eternally those who do
not accept them, we ha)e neither faith nor respect for themE nor do we hesitate to
express our full contempt for such figments of ecclesiastical imagination"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %hich we do not, nor e)er willE claiming but the right e1ually with e)ery other responsible or
reasoning human being, to belie)e in what we thin& proper, and reMect the routine ideas of other
people"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 336
5n the other hand, no true Vedantee, *d)aitee, nor genuine esoteric philosopher,
or (uddhist, will e)er call us 9asti&a, since our belief does not differ one iota from
theirs" 6xcept as to difference in names, upon whate)er appellation all of these may
hang their belief, ours is a philosophical conception of that which a true *d)aitee
could call 9arayana" +t is that same Principle which may be understood and reali.ed
but in our innermost thought, in solemn silence and in re)erential awe" +t is but during
such moments of illumination that man may ha)e a glimpse of it, as from and in the
6ternity" +t broods in >not o)er? the %aters of #ife, in the boundless chaos of cosmic
6ther as the manifested or the unmanifested uni)erse@a Paramanu as it is called in
the ;panishads, e)erCpresent in the boundless ocean of cosmic matter, embodying
within UitVself the latent design of the whole uni)erse" $his 9arayana is the se)enth
principle of the manifested solar system" +t is the *ntaratma, or the latent spirit
e)erywhere present in the fi)e tanmatras, which in their admixture and unity,
constitute what is called by %estern occultists the preCadamite earth" $his principle or
Paramanu is located by the ancient Rishis of +ndia >as may be seen in MahaC9arayana
or $aittiriya ;panishad? in the centre of astral fire" +ts name of 9arayana is gi)en to
it, because of its presence in all the indi)idual spiritual monads of the manifested
solar system" $his principle is, in fact, the #ogos, and the one ego of the %estern
5ccultists and 8abalists, and it is the Real and ,ole deity to which the ancient Rishis
of *rya)arta addressed their prayers, and directed their aspirations" +f neither
belie)ers in a butlerCgod, nor those who fight the battles of their deity with ,atan, nor
yet the rutCrunning sectarians, will e)er be capable of understanding our meaning, we
ha)e at least the consolation of &nowing that it will be perfectly clear to e)ery learned
*d)aitee" *s to the unlearned ones, they had better Moin the K/)aitees, or the
,al)ationists,L who in)o&e their 4etish with the clanging bell and the roll of
&ettledrums"
Page 33H
!OOTNOTE TO *IS BR"HMOISM TRUE HINDUISM(,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, p" 11HV
U* correspondent, whose letter is published under the abo)e title, 1uotes the
Munda&opanishad, ,ect" +, Pt" i, G, as followsR K" " " $he superior &nowledge is that by
which the ;9/6!*<+9: >:od? is &nown"L $o this '" P" (" appends the following
footnoteRV
$he term K;ndecayingL may, or may not, ha)e meant K:od,L as translated by
the writer, in the mind of the author of Munda&opanishad, but we ha)e e)ery reason
for doubting the correctness of the meaning gi)en" 9o ;panishad mentions anywhere
a personal god, and we belie)e such is the god of the (rahmos@since he is endowed
with attributes in themsel)es all finite" $he K;ndecayingL means in the ;panishads@
the eternal unborn, uncreated, infinite principle or #aw@Parabrahm in short, not
(rahm which is 1uite another thing"
Page 332
!OOTNOTE TO *SEL!-CONTR"DICTIONS O! THE BIBLE,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, p" 13BV
U#a&shman ,ingh, in a letter to the 6ditor, says among other thingsR K$he Re)"
Missionary accuses me in his letter that + had always been buying antiC!hristian
wor&s from a scholarship which + was getting from the school"L $his refers to
troubles in connection with the Rawal Pindi Mission ,chool authorities" '" P" ("
remar&sRV
*nd whereQs the offence e)en were the charge trueP +f, as e)ery Missionary, the
Re)" Mr" 9ewton had an eye to con)erting his heathen pupils to !hristianity, he was
himself, in honour bound, to furnish #a&shman ,ingh with means of ascertaining the
real superiority and worth of the religion offered him as a substitute for that of his
ancestors" 'ow can a thing be pro)ed good, unless both its outward and inward )alue
are foundP $ruth need fear no light" +f !hristianity be true, it ought to welcome the
strictest and closest of in)estigations" 5therwise Kcon)ersionL becomes )ery much
li&e selling damaged goods@in some dar& bac& room of a shop"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO *P"R"CELSUS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, p" 131V
U*n in1uirer re1uests of the 6ditor information upon the history of Paracelsus, at
the same time stating that the latter Kga)e way during the concluding years of his life
to excessi)e intemperance,L which he says Kis, to say the least of it, strongly
inexplicable in one who is considered to ha)e ad)anced far in the path of occult
wisdom and attained adeptship"L $o this '" P" (" appends the following footnoteRV
Page 339
%e, who unfortunately ha)e learned at our personal expense how easily
male)olent insinuations and calumny ta&e root, can ne)er be brought to belie)e that
the great Paracelsus was a drun&ard" $here is a Kmystery,L and we fondly hope it will
be explained some day" 9o great manQs reputation was e)er yet allowed to rest
undisturbed" Voltaire, Paine, and in our own days, #ittrS, are alleged on their
deathbeds to ha)e shown the white feather, turned traitors to their lifelong
con)ictions, and to ha)e died as only cowards can die, recanting those con)ictions"
,aintC:ermain is called the KPrince of +mpostors,L and K!agliostroL@a charlatan"
(ut who has e)er pro)ed thatP
WWWWWWWWWW
MR. IS""CS%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, pp" 13DC136V
$he subMect of our present re)iew is@a romanceY * curious production, some
might say, to come to our boo& table, and claim serious notice from a philosophical
maga.ine li&e this" (ut it has a connection, )ery palpable and undeniable, with us,
since the names of three members of our ,ociety@Mr" ,innett, !olonel 5lcott and
Madame (la)ats&y@figure in it, and adepts and the rules and aspirations of their
fraternity ha)e a large share of the authorQs attention" $his is another proof of the fact
that the $heosophical mo)ement, li&e one of those subterranean streams which the
tra)eller finds in districts of magnesian and calcareous formation, is running beneath
the surface of contemporary thought, and bursting out at the most unexpected points
with )isible signs of its pentCup force"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Mr" +ssacsR * $ale of Modern +ndia" (y 4" Marion !rawford >#ondonR Macmillan and !o", 1223?"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3DB
$he scene of this no)el is +ndia, and a good deal of its action transpires at ,imla"
+ts few pictures of 'indu daily life and character and of typical@in fact, in one or
two cases, of actual@ *ngloC+ndian personages, are )i)idly realistic" $here is no
mista&ing the fact that the storyteller gathered his materials on the )ery spot, and has
but strung upon the thread of his narrati)e the beads of personal experience" $he son
of a great sculptor himself, and the nephew of one of the brightest, cle)erest and most
accomplished men of modern society, he displays in many a fine passage an artistQs
lo)ing sense of the grand, the pictures1ue and the beautiful, an athleteQs passion for
exercise and sport, and a flaneurQs familiarity with the human nature which blooms in
the hotbeds of the gay world" 6xamples of the firstCnamed talent are the descriptions
of 'imalayan and subC'imalayan scenery, and moonlight effectsE of the second, a
tiger hunt in the $erai, a picnic under can)as, and a polo matchE while the signs of the
third endowment show themsel)es in his photographs of )arious personalities, some
high, some humble, that form his groups" Mr" !rawford has made, howe)er, what we
should call, a decided artistic blunder" 'is hero, *bdul 'afi.CbenC+.I&, or, as
commonly &nown among *ngloC+ndians, KMr" +saacs,L is a Persian by birth, a
Mohammedan by creed, and the husband of three wi)es" $hese superfluous creatures
are but barely introduced by allusion, yet their existence is admitted by the hero, and
as no crime is imputed to them, they would seem to ha)e e)ery right to a peaceful
existence as the spouses of a lawful husband" <et their conMugal claims are ignored,
and their personalities sho)ed away out of sight, because the author ma&es Mr" +saacs
to lo)e and be lo)ed by a paragon of 6nglish maidensE who, &nowing of the domestic
trimurti in 1uestion, yet treats her lo)er li&e an unencumbered bachelor, without a
single blessed thought of the wrong she does to Mesdames the aforesaid three
married ladies" $he utter superfluity of the latter as regards the interest of the tale,
causes the Mudicious reader to grie)e that they should ha)e e)er been e)ol)ed from
the authorQs cerebral ganglia, e)en to be &ept behind a distant purdah"
Page 3D1
+n his remar&s upon cataleptic trance, the proMection of the Kdouble,L thought
reading, clair)oyance, the nobler aspects of esoteric (uddhism, the aspiration of the
true *dept and <ogi for &nowledge, and their abhorrence of whate)er smac&s of
KMiracle,L Mr" !rawford shows an attenti)e, if not a profound, reading of authorities"
*s regards the highest point of adeptship, he is as clearly wrong as was (ulwer when
he so gloriously depicted his 7anoni as yielding up pure wisdom for the brighter pri.e
of sexual lo)e@we mean of the lo)e of man, as man, for woman as the complement
of his own nature" 4or the lo)e of the adept burns only for the highest of the highest
@that perfect &nowledge of 9ature and its animating Principle, which includes in
itself e)ery 1uality of both sexes, and so can no more thin& as either man or woman,
than the right or the left lobe of oneQs brain can thin& of itself apart from the whole
entity of which it is a component" Monosexual consciousness exists only on the lower
le)els of psychic de)elopmentE up abo)e, the indi)idual becomes merged as to
consciousness, in the ;ni)ersal PrincipleE has Kbecome (rahma"L (ut it was less a sin
for our author to ma&e his hero relin1uish fortune and the worldQs caresses to become
a !hela, in the hope of passing aeons of bliss with the enfranchised soul of his
belo)ed one, than to put into the mouth of Ram #al, the adept K(rotherL@apparently
a prentice attempt to indi)iduali.e Mr" ,innettQs now worldCfamed transC'imalayan
correspondent@language about womanQs lo)e and its effects that no adept would by
any chance e)er use"
K%hat guerdon,L he ma&es him say, Kcan man or 'ea)en offer, higher than
eternal communion with the bright spirit Uhis sweetheart had Must diedV that waits and
watches for your comingP %ith her@you said it while she li)ed@was your life, your
light, and your lo)eE it is true tenfold now for with her is life eternal, light ethereal,
and lo)e spiritual" !ome, brother, come with meYLZ Auite the contraryR he would
ha)e said that this prolongation of earthly ties is possible, but that its natural result is
to drag the dreamer bac& into the !ircle of Rebirth, to excite a trishna, or thirst for
physical life, which enchains the being from real emancipation from sorrow@the
attainment of the rest of Mo&sha, or 9ir)ana"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Up" 311"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3D3
*nd that the aspirant after adeptship must e)ol)e out of his physical nature a
higher, more essential self which has no sorrows because no affectional ensla)ements
of any sort"
+f Ram #al is an attempt at K(rotherL 8ootC'oomi, it is also, and more, a
reminiscence of *lthothas, the teacher of /umasQ (alsamo, or MeMnoor, the
desiccated preceptor of 7anoni" 4or Mr" !rawford ma&es him call himself Kgray and
lo)eless,L and say that he had K&nown youth and gladness of heart"LZ $he animated
mummies whom no)elists lo)e to ma&e the types of occult learning, doubtless had
ne)er any other feeling than that of the stone or the salted herringE but the real adepts
as we are reliably informed@are the most happy of man&ind, since their pleasures
are connected with the higher existence, which is cloudless and pangless" $he earliest
among the changes felt by the true !hela is a sense of unmixed Moy to be rid of the
car&ing cares of common life, and to exist in the light of a supremely great +deal" 9ot
that any true adept would say aught against the naturalness and sacredness of pure
sexual relationshipsE but that, to become an adept one must expand the finite into the
+nfinite, the personal into the ;ni)ersal, man into Parabrahm@if one so choose to
designate that $hing ;nspea&able"
%e should ne)ertheless than& Mr" !rawford for one fa)our@he helps to ma&e
our (rothers concei)able human beings, instead of impossible creatures of the
imagination" Ram #al wal&s, tal&s, eats, and@gracious hea)ensYWW rolls and smo&es
cigarettes" *nd this Ram #al is therefore a far more natural being than 7anoni, who
li)ed on air and got about on the crupper of the lightning flash" 5nly a sensible writer
could ha)e made his adept sayR K+ am not omnipotent" + ha)e )ery little more power
than you"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Up" 3B6"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3D3
:i)en certain conditions and + can produce certain results, palpable, )isible, and
appreciable to allE but my power, as you &now, is itself merely the &nowledge of the
laws of nature, which %estern scientists, in their wisdom, ignore"LZ *nd it was
genuine appreciation of a noble human ideal which prompted him to call our re)ered
teachers Kthat small band of high priests who in all ages and nations and religions and
societies ha)e been the mediators between time and eternity, to cheer and comfort the
bro&enhearted, to rebu&e him who would lose his own soul, to speed the awa&ening
spirit in its hea)enward flight"L] 9o need to 1uestion the misuse of terms and
misconception of conditions of existence, when the sentiment is so true and the effect
so good upon a sceptical generation of sensualists"
9o better proof needed, of the thorough, so to say, intuitional comprehension by
the author of some of the most important limitations of e)en the highest adeptship,
than the wise and suggesti)e words put by him in the mouth of Ram #al"
%hy can you not sa)e her thenP Uas&s of him Paul :riggs, the narrator of the
tale, spea&ing of the dying girl, Kthis friend +saacsQ K first lo)e"V + can replenish the oil
in the lamp Uis the adeptQs answerV, and while there is wic& the lamp shall burn@ay,
e)en for hundreds of years" (ut gi)e me a lamp wherein the wic& is consumed, and +
shall waste my oilE for it will not burn unless there be the fibre to carry it" ,o also is
the body of man" %hile there is the flame of )itality and the essence of life in his
ner)es and finer tissues, + will put blood in his )eins, and if he meet with no accident,
he may li)e to see hundreds of generations pass by him" (ut where there is no )itality
and no essence of life in a man, he must die, though + fill his )eins with blood, and
cause his heart to beat for a time, there is no spar& in him@no fire, no ner)ous
strength" ,o is Miss %estonhaugh Uthe dying girlV now dead while yet breathing" " " "o
+f, spea&ing of the authorQs comprehension of adept powers, the adMecti)e
KintuitionalL is used, it is Mustified to a degree, by what we learn of Mr" !rawford
from a pri)ate letter " " "
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Up" 396"V
] Up" 31DV
o Upp" 396C9H"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3DD
K$his boo& was written with mar)ellous rapidityE " " " it was begun and
completed in thirtyCfi)e days, without erasures or corrections"L
$heosophists who can afford to buy boo&s should not fail to possess this one
and put it on the shelf beside 7anoni and * ,trange ,tory" +t is an intensely interesting
fiction, based upon a few of the grandest occult truths"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U*n article entitled KMr" =acob of ,imlaL written by Reginald ,pan was published in !hamberQs
=ournal >#ondon and 6dinburgh?, 4ebruary, 1916, in which the author saysR
K+t is not generally &nown that the late Marion !rawford, in his remar&able no)el, Mr" +saacs, too&
as his hero a li)ing person, but such was indeed the case" XMr" +saacsQ was none other than Mr"
=acob of ,imla, who was famous throughout +ndia for his extraordinary personality " " "L
$his is confirmed by 4" 'adland /a)is in the $imes #iterary ,upplement of March 1H, 1931" +t also
appears that Mr" =acob figures as #urgan ,ahib in Rudyard 8iplingQs 8im"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
MISCELL"NEOUS NOTES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" G, 4ebruary, 1223, pp" 112,119V
U+n connection with some scholarly footnotes by $" ,ubba Row, '"P"(" says
about him thatRV
%e &now of no better authority in +9/+* on anything, concerning the
esotericism of the *d)aita philosophy"
U+n connection with wellCaccredited facts to pro)e that the dead ha)e appeared,
and do still at times continue to appear to the li)ing@a thought gi)en expression to in
a letter to the 6ditorRV
;ndoubtedly@in )isions and dreams, as to the obMecti)e materiali.ed forms that
appear in the sSanceCrooms, we do not doubt their occasional genuineness, but will
always reMect the claim that they are the K,piritsL of the deceased, whereas, they are
but their shells"
Page 3DG
SIR RICH"RD "ND THEOSOPH#' "G"IN
U$he $heosophist" Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 13HC32V
+f the saying of the witty ,ydney ,mith, that you cannot get a Mo&e into a
!aledonian head without trepanning the s&ull be true, no less certain is it that a false
idea once rooted in certain minds, cannot be dislodged without decapitation" 5ur
illustrious friend ,ir Richard $emple would seem to be of the latter class" %hile at
(ombay he concei)ed the absurd notion that the $heosophical ,ociety and (rahmo
,amaM were somehow interchangeable titles, and that the former was a religious
Ksect"L $he President of our (ombay (ranch, Rao (ahadur :opalrao 'urree
/esmu&h was a member of his own #egislati)e !ouncil, and would ha)e told him the
factsE and we too& the earliest possible opportunity >$he $heosophist, Vol" ++, page
139? to undecei)e him in these columns after reading his ,heldonian speech at the
5xford ;ni)ersity" (ut with an amusing tenacity he clings to his misconceptions, and
has Must repeated them to all 6ngland >4ortnightly Re)iew, articleR K+ndian
MysticismL? as though he had ne)er been contradictedY %e fear he is himself past all
remedy, and that he will go on spea&ing and writing about our new KsectL until he
disappears from )iew under the :reat 6xtinguisher that snuffs out e)ery manQs
candle, sooner or later" <et, as we ha)e a character to preser)e, we shall 1uote a
paragraph or two from his latest maga.ine article, that we may once more enter our
protest against the imputation that our ,ociety is in any sense a sect, and the still
worse one that it has any connection, or is responsible in any degree for, the )agaries
of the Minister of the 9ew /ispensation, of 8ailas and !alcutta"
Page 3D6
,ir Richard says of Kthat new school of +ndian thought, which is the product of
%estern ci)ili.ationLR
$he nati)es of this school ha)e many religious con)ictions of a negati)e &ind,
but less of a positi)e nature" $he +ndian name assumed by the most prominent among
them is K(rahmoLE some of them ha)e adopted, apparently from $ransatlantic
1uarters, the designation of $heosophists@and by the best 6nglish authority they are
termed the 'indu religious reformers" $he originator was Ram Mohun Roy, and the
best expounder now li)ing is 8eshub !hunder ,en, both of !alcutta" (ut
ramifications of this sect and &indred sects mo)ing in a parallel direction, ha)e
spread, throughout the three Presidencies of (engal, Madras, and (ombay" $he
intellectual tendencies of these sects ha)e been described in the answer to the
preceding 1uestionE and in1uirers will as& whether the religion of these people is at
all li&ely to be the religion of the future in +ndia
5n its negati)e side this religion renounces superstition, paganism,
monstrosities, and absurdities of all sorts" +t abMures *theism and Materialism" +t
repudiates Mohammedanism, (uddhism, and 'induism" +t regards !hristianity not as
a religion to be adopted, but as one of se)eral ways leading towards pure and abstract
truth" +t loo&s towards the Vedas and other ancient writings, handed down from the
*ryan 'indus, as constituting another of these ways" +t holds the minds of its
adherents as open mirrors ready to catch the rays of truth whencesoe)er coming" +t
fails to find that this truth has anywhere been finally and definitely re)ealed" $hen, on
its positi)e side, it is $heism, including faith in a ,upreme (eing, in the abstract
principles of right and wrong, in the immortality of the soul, in the accountability of
man&ind during a future state for good or e)il done during this life" $he dictates of
the conscience, the power of the moral sense, are fully ac&nowledged" (ut there
hangs about all the tenets much of ha.iness, of dreaminess, and of mysticism
generally" $his faith is li&ely to become the religion of the immediate future among
the educated classes of 'indus, but will hardly supplant 'induism among the masses
for a long time to come" !hristianity has not as yet spread sufficiently to become an
actual power in the country" +t hardly possesses half a million of nati)e adherents, but
that number may, at an ordinary rate of progress, from con)ersion and natural
increment, be augmented within a generation to something between one and two
millions" %hether there will be any extraordinary accession from the ran&s of the
'indu $heists it is impossible to ha.ard a prediction"
Page 3DH
$here are )ery conflicting opinions with respect to ,ir Richard $empleQs
abilities as a statesman, but all must concede that no critic of the $heosophical
,ociety has e)er e1ualled him in the talent for totally misconcei)ing its nature,
obMects, and aims" 'is present article shall ha)e the prominent place it deser)es in our
scrapboo& among the comical excerpts from contemporary periodical literature" %hat
fresh surprise has he in store for usP
WWWWWWWWWW
THE S"CRED TREE O! &UMBUM
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 13BC31V
$hirtyCse)en years ago, two daring #a.arist Missionaries who were attached to
the Roman !atholic Mission establishment at Pe&in, undertoo& the desperate feat of
penetrating as far as #hasa, to preach !hristianity among the benighted (uddhists"
$heir names were 'uc and :abetE the narrati)e of their Mourneys shows them to ha)e
been courageous and enthusiastic to a fault" $his most interesting )olume of tra)el
appeared at Paris more than thirty years ago, and has since been translated twice into
6nglish and, we belie)e, other languages as well" *s to its general merits we are not
now concerned, but will confine oursel)es to that portion@Vol" ++, p" 2D, of the
*merican edition of 12G3@where the author, Mr" 'uc, describes the wonderful K$ree
of $en $housand +mages,L which they saw at the #amasery, or Monastery, of
8umbum, or 8ounboum, as they spell it" Mr" 'uc tells us that the $ibetan legend
affirms that when the mother of $songC8haCpa, the renowned (uddhist reformer,
de)oted him to the religious life, and, according to custom, she Kcut off his hair and
threw it away, a tree sprang up from it, which bore on e)ery one of its lea)es a
$ibetan character"L +n 'a.littQs translation >#ondon, 12G3? is a more literal >though,
still, not exact? rendering of the original, and from it@pp" 33DC6@we 1uote the
following interesting particularsR
Page 3D2
" " " " $here were upon each of the lea)es wellCformed $hibetian characters, all of
a green colour, some dar&er, some lighter than the leaf itself" 5ur first impression was
a suspicion of fraud on the part of the #amasE but, after a minute examination of
e)ery detail, we could not disco)er the least deception" $he characters all appeared to
us portions of the leaf itself, e1ually with its )eins and ner)esE the position was not
the same in allE in one leaf they would be at the top of the leafE in another, in the
middleE in a third, at the base, or at the sideE the younger lea)es represented the
characters only in a partial state of formation" $he bar& of the tree and its branches,
which resemble that of the plane tree, are also co)ered with these characters" %hen
you remo)e a piece of bar&, the young bar& under it exhibits the indistinct outlines of
characters in a germinating state, and what is )ery singular, these new characters are
not infre1uently different from those which they replace " " " "
$he $ree of the $en $housand +mages seemed to us of great age" +ts trun&,
which three men could scarcely embrace with outstretched arms, is not more than
eight feet highE the branches, instead of shooting up, spread out in the shape of a
plume of feathers and are extremely bushyE few of them are dead" $he lea)es are
always green, and the wood, which is of a reddish tint, has an ex1uisite odour,
something li&e that of cinnamon" $he #amas informed us that in summer, towards the
eighth moon, the tree produces large red flowers of an extremely beautiful character" "
" "
$he *bbS 'uc himself puts the e)idence with much more ardour" K$hese
letters,L he says, Kare of their &ind, of such a perfection that the typeCfoundries of
/idot contain nothing to excel them"L #et the reader mar& this, as we shall ha)e
occasion to recur to it" *nd he saw on@or rather in@the lea)es, not merely letters
but Kreligious sentences,L selfCprinted by nature in the chlorophyll, starchy cells, and
woody fibreY #ea)es, twigs, branches, trun&@all bore the wonderful writings on their
surfaces, outer and inner, layer upon layer, and no two superposed characters
identical" K4or do not fancy that these superposed layers repeat the same printing" 9o,
1uite the contraryE for each lamina you lift presents to )iew its distinct type" 'ow,
then, can you suspect MuggleryP + ha)e done my best in that direction to disco)er the
slightest trace of human tric&, and my baffled mind could not retain the slightest
suspicion"L %ho says thisP * de)oted !hristian missionary, who went to $ibet
expressly to pro)e (uddhism false and his own creed true, and who would ha)e
eagerly sei.ed upon the smallest bit of e)idence that he could ha)e paraded before the
nati)es in support of his case"
Page 3D9
'e saw and describes other wonders in $ibet@which are carefully suppressed in
the *merican edition, but which by some of his rabidly orthodox critics are ascribed
to the de)il" Readers of +sis ;n)eiled, will find some of these wonders described and
discussed, especially in the first )olumeE where we ha)e tried to show their
reconciliation with natural law"
$he subMect of the 8umbum tree has been brought bac& to our recollection by a
re)iew, in 9ature, Vol" FFV++, p" 1H1, by Mr" *" '" 8eane, of 'err 8reitnerQs MustC
published Report of the 6xpedition to $ibet under !ount ,.echenyi, a 'ungarian
nobleman, in 12HHC2B" $he party made an excursion from ,iningCfu to the monastery
of 8umbum Kfor the purpose of testing 'ucQs extraordinary account of the famous
tree of (uddha"L $hey found
" " " neither image >of (uddha? on the lea)es, nor letters, but a waggish smile
playing about the corner of the mouth of the elderly priest escorting us" +n answer to
our in1uiries he informed us that a long time ago, the tree really produced lea)es with
(uddhaQs image, but that at present the miracle was of rare occurrence" * few :odC
fa)ored men alone were pri)ileged to disco)er such lea)es"
$hat is 1uite good enough for this witnessR a (uddhist priest, whose religion
teaches that there are no persons fa)oured by any :od, that there is no such being as
a :od who dispenses fa)ours, and that e)ery man reaps what he has sown, nothing
less and nothing more@made to say such nonsenseR this shows what this explorerQs
testimony is worth to his adored sceptical scienceY (ut it seems that e)en the
waggishlyCsmiling priest did tell them that good men can and do see the mar)ellous
leafCletters, and so, in spite of himself, 'err 8reitner rather strengthens than wea&ens
the *bbS 'ucQs narrati)e" 'ad we ne)er personally been able to )erify the truth of the
story, we should ha)e to admit that the probabilities fa)our its acceptance, since the
lea)es of the 8umbum tree ha)e been carried by pilgrims to e)ery corner of the
!hinese 6mpire >e)en 'err 8reitner admits this?, and if the thing were a cheat, it
would ha)e been exposed without mercy by the !hinese opponents of (uddhism,
whose name is #egion"
Page 3GB
(esides, nature offers many corroborati)e analogies" !ertain shells of the waters
of the Red ,ea >P? are said to ha)e imprinted upon them the letters of the 'ebrew
alphabetE upon certain locusts are to be seen certain of the 6nglish alphabetE and in
$he $heosophist, Vol" ++, p" 91, an 6nglish correspondent translates from #icht Mehr
#icht an account by ,cheffer, of the strangely distinct mar&ing of some :erman
butterflies >Vanissa *talanta? with the numerals of the year 1221" $hen again, the
cabinets of our modern entomologists teem with specimens which show that nature is
continually producing among animals examples of the strangest mimicry of )egetable
growths@as, for instance, caterpillars which loo& li&e treeCbar&, mosses and dead
twigs, insects that cannot be distinguished from green lea)es, etc" 6)en the stripes of
the tiger are mimicries of the stal&s of the Mungle grasses in which he ma&es his lair"
*ll these separate instances go to form a case of probable fact as to the 'uc story of
the 8umbum tree, since they show that it is 1uite possible for nature herself without
miracle to produce )egetable growths in the form of legible characters" $his is also
the )iew of another correspondent of 9ature, a Mr" %" $" $hiselton /yer, who, in the
number of that solid periodical for =anuary Dth, after summing up the e)idence,
comes to the conclusion that Kthere really was in 'ucQs time a tree with mar&ings on
the lea)es, which the imagination of the pious assimilated to $ibetan characters"L
Pious whatP 'e should remember that we ha)e the testimony, not from some pious
and credulous $ibetan (uddhist, but from an a)owed enemy of that faith, Mr" 'uc,
who went to 8umbum to show up the humbug, who did Khis best in that direction to
disco)er the slightest trace of human tric&L but whose baffled mind could not retain
the slightest suspicion" ,o until 'err 8reitner and Mr" /yer can show the candid
*bbSQs moti)e to lie to the disad)antage of his own religion, we must dismiss him
from the stand as an unimpeached and weighty witness" <es, the letterCtree of $ibet is
a factE and moreo)er, the inscriptions in its leafCcells and fibres are in the ,697*R,
or sacred language used by the *depts, and in their totality comprise the whole
/harma of (uddhism and the history of the world"
Page 3G1
*s for any fanciful resemblance to actual alphabetical characters, the confession of
'uc that they are so beautifully perfect, Kthat the typeCfoundries of /idot Ua famous
typographic establishment of ParisV contain nothing to excel them,L settles that
1uestion most completely" *nd as for 8reitnerQs assertion that the tree is of the lilac
species, 'ucQs description of the colour and cinnamonCli&e fragrance of its wood, and
shape of its lea)es, show it to be without probability" Perhaps that waggish old mon&
&new common mesmerism and Kbiologi.edL !ount ,.echenyiQs party into seeing and
not seeing whate)er he pleased, as the late Professor (ushell made his +ndian subMects
imagine whate)er he wished them to see" 9ow and again one meets with such
Kwags"L
WWWWWWWWWW
SH"M "SCETICISM
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 131V
$he ,urya Pra&ash, of ,urat, says that a 'indu ascetic, in company with a few
of his disciples, has recently arri)ed at that place" 'e does not recei)e alms, but only
accepts drugs li&e ganMa and soo&a" 'e does not re1uire any food" 5n the wooden
shoes that he wears, and on the bench and on the plan&s of the cot he sleeps upon, are
fixed Ksome hundreds and thousandsL of pointed nails" * large crowd of people,
among them being 6uropean ladies and gentlemen, daily assemble to witness the selfC
imposed infliction" $he ascetic appears to be a )ery learned man"
$he +ndian Mirror, in noticing the case, sententiously remar&sR K,uch is
asceticism in +ndia" +t is asceticism in name only"L
Page 3G3
+t is rightE a ,adhu who uses ganMa and soo&a @intoxicant drugs@is but a sham
ascetic" +nstead of leading his followers to Mo&sha, he does but drag them along with
himself into the ditch, notwithstanding his wal&ing and sleeping on spi&es" * pretty
business that, for a religious teacherY
WWWWWWWWWW
UNDER THE SH"DOW O! GRE"T N"MES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 13HV
$he common )ice of trying to palm off upon the world the crude imaginings or
rhapsodical concoctions of oneQs own brain, by claiming their utterance as under
di)ine inspiration, pre)ails largely among our esteemed friends, the ,piritualists"
Many cle)er persons &nown as Ktrance spea&ersL and Kinspirational writersL &eep the
thing up at a li)ely rate, turning out oration after oration and boo& after boo& as
coming from the great dead, the planetary spirits, and e)en from :od" $he great
names of anti1uity are e)o&ed to father feeble boo&s, and no sooner is it &nown that a
prominent character is deceased than some mediums pretend to be his telephones, to
discourse platitudes before sympathetic audiences" ,ha&espeareQs imagination
pictured to his mind the mighty !aesar, turned to clay, being made to Xstop a hole to
&eep the wind away,LZ but had he made a forecast of our Modern ,piritualism, he
would ha)e found an e)en worse satire upon the impermanency of human greatness,
in the prospect of the dead !aesar being forced to say stupidities that, ali)e, he would
not ha)e tolerated in one of his foot soldiers" ,ome of our more optimistic friends of
the spiritualistic party postulate a halcyon time when mediumistic utterances will be
Mudged according to their intrinsic merit, li&e other oratorical and literary productions,
and it is to be hoped they may not decei)e themsel)es"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U'amlet, *ct V, ,c" +, 33G"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3G3
$he number of bright minds that are occupying themsel)es with this great
subMect is assuredly on the increase, and with such men as KM"*" >5xon?,L Mr"
Massey, Mr" Roden 9oel, and others of that class, spiritualistic literature is always
being enriched" (ut at the same time we see no diminution as regards bogus platform
sermons claiming to come from =udge 6dmonds, Robert /ale 5wen, 6pes ,argent,
and Professors 'are and Mapes, or boo&s ascribed to the inspiration of =eho)ah and
his ancient ,pirits" 5ur poor Mr" (ennett, of the $ruthsee&er, had scarcely had time to
die before he was paraded as a spiritCcontrol by an *merican medium" $he future has
a gloomy loo& indeed to us when we thin& that, despite their best endea)ours to the
contrary, the 4ounders of the $heosophical ,ociety are 1uite as liable as either of the
eminent gentlemen abo)e mentioned@with all of whom the writer was personally
ac1uainted, and neither of whom, in all probability, e)er communicated one word that
their alleged mediums attribute to them@to an in)oluntary postCmortem recantation
of their most cherished and a)owed ideas" %e ha)e been prompted to these remar&s
by a con)incing demonstration, by the ReligioCPhilosophical =ournal, that a recent
Ktrance addressL by our dear deceased friend 6pes ,argent, through a certain medium,
was a sheer fabrication" * comparison of the same with Mr" ,argentQs last and greatest
spiritualistic wor&, $he ,cientific (asis of ,piritualism, shows beyond 1uestion that
he could ne)er ha)e inspired any such mediumistic oration" %hile it is yet time, both
the founders of the $heosophical ,ociety place upon record their solemn promise that
they will let trance mediums se)erely alone after they get to Kthe other side"L +f after
this, any of the tal&ing fraternity ta&e their names in )ain, they hope that at least their
theosophical confrdres will unearth this paragraph and warn the trespassers off their
astral premises" ,o far as we ha)e obser)ed, the best trance spea&ers ha)e been those
who bragged least about their controls" K:ood wine needs no bush,L says the adage"
Page 3GD
COMMENTS ON *THE /BLESSING0 O! THE BROTHERS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 1D1C1D3V
* correspondent calls our attention to the paragraph on p" 66 of the pamphlet,
'ints on 6soteric $heosophy,Z in which a person not mentioned by name is made to
say that he came out to +ndia with us, but Kne)er heard a hint of the (rothers,L until
afterwards, and as&s us to explain" %e cannot identify the person meant by the author
of the pamphlet, and hence conclude that he is purely imaginary@an effigy set up to
hang an explanation upon" 4or nothing is more certain than that we spo&e@too freely
as they thin&@of the K(R5$'6R,L and their powers long before lea)ing *merica"
+n fact, !ol" 5lcott mentioned both in public lectures at 9ew <or& and (oston in the
hearing of large audiences" 'owe)er, let us set the 1uestion at rest once for all by
republishing from a #ondon Mournal >$he ,piritualist, for =une 32, 12H2? a most
con)incing testimony by an unimpeachable witness" $he writer of the letter below
was 'is ,erene 'ighness the late Prince 6mil )on ,aynC%ittgenstein, *"/"!" of 'is
MaMesty the late !.ar of Russia, and one of the earliest >and most earnestly interested?
members of the $heosophical ,ociety" $hat a nobleman of such exalted ran& should
ha)e so openly ac&nowledged the protecting guardianship of our (R5$'6R,, was
certainly a proof of great moral courage, while his &nown character for personal
de)otion to the truth lends an especial weight to his testimony"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U9o" +E p" 91 in the 19B9 reprint"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3GG
+t is the most usual of things for our *siatic friends in writing to us to bespea& the
KblessingL of the Mahatmas" $his results from the sur)i)ing tradition of such personal
interpositions, handed down from a hoary anti1uity" $his letter of Prince
%ittgensteinZ ought to stri&e 6uropeans as a fact going to show that this inherited
belief is not altogether baseless" %e shall be more than satisfied if at the same time it
does not prompt many of them@and many others who are not 6uropeans@to
demand that the KblessingL may also be extended to them" +t is only too common for
persons who ha)e ne)er done one thing to entitle them to the slightest consideration
by an adept, to put in a claim that their diseases shall be miraculously cured, their
fortunes bettered, or their idle curiosity satisfied, as the price of their allegiance to the
cause of $heosophy" ,uch persons were ne)er taught, or at least ne)er heeded, the
timeChonoured maxim of 5ccult ,cience, K4irst /eser)e, then /esire"L
UPrince %ittgenstein relates in detail the remar&able manner in which he was
protected from inMuries during the $ur&oCRussian %arE in spite of reiterated warnings
of friends and a prediction that the campaign would be fatal to him" $his prediction,
ha states, Kbecame &nown also to some of my $heosophical friends at 9ew <or& " " "
and one of the leading (rethren of the ,ociety, utterly un&nown to me and residing
far away from *merica, promised, by the force of his will to shield me from e)ery
danger"L '" P" (" remar&sRV
$he friend and fa)ourite (rother of !hohan 8ootC'oomi whom his *ngloC
+ndian correspondents ha)e surnamed K$he +llustrious"L 5ur guru wrote personally to
the Prince"
U$he Prince in concluding his letter statesR K+ cannot belie)e all this to ha)e been
the sole result of chance" +t was too regular, too positi)e to be explained thus" +t is, +
am sure of it, magic " " LV]
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UReprinted in ,innettQs +ncidents in the #ife of Madame (la)ats&y, p" 3B9"@!ompiler"V
] U!onsult Vol" +, pp" G33C3D, of the present ,eries for biographical data about Prince )on ,aynC
%ittgenstein"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3G6
COMMENT ON *"N E$CELLENT M"GIC MIRROR,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 123, p" 1D3V
5f the many &inds of di)ination glass or magic mirror that ha)e been de)ised,
the one described by a theosophical brother in the following note is among the best" +t
has the ad)antage o)er a goblet of water and other shining obMects, that the eye of the
ga.er is not fatigued by a large body of white rays, while it possesses most of the
good 1ualities of the ancient conca)e blac& mirror of the 6ast" %e recommend a trial
of it to those who are in)estigating this most interesting field of Kconscious
clair)oyance"L +f a KcaraffeL is not a)ailable, a clean, round, smooth in&stand filled
with in& will do" +t is always difficult for beginners to distinguish between subMecti)e
mindCpictures seen by the untrained seer or seeress and actual reflections from the
a&a[a or astral lightR only long practice ma&es perfect" %ithout saying whether what
our friendQs wife did see in her mirror had or had not much importance, it will suffice
to gi)e the general assurance that e)ery member of our society who earnestly ma&es
researches in e)ery lawful branch of occult science, has the chance of help from not
only KchelasL but those who are higher than they" Pro)ided always that they are
themsel)es Kli)ing the lifeL described in 'ints on 6soteric $heosophy" 6xperimenters
must howe)er always a)oid excessi)e taxation of the ner)ous system" * clair)oyant
or psychometer should ne)er be forced to see longer than they feel good for them nor
what is distasteful" Violation of this rule may entail most serious conse1uences"
Page 3GH
U+n the note by the Ktheosophical brotherL referred to by '"P"(", the writer
describes the Kmagic mirrorL used in his experiments as Ka smooth glass goblet >or
caraffe?L filled with blac& in&, into which his wife ga.ed at inter)als, with the result
that many scenes appeared within the mirror" Auestions as&ed of those who appeared
in the pictures, were answered in writing, also within the mirror"V
WWWWWWWWWW
" WORD WITH THE THEOSOPHISTS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 1D3CDGV
$he following letters appeared recently in the Poona 5bser)er" %ere it not for a
few flagrant misconceptions in letter the first and which it seems almost hopeless to
dispel from the minds of the a)erage public, it would not be worth noticing" (ut since
a $heosophist undertoo& the weary tas&, we republish it together with the answer"
$o the 6ditor of the Poona 5bser)erR
,ir,@$he anxiety of the $heosophists to o)erturn all existing religions, and first
of all and especially the !hristian religion, ma&es them not o)erscrupulous in the
means used" 9othing could be more wild and absurd than their attempts to identify
=esus !hrist and the *postle Paul with the ancient adepts in 5ccultism" $he *postle
of the :entiles was con)erted to !hristianity by a miraculous e)ent, while on his way
to /amascus" 'e was then a fierce soldier and was acti)ely engaged in a cruel
persecution of the !hristiansE after his con)ersion the whole course of his life was
changed and he became an ardent propagator of the new faith" +t may be said that he
was an occultist when he wrote his epistles, and that when caught up in 'ea)en and
was shown things that it was not lawful for men to mention, that he was simply in a
state of selfCinduced mesmeric deep and had released his soul from his body, to roam
for a time in the realms of the spirit worldE but if so he manifestly saw and heard such
things which established his belief in doctrines which are reMected by the $ibetan
occultists, )i.", a belief in a personal deity and the di)inity of !hrist, etc" $he attempt
to pro)e !hrist an adept is absurd e1ually"
Page 3G2
!hrist ga)e up his life and too& it again, raised the dead, and cured e)ery
description of malignant diseases by touch or word of mouth, and did other great
miraclesE great, not because they were done on a large scale, but from the nature of
them" %ith regard to the loa)es and fishes@it does not matter whether fi)e loa)es
became fi)e thousand or fi)e loa)es became six, miraculous power was still re1uiredE
similarly, if a wineglass of water could be con)erted into wine, it is e1ually the same
as if a large 1uantity of water had been changed and a large company supplied with
the wine" $o sup port the theory that !hrist and ,aint Paul were adepts, the facts of
their li)es must be ignored as well as the doctrines they are reported to ha)e taught"
,ome $heosophists ha)e probably recogni.ed these difficulties, and seem to
thin& the easiest way of disposing them is to deny that any such persons as ,aint Paul
and !hrist e)er existed" ,ensible people should as& themsel)es this 1uestionR *re
such Philosophers safe guidesP
76R5"
ZZZ %e thin& K7eroL has rather mista&en the $heosophical idea regarding
!hrist" $he $heosophists do not, as far as we are aware, deny the possibility of the
di)inity of !hristC they only assert that he was so perfect a man as to ha)e attained
the highest possible form of earthly existenceE in other words, something so a&in to
the godhead, as to be indistinguishable from it" *gain, K7eroL may ha)e heard the
fundamental belief of the $heosophists is nothing is impossible" $hus, to deny the
di)inity of the ,a)iour would be to impeach their own watchword"@6ditor, Poona
5bser)er"
WWWWWWWWWW
" WORD WITH *3ERO.,
>Reply by a $heosophist"?
+n the Poona 5bser)er of =anuary 36, one K7ero,L rushing to the defence of
!hrist and Paul against the K$heosophists,L who neither indi)idually nor collecti)ely
had e)er thought of attac&ing either, brings against that body se)eral charges"
%hether the pseudonym means an empty cipher, as defined in dictionaries, or the
point at which water congeals, as shown by the !elsius and RSaumur thermometers,
since it is a 1uestion left to the option and intuitions of the reader, + incline toward the
first hypothesis as being more suggesti)e of, and in harmony with, this !hristian /on
Auixote fighting windmills"
Page 3G9
* $heosophist permits himself to correct some of the )ery wild assertions of the
Poona 5bser)erQs correspondent"
'e charges the $heosophists with the following misdeedsR
>a? %ith a desire of o)erturning Kall existing religions " " " especially the
!hristian,L and being, therefore, Knot o)erscrupulous in the means usedLE
>b? %ith wildness and absurdity in Ktheir attempts to identify =esus !hrist and
the *postle Paul with the ancient adepts in 5ccultismLE
>c? %ith denying, Kas some $heosophists do, that any such persons as ,aint Paul
and !hrist e)er existed"L
$he rest of the letter, and especially his arguments in refutation of the abo)e,
being a tissue of unwarrantable and unhistorical assumptions, based on a personal and
blind belief in his own special religion@hence no proof at all to any man but a
!hristian@are not a matter for the serious consideration of one who reMects, a priori,
KmiraclesL@something entirely outside of the laws of nature" #et K7eroL remember
that between a phenomenon, howe)er extraordinary, yet based on such laws, and a
miracle of the &ind of those he mentions as a proof against the assumptions of the
$heosophists, there is an impassable abyss, guarded on one hand by experimental
physical science and on the other by simple common sense" * few words will explain
our attitude" 9o $heosophistC5ccultist will e)er deny the possibility of Kfi)e loa)es
becoming six loa)esL and e)en Kfi)e thousand"L +n the first case the phenomenon
may be produced by what is &nown among practical 8abalists as exCosmosis, in the
second, by throwing a mesmeric maya, a glamour, o)er the crowds" (ut no
$heosophist, sa)e a beginner or a greenhorn >of those who ta&e things on blind faith
and against the dictates of reason and thus show themsel)es unfit for 5ccultism? will
e)er accept as a fact either the resurrection of a really dead body, or the incarnation of
:od in a pigeon or do)e@for why should !hristians, in such case, laugh at the
,iamese white elephantP@or Kan immaculate conceptionLE or again the miracle of the
Kascension,L i"e", the actual ele)ation to, and disappearance in, hea)en, of a solid
human body"
Page 36B
%ith this short explanation + will proceed to demolish the three specified charges@
the only points deser)ing a certain attention as calculated to lead the profane reader
into )ery erroneous ideas about our ,ociety in general"
>1? %hat right has K7eroL to accuse so sweepingly Kthe $heosophistsL of
Kunscrupulous meansLP $he first $heosophist he meets with might answer the charge
by simply reminding the accuser that in his K4atherQs house are many mansionsLE in
other words, that in the Parent $heosophical ,ociety there are fiftyCthree (ranches in
+ndia alone" 'ence that the ,ociety being composed of thousands of members of
nearly e)ery &nown nationality and creed, whose respecti)e religious beliefs are
ne)er interfered withE and there being in the ran&s a number of as good !hristians as
K7eroL e)er was >aye, e)en !lergymen?, this K7eroQsL charge against the
$heosophists as a body, is pro)ed absurd and falls to the ground" (ut e)en admitting
that there are some $heosophists who in their desire of seeing their cause triumphant
and see&ing to establish $heosophy, i"e", a ;ni)ersal (rotherhood on a firm basis,
with a unanimous belief in that which they belie)e to be the one $ruth, should see&
Kto o)erturn all existing UdogmaticV religionsLE and e)en should deny the )ery
existence of !hrist and Paul >which is not the case as + will pro)e?E why should such a
policy be )iewed, e)en in such a case, as more unscrupulous than the identical one
used, with a )engeance, by the great body of bigoted !hristians in general and the
Missionaries especiallyP +s K7eroL prepared to affirm that there is one padri in +ndia
who would scruple to Ko)erturn e)ery existing religionL but his ownP or would feel
reluctant to deny the existence of the 'indu godsE or, to denounce in word and print
e)ery other di)ine *)atara but that of !hrist as a KmythLE or show himself shy to treat
publicly, as well as in pri)ate, 7oroaster and 8rishna, (uddha and Mohammed, with
the long string of KheathenL miracleCwor&ing ,a)iours and Rishis, Prophets and <ogis
@as Kworld impostorsL and MugglersP
Page 361
%hen a dominant religion produces an +n1uisition, and with its power on the
wane, such writers as the Re)" Mr" 'astie of !alcutta who, ta&ing ad)antage of the
natural timidity of a nation, of its lac& of unity and solidarity of thought and action,
insults it in its most sacred beliefsE spits on its religion, and throws mud on the
honour of its women@then it beho)es little indeed the )otaries of that religion to call
those of other creeds Knot o)erscrupulous in the means used"L
>3? %e lea)e it to e)ery impartial mind to Mudge whether =esus is not more
honoured by the $heosophists, who see in him, or the ideal he embodies, a perfect
adept >the highest of his epoch?, a mortal being far abo)e uninitiated humanity, than
he is by the !hristians who ha)e created out of him an imperfect solarCgod, a sa)iour
and *)atara, no better, and in more than one detail lower, than some of the *)ataras
who preceded him" 9o $heosophist, of those who e)er ga)e a thought to !hristianity
@for our KheathenL members, of course, do not care one snap of their finger whether
!hrist and Paul li)ed or not@e)er denied the existence of the *postle who is an
historical personage" ,ome of us, a few learned !hristian mystics among our (ritish
$heosophists included, deny but the :ospel =esus@ who is not an historical
personage@K7eroL and padris notwithstanding@but belie)e in an ideal !hrist"
5thers are inclined to see the real =esus in the adept mentioned in the oldest $almudic
as well as some !hristian boo&s, and &nown as =eshu benCPanthera"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 6piphanius in his boo& against 'eresies >fourth century? gi)es the genealogy of =esus, as followsR
=acob called Pantherap
q
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
q q
Maryp=oseph !leophas
q
=esus
>,ee Mr" :erald MasseyQs K=esus and the Records of his $ime,L in the *pril ,piritualist, 12H2"?
Page 363
$hey say that while the best authoritati)e e)idence to the existence of the
:ospel !hrist e)er offered by the spasmodic and desperate efforts of the !hurch to
the crucial test of critical analysis, is of the wea&est &ind and fenced all round with
difficulties, they find the solution of the problem in the testimony of the =ews and
e)en of +renaeus" $hey maintain that this =eshu >or =ehoshua?, was the son of a
woman called ,tada >alias Miriam? and of Panthera, a Roman soldierE that he li)ed
from the year 13B to HB ("!"ZE was a pupil of Rabbi =ehoshua benCPerahiah, his
grand uncle, with whom during the persecution of the =ews by *lexander =annaeus
>8ing of the =ews in 1B6 ("!"? he fled to *lexandria, where he was initiated into the
6gyptian mysteries or magic,] and that upon his return to Palestine, being charged
with heresy and sorcery, he was tried, sentenced to death, and hung on the tree of
infamy >Roman !ross? outside the city of #ud or #ydda"o $his historical character >as
historical as any other? was a great adept" *s to Paul, no one, + &now of, e)er mistoo&
him for an adept, and >since his history is pretty well &nown? least of all, our
occultists" * simple tentCma&er >not Ka fierce soldier,L as K7eroL puts it?, he became
first a persecutor of the 9a.arenes, then a con)ert and an enthusiast" +t is Paul who is
the real founder of !hristianity, the Reformer of a little body, a nucleus formed from
the 6ssenes, the 9abatheans, the $herapeutae, and other mystic brotherhoods >the
$heosophical ,ocieties of old Palestine?@and which was transformed o)er three
centuries later, namely, under !onstantine, into K!hristians"L PaulQs )isions from first
to last point him out rather as a medium than an adept, since to ma&e an adept
re1uires years of study and preparation and a solemn initiation under some competent
'ierophant"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,ee +renaeus, *d)" 'aer", (&" ++, ch" xxii, G" +renaeus positi)ely maintains that =ohn >of the fourth
:ospel? Kcon)eyed himself the information,L and Kall the 6lders confirmed the statementL that
K=esus preached from his fortieth to his fiftieth year of age"L
] ,ee the :emara of the (abylonian $almud, treatises ,anhedrin >chap" xi, 1BHb? and ,otah >chap"
ix, DHa?"
o ,ee (abylonian :emara to the Mishna, treatise ,habbath, 6HC1BD"
U!onsult in connection with this subMect the following passages in '"P"(Qs writingsR +sis ;n)eiled,
++, 3B1CB3E !ollected %ritings, V+++, 129, 32BC23, D6BC61"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 363
!harge the third, being logically refuted by the aforesaid proofs showing the
inconsistency of the first two accusations, + might close the case and dismiss it
altogether" *nd if perchance, K7eroL would persist in defending his :ospel !hrist
against those who call him a myth built on the historical =eshu of #ydda, then + would
fain as& him to rplain to us the followingR
>1? 'ow is it that Philo =udaeus, the most accurate as the most learned of the
historians contemporary to the =esus of the :ospelsE a man whose birth anteceded and
whose death succeeded the birth and death of =esus, respecti)ely, by ten and fifteen
yearsE one who )isited =erusalem from *lexandria, where he li)ed, se)eral times
during his long career, and who must ha)e come to =erusalem but a few years after
the alleged crucifixionE an author, in short, who in describing the )arious religious
sects, societies and corporations of Palestine, ta&es the greatest care to omit none,
e)en of those hardly worth mentioning@how is it, + as&, that Philo =udaeus ne)er so
much as heard about a =esus, E a crucifixion, or any other e)ent that would connect it
with the soCcalled facts of $heological !hristianityP
>3? %hy are the sixteen famous lines of =osephus about !hrist, lines appearing
li&e a patch on a whole garment, and not bearing the slightest connection with either
the preceding subMect or the lines that follow in the text, why are these lines reMected
by most of the !hristian theologians themsel)esP $he barefaced forgery is attributed
by them to 6usebius, (ishop of !aesarea, that Kprince of patristic liarsL and
Kdishonest writers,L as he is called by (aron (unsen, 9iebuhr, /r" #ardner, and
se)eral othersP *nd if these authorities are all wrong, and the lines are not an
interpolation, as they thin&, how is it that Paley himself, an author so anxious that his
* View of the 6)idences of !hristianity should be accepted, deplores and confesses
that Ke)idenceL >in =osephus? as being far from satisfactory, and )ery difficult of
acceptance" $he more so since =osephus@after he had by the forger thus been made
)irtually to recogni.e in =esus Kthe Messiah of the =ewsL and to show such a
re)erence for =esus that he had hardly dared to call him a man @died at the age of
eighty, a stiffCnec&ed, orthodox =ew, disdainfully silent, if not entirely ignorant of the
appearance, the crucifixion, or anything connected with that MessiahY
Page 36D
>3? 'ow would K7eroL explain the fact of the total silence of the Mishnah, its
e)ident ignorance of =esus and the crucifixionP $he Mishnah, founded by 'illel forty
years ("!", edited and amplified >till about the beginning of the third century of our
era? at $iberias, by the ,ea of :alilee, the )ery focus of the doings of the (iblical
*postles and of !hristQs miraclesE the Mishnah, which contains an unbro&en record of
all the 'eresiarchs and rebels against the authority of the =ewish ,anhedrim, from the
year DB ("!" to about *"/" 33HE a diary, in short, of the doings of the ,ynagogue
and ,the 'istory of the Pharisees, those same men who are accused of ha)ing put
=esus to death@how is it that not one of the eminent Rabbis, authors of the Mishnah,
seems to ha)e e)er heard of =esus, or whispers a word in the defence of his sect
charged with deicide, but is, in fact, absolutely silent as to the great e)entP ,trange
omissions of Kuni)ersally recogni.ed factsYL
!oncerning the editorial remar& in the Poona 5bser)er, + ha)e but a few more
words to add" $hose $heosophists who ha)e studied the !hristian 6cclesiastical
history >P? and literature, and ha)e read upon the subMect, with the exception of a few
!hristians, deny most emphatically not only the di)inity but e)en Kthe possibility of
the di)inity of the U(iblicalV !hrist"L Auite trueR Kthe fundamental belief of the
$heosophists is that nothing is impossibleLE but only so far as it does not clash with
reason nor claim anything miraculous, in the theological sense of the word"
5therwise, once we admit =oshuaQs power o)er the course of the sun, =onahQs
pleasure trip into the belly of the whale, or the resurrection to life of the halfCdecayed
body of #a.arus, + do not see why we should be made to stop there" %hy in such a
case and under the penalty of inconsistency, we should not proclaim our firm belief in
'anuman, the mon&eyCgod, and his strategical capacitiesE in the *rhat who made
Mount Meru re)ol)e on the tip of his fingerE or in the actual gestation of :autama
(uddha and his subse1uent birth in the shape of a white elephant"
Page 36G
%e $heosophists at least, without Kimpeaching our watchword,L beg to be
allowed to draw the line of demarcation at that point where a psychophysical
phenomenon ceases to be such and becomes a monstrous absurdity@a miracle, of
which we find so many in the (ible" *nd now repeating K7eroQsL words we too can
sayR #et all Ksensible peopleL as& themsel)es the 1uestionR which@the !hristians or
the $heosophists@are the more KphilosophicalL and safer KguidesLP
$'65,5P'+!*# ;9+$"
WWWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO *MR. IS""CS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 1D6V
U* writer, K* ZZZ 2111,L comments upon the 6ditorQs re)iew of !rawfordQs Mr"
+saacs, and wonders why the re)iewer spo&e of the wor& with such approbation" '" P"
(" saysRV
%e are sorry to see Mr" *ZZZ 2111 so underrating@though we may ha)e, in his
opinion, o)errated@Mr" +saacs" $here are two of the Kgrandest occult truthsL in it,
though neither our critic, nor e)en the author himself, may be aware of them"
WWWWWWWWWW
DO THE RISHIS E$IST(
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, p" 1D6V
4ollowing the example of the Parsi :entleman whose letter you published in
$he $heosophist of =anuary, 1223, + am induced to in1uire if there are 'indu
Mahatmas among the 'imalayan (R5$'6R," (< the term 'indu, + mean a belie)er
in Vedas and the :ods they describe" +f there are none, will any (rother of the 1st
,ectionZ be so &ind as to enlighten the 'indu !ommunity in general and the 'indu
$heosophists in particular whether any 'indu Rishis of old still exist in flesh and
bloodP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 9o chela need answer this, except the editor"@*"'"$"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 366
$he adept 'imalayan (R5$'6R, ha)ing explored the unseen uni)erse must
necessarily &now the Rishis if they exist now" $radition says that particularly the
following se)en are immortal, at least for the present &alpa"
*[)atthama, (ali, Vyasa, 'anuman, Vibhishana, 8ripa, Para[urama"
* '+9/; $'65,5P'+,$"
+n reply to the first 1uestion we are happy to inform our correspondent that there
are Mahatmas among the 'imalayan (rothers who are 'indus@i"e", born of 'indu
and (rahmin parents and who recogni.e the esoteric meaning of the Vedas and the
;panishads" $hey agree with 8rishna, (uddha, ,u&a, :audapIda, and ,an&aracharya
in considering that the 8armaC&anda of the Vedas is of no importance whatsoe)er so
far as manQs spiritual progress is concerned" 5ur 1uestioner will do well to remember
in this connection 8rishnaQs celebrated ad)ice to *rMuna" K$he subMectCmatter of the
Vedas is related to the three :unasE oh *rMuna, di)est thyself of these gunas"L
,an&aracharyaQs uncompromising attitude towards Pur)amimansa is too well &nown
to re1uire any special mention here"
*lthough the 'imalayan (rothers admit the esoteric meaning of the Vedas and
the ;panishads, they refuse to recogni.e as :ods, the powers and other spiritual
entities mentioned in the Vedas" $he language used in the Vedas is allegorical and this
fact has been fully recogni.ed by some of the greatest +ndian Philosophers" 5ur
correspondent will ha)e to pro)e that the Vedas really Kdescribe :odsL as they exist,
before he can fairly as& us to declare whether our Masters belie)e in such gods" %e
)ery much doubt if our correspondent is really prepared to contend seriously that
*gni has four horns, three legs, two heads, fi)e hands and se)en tongues as he is
stated to possess in the VedasE or that +ndra committed adultery with :autamaQs wife
%e beg to refer our learned correspondent to 8ullu&aC(hattaQsZ explanation of the
latter myth >and it is a mere myth in his opinion? and PatasMaliQs remar&s on the
profound esoteric significance of the four horns of *gni, in support of our assertion
that the Vedas do not in reality describe any gods as our 1uestioner has supposed"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U+n the same )olume of $he $heosophist, p" 3B3, a correspondent points out that this is a printerQs
error for 8umarila (hatta who li)ed some centuries ago in ,outhern +ndia"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 36H
+n reply to the second 1uestion we are not prepared to say that Kany 'indu Rishis of
old still exist in flesh and bloodL although we ha)e our own reasons to belie)e that
some of the great 'indu *depts of ancient times ha)e been and are reincarnating
themsel)es occasionally in $ibet and $artaryE nor is it at all easy for us to understand
how it can e)er reasonably be expected that our 'imalayan (rothers should disco)er
'indu Rishis Kin flesh and bloodL in their explorations in the K;nseen ;ni)erse,L
since astral bodies are not usually made up of those earthly materials"
$he tradition alluded to by our correspondent is not literally trueE then, what
connection is there between the se)en personages named and the 'indu RishisP
$hough we are not called upon to gi)e an explanation of the tradition in 1uestion
from our own standpoint, we shall gi)e a few hints which may enable our readers to
ascertain its real significance from what is contained in Ramayana and Mahabharata"
*s)atthama has gained an immortality of infamy"
ParasuramaQs cruelty made him immortal but he is not supposed to li)e in flesh
and blood nowE he is generally stated to ha)e some sort of existence in fire though
not necessarily in what a !hristian would call Khell"-
(ali is not an indi)idual properly spea&ing" $he principle denoted by the name
will be &nown when the esoteric meaning of $ri)i&rama *)atara is better
comprehended"
Vyasa is immortal in his incarnations" #et our respected (rother count how
many Vyasas there ha)e been from first to last"
'anuman was neither a human being nor a mon&eyR it is one of the powers of
the Hth principle of man >Rama?"
Vibhishana" 9ot a Ra&shasa really but the personification of ,att)aguna which
is immortal"
8ripaQs association with *s)atthama will explain the nature of his immortality"
Page 362
THE TR"VELLING TRUTHSEE&ER%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6>D3?, March, 1223, pp" 1D6CDHV
$he third )olume of Mr" (ennettQs 9arrati)e of his Voyage around the %orld to
in)estigate the present state of religion, is as interesting as its predecessors, and calls
for the same criticism" * fourth and concluding Volume, with a general +ndex of the
contents of the whole series, is still to appear, but alasY the busy pen that wrote them
will write no more" *s was remar&ed in a pre)ious notice, Mr" (ennettQs style is more
pungent than culti)atedE a man of the people, he spo&e li&e them as well as for them,
and those who regard manner rather than matter, will often ta&e a strong exception to
his style as the friends of %estern religious orthodoxy will to his ideas" (ut in a
dishonest age li&e this@an age of shams and cheating semblances, the friends of
truth must relish an author li&e our poor, persecuted colleague, whose manifest
honesty and indignation 1ui)er in his e)ery boo&" $he present )olumes of tra)el are
crammed with 1uotations from the standard guide boo&s of all the countries he
tra)ersed, and hence are themsel)es full of useful information about men and things,
altogether apart from the religious 1uestion" $hey are therefore worthy of a place in
e)ery general library" $o the full extent of the circulation the boo& may attain,
$heosophy and its ad)ocates will ha)e the benefit of great notoriety, since Mr"
(ennett de)otes no less than eightyCse)en pages of Vol" +++ to the subMect" $hough he
was an ardent 4reethin&er and ,ecularist, he yet discusses 5ccultism with a Mudicial
candour which might be profitably imitated by his famous contemporaries of the
9ational Reformer" +n the hurry of his brief stay at (ombay, he was not able to get
e)erything down correctly, and so it is not strange to find his chapter upon 5ccultism
containing some errors"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z /" M" (ennett, * $ruthsee&er *round the %orld, Vol" +++, 9ew <or&, 1223"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 369
(ut we shall only point out a single one which might con)ey a )ery wrong
impression to outsiders" 'e says >p" 9D? about admissions into the $heosophical
,ocietyR K+t seems that the desirability of e)ery candidate for admission is referred to
the (rothers, they appro)ing of some and reMecting others" My case seems to ha)e
been laid before them, and they decided fa)orably upon it"L 9o such general
reference of applications has e)er been made, the (rothers lea)ing to the 4ounders
the entire responsibility in such casesE since it is we who are building up the ,ociety
under their auspices, not they who are selecting its membership, with us as passi)e
agents" +f the latter were the fact, many unfortunate misMudgments of candidates
would ha)e been a)oided, and much )exation and scandal spared" *d)ice was indeed
as&ed as to Mr" (ennettQs admission, simply because we foresaw what has since
happened, that whate)er odium his bigoted persecutors had contri)ed to cast upon
him would ha)e to be shared by us, and this seemed an impolitic step for our young
,ociety to ta&e" $he result of that appeal is abo)e stated by Mr" (ennettE who adds
that the Kresponse was that + am an honest, industrious man, and fully worthy to
become a member " " " + hope their opinion is well founded"L +t was so, as we ha)e
become more and more satisfied e)er since, and now none regret him more than his
cautious friends of (ombay@now of Madras" $his is not the first instance in which
our Masters ha)e loo&ed into the heart of a candidate whom we might ha)e reMected,
because of his being under the worldQs frown, and bade us remember that we
oursel)es were not so blameless when they accepted us as to warrant our turning our
bac&s upon any earnest yearner after truth"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U*s definitely stated, both by Master M" and the $ibetan (rother &nown as /Mual 8hool, /" M"
(ennett was at the time one of the KagentsL used >un&nown to himself ? Kto carry out the scheme for
the en franchisement of %estern thought from superstitious creeds"L $he high esteem for him on the
part of the *deptC(rothers may be seen by consulting #etters FFFV++ and F#+++ of $he Mahatma
#etters to *" P" ,innett, and !ol" 5lcottQs 5ld /iary #ea)es, ,eries ++, pp" 332 et se1" !onsult the
(ioC(ibl" +ndex for further information about /" M" (ennett"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3HB
$housands ha)e read with the thrill of sympathy the story of the adulterous
woman whom =esus is said to ha)e abstained from condemning, when her accusers
slun& away at the challenge he made to their own spotlessness from sin" $he history
of our ,ociety contains more than one example of this identical loftiness of
compassion ha)ing been shown to unhappy candidates, by our spiritual Masters and
6xemplars, the M*'*$M*,"
WWWWWWWWWW
THE GOSPEL O! THE !UTURE5
OR THE *REVEL"TION, O! 6ST.7 &ESHUB
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 6, March, 1223, pp" 1D2D9V
K+ >8eshub !hunder ,en?, a ser)ant of :od, called to be an apostle of the
!hurch" " " " " heard behind me a great )oice, as of a trumpet, saying, what thou seest
>not? write in a boo& and send it unto the se)en churches which are in *sia, and unto
the se)enty times se)en which are in 6urope, *merica, *ustralia and *frica" " " " "
%rite the things which thou hast >not? seen, and the things which are >not?, and the
things which shall >not? be hereafter"L
>6xtracts from the (engal Version of the Patmos Re)elation"?
%onders will ne)er ceaseR the year 1223 opened with two miraculous e)ents at
!alcutta" * new Messiah was born unto the world to the great disgust of the (abuC
,adduceeE and the K!ity of PalacesL and of whis&ey dens awo&e on 9ew <earQs day
to find itself, to its own utter ama.ement and despite e)ery geographical and
historical expectation, proclaimed as Kthe holy cityL and Kthe metropolis of
*rya)arta"L (ut thus saith the Prophet of the PatmosC#ily *shrum, and the world
must read, whether it will or not" $ired, e)idently, of waiting for a star to lea)e its
path, and of )ainly expecting the appearance of the Kwise menL of the %est >Mr" ="
!oo&, though bul&y, being anything but wise? to proclaim and crown him as 8ing of
the (abu ,annyasis, the Kmee& and lowlyL Minister too& destiny into his own hand
and has now )irtually announced himself one"
Page 3H1
+n the teeth of the nineteenth century, the sober ,adharan (rahmo ,amaM, and all
the padris of whate)er creed, colour, and persuasion, the new Messiah of 'ooghly
has now notified the world at large of his own ad)entY
*n edict in the manner of Papal@or shall we say +rishP@(ulls, appeared in the
9ew /ispensation 6xtraordinary@which was extraordinary indeed in e)ery sense"
$eeming with sentences copied )erbally from the !hristian :ospelsE written in the
style of, and mimic&ing the phraseology attributed to !hrist, the said document is a
curious piece of religious fanfaronade to pu..le and perplex the future generations
withal" $his, of course, but in the case of a fresh miracleR that the said edict should
not die a deser)ed death@at the bottom of the worldQs wastepaper bas&et" <et it is a
curiosity worthy of preser)ation" +ndeed, since the days of the 6ncyclical #etter and
the ,yllabus of Pope Pius +F in 126DC2, the precursors of the famous 6cumenical
!ouncil, no single document e)er published, that we &now of, has contained so many
gratuitous assumptions, nor in)ol)ed a more impudent claim to direct di)ine
intercourseY Proceeding from a >as yet? comparati)ely obscure indi)idual, instead of
emanating from an autocratic Pope, it is but the more stri&ing" $heocratic Rome, selfC
attributing to herself uni)ersal power and authority o)er the whole world@8ings and
6mperors included@to be consistent with herself, had to face the laugh of the nonC
catholic world by creating a dignitary whom she called Kthe Vicar *postolic of
$ibetL@a country with not one single !hristian in it and which slams its door in the
face of e)ery foreigner that approaches it" %hy then, with such a precedent, should
not our saintly minister claim li&ewise authority and infallibility, e)en though these
should ne)er be recogni.edP +s not he as much as any Pope Kthe chosen ser)ant of
:od,L ha)ing en plus, than the 'oly 4ather, the rare pri)ilege of holding daily and
hourly intercourses with the *lmighty who tal&s to, and with him, MosesCli&e, and
Kface to face, and as a man spea&eth unto his friendLP
*nd though ad)erse opinions@those of the $heosophists and ,piritualists, for
instance@hold that this K*lmightyL@if the said intercourse is based on some more
solid ground than mere ner)ous delusion@may be no better than some Pi[achaCspirit
mas1uerading under false colours, yet the opinions are di)ided"
Page 3H3
*t all e)ents, that of the MinisterQs friends and wellCwishers, the $heosophists, as
gi)ing him the benefit of the doubt, ought to be more welcome to, hence better
appreciated by, 8eshub (abu, than that of some profane ,adducees, both white and
dar&, who openly attribute such claims to Kdi)ine intercourseL to ambition and
imposture" Meanwhile, on =anuary 1, 1223, the readers of a few pious =ournals of
!alcutta were staggered by the followingR
96% <6*RQ, /*<, =*9;*R< 1, 1223
86,';( !';9/6R ,69, a ser)ant of :od, !*##6/ to be *9 *P5,$#6
54 $'6 !';R!' of $'6 96% /+,P69,*$+59, %'+!' +, +9 $'6 '5#<
!+$< 54 !*#!;$$*, the M6$R5P5#+, 54 *R<*V*R$*"
$o all the great nations in the world and to the chief religious sects in the east
and the west"
$o the followers of Moses, of =esus, of (uddha, of !onfucius, of 7oroaster, of
Mahomet, of 9ana&, and to the )arious branches of the 'indu !hurch"
$o the saints and the sages, the bishops and the elders, the ministers and the
missionaries of all these religious bodiesR
:race be unto you and peace e)erlasting"
%hereas sectarian discord and strife, schisms and enmities pre)ail in our
4atherQs family, causing much bitterness, and unhappiness, impurity and
unrighteousness, and e)en war, carnage, and bloodshed"
Z Z Z Z Z
+t has pleased the 'olly :od to send unto the world a message of peace and
lo)e, of harmony and reconciliation"
$his new /ispensation hath 'e, in boundless mercy, )ouchsafed to us in the
6ast, and %6 '*V6 (669 !5MM*9/6/ $5 (6*R %+$96,, ;9$5 +$
*M59: $'6 9*$+59, 54 $'6 6*R$'"
$hus saith the #ord@,ectarianism is an abomination unto me and
unbrotherliness + will not tolerate" Z Z Z Z Z
*t sundry times ha)e + spo&en $'R5;:' M< PR5P'6$,, and though many
and )arious my dispensations, there is unity in them"
(ut the followers of these, my prophets, ha)e 1uarrelled and fought, and they
hate and exclude each other" Z Z Z Z Z
$hese words hath the #ord our :od spo&en unto us, and 'is new gospel 'e hath
re)ealed unto us, a gospel of exceeding Moy"
Page 3H3
$he !hurch ;ni)ersal hath he already planted in this land and therein are all
prophets and all scriptures harmoni.ed in beautiful synthesis"
*nd these blessed tidings the #o)ing 4ather '*$' !'*R:6/ M6 and my
brotherCapostles to declare unto all the nations of the world, that being of one blood
they may also be of one faith and reMoice in one #ord"
$hus shall all discord be o)er, saith the #ord, and peace shall reign on earth"
'umbly, therefore, + exhort you, brethren, to accept this new message of
uni)ersal lo)e"
'ate not, but lo)e ye one another, and be ye one in spirit and in truth e)en as the
4ather is one"
*ll errors and impurities ye shall eschew, in whate)er church or nation they may
be found, but ye shall hate no scripture, no prophet, no church"
Renounce all manner of superstition and error, infidelity and scepticism, )ice
and sensuality, and be ye pure and perfect"
6)ery saint, e)ery prophet and e)ery martyr ye shall honour and lo)e as a man
of :od"
:ather ye the wisdom of the east and the west, and accept and assimilate the
examples of the saints of all ages"
(elo)ed brethren, accept our lo)e and gi)e us yours, and let the east and the
west with one heart celebrate the Mubilee of the 9ew /ispensation"
#6$ *,+*, 6;R5P6, *4R+!*, *9/ *M6R+!* %+$' /+V6R,6
+9,$R;M69$, PR*+,6 $'6 96% /+,P69,*$+59, and sing the 4atherhood of
:od and the (rotherhood of Man"
K$he 6ditors of the leading Mournals in 6urope and *merica, in +ndia, *ustralia,
!hina and =apan are respectfully re1uested to insert the abo)e 6pistle in their
respecti)e papers"L
%e ha)e culled the choicest flowers from this bou1uet of modest assumptions,
and republished it nearly in toto with its best passages immortali.ed in capitals, and
neither demand nor expect than&s for it" %hether the four 1uarters of the globe are
1uite ready to Kpraise the 9ew /ispensation with di)erse instrumentsL@street organ
included we suppose@is yet a matter for doubt" (ut, whether the future generations
shall string on the name of (abu 8eshub !hunder ,en to those of (uddha, 7oroaster,
=esus, and Mahomet, or not, no one will now be disposed to deny that Kchee& ta&es
cities by storm and grinds strongholds to powder"L
Page 3HD
+t is this same 9ew /ispensation >and #iberty?, be it remembered, which now
issues the abo)e 6pistle, that denounced repeatedly in its columns the claims of the
$heosophists to an intercourse with the li)ing, albeit mysterious, K(rothersL who are
but mortals@as an imposture and a fraud" #oo& upon this picture, and upon $'*$Y
*fter the abo)e was in type, the +ndian world was again staggered through the
medium of dailies and wee&lies by another piece of extraordinary news" $he minister
has announced his intention of circumna)igating the globe and )isiting 6urope,
*merica and *frica as an apostle of the 9ew /ispensation" ,o far the intention can
hardly be found fault with" (ut the (abu affirms again that he has recei)ed a di)ine
commission from :od himself to go" 4orsooth, the )isits of the *lmighty to the (abu
are fast becoming a matter of 1uite a common occurrence nowY K:odL@goes Kto and
fro in the earth and wal&s up and down in itL after the manner of the rebellious ,on of
=ob" %e wonder whether it is the K#ordL who will defray (abu 8" !" ,enQs tra)elling
expenses out of his own pri)ate treasuryE or, is the burden@agreeably with the timeC
honoured policy of !hurches in general@to be left on the shoulders of the too
confiding belie)ers in the new K,eerL and KMinisterLP
WWWWWWWWWW
OLD "ND NEW METHODS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 1G1C1G3V
,o much information relating to the highest science of 9ature has lately been
gi)en out to the world through these columns, that it is worth while at this stage of
the proceedings to call the readerQs attention to the way in which new methods of
dealing with spiritual truths illuminate the old methods adopted by occult writers of a
former date" +t will grow more and more apparent to students of occult philosophy as
time goes on, that the explanations now in process of de)elopment were all
foreshadowed by mystic writers of the earlier school"
Page 3HG
(oo&s that ha)e hitherto irritated impatient readers by their almost hopeless
obscurity, will already ha)e grown intelligible to a considerable extent, and many of
the riddles they still present to the student will probably be interpreted as time goes
on" +n this elucidation of oldCstanding enigmas there is a double interest for all serious
in)estigators of 9ature" 4irstly, the occult writings of the obscure school gather fresh
importance in modern estimation as it is thus demonstrated that their obscurity of
style is not@as unsympathetic critics may often ha)e been inclined to thin&@a mere
co)er for obscurity of thoughtE secondly, the recent teachings, of which the
$heosophical ,ociety and these pages ha)e been the channel, will be in)ested with all
the more authority in the eyes e)en of comparati)ely apathetic recipients as it grows
e)ident that they were familiar long ago to ad)anced students of the mystic era"
$he science, in fact, which is now being gi)en out to the world in clearly
intelligible language for the first time, has been in possession of the elect from time
immemorial" 9e)er mind, for the moment, why that science has hitherto been
Mealously hidden from man&ind at large" $here are plenty of reasons forthcoming in
Mustification of that reticence really, and it may not be unreasonable to suggest that the
world at large, by which the elements of occult doctrine are now recei)ed as
something new and strange, almost too wonderful for belief, should gi)e credit to the
exceptionally gifted persons who ha)e fathomed these mysteries and many more
besides, for ha)ing had some moti)es for the policy they ha)e pursued, which
e)erybody may not yet be in a position to understand" (ut this is another branch of
the subMectR the Mustification of 9atureQs most ad)anced explorers, in regard to the
precautions they ha)e hitherto ta&en in reporting their disco)eries, may be remitted to
a future period" %hat we are concerned to show for the present is that, though
purposely )eiled and expressed in language which ordinary readers were not expected
to understand, the science which all who wish to learn may now be taught )ery freely
was long ago recorded in boo&s to which we may now appeal for the retrospecti)e
confirmation of the explanations now gi)en"
Page 3H6
*nyone who will read bliphas #S)iQs writings after thoroughly assimilating the ideas
that ha)e been expounded in our K4ragments,L will find for himself abundant
illustrations of the coincidences to which we referE the obscure language at once
brea&ing out into significance by the light of the clear explanations gi)en under the
new methodE and Mr" 'argra)e =enningsQ Rosicrucians will in the same way be
in)ested with new significance for readers who ta&e it up with perceptions sharpened
by recent study of that science, which, if the new method is perse)ered with long
enough, will hardly any longer deser)e to be called Kmysticism"L (ut for the purpose
of these remar&s, their purport may best be illustrated by reference to a passage in a
later wor& which will ultimately be seen, when it comes to be fully understood, to
ha)e bridged o)er the chasm between the old and new methods, )i." +sis ;n)eiled" +f
the reader will turn to page DGG of the second )olume he will find the following
passage in exposition of K'indu ideas of cosmogony"L
" " " be it rememberedR 1, that the uni)erse is not a spontaneous creation, but an
e)olution from preCexistent matterE 3, that it is only one of an endless series of
uni)ersesE 3, that eternity is pointed off into grant cycles, in each of which twel)e
transformations of our world occur, following its partial destruction by fire and water,
alternately" ,o that when a new minor period sets in, the earth is so changed, e)en
geologically, as to be practically a new worldE D, that of these twel)e transformations,
the earth after each of the first six is grosser, and e)erything on it@man included@
more material, than after the preceding oneR while after each of the remaining six the
contrary is true, both earth and man growing more and more refined and spiritual
with each terrestrial changeE G, that when the apex of the cycle is reached, a gradual
dissolution ta&es place, and e)ery li)ing and obMecti)e form is destroyed" (ut when
that point is reached, humanity has become fitted to li)e subMecti)ely as well as
obMecti)ely" *nd not humanity alone, but also animals, plants, and e)ery atom" *fter a
time of rest, say the (uddhists, when a new world becomes selfCformed, the astral
souls of animals, and of all beings, except such as ha)e reached the highest 9ir)ana,
will return on earth again to end their cycles of transformations, and become men in
their turn"
Page 3HH
%ho can ha)e read the recent K4ragmentsL without being in a position to see
that this passage contains a brief exposS of the doctrine there elaborated with much
greater amplitude" +t really contains allusions to a great deal that has not yet been
elaborated in the K4ragmentsLE for the return Kto earthL@and to the chain of worlds
of which the earth is one, of the astral souls that ha)e not in the preceding man)antara
attained the highest 9ir)ana, has to do with the destinies of indi)idualities >as
distinguished from personalities? that are not launched on the main stream of
e)olution with which the recent essays on the 6)olution of Man ha)e been
concerned" *nd the K4ragmentsL ha)e not yet dwelt at any length on the )ast
phenomenon of ,olar Kman)antarasL and KpralayasL as distinguished from those of
the septenary chain of worlds to which our earth belongs" $he sun, which is the centre
of our system, is the centre of other systems too, and a time comes when all these
systems go into pralaya together" $herefore the period of acti)ity between two
periods of rest which is a maha or great cycle for one world only, is a minor cycle for
the solar system" $his leads to a superficial confusion of language sometimes in
occult writing, which, howe)er, embodies no confusion of thought and ne)er need for
an instant embarrass a reader who remembers the constant similitudes and
resemblances connecting microcosms and macrocosms" *gain, the reader of the
K4ragmentsL will be pu..led at the reference in the passage cited abo)e to the twel)e
transformations of the planet" $wel)e transformations will not at first seem to fit into
the septenary di)isions to which students of occultism under the new method ha)e
been accustomed" (ut the explanation simply is that the new method is )ery fran&
and outspo&en about a good many points on which the old system has been )ery
reser)ed and mysterious" $he se)enth form of all things has been regarded by the
older school of occult writers as too sacred to be written about" * hundred and one
1uotations might easily be put together to show how profoundly they were impressed
with the septenary idea, and what enormous importance they attributed to the number
H in all its bearings"
Page 3H2
$hese 1uotations would ser)e, on the principle we are now pointing out, as
foreshadowing the explanation of the K4ragmentsL on the se)enfold constitution of
man, the world, the system of which it is a part and the system of which that is a part
again" (ut Must as the se)enth principle in man has been passed o)er silently by some
occult writers who ha)e referred to only six, so the twel)e transformations are the
exoteric e1ui)alent of fourteen"Z *nd those transformations again, may be ta&en to
refer either to the cataclysms which inter)ene between the e)olution of the great rootC
races of earth in the course of one KRoundL period, or to the Rounds themsel)es and
their inter)ening K5bscurations"L 'ere we come upon the microCmacrocosmic
principle again" (ut we are not concerned at present with the anticipation of future
teachings or the repetition of those which ha)e been already gi)en outR merely with
the interesting way in which any one who chooses may go bac&, either to the
relati)ely obscure expositions of +sis ;n)eiled or the more obscure dissertations of
earlier occult wor&s, and trace the identities of the :reat /octrine@which the
$heosophical ,ociety, faithful to the promise of its triple programme, is engaged in
bringing to light"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $hus, in esoteric (uddhism the se)en &inds of %isdom >(odhyanga? are often referred to as sixE
the se)en 1ualities or properties of li)ing bodies also as sixE while of the se)en states of matter the
esoteric doctrine says that Kstrictly spea&ing there are only six states,L since the se)enth state is the
sum total, the condition or aspect of all the other states" %hen spea&ing of the Ksix gloriesL that
Kglitter on the incomparable person of (uddha,L the (oo& of 8iuCti explains that only six are to be
mentioned, as the student ><uCpoCsah? has to bear in mind that the se)enth glory can by no means
KglitterL since Kit is the glittering itself"L $his latter explanation is sufficient to throw light on all"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 3H9
!OOTNOTE TO *THEOSOPH# "ND MIR"CLES,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, p" 1G3V
U$he author of this article discusses the 1uestion of modern miracles in an
endea)our to Kshow that they are in)ariably the effect of natural causes, which,
though &nown but misunderstood by the !hurch of Rome, are much better
apprehended by a body of men in whose custody has been reposed for se)eral
thousand years before Roman !atholicism existed, at least so much of &nowledge as
can assign the phenomena to their real causes"L '" P" (" comments on this statement
as followsRV
#ast year, during !olonel 5lcottQs tour in !eylon, an attempt was made by the
Roman !atholic padris to inaugurate an era of miracles by means of a ,inghalese
K#ourdes"L * fountain or well was disco)ered, Ksanctified by the apparition of the
'oly Virgin,L and the lame and the blind, it was alleged, reco)ered their health, by
drin&ing of that holy water" $hen it was that !olonel 5lcott produced se)eral
wonderful cures of old paralysis, instantaneously, by simple mesmeric passesE and
thus pro)ed that there were simple mortals who could )ie with gods and goddesses in
producing di)ine miracles, without any interference of, or claim to, supernatural
powers" $his was done by the direct order of his Master, one of the KmenL alluded to
by the author" $he ,inghalese heard no more of the )isits of the Virgin Mary"
Page 32B
THE POWER TO HE"L
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 1G2C16BV
+t is a stri&ing commentary upon the imperfection of our modern system of
medicine that an almost unanimous scepticism pre)ails among physicians as to the
power of healing the sic& by mesmeric methods" (y most the thing is declared
impossible, and those who maintain its reality are set down as little better than
charlatans" $he maMority are not satisfied with this exhibition of petty spiteR they do
their best to intimidate and ostracise the more candid minority" *nd they find more
than willing allies in the theologians who stand for their especial prerogati)es, and,
while claiming to heal by di)ine commission, denounce all lay mesmeric healers as
either humbugs or sorcerers +t is saddening to read in the literature of mesmerism so
many plainti)e protests against the preMudiced inMustice of the medical profession
towards such able scientists as :regory, *shCburner, 6lliotson, and )on Reichenbach"
5ne cannot restrain oneQs indignation to see how an instinct of narrow selfishness
carries professional men beyond all bounds and warps the moral sense" $he case of
9ewton, the *merican healer, whose mesmeric cures are recorded by thousands and
embrace examples of the most desperate ailments instantaneously relie)ed, is
stri&ing" $his man has healed in public halls in many *merican cities as well as in
#ondon, not scores, but hundreds of sic& people by the simple laying on of hands" 'is
power was so great that he could by a word and a gesture dispel the pains of
e)erybody in the audience who stood up when he called upon those who were
suffering from any pain to do so" ,e)enteen years ago he publicly stated that he had
up to that time cured one hundred and fifty thousand sic& personsE what his present
total is@for he is still curing@we cannot say, but it must be larger than the aggregate
of all the instantaneous cures effected by all the Kholy wellsL and shrines and
professed healers within our historical period"
Page 321
* boo&Z by Mr" *" 6" 9ewton, a respectable gentleman of Massachusetts, which
appeared in the year 12H9, contains the record of some thousands of cases which
yielded to /r 9ewtonQs tremendous psychopathic power" 4rom a public address of the
latter >see pp" 113C11D? we learn that K+n healing there must be faith on one side or
the other" * healer should be a person of great faith, great energyE sympathetic and
&indE a man who is true to himselfE a muscular man, with a fixed, positi)e and
determined will" 5ne possessing a good share of these 1ualities will be successful"L
$he discourse finished, he ga)e a practical illustration of his healing power" ,aid heR
K9ow + as& any in the room that are in pain to rise@only those who are in acute
pain"L *bout twenty rose, and the /octor threw his arms forcibly forward and saidR
K9ow your pain is gone"L 'e then Kre1uested those whose pains were cured to sit
down, and they all sat down"L 'is power has been sometimes so superabundant that
he had only to touch a paralytic, a clubfoot patient, a deaf or blind person, to cure
them on the spot, and there he has touched and healed 3,BBB in one day" $he !urS
dQ*rs, a good 4rench priest, who died in 12G9, healed li&e 9ewton for thirty yearsE
during which period he had been )isited by 3B,BBB patients of all ran&s and from
e)ery country in 6urope"] /r" 6nnemoser, in his interesting 'istory of Magic, tells
about :assner, a Romish priest of the latter half of the eighteenth century, who cured
his thousands by the following artificesR
'e wore a scarlet cloa&, and on his nec& a sil)er chain" 'e usually had in his
room a window on his left hand, and a crucifix on his right" %ith his face towards the
patient, he touched the ailing part, " " " calling on the name of =esus"""" e)ery one that
desired to be healed must belie)e " " " co)ered the affected part with his hand, and
rubbed therewith )igorously both head and nec&" UPt" ++, p" 3HD"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he Modern (ethesda, or $he :ift of 'ealing Restored" 6dited by *" 6" 9ewton, 9ew <or&R
9ewton Pub" !o", 12H9"
] U,ee =" (" Vianney in the (ioC(ibliogr" +ndex"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 323
+n our days the Roman !atholics ha)e re)i)ed the business of miraculous cures
on a grand scaleR at #ourdes, 4rance, is their holy well where hundreds of cripples
ha)e deposited their stic&s and crutches as to&ens of their curesE the same thing is
going on at the parish church at 8noc&, +reland, and last year there were symptoms
that the same trump card was to be played by the fishCcollecting priests of !olombo,
!eylon" +n fact the !hurch of Rome has always claimed a monopoly and made the
simple psychopathic law play into their hands as testimony in support of their
theocratic infallibility" $hat useful compiler of )aluable psychic facts, the !he)alier
:" des Mousseaux, scrapes on this papal )ioloncello with great .eal" %ith him all
mesmeric healings are effected by the de)il"
%hen the magnetic agent operates upon the e)ils of the body, experience pro)es
as an infallible truth, that it does not heal them without causing acute pains, or
without ris& to life, which it often destroysY +ts cures are exasperatingly longE perfect
ones are the exceptionE the e)il that it expels from one organ is often replaced in
another organ by an e)il still more desperate, and the sic&nesses it dissipates are
liable to cruel relapses"Z
'is se)eral )olumes contain hundreds of reports of cases in which the de)il has
shown his ,atanic power by healing the sic& and doing all sorts of wonders" *nd that
we may ha)e the most unanswerable proof that the mesmeric fluid has manifested
itself similarly in all ages, he collects from the writings of the ancients the testimonies
which they ha)e left on record" 9othing could be more sarcastic than his arraignment
of the *cademies of ,cience and the medical profession for their stupid incredulity as
to the occurrence of these mar)els" Verily this is an author to be studied by the
intelligent psychologist howe)er much he may be disposed to laugh at his !atholic
bias and his blind resort to the theory of a nonCexistent de)il to explain away the
beneficent power to heal disease which so many philanthropic men in all epochs ha)e
exercised"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z #a Magie au F+Fme ,iecle, p" 33H" Paris, 126D, 'enri Plon"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 323
+t is not in the least true either that mesmeric cures are impermanent or that one
disease disappears only to be replaced by a worse one" +f the operator be healthy and
)irtuous and &nows his science well, his patient will be effectually restored to health
in e)ery instance where his or her own constitution is fa)ourably disposed to recei)e
the mesmeric aura" *nd this leads us to remar& that /r" 9ewton has not sufficiently
explained the curati)e action of faith nor its relation to the mesmeri.erQs healing
power" $he familiar analogy of the law of electric and magnetic conduction ma&es all
plain" +f a metallic body charged with t electricity be brought into contact with a
body negati)ely electrified, the t fluid is discharged from the first into the second
body" $he phenomenon of thunder and lightning is an example in point" %hen two
bodies similarly electrified meet they mutually repel each other" *pply this to the
human system" * person in health is charged with positi)e )itality@prana, od, aura,
electroCmagnetism, or whate)er else you prefer to call itR one in illChealth is
negati)ely chargedR the positi)e )itality, or health element, may be discharged by an
effort of the healerQs will into the recepti)e ner)ous system of the patientR they touch
each other, the fluid passes, e1uilibrium is restored in the sic& manQs system, the
miracle of healing is wrought, and the lame wal&, the blind see, deaf hear, dumb
spea&, and humours of long standing )anish in a momentY 9ow, if besides health,
power of will, &nowledge of science, and bene)olent compassion on the healerQs part,
there be also faith, passi)ity, and the re1uisite attracti)e polarity, on that of the
patient, the effect is the more rapid and ama.ing" 5r, if faith be lac&ing and still there
be the necessary polaric recepti)ity, the cure is still possible" *nd again, if there be in
the patient alone a faith supreme and unsha&able in the power of a healer, of a holy
relic, of the touch of a shrine, of the waters of a well, of a pilgrimage to a certain
place and a bath in some sacred ri)er, of any gi)en ceremonies, or repetition of
charms or an amulet worn about the nec&@
Page 32D
@in either of these or many more agencies that might be named, then the patient will
cure himself by the sole power of his predisposed faith"Z *nd this rallying power of
9atureQs forces goes in the medical boo&s under the name of Vis Medicatrix 9aturae
@the 'ealing Power of 9ature" +t is of supreme importance that the one who
attempts to heal disease should ha)e an absolute and implicit faith >a? in his scienceE
>b? in himself"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $hat excellent Mournal, $he $imes of !eylon, in its number for 4ebruary Hth, prints the following
facts which illustrate the recuperati)e power of the imaginationR K+ ha)e recently read an account of
what is termed a XfaithCcureQ which too& place with the famous ,ir 'umphry /a)y when 1uite a
young man" /a)y was about to operate on a paralytic patient with oxygen gas@Qbut before
beginning the inhalation, /a)y placed a thermometer under the patientQs tongue to record his
temperature" $he man was much impressed with this and declared with much enthusiasm that he
was already much relie)ed" ,eeing the extraordinary influence of the manQs imagination, /a)y did
nothing more than gra)ely place the thermometer under his tongue from day to day, and in a short
time he reported him cured"Q + can relate a perfect faithCcure of a desperate case of dysentery in one
of our planting districts, by a medical practitioner well &nown at the time, /r" (aylis, who practiced
on his own account in the 8allibo&&e )alley and 8nuc&les district" 'e had Must returned from a )isit
to +ndia, ha)ing left his assistant in charge, and on his return was much distressed to learn that a
fa)ourite patient of his, the wife of an estate manager, was desperately ill with dysentery and not
expected to li)e more than a day or two, being almost in extremis" ,he had been gradually sin&ing
under the debilitating effects of the terrible disease, and there was nothing more to be done as the
doctor found the treatment to ha)e been all that he could ha)e adopted" %ishing to see the patient
before her death, he at once went to the estate, and on seeing him she expressed great pleasure,
saying in faint tones she &new she should reco)er now that he had come to attend her, as she had
such complete confidence in him" *t her re1uest he remained in the house, but no change in her
medicine was made" ,trange to say she at once began to reco)er, and at the end of a wee& was able
to wal& with him in the garden"
K,uch was the result with the patient" 5n the mind of the doctor the cure had the effect of causing
him to lose all confidence in the efficacy of medicineE he abandoned allopathy as a delusion, too& to
homeopathy as the only true practice, and necessarily lost many of his patientsE and e)entually left
the country and settled in !alifornia as a farmer, where he was drowned a few years ago" $he late
/r" (aylis was a mar)ellously gifted man in many respects, but, li&e many other cle)er men, )ery
impulsi)e" 'e was inclined to be a belie)er in (uddhism and actually named one of his children
(uddha"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 32G
$o proMect from himself the healing aura he must concentrate all his thought for
the moment upon his patient, and %+## with iron determination that the disease shall
depart and a healthy ner)ous circulation be reCestablished in the suffererQs system" +t
matters nothing what may be his religious belief, nor whether he in)o&e the name of
=esus, Rama, Mohammed, or (uddhaE he must belie)e in his own power and science,
and the in)ocation of the name of the founder of his particular sect only helps to gi)e
him the confidence re1uisite to ensure success" #ast year in !eylon, !olonel 5lcott
healed more than fifty paralytics, in each case using the name of #ord (uddha" (ut if
he had not had the &nowledge he has of mesmeric science, and full confidence in his
psychic power and the re)ered :uru whose pupil he is, he might ha)e )ainly spo&en
his simple religious formula to his patients" 'e was treating (uddhists, and therefore
the in)ocation of ,a&ya MuniQs name was in their cases as necessary as was the use
of the name of =esus to Pdre :assner and the other many healers of the Romish
!hurch who ha)e cured the sic& from time to time" *nd a further reason for his using
it was that the cunning =esuits of !olombo were preparing to con)ince the
simpleminded ,inghalese that their new spring near 8elanie had been endowed with
exceptionally miraculous healing powers by the Virgin Mary"
$hose who may, after reading our remar&s, feel a call to heal the sic&, should
bear in mind the fact that all the curati)e magnetism that is forced by their will into
the bodies of their patients, comes out of their own systems" %hat they ha)e, they can
gi)eE no more" *nd as the maintenance of oneQs own health is a prime duty, they
should ne)er attempt healing unless they ha)e a surplus of )itality to spare, o)er and
abo)e what may be needed to carry themsel)es through their round of duties and
&eep their systems well up to tone" 5therwise they would soon brea& down and
become themsel)es in)alids" 5nly the other day a bene)olent healer of #ondon died
from his imprudent waste of his )ital forces" 4or the same reason, healing should not
be attempted to any extent after one has passed middle lifeR the constitution has not
then the same recuperati)e capacity as in youth"
Page 326
*s the old man cannot compete with the fresh youth in athletic contests, so he
can no more hope to ri)al him in healing the sic&E to attempt it is sheer follyE to as& it
of him simple ignorance and selfishness" %e ma&e these reflections because re1uests
ha)e been made from many 1uarters that !olonel 5lcott would )isit them and
publicly heal the sic& as he did in !eylon" $o say nothing of the fact that he is now a
man of past fifty years of ageE and burdened with a weight of official duty that would
brea& down any person, not sustained li&e him by exceptional influences, we need
only reflect that the suffering sic& throughout +ndia are numbered by the tens of
thousands, and that for him to be himself &nown as healer would be to insure his
being mobbed and almost torn to pieces in e)ery city" +f in a small place li&e :alle,
our 'ead1uarters building was thronged by two and three hundred patients a day, the
road was crowded with carts, litters and hobbling cripples, and the President was
often unable to find time to get e)en a cup of tea before G p"m", what would it be in
our +ndian cities, those hi)es of population where e)ery street would pour out its
1uota of in)alidsP +f, li&e 9ewton, he had practised healing all his life, and he could
cure by a touch, the case would be different" *s it is, all he can do is that which he
has been doing, )i.", to teach eligible members of the $heosophical ,ociety the
secrets of mesmeric psychopathy, on the simple condition that it shall ne)er be used
as a means of pecuniary gain or to gratify any sinister moti)e"
Page 32H
B# *BELL' BOO&' "ND C"NDLE,
#6*V6, 4R5M $'6 95$6(558 54 * M+,,+59*R< PR+6,$"
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 16BC161E 9o" 9,
=une, 1223, pp" 333 33DE 9o" 11, *ugust, 1223, pp" 3H3C3H3V
9ot with the obMect of )indicating the *siatic people from any charge of
superstition that may lie against them, but only to show that in %estern countries
under all their boasted enlightenment, the selfsame belief in demoniac obsession
obtains as among them, we ha)e heretofore cited cases which ha)e appeared in
current literature similar to the )ery curious one we now 1uote" $he narrati)e is ta&en
from the !atholic Mirror, a most conser)ati)e Mournal of the Romish !hurch in
*mericaE in fact, as it announces itselfR K5fficial 5rgan of the *rchbishop of
(altimore, (ishops of Richmond and %ilmington, and the VicarC*postolic of 9orth
!arolina"L %hat it admits is, therefore, not to be coughed down or put asideE its )oice
is that of authority" $he strong mediae)al fla)our which per)ades the present story
adds a greater .est to it" +ts chief )alue to the intelligent psychologist is in showing >a?
that the phenomenon of soCcalled obsession sur)i)es to our day, despite scientific
progressE >b? that the possibility of o)ercoming the abnormal condition by means of
rituals and prayers >mantras? is claimed by the !hurch to be trueE >c? that the selfsame
abnormal psychoCphysiological symptoms show themsel)es in !hristian and heathen
countries, where almost identical remedies are employed" +n the one case the power
of exorcism is claimed as a di)ine gift from the !hristian god, and in the other as
coming from the god Rama, con1ueror of Ra)anaE that is all" *nd if exorcism be
impossible by 'indu priests in +ndia, it must be e1ually impossible by Romish priests
in !anada or at Rome"
Page 322
4or 'ysteria is the obsessing de)il in both instances"
%e ha)e a certain respect for sceptics who laugh with e1ual scorn at the
credulity of phenomenalists whether inside or outside their own !hurch" (ut our
feeling is 1uite the re)erse for those who, while ma&ing merry at the expense of all
others for credulity, are ready to swallow identical stories if alleged by their own
ecclesiastics to be miraculous" $he most staggering recitals of occult phenomena that
ha)e been ta&en from KheathenL sources into our Mournal, do not surpass, if they
e1ual, the report of this missionary priest in the elements of credulity, blind faith, and
impossibilityE and yet, the occultist will no more deny the essential facts of this case
than those of the others" %e will watch with amused curiosity the tone that will be
assumed by our critics in spea&ing of this affair" $he reader will bear in mind that
henceforward it is the editor of the !atholic Mirror who is telling the story" ,uch
comments as we may ha)e to ma&e will be confined to the footnotesR
U$he article in 1uestion is a )ery long account of a case of diabolical possession"
5nly the paragraphs on which '" P" (" comments are reprinted here"V
Many persons hardly belie)e in the de)il at all, from belie)ing so little in :od"
*lthough the reality of diabolical possessions is a truth which the 'oly ,cripture
abundantly establishes, there are many who scout the idea of de)ils being permitted
to be on this earth of ours"
%e thin& it due to 1uite another reason" $hose capable of sincerely belie)ing in
a Must and omnipotent deity are unable to belie)e in a /e)il" +f anything has been
calculated to ma&e the %estern world lose all faith in Religion, it is this absurd and
cruel dogma which enforces upon all !hristians belief in the /e)il"
*rchbishop Vaughan has said somewhereR K*s men get misty in their notions of
the :odCman, they become )ague in their belief in him whose power that :od came
to crush"L
*nd why could he not ha)e crushed the power of the /e)il without mo)ing
from hea)enP %hy should Kthat :odL ha)e had to KcomeL to our earthP 'e was not
here already, then, before the year oneP ,o there was at least one entire globe where
:od was not present, despite the claim of his 5mnipresence"
Page 329
*nd if he created e)erything in the hea)ens abo)e as well as in the earth
beneath, why did he create such a de)ilP
+t was prophesied by our blessed #ord that the casting out of de)ils would be
one of the signs that shall follow them that belie)e"
*nd the wordsR K+n my name shall they cast out de)ilsL >Mar&, x)i, 1HC12? are
followed by these others@Lthey shall spea& with new tonguesE they shall ta&e up
serpentsE and if they drin& any deadly thing, it shall not hurt themE they shall lay
hands on the sic&, and they shall reco)er"L $his is, we are told, what =esus promised
to Kthem that belie)e"L 'a)ing &nown !hristian orthodox exorcisers and many other
persons who Kbelie)edL most sincerely, we yet ha)e ne)er met one, least of all a
padri, who would consent to either drin& a glass of poison, or ta&e a cobra by its tail"
%hy is thisP $he Kcasting out of the de)ilsL is only one of the signs that should
Kfollow them that belie)e"L +s it because faith is but oneCfifth of what it used to beP
U$he patient to whom the priest was called was a young girl who declaredR K+ am
the de)il"L $he priest as&ed Kin the name of =esus !hristL why he had ta&en
possession of the girl, but he refused to answer until commanded Kin the name of the
!atholic !hurch"LV
$he K!atholic !hurch,L then, we are gi)en to understand, is more powerful, and
more to be dreaded by the /e)il than :od 'imselfYY
U$he de)il later enumerates his )arious names, the fourteenth being (eel.ebub"V
5h, poor and silly de)ilY@* )ery suggesti)e fact, indeed, that none of the
names of the demons and de)ils accepted by !hristian theology ha)e any other than a
=ewish ring about them" *ll the de)ils in the !hristian 'ell seem to be =ews" $his is
rather flattering for the 'eathen@'indu, (uddhist, and Parsi" 9otwithstanding the
countless myriads, that agreeably to the !hristian !hurches must by this time, ha)e
gone to 'ell, we do not find a single K(abuL or K(hoyL among the obsessing de)ils,
while here we ha)e e)en a K=onas"L %ill the good padris, please explainP
Page 39B
U5n one occasion he went to the girl after hearing confessions at a distant
church, and Kshe said something that filled me with surprise and horror"LV
$he demon, or rather hysterical girl being a clair)oyante, repeated to him what
he had heard at confession"
U%ith regard to possessed animals, he sprin&led some horses with holy water
and Kthey began to get excited as though worried by a thousand horseflies"LV
9ow this statement of Kpossessed horsesL and the effect of holy water upon
them implies more than it says" +t is positi)ely charming, and reminds one of the
:olden #egends in which the reader meets with a wolf and a dragon con)erted to
!hristianity and weeping o)er their sins"
,ometimes possession is the fault of the )ictim, sometimes the result of magical
dealings with the de)il, and sometimes trials by permission of :od without any fault
on the part of the person, as in the case of this girl" $his is easily explained in the
answer of our /i)ine #ord to 'is disciples with reference to the man born blind"
Rabbi, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blindP =esus answeredR
9either hath this man sinned, nor his parentsR but that the wor&s of :od should be
made manifest in him" >=ohn, ix, 3C3"?
Rather than belie)e in such a K:od,L many good men ha)e ceased to belie)e in
one at all" +t is against the interpretations of the words of =esus of 9a.areth and not
the words themsel)es >which mean 1uite a different thing? that so many exC!hristians
ha)e rebelled"
U$he priest said Mass in the house by special permission and ga)e the girl 'oly
!ommunion" *fter that, in another room, he raised his hand to ma&e the sign of the
!ross and saw that Kthe floor was literally co)ered with little, white, li)ing worms
>maggots?, and some were e)en climbing the walls"LV
,pontaneous generationP * cle)er and scientific de)il thatY
U'e as&ed why there were no worms in the other room where Mass had been
said" $he )oice answeredR K(ecause we are not worthy to be where =esus !hrist is"LV
$his answer would ma&e the sceptically inclined infer that !hrist must, in such a
case, be )ery often absent from his !hurch, since it is sometimes near the )ery altars
and during the ceremony of public exorcisms, that the de)il has manifested himself
most fiercely in those he gets possession ofR witness the 9uns of #oudunP
Page 391
U* medical doctor@a #utheran@was permitted to see the girl, and as&ed her if she
&new #uther" K<es,L came the answer,L he is with us"LV
9ow this is the most charming hit possible at the poor Protestants" (ehold, the
!hristian brotherly lo)e and charityY
,ometimes the de)il spea&s against himself, and wor&s for the glory of :od and
the sal)ation of souls, which is always the design of :od in permitting possessions"
*nd if so, then such a de)il must be as good as any missionary or priestP *fter
this authoritati)e assertion, how shall we be able to &now who is preaching@a padri
or the" " " P
$his narrati)e, gi)en by a good Roman !atholic padri, e)idently sincere and
truthful, and published in an authori.ed orthodox !hristian Mournal, the !atholic
Mirror, stri&es for us the &eynote of !hristian theology" $his is authoritati)e, good,
sound, orthodox !hristianityE and he who belie)es in it will not be damned, but on the
contrary will be honoured and respected in society" $hat which $heosophy teaches is
all the re)erse" 5ur philosophy is hooted at, and the orthodox belie)ers in a personal
de)il will turn away with a shudder of horror from the theosophic teachings" %e are
in the nineteenth century, in the full bla.e of ci)ili.ation and science, we see"
WWWWWWWWWW
PIC&INGS !ROM OUR CONTEMPOR"RIES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 166C6HV
#a Re)ue ,pirite of Paris for 4ebruary publishes a communication from a
medium named #" !ephas@which it calls 1uite pertinently K)ery original"L +t is
headed :*M(6$$* 9*P5#659 and announces the stupendous news that the late
4rench /ictator was no other than 9apoleon reincarnated"
Page 393
$his reincarnation ha)ing been predestined and preordained by :od and the
,pirits, there was no fatality in :ambettaQs death" $he modern !hingJ.C8hIn had
Kreflected and repentedL between his two li)es and come to the conclusion that the
republic was after all the best form of go)ernment forCthe 4rench people" *nd now
K:ambetta has expiated a portion of the sins of 9apoleon"L +f so, it hardly behoo)es
(onapartists and the next of &in of the great 9apoleon to go on rebelling against
KspiritsL in trying to restore the lost /ynasty" $he best means of cutting the :ordian
&not of 4ranceQs present difficulties would be to con)ert all the 9apoleonides and
their partisans to spiritism" %e offer this ad)ice to the serious consideration of our
friends and brothers in 4rance"
WWWWWWWWWW
#e (on ,ens, a Radical Mournal of !arcassone, 4rance, publishes another
interesting communication from the same source" +t is a prophecy and emanates from
the cerebral ganglia of another medium and seer" %e translate it )erbatim et literatim"
K4rance has made a great loss, you say, in the persons of two of her sons" /o not
despair" $wo others will cone in their stead Ureincarnations of the two departed ones,
as we understandV to replace them"
*lsace and #orraine will be restored to use after a terrible war which is going to
ta&e place between :ermany and Russia, a war into which 4rance will be dragged" +t
will be fa)ourable to the allied armies" *ustria will be at first with PrussiaE but she
will soon forsa&e herE for 'ungary and all the ,la)onians of that 6mpire will compel
her to it"
(e full of hope, oh dear friends"
>,igned? #659 :*M(6$$*"L
*t this re)elation, a spiritist present exclaimed, K5h, if it were trueYL
$hereupon the K,piritL >of :ambetta? answered with great animationR
K+ swear by the holy name of :od, in whom + had the misfortune to disbelie)e,
that all will come to pass as + say"
K5h :od of =usticeY $hou wilt not permit that the monstrous ini1uity of the spoil
of such a beautiful portion of my 4rance should continueY@*dieu"L
Page 393
$he world of K,piritsL we see, is rife with politics" $he latter entering )ery little
into our programme we will lea)e it for what it is worth with this short remar&,
howe)er, that it does seem pu..ling, why on the same principle of di)ine e1uity,
#othaire ++, or ,tanislas #es.c.yns&i, or some other respectable ghost whose life
preceded the treaties of Munster and Ryswic& should not e1ually claim *lsace and
#orraine as Ka beautiful portion of their *ustria and :ermanyPL
WWWWWWWWWW
$he (anner of #ight and the R"CP" =ournal of the ;" ," *" notify us of the death
of /r" :eorge (eard, the most fierce opponent of ,piritualism" $he world of science
loses an earnest wor&er, and belie)ers in KspiritL communication ac1uire thereby a
new ally" %e prophesy that, as in the case of our muchClamented (rothers /" M"
(ennett, /r" (ritten and many other illustrious departed, a wee& will not pass after his
demise that this uncompromising enemy of materiali.ed and other KspiritsL will come
himself in that role and deli)er pseudoCscientific lectures Kthrough the organismL of
some inspirational medium repenting of what he had done and recanting all he had
e)er said against ,piritualism" Verily, bitter is the thought of death, so long as there
exists no law to pre)ent inspired mediums from ma&ing any oneQs KspiritL say
platitudes that would ha)e forced the li)ing man to cut off his tongue in despair rather
than to utter them" %e in)ite the reasonable ,piritualist to ponder o)er the postC
mortem orations of@the great /*R%+9@for instance"
WWWWWWWWWW
$he +ndian %itness of !alcutta, after the manner of the maMority of the
professional modern witnesses in +ndia who, to use the words of a nati)e =udge, Kfor
the consideration of four annas to ten rupees, will gi)e e)idence damaging enough to
hang four consecuti)e generations of innocent menL@is once more at its old
slanders" ,pea&ing of the K:hostology of the $heosophists,L it calls it Kan imposture,
which the a)erage sceptic thoroughly despises"L
Page 39D
$he +ndian %itness in saying this fibs as usualE moreo)er it fathers upon the
$heosophists a belief which is thoroughly its own" $he $heosophist, unless he
happens to be a rabid ,piritualist of the coarser &ind, belie)es in neither holy nor
unholy ghost and ghosts" Moreo)er, what the Ka)erage sceptic thoroughly despisesL
is superstition, or, belief in a supernatural religion full of di)ine and satanic miracles
@precisely the position of our wellCwisher the +ndian %itnessE and what the educated
,ceptic has a thorough contempt for@one shared in this by e)ery refined !hristian@
is the disgusting cant and at the same time the bac&biting propensity of the halfC
educated preacher and missionaryE the noisy impertinence of the religious snob and
.ealot of that class so well represented by some <an&ee oratorsE and@the
mounteban& performances of halfCwitted fanatics throwing discredit upon the religion
they try to preach" *ll of these@spiteful padris, !hristian snobs, and irresponsible
fanatics, are the subMects of the gushing re)erence and respectful patronage of the
+ndian %itness" " " " %hat $heosophist under the circumstances but will prefer
)ilification to laudation at such hands and in such a motley companyY
WWWWWWWWWW
" HE"V# CURSE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp" 16HC62V
*s a specimen of condensed and concentrated episcopal malice, the following
*9*$'6M* recently sent by the Pope to )arious (ishops with orders to be read to
their parishioners, and hurled by the *rchbishop of ,antander >,pain? against
spiritualists in general, and certain editors in his diocese especially@is truly edifying
and !hristian" $he Kaccursed onesL are men whose only crime is to ha)e dared to
proclaim their preference for ci)il and religious liberty, o)er priestly domain"
Page 39G
Matching well those famous excerpts from the bulls against liberals issued by
the late Pope Pius +F, and collated by Mr" :ladstone a few years ago, this latest
inspiration claimed to be recei)ed through the 'oly :host, merits a prominent place
among them" %e translate it )erbatim from the original, as found in the ,t" Petersburg
Rebus, and dedicate our translation to our good friends of the ,ociety of =esus@that
mee& and allCforgi)ing ideal of e)ery di)ine and human )irtue"
(;## 54 6F!5MM;9+!*$+59
May *lmighty :od and his holy saints curse the spiritualists and their Mournals
with the perpetual malediction launched against the /e)il and his angelsY May they
be accursed li&e =udas the traitor, and =ulian the apostateE and may they perish li&e
9ero" May the #ord Mudge them as he Mudged /athan and *biram and commanded the
earth to swallow them ali)e" May they be crushed and swept away from the face of
the earth and all memory of them disappear for e)er and e)erE and may they be sei.ed
with terrible death and hurled ali)e, they and their progeny, into hell for damnation
e)erlasting, so as not to lea)e a seed of themsel)es upon the surface of the globe"
May the few days that are yet in store for them be full of gall and bring on incessant
disasters and unhappiness to $'6 *!!;R,6/ 596," #et them suffer hunger, thirst
and na&edness, and be )isited by e)ery unclean disease and pain, through wretched
po)erty and misery" *ccursed be e)ery bit of their property and e)ery blessing and
prayer instead of benefiting be changed for them into a curse" #et them be cursed
e)erywhere and at e)ery hourE cursed day and night, sleeping and wa&ing, in eating,
in drin&ing and during fastE cursed when they spea& and when they &eep silentE
cursed at home and abroadE cursed on land and on waterE cursed from the top of their
heads down to the soles of their feetY May their eyes be blinded, their ears deaf, their
tongues dumb and rooted to their palatesY !ursed be e)ery member of their family
and e)ery limb of their bodyY #et them be cursed from today and fore)erY #et light be
changed for them into dar&ness before the face of the !reator, on the great day of the
last =udgmentY May their sepulchre be that of dogs and assesY May famished wol)es
prey upon their corpses and may their eternal company be that of ,atan and his
angelsY
%ho, after reading the abo)e, would dare to deny that the coming of !hrist was
a gigantic failure, and the claims of his !hurch and followers as gigantic a shamP *
wretched chance the poor $heosophists would ha)e if they should be cast upon some
island where this theocratic (oanerges enMoyed absolute powerY
Page 396
WHENCE THE N"ME *LUN"TIC,(
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, pp"1H1C1H3V
+t is well &nown that the moonbeams ha)e a )ery pernicious influenceE and
recently this 1uestion became the subMect of a )ery animated discussion among some
men of science in :ermany" Physicians and physiologists begin to percei)e at last,
that the poets had led them into a trap" $hey will soon find out, it is to be hoped, that
6astern 5ccultists had more real information about the genuine character of our
treacherous satellite than the %estern astronomers with all their big telescopes"
+ndeed@Lfair /iana,L the KAueen of 9ight,L she, who in Kclouded maMestyL
K" " " un)eilQd her peerless light,
and oQer the dar& her sil)er mantle threw"LZ
@is the worst@because secret@enemy of her ,u.erain, and that ,u.erainQs
children, )egetable and animal as well as human" %ithout touching upon her occult
and yet generally un&nown attributes and functions, we ha)e but to enumerate those
that are &nown to science and e)en the profane"
$he moon acts perniciously upon the mental and bodily constitution of men in
more than one way" 9o experienced captain will allow his men to sleep on dec&
during the full moon" #ately it was pro)ed beyond any doubt, by a long and careful
series of experiments, that no person e)en one with remar&ably strong ner)es@could
sit, lie or sleep for any length of time, in a room lit by moonlight without inMury to his
health"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U=ohn Milton, Paradise #ost, (&" +V, +, p" G92"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 39H
6)ery obser)ing house&eeper or butler &nows that pro)isions of any nature will
decay and spoil far more rapidly in moonlight than they would in entire dar&ness" $he
theory that the cause of this does not lie in the specific perniciousness of moonbeams,
but in the wellC&nown fact that all the refrangible and reflected rays will act
inMuriously@is an exploded one" $his hypothesis cannot co)er the ground in our case"
$hus, in the year 1693, on =anuary 31, during the eclipse of the moon, thrice as many
sic& people died on that day than on the preceding and following days" #ord (acon
used to fall down senseless at the beginning of e)ery lunar eclipse and returned to
consciousness but when it was o)er" !harles the ,ixth, in 1399, became a lunatic at
e)ery new moon and at the beginning of the full moon" $he origin of a number of
ner)ous diseases was found to coincide with certain phases of the moon, especially
epilepsy and neuralgia@the only cure for which is, as we &now, the sun" *fter a
discussion of many days, the wise men of :ermany came to no better conclusion than
the implicit confession thatR K$hough it is a pretty well established fact that there
exists some mysterious and nefast connection between the night luminary and most
of the human and e)en animal and )egetable diseases, yet wherein lies the cause of
such connection@we are unable, at present, to determine"L
5f course not" %ho of these great physicians and physiologists but &nows since
his boyhood that there was in old :reece a widely spread belief that the magicians,
and especially the enchanters and sorcerers of $hessaly, had an uncontrollable power
o)er the moon, drawing her down from hea)en at will by the mere force of their
incantations and producing thereby her eclipsesP (ut that is all they &now unless they
add to it their con)iction that the stupid superstition had nothing at all in it at the
bottom" Perhaps they are right, and ignorance, in their case, may be bliss" (ut the
occultists ought not to forget, at any rate, that +sis of the 6gyptians and the :recian
/iana or #una were identicalE that both wear the crescent on their heads or the cowQs
horns, the latter the symbol of the new moon"
Page 392
More than one profound mystery of nature is securely shrouded by the K)eilsL of +sis
and /iana, who were both the anthropomorphi.ed symbols@or :oddesses@of
nature, whose priests were the greatest and most powerful adepts of the lands that
worshipped the two" $he fact alone, that the temple of /iana in *ricia was ser)ed by
a priest who had always to murder his predecessor, is more than suggesti)e to a
student of 5ccultismE for it shows him that in the temples of /iana the greatest as the
most re)erenced of all the goddesses of Rome and :reece@from that of 6phesus,
one of the se)en wonders of the world, down to the said temple of *ricia, the same
mysterious initiations too& place as in the sacred temples of the 6gyptian +sisR i"e", the
initiator ha)ing un)eiled the :oddess, or shown the neophyte na&ed truth@had to
die" %e refer the reader to our footnote on page 32 >col" 3? in the 9o)ember
$heosophist, 1223" *rt" K:leanings from bliphas #S)i"LZ
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UVide p" 36G of the present Volume"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
RETROGRESSION IN REBIRTH
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" H, *pril, 1223, p" 1HDV
+n his able re)iew of Mr" 5xleyQs KPhilosophy of ,pirit,L concluded in the
current number of your Mournal, Mr" ,ubba Row criticising the authorQs )iews of the
hierosophic doctrine, remar&sR@
K$he second proposition >there is no rebirth in the material human form, there is
no retrogression at any time? is opposed to all the ancient traditions of 6astern nations
and the teaching of all the 6astern adepts"L
$he italics are mine" $he proposition is certainly not on union with Kall the
ancient traditions of 6astern nations,L but is the portion of it which + ha)e italicised
>there is no retrogression at any time?, though certainly opposed to ancient 'indu
traditions, really at )ariance with the Kteachings of all the 6astern adeptsLP
Page 399
;nless + am mista&en, you ha)e all along strenuously maintained it as one of the
truths of occult philosophy that rebirth in a lower state is impossible, that there is no
going bac& in the scale of existence, that Knature in)ariably shuts the door behind
herLE in other words, that there is no retrogression" 6xactly the proposition ad)anced
by Mr" 5" and obMected to by Mr" ," R"Y
%ill you or the learned re)iewer &indly explain this P
'
(5M(*<, 3nd /ecember, 1223"
6/+$5RQ, 95$6"@%e ha)e Kstrenuously maintainedL and still maintain that
there is Kno retrogressionL in the dead letter sense as taught by exoteric 'induism@
i"e", that the rebirth of a man in the physical form of an animal was impossible on this
earth" (ut, we ne)er affirmed that there was no moral retrogression@especially in the
interplanetary spheresE and that is what is combated by Mr" $" ,ubba Row, for Mr"
5xley means KretrogressionL in that )ery sense, we belie)e"
WWWWWWWWWW
ON N"DI GR"NTH"MS.
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V" 9o" H, *pril, 1223, p" 1H9V
U+n the course of an article, the writer, 9" !hidambaram +yer, saysR KVery few of
the modern 'indus@and fewer still of the soCcalled educated 'indus@are aware of
the existence of what are called 9adi :ranthams@which contain a faithful record of
the li)es of " " " all menR *ll men that e)er li)ed, all men that are li)ing, and all men
that will come into existenceY " " " +s it possible one might as& that such a wor& can
exist@a wor& which can afford space for the names of all man&indPL '" P" ("
commentsRV
*s the wor&ings of the mighty current of #ife sweeping throughout our
planetary chain ha)e been thoroughly examined by the ancient adepts, and as the
number of the planetary rounds, the )arious races, and subCraces of humanity on each
planet and the number of incarnations of e)ery spiritual monad floating along the
current of life, were long ago ascertained with mathematical precision, as already
indicated in the 4ragments of 5ccult $ruth, it would not be beyond human power to
bring into existence a boo& gi)ing all the particulars which a 9adi :rantham is stated
to furnish"
Page DBB
TO THE *DISS"TIS!IED,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 121V
%e ha)e belief in the fitness and usefulness of impartial criticism, and e)en at
times in that of a Mudicious onslaught upon some of the many creeds and
philosophies, as we ha)e in ad)ocating the publication of all such polemics" *ny sane
man ac1uainted with human nature, must see that this eternal Kta&ing on faithL of the
most absurdly conflicting dogmas in our age of scientific progress will ne)er do, that
it is impossible that it can last" 5ur Mournal being de)oted to the presentation of e)ery
creed in all its na&ed truthfulness, and resol)ed to fa)our none in preference to
another, its columns are therefore open to writers of all and nearly e)ery creed &nown
@at least on hearsay@to the ci)ili.ed world" $hus there is some chance for all
getting, by comparing notes, to the bottom of more than one mystery, and of
eliminating a few truths out of this Mungle of more or less philosophical and
metaphysical concepts" %e ha)e seen the folly of the system of fa)ouritism and
sectarianism to the exclusion of all other opinions pre)alent among most of the
periodicals in +ndiaE and we are resol)ed that in the management of $he $heosophist
the rule of religious impartiality shall be strictly obser)ed" %e form the circle of its
contributors from the ran&s of 'eathen and !hristian, of Materialists and
,piritualists, $heists, *theists, and Polytheists, men of ability, in short, where)er to
be found, without en1uiring into their faith and without the smallest preference gi)en
to personal partialities or antipathies"
Page DB1
9e)ertheless, we ha)e not hitherto been able to satisfy all our readers, nor our
correspondents either" +n the opinion of the former, our columns and editorials which
are expected to ac1uaint our subscribers with e)ery newfangled doctrine, with the
exposition of e)ery religion old or new for the necessity of comparison, has, at the
same time, to remain Kgoody goody,L ne)er treading upon the toes of the creed under
analysis, nor expressing an honest opinion upon its professors" %ith our contributors
it is still worse" %e are either to be deluged with the rubbish that can find admission
to the columns of no other periodical, or stand accused of Kfa)ouritism,L something
we ha)e altogether and strenuously a)oided" $o those contributors whom the present
cap will fit, we can answer but the followingR K:entlemen, our Maga.ine is by no
means intended to be a refuge for the destitute, an omnium gatherum for those who
ha)e to satisfy an old grudgeE nor is it a receptacle for any and e)erything which may
not be able to find hospitality e)en in its own sectarian Mournals" $he $heosophist
does not ta&e for its foundationCprinciple the idea that because an atheistical article
has been reMected by a paper conducted by a $heist, it must, therefore, find room in
these impartial columns, in order that Mustice be strictly dealt outE but it rather
proceeds to ha)e the M,", handed to it for publication, opened and carefully read
before it can consent to send it o)er to its printers" *n able article has ne)er sought
admission into our pages and been reMected for its ad)ocating any of the religious
doctrines or )iews to which its conductor felt personally opposed" 5n the other hand,
the editor has ne)er hesitated to gi)e any one of the abo)e said religions and
doctrines its dues, and spea& out the truth whether it pleased a certain faction of its
sectarian readers, or not" %e neither court nor claim fa)our" 9or to satisfy the
sentimental emotions and susceptibilities of some of our readers do we feel prepared
to allow our columns to appear colourless, least of all, for fear that our own house
should be shown as Kalso of glass"L
Page DB3
THE BUDDHIST MOVEMENT IN ENGL"ND
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 121C123V
$he fre1uent publication of boo&s on the subMect in 6ngland, of recent years, has
e)idenced the strong interest now felt by the culti)ated classes in the study of
(uddhism" $hat this interest grows rather than declines is plainly indicated by the
following report of a meeting of the Royal *siatic ,ociety in #ondon, held 1uite
recently with distinguished people present, which we reprint from an 6nglish paperR
*t the last meeting of the Royal *siatic ,ociety, ,ir (artle 4rere, president, in
the chair, 'is Royal 'ighness the /u&e of !onnaught, 8":", ,ir $homas (rassey,
M"P", and Mr" !assels were elected resident members, and 'er >P? 'ighness the
Maharanee of 5odeypore, #ieutenantC!olonel !" Maclean ,mith, and Mr" %" M"
Ramsay, nonresident members" Mr" *rthur #illie, M"R"*",", read a paper K5n the
(uddhism of !eylon,L in which he combated the idea ad)anced by a section of
writers, headed by Mr" Rhys /a)ids, that the ancient boo&s of !eylon teach nothing
but annihilation, nonexistence of the soul, and atheism" 'e cited the $e)iMMaC,utta, in
which (uddha is 1uestioned on the subMect of that union with (rahma which it was
the great obMect of the (rahmin ascetic, in (uddhaQs day, to gain" (uddha, instead of
answering that the ,upreme (rahma is nonexistent, and that those who sought union
with him were unwise, proclaimed distinctly the contrary proposition" Mr" #illie then
urged that the charges of annihilation, etc", brought against (uddha by Mr" Rhys
/a)ids were founded on an erroneous reading of the (uddhist ideas about 8arma and
the ,&andhas, $hese, he stated, cease not on the death of the indi)idual, but on his
attaining spiritual awa&enment" * passage in the (rahmaMIla ,utta, much relied on by
Mr" /a)ids, was then compared with its context, and it was shown that the doctrine of
the annihilation of human beings was pronounced as heretical as that of future
conscious existence"
Page DB3
Mr" #illie, in conclusion, expressed the opinion that the northern and southern
systems should be compared together, as by these means alone, the archaic and true
(uddhism could be detached from its later accretion"
$his paragraph correctly indicates the antagonism between the )iews of the two
great representati)es of (uddhism in modern 6nglish literature" (oth Mr" #illie and
Mr" Rhys /a)ids ha)e struggled to di)ine the real meaning of (uddhism from the
exoteric boo&s and papers to which they ha)e had access, and, broadly spea&ing, Mr"
/a)ids has come to the conclusion that (uddhism must mean to teach annihilation
and nonexistence of the soul, because it entirely ignores the idea of a personal :od,
while Mr" #illie argues that because it certainly does not teach annihilation, but, on
the contrary, says a 1uantity of things that directly relate to a continued existence of
the soul in other states of being after this life, therefore in reality it must intend to
preach a personal :od, howe)er little it may say on the subMect"
5n these lines this )ery pretty contro)ersy may go on fore)er without either
party being in the least danger of defeat at the hands of the other" Mr" #illie will ne)er
dig up from (uddhist literature any declaration of the existence of a personal :od
with which to crush Mr" /a)ids, and Mr" /a)ids will ne)er find chapter and )erse for
his theory about the nihilistic significance of (uddhist doctrine with which to crush
Mr" #illie"
$he futility of the argument turns on the groundlessness of the assumption that
the 1uestion about the existence of a ,upreme (eing in the sense of an intelligent
entity, whether with limbs and features or without, consciously willing the ;ni)erse
to come into shape and acti)ity out of nothing@has anything really to do with the
1uestion whether human souls ha)e a conscious sur)i)al after death" %e are now
concerned, in these few lines, merely with what (uddhism thin&s@not with the
tremendous 1uestions in)ol)ed themsel)es" *nd surely Mr" /a)ids must see if he will
loo& at the matter in that light, that (uddhism cannot deny this life, e)en on his
assumption as to what it thin&s about the 1uestion of a :od"
Page DBD
5n that assumption the (uddhist belie)es that without the agency of a :od
human physical life goes onR then why not human soul life also on a different plane
of beingP +n the same way surely Mr" #illie must admit that, right as he certainly is in
deducing from (uddhist scriptures the doctrine of continued existence for the higher
principles of Man after his physical death, that correct deduction affords him no
Mustification for imputing to (uddha theories about the ,upreme (rahma, which most
assuredly he ne)er held"
Meanwhile it is )ery pleasant to see eminent men in 6urope endea)ouring to
hammer out the meaning of (uddhism, e)en though they may miss the correct
interpretation of se)eral points at first" $he only way in which they will sol)e the
problems raised, will be by paying attention to the direct teachings of the ,ecret
/octrine which are now being gi)en out to the world through the columns of this
Maga.ine for the first time in the history of the subMect" +t is by the application of
these teachings, as a &ey, to the exoteric (uddhist scriptures that 5riental scholars
will be enabled to unloc& their real treasures"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTES TO *MEDIC"L M"GNETISM
"ND THE HE"LER M"GNETIC,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 12DV
U$he writer, ,eeta 9ath :hose, ad)ocates the treatment of all diseases by
magnetism, stating in support of his theory that Kit has been found by experiments
that the human body is a magneti.able obMect, though far inferior to iron or steel"L '"
P" (" appends the following footnoteRV
+t is one of the great errors of physical science to so assertE and occult science
pro)es it"
Page DBG
U$he author statesR K" " " it is )ery easy to concei)e that if you lie down with your
head placed southward and feet northward, the south pole of the earth and your head,
which is the north pole of your body, and the north pole of the earth and your feet,
which are the two branches of the south pole of your body, being in Muxtaposition,
will attract each other, and thus the polarity of the body natural to it will he
preser)ed"QQ '" P" (" comments as followsRV
$hough (aron Reichenbach recommends strongly the contrary course >i"e", to
place your head always north? and the initiated adepts generally do so, yet, since the
(aronQs conclusions are based solely upon his experiences with sic& sensiti)es@
whose bodies are in a state of magnetic perturbation@and that the physical organism
of adepts, owing to long years of peculiar physiological training, can in no way be
compared to those of the a)erage mortals >see K$he 6lixir of #ifeL?@the explanation
gi)en by the distinguished author is perfectly logical and clear"Z (ut it is only in
cases of perfect health that we must sleep with our heads southward" $here are
abnormal temperaments and cases of ner)ous diseases when the opposite is
necessary" Perfect &nowledge of the magnetic state of human bodies@a state which
)aries incessantly, can be ac1uired only by the supplementary study of occult science
in addition to the physical"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UReference is here to (aron 8arl )on ReichenbachQs Researches on Magnetism, etc", #ondon,
12GB"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
THE CHOSEN *VESSELS O! ELECTION,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 12G129V
* friendly correspondent K2111,L has sent to us a se)ere rebu&e embodied in a
long letter" Recei)ed after the 3Bth of last month, it could not appear in our *pril
number" (etter late than ne)er" %e gi)e it now the respectful and serious notice it
deser)es"
+t is not )ery often that an editor is found ready to publish remonstrances
whether to his personal address or that of the policy pursued by his publication"
Page DB6
$he general reader being little concerned with, and still less interested in,
indi)idual opinions about the conductors of maga.ines and papers he subscribes to,
the first duty of an editor before the public is to remain entirely impersonal" $hus,
when a correspondent ta&es exception to this or that article or editorial, unless his
obMections ha)e a direct bearing upon some topic of interest to the public generally,
the opening of polemics on that account has no raison dQetre" 5ffering on the whole,
we thin&, such a feature of general interest@at any rate in +ndia@we gi)e room to,
and answer willingly, K2111QsL protest" 5nly our friend must pardon us if instead of
publishing his long letter in unbro&en form we prefer to gi)e it, so to say, piecemeal,
1uoting from it by fragments and as occasion re1uires" $his is done for the following
good reasonsR firstly, for the con)enience of answering his obMections as they comeE
secondly, because to gi)e all would be tedious to the reader@much in his protest
being addressed rather to the indi)idual called Madame (la)ats&y and the 4ounder of
the $heosophical ,ociety than the editor of $he $heosophistE and thirdly, because, as
already shown, the abo)eCnamed three characters, though blended in one and the
same personage, ha)e to &eep themsel)es entirely distinct from each other@the
personal feelings of the K4ounder,L for instance, ha)ing no right to encroach upon the
duties of the impersonal editor" %ith these few preliminary remar&s we proceed to
1uote the first lines from K2111QsL letter"
+n the two last numbers of $he $heosophist you ha)e ta&en poor (abu 8eshub
!hunder ,en se)erely to tas&, apparently for no other reason than that he has the
misfortune to hold different religious opinions from your own"
+s our critic in a position to find throughout the whole series of the four )olumes
of $he $heosophist one single passage in which there is one word said against any
other prominent member or teacher either of the K*diL or e)en the K,adharan
(rahmo ,amaMLE or any other mystic, whether =ewish, !hristian, Mohammedan or
,piritualist ridiculed and laughed at, although each and e)ery one of the said
personages holds opinions 1uite different from our ownP
Page DBH
+f not, then his opening remar&@he must pardon us@is as Xillogical as it is
uncalled for" +t would ha)e been only fair in the absence of such proof that our critic
should ha)e sought for a more li&ely, if not a more dignified reason for our ta&ing Kso
se)erely to tas&L the minister of the 9ew /ispensation"
*nd now, after 1uoting a few more sentences from K2111QsL letter, we will, with
his permission, show him the true reason why we thin& it our duty to critici.e the
!alcutta K,eer"L
$hat narrowCminded sectarians, true to the bigotry of their creed, should sneer at
and re)ile him >8eshub !" ,en? is not to be wondered atE but it cannot fail to pain
your friends and admirers to find you descending from the lofty platform on which
you ha)e ta&en your stand, to swell the insensate cry against the distinguished
(rahmo" 'is religious )iews may be peculiar, wild, if you li&e, and may fail to find
uni)ersal acceptanceE but the thorough earnestness and sincerity which per)ade his
acts and utterances are beyond 1uestion and cannot but enlist for him and for the
cause he has espoused the appreciati)e sympathy of all true lo)ers of humanity" #et
others laugh, if they will, at his soCcalled extra)agancesE it illCbecomes you >pardon
me? to Moin the chorus, holding as you do, on things beyond mortal &en )iews which,
to the large world outside the influence of your teachings, appear e1ually extra)agant
and fanciful"Z
$he Klofty platformL is )ery flattering, though our modesty urges us to regard it
as a mirage de)eloped within the limitless area of our &ind Kfriends and admirersQ K
fancy" (ut, supposing it had any independent existence of its own, we would far
rather descend from and abandon it fore)er, than accept the passi)e role of a dumb
old idol, ali&e indifferent to the happiness as to the misery and woes of the
surrounding world"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %e hold no )iews at all on anything Kbeyond mortal &en"L !laiming the possession of our full
senses, we can neither pro)e nor dispro)e that which is beyond the &nowledge of mortal man,
lea)ing all speculations and theories thereon to emotional enthusiasts endowed with blind faith that
creates selfCdelusion and hallucinations"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DB2
%e decline the exalted position if we ha)e to secure it at the price of our
freedom of thought and speech" (esides, not only the Klarge world outside,L but e)en
those within the influence of our KteachingsL >though we deny ha)ing e)er assumed
personally the duties of a teacher? are cordially welcome to their own opinions, being
as much at liberty to express them as anyone else" $hose who regard our )iews as
Kextra)agant and fancifulL need lose no time o)er them" $he $heosophical ,ociety
Krepresenting no religious creed, being entirely unsectarian and including professors
of all faiths,L there is a )ast choice in it for one who would learn something new
besides the merely personal fancies of one of its founders" (ut, since the present
1uestion in)ol)es but the responsibility of the editor of this maga.ine, perhaps, the
Kfriends and admirersL may deri)e some consolation in their KpainL upon being
assured that the said editor is only doing a duty in exposing and showing in its true
light one of the most coolly impudent and absurd claims of this age@that of
proclaiming oneself, upon oneQs own authority, and with no better warrant than blind
faith@the chosen )essel of election, the direct mouthpiece of :odY 5ur maga.ine
was started with the distinct and wellCdefined policy as expressed in the Rules of the
,ocietyR to uphold and ad)ocate only facts and $ruth and nothing but the $ruth
whencesoe)er and from whomsoe)er it may come" +ts motto is K$here is no Religion
higher than $ruthLE and it Kappeals for support to all who truly lo)e their fellow men
and desire the eradication of those hateful barriers created by creed, etc"LE and, as no
officer of the society, nor any member, has the right to preach Khis own sectarian
)iews and beliefs,L so no officer or member has the right to ignore and pass o)er in
silence such monstrous outbursts of sectarian fanaticism as the 9ew <earQs
Proclamation, by the selfCassumed K*postle of :od,L (abu 8" !" ,en, the more so
since the latter is one of the declared enemies of the $"," 9or is K2111QsL parallel
between 8eshub !" ,enQs and our own )iews, a happy one" $he KMinisterL would
force his new sectarian doctrines e)ery one of which is e)ol)ed out of his own
fe)erish brain@as a direct re)elation and a command to him from :odE while our
expositions belong to a doctrine as old as the world"
Page DB9
$hey are simply the rendering in a more clear and comprehensible language of
the tenets of the esoteric science as once uni)ersally taught and practisedE and though
we do claim to recei)e them from adepts and initiates, yet, as we call neither the
teaching, nor the $eachers absolutely infallible@the comparison falls to the ground"
5ur K)iewsL ha)e to stand or fall upon their own merit, since we claim neither di)ine
re)elation nor infallibility, and that no one of us regards his M*,$6R as an *lmighty
:od" $he following tirade therefore, though )ery impressi)e, entirely lac&s logic@
we regret to sayR
<ou who ad)ocate the wonders of occultism, and the incredibly large powers
which adeptship confersE you who belie)e in the temporary disenthralment of the
spirit from its fleshly prison, and in the possibility of its soaring aloft into un&nown
regions to drin& of the forbidden &nowledge of life and death at fountains
inaccessible but to the fa)oured fewE you who belie)e in the existence of Mahatmas,
who, to credit all that is said of them, are little short of :ods in human formE it is
open to you to doubt that this man, so good and great, so eternally wedded to )irtue,
and so a)owed an enemy to )ice, has really seen and heard the sights and sounds,
which he publishes to the world in such e)ident good faithP
9ow it so happens that we do not in the least doubt that the (abu Kreally sees
and hears the sights and sounds,L nor that he publishes them in Kgood faith"L K$he
way to hell is pa)ed with good intentions,L says a )ery brutal, ne)ertheless a )ery Must
pro)erb" 6)ery medium, nay e)ery delirious patient, really sees and hears what no
one else near him does, and sees and hears it in Kgood faith"L (ut this is no reason
why the world should be expected to recei)e the said sights and sounds as coming
from :odE for in such case it would ha)e to regard e)ery lunatic hallucination as a
di)ine re)elationE or that we should be bound to preser)e a solemn silence upon the
alleged Kre)elationsL and utter no criticism upon them under the penalty of being
&ic&ed off our Klofty platform"L $hey too ha)e to stand or fall upon their own merits,
and it is this merit that we claim the right to critici.e as freely as are our own )iews"
#et it be well understood that we neither 1uarrel with the personal religious )iews of
the (abu nor doubt their Kearnestness"L
Page D1B
$he Kdistinguished (rahmoL@who by the way is no more a (rahmo, being
denounced and most )ehemently repudiated by the ,adharan (rahmos@has as good
a right to publish his opinions as we ha)e to publish ours" (ut he has neither the right
nor the commission to denounce the )iews of all those who disagree with him as
KimpostureL and Kblasphemy against the holy ghost,L and that is precisely what he is
doing" %e are as&edR K%hy not lea)e the poor persecuted ,al)ation *rmy and the
gifted (abu Missionary of !alcutta alonePL %e answer" #et both lea)e their
aggressi)e policy and their insulting ways of forcing upon people their respecti)e
sectarian )iews, and we promise ne)er to pronounce their names" (ut so long as they
will do it, so long shall we denounce them" +ndeed, to as& us to Klea)e aloneL both
8eshub and $uc&er, is e1ui)alent to expecting that we shall gi)e up all search for
truth and yield our tacit if not expressed consent to the unimpeded propagation of
what@at any rate in one of the two cases under consideration@must be hallucination
if not direct imposition" +s K2111L prepared to show which of the two, MaMor $uc&er
or 8eshub, is less Kgood and greatLE and whether, it is the ,al)ationist or the
/ispensationist who, though Keternally wedded to )irtue and so a)owed an enemy to
)ice,L bamboo.les himself and the public the mostP ,uffice for us to &now that both,
claiming to act under the direct di)ine command of what they proclaim the one and
same li)ing :od, preach at the same time two diametrically conflicting doctrines,
UandV to ha)e the right to denounce one of them, at any rate" (ehold, the
Kdistinguished (abuL ma&ing the pompous announcement from !alcutta that he, the
chosen apostle of :od, is commanded by the *lmighty to preach to the whole world
the truths of the 9ew /ispensationE and MaMor $uc&er proclaiming before the !ourt
and !hief =ustice Kthat he had recei)ed the /i)ine command to preach in the streets
and lanes of (ombay, the :ospel"L %ho, of these two paragons of )irtue is labouring
under a fit of religious enthusiasm, can K2111L tellP 5r shall he defend them both,
and say of MaMor $uc&er also, that it is not open to us Kto doubt that this man so good
and great, etc" " " " has really seen and heardL@:od commanding him to parade in
mas1uerade dresses in the streets and lanes of (ombayP
Page D11
$he said accusation being flung at us, Kin the name of many of our readersL it is time
we should answer them explicitly" (eing prepared to face the whole world, and as
con)inced of the necessity and the undeniably good results of our Mission@a selfC
imposed one and ha)ing nought to do with /i)ine command@as the (abu and the
,al)ationist MaMor are of theirs, we are resol)ed to meet e)ery charge and answer
e)ery accusation" %e care little for the opinion of the masses" /etermined to follow
but one )oice@that of our conscience and reason@we will go on searching for truth,
and fearlessly analysing and e)en laughing at e)erything that claims to be di)ine truth
notwithstanding that it is stamped, for all but the incurably blind, with e)ery sign of
falsification" #et the wily !hristian missionary who, while ne)er scrupling to insult
the gods of the poor, the uneducated, and especially the helpless KheathenL
>con)eniently forgetting that from the strictly !hristian standpoint (abu 8" !" ,en is
as much of a heathen as any other idolater?@carry him high abo)e the heads of his
brethren@the 'indus" #et him, we say, encourage in his !hristian lectures and his
missionary periodicals the )agaries of the highly intellectual and cultured (abu@
simply because those )agaries are so strongly peppered, not with !hristianity, but
only with the name of =esus strung on with those of /urga and !haitanya" #et him do
so by all means on the )ery e1ui)ocal principle of Paul as announced in Romans,
chap" iii, 3CH,Z we shall not follow the pernicious example" %e will not ser)e :od >or
$ruth? and Mammon >the #ie? at the same time" Methin&s, had not the Ksaintly
MinisterL been allowed once upon a time to inter)iew the Aueen 6mpress, and were
he, instead of being the welcome )isitor to palaces, but a poor, un&nown man, those
same padris would not find words of curse enough in their )ast encyclopedia of
clerical abuse to fling at the presumptuous heathen who would thus mix in his
religious parodies the sacred name of their =esusY
WWWWWWWWWW
Z K#et :od be true, but e)ery man a liarE as it is written " " "L >)erse D?@ K4or if the truth of :od
hath more abounded through my lie unto his gloryE why yet am + also Mudged as a sinnerPL Romans,
iii, H"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D13
$hen why should we, who thirst and hunger but for truth, and claim naught but our
birthright, that of e)ery biped@to thin& for himself, why should we alone be treated
as an iconoclast for daring to lay a sacrilegious hand upon those tinselled rags of
human wor&manship, all called Kdi)ine inspiration,L all mutually conflicting, whether
they be re)ealed and declared to the world by a Moses, a ,t" *ugustine, a #uther or a
8eshubP +s the latter, in the words of Macaulay defining ,outheyQs opinion about
toleration, the only one Kthat e)erybody is to tolerate, and he is to tolerate nobodyPL
*nd why should we not be permitted to laugh at the thousands of selfCe)ident errors
of the human brainP Most, if not all, of them are the fruits of innate human
selfishness, and of that irrepressible ambition to rule o)er oneQs fellow men under the
con)enient@if selfCdelusi)e@ mas& of religious fer)our" Most decidedly we do
ad)ocate Kthe wonders of occultism,L i"e", the search into the hidden laws of nature@
ad)ocating them, therefore, as a science, based upon experimental research and
obser)ation, not as a &nowledge to be ac1uired through Kdi)ine inspiration,L direct
re)elation from :od, or any such supernatural means" $hus, when we are as&edR
*nd can you find none but words of ridicule for the imposing spectacle of this
frail human creature >for the best of us are frail?, rapt in silent communion with the
'oly of 'olies, leading hundreds of his fellow mortals, by the hand, out of the
dar&ness of unbelief which &ills, unto the sa)ing light of 4aithP
@we answer most emphatically in the affirmati)eE and, true to the principles of
$heosophy, we certainly find the pretentious claim supremely ridiculousY %e do not
oppose the saintly procession of the Khundreds of his fellow mortalsL being led by the
(abu by the hand" +f he can really show us that it is into light and not into dar&ness
tenfold intensified that he leads them@we will be the first to Moin in the procession,
but this is precisely what he can ne)er do"
Page D13
'ence, we prefer Kunbelief which &illsL@>only credulity? to the Ksa)ing light of
4aith,L which may sa)e agreeably to Methodist gush, but in reality transforms people
into idiots" %e ta&e nothing on faith, and would feel extremely mortified were any of
our $heosophists to accept the smallest
phenomenon on secondhand e)idence" $he Ksa)ing light of 4aithL is responsible
for fifty millions of martyrs put to death during the Middle *ges by the !hristian
!hurch" 'uman nature has hardly changed since the days of the opponents of !hrist
who as&ed him for Ka sign"L %e too want a sign and a proof that the (abuQs Ksilent
communion with the 'oly of 'oliesL is not an effect of the moon, or worse than that
@a farce" %e in)ite K2111QsL attention to the (abuQs last de)ice@that of pro)ing the
existence of :od by conMuring tric&s in his dramatic performancesR see further article
>K$he Magic of the 9ew /ispensationL?" $he world teems with prophets, and since
we neither tolerate nor belie)e in them, it is as false as it is unMust to say that we
are so intolerant of this great seer, (abu 8eshub, as to discredit all he sees
beyond the )eil, simply because his re)elations do not fit in with your >our? notions
of things, or perchance because you >we? will ha)e no prophets outside the pale of
your >our? society"
'ad K2111L said that we will ha)e no prophets either within or without Kthe
paleL of our society, then would the sentence ha)e a ring of truth in it" 6)er impartial,
we reMect both the old as the modern (alaam, and would as soon belie)e his ass
tal&ing #atin to us" %e ha)e no faith in di)inely inspired prophets, but if K2111L has,
he is welcome to it" %e firmly belie)e in the reality of clair)oyance, pre)ision and
e)en spiritual illumination, from its highest degree of de)elopment@as in adeptship,
down to its lowest form@as found in mediumship" (ut we as firmly discard the idea
of infallibility" +t is our unalterable con)iction that there ne)er was such a thing as an
absolutely infallible prophet, not since the beginning of our race, at any rate@not
e)en among the highest adepts, a limitation they are always the first to confess to, and
this is one of the reasons why our ,ociety was established"
Page D1D
%e are all liable to err, all fallibleE hence no religion, or sect, least of all one isolated
indi)idual, howe)er superior to others, has a right to claim recognition for his
doctrines only, and reMect all others on the fallacious and arrogant claim that he holds
his particular tenets from :od" +t is the greatest mista&e to assert that because we
oppose and critici.e the 9ew /ispensation@the latest folly, and missionary or
dogmatic !hristianity@the earlier one, we, therefore, exhibit hostile feelings to
(rahmoism and the !hristianity of !hrist" (rahmoism proper, as taught by RaMa Ram
Mohun Roy, or the respected and )enerable (abu /ebendranath $agore, we ha)e
ne)er ridiculed nor deprecated, nor e)er will" 5ur correspondent has but to refer to
the earlier portion of $he $heosophist to find a corroboration in it of what we say"
9or had we e)er one word to say against the pure ethics of the 4ounder of
!hristianity, but only against the mutilation by his professed followers of the great
truths enunciated by himself" (ut then between the primiti)e (rahmoism of RaMa
Mohun Roy and the 9ew /ispensation on the one hand, and the said ethics of !hrist
and the political gigantic sham now sailing under the false colours of !hristianity the
world o)er on the other, with its persecution of free thought and its ,al)ation *rmies
@there is an impassable chasm which we refuse to bridge"
K/o unto others, etc",L although a !hristian truth, may be studied and followed
by others than !hristians with ad)antage@
@we are sententiously told" %e regret to find that our critic only preaches but
does not practice that saying, at any rate not in the present case" %e may lea)e
unnoticed his mista&e in calling it Ka !hristian truthL >since it was pronounced by
!onfucius 6BB ("!" and by others still earlier?E but we cannot pass in silence the
e)ident fact that he Mudges and condemns before ha)ing thoroughly tested and
examined" Moreo)er, K2111L does not seem to be aware that our articles against the
!alcutta *postle were the legitimate results of the most unpro)o&ed and unmerited
attac&s upon oursel)es and our ,ociety@in the #iberal and still earlier in the defunct
,unday Mirror"
Page D1G
$he (abu was ne)er called in our Mournal Kan impostorL or an Kad)enturer,L not
e)en a KpretenderLE and this man, so good and great, so eternally wedded to )irtue
claiming, perchance, to ha)e recei)ed a direct command from :od to that effect, has
not scrupled in the least to daub us with such and e)en worse appellations in his
#iberal organ" #et it not be understood, howe)er, that our articles were written in any
spirit of retaliation and re)enge unworthy of the cause we ad)ocateE they were simply
and entirely due to a direct necessity of, and were penned in perfect accord with, the
declared policy of our ,ociety and paperR war to death to e)ery unpro)ed human
dogma, superstition, bigotry, and intolerance" 5ur ,ociety is a nucleus, around which
cluster only those who, besides appreciating the theoretical importance, as the
philosophical significance, of the +dea of a strongly united intellectual (rotherhood,
are ready to carry out this idea practicallyR to concede to others all that they would
claim for themsel)esE to regard as a brother any man, whether he be white, blac& or
yellow, heathen or !hristian, theist or atheistE to show, at least, an outward regard for
the respecti)e religions not only of our members, but of any manE and, to protect, in
case of need, the creeds of the former from the unMust assault and persecution of other
religionists" 4inally, ne)er to preach to, or force upon an unwilling ear our own
personal, least of all sectarian, )iews" $he success of our mission depends upon the
crushing down, and the complete extirpation of that spirit of intolerance" *nd those
who &now anything of the 9ew /ispensation and its organ, the #iberal@a misnomer
li&e the rest@need not be reminded of the disgusting spirit of dogmatism upon which
it is based" 8eshub (abu may preach and be Kdoing all he can to establish a uni)ersal
brotherhood and to harmoni.e the different scriptures of the worldL@it is all in
theory" +n practice, that (rotherhood exists for him only within the small area of his
followersE the (rahmos of the ,adharan ,amaM are there to tell how e)en they, theists
and his late coCreligionists, ha)e been treated by their selfCappointed Pope for
refusing to accept his dicta and bulls as the word of :od"
Page D16
$herefore, our (rotherhood being possible only when men are gradually made
to rise abo)e any personal ambition and that narrowCminded sectarianism that dwarfs
the area of their mental )ision and, &eeping man aloof from man, gi)es birth only to a
host of !ains pouncing upon the wea&er *bels@it becomes the imperati)e duty of
us, who are the professed leaders and pioneers of the mo)ement, to smooth the path
for those who may succeed us in our wor&" $olerant of e)erything, in e)ery other
respect we are uncompromisingly intolerant of +ntolerance and aggression"
,uch is our programme and the simple secret of our apparent
inconsistency which has appeared strange and unaccountable e)en to your >our?
warmest friends, i"e", that reMecting of the religion of !hrist alone as worthless,
accepting e)ery other system under the sun as deser)ing of study"
$he accusation being already answered, we can only express our regret that
K2111L should not ha)e read +sis ;n)eiled, half of which, at least, is de)oted to
explanations in the light of esoteric philosophy of the otherwise absurd and
meaningless texts in the (ible" 9or has he, it seems, appreciated the delicacy that
forbade us out of pure regard for the feelings of our !hristian members to autopsi.e
and dissect too much the :ospels as often as we do other ,cripturesE for while gi)ing
us carte blanche to expose missionary dogmatic !hristianity, they feel pained
whene)er they find the name of !hrist handled merely for literary and scientific
purposes"
$hus, we see that it is our Kbest friendsL who oppose and try the most to impede the
progress of our mo)ement" +t is they who remain the most blind to the necessity of
brea&ing the outward shell that is represented by the dogmas of e)ery religion, in
order to get at its &ernel@the concealed truthE and who obstinately refuse to
understand that, unless the outward co)ering is remo)ed, no one can tell whether the
fruit is a healthy one, or but a K/ead ,ea fruit,L the apple of ,odom, the outward
appearance of which is bright and attracti)e, while within all is bitter rottenness and
decay" $herefore, when our friend K2111 K assures us that both !olonel 5lcott >or his
,ociety rather? and the (abu Kare stri)ing, although in opposite directions, to reach
the same goal,L i"e", ;ni)ersal (rotherhood, it certainly only KappearsL to him and no
more"
Page D1H
4or while our ,ociety is open to e)ery sincere honest man, regardless of his religion,
the 9ew /ispensation would )iew e)en a (rahmo from another ,amaM as an heretic,
and ne)er admit him unless he subscribed blindly to all and e)ery decree of the
KMinister"L #et us bear in mind that hardly a year ago the ,unday Mirror in an
editorial, e)ery line of which breathed bigotry and intolerance, prided itself on its
adhesion to blind faith in the following strainsR K%e, the new *postles, attach )ery
little weight to the testimony of our reason, for reason is fallible"L *nd again, K%e did
not care to consult our intellect when we accepted the 9ew /ispensation"L 6)idently
not, and this is perhaps the greatest truth e)er uttered in their organ" 'a)ing thus
stigmati.ed the 9iti[Istra or the K ,cience of Reason,L how can (abu 8eshub be said
to pursue the same goal as a ,ociety which ta&es nothing on faith, but see&s for
natural causes to be explained by reason and science in e)ery phenomenon in natureP
K%hat is truthPL was the passionate demand of a Roman procurator on one of
the most momentous occasions in history" *nd the /i)ine Person who stood before
him " " " made no reply@unless, indeed, silence contained the reply" 5ften and )ainly
had that demand been made before@often and )ainly has it been made since" 9o one
has yet gi)en a satisfactory answer"Z
*nd we are as&ed to suppose it in the hands of a (abu 8eshub, or a MaMor
$uc&er"
$hen comes the Parthian arrow@
#i&e your own !ol" 5lcott, the (rahmo Missionary is aiming at pro)ing the
Kcommon foundationL of all &nown religious systemsE and he does this in a more
comprehensi)e manner and in a more catholic spirit than you
@adds our se)ere critic" $he Kcatholic spiritL of the (abu is news indeed" %hile
his aim Kat pro)ing the common foundation of all &nown religionsL may be admitted
from the fact as gi)en by the /harma $attwa >their recogni.ed organ?, that in their
temple Kon a table co)ered with red cloth are placed the four chief ,Istras of the
world@the Rig)eda, the #alita)istara, the (ible, and the 8oran,L we fail to see how
or when such a reconciliation was e)er achie)ed by the (abu"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z /raper, $he 'istory of the !onflict between Religion and ,cience, pp" 3B1C3B3"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D12
%ith the exception of ma&ing the Vedas KdanceL with the (ible, the 8oran with
the =ata&as, and Moses with !haitanya and /urga in the great Kmystic dance,L the
1uadrille of imperishable memory, we are not aware that the said reconciliation was
e)er demonstrated by the Kmighty Prophet before the #ord"L * tree is ne)er better
&nown than by its fruits" %here are the fruits of (abu 8eshubQs constant Kinter)iewsL
and dialogues with :odP !olonel 5lcott has ne)er had any such hea)enly )isits, nor
does he boast of being di)inely inspiredE yet the li)ing fruits of his labour and
untiring efforts are there in o)er three score and ten of cripples cured, of deaf men
restored to hearing, of paralytics ha)ing the use of their hitherto dead limbs, and of
young children sa)ed from the Maws of death, aye, more than that@from years of
agony" (ut enough of this lest we should tire our readersQ patience"
*nd now we must be permitted to conclude with the following obser)ations" +t
is not because we reMect personally that muchCabused term K:od,L or that we e)er
claimed to possess the whole truth oursel)es that we obMect to the claims of the holy
!alcutta choreographer or those of MaMor $uc&er" 9or is it simply to carry out our
combined duties of a $heosophist and the editor to whom this maga.ine is entrusted
that we record their combined eccentricities expressing our honest opinion thereon"
$hat which forces us to such an expression is rather a &ind of morbid shame for the
moral cowardice of man&ind, for its wea&ness@that wea&ness which e)er needs a
prop and a screen, something to support, and at the same time to hide itself in days of
temptation and sin" +t is that wea&ness that is the true creator of such abnormal
characters, the real cause that the recognition of such supernatural claims is yet
considered possible in our century" 'ence our obMection to those selfCmade K)essels
of electionL and Kof di)ine grace"L %e ha)e the greatest contempt for the soCcalled
Kmodern prophetsL of racial and tribal gods, that remain themsel)es so far an
unpro)en and unpro)able hypothesis"
Page D19
K:odL is here but a pretext, but another name for human ,6#4+,'96,,E and
,elfishness and *mbition ha)e been e)er since the first dawn of history the greatest
curses of 'umanity" Plenty were the a)ataras since the first man loo&ed up into empty
space for help, instead of trying his own intellect, and relying upon his own
omnipotent spirit" 'as any one of those KprophetsL e)er benefited man&ind, assuaged
its social wrongs and miseries, alle)iated its mental and physical woes, or lightened
in any way for it the hea)y burden of lifeP 9oY 5n the contrary, each of them has dug
for those who belie)ed in him one more deep chasm to separate his own followers
from their brothers, the apostles of some other ri)al prophetE each chasm wea&ening
still more man&ind, brea&ing it up as a strong unit into isolated wea& units, di)iding it
into inimical e)erCfighting factions" *nd thus it went on until humanity is now
absolutely honeycombed with such chasms@regular pitfalls for the wea& in intellect,
full of sectarian gall and bitterness, prolific of hatred, e)ery group e)er ready to
pounce upon its neighbours to either exterminate or drag them down into its own
pitfall" %ho will fill up those accursed pitsP 'ow many are there of absolutely
unsectarian, unselfish reformers, who ha)ing neither personal ambition, nor any other
aim in )iew but the practical good of man&ind, are ready to sacrifice themsel)es for
the great and holy tas&P *t one end the bloodyChanded anarchists, nihilists, the soC
called socialists, and, at the other, religious sectarian bigots, intolerant enthusiasts and
dogmatists, each and e)ery one of those an enemy to any man but his own coC
wor&ers" Verily, it is easy to undergo any sacrifice and physical torture of limited
duration to secure to oneself an eternity of Moy and bliss" +t is still easier especially for
an immortal :od to die to sa)e man&ind" Many were the soCcalled ,a)iours of
'umanity, and still more numerous the pretenders" (ut where is he who would damn
himself for e)er to sa)e man&ind at largeP %here is that being who, in order to ma&e
his fellow creatures happy and free on earth, would consent to li)e and suffer hour
after hour, day after day, aeon upon aeon and ne)er die, ne)er get release from his
nameless sufferings, until the great day of the MahaCpralayaP #et such a man appearE
and then when he does and pro)es it, we shall worship him as our ,a)iour, the :od of
gods, the only $R;6 *9/ #+V+9: :5/"
Page D3B
!OOTNOTES TO *3ORO"STER "ND HIS RELIGION,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 191V
U$he writer, P" /" 8handala)ala, discussing the religious teachings of 7oroaster,
remar&sR K" " " preCoccupied first of all with moral and metaphysical order, the
reformer of (actria could not fail to see before his spiritual eye " " " the 1uestion of the
origin and of the existence of 6)il" " " " *s opposed to 5rmu.d, the good :od, and the
principle of good, he admits the existence of an ad)erse principle " " " a principle
e1ual to him in puissance and similar in nature, Xthe 6)il ,piritQ, *gra Mainyous, in
Persian, *hriman" " " " *hriman has been eternal in the past as 5rmu.d, he has had no
beginning and proceeds from no anterior essence"L ;pon this '" P" (" commentsRV
Very naturally, for *hriman is@matter, the begetter of all 6)il, and the
/estroyer, since matter@eternal per se and indestructible@ha)ing to e)er change
form, destroys its units, while 5rmu.d, or ,pirit, remains immutable in its abstract
;nity and as a whole"
U$he writer as&sR K(ut how conciliate the two beings, absolute, e1ual, similar,
coCeternalPL $o this '" P" (" appends the following footnoteRV
9othing can ha)e Kno beginning and yet ha)e an endL in the literal sense" $his is
contrary to all metaphysical teaching and logic" *hriman, or 6)il, Khad no
beginning,L because no more than spirit had matter any beginning" %ere they Ktwo
coCeternal beingsL@this would be a fallacy" (ut Matter and ,pirit are one@the
former at the lower, the latter at the higher pole of (eing, differentiated in degrees,
not in their essence"

!5#" '69R< ,$66# 5#!5$$
Reproduced from $he Path, 9ew <or&, Vol" V, May, 129B"

'+, '+:'96,, /*=+ Ri=i !'*9/R* ,+9:'=66
$hI&ur ,Ihib of %adhwIn
PC122G
>!onsult *ppendix for biographical s&etch"?

Page D31
*hriman Kwill disappear from the face of the ;ni)erse,L when Kcreation,L or rather
matter in its differentiated condition, becomes Kpure as on the first dayL@i"e", when
matter gradually purified becomes once more undifferentiated, or returns to its
primiti)e condition in the se)enth state of cosmic dissolutionR and this ta&es place
periodically at the MahaCPralayas or the uni)ersal dissipation of obMecti)e matter"
U$he writer then comments upon a doctrine now professed by the Parsis which
K" " " supposes anterior to 5rmu.d and to *hriman, and abo)e them both, a uni1ue
principle source of all, X$ime illimitable,Q 7ar)anCa&arana, out of whose bosom there
shot out by way of emanation the two principles, which are to be absorbed anew one
day with the beings who people the globe"L '"P"(" comments as followsRV
*s beyond (rahmI, Vishnu and ,i)a, the K!reator,L the KPreser)erL and the
K/estroyer,L there is Parabrahman, so beyond 5rmu.d in his Kdual character of
*hourCma.daL and *hriman, is placed K7ar)anCa&aranaL@the Kone lifeL of the
(uddhists, the Parabrahman of the Vedanta *d)aitees, and the 6nCsoph of the
!haldean &abalists, placed beyond and abo)e the three trinitarian groups of the nine
,ephiroths" ,ephira, the mother of all@being exoterically the tenth, but esoterically
the essence of the nine" #et us remember that (inah >=eho)ah? is included in the first
group yet stands second to 'o&hmah or wisdom"
U+n conclusion the author as&sR K/id not 7oroaster understand that the notion of
time necessarily implied a limitP 'as he confounded it with 6ternityPL $o this '" P"
(" answersRV
K7ar)anCa&arana,L loosely translated (oundless $ime, means ne)ertheless
6$6R9+$<" +n our limited languages with their limitations of expression and as
limited a duration of life, Knotion of time implies necessarily a limit"L * difference
ought to be made between KabsoluteL and KapparentL timeE between duration and
eternity" $hus it is not 7oroaster who confounded time with eternity, but rather his
modern followers, who, instead of reading his doctrines in 7end read and interpret
them in 6nglish"
Page D33
VISISHT"DV"IT" PHILOSOPH#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 95" 2, May, 1223, pp" 196C9HV
4or the last three and odd years that your =ournal has been in existence, there
has ne)er been any contribution presenting consistently the philosophy of the
Visishtad)aita" 5riginated by ,ri RamanuMacharya, it stands between the two extreme
philosophies, respecti)ely &nown as the *d)aita and the /)aitaE and accepts all those
passages in the Vedas which are admitted by either in support of its own )iews" $here
are many points, howe)er, in the subMoined dialogue that both a /)aitee and an
*d)aitee would call into 1uestion" $he authors of the dialogue promise to answer the
obMections of the de)otees of either sect" +n the case of such emergency, the readers of
the Maga.ine and our (rothers in $heosophy, of the Madras Presidency, are referred
to ,riman ," Parthasarathy +yengar, 4"$",", residing in $riplicane, Madras"
*" :5V+9/* !;*R#;, 4"$","
!*$6!'+,M 54 $'6 V+,+,'$*/V*+$* P'+#5,5P'<
U5nly those 1uestions and answers to which '" P" (" appended
footnotes are included"V
%hat is Mo&shaP 6nMoyment of (rahma >(rahma, Parabrahma, Paramatma,
+s)ara , (haga)anta, denote the same principle? after disse)erance or disenthralment
from all material connection"
%hat is the nature of +s)araP +t has no bad but only good 1ualities, it is
e)erlasting and uni)ersal wisdomE omnipotent, ha)ing truth as its principle and final
purpose" +t is the uni)ersal Master, omnipresent, ha)ing for its body chetana
>animate? and achetana >or inanimate? natureE and it is 1uite distinct from =i)a"
Page D33
+f K(rahma, Parabrahma, Paramatma, +s)ara, (haga)anta denote the same
principle,L and are all immutable, uncreated, indestructible, omnipotent, omnipresentE
if again it has Ktruth as its principle and final purpose,L and if at the same time it Khas
no bad but only good 1ualities,L we beg to humbly en1uire the origin and the
existence of e)il in that allCper)ading and allCpowerful goodness, according, to the
Visishtad)aita Philosophy"
%hat is the nature of =i)aP =i)a parta&es of the nature of (rahma in wisdomE is
subser)ient to (rahma and is an indi)isible >spiritual? particle >monad?E can neither
be created nor destroyedE per se is changeless and has no formE and yet distinct from
+s)ara"
$he monad or K=i)aL being Kdistinct from +s)araL and yet Kchangeless per se,
uncreated and indestructible,L it must be forcibly admitted, in such a case, that there
are, not only two but numberless distinct entities in our uni)erse, that are infinite,
uncreated, indestructible and immutableP +f neither has created the other, then they
are, to say the least, on a par, and both being infinite, we ha)e thus two +nfinites plus
numberless fractionsP $he idea, if we understand it rightly, seems to us still less
philosophical than that of the :od of the =ews and !hristians who, infinite and
omnipresent, passes eternities in creating, out of himself, souls which, though
created, become immortal, i"e", eternal and, ha)ing to be present somewhere, must
either crowd off the 5mnipresent Presence or become one with it, i"e", lose their
indi)iduality li&e a lesser absorbed by a larger flame" *gain, if =i)a Kparta&es of the
nature of (rahma in wisdomL and is also eternal, indestructible and immutable li&e
the latter, then in what respect is it KdistinctL from (rahmaP
*re =i)a, +s)ara, Maya real existences >truth or realitiesP? *ll the three are true"
$his answer is incomplete, hence unsatisfactory" %e would li&e to &now in what
sense is each of these three understood to ha)e real existenceP
Parabrahma has =i)a for his bodyE he has Pra&riti for his bodyE !hit and *chit
forming the body to the indweller, +s)ara, as the primum mobile"
*nd if for K+s)araL we say the K5ne #ife,L of the (uddhists, it will come to Must
the same thing"
Page D3D
$he K5ne #ifeL or KParabrahmaL is the primum mobile of e)ery atom and is
nonexistent apart from it"
$a&e away the chit and achit, the gunas, etc", and +s)ara will be nowhere"
%hat is 8armaP +s)araQs ordination or will"
+n such case the Visishtad)aita philosophy either teaches that man is
irresponsible and that a de)otee of that sect can no more a)ert or change his fate than
the !hristian Predestinarian, or that he can do so by praying and trying to propitiate
+s)araP +n the first case +s)ara becomes an unMust tyrant, in the second@a fic&le deity
capable of being entreated and of changing his mind"
%hat does +s)ara ordainP K$hou beQst happy,L Kthou beQst unhappy,L and so on"
%hy does +s)ara so willP 5n account of the good and bad acts of =i)aR
(ut since 8arma is K+s)araQs ordination or will,L how can =i)a be made
responsible for its actsP +s)ara creating or willing the 8arma of each man, and then
punishing him for its badness, reminds us of the #ord :od of +srael who creates man
ignorant, allowing not a hair of his head to fall without his will, and then when man
sins through ignorance and the temptation of :odQs creature@the ,erpent, he is
eternally damned for it" %e suspect the Visishtad)aita philosophy of being as full of
incomprehensible mysteries which +s)ara Khas not so ordainedL that they should be
1uestioned@as missionary !hristianity itself" Auestions and answers from 9os" 3D to
3H are entirely incomprehensible to our limited conceptions" 4irst of all we are told
that the conditional existence of =i)a is Kthrough its eternal companionship with
*chit,L a state due to 8arma, i"e" +s)araQs Kordination or willLE and yet further on it is
said +s)ara so wills on account of the good and bad acts of =i)a"L $hese two
propositions seem to us to be entirely irreconcilable" %hat Kgood or bad actsL =i)a
had to do, and in what state of existence it was before +s)ara ordained or willed it into
its conditional existence, and whether e)en those acts were not due to +s)araQs
KordinationL, are 1uestions still clouded with a perfect mystery"
Page D3G
%e hope, howe)er, that our (rother, the compiler of the abo)e !atechism, will
clear our doubts upon these delicate points"
,ince =i)a is subser)ient to +s)ara and =i)a is able only to do that which he is
ordered to do, how can +s)ara punish himP *nd how does +s)ara point out, by means
of ,astras >#aws or +nstitutes? what is good and what bad, to subordinate =i)aP +s)ara
gi)es to =i)a organs >body?, etc", free will, and capability of &nowledge, and a code
explaining what must be a)oided" =i)a is dependent, but has still enough
independence gi)en him to execute the wor& entrusted into his hands" +s)ara deals out
reward or punishment accordingly as =i)a uses the functions he is endowed with, in
conformity with ,astras or not" >!onsider the conse1uences of the use or abuse of
power with which the &ing in)ests his premier"?
Precisely as in the !hristian !atechism" 'ence the latter as much as the former,
to the strictly philosophical mind, are@unphilosophical and illogical" 4or either man
is endowed with free will and then his 8arma is his own creation and not at all the
Kordination or willL of +s)ara, or he is irresponsible and both reward and punishment
become useless and unMust"
+s)ara being omnipresent, what is the meaning of Mo&shaCattainment in other
#o&asP *s soon as fullCwisdom >(rahmaMsana? is obtained, i"e", the state of complete
illumination, =i)a sha&es off his ,thula ,ariraE being blessed by +s)ara dwelling in his
heart, it goes in ,u&shnna ,arira to *pra&rita #o&a >nonCmaterial world?E and
dropping ,u&shma ,arira becomes Mu&ta >emancipated?"
K6mancipatedL then from +s)ara alsoP ,ince K+s)ara is dwelling in his heart and
that the heart forms a portion of ,thula ,arira which he has to sha&e off before he
becomes emancipated and enters into the nonCmaterial world, there is e)ery reason to
belie)e that +s)ara is Ksha&en offL at the same time as ,u&shma ,arira, and with all
the restP * true Vedantin would say that +s)ara or (rahmI is KParabrahman plus
M*<* >or ignorance?"L
'ow do you &now all this is trueP 4rom ,astras"
%hat is ,astraP $he ,acred ,criptures called KVedaL which is *nadi >had no
beginning?, *purusheya >nonChuman?, 9itya >unaffected by past, present, or future?,
and 9irdosha >pure?"
Page D36
$hat is Must what is denied by most of the Pandits who are not Vi[ishtad)aitees"
$he ,Istras can be regarded identical with the Vedas as little as the many hundred of
conflicting commentaries upon the :ospels by the soCcalled !hristian 4athers are
identical with the !hristianity of !hrist" $he ,astras are the repository of the many
indi)idual opinions of fallible men" *nd the fact alone that they do conflict in their
endless and )arious interpretations with each other, pro)e that they must also conflict
with the subMect they comment upon" 'ence@that they are distinct from, and not in
the least identical with, the Vedas"
4or )arious reasons we are unable to print, along with the abo)e translation, its
,ans&rit $ext" +t may be reser)ed for future use and portions of it published as
occasion may re1uire, to answer the possible obMections that may be brought forward
by our *d)aitee and /)aitee brothers" +n our humble opinion, since there cannot be
but one and only $ruth, the thousand and one interpretations by different sectarians of
the same and one thing are simply the outward and e)anescent appearances or aspects
of that which is too da..ling >or perchance too dar& and too profound? for mortal eye
to correctly distinguish and describe" *s already remar&ed by us in +sis ;n)eiledZ the
multitudinous creeds and faiths ha)e all been deri)ed from one primiti)e source"
$R;$' standing as the one white ray of light, it is decomposed by the prism into
)arious and eyeCdecei)ing colours of the solar spectrum" !ombined, the aggregate of
all those endless human interpretations shoots and offshoots@represent one eternal
truthE separate, they are but shades of human error and the signs of human blindness
and imperfection" 'owe)er, all such publications are useful, since they fill the arena
of discussion with new combatants and that truth can be reached at but after the
explosion of innumerable errors" %e in)ite our /)aitee and *d)aitee (rothers to
answer"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Vol" ++, p" 639"
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Page D3H
THEOSOPH# "ND RELIGIOUS RIOTS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 19HC3BBV
,ome farsighted and promising correspondent, anxious to penetrate the mystery
of the recent 8otahena riot between the (uddhists and the Roman !atholics to its
)ery roots, ma&es a desperate attempt to connect it with K!olonel 5lcott and
$heosophy"L $he correspondent belongs to the !eylon 5bser)er" $el maJtre, tel )alet"
* 'eathen 6mperor is said to ha)e struc& out from his life those days when he
had failed to benefit one human being, at the least"Z $he !hristian 6ditor of the
!eylon 5bser)er, as we ha)e but too well occasion to &now, on that day when his
paper will come out without containing se)eral lies and at least one libel, will
swallow his own tongue and thus die poisoned" K+t is argued,L writes his
correspondent, that Kalarmed by the steady if slow progress that !hristianity is
ma&ing in the +sland, and encouraged by the presence >P?] of soCcalled $heosophists,
the (uddhists ha)e roused themsel)es from their torpor, and are inclined to be more
aggressi)e than they ha)e been for a long while, if e)er"L *nd, it is represented that
@La new and extraordinary )igour was added to the re)i)al >of (uddhism by the
priest Mohottiwatte? upon the arri)al of !olonel 5lcott in !eylon " " "
WWWWWWWWWW
Z #a !lemen.a di $ito, by Pietro $" MetastasioR
KPerduto un giorno ei dice
5)e fatto no ha 1ualcun felice"L
] %hile !ol" 5lcott left !eylon six months ago, Mme" (la)ats&y has not )isited it since *ugust
12H9"
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Page D32
* good deal of enthusiasm was aroused throughout the country, while a few
educated men who suddenly remembered their faith in (uddhism, entered into the
spirit of the mo)ement"L
Auite true, so far, with that exception only that the Kre)i)al of (uddhism among
educated menL has nothing to do whate)er with the riots" +t is simply a dishonest
insinuation" %e propose to show the true causes of this unfortunate brawlE and none
but a blind partisan or fanatic will deny the statement" +t is e)ident that the
correspondent either &nows nothing of the Kmo)ement,L or that, bent upon mischief,
he tries to throw suspicion upon a body of men 1uite innocent in the matter" More
than thatE had e)ery man among the (uddhist and !hristian rioters belonged to the
$heosophical ,ociety >while there were few if any $heosophists in the procession and
none mixed in the riotZ? the correspondent would not ha)e had the opportunity of
writing the abo)e 1uoted words, since most li&ely no riot then could ha)e ta&en
place, for reasons that will be shown at the end of the present article"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $here was one nearly &illed, though, by some un&nown >P? Roman !atholic blac&guards and
thiefs ma&ing of their religion a con)enient screen for plunder" $his is what the son of that
$heosophist@than whom, there ne)er breathed a more inoffensi)e, &ind, honest gentleman@writes
about the assault in the papers"
K!+99*M59 :*R/69,, March 36th, 1223"
K+ regret to inform you that !olombo is the scene of a great riot caused by the Roman !atholics and
(uddhists"
K<esterday a KPin&amaL was ta&en from (orella to Re)d" :unnanandeQs $emple, where a festi)al is
ta&ing place since 4ebruary in commemoration of a new KVihara"L
K$he procession was composed of men, women and children, and numbered o)er 1B,BBB
>(uddhists?" *bout a 1uarter of a mile from the $emple >in the Roman !atholic 1uarters? showers of
stones, empty bottles, c", were hurled at the procession by the !atholics, and the poor (uddhists
who were unarmed were se)erely assaulted" My father who did not entertain the slightest suspicion
of his being assaulted went forward with a few Police +nspectors to 1uiet both parties, but
unfortunately he got the worst of it" 'e was dragged to the field adMoining the road and was most
unmercifully beaten with clubs and other weapons and was plundered of all that he had on his
person" 'e was brought home almost na&ed and sensejess, when medical aid was procured and he
is now under the treatment of /r" !anberry" " " "
<ours, c"
P6$6R /Q*(R6%"L
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Page D39
9o doubt it would ha)e answered far more agreeably the purposes of the !eylon
5bser)er, were e)ery (uddhist as e)ery other KheathenL the world o)er to forget
fore)er his forefatherQs faith, whether in (uddhism or any other Kism,L and thus open
himself to the far more philosophical and especially more comprehensible mysteries
of !hristianity" ;nfortunately for the 5bser)er the palmy days of hereticCroasting and
thumb screws are o)er" Religious pri)ileges are pretty e)enly distributed among the
(ritish subMects of the !rownQs !olonies >at any rate thus saith the law?, their
respecti)e creeds being left undisturbed, and e)ery one being allowed the choice as
the untrammelled exercise of his own religion" !hristian Missionaries@if the said
law and the proclamation of the Aueen 6mpress in 12G2 are not a farce@are not
granted any more religious pri)ileges and lights in the (ritish !olonies as far as we
&now, than the priests >subMects to :reat (ritain? of any other alien creed" $hat fact@
perfectly well &nown to all@that ta&ing ad)antage of the bigotry of some isolated
6uropeans, they ne)ertheless do obtain concessions that the heathen clergy do not,
and that carrying out their proselytism among 'indus and (uddhists on principles
that are often more than unfair, they ha)e succeeded in impressing a portion of the
ignorant masses with the false idea that it is the open wish of their rulers that they
should be all con)erted, does not affect at all the main 1uestion of their real rights and
pri)ileges, which remain as Mustly limited as before" $o say here, as we ha)e often
heard it said, that Kmight is rightL is unfair, since in this case it is simply priestly
cunning that has the best of, and defeats the ends of impartial Mustice and law"
;nfortunately, in e)ery country under the sun the spirit of the law is easily a)oided,
while its dead letter is as often made the weapon and pretext for the perpetration of
the most ini1uitous deeds"
$o be brief and to define our meaning clearly and at once, we shall put to our
opponents the following direct 1uestionsR@
Page D3B
1" /oes or does not the righteous (ritish law protect e1ually all its subMects,
whether 'eathen or !hristianP
3" %hile Mustly punishing a KheathenL whene)er the latter insults the religious
feelings of a !hristian, shall or shall it not also inflict the same punishment upon a
!hristian, who grossly insults and ridicules the faith of any of his KsoCcalled heathenL
or KpaganL fellow subMectsP
3" /o not !hristian missionaries >these daily and in public thoroughfares?, layC
bigots, and not only sectarian but e)en political daily papers in the (ritish !olonies
use constantly insulting and moc&ing words of (uddhist, 'indu, Mohammedan and
Parsi forms of faith, or do they ne)er do soP
D" *re all the abo)e named personages liable to be punished by law for it, or is
that law enforced only with regard to the Kheathen,L the teeming millions of +ndia and
!eylonE and ha)e the latter no protection or redress to hope for from that righteous
impartial lawP
%e )ouchsafe to say that the answer to all those 1uestions >though of course
they will ne)er be answered? would be clearly the following" K$he law is one for all"
+t protects e1ually the 'eathen and the !hristian subMects, and gi)es no more right to
the missionary or lay !hristian to insult the religion of the 'eathen, than to the latter
to insult the creed of the former"L *nd now, we challenge the missionaries the world
o)er, as the editors of most of the daily and wee&ly papers, whether conducted by
bigoted or simply nominal !hristian editors, to deny that this law is defied and
bro&en daily and almost hourly" 5f course such a denial would be impossible since
ta&ing as an instance this one 8otahena religious row in !olombo alone, we can
1uote from nearly e)ery paper in !eylon and +ndia the most insulting language used
when spea&ing of (uddhism" *nd yet of all the great religions of the world,
(uddhism is the only one which enforces upon its de)otees respect for all the alien
creeds" K'onour your own faith, and do not slander that of others,L is a (uddhist
maxim, and the edicts of 8ing *[o&a are there to corroborate the assertion" 4or
centuries, the !hristians and their missionaries in !eylon ha)e daily insulted and
re)iled (uddhism in e)ery street and corner"
Page D31
$hey did so with impunity, and ta&ing ad)antage of the mild tolerance of the
,inghalese, their lac& of energy and determination, and because (uddhism is the least
aggressi)e of all religions, as !hristianity the most aggressi)e of allR more so than
Mohammedanism now, since in this case Kmight is right,L and that the latter feel sure
to come out second best in e)ery affray with the 6uropeans" <et we doubt whether the
padris would ha)e been allowed or e)en dared to re)ile the religion of the KprophetL
as forcibly as they do (uddhism, were the +sland populated by Mohammedans
instead of being full of (uddhists" $his detail alone, that the census of 1223 shows
that there are in !eylon but 36H,DHH !hristians >6uropeans, (urghers and $amil
con)erts included? whereas the ,inghalese (uddhists count 1,692,BHB souls, ought to
show, in )iew of the aforesaid insults, a good deal in fa)our of the truly !hristli&e
patience, fortitude and forgi)eness of all offense on the part of the (uddhists,
disclosing at the same time the >as truly? unchristian, aggressi)e, bloodthirsty, fierce
and persecuting spirit of the soCcalled !hristians" $herefore, and without entering into
the useless 1uestion whether it was the (uddhist or !hristian mob that was the
aggressor, we say fearlessly that the true cause of the riot is to be sought in the
ungenerous and unlawful attitude of the !hristian padris and bigots of !eylon toward
the (uddhist religion" (uddhists are made of flesh and blood, and their religion is as
sacred to them as !hristianity is to the !hristians" $hus, it is the fanatical con)erts,
who are the true lawbrea&ers in this case, and their recogni.ed supporter in the +sland
is@$he !eylon 5bser)er" %e may as an illustration gi)e here a few 1uotations from
that sheet edited by the most bigoted (aptist, thus showing it a regular hotbed where
are daily sown the seeds of e)ery possible religious riot and sedition that may be
expected in the future, not only between (uddhists and !hristians, but e)en among
the Protestants and the Roman !atholics"
Page D33
>!eylon 5bser)er, *pril 3"?
" " " :o)ernment which recently united with that of !eylon in glorifying the
atheistic system of (uddhism by officially recogni.ing the importance of some
rubbishyZ remain of the begging bowl of the sage who taught Kthere is no !reator,L
and existence is per se an e)il, c", " " " >follow )ilifications of :o)ernment"?
>!eylon 5bser)er, *pril D"?
*s we are going to press we hear, but we can scarcely credit, the report that '"
6" the :o)ernor has written or ordered to be written an apologetic letter to the
(uddhist Priest Mohottiwatte on account of his procession ha)ing been stoppedY
%hat nextP $he news comes to us from a gentleman who had seen the letter"
'ere, K'" 6" the :o)ernorL is ta&en to tas& for acting as a gentleman, and
remembering that law has to deal with e1ual impartiality in the case of a (uddhist as
well as a !hristian priest" %ould $he !eylon 5bser)er find fault with :o)ernment
for offering its apologies to a (aptist clergymanP
>!eylon 5bser)er, March 31"?
" " " " " " +t was in conse1uence of this priestQs scurrilous and blasphemous attac&s
on !hristianity and all that the !hristian holds to be good and holy that the Roman
!atholics of (alangoda ga)e him a drubbing on ,unday last" +t is said >is it pro)edP
6d"? that this man is a disciple of the priest Mohottiwatte of 8otahena sent forth in
fact by him to attac& !hristianity " " " Religious liberty is an inestimable boon, bat if
men will deliberately turn liberty into license and act as this wretched priest is doing,
then the liberty of such men must be curtailed Kpro bono publicoL, or an excitable
people may be lashed into fury, c" c"
%ise words theseE especially, if we are shown that the sentence co)ers all the
ground applying to !hristian priests and missionaries as well"
$he KwretchedL priest, if guilty of the said accusation, merited his fate, though
no one has the right to ta&e the law into his own hands"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z KRubbishyL because@(uddhist relics" %e would stop to en1uire whether the bra)e correspondent
would e)er thin& >or perhaps dare? to spea& of !hristian relics, such as bits of the K'oly crossL or
e)en the bones of some of the Roman !atholic ,aints@as KrubbishyL in Rome for instanceP
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D33
(ut we beg permission to put some additional 1uestions@,hall not similar
Kscurrilous attac&sL upon (uddhism ha)e to be considered as KblasphemousL when
pronounced by a !hristian in the eyes of lawP *nd would not (uddhists be as
Mustified >if there can be any Mustification for the K#aw of #ynchL? were they to gi)e
Ka drubbingL to a good !hristian padri e)ery time they would catch him re)iling their
K#ord (uddha, and all they hold to be good and holyPL $he (uddhist priest is
accused of being Ka disciple of the priest Mohottiwatte " " " sent forth by him to attac&
!hristianity"L $he priest is in his own, though con1uered, country, defending his own
creed that the Must law of his rulers protects against any assault, and has probably
done no more than this, were we but to hear the other side" /oes not on the other
hand, the horde of missionaries, who in)ade this country, to which they, at least >as
most of them are *mericans and foreigners?, ha)e no con1uerorQs right, Kattac&L
(uddhism and 'induism 5penlyP %e are not told whether the Roman !atholic
rowdies who ga)e the (uddhist priest Ka drubbingL were punished for the assault or
not" $hey certainly ought toE and if not, may not such an impunity incite the
(huddhist mob to perhaps return the complimentP %ho is the aggressor and who the
first to brea& the law, ensuring to (uddhists the in)iolability of their religious rightsP
,urely not the (uddhists, but from the first the Missionaries who are e)er fanning the
latent spar& of fanaticism in the breast of their ignorant con)erts" $he (uddhists who
ha)e no right to assault or insult the de)otees of any other faith, and who would ne)er
thin& of doing it, ha)e, ne)ertheless, as good a right to preach and protect their own
faith as the !hristians ha)e@aye and a better one in !eylon, at any rate, if any of
them only remembers or &nows anything of the Proclamation of 12G2 or that of 121G,
March 3nd,Z in which *rticle G, distinctly states that@
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Proclamation read by '" 6" #ieut" :enl" (rownrigg, :o)ernor in the +sle of !eylon, acting in the
name and on behalf of his MaMesty :eorge +++ at the palace in the city of 8andy"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D3D
K$'6 R6#+:+59 54 (;//'*, PR546,,6/ (< $'6 !'+64, *9/
+9'*(+$*9$, 54 $'6,6 PR5V+9!6,, +, /6!#*R6/ +9V+5#*(#6, *9/
+$, R+:'$,, M+9+,$6R,, *9/ P#*!6, 54 %5R,'+P, *R6 $5 (6
M*+9$*+96/ *9/ PR5$6!$6/" L
%e ha)e not heard that this pledge has e)er been withdrawn or abolished" $hus,
while admitting the profound Mustness of the correspondentQs words >the italics of
which are ours?, we permit oursel)es to paraphrase the sentence and say that if
missionaries and bigots Kwill deliberately turn liberty into license and go on doing
daily as the wretchedL >(uddhist? priest has done once >or perchance has not done it,
at all? then the liberty of such men must be curtailed pro bono publico >i" e", of the
maMority of 1,692,BHB (uddhists as against a minority of 36H,DHH !hristians?, or the
masses of the people, were they as mee& and humble as lambs, may be lashed into
fury some day, and@produce riots worse than the one under notice at !olombo"
4or further corroboration we in)ite the attention of whom this may concern, to
the issue of =anuary 36, 1223, of the Moslem 4riend" %e as& but to compare the
utterances of its Mussulman editor with those of the !hristian editor of the !eylon
5bser)er" %e 1uote from it a sentence or two"
#ast month when we were in company with some of our friends at Matara, we
happened to read in the !eylon 5bser)er an editorial condemning our #ord the
Prophet, ridiculing our religion and insulting 'is MaMesty the ,ultan" 5ne of the
hearers grew so indignant as to gi)e expression to se)ere in)ecti)es against the editor
of the 5bser)er, and we had to pacify him by addressing the company as followsR@
X/ear friends, Mr" 4erguson is undoubtedly a gentleman >P? of considerable learning
and research, " " " " " " but on the subMect of religion he is nothing but a fanatic and his
utterances are not entitled to any serious consideration " " " " " " 'is remar&s on our
religion, of which he is ignorant, are therefore not worthy of any notice" " " " " " "
%e as& any unpreMudiced reader whether KMr" 4ergusonL had not merited a
KdrubbingL from the Mussulmans as well as the hypothetical (uddhist priest from the
Roman !atholicsP *ll honour to the infidel nonC!hristian editor who gi)es such a
lesson of tolerance to the (aptist fanaticY
%e conclude with the following letter from Kanother correspondentL@gi)ing
the true )ersion of the 8otahena riot"
Page D3G
,ince it is published in the !eylon 5bser)er and left uncontradicted, we ha)e
e)ery reason to belie)e the account correct" *pparently the editor, notwithstanding
his desire, could not in)alidate the statements therein contained"
<our account of the riot at 8otahena is correct as far as it goes, but it is made to
appear from that, that the (uddhists were the aggressorsR a little more truth which has
been suppressed will show that the Roman !atholics were the aggressors" *t between
11h3 and 3 oQcloc& on ,unday the toxin was sounded in three Roman !atholic
churches, and within fifteen minutes of that three (uddhist priests were se)erely
assaulted with clubsR :eorge ,il)a Mudaliyar of :reen #odge will testify to this, for
he ga)e refuge to the priests" *fterwards nearly 1BB men or more with clubs attac&ed
e)ery one they met in :reen #odge ,treetR hence 3B were ta&en to hospital" $hese
Roman !atholic scoundrels, fishermen from Muti)al, got into premises and struc&
people" 8onay ,aram, son of the late Maha Mudaliyar, was se)erely assaulted with
clubs in his own gardenE #awrence, brother of the head cler&, !olonial 5ffice, was
assaulted in his own )erandah, the ta)ern was robbed of moneyE other people,
innocent of e)erything, were chipped" *ll this too& place long long before the
pin&ama came, and when the pin&ama came, the procession and police were attac&ed"
%ith regard to the image of =esus it is a barefaced untruthR MaMor $ranchell and the
+nspectors will testify to this" !ould you belie)e for a moment that these gentlemen
would ha)e escorted a procession with these effigiesPZ
4ault is found because yesterday people from 8oratola came armed" %hy did
they do soP 9ot to attac&, but to defend themsel)es, for their priests were assaulted,
their friends murdered, their procession tumbled into fields, their carts burnt the day
before, and therefore they came prepared to defend themsel)es" %as it right, after
permission was gi)en by the authorities, and scores of pounds spent on the pin&ama,
and miles upon miles wal&ed by the poor women and children, to stop the
processionP %hy not ha)e ta&en charge of the arms and other weapons and safely
escorted them to the %iharaP 'as the Roman !atholic only pri)ilegesP $he defence
of +rish horrors and the ring of the tocsin are the same" %hy did not the Roman
!atholic priests step out amongst the crowd and 1uell their peopleQs disturbanceP !an
the Roman !atholic priest go forth now into the country without the ris& of being
assaulted, and who &nows whether Protestant missionaries may not be similarly
handledP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z * false report was spread by the Roman !atholics, that the (uddhist procession carried on a stic&
the image of a crucified mon&ey"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D36
$his settles the matter and we can lea)e it to rest" $he sworn e)idence of MaMor
$ranchell, *cting +nspector :eneral of Police, shows also that it is not the (uddhists
who were the aggressors,Z and now what is the moral to be deduced from, and the
conclusions to come to, after reading the dishonest hints thrown out by the !eylon
5bser)er, who would incriminate $heosophy in the matterP ,imply this" %hat has
happened and threatens to happen any day is due to the aggressi)e policy, intolerance
and bigotry of the !hristian con)erts and the absence of e)ery effort on the part of
their priests to control their turbulent spirit"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z +n support of our assertion, we gi)e the following extracts from MaMor $ranchellQs e)idence, as
published in the (ombay :a.ette of Hth *prilR@-+ am acting +nspector :eneral of Police" + )erbally
authorised the procession to come to 8otahena to the (uddhist $emple " " " " " " 'a)ing heard that on
a pre)ious occasion offence was ta&en by the !atholics at images in a (uddhist procession, + sent
,uperintendent 'olland to inspect the procession were it started !lose to the turning up of ,t"
#uciaQs ,treet, + saw a )ery large and excited mob armed with bludgeons and sword of the sword
fish " " " " " " ,eeing all the mob excited and all armed, + apprehended )iolence" Most of the men in
the crowd had a white cross painted on their foreChead or waist" + belie)ed them to be Roman
!atholics " " " " " " *s we neared, a number of men >R" !atholics? approached towards us determined
to resist us, with yells, bludgeons and all &inds of things " " " " " " and, we were met with a shower of
bric&bats and stones from the opposing party " " " " " " Meantime the (uddhists forced three double
bulloc& carts with paraphernalia on " " " " " " $here were no missiles in them" *s the carts neared the
!atholics, a body of the latter ran down, sei.ed the bulloc&s, belaboured and &illed fi)e of them,
and the carts were drawn up in a heap and set on fire" Meantime showers of bric&bats and stones
were thrown, " " " " " " *dMutant of the R" /" 4" rode up a little in ad)ance of the troops when the
!atholics seeing that Military assistance was at hand, gradually dispersed " " " " " " %hen + passed the
(uddhist procession they had no offensi)e weapons in their hands" $here was a )ery large number
of women, se)eral hundreds, in the procession" +t was a perfectly orderly procession, going in 1uite
a proper mannerL " " " " " " +n his crossCexamination, the following facts were disclosedR@-$here
were girls and women of all ages" + went right through the procession from beginning to end" +
loo&ed as well at e)erything as + could, and + saw nothing obMectionable " " " " " " (uddhists ha)e had,
+ am informed, a general permit for a procession in the month of March, but in my mind there was a
doubt whether they should ha)e it on :ood 4riday and ,aturday, and + saw some leading (uddhists,
and they agreed not to ha)e any on those days, to a)oid annoying the !atholics" $hey then pressed
for one for 6aster ,unday " " " " " " + consulted the R" !" (ishop, who said there would not be the
slightest obMection to the procession on 6aster ,unday" 'e seemed pleased that the (uddhists had
deferred to them in respect of the 4riday and ,aturday, and seemed anxious, if anything that they
should ha)e it on the ,unday"L

/R" ,*M;6# !'R+,$+*9 4R+6/R+!' '*'96M*99
1HGGC12D3
Reproduced from 'ahnemannR $he *d)enturous !areer of a Medical
Rebel, by Martin :umpert, 9ew <or&R #" (" 4isher, 19DG"
>!onsult *ppendix for biographical s&etch"?

=5'9 /66
1G3HC16B2
4rom an old painting reproduced in =ohn /ee, by !harlotte 4ell
,mith, #ondonR !onstable !o", 19B9"
>!onsult *ppendix for biographical s&etch"?
Page D3H
+t is again and once more the old but suggesti)e fable about the K6)il oneL
repeatedE the de)il who to defeat :od and thwart the ends of =ustice and of Right
sows on earth the seeds of the thousand and one conflicting religious sectsE the seeds
sprouting and growing into the strong weeds that must stifle finally man&ind, unless
speedily destroyed and annihilated" $o accuse the $heosophical ,ociety of the
!olombo riot is as wise as to throw upon it the blame of the proposed dynamite
horrors in #ondon under the laudable pretext that there are +rish gentlemen among its
members" $he ,ociety has no creed, and respects and teaches e)ery member to
respect all creeds, while honouring and protecting his own abo)e all others" +t has
!hristians as well as 'indus and 4reethin&ers among its members in !eylon, though
the great maMority are certainly (uddhists"
WWWWWWWWWW
*ll this clearly pro)es that@>1? $he alleged image of a Kmon&ey on the crucifixL was a false
pretext to attac& the (uddhistsE >3? $he (uddhists had not the remotest idea that they would be
assaulted, as they would not in that case ha)e brought their women of whom there were Kse)eral
hundredsL in the procession, and would not ha)e come armless and defenceless but would ha)e
as&ed the protection of the *uthoritiesE >3? $he maMority >the (uddhists? ga)e deference to the
feelings of a comparati)ely )ery small minority >the !atholics? as ac&nowledged by the R" !"
(ishop himself but were the first )ictims of their good natureE >D? +t was left to the (uddhists, the
:odless 'eathens, to set an example to the !hristians by adhering to the alleged teaching of !hrist,
)i.", K#o)e thy neighbour as thyselfLE >G? $he bloodthirstiness of the !atholics is exemplified in
their &illing the poor bulloc&s who certainly had no responsible share in the processionE >6? $he
Roman !atholic (ishop, although apparently satisfied for the tolerant spirit of the (uddhists, did
not ta&e care to control the intolerant enthusiasm of his Kcon)erts,L by sending some priests or
going immediately to the spot of the riot and ordering them to desist from such disgraceful actsE >H?
9either the !atholic priests, if any, were near the scene of action, nor the laity, some of whom were
there and who were KbeggedL by MaMor $ranchell to Kuse their influence with the !atholics,L would
do it" $hese facts spea& for themsel)es and no further comment is necessary"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D32
!hristian 4ellows ha)ing the right to protect and defend their faith, the
(uddhists ha)e the same right as also that of aiming at Kthe re)i)al of (uddhism"L ,o
strict are our rules, that a member is threatened with immediate expulsion, if being a
$heosophist, he opposes or brea&s the law of the country he inhabits,Z or preaches his
own sectarian )iews to the detriment of those of his fellow brothers"] %e in)ite the
!eylon 5bser)er to search among the thousands of $heosophists to find any
lawbrea&er, criminal or e)en one a)owedly immoral man among them@no one being
able, of course, to answer for the hypocrites"
%e conclude by pointing out once more to the deadly results of sectarian
fanaticism" *nd, we assert, without fear of being contradicted, that were all to
become $heosophists, there would be neither in +ndia nor in !eylon religious or any
other riots" +ts members may and will defend themsel)es and their respecti)e
religions" $hey will ne)er be found the aggressors in any such disgraceful
disturbances"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z *rt" F+V"@*ny fellow con)icted of an offence against the Penal !ode of the country he inhabits,
shall be expelled from the ,ociety"@ >Rules of the $" ,"?
] *rt" V+"@9o officer of the ,ociety, in his capacity of an officer, nor any member,Chas the right to
preach his own sectarian )iews and beliefs, or deprecate the religion or religions of other members
to other 4ellows assembled, except when the meeting consists solely of his coCreligionists"@>Rules
of the $" ,"?
$he underlined sentence shows that in preaching (uddhism in !eylon, !ol" 5lcott only exercises
his right, since he preaches it to a meeting intended to consist solely of his coCreligionists" 9o
!hristians are in)ited nor need they come" 9o one can accuse the President of preaching (uddhism
to 'indus, or anything but ethics when there is a mixed assembly of $heosophists of different
faiths"@6d"
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Page D39
THE M"GIC O! THE NEW DISPENS"TION
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 3BBC3B1V
U'" P" (" begins by 1uoting from $he 9ew /ispensation of *pril 1, 1223, a long
description of a number of conMuring feats with a supposed symbolical significance
performed by 8eshub !hunder ,en at one of his religious meetings" 5n this she
commentsRV
$he (rahmo Public 5pinion gi)ing us an insight into, and an explanation of, what
otherwise may ha)e been mista&en by many KinnocentsL for pa&&I KmiraclesL
produced by the di)ine Visitor, who stands accused of calling daily upon the minister
of the 9ew /ispensation@)entilates its Must wrath in the following remar&sR
5n the e)e of his intended gradual retirement from public life, (abu 8eshub
!hunder ,en seems bent upon exhibiting to the world all his accomplishments" +t is
still remembered by the friends of his schoolboy days that (abu 8eshub !hunder ,en
could successfully imitate some of the arts of celebrated Mugglers" (ut with the
growth of earnest thought and more serious occupation, these gay frea&s of his youth
were 1uietly forgotten, and Mr" ,en found himself heading 1uite a different
mo)ement" (ut now, as if he had nothing more serious to do, he seems busy with
beguiling himself and the public, with the boyish feats of his schooldays" $he most
recent addition to his already numerous in)entions, has been the display of feats of
Mugglery on the occasion of the last performance of the 9ew /ispensation drama " " "
$he reader need only be told in addition, that the Muggler was (abu 8" !" ,en himself"
%e are sorry indeed that the name of :od was thus made the subMect of Mugglery, and
that religion was e)er associated with the arts of the magician" " " " ,urely his ideas of
the fitness of things, and his re)erence for the name of religion, must ha)e undergone
a great change before he could descend so low" *fter this we pity Mr" P" !"
Moo.oomdar the more, for he has ta&en upon himself a hopeless tas&, that of
defending a chief who is actually playing duc&s and dra&es with his reputation as a
minister of religion"
Page DDB
%hile pitying the ruffled feelings of our gra)e contemporary@whose religious
susceptibilities must ha)e recei)ed a terrible shoc&@we can neither sympathi.e with,
nor yet confess to any such sorrow on our part" +ndeed, we rather feel highly gratified
with the new de)elopment" %ith an eye to future e)ents we already percei)e that the
hitherto unprecedented mode of worshipping, will soon find worthy imitators and
thus achie)e the grandest results" $here is hope that following the good example, in
another decade or so, half of the population of +ndia@Mussulman der)ishes and
!hristian ,al)ationists helping@will turn its temples, mos1ues and churches into
theatres and circuses, for purposes of religious tamashas" $hus, the Kdeeper principles
of the new faithL will be henceforth explained, indeed, Kas they had ne)er been
explained before"L $hen, the hoi polloi will be Ktaught di)ine wisdomL by padriC
chorographers, whose flying battalions on the light fantastic toe may be used for the
purpose of swiftly pursuing and catching sinners by their coat tails and headCloc&s, to
be sa)ed whether they will or notE and we may hope to see KpadriCnautches,L KpadriC
minstrelsL and KpadriCMadoowallas"L $he alliance and &ind brotherly help of the
(hutan and ,i&&im /ugpaClamas, as that of the ,inghalese de)ilCdancers, is strongly
recommended in this case" +t is to be sought by all means, and their costumes, solemn
aweCinspiring mas&s of pigsQ and bulloc&sQ heads, and tuition, than&fully accepted
and adopted" $he signs of the times are all there, and a most important religious
reform in a near future may be expected now with full confidence"
(ut there are other reasons why we should feel than&ful to the great !alcutta
artist and de)iser" 5ut of se)eral KreformersL of benighted +ndia, one, at any rate, has
now condescended, with extremely laudable sincerity, to put aside his canting role of
K:od confabulatingL seer, to appear@if we can credit the (rahmo Public 5pinionQs
information, in what seems to be his inborn characteristics@those of a KclownishC
loo&ing MugglerL who, from his schoolboy days, Kcould successfully imitate some of
the arts of celebrated Mugglers"L
Page DD1
$hen, besides the fact that the world of theists cannot be too than&ful to (abu
8eshub !" ,en for trying to infuse into the usual owlCli&e gra)ity of prayers and
di)ine worship a strea& of innocent mirth, sport and frolic@drollery ne)er failing to
attract more than ir&some prosy solemnity@the charming no)elty of the thing should
be also ta&en into consideration" 6nacting parables and Kperforming wonderful
conMuring tric&sL for the greater glory of :od, is not an e)eryday sightR and we ha)e
now the explanation of the profound sympathy shown to, and the passionate defense
of, the processional and professional ,al)ationists by the !alcutta mystic"
Melpomene and $erpsichore are sweet sisters to $halia of the mas& and shepherdQs
croo&, and our (abu seems to be bent on de)oting all the nine Muses to the ser)ice of
:od, including 6rato, made so much of by 8ing ,olomon" $rue, it may be obMected
that the main idea@that of pro)ing that K:od can be seen and heardL by the help of
bogus phenomena and Kmagical apparatusL@is not exactly no)elE in fact, that it is as
old as the hills" (ut it bodes fair that the K9ew 4aithL should follow so closely in the
wellCtrodden paths of the Kold ones"L *nd e)en though@from the day, in fact, that the
first couple of Roman *ugurs had upon meeting to plug their chee&s with their
tongues to conceal laughter, and down to our own times when the holy 9eapolitan
friars are still entrusted with the delicate operation of ma&ing ,t" =anuariusQ blood boil
and sing@the priests and ser)ants of :od of nearly all other creeds ha)e to call in
occasionally Mugglery to their help to pro)e the existence of their respecti)e deities@
this detracts nothing from (abu 8eshubQs glory, as a genuine in)entor and a
disco)erer" $he additional and )ery sensational method adopted by him of boldly
proclaiming the soiCdisant di)ine miracles as simply conMuring tric&s, is as unusual as
it is no)el, and is as highly commendable" %e ta&e (abu 8eshub under our
protection, and recogni.e his e)ery right to demand a patent from both the #ord
(ishop of !alcutta and the MaharaMa of the Vallabhacharyas"
+n addition to all this he has shown himself a true democrat and the protector as
well as the benefactor of the humble and the poor"
Page DD3
$he strolling, na&ed Madoowalla has now e)ery claim to the title of Kteacher, who
imparts wisdom through allegories and metaphors"L $hus, whene)er we witness from
the secure depths of our )erandah, a street Muggler offering his mongoose a dainty
lunch off the head of a foredoomed cobra, and see further on the latter @though
headless@resurrected to life in half an hour or so owing to the miraculous influence
of a mon&eyQs s&ull placed on the beheaded trun& of the serpent, we will bear in mind
Kthe deep spiritualityL " " " contained in this Kmagical feat"L Remembering the wise
lesson that Kgreat prophets and seers ha)e spo&en >and actedP? in parables,L and that
K:od always spea&s through nature,L as his de)otee we will hear and understand 'im
the better owing to the great lesson taught through the KmongooseCcobraCmon&eyL
tric&" 4or the first time in our life, we will clearly percei)e that the mongoose
represents infallible Kdi)ine wisdom, or blind faith,L de)ouring and swallowing up,
li&e *aronQs rod, K'uman ReasonL or Kfallible intellectL@the latter, agreeably with
the tenets of the 9ew /ispensation the de)ilQs gift, Kthe formidable foe " " " at whose
hands it >the 'oly /o)e or 'oly :host, which is the same thing? e)entually fell a
)ictim"L $he mon&eyQs s&ull, of course, will remain an emblem of the acti)e
potentiality, in our sight, of that same blind faith to resurrect dead animals and extract
moonbeams out of cucumbers@in the allegorical and metaphorical sense" 'ence, our
profound gratitude to the Minister who through his inexhaustible arsenal of religioC
mystical in)entions, has taught us a ne)erCtoCbeCforgotten lesson of wisdom" ,ome
slight impro)ements in the programme may, perhaps, be also respectfully suggested"
$hus, for one, the roseCwater and sherbet meant to demonstrate practically the e)erC
flowing Knectar of :odQs lo)e, through a small pipeL@first, in consideration to the
drin&ing preferences of !alcutta, Kthe holy city of *rya)art,L and then as a fitter
emblem of one of the attributes of the KMa&er of all lifeL@might be suggestfully
replaced by genuine eauCdeC)ie, the Kwater of lifeL of the 4renchman" *part from this
trifling change, we find little to critici.e in the new departure, but on the contrary
)enture to predict it the brightest future"
Page DD3
'is reform must in time pro)e fruitful in results, as in the words of the (ishop of
/urham, commenting upon the ,al)ation *rmyR Kthe exaltation of sensationalism
into a system is perilous in the extreme" %hen the most solemn e)ents " " " are
tra)estied, and the deityQs name profaned in parodies and common songs@awe and
re)erence being the soul of the religious life@he, therefore, who degrades the chief
obMects of religion by profane associations, stri&es at the )ery root of that religion"L
WWWWWWWWWW
DEV"CH"N
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 3B3V
%ill you &indly permit me a 1uestionP
+n Vol" +V, 9o" 3, on page 39, + find, that in the state described as /e)achan the
spiritual monad leads for )ery long periods an existence of unalloyed satisfaction and
conscious enMoyment, howe)er without acti)ity, without exciting contrasts between
pain and pleasure, without pursuit and achie)ement"Z
9ow, how can a conscious existence without acti)ity or pursuit be one of
satisfaction or enMoymentP %ould not annihilation be preferable to such a state of
indolenceP +n the !hristian hea)en there is at least the wa)ing of palm lea)es and
harping" * poor amusement indeedE but better than nothingP Please explain"
'oping that my in1uisiti)eness will gi)e no offence"
+ am )ery respectfully,
<our obedient ser)ant,
R" '*R$M*99, 4"$","
:eorgetown, !olorado, =anuary 31"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UVide K/eath and +mmortality,L in the present Volume, where '" P" (" appends a long explanation
to 9"/"8"Qs #etter to the 6ditor"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DDD
5ur correspondentQs 1uestion has been already anticipated by the important
appendices added to the recent K4ragmentL on /e)achan"Z $o reali.e the conditions
of spiritual existence of any sort it is necessary to get abo)e the plane of merely
physical perceptions" 5ne cannot see the things of the spirit with the eyes of the flesh,
and one cannot successfully appreciate subMecti)e phenomena by help only of those
intellectual reflections which appertain to the physical senses" K'ow can a conscious
existence without acti)ity or pursuit be one of satisfaction or enMoymentPL +t would
only emphasi.e the mista&en idea which this 1uestion embodies if one were to as&
instead, Khow can a conscious existence without athletic sports and hunting be one of
enMoymentPL $he cra)ings of manQs animal or e)en bodily human nature are not
permanent in their character" $he demands of the mind are different from those of the
body" +n physical life an e)erCrecurring desire for change impresses our imagination
with the idea that there can be no continuity of contentment, without )ariety of
occupation and amusement" $o reali.e completely the way in which a single )ein of
spiritual consciousness may continue for considerable periods of time to engage the
attention@not only the contented, but the delighted attention@of a spiritual entity, is
probably possible only for persons who already in life ha)e de)eloped certain inner
faculties, dormant in man&ind at large" (ut meanwhile our present correspondent may
perhaps deri)e some satisfaction from the fact@as explained in recent essays on the
subMect@that one sort of )ariety is de)eloped in /e)achan in a )ery high degreeE )i.",
the )ariety which naturally grows out of the simple themes set in )ibration during
life" +mmense growths, for example, of &nowledge itself are possible in /e)achan,
for the spiritual entity which has begun the KpursuitL of such &nowledge during life"
9othing can happen to a spirit in /e)achan, the &eynote of which has not been struc&
during lifeE the conditions of a subMecti)e existence are such that the importation of
1uite external impulses and alien thoughts is impossible"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his K4ragmentL was mainly a paraphrase of the teachings contained in #etter 9o" FFV of $he
Mahatma #etters to *" P" ,innett"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DDG
(ut the seed of thought once sown, the current of thoughts once set going >the
metaphor may freely be )aried to suit any taste?, and then its de)elopments in
/e)achan may be infinite, for the sixth sense there and the sixth principle are our
instructorsE and in such society there can be no isolation, as physical humanity
understands the term" $he spiritual ego in fact, under the tuition of his own sixth
principle, need be in no fear of being dull, and would be as li&ely to sigh for a dollQs
house or a box of ninepins as for the harps and palm lea)es of the mediae)al 'ea)en"
WWWWWWWWWW
THE SEVENTEEN-R"#ED SUN-DISC
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 3B3V
$he following interesting letter was recei)ed by us from 4resno, !alifornia" *s
it is a pri)ate one, we can gi)e but extracts from it"
6xploring !opun and Auirigua in 'onduras and :uatemala last year, + had the
good fortune to ma&e a disco)ery, which + am sure will interest you" *s you are
aware, the most prominent sculptured monuments in !opun consist of fourCsided
columns of from 1B to 13 feet high" $hese columns represent generally only on one
side large sculptured personages in high relief"
$he other sides again contain ornaments and glyphic inscriptions, hitherto not
read or deciphered" 5ne pillar, not pre)iously described, howe)er, contains only
hieroglyphics arranged on all sides" +t seems to be a record, perhaps of laws, perhaps
of historical e)ents" $his pillar is about 1B feet high, and the sides 3 and D feet wide
respecti)ely" (ut the most remar&able UfeatureV is that this pillar was co)ered by a cap
in the shape of a )ery low truncate pyramid" 5n this pyramid was seen a forced dead
head of colossal dimensions and surrounding the same was an expanded KsunCdisc,L
crowning the )ery cap" $he rays of the sunCdisc were distinctly mar&ed" $he
similarity of the same and the sunCdisc common in the 6gyptian monuments was so
mar&ed, that it immediately struc& me that the number of rays must be 1H, the sacred
number of the 6gyptian sunCdisc" ;pon counting the rays they were found to be as
expected@1H"
Page DD6
9ow is this a pure Kcoincidence,L or is it another lin& in the bro&en and scattered
chain, whose finding points toward an ancient connection between the !entral
*merican peoples, the Mayas and other races, and the 6gyptians by means of a
connecting *tlantisP
*nother curiosity, naturally a Kcoincidence,L is worthy of notice" 5ne of these
sculptured personages dressed in priestly robes and holding in his hand a small s1uare
box, has his legs abo)e the sandals ornamented with the !R6,!69$" $he same sign
was used by the Romans to signify immortality and similarly placed abo)e the
sandals"
!annot your transC'imalayan (rothers gi)e us any clue to these hieroglyphics
inscribed on the !entral *merican MonumentsP 5r ha)e you no Psychometrists who
could decipher them psychometrically" +f any one should be willing to try to do so, +
would send him a small portion of one of the glyphs + ha)e in my possession, and
maybe some good will come out of it"
6" :"
*ssuredly the disco)ery mentioned in the abo)e letter@the pillar with its 1HC
rayed sunCdisc@points once more to an ancient connection between the central
*merican peoples and the lost continent of *tlantis" $he uniformity in the symbolic
meanings of *merican anti1uities, and of anti1uities connected with the K%isdom
ReligionL in 6gypt or any other parts of 6urope or *sia where they may be obser)ed,
is certainly far more remar&able than would be agreeable to theorists who wish to
account for it by help of that hardCwor&ed ser)ant@coincidence" +t has been traced
with great patience through many different departments of archaeology by Mr"
/onnelly in his recent *tlantisR the *ntedilu)ian %orld" $he second part of the title of
this )olume, by the way, will not be 1uite acceptable to students of the subMect who
approach it from the side of occult science" $he deluge is better left alone until
cosmogony is more generally understood than at present" $here is no one deluge that
can con)eniently be ta&en as a turning point in the worldQs history@with e)erything
before that antedilu)ian, and e)erything of later date@postdilu)ian" $here ha)e been
many such deluges cutting UoffV the )arious races of man&ind at the appointed time in
their de)elopment" $he situation has already been referred to in the K4ragments of
5ccult $ruth"L /uring the occupation of the 6arth for one period by the great tidal
wa)e of humanity, se)en great races are successi)ely de)eloped, their end being in
e)ery case mar&ed by a tremendous cataclysm which changes the face of the earth in
the distribution of land and water"
Page DDH
$he present race of man&ind, as often stated, is the fifth race" $he inhabitants of
the great continent of *tlantis were the fourth race" %hen they were in their prime,
the 6uropean continent was not in existence as we &now it now, but none the less was
there free communication between *tlantis and such portions of 6urope as did exist,
and 6gypt" $he ancient 6gyptians themsel)es were not an *tlantic colony" Mr"
/onnelly is mista&en on that point, but the %isdom Religion of the initiates was
certainly identical and hence the identities of symbolical sculpture" $his is what the
K'imalayan (rothersL say" %hether any of our psychometrists will see any further
depends on the degree of their de)elopment" *t any rate, we accept the offer of our
esteemed correspondent with than&s and will expect the promised portion of the
glyph, before we )enture to say anything further"
WWWWWWWWWW
DO THE RISHIS E$IST(
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 3B3V
%ith reference to a K'indu $heosophistQsL 1uery and your reply thereto on page
1D6 of the March $heosophist whether 'indu rishis of old do exist in flesh and blood,
what say you to the communication of the Madras <ogi, ,abhapati ,wami in $he
$heosophist of March, 122B, Vol" +, p" 1D6P
$hus writes ,abhapati ,wamiR K$he founder of our *shrum, )i."R 'is 'oliness
the *gastya Mooni, who died, according to the common chronology, many thousand
years ago, is still li)ing, with many other rishis of his time"L $he italics are not mine"
*95$'6R '+9/; $'65,5P'+,$"
%e say >a? that our correspondentQs 1uotation being on page 1D6 he might easily
ha)e glanced on page 1DH and found >col" 1? the following remar&R
Page DD2
K+t is presumably almost needless, in )iew of the paragraph on the opening page,
to remind the reader that the 6ditors of the =ournal are not responsible for any )iews
or statements contained in communicated articles, etc"L
>b? $hat ,abhapati ,wami is welcome to imagine and may belie)e that the moon
is made of green cheese and pro)e himself )ery sincere in his belief" (ut what has
that to do with the 6ditorQs belief upon the subMectP and >c? that all the 'indus, past,
present and future, to the contrary, could not ma&e us belie)e that a man of our
present fifth race, and of the fourth cycle Round, can or e)er could li)e more than
3BB to DBB years in one body" %e belie)e in the latter, i"e", we &now it to be possible,
though highly improbable in the present stage of e)olution, and so rare a case as to be
nigh un&nown" +f science in the face of /r" Van 5)en gi)es 1H examples of age
exceeding 1GB, and /r" (ailey in his Records of #onge)ity a few as high as 1HB@
then it does not re1uire a great stretch of KcredulityL in admitting the possibility of
reaching through adept powers the double of that age" $herefore, if we claim to &now
that such a thing is possible, ,abhapati ,wami has perhaps an e1ual right to claim
that he also &nows that some exceptional men >Rishis? li)e Kse)eral thousand years"L
+t is a matter of personal opinion@and it remains with the public Mury to decide who
of us is nearer the truth"
WWWWWWWWWW
COMMENT ON *"NOTHER /SPIRITU"L0 PU33LE,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 3B3C3BD"V
U;nder the abo)e title is published a letter in which the writer relates a curious
experience, and as&s for an explanation" 'e had been subMect to Kmost unpleasant
sensationsL for a wee& subse1uent to the sudden death of his neighbour whom he
K&new little,L finally recei)ing Kthrough impressionsL a communication from him"
$he deceased neighbour appeared to be see&ing sympathy and help" *t the same time
the widow of the deceased called upon the writer, saying that she had seen her
husband, and he had tried to spea& with her"
Page DD9

$he letter ends with the 1ueryR K%hat is the explanation, presuming, of course,
that the two manifestations were from the same sourcePL
'"P"(" appends the following noteRV
$his letter has been neglected for some time by reason of more pressing claims
on our attention" $he case described is an illustration of spiritual communications of a
class which )ery naturally render empirical obser)ers of such phenomena reluctant to
accept what is ne)ertheless their true explanationR $he Kcommunicating intelligenceL
is not really an intelligence at allE it is partly a reflection of ideas in the mind of the
li)ing medium, partly a sur)i)al of impulses imparted to the &amaCrupa, or fourth
principle of the deceased person, before the separation therefrom of the intelligence
which really belonged to it in life" $he long message imparted by impression to our
correspondent ta&es its form from his own mind" 'is friend must ha)e died thin&ing
of him, howe)er slight their ac1uaintance was during life" $he true soul of the dead
man went its own way ha)ing the fourth principle, the agent and instrument of its
)olitions during life, impressed with an unfulfilled impulse to communicate with our
correspondent" $he &amaCrupa then blindly and unconsciously awaited its
opportunity and pressed in the direction of its fulfilment" $he )ision seen by the
widow was pro)o&ed by another of the dead manQs latter impulses@perhaps the )ery
last and strongest" $he &amaCrupa had, so to spea&, recei)ed its orders which it could
not help fulfilling"
Page DGB
P"R"BR"HM' DE!INED B# VED"NTINS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223" pp"3BDC3BGV
+ beg to call the attention of those who are interested in the 1uestion of
KPersonal, +mpersonal, or 9o :od,L to the following extract of a dialogue in ;rdu
which too& place between myself and a ,annyasi >(rahmin ascetic? at #ahore
Railway station on the e)ening of the 3rd instant" 'e is a !hela of a Vedantin
,annyasi of (enares &nown as ,an&arC:iri ,wami" 'e has studied, he said, :uru :JtI
and ;panishads" 'e refused to gi)e out his name, of course, for no ,annyasi will e)er
gi)e it"
A"R +s :od &indP
*"R Paramatma is the sat >essence? of e)erything and all the rest is mithya
>illusion? brought on by ignorance" $here is nought but Parabrahm" $o whom or to
what then can it be &indP
:"R /o you prayP
*"R $o whom am + to prayP + do not, for + am myself Parabrahm" + only
contemplate" !ontemplation is a state of mind"
" " " " " "
A"R *re you then a nasti&a >atheist?P
*"R 9o"
A"R *re you a Mussulman or a !hristianP
*"R 9either"
A"R %hat religion to you then belong toP
*"R + am a (uddhist, that is to say, a Vedantin of ,an&aracharyaQs school"
+ thrice 1uestioned whether he was a (uddhist, and to my utter ama.ement he
thrice replied in the affirmati)e" + am myself a strict orthodox (rahmin and belie)e in
one Personal :od, discarding the idea of the thirtyCthree crores of gods"
R*M=+ M*## P*9/+$,
!ler& in the Rohil&hand Patriotic
*ssociationQs 5ffice" >$ra)elling on duty with the President"?
Page DG1
,ial&ot, Dth *pril, 1223"
$he abo)e statement too& place in the presence of a !hela from the north who
corroborates the statement"
>R*+? (+,'69#*##, 4"$","
,o true is the claim that there is no difference whate)er between esoteric
(uddhism and those Vedantins who understand the correct meaning of
,an&aracharyaQs teachings@the ad)anced *d)aitees@that the latter are spo&en of
throughout southern +ndia as Prachchhanna (auddhas@or K(uddhists in disguiseL
especially by the Vi[ishtId)aitees"
WWWWWWWWWW
THE RELIGION O! THE !UTURE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 3BGC3B6V
5ccultism teaches us that ideas based upon fundamental truths mo)e in the
eternity in a circle, re)ol)ing around and filling the space within the circuit of the
limits allotted to our globe and the planetary or solar systemE that, not unli&e PlatoQs
eternal, immutable essences, they per)ade the sensible world, permeating the world
of thoughtE and, that contrary to chemical affinities, they are attracted to, and
assimilated by, homogeneous uni)ersals in certain brains exclusi)ely the product of
human mind, its thoughts and intuitionE that in their perpetual flow they ha)e their
periods of intensity and acti)ity, as their durations of morbid inacti)ity" /uring the
former, and whene)er a strong impulse is imparted on some gi)en point of the globe
to one of such fundamental truths, and a communion between &indred eternal
essences is strongly established between a philosopherQs interior world of reflection
and the exterior plane of ideas, then, cognate brains are affected on se)eral points,
and identical ideas will be generated and expression gi)en to them often in almost
identical terms"
$he correctness of this doctrine was often ascertained by modern occultists, and
is once more shown as something abo)e a mere plausible conMecture Must at present"
Page DG3
* correspondent of our contemporary, the +ndian Mirror, writing from +taly >see
issue of March 31, 1223?, tells us that it has been his good fortune since he came to
4lorenceR
$o meet with a gentleman from Philadelphia, in the ;nited ,tates who has
written a wor&, entitled K$he Religion of the 4uture,L which is still in manuscript"
$his gentleman, the author, was brought up as a Aua&er, but would not be considered
orthodox by that body now" 'is opinions ha)e been modified so materially by his
tra)els in 6ngland, :ermany, and elsewhere, as to ma&e him 1uite heretical"
+t is the brief summary of the manuscript of $he Religion of the 4uture@as
gi)en by the correspondent@that attracted our attention" $he name of the Aua&er
gentleman is not mentionedE but had we been told that the wor& was written by our
K#ay !hela,L who, with regard to the fundamental doctrines explained by him, is the
faithful amanuensis of one of the 'imalayan Masters@we would ha)e accepted it as
a matter of fact" +t is most probable that when $he Religion of the 4uture is read in its
completeness, there will be found more than one page and chapter, perchance, that
will appear to the correctlyCinformed occultist as grotes1ue and heterodox" <et though
it may sin in its details, it is perfectly correct in its essential features as far as we
understand it" #et our students of occult science Mudge"
$he peculiar tenet of $he Religion of the 4uture is that Matter and #ife are
e1ually eternal and indestructibleE that the ;ni)ersal #ife is the ,upreme (eing, not
necessarily 5mnipotent, but of powers infinitely transcending anything of which we
ha)e a conception on earthE that man, on becoming fitted for absorption by moral
purity, is absorbed into this ;ni)ersal #ife or ,upreme (eing, being subMect to
fre1uent appearances on earth, until that moral purity is attainedC and that the sum of
all the experiences of the noblest of animated beings, from all parts of the ;ni)erse,
is added constantly to the intelligence of the ;ni)ersal #ife"
%e ha)e italici.ed the most stri&ing passages" Rendered in plain language and
amplified, the *rhat esoteric doctrine teaches that >1? KXMatter and #ife are e1ually
eternal and indestructible,Q for@they are one and identicalE the purely subMecti)e@
hence >for physical science? unpro)able and un)erifiable@ matter becoming the
596 life or what is generally termed X,pirit"Q
Page DG3
>3? $he hypothetical deity >or :od as a personal (eing? as something
unattainable by, and incomprehensible to, logic and reason, being ne)er speculated
upon or taught@since occult science ta&es nothing on faith@is classified with the
highest of abstractions, and percei)ed and accepted in what we call X;9+V6R,*#
#+46"Q >3? 5mnipotent only through, and in conMunction with, the immutable, eternal
#aws of 9ature which are thus the basis upon which #ife wor&s, it is not Xnecessarily
5mnipotent,Q per se" >D? $hat man is absorbed into, and becomes one with, the
;ni)ersal #ife, or Parabrahm, only after he is entirely purified, i"e", disenthralled
from matter and gone beyond the sphere of sense@is a doctrine recogni.ed ali&e by
(uddhist, 'indu and other old *siatic philosophiesE as also >G? that man is XsubMect to
fre1uent appearances on earth,Q until his double e)olution@moral and physical@is
achie)ed throughout the se)en Rounds and he has reached the ultimate perfection"
$he latter doctrine is carefully explained by X#ay !helaQ in the later X4ragments of
5ccult $ruth"Q >6? *nd last, Xthe sum of all the experiencesQ of man from all parts of
the ;ni)erse, Xis added constantly to the intelligence of the ;ni)ersal #ifeQ@means
simply this fundamental doctrine of the ,ecret ,cienceR X;9+V6R,*#
+9$6##+:69!6 is the sum total, or the aggregate of all the intelligences, past,
present and future of the uni)erse"Q +t is the 5cean of +ntelligence formed of countless
drops of intelligences, which proceed from, and return to it" +f they were all ta&en out,
to the last drop, there would be no more 5cean"L >(oo& of the *rhats, ,ect" +V, leaf
39"?
WWWWWWWWWW
DR"GGED IN "G"IN)
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, p" 3B6V
$he bisons, or 9orth *merican buffaloes, we are told, when migrating, tra)el in
)ast solid columns of tens of thousands, which it is almost impossible to turn or arrest
in their progress, since the rearward masses, pressing forward, dri)e the leaders on,
whether they will or no"
Page DGD
$heir roaring is li&e hoarse thunder, and wide tracts of )irgin forests, culti)ated
plantations and, of course, many a solitary hut of the prairie huntsman are swept
away, ground to powderCdust by this li)ing a)alanche"
$he abo)e picture, with the subse1uent reflections thereupon, was suggested to
us by seeing our names dragged into polemics with regard to nati)e )olunteers" *s a
simile, it gi)es a fair idea of the dissatisfied *ngloC+ndians in their present state of
fury" Roaring themsel)es hoarse, they seem to press as madly forward as any herd of
bisons, dri)ing on their leaders" $hat they should upset e)erything in their way, from
forest down to hut, or, in plainer words, from the whole (engali population down to
the solitary and harmless (abu, is only as it should be expected, since they are blindly
and helplessly dri)en on by their fury e)er since the first impulse was gi)en" $his is
easy enough to imagine" +t is less easy to comprehend, howe)er, why some of them
should actually go out of their way to assault indi)iduals that ha)e no more than the
man in the moon to do with any one of them in particular, and their political
s1uabbles especially@unless it be on the broad necessitarian principle of the
*merican boy who@unable to satisfy his spite against a stronger comrade@made
faces at his sister" /uring the whole period of our four yearsQ li)ing in +ndia, neither
our ,ociety, nor its 4ounders, nor this =ournal had anything to do whate)er with
politics" 9ay, feeling an innate and holy horror for e)erything connected with it, we
ha)e a)oided the subMect most strenuously" 6mpires might ha)e fallen down and
arisen anew during that inter)al, but still our =ournal as oursel)es would not ha)e
heeded the catastrophe but gi)en e)er our undi)ided attention to K5ccult $ruthsL and
&indred metaphysical problems" 9e)ertheless, se)eral 6uropeans among the
dissatisfied faction of *ngloC+ndians, a)ailed themsel)es of the opportunity to
connect the hapless $heosophists with K9ati)e Volunteers,L a mo)ement with which
the latter ha)e not the least concernE and, as a result, they ha)e, under )arious and
fanciful noms de plume, bra)ely insulted them in the *ngloC+ndian papers" 5f course
the obMect is selfCe)ident"
Page DGG
;nable to hit Mr" *" 5" 'ume, li&e the <an&ee boy, they made Kfaces at his sisterL in
the theosophical sense of the word" $he first shot ha)ing been fired in the Pioneer by
a K(aileyC:uardL >may the idea of finding out his real correct name by ha)ing the
pseudonym anagrammed ne)er cross the mind of the poor manQs enemiesY? who
declined Kto brea& lances with so doughty a champion of Vegetarianism, $heosophy
and (la)ats&yismL@a host of imitators followed suit" *t the time we write, the
contro)ersy appears closed by KPsychologist,L in the same paper" * correspondent of
that name would ma&e the credulous public belie)e that Mr" *" 5" 'ume, who, with
him, is transformed into Kthe dainty *riel " " " of the realms of $heosophy opened by
Xthe dear old ladyQ@is now amusing himself by performing the bidding of !ol"
5lcott, the <an&ee Prospero"L
*las, for the 1uips and cran&s of ,ydney ,mith, that they should be thus
outri)alled and eclipsed by an obscure KPsychologistLY #i&e the 4oston of the
re)erend humorist, notwithstanding their intended sourness, his witticisms are really
Ktwel)e miles from a lemon"L Mr" 'ume, who is &ind enough to characteri.e the
clumsy missiles as KgoodCnatured fun,L in his answer in the Pioneer, rectifies the
absurd accusation, thusR
+ notice that KPsychologist,L who )ery good naturedly ma&es fun of some of the
many shortcomings, spea&s of me as acting under the behests of !olonel 5lcott and
Madame (la)ats&y" 9ow + ha)e the greatest respect for these two earnest and selfC
de)oted philanthropists, but though a staunch supporter of the $heosophical ,ociety,
which may yet effect the grandest moral and social reforms, + owe it, both to them
and to myself, to ma&e it clear that + am not spea&ing in these matters at the
instigation of that )ery limited, if august, section of nati)e thought which they alone
represent"
%e should hope not" +t would be a most desirable thing were the K(aileyC
:uardsL and KPsychologistsL of the Pioneer to concern themsel)es with people and
things they &now nothing about as little as Kthe dear old ladyL and the K<an&ee
ProsperoL concern themsel)es with the nonCofficial *ngloC+ndian mob and their
undignified brawls sailing under the pompous name of@political agitation"
Page DG6
THE TRINIT# O! RIGHTEOUSNESS%
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 3B6C3B2V
$hree other )ictims Ksmelling sweet in the nostrils of the #ordYL
$he names of =ustice 9orth, the Re)" /r" ," %ainwright, and Mr" *lexander
,cott, will go to posterity, if !hristendom has any decent sense of gratitude left in it"
$he first named is the righteous =udge who has sentenced Messrs" :eorge %" 4oote,
the editor, %" $" Ramsey, the printer, and '" *" 8emp, the publisher of the
4reethin&er, to a rather long term of imprisonment, the Ktrinity of ;nrighteousness,L
thus finding an a)enging 9emesis in the Ktrinity of Righteousness"L
$o moderate the .eal of $or1uemada, the great +n1uisitor, Pope *lexander V+
had to name four assistants to help and chec& at the same time the passion of that
holy ogre for burnt human flesh" $o moderate the .eal of =ustice 9orth, the powers
that be o)er them will ha)e to repeal more than one law, eaten long since by rats, but
still ali)e and cherished in the large magnanimous hearts of those who would call
themsel)es the followers of !hrist and the a)engers of :od, while full of the spirit of
$or1uemada, they are really but the humble ser)ants of him who tempted the
!rucified" $he parable about the KtalentsL in which Mr" =ustice 9orth personified the
KMaster,L who Kreaps where he sows not, and gathers where he has not strewed,L was
represented, with that difference only, that Mr" 4oote, Kthe unprofitable ser)ant,L was
not accused by him of hiding his #ordQs Ktalent in the earth,L but of Kprostituting his
talents to the wor& of the de)il"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U'"P"(" herself identified her ownCauthorship of this articleCwhen it was pasted in her ,crapboo&
F, 29"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DGH
$herefore@Kthou wic&ed and slothful ser)ant, be cast into the bottomless pit
and outer dar&ness"L $here was also Kweeping and gnashing of teethL@only not in
the bottomless pit, but on the gallery@and we hope, higher, if there be such an upper
story" $he words addressed to the righteous =udge by the prisoner after sentence was
passed on him >the father of a family, we hear, whose forced absence, and inability to
support them for one whole year, will tell on the poor home? are memorable and may
yet become historical" KMy #ord, + than& you, it is worthy of your creed,L@said Mr"
4oote"
*nd thus, once more is the prophecy fulfilledR K4or unto e)ery one that hath
shall be gi)en, " " " but from him that hath not, shall be ta&en away e)en that which he
hath"L
$he trial was for blasphemy@an elastic word that, capable of being stretched
out ad infinitum"Z $he !hristmas 9umber of the 4reethin&er contains the graphic,
though, we must say a little too plastic, illustration of the solemn )iew allowed by
di)ine grace to Moses from within the Kclift of the roc&,L and described with such
chastity of style in 6xodus, xxxiii, 33" 4ailing to catch the spirit of the di)ine
allegory, the defendants reproduced too faithfully the dead letter of the text, and thus
could hardly fail to catch it this time"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z K%hat is blasphemyPL as&s !ol" R" +ngersoll in a recent lectureWWK4irst, it is a geographical
1uestion" $here was a time when it was blasphemy in =erusalem to say that !hrist was :od" +n this
country it is now blasphemy to say that 'e is not" +t is blasphemy in !onstantinople to deny that
Mahomet was the prophet of :odE it is blasphemy here to say that he was" +t is a geographical
1uestion, and you cannot tell whether you are a blasphemer or not without loo&ing at the map" %hat
is blasphemyP +t is what the mista&e says about the fact" +t is what last yearQs leaf says about this
yearQs bud" +t is the last cry of the defeated priest" (lasphemy is the little breastwor& behind which
hypocrisy hidesE behind which mental impotency feels safe" $here is no blasphemy but the open
a)owal of your honest thought, and he who spea&s as he thin&s blasphemes"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DG2
$hey were guilty of bad taste and )ulgarity, and they certainly deser)ed to be
tried and sentenced by a Mury of@ *esthetics" $he Mury of !hristians by declaring
them KguiltyL ha)e only thrown dishonour and ridicule upon their own holy (ible"
$he sentence falls hea)ier upon the latter than upon the prisoners" %e &now a
!hristian gentleman in +ndia who, little ac1uainted with the 5ld $estament, offered a
so)ereign for the !hristmas 9umber of the 4reethin&er, in order to compare the two,
and who otherwise would ha)e ne)er heard of the publication"
'a)ing done with 9o" 1 of the K$rinity of Righteousness,L we ha)e to spea& of
the second and third personages of the same" Re)" /r" %ainwright and Mr" ,cott are
respecti)ely the President and the 'onorary ,ecretary of the newly established
K,ociety for the ,uppression of (lasphemous #iterature,L a body that bodes fair to
re)i)e the 'oly +n1uisition if, in the course of its e)olution, it is not made to come to
grief"
Protestantism recogni.ing no saints@no statues, therefore, with glories around
the heads can be erected to these three truly good men" 9or ha)e they any chance of
being canoni.ed after passing through the usual process of beatification, the promoter
of faith, popularly and legally &nown in Rome as Kthe de)ilQs ad)ocate,L being sure to
raise all possible obMections against the beatification of the three Protestant
gentlemen" +t is a great pity thoughE for, if any Kfriends of :odL ha)e e)er deser)ed
such honours, it is surely they" +ndeed, they ha)e all the needed re1uisites demanded
for it by the 'oly ,ee, )i." Ka general reputation for sanctity, and supernatural giftsLE
they ha)ing performed the two prescribed ostensible miracles@>a? that of
resurrecting to life an old and obsolete law for blasphemy, dead as a door nail for
o)er half a centuryE and >b? that other one@of forcing the proud, freeCborn (riton,
whose greatest boast is his absolute liberty from the shac&les of mental and physical
sla)ery, to permit its re)i)al and forthwith to see it ta&en ad)antage of and abused"
*gain, the act of de)otion shown to their Ma&er, by these three saintly characters, is
far more meritorious than that of many a glorified saint"
Page DG9
,urely the merit of allowing oneQs unwashed body to be de)oured by )ermin for
fifty consecuti)e years, cannot bear for one moment comparison with that of
abandoning oneQs fair name to the )ultures@called !ontempt and Ridicule@of the
generations to comeY #et only the Re)" /r" %ainwright and his worthy ,ecretary Mr"
*" ,cott, carry out their threat, and the thundering peals of laughter that will con)ulse
all the educated classes of 6urope and *merica will deafen e)ery bigot, and silence
for a long time, if not fore)er, the croa&ing sound of psalmCchanting, and nasal
singing of e)ery ,unday ser)ice and Mass" $he astonished 1uestion, K%hat nextPL@
made by e)ery sane man who had heard of the re)i)al of an old law, of which decent
people in 6ngland felt already ashamed 3GB years ago, is answered by the selfC
constituted :odQs bodyguard, Messrs" %ainwright and ,cott, in the following lines
published in se)eral daily papersR
%6 PR5P5,6 $5 :6$ ;P !*,6,, *, 5;R 4;9/, %+## *##5%,
*:*+9,$ PR546,,5R ';F#6<, /R" $<9/*##, '6R(6R$ ,P69!6R,
,%+9(;R96, $'6 *;$'5R 54 X,;P6R9*$;R*# R6#+:+59,Q $'6
P;(#+,'6R, 54 M+##, M5R#6<, $'6 6/+$5R 54 $'6 =ewish %orld, /R"
M*R$+96*;, *9/ 5$'6R,, %'5 (< $'6+R %R+$+9:, '*V6 ,5%9
%+/6,PR6*/ ;9(6#+64, *9/, +9 ,5M6 !*,6,, R*98 *$'6+,M, +9
!;#$+V*$6/ 4*M+#+6,"
*re we dreaming, or awa&eP +s the abo)e grotes1ue defiance of disgraceful
obscurantism thrown into the face of science as of all the enlightened portion of
man&ind, something more serious than an indecent farce of pseudoCconser)atism, and
is it really intended as a bona fide threatP $he sentence passed on the editors and
publishers of the 4reethin&er gi)es it an air of probability undreamt of in this soC
called age of progress and freedom of thought" +n our bewilderment, we really do not
&now whether in penning these remar&s we are crossing or not the >to us? forbidden
boundaries of politics" +n these days of sudden surprises, when no one &nows what is
what, which is which, and who is who, we would not wonder if, li&e Mr" =ourdain,
who spo&e all his life prose without suspecting it, we were told that our reflections
are KpoliticalL and also blasphemous to boot" +t would, of course, be a profound
honour to share prosecution in the distinguished company of Messrs" 'uxley, $yndall
and 'erbert ,pencer"
Page D6B
<et@pro pudorY assuredly a subscription ought to be raised to secure for the
said KbodyguardL comfortable 1uarters in some pleasant but solitary place" 4or
instance in one of those asylums which are lately gi)ing hospitality to so many
)ictims of religious fren.y@whene)er they escape the gallows@modern imitators of
*brahamQs sacrifice, the murderers of their sons and daughters who allege to recei)e
di)ine commands from :od to that effect" *lready, another old law@against
palmistry@ha)ing been dug out for the easier prosecution of Mr" ,lade the medium,
some six years since, with the re)i)al of the law for blasphemy, 6ngland may hope to
become ere long the worldQs theatre reCenacting on its cultured and polished boards,
and for the edification of all 6urope, another series of those mediae)al dramas and
bloody tragedies of the palmy days that preceded 8ing %illiamQs )eto of the
witchcraft act, such as witchCburning and Aua&erCbranding and flogging at the cartQs
tail" +n our days of re)i)als of e)erything in general, and mouldy anti1uities
especially, it is not so )ery unreasonable to expect to see repeated the scenes that
illustrated the reign of 4rancis +, a pleasant period during the lapse of which 1BB,BBB
witches were burned ali)e" *nd what more refreshing sight for the liberals of merry
old 6ngland than the carrying out of this programme, for instanceR a whole army of
mediums ha)ing been subMected to a close examination by Re)" %ainwright and !o",
and found all mar&ed by the de)ilQs horn >a sign that e)ery candidate to sorcery bears
during his no)itiate? are sentenced by Mr" =ustice 9orth to public roasting on !haring
!ross" +mposing spectacle and sceneryY $he huge piles of wood are surrounded and
protected by a triple row of soldiers of the ,al)ation *rmy@Mrs" :eneral (ooth, as
!ommanderCinC!hief on the bac& of an elephant >trophy of +ndia?, her banner with its
ominous words K(lood and 4ireL unfurled, and her doubleCedged sword, in the shape
of a crux ansata and cross combined, ready to cut the ear of any Malchus who would
dare to interfere" 5rders rapidly passed through telephones"
Page D61
'uge electrical machines prepared, as the wood of the pyres is to be &indled by
electric light, and )ery huge phonographs in great supply@the last words of mediums
confessing to their allegiance to, and connection with, old 'arry, ha)ing to be
recorded and preser)ed in the phonographs as e)idence for the future generations of
sceptics to come" #arge band of Kcelestial musicians,L gathered from the pagodas of
+ndia and con)erted by MaMor $uc&er to !hristianity, playing the March from
%agnerQs 5pera the K:raalL on the death of the 'oly ,wan" $he motley crowd of
mediums ha)ing been put to death and disposed of for belie)ing in, and encouraging
the de)ilE next comes a batch of the 4ellows of the Royal society headed by Messrs"
$yndall, 'uxley, and 'erbert ,pencer, sentenced for not belie)ing in the horny and
clo)enCfooted gentleman" +n consideration for their ser)ices and their scientific
disco)eries, they ha)ing furnished the modern 'oly +n1uisition with telephones,
electric light, and phonographs, the sentence of death passed on the learned prisoners
is commuted to one more worthy of this enlightened age" $o pro)e that Religion has
always proceeded hand in hand with ,cience and Progress, the erudite blasphemers
are simply Kflogged and branded at the cartQs tailL and sent home with a paternal
admonition from !omstoc&, in)ited for the occasion from *merica, his tra)elling
expenses being paid from the Missionary funds, replenished by the )oluntary
contributions of all the poor ser)ant girls in awe of eternal damnation" $he gloomy
scene closes with the K/eath March of ,aul"L " " " "
%e confess our shortcomings" %e prefer brutal sincerity and a fran& a)owal of
despotism to sham protestations of liberty, and@ pharisaism" %e would a thousand
times rather submit to the ironCbound limitations of the Russian Press laws, of
censorship, and an honestly open system of autocratism, than ris& to trust to the
treacherous promises of the decepti)e fata morgana of 6nglish social and religious
liberty, as exercised at present" %hy not be honest, and confess at once that the freeC
born 6nglishman is free, only so long as no old laws, reli1uiae of an age of
barbarism, are dragged out to light as a weapon against him by the first Pec&sniffCli&e
scoundrel who chooses to satisfy his grudge and spite against his better onesP
Page D63
*fter which, this )aunted freedom may be snuffed out under the extinguisher
left by law at the sweet will and pleasure of any preMudiced or bigoted Mudge"
4reedom of thought, freedom of speech, and along with it social freedom, are simply
delusions li&e all the restE the willCoQCtheCwisps, the pitfalls prepared by the old
generations to ensnare the new ones, the credulous and the innocent" K,o far shalt
thou go and no furtherYL says the terrible but honest genius of the Russian Press,
pointing with his finger to the boundaries prescribed by censorshipE while the
6nglishman who sings so proudly
K(ritannia rule the wa)esY
(ritons ne)er, ne@)er, nCeC)CeCr, shall be sla)esYL
finds himself before he has hardly time to draw the last note, in the tight
embrace of Public 5pinion, the boa constrictorCli&e Mrs" :rundyE who, after
s1uee.ing breath out of him, coolly throws him right into the clutches of some other
such K$rinity of RighteousnessL that may be watching its main chance from the top of
some other pile of obsolete and longCforgotten, but stillCexisting, laws" " " "
$hus, it would appear that Protestant 6ngland, which has reMected with the rest
of the Roman !atholic dogmas, laws and usages, that of the +ndex #ibrorum
Prohibitorum and 6xpurgandorum, and filled miles of columns in her newspapers
with scornful remar&s upon Russian censorship, allows after all her pious Mudges and
clerical bigots to ha)e the best of her in )arious underhanded ways" *nd why should
they not, since there is no one to chec& their .ealP *dding cant to piety, and treachery
to intolerance, by pouncing upon their chosen )ictims unawares, they could ne)er
ser)e in any more appropriate way the :od created by them in their own image@the
K#ord,L who promised Moses K+ will harden PharaohQs heart,L and who has hardened
it about a do.en times for the mere pleasure of multiplying his signs and wonders,
and then punishes by putting his own )ictim to death"
Page D63
/ies iraeY " " " 9on omne licitum honestum" %e prefer Mr" 4ooteQs actual
position to that of his se)ere =udge" *ye, and were we in his guilty s&in, we would
feel more proud, e)en in the poor 6ditorQs present position, than we would under the
wig of Mr" =ustice 9orth, who, ,olomonCli&e, sits in all his glory rendering Mudgments
Kafter his own heart"L
WWWWWWWWWW
MISCELL"NEOUS NOTES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, May, 1223, pp" 123, 129V
%e ac&nowledge, with than&s, the receipt of Mr" #illieQs (uddha and 6arly
(uddhism" $he subMect of the wor& being one to which the greatest interest is
attached, it was sent by us for careful re)iew to a (uddhist scholar, a gentleman who
has thoroughly studied both the ,outhern and 9orthern systems of (uddhism, and
who is the most fitted person to gi)e an impartial )iew upon the )exed 1uestion that
now di)ides such two eminent scholars li&e Mr" Rhys /a)ids and Mr" #illie" %e will
not anticipate much the opinions of the learned Pandit by saying that those who thin&
that the doctrines of the #ord (uddha do not form a system complete in themsel)es,
but are a modification of (rahmanism, ma&e a singular mista&e" $hese doctrines are
not a modification but rather the re)elation of the real esoteric religion of the
(rahmans, so Mealously guarded by them from the profane, and di)ulged by the KallC
merciful, the compassionate #ord,L for the benefit of all men" +t is only the study of
6soteric (uddhism that can yield to scholars the real tenets of that grandest of all
faiths"
WWWWWWWWWW
" " " " " $heosophists of all creeds, that is to say, e)ery person in e)ery !hurch,
who ma&es personal efforts to attain the higher &nowledge, whether or not he calls
himself such, or e)en &nows himself to be of the class so denominated" " " "
Page D6D
COL. OLCOTT0S WONDER!UL SUCCESS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, ,upplement, May, 1223, p" 3V
UMr" P" !" ,en ha)ing written to $he 6ast describing the cure by mesmeric
treatment on the part of !olonel 5lcott of two of his relati)es, the 6ditor of $he 6ast
wroteR K,urely our correspondent does not mean to say that miracles are possible
e)en at this fag end of the nineteenth century" +f not, then why this attempt at
ascribing these alleged cures to supernatural agenciesPL 5n this '" P" (" commented
as followsRV
Mirabile dictuY $he esteemed 6ditor of $he 6ast must surely ha)e been
labouring under a biological hallucination at the time of penning his@to say the least
@illC humoured remar&" %hat is there in Mr" Purna !hundra ,enQs abo)eC1uoted
letter to ma&e him suspect his correspondent of ma&ing an attempt to ascribe !ol"
5lcottQs cures to Ksupernatural agenciesLP *re the wordsR Kwonderful reco)ery,L
Ks&ilfulness in Mesmerism,L Kability,L etc", etc", synonyms of Ksupernatural
agenciesLP $he $heosophists do not, as a rule@ least of all the 4ounder@belie)e in,
or attribute anything whatsoe)er to KmiracleL or supernaturalismE nor do they e)er
allow their members, if they can help it, to ha)e any such superstitious ideas Kat this
fag end of the nineteenth century"L %e do not find in the abo)eC1uoted letter one
word reminding in the remotest way of any Ksuperstition"L 'ad Mr" Purna !hundra
,en, or the PresidentC4ounder, attributed his cures to the inter)ention of :od or
/i)ine Pro)idence, then would the illChumoured remar& ha)e indeed its raison dQetre"
Page D6G
(ut we suspect that it is Must because of his letter being 1uite innocent of any
such gushy allusion@some people laying all and e)erything at the door of that
hypothetical Pro)idence@that the 6ditor of $he 6ast went out of his way to send a
thrust into his correspondent" 9or are !olonel 5lcottQs cures li&ely to e)er become
any less bona fide and real, for their being called by all the editors the world o)er
only@LallegedL cures"
WWWWWWWWWW
-MRS. "N"ND"B"I +OSHI' !.T.S..
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, ,upplement, May, 1223, pp" 6CHV
Mrs" *nandabai =oshi, 4"$",", the wellC&nown Mahratta (rahmin lady, sailed
yesterday by ,"," !ity of !alcutta for 9ew <or&" ,he goes to *merica with the obMect
of studying medicine" %e hope that profiting by the grand pri)ileges and facilities
afforded to women in *merica, our bra)e sister may achie)e there the greatest
success" May she return from that ocean of freedom an M"/", ha)ing meanwhile
a)oided its two most prominent sandban&sR $he %omenQs Right ,ociety and the
<oung MenQs !hristian *ssociation, both of which classes, li&e the roaring lion in the
desert see&ing whom he may de)our, are e)er on the watch to entice at their arri)al
the innocent and the unsuspecting" 9oticing her departure, our contemporary of
#ahore, $he $ribune, ma&es the following extremely Must remar&s upon our
courageous young sisterR
Mrs" *nandabay =oshi, the wellC&nown Mahratta lady, who was the other day
lecturing at the ,erampore !ollege, in (engal, so elo1uently in 6nglish, sailed on
4riday before the last, by one of the !ity #ine ,teamers for 9ew <or& on her
intended )isit and stay there to study medicine"
Page D66
(esides being wellCeducated this 9ati)e lady is possessed of no ordinary
amount of moral courage" ,he is not a !hristian con)ert, as many of us may suppose,
but a married 'indu lady whose husband is still li)ing" (ut she goes alone beyond the
seas on her mission, while her husband remains at home, being the only stay and
support of his parents" ,uch courage is but )ery rare, considering that her mission is
to remo)e a national want@that of 'indu lady doctors@ and the sacrifices are
almost dreadful to thin& of" 9ot a whit less, or perhaps more, than that of Pundita
Rama (ai, her earnestness in such a patriotic cause should, it is to be hoped,
commend itself strongly to the liberalism and conscientiousness of her fellow
countrymen and society that she may not be declared an outcast by them at her return"
(ac&ward PunMab, alas, has not got one single member of her sex who is capable of
e)en sympathi.ing with her obMect as, we belie)e, many of her own Presidency willY
,o, while we sincerely wish her e)ery success, we )enture to thin&, that some of her
sisters of her own Presidency, Mahratta and Parsee, who are farther ad)anced in
education and enlightenment than the most proficient betterChalf of the young (engal,
admittedly foremost in the ran&s of educated +ndia, will follow suit@and that, the
sooner the better"
+t is with a wellCwarranted pride that we say here that this act of courage@
which can hardly be appreciated by %estern people unac1uainted with the merciless
caste system and 7enana rules of +ndia@is )ery much due to the influence of Mrs"
=oshiQs husband, one of the most liberalCminded and intellectual (rahmins we &now
of, as one of the best friends and members of our society" %e are proud indeed at the
thought, that the first (rahmin lady, who thus becomes practically the pioneer of the
great national mo)ement now stirring public opinion in fa)our of the education and
certain legitimate rights for the women of +ndia@is a 4ellow of our society" %e
cannot recommend her too warmly to the sympathies and best fraternal feelings of all
our *merican $heosophists, and hope and pray that they should render the poor and
bra)e young exile e)ery ser)ice, and help her as much as it is within their power"
Page D6H
-THE "R#" S"M"+ "ND THE THEOSOPHIC"L SOCIET#.
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, ,upplement, May, 1223, p" HV
U!ommenting on a report that a union was li&ely to ta&e place between the irya
,amIM and the $heosophical ,ociety, '" P" (" wroteRV
* KreunionL would be a more appropriate term to use, perhaps" (ut, since it
ta&es two to 1uarrel, so it ta&es two to KreuniteL or get reconciled, letting all bygones
be bygones" %e ha)e not been consulted upon this subMect" $herefore, and before
feeling so assured that there will be no obMection to such a new union on the part of
the $heosophical ,ociety@the publication of such untrustworthy documents as the
Reply to 6xtra ,upplement of the =uly K$heosophist,L by a Rur&i *rya being rather in
the way of the reunion, than otherwise@it is premature to publish the news >1uite
false in this case? and with such a flourish of trumpets"
WWWWWWWWWW
THE SH#LOC&S O! L"HORE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 2, ,upplement, May, 1223, pp" 9C11V
KMany are called, but few are chosenL is a saying, that, to our great regret,
applies to our ,ociety collecti)ely, and to a certain number of its members
indi)idually, to perfection" 9umerous are the (ranches sprung from the Parent trun&,
and still more numerous the 4ellows who ha)e been admitted within its fold"

Page D62
6)ery member had, upon entering it, declared himself o)er his own signature@
as Kbeing in sympathy with the obMects of the $heosophical ,ociety and ac1uainted
with its rules,L represented by his two sponsors >Kfellows in good standingL? as an
indi)idual who would be Ka worthy memberL of the ,ociety, and had pledged his
solemn word of honor, to Kabstain from doing anything that may bring discredit upon
the ,ociety or its officers"L $he abo)eC1uoted sentences, as e)eryone &nows, stand
printed in the forms of the *pplication and the 5bligation of the KRulesL of the
,ociety" (esides these promises made in the presence of witnesses, there are other
obligations as sacred, to which the candidate binds himself during his initiationE such,
for instance, as the recognition of the right of e)ery other $heosophist to e)ery
pri)ilege he would ha)e for himself, promising that the belief of other members will
enMoy, so far as he is concerned, that toleration and respect Kwhich he desires each
and all of his brother members to exhibit in regard to his own faithL >5bMects of the
,ociety, pp" GC6?" $hese obligations, and many others, are carefully explained to each
candidate, either by the President initiator himself, his delegate, or by letters in the
correspondence that generally precedes the formal acceptance of, and admittance to
fellowship of, e)ery proposing member" 9o $heosophist has the right to plead
ignorance of these rules, or to show disappointment and complain after he has once
Moined the ,ociety@since e)ery point is carefully explained to him and he is
expressly told e)erything that he has, and what he has not, to expect" 5ne of the
points insisted upon the most is, that no man who Moins the $heosophical body,
simply out of curiosity or in the hope of penetrating its alleged mysteries, and satisfy
his thirst for phenomena, need Moin it at allE and the candidate is expressly told that if
he see&s admittance in the expectation of being taught by the 4ounders the occult
sciences, or of seeing them perform for his benefit KmiraclesL and wonders, he can do
no better than withdraw his application and renounce fellowship at once, since nine
times out of ten he will find himself disappointed"
Page D69
+f in the course of time, and after a certain period of probation, he is found really
as worthy as he is willing, then he may be put in the way of coming into closer
relations with the MastersE and, the latter willing, he may e)en hope to be accepted as
chela, i"e", recei)ed, as either a Klay,L a Kprobationary,L and later on a KregularL or
accepted chelaE all this depending upon his family duties, social status, and his mental
and physical fitness" $he latter chance being )ery rarely gi)en, and most men
showing no proper re1uisites for it@the strongest desire, unless prompted by utterly
;9,6#4+,' moti)es being of little if any use@the ,ociety ta&es the greatest care to
ha)e all this clearly explained beforehand, lest the 4ellow after Moining should feel
disappointed and repent" 6)en in this latter emergency a chance is gi)en to him" 'e
may resignE and, when a poor man >the usual fee in this case as in some others, being
)ery often remitted to the applicant?, who has ne)ertheless complied with the rule and
paid his Rs" 1B, if he can pro)e that for one cause or another he was wittingly or
unwittingly led into error by some too .ealous $heosophist@his fee is returned to
him" $he only thing that remains binding upon, and is certainly expected from him, is
that he shall not re)eal the Ksigns and passwordsL of the ,ociety >Rules, p" 6, para" 3?
nor gi)e out Kwhatsoe)er information connected with the legitimate wor& or
researches of the ,ociety, was communicated to him, as a member of that ,ociety, in
confidenceL >5bligation?, to &eep which, secret and in)iolable he has pledged his
Kmost solemn and sacred PR5M+,6L o)er his own signature, and repeated it )erbally
during his initiation" *ll this, of course, he has to Kfaithfully &eep secretL under the
penalty of being proclaimed by e)ery honest man@a dishonest scoundrel"
,uch being the case, all the 4ellows duly warned and the limits to their
expectations clearly drawn for them, a dissatisfied member of our ,ociety has the
right to 1uietly withdraw from the *ssociation by resigning his fellowship" +n no case
has he any excuse for publicly complainingE least of all has he any right to critici.e
the policy of the 4ounders, and !ouncil, or to denounce them whether orally or in
print" (y so doing he brea&s the Rules and his solemn pledge, and has to expect to be
proclaimed as a dishonest man to all his 4ellow (rothers@the ,ociety ha)ing to be
warned in good time of its traitors and traducers" *rt" FV >page 33? of the Rules is
explicit upon this point"
Page DHB
*ny 4ellow, who may be pro)ed, to the satisfaction of the !ouncil, to ho)e
slandered any (rother or ,ister $heosophist, or to ha)e written or uttered any words
calculated to inMure such in any way, will be re1uired to substantiate the charges
in)ol)ed, or failing to do so, in the opinion of the maMority of the !ouncil, will be
in)ited to resign, or will be expelled as may seem good to the President in !ouncil,
and the name of the person so resigning or expelled shall be published in the =ournal
of the ,ociety, and thereafter all (ranches will be re1uired to refuse fellowship to the
person thus excluded from the ,ociety"
9ow our ,ociety, as was explained e)en to the outside public repeatedly, has
one general, and se)eral@if not minor, at least less prominent aims" $he earnest
pursuit of one of the latter@occult science in this case@far from being regarded as
the common duty and the wor& of all, is limited for the reasons gi)en abo)e to a )ery
small faction of the ,ociety, its pursuit resting with the personal tastes and aspirations
of the members" *s to the former@the chief aims of the $heosophical 4raternity@it
is hardly necessary to remind any 4ellow of what it is" 5ur fundamental obMect is
;ni)ersal (rotherhood, &ind feelings and moral help proffered to all and e)ery
(rother, whate)er his creed and )iews" (ased upon the con)iction that a (rotherhood
of all faiths and denominations, composed of $heists and *theists, !hristians and
:entiles throughout the world, might without anyone surrendering his particular
opinion be united into one strong ,ociety or 4raternity for mutual help, and ha)ing
one and the same purpose in )iew, i"e", the relentless, though at the same time calm
and Mudicious pursuit of $ruth where)er found, especially in Religion and ,cience@it
is the first duty of our ,ociety as a united body to extirpate e)ery weed that
o)ergrows and stifles that truth which only can be one and entire" $he best
recogni.ed way to ma&e both the psychological and physical sciences, as all sectarian
and dogmatic religions, yield their respecti)e )erities, is, in construing them, to ta&e
the middle path between the extremes of opinion" $he men of science@especially the
extreme materialists@being often as bigoted in their denial, and as intolerant of
contradiction as the theologians are in their self assertions and assumed infallibility,
there is not much choice left in the treatment of, or the attitude to be chosen toward
both"
Page DH1
9e)ertheless, there being an abyss between the methods and claims of science and
religion, the former being based upon close obser)ation, experiment, and the
mathematical demonstration of what it does &now, and the latter resting merely upon
faith or antiCempirical obser)ations and personal emotional deductions therefrom,
)ery naturally@and though they ha)e to be tolerated and outwardly respected on the
principles of mutual indulgence for our respecti)e shortcomings and fallibility of
human opinion@ the religious and )arious personal and sectarian beliefs of our
4ellows cannot yet be always ta&en into consideration or exalted abo)e plain facts
and scientific demonstrations" +n other words, ready as we all may and must be to
a)oid hurting the religious feelings and e)en the preMudices of our brothers, we
cannot promise to be e)er foregoing what in our honest con)ictions is truth, lest we
should inad)ertently expose the error of a brother, much as it may appear to him also
truth"Z
$he greatest, as the most mischie)ous feature of fanaticism@the synonym in
most cases of insane conceit and a selfish re)erence for oneQs personal conclusions
and selfCassertions regarded as infallible@is the fanatical persecution of opinions and
persons holding them whene)er they dash with the preconcei)ed )iews of the
persecutors"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $hus to our (rother, (ramabadi ," 9" *gnihotri, who complained that his article KPersonal and
+mpersonal :od and the 4ounders of the $","L directed against us was not published in our
maga.ine, though it was written in no Kspirit of hostility or malice,L we would say the followingR
K%ere you not a member of the $heosophical ,ociety, but a simple religious opponent, your article
would ha)e been published" (ut since you brea& in the latter e)ery prescribed rule of your ,ociety,
which you had pledged yourself on your solemn word of honour to protect, abstaining from doing
anything that may be preMudicial to itE and since, besides being sectarian and intolerant, it is as
dogmatic and opposed to our policy as it can be, so long as you are a 4ellow you ha)e no right to
demand its insertion in its present form" %hat right ha)e you, for instance, to instigate one half of
the population >or e)en of the (rotherhood? against the other halfP %ho ga)e you as a $heosophist
permission or commission to traduce, denounce and accuse your (rother Members@the (uddhists,
the Pantheists, the *d)aitees, and the 4reethin&ers and *theists, whose con)ictions are as honest
and as sincere as your own in the following strainsR
Page DH3
*nd, since the latter ha)e always pro)ed an impediment to both progress and
truth, hence the $heosophical ,ociety is pledged collecti)ely to wage incessant war,
combat and denounce e)ery such outburst of bigotry and intolerance@the most
fiendish, inMurious and degrading of all feelings" $hus only can the Mealousy, hatred
and mutual persecution among sects which, to the distraction of undetermined yet
seriousCminded people, and the scandal of those who accept only facts upon a
scientific basis, now so plentifully abound@be gradually destroyed and, perhaps,
extinguished fore)er"
WWWWWWWWWW
K,o far as their Uthe 4oundersV teachings are calculated to awa&e the minds of our countrymen
towards the greatness of their forefathers, and their old literature, so far as it pro)es to rouse in them
the necessity and culture of moral principles " " " so far, + say, let the whole of +ndia, from 'imalaya
to !ape !omorin, appreciate and reMoice in, and be than&ful for, their teachings" (ut should they in
their .eal, or rather o)erC.eal, attempt, as the attempt is already being made, to uproot our faith from
the )ery (eing whom our *ryan forefathers, the adepts of the science of Religion, declared the X#ife
of #ifeQ and X(eing of (eings,Q a person UPV, the source of all morality and goodness, let them be
cried down by the whole people of this )ast Peninsula"L
$he Kwhole peopleL will not heed the untheosophical instigation for the simple reason that most of
them, with the exception of the two handfuls of (rahmos and *ryas are either Polytheists,
Pantheists, =ains, or *d)aitees, none of these belie)ing in one K+swarL and in moot cases@as in that
of the =ains, and *d)aitees@in no K+swarL at all" (ut what right@we say@has the writer to force
upon or preach his own sectarian )iews and beliefs, deprecating their religion or religions to other
members and fellows >*rt" V+ of Rules?P +f he wants to belie)e that the K#ife of #ifeL is a KpersonL
he has e)ery right to, and no one interferes with, his belief" %hy then should he interfere with that
of othersP +f the belief of many of his brother fellows conflicts with his@and he &new itC
beforehand@why should he ha)e Moined at allP *nd once heChas )oluntarily Moined he has to
conform to the regulations and rules or@resign" ;nless he ma&es his choice, and abstains in future
from such letters, he will ha)e no one to blame if the !ouncil Kafter due warningsL punishes him for
the )iolation of this clause Kby suspension or expulsion at the discretion of the PresidentC4ounder
and :eneral !ouncil"L >Rules, *rt" V+"? 5ur rules must be and they shall be respected"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DH3
'as the abo)e programme been carried out as originally intended by either our
(ranches or indi)idual membersP %ith the exception of a few selfCsacrificing
de)oted 4ellows, it certainly has not e)en been attempted, since our best Kacti)eL
fellows, while carrying out one part of the prescribed programme, on the principle of
Kli)e and let li)e,L yet &eep silent >e)en the editors of dailies and wee&lies? before the
manifestations of indi)idual and sectarian fanaticism, allowing e)en such )iolent
religious riots as that which too& place recently at !olombo between the (uddhists
and the Roman !atholics to pass unnoticed" +ndeed, the (iblical parable of the sower
and the seeds applies perfectly in the case in hand" ,own broadcast, the seeds of
membership fell in some >happily few? cases into 1ueer places and brought forth as
1ueer fruits" K,ome seeds fell by the wayside and the fowls >our opponents? came and
de)oured them upLE " " " some Kfell upon stony places,L and ha)ing not deepness of
earth, forthwith they sprung with promise and enthusiasm, and as they had no root in
them, Kthey withered away"L
9e)ertheless, and we may say they are in the maMority, some of the KseedsL
falling into really good ground, they brought forth fruit Ksome thirtyfold, some
sixtyfold and some hundredfold"L ,uch members are the pride and glory of the
,ociety" *nd because they are true and honest, unflinchingly de)oted and ready to die
for that which they &now to be truth@though as real $heosophists they neither force
nor proclaim to unwilling ears their faith and &nowledge, they are hated and
persecuted by their own brother members who ha)e remained as bigoted as before
they Moined our ,ociety" $hese are the members born from the seeds that Kfell among
thorns, and the thorns sprung up and cho&ed themL@$'6 $'5R9, 54 (+$$6R
,6!$*R+*9+,M *9/ (+:5$R<"
Page DHD
$hus, some of the #ahore members of the local $heosophical ,ociety@we do
not either call or consider them as $heosophists@those of them at any rate, who are
attached to, or connected with, the *ryaC,arnaM, e)en before the rupture of their body
with the $heosophical ,ociety, ha)e shown unmista&able signs of steady and acti)e
opposition not only toward the 4ounders, but toward e)ery fellow of another creed,
whether he was orthodox 'indu, a (rahmo, a (uddhist, or a freethin&er" %hy they
ha)e Moined us at all is still a mystery" +f we are told that it was done in ignorance of
the true religious )iews of the 4ounders@who are, if anything, esoteric (uddhists or
*d)aitees which is all one then they will be answered that it is not true, and on their
own confessions and accusations" $hey &new it then, as they do now, that the
4ounders discarded e)ery idea of a personal god, precisely on the principle
enunciated by our (rahmo (rother, ," 9" *gnihotri@who says in his letter that if the
idea of the personality of god Kgoes against your >our? con)iction, you >we? are not
only Mustified in doing so >reMecting and denouncing it?, but in duty bound to crush it,
altogether"L $he $heosophists of the *rya ,amaM &new it, we say, because the proof is
here before us in the footnote >page 3? of the Reply to 6xtra ,upplement of the
K$heosophist,L which states comically enough that K+n ,eptember 122B, when at
Meerut, Mme (la)ats&y, in the presence of " " " $heosophists and a large number of
*rya gentlemen, positi)ely denied the existence of Ua personal, if you pleaseV god, or
any blind force UPYV as she pleased to name it, and declared herself a nasti&a " " ,L etc"
Passing unnoticed this rather confused and Mumbled statement >of denying in one
breath a personal :od and a blind 4orce? the fact that the *rya ,amaMists of #ahore
Moined in 9o)ember of the same year, i"e", two months after the said declaration,
pro)es conclusi)ely that they &new what they were about" *s also that other fact, that
since the rupture only two out of nearly 3B ,amaMists ha)e so far resigned, showing
plainly enough that they do not much mind the personal opinions of the 4ounders >as
e)ery $heosophist is in duty bound? so long as that belief interferes in no way with
their theistic creed"
Page DHG
<et, remaining $heosophists in name, they ha)e constantly )ilified and traduced
the ,ociety, the M*,$6R, and those who belie)ed and recogni.ed the latter@first
behind their bac&s, and now openly and defiantly at public meetings and assemblies"
9ow since no $heosophist is as&ed to belie)e in anything belie)ed in, or professed by
other membersE and since the $heists would be in far greater difficulties to pro)e
conclusi)ely the existence and powers of their personal :od than the occultists would
if as&ed to demonstrate the actual existence and powers of their Mahatmas, it
becomes e)ident that such a course of action, besides being against the rules and
policy of the ,ociety, shows the presence of a malicious spirit of intolerance and
hatred found but in sectarian bodies" $his odium theologicum culminated recently in
the following pretty exhibition, we hear"
$he President of the (areilly, Rohilcund $heosophical ,ociety, Rai (ishen #all,
who was passing through #ahore on his way to the north on ,ocietyQs business,
stopped there for a few days" 'e was accompanied by a young chela, who is a
recogni.ed pupil of one of our Masters, and who li)ed with him for se)eral years"
'earing of this the *rya ,amaMists, who will hear of no other :od sa)e their +[wara,
and of no other prophet sa)e their Maharishi ,wami /ayanand, conspired to defeat
the se)eral $heosophists, of whom one at least, not only belie)es in but personally
&nows his Mahatma" $he minor details of the e)ent we do not &now, nor do we care
to learn them" %hoe)er was the first to entertain the brilliant idea of challenging to
chop off, or e)en cut his finger to pro)e the existence and powers of the Mahatmas,
has only pro)ed his utter inability to percei)e the fitness of things" +f a true
$heosophist, his first duty was to support and protect the dignity of his ,ociety, by
ne)er permitting that such an absurd tamasha should publicly ta&e placeE and if one
of the bogus $heosophists of the *rya ,amaM, howe)er great his personal incredulity
in the reality of the belief of his brothers@the de)otees of the Mahatmas@he had no
more right to propose such an experiment than would an antiC*ryan $heosophist to
demand that an *rya ,amaMist should allow the experiment of ha)ing his head cut off,
to pro)e the existence of his K+[waraL and the powers of his KMahatmaL@/ayanand
,wami"
Page DH6
+n short, as our rules forbid the preaching of oneQs special creed, so they prohibit
any challenge of one religionist to another" 9otwithstanding this, and to our disgust
and surprise, we read the following that appeared in the *mrita (a.aar Patri&a of
*pril Gth"
%e ha)e recei)ed the following $elegram, dated #ahore, *pril 3rdR
KRai (ishen #all, 4"*",", 4"$",", deli)ered a public address in ,i&shasabha
*nMani, PunMab premises" Monster attendance" *bout one thousand, perhaps more"
,ubMect national union on basis of *ryan philosophy and national interests" *n
ad)anced !hela from the north narrated personal experiences in <oga)idya occultism
and consented to show one test phenomenon" 9one succeeded in cutting off his finger
wearing an occult ring, though one tried hard with a &nife" /octorQs examination
showed natural blood and bones" :reatest enthusiasm and rush" Meeting ended
disorderly, for all anxious seeing more miracles" Representati)es from different
societies attended meeting" ;nion li&ely among all under theosophic banner"Z 4urther
particulars hereafter"L
%e ha)e reasons to &now how, and why it was done by the Kad)anced !hela"L
8nowing the a)ersion of his )enerated Masters for all such exhibitions of hatha yoga
phenomena, especially when made publicly, he would ha)e ne)er consented to it had
not another person, a brother $heosophist, de)oted and true, but rather too
enthusiastic, ris&ed to ha)e his own finger chopped off for the greater glory of the
Mahatmas, who, as he belie)ed, Kwould ne)er allow a true follower of theirs to
suffer"L 6xpecting, and fully confident that no man would succeed to cut him while
he was under the protection of his M*,$6R, he )ery imprudently )olunteered his
own finger" ,eeing the danger imminent, the K!helaL@who had better reasons than
his to &now that while he himself would and could not be hurt the first time, his
fellow brother would, for he had as yet but little claim upon the M*,$6R, and was
e)en ignorant of their disli&e to such exhibitions@permitted the test phenomenon as
described in the telegram" (ut the unbelie)ers and scoffers would not rest satisfied
with the one experiment" *s stated in the dispatch they became disorderly " " "
Kanxious to see more miracles"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U,ee '"P"("Qs 6ditorial note on p" D6H"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DHH
$hey insisted upon ma&ing a second experiment and perhaps a third, if the
!hela would only let them" $he result was, that at a pri)ate house the same (rother
ha)ing once more )olunteered his finger, and defied his opponents to cut off a piece
and carry it away, the K!helaL determined that, if anyoneQs blood was to be spilt, it
would not be that of his friend, since this fact would neither change his belief in, or
&nowledge of, the powers of the Mahatmas, while his friendQs hand might ha)e been
crippled for life" $herefore he placed his hand upon the co)er of a pamphlet, and sure
of what was in store for him, in)ited the #ahore ,hyloc&s to cut" $hey did so and
carried away a small piece of the finger in triumphY
$he !ouncil and President will of course ha)e the matter in)estigated" +f any
member of the $heosophical ,ociety will be found to ha)e sided with those theistic
butchers, he will be expelled and his name published in this ,upplement" $o ta&e
ad)antage of the enthusiasm and confidence placed in either :od or mortal by any
fellow man@let alone a brother $heosophist@to cut and lame him@is disgusting in
the extreme" (esides which it is absurd, not to use a still less mild expression, since
the experiment pro)es nothing whate)er" %ere its success or nonCsuccess to pro)e
anything in such an experiment, then the world would ha)e to turn all dugpas,
shamans and sorcerersE since it is a recogni.ed fact that some RedC!ap #amas
publicly rip their bowels open, ta&e them out, and then ha)ing replaced them, ma&e a
few mesmeric passes o)er the wound and not e)en a trace of the cut is left" $his they
do in the name of their K/e)ilC:od,L a hideous monster with a hundred legs and a
pigQs head" %e in)ite the *rya ,amaMists to belie)e in the latter on the same principle"
Moreo)er, we regret that the idea of Must reprisals has not occurred to our (rothers"
$hey ought to ha)e offered their opponents who boast so loudly of their absolute
faith in the powers and &nowledge of :od, to pro)e the actuality and powers of their
+swara and ,wami /ayanandQs teachings on the same practical and experimental
demonstration"
Page DH2
%hen either a (rahmo or a ,amaMist, who boasts of producing miraculous cures
in the name of and KthroughL the power of :od, consents to allow us the experiment
with a ra.or and defies us to cut open his windpipeE and that e)ery effort to draw e)en
a drop of blood fails, then we promise solemnly to become a theist and recant and
abMure all our past heresies" 9o crime is thereby offered" 9either the throat, nor the
hand or foot of the theistic de)otee will run the slightest ris&, we pledge our life and
honour to it" 9o true $heosophist would e)er thin& of a)ailing himself of the
ad)antage that has been so eagerly sought for and ta&en at #ahore" 9o true
$heosophist would e)er ha)e the cruelty to carry, MerchantCofCVeniceCli&e, not only a
pound but e)en an atom of, human flesh, ta&en away in a piece of paper" 9o, what we
offer is neither cruel, nor dangerous" #et any theist, whether (rahmo or *rya,
publicly submit himself to the abo)e said experimentE let him allow and defy any
9asti&a to draw one drop, only one single drop out of any fleshly part of his body he
will himself choose" +f no blood can be drawn@of course after due medical
examination@then we will confess oursel)es beaten" %ho of them is willing to sta&e
his belief in :od and 'is miraculous inter)ention, upon the appearance or nonC
appearance of a drop of bloodP ;ntil then we proclaim publicly the #ahore
experimenters@bloodthirsty ,hyloc&s, unworthy of the name of men, least of all of
$heosophists" ,uch are the fruits of sectarianism and bigotry" %e conclude by
reminding the members of the $heosophical ,ociety residing at #ahore@of course
with se)eral honourable exceptions@of the following ruleR
F+" $he Parent ,ociety, through the PresidentC4ounder, has the right to nullify
any !harter when such may appear to it expedient, and to decree the expulsion of any
4ellow, of whate)er (ranch, for disgraceful conduct, or the )iolation of the bylaws or
rules" $he name of the expelled person and the circumstances of his offence being
reported to all the (ranches, fellowship with him as to ,ociety matters shall cease"
Pro)ided, ne)ertheless,, that no 4ellow shall be expelled without an opportunity
ha)ing been gi)en him for an explanation and defence"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U+n the same ,upplement to $he $heosophist was published a Presidential order dissol)ing the
PusMab ;ni)ersal (rotherhood and $heosophical ,ociety of #ahore"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page DH9
COMPILER0S NOTE
U+n his boo& on the history of the $heosophical ,ociety in 4rance entitled
!ontribution T lQ'istoire de la ,ociSte $hSosophi1ue en 4rance >ParisR 6ditions
*dyar, 1933?, !harles (lech, who was for many years the :eneral ,ecretary for that
country, reprinted a contro)ersy between 5ccultism and ,piritualism, represented
respecti)ely by '" P" (la)ats&y on the one hand, and Monsieur $remeschini on the
other" $he latter was at one time a member of the $",", and was considered somewhat
of an authority on 5riental matters" 'owe)er, he was )ery definitely committed to
,piritualism, rather then 5ccultism"
$he contro)ersy originally appeared in the (ulletin Mensuel de la ,ociStS
,cientifi1ue dQbtudes Psychologi1ues published in Paris" * complete set of the
rele)ant papers was pasted by '"P"(" in one of her ,crapboo&s, now in the *dyar
*rchi)es" *s Mr" (lech could not consult the earlier issues of the (ulletin, his
account is not 1uite complete"
$he initial cause for the contro)ersy was the translation by !ommandant /" *"
!ourmes, in the 4ebruary, 1223, issue of the (ulletin, of part of an article under the
heading K,ur la !onstitution de lQ'omme, la 9ature de ce 1uQon appelle
communSment les 6sprits et la MSdiumnitS en gSnSral,L the original of which was the
first installment of K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth,L written by *" 5" 'ume in $he
$heosophist of 5ctober, 1221"
(ecause of the abo)e article, there appeared in the March issue of the (ulletin
the K5u)erture de la !ontro)erse entre lQ5ccultisme $hSosophi1ue et le ,piritualisme
Moderne >,piritisme?"L $his consists of an +ntroduction by the 6ditor, followed by
K,cience et $hSosophie, ou deux !i)ili.ations en PrSsence,L from the pen of !harles
4au)ety, also a member of the $"," *fter ha)ing pointed out the great difference
between the two ci)ili.ations of the 5rient and the 5ccident, and ha)ing informed the
readers that it was a woman, Madame (la)ats&y, who started bringing these
ci)ili.ations together, the writer goes on to sayR K$hat reminds me that the ,aintC
,imoniens since 1231 announced to the world that it was a woman, coming from the
5rient, who would unite the 5riental world to the !hristian world of the 5ccident,
and would be the mother of a regenerated ,ociety"L $o the year K1231L '"P"(" added
a marginal note in blue pencil when she pasted that article in her ,crapboo& >Vol" FV,
pp" 1BGCB6?" Reproduced here in facsimile, it readsR
Page D2B
#Qabondance des matidres, due au compte rendu du (an1uet de la ,ociStS, nous
oblige T remettre au prochain no un article trds important de notre anc en prSsident,
M" P" V*##v,, rsur la libertS de lQhomme et les limites naturelles et sociales
imposSes T son expSriencew
r4ort drxle" #QannSe de la naissance de '" P" (la)" T 6&aterinoslawYw
KVery funny" $he year of birth of '" P" (la)" at 6&aterinoslawYL
%hether she belie)ed in the genuineness of the prophecy regarding herself
remains uncertain"
+n the *pril issue of the (ulletin, the contro)ersy begins in earnest" $here is first
a K9ote 6xplicati)eL by !ommandant !ourmes, trying to pro)e that there are more
conformities than differences between the $heosophical teachings and those of the
4rench spiritist school of *llan 8ardec" $his is followed by a KRSfutation de
lQ5ccultismeL by ,ophie Rosen >/ulaurier?, Monsieur de %aro1uier, Monsieur
Michel Rosen, and $remeschini" 4inally there follow some closing words by the
President, !harles 4au)ety"
$he fact that $remeschini, though a member of the $",", attac&ed $heosophy,
e)o&ed '"P"("Qs 1uic& wrathE her fiercely loyal nature dro)e her blue pencil flashing
again o)er the open space left in her ,crapboo& >Vol" FV+, pp" G3CG9?" Reproduced
here in facsimile, this note readsR

Page D21
Page D23
K$his tissue of absurdities misconstructions was immediately answered by '"
P" (la)ats&y in the name of the 5ccult (ranch of the $heosophical ,ocietyE Mr"
$remeschini told that it was $rds mes1uin on his part being a $heosophist to thus
carricature his ,ociety" ,uppose it will be printed the X:otomo of the $reta <oNgoQ
shown a figment of $remeschiniQs brain"L
$he May issue of the (ulletin published the KRectifications relati)es T la
!ontro)erse sur lQ5ccultisme,L pasted in ,crapboo&, Vol" FV++, pp" 1D1CD3, and
which consists of two excerpts from a letter written by '"P"(" to the 6ditor, with
some brief remar&s by the latter" $hese excerpts are published below"V
WWWWWWWWWW
RECTI!IC"TIONS REL"TIVES
8 L" CONTROVERSE SUR L0OCCULTISME
U(ulletin Mensuel de la ,ociStS ,cientifi1ue dQbtudes Psychologi1ues, ParisE 1G
mai, 1223V
9ous rece)ons de Mme (la)ats&y une lettre datSe de Madras, 1H a)ril" /ans
cette lettre, lQSminente secrStaire de la ,ociStS $hSosophi1ue et /irectrice du Mournal
$he $heosophist, nous demande 1uel1ues rectifications 1ue nous nous empressons de
publier" 9ous citons le texte meme de la lettreR
/ans le (ulletin du 1G mars 1223, )ous dites 1ue lQarticle >sur la constitution de
lQhomme, la nature de ce 1uQon appelle communSment les esprits et la mSdiumnitS en
gSnSral, publiS dans le no" de fS)rier a StS Scrit par le !olonel 5lcott" +l nQen est rien"
!e no" des 4ragments dont il en a paru dSMT, a StS ecrit par M" *" 5" 'ume, exC
prSsident de la ,ociStS $hSosophi1ue de ,imla, rthe ,imla 6clectic $","w +l lQa Scrit
au commencement de ses Studes occultes, en reponse T M" $erry de Melbourne, et se
guidant sur certains passages trou)Ss par lui dans les lettres de rMahatma
8oothoumiw, et un autre grand maJtre adepte de la fraternitS de lQ'imalaya" !Qest son
premier essai et fort superficiel"
Page D23
!orrect en gSnSral, il pdche beaucoup dans les dStails, et )ous aurie. grand tort
dQy )oir lQ*lpha et lQ5mega de notre science" /epuis son apparition, notre frdre
8oothoumi@notre maJtre et bienfaiteur plutxt@entreprit de donner au monde ce 1ui
nQa)ait Mamais StS donnS Mus1uQT prSsentE et par lQentremise de M" ,innett 1ue )ous
connaisse. tous" !Qest ce dernier 1ui a Scrit pres1ue sous sa dictSe >si lQon peut
appeler dictSes les innombrables lettres 1ue le maJtre lui Scrit?E en un mot, cQest M"
,innett 1ui a compilS des lettres de son maJtre et correspondent rSgulier, les H
numSros >suite du 1er? 1ui sont dSMT sortis et 1ui donnent au public le correct
enseignement des *rhats bouddhistes" M" !" de)rait les traduire dQabord, et ce nQest
1uQalors 1ue )ous pourrie. en faire la criti1ue, car, Me le rSpdte, le numSro 1 est for
incorrect dans les dStails"
$el est dans la lettre de Madame (la)ats&y le passage relatif T lQarticle 1ui a
pro)o1uS les criti1ues de la pres1ue totalitS des ,pirites"
(ien 1ue la suite de la lettre nQexige pas de notre impartialitS la meme publicitS,
nous croyons 1uQil nQy a pas dQindiscrStion T la reproduire" +l y a lT dQexcellentes
choses, dont nos lecteurs pourront apprScier le plus ou moins de Mustesse et faire peutC
etre leur profit" Madame (la)ats&y faisant sans doute allusion T lQarticle publiS dans
le (ulletin du 1G mars sous ce titreR r,cience et $heosophie, ou deux ci)ili.ations en
prSsencew, sQexprime ainsi en sQadressant au prSsident de la ,ociStS dQbtudes
Psychologi1uesR
=e )ous remercie, cher Monsieur, des compliments 1ue )ous me faites, mais Me
ne les mSrite gudre" =e ne fais 1ue mon de)oir, et ne suis 1ue lQhumble disciple de nos
grands maJtres" Vous a)e. raison de tenir T )os opinions comme nous a)ons raison de
tenir aux nxtres" r/u choc des opinions Maillit la lumidrew" !Qest ce 1uQil nous faut"
#Qou)rage 1ui nQa)ance pas, recule" Vaut mieux une bonne 1uerelle entre nous@
1uerelle amicale, bien entendu@1ue de sQignorer comme nous a)ons fait Mus1uQici" =e
crois 1ue meme M" !ahagnet, mon )SnSrable ami et notre frdre, est contre nos idSes"
$ant pis" #a )SritS est la )SritS, et les faits ne pourront Mamais se mStamorphoser en
fictions parce1uQils dSplaisent T certaines factions"
Page D2D
#Q5ccultisme soutient et prou)e le ,piritisme, tandis 1ue le ,piritualisme
>angloCamSricain? est diamStralement opposS T son enseignement le plus important, la
rSincarnation"
Vous )ous base., )ous autres, et mette. toute )otre foi dans ce 1ue disent rles
espritsw et ce 1ue leur font dire les rclair)oyantsw >mSdiums? 1uQils conduisent oy ils
)eulent et comme ils )eulent" #a nature meme de ces esprits nQStant pas encore
prou)Se, car lQidentification >identitS? de leurs personnalitSs est acceptSe sur leurs
propres affirmations 1uQil )ous est impossible de )Srifier, comment sa)e.C)ous 1ue
)ous nQetes pas dans lQerreur et 1ue ces soiCdisant Imes ne sont pas tout autre chose
1ue ce 1uQelles )ous affirment etre" ;n ange des tSndbres >expression clSricale? en
sait autant 1uQun ange de lumidre, et pourrait personnifier 1ui il )oudrait" 9on 1ue Me
crois T lQun ou T lQautre, mais Me le dis comme un simple exemple"
9ous ne croyons pas T la possibilitS dQune connaissance infaillible" 9ous
reMetons lQidSe 1uQil puisse etre donnS meme au plus grand adepte lQinfaillibilitS
absolue" Mais nous, du moins, nous connaissons nos maJtres et sa)ons T 1ui nous
a)ons T faire" 9ous sa)ons seulement 1ue tous hommes mortels 1uQils soient, eux,
comme de longues gSnSrations dQautres adeptes 1ui les ont prScSdSs, ne se sont
Mamais contredit et ont touMours affirmS 1ue, dans leur clair)oyance pendant la1uelle
leur esprit plane dans les rSgions memes 1uQhabitent ces soiCdisant Imes et resprits
souffrantsw, ils a)aient StudiS la nature de ces derniers, et 1uQils peu)ent parler en
connaissance de cause" $andis 1ue les spirites sont obligSs de se confier et de sQen
rapporter T ce 1ue leurs esprits leur disent, esprits 1uQils ne peu)ent ni )oir, ni
toucher, ni comprendre, exceptS dans les matSrialisations, 1ui ne sont, aprds tout, 1ue
fata morgana, cQestCTCdire un mirage des sens, pour ainsi dire" Vous ne pou)e. )ous
passer plus ou moins dQun peu de foi a)eugleR nous, au contraire, nous ne prenons,
nQacceptons rien sur la foi" 9ous a)ons des preu)es mathSmati1ues et nous y tenons"
* )ous a)ec sincSritS et respect,
'" P" (#*V*$,8<"
Page D2G
CORRECTIONS CONCERNING
THE CONTROVERS# ON OCCULTISM
U(ulletin Mensuel de la ,ociStS ,cientifi1ue dQ6tudes Psychologi1ues, Paris,
May 1G, 1223V
U$ranslation of the foregoing original 4rench text"V
%e ha)e recei)ed from Mme (la)ats&y a letter dated from Madras, *pril 1H" +n
this letter, the eminent ,ecretary of the $heosophical ,ociety and 6ditor of $he
$heosophist, as&s for some corrections which we hasten to publish" %e 1uote the
exact text of her letterR
+n the (ulletin of March 1G, 1223, you say that the article >on the constitution of
man, the nature of what are commonly called spirits, and mediumship in general,
published in the 4ebruary issue? was written by !ol" 5lcott" 9othing of the &ind" $hat
number of the 4ragments, of which eight ha)e already appeared, was written by Mr"
*" 5" 'ume, exCpresident of the $heosophical ,ociety of ,imla, Kthe ,imla 6clectic
$","L 'e wrote it at the beginning of his occult studies, in answer to Mr" $erry of
Melbourne, and too& as a basis some passages he found in the letters from the
KMahatma 8oot 'oomi,L and from another great *deptCMaster of the 'imalayan
(rotherhood" +t was the first one he wrote and it was )ery superficial indeed" !orrect
in general, he erred considerably in details, and you would be ma&ing a great mista&e
in seeing the *lpha and 5mega of our science in it" ,ince its appearance, our (rother
8oot 'oomi@or rather our Master and benefactor@has underta&en to gi)e the world
something which has ne)er been gi)en out to the present timeE and through the
agency of Mr" ,innett who is well &nown to you all"

Page D26
+t is the latter who has written almost under his dictation >if the innumerable
letters written to him by the Master may be called dictated?E in brief, it was Mr"
,innett who compiled from the letters of his Master and regular correspondent, the
se)en numbers >following the first? which ha)e already appeared and which gi)e the
public the correct teaching of the (uddhist *rhats" Mr" !" ought to translate them
first, and it is only then that they can be critici.ed, because, + repeat, number one is
)ery incorrect indeed in its details"
$his is the passage in Madame (la)ats&yQs letter relating to the article which
pro)o&ed the criticism of almost all the ,piritists"
*lthough the rest of the letter does not demand of our impartiality the same
publicity, we belie)e there is no indiscretion in reproducing it" $here are some
excellent things in it of which our readers will be able to appreciate the Mustice@more
or less@and perhaps to profit by" Madame (la)ats&y, undoubtedly alluding to the
article published in the (ulletin of March 1G, under the title, K,cience and
Philosophy, or two ci)ili.ations facing each other,L expresses herself as follows in
addressing the President of the ,ociety of Psychological ,tudiesR
+ than& you, dear ,ir, for the compliments you ha)e paid me, but + hardly
deser)e them" + am only doing my duty, and + am but the humble disciple of our great
Masters" <ou are right, in holding your own opinions as we are in holding ours"
K4rom the clash of opinions light springs forth"L $hat is what is necessary" * wor&
that does not ad)ance, retreats" +t is better to ha)e a good 1uarrel among oursel)es@a
friendly 1uarrel, it should be understood@than to ignore one another as we ha)e
done till now" + belie)e that e)en Mr" !ahagnet, my )enerable friend and our brother,
is opposed to our ideas" ,o much the worse" $ruth is truth, and facts can ne)er be
metamorphosed into fictions because they displease certain factions" 5ccultism
supports and pro)es ,piritism, while ,piritualism >*ngloC*merican? is diametrically
opposed to its most important teaching, reincarnation"
<ou base yourself on, and put all your trust in, what Kthe spiritsL tell you and in
what the K!lair)oyantsL >mediums? ma&e them say, leading them where they will and
how they will"

Page D2H
$he )ery nature of these spirits not yet being pro)ed, because the identification
>identity? of their personalities is accepted on their own affirmations, which it is
impossible for you to )erify, how do you &now that you are not mista&en and that
these soCcalled souls are not something 1uite different from what they tell you they
are" *n angel of dar&ness >a clerical expression? &nows as much as an angel of light,
and is able to personify whomsoe)er he will" 9ot that + belie)e in the one or the
other, but + am saying this as a simple example"
%e do not belie)e in the possibility of an infallible &nowledge" %e reMect the
idea that absolute infallibility can be bestowed upon e)en the highest adept" (ut we at
least are ac1uainted with our Masters and &now with whom we ha)e to deal" (ut we
&now that, mortal men as they are, li&e the long generations of other adepts who ha)e
preceded them, they are ne)er in contradiction with one another and ha)e always
declared that, in their clair)oyance, during which their spirits soar in the )ery regions
where the soCcalled souls and Ksuffering spiritsL dwell, they ha)e studied the nature
of the latter and can spea& from &nowledge" 5n the other hand the ,piritualists are
obliged to trust to, and abide by, what their spirits say, spirits which they can neither
see, nor touch, nor understand, except in the materiali.ations, which are after all only
a fata morgana, that is to say a mirage of the senses, so to spea&" +t is impossible for
you to a)oid ha)ing more or less blind faithE we, on the contrary, do not assume, nor
accept anything on faith" %e ha)e mathematical proofs and we stand by them"
<ours with sincerity and respect,
'" P" (#*V*$,8<"
Page D22
ELECTROSCOPE "ND *"STR"L DOUBLES,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 3B9V
,ome *ustralian and *merican papers are )ery much exercised with a new
in)ention made by /r" :nedra >P? of Victoria >*ustralia?, called the 6lectroscope"Z
$he extraordinary achie)ements of the telephone ought to ha)e, by this time,
familiari.ed people with the possibility of e)ery miraculousCli&e disco)ery and
in)ention" 9e)ertheless, this new appliance of electricity, if it pro)es true to its
promises, as@unless the whole story is a sale@it has already pro)ed itself@will be
rec&oned as one among the many, if not the most, mar)ellous in)entions of the age" +t
is claimed to be possible to con)ey, by means of electricity, )ibrations of light to not
only hold con)erse with oneQs most distant friends@as already done by means of the
telephone@but actually to see them" %e are told by the R"CP" =ournal, which is
responsible for the story, thatR
$he trial of this wonderful instrument too& place at Melbourne on the 31st of
5ctober last, in the presence of some forty scientific and public men, and was a great
success" ,itting in a dar& room, they saw proMected on a large dis& of white burnished
metal the race course at 4lemington, with its myriad hosts of acti)e beings" 6ach
minute detail stood out with perfect fidelity to the original, and as they loo&ed at the
wonderful picture through binocular glasses, it was difficult to imagine that they were
not actually on the course itself and mo)ing among those whose actions they could so
completely scan"
%e are not told how many miles distant is 4lemington from MelbourneE but
were one in the moon and the other on earth, it would astonish us as little and would
seem as natural as though 4lemington were in the same street where the experiment is
said to ha)e ta&en place" 9ot being informed so far of the principles of electricity
acted upon in this particular instance, we cannot compare the means adopted for the
proMection of the astral Khosts of acti)e beingsL on the dis& of burnished metal, with
those used by the adepts and high !helas to proMect the reflections of themsel)es
upon any gi)en point of space"
WWWWWWWWWW
U9ot to be confused with the same term as used to describe an instrument for detecting the presence
of an electric charge on a body" @!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page D29
+f one is purely electrical, the other is magnetoCelectricalE but we suppose that,
perhaps, with the exception of the magnetic currents of the earth, the principles must
be the same" +f the in)ention, and its experiment are no fiction@and we do not see
why they should be then science is, indeed, on the )erge of a partial disco)ery of
adept powersR we say, ad)isedly, Kpartial,L for, of course, physical science can ne)er
disco)er the part played in the adeptQs selfCproMection by her psychological sister@
%+##, e)en though she were inclined to )erify the actuality of such powers" *nd yet
ha)ing found out and admitted that space and e)en time could be annihilated by
physical apparatuses, we really do not see the great difficulty of ta&ing a step further
and admitting at least the possibility of psychological potencies in manE potencies
capable of replacing successfully physical forces and using these but as a basis of,
and a complement for, obMecti)e manifestations" $he most serious impediment in the
way of such recognition is the complete ignorance of physical science of all the
potentialities contained in the astral light or a&asa ,he admits the existence of ether,
hypothetical though it still remains for her, simply because were its actuality to be
reMected, the theories of light, heat and so many other things would be nowhere, and
that her most scientific expositions would be upset" %hy not admit on the same
principle the possibility of spectral apparitions, of the materiali.ations of the
spiritualists, of the double or the Kdoppelg_ngersL of li)ing persons, etc", rather than
encounter the tremendous difficulty of setting to naught the collecti)e e)idence of the
ages, and that of 3B millions of modern spiritualists, all eyewitnesses to )arious
phenomena who certify to their actuality" %e would be glad to learn whether the
spectral appearances upon the dis& cast any shadowsP $his is a great point with the
occultists, many of whom can testify that the astral bodies of li)ing men@do not"
Page D9B
WILL
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 31BV
U* correspondent, ha)ing read Kwith the greatest interest the profound article by
$" ,ubba Row X* Personal and an +mpersonal :od,Q in $he $heosophist of 4ebruary,L
contributes some paragraphs on ,chopenhauerQs thesis K$he %orld is my mental
perceptionL and cites his references to the VedInta philosophy" '" P" (" adds the
following noteRV
4or the benefit of those of our readers in +ndia, who, although excellent Vedantic
scholars, may ha)e ne)er heard of *rthur ,chopenhauer and his philosophy, it will be
useful to say a few words regarding this :erman Metaphysician, who is ran&ed by
many among the worldQs great philosophers" 5therwise, the abo)e translated
fragment, pic&ed out by our brother, Mr" ,anders, for the sole purpose of showing the
great identity of )iew, between the Vedanta system@the archaic philosophy >we beg
Professor Max M^llerQs pardon? and the comparati)ely modern school of thought
founded by ,chopenhauer@may appear unintelligible in its isolated form" * student
of the :\ttingen and (erlin ;ni)ersities, a friend of :oethe and his disciple, initiated
by him into the mysteries of colour >see *" ,chopenhauerQs 6ssay, ;ber das ,ehen
und die 4arben, 1216?, he e)oluted, so to say, into a profoundly original thin&er
without any seeming transition, and brought his philosophical )iews into a full
system before he was thirty" Possessed of a large pri)ate fortune which enabled him
to pursue and de)elop his ideas uninterruptedly, he remained an independent thin&er
and soon won for himself, on account of his strangely pessimistic )iew of the world,
the name of the Kmisanthropic sage"L
Page D91
$he idea that the present world is radically e)il, is the only important point in
his system that differs from the teachings of the Vedanta" *ccording to his
philosophical doctrines, the only thing truly real, original, metaphysical and absolute,
is %+##" $he world of obMects consists simply of appearancesE of Maya or illusion@
as the Vedantins ha)e it" +t lies entirely in, and depends on, our representation" %ill is
the KthingCinCitselfL U/ing an sichV of the 8antian philosophy, Kthe substratum of all
appearances and of nature herself" +t is totally different from, and wholly independent
of, cognition, can exist and manifest itself without it, and actually does so in all
nature from animal beings downward"L 9ot only the )oluntary actions of animated
beings, but also the organic frame of their bodies, its form and 1uality, the )egetation
plants, and in the inorganic &ingdom of nature, crystalli.ation and e)ery other
original power which manifests itself in physical and chemical phenomena, as well as
gra)ity, are something outside of appearance and identical with, what we find in
oursel)es and call@%+##" *n intuiti)e recognition of the identity of will in all the
phenomena separated by indi)iduation is the source of Mustice, bene)olence, and lo)eE
while from a nonCrecognition of its identity spring egotism, malice, e)il and
ignorance" $his is the doctrine of the Vedantic a)idya >ignorance? that ma&es of ,elf
an obMect distinct from Parabrahm, or ;ni)ersal %ill" +ndi)idual soul, physical self,
are only imagined by ignorance and ha)e no more reality and existence than the
obMects seen in a dream" %ith ,chopenhauer it also results from this original identity
of will in all its phenomena, that the reward of the good and the punishment of the
bad are not reser)ed to a future hea)en or a future hell, but are e)er present >the
doctrine of 8arma, when philosophically considered and from its esoteric aspect?" 5f
course the philosophy of ,chopenhauer was radically at )ariance with the systems of
,chelling, 'egel, 'erbert and other contemporaries, and e)en with that of 4ichte, for
a time his master, and whose philosophical system while studying under him, he
openly treated with the greatest contempt"
Page D93
(ut this detracts in nothing from his own original and profoundly philosophical
though often too pessimistic )iews" 'is doctrines are mostly interesting when
compared with those of the Vedanta of K,an&aracharyaQsL school, inasmuch UasV they
show the great identity of thought arri)ing at the same conclusions between men of
two 1uite different epochs, and with o)er two millenniums between them" %hen
some of the mightiest and most pu..ling problems of being are thus approximately
sol)ed at different ages and by men entirely independent of one another, and that the
most philosophically profound propositions, premises and conclusions arri)ed at by
our best modern thin&ers are found on comparison nearly, and )ery often entirely,
identical with those of older philosophers as enunciated by them thousands of years
bac&, we may be Mustified in regarding Kthe heathenL systems as the primal and most
pure sources of e)ery subse1uent philosophical de)elopment of thought"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTES TO *ESOTERIC SPIRITU"LISM'
THE L"W O! /IN!LU$0 "ND /E!!LU$,0
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 31BC11V
U%illiam <eates, the writer of the article, considers $" ,ubba Row to be Ka
defender of the true faith in 5rthodox (rahminism"L 5n this '" P" (" remar&sRV
5ur esteemed correspondent and brother is wrong here" %e say again@Mr" $"
,ubba Row is no Kdefender of the true faith in orthodox (rahminism,L for the present
K5rthodox (rahminismL is rather heterodox than orthodox" 5ur brother, Mr" $" ,ubba
Row, is a true Vedantic *d)aitee of the esoteric, hence genuine, (rahman faith and@
an occultist"
Page D93
U$he writer further on claims that $he $heosophist Kadmits that " " " the 5riental
system has, from time to time, declinedR and in spite of repeated re)i)als at different
epochs, e)ery effort to restore it to the traditional pristine glory of the :olden *ge has
failed"L '" P" (" writesRV
%e beg to be permitted to emphatically deny the statement 9either $he
$heosophist@i"e", its 6ditor nor any one of the 4ounders, has e)er admitted anything
of the sort about the K5riental ,ystemL whate)er some of its contributors may ha)e
remar&ed upon the subMect" +f it has degenerated among its )otaries in +ndia >a fact
due entirely to the cunning of its deadCletter interpretation by the modern orthodox
(rahmin who has lost the &ey to it? it flourishes as high as e)er in the 'imalayan
retreats, in the ashrum of the initiated (rahmin, and in all the Kpristine glory of the
:olden *ge"L
WWWWWWWWWW
" !EW THOUGHTS ON SOME WISE WORDS
!ROM " WISE M"N
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 313 31HV
U(abu RaMnarain (ose, a wellC&nown (rahmoC,amIMist, wrote an article on K$he
6ssential ReligionL in the pages of the $at)a (odhini Patri&a" 'is call is for the
highest )irtues and a life of selflessness, irrespecti)e of religious affiliation" '"P"(",
while strongly endorsing most of what he says, ma&es the following comments upon
)arious points in (oseQs articleRV
$hese are as noble and as conciliating words as were e)er pronounced among
the (rahmos of +ndia" $hey would be calculated to do a world of good, but for the
common doom of words of wisdom to become the K)oice crying in the desert"L <et
e)en in these &indly uttered sentences, so full of bene)olence and good will to all
men, we cannot help discerning >we fer)ently hope, that (abu RaMnarain (ose will
pardon our honest sincerity? a ring of a certain sectarian, hence selfish feeling, one
against which our ,ociety is forced to fight so desperately"
Page D9D
K%e should tolerate all religions, though at the same time propagating the religion
which we consider to be trueL@we are told" +t is our painful duty to analy.e these
words, and we begin by as&ing why should weP %here is the necessity for imposing
our own personal )iews, our beliefs pro tem, if we may use the expression, upon
other persons who, each and all must be allowed to possess@until the contrary is
shown@as good a faculty of discrimination and Mudgment as we belie)e oursel)es to
be endowed withP %e say belief pro tem basing the expression upon the writerQs own
confession" K%e are apt to forget,L he tells his readers, Kthat we oursel)es are not
infallible, that our opinions " " " were not exactly the same twenty years ago as they
are now, nor will they be exactly the same twenty years hence,L and Kthat all the
members of our own sect or party " " " " " " do not hold exactly the same opinions on all
subMects concerning religion as we do"L Precisely" $hen why not lea)e the mind of our
brothers of other religions and creeds to pursue its own natural course instead of
forcibly di)erting it@howe)er gentle the persuasion@into a groo)e we may
oursel)es abandon twenty years henceP (ut, we may be perhaps reminded by the
esteemed writer that in penning those sentences which we ha)e underlined, he
referred but to the KnonCessential pointsL@or sectarian dogmas, and not to what he is
pleased to call the KessentialL points of religion, )i." belief in :od or theism" %e
answer by en1uiring again, whether the latter tenet@a tenet being something which
has to rest upon its own intrinsic )alue and undeniable e)idence@whether
notwithstanding, until )ery lately its 1uasiCuni)ersal acceptation@this tenet is any
better pro)en, or rests upon any firmer foundation than any of the existing dogmas
which are admitted by none but those who accept the authority they proceed fromP
*re not in this case, both tenet and dogmas, the KessentialsL as the KnonCessentials,L
simply the respecti)e conclusions and the outcome of Kfallible mindsLP
Page D9G
*nd can it be maintained that theism itself with its present crude ideas about an
intelligent personal deity a little better than a superhumanly conscious big man@will
not 3B years hence ha)e reached not only a broader and more noble aspect, but e)en a
decided turning point which will lead humanity to a far higher ideal in conse1uence
of the scientific truths it ac1uires daily and almost hourlyP +t is from a strictly
agnostic platform that we are now arguing, basing what we say merely upon the
writerQs own words" *nd we maintain that the maMor premise of his general
proposition which may be thus formulated@Ka personal :od is@while dogmas may
or may not be trueL@being simply admitted, ne)er pro)en, since the existence of
:od in general was, is, and e)er will remain an unpro)able proposition, his
conclusions, howe)er correctly deri)ed from the minor or second premiss, do not
co)er the whole ground" $he syllogism is regular and the reasoning )alid@only in
the opinion of the theists" $he atheist as the agnostic will protest, ha)ing logic as well
as reason on his side" 'e will sayR %hy not accord to others that which you claim for
yoursel)esP 'owe)er weighty our arguments and gentle our persuasion, no theist
would fail to feel hurt were we to try our hand in persuading him to throw away his
theism and accept the religion or philosophy Kwhich we consider to be trueL@
namely, KgodlessL (uddhism, or highly philosophical and logical agnosticism" *s our
esteemed contemporary puts it@Kit is impossible to obliterate differences of face and
ma&e all faces exactly resemble each other"L 'as the idea e)er struc& him that it is as
difficult to entirely obliterate innate differences of mental perceptions and faculties,
let alone to reconcile by bringing them under one standard the endless )arieties of
human nature and thoughtP $he latter may be forced from its natural into an artificial
channel" (ut li&e a mas& howe)er securely stuc& on oneQs face, and which is liable to
be torn off by the first strong gust of wind that blows under, the con)ictions thus
artificially inoculated are liable at any day to resume their natural course@the new
cloth put upon the old garment torn out, and@Kthe rent made worse"L

Page D96
%e are with those who thin& that as nature has ne)er intended the process &nown in
horticulture as engrafting, so she has ne)er meant that the ideas of one man should
be inoculated with those of any other man, since, were it so, she would ha)e@if
really guided by intelligence@created all the faculties of human mind, as all plants,
homogeneous, which is not the case" 'ence, as no &ind of plant can be induced to
grow and thri)e artificially upon another plant which does not belong to the same
natural order, so no attempt toward engrafting our )iews and beliefs on indi)iduals
whose mental and intellectual capacities differ from ours as one )ariety or species of
plants differs from another )ariety@will e)er be successful" $he missionary efforts
directed for se)eral hundred years toward christiani.ing the nati)es of +ndia, is a good
instance in hand and illustrates the ine)itable failure following e)ery such fallacious
attempt" Very few among those nati)es upon whom the process of engrafting
succeeded, ha)e any real meritE while the tendency of the great maMority is to return
to its original specific types, that of a true born pantheistic 'indu, clinging to his
forefatherQs caste and gods as a plant clings to its original genus" K#o)e of :od and
lo)e of man is the essence of religion,L says (abu Rainarain (ose elsewhere, in)iting
men to withdraw their attention from the hus& of religion@Lthe nonCessentialsL and
concentrate it upon the &ernel@its essentials" %e doubt whether we will e)er pro)e
our lo)e to man by depri)ing him of a fundamental and essential prerogati)e, that of
an untrammelled and entire liberty of his thoughts and conscience"
Moreo)er in saying, as the author does further on@
9othing has done so much mischief to the world as religious bigotry and
dogmatism on nonCessential points of religionE nothing has led so much to bloody
wars and fiery persecutions as the same " " " " " "
@he turns the weapon of logic and fact against his own argument" %hat
religion, for instance, e)er claimed more than !hristianity Klo)e of :od and lo)e of
manL@aye, Klo)e of all men as our brothersLE and yet where is that creed that has
e)er surpassed it in bloodthirstiness and cruelty, in intolerance, to the damnation of
all other religionsY K%hat crimes has it >Religion in general? not committedPL
exclaims Prof" 'uxley 1uoting from #ucretius, and@Lwhat cruelties,L he adds,
referring to !hristianity@Kha)e been perpetrated in the name of 'im who said X#o)e
your enemiesE blessed are the peacema&ers,Q and so many other noble things"L

Page D9H
$ruly this religion of #o)e and !harity is now built upon the most gigantic holocaust
of )ictims, the fruits of the unlawful, sinful desire to bring o)er all men to one mode
of thin&ing, at any rate to one KessentialL point in their religion@belief in !hrist"
%e admit and recogni.e fully that it is the duty of e)ery honest man to try to
bring round by Kargument and gentle persuasionL e)ery man who errs with respect to
the KessentialsL of ;ni)ersal ethics, and the usually recogni.ed standard of morality"
(ut the latter is the common property of all religions, as of all the honest men,
irrespecti)e of their beliefs" $he principles of the true moral code, tried by the
standard of right and Mustice, are recogni.ed as fully, and followed Must as much by the
honest atheist as by the honest theist, religion and piety ha)ing, as can be pro)ed by
statistics, )ery little to do with the repression of )ice and crime" * broad line has to be
drawn between the external practice of oneQs moral and social duties, and that of the
real intrinsic )irtue practised but for its own sa&e" :enuine morality does not rest
with the profession of any particular creed or faith, least of all with belief in gods or a
:odE but it rather depends upon the degree of our own indi)idual perceptions of its
direct bearing upon human happiness in general, hence@upon our own personal
weal" (ut e)en this is surely not all" K,o long as man is taught and allowed to belie)e
that he must be Must, that the strong hand of law may not punish him, or his neighbour
ta&e his re)engeLE that he must be enduring because complaint is useless and
wea&ness can only bring contemptE that he must be temperate, that his health may
&eep good and all his appetites retain their acutenessE and, he is told that, if he ser)es
his right, his friends may ser)e him, if he defends his country, he defends himself,
and that by ser)ing his :od he prepares for himself an eternal life of happiness
hereafter@so long, we say, as he acts on such principles, )irtue is no )irtue, but
)erily the culmination of ,6#4+,'96,,"

Page D92
'owe)er sincere and ardent the faith of a theist, unless, while conforming his
life to what he pleases to term di)ine laws, he gi)es precedence in his thoughts first to
the benefit that accrues from such a moral course of actions to his brother, and then
only thin&s of himself@he will remain at best@a pious egotistE and we do claim that
belief in, and fear of :od in man, is chiefly based upon, de)elops and grows in exact
proportion to his selfishness, his fear of punishment and bad results only for himself,
without the least concern for his brother"
%e see daily that the theist, although defining morality as the conformity of
human actions to di)ine laws, is not a little more moral than the a)erage atheist or
infidel who regards a moral life simply the duty of e)ery honest rightCthin&ing man
without gi)ing a thought to any reward for it in afterClife" $he apparently discrepant
fact that one who disbelie)es in his sur)i)al after death should, ne)ertheless, frame in
most cases his life in accordance with the highest rules of morality, is not as abnormal
as it seems at first" $he atheist, &nowing of but one existence is anxious to lea)e the
memory of his life as unsullied as possible in the afterCremembrances of his family
and posterity, and in honour e)en with those yet unborn" +n the words of the :ree&
,toic@ Kthough all our fellow men were swept away, and not a mortal nor immortal
eye were left to appro)e or condemn, should we not here, within our breast, ha)e a
Mudge to dread, and a friend to conciliatePL 9o more than theism is atheism congenite
with man" (oth grow and de)elop in him together with his reasoning powers, and
become either fortified or wea&ened by reflection and deduction of e)idence from
facts" +n short both are entirely due to the degree of his emotional nature, and man is
no more responsible for being an atheist than he is for becoming a theist" (oth terms
are entirely misunderstood"
Many are called impious not for ha)ing a worse but a different religion from
their neighbours, says 6picurus" Mohammedans are stronger theists than the
!hristians, yet they are called KinfidelsL by the latter, and many theosophists are
regarded as atheists, not for the denying of the /eity but for thin&ing somewhat
peculiarly concerning this e)erCtoCbe un&nown Principle"

Page D99
*s a li)ing contrast to the atheist, stands the theist belie)ing in other li)es or a
life to come" $aught by his creed that prayer, repentance and offerings are capable of
obliterating sin in the sight of the KallCforgi)ing, lo)ing and merciful 4ather in
'ea)en,L he is gi)en e)ery hope@the strength of which grows in proportion to the
sincerity of his faith@that his sins will be remitted to him" $hus, the moral obstacle
between the belie)er and sin is )ery wea&, if we )iew it from the standpoint of human
nature" $he more a child feels sure of his parents lo)e for him, the easier he feels it to
brea& his fatherQs commands" %ho will dare to deny that the chief, if not the only
cause of half the misery with which !hristendom is afflicted@ especially in 6urope,
the stronghold of sin and crime@lies not so much with human depra)ity as with its
belief in the goodness and infinite mercy of Kour 4ather in 'ea)en,L and especially in
the )icarious atonementP %hy should not men imagine that they can drin& of the cup
of )ice with impunity@at any rate, in its results in the hereafter@when one half of
the population is offered to purchase absolution for its sins for a certain paltry sum of
money, and the other has but to ha)e faith in, and place reliance upon, !hrist to
secure a place in paradise@though he be a murderer, starting for it right from the
gallowsY $he public sale of indulgences for the perpetration of crime on the one hand,
and the assurance made by the ministers of :od that the conse1uences of the worst of
sins may be obliterated by :od at his will and pleasure, on the other, are 1uite
sufficient, we belie)e, to &eep crime and sin at the highest figure" 'e, who lo)es not
)irtue and good for their own sa&e and shuns not )ice as )ice, is sure to court the
latter as a direct result of his pernicious belief" 5ne ought to despise that )irtue which
prudence and fear alone direct"
%e firmly belie)e, in the actuality, and the philosophical necessity of K8arma,L
i"e", in that law of una)oidable retribution, the notCtoCbe di)erted effect of e)ery cause
produced by us, reward as punishment in strict conformity with our actionsE and we
maintain that since no one can be made responsible for another manQs religious
beliefs with whom, and with which, he is not in the least concerned@that perpetual
cra)ing for the con)ersion of all men we meet to our own modes of thin&ing and
respecti)e creeds becomes a highly reprehensible action"

Page GBB
%ith the exception of those abo)eCmentioned cases of the uni)ersally
recogni.ed code of morality, the furtherance or neglect of which has a direct bearing
upon human weal or woe, we ha)e no right to be influencing our neighboursQ
opinions upon purely transcendental and unpro)able 1uestions, the speculations of
our emotional nature" 9ot because any of these respecti)e beliefs are in any way
inMurious or bad per seE on the contrary, for e)ery ideal that ser)es us as a point of
departure and a guiding star in the path of goodness and purity, is to be eagerly
sought for, and as unswer)ingly followedE but precisely on account of those
differences and endless )ariety of human temperaments, so ably pointed out to us by
the respected (rahmo gentleman in the lines as abo)e 1uoted" 4or if, as he truly
points out@none of us is infallible, and that Kthe religious opinions of men are
subMect to progressL >and change, as he adds?, that progress being endless and 1uite
li&ely to upset on any day our strongest con)ictions of the day pre)iousE and that, as
historically and daily pro)ed, Knothing has done so much mischiefL as the great
)ariety of conflicting creeds and sects which ha)e led but to bloody wars and
persecutions, and the slaughter of one portion of man&ind by the other, it becomes an
e)ident and an undeniable fact that, by adding con)erts to those sects, we add but so
many antagonists to fight and tear themsel)es to pieces, if not now then at no distant
future" *nd in this case we do become responsible for their actions"
Propagandism and con)ersion are the fruitful seeds sown for the perpetration of
future crimes, the odium theologicum stirring up religious hatreds@which relate as
much to the K6ssentialsL as to the non essentials of any religion@being the most
fruitful as the most dangerous for the peace of man&ind" +n !hristendom, where at
each street corner star)ation cries for helpR where pauperism, and its direct result,
)ice and crime, fill the land with desolation@millions upon millions are annually
spent upon this unprofitable and sinful wor& of proselytism"
Page GB1
%ith that charming inconsistency which was e)er the characteristic of the
!hristian churches, the same (ishops who ha)e opposed but a few decades bac& the
building of railways, on the ground that it was an act of rebellion against :od who
willed that man should not go 1uite as 1uic&ly as the windE and had opposed the
introduction of the telegraphy, saying that it was a tempting of Pro)idenceE and e)en
the application of anaesthetics in obstetrical cases, Kunder the pretence,L Prof" /raper
tells us Kthat it was an impious attempt to escape from the curse denounced against all
women in :enesis, iii, 16L those same (ishops do not hesitate to meddle with the
wor& of Pro)idence when the KheathenL are concerned" ,urely if Pro)idence hath so
decreed that women should be left to suffer for the sin of 6)e, then it must ha)e also
willed that a man, born a heathen should be left one as@preordained" *re the
missionaries wiser they thin& than their :od, that they should try to correct his
mista&esE and do they not also rebel against Pro)idence, and its mysterious waysP (ut
lea)ing aside things as dar& to them as they are to us, and )iewing Kcon)ersion,L so
called, but from its practical aspect, we say that he, who under the dubious pretext
that because something is truth to him, it must be truth also for e)eryone else, labours
at the con)ersion of his neighbours, is simply engaged in the unholy wor& of breeding
and raising future !ains"
+ndeed, our Klo)e of manL ought to be strong enough and sufficiently intuitional
to stifle in us that spar& of selfishness which is the chief motor in our desire to force
upon our brother and neighbour our own religious opinions and )iews which we may
Kconsider >for the time being? to be true"L +t is a grand thing to ha)e a worthy +deal,
but a still greater one to li)e up to itE and where is that wise and infallible man who
can show, without fear of being mista&en, to another man what or who should be his
idealP +f, as the theist assures us@L:od is all in allL@then must he be in e)ery ideal,
whate)er its nature, if it neither clashes with recogni.ed morality, nor can it be shown
producti)e of bad results"

Page GB3
$hus, whether this +deal be :od, the pursuit of $ruth, humanity collecti)ely, or, as
=ohn ,tuart Mill has so elo1uently pro)ed, simply our own countryE and that in the
name of that ideal man not only wor&s for it, but becomes better himself, creating
thereby an example of morality and goodness for others to follow, what matters it to
his neighbour whether this ideal be a chimerical utopia, an abstraction, or e)en an
inanimate obMect in the shape of an idol, or piece of clayP
#et us not meddle with the natural bent of man0s religious or irreligious thought,
any more than we should thin& of meddling with his pri)ate thoughts, lest, by so
doing we should create more mischief than benefit, and deser)e thereby his curses"
%ere religions as harmless and as innocent as the flowers with which the author
compares them, we would not ha)e one word to say against them" #et e)ery
KgardenerL attend but his own plants without forcing unas&ed his own )ariety upon
those of other people, and all will remain satisfied" *s popularly understood, $heism
has, doubtless, its own peculiar beauty and may well seem Kthe most fragrant of
flowers in the garden of religionsL@to the ardent theist" $o the atheist, howe)er, it
may possibly appear no better than a pric&ly thistle and the theist has no more right to
ta&e him to tas& for his opinion, than the atheist has to blame him for his horror of
atheism" 4or all its beauty it is an ungrateful tas& to see& to engraft the rose upon the
thistle, since in nine cases out of ten the rose will lose its fragrance, and both plants
their shapes to become a monstrous hybrid" +n the economy of nature e)erything is in
its right place, has its special purpose, and the same potentiality for good as for e)il in
)arious degrees@if we will but lea)e it to its natural course" $he most fragrant rose
has often the sharpest thornsE and it is the flowers of the thistle when pounded and
made up into an ointment that will cure the wounds made by her cruel thorns the best"
+n our humble opinion, the only K6ssentialsL in the Religion of 'umanity are@
)irtue, morality, brotherly lo)e, and &ind sympathy with e)ery li)ing creature,
whether human or animal"

Page GB3
$his is the common platform that our ,ociety offers to all to stand uponE the most
fundamental differences between religions and sects sin&ing into insignificance
before the mighty problem of reconciling humanity, of gathering all the )arious races
into one family, and of bringing them all to a con)iction of the utmost necessity in
this world of sorrow to culti)ate feelings of brotherly sympathy and tolerance, if not
actually lo)e" 'a)ing ta&en for our motto@K+n these 4undamentals@unityE in nonC
essentials@full libertyE in all things@charity,L we say to all collecti)ely and to e)ery
one indi)idually@L&eep to your forefather0s religion, whate)er it may be@if you feel
attached to it, (rotherE thin& with your own brains@if you ha)e anyE be by all means
yourself@whate)er you are, unless you are really a bad man" *nd remember abo)e
all, that a wolf in his own s&in is immeasurably more honest than the same animal@
under a sheep0s clothing"L
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EDITOR9S NOTE TO
*SHOULD MEN CUT THEIR H"IR(,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 319V
U$his short article, by *lexander %ilder M"/", 4"$",", is written in defence of the
practice of wearing long hair" +t is followed by this comment of '" P" ("QsRV
4ashion@which has somehow succeeded in ma&ing KrespectabilityL its 1ueer
ally@forbids !hristian ci)ili.ed society wearing their hair long at this period of our
century" +n this the soCcalled !hristian ci)ili.ation is guilty of inconsistency, and its
clergy of disrespect, since =esus and his *postles are shown to ha)e worn long hair@
e)ery one of them except Paul" $he 9a.ars of the 5ld $estament ne)er allowed the
ra.or to touch their head" $he *ryan Rishis, the <ogis, the ,adhus of e)ery &ind wore
and still wear their hair long" $he initiates of $ibet do the same" +n 6urope, the :ree&
and Russian clergy alone, along with their mon&s, ha)e preser)ed the wise habit, and
the longe)ity of some of the last named is pro)erbial"
Page GBD
THE E!!IC"C# O! !UNER"L CEREMONIES
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 331C33V
$5 $'6 %R+$6R 54 $'6 K5!!;#$ 4R*:M69$,"L
/6*R ,+R *9/ (R5$'6R,
+n your article on K/e)achanL you ha)e explained at length the enMoyment that
the ,piritual 6go in combination with the higher essence of the fifth principle, feels in
a sort of rosy sleep extending o)er an enormous period" $he 6go that ta&es its birth in
/e)achan, after the period of gestation, is unconscious of what passes here on earth
to which it cannot be attracted" +t is only the shell formed of the fourth and the lower
remnant of the fifth principle that remains wandering in 8amaC#o&a, and it is this
reli1uiae that often ma&es its appearance under certain conditions in the ,Sance room
of the ,piritualist" *ll this has been clearly taught in the K4ragmentsL which will help
to dispel many a doubt" $he information howe)er that could be gathered from the
K4ragmentsL does not explain how far the shell made up of the Dth and lower Gth is
conscious of its past existence, and whether it consciously suffers for its past
misdeeds in any shape" $o the 'indus and Parsees again it is of the highest
importance to &now whether any obse1uial ceremonies are of any the least benefit to
this shell or to the 6go resting in /e)achan" 6nlightened reason reMects the idea that
the blundering ceremonial acts performed mechanically could be of any a)ail to the
disembodied portion of man, and yet the Parsees and the 'indus ha)e to spend large
sums of money from year to year to allay a superstitious dread lest they might
unconsciously do inMury to the departed soul" $he funeral ceremonies are a real curse
to the Parsee, and the middle classes are ground down by needless expenses which lie
hea)y upon them" $heir ci)ili.ation has been greatly retarded by this crushing
superstition" +t will therefore be no small boon to learn the opinion of the 5ccultists
as to how far men on earth can if at all@benefit the four remaining principles of a
deceased person"

Page GBG
*t page 1H9 of the Dth )olume of $he $heosophist Mr" !hidambaram +yer 1uotes a
,hastra which says that Khe who omits to perform ,raddha on the anni)ersary of the
day of death will be born a chandala a crore of times"LZ $his is e)idently the writing
of an uninitiated priest] who scarcely &new anything about the true doctrine of
rebirths" (ut sentences li&e these sway the populace, and thoughtful persons for want
of a correct &nowledge of the occult teaching on this point are themsel)es troubled
with doubts"
$his subMect )ery con)eniently falls in with the subMect of K/e)achanL and the
promised article on K*)itchi,L and + sincerely trust you will be good enough to
enlarge upon this point as it is of the highest moment to the *siatic races to &now
what their funeral ceremonies are really worth"
<ours fraternally,
K9" /" 8",L 4"$","
$he writer of the K4ragmentsL ha)ing gone to 6ngland, some time has to elapse
of course before he can answer the 1uestions" ;ntil then as a student of the same
school we may, perhaps, be permitted to say a few words upon the subMect"
+n e)ery country, as among all the peoples of the world from the beginning of
history, we see that some &ind of burial is performed@but that )ery few among the
soCcalled sa)age primiti)e races had or ha)e any funeral rites or ceremonies" $he
wellCmeaning tenderness felt by us for the dead bodies of those whom we lo)ed or
respected, may ha)e suggested, apart from the expression of natural grief, some
additional mar&s of family respect for them who ha)e left us fore)er" (ut rites and
ceremonies as prescribed by our respecti)e !hurches and their theologians, are an
afterthought of the priest, an outgrowth of theological and clerical ambition, see&ing
to impress upon the laity a superstition, a wellCpaying awe and dread of a punishment
of which the priest himself &nows nothing beyond mere speculati)e and often )ery
illogical hypotheses" $he (rahmin, the Mobed, the *ugur, the Rabbi, the Moolah and
the Priest, impressed with the fact that their physical welfare depended far more upon
his parishioners, whether dead or ali)e, than the spiritual welfare of the latter on his
alleged mediatorship between men and :od, found the de)ice expedient and good,
and e)er since wor&ed on this line"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he punishment, e)en if true, would not be so dreadful after all in this our age of enlightenment,
when social e1uality and education is le)elling all the castes"
] Most assuredly the threat does not come from an initiated Rishi"
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Page GB6
4uneral rites ha)e originated among the theocratically go)erned nations, such as the
ancient 6gyptians, *ryans, and =ews" +nterwo)en with, and consecrated by the
ceremonies of theology, these rites ha)e been adopted by the respecti)e religions of
nearly all the nations, and are preser)ed by them to this dayE for while religions differ
considerably among themsel)es, the rites often sur)i)ing the people as the religion to
which they owed their origin ha)e passed from one people to another" $hus, for
instance, the threefold sprin&ling with earth with which the !hristian is consigned to
the tomb, is handed down to the %esterners from the Pagan :ree&s, and RomansE and
modern Parseeism owes a considerable portion of its prescribed funeral rites, we
belie)e, to the 'indus, much in their present mode of worship being due to the grafts
of 'induism" *braham and other Patriarchs were buried without any rites, and e)en
in #e)iticus >chap" xix, 32? the +sraelites are forbidden to Kma&e any cuttings in your
flesh for the dead, nor print any mar&sL upon themsel)es" +n the same manner the
oldest 7oroastrian boo&s, the old and the new /esatir, with the exception of a few
acts of charity >to the poor, not to the Mobeds? and the reading of sacred boo&s,
prescribe no special ceremonies" %e find in the (oo& of the Prophet *bad >/esatir?
simply the followingR
1GD" * corpse you may place in a )ase of a1ua fortis, or consign it to the fire, or
to the earth, >when cleansed of its 9asI or dead matter?"
*nd againR
*t the birth of a child or the death of a relati)e, read the 9os&, and gi)e
something in the road of Ma.dam >for 5rmu.d0s sa&e, or in charity?"
$hat0s all, and nowhere will one find in the oldest boo&s the inMunction of the
ceremonies now in use, least of all that of spending large sums of money which often
entails ruin upon the sur)i)ors"
9or, from the occult standpoint, do such rites benefit in the least the departed
soul" $he correct comprehension of the law of 8arma is entirely opposed to the idea"

Page GBH
*s no person0s &arma can be either lightened or o)erburdened with the good or
bad actions of the next of &in of the departed one, e)ery man ha)ing his &arma
independent and distinct from that of his neighbour@no more can the departed soul
be made responsible for the doings of those it left behind" *s some ma&e the
credulous belie)e that the four principles may be made to suffer from colics, if the
sur)i)ors ate immoderately of some fruit" 7oroastrianism and 'induism ha)e wise
laws@far wiser than those of the !hristians@for the disposal of their dead, but their
superstitions are still )ery great" 4or while the idea that the presence of the dead
brings pollution to the li)ing is no better than a superstition, unworthy of the
enlightened age we li)e in, the real cause of the religious prohibition to handle too
closely the dead and to bury them without first subMecting the bodies to the
disinfectant process of either fire, )ultures or a1ua fortis >the latter the pre)ailing
method of the Parsees in days of old? was as beneficent in its results as it was wise,
since it was the best and most necessary sanitary precaution against epidemics" $he
!hristians might do worse than borrow that law from the KPagans,L since no further
than a few years bac&, a whole pro)ince of Russia was nearly depopulated, in
conse1uence of the crowded condition of its burial ground" $oo numerous interments
within a limited space and a comparati)ely short time saturate the earth with the
products of decomposition to such a degree, as to ma&e it incapable of further
absorbing them, and the decomposition under such a condition being retarded its
products escape directly into the atmosphere, bringing on epidemic diseases and
plagues" K#et the dead bury their deadL@were wise words, though to this day no
theologian seems to ha)e understood their real and profound meaning" $here were no
funeral rites or ceremonies at the death of either 7oroaster, Moses, or (uddha,
beyond the simple putting out of the way of the li)ing the corpses of them who had
gone before"

Page GB2
$hough neither the /abistan nor the /esatir can, strictly spea&ing, be included in the
number of orthodox Parsee boo&sCCthe contents of both of these if not the wor&s
themsel)es anteceding by se)eral millenniums the ordinances in the *)esta as we
ha)e now good reasons to &now@we yet find the first command repudiated but the
second corroborated in the latter" +n 4argard V+++, HD>333? of the Vendidad, *hura
Ma.da0s commandR K$hey shall &ill the man that coo&s the 9asI,L etc", is thus
commented uponR K'e who burns 9asI Udead matterV must be &illed" (urning or
coo&ing 9asI from the dead is a capital crime,LZ forR K$hereupon came *ngraC
Mainyu, who is all death, and he counterCcreated a sin for which there is no
atonement, the UimmediateV coo&ing of corpses"L] *hriman being man0s own
ignorance and selfishness"
(ut as regards the rites obser)ed after the funeral of the corpse, we find no more
than this@a repetition of the inMunction gi)en in the (oo& of *bad >/esatir?, K*n
ithra)an shall first go along the way and shall say aloud these )ictorious wordsR
0<athI ahN )airyx0@$he will of the #ord is the law of righteousness" $he gifts of
VohuCManx UparadiseE VohuCManx or :ood $hought being the door&eeper of hea)en
@see 4arg" F+F, 31V to the deeds done in this world for Ma.da" 'e who relie)es the
poor ma&es *hura &ing"Lo
$hus while abrogating the 4ersendaMian usage of burning the dead among the
de)otees of MahC*bad, 7erdusht the 13th >of the Persian prophets?, who introduces
many impro)ements and reforms, commands yet no other rites than charity"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 4argard +, 1H>63?"
] $wel)e hours at least had to elapse between the death of the person and the burning or the
destruction by any other means of the corpse of the dead" $his old law was e1ually forgotten by the
(rahmins as by the 7oroastrians" +t was not the act of burning that was forbidden, but the burning
before the corpse was empty, )i." before the inner principles had had time to get entirely liberated"
*s the a1ua fortis was thought possessed of an occult property to that effect, hence the preliminary
burning of the flesh by this means@with the 4ersendaMians"
o 4argard V+++, 19>D9?"
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Page GB9
G"MBETT"9S E#E "ND BR"IN
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 333C33V
,cience in the face of her Parisian representati)es was )ery much exercised, if
not offended, lately, by what is )iewed as an unpardonable frea& of nature@we are
not sure that we ought not to say disrespect@to the *cademy of ,ciences" +t had been
repeatedly declared that men of great intellectual powers were always possessed of
large brains" $he brain of !u)ier, the great 4rench naturalist, weighed 1,239 grammes
>o)er 6B o."?E that of 9apoleon an ounce or two lessE that of (yron 1,DBB, and that of
:eneral ,&obeleff@1,D3H grammes" %hy should :ambetta0s brain then, which had
manifested one of the greatest intellects of the day, weigh less than 39 ounces, or
1,1BB grammesP $he great authority, /r" (roca, was so disgusted that he is reported
to ha)e )iciously remar&ed that had he been shown the cerebral organ of :ambetta,
without &nowing to whom it had belonged, he would ha)e declared it to ha)e filled
the cranial ca)ity of a woman of extremely ordinary capacities" $his impolite fling at
the fair sex by the by, was uncalled for, since the 1uality of the brain is more
important than its 1uantity, and $iedemann and other anthropologists ha)e shown,
that the female brain, though smaller than that of the male, is far larger when
compared with the si.e of the body" *nyhow there lay before the men of science the
brainCmatter of one of the greatest orators li)ing, of a genius among the modern
statesmen, and@it weighed D3 grammes less than that of his female coo&Y
/octor +)anofs&y, of ,t" Petersburg, underta&es to sol)e the mystery"

Page G1B
+t is e)ident, he says in a letter to the 9o)oye Vremya, that the weight of the
brain, in its normal condition, i"e", free from organic pathological changes@has its
importance and meaning" (ut@as Professor ,yetchenoff has it in his wor& on $he
Reflex *ctions of the (rainZ@e)en while admitting that the soul is not the product of
the acti)ity of the brain, yet, since in e)ery case, the brain is the organ of the soul,
that organ must change its 1uantity and e)en 1uality in accordance to the use and
misuse it had been subMected to by the soul" +ndeed, when )iewed in this light the men
of science will find that relati)ely spea&ing :ambetta0s brain was not as light as it
seemed to them, when weighed on their scales" $he doctor goes further, and asserts
that it can be pro)ed that the said brain weighed no less than that of (yron and nearly
e1ualled the brain of ,&obeleff"
$o pro)e his assertion, /r" +)anofs&y reminds the gentlemen of the science and
the profane public that, to begin with, :ambetta had but one eye >the left one?E and
that as a direct conse1uence the ner)ous apparatus of the right missing eye, designed
by nature for the reception, the transmission and the concentration of the rays of light
and their proMection into space@remained inacti)e for long years" 9ow this eye
apparatus is composed, as e)eryone &nows, of a retina, of the optic ner)e and the
optic centre in the brain" +ts prolonged inacti)ity, that co)ered a period of thirty years
in his case, must ha)e una)oidably produced an atrophy of the cerebral optical centre,
which atrophy has naturally influenced greatly the subse1uent weight of the brainC
matter"
#ea)ing aside the retina and that portion of the optic ner)e which had to be
se)ered during the withdrawal of the brain from the cranial ca)ity, this atrophy of the
optic cerebral centre of the right side alone, ta&ing into consideration its long
duration, must ha)e shown a deficit of 13B grammes at the least in the weight of the
brain"
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Z U+" M" ,yetchenoff >1239C19BG?, renowned Russian physiologist whose basic wor&, mentioned
abo)e, was published in Russian in 1263 and 1266"WW!ompiler"V
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Page G11
(esides this fact gi)ing us already as the absolute weight of :ambetta0s brain
1,33B instead of 1,1BB grammes, we ha)e to consider li&ewise the deteriorating
process of the illness that ended so fatally" *s a wellC&nown anatomist well remar&sR
Kuntil more attention is paid to the condition of the blood )essels and to the 1uantity
of the freely circulating serious li1uid, which soa&s through the brain or its )esicles@
the weighing of the brain matter will pro)e itself of )ery little importance"L $hus
ta&ing into serous consideration :ambetta0s long illness and the locali.ation of the
diseaseE as also his long abstinence from food, or rather the regular star)ation he
suffered from, for days before his end, it will be found that his brain must ha)e
necessarily exhibited the symptoms of the greatest want of blood in it" $his, then, if
we remember still further that the 1uantity of blood and serous li1uid that had filled
the brain and )esicles, was neither ascertained nor weighed, would show an extra
deficit of 3BB grammes, which, accounting for its abnormal lightness, will gi)e us as
the absolute weight of :ambetta0s brain 1,D3B grammes, )i.", a few grammes more
than that of (yron0s and a few grammes less than the weight of ,&obeleff0s brain"
$he decision upon the worth of this scientific explanation is left with those who
ha)e made the study of the human brain and eye their specialty" %e simply publish
the hypothesis"
SW"MI D"#"N"ND:" !REETHIN&ER
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 33DV
K5 #ord, protect me from my friends, and + will myself ta&e care of my
enemiesYL@was the daily prayer of a philosopher" %e do not &now whether our
irascible exCally will repeat the exclamation upon reading the laudatory 1uotation of
himself in $he *rya for May >page 63?" Probably not, for he does not read 6nglish"
(ut we feel ready to wager a good deal, that were the ,wami as learned in the
Aueen0s 6nglish as he is in ,ans&rit@there would be a libel suit brought by this
uncompromising theist against our indiscreet contemporary@$he *rya"
Page G13
,o eager are our good friends of the #ahore ,amaM to Mump at the smallest straw
that trembles threateningly in the air in our direction, that, rather than miss an
opportunity of ma&ing ugly faces at the $heosophists, they will republish e1ui)ocal
compliments to the address of their 4ounder, and compromise their own wor& and its
leader" %e offer a specimen"
$he Madras has the following about our ,wamiMiR K%e are glad to learn that
,wami /ayanand ,araswati is busily engaged in exposing the misleading and
degrading mythology and the mischief of the hereditary (rahmins" +n spite of our
disagreement with /ayanand ,araswati, we thin& that he will do more good to +ndia
than the pandering $heosophists can e)er hope to do" +f +ndia had more of such men,
4reethought would )ery easily spread o)er all +ndia"L
%e ha)e italici.ed the sentence republished with such an unsophisticated
na`)ete by the ,wami0s chelas, who do not seem to entertain the remotest conception
that they ha)e thereby introduced their :uru in a new light before the public@that of
a 4reethin&er" %e agree, howe)er, entirely with the remar&" Reaction from crude
anthropomorphism is sure to bring in the long run among the educated youth of +ndia
disgust, and finally freethought" (ut there is something too charmingly ludicrous in
the idea that for the pleasure of throwing into our teeth the epithet of Kpandering
$heosophists,L they should thus be dishonouring in their own organ the wor& of their
K,wamiMiL and )irtually admitting that his efforts are breeding no better than
freethought" Verily, foolish must be that bird that soils its own nestY " " " " "
/ear child of the Vedic loreE the uninitiated public may now well wonder,
whether you are an organ of the theistic *ryas, or simply the ser)ile copyist and
ad)ertiser of the Madras 4reethought" 9ow, really, we can ne)er show oursel)es
sufficiently than&ful to the dear little innocent, for the amusement it has afforded us
with its unconscious selfCimmolation" %e propose that Mr" (radlaugh0s ,ecular
,ocieties should call for a )ote of than&s to the editors of $he *rya"
Page G13
3ORO"STRI"NISM IN THE LIGHT
O! OCCULT PHILOSOPH#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 33DC36V
$he following letter ha)ing been sent to us from a Parsee gentleman, we publish
the paragraphs containing his 1ueries seriatim as in the original, but separating them
with a )iew of ma&ing our answers more comprehensible" $his arrangement, we
hope, will always simplify the wor& and help the reader to a far clearer understanding
of both the 1uestions as&ed and the answers gi)en, than it would, had we published
the letter without any brea& whate)er, or answered the 1ueries as usually done, by
referring the readers to footnotes"
%ill you or any of your contributors tell me whether 7oroastrianism, regarded
from the standpoint of 5ccult philosophy, is in itself monotheism, pantheism,
polytheism or atheismP + ha)e not been able to ascertain it from the learned lecture of
!ol" 5lcott on the K,pirit of 7aroastrianism"LZ
$he answer depends upon how the 1uestion is put" +f we are as&ed what is
7oroastrianism@loosely and indifferently referred to as Magianism, Ma.daism, 4ireC
worship and Parseeism, then we answer@Kit is all that which you say"L +t is
Kmonotheism, pantheism, polytheism,L and e)en@Katheism,L when placed in
contradistinction to modern theism@its respecti)e 1ualifications depending upon the
epoch named" $hus, if we had to describe broadly the origin of this religion from the
standpoint and upon the authority of the 5ccult teachings, we would call it by its
original, primiti)e name, that of Magianism"
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Z UReference is here to !ol" 5lcott0s remar&able lecture on K$he ,pirit of the 7oroastrian Religion,L
deli)ered at the $own 'all in (ombay, 4eb" 1D, 1223" Vide Vol" ++, p" DD9, of the present ,eries, for
further dataWW!ompiler"V
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Page G1D
#ocating its first de)elopment in those )ast regions which would ha)e to be described
as the whole area between the Persian :ulf and the ,ea of 5&hots& in its length, and
that which stretches through the unexplored deserts between the *ltai and the
'imalayan mountains in its breadth, we would place it bac& at an epoch undreamt of
by modern science and, therefore, reMected by all but the most speculati)e and daring
anthropologists" %e ha)e no right to gi)e out in this Mournal the correct number of
years or rather of ages upon ages, since@according to the doctrines of the ,ecret
,cience@the first seeds of Magianism were sown by the hand of the (6+9: to
whose duty it falls to rear, nurse, and guide the tottering steps of the renascent human
races, that awa&e anew to life on e)ery planet in its turn, after its periodical
Kobscuration"L +t goes as far bac& as the days of our local Man)antara, so that the
seeds sown among the first KrootCraceL began sprouting in its infant brain, grew up,
and commencing to bear fruit toward the latter part of the second race, de)eloped
fully during the thirdZ into what is &nown among 5ccultists as the K$ree of
8nowledgeL and the K$ree of #ifeL@the real meaning of both ha)ing been, later on,
so sadly disfigured and misinterpreted by both 7oroastrians and !hristians" (ut we
can inform our correspondent of the followingE Magianism, in the days of its full
maturity and practice,] and long ages before the first of the twel)e great religions, its
direct offshoots@mentioned and feebly described by MuhsinC4ani in the /abistan@
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Z 5ne who has studied the K4ragments of 5ccult $ruthL &nows that our present race is the fifth, and
that we ha)e two more to pass through before we reach our end@on this planet
] K$hroughout the Middle *ges nothing was &nown of Ma.daism, but the name of its founder, who
from a Magus was con)erted into a magician and master of the hidden sciences,L says =ames
/armesteter Up" x) of +ntroduction to Vendidad, in ,(6, 3nd ed", 5xford, 129GV, who &nows as
much as his exoteric science will permit him of the formerE but being wholly ignorant of esoteric
sciences, &nows nothing of the latter at all and therefore blunders greatly" 5ne could not be a
Magha, a MagusCpriest, without being, at the same time, what is now &nown under the )ulgar term
of KMagician"L (ut of this later on"
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Page G1G
@e)er saw lightE and e)en much anterior to the appearance of the first de)otees of
the religion of 'ushang, which, according to ,ir %" =ones, Kwas long anterior to that
of 7eratusht,LZ the prophet of the modern Parsees@that religion, as we can
undeniably pro)e, was, K*theism"L *t any rate, it would be so regarded now, by those
who call 8apila and ,pino.a, (;//'* and our M*'*$M*,, (rihaspati >of the
!har)a&a? and the modern *d)aitees, all ali&e, nasti&as or atheists" *ssuredly no
doctrine about a personal :od, a gigantic man and no more@>though a number of soC
called di)ine beings were and are still recogni.ed?@was e)er taught by the true
Magi"]
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Z *siatic Researches >!alcutta, 1H9B?, Vol" ++, pp" D2 D9"
] #et it not be understood that we here spea& of the KMagiL in general, whether we )iew them as
one of the Medean tribes>P? as some 5rientalists >/armesteter for one?, relying upon a )ague
statement of 'erodotus, belie)e, or a sacerdotal caste li&e the (rahmans@as we maintain" %e refer
but to their initiates" $he origin of the (rahmans and Magi in the night of time@is one, the secret
doctrine teaches us" 4irst, they were a hierarchy of adepts, of men profoundly )ersed in physical and
spiritual sciences and occult &nowledge, of )arious nationalities, all celibates, and enlarging their
numbers by the transmission of their &nowledge to )oluntary neophytes" $hen when their numbers
became too large to be contained in the K*iryanaCVaego,L the adepts scattered far and wide, and we
can trace them establishing other hierarchies on the model of the first in e)ery part of the globe,
each hierarchy increasing, and finally becoming so large as to ha)e to restrict admissionE the Khalf
adeptsL going bac& to the world, marrying and laying the first foundation of the KleftChandL science
or sorcery, the misuse of the 'oly 8nowledge" +n the third stage@the members of the $rue ones
become with e)ery age more limited and secret, the admissions being beset now with new
difficulties" %e begin to see the origin of the $emple Mysteries" $he hierarchy di)ides into two
parts" $he chosen few, the hierophants@the imperium in imperioWremaining celibates, the exoteric
priests ma&e of marriage a law, an attempt to perpetuate adepts by hereditary descent, and fail sadly
in it" $hus we find (rahmans and Magi 6gyptian priests and Roman hierarchs and *ugurs enMoining
married life and in)enting religious clauses to pro)e its necessity" 9o need repeating and reminding
the reader of that which is left to his own &nowledge of history, and his intuitions" +n our day we
find the descendants, the heirs to the old wisdom, scattered all o)er the globe in small isolated and
un&nown communities, whose obMects are misunderstood, and whose origin has been forgottenE and
only two religions, the result of the teaching of those priests and hierophants of old" $he latter are
found in the sorry remains called respecti)elyCC(rahmans and /asturs or Mobeds" (ut there is still
the nucleus left, albeit so strenuously denied, of the heirs of the primiti)e Magi, of the Vedic Magha
and the :ree& Magos@the priests and gods of old, the last of whom manifested openly and
defiantly during the !hristian era in the person of *pollonius of $yana
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Page G16
'ence 7oroaster@the se)enth prophet >according to the /esatir, whose
compilers mixed up and confused the fourteen 7aroC+shtars,Z the high priests and
initiates of the !haldean worship of Magian 'ierophants@the thirteenth?@would be
regarded as an atheist in the modern sense of the word" *ll the 5rientalists with 'aug
at their head agree to say that in the oldest, or the second part of the <a[na, nothing is
said or fixed of the doctrine regarding :od, nor of any theology"
$he lecture has elucidated many obscurities and absurdities in the *)esta, from
the standpoint of 5ccult philosophy" (ut they are so few that the youths whom the
!olonel too& to tas&, ha)e, + am con)inced, become no wiser" !an anyone tell me
whether the !olonel meant that in order to understand their religion, the Parsee
youths should study <ogism and 5ccultismP
5ur President ne)er meant that they should practice K<ogism"L *ll that he urged
upon them was, that before they scoffed at their own religion, of which they &new so
little, and became either modern agnostics or outCandCout corporealists, they should
study 7oroastrianism as a philosophy, and in the light of esoteric sciences@which
alone could teach them the truth by gi)ing the correct )ersion of the meaning of the
)arious emblems and symbolisms"
$he learned !olonel said the Parsees are the heirs of the !haldean lore, and that
the !haldean and the 'ebrew 8abala would throw considerable light on the meaning
of the *)esta" !an anyone tell me where and in what language these boo&s are to be
found, and whether these wor&s are not also so much allegorical as to re1uire the aid
of 5ccult philosophy to understand their true meaningP
$he #ecturer stated a fact" More e)en than the (rahmans, are the Parsees heirs
to !haldean wisdom, since they are the direct, though the latest, offshoots of *ryan
Magianism"
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Z ,ee +sis ;n)eiledE Vol" ++, pp" 132C39"
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$he 5ccultists are )ery little concerned with the apparent difficulty that the
Magian K!haldeesL with all their priests and initiates, whether of the Medes, the
,cythians, or the (abylonians are regarded by the 5rientalists as of ,emitic origin,
while the ancient +ranians are *ryans" $he classification of those nations into
$uranians, *&&adians, ,emites and what not, is at best arbitrary" $he word
K!haldeanL does not refer merely to a nati)e or an inhabitant of !haldea, but to
K!haldeism,L the oldest science of astrology and occultism" *nd in that sense the
7oroastrians are the true heirs to !haldean wisdom, Kthe light which shineth in
dar&ness,L though >modern? Kdar&ness comprehended it not,L and the Parsees
themsel)es &now nothing of it now" $he 'ebrew 8abala is but the loud echo of the
!haldeanE an echo which passing through the corridors of $ime pic&ed up in its
transit all &inds of alien sounds that got mixed up with the original &eynotes struc&
beyond the epochs &nown to the present profane generationsE and thus it reached the
later student of 'ebrew lore as a confused and somewhat distorted )oice" <et, there is
much to learn in it, for him who has the patience and the perse)erance re1uired, since
first of all he would ha)e to learn the :ematria, 9otaricon, and $hemura"Z %hen
spea&ing of the 8abala, the #ecturer meant by it, the uni)ersal, not any special,
esoteric system, already adapted to a later exoteric creed as is at present the =ewish
secret science" $he word K8abalaL is deri)ed from a 'ebrew root meaning reception
of &nowledgeE and practically spea&ing it refers to all the old systems handed down
by oral transmission, and is )ery nearly allied to the ,ans&rit K,mritiL and K,ruti,L
and the !haldaic K7end"L]
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Z $he =ewish methods of examining the ,criptures for their hidden meaning"
] 5f course, as found out by the 5rientalists, the word K7endL does not apply to any language,
whether dead or li)ing, and ne)er belonged to any of the languages or dialects of ancient Persia
>,ee 4arhangCiC=ahIngJrJ the Persian dictionary"? +t means, as in one sense correctly stated, Ka
commentary or explanation,L but it also means that which the 5rientalists do not seem to ha)e any
idea about, )i.", the Krendering of the esoteric into exoteric sentences,L the )eil used to conceal the
correct meaning of the 7enC>d?C.ar texts, the sacerdotal language in use among the initiates of
archiac +ndia" 4ound now in se)eral undecipherable inscriptions, it is still used and studied unto this
day in the secret communities of the 6astern adepts, and called by them@according to the locality
@7endC.ar and (rahma or /ewC(hashya"
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$here would be little use for the Parsee or 'indu beginner to study only the
'ebrew or e)en the !haldean 8abala, since those wor&s upon them which are now
extant are written either in 'ebrew or #atin" (ut there would be a great deal of truth
unearthed were both to apply themsel)es to the study of the identical &nowledge
)eiled under the exoteric symbolisms of both the 7endC*)esta and the (rahmanical
boo&s" *nd this they can do by forming themsel)es into a small society of intelligent
earnest students of symbolism, especially the 7end and ,ans&rit scholars" $hey could
get the esoteric meanings and the names of the wor&s needed from some ad)anced
chelas of our ,ociety"
$he !olonel recommends the translating of prayers" /oes he mean that the
translations of prayers in their present state will better enlighten the youthsP +f not,
then does he imply that the meaning of the whole 7endC*)esta can be made
intelligible and philosophical by the aid of a thorough 5ccultistP
+t is precisely what he meant" (y a correct translation or rather a correct
explanation of their liturgical prayers, and a preliminary &nowledge of the true
meaning of e)en a few of the most important symbolisms@generally those that
appear the most meaningless and absurd in the sight of the modern 7end scholars, as
the dog, e"g", which plays such an important part in Parsee ceremoniesZ@the KParsee
youthL would ac1uire thereby the &ey to the true philosophy that underlies their
Kwretched superstitions and myths,L as they are called by the missionaries who would
fain force upon the world their own instead"
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Z !ompare the soCcalled K*&&adian formulae of exorcismL of the earliest period &nown to the
5rientalists to which the collection of charms and amulets belong >in truth )ery late periods? with
most of the inMunctions found in Vendidad >4argard F+++? concerning the dog" +t seems almost
incredible that e)en the dullest among the 7end scholars should not percei)e that )erse D9>163? of
the same 4argard, for instance, which saysR K4or no house could subsist on the earth made by *hura
Uin this case the KhouseL@not the earth@made by *huraV, but for those two dogs of mine, the
shepherd0s dog and the house dogL@cannot refer really to these animals"
Page G19
Prayer is repugnant to the principles of atheists" 'ow then does the learned
!olonel reconcile his ad)ice to the Parsees to throw better heart into their prayersP
/oes he also mean that 5ccult philosophy will Mustify the prayers in 7endC*)esta,
offered to the sun, the moon and almost all the supposed pure things of the creationP
+f he thin&s that the fixing of attention upon such obMects is conduci)e to being freed
from worldly desires and thoughts, does he thin& also that these )iews or prayers will
be belie)ed in, or acted upon, by the present generationP
!olonel 5lcott was ne)er an atheist Kto our &nowledge,L but an esoteric
(uddhist, reMecting a personal :od" 9or was genuine prayer@i"e", the exercise of
one0s intense will o)er e)ents >commonly brought about by blind chance? to
determine their direction e)er repugnant to him" 6)en prayers as commonly
understood, are not KrepugnantL in his sight, but simply useless, when not absurd and
ridiculous as in the case of prayers to either stop or bring about rain, etc"
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$he commentary made on it >,addar, 31? is absurd and ridiculous" +t is not, as it says, that Knot a
single head of cattle would remain in existence but for the dogsL@but that all humanity, endowed
as it is with the highest intellect among the intelligences of the animal &ingdom, would, under the
leadership of *ngraCMainyu, mutually destroy themsel)es physically and spiritually, but for the
presence of the KdogsL@the two highest spiritual principles" $he dog VanghIpara >the hedgehog,
says the commentatorY? Kthe good creature among the creatures of the :ood ,pirit that from
midnight Uour time of ignoranceV till the sun is up Uspiritual enlightenmentV goes and &ills thousands
of the creatures of the 6)il ,piritL >4arg" F+++, 1? is our spiritual conscience" 'e who K&ills itL
>stifles its )oice within himself? shall not find his way o)er the !hin)at bridge >leading to paradise?"
$hen compare these symbolisms with those of the *&&adian talismans" 6)en as translated by :"
,mith, distorted as they are, still the se)en dogs described@as the Kblue,L the Kyellow,L the
Kspotted,L etc", can be shown to ha)e all of them reference to the same se)en human principles as
classified by 5ccultism" $he whole collection of the Kformulae of exorcismL soCcalled of the
*&&adians is full of references to the se)en e)il and the se)en good spirits which are our principles
in their dual aspect"
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Page G3B
(y KprayerL he means@%+##, the desire or command magnetically expressed that
such and such a thing beneficent to oursel)es or others should come to pass" $he ,un,
the moon and the stars in the *)esta are all emblematical representations@the ,un,
especially@the latter being the concrete and most appropriate emblem of the one
uni)ersal lifeCgi)ing principle, while the stars are part and parcel of the 5ccult
sciences" <ima ne)er KprayedL but went to Kmeet the sunL in the )ast space of
hea)ens, and bringing down with him Kthe science of the stars, pressed the earth with
the golden sealL and forced >thereby? the ,penta *rmaiti >the :enius of the 6arth? to
stretch asunder and to bear floc&s and herds and men >4argard ++, 1B?"
(ut since not e)eryone &nows in our day, Kthe science of the stars,L nor are there
many 7end scholars, the best course to be pursued is to ma&e at least a beginning by
ha)ing the KprayersL translated" $he #ecturer, as far as we are aware, did not mean to
ad)ise anyone to belie)e in, or Kact upon,L the modern prayers in their present
liturgic, exoteric form" (ut it is Must because they are now muttered parrotCli&e,
remaining incomprehensible to the great maMority, that they ha)e to be either correctly
rendered, or, bringing on finally indifference and disgust, that they ha)e to be
abandoned )ery soon to utter obli)ion" $he word KprayerL recei)ed its modern
significance of a supplication to a ,upreme or some inferior di)ine being, only when
its once widely &nown and real esoteric meaning had already become clouded with an
exoteric )eilE after which it soon disappeared enshrouded beneath the impenetrable
shell of a badly digested anthropomorphism" $he Magian &new not of any ,upreme
KpersonalL indi)iduality" 'e recogni.ed but *hura@the KlordL@the Hth Principle in
man@and Kprayed,L i"e", made efforts during the hours of meditation, to assimilate
with, and merge his other principles@that are dependent on the physical body and
e)er under the sway of *ngraCMainyu >or matter?CCinto the only pure, holy and
eternal principle in him, his di)ine monad" $o whom else could he prayP %ho was
K5rmu.dL if not the chief ,pentaCMainyu, the monad, our own godCprinciple in usP
Page G31
'ow can Parsees consider him now in the light of the Kone ,upreme :odL in
dependent of man, since e)en in the sorry remnants of the sacred boo&s of Ma.daism
there is enough to show that he was ne)er so considered" $hey are full of his
shortcomings, lac& of power >during his dependent indi)iduality in connection with
man?, and his fre1uent failings" 'e is addressed as the Kma&er of the material worldL
in e)ery 1uestion put him by 7arathushtra" 'e in)o&es Vayu >the 'oly :host of the
Ma.deans?, Kthe godCcon1ueror of light >or true &nowledge and spiritual
enlightenment?, the smiter of the fiends >passions? all made of light,LZ for help
against *ngraCMainyuE and, at the birth of 7arathushtra he entreats *rd)JC,Nra
*nIhita] that the newlyCborn should not abandon but stand by him in his eternal
struggles with *hriman"
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3DBC3DDV
$he offers made by *huraCMa.da to <ima >the first man? to recei)e instruction
from him are reMected" %hyP (ecause,L as he answers, K+ was not born, + was not
taught to be the preacher and the bearer of thy ReligionLo 9o, he was not born, the
5ccult ,cience tells us, for from whom could he ha)e been born since he was the first
man >let the modern anthropologists and physiologists explain if they can?" (ut he
was e)oluted from a preCexisting form, and such had no need as yet of the laws and
teachings of his Hth Principle" $he K,upremeL and the K*lmightyL remains satisfiedY
'e ma&es him only promise that he will ta&e care of his creatures and ma&e them
happy, which promise is fulfilled by Kthe son of VJrang)ant"L /oes not this show that
*huraCMa.da is something which can be explained and defined only by the 5ccult
/octrineP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z <ashts, FV, 3"
] (egging the pardon of our 6uropean ,ans&ritists and 7end scholars, we would as& them to tell, if
they &now, who was the Ma.dean goddess *rd)JC,Nra *nIhitaP %e maintain and can pro)e what
we say, that the said personage implored by *hura, and ,aras)ati >the (rahmanical goddess of
,ecret or 5ccult wisdom? are identical %here is the philosophy of the ,upreme :od, Kthe
omnipotent and omniscient *##L see&ing for the help of his own creatureP
o 4argard ++, 3>H?"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G33
*nd wisely does it explain to us that *hura is our own inner, truly personal :od
and that he is our ,piritual light and the K!reator of the material worldL@i"e", the
architect and shaper of the Microcosm@Man, when the latter &nows how to resist
*ngraCMainyu, or 8ama@lust or material desires@by relying on him who
o)ershadows him, the *huraCMa.da or ,piritual 6ssence" $he latter in)o&es KVIyu,L
who, in the Ma.dean occult sense, is the ;ni)ersal, as he is, the +ndi)idual, light of
man" 'ence his prayer to KVIyu,L that 7arathushtra, the being who will teach truth to
his followers, should side with him, *hura, and help him to fight *hriman, without
which help e)en K'eL >our Hth Principle? is powerless to sa)e man from himselfE for
*hriman is the allegorical representation of the lower human principles, as *huraC
Ma.da is that of the higher" $hen, thin& of the symbolical allegory in <ima, the
representati)e of the first unborn human race of this, our 4ourth Round"Z +t is too
spiritual, too unac1uainted with e)il upon its first reawa&ening to life, to be yet in
need of the truths of the sacred science, the common foundation of all the great
religions" 'ence Kthe great shepherd,L <ima, refuses *hura0s instructions, for
*hriman is so far powerless o)er the innocence of infancy, irresponsible and
unconscious of moral and physical danger" 'e K&eeps >spiritual? death and disease
awayL from his people, and Kenlarges three times the earthLE for the rootCrace
multiplies and Kshoots off se)enty times se)en branchCraces"L (ut 7arathushtra
accepts and worships *huraCMa.da in the Vendidad and elsewhere, because this
prophet in the generic sense of the name is the representati)e of the latter portion of
the second race" *nd now let the Parsee mathematicians calculate how long ago li)ed
the first 7araC+shtar, or 7oroasterE and let them study the real Ma.daism, not the later
excrescenses with which it became o)ergrown throughout the cycles of the ages and
races" %hich of the 7arathushtras was the real lawgi)er of the !haldean Ma.daismP
,urely not he, to whom *huraCMa.da saysR K$he fair <ima " " "
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,ee K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G33
5 holy 7arathushtra, he was the first mortal, before thee " " " with whom +, *huraC
Ma.da, did con)erse, whom + taught the Religion of *hura, the Religion of
7arathushtra"LZ $eaching the law of 7arathushtra to the same 7arathushtra, and ages
before that 7arathushtra was born, reminds one of Moses made to narrate in his
Pentateuch his own death and burial" +n the Vendidad, if *hura is Kthe !reator of the
material world,L i"e", the Microcosm man, <ima is the real creator of the earth" $here,
he is shown@master of ,penta irmaiti, the :enius of the 6arth, and he, by the
power of his innate untaught light and &nowledge, simply for the absence of *ngraC
Mainyu@who comes later on@forces Kthe earth to grow larger and to bear floc&s
and herds and men at their will and wish, as many as he wished"L] *huraCMa.da is
also the 4ather of $istrya, the rainCbestowing god >the 6th Principle? that fructifies the
parched soil of the Gth and Dth, and helps them to bear good fruit through their own
exertions, i"e", by tasting of 'aoma, the tree of eternal life, through spiritual
enlightenment" 4inally and undeniably *huraCMa.da being called the chief and father
of the six K*meshI ,pentasL@or of the six principles of which he is the se)enth, the
1uestion is settled" 'e is K*huraL or rather *sura@the Kli)ing spirit in man,L the first
of whose twenty different names he gi)es as K*hmi,L K+ am"L +t was to impress upon
his audience the full importance of the recognition of, and reliance upon >hence that
of addressing it in KprayerL?, this one :od from whom proceed and in whom are
centered 'umate, 'u&hte, and 'u)areshte,o the sublime condensation of all human
and social law, that !olonel 5lcott recommended to the KParsee youths,L the study of
their prayers" +t is )ery li&ely, as /armesteter thin&s, that K'eredotus may ha)e heard
the Magi sing, in the fifth century ("!" the )ery same gathas which are sung
nowadays by the Mobeds in (ombayLE but it is most unli&ely, that sung as they are
now, they are anything better than the KshellsL of the old gathas, the animating spirit
ha)ing fled from them, ne)er to return unless forcibly recalled by the resurrecting
potentiality of the K5ccult ,ciences"L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 4argard ++, 3>D?"
] 4argard ++, 11"
o Purity of speech, purity of action, purity of thought"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G3D
%ill the learned !olonel be so &ind as to say whether in his opinion, it does not
appear that the 7endC*)esta represents the genuine dictates of 7oroaster, or that it
contains extreme mutilations and additions made before it was written and after it
was writtenP
%e thin& we can, for the !olonel0s opinions are ours, ha)ing studied under the
same Master and &nowing that he shares in the same )iews, namely, that the 7endC
*)esta represents now only the general system, the dead letter, so to say, of the
dictates of 7oroaster" +f the 5rientalists agree that the bul& of the *)esta is preC
,assanian, ne)ertheless they do not, nor can they, fix a definite period for its origin"
*s well expressed by /armesteter, the Parsee Ksacred boo&s are the ruins of a
religion"L $he *)esta re)ised and translated into Pahla)i by *rdeshir (abagan is not
the *)esta of modern Parseeism, with its numberless interpolations and arbitrary
commentaries that lasted until the last days of the ,assanian dynastyE nor was the
*)esta of *rdeshir identical with that which was brought out and gi)en to :ushtasp
by 7araC+shtar >the 13th prophet of the /esatir?E nor that of the latter 1uite the same
as the original 7end, although e)en this one was but the exoteric )ersion of the 7enC
7ara doctrines" *s shown by (urnouf, the Pahla)i )ersion is found nearly in e)ery
case to wander strangely from the true meaning of the original >P? 7end text, while
that Ktrue meaningL wandered >or shall we sayCCwas )eiledP? as greatly from the
esoteric text" $his, for the good reason that the 7end text is simply a secret code of
certain words and expressions agreed upon by the original compilers, and the &ey to
which is but with the initiates" $he %estern scholars may sayR Kthe &ey to the *)esta
is not the Pahla)i but the VedasLE but the 5ccultist0s answer isR KayeE but the &ey to
the Vedas is the ,ecret /octrine"L $he former assert correctly enough that, Kthe Vedas
come from the same source as the *)estaLE the students of 5ccultism as&R K/o you
&now e)en the * ( ! of that sourcePL
$o show that the 5ccultists are Mustified in their disrespectful remar&, it suffices
to gi)e one instance" +n mH of +ntroduction >ch" i)? to Part + of the 7endC*)esta@the
Vendidad Mr" =" /armesteter has the following remar&R
Page G3G
K$he *ncestors of the +ndoC+ranians had been let to spea& of se)en worlds, the
,upreme :od was often made se)enfold, as well as the worlds o)er which he ruled " "
" $he se)en worlds became in Persia the se)en 8*R,'V*R6 of the earthR the earth
is di)ided into se)en 8*R,'V*R6, only one of which is &nown and accessible to
man, the one on which we li)e, namely, 0h)aniratha0E which amounts to saying that
there are se)en earths"L $he latter belief is attributed, of course, to ignorance and
superstition" 9or do we feel 1uite certain that this opinion will not be shared by those
of our readers who neither are !helas nor ha)e read the K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth"L
(ut we lea)e it with the Klay chelasL and others to Mudge whether this se)enfold
di)ision >see 4argard +F? is not the * ( ! of the 5ccult /octrines" $he agreement
found between the statements of Plutarch and *n1uetil0s translation of the *)esta,
only shows the correctness of the latterE it does not at all pro)e that Plutarch ga)e the
true )ersion of the secret meaning of the 7oroastrian religion" %ell may ,ir %" =ones
ha)e exclaimed that the *)esta of *n1uetil, so full of silly tales, and laws so absurd,
could not be the wor& of such a sage as 7oroasterY
$he first 7araC+shtar was a Median, born in Rae, say the :ree&s, who place the
epoch in which he flourished fi)e or six thousand years before the $roMan warE while
according to the teachings of the ,ecret /octrine this KfirstL was the KlastL or se)enth
7arathushtra >the 13th of the /esatir?@though he was followed by one more
7uruastara or ,uryIchIria >later, owing to a natural change of language transformed
into 7uryaster and again into 7arathushtra?, who li)ed in the days of the first
:ushtasp >not the father of /arius though, as imagined by some scholars?"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z +t is now an exploded theory that showed 8ing Vistaspa@>or :ushtasp? as identical with the
father of /arius, hence as flourishing 6BB ("!" Vistaspa was the last of the line of the 8aianian
princes who ruled in (actrianaE and (actriana was con1uered by the *ssyrians 13BB ("!" 5ur
earlier 7end scholars are guilty of more than one such gross mista&e" $hus 'ystaspes is made in
'istory to crush the Magi, and reintroduce the pure religion of 7oroaster, as though those were two
distinct religionsE and at the same time an inscription is fount on the tomb of /arius or /araya)ush,
stating that he >the crusher of MagianismY? was himself, Kteacher and hierophant of magic,L or
MagianismY >,ee +sis ;n)eiled, Vol" ++, pp" 1D1CD3?"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G36
$he latter is )ery improperly called Kthe founderL of modern Monotheistic
Parseeism, for besides being only a re)i)alist and the exponent of the modern
philosophy, he was the last to ma&e a desperate attempt at the restoration of pure
Magianism" 'e is &nown to ha)e gone from ,hi., to the Mt" 7ebilan in the ca)e,
whither proceeded the initiates of the MagiE and upon emerging from it to ha)e
returned with the 7endC*)esta reCtranslated once more and commented upon by
himself" $his original commentary, it is claimed, exists till now among other old
wor&s in the secret libraries" (ut its copiesCCnow in the possession of the profane
world, bear as much resemblance to it as the !hristianity of today to that of its
4ounder" *nd now, if we are as&ed, as we ha)e been repeatedly, if there are indeed
men in whose power it is to gi)e the correct )ersion of true 7oroastrianism, then why
do not they do soP %e answerR Kbecause@)ery few will belie)e it in this our age"L
+nstead of benefiting men they would but hurt the de)otees of those truths" *nd as to
gi)ing to the world more information about the locality &nown as *iryanaCVaego, we
need point but to the sentence in 4argard +, in which we find *huraCMa.da saying to
,pitama Kthe most bene)olentL@that he had made e)ery land e)en though it had no
charms whate)er in it@dear to its dwellers, since otherwise the Kwhole li)ing world
would ha)e in)aded the *iryanaCVaegoL >+" 3?"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %hy do we find 7oroaster in the (undahish offering a sacrifice in K+rInCVegL@distorted name
for *iryanaCVaego, and where or what was this countryP $hough some 5rientalists call it Kno real
country,L and others identify it with the basin of the *ras, the latter has nothing to do with *iryanaC
Vaego" $he last 7arathusht may ha)e chosen, and he has so chosen, the ban&s of the *ras for the
cradle of his newly reborn religionE only that cradle recei)ed a child reborn and suc&led elsewhere,
namely, in *iryanaCVaego >the true Kseed of the *ryas,L who were then all that was noble and true?
which place is identical with the ,ambhala of the 'indus and the *rhats, a place now regarded also
as mythical" +n 4argard ++, 31>D3?, *huraCMa.da calls together Ka meeting of the celestial <a.atas,L
and <ima, the first man, Kof the excellent mortals,L in the *iryanaCVaego@-in the far off lands of
the rising sun,L says the (oo& of 9umbers of the !haldees, written on the 6uphrates" $hose of the
Parsees who ha)e ears, let them hear, andWdraw their inferencesE and, perchance, it may be also
found that the (rahmans who came from the 9orth to +ndia bringing with them all the learning of
secret wisdom came from a place still more northward than la&e MInasaCsaro)ara"
U+n the ,acred (oo&s of the 6ast, edited by Max M^ller, the spelling of the abo)eCmentioned
country is gi)en as *JrImC)eg in the text of the (undahish, the references beingR F++, 3GE F+V, DE
FF, 13, 33E FFV, 11E FF+F, D, G, 13E FFF++, 3"W!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G3H
'ence unable to satisfy entirely our readers, we can say but )ery little" +f our
opinion can in any way help our correspondent, we are ready to share it with him and
say, that 7end scholars and 5rientalists notwithstanding, it is our belief that not only
ha)e the Persian theologians of the latter portion of the ,assanian dynasty disfigured
entirely their sacred boo&s, but, that owing to the presence of the pharisaical element
and the Rabbis during the preC!hristian as well as postC!hristian periods in Persia
and (abylonia, they ha)e borrowed from the =ews at least as much as the latter ha)e
borrowed from them" +f the sacred boo&s of the Pharisees owe their angelology and
other speculations to the (abylonians, the modern *)esta !ommentaries owe the
=ews undeniably their anthropomorphic creator, as well as their crude notions about
'ea)en and 'ell"
$he learned !olonel will be doing a great fa)our to the Parsees, if he will
consent to say what he thin&s of the following from $he 'istory of the !onflict
between Religion and ,cience, by %" /raperR
KPersia, as is the case with all empires of long duration, had passed through
many changes of religion" ,he had followed the Monotheism of 7oroasterE had then
accepted /ualism, and exchanged that for Magianism" *t the time of the Macedonian
expedition, she recogni.ed one uni)ersal +ntelligence, the !reator, Preser)er and
:o)ernor of all things, the most holy essence of truth, the gi)er of all good" 'e was
not to be represented by any image or any gra)en form"
K+n the latter years of the empire, the principles of Magianism had gradually
pre)ailed more and more o)er those of 7oroaster" Magianism was essentially a
worship of the elements" 5f these, fire was considered the most worthy representati)e
of the ,upreme (eing"L >Pages 1GC16"?
!olonel 5lcott would probably answer that Professor /raper was right with
regard to the many phases which the great religion of Persia@if we ha)e to call it
thus@had passed" (ut /raper mentions by name only Monotheism, /ualism,
Magianism@a &ind of refined Viishtad)aitism@and 4ire or element worship,
whereas he might ha)e enumerated the gradual changes by the do.en"
Page G32
Moreo)er, he begins his enumeration at the wrong end" +f Monotheism has e)er
been the religion of the Parsees at any time, it is so now, not then, namely in the
7oroaster period"
$he 7endC*)esta, with some exceptions, contains nothing essentially different
from what the Vedas contain" $he gods, the rites, the ceremonies, the modes of
prayers, and the prayers themsel)es, are but a reflex of the Vedas" ,urely then when
7oroaster dissented from the (rahmans, it could not be merely to adopt the same
pantheism or polytheism in a different language" $he teaching of 7oroaster must
necessarily be something 1uite different" ,ome may say he dissented from the idol
worship of the (rahmansE but + thin& history can pro)e that the (rahmans were
idolaters before they left *riana" /oes it not rather appear that the Magians who
followed 7oroastrianism, copied e)erything from their close neighbours the
(rahmans and muddled it up with the current and easily reliable name of 7oroaster,
forgetting, perhaps, under the sway of altered popular superstitions of the age, the
true teaching of 7oroaster" $he learned !olonel or yourself, or any of your
contributors, whose learning is, + may say without flattery, )ery en)iable, will be
doing a great ser)ice to the Parsees, if he will &indly say what he thin&s the true
teaching of 7oroaster was"
6nough is said, we belie)e, in our preceding statements to show what we
honestly thin& of Kthe true teaching of 7oroaster"L +t is only in such rare nonCliturgical
fragments as the 'Idhx&ht 9as& for instance, that the true teachings of 7arathushtra
,pitama, or those of primiti)e Magianism may yet be found, and e)en these ha)e to
be read as a sacred code to which a &ey has to be applied" $hus, e)ery word in the
tenets gi)en in the 'Idhx&ht and relating to the fate of our soul after death, has its
occult meaning" +t is not correct to say e)en of the later )ersions of the 7endC*)esta
that its gods, prayers, and rites are all Kbut a reflex of the Vedas"L 9either the
(rahmans, nor the 7oroastrians ha)e copied one from the other" %ith the exception of
the word 7eruana in its later meaning of K(oundlessL time, instead of the
K(oundlessL ,pirit, the K5ne eternity,L explained in the sense of the (rahmanical
cha&ra or endless circle, there is nothing borrowed from the Vedas" (oth the Vedas
and the 7endC*)esta originating from the same school, ha)e naturally the same
symbols, only )ery differently explained, still@ha)ing the same esoteric
significance"
Page G39
Professor Max M^ller, spea&ing of the Parsees, calls them Kthe disinherited sons
of ManuLE and declares elsewhere, that the 7oroastrians and their ancestors started
from +ndia during the Vaidi& period, which Kcan be pro)ed as distinctly as that the
inhabitants of Massilia started from :reece"LZ %e certainly do not mean to 1uestion
the hypothesis, though as he gi)es it, it is still but a personal opinion" $he
7oroastrians ha)e, undoubtedly, been Ksettled in +ndia before they immigrated into
PersiaL as they ha)e ages later, returned again to *rya)arta, when they got indeed
Kunder the sway of altered popular superstitions, and forgot the true teachings of
7oraaster"L (ut this theory cuts both ways" 4or, it neither pro)es that they ha)e not
entered +ndia together and at the same time as the first (rahmans who came to it from
the far northE nor that the latter had not been KsettledL in Persia, Media, (abylonia
and elsewhere before they immigrated into the land of the ,e)en Ri)ers" (etween
7oroaster, the prime)al institutor of K,unL worship, and 7arathushtra, the prime)al
expounder of the occult properties and transcendental powers of the di)ine
>Promethean? 4ire, there lies the abyss of ages" $he latter was one of the earliest
hierophants, one of the first *thra)ans >priests, or teachers of KfireL?, while the
7oroaster of K:ushtaspL was li)ing some D,BBB years ("!" +ndeed, (unsen places
7oroaster at (actria and the emigration of the (actrians to the +ndus at 3H2D ("!"
*nd this 7oroaster taught, not what he had learned Kfrom,L but with, the (rahmans,
i"e", at *iryanaCVaego, since what is identical with (rahmanical symbology is found
but in the earlier Vedas, not in any of the later !ommentariesE it may be e)en said of
the Vedas themsel)es, that though compiled in the land of the ,e)en Ri)ers, they
existed ages before in the north" $hus if anyone is to be blamed for getting under Kthe
sway of altered popular superstitionsL of the (rahmans, it is not the 7oroastrians of
that age, but indeed 'ystaspes who, after )isiting Kthe (rahmans of ;pper +ndia,L as
*mianus tells us]WWand ha)ing been instructed by them, infused their later rites and
ideas into the already disfigured Magian worship"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z !hips from a :erman %or&shop, Vol" +, p" 2D >ed" 1221?"
] U*mmianus Marcellinus, 'istory, (&" FF+++, ch" )i, 33"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G3B
'argra)e =ennings, a mystic, has eulogi.ed fire as being the best symbol of
worship, but he says nowhere that the fire symbol, directly worshipped in its own
name and as one of the created elements, as is done in 7endC*)esta, is in any way
defensible" $he learned !olonel, in his lecture on the ,pirit of 7oroastrianism,
defends fireCworshippers, but does he really understand them as offering direct prayer
as abo)e statedP 4ireCworship is borrowed from the Vedas"
%e thin& not" 4ireCworship, or rather re)erence for fire, was in the remote ages
uni)ersal" 4ire and water are the elements in which, as 5ccult ,cience teaches, the
acti)e and passi)e producti)e powers of the uni)erse are respecti)ely centered" ,ays
'ippocrates >/e /iaete, (oo& +, iii?R K*ll li)ing creatures " " " animals and men
originate from the two Principles, differing in potency but agreeing in purpose" +
mean 4ire and %ater " " " 4ather fire gi)es life to all things, but Mother water
nourishes them"00 'as our friend who seems to show such an e)ident scorn for the
emblems of his own religion, e)er studied those of other peopleP 'as he e)er been
told, that there ne)er was a religion but paid re)erence to the ,un and 4ire as the
fittest emblems of #ife, henceWWof the lifeCgi)ing principleE nay, that there is not,
e)en at present, one single creed on our globe >including !hristianity? but has
preser)ed this re)erence in its ritualism, though the emblems with time ha)e been
changed and disfiguredP $he only essential difference between the modern Parsee
Mobeds and the !hristian !lergy lies in thisR the de)otees of the former being
profoundly attached to their old religion@though they may ha)e forgotten its origin
@ha)e honestly left exoteric 7oroastrianism standing before the Mury of the world,
who Mudges on mere appearances@un)eiled in its apparent na&ednessE while
!hristian theologians less unsophisticated, &ept perpetually modifying !hristianity in
exact proportion as science ad)anced and the world became more enlightened, until
finally their religion now stands under a thic&, withal )ery insecure, mas&" *ll the
religions from the old Vaidi&, the 7oroastrian and the =ewish creeds down to modern
!hristianity, the illegitimate and repudiated progeny of the last, sprang from archaic
Magianism, or the Religion based upon the &nowledge of 5ccult nature, called
sometimes ,abaeanism@the KworshipL >P? of the ,un, moon, and stars" ,ee what
6)an Powell Meredith in his !orrespondence, touching the /i)ine 5rigin of the
!hristian Religion, with the Vicar of %haplode, saysR
Page G31
<our ,acred (oo&s, ,ir, are replete with phrases used in fireCworship d with
narrations of the appearance of a fire god" +t was as a flame of fire that the =ewish
/eity first appeared to Moses" +t was as fire he ga)e the law on Mount ,inai" +t was
the :od that answered as fire, who was to be the true :od in the contest held between
6liMah and the prophets of (aal" +t was as fire the same :od answered his ser)ant
/a)id" $he altar of incense displayed this fire" $he same fire, with incense@a
perfume used by heathens in their worship@was carried by the priests in their
censersE and this fire, once, miraculously &illed some of them " " " *ll the burntC
offerings of the =ews, li&e those of other nations, originated in fireCworship, the
worshippers supposing that the god of fire de)oured their sacrifices, as food, whether
)egetable or animal, human or bestial" +n Ka chariot of fire, and horses of fire,L
precisely li&e the heathen chariot and horses of the sun, 6liMah went up to hea)en" %e
are told that =eho)ah went before the =ews Kas a consuming fireLE and we are assured,
not only by the =ew, that his =eho)ah *leim is Ka consuming fireL e)en a Mealous :od
>or, as some translate the latter expression, the burning :od " " "? but also by the
!hristian, that his $heos of 7eus >+oue, lo)e, lo)e, =upiter, etc"? is a consuming fireY
%e find that the sacred fire of =eho)ah was in 7ion, as well as in the temple of Vesta,
or of Miner)a >+sa", xxxi, 9?, and as a still more remar&able proof of the identity the
=ewish fireCworship, with that of the :entiles, we find that the fire of =eho)ah, on the
bra.en altar, was to be &ept always burning@ was ne)er to be allowed to go out
>#e)", )i, 13?" Precisely in li&e manner was the sacred fire &ept burning in the temple
of /iana, among the Persians" $he Magi of Persia and !haldea had the care of
preser)ing this holy fire" +n the temple of !eres and of *pollo the sacred fire was
always &ept burning" $he preser)ation of the fire in the temple of Miner)a was
entrusted to a number of young women, Must as the )estal Virgins were charged with
the preser)ation of the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta under penalty of death, if
they allowed this precious fire to be extinguished" $he custom of preser)ing the
sacred fire is much older than the 'ebrew mythology" /iodorus ,iculus tells us that it
was deri)ed by the Romans from the :ree&s, and by them from the 6gyptians Uwho
borrowed it from the !haldeesV" $here is )ery little doubt that it is nearly as old as
,unCworship, and that fire, when worshipped, was originally regarded as an emblem
of the ,olar /eity" *ll the ancients imagined the god to be a body of fire" (y all his
worshippers he was considered to ha)e existed from 6ternity, and to ha)e created, not
only all other luminous bodies but the whole ;ni)erse"
Page G33
'e was thought to be the Kfather of lights,L and to ha)e all other luminaries,
such as the Moon, stars, and so on under his control and guidance" *s a !reator, he
was called 'elios /emiourgos@the ,unCcreator or the ,olar !reator" +n the Psalms,
as well as in other parts of the (ible, the creation and go)ernment of the world are
attributed to the ,olar /eity in a )ast number of instances which you will find in the
se1uel >Vide Vossius, /e orig" ac progr" idol", lib ii, c" G" (ochart, !anaan, lib" ii, c"
G?" *s :o)ernor ofCthe !elestial (odies, thought by the ancients inferior gods, the
'elioC/eity of the (ible is continually called K:od of 'osts,L K#ord of 'osts,L K#ord
:od of 'osts,L etc" >=eho)ah $sabaoth, *lei $sabaoth"? %here)er the :od of 'osts is
mentioned in the 'ebrew (ible, there can be no room for doubt that the writer meant
the ,un Uthe #ord of the 'ost of ,tarsV" %e often read of the light, glory, and shining
of the :od of 'osts, such as@L5 #ord :od of 'osts, cause thy face to shineL
>Psalms, lxxx, 3, D, H?"
%e in)ite our correspondent, if he wants to trace in the Ritualism of modern
!hristian theology the old 4ireCworship@to read $he Rosicrucians, by 'argra)e
=ennings, with more attention than he had hitherto done" 4ire is the essence of all
acti)e power in nature" 4ire and water are the elements to which all organi.ed and
animated beings owe their existence on our 6arth, at any rate, the sun is the only
)isible and undeniable !reator and Regenerator of life"
+f one should ta&e a cursory glance through the ,piegelC(leec& translation of
7endC*)esta, he will find that the portions in languages other than 7end are mar&ed
in italics" 'e will also find that in common with se)eral others, all the penitential
portions in the *)esta, without exception, are also in italics, indicating that the
portions and the doctrine they contain, were introduced at a )ery late period" %ill the
learned !olonel or yourself, or any of your contributors, &indly say what
7oroastrianism loo&s li&e when di)ested of the doctrine of penitenceP *nd when
further di)ested of all that has been copied by the Magians from the Vedas, + thin&
nothing worth &nowing remains"
%e would put the last sentence otherwise, and say that Kdi)ested of its few
remaining nonCliturgical fragments,L and a few 4argards and <ashts explained
esoterically, nothing worth &nowing can be found in the *)esta as it stands at present"
Prodicus and some of the early :nostics were the last who had in their possession
some of the secret boo&s of 7oroaster"
Page G33
$hat those KsecretL boo&s were not the *)esta in its present form, can be pro)ed
by the nonCattracti)eness of its texts which ha)e nothing in them, as explained now,
to fascinate the mystic" Prodicus had the secret code as well as the &ey to it" * few of
the adepts of ancient Magianism existed and were &nown publicly in those days,
since !lemens *lexandrinus spea&s of those who follow the heresy of Prodicus and
Kboast of possessing the secret boo&s of 7oroaster"LZ
<ou ha)e often said, and your $heosophist brothers ha)e also said, that the
!hristians li)e in a house of glass, and that the $heosophists &now what the
!hristians are" $he same is said of 7oroastrianism, 'induism, and (uddhism" (ut we
are ne)er told what the !hristians really are or what their true teaching should be" /o
$heosophists thin& that such general remar&s without the slightest attempt to support
them by proofs better than those furnished by ordinary histories, will in any way
ser)e any purposeP +f the arguments should be any other than founded upon 5ccult
philosophy, then + thin& the difficulties in your way should pro)e similar to those that
ha)e beset and deterred the !hristian missionaries in +ndia"
$he followers of e)ery one of the present great exoteric religions Kli)e in a
house of glass"L $he impeachment is pretty well pro)ed, we should say, by their
respecti)e inhabitants ha)ing nigh bro&en by this time all the windowpanes of their
neighbours, who ha)e returned the compliment" +t is sufficient, we belie)e, to study
!hristianity, and compare its hundreds of mutually conflicting and destroying sects,
to find out what they are, or rather what they are notE for surely a true !hristli&e
!hristian is rarer in our days than a white cow" +t is not, howe)er, in the columns of
this Mournal that we can underta&e to show all that Kthey really are,L nor ha)e we
hitherto shown any signs@whene)er occasion presented itself@of limiting our
charges to Kgeneral remar&sLE but, since truth is )ery unpalatable, and as they are
showing by their actions better than we can e)er do so in words, their real moral
standardWWwe regard it as a loss of time to be e)er presenting before them a mirror" +t
is the tas& underta&en and carried out in a most excellent way by the freethin&ers, in
whose current literature one can find e)erything one may desire in the shape of proof"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,trom", (oo& + ch" x)"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G3D
5ur business is to winnow byCthe means of 5ccult philosophy the grain from
the chaff, to show what a thing is not, and thus allow the profane an opportunity to
Mudge for themsel)es and see what it is"
$he abo)e are the 1uestions that ha)e been embarrassing me for months, and +
do hope that diffuse though they are, you will do me the fa)our to insert them in the
next issue of $he $heosophist" +f they will only ser)e to stir the Parsee scholars
>unfortunately + am not a scholar? + shall be satisfied"
%e ha)e done our best to satisfy our correspondent" $he subMect is of a
tremendous interest to e)ery thin&ing Parsee, but he has to help himself if he would
learn more" 'is religion is not dead yetE and under the lifeless mas& of modern
7oroastrianism the pulse of the Magi of old still beats" %e ha)e endea)oured as
briefly as possible to gi)e a correct, though a )ery superficial, )iew of the purport and
spirit of true Magianism" $here is not a sentence in this for which authority cannot be
shown"
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTE TO *THE T"NTR"S,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 336V
U$o the title of this article '" P" (" appends the following footnoteRV
4or reasons of their own, the *ryas or the Kreformers,L as they and the (rahmos
call themsel)es, regard all the $antras as the most abominable wor&s on sorcery that
inculcate immorality" ,ome of the $antric wor&s and commentaries are certainly
prohibited on account of their dealing with necromancy >modern ,piritualism?" (ut
the meaning in the real old $antras remaining a dead letter to the uninitiated 'indus,
)ery few can appreciate their worth" ,ome of the K%hiteL $antras, especially the one
treated upon in the present article, contain extremely important information for
5ccultists"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$he $antra discussed in the article is the MahInir)Inatantra"WW !ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G3G
!OOTNOTES TO*VISISHT"DV"IT" PHILOSOPH#,
U$he $heosophist Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 332V
U$he translator of the !atechism on the Vi[ishtId)Iita Philosophy writes that he
is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the original ,ans&rit text" 'e briefly
answers the obMections raised from a hurried explanation gi)en him by the authors of
the text" $he paragraphs on which '" P" (" comments are reprintedRV
Parabrahm being an *llCper)ading principle, itself being the *ll, is still
considered as a separate substance from =i)an, although the former contains the latter,
in the same manner that we tal& of a part as separate from the whole of which it is a
part"
%e cannot concei)e of an K*llCper)ading whole,L being separate from its part"
$he idea put forward by our learned brother is of course the theistic, but not )ery
philosophical doctrine which teaches the relation of man to :od as that between
father and child"
* part is therefore of the same nature as the whole, yet its distinguishing
1ualification is the fact of its being a part, )i.", the indi)iduali.ation, and dependence
on the whole" +n this way is =i)an considered in relation with, and distinct from,
Parabrahm"
%ould it not be better and far more philosophical to resort, in such a case, to the
oftCrepeated simile of the oceanP +f we suppose, for a moment, infinity to be a )ast
and an allCper)ading ocean, we can concei)e of the indi)idual existence of each of
the drops composing that sea" *ll are ali&e in essence, but their manifestations may
and do differ according to their surrounding conditions" +n the same manner, all
human indi)idualities, although ali&e in nature yet differ in manifestations according
to the )ehicles and the conditions through which they ha)e to act" $he <ogi,
therefore, so far ele)ates his other principles, or let us call them )ehicles, if preferred,
as to facilitate the manifestation of his indi)iduality in its original nature"

Page G36
My own inference is that *d)aita and this coincide, the former considering that
=i)an is Parabrahm, modified by the latter into K=i)an is a part only of Parabrahm"L
%e belie)e not" * true esoteric Vedantic *d)aitee would sayR *ham e)a
Parambrahm, K+ am also Parabrahm"L +n its external manifestation =i)an may be
regarded as a distinct indi)iduality@the latter a mayaE in its essence or nature =i)an is
@Parabrahm, the consciousness of the Paramatma manifesting through, and existing
solely in, the aggregated =i)ans )iewed collecti)ely" * cree& in the shore of the ocean
is one, so long only as the land it stretches upon is not redeemed" 4orced bac&, its
water becomes the ocean"
!onsidered in this manner, there is one +nfinite, made up of numberless
infinites"
%e are at a loss to &now what our learned brother can mean by =i)an being
KdependentL on the whole, unless Kinseparable fromL is meant" +f the whole is KallC
per)adingL and Kinfinite,L all its parts must be indi)isibly lin&ed together" $he idea of
separation in)ol)es the possibility of a )acuum@a portion of space or time where the
whole is supposed to be absent from some gi)en point" 'ence the absurdity of
spea&ing of the parts of one +nfinite being also infinite" $o illustrate geometrically,
suppose there is an infinite line, which has neither a beginning nor end" +ts parts
cannot also be infinite, for when you say Kparts,L they must ha)e a beginning and
endE or, in other words, they must be finite, either at one or the other end, which is as
e)ident a fallacy as to spea& of an immortal soul which was at some time created@
thus implying a beginning to that which, if the word has any sense, is eternal"
=i)a, +swara and Maya are considered to be real, all the three in this light, i"e", as
long as anything has existence, it is real or true, although that existence may not last
fore)er" $he *d)aitee says that only that which is immutable is true, and all things
temporary and liable to change are illusionaryE whereas the Vi[ishtad)aitee says that
as immutability is real in the eternity, so mutability is also real for the time being, and
so long as there is no change" My own inference is that all the difficulty here lies in
the words, but that the idea is one"

Page G3H
%e would li&e our learned brother to point out to us one thing in the whole
uni)erse, from the sun and stars, down to man and the smallest atom, that is not
undergoing some change, whether )isible or in)isible, at e)ery smallest fraction of
time" +s it Kman0s personal indi)idualityL@that which the (uddhists call atta)ada
@Kdelusion of selfL@that is a reality elsewhere than in our own MayaP
=i)an is said to be dependent and independent, in the same sense that a minister,
a dewan, is independent in exercising authority, and dependent on his &ing for the
bestowal of that authority"
$he comparison of the &ing and the dewan is meaningless with reference to the
subMect illustrated" $he power of conferring authority is a finite attribute, inapplicable
to infinity" * better explanation of the contradiction is therefore necessary, and we
trust our brother will get it from his inspirers"
* subtile distinction is made between +swara0s will and =i)a0s 8armaE +swara0s
will or 8arma being the e)erCacti)e state of the whole@the Parabrahm"
$his is indeed a Ksubtile distinction"L 'ow can Parabrahm be Kthe e)erCacti)e
state of the wholeL when the only attribute@an absolutely negati)e one@of
Parabrahm is passi)ity, unconsciousness, etc"P *nd how can Parabrahm the one
principle, the uni)ersal 6ssence or the $5$*#+$<, be only a Kstate of the %'5#6L
when it is itself the %'5#6, and when e)en the Vedantic /)aitees assert that +[wara
is but a mere manifestation of, and secondary to, Parabrahm which is the KallC
Per)adingL $5$*#P
+ perfectly agree with the 6ditor in saying that truth stands as the one white ray
of light decomposed into se)eral colours in theC spectrumE and + add that the one
white ray is true as well as the decomposed colours" $his is the $heosophic )iew"
9ot 1uite so, we are afraid" $he eyeCdecei)ing colours of the spectrum being
dismembered and only illusionary reflections of the one and only ray@cannot be
true" *t best they rest upon a substratum of truth for which one has often to dig too
deeply to e)er hope to reach it without the help of the esoteric &ey"
Page G32
COSMIC"L RINGS "ND ROUNDS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 331C33V
UK* ,tudent of 5ccultismL writes that 9o" V++ of the K4ragments of 5ccult
$ruthL by #ay !hela Kraises a difficulty for me and others which we should be glad to
ha)e explained"L 'e cites statements that appear to be inconsistent with earlier
teachings of the (rothers in regard to 4ifth Rounders and allied subMects" 'e 1uotes
this sentenceR K$he obscuration of the Planet on which are now e)oluting the races of
the Gth Round men, will of course be behind the few a)antCcouriers that are now
here"L $o this '" P" (" saysRV
%e hope we will not be accused of attempting to reconcile entirely the difficulty
between the early and later teachings, by suggesting, in this particular instance, that
the word full inserted between K$heL and K5bscurationL might perhaps remo)e a
portion of the apparent contradiction" 'a)ing been taught that the earliest and latest
races of humanity e)oluted and died out during, and with, the dawn >or end? and the
twilight >or beginning? of e)ery 5bscuration, we see no contradiction in this
particular sentence, as 1uoted"
U$o the writer0s assertion that K#ay !hela must be wrong,L '" P" (" appends the
following footnoteRV
%e belie)e notE only that the fifth Rounders ha)e se)eral significances" $he
K,tudent of 5ccultismL is only fairly entering upon the path of difficulties and most
tremendous problems and need not as yet complain" /ifficulty >1?R $he !'6#* who
instructed the writer or K#*< !'6#*L@last, and ga)e him the new )ersion about
the fifth Rounders, is a regular and Kaccepted !helaL of se)eral years standing of the
K(rotherL who Kis no 6nglish scholar"L
Page G39
5n the other hand the latter is the )ery guru who taught us the doctrine, and it
coincides certainly more with that of Ka student of occultism,L and as he understands
it than with its )ersion as gi)en now by K#ay !hela"L ,pea&ing but for oursel)es we
&now that >new )ersion notwithstanding?, $'6R6 *R6 KnormalL fifth Rounders, and
we told so repeatedly" (ut, since the instructor chosen to explain the doctrine would
not gi)e out the &ey to the problem, all we could do was to submit" 6)idently our
M*,$6R, do not choose to gi)e out all"
U'" P" ("0s 6ditorial 9ote is as followsRV
K#ay !helaL recei)ed from a regular and Kaccepted !helaL the explanations and
instructions that led him to de)elop in 4ragment V++ the last theory obMected to, and
most decidedly it seems to clash with pre)ious notions" ;nder these circumstances
we do not feel Mustified in stepping in to ma&e the two theories agree" 9e)ertheless,
we ha)e no doubt that both, howe)er discrepant they may seem now, would be found
to agree charmingly together, were the K,tudent of 5ccultismL and the K#ay !helaL
gi)en the whole doctrine and explained the great difference between the se)en
Rounds instead of being taught so spasmodically, and recei)ing small stray bits at a
time" (ut such is the will and pleasure of those who &now better than we do as to
what it is fit to, re)eal, and what has to be &ept bac& for a time" *s much as >or
perchance, from the little? we &now of the doctrine, the two statements show neither a
gap nor a flaw in it, howe)er conflicting they may seem" $he Kapparent, distinctly
contradictory statementsL are no more so than would be a description of a human
being emanating from two different sources, supposing one teacher would say that
Kthe being called man crawls on all fours " " " and the other that Kman wal&s erect on
his two feetL and later on, that@Lhe wal&s supported on two legsLE all these
statements, howe)er conflicting for a blind man, would ne)ertheless be perfectly
consistent with truth, and would not re1uire an 5edipus to sol)e the riddle" %ho of
the K#ay !helasL can say, whether there is not as much danger for our M*,$6R, in
gi)ing out at once the whole doctrine as there was for the ,phinx who had to pay for
her imprudence with deathP
Page GDB
'owe)er it may be, it is not for us to gi)e the desired explanations, nor would
we accept the responsibility e)en if permitted" 'a)ing, therefore, submitted the abo)e
article to another regular and high !hela, we append hereto his answer"
;nfortunately, instead of clearing the hori.on, it o)erclouds it with fresh and far more
tremendous difficulties"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his has reference to a long explanation written from Pondichery and signed ,"$"8" ZZZ !hary,
apparently a !hela of one of the $eachers" WW!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
E$PL"N"TION W"NTED
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une 1223, p" 33DV
+ shall feel highly obliged if you will &indly insert in the columns of $he
$heosophist the meanings and history of the two following namesR
1" RunicE and 3, *rne ,a&nussemm"
+ guess the meaning of the first to be the name of a language" 5f the second the
name of a professor or a learned man of the sixteenth century, a great alchemist of the
day"
+ want a regular history of the second expression"
K* =;9+5R ,$;/69$"L
$re)andrum, *pril 2, 1223"
K* =unior ,tudentL ma&es a right guess in one instance" $here is not much
mystery in the adMecti)e Krunic,L though its noun KRuneL of RNn >an *ngloC,axon
word? stood in days of old for Kmystery,L and related to magical letters@as any
6ncyclopaedia might ha)e told him" $he word runic relates both to the language and
the peculiar alphabet of the ancient 9orsemenE and KrunesL was the name used to
indicate the sixteen letters or characters of which the latter was composed"

Page GD1
+t is of the remotest anti1uity, and the few ones who were ac1uainted with the use of
those peculiar mar&s some old stones bearing yet inscriptions in the Runic character
@were considered as great enchanters and magicians, until the runes began to be
used in communication by writing and thus@their sacred and mystic character was
lost by becoming )ulgari.ed" 9e)ertheless, in some 5ccult boo&s it is distinctly
stated that those letters recei)ed in their subse1uent usage a significance 1uite distinct
from the original one, the latter remaining to this day a mystery and a secret with
which the initiated descendants of the 9orsemen will not part" $he )arious talismans
and charms used occasionally by the modern soCcalled Kwi.ardsL and KwitchesL in
+reland@supposed to ha)e inherited the secret science of old@are co)ered generally
with runic mar&s and may be easily deciphered by those students to whom no ancient
mystery is one, they studying 5ccultism in its general or uni)ersal aspect"
*s to the other word or rather name of which K=unior ,tudentL wants Ka regular
historyL@it will be more difficult to satisfy him since no such name is to be found
either in the catalogue of mediae)al *lchemists and Rosicrucians, or in the long list
of 5ccultists in general, since *pollonius of $yana and down to the days of bliphas
#S)i"
+t is most certainly not a 6uropean name, in its second @half at any rateE and if the
name of *rne is to be occasionally met with, that of K,a&nussemmL has an 6gyptian
rather than a %estern ring in it" $here was an K*rneL >$homas *ugustine?, an 6nglish
musical composer and the author of KRule (ritanniaL in the eighteenth century, and
two men of the name of ,ocinus@in the sixteenth and se)enteenth" (ut these were no
alchemists but great theologians, or rather we should say antiCtheologians and
infidels" #oelius ,ocinus@the first@was the friend of both Melanchthon and !al)in,
though he denied the fundamental doctrines of popular !hristianity and made away
with the $rinity" $hen came 4austus ,ocinus@his nephew, and a great sceptic, the
protSgS of 4" de Medici, grand du&e of $uscany" $his one openly maintained that the
$rinity is a pagan doctrineE that !hrist was a created and inferior being, and that there
was neither personal :od nor de)il"

Page GD3
'is followers were called the ,ocinians, but e)en this name answers )ery little
to ,a&nussemm"
'a)ing thus confessed our ignorance, we can suggest to K=unior ,tudentL but
one planE and that is, to see& for his K,a&nussemmL among the 6gyptian deities"
K*rne (as&enisL was the :ree& name of *roeris the elder 'orus, K,a&ana&aL is the
mystical appellation of a great fire, which is mentioned in the hundred and sixtyCfifth
chapter of the Ritual of the /ead@and may ha)e, perchance, something to do with
the alchemist fire of ,a&nussemm" $hen we ha)e ,a&asutu@the K6ldestCborn of the
,un :od,L one of the names of the planet ,aturn in !haldean *stronomyE and finally
,amoulsamou&en, the name of the rebel &ing of (abylon, the brother of
*ssurbanipal, &ing of *ssyria" 'a)ing done our best, we can but ad)ise our
correspondent to let us &now in what wor& he met with the name, as also his reasons
for belie)ing that K,a&nussemmL was an alchemist, or a learned man of the sixteenth
century"
WWWWWWWWWW
PERTINENT 1UESTIONS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 33GV
%ill you or any of your readers enlighten me on the following pointsR
1" %hat is a <ogiP
3" !an he be classed with a MahatmaP
3" !an Vi[)amitra, Valmi&i, Vasishtha and other Rishis be classed with the <ogis
and the MahatmasP
D 5r with the Mahatmas onlyP
G" 5r with the <ogis onlyP
6" /id the <ogis &now 5ccult ,cienceP
H" +s )egetarianism necessary for the study and de)elopment of 5ccult ,cienceP
2" /id our Rishis &now 5ccult sciencesP
(y throwing some light on the abo)e 1uestions you will oblige
Page GD3
<ours truly,
'" 9" V*8+#"
(ombay, *pril 3Bth, 1223"
161, Malabar 'ill"

%6 R6P#<R
1" * <ogi in +ndia is a )ery elastic word" +t now ser)es generally to designate a
)ery dirty, dungCco)ered and na&ed indi)idual, who ne)er cuts nor combs his hair,
co)ers himself from forehead to heels with wet ashes, performs Pranayam, without
reali.ing its true meaning, and li)es upon alms" +t is only occasionally that the name
is applied to one who is worthy of the appellation" $he real meaning, howe)er, of the
word when analysed etymologically, will show that its root is KyugL@to Moin@and
thus will yield its real significance" * real <ogi is a person who, ha)ing entirely
di)orced himself from the world, its attractions and pleasures, has succeeded after a
more or less long period of training, to reunite his soul with the Kuni)ersal ,oulL or to
KMoinL with Parabrahm" +f by the word K<ogiL our correspondent means the latter
indi)idual, )i.", one who has lin&ed his se)enth and sixth principles or *tman and
(uddhi and placed thereby his lower principles >Manas, the animal soul and the
personal ego? en rapport with the ;ni)ersal Principle, thenR
3" 'e may be classed with the Mahatmas, since this word means simply a Kgreat
soul"L $herefore 1uery
3" is an idle 1uestion to ma&e" $he RishisWWat any rate those who can be pro)ed
to ha)e actually li)ed >since many of those who are mentioned under the abo)e
designation are more or less mythical? were of course KMahatmas,L in the broad
sense of the word" $he three Rishis named by our 1uestioner were historical
personages and were )ery high adepts entitled to be called Mahatmas"
D" $hey may be Mahatmas >whene)er worthy of the appellation?, and whether
married or celibate, while they can be calledR
G" K<ogisL@only when remaining single, )i.", after de)oting their li)es to
religious contemplation, asceticism and WWcelibacy"
Page GDD
6" $heoretically e)ery real <ogi &nows more or less the 5ccult sciencesE that is
to say, he must understand the secret and symbolical meaning of e)ery prescribed
rite, as the correct significance of the allegories contained in the Vedas and other
sacred boo&s" Practically, nowadays )ery few, if any, of those <ogis whom one meets
with occasionally are familiar with occultism" +t depends upon their degree of
intellectual de)elopment and religious bigotry" * )ery saintly, sincere, yet ignorantly
pious ascetic, who has not penetrated far beyond the hus&s of his philosophical
doctrine would tell you that no one in 8aliC<uga is permitted to become a practical
occultistE while an initiated <ogi has to be an occultistE at any rate, he has to be
sufficiently powerful to produce all the minor phenomena >the ignorant would still
call e)en such minor manifestation@KmiraclesL? of adeptship" $he real <ogis, the
heirs to the wisdom of the *ryan Rishis, are not to be met, howe)er, in the world
mixing with the profane and allowing themsel)es to be &nown as <ogis" 'appy are
they to whom the whole world is open, and who &now it from their inaccessible
a[ramas, while the world >with the exception of a )ery few? &nowing them not,
denies their )ery existence" (ut, it really is not a matter of great concern with them
whether people at large belie)e in, or &now of them"
H" $he exposition of K5ccultismL in these columns has been clear enough to
show that it is the ,cience by the study and practice of which the student can become
a M*'*$M*" $he articles K$he 6lixir of #ife,L and the 'ints on 6soteric
$heosophy are clear enough on this point $hey also explain scientifically the
necessity of being a )egetarian for the purposes of psychic de)elopment" Read and
study, and you will find why Vegetarianism, !elibacy, and especially total abstinence
from wine and spirituous drin& are strictly necessary for Kthe de)elopment of 5ccult
&nowledgeL @see 'ints on 6soteric $heosophy, 9o" 3" Auestion 2 being unnecessary
in )iew of the aforesaid, we close the explanation"
Page GDG
EDITOR9S NOTE TO *PS#CHOMETR#
"ND "RCH"EOLOG#,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 9, =une, 1223, p" 336V
U'" P" (" appends the following note to a communication from a 'indu
correspondent in the pro)ince of 5udh, who wonders whether psychometry could be
of help in archaeological in)estigatonsRV
+f our correspondent were but to read carefully Professor /enton0s $he ,oul of
$hings, he would reali.e the importance of the science of Psychometry and learn at
the same time the mode of procedure" +ts usefulness in archaeological disco)eries and
pursuits is immense" $hat wor& describes many cases in which the psychometer had
but to hold against the forehead the fragment of a stone or any other obMect and he
could accurately describe the building and its inhabitants if the fragment of stone had
been connected with oneE of the animal if the fragment was that of a bone of some
fossil animal, etc", etc" $he obMect is but the medium which puts the psychometer en
rapport with the magnetic aura of its surroundings" 5nce landed in the world of
*&a[ic impressions, the boo& of 9ature is opened at e)ery page and the images of all
that was, being as though photographed on the etheric wa)es, become plainly )isible
to the psychometer" #i&e many other faculties, this one is also inherent and must be
de)eloped by practice and study" (ut it is easy"
Page GD6
" LEV# O! "RMS "G"INST THEOSOPH#
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, ,upplement to 9o" 9, =une, 1223, pp" 1C3V
*s nearly e)erywhere else, we ha)e a (ranch ,ociety in ParisR a handful or so of
members lost among thousands of spiritists and spiritualists" ,trictly adhering to our
rule of nonCinterference, whether in the religious or social opinions of our 4ellows,
the Parent ,ociety has hitherto li)ed for fi)e years on the best of terms with her
4rench progeny, the sweetest accord reigning among all the sister ,ocieties" %ell
aware of the strict adherence of our Parisian members to the doctrines of the *llan
8ardec school, and respecting, as usual, the pri)ate opinions of our brethren, we ha)e
ne)er gi)en cause, by word or deed, to our 4rench (ranch for the least dissatisfaction"
%e ha)e been often as&ed by some of them to explain the doctrines of occultism, for
few, too few of them, understanding 6nglish, they could not learn our )iews, by
reading $he $heosophist" (ut we had in)ariably and prudently abstained" $hey had
their doctrines, as highly philosophical@from their standpoint@as were ours, and it
was useless to see& to supersede these with a teaching that it ta&es years e)en for a
born 'indu to assimilate correctly" $o enter fully into the subtile spirit of the esoteric
teaching of ,a&yamuni (uddha, ,an&aracharya, and other sages, re1uires almost a
life of study" (ut some of our 4rench (rothers insisted, and there were those among
them who, spea&ing 6nglish and reading $he $heosophist, appreciated our doctrines
and determined to ha)e some of the 4ragments translated" ;nfortunately our (rother,
the translator, selected for his first experiment 9o" 1 of the series K4ragments of
5ccult $ruth"L
Page GDH
$hough the theory concerning the nature of the Kreturning spiritsL is gi)en therein
correctly on the whole, and the article itself is admirably written, yet this 4ragment is
)ery incomplete and 1uite li&ely to gi)e erroneous impressions to one entirely
unac1uainted with the 5ccult Philosophy" ,ome portions of it, moreo)er@two
sentences at any rate@are capable of leading the uninitiated to )ery mista&en
conclusions" $his, we hasten to say, is wholly due to the carelessness, probably to the
ignorance of the 6nglish language, and perchance to an unwillingness on the part of
the KinspirersL of that particular 4ragment to gi)e out more of the doctrine than was
strictly necessary@rather than to any fault of the scribe" +t was a first attempt to
ac1uaint the public at large with a philosophy which had been for long centuries
hidden in the fastnesses of the 'imalayan mountains and in the southern *[ramas,
and it was not settled at that time that 4ragment 9o" 1 should be followed by a
regular series of other 4ragments" $hus it was, that the second or )ital Principle in
man >#ife? is therein named =i)atma instead of =i)a, and left to stand without the
explanation that the esoteric (uddhists or *rhats, recogni.ing but one life, ubi1uitous
and omnipresent, call by the name of K=i),L the manifested life, the second principleE
and by *tman or =i)atman, the se)enth principle or unmanifested lifeE whereas the
Vedantees gi)e the name but to the se)enth and identify it with Paramatman or
Parabrahm"Z ,uch phrases also, as the following >see page 19, col" 3, $he
$heosophist, 5ct", 1221? ha)e been left uncommentedR Kthe spiritual ego or
consciousness " " " immediately on the se)erance of spirit is dissipated and ceases to
exist " " " the spiritual ego disappears"L 4or an 5ccultist this would simply be a sin of
omission, not of commission"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,ee Rig)eda Mantra >+, 16D, 3B?R
Kd)I suparnI sayuMI sa&hIyI
samInam )ri&sham parishas)aMIte,
tayor anya pippalam s)Id) atty
anCa[nann anyo abhichI&a[Jti"L
,IyanIchIrya, explaining it, saysR Kthe two birds seated on the same pipal tree, one enMoying its fruit
and the other passi)ely loo&ing on, are =i)atman and Paramatman, or the deluded indi)idual soul
and the ,upreme soul, the indi)idual being identical with the ,upreme soul"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GD2
+t ought to ha)e been said that immediately on the se)erance of KspiritL and
K,piritual soulL >its )ehicle?, from Manas and 8amaCRupa >fifth and fourth
Principles?, the spiritual consciousness >when left without its lea)en or cement of
personal consciousness subtracted by it from the Manas? " " " ceases to exist until a
new rebirth in a new personality, since pure ,pirit can ha)e no consciousness per se"Z
+t would ha)e been absurd upon its face to say anything immortal and purely
spiritual, anything that is identical with, and of the same essence as the Paramatman
or the one #+46, can KdisappearL or perish" $he 5ccultist and the VedanteeWW
especially the highly philosophical *d)aitee@&now that the neutral, sexless, and
passi)e Paramatman and its ray the =i)atman which can be manifested only through
its connection with obMect and form, does not, nor can it KdisappearL or KperishL as a
totalityE but that both the words relating to the Manas or antas&arana, those organs of
personal conscious sense which belonging only to the body are 1uite distinct from the
spiritual soul@mean no more than the temporary withdrawal of the ray from the
manifested, bac& into the unmanifested worldE and that this soul in short, which is
said to ha)e disappeared and perished, is not the eternal total +ndi)iduality, but the
temporary personality, one of the numberless beads strung on the rosary, the long
thread of the manifested li)es"Z $he only essential and really misleading mista&e in
the 4ragment >none at all for the ,piritualists who do not belie)e in reincarnation, but
an important one for the ,piritists, who do? is the one that occurs on page 19, column
1, paragraph D, where it is said that the new >personal? 6go is reborn from its
gestation Kin the next higher world of causes, an obMecti)e world similar to this
present globe of ours " " ",L
WWWWWWWWWW
Z +t is the late personality of the spiritual 6go that disappears for the time being, since separated
from the selfCconsciousness residing in Manas there is neither /e)achan nor *)itchi for the
K,piritual +ndi)iduality"L
] $he esotericisms of the (uddhists and Vedantees, though one and identical, sometimes differ in
their expressions" $hus what we call #ingaC[arira, the interior subtle body of the gross, or the
,u&shma of the ,thulaC[arira, is called by the Vedantees the 8aranaC[arira or causal body, the
rudimentary or ethereal embryo of the body"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GD9
thus implying that the +ndi)idual or one 6ternal 6go is born on our earth but once,
which is not the case and 1uite the re)erseE for it is the personal 6go@wrongly
belie)ed by the ,piritists to be reincarnated with its personal consciousness a number
of times@that appears upon this earth but once, while the +ndi)idual ,piritual monad
which@li&e an actor who, although appearing in, and personating e)ery night a new
character, is e)er the same man@is that which appears on earth throughout the cycle
in )arious personalities, the latter, except in the case of infants and idiots, ne)er being
born twice" ,uch is the belief of the 5ccultists" +t is thus this sentence alone which,
putting a wrong colour on the doctrine, could gi)e the ,piritists a handle against us,
in the 1uestion of reincarnationsE and they were Mustified in thin&ing that we did not
belie)e at all in rebirth on this earth"
'owe)er it may be, this one 4ragment ha)ing been translated as an isolated
specimen of the 5ccult doctrine, and the others which explain and thus complete it,
remaining unread and un&nown when it appeared published by the ,ociStS
,cientifi1ue d06tudes Psychologi1ues connected with the Re)ue ,pirite and the Paris
$heosophical ,ociety, it produced the effect of a bomb bursting in the camp of the
,piritists and Reincarnationists"
$o begin with, our friends attributed the 4ragment to the pen of a K,a)ant
,annyasi,L an *dept of 5ccultism, whereas it was written by a pri)ate 6nglish
gentleman who, howe)er learned he may ha)e become in the esoteric doctrine since,
was at that time hearing of it for the first time" $hen they called KconfSrencesL to
debate the dreadful heresy" $he March number of the (ulletin, the organ of the
,ociStS ,cientifi1ue, announced the opening of the contro)ersy within the sacred
precincts of the K,ociety of Psychological ,tudies"L *s its *pril number declares )ery
correctly, the two KconfSrencesL upon this subMect Kha)e not 1uite UPV attained the
obMect aimed at" $hey were not contro)ersial, since the defenders of ,piritism were
the only ones present"L $heosophy was represented, it seems, by /r" $hurman, 4"$",",
alone, who )ery reasonably declined to ta&e any part in it, by saying that Kit would be
impossible to ma&e anyone, unprepared for it by a long study, understand correctly
the theories of 5ccultismL
Page GGB
>which our 4rench friendsC persist in calling $heosophism, thus confounding the
whole with one of its parts?" 6)ery other member of the Parisian group of the
$heosophical ,ociety, ha)ing e1ually refused by analogous )erbal replies or letters to
ta&e any part in its proceedings, the only gentleman who offered himself, as a
representati)e of our ,ociety, was Mr" $remeschini, described as Kan astronomer, a
ci)il engineer, and an erudite 5rientalist, member of the Parisian $heosophical
,ociety"L *nd )erily, ne)er was $heosophy better disfigured"
$here is a mystery in this, which, ne)ertheless, ha)ing the &ey to it, we shall
sol)e for the benefit of all our members and 5ccultists especially" $he facts are
simply theseR Mr" $remeschini belie)es he has disco)ered the genuine, historically
authentic, and only di)ine $heosophy in existence" !onfusing 5ccultism with
$heosophy he denounces our doctrines as Ka philosophy born out of simple
affirmations, lac&ing any scientific sanction, and founded not on any ancient
documents " " " but upon degenerated theories which go bac& no further than the
Middle *gesLE our KtheosophyL >occultism he means? does not emanate from ancient
(uddhism at all, but from the Khybrid doctrine issued from the !haldeans"L 'ow,
indeed, as&s the orator, can anyone e)er regard as either humanitarian or scientific a
wor& which preaches Kdespairing nihilism " " " telling us that the basis of all morality
@that of the immortality of the conscious + is essentially false UYPV " " " that affirms to
us that the ,piritual 6go which was debarred from reaching its goal by too material
tendencies, disappears without carrying along with it one single particle of its
indi)idual consciousnessZ and ends by falling bac& into the region of prime)al
cosmic matterY " " " a doctrine, that aims at )oid " " " and annihilation, can only ha)e its
foundation resting on emptiness,L etc"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 9o such thing was e)er said e)en in 4ragment 9o" +, in which personal consciousness is the only
one concernedE the K,piritual 6goL or monad neither disappearing nor falling bac& into cosmic
matter, which can be said of Manas, !hitta, personal *han&ara, ne)er of *tman and (uddhi"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GG1
9ow these may be )ery elo1uent and profound words, but they are something
more than thisR they are )ery misleading and false" %e ha)e shown upon what the
errors >about our doctrines? of the ,piritists@who are ignorant of 6nglish@rested"
(ut such is not the case of Mr" $remeschini" 'e &nows the 6nglish language, reads
$he $heosophist, and has had ample time to percei)e how erroneous were his first
conclusions" *nd if he has, and persists, ne)ertheless, in his efforts to pro)e our
system false, and to proclaim his own the only di)ine and the only true oneE and
assures the public that he possesses authentic and historical documents to that effect,
then we are bound to examine his documentary proofs and see how far they are
entitled to be accepted as such"
'a)ing demolished to his own satisfaction the esoteric philosophy of the
*d)aitees and (uddhist *rhats, he proceeds to ac1uaint the ,piritists with his own
K$heosophy"L +n)iting the audience to follow him Kto a little excursion on the domain
of history,L he ac1uaints them with the following historical facts" %e preser)e his
spelling"
$oward the end of the $retI <ougx >the third age according to the 'indu
chronology? UPYYV " " " an age that goes bac& to 32,BBB yearsZ" " " li)ed in +ndia a
personage who by his genius, profundity of thought, etc", etc", had few e1uals among
the philosophers of the subse1uent ages " " " $he name of this personage is :xtomx"
*s the sacred boo&s of +ndia demonstrate UYPV :xtomx >of the $retI <ougx?
descended from a line of sages which goes bac& to the Vedic period, and counts
among its direct descendants the famous :xtomx ,a&iamouni the (uddha, who is
wrongly confounded by some persons with him >the :xtomx of $retI <ougx?" 5ut of
all the wor&s left to posterity by this personage of the $retI <ougx, the most
remar&able are the 9yayos UYPV which is a treatise upon logic and the 'ieratic !ode
or K+nstitutes /i)ine,L the di)ine science which represents the synthesis of human
&nowledge, the collection of all the truths gathered in during a long series of centuries
by the contemplati)e sages, the Moharshy UMaharishis, probablyPV, etc", etc", etc" " " "
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %e in)ite the attention of our (rahmin *d)aitee and other 'indu members to this new
chronology" $he $retaC<uga has become through such an historical handling the third instead of the
second age and /)aparaC<uga has dwindled down from 26D,BBB years to 32,BBBY
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GG3
$his wor& >the 'ieratic !ode of :xtomx? forbidden to the profaneZ by the
express command of its author, was entrusted to the care of the initiates of the two
superior (rahminical classes " " " UbutV " " " all this Mealous care has not pre)ented some
cunning profanes to penetrate into the sanctum sanctorum and abstract from this
famous code a few particles"
$he particles must ha)e grown in the hands of our (rother into a whole code,
since he tells us that it is Kthe synthesis of all the worldQs learning"L
,uch is the narrati)e copied and translated )erbatim, from Mr" $remeschiniQs
printed speech, and such the powerful foe of our esoteric *ryanC*rhat /octrine" *nd
now we will lea)e to our (rahmin 4ellows@,astris and ,ans&ritists@to Mudge of,
and decide upon, the historical )alue and authenticity claimed for the code in
possession of Mr" $remeschiniE we beg to draw their particular attention to the
following pointsR
>1? $he duration of /)aparaC<uga is shown as but 32,BBB years Kaccording to
'indu !hronology"L
>3? :autama Rishi, the writer of the /harmaCcastra, of the $retaCyuga, the
contemporary of Rama, is made identical with :autama of the 9yayas"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z *nd so were the Vedas and all other sacred boo&s of the (rahmins" (ut where is this !odeP %ho
has e)er heard of itP 6xcept a code of law preser)ed among twenty other codes beginning with that
of Manu and ending with Para[ara, no other /harmaC,astra written by :autama Rishi was e)er
heard of" *nd this small code though Kwritten in a clear style,L has nothing occult or )ery
mysterious in it, and is regarded as )ery inferior not only to that of Manu, but of se)eral others"
$hey are all extant, and ha)e all been printed at !alcutta" !olebroo&e and others treat of them and
the 5rientalists ascribe them to K)arious mythical sages"L (ut whoe)er their authors may be, there
is nothing contained in them about 5ccultism"
;;;;;;;;;;
Page GG3
>3? +t is claimed for the former that he has written a complete 6soteric !ode
whose Kdi)ine doctrinesL agree with, and corroborate those of the ,piritists who
belie)e in, and encourage communication with bhNts and pi[achas and call them
Kimmortal spirits,L of the Kancestors"LZ
>D? :autama (uddha is made the direct descendant of :autama RishiE and he
who, disregarding Khis ancestorQs prohibition, made public the doctrines of his
MasterL >sic?" 'e Kdid not hesitate to submit this hitherto respected wor& to
interpolations and adaptations which he found necessary,L which amounts to saying
that (uddhism is but the disfigured code of :autama Rishi"
%e lea)e the abo)e to be pondered by the (rahmin Vedantees and the esoteric
(uddhists" +n our humble opinion this K:xtomxL of the K$retI <ougoL of Mr"
$remeschini is possibly but a monstrous fiction of his brain"
$he !orresponding ,ecretary of the $heosophical ,ociety and 6ditor of this
=ournal has already sent a long reply to the President of the ,ociStS ,cientifi1ue
dQbtudes Psychologi1ues, Mr" 4au)ety, in refutation of the ungracious remar&s,
painful misrepresentations, and inaccuracies of KMr" $remeschini, a member of the
$heosophical ,ociety of Paris"L] *ll the other spea&ers who had a fling at $heosophy
at these conferences, being no members of our ,ociety and being ignorant of our
doctrines, are more excusable, although we ha)e ne)er called meetings to discuss and
ridicule their doctrines"
5ur warmest ac&nowledgements are due to the highly talented and learned
President, Mr" !h" 4au)ety for the complimentary way in which he spo&e of the
humble efforts of the 4ounders of our ,ociety, and for the moderation of tone that
per)ades the whole of his discourse while summing up the discussions at the second
conference"
4rom the abo)e remar&s let it not be understood that we in any way deprecate
honest en1uiries and discussions, for bigotry is surely no more a part of our creed
than her twin sister@+nfallibility"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he reader will please consult what Manu says of the communication with the dead >(&" +V, 133C
3D? and his opinion that e)en the sound of the ,amaCVeda is Kimpure,L a[uchi@since, as 8ullu&a
explains it, it associates with deceased persons"
] UVide Volume V >1223? of the present ,eries, pp" 6C6G, for the full text of this reply to
$remeschini"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GGD
(ut when misrepresentations, inaccuracies, and per)ersion of facts are used
against us, we )enture to submit to the consideration of all our intelligent members,
whether e)en the pro)erbial patience of 'ari[chandra himself or his =ewish copy,
=ob, would not be re1uired to enable us to bear without urgent protest such a tra)esty
of the ancient *ryan ,cience"
WWWWWWWWWW
*THE SOUL O! THINGS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 339CDBV
$en years ago, Professor %illiam /enton, an *ngloC*merican geologist and a
man of mar&ed intellectual capacity, issued in collaboration with his e1ually gifted
wife, a wor& in three )olumes, bearing the title which heads the present article" +t is a
record of extensi)e researches into the origin of things )isible, or the world
noumenal" 9o laboratory instruments or processes were employed in this researchE
there was neither furnace, nor crucible, nor flas&, nor chemical, nor lens a)ailed of,
and yet this boo& contains facts with respect to the hidden half of nature which e1ual,
if they do not out)ie, in interest and suggesti)e importance any disco)ery in the
science of obMecti)e phenomena reported to any learned association" $he researches
of the /entons ha)e done especially much good to students of *ryan science, for they
lin& in with, and gi)e the &ey to the pre)iously pu..ling mysticism of the *thar)a
Veda and subse1uent wor&s on occult science" $he agency employed was
Psychometry, and Psychometry >soulCmeasuring? is a :ree& word to express the
faculty@natural, but ordinarily latent in us@by which the inner self cogni.es the
things of the spiritual >or, if you please, dynamic? world of causes" $his faculty was
strong in Mrs" /enton, her son, and members of Professor /entonQs own family, and
the two former especially de)eloped their psychometrical powers to a mar)ellous
degree"
Page GGG
+f any obMect@a letter, bit of clothing, fragment of stone or other material from a
building, or of a geological specimen, etc", were gi)en them to clasp in their hands or
hold against the middle of their foreheads@an inch abo)e the line of the eyebrows@
they would at once come into sympathy with the *&I[a, or soul, of the person or
thing with whom or which the obMect had been in relation, and describe the same"
,tep by step, these researches pro)ed the truth of the old *ryan dogma that the *&I[a
>6ther? is the cradle and gra)e of obMecti)e natureE and that it holds imperishably the
records of e)erything that e)er existed, e)ery phenomenon that e)er occurred in the
outer world" $he hypothesis of physical science was thus endorsed and enlarged, and
a bridge of one span flung across the Kunfathomable chasmL seen by the great $yndall
to lie between the )isible and in)isible worlds" Professor /enton was not the modern
disco)erer of PsychometryE that honour is due to Professor =" R" (uchanan, M"/", an
*merican anthropologist of eminence and a fellow of our ,ociety" +t is one of the
great merits of this science that its researches may be carried on without ris& to the
Kpatient,L and without throwing him or her into the state of mesmeric
unconsciousness" *t first, says Professor /enton in his boo&"
" " " the sensiti)e, or psychometer, is generally a merely passi)e spectator, li&e
one who sits and obser)es a panoramaE but in time he becomes able to influence the
)isions@to pass them along rapidly, or retain them longer for a close examination"
$hen the psychometer, at times, dwells in that past whose history seems to be
contained in the specimen " " " U*t last heV becomes released e)en from the specimen"
*t will he lea)es the room, passes out into the air, loo&s down upon the city, sees the
earth beneath him li&e a map, or, sailing still higher beholds the round world rolling
into dar&ness or sunlight beneath him" 'e drops upon island or continent, watches the
wild tribes of *frica, explores the desert interior of *ustralia, or sol)es the problem
of the earthQs mysterious poles" 'e can do more than thisR he becomes master of the
ages," *t his command the past of island and continent come up li&e ghosts from the
infinite nightE and he sees what they were and how they were, what forms tenanted
them, and mar&s their first human )isitantsE seeing the growth of a continent, and its
fruitage in humanity, within the boundary of a little hour" " "
Page GG6
" " " the uni)erse scarcely holds a secret that Uthe freed spiritV cannot behold with open
eye"Z
Professor /enton estimates that the psychometric faculty is possessed by at least
one white female in ten, and one man in twenty" /oubtless the percentage would be
e)en + greater among *siatics"
$he Psychometer, as we ha)e remar&ed, does not ha)e to be mesmeri.ed for the
exercise of the power" 'is eyes should be closed, the better to help concentration of
thought upon the psychic obser)ations" K5therwise,L says Professor /enton,
" " " he appears to be in a perfectly normal condition during the time, and can
readily notice what ta&es place in the roomE fre1uently laying down the specimen,
Moining in the con)ersation, or drawing obMects seen and then going on with the
examination" %hen the specimen is in powder, it is merely necessary to stro&e the
forehead with as much as will cling to a damp fingerE and where hea)enly bodies are
examined the rays are allowed to shine upon the forehead" Up" 33"V
$hus it will be seen that with a copy of Professor /entonQs boo& in hand, a
committee of a (ranch ,ociety has the means of easily pursuing research of the most
interesting and profitable &ind into a domain where not merely the secrets of *ryan
history, but of the history of our planet and all its mutations are recorded
imperishably" ,ays Professor =" %" /raper, one of the ablest scientists and most
brilliant writers who ha)e adorned our present ageR
* shadow ne)er falls upon a wall without lea)ing thereupon a permanent trace,
a trace which might he made )isible by resorting to proper processes" " " " ;pon the
walls of our most pri)ate apartments, where we thin& the eye of intrusion is
altogether shut out and our retirement can ne)er be profaned, there exist the )estiges
of all our acts, silhouettes of whate)er we ha)e done"]
+t is a crushing thought to whoe)er has committed secret crime, that the picture
of his deed and the )ery echoes of his words may be seen and heard countless years
after he has gone the way of all flesh, and left a reputation for KrespectabilityL to his
children"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he ,oul of $hingsE or, Psychometric Researches and /isco)eries" (y %illiam /enton" Vol" ++,
pp" 32C39"
] $he 'istory of the !onflict between Religion and ,cience, p" 133C33"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GGH
$o members of our ,ociety the idea should come home with peculiar weight,
since they li)e, act, spea&, and e)en thin& under the obser)ation of these M*,$6R,
from whom no secrets of nature can be hidden if they choose to explore her arcana"
$here ha)e been se)eral cases among us of selfCreformation due mainly to the
con)iction of this fact, and if the resources of Psychometry were but suspected
generally there would be many more" 4or it is pro)ed that not only are the images of
the Past in Kthe fadeless picture galleries of the *&I[a,L but also the sounds of past
)oices, e)en the perfumes of archaic flowers, withered ages ago, and the aromas of
fruits that hung on trees when man was but a mumbling sa)age, and polar ice, a mile
thic&, co)ered what are now the fairest countries under the sun" %e ha)e been the
means of putting more than se)enty copies of $he ,oul of $hings into circulation in
+ndia and hope to put se)en hundred more" *nd we also hope to be soon able to
introduce to the ac1uaintance of our +ndian friends the author himself, who has Must
completed a highly successful lecturing season in *ustralia, and will ta&e +ndia on his
way home to *merica" *mong his lectures was one on Psychometry, a condensed
report of which we find in the #iberal >,ydney? of 4ebruary 1Bth, and which we copy,
as followsR
U'ere follows the report mentioned abo)e"V
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTES TO *HIEROSOPH# "ND THEOSOPH#,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 3DDV
U5nly the paragraphs from this article by %illiam 5xley, 4"$",", to which '" P"
(" appends footnotes are here printed"V
+n dealing with what appears to be the difference between 'ierosophic and
$heosophic teachings, as to Rebirth, or Reincarnation, we should ha)e to deal with
what $heosophy terms the K,e)enth principleL in man, but which + ha)e termed the
KMaster atom"L

Page GG2
+s that Kse)enth principleL an entity, i"e", is it a differentiated atom of lifeP +n
appearance@yes" +n reality@no" $he term Katom of lifeL has an application only
permissible on the plane of human thought and consciousness" +t is relati)e, not
absolute" +f we must go bac& far enough, or deep enough, + urge that there is but one
#ife and one ,ubstanceE and that all which is, is but the phenomenon of
differentiation, which is ceaseless, changing, and eternal"
$his is good, orthodox occultism as it now stands" 5nly with our
correspondentQs permission, we are obliged to remind him that according to the
5ccult doctrine the term KMaster *tomL is not applicable to the se)enth principle,
though it can be )ery properly used in reference to the sixth, the )ehicle of spirit, or
spiritual soul" $he )iews of the occultists upon spirit and soul may be said to adopt
the middle ground between the theories of (osco)ich and 'elmholt., on the intimate
nature of matter" $he se)enth principle, or rather its essence, belongs to the se)enth
state of matter, i"e", a state which may be )iewed in our mundane conceptions as pure
spiritE while the nature of the sixth principle is not a center of force li&e its spirit, a
center in which the idea of all substance disappears altogether, but a fluidic or rather
ethereal Katom"L $he former is undifferentiated, the latter, differentiated matter,
though in its highest and purest stateE one, the life that animates the atom, the other
the )ehicle that contains it"
Precisely at the points where this phenomenal differentiation comes in, there the
Katom of lifeL appearsE and we hold, that this specific atom, once differentiated, and
entering upon its cyclic round, after ha)ing attained a specific consciousness of its
own on the mundane, or physical plane, can ne)er reCenter the same plane againE as
the purpose is accomplished for which it was so differentiated" (ut, this Kmaster
atomL in order to ma&e itself )isible, or cogni.able, on the )arious planes in its
descent, attracts to itself other atoms, which form its en)elope, or clothing, and these
atoms, by )irtue of contact@temporary as it is@impregnated with the life 1uality of
the master atom, and according to the de)elopment in the scale of consciousness,
consciousness while ascending, unconsciousness while descending@so, conditions
are supplied for phenomenal expressions on the infinite )ariety of (eing"
$his is heterodox" +f by KMaster atomL the di)ine Khuman monadL is meant,
then it remains unconscious or rather irresponsible whether KdescendingL or
KascendingL the circle of spheres for three and a half rounds, after which, so long as it
is united to personalities it remains both conscious and responsible"

Page GG9
+ thin& all this, and much more, is clearly shown in the series of 4ragmentary
$ruths, gi)en from time to time by the Mahatmas, who, with a wisdom that cannot be
gainsaid, impart so much as can be appreciated and no more" My late )isit to 6gypt
brought me into contact with the ancient 6gyptian doctrine of metempsychosis,
which seemed to teach, that the soul, or )i)ifying principle, after lea)ing the body,
was reincarnated in lower and e)en animal forms, and that it must pass through e)ery
)ariety of organi.ed life forms until at the end of three thousand years it would return
and be reunited with the physical body, which was so carefully preser)ed and
mummified under this idea" $ime has pro)ed the fallacy of the doctrine, as so many
mummies, now in existence, are considerably older than the 3BBB years, and the soC
called soul has not returned to claim its physical body" %e must therefore see& for
another solution to an ancient doctrine which, undoubtedly, had an underlying tone of
truth"
Mr" 5xley will permit us to correct him" 'e loo&s at the obMecti)e terrestrial and
empty shell@the KmummyL@and forgets that there may be hidden under the crude
allegory a great scientific and occult truth" %e are taught that for 3BBB years at least
the Kmummy,L notwithstanding all the chemical preparations, goes on throwing off,
to the last, in)isible atoms which from the hour of death, reCentering the )arious
)ortices of being, go indeed Kthrough e)ery )ariety of organi.ed life forms"L (ut it is
not the soul, the fifth, least of all the sixth principle, but the life atoms of the Mi)a, the
second principle" *t the end of 3BBB years, sometimes more, and sometimes less,
after endless transmigrations all these atoms are once more drawn together, and are
made to form the new outer clothing or the body of the same monad >the real soul?
which had already been clothed with UthemV two or three thousands of years before"
6)en in the worst case, that of the annihilation of the conscious personal principle,
the monad or indi)idual soul is e)er the same as are also the atoms of the lower
principles which, regenerated and renewed in this e)erCflowing ri)er of being, are
magnetically drawn together owing to their affinity, and are once more reincarnated
together" ,uch was the true occult theory of the 6gyptians"

Page G6B
+ notice the 6ditorQs note in March number of $he $heosophist, in reply to the
1uery raised by a correspondent F in reference to the retrogression of the Kspiritual
sur)i)alL after physical death" " " " $he real 1uestion in)ol)ed is thisR K/oes the life
principle that escapes from the human body at death, maintain the consciousness of
its indi)iduality@not personalityR and if so, does that conscious indi)iduality ad)ance
to higher, or more interior, states of beingP $o which we reply in the affirmati)e" $he
re)ered Mahatmas &now as well as + do, that e)ery spirit atom which is ultimated into
physical conditions of existence is absolutely needful to fulfill the grand purposes of
soCcalled creation"
%e are sorry to reply in the negati)e" $hat which maintains the consciousness of
its indi)iduality is the sixth principle in conMunction with the se)enth and a portion of
the fifth and its )ehicle the fourth@the triad thus constituting the conscious monad"
#ifeCatoms or Klife principleL >the =i)? that escapes at death has no consciousness in
its disintegrated condition, nor has this any bearing upon the Kgrand purposes of
creation"L
WWWWWWWWWW
THE "LMOR" SW"MI UPON PHILOSOPH#
IN GENER"L "ND OUR !"ILINGS IN P"RTICUL"R
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 95" 1B, =uly, 1223, P" 3DGV
+n our 4ebruary number >see page 112? prefacing the )aluable though somewhat
ha.y contribution by the )enerable ,wami of *lmora on K*d)aita Philosophy,L we
wrote the following editorial linesR
K*s the subMoined letter comes from such a learned source, we do not feel
Mustified in commenting upon it editorially, our personal &nowledge of the *d)aita
doctrine being un1uestionably )ery meagre when contrasted with that of a
Paramahansa@hence $'6 455$95$6, (< 5;R #6*R96/ (R5$'6R, $"
,;((* R5%, $5 %'5M %6 $;R96/ 5V6R $'6 M," 45R R6P#<"

Page G61
$his notice, we belie)e, was plain enough to screen us thereafter from any such
personal remar&s as are now flung at our head by the holy ascetic of *lmora in the
paper that follows" ,ome of those rhetorical blossoms ha)ing been left by us for the
purpose of enli)ening the otherwise too monotonous field of his philosophical
subMect, the reader may Mudge for himself" %e say Ksome,L for, ha)ing to satisfy all
our contributors, and our space being limited, we cannot consent to crowd out more
interesting matter to ma&e room for Must fifteen and a half columns of 1uotations
profusely mixed with reprimands and flings of any correspondent, e)en though the
latter be as we learn from his own words, Ka modest hermit of the Mungle"L $herefore,
with all our profound respect for our opponent, we had to curtail his too long paper
considerably" %e propose, howe)er, to show him his chief mista&e, and thus to blunt
a few of the most pointed shafts intended to pierce through the points of the editorial
harness"
+f, after the humble confession 1uoted abo)e from our 4ebruary number, the
editorial reply that followed another paper from the same ascetic, namely, K+n re
*d)aita Philosophy,L in the March number@was still ta&en as emanating from one
who had Must confessed her incompetency to hold a disputation with the learned
,wami upon *d)aita tenets@the fault is not ours" $his error is the more strange since
the ,wami had been clearly warned that his points would be disputed and 1uestions
answered in future by our brother Mr" $" ,ubba Row, as learned in *d)aita
philosophy as in the esotericism of the sacred boo&s of the 6ast" $herefore we had a
right to expect that the Paramahansa would ha)e remembered that he was )entilating
his not o)erC&ind remar&s upon the wrong person, since we had nothing to do
personally with the replies" $hus the disagreement upon )arious topics in general, and
the abstruse tenets of esoteric *d)aita Philosophy especially, between the K*lmora
,wamiL and Mr" $" ,ubba Row, can in no way, or with any degree of Mustice, be laid
by the former at the door of either the Kforeigners who ha)e come to +ndia for
&nowledge,L nor of K%estern $heosophyLE

Page G63
for, in this particular case he has found an opponent >1uite as learned, we lo)e to
thin&, as himself? in one of his own race and country@a real *d)aitee (rahmin" $o
ta&e therefore to tas& $heosophy for it or the conductor of this maga.ine, expressing
dissatisfaction in such )ery strong terms, does not show either that philosophical
e1uanimity, or tact and discrimination that might be expected from one who has
de)oted his life exclusi)ely to meditation and the <oga Philosophy" +f pardonable in a
person who has to lead that sort of life which in the words of Mr" Max M^ller, 1uoted
by the K*lmora ,wamiL@>as an additional hint and a hit we suppose?@a life Kwith
telegrams, letters, newspapers, re)iews, pamphlets, and boo&sL@it is 1uite
unpardonable in a holy ascetic, who is ne)er troubled with anything of the sort and
gets, as we suspect, e)en his appropriate 1uotations from 6uropean authors readyC
made for him by his amanuenses and friends" (ut, since the article is addressed in the
form of a letter to the editor, the humble indi)idual who holds this office hastens to
assure the )enerable ,wami that beyond their appalling length, his letters ha)e ne)er
gi)en the said editor one moment of Kannoyance and troubleL as he seems to imagine"
+n reference to another personal taunt, we agree with him" +t is more than li&ely
that some >not all by any means? Vedantists, such as the modern K*ryasL and some
/)aitees and Vi[ishtad)aitees@after Khailing %estern $heosophy with Moy,L ha)e
ended by comparing it Kto the mountain that ga)e birth to a mouseL@the
disenchantment being due to many and )arious reasons upon which it is needless to
enter at present" %e can only hope and trust that the lofty *lmorian mountain, chosen
by our )enerable friend as the seat of his contemplation, may not bring forth some
day, for +ndia, any worse animal than the humble Kblac& mouse"L $rue we ha)e come
to learn in this country, and we ha)e learned a good deal already" 5ne fact, among
se)eral others, namely, that the learned ascetics of modern +ndia ha)e widely shot off
from the original mar& when compared with the Rishis of old"
Page G63
,pino.a is 1uoted against us in his definition of methods of in)estigation" 5ur
saintly critic fears that his )enerable friends ha)e followed the first >or )ulgar?
method" $he proof which with him goes far to Mustify his Kfear,L rests chiefly upon a
fallacy and mista&e of ours@one happily held by us in common with nearly all the
great men of science in 6urope, )i.", our ignorant claim $'*$ M*$$6R +,
+9/6,$R;!$+(#6, '69!6 6$6R9*#" %e will not understand his ideas, he says,
because being fond of absurdities, Kour own absurdity would be exposed"L +f so, we
prefer indeed our absurd belief in the indestructibility of matter to any scientific
opinion upholding the contrary, submitting cheerfully, in this case, Kthe wea&ness of
our understanding to be laughed atL@e)en by an ascetic in Kthe state of 9ir)i&alpa"L
%e feel )ery grateful to the good ,wami for his explanation of KPra)anaL and
other &indred words" Mr" ,ubba Row will no doubt profit by, and answer them"
Personally, howe)er, we respectfully decline to be taught the noble science by any
other man, howe)er learned he may be, than him who has originally underta&en the
tas&@namely, our own M*,$6RR yet, as many of our readers may well benefit by
the contro)ersy, we will, with his permission, lea)e the arena for the present to Mr"
,ubba Row, a far abler contro)ersialist than we can e)er hope to become"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his has reference to ,ubba RowQs essay entitled KPra&riti and PurushaL in the same =uly number
of $he $heosophist, pp" 3D2CG1"V
WWWWWWWWWW
!OOTNOTES TO *THE SW"MI O! "LMOR" TO HIS OPPONENTS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3D6CD2V
U$his is the article which '" P" (" refers to in the beginning of her own article
K$he ,wami of *lmoraL which is published abo)e" ,he appends a number of
footnotes to )arious statements by the ,wami" $he ,wami writesE K+n some of the
former numbers of $he $heosophist the word laya was explained by you as merging,
and in this number you gi)e another meaning to it"L '" P" (" repliesRV

Page G6D
9o KmergingL or absorption can ta&e place without dissolution, and an absolute
annihilation of the pre)ious form" $he lump of sugar thrown into a cup of li1uid must
be dissol)ed and its form annihilated before it can be said to ha)e been absorbed by,
and in, the li1uid" +t is a correlation li&e any other in chemistry" <et indestructible
matter can as in the case of sugar, or any other chemical element, be recalled to life
and e)en to its pre)ious form" $he molecule that cannot be di)ided by any physical
means is di)ided by the uni)ersal sol)ent and resol)ed into something else" 'ence@
it is, for the time being, at least, annihilated in its form" $his is simply a war on
words"
UK+t is odd that our phrase Xpresent de)eloped formQ has cost you more than a
column to comment on it"L $he comment, howe)er, was from the pen of $" ,ubba
Row" $o this '" P" (" repliesRV
+t is still odder that a few footnotes should ha)e cost the )enerable Paramahansa
o)er 1G columns of ill disguised abuse, out of which number three or four columns
are gi)en" $hat which was suppressed may be Mudged by what remains"
UK(ut, perhaps, nominal yogis, who are disturbed in head and heart, and cannot
tran1uili.e and compose themsel)es for 9ir)i&alpa ecstasy, will not be able to
comprehend us, nor also those who confound Pra&riti with Purusha, or matter with
spirit"LV
,urely our respected correspondent cannot mean to con)ey the idea that in
penning this answer he had KcomposedL himself into the state of 9ir)i&alpaE unless
we ta&e Monier %illiamsQ definition of the term and bear in mind that it is a state
Kdestitute of all reflectionL >,ee +ndian %isdom, p" 133, footnote3?"
$o this &ind thrust we answer that we ha)e ne)er confounded Pra&riti with
Purusha any more than we ha)e confused the 9orth with the ,outh Pole"
M*'*$M* KMzzzzzzzz"""""""L >M5R<*?
4rom a /rawing presented to my father"
$he original bears the followingR@ K$o Rama (" <ogi, my faithful{{{{{ >word
undecipherable? in commemoration of the e)ent of Gth, 6th, and Hth 5ctober, 1223, in the Mungles of
,i&&im"L
," RImaswamier, a Probationary !hela of Master M", went to ,i&&im in 5ctober, 1223, and met
the Master who ga)e him the li&eness reproduced herewith" +t is ta&en from a pamphlet by 8" R"
,itaraman, RImaswamierQs son, entitled +sis 4;R$'6R ;n)eiled, Madras, 129D" %e include the
caption as it appears in the pamphlet" +t is not &nown what has become of the original drawing, or
the way it was actually produced"
!onsult the *ppendix for biographical data about ," RImaswamier"
/6 R5(+:96 M5R$+M6R (6996$$
1212C1223
>!onsult *ppendix for comprehensi)e biographical s&etch"?
Page G6G
*s both Poles belong to the same and one earth, so spirit and matter, or Purusha
and Pra&riti are the two ends that lose themsel)es in the eternity of unmanifested and
the cycles of manifested matter" (ut li&e some of our distinguished %estern
metaphysicians, our opponent seems to regard matter and energy as two distinct
things, whereas the 6soteric doctrine recogni.es but one substratum for e)erything
)isible as in )isible@KPurushCPra&ritiL and )ice )ersa" Moreo)er, we may remind the
good ,wami, that one need not be a yogi to be a good occultist, nor are there many
yogis in +ndia who &now anything of real occult sciences"
UK9ow according to our &nowledge the inner man means the double, i"e", the
$aiMasa, PraMsa being the original or first, and the *nnamaya or the Vi[)a, the third"LV
+n such case, our respected critic ought to critici.e and correct Professor Monier
%illiams and other ,ans&ritists, who regard *nnaCMaya as the Kco)ering supported
by food, i"e", the corporeal form or gross bodyL calling it the fourth, while we name it
as the first sheath or 8o[a" >,ee page 133 of +ndian %isdom"?
UK$o this third, we applied the term treble, and we are Mustified in doing so, in
the same way as you apply double to the $aiMasa@and we do not see any harm in
ta&ing the gross one as thirdE but those who are fond of absurdities will not
understand our ideas"LV
%e lea)e it to our readers to Mudge which is the most absurd@to consider our
physical body as the first, or to call it, as the ,wami does the treble or the thirdE
though of course there is Kno harmL in either"
UK%hy, because their own absurdity will be exposed" %e beg your pardon for
this outspo&enness"LV
%e willingly forgi)e the impolite remar& under its garb of Koutspo&enness"L %e
beg our respected correspondent to bear in mind though that it is one thing to be
Koutspo&en,L and 1uite another one to be rude"
UK'ow can you, being a practical theosophist, say carelessly that, a mortal
wound may be inflicted upon the inner man, etc", etc", when in reality the outer one
was the )ictim"
Page G66
<ou e)ade our 1uestion in an offhand manner by saying that the 1uestion is not
whether the double murdered the double or treble"Z 9ow we particularly begged you
to remo)e our doubts by establishing this fact scientifically"LV
+t is precisely because we claim to &now something of KpracticalL 5ccultism in
addition to being a $heosophist that we answer without in the least Ke)ading the
1uestionL that a mortal wound may be inflicted Knot only upon, but also by oneL
inner man upon another" $his is the *"("!" of esoteric mesmerism" $he wound is
inflicted by neither a real dagger nor a hand of flesh, bones, and blood, but simply by
@%+##" +t is the intense will of the K:ospoMaL that guided the astral or inner body,
the Maya)iCrupa of 4ro.ya" +t is the passi)ely obedient action of the latterQs KdoubleL
that scanning space and material obstacles, followed the KtrailL of, and found, the real
murderers" +t is again that %+## shaped by the incessant thought of the re)enger, that
inflicted the internal wounds which though unable to &ill or e)en to hurt the inner
man, yet by reaction of the interior physical body pro)ed mortal to the latter" +f the
fluid of the mesmeri.er can cure, it can also &ill" *nd now we ha)e Kestablished the
fact as scientificallyL@as science, which generally disbelie)es in and reMects such
mesmeric phenomena, will permit" 4or those who belie)e in, and &now something of,
mesmerism, this will be plain" *s to those who deny it the explanation will appear to
them as absurd as any other psychological claimR as much so as the claims of <ogism
with its beatitudes of ,amadhi and other states, for the matter of that"
UK+s spirit and matter the same thingP " " " ;nless Pra&riti be the same with spirit,
how can the former be eternal, since two eternals cannot exist at the same time, and
the belief in two eternals is against the fundamental truths of the *d)aita Philosophy "
" " Matter has attributes " " " the spirit has none" Matter is dead >Mad?, spirit is li)ing
>chaitanya?E matter is temporary and subMect to change, and spirit is eternalE matter is
partial, and spirit is uni)ersal"LV
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his statement, and some of '" P" ("Qs remar&s following it, ha)e reference to '" P" ("Qs story
entitled K!an the X/oubleQ MurderPL which was republished in $he $heosophist, Vol" +V, =anuary,
1223, pp" 99C1B1" +ts original place of publication, howe)er, was $he ,un, 9ew <or&, /ecember 36,
12HG, and it may be found in Vol" +, pp" 163 ff" of the present ,eries"@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G6H
$his is precisely the 1uestion we ha)e been as&ingE and also the reason why,
&nowing that matter is indestructible, as also spirit or rather energy@we say with all
the esoteric *d)aitees that matter and spirit are 596" %hile we mean cosmic
indestructible matter, the ,wami spea&s of obMecti)e and differentiated matter"
UK%hy do you not call a piece of wood or stone spiritPLV
(ecause it is not usual to call them by such a name" 9e)ertheless, we maintain
that there is in a piece of wood or a stone as much of latent spirit or life as there is in
a wee&Cold human foetus"
UK+f matter is merely a manifestation of spirit, why call it by the false name of
matter instead of its own name spiritPLV
4or the same good reason that we call a chair by its KfalseL name of chair
instead of calling it by that of the Koa&L or any other wood of which it was made"
UK$he esteemed 6ditor of $he $heosophist seems to follow the doctrine of
Madhyami&a, i"e", middle class (uddhists " " "LV
$he Kesteemed 6ditorL follows but the doctrines of 6soteric (uddhism, which
are nearly identical with those of the esoteric *d)aitees@the true followers of
,an&aracharya"
UK$he (uddhas belie)e that pure 9ir)ana alone exists" 9ir)ana is a
transcendental condition" +t is infinitude" +t is not subMect to being acted upon " " "
(esides the 9ir)ana, &arma or acti)ity is also eternal"LV
*nd if Kacti)ity is also eternal,L how, then, can our philosophical antagonist
maintain that matter is not soP !an acti)ity >in the usual sense of the word?, whether
physical or mental, manifest itself or exist without, or outside of, matter, or to be
plainer@outside of any one of the se)en statesP *nd how about his contradicting
himselfP K*cti)ity also eternal"L $hen there are after all two eternalsE howP *nd he
has Must said that Ktwo eternals cannot exist at the same time"L

Page G62
UK*ided by ignorance, acti)ity produces fi)e elements and de)elops
worldliness " " " )irtue and contemplation destroy the power of ignorance" *cti)ity
thus becomes impotent and 9ir)ana is next attained to"LV
%e beg to draw our correspondentQs attention to the fact that he is again
contradicting himself" 5r is it the K(uddhasLP (ut a few lines abo)e he declares
Kacti)ity " " " eternal,L and now he ma&es it KimpotentL@in other words, &ills and
annihilates that which is eternalY
UKPurusha, according to ;panishads, is c)ayamCPra&a[a, i"e", selfCmanifestingE
therefore cannot be dependent on Pra&riti only, for its manifestation" 9o *d)aitee
will ta&e (rahman with Pra&riti or gun or duality $heir (rahman is Purusha beyond
the Pra&riti, or in other words, *&shara" #atent spirit is ne)er referred to as MahaC
+[)ara" Please read the )erse 1uoted below, which distinctly states that MahaC+[)ara is
the spirit beyond Pra&riti when the latter is layaCed"LV
%e beg to be explained the hidden meaning of this really incomprehensible
sentence" K#atent spirit is ne)er referred to as MahaC+[)araL >a term we, at any rate,
ne)er used?, while the ,ans&rit )erse Kstates that MahaC+[)ara is the spirit beyond
Pra&riti, when the latter is layaCed"L 9ow does the learned ,wami mean to say that
the spirit beyond differentiated matter is acti)eP +t cannot mean anything else, for
otherwise the two assumptions would contradict each other most absurdly and would
be suicidalE and if he does mean that which he says, )i.", that MahaC+[)ara >if the
latter is identified here with Parabrahm?, the spirit beyond Pra&riti becomes acti)e
since it is called MahaC+[)ara, which it would not be were it latent@then, we are
sorry to say to the learned Paramahansa that he does not &now what he is tal&ing
about" 'e is no 6soteric *d)aitee and@we close the discussion as becoming 1uite
useless"
UK*s the subMect is )ery serious and important, we entreat you to discuss the
point calmly and dispassionatelyE without this mood of mind, one cannot penetrate
into the esoteric philosophy of +ndia" <our present opinions are not esoteric, they are
rather esoteric"LV
6ditorQs 9ote"@%e sincerely regret that such should be the opinion of the
,wami of *lmora"

Page G69
(ut since we &now neither himself, nor the religion or school of philosophy he
belongs to, we may perhaps repeat with himR K+t does not, howe)er, matter muchL
whether he agrees with us or not for practical >esoteric and initiated? Vedantists ha)e
found our opinions correct and in perfect harmony with their own" $here are nearly as
many interpretations of the esoteric meaning of certain words we ha)e to use as there
are yogis and sannyasis of )arious sects in +ndia" * Vi[ishtad)aita yogi will contend
the correctness of the meaning as gi)en by an *d)aiteeCascetic, and a de)otee of
!haitanya or a (ha&tiCyogi will ne)er accept the interpretation of the Vedas or
(haga)adgita made by a (rahmo or an *rya" $hus truth is e)erywhere and may be
said to be nowhere" 4or us it is absolutely and solely in the *rhat esoteric doctrinesE
and@we remain firm in our con)iction, all our opponents being 1uite as free as
oursel)es to adhere by their own )iews" %e ha)e met in the 9" %" P" with an erudite
Pundit, a renowned ,ans&ritist, the most learned authority with, and at the head of the
Vaishna)as, and recogni.ed as such by many othersE and he wanted us to belie)e that
the culmination of KRaMCyogaL was the practical and absolute powers it conferred
upon the RaMCyogi o)er all the female sex in creationYY ,hall we belie)e e)ery
exponent of the Vedas, the ,astri of e)ery sect, only because he may be an authority
to those who belong to the same denomination with him, or shall we ma&e a Mudicious
selection, following but the dictates of our reason, which tells us that he is most right
and nearer to truth, who di)erges the less from logic and@,cienceP $he occult
philosophy we study uses precisely that method of in)estigation which is termed by
,pino.a the Kscientific method"L +t starts from, and proceeds only on Kprinciples
clearly defined and accurately &nown,L and is therefore Kthe only oneL which can
lead to true &nowledge" $herefore, by this philosophy, and no other shall we abide"
*nd now we must lea)e the )enerable ,wami and his )iews to the dissecting &nife of
Mr" $" ,ubba Row"
Page GHB
&"RM"
>*n *ppendix to K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth"L?
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3G3C3G3V
%ith reference to a tenet in one of the K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth,L a respected
member of our ,ociety@9" /" 8"@writes to en1uire K%hat 8arma propels the
higher 6go into the next birth,L when Ka highly depra)ed personality is dropped out"L
*t the outset it may be well to repeat again what has been already so often
stated, namely, that the 4ragments being but fragmentary and incomplete, must go on
exhibiting difficulties and e)en apparent discrepancies until the whole doctrine
concerning the afterCstate of the 6go is thoroughly mastered" (ut students with a
tolerable amount of intuiti)e perception ha)e had enough of philosophy gi)en them,
to enable the more ad)anced ones to wor& out many a detailR especially if they li)e
the life which clears the inner )ision" 4ew of these can be gi)en in a publication that
reaches the outsider as well as the student of occultism" $here are secrets of initiation
that it is impossible to communicate promiscuously to the world at large, for it would
amount to throwing many a mind into a direful confusion, unless the whole doctrine
is explainedE and this no adept or e)en ad)anced neophyte would consent to do at this
stage of the teaching" (ut this particular tenet ha)ing been already outlined, there is
no further necessity of remaining silent with regard to this special detail"
Page GH1
$he readers of !olonel 5lcottQs (uddhist !atechism may well recall here with
ad)antage the following )ery suggesti)e passages >pages GD and GG?R
" " " +n each birth the personality differs from that of the pre)ious or next
succeeding birth" 8arma, the deus ex machina, mas&s >or shall we say reflectsP? itself
now in the personality of a sage, again as an artisan, and so on throughout the string
of births" (ut though personalities e)er shift, the one line of life along which they are
strung li&e beads, runs unbro&en " " "
*longside with the abo)e 1uotation should be put the following from the
K4ragments of 5ccult $ruth,L 9o" +"
K$he time will come, no doubt, but many steps higher on the ladder, when the
6go will regain its consciousness of all its past stages of existence" " " "L
+f the en1uirer will reali.e the real meaning of these two 1uotations, he will ha)e
the &ey to a correct understanding of the 1uestion as to what 8arma propels the
higher 6go into the next birth, when e)en that of a highly depra)ed personality is
dropped out, together with the personal soul that is responsible for it" +t will be clear
from these passages that the indi)iduality or the spiritual monad is a thread upon
which are strung )arious personalities" 6ach personality lea)es its own@the higher
spiritual@impressions upon the di)ine 6go, the consciousness of which returns at a
certain stage of its progress, e)en that of the highly depra)ed soul that had to perish
in the end" $he reason for it becomes selfCe)ident, if one reflects that howe)er
criminal and lost to e)ery glimmer of a higher feeling, no human soul is yet born
utterly depra)ed, and that there was a time during the youth of the sinful human
personality when it had wor&ed out some &ind or other of 8armaE and that it is this
that sur)i)es and forms the basis of the 8arma to come" $o ma&e it clearer, let us
suppose that * li)es to that age when a person becomes an adult and begins to bloom
fully into life" 9o man, howe)er )icious his natural tendency, becomes so at once" 'e
has had therefore time to e)ol)e a 8arma, howe)er faint and insignificant" #et us
further imagine that at the age of eighteen or twenty * begins to gi)e way to )ice and
thus gradually loses the remotest connection with his higher principle"

Page GH3
*t thirty or say forty, he dies" 9ow, the personality of * between fifteen and
twenty is as little the personality of * from twenty to thirty, as though it were 1uite
another man" 6)en the physiologists di)ide the physical personality into stages of
se)en, and show man changing atoms to the last, e)ery se)en years" $he same with
the inner man" $he fifth principle of the sensual, highly depra)ed man, may well and
will perish, while the 8arma of his youth, though not strong and complete enough to
secure for him a bliss in /e)achan and union with his higher principle@is yet
sufficiently outlined to allow the monad a grasp on it for the next rebirth" 5n the
other hand we are taught that it so happens sometimes that the 8arma of a personality
is not fully wor&ed out in the birth that follows" #ife is made up of accidents, and the
personality that becomes, may be hindered by circumstances from recei)ing the full
due its 8arma is entitled to, whether for good or for bad" (ut the #aw of Retribution
will ne)er allow itself to be cheated by blind chance" $here is then a pro)ision to be
made, and the accounts that could not be settled in one birth will be s1uared in the
succeeding one" $he portion of the sum total which could not be summed up on one
column is carried forward to the following" 4or )erily the many li)es of an indi)idual
monad were well compared in the 4ragments to the pages of an account boo&@$'6
(558 54 #+46 or@#i)es" " " "
5ut of these impressions, then, which constitute the 8arma of the youth, is
e)ol)ed the new personality" 5ur botanical friends may &now that the croton plant
e)ol)es out of itself another plant, when the one already e)ol)ed dies out or withers
away" 9ature must always progress, and each fresh attempt is more successful than
the pre)ious one" $his fresh e)olution is due to the latent potentiality of life it has
within itself" +n the same manner, although one particular personality may be so
depra)ed as to be entirely dissociated from the spiritual monad and go into the eighth
sphere, where annihilation is its lot, yet the impressions of the pre)ious personalities
upon the higher 6go ha)e in them potentiality enough to e)ol)e a new physical 6go,
li&e the croton plant"

Page GH3
$he connection between a manQs spiritual monad and the succession of physical
6gos with which it is temporarily associated, has been, somewhere in these columns,
compared to the retrospecti)e glance of a man on some past period of his earthly
existence" %hile re)iewing in his memory his wor& day by day@those days on
which he did nothing of any importance and passed idly away, ha)ing left no
impression on his mind, must be, and are to him, li&e a perfect blan&" 9o
consciousness that he had passed such days remains there" +n the same manner, the
6go when at the end of its long pilgrimage will regain consciousness of those
personalities only which ha)e made a sufficiently strong spiritual, hence indelible,
mar& on the monad, while the memory of the conscious acts of the particular
depra)ed personality which goes to the eighth sphere will be entirely obliterated"
+t may then be urged what stimulus is there for a man to be good and pure, if his
spiritual monad is anyhow to progressP $his is no doubt a side issue but a )ery
important one" +t must not be discussed howe)er at this stage of our writing"
WWWWWWWWWW
*ESOTERIC BUDDHISM,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 3G3V
Mr" *" P" ,innett, 4"$",", author of $he 5ccult %orld, has in the press of Messrs"
$r^bner and !o" a new )olume of *siatic 6sotericism, to which he gi)es the abo)e
title, and which is destined to create a much wider interest than his other wor&" +ts
great no)elty consists in its being an exposition of certain tenets of the secret doctrine
of $ibetan (uddhism@that of the *rhats which, as our readers &now, is but another
name for the K%orld ReligionL or 5ccult /octrine underlying all the ancient faiths of
man&ind"
Page GHD
+t is the &ey ali&e to the )eiled language of the Parsee, 'indu, (uddhist,
(abylonian, 6gyptian, 'ebrew, :recian, Roman, and all other ,criptures" 'e who
masters it perfectly will comprehend the essence of whatsoe)er religion has been
e)ol)ed by humanity as the )ehicle for its highest spiritual concepts" +t would be
exaggeration to say that the reader of Mr" ,innettQs two boo&s may count upon
finding anything more than a glimpse at this %isdom Religion, for he is but a
beginner in this branch of study" <et, at the same time, it must be conceded that he
has, under especially fa)ouring circumstances, been able to get a clearer insight into
some portions of this occult philosophy, and permitted to express it in plainer terms
than any other author of modern times" $he worldCwide circulation of $he 5ccult
%orld@of which three editions ha)e been sold already@is at once an e)idence of the
general interest now felt in these subMects, and a guarantee of the success which
awaits the new, and more important, )olume"
WWWWWWWWWW
THE SEPTEN"R# PRINCIPLE IN ESOTERICISM
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 3G3C3G6V
,ince the present exposition of the *rhat esoteric doctrine was begun, many
who had not ac1uainted themsel)es with the occult basis of 'indu philosophy ha)e
imagined that the two were in conflict" ,ome of the more bigoted ha)e openly
charged the 5ccultists of the $heosophical ,ociety of propagating ran& (uddhistic
heresyE and ha)e e)en gone to the length of affirming that the whole $heosophic
mo)ement was but a mas&ed (uddhistic propaganda" %e were taunted by ignorant
(rahmins and learned 6uropeans that our septenary di)isions of nature and
e)erything in it, including man, is arbitrary and not endorsed by the oldest religious
systems of the 6ast"
4ortunately, we ha)e not been obliged to wait long for our perfect )indication"
Page GHG
+n the following number our (rother Mr" $" ,ubba Row, ("*", ("#", confessedly
a learned occultist and ripe scholar, will lay before the public through these columns
extracts from original texts which unanswerably pro)e that all the rootCideas
embodied in the 4ragments series were entertained by Vyasa, the great initiated adept
and Rishi" $he truths of the *rhat secret doctrine are thus substantiated by an
authority whose orthodoxy no 'indu of whatsoe)er sect will dare deny" $he passages
were but recently stumbled upon by Mr" ,ubba Row in the course of reading upon
another subMectE thus affording us one more of those stri&ing coincidences which by
some happy chance ha)e of late been so fre1uent" Meanwhile, it is proposed to throw
a cursory glance at the Vedas, the ;panishads, the #aws of Manu, and especially the
Vedanta, and thus show that they too pro)e the claim" 6)en in their crude exotericism
their affirmation of the se)enfold di)ision is glaring" Passage after passage hints at it"
*nd not only can the mysterious number be found and traced on e)ery page of the
oldest *ryan ,acred ,criptures, but in the oldest boo&s of 7oroastrianism as wellE in
the rescued cylindrical tile records of old (abylonia and !haldea, in the (oo& of the
/ead and the Ritualism of ancient 6gypt and e)en in the Mosaic boo&s@without
mentioning the ,ecret =ewish wor&s, such as the 8abala"
%ithin the narrow limits of a maga.ine article there can scarcely be found room
enough for bare 1uotations, which we must lea)e to stand as landmar&s and not e)en
attempt long explanations" $o really ta&e up the subMect re1uires more than mere
4ragments" +t is no exaggeration to say that upon each of the few hints now gi)en in
the cited ,lo&as a thic& )olume might be written"
4rom the wellC&nown hymn $o $ime, in the *thar)aCVeda >(&" F+F, 'ymn liii,
1C3?R
K$ime, li&e a brilliant steed with se)en reins,
4ull of fecundity, bears all things onward"
" " " " " " "
$ime, li&e a se)enCwheeled, se)enCna)ed car mo)es on,
'is rolling wheels are all the worlds, his axle
+s immortality " " "L

Page GH6
@down to Manu Kthe first and the se)enth man,L the Vedas, the ;panishads, and all
the later systems of philosophy teem with allusions to this number" %ho was Manu,
the son of ,)Iyambhu)aP $he secret doctrine tells us that this Manu was no man, but
the representation of the first human races e)ol)ed with the help of the /hyanC
!hohans >/e)as? at the beginning of the first Round" (ut we are told in his #aws
>(oo& +, 2B? that there are fourteen Manus for e)ery 8alpa or Kinter)al from creation
to creationL >read inter)al from one minor KPralayaL to another?E and that Kin the
present di)ine age, there ha)e been as yet se)en Manus"L $hose who &now that there
are se)en Rounds, of which we ha)e passed three, and are now in the fourthE and who
are taught that there are se)en dawns and se)en twilights or fourteen Man)antarasE
that at the beginning of e)ery Round and at the end and on, and between the planets
there is Kan awa&ening to illusi)e life,L and Kan awa&ening to real life,L and that,
moreo)er, there are KrootCManusL and what we ha)e to clumsily translate as Kthe
seedCManusL@the seeds for the human races of the forthcoming Round >a mystery
di)ulged, but to those who ha)e passed their third degree in initiation?E those who
ha)e learned all that, will be better prepared to understand the meaning of the
following" %e are told in the ,acred 'indu ,criptures that K$he first Manu produced
six other Manus >se)en primary Manus in all? and these produced in their turn each
se)en other ManusL@ >(&" +, 61C63?Z the production of the latter standing in the
occult treatises as H x H" $hus it becomes clear that Manu@the last one, the
progenitor of our 4ourth Round 'umanity, must be the se)enth, since we are on our
fourth Round, and that there is a rootCManu at globe * and a seedCManu at globe :"
=ust as each planetary Round commences with the appearance of a KRootCManuL
>/hyan !hohan? and closes with a K,eedCManu,L so a RootC and a ,eedCManu appear
respecti)ely at the beginning and the termination of the human period on any
particular planet"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he fact that Manu himself is made to declare that he was created by ViraM and then produced the
ten PraMapatis, who again produced se)en Manus, who in their turn ga)e birth to se)en other Manus,
>Manu, +, 33C36? relates to other still earlier mysteries, and is at the same time a blind with regard to
the doctrine of the ,eptenary chain"
;;;;;;;;;;
Page GHH
+t will be easily seen from the foregoing statement that a ManuCantaric period means,
as the term implies, the time between the appearance of two Manus or /hyan
!hohansE and hence a minor Man)antara is the duration of the se)en races on any
particular planet, and a maMor man)antara is the period of one human round along the
Planetary !hain" Moreo)er, that, as it is said that each of the se)en Manus creates H x
H Manus, and that there are fortyCnine rootCraces on the se)en planets during each
Round, then e)ery rootCrace has its Manu" $he present se)enth Manu is called
KVai)as)ataL and stands in the exoteric texts for the Manu who represents in +ndia the
(abylonian Fisuthros and the =ewish 9oah" (ut in the esoteric boo&s we are told that
Manu Vai)as)ata, the progenitor of our fifth race who sa)ed it from the flood that
nearly exterminated the fourth >*tlantis?@is not the se)enth Manu, mentioned in the
nomenclature of the RootC, or primiti)e Manus, but one of the fortyCnine Kemanated
from this RootCManu"L
4or clearer comprehension we here gi)e the names of the fourteen Manus in
their respecti)e order and relation to each Round"
1st Round" g
1st >Root? Manu on Planet *"@,)ayambhu)a
1st >,eed? Manu on Planet :"@,)arochi >or? ,)arochisha"
3nd Round g
3nd >Root? Manu on Planet *"@;ttama
3nd >,eed? Manu on Planet :"@$amasa
3rd Round g
3rd >Root? Manu on Planet *"@Rai)ata
3rd >,eed? Manu on Planet :"@!ha&shus&a"
Dth Round g
Dth >Root? Manu on Planet *"@Vai)as)ata >our progenitor?"
Dth >,eed? Manu on Planet :"@,a)arna"
Gth Round g
Gth >Root? Manu on Planet *"@/a&sha ,a)arna
Gth >,eed? Manu on Planet :"@(rahma ,a)arna"
6th Round g
6th >Root? Manu on Planet *"@/harma ,a)arna
6th >,eed? Manu on Planet :"@Rudra ,a)arna"
Hth Round g
Hth >Root? Manu on Planet *"@Rauchya"
Hth >,eed? Manu on Planet :"@(hautya"

Page GH2
Vai)as)ata thus, though se)enth in the order gi)en, is the primiti)e RootCManu
of our fourth 'uman %a)eR >the reader must always remember that Manu is not a
man but collecti)e humanity?, while our Vai)as)ata was but one of the se)en Minor
Manus who are made to preside o)er the se)en races of this our planet" 6ach of these
has to become the witness of one of the periodical and e)erCrecurring cataclysms >by
fire and water in turn? that close the cycle of e)ery RootCrace" *nd it is this
Vai)as)ata@the 'indu ideal embodiment called respecti)ely Fisuthros, /eu&alion,
9oah and by other names@who is the allegorical man who rescued our race when
nearly the whole population of one hemisphere perished by water, while the other
hemisphere was awa&ening from its temporary obscuration"
$he number se)en stands prominently conspicuous in e)en a cursory
comparison of the ele)enth $ablet of the +.dubar legends of the !haldean account of
the /eluge and the soCcalled Mosaic boo&s" +n both the number se)en plays a most
prominent part" $he clean beasts are ta&en by se)ens, the fowls by se)ens alsoE in
se)en days, it is promised 9oah, to rain upon the earthE thus he stays Kyet other se)en
days,L and again se)en daysE while in the !haldean account of the /eluge, on the
se)enth day the rain 1uieted" 5n the se)enth day the do)e is sent outE by se)ens,
Fisuthros ta&es KMugs of wineL for the altar, etc" %hy such coincidenceP *nd yet we
are told by, and bound to belie)e in, the 6uropean 5rientalists, when passing
Mudgment ali&e upon the (abylonian and *ryan chronology they call them
Kextra)agant and fancifulLY 9e)ertheless, while they gi)e us no explanation of, nor
ha)e they e)er noticed, as far as we &now, the strange oneness in the totals of the
,emitic, !haldean, and *ryan 'indu chronology, the students of 5ccult Philosophy
find the following fact extremely suggesti)e" %hile the period of the reign of the ten
(abylonian anteCdilu)ian &ings is gi)en as D33,BBB years,Z the duration of the postC
dilu)ian 8aliCyuga, is also gi)en as D33,BBB, while the four ages or the di)ine MahaC
yuga yield in their totality D,33B,BBB years"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,ee *ncient 'istory from the Monuments" $he 'istory of (abylonia, by :eorge ,mith, 6dited by
*" '" ,ayce, #ondon, 12HH, p" 36" 'ere again, as with the Manus and ten PraMapatis and the ten
,ephiroth in the (oo& of 9umbers@they dwindle down to se)enY
WWWWWWWWWW
Page GH9
%hy should they, if fanciful and Kextra)agant,L gi)e the identical figures, when
neither the *ryans nor the (abylonians ha)e surely borrowed anything from each
otherY %e in)ite the attention of our occultists to the three figures gi)enR D standing
for the perfect s1uare, 3 for the triad >the se)en uni)ersal and the se)en +ndi)idual
principles?, and 3 the symbol of our illusionary world, a figure ignored and reMected
by Pythagoras"
+t is in the ;panishads and the Vedanta though, that we ha)e to loo& for the best
corroborations of the occult teachings" +n the mystical doctrine, the Rahasya, or the
;panishads, Kthe only Veda of all thoughtful 'indus in the present day,L as Monier
%illiams is made to confess, e)ery word, as its )ery name implies,Z has a secret
meaning underlying it" $his meaning can be fully reali.ed only by him who has a full
&nowledge of Prana, the 596 #+46, Kthe na)e to which are attached the se)en
spo&es of the ;ni)ersal %heel"L >'ymn to Prana, *thar)aCVeda, F+, D"?
6)en 6uropean 5rientalists agree that all the systems in +ndia assign to the
human bodyR >a? an exterior or gross body >sthula[arira?E >b? an inner or shadowy
body >su&shma?, or lingaC[arira >the )ehicle?, the two cemented with@>c? life >Mi) or
&aranaC[arira, Kcausal body"L?] $hese the occult system or esotericism di)ides into
se)en, further adding to these@ &ama, manas, buddhi and atman" $he 9yaya
philosophy when treating of Prameyas >by which the obMects and subMects of Prama
are to be correctly understood? includes among the 13 the se)en Kroot principlesL
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ;paCniCshad means, according to (rahmanical authority, Kto con1uer ignorance by re)ealing the
secret spiritual &nowledge"L *ccording to Monier %illiams@the title is deri)ed from the root sad
with the prepositions upa and ni, and implies Ksomething mystical that underlies or is beneath the
surface"L
] $his 8aranaC[arira is often mista&en by the uninitiated for #ingaC[arira, and since it is described
as the inner rudimentary or latent embryo of the body@confounded with it" (ut the 5ccultists
regard it as the life >body? or =i), which disappears at death@is withdrawn@lea)ing the 1st, and
3rd principles to disintegrate and return to their elements"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G2B
>,ee +Fth ,utra?, which are >1? soul >atman?, and >3? its superior spirit =i)atmanE
>3? body >[arira?, >D? senses >indriya?E >G? acti)ity or will >pra)ritti?E >6? mind
>manas?E >H? +ntellection >(uddhi?" $he se)en Padarthas >en1uiries or predicates of
existing things? of 8anada in the Vai[eshi&as, refer in the occult doctrine to the se)en
1ualities or attributes of the se)en principles" $husR >1? ,ubstance >dra)ya? @refers to
body or sthula[ariraE >3? Auality or property >guna? to the life principle Mi)E >3? *ction
or act >&arman? to the #inga [ariraE >D? !ommunity or commingling of properties
>,amanya? to 8amarupaE >G? Personality or conscious indi)iduality >Vi[esha? to
ManasE >6? !oCinherence or perpetual intimate relation >,ama)aya? to (uddhi, the
inseparable )ehicle of *tmanE >H? 9onexistence or nonCbeing >abha)a? in the sense
of, and as separate from, obMecti)ity or substance@to the highest monad or *tman"
$hus whether we )iew the 596 as the Vedic Purusha or (rahman >neutral? the
KallCexpanding essenceLE or as the uni)ersal spirit, the Klight of lightsL >Myotisham
Myotih?, the $5$*# independent of all relation@of the ;panishadsE or as the
Paramatman of the VedantaE or again as 8anadaQs *drishta Kthe unseen 4orce,L or
di)ine atomE or as Pra&riti, the Keternally existing essence,L of 8apila, we find in all
these impersonal uni)ersal Principles the latent capability of e)ol)ing out of
themsel)es Ksix raysL >the e)ol)er being the se)enth?" $he third aphorism of the
,an&hyaC8ari&a, which says of Pra&riti that it is the Kroot and substance of all
things,L and no production, but itself a producer of Kse)en things which, produced by
it, become also producersL@has a purely occult meaning"
%hat are the KproducersL e)oluted from this uni)ersal rootCprinciple, MulaC
pra&riti or undifferentiated prime)al cosmic matter, which e)ol)es out of itself
consciousness, and mind, and is generally called KPra&ritiL and amulam mulam, Kthe
rootless root,L and a)ya&ta, the Kune)ol)ed e)ol)er,L etc"P $his primordial tattwa or
Keternally existing XthatQ,L the un&nown essence, is said to produce as a first producer
>1? (uddhi@KintellectL@whether we apply the latter to the sixth macrocosmic or
microcosmic principle"

%+##+*M A;*9 =;/:6
*pril 13, 12G1@March 31, 1296

!59V69$+59 :R5;P, (5M(*<, 1223
,tanding >from left?R !handrashe&ar, 9obin 8" (annerMee, P" 9ityananda Misra, *lfred Percy
,innett, =" 9" ;smorla, *" /" 6.e&iel"
,eated on chairsR :opi 9Ith, (ishan #al, ," RImaswamier, '"P" (la)ats&y, !ol" 'enry ," 5lcott,
$ripada (annerMee, 9orendro 9Ith ,en, $homas Perira"
,eated on groundR #" V" VaradaraMulu 9aidu, *binash !handra (annerMee, /Imodar 8" MI)alan&ar,
Mohini Mohun !hatterMee, MahendranIth :angooli"
>Reproduced from $he :olden (oo& of $he $heosophical ,ociety, *dyar, 193G"?
Page G21
$his first produced produces in its turn >or is the source of? >3? *han&ara, KselfC
consciousnessL and Manas, Kmind"L $he reader will please always remember, that
Mahat Uis theV great source of these two internal faculties" K(uddhiL per se can ha)e
neither selfCconsciousness nor mindE )i.", the sixth principle in man can preser)e an
essence of personal selfCconsciousness or Kpersonal indi)idualityL only by absorbing
within itself its own waters, which ha)e run through that finite facultyE for *han&ara
@that is the perception of K+,L or the sense of oneQs personal indi)iduality, Mustly
represented by the term K6goismL@belongs to the second or rather the third
production out of the se)en, )i.", to the fifth principle, or Manas" +t is the latter which
draws Kas the web issues from the spiderL along the thread of Pra&riti, the Kroot
principle,L the four following subtle elementary principles or particles, $anmatras,
out of which third class the MahaCbhutas or the gross elementary principles, or rather
[ariras and rupas, are e)ol)ed@the &ama, linga, Mi)a and sthulaC[arira" $he three
gunas of KPra&ritiL@the ,att)a, RaMas and $amas >purity, passionate acti)ity, and
ignorance or dar&ness? @spun into a tripleCstranded cord or Krope,L pass through the
se)en, or rather six, human principles" +t depends on the fifth@Manas or *han&ara
the K+L@to thin the guna Krope,L into one thread@the satt)aE and thus by becoming
one with the Kune)ol)ed e)ol)er,L win immortality or eternal conscious existence"
5therwise it will be again resol)ed into its Mahabhutic essenceE so long as the tripleC
stranded rope is left unstranded, the spirit >the di)ine monad? is bound by the
presence of the gunas in the principles Kli&e an animalL >purushaCpasu?" $he spirit,
Itman or Mi)atman >the se)enth and sixth principles? whether of the macro or
microcosm, though bound by these gunas during the obMecti)e manifestation of
uni)erse or man, is yet nirguna, i"e", entirely free from them" 5ut of the three
producers or e)ol)ers, Pra&riti, (uddhi and *han&ara, it is but the latter that can be
caught >when man is concerned? and destroyed when personal" $he Kdi)ine monadL
is aguna >de)oid of 1ualities?, while Pra&riti, once that from passi)e MulaCpra&riti it
has become a)ya&ta >an acti)e e)ol)er?, is guna)at@endowed with 1ualities"

Page G23
%ith the latter@Purusha or *tman can ha)e naught to do >of course being
unable to percei)e it in its guna)atic state?E with the former@or MulaCpra&riti, or
undifferentiated cosmic essence, it has Uto doV@since it is one with it and identical"
$he *tma (odha or K&nowledge of soul,L a tract written by the great
,an&aracharya, spea&s distinctly of the se)en principles in man >see fourteenth
)erse?" $hey are called therein the fi)e sheaths >paschaC&o[a? in which is enclosed the
di)ine monad@the *tman and (uddhi, the se)enth and sixth principles, or the
indi)idual soul when made distinct >through a)idya, maya and the gunas? from the
supreme soul@Parabrahm" $he first sheath called *nandamaya, the Killusion of
supreme blissL@is the manas or fifth principle of the occultists, when united to
(uddhiE the second sheath is ViMsanaCmayaC&o[a, the case or Ken)elope of selfC
delusion,L the manas when selfCdeluded into the belief of the personal +, or ego, with
its )ehicle" $he third@the ManoCmaya sheath composed of Killusionary mindL
associated with the organs of action and will, is the 8amarupa and #ingaC[arira
combined, producing an illusi)e K+L or Maya)iCrupa" $he fourth sheath is called
PranaCmaya, Killusionary life,L our second life principle or Mi), wherein resides life,
the KbreathingL sheath" $he fifth &o[a is called *nnamaya or the sheath supported by
food@our gross material body" *ll these sheaths produce other smaller sheaths@or
six attributes or 1ualities each, the se)enth being always the root sheath, and the
*tman or spirit passing through all these subtle ethereal bodies li&e a thread, is called
the KthreadCsoulL or sutratman"
%e may conclude with the abo)e demonstration" Verily the 6soteric doctrine
may well be called in its turn the Kthread doctrine,L since, li&e ,utratman or
Pranatman, it passes through, and strings together all the ancient philosophical
religious systems, and what is more@reconciles and explains them" 4or though
seeming so unli&e externally, they ha)e but one foundation, and of that the extent,
depth, breadth and nature are &nown to those who ha)e become, li&e the K%ise Men
of the 6ast,L adepts in 5ccult ,cience"
Page G23
SPIRIT IDENTIT# "ND RECENT SPECUL"TIONS
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 95" 1B, =uly, 1223, PP" 3G6C36BV
(< KM"*" >5F59"?LZ
$he 1uestion of spirit identity is one extremely difficult to s1uare with some of
the most recent speculations, which claim also to be some of the most ancient,
touching the nature of spirit and human indi)iduality" $heosophists denounce the use
of the word KspiritL by us as loose, inaccurate, and, in fact, indefensible" $hey tell us
that the soCcalled spirits of the sSanceCroom are not really spirits, in any proper sense
of that misused word, but only shells, reli1uiae of what were once indi)idual men,
with a sur)i)al of a memory, refreshed from time to time by recourse to that
storehouse of all ages and of e)ery e)ent@the *stral #ight" $hese fragments of what
were once men are in no sense spirits, and should rather be called :hosts >+ suppose
our friends would say?, being, indeed, shadowy and e)anescent, and on their way to
extinction" $hey are but the pale reflection of that spirit, the inner principle, the true
self, which they no longer contain" +t is not thereE it is risenE or, perchance, has fallen
to its own place"
,o that when + say that the spirit of my friend, 6pes ,argent, for example, has
communicated with me, + am not accurate" + should rather say@assuming the whole
story not to be delusion on my part, or personation on the part of some )ainglorious
spoo& with a talent for histrionics@that certain external principles which had once
belonged to that entity, and had constituted part of the composite being which made
up his complete self, had gi)en me from the sur)i)al of earthCrecollections, some
facts"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$his article was written by %m" ,tainton Moses and published in #ight, #ondon, Vol" +++, 95"
131, *pril 32, 1223, PP" 192C99"@ !ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G2D
$hese, they would say, would be found to be probably unimportant, and, e)en as
)olunteered e)idence, only moderately satisfactory" ,uch communications they
would regard as going no way towards proof of the tremendous assumption which
they were supposed by ,piritualists to demonstrateE and, in point of fact, they would
contend that when sifted, they threw upon the a)erage belief in the return of departed
spirits the gra)est doubt" $hey would tell me that in a short time + shall find my friend
dropping out of my life, unless unfortunately he be earth bound, and so an extremely
undesirable companion" 'e will get )aguer and )aguer, paler and more shadowy, with
less interest in me and my life, and less memory of earth and all its concerns, until he
will die out@that external part of him that has communicated with me here@and +
shall see& in )ain for further messages"
$his, on the best )iew of the case" (ut, far more probably, they would tell me
that my friend ne)er came near meE that his care for earth and its memories was
extinct, and that he was, being what he was, reposing now prior to his next
incarnation" $his is the assumption, and no amount of e)idence sha&es it, for Must as
the a)erage man of science saysR K+ do not &now where the flaw is, but + am sure
there is a flaw in your e)idence,L so the $heosophist saysR K<ou are tal&ing nonsense"
+t is extremely unli&ely that you are right in your suppositions" +t is not impossible,
indeed, but )ery unli&ely, that a pure spirit should communicate with earth in this
wayE it does not descend here, but the medium rises to its pure abode"L +t would be
rude to say that the facts are against such theories, and that when theories are opposed
by facts, they must gi)e way sooner or later" $his would be so, no doubt, within the
domain of exact human &nowledge, or of speculation that is not entirely airy" (ut we
are dealing here with something beyond the range of human science, and we ha)e, as
yet, no exact standard of Mudgment" %hen anyone tells us that such and such things
cannot be, we ha)e a right to as&@ whyP and e)en to suggest that, in these matters,
we are all comprehended in one common ignorance" *nd we ha)e a right, further, to
apply to our in)estigations the ordinary scientific method, which is not to theori.e
and then gather facts to support the bubble we ha)e blown, but to amass facts with
laborious persistence until it is possible to generali.e from them with some show of
fairness" +t is early days yet to limit us with theories, or at least with a theory, to
prescribe for our acceptance a rigid dogma which is to be binding on us as a matter of
faithR and +, at least, ha)e found no theory that was not at open )ariance with some
ascertained factsE none that did not brea& down when testedE none that was, in simple
directness and applicability, any approach to the theory of the ,piritualist, and, for the
matter of that, of the ,piritists too" (ut this is probably because my facts s1uare with
that theory, and are not explained by any other, that + ha)e met with as yet" + am,
howe)er, both ready and willing to &eep a listening ear and an open mind"
Page G2G
+ ha)e )ery recently had means of studying this 1uestion of identity l afresh, and
of adding one more to the pile of facts that + ha)e accumulated" $he story that + am
about to tell is by no means without its difficulties, and + do not record it as one that
offers any definite solution of an abstruse problem" (ut it has its interest, is
instructi)e in its way, and has the merit of being recorded with literal accuracy" + ha)e
changed all names, because + should, probably, cause annoyance to friends whom +
ha)e no right to annoy" %ith that exception the story is absolutely exact"
+t is necessary for me to be retrospecti)e, in order to ma&e myself intelligible"
*bout ten years ago + recei)ed, in unbro&en se1uence, extending o)er se)eral years, a
great number of messages purporting to come from departed human spirits" $hese
spirits@+ must use the word, for life is too short for reiterated periphrases found me
at first )ery sceptical about them and their concern with me" + crossC1uestioned them
at great length, and did my best to pic& a flaw in their statements" $hese were of an
ordinary autobiographical nature, in)ol)ing minute facts and dates@a sort of
s&eleton map of their life on earth@and were gi)en in )arious ways, by raps, by tilts,
by automatic writing, by tranceCspea&ing, and so forth" $he )arious means adopted
were always adhered to, and + did not succeed in detecting as other less fortunate
in)estigators un1uestionably ha)e, organi.ed fraud or e)en sporadic attempts at
deception" *pplying the methods which + should apply to a case of mere human
identity, + could detect no flaw" *nd + may say, in a parenthesis, that + ha)e a right to
claim from this a positi)e result" %hen a story is told by a large mass of witnesses@
where each is tested by such methods as man has found most suitable in his daily life,
and where none brea&s down, where no flaw is found, no lac& of moral consciousness
disco)ered, these witnesses ha)e established a title to our belief in their )eracity"
$hey may be under a delusionR or li&e the ,cotchmanQs grandmother who had seen a
ghost, they may be dismissed as her grandson dismissed herR KMy grandmother does
na &en it, puir auld body, but sheQs an awfuQ leer"L +, howe)er, found no sign of the lie"
*mong these in)isible interlocutors of mine was one whom + will call =ohn
#illy" 'e had communicated chiefly through the table, and had selected for himself an
extremely distincti)e sound" +t was 1uite unmista&able, and for many years it was a
thoroughly familiar sound" $hen it gradually died out, and remained only as a
memoryR and e)en that became faint, and + seldom recalled it" 4rom this spirit, as
from many others, + recei)ed )arious items of autobiographical information, facts,
dates, and particulars which, since he was a man of mar&, + was able to )erify" $hey
were exact in e)ery particular, so far as they were susceptible of )erification" ,ome
were personal, and + did not find any record of them, but when + did find any record,
it corroborated the information gi)en me by #illy"
,ome years had passed since #illy had apparently dropped out of my life" 'e
had done what he had to do, and had departed"
Page G26
$his year a friend whom + had not seen for some ten years in)ited me to stay
with him for a few days" 'e had settled in a new home, and was within my reach" +,
therefore, went to dine with him and spend the night" +t was a dinner party, and + had
little con)ersation with my friend before retiring for the night" + soon fell asleep, and
was repeatedly disturbed by raps and noises which though + had not heard them for
years, were )ery familiar to my ears" + was soon wide awa&e, and satisfied myself
that + was not dreaming" $he raps were all o)er the room, but + did not recei)e any
message by means of them" + was sleepy, and disinclined to gi)e myself trouble,
though 1uite wide awa&e enough to be certain as to what was going on" Raps there
were, no doubt, and prominent among them that peculiar sound which #illy had made
his own" +t was unmista&able, and + sat listening to it until + grew tired, and fell asleep
again wondering what could possibly ha)e brought that sound, so long absent, there
and then, in a house + had ne)er before entered, and at the dead of night" +t mingled
with my dreams all night through, but in the morning it was gone, and + thought no
more of it"
*fter brea&fast my friend showed me round his garden, and pointed out to me
what a curious old house it was that he occupied" K+t has its history, too,L he saidE Kit
was once occupied for some years by a man whose name you may &now@=ohn
#illyYL
$here was the secret, then" + had by going to the old house in some way touched
a chord of memory that brought that spirit again into rapport with me, and had caused
him to brea& the silence of years" + pondered deeply o)er the occurrence, and was
disposed to thin& that + might ha)e heard of him in connection with the place, either
from his own communications or from some boo& in which + had sought for their
)erification" + too& pains to turn out the records in which + ha)e preser)ed a detailed
account of his words and my )erification of them" (ut + found no mention whate)er
of his connection with the place then inhabited by my friend" 5ther things were
stated, but not that he had e)er li)ed there" 9or was there in the boo& which + had
consulted any mention of that special fact" + am 1uite clear that + went to his house
totally ignorant of any connection of his with it, and that that connection had ne)er
been brought to my notice at any antecedent period"
9ow, there is here interesting material for speculation" 1" %as that spirit the
indi)idual =ohn #illy >as + ha)e chosen to call him? who had li)ed in that houseP
%hat maintained the connection between him and itP *nd why did the fact of my
sleeping in a bedroom which had been his incite him to disturb my repose by a noise
which + should naturally associate with his nameP *ssuming that there was a good
reason for his first coming to me >as + belie)e there was? why, ha)ing lapsed into
silence, did my going to his house cause him to brea& that silenceP 'ad he been
present all through those years, and made no sign of late, because of the reasons that
ha)e &ept others silent@reasons good and sufficient@and was he now at last mo)ed
to call my notice once againP
Page G2H
$hen why not spea& or ma&e some communicationP %as he unable to do moreP
or was it not permitted to himP
3" +f this was but the external shell of the real =ohn #illy, am + to conclude that
his memory@or the memory of his external principlesWWwas stirred to acti)ity by my
)isitP 'ow thenP for that was not the that bound him to me, nor was it in any way
connected with his coming to me at all" %as it a mere accidentP and would the same
manifestations of his presence ha)e ta&en place anywhere else where + might chance
to beP + cannot say this is impossible, nor e)en )ery improbableR but it is rendered
unli&ely by the repeated cases of connection between special places and special
spirits that + and others ha)e fre1uently obser)ed" $his connection has, indeed, been
extremely noteworthy in my experience *nd since many and many a decade has now
elapsed since =ohn #illy left this earth and hundreds and hundreds of decades since
some others who ha)e )isited me, what am + to conclude as to the gradual@the )ery
gradual @extinction to which these shells are being subMectedP
3" +f a personating spirit has been posturing as =ohn #illy all through these years,
what a )ery remar&able power of acting, and what a )ery complete &nowledge of his
part that spirit must ha)eY $he actor blac&ed from head to foot, the better to personate
5thello, is not to be compared to this thoroughgoing relic of what was once a manY
%hat must he ha)e been when completeY
$hese and )arious other 1uestions that arise will recei)e different answers from
minds of different complexions" Probably no answer that can be gi)en in our present
state of ignorance will be so satisfactory as to command general acceptance" (ut to
one who has had such experience as + ha)e had of similar occurrences the explanation
of the ,piritualist will seem, + ha)e no doubt, the most satisfactory, and the least open
to obMection" $he more subtle 6astern philosopher will apply that explanation which
he deri)es, not from his experience >for he shrin&s from actual meddling with those
whom he regards as wandering shades to be sedulously a)oided?, but from his
philosophical speculations, or from what he has taught himself to accept as the
&nowledge of those who can gi)e him authoritati)e information" + do not presume,
here and now, to say anything on the grounds of that belief which + find myself@
possibly from insufficient means of information@unable to share" (ut + as&
permission to point out that cases of the &ind + ha)e narrated, though they do not
occur in the 6ast, do occur here in the %est" $he 6astern Philosophy, when it does not
poohCpooh them, ma&es what is to me and to most of those who ha)e actual
experience, a 1uite insufficient explanation of them" *ny true philosophy must ta&e
account of themE and + am not rash enough to assert that that $heosophy which is
expounded by minds so able has not its explanation at hand"
Page G22
(ut no merely academic dis1uisition on what philosophy propounds as theoretically
probable, or e)en as demonstrable on high metaphysical principles, can get rid of
e)en one assured fact, howe)er inexplicable may be its raison dQetre"
+n so writing + am desirous only of ma&ing one more contribution to the study of
a perplexing subMect" %hile + ha)e my own opinion, + am far from desiring to obtrude
it, and + trust that + can gi)e impartial heed to the opinions of others"
>6/+$5RQ, 95$6, 59 $'6 ,*M6"? Z
5f all the ,piritualists, KM"*" >5xon?,L is the last to whose arguments we would
li&e to ta&e exception, or whose ideas we would try to combat, for he is a friend long
and highly esteemed" <et we must perforce Moin issues with him, since we ha)e the
strongest con)iction >we a)oid saying &nowledge lest we should be called dogmatic?
that on some points he is as thoroughly mista&en as any ordinary mortal unblessed
with his remar&able power of discrimination" (esides our own personal regard for
him, there ne)er was a belie)er entitled to more serious and considerate hearing than
the author of Psychography, ,pirit +dentity, and other li&e most excellent wor&s upon
psychology" $he tas& becomes the more difficult when one is reminded of the fact
that KM" *" >5xon?,L is not a writer merely ad)ocating spiritualistic hypothesis upon
secondChand e)idenceE nor some enthusiastic supporter of promiscuous Kspirit
)isitorsL and new phenomena, but the earnest recorder and careful annotator of his
own personal dealings with soCcalled K,pirits,L o)er a series of many years"
(ut we become bra)er when we thin& that, without ha)ing the presumption of
claiming e1ual clearness of style or his remar&able ability in the laying out of that,
which to him is direct but to the public still presumpti)e e)idence, we also argue
from personal experienceE and that unli&e the theory he has wedded himself to, our
doctrine is bac&ed by the teachings of all the philosophies of old, and moreo)er by
the collecti)e experience of men who ha)e de)oted their li)es to study the occult side
of nature" $hus, our testimony may also ha)e some weight, at any rate@with
unbiassed minds"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U$hese important 9otes are by '"P"("@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G29
*nd we say, that in the eyes of the latter, our theory in applicability to our facts,
will@at least with regard to the K=ohn #illyL case@appear far more reasonable, and
will clash less with probability than would the acceptance of the common
spiritualistic theory"
$o begin with, we are constrained to point out that KM" *" >5xon?QsL chief
argument with regard to theosophy, is not only palpably incorrect but extremely
unfair in one sense" 'e tells us that Kwe Uthe spiritualistsPV ha)e a right to apply to our
in)estigations the ordinary scientific method, which is not to theori.e and then gather
facts to support the bubble we ha)e blown, but to amass facts with laborious
persistence until it is possible to generali.e from them with some show of fairness"L
%e remind him in reply that the spiritualistic theory of the return of the departed
spirits is as old as the first &noc&s at Rochester, i"e", thirtyCfi)e years, and that if
anyone is to stand accused of ha)ing blown a bubble before there were facts enough
to hang upon them one single straw, it is not the $heosophists but precisely the
,piritualists" %e are 1uite aware that it is not KM" *" >5xon?L who was the first to
gi)e a name to the agency behind the factsE but howe)er unwilling to accept the a
priori theory@and in the case of the spiritualists Ka rigid dogma which is to be
binding on us as a matter of faithL from first to last indeed@he seems to ha)e
accepted it, ne)ertheless, and now maintains and defends from the slightest approach
of any dissenting doctrine" +f we are told that he does so on )ery good grounds,
ha)ing found no >theosophical occult? theory that was not at open )ariance with some
ascertained facts, or Kthat did not brea& down when testedL@we answer that if such
is his experience, ours is 1uite the re)erse" (esides, it is rather difficult to concei)e
how a theory can be pro)ed an axiomatic truth so long as only such facts as answer
our purpose are applied to it" KM" *" >5xon?L was ne)er an occultist, and &nows yet
nothing of the means used to test the )arious sets of phenomena@and the KspiritsL
themsel)es for the matter of that" %hereas there is hardly a theosophist that has now
turned an occultist but was a spiritualist before, and some of them as ardent and as
uncompromising as KM"*" >5xon?L himself"
Page G9B
!olonel '" ," 5lcott was one for about a 1uarter of a centuryE and the writer of
this, who along with all her family was bred and brought up in the belief of returning
KsoulsL >the great orthodox church inclining to class all of these with e)il or
KdamnedL souls@ma&ing no difference in the theory? was e)en until some thirty
years or so bac& far more inclined@occult doctrinesCnotwithstanding@toward the
spiritualistic than the occult )iews" %e were at one time as ardent a spiritualist as any"
9o one clung more tenaciously, nay more desperately, to the last straw of that hopeful
and happy illusion, which promises the bliss of eternal personal reunion with all those
nearest and dearest that one has lost@than did we" 5ne year in *merica during one
of our )isits to that country, and a terrible personal ordeal, &illed that )ain hope and
settled our &nowledge fore)er" +t needed the death of two persons @the most dearly
belo)ed relati)es@to bury for e)er the sweet delusi)e dream" %e ha)e learned by
experience since to put implicit faith in our teachersE to discern between obMecti)e
shells, men that were@and subMecti)e genuine spiritsE between elementaries >)ictims
of accident, and suicides? and elementals@men that will be" *nd we thin& we ha)e
now learned e)en the difference between the K(rothers of the #ight,L to use the
graphic 6astern expression, and the K(rothers of the ,hadowL@both in the supraC
and subCmundane spheres, as well as to recogni.e between the two classes of the
same name on our earthly plane" $here are ,pirits and ,piritsE 'igh Planetary ,pirits
>/hyan !hohans? who ha)e been human beings millions of ages since and upon other
besides our own planet, and there are the maya)ic appearances of these, proMected
upon the intraCpsychic screen of our mediumistic, hence confused, perceptions" $here
are seers and there are mediums, as there are great men of science and willing and
sincere, but ignorant tyros" *nd it is unfair in KM" *" >5xon?L to represent the
theosophists as prescribing Krigid dogmasL and blind faith, especially when a few
lines higher he in)alidates his accusation by putting in the mouths of his opponents,
addressing the spiritualists, that which represents the correct attitude of the formerR

Page G91
K+t is extremely unli&ely that you are right in your suppositions" +t is not
impossible, indeed, but )ery unli&ely,L etc", etc"@we are made to say@words
con)eying the )ery opposite of dogmatism"
(ut we must be now permitted to analy.e the cited caseE to see whether K=ohn
#illyL could not ha)e performed all that is claimed for him while his monad was in
the /e)achanic or other states@from which there is no coming bac& on earth, in our
)iews, which indeed we force on no one who prefers his own theory" %hy could not
his shell, which, notwithstanding Mr" MorseQs )ery witty definition >though wit is
surely no proof? that it is Ksomething that wal&s about with nothing inside it,L ha)e
had all it had on earth to ma&e up its seeming personality, i"e", its illusi)e ego, with its
grosser personal consciousness, and memory, refreshed and reanimated into
momentary acti)ity at e)ery contact with a li)ing mediumQs brain moleculesPZ %hy
could not that Kshell,L we as&, and though Kmany and many a decade has now elapsed
since =ohn #illy left this earth,L ha)e communicated for years with KM" *" >5xon? K
though chiefly through the tableP ,piritualists who lay such a stress upon, and point
with such a triumph to the (ible, when corroborating with its stories of angels and
apparitions the claimed materiali.ation of spirits, ought not to lose sight of, and
con)eniently forget when spea&ing of Kempty shells,L the KRephaimL of the =ews@
which people their ,heol or 'ades" +s not the literal meaning of KRephaimL pithless
or KemptyL shades, and is not the ,heol our 8amalo&aP
9or does this fact clash with our theory, while it does clash with that of the
spiritualists" (esides it being far more li&ely that a real genuine disembodied spirit
would ha)e a)oided communicating Kthrough a table,L when he had at his disposal a
fine mediumQs clair)oyance and spiritual consciousness, how is it that the familiar
sound of his presence Kdied outL gradually and not abruptly, as might be the case with
a KspiritL who had a real mission to perform, who Kmeant business,L and went away
honestly and openly after ha)ing performed itP
WWWWWWWWWW
Z $he medium often need not &now anything or ha)e e)en heard the name of his K,piritL )isitor"
'is brain in this case plays simply the part of a gal)anic battery upon a dying or e)en dead manQs
body"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G93
/oes not this gradual dying out of the alleged presence do)etail perfectly with
our theory of the gradual fading out of the shellP %hy should an e)erlasting semiC
material, 1uite conscious entity use such eccentric waysP *nd why, since K=ohn #illyL
was an old friend, and meant@if there was anyone there to mean anything@to recall
himself to the memory of KM" *" >5xon?,L why did he not spea&, or Krap out,L
honestly and say what he wanted, instead of &eeping our friend semiCawa&e and
repeatedly disturbing his sleep by raps and noises at the ris& of gi)ing him a bad
headacheP K%as he unable to do moreP or was it not permitted to himPL as&s the
writer" KPermittedYL and by whom or what, we wonderP *s well expect that the
poisonous particles that one is liable to catch in a room where a smallpox patient
died, that they should tell the name of him in whom they were generated or explain
their business" K=ohn #illyL had impregnated with his emanations the room for years,
and a portion at any rate of the personal consciousness of a disembodied and e)en of
a li)ing being lingers and will linger for hundreds of decades on the spot he identified
himself with, a good proof of it being found in many instances that could be cited" +n
the apparition, for instance, for years of the astral simulacrum of a titled lunatic in a
room in which he had been confined for nine years" 5ccasional wild cries were heard
in it@the ser)ants recogni.ing the familiar cry and the doctor testifying to it under
oath at the in1uest made in this case by the police in one of the capital cities of
,outhern Russia" %hose simulacrum was it, and whose )oiceP 5f the lunaticP (ut the
man had reco)ered and was at that time li)ing again with his family at Pen.a, the
uni)ersal theory becoming of course under the handling of good !hristians and clergy
that it was the unholy tric&s of the 6)il 5ne" Moreo)er the exCpatient who had heard
of the terrific news of his own bodily appearance in the room where he had ra)ed for
so many years, insisted upon returning to the spot and exposing the fraud of his
enemies as he called it"

Page G93
$ra)elling there, under protest of his family and doctor, he arri)ed, determined
that he should pass the night in his ancient room, and permitting with great difficulty
that his friend, the said doctor, should remain and &eep him company" ResultR his own
double was seen by himself and doctor, the cries were heard louder than e)er, and
when at dawn the room was entered by the physician of the asylum and inmates, M"
!" " " " was found once more a ra)ing lunatic, and his friend in a deadly swoon" $he
case was officially authenticated at the time and may be found in the police records if
searched, as it happened between 12DB and 12GB"
9ow let us suppose that instead of reco)ering and lea)ing the asylum, the man
had died there" %ho of the spiritualists would e)er doubt but that was his KspiritL
howling and his KMaya)iCrupaL in propria persona thereP +t is on a number of such
instances, and our own personal experiences during o)er forty years@ten of which
were passed in a state )ery li&e, if not entirely, that of mediumship, until by a
supreme effort of will and with the help of initiated friends, we got rid of it, that we
spea& so confidently" <et our experience is our own, and we would no more as&
anyone to belie)e us on our word, than we would sta&e the faith of our whole life on
that of another person" $here was no Kpersonating spirit, posturing as =ohn #illy"L (ut
there probably was the elementary shell of =ohn #illy, fading, perhaps on the e)e of
being entirely faded out, yet capable of being once more gal)ani.ed into producing
audible sounds by the presence of one on whose organism it had been li)ing for
se)eral years" %hen this organism came once more in contact with the reli1uiae it
pro)ed li&e a gal)anic shoc& to a dead corpse"
9or is it right to say that Kthe more subtle 6astern philosopher will apply that
explanation which he deri)es, not from his experience >for he shrin&s from actual
meddling with those whom he regards as wandering shades to be sedulously
a)oided?, but from his philosophical speculationsLE for the K6astern philosopherL
does nothing of the &ind" +t is but the incipient Kphilosopher,L the as yet uninitiated
student who is forbidden to meddle with wandering shades, a meddling which, to
him, is full of danger"
Page G9D
$he real philosopher studies the )arious natures of these in)isible agencies in
the full possession of his physical consciousness and senses, as much though not as
well as in the still fuller consciousness of his spiritual senses, when he paralyses his
body, with its decepti)e suggestions, and puts it out of its power to impede the
clearness of his spiritual sight" K*nd cases of the &indL >narrated by M" *" 5xon? " "
do Koccur in the 6astL as much as, and more, perhaps, than in the %est" (ut were it
e)en so, the !hristian &abalists ha)e belie)ed in, and gi)en out the )ery same
doctrine on shells as we do now" +f our friends will refer to $he $hree (oo&s of
5ccult Philosophy by !ornelius *grippa, they will find him propounding Must the
)ery same tenets" +n the chapter K%hat concerning man after deathE di)erse
opinions,L we find the following, gi)en )ery fully and explicitly in *grippaQs original
manuscripts, and )ery cursorily by his translator, 'enry Morley" #ea)ing out what
$rithemius, 'enry 8hunrath, Paracelsus and other great occultists, may ha)e said on
the subMect, we will 1uote a few lines from the translation in 1uestion made by a
scepticR
Perceptions of the truth in the opinions of the ancients " " " yet do the &abalists
refuse the doctrine of PythagorasZ that souls which ha)e become bestial ta&e bestial
formE they say, on the contrary, that they return to earth in human frames" " " "
,ometimes the souls of the wic&ed reanimate their polluted corpses" " " " (ut when the
body returns earth to earth, the spirit returns to :od " " " and this spirit is the mind Uthe
monad, the (uddhiV the pure intelligence that was incapable of sin while in the flesh,
howe)er sinned against by passions of the soul and gross delusions of the body" $hen
if the soul Upersonal 6go, the ManasV has li)ed Mustly it accompanies the mind, and
soul and mind together wor& in the world the righteous will of :od (ut the souls that
ha)e done e)il, parted after death from the mind, wander without intelligence Uour
shellsV, subMect to all the wild distresses of unregulated passion, and by the affinity
they ha)e ac1uired for the grossness of corporeal matter, assimilate themsel)es and
condense, as in a fog, material particles Umateriali.ePV, through which they become
sensible again of bodily pain and discomfort " " "
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %hich was ne)er properly understood, for it was an allegorical teaching li&e that of the
(rahmanical boo&s" U'"P"("V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G9G
,ouls after death Useparated from their spiritual 6go, if you pleaseV remember
the past, and retain according to their nature more or less of attraction towards the
bodies they inhabited, or other flesh and blood Uthe mediums, e)identlyV $his is most
true of those souls whose bodies are unburied, or were subMect to )iolence Uthe
suicides and )ictims to accidentE see 4ragments of 5ccult $ruthVE " " " there are two
&inds of necromancy@ necyomantia, when a corpse is animatedE scyomantia, when
only a shade is summoned" (ut for the reunion of souls with bodies occult &nowledge
is re1uired " " " " "Z
*gain in the next chapter UxliiiVR K9ow the mind only is, by nature, di)ine,
eternalE the reason is airy, durableE the idolum, more corporeal, left to itself,
perishes"L %hich means as plain as it can mean that the KmindL here standing for the
sixth and se)enth principles, *tman and (uddhi, or K,pirit and ,piritual soulL or
+ntelligence, KreasonL stands for that spiritual essence, the portion of the personal
consciousness, or Ksoul that accompanies the mindL >Manas following (uddhi to
/e)achan?" %hat *grippa calls the KidolumL >the eidxlon? we call the astral shell, or
the K6lementary"L
$he abo)e 1uotations, though strengthening our claims, will of course ha)e no
effect upon the spiritualists, and are penned for the sole benefit of our $heosophists"
%e in)ite, moreo)er, their attention to the article directly following K,pirit +dentity
and Recent ,peculations,L in the same number of #ight >*pril 32th, 1223?@ K*
'aunted 'ouse,L by =" !" * charming, simple, unpretentiously told story, bearing
e)ery mar& of sincerity and genuineness upon its face" %hat do we find in itP *
lo)ing wife, a mother losing her husband in a house that was haunted before they had
come to li)e in it" #oud noises and crashes without any cause for them" 4ootsteps
produced by in)isible feet upon the stairs, and mysterious )oices, words proceeding
from ghostly lips" $he husband@apparently a good and lo)ing husband@is a
passionate lo)er of music"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z 'enry Morley, $he #ife of 'enry !ornelius *grippa )on 9ettesheim, /octor and 8night,
!ommonly &nown as a Magician" #ondonR !hapman and 'all, 12G6" $wo Volumes"
U$hese 1uoted passages occur on pages 3BBC3B3, the italics being '"P"("Qs@!ompiler"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page G96
'e dies" +n the night following his death, the piano begins softly playing" K+
recogni.ed the music@it was the last piece my husband had composed impromptu,L
writes the widow" %ell and good" $he &abalists recogni.e the possibility of this, and
gi)e explanations for it" (ut that which comes next, is not of so easy a solution on the
spiritual theory, unless we are as&ed to belie)e that good men, lo)ing fathers, and
tender husbands become heartless fiends and malicious spoo&s after their death"
+n the words of the narrator, the relations were surprised at the widowQs
cheerfulness" $hey Kattributed it to want of natural feeling, little thin&ing how full of
gladness + was to &now that there was a great hereafter, for his newborn radiant
spirit"L 9ow whence that &nowledge and what were the undeniable proofs of that
Kgrand hereafterPL
4irst@Ka &noc&L after the funeral" (ut there had been such &noc&s before in the
houseY $he children heard often Kpapa spea& to them"L $he children will always hear
and see, what their seniors will tell them they hear and see" $he eldest boy was put to
sleep in the room where his parent had died without howe)er &nowing it" K+n the
night,L writes the widow, Kthe boy frightened us all by a terrible scream" $hey all
found him sitting up in bed, pale with fright" ,omeone had touched him on his
shoulder and awo&e him"L 9ext night the same thing, Ksomeone touched him again"L
$hird night the same in another roomE Ktwo or three times he aroused the whole
school, and when he was on a )isit during the holidays he also cried out in the night"L
* friend on a )isit Kfelt her bedclothes pulled" $he noises at last affected her ner)ous
system, and she left" " " without any stated reason" ,oon after the ser)ant was ta&en
illL owing to the ghostly )isits and misbeha)iour and@Khad to be sent away"L ,o
much in the experience of a boy whom his lo)ing fatherQs spirit frightened nightly
into fits, at the ris& of ma&ing an epileptic or an idiot of his son for the natural term of
his life" ,o much for the friends, ser)ants and )isitors of his lo)ing widow" $hen one
night " " " but we will let the berea)ed wife tell her own tale"

Page G9H
*fter the little ones were all asleep, in the happy rest of infancy, + wandered
o)er the house, peering cautiously into e)ery noo&, half expecting to see a robber
concealed ready to pounce out on me" + was about to retire for the night, when +
remembered that + had not loo&ed in my deceased husbandQs study" + lighted a candle,
and ta&ing the latch&ey + went in" *ll was 1uietE but suddenly a bree.e seemed to
sweep round the chamber, blew out my light, and shut the doorY + stood for a moment
numbed with terrorE + felt my hair stand on endE the dampness of fear bathed my
forehead" + could not cry out, all power seemed gone, and a throng of ghastly fancies
filled my brainE reason itself seemed to desert me" + fell on my &nees and as&ed the
K4ather of ,piritL to set me free" + then made for the door, felt the loc&, and in a
moment was outside" +t shut with a bangY
+ ran down to where my children were, and loc&ing myself in lay down in my
clothes" *ll was 1uiet for a time, when + heard a noise li&e the sound of a gong stri&e
against the window barsE then a rumbling, accompanied by &noc&s and )oices" My
little boy awo&e and saidR K%hat is that noisePL + told him not to mind but to go to
sleep, which he soon did" + then heard my husbandQs )oice call my eldest child by
name and tell her to go to the railway station" $hen he said to meR K!ome up here"L +
answered him, and saidR K+ cannot, + wish to li)e for my childrenQs sa&e"L $he doors
all o)er the house slammed, and footsteps passed up and downstairs, continuing till
daybrea&"
9ow we as& in the name of logic and reason whether this beha)iour night after
night, is more compatible with that of the human and presumably good spirit of a
husband and father, or with that of a half cra.y shellY %hat sophistry is re1uired to
excuse it in the former, and how natural the whyQs of the phenomenal manifestations
if the occult theory be acceptedY $he shell has no more to do with the liberated monad
of the good and pure man than would the shadow of a man with the latterQs body,
could it be suddenly endowed with speech and the faculty of repeating what it finds
in the peopleQs brain"

Page G92
KM" *" >5xon?L closes, as seen abo)e in his article, with the assurance that in
writing as he does he is only desirous of ma&ing one more contribution to the study
of a perplexing subMect" K'e is far from desiring to obtrude his opinion"L <et, at the
same time he de)otes three and a half columns to pro)ing that the theosophic
teachings are KbubblesL based upon air, probably only because our facts do not s1uare
with his facts" %e can assure our &ind friend that the occultists are far less desirous
than he can e)er be of obtruding their opinion upon unwilling minds, or of critici.ing
those of other people" (ut where their theories are attac&ed, they answer and can gi)e
| good facts as he can himself" 5ccult philosophy rests upon the accumulated
psychic facts of thousands of years" ,piritualism is but thirtyCfi)e years old, and has
not as yet produced one recogni.ed nonCmediumistic adept"
Page G99
!ROM THEOSOPH# TO SH"&ESPE"RE
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 36BC61V
U%e ha)e recei)ed a )ery interesting letter from Mr" 'enry !" *t&inson, now in
(oulogne, 4rance" *s this excellent and most esteemed gentleman seems to labour
under certain erroneous impressions with regard to $heosophy and its promoters, he
will pardon us if, in publishing his remar&s we explain to him his mista&es"@6ditor,
$he $heosophist"V
+ forwarded the >March? $heosophist to Professor $yndall as re1uested" " " " +
ha)e shown your remar&s in the =ournal to se)eral persons, and we all feel surprised
that you should not ha)e accepted the ProfessorQs obser)ation as a compliment,Z he
not considering the article to be exactly in your special line of in1uiries, as showing
your freedom and breadth of )iew"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z *s found in Mr" *t&insonQs letter to the Philosophic ln1uirer, the words 1uoted by him from
Professor $yndallQs note with regard to the $heosophists did not sound KcomplimentaryL in the
least" +f, howe)er, no offensi)e meaning was implied in the words Ktoo stiff,L the $heosophists ha)e
but to apologi.e for their obtuseness, and@to feel delighted, of course, to ha)e been noticed at all
by this great man of science" $hey ha)e an excuse, howe)er, for any excess of sensiti)eness, in the
recollection of a certain other and superlati)ely pungent remar& made by Professor $yndall, a few
years ago, in his (elfast address, if we remember rightly" *n ungenerous adMecti)e which we may
not repeat, was added to and flung by him, in the face of spiritualism in that famous address" $hus
the $heosophists who are almost as heterodox as the ,piritualists, and including in their ran&s a
number of )ery wellC&nown persons of that faith, had a certain right to fear they might be
complimented in the same way" %ere Professor $yndall a simple mortal, no one would ta&e great
notice of his words" (eing, what he is, howe)er, one of the greatest, if not the greatest man of
science in 6urope, whate)er he says about us is of the highest conse1uence to the $heosophists who
hold true science abo)e all in this world of error"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 6BB
%hy there should be any mystery in respect to membership and the deeds and doings
of your members, + cannot concei)eE it reminds one of Pythagoras and his secret
ca)e,Z and why you should consider mesmerism to be an occult and secret science is
beyond my comprehension"]
WWWWWWWWWW
Z %e can assure our esteemed correspondent that he is 1uite mista&en" $here is no KmysteryL in
either the membership or Kthe deeds and doingsL of our members as $heosophists" %ith the
exception of certain simple passwords, etc", gi)en at the time when a candidate for fellowship is
recei)ed into the ,ociety, and a necessary con)enience in so polyglot an association as ours, there is
nothing secret in it, whatsoe)er, and if the password and grip are not di)ulged to the general public,
it is simply to protect our members from being imposed upon by some unprincipled tra)elling
outsiders, who might otherwise claim help from, and abuse the confidence of, the Kuni)ersal
(rotherhoodL under a plea of 4ellowship" $here is a small fraction in the ,ociety of those who
study the occult sciences@and whose number hardly amounts to a half per cent of the whole group
of 4ellows" $hese certainly ha)e their secrets and will not gi)e them out" (ut it is unfair to )isit the
sin >if sin it is? of the )ery few upon the whole ,ociety which in +ndia and !eylon alone has already
sixtyCse)en (ranch ,ocieties, and most of whose 4ellows ne)er ga)e a thought e)en to mesmerism
@let alone the secret sciences"
] *gain Mr" *t&inson labours under an erroneous impression" 9o one in our ,ociety considers
Kmesmerism per se an occult and secret science,L though it is an important factor in occultismE least
of all has our PresidentC4ounder treated it as a mystery, for, as our correspondent may see for
himself in the ,upplements of our Mournal for March, *pril, May, =une, and =uly, while healing the
sic& on his tour in the (engal Presidency, !ol" 5lcott made it a point to teach publicly mesmerism
to the respectable medical and other members of our )arious ,ocieties, and e)en instructed in it
1ualified outsiders"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 6B1
!an any one science be more occult or secret than anotherPZ + ha)e been much
engaged withY mesmerism or animal magnetismE but it ne)er occurred to me that
there was anything particularly occult or secret about it" $hose words would not at
any rate e1ually apply to any science, from astronomy to chemistry and electricity,
etc" 5ur obMect should be to reduce KwondersL to plain things, not to inflate plain
things into wonders"] 5f course there is in one sense mystery attached to all natural
action, and from the atoms to the sun shining, and from the substance in motion to its
feeling, thin&ing and apprehendingE and the idea of another person@called the soul@
within the person )isible, does not explain anything more than that the memory and
sense of identity is perpetually transferred by an animal magnetic rule to the new
matter with both man, beast, bird or fish" (ut there is nothing more occult or secret
about that than about gra)itation, what 9ewton would not attempt to account for, the
rule being all to be &nown or concei)ed of it" Professor (lac&ie in his history of
materialism or atheism pronouncing against Professor $yndall and myself says, if all
phenomena whatsoe)er, with (acon, is to be referred to matter as the common source
of all, and as old $imon of *thens in the play@begins his famous utterance with
Kcommon mother thou,L whilst he digs@then $yndall is right, he says, to fix a new
definition to matter and it is this"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z ,ome of the disco)eries of certain sciences@such as chemistry and physical science@ought to
ha)e been &ept KoccultL at any rate" +t is )ery 1uestionable whether the secrets of gunpowder, nitroC
glycerine, dynamite and the li&e, ha)e more benefited than wronged humanityE at least they ought to
ha)e been withheld from the &nowledge of the ignorant and unprincipled portions of man&ind"
,uch, at least, was the opinion of 4araday, and some other great men of science" *nd this may
explain, perhaps, why the occultists will not gi)e out their e)en more perilous secrets
promiscuously"
] Auite soE and therefore, the leaders of the ,ociety do their best to uproot superstition and pro)e to
their members that since such a thing as miracle is an impossibility and belief in it an absurdity, the
most wonderful phenomena, if genuine, must ha)e a natural explanation, howe)er occult the agency
behind them may seem at present"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 6B3
K+f these statements startle, it is because matter has been defined and maligned
by philosophers and theologians who were e1ually unaware that it is at bottom
essentially mystical and transcendental"LZ <ou may call it occult if you please, but the
same applies to all conditions and to all en1uiries, and from the growth of a blade of
grass to the formation of a complex correlated organism, does it notP
" " " %e are now reducing the mar)ellous into a plain matter"
Pope in his preface to his magnificent edition of ,ha&espeare after all his praise
and fine criticism expresses his astonishment in these wordsR Kthis is perfectly
ama.ing from a man of no education or experience of those great and public scenes
of life, which are usually the subMect of his thoughtsE so that he seems to ha)e &nown
the world by intuition, to ha)e loo&ed through human nature at one glance, and to be
the only author that gi)es ground for a )ery new opinion@that the philosopher and
e)en the man of the world, may be born as well as the poet"L $he same astonishment
is expressed by all the great writers on ,ha&espeare for 3BB years" (ut a short while
ago, lo and behold, in a publication of (acon@Promus, or !ollection of fine
$houghts and ,ayingsR 162B entries@and these in one form or other, are D,DBB times
introduced into the plays, a proof positi)e that the laborious genius (acon was the
real author of the plays, and all the supernatural wonder and mystery is at an endY
Poor ignorant ,ha&espeare ne)er had a boo& in his possession, ne)er wrote a line in
his life"
$yndall is better in health, sleeps betterE he is a laborious wor&er and a fine
genius"
Very sincerely,
'69R< =" *$8+9,59"
May 1Bth, 1223,
'xtel de la :are,
(oulogneCsurCMer, 4rance"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z Professor $yndall was anticipated in his opinion on matter by most of the great Philosophers of
+ndia" Perhaps Mr" *t&inson is not aware that the 6astern 5ccultists hold that there is but one
element in the uni)erse@infinite, uncreated and indestructible@M*$$6RE which element
manifests itself in se)en states@four of which are now &nown to modern science, and which
include the state of Radiant matter disco)ered by Mr" !roo&es, and that three are to be yet
disco)ered in the %est" ,pirit is the highest state of that matter, they say, since that which is neither
matter nor any of its attributes is@95$'+9:" %e would recommend in reference to this 1uestion
the perusal of an article headed K%hat is Matter and what is 4orcePL in the ,eptember number of
$he $heosophist, 1223"
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 6B3
!OOTNOTES TO *THE ST"TUS O! +ESUS,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 361V
U+n a communication on K$he ,tatus of =esusL a correspondent writesR K$he long
procession of martyrs who died for the lo)e of =esus is un&nown in the history of
(uddhismLE and as&sR K%hat is the exact position gi)en to =esus, by the Mahatmas, in
the sacred order of adeptsP departed from the earthP " " " %ould =esus now be termed "
" " a /hyan !hohan, a (uddha, or a Planetary ,piritP *nd is he now " " " interested or
concerned at all with the progress of humanity on 6arthPL '" P" (" repliesRV
K$here is often greater martyrdom to li)e for the lo)e of, whether man or an
ideal, than to die for itL is a motto of the Mahatmas"
$he position $'6< gi)e to =esus, as far as we &now, is that of a great and pure
man, a reformer who would fain ha)e li)ed but who had to die for that which he
regarded as the greatest birthright of man@absolute #iberty of conscienceE of an
adept who preached a uni)ersal Religion &nowing of, and ha)ing no other Ktemple of
:odL but man himselfE that of a noble $eacher of esoteric truths which he had no time
gi)en to him to explainE that, of an initiate who recogni.ed no difference@sa)e the
moral one@between menE who reMected caste, and despised wealthE and who
preferred death rather than to re)eal the secrets of initiation" *nd who, finally, li)ed
o)er a century before the year UoneV of our )ulgar, so called, !hristian era"
%e do not &now which of the (uddhas our correspondent is thin&ing of, for
there were many K(uddhas"L $hey recogni.e in him one of the K6nlightened,L hence
in this sense a (uddhaE but they do not recogni.e =esus at all in the !hrist of the
:ospels"

Page 6BD
,uch 1uestions, howe)er, can hardly be answered in a public Mournal" 5ur
correspondent seems to be ignorant of the fact, that though we li)e in +ndia,
surrounded by 3GB millions of human beings, whose de)otion and re)erence to their
respecti)e a)ataras and gods is not less intense or sincere than that of the handful of
!hristians who grace this country to their ,a)iour, yet while it is deemed respectable
and lawful to laugh at and abuse by word, and insult in print e)ery one of the gods of
our heathen (rothers, that Mournal which would presume to deny the :odship of =esus
and spea& of him as he would of (uddha or 8rishna, would immediately lose caste
and ha)e a hue and cry raised against it by its !hristian subscribers" ,uch are
!hristian ideas of Mustice and (rotherhood"
WWWWWWWWWW
NOTE TO *UNDER THE SH"DOW O! GRE"T N"MES,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 363V
U$he following note was appended by '" P" (" to some correspondence dealing
with alleged misrepresentation of the character of the medium :eorge ,priggs on the
part of $he $heosophist"V
5ur lo)e for Kfair playL has ne)er been doubted e)en by those of our enemies
who &now us personally" 9or is it correct to say that Kapparently your >our?
philosophy has no room for any other alternati)e to absolute genuineness than Xsheer
fabricationQLE for unli&e spiritualism, our philosophy has theories that co)er the
ground and thus explain many apparent deceptions on the part of mediums that would
otherwise ha)e to be attributed to dishonest fraud" %e are sorry that our *ustralian
correspondents had to put themsel)es to the trouble of defending the pri)ate character
of Mr" ,priggs, the medium, since no one thought of attac&ing him, nor was he e)en
mentioned in our 6ditorial by name"
Page 6BG
$he remar&s in it were absolutely impersonal, hence there was no need for such
an emphatic defence" 'owe)er, to pro)e that we are not alone fair, but e)en ready to
recogni.e true merit and gi)e it an ad)ertisement@we ha)e published both letters
)erbatim e)en with their discourteous remar&s" %e are delighted to learn, and 1uite
ready to belie)e, that Mr" ,priggs is a most honest gentleman, worthy of the strongest
encomiums" 5ur strictures were applicable to a large class of mediums who ha)e for
years been inflicting upon the world KtranceL addresses, articles, pamphlets, boo&s,
and schemes of social reform, pretending to emanate from the great dead" Modern
,piritualism is a solemn and a mighty 1uestion, an influence which has now
permeated the thought of our age, a problem which at no pre)ious time during the
past thirtyCfi)e years has occupied more able minds than at the present hour" +t is,
howe)er, weighted down with a mass of false appearances and untenable hypotheses
which bring reproach upon it, but which will in time, we belie)e, yield to more
correct )iews of its phenomena as *siatic philosophy, and the fruits of occult research
upon which it rests become better &nown" *mong mediums who ha)e uttered alleged
communications from the great departed there are two classes, of whom one are
decei)ing, the other decei)ed" +f there be a third class of mediums who ha)e in fact
recei)ed their inspiration from great spirits@the group is )ery small, we are
persuaded, in comparison with what the friends of mediums claim" 5ur $heosophical
doctrine is that one is ne)er safe in ascribing mediumistic communications to any
foreign source until the wonderful intrinsic capabilities of the human mind incarnate
ha)e all been ta&en into account" ,o, to return to the case in point, we were persuaded
from a personal familiarity with the late 6pes ,argent, his 1uality of mind and
writings, that the message through Mr" ,priggs was not genuine@not from ,argent@
but a KfabricationL by somebody or something" +t now would seem that we must loo&
for the culprit beyond the gentleman medium to his Kcontrol,L a fact we are glad to
learn and to put upon record"
Page 6B6
THE PRINCE CONVERT
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, 9o" 1B >D6?, =uly, 1223, p" 363V
544+!6 54 $'6 R6P;(#+!*9"
4R6,95, !*#+45R9+*, *pril 13, 1223"
*llow me to call your attention to the following notice now running through all
!hristian papers of ;","
K5ne of the most recent con)erts to !hristianity is Prince ,ardan 'erman ,ingh,
who is heir to one of the richest pro)inces in 9orthern +ndia !on)ersion in his case
means a much greater sacrifice than is in)ol)ed in this countryE for ,ardan 'erman
,ingh must forfeit all claim to his worldly estates and become a poor man"L
@!hicago =ournal"
+s there any truth in itP
<ours,
:;,$*V 6+,69"
6ditorQs 9ote"@9e)er heard of such a Prince" $he name reads li&e that of a
PunMabi /utchman" Perhaps he is related to Prince =alma of 6ugen ,ueQs $he
%andering =ewP +t must be a little innocent repartie T la Munchausen, coming from
the good Missionaries" $hey are often caught fibbing in this way" %e &now of ,ardar
'arban ,ingh@'on" 'arban ,aha`e, of *rrah, a =ain Member of the V" R" !ouncil"
/o the Missionaries claim himP +f so, let the *merican editor as& him, this
gentleman, what he thin&s of the padris"
WWWWWWWWWW
CHEL"S "ND L"# CHEL"S
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, ,upplement to 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, pp" 1BC11V
*s the word !hela has, among others, been introduced by $heosophy into the
nomenclature of %estern metaphysics, and the circulation of our maga.ine is
constantly widening, it will be as well if some more definite explanation than
heretofore is gi)en with respect to the meaning of this term and the rules of
!helaship, for the benefit of our 6uropean if not 6astern members"
Page 6BH
* K!helaL then, is one who has offered himself or herself as a pupil to learn
practically the Khidden mysteries of 9ature and the psychical powers latent in man"L
$he spiritual teacher to whom he proposes his candidature is called in +ndia a :uruE
and the real :uru is always an *dept in the 5ccult ,cience" * man of profound
&nowledge, exoteric and esoteric, especially the latterE and one who has brought his
carnal nature under subMection of the %+##E who has de)eloped in himself both the
power >,iddhi? to control the forces of nature, and the capacity to probe her secrets
by the help of the formerly latent but now acti)e powers of his being@this is the real
:uru" $o offer oneself as a candidate for !helaship is easy enough, to de)elop into an
*dept the most difficult tas& any man could possibly underta&e" $here are scores of
KnaturalCbornL poets, mathematicians, mechanics, statesmen, etc", but a naturalCborn
*dept is something practically impossible" 4or, though we do hear at )ery rare
inter)als of one who has an extraordinary innate capacity for the ac1uisition of occult
&nowledge and power, yet e)en he has to pass the selfsame tests and probations, and
go through the same selfCtraining as any less endowed fellow aspirant" +n this matter
it is most true that there is no royal road by which fa)ourites may tra)el"
4or centuries the selection of !helas@outside the hereditary group within the
gonCpa >temple?@has been made by the 'imalayan Mahatmas themsel)es from
among the class@in $ibet, a considerable one as to number@of natural mystics" $he
only exceptions ha)e been in the cases of %estern men li&e 4ludd, $homas Vaughan,
Paracelsus, Pico della Mirandola, !ount de ,aintC:ermain, etc", whose
temperamental affinity to this celestial science more or less forced the distant *depts
to come into personal relations with them, and enabled them to get such small >or
large? proportion of the whole truth as was possible under their social surroundings"
4rom (oo& +V of 8iuCti, chapter on Kthe #aws of ;pasana,L we learn that the
1ualifications expected in a !hela wereR

Page 6B2
1" Perfect physical healthE
3" *bsolute mental and physical purityE
3" ;nselfishness of purposeE uni)ersal charityE pity for all animate beingsE
D" $ruthfulness and unswer)ing faith in the law of 8arma, independent of any
power in nature that could interfereR a law whose course is not to be obstructed by
any agency, not to be caused to de)iate by prayer or propitiatory exoteric ceremoniesE
G" * courage undaunted in e)ery emergency, e)en by peril to lifeE
6" *n intuitional perception of oneQs being the )ehicle of the manifested
*)alo&ite[)ara or /i)ine *tman >,pirit?E
H" !alm indifference for, but a Must appreciation of e)erything that constitutes the
obMecti)e and transitory world, in its relation with, and to, the in)isible regions"
,uch, at the least, must ha)e been the recommendations of one aspiring to
perfect !helaship" %ith the sole exception of the first, which in rare and exceptional
cases might ha)e been modified, each one of these points has been in)ariably insisted
upon, and all must ha)e been more or less de)eloped in the inner nature by the
!helaQs ;9'6#P6/ 6F6R$+59,, before he could be actually put to the test"
%hen the selfCe)ol)ing ascetic@whether in, or outside the acti)e world@had
placed himself, according to his natural capacity, abo)e, hence made himself master
of, his >1? ,arira@bodyE >3? +ndriya@sensesE >3? /osha@faultsE >D? /uh&ha@painE
and is ready to become one with his Manas@mindE (uddhi@intellection, or spiritual
intelligenceE and *tma@highest soul, i"e", spirit" %hen he is ready for this, and,
further, to recogni.e in *tma the highest ruler in the world of perceptions, and in the
will, the highest executi)e energy >power?, then may he, under the timeChonoured
rules, be ta&en in hand by one of the +nitiates" 'e may then be shown the mysterious
path at whose thither end the !hela is taught the unerring discernment of Phala, or the
fruits of causes produced, and gi)en the means of reaching *pa)arga@emancipation,
from the misery of repeated births >in whose determination the ignorant has no hand?,
and thus of a)oiding PretyaCbha)a@transmigration"

Page 6B9
(ut since the ad)ent of the $heosophical ,ociety, one of whose arduous tas&s it
was to reawa&en in the *ryan mind the dormant memory of the existence of this
science and of those transcendent human capabilities, the rules of !hela selection
ha)e become slightly relaxed in one respect" Many members of the ,ociety becoming
con)inced by practical proof upon the abo)e points, and rightly enough thin&ing that
if other men had hitherto reached the goal, they too if inherently fitted, might reach it
by following the same path, pressed to be ta&en as candidates" *nd as it would be an
interference with 8arma to deny them the chance of at least beginning@since they
were so importunate, they were gi)en it" $he results ha)e been far from encouraging
so far, and it is to show these unfortunates the cause of their failure as much as to
warn others against rushing heedlessly upon a similar fate, that the writing of the
present article has been ordered" $he candidates in 1uestion, though plainly warned
against it in ad)ance, began wrong by selfishly loo&ing to the future and losing sight
of the past" $hey forgot that they had done nothing to deser)e the rare honour of
selection, nothing which warranted their expecting such a pri)ilegeE that they could
boast of none of the abo)e enumerated merits" *s men of the selfish, sensual world,
whether married or single, merchants, ci)ilian or military employees, or members of
the learned professions, they had been to a school most calculated to assimilate them
to the animal nature, least so to de)elop their spiritual potentialities" <et each and all
had )anity enough to suppose that their case would be made an exception to the law
of countless centuriesQ establishment as though, indeed, in their person had been born
to the world a new *)ataraY *ll expected to ha)e hidden things taught, extraordinary
powers gi)en them because@well, because they had Moined the $heosophical ,ociety"
,ome had sincerely resol)ed to amend their li)es, and gi)e up their e)il coursesR we
must do them that Mustice, at all e)ents"

Page 61B
*ll were refused at first, !ol" 5lcott, the President, himself, to begin withR and
as to the latter gentleman there is now no harm in saying that he was not formally
accepted as a !hela until he had pro)ed by more than a yearQs de)oted labours and by
a determination which broo&ed no denial, that he might safely be tested" $hen from
all sides came complaints@from 'indus, who ought to ha)e &nown better, as well as
from 6uropeans who, of course, were not in a condition to &now anything at all about
the rules" $he cry was that unless at least a few $heosophists were gi)en the chance
to try, the ,ociety could not endure" 6)ery other noble and unselfish feature of our
programme was ignored@a manQs duty to his neighbour, to his country, his duty to
help, enlighten, encourage and ele)ate those wea&er and less fa)oured than heE all
were trampled out of sight in the insane rush for adeptship" $he call for phenomena,
phenomena, phenomena, resounded in e)ery 1uarter, and the 4ounders were impeded
in their real wor& and teased importunately to intercede with the Mahatmas, against
whom the real grie)ance lay, though their poor agents had to ta&e all the buffets" *t
last, the word came from the higher authorities that a few of the most urgent
candidates should be ta&en at their word" $he result of the experiment would perhaps
show better than any amount of preaching what !helaship meant, and what are the
conse1uences of selfishness and temerity" 6ach candidate was warned that he must
wait for years in any e)ent, before his fitness could be pro)en, and that he must pass
through a series of tests that would bring out all there was in him, whether bad or
good" $hey were nearly all married men and hence were designated K#ay !helasL@a
term new in 6nglish, but ha)ing long had its e1ui)alent in *siatic tongues" * #ay
!hela is but a man of the world who affirms his desire to become wise in spiritual
things" Virtually, e)ery member of the $heosophical ,ociety who subscribes to the
second of our three K/eclared 5bMectsL is suchE for though not of the number of true
!helas, he has yet the possibility of becoming one, for he has stepped across the
boundary line which separated him from the Mahatmas, and has brought him self, as
it were, under their notice"

Page 611
+n Moining the ,ociety and binding himself to help along its wor&, he has pledged
himself to act in some degree in concert with those Mahatmas, at whose behest the
,ociety was organi.ed, and under whose conditional protection it remains" $he
Moining is then, the introductionE all the rest depends entirely upon the member
himself, and he need ne)er expect the most distant approach to the Kfa)ourL of one of
our Mahatmas, or any other Mahatmas in the world should the latter consent to
become &nown@that has not been fully earned by personal merit" $he Mahatmas are
the ser)ants, not the arbiters of the #aw of 8arma" #*< !'6#*,'+P !5946R,
95 PR+V+#6:6 ;P59 *9<596 6F!6P$ $'*$ 54 %5R8+9: 45R M6R+$
;9/6R $'6 5(,6RV*$+59 54 * M*,$6R" *nd whether that Master be or be
not seen by the !hela ma&es no difference whate)er as to the resultR his good
thought, words and deeds will bear their fruits, his e)il ones, theirs" $o boast of #ay
!helaship or ma&e a parade of it, is the surest way to reduce the relationship with the
:uru to a mere empty name, for it would be prima facie e)idence of )anity and
unfitness for further progress" *nd for years we ha)e been teaching e)erywhere the
maxim K4irst deser)e, then desireL intimacy with the Mahatmas"
9ow there is a terrible law operati)e in nature, one which cannot be altered, and
whose operation clears up the apparent mystery of the selection of certain K!helasL
who ha)e turned out sorry specimens of morality, these few years past" /oes the
reader recall the old pro)erbR K#et sleeping dogs liePL $here is a world of occult
meaning in it" 9o man or woman &nows his or her moral strength until it is tried"
$housands go through life )ery respectably because they were ne)er put to the pinch"
$his is a truism doubtless, but it is most pertinent to the present case" 5ne who
underta&es to try for !helaship by that )ery act rouses and lashes to desperation e)ery
sleeping passion of his animal nature" 4or this is the commencement of a struggle for
the mastery in which 1uarter is neither to be gi)en nor ta&en" +t is, once for allR
Page 613
K$o be, or 9ot to beLE to con1uer, means */6P$,'+PE to fail, an ignoble
MartyrdomE for to fall )ictim to lust, pride, a)arice, )anity, selfishness, cowardice, or
any other of the lower propensities, is indeed ignoble, if measured by the standard of
true manhood" $he !hela is not only called to face all the latent e)il propensities of
his nature, but, in addition, the whole )olume of maleficent power accumulated by
the community and nation to which he belongs" 4or he is an integral part of those
aggregates, and what affects either the indi)idual man, or the group >town or nation?
reacts upon the other" *nd in this instance his struggle for goodness Mars upon the
whole body of badness in his en)ironment, and draws its fury upon him" +f he is
content to go along with his neighbours and be almost as they are@perhaps a little
better or somewhat worse than the a)erage@no one may gi)e him a thought" (ut let
it be &nown that he has been able to detect the hollow moc&ery of social life, its
hypocrisy, selfishness, sensuality, cupidity and other bad features, and has determined
to lift himself up to a higher le)el, at once he is hated, and e)ery bad, or bigoted, or
malicious nature sends at him a current of opposing will power" +f he is innately
strong he sha&es it off, as the powerful swimmer dashes through the current that
would bear a wea&er one away" (ut in this moral battle, if the !hela has one single
hidden blemish@do what he may, it shall and will be brought to light" $he )arnish of
con)entionalities which Kci)ili.ationL o)erlays us all with must come off to the last
coat, and the +nner ,elf, na&ed and without the slightest )eil to conceal its reality, is
exposed" $he habits of society which hold men to a certain degree under moral
restraint, and compel them to pay tribute to )irtue by seeming to be good whether
they are so or not, these habits are apt to be all forgotten, these restraints to be all
bro&en through under the strain of !helaship" 'e is now in an atmosphere of illusions
@Maya" Vice puts on its most alluring face, and the tempting passions try to lure the
inexperienced aspirant to the depths of psychic debasement" $his is not a case li&e
that depicted by a great artist, where ,atan is seen playing a game of chess with a
man upon the sta&e of his soul, while the latterQs good angel stands beside him to
counsel and assist"

Page 613
4or the strife is in this instance between the !helaQs %ill and his carnal nature,
and 8arma forbids that any angel or :uru should interfere until the result is &nown"
%ith the )i)idness of poetic fancy (ulwer #ytton has ideali.ed it for us in his 7anoni,
a wor& which will e)er be pri.ed by the occultistE while in his ,trange ,tory he has
with e1ual power shown the blac& side of occult research and its deadly perils"
!helaship was defined, the other day, by a Mahatma as a Kpsychic resol)ent, which
eats away all dross and lea)es only the pure gold behind"L +f the candidate has the
latent lust for money, or political chicanery, or materialistic scepticism, or )ain
display, or false spea&ing, or cruelty, or sensual gratification of any &ind, the germ is
almost sure to sproutE and so, on the other hand, as regards the noble 1ualities of
human nature" $he real man comes out" +s it not the height of folly, then, for anyone
to lea)e the smooth path of commonplace life to scale the crags of !helaship without
some reasonable feeling of certainty that he has the right stuff in himP %ell says the
(ibleR K#et him that thin&eth he standeth ta&e heed lest he fallLZ@a text that wouldC
be !helas should consider well before they rush headlong into the frayY +t would ha)e
been well for some of our #ay !helas if they had thought twice before defying the
tests" %e call to mind se)eral sad failures within a twel)eCmonth" 5ne went bad in the
head, recanted noble sentiments uttered but a few wee&s pre)iously, and became a
member of a religion he had Must scornfully and unanswerably pro)en false" * second
became a defaulter and absconded with his employerQs money@the latter also a
$heosophist" * third ga)e himself up to gross debauchery, and confessed it with
ineffectual sobs and tears, to his chosen :uru" * fourth got entangled with a person of
the other sex and fell out with his dearest and truest friends" * fifth showed signs of
mental aberration and was brought into !ourt upon charges of discreditable conduct"
* sixth shot himself to escape the conse1uences of criminality, on the )erge of
detectionY *nd so we might go on and on" *ll these were apparently sincere searchers
after truth, and passed in the world for respect able persons"
WWWWWWWWWW
Z U1 !orinth", x, 13"V
WWWWWWWWWW
Page 61D
6xternally, they were fairly eligible as candidates for !helaship, as appearances
goE but Kwithin all was rottenness and dead menQs bones"L $he worldQs )arnish was so
thic& as to hide the absence of the true gold underneathE and the Kresol)entL doing its
wor&, the candidate pro)ed in each instance but a gilded figure of moral dross, from
circumference to core" " " "
+n what precedes we ha)e, of course, dealt but with the failures among #ay
!helasE there ha)e been partial successes too, and these are passing gradually through
the first stages of their probation" ,ome are ma&ing themsel)es useful to the ,ociety
and to the world in general by good example and precept" +f they persist, well for
them, well for us allR the odds are fearfully against them, but still Kthere is no
+mpossibility to him who %+##,"L $he difficulties in !helaship will ne)er be less
until human nature changes and a new sort is e)ol)ed" ,t" Paul >Rom", )ii, 12C19?
might ha)e had a !hela in mind when he said Kto will is present with meE but how to
perform that which is >good + find not" 4or the good that + would, + do notE but the
e)il which + would not, that + do"L *nd in the wise 8irItIraMunJya of (hIra)i it is
writtenR
K$he enemies which rise within the body,
'ard to be o)ercome@the e)il passionsWW
,hould manfully be foughtE who con1uers these
+s e1ual to the con1ueror of worlds"L >F+, 33"?
Page 61G
NOTE TO *" DESCRIPTION O! THE T"NTRI& M#STIC RITES
"ND CEREMONIES &NOWN "S /S"V"S"DH"N"0,
U$he $heosophist, Vol" +V, ,upplement to 9o" 1B, =uly, 1223, p" 13V
,o little is &nown outside (engal about $antri& rites and ceremonies that space
has been gi)en this interesting paper, despite the disgusting and horrid ceremonial it
describes" *s there are both magic >pure psychic science? and sorcery >its impure
counterpart? so there are what are &nown as the K%hiteL and K(lac&L $antras" $he
one is an exposition, )ery clear and exceedingly )aluable, of occultism in its noblest
features, the other a de)ilQs chapCboo& of wic&ed instructions to the wouldCbe wi.ard
and sorcerer" ,ome of the prescribed ceremonies in the latter are far worse e)en than
the ,a)asadhana, and show to what depths of )ile bestiality bad men >and women?
are ready to plunge in the hope of feeding lust, hatred, cruelty and other )ile passions"
$he subMect is somewhat touched upon in +sis ;n)eiled, whose readers will, among
other things, recall the awful incantation with the bloody head of a murdered child by
!atherine de Medici, Aueen of 4rance, with the help of her pri)ate !hristian priest"Z
WWWWWWWWWW
Z UVol" ++, p" G6"V
WWWWWWWWWW
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