' I '~II, . \vlieel o f lifc moves 011 ; a \\-heel of n hich tlie spolce i - t h e unclerst~iliiling. o f \\-hicl? tlie pole is t h e ~ n i n d , o f mhicli ;he 1101itlh :ire tlie gr0~111s OF tlle sei:hcs,of \vhicll t h e o ~ ~ t e r r i m iy t h c f i \ -r g r e a t clenients ,of \\liic,h t h e e n v i r c ~ n ~ n e n t is 11onie: \vliich t lbo~ln t l> in old trge ant1 g r i e f , a n d , ~ n o \ - i n g in t h e rllid.;t of cli>case ancl ~ i i i s f o r t ~ t n e . it 1.otates in space a n d ti~ne.-.-lr~cl- 'i,riLc/? ' . / I . .l..l."T,

THE PATH. VOI~. 17111. JASTL'XRY, 1894. XO. T O .

\Vliere an!- a r t i c le o r s t a t e ~ n e n t l ias t h e ~ t u t l i o r ' s n a m e attnchecl, he alone is responsible, ancl fu r tilose \\-hick :ire unhignccl t h e I'tlitc~r \\.ill 11e accolultable.

OCCULT ARTS.

SOME PROPOSITIONS BY H. P. BLAVATSKY. 1

T HE following is extracrted from 1-1. P. R.'s first book, and is printed in this series n-ith the belief that it will 1,e useful

as well as interesting. She gives some funclamental oriental pro- positions relating to occult arts, thus:

I . There is no miracle. EL-erything that happens is the lesult of Ian-- eternal, immutable, ever-active, Apparent llliracle is but the operation of forces antagonistic to what 1)s. TV. 1:. Carpenter, F. R. S.-a nlan of great learn- ing but little kno\vledge-calls " the well ascertained la\17s of nature ' '. I,ihe many of his class, Dr. Carpenter ignores the fact that there may be laws once "kno~vll", IIOW unknown, to s~ience.

z . Nature is triune there 1s a visil~le objective nature, an invisible, ~ n - dwelling, energizing nature, the exact model of the other and its vital prin- ciple ; and above these two is s j l i ~ z t , the source of all forces, alone eternal ancl indestructible. The lower two constantly change ; the higher third does not

1si.s Unve&d, Vol. ii, page 587, e t srq.

2 9 s T H E PXTII. I J a~luai -y ,

;. 1::\11 is also tri111ie: 11e 11:~s his 01)jectir:e ~ ) I I ! k i < , : ~ j 1 ' 1 )( \ I . ; liis \ - i t : ~ l i ~ i ~ ~ ~ L L ~ ~ I . : L ~ l)oc!y (or S O L I ~ ) , tile 1-c:~1 I I? :L I I ; aiid t l~t>he t i \ . () ~ ~ 1 . 1 : l ~ ~ ~ o ! ~ ! ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~ O \ - L , S : L I I ( ~ i1101i?i- 11;xtctl 1))- tlle thi~d-tlie so\-ereign, t l ~ e immort:~l bl)li.it. \ \~ii i~:i t!le 1 .~31 1:1atl succcccls in n>ergiilg lliil~lself \\-it11 tile lattes. Ile I lr.co:njr-. :i;: ; l > i l > ; i >!.I:L~ elltit\..

4. l lag ic , :xs s c i e~ l cc~ i h tlie i < i ~ ~ ) \ \ - l e ~ l g ~ oi t l ~ e ~ c 1)1.i:;~ ;N ;L- , :1:),1 t11e 11 .a~ 1)y \\-hiell the on?uiscieiicc~ : i l i t l oli,llil,otence o f tile +l)lri! a::cl i t - ~ ~ ~ ~ l ? i . o l ()\-el. i ~ ; i t ~ ~ r e ' s forccs i11;~y 1)c : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i r e ( l by t11c i~iclivicl~~,:il 1\.11i\c \:ill ;)I *l:c l ] ~ ( l v . Jlagic, a s a n rut , is the : i~)~)l ic:~tion of this l;no\\,ledge in ~~rac,tic.ib.

j. Arcane k~~o\vlcclge nii-;nl)l)liecl is sorcery ; 1)eneiicentlj- c-t:cl, t:.l;e :~?:tx-~c 01- wisdom. t

0. ;\lediumsllil, is tlii: ol) l)o~ite of Xcle~)tsl i i~>; the metlium is the lxts-.ivc ins t r -~ in ;e~~t of foreig~i 11; ii~:cnccs, the ,\tlel)t ncti\-el\- co~ltrolh liimsclf :~ncl :~11 ill t'er- ior potencies.

7 . ill1 tlliilgs tli:~t c\-el. \\-cre, that a re , 01. that will be, h:tvi~:,r tllcir recol.tl upon tlie astr:~l light, 01- t:ll)it t of tile unseen ul~i\-er.e, the i~~itiattlcl Xtlcpt, 1 ) ~ using tlie vision of his o~v11 s ~ ~ i s l t , c:i11 I.;IIOIV all that llas Leen ];no\\-n or can be i;non-11.

a. I taces o f nien clificr in spiritu:~l gifts a s in color. s tature, or any o t l~e r external tjuality ; : ~mong some l)eo1)le seersh~l ) natur:lll\- pre\~ails, anlong othc1.s mctliunnshil). Sotne are :t(ltlicted to solcer!-, ancl t~.:Lnhi~iit its secret rules of 1)sactice froin generation to generation, ~vitli ;I. r:111xc> oi ~)s\-cI~' :e:~l l)llc~no~ne~l;x, more 01- less \vide, a s the result.

0. One p l ~ ~ s e o f nl:~gic:~l ~ l i i l l 1s the \ . ~ I I ~ I I ~ ~ L I 1. :~1ic1 C ( # I I - L , ~ O I : \ \ \-jtl~(Ii~:~\\-;il o f tlie i1111er nlan (:1st1-:11 f o r ~ i ~ ) f r o n ~ the o11ter 111:~ii t~)ll!.-ic:!l 1 ' I I(:! I 1 1 1 I ; I C ~

cases 01' so:ne mecliu~iis ~vitlitlr:~\\-a1 occ~i~ .s , 1)ut it i h L ; I ~ ~ O I : - C ~ O ~ , : ~ ailcl i::\11;- uiit.ary. TI7ith the lat tcr tllt I~otl!. is nio1.c 01. less c:~t;tlcl)t~c at s~:cli t i~lie- : i11, t

\\-it11 the Xtlept the a1)seiicc o f tile asts;~! for111 \\-oultl liot 1;c noticecl, for the p11ysic:tl senses are :tlert a ~ i t l :he indivi(llia1 ; i l) l~ea~.s o111!- :L> tlio~lgll in :I f i t of

al)strac:io~l-"a 11so\\-11 strrc?>-", as some c:~ll it. 'I'o the movementh of the \v:~iiderin:,. astral form neither li111c 11or space ofless any ol~stacle. T h e tliau- ~na tu rg i s t thoroughly s1;illetl in occult scielice c:111 cause himself ( that is, hi.; physical bod\.) to SEr ' ? / / to tiis:i111)e;~r or to :~ppa~.ently take on any shape that lle may choose. H e may in:~i;t: his astsnl fosm \risible, or 11e nla\- give i t 111.o- tean a l ~ l ~ e a ~ a n c e s 111 t ~ o t h cases these results will be achieved 1)y a mesniel.ic llallucinatio~l siniultaneously I ~ ~ o n g l ~ t on. 'I'llis l~allucination is so perfect tll:lt the subject of it I\-oultl stalcc his life that he saw a realit\-, \\-2lcn it is bu t ;L

picture in his o\\.:~ mind impressed upon his conscious~~ess 1,- the irrcsi.t~l)le \\-ill of the mesmt~riser.

13ut ~vh i l e the astral fosnl call go atlj-\\.herc, pc~ie t rn te ally obstacle, .:~ntl 1)e seen a t an\- clista~lce f1.0111 tile plij sical botly, tlie latter is de l~cndent ul)on oytli- nary methotls o f transportation. I t may 1)e le\-itatetl under prescribecl nia:<- lletic contl i t ion~, but not pass fro111 one locality to another cscept in the u,urtl \yay. Inert ~ n a t t e r may l)e in cert:iin cases :ind under certain cont l i t io~~s tlisill- tegrated, passcc! tllrough walls a;id recombined, but living :ulimal orgaliis~lls cannot.

Arcane scier~ce teaches tha t the abandonment of the living 11ody by thr: soul frecluently occurs, ancl tha t n-e encoullter every clay in every co~ldi t io~l of live such living corpses. T7arious causes, :LmoIlg them overpo\\-ering fright , grief, clespair, a violent :tttacIi of sickness, or excessive sensnality, may bring this about. 'l'lle vacant carca5s may be entered and inhabited by the astral form of a n Adept, sorcerer, or a n elementary (an e:irth-bound disembodiec1

1lunl~t11 soul,, 01-. very rar.ely, an e1ement:ll. Of co!ii.se ~ 1 1 1 -\(lel)t c l t ' \\.llitc rn:ixii. has the srt111e l)o\\-cr, but unless sonic verj- csccl)tion;ll :11l t i xie;lt O ~ l ~ e ~ t ih to l ~ e :~cconll)lished Ile \\-ill never conhv~it to 1)oilute lli11:hcIt' I ) \ - occul>\ . i r l~ the l 'ody of a n iml)ure l)erson. I n in:aility the paticilt 's ;isti-:ll l ~ c i : ~ ~ i, ~~i:hcr- be111i-lmralpzed, be\\-ilt1e-l-etl, ant1 su!)ject t i ) the i~if l ucncc. of cvcl-y l~a.,i 11:- .;! 1ii.i i

. of an\- sost, or it has tlcl)nr.tc-tl fore\-er ant1 the l)od\- is talcell l)oxses.io11 I I I I,\.

some vampiris11 enti ty nc:lr i ts o\\.u t l i s~ntegra t io~l ant1 c l ingi~lg ticsl~rra-c:!- to earth n.hose scil,iu:~l l ~ l c a ~ ~ i r c s it 17i:iy elljoy for a brief se:Lso:l Io:iX-e:. I)! t!~:. er!)eclie:lt.

10. 'I'hc co~.~icr- stor?e of n1:~gic is a11 int imate practical l;no\\ic.c!g-c 0 1 -

~ ? ; a x n c t i ~ ~ n ;111(1 ~ ' I~c ts ie i : \ , , illcis qualities, corsel:itions, nl-ltl i)otei~cies. I<.- iwri;iii\- necc.s+ai.y is :L f:trnilia~ity \\it11 their etf'ects withil: ant1 up011 the i i l 1 i i 1 I I . '1llc1.c. ase o c c ~ ~ l t psoperties in nl:tu)- otlies nlil:e!-r~ls ecl!:;~II!- 5tr:lnge \\-it11 that in tllc loa!lsione, which a11 practitioners o f 11i:igic n~u.; t Iilio\\- and of I\-hicli SO-c:illeil esac t scichnce is I\-llolly ignorant. I'lant, nl-o ll:l\-c like m!-stival l)~.ol)ertic.s i l l :L 11!0st n - o l ~ d t s f ~ ~ l clcgree, and the secrets o f the i?el-\).; of' O I Y : L I I ~ > arlcl c ~ l c l ~ : l ~ l t ~ ~ : c ~ ~ t q :ire o i~ ly :list to 1:uropeall sciellce, ;~nc'~. ~:se!e.:- t o say too, ase tlnl;rio\\-n t o it except in a fen- marked inst:l~~cc, 1 1 I L 1 1 s l i . Yct tl:v ~ii!-cliic:ll effects of even these fe\ \ ul)o11 the hulll:li~ systenl :\re ~.ex:~~.(le(l a s evicl<::~ces o f a te:iil)os:lry ment:tl tlisoscle~..

'l'(u suni 1111 :dl ill a fc\v \vo~-(ls; Al:lxic is s1)irit11:11 \\-is(loii~; nat11sc t11e 111:~- terial :11!y, pupil, :uitl sen-ant o f the ~ i - i ;~~ i c i a l l . Oiie co~l;i?ioii vital pri~>cil)lc. 11eryxles a11 t l ~ i l ~ g s , a n d this is ~ 0 l l t ~ o l l ; ~ l j l ~ ' I)!- tlie :)el-fectec! 111:mall \\.ill. 'I'he Adept call s t i~ :~uln te the mo\-cmcnts of t!lc :~:I?IIs;LI fotccs in ;)l;~:lts a11i1 atii:il:ils in :L ~~rc t e s l l a t u r a l tlegree. Such csl)ci.in~c.nts art, not o1)sti.uctions of n:lturc, l ~ u t c11iic1;enings; the conditions 01 irllenxes vital :~ciion are given.

'i'he Xt lc l~ t can colitri)l the sen~atiol! \ ant1 :~ltcr tile ~~ont l i t ions of the ph!-s- ir;ll niitl astsal 1)otlics o f othct I)el-sol:\ ilot A-lclel)ts ; he can also govern ant1 c ~ i ~ l ) l o \ . :ls he choo.;es the s l i s i t s of the c le~l le i~ ts . l i e c:lnnot c*ontrol the im- :11ort:~1 s ~ ~ i r i t o f ally hunian I~e ing l i ~ i ~ ~ g or c1e:~d. for :ill such spirits a re alike s1):tslis 01' the I )iviile I2ssei1ce and I I O ~ su1)ject to all\- foreign clomination.

Propositions 2 and 3 corltaill and includc the seven-fold classi- t i o I11 I 87 7 11.1). E. was writing for tllose who h:icl known but the thsee.folcl scllenle. I11 num11es two the vital ps i~c ip le (p/.,r~/cz 01- j'ii'r~) is given ; the 11otiy wit11 vitality 11lakes two ; the seal man inside called the soul, be ing ccnlposed of nsfl-nZ boi<lj, lie- J ~ I . C S , :md ~lliil i t : makes fil-e ; the spirit, including the co1111vFti11g link of /:ccilLr'lli, completes the se\-en. The will is one of the for- ces direcllj- from spirit, a11cI is :-uided, with ordinary men, by de- sire; in the Adepts' case the will is guided by Budclhi, Jlanas, and Atma, including in its operation the force of a pure spiritual desire acting solely unclcr lasv and duty.

TT'~r,r . l ; \ar Q. J C U C : E .

( To he confi~zztr~t: )

I l c who beholds all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, lle never turns away from it". - 1 irgas~~1ze~~i-sn/1lAita Uja~zishalZ.

SPIRITUALISM. A " SPIRIT " TESTIFIES ON MATERIALIZATIONS

ilST month n c gave tlvo prophecies from the " 41111 ~t ' ! 111;

Xolan as re l~orted some years ago by the Kr.llx 1 0 - / ' A 1 ~ ; 1 ~ 1 , , + / ; 1 -

l a / Jolct*llaZ. ' AS this "control " has expscssecl himself cluite c'c : I' -

itell- on several sut)jc&s, this article deals ~vitl l some of' hi5 1-ic.u

on the pl~encimena of matcrializntion of "spirit forms". rl 'l~e method o f cc,mn~unicatjon ~ ;eeds csl,l:unation. I t is reported as be- ing through his *'matcrializecI organs of speech". I t is what is some- times called thc " indepe~:cicnt \-oice ' ' . In these phenonl t~la the nlecli~:nl was not cntrancecl 1;ut carrieci ci11 con1-ersation, and the voice n-oulcl souncl from the air or out of the wall. Sceptics of course say that it 1s 1)urely 1-cntrilc clui:m by the mediuln, but there are ;t large n u ~ ~ ~ b e ~ - of crccl~blc and intelligent witnesses who s:iy that after careful examination no such trick was ~)la\-ed, a n d thzt in several instances the voice was plai111~- heal-tl \ \ l ~ i l e the medium was speaking at the same t in~e . 'I'licl-e is nc, c . s c ; l~ s i~ e

impossibilitj- in the nlatter, for two cl;~s\e\ o f hpiriti car1 1)t-ojcct

voice from what appeass to 11e c n ~ l ~ t j - 5l):tce. The f i i - h t 15 cu111- posed of the spirits of l iv ing men 11 110 Il:t\-e gained great c~ccul t

power, and the other of ccrtai~i gl-05s entities existing in ZC(r?r~cz Loka.

T h e se;riices used for this article were reported by the K. 1) J o u ? ~ ~ z L ~ / , beginni~lg C>Etober I 3, I 87 7 . Replying- to the first cllles- tion, Jim Solan 's voice said that he undcrstoocl "the processes ot

form materialization of spirits ", and was then asked to fully ex-

plain such alleged materializations. IIis :Lns\ver completely de- molishes the theory that :L spirit can materialize itself, ancl tl~rc)v, s doubt around the identity nssested for any so-called spirit, but his views have not been accepted by the Spiritualists. W e said :

Qz~csfLb~z.- T\7i11 ~ C ) I I full\- es1)lain the mecha~iical proce\s, lvithout gc,ing into the chemical properties of t l ~ c 1-arious co~lstituents fartller t h a n ma!- 1)e t.5-

sential to a clear ~ulclerstandiug of your statement5 ?

Answer.-1-ou understalicl that electrical particles in a darltened rooin are in a quiet cor~dition ; and they Lire collecteci together by the \pisits and lald one upon the other until a form i \ completed. After completing thii materialized form, we take n~ag~iet is in from tllc medium, or S L I C ~ rnagnetibm as \ye can get from the circle, and put a coating upc)n the electrical pasticlei of the physical body just completed ; ancl then the spirit steps illto it and uses it in precisely the same manner as you use your physical form, controlling it by strong will-

Inadvertently, in the December article the name of the medium was given as "Hollis Billing" when it should have been "hlrs. Hollis".

1 : . 'l'lictc :Ire also otlicr niodes c b f materialization ; somc~tinicx \I-e rl1crc1~- ;;itl~cl- c;cctrical articles ;\n(l l-eiIect III)OII tlicni the face (I!' C ( : I I ? ~ sl~iri:, a re- :lec.tctl iinnge as fsonl a mirror is thcn seen ; or we lisst p1:lcc tlicse electrical p ;~~ . t i~ !cs gntlieretl in on n sheet, Iilcc, for csanil~le, :L sliect of !);11)er: tlie11 \\-e coat ~ l i i - ; .liect I\-ith cestaiil chernic:~ls fsonl the atrnosl)licre, niitl tl:cti \\.c i.cflcct elec- tricnll!. ul,on them, and tliat l)si~igs tlic form of a face, :llitl !-0:: clc):lt.!!. icletitif!. ?lie lil;e~~ess 01' :i spirit ; t'os inst:tnce, hvl-e is :L young $1-1 not 1nor.t. t l i ; ~ ~ ~ 1 0 : :11e ~netliulil can 1)e co\-el-etl \\-it11 :I co:~tiiig a~i t l 111atlc to !( )o!i prccihel!- like hes, uritl t11cn matlc to apl)e:w like tlie feel-m of nil olil man of' tiinet!.. Son1etiiile~ \~)i:'iti \\-alli out 11lj011 tllc tloos. I'i.cclut:ntl\- the mctliu~n \\-:ilks out co\-ei.c(i \\.it11 thii tiressing 01. a coating 1ool;ing cs:lctl\- 1il;c !-our dece:~sccl sel:lti\-e, antl. slloultl that f:~cie oli'. ?hc mecliuln \\-(,~ii(l !)c stuncli~ig in !-our 1)scsence.

Kcill:;: then asked a clticstion I-egal-cling deception 1)y mccli~~rns \\-llcn l~t-esellting tllemsel\-e\ as the spirit called for, he ~ i iade the f'ol:oi\-i~~: inter-esiins sema~-1;s in seplj- t o t l ~ c seco~lcl c1ue1-J- :

'I'he on!\- mocle o f puriiic.atioli is the pr'ol)cr l)urificntiotl of yo~irsel\-es. I \r-i!l \-tynture to snJ- t1i:~t !-on can l~s ing t\\-enty people into this room to-nixlit \\-110 uyl; for n~atertaiizatioi~ ; tell out of t ln t numl~es \\-oultl r:\ther li:t\-c thc iiit~tliuni \\-all; out froin tlic c:tl)inet ~xntl perso1i:ttc their i'rietlcls, prc)- \-i~ic~tl the!- (lid riot ~,ositi\-el!- tlctect the s\\-intllc, t1i:in go I I O I I ? ~ n-itl~otlt any nirit~ifestntions. ?'he spirits scc this, ;~iitl if not exactly 1iot1oral)le assist the nie(1iuin. I f Ij. Tle?yl 7-trl-e!1, zil ctz.sc2.\. (11' 1//tiie7*l2~/l-r?f(b?~ fhczt O T ~ L ' Y i . i f l i ) 1 ) ) .

I/l?-eef-cl~-//zs olrt clf t h e W ~ O I C ?/z//?/ht ' / . / /lr~//!;ft '~tlj/ ' i ,~. t z t (1: sLrr/~ce are nen-ly nia- teriali~.ed ; f/ie strurc, 1-o?*/~/ ir z~st~lll '~~ l i i ' h t r / ~ o f j l c r t.utzfi>~,q. Really, n-hat \\-oulcl 1)e tlie use in 1)uiIding :1 house for every onc \ ~ h o \\-islies to go itito one for some especial I)uspose l Xnotlicl- ;)oint : the inaterialized fosln she\\-n ? 1 ~ 7 ~ ~ ~ 7 - h t / ~ ? ! ~ ~ - t - d t o t A t ~ flk~~.siii.(z/ / ( r ~ f (!/. i'h(zt .s$ii~if ; siiel-I n~:itc~i:iIizations met-ely consisting ool cheii~icnl, electsic, and magnctic l)r-i~lcil)lcs os elements th the red from the at~nosl)here 1)y the controllin:;. or \vorki~i:;. batlcl of s1)irits.

On the tn-ent~--seventh of 06tobes ~ I I the satlie J-exr S o l a n ivxs asked to ex11l:tin the dematesializatio of s1)irit for::ls, and said :

, . I here is in such cases n 1)lack or darlienecl atmospliel-e tllro~\-11 arountl it. It does not actually c1emateri:xlize. If it d i t l , it could not l)e I~rought 1):~cIc agrtin sc.) cizickly. \T7hetl a body is matcsializetl the particles composing the same are gnth- ered together bj- the spiritx ancl placed one upon the other until the desircd form is completeti ; if these 31-c sel)nsated the!- go l~acl; to the ele~nents they \yere in before and \\-e onll- gather them toxetller again I\-ith greater diiiiculty ; and often when the forni disnppe:lrs froni vie\\- and you think it is deniaterialized, the spirits have placed arountl it a tlarkenetl atmospliere to shut it Ooni the view of those present.

On the seventeenth of Kovember, 1877, the questions put were cognate to the present subjeEt, and one of them, the fourth of that day, asked if fabrics such :ts pieces of garments were ma- terializecl so as to remain thereafter. ru'olan justly replied :

S o such fabrics are not materialized. ?'he spirit can clothe itself in garments tbat are brought from some place on earth ; they are in every sense

of tht. \ \ -o l - t l material. I t is iiiil)o+il)le fat. ~ l ) i i . i t \ t o I ~ I : L L V I ~ ~ ; L \ ~ L V :LiI>- faI)~-ic 11:.

gasi:lcnt bo that it I\-i!l semaitl 0 1 1 !-our eastli. I t \\ .oL:!(I 'I)? i11il) \iil)le i(11. ' t ~ ; ~ i . r n e n t matesializt.tl I)!- tile .;l)ii.its to reinail1 (111 tllc i:i:~tcsi:~l ~ > ? : i i ~ c . .

:it nnotller sr:tr lrrp held in the sanle place ant1 rci,i ,r.tctl in tlie same journ:~l of ( )ctol)er 2 7 , ' ; 7 , ?;ol:~rl was : ~ i ! ; ~ ( l < t l ) c 111 t Ille?ilc 11-y b\- the first cluestiol~. 111 replj-ing lle upheld the oitl \.;eT,\-\ 'L! ) c ) l i t

the ;~stsal light, o111!7 calling it 6L l~ l ag~ l e t i e l i ~ l l t ' ' . A\\ 1 ) ~ I~ , : ] - -

s l~eaking bf mernc )sy 11e \vent into lull explanation tc) i l i s t c , i ~ i i: i i

position ancl said :

I n :tncicnt tiliic\ n i en c,~lle:1 .L ceitain light s~u-rouncling and e m : ~ n a t i n q from er esy 1wr5on the ;t\tr:~l light, an(1 upotl I\-liich, they taught, \\-as Imprch\el l or' uml~sintccl e\-ery t l l n u ~ l i t or :tct of the inthv~(lual. lye, the hpirit5, . . c ~ l l thi5 ema~intion a ~nagnetic liqht. . . All tlie act5 of life are l~liotogrnphetl u1x)ii thc astral light of cacli per\on . . . the a5tra.l light retaining all tlioic

peculi~ir thing5 \\ hicll occur to you iron^ clay to tl:~y (luring life.

'This is all theosol~iiical and true. I t has a wider range than t l ~ c subject of materi;tlizations, and if follo~vecl out to its sight co~iclu- sions lvill u l~set nlany a theory lleltl 115' spiritualists of their o\\ 11

in\-ention or given them by some o f the ' ' lying spirits" Solan spoke of.

All these remarks 1 ) ~ - Jinl Kolan's ht,~ir-it I\-e col~lrnc:lci t o the attention of Spiritualists ; ~ n d Theosol)hibt\. ' 1 ' 1 1 ~ !11-\t l~:i\.cs I- : -

nored them and :~11 c o n ~ l l ~ s i ~ n s to be ~nacle fsonl tlienl 1'01- !-ecil-,, ancl in~pugnecl their isdon don^ 11y contrary action. The \\-ol-cl o f

one "spirit" sllould be of 111ore weight than the theorizinx o f i t

iil-ing iollosver o f nlediums. In the 11l;~;le from whicll the rna1:i- festations colne the "spirit" 1n11st Il:x\rc more kno\vleclg-c of these ;)llenomena t1ia11 the people 1~110 live in 1)odies on this. ilncl \\-hen we find-as in the case of I;ol,tn-:~ great deal of 'I'lieoso- pliical ancl ( )cc.ult wisdom c1ispl;~yecl t l~rough liis nledinnl, wlic) was uliconneFitec1 then wit11 tlie Theosopllicr~l Society, gilring- ex- planations wllicll azcoscl with what niany a Theosopliical stt~tlent k~io\vs to 11e true, h i s opinions are o f greater n-eislit than tlloie o f s11ell spo(jlis ;IS clecll in platit~icles or contlnue to crystr~llize niorc deeply the l~reconvic'tions of the mediutll or the sitters.

Solan's explanations completely dispose of the identity ot t h e alleged spirits. They assume a good deal in the line of Occultisni, but nothing different from tlie explanations of similar a,itral and psychic phenomena offered by Occultisni and Theosophy. 'l'hey overturn, i t is true, rliany of the spiritualistic theories, and that is why they have no credence there, for if followed out they woulcl lead to Theosophy. In many of his other replies h e says that which if attended to would have long ago purged Spiritualis~n, e x c l ~ ~ d - ed the bosh that comes in floods from mediums, and made the cult

\ - , t l ~~e to the I\-orlcl. I Ie 111-xec1 l ) ~ ~ ~ - i t ~ - o f 1i~c(li11111s xn(1 the11- nc ,n- contaci with the n-orlcl. Mc clenianclccl a cess:~tiotl c )f n-c ) r l -

tier--rllon:,rering, of see1;ing for g r a t i f i ~ ~ ~ t i o n o f c~~i.lo\itj-, of st>lfisI~ questioning for business or other tenlporar-j- p u ~ - ~ ~ o \ c . i : lie i~!\ikt- etl on intelligence in cl~~estion and investix:ttion ; llc totl~ltl 111s re- quests rcfusecl, his s~~gges t ions ig- lo red, ancl then--11t tiii:~ppe:11-cd. 'There are sonic nrho tllilll;, and 11erll;ll)s with enson on, t11:lt llc I Y ~ S

no clisenlbodied spool;, 1)ut the s l~ir i t of an intelligent 111-in< per- son who \o11g11t near the desccniling arc of the cj-cle of "spirit- u:~list~i " to inject a nen7 nletllod ancl bring about if 11ossil)le a re\-ival o f true ps)-cl~ic inr-estigation and clen~onstration ill a l~otlj- of 11eol)lc already largel!- p r e p ~ ~ r e d . Rut 11c was denied and ig- rlorecl .

I 'SO~I n-liat he s;lys \\-e can clecluce thc fol loi~~ing as testimony fr-om the n-orld called 1,y spiritualists thc \vorld o f spirits :

( n Th:lt no "m;lteri;llized form " is tlle form of the spirit claiming it,

( b ) 'I'llat all such forms are nlcrely elearo-magnetic shapes capable of deluding, being mere refIet3ing surfaces.

( 6 ) That the necessary elcrnents for them are sl~cked out from the medium and sitters, thus clepleting the 1-ital forces of all present.

f d) That in Illan!- cases the supposed face of the deceasetl is a simple 1)ifiur.e dl-awn from the astral light ancl reflecCted on the prcl);~re(l eleclr-o-clier11lc:~l 11iagnctic surface, 1)eing delusion num- ber t\\-o.

f e Tliat the astral light ;~ncl its prol)erties-or sonle such meclium-are k n o \ ~ n to this sul,er-sensual plane from \vl~ich tllc pheno~nena come.

(f) That the astral light contains, preserves, and rcflc6ts when needed the images of persons who have left tlle earth, hence also of tllose living :as well as of a11 events.

fg) That inasilluch as 110 sitter knows personally the facts of the super-setlsual realrlz ancl its denizens-excluding the few who have vision-all sitters are a t the mercy of the spool;s and the pictures, and, i t being declared by a sl~ook-lancl denizen that two or- three fo r~ns at the 111ost are used for a much greater num- ber of alleged identities to ~n;lsyueracie in, the whole question o f the identity of reporting spirits is plunged in doubt. This has always been asserted by Theosophists, ancl in the end of 187; was clearly and forcibly said by 11. 1'. Blavatsky, who, as Theosophists know, often said during her life that all phenomena were full of "psychological tricks '

f h I<efcrring further to f c ) we find that attcntling .,c5ri/l-~.s

is full c)f clanger to tlie sittcl-s frotil the 1055 o f 1-it,~lir!- clue to the pllj-sical and nervous clemellts taken fl-on1 t l ~ e ~ s I)ocl~c\ for the I I L I ~ I X ' S ~ S C C ' ~ l~henomena, ~vlietller tllosc 11c ~liateriali/,ttii 111 other. Certainly the materinli~atir,nti sc!ct.~rce is pohiti~-el\ s11( )\\.n 1,y this '*spir i tH to have s11cll dangers. -41ld i f anyone will t:il;c' tlie trouble to read wllat I-I. P. Blavatskj- said ( see Z/c~- l ' t J t ~ l r , it1 licr- life) to her sister about \s.ll:tt she salv nrith clair\~oyant eye :it t r i i t - ( . h he will more clearly see the danger ; spooks digcified \vitll the name o f "spirit" Ivere hovering a l~out like oEtopi reatly to pounce on any sen- sitive person for the purpose o f c l rawin~ his \-itality ; they en\-el- oped such, looking like vast s lx )~~ges , and then disalq~eared into the fvrlll of the person, sure to leave hitii less SO I I I L I C ~ energy.

Finally it results that there is a distinfi issue raised by J im Solan which should be decided by the foilo\vers o f mediums and

a

'Ls13irits" whether he is r-igllt or wrong ; if right, as he seems to be from a l~llilosol~hical view of the rnatter, then all theories different should be given up. At any rate the spiritualist ouglit to gil-e a good reason 1 ~ 1 1 ~ the views of this spook, so concol-d:int in many things 11-ith l'heosophr-, ha\-e 11: (1 n o :~ccept:!rlce, ~ t l ~ t l n.11~

he is ;L liar or a fool ancl ;ill tlie rcst wise.

THE FIVE GREAT BESTOWMENTS OF CHARITY.

0 NCIS upon a tinlc, R ~ ~ d d h a was residing- in tlie garclen Anata- pindada at Jetavana in Sral-:isti, with a great rlu~llber of

1Sikshus. IIe thus addresseci tlienl :-There are five kinds o f char- ity, of which now I \\-ill tell J-ou. The first is abstaining from the taking of life. R ik sh~~s , this is a great charity. But let us see, F,il;- sllus, by what reason it is called a great charity. If there nTas no dc- stroyer of life, all sentient beings then would be favoreci n-ith the enjoyment of fearless living ; and 11-lien their ~uinci svas free froti1 all fear, such evil as enmity, hatred, ant1 i n j ~ ~ r j - woulcl cease to make its appearance. Then all peace on earth and in 11e;ivcn ! This is the reason \vhy abstitlence from the taking- of i ~ f e is a great charity. So also of the other four great beston-lnents of charity, which consists o f abstaining from theft, adultery, false- hood, and intoxication.

FACES OF FRIENDS.

G I O K G E ROIZEKI STO\\'I.. ~ ~ E A I ) is the General Secret:ir!- of the European Se&ion T . S , and works day in and day ou t at the

Avenue Road Headquarters in 1,ondon. H e is an 13nglish1nan and was born in 1863. His father, Col. T i . Rlead, late deputy Commissioner Her Afajesty's Ordnance, is a distingui\llcd Ord- nance officer. So George's childhood was spent amonx. soldiers, sailors, cannon shot, shell, guns, ancl bayonets. I-lis eclucation \\.as o1,tained ~liostly a t King's school, Rochester. At St. Jol i~l ' s College he won school scholarshil), ancl proper Sizarship at Cam- l i e then vent up " destined to read for ~natliernatics supposecl to be his forte. I'astors and ~llasters said he must be a "n.sangler". But he took the bit in his mouth, threw mathema- tic5 to the dogs, ancl read for Classical Tripos. In that h e took classical honors. So far life was aimless and creedlebs, but unconsciously he was looliing for scjlnething in life as a reality.

Having become a full-blown i l E. the query was "nr11;it to do;" H e was offered a chance in a11 old established practise of an ~ ~ n c l t . in the law. H e refused this, and while looking about taught at a large l~rel~aratot-y scllool. In 1884 when he went dotvn for Cam- lx-idge he rend J~JJ~ I~~T I -~ '~ I?l~(i(Z/Ii~-li/, ancl then n-rote to 13. I<eiglltle!-, sa\y lIohini, and was l)ut on t1)e track of IIindu l~hilosol~hy, ~\-her-e he felt as i f :it hotne. 'I'hen he rcad a11 he could find on the sub- ject, ~v i th no taste for plieno~ilcna, but the latter were also studied as a necessity. After three years of teaclzir~g lie became restless and resolved on a new path, entering as an undergraduate at (9s- ford to read for classical honor ancl take up philosophy so :is to get a fellowship and then come out for Theosophy.

After reading fourteen hours a day for five months, rest be- came necessary, and, the risk in the scheme seeliiing too great, lle \vent to France to C l e r~no~ l t Ferrand and entereci at a snlall uni- vel-sity there, follo\s.ing the literary and philosophical le~?ures for six months. While there he was able to start many on 'I'heoso- phy and Spiritualism, and had an epitorne of discussions printed in French. This made a small riot, pulpits preaching against Spiritualisnl. 17rorn there he came back to London, taught once more for a year, then left, ancl met H. P. Elavatsky.

Two days after H. P. B. came to London in 1887, he met her at Norwood. She as usual asked him to stop ; all seemed familiar as if he had known them all his life. H e spent holidays at 1,ans- downe Road house, working as was possible. In July, 1889, he

306 T H E PATI-I. [January,

came to n-orii ~lncler H. 1'. E. for good, gi\-ir~x u11 ;:I1 c-lse. Since the11 there he has becn, ancl tliere lle a150 lost :l!,it XI-eat n n ~ l gootl friend n-horn to l;t~on- Ivas to admire :uncl re1-ere. So more can be said, as life is all 1)efol-e hinl, and pel-llaps lie i \ tle\tincd tc) jvork long ancl well for the ole1 T. S.

hIeac1 is stsong in ~vord a ~ d manner ; his eye is bsight, cle;tr.,

ancl sincere ; his voice not unusual ; his devotion 11nclo1i;)tt.d About the nlcdium lleight, he is built for work and to last. ,111 that we sorl-owfully collfess is that llis hair is just beyond the au- burn, like some sunset afterglow.

RELATI-ONS WITH MASTERS.

0 S E of the first experiences of :t new Theosophist just ac- quainted with the doEtrine of JIasters is a desire to be

brougllt into contae with Them. As yet thcre can be 110 fitness, no clairn, and the desire is born rather of curiosity or- ;L 1 la t~i1.~~1 ambition for a ]-are privilege. As :~cclu:iintance with seal ?'heoso- phy expands, the desire abates, for tl:e faFt is 1x1-ceil-ed 110th tha: the privileg--e has not been earned ancl that its bestowal n-oulcl Ile premature. Then with clearer views as to the actual functions of Ifasters and as to the immediate duty before the aspirant, cotnes full conviction that ample resources of ordinary kind exist for present light ancl strength, as also that relations will arise when, and only when, Jlasters discern both the need ancl the right. I t may even be said that the fitter the preparation the lessthe desire, since increasing humility from sense of shortcorning averts the supposition that relations can be yet possible.

In a prex-ious article there were stated the class to whom Mas- ters vouchsafe proof of Their existence, and also Their obje& in so doing. The class is of those wllo have been zealous, faithful ser- vants in Masters' Cause, and the o b j e e was needed help, sympa- thy, encouragen~ent, or stimulus. TYllat degree of service m7ar- rants the n~anifestation is of course a question for the donors alone to decide. n'o one else, the recipients least of all, is in ]lo- sition to conjeeure.

Evidently relations may be, as to the 1%-orkers, conscious or un- conscious. The former would exist, in minor form, ~vherel-er a Master, by whatever method of communication H e might be pleased to adopt, made clear the fa& that H e hacl observed the worker, hadapprovedllis devotion, and felt for him interest ancl care.

S u c i l an assurance ~vould demonstrate .;el-ern1 thing\:-that earnest .el-i-ice was certain to a t t r a a attention ; that it ~ v o i l i t l , n-hen of suffi- clerlt mount to justify notice, receive i t ; that the interest \~oulci ne\-er cease ~ v l ~ i l e the service was maintained; and that it ~~7011ld be sure to rlinnifest whenever circumstances called for help, sym- p:tthy, or atli\-e sustentrttion. ,-It a more advntlced stage-C!~c.la- b!1ip, the conneCtion nroulcl be of course clistinfily avo~vecl a~lcl the C'lle1i-i ? ~ c acltnitted to closer union, but ho\v the nvowa! n.ould 1)e

tn,~tlt., and what terms esacctecl, and what rules prescrii)ecl, must ljc 11n1;non-11 to us who are n~ithou t this experience.

Cut unconscious relations be just as real. They psoba- bly exist in every case wl~ere a human soul senses the value of spiritual things and feels an impulse to secure tliem, for the first flutter of spiritual life muyt he instantiy discerned and el- conled by Those whose ~nission it is to disseminate such life throuqhout llu~llanity and to foster its progress. I-Ience el-erj- as- piration conneas with hlnsters and ensures responsive aid. TYhen it so far asserts itself as to lead to active philantllropic work, par- ticularly if iiz the Society ~ ~ h i c h Masters have established as Thei:- special agency for the spread of the Wisclo~n R e l i g i o ~ ~ at this era, the subject of it is brought more clireCcly (as it is termed) n-itll- in Their '&say ", and thus is affefiecl by the forceful n~armth \vhicll streams along that. Ideas arise from time to time within his mind whicll seem quite nornlal to its usu;ll \vorking-s. but wllich rcallj- hare been sown there by a Sul~crior ; impulses start fro111 no ob- vious cause, yet the ac!?ual cause is not suspecrted; affairs prosper, but are accounted for on ordinary grounds of energy and persis- tence. That a Master may be tracing out the course and facilitating its pursuance does not occur to the pilgrim. Yet all the tirne that influence may be at work, and, if i t is unop- posed by counter ones, nlay lead on to a stage of service and of merit wllere the unconscious help may be revealed to cotlscious- ness. Thus, as in evolution universally, there is the incipience of life, the gradual invigoration of that life, its emergence into ac- tive funcition, its efflorescence in visibility, its recognition as a f a a .

R u t let us suppose that spiritual vitality, accompanied with thpr unselfish effort for others which is its evidence and test, has so far progressecl that recognition of it is appropriate. Still there needs an occasion not less so. A superfluous clemonstsation n-o11lc1 be colinter to that wise la\v of economy ruling here as elsewhere in Sature . Xasters, we are told, are " reiidjusters", not continu- al interferers a t every point and allowing no play to spontaneous movetlzent or to maturing eharafier, but wise overseers ivho inter-

30s T H E PATH. [January.

pose only when interposition is needfill to avoid costly loss, to prevent serious mistake, to corre& error, to recover from depres- sion, to confer necessary strength, to give encourus ement, to assuage doubt, to suggest duty, to arouse assurance. So long as men are fallible they are liable to exhibit fallibility, but thoruuzh devotion gives Karmic claim to help against the fallibility's becom- ing disastrous and impairing the devotion. A t the point n-htr-e weakness threatens disaster and where Karmic right entitles t o

assistance, is an epoch justifying a disclosure from Masters. I f everything is going well and if no adequate capital of merit has been accunlulated, there is no reason for manifestation : in the converse condition, the I-eason is ample.

How, at such a point, is the manifestation made ? Assuredly no one can presume to enumerate all modes, or even apparently fix limits to the afiion of Masters. There must be many means of which no one short of Jlastership can conje&ure. Yet in published Theosophical works, and in confidential utterances to others from Theosophists thus honored, it is certain that arnong those modes there must be ( a ) a message sent through an eclually zealous menlber with an organism psj-chically fitted forreceil-itlganc! transinitting i t ; ( b ) a written co1nmunic;ition from a men11)er a - ready in relations with i\lasters and receiving tlireEtic111 to \\'rite i t : ( r ) a written co~nmunication through and bj- an afiual Chela a&- ing under orders; ( d ) a dire& message given by a knon~n Chela and avowedly as message from a Master; ( 6 ) a precipitated papel- effe&uated dire&ly by a Master or by a High Chela thus instrucicci : (f) vocal utterances through the physical bocly of a proper subject temporarily overshadowed or even fully occupiect by a Master: ( g ) a conlmunication by a Master himself to the interior being of the recipient, i t being seized by intuition and by use of inner fac- ulties. There is of course still another case (/I), that where a Master personally appears and speaks; but as this is known only in exceptional instances or where Chelaship aaual ly exists, i t ha> no 'place in the matter nom7 considered.

T o describe tests of genuineness in any or all the above modes must here be inpraaicable. Much depends upon what the recipi- ent antecedently knows of the transcriljer or LVI-iter; much upon the circumstances of the specific case ; much upon the intuition of the recipient; very much upon the charaaer of the communica- tion. The present treatment is only of cases where genuineness is amply evidenced to the one concerned.

The immediate effe& of such a message is a mixture of hum- bleness and encouragement : humbleness that so much imperfec-

tion still survives in one so honored, encouragement at the knowleclge that a Master has deemed him n-o~-tl~!- o f His notice. The avowal of the notice is an ;ivowal that relations exist, but as they only exist because of the worthiness thus inclicated, the suc- ceeding perception is j r -s t , that they will exist onlj- so long as the worthiness is maintained, seconil', that they will be ailnulled when- ever that worthiness sinks below the necessary level. Hence follows the conviQion that the relations are henceforth on the responsibility solely of the disciple, the 1Zaster having already signified His readiness to continue the111 and the disciple being thesefore the one to determine whether his condu& shClli make possii?)!e the continuance. H e has been invested with a privilege : it is for him to preserve or to forfeit it.

Succedent thereupon is a two-fold condition within. There is a new sense of the reality of Masters as a working fa&or in Theo- sophical life, and a very deep and heart-touching realization that the recipient's course has been upon the right path, inlbuecl with the right motive, and thus far s~~ccessful in its purport. I l is im- pulses have not been misguicled, nor his aspirations visionary, nor his work deficient : all ha\-e been endorsed 11;. an authority abundantly capable. Distrust ~voulcl be both groundless and dis- respeaful ; even uncertainty may be thrown away as unjust. The other conviEiion is of profound resolution that the course which has received such endorsement shall be pursued, that the rela- tions it has evoked shall be maintainecl. Xnd thus the effecZ of a conscious tie to Masters is a union of encouragement with deter- mination.

As conscious relation with YIasters is far more than a valued honor, being really of incalculable importance in spiritual pro- gression, the question of its extension and strengthening h;is enormous moment. Obviously, anything which is incongruous with it, ~v l~e t l l e r of interest, rnemory, imagination, d ~ s i r e , t l ~ u ~ g h t , whether in habits, pursuits, speech, a&ion, needs abandonment as setting u p vibrations not concordant and therefore hostile. I fen are not perfet3 beings : if they were, they ~vould not be here : and 3lasters do not expeel a perfeeion ~vhich is necessarily non- existent. But they do expet3 at least an honest effort to correcZ all vibrations which antagonize Their presence and Their influ- ence, even though human weakness ensures occasional slips. Ant1 in this correaion, as otherwise, Their help is pledged to each such effort. Furthermore, the strengthening of the tie is greatly aid- ed by frequent meditation upon Them and an attempt to sense vividly Their nearness, for this a&ualizes Them in the mind,

gives Them reality as living presences aru1111~1 and ~ v i t l i i ~ ~ , nlakes the tie more close and palpable. Thouglit, as Theosophy eves emphasizes, is a most potent agent, creating ffol-nls, vivifying them, perpetuating them. And when exercised lipon existing entities such as blasters, i t gives them interior re;llit>-, force, in- fluence. Pai ly the hindrances to their aid abate, the relation becomes habitual, the consciousness of it normal.

How shall relations , with Masters be attained ? Sinlpl!- through the performance of cluty. There is no other recipe for any good. But duty is a highly inclusive term. I t means all that is owed to oneself and one's Higher Nature, all of self-disci- pline and purification and advance ; and it means all that is owed to others, to generous help of the race, to the work of the Theu- sophical Society. I t covers all obligations, but i ts fulfilment secures all blessings.

Are relations with lllastcrs to be avowed? Certainly neve.- for self-satisfaEtion, even less for pride or glory. Such a state o f mind would vitiate them at once. I t cannot be said that at 110

time, in no circutnstances, for no pnrpose, may this be done, for Esotcl-zt Bltrir?hz's~~~ ancl not a fen1 other Theosophical pu1)lications have had of necessity their groundwork in such relation,, l)ut fo r ordinary Theosophists, not called by obvious dut!- to !)soi'fer- pe:-- solla1 experience in support o f doctrine, these is a silencc n-i11cl1 1, golden. I t is no hardship, since the more sacred of life'b chapter-\ are not opened on the highway ; it is not useless, since it avoids cavil by the jealous and the scoff?ing ; ancl it is not unwar-- r:~ntccl, since the no st richly endowed of men are the least asser- tive or proclamatory,-the very ?Ifasters Themselves..

AI,EX*I-\~)I.K FLI l , ~ ~ l o x , F.T.S.

'THE SYMBOLISM OF THE UPANISHADS. I .

S 1 ~ 1 ) ~ s l s of the Oriental Theosophy, which finds its highe?t expression in the Ten Upanishads, are met a t the outset I)!-

n serious difficulty ~ ~ ~ h i c h has proved a real stumbling-block in the way of tnany earnest disciples, and has alnlost completely x-eileti the true meanins of these most ancient mystical books to all LT-110 have approached them in a purely literary or phi!ological spirit.

This serious difficulty, which is caused by the sys~lbolism of the Upanishads, requires two qualifications for its solution : first, some knowledge at first hand of the interior truths and realities

represented by these symbols ; and secondly, a certain ~~cqui i int- ance with the symbology of the great religions of antiquity. This ancient symbology is marked by such a unifor~nity in co~~n t r i e s and times as widely separated as those which gar-e birth to the lye- das and the Book of Job, the IIysteries of Osiris ancl the Xpoca- lypse, that, in view of these resemblances, not only is one led to infer an identity of inspiration underlying all ancient sj-mbolism, but also that an accluaintance with the method of expression of one ancient faith will often give clear insight into the darkest passages of another.

The source of this original identity of inspiration is not far tcl seek : for all the ancient religions treat of the same subje&, the ~ n y s - teries of the interior development of man, and the understanding of the universe \~.hich is reached in the course of that interior develop- ment. I t is evident that a complete and exhaustive understand- ing of the ancient scriptuses and the mysteries of inner life which are hidden beneath their symbols can be attained only by those ~vllose inner unfoldment has gone so far as to identify then1 with the spirit in which these ancient scriptures were written, the universal spirit of wisdom and goodness. But though a conlplete understanding of the whole meaning of books like the Upanishads is thus impossible for all but the highest n11d holiest Sages, one cannot follo\v thc path of interior develop~nent, of the inner light. wit11 earnestness and integrity, without gaining some insight into the hiclden meaning of tlle syn111ols ; and this, added to an ac- qu;iintance with other scriptures, may make clear rnuch that seemed hopelessly obscure.

The best way to illustrate this is by a concrete example ; anc1 we cannot do better than begin with the K a t h ; ~ Upanishad-the " Secret of Death, " as one translator calls i t - which is distin- guished for its purity and beauty of style and its universal nppli- cation to human life, not less than for its avoidance of mere technical ancl scientific treatnlent of certain special pox\-ers and potencies of the inner life, such as one finds, for instance, in the Chhandogya and Brihadaranyaka Vpanishads. The Katha Upa- nishad begins :

V;jashrarasa, ~ e r i l y , seeking favor, ofiered in sacrifice all he possessed. He had a son, also, by name Sachiketas. Him, though still a child, faith entered, when the offerings \\-ere brought. He meditated :

-These have drullk water, eaten grass, given milk, and lost their strength. Joyless worlds he gains who offers these. He addressed his father : - To whom, then, milt thou give me ? said he. Twice, thrice he askecl

him. - 'To Death I give thee, said he.

5 1 2 T H E PATH. [ J ;~~lunry ,

I t \vouicl not be contrary to the spirit of these ancient scriptures to finc? a nleaning in the names of I';achil;et:~s ancl his father. \-5ja.i11sa\-li~a may meall " one ivho sacrifices accc cling to tradi- tic ln 01- ritual", while Sachiketas may mean " o n e 1\-11o has lost the desii-e for sensation". But without insisting ul10n this, 11-e n1ay tusn to the xeneral meaning of father and son. so11, ill the symbolism of the Cpanishads, means a new birth ; eithel- s1)iritual regeneration, or simplj- rei'ncarnation ; this ~lleaning of the neiv life n-liicll faith had e~ltere(l, or o f the soul in that new life, is repsesented here by Kachiketas. I-iis father is the past birth, or the collclitiorl before the spiritu;~l rebirth, which offers an inade- cluate sacrifice.

The lean cattle, \vho ha\-e ' b given milk and lost their strength", represent either ~vorlclly e~ljoyments or the physical powers whicll enjoy them ; just as perfect, well-nourished c o i ~ ~ s represent the spiritual powers wl~ich succeecl them. \'2jashravasa, the type of the soul in the former or unregenerate birth, offered up these lean cattle. the physical enjoy~ncnts ; Nachilcetas, his son, the new or regenerate birth, perceived that this offering was inadequate ; the offering needed was not the sacrifice o f n-orldly enjoyments, b u t the sacrifice of self.

( Sachiketas meditates . ] - I go the tirst of iuany ; I go in tllc ri~itlst ol' III:LII!-. IY11:tt is t l l iq \voi.ii of

I k a t h , that he will work on me to-clay ?

I,ool;, as those that have gone before, l~ellolcl so are those that s l~al l cotnc after. corn a mortal is ripened ; as corn he is 11cll-11 again.

[ S:~chiketas comes to the IIouse of Death. Sachiketas speaks : ] -Like the Lord of Fire, :t pure guest comes to the lloust. They offer him

this gseeting :

Bring water, O ICing I )eat11 ! Fair hopes and frietlclship, truth :tud holy deeds, so~ l s and cattle, all forsalic

the foolish tnan in \\.hose house a pure guest dn-ells, \vithout food.

What is the House of Death to which Nachiketas comes ? I t has two meanings. The first ancl universal meaning is the physi- cal world, the "worlcl of birth :und death" to \vhich the soul comes in each n e x life. The second, Illore special, meaning is the under- world, visited by the spirit of the neophyte a t initiation.

1 After three days, Death returns. Death speaks : 1 -As thou, a pure guest and honorable, hast clwelt three nights in my

house ~vitllout foo~I-ho~lo~- to thee, pure one, welcome to thee - against this, choose thou three wishes.

[ Sachiketas speaks : ) -'l'hat my father m a y be a t peace, u-ell-minded, and n-it11 angel- gone

toxvards me, 0 Ileath ; that he may speak kindly to me, 1v11en sent forth by thee ; this of the three as my first wish I choose.

I I )cath speaks : 1 - -4s I~cfol-e \\-ill he be ltitlcl to thcc. sent forth 1,y n;ce : 1)y nigi~t \\.ill lie

- ; rep \\-ell. n.ith anger gone, seeing tilee set free from tllc moati; of 1)e:~:h.

'I'ht- three nights which Sac!liketas passes it1 the I-Iouse ot' I )eat11 have also two meanings ; the first, the universal meaning., In which the three nights are the " three times", present, p:lst, and future, the three conditions to which everything is sul~ject in this pliysical n-orld, the House of Death. l'he special nle~xnin;<- refers to tlie initiation in which t!le soul " dcscendcd into hell, ant1 rose again the third day". One of the three ~vislies o f Sacliiketa\ refers to each o f these "three times" ; the first, "that the father mar- I)c at peace ", refers to the 11:tst ; tlic niesning o f " father" 1)eing the saint as befol-t..

[ S:lcllilietas speal;s : 1 - - In the heax-ell-~rorld t11c.l.e is 110 fear ; nor art thou there, ant1 fe:ir conies

not \\-it11 old age. Crossing o\-er 1i111lger :tticl thirst, ant1 going beyot~d sorroiv. he exults, in tlie lieaven-n-ol-l(1.

'I'he hc:t\-erily fire thou ii11O~est. 1)enth ; tell nle ~ t , for I am faithful. 'I'lic hen\-c:1-\rorlds enjoy un.1~-iug~iess. 'I'his as my second wish I choose.

[ Ljeath speaks : ] -To thee I tell ~t : listen then to me, 0 Sachiltetas, learning that heaven-

ly fire. I<now thou :tlso the escellellt \\-inning of entlless \\-orlcls, for this is hiciclen in the secset place.

I-Ie tolcl him the11 t1i:~t fire, thc source of the \\,orltls, nntl tlle I)~-ick.; of thc altar, ailcl ho\v n1:Lny and \\-hat they are. Ant1 iie again spo!ie it 1)aelt as i t \\-:ts tol(1 ; ;tll(l I)entti, \\-ell pleasccl, again acltlresser1 him.

'The nest three verses, which speak of the t r i l~le fire as part of a cerenlony, are evidently a later addition ; they are therefore ornit- ted here. I t is possible that they take the place of older verses ~vhich spoke too clearly of the sacred fire and were therefore omitted in the later manuscripts. Rut the secret of the triple fire m,ly be rcvealed by the ~vords, " he told him that fire, the source of the mrorlds, and the bricks ( of the altar ), how many and what they a re" ; the triple fire being here the Higher Triad, the 1111-

~nanifestect three that underlie creation, preservation, and regen- eration ; as also the being, consciousness, and bliss of the Self, the Lxtm5. The altar being the n~atlifested world, which is cron-11ed by the unrnanifested three. The square altar is thus the lower quaternary, the bricks being the four or seven planes or n~orlds of manifestation. The triple fire and the square altar 1s.oulc1 thus be the triangle above the square in symbolism, the triangle being the same as the Egyptian pyramid, also connected with " pu r " or fire. The "speaking back" is the refle3ion of thc se\-en in Nachiketas, the individual soul.

3 1.1 T H E PATH. I] : inua~-~- , Tleath speaks : ]

-'l'his is the heavenly fire for thee, Sachiketa.;, \\.hicl; tho:^ ll:~.;: cllosen :is t h y seco~lcl ~visll. 'rhey shall call this fire thine. Choose thy tllistl \\-isli, Sa- chiketas.

[ S;~chiketas speaks : 1 -'This doubt that there is of a mat1 that has gone forth : ' . 11c. esi-t--" +ay

solne, and " he exists not" others sa!-. A l;no~vledge of this t:~l.:xiir i ) ~ thcle : this of my ~vishes is the- thircl ~visli.

[ Lleath speaks : ] - Even by the gods it \vas dou1)ted about this ; not easily llino\\-:xl)le ~111 (1

subtle is this law. Choosc, Sachiketas, another wish. Hold nle not t o i t : spare me this.

[Nachiketas speaks : ] -Even 11y the gods, thou sayest, it was doubted about this ; 110s easiiy

knan-able is it, 0 1)eath. Another teacher of it cannot be founcl like thee. S o other wish is equal to this. '

This third wish is the essence and crown of the whole LTp:~ni- shad. Not the first wish " that the father may be at peace," that the past may " sleep well " ; nor the second wish, the heavenly fire, are the true mystery of the Secret o f Death.

The words, " the doubt that there is of a man that has gone forth," evidently bear two meatlings. They sefes first to the death of the body, and the doubt as to the sur\-ival o f the person- ality. 13ut this is not the deepel- ~neaning-. S i i ~ l l ~ l i ~ t a s 11:t.:

confidentlv looked forward to the time when he shiill 11e :.t.lcclhi.cl

by Death" and "freed froin the mouth of Lleath"; ant1 has 5pol;t.n of "the heaven-world which enjoys inlmortality"; so that he does not doubt as to the immortality of the soul, in its ordinary sense of the individual survival after death.

I t is not this physical death, but the death \vhich precedes the true spiritual rebirth and in\vard illumination ; the death c ~ f the passions and selfishness, of personal clesise, whicli nlust be passc(1 through before the initiation by the spirit is reached ; what Pan1 calls the " death to sin, and the new birth to righteousness " ; the death which comes only once, while the physical death comes many times ; the turning-point of the soul, after it has reached its extremest limit on the outward path. This is the death whose secret Nachiketas asks. The " man that has gone forth " wo~ll(l be, in this sense, the Jiviinmukta, "for whom there is no return", who has entered Nirvsna, of ~vllotn the gods have doubted : 11e exists ' say some, ' he exists not, ' others say. "

Of this secret there is no teacher but Death ; the death of

selfishness must be passed tllrough before an understanding can be reached of that true undyingness " which is not imnlortality but eternity"; and which may be reached in the midst of life. long before the time of physical death has come.

[ Death speaks : ] -Choose sons and granclso~ls of a hundred years ; ant1 cattle ancl elephants

n:ld gc'ltl and horses. Choose the great treasure-house o f the world, ~ i ~ l t l live as many autunlns as thou wilt.

If thou thinkest this an equal wish, choose wealth and le~lgtll of days. IZe thou mighty in the ~vnrld, 0 Sachiketas. I make thee an enjoyer of tliy desires.

Whatsoever desires are difficult in the mortal world, nsli all desires accor-d- i11g to thy will.

These beauties, with their chariots and lutes- not such as these are to l ~ e \van by me11 - be waitecl on bv them, my gifts. Ask me not of clg-ing, Snclii- ketas.

This answers to the offer n-lacle by the Lord of the House o f

Death to another neophyte, who, like Nachiketas, "clescendecl into hell, and rose again the third day" ; the offer of the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them. It would seem that the knowledge 2nd power which make the spiritual rebirth possible are great enough to render certain the winning of any lesser prize, if the ambition to be mighty on the earth remains. These alter- natives are offered, therefore, by the power which, if they : r e refused, will becorne the Initiator.

[ Sachiketas speaks : ] - Ky to-n~orrom these fleeting thing5 wear out the vigor of a n~ortal 's po~vs-ers.

Even the whole of life is little ; and chariots and dance are in thy power. Not by wealth call a man be satisfied. Shall we choose wealth if we ha\-e

seen thee ? Shall we desire life while thou art ma5ter ? Hut the wish I choow is verily that.

Comltig near to the unfatllngness of the ~mmortals, a fading nlortxl here l~e lo~v , ancl understnutling it, understand~ng the sweet., o f beauty and plea,- use, n-ho n-ould rejoice in length of days ?

This tha t they doubt about, 0 Death, \\-hat is In the great Reyonct, tell me of that. This wish that draws nigh the niystery. Sachiketas chooses no otlicr wish 11ut that.

DISAPPEARANCE OF ASCETICS AT WILL.

w E: often read of yogees and Rishees disappearingon a sudden ; a moment before, they were speaking to a king or his minis-

ters, their mission ends and they disappear. How could they do so ? Dicl they appear in their llayiivi Rupa ? Could they dissolx-e their physical bodies a t will and re-form them? I was often con- fronted by these questions but could not answer satisfaE-korily; many of our Saints have thus disappeared, a few even after the Mahommedan Conquest of India. One was seen to enter a tem-

; I 6 'I'HE PATII. [ J anuary,

ple for the apparent purpose of worship, but was riel-er seen to cclme out again; the temple had but one cloor and no windows; he was living near the tenll~le long sinc~--in his l)h~-sical body; his work ended, he disappeared on a sucld&n.

2 . XOLY it n~ulit be understood that in all sucll pllenomena what is absolutely necessary is a cleveloped and trainecl \\.ill anci a strong. power of concentration prarticed for a long time. l'he Yogi simply hypnotizes the persons present and passes clut uno1)- servecl. 'Yo a person thus trained it is only necessary to concen- trate on the thought that his bady is witllout a rupa, and :IS a strong-scented essence when opened in the midst of an assen~bly affeAs all present, that focalized thought sends out rays on all sides and a!3e&s or hypnotizes those standing near ; and they do not see the Yogi, though he might pass by them or be close to them. That this can happen has been already proved in France and other places by hypnotic experiments.

3. But no such successful concentration is possible without preliminary training, without long practice. In those days they never tried to knotv sonlething of every thing, but each tried to it'/ 2'12 fha f which 0Ppt'lZi.eri (lest szrz'fc~d to hri i r l z t l ~ C.

4. The yogees in those days mixed tnore freelj- ~v i th tncn, and perhaps the conditions were more f a ~ o r a l ~ l e then. I t was only after the battle of Kuru Kshettra and the death of Sree Krishna that they retired to thenceforth live in a secludecl sacred spot where the influence of the Black Age would not be felt.

5 . And now Antardhanam, as such disappearance is called, is no longer regarded by our Indians, educated in the science of the West, as belonging to the realm of truth and reality, until western hypnotism, a monster infant of occult laws, shows them that Antardhanam is not an irnpossibillty after all.

6 . But that power of Concentration, that preliminary training are no longer to be found in us. We aim a t knou-ing all about everything, can talk on a variety of subje&s which must have bewildered many a sage, had they been living still, and we are always actirte and talking, and imagine that we are progressing.

7. Thus in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali we find in the twenty- first Sutra of Bibhuti Padu that on concentrating on the rupa of our l~ociy, its visibility being suspended, there is no more union wit11 the power of seeing, and Antardhanam is accomplished. Xow it must be understood that in order that we might see an ob- je& three things are necessary, viz. : I . The visibility of the obje& ; 2. Our power to see ; and 3. The union of the two. If, for instance, there be no transparent media between our eyes

and the obje&t to be seen, the first coldition is wanting and we do not see it ; if, again, the object is visible but our eyesight is not strong enough, we do not see it because condition S o . 2 is not ful- filled. It sometimes happens that being deeply absorbed in think- ing we sometimes do not see an objeR though perfeFtly visible to 11s and our eyes dire&ed towards i t ; in this case there is no union between the two. T o make an obje& invisible, therefore, u7e should cut off this union; in order to do this, the minds of others must be affected, and this is done by a trained and concentrated will.

KAI,I P K . ~ S A K N A ~ I U K H E R J I . Hal-aka?-, I//ditr, ,';rpren/hc)- 10, 189.7.

El). Xo,r~:.-The aphorism of Patanjali on the subject of this article i < So. 2 I , Hook I I , and in the X~ner ica~ l edition reads as follo~vs:

ljerf,lrlning conce~ t r a t l on in r-eg;~rd to the prclperties and essential na ture c:f forrti. espci:t!ly of the. human body, the ascetic ncc l~~ i r e s the power of causing the tlisappear'incc i ~ f h i5 vorl)oreiil t r a n ~ e from the sight of others, i~evause thereby itsproperty o f being : L I I I I V ~ -

liencled by the eye is checked, and tha t property of sattT7a wl~icll exhibits itself a s lunlin uusness is disconnected from the spectator 's organ of sight.

In the old edition and in that publixhed later by l l .S . l )vivedi , the worci used for concentration is sanyama. ?'his is to be translated as concentration, c~nd also " restraint", which comes to the same thing. The aphorism raises the iss~ies niade by modern science that n o disappearance is possil~le if the object be in line with a nornlal eye ancl there be light and the like. I-Iyp- notisni has for some made the 111oder-n vie\\. a little tloubtful, but many cleny hyp~lotism, ant1 the cases of c!isapl)earnnce in those experiments have all l x c n 1)ut t1is:~ppenrances for the senses o f 1)ut one person li-110 is admittedly under some ilitluence and is not nol-mnl in organ and fu~lction. The author citc- alleged cases of conlplete c1isal)l)e:~r:~nce o f :~scetics from the sight of 11o1.1i1a; II~SX)IIS 1x)rmally exercising their senses. I t is not a case of hypnotism collvct- ively or otherxvise, but shoulcl be distinguishc& from all such. 111 11yp11otic c:tses normal function is abated and the nlintl inipose(1 Ivith ;in inhibiting iitIen or picture \vhich seems real in action to the sul~ject. I n the cases o f the ascet- ics there is left to those a l~out perfect control of their organs and senses, t l ~ c porverf:ll mental action of the ascetic bringing into play a n o t h c ~ la\\-, as indi- cated in tlie aphorism, \vhich preve~its the senses, lio\vever normal, fro111 heeing the form of thc ascetic. l?orm, it is held by tlie occult~sts of the school to which Patanjnli must have belonged, is an illusion itself, which remains for tile generality of 1)eople l~ccause they are subject to a grand common limitation due to the non-development of other than the usual senses. I t .ivould seer?? that all clairvoyance might prove this, as in that it is knon-11 by the seer t11:~t ever>- form visible to our eye has extensions and variations in the subtler parts of its constitution which are not vis~ble on the material plane. The illusionar!- ~ ia tu re of form in its essence being meditated on, one l~ecomes able. ~t is ilelcl, to check the "luminousness of saifvrr" ant1 thus prevent sight. This does not mean that ordinary light is obstr~scted, but sonlcthing cliffcrent. All light. gross or fine, is due to tlie universrtl sait71n, ~vhic!l is one of the qualities of the basis of manifestecl nature. And besides showing as ordicary light, it il- also present, tinseen by us i t is true, bat absolute!y necessary for any sense-pc,:

ce;)tion of: that sort, \\liethcs 1)y men. nnini:~ls, 0 1 - in5ect.- If 111~. fi11er 11lr~11e of thib l u ~ ~ ~ i n o u s n e s s is ol)structecl, the ordi~lar:\- 11ght i h no!lc. tllc less. !)ut the schult \\-ill be tha t 110 e!-e can see the botly of t11:it person \vli( 15c. ~i i i~lcl is opes- ative a t the tilne t o cause the o b ~ t r u c t i o ~ l o f thc l u ? l i i ~ i o u ~ clualit!- 111~11- t o 1 1 This nl:t\- scclli li~l)osccl, 1)ut it is in conxcc l~~e~xc o f our I:~;ixil;~g.e ;111d itlea5 that such is the c.:ihc. 1 have k n o \ ~ n solme cases i ~ i the \\-c.ht 01' tlisa1)- pc.arntlces siniiiar to t1111s~ n;entioncd 11)- t he Sowgoing :~rticle. alltl in .\c,( ? -e l

l)c)it?-lizc and, I think, /st,- ( 7ti-dc~iletZ a?-e some references to the n1:it:er. \\-liere the aut11o1- says tile yo\\-er co~lfesl.etl b y this is \\.ontlerful a s \\ell a s full I ti i.c-

s o i s i l i l i t y . \T711ilc very liliel!- no Theosopllist or scicnt~st n.ill bc able t o iihc this 1)on-er, till the cases citetl and the esp1:~ri:ition n-ill go to~v:~rds showing tli:it the ancie l~t I<isliees k~!e\\- niore of man ancl his Iinture than moderns are psonc to allo\\-, and it m:~y ;~lso serve to dl-an- the attention of the nlintl o f young Indians who n-osshil) the shrine of nloderti science to the works ancl thoughts o f their ancestors.

B U D D H A A N D A D E V A . *

T 11 L T S I have hearcl. On a certaill clay the T:les.sctl onc (Ijucl- clha) cln-elt at Srasvati, a t the Jeta gro\-e, in the g:irtlen o t

Anatapindaka. \Then tlie night nTas far :ltl~-ancerl, n rac1i:~nt celeb- tial one (Dex-a), whose countenaticc n-as esceecling1~- s ~ i l ~ l i n ~ e anci n-liose refulgent splenclor illuminated the n-hole of the ;;ro\-e, approached the Bhagal-at (Rudcllia) and worshipped him, stancling aside. He then addressed the Bhagavat in verse-What is the sharpest sword? What the deadliest poison? T.7CThat the fiercest fire? What the grossest dar.kiiess?

Bhagavat repliccl in \-erse-A harsh 11-ord is the sharpest word : covetousness, the deadliest poison ; anger, thc fiercest fire ; ignor- ance, the grossest darkness.

The Dcva asked: Who does gain the greatest benefit? Who does lose the most? What is tlie most invulnerable armor? What the best weapon?

Bhagavat replied : He is the greatest gainer who gives to othel-, ancl he loses thc most who receives from other. Patience is the most ixivul~lerable armor; wisdom the best weapon.

Deva: Who is a thief? What is the most precious treasure for tlie wise? Who is a robber (not only on the earth, but also in the heaven) ?

Bhagavat : Evil tllought is a stealer; virtue, the most precious treasure for the wise. Immorality is a robber, not only on the earth but also in the hcnven.

:::'I Sut rn , translated from t h e Chinese by 31. -\Iatzuyalliu. I:rom Tracts of Guddhist Prop. Soc. of Kyoto, Japicn.

1 1 ~ ~ - , I : TYlio enjoj-s the 2-r-catsst hal)piness? TTllo is the 1.ic11estj \ \-ho 1, tile noblest? ITlio tlie most ig~loblc?

I:liaga\-at : H e whose desires are nloderatc is most llnppy ; he i b ~.ic,llest ~ v h o is contented; the ~ ' i r t u o l ~ s is I I O ~ I ~ C S ~ : tlie vicious is l~asest.

&I-a: What is that n-liich is attraFtive? TT'hat is that n-llic.11 is disgusting? IThat is tlie most horriblc pain? T'l'hnt 1s tlie greattht enjoyment'

T S ~ I ; I ~ : I \ - : L C ~ : Good i \ attrafiive ; evil, disg,.usting. Of all the l ) ;~in , , tile i~e l l is the ~i lost tormc~it ing; the c1eli.i.ernzice from re- i~ir th i h thc lleigllt of bliss.

I)e\-a: \That wisll is riglit and proper? What ~visli is wrong anL1 i in l )~ . (~ lxr? TI7hat i4 tlie lnost violent fever? Who the best l~ l~~-b ic i ; in>

R11:ig-a.i*at : I=mnncip;!tion from tl-ansrnigratorj- existence i\ 1.i~11t anti 1irctl)er to n-is11 for ; but not all the evil desires. Con- cul~i\ccrlc.e is the most violent fc\-es; Euddlia, the best phj-sician.

L>e\-a: \That power is able to mi11 all the world? 13~- wllat ir?- fluence is all the world co~lfuscd? What nlalies us forsake our friends? What does prevent our ljeing born in the heal-en?

13hrtga\-rtt : I t is 115' igrlornnce that all tlie ~vorlcl is ruined, and I)!- sceptics that i t is confused. X cruel, co\-ctous heart causes us to for~:~l ie our fricntls. O u r n t tac l~~ucnt to agreeable objects I-entier-, i t ~ml~ossible for u s to 1)e 11orn in the 1le:tl-en.

IIe\.,c : 11-11nt is it that neitlier fire can burn, nor water cor- I-ode, 1101- 11-ind crush down, but that is able to make good the whole n-01-lcl ? What was secure from the attack of n malefaCto1- n-210 woulcl come to take it anray?

Ehagax-at : Blessing ! I)e\-a the11 asked and said : Son- I liave only one doubt left

to be resolveci ; pray clear it anray for Ine :-TVho has been, is. and ill be the greatest self -decei\-er ? - Ellagax-at ansnrered ancl said : TV11oe.i.e~ possesses great riches, and yet fails to use them for r rot noting his blessings, has been, is, ancl \\-ill be the greatest self-deceiver.

The D e n , hax-ing hearcl the words of the Bhagavat, was full o f csceec1iug joy, and ~vorsliil~peci him, throwing liimself down at his feet. ,4nd he disappeared suddenly fro111 the presence of the 1311;iglln\-;it.

" 'l'here are three branches of the law. Sacrifice, study, ancl charit!- arc the first ".-UcrnrI'og-.n Upa~zishnd

[January,

THEOSOPHICAL CORRESPONDEKCE CLASS. %)ME WORK OF THE CLASS.

T HIS Class was started in the American SeEtion for the pur- pose of helping the members in the course of stuclg- ~ inc l ir?

all matters pertaining to the Society. Very soon after the first notice was given ~nembers began to come in, and at this date. rlecember, one hnr?(lred ancl forty-six persons have joined, cornin:,: from a11 parts of the Seaion. S o authority is claimed, ancl ~nembei-s are helped 11y comments made on answers and by refer- ences to books ancl articles. At the same time it is likely that a large irlclex or reference book may result from the work, referring to all sorts of articles ancl subje&s in the whole field of T.S. lit- erature. This in itself \\-ill 1)e a valuable thing to have, and i f n1eans and energy wal-rant it inight finallj- be gotten out in I)ooli form.

I11 the first list of questions the following among others \;-as put :

IYhat is t11c basis, genius, ancl sp~r i t of t h c 'l'.S. col:htitutio11?

I t s objekl was to clireki the mind to the orgrxnization itself, and to gil-e an opportunity to personally with each one point out cel-- tain matters wllic11 o~lgllt to be better understood than they are, as the replies demonstrate. Some sample replies are here giveli without names.

30. I have been a men~ber of tlie 'l'. S. for. eight years, and have I:eve!-

seen its constitution ?toy ~ 7 ~ ~ 1 - hctll-d of r z ? z j 8 .

4 . The basis of 'I'lieosophy is the revelations by lettet-s and speech is, Brli

l Iah2tmas; its genius ancl spirit, the teachings of etcrn:tl truths of nature anc! universe.

0 2 . Its basis is the establishment of a Universal Brotherhoocl. Its geniu:, is to awalien the sleeping soul of man to a knowledge of its t r ~ l c posvers, its true work, its true ciestitly. T o arouse and stiniulate to action the untried, un- develol~ctl forces of the soul. 'l'o l ~ f t man out of the illusio~ls of matter that he m:~y make a more steady and rapid progress toivard his spiritual dcveiop- ment and perfection. To teach him to estimate correctly bet\\-een n1atesi:ll and sl~iritual progress, just how much one is \\-orth in comparison with the other and just rclhnf ends are t o be obilrrircd r i~ i fh one o r fhe o ther .

Its spirit is to eliminate selfishness, to inspire in the individual a l~eneficent, universal love of Ilumanity in preference to n selfish, personal love. To per- sist in an increasing encleavor to 1)urify the soul, lift tlie aspirations, ennoble tlie thoughts, not so much for the sanctification o f self, as for the sake of 1)urity id righteousness as principles of the 1)ivine Will and for the maintenance c ~ t ' the Ijivine Har~nony. Anci also for the psychical influences unconsciously eii- qcndered by holy tllought and holy living. T o eradicate error, false cancel)

tio!l.;, rni-tnl;c,~i intei-pret:~tio~is. 'SO : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i l ~ i l : ~ t ~ ~ ) i y j ~ ~ ( I i c ~ xni? : ~ 1 : \>.-1e11i+ ( 1 1 '

]1;i--?\-. i i11j~bt conclusic~ns. 'I'o i'ollo\\- out the goltle~l st:ie . . I )o ;Into otlle1.5 ::. 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 T o incite to all es:ic.t ul)rigl!tness /i/ i r i / l/iiic,;l.s. ' 1 ' 0

c:::ti?-ii!e to1es:~nce. 1)atictlce, gentleness, s \ \ .ect~less, humility, :l~lcl tlcvo!ion in tile c:t:lhe o f others.

41. T h e basis, genius, and s l~ i r i t of the Theoso~jhical Society i b ~:nse!iish- ~ less , or the 1:atherhood o f C;ocl nud the I_l,~*otiierliood of 11a11.

0 . T h e I~ns is of the T.S. is a ljelief in the unity of ail life, s l ) i i . i t~~:~l :tr:(l ~ ~ h y s i c a l : its g c n i ~ ~ s tllat this 1111itj- of all life ljrings us into sucll se1:~tion.: tli- rectly or i~ltlirectly \\-ith other races, nations, and brother men a s to L.:LLISL. :~11!-

injury clone 1))- one to another to mutually affect other raccs, ~ l a t i c~ns , n:ltl rilen UI)OII the earth. I t s spirit is tha t of compassion:tte s~ -ml j a thy for, n l~ t i mutual 1iel~)t 'ulr~es.~ to, all l~eings.

(io. 'l'he bnsis, genius, ant1 s l~ i r i t of the T.S. Constitution are esljresec! i l l t he first olijcct and in its 171ott0, "'l'lle~-e ih 110 Re1iy;ioli higlics than 'l'ruth". I t \voultl unlte nlen of all creetl\ :til(l r:~cc:< i:i a llontl of brotherhocJct an( l ma t - ::id toleration upon tlie co rn i~~on g~.on~ici of ' l 'ruth, which is the nuelens n l~ou t \\.l~icl: a11 cr.c:eclh :111c! dog!^::^.; 11:t~e cr~~s:nllizetl.

-. , . Siilccrc. ailtl c3:~rr~t>st 1 ) i . l i i . f i l l tlie ;\lasters of TT7i.;c1o~-n seems to r?le

to 1)e tile I J : L < ~ S of the '1'11e~~so~)l1ic Coastitution.

I,. 'I'lie 1)asis of the 'l'.S. is the 13rotl~erhoocl o f ;\Ian ; its spirlt is entirely ui~scctarian ~ t i ld 11;~s IIO creetl or clog11,:t to promulgate; respectful to1es:iilce is bho\\.n to all reli:,.ions, creecls, ant1 races of nlen : the genius o f t h e 1'. S. i h !he tiesire to u l~ l i f t humanity to a liigller level.

33. Oneness, tlevelopment, charit!..

Tllc a11o1-e ai-e fail-1)- I-epr-esentative of all, an(1 o f tlic g cncral i1ji1-it o f this Section. They she\\- t l ~ a t a l l 1i:~ve n~issed tllc 2-ist of

the cluc\tion, \\-llicli \\-as directed to tlie o r ~ a n i c la\c 11nclcr wllicll 11-c J Y O I - ~ , 1)ut :it the sarne time den~onstr-ate tl!:~t the true iclca ot'

the lllc~venlent as a llun;:ir~ deveioptnent is pretty well u ~ ~ d e r - stoocl. If the cyuestio~~ liacl been as to the movement apart fro111 the Constitution of the Society, all tlle replies n-oulcl have 7)ecn very good. Nuni1)er thirty nine apparentlj- saw the precise point froLn the reply that he or she had not even heard there was a Cons- titution. But that also illustrates another thing, that it is l)ossil)le to 11rc)ceed v~gol-ously witli such a work as ours eve11 if tlle n~ernl)crs do not tllink there is anj- organic law. Of course it woulcl not clo for officials to be ignorant of the Constitution, but it al~l~ear-s that it' men are working as so nlanr- in the T. S. do work the law need not be known, i ~ ~ a s n ~ u c l ~ as they become in the~nselves the right Ian.. However, the way to h:ivc repliecl properly to the question as p ~ l t is something like the following:

"The Basis: ( t z ) Equality of members irrespe&ive of caste, sex, color, race, or creed; ( b j ,-Iutonomy or self government of all Branches and Sections; ( c ) Federation, in \vhich, though each Branch and Seaion governs itself, all nlust a& in confor~llitj- to the general Constitution; thus the Branches of a Sefiion are

I I S I ~ L I . t l lv j u r i s c l i F t i o ~ ~ of tlli; ~ C C ~ C ~ : L ~ C C ~ S ~ F t i [ ) i l : t 1 1 ~ 1 ~ O \ ~ C S - I I C ~ ~ ' ) > ?

i t s g . c ~ ~ e i - a l IYLIV, ~ ~ l l i ~ , l l i n tilrll i1111st ~111Ifoi.i11 11 , t j ~ t , ~ ; L \ , v of t i i ~

11-1101~ 7'. s. . . .

111 :rtlclition t o t!ie t ' o re ,qo in~ , t i le l ~ a i i s , g.c!;i:~-. , L * I [ ! ~.;!::'!t "1

t1lC ()l"g:llli~ ILL\\- o r ~ ' o ~ l s t ~ t l l t i o ~ l :ll.c ~t1! tol lo l l l~~, e(1l.i'~. ;,.< ';' zi ' - iC 'C-

t : l ~ - i ; ~ ~ ~ i s i l ~ , ~ ~ o ~ l - ~ l o ~ ~ i ~ ; ~ t i s ~ i i , ; ~ l ) s e ~ ~ c c of creecl, ;~ncl :I ) ; I . 1 . c t 7 ~ L , ~ b ( )t' I \

o 1 i ~ c 0 1 , j ~ c t s o f t i le S o c i e t y t r r a f i l l . tr l ' i i r tc~ i ~ i l i c l ; !' ' I : , -

s t i t u t i o n is clii-ected.

'I'he ' I ' l ieosopliic;~? : n o \ - c m e n t a s d i s t iugu i s l i ed fro111 it5 C o ~ ? ? : i -

t u t i o n i s 1>:1secl 0 1 1 1'1-aternity ailtl u n i t y , i t s g e n i u s is t i le 1)ui-suit ot

tr11t11 ;~ncl to l e rnncc , i t s slli1-it i s unse l f i shness leacling- i t t o spl-e;iti

t h e t r u t h I\-ith t o l e r : ~ n c c and to w o r k for t h e upl i f t ing- or' the race .

Fro111 a11 t he aljove ;L b r a n c h migh t e s i s t as one of the 'L'. S. ant1 11c coml)osecl \vhol ly of members ~ v l i o had a specific ?,c.lief,

pro^-iti<:d they dicl n o t f o r c e i t on o t h e r s n o r claim for t l ie 11clivf

t h e encloi-sement of t h e orgatlizecl Society ".

S O \ ~ I ~ 3 1 1 ~ 1 < i i I J [ ( 11 I,.!:. gi~yes 1)s. 1311ck's 1):il)er, ' ' '~1ic~os111111y hiht, I I . ~ C : L ~ ~ > - ~ , o ? l -

siclerctl a untlerlyir~g all lieligions ancl Sacrecl Scriptures," re:ttl l~etost: ~ l l e L'ar1i:~riient of ICeligions. a.'l'lie Battle of Salan~is" i s a 1-iviti tlescri~:t~oll 1)y oIie \\-I10 \\-:Ls 1;illetl durilig the col:sse of' it. ac I l ) se~ l ' s \vosl<s ill t11e liglit of Tlicosophy" i h l~egun , as also a fine article 011 rlncient 1:gypt ". )IS. Jleii(?'s "Intuition" opens auspiciout.1~-, but 1:il)scs Into mere ~ i ~ l o t a t l o ~ i from the. / , ' / / , I ,< , -

nzitrtr' Gr;'rl, so that, altliougll closing ell :111tl q u o t ~ n g n 1)eautiful I1ersi:~rl legcncl, it is far less instructive t l ~ a n it might have been. '"l'lieosopl~y ant1 Theosol~hists" is true enough, but not as nl)le as 11s. Kingsl:rnt1's procluction.: usually.-[A. I=.]

X~\-J<~II : I . : I< 'I ' rr~~:oso~~rirs~~~. " Old Diary 1,eaves SS " c1e:tls \\-it11 the teac11- ing given to ancl the Occult experience of Stainton JIoses, n-1111 some curioas facts as to the persistence of the ' ' Lotlge scent ", eypeciall!- as to 11.1'. 13's hair. " 'l'he Esoteric Signif cance of the 'Ye11 Avnt:trs " 1)cgins \.er!. \\-ell ant1 niigilt be of exceeding ~ntercs t , but is not. Tlle sccontl Avatar of \'isllnu, tlle 1<11r- m a (tortoise) is clescribeci n - i tho~~t any reference to a tortoise a t all. < ' P l l c ~ i o ~ ~ i c - 11:~ of Slacle while sleeping" narrates most singular incitlents occurin:,. \\-hen that famous metliunl was uncluestionably asleep. "The Doctrinc o f 11~1y:~ ant1 the Hinciu Scriptures" is a verj- able al-ticie, in the style and \\-orth! 01' 1I:t:lsel, and is specially interesting because clenying that the doctrine is eves espllcitly put forth in I-Iintlu sncrecl books. The summation on pages 09 ant1 roo o f the actual doctrine taught is singularlj- fine, admirable for contlensation, clearness, and rationality, and is most gratif\-ing to TTesterns who, n!) less than the learned writer, believe in a " Universal Spirit, intelligent and eternal, on~ni- present and omnipotent ". who " wills" the ~'prc~cess of evolution called law?

1 li S:l!ure". 'I'lle treat mt,iit of "l i l~eratio~i" arltl il!u\iorl is ecj:l:~liy s:iti\l'nc- o r . * b ;\iiiei.ic:111 Inclian Jugglers" iini.raies :lxtoliisliinx t'e:lts, ~ ~ r o 1 i : ~ l ~ l ~ ~ :I

ye\-elation to nlost persons in the I7.S. 'l'llc et1itori:tl c o i i i ~ ~ ~ c ~ l t oil tile sccon(1 1);~l)er folio\\ ing is \-cry iiice, t11ou~ll it misscs the point of t!ic. ]):~])ei. i ~ se l f , : ~ i i ( l

alho fails to perceive that the ol~jection 1l:~tl 11een tilcli.eili ailiici!>a:c.tl :111tl t11c.t. Seph~lrial gives the " IIorosccilie of I I.S. Olcott, IS.'l'. S. ". :1i;cl t l ~ t . s1:i)ject o!' it ni:t!ies the ileedfl~l correc~iolis. IJi1ie other ~.stsoio~gical rea(i i l~ks, it is :I. i ~ ~ i s t \ ~ l . c of singular. accuracy \\-it11 a s s ing~i lar csi.or. 'l'llc 7 i i~~0 .~ i l f , / c / :~ f !h lj1.1ite 1- i~ l i t ill t h i ~ l l i i ~ ~ g tile / . ; i l - ~ c / i c too esliository 01' the \-ie\\-s of t\\-o 11c;'s,oi1s 111:1\\-c\ cr tlifferinx: ), :~11ti i t ' i t 11:~s any recipe for c:ljolitig or extorting coi~t:.il)utioii. 1'1.0111

17.'l'.S. in g~.~ier . :~ l , that recil~e \voul(l 1)e a s \\-elcome to the ti\-o a s to :1:cir reatlcss. ' % C'ilttings ancl Com~uelit:, " is ;L ~ lc l ig l~t fu l addit ioi~ to t11c ~ X I ' O . ~ O - j/'l/:\.L'. - 1 A\. 1:. 1

'1'111; 11 ) I < I I I I , , I < \ ' ~ ' I I I : O ~ I I I ' I I I \ , I , is :L nc\v ~icrio(1~c:il \ v i t l l o~~ t locality state(1. but the last 1i1ie o f the last 1i:tg-c jSt11) s;tys that co t~i r ;~u~~ica t ions ma\- be sent to lIidtllesl)rc~ugll, ap:)nreiitl\- in I<~lgl:~ncl. T h e editorial is relnar1ial)l~- sensillle ant1 gooti, ancl there :tse other \\-or.tliy contents. I'rice is only a lieniiy. Hertram I<eightley is nnnouncctl to lecture tllrough the Sor thern Coun t~es early in J:~nu:~ry, \\-llici~ means a great lioon to that region.-[A. I:. ]

r \ 1 1 1 ~ c ) ~ O I ~ ~ I I ~ ~ . \ I . S I I - I . J \ ( ; \ , 1-01. 1.1, S O . I 7 gives t\vo Ixipers, " T h e I.ege~ic! of the (;r;~il" nnct "I<arnna", l>otl1 1)y 111.. I<. lIachel1 and. 1)otli charmiug i r l

matter , spirit, ant1 diction. 'l'he for~iier states the original o f the \ * ~ I . I O L I S

legends ancl es i~ la ins their syn11)olism Tl~eosol)hically, all in a s\vect :~ntl XI.:L- cious style I\-liicll mal;es them the mo:.c :~tti.:tctive. It renlintls of Miss Hiil:ir(l. . 'I<arm:~" is not less clcl~glltt'ul, ant1 most clearly eslilnins the bearing 01' tile grec~t La\\- on cl~~estions o f Justice ant1 I k ~ l - e r , slio\\-ing \\-it11 1)ecullai- luciflity the error of sul)posinx that liell) to s~i?'fe~.ers is a iiecessas!- intei-fel-ence xvitii l<ni.iii:~. 1:ut shoul~l iiot tlie \vortl LLiiot" 011 line ,; o f 1)ngv r 3 l)e erl11111g~~~l: I \ I llere is :L niisetl n:et:~l)llor (;:I t l ~ e laht l):ig-e, ant1 the cusioux (l~o\\.e\-er col!i- 111011) ~llistalic i. nlatle of usiilx .airnition" as i f ' it 11ie:~llt "fructification" ii1stc:tci of '*enjo)-ment", 1)ut such tlclightful pnpei-s car1 \yell excite the envy o f el-cn the ste1.ile.t \ -erl~al critic. -1 A. 17.1

, \ 1 I I I C . O S O I ~ I I Y ; 1,l.s A I \ I \ . \ S I I T K . \ ~ I ~ I S ~ , ~ , 1)y J . I I . I~ l c~ ( : l~e r :~il(l S.(;.I'.~L'i,r!-~i, is a 1);~111tiet of 15 pages trc:tt~ng excellently \veil tile n?:li11 trutlis of '1'11 30501"!1l7 in fol-m for popular c o ~ n p ~ ~ e l l e n s i o ~ ~ . L-nilki. tlisti~lct I I C ; L ( ~ S these are clt.al-l!- :tlltl tersely espountlecl, the \\-Ilole constitutin: a x.( )otl \vork Lor clistril)~ t!c ):I. t !!I ,1i,q11 :t little ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~y in tone. 'I'l~er-c is oiie assertion requiring emph:itic rel)ulie, -~d'J'l~eosopllists a re Pantlieists". S o one 11,~s the right to make sucli :ill as- sci.tion of a \\-hole 1)ocly \\-hen, as is \\-ell l;no\\-11, it is true of o111~- a p:uSt, :uul the nssei-tion i s tllus iiot only false I)!lt autlacious. It \\-oulil be i l l~ i :~~ l t !y rc l ) i~- tliatctl 1))- many of thc m ~ e c1evo:lt 'l'heosopl~ists, autl, by so111c o f the niol-c logical, rcputliatetl \\-it11 ~ntli:,rnation. F.'I'.S. \\-11o ~~n( l e r t a?<e to :~l~l)rol)ri:ttc to t l i e~ r o ~ n little schools the \\-hole tern1 "Tlieosoplly" i ~ ~ c u r something n l~lch more scrious than exposure by a revie\\-er,-the danger of repelling a n d revolt i~ig from tile JYisclom Kcligioii thoughtful incluir.et-s \rllo as yet do not line\\- that 3 1);~11lfl eteer is not the T. S.-[A. F. 1

Sl c I ~ L I DO( I KI \L . Volurne one of the new edltion of Sc~cret / )OL f 7 . z ~ z t ~

now rcndy, ancl a copy has been sent, charges paid, to all subscribers \\-110 have complied with the conditions under \vh~ch the reduced rate, $10.50 per set. was offered. Volume tn-o, i t i s IIO\V thought, can be scnt out in January . a s to the

I n c i e ~ . i1.e 11a\-c not info~.i~ia!ion iufiicient to ai-;ign a tl:~tc on \\ liicll it \\-ill cer- t:~i111\- i ) ~ yc:~(iy.

L I . \ 1.0 'J'III.;( I > O I J I I I-, I > Sr) \s I , I [ . Hrot11e1. ]oh; S i f r r 01' l I : ~ ~ ? ~ . i ( l ~ Sl):~i~i . 11:~- tl.i~n\l:ttetl rtncl 1)ul)lislictl i l l Sl~ailisli 11.1'. 13.5 1,ooli 1:11(1~~1. tilt. title of / , ( L

( - ' / ( I i t ( ' l i t 7 It7 7>zo.so f i~~ . 1 t 15 I'ro111 the estaljIis1111ie1it of j ~ : I ~ : L I I I ' : L ; : I C ~ ( > ~ , c:ille tle! Xrenal, nun1 2;. ,\latl:.i(l, Spain, iron1 ~ v l ~ e r c it may 1)e 1i:t(1. 1 t 11:lq Li ])oI.- i t J 1 . I . 'I'her-e is a l>l.ologt~e I)!- tlie trnns1:itor in n-hicll ih ~1 11.: ~ t ~ ~ t r - llieilt of tlie 'l'heosophic :il l?ioveillent. 1Ie s:tys t1i:it all the lnisesie, o f t l ~ t . !-:li.i.

t1( J \ V f1.c 1111 scl fisl~ness rtntl igni )raace, aiitl tha t our o1)ject is to (1, I :L\\-;L:\ \ \ . I ti1 thehe i)!- c31:fol-cing L-riivers:~l I~rothoshootl a n d giving the trnth n5 to r:ia~i'-; nature. Tlier-c a1.c :tiso y;ood gloxsnry and apl~entliseb. 'I'he latter give the i':tct~ ai)out the Socie~!- so : ~ s to i~ i form incluircrs. Sl)nnisli ncldress is 6*l<e\-i5tn 'I'eosolica", C:er\-antes 0. 1)sal. JIatlrid. 11-e hol)e it n-ill have a \\.itle clrculn- tion anlong S p a ~ ~ l s h rcaclcr~.

, \ II<. I-:r iic.rl.\\r I1 \ I < I I I \ I ; arrived a t Syracuse, S . Y . . on 21st Soveni1)er-, an( l \ : 1 t 1 1 I 1 1 r i l l i d I s . i 1 1 e lie\itlcs the u--a:~l 1'Ii-:~ricli mec.ttngs, pai.lol. tallis were given a t the 110~1ie~ o f 1)s. TTalhh, 111.5. lI!-e~=-. .\IS.;. (;ootlsicli, 1Irs. l<cn!-on, :tntl others. Sunclay, 2Otl1 S o v ~ ' ~ ~ i i ) e r - . lectu~.e(l :it I : t~t- ler's 1I:i11, I\-hich 1 ~ : ~ s cl-on-dctl. Sunclay, 1)ec. j, occu1)ietl tile 1)ull)lt :it the JIn!. llenlorial Church l ~ y iilvitation of tlie pastor, Dr. C n l t h o r ~ ) ~ , ant1 sljo1;e 011 '1'llcosol)hj- to :L large ancl appreciative audietlce.

'l'llis 1)r:t:lcll \ ras 01-gnnizetl last ( )ctol>er by the u~ l i t ed ef'forts of I >r. I )o\ver L L I I ~ ~ 11s. (;el,l~artlt, ancl llns a1re:td~- enrollecl l~et\vecn 40 : ~ n d 50 mern1)ess. T h e ii:eetiugs arc \\-ell attentletl and great interest is aroused anlong nlany 1e:lcling i~ lhn l~ i t a l~ t s . ,A strong spirit of l iarmo~ly 2nd tlesire for greater li~lo\\.letlge of 'I'lleosol~hy is cxllil~itecl.

I)ecemI~es I I , passed the (lay a t Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., among tile 1iiem1)ers of a class recently fornietl for the stucly of Theosophy. Reached Jarneston-11, S. I-. , I ~eceniber I 2. This 11r:tnch has a\vaketletl to ne \ r life. :L

he:tclc~~~:xrteri ha.; been taken o n a 1e:~ding street, \vhere one of tlie mem1)ers \\-ill resicle. 'I'ile hall will seat about r o o . A syllabus of tl~scussions \\-ill 1)e used :tt the usu:~l 11-eelily meetings, l~ubl ic lectures \\-ill be giver1 on Sunday evenings, l~es ides classes for stucly. For the convenience of tlie nutnerous S\\-etlisl~ iullabitants, it is prol)osed to holtl classes in tha t language.

()n Suntlny, ~ ; t h , occupieci the pulpit of the Congreg:itional Church a t the usual morning servlce. There was a good atteticlancc. I11 the e\-eni~ig lec- tured a t Slia~idia IInll on "'l'lieosol~h\- in the Bible." Parlor talks have been given each evening at the members' houses, and the outlook is very encour- ;tg111g.

,II;YAS '1'. S. had Sunday evetling lectures in Decemlxr : 3d, L I F a / ~ , V i s - I ~ L E (z/z(i I /~v is ibLc , Win. Q. Judge; loth, T h e ~' l fu/r~yerZ Pool-, El. Alfred I'reernan; r;th, l I T I . t ~ - h c ~ ~ z f t , Leon Landsberg; q t h , l'/tc:osojhjf trs n 1i't.-

Lzi;~-zi)tr, Alexander Fullerto11 ; j r s t , ,lIngri-, Henry T. Patterson.

AIIKRGR OF T H E ,1IOI'E1\1ES'I'.

XI..\\- E > ( ; I . . ~ X I ) TIII;OSOI>I[I( .~\I , COI<I~OI: . I~SIO~. 'l'llis is :t cor11os:ltioll \\-Ilicll has 1)cen forme(1 in Boston by nlembcrs of the T. S. tlicsc ancl ill it.; 1-icinity for the l x ~ r l ~ o s e of a c q ~ ~ i r i n g a lieadquastcr-s :tnd for-\\--artliiig the jie~ici-:ll 1x-actic:tl yootl of tlie movement. 'I'hcy llavc a house :it 24 l i t \'crnoii St . , near tlie State ITouse and the fanio1.1~ Conlriion. 'l'lle Prcsiclelit is (;to. 1 ). ;\yes\, 7,-ice Pres. , Robt. Crosl)ic, Sec. . l l i ss 11. ( iuild, Treas. , IJred. L. lIilli!;c~l. 'l'lic> I ) i - rectors arc talien from the nleml)e~slii11 of the I3r:~nclies. 13y Ilie:llls ot' this cor~~or :~t ion all the S e ~ v Eng1:tnd Rr:inclies can, if the!- \\-ish, unite in :tll 111':ic- tic:~l \vor-l;, and there is n large field for i t in the Sen- Englantl States. SIe1111)- ers o f thc Socicty n-ill live in the house, and from rcnts thus oi>tniiletl, ;is \yell 'is fro??l. otlier tlieosol~liical practical matters, the inconle t o sun it i. c..>:!>cctc.(l to conic.

'1'1!1; ' l ' o ~ . ~ . ~ ) o I~ I ;AT( . I I has been favorecl by :L visit from MI-. C1:iutle 1'. TI-rigllt, ant1 fro111 Fritlay Sov . 24th until the follo~ving Tuesclay nftei-~~ooll i ~ e

was iaclef:itigal~le it1 hol~ling n~ect ings :~nr1 talking lirith member-s. Tle 113s left not oniy n 1:rqting im;~res.;ion tlpon the hearts of 'l'oledo F.'t'.S., !)\I: :i I-c- mintier o f his visit in tlie fornl o f nlimerous Ti~eosoi~hicrtl syml~ols, \\.it11 \ \ - I l i ~ ? l

he tlccoratetl tlie n.alls of Lotos 1H:~ll. Since its organizztion, not otic yens : t j i o .

the I:i.ancil has :~tl(letl six nnnies to its roll, now numbering thirty-one. 111 spite o f the loss o f the Presiclent 1)y tlc:~til :inti the re~iloval o f the Trice-1'1.ehi- (lent iron1 the city, the ~vork continues \\.it11 1111al)atctl interest, each ii:et~-i!~c~l. seeming to feel an ntltletl responsi1)ili tv. '1'11~ ~ v o r ~ l &'Service" has ljeen utlo~)tccl a s the \vatch\vorcl of the 13ranc11, ant1 \\.ill soon 11e placed 1)y tlie fine portrait of J lada~i le B1:tvatsky TI-hicli atlorns 1,otus

l Z ~ i o o ~ i ~ . ~ s T. S . liad Sunday evc,ning 1ectul.e~ in I )eceml)er: ? , I 3 L 1 ! , ~ ~ ~ ' . ~ /)/'?(.(, Z'IL l l r i r f l / / - e , Jos. 11. F~isscll ; ~ o t l i , l < : ~ ( ~ / i ~ f i o ? ~ ~ X ~ - U Z I ~ ; ~ - I ' ~ l<e-h / j> fh . 1I7n1. 11:li11 : I ~t11, 7 x l ~ (!/- ~ ~ Z ~ > O . S O , ~ / ? - I , ~ L I l e ~ ; ~ i ~ ( l e r 1:~111e~t011 ; ~ 4 t h ~ 7',1///?/[1[- I ; S / / / cr//(t ~ X L ? O A . ~ I , ~ ~ ~ I ~ , 1,eoii TJaii~lsl~ei.g ; 3 I s t , L7ftz?/~o?:~,, 1 Iiirrie S. B L I ( ~ ( ~ .

& '1 I . 1'. 13.'' '1'. S. hact Suiitl:~\- even~n?- lcctur-es in 1)ccenil)er: .;[I, Al/ir,<,-/( . H. '1'. I 'attessot~; 1ot11, 1 7 ~ h ? . ( z f i o ~ / . ~ , Jas. 11. Co i l~~e l ly ; I ;th, 1 7isl'h/,: ( T J I ! ! / / I -

:~ isz 'h /~? L I L i r ~ ~ , TT-n~. (2. J~lclge ; q t l l , AII(~~l'.s / ) f ( r ~ - ~ Z'II . \ . ( z ~ z L ~ L J , J . 11. 1~11~sviI : jrst , 7Xes ,l/r)/lcylr.ri / ' o o ~ - , 11. ,llfrecl Freeman.

CIII(..I(;O's TLEc.sr-l<l- Y,I.I<E.\I. has l ~ e e n s t r c ~ ~ ~ t h e n e c l by the acl(litiol1 of aii- other nleml~er, Miss Eva i:. Gates, ~vllo is the sixth speaker cnli:,tetl foi- reX.9- lar tluty. During I)cc.el?lbcs the following lectures have 11ceti given . s~'l'iieosol)li\- in f'ractice," Miss f':tulinc I\;ell!- ; "I,nn. of Ice-birth," Mr. K. ! ). ;j. \\7at1e ; .'I,ife Is T\'h:tt \TTe JIake It," 1liss Eva 1:. Gates; 6"Slieosol~l~ic Itle:lls," 11s. (;eorge E. ITT.-right ; ' .Life, Here :tncl 13e\-ctid," l l i ss 1,eoline T,eo;l:irtl ; ' hCi~r is t - mas 'l'houghts," 1 1 ~ s . 11. 11. 'l'hirds. During his recent visit lirotlier C'lau(1e I.'. TVrigllt atlornet1 the walls a t 11eailquartel.s wit11 several 'I'hcoso11llic:ll sj-ni- bols, among the l)ainti~igs being the Society's seal add the \vinged globe. A(1- ditional furnishing for our roolns inclucles a new outfit for the platfor111 and :i

-(C b??z~~r zr?z~;.tr f L ' I ~ )

PACIFlC COAST ITEMS.

TTII r..~vr 1 1 I. T. S., Portland, Oregon, hacl Sunday evening lectnre\ In I)e- ceml~cr . jd, C'Lnzkcloil,(z~z~t' t l / l i l J)rerzl/z S f r r f ~ ~ , ,A. S C ~ L I ~ L , ~ o t l i , 1-I I~J j ' l / , /l .l/ir,sfLs, Mrs. 31. E. 1lnrt1n ; 17tl1, Retitctz?-?znt/b?z, Mrs. 11. J. Kohinro~i , q t h , Socrtz t t~s r ~ l z c l t h e C I - Y L ' L ( ~ ~ I L J ' hZ ' Iosu$h~~s; j ~ ~ t , Lr;fe rznd 1 Irork ?/ !I11Jtl(21tl///r

J ; f ( l v l z t~h . j f , Mrs. ,I. K. React.

r r x 1 I l l , i \ - I 1 1 \ \ 5 I 1 1 s l l \ - l : ~ I l ~ ! ~ , l ~ \vcre sj)ullt 1 1 \ - t11e 1~:l~il~Ic ~ ~ 0 : l . : 1,c.ct:ll~cr i l l

Stocl<:oii. C:ilii'orili:~. '!'. 5.. ~ I I ~ ' I , ~ I I ~ : L \ ~ Y ~ I \ , \ ; c :i:i(l I L ~ I P S III(>~:;;-,:.!;. x \ ~ c r c l~c.??. Al lec?ul.e oil "Satail-(;ooti :11itl I.:\-il" \\.:IS giver1 1)c~cciiil~c-1. ;c i 1 1 , :::I i~rtc~-cx:t.ci :~:?c!it.~~ce. Stoc>l;to~i 1:1-:i1icli lia:, C L li11rs1-y arit'. lie:~clc;!i:~~.tc :'-. i !L.rc.tofo~-e I,!~uiich allti 1)ul)lii. n icct i i l~i Il.t\.e ',)cell helcl :li one. 1:;:: ~ i i r l;:.ct~:L,?i (Icri(lec1

I st.p:~r:rtc tlii, iato t\,\-o. l:r,~lich ~lieetill;<.; \\-il l Iicreal tes lie ~ I L l ~ l : : ~ . i i l ~ tlie \?-_ieI<, :it \\-11i~11 11101.c \\-i:e.ll:!t ic st~icly ~vill 1)c 1l:td. 'i'lle I - V X . L I I ~ L Y Y~II~,! :L! \ - C\-CII- i l ly ' 11"il)lic llluetiug \\-i l l i)c ~ollt i l l i lc~l, but \\-ith the acltlecl faclor Ot' c : f ~ i i l ; ~Ii:lt i<1!1(1 o f ~\-Orli \ \ - l i : ~ l l :LI)\)C:LIS l ~ : i ~ ~ t i c ~ ~ l : ~ ~ l j - to beXi111iers ~*11(1 tile gel~critl 1 ) i ' i l ; ( , .

, >~1 I ,ic in te~i t io~ I is i l l fut~11.e to e:ig:LXc mose :icti\-el!- in botli 1)rancli allcl j i : : l ~ i i L ,

\ \ - ( ~ ~ - l i . I Iel;) \ \ . i l l i)e i.ccci\-ccl t'sorn ti12 I-)acrfic Coast C'c ~ m ~ n i t t e c I , ~ C L L I I c.

i>ure:~u. :~ntl iiidicatio~ls : L I . ~ % l:o~)c~!'ul.

11 . \ I ox 'I'. S., JIaco~i, ( ;eo:.xia, lias electcd as I'rcsi(1ent Air. Iversoll I1. I-las- I-is, ant1 as Secset:~sy 111.. \\-:i;te~- 'I'. I I i~nson, IJil)!) JIan11f:~cturing Cornpun:,,.

E U R O P E .

A S~ . . \AI I I - \ . IT I . \ \ Sr I:-SI:I I . I O Y lias 11een osx:tliizccl nntlcr tlie I'resitie~itsliil) of 1 )r. (;.%:tii(lc.i.. So~:le 2 5 0 11ie11il)ers o f 'Y.5, i ~ ~ . : i i < l ~ l l ~ ~ i l l S\\.c(le~i, Xor\\.ay. L l l l l l l i , 1 1 1 1 1 s 1 . 'l'e11 ~l1;i~tel.S l ? ; ~ ~ t ' \ l t ' ~ l l 1.t'~'~'lltly isslic(1 to ne\s 1 ,ot l~cs ill tilc.;e cou:ltrie.;, and the activity scen1s to ?;e i:c.:ltiily i11cre:~s- I . 111 one s111:~ll i 0 \ ~ 1 1 Jlr. tllgren (Ire\\- a n auclic~lce (!I ' over ;(lo l)ecb!)ic..

T I I E SOI<I 11 ( 1 1 . . I<\( , I , . \ .sII F ~ . I ~ I ~ . I < . ~ ~ I ~ I ~ I \ of tlic '1'. S. !)vv;i ~ ' O S I I ? C , I i solme of ti:(- ilortlie~.ri 1,oclges to org~tnize tlie hl)~.e:~'~ir:~.l; of 'l'ilecl~c~:)l~!- i!i 1:::~;

1);~i.t of the co~~i i t sy , :111tl to revie\\- ancl conil):il-c the \\.(1~1i tl(,~ic. ?ll:,~e. .\ cluarterly riiccting of tlie I~cclcsation \\-:is llelcl 011 Soveriil~er 4111 i r i l<racii~)!.rl ;

tielegates ~~t tcnt lc t l from thc 13satlford, Atherle, Hari-ox:::~te, I,eetls, lliverl~ool, llanchester <'it!-, ;\Iicidlesbro', and other Lotlgch. JIrs. 1s:~l)cl Cool~er - ()aliley \\-:is 1,rescnt from Heaclquarter-s. il speci:~l sulq)lemeiit \vas issueti n-it11 tlle L)eccmber 1 '(E/ctr/i giving it rel~ort of this mcct- 1112. 'I'llc l ) r inci~~al sul~jccts discussctl \\ere: phi1:~iitl~rol)ic \\-orli in the n c i ~ l i - l~orl~oocl c : i 1,ocl~es; l ~ ~ e s s \ \ - o ~ l i :trld cor:.esl)o~icleilce; the eclucation of 'Sheos- ophists, young arid old; the corrcspoildcnce scllemc started by the Geueral Secretary, Xlnericnn Sectiorl ; 1;inance. This sccorld ~llecting of tlie l:etle:,:i- tion was characterized throughout by much goocl feeling ancl enthusiasni.

I~I .AT-. \ . I .sE;Y I,OII(,I,:, J . o ~ ~ ) o s , 11:~s been 1-ery active of late in spite o f the absei~ce o f its 1'1-csitlent, 3Irs. 13esant. 7 2 ~ O C P ~ Z ~ L (g. YXkoxojhj~ is still dis- cussed a t the Saturday meetings. 0:' tlle 'I'hursday e v e ~ ~ i t ~ g open lectures, orie given 1)y I )r. i'i. Keightley oil Y X L . ,1~.1zii12 ~f z'ke L l i / ~ s was t h o ~ g h t to Ije of sy~ecial iiiterest as shon-ing h o ~ v lnlucll coulcl be acltluced from microsco1)ic. I-e.\earcll in sul~port of v:irious Theosol~hic tenets. Nrs. Keightley's paper ell titled I l -h/ltrt /'?-ocyp h(~ilr' I 1 ;'?, Ljr. ITy1111 ITestcott's on 7Xe /<r)sti.l-ztc.Ar~l,~. theti- i2eli~riorz, i:fhA-s, r r l l r l ' / - ' L ) ~ ~ L ; I , , 11s. Mead's on C;?zisfic C/r~-rj.fl;r/cl'f-l,, :i~itl JIrs. Cooper-Oaklej-'s on 7Xc. I .oz'L.t. rf t/rc LSifo/c~.~ \yere perhaps the niost all- preciatecl of any others lateiy given in this Locige. ,4 " Question Ros" lias been put up in the IIall, and members are illviiecl to insert \~ r i t t cn cluestlons for reply a t tlle meeting follo\ving the one at n-ll~ch they are read out.

il Lo1 r-s CIR( I L has l ~ e e n started a t Headquarters on lines si~llilar to those followed it1 A4merica. This has been done owing to the esertiolls of Miss A. ;\I. Stabler of the 12. P. B. 13rauch in Harlem. Already considerable success

113- n:rc.!i~lLc~i tile innovation. \\-ol.l;c~., liere are coii.;ec~~~e:itl! once 1i:oi.e in- clc;):t.:l 1 1 I ili~icric:in enter1)risc.

'1'111 I ) r 1 c . 1 1 I ,or)c;~.:, nes t to the S\vetlish, slio\\.s the :<-~.c;iit.ht s ig~ i s ()I' ilv;i!th :tiic? stead\- progress anlongst the foreig11 I3ranche~. 'l'lle .-\~~:~tei.tlam I i c : ~ t l ( ! u ; ~ t r s lias 1)eea reccnt1~- enlarge(!, antl now l i r~ . ; ;t I . O I I I I ~ \\-llicli \\ . ill vasily seat a 1lu1:tlred 1,ersons or more. l~r011ag:~1:d:\ is ;lot ~ O E ! ~ I ; C ,! t o c~ i \ : - ing ce~itres only, but the is vigorously c:trrietl illto tlit. e;leni!-'s c,nii!l)- --Int~verp, I I:~:tl.!eni, f<o:terclam, ant1 other a t present u~;t!ieosol)Iiical I( I \ \ . I IS

Ijeing vi.;i~t:ti in turn. Universit\- stutlents in IToll;~tlcl seem to 1istc.n \,: i:h lilore l.c:~(li~les.; tlla!l else\vhere. 111 Englanc! a halo of consel-v:itisn~ sui-~-( )u~ltls t!iel:i \i.iiicll i - li:\rtl to break t111-ougll.

I N D I A . I , ,

1 I I I \ \-I II;I; o f t\vo ) -o~~ t ig Inen, mem1)ers of the T.S. a t Bellary, tleser\-c, 110ticc. 'I'licy are I<. Jag~annat1ii;~Il ;i11(1 1'. S~v:iniillatl:a, who have been j111li- lis!li~ix. ttiie / ' ; l j t i / c ~ i c c ' but 11:ive turnetl their attelltion now chiell\- to a vernac:11:ir 1)11l); ic:iti~)ll t ~ i l i t i allcl \\-oi-i; for t l i c ~ 'l'. 5. i l l tlle ~e rn :~cu la r s of the tlisti.ict. '1'111 - l i ; i \ ? ) ~ Y , I I \-c.;.!- ~:i)llill \\-o:.k, alld t!iey tlehervc praise for colltinuing;, :iricl :L!\II

t i I I t i l o a give i t In I 5S7 they st:~rtecI the Suiimal-q;i S:~~?i:ij, its tleclared oi~jects !>e~ng, 111 l'act, :i :-entlc.ring of those of the 'l'.S. h o

;LS to 111-ilig tile111 llonle to those \\-lie 1.e;icl only in 'l'aalil antl 'l'elegu. 'l'llat effort brought them in touch \\-it11 the n:as.;cs. ;\11t1 11on. they have gotie l'urt1ic:i.. A free S ; ~ ~ ~ s c r i t sc11oo1 jvas startccl ant1 a 1)nnciit sec~~l.ed for it, ant1 11o1.i- s ~ ~ i i c t\venty s t ~ ~ t l e n t s :we on the roll. ?'he scllool \\.as ~.ccc~itl)- rnisetl to llig11 sc:li(~ol statit1:irtl. :111c1 tlie gc ~vcsnnie~i t llas rcco~liizeti it :I.; " Ad\-:~ncetl ". 1111- l)i-o\-eri~ciit i < psi )posetl 1 )y the111 ill tllc \\-a\- of :~cltlilis a 1)l:tce for 11oarcli11,q 0 i 1 1 t l o e o 1 1 1 i I 1 1 1 1 e to t i . 'Yo cover this t11c.)- lls\-e 1 ic,;<xetl I-ice anc1 grains fronl l ~ e o i ~ l c ant1 11:~ve also 01)tnined promises l ' r o i ~ ~

. . . :L viliiiyc. io 1;eel) it u l ) . 'I'licy fintl the villagers true to tlieir promises, 1111t man!- ti:i'ticultics ill~peclc the \\-a\-. Tllcj- need tracts ancl leaflets in the l:ii!- guage, n r~d this calls for l)riilting, \\-hich 11o\v 11:~s to l ~ c clone far a\\-a\- ant1 I-,

costly. 'She)- expect to have five ne\\. s t ~ ~ d e r l t s fro111 the proceeds o f tlie rice tlol;:ttiol:s. 'Shese are all to he educ:\tetl 'I'lleo~ophicnlly so a s to 1)e nl~le to 1)reacll ant1 explain syml)ols, cerenionies, :inti the lilic, and thus IIJ' s i r i n g ra- tional explanations to \ve:Ln peol~le from clogmatic ant1 theological \-ie\\-s. 'l'hc> pl:~11 also incl~ldes a Thcoso~~hical J o ~ ~ r t i a l for the villagers \\-110 \\-oultl collect at night to hear it reaii :tncl espou~~clec: to the111 by the preachers of the Samaj. 'I'his is u11us11al in the IjTcst, but is a custom i11 ltltlia. I t is also i,rol)(jseeci t o issxe ~ransiatiolls in 'l'a~nil and 'l'elugu o f 'I'.S. boolcs an t l thus bring those t o

tlie ~)col)le. A11 this sort of \~orl; is just what is ~leecletl. I t is hoped 1))- tllenl arid others that i t may leati in time to a11 actual vernncuinr section a t \\-Orii and uncier tlie 'l'.S. Any one \vho feels tlloved to helj) this \vork slioultl setlcl a remittance to Secretary of Sanm:argn Samaj, Ikllary, lnclia. 'l'he lit- erature and lectures o f 'l'.S. in 1;nglisll reach only those 1~110 l;no\\- that tongue, but this n-orl; if fully carr-ietl out \\.ill reach (lo\\-n through the \\-\-hole mass of India'.; 1:eol)les ant1 ljsillg the light of Tl ieoso~~hy there \vhe~-c it is a s much neecletl :LS aiiyn-here, and inclcetl for India it is more 1lccclec1 there than ~n ally other stratum of society. 'I'he work ought not to be opposed becnusc it \\-as not st:\:-ted by the T.S., as rt \\as and is done by niembers 1~110 are devoted ant1 I\-110 desire to reach tlic people gradually in the only way possible for them.

THE PATH.

M R S . B E S A K T I N INLIIA.

'l'lle very gratifying news has reached hese tliat Mrs. Iksnnt is no\v actu- ally on Indiall soil. Slle sailed from 11arseilles in co11>1):\11!- I\-i:h tile Countess IT~nchtmeister, arlct asril-ctl a t l'ost Saitl after 1)ut littie reall!- ! I ; L ~ I weictl~tr. At Atleii, l~eyontl the I<etl Sea, a message of greeting n - a h ;cct.i\-ctl f'ro11l Col. Olcott, and the11 the steamer proceedetl to Coionibo, \\.here tllc C'c l i . 1;3(1 gol:e to receive the illustrious vihitor. L ) u r i ~ ~ g the voyage Mrs. B e s ~ ~ n t :-;L1.-e sevcrcil r , I heosophical lectures by rccluest, tal;ii~y opportunity to give the ~~~ri~<lo-I i~c?i : i :~ officials on boarcl a taste of the venerable literature of the lancl tile\- :Lr.e rill- ing 11-ithout underst:l~~tling. At Colombo 1Irs. LZesant nras wnitecl upci:1 I)!. Col. Olcott, 11s. tl'.\l)rc\v, 111-s. Iliggins, and others, and a most enthusiastic reception ~~ouchsrifetl. I'articulars of her Indian tour may be expected in later P~,rkis.--[A. F.]

CEYLON.

1 ' 1 1 ~ S.-ISC;:I>III..I~I (;II<I , ' s SC.HOOI, at Colom110, Ceylon, has been ilispectetl by the i;o\-ernment ofiicial, \\-ho pronouncetl it the best 012 l h ~ , w/lo/e Isfrrzrd. This a11unc:ntltly vinclicates the choice of Mrs. Wiggins as Principal. The Scl~ool is in great lieetl of financial aid, 11ut also of a lady-teacher to asslst JIrs. Iliggins, the pupils IIO\V nunibering one 1lund1-eil and seven, of whom t\i-etity four are boas(1ers. I t is thought that \\-itbin Jive yeass there may be , fronl tn-o hundred to three hundred schools in Ce!-Ion u:ltlei- ii111ut.nces rilore or less 'l'lieosophic, the popular movenlent having sn1)itll~- erte~ltlecl. If ' tllese \\.as n~oney to ~iialie these schools absolute!\- f'sce, the \\-o1.1; or' ecluc:itin:< tlle future ~lilitliers it1 Ceylon, already so practical ant1 useful, 11-oultl 1~ of uil- speal;able value. ?'lie General Secretary will :i!\vays most glatlly fo!-\\.art1 ail!. co~ltriljutions for the Sangamitta School.

In addition to the moiie!- acl;~lo\vlecigetI in I )eceiilljer I',\,I,II, the fol;o;\ . i~;~ has been rcceivetl:

Krallniana 'i'. S . . . . S ~ . O O 111.. A. K. . . . . . . . . . . ~ j . ~ ( j 11. 1. 13. . . . . . . . . . . $ ? . ( , I ,

Co1. ITT. 1, . . . . . . . . . ro.oo S. S. C . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ . o o 11. P . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . 0 0

L)s. S. E. I/' . . . . . . . j . ~ o C. 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 11. IT. (; . . . . . . . . . . 2 .00

J . (; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.00 Seattle 'i'. S . . . . . . . 2 . 0 0 A. 0. K . . . . . . . . . . 2.00

J. S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . 0 0 S. S. J1c1\. . . . . . . r . o o (;. A. 13. . . . . . . . . . . I .oo 1-J-asa'f. S . . . . . . . . 5 . 0 0 X. ;\I. S . . . . . . . . . . . z ( I . ~ I ~ J . R. I' . . . . . . . . . . . IZ. ;O K. 0. I<. H . . . . . . . . r.oo 1)s. J . TI. 13. . . . . . . . r o . o o C. H. 11. . . . . . . . . . 1 . 0 ~ )

11. J. K . . . . . . . . . . . I ? . 50 I.;. 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . j . 0~ ) - --

1)r. K. A.13 . . . . . . . . 2.00 A. S.M . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ o . o o S I ~ . ; . O O

Alreadj. acl;no\\-letlgctl, ~ 3 2 0 . jo. Total to Deceml~er lcjth, ~443.30

L i v e in t h e pure l i g h t of t h e H i g h e r Self , w h i c h a lone c a n save t h e e from t h e e n e m y .- / l l z ~ l y / t r m s .

OM.